#who is hugo friends with? what about mat? brian?

[my-thoughts-and-junk]

Finished dream daddy and I have . . . Thoughts

[we-are-the-backrooms]

after seeing someone's post about this I'm suddenly really tempted to rewrite a few ddadds routes (namely Brian, Mat, and Hugo) so there's more character development because I feel like all 3 of them are lacking in that department (especially Brian).

I feel like part of what is a little baffling to them lacking development is the fact that, like, ... they are dads. in a cul-de-sac. it should be relatively easy to write more stuff for them considering they are surrounded by people that could be used to help further their development and show who they are as people. they have children, and their relationships with their kids can very easily be used to show their personalities and provide interesting dynamics.

like. we see very few of Hugo & Ernest's relationship, even though I feel like that could've been a big point of Hugo's character: his son hates authority figures, and Hugo is like a double authority figure. he's Ernest's dad and a teacher at Ernest's school. hell, I bet part of a reason of that resentment Ernest has could be a sense of embarrassment that he sees in having Hugo as his dad. his dad is an english teacher at his school. an english teacher that has to teach middle-schoolers like Colin and his friends, who are probably transferring part of what they do to Hugo onto Ernest. why couldn't we explore something like that? I can only remember 3 times we saw Hugo and Ernest in the same room; 1 at the cookout. 2 on Hugo's second date. 3 on one of Damien's dates. and on that same date with Damien, there was Lucien. and we got to see part of their relationship with one another. why couldn't Ernest and Hugo be afforded the same? their relationship isn't the same, but could be similar. I'm assuming Ernest isn't actively choosing to be mean to his dad just cause it's funny or it's somehow easier than being nice. I'm assuming there's probably some other social stuff going on there. -- I mean, it'd be quite interesting to have something against authority figures as a middle-schooler who has a dad who teaches at your school, to the point where there'd be both a kinship and a disconnect with other kids like that (Colin) because while Ernest is like them, he simultaneously has proximity to the authority they dislike (Hugo), and it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if Ernest was caught in the crossfire from time to time.

surprisingly, we see even less of this with Mat & Carmensita to the point where it's almost staggering. yes, it focuses mostly on Mat and how he is widowed, but why can't we see how Carmensita feels about it? that's her mom. and it's clear that Mat is working past the grief and is moving on, but what about Carmensita? maybe she is, since the game says that Mat is a supportive parent -- but we don't see it. we don't see any supportiveness, but we don't see any neglect -- we just don't see anything at all. so, we can probably assume they have a good relationship with each other, but as far as the game showing us this we don't have anything.

honestly, Brian is a whole different bag of worms on his own. not only do we not see much of his relationship with Daisy, his entire character is overshadowed by the dadsona's inner conflict. that's not necessarily a dealbreaker, it's fun to have inner conflict -- but what do we really know about Brian? we are told that he likes to fish, grill, and go camping. but we mostly see that he likes to fish and... win competitions. and that's it. we don't get to go camping with Brian, but we get to go camping with Craig. I feel like a lot of Brian's character should've gone into his relationship with his daughter -- after all, his dadbook clearly states that he spends a lot of time thinking about how much smarter she is than him. and it is extremely obvious that Daisy is autistic. and to me, I think part of what makes Brian come off as rude\egotistical is also autism, but maybe he was\is better at masking than Daisy is, or he doesn't even know he's autistic. so, there could be a disconnect of them being similar but different in ways that Brian may not be able to adapt to very well. he still wants the best for his daughter, obviously, but he doesn't know how to help.

anyway those are just my silly thoughts about hot fictional old men (again). :3

[after-hour-writings]

Hello! I was wondering if you could do a Dadsona who is a war veteran? And lives off of government money cuz of wounds and scars he got in the military (since in game Dadsona just kinda chills out in his most of the time) If writing all those dad's reacts is too hard Robert 'Bobert' Small would be ideal thank you!

I read my notes again and this one got a little bit more melancholy than my previous works and I have no idea what part of my brain saw your ask and decided that this was the time to for scar-worship.

Dads w/war veteran dadsona

Robert: At the beginning he didn’t give much thought on what you did for a living. But before your third date he started to worry he was keeping you up and disturbing you work, but time-wise it worked out pretty well for your first dates. If you’re not shy about showing off your scars . no matter how many times you tell him he doesn’t have to do that, he’d just be too busy tracing them with his hands to pay attention what you’re saying.He likes to remind you how brave you are while doing so. If you don’t believe him when he tells you this, then be prepared for him to just double his efforts and there is no stopping this man when he sets his mind on something. Mary often congratulates you after getting Robert to go to a formal event, even if she knows the driving force behind that was seeing you in uniform. 

Damien: Is it even possible for this man to swoon more. Apparently yes it is.You could almost see the hearts in his eyes when you show him your scars. Like Robert he’d love tracing them with his fingers, but he leaves feather light kisses on them and telling you how he loves them, because they’re just extra proof of how strong you truly are and he won’t hear any objections. No matter how many times you tell him to stop the sweet talking, he won’t stop. He’ll only increase it and add some more mushy compliments for extra effectiveness.     

Mat: He got worried the first time he noticed that you might not have a job. You kept hanging out at the coffee spoon almost as much as he did, and he owned it.When he asked you about it, you ended up talking about your history in the military for the duration of his breaks that day. He might not relate to a lot of things you tell him, but he’s a great listener and is always ready with a cup of tea when you’re feeling overwhelmed and want to talk. He’s a great calming presence in your life and if you suffer from nightmares he’ll play a gentle tune on his guitar for you to help you sleep. You might stress over it in the morning when he has to drink more coffee than usual, but to him it’s all worth it to see the serene smile on your face before you fall asleep.   

Craig: It took him a hot minute to recognize you.He knew you were deployed after you two drifted apart, but the last time he had seen you, you were still young and dreamy eyed. Those same eyes were still there, but they looked so much more tired. The reality of it all slapped him right across the face the moment he realized that you were really in front of him. He was so busy taking you in that he only realized that the teenager next to you was Amanda. When he last saw her she was Rivers age and now she was big enough to wear Alex’ old jacket. Be prepared for a long chat, because he wants to now everything that’s happened since you last saw each other. He harbors some guilt over not being there for you when you needed a friend, but both of you agree that you should focus on the present and make up for lost time. To see his now scarred best friend holding his youngest daughter and making her laugh with funny faces never fails to melt his heart. 

Joseph: He learns about your situation pretty quick after meeting you.It comes to light during your awkward first meeting, but it was dulled by the rest of the mess you called a conversation. He’s occupation has made him a great listener and can be very sympathetic. If you ever want a break from the stress that comes with being a veteran, he’ll take you out on the open water with his yacht. Just listen some Jimmy Buffet and forget about your worries and focus on the sunset. You are altogether beautiful my darling; there is no flaw in you. He likes to remind you of gods love and how you’ve done so well with your choices. Some of the church might not take it so well that he divorced his wife and is now dating a man, but he brings up the fact that they were just telling people that they should respect veterans and that manages to shut them up for a while. 

Hugo: He knew about your situation through Amanda. She has done many school projects about your situation and they’ve all been very touching pieces. He’s read many books and seen many documentaries about war, but he can admit that he isn’t an expert on the matter. He does his best to apply his knowledge to help you with the problems that life causes. If you want to really impress him just show off some of the skills you learned from the army. If you managed to maintain the physical fitness from the force he’ll be thrilled to have someone to wrestle with. He also loves it when you pin him so effortlessly. He’ll lay down with you for hours and wax poetic about your scars if you let him, but usually either you or him end up falling asleep in your embrace. If you want to just sit next to him while he reads his current book out loud to you, he’d be very compliant.   

Brian: Likes to remind you that you don’t always have to be the strong guy by lifting you into a bridal carry. He himself isn’t very good with his words, but you can tell his always genuine with his support. If you ever have an attack or feel too stressed out he’ll scoop you into a bear hug and kiss the top of your head. He’ll whisper comforting words and won’t let go until you’re feeling better. If you’re not standing up, you can be sure Maxwell is going to be joining this cuddle party. If you’re ever feeling insecure about your scars, he’ll show you his stretch scars. He knows it’s not exactly the same thing, but it’s his way of telling you he would never judge your scars. 

[wtfzodiacsigns]

Dream Daddy Zodiac Signs

Craig: Virgo

- Virgos are traditionally health-conscious, in need of their personal idea of perfection, and are extremely hard on themselves. They put the needs of others above their own, which ties in with Craig’s theme of ignoring his own needs in order to be the perfect father for his perfect daughters. In college, Craig likely tried to be his perfect “broself”, which meant the wild antics with Dad. Regardless of where he is in life, he puts the needs and expectations of others on high priority.

Mat: Pisces

- Pisces are traditionally a fluid, submissive sign. They absorb everything from everyone around them and as such their identities can be strongly tied to the scene around them - in Mat’s case, the music scene. Like a Pisces, Mat is sensitive and shy yet well-loved by those in his scene despite any awkwardness, age differences, or lack of being a performer anymore (before Dad gets through to him, at least). Pisces gain strength by being uplifted and supported by those closest to them despite any insecurities they may hold, and that is exactly what we see Mat experience with Dad in his route.

Brian: Taurus

- Taurus is all about the earthly, sensual pleasures of a good lawn, great house, fantastic cooking, and enjoying the outdoors.  They enjoy a good competition, but aren’t necessarily a bad loser about it if they don’t have fun.  As long as they are with good company, good food, and fun, it’s all good. They are proud of their possessions and family, which are regarded as their finest achievements.  Unlike, their brother sign Scorpio, they typically aren’t trying to piss you off by boasting with an ulterior motive; if they do come across as a braggart, it really is out of love and pride for their joy.  …They are Brian Harding, basically.

Robert: Scorpio Aquarius

- On all the lists I have seen, Robert’s placement is the most consistent: Scorpio. I don’t disagree! He has so many Scorpionic themes surrounding him, but I want to try something different and place him as Aquarius

.- Aquarius is known for being a contrarian (which is exactly what Robert would have wanted lmao), a little out there, a little distant, yet also a friend. They are difficult to truly know and have strong opinions that sometimes only make sense to them. They are the type to disappear on you for a while without apology, which is definitely behavior we see in Robert (Scorpio will also do the same thing lol). Aquariuses are also attracted to occult things like ghosts and cryptids and whatnot, and we know about Robert and the Dover Ghost. However, infiltrating a ghost tour group and fabricating an entire story just because Dad wanted a t-shirt? Making up random lies just to get a reaction from Dad (and others)? Doing fun and random shit on a first date? Being a little weird about casual sex and emotion? Actually just being weird about emotion in general? Aquarius, Aquarius, Aquarius, Aquarius, aaaand Aquarius.  In closing, Robert is honestly just delightfully weird and doesn’t give a fuck about it, which definitely could be Scorpio as mostly agreed upon but is also positively an Aquarius feature.

Damien: Libra

- Libra is the sign of balance and belonging, and we see that as a theme in Damien’s route.  He wants to be a part of the Victorian Goth lifestyle and has styled his personal look, including his entire home, to reflect that romantic aesthetic, which is what Libra is all about.  After all, Libra is heavily associated with Beauty.  Then there is the Damien who is a part of mainstream culture with seemingly no reservations about it.  And he needs Dad to know and understand that both are a part of him.  Libra also has a distaste for the ugly things in life, like arguments and violence and wish everything to be harmonious to them. Of course, we also see in Damien’s route when his need to present a certain way interferes with his fear of horror.  Despite how dark he may dress, Damien, like a Libra, definitely is a fan of the lighter things in life.

