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petnews2day · 2 years

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Omaha-area rescue groups feeling the burden as NHS sends away pets surrendered by owners | Nebraska

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Omaha-area rescue groups feeling the burden as NHS sends away pets surrendered by owners | Nebraska

When a pet up for adoption is pregnant, it can face tough circumstances in finding a forever home.

OMAHA — Stronger enforcement of a Nebraska Humane Society policy to deter owner-surrendered pets except in emergency situations is creating huge problems for already strapped rescue groups in the Omaha area.

“People have nowhere to put their animals,” said Joni Cisney of Homeward Bound in the Heartland Animal Rescue Inc. “Everybody is full to the brim. It’s so horrific out here, and animals are suffering every day.”

Most small organizations like Cisney’s don’t have the resources to handle the influx of pets created by the NHS crackdown. A tough economy and people returning to work after the pandemic has heightened the problem.

Terri Larson of Muddy Paws Second Chance Rescue said she receives calls every day from people who have tried to take a pet to NHS and have been turned away. Instead of the usual 120 to 150 animals on her books, her rescue now has around 240.

“There are no options for people,” she said.

Reign rests her head in the lap of her foster parent Allison Wolff of Hands, Hearts and Paws Rescue. The Nebraska Humane Society didn’t take Reign back when her new owner expressed concerns about her anxious behavior in her new home. She wasn’t spayed by NHS and her new owner discovered she was pregnant.

LILY SMITH, THE WORLD-HERALD

Pam Wiese, NHS vice president of public relations and marketing, said her non-profit organization is facing the same challenge as the smaller rescue organizations. There simply is not enough room.

Even with some newly created kennels, NHS is nearly full with 575 animals, down from last month’s 675. A certain number of kennels have to be saved for cruelty cases or the stray animals that NHS is obligated to pick up through its contract with the City of Omaha and Sarpy County.

Wiese said it’s been a long-standing policy to try to divert owner-surrenders. It’s just been followed more strictly post-COVID-19. Part of the problem, as with many companies, she said, is that NHS has struggled to fill open staff positions.

A dog is fed treats in its kennel at the Nebraska Humane Society. That organization is also struggling with high numbers.

LILY SMITH, THE WORLD-HERALD

“We’re trying some new things to divert people from leaving animals at the shelter,” she said. “What we’re really trying to do is use us as a last resort instead of a first choice.”

That may mean asking an owner to list a pet on the NHS rehoming website and keep it until it’s found a new home, asking friends or family for help or posting on social media about an animal needing a home.

A pet food pantry, for instance, can provide help for people who can’t afford to feed their animals.

A dog sits in a kennel at the Nebraska Humane Society. Because it isn’t at its full contigent of veterinarians, not all dogs are being spayed or neutered before being adopted out.

LILY SMITH, THE WORLD-HERALD

“As opposed to bringing in a pet, and saying, ‘I can’t have it any longer,’ we’re trying to help people rehome on their own if at all possible. If they can’t and have tried all of the resources, then we will take the pets,” Wiese said.

NHS also is recommending rescue groups to owners who can’t keep a pet, which adds to the overwhelming influx to those organizations.

It’s a mess, said Debbie David, owner of Hands, Hearts and Paws Rescue.

Jenny Houfek of Hands, Hearts and Paws Rescue pets one of her 10 foster puppies. Rescue organizations say they are overwhelmed by requests to take animals.

LILY SMITH, THE WORLD-HERALD

“Adoptions are incredibly slow,” she said. “Requests for intake whether it be shelters or owner surrenders or puppy mills are at an all-time high.”

Eryn Swan, who operates Hops + Co. Small Animal Rescue, said pet overpopulation has always been a problem. But it seems to have grown worse the past few years.

Rescues are trying their best to answer the need, but Swan said there always seems to be more animals than they can handle. That NHS is following a more strict policy isn’t helping.

“We feel like we’re bailing out a sinking ship with a shot glass,” Swan said. “Spay and neuter is everything. That’s going to limit the number of animals out there.”

Jenny Houfek is fostering 10 Labrador mix puppies at her home in Omaha. Rescue organizations say they are asked every day to take in animals.

LILY SMITH, THE WORLD-HERALD

However, the Humane Society closed its low-cost spay and neuter clinic in April, again due to staffing shortages, Wiese said. NHS is also not spaying and neutering all the animals it adopts out.

All cats are being fixed, as well as bully breeds, puppies and dogs with behavior issues. Those with no issues are being done when possible. But she said waiting to be fixed can hold up the adoption process and slow the creation of a space for another animal.

NHS doesn’t want to have to euthanize any animals to create space. Right now, they have an 86% live release rate.

A dog sits in a kennel at the Nebraska Humane Society. NHS took in 21,233 animals in 2021, 5,762 of which were dogs.

LILY SMITH, THE WORLD-HERALD

Owners are being offered a voucher for $500 for spaying and $300 for neutering instead of those procedures being done by NHS. Wiese said $52,800 in vouchers have been redeemed in 2022.

A spot check of the costs involved in spaying a 1-year-old 35-pound dog ranged from $110 to $600. One animal hospital said it had no openings until January.

“We’re asking the public to step up and make an appointment with their veterinarian,” Weise said. “We’re hoping the public does that. The redemption rate shows that the public is doing this. We don’t have another answer.”

Reign receives pets from foster parent Allison Wolff at Wolff’s home in Omaha. She was adopted from NHS, but it wouldn’t take her back when her new owner had concerns about her shy behavior. When the new owner took her to the vet to be spayed, it was discovered that she was pregnant.

LILY SMITH, THE WORLD-HERALD

Homeword Bound’s Cisney said the spay and neuter clinic was crucial for rescues, especially those working to contain the high number of feral cats in Omaha.

“What we really desperately need out here is for the humane society to come out with a lot of us to do spays and neutering,” Cisney said.

Swan said it’s too easy for even the best-intentioned owner to accidentally let a pet out or have it escape from a yard while it’s in heat and become pregnant.

That animal would then contribute to the overpopulation problem. Swan said that risk is too high not to provide that service.

Jenny Houfek’s foster dogs, Echidna and her 10 puppies, hang out at Houfek’s home. Although their future looks good, it’s not that way for all dogs. “It’s not the good life,” Joni Cisney of Homeward Bound in the Heartland Animal Rescue. “The animals are getting the shaft and nobody is paying attention.”

LILY SMITH, THE WORLD-HERALD

“To me, it’s just scary and not the responsible thing to adopt out animals that are not spayed or neutered,” she said.

NHS recently hired another veterinarian and veterinary tech and plans to add another to reach its usual staff of five. That will enable them to spay every animal that is adopted. Wiese said the spay and neuter clinic will reopen, likely in 2023.

Wiese said she understands that rescues are feeling frustrated with the NHS. Swan said the shelter needs to operate with more transparency, especially with rescues.

One of Jenny Houfek’s 10 foster puppies nibbles on her finger.

LILY SMITH, THE WORLD-HERALD

“You guys are the one with all the huge funding and giant volunteer base and you are handing out our names where we have nominal budgets and limited fosters,” Swan said. “It doesn’t feel good.”

NHS has a budget of $14 million per year, with about 40% coming from donations. But Wiese said they also have a utility bill every month of $40,000.

“That’s just some perspective,” she said.

One of Jenny Houfek’s 10 foster puppies nibbles on their kennel. Some rescues have had to turn people away because they are so full.

LILY SMITH, THE WORLD-HERALD

Muddy Paws’ Larson and Homeward Bound’s Cisney said they are doing everything they can to help pet owners in a bind. Larson said her rescue assists with medical expenses and offers free behavioral training for its animals. They spay or neuter every adopted pet.

Larson said her group’s medical expenses were $70,000 the past few months, due in large part to the rehabilitation of dogs with parvo that it does in conjunction with NHS.

But Larson said owners have to step up, too. She recommends getting training if having issues with a pet or not waiting until the last minute to find a new home for a pet if they have to move and a dog or cat can’t come along.

Reign receives pets from foster parent Allison Wolff. Her new owner surrendered her to a rescue after discovering she was pregnant.

LILY SMITH, THE WORLD-HERALD

“Unfortunately, a lot of people think pets aren’t a commitment for the life of the pet,” she said. “I think that’s part of the problem. People aren’t problem solving and working through some of the issues with their pets. They figure, rehome them.”

Cisney said something needs to be done to ease the situation because it’s reaching a breaking point. Rescues fear Nebraska will have the same issue as some states in the south, which have much larger problems with stray animals.

“It’s absolutely horrifying,” Cisney said. “It’s not the good life. The animals are getting the shaft and nobody is paying attention. It’s really damaging and dangerous.”

Top Journal Star photos for October

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#Pet Charities News

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ottiliere · 2 years

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Notations on my little seroquel warrior. See below patient intake dirk strider

*possible ARFID. love the concept of him being malnourished and (presumably) surviving on "rations" like canon (and by extension just like how dave lived with bro). i love the idea of him with pica also. think he’d have a strange relationship with fabrics and fabric textures specifically, possibly glue (epoxy would be his favorite). idk. if he grew up with beta bro he grew up eating out of the garbage. I can see him liking astringent tastes like pen ink, or sucking on markers. or things he can chew a lot like a horse when there’s no food but he wants to mime eating, ex. paper/tissues. erasers.

I don't really have a concrete backstory for this dirk hammered out because the schrodinger's circumstances/mental illness is part of the appeal. But I do always imagine that in no-sburb aus that dirk grows up very isolated and pretty much exclusively raised by Cal (and by extension himself). specifically, i am deeply attached to neglected trailer park rat dirk because i think it’s cute and there's just so much opportunity for things to "happen" to him. to prompt that kind of behavior...like obviously a lot of what he is is innate but in the right environment he may have potentially grown up more docile by a large margin.... so it’s important that he has a lot of really terrible influences and generally socially diseased environments to further push him away from becoming a normal human being

attempted to kill himself holding cal because cal is his security blanket (could write an essay about this alone) and the paramedics took him with. dirk ostensibly SHOULD be able to have cal with him in the ward but that requires a doctors order (which usually takes ~24 hrs) and i think when dirk finds out he can't just immediately have him he would have a meltdown like he'd be really anxious and inconsolable. he can't sleep without him

with cal IN the ward: dirk would be the extremely weird standoffish puppet guy. he carries cal around EVERYWHERE. to group. to meals. to the dayroom. anywhere that dirk goes, cal goes. he isn't self-conscious about this at all but he would get agitated if anyone ever brought it up

this

he mostly keeps to himself, but when other patients interact with him he's kind of a dick. he does not fit into any of the preestablished cliques, nor does he try. always eats alone (with cal). if the other patients attempt to be nice and rope him into conversations/activities in group he either shuts it down or they are immediately hit in the face with his...mannerisms. idrk I pretty much always view dirk’s social skills being just slightly more urbane than those of feral children

barely participates in group, though in his mind he thinks he's participating enough to warrant "credits" for participation (re: the idea that the more you participate the sooner you get to leave). but isn’t. when the psychiatrist tells him this he stops participating altogether

actively going through nicotine withdrawal because the nurses are mildly disorganized and overworked and never get his nicorette gum to him on time (aggression buff)

if they got free time in rec group he'd sit at the end of the long table and "ironically" draw porn in full view of everybody

he eventually gets put on line of sight followed by 1:1 because he keeps trying to elope (via flashstepping). code greens are called multiple times a day before they resort to this. and then sometimes even after. he is like an eel covered in soap

^unfinished textured arms as a banner

#dirk strider #homestuck #lucy art #self harm #institutionalization #mental hospitals #suicide #blood #opining #And then all of her followers thought she was even more normal than before #hospital dirk

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bludhavents · 3 years

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things that each greaser struggles with:

these are mostly headcanons i came up with. also, this gets pretty angsty.

content warning: alcoholism, addiction, anxiety.

darry:

- maturity. he thinks everybody looks at him like the “dad” of the group instead of just another friend, and he loathes it. he misses whenever he was able to skip work to catch a movie at the drive-in or take ponyboy and sodapop up to the dingo for lunch.

- accidental intimidation. his build is very large and strong, which is good for his job and for when he’s actually trying to, well, intimidate people, but other than that it just makes him feel guilty for being so unapproachable.

- relationships. specifically, darry is very insecure in his relationship with pony. he especially hates it whenever pony dogs on him for forgetting things or accusing him of not caring.

- emotional intelligence. he knows he comes across as cold. and he hates it. he has lots of emotions and he doesn’t air them out in a healthy way, so he tries his best to cut all the emotions off altogether in hopes that the negativity will stop, but it just makes him feel even more insecure.

- social skills. in high school, it was all much easier for him, but now that he’s working full-time and running the household, he’s fallen majorly behind in the social scene. he never goes out to the drive-in or to the dingo, and at first it was because he was too busy, but now, even if he doesn’t have a shift, he’ll make up some excuse because he’s too nervous to go and have to talk to people again since he feels like he’s gonna mess up.

- identity. darry was just starting to feel comfortable in himself and in his role in the world right before his parents died, and when they did, he stopped trying to figure out what made him happy. it has made him insecure of the emotional stint that is centered around his ego and sense of self.

sodapop:

- smarts. it’s canon that he’s insecure about this.

