#jar of mice

[spookygibberish]

The Throning of Prince Masminet Dedēsne upon Gracious Cebe of House Rāgan

#ill post Lore tomorrow #this took fucking months you have no idea it took so long #jar of mice #thrones #artists on tumblr

[st4rstudent]

Mac and Winn (EVIL) species swap

#clemart #ttcc #toontown corporate clash #mac opsys #winn dos #I was going to just keep this one on bsky but i ended up posting it to my twt so you all might as well see it here too #I wanted to try and make them specific species (like how mac is a dutch rabbit) #but mice dont tend to have a lot of markings on their faces i dont think. and any markings i tried to do on winn looked weird #so just imagine winns a cottontail. i was going to give them a little ear flop but decided against it #anyways enjoy this little sketch it was kind of jarring but i think theyre still cute nevertheless

[nishastisowl]

"TAD WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN THERE?!??! GET OUT-"

#bill cipher #gravity falls #tad strange #bill cipher and tad strange #flatland #mice in a jar lmao #if you know #you know..

[viralarcadian]

cleantok and restocktok are fascinating. 90% of the vids are influencers using an abundance of cleaning devices and detergents to "deep clean" their already spotless homes, and transferring already packaged items into clear acrylic/glass containers for "aesthetics". i had no idea there were so many useless gimmick devices for cleaning your house

#and scrub daddy seems to have a chokehold on the whole scene #i will defend putting dry goods like cereal and pasta into those 'aesthetic' containers tho #before we got the cats we had field mice come in every winter and those things are a life saver #as far as the mice are concerned those things are impenetrable force fields #also just reuse mason jars for organizing #you can put all sorts of things in them like pens you dont need 50 brand new plastic containers for this

[fireflowersims]

The Mice Sage continues....

There's pictures of the damn mouse (alive) at the end of the post. Scroll past quickly if you don't like. Can't spoiler on phone

So for a while there I thought I had successfully kept mice from further disturbing my sleep, eating my food and generally shitting alll over my stuff.

Then, yesterday I found evidence of mice and today, after spending HOURS cleaning up my entire room and having to put ALL my bed linnen in the laundry (if only I was kidding) I finally caught that unwanted roommate on camera. I found its lair: behind one of my bookcases. I put a piece of terracotta over one of the entrances and taped it shut. Then I put a trap at the only entrance left....

It took some waiting, but finally its adorable little snoot peeked out, it left its lair aaaaandddd...

IT FUCKING HOPPED OVER THE TRAP!!!!!

And ran off into the common area.

Fuck

Poison it is

#tw rodents #non sims #rodent issue #that damn rodent #mice #will this rodent saga ever end? #I just want them to stop disturbing my sleep #and shitting on my bed linnen #and jars #fuck these mice #just because it has a cute snoot doesn't mean it won't poop on your clean sheets #the mice declared war #one way or another it will cease #the mice made me do TONS of laundry. unforgivable #did I mention I haven't even had dinner yet and it's 2:30 am #I don't have any clean linnen #so guess who's sleeping on a bare mattress tonight 🙃

[actualbird]

Reading the tags of the object collecting post mc's gotta be collecting dead birds that's why pigeons keep fighting her xgjzhfx

🌌

jhvJHVJHAVKSJHVKASJHFA OH NOOOOO.....THE PIGEONS WERE TRYNA AVENGE THE OTHER DEAD BIRDS

in her (and transitively also my) defense, she didnt KILL those birds, she just found em like that, already very deceased!!! and it's nice being able to get the carcasses and preserve them!!!!!

.....actually, on second thought, she should not have my interest of collecting dead birds. because luke would cry jHVKAJHVSFKJHAS

and on third thought, im not sure "i found em like this" would hold up in pigeon criminal court either....

#milkyway!anon #cw animal death #ive also got taxidermied mice in a jar but the birds are a bit more dear to me #asks

[fishthegenderwitch]

Went to take a pic of my newly cleaned kitchen, and heard nibbley noises from the box in my bathroom that contains all my medicinal plants and incenses. Oh no.

Open the box, little mouse eyes blink up at me. I’m like, “Awww shit what are you even eating in there?? Are you eating my medicine? That’s so uncool, man.”

So yea, at least two (2) mice in my house just ate maca and gingko biloba. I hope they remember I didn’t kill them when they’re boning with the natural Viagra they ate.

#I didn't end them #i emptied the box #then dumped them in the trash bins outside #washed all the jars and put them in a new box #they ate my Mullein seeds and my Purslane seeds too #RIP wild rocket seeds #they didn't eat my Synaptolepis kirkii though #mice #mouse #pests #too fucking cute #I have traps #but they ignore them utterly #i wonder how they foundthe blue water lily #i bet it was lovely #psycoactive #hallucenogenic #lol

[turtlesandfrogs]

Ok, now I'm really concerned that how to prevent rats isn't common knowledge like I thought it was. So, to anyone whose parents/guardians/adults didn't teach you, here's the basics of prevention*:

Rats, like you, need three things: food, water, and shelter. If they don't get these things, they don't bother sticking around. Access to food is probably the biggest draw, and the one you can do the most about.

Rats eat the same foods you do, and the same food that most pets eat. You don't want them to have access to this food, so:

Don't leave dirty dishes laying around, the smell will attract rats. Don't put leave dirty dishes in your bed room, or under the couch, or in your car, or whatever. Dishwashers are great, but if you don't have a functional one, and you're low on energy/executive function, at a minimum cover your dirty dishes with soapy water instead of leaving them out. Rats can't eat soapy food.