Hugo: Cancer

- Sensitive and imaginative by nature, it’s hard to find a Cancer who doesn’t enjoy finding themselves lost in the fantasy of books or the stage (or, in Hugo’s case both since the ring is really just a stage).  Initially they have a shell, but when they start to trust, they gradually open themselves to you until you are privy to things no one else has ever known about them.  Cancers often have a nurturing side that draws them to help others reach their full potential, perhaps as a teacher as Hugo has done. But the most important thing about Cancers are their family.  They will do anything to love and support their family, even if it means suppressing their own desires (not that that won’t make them moodier than they already are…).  In Hugo’s route, we see this with his frustration with having to be the authoritarian teacher dad while his ex gets to be the fun weekend dad; even though he doesn’t enjoy it, he feels Ernest needs it more than anything. (ALTHOUGH WE FIND OUT THAT ERNEST REALLY JUST NEEDED A PLAYMATE :’) )

Joseph: Sagittarius

- Sagittarians are traditionally optimists with a love of freedom, adventure, culture, and higher thought.  No matter what is happening in his life, Joseph never shows that it gets to him, even when he has a strong desire to escape to the Margarita Zone, which is a typical for a Sagittarius that doesn’t just run away outright.  What seems to bind Joseph to his family and community is the Sagittarian’s eternal search for a higher truth, which he has found as a Christian youth minister.  Unfortunately, there is also a side to Sagittarius that can take their strong beliefs in an extreme direction without regard for others if excess energy is not provided with an appropriate outlet.

Source: peacefulrestvalley

[monokuroo]

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Or at least post-Valentine in my part of the world. I hoped you have a wonderful date with your significant other.

But if you’re like me who’d rather hang out with my 2D husbandos (yes I have a sad layf lol), then let the eligible dads of Dream Daddy be your date!

If you tell me 2 years ago that I’m going to play and love Dream Daddy, I would probably laugh my ass off.

Released in 2017 by Game Grumps, Dream Daddy is a dating sim where you can customize your ‘dadsona’ and as the name suggests, you can date different kinds of dads. There are 7 dads in total but let’s start by making the dadsona who will date these dads.

At the start of the game, you’d be prompted to customize a dad to your liking. Think of it as the simplified version of the Create-A-Sim menu in The Sims.

So here’s my dadsona, Bae Summers.

Isn’t he good-looking? I loved that egg nipz shirt! hehe

Once you meet all the dads, it’s time to date! You have to message them on the game’s version of Facebook, the Dadbook. Each dad has 3 dates that need to be passed. Aim for S or A rank to ensure a good ending.

Or, if you’re like me, you can turn to guides such as these https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1085165969 and https://allgamers.com/article/2932/dream-daddy—guide-to-unlocking-all-dad-endings.

You’ve done all the things above and now you’re ready to push that message button. So the next question would be…

Who is your Dream Daddy?

You’ll see mine at the end. 😉

Craig Cahn

The main reason I got this game! After watching Kelsey from this video I had the urge to get his end!

MC’s college buddy and partner-in-crime. But when they meet again, Craig is already a responsible father of three.

Wait, there’s more.

He’s also a businessman, running a sports business. Also, he’s a health junkie. He trains every day, jogging around the neighborhood with his baby strapped on his body. To top it all, he coaches his twins’ softball team. Such a busybody.

Bae: My ultimate sexual fantasy is you. 😏😏😏

Craig’s ending, his route, heck even his kids did not disappoint! I would play his route again and again just to see his daughter River. She’s, like, the cutest kid in this game!

Seriously, though, I’m shipping MC with Craig because their bond is something. I love the whole bromance to more-than-bros going on. The confession scene at the end is sweet and cute. Too bad the game’s pretty short. I would have liked to see more of these two.

That third date, though. 🤩

Another reason to love Craig’s route is that, unlike the other dads, he has none of those minigames. So you can just safely play through this route without worries of a failed date.

(There’s a mini-game where Craig invites you to do the treadmill. But in my game, it didn’t appear on his route. Rather, he invites you when you are in another dad’s route.)

Mat Sella

Mat is the owner of the coffee shop in the neighborhood. He loves music, coffee, and his daughter Carmensita.

After ogling at Craig, I’m not sure I’d like Mat. But there’s a certain charm to his awkward personality. Like how he looks flustered when meeting people, which, at first glance, is totally unlike him.

Bae is so thirsty I kennot. 😂

But Matt’s really sweet and thoughtful to everyone. Contrary to his belief that he doesn’t like crowds, he’s rather good at taking care of people. It’s nice to see him complimenting MC’s personality. Together, they look like cute awkward teens and that’s…adorable.

The last date and the scenes leading up to the ending are so sweet. I loved how they get so flirty with each other. Mat is just giggling and flirting with the MC. That’s the happiest I’ve seen him in the game.

Brian Harding

Brian is MC’s rival dad. From the first time Brian and MC meet, this dad keeps on one-upping our MC. So for the rest of the route, they work through their rivalry thing.

Hence, this route contains the most nerve-wracking minigames! Brian invites the MC in different activities such as playing golf and fishing. And since, MC is competitive as ever, you as the player have to win them all!

So if you’re planning to get all of Steam’s achievements, I can only wish you luck. I admire you for having the patience I can never have. Because you’ll need a lot of it to finish Brian’s minigames, especially the golf part.

As for Brian and MC as a couple, I find it hard to see any chemistry between them because of their constant rivalry. But once I realized what Brian is doing, I found it cute. It’s nice to see them sort out their differences in the end.

Also, his daughter, Daisy, is a bit of an uptight at first. She keeps on correcting Amanda’s jokes which had me rolling my eyes a lot of times. But Amanda’s really chill so she teaches Daisy to be a bit more laid-back. Then, the two of them makes an adorable pair of siblings.

Robert Small

Robert looks wild and gruff, someone giving off a dangerous vibe.

MC’s first encounter with him is when he and Amanda visit Mat’s coffee shop. There, Robert checks out MC, staring darkly from the corners of the shop. I admit, he gives off a creepy vibe on that scene.

If MC decides to go out at night, he’ll go to a pub where he’ll be properly introduced to Robert.

Anyway, the other characters call Robert as an enigma. He’s such a mystery to everyone due to the cryptic way he speaks. You can never EVER get a straight answer from him. I can’t help but roll my eyes every time he speaks like that…

One of those rare moments that get him to speak what he really thinks.

…I guess I really am no good with people like him because it feels like he’s belittling other people with the way he speaks.

Surprisingly, I loved the ending. Robert did have some baggage. But I think he has the most realistic ending. I appreciated his no kiss-and-tell personality because at least he’s really clear with what he wanted in his relationship with MC.

Another surprising part of this route is Mary. It is already weird to have her hitting on MC on his first night in the neighborhood. Being friends with Robert, she is not someone to be messed with.

But Mary’s actually a really good friend. She doesn’t look like it, but she cares for Robert. And I appreciate her for that.

Damien Bloodmarch

When I watch Let’s Plays of the game, whenever players meet Damien, they’ll all have the same reaction — “Vampire Dad? No way!” But whenever I scrolled through the comments, everyone says that Damien is just misunderstood.

Those mixed reactions are really intriguing.

Damien dresses and acts like a Goth and has a love for the Victorian Era. Because of this, he gives off a standoff-ish vibe.

Damien is a sweet and romantic guy. Underneath his classy look lies a cute cinnamon roll. He proves that you can’t judge a book by its cover.  His route is like watching a slow and old-school romance unfold. Like, how he prefers handwritten letters (with seals!) over Dadbook messaging.

And I loved how everyone could tell that they’re sooo in love with each other to the point of teasing them. I even love the part where Amanda saw them kissing in front of their door because that’s like a reversal of their position as dad and daughter.

Also, he’s a fudanshi. 😏

  He has a collection of SasuNaru fic? 😏

Hugo Vega

Hugo is Amanda’s teacher. Being a person of authority, he’s pretty uptight.

Hugo is, well, nerdy. Other than teaching middle and high schoolers, he writes scholarly stuff and he’s very knowledgable with high brow lit.

He’s knowledgable. Period.

But he has another hobby: wrestling. He’s got a room of wrestling things. And it goes without saying that he knows a lot about it, a huge fanboy. That and those teach-me-wrestling-moves had me 😏.

Thing is, I enjoyed Hugo and his son, Ernest moments more in Damien’s route. Unlike Damien’s son, Ernest didn’t really show his appreciation for Hugo in his dad’s route. Meanwhile, in Damien’s, due to certain events, the relationship between Hugo and Ernest have a big leap. They have a more familial atmosphere around them in the end.

Or maybe, Ernest is busy on other things…

Joseph Christiansen

I have mixed feelings about this dad.

Joseph freaking Christiansen is a youth minister at the church. He’s the husband of Mary and father to the freakishly looking kids, Chris, Christian, Christie, and Chrish.

My initial reaction when I meet him and his family: YOU’RE TELLING ME YOU CAN DATE HIM!?

Just look at their names. I feel like I’m committing a sin.

Also, he spends most of his route being extra sticky to MC, like being sweet and clingy. I could definitely picture him staring longingly to MC, giving off mixed signals.

It’s uncomfortable knowing Joseph is married to Mary. She’s not the nicest neighbor. But after playing Robert and Damien’s routes where she is a good friend, she’s grown on me.

AND NOW I’M SNATCHING HER HUSBAND.

You’re being such a good friend MC. 🙄

So other than the names and his wife’s existence, Joseph intrigues me in the previous routes. During Amanda’s graduation party where MC talks to each character, Joseph asks MC to hang out with him anytime he’s free. He’s not telling MC that in a casual way. It’s more of like this:

… which is like silently pleading MC to notice him.

When MC did, he so brilliantly dumped him.

Which brings me to another reason why this route brings me discomfort.

Joseph’s best end is in the opposite direction with the other dads. After flirting around, he’d tell you that he’ll go back to his wife. And that’s perfectly okay. That’s a good thing, mending a broken family.

But it feels like MC is subjected to a needless embarrassment and rejection for someone who’s only stringing him along. He’s just a rebound, a one-night stand.

I couldn’t help but compare Joseph with Robert, because of their internal issues and how they treat MC. Thanks to this, I ended up liking Robert more, mainly because he’s very clear with what he wants and puts a distance from MC as he fixes his life.

Now I kind of regretting leaving Joseph for last since it taints a charming game. It’s like Joseph lives in a different world, far from the sweet worlds of the other dads.

===

So to answer my question above:

Craig is the love of my life in this game. Though I loved everyone, in all fairness. I just especially loved him. Even MC agrees,

For my favorite in the game – Craig > Damien = Mat > Robert = Hugo > Brian > Joseph. Or it can actually be Craig = Damien = Mat = Robert = Hugo >Brian >>> Joseph.

Everyone is farrrr better than Joseph. lol

So who’s likely to be your date among the dads of Dream Daddy?

As of this writing, Steam is having its Daily Deals and Dream Daddy is included. Snag this game over there and have a fun post-Vday celebration!

Next post will be my one and only reason to play Dream Daddy.

The Eligible Dads of Dream Daddy #dreamdaddy Happy Valentine's Day! Or at least post-Valentine in my part of the world. I hoped you have a wonderful date with your significant other.

[writingdreamdaddy]

Oh! A new blog! Hello, im glad people are still producing ddadds content :) Id like to request maybe, like. How the dads spend a free day woth dadsona? Like. Theyre all busy and have their own things going on, but what happens when its just a random day, their kids are away for whatever reason (maybe a sleep over or something) and they suddenly find themselves with unexpected free time?

