#healthy food for parrot

[tiktokparrot]

In this quick video, we delve into the world of avian nutrition, shedding light on the safe and harmful foods for birds. Discover how seemingly innocent choices can pose serious risks to your feathered companions. Learn how to optimize your bird feeding routine for their safety and wellbeing. Watch now to become an expert in bird nutrition and ensure your avian friends lead long, healthy lives!

#african grey parrot lifespan in captivity #african grey behavior #buying an african grey parrot #african grey parrot care #cute birds #african grey lifespan #african grey parrot #african grey parrot buy #african grey parrot website #african grey #tiktokparrot #africangrey #Mitthu #africangreyparrot #parrot #parrotlove #talking parrot #tiktok parrot #parrot talking english #parrot talking pashto #parrot talking #indian ringneck #smart parrot #harmful food for birds #food that birds eat #what human food can birds eat #what food can birds eat #food for bird #healthy food for birds #healthy food for parrot

[ghouljams]

Voraciously consuming cowboy!König because I missed how you write this nasty (affectionate) man. The little surprises you leave in your tags too is 👍

König's gotten softer since you started dating. Not in the way he acts or treats you, no he's always treated you with shocking gentleness ever since he met you, but the rest of him. The hard planes of muscle that you were pulled against when you first met him have developed a healthy layer of softness. He's sturdier, thicker around the middle, and you can't stop staring.

He's well fed, you think over breakfast. You sip your coffee watching König eat his plate, a big mam with a big appetite. He hardly seems to notice that his plate is full of all the eggs, bacon, and toast you could fit in the pan. He only flips through the morning paper and eyes you over the top edge of it when you've been staring too long. One of his brows raises, silently asking you what's on your mind. You shake your head, unable to find the right words for the feeling he gives you.

You think you're... satisfied, maybe. Something primitive in you purrs at seeing him well fed, well taken care of. You think he looks stronger in a way. It certainly fits his height well, making König into a mountain of a man. You can't help imagining him with a gaggle of kids hanging off his arms and over his shoulders when you watch him around the farm. He picks up Honey's massive foal when it chases after him, moves it out of the way so he can load the stall with fresh hay; he drives a new fence post into the ground with one powerful swing of the hammer.

You might make a little extra food when he swings by for dinner later. Just because you had an extra loaf of bread and your garden has been exceptionally fruitful lately. It just sort of slips out when he sits down with a full plate; he's barely got his fork to his mouth.

"Have you ever thought about kids?" You ask, watching him a little dreamy eyed when he chokes on his bite. König thumps a big hand against his chest and downs half his glass of water. He settles the glass down on the table and gives you a hard look, like he's trying to figure what you're asking, you smile at him innocently.

König is quiet for a long time, arms crossed as he leans back in his chair to regard you. You're almost worried that you said something wrong, asked the wrong question, but then he sighs and drags his hand over his mouth to look around the kitchen. His eyes are hot and hard when they meet yours again.

"I think about our children all the time," he tells you, purposefully, like there's no room for argument. 'Our children' not just a simple yes.

"Our children," you parrot. König sits forward to start eating again.

"At least three of them," he nods, "better chances for a boy and a girl." You open your mouth to say something, but all you can think about is, well, your future children. At least three of them staring up at you with König's icy blues.

"You don't want to know why I'm asking?" You try to tamp down the flutter in your heart. König hums, and glances at you, his eyes dragging over the parts of you that he can see.

"You've been feeding me more, staring more, I assume you're nesting," again he says it like a fact, "thinking about them too, ja?" You forget sometimes how closely watched you are, and how much you like that about König. "We can start trying after dinner."

You try not to squirm too excitedly in your seat.

#ghoul speaks #cod x reader #x reader #x oc #cod x oc #könig fanfiction #könig #könig x reader #könig x oc #könig cod #könig mw2 #könig call of duty #oc: bee #cowboy!könig #cowboy au

[inkblot-mirror]

Pomefiore Dorm Headcanons:

-Lights out at 9pm. Period.

-Like Diasomnia, which is also an on old castle, Pomefiore has many hidden nooks and shortcuts and passageways, all of which Rook discovered and committed to memory the first day he transferred. It’s also how he gets around the place so quickly and pops up most unexpectedly, still giving even older students a scare.

-Students quickly learn not to sneak junk food and other forbidden snacks and stuff into their rooms because Vil always. Finds. Out. (It’s Rook—nothing ever gets past him)

-As Epel demonstrated, a common punishment in the dorm is cleaning: washing and wiping all the windows by hand, dusting the vases, sweeping the rugs and mopping the hallways and making sure everything is absolutely spotless. Without magic (it’s to build character ofc).

-The beautiful gardens and apple orchards outside are perfect for afternoon tea. Vil has, on more than one occasion, hosted a photoshoot in the gardens.

-Said apples in the orchards are also cursed to make whoever eats them violently ill. As a result the garden remains picturesque and pretty.

-Peacocks roam freely outside. They are surprisingly aggressive to outsiders.

-Entire dorm smells like fancy flowers and floral perfume.

-While not an official club on campus, but some Pomefiore students have made their own fashion design club. They hold fashion shows, showcasing their own creations every so often and Vil always attends.

-Has a potions lab in the basement where the housewarden duel is held.

-Mandatory ballroom dancing lessons! Pomefiore has three ballrooms in total.

-There’s a big white grand piano in the lounge that no one is allowed to play.

-Decently insulated, not too hot or cold, since both are bad for your skin.

-Lot and lots of stairs! Also easy to get lost in.

-Vil (and Rook) had to teach all the first years how to put their dorm uniform on properly.

- Lots of movie nights in the lounge. If one of Vil’s movies are being played, he expects full critique (and praise) afterwards.

-Vil is more accommodating towards beastman students with wings, tails, fur, and or ears that need more specialized care or attention.

-Kitchen is stocked only with healthy snacks and artesian bottled water.

——————

Scarabia Dorm Headcanons:

-So. Many. Parties. Parties to kick off the start of the school year, parties at the end of the week, parties to celebrate end of the semester, parties for the sake of partying.

-Second to Octavinelle, the dorm has lots of musically inclined students. One can hear lots of musical instruments being played day and night, such as the sitar, flute, oud, tamborine, or drum.

-Merfolk students like to cool off in the oasis or the courtyard fountain. This environment isn’t exactly the best for them… good thing there aren’t alot of them in Scarabia in the first place.

-Sand everywhere!!!!!! Even with magic, sand still finds a way to slip in. I don't like sand. It's coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere.

-Occasionally there are powerful sandstorms outside.

-Even rarer is when it rains (without use of Kalim’s UM)—when it does, everyone dashes outside to dance and sing in the rain with joy (everyone minus Jamil)

-Dorm is home to Kalim’s menagerie of exotic wild animals allowed to roam freely: tigers, monkeys, camels, parrots, etc…

-They’re all tame (mostly), but you can still occasionally see Jamil and a student or two wrangling a monkey or chasing after a runaway pony.

-It’s nearly bug free for the most part (thanks Jamil!) but you can still find the lone scorpion or snake hiding in the corners.

-First thing new students are taught is to always always always double check and empty your shoes and clothes first before putting them on.

-Entire dorm smells of incense and spices and exotic perfumes. It’s very heavy on the senses.

-Very dry and hot as one would expect! Its gets chillier at night, but not by much.

-Students help out Jamil with the cooking. It’s a communal event, and recipes and stories are often swapped.

-Before Kalim, Scarabia was a pretty studious and academic dorm. Now they have a reputation as the party animals of NRC and curious students from other dorms like to sneak into their many parties or banquets. Not like Kalim minds: the more, the merrier!

-DONT TOUCH JAMIL’s SPICES!

#twst oc #twisted wonderland #twst #twst wonderland #disney twisted wonderland #twst headcanons #twisted wonderland headcanons #pomefiore #scarabia #my hcs #my headcanons

[todaysbird]

thoughts on falconry?

So, upfront, I’m going to say that this is not my area of expertise and what I DO know is largely US-based, so some falconry practices in different locations may differ. I have only personally worked with parrots, finches, and other common (unregulated) birds in a professional capacity, and while I have done independent research for fun, I do not have any hands-on experience with raptors.

My opinion on falconry growing up was mostly concern beyond the ‘cool’ factor, because I thought the birds were ‘kidnapped’ from their families and then kept lifelong. This went against everything I knew about handling and treating wildlife, so it initially seemed pretty messed up to do to a native bird.

However, beyond the initial shock value, and as I learned more, I found that falconry has actually shown to be very beneficial to birds. Falconers were largely behind the ongoing Peregrine Falcon restoration after the species was almost wiped out. Also, raptors have a VERY high mortality rate in their first year. Falconers keep young raptors taken from the wild in safe enclosed mews for their vulnerable years, while providing them with food while they hone their hunting skills. When the raptors are released (it’s very rare for a falconry bird to be kept permanently), they have a better set of skills to navigate the world. Temporarily captive birds = more healthy adult birds. With most raptor species on the decline due to habitat loss, climate change, introduced species and other impacts, this is a good thing.

Falconers also may use their birds to hunt for invasive species by taking them to areas where they are common. This is not a surefire thing, as raptors do not recognize species-specific commands - they will take down any rodent regardless if it is a squirrel or rat, for example. But some falconers have been successful in decreasing numbers of problematic species like starlings, Norway rats, and others (at least on a local level).

The downside is, like with any animal caretaker, bad falconers exist. It is possible to not give a bird enough free flight and let them actually become a poor hunter. It’s possible to provide improper nutrition in captivity and make your bird sick or fail to thrive. Injuries and accidents happen. But again, this is more on the shoulders of individuals than falconry as a whole.

With that being said, falconers DO have to complete licensing programs, so a bad/uninformed falconer is less common than most domestic animal owners, because you can’t legally go out and get a kestrel on a whim because it’s cute.

Overall, tldr: when performed by knowledgeable individuals, falconry can really benefit the birds and the environment.

(For a great beginner’s resource on falconry, read this - I also recommend checking out @raptorsandpoultry and @ordinaryredtail)

#asks #falconry

[mylifeisactuallyamess]

The Keldabe Kiss

A/N: It’s no secret I actually despise February 14th (whether I’m single or not!) and so I fall back on my boys to help me through. Don’t ask, I’m complicated. This year the lucky guy is Tech 🥹 honestly my clone fixation has blown up recently and I’m not even sorry. (I use that tag a lot.) I wrote something simple for him.

Summary: Festival of Love has come to Ord Mantel (yes I fucked with the timeline.)

Warnings: none except this is based on a little universe I have going on in my head where the Bad Batch rescued a medic and nicknamed her Stitch. F!Reader (I can’t remember if I stipulated that in the fic so just covering my ass. If could be GN I honestly can’t remember.) Mention of children (Omega.) It’s kinda fluffy.

