#yay video game buddy's in the house

[cal-daisies-and-briars]

Finally we’ve got the season two AUs!

🧜‍♂️🧜‍♂️🧜‍♂️🧜‍♂️🧜‍♂️🧜‍♂️🧜‍♂️🧜‍♂️🧜‍♂️🧜‍♂️🧜‍♂️🧜‍♂️🧜‍♂️🧜‍♂️🧜‍♂️🧜‍♂️🧜‍♂️🧜‍♂️🧜‍♂️🧜‍♂️🧜‍♂️🧜‍♂️🧜‍♂️🧜‍♂️🧜‍♂️🧜‍♂️🧜‍♂️🧜‍♂️ (this one is so much fun!! First of all I was so completely entertained with Buck and Eddie misunderstanding each other. It was so funny! Also loving reading about trans-Eddie and his backstory! It works really well as an exploration of his character and I’m really enjoying it. And mermaid Buck who just was reminded of the word merman 😂 Love me some unexplained plot-developing magic and can’t wait to see this one play out!)

🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼 (okay I know this one is technically very much in season three territory but it all stems from an AU season two so I’m counting it :p So excited to meet baby Jane!! And loving that established Buddie and can’t wait to see everything play out with Shannon!)

🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟(lol it took me a bit to remember that this one is also technically an AU of season two because of just how alternate that universe is. I can’t believe this one’s almost done! I’ve absolutely adored it! Such a wonderful fire fam story that I’ve loved so much! Very excited to see it all wrapped up in the epilogue!)

I hope you have fun writing Cal! I’ll definitely be having fun reading!

- PCA <3

HI PCA!!! Thanks for sending in more <3

I am going to start with this one because I am hoping to finish zombie fic soon and this is my only request for it. So thank you!

84 for 🧜‍♂️ (Ah yay thank you!!!!! This one has been SO fun to write):

tagging @steadfastsaturnsrings

---

Eddie can tell this is sort of a sore subject for Buck, and changes topic. 

“So what are you looking for?” Eddie asks. 

“I’m not too picky,” Buck shrugs. “Just not further away from the ocean than I already am. And, uh… I don’t know. Something between the fire station and you would be nice.”

“Between the fire station and me?” Eddie asks. 

“Yeah,” Buck shrugs, cheeks heating a little. “I mean, I’m sort of here all the time, anyway. Might as well cut down the commute.”

Eddie smiles. “Okay, then. Let’s narrow down the search range.”

A bit later, Buck brings them each a coffee from the kitchen, sleeve riding up on his wrist as he hands a mug to Eddie. Eddie looks at the clear skin of his arm, curious. Fair enough. There had been a lot of bruising and scratches there yesterday. The result of trying to rescue a terrified dog from a house fire. 

“Went for a swim last night,” Buck says, shrugging. 

“And it healed you?” Eddie asks. “Just like that?”

“Yeah,” Buck shrugs. “It always erases minor stuff. Haven’t encountered anything bigger though, so I don’t know how far it goes.”

“That’s pretty sick,” Eddie admits. 

“Doesn’t work on a hangover,” Buck grumbles. 

“Maybe the ocean knew you deserved it,” Eddie laughs. 

Hell, maybe it did. 

🌊

A few weeks later, Buck is moving into a ground floor unit in a building between work and Eddie. A bit closer to Eddie, just based on pricing. There were two units available in the building. The second floor walk up was a bit cheaper - not hugely, but enough to consider it - but when Buck thinks about who really comes over, beyond his sister, it’ll be Eddie and Chris. And the ground floor would be way easier for Chris. So that’s what he chose. 

He doesn’t tell Eddie this. Just makes the decision. But the first day he’s moved in, with proper furniture that he actually owns, he has them over for pizza and video games, and he knows he’s made the right choice. 

Unfortunately, he doesn’t get to enjoy the new apartment for very long. Sooner rather than later, the world sort of ends. There’s a bank heist, which the 118 is framed for. Buck is terrified, being a suspect. Dragged down for interrogation. What if they do some sort of test on him that reveals what he is? Eddie looks sort of sick too. Probably not for dissimilar reasons. Just wildly different results. 

The 118 is cleared. But Bobby is not. Or at least, he’s cleared of the robbery, but he’s still under suspicion. The LAFD is looking into his past. Poking around at all his trauma; the loss of his family, rehab, all of it. Buck doesn’t think it’s fair. Doesn’t think it’s any of their business. 

Apparently it is.

Bobby is put on suspension pending the results of the inquest. Chimney is made acting captain. And it all sort of overlaps with a disaster. Or, rather, many repeated disasters. Serial disasters. A package bomber. The city is sort of in collective panic. 

Buck is concerned, of course. But not really about anyone he knows. Not at first. At first, the people being targeted seem to be all too wealthy for him or the people he loves to fit the pattern. A judge, an attorney, etcetera. But then a package is discovered at Athena’s house, and even though no one is hurt, Buck can’t help but feel sick about it. Her son discovered it; her child. Bobby could have been there. Bobby. The thought of Bobby being hurt makes him want to writhe. Stresses him so badly he can feel the phantom sensation of scales running up his spine. He knows Bobby is fine. That he wasn’t even there. But he still feels physically ill. 

He doesn’t have long to feel sick about it, though. He doesn’t have long to feel anything but panic and pain for very long. Because the next victim of the package bomber, as it turns out, is him. 

---

57for 🔼 (It definitely started in S2 so you're right! And yay! Thank you!!!)

---

That makes him freak out. Or at least the possibility of missing it. Not that Buck can blame him. She’s not even Buck’s kid and he sort of feels like if he wasn’t trying to keep Eddie calm, he’d be freaking out a tiny bit, too. 

It’s not all bad freaking out. Some of it is positive. He’s a bit like a yoyo. 

“We’re really going to meet her,” Eddie says, excitedly to start. “She’s really going to be here.”

“She is,” Buck grins in response. 

A few minutes later, as traffic seems to plunge into doom territory, Eddie is filled with despair. 

“I made it home from Afghanistan to be there when Chris was born,” he laments. “Afghanistan, Buck! That’s three continents of travel. I had a half day layover in Germany. I still made it home in time. But now I won’t make it across town for Jane?”

Oh boy.

“Eddie, you’ll make it in time,” Buck promises, willing himself to be right. “You’ll definitely make it. I will turn on the siren, I swear.”

“That’s technically not allowed, Buck, I-”

“I’m the one driving,” Buck shrugs, and turns it on. 

Immediately, cars start moving out of the way.

“Okay,” Eddie sighs, fitting a headset over his ears. “Alright, good idea.”

“Told you I got you,” Buck smiles.

“I feel like I’m going to puke,” Eddie admits. 

“Well, don’t do that. It’ll delay us,” Buck teases. 

Eddie just groans. 

◀️

Shannon really can’t believe Eddie is going to miss this. If she wasn’t currently experiencing active labor - a much more active labor than her previous experience - she might not be so pissed about it. She understands he was out there, on a call, saving people. Which is good. She won’t die without him, but the people out there in accidents sure might. Whatever. But he should be here. He promised he’d be here every step of the way, and this is a pretty big step. Also, he did this to her. He should at least be here to have his hand crushed and to be snapped at. 

“He’s on his way, okay?” Maddie promises. “He’s rushing over.”

Not fast enough. 

Not fast enough, because the last time she was checked out, she was told she’s almost ready to start pushing. And even though last time she was told she could start pushing, it took hours and ended in forceps, she’s been assured this is progressing fast and easy. There is nothing easy about it, thank you. But she believes the fast part. She can already just tell, compared to Chris. Their daughter is eager to make an entrance. Which is fine with Shannon. It’s the opposite of what she’d feared. 

She just needs Eddie to be here for it. 

Shannon’s worried. She’s sad at the prospect of him missing it, mostly for him. But she’s also in a lot of pain, which turns all that to frustration.

“If he’s not here,” she tells Maddie. “I’ll kill him.”

---

66 for 🧟 (THANK YOU! I am very excited to wrap it up)

---

 It wakes her, but slowly. Sunlight warms her face. The other thing warming her is Chimney. He draped over her middle. His chest against her back. She feels completely at ease, right here. 

Sometimes Maddie has a habit of gaslighting herself a little. Her brain intrusively suggests she shouldn’t trust her instincts. That they were her problem to begin with; the reason she got hurt. That if she’d been smarter, she would have avoided it. And maybe she’s not being smart now. She’d thought that when she got in the truck with Eddie. She thought that when she started getting closer to Chimney. She’s fighting off thinking about it today. It’s just not true. Every decision she has made has kept her alive. 

When the sun eventually wakes Chimney, too, she feels him take a deep breath, then lean forward to kiss the back of her head. She smiles, pleased.

“Good morning,” she says quietly. 

“Yeah,” Chim replies. “A really good one.”

Maddie’s smile widens. There’s a lot to like about Chimney. So much. But one of the things she thinks she appreciates most is how he makes her feel good without being overly complimentary. None of it feels like attempted flattery, or trying to butter her up. He’s completely just sincere with her, in whatever he says. Another reason to trust him. She can recognize now how a lifetime of her parents’ criticism left her vulnerable to Doug piling on empty compliments. How that led to a frantic need to please him again when they went away. 

Maddie is stronger than that now. She survived the outbreak. She escaped the husband who would have kept her trapped in hell, and then killed him when he would have killed her. She made it across the country, found her brother. She learned how to survive, how to fight against threats she would have never expected a year ago. She helped make bombs to defend against a home she would have never expected, either. 

So Maddie feels safe now, more often than not. Even when her brain tries to fight her on it. Even when she’s scared. She’s safe. 

She rolls over in bed and looks at Chim. He takes a deep breath.

“Hi,” he mutters.

“Hi,” she replies. “Thank you.”

He gives her a funny, confused smile.

“For what?”

She shrugs a little. “I don’t know. For being here when I showed up?”

His cheeks redden a little. “Well, uh… Thank you for showing up.” 

She laughs brightly. “Anytime.”

And when Chim kisses her again, something inside Maddie just feels entirely, perfectly settled. 

October 11th, 2018

They’d expected Shannon and Taylor to come back around this time. They’d said monthly visits for Shannon and Chris at a minimum. More if they could help it. And Shannon wasn’t going to travel alone. Not while Taylor was around. Hen still wonders if Shannon knows Taylor is in love with her. 

What they’re not expecting is for Shannon and Taylor to show up with a child. A child that wasn’t mentioned last time. A little girl. 

[captaindiazs2024holidayparty]

Welcome to Captain Diaz's 2024 Holiday Party! This is an exchange of buddie fanworks set in the domesticverse future AU. Sign Up Ends November 15. Prompts will be matched within one week, and fills are to be posted to the Captain Diaz's 2024 Holiday Party event collection on AO3 between December 22nd and 28th.

Sign Up Here!

FAQ Here

So what is the Captain Diaz Domesticverse?

You can read the full Lore Primer Here, but the below is a shortened version!

Getting together: Fall/winter 2024

Married: 2026

First baby: 2028

2nd baby: 2030-2031

Recruit Lieutenant Buck Diaz

Following Bobby’s retirement from the 118, Buck does some soul searching and decides to transfer to work at the Fire Academy.

Imagine Clipboard Buck but slightly more mellow. Creates saw trap-esque training modules. His office is a shrine to Eddie, Chris, Alice, and Kitty (wait, who?).

Captain Diaz

Eddie becomes Captain of the 133 following Mehta’s retirement, this is either before or after Alice joins the family.

The 133 is made up of lesbians (and Ravi, yay Ravi). Eddie is the Captain Dad of the 133, and also a Living Legend.

The Mustache is Non Negotiable.

Chris Diaz

Attending UCLA for Video Game Design. All of his friends love his parents, and the Diaz House is a Safe Space for them.

Alice Diaz

Baby #1, or the Toddler. Alice Isabel Diaz. Certified Weird Girl.

Calls Eddie Daddy and combined Buck and Papa to make him Bapa/Bopa.

Catalina “Kitty” Diaz

Baby #2, or the Baby. Catalina Madeline Diaz. Buck calls her Kitty.

She shortens Bopa to Bops.

Now how do Buck and Eddie get these babies? Really up to you, glorious BPreg, Adoption, Surrogacy, Safe Haven Babies. The sandbox is vast and endless.

[holocene-sims]

next // previous

july 4, 2021 7:30 p.m. adam's house

[wyatt] i'm gonna ask again...

[grant] alright, well, let me put it this way. what i didn’t like was very, very specific to me. it was a me thing and you are totally different than me. we are different people and the time period won’t even remotely be the same for us, so things will have changed. so, the experience i had isn’t going to be the one you would have. it’s not worth talking about because it just doesn’t matter.

[wyatt] boo, that’s not an answer.

[grant] okay, yeah, i hated it. still, i would absolutely, like, with every fiber in my being and all of my heart encourage you to go play college hockey if you’re interested. and yes, at the school i went to, if you’re interested in that school in the future. it’s so far off from now that you shouldn’t worry about it but you know what your dreams are and you should follow them. don’t ever listen to anyone else. do what you want. you know yourself best.

[grant] the only thing i'd say–and this goes for literally everything in life–is that if you do something and think it’s going to be amazing and you find out it’s not, trust yourself enough to leave and change paths. don’t stay with something if you’re not having a good, healthy, or safe time.

[grant] now i'm really going to get off my soapbox. i'm not here to lecture you. boring! gross! i'm supposed to be the fun uncle.

[wyatt] safe? did you get arrested or something? my friend at school has a big brother in college and he's in jail for selling cocaine.

[ezra] HAHAHAHA!

[grant] uhh–

[grant] i don’t know what to say but, uhh, i have never been arrested.

[wyatt] so, you didn't get arrested like papa?

[grant] you know about uncle paddy going to jail?

[ezra] he has his mugshots in his car!

[grant] oh, i forgot about that.

[wyatt] wait, why did you call him–

[grant] uncle paddy?

[wyatt] he’s your dad.

[grant] oh, no, buddy, i'm about to destroy your whole worldview…

[ezra] hey, the dragon is here! geez, the head chopping thing took soooooo long.

[grant] yay, alduin time! RIP to the others, though.

[grant] but, um, buddy, he’s not my dad. and your dad isn’t my brother.

[wyatt] liar!

[grant] i didn’t know you didn’t know!

[wyatt] how’s he not your dad? you wear glasses like him! and you laugh like him!

[ezra] wait, what?

[grant] i guess you’re confused because he calls me his son? and, well, your dad and his siblings and i call each other by, like, sibling-y terminology.

[grant] my mom is your grandfather and aunt bridget’s older sister.

[ezra] no! great-grandma aoife and great-grandpa joseph don’t have another–

[grant] no, no, they do.

[ezra] you're lying! liar liar pants on fire!

[grant] i am telling the honest truth! and i'm sorry to surprise! i really thought you knew.

[ezra] well, uh, you can still be uncle grant because you’re cool. you fly planes and do cool stuff like that, and you’re nice and funny and good at video games.

[grant] aww, i still make the cut? i'm still good enough to be an uncle?

[wyatt] of course! but if you become less funner than uncle alex, then you’re gonna get fired from the uncle job.