Ahhh i love this kinda stuff! I hope i did the ask some justice. (All the kids are out of it except River because she’s a baby and the best thing in the game)

Robert—

               Theoverhang’s beauty never ceased to amaze you. Every season, any time of day, itwas the most beautiful spot. Usually Robert would take you here late at night whenhe couldn’t sleep or needed a distraction. Lately he took you up here just tospend time with you and recollect himself. As he recovered, you two came uphere earlier and earlier as his sleep schedule slowly started to get back in rhythm.You two hadn’t been able to spend much time together as of late with Amandacoming home for break and Robert making trips up to Val’s, but eventually youtwo found time; when you did, he took you to the overhang. Spending time withRobert was always cherished. It was simple, it was calm, and today it was 7pm.The days were shorter, and the sun was setting, covering the dying leaves in agolden hue. Many yellow and orange leaves still clung to trees, some mixed onthe ground with the brown leafs or floated in the bay below. Robert told youhis favorite season was fall because the dead wood was good for whittling andplentiful. Definitely not because he kinda liked the color yellow, thedrive up to the overhang was breathtaking with the color change, and watchingBetsy play in the leaf piles or eat them was the cutest thing in the world. Youtwo were sitting in the back of his pickup truck with an ugly thick wool red blanketcovering you two. He wanted to come up here to spend time with you, so he wasn’twhittling or broodily staring off into the distance. Instead you two had discussionsabout this, that, and the other thing, with long breaks of silence in between. Hewas healthier and happier and laughing. Nothing made you smile bigger. When thesun nearly disappeared into the bay, you scooted a little closer to him andrested your head on his shoulder. He wrapped an arm around you and pulled youthat much closer. “Sorry we haven’t spent a lot of time together,” your voicewas raspy and tired. When you looked up at Robert, he was watching thecity light up with a small smirk on his face. With that, the two of you sat in silenceonce more, enjoying the time together.

Matt –

               Matexited his kitchen with two steaming mugs and handed one to you. The roads werecovered in ice with an overnight snow storm and nearly every shop and everyschool was closed; that included the Coffee Spoon. Camensita wanted to spendher snow day playing outside with the other kids, and Mat wanted to spend hiswith you. Nothing special was planned since it was so last minute, but a Pixarmovie was picked out and he put extra marshmallows in your hot cocoa. It was aday spent on the couch wrapped in several blankets, eating left over Chinesefood, and laughing at the movies you two picked out. Spending time with you wasthe most relaxing thing Mat could do. He didn’t get many days off, and eventhough you visited him at the Coffee Spoon often, time like this was stillprecious. You couldn’t cuddle up on the couch the entire day at work. He couldn’tlaugh loudly and critique every movie that played at work, and he most definitely could not kiss you the way hedoes at home, at work.

Joseph—

               You andJoseph were on the dock. It was mother’s day weekend so the kids were with Marytoday. It was the first day Joseph had nothing to do in weeks. This Saturday was the only day he had off until Churchservice tomorrow. You both had your pants rolled up and your legs were hangingof the edge as you looked out into the water. He was exhausted and stressed outbeyond belief, which is why you dragged him out here. You were going to forcehim to relax damnit. Usually when youtwo had free time like this you would actually go on the boat, or go out fordinner, or just sit in his backyard and talk by a fire. Today was different. Atfirst it was nice and silent, just sitting next to each other and enjoying oneanother’s company. Then you scooted closer to him and you two exchanged a kissor two and you’d tell a fact about whales every now and then. You two startedgossiping about the neighbors and Joseph would start venting about everythingand everyone. You two talked the day away before retreating to the boat forsome drinks and much needed sleep. The free day wasn’t spent doing anythingextravagant, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t perfect.

Hugo—

               Springbreak was a blessing to Hugo. He had nowhere to be and nothing to grade, andthis year was his ex-husbands turn to take Ernest on vacation. That left himwith a little over a week to do whateverhe wanted, within the legal system of course. That mostly meant watching old wrestling matches he had recorded or writing like he usually does, but this time he was only in hisunderwear, and he was only in his underwear all the time. He got boredimmediately though and anxiously waited for your day off to come. When it finally did,he wanted to do everything. He justwanted to get out of the house. So you two went to the movies, the museum, shopping,and ended it with a lovely dinner. It was an exhausting day for both of you.The two of you wound up at your house since Hugo was still a little stir-crazy.You had changed into pajama pants and a t-shirt, and Hugo changed into a shirtyou lent him. The two of you laid in bed, you were playing with his hair andlaughing at the comments he made, or the facts he told. You curled up next tohim and shut your eyes but continued to talk about why The Undertaker and JohnCena were overrated with him. And this was the part of the day he remembered.Sure, the movie was fun, and the amount of useless knowledge you had aboutrandom things was entertaining in the museum, and yeah the sunglasses youbought today were absolutely ridiculous and made him laugh on the ride home when you wore them proudly. But it was watching you tiredly smileup at him, attempting to braid his hair and failing horribly, and you gentlykissing him goodnight. That’s what he took away from today.

Damien—

               Tonightwas date night and Lucien had left to spend the night at some friend’s house;the stars were aligning. It had been weeks since you two had gotten together todo something stupidly romantic and he was going to make it special. He cleanedthe house, cooked your favorite meal, and set his table with the finest thingshe owned. The night went by smoothly; eating and drinking and enjoying theothers company as if no time had passed. He didn’t want it to end so quickly.Dinner was done, the dishes were done, and the closing hour of the date wascoming up. He dreaded the thought of you leaving. The animal shelter has beenbusy as of late, which is great! It just eats up any available time he has, andthe chance of your schedule lining up with his, on date night. It was a miracle that was going by too fast. You werechatting away on the couch, talking about Amanda, work, and everything thatcame into your conscious stream of thought. He missed this, missed you. So when you got up to leave, heimmediately asked if you wanted to spend the night, to which you gladlyaccepted. That’s when Damien realized he spent most of the date worrying aboutit ending rather than enjoying it, so he was going to soak in every momentforward. You two got ready for bed together and made it as extravagant aspossible. The two of you would take a bubble bath together with face-masks onand wine in hand. You laughed together and talked about life and how busy it hadgotten. When you got out the conversation would continue while laying on top ofthe bed. It was well past midnight by the time you two finally got in thecovers and went to sleep with smiles on your faces.

Craig—

               Heneeded a day off. Even after the talk you guys had about him working himselftoo hard and not doing enough for himself, he was still the busy workout dadwho did everything. Just a little less than he did before. You had convincedhim to take a day off the weekend the kids were going to softball camp. Theidea of another camping trip sounded fun but needed some time to prepare for itwhich neither of you did. Nothing was packed, and finding a babysitter forRiver on such short notice would be even more stressful. He needed to dosomething other than work at his house or work at the gym. It was nice outsideso the thought of going for a walk crossed you lips, going out for dinnercrossed his, and so on and so forth. You sat on the deck chairs in Craig’s backyard trying to come up with a plan. Craig had River bouncing on his knee whileshe played with her stuffed capybara and you watched from where you wereseated. You two were always on the move, always going somewhere or doingsomething. Granted, it was fun to go to softball games, to smugly tell the momsafterwards that Craig wasn’t single anymore, going out for dinner, all of that.It was rare to get free time together, but it was rarer to get free timetogether and use it doing nothing. Soyou laid back in your seat and talked with Craig and occasionally babbled withRiver. You two lounged in the backyard well past Craig’s/River’s usual naptimeas he would tell you over and over while taking another sip of his drink but never doing anything to further the protest.Stories were told, River was played with, and time was wasted perfectly.

Brian—

               Youwanted to give mini golf another shot. It was embarrassing how bad you did lasttime you went with Brian, Daisy, and Amanda. To redeem yourself, you droveBrian back to the Mini Golf Place while Daisy was at a sleepover and Amanda wasin school. The kids were the real reason you lost, they were a distraction iswhat you told Brian. You two spent hours at the golf course, you lined up everyshot you made and used extra precaution before doing anything. By the time thegame was over, Brian lost and it was definitely not because he let you win. Theride home was you reliving your highlights from the day and Brian smiling andcommenting how great you were. You were something else, but Brian wouldn’t haveit any other way. Seeing you proud of yourself was look he’d love to see youwear every day.

[bywandandsword]

So.... I may have been overcome by curiosity and got that dad dating game that was so popular a while back...

Mild gushing under the cut

Mostly right now I’m not too far in I don’t think. I’ve only been on two dates, but mostly I’m worried about Amanda. She’s hiding something that made her cry and slipping in school. I’m so proud of my fictional daughter 💜 for getting into her dream school tho. Art school is one of my irl pipe dreams and I’m glad at least my child can do it. 

Initial reactions to the dads:

- Mat is super cool and when he smiles I get butterflies. Also he thinks I’m cool. I’m not as into music and honestly got a little bored during our date, but I’m positive about the situation

- Damien is the dad I went on a date with, just cause he’s the Most Extra one there. He turned out to be less pretentious than I thought he would be and I’d like to see where this goes. He puffs out his cheeks some when he’s talking or nervous and it’s cute. He’s a really level headed parent, which is always a plus. Also, the fact that he printed and bound Naruto fanfiction endeared him in my heart forever 

- Craig is the next dad I’m going to try to date, but like, irl I’m nervous about it and would never consider it cause we have a History and it’s a bit odd. Also, I totally embarrassed myself at the gym. But as his friend, it would be rude to try and avoid him forever

- Brian is one of the dads I have no real interest in dating. I’m not fond of his oneupmanship from our first meeting. I want to avenge my loss in the daughter-bragging-duel excuse you my daughter is the best daughter to daughter ever, so I might go on one or two dates with him. His dog is cute tho

- Joseph gives me the heebies and the jeebies. So does Mary. And like, I get that he’s a youth minister but come on. Joseph, Mary, and four little Christ-themed names? You could have just gone with Jesus and been less cheesy. He’s got the creepy anti-Christ vibe mixed with the equally unappealing rich suburbanite vibe, the sort who’s upper-class but claim to be middle-class and makes donations to starving children in Africa but when faced with poverty in his own neighborhood, he talks about the power of positive thinking and bootstraps and obtusely ignores institutional systems of inequality and his own privilege 

- Hugo has the patience of a saint and I admire that. He’s sweet and well read and I can see us bonding over books. Like, he’s got the Professor Indiana Jones vibe but instead of punching Nazis but he’s totes risk his life looking the a lost hoard from the Library of Alexandria. But at the same time, he’s Amanda’s teacher and it would be weird. I don’t know that I’ll do anything about him unless something develops or I figure out why Amanda isn’t doing well in his class

- Robert I have no idea and I’m a bit worried to find out. He seems to have a history with Mary and I’m certain it’s not a healthy relationship. He keeps just appearing like a freaking cryptid. I’m curious but he doesn’t seem to want to talk to anyone and I think I’m going to respect his space until he gives me an indication that he’s be okay with my messaging him. What about that Game tho. Yay sports.

[dream-daddy-headcanons]

🌟Daddies reacting to a deaf dadsona🌟

Since we don’t really have a lot of content at the moment, Daddy Thomas and I thought it would be a good idea to toss in our thoughts on how the daddies would react to you, as your dadsona, being deaf!

Robert

🔪 Robert would have figured it out after watching you (not in a creepy way, of course) interact with other people in the neighborhood. He already knows a bit of ASL, but after deeming you a cool person to be around, he starts learning more so he can talk to you about cryptids, wood carving, and Betsy.

Craig

💦 Having been roommates with you in college, he learned a pretty hefty amount of sign language. Though, as the years went by and you two fell out of contact, he forgot a good portion of it. But once he meets up with you again, you both have a wonderful time as you sign something to him and he attempts to guess what you’re signing. Eventually, he just starts writing stuff down for you or has Amanda translate for him.

 Hugo

 📚 Hugo is a man with his resources, and when he learns you can’t quite hear him, or anything for that matter, he brings in a student of his who has been taking ASL classes to interpret. Eventually he begins sitting in on the classes as well and is extremely proud to show you he can sign the alphabet. It doesn’t take too long before he starts signing words and phrases with ease.

 Damien

🦇 Damien would try to speak to you and wouldn’t quite catch on until you told him, in garbled and mumbled English, that you can’t hear him. He gets all flustered and would know next to nothing about ASL, and would apologize in advance as he worked toward learning how to sign. It takes him a while and there’s a lot of slip ups, but he appreciates your patience and understanding as he learns.