- growing up. while everybody else moves on to new things and grows up, he feels like he’s stuck in the same place watching everybody else progress while he stays behind. this was especially true after sandy left, because marrying her was going to be this huge exciting step in his life and when she left, he didn’t have that fulfillment anymore.

- reassurance. he feels a constant need for approval, and he will take it wherever he can get it. there’s a sort of pride he gets whenever he sees a girl checking him out, but there’s a deeper feeling telling him that she’s gonna run away once she finds out about how ‘stupid’ he is.

- authority. soda has a really hard time talking to people who are in a position of power. he gets all nervous and his hands get sweaty and his face goes sheet white in panic. his charm and social skill is enough to satisfy a conversation with a person his age, but he feels silly trying to be confident in front of an adult. he feels like they look down on him and will laugh.

- fatherhood. he’s very insecure about having a family in the future. he feels like he never appreciated his dad’s skilled parenting while he could, and since then darry has been a sort of fatherly figure in the house, but it’s hard for soda to see it that way. he grew up for 16 years with darry as a big brother and for him to suddenly be forced into a father role is troubling for soda. because of this complicated dynamic between soda and fatherhood, he feels like he won’t be able to be the best father possible for his children.

- legs. he hates his legs. you will never see soda in a pair of shorts, not even when he’s swimming. he doesn’t like the way they’re shaped and thinks that they make the rest of his body look odd, so he wears loose jeans to hide them. he’s also embarrassed of being embarrassed about them, so nobody knows, not even steve.

dallas:

- emotional intelligence. his lack of emotional intelligence is something he battles with a lot. he understands what people are feeling, but he has a hard time understanding why they feel that way. he says it’s because he’s too tuff to deal with emotions, but deep down he knows it’s because he was thrust into a traumatic childhood so early on that he never had time to build emotional bonds with people that would strengthen his empathy and understanding.

- his past, another canon take. he hates talking about it, even the good stuff, because when he thinks about new york all he can picture is 10 year old dallas watching a man being covered in a white sheet by the paramedics on the side of the road. he thinks about his friends from there and knows they’re all either locked up or dead, and it ruins any enjoyment he gets from reminiscing on the good times.

- health. he definitely has crohn’s or IBS or something else that makes his stomach hurt whenever he eats, and it embarrasses him to no end. he’s always anxious that his stomach is going to start hurting when he’s with the gang and is going to have to find some excuse to leave. he smokes so much while he’s out with them to keep from getting hungry until he gets back to buck’s place.

- his friendships. the shepherd gang is close-knit. then, the curtis’ are brothers, steve has known them forever, and two-bit is outgoing enough to make himself fit in to the group. johnny is the closest person dallas relates to, and it’s the friendship hes the most secure in.

- his smile. he knows smoking ruins his teeth, and he knows they’re crooked all over, and he knows that when he smiles his lips crack and stretch out.

johnny:

- his appearance, canon insecurity. he looks young for his age, and when the gang found him in the lot after he was beaten by Socs, they all started treating him like he was young too. he didn’t think the scar on his face was tuff, it just reminded him of being attacked.

- his voice. this is less about how it sounds and more about him not being able to speak over the shouting at home. he hates yelling, and he won’t stand in to speak up for him cause he’s too afraid of being told to “stop yelling”.

- being average. johnny feels painfully average in everything he does. he’s tried to find a skill that he truly loves and wants to take time to be good at, but he always gets frustrated and quits before he can improve.

- romance. almost every aspect of it terrifies johnny. he doesn’t know what a healthy marriage looks like, what he does know was from Mr and Mrs Curtis, but seeing them die together warped his sense of love. he doesn’t understand why you would want to love somebody so much if you didn’t have to. he doesn’t like the “til death do us part” aspect of marriage, because it makes him feel trapped. he’s not afraid of commitment, he’s afraid that he will end up in a marriage like his parents’ and not be able to leave.

two-bit:

- alcoholism. he’s an alcoholic and he knows it, but he’s been stuck in the vicious cycle of addiction for such a long time that the only way he knows how to cope with the emotional baggage of addiction is to drink more.

- social awareness. as of now, he’s very self-aware and extremely skilled in reading a room, but he didn’t used to be. he used to crack jokes at the wrong time and get scolded for it, and it made him feel horrible. like he wasn’t able to experience all the same sad feelings as everybody else because they reacted differently to the sadness than he did. they wanted to process the sadness while he wanted to ignore it.

- being absent at home. he knows he spends the majority of time at the curtis house, and he also knows that his mother spends the majority of her time at work, which leaves his little sister at home alone. he has a good relationship with her, but he doesn’t like for her to see him drunk, and as his alcoholism progresses, that gets to be more and more often. he knows this, and it’s one of the main reasons he’s so insecure about his addiction, because she’s the one who let him know that it wasn’t a one-way street. his problem affected him and her.

- commitment. two-bit is young, but he feels old enough to know how relationships work. he saw his dad walk out on them, and he was never able to process how you could go from marrying someone to leaving and never looking back. at first, he thought that his dad was just a selfish jerk, but when he met johnny and saw that his parents were also married and simultaneously abusive, he convinced himself that all marriages were bound to end up that way. he believes that if the curtis’ lived longer, they would have eventually gotten bitter and tired of each other, because in his mind, that’s just what couples do.

ponyboy:

- confidence. he has a lot of insecurities, and they’re shared pretty evenly between physical and non physical. he doesn’t like his body or his eyes. he doesn’t like how impulsive and dramatic he is.

- security. not in himself, but in life. he’s permanently on edge, feeling anxious about who’s going to be around the corner and what would happen if he got jumped and how many Socs he’d be able to fight off in case anything happened. his parents’ sudden deaths did not help this. he feels like life is constantly tossing him around, and he never feels completely safe.

- emotional outbursts. this isn’t exclusive to ponyboy, but he struggles with it the most. he hates getting upset with people, and he hates hurting other people’s feelings. when he’s feeling too many things, he starts to speak without a filter and gets mad at the littlest things, and he knows that it makes everybody around him feel bad.

- fitting in. in contrast to johnny’s insecurity, ponyboy wants nothing more than to fit in. he’s tired of being the only greaser in his classes, he’s tired of his isolated taste in movies and theatre, he’s tired of being a track star, and he’s tired of all the pressure put on him since he isn’t average.

steve

- masculinity. his dad always enforces an unrealistic standard of being strong, independent, and logical. steve is inherently all of these things, but the pressure he feels to keep it up weighs him down.

- comparing himself to others. it started in middle school when he noticed all of the people liked sodapop more. from then on he couldn’t help but feel like soda was more attractive and charming, darry was stronger and smarter, two-bit was funnier and cooler, dallas was tougher and unbothered, johnny was more likeable and down-to-earth, and ponyboy was more creative and well spoken.

- addiction. there was a time in steve’s life where he was getting high every day. at first it was fun, but then he had to quit track because he wasn’t as athletic as he used to be. it ruined his health and motivation. he started working on cars more to keep himself busy, and it helped a lot, even got him a job.

- hyperindependence. steve’s biggest character flaw is that he can’t ask for help. whether it’s asking for help in school or asking for soda to hand him a tool in the garage, steve can’t bring himself to do ask. it makes him feel like he’s not good enough to do it on his own.

#the outsiders #steve randle #the outsiders headcanons #dallas winston #dally winston #ponyboy curtis #ponyboy x reader #steve randle x reader #dallas winston x reader #johnny cade #johnny cade x reader #two bit mathews x reader #two bit mathews #sodapop curtis x reader #sodapop curtis #darry curtis

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queeranarchism · 4 years

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Hey! I saw your post about how hiveminds are represented poorly, where you then talked about how anarchists form a consensus among large groups. I was wondering how this process of forming a consensus typically works, because I always thought people did have a vote.

Most anarchist communities don’t vote. Because whenever we vote, a majority gets what they want and a minority doesn’t. And this could mean there is dissatisfaction, which leads to internal strife, anger, bitterness, mistrust. Or worse this could mean there is injustice when a minority doesn’t get the safety, resources, access, fulfillment, they need. And that’s not what we want. For many anarchists, voting is a tool of injustice through which minority interests are suppressed. Instead, anarchists use:

1. Consensus: decisions that impact everyone are made by using a variety of techniques to get to an agreement that everyone can agree on. Consensus processes often consist of small gatherings in which affinity groups and minority caucuses talk among themselves, followed by large gatherings in which the conversation goes on until there is agreement among all (established through hand-raising or some other technique. Basically a vote that requires 100% yes).

2. Autonomy: decisions that mainly impact you and your affinity group can be made without consulting anyone. Decisions that only impact your neighborhood require a consensus within the neighborhood, etc. Basically no one not impacted by your decisions can get in your way, unless you start harming and oppression others.

3. Emergency agreements: most anarchist communities have some system in place through which some people can make fast decisions. When there’s a fire, or a flood, or an eviction, you gotta act fast. Often a what-if plan has been made in advance using consensus and that what-if plan is implemented with the use of temporary leaders or temporary voting followed by a review and re-establishment of consensus.

Consensus is the least understood of those 3 concepts because very few people can imagine acting in a community based on good faith, where no one wants their favorite option to win and everyone wants an outcome that works best for everyone. Consensus requires trust, flexible positions, really listening to minority voices and being able to settle for a less than perfect option because you recognize the needs of other people.

Electoral decision making cultivates competition, only listening to large groups who have the voting power to achieve a majority, encouraging faithfulness to a fixed position to build a majortiy and basically the opposite of all these cooperative attitudes. So if you’ve raised in majority decision making, it’s not surprising that it’s difficult to imagine people acting differently.

Seeds for Change described the consensus process as follows

The problem, or decision needing to be made, is defined and named. It helps to do this in a way that separates the problems/questions from personalities.

Brainstorm possible solutions. Write them all down, even the crazy ones. Keep the energy up for quick, top-of-the head suggestions.

Create space for questions or clarification on the situation.

Discuss the options written down. Modify some, eliminate others, and develop a short list. Which are the favourites?

State the proposal or choice of proposals so that everybody is clear.

Discuss the pros and cons of each proposal — make sure everybody has a chance to contribute.

If there is a major objection, return to step 6 (this is the time-consuming bit). Sometimes you may need to return to step 4.

If there are no major objections, state the decisions and test for agreement.

Acknowledge minor objections and incorporate friendly amendments.

Discuss.

Check for consensus.

Seeds for Change mentions that when despite multiple attempts there is no consensus, the group as a whole can:

Allow the person most concerned to make the decision.

Leave the decision for later or take a break.

Ask everyone to argue convincingly the point of view they like the least.

Break down the decision into smaller areas. See which ones you can agree on and see what points of disagreement are left.

Identify the assumptions and beliefs underlying the issue. Get to the heart of the matter.

Imagine what will happen in six months, a year, five year’s time if you don’t agree. How important is the decision now?

Bring in a facilitator. If your group is unable to work through conflicts or if similar issues keep coming up, think about bringing in a professional facilitator or mediator who is trained in conflict-resolution techniques.

& when consensus can’t be found at all and a few people consistently disagree, those who disagree with the most popular option can choose:

Non-support: “I don’t see the need for this, but I’ll go along with it.”

Standing aside: “I personally can’t do this, but I won’t stop others from doing it.”

Veto/major objection: A single veto/major objection blocks the proposal from passing. If you have a major objection it means that you cannot live with the proposal if it passes. It is so objectionable to you/those you are representing that you will stop the proposal. A major objection isn’t an “I don’t really like it “ or “I liked the other idea better.” It is an “I cannot live with this proposal if it passes, and here is why?.!”. The group can either accept the veto or discuss the issue further and draw up new proposals. The veto is a powerful tool and should be used with caution.

Leaving the group: If one person continually finds him/herself at odds with the rest of the group, it may be time to think about the reasons for this. Is this really the right for them to group to be in?

Consensus decision making is tricky and can be flawed. Conversation facilitators often hold more power than they’re willing to admit, talented public speakers can have more impact than those anxious about speaking in a group, long crowded meetings are not accessible to all, dogmatic cliques can sabotage the process by misusing the veto, etc. Measures need to be in place to counteract this, or true consensus becomes impossible.

It’s also important not to let consensus eclipse ‘autonomy’ or to nitpick every minor decision. The answer ‘what are we having for lunch?’ shouldn’t be a consensus process. It should be ‘whatever people want, & those who want the same thing can make lunch together’. Similarly, if the question is ‘do we want a new water filter in the community garden?’, you might wanna avoid long conversations and rephrase that question to ‘Are there enough people here willing to help me build a water filter in the garden and no one who objects to a new water filter?’. Let enthusiasm to do new things thrive.

This is doubly true in a situation like an occupation, blockade, autonomous zone under pressure, etc. Resistance requires flexibility and surprise, which can not come from consensus. A resistance movement that doesn’t allow its affinity groups to roam free and exploit opportunities won’t live long.

Your movement will die if you try to do everything by general assembly and limit the power of autonomy. In my opinion, one of the most common failures that I’ve seen in anarchist organizing in Europe has been to try to limit the autonomy of its affinity groups, try to do everything by large scale consensus meeting, and when that got too time-consuming and had authority issues, switch to more voting instead of more autonomy and better consensus processes.