[grant] at least i know the terms of the contract!

[grant] but damn, you don’t like alex?

[wyatt] he’s kind of annoying. and he and lilly have a crusty white dog. i'm scared of crusty white dogs. they look evil. they’re gonna eat my limbs in my sleep.

[grant] that’s very oddly specific.

[ezra] i'm scared of sporks.

[grant] sporks?

[ezra] and i don’t like ladders.

[grant] okay, but sporks?

[ezra] it’s a fork but uglier and stupider.

[grant] you know what? valid. you’re not wrong.

[wyatt] i hate clowns, too!

[grant] also valid.

[wyatt] you aren’t scared of anything?

[grant] lithium-ion battery fires.

[wyatt] what?

[ezra] that’s a lot of big words.

[grant] yeah, lithium-ion battery fires, especially on a plane, and people being mean to me. germs, too. can’t forget germs.

[wyatt] if i sneeze into an open hand, would it make you cry?

[grant] yeah, a little bit.

[grant] don’t make me summon the crusty white dogs.

[ezra] summon! summon! summon!

[x-atlas-x]

🦄back atcha for puzzle boys :>

but also.......... anything for 🐅 for my boy Jou?👉🏻👈🏻

Ooh, okay!! This one is gonna be so much fun :D

🦄 - Characters’ Physical Appearance

Let’s start with Yugi:

I feel like Yugi would have piercings because why not? He loves dressing edgy to begin with, so having piercings means more jewelry to cover his body in.

Wears all black most of the time, but dresses in professional clothes (like his DSOD fits) when he has to run errands or he’s working. I think he’d wear platforms to add some height and tease Atem about being shorter than him now.

Chains and leather everywhere, a phase he doesn’t grow out of from high school. There are some days where he just goes out in pure bondage because it makes him happy. He’s embraced this unique side of him, and he’s okay with being the odd one out. Wears eyeliner, but he’s jealous of Atem’s natural ability to apply it onto himself.

Depending on if that pink part of his hair is natural or not, I like the thought of him dyeing it different colors (I mainly have this headcanon for modern AUs, but it can work for canon too). At one point, he does it full rainbow, but swears to never do it again because it’s too complicated to separate each color in his hair.

Atem time!

I love the thought of him having curly hair. Whether it’s 3C or 4C matters none to me, it’s just great in general. Let this man have curly hair 🙏

I believe Atem would also get some piercings here and there. Maybe not as many as Yugi, but definitely a good amount so he can decorate his body as he pleases. He loves to match his jewelry, and occasionally will have matching earrings or necklaces with Yugi.

I like him wearing clothes that are loose and flow nicely because it’s reminiscent of what he wore back in ancient Egypt. It’s also another feeling of freedom to him, not being constrained by tight fitting clothes like Yugi wears. Sometimes he’ll wear darker outfits when he’s in the mood, but most of the time, he and Yugi are like Yin and Yang, complete opposites (fashion wise).

Naturally good at his eyeliner/kohl, something he remembers from his past. Whenever Yugi gets frustrated with it, he offers to do it for him (insert that one drawing meme of sitting on someone while doing their makeup).

And, of course, he intermingles silver and gold jewelry to match both Yugi’s choker that he was given and the cartouche Anzu gave him.

🐅 - Characterization: Character habits, personality, etc.

For Jou! Ahh, yay, I never get to talk about him, but I have some headcanons for him in my brain ^^

In the beginning of the manga/show, we all know Jou is a bully that picks on Yugi. However, he learns about friendship and how to be a good friend. He’s there for all of his friends whenever they’re going through a tough time, and he supports them to the best of his abilities.

He prefers to be independent, and he doesn’t like offloading his problems onto his friends (hypocrite). He’d rather deal with them by himself than let everyone know what’s going on in his personal life. He swears to never drink alcohol because he despises the behavior/bad habits of his father. He smokes sometimes to relieve himself of stress, but he gradually stops when he finds dueling as another means of escape from reality.

He goes to Yugi’s house a lot to play video games, teaches Atem certain customs he’s not familiar with, walks with Honda sometimes, accompanies Anzu when she needs a shopping buddy (even though he hates it), and takes his sister out on the town.

He’s protective over everyone and always throws himself in danger to avoid them getting hurt or involved. He never wants to see his friends in a bad situation, and he’ll do everything in his power to get them out of it. He aspires to follow in Atem’s footsteps after everything Atem has done for him. He sees him step down from the plate after being resurrected and decides to take his place for him when it comes to defending everyone.

We all know he has his flirtatious, naughty attitude, but when it truly comes to dating someone, you know he’s gonna take good care of whoever it is. Good boyfriend and good brother.

In the past, you would’ve never caught Jou doing anything out of the norm. He would’ve laughed in your face about it and called you a loser. Now, he doesn’t care. He sees how freeing it is for both Yugi and Atem to be who they want and dress how they want. If Shizuka wants to paint his nails for her own enjoyment, then he’ll gladly let her do it and not care if he keeps it on when he goes out in public. It made her happy, and frankly, he doesn’t care what other people think (though he was embarrassed and flustered about it when he first started stepping out of his comfort zone).

[angy-mouse]

this is my first time sending a request but i was thinking like angry sex or smth with dream team. like they were going to a party with reader (she/her if possible :)) and told her to stick with them but she got mad and wandered around. they get annoyed after they found out they lost her and were got really mad after they found her hanging out with another guy so they go home and have angry sex.

(it’s totally okay if you don’t want to or if you want to change it abit, your choice) ly <3

I'd been thinking about a chapter where reader and sap take their rich boys to a party and this fit so yay. I did change it up a bit and couldn't fit the sex in and its 1.7k that I'm incredibly dissappointed in so there's that.

PSA: this is the beginning of a bunch of works that I'm not proud of but usually y'all like it anyways so I'm queing them anyway

When Sapnap told you he’d invited your two new sugar daddies/fuck buddies to the bonfire this weekend you were frankly shocked. “You invited Mr. ‘collared shirts and sweater vests’ and Mr. ‘I bought a yacht and filled it with video games so I can game in the bermuda triangle’ to a bonfire? No offense to them but it’s not exactly their scene.”

“They wanted to come,” he reasoned with a shrug. “...I may or may not have let it slip that you bought some daisy dukes with the money they tipped you last week.”

You scoffed at him, shaking your head with a soft smile. “...did you have to explain what daisy dukes were?”

He cackled at that. “Yes! God, those two are cute but fucking rich people,”

“Fucking rich people,” you echoed with a laugh.

Sapnap did his best to prepare George and Dream for the bonfire. He walked them through what to wear (“I swear to god if anything you’re wearing cost three digits you’re gonna deep throat my cock the entire drive there”) and picked them up in his pickup from Dream’s shockingly modest house. It was gorgeous, as it seemed everything involving Dream was, but by no means the mansion Sap was expecting.

“Don’t you look cute,” George chirped as he slid into the middle seat, rubbing Sapnap’s chest over his tight black tee.

“Very, cute,” Dream agreed with a purr as he sandwiched George between them. He furrowed his brow as they pulled out, seeing the backseat empty. “Where’s our little doll?”

“Already there,” Sap rushed to soothe, stretching his arm across the back of the seat to rub Dream’s shoulder. “She got a ride with some of her friends so they could get ready together.”

George huffed, crossing his arms. “Well then what are we doing wasting time? I wanna see my darling,”

Sapnap scoffed but shifted gears anyways, borderline speeding to the lake just to feel the way George clung to him and hear Dream’s yells of joy as the wind whipped in through the open windows. He managed to get a parking spot right on the beach by leaning out the window and shouting ‘make way, we’ve got beer!’ and watching the partiers scatter to make room. He let the rich boys take in the sight of about a hundred people scattered all over the beach, sand peppered with all kinds of coolers, towels, chairs and even clothing, as he pulled the cooler out of the bed.

“Alright, where’d our little sugar run off to,” he mused, startling at the sour look on Dream’s face- not the expression of someone who just saw their fuckbuddy in daisy dukes.

“Who’s that tool she’s dancing with,” he growled. Sapnap searched the crowd while the other two stewed, letting out a similar noise of displeasure when he finally spotted you. You were a sight to see, that was for sure, cute little booty shorts and a low-cut tank top clinging to your body as your open flannel that he was pretty certain came from his closet swayed with every movement you made- he couldn’t help feeling smug as he realized you’d unintentionally matched your outfit to his with your black shirt, flannel, and denim bottoms. No, the issue was the familiar blond prick with his hands on your hips.

“Punz. He’s cool enough, just can’t keep his hands to himself,” he grumbled, grabbing Dream’s arm as he started to stomp towards the two. “Ah-ah, where you goin’?”

Dream turned to him with a sickly sweet smile that actually made him feel a little on-edge. “I’m going to show both of them who she belongs to,” he said simply- because to him it was that simple.

“Yeah, that’s not gonna work,” Sap told him. “Remember the rules, boys: we are not dating. She’s not ours, so we’re not allowed to act jealous.” He let out a strained breath. “No matter how badly I want an excuse to lay his ass out- what the fuck is George doing?”

The two were left dumbfounded as George strolled up to you, wrapping his arms around your waist from behind and resting his chin on your shoulder. You whipped around to see the culprit and lit up, abandoning your borderline-grinding with Punz to give the brit a hug. “There you are, Georgie!”

“Hey there, gorgeous,” he chirped, grinning with false regret at Punz. “Sorry to interrupt, I just couldn’t let this one get away with not giving me my hug,”

Luckily Punz simply laughed it off. “I know what you mean- little thing thought she could steal from my cooler without a dance.”

You huffed as George faked a dramatic gasp- you didn’t need two guys you’ve fucked around with teaming up against you, you knew how that played out. “I just wanted to try one of your white claws,” you excused, pressing yourself deeper into the hug to try and gain some sympathy. “I didn’t think you would mind.”

“Oh, I don’t mind at all, bunny,” Punz purred with a cheeky grin. “Especially not when I get to watch you bend over to get it in those shorts.”

“Speaking of,” George stage-whispered into your ear. “I think I’ve been over here long enough for Dream and Sap to start getting jealous that I’m stealing your attention so we should go say hi, hmm, baby?”

You hummed out an ‘mmkay’ and flashed Punz a cheeky grin with a wave of your fingers as George pulled you away. “See you later, Punz, save me another dance?”

“Of course, anything for you, cutie,” he tossed back. George glanced over his shoulder, allowing himself a small displeased grumble as he saw Punz’s eyes glued to your ass as you walked away- it didn’t matter, though, he quickly decided. You chose him over the frat boy and he’d make sure to reward you for it later.

“God damn pretty priveledged mother fucker,” Sapnap laughed as he watched George lead you back to where the two guys had found a log near the fire to claim for your group. Dream stayed silent as you skipped up, tossing your arms around Sapnap’s shoulders since he was closest and also in charge of the cooler.

“Sap, did you bring my drinks?”

“Maybe,” he hummed, resting his cheek against your chest. “What would you give me for them?”

You smiled down at him, stroking his hair as you turned his face into your chest. “I’ll take them once you’re dead,” you decided as you weakly tried to suffocate him. The three burst out laughing as Sapnap easily pulled out of your hold and pulled you down to sit on his leg.

“How did you get drunk so fast,” he mused, watching you immediately forget your murderous plan in favor of tucking yourself under his flannel to steal his warmth. “Let’s switch you to water, sugar.”

“I want a soda,” you protested, leaning to try to grab something out of the cooler for yourself. All three boys lept to grab you as you started to topple off Sapnap’s lap. “Whoops,” you squeaked, hands latching onto Dream’s forearm that he threw in front of you. You blinked up at him, tipsy mind trying to comprehend why he looked upset for a split second before your thoughts shifted to ‘ooh he’s so cute.’ “Dream! Can I have a soda, please?”

He sighed with a soft smile as you pulled out your best puppy eyes and pout- the whole 9 yards. “I saw Sap packed some ginger ale,” he said, fishing one out and pressing it into your hands. “Try to sip slowly, alright, doll? We don’t want our precious little thing getting sick.”

You eagerly nodded, leaning forward to place a gentle kiss on his cheek. “Thank you, daddy,” you chirped before settling back into Sapnap’s chest. You missed Sap’s sympathetic grin and George’s muffled laughter as Dream took in a sharp breath at the title, fingers digging into his palms. Later, he told himself.

The rest of the bonfire breezed by in a flurry of music, drinking, marshmallow-roasting and conversation until you were pressed between Dream and Sapnap in the front of the pickup while George dozed off in the backseat. “Did you have fun, Dream?”

You heard him hum, nuzzling deeper into his shoulder- he’d offered himself as designated driver since he didn’t drink often anyways but to you that meant he’d offered his shifting arm as your personal cuddle buddy. “It was more comfortable than most parties I’ve been to,” he admitted somewhat begrudgingly. “...I think I’d enjoy it a bit more if it was just the four of us.”

You gave a half-questioning half-understanding hum. “You didn’t like my friends?”

“Your friends are lovely, princess,” he assured you, moving his hand from the gearshift to knead your exposed thigh. “Puffy, Niki, Bad and Skeppy- they’re great, they’re all really nice.”

You hummed. “What about Minx and Punz?” You smiled lazily as he grumbled in response. “Aw, is someone jealous?”

He let out a deep breath after a second, tightening his grip on the wheel and your leg. “...Yeah, I was. I know I have no reason to be because we’re not exclusive or anything- but I am, okay? I don’t like the way Punz was grinding on you, I don’t like the way Minx was so eager to follow you to the bathroom, and I fucking hated the way they stared at you-”

“They stare at me the same way you do,” you giggled. You weren’t terribly drunk, but enough that you found the situation adorable.

“I know,” he groaned. “...I may not be allowed to act jealous, but that’s not going to stop me from feeling it.” He turned to look you in the eye as he stopped at a stop sign. “And, princess, as soon as you’re sober I can promise you’re going to be feeling it, too. I’m gonna mark up that pretty neck with hickeys, I’m gonna smack your ass red- I’m going to make you mine, baby. Do you understand me?”

You smiled up at him and nodded, leaning forward to bunny-kiss his nose. “Yes, daddy,” you chirped, watching him smile and nod before turning his attention back to the road. “...I always come back to you three,” you told him.

He didn’t respond but his hand gave a gentle squeeze on your thigh and you settled back into his side for the rest of the drive to his house where you could sleep off your hangover in peace with your three favorite people.

[bibbawrites]

Papa and Maggie’s Weekend - Single Dad!Charlie x Owen

THIS IS PART 11 OF THE SINGLE DAD!CHARLIE SERIES, YOU CAN FIND THE OTHER PARTS HERE

Request: none

Word Count: 5924 words!!!