Word Count: 3.5k+

You stood outside Cid’s parlour, watching some people put up flickering lights ready for tomorrow's Festival. You’d been so set on going, never having the opportunity to experience something like this before as you’d always been on the run or ‘avoiding the locals', your father had called it. These things were never fun alone though.

The wistful sigh couldn’t be contained but your sinking mood was lifted by the group coming toward you. Their armour was distinctive, marked with orange and grey, carrying their helmets as they eyed everyone with a healthy dose of suspicion. You knew where they were heading and you waited to side until they reached you.

“Ah, Stitch!” Wrecker grinned joyfully at you and barged past his brothers to grab you in a bear hug, lifting you clean off the ground.

“Wrecker!” You giggled, momentarily losing your balance after being swept off your feet. Hunter automatically reached out to steady you with a firm hand to your shoulder followed by the softening of his gaze. “Good mission?”

“Depends on what you’d define as good.” Hunter muttered and moved past you revealing Tech who made eye contact for a brief second.

“That bad?” You asked and fell into step beside the younger looking clone.

“Well no one was injured, so I think you’d class that as a successful mission. Cid, not so much.”

“Ah,” you understood perfectly. They left you at the bar with Omega and you glanced at her fallen face, wondering how you could cheer her up. “There is a festival tomorrow,” you told her.

“What sort of festival?”

“It’s a celebration of the best things in life. There’s going to be stalls selling special items, different food, they are putting decorations up and I heard, there might even be fireworks.”

“Fireworks??” Her brown eyes shone with wonder.

“Want to come with me?”

“Oh yes! Hunter, can I go with Stitch?” Omega swivelled on her stool and you looked up at the tired group as they all grabbed a drink.

“Go where?” He asked, his tone laced with doubt and you wondered if you should have offered at all.

“Oh it’s nothing…” you tried to gloss over it but once Omega got her teeth into something she didn’t let it drop.

“It’s not nothing! It sounds really cool! There might even be fireworks,” she parroted. “I want to go.”

“You’re talking about the festival, tomorrow?” Echo huffed as he slumped on the other side of you.

“The Festival of Love originated from Endor and has since been recognised in places like Naboo, Coruscant, Ord Mantell and other places. The Festival is to honour kinship and love. Traditions include exchanging gifts, eating meals and…dancing.” Tech lowered his datapad and glanced at the expressions on his brother’s faces.

Echo sighed and turned to look around the bar like he wasn’t even part of this conversation, Wrecker grumbled something about wanting to play dejarik and sidled off. Hunter’s shoulders slouched like he couldn’t think of anything more tedious while Tech had his nose in his datapad, probably scrolling through more facts.

“I don’t mind taking her,” you mumbled.

“You can’t take Omega on your own,” Hunter instantly said, causing Omega to cross her arms and sulk. “Plus we have another mission for Cid tomorrow.” He leaned closer to the little girl and you could see the regret etched on his tattooed face. “I’m sorry, Omega.”

“I never get to see anything fun!” She pushed away from the bar and stormed off to find Wrecker.

“Handled that well,” Echo muttered.

“You could have stepped in,” Hunter shot back hotly.

“May I suggest an alternative?” Tech appeared at your shoulder, taking Omega’s vacant seat.

“You’re going to anyway,” Echo snarked under his breath and you raised an eyebrow but Tech didn’t even notice the other clones' sour tone.

“If it’s Omega running off you’re worried about, I can watch her. I’ll make her wear a tracker.”

“Tech! You can’t put a tracker on a kid!” Hunter nearly spat out his drink in shock and stared incredulously at his brother.

“I can. I have before and she didn’t seem to mind.”

“Did she know?” You asked Tech gently, making him look up from his datapad as he thought about your question.

“Actually, no.”

“I don’t think she should go and it puts us at a disadvantage if Tech stays behind.”

“Not so,” Tech cut across Echo. “You don’t need my particular skill set for this mission.”

“He’s right,” Hunter agreed and Echo just rolled his eyes in response. A strained quiet settled over the group only broken by the sounds of the parlour and Tech’s tapping on his datapad. You clutched your drink, feeling bad that you’d not spoken to Hunter first, of course it was his decision if you took Omega or not. “All right, fine!” Hunter grumbled and then downed his drink. “Plant a tracker on her and do not let her take it off. Plant one on Stitch while you’re at it, we can’t afford to lose her either.”

“Gladly,” Tech blinked owlishly at his own response and his fingers stilled on the screen.

“Well! Now that’s settled I’m going to head back. I’ve had a long day.” You emptied your own cup and slipped off the stool, hoping no one would notice the silly smile you couldn’t suppress at the idea of Tech putting a tracker on you.

“Tech…” Hunter jerked his head in your direction and then went off to find Omega and no doubt tell her the good news about tomorrow.

“Of course.” To your surprise the datapad was put away and he stood, looking at you with an air of expectancy. “You were leaving?” He reminded you, a hint of uncertainty in his voice like he worried he’d missed something.

“You’re coming with me?” Tech swallowed and adjusted his specs as his honeyed brown eyes met yours for just a second.

“Hunter is worried about you walking back at this time. Crime activity has increased by 28 percent in this section and I believe it’s why he wants you and Omega to have an escort tomorrow.”

“Oh.” You stood there stupidly for a second, trying to gather your skittish thoughts. “It’s not necessary,” you eventually managed to say.

“I believe it is.” You couldn’t argue against that so you didn’t protest anymore and he followed you out. The street was almost empty, just a few people with their heads down as they went home. Tech kept a watchful eye, his hand never straying far from his DC-17s. He stayed about half a step behind you almost bumping into you when you stopped at your door.

“Well, we made it.”

“So it would seem. I have yet to check your residence.” You sputtered out a laugh but he only continued to stare at you as he waited for you to admit him.

“You’re serious. Ok, sorry about the mess.” The door opened and the lights came on automatically. You went to go in but he put out an arm to stop you, dropping the visor down over his specs and stalking into your apartment that also doubled as your treatment room.

Your droid woke up at the movement beeping out a greeting, coming forward a few steps before the power seemed to disappear completely from it and you huffed as it slouched lifelessly. Opening the front panel you stared completely clueless at the wires wishing you could afford to get the damn thing fixed.

“The charging ports might need replacing,” Tech announced his arrival from scouting out your place. “I could run a diagnostic if you like?”

“It’s late, you’ve barely been home.”

“Home is a state of mind.”

“Yeah…” he was right. You’d never had a place you could really call home. So home being a feeling rather than a place was the most accurate thing you’d heard in a long time.

“Another time then,” Tech said. “Your place is clear. I shall be back tomorrow with Omega.” He walked towards the door and you followed, desperately wanting to say something else but not sure what.

“Tech…” he turned at the sound of his name and you really tried hard not to gaze directly into his eyes, knowing that made him uncomfortable. “Be careful. On the way back.”

“Always,” he saluted you with two fingers before disappearing round the corner. You closed and locked your door letting out a frustrated sigh. Of all the clones to harbour secret feelings for…

Your droid looked like a patient, laid out on the table with its wires hanging out as you tried to repair it, not wanting to put Tech out. He had better things to do than maintain your equipment. The door alarm sounded and you quickly smoothed down the material of your outfit, your heart fluttering a little at the idea of spending the whole day with Tech. And Omega.

The latter wrapped herself around you as soon as your door opened, her mouth instantly going as she spilled her excitement. You grinned at Tech and his tense expression, beckoning them inside. Omega went straight to your table, standing on a supply crate to have a proper look inside the droid.

“Did she sleep much?” You asked him noticing the way he clutched his datapad and glanced over at the mess your droid was in.

“She slept less than the normal amount,” he informed you matter of factly. “Echo was not amused.”

“Not a lot amuses him at the moment,” you replied dryly.

“Echo believes we should be doing more against the Empire rather than just hiding. He cannot help it.” You hated to admit Tech was right. He seemed completely unruffled by the conversation and you admired his utter acceptance of his brothers.

“Are you ready?”

“Yes!” Omega leapt down and hurried to the door. “Come on! We don’t want to miss anything!” She shouted and you smiled at Tech as he refrained from rolling his eyes.

“I’m not actually sure we can miss an all day event,” Tech called after her. “You forgot this.” You locked your door and turned to find him holding out a tracker on the palm of his hand, the light blinking innocently.

“I don’t think Hunter was serious about one for me,” you half laughed but Tech stayed standing in your way with his hand held out.

“He was. And so am I.” You took the tracker and slipped it into your pocket, Tech lifted his datapad and pressed a few buttons. “Perfect signal.” For some reason that made you so happy that you’d pleased him over something so simple.

“Are you guys coming?” Omega appeared around the corner eyeing you both just standing in your doorway. Tech brought up the rear as you reached for Omega and she clasped your hand eagerly.

The festival wasn’t what you expected at all, it was so much better. The streets were lined with pink and red coloured streamers, all fluttering in the breeze. Bunting stretched from one side of the street to the other and the lights were flickering. You couldn’t wait to get the full effect of it when it was dark.

Omega danced from stall to stall, her excitement contagious and you found yourself caught up in her joy and zest for life. Tech trailed after you both, suffering the chatter, loud noises and heavy crowds. Keeping himself occupied by noting down new facts or recording anything he found remotely interesting.

You happened upon a stall run by a twi’lek, your stomach rumbling at the fresh meilooruns. You approached the stall noticing the usually orange fruit had a purple tinge to the rind. You’d never had this variant before but before you could ask for one Omega was tugging on your hand and dragging you to look at something else.

Soon even Omega was flagging, but her eyes were still wide from all the sights she’d experienced. Her bag was full of trinkets and she’d bought something for each of her brothers. You felt honoured that she had asked for your opinion, enjoying the feeling she instilled inside you. She really was something special.

As darkness fell you suggested getting a good view for the fireworks and began to head in the direction of the seating area when Tech stopped you.

“I have a better place where we can watch the fireworks, away from the crowds.”

“Is it far?” Omega asked, chasing it up with a yawn.

“It’s approximately 0.5 klicks from our current location,” Tech rattled off as he adjusted his specs, the light of the datapad reflected in them.

“I can make it,” she said cheerily but you heard the fatigue in her voice, especially if she had been up early hassling her older brothers.

Now Tech took point, leading you away from the streets where the festival was still in full swing. You wanted to question him but instead you decided to trust him. Tech had never let you down yet. Your interest peaked when he told you to climb an outside staircase. Omega went first with no hesitation, climbing to the top of the seemingly abandoned building and gasping loudly.