Work to minimize food waste, because the smell of tasty food in your compost or garbage will attract rats.

Don't put food scraps in your indoor garbage unless your garbage can is rat proof. Take it outside asap, to a rat-proof bin.

When composting, if you're composting food that would be attractive to rats (grains, fats/oils, dairy, meat) it's best to: bury the food down in the center of the pile, try out bokashi composting, or have a rat-proof composter. Generally people do tell you not to compost dairy and meat, but I do know that some people do it anyway.

Keep your grains & legumes in rodent proof-containers. Glass jars, metal trash cans, etc.

If you have dogs, put their food away at night. If you have birds or other animals that eat a seed-based diet, then it pays to make their food/enclosures inaccessible to rats as well. Cats are rat deterrents so leaving dry food out for them is probably the one exception.

Clean up spilled foods immediately.

If you have fruit trees (like those apple trees everyone has that were planted 3 or more decades ago) and notice that something besides a deer is eating them, it's really best to pick all the fruit. You probably can't eat it all, so giving it away is a good option. Compost the rotten/icky ones fallowing the advice above, or dig a hole and do some trench composting.

Rats also need water, which is another reason to make sure you don't have any leaks anywhere, and to not leave beverages out in open containers.

Beyond that, thoroughly looking around your house, inside and out, to make sure there's no access points. Vents can be covered with wire mesh, holes the size of a dime need to be patched (because mice exist, too). Keep vegetation clear from around the base of your house, and make sure there's no trees or shrubs growing close enough to your house that a rat could make the leap to your roof. Keep an eye out for tunnels near your house's foundation, because they will tunnel underneath.

Also, while I'm at it, for the love of your house's structural integrity, DO NOT store wood piles against your house. Termites people!!!

And yes, there's a reason why cats are such a common pet. Not only do they hunt rats, the very smell of a cat is enough to deter rats. Do not just get a cat for rat prevention though, only get a cat if you're going to provide it a good home and are able to take on the additional care tasks without over extending yourself. Getting a housemate that comes with a cat is a great alternative to getting your own cat (and I'm only halfway joking).

*because prevention is much easier and much less terrible than dealing with an infestation. Prevention is so, so, so much easier than getting rid of them, particularly because once they're there, they'll start eating other things that wouldn't have been enough by themselves to draw them in.

#adulting #cleanliness is in large part pest prevention

[poppletonink]

Books To Read For The INFJs

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

The Picture Of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

Circe by Madeline Miller

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Recitatif by Toni Morrison

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

The Lord Of The Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

#books #book blog #booklr #readblr #book reccs #book recommendations #bookaddict #bookblr #bookworm #books and reading #infj #infj personality #infj thoughts #infj books #infj life #mbti types #mbti #little women #to kill a mockingbird #the secret history #pride and prejudice #jane eyre #neverwhere #the picture of dorian gray #the bell jar #infj feelings #infj book reccs

[jaegersdevil]

boyfriend!gojo headcanons pt. 3

my baby boo cw: mention of hickeys masterlist

bf!gojo either answers the phone with 'what?' or 'good morning my precious sugarplum'.... there's no in-between (and this goes for everyone..)

bf!gojo begs for a roomba just to name it custard and watch it run head first into the kitchen counter (thinks it's hilarious)

bf!gojo is terrified of mice. despite being the tallest mf ever, if he sees one mouse, he hops onto the table screaming

bf!gojo attempted to ride a motorcycle after you said it was hot, bro broke his arm...

bf!gojo sits upright in bed at odd hours of the night, and you wake up to him just staring at the wall because he's 'thinking' (it's creepy)

always look over your shoulder.... bf!gojo is somewhere waiting until you're off guard to slap your ass

you took megumi to get food, and bf!gojo got upset because he wasn't invited (he was literally on a mission) (gave both of you the silent treatment even though megumi was 11 years old)

bf!gojo's favourite songs are big weenie, big poppa, and bejeweled

bf!gojo gets lost all the time (took a trip to osaka? you're walking in circles around the city because satoru is too stubborn to ask someone/use an app for directions)

bf!gojo had a swear jar for megumi because the kid always got in trouble at school for it, and satoru was tired of having to send you down to the school to sort it out (he was banned from doing so after he swore at the principal as he defended megs)

bf!gojo bought resistance bands because his hamstrings were tight but he never touched them again after one slipped off his foot and struck him violently in the balls (you found him still on the floor in agony 2 hours after it happened)

bf!gojo uses his hands/takes a few moments to process his lefts and rights

bf!gojo is protective over his food so if you take one grain of rice he will bite you

bf!gojo keeps his hickeys visible because they 'complement his outfit'.....

bf!gojo pulls your earlobe with his teeth if you're ignoring him

bf!gojo keeps his big ass shoes in a pile at the front door (he can't put them next to each other nicely because he is a literal child)

#sorry its a lil short #satoru gojo x reader #gojo satoru x reader #satoru x reader #gojou satoru x reader #satoru gojo #satoru gojo imagine #jujutsu kaisen x reader #jujutsu kaisen imagines #jujutus kaisen #gojo x reader #satoru x you #satoru gojo fluff #boyfriend!satoru #boyfriend!gojo #— ann writes!

