#and joint issues but so worth it for the aesthetic (it's not...probably)

[anarcho-masochist]

[elkian-art]

Happy Mobility Device Monday to all who celebrate (just me... for now). Of course due to work reasons I couldn't actually upload this Monday so it's Mobility Device Monday Tuesday.

Character: Ray

Canon / Noncanon: Noncanon

Ray doesn't currently use mobility aids, but given the joint issues he has from both PTSD effects and physical trauma, he probably should. I gave him a knee brace here (the spikes are just hard rubber) but he might need something different depending on how it would actually shake out.

I've done some research for this project but there's always more to learn! Ray's cane was kind of the start of things and I had a pretty solid concept from the beginning. He has a pretty classic punk aesthetic, so a classic cane was more his style.

The text was harder - I wanted to shoot for more of a graffiti style but it's been a minute since I tried to make stylized text! The blue lightning is more his style (and I have at least one other character who will very much be about the flame decals) but it was worth trying. I definitely want to refine that a bit more in pretty much every respect.

Ray's cane is one-footed, single-point, with a solid build and t-shaped handle. He's added the text "this machine kills fascists" down the length of it.

Ray has a lot of hangups about how he's perceived and using a cane would be something he'd resist at first, partly because he's awful at anything self-care adjacent and partly because he's afraid of appearing weak in any way. I think he'd warm up to the walloping possibilities quite fast, though!

Bonus:

Speaking of noncanon medical aids, sometimes I play around with the idea of Ray with a service dog, Gil (short for Gilgamesh). Ray's PTSD and short temper can make him easily agitated or have flashbacks at inopportune times, so Gil might be trained for grounding (ie. leaning against Ray's leg or placing a paw on his foot and providing a physical presence to help Ray come back to reality).

In the sketch above, he's blocking - placing his body between Ray and a stressor (loud drunks in this case). Ray gets extremely uncomfortable around drunk strangers, but is also aware that his usual belligerence isn't a reasonable response to people having a good time completely unrelated to him. The presence of a warm body between them and having something to hold onto could help him come down from that instinctive response.

I think Gilgamesh would be a black Doberman - leggy, a little unorthodox, and not as scary as reputed, he's perfect for Ray. Dobermans aren't common service dogs but apparently they're working dogs with a lot of traits that make them good service dogs, including the short hair making them more hygenic (Ray works at a tattoo shop so that's important!).

Anyways, just some stuff I've been working on.

[frankenwolf1564]

Age of the Primes Solus Prime

Coming to us from Cybertron’s ancient past, Solus Prime properly kicks off the Age of the Primes and does so in fabulous style.

This is… just a really nice looking figure, plain and simple. I really like how she looks. I don’t have much to say about any design philosophy or specific inspirations, nor is Solus really a character that has a lot of context or background to her, unlike some other examples. This isn’t some twenty or thirty or even forty year old character that never got their dues, (though it has been a bit since she was first introduced) or some long awaited update, it’s just a new toy that is good. While she was created alongside many of the other Thirteen for the Aligned continuity, and didn’t get a toy at the time, her most notable role in any plot is… dying. Awesome. That said I can talk more about her colors n such, which look very nice. The two tones of purple are gorgeous (immense bias), and the golden, yellow cored highlights are quite striking. The silver is suitably shiny, as well.

I know some people are a bit miffed about the green eyes instead of the box art’s hot pink, but I don’t mind it. Very much an either or situation. The rest of her head sculpt is great, though an element of her box art I do wish she had is the slight smirk, the plain face a bit boring. It’s not usually something that I care about but knowing what could have been does shift that a bit. Would have been nice. Her helmet design is really cool, but a design element I don’t like is the almost human hair on the back of her head. It looks weird and entirely out of place outside of that, clashing with the rest of her aesthetic. More sculpt gripes, she didn’t… need boobs. C’mon guys. She would have looked fine without them, but I also don’t notice them most of the time so it’s not a huge deal. But still. C’mon. Really?