“Oh…wow.” You looked up at the sky, mesmerised by the amount of stars that dotted the black sky above you. Tech had led you to a place on the edge of town that wasn’t affected by the lights of the festival, giving you an incredible view of the stars and no doubt the fireworks when they started.

“I calculated the amount of noise and light pollution from the festival. From that I was able to survey an appropriate place where it was quiet and had uninterrupted views.”

“Tech…this is amazing!” You gushed.

“He checked it out last night,” Omega said slyly and Tech looked at her in shock. “What? I was awake when you snuck out. Now I know what you were doing.”

“Clearly I wasn’t as subtle as I thought,” he muttered, reaching to adjust his specs again.

“Oh look! Seats!” Omega dropped her bag and fell into one, turning to wave you over.

“Were these you as well?” You asked Tech quietly.

“The fireworks are supposed to last approximately 15 minutes. I had assumed that by being on your feet all day and chasing Omega, you’d want to rest.”

“You assumed correctly.” Omega had taken the middle seat, cuddling up into you when you settled beside her. Tech sat on the other end, his trusty datapad in his hand as he counted down to the fireworks; and they started exactly when he said they would.

The fireworks were the best moment of the day, filling the sky with glittery flashes that lit up the world all around you. Omega laid her head in your lap and you rested a hand on her side watching the display together. You revelled in the deep bangs that seemed to explode in your chest and the fizzling crackles that popped in your ears. You’d never seen something so eye-catching and you were sorely disappointed when they finished; just a plume of white smoke the only evidence that they had happened at all.

“She’s asleep.” You glanced down at Omega and sure enough her eyes were closed, even breaths passing through her slightly open lips as she lay completely relaxed in your lap. “You’re good with her.”

“You think so?” Biting your lower lip you glanced over at Tech to find him looking at you both with a strange expression on his face that he tried to hide.

“I know so. Due to her nature she is exceptionally accepting but she does seem to favour you.” Gently you swiped some blonde strands out of her peaceful face, regretful that you were going to have to wake her soon.

“I think she’s great and after everything she’s seen and been through…she still has this innocence about her. She’s a credit to you all.”

“I don’t see us having much influence over her,” Tech said and you scoffed at his words.

“She idolises every single one of you.”

“That’s nice to hear,” you turned to find Hunter, Echo and Wrecker coming from behind. Tech stood up and greeted his brothers. Wrecker reached down and plucked the sleeping child from your lap, cradling her in his massive arms.

“Look at her,” he whispered in his gravelly voice. “This is the quietest she’s been for days!”

“Don’t wake her then, Wrecker!” Echo hissed as they made their way carefully down the stairs.

“Was it worth it?” Hunter asked you and the smile that spread over your face told him everything he needed to know.

“Thanks for lending us Tech. He did actually put a tracker on me,” you told Hunter who let out a soft chuckle.

“Good. I’d be having words with him if he didn’t.”

“You know, I’m scrappy. I can look after myself.” Hunter fixed you with a knowing glare and it reminded you so much of Tech for a moment.

“It’s what we do. Anyway we need you, Stitch. More than we like to admit.”

“Medics are everywhere,” you told Hunter with a quick roll of your eyes.

“Not ones, as good as you.” The pair of you stopped and looked back at Tech who came to an abrupt halt. “Well,” he adjusted his specs and lifted his datapad. “Stitch has performed 107 successful repairs on all of us together, the most drastic being my broken femur from the failed mission on Serenno. Not to mention the blaster shot to your chest and Wrecker’s shoulder. Also her continual observation of Echo…” Hunter gave his brother a lopsided smile and clapped him firmly on the shoulder.

“Now you’ve listed her best accomplishments, you can walk her home.” He melted into the shadows suddenly leaving you and Tech alone in the dark.

“Do you know the best route? I’m still not familiar with this part of town,” you admitted shyly.

“It won’t take us long,” he reassured you. The walk was quiet, you weren’t sure what to say to him and your feet were beginning to ache something drastic. You followed Tech onto a street you were familiar with and fished around in your pockets for the tracker.

“I should give this back.”

“Keep it. I have plenty.” Tech said quickly. He glanced at you and then continued. “It’s a modified one, with a panic option that goes straight to my datapad. Should you ever need it.” Your fingers closed round the tracker, suddenly finding it the most precious thing you had.

All too soon your door loomed and the pair of you stood under the small light that flowed on the outside.

“Tech…?”

“Yes?”

“I got you, something.” He watched curiously as you opened your bag and pulled out a small box, taking it gently when you offered it to him. “I hope it’s useful.” He opened the lid and revealed a brand new All-kit tool. The handle had a rubber grip, the alloy shiny from having never been used. At first Tech didn’t say anything, just reaching for the tool and you panicked, thinking you’d got something he really didn’t need. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know if you had one, I’ve never noticed you with one.”

“I don’t,” he interrupted. “I didn’t have one, until now.” He looked up to see the relieved smile cross your face and a small frown appeared on his own. “You shouldn’t be so worried, I am always in need of tools and this…” he pulled it from the box and with a flick began to cycle through the different heads. “It’s immediately my favourite,” he reassured you. “Which reminds me…” he put the box in his bag and extracted something that had you gasping a little. “I saw you looking at these but not actually buy one.” You took the purple fruit from his hand, trying not to over think the fact you both gave a gift during the Festival of Love. He probably didn’t realise the depth of the tradition and you were fine with that. Although out of the whole squad, he’d be the only one to know.

“Tech, thank you so much.” Emotion coloured your tone and you stepped closer to him. Gently resting a hand on his shoulder you made your intentions clear expecting him to pull away. When he didn’t you went ahead and planted a soft kiss on his cheek, breathing him in as you did. He lifted a hand to rest against your elbow, as though he was steadying you both. Your eyes were still closed as you pulled your lips into your mouth, reluctant to move away just yet. Tech’s quick breath fanned over your face as he pressed his forehead against yours. His fingers tightened on your arm and you both stood like that for a moment, just drinking in each other's closeness.

“Tech?” His com lit up with Hunter’s voice and you separated. Clearing your throat you backed up and allowed him to answer, telling Hunter he was all right and was just making his way back.

“Thanks, Tech.” You swallowed down the huskiness in your voice. “For today, for all of it. Get back safely, please.”

“Always,” he said, touching two fingers to his forehead and giving you the casual salute. “I’ll be back tomorrow to fix your droid.” He told you, walking backwards down the street, his gaze still fixed on you.

“I’ll be here,” you answered, leaning on your doorframe and watching him leave.

“I know.”

#tech tuesday #the bad batch #tech tuesday fic #tech x f!reader #the bad batch fic #all the boys #tech x reader #tech x you #mylifeisactuallyamess

[flock-talk]

What do you think of the "Is The Owl Video Cute" blog promoting that keeping any and all parrots in captivity is unethical and wrong? I worry they are spreading significant misinformation to people who don't know any better.

Their entire blog at the moment is filled with asks regarding this subject so I’m just going to tag them as a whole instead of a specific post @is-the-owl-video-cute

I haven’t read every single question they’ve answered so I’m not going to say I agree with everything they say, I simply haven’t got the energy to read them all so I can’t say I agree with what I haven’t read!

I agree with the general concept of these ethical topics.

When we’re talking about whether or not an animal should be kept in captive conditions we’re focused on a couple of main things

1) the quality of care provided in the average home

2) the breeding practices and regulations

3) the quality of life the animal will have in captivity

Parrots do not thrive in captivity. No parrot does. Not a budgie, not a macaw. None of them (as a general broad statement on their species as a whole) are able to exhibit natural behaviours regularly, live with less stress than in the wild, get adequate nutrition, exercise, or social outlets.

Are there outliers to this rule? Absolutely! There are anti-social budgies who live happily with people, there are people who go above and beyond with their care so the parrots can live happily! But that’s not the majority. And that’s what matters when we’re talking about a broad and complicated topic such as ethics.

As it stands parrot keeping is inadequate.

There’s no standards on their care, there’s more misinformation out there than there is correct information, it’s easier to purchase tiny habitats and fatty nutritionless foods than it is large homes and healthy options. Even if you want to take good care of your birds you have to jump through 1000 flaming hoops just to get the right information. The majority will not put in that effort and the majority will not have the funds, space or time to truly provide what they need.

When we look at parrots in captivity we find that they do not thrive even in the best of care! Most of parrot care is spent trying to prevent problems than it is about living a stress free joyous life. Most parrots struggle with plucking or other stereotypic behaviours, behaviours that are not seen naturally. These things only happen as a result of struggling with captive life, they self mutilate, pace, and pull at their toes to try to cope with the stress that captivity puts on them. Great care or not these things still happen! It’s just a side effect of living in a cramped captive lifestyle that can’t provide what the birds need.

Their social requirements are absurdly massive! Budgies are one of the most common parrots kept as pets and they have some of the largest flocks there are! Massive groups of birds hitting numbers in the thousands! They thrive in large groups where they can preen eachother, chatter together, forage together with safety in numbers. Most captive budgies get 0-3 flock mates. Can some budgies do okay with these conditions? Sure. Does the majority? No. That doesn’t even touch on the subject that just because they’re a social bird doesn’t mean they love every bird they meet. In the wild you can choose your flock, move away from birds you don’t get along with, etc. in captivity they often don’t get that choice. You buy a completely random friend for them from a wildly different genetic line and slap them together in a confined space expecting them to get along perfectly. It ends in a lot of stress, a lot of fights, a lot of deaths.

We haven’t even hit the intelligence level yet! This goes a little hand in hand with enclosure size. Parrots are smart, not just the big ones! A budgie holds the world record for the most known words, an African grey parrot has the same cognitive intelligence as a three year old human child. They’re complex, destructive and it takes a lot to keep those brains engaged. Imagine a three year old child and all the things it takes to keep their minds healthy, now hand that toddler a sharp weapon for a face and the capacity to scream louder than a jet engine. Frequent toy rotations, tons of money spent on new toys, training to engage the brain, changing up enclosure layouts, foraging opportunities, puzzle feeders, bird-proofing everything repeatedly because your bird chewed a hole in your drywall. It’s hard. Most birds don’t get enough of it. And the majority only get 2-3 uninteresting toys which results in a lot of distress and boredom that leads to an unhappy life and self-destructive behaviours.

The amount of distance a parrot travels in a day is huge! They have massive exercise requirements that the average home cannot provide. Yes even a large outdoor aviary isn’t suitable for a lot of birds! You’ll still see stress-related behaviours as a result of living in these habitats in some cases. And again, looking at the majority here they won’t even get that amount of space. They’ll be lucky to live in a 10x10 cube with maybe an hour of time to flap their wings.