Some reading:

Peter Gelderloos - Consensus: A New Handbook for Grassroots Social, Political, and Environmental Groups. (print)

Seeds for change - Consensus Decision Making https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/seeds-for-change-consensus-decision-making

C.T. Butler and Amy Rothstein - On Conflict and Consensus: a handbook on Formal Consensus decisionmaking https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/c-t-butler-and-amy-rothstein-on-conflict-and-consensus-a-handbook-on-formal-consensus-decisionm#toc8

The Inefficient Utopia or How Consensus Will Change the World https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/curious-george-brigade-the-inefficient-utopia-or-how-consensus-will-change-the-world

#queeranarchism #consensus #encar-murogue

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writers-worst-nightmare · 3 years

Note

Hello Sir!

(is Sir okay?? I noticed you went by what I assume to be he/they pronouns so I presume it's okay?? At least compared to Ma'am!! I'm sorry, I sort of have the need to address people formally!!)

Besides that, I was hoping I could request a matchup! (either platonic or romantic, whatever you think would work better)

Fandom: either dsmp or even tftsmp if you're willing!

I'm a cis female, and I go by she/her pronouns (though, he/him and they/them usage for me always makes my brain happily shocked, just like feeling a bit masculine does, soooo)

How Others Would Describe Me

From what I've heard, I seem to be a pretty well-liked person. I get a lot of people calling me things like 'kind', 'optimistic', and 'smart', because generally that is the way I like to present myself to the world. I can get quite loud when I'm happy (like when I'm with my friends. Being with them always makes me happy), but I always end up trying to catch myself and be a but quieter! I'm very much a social person, often overwhelmingly so, and so always find myself desperately trying to join in on my friends' conversations. However, I think my social anxieties offset some of the annoying parts about being social. If someone even stopped responding to me I'd think I messed up and eventually leave them alone :)

Also, everybody knows that I'd never hurt a fly! Despite my size, they know that I'm way too 'kind' (as well as way to much of a skittish scaredy-cat) to hurt someone intentionally!

How I Would Describe Myself

Unfortunately, I don't think as highly about myself. The best way to describe it is like a 'personality-based imposter syndrome'. I always hear people call me 'kind', but it always feels as if I'm forcing myself to be kind so as to not be hated--which is kind of a stink feeling to have. Added onto that is my fear of breaking rules instilled in me by my parents, and I need full, coherent permission to do things and complete instructions or else I panic and overwhelm myself. Fun :) I'm also quite jumpy/skittish-- I quite literally curl up into myself when somebody looks at me after I make a bad joke! I think it's caused by both my childhood friends (they were fun, but they did play rough with me like I was a dude too) and my little brother (he gets VIOLENT when he's mad, I have to watch out to make sure he doesn't drown me! /hj). I was raised with the masculine stereotypes (only girl in a boy friend group), meaning I've been left with an aversion to things like crying in public and showing weakness (things that I, in a twisted sense of irony, often end up doing a lot). My mind runs quite quickly, and I often end up confused. I have a terrible memory, too :)

On another note, I absolutely love listening to music. Even if it's a stupid joke song from a random video I watched, it entertains my mind. Thus, I often need a song playing at any given moment of the day, whether it be in my head or in real life. It keeps the stray thoughts away :) (yes, I have at least three songs stuck in my head every day. It's become somewhat of a guessing game). Listening to music would be the only thing I class as a 'hobby' because I really am that boring. I hope that one day I get good at singing, but unfortunately I'm too awkward to ask to apply for singing lessons.

Also, I have the weirdest, most gen-Z-esque sense of humour ever. It's honestly quite shameful how easily I'll laugh at some things, especially when they're internet-related.

TL;DR

Others seem to like me a lot. I don't, but that's not without reason--I'm generally anxious, insecure, and I feel quite obnoxious at times. I'm very much a people-person, and I tend to make new friends pretty easily. I can be very loud and excitable, but try my best to be a but quieter when I'm in an area where people don't like loud. I'm also very skittish/jumpy, possibly stemming from some childhood stuff. Raised with masculine stereotypes, despite being a girl. Super speedy mind, not as speedy memory. I absolutely love music, it makes the brain worms happy. Also gen-Z humour. :)

Fun Little 'Quirks' Of Mine

- Remember how I said I have a terrible memory? Well, my memory definitely impacts my social abilities. 9 times out of 10, it's because I always forget which interactions I've had with people, meaning that sometimes I end up telling one person a single story about 5 times.

- The way my mind works while speaking is either:

^ I'm thinking about the next thing I'm going to say while still currently speaking--this ends in a lot of situations where either I stumble over my words as my mind tries to compute the next sentence (I've developed somewhat of a stutter, especially when I'm excited and talking fast), or I'm unable to come up with anything else so it just leaves an awkward pause.

^ Blurting out literally anything without a second thought. Whether this is me loudly quoting a stupid video I saw the other day or me randomly singing one line from a song, it's sure to stir some conversation.

- I cannot stay still. I always sway on my feet or bounce around when I'm standing, and I tend to bounce in my seat or do little hand motions when I'm sitting.

^ Sidenote: Walking/running around on tip-toes is really fun! It makes me feel quite light (which isn't something I usually get to feel) and energetic!

- Casual overachiever, due to being raised a gifted kid. I always either barely put in effort and do well, or I end up forcing myself to go way past expectations. Unfortunately, that's what you've got to do when 'nearly' perfect gets you disappointment instead of praise.

Physical Description

I'm a bit taller than average, with an uncomfortably curvy figure (both in 'that' sense and in the sense that my spine curves like an 'S'). However, I'm also a bit chubby, though some (a.k.a. me, my childhood friends, and some especially rude people who've only ever interacted with me to mock me) tend to call me 'fat'. I have QUITE pale skin, with cheeks that apparently get pink very easily. My eyes are a mix of green and hazel, often with occasionally visible eyebags underneath. Apparently, I've had those eyebags since I was a little kid. I have long, dark brown hair that is often left unintentionally hanging over half of my face.

I tend to put very little effort into my appearance, because I don't want people to judge me for 'trying too hard'. That, and I'm not confident enough to even tie my hair back. I always like wearing oversized clothes, especially big hoodies/jerseys that cover up the curves of my body. Unfortunately, I'm never really able to buy more big clothing.

But anyways, I hope you have a lovely day/night, whether you do this request or not!

Sir is OK, thank you for taking the time out of your day to check my pronouns :)

LOADING PERSONALITY

LOADING LOOKS

Shadow paires you up with....

TOMMMY!!!!!!

(Can be seen as platonic or romantic)

You and Tommy are like twins. You guys are literally conjoined by the hip. You both randomly shout out lyrics to Wilbur So it's song and quotes from the dream smp. He loves when you ramble about the little things in life. Whether it be about some song that has been stuck in your head or how you feel insecure about the way you look.He is always there to comfort you and try to pull your away from overselling yourself. Saying that you shouldn't burn out yet. I feel like he would give you a lot of fidget toys (some of his own). And he doesn't know what to do with you sometimes so he kind of gives you presents. Like some bubbles or something. He gets a lot of those like bff charms as a joke and the two of you love to stream together. He makes fun of your height (no harm meant to it of course) and introduced you to Ranboo half as a joke and half because he thinks the two of you will get along together.

#dream smp #dsmp #tommyinnit #tommyinit x y/n #tommyinit mcyt #tommyinit x reader #tommyinit x you #dreamsmp #mcyt x reader #mcyt #mcyt imagine #mcyt x you #dream smp x you #mcyt x y/n #mcyters #mcytumblr #tommy innit #dmsp

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greeksorceress · 2 years

Note

OKAY BUT I'VE ALWAYS HAD A THING FOR DARRY (dilf energy 😩😩😩) LIKE I FEEL LIKE HE WOULD BE THE TYPE TO HELP ME STUDY FOR NURSING AND MED SCHOOL BUT ALSO SCARY DOG PRIVILEGE BC I LOOK LIKE BABY AND BIG STREET DUMB???? My love, may I pls request HCs of Darry helping s/o study THANK YOU ILY THE COCOA IS READY WHENEVER YOU WANT IT SHDKFIRJBABSBF

no, 'cause you're so right here....... darry doesn't get the appreciation he deserves and i feel it's mostly because we get the story from pony's perspective and his relationship with darry is a bit strained and explained in a completely biased tone by pony, but darry is so so so so important and deserves so much!

also yes! major dilf energy gjdgasjdgaj he would be standing there in the grocery line fighting his six sons who can't stop putting random things in the cart and me everybody looking at him and his muscles and strict tone would just swoon hahahaha

AND YES! nobody would ever dare to mess with you if you were out with darry, because he is just naturally protective of those who matter to him and tends to be very attentive and not let them out of his eyesight in a situation of possible danger, he would totally protect you from danger and from the people who might even consider annoying you with just a glare! hahaha also, extra points if you're short because it would be so easy for him to sling an arm around your shoulders and keep you real close! 👀

darry is a king, and i could talk about him for literal hours!

and because you're so right and he would totally help you study for nursing and med school, here are some headcanons about

darry being a good boyfriend and helping his significant other study <3

He respects your study time a lot and knows that it's no easy task to study for so long, so he remains quiet most of the time and makes sure nobody in the house is making any type of noise that could distract you. This leads to Two-Bit and Soda being kicked out of the house more times than not.

He doesn't want to ask much "how are you doing?" because he thinks it might distract or disturb you, so he shows he's there in other ways.

Like for example, he checks up on you regularly, offering coffee or tea, painkillers or food in general.

Sits on the bed with your books open and listens to you rehearsing some of the parts you've memorized; he hums gently when you say it right and asks "are you sure, honey?" when you get something wrong.

Feels bad about leaving you by yourself studying all night so he tries to stay up for as long as he can reading the paper or checking his phone and mail or social media platforms by your side. Ponyboy sometimes joins when you're studying at their place as an excuse to stay until late reading his books.

Keeps an eye on you to make sure you're not falling asleep on top of your books or in an uncomfortable position.

When you feel like giving up because the subject is too difficult he sits by your side at the desk and points at random lines in the books and asks, "what does this mean?" so you can explain it to him and unknowingly, show him and yourself how much you have actually advanced.

Caresses your hair and back softly when you have a mental breakdown because you're feeling too tired and anxious to continue.

He encourages you to take breaks when he knows you're extra tired or being too hard on yourself.

On the morning of the exam, he asks you at breakfast "how is my future *insert the career you're studying for* feeling?"

Drives you to school the day of the exam to make sure you don't miss it or aren't late because he knows you studied until really late the previous night.

Tries to remember the time you finish the exam to text you asking about how it went and how you feel right when you step out of the classroom.

Extra: he takes you out for dinner when you tell him the result of the exam, no matter how it went.

summing up, the dream supportive man he is <3 thank you for your request love, it's time for us to drink those hot chocolates! <333

#hope you like these <3 #asks: werewolfsupersoldier #my hcs #darry curtis #darry is such a good boyfriend and helps you study so much <3 #the outsiders #movie: the outsiders #book: the outsiders #character: darry curtis #i was so happy while writing these gdsjhgasj <3 <3

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persephonesinfernos · 4 years

Text

you’re in my veins, you fuck | oneshot.

summary: college!bucky barnes.

pairing: bucky barnes x reader.

word count: 2315.

wanings: angst, light smut, cheating, swearing.

author’s note: italics are flashbacks.

masterlist.

They first met when (Y/N) was doing voluntary work in the college’s shelter, she did love animals and it would look good in her CV once she finished college. Being a vet was something she’s dreaming to do since she was a little girl.

He, on the other side, was there just to get something good done to able to continue in the football team. His coach has made him clear, if he did not keep his grades up and did something good, beneficial for the community as he put in words, he could kiss goodbye to the football team and therefore, his scholarship.

She did not like him, he had a reputation around college. Typical football guy, arrogant and a heartbreaker. Yeah, she couldn’t stand that. Mostly everyone on the football team was like that, thinking they were above everybody else. Like football was the most important thing in the world and as they were the players, they were entitled to do whatever the fuck they want whenever they want.

When he stepped in the shelter she couldn’t keep a straight face, disgust was written all over her features. He was handsome, breathtaking even. Muscular, blue-grey eyes that could burn holes in your soul and that brown hair. But he was nothing more, everybody knew he had a way with the ladies and guys. Using them as he pleased. Something easy for him it appeared, but not capable of loving or keep an emotional bond with anyone.

She was his supervisor during the weeks he’ll be working, of course, she would. Just her damn luck. She talked to him just the necessary keeping a cold and distant façade. He did not anything wrong, he seemed interested in the work they were doing for the animals and did not mistreat her in any way, but it didn’t matter to her.

Slowly, she started to warm up to him. He got something the dogs love, always revolving around him and he, well, he seemed excited every day to be around them. Petting them, taking good care of them. And everyone in her social circle knew she was lost when a guy was good with animals.

So she decided to give him a chance and started to know him. She also began to notice the little things about him too, how his eyes would light up when a puppy went running towards him or when she happened to be near him. She learnt that the scholarship was the only way he was able to attend college and he did it only to have a future so he could help his family but he hated studying.