 Brian

🎣 When Brian was told that you’re deaf, he would probably joke about just speaking up and hoping you could hear him. Since Amanda and Daisy seem to be pretty good friends, Amanda would start to teach Daisy some phrases to sign, and Daisy, in turn, would teach her father. Brian picked it up pretty quick, but he takes the signing slow so that he doesn’t mess up and confuse you.

 Mat

☕ He can tell something is up as soon as he realizes Amanda is ordering for you every time you come into the Coffee Spoon, and then it finally clicks when he sees you signing to her once she gets back to their spot. He spends the next few days learning and practicing, and the next time you come in with Amanda, he asks you to come over. You do so in confusion, but then he brings you to tears at the counter when he asks you what you’d like to order in sign language.

 Joseph

📿 Once he discovered that you are deaf, Joseph quickly tried to learn how to sign. He picked up simple phrases like “good to see you”, “how are you”, “thank you”, and stuff like that. However, he was never able to retain any of the other phrases he tried to learn. Every once in a while, for simple things, he can mouth the words and you can usually inderstand, but that’s not always reliable. So Amanda does most of the work for him.

- Daddy Corvo 🤓 and Daddy Thomas 😶

[daddy-hotline]

Alright alright alright. So let's say Dadsona has close friends and they start fighting and Dadsona ends up a crying mess because he lost his friends and then the dads walk in (from like work or something) and see him balling his eyes out with phone in hand or something

🎣Brian :- wHo DID THIS TO YOU- grabbing his lawn mower and ready to slice some ass up- once he calms down a lil he hugs you very tightly and wipes away your tears and snot for you- full of warm and soft cuddles and Maxwell might join in who knows🏋Craig :- bro was it that bitch from college - ranting on and on while he makes some kind of healthy dessert thing for you - lets you have some chocolate and talk out the feelings - if you're feeling up to it you can go exercise run or box some shit up🐶Damien :- drops everything and runs to you- puts your phone away while shoving 17 tubs of ice cream into your arms with the biggest spoon ever - curls up with you and feeds you- slowly breaches the topic about what happened and why etc📚Hugo :- calmly tells you to put the phone away and go wash your face - when you come back he has a mug of tea for you and sits you down - hugs you and kisses your face while you sip the tea and never let's go he won't let his bby tremble without him holding them close 💒Joseph :- freaks out omg what the fuck do I do- tries to make everything better with his sub-par baked goods but everything gets worse instead - he only asks you to talk to him because he's freaking out too much to go into counsellor mode☕Mat :- runs out of the room and gets some food and drinks for you - cuddles with you after putting on some soothing records - offers you your favourite hot drink, lots of smooches and leaning over to gently rub your sore eyelids🔪Robert :- calls on Betsy because what the fuck is he supposed to do- just snuggles with you - he doesn't know what to do but assumes that dogs and warm human touch can make everything better - mumbles on about slitting a throat or something - mod rae

[ddaddsprompts]

Idk if you're taking asks but... omegaverse!AU where the Alpha!Dads bite Omega!Dadsona to show they are mates. And imagine how the cul-de-sac and respective kids would react

To me, a bite mark is (most of the time) a permanent thing that’s basically the Omegaverse version of bonding? So that’s what I wrote it as! I hope you’ll enjoy! - Mare

Thebarbeque is already well underway by the time you dare to leave the house. Youspent a lot of time in front of the mirror, staring at the mating mark [Dad]left there and wondering whether you should cover it or not, but in the end youdecided against it. Doesn’t mean you aren’t nervous about basically letting thewhole neighbourhood know you’ve been claimed. Your hand keeps on shootingupwards to your neck, where you can feel the light imprint his teeth left inyour skin; you catch yourself doing it just as you cross the threshold toJoseph’s backyard and blush. Everyone’s enjoying the burgers, chatting andlaughing, and while they greet you, no one seems to immediately notice themating mark.

🥃 You’re surprised to see Val,but in a positive kind of way. You didn’t know she’d be there. She’s talking toMary – the two got along like chalk and cheese – but ends the conversation andwalks over to you once she notices you arrived. There’s no sight of Robert, butyou know he’s been here; the scent of his cologne, mixed with the faint scentof woods and cigarettes, lingers in the air, at least to his mated Omega. Justthinking that makes you blush again. His Omega.Val zones in on that like a shark on blood. “Y/N.” She pointedly looks you downwith an arch to her eyebrow, which nearly disappears in her hairline once hergaze falls on the mark. You nervously tug on your collar and shift your weightaround on your feet. Robert and you hadn’t talked about how you should telleveryone. He just does things, without thinking, and goes from there. Marking you had gone the same way; hejust did it in the heat of the moment, not that you really mind. You lookaround the backyard, but there’s still no sight of him. You meet Craig’s gazeand try to give him a reassuring smile, but he doesn’t look convinced. Maybeyou’re already giving off distress pheromones. It would explain why everyone issneaking glances at you. Or they spotted the mark. “Did you change yet?” Val’svoice completely catches you off-guard. She cocks her head to the side andgestures towards your neck. “Can’t decide whether it’s a vampire or a werewolfbite. Too round for wolf teeth, though. Are you craving blood?”“Only thing he’s craving is the D.” Robert, appearing out of nowhere smellinglike cigarettes, wraps an arm around your waist and clinks his glass againstVal’s. She gives him an unimpressed look. “That tiny thing? Doubt it.” Herwords startle a laugh out of you. Robert scowls.

🍸 You smile when you see Mary with thekids. They’d been at her new place the last days, so they weren’t around whenJoseph marked you. The twins are probably too young to fully understand what itmeans – their mother is a Beta, so she doesn’t have a mating bite – but Chriswill and you’re worried about his reaction. Seeing Joseph is no longer busypreparing burgers, you walk over to him. His face lights up even more when hesees you and he immediately draws you into his arms. After a chaste kiss,Joseph brings a hand up to brush over your mark. He looks downright smug aboutit. Of course, now that he drew attention to it, the others notice it too. Youalmost suspect that was his intention. “Well, well, congratulations.” For amoment, Mary’s arrival brings tension, but that thankfully disintegrates withinseconds. “I was worried Joseph wouldn’t get his act together and claim youbefore one of the other nerds snatched you up,” she says and nudges herex-husband in the side. He pouts. Something, or someone, tugs on your arm. When you look down, your eyes meetChristian’s. “What’s that thing on your neck?” Rubbing the back of your head,you get down on eye level. “You know I’m an Omega, right? Your Dad left thatmark on my neck to let everyone know we’re together. Almost like marriage.” Only permanent, you add in your head.Christian frowns, but then nods. “Okay. Christie and I found a toad, want tosee?” You take Christian’s hand and let him lead you towards the bushes. Onyour way, you pass Chris, playing with his hand-held console. He must haveoverheard the conversation, since he’s looking at your neck with an unreadableexpression. After a few seconds, he nods and turns back to his game. To you,that feels like you passed. “Where’s the… Christie, we talked about this,please let the toad go—“ 

☕ The moment Mat sees you, he walks over and greets you with a kiss onyour forehead. Then his gaze falls on your neck and he blushes. You two talkedabout the idea for a very long time. Mat’s late wife had been an Omega, too, andpart of him was unsure about ‘replacing’ her, so you didn’t press the topic. Hebrought it up just last night, saying he had come to a decision. Said decision nowgraces your neck. “Hey, baby.” You lean in for a quick kiss on the lips andwrap your arms around his torso. “Hey.” Your private moment is interrupted byBrian, who seems to be the first to spot your mark. “Congratulations,” he saysand musters it from up close. “Seems like you were the lucky guy that got thejackpot, Mat!” Part of you is annoyed at the implications, but you know Briandoesn’t mean it like that. Mat, face a deep red, mumbles his thanks. Briantakes his leave again, heading straight for Damien, Craig and Hugo, who aretalking to each other. He says something, then the four look your direction.All the attention makes you feel uncomfortable. “Hey, Y/N, are you okay?”Carmensita jogs up to you and takes your hand in hers. “You look upset.”Shaking your head, you lean down to kiss her forehead. “No, dear, don’t worry.”The angle you’re in exposes your neck, but it still takes a few moments untilCarmensita notices. She gasps and reaches up, but catches herself and drops herhand again. “Is that…?” You look at Mat, then back to her. “Yes, your Dadmarked me.” A plethora of emotions passes over her face. Maybe you should haveincluded her in your discussions about marking, you think, worried. Carmensita suddenlywraps her arms around you and buries her face in your belly. “Are you okay?” She nods. “I’m happy.” Yousmile. Mat visibly deflates in relief.

🌹 “Would you look at that that!” Hugo’s hand shoots out to steady you as youstartle so hard, you nearly fall over. “My apologies, Y/N. I didn’t mean totake you off-guard.” He turns his head to the side. As you follow his gaze, youcan see some of the dads look at you. Are you imagining things or does Josephlook disappointed? “I apologise if the question is insensitive, but… it’sDamien’s, right?” The question confuses you. You and Damien have been togetherfor a few months, so who else should have… “Gosh, Hugo, yes! I know there wassome posturing, but none of them ever approached me like that once we made ourrelationship public. They wouldn’t have…” Forceda mark on you. The mere thought makes you shudder. A warm hand comes torest on your shoulder. Your body leans into Damien’s half-embrace as he comesto stand next to you, automatic like breathing. “Are you alright, my dear?” Atyour questioning look, Damien taps his nose with a smile. Right. Since youbonded, his senses must have become even more attuned to your scent. “Congratulations,Damien,” Hugo says and shakes his friend’s hand, the one that’s not resting onyour hip. “Do you intend to host a bonding celebration?” You look at yourboyfriend in confusion. “It was custom during the Victorian age to announce one’sbonding via party. Almost like a wedding celebration, if you will. I did intendto ask you if you would be comfortable with such an event but Hugo beat me toit.” The other Alpha smiles sheepishly, then excuses himself, leaving youalone. “Only the neighbourhood. We don’t have to. I just thought it would be—“You interrupt him with a kiss. As always, the public display of affection makeshim blush. “It would be nice, yes. Let’s do that.” Damien smiles and presses akiss on your forehead. “Ugh, gross,” Lucien huffs out. He tries to hide itbehind his phone, but you can see him smile.

🎣 Not a second passes before Brian is at yourside. He lifts you into his arms and hugs you tightly. “How is my Omega doing?” He says that loudenough for Craig and Robert, standing close, to hear. Craig puts aside hisplate, walks up to you and pulls you into a hug. “Congrats, bro! Congrats,Brian!” Brian returns the bro-fist and grins. “Thanks, Craig.” You notice thenoise has died down a little and that everyone is now looking at you. Some ofthe gazes, you realise, hold undertones of disappointment. Wait, where didRobert go? Wasn’t he just… Confused, you look around, but there’s no sight ofhim. Shrugging, you turn your attention back to your boyfriend. Only toinstantly regret that decision as he’s now bragging about you to the more orless willing audience of Joseph, Mat, Craig and Damien. You extract yourselffrom the group and walk over to the table, where the food everyone brought isexpertly arranged in bowls and on plates. You’re torn between several optionsand so lost in thought, you don’t notice Daisy joining you until she tugs onyour arm. “Is it true?” Brian just marked you last night, when Daisy was overat a friend’s place for a sleepover, and since today is a school day, that’sthe first time you see each other since then. Instead of replying, you tiltyour neck to let her see. Daisy beams. “Are you okay with that, Daisy? I knowwe should have asked you first, but it was a spontaneous thing and— Oof!” Shereleases you from her hug after a few moments, shuffling on her feet andblushing. “I’m okay with that, Mister Y/N. I’m happy for you and Dad.” Hearinghis ‘name’ apparently summoned Brian, as he’s suddenly behind you and sweepsyou and Daisy into a group-hug. He looks so proud and happy, you can’t help butgrin too.