Which brings us to wing clipping. Most parrots will never get the opportunity to fly which screws up their systems massively. Their brain ends up underdeveloped, their lungs end up weaker, even their heart can be weakened or just straight up smaller than a bird who was able to fledge and fly regularly. Let alone the amount of birds that end up with broken necks because the wings were cut too short so they smashed straight in to the ground or flew full speed in to a wall with no way to control their flight (wing clipping removes the feathers responsible for controlling direction, not speed.)

Majority of pet birds end up overweight due to inadequate nutrition and exercise (see:wing clipping). There isn’t even a brand of food I can find in a local pet store that I can feed my birds that actually fulfills their nutritional needs, yes even the stores that sell the birds don’t have what’s needed to even feed them. If you want to invest a ton of time in to research, working with your veterinary team, and formulating recipes you could make it work with seeds and veggies but it’s very very difficult to do that (and again, the majority of people will not). Seeds are high in fat and the average captive bird is not getting enough exercise to burn off all that fat, this can result in neurological problems and fatty liver disease which easily chops a birds lifespan in half.

Breeding. Where it sits right now parrot breeding (in the majority of cases) is disgusting. Most of the time the birds are kept in teeny tiny cages and don’t really come out, the babies may get handled just so they end up tame and easier to sell but other than that they don’t tend to get out much. Most birds are over-bred and in the cases of small birds they’re too tiny for most blood tests to be done. So things like ensuring two birds aren’t closely related to reduce inbreeding risks….. doesn’t happen. If you look at the world of dog breeding for comparison there’s a ton of regulations to ensure healthy pups. You can get x rays to check their bone structures and joints, blood tests for their Coefficient of Inbreeding, etc. the (good) breeders put a lot of work in to socializing, building confidence, and raising healthy stable puppies. That doesn’t exist for birds. There’s no attempts at socialization beyond making them hand tame, there’s no exposure routines to build confidence, there’s no health tests. The bird world also has this hefty habit of deliberately inbreeding to cause genetic disasters because they look cute. One line of budgies, for example, is so overbred for the sake of making the feathers large (desirable trait for more sales) that the birds can’t see properly and often have really dirty vents because the poop gets caught up in these oversized feathers. An offshoot of this attempt was the Feather Duster Budgie. A line of budgies who ended up with a genetic mutation through this process, their feathers never stop growing. They don’t live more than a couple years at most before they either die because the feathers were too heavy to access food, couldn’t breathe, or were otherwise inhibited by the weight of the feathers.

There’s a lot wrong with captive parrots. Even if we were to reform the whole pet care industry at the end of the day we’d hit the same result. Parrots aren’t healthier with us than they are on their own. Even with the risks of predation and disease in the wild the amount of stress they experience in captive environments and drastic accidents with escaped pets/ getting stepped on/ eaten by the family cat often shortens their lifespans in similar ways.

Here’s more posts I’ve done in the past regarding ethics:

https://flock-talk.tumblr.com/post/124943409618/theres-a-post-going-around-saying-how-you-should

https://flock-talk.tumblr.com/post/674550796203999232/but-you-have-birds-in-captive-conditions

https://flock-talk.tumblr.com/post/674631708422881280/hi-ive-searched-your-blog-for-budgie-related-asks

#ethics

[l3irdl3rain]

I have a lovebird question and if you have any input I would be grateful. A few days ago my brother found a lost Fischer's lovebird in a park in NYC. It willingly came to him and was rescued without incident and appears healthy. Bro is looking for the owners and has booked a vet appt with an avian vet, and has the assistance of a neighbor with lovebird knowledge and supplies, the little guy is all set up in a good temporary cage with appropriate food and supervision (though he seems to be spoiled and will only eat millet so far). His cage is safe behind a firmly-shutting door in my brother's room.

The issue is that he seems to have strongly bonded with my brother already and is burrowing in his shirt and sleeping on him and doing all the sweet lovely things that usually (I think?) take a lovebird much longer to warm up to with their human. The bird is tolerant but indifferent of the other humans in the apartment. However, my brother has two young cats and we know bird/cat households are risky or even unethical unless the cats are older or otherwise unlikely/unable to care about a bird, like in your own case.

In your opinion, is separating the lovebird from my brother potentially harmful to the bird's mental or emotional health given the bond that has formed, or is rehoming him going to be okay? We care most about doing what is best for the bird, my brother would miss him obviously but the bird's long term health is what's important here. Thank you for any input you can provide.

Here's a bird tax:

If you are unable to provide a safe and home then rehoming is definitely the better option, even if it causes emotional distress to the bird. No animal ever likes to be rehomed and it is true that birds are exceptionally emotional, but also sometimes it just has to happen. His new home should spend some extra time with him when they first get him because he may be "grieving" your brother, but frankly they should be doing that anyways to bond with him and because parrots are a highly social animal.

Obviously rehoming is a big deal and stressful for animals but it happens all the time. It happens even more often to parrots because they're long lived and a ton of work. Most of them, if they're going to a good home, end up just fine. It's not like this is your bird that you got bored of or something and are just getting rid of him because of that. You're just trying to do what is best for the little guy.

#ask #hopefully this helps

[a-dinosaur-a-day]

another huge thing about mammal bias is that people apply mammal behaviors to non-mammals and it's really dangerous. ie: "aww the leopard geckos are cuddling" when they're piling on top to assert dominance because you shouldnt cohab them, or saying "reptiles don't love you so why bother?" (the answer is because /i/ love them and they trust me to give them food and that's all i can really want)

YUP. like, there are so many behaviors in my parrots that are *not* the same as similar looking behaviors in mammals. It's an absolute headache.

Also, good news: we don't *know* that reptiles don't love us, or any animals. What we do know is that animals across the board show positive responses to human-animal bonding (when that bond is healthy and the animal is well cared for) - including release of bonding or happy chemicals when present with the human. Even in nonavian reptiles. Even in invertebrates.

Its shit like this that just points out the mammal bias in how we perceive love, too. What is love, other than feeling happy to be with someone, and glad they're around? Like? And all animals feel this with their humans?

There's anthropomorphizing and then there's anthropocentrism and the whole "non-warmblooded animals can't love" wreaks of the second, and isn't really correcting for the first.

#human animal bond #animals #people #pets #love

[is-the-owl-video-cute]

Okay, first sorry for presuming you didn't work with children - the way you talked about them at first was really oversimplificated, easy to misunderstand.

About "using Third Wolrd countries as props", sometimes they pop in the middle of an argument out of the blue and with no nuance at all. Like "don't eat quinoa, eat meat!" - we export meat and the contidions of workers in slaughterhouses are AWFUL too. We plant too much things to export (both for animal feeding and people), and for the exchange farmers don't plant local crops anymore, prices rise, and stuff. Not to mention mineration. Almost everything produced here, specially most brute products, come from exploitaition. I don't think individual buyers interfere much, maybe organized though.

Or the parrot thing. Shelters here are full too, to the point of workers saying "please find a new home for this lost bird yourself." (Happened to a co-worker that found a lost, absolutely healthy, and clearly imprinted parrot).

And to be honesty the discourse of "undomable parrots" "the WILD!" sounds also fetishing to me. You see? It is still a open question. You say what you want about husbandry, but how *we* feel is still open. What Europeans did to parrots is fact, what we make from it? It's *our* turn to discuss and decide.

These are just random ideas. Idk how you will receive them.

Also, I'm amused by the idea that some comments threw "imagine until they know about unicorns or dragons" or "they are adad". I'm totally for imagination, and if I made understand I'm against it I'm sorry. I'm not *against* whatever dino toys, I just *wish* we had more variety than JP bootlegs, including pleasant and accurate critters.

What I will say to you is that my response to parrots is very US-centric because that is where I live and have experience and knowledge about the exotic pet trade on a first hand level and because that is what OP specified they were speaking on in the first place.

I am not speaking for your country because I have not lived there and you haven’t disclosed which country you reside in meaning I can’t give any assumption to what the situation is there.

The state of parrots in the pet trade in the US is that anyone can buy as many parrots of whatever species they want as long as they pay a lot of money to the seller. The seller very rarely does any kind of background check to ensure the buyer even knows what they’re doing or what the bird eats, they take money and they give bird. There is often no way to verify that the parrots were bred for health and good temperament, or even that they weren’t bred to parents or siblings. There is often very little transparency about what methods they were imprinted with, there are several types of imprinting and some result in a nightmare bird and others result in a very calm bird.

Because you can profit off of selling large quantities of parrots with unique patterns or colors, there are a lot of people breeding them in unethical ways to do so cheaply while selling at the highest possible price. This, much like the human labor and land exploitations you’re referring to, are just the end result of capitalism. Rich white countries like things cheap and convenient so they imperialize and leech off of countries they intentionally sabotage financially so they have to stay in line.

Because of the mindset Americans have towards convenience and instant gratification, they go to a store, see a parrot, buy a tiny cage, and bring the parrot home with a bell toy, dowel perch, and just whatever bag of generic “parrot food” they happened to grab on the way out. Then the parrot is loud or bites or never talks so they cover it with a sheet, release it into their backyard, or force it onto an already overcrowded rescue.

Every type of parrot has unique needs, but they at the very least should be able to fly, have others of their species to interact with, and bonding activities that don’t frustrate or upset the bird. So many parrots in the pet trade here have never actually felt the sunlight aside from through a window. So many parrot cages are designed in ways that lead to damaged feathers. So many parrot cages have no room for the bird to stretch their wings or even have a private place to hide.

My stance on parrots is at the bare minimum people should have to go through a similar process falconers have to go through before getting their first raptor. Falconers here must build an enclosure that meets guidelines approved by the state department of wildlife, they must pass an exam regarding the natural history, husbandry, equipment, and training of the animal. They must study under a master falconer for two years before becoming fully independent in the sport. If we held people to this standard and required it before they could buy a parrot, I would have far less complaints I’m sure. But that isn’t the case. Every parrot I’ve worked with was a rescue, and every one of their stories was heartbreaking. Yes, true, people will neglect any given animal because people can be cruel, but the vast majority of parrot owners are still keeping them in terrible caging, still keeping them all by themselves, and it’s still greatly encouraged to breed more and more which just gets parrots killed or dumped at a rescue.