[spookygibberish]

Misc throne concepts idr if I've posted before

#jar of mice #Thrones #obsessed with these fucked up rich people they are too fun to draw

[dangerouslyhungryprocrastiner]

Yes i do think im funny actually-

Anyway hello tgcf peeps....first time posting tgcf stuff so...be mice to me pls

I am currently reading the 3rd book (im somewhere in the middle), so i am yet to meet He Xuan and Shi Wudu.

I try my best not to spoil myself anything in regards to them, so i do not know what beef they have, and i do not know what happens to Shi Qingxuan my beloved. I just saw lot of fanarts of them being stuffed in a jar and i thought this would be funny. So i made it i stead of doing my school assignments.

So please keep the spoilers in the tags minimal if possible <33

(I bet He Xuan is very ooc in this, but like i said i don't know that man yet- )

Update: i have now read past the Mid Autumn festival chepter and all i can say is this: Shi Wudu is the nastiest skank bitch I've ever met. Do not trust him! He is a fugly slut!

Update 2: i just finished End the deadlock and i will never be the same.

And here's alternative varsions of the art:

#tag for pap #my art #tgcf #he xuan #shi wudu #shi qingxuan #beefleaf #heaven official's blessing #tian guan ci fu #fanart #tgcf fanart #lord wind master #wind master #illustation #digital art

[bonefall]

heyyyy bonefallll!!! So uhm. Wind released. And if you read it, what do you think of it?

hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

I started ASC off with a lot of excitement. I had known to not get my hopes up, but for the first time in a long time, I felt like they actually had something meaningful to say about the problems in Clan society. For once, it felt fresh.

A conflict based on a murder mystery and a power struggle, political radicalization within another Clan with anti-Clanswapper bigotry turning violent, and the reluctant heir of a legacy sprawling several generations. Like a dark echo of TPB, implying the root issues had never been truly addressed by Darkest Hour. The Clans still have a terrible ruling system. The culture is still bigoted. Firestar failed to destroy the obsession with legacy-- he just founded a new bloodline.

And even if it wasn't THAT deep, it was at least a grounded plot that was based in the characters more than faith in StarClan. If Nightheart's arc about legacy fell apart, I'd still enjoy watching him struggle, lose people, grow, and find his purpose. Or seeing Splashtail juggle the power he'd managed to snatch and was just not smart enough to hold onto. Or the cool fights that would surely result from an invasion of RiverClan.

Wind tossed it. It was already having a downturn in the previous book, but this is a book that seems so afraid of having interesting conflict that it spends 75% of its time debating if something interesting should happen, and 25% of its time barking, "EVIL HEATHENS WHO HATE GOD WILL DESTROY OUR SOCIETY!!"

I can't get over how awful Splashtail's "descent" is. He's having a dumbass atheist stoner debate with Podlight when they go to the Moonpool, musing that maybe you have to eat 9 mice to get 9 lives, and then 2 appearances later he's foaming at the mouth with a dictator speech and kills harelight no miss.

They even seem to have tried to replicate Stonefur's execution but badly. It's jarring. Splashtail had a big dictator speech, killed the beloved deputy suddenly, and the whole camp looks Super Scared and Upset so that you know it's the Evil Leader and not a systemic problem.

His "TALENT FOR MANIPULATION" is saying he heard Curlfeather murmur evil plans in her sleep and (apropos of nothing) accusing her teenage daughter of "getting the wrong idea" about his adult romantic interest in her. I keep coming back to this because the ENTIRE book's plot is based on this successfully smearing Frostpaw's reputation.

you may be tired of hearing it, but I'm definitely more tired than you because I had to read and analyze an ENTIRE BOOK founded on it.

The plot is endlessly arguing over if they can trust Frostpaw or not, gathering "evidence" to this end, while Sunbeam and Nightheart's POVs uselessly languish in ThunderClan doing mentoring stuff.

Im SO sick of being forced to sit in thunderclan while more interesting things happen offscreen. stop adding MORE cats to ThunderClan, you already have Stormcloud and you do NOTHING with him why are they also getting WAFFLEPAW

Everyone's praising the fact that the book can remember previous entries, but actually, I'm going to drop a hot take; It's actually bad if they CAN obviously reference old material, and then it doesn't influence the actions the characters take. They namedrop Nightstar several times and then come up with excuses for why they still need to sit around and do nothing!!

THAT'S WORSE, ACTUALLY.

SCALDING TAKE, I'd RATHER see the cats have the memories of goldfish if the alternative is "We remember Nightstar! We're simply going to purposefully disregard Nightstar, because the plot needs to happen"

They also muse that maybe Splashtail's evilness is making all the RiverClan cats act evil, and they'll go back to normal once he's removed. This has been implied before, but never so blatantly stated.

But most of all, I can't stop going back to "Godless Heathen Bloodlust." What a fucking joke. For a shining minute it looked like we were going to have interesting villains, but no, they really are just coming out and saying that lacking faith is an indicator of a moral failing. What makes Splashtail so uniquely bad and scary is that he "disrespects the ancestors" (hey podlight. what if eating 9 magic mice gives you 9 lives? woah dude look at this. the bugle chips look like claws. lol haha) and hates love and peace and won't even let Jesus guide him.

The scenes with Frostpaw and her allies are the only parts of this book worth reading. Shadowsight, tigerHeartstar. Clinging to Whistlepaw like she's a life preserver. save me windclan

#asc spoilers #warrior cats analysis #So uh. #my thought is that it is Bad. #I did not Enjoy it #I can FIX IT #I WILL FIX IT #I CAN MAKE THIS WORK BUT JESUS CATS.