👟 At the sight of Hazel and Briar chasingCarmensita around the yard, you feel something heavy settle in your stomach.They were happy when you and Craig told them about your relationship, but thatdoesn’t guarantee they’ll be happy about him having marked you. Joseph doesn’tserve anything harder than beer, but you could really need a glass of liquidcourage right now. Mac ‘n cheese would have to do; you load a large scoop ofcheesy glory on your plate. “Bro, do you know how unhealthy that is?” You don’tbother turning around, not that you could have, with Craig’s strong, largehands settling on your hips. “Do you know how little I care, Craigory?”“Ouch, that hurt.” He bends down to kiss your neck. His breath ghosts over themark, making you shiver. He tightens his grip a little, pulls you closer andpresses his lips against the mark, just like he did when—“Ew, gross!” You pullapart immediately. In your embarrassment, you’re too slow to stop Hazel fromstealing some of your food. At Craig’s look, she shrugs. “Compensation forhaving to witness that?” Craig thinks about it, but then nods. “Accepted.”It doesn’t surprise you that Briar’s the first to notice, since her sister isbusy trying to sneakily eat more mac ‘n cheese. “Is that a bite mark?” Youpause, mid-eating, giving Hazel the chance to steal your fork with a maniacallaugh. You’re proud of her. “Yes,” Craig replies in your stead. “I, um… markedhim.” The twins look confused, but then understanding dawns on Hazel’s face. “Youmarked-marked him?!” Her tone ofvoice makes you tense up. You brace yourself for a pre-teen explosion, so whenthey only smile and offer you their fists, you blink and numbly fist-bump them.Suddenly, the two launch themselves at you. It’s only thanks to Craig’sintervention that you don’t fall. “Still gross, but cool.” Briar tiptoes andtaps your nose. “You’re it.” They run away from you before you can protest.With an exasperated look at your boyfriend, you run after them.

📖 It doesn’t take long for someone to notice. That someone is Robert, whogrunts then turns his attention back to his whiskey. Well, you think, that wasn’tvery spectacular. You search the garden for Hugo. He’s talking to Joseph aboutbook recommendations when you walk over; he briefly pauses to kiss your cheek butcontinues explaining. The topic doesn’t interest you that much so you decide tomake yourself useful. You take an empty bowl of salad and walk into the kitchento fill it again. A faint smell of smoke catches your attention. You frown andsearch for the source, finding it in Ernest who’s sitting on the couch, vaping.Though you doubt Joseph allowed him that, you don’t scold or lecture him; youjust say hello. He whips around, probably to tell you to get lost, but hismouth falls closed again. His gaze is fixed on your mark with such intention,it makes you squirm. “Ernest?” Your voice seems to pull him back to reality. Helooks away and your breath hitches. You’ve never seen him look so young andvulnerable. Without thinking, you walk over and put your hand on his shoulder.He doesn’t shake it off as you expected, but leans into the touch a little. Yousilently thank evolution for giving Omegas a calming aura. “Are you okay?” Youask quietly. Ernest doesn’t reply immediately, but takes a few moments. “ThatHugo’s?” When you nod, he meets your gaze. “Thanks, Y/N.” The next second, thespell is broken. He pushes off your hand, his face closed-off again. “Now leaveme the fuck alone.” Perplexed, you only nod and do as he says. The change intone still confuses you even as you walk back outside and put down the salad bowl.“I apologise for ignoring you before. Joseph needed some advice,” Hugo says,leaning down to kiss you. “Is something wrong, Y/N?” Briefly, you considertelling him about the encounter. But you shake your head. “No, nothing.”

[bronzeflower]

Polydads

Also on ao3

Based on a post that @catsforartists made!

-----

When Amanda woke up, she decided to crawl out of bed to get a bowl of cereal. And eat it on the couch, of course.

“Ain’t nothing beat couch cereal.” She declared to the empty room and dug into her delicious and dangerously sugary cereal.

Almost immediately after taking a bite out of her cereal, she heard footsteps coming from her dad’s room, but, when she glanced up, she saw Damien walking by her.

“Good morning, Amanda dear.” Damien greeted.

“Mornin.” Amanda responded. She KNEW it. Her dad and Damien had been getting pretty close, so it wasn’t a completely wild assumption that they would start dating. And, of course, the footsteps she heard must be…

Craig?

“You get enough sleep, kiddo? Always good to get up early, but make sure you snooze enough.” Craig greeted as he walked past. Okay, so clearly the next person to walk out must be her dad, right?

Wrong. It was Brian.

“Don’t fill up on cereal!” Brian said. “I’m making eggs and sausage! Teacher incoming, by the way.”

That just made Amanda even more confused, and OH MY GOD IT’S MR. VEGA.

Hugo walked past Amanda as quickly as he could, shielding his face with his hand and pointedly turning away from Amanda. He didn’t give Amanda any greeting, but he did whisper a steady stream of the word ‘shit’.

Amanda put a pillow over her face and barely even noticed when she dropped her bowl of cereal. She could hear more steps, and then she heard Mat’s voice.

“Coast clear, pillow gal.”

Amanda held up one of her hands in a rock and roll gesture to signal that she had heard Mat.

As she put down the pillow, Robert started walking past her, wearing her father’s robe.

“Tell your dad I’m keeping this robe.”

“You want me to tell him before or after I beat him up?” Amanda asked.

“After.” Came the definitive answer.

Surely, SURELY, that was the last of them, and the steps she was hearing was the footsteps of her dad, but, she was, yet again, wrong.

Joseph walked in and turned to her.

“Cookies?” He offered.

“WHY AM I ONLY FINDING OUT ABOUT ALL THIS NOW?”

“...does that mean you don’t want cookies?”

“Oh, no, I want the cookies.”

“Here you go, then! They’ll tide you over while I help make breakfast with the others.” Joseph moved towards the kitchen, leaving Amanda to contemplate what just happened.

She began to eat the cookies.

“My hunger for answers still rages.” She said as she shoved another cookie into her mouth.

It wasn’t long before her dad finally came out of his room.

“Father.”

“Daughter.”

Amanda took a bite of a cookie without breaking eye contact.

“So, dad,” Amanda began. “I see that you’ve been getting around.”

Her dad at least had the decency to look embarrassed.

“Well, uh, you see, um…” After a moment or two of fumbling for words, her dad finally came to a tentative conclusion. “I made friends?”

“Dad, this isn’t exactly what I meant when I told you to make friends.” Amanda deadpanned. “I come back from college for two days, and this is what I wake up to? How did they all even fit in your room?”

“Have you ever seen a clown car?”

“No, dad. I’m afraid of clowns, remember?”

“Yes, I remember. The actual answer is that a bunch of us just sleep on the floor like gremlins. It’s gotten to the point where people bring their own sleeping bags or air mattresses.”

Amanda almost chokes on her cookie.

“You mean this has happened multiple times? Dad, what have you even been doing while I’ve been gone?”

“I guess I’ve been getting busy.”

“Hey! Amanda! Jessie! Breakfast is ready!” Brian shouted.

Amanda put down her empty plate of cookies and went over to where the food, which also happened to be the place where she would likely get the most answers.

But who to interrogate? Robert was obviously out. He would probably just weave some weird story about how they all started dating because they went through this horrific thing. She also did not want to confront her old teacher for obvious reasons. Anyone else would probably be a good bet.

Amanda eventually decided that Mat would be the one to give her the most answers in the most straightforward fashion.

Before confronting him, however, she did graciously accept food from Brian, who did, in fact, cook eggs and sausage. Afterwards, she went over to Mat.

“Alright, Mat. I need answers and I need them now.”

“I think you might need to be a little more specific on what you need answers to.”

“I need the answers to all of this!” Amanda gestured to everyone that had somehow piled into the kitchen. “How did this even happen?”

“If you want the truth, I honestly have no idea.” Mat answered. “It just kind of happened. We just all kind of just feel for Jessie at some point or another, and then we all started dating each other, and now we have this large polyamorous group of people consisting of all the dads in the cul-de-sac.”

“How does my dad have that much game? Like, I basically expected him to be dating someone from the neighborhood at some point or another, but holy shit.”

“Careful. You might activate the Dad sensors of everyone in this room.” Robert interrupted the conversation.

“I can swear if I want to! Besides, it is perfectly justifiable swearing!”

“Robert, could you give me back my robe?”

“That’s my notice to scram.” Robert practically dashed out the door.

“ROBERT! GET BACK HERE AND GIVE ME BACK MY ROBE!”

It was too late. Robert had already gotten away scot free.

“Jokes on him. He left his jacket here. It’s mine now.” Amanda’s dad said. He dashed to his room and came back with a leather jacket on.

“Dad. Really?”

“Sometimes you have to take whatever opportunities have been given to you. And, if those opportunities involve wearing your boyfriend’s leather jacket because he left it at your place, then so be it.”

“Hey, bro! I’m going to go out on my daily jog. Want to come with?” Craig asked.

“Sorry, dude, but not today. I think Amanda has questions that I’m going to have to answer.”

“Cool beans!”

“I should probably get going too.” Mat said. “I’ve got to open up the Coffee Spoon at some point, after all.”

Mat kissed Amanda’s dad on the cheek before going around and saying bye to all the other dads. Hugo said something about needing to make sure that Ernest didn’t get into too much trouble before leaving along with Mat.

Amanda’s dad said goodbye to both of them.

It wasn’t long before the rest of the dads left, saying how they needed to check to make sure their kids were okay, and then Amanda was in the perfect position to interrogate her father.

“So, dad.” She paused for dramatic effect. “What the fuck?”

“It just kind of happened? I was making friends, and then it became a bit more than friends, and soon enough, I was dating all the dads in the cul-de-sac.”

“How does that sort of thing just happen? I was just sitting on the couch, having a good time eating some cereal, when a bunch of dads just left your room one at a time in the kind of systematic fashion you see in comedic television.”

“So, what exactly do you want to know? How I got together with each of my boyfriends?”

“That would be a good start, yes. Please do it in as little detail as possible.”

“Well, you conspired with Daisy to get me and Brian to be friends, but we ended up as boyfriends. Go figure. I went on a camping trip with Craig, and there was only one sleeping bag. Played a song on stage with Mat. A lot of discussion of extremely personal stuff with Robert. Found a runaway dog with Damien. Joseph took me on his yacht and we ran out of gas. And then Hugo. Wrestling match. Kiss cam. Take a wild guess.”

“...It’s weird how you can remember all that, but you can barely remember where you put flour in the kitchen.”

“What can I say? It’s a skill of mine.”

“Are all the dads together?”

“Not all of them, but some of them are.” Her dad answered.

“Why hadn't I been told about this sooner?”

“Well, I don’t really have much of an excuse for that, but the best I have is that I was so concerned about how you were doing in college that I guess it just slipped my mind. I’m sorry for not telling you sooner.”

“I forgive you, Popsicle. But…”

“But what?”

“How am I possibly going to deal with seven times the dad jokes???”

[coelasquid]

Someone raised the challenge to take the idea of the cult ending that was assembled from non-canon datamined content but figure out a way to reassemble it into something that’s both tonally in-line with the rest of the game and a satisfying cap to the story so I rose to the challenge because bouncing from springboards like this and connecting plot points is basically what I do for a living.

Also tried to find a way to include all the dads because these “bigger picture” stories are more fun like that.