She learnt he was very clever but lazy, so when terms were approaching she helped him study. Long nights studying and he bringing her coffee and her favourite pastries. Sometimes he would even get Chinese or Mexican take-away, her favourites. She understood that when he closed his eyes running his hands through his face, he was lost in the data and needed a break. She would then just closed the books and talk to him about everything and nothing.

They grew closer and closer, spending more time together. And she fell, fell hard. She realized this has happened when one day at the shelter, Bucky arrived running like crazy and took her in his arms spinning her around. Soft giggles escaping her mouth.

“I did it! I passed this stupid econ test. And it is all thanks to you (Y/N)” He said softly cupping her hand while smiling brightly at her.

She looked down blushing and biting her lower lip. He sighed and lift her chin “You’re gonna be the death of me doll, you know?”

The next thing she knew was they were kissing. And she realized she has fallen for the stupid football guy. She loved him.

That was their start and from that moment everything seemed fine. They started dating shortly after their first kiss. The news spread around campus, (Y/N) became the target of many things among jealousy and bitching comments about how Bucky would end up dumping her in a few weeks. He was a player after all.

But Bucky proved everyone wrong, their relationship was only getting stronger as her love for him. Well, if anyone asked she was lost, she did not know how to describe it. And for her, there lied the beauty of it. Love was crazy, love did not make sense and she did not make sense when Bucky was around her.

She had a few boyfriends in the past, but nothing compared to Bucky or the feelings he woke up on her. (Y/N) was sure that he was her other half, it was clear to anyone in their social circles truth be told.

(Y/N) knew Bucky was in her system and even if what the future held for them was nothing, he would always be in her. She was sure about it.

However, sometimes, the spell of love breaks leaving nothing but anger and sadness. And (Y/N) was not able to run away from it when happened.

Bucky’s team had won the championship and of course, there was a party going on to celebrate. She was late to it but needed to be there as soon of possible, she had promised him.

But Nat, one of her dearest friends, being the little shit she was made her go for a few drinks earlier with the excuse she needed to get loose.

So when finally she arrived at where the party was held she was already tipsy. Not tipsy, drunk. So drunk that her head was already hurting.

Her eyes searched the place for Bucky but he was nowhere to be found. Letting a groan she approached his best friend, Steve. He was nervous when he saw her but put a good face, smiling to her and telling her he didn’t have a clue about Bucky’s whereabouts.

She smiled suspiciously at him and turned around in search for him. Nat was long gone, probably doing shots.

Searching the area she almost gave up but something caught her eye when she was heading to the bathroom. In a dark room, there was a girl, one of those bitches that made comments about Bucky cheating on her and dumping her. She was giggling while whispering things to someone.

Suddenly she started moaning, a guy between her legs. She couldn’t tear her eyes from them, a dreading sensation forming in her chest the more she kept looking.

When she reached her orgasm the guy got up kissing all her body slowly until their lips joined together. That was the moment the bitch opened her eyes and find hers, an evil smirk forming in her lips as the guy kissed her neck and then she moaned it, loudly enough so she could hear it “Bucky.”

She couldn’t believe her as she stumbled with something. The noise made Bucky to look up and he wished he would never have to see again what was in front of him, (Y/N).

(Y/N) crying silently and trying to control her breathing, anger and disgust the only emotions in her once, loving eyes.

Bucky let go the girl and walked towards (Y/N), he knew he messed up badly. “(Y/N), doll. It is not…”

“What? It is not what it seems, isn’t it? Really Barnes?” She shouted angrily as her first connected his jaw. “You’re a fucking bastard, you heard me?”

Tears were forming in Bucky’s eyes. “Please doll, it was a mistake. I drank too much and then some guy gave us some pills….”

(Y/N) widened her eyes “Do not make any excuses for your behaviour James. Not only did you fuck that bitch but also doing drugs? Really? This is the death of you, you’re just breaking yourself. Nobody is helping you.” She said in a cold tone, not angry nor other emotion. She was void. “And I hope you can get it in your drunk and high head that you and I are done. Do not ever try gazing at me or speak to me again you fuck.” (Y/N) finished slowly and then walked away.

It’s been months since that night and Bucky was broke. He messed up, he just broke one of the best things to ever happen to him and what for? To get laid with some of the college’s sluts. Nobody knew how to help him and he started to lose it, he was kicked out of the football team. His performance was not what it was expected and his grades dropped as well as the long drunk nights.

And (Y/N)? Well, she became void. Not emotions on her, only darkness around her heart. She was still doing the same, but not emotions. Her friends were worried, but no one could snap her out of it.

Bucky and (Y/N) crossed paths during those months and even though Bucky tried to approached her she would not even look his way or any of his friends. Bucky cried himself most of the nights while (Y/N) just spent a lot of time at the shelter, puppies were the only thing nowadays that could make her feel something.

One night Bucky had enough of this situation, something needed to be done and said. So with an almost empty bottle of Jack he walked towards (Y/N)’s. Probably she would close the door at his face or if Nat was there, his ass would be kicked. But he had to try.

Nat opened the door, she looked exhausted. But she smiled softly.

“I was wondering when you would appear Barnes.” She looked at him from head to toes. “You are a mess, but she is worse.” She sighed making space for him to enter the flat.

“Is she here?”

“Nope, but she is about to arrive from the shelter.” The memory of her playing with the puppies made Bucky smiles as tears rolled down his cheeks.

“Look Barnes, I don’t like you. Not after what you did to (Y/N) but I’m guessing you are the only one who can fix this, her. She… I just want my friend back so, do what you have to do to bring her back or I’ll kick your ass. And I mean it” She spoke as she left the apartment.

Bucky just stood there awkwardly finishing his bottle of Jack. He started to get anxious, what if she did not appear? What would he say? Nat’s words were resonating in his brain when (Y/N) opened the door.

That was it, it was his only chance.

“Hey” He whispered softly attracting (Y/N)’s eyes to him but there was nothing on them.

“What are you doing here?” She calmly said and looking around, likely looking for Nat.

“I just wanted to see you, talk to…”

“I made myself clear that night Barnes, can you not remember?” She cut him.

“I remember but this…” Bucky spoke motioning the both of them. “This needs to stop. I messed up and I’m sorry, you just don’t know how sorry I am. And I need to do something, I need to know that you’re okay.”

(Y/N) scoffed at his words. “Really? Well, this is how I am because of you James, you should be proud of yourself.” Her tone was getting angrier.

It was a start, she mentioned his name and her façade was breaking. He knew her, and he knew he needed to keep pushing.

“How am I supposed to be proud (Y/N)? I can’t look at my own reflection, I broke the purest thing I’ve ever known. You’re not yourself, you don’t even look like that anymore. I want you to smile, to look carefree as you used to do. I don’t care if you don’t speak to me ever again.”

“You can’t have it all Barnes. You tried, remember how it ended?” She said as she stepped closer to him. “With your head between some slut’s leg and not mine.” Venom dripping from her words.

He stood his ground looking at her eyes. “I know that (Y/N). Damnit! Of course, I know that. I only dream about your face when you discovered me. The only thing I seemed to smell is that fucking coconut perfume you always wear. You’re everywhere but you are not yourself.”

“And whose fault is that bastard?” She screamed hitting Bucky in his chest. He made it, her façade was broken. “I trusted you, I loved you. I love you so much that I cannot breathe sometimes, that I cannot sleep. It is like you’re a curse, some type of venom. I cannot move on from you. Don’t you get it? You’re in my veins, you fuck.”

She was sobbing now and that broke Bucky even more if possible. Wrapping his arms around her he said softly. “I know and I hate myself every second of everyday doll. I lost everything that I thought was important but the truth is that they were just a hobby ‘till you came. You made everything brighter as if I was blind before and now I could see all the true colours. I know what I did and I’m not asking for you to come back to me. I am here so you can forgive yourself and move on doll.”

(Y/N) was now crying harder than ever, she still loved him so much. There was no doubt in it. Her fists clenched to Bucky’s t-shirt and her forehead pressed to his neck. Bucky allowed himself to smell her scent once again, maybe this was the last time.

His arms were still around her fragile figure, hugging her tightly. Bucky kissed her head and whispered sweet nothings into her ear trying to calm her.

That was how they remained for minutes or hours, neither of them could tell but it was the most complete they’ve felt in months.

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peeterparkr · 4 years

Text

perfidy;tom holland|17

chapter 17: the actors

enemies to lovers au/enemies with benefits

chapter summary: tom and y/n want to rule the world alone

pairing: tom holland x y/n

warnings: angsty, fluff, Tom gets drunk, didn’t proof read

word count: 8.6k whoooops

here’s a playlist

and here’s another one

and here’s another one inspired by 1D

social media before you read (IMPORTANT FOR THE CHAPTER) :

tweets, texts and instagram: with Tom and y/n on their date and giving no updates to their friends

previous chapter next chapter series masterlist wanna be tagged?

Hi, it came early again! This is angsty because well it was coming but because Taylor released Folklore, go stream it!!! and i’m sad because of 1D so :)

A rain was falling down in a clear sky.

Timothée. A perfect name. Perfect eyes, perfect nose, perfect lips. Perfect guy. Everybody said it. Everybody saw it. A melodic laugh that would be heard all across the room, bright eyes that were only meant to look at y/n. The curls falling down on his forehead and the bright beam everytime she looked at him. The gentle whispers, secret kisses. The way they finished each other’s sentences and the way they sometimes had coordinated outfits without them even trying. The way he was in her kind of scene, and the way he always managed to picture her in her brightest glory, the way he pictured her being her. Because she was herself whenever she was around him. Never faking, always laughing. The way she’d be calm, and not doubting, not fearing. The way he fit her description of her perfect guy. As if they’d made him out of her dreams, sculpting it. A Greek sculpture, but hey, they guy only spoke in Greek tragedies.

Tom was very well aware that the damned guy was everything y/n could’ve asked for. From the first moment he’d met him, Tom knew that y/n would completely fall in love with him. Y/N would end up with him. And he’d seen her fall in love with him, as Tim would watch her as she danced around the room, spinning that strawberry--or were they cherries?-- dress she loved to wear. He’d seen her sing around him, because she trusted him. Tom saw Y/N find her happy place. Fucking Timothée.

And he hated it was with Tim. Because he knew that Tim had been the one to be there when he broke her heart. When it should’ve been Harry. Even all of this crafted shit, Tom had fucked it up, because Harry had also distanced himself from y/n.

And all because he had fucked up. If that night he had had the guts to accept it.

He wondered whether Harry would’ve been heartbroken or not. Correction, he wondered how heartbroken his brother would have been. And he remembered how for the first time, after that, Harry had ignored him. So angry at him.

But nobody knew what Tom had gone through. How many times had he stopped himself from going to her and try to say he hadn’t meant it, to try and kiss her, mend her heart. When his own heart broken. And he had been lonely too, and he also hadn’t gone out. He didn’t have the energy, he only stared at the ceiling, asked questions that had no answers.

And they hadn’t spoken after that, not even after y/n was slowly coming back into his life. He had gone filming, and sometimes he’d shed a tear but no one would know it.

And then one day, y/n was talking to Harry again, and he heard her voice over the phone, and his heart had stopped. And he wanted to say he was sorry, and he wondered if she knew that he was also destroyed.

And then, a party, James’ birthday, maybe. He couldn’t remember. And he had seen her, and she had avoided his gaze and he only wanted to scream everything he’d ever felt. But he had kept it to himself.

And then, he saw him, Tim. A new friend of y/n’s Harry said. And Tom saw the way Tim looked at her, and the way he had made her smile. A smile Tom hadn’t seen in months. All because he had fucked up, Tim had taken away his chance.

Did y/n see Tom? Did y/n see that Tom was also anxious and breaking? Did y/n ever listen to what he wanted to say?

Y/N had approached James, and then was speaking with whoever had crossed her path. And Tom knew it was wrong, and he wondered if she had thought about calling him, too. If they had stared at the phone at the same time. If she ever wanted him to go to her door.

Timothee had approached Harry and him. Tom stared at him, up and down.

“So, I don’t know you,” Tom chuckled. “Hi, I’m Tom.”

“Oh, I finally meet you, Tom, I’m Timothée.”

And it sounded like one of the silly names y/n would come up for in her stories. A bloody main character.

“Are you… y/n’s….?” Tom asked.

Harry chuckled. “They’re just friends.”

Timmy had smiled. “Yeah, for now.”

Tom had hidden his frown and faked a laugh. “Oh, so you do want to date her?”

Harry had pursed his lips and then watched Tim.

Timothée had cleared his throat. “Yeah, she’s... “ And he had looked back at her, y/n had given Tim a faintly embarrassed smile, she had blushed. “she’s just like a song, or a movie, she’s splendid. She is a main character, isn't she?”

“I’m afraid I don’t know what you mean,” Tom had said.

“Look at her, she just stands out in a crowd, and I swear I can hear her voice across the room and it’s music to my ears,” Tim explained. “There’s so much mystery to her, I—.”

Tom had to agree, and she was wearing that golden dress that made her perfectly different from everyone in the room. Bright as she could be, red lips and hair flowing.Y/N then looked back at them, and then she finally crossed eyes with Tom, her smile had faded away, and she had quickly looked away.