Summary: Part 11 of Single Dad!Charlie, Charlie goes camping for the weekend and leaves Margaux in the care of Owen 

Warnings: referenced drug use, swearing

A/N: i’ve had this sitting around for so long that i actually have almost two more full parts done so i figured i’d get this one out there before they stack up any more haha, i know most of you don’t care about this series much any more but it’s my comfort series so i’m gonna keep writing it for me (and ella, this is our series @happinessinthedarkesttimes​ lol)  anyways, enjoy almost 6000! words of owen and margaux being the cutest little buddies and owen just trying his best 

Tag List: @happinessinthedarkesttimes​ @herbrutals​ @youngbloodblog​ @courageous-she​ @littlemissaddict​ @gloomybrieyxb​ @itsyagorlemmalyn @jatpxmultifan​ @moneybagmgk​ @emeliii1​ @mybradforddream​ @lovesanimals​ (the strike through means it wont let me tag you)

SATURDAY

“Be good, okay?” Charlie crouched in front of Margaux. She nodded sleepily, the early morning wakeup something she wasn’t used to. 

“When will you come back?” She mumbled, rubbing her eyes with a fist. Charlie swallowed, willing himself not to cancel the whole trip. They needed to do this, he had to get used to spending time away from her eventually. 

“I’ll be back tomorrow night. So you and Papa will spend all day today and then all day tomorrow together and then Daddy will be back in time for bed time tomorrow.” Charlie explained, his voice soft. 

“Why can’t I go too?” Margaux pouted. 

“Because it’s a big person trip.” Charlie sighed slightly. He knew this wasn’t going to end well.

“I’m a big person. I’m four!” Margaux protested. 

“You need to be a little bit bigger to come. But I promise we can go camping next week, okay? Just you and me.” Charlie promised, knowing there was nothing Margaux loved more than going camping with her dad. 

“Pinky promise?” She questioned, holding out her hand, and Charlie wrapped his pinky around hers. 

“I pinky promise.” He agreed, before catching sight of the time on his watch. 

“Fuck.” He mumbled. “I gotta go now baby, I’ll see you tomorrow. I’m gonna miss you.” 

He pulled the four year old into a hug, biting his lip as she started crying. Maybe leaving when she was tired wasn’t a good idea after all...

“Don’t go.” She sniffled, and Charlie pulled back, kissing the top of her head gently. 

“I gotta.” He whispered. “I love you so much.” 

“Daddy, don’t go.” She cried, throwing herself back into his arms and Charlie felt his eyes prick with tears of his own. 

“I’ll be back before you know it.” He promised. “I love you.” 

“Love you Daddy, don’t go.” Owen stepped forward, reaching out and taking the crying four year old from Charlie’s arms. 

“Go.” He instructed, as Margaux screamed out, Charlie’s heart breaking with every cry of his name. He stood up, hesitating, and Owen gave him a small smile. 

“I’ve got her. Go have fun. We love you.” 

“I love you too.” Charlie replied, and with one last glance towards Margaux he turned and climbed into his car. 

And no one had to know if he cried all the way to the organised meeting spot. 

- 

Charlie’s car pulled away and Owen waved slightly, knowing that his boyfriend would be taking this separation just as hard as his daughter was. The blond boy sighed, carrying the still screaming four year old inside, humming softly as he walked in an attempt to soothe her, his mind drifting back to the first time Charlie had left him alone with Margaux on the first day he had met her.

- 

“Just watch her for a second, I need to pee.” Charlie said, standing up and placing the two year old down next to Owen, before walking away. Margaux watched him go, her face scrunching up as she began to cry. Owen’s eyes widened. What was he supposed to do now? He reached out, patting the top of Margaux’s head awkwardly. 

“Don’t cry.” He mumbled, in what he hoped was a comforting tone. Clearly it wasn’t, however, since Margaux’s cries got louder, causing people to start to stare. 

“Hey, Maggie. It’s okay. He’ll be back soon.” He tried, moving to pat her back. Still no use, and Owen began to panic. What were you meant to do with a crying kid? He bit his lip, still awkwardly patting her back. 

Out of the corner of his eye he spotted Charlie heading back over to the table, and Owen breathed a sigh of relief as the older boy scooped up his daughter, holding her close to him and mumbling something in French. Margaux relaxed into his arms 

“I didn’t know how to make her stop.” Owen admitted, as Charlie sat back down, Margaux still wrapped up in his arms. The Canadian boy laughed. 

“Don’t worry, you’ll learn.” He replied. Owen gave him a small smile. 

He sure hoped so, for everyone’s sake. 

 -

As usual Charlie was right. Owen did learn, and now here he was, officially on his own for the weekend with Margaux having a complete meltdown in his arms.

He bounced her slightly, humming the tune  to Stand Tall, hoping the familiar tune would calm the four year old. 

“Daddy!” Margaux wailed, her face red with anguish. 

“Papa’s here.” Owen reminded her, swaying back and forth with her head tucked into his shoulder. 

“I want Daddy.” She protested. Owen bit his lip. 

“Daddy will be back tomorrow but for now, think about how much fun we’re gonna have together! We can paint each other’s nails and get pizza for dinner and watch all of your favourite movies. Or we could go out if you wanted to go somewhere? We could go swimming?” 

“Don’t wanna.” Margaux cried. 

“Okay.” Owen sighed, moving over to the couch and sitting down on it, shifting Margaux so that she was in his lap. Surely she’d tire herself out eventually, especially since it was barely 7am... maybe the best thing would be to just let her cry. 

 So that’s what Owen did, let the four year old cry as much as she needed, as he held her tight and hummed whatever songs he could think of, his fingers tangled through her curls.

-

Margaux cried non stop for the first hour until she fell asleep in Owen’s arms, exhausted from her tears. Owen sighed. He knew there were things to do but he couldn’t bring himself to leave Margaux’s side. 

So he stayed on the couch for almost four hours, Margaux curled into his chest, while he played video games on mute waiting for her to wake up. 

Eventually she did stir, just before lunch time, which Owen decided was the perfect distraction. 

“Good morning princess.” He whispered. “Are you hungry?” 

Margaux yawned before nodding. 

“I found a really cool place for us to go have lunch and some friends we can invite along to come play with us. How does that sound?” Owen suggested and Margaux just nodded again, staring at the TV blankly. Clearly it was going to be a bit harder to get her to talk than he’d thought. 

“Should we get dressed? You can even pick your own clothes!” Margaux didn’t reply, so Owen just stood up, the four year old still held safely in his arms, and made his way down the hallway to her bedroom. 

He kicked open the door, and placed Margaux onto the ground, before opening her wardrobe. 

“What do you wanna wear?” 

Margaux stepped forward and Owen internally cheered at the slight progress. The tiny blonde scanned through her clothes, eventually grabbing at a pair of overalls, before turning back and looking at Owen expectantly. 

“You wanna wear those ones?” He asked, and she nodded, before grabbing onto a Julie and the Phantoms shirt that Madi’s dad had made her. Owen smiled slightly, taking the two items of clothing out and quickly helping Margaux get dressed. 

“Now, what’s next?” Owen mused, hoping to get a reaction from Margaux. She didn’t answer, staring down at the ground as Owen grabbed her hairbrush and settled down with her standing between his legs as he sat on the end of her bed.  

“How do you want your hair?” Owen asked, running the brush through her curls. Margaux thought for a moment. 

“Bun.” She mumbled, and Owen grinned. 

“There’s that beautiful voice of yours. I missed it.” He teased, and Margaux smiled slightly. 

“Okay, let’s get this bun going.” He pulled her hair back, tying it somewhat messily in a bun. “How’s that?” 

“Good.” Margaux replied. 

“Yay!” Owen cheered and Margaux giggled, the sound warming Owen’s heart. 

“Do you wanna go watch Paw Patrol while I get dressed? Or you can stay here and play?” Owen suggested, and Margaux shook her head, clinging to his leg. 

“With you.” She mumbled and Owen sighed but took her with him nonetheless. 

Two steps forward, one step back. 

-

Almost an hour later Owen climbed out of an Uber, before unclipping Margaux from the safety seat, removing the safety seat from the car, and thanking their driver. 

“You ready to make some friends?” He questioned, looking towards the large building that housed an indoor play centre where they would be meeting a few members of the cast. 

“No.” Margaux replied and Owen laughed. 

“Don’t worry, you’ll like them.” He said. 

They entered the indoor play centre and Margaux’s eyes widened in excitement, taking in the various areas of the room, before settling on a high ropes course in the middle of the room. Of course Charlie’s kid would choose the most adventurous thing in the room to be excited for. 

“Owen!” A voice called, and Owen turned to find Cheyenne heading towards them, with his twins holding onto their father’s hands.

“Hey guys.” Owen greeted. “It’s so good to see you.”

“You too. And little miss Margaux here, look at how much you’ve grown!” Cheyenne gasped playfully and Margaux grinned, Owen smiling at the switch in her behaviour. 

“Cause I’m four.” She boasted. Cheyenne smiled. 

“So are my little ones. This is Willow and Ethan.” He smiled, gesturing to each twin as he introduced them. “And this is Margaux.” 

“Hi!” Willow grinned and Margaux smiled slightly, leaning into Owen. 

“She hasn’t had very good experiences with kids her age.” Owen explained. “Plus we’ve had a bit of a rough morning.” 

“That’s okay. Why don’t we head back to the table we’re at. Kenny and Sacha are there and Tori and Jadah are coming soon. Kenny booked the whole place out for the day so there’s no rush and no other people.” Cheyenne said, and Owen nodded, following the older man through the entrance and over to a table where Kenny and Sacha were sitting. 

“Hey guys.” Owen smiled, once they arrived at the table. 

“Hey Owen. How are you?” Kenny questioned. 

“Not too bad. Hopefully will be better soon.” Owen replied with a small grin. 

“Daddy can we go play?” Ethan questioned, and Cheyenne nodded. 

“Why don’t you take Margaux with you.” He suggested and the twins both turned their attention to the blond, who turned to Owen, a worried look on her face. 

“You’ll be okay.” Owen promised her, moving to take her shoes off as she clung to him. “I’ll be right here the whole time.” 

“Okay.” She decided, and Owen placed her on the ground, watching as she hesitantly took a hand of each of the twins and allowed them to drag her towards the biggest playground. 

“How was this morning?” Kenny questioned as Owen flopped down into an empty chair. Owen sighed, watching Margaux climb the stairs of the playground, any hesitation already gone.  

“Not good. She was okay until Charlie said he had to go and then she had a complete meltdown. He was about 30 seconds away from cancelling his trip, you could see it in his face. So I grabbed her and made him leave, and then she cried for literally an hour until she fell asleep again.” He said, and Kenny smiled sympathetically. 

“How long is Charlie gone for?” Sacha asked. 

“He comes back tomorrow evening.” Owen bit his lip. “I’m worried about how she’ll go tonight when she realises he isn’t there to put her to bed.” 

“You’ve got this.” Kenny assured him. “We’ve all seen you do it before and you do this all the time with Charlie around.”

“I hope so.” Owen replied. “I’m kinda hoping she’ll exhaust herself here and just pass out tonight.” 

The group laughed. 

“That’s pretty likely.” Cheyenne agreed. “I’m hoping for the same thing.” 

The door chimed again, signifying another arrival, and both Kenny and Sacha stood up to go greet the newest guest. Cheyenne gave Owen a small smile. 

“If you don’t mind me asking, you said Margaux hadn’t had very good experiences with kids her age. What happened?” He questioned. 

“Charlie had something to do, I think it was some beach cleaning thing, so he enrolled her into a childcare program. She lasted a few hours before she got into disagreements with the other kids about her not having a mum, and the bitch teacher backed them up saying she had to have a mum. So next minute Charlie’s being called in to discuss Margaux’s “issues with authority figures”, and she never went back.” Owen explained, and Cheyenne frowned. 

“That’s horrible.” He said. “I’m glad she didn’t go back.” 

“Me too.” Owen agreed. Cheyenne gave him a reassuring smile.

“At least we know with my kids they won’t worry about her not having a mum.” He joked and Owen smiled, instinctively glancing towards the playground, where Margaux and the twins had decided to attempt to climb up the large slides the wrong way, the three of them giggling loudly as they slipped back down. 

“She reminds me so much of Charlie.” Cheyenne commented, following Owen’s gaze. “They have the same adventurous spirit and cheeky personality.” 

“She’s his clone.” Owen laughed. “Everything except the hair.” 

“Personally I think her hair makes her look like your daughter.” Cheyenne said, and Owen’s heart skipped a beat. 

“Really?” His tone was filled with disbelief. He’d never considered that before. 

“Definitely. If people didn’t know they’d assume she was yours biologically.” Cheyenne nodded. Owen smiled slightly. 

“That means a lot to me.” 

“Anytime.” Cheyenne smiled, as they were rejoined by Kenny and Sacha, who were now accompanied by Tori and Jadah. 

“Now,” Kenny started, as everyone sat down around the table. “Should we order some food?” 

- 

So maybe not all kids her age were horrible, Margaux decided as she sat at the top of one of the large towers in the playground. The twins seemed nice enough and her Papa promised her that he would be there, and she knew he wouldn’t let anyone be mean to her, ever. 

“Do you have a brother or a sister?” Willow questioned, plopping down next to her. Margaux shook her head. 

“No.” She said. “Just me and Daddy and sometimes Papa. But he lives in Oklahoma most times.” 

“You don’t have a mummy too?” Ethan asked, joining them. Margaux shook her head again. 

“Do you have a mummy?” She glanced between the twins, who also shook their heads. 

“We have Dad and Daddy.” Willow told her. Margaux grinned. There was no way they’d be mean to her about not having a mum if they didn’t have one either. 

“Do you like Paw Patrol?” She asked, and the twins nodded quickly. 

“Yeah! I like Skye.” Willow answered. 

“I like Marshall.” Ethan added. 

“I like Everest cause she likes snow and I like snow too.” Margaux explained. 

“Can we go on the slides again?” Ethan questioned, and the girls exchanged a look before nodding. 

“You go first.” Margaux instructed, and together the three made their way through the tunnels, back to the slides. 

Yeah, Margaux thought as she followed the twins, maybe all kids weren’t mean. 

- 

After several hours of running around, the three four year olds were clearly exhausted so the group decided to call it a day. 

“Do you need a lift?” Cheyenne asked. Owen nodded, glancing down at Margaux, who was hugged tightly between Willow and Ethan. He couldn’t wait to tell Charlie that she finally had some friends her own age. 

“That would be great, thanks.” Owen smiled, which Cheyenne quickly returned. 

With a few last goodbyes to the rest of the group and promises to meet up again soon, Owen, Cheyenne and the kids left, Cheyenne leading the way while Owen brought up the rear to make sure the kids didn’t wander. 

And before he knew it Cheyenne was pulling up in front of Charlie’s place and Owen was unclipping Margaux’s seat as she clung to the twins, begging to see them again soon. It was only after Cheyenne and Owen promised they’d organise something that she let Owen lift her out of the car and the two of them stood and waved goodbye to the car as they drove away. 

“Come on Maggie, lets go inside and decide what we want for dinner.” Owen said and Margaux’s eyes lit up. 

“Pizza?” She asked. Owen chuckled. 

“Sounds good to me.” He agreed, unlocking the door and letting her in, placing the car seat near the door in case they needed it again. 

“Can we watch movies?” Margaux questioned, squirming in Owen’s arms until he placed her down on the ground. 

“We sure can.” He smiled. “Whatever movies you want.” 