[pyat-pree]

« Four burly slaves hurried forward, bearing between them a great cedar chest bound in bronze. When she opened it, she found piles of the finest velvets and damasks the Free Cities could produce … and resting on top, nestled in the soft cloth, three huge eggs. […]

The khal's bloodriders offered her the traditional three weapons, and splendid weapons they were. Haggo gave her a great leather whip with a silver handle, Cohollo a magnificent arakh chased in gold, and Qotho a double-curved dragonbone bow taller than she was. […]

Other gifts she was given in plenty by other Dothraki: slippers and jewels and silver rings for her hair, medallion belts and painted vests and soft furs, sandsilks and jars of scent, needles and feathers and tiny bottles of purple glass, and a gown made from the skin of a thousand mice. » AGOT Dany II

Dothraki wedding presents!!! I love everything that makes the world feel vast and populated and lived in. This is a bit outside of my wheelhouse, but i had a lot of fun coming up with these designs <3

#asoiaf #valyrianscrolls #asoiaf art #dothraki #my art

[copperbadge]

Happy first day of National Clean Your Home Month! (National Novel Writing Month novelists, happy first day to you as well!)

[ID: Five images; top left, potatoes and chickpeas in golden brown sauce on a round of flatbread. Top right, Dearborn the Tortie is lying on a blanket in my lap, propped up by my legs, looking like a boomerang. Bottom images are, left and center, before-and-after of my front hall, first with a raggedy blue carpet and then clean and carpetless, and bottom right is my newly cleaned kitchen floor.]

Started this morning with what looks like a weird deconstructed apple pie but is actually flatbread topped with curried potatoes and chickpeas (lest you think I'm fancy, it's Trader Joe's Malabari Paratha topped with Tasty Bite Bombay Potatoes). Dearborn is unimpressed by cleaning but she is extremely Shaped. Still, after eating I gave her about half an hour of cuddles, then set to work!

I normally clean before showering because you do get grimy, but I noticed last year that my pajamas are not ideal for cleaning in, so I set aside an outfit to change into, which leaves arms and legs mostly bare and doesn't drape much -- yoga leggings tucked up above the calf and a tight tank top. I'm amusedly referring to it as my Slutty Maid outfit.

Anyway, this morning I put on 99% Invisible's "Devolutionary Design", about Devo's first album cover, and set to work. Polk has been destroying the hallway rug, and the kitchen rug was disgusting, so I pulled both up, rolled 'em up, and tossed them, then cleaned the floors. A coating of goo-gone for old carpet tape residue followed by a brief sponge scrub, then a spritz of Grease Lightning cleaner-degreaser and a scrub with the steam mop for both the hall and the kitchen, had them looking at least better.

Cleaning is complicated by the Kitchen Protocol I've had to introduce; the kitchen has a wheat weevil issue, which is pernicious but oddly benign -- after having mice several years ago, all my food is always contained in either a sealed jar/tupperware or its original packaging and they haven't actually ever got into the food, they just live under the kitchen linoleum. In any case, any kitchen cleaning I do in a day has to be the last cleaning I do, and anything coming out of the kitchen first needs to be treated with undilute white vinegar, then rinsed and treated a second time with bleach, to prevent spreading the weevils to other areas of the house. I'm also spraying down all the floors with dilute vinegar frequently.

Anyway, the steam mop is now out of commission until its freshly bleached fabric pad dries, but it did take me exactly the length of the podcast to set up, clean, and clear away the cleaning supplies/wash the sponge afterward, so I'm pleased with the day's work.

Disposable nitrile gloves used count: 1.

Tomorrow's tasks: vacuum all over, then figure out the carpet shampooer I was given, and if I manage that, shampoo the rugs.

#naclyoho #national clean your home month #cleaning #food

[watcheraurora]

But For This? Absolutely

Actually writing the Ranchers on a ranch for once after my soul was consumed by the superhero/villain AU for so long. What a novel idea /s 4.5k words Part 2

—

A crash, a curse, and a yowling cat jarred Jimmy out of his thoughts where he'd been staring into the middle distance, finally taking a break. A speckled shape shot across the porch and disappeared into the wheat fields.

"Jimmyyyyy! Revenge got out again! He's heading for the gorge!" Tango shouted from inside.

Jimmy wriggled out of his over-shirt to free up his movements. "On it!" he called back. He ran from his spot on the porch's bench toward the stairs, unfurling his wings as he did. He hit the uncovered part of the porch and hurled himself into the air. The wind rushed through his hair and the sun beat down on his yellow wings and shoulders his tank top left exposed.

He soared low, catching glimpses of the black-and-tan cat running through the wheat and trying to keep track. The gorge was fast approaching. Parts of it were too narrow for Jimmy’s wings and the river at the bottom was fast enough that Revenge wouldn’t survive if he fell in. Meaning Jimmy had to catch the cat before he reached the gorge.

He swooped, arms extended and entire body battered by the wheat.

But he snatched Revenge by the middle and shot into the air before wheeling and heading back for the ranch house—or that was the plan.

Before he could roll, he caught sight of something. Across the gorge, a dark outpost loomed. The nearest neighbors to the ranch and not friendly folk in the slightest.

Partway down the gorge’s steep slope just below the outpost was a small shape.

Even from his distance, he could see the distinct shape of Avian wings. One of them broken.

Jimmy looked down at the cat screeching and thrashing to get free. “Alright. Alright. Calm down. Geez.” He completed his roll and plummeted back toward the house. Tango was waiting on the second floor balcony. Jimmy landed and set Revenge down inside before shutting the door to keep him in.