“You’ll finally ask her out, then?” Harry chuckled. “It’s been taking you long enough.”

Tim grinned. “Yeah, I just want her to be ready,” he explained. “She… Did she recently go through a breakup or-?”

Tom had felt a stab across his chest, no, not a breakup, a heartbreak possibly.

“No,” Harry shook his head. “But y/n is very complicated.”

“Very,” Tom added. “Too complicated, you don’t want to get there. She’s too crazy.”

Tim chuckled. “And she mentioned you were her biggest enemy.”

Harry laughed. “Yeah, he is so don’t listen to him.”

Of course, from what he had initially seen, he thought Timmy didn’t have a chance. Sure the guy was perfect but y/n probably wouldn’t give him a chance.

And it had started.

“Y/N’s new boyfriend is perfect isn’t he?” His mother had once said. “He’s such a sweetheart.”

And he had heard it once, and twice and everyone was saying it, at an early Christmas dinner y/n’s family had thrown.

“He’s the guy she’ll end up marrying,” y/n’s mother, Elaine, had said. “It’s just amazing how good they are for each other.”

“Yeah, I must admit it, that Tim really has won her over, and not only her, all of us,” James had said.

“She’ll be spending Christmas with his family, in France we will see how it goes, he’s a good guy,” Richard, y/n’s dad had mentioned. “She’ll probably come back with a ring in her hand. I’ve never seen her happier.”

“This Timmy guy, really, I’m glad she found him. She finally needed to date someone who treated her like the queen she is,” Sam had mentioned.

And Tom knew it had been lost when even Harry had said it.

“They’re perfect for each other. I am so happy she’s happy.”

And if Harry was happy, when he had been in love with her. Then Tom should be, too, right?

Then why wasn’t he?

But all of them had been wrong, right? All of them had been completely and utterly wrong because y/n had not accepted the marriage proposal. Y/N couldn’t have been as happy as everyone had claimed she had been. Tim had been right where Tom should’ve been.

Problem was, Tom knew she had been. And even if she had said that she had loved Tom, there was a part of Tom that knew that y/n had been lying about that statement. Because y/n had actually fallen in love so deeply with Timothee, and because Tom was well aware that he was only just for a little bit, to cease her thoughts. Tom knew y/n would end up realizing that Tom wasn’t what she wanted him to be. Because Tom was not Timmy.

And Tom had that very present. That’s probably why he had searched for a thousand things to do with her, the film museum, then the picnic at the park, then maybe a philharmonic. Everywhere that Tim would’ve taken her. Because Tom feared that y/n would realize how different they were.

And Tom feared that she had her heartbreaks very present. And that Timmy had been the one to pull her out of them.

When he had found the ring, it made it even more present, y/n had kept it. Sure she had said no, but her no had meant “not yet”. The ring had meant that she, yes, wanted to know what it felt like to date Tom, but she’d eventually run back to Tim, because he was her endgame.

But she had gone to give it back. And maybe he shouldn’t have said anything. If she hadn’t given it back on her own, she probably was still holding on to him.

The fantasy had tumbled down in less than 5 minutes. And it seemed so crazy, less than 24 hours. They’d gone from her having dinner with Tim, with him admitting his feelings, with her saying she was in love too, to the perfect date and now. Back to reality. Knowing that their promises and apologies had barely meant anything at all. It would eventually fall out.

Because Tom also feared that all of this was some sort of revenge y/n was planning and that she’d go back to Tim and be happy.

Because they were both right, and they knew that they didn’t trust each other. And he was selfish. He didn’t want y/n to ever be around Timothée. But he knew that he could never control y/n, not that he wanted to. But he had the right.

He remembered it, when they dated. How he’d be in the worst state each time Timmy placed his hand on her hips, or his lips on her skin. He hated it. He despised it. How he wished to be in his place.

And even know that he knew that y/n probably was breaking Tim’s heart he couldn’t help but think about it, how with one kiss Tim could probably make her leave Tom. That’s all it took him, his fingers to delicately brush against her arm. That’s the power Tim had over y/n.

And now he was calling her, he wanted her to be back already. Even if Tom was in shambles.

He took out the alcohol bottles from the minibar, downing a shot of whiskey, he felt the warm liquor burn his throat. What if Tim caressed her cheek? What if with one look y/n realized the big mistake Tom was?

He called her.

Straight to voicemail. Tom tapped his foot anxiously. He needed another shot. He couldn’t wait for her right there.

So he went down to the hotel bar. And he didn’t know if he was worried more about the fact she was with Timmy or that she was alone in a city like New York. He kept calling her, it rang a few times but then to voicemail.

Tom ordered a gin and tonic, first, then a beer, and then a scotch and he ignored everybody in the room. He only kept trying to call her, and he texted only asking if she was okay.

And she answered a simple yes.

Which drove Tom crazier. He downed another drink. His body warming up, not sure if it was with rage, jealousy, or the alcohol. He clenched his jaw, she drove him completely insane. It would leave nowhere.

He ignored his phone, everything, he only listened to the band that played gentle slow rock that was playing at the bar. And he kept waiting. Picturing the worst.

But suddenly he had seen her walking into the bar, too, after a while, after yet more beers and another scotch. And he stopped to see if it was truly her. Undeniably, it was her. Slightly smudged mascara under her eyes, and a trace of her crying, but her lipswere bright red. She hadn’t seen him, she had sat near the band, ordered a gin and tonic, first, too. He only saw how her lipstick stained the glass. She seemed… angry, sad, confused. Tom could read those emotions just fine, the usual face she’d sketch whenever he was around.

At least she wasn’t with Tim, thought Tom. He texted her again, she only lifted her phone and then took a deep breath. She didn’t text back. But he saw tears streaming down her face.

It was particularly weird. Being in the same room. He waited for the song to finish until he decided to send her a drink. Another gin and tonic.

He watched her, and she seemed surprised when the waiter had told her a gentleman had sent her a drink, she denied the drink until the waiter pointed at Tom. And she suddenly stopped, her eyes landed on him, as if she was deciding whether or not to walk over. But Tom was already wasted, so he made the decision himself. He paid for his and her drinks and then stumbled up to stand, he didn’t want to be in the same room as her right now. He was too dizzy, the floor was moving just as he walked out of the hotel bar and made his way to the elevator.

But before the door closed, y/n ran into the elevator. Tom gave her a drunken smile, watching her yet again get far from him.

“Heeeeey,” a drunk and slurred voice came out.

Y/N turned coldly. “Are you drunk?”

“No,” he lied but then opened his arms, laying against the elevator wall. “Mmhm c’mere.”

She didn’t look at him now.

“Y/N,” he called her, loudly. “Are you—are we breaking up even if—hic—even if we only dated for like 10 minutes? Are you going back to Timmy Tim?” His words sounded slow and long.

“Tom, stop, no, okay, you’re too drunk and I’m not in the mood to talk about this, okay? We’re not breaking up,”she confirmed and walked over to his side. He could now see she really had been crying, her eyes were still trying to hold back more tears, and she kept avoiding his gaze. Her cheeks were probably humid.

He reached out for her hand lazily, and brought it to his lips. She looked away. He tried to kiss her cheek, but she turned around again.

“God, you stink of alcohol, Tom,” she rolled her eyes as he mumbled an apology.

He frowned, and tried to lean over, he ended up nuzzling into her neck. She sighed, but caressed his hair anyway.

“Do you hate me?” He asked her.

“Yes,” she answered.

He pouted. “Y/N,” he hiccuped again. “Mm… didn’t ya love me?” His words were even more slurred now.

“Yes.”

He tried to stand back up but he was so dizzy, that he decided to keep leaning against her.

“You’re being really annoying right now, I understand you got angry but right now I’m too emotional to deal with drunk you —” She pointed out as the doors opened, Tom didn’t move. “Thomas,” she sighed. “C’mon, let’s…Tom, I’m really not in the mood to do this.”

It seemed like the floor was spinning, but he helped him out, as he was striding to their room, y/n helping him as he had a shoulder around her, using her as support.

Before she opened the door, Tom took her hand again and brought it up to his gaze.

“what are you—what are you doing?” She asked.

“Checking if you’re not wearing the ring, babe” Tom mumbled.

Y/N sighed. “I gave it back.”

Tom looked at the blurry image standing in front of him and formed a smile. “Good.”

She opened the door, and Tom stumbled right behind her, he was still angry, but that soothed him. Y/N guided him to the bed, sitting him down.

“You’ve… you have,” he closed his eyes and burped. “You’ve been crying,” Tom pointed out as he watched her walking around the room.

She then was right beside him, Tom didn’t even notice how, but she handed him a bottle of water. “Drink.”

Tom watched her. “Have you been crying?”

She took a deep breath, “yes,” she answered. “Just drunk the water, Tom.”

“Why?” He questioned as she glared at him, “why are you crying?”

“Tom—drink the water.”

He took a sip, “You love him.”

“Tom—right now I really—I know this is too simple for you, I know that this seems simple for you, if anything you’ll just go on and live with your life okay? But—I need you not to make this hard for me,” she snapped as she walked away.

Tom watched her. “I know, you just officially let go of the love of your life I know, I know.”

She crossed her arms turning back to him. “You’re really being an ass.”

“I am just hurt y/n,” he admitted. “I am sooo in love with you and you just see me as...I don’t know”

She took a deep breath, “I didn’t mean to hurt you okay?” Her voice was shaking. “I was going to give it back I just—hadn’t found the right time but—I gave it to him, happy?”

Tom blinked, giving it a thought. “No.”

“I...really don’t want you to be hurt okay?” She walked over, taking his hands.. “You were not supposed to know.”

Tom gave her a cynic smile. “But I found it,” he shrugged.

“Yes, but—Tom,” she sighed. “really just we will talk when you’re sober and when I’m not on the verge of tears—“

He wasn’t really listening, he couldn’t focus. “Did he kiss you?”

She closed her eyes. “No.”

“Did he… try to kiss ya?”he pushed.

“No, Tom,” she let him go, and then more tears were coming down her cheeks. “I broke his heart, and do you know how fucking difficult it was?” She gulped. “That’s why I—I hadn’t done it yet because I didn’t want to spend my last days in New York with you crying over someone else—“

Tom laid down on the bed. “Y/N you still have feelings for him.”

“Tom oh my god, do you really want to go there?”

He chuckled. “Just did, besides it’s clear you still love him because you’re crying.”

“Tom, it’s not if I have feelings or not,” she pointed out. “I am sad because I just closed a very important part of my life for something—“

“For something not certain,” he finished her line.

“You don’t even understand this, you’re too drunk for me to explain this.” She was angry, so angry.

“Try then,” he sat up. He had a sad, cynic smile across his face, and he could barely keep his eyes open.

“I don’t even know if I want to,”she admitted, arms over her chest as she leaned against the wall. “we’ve already yelled and fought at each other twice in less than two days,” she sassed. “and I’m just here thinking hey, this won’t work!” She looked away. “because we don’t trust each other.”

He felt like somehow that had sobered him up. “Good to know you don’t trust me,” he laughed with sarcasm, as he rubbed his face.

“Well, do you? Do you trust me? If you did, we wouldn’t be helping this conversation.”

He didn’t answer.

She shrugged, chuckling. “There’s your answer, we are both so damaged, Tom. This won’t be easy and you just have to accept it,” she explained.

He looked away. “Why did you keep the ring?”

“Tom.”

He took a deep breath. “I just need to know y/n because I—I know how much you loved him and feelings simply don’t disappear—“

She only walked to the window. “Everybody said it, okay?” She sniffed. “And I’m someone who plans ahead and I’m someone who—Who ends up doing the right thing, and I kept—“he could see her breaking her heart. “I kept the ring because he told me to,”her voice was now completely broken. “, and because I thought everyone says it—and I—“

“That you were perfect,” Tom finished,

“And I’ve always been known for making all the wrong choices—“

“And Timmy is the right one isn’t he?” He cackled. “Great.”

“Bloody hell, Thomas you’re not making it easy,” she snapped.

He stood up. “Y/N literally what the hell do I have to do for you to fucking look at me?” He asked as he walked to her, placing his hands on her shoulders so she’d finally face him, and to not lose balance, as well. “All my life I’ve literally been doing the impossible and yet you always turn around—“

“Oh my god,” she closed her eyes as she pushed his arms away. “”I can’t believe you, I’m in love with you!” She yelled. “Don’t you fucking see it? I’m in love with you,” she cried as she walked away. “after crying for a fucking year for that night in the club, I can’t bloody look at yellow flowers without tearing up but guess what,” she chuckled angrily. “I still fucking choose you every time, Tom, you literally don’t have to do anything for me to always fucking choose you and that’s why I don’t get it!” She turned back to see him. “I don’t get why, and yet you still doubt it, and even if you we’re screwing me over and over I still chose you and even if there was either Tim or Harry or—“

“Harry?” Tom didn’t even let her finish as she finally paused. “Harry?”

“I—no, let’s not go there,” she shook her head and hugged herself.

Tom was sober now. “No, I want to fucking know now.”

“Tom no, you’re drunk let’s—“she closed her eyes, as she looked around, trying to escape.

“What about Harry?”

“Nothing.”