Putting it under a cut for length and hella spoilers, but here’s my response to the question of “well how would YOU handle the cult end”

You’re out on the boat with Joseph and it shuts down, Joseph comments the weather is getting bad and it’s probably not safe to be out so instead of looking for wine, the two of you are trying to find the spare gas (get the chance to look at all the stuff in the lounge on the ship while he’s digging elsewhere)

Joseph finds gas but it’s not enough to get back to shore so you need to figure something else out

Joseph sees you checking out the little map fragment framed in the lounge on the wall, reminisces about how Mary drew it back before things got weird with Robert, they used to go on his cryptid hunts with him because it was a fun excuse to get out and get some fresh air. Robert was fixated on the island, but they figured it was one of his Robert-stories and it turned into a running joke between them

Joseph says there’s probably enough gas to get to the island and wait out the storm until you can try to get the radio running later when it’s safe

You get to the island, maybe it has a dock or somewhere to leave the yacht? I don’t make up the rules for Creepy Mystery Island. Or I do. It has somewhere to leave the yacht while you head into like, a cave on the island because MC is very concerned the boat is going to get struck by lightning

cave is very unsettling, formations that seem too deliberate to be naturally occurring. Joseph starts acting weird, seems way too knowledgeable of the area compared to how he was acting before on the boat, tells you to follow him to a part of the cave he insists is safe and dry, leads to through the pitch black until you hear what sounds like a heavy door closing behind you. Joseph hasn’t said anything for a while, you fumble for something to light the way (maybe you kept one of the flashlights from the yacht?) and whoa surprise Joseph has turned into some kind of horrible monster slenderman Joseph that looks like Robert’s Dover Ghost story.

You scream and bolt out of there, the scene cuts to black

It cuts to the next morning back at your house on dry land, you realize you’re playing as Amanda now.

Brian shows up looking for your dad for something, wants to give him the pole-saw he lost in the fishing bet, maybe? Amanda realizes she hasn’t seen her dad since he left for the yacht, reasons he might have gotten home after she went to bed and got up early to go jog with Craig.

Go find Craig at the park, he hasn’t seen your dad but thinks he may have gotten there after him and tried to catch up, so they backtrack the usual circuit

they find Joseph’s twins out at the spot they play in out in the woods, but they seem really distressed, you calm them down enough to find out they’re worried about their dad, he’s been calling every night since he moved out to read them bedtime stories over the phone and say goodnight, but he didn’t call last night and they don’t know why

Robert overhears everything because he was creeping around the woods doing his cryptid-hunting thing and interjects into the conversation. He says as much as he thinks Joseph is a shitty person at least he’s a good dad, so something must have gone wrong. If no one’s seen him or the MC since the day before when he chewed the MC out on the dock, they must have been stranded out at sea through the storm. He’s got a sinking feeling about this, but he wants to call a neighbourhood meeting to figure out what to do.

Everyone from the cul-de-sac gets together at Mat’s cafe and Robert lays out the situation as he sees it, he tells everyone about his theories that the unusually high amount of cryptid activity in the area and noted Dover ghost sightings have something to do with the misfortune everyone’s families have experienced.

Mary is very exasperated, rolls her eyes like “oh not this again” and tells you that Robert’s obsessed with this idea that the Dover Ghost is cursing people and breaking up families and feeding on misfortune and all that. She tells you that she and Joseph thought it was cute and fun when he was leaving them little “protective totems” but when he got the symbol tattooed on his hand she knew he’d taken it too far (RE: the clock in Mary & Joseph’s living room and the cross in Joseph’s office that have the same symbol that Robert has tattooed on his hand)

Robert is very upset that Mary doesn’t believe him and ends up spilling the beans that this is something he’s been obsessed with for years. When his wife died he couldn’t accept that it was random chance and went looking for a “Grand Design” reason to explain it all. He found all the local folklore about the Dover Ghost and became obsessed because it all lined up with things he’d observed. It drove the wedge between him and his daughter because it felt like reopening the wound for her every time he went on one of his “Dover Ghost rants”

Everyone is starting to question Robert’s grip on reality, but Damien interjects to say that he believes Robert. He’s pretty sure he had a run-in with the Dover Ghost when he was younger, and says trying to make sense of it was a big part of what got him so interested in the macabre (also why he’s so skittish about horror movies)

Robert insists that he’s almost certain that Joseph and the MC must have ended up on an island he’s determined from his ghost-hunting to be the epicentre of the paranormal activity

That green-haired kid who works at Mat’s shop overhears and interjects like “Woah are you guys talking about [Creepy Cryptid Island]? My dad’s in the FBI, he’s been working the [Creepy Cryptid Island] case for years! It’s why he’s never around! If your friends are stuck there I’ll call him, he’ll be able to get them back!” and runs off to try to get in touch with someone in the department of Researching Creepy Cryptids.

Robert is insisting they can’t wait for that, they’ve gotta go now or it’ll be too late. Mary’s getting sincerely worried now too, she’s decided if Robert cares this much they’re going

Fortunately Hugo’s made so many friends down at the auto shop after he won all those trivia night gift cards he knows a guy with a boat he can hook you up with

After that it cuts from the coffee shop and back to the island where MC is running for his life from Dover!Joseph

Maybe as he’s running around he’s finding evidence of the previous victims of the Dover Ghost? Like trinkets related to the dead/missing spouses it kept to feed off negative energy from? Either way MC is running through Dover Ghost’s lair trying to escape Dover!Joseph, realizing he’s stuck in the lair of the Cryptid Robert was warning everyone about

Robert and Mary to the rescue! They show up just in the nick of time to save your character from a tight spot. Robert comes out here on daytime tourist ferry rides or something to try to explore the cave and find spooky ghost proof or whatever, so he knows all sorts of routes through these caves

Robert’s sharing his Dover Ghost intel while you escape, saying that people in compromised emotional states are vulnerable to being possessed. Mary’s making sarcastic biting digs about how Joseph can’t be that upset about finally leaving her after the cheating.

You realize from the way she’s talking that Mary isn’t actually aware the person Joseph cheated on her WITH was Robert. MC says something tactlessly ignorant like “what? But I thought Joseph and Robert-” Mary freezes up because she did NOT realize this and refuses to budge until Robert explains.

Robert tries to explain that being so close to Joseph and Mary was one of the only good things he had going on back then. After things went down with Joseph and Joseph backpedaled it ruined all that, he just wanted to try to bury the whole thing, pretend it didn’t happen, didn’t want to talk about it. Robert talks about how genuinely happy he was when the three of them were friends and spending time together

Dover!Joseph catches up to you while Mary and Robert are trying to sort this out and starts twisting the knife like “Oh poor Robert, you know he didn’t tell Mary because he wanted you to be able to count on each other if you were going to kick him out of the little trio? Too bad all the two of you do is cheer each other on while you drink yourselves to death!”

So now everything is out on the table and your MC has gotta tactfully talk these three through their emotional problem, but if you say the wrong thing they’ll get even more worked up and become vulnerable to the ghost too, then your MC is staring down three Dover!Neighbours and it’s game over. If you sort it out right you find out the initial rift started between Mary and Joseph because both of them were falling for Robert.

Mary admits she started avoiding Joseph because she's a Bad Bitch Who Doesn't Talk About Feelingz and didn't want him to know she had a thing for Robert, Joseph comes clean to feeling isolated and abandoned with Mary going AWOL all the time and that led to making Bad Decisions with Robert when he went to him for support.

You find out that's where it went downhill for all three of them. Mary knew Joseph cheated on her even if she didn't know with who so she got more distant and resentful, Joseph felt like shit for betraying her and making Robert feel used so he walls himself off, Robert lost his emotional support so he got even more self destructive and threw himself into his cryptids to cope.

So if you successfully managed to sort out all the hurt feelings and get the OT3 back together, the Dover Ghost can’t possess Joseph anymore and you force it out in the  open. MC can take the opportunity to jump at it with the knife Robert gave him, forcing it to retreat, wounded, back into the tunnels

Hunky FBI dude finally shows up with his crew to take care of the situation and get all the civilians off [Creepy Cryptid Island]. Joseph, Robert, and Mary are getting cuddly with each other on the way back now that they’ve aired out their drama and survived a run-in with the horrible supernatural abomination Robert was warning everyone about the whole time. Hunky FBI guy notices you’re feeling a bit awkward being the third... fourth... wheel here and winks that you should give him a call sometime.

Anyway, that was what I managed to come up with on the spot when someone asked how I’d handle that storyline differently, if it’s of interest to anyone.

[reaganrizzley]

What we know about the dads so far

Not including the info on their little introduction posts. Stuff I got from tweets and the live stream.  Craig Cahn: He was your roommate in college  He has 3 kids. 2 older twins (Briar and Hazel) and the baby (River)  He has an ex-wife named Ashley who he has joint custody of the kids with. They got divorced last year. He drinks marinara sauce like it’s a smoothie? He’s a total fucking bro. He and your dadsona used to go on Bro Brunch.  He jogs daily and is strong enough that he can jog while holding River on his chest without hurting her.  Mat Sella: He owns the local coffee shop, the Coffee Spoon. The name comes from a poem and even Mat admits that it's kind of stupid. The names of all the things on the menu in the shop are puns. Mat’s name is a Front Bottoms reference (Their guitarist’s name is Brian Sella and their drummer’s name is Mathew Uychich) Mat has one daughter He’s kind of awkward and really sweet. Puns! So many band and coffee puns! Hugo Vega: Hugo’s son’s name is Ernest  Hugo has a Netflix account but he can never remember his login details He also has an old excel spreadsheet that he made years ago of wine and cheese pairings that he will deny exists but updates regularly He thinks his son only vapes to annoy him. He admits vaping is healthier than other forms of smoking but thinks smoking a pipe is more dignified. Joseph Christiansen: Joseph has tattoos that he covers  He also owns a fidget spinner He has 4 kids. One of them is a daughter named Christie.  He’s the first dad you meet in the game! He brings cookies he baked to your house Brian Harding: He has one daughter, named Daisy. She’s 10  He also has a corgi named Maxwell.  Depending on what you choose he’s either the second or third dad you meet in the game.  You! The player’s dadsona: You have one daughter named Amanda and she’s a senior in high school. She’s a photographer. Doesn’t Like authority. Kind of reckless. All around adorable.  You had a wife but she passed away. Her name started with a C. You were in a Ska band called the Skauminist Manifesto You can choose whether Amanda was adopted or whether your late wife gave birth to her You and Amanda are new in town (Maple Bay). The game starts with you packing and moving. Amanda is pretty much aware that your into guys and is low key your wing man. General Game stuff: After you meet Joseph you have a choice to either go to the coffee shop and meet Mat or go to the park and meet Brian and his daughter Daisy and then meet Craig and one of his daughters, River.  You meet Robert Small fifth at a sports bar called Jim and Kim’s (though owned by a guy named Neil) after a mom named Mary tries to hit in you You get the option to bang him almost immediately You actually see him before hand in the coffee shop but don’t talk to him until the bar.  Damien Bloodmarch is most likely a vampire from the Victorian Era There are 13 children in total (including the player’s daughter Amanda) and 3 dogs (at least one of which belongs to Brian) That leaves Damien and Robert having one child each. There’s a cameo from the band Pup. Most of the dialogue in the game is grunting (provided by the Game Grumps and Friends!) The game will cost $14.99 when it’s released on July 13th at 10 AM Pacific The acronym for the game Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator is DDADDS and that was intentional The creators worked on this game for over a year and a half and really care about and it comes from a heartfelt place I’m pretty sure they’re already planning a sequel There will be DLC. Possibly more dads.  The creators kind of hinted that they might make a mom dating game? 

[welcome2theneighborhood]

A Dad’s Life

Chapter 2: Vanilla

Dean Vásquez needs a new job, and he needs one quick!

Read on AO3

“So what are you doing for Christmas?”

Robert rolled his eyes so hard I wondered whether he could be watching the road like that. I was still getting used to his aversion to small talk. Given the tightness in his brow, I was surprised he responded at all. “Gonna go down to Brooklyn and see if Val doesn’t kick me to the curb.”