“Nemo?” Margaux suggested as Owen flicked the TV on, going to Disney Plus and finding the movie in response to her request. 

And once the movie was playing Owen settled down onto the couch with her, and was determined he wouldn’t move unless he absolutely had to. 

- 

Eventually it was time for the moment Owen had been dreading. Bedtime. 

“Okay princess, it’s time to go to sleep.” He said, as the credits rolled on Frozen 2. 

“Daddy said he would come back for bedtime.” Margaux frowned.

“Bedtime tomorrow, remember?” Owen reminded her softly. 

“Oh.” She pouted, tears threatening to fall. Owen’s eyes widened, trying to think fast. 

“I know!” He exclaimed, and Margaux looked at him curiously. “We should have a sleepover. We can get your toys and sleep in Daddy’s bed and maybe even watch TV until we fall asleep.” 

Margaux grinned widely. 

“Yeah!” She squealed. “I wanna do it!” 

“Okay, well we’ll have to go get your friends from your room.” He said and Margaux grabbed onto his hand. 

“Hurry.” She giggled, tugging him down the hall to her bedroom. He flicked the light on as they entered, and Margaux jumped onto her bed, eyeing the large pile of Squishmallows stacked at the end of the bed. Madi had bought her one and ever since then she had been addicted to the stuffed toys. 

“Okay, who are we bringing?” Owen questioned, sitting down on the edge of the bed, already grabbing the toy penguin that Margaux never slept without. The four year old frowned at the pile before reaching towards an orange octopus, depositing it in Owen’s lap. She scanned the pile again, grabbing a small brown and white cow, a grey dragon, a green dinosaur and a large purple and blue cat that was almost as big as she is. 

“That’s all.” She decided. Owen nodded, grabbing the toys in his arms. 

“Anything else we need?” He asked, and Margaux grabbed her blanket. 

“Done.” She decided. Owen grinned, standing up. 

“Lead the way Miss Maggie.” He instructed, and Margaux giggled, rushing out of the room and across the hallway into Charlie’s room, leaving Owen to follow her after struggling with the light switch. Eventually he got it off and entered Charlie’s room, dropping the toys onto the bed for Margaux to sort out. 

“Do you want to watch one of those house hunting shows?” Owen asked, flicking the TV on. Margaux hummed in response, too busy figuring out the placement of her Squishmallows to pay full attention to him. 

“What’s it ‘bout?” Margaux mumbled, settling into the middle of the bed. Owen pulled off his shirt before climbing in next to her, smiling when the four year old latched herself onto him in the same way she did to her father.

“It’s about people who are looking for a new house.” Owen explained.

Margaux thought for a moment before nodding.

“Okay we can watch it Papa.” She agreed, so Owen changed the channel to the lifestyle channel. 

Hopefully the show would put the four year old to sleep.

-

It did not put her to sleep.

It was well past midnight and somehow Margaux was still awake, happily watching a couple decide between an apartment close to their ideal location, or a large house a little further out.

Owen yawned, glancing towards the time.

“Maggie, aren’t you tired darling?” He questioned, and Margaux shook her head.

“I’m awake! My Squishmallows wanna know if they buy the little house.” She informed him. “I want the big, big one.”

If Owen wasn’t half asleep he would have laughed at how invested Margaux was, but he was struggling to keep his eyes open and her not being asleep was not something he found funny in that moment. 

“After this we’re gonna turn it off and go to sleep, okay?” He told her, and Margaux frowned, shaking her head. 

“I wanna watch more.” She replied, and Owen groaned. 

“We gotta go to sleep, otherwise we won’t be able to wake up for Daddy coming home tomorrow.” He said, and Margaux pouted. 

“I wanna watch it more. You said I could watch it ‘til I sleeped, and I’m not sleeping yet.” She reminded him, and Owen cursed his past self for using those words, and cursed Charlie for raising such a smart kid. 

“But I’m falling asleep.” He whined. 

“You sleep then.” She answered, and Owen sighed. Time to put his “parent voice” on. 

“Margaux, we’re turning it off after this episode, and we’re going to sleep.” He said firmly and Margaux glared at him. 

“No.” She retorted and Owen tensed up. Now what was he meant to do? Margaux was rarely in trouble so he didn’t really have experience in how to discipline her if she acted out. 

“Margaux Ivy.” He warned. “Do you want to go back to your own bed?” 

Margaux shook her head. 

“Then after this episode finishes the TV goes off and we’re going to sleep. And if you go to sleep straight away maybe we can go get breakfast somewhere in the morning. How does that sound?” He tried, hoping the promise of a nice breakfast would make her back down. 

“Don’t wanna.” She mumbled. “Want Daddy. You’re a meanie.” 

Owen stared at her, his heart shattering at those three little words. 

“You don’t mean that, you’re just overtired.” He said, his voice sounding small, not quite sure who he was trying to convince. Margaux crossed her arms. 

“Yes I do. You’re a big meanie and a bossy pants and I don’t like you now.” She replied firmly.

“Maggie...” He trailed off, not knowing what to do. 

She ignored him, turning her attention back to the TV where the couple were about to sit down to decide between the three houses. 

Owen bit his lip, reaching for his phone to text Charlie, even though he knew the chances of Charlie replying were probably slim. He was probably out of cell range, or already asleep, or both. 

Messages between OPJ and Char

OPJ one day without you and she hates me

Charlie’s reply was almost instant. 

Char  she could never hate you O, i promise

Owen sighed, glancing at Margaux who had tucked herself into a ball with her chosen Squishmallows surrounding her, and was mumbling something under her breath in French. 

OPJ  she said, and i quote, that i’m a “big meanie and a bossy pants and she doesn’t like me now” so yeah, pretty sure she hates me

Char what happened?

OPJ she got sad at bedtime so i promised her we could watch tv until we fell asleep and now its 1 in the fucking morning and she’s still awake watching house hunters and i told her its time for it to be turned off, like the asshole i am, and she said no so i used my parent voice on her and now she hates me and she’s still fucking watching tv and i don’t know what to do

Owen had barely pressed send when his phone began to ring, Charlie’s photo appearing on his screen. 

“Hey.” He answered sadly. 

“Give the phone to Margaux.” Charlie’s voice came through the phone and Owen didn’t respond, holding the phone out to the four year old. 

“It’s for you.” He said, and she glared at him, but took the phone nonetheless, face lighting up when she heard her father’s voice. 

Owen flopped backwards onto the bed, relaxing instantly as Charlie’s scent engulfed his senses. He zoned out, just focusing on breathing, until he was jolted back to reality by Margaux poking his cheek. 

“Daddy wants to talk to you.” She informed him, and he took the phone, pressing it back to his ear. 

“Yeah?” 

“She’s gonna go to sleep now.” Charlie said, and Owen breathed out a sigh of relief. 

“Thank you.” He whispered. “I’m sorry I disrupted your night and bothered you when you’re trying to have time off.”

“You didn’t.” Charlie assured him. 

“I couldn’t even get her to go to sleep.” Owen mumbled, glancing at Margaux, who was already fast asleep, just proving how tired she had actually been. “I’m a failure.” 

“You are most definitely not.” Charlie replied firmly. “You’ve made it all the way til now with no issues, even after the complete meltdown she had this morning. Parenting isn’t always easy Owen, even I struggle with overtired Margaux.” 

Owen sighed, reaching for the TV remote and turning the TV off, engulfing the room in darkness. 

“Fuck, can you just promise me you believe me? I’m too high right now to figure out a better argument.” Charlie whined and Owen giggled, only just noticing how out of it Charlie actually sounded. 

“Kid free time is going well then?” He teased, thankful for the lighter topic. 

“I haven’t been this high since she was born, it’s nice to be able to smoke without worrying about her waking up or not being sober by the time she gets up the next morning.” Charlie replied, and for a moment Owen felt an overwhelming sadness for the 18 year old Charlie who had been forced to grow up so quickly, with no chance to be an actual kid himself. 

“I miss you.” Owen admitted. “It’s hard being here with her without you.” 

“You’re halfway there babe, just keep going.” Charlie reminded him and Owen blushed slightly at the pet name. 

“I will. Thank you again, for getting her to sleep.” Owen replied. Charlie hummed in response. 

“Any time. How was the rest of your day?” He questioned. 

“After you left she cried for a bit, and then slept until lunch time. And then we went to this indoor play centre thing with Cheyenne and his twins, and Kenny, Sacha, Jadah and Tori, and Mags loved the twins.” Owen recounted. 

“She did?” Charlie cut in, and Owen could hear the smile on his face. 

“She did.” Owen grinned. “She begged me to see them again soon, so you’ll have to organise something with Cheyenne. Then we just had pizza and watched some movies before we went to bed.”

“Sounds like you had a great day.” Charlie replied. Owen opened his mouth to respond, but instead yawned, eyes drifting shut for a second. 

“Go to sleep babe.” Charlie’s voice was gentle and Owen nodded, before realising his boyfriend couldn’t see him. 

“Okay.” He answered. “Night Char, I love you.” 

“I love you too Owen. See you tomorrow afternoon.” Charlie replied, before hanging up. Owen let his phone fall to the pillow, too tired to even plug it in to charge. 

And with Margaux’s steady breathing in his ear, he finally drifted off to sleep. 

- 

SUNDAY

Owen woke the next morning to Margaux attempting to braid his hair, Bluey playing quietly on Charlie’s iPad. 

“You awake Papa?” Margaux questioned. Owen hummed in response. 

“Yep.” He replied, voice deep with sleep. “You doing my hair?” 

“Yeah.” Margaux responded simply. After a moment she spoke up again. 

“Are you still mad with me?”

Owen sat up, reaching out to the tiny blonde. She wriggled closer, settling into his arms. 

“Oh darling no, I could never be mad at you.” He told her. Margaux thought for a moment before looking back up at him. 

“Do you still love me?” She asked, her voice small. Owen’s heart shattered. 

“Of course I still love you. You’re my little girl, I will always love you. Just like how your Daddy will always love you no matter what.” He assured her. 

“But I was mean to you.” Margaux frowned. “And Daddy said that’s naughty.”

“It is naughty, but I forgive you. Because I know you were just very tired.” He told her. She sighed, resting her head on his shoulder. 

“I’m sorry Papa.” She said quietly. Owen pressed a kiss to her head, playing with her curls like he knew Charlie did, hoping the familiar gesture would reassure her.  

“I know honey, it’s okay, I promise.” He whispered. 

“Love you.” Margaux mumbled, pressing her face into his neck. Owen smiled, wrapping his arms around her tightly and squeezing. 

“I love you too.” He replied. “Now how about we get dressed and go out for breakfast?” 

“Yeah!” Margaux grinned, perking up instantly at the mention of food. Owen laughed. 

“Okay then, let’s do it.” 

- 

Just over an hour later the two of them were curled into a tiny booth in the back corner of a café, the table chosen especially to try to remain unnoticed by any fans that may have been around. Owen loved the fans but sometimes they could be a little much, and having Margaux with him made him hyperaware of how necessary it was to remain anonymous. He had no idea how Charlie did this. 

Owen glanced around the room, picking at his eggs. There didn’t seem to be anyone around who might recognise them, but there was never a guarantee that they wouldn’t be noticed.  

“Can I have some of your one Papa?” Margaux questioned, catching Owen’s attention. 

Owen’s head snapped back, his attention now solely on the four year old in front of him. 

“Which one darling?” He asked. 

“That one.” She pointed to the cooked tomato that he had pushed off to the side of his plate. Owen nodded, placing it on her plate and shaking his head when she dipped it into the leftover maple syrup. Charlie really was raising his clone. 

“Are you full?” Margaux questioned after scoffing down the tomato, eyeing his eggs. Owen chuckled, scooping the eggs onto her plate too. 

“Hungry this morning huh?” He teased. Margaux grinned at him, her mouth full of his eggs. 

“Patrick says it’s cause I’m a growing girl.” She informed him. 

“I think Patrick is right. You were only tiny when I first met you and now you’re huge!” He emphasised the last word and Margaux laughed loudly. 

“You’re silly Papa.” She said between laughs. Owen grinned. 

“Excuse me?” A voice came and Owen’s heart stopped for a moment, looking up to find an elderly woman smiling at him. 

“Yes?” He answered politely. She didn’t look like the type to watch the show, but you could never be sure. 

“Sorry to interrupt, I just wanted to compliment you on how well behaved your daughter is.” She smiled and Owen couldn’t help the light blush that covered his cheeks. 

His daughter. 

“Thank you.” He replied and the woman nodded, smiling at Margaux, before wandering away. 

Owen took a deep breath, collecting himself, before tuning his attention back to Margaux. 

“You ready to go kiddo?” He questioned. Margaux nodded, so Owen stood up, taking her hand and leaving the cafe, thanking the waitresses as they left. 

“So what do you wanna do today?” Owen asked as they began the short walk back to Charlie’s place. Margaux pulled a face as she thought. 

“Can we watch some more House Hunters?” She questioned, making Owen laugh. 

“Of course we can.” He agreed. 

- 

It was just after 2pm when Margaux shifted in his arms, where she had settled down to watch House Hunters hours ago. 

“Papa? I’m hungry.” She mumbled. Owen played with one of her pigtails. 

“What would you like to eat?” He asked. 

“I don’t know.” She shrugged, as Owen’s phone vibrated in his pocket. 

“Why don’t you have a little think then.” Owen suggested, pulling out his phone and smiling when he saw Charlie’s name on his screen. He answered quickly. 

“Hey!” He greeted. 

“Hey babe. I’m just leaving now, will be home in maybe an hour?” Charlie’s voice came through the phone. 

“That’s great, we can’t wait to see you. We were just talking about getting some lunch, would you wanna pick something up on the way home?” Owen asked. Charlie laughed. 

“I can do that. Anything in particular?” He questioned. Owen turned his attention back to the blonde in his arms. 

“You decided on what you wanna eat yet Maggie?” He asked. She shook her head. 

“No.” She replied simply. Owen chuckled. 

“Want Daddy to pick something? He’s coming home now and he’s gonna get lunch for us on the way.” He suggested. Margaux lit up at the suggestion. Or maybe the idea that her Dad was on his way home. Probably both. 

“Yes please.” She grinned. 

“Hey Char? Your pick. Just not pizza cause we had that last night.” Owen informed the older boy. 

“Okay cool, I’ll see you guys in like, 30 minutes then.” Charlie answered, and Owen could hear his car starting in the background. 

“See you then.” Owen smiled. He really had missed Charlie, and he knew Margaux had missed her father just as much, if not more. 

“Love you.” Charlie’s voice came, breaking Owen out of his thoughts. 

“Love you too.” Owen replied, before hanging up and turning to Margaux. “Okay Maggie, what house are they picking?” 

The four year old paused, thinking. 

“The blue one.” She decided. 

“With the pool?” Owen checked, and she nodded. 

“Yeah that one.” She said. He looked up at the TV, just in time to see the house again. 

“Cause it’s got a pool?” He questioned. Margaux nodded, settling back into his arms again. 

“And it’s blue.” She giggled. “Blue house and blue pool. That’s the best one.” 