Articulation is mostly what you’d expect for a modern deluxe, with a few highlights and fun surprises packed in. She can look fairly far up, and she can bring her hands in as well as swivel them, thanks to ball jointed wrists. Her shoulder pads are on a double hinge and a swivel, so there’s little worry of them getting in the way. Her shoulders get a butterfly joint if you feel like cheating with a transformation hinge. The hip skirt can kinda get in the way, especially with more leg focused poses, but it’s unique, a centerpiece of the design, and they do give you some stuff to help work around it. Probably going to be at least a little awkward, though. The only really disappointing joint is her thigh swivel, featuring the covered mushroom peg seen on a fair few modern figures, but this time it’s supplemented by a swivel at where other figures would likely have had their ankle tilt, with that ankle tilt being at the very bottom of her feet. The ankle swivel on mine. Doesn’t work right, but it is still there.

Her right foot keeps popping itself out at this swivel on my copy. Turning it too far in (originally) one direction forces it out of the socket. My attempts to fix it failed, making it so turning it both ways pops it out. Maybe even more floor polish will fix it… It’s not the worst thing in the world, ultimately, but it’s worth noting. Manageable, but annoying. Apparently there have been a fair few reports of wildly differing QC issues regarding Solus, which is a real shame. A friend of mine has a warped arm panel that gets in the way of transformation, plus a malady of stress marks. It’s not like, say, 86 Optimus’ consistently flipped heels, where yes, there is a widespread issue, but it’s the same one. Solus has seemingly had all manner of problems. Not a good look.

The Forge is a fine hammer, and she can do plenty with it thanks to her ball jointed wrists. The hilt pops off to become a… grenade? It’s not. Labeled as anything anywhere, that’s just what the designer said. Like the Forge is is named as the “Forge Hammer” in cybertronian in the instructions, but that’s it. Sell me on the Thing you’re doing Hasbro...

The transformation is fun! There is definitely an order of operations, with some stuff needing to be moved out of the way before something else can move into place. You have to fold the head down before spinning her waist, or move the arms out before plugging in the vehicle roof. I find that the panels on her shoulder pads like to pop off during transformation, thanks to the way they’re attached, but it’s not a huge deal and doesn’t hamper my enjoyment. They go back on easy enough anyhow.

The final mini-truck (as TFWiki calls it) is nice! It’s got a fun shape to it, though it is at its best from the front. The gold windows really pops though, and I do like how the hip skirt looks. Almost reminiscent of tail feathers. It rolls fairly well, with all four wheels being pinned, though clearance is a tad tight and you might have trouble getting her to sit flat. Her hammer stores on either side, and… yep. That sure is a hammer attached to the side of a space car. Not everyone is so graceful when it comes to weapon storage.

As a whole, Solus Prime is a fun time, and a mostly great start to the Thirteen. A fine figure in many regards, and I can absolutely recommend her, but she does have a few quirks baked in, the hip skirt being a prime example. The inconsistent QC can absolutely detract from the experience, but that’s outside of her control, as it were, and something that you… kind of just have to get lucky with, I guess? It’s hard to quantify something like that.

She’s a pretty purple lady with a big ass hammer. Do you need any more than that?

[waldronconstruction]

How Often Should You Replace Kitchen Cabinets?

So, how do you know when it’s time to replace your kitchen cabinets? Honestly, it’s not always as obvious as busted doors or chipped paint. Sometimes, it’s more of a gut feeling. Like when you walk into your kitchen and think, “This just doesn’t feel right anymore.” And other times—well, it’s a little more technical than that.

Whether you’re remodeling your forever home or updating a rental property in Lake County, cabinet replacement is one of those things that can feel like a big leap. But it’s also one of the most powerful changes you can make to a kitchen.

Let’s talk about when, why, and how often you should consider swapping those cabinets out—and what it really means for your home’s value, functionality, and everyday vibe.

Cabinets Aren’t Just Cabinets—They’re the Backbone of Your Kitchen

Let’s get one thing straight: cabinets aren’t just storage boxes on the wall. They set the tone, the mood, and often the layout of the entire space. They’re the first thing your eyes catch when you walk into the kitchen and probably the most used thing aside from your fridge and sink.

If you’re staring at white shaker cabinets that’ve lost their shine or inherited bulky, outdated woodwork that screams “1990s,” it might be time for an upgrade.

But just because they look outdated doesn’t always mean they’re shot. So how do you know?

The 5 Signs Your Cabinets Need to Go (Or at Least Be Reworked)

Structural Damage

Warping. Cracks. Water damage. If your cabinets are starting to sag, peel, or fall apart at the joints—this isn’t just an aesthetic issue. It’s a safety and functionality problem.