“If that thing wasn’t so good at catching mice I would have found a new home for that nightmare by now,” Tango grumbled. Jimmy chuckled.

“He’s not so bad.”

“Sure. Whatever you say buddy.” Tango held out Jimmy’s over-shirt.

Jimmy shook his head. “I saw something in the gorge. I’m gonna go investigate. Be right back.”

“Take it anyway. Might need it.”

Jimmy took the shirt and tied it around his waist. “Be back soon.”

Tango smiled fondly. “I know.”

Jimmy launched off the balcony, blowing Tango’s fire hair backward in sputters. He pinwheeled and sailed back toward the gorge.

The winged figure hadn’t moved. Jimmy spiraled and peered down. The wings were small. Caught between juvenile down and proper plumage.

Jimmy twisted into a sharp dive and plunged downward. He flared his wings out to brake and landed near the small figure.

The child was lying in a crumpled heap on a ledge. Long hair tangled around the head. Jimmy couldn’t tell if the hair was blond or what for how dirty it was. The wings, too, were filthy. Feathers were clumped and a dull grey-tan that might have once been white. The child wore a torn shirt and shorts and was missing a shoe. Clutched in one hand was a ragged ravager plushie.

Jimmy approached slowly. “Are you alright?”

No response. Not even a shuffle. He finally noticed a small trickle of blood on the ledge.

He sprung into action. He wrapped the child's broken wing gently in his over-shirt and scooped them up. He hurled himself back into the sky, careful to hold their wings in such a way that he wouldn't crush bone or feathers, but so that they also wouldn't increase drag or get any more injured.

Tango was still waiting on the balcony when Jimmy returned. Revenge was having zoomies inside, visible through the windows and balcony door.

Tango's eyes widened as Jimmy rotated his body so he could land. "Tha—tha—tha—that's a child," he said.

Jimmy nodded. "One of their wings is broken. They were below the outpost on a ledge in the gorge."

"Oh my—" Tango breathed, unable to even complete the sentence. "What do we do?"

"I can reset the broken wing bone. Splint it. After that, maybe we do what we can to clean them up? I know how to clean wings. That hair is a disaster, and there's dirt everywhere. I just... I couldn't leave them there."

"No, no. I wouldn't have either. Let's get started, then." Tango reached out and brushed the hair away from the face, so they both could see. The child couldn't have been older than seven. Gender was more difficult to tell with children, but if Jimmy had to guess, he'd probably say they looked more girlish.

Tango opened the balcony door, snatched Revenge, and held the door open so Jimmy could carry the child inside. Revenge got put in his crate—temporarily—and the humanoids left their bedroom to go to the washroom.

"I'm going to clean the wings first," Jimmy said. "I don't want to reset the bone wrong and cause an infection due to dirty feathers."

Tango nodded, already filling a small bucket with water and grabbing a bar of soap. Jimmy set the child down in the bathtub so he could wash their wings a little easier, making sure they were lying securely on their side.

Tango passed him a sponge and his—freshly cleaned—preening brush. "Thanks," he said. Tango nodded.

Jimmy cleaned the child's wings methodically and slowly with the bucket and the soap and the sponge. The brush would be for later. He did his best not to jar the break, but the child didn't seem to react to anything. They were still alive—Tango obsessively checked for breathing every few minutes—but deeply unconscious.

Gunk, dirt, and dust washed off between the child's feathers with every pass of the sponge, washing down the drain. The icky grey gradually turned to white. Pristine and slightly shimmery. "Look how pretty these are," Jimmy whispered, admiring the feathers.

Tango didn't say anything, but a small smile appeared on his face. While he kept checking for breathing, he started to wash and tidy the child's hair as delicately as he could.

Before long, Jimmy had cleaned the mess off the child's wings and preened them both with oil from their preening glands and his brush. Once they were as cleaned as they could be, he carefully probed around the break. Grian had drilled wing care into his head when he first grew his, so even though Jimmy wasn't really medically trained, he knew how to care for a busted wing.

"I'm so sorry, kiddo," he whispered.

He reset the wing.

The child's eyes flew open and a scream filled the washroom.

"It's okay, it's okay, it's okay!" Jimmy said, reaching to rub the child's spine right between their wings—a calming spot for most Avians. "Tango, can you grab—"

"On it." Tango rushed out of the washroom.

The child was panting, eyes wide. They were deep blue. The child's hair, now that it had been cleaned and brushed by Tango, was as white as their wings.

Tango returned with sticks and string. "Here, here," he said.

Jimmy quickly constructed a splint for the broken wing. "There you go. You're okay. It's okay. My name's Jimmy. What's yours?" He gave the child a soft smile.

They blinked at him. "S... Skye," they said.

"Okay, Skye. Nice to meet you. Do your grownups use she, he, they, or something else for you?"

"Sh... she. B... but I... I don't have grownups anymore. Just... just the pillagers." She shuddered. "And the cage."

Tango's hair burst into flame. "I'm burning that damn outpost down," he muttered. "Keeping a child in a cage?"

"Not now Tango. You're scaring her," Jimmy whispered, watching the way Skye gasped and shrunk away from Tango.

Tango took a deep breath, the fire of his hair slowly burning down until it was just hair again. Jimmy kept comfortingly rubbing Skye's spine.

"It's okay. He's friendly. He won't hurt you. This is Tango. He's just mad that the pillagers put you in a cage," Jimmy said comfortingly. Tango gave the girl a small smile. "See? He's nice."