“You know what? I think you might be right.” Owen laughed, and the two of them turned their attention back to the TV to find out which house the couple chose. 

-

Just under half an hour later Charlie arrived home, unlocking the front door and entering the quiet house, his arms full of Chinese takeout. 

He could hear muffled giggles coming from his bedroom, so he dropped his bags and headed down the hallway, entering his room to find Owen and Margaux curled up in a pile of Squishmallows, the lifestyle channel playing loudly on the TV. 

“Daddy!” Margaux exclaimed, jumping up and throwing herself at him. He stumbled, but caught her, handing the food off to Owen so that he could properly hug his daughter. 

“Hey baby.” He greeted, squeezing her tightly as she clung to him like a baby koala. 

“I missed you.” She whined. “Don’t go away again.” 

“I’ll try not to.” He laughed. “Did you have fun with Papa?” 

She launched into a complete recount of her weekend as Charlie placed her back down onto the bed and plopped down next to Owen, snuggling close to the blond in greeting. 

“You survived.” Charlie grinned, placing a kiss to Owen’s shoulder. Owen chuckled. 

“Barely.” He replied, scooping fried rice onto one of the paper plates that the restaurant had provided. Charlie shook his head.

“But you survived. That’s all that matters.” He said, and Owen glanced at Margaux before nodding. 

“Yeah it is.” He agreed. 

And as Charlie settled back into Dad life, he couldn’t help but wish that this was how life could be every day. 

[hiraethhh-h]

throwing a weighted blanket at the om! bros + undateables (and a bonus)

warning(s): some swearing, threats of torture, implied nsfw, spoilers. 

note: no supernatural beings or humans were hurt in the making of this- also this was inspired bc my mom bought a weighted blanket and its heavy af 

the demon brothers

lucifer:

“MCCCCCC..!!!”

i- chile do you have a death wish???

momentary shock at how cute your laughter sounds (but he would never say it out loud unless you two were alone)

prepare to be chased and in demon form once he gets himself together

this man can ZOOM (i mean he does chase after mammon)

when you get caught, oH boY 

you’ll be lectured for hours on end 

“what made you think that was a good idea, mc?”

“and delete that recording of me. immediately.”

don’t worry levi is sure to save a secret file :)

anyone you were in cahoots with will be lectured and punished too

but your punishment ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

mammon:

“ADKSDHFKSJHFGKSJFH- HeY!!!”

is completely caught off-guard

crooked glasses and messy hair once he removes the blanket off of him

“why’d ya do that mc!!!”

if you tease mammon about being unable to handle the weight of the blanket-

*mammon rant activated*

“the great mammon can totally handle weight!!! i used to lift more than beel ya know!!!”

“hey! quit laughing at me mc!!!”

gets all flustered when you admit you were just teasing him to see his cute reaction

awe bby boy

probably forgives you if you promise to spend quality time with him for a few days

dont be surprised if he holds a grudge tho 

prepare to smother him with snuggles and cuddles to make him forgive you :)))

leviathan:

oh boy, you’d best be ready to deal with the consequences if you throw a weighted blanket onto him

especially if he’s doing a game run-through or grinding through a game 

“okay... just a little more and- ACK!”

like mammon, totally caught off guard since he was so focused on his game

*game over flashes on his screen*

“NOoOOo!!! My ScoRE!!!”

oh shit...

chile- you best hope you can run from levi 

pissed off at you like that one time during the TSL tournament

one of the other demon bros has to interfere and stop levi

“that stupid normie made me mess up my perfect score!!!”

mad at you for a few days 

and he will hold a grudge

but decides to forgive you if you stay with him as he plays through the game again

“i only forgave you because you’re the only one who’d love a yucky otaku like me...”

“and because you’re my henry.”

satan:

ok now you really have a death wish but i would probably do it too tbh 

ah... nothing but a normal day for satan

a cup of his favorite piping hot tea, a book, and the fire place next to him...

nothing could be better :)

until...

“what the fuck-”

tea spilled all over him and his book with the weight of the blanket = enraged satan

prepare to feel his WRatH

“so you thought this would be a great idea..?” 

turns into his demon form

threatens to try all kinds of torture methods on you and whoever was in cahoots with you for ruining his reading time >:(

satan will probably apologize to you for that and maybe to the other person depending on who it was

after that

satan will come back with his own little pranks for weeks on end

and when he finds out that you kept a recording of the little incident

:)

he’ll keep his pranks up until you finally yield

“alright. i’ll forgive you just this once, and you owe me a new copy of that book.”

“you also better delete that video if you know what’s good for you, mc.”

asmodeus:

“mc, no my hair and makeup!!!”

practically yeets the blanket off of him to protect himself

i would probably be surprised someone could yeet a heavy ass blanket off themselves but asmo is a demon so he has inhumane strength

*asmo pissed off 3000*

“mc! if you messed up a single hair on my head or ruined my makeup

*dark chuckle*

“i would’ve made sure i ruined you in more ways than one”

hHhhhH- be my guest asmo 

“oh well, i guess i’ll forgive you just this once.”

yay! forgiveness never felt so good-

“if you promise to spend quality time with just me~.”

he will literally take you out shopping the whole entire day

dresses you up in god knows how many outfits

but at the end of the day, when you both return back to the house of lamentation, he’ll take very very good care of you~

tries to bathe with you but lucifer catches wind of it :(

sore feet? asmo to the rescue!

“ne, you will delete that video right?”

beelzebub:

tbh the blanket would just feel like a normal blanket to thicc man :)

it also probably falls to the ground awkwardly

 *looks at the blanket then to mc*

“i think you dropped this”

*picks it up like it weighs nothing and hands it back then continues to eat whatever he was munching on*

whoever you’re in cahoots with either expected that to happen or is in shock with you lmao

while you’re reviewing the footage you can see beel’s muscles flex as he picks up the blanket :))))

later, beel will probably confront you about what happened 

“oh... that was supposed to be a prank..?”

seeing how kinda bummed you looked made beel kinda sad since your prank didn’t go as planned :(

what better than to make it up to you with food! :D

brings you all sorts of snacks and takes you to hell’s kitchen to make you feel better

“next time you prank me, i’ll definitely be caught off guard.”

belphegor:

is napping when you decide to try your sneak attack

as we all know, he kinda sleeps like a brick around mc so he’ll probably be indifferent to your giggles unless he gets curious

when you throw the blanket onto him

he snuggles into it

“...”

“...”

“this is really warm mc... is this what the humans call a weighted blanket..?”

belphie moves the blanket to make room for you

“why don’t you come nap with me since you’re already here..?”

snuggles and cuddles with belphie + warm weighted blanket = your heart melting :)

it’ll probably be hard to get up tho since you’re in belphie’s arms and underneath the heavy ass blanket rip

i ain’t complaining tho 

undateables

diavolo

is probably confused for a moment

until he feels the weight of the blanket

“this reminds me of some sort of torture device...”

picks it up out of curiosity until you tell him what it is

“oh! i see, you were trying to see what would happen when you threw this onto me!”

would probably ask if he could throw it at you too

but he realizes that you’d get hurt

“why dont we start a prank war?”

 but like i feel like it would be fun to have a prank war with Dia :D

plus he gets a break from all of his princely duties and you get to spend some quality time after with him ;)

poor barbatos has to clean up after most of the pranks tho :(

barbatos:

he’s doing some chores around the castle as per usual

until you sneak up on him 

or so you thought ;)

when you throw the blanket at him, barbatos catches it like it weighs nothing

he’s in a little momentary shock for a split second then comes back to reality since he was so focused on his chores

i wouldn’t be surprised bc he does do a helluva lot of things

“i hope you didn’t forget that i can see the future and different timelines.”

also knows that you recorded the little prank and decides to indulge you and let you keep it

“perhaps you can try again next time?”

cooks you up some food to make it up to you

simeon:

blinks in shock as the blanket is thrown over him

just laughs and removes the blanket

“If you were trying to surprise me, it worked.” 

he’d gently drape it over you and pull you into his arms

aklsdhjlaksdfjlk i want it too-

“i’ll have to leave soon though… Diavolo asked me to join him for tea at his castle today.”

simeon lets you go and smiles at you

“i would say don’t plan anything while im gone, but I can’t stop you.”

solomon: 

probably practicing spells or sum when you decide to strike

like some of them, he’d be shocked momentarily

“what’s this? Trying to sneak attack me?”

*queue the solomon smirk*

definitely would try to get back at you

be prepared bc this is one sneaky sorcerer

getting food at hell’s kitchen and need some ketchup?

solomon is there for you

but it isn’t ketchup ;)

its hot sauce ;)))

at the end of the day, solomon means well and laughs off all his pranks with you

bonus character!

luke:

i- why would you wanna throw a blanket at the smol child???

if you do which i hope you dont… pls do it gently

luke would probably pout and sulk at you and get rather upset

simeon would be like >:o

“how could you hurt my child?”

to make it up to luke, simeon would make sure that you bake with him

luke is down for it too, nothing’s better than a baking buddy! :D

long story short, pls PLS do not throw a weighted blanket at luke unless you want to evoke the wrath of everyone :)

[chrishoughton]

what if I don't make it in life?

This question has been sitting in my inbox for a week or so. I’ve been thinking about this a lot because it really resonates with me. I think a lot of us have fears of not “making it” in life, especially when we’re in high school, college, just starting out, etc. Maybe anon is reaching out to me because they think I’ve “made it?” And buddy, I think I have! But not solely because of my job. Ironically, it was actually my unrelenting fear, that finally made me realize that all of us, at some point in our lives, need to decide for ourselves what “making it” looks like.

There is a tremendous amount of pressure in our lives to “make it.” Mainly, when we’re young. In some ways we spend our entire childhoods preparing for THE FUTURE. In 5th grade the teachers prepare you for 6th grade, high school is spent preparing for college. College is spent preparing for the work force. The first 5-10 years of your career will probably be spent on the “bottom of the ladder” preparing for promotions and more responsibilities. If you’re single, start dating. If you’re dating, get married. Already married? Have kids. Live in an apartment? Better save up for a house. And so on and so on... (And this is if everything goes “right!” Never mind health issues, money troubles, and other personal or systematic problems that hold people back) Pardon my french, but aye yai yai!

That type of thinking simultaneously plagued and terrified me. It felt like life was a linear video game with no extra lives and no save function. So I did everything I could to NOT fail. I knew I only had one chance at life and by golly, I wasn’t gonna screw it up! I worked crazy hard, was pretty straight-edge in all areas of my life, I saved my money, etc. From an outsider’s perspective, I was driven. On the inside, I was terrified of failing. I was determined to “make it!”

I pushed so hard that I finally got to a point in my life where lots of people around me were congratulating me on “making it.” But it felt surreal because I didn’t feel like I had “made it.” Turns out, I hadn’t really defined what “making it” looked like to me. Are you truly successful if you have job security but low self-worth? What if the fear of failure actually morphs into a fear of success and you start self-sabotaging? Hey, it happens! Don’t get me wrong, I love my job and I’m SO lucky to be in the position I’m in. But it’s also taught me that “wherever you go, there you are.” I know a lot of “successful” people who have the same stresses and problems they’ve always had. Life’s a tricky thing and I sure as shoot don’t have it figured out.

But I’ll let you in on a little secret: Once you’re an adult, YOU get to decide what “making it” looks like to you. Not your parents or teachers, not even your friends. YOU get to decide what you want your life to be. In fact, it’s critical that you define this for yourself or you may spend longer than necessary searching for external validation. “Do YOU like me?” “Am I good enough?” “Am I successful yet?”

Only in the past couple of years am I starting to 1.) Become aware of my massive fear of failure 2.) Get to the core of why that fear exists 3.) Process, heal, and release that fear. 4.) Redefine what “making it” really looks like to myself.

For now, take a moment to breathe and tell yourself that you’ll be ok. Focus on your triumphs and learn from your mistakes. There will always be people in better situations than you and in worse situations than you. Be kind to yourself. Take things one day at a time. No one has this all figured out. Best of luck anon!

[the--social--anarchist]

Study Tips for Chronically Ill Students

Most bloggers aren’t writing for the chronically ill audience. Typical tips, tricks and hacks on productivity, motivation and studying just don’t work for us. As a chronically ill student who’s in her last year of undergrad (yay!) I decided to share what I have learned over the (many) years. 

1. Get comfortable. Seriously. Don’t force yourself to sit at your desk, or go out to a coffee shop to study. Most people will tell you not to lay in bed while you read your books but if you are anything like me, getting ready and driving to the library or Starbucks just takes too much energy. I recommend making yourself a nice set up with everything you need. If you can tolerate sitting at a desk don’t skimp out. Buy yourself a decent, ergonomic office or gaming chair. Make sure you have a drink, a snack, your medication, charges, books, and anything else you need within arms reach. The less you have to get up the more energy you are saving. 

2. Take frequent breaks. Okay, this may sound contradictory to tip #1 but hear me out. Everyone person is different, every body is different, and every day is different. Some days your symptoms are just so bad you need to get comfortable and try not to move. But other days you might be fighting brain fog and mental exhaustion. So get up, or even just stop and sit for a minute to rest your mind. Some days I will stop every few sections and get up to do something small like apply a face mask, go back to studying, and then get up in 15 minutes to wash it off etc. Just find what works for you.

3. Write shit down. Write everything down. And write it in multiple places. Again, brain fog is such a bitch, but writing things down multiple times in multiple places will help you remember. I have a paper calendar that I write all my assignment due dates, doctors appointments, and other important things onto, but I also have an assignment check list with all of my upcoming assignments in my notebook. Also, I keep a huge running list titled Never Ending List of Shit To Do with boring chores and tasks that need to be done like doctors to call, bills to pay, letters to mail etc; and I use that list to pick and choose what I’m going to do each day and fill that out on a sticky note or another small insert that serves as my daily to do list.

4. Establish a routine. But don’t be discouraged if you can’t follow it to a T and don’t be afraid to change it up. My routine changes a lot because my symptoms and body are constantly changing too. Also, it’s important to note that a routine is not the same as a schedule. This is important for those of us with chronic illness because its just not feasible to assume we will be able to get up at the same time every day, eat lunch at the same time every day, and study for the same amount of time every day.  

5. Stay (way) ahead of schedule. You never know what life is going to throw at you, especially when you are chronically ill. Unfortunately, we can’t plan our flares, but we can prepare for them. If you know you suffer from migraines that will knock you out of commission for 3 days then make sure you are always 3 days ahead of schedule. Something I highly recommend is doing a little bit every day, even if its only 20 minutes of reading. Of course, sometimes we need a break and that’s okay too! Self care is important!

6. Online classes are the best. So many people say online classes are hard because you have to be super disciplined, and that it’s easier to have the accountability to show up to class, but I highly disagree. Online classes give you the freedom to read when you want, listen to lectures when you want, sleep when you need to, and stay comfortable in bed when it would be impossible to get to class. I work solely online and if it weren’t for the option of online classes I would not be in college right now or anytime in the near future.

