#every time i walk into the pet store to specifically look at lizards i have this moment

[op3ra]

casually remembering that some states just have lizards fucking everywhere is insane. like what do you mean you just have those little guys all over the place. like they're not special they're just EVERYWHERE

#every time i walk into the pet store to specifically look at lizards i have this moment #we have some like. desert/plains lizards but they're LARGE and VERY RARE i have not seen any myself #i am. a lover of reptiles and amphibians #when i was like 9 my family's road trips to the state over were just an entire weekend of me trying to catch the desert lizards there #rambles #delete l8r

[mstrickster]

Prompt for Banksway: while still figuring out their feelings for each other, Charlie and Adam play with the puppies at a pet store on a 'not a date' date.

I tried not to go overboard but it is still 1,200 words 😂

Anyways enjoy, nonnie! Now on Ao3

Charlie parked his car in front of the local pet store.

“Do you think they’ll have it here?” Adam asked from the passenger seat.

The duo had been sent out by Mrs. Banks to find a new fish for their aquarium. Adam had insisted that Charlie didn’t need to go with him for such a menial task. However, Charlie joined him anyway. Even offering to drive. Adam didn’t argue to that, he hated driving.

Charlie shrugged, “I thought your mom called ahead.”

“She did, but she made it seem hard to find,” Adam moved to unbuckle.

“Well if we don’t find it then we can just tell her,” Charlie suggested.

Adam frowned but nodded. Letting out a resigned sigh he opened the car door and climbed out. Charlie followed, locking the car once they were both out. Adam walked around and met Charlie at the back of the car.

They walked into the small pet shop shoulder to shoulder. A bell rang when they opened the door and the cashier greeted them warmly, her nametag read Tina.

“Can I help you find anything?” She asked.

“My mom sent us to find a specific fish,” Adam pulled a note out of his pocket and handed it to the cashier. She looked over it and appeared to think for a moment.

“Unfortunately, we sold the last one just a bit ago,” She said handing back the note, “However, if you got a minute I can check and see when we will be getting the next ones in.”

“We’ve got time,” Charlie chimed in, “We’ll just wander the store.”

“Great, I will come find you when I’m done,” Tina told them.

“Cool, come on Banksie let’s look at the animals,” Charlie said nodding to the back of the store. Adam sighed but nodded, following Charlie.

The store had a large selection of animals available. In the center of the store was an open-air cage that held three Guinea pigs. Just past that were glass cages that held an assortment of lizards and amphibians.

Adam paused at the turtles for a moment before rejoining Charlie. Past the lizards was a big cage full of birds. Adam didn’t want stay to observe them because the noise was too much. So he took Charlie’s sleeve and pulled him further into the store.

Charlie veered off to the side of the store slightly . Adam followed, still holding his sleeve. One wall was all fish tanks.

Suddenly Charlie stopped walking causing Adam to bump into him softly. Adam only wondered for a moment why he had stopped before he found the answer.

In front of the two boys was a large desk with another person behind it. However, behind that was a kennel full of dogs.

“They have puppies, Banksie,” Charlie said grinning brightly.

“Would you like to play with a few?” The man at the desk asked, “We have a few puppies who love being held.”

“Can we?” Charlie asked in awe.

“Sure, follow me,” The man said, “I’m Darrel, I run this area, we’re actually apart of the local animal shelter.”

Charlie hurried along after Darrel and Adam followed without a word.

“Every weekend we bring a few dogs here for potential adopters,” Darrel explained, unlocking the door leading into the large kennel, “Then whoever doesn’t get adopted is taken back to the shelter.”

“So, the dogs don’t live here?” Adam asked, relieved.

“Oh heavens no,” Darrel replied, “These crates aren’t big enough for them to live in full time.”

“That’s good to know,” Adam said. He followed Darrel and Charlie into a small room off to the side of the large kennel.

“If you want to take a seat I can bring some dogs into to you,” Darrel offered, motioning to a small couch in the room. Both boys nodded and took a seat. The couch was just big enough for them to sit comfortably. However, it didn’t keep their knees and elbows from touching.

Once they had settled themselves, Darrel headed back out and unlocked two crates. He pulled out a small mutt and a golden retriever puppy. Darrel carried the puppies back to the room.

“This is Peaches and her best friend Plum,” Darrel said introducing them, “They are pretty inseparable.” Darrel offered the two puppies to the boys. Charlie eagerly took Plum and held her close.

Adam was little more hesitate, but when he did reach out for Peaches, the mutt puppy sniffed his hand before licking it in greeting. Adam let out a small laugh and took the puppy cradling it in his arms.

“I will give you a few moments to get acquainted,” Darrel said, “I’m just outside if you need anything.”

“Thanks,” Charlie said. Darrel nodded and left the room. The boys sat in silence for a bit, just playing with the puppies.

“They’re cute,” Adam noted.

“Puppies usually are,” Charlie replied, teasingly.

“I don’t have much experience,” Adam confessed, “I’ve never had a pet besides the fish.”

“I don’t know if I would consider fish pets,” Charlie said with a grin.

“They’re in a pet store, they totally count,” Adam argued. Charlie just answered with a laugh.

“Well, you seem like a natural,” Charlie pointed out, referring to Peaches who was currently taking a nap in Adam’s arms.

“Yeah well this one isn’t as rambunctious as her friend,” Adam noted, nodding towards Plum who was currently chewing on Charlie’s sleeve.

Charlie laughed, “Every introvert needs an extrovert, that’s why you put up with me.”

“You make that sound like a chore,” Adam said, “I enjoy your company.”

Charlie smiled, “I enjoy yours too, Banksie.”

Adam blushed slightly at that statement, burying his face into Peaches’ fur to hide it from Charlie.

After that a comfortable silence fell over the pair. Adam didn’t notice, but every once in a while Charlie would look up and smile softly at him.

After 15 minutes Darrell came back to retrieve the puppies. Adam was kinda reluctant to give them up. However, he doubted his mother would be pleased if he returned home with a dog instead of her expensive beta fish.

Darrell asked if they wanted to see any of the other dogs, but Adam declined stating they needed to check with the cashier up front. Charlie frowned, but nodded in agreement.

“Thank you thought,” Charlie said, “This was fun.”

“Thank you,” Darrel replied, “I’m sure the dogs appreciated it.”

“So did we,” Adam agreed, “I hope they find a good home, together.”

“Oh I don’t think that will be an issue,” Darrel said with a smile.

The two boys said their goodbyes and made their way back upfront. Charlie made sure to avoid the birdcages this time. Adam smiled at him gratefully.

“Oh hey!, I was just finishing up,” Tina called out, “We are getting that fish in next Monday, want me to put your name down so we can save one for you.”

“Can you put my mom’s name down?” Adam asked as they paused in front of the cashier, “I have school.”

“Yeah, of course,” Tina replied, “Can I get her name and phone number?”

Adam nodded rattling off his mom’s name and number.

“Perfect, I will call her when they get in,” Tina promised.

“Thank you so much,” Adam replied, “I’ll let her know.”

Tina gave them one final nod before they headed back to the car. Adam wasn’t too worried about his mom not getting her fish now.

“That was fun,” Charlie said unlocking the car, “We should check out their shelter sometime.”

Adam nodded, “It’s a date.”

He chuckled softly because Charlie was the one to hide his blush this time.

#the mighty ducks #anon answered #anon asks #charlie conway #adam banks #banksway #The Mighty Ducks #mighty ducks asks

[joewein]

I Bought A Snake

(Picture of Sisu’s litter. Unlike Ball Python’s, Boas are live born. Sisu is in there somewhere.)

As a kid in the 70s, I frequented pet stores and was enamored with the little snakes in there. There would be some Corn Snakes, usually Ball Pythons, and Boas.  The Ball Pythons and Boas looked similar as babies, but the pet shop shop people would guide me toward the Ball Pythons - the Boas got huge and were temperamental they'd say. Also, all the snakes ate mice, conveniently hoarded in a separate terrarium piled on top of each other for about a quarter each. This was a bummer. I liked the mice too (I will get into feeding another time). I thought the coolest snake was the Boa, with it's sleek head and more curious personality, but even if my parents allowed, I wouldn't want a huge, angry snake as a pet.

What I didn't realize is those Boas in the pet stores in the 70s were some of the very first Boas being sold as pet snakes. And the people selling them knew almost nothing about them. As they were bringing in exotic fish from South America, they'd catch and throw in some Boas for a little extra cash. There was not yet any regard for the type of Boa being sold. Weird to think snakes have been around 130 million years - with the dinosaurs, survived the ice age, adapted and evolved all over the planet - and these Boas end up in little shops at the same time I am walking in.

Vin Russo, author of The More Complete Boa Constrictor, worked in one of these pet stores. He was one of the early ones to recognize that these snakes coming in labeled as Boas actually varied in size, pattern, temperament and care. He was a pioneer of categorizing and captive breeding snakes.

Vin was on the East Coast, I grew up in the West. In Palm Springs, where the days were scorching but desert nights were cool. I'd frequently see snakes with the Kangaroo Rats and lizards as I'd walk around in the evening. I believe this is where my interest in these animals began, and I'm sure there's a certain nostalgia now.

Over the years since then, the classification of Boa Constrictors has been adjusted many times. The most common being the Boa Constrictor Imperator (recently changed to just Boa Imperator). But there are many types with distinct variances.

There are essentially three groups of Boa Constrictors:

The common pet store boa today, which is a mixed-bred BCI. These tend to make good pets as they are docile and attractive, but do vary in size and pattern and you don't really know what you're going to end up with. They also tend to get large.

Morph Boas, these are also mostly BCI, but are bred specifically for the pattern/look of the snake, which get pretty spectacular. There is a wide variety, with new patterns going for a high price. While you generally do know who the parents are (since they are specifically bred by breeders to achieve these patterns) I have observed you will get quite a range in terms of size and temperament, which is not what they are breeding for.

Locality Boas. These are captive-bred snakes that maintain a bloodline to the original locality they came from. It's sort of like purebred vs. mixed bred dogs. And like dogs, neither is better or worse as a pet and every individual has its own personality. But I would say with a purebred or locality boa, you have more information about the animal you are getting. Unlike purebred dogs, which were bred for specific traits, Locality Boas just don't introduce anything new - so it is a continuation of a bloodline of snake as it evolved in a given location. These are the Locality Boas:

Boa Constrictor Species Classification

Boa Constrictor Imperator or Boa Imperator (BCI) There are about 10 sub-species of these. Including Dwarf Boas from Belize, the popular Hog Island Boa from Honduras, and the pure Columbian boa from Barranquilla.

Boa Constrictor Sigma (BCS) These are Boas from Mexico, including the increasingly popular Tarahumara Mountain Boa, which are prized for their small size and dark exotic pattern. Although these are known to be "nippy" as babies.

Boa Constrictor Constrictor (BCC) These tend to be some of the more striking looking snakes, but also more irritable. And they can also get to be 12 feet. They include the Surinam, Brazilian, Peruvian, and others east of the Andes.

Boa Constrictor Longicauda (BCL) An interesting Peruvian Boa that turns blacker as it ages.

Boa Constrictor Occidentalis (BCO) The Argentine Boa is one of the largest and a very beatutiful boa.

Boa Constrictor Nebulosa (BCN) The Clouded boa, which I don't know much about.

Boa Constrictor Sabogae (BCS) The popular Pearl Island boa.

Boa Constrictor Amarali (BCA) A very interesting, thicker bodied Boa that I was leaning toward buying, but did not end up getting.

In all cases there is sexual dimorphism, the female is notably larger than the male. That is why I intended to get a male snake. But that is not what I ended up with.

I ultimately purchased a beautiful female Locality Boa directly from Vin and had her shipped to me.

Sisu is a Boa Imperator from Barranquilla, Columbia. This just means they can trace back her lineage from Vin Russo to Gus Rentfro's company Rio Bravo before him. Rentfro originally caught and and began a captive-bred colony of Barranquilla Boas in the 70s and 80s.

Barranquilla are known for being docile, inquisitive, and not growing as large as many of the others (although they are not dwarf boas).

It is also believed Barranquilla Boas have ancestry of BCC, as Boa Constrictor Constrictor are indigenous to Columbia just on the other side of the Andes. As a a result, they have what I consider a very striking, wild look to them.

I have spent less than a month with Sisu. I started this blog to document my education and fascination with my new companion. I am glad they grow slowly.

#boa constrictor #barranquilla boa #boa imperator

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #340

��wash the poison from off my skin  /  show me how to be whole again”