Especially with Midwest humidity and temperature shifts, damage can sneak up on you. And if you’ve ever dealt with mold behind a base cabinet? You know it’s not worth the risk.

You’ve Already Repainted More Than Once

Repainting or refacing can stretch your cabinet’s lifespan, sure. But if you’re on your third attempt to “freshen them up,” it might be time to call it. Especially if the core structure isn’t holding up.

Outdated Layout

You can have beautiful cabinets in perfect condition—but if your layout doesn’t serve your lifestyle, it doesn’t matter. We’ve worked with a lot of families in Antioch and across Lake County who needed better flow, more prep space, or just… a smarter setup.

They Don’t Fit Your Appliances

Ever try squeezing a modern fridge between two 30-year-old cabinets? Not fun. Appliance upgrades can force your hand with cabinetry, especially when dimensions have shifted over the years.

They Bring the Room Down

This is the emotional one. You walk in, and no matter how much you clean or decorate, your kitchen just feels tired. That’s not in your head. It’s the atmosphere—something good cabinetry design can absolutely shift.

How Often Should You Replace Them?

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer, but most cabinets have a functional lifespan of about 20 to 25 years. High-quality Amish cabinetry (yes, the kind we specialize in) can last much longer, especially with proper care. But again—it’s not always about longevity. Sometimes, it’s just time for a change.

We’ve worked with homeowners in Antioch who replaced cabinets after 10 years because their lifestyle changed. And others, especially in older homes in Lake County, who were still holding onto 40-year-old boxes that had clearly seen better days.

Not Sure You’re Ready? You’ve Got Options

Look, full replacement isn’t your only path. If your cabinets are structurally sound, but you’re bored of the look or the layout isn’t terrible, here’s what you can consider:

Refacing: Keep the frames, replace the doors and drawer fronts. Budget-friendly and fast.

Painting: Works well with solid wood cabinets. Not so much with MDF or laminate.

New hardware: Sometimes, it really is the handles.

Custom millwork updates: Want to add a wine rack or display cabinet? Easy enhancement that refreshes the space without a full redo.

We’ve done this a lot in kitchens across Lake County—especially for homeowners looking to boost property value before listing. It’s amazing what a little detail work can do.

Are Shaker Cabinets Still In?

You bet. White shaker cabinets are still the MVP in most kitchens around here. Clean lines, timeless look, and they work with nearly any countertop or backsplash style. Plus, they’re easy to maintain. And if you're wondering how to clean shaker cabinets—mild soap, warm water, and a soft cloth usually do the trick. (Skip the harsh chemicals unless you're ready to repaint.)

But if you’re leaning modern? We’re seeing a lot of mixed tones—navy blue bases, wood uppers, and matte finishes. And for high-end remodels in Lake County, Amish cabinetry remains a top choice. It’s sturdy, beautiful, and honestly, it just feels better.

When a Kitchen Remodel Becomes Something Bigger

This happens more than you think: You start with cabinets, and before you know it, you’re redoing flooring, upgrading appliances, or knocking down walls. Happens all the time, especially for homeowners looking at new home construction or full-scale renovations.

We’ve had real estate investors come in thinking they’d just replace cabinets, then end up tackling basement finishing services, installing Pella windows, or adding reverse osmosis water filtration units.

Honestly? It's all connected. Cabinets lead to layout changes. Layout changes lead to plumbing and electrical updates. Next thing you know, you’re calling your home remodel architect near me on speed dial.

But here’s the good news—we do all of that.

From Cabinets to Full Construction – Why Waldron Is Built for the Job

At Waldron Construction, we’re not just kitchen and bath remodelers. We’re full-service home builders, contractors, and designers. From custom millwork and specialty flooring (yes, we do concrete wood and epoxy) to Waldron Custom Closets and commercial builds, we handle the big stuff and the beautiful stuff.

We work across Antioch, Fox Lake, Gurnee, and all of Lake County, Illinois—and we’ve got a reputation for detail, honesty, and really knowing our craft. Whether you're fixing up a family home or starting from scratch, we've probably worked on a project just like yours.

Final Thought

If you’re on the fence, wondering whether now’s the time to upgrade your kitchen cabinets, ask yourself this:

Do you love walking into your kitchen?

Are your cabinets supporting your lifestyle—or making it harder?

Would new cabinets improve your home’s value if you plan to sell?