7. Audio is your friend. Honestly, this is a tip for everyone in high school or college out there. Sometimes we are too tired or in too much pain to stare at a book or screen, or sometimes we need to utilize our energy wisely and multitask by listening while we clean the house. And this isn’t limited to audio text books. There are so many YouTube videos, podcasts, documentaries and more that you can easily just pop on while you are resting or doing chores! I listen to my lectures while I do my nails every week.

8. Don’t rewrite your notes. Don’t write them at all if you can avoid it. Almost all of my professors supply chapter outlines or summaries that I can just print off and fill in extra notes on. If you do need to write your notes I suggest typing them, or only writing them out once, and only what is most important. Whatever you do, don’t rewrite them, and for the love of god do not waste your time trying to make them look like an Instagram photo. Ain’t nobody got spoons for that.

9. Try to balance your course load appropriately. If you are taking a full course load try to even out the number of upper division classes you take with some easy classes, as well as some boring and some interesting. Alternatively, don’t be afraid to drop classes and go down to part time, even if just for one semester. I have tried to stay full time all year round since I re-enrolled in school fall semester of 2017, but spring of 2019 my health took a drastic decline and I did drop down from 5 classes to 3. I also took summer of 2019 off to focus on my health and came back this semester (fall 2019) ready to rock and roll. Seriously, do not be afraid to drop classes. It felt like the end of the world when I did it, but it was absolutely the right choice for me. It saved my GPA and my sanity.

10. Talk to your professor. And your university, and your classmates, and your adviser, and anyone else around you who can offer resources and support. Every university and college  has a Disability Services Coordinator Student Center available to request accommodations. The information to contact the center should be listed on your syllabus and the school website. They can help with everything and anything disability related. And if you feel comfortable you should really talk to your professor. Just give them a heads up and inform them of what’s going on. As for your classmates, its always good to connect and find a study buddy or someone you can borrow notes from whether you have a disability or not! 

I really hope this list can help some fellow chronically ill students out there. This is what I have learned in my 5+ years of attending college with various chronic and mental illnesses. I truly live by everything I talked about in this post and I have been fairly successful in my academic career. Please re-blog this post to help a fellow student who may have a chronic illness or disability! Happy studying!

[ratsoh-writes]

Hello and Happy New Year To U. And since we have a new Mafia Au, how would the new bros react to the other mafia bros?

Yay! Interactions!

Im pretty sure I already got how the mafiatale and mafiafell bros interact so this will be the mafiaswap with both sets

Let’s start with mafiatale and mafiaswap!

Fun story, snipe and ace are actually best friends! They both understand each other completely. Bier ther of them wanted the mafia life but were thrown into it anyways . Plus both of them have similar morals.

Snipe is ace’s superior so they get to see each other pretty often for reports and such. It always just turns to the two guys goofing around and getting drunk together instead

Snipe and slim get along fairly well too. Snipe likes slim easy leaidnback nature and snipe is one of the few people slim sees on a daily basis that’s actually nice to him

Bruiser and ace are often partnered up in the mafia. They run “errands” together and occasionally bruiser (and butch) will act as body guards for important diplomatic meetings. They get on alright. Bruiser and ace like each others sassiness, but ace isn’t nearly as rebellious as bruiser.

Bruiser and slim get along very well. Bruiser and slim are video game buddies! They get together fairly often to play, and occasionally bruiser brings along guests like cash or any of the other gamer boys

For mafiaswap and mafiafell

Butch adores slim which is funny because slim barely tolerates him. Butch wins the title of the most dangerous skeleton, but if slim was better trained, he could prove a challenge. Butch sees him as a possible apprentice. Slim sees butch as the scary party guy who keeps dragging him out of his house for no reason.

Slim often has to answer to boss due to noir being in charge of a lot of the territory and business side of the mafia. They have a very professional relationship and prefer to keep it that way.

Ace and butch have the good cop bad cop friendship. When those two team up it’s hilarious. Especially since the roles of good and bad cop seem to constantly switch between the two. Butch and ace are fairly close since butch is most often used as ace’s backup

Ace and boss are decently friendly. Ace loves to push boss’ buttons but uses his charm to get away with it each time. Boss appreciates having one of the few people not afraid of him actually enjoy his company

[frogsoks]

Ninjago HeadCanons

Hey friends!! I’m back:) Today we have some headcanons for the ninja! These are probably movie verse, as in ninja-actually-go-to-school AU, so YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! lol. 

Anyways, I hope you agree with them, but if you don’t please remember that this is just my interpretation of these dorks, and what I think of them. 

This is also kind of an AU me and my brother made up, that they were almost at a war but Lloyd brought them together. I thought it was kinda cute:D

Kai: The impulsive social media addicted cool kid, who didn't really do anything to be cool. He's decently rich, because both his parents work in the movie industry. Pros: money! Cons: they don't stay in once place much, leaving Kai and his sister alone.

 Kai's best friend is Zane Julien. They met in middle School, because Kai needed someone to do his homework for him. Over time, though, they got to know each other, and if you know him well enough, Kai really is a caring friend. He's very short tempered though, so don't anger him. The good thing about Zane being his friend, is that if Kai overheats, Zane has no problem in helping him cool down. 

Zane: Being the smartest kid in school has its advantages. That's how Zane met his best friend! This wild teen is actually an android, but he doesn't like it when people call him that. In his mind, he’s a Nindroid. He tries to act cool. Zane's dad is an inventor, who works at home and sells his inventions online. 

Zane is the kind of cool kid who used to be unpopular, but Kai warmed up to him, (quite literally) and now Zane hangs out with the coolios. He might seem serious at first, but if you get to know him better, he's actually got a funny switch, and can make you laugh. 

Nya: Kai's little sister. Or that's what everyone knows her by. She hates it though. Nya wants to be known as her own person. She's a feminist. Jay's got a massive crush on her, but Kai will die before he lets anyone near his sister. Another thing she hates. 

She's really good in carpentry class, and she's in the inventors club. Decent amount of friends, Skylar Chen being her best friend. She doesn't really care for Jay, yet. She's the first one to talk to any new kid, and they usually warm up to her really quickly. 

Jay: The video game nerd, or in other words, the loser. No one hates him, they just don't acknowledge his very existence. Jay is in the video game club. The reason why he even has a 3/10 is because his best friend is Cole Bucket. The two are nearly inseparable. Some people wonder how they even got together in the first place. They met when they were in preschool, when Jay moved in next to Cole's house. Their parents made them play together the first day, and they've been buddies ever since. 

The two of them often hang out and play video games together. They also often sleepover after watching a movie together. The two have talked it over, and both agreed that they are friends, and nothing else. The two of them take dance lessons together, but usually just goof off. 

Cole: The ultimate cool kid. Cole is a jock, there is no arguing in that. The question is, does he like being a jock? The only reason he is, is because, he's the captain and most prized player on the basketball team, he's got muscles, lots of fangirls, and legend says he's hot? Anyways, some people scold him for being friends with Jay, while others ship them. The 2 boys often say "Ew gross." to that. 

He doesn't care what others think, and says he isn't ready for a relationship with anyone just yet. Instead, he helps Jay make plans to impress Nya. The two have some utterly stupid nicknames for each other, and they tease one another very frequently. He might seem like a rock on the outside, but deep down he cares for his loves ones, and can get very emotional during Titanic. 

Lloyd: The new kid. At first, no one talked to him, but then came Nya. He warmed up to her pretty fast, and then he met Kai and Zane. Then, he met Jay and Cole. Then started the rivalry. "Team Pink versus Team Purple," as Nya had said. 

Lloyd loves photography, and that's how he became friends with Team Pink, seeing as Kai asks Zane to take pictures of him for his Snapgram. Lloyd also loves gaming and Starfarrer, and that's how he became friends with Team Purple, seeing as Cole and Jay invited him over quite frequently for gaming nights. But then the two teams started fighting over him, because they both wanted Lloyd for themselves. That's how Lloyd then suggested they all become friends. That's how the team was brought together.

YAY!! The end. I hope you enjoyed lol, i wrote this a while ago but only thought of posting it here now heh. Let me know if I should write more often! Baii

[sauerland-2001]

Skamit season 4 re-watch, episode 2

- somehow Sana watching Malik play a video game without him noticing doesnt have the same punch as seeing him dance, but it’s a cute moment nonetheless;

- I love Rami Allagui; he’s got such a carefree, confident flair, plus the awesome sibling banter between him and Sana is perfect;

- Malik quietly listening to Sana and Rami in the kitchen and clearly picking up on how the burkini comment hurt Sana, is such a sweet moment and obviously set-up for the clip in which he contacts her via Instagram;

- and here’s Niccolo Fares, scoring one million points when he sees Sana and greets her with ciao bellissima <3 he’s also being used in this scene to come up with an alternative occasion so the girl squad doesnt get to hang with the rose squad again; Sana is in full jealous scheming mode already haha;

- love that they keep the radio thing and that Marti is still (lazily as always) involved;

- Martino Rametta: a spy in the making

- one of my favorite moments in the season:  the surprise return of one Chicco Rodi yay! 

- LOL at the girls’ faces while the uni students are dancing and Sana trying to sell this as such a cool party (when they all could have gone to the cinema with the rose squad);

- so here’s Eva talking about Malik and I have to say I don’t hate it, because at this point nobody has picked up on the fact that Sana likes him too, possibly not even Malik himself, because this Sana is really super guarded and they haven’t talked yet; so Eva being all “Aw he talks weird but he’s cute” is something I can accept here;  

- Ludo doesnt bring back characters for nothing, Chicco is back and immediately involved in the holiday storyline, offering the girls a rented house in Greece for ten days before he and buddies arrive; I love how everything makes sense, including the fact that Eva has already seen the house because Canegallo has shown her photos, so she knows it’ll be super expensive; she then finally blurts out that they haven’t talked in two months; is that really a bad thing, Eva? Apparently so; sad/awkward faces all around

- omg I completely forgot that Chicco, after offering the house to the girls, posted a story on IG that he was renting it hahahaa; 

- when Chicco opens the door, Rocco is right behind him to greet the girls and I don’t know why that makes me laugh 

- so yeah, that Mykonos house does look nice, but 8000 Euros for ten days is crazy, but Chicco points out it’s for ten people, so; love how Sana and Chicco try to negotiate here and they’re both kind of bad at it;

- the Frog is back too

- wait, do Chicco and Rocco live together?  Why does Rocco follow him like that to the door every time??  

- I find the holiday home plot a lot more plausible than any other version of this storyline, no offense to the og and their bus business;

- Sana playing tricky traps again <3

- in the first clip of the season Sana told the others that she stole almost all the mint she found at home, and here’s her mama now wondering where all of that good mint went haha, love it;

- and the hunt for mint obviously leads to the beautiful scene of Sana and Malik (see how Ludo set that up over a week ago?) picking mint leaves ;

- the fact that Sana makes Malik turn around before spitting on her hands is still hilarious to me; he doesnt question this nor her later command for him to wait a moment so she can walk home on her own (even though he’s been invited for dinner to her house); 

- never again will we see a character spitting on their hands, before using those same hands to touch food AND another person’s hands yksjd

[barsformars]

BROTHER!ATEEZ

a/n: no one requested this but i wanted to do it because why do boyfriend!ateez when you can do brother!ateez 🤧

seonghwa

the cold & naggy but secretly loving older brother

will never help you do your part of the chores unless you're so sick you can't even get out of bed

because "when you move out into your own house in the future, there won't be anyone to help you"

but if he ever catches you crying he will take a box of tissues and leave it beside you

when you stop crying he would ask you if you wanna talk about it and you do

he won't always side with you and his advice might be a little harsh at times but you know he's right and it's for the best.

also when y'all were still kids, he was the brother you would go and sleep with everytime you were having nightmares

hongjoong

the older brother that is really nice

but somehow the both of you aren't close

like yeah he would text you whether you want food everytime he is getting food

but the both of you would sit in silence at the dining table as y'all eat

either that or y'all doing y'all own things, basically theres no interactions

and that's like the only time you see him even when the both of y'all are at home together

but you always look out for him and he does the same too

yunho

the super sweet and fun brother

always surprising you with your favourite food and snacks

whenever he sees stuff you might like he would also buy it for you

super fun to be around with too, always showing you funny tricks he saw online

dance challenges/tiktok partner!!!

also always sending funny memes or videos to you

inside jokes

you can't stay mad at him for long and vice versa, your parents would be scolding the both of y'all if y'all fought

and y'all would just make eye contact everytime your parent's voice cracked or something and just try not to laugh out loud

and then everything's fine after that, back to being best buddies

yeosang

the older brother who's better than you at everything

he got the superior genes

for both looks and intelligence

the type of person to skip lectures to have fun with his friends but still remains in the 99th percentile

and he might not have many friends but the friends he have are all top notch

all his friends are hot and smart too and you just 🤤🤤

but he won't ever let you date his friends because he knows the weird shit they do

you always go to him when you need help with your homework

will tutor you but occasionally only because he's lazy lmao

mingi

the younger brother that grew up hotter than expected

and since he's so tall and good-looking you have to suffer through all your friends asking about him

like omg stop he's my younger brother and that's gross

a total dork that always does the dumbest stuff

like putting grapes in the microwave to make raisins

it did not go well, the grapes exploded and the skin got stuck to the microwave walls

also the brother who had amazing ideas of splashing water on the floor so that y'all could slide around

or pouring water on the table so that y'all could play table hockey with cups

grape story onwards are all based on true stories

your mum hates the both of you

san

the brother that just riles you up and make you super competitive

like why does he pick up new skills so fast

also the brother who you always play violent games with

no, not violent computer games, I mean forreal like slapping each other's hands as hard as you can until the other person gives up

or punching each other's arms until one person gives up

or just playing the stupidest games ever that always becomes super intense (think of sangi's vlives)

and for some reason these games always happens in public

and the both of y'all don't give a single damn

a very fun brother to hang out with

damn this was totally based off one of my brothers

wooyoung

the brother who always got so much tea to share

super popular in school and will always tell you the juciest gossip

always invites his friends to come over and so you're pretty close to his friends as well

and he knows your friends too and your friends follow him on social media

also the brother who's your confidante

like damn sure he has a big mouth but he has no one to spill your shit to because why would his friends care

you're also his confidante because you also have no one to tell lmao

like you're the first person he tells when he has a crush on someone or when he starts dating

your mum always tries to interrogate y'all if she wants information on the other person because she knows how close y'all are

but yay! the both of y'all are loyal and never ever spill stuff to your mum

jongho

the younger brother who was your personal slave but he got so used to it he just starts doing it instinctively now

like he would help you carry heavy groceries

help you take the best insta-worthy pictures

help you turn on the fan or grab a cup or water or buy snacks or do your chores

you get it

and because of that you shower him with alot of love and affection

but he pretends he hates it (that's what you think)

he hates it forreal

the brother you're protective of even though he's like stronger and bigger than you

he will always be a baby in your eyes

[xmagicxshopx]

Meet the Bangtan Clan

Apples, Pixels, Galaxies, Droids. So many brands on the market these days. But what happens when a group of seven young men throw their hats into the ring?

Bullets.

That’s what happens.