What is one thing that you took to show and tell as a kid? I have this oddly specific memory of bringing my little Snorlax plushie for one in pre-k. I remember thinking everyone thought I was weird for liking Pokemon as a girl. Do you remember losing your first tooth? I don't. Have you ever been addicted to a game? What game? I think I was addicted to World of Warcraft at a point, but it's honestly hard to tell. My depression was just so abysmal that it was the one thing I got even a smidge of not even joy, but active distraction out of because the options of what you can do in the game are essentially limitless. Are you afraid to pop a balloon? Not really, but it does make me jump because I don't like loud noises. Name one person you’d like to see this month. Bitch we fighting Covid, stay away from me. When was the last time you laughed when you shouldn’t have? I don’t know. Which was better: the first The Lion King or the second? They're nearly tied, honestly, but I prefer the original. Do any of your grandparents have a tattoo? I KNOW my maternal grandmother didn't, and I don't believe any other grandparent did, either. When was the last time you had a bubble bath? Not since I was a kid. What do you usually buy when you go to the corner store? You mean like, a gas station or dollar store? Something small like that? In that case, I'll usually look for a Mountain Dew Voltage sometimes along with something Reese's-related. Do you believe that your pets feel love towards you? My cat, absofuckinglutely. He so obviously loves me. I know my snake doesn't though, considering reptilian brains just physically aren't capable of creating that emotion. She does, however, obviously trust me and definitely seems to enjoy coming out of her terrarium and thus hanging out by me. Bubbles or sidewalk chalk? I loved drawing with chalk, but I like bubbles more. I just love how they catch light and have such beautiful colors to share. What do you use to tell time when your gone out somewhere? My phone. Are you proud of your body? FUCK no. I wish I still was, goddammit. I used to be so fit, and it's funny, because even back then at like, 118 lbs at 5'4'', I thought I was kinda chubby. Like bitch shut the fuck up. Watermelon or cherries? I honestly don't like either, but I'll definitely pick watermelon over cherries. They're disgusting. What is your all-time favourite song? "False Flags" by Massive Attack. Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character? Biiiiiitch guess lmao. I think everyone has, though. What is the band you’ve listened to most lately? Definitely 3TEETH. Love 'em. Favourite brand of cookies? Hm, good question. They've gotta be good at making SOFT chocolate chip cookies, though. I don't enjoy crunchy cookies nearly as much. If you could meet anyone who lived before your time, who would it be? I don't really know. Oh, y'know, chatting with Edgar Allan Poe would probably be cool. Do you pay for your own things? I literally can't. It's embarrassing. Have you ever been rushed to the hospital in an ambulance? No. What is one thing you’d never want your parents to find out? Certain sexual things I've done, probably. When you were little, did you like Dr. Suess books? Of course. Have you ever felt trapped in a relationship? I felt that way in my friendship with Colleen, but no romantic relationships. What would you consider unforgivable? Rape. Like no, go to hell. Do you like eating out at restaurants? Pre-Covid, yeah. What do you dislike the most about being the gender that you are? Probably how heavily judged women are for having ANYTHING "wrong" with their appearance. You could be five pounds over what is "normal" for your height and you're seen as fat. One strand of body hair, and you're disgusting. Bushy eyebrows, you're now manly. I could go on and on. Do you think that weed/marijuana should be legalized? Yes. Rate your typing speed on a scale from 1 - 10? 10. Do you enjoy tanning? Ugh, no. Just sitting there doing nothing but sweating. Have you ever written anybody an anonymous note? I have not. What is your favorite condiment to go with french fries? Ketchup. Have you ever laid in a hammock? Yeah; we used to have one. It was the best when we lived in the woods. Do you blow dry your hair or do you let it air out? I just let it air dry. Candles or incense? I prefer incense. Can you juggle? No. Your favorite vegetable? Broccoli. Do you catch lizards? No; I don't like terrifying wildlife. I'd much rather just take pictures of the little guys and let them go about their business. If we returned to a world without internet, what aspect of online life would you miss the most? YouTube, haha. It's more unique and personal entertainment than television, imo. Are you craving anything aside from food, and if so, what? I want a new piercinggggg. What was the last change you made to your lifestyle? I'm *trying* to get back into regularly making art, along with reading. I'm also really trying to implement drinking more water into my day. What was the last thing you gave up doing? *shrug* What was the last thing to boost your self-esteem? What sort of things typically make you feel good about yourself? It really, really helped to hear my PHP group enjoy my poem about gay rights so much. I was so terrified and did NOT want my therapist to share it, but it turned out being very beneficial. To answer the second question, it's pretty much stuff like I just mentioned: positive reactions to things I create. When it comes to food, do you prefer crunchy or softer textures? Definitely softer. Do you prefer savory or sweet things for breakfast? Hm. Depends on the day, ig. What is something small that you take extremely personally? I'm blanking. What was going on the last time you couldn’t sleep? I just... couldn't sleep. That's not rare for me. Have you drawn anything recently? I recently drew a picture of a still from Rammstein's "Mutter" music video, and I'm now working on Sara's 'kat Alucard. If you're going somewhere close by, do you walk? No. One simply does not walk in this town and not fear being shot. Do you prefer colorful notebooks over plain ones? I like colorful ones, particularly those with a nice pattern or something on it. What's your most ambitious goal? I'd consider wanting to be a successful freelance photographer to be rather ambitious. Do you know anyone named Alex? Well, knew, by this point. One of my closest online friends that just got a boyfriend and fell off the face of the planet when we used to talk every day. I'm still hurt about it, honestly. What's your favorite kind of pie? I don't like pie because of the crust being so, well... crusty and crumbly. Have you ever chatted someone up and scored a date? No. How far would you go with someone you just met? Not very far at all. All you're getting is a hug, if even that. What's your favorite meal to have for dinner? I mean, it depends on what I feel like having. I don't have a set favorite meal. What do you daydream about? The future, mostly. People I miss. Have you ever known someone online and then met them in person? If so, which website did you meet on? Yes, Sara. <3 We met via YouTube back when it had much more social connection. Have you ever been to the beach? Yeah, a good number of times. When was the last time you were sick and what illness did you have? I don't believe I've been ill in any sort of way since I had that ungodly ear infection a few years ago. Have you ever been kicked out of somewhere? Yeah, Colleen's house. Mom once tried kicking me out of the car one night otw home, but I didn't listen. Have you ever intentionally trolled? No. How many siblings do your parents have? Mom has two brothers and I think one sister, and Dad has one sister. Who last held your hand? My niece or nephew, dragging me somewhere, haha. Have you seen all the Lord of the Rings movies? No, not interested. What was the last thing you watched on YouTube? I'm watching John Wolfe's playthrough of Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs. It's so funny how like... every let's player I watch doesn't enjoy the game, like they miss the incredible symbolism and shy away from the advanced language, and sometimes it's just frustrating to watch them; I only do because I enjoy the game and want to see more people experience it and relive it vicariously. It's very high on my list of favorite games. What sport do you find yourself best at? I wouldn't know; I haven't played any sports in years. I was pretty good at softball as a kid, though. Do you think makeup on guys is freaky or sexy? My opinion shouldn't matter; a man can wear makeup whenever he damn well pleases without worrying what others think. But anyway, I tend to find it attractive, especially if it's goth makeup. Have you ever been accused of a crime you did not commit? No. Do you like pickles? I love dill pickles. What was the craziest moment of your life? Probably just lying in that hospital bed following my OD, my mom and two best friends just sitting there with me. It was such a weird, weird feeling. Like I was just so done, frustrated beyond what I can say. I remember thinking it was almost funny, just how it all built up and went wrong. Where do you spend most of your time? In my room on my bed. What is your favorite muffin? Chocolate chip. Would you ever get a boob job? I already know when/if I lose the weight I want to, it will be kind of a big deal to me and my atrocious body image to get a breast lift. Being overweight ~does things~ you know, and god knows I want every trace of it that can be erased gone. Would you ever go on a reality TV dating show? That's a massive "no" from me, buddy. Would you rather be inside or outside? It depends on where I am and the temperature outside, but generally, inside. Do you like the current president? Well, I voted for him, so I can't shit-talk much. I don't know the true depths of him as a person and all he stands for, though; when I decided I needed to vote, I just did some research on his core values. I don't have any complaints yet, from what I've seen at least, which isn't a lot. Do you whiten your teeth? I've used whitening strips before, but I don't now because they're not that effective. If it's financially plausible at some point in my life, teeth whitening is another thing I want to have medically done because of my previous horrible self-care. My teeth have a clear yellow tint and I hate it. Do you get cold easily? No; it's actually the opposite: I get hot easily. What was the worst sickness you ever had? Probably this one stomach bug I had where I just threw up relentlessly. Like eventually barely even bile would come up; it was just dry heaving. My stomach muscles were in agony. Was your childhood wasted by something? No, thankfully. Would you rather die during an adventure or die like a normal person? A normal person. The idea of having such a sudden death stresses me out for multiple reasons; I mostly don't want my family to just be suddenly devastated, and I honestly want to come to peace with the fact I was dying. Like, find my life's own closure instead of just having it ripped away. Have your parents ever tried to commit suicide? Jesus, I sure hope not. Do you have a gag reflex? A very strong one. Do you ever fantasize about trying drugs? I've wondered before what the effects of weed would be like for me, but "fantasize" is definitely the wrong word. Would you rather have sex before you’re married or wait till marriage? It'd be up to my partner, honestly, because I'm fine with either. What is the nastiest dare you have ever committed? I never did dares because I thought they were stupid. Like I'm not gonna do dumb shit just to show you I can. Do you know anyone who has been raped? I think I might? Have you ever asked someone for a tampon? Yeah. Do you have any exes you can’t stand anymore? No. Are you more of a phone or a computer person? Computer. Do you prefer headphones or earbuds? Earbuds. Headphones are just big and clunky and in the way when you use a laptop in bed, plus they irritate my skin. I like how earbuds actually go in your ears for more direct hearing. Would you ever consider adopting a child with a severe mental illness? If I wanted children, no, because I don't think I'm capable to give a child like that adequate care, being so mentally ill myself. I wouldn't want to risk worsening their condition. Favorite thing to do with a significant other? Play games together, particularly cute multiplayer ones that are more about the experience of playing together versus getting past difficult obstacles and such. Like for example, one of my favorite memories with Jason is simply playing Little Big Planet together. Favorite ice cream topping? I don't like many toppings on my ice cream, but I do love melted hot fudge. First boyfriend/girlfriend’s name? Aaron. Do you support PETA? Considering they are incredibly self-righteous extremists, no. Do you believe in the Big Bang Theory? Well, I believe in some sort of "god" figure that created the universe, so I don't think so. A condensed ball of nothing exploding to create something so extravagant? It sounds pretty far-fetched to me. But then again, maybe that semblance of a "god" I believe in created the universe through that, idk. It doesn't really matter now, though, does it. What happened happened, I'm not very concerned with it. What insect can you not stand the site of? It's more so larvae that I can't stand the sight of, like maggots and stuff. They make me squirm. Do you like Doctor Who? I've only seen one or two episodes, so I can't say. Do you approve of gay marriage? Of course I do. I'm bisexual and would like to get married, so I might marry a woman. Are you into politics? I'm really not. Do you think the world is ending soon? Nah, even though it sure does feel like it sometimes. Ever been to a mosh pit? No, they don't seem very fun at all. Do you like to debate? NO. NO NO NO. Do you like the band System of a Down? Yeah, I do. Are you German? It's a big part of my heritage. Do your parents like your best friend? Yes. Who’s someone you can act your complete self around? Sara, 100%. She's the only person I feel entirely comfortable around when it comes to being myself. Do you believe in Friday the 13th? I don't believe in there being any supernatural power to it, no. Who is your favorite rapper? Eminem. What age is your youngest aunt? Uhhhh I have no idea. Do you like bowling? Sure, it's fun. Do you like roasting marshmallows on a bonfire? I do. What shows or characters scared you as a child? Ghostface from the Scream series was my worst fucking nightmare. I couldn't even see pictures of him without crying. The King Ramses guy from Courage the Cowardly Dog also gave me a number of nightmares. Something about the way he was animated was very unnatural and unnerving to me.

#survey #surveys #questions #lyrics: ''castle of glass'' by linkin park

[sneksue]

Official Post About Lifestyle Changes

The date is January 28, 2021. 

I have not had chickens for a while. It will be 2 years in August. I have been meaning to write something here about all of it, but I either have not had time, or the willpower to go through with it. I was in grieving. 

In June of 2019, I took a trip from my shared homestead in Mississippi to Colorado to do some long distance hiking. I left all of my animals in the care of my ex husband’s mother and her then boyfriend. 

I trusted them to at least do the bare minimum in my animal’s basic care. 

That didn’t happen. They failed night after night to close and lock the coop’s door. They wouldn’t change their water during the day and they did not collect eggs. 

When I had service on my phone during the hike, I checked in with them to find out that because they had not closed or locked the coop door at night, several birds were “missing”, with more missing every day. 

Instead of simply closing the door and providing a safe space for my dear, darling animals to sleep at night, they decided to buy a game camera to see what was happening to them at night. 

Their reasoning had absolutely zero logic, and I was pretty pissed.

They found that raccoons were simply just waltzing into the coops and grabbing birds. The raccoons would drag them away into the woods and feast. 

By the time our trip was almost over, all of my ducks were gone. There were only a few chickens left, and the guinea fowl were all intact due to roosting 50ft up in oak trees. My cat was also “missing”.

I was heartbroken, devastated. I had spent so much money, time, energy, and love to build this flock. I wanted to provide my “family” and myself with sustainable, renewable food in case of a natural disaster. No one seemed to value my efforts, or even care to see what my end goal was. 

On top of grieving for the loss of my feathered babies, my then husband’s younger brother decided to GO OFF on me during our drive back to Mississippi. He claimed I was selfish, psychotic, uncaring, and manipulative. He screamed at me while we were all stuck in the car. He called me a bitch, he called me a liar, he called me a leech. I was stunned in silence. I had been struggling with my mental health for years, and had contemplated suicide more times than I could count. So, it is no surprise that while we were driving 70mph on the interstate, I seriously contemplated opening the car door and leaping out into traffic. 

I turned to my husband, my partner, the love of my life, my support system, to back me up. Defend me. Tell his brother that he was wrong. My husband did nothing of the sort. He remained silent as the verbal barrage from his brother continued. 

Everything clicked for me then. My mother in law was a complete nutcase, she blamed me for all of my husband’s shortcomings. She viewed me as a failure for not being the perfect housewife. She only saw me as a burden on her son’s happiness. My husband maintained an emotional distance from me for several years. He refused to be intimate towards me. He never showed an interest in me, my thoughts, my feelings. He never stood up for me or was proud to show me off. He never commended my strengths and triumphs, he only pointed out what he viewed were my failures. My brother in law was more of a nutcase than his mother, physically abusing his dog and neglecting his cat, leeching off of his mother and getting handouts at every possible opportunity, spending his days smoking hundreds of dollars of marijuana, drinking booze, playing videogames. 

I had no social life, I wasn’t allowed to have a social life. 

I had no friends I could hang out with, all of my friends were online. 

No matter how much I did for these people and how much I excelled at everything I did, nothing was ever enough. I was never enough. 

No wonder I struggled with mental health, eh?

I came to this realization instantaneously, and demanded to be dropped off at my dad’s house in Westminster, CO. 

I had none of my personal belongings besides my hiking and camping stuff. I didn’t care, I just had to get away from these toxic monsters. 

My husband and I loosely decided that this would be a “break” for our relationship, and that he would go back to MS to work and save up to move here with me. I agreed and I began working and saving up myself. 

We both knew he was never going to come here. We were never going to be together again. 

We remained in close contact for a few months after the separation. But the contact and our conversations became fewer and less substantial. 

One night, as I was walking home from work, I called and told him that I thought we should break up. He admitted to me that he had removed his wedding ring over three weeks prior. I was understandably hurt by that, but I did understand. 

He also informed me that all of the birds were gone or dead except for a couple roosters. 

I was more devastated by the loss of my birds than the loss of my marriage. If that doesn’t tell you enough, I don’t know what does!! 

My cat never returned. 

I asked him if we could keep in contact, and he told me he did not want to talk to me or hear from me for several years. I was once again hurt by this, but with his own mental health issues, I again, understood. He did say he can see us being friends in the future, but now that its been some time, I don’t want to be friends with him. I want the best for him, but I can’t bring myself to expose my mentality to his toxicity and negativity. 

I asked again and again, over a period of months, for him to return my belongings. He kept putting it off. I told him I was going to drive down there myself and gather everything i could and dispose of the rest. 

He agreed, initially, then banned me from coming only after I requested the time off from work and had friends to accompany me on the journey, He promised he’d send all my stuff in several shipments after he sold my car. I told him he could keep the profit from the sale of my car and use it to send me my stuff. 

He ended up sending me ONE box of my stuff. And most of it wasn’t even mine. I was appalled and disgusted that he’d be so careless and inconsiderate. 

I sent him messages and requested SPECIFIC items after I received the first box. I got no reply, and no more packages to this day have been sent. 

He and his family stole my property, killed my pets, and broke my heart. 

Thieves, liars, and extremists, the lot of them. 

I grieve daily for the loss of my animals and the torture I was put through for nearly 6 years. 

All of that out of the way, let me move on to tell you what this blog will now feature. 

I have obviously had a change in lifestyle. I no longer live on homesteading land, I live in a roomy two bedroom apartment with my AMAZING fiance. 

My love of chickens, I discovered, was a love for reptiles in general. Cuz birds are reptiles and all that jazz. 

When I met my fiance, I was already blown away by his attitude, confidence, and view on life right off the bat! He inspired me, made me want to be better to myself. 

Meeting him felt weird, at first. It felt weird because I was waiting for this amazing person to... have a catch. There’s gotta be a red flag somewhere. And if there isn’t... he is probably a psychopath who will eventually turn on me and kill me. No one is that... good. 

So I thought to myself, “Welp, gotta find out. I’ll go to his house!”

He had a couple little snakes in his room which I demanded to play with. He happily got them out and I was like “THAT’S the catch? Nah, this just convinces me this guy is... my kind of guy.” 

I’ve had a love of snakes since early childhood. Not an interest of passion, but I truly loved interacting with and watching them. I’ve never had an innate fear of any insect, (exclude honeybee, because I didn’t know better at 6 years old), or animal. I love them all and everything they do to contribute. All they experience. 

I used to catch wild garter snakes and rat snakes in nets, pet them, show them to my mother occasionally to freak her out, and release them. Then watch them. 

There were a mating pair of Oteekee Corn Snakes in my HS yard. Every summer we’d see them, out and about hunting, hiding, climbing... growing. They were bright red and jet black with specks of yellow. I could tell these guys were pretty smart and maybe there was more to snakes than I really thought about ever. 