Skye shivered, wrapping her arms around herself and rubbing them.

"We're not going to hurt you, kiddo," Jimmy said. "We just want to help you. See? I'm like you." He unfurled his wings a tiny bit, flapping them a little to make the feathers flutter. Skye's deep blue eyes watched his wings. She almost smiled. "Can Tango help that little cut on your forehead?"

She eyed Tango warily. Then looked back at Jimmy. Then back to Tango. Then nodded.

Tango slowly extended his hand, thumb raised. He rested the pad of his thumb against the little cut. Yellow-gold magic swirled around his thumb and when he pulled away, the cut had scarred over. "Better?"

Skye nodded again. "Th-th-thank you," she said.

"Of course."

"Let's get you out of those damp clothes and into something comfy and warm, okay?" Jimmy asked.

Skye nodded.

Jimmy leaned back and snatched a towel, helping Skye wrap it around herself without hurting her wing, using his own to maintain his balance.

Tango left the washroom and returned with one of Jimmy's over-shirts. Jimmy took it from him and held it out for Skye. "We're gonna leave so you can change. This is gonna be a little long on you, but pretend it's a dress. It's got the holes in the back for your wings. We're gonna be nearby in case you need anything, okay? Just call out for us."

Skye carefully took the shirt and nodded.

Tango took Jimmy's hand and led the way out of the room.

The SoulBond between them warmed. She "doesn't have grownups anymore"? Jimmy... Tango's thoughts said down their bond, his red eyes sad. Jimmy's expression mirrored Tango's.

I know. Do you think they're dead? Or do you think she was kidnapped?

Tango shrugged. I don't know. The way she said it... I don't think they're alive anymore.

So, what do we do? Jimmy asked.

Tango released Jimmy's hand to rest his fists thoughtfully on his hips. Well... if her family is gone... she needs time to heal. Is she even old enough to fly?

Barely. I doubt she knows much or would be able to stay in the air for long.

Tango pursed his lips. It's not like we don't have the room and resources...

You want to take her in? Jimmy almost didn't dare to hope.

She's just a kid and we're out in the middle of nowhere. If her parents are gone and she's been in a pillager outpost cage—someone has to take care of her. I can build another room up here pretty quickly. She'd be safe here. I'll reconstruct the ward to keep the outpost out of our business.

Jimmy smiled softly. I thought you didn't want kids.

Tango rolled his eyes. I'm not going to turn away an innocent child in desperate need of help just because I didn't want kids, he retorted. She's welcome stay here as long as she wants.

Jimmy beamed, grabbed Tango's face in both hands, and kissed his forehead. Ohhh thank youuu! Thank you, thank you, thank you! His wings flapped happily and Tango shook his head affectionately. I really wanted us to be able to take care of her here. Even if it's just while she heals and we can look to see if her parents are still alive. Thank you, Tango.

Tango brushed his fingers through Jimmy's soft hair. You're welcome, pretty bird.

Jimmy went red under his freckles—

Right as the washroom door opened.

Skye stood there in Jimmy's over-shirt. It was basically a dress on her, the sleeves trailing to nearly her ankles.

Jimmy smiled and knelt in front of her. "Need some help rolling those sleeves up, kiddo?" he asked. She nodded and held out her arm.

Jimmy made quick work of rolling up the sleeves, being friendly and chatting to her. Skye watched quietly. Tango leaned against the wall and watched the scene with a smile on his face. "I'm gonna go get some stuff together," he said to Jimmy, setting a hand on the latter's shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah," Jimmy said. Tango headed for the stairs.

Once he was gone, Skye shuffled on her feet. "Why are you being nice to me?"

"Oh, sweetheart," Jimmy said. "You're just a kid—and you're hurt. Of course we're going to be nice to you."

"He looks scary."

Jimmy sighed. "Tango's family history makes him look scarier than he is. He's really a big softie. He went to go get some stuff to make you a room here. So you can be safe while your wing gets better. His magic isn't strong enough to heal your wing like he did the owie on your forehead, so he's going to do what he can to make sure your wing can heal naturally on its own really well."

"Really?"

"Uh-huh. How are you feeling? Does your wing hurt?"

"Mmhmm." Skye nodded.

"Can I pick you up?"

"Okay."

He scooped her into his arms, still being gentle. She wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder. Jimmy's heart melted. He snuggled her closer and carried her downstairs. She tapped his bare shoulder. "You have dots on your shoulder."

"They're called freckles. I have them on my face too." He tilted his face so she could see the splash of freckles across his nose and cheekbones.

"Why?"

"I get them from being in the sun. I'm supposed to wear a shirt with sleeves when I'm working outside so I don't sunburn my shoulders, but I forget a lot, and so I get freckles on my shoulders."

"Oh."

Tango was kneeling in front of one of their chests, building supplies he'd taken from it on the floor next to him. Jimmy took Skye to the kitchen counter and set her down on top of it. He'd noticed when he rolled up the sleeves of the over-shirt that she'd scrubbed herself off a little better, leaving her cleaner than she'd been when he found her. "Hungry?" he asked.

She nodded.

"I have just the thing. We've got some home-grown potatoes and chicken that you're going to love."

Tango hummed. "That'll be good for you to get your strength back, kiddo," he added, gathering his supplies into his arms and getting to his feet to get back upstairs. "Potatoes have lots of nutrients. You'll need them." He paused at the stairs and retraced his steps to the kitchen. He shifted his supplies to one arm and held a hand out toward Skye. "High-five? It's okay if you don't want to."