[rowiewritesstuff]

Hello there ! I would like to ask for a match-up please♡ <:) possibly with TFP Autobots or Cons (only if you feel like doing it♡)

My name is Michaela and i'm 19. My height is 5'3 (159cm) and i am a ginger with mid long hair, freckles all over my face and honey brown colored eyes. My skin is pretty pale so i ususally wear light colored clothes like soft green and cream colored shirts (i mostly wear very baggy clothes cause i'm pretty slim) etc.♡ ^^

I'd say i'm pretty calm/shy person but sometimes my zoomies hit in and i have the urge to run around and playfight with anyone and anything i see (i love playfighting) :D i also very much enjoy spiritual conversations, stargazing, playing games and i'm also a sucker for atronomy. I love learning all about space. I'm pretty loyal and affectionate (ahem touch starved ahem) person what comes to friends and family i'm very protective of them. I am used to helping people so of course if you ask me for any help or anything in particular i am here to help. <3 I often try to play things cool and calm when anything bad happens but i am actualy screaming on the inside. I'm very careful and fearfull. I'm also trying to be open minded as much as possible and kind to everyone as long as they are kind to me back. I am basically your mirror. I also LOVE animals. Mostly parrots😭❤️ they are just so adorable when they show you affection🥺 the type of person when they see a random cat on street to stop by and just pet it or any animal😭❤️

Now what comes to my body i have a pear shaped body with pretty thin waist and a lot of small and big marks all over my arms, hands and legs. I sadly suffer from asthma so i need my inhaler at all costs if i ever get a asthma attack <:/ i am also lactose intolerant so milk is another no no for me. I rather spend time indoors but still i'm open minded for a nice car ride to any lake or water. I love swimming especially in sea.^^♡♡ my fav colors are orange, yellow, turquoise, black, soft green and white♡

I think that's all. I apologize if this is chaotic but i've never wrote a request :( i hope it's not too much♡♡ if you couldn't come up with anything feel free not to write anything at all <3 thank you so so much !♡♡♡♡

A daily note to take care of yourself, to drink water and eat enough food to keep yourself healthy !♡ ^^

I match you with: Optimus Prime!

You met Optimus during a Decepticon attack. You of course were taken to the base and assigned a guardian- Optimus Prime himself. Optimus first kept you at a distance, not wanting to get too close to you in fear you’d be used against him by the Decepticons. 

One day when Optimus was driving you home you yelled at him to stop. You were both in a secluded area out in the country. You jumped out of his cab as soon as he came to a stop and squealed in delight. He transformed thinking something was wrong but saw you looking at the sky.

“What are you looking at?” Optimus asked.

“The stars, the moon- everything.” You sighed happily. “In the cities, the smog makes it hard to see the stars. Here, you can see everything. It’s amazing.”

Optimus looked at you in awe, then to the sky. He’d forgotten what it was like to just enjoy the wonders of the world. He sat down and looked down when he felt something on his hand. You were cuddling to him for warmth as you fell asleep. He made sure that you got home safely, even going as far as placing you gently in your bed from your open window.

Optimus began taking you on regular trips to see things you liked. One time he took you to the ocean so you could play in the water. You didn’t care you were missing your swimsuit and simply ran in head first. Ratchet later scolded you when you got sick.

One day he took you to the jungle to see some monkeys and parrots, and you ended up being attacked by a tiger. He quickly scooped you into his hand and away from the tiger trying to eat you. 

When you started to breathe oddly after the tiger attack, he ran to Ratchet. Ratchet shook his head at you and handed you your inhaler. Optimus asked you what it was, and Ratchet explained. Optimus was concerned and began treating you even more like precious glass.

When it came to Decepticons, you were very cautious. You would always run and hide and call the base. One day a Vehicon scooped you up to hold you hostage against the Prime and you were terrified. You were frozen in their servo while they mocked Optimus.

“Let them go!” Arcee growled out.

“Fat chance Autobot scum!” They squeeze you tighter and you begin to panic. Your asthma begins to act up and the Vehicon looks down at you in confusion. “Is it broken?” 

Bumblebee takes the opportunity to slam into the Decepticon and snatch your body flying through the air. The rest of the Autobots quickly defeat the Vehicons and take you back to base to get your inhaler. From that moment on, Optimus was so scared you’d die before he could confess his feelings.

Optimus picked you up and placed you on his shoulder as he went to the top of the base. He sat down and offered his hands to climb on. He looked down at you with love. “I… must confess something.” 

You looked up with a knowing expression. “I love you too, Optimus.” 

The shock on his face was priceless. He then smiled softly, pulling you closer to his face. “Thank you, little star.”

#optimus prime #optimus #prime #optimus prime x reader #optimus x reader #transformers prime #tfp #transformers #transformers x reader #transformers prime x reader #maccaddam #tfp x reader #ratchet #matchup #x reader #arcee #bumblebee #vehicon #tfnsmatchups #tfns

[tiktokparrot]

#Why Your Grey Parrot's Diet Matters More Than You Think #grey parrot food list #grey parrot feeding behaviour #grey parrot feeding habits #grey parrot natural diet #grey parrot proper diet #Healthy Diet for Your Grey Parrot #How do I know if my Grey parrot is overweight #african grey parrot diet chart #african grey parrot diet in captivity #african grey parrot diet plan #african grey parrot dietary needs #african grey parrot feeding guide #african grey parrot feeding schedule #african grey parrot food fruit #african grey parrot food list #african grey parrot food nuts #african grey parrot food requirements #african grey parrot food supplement #african grey parrot food to avoid #african grey parrot food vitamins #african grey parrot seed diet #best african grey parrot diet #best diet for african grey parrots #Can Grey parrots eat dairy products #African Grey Parrot Diet #The Nutritional Needs of Grey Parrots #Tips for Healthy Diet for Your Grey Parrot #what do grey african parrots eat #what do grey parrots eat

[angorwhosebabyisthis]

[cws: starvation/food insecurity, fantasy racism, psychiatric abuse, ableism, and Upsetting Pictures.]

-

one thing that fucks me up immensely about pericles before and after the asylum is how fucking skinny he is.

like. as much as obviously the two designs are Very Inconsistent in general which annoys me, look at him pre-timeskip. look at how he's shaped.

his head and face are way smoother and rounder, both in front and back, and the space between his cheekbones and his eyebrow ridge is filled in; his body is rounder in general and his belly is noticeably between his thighs when he's standing up; he has kind of a chubby butt; his chin and neck are softer and wider around, which you can really see with the width of the scarf compared to his shoulders and the angle where it meets his head. it comes up in front of his face more because there's not as much of an angle with his chin to hold it down.

now. compare all those things to this.

christ.

and like, you could argue some of these design differences are tiny things to zero in on in a show that's as loose with its models as sdmi is. but present-day pericles' design is pretty obviously supposed to be unsettling because he's physically built to be a Cute Roumb Little Mascot Creature--so much so that the framework has managed to stick around a little in spite of everything--and has become gaunt and haggard anyway. and you could also argue that the body type changes are just thanks to aging twenty years (and i don't doubt that's contributed).

except. he spent those twenty years in an asylum where the other inmates we see look like this.

christ.

(fun little fact that @thecottageinthedark pointed out also: remember how he literally got caught at one point because he couldn't stop eating sunflower seeds, even during a heist? a high-fat, high-calorie snack for birds? you know, exactly the kind of thing a starving person who finally has proper access to food would be wolfing down?)

(yeah.)

did i mention that this happened in a (fantasy) racially segregated prison, which is technically an asylum so the inmates can be kept there indefinitely, because in an actual prison you're required to have a sentence? did i mention that none of the human characters we see in human prison look any less healthy during or afterward, and on top of that are allowed to move around and socialize? did i mention the absolutely horrific treatment of the asylum inmates is implied to be despite the fact that the (physically abusive!) guard is playing up how dangerous and malicious they are? (you know. except for pericles 🙃)

did i mention the man who got pericles imprisoned--who he had not only done nothing to beforehand, but had helped--says he was there to 'live out the rest of his miserable parrot life in a cage, where he belonged,' and not only do none of the characters we're supposed to side with have anything to say about that, but the audience is clearly supposed to agree with him too?

(did i mention said man--who was in on the crime, singular, that pericles went to prison for!--spends those twenty years living a life of luxury in power while abusing the child he kidnapped as a baby and held hostage his entire life, and when we see him in prison he is not only chilling out and helping the authorities but reading a newspaper?)

did i mention the part where by the time we meet pericles he hasn't spoken in years?

like. man the 'ooooo scary evil abused asylum crazies' trope is bad enough, even when they pretend to lampshade it for a minute before playing it straight; i don't know how they added in All That and made him emaciated and expected no one to find it heartbreaking or even sympathetic. i don't care how bad he was before the asylum (and dear god was he ever), that is horrifying and no one deserves it. god damn.

#sdmi #professor pericles #scooby doo: mystery incorporated #the worldbuilding re: the talking animals in this universe is already really fucked up and awful #but everything to do with the asylum is one of the biggest things for me that shoves it over the edge from #'this aspect of the show is really disasteful and uncomfortable and i Don't Like It' #to 'wow this is actually really fucking upsetting i am straight up having to skip past scenes and/or take breaks when a detail comes up' #anyway pericles is a colossal piece of shit and also incredibly fucking tragic and i need more content that acknowledges and goes into that #and also due to Recent and Ongoing Life Experiences i am especially pissed these days about #'character loses a ton of weight and looks Haggard compared to before; because of that and in general' being associated with Evil Scary #especially when it's done to them in some way as *punishment* for being Evil #same energy as how badly it fucked me up as a kid to grow up constantly seeing #'villain has a horrifying spiraling mental breakdown because they're Pathetic and Evil' #in every fucking piece of media i engaged with! #anyway lol #the crit files #SDMItag #cws in post

[roxyspamcake]

Had an interesting conversation with my boyfriend the other day about Jurassic Park, because along with the message "theme park of dinosaurs bad" he also interpreted the message of the movie as "cloning extinct animals bad," and didn't really think about ways cloning extinct animals could be useful at all. Cloning is simply a tool, and in the right hands it could be incredibly beneficial.

Cloning creatures without modern habitats, like mammoths and dinosaurs, is probably both impossible and impractical. I will not argue about that. I agree with my boyfriend on that part.

But similar to artificial insemination, cloning could be a very powerful tool to save species on the brink of extinction (or extinct in the wild) that would benefit from some more diversity in their genome.

Did you know that the Scottish wildcat is extinct in the wild because it's interbred too much with domestic cats? Don't you think the remaining ones might benefit in some way from having a few mates that aren't the neighbor's kitty?

We know every single kākāpō parrot by name, because domestic cats and rats were the second worst thing to ever happen to New Zealand. Kākāpō breed when their food source of berries experiences a bumper crop. A bird named Lisa crushed one of her eggs in 2014, and it was so precious that the conservation team opted to tape and glue the shell back together. Ruapuke, who successfully hatched from it, turns ten in February 2024. But the birds are having issues with fertility now, because of the small gene pool, resulting in fewer successful eggs. Sure would be nice if we could create a couple of healthy kākāpō from museum specimens to diversify the genome, huh?