I couldn’t help but smile a little. Honestly, I was proud of him. He was really starting to make amends with his daughter. It was obviously really hard work -there was no quick fix for years of estrangement, no easy forgiveness for a bad childhood- but that was only more admirable. He was trying when he could more easily give up. I didn’t say anything, though. He wouldn’t want me to comment. I just hoped he knew I was happy for both of them.

“Well? What about you?”

“Amanda’s coming home. She and her girlfriend and her girlfriend’s son will be staying with us until they go back to school.”

“Lots of company.”

“Yeah. I’m happy to have them over.”  Basically all my spending money in those 4 months 7 days 5 hours 22 minutes on presents for Amanda.

I felt a deep pit in my stomach, a hollowness I hadn’t felt since I left Amanda in Chicago. It hit me that I didn’t currently have a job, only an interview scheduled. I’d need to be well prepared for that, and for the possibilty that it won’t go well and I’ll be out of a job entirely. But I didn’t want to think about that on an otherwise happy day. I just set a reminder to make a few phone calls next week -no one was going to answer me outside of business hours, anyway.

Robert jerked us into the cul-de-sac, and I took a moment to admire the festive atmosphere of our little community. Four of the houses were brightly decorated for Christmas, a rainbow of lights and cardboard cutouts of classic characters and Joseph’s endearingly gaudy nativity set. But the Christiansen Christmas set went beyond symbols of the Lord and Savior. ���I like the way the lights look on the house,” Joseph explained, stringing them up in late November.

Brian’s decorations were probably the second most extravagent, and it made me bristle. Our own house paled in comparison, despite my best efforts. Mat’s house was decorated, but not lit up in the Sellas’ absence. Hugo’s house was minimally decorated and done in such a way that a rebellious teenager couldn’t sabotage. I remembered what Mat had said at that first barbecue -I, too, do not envy Hugo.

Damien’s gothic abode was frankly adorable with twinkling little lights glittering on the blackness of the house.

Smashley was taking the girls for Christmas because Craig was Jewish and Christmas really wasn’t anything to him, so it made sense. His house wasn’t decorated but there were a couple of snowmen in the yard. Robert, unsurprisingly, hadn’t decorated for Christmas, though he had admitted at some point that Christmas was his favorite holiday. And I was glad he was taking the opportunity for a family-centric holiday to spend time with Val.

Robert pulled into his driveway and hopped out before I had the chance to thank him again. Rather than going inside, he started walking into town, clearly not dressed for the weather but knowing full well he’d be spending half the night at Jim and Kim’s anyway. Mary would be waiting for him there.

I didn’t head right home myself, knowing there wasn’t enough time to cook before Amanda and Morgan and Morgan’s-son-that-I-forgot-the-name-of arrived. Amanda would probably appreciate the opportunity for all of us to cook together to celebrate her return. I’d thought about throwing a welcome home party for her and inviting everyone, but then Joseph organized a Christmas Eve party and I didn’t have it in me for that many festivities in one week. We’d settle for lots of hugs and destroyng the kitchen when she got home.

I headed to Mat’s house. I was fern-sitting while he was away. The switch to his outside decorations were right next to his front door, and I flicked them on on the way out. I stepped off his porch to admire what was aboslutely my own handiwork because I was the one who flipped the switch… Okay, it was partially my work, though, at least.

I got home and queued up a couple of episodes of LHPIRGT. They had finally put it on Netflix, which had prompted me to finally get Netflix. I’d spent all last night cleaning up and getting the house ready for my daughter and guests. I did a little last minute spot-cleaning, though, and before I knew it there were headlights in the driveway.

I jumped slightly. The clock on the stove said 6:30, but stove clocks were notorious for being wrong on a whim. If it was kind enough to be right, that meant they were early. I scurried over to the front door and gripped the doorknob, taking a moment to collect myself before making my dramatic greeting.

“Welcome home, Amanda!” I shouted, not checking who it actually was.

“Oh, thank you!” Craig answrered, laughing.

My arms dropped to my side, a small pout coming to my lips. “Dammit, I don’t know if I have another over-the-top welcome in me! You used it all up.” I kissed him and let him in, feigning reluctance. “How was New York?”

“Oh, good. I only stayed a couple of hours but the twins are super excited. Smashley promised them they’d do a lot of fun things while they were there.” He laughed again. “River could take it or leave it.”

I smiled and plopped down on the couch, checking my phone for the time, a little distracted from what he was saying. “How long are they staying?” It was an easy enough question to come up with without needing to be actively invested in the conversation. The pause told me he had caught on, but continued on easily.

“They’re staying for a week. From what I’ve heard they’ve got a lot to fit in to that time.” He laid his head on my shoulder. “You have such pointy shoulders.”

I laughed softly, a little more aware of the present moment but still with Amanda’s pending arrival buzzing in the back of my skull. “And yet you don’t move.” I check the time once more. 6:36. “Twenty-four minutes,” I say definitively, and tuck my phone back in my pocket. “Remember what you promised?”

“Hm?”

“About this week without the girls.”

“Oh. Yeah. That I’m taking that time to relax.” I could feel him tense against me.

“Y’lnow, you’re welcome to stay here. Trust me, if anyone can model effectively doing nothing, it’s me and Amanda.”

“I might have to take you up on that, bro.”

I kissed his head, but his hair tickled my lips. “Amanda and Morgan are almost here.”

“Morgan has a baby, right?”

“Yeah, but for the life of me I can’t remember his name. They’re gonna get here and I’m just gonna have to hope they bring up his name right away because it’ll just be embarrassing to admit I don’t remember.”

“Or I could just ask.”

I paused, something clicking. “Dammit.”

He laughed and hopped up. “Am I sticking around?”

I nodded, yawning and stretching. “Stay the night?”

Craig bent down, hands coming down on either side of my hips, palms flat on the cushions. He kissed me softly. “I’m just gonna go grab some pajamas.”

“You don’t have to.” I didn’t want him to leave, nor did I want him to wear pajamas to bed. But my room was drafty as hell, and as good as those jeans looked on him, they wouldn’t be comfortable to sleep in. “Okay, go on.” I checked the time again. “Twenty minutes. You’ll need to be back for their arrival. Someone will need to pump me up for another dramatic greeting, and it’s only fair.”

He patted my knee and headed back out into the cold. And, however briefly, I was left alone with my thoughts.

I don’t have a job.  If that interview doesn’t go well then I’ll be left unemployed. Mortgage, car insurance, health insurance, Amanda’s college expenses… I need to make sure my daughter can get through college without having to worry about money. I promised we would make it work. Maybe this is an opportunity. Maybe it’s not too late to find a job that I’m good at and pays a lot and that I actually enjoy. God damn it I hate paperwork. I have lots of friends. Maybe they can help me find a new job. But do I really want to have to rely on someone else to give me a job? What kind of lesson would that be teaching Amanda?

“Dean?”

My thoughts had gone on like that for some time. I looked up to find Craig crouched in front of me, a folded up pair of pajama pants sandwiched between his hand and knee. I could feel small vibrations in my skin. Craig’s eyes were focused with worry.

“Are you alright, bro?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I answered without thinking.

Rightfully, he didn’t seem to believe me. He smiled, and tried to cheer me up. “Amanda should be here soon. You haven’t seen her since Auguest.”

I nodded, smiling as the truth of it sunk in. 6:58. Craig sat down next to me and this time I laid my head on his shoulder.

Seven o’clock came and went. My chest tighetened more and more with every minute that passed, and at 7:30 I decided I needed to call her. I tried pacing around while I waited for an answer, but Craig pulled me back down, rubbing my arm.

Two rings.

Three.

Finally, someone picked up.

“Hey, Pops!”

Relief washed over me. “Amanda. Are you alright? You almost home?”

“Oh, yeah, we’re fine. We’re, um…” There was some incoherent mumbling. “We’re about three hours away.”

My heart sank, but not as deeply as before. “Why, what happened? Weren’t you supposed to be here at seven?”

There was a pause, and during that pause I realized how agitated I sounded. But she was answering before I could apologize for my tone. “Morgan’s kid was up really late last night, so we needed to let him sleep a little longer. I meant to call to let you know but things just… happened. And I just forgot. Sorry.”

I stammered out an apology. “No, no, I’m sorry. It’s fine. I can’t wait to see you. I’ll see you when you get here, okay?”

“Okay. Love you, Pops.”

“I love you too, Panda.”

I waited for her to hang up and sunk back into the couch and my boyfriend. “They’re still three hours away.”

I felt Craig nod against the top of my head, one hand rubbing my arm still. He was silent for a moment, but then stood up, slowly, giving me the chance to move off of him rather than fall onto the seat. “Come on, get your coat on.”

“Huh? Where are we going?”

“Hungry?”

My stomach growled as if to speak over me. “Uh, yeah, kind of.”

He was already getting his own coat on. “We’re going out. To eat. Come on.”

I stood and got my coat on.

We didn’t end up anywhere too fancy. It was probably a step up from the nearest drive-thru. But damn, I could get pizza and ice cream on the same plate. Meatball and vanilla should never be combined but it was exactly what I needed.

Craig had ordered a salad but didn’t really do more than pick at it. “Better?”

I nodded, letting out a slight moan at the deliciousness of the ice cream. He smiled and pushed the lightly oiled lettuce around on his paper plate. “You’re hating this, aren’t you?”

“Hm?”

“The food. You haven’t had a bite of that salad.”

“Oh. No, it’s fine. I’m just not hungry, I guess. I ate a bit in New York.”

I nodded, somewhat hesitant but accepting his response.

When it came time to pay, my leg started shaking. Normally we’d split the bill, or Craig would insist on paying and I’d try to argue for an even split, but tonight I wasn’t so certain I could hold up my end. Which made me feel like shit because he had only gotten a salad that he hadn’t eaten and wasn’t even trying to take home, while I had stuffed myself on pure decadence. I could only watch as Craig tucked his credit card in with the bill and indicated a generous tip. I realized he wasn’t expecting me to try to split it. He didn’t seem to want me to. But I felt like I should’ve tried, at least.

The waitress winked at him and went to ring the bill up. Craig crossed his arms on the table and smiled comfortably at me. “Anything else you want to do while we wait for them?”

I shook my head a little.

“Going home, then?”

I nodded. I thought I might need to be alone tonight to figure things out. But our eyes met and I melted. I didn’t know whether I could get through this without him, but I knew I didn’t want to.

[ineffable--omens]

Dream Daddy Secret Santa

This is for @kuzeykirkland​, hope you have a very happy holiday season! (alt link)

Lost and Found

Mat x Brian Steampunk AU

Mat walked through the calm streets of Maple Bay. He looked up and saw large airships chug across the sky between thick plumes of gray smoke. The street was quiet, save for the familiar sound of clicking gears and a whistle from some distant steam machine, and Mat was thankful. The hustle and bustle of running a place like the Brass Spoon can be exhausting. If he had one more person leave crumbs all over his nice tables, or, god forbid, try to hold a conversation with him while he was handling a tray with multiple cups of scorching hot liquid-- Mat sighed. He could barely hold a conversation without balancing armfuls of heated drinks sometimes, and what kind of slob leaves a half-eaten tartelette between chair cushions? If it wasn’t for these afternoon walks, Mat might just go mad.

He hummed to himself as he continued his walk, some song from an obscure band that played at the Sound Garden a few weeks ago. This is nice, he thought. Stretching my legs, getting some fresh air… He glanced at the smokestacks looming above the city and frowned. Well, as close as you can get to fresh air. He eyed the dark fumes hovering above the rooftops and felt the urge to cough.

I feel like I’m the only one in this city who can’t stand all the smog and steam.

“Mat!” boomed a voice from down the street, jolting him out of his thoughts. Mat squinted and spied Hugo strolling down the cobbled road.

“Hello, Hugo!” Mat called, waving back. “How’ve you been?” Hugo crossed over to him and gave an enthusiastic clap on the shoulder, knocking Mat off balance more than he’d like to admit. Hugo wore a tawny twill vest over a cream colored shirt, coupled with dark brown pants and a nifty bowler hat.