“Did you know—“

“Yes, Tom I knew—“She snapped.

The weather had turned cold, he thought he heard rain falling down but the night sky was clear.

“How did you know?” Tom asked, quietly.

She huffed, “Because unlike you, he’s shown me his whole life that he loves me.”

Tom felt it again, an anger or guilt he had suffered from throughout his life. “Then why the fuck do you love me if you—Harry was perfect!”

She blinked with confusion. “What?”

“You should end up with Harry.”

“See? Now you get it,” she sat on the bed. “Everyone says it, Harry or Tim how nice and perfect, and yet—I choose you, Tom I don’t even know why you’re angry at me,” she complained “they all said it, but you know what and they also always said I would end up dating you, people are strange huh? They say a lot of things.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

She gulped down a sob, but then calmed down. “I’ve heard it all Tom,” she explained. “I know. That’s what I’m trying to tell you, the heart wants what it wants.”

“But—everyone says it.”

“Yes I know, that Tim is my endgame and that Harry was the guy I should’ve fallen in love with, but guess what! They also said that we needed to sleep together to finally get along and look at us now, people are wrong, aren’t they?”

He closed his eyes, hurt, as he sat beside her. “No—I—“

“I need to sleep,” she stood up. They didn’t follow the routine that night, not together.

“I don’t want to go to bed like this,” he said as y/n picked up a pillow and a blanket and walked over to the sofa. “Y/N no—come here. If anything I’ll sleep there.”

She sat down, hugging the pillow, so he made his way over.

“Y/N, no come on, please—Let’s, I’m sorry okay?” He sighed sitting beside her. She stayed quiet, but scooted closer to him. “Y/N?”

“I don’t want it to rain in New York, Tom,” she whispered. “And I’m trying, okay? I just hope you’re trying, too.”

She then went quiet, but then snuggled close to him, with her eyes closed. Tom blinked, but wrapped his arms around her confused. He still had a lot of thoughts in his head. Very confusing, hurtful thoughts. Especially around what she said about Harry.

But then again, she was right, why the hell did she doubt her if she’d chosen him over and over?

But then guilt, the guilt of not wanting to break his brother’s heart. He decided it right there in that precise moment, that he wanted to tell him. Harry was with Emma. It was now or never.

And he understood what she meant, maybe she’d felt it too, the thunder striking outside, but… If he looked out the window, the night was clear, the stars were bright.

The next day they didn’t even talk about it, y/n had woken up earlier than him, Tom had woken up sore from sleeping on a couch, but he knew that she’d held him all night long, he had heard her cry in the middle of the night, he had seen her pace around the room but then, eventually she came back and snuggled him. But he woke up alone, and it felt weird, but she had gone out and brought him a juice that she swore would cure his hangover. Neither him or y/n addressed anything they had talked the night before.

He understood what she meant. This was Rome. New York was the new Rome, the part where they both could be happy, live the fairytale and then it would come to London, rainy London. Even if the sky in New York had turned gray.

And though Tom was facing a constant headache they both quietly decided that they’d enjoy the clear sky in New York. They went to that museum in Queens, they walked through Central Park and enjoyed a Picnic, they even bought a kite and flew it. And they didn’t fight. Not once, or not in the way they had fought the night before. As if both of them were actively avoiding it, pretending they were fine. Laughs. On the edge, as if the other would bring up one heartbreak eventually. They were fine. Even if they weren’t.

But maybe, just maybe, they were. Even if the fantasy they were living was crafted, a film he’d seen before, not with him. Maybe that’s why it felt different, because Tom was trying too much. And so was y/n, because that day they weren’t each other. Like they played a part of something they didn’t belong in. Because they were being seen, in a way.

But Tom looked at y/n, and even if her eyes looked tired, and even if her smile was slightly sad, her eyes brightened up when they looked at each other. That’s probably what had him crazy, because she was choosing him, even if just last night they were fighting. Why did y/n choose someone who broke her? Why couldn’t he stop breaking her?

He felt like he’d run out of chances, and he knew this was the last time. Not sure why it felt like that, but maybe that’s why they were trying so hard to make each other smile and forget the night before.

Were they forcing this too much? Had they loved each other so much and they had been so impatient that they had forced this? Like a film. Playing a part.

He knew what he had to do.

New York became a memory that they didn’t want to let go. The last days of filming had gone very quickly, especially because Tim wasn’t around anymore, and there were no more peonies coming. Tim looked destroyed, Tom had caught him smoking cigarettes and hiding a tear. Tom knew how it felt, he’d been there before, feeling like someone else had taken his place, a place that belonged to him. He couldn’t blame him.

And maybe Tom had just a slight bit of sympathy and guilt and maybe that’s why he hadn’t kissed y/n as much when Tim was around. The guy wasn’t to blame, honestly. Even if he despised him, Tim had nothing to blame right now. If anything, Tom respected him because y/n had broken his heart.

And the last night, while they were in the bathtub, surrounded by bubbles and foam, his arm around her, her back against his chest, glasses of red wine in their hands, the lights out, they were quiet. They had been quiet those days. Words were their strongest weapons and this time they didn’t want to wound each other.

“y/n?” he had talked.

And he felt how she had shifted, turning cold, as if she didn’t want to have any conversation. “Yes?”

“I… I uh, called my parents before,” he said.

She nodded. “Yeah, I heard, that’s why I didn’t interrupt.”

“Yeah,” he gulped before placing a sweet kiss on her shoulder. “I…” He gulped, “Apparently they’re… having another lunch party of sorts with your parents when we come back, and we have to be there.”

“Ah, yeah, James told me about it, what’s with them always throwing parties together?” she chuckled as she blew some bubbles at him. “As if they didn’t see each other once a week.”

Tom grinned, as he then decided to splash out some water at her. “And as if we didn’t hang out on our own.”

She laughed, leaning against him, she took his hand and played with it.

Tom locked his fingers with hers, and took a sip of his wine.

“Oh, if they knew,” she chuckled. “We haven’t behaved, haven’t we?” she asked before turning around to beard him up with the bubbles.

Tom almost choked on his wine, but chuckled. “Y/N!”

“What?” she giggled. “I don’t think this is exactly what they wanted when they told us to behave whenever we fought.”

He grinned, agreeing. He really didn’t want this to die, not this time. Because this wasn’t supposed to be forbidden, this wasn’t them being silly children fighting, or kissing. This wasn’t illicit, the deal couldn’t be expired.

“I told them I was seeing someone,” Tom mentioned after a while.

She turned warm again and then turned to face him. “Yea?”

He smiled. “Yes, hope you don’t mind”

She chuckled. “I… did they ask who?”

“Yes,” Tom gulped. “I didn’t tell them, told them I wanted them to meet her.”

She laughed. “I love pretending not to know your parents,” she looked down at him and placed a soft kiss on the edge of his lips.

“So, I told them that I’d bring her to lunch,” he whispered, hoping this wasn’t something that would bring their little act down.

She paused, taking a deep breath.

Tom then feared his words had been a knife and he had just stabbed her. But then, after what Tom felt was the longest minute of his life she turned to him.

“Well, I hope they like her and that she’s there on time” And she’d kissed him.

“And… I’ve been thinking,” he said. “I… also have a song for us.”

“Ah, you do?”

“Yeah, that’s what’s been keeping me awake these two nights,” he said, ignoring what had happened the night before. “It took me a lot to think about it.”

“Really?”

“Yes because it couldn’t be a normal song, you know? I can’t just simply choose a random one.”

“Why not?” She chuckled.

“Because it’s you, it either has to be an 80’s song or a One Direction song, I know you,” he laughed.

She giggled. “But… If a song fits, it fits, you know?” She tilted her head.

“Okay, I’m just going to pretend you just didn’t say that,” he blinked. “Because I really wanted it to be perfect, and…I really had to think about it to fit your whole aesthetic, and crazy mind of yours, and I came up with this one. And now, I’ll…” He reached for his phone. “I just want you to close your eyes, and…”

“Does it have a meaning?”

“I just feel like… It fits, you know?” he chuckled. “It’s actually a song about war.”

She blinked. “War?”

“Yeah, war.”

“Funny, I also relate a war concept to you,” she whispered.

“Huh?”

“Nothing, what’s the song?” She smiled.

“Close your eyes….”

And she did, and he played the song. Everybody Wants To Rule The World. Tears for Fears. And maybe that song did it for them, because they believed it.

The flight back home had been quiet, and y/n said she never wanted to forget New York, the city that never sleeps, and the city where they barely had slept, tangled up in the sheets and yearning for an eternal moonlight, memorizing each other. The city where they had only found each other in a crowd, where no matter how chaotic, they’d found peace. A sun making its way back out after a storm. Tom didn’t want to leave the clear blue sky, the cozy nights, the hope, he didn’t want to go back to the rain. Because it felt like it was coming.

But London received them with a bright sunny day, not a gray sky. It was sunny, and warm. And maybe it was telling them that it’d be alright.

Tom had only gone back home, picked out a few clothes, avoided Harrison and then decided to go to y/n’s place. He avoided everyone’s calls. So had y/n. They needed to be alone before everything could explode.

Because just the very next day, they’d go to the lunch thing. And he knew that he wasn’t nervous about his parents, or her parents. Both of them were nervous about Harry. Even if they hadn’t said anything, he knew both of them were very very very anxious about it. Especially now that Tom knew that y/n had known about his brother’s infatuation towards her. And he still hadn’t yet decided how to feel about it. Guilty, at least. Very, very guilty. And maybe angry at y/n. But was he, really? He loved her, and she loved him back. He couldn’t be stupid enough to think about how y/n didn’t love someone else.

This was y/n’s fault, or was it Tom’s? Why the hell couldn’t he make up his mind about this. And he thought how it would go, how if she’d chosen Harry instead. How he’d have to stay quiet, be happy for his brother. But Harry? Would Harry be happy?

Because Tom knew that that territory was dangerous, mostly because y/n had been right. Tom had never shown her that he loved her, and Harry probably would get defensive, and he’d probably be angry because everyone said it, and he knew what was coming: Tom will break y/n’s heart because that’s all Tom does. Break y/n apart.

But Harry would bring Emma, right? It’d be okay. Harry had moved on, and the only thing Tom would have to deal with was the fact that TOm had hidden his love towards y/n.

He knew the conversation was long overdue, with y/n, with Harry. Of course, that by admitting it with everyone else there, he’d avoid some kind of drama. But if they didn’t, Tom decided to enjoy his tranquility alone with y/n. Kissing, and cuddling and laughing and then with their clothes again on the floor, tangled in between the sheets, and longing for the night to never end because the next day, it could probably rain.

They had a sort of plan, test the waters first.

And she’d chosen that strawberry dress, yes, it was strawberries, on a pink dress that Tom loved. And Tom felt dizzy, as he’d given her one last quick kiss before walking in, to see Nikki and Elaine with a glass of champagne in their hands as they were talking to each other.

They paused, watching Tom as he knew they tried to look behind him, trying to find the girl he had so talked marvels about.

They both kissed their mother’s cheeks, and hugged the others’.

“Well, hello, you two,” Elaine said. “I’m surprised you’re both complete after spending two months together,” she commented.

“We get along,” y/n laughed. “For now, besides, he was paying me so.”

“How was New York? It was always a dream of yours, did you like it?” Elaine asked.

“Loved it, it’s the best time I’ve ever had in my life,” she admitted with a grin.

Tom blushed, but then cleared his throat to look at his mother. “Uh, we--” He cleared his throat. “I brought wine, so...I’m gonna…”

Nikki grinned. “Tom, where’s your...girlfriend?” She sounded suspicious.

He chuckled as he headed to the kitchen. “Ah, she’ll be here, she’s running late,” he lied.

“Hm, not a great first impression as the new girlfriend huh?” Elaine commented.

Tom hid a grin, as he heard y/n chuckle. He took out two beers from the fridge and opened them

“So, y/n, thoughts on his new girlfriend? I assume you know her,” Nikki commented.

Tom walked back over, handed y/n a beer and laughed. “You’re really asking my worst enemy her thoughts on my new girlfriend?”

Elaine smirked. “She’s the one who will tell us the truth.”

Y/N snickered. “Uh- well,” she looked at Tom. “Mm, honestly she’s a little slutty, feel like he paid her to date her.”

Tom choked on his beer.

Elaine and Nikki widened their eyes with surprise.

“What?” the three of them said in unison.

“Y/N!” Her mother called her.

“I’m kidding,” she laughed. “Uh seriously I’m joking, , honestly I… I’m sorry, I don’t think I have an opinion of her, I only know she’s got terrible taste if she wants to date him.”

Tom smirked and faked a phony laugh. “Can’t deny that,” he grinned. “But, no, she’s the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen in my life, she’s stunning, so smart and talented.”

“But, let’s just say they can rule the world.”

Tom smiled.

Y/N smiled to herself. “So, where are the guys?”

“Sam, Rich and Dom went to buy some stuff, Pad is upstairs-”Nikki explained.

“And Ha--”Tom couldn't finish.

“I’m here, you guys arrived early,” James had walked in just in time for Tom and y/n to scoot away from each other. “Didn’t see your car, n/n,” he raised his brows with a smirk. He then turned with his coldest stare at Tom. “Thomas.”