I'm not saying cloning will be the miracle fix for conservation in the future. Cloning has its own inherent difficulties I won't delve too far into. The success of a species also depends on whether or not it has a place to live that it can thrive in. But if funding wasn't a roadblock, and since these populations are so incredibly low, I think some of these animals could greatly benefit from it.

So yeah, dinosaurs aren't coming back, but I'd appreciate it if we had a few extra wild cats.

[8thplacewolfos]

Pet Regression Caregiver Albert Wesker Headcanons

Back at it again with some pet-regression-oriented caregiver Wesker headcanons! I just know he would love all sorts of critters, so I tried to keep these as general as possible so that any pet can enjoy them! I’m a parrot and puppy regressor myself.

I accidentally made these a bit long-winded, whoops. These are less headcanons and more… assorted one-shots? I’ve got no clue what happened here.

Reader (that’s you!) is referred to with neutral pronouns, and is not described.

As usual, this is for non-sexual, sfw pet regression. DNI if you sexualize pet regression. Also, please heed my general DNI criteria which can be found in the pinned post on my blog.

Content warnings: food, finance, Wesker is a bit more in-character this round, meaning he’s… a bit egotistical, but I did my best to try and keep it harmless. There’s also a slightly sad part in the “activities” segment but no worries, it ends on a happy note. And there’s almost a swearword.

How Wesker Finds Out About Petre

Wesker finds out about petre the same way he found out about agere; from you, of course! As he did research on age regression, he happened upon articles on pet regression and decided that he should do some reading on that as well. He wants to be a prepared Papa, so he covers all his bases.

He stumbled into a world of adorable little creatures: puppies, kitties, wolf cubs, bear cubs, bats, and all sorts of other darling animals that require their own special types of care. It was all a bit overwhelming, but fascinating. He wrote a short profile for each animal he came across until you got home.

You two had a lovely chat about it. He encouraged you to tell him all about your pet space, even if you were a little shy about it at first. He loves you, after all; he’s happy to praise you for any of your healthy coping mechanisms. If it works for you, it works for him.

Besides, Wesker never had a pet before! This will be exciting. Even if he doesn’t come across as outwardly excited, he definitely is.

General Pet Care Style

No matter what kind of critter you are, Weskie wants to make sure you have ample space to play with whatever kind of toys you need.

With all the jobs (and… extracurricular income) he has, money is no object; he dedicates an entire space in his home to your habitat. Being as well-read as he is, he makes sure to set it up practically, filling any needs a little critter might have. The floor is soft enough for quadrobics if that’s your gig. If you’re the type of pet that needs a nice comfy corner to sleep in, he makes sure to set up a plush, quiet space for you to rest. He lets you pick out any toys you find interesting.

As for decorations… he’s got taste, sure, but he’s not exactly sure how to decorate a baby animal habitat. You might have to help him out there. He might give you a piece of paper or two so you can doodle up some ideas!

Wesker sits his pet in his lap, laying their head against his chest. They hear the calm beating of his heart and feel as if they might nod off, until he gently calls out for them. The rumble of his voice makes them smile. They look up at him as best they can. “There you are, sweet one,” he coos once he meets their gaze. “I’m just picking out some things for your new playroom. I need your help, though. I’m not very good at seeing the ‘fun’ in pet toys. I can tell you scientifically what type of enrichment toys you need, but I’m sure you have your own preferences. Would you like to choose your toys?” Wesker’s pet perks up at that, rapidly nodding and turning to face the laptop screen. They scroll through the website, so enwrapped in colorful photos and the sheer number of things to play with, that they click anything that catches their attention. Wesker watches them, amber eyes amused behind his sunglasses. Once they pause, Wesker places his hands back on the laptop. “All done?” he asks. The pet nods. He clicks over to the checkout tab and his pet paws at him sympathetically, eyeing the price of the items in the cart. “Now now, none of that. The happiness of my precious pet has no price tag. This is nothing, dearest. Papa will make this back in an hour, probably less than that.” Their Papa’s not-so-humble bragging makes them feel a bit better. They give him a big “thank you” hug, nuzzling their head back into his neck. His grin can be heard in his quiet laughter.

Wesker loves the nurturing aspects of animal care, but he’s also logical, so he makes sure he keeps your habitat stocked with pet snacks and drinks for you. He has fun figuring out human-safe alternatives for animal foods; like using dry cereal for kibble or cut up cooked meat for meat-eating pets. If you’re an herbivorous pet, he offers you all sorts of fresh fruits and veggies, even ones you haven’t seen before that he gets from fancy grocery stores and places he travels to!

He also keeps his pockets lined with your favorite dry treats, like animal crackers, cereal biscuits, or fruit chunks. It’s important that he’s always prepared to reward good behavior!

If you’re a sneaky creature, you might be able to steal a couple treats from him when he’s not looking. Of course, his superior senses never allow you to get away with it, but he always plays along and acts like he doesn’t notice.

Wesker pats the pocket of his coat, making a show of being confused. “Hm. I could’ve sworn I had more treats on me just a moment ago… What a mystery this is.” His pet, mouth full of those very treats, chews a bit faster, aiming to clear their mouth before their Papa can turn around to see them. They agree with him; missing treats are a severe mystery. Glancing behind him and catching a glimpse of the critter, he bites back a chuckle. He felt them snatch a few treats from his pocket a bit ago, but he can’t bring himself to discipline them for it. It brings him joy to see them having fun. “How about we play detective to find them? I will be the detective; you’ll be my loyal little pet and sniff out where they might be hiding. I’m sure we’ll get to the bottom of this if we work together.”

Activities

If you’re a more active type of critter, Wesker will try to find time to play games with you! His personal favorite is any kind of fetch; it’s easy for him to play at his desk while he works. You bring him a toy, he throws it, you bring it back, rinse and repeat. That is, until he gets a little forgetful of his own strength and accidentally beams the toy through a wall on one particularly hard throw.

Both Wesker and his critter stare at the ball-shaped hole in the drywall. If he squints, he can see clean through the hole, into the hallway, and into the front wall of the room across the hall. “God—“ he glances over at his pet on the floor, reconsidering his word choice. He lets the rest of his sentence go with an irritated sigh. “I'm sorry dearheart, but I don’t have the patience for more fetch today. Let’s pick a different game.” His pet toddles across the hall, brushes off their ball, and brings it back to him. They don’t expect him to play more, but perhaps having the ball back might cheer up their Papa. Wesker glances back down at the floor, his agitation fading into amusement. “Thank you, pup.” He places the ball on top of his desk and pats them on the head.

Games that require a lot of room, like chase, are a little more uncommon for him because of his schedule, but they’re a ton of fun!

Well, they are once he learns how to play, and not win. He spent his life having to succeed at everything he’s tried, physically upgrading himself so he wins by default. He’s not accustomed to playing to have fun. You may have to teach him to play fair.

A defeated pet sits in the soft green grass, finally giving up on trying to catch their Papa in their game of chase. He’s just too fast; he jukes out of the way too quickly for them to tag him. When he’s the one who’s “it”, they lose almost immediately because he tags them before they even finish thinking about which way to run. Wesker approaches the creature on the ground and crouches down to their eye level, features softening with concern. “Dearheart? Is everything alright?” He looks at all the common locations for owies; shins, knees, elbows, hands, and determines that his pet didn’t fall or hurt themself. “Come now, tell Papa what’s wrong. You were having fun a moment ago.” The little one looks up at him and frowns. No, they weren’t, they say. They gently explain that he’s always winning, and it isn’t fair, because they can’t possibly run as fast as him. Wesker, for his part, listens intently. He’s been raised to win, no matter how; no “game” he’s ever participated in has lasted long enough to be considered “play”. He takes a moment to catalogue his own behavior, adding it to the list of belief systems from his childhood that need to be dismantled. It also strikes him that baby animals, like his pet, play to learn and have fun. They don’t gain any skills if they always lose. There’s a faint aching in his chest when he realizes he’s just been besting them this entire time, so much so that they wanted to quit. His brow furrows as he considers how to respond to what they’re saying. “I see now. I had no idea I was playing so ruthlessly. This whole time I thought I had to win; I didn’t stop to think about how that must have made you feel. I’m sorry, my sweet.” He sits himself down across from them, not considering how the grass would stain his suit pants for even a moment. “You’re right, games aren’t any fun if one person always wins and the other always loses. You’ve taught Papa a very important lesson today. Quite a wise creature you are, for one so little.” A relieved grin starts across his pet’s face. They scoot across the grass to sit themself in their Papa’s lap, giving him a big hug of understanding. They know it’s hard for him to admit that he’s wrong and they’re proud of him for being able to. He kisses the top of their head. “Angel, are you up for one more game? One where Papa will play fair?” The critter scrambles up to stand, tagging Wesker’s shoulder and taking off as fast as they can across the yard. He chuckles as he lets them take full advantage of the head start, taking his time to stand up and brush the grass off himself.

And that’s all I’ve got! I didn’t have too many ideas for this one, so I made sure to expand upon what I did have. My beloved @woofkie inspired and helped with a good percentage of these, so very very big shoutout to him! Big thank yous <3! I hope you like 'em!

I hope these are enjoyable for everyone! Thank you so very much for reading!

#resident evil agere #resident evil petre #fandom agere #fandom petre #horror agere #horror petre #sfw petre #pet regression #cg!albert wesker #caregiver headcanons

[mylifeisactuallyamess]

Chapter 19: Keldabe Kiss

A/N: Reworked from the original I wrote and the welcome break they needed 🥹

Warnings: Stitch having a good time, Omega being a sweetie and Tech finally reacting.

Word Count: 4.2k+

Tagging: @idoubleswearimawriter @ravenclawbitch426 @dreamqueenkala @moon-wrecked

It had been a few weeks since Kashyyyk. Your arm was healing nicely and you’d thrown yourself back into work at the medcentre. You had been invited on supply runs with the Batch, but you refused, choosing to keep communication through comlink with Omega and the boys. The marks on your face had dulled, thanks to your skills and bacta the lines were minimal. More scars to add to the tapestry that lined your being.

The day was a pleasant one. Sunlight streamed down creating a warmth in your body that you hadn’t felt for so long. Tesama had insisted you go out, so you went to the market to grab something for dinner. You were grateful for her looking out for you and making sure you were eating, you had taken to skipping meals entirely. Town was heaving, a festival was coming up and the buzz was noticeable.

You stood outside the alley to Cid’s parlour, watching some people put up flickering lights ready for tomorrow's event. You’d been toying with the idea of going, never having the opportunity to experience something like this before. Life had swept you by, the ever moving current swimming past like you were a rock in a river. Your thoughts faltered, these things were never fun alone though.

The wistful sigh couldn’t be contained but your sinking mood was lifted by the group coming toward you. Their armour was distinctive, marked with orange and grey, carrying their helmets as they eyed everyone with a healthy dose of suspicion. You knew where they were heading and so you waited to side until they reached you.