So, being sold on this amazing guy, we up and moved in together. Nice. My paycheck kept going up and up. I was saving a ton. I wanted a car and an apartment as soon as possible. 

I got bonus after bonus for working hard at my job and everyone hitting labor targets. 

We got a place. Nice. 

Both got steady jobs. Nice. 

There’s uh, a lot of room in this new place. Nice. 

Hey it’s my birthday and I can get myself a snake. I have more than enough for supplies and the animal itself. 

I browsed on morphmarket for what felt like ages.... 

I had no idea that there were.... so many complicated genetics with ball pythons. I was highly interested, because if you know me, you know I’m interested in genetics and selective breeding. 

I found there were THOUSANDS of genetic combinations, each with unique names. It was like alien code. The animals were beautiful but I had no idea what I was really looking at. 

One night while going to our local reptile store to get feeder rats, I was looking around at all the glass window babies, as I usually do. 

I made my way around the scorpions, tarantulas, cave scorpions, frogs, lizards, the store’s companion burmese python, and my eyes landed on a little... adorable puppy-eyed baby ball python. The signage stated that it was a Puma. Seemed simple enough. Easy name to remember. I looked into the glass at the lil noodle, and talked all baby talk and shit. The sweet little thing came right up to scope at me, then yawned. 

I called an employee over and said I’d like to handle this animal right here. The employee obliged and I fell in love. Sexed as male. Easy buy. 

I cried on the way home, It was amazing. I have one picture on here of him a few days after I got him. His name is Mallow, and he is bigger now, but still just as sweet. 

So yeah. It went from there. Now, including the boa and ball python that are my fiance’s, and Mallow, we have added 3 more to our family. We are done now, as these animals may live a loooooong time. And they require space and attention just like any other pet. They’re not expensive, and they’re low maintenance care is nearly brainless if you set it up right. They’re statistically and actually safer than dogs or cats, and are absolutely therapeutic and entertaining. 

This blog will from this day forward be dedicated to snake content, reptile content, and a lot more fun, actually good pictures. I will also share genetic related stuff I find relevant. 

Not having a shitty phone camera is pretty great, tbh. 

TLDR: No more homestead. Ex is evil (yeah yeah), New place new animal new me. SNAKES! SNAKES!!!! SNAAAAAAAAAKKKKKKKKEEEEESSSSS!

I know this post is just for me but whatever, if I make myself laugh. Cool. G’night. 

#blog change #lifestyle change #reptile #personal #judge #don't read me #please don't read this #like its awful #seriously #my past #my present #i am good #all is well #i'm growing #chickens to reptiles #homestead to apartment

[alongpause]

Grey Skies

You introduced me to a new type of candy

That I never knew existed

And now it's my favorite 

And I can't eat it without thinking of you

We had rolled ice cream together

And kissed in my van when I had to leave

It was the last time I saw you

I'm so glad we ended with a kiss

And I took you to your first hockey game 

And I was dipping on Klonopin because I was so nervous about spending more time with you 

I wanted you to like me so bad 

You did. You did like me. 

You held my hand and you wore my jacket when you got cold and it looked so wonderful on you that I wanted to give it to you, but then it wouldn't have been my jacket

And when you wore it, it wouldn't have been quite the same 

And we went to the thrift store and you help me find terrific specific things that seemed like they were just for me

And you played horror movie trivial pursuit with me when no one else would 

And you listened to me talk about stupid things like Uncle O'Grimmacy and you liked it 

You bought me hash browns and grits and I bought you an omelette and fries 

And when I took you back to your car after the hockey game you gave me that beautiful little look that you'd given me at the end of our first date, but I wasn't (as) scared anymore 

And I said "can I kiss you?" 

And you said yes 

And your eyes went so wide when you realized you were my first proper kiss

First time it wasn't someone else's dare or joke

"Oh...that's always going to be your first kiss." you said. "I'll always be your first kiss."

And I told you I was glad for that.

At your birthday party you got drunk and said you loved my thighs and laid your head on them and I stroked your hair 

(in front of all your friends)

And we held each other loosely all night

(in front of all your friends because you weren't ashamed of me)

The way proper couples do

And you walked me to my car

You walked me to my car so you could kiss me

So you could kiss me sloppy and drunk and I could enjoying leaning down to meet your lips

Putting my arms around you to hold you up while you wobbled 

You fucking lightweight…

You kissed me soft and earnest 

And I drove home happy 

We had our first date in a pagan bookstore because you let me pick 

And you had coffee and I had tea and an old woman who worships cats talked to us for so long and bought you some catnip for your precious pet

I met her and she was so beautiful 

And I made you a bead lizard that I gave you on our first date and I wonder what you did with it 

It was really the only thing you had of me 

I wouldn't be mad if it was gone.

I'm sorry I was scared to hold your hand so much 

I wanted to but if someone saw I was dead 

We tried on bad hats at the big discount store 

And everything was fun 

You liked me for who I am 

You never said anything strange to me or added asterisks 

You just liked me

You were attracted to me, to the person I thought no one could be attracted to 

When I saw you after we broke up and we were kind to each other but it was awkward 

Because the magnet was still there 

I still wanted you and you were still raw from where I had to cut us apart. 

I have this little stuffed animal I bought when I was shopping with you 

And I'm holding him right now and wondering what life would be like 

If we stayed

We would have just passed our first anniversary 

I wouldn't be so alone 

But the world, my world, won't let it happen

It's too evil it's too mean it's too scary

And I've never been more upset that I can't be myself safely and loudly than I was 

When it intervened with my ability to be with you 

I remember when you sat on my lap and we watched 80s anime for the hell of it and we were just quiet, together 

I was so scared about you being in my House because my mother said you weren't allowed (Our Kind aren't allowed in my father's house) 

But I was so happy you were there with me

So happy you were in my arms and comfortable enough to doze there 

Every day I'm sorry that I'm the coward that I am 

That I couldn't be your man 

I cared about you so much and I still care about you and I never got to really learn you 

You were the most interesting person and I barely even scratched the surface of who you are

I hope you're happy and I hope you're in love and I hope you're comfortable

I hope I'm just a little blip and I didn't hurt you 

I hope you don't think about me too much 

I'm sorry for wasting three months of your life 

But they were so beautiful to me and they always will be 

#lgbt #in the closet #transphobia tw // #i havent posted in a while but i found this and thought i would

[szopenhauer]

Give me a random word in another language. Tell me what it means. ulica - street or czekolada - chocolate *I bet you read/spell those wrong :P

How long does it roughly take you to do grocery shopping? depends, I’m pretty fast, especially if I buy local but sometimes there’s no product I need in the store so I go to another 

Which city would you like to visit- Rome, London or Paris? London, then Paris, then Rome

Would you rather visit Australia or Germany? Germany, I have no interest in Australia at this point

Would you prefer a pet rat, mouse, snake, lizard or spider? rat or mouse, definitely not a spider because of M.

Can you play the violin? If not, would you like to? no and no

Can you keep a pokerface and not show your emotions easily? often

Are you a good liar (tell the truth this time)? can be but I don’t like to lie

Are you wearing shoes, just socks or nothing on your feet? ugg slippers and fuzzy socks

Do you prefer to write etc, etcetera or something else? etc itp itd and such

Do you think rainbows are pretty or overrated? overrated

Are you more skeptical or gullible? skeptical

How often do you drink sodas or fizzy drinks? never

Do you currently live in the same country you were born in? sure

Do you struggle to articulate your thoughts and feelings? sometimes

Do you like carrot cake? gross

Don’t you hate it when people say ‘I don’t mean to be rude but…’? omg

How good is your memory? ha ha ha 

Is there anyone you love, whose name starts with M? XD

Have your neighbors ever complained that your music/TV was too loud? weird but they actually didn’t!

How many zeroes occur in your mobile phone number? none

Are you currently wearing anything green? am not

Name an animal that starts with the 2nd letter of your middle name. -

Have you ever had feelings for someone whose name started with S? yup

How many red lipsticks do you own? old one, past expiration date 

What are you doing to improve or maintain your health currently? my best lmfao which is not enough, if only I had money...

Do you ever look at someone’s social media posts and feel a little jealous? who doesn’t?

Do you like how your hair looks today? I washed them last night but didn’t look at myself in the mirror in the morning just yet

What health problem are you struggling with currently? list is too long

Do you take life day by day? I’m on survival mode

Do you have a lot of questions? would say so

List 10 fashion trends you like/dislike. current? I’m not aware... let me check  according to Vogue there are puffy sleeves that I’m not into but they’re not gross, gold - fine if not too much I suppose, cardigans - I prefer not open tops but sometimes they’re useful indeed, check pattern (no surprises here - checkered stuff for summer? groundbreaking) - same opinion as with puffy sleeves, maybe it’s the fact of popularity and fall stereotypes that pushes me away from the thing but... nvm, lets move on! fringe - bags with it are noice but I prefer to not use smth that might cause an accident... matrix coats? why not?! Nat’s Spike mode - count me in? gonna feel like a leather couch again, red color causes my anxiety and anger issues but in small doses is like gold I mentioned above, suits are Vinnie’s but I don’t mind ‘em for specific occassions, inflate bottoms aren’t casual so not no chance of using that in everyday life, masculine fashion? POSITIVELY TRIGGERED - love me some bad boy vibes - excited AF, back to black - classy, what else is there to say? ;)

Are you ready for Jesus to come back? please

Do you believe that Jesus lived and is returning? hopefully?

Do you have too much clutter in your home? we are hoarders/maximalists 

If you were rich, would you get a professional photoshoot done? *shrug*

Have you ever taken a photo every day for a year? no patience for shit like that, sorry

Do you have way too many photos stored on your computer? oh well...

Do you take a lot of selfies? probably 

Do you ever multi-task? usually

Are you multi-tasking right now? not really atm

Are you “with” the very last person you kissed? we’re engaged 

Have you ever broken up with someone for someone else? poniekąd na koloniach  był taki chłopczyk, którego nikt nie lubił, najmłodszy, no i mi go było żal, że Aneta (w jego wieku, moja koleżanka) nie chce z nim tańczyć to się nad nim zlitowałam i od razu mnie polubił, przyniósł mi kwiatki jakieś wodne i potem po prostu przestałam się nim zajmować bo nasza opiekunka szukała dziewczyn dla takiego grubszego chłopaka nieśmiałego i dzięki temu miał grono fanek, ale wybrał akurat mnie i to mi pochlebiało, dał mi swoją czapkę z daszkiem na trochę (potem wyjechał szybciej niż inni więc mu oddałam i w sumie trochę szkoda było iż nie miałam z nim kontaktu bo się wstydziłam poprosić - mówili na niego LODÓWA), w końcu zdeterminowana wziąć kolonijny ślub uczepiłam się wręcz Łukasza (kolegi tamtego - Piotra czy Pawła) i nawet miałam pierścionek zrobiony specjalnie dla nas przez kowala oraz dyplom, wykonywaliśmy zadania i wyniósł mnie na rękach (ledwo) i suknię ślubną skleciłam hahaha, a tak na serio robiłam to tylko żeby się pochwalić, że ktoś mnie chciał, nie ważne kto, a tamten pierwszy malec mnie za to kopnął w dupę (serio) i musiałam się z nim godzić przy wychowawcy, ale mnie unikał jak ognia obrażony potem, wszyscy byli ode mnie kilka lat młodsi ^^”  taka byłam, albo to była Anya/Amy, nie wiem, chciałam się dopasować, moje BPD ze mnie wyłaziło ehh  jeśli to się nie liczy to były potem też przecież momenty kiedy przerzucałam się z jednej dziewczyny na drugą zainteresowaniem bardzo szybko, czasami wracałam do poprzedniej byleby dostać odrobinę uwagi, czuć sie potrzebna, nie być taka samotna czy coś - ale nie liczyłam na nic poważnego, żyłam tu i teraz, żeby nie odstawać, bo przyszłości przecież i tak miałam nie mieć, więc dowartościowanie się jedynie wchodziło w grę lub poczucie przynależności, bycie opcją, wręcz masochistycznie nawet jak wiadomo, swego rodzaju bezpieczeństwo - flirt/zabawa

How many windows are open on your computer? shitload

Have you ever laughed at something that wasn’t meant to be funny? whoops

Have you done anything sneaky lately? maybe 

Does someone have feelings for you? it seems 

Are you hard to please? am I? I’m picky about some things but usually it’s not my fault like food, sigh...

Relationship to the last person you called? my doctor

What color shirt are you wearing? grey

Is there anything you wish you did today? Why haven’t you done it? I plan, I’ll try

What were you doing before you started this survey? bunch of things

Can you honestly say that you love yourself? umm...

Do you think you spend too much time feeling upset? sadly

Do you own a pair of uggs? have ‘em on! as I already said above

Has the person you have feelings for ever told you that you’re attractive? I don’t believe her

Do you hide your feelings or show them? depends, usually show tho

Do you like to have long hair or short hair? short 

Do you think relationships are hard? everything is but point is if it’s worthy

Any friends who are constantly venting about their significant other? luckily no longer have any friends like that, no friends at all actually

Have you ever been ice-skating? just once and don’t wanna

Does the sound of rain at night help you sleep? often

Have you ever seen an albino person, in person? I haven’t

Have you ever worn a pair of scrubs? nope

Do you obsessively apply lip-gloss or lip balm? eww, hell no

Have you ever walked into a massive cobweb? yeah, gross

When you can tell that someone’s lying, do you call them out on it? sometimes, I might

Do you like Musicals? nooo

Do you live with anyone that you try to avoid at all costs? no comment

When was the last time you cried? that night from happiness :3

What kind of bottoms are you wearing? my SW pajama pants but gonna change now

What do you hear right now? my mom talking <rolling my eyes>

In the past week have you got your hair cut? nope

In the past week have you felt sad? obvi

Has someone disappointed you recently? yep

If you could pack up and move, would you? asap

What is something in your life that you feel hopeful about right now? I’m scared to...

What was the last thing you worried about that turned out better than expected? my gf proposing to me for example?

What is a meal you eat extremely often? Or do your meals & food choices vary a lot? bread, I wish I had variety :(

When was the last time you felt unable or unwilling to speak your mind to someone? with my mother it’s frequent 

What was the last thing you changed your mind about? it’s a rollerclaster XD

Who do you feel you can count on the most in life? Is there anyone you wish you could count on more? dad and M. - I wish I could count on my other parent and sister...

[vaguelygeiszlerian]

1 to 50

ok i just saw this existed, i live on tumblr mobile where i ignore the activity tab and scroll endlessly, bear w me

Animated character that was your gay awakening? uhhhhhhh,,,....,,,.. if i remembered anything abt my childhood i would tell u, im gonna say rukia from bleach because i want gorgeous short people to step on me

Grilled cheese or PB&J? peanut butter Always... tho if it was a fancy grilled cheese (there is a special preparation).... i would be torn

What show/YouTube video(s) do you put on in the background when you when you don’t have anything to watch but you want something on? it really depends! i bounce around, i watch a lot of baumgartner restorations, i watch a LOT of nyx fears video essays on horror movies i would never watch, i watch longplays of, like, nier automata bc im still delighted by cryaotic?