“Hi, bro,” Tom awkwardly fist bumped him.

He said hello to Nikki and his mother.

“So, what’s the occasion this time?” James asked as he snatched the beer from his sister’s hand, she pouted but then Tom discreetly offered his, y/n denied it.

“As if we needed an occasion to have lunch together,” y/n pointed out.

“Tom’s got a girlfriend,” Elaine answered. “We’re meeting her today.”

James’ eyes widened as he stared between the young couple. “Does he, now?” Tom only sipped his beer. “Ah, I’ve never seen you guys make such a deal out of a new girlfriend,” James snaked, chuckling. “Well, what about you, y/n?” James grinned. “Have you a boyfriend now?”

Y/N now snatched the beer from Tom’s hands, taking a sip. “Hm?”

James raised his brows, chuckling. “Fine.”

“So…” Nikki cleared her throat. “Y/n, dear, I need you to help me out with something, you’re going to be Emma’s maid of honor right?”

“Yes!” Y/N gulped.

Nikki grinned, “amazing, can you come here a little and help me out?”

Tom held his breath as he watched his mother and y/n leave.

“So, Tom, how really is she?” Elaine asked. “No need to impress y/n now,” she chuckled.

“How is who?” James asked.

“We were talking about his girlfriend, y/n called her slutty,” Elaine commented.

“But she’s not!” Tom was quick to answer.

“No, I know,” Elaine laughed.

James crossed his arms and chuckled. “Mum, I don’t think you should be asking him that.”

“Well, she's running late, already making a bad impression, Tom, meeting the parents is always a deal breaker.”

James let out a long laugh. “I am sure they will love her.”

“Do you know her, already?” Asked Elaine. “Is she—how do you guys say it? A hottie?”

“Mum I really don’t think—“James chuckled. “Don’t.”

“She’s beautiful,” Tom said, snickering.

Elaine nodded. “So, Tom, I… I am going to ask you because well, you were there,” she sighed. “How did y/n do? With Tim being there?”

Tom turned cold. Of course Elaine would ask about Timothée. James’ eyes widened and he coughed.

“Mum, don’t… Go there,” James warned.

“Well, I’ve gotta ask,” she nodded. “I’m just worried, I… She was really bummed when they broke up. Tim really was the love of her life.”

Tom blinked and cleared his throat, he shook his head. “I… You know what? I.. I don’t think he is,” he said. “But yea, she did fine… And I’m getting another beer.”

Tom decided to not go back to that conversation and join his youngest brother instead, too busy playing on his Nintendo Switch, Tessa ran over to his lap. Eventually, he heard the door open again and men’s laughs filled the house, Richard, y/n’s father, Dom and Sam had walked in. No trace of Harry.

Tom had walked backstairs again to see Sam and Y/N catching up, laughing at something she was showing him on his phone. Still, no trace of Harry.

“Mum, where’s Harry?” Tom asked Nikki.

“Ah, he had something to do with Emma, you know, they’re planning an engagement party and--”

“They are? He didn’t tell me,” Harry frowned. “He’s not coming, then?”

“No,” Nikki shook her head. “He told me that he was happy you had a girlfriend though,” she mentioned.

Tom felt a stab in his chest. Did Harry know? Maybe he did, and if he did, was he happy? Maybe he had to tell this to his brother alone, not like this. This was the universe telling Tom that he had to speak to his brother, even if he’d been avoiding him for a while now.

The afternoon continued, and Tom and y/n were trying so hard not to give hints yet, and it was hard, Tom was holding back from taking her hand, from kissing her cheek. They’d gotten so used to being alone that this wasn’t them.

Tom and y/n had agreed not to say anything until the very end. But honestly, Tom didn’t know what this was even for anymore, their parents weren’t the ones who mattered and Sam and James probably had guessed it by now. For who was this surprise for? Paddy? This was the moment Tom had planned to tell Harry. Not… Well, if they were honest this was their way out to not be scared. To be alone even if they were surrounded by all of them.

“Tom’s girlfriend hasn’t showed up, huh?” Richard laughed. “We’ve all been there buddy, maybe it was too soon to meet the parents, huh?”

Tom laughed. “I… Don’t think it is.”

“So, is she actually a real girlfriend or another girl you’re parading with?” Richard pushed.

James took a long sip of his beer. “Yeah, Tom, is she a real girlfriend?”

Tom laughed nervously. “I… she’s a real girlfriend, I’m really hoping it’ll last.”

“Well, if she’s not here already, I wouldn’t be so sure,” Dom pointed out.

Sam burst out in laughter and nudged Tom. “Uh-huh.”

Tom managed a way to sneak out of the conversation as he had seen y/n walk in alone to the kitchen, he ran over to her and made sure nobody was watching before placing a kiss on her cheek from behind.

“Oh, hi,” she grinned.

“So how’s it going?” he asked, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind.

“So, my mum and your mum already hate me because I’m late and now they are wondering if I’m ugly because you’ve never said anything about it, and they really think I’m a little slutty,” she giggled.

“I mean, last night...” Tom smirked.

“Shut up!” She slapped his shoulder.

“I’m joking,” he laughed as he nuzzled into her neck, giggling.

“Well how is it going for you?” she frowned.

“Pretty much the same, they don’t suspect a thing,” Tom admitted, kissing her neck again.. “Mmh, should we tell them now?”

“I don’t know, maybe… We could wait, tell them she won’t be able to come and… I feel like… I dunno.” She turned around. “Now, this is obvious enough so,” she pushed him away before walking outside where they’d be eating.

They were getting ready, their sitting arrangements just as usual, Tom and y/n far away from each other. A seat, usual Harry’s seat, empty.

“And this is for your nameless girlfriend,” Nikki said as she placed an empty plate right beside Tom. “Whom I don’t think will show up now but…”

“Actually, mum, I’m gonna be sitting over there,” Tom said, taking his plate and walking over to y/n.

All the table went quiet, Sam and James only watched him curiously and about to burst into laughter. Seemed like the two of them had realized they both knew and they were having quite a lot of fun with this situation.

“You guys are gonna behave?” Elaine laughed.

“Yeah, think I can behave just fine with my girlfriend,” Tom smirked as he finally sat down beside y/n, finally holding her hand. It felt like the walls had tumbled down finally. There was only a wall far away, waiting to be tumbled, but Tom would take care of that himself later.

The table went cold and quiet, shock coming from both their parents faces as y/n was also a bit in shock. But she smiled.

“What?” Paddy was the only one to make a noise. “Didn’t you hate each other? What the hell?” He scrunched his nose with confusion.

They remained quiet, their eyebrows were raised and their mouths shaped in big ‘o’s.

The silence was broken with Elaine, gracefully turning to her best friend and smirking. “Give me my money back, and pay up.”

“What?” Tom and y/n asked in unison.

“Wait, wait, wait,” Nikki blinked as Elaine grinned. “Are you guys serious? Are you actually?”

“Yeah,” y/n chuckled. “I’m the slutty ugly girl who arrived late.”

Tom laughed. “No-”

“Pay up, Nik,” Elaine grinned.

“What?” Tom asked again.

“Your mothers decided to bet, Elaine said you’d end up dating with this and your mum said you wouldn’t,” Dom explained. “They’ve been doing this their whole lives and now it’s actually a--”

“You guys are betting over our love life?” Y/N frowned, laughing.

“You guys are dating?” Richard was the one to ask now. “What is going on?”

Of course, Tom and y/n couldn’t tell them how they had actually started dating, they had come up with them starting to hang out more and realizing their feelings with each other, and technically that wasn’t a lie, but of course Sam and James weren’t buying it, but they kept quiet, so it was good,at least so after calming down their shock. Obviously then seeing their parents' reactions and regrets over past comments about making fun of Tom and his non-existent girlfriend or about how she probably was ugly. It went… great, it was calm and they finally could slowly hold hands and they finally let themselves go. They were free, out of a cage, out of a staged lie, and they were on their best behavior, for the first time they didn’t hear it ‘children, behave’, and he finally could place an arm around her, and they didn’t have to hide the fact that they were lovingly staring into each other's eyes. They didn’t have to be alone now, and honestly, they could rule the world by then. Everything was perfect.

The news was great for both families, and although the one Tom wanted to know the most hadn’t heard it yet, he wasn’t scared, not for the first time. Because he felt free, for the first time he really wanted to do things right. Even if he’d heard it, and even if they hadn’t talked about it, they’d have time because they didn’t have to hide, not anymore.

He went back to her place again that night.

“So, that went amazing,” y/n commented as soon as they’d walk into her apartment, Tom couldn’t keep her hands off of her.

“I thought… I thought they wouldn’t like it,” he laughed.

“Can you believe they’ve been betting their whole lives?” She laughed. “God, I mean, I understand they’re best friends and that they-- But?”

He scoffed. “Maybe we should start betting on them too, you know? Stuff like, who’s going to go bald first or dunno.”

“Whatever, I think we should celebrate,” she smirked.

“Oh?”

She giggled but then pulled him in for a long, long kiss, as her tongue explored his. She quickly pulled away. “Huh, wait, what time is it? I haven’t--I haven’t sent out that thing for my script, shit, shit shit,” she continued cursing as she let him go, she ran over to her room and took out her laptop. Tom blinked but followed after her.

She was quick to type, and then she seemed so stressed as she kept swearing until she finally sent it in, whatever she was sending. Tom only sat on the edge of the bed watching her.

“Where were we?” She asked, before crawling over to him. She hadn’t closed her laptop.

“About to celebrate, I believe,” he smirked, as he wrapped his arms around her to kiss her again. She sat on his lap, and played with his hair.

Her phone started to ring, she ignored it, as she was taking off Tom’s shirt and he was ready to take off her cherry dress. But it kept ringing.

“Would you mind if---?” She asked as she took out her phone. Tom chuckled but kept his lips on her jawline, tracing it down with soft kisses. She cleared her throat. “Shit, it’s my boss.”

He kept kissing her neck, though.

“Uh, hi, Alessandra--”

“I’m sorry I’m calling you this late,” Tom heard her boss say over the phone. “I hope you’re not busy.”

Y/N bit her lip as Tom chuckled, kissing down his way to her collarbone.

“I’m… No, I’m not busy, it’s alright.”

“Well, uh, we need to talk about the script I uh--”

“Actually, um, Alessandra just give me a sec,” she cleared her throat as she quickly pushed Tom away and jumped off his grip. He pouted but then she placed a quick kiss on his lips before rushing out of her room.

Tom chuckled, and then stared at her laptop. He pulled it close and saw the opened document, from what he could see it was her script. The same script she’d been so secretive about. Of course he was going to read it, he wanted to praise her work and talent, so he started reading it.

But maybe he shouldn’t have, because just as he started, a storm started pouring down in London.

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abacus-and-paper-money · 3 years

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Comet Theory Thursday: The Private & Fucked-Up Life of The House

[CONTENT WARNING! Today's analysis gets a little darker than normal, and there will be discussion of abuse/child abuse, manipulation, and similar topics. Please proceed with caution, and feel free to dip if things start getting too dark or something triggers you. ^^] It's no secret to anybody that the Bolkonsky household is incredibly fucked. I mean, they literally introduce themselves that way. "Andrey's family, totally messed up." But since today's vote was literally UNANIMOUS, and to make up for my inactivity because of finals this week, I thought that I'd do an extra-good and thorough job on this one. I've pulled out the off-broadway recordings, which I don't normally listen to, as extra evidence. Additionally, I've done some research on domestic abuse for some additional proof. Also, if you haven't already, please read the warning at the top of this post before continuing. Content under the cut! [Usual Disclaimer: This is an analysis of Great Comet and Great Comet!Bolkonskys, and does not include any canon from War & Peace. I consider them separate universes. :D Plus I haven't actually read War & Peace-]