“Ah, Stitch!” Wrecker grinned joyfully at you and barged past his brothers to grab you in a bear hug, lifting you clean off the ground.

“Wrecker!” You giggled, momentarily losing your balance after being swept off your feet. Hunter automatically reached out to steady you with a firm hand to your shoulder followed by the softening of his gaze. “Good mission?”

“Depends on what you’d define as good.” Hunter muttered and moved past you revealing Tech.

“That bad?” You asked and fell into step beside him.

“Well no one was injured, so I think you would class that as a successful mission. Cid, not so much.”

“Ah,” you understood perfectly. You followed them down to the bar, soaking in their presence and easing the ache of your own making. They would happily have you around all the time, it was you that had distanced yourself.

They left you at the bar with Omega and you glanced at her tired, fallen face, wondering how you could cheer her up. “There is a festival tomorrow,” you told her.

“What’s a festival?” She asked, a frown tugging down her brows but she was watching you intently.

“It’s a gathering of people all celebrating the same thing. There’s going to be stalls selling special items, different food and there might even be fireworks.”

“Fireworks??” Her brown eyes shone with wonder.

“Want to come with me?”

“Oh yes! Hunter, can I go with Stitch?” Omega swivelled on her stool and you looked up at the weary group as they gathered around the bar. The briefing was quick you noticed.

“Go where?” He asked, his tone laced with doubt and you wondered if you should have offered at all.

“Oh it’s nothing…” you tried to gloss over it but once Omega got her teeth into something she didn’t let it drop.

“It’s not nothing! It sounds really cool! There might even be fireworks,” she parroted. “I want to go.”

“You’re talking about the festival, tomorrow?” Echo huffed as he slumped on the other side of you.

“The Festival of Love, originated from Endor and has since been recognised in places like Naboo, Coruscant, Ord Mantell and other places. The Festival is to honour kinship and love. Traditions include exchanging gifts, eating meals and…dancing.” Tech lowered his datapad and glanced at the dubious expressions on his brother’s faces.

Echo sighed and turned to look around the bar like he wasn’t even part of this conversation, Wrecker grumbled something about wanting to play dejarick and sidled off. Hunter’s shoulders slouched like he couldn’t think of anything more tedious while Tech had his nose in his datapad, probably scrolling through more facts.

“I don’t mind taking her,” you mumbled. No one else was going to go with you.

“You can’t take Omega on your own,” Hunter instantly said, causing Omega to cross her arms and sulk. “Plus we have another mission for Cid tomorrow.” He leaned closer to the little girl and you could see the regret etched on his tattooed face. “I’m sorry, Omega.”

“I never get to see anything fun!” She pushed away from the bar and stormed off to find Wrecker.

“Handled that well,” Echo muttered.

“You could have stepped in,” Hunter shot back hotly.

“May I suggest an alternative?” Tech appeared at your shoulder, taking Omega’s vacant seat.

“You’re going to anyway,” Echo snarked under his breath and you raised an eyebrow. Their entire vibe was off, something was niggling at them all and you debated suggesting they all join you for the Festival. They needed a break.

“If it is Omega running off you are worried about, I can watch her. I will make her wear a tracker.”

“Tech! You can’t put a tracker on a kid!” Hunter nearly spat out his drink in shock and stared incredulously at his brother.

“I can. I have before and she did not seem to mind.”

“Did she know?” You asked Tech gently, making him look up from his datapad as he thought about your question.

“Actually, no,” he murmured.

“I don’t think she should go and it puts us at a disadvantage if Tech stays behind,” Echo gestured to Hunter as he leaned over the bar to talk around you.

“Not so,” Tech cut across Echo. “You do not need my particular skill set for this mission.”

“He’s right,” Hunter agreed and Echo just rolled his eyes in response. A strained quiet settled over the group only broken by the sounds of the parlour and Tech’s tapping on his datapad. You clutched your drink, feeling bad that you’d not spoken to Hunter first, of course it was his decision if you took Omega or not, and after Kashyyyk... “All right, fine!” Hunter grumbled and then downed his drink. “Plant a tracker on her and do not let her take it off. Plant one on Stitch while you’re at it, we can’t afford to lose her either.”

“Gladly,” Tech blinked owlishly at his own response and his fingers stilled on the screen. Maybe now was the time to leave, before Hunter changed his mind again.

“Well! Now that’s settled I’m going to head back.” You emptied your own cup and slipped off the stool, hoping no one would notice the silly smile you couldn’t suppress at the idea of Tech putting a tracker on you.

“Tech…” Hunter jerked his head in your direction and then went off to find Omega and no doubt tell her the good news about tomorrow.

“Of course.” To your surprise the datapad was put away and he stood, looking at you with an air of expectancy. “You were leaving?” He prompted.

“You’re coming with me?” Tech swallowed and adjusted his goggles as his honeyed brown eyes met yours for just a second.

“Hunter is worried about you walking back. Crime activity has increased by 28 percent in this section and I believe it’s why he wants you and Omega to have an escort tomorrow.”

“Oh.” You stood there stupidly for a second, trying to gather your skittish thoughts. “It’s not necessary, I do this nearly everyday,” you eventually managed to say.

“I believe it is.” You couldn’t argue against that so you didn’t protest anymore and he followed you out. The street was almost empty, just a few people with their heads down as they went home. Tech kept a watchful eye, his hand never straying far from his DC-17s. He stayed about half a step behind you almost bumping into you when you stopped at your door.

“Well, we made it.” The door was locked and you saw Tesama had left. “Tesama has gone home, I should check on Beetoo before I turn in.” You were uncomfortably aware of Tech’s closeness, the way his helmet turned to look around before fixing back on you. “Thanks for walking me,” you murmured.

“It was no trouble but I have yet to check your residence.” You sputtered out a laugh except he only continued to stare at you as he waited for you to admit him.

“You’re serious.” He gave a curt nod, so you keyed in the code and the door opened, the lights flickering on automatically. You went to go in but he put out an arm to stop you, dropping the visor down over his goggles, stalking into your medcentre and disappearing.

Beetoo you found was almost in her charging port, frozen in time because her power cells had given out. She was awfully glitchy lately and you had no idea why. You sighed, wheeling her the last bit into the port and she clicked into place.

“The charging ports might need replacing again,” Tech announced his arrival from scouting out your place. “I could run a diagnostic if you like?”

“It’s late, you’ve barely been home.”

“Home is a state of mind.”

“Yeah…” he was right. You’d never had a place you could really call home. So home being a feeling rather than a place was the most accurate thing you’d heard in a long time. Rather insightful coming from him of all people.

“Another time then,” Tech said. “Your place is clear. I shall be back tomorrow with Omega.” He walked towards the door and you followed, desperately wanting to say something else but not sure what.

“Tech…” he turned at the sound of his name and you really tried hard not to gaze directly into his eyes, even though it was all you wanted to get lost in. “Be careful. On the way back.”

“Always,” he saluted you with two fingers before disappearing round the corner. You closed and locked your door letting out a frustrated sigh. If anything, distance had made your feelings stronger for him and now you were going to spend the whole day with him. At a Festival dedicated to love.

Of all the clones to harbour feelings for…

Beetoo looked like a patient, laid out on the table with her side panel off, looking to see if she had a loose connection that you could fix yourself, not wanting to put Tech out. He had better things to do than maintain your equipment. The door alarm sounded and you quickly smoothed down the material of your outfit, your heart fluttering a little at the idea of spending so much time with Tech. And Omega.

The latter wrapped herself around you as soon as your door opened, her mouth instantly going as she spilled her excitement. You grinned at Tech and his tight expression, beckoning them inside. Omega went straight to your droid’s side, standing on a supply crate to have a proper look inside of her.

“Did she sleep much?” You asked him noticing the way he clutched his datapad with his helmet under his arm, his gaze fixed over at the mess Beetoo was in.

“She slept less than the normal amount,” he informed you matter of factly. “Echo was not amused.”

“Not a lot amuses him at the moment,” you replied dryly.

“Echo believes we should be doing more against the Empire rather than just hiding. He cannot help it.” You hated to admit Tech was right. He seemed completely unruffled by the conversation and you admired his utter acceptance of his brothers.

“Are you ready?” You asked.

“Yes!” Omega leapt down and hurried to the door. “Come on! We don’t want to miss anything!” She shouted and you smiled at Tech as he refrained from rolling his eyes.

“I am not actually sure we can miss an all day event,” Tech called after her. “You forgot this.” You locked your door and turned to find him holding out a tracker on the palm of his hand, the light blinking innocently.

“I don’t think Hunter was serious about one for me,” you half laughed but Tech stayed standing in your way with his hand held out.

“He was. And so am I.” You took the tracker and slipped it into your pocket, Tech lifted his datapad and pressed a few buttons. “Perfect signal.” For some reason that made you so happy that you’d pleased him over something so simple.

“Are you guys coming?” Omega appeared around the corner, eyeing you both just standing in your doorway.

“Come on you,” Omega clasped your hand eagerly and Tech trailed after the pair of you.

The festival wasn’t what you expected at all, it was so much better. The streets were lined with pink and red coloured streamers, all fluttering in the breeze. Bunting stretched from one side of the street to the other along with string lights that you couldn’t wait to see in the dark. With Tech constantly at your back your anxiety was eased, occasionally catching his eyes and giving him a smile; your heart jumping when you got the telltale eye scrunch back.

Omega danced from stall to stall, her excitement contagious and you found yourself caught up in her joy and zest for life. Tech trailed after you both, suffering the chatter, loud noises and heavy crowds. Keeping himself occupied by noting down new facts or recording anything he found remotely interesting.

You happened upon a stall run by a Twi’lek, your stomach rumbling at the fresh meilooruns. You approached the stall noticing the usually orange fruit had a purple tinge to the rind. You’d never had this variant before but before you could ask for one Omega was tugging on your hand and dragging you to look at something else.

Soon even Omega was flagging, but her eyes were still wide from all the sights she’d experienced. Her bag was full of trinkets and she’d bought something for each of her brothers. You felt honoured that she had asked for your opinion, enjoying the feeling she instilled inside you. She really was something special and you enjoyed doing something so mundane with her.

She even got you to dance. Taking your hands when she heard the music giving you those wide pleading eyes that made you melt on the inside. Tech had watched from the side, his gaze occasionally roaming the crowd but mostly he watched you and Omega laughing as you spun round. Occasionally you caught his eye, or checked in with him before Omega was dragging you to the next exciting thing and he’d just give you a smile.

As darkness fell you suggested getting a good view for the fireworks and began to head in the direction of the seating area when Tech stopped you.