And maybe most importantly—are you ready for a change?

Because sometimes, the answer isn’t in the numbers. It’s in the way you feel when you walk in, open a drawer, or host a dinner party. And if it’s not working anymore, that’s reason enough.

Whether you’re starting small or dreaming big, Waldron Construction is here to help you make it happen.

[bluevibecbdus]

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[alexanderlightweight]

Prompt if you like it! Living!John with platonic John, Lydia, Alec who everyone mistakes as in a group relationship. Bonus for moping Alec getting cuddles/sofa-squishes because the gorgeous warlock he keeps running into is giving mixed messages (because he thinks Alec is taken).

i hope you enjoy how this goes, it kind of didn't go the way intended because magnus wasn't about to risk alec getting swept away. thank you for the prompt

<3 lumine

-

“What’s wrong?” 

John hears Lydia ask and whatever she hears makes her furious, her eyes are bright with a tightly contained anger and she stops undressing to instead tie her back and into a ponytail.

John sighs and gets up himself, knowing that while she won’t ask him to follow wherever she’s headed, that he doesn’t want to be anywhere else. 

“Clave?” He asks, because that’s the most likely issue and could be why Lyds is so upset. 

She shakes her head and scowls at the wall, hand rubbing her thigh where a sword normally would be. 

“Alec.”

John doesn’t ask another question, instead he’s up and grabbing one of their joint go-bags. 

“Okay, let’s go.” He says, about ten minutes later when he’s gathered everything, he thinks they’ll need. “If we want to crossover to New York as fast as possible, we’ll need to cut through the City of Bones.”

Lydia winces but nods, because to her — for both of them — the unpleasantness is worth it, if it means getting to Alec’s side when he needs it.

—

“You're getting an arranged marriage?” John asks again, shocked as he sits there and watches as Alec groans and curls further into Lydia’s lap.

He says something but it’s muffled by Lydia’s stomach, and she rolls her eyes, petting his hair slowly as she mouths ‘Maryse and Robert’ across to him.

John locks gazes with her and he knows, that whatever happens they'll not be letting Alec go through this.

Ever.

—

John watches as the warlock, Magnus Bane, sees Alec and immediately zeroes in. It’s as if the rest of the Institute doesn’t matter and while Alec is flustered, he’s not overwhelmed which means this has happened enough for him to get used to it.

“I do not like what I’m seeing.” Lydia mutters, glaring over at the troublesome group Alec’s trying to keep leashed. 

“Alec being appreciated?” John teases back, but she doesn’t laugh, and her gaze isn’t on Alec or his admirer.

“They don’t seem surprised or interested in the fact that Bane’s hunting him down. They seem to expect it and Alec’s only here because Jace said he needed to talk to him.”

The implications hit John like a demon horn in the gut.

“They wouldn’t.” He breathes out, quiet as he can as he stops watching Alec and Bane and focuses instead on the other three.

“They would.” Lydia hisses, angry and vicious, “and Alec wouldn’t even realize. Bane probably doesn’t even know either, the way he’s so wrapped up in Alec, I doubt he’s paying attention.”

“Fuck—” John mutters and he knows Lyds hates mundane swears, but she just nods, a short, clipped agreement. “Okay, so you grab Alec and I—”

“No, you grab Alec. I’ll grab Bane.” When John sends her a questioning look, she just shrugs her shoulders with a smirk.

It’s always less dangerous to not know what she’s planning and so John goes along with it. Alec is just as entranced as Bane is and John wonders if he’s going to be able to snap him out of it. However, Lyds has a plan and John is a dutiful, obedient husband “Alec, I need to steal you away for a second.”

John winks at Lydia, not noticing how Bane’s face shutters and goes cold, or how the gleam in his eyes flares when he follows John’s gaze to Lydia.

Instead, John focuses on his task, and he wraps an arm around Alec’s shoulder, pulling him along before he can protest. It only works because Alec is so tongue-tied in front of Bane and while John and Alec don’t agree on aesthetics, he can see the appeal.

Bane is clearly, very powerful and very dangerous.

It’s not a surprise that Alec would be attracted to him.

“What?” Alec asks, sharp and cold and probably irritated but trying to hide it.

“Lydia has something she needs to discuss with you and Bane, but we need to not be obvious about it.”