The Red Bullet being their most basic model with the Silver Bullet being their most expensive and decked out model and so many other models in between. One example being the Green Bullet. Which is a more eco-friendly phone that’s more on the basic side.

Let’s meet the minds behind the brand, shall we?

Kim Seokjin - President / CEO Being the oldest and with the most means for funding the idea, the clan decided to name Seokjin, or otherwise known as Jin, the CEO and president of the company. He’s more like the mother of the clan but you also don’t want to mess with him. His fangs are just as sharp as anyone else’s.

Min Yoongi - Lead Software Engineer While the company has grown in size and therefore obtained many more engineers, Yoongi is always going to be leading the pack when it comes to software for the Bullet phones. No phone get’s released without his brand of approval. Namjoon isn’t the only genius in the clan. That’s for sure.

Jung Hoseok - Marketing Specialist Hoseok, or as the rest of the clan calls him Jhope, holds the perfect personality for marketing so it was a no-brainer to put him in charge of marketing their product. His friendly and bubbly personality makes it easy for him to communicate to the public as well as the media. He’s like the glue that keeps the clan together.

Kim Namjoon - Vice President / COO With an IQ as high as Namjoon’s, the boys knew it would be stupid not to name him second in command. Jin had the funding but Namjoon was the brains behind the operation. He has the leadership skills needed to run and lead a company of such a caliber. He plays the same role as the clan leader.

Park Jimin - Human Resources Much like Jhope, Jimin is great with people and especially his Bangtan brothers. If one of them is in distress, they usually seek out Jimin first. Therefore, the young man was put in charge of Human Resources in the company. It just made sense given his ability to communicate with people of all personalities.

Kim Taehyung - Brand Ambassador With the looks of an Asian god, the clan knew who would be the poster child for their product. Taehyung is model material and you can bet the majority of their customer base is female. However, they have quite the number of males purchasing the phone as well. Even if it might be to impress their girlfriend or buddies. Tae’s role in the clan is being Kook’s partner in crime.

Jeon Jungkook - Mobile Developer Having loved video games for as long as he could remember, there wasn’t a doubt in his mind that Jungkook wanted to specialize in mobile developing. Kook makes sure the Bullet phones communicate with every app out there. He’s even developed some apps that are Bullet exclusives. Clan-wise, he’s the strongest but also the dorkiest.

(( Okay so according to Google, this is legit an abandoned mansion in South Korea. OuO So yay! ))

Needing a large enough place to house seven young men, and not to mention how old they really are and their personal taste, Bangtan took it upon themselves to restore an abandoned mansion to it’s former glory and then some.

However......none of them really care to keep it clean and tidy. Well except Namjoon who loves taking care of the plants and trees on the estate. The guy even names them. Every single flower and every single tree.

Aside from that, Jungkook is the resident laundry fairy. But that’s it. It’s getting to the point where Taehyung is adopting all the spiders and their webs as pets.

Perhaps they could hire a maid or a butler or something. Did those even still exist in the modern world???

Taglist: @grxnadxs​

[oddlyunadventurous]

BOOK REPORT 2020

I’ve always been a sparse reader but 2018 and 19 had me accelerate my reading habits to the point that I think I’ve read the most books this year that I ever had. I suppose I’ll count them all here, just to make sure!! I said something or other about the Moomin books at the end of last year’s Inkt*b*r so, this being the month of traditions, let’s make a new one by tallying up my literary “yays” and “nays” at the end of the season.

Video game text boxes don’t count, online publication articles don’t count, psych/aesthetic papers and 1000 page biosemiotic textbooks don’t count, but they have sure pursued me in my sleep during the year as well. This list is really mostly for my benefit (and no I won’t get a Goodreads account tyvm), so under the cut you’ll find a list of titles in roughly the order I read them, along with short notes. I’ve done longer reviews of these books elsewhere and I need not bore you with them here. 

K. Stanislavski - An Actor Prepares (1936) I started reading this book in 2012, then dropped it because I couldn’t understand it at the time. Kostya attends acting school and gets lessons from The Director. He learns to sleep like his cat.

K. Stanislavski - Building a Character (1949) Supposed to have been published along the first one in a single volume. Kostya continues his lessons. A lot of thoughts on walking, gaits, eloquent speech, phrasing, etc. Both these books are wonderful looks into the author’s artistic life. It’s very heartfelt and down to earth, considering it’s quasi-fiction made to edutain. Very inspiring.

M. Polanyi - The Tacit Dimension (1966)  A book on the origin of knowledge, the integrated performance of skills, the emergence of life and other phenomena in the universe, marginal control between levels of reality, the moral death of the communist regime caused by the unbridled lucidity of the Enlightenment, the responsibilities of science, and thoughts about open societies of the future. This is one of the two shortest books I’ve read in the list, it covers all of this under 130 pages and manages to do it well.

B. Rainov - Eros and Thanatos (1971) A communist propaganda book attacking western mass media and escapist culture. It gets no points for being correct, as the author mostly swiped the truths from french philosophers. Very variable in its intellectual prowess, almost as if it picks its arguments in order to push an agenda. Informative but also infuriating. Also expectedly homophobic.

J. Hoffmeyer - Signs of Meaning in the Universe (1997) A somewhat pop-sciency book about biosemiotics. Forgettable but also humbly written and explicative.

A. Noë - Varieties of Presence (2012) An unimpressive book about sensory perception. Noë’s theory on sensorimotor action is worth considering but the book is poorly edited and mostly spent arguing with peers.

E. Fudge - Quick Cattle & Dying Wishes (2018) A look into a registry of last wills and testaments from the period 1630 - 1650 in Essex. The book is about early modern people’s relationship to their animals and what they meant to them in life, as well as in death. Fudge’s argumentation is sharp and her style is modern. Being a scholarly book it is really overwhelming with the footnotes sometimes, but otherwise satisfying. One gets beautiful glimpses of family relationships, thoughts and feelings that people now dead for 400 years once held.

G. Márquez - One Hundred Years of Solitude (1967) The Buendia family get all their sons killed. The Banana Company sucks. People love each other. A lot happens, generally. It is a hundred years, after all. The upper class sucks.

K. Polanyi - The Great Transformation (1944) The Industrial Revolution sucked. England sucks. It reduced all its workers to subhuman wretches. Every single decision made after the empiricists made labour and land fictional commodities has been a band-aid to the essential contradiction that the market economy wants to annihilate its human host. Laissez-faire sucks. It caused WW1. Fuck everything. Fun book.

R. Coyne - Peirce of Architects (2019) Talks about architecture and the ideas of logician/father of pragmatism Charles Sanders Peirce (1839-1914). Informative about both. Brisk and not very in-depth, but to its benefit rather than its detriment.

R. Williams - Culture and Society (1958) A survey of the 18th and 19th century England, and the emergence of the concept of “culture” as defence against the horrors that the Industrial Revolution inflicted upon society. Consists of some two dozen outlines of contributors to the romanticist tradition, from Adam Smith, through Ruskin, to Orwell, their beliefs, contributions and literary works. Very eloquent and interesting.

E. Fudge -  Brutal Reasoning (2006) A fantastic book about much: early modern views of the difference between a human and an animal, the Christian discourse of reason, the logical fallacies that lead to its implosion, the advantageous use of dehumanisation by imperialists in other to genocide natives, Montague and Shakespeare, and the ethical hell of animal murder that led Descartes to deem animals as machines so as to allow his buddies to perform live vivisections on dogs without feeling guilty about it (this is the real reason, don’t let anybody tell you otherwise). There is even space for an entire chapter about an intelligent horse who could tell a virgin from a whore and learned Latin at Oxford. This is my favorite book I read this year, so it gets an extra long review.

R. Williams - The Long Revolution (1961) A sequel to Culture and Society that’s worse. The start and end are brilliant but the middle sags. It contains some historical reviews of English cultural elements, like the newspaper industry, the Standard English vernacular and the realist novel of the 19th century, but honestly if the book was just about about the creative state (intro) and Marxism (outro) it would’ve been fine, if not better.

P. Klee - The Thinking Eye (1956 & 1964) Bauhaus boy in 1920s Germany! Love you Klee, xoxo. You really have to read his thoughts to understand his work imho. You can appreciate it just fine on the surface level, but his completely eccentric (though very self-consistently logical and sharp) views on art creation open a new outlook into his primitive approach.

F D.K. Ching - Architecture: Form, Space & Order (1979)  A staple book for architecture students. Or so I hear. Steeped in gestalt psychology. Very good, though not necessarily stuff I don’t know already. Very nice looking pencil illustrations, Ching looks to be an accomplished technical draughtsman.

H. Wölfflin - Principles of Art History (1915) A strong contender for second place in the tier list. The book examines the transition between Classical to Baroque in Italy and Germany (and all the Germany clones, like the Netherlands). It is a systematic, precise aesthetic treatise that reveals much by conceptualizing and grouping characteristic art features in which the two styles differ, then explaining their bearing on their decorative content as well as the outlook on life that they embody. Lovely.

M. Porter -  Windows of the Soul: The Art of Physiognomy in European Culture 1470-1780 (2005) A historiographical treatise about early modern views on physiognomy. The book deals mainly with the extant literature on the subject and tries to gleam what it could mean for the customs at the time - palmistry reading, occultism, persecution of the “gypsies” and the Christian scientific project of attaining meaning. Macro- and microcosms, as above so below, hermeticism, that sort of stuff. It’s an interesting read but it’s too long, the quality of writing varies greatly from chapter to chapter, and it is far too expensive. Wouldn’t recommend it.

S. C.Figueiredo -  Inventing Comics: A New Translation of Rodolphe Töpffer's Reflections on Graphic Storytelling, Media Rhetorics, & Aesthetic Practice (2017) This is the shortest book I read, mainly translating Töpffer’s 1845 "Essay on Physiognomy" along with giving his biography and some other paraphernalia. It’s not worth the price for the content contained within, but  Töpffer is the father of the modern comic book, so I thought I’d learn what his philosophy was. On that front, at least, very interesting! If only I knew French I’d save myself the trouble and read the original, which is now public domain.

D. Bayles - Art & Fear (1985) A useless self-help book. Not entirely bullshit but completely banal from all angles. Shouldn’t even be on this list but I did read it, so...

I. Allende - The House of the Spirits (1982) A child rapist gets a redemption arc. Well, kind of. All women are queens. Men are awful. The poor are wretches and it’s their fault. Oh no, the communists are going to take our land! Pinochet’s concentration camps sucked. Overall a better magical realism book than 100 Years of Solitude, to be honest. Very well written characters.

R. Arnheim -To the Rescue of Art: Twenty-Six Essays (1992) What it says on the tin. Wide range of subjects, from art appreciation, to schizophrenic and autistic child art, to gestalt psychology, to philosophy of science, to Picasso’s Guernica and the fate of abstract art, to reflections on the 20th century and the writer’s life in pre-nazi Germany and America. I love Arnheim, I’ve read many of his books and I’m glad I picked this one up.

R. Arnheim - Film as Art (1957) A book about cinematography, one of his earliest, actually, mostly a personal translation from an original German book he published in 1933. Somewhat outdated, but foundational. Not as informative to me but I don’t regret reading it.

G. E. Lessing - Laocoon; or, On the Limits of Painting and Poetry (1766) A book by a greekaboo about a fucking dumb poem and a statue of a naked dad and his two sons getting fucked by snakes. It’s misogynistic and authoritarian in several places, and altogether awfully full of itself. 100 pages of interesting observations stretched over 400 pages of boring Greco-Roman literary discourse.

L. Tolstoy - Childhood, Boyhood, Youth (1852, 1854, 1856) One story serialized in a magazine then later collated in three separate books. Aristocrat boy grows up in pre-revolution Russia. A very, very relatable coming-of-age story. Tolstoy is a lovely writer.

F. Dostoevsky - Poor Folk (1846) An epistolary novel consisting of letters between literally Dobby from Harry Potter and his maybe-niece, whom he wants to fuck. Starts bad, gets better by the end. A bit rough and tumble for Dostoevsky’s first, so I forgive him for wasting my time a little bit. A decent character study of the middle/lower classes, at least.

L. Tolstoy - Family Happiness (1859) An amazing romance novel for the skill employed in writing it. It is very short yet delivers so much emotion. Rather simple narrative at its core, but executed with such bravado one cannot help but be impressed.

F. Dostoevsky - The Double (1846) In which the Author starts swinging. A pathetic, neurodivergent old man gets used and abused by the people around him and nobody cares. Satirical and biting, better than his first.

A. Lindgren - Pippi Longstocking (1945) I last read this when I was 6 years old so I thought I’d refresh my memory. I remember disliking the book then and I can see why. Pippi’s kind of an asshole. Still very enjoyable to read. I know it’s meant for a younger audience’s reading level yet I cannot help comparing it with Tove Jansson’s books and how much better the prose in there is. Sorry.

***

I think that about rounds them up! That’s about 30 books, give or take. For next year I’m hoping to:

Finish Tolstoy’s and Dostoevsky’s bibliographies

Read more econ and marxist writing (low personal priority but i have to, in THIS economy *rolls eyes*)

Finish the Tintin and Moomin comics, as well as Jhonen Vasquez’s collection of edgy humor

Read more about botany and biology in general

Get started on Faulkner’s and William Golding’s bibliographies

Read more children’s books

Search for more Latin American fiction from the Boom

Read more psych/aesthetics/pedagogy literature, which seems to have become my main area of interest

Thanks for sticking till the end of the list, hope you’ve learned something and maybe you’ll pick one of these up if it took your interest. I don’t have to be a philistine just because I’m drawing video game fanart! Bye now!

[lettersinscarlet]

Smiles (Colby Brock Imagine)

Hello! I’ve been working on this for days. This one is super long so it might take a little while to read 😂😂. I’ve been bouncing around a few ideas and I can’t wait to get them written out so yay! My requests are open for Sam, Colby, and Jake. I’m gonna try and write some Jake stories but if they are terrible you gotta let me know 😂😂 and I’m still in need of some blurb ideas so HMU if you got any! Hope you enjoy!

Request: You’ve kept your child hidden from the public eye and in one of the most recent videos and they appear in front of the camera acting cute and fans go crazy over how similar they look to Colby.

——————————————————————————

“(Y/N)!” Colby cheered as he opened the door for you. You walked in and smiled and gave him a big hug. Jake and Sam came next and you guys stood and talked for a second.

“Did you bring Jace?” Sam asked.

“Nope. I left him back in Kansas,” you said, trying to hide your smile. The boys all looked sad and then you quickly peeked your head back into the hall and motioned for him to come down. Jace’s feet made stomping noises as he cane running down the hall and into the apartment.

“Jace!” they all exclaimed and in turn gave him hugs. You smiled at all the guys and you shut the door.

You had known these three since you had been in Kansas with them. You guys had stuck together through high school, even with Jake being so far away. You had had a little crush on Colby but you never did anything about it. When they left for LA, you had stayed behind to settle down in Kansas. You had made a nice living and you had met some guy and that very guy had gotten pregnant. You had told him and he had freaked out and left, leaving you scared and alone. You didn’t know who to turn to, so you had called the guys. Even though you were all grown and they had their own lives, they had still supported you through everything. So every once in awhile, you came up to LA to see them and sometimes your brought Jace, your son, with you.