Your go-to bar order, if you drink? i dont really get to order a lot of drinks at bars, itll depend, if im with friends ill order as many things off the cocktail menu as my money allows, if im with my parents ill order long island iced teas or whiskey and lemonade

What’s your favorite pair of shoes that you own? i literally own like 3 pairs of shoes, one of which being the only pair i can actually safely wear haha.... but my favorite pair is the black red and gold converse that dont fit anymore but still remind me of high school

Top three cuisines? mexican, italian, whomever the fuck invented kasoundi

What was your first word as a child (that wasn’t a variation of “Mom” or “Dad”)? yeah as said above i have no clue about anything about my childhood so idk i think mum said once that my first proper word was just ‘no’ which sounds abt right

What’s a job that you’ve had that people might be surprised to find out you’ve had? idk if my last job counts? i mean i used to do all round garden labor stuff until my pain got worse and i literally couldnt anymore so i got relegated to desk work

Look up. What’s directly across from you? oh a container of pesto i didnt like the flavour of and just... forgot to throw out.... i will do that tomorrow

Do you own any signed books/memorabilia in general? i have a rwby poster signed by ray and jack? its p cool

Preferred way to spend a rainy day? preferred right now? wrapped in a metric fuckton of blankets w my partner

What do you get on your bagels? What WOULD you get if you had access to anything you wanted? i..... dont like bagels

Brunch or midnight snacks? i live a weirdly scheduled life, midnight snacks and brunch are interchangeable to me now, so both

Favorite mug you own i..... dont really have one? all of my actual mugs that are mine have my deadname on them haha

What coffee drink would you describe yourself as? overbrewed black coffee that someone left to go cold before dumping six packs of sugar in

Pick a song lyric to describe your current mood (and drop the name and artist!) ‘ And I don't want your pity I just want somebody near me ‘ bc we all love a bit of mitski when we are feeling the self isolation creeping in

Fruity or herbal teas? fruity teas only! or rather i drink fruit tisanes! but if you mean actual tea then herbal, i only drink peppermint tea

What’s that one TV show that you’re a little bit embarrassed to watch but you still like nonetheless? fruits basket! everyone watch the reboot

That book you were forced to read for class but actually ended up enjoying? all the books i read for class sucked but medea wasnt so bad

Do you match your socks? only when theyre very fun patterned socks, and even then sometimes i will match them to the wrong pair but the same pattern, aka my double watermelon combo (i have a pair of green socks w watermelons and a pair of black socks w watermelons so)

Have you ever been horseback riding? no and i never will because i am fucking terrified of horses

What was your “phase” when you were younger? (i.e., Mythology Nerd, Horse Girl, Space Geek, etc) uh.... uh i mean im not sure if it counts as a phase but i was stupid into vampires (to the point of me and my friends constructing the intricate theory that our teacher was a vampire and we had to kill her by the time we graduated (she was not and we did not and i hate all of those people now) i was just the weird conspiracy kid i guess, we used to spend every lunch staring across the oval at a house we were SURE an alien lived in (it was just a plastic bag being rustled by a fan)

Have you ever been to jail? bkdnbrb god no

What’s your opinion on Lazy Susan’s (the spinning tray in the middle of tables)? im a lazy susan

Puzzles? i cant solve a rubiks cube but give me a 2000 piece jigsaw and ill sit there for 6 hours trying to solve it

You can only have one juice for the rest of your life, what is it? oh this is tough..... orange juice, the fancy kind but with no bits in it, i used to like the bits but these days i just want a clean juice experience

What section do you immediately head for when you walk into a bookstore? ,,,,,,the ya fiction section, i never buy anything from there but i like to see if series i read as a teenager ever got new instalments after i stopped liking them

What’s one thing you’re trying to learn/relearn in your downtime right now? how to sleep like a normal person

Who’s your go-to musical artist when you’re feeling upbeat? uh, it depends! lizzo or my playlist of musicals! (which is literally just starkid/tcb stuff)

Where could someone find you in a museum? i could literally be anywhere, probably in front of some old piece though, just staring for an hour bc im struck by the majesty of it (and my legs probably locked up so i couldnt move anyway)

What’s that one outfit in your closet you never get the chance to wear but want to? so i have a nice white button up and some really nice jeans i just got, and my suspenders, and my cool blue heels that i know i cant wear bc my legs cant handle walking in heels anymore, but it would look cool am i right

Rainbows, stars, or sunset colored clouds? i look up at my roof which is almost entirely covered in glow in the dark stars and then stare into the camera (i wish every day that my roof was like the roof of the healthy harold van, i still have fucking dreams of that beautiful ceiling)

If you could own any non-traditional pet (dogs, cats, fish, rodents, etc), what would it be? non traditional? id want a lizard that could curl round my shoulders like a leathery scarf

Do you have more art on your walls or more photographs? i dont have any photos on my wall so art by default

You have to get one meme tattooed on your body, what meme is it and where does it go? i just want the pensive emoji tattooed in the small of my back so if i wear a crop top everyone has to suffer with me

Pick a superhero sidekick to hang out with fuck superheroes they suck, can i hang out with jason todd red hood style

Lakes, rivers, or oceans? oceans, i want to go to the beach so fucking bad

Favorite mid-2000s song i dont really have a Big Favorite but like..... i constantly thank god for esteban

How do you dress when you’re home alone? ive been in the same sweatpants and old paint shirt i got from my painting and decorating course for three days

Where do you sit in the living room (we all have a preferred spot, and you know it)? armchair closest to the kitchen, perfect to make a quick escape if dad comes in

Knives or swords? knives, i dont have the upper body strength for swords

A song you didn’t think you’d enjoy but ended up loving? oh uh run away with me by crj, *bwoooooooo buhnuhnuuuuuu buhnuhnuuuuuhhh buhnuhnuuuuhhhhh*

Pick an old-school Disney Channel Original Movie HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL BUT SPECIFICALLY ONLY CERTAIN PARTS FROM EACH OF THEM BC COLLECTIVELY THEY SUCK BUT PARTS OF THEM ARE PERFECT

Are you a “Quote that relates to the photos” caption-er, an “explanation of where I took the photos” caption-er, or a no caption kinda person when you post pictures online? no caption i dont want people to really acknowledge that i post things

Name a classic Vine https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anQds9PQ7CA

What’s the freezer food that you stock up on when you go to the grocery store? hash browns hash browns hash browns ONLY

How do you top your ice cream? god its been so long since ive been able to eat ice cream.... with the reeses peanut butter ice cream shell topping

Do you like Jello? jelly is the pinnacle of our society and i wish i were eating it right now

What’s something that you don’t have a picture of that you wish you did? i wish i had a picture of myself and my partner so i could set it as my phone lock screen (that or i wish i had a picture of me and a friend i really dearly miss bc i have pics of her in my phone but not of us together and i want some but i cant bring myself to say so)

How are you at climbing trees? theres a tree in my front yard i used to be able to hang off but nowadays i think id hurt myself just trying to lift my nasty meat sack off the ground trying

#long post #christ that took like 3 hours #i dont know things about myself #thanks for asking though #Anonymous

[millicent231-watt]

(Free! Scenario) Getting A Pet

A/N: Got a request or an idea? Leave it below in the comments!

Haru

"Y/N." I hear Haru say. I turn and smile. "Yeah? What is it Haru?" I ask and he sits next to me on the couch. "I want a pet." He says and I smile. "Yeah! We could get a dog, or a cat or-" "I want to get a fish." He says and I sigh. "Haru, don't you want something more exciting? Something you can play and interact with?" I ask and he shakes his head. "It's too much work." He says and I sigh. "Alright, a fish it is then."

As we enter the pet shop, I gasp as I see a sign that I hoped Haru didn't see. A sign saying they now sold turtles in store. "Haru, I've got a great idea!" I say before grabbing his hand and pulling him to the turtles. "How about a turtle? They swim like a fish does, but you can also interact with them!" I say and he places a finger on his chin, kneeling down to get eye level with the baby turtle. "Hmm, okay." He says and I gasp before jumping up and down excitedly. "Yes!"

Makoto

"Mako! Let's get a kitty!" I say as I hold onto his arm. "What? Why all of a sudden?" He asks and I shrug. "I don't know, you take good care if the stray cats so I thought it would be a good idea." I say and he sighs. "A cat is a lot of work." He tells me and I pout, giving my best puppy dog eyes. "Pleeeease?" I ask and he sighs before ruffling my hair. "Alright, but I'm not looking after it all by myself." I smile and shake my head. "You won't! I'll help you cause I love you!" I say before hugging him tightly.

Time Skip

"Aw, look at this one Mako!" I say as I pick up a little brown and white kitten. "You like that one?" He asks and I nod. "Alright. Let's get her." He says with a smile before we buy the kitten and take her home, thinking of a name on the way. "This is your new home Aiko!" I say to the kitten, who just mewls in response.

Nagisa

"Y/N-chan! Why can't we get a pet?" Nagisa asks me and I sigh. "For the last time Nagisa, you wouldn't look after it enough, then it'll become my pet, not ours." I say, finishing off the magazine I was reading. "But I promise I will!" I sigh again and stand up. "You know what? Fine, but I'm choosing it. You stay here." I say grabbing my things and making my way out onto the street. I see a street vendor and smile, asking if he stocked a specific item, or if he knew where I could get one. He tells me another shop name and I thank him before walking there.

Time Skip

I smile proudly at myself as I look down at the itty bitty pet in my hands. "This'll show him." I say, hiding it behind my back as I knock on the door. "I'll get it!" Nagisa yells before pounding footsteps thundered out from the house. The door swung open and I smile. "Y/N-chan! What pet did you choose?" He asks after leading me to his room. "Something you'll love." I say with a smirk. He gasps and puts his hands out, closing his eyes and looking away. I place the pet on his hand and try to hold in my laughter. "Huh? This doesn't feel like an animal." He says and I smile. "If you can't guess, open your eyes." I say with a sly smile on my face, waiting for his reaction. I see him peek out the corner of his eye before pouting. "This is not what I meant by a pet!" He complains and I laugh. "What? A Tamagotchi is a great way to begin owning pets. Maybe next we could get a pet rock!" I stutter out before bursting into tears of laughter. "It's not funny Y/N-chan! I was really excited!" I sigh and hug him. "I know, sorry. I just don't know if we're ready for the responsibility of owning a pet. Maybe another time." I say and he sighs, starting up his 'pet'. Let's just say he spent more time with his 'pet' than with me on our sleepover that night.

Rei

"How about a parrot then?" I ask Rei as we discussed the idea of a pet. "No, too much mess and too much hassle." I sigh and lay my head on the table. "We've exhausted every other option Re-" I gasp and sit up. "How about a lizard?" I ask happily before he places his finger on his chin. "Well, they are relatively small and they wouldn't get food all over my room. Alright, a lizard it is then." He says with a smile and I cheer before hugging him tightly. "Can we get a chameleon?" I ask and he chuckles before rubbing my back. "Sure." He says softly before kissing the top of my head. I giggle and kiss his cheek. "Thank you!"

Rin

"How about this one?" I ask Rin as we walked through the pound, trying to find a nice dog we both liked, which wasn't an easy task. I wanted something small and cute while Rin wanted something huge and menacing. "Nah, too small. What about him?" He asks pointing to a Doberman. "Rin, no!" I whine and he sighs. "Alright, alright. Even middle here, how about her?" He asks pointing to a kelpie cross. "Hm, she is cute..." I say as she begins licking my hands in excitement. "And she's cool. She's perfect, babe." Rin says and I smile. "I love her. Let's get her." I say before we tell the owner which one we wanted. "You two chose a good one. She's really friendly, especially with couples and family who have kids." He says and I smile at Rin, who winks back before putting her collar on. "Come on girl, time to go home." I say after paying the man. "What're we gonna call her?" I ask as she curled up in my lap once we got home.

Souske

"Hey, Sou?" I ask and he pauses the movie we were watching, Happy Feet. "Yeah, babe?" He answers, putting his arm around my shoulders. "Do you think we could get a bird?" I ask and he chuckles. "We can't get a penguin Y/N." He says and I pout. "Next best thing then?" I ask and he raises an eyebrow. "And what would that be?" he asks and I smile. "A pair of lovebirds." I say and he smiles. "Sure, why not?" He says and I gasp. "Really?!" I ask and he shrugs. "I mean people already call us lovebirds, so why not?" He says and I giggle and hug him tightly. "Thank you sooooo much!" I say before jumping up and grabbing my purse. "C'mon! Let's go pick some!" I say, grabbing his hand and pulling him up. "Alright, alright." He laughs.

Time Skip

"How about these two!" I say happily. I had found the perfect pair. One had a teal colour face and tail, while the other had a(n) (eye colour) face and tail. "Hm, not a bad pick Y/N." He says before calling the man over and asking him to hold the birds for us while we take all the essentials home. "We'll come back in a few minutes to pick them up, we just need to set up the cage and everything." Souske say and the man nods. "Of course, of course!" He says and I smile happily as Souske pays for everything. "I feel bad for letting you pay for it all." I say as we carry our stuff out to the car. "Don't sweat it, babe. It's all for you, so I don't mind." He says, making me blush. "Now, let's go get everything set up so we can welcome our two babies to their new home." He says, making me nod and giggle.

#free! #free! iwatobi swim club #free! eternal summer #haruka nanase #makoto tachibana #nagisa hazuki #rei ryugazaki #rin matsuoka #sousuke yamazaki #x reader #reader insert

[weaselle]

THIS IS WHAT BOILS AWAY INSIDE ME EVERY MINUTE, MAKING THE TEDIUM OF EVERYDAY LIFE AN UNBEARABLE TRAP - THIS IS WHY I CAN NEVER STAY AT A JOB OR DECIDE ON A CAREER. EVERYTHING THAT IS NOT THESE THINGS IS BORING AND FRUSTRATING ________________________________________________

I have researched and want to write pre-historical fiction exploring my personal theories about early human development, which are wild but entirely possible within the total evidence we have available. I’ve done probably tens of thousands of words in notes on it over the years; finished, it would probably be at least a trilogy in length.

_________________________________________________

I have written some songs, and I want to get a couple of friends with a good voices to sing them, and then get some musician friends to write/play music for them on analogue instruments, pair that with the singing as whole songs that they perform live somewhere, then record and give those songs to some other friends to make like, an electro-funk remix album of it, and then get some DJ’s I know to spin that shit at a party, take footage of the whole process featuring the live band performance and the party DJ's strongly, ask some dancing/choreographing people I know to create a couple of kick-ass matching dance routines featuring all the people who worked on the project, reach out to some video and animation folks, and make a small series of music videos out of the whole dang thing.