Alec looks over his shoulder, at where Lydia is approaching Bane and for a moment, John watches as Bane and Alec’s eyes lock. There’s a shiver of danger, an instinct of imminent threat that raises the hair on his neck when he tightens his grip and pulls Alec faster. 

—

Magnus is surprised that he’s not breathing actual flames with how furious he is. It’s taken time and patience and so much effort to get the little bit of 

And then, out of nowhere two nephilim show up, hoarding his boy to themselves and touching him like Magnus still isn’t allowed to. 

Magnus is reminding himself that he can’t smite visiting guests to Alexander’s Institute when he’s approached by the second one. She smiles, all political charm and bright enthusiasm, making small talk that Magnus isn’t in the mood for.

“Actually, I have some of my grandfather’s old notes. I’d love to show you.” 

It’s only because Magnus is looking for a reason to cut out her tongue that he picks up on her body language.  She’s not as relaxed as she’s pretending and she wants Magnus to follow her, desperately. It’s with fierce amusement that Magnus follows her, mentally hoping she dares to try and trap him.

It would be a lovely excuse to splatter her brain matter across the Institute walls.

Instead, he’s led to a private room and when he opens it, he stares, and he wonders if this was the torture she wanted to inflict on him.  

Alexander is sitting on the floor, back resting against a loveseat and another man’s fingers are running through his hair. Alexander makes a soft grunt and then lets his head flop further back, practically in the other nephilim lap.

“How little has he been sleeping?” The blonde shadowhunter asks, concern creasing her face and she ignores Magnus to shut the door and then she’s stepping out of her heels and crossing the room. She bends, pressing a casual kiss to Alexander’s forehead and then she’s leaning over him and kissing the man holding him.

Magnus wonders if he’s about to explode when there is a hoarse, “oh gross. Lyds, you’re not supposed to kiss this close to me. I can hear your tongues.”

There’s a snort, a bitten off laugh that turns into a cough and the blonde is covering her mouth with her hand. 

“Sorry Alec,” she murmurs, and she pats his head again.  This time, Magnus watches and pushes down the anger, seeing how Alec leans into it, like a cat seeking affection from its humans.

“Yeah buddy,” the male still holding Magnus’ boy says. “I forgot you were there.” 

“That doesn’t make it better—” Alexander grumbles and his eyes are still shut; he hasn’t noticed Magnus.  “Fuck, John why didn’t you convince Lydia to come train in New York?”

“Because John wanted to try cliff-diving for demons.” Lydia, as Magnus now bothers to remember mocks. “Now listen up, cherub-cheeks. You and Bane need to know something.”

At his name, Alexander startles, eyes wide and pink creeping over his cheeks.

“Alec—” John, Lydia’s husband, starts slowly. “You’re being taken advantage of.” Magnus hisses insulted and starts to draw himself up when he’s sent a panicked glance. “Not you, you’re not the one! Actually, they might also be taking advantage of you.”

“Wait, what are you talking about?” Alexander asks, confused and concerned, “how?” 

“Have you noticed a lack of receipts for Bane’s service? For all of Fray's requests and services?” 

“They said they had it taken care of. That Magnus accepted the payment.”

“I accepted a necklace, as a onetime payment.” Magnus interjects, not wanting to be spoken for when he’s in the room, especially by people who aren't even in the room. “Nothing more, nothing less.”

“Then why are you helping so much? Sorry, I mean. I’m glad you’re, fuck—”

“He means, why are you helping without payment. You’re the High Warlock of Brooklyn, you should be overcharging, not working pro-bono.”

Magnus blinks, then raises an eyebrow because while she’s not wrong, she’s also clearly missing the point.

“I wanted to see Alexander.”

There’s silence and then Alexander is blushing and turning into Lydia’s husbands’ knee, but Magnus is amused by it this time, rather than furious. Even if he is confused as to why Alexander is acting like this is new. 

“Which is up to you. Except where his siblings and Fray lied to him about it. They’ve been using him to get you to practically run errands for them and while I don’t care how you conduct your own affairs, it’s pretty ripe with insubordination. Especially, when he was unaware.”

“Are you suggesting,” Magnus bites out. “That everyone but Alexander was aware of why I’ve been so generous with my time and talents?”

There’s a soft groan and finally, his boy is looking at him with serious, hazel eyes. 