Alrighty, welcome to the analysis! Let's just dive right in. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that everybody is kind of on the same page in the "OPB is an asshole, Mary is baby and deserves NONE of this shit," book. And, surprise surprise, that's exactly what I found more of. Not only is he an asshole, but it's to the point of emotional abuse. So, let's look at the symptoms of abuse and child abuse. According to Mayo Clinic (which is a very credible source, I did my research, guys) here are some symptoms of abuse/child abuse. I've written down here the ones that seem to be visible in Mary. These include: • Loss of self-confidence or self-esteem • Social withdrawl or a loss of interest or enthusiasm • Depression • Desperately seeks affection • Difficulty establishing or maintaining relationships • Challenges with intimacy and trust • Inability to cope with stress and frustrations • Seeming fearful • Seeming anxious to please the abuser And some characteristics of abusers/abusive relationships that I see in OPB & Mary (from Healthline, which is for the most part pretty reliable, minus the occasional pseudoscience article lmao): • Name-Calling • Sarcasm & Belittling • Threats • Orders • Walking out in social situations, and therefore leaving you with all the pressure • Trivializing & making excuses for their behavior • Interrupting • Cutting you off from others or society in general, directly or indirectly All of this sounds pretty damn familiar, right? "And I have no friends, no, never go anywhere," "Insolent girl!" "Bring me my slippers! Bring me my wine!" And from the Off-Broadway: "Silence!," etc. Okay, let's analyze more thoroughly, now that we have some basics down. Mary's anxiety and tension is through the roof from the minute we meet her. (Fun fact, costume designer Paloma Young said that the numerous buttons on Mary's dress represent her anxiety and the urge to fiddle) Mary's general personality and emotions are pretty easy to understand right away. Anxious, caring, socially awkward, and most of all, lonely. Which she talks about a lot. Which she wouldn't do, if it didn't bother her. She desperately wants a friend or a spouse, somebody to care about her. Though that latter is probably moreso the only way to escape her current predicament. "And I have no friends, no, never go anywhere," for example. We also have the line "Will I ever be happy? Will I ever be anyone's wife?" Which almost ties the two statements together, equating happiness with being somebody's wife, and therefore escaping her situation. So, if she's so desperate for somebody to be friends with, why does she judge Natasha so hastily? Well, there's a few reasons. First off, she knows her father doesn't like Natasha, and she's been conditioned her whole life to always agree with what he says. There's also Mary's intense jealousy of her. Natasha has always been adored by everyone, including Mary's own brother, who seems not to care about his sister very much. There's also the possibility that Mary just wants Natasha out as fast as possible, to avoid her father becoming angrier, which would most likely be taken out on her. It's also important to take into account that Mary probably doesn't know how to even MAKE friends, considering she's been cut off from society for so long. Her strained and anxious "oh. Oh hello. Won't you come in?" Conveys that pretty well. Then, we have the commanding. It's relatively normal for parents to tell their children to do things, but OPB is so fucking order-y about it, with the "Bring me my slippers!" and "Bring me my wine!" And shit. And even worse, the off-broadway recording includes "Silence! Silence!" And "You shut your damn mouth girl, Shut your damn mouth, I can hurt you!" Also found in the off-broadway recording, Mary says "He could beat me, or treat me like a dog. Make me fetch wood or water, and it's just how it is. Oh father, I love you father" OPB also has a tendency to make his daughter feel like she's the one at fault, or she's the one who's being bad to him, which is one

of the biggest characteristics of abuse. We have "This is just how it is, It's just how he is, I'm always to blame," and of course the "I disgust myself" from the end of the song. "This is just how he is," plays a significant role here, too. Mary's in a constant internal struggle between being angry at her father, and being angry at herself while she makes excuses for him like "He is a tired old man and must be forgiven." She tells herself that she's the one at fault here, no doubt because that's what she's always been told. "He is old and feeble, and I dare to judge him." On the other side of that, there's the anger that comes out occasionally. One of the most telling moments between Mary & OPB is the whole "I can hurt you" bit. OPB says it first, threatening her. (possibly something he's carried out before?) Then they both say it together, and then Mary's "but I never, ever, ever, ever would! No, father, I love you, father." What I'm seeing is Mary trying to retaliate against the first "I can hurt you," but simultaneously getting scared back into submission by her father. Her reaction is to immediately take it back, and then offer her love to show that she isn't an enemy. Also, if you watch her on stage, during the "Never, ever, ever, ever"s she's looking around at the audience, a little panicked, and almost rushing to tell them that she didn't mean it. Shifting gears slightly, we're now gonna look at how Mary feels trapped. Her constant mentions of both time and loneliness show that she feels powerless and unable to escape her situation. Even from the very first time she says anything in the story: "But besides the couple of hours during which we have guests, there are also twenty-two hours in the day." That's oddly specific, isn't it? I mean I know how math works, a couple + 22 = 24, but still. Mary seems to be acutely aware of time and it's passing. The feeling like she's running out of time heightens her anxiety, because the older she gets, the less appealing she'll be to suitors, and therefore less likely to get married, and therefore much less likely to get out of her situation. OPB also seems to be purposefully scaring off suitors so that she has no chance of getting away in a socially acceptable manner. Mary also doesn't seem to be getting any support from her brother either. When Andrey comes home near the end of the show, Mary is onstage, waiting for him. She stands up to greet him, but instead he just pushes past her to sit on their father's chair. The fuck, dude? Anyway, that about wraps everything up. Overall, I've come to the conclusion that Old Prince Bolkonsky can suck a dick, and Mary deserves none of this shit. Hope you enjoyed! I worked really hard on this one. This week's topics will be posted in a bit!

#ctt #comet theory thursday #great comet analysis #literary analysis #musical analysis #cw: abuse #tw: abuse #mary bolkonskaya #old prince bolkonsky #npatgco1812

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petnews2day · 2 years

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Rescue groups feel the burden as Nebraska Humane Society sends away pets given up by owners

New Post has been published on https://petnews2day.com/pet-industry-news/pet-charities/rescue-groups-feel-the-burden-as-nebraska-humane-society-sends-away-pets-given-up-by-owners/

Rescue groups feel the burden as Nebraska Humane Society sends away pets given up by owners

When a pet up for adoption is pregnant, it can face tough circumstances in finding a forever home.

Stronger enforcement of a Nebraska Humane Society policy to deter owner-surrendered pets except in emergency situations is creating huge problems for already strapped rescue groups in the Omaha area.

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Most small organizations like Cisney’s don’t have the resources to handle the influx of pets created by the Humane Society crackdown. A tough economy and people returning to work after the pandemic have heightened the problem.

Terri Larson of Muddy Paws Second Chance Rescue said she receives calls every day from people who have tried to take a pet to the Humane Society and have been turned away. Instead of the usual 120 to 150 animals on her books, her rescue now has around 240.

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“There are no options for people,” she said.

LILY SMITH, THE WORLD-HERALD

Pam Wiese, Nebraska Humane Society vice president of public relations and marketing, said her nonprofit organization is facing the same challenge as the smaller rescue organizations. There simply is not enough room.

Even with some newly created kennels, the Humane Society is nearly full with 575 animals, down from last month’s 675. A certain number of kennels have to be saved for cruelty cases or the stray animals that the Humane Society is obligated to pick up through its contract with the City of Omaha and Sarpy County.

Wiese said it’s been a long-standing policy to try to divert owner-surrenders. It’s just been followed more strictly post-COVID. Part of the problem, as with many companies, she said, is that the Humane Society has struggled to fill open staff positions.

A dog is fed treats in its kennel at the Nebraska Humane Society. That organization is also struggling with high numbers.

LILY SMITH, THE WORLD-HERALD

“We’re trying some new things to divert people from leaving animals at the shelter,” she said. “What we’re really trying to do is use us as a last resort instead of a first choice.”

That may mean asking an owner to list a pet on the Humane Society rehoming website and keep it until it’s found a new home, asking friends or family for help or posting on social media about an animal needing a home.

A pet food pantry, for instance, can provide help for people who can’t afford to feed their animals.

A dog sits in a kennel at the Nebraska Humane Society. Because it isn’t at its full contingent of veterinarians, not all dogs are being spayed or neutered before being adopted out.

LILY SMITH, THE WORLD-HERALD

The Humane Society also is recommending rescue groups to owners who can’t keep a pet, which adds to the overwhelming influx to those organizations.

It’s a mess, said Debbie David, owner of Hands, Hearts and Paws Rescue.

Jenny Houfek of Hands, Hearts and Paws Rescue pets one of her 10 foster puppies. Rescue organizations say they are overwhelmed by requests to take animals.

LILY SMITH, THE WORLD-HERALD

“Adoptions are incredibly slow,” she said. “Requests for intake whether it be shelters or owner surrenders or puppy mills are at an all-time high.”

Eryn Swan, who operates Hops + Co. Small Animal Rescue, said pet overpopulation has always been a problem. But it seems to have grown worse the past few years.

Rescues are trying their best to answer the need, but Swan said there always seems to be more animals than they can handle. That the Humane Society is following a stricter policy isn’t helping.

“We feel like we’re bailing out a sinking ship with a shot glass,” Swan said. “Spay and neuter is everything. That’s going to limit the number of animals out there.”

Jenny Houfek is fostering 10 Labrador mix puppies at her home in Omaha. Rescue organizations say they are asked every day to take in animals.

LILY SMITH PHOTOS, THE WORLD-HERALD

However, the Humane Society closed its low-cost spay and neuter clinic in April, again due to staffing shortages, Wiese said. It is also not spaying and neutering all the animals it adopts out.

The Humane Society doesn’t want to have to euthanize any animals to create space. Right now, they have an 86% live release rate.

The Nebraska Humane Society is trying to avoid taking in owner-surrendered animals unless it’s an emergency, but still the demand is high. “We are working on hairline wiggle room when it comes to dogs,” said the Humane Society’s Pam Wiese. The Humane Society took in 21,233 animals in 2021, 5,762 of which were dogs. Above and left, dogs at the Humane Society.

Owners are being offered a voucher for $500 for spaying and $300 for neutering instead of those procedures being done by the Humane Society. Wiese said $52,800 in vouchers have been redeemed in 2022.

A spot check of the costs involved in spaying a 1-year-old, 35-pound dog ranged from $110 to $600. One animal hospital said it had no openings until January.

LILY SMITH, THE WORLD-HERALD

Homeward Bound’s Cisney said the spay and neuter clinic was crucial for rescues, especially those working to contain the high number of feral cats in Omaha.

“What we really desperately need out here is for the Humane Society to come out with a lot of us to do spays and neutering,” Cisney said.

Swan said it’s too easy for even the best-intentioned owner to accidentally let a pet out or have it escape from a yard while it’s in heat and become pregnant.

That animal would then contribute to the overpopulation problem. Swan said that risk is too high not to provide that service.

Jenny Houfek’s foster dogs, Echidna and her 10 puppies, are shown at Houfek’s home. Although their future looks good, it’s not that way for all dogs. “It’s not the good life,” said Joni Cisney of Homeward Bound in the Heartland Animal Rescue. “The animals are getting the shaft and nobody is paying attention.”

LILY SMITH, THE WORLD-HERALD

“To me, it’s just scary and not the responsible thing to adopt out animals that are not spayed or neutered,” she said.

The Humane Society recently hired another veterinarian and veterinary tech and plans to add another to reach its usual staff of five. That will enable them to spay every animal that is adopted. Wiese said the spay and neuter clinic will reopen, likely in 2023.

Wiese said she understands that rescues are feeling frustrated with the Humane Society. Swan said the shelter needs to operate with more transparency, especially with rescues.

One of Jenny Houfek’s 10 foster puppies nibbles on her finger.

LILY SMITH, THE WORLD-HERALD

The Nebraska Humane Society has a budget of $14 million per year, with about 40% coming from donations. But Wiese said it also has a utility bill every month of $40,000.

“That’s just some perspective,” she said.

One of Jenny Houfek’s 10 foster puppies nibbles on their kennel. Some rescues have had to turn people away because they are so full.

LILY SMITH, THE WORLD-HERALD

Larson said her group’s medical expenses were $70,000 the past few months, due in large part to the rehabilitation of dogs with parvo that it does in conjunction with the Humane Society.

Reign receives pets from foster parent Allison Wolff. Her new owner surrendered her to a rescue after discovering she was pregnant.

LILY SMITH, THE WORLD-HERALD

“Unfortunately, a lot of people think pets aren’t a commitment for the life of the pet,” she said. “I think that’s part of the problem. People aren’t problem-solving and working through some of the issues with their pets. They figure, rehome them.”

Cisney said something needs to be done to ease the situation because it’s reaching a breaking point. Rescues fear that Nebraska will have the same issue as some states in the South, which have much larger problems with stray animals.

“It’s absolutely horrifying,” Cisney said. “It’s not the good life. The animals are getting the shaft and nobody is paying attention. It’s really damaging and dangerous.”

Our best Omaha staff photos & videos of November 2022

John Sherman Jr. flies through the air while performing a trick at a new skate park in Walthill on the Omaha Nation reservation during a grand opening celebration.

Z LONG, THE WORLD-HERALD

A family walks by the police tape after Omaha police shot a man near Minne Lusa Boulevard during their annual “Halloween on the Boolevard” event on Monday.

CHRIS MACHIAN THE WORLD-HERALD

A womans walks by the police tape after Omaha police shot a man near Minne Lusa Boulevard during their annual “Halloween on the Boolevard” event on Monday.

CHRIS MACHIAN, THE WORLD-HERALD

A team from the Midwest Archaeological Center uses ground penetrating radar and other equipment to determine if human remains are buried where detection dogs previously signaled the site of a potential burial ground for children who died while at the Genoa U.S. Indian Industrial School in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Photographed near the site of the school, bordering the Loup River Power Canal in Genoa, Neb., on Thursday.

ANNA REED THE WORLD-HERALD

Kaiden Davidson holds his board at a new skate park in Walthill on the Omaha Nation reservation during a grand opening celebration.

Z LONG, THE WORLD-HERALD

John Sherman Jr. talks with Kaiden Davidson after coming up short on a trick at a new skate park in Walthill on the Omaha Nation reservation during a grand opening celebration.

Z LONG, THE WORLD-HERALD

UNO goalie Jake Kucharski watches the puck float by as he falls on his back in the first period against North Dakota on Friday.

CHRIS MACHIAN THE WORLD-HERALD

UNO’s Jonny Tychonick tries to shoot the puck past North Dakota goalie Drew DeRidder in the second period on Friday.

CHRIS MACHIAN THE WORLD-HERALD

#Pet Charities News

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