“I’ve been well,” Hugo replied, holding up a cloth sack. “I bought some nice looking brie from the market and more than half the class actually read the assigned chapter of Copper Bones and Steel last night.”

“That’s great,” Mat said. “Carmensita is reading one of the Wheelwright classics for her class and she loves it. I get a line-by-line analysis of that day’s section over dinner.”

Hugo chuckled, “Glad to hear it. Next time you get a chance, tell her that a great way to annoy her teacher is to insist that Theodore is actually Professor Raven’s long lost son.”

“I have no idea what that means but I’ll let her know,” Mat laughed. “How’s Earnest?”

“Oh, the usual. He got in trouble the other day for lighting his homework on fire behind the school. Tried to say his teacher wouldn’t believe him otherwise. He was also apparently offering to burn his classmate’s homework as well in exchange for one of those new locket bobbles.”

“The Clockwork Hearts?”

“Yeah, you know them?”

“I actually bought one for myself the other day. It’s weird, you go to the shop, they take you into a backroom and have you write down three true loves, two deep fears, and they take one drop of blood. After that they supposedly mix it together and give you a locket imbued with your essence.” Mat held up his hand and wiggled his fingers for emphasis.

“Hm, seems a bit odd,” murmured Hugo. “Is it worth getting?” Mat shrugged.

“Yeah,” he said, “I actually like it. It helps with my anxiety a bit, somehow, even if it’s just a scam.” Mat reached into his coat pocket to so he could show Hugo the locket, and fished around for a few seconds before frantically checking his other pockets.

“It’s gone.” Mat groaned. “Yep, gone. Damn. I only got it a few days ago.”  

“That’s not good,” said Hugo. “Can I help you look? It must be around here somewhere.”

“Thanks, but I don’t think I have time. We’re hosting an open mic tonight and I need to get back to set up for it. Chances are I left it at home anyway. Will I see you at the show?”

“Depends, are you playing?”

“Well, I- um..”

“I’m just messing with you. You know I’d love to hear you play, but it really depends on whether I think I can leave Earnest home tonight and expect the house to be standing when I return.”

“Oh, alright,” Mat replied. “I hope to see you there, but have a good evening regardless.”

“Thanks, Mat. You too.”

Mat hurried down the street towards the Brass Spoon. His mind was racing with the preparations he still needed to finish, and although he know that his Clockwork Heart was probably just an overpriced pocket watch, he felt a little empty without it.

Brian strolled down a candle-lit street, at ease in the evening dimness. He wore a crisp white button-up and crimson trousers under a long overcoat with silver buttons. He had also donned a rather dashing feathered top hat, or at least he thought so. As he mindlessly scratched at his beard, a glint of light caught the corner of his eye. He turned and saw a small heart-shaped locket on a silver chain resting on the cobblestone street. Brian paused, quickly looked down the lonely street to see if it’s owner might be nearby, and decided that whoever lost it must be long gone. He picked up the locket and squinted at it. He knew that he shouldn’t take it, but he also didn’t want to just leave the locket there, abandoned. After a minute, he placed it in his pocket. Maybe someone at the open mic will recognize it, he thought. As he continued on his path underneath the glowing street lanterns, he pondered who it might belong to. One of his neighbors? A hurried duchess leaving her forlorn husband? He made up elaborate fantasies as he walked. A clumsy pickpocket who was caught and ditched the evidence, or a lover who uncovered a marital affair and couldn’t bear to keep the locket, which had been a gift from their cheating spouse. Maybe the owner is a dashing prince who would sweep Brian off his feet. Brian chuckled. Whoever the mysterious owner was, Brian hoped he could meet them.

Brian pushed open the door to the Brass Spoon and was greeted with the sight of a hearty crowd. He spotted a few of his neighbors around the tavern, like Joseph and his herd of children in matching waistcoats, and Lucien with a group of his friends crowded at a corner table. Across the room he noticed Amanda and her father- what was his name again?- sparring with their forks over a bowl of chips and melted cheese. Brian smirked at his poor technique, he should know not to relax his wrist. He walked over to an empty seat at the counter. Pablo strutted over to him grinning, his seafoam green hair tied back in a high bun.

“What’s up, Brian!”

“Good to see you, Pablo,” Brian responded cheerfully. “I’ll have a green tea if it’s not too much trouble.”

“Sure thing,” Pablo replied. “Glad you can bend an elbow. How’s Daisy?”

“She’s great. She just designed a self-imploding lock in tinkering class.”

“A what now?” asked Pablo as he poured fresh tea into a cup.  

“It’s a lock that melts its insides after a failed attempt at unlocking it. Renders any lockpicking useless. She got an A+ for the project and a company has offered to buy her blueprints.” Pablo slid the warm cup across the counter to Brian.

“That’s pretty sweet.”

“Yeah, I’m proud of her.”

The other patrons began to cheer and Brian turned his head to see Mat walking onto the small stage in the back of the tavern. He wore a simple suit with embroidered shoes, and his hair had that messy, I-didn’t-have-time-to-style-it-but-I-still-look-good kind of look that Brian found himself really liking.

“Welcome to the Brass Spoon open mic, everybody!” said Mat. Brian felt the locket grow warm in his pocket. He fished it out of his pocket and held it in front of his face. Maybe it was just the glint of the lights but he could swear it had started to glow.

“We’re so glad to have you all here tonight. We have some pretty great people performing, so I hope you’re all excited. At least, I think they’re pretty great, and all of them are cool people so I think you should be excited.” Mat stuttered and tugged on the bottom of his jacket. “But I can’t control you so if you’re not, um, well, I think this intro has gone on way too long so I’m gonna introduce the first act. Please welcome Cecilia to the stage, who will be performing an original piece on her flute.” The audience clapped and Mat walked off stage as Cecelia unpacked her instrument from its case. Brian saw that Mat’s cheeks were bright red, and he sympathised with Mat’s struggle of being up on stage and not knowing what to say. Still, it was kind of adorable.

The lineup consisted of Cecilia, two kids who performed a singing duet, a “retro-steamwave” pianist, lackluster stand-up comedy from one of Lucien’s friends, and a small set by a local rock band. After they concluded their last song with a rousing D chord, Mat returned to the stage to end the night.

“Thank you, Gears For Fears, for that fantastic performance. Make sure you check out their new album, they’ll be selling some copies at the door. That brings an end to our night, everybody, thank you all so much for coming-”

“What about you, Mat?” rang Pablo’s voice from behind the counter. A chorus of echoes rose from the crowd. Mat winced and said, “Oh, I’m sure you all don’t need that…” Amanda started a whisper chant and the audience joined in until the room was bursting with, “Mat, Mat, Mat…” cheering for him to perform. Brian smiled and clapped along, but paused when he felt the locket turn ice cold. Mat forced a smile and raised his hands in defeat.

“You all are lucky I’m so susceptible to peer pressure.” The crowd laughed and Pablo raced up to the stage to hand him an acoustic guitar. As Mat slung the guitar strap over his shoulders, Brian noticed that he was fumbling with his positioning and wiping sweat off his forehead. He frowned and ran his thumb over locket’s clammy metal surface. Despite his anxiety, Mat sat down, took a deep breath, and began to play. The song was breathtakingly beautiful, wrought with passion and gentleness. Although there were no words, Brian knew it was a love song. The locket began to pulse with warmth in his hand. Brian was captivated by the music, but more so by the man playing it.

It wasn’t his first time performing in front of a crowd since Rosa passed, but it never seemed to get easier. Mat finished the song with a slow pick up the strings and the crowd erupted in a standing ovation. He fought every instinct he had to not bolt off stage, but somehow managed to thank the crowd and even remind them to check out the album selling at the door. After a few minutes of recuperating in the back, he finally reentered the room and and tried to quietly slip behind the counter. Mindless work like dishwashing was a great break from all the talking and performing, and there was a generous heap of dirty plates and cups that would gladly provide that relief. Mat grabbed soap and a rag and started scrubbing. He heard a voice from behind him,

“Excuse me, sir?”

Mat set down the plate and rag, dried his hands, and turned to tend to his customer. He locked eyes with a large, full-bearded man warmly smiling at him from the other side of the counter. Mat gulped.

Oh god.

He’s hot.

The man waved him over and Mat realized he had frozen up staring at him. His legs carried him over to the counter and he tried to casually smile and adjust his messy hair.

“Why, good evening, sir. How can I help you?”

“I just wanted to tell you I really enjoyed the open mic. Especially your performance, it was stunning.” Mat blushed.

“I appreciate that, thank you.”

“You wrote that song yourself, right? It was incredible. What inspired it?”   

“Well, um, it was about love. And, also the feeling of missing being in love.” Mat paused and tried to read the man’s reaction, but ended up just staring into his eyes for a few seconds and awkwardly looking away. Damn it, Mat, play cool. “It’s been awhile since I’ve been in a relationship.” The man grinned,

“No way!”

“What?”

“I don’t believe that after seeing you and hearing you play. Surely everyone is dying to be with you.”

Mat just stared.

“I know that I wouldn’t pass up an opportunity like that.”

Mat squinted in mild confusion.

“After all,” the man smirked, “how could anyone resist someone so good with their hands?”

Mat’s eyes widened as he finally realized what was going on.

“Oh! Um, yeah I guess,” he stuttered, blushing even harder. Damn it, Mat. He tried to casually lean on the counter and look like those sexy men in the movies. “I mean, we close in 20 minutes but I think I could make an exception for a hot dude with a great beard and gorgeous eyes. Especially a hot dude who’s interested in my hands. Want to stick around?”

“Sounds like a plan.” the man laughed. “This dude’s name is Brian by the way,” he reached in his pocket, “and I think this belongs to you.” Brian held out an open hand with Mat’s Clockwork Heart. Mat stared at it in disbelief. He looked at the locket, then at Brian, and back at the locket before slowly reaching for it. He grabbed it and let his hand linger before pulling it back quickly.

“Wow. Thank you.” Mat smiled at Brian and returned to the sink, heart racing, trying to hurry through the heap of dirty dishes. The Brass Spoon was nearly empty but it might as well have been the lunch rush. He couldn’t stop thinking about who was sitting just a few feet away, and the gift that had just been returned to him resting around his neck. He had returned the locket, but Brian still had Mat’s heart, and Mat hoped he might have it for a long time.    

  @ddaddsss

[imagine-the-ddadds]

what if the dads had a s/o who would frequently watch creepy/horrifying stuff even tho they're scared shitless of them and absolutely cannot handle jumpscares? like they watch a youtuber talk abt a serial killer and they cant sleep with the lights off for a week. asking for a friend

Craig: He would try his best to comfort their s/o but would wonder what’s scaring them this time. Craig would then check out the same videos and unfortunately get spooked as well. Neither of them are sleeping with the lights off.

Brian: Scary videos don’t really phase him so he’ll tell their s/o to relax and not think about it. The dumbest jumpscares get him though. Brain would suggest fresh air and plenty of cuddling with Maxwell.

Damien:  He’d comfort them with poetry book readings and plenty of attention. Reassuring them that it’s not anything to worry about. Damien would whip them up a cup of chamomile tea to help his s/o ease up over the spooky videos.

Hugo: Hugo would confirm with their s/o that it’s all staged kind of like professional wrestling. And there’s nothing like some good ol’ cuddles to do the trick!

Mat:  He’d offer up some of his methods of relaxing and put on some bright music to lighten the mood. He might even pull out his guitar and sing for them. 

Robert: Good luck, because Robert will just start watching the same videos and start elaborating on them. Sleep is for the weak. 

Joseph: Joseph will offer some fresh baked goods and suggest watching some cute movies to make their s/o feel better. Maybe some Disney and fluffy blankets?