_________________________________________________

I want to change how we experience death by creating a personal website for individuals featuring a kind of A.I. social media bot that users set up and activate which will, upon their death, continue to like and reblog things based on patterns of preference in their posts while alive. These bot/A.I.s would be able to be interfaced with, so, after I died, someone could get to know me - they could ask AfterKie “what movies and TV shows did you like?” and if I had set it up with access to my netflix/hulu/youtube info, AfterKie could tell you which movies and TV shows I rated highly, which ones I watched more than once, read you any positive reviews about them, read you my tweet “idc what anyone says, Ghostbusters is the best movie there has ever been” etc. And the reposting algorithms would A: let me reach out from the beyond to remind people “oh, true, Kie probably WOULD have like that tweet about caterpillars” and B: even if they were not perfect the reposting algorithms would allow for an approximate continuation and growth, so that I could even be seen as developing new interests after my death “Have you heard from Kie lately? He’s gotten super into Swedish architecture ever since he died, it’s like, most of what he talks about now”. I could map my face onto an avatar and use some voice matching software and put myself on a screen on my grave stone that would be linked, so you could literally walk around a graveyard getting to know the people who were buried there, asking them questions about their life. ________________________________________________

I want to build a Pet Mech, a small robot that could be controlled by small pets walking on a rollerball surface housed in the floor of the “head” with a sleeping/snacking den in the “body”. So your rat or guinea pig or ferret or lizard wakes up, climbs up into the control room, the floor of which is the direction pad. Which ever way the pet walks, the robot goes. Your pet is a little closer to your face, safe from the cat, won’t get lost under the couch, and can move around with you and to the extent of it’s capabilities be a social participant in the family it belongs to. ____________________________________________________

I want to sell puppies that owners will come visit in my facility for the first couple months, then take them home one weekend a month, then two, then three, then every weekend, then by the time they are a year old the dog lives with it’s person/people but continues to spend one weekend a month at the facility for an additional year. The facility would provide full socialization and training. A lot of dogs wind up in shelters because in one way or another their owners do not know how to teach them to be a functioning member of the household/society. Just the other day, I heard a lady talking about getting rid of her two year old dog, because "he's getting on my damn nerves, I don't know what to do with him" which A: it is our responsibility to teach dogs how to be an acceptable fit in our households, and B: having never been taught that in his formative years, this dog will have more trouble learning it from even someone who knows exactly how to do that. Modern Americans typically lack the resources and/or proper knowledge to accomplish what could best be done for them by trained professionals who went to collage to study animal behavior and development etc. This way, the dog would have a realistic chance of being a good fit for the owner, and the owner would have clear methods of achieving behavior they require, as well as having access to a support facility for boarding, exercising, trouble shooting problem behavior, etc. At first, it would be very expensive, and I would look into a pairing program, where every dog purchased and trained would pay for an additional dog to be available for families with lower incomes. Additionally, you could defray the cost by predetermining your dog to be trained and available for dog-jobs for hire from the facility as adult dogs, to pay for their early care and training; jobs such as visiting senior homes or hospitals, sniffing things in labs (like tumors) finding lost people, working with livestock at high school Agg programs, etc... so a few days a month until they paid for themselves, these dogs would have jobs, which is fulfilling for many dogs and would help a family afford one of these canines. As facilities expanded, costs would go down, and the facilities would make great shelter alternatives, eventually allowing kill shelters to be closed and possibly getting access to shelter subsidies. Then, as more and more dogs were properly trained and socialized, and more and more families with dogs had access to support services, less and less dogs would be given up, further reducing both the need for shelters, and the number of dogs euthanized each year. __________________________________________________

I have a plan that might allow minimum wage workers to build equity and become property owners while having more free time, in a communities designed as entrepreneurial incubators that allow small businesses to develop in extremely low-risk environments. I’m pretty excited about that one. __________________________________________________

I want to start a store that focuses on local sourcing, and competes with stores like Target and Walmart. This store features a permanent farmers market, a suplimentary onsite greenhouse and nursery, and a large industrial kitchen attached to a small bistro and bakery. The greenhouse and nursery would focus on any produce not represented by local growers. The unsold produce from the farmers market would be given to the store as a substantial portion of the farmstand rental fee, keeping the cost low for the farmers and letting them get value out of produce the public doesn’t buy, and the bistro would sell food made from it. Additionally the industrial kitchen would process the remainder into things like mustard, tater tots, microwaveable chicken pot pies, frozen breakfast burritos, bbq sauce, etc. Instead of buying new tools from the tool section, there would be a large tool library, and a 3-D printer for printing high density ceramic tools in case a specific kind is not available. The ceramic would break down faster than tools of other materials, but since it’s loaned and not purchased, that is fine, especially as the ceramic material can be broken down and re-printed into new tools. Instead of Hallmark and Harlequin novels and Homemaker magazines... cards, poetry chapbooks, works of fiction and independent publications all from local authors. Instead of new toys, franken-toys made out of second hand toys, with a build your own franken-toy workshop open to the public and staffed with someone to assist children. Instead of an electronics department, a repair shop that also offers lessons in electronic repair, and a workshop and tools for public use. Instead of clothes made in overseas sweatshops, a fabric and second hand clothing store staffed with local tailors and would-be clothing designers, doing repairs and adjustments on the second-hand clothes and using them with the fabric to create whole new pieces of clothing. Our offer to the public: bring in any item of women’s clothing from anywhere, and we will add two functioning pockets for free. It would be a club, like Costco, with a small monthly fee that would help cover things like the workshop tool use, as well as encourage regular patronage. __________________________________________________

I want a genetically modified cactus or succulent that glows from bio-luminescence, to use as a night light in the bedroom or bathroom. I don’t know how to make this happen, but I keep looking into it, because MAN do I want this to happen. ___________________________________________________

Instead of people going to big sales, I want to throw a Black Friday make-your-presents party, where instructors and materials are provided for DIY christmas present projects. Tickets are sold in advance, are specific to the project (functioning as a sign-up) and the ticket price covers your materials (costs are averaged so ticket prices are all the same). The idea is, you show up for a party, head to your project space, get taught how to make the thing, and you make like, ten of them in two hours. Then you spend another couple hours eating, drinking, and trading gifts with people from the other projects, giving you a selection of about ten different gifts. ____________________________________________________

I want to make a computer-assisted table top RPG that keeps track of all the numbers and equations character movement speed and position on maps, so you can focus on the role-playing aspect (you still roll dice, but on a mat with sensors that track the result and apply your bonuses etc) ___________________________________________________

I want to do all this and so much more. I have some really cool alien fiction ideas - not the stories, but the aliens themselves, designed the right way, by creating a set of planetary conditions and then hypothesizing lifeforms likely to evolve therein... I have some energy creation process designs that utilize combinations of natural forces (like gravity/solar/tidal plants, that use all three things in a unified power production technique) which I’d love to look into further. I have a line of small pet housing I’ve sketched out, featuring tunnels connecting small pet environments in each room of the owner’s house.  I have a video game I’ve outlined and done character development for that I’m writing up as an RPG sourcebook...

___________________________________________________ I'm not saying this is genius stuff (I’m also not saying it isn’t tho) I'm just saying pursuing these thoughts is the only thing in life that commands my interest.

What I’m super tired of is trying to make my brain do anything but run on at full speed about this kind of thing, because it pretty much refuses to do anything else anyway.

I don't even care if I make any money from any of it, I just want to make it happen. ... I mean, money would be nice too, of course.

So, anyway, now if I die in my sleep at least this much of any of it is out in the world in some form. Meanwhile, I’m just a few days away from going live with the website I’ve put together to showcase my progress on this stuff and help find funding for development. A central location all of it can live and get updated. I should probably get back to working on that, actually

[lucianhuntress]

I have an another idea ❤ reader introduces her pets to chocobros ( I have three chinchillas, two degus and soon I'll have a crested gecko 😅) *hugs her big and fat chinchilla*

Meeting Your Pets HCs / Chocobros + Ravus

I’m sorry that this took a bit longer to write. Mostly because I had so much to do for the past few days.

However, I managed to do this and I really hope this is something you like, even though I didn’t only use the specific animals mentioned in the ask. I love a great deal of animals. (Also I have a cat.)

I thank @singlebecauseofthechocobros​ for giving me the idea to write this as HCs, it helped a lot tbh. And @glaive-eve​ for the idea of adding Ravus into this. 

Anyways, hopefully you find this amusing and pleasing!

Warnings: SFW

Noctis

Noctis knew that you have a dog, but he hadn’t met it in person before.

So when you suggest for Noctis to meet up with the panting furball, he doesn’t decline.

He can’t decline.

Even if the prince sometimes appears to be lazy, worry not.

He really does love animals and playing around with them.

“What does your dog love to do? Frisbee? Tug-of-war?”

So when he comes over to your apartment, he was already prepared to get the greeting of a lifetime.

He plays with your dog for a moment that feels more like an hour or two.

Maybe you even feel a bit jealous over your own dog, when Noctis seems to have so much fun with your best friend.

Fortunately your dog gets exhausted eventually and you get to have the prince to yourself.

Or so you thought, when the dog makes its last exhausted attempt to clean up Nocts’ face!

Noctis squirms and shrieks and you feel like you are dying from laughter.

It takes a moment to get your dog to calm down again.

“The only one who is allowed to lick these lips is Y/N!” Noctis huffs and glances at you with rose-pink cheeks.

The three of you spend the evening happily, cuddling on your couch — the dog more closer  than needed. 

Ignis

When you told him that you have a pet, he was slightly surprised, maybe even a tad frightened.

His first thoughts were: does it shed much? Does it destroy furniture?

Ignis likes to keep his (and Noctis’s) apartment clean, so naturally he worries about yours too.

And he worries about his fine-looking clothes.

He didn’t issue about the thoughts his calculating mind went through back then, but when you two are nearing your apartment he can’t stop feeling nervous about it.

“What kind of pet is it?”

Once in your apartment, he sees no sign of any animal anywhere.

“Maybe it’s a guinea pig? A lizard? A rat?”

Wrong.

Ignis starts to calm down and he took a seat on the couch, while sipping the drink you hand to him generously. Then he felt it.

Someone just brushed against his leg.

Ignis has a brief and well contained freak-out, before he gathers his courage and peeks down on the floor — to find a cat staring at him, meowing softly.

His heart melts instantly and he pushes the need to clean up all that shedded fur aside.

Cats are actually quite nice.

You lift the cat onto your lap and Ignis moves his hand to give the kitty a gentle pat.

The cat doesn’t like the idea of being petted so early.

So Ignis ends up with a scratch wound on his hand.

Fortunately you are there to give him first-aid. You disinfect the wound and wrap a bandage over it, while the cat purrs somewhere behind you.

The cat is obviously pleased by the situation — Ignis is not.

But Ignis won’t give up with befriending with the cat. The cat can be tamed. Just like you. 

Gladiolus

Gladio has been eagerly waiting for the moment to come over to your place.

He has just been gentlemanly silent about it.

So when he heard that you have pets at your place, he just gave a shrug and a smile.

“As if that would stop me from seeing you.”

He has nothing against pets and thinks that they are actually kind of cute.

Especially when he imagines you holding all those chinchillas in your arms.

When it’s time for him to come for a visit, he walks in with confidence.

He is actually quite surprised to find out that your chinchillas are still asleep.

So he has to admire their shiny and silky coat from the outside of the cage.

You two decide to do something to pass the time, while the chinchillas sleep.

Later that evening, the chinchillas start waking up and Gladio walks over to greet the tiny creatures eagerly.

The chinchillas peek at the tall man very, very, very cautiously.

You hand him one, the most brave one, to be held in arms.

“Wow, they’re so tiny and soft!”

He is really impressed by the small, fluffy creature.

The feeling must be mutual as the chinchilla seems to be happily observing the new scent underneath it.

“Almost as tiny as you are,” Gladio smirks and gives you a peck on the lips as he places the chinchilla back to its cage.

Prompto

“You have pets?! Really?!”

It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anymore, that Prompto loves animals.

He wants to see all the animals you have, the more the merrier, right?

So he literally enters the heaven as he takes the first step into your apartment.

Prompto wants to see them all straight away!

You lead him to meet all the more or less furry animals.

“Oh, they are so cute!” he shrieks as his eyes find your two degus munching at their dinner, their small whiskers vibrating as they chew.

He wrinkles his nose at the fluff balls and continues to the next stop.

“A lizard? Woah, it looks kinda scary!”

He doesn’t seem that frightened by the judging stare the lizard gives him.

“It’s really scary, okay?”

The lizard is definitely an interesting one.

A few budgies chirp happily in their cage and so Prompto dashes onto the next stop.

“They make so pretty sounds! Oh, look! That one is plucking its feathers!”

Prompto will spend the rest of the day admiring your pets, if you let him.

He is like a small kid in a pet store.

Once the day slowly turns into night, more pets crawl out from hiding.

“A hedgehog? Really?”

He even helps you feeding all the pets.

“So can I have a reward now? After helping you with these?” he suddenly asks with a blush adorning his freckled cheeks. You nod and he shamelessly pulls you into a kiss, while his other hand is feeding the hedgehog.

Ravus

Ravus isn’t the one to be bothered about pets.

In fact, he treats your pet almost as if it didn’t exist.

His eyes however, follow your albino rabbit’s movements cautiously as it hops and sniffs the couch you both are sitting on.

It observes Ravus carefully.

Ravus observes it too.

It’s a staring competition, that makes you feel unsure about the situation.

Minutes pass, and Ravus is still acting quite stiff around the rabbit.

You want to tell him, that it’s just a rabbit, but the staring competition keeps you speechless.

The bunny decides to act and it hops onto Ravus’s lap.

He is mentally shrieking.

You try to bite back your fit of giggles by holding your palm over your mouth.

“Take it away!” he hisses and you do as he asks.

The rabbit is back on the couch and you can see how nervous Ravus is now.

After a moment, that is in fact something like an hour, Ravus moves.

He moves his hand to slowly pet the rabbit and you can see his eyes widen from surprise.

Probably because he thought that he’d get bitten.

“I think Luna would be pleased to have one of these.”

You smile at him as you see how his steeled expression has melted into one of the most soft looks ever.

The rabbit seems to enjoy the light and unsure pats Ravus gives him every 15 minutes.

And you giggle inwardly at the bromance Ravus had managed to forge with the albino bunny.

“Don’t you dare say anything, or I’ll pet you too!” his grunts with mildly blushed cheeks and he avoids staring at you directly. 

#ffxv fanfiction #ffxv imagines #ffxv headcanons #ffxv scenarios #noctis lucis caelum #ignis scientia #gladiolus amicitia #prompto argentum #ravus nox fleuret #noctis x reader #ignis x reader #gladio x reader #prompto x reader #ravus x reader #ffxv #final fantasy xv #final fantasy 15 #ffxv pets

[thewriterinprogressblog-blog]

Sick Day Part 2

Janice raced out of bed and ran to the couch. Penelope was screaming. She was sitting straight up.

"Hey!" Janice said, wrapping her in a hug, "It's okay. It was just a dream."

Penelope sobbed in Janice's arms. Janice patted her on the back.

"That's it. Let it all out."

After a while, her sobs subsided. Janice let go of the sick girl.

"Can you tell me what happened in the dream that made you so upset?"

"I don't know exactly. I was in a tight space and I couldn't get free no matter how hard I tried. It was really hot there."

Janice felt Penelope's forehead.

"You're really hot."

"Thank you."

"I mean your temperature is high. I'm going to go get a thermometer to see how high it actually is."

She left and came back with a thermometer.

"Keep this under your tongue."

The thermometer beeped after a few seconds. Janice looked at it.

"101 degrees," She read.

"That's not dangerous, but still it's nothing to sneeze at."

She laughed.

"Get it? Nothing to sneeze at?"

"Yes, I get it."

Janice left the room and got some books.

"Which one do you want to read?" She asked.

"Let me have a look," Penelope said.

Janice handed over the books and Penelope examined them.

"I want this one," She picked out one with a blue cover.

"The Blacksmith and His Turtle? You've read that one a hundred times."

"I want to read it again."

"Alright."

Janice left the room so Penelope could read in peace. She went into her room and lay down on her bed. She thought about what Penelope had told her two nights ago. She couldn't believe that her best friend and roommate kept this hidden from her for so long. She didn't reciprocate these feelings, but she could probably fall in love with her, given the right circumstances. She wasn't sure if she was gay or not. She'd always been attracted to boys, but there was the occasional girl for whom she'd had the thought, "I bet she's a great kisser." She was still confused about her sexuality. She loved her friend, but as a friend. The thought had never crossed her mind that Penelope could ever become a significant other. She got a brilliant idea. She would do an experiment. She would go on 10 dates with Penelope if she agreed to it. They would go to a different place every time and they would each make a list of things they wanted to ask the other person. It sounded like a good idea, so Janice went out to pitch her idea to Penelope.

"Hey, Penelope," She sat down next to the couch, "I have a proposition for you."

"Okay. Let's hear it."