She stared at his hand for a second—before giving him a high-five.

Tango did a little fist-pump of celebration. "Yes," he said softly, smiling at her. She grinned, a small thing but still visible. Before Tango made happy, singsong noises and did a goofy dance up the stairs, still singing.

Skye giggled. "He's silly," she whispered to Jimmy.

Who grinned down at her. "See? He's a big softie."

She smiled a little brighter. "He's not scary," she decided.

"He's not." Jimmy pulled a potato out of a barrel full of others and stuck it in the smoker, stoking the fuel back to life. Skye giggled again. "Have you ever had a jacket potato before?"

"Why's the potato wearing a jacket?"

Jimmy blinked. "Also called a baked potato?"

Big blue eyes blinked owlishly at him.

"Okay. Maybe you've had one and just didn't know that's what it's called." He busied about the kitchen, pulling some butter out of the chest full of packed ice. Ice was nearly impossible to come by in this area, let alone packed, but a little magic from Tango had given them just enough for food preservation.

Upstairs, Jimmy could hear Tango breaking down one of the walls to start building. Revenge's meowing was also audible, and Jimmy assumed Tango had freed the cat from his crate.

The smoker finished cooking the potato and Jimmy pulled it out. He tossed it between his hands—it was hot—and set it on a plate. He put some chicken in the smoker from where it had been in the ice chest. Then prepared the potato, cutting open the peel and opening it to put some butter inside. "Want some salt and pepper?"

Skye blinked. "Er... sure?"

Jimmy smiled and added some.

Upstairs, Revenge yowled and Tango squawked in surprise. "You're fine!" he said. "What're you yappin' for? You can't whine for affection while you're draped over my shoulder you dingus."

Jimmy snickered as he pushed the plate toward Skye, handing her some utensils. "Go ahead. Eat up."

She took the utensils and stared at them for a few seconds.

Then set them down on the counter and picked up the potato in her hands and dug in.

Jimmy shrugged and went to grab her a serviette to wipe her hands off later, tucking it under the plate. He munched on an apple for a snack while he waited for the chicken to finish cooking, leaning one hip against the counter casually.

"Skye?" he asked carefully.

She looked up from the potato, a little melted butter and flakes of pepper on her chin. "Mm?"

"Have you learned to fly yet?"

She shook her head. "Too little," she said around a mouthful of potato. "Wings not strong enough."

Jimmy nodded. "I thought so," he said, ruffling his own wings with a shake of his shoulders. He stretched the pinions backward to ease an ache in the elbow joints.

Upstairs, a thunk closely followed by Tango shouting a Blaze curse made Skye and Jimmy both turn toward the stairs.

Jimmy boosted himself up onto the counter next to Skye. "Kiddo. When you say you don't have grownups anymore, were you taken from them by the Illagers?"

She sniffed and shook her head. "N... no." Her eyes started to water. "The... the pillagers had crossbows. And axes. My parents tried to hide me in our storm cellar. The pillagers..." She sniffed again. "They chased them. I heard Mama scream, and then Papa. And then nothing. The pillagers came for me. They kept me alive." She shook, putting the potato down, and started to cry. Jimmy wrapped his arm and a wing around her, pulling her close and rocking her soothingly.

"Oh, sweetie, I'm so sorry," he whispered, letting her bury her messy face in his side. "Me and Tango just needed to know if we needed to ask around about finding you. I'm sorry, Skye." He kissed her soft white hair. She kept crying. He felt her tears soak through his tank top.

His other hand reached into the smoker and grabbed the chicken before it could burn, setting it on her plate.

Tango's footsteps echoed down the stairs and he reappeared. The SoulBond warmed again. What's going on?

I asked about her parents. They're dead. The Illagers.

Ohhh. Can I help?

I don't think so. How's the room coming along?

It's coming along fine. Not going to be anything fancy but it'll be comfortable.

Jimmy nodded. Thank you. He moved his arm around Skye to rub between her wings. She was still shaking against him. Tango nodded back and slipped nearly silently back up the stairs.

Jimmy started humming low, rocking Skye until her sobs calmed down. Once she wasn't shaking anymore, he wiped her tears with the serviette—and then the butter and pepper left on her face that hadn't come off on his tank top.

She looked up at him with big, watery eyes. "What... what's going to happen to me now?"

"Well, first, you're going to finish your food," Jimmy said with a warm smile. "And then, you can stay here. Tango and I will take care of you. For as long as you want. We'll help you heal your wing. And when it's ready, I'll teach you how to fly."

Skye gasped. "Really?" She looked hopeful.

"Of course! But your wing has to heal. And if you want it to heal well, you gotta give your body the energy it needs. And in order to do that, you gotta finish your food."

She nodded and went back to eating. Jimmy smiled.

He stayed on the kitchen counter with her until Tango returned to the kitchen, Revenge draped over his shoulder. His hands were covered in ash. Sawdust that had caught fire, probably. He grinned at Jimmy and inclined his head toward the top of the stairs. "Ready," he said, looking proud and pleased.

Jimmy handed Skye the serviette again. She wiped her whole face with it, and then her hands.

"Your room is ready, kiddo," Tango said, pitching his voice up just a little to sound more friendly.

Skye looked up at Jimmy. He nodded and slid off the counter, taking her hands to help her down. Tango led her upstairs, Jimmy bringing up the rear, still holding her hand where she didn't let go.