“I have a better place we can watch the fireworks, away from the crowds.”

“Is it far?” Omega asked, chasing it up with a yawn.

“It is approximately 0.5 klicks from our current location,” Tech rattled off as he adjusted his specs, the light of the datapad reflected in them.

“I can make it,” she said cheerily but you heard the fatigue in her voice, especially if she had been up early hassling her brothers.

Now Tech took point, leading you away from the streets where the festival was still in full swing. You wanted to question him but instead you decided to trust him. Your interest peaked when he told you to climb an outside staircase on the side of what looked like an empty building. Omega went first with no hesitation, climbing to the top of the seemingly abandoned building and gasping loudly.

“Oh…wow.” She was as awestruck as you. Both of you looking up at the sky, mesmerised by the amount of stars that dotted the black sky above you. Tech had led you to a place on the edge of town, that wasn’t effected by the lights of the festival, giving you an incredible view of the stars and no doubt the fireworks when they started.

“I calculated the amount of noise and light pollution from the festival. From that I was able to survey an appropriate place where it was quiet and had uninterrupted views,” he told you.

“Tech…this is amazing!” You responded..

“He checked it out last night,” Omega said slyly and Tech looked at her in shock. “What? I was awake when you snuck out. Now I know what you were doing.”

“Clearly I was not as subtle as I thought,” he muttered, reaching to adjust his goggles again.

“Oh look! Seats!” Omega dropped her bag and fell into one, turning to wave you over.

“Were these you as well?” You asked Tech quietly.

“The fireworks are supposed to last approximately 15 minutes. I had assumed with being on your feet all day and chasing Omega, you would want to rest.”

“You assumed correctly.” Omega had taken the middle seat, cuddling up into you when you settled beside her. Tech sat on the other end, his trusty datapad in his hand as he counted down to the fireworks; and they started exactly when he said they would.

The fireworks were the best moment of the day, filling the sky with glittery flashes that lit up the world all around you. Splashes of red,

blue, purple and pink chased up with sparks of green, yellow and white all etched into your retinas. Omega laid her head in your lap and you rested a hand on her side watching the display together.

You revelled in the deep bangs that seemed to explode in your chest and the fizzling crackles that popped in your ears. You’d never seen something so eye-catching and you were sorely disappointed when they finished; just a plume of white smoke the only evidence that they had happened at all.

“She’s asleep.” Tech murmured and you glanced down at Omega. Sure enough her eyes were closed, even breaths passing through her slightly open lips as she lay completely relaxed in your lap. “You are—good with her,” his hand rose to adjust his goggles and you frowned. He seemed more nervous than usual, his hands always moving but you decided not to point it out.

“You think so?”

“I know so. Due to her nature she is exceptionally accepting but she does seem to favour you.” Gently you swiped some blonde strands out of her peaceful face, regretful that you were going to have to wake her soon.

“I think she’s great and after everything she’s seen and been through…she still has this innocence about her. She’s a credit to you all.”

“You have had a hand in that as well. Dealing with—situations we cannot,” Tech said and you smiled at his words. You had to deal with some certain, female related situations due to Omega’s age, but it felt like you were parenting Hunter as well and explaining he didn’t need to know everything that was going on.

“She idolises every single one of you,” you settled for saying softly.

“That’s nice to hear,” you turned to find Hunter, Echo and Wrecker coming from behind. Tech stood up and greeted his brothers. Wrecker reached down and plucked the sleeping child from your lap, cradling her in his massive arms.

“Look at her,” he whispered in his gravelly voice. “This is the quietest she’s been for days!”

“Don’t wake her then, Wrecker!” Echo hissed as they made their way carefully down the stairs.

“Was it worth it?” Hunter asked you and the smile that spread over your face told him everything he needed to know.

“Thanks for lending us Tech. He did actually put a tracker on me,” you told Hunter who let out a quiet chuckle.

“Good. I’d be having words with him if he didn’t.”

“You know, I’m scrappy. I can look after myself.” Hunter fixed you with a knowing glare and it reminded you so much of Tech for a moment.

“It’s what we do. We, uh—need you, Stitch. More than we like to admit.” You could feel the heat coming up in your face and you nudged his spaulder in embarrassment.

“Medics are everywhere,” you told Hunter with a quick roll of your eyes.

“Not ones as good as you.” The pair of you stopped when Tech spoke, drawing him to an abrupt halt. “Well,” he reached for his goggles and lifted his datapad. “Stitch had performed 107 successful repairs on all of us together, the most drastic being my broken femur from the failed mission on Serenno. Not mention the blaster shot to your ribs and Wrecker’s shoulder. Also her continual observation of Echo…” Hunter gave his brother a lopsided smile and clapped him firmly on the shoulder.

“Now you’ve listed her best accomplishments you can walk her home.” He melted into the shadows suddenly leaving you and Tech alone in the dark.

“Do you know the best route? I’m still not familiar with this part of town,” you admitted shyly.

“It will not take us long,” he reassured you. The walk was quiet, you weren’t sure what to say to him and your feet were beginning to ache something drastic. You turned onto a street you were familiar with and fished around in your pockets for Tech’s tracker.

“I should give this back.”

“Keep it. They are simple enough to make.” Tech said quickly. He glanced at you and then continued. “It is a modified one, with a panic option that goes straight to my datapad. Should you ever need it, even at long range.” Your fingers closed round the tracker, suddenly finding it the most precious thing you had.

All too soon your door loomed and the pair of you stood under the small light that flowed on the outside.

“Tech…?”

“Yes?”

“I got you, something.” He watched curiously as you opened your bag and pulled out a small box, taking it gently when you offered it to him. “I hope it’s useful.” He opened the lid and revealed a brand new All-kit tool. The handle had a rubber grip, the alloy shiny from having never been used. At first Tech didn’t say anything, just reaching for the tool and you panicked, thinking you’d got something he really didn’t need. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know if you had one, I’ve never noticed you with one.”

“I do not,” he interrupted. “I did not have one, until now.” He looked up to see the relieved smile cross your face and a small frown appeared on his own. “You should not be so worried, I am always in need of tools and this…” he pulled it from the box and with a flick began to cycle through the different heads. “It is immediately my favourite,” he reassured you. “Which reminds me…” he put the box in his pack and extracted something that had you gasping a little. “I saw you looking at these but not actually buying one.” You took the purple fruit from his hand, trying not to over think the fact you both gave a gift during the Festival of Love. He probably didn’t realise the depth of the tradition and you were fine with that.

“Tech, thank you so much.” Emotion coloured your tone and you stepped closer to him. Gently resting a hand on his shoulder, you made your intentions clear expecting him to pull away. Those few quick heartbeats were torture until his shoulder pressed deeper into the palm of your hand.

He didn’t pull away and you went ahead, planting a chaste kiss on his cheek, breathing him in as you did. He lifted a hand to rest against your elbow, as though he was steadying you both and your entire body tingled at the added contact. You felt his sense of self seep into yours, entwining more intimately than if you were hugging and it made your breath hitch.

Your eyes were still closed as you pulled your lips into your mouth, reluctant to move away just yet, not wanting to untangle yourself from the way he made you feel. He shifted, aligning himself before you and leaning forward.

Tech’s quick breath fanned over your face as he pressed his forehead against yours, connecting you on a more heightened level that had your feelings rising up your throat. His fingers tightened on your arm and you both stood like that for a moment, your heart soaring as you really contemplated what this meant.

Your pulse vibrated through your entire body, making you highly aware of the way it throbbed against where you were connected to Tech, desperate to press your body against the length of him and really embrace him.

“Tech?” His com came to life with Hunter’s voice and you separated. Clearing your throat you backed up and allowed him to answer, telling Hunter he was all right and was just making his way back.

“Thanks, Tech.” You swallowed down the huskiness in your voice. “For today, for all of it. Get back safely, please.”

“Always,” he said touching two fingers to his forehead and giving you the casual salute. “I will be back to fix Beetoo.” He told you, walking backwards down the street, his gaze still fixed on you.

“I’ll be here,” you answered, leaning on your doorframe and watching him leave.

“I know.”

#sanctuary #tech x reader(stitch) #tech x reader #tech x you #tech x f!reader #tbb tech #tech #the bad batch

[flock-talk]

Just curious about things like mineral blocks, cuttlefish, bird sand and other things like that.

Are there any that arent safe and are sold anyway and are there any that are needed to have a healthy bird?

Im getting a bird soon and i just wanna make sure what im getting them is safe

Virtually all mineral blocks are either providing false claims, harmful, or just aren’t needed when a bird is on a good diet. Mineral blocks or mineral perches are typically bad because of the excessive sweeteners and dyes they put in the product, in perch form this becomes a much larger problem as the powdered dye rubs off on the bird and can lead to feather destructive behaviour as they try to rip the stained feathers off their body. Vitamin supplement blocks are largely unnecessary if your bird is eating a good diet already, leaving them free access can cause problems since if they’re already eating a good diet they won’t need excess supplementation and having free access to chew and swallow the block can cause overdoses.

Cuttlebone isn’t a bad choice, and I do use them, the only thing with cuttlebone is that not a lot of calcium gets absorbed from it. Which is good because it helps prevent overdosing, but if your bird is in a drastic medical need for excess calcium it may not provide the doses you’re looking for. It is helpful in levelling out their nutrition, isn’t filled with sugar or dyes which makes it safer/healthier, and can be a fun texture for birds to rip apart without risks of overdosing. It does still provide some absorbable calcium, just not enough to really cause problems if they’re free fed the cuttlebone.

“Conditioning blocks” and “edible wood perches” are both generally ones to be wary of. Both are usually just designed to be desirable for the bird to chew on to grind their beak down. This can be done just as easily with an inedible toy, most parrots don’t eat inedible objects (there’s the odd bird out who might), there isn’t really a need for a conditioning block if there’s adequate enrichment. Again the blocks are usually harshly dyed which can transfer to feathers and some may be flavoured to encourage the bird to chew and swallow them which isn’t great when they’re usually mixed with grit or wood, and some may be vitamin fortified which could lead to an OD.

Grit or “bird sand” is another one you’ll see and how it’s still marketed to parrots is beyond me. Grit is tiny stones or oyster shells that travel through the digestive system to sit in the final stage of processing, the gizzard. The gizzard is a mechanical stomach that breaks down food by squeezing and grinding. These tiny rocks are supposed to sit in the gizzard and aid in that grinding process as the rocks get crushed against seed hulls and break them down faster. Thing is, parrots don’t eat seed hulls and their diet doesn’t consist of anything that has bones or other hard material. When they eat grit the stones end up just getting ground against the gizzard walls instead and can cause an array of digestive problems including lacerations to their digestive tract.

#mineral block ask #grit ask