She explained her idea.

"Sounds like a good plan. What happens at the end of the ten dates?"

"If I develop feelings for you, we'll start to go out as a couple. That is if you're willing."

"Of course, I'm willing! But I thought you had a thing for Max?"

"Not anymore."

"Oh, okay."

"Are you feeling any better?"

"A little. Could you check my temperature again?"

Janice took out the thermometer and checked Penelope's temperature.

"98.6. It's back to normal again."

"Oh, good."

Janice left the room and got out her notebook. She wrote down her plans for the ten dates. On the first date, they would go to Penelope's favorite restaurant. On the second date, they would go to Janice's favorite restaurant. She didn't have the rest of the dates planned out yet. She wrote down some questions she could ask Penelope on the first date. She went back into the room where Penelope was.

"Are you enjoying your book?" She asked.

"Yes, I am," Penelope replied.

"When do you think our first date should be?"

"How about tomorrow? We don't have anything going on and I should be completely better by then."

"Okay. Tomorrow at seven."

"Sounds good."

"Do you want to do something else today?"

"Let's watch another movie."

They got out another movie and watched it. It was a long movie, so it was late when it was over.

"I'm going to bed," Janice said, stretching.

"Me too," Penelope replied.

They went to bed. Janice lay awake thinking about the date the next day. Would it go well? Would she fall in love with Penelope? As she dwelt on these things, she fell asleep. She woke up in the morning feeling rejuvenated. She got dressed and went out of her room. She found Penelope sitting on the couch.

"How are you feeling?" Janice asked.

"Much better, thank you," Penelope replied, "Sit down, I want to talk with you."

Janice sat down on the couch next to Penelope.

"What's up?"

"What do you think I should wear for tonight?"

"Your dress with the music notes on it."

"Okay. I think you should wear the blue and black one. It looks gorgeous on you."

Janice blushed.

"You really think so?"

"Yep. Ever since I saw you in it at Sarah's party, I knew I wanted to see you in it again."

"I can barely remember Sarah's party."

"I can remember it vividly."

"Okay."

They sat in silence for a little while. Penelope got up.

"I have to finish my paper," She told Janice, "It's due on Monday."

"Okay," Janice replied, "I've got to go out and get something."

"I swear if you try to bring another animal in here..."

"I won't. I promise."

"Okay, then. See you later."

Janice left the apartment and went into the elevator. She pressed the button for the first floor and the elevator proceeded down. On the third floor, the elevator doors opened. A young man came into the elevator. He saw that the button for the first floor had already been pressed.

"Hey," He said.

"Hey," Janice replied.

The elevator dinged as they arrived on the first floor. They both got out and headed towards the doors.

"Where are you off to?" He asked.

"Certainly not to get any animals," Janice replied without thinking.

He laughed.

"I see."

Janice blushed and hurried out the doors. The man followed her.

"Wait!" He called, "I didn't mean to embarrass you."

"Don't worry. You didn't. Me and my big mouth did."

He chuckled.

"Where are you going specifically?"

"I'm going to the mall," She replied, "I need some new shoes."

"What a coincidence!" He exclaimed, "That's where I'm headed."

She glanced at him.

"You sure you're not going to school?"

"Why would I be going to school?"

"Because you have a huge backpack on."

"Oh. So I do."

"Why are you going to the mall with an enormous backpack on?"

"Well, to tell you the truth, I'm was only going to the mall because you said you were going."

"Oh."

They walked in silence for a little while. Why would he want to go to the mall just because she was there? She wondered. He almost definitely was going to school. Why would he want to skip school just to follow some girl he had never met? When they got to the mall, Janice asked, "Which school do you go to?"

"Longview Community College."

"That's the same school I go to!"

"Really?"

"Yes."

"That's so cool that we live in the same building and we go to the same school."

"It is really cool."

They went in the mall and walked to the shoe store.

"So, you're coming to the mall because you saw that I was going?" Janice asked.

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"Because you're really beautiful and I wanted to see if I could get your number."

"Really?"

"Yes."

Janice thought about it. If she gave him her number, he would probably call her. He would probably want to go on a date with her.

"I'm sorry," She replied, "If your goal is to ask me out for a date, I can't. I already have a date for tonight."

"Oh," He replied, clearly disappointed, "Okay."

"Besides, I don't even know your name."

"It's Julian. What's yours?"

"Janice."

"Nice to meet you, Janice."

"Nice to meet you, Julian."

They arrived at the shoe store.

"See you later," Janice said.

"Seen you later."

She went into the shoe store. She needed new shoes to match her black and blue dress. The shoes she had worn to Sarah's party were probably still at Sarah's house and she didn't want to go all the way there to get them back. She looked through the store for a little while. After a while, she found the perfect shoes. They were blue flats with just a bit of black on the tips. She looked at the price. They weren't that expensive. She tried them on and found they were perfect. She took them to the desk and bought them.

"Have a nice day," The clerk told her.

"You too," She replied, leaving the store.

She was going to go back home, but she passed by a pet store and she had to go in. There were birds and fish and lizards. She looked around until she saw what she was looking for. Cats! She went over to where the cats were. She pet them through the cages they were in. They weren't really cages, but plastic cubbies with holes in them. Janice remembered her roommate's warning. Don't bring any animals home. She decided to leave the store before she accidentally bought a cat. She went back home. She went into her room and got out a book.She began to read it. It was a long book and by the time she was done, it was almost seven. Penelope came in.

"Hey Janice," She said, 'Are you ready?"

"I need to get dressed," Janice replied.

Penelope left the room and Janice got dressed. She put on the black and blue dress and put on her black and blue shoes. She looked in the mirror.

"I look pretty," She said.

"Yes, you do," Penelope said, coming up behind her.

Janice jumped.

"Penny!" She exclaimed, "Don't scare me like that."

"Sorry," Penelope replied, "You just look so beautiful."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

They stared at each other for a minute. Janice checked her watch.

"It's time to go."

"Where exactly are we going?"

"You'll see."

They left the apartment and they got into Janice's car. Janice drove to Penelope's favorite restaurant.

"We're going to eat here?" Penelope asked, "I love this place."

Janice smiled.

"I know you do. That's why I chose it."

"Awesome!"

They went into the restaurant.

"Party of two?" The hostess asked.

"Yes," They replied at the same time.

They giggled. They followed the hostess to their table. They sat down. Janice opened a menu.

"So, what looks good?" She asked.

"Hmm," Penelope thought for a second, "The lobster looks pretty good."

"Yes, it does."

They sat and looked at the menus for a little while.

"I think I know what I want to get," Janice said, closing her menu.

"Me too," Penelope replied.

The waitress came.

"What can I get for you?"

They told her what they wanted.

"Okay. It'll be out soon."

They sat there for a moment.

"I'll ask one of my questions now," Penelope said, pulling out a piece of paper.

"Okay," Janice replied.

"Before making a telephone call, do you ever rehearse what you are going to say?"

"Yes, I do, sometimes."

"Why?"

"Because I don't want to get it wrong."

"Okay, cool."

"Now, I'll ask a question," Janice said, taking out her list of questions, "When did you last sing to yourself?"

"In the shower this morning."

"When was the last time you sang to someone else?"

"The last time I sang to someone else was when you were asleep on the couch."

"You sang to me?"

"Yes."

"Aww! That's so sweet."

Penelope blushed.

"Can we move on to another question?" She asked.

"Sure."

They continued to ask each other questions until their food came. The waitress brought their food and they began to eat.

"This is really good," Janice said with her mouth full.

"Don't talk with your mouth full," Penelope replied.

"You're not my mom!"

Penelope sighed.

"I know. You would listen to me if I was your mom."

They ate in silence for a little while.

"Can I try a bite of yours?" Janice asked.

"Sure."

Penelope took a forkful of her lobster and stuck it in Janice's mouth.

"Yum!"

"Glad you like it."

When they were done, the waitress brought their check and they went home.

"Thank you for the date," Penelope said when they entered the apartment.

"You're welcome."

They sat down on the couch.

"Do you want to do anything else?" Janice asked.

"No thanks," Penelope replied, getting up and stretching, "I'm going to bed."

"Okay. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Penelope went to bed and Janice stayed on the couch. The date had gone well and she'd learned some things about Penelope. Things like what would be a perfect day for her, if she could change the way she was raised, and what she felt most grateful for. Janice had found these questions online. They were supposed to make you fall in love with someone. She hadn't fallen in love with Penelope, but this was a start. She went to bed and promptly fell asleep.

#writerscreed #my writing #sick #love

[m0onbean]

Dreamin’ Chapter 3

category: fluff, angst

pairing: choi youngjae (got7) X reader

summary: a cold hearted youngjae needs some love in his life

note: i’m stretching chapters out looooong and finally getting back up on my feet to start writing!!!

“(Y/N).”

You jolted awake from your slumber and your eyelids slowly lifted up. After your vision focused for a couple seconds, a low ceiling appeared in front of your face and you soon realized that you had fallen asleep in a car. A nice car, must you add.

“(Y/N), wake up.” the same voice repeated your name in an impatient manner. When your eyes flickered over to the location of the sound, you were met with a Youngjae who was holding open the car door nearest to your head from outside. One hand was shoved in his navy suit’s pocket and the other was leaning against the widened door which was leaking in cool air and the smell of musty rain. His hair was lazily tossed to one side and his suit was wrinkled up.

Slowly, you sat up straight and rubbed your eyes sleepily. Youngjae watched you and sighed to himself. “You can leave now.”

When you looked out the door behind his figure you saw that he had parked in front of a street sign that read “Olive St.” However, he was parked in front of another house which you did not recognize.

“That’s not my house.”

“We’re at your street though.”

“But that’s not my house.” you repeated.

Youngjae groaned and ruffled his hair in exasperation, “Look, I don’t give a flying fuck. I’m dropping you off at your street, so go walk home from here.”

“But this street is really long and I don’t even recognize this house! How am I supposed to get home if I don’t know where I am?” you protested in disbelief.

“Google Maps,” Youngjae simply replied.

“I don’t have a phone.”

“God, you’re such a nuisance. Don’t you think you’re asking for a little too much?” Youngjae asked in a condescending tone. “Just be grateful I didn’t kick you out of the car while we were still in the middle of nowhere.”

Before you could retaliate, Youngjae gripped you by your wrist and dragged you out of your seat and straight outside onto the sidewalk blanketed with scattered puddles. You stumbled back clumsily as your shoes dug into the mini flood which damped your sneakers.

By the time you balanced yourself and was about to vocally express your hatred towards Youngjae, you were cut off by the sound of the driver seat slamming shut and an engine revving off into the foggy night with a trail of thick smoke pushing behind it.

At the lack of Youngjae’s presence, you were now struck with the realization that you were lost in the dark streets with rain sprinkling you for what seemed like the hundredth time today. The houses to your left and right didn’t look familiar at all and to add a cherry on top, you were freezing. Your arms instinctively wrapped around your body as you trudged along the sidewalk, not knowing where to go.

As you ventured around, you actually found enjoyment in strolling in the biting air with nobody else accompanying you. It gave you time to think, which was something you did quite often. You thought about how you have a job now and how you can finally support yourself after years of struggling to maintain even a duty as a simple convenience store worker.

A smile crept on your lips when you started to imagine how you could sabotage Youngjae’s room as his family’s new servant. Maybe you could place a lizard on his probably million dollar worthed pillow, or offer him pink packaged Starbursts that were actually yellow. You shuddered at the latter. That was maybe a little too cruel.

A screeching meow abruptly interrupted your evil thoughts. It startled you, causing you let out a small yelp. When you gazed down to your feet, you were met with piercing green orbs staring into your face. The cat stopped meowing but was now rubbing itself against your legs while  purring sweetly. It had darkly shaded fur which you couldn’t identify the color of since it blended in with the sky.

“Good cat,” you praised but didn’t dare to touch it. “Now please get off me?”

As if to taunt you, the cat only continued to used your legs to scratch its back. You were about to lift your foot to shoo it away until its big furry bottom landed on both your shoes, anchoring you down with its heavy weight.

“What- fuck -why are you so heavy??” you groaned but decided to not kick the cat off your feet out of manners for nature. Maybe it had a long day and needs a rest just like how you did.

So you kneeled down cautiously and reached your hand out to stroke the cat’s furry body. It purred in response which boosted your confidence.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry about that!” a voice called out from behind you which made you swivel your head around to the sound. A man was frantically approaching you in a rush, the rain attacking him on all sides. He was wearing gray sweatpants that sagged a little and a thin white shirt that hugged his body nicely. Two tiny moles were placed over his eyelid which immediately struck you with shock.

“J-Jaebum?” you sputtered while staring at him in utter disbelief. At first he stopped in his tracks, clearly surprised that a random girl in his yard had recognized him. But when his eyes adapted to the darkness, his expression mirrored yours.

“(Y/N)?”

“Jaebum, what are you doing here?!” you asked while quirking your eyebrow. “You told me you lived downtown.”

“I was just staying over for a party...” he mumbled while avoiding eye contact. Jaebum was one of your fellow classmates in highschool that you shared a couple of classes with. He was quiet and composed all of the time which highkey scared you. If somebody bumped into him in the hallways he would just shrug. It seemed like nothing irritated him.

It was until you were put in a group project with him did you realize the man was a freak. A wild freak that loves cats to be specific. Aside from being a chill person to be around, he had a good sense of humor. You were fond of his snarky comments and sarcastic language. Overtime, he became a good friend of yours.

“And you brought your cat to a party?” you narrowed your eyes at the furry loaf whose body was on the brink of sleeping on your now ruined sneakers.

“Who doesn’t love cats?” he asked in a duh tone while reaching his arms out to swipe the cat away from your feet. The minute its plump body lifted its weight off of you, you felt the blood circulation in your feet sighing in relief.

“Dude, what do you feed your cat? It literally looks like a balloon.” you distastefully remarked while massaging your feet.

“She.” Jaebum instantly corrected. “And I feed Snowflake very well mind you.”

You snorted and crossed your arms, “Snowflake? Your cat is literally the opposite of a snowflake. She’s not lightweight or white colored at all.”

“Jeez, why are you so sassy tonight?” He accused while stroking Snowflake’s soft head tenderly. Snowflake was cuddled up into his arms, her head resting on his bicep.

“Long story short, rich douchebag dropped me off here and now I don’t know how to get home.” you sighed and reached your hand over to pet Snowflake as well to relieve some stress.

“You sound stressed. Wanna party with us?”

The moment he mentioned the party, you suddenly noticed the muffled music blasting from the house of the yard you were standing in. Lights were flashing from the exposed window into the sky and you heard deep voices chanting “CHUG CHUG CHUG.”

You scrunched your nose up distastefully, “I’ll pass.”

“C’mon, I can tell you had a rough day. Learn how to relax!” Jaebum insisted with eagerness prominent in his voice. “It’s been a long time since we’ve hung out since summer started.”

“That’s true, but I prefer catching up in a different location... not in your house filled with sweaty guys who haven’t been laid in a month. Besides, I thought parties aren’t your thing?”

“See that’s what I thought, but if you go to a party with the right people, you’ll become drunk on social energy. You don’t even need a single shot to have a good time, I promise.” Jaebum effectively convinced with a puppy-like grin. Was Jaebum, a cat nerd, actually finding parties to be relaxing and enjoyable?

“I just want to go home,” you sighed while rubbing your forehead. “Can you let me borrow your phone for directions? We can hangout next time.”

Jaebum’s face fell at your rejection, “Awww (Y/N)... I can tell you’re frustrated. I promise if you join the party you’ll have a great time. And if you don’t I’ll uh... I’ll buy you clothes or whatever you like.”