The second floor of the ranch house wasn't much. It was largely built into the roof. But Tango had adjusted so that the blank wall opposite the washroom—that originally led to a 5-block drop to the ground outside—now had a pastel pink wood door. Tango took a position between her door and the door to his and Jimmy's bedroom at the end of the hall, gesturing for her to open the door.

Skye looked back at Jimmy for confirmation, he nodded.

She pushed open the door and gasped as she entered the room.

The room was the same wood as the rest of the house. Oak and birch. But the bed was purple and the little table and chair were the same soft pink as the door. He'd even made a small balcony. Smaller than the one off his and Jimmy's room, but big enough for an Avian to take off and land from. The fence posts of the balcony had flower pots on them, each with a gentle but colorful plant in them.

Skye looked like she was going to cry again as she took in the whole room. "This is... mine?" she asked tentatively.

"Uh-huh," Tango confirmed with a small grin—not opening his mouth enough to show off sharp teeth—and a nod. His fire hair was flickering low and warm like a homey hearth.

Skye let go of Jimmy's hand and rushed at Tango, throwing her arms around his middle. "Thank you," she said. "It's really pretty."

Tango knelt to be at her eye level and hugged her properly. "You're welcome."

But Jimmy could see the way Tango's pointed ear twitched and his red eyes didn't quite meet Skye's. Jimmy brought the SoulBond to life between them. You feel guilty that you couldn't make it nicer, he said. Not a question.

Tango's ears pinned back to his head. We have the resources for an extra room. We don't have the resources for a perfect one for a little girl, he thought back. I did the best I could.

Tango. Look at her. She loves it. "The best you could" was more than enough.

Skye let go of Tango and rushed over to the bed, hopping up on it and wiggling in delight. Tango's gaze followed her with a small, fond smile.

I'm going to clean up the dishes. Stay here and chat with her, maybe? Jimmy suggested.

Yeah, yeah. I can do that, Tango replied, sounding like he was trying to convince himself of that more than Jimmy. Who just pushed his fingers through Tango's warm, burning hair affectionately and slipped out of the room.

—

Tango sat up in bed. Moonlight streamed through the windows and the door to the balcony. His ears flicked and twitched. What had woke him? Probably Revenge whining to be let out into the animal yard—

His whole body went rigid when he realized what he was hearing wasn't the cat.

Skye was crying.

Slowly, so as not to wake Jimmy, Tango slipped out of bed. He slid out of their room and to the new door on the wall. He knocked. "Skye?" he asked softly. "Are you okay?"

Sniffling was the only reply he got.

"Can I come in, kiddo?"

He heard the creaking of a mattress and small feet tiptoeing over the floor. The door opened.

Jimmy had—somehow—managed to save her ravager plushie from death-by-filth. It was clutched in one of her arms, the other one hugging herself. Her face was wet and her eyes were puffy and bloodshot. "Come in," she said quietly.

Tango followed her in. She went back to the bed and boosted herself up onto it. Her broken wing's splint was still in place, the other flopping across the mattress behind her.

"Can I sit by you?"

She nodded. Tango sat beside her.

"You know," he said. "I'm from the Nether. That's why I look like this. Buuut..." He leaned down to smile conspiratorially. "That's also why I'm really warm to hug. Any time you need a warm hug, you just let me know, yeah?"

Her deep blue eyes were dark in the dim light of the bedroom. "Can I have a hug?"

"Of course, sweetheart."

Skye leaned and threw her arms around him, burying her face in his side. Tango wrapped his around her and held her close. He wanted to ask why she was crying, but he had a good guess. Her first night of freedom after being in a cage for who-knew-how-long. Now that she was no longer fearful for her survival, her grief was probably catching up to her at losing her parents.

Tango copied how he'd seen Jimmy rock her gently, trying to comfort her. He wasn't as good at it as Jimmy. Jimmy just had a knack for people. He could connect to them on a level Tango didn't quite understand, but tried to. But Tango gave it his best shot for an innocent child who didn't deserve the hurt she'd experienced.

When her sobs eased into hiccups and her grip around his middle wasn't so deathly tight anymore, Tango felt her go slack against his side.

Having cried herself to sleep.

Tango smiled sadly down at her. He carefully scooped her up into his arms and turned her covers back down so he could tuck her in. He positioned her on her side the way Jimmy slept—the way Jimmy had set her in their tub to avoid jostling her wings—and tucked her in. He smoothed a few loose hairs out of her face and crept out of the room, easing the door shut behind him.

He lingered in the hallway for a moment, the fire of his hair warming the hallway with low light.

Setting his jaw, he slipped stealthily downstairs and out the front door. His Blaze Rods appeared around his head, spinning fast. He shot into the sky, hurtling toward the gorge. The ranch's wheat fields whizzed by below him.

The gorge plunged into darkness below him. He kept going.

When he got close enough, Tango started banking in a fast circle around the outpost, pulling back his arms and hurling fireballs at the dark oak wood of the outpost and its wooden cages on the outskirts. Continuing until it was fully engulfed in flames. He didn't like to fully indulge his Blaze blood often.

But for that sweet, poor child? For what they did to her? Absolutely.

#trafficshipping #Team Rancher #Rancher Duo #TangoTek #jimmy solidarity #Tango Tek #this might be a fun little one-shot series to make... just little snapshots of their life with a kiddo #Traffic Light SMP fic #Double Life Fic #Aurora Writes #Rory Writes