Jace. His full name was Jason “Jase” Daniel (L/N). He had blonde hair and brilliantly blue eyes. He was three years old and he loved going to see the guys. And it seemed that they liked seeing Jace, too.

“So what are you guys up to today?” you asked as you went to sit on the couch. The guys followed you and Jace went to sit right next to Colby.

“We’re filming a never have I ever video,” Colby explained. “Wanna join?”

“(Y/N) please join!” Jake pleaded. “It’ll be just like we used to!”

“Hopefully not JUST like we used to,” you said as your eyes got wide. The boys chuckled and Jace giggled. “Alright I’m in. Is there a spot Jace can go while we film?” you asked.

“Oh yeah! He can hang out in my other room if you���re good with that,” Sam offered.

“Since it’s Sam’s house, we know he’s got crayons and coloring books,” Colby joked. Everyone laughed and Sam showed Jace where the room was and some things he could play with. Sam got back and he set up his camera.

“Don’t worry, I moved the Chucky doll and I don’t think he could hurt himself on anything.”

“Alright then let’s get started!”

Sam turned on the camera and flopped down on the couch.

“What’s up guys it’s your boy Sam and today I am with Shrek,” he pointed at Jake, “Donkey,” he pointed at Colby, “and Fiona!” he pointed at you. You guys all laughed and Sam looked back at the camera. “Actually we’re here today with one of our good friends. (Y/N)!” You struck a pose and then smiled at the camera. “Today we are going to play never have I ever. You guys know how the game works. One of us is going to ask a question that the other’s have to answer. And the questions are in my trusty hat,” Sam announces as he pulls a hat from behind his back and sets in on the table. Colby and Jake groan and you laugh. “If you haven’t done what the question says, you are safe. If you HAVE done what the questions says, you have to...” Sam reached down and grabbed something and slammed it on the table, “DRINK THE LEMON JUICE!”

Colby’s eyes got wide and Jake scooter back closer against the couch. You pulled your knees against your chest and Sam laughed evilly.

“Are we all drinking out of the same glass? Cuz I don’t know what diseases you guys have, but I certainly don’t want to catch them,” you said.

“No we’ve got separate glasses,” Sam said and got up to get them. He came back with four identical glasses and he set them next to the bottle of lemon juice. “Any questions before we start?”

“Yea, why are you SO EVIL?” Colby yelled and you laughed.

“Okay then, first question,” Sam said as he reached in the hat. “Never have I ever gone commando.”

Jake reaches for the juice and poured himself some and drank it. His face scrunched up and everyone laughed.

“What can I say? You gotta do what you gotta do, brother.”

You laughed and Sam passed the hat to Colby. Colby took a deep breath and reached into the hat. “Never have I ever given or received a lap dance.”

Everyone reached for the lemon juice and you chuckled. You took your “shots” at the same time and you blinked a few times.

“That was a pleasant surprise,” you kidded.

Colby passed you the hat and you gently put your hand in and pulled one out.

“Never have I ever been skinny dipping.”

You, Sam, and Colby reached for the lemon juice.

“(Y/N)? YOU have been skinny dipping?” Colby asked with a raised eyebrow.

“That is a story for another time,” you said as you took down your lemon juice. “Oh it’s worse the second time!” you yelled as you set the glass back on the table. Jake just laughed and you playfully shoved him.

Behind you, the door opened and Jace came running out. “Mommy! Mommy! Look at this pitcher I drawed!”

Jace came running into the living room and he stood in front of you. He held his drawing out in front of you and you smiled.

“That’s beautiful! Can I buy it from you?”

“Mommy you can have it for fwee,” he said.

You got the picture from him and you gave him a kiss on his cheek. “Thank you very much.”

“No pwobwem,” he said. He turned to walk away but he stopped in front of Colby. “Mommy can I pway?”

“Jace, this is for the grown ups you should go back.”

“Pwease,” he begged, drawing out the “e”.

“Sam, can he stay for a question?” you asked.

“Sure.”

“Okay, buddy, you can play.”

“Yay!” he squealed and he wedged himself between you and Colby. You smiled down at him and he looked at you.

“Here’s your question: have you ever stayed up past your bedtime?”

Jace sat there for a minute in thought before he looked back at you. “I don’t wanna pway this game anymore,” he said. You laughed and he giggled.

“Okay then. Now run along,” you told him. He hopped up and he ran back to the room Sam had him in earlier.

“(Y/N) that was so cute. Can I keep that in the video?” Sam asked.

“Normally, I’d say no, but it’s you guys so why not?” you told him.

“Thank you sooooo much! Anyway, back to the game. Jake, you’re up.”

You guys sat around and played a few more rounds. You laughed until your stomach hurt and you had more than a few more lemon juice shots. Your mouth was sour and you had started getting a bad cough.

“Alright guys I think that’s a wrap. We’ve learned a whole lot of information about each other that I’m not sure we ever wanted to know...” Sam said and everyone laughed. “Don’t forget to like and subscribe and I’ll put all these guys links in the description,” Sam said and pointed at you guys. You waved bye to the camera and Sam got up to turn it off.

“So how long are you here for?” Jake asked you.

“Well I’ve got a hotel for the night but I’ll probably head back tomorrow.”

“(Y/N)! We told you: NO HOTELS! We’ve know each other for what feels like forever. You’re staying with one of us,” Colby said and looked at you. “You’re staying with one of us.”

“Alright then,” you chuckled. “Just didn’t think y’all would have room for me and Jace,” you said.

“I do,” Colby said with a smile. You smiled back and then he looked at you with puppy dog eyes. “If you’re staying with me, does that mean you can stay a few extra days?”

“Let me check and see, but it should be no problem,” you said. The boys cheered and you smiled. You called for Jace and he toddled in. He came to the couch and he stood in front of Jake.

“Uncle Jakey can I sit wif you?” he pouted and stuck his hands up.

“Of course you can,” Jake said and scooped him up. He laughed and Jake sat and played with him for a little while. You smiled at them and you pulled out your phone and snapped a picture of them.

You made some conversation and you guys talked about your plans for the weekend. You were gonna find a babysitter and you were gonna spend some quality time with Jake, Sam, and Colby.

As the night winded down, you said goodbye to Sam and Jake and you walked with Colby and Jace back to Colby’s apartment. You left Jace with Colby as you went and got your’s and Jace’s stuff from the car. You came up and Colby was playing with Jace on the floor.

“I hope you don’t mind,” you said as you came in, “but Jace brought a few of his favorite toys.”

“RACE CAR!” Jace squealed and he ran towards you with his hands outstretched. You shot Colby a look and he smiled at you.

“Race cars? No way! Those are my favorite, too!” he told Jace and he nodded at you. You reached in one of the bags and you pulled out two of his cars and you handed them to Jace. He ran back over to Colby and he plopped on the floor in front of him.

“You can pway wif my fawit one,” he said and handed Colby one of the cars. Colby gasped and thanked him profusely and then they began to roll the cars back and forth on the ground. You smiled at them and then you went and set your stuff down next to the couch. You sat down and watched as they played and you gave input when Jace asked for it. When he started yawning, you scooped him up in your arms and you kissed his head.

“I think it’s time for someone to go to bed,” you said. Jace scrunched his face up and looked at you.

“I’m not tired,” he whined. You just chuckled and you hugged him.

“Okay, if you’re not tied, then I guess you can’t watch tv with me and Colby,” you told him and looked at Colby. He chuckled and you looked down at Jace.

“Maybe I’m a wittle tired,” he said. You laughed and you went and you got his night clothes and his toothbrush and toothpaste. Colby showed you where the bathroom was and you helped Jace get ready for bed. When he was done, you carried him back to the living room and you sat on the couch with him in your lap. Colby day next to you guys and turned on the tv.

Jace drifted off to sleep within minutes of Colby turning on the show. You just chuckled and you stroked his hair.

“If you want to go to bed, you can go with him in mine,” Colby offered.

“And where would you sleep?” you countered.

“I can sleep on the couch.”

“Colby I couldn’t do that to you. Plus, this is your house. You can sleep in your bed. Do you have an air mattress?” you asked.

“Let me check,” Colby said. He got up quietly so he wouldn’t disturb Jace. He went and he checked his closet. “No but I have spare sheets. Let me go check at Sam’s place really quick.” Colby left and you sat on the couch watching Jace sleep. He was like a little angel, while he was asleep anyway. You chuckled to yourself and Colby came back with something rolled under his arm.

“He had one but it’s gonna make some noise and it might wake him up,” Colby said.

“It’ll be okay. He needs to get up anyway so I can put him in bed,” you told him.

Colby nodded and he moved the table before he unrolled the mattress. He found and outlet and plugged it in and it started whirring. Jace woke up and rubbed his eyes. He was a little grumpy.

“It’s okay, baby,” you cooed in his ear. “Just getting the bed ready.”

“I’m not sweepy,” he tried. But his head dropped back over on you.

“Sure you’re not,” you whispered to him.

Soon, the mattress finished blowing up and you went to help Colby put the sheets on.

“You’re sure that you’ll be okay out here?” he asked after you finished putting on the blankets and pillows.

“We will be fine. It’s not like you’re leaving us out on the streets,” you told him. He looked down and you smiled.

“Only if you’re sure,” he said. You shook your head and you turned back to get Jace. You scooped him up and you went to put him on the mattress.

“Mommy?” he asked you with a tired voice.

“Yes?”

“Can I sleep wif Uncle Colby?”

“I don’t think he wants another-“

“It’s okay with me if it’s okay with you,” Colby said. You asked him if he was sure and he just nodded his head.

“Okay you can sleep with him,” you said. Jace gave a tired smile and you carried him upstairs to Colby’s room. You put him on the bed and you tucked him in. You planted a kiss on his forehead and then you walked back out to the living room.

“You’re sure you’re okay?” you asked him.

“It’s not like you’re leaving me on the streets,” he said, mocking your tone from earlier. You rolled your eyes and he laughed at you. “Yes, I’ll be alright. As long as he won’t eat me in my sleep, I think I’ll survive.”

“Fine. He might get up early and if he does just get me and you can go back to sleep. And if he wakes up and is hungry-“

“(Y/N), it’ll be alright. Just get some sleep,” he told you. He walked by and gave you a hug before he headed upstairs. You let out a sigh and you grabbed your stuff out of your back before you got ready for bed.

When you finished, you went around and you picked up Jace’s stuff and you cleaned up a little. You plugged up your phone and you set it down and you crawled onto the mattress. You rolled over and you closed your eyes and drifted off to sleep.

You woke up the next morning to the smell of food and the sound of something sizzling. You sat up and looked to see Colby in the kitchen. You whirled around and looked for Jace and you found he was sitting on the floor near Colby, playing with some cars that you’re not sure how he found them.

“Look who’s finally up,” Colby said as he turned to look at you.

“Since when have you ever kept food in your kitchen that wasn’t take out?” you asked as you walked to the kitchen.

“Never! I just stole from Sam,” he said.

“Teaching my child bad behavior? Wow,” you said. Colby’s eyes got wide and you chuckled. “I’m kidding.”

He laughed and turned around and checked the breakfast. “You’re up just in time! Breakfast is ready!”

“Yay!” Jace squealed as he got up. You helped him sit at the counter and you sat down next to him.

“This is gonna get messy,” you told Colby. He laughed as he spilt the breakfast onto three plates and he set two of them in front of you and Jace. You dug in and you groaned. “Oh this is so good.”

“Easy, (Y/N), there’s a child in our midst,” he joked. You giggled and kept eating.

You hung out the rest of the day with Colby and you found a babysitter that could watch Jace for the night. You hung out with the guys and you ate dinner and you went and had some fun. You even filmed a few tik toks with the boys. You had a ton of fun.

The next day, Sam uploaded his video. You were gonna be honest, you were a little nervous. Your child was going to be on a YouTube video. But you trusted Sam and you knew that everything was going to be alright.

Later that night, you were sitting on the couch, scrolling through your phone, when you got a text from Sam.

“Check our the comments on the video.”

You pulled your laptop form out of your bag and you pulled up YouTube. You got to the video and you checked out the comments. Everyone was saying Jace looked like Colby. You were a little shocked. If anything, you thought he looked more like Sam.

Seek had bright blonde hair and crystal blue eyes. He face was round and his cheeks always had a red tint to them. His nose was round like a button and he had a small freckle. In your opinion, he looked nothing like Colby.

You clicked on the video and you made sure to like it before you skipped through it. You got to the part where Jace came in and you played it. Jace came toddling in and he sat next to you. You asked him his question and he answered. He smiled then-

You gasped as you paused the video. The smile. Colby and Jace were smiling at the same time, and it was the same. The same smiled that you loved years ago and still loved to see, it was reflected in your child. Your eyes watered and you closed your laptop. You couldn’t believe it.

You got up and you went to the bathroom and cleaned your face. You were a little stunned. You couldn’t unsee what you saw, and honestly, you were glad about it.

You walked out and Colby was there in the living room.

“Where’s Jace?” he asked.

“Oh, I hope you don’t mind, but he took a nap in your bed,” you said.

“I told you, I really don’t mind,” Colby said.

You stood there for a moment and then he cleared his throat.

“Did you see those comments on the video?” Colby asked you.

“Uh, yea,” you say and clasp your hands behind your back. “I did.”

“I-“

“I’m really sorry. I had no clue that people would think he was your kid or anything. I know that can probably mess up your career or something and-“

“(Y/N). Don’t worry about it. I was gonna say I’m sorry people think he’s mine. I know he’s not so it doesn’t matter what they think.”

“Really?” you asked.

“Really. And it would be an honor if he was. He’s a good kid, you know that right?”

“I know,” you said. “I just get worried sometimes.”

“You shouldn’t be. You’re doing a great job and you’ve got a great kid,” he said as he walked closer to you. You looked up at him as he left only a small bit of space between you. You looked up at him and locked eyes. His blue orbs sparkled back at you. Then you looked at his lips and you knew he had to see it.

He leaned over closer, faces centimeters apart. “Can I?”

You leaned up and kissed him gently, but getting more fierce by the second. You had wanted this moment for so long, and it was finally here.

You pulled away and smiled at him. “If that wasn’t clear, then yes, anytime. Except for in front of Jace. Not yet,” you told him with a wink. He shook his head and then he put his forehead against yours.

“It sucks that you’re gonna have to go so soon,” he said and sighed. You just smiled.

“You know, I can probably look for something over here. With my experience, I’m sure I could get a job,” you told him.

“All of that for me?” he asked and pulled away.

“Not only do you like me,” you started and made eye contact, “but you care for Jace, too. You love hanging out with him and I think it’s safe to say he likes hanging out with you, too. Plus, we’ve known each other for years and we’ve been through a lot. But if it’s not a good idea, I can figure something out.”

He pulled you back to him, arms wrapping around you and chin resting on your head. “I think it’s a great idea and I’m on board. Let’s give it a shot.”

You bummed and you guys stood there for a moment.

“One thing though,” Colby said and you froze.

“Yeah?”

“Can you buy me some race cars, too?”