You scoffed, “I’m amazed at your persistence. Look I-“

“I’ll take you to an expensive restaurant.”

Your eye twitched. “An... expensive restaurant?”

“Yes! Of your choice of course! ANY restaurant!” Jaebum emphasized “any” in his sentence.

You took a glimpse of the the house which was now shooting rainbow beams out of its windows. “Let’s just get over with this.”

To your surprise, Jaebum was correct. You had a good time, no, you had an AMAZING one. You had suspiciously expected the party to be flooded with drunk and reckless people but there were unexpectedly a large amount of sober ones instead. And the social energy had rubbed off on you just as he had said. Before you knew it, you had met at least ten new people, laughed so hard your ribs ached, watched a horror movie with the whole house crowded in the living room, vented about your day with your new friends listening intently, and sprinted around the neighborhood in the pouring rain while splashing every puddle in sight.

By the time the party had been called over, you were feeling energized as ever. You wanted so badly for it to never end, but unfortunately all good things come to a halt at some point.

Now that most of the guests had bid you farewell and drove off in Ubers back home, only you and Jaebum were left in the now seemingly vacant house. “Woo!” you cheered and flopped onto his couch that was probably littered with potato chips. “I had the time of my life!”

Jaebum chuckled from the kitchen and returned with a glass of water in his hand. He offered it to you which you gratefully accepted and chugged the whole thing down your throat. “I’m telling you, I host the best parties here. No alcohol allowed, and everything turns better.”

You hummed in agreement. “I’ll forgive you for lying about living here since the party was super lit.”

He tensed up, “Oh. Right. Sorry about that. I told you I lived downtown because I didn’t want any of my classmates visiting.”

“And why’s that?” you inquired while giving Snowflake who was nestled in your chest a belly rub.

“If you hadn’t noticed, everybody in our school are jerks who leech off of other people. Had I leaked my address, a thousand of people would have showed up at my door, asking to stay over since their parents kicked them out,” he sourly stated while shaking his head. It was true. Everybody who went to your school were all assholes who were selfish and clearly only cared about popularity.

“Yeah. There’s a handful of jerks living here...” A picture of Youngjae flashed in your mind. All of the anger pent up in you was released like water being freed from a faucet during the party. Now, all was left was a bitter taste swirling on your tongue. “Ugh, I really hate that rich brat.”

Jaebum’s head perked up, “Oh, the guy you’ve been ranting about throughout the whole party?”

You hated to admit it, but you HAD been talking about him all this time. How dare he leave you off on some random street without even an umbrella to shield yourself?

“I have an idea.” Jaebum interrupted your thoughts. “How about we get revenge?”

A small mischievous spark tickled your brain. Revenge sounded delicious. You feigned aloofness by continuing to stroke Snowflake’s belly softly. “I’m listening...” you hummed.

Jaebum proceeded with an evil smile on his lips. “Well I was thinking... you wouldn’t want to go overboard and get yourself fired, correct?” he continued after you nodded your head in agreement, “Instead you should try to irritate him in the smallest ways so he can’t accuse you of such tiny shenanigans easily. For example... you could annoy him by talking to him and asking him a lot of questions, ‘accidentally’ mix up his laundry, you know...”

A small, malicious smirk crept on your face as you considered all of the things you could do to irk Youngjae in the smallest ways. Let’s call this Operation Annoy Youngjae.

Chapter 2

#got7 #got7 scenarios #kpop #got7 fanfiction #got7 fanfics #choi youngjae #youngjae fluff #youngjae angst #got7 imagines #jb #mark #jinyoung #jackson #yugyeom #bambam

[mypetshopworld]

Do you speak Cat...

How to speak to your Cat...

A Simple Guide to decode the Cat language. How many times have you gotten up early in the morning because your cat just woke you up with her soft paw and her loud meow... You get up eventually and start talking to your cat, and of course, she will talk back to you. Do you realise that you speak to your cat and your cat is talking to you? The Question is " Do you speak Cat language."

Believe me, communicating with your cat is an essential part of training your cat ( instead of your cat training you) and reinforcing a bond with your cat. It is possible to teach your cat, simple commands like " No" or "Down". I know what you are thinking now, but training your cat with simple commands makes her a better pet. Use the words like treats, dinner or any other word you use as communication for treats will help your cat associate it with something pleasurable.  Remember not to change the words each time if you decide on specific word commands stick with it. Cats with other cats do not communicate through verbal interaction. Besides the hiss and growling at trespassers. The common sound MEOW Meowing is a language especially developed for humans. What cats are only meowing between each other is usually done between the kittens and the mother.  Kittens with their little meows use it to get the attention of the mother.  Soon as they grow up, the meows stop automatically. Cats reserve their verbal interaction for us humans. As you accurately have figured out by now the cat language is a complex mixture of facial expression, ear position, tail positioning and other forms of body language. Cats also love to mark their territory with scents and sounds to leave a distinct message for a like intruder. Cats are fast learners  Cats are fast learners and understand quickly by observing us on which of their sound cause the human responds to their demands. ( Cats learn quickly which button to push on their human to get the attention) Do you speak Cat? Here it is how ... The Oriental Breeds are very vocal and have an extensive vocabulary. Our Cat her name is Minka she is an oriental Cat, she was a stray... boy when she wants something she is vocal, loud and persistent. If Minka is outside and she comes in through the patio into the house, and she is not able to see one of us either in the kitchen or living room she walks through our home and calls out "HELLO SOMEONE HOME..." First few times we thought we had visitors when we realised it is our cat. On the other side, and they have one yowl - tone for all. Another Stray Cat of ours or we look after is Schmuser, and when he talks to me, his voice is high pitched and so soft like a squeaky voice. It does not matter if your cat is vocal or not, your cat will be fluent in body language and this is a critical component of her interactions with you and other animals. Do you speak cat? Make an effort ... Try and make an effort to tune into the body language and the vocal communication from your cat. It makes the interactions with your cat easier. Learn to understand your cat's voice ... if it is hungry and wants to be fed, or your has hurt herself and told you your cat has pain, tune into your cat's language. What is my Cat saying, learn some vocalisations that are common when someone asks you Do you speak cat?

Cat Toys available in our pet store  The do you speak cat interpretation "Meow" is a word for everything. It depends on the tone high or low, face and body signs on what your cat is saying. Meow: Hey, how are you (a simple greeting) it can be a command ( I want up, I want down, or more food now) A short fast meow: here is your mouse, Our cat, often walks through the house meowing to herself. Multiple meows: happy to see you! Where have you been? Missed you! Medium pitched meows: It is a plea for something, a treat, dinner or just want to be let outside. A long drawn out meooooowwwwwwwww: Normally means she is not happy, you forgot her dinner, or you are late giving her meal, or you forget to greet her, pat her ... it is a complaint and a reminder Low pitch lite growl: Hey watch it, you stepped on my tail, or you fall over me did you not see I am right behind you. Are you blind? Purr:  Cats Purring is usually a sign of contentment.  When a Cat is happy, they sometimes purr even while they eat. Sometimes it is also a protection against predators. When a cat is sick or anxious, this is to comfort themselves .. you can say it is like a child sucking his thumb. Growling, hissing or spitting: Is an indication that the cat is annoyed, angry, aggressive or frightened. In short, the cat is saying leave me alone, or I will bite you. A yowl or howl : (it sounds like a loud drawn out meows) it usually means your cat is somehow in a kind of distress ... you might have locked her in the closet, or she is looking for you and another option your cat is in pain. Go and find your cat if they're making this noise. If your cat is unneutered and unspayed, these sounds are part of the mating behaviour. ( yes and for some very annoying ). In case your cat is an elderly cat, consider that they might be suffering from a cognitive disorder ( dementia) they might howl because they are disorientated.

Find more cat products click here Chattering, chittering or twittering: those are the noises your cat is making when she sits in the window or is outside and is watching birds, squirrels and lizards. There are different opinions around, and some experts think this Chattering, chittering or twittering is an exaggeration of the "killing bite," when your cat grabs their prey by the neck and works her teeth through the bones to snap the neck. Chirps and trills: That is how a mother cat talks to her kittens when she wants them to follow her. If she does this with you, it probably means your cat wants you to follow her. When our cat is doing this means she wants to show us her bowl either she doesn't like the food or she want to have more. On the other hand, if you have more than one cat, you can hear them converse this way quite often. One important thing to understand when you want to speak the cat language is reading into their body language. How your cat speaks with you through the EYES... Full dilated Pupils: Your cat is in a mood to play, and your cat might be excited. When cats play, they are sometimes a bit overexcited and tend to be more aggressive. Pupils constricted: Your cat is offensively aggressive, but possibly content. Pupils dilated largely: nervous or submissive ( not fully dilated) Slowly blinking eyes: Your cat is telling you she loves you, think about like someone is blowing you a kiss. Through the EARS... If the ears of your cat look forward: your cat is alert, interested or happy. If the ears are put backward, flat, sideways ( the ears look like an aeroplane): your cat is not in the best mood irritable, angry or frightened If your Cat is swivelling: your cat is attentive and listening to every little sound Through the Tail ... ( Many Cats in South East Asia have no tail or a stumped tail, our cat Minka her tail is half stumped, and I always wondered what happen that a lot of cats in South East Asia are without tails.)  When the tail of your cat is straight up or with a curl: that shows your cat is happy You see your cat twitching or trashing back and forth the tail:  that means either your cat is excited or agitated. The faster the tail, the angrier the cat. When the tail of your cat vibrates: means your cat is excited to see you. If the Tail fur sticks straight up and the tail curls in an N- shape: Be aware that means extreme aggression When the Tail fur sticks straight up but the tail is held low: means your cat is aggressive or frightened both ways be cautious. When the tail is tucked under the rear and held low: means your cat is afraid, insecure or anxious. If the tail is straight up, quivering: your cat is really happy. In case that your cat has not been spayed or neutered, your cat could be getting ready to spray something. This is a book about how to speak Cat... both books are interesting to read.

 Do you speak Cat? The Body language of a cat ... When the back is arched, and the fur is standing on the end: your cat is frightened or angry. If the back is arched, but the fur is flat: your cat welcomes your touch When your cat is lying on the back and is purring: your cat is very relaxed and happy. If your cat is lying again on the back but is growling: you can guess that your cat is upset and ready to strike.  Cat language Rubbing... You have undoubtedly seen and experienced that your cat rubs its chin and body against you, and many people say this is to say that your cat loves you. Well, this is some thought of right, but the reason why your cat is rubbing against you is they marking you as their territory. Means they say this is mine. If you look and watch your cat, you can see that it rubs the chair, the door, the toys everything in sight. This is a message to everyone that is your cat's territory and their stuff including you. But they do love you dearly. Kneading This is when your cat comes to you and massages you or the blanket this is sometimes called making biscuits. The cat works with the paws on a soft surface as if it kneading the cookie dough. That is a holdover from when they were kittens. When the nursing kitten massaged the mother's teats to make the milk flow. Your cat will do that when it is pleased. The Flehmen response Do you think sometimes your cat sniffs like a dog? Especially when your cat is sniffing your shoes than lifts the head, opens the mouth slightly, curls back the lips and squints the eyes? Your cat is not making a statement how your shoe smells don't misunderstand this, your cat is gathering more information. The sense of smell to cats is so essential that they actually have an extra olfactory organ that only a few animals have. It is called the Jacobs organ. Located on the roof of their mouth behind their front teeth and it is connected to the nasal cavity. If your cat is fascinated about a certain unknown smell, your cat will open the mouth and inhale the scent molecules that they flow over the Jacobson organ. That intensifies the odour and gives your cat more information about the object they are sniffing. Up to now, no one could figure out what the cats do with that information. Cats are mysterious, and that is one of the reasons we love them. So do you speak cat now... take the advice Speaking to your cat shows that the words you say are less important as the way how you tell them together with your body language. When you talk to your cat in the same tone as the commands "down and no"  when you use " good kitty' or " well done here is a treat" than you will confuse your cat as she does not know what you want, the worst thing she misinterprets what you are saying. A fundamental lesson in communication is consistency in the tone and interaction with your cat. When you correct the behaviour of your cat use a firm, authoritative voice and use it in conjunction with your body language. Use that tone consistently for correction your cat's behaviour. For example, you want your cat down from the table, computer  or bench then make a serious face and use your finger or hand to point down, say " down." When you call her for dinner or offering some treats use a happy voice smile and beckon with your hand. My cats have the habit of begging for attention in a rotation when I am on the computer or trying to work and accomplish different tasks. You will need to say in a firm tone "No" and gently push your cat away without showing the affection to your cat. I know it is hard, with the sweat looks on their face ...but if you want to get things done, there is no way around it. Cats and personal space As you are a Cat owner, you know that Cat's do not have much respect for your personal space. Cats are invading the human's own space repeatedly. Don't wonder if you have to repeat the NO-push combination several times before your cat will give up and leave you alone. Don't make this mistake and say "no" to your cat and instead of pushing her away you pet your cat, she will sure interpret this as an act of the welcome sign. Cats will also respond to a sharp spitting or hissing sound as "no" only use it when they do something seriously wrong and need to be stopped. Below is a great book to read more in detail about How to speak Cat...

The bottom line on DO YOU SPEAK CAT is Be consistent and make it a habit use the same voice, facial expressions and hand gestures for essential commands, then your cat will not have problems to understand you what you mean. The better the communication between you and your cat, the better you and your cat will understand each other. Let us know: Do you speak cat? How difficult was it to train your cat or is your cat training you? Do you have tips and tricks how to speak cat?  How do you speak cat? Feel free to comment below So long Melanie More blogs to read: How to be a responsible cat owner Turn your passion about pets  into a business  My cat uses my sofa as a scratch pole Never lose your pet again Cats and losing hairs should I worry? Essential oils for cats and dogs    Read the full article

#CairoRapperMacklemorescat #catfood #cattoys #Doyouspeakcat #Doyouspeakcatlanguage #EDSheeran #KatePerry #KeshaandMr.Peeps #KittyPurry #naturalcatfood #organiccatfood

[seniorbrief]

4 Military Innovations That Will Change the Way We Live

Courtesy Wyss InstituteDARPA’s Warrior Web exoskeleton could help soldiers and civilians carry heavy loads.

To get the upper hand in any scenario, the U.S. military has often relied on the most outlandish innovations the mind can conjure. Stealth technology, bionic limbs, and a little thing called the Internet all started with the military—
specifically, as brainchildren of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the 60-year-old fount of new technology in soldiering. 
RD reviewed the next wave of advances, looking for those destined to spread.

Power Walkers

Spend time speaking with foot soldiers, and you’ll eventually hear about lugging an overstuffed backpack for miles in terrible weather through rough terrain. But the age‑old problem of overburdened troops is deadly serious: An army on the move can be dangerously slowed and weakened by strain injuries or just by soldiers struggling under their loads.

So the minds at DARPA threw down this gauntlet to the scientific community: Build some kind of wearable contraption that would help combatants transport their burdens. It needed to be thin and supple enough to fit under battle uniforms and equipment.

To come up with a solution, Ignacio Galiana, PhD, and his researchers at Harvard’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering immersed themselves in studying a simple act we take for granted: walking. They scrutinized the leg muscles’ perfectly timed bursts of energy to understand how a walker might get a little assist. “What we learned,” says Galiana, “is that small changes in timing—just a few milliseconds—could make a difference between assisting and hindering someone.”

So Galiana and team developed a suit that is essentially a wearable robot: the Warrior Web exoskeleton. Tiny sensors embedded in the fabric take readings every milli­second or so on how the wearer is moving. The data are fed to a computer housed in a fancy fanny pack. Retractable spooling cables extend from the waist pack to the ankles. “When the system senses fatigue, the cable applies pressure to joints that mimics muscle movement, so you spend less energy moving your legs,” the Spanish-born Galiana says. “The system is learning how you’re walking and adapting the timing and parameters to make sure the assistance is maximizing the benefit you get.” The program is in its final stages; prototypes have been delivered to the Department of Defense.

And someday these suits might help civilians too. The Wyss Institute has licensed the technology to a private medical-device company to help stroke victims walk again. The invention could also give a weak or elderly person enough of a boost to power his or her way from the store to the car with a load of groceries. Check out the accidental discoveries that changed the world.

Plants that spy

Eileen Kumpf/ShutterstockScientists are engineering thistles that bloom early if a land mine is nearby.

Imagine an innocuous-looking field of poppies at the outskirts of a hostile foreign capital. Suddenly a surveillance drone zooming in on the field finds that all the flowers are leaning in the same direction. The poppies have been genetically engineered to bend toward the presence of sarin gas, so American analysts strongly suspect that the country is developing a poison-gas program.

Without question, the ability to detect chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive threats is paramount to national security. But … with plants? Who comes up with these ideas? Meet Blake Bextine, PhD, a professor of biology at the University of Texas at Tyler, who heads up the Advanced Plant Technologies (APT) program at DARPA.

“The idea for APT came from conversations I had with the military. One of the needs they talked a lot about was surveillance. Existing sensors had two problems: They were made from costly metals and plastics, and they relied on batteries,” explains Bextine. “Plants get their energy from the sun, of course, and they’re infinitely scalable.”

Bextine is used to the outlandish. In 2014, he starred in the reality TV show Tethered. The concept: Two polar opposites are forced to survive in the wilderness while bound together by a six-foot cable. “I was put with a practicing shaman,” Bextine says. For 
11 days, the pair climbed up and down hills, hiked over mountains and into valleys, jumped off cliffs, ran into waterfalls, and, for the most part, got along. “My way of approaching things was scientific thought; his way was to pray for things.”

Learning to work with others to overcome obstacles was good practice for his time at DARPA. “We don’t fix small problems,” he says. “We’re supposed to be doing the big ideas, future-possibility ideas, so we think a little differently than most people.”

As “different” as plant technology is, its foundation is solid: Plants are highly sensitive to what’s going on around them, making them excellent sentinels. The trick, of course, is to use genetic engineering to create varieties that will exhibit some predictable, detectable change when exposed to a threat. “Plant-modification platforms have really taken off in the last five to ten years,” says Bextine. “Science is at the right time to do this.”

APT is just getting under way, but if it’s successful, Bextine says we may see thistles that bloom two months early because there are land mines in their field. Closer to home, plants could serve as warning systems for virulent strains of flu, while streamside weeds might alert authorities to the presence of toxins in the water.

“A colleague of mine has said that at DARPA, if you don’t produce the next Internet, you get a B. As a program manager, I want to make sure I get an A, and I think APT is a program that has the possibility of doing that.” Don’t miss the most ironic inventions ever created.

Wall-climbing commandos

Courtesy DraperAndy Torbet tests DARPA’s gecko-like rig.

It’s midnight, and a commando team needs to place a sniper on the roof of a glass-walled office building. But the enemy has all the entrances secured, and the element of surprise is crucial. Not to worry: From his pack, the sniper pulls out a lightweight kit, straps some paddles to his hands, and begins scaling the smooth, flat exterior like an exotic lizard. But not just any lizard.

“A couple years ago, my son requested a gecko for his birthday, and I have to say, I am awed by this thing,” program manager David Carter, PhD, told scoutcambridge.com. “It puts any engineering we can do to shame. It can leap and catch itself with one foot. It’s quite remarkable.”

Today, Carter and his team of engineers at Draper Laboratory in Cambridge, Massachusetts, working with DARPA, are using state-of-the-art nano­technology methods to mimic his son’s pet. They studied the tiny hairs on the gecko’s feet that allow it to grip very smooth surfaces—such as plate glass windows—and came up with a material called MicroHold. Then they added it to paddles with suction cups to reduce slippage.

Earlier this year, British explorer Andy Torbet scaled a ten-story glass building using the lizard-like rig. “We were fairly confident we’d do well, but it was a little nerve-racking,” Carter admitted to bizjournals.com. “There was a lot of grit and grime on the windows.”

Speaking of grimy windows, Micro­Hold could well be the solution to safely cleaning those too. It might also help you hang pictures without marring your drywall or mount speakers on the glass wall of your sunroom.

“This is about the most fun thing an engineer can get paid to do,” says Carter. “We’ve gone from the fundamental physics of how the gecko adheres to the engineering challenge of scaling up to larger and larger size.”

Buildings that grow themselves

Courtesy DARPAOne day, we might own homes where damaged chimneys heal themselves, roofs breathe to control airflow, and driveways eat spilled oil.

Sequoia seeds: DARPA program manager Justin Gallivan, PhD, is fascinated by them. Specifically, how incredible it is that a tiny seed holds all the genetic material required to shape a 300-foot-tall forest giant. So when Gallivan heard that a company called Ecovative had discovered that some mushroom cells would feed off farm waste, bind to it, and ultimately “grow” into molded packing materials and furniture parts, he had an idea. What if, instead of using the lowly mushroom, cells from the mighty sequoia could be induced to do something like that? Would it mean that, instead of trucking in lumber to a building site, you could make a structure from living materials that you grew right there?

Gallivan is not a biologist. In fact, the last biology class he took was in ninth grade. Still, as a professor of chemistry at Emory University, he could easily imagine the defense applications. The military often builds structures in remote and inhospitable parts of the world. Getting the building materials there is costly and time-consuming, and once the structures have been built, they’re subject to damage from storms, accidents, and wear and tear.

The nonmilitary possibilities of the program, known as Engineered Living Materials (ELM), are just as exciting. A hurricane will destroy thousands of homes in some corner of the globe. With ELM, humanitarian workers may well show up not with truckloads of lumber but with a set of lightweight cardboard molds and some seeds. They’ll add water and within three days have bricks, blocks, tiles, and shingles that are alive and ready to be assembled into buildings. “Could you take a seed and grow a living two-by-four reliably every single time?” Gallivan wonders. “Could you program it so if you wanted two-by-eights, you’d just use a different seed?” An even more out-there possibility: creating buildings whose “skins” heal themselves when cut by, say, a hurricane.

Gallivan hopes to have proof that ELM is viable by 2020. Next, find out the most famous invention from all 50 states.

Original Source -> 4 Military Innovations That Will Change the Way We Live

source https://www.seniorbrief.com/4-military-innovations-that-will-change-the-way-we-live/

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[stiles-wtf]

Take a Dog-Friendly Vacation to the Ritz-Carlton, Aruba

Looking for the ultimate luxury vacation where you can actually take your dog? I’d suggest the Ritz-Carlton on Aruba. I was lucky enough to personally check out this dog-loving island and stayed at the Ritz-Carlton, a pet-friendly luxury property. Luxury properties don’t always allow pets, but certain Ritz-Carltons do and, of course, it does it in style.

I traveled to Aruba and spent several days there along with Instagram dog celebrities and their humans: Yorkie mix Ella Bean, her human, Hilary Sloan, plus husband Noah Shulman, creative director of video content (@ellabeanthedog); Maltipoo Mochi and her human, Elle Drouin (@mochiandthecity); and Brussels Griffon Sprout and his human, Sigrid Neilson (@brussels.sprout).

No surprise, the Ritz-Carlton rolled out the welcome wagon. That’s what they do. Aruba’s weather was perfect. That’s what it is. However, the first, middle and last thing I noticed was that Arubans are passionate about dogs. Everyone who worked at the Ritz-Carlton, from the managers to the restaurant hostess, the housekeepers and food and drink service team were crazy about dogs. I was shown photo after photo of their own dogs. The guests seemed to love dogs, too. The little dog trio was treated like celebrities.

Gourmet dog food at the Ritz-Carlton, Aruba

Mochi lounges on the beach in her very own cabana, where she got to eat, drink and bark at lizards. Photography courtesy Elle Drouin, @mochiandthecity.

They ate fresh prepared meals from their own doggie menus, lounged around on their own dog-sized cabanas on the beach and enjoyed doggie massages as part of the spa treatment. What dog could ask for more?

Hilary tells me that Ella’s favorite part was “hands down” the chef-prepared food. “She realllly loved the salmon dish in particular,” Hilary says. “She turned up her nose at her regular food for a few days when we got home.” Hilary and Noah’s favorite part was when they got to swim with Ella in the warm sea. “Where else can you get clear, calm and warm water to enjoy and bask in and — even better — splash with your pup? It was a one-of-a-kind experience.”

Elle and Mochi agree that the gourmet food was definitely a highlight. “The Ritz-Carlton has a special dog-friendly menu featuring a “woof woof” cocktail of light chicken consommé, chicken breast and diced vegetables (so delicious!) as well as other gourmet options like salmon tataki, flank steak and duck liver pate.” She adds, “Mochi also enjoyed watermelon ‘ice cubes’ on the beach, plenty of fresh fruit and a special salmon sushi dinner our last night at the hotel!”

The Ritz-Carlton resort

The rooms come with private balconies to enjoy the view. Photography courtesy The Ritz-Carlton, Aruba.

There were guests I met who come back to the Ritz-Carlton, Aruba, every year. I can’t blame them. The resort has beautiful, large rooms with private ocean-view balconies. There are four different places to eat, two swimming pools and several shops, where you can buy anything from bathing suits to cute dog products. You can bring your dog with you to these areas, plus the expansive beachfront where there are water activities you have access to like stand-up paddleboarding, which not only did the dogs try but some of the local Aruba dogs as well. There we met Aruba’s own Instagram celeb and dog rescue supporter Yoga Girl Rachel Brathen (@yoga_girl) and her paddleboarding dog Ringo (@ringo_thegringo).

You can also kayak, snorkel, scuba dive and sail. The Ritz-Carlton is the last hotel at the end of the island, and you can easily take your dog out walking around on the beach away from other tourists. (Keep your dog on a leash since Aruba does have a leashed dog law.) Several areas you’ll want to check out, but get a dogsitter since these are human only, are the resort’s casino (slot machines, table games, bingo), the Fitness Center gym (two thumbs up from me!) and the luxury spa (facial and massage, anyone?). However, your dog can get a doggie massage if he so desires.

Like many luxury hotels, there is a $250 non-refundable pet fee. Although there isn’t a specific dog potty area on the resort grounds, there are plenty of spots your dog can use — just make sure to pick up after. The sun and ocean breeze are wonderful, but you’ll need to keep your dog hydrated, in the shade when possible (like the cabanas!), use dog sunscreen and perhaps protective doggie sunglasses, as the sand does blow around with the winds. (Follow on Facebook @RitzCarltonAruba.)

Getting to Aruba with your dog

Getting to Aruba with your dog is simple. Photography courtesy The Ritz-Carlton, Aruba.

There are always things you must do when traveling with your dog. For Aruba, your pup must weigh less than 20 pounds to stay at the Ritz-Carlton and to travel in the passenger compartment of the airplane. For American pups, you need a valid International Veterinary Health Certificate issued within 14 days prior to arrival in Aruba endorsed by the USDA, a valid rabies shot and inoculation certificate, and your dog must be microchipped. (See visitaruba.com for more information.)

My dogs were a little too big to come with me, so I asked Hilary and Elle about their experience. “It was actually so easy!” Hilary says. “We were nervous, because part of the process requires scanning and emailing the Aruba customs agency, but they responded within the same day to give their approvals. I simply printed the attachment they sent, brought the papers from the USDA via my vet’s office and showed them when we landed.”

Elle’s experience was also easy. “Since Mochi was already microchipped and up-to-date on her rabies vaccinations,” she explains, “after getting the signed health certificate from her vet, we just had to overnight it to the USDA office in Albany, New York, with a $38 endorsement fee along with an overnight return envelope. Once we got that back, we emailed all of the signed paperwork to the Veterinary Service of Aruba for approval.”

What to do around Aruba

Sigrid and Sprout try their hand/paw at paddleboarding, one of the many outdoor activities available. Photography by Melissa L. Kauffman.

Aruba is known for its white-sand beaches, consistent warm, sunny days (around 80 degrees), warm ocean waters and cool ocean breezes, which is why this 19.6-mile long and 6-mile across island off of Venezuela is so popular. It’s part of the Netherlands, and you can find the Dutch influence everywhere. In fact, many of the Arubans I spoke to at the Ritz-Carlton attended college in the Netherlands before coming back to the island. There are two official languages, both Dutch and Papiamento (Bon Bini means welcome in Papiamento).

If you can tear yourself away from the Ritz-Carlton, there are many places to explore. If you love shopping, you’ll find many stores downtown in the capital city of Oranjestad. There are also several museums, the Arikok National Park and the Bubali Bird Sanctuary. We took a short ride out to the beautifully restored old stone California Lighthouse, which gives you an amazing view of the island. There are as many land activities (ATVs, horseback riding, etc.) as water activities, so you’ll never be bored.

Aruba’s rescue efforts — and its very own name for mixed-breed dogs

I was lucky enough to stay at The Ritz-Carlton, Aruba, along with Instagram faves (left to right) Hilary Sloan & Ella Bean, Elle Drouin & Mochi plus Sigrid Neilson & Sprout. Photography by Melissa L. Kauffman.

Dogs are well-loved on the island, but, just like in the United States, there is a homeless pet population. I got to meet some dedicated dog welfare devotees at the resort. Aruba Ritz-Carlton’s own hotel manager, Louella Brezovar, introduced us to members of Sgt Pepper’s Friends (sgtpeppersfriends.com), a nonprofit that she and others at the Ritz-Carlton volunteer for. Louella had personally flown adopted pets to the United States, delivering them to Americans who had adopted the Aruban dogs.

Aruba dogs are all mixed breeds called Aruba Cunucu dogs and weigh between 35 to 55 pounds. You can follow these rescue dogs along with the group on its website or social media pages @sgtpeppersfriends.

Tips on traveling with your dog

just living my best bean life ???? #tbt to aruba ???? @ritzcarlton ???? up!

A post shared by ella & coconut bean (@ellabeanthedog) on Nov 30, 2017 at 5:43am PST

When you are an Instagram celebrity, you’re in much demand and get to travel all over. Hilary and Elle gave us some of their hard-learned tips for flying with dogs.

“Listen to your dog,” Hilary says. “Ella Bean is an extremely confident flyer and naps the entire time. She prefers to stay in her bag and feels most secure there but enjoys checking in, and we always give her special treats during the trip. Our other pup, Louis does NOT enjoy flying and feels it’s scary and stressful. We don’t travel with him because we respect his boundaries.”

Elle’s advice: “Make sure your dog is comfortable. If they’re not used to traveling in a carrier, give them a chance to spend time in it while you’re at home. Mochi loves being in her carrier, so she usually naps the entire flight!”

Thumbnail: Ella Bean keeps cool in the sun on Aruba’s famed white sands. Courtesy Hilary Sloan @ellabeanthedog.

Tell us: Are you planning any vacations with your dog? Have you ever thought about traveling to Aruba?

Editor’s note: This article first appeared in Dogster magazine. Have you seen the new Dogster print magazine in stores? Or in the waiting room of your vet’s office? Subscribe now to get Dogster magazine delivered straight to you!

Read more about traveling with dogs on Dogster.com:

Top Dog-Friendly Spots in Virginia

International Dogsitting: What It’s Like to Dogsit Abroad in Exchange for Free Accommodations

Visit Dog-Friendly Omaha!

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