“You would have seen me regardless of if you were paid, Magnus. I didnt—” Alexander shrugs and his lashes flutter as his gaze lowers. “It never occurred to me that was why we always saw each other,” and he shrugs. 

Lydia and her husband match gaze over Alexander’s head, something fierce and protective between them. A reason for why they are so careful of Alexander, why they want to keep him safe.

“Well, perhaps I can take Alexander out for lunch without interruptions, for once.” Magnus gives Lydia a droll look, knowing she’ll understand immediately. 

“Oh, we can definitely make sure there aren’t any more interruptions.” Blue eyes glint dangerously, “I am a liaison of the clave. I’m sure Clarissa Fairchild’s evaluations will take several hours, probably even all day.”

Magnus holds out a hand and Alexander takes it, a confidence to the gesture that makes Magnus’ breath catch. He summons a portal, ignoring that he’s in the middle of the Institute and he smirks at the surprise in Lydia and her husband’s eyes.

“I’ll have him back before the demon strikes.” Magnus taunts, because he’s been more than polite, and it’s been a very trying day. Next to him, Alexander snorts and when he looks over, there’s a soft smile being sent his way.

If this is how Alexander is when he’s not being bothered by his siblings and Clarissa, then Magnus suddenly has a reason to deal with them.

[lisbonsteresa]

Details (during 1.14 & 1.15)

“You’re not wearing it.”

They’re tucked into the corner booth when she says it, re-reviewing the footage of the night Tiffany died while Laura and the others debate the best way to bring Ryan to the Claw. “Not wearing what?” he asks, taking his attention from the laptop for a moment to cast a sidelong glance in her direction.

Nancy’s focus never shifts. “Your earring.” she replies evenly, eyes still glued to the screen in front of them while waving her hand vaguely towards his left ear. “I don’t think you were wearing it last night either - first time I’ve ever seen you without it.”

He gives a considering hum, his hand unconsciously rising to confirm the absence of the small silver ring he usually wears in his ear. “I didn’t really think anyone would notice.” 

“Yeah, well,” she pauses the video and turns towards him with a sardonic smile. “girl detective and all that.”

“Right, of course.” Ace chuckles, before realizing she’s still watching him, expecting an answer. “Well, I was supposed to meet up with Laura yesterday after work. Before all the…everything happened with the Whisper Box.” Something flashes across Nancy’s expression at the mention; memories of whatever details of that alternate reality experience she’s probably already decided to keep to herself. 

“And we rescheduled for tonight, so it just seemed easier to leave it at home to make sure I don’t forget to take it out. Although now that I think about it,” he pauses, casting an unsure look around the room, “a reenactment of someone’s last moments doesn’t exactly scream ‘date night’, does it.”

He half expects another cajoling remark about how ‘romantic’ solving a homicide is, or how he and Laura will have plenty of time for date night once they move to Paris (delivered in a sarcastic tone that makes it very clear how likely she finds that particular scenario). 

But instead she stays silent, watching him from under a slightly furrowed brow; an expression that would have appeared judgmental from anyone else, but seems almost natural for Nancy. “And why doesn’t Laura like the earring?” she asks, easily filling in the gaps in his explanation.

Ace shrugs. “She said she thought I was ‘moving away from that stoner aesthetic’ , whatever that means.”

Nancy’s eyes narrow. “Does she know about the joint you’ve had in your locker for the past week?”

“Let’s maybe keep that between us.” he answers with a laugh.

She gives him a grin before turning her attention back to the laptop. “For what it’s worth,” she begins, “I always thought it looked pretty good.”

“Really?” he can’t keep the slight note of surprise out of his voice. He hadn’t really considered that she might have thought about what looks good on him.

She nods, her finger hovering over the space bar to resume the video “It suits you - a very Ace kind of look.” 

He opens his mouth to respond, but before he can he’s cut off by a hissed “Ace!” from across the dining room. Both his and Nancy’s heads snap up to see Bess frantically waving them over as Laura holds her phone up to her ear. “Ryan!” she chirps into it, her voice light and airy and betraying nothing about her real motivations. “You know I’ve been thinking, we’ve both been through so much after losing Tiffany. We should really meet up and try to start to heal…together.” 

Nancy shuts the laptop and they wordlessly shuffle out of the booth to join the others and hopefully - finally - get some answers.

                                   -

Nancy notices three things in fairly quick succession during the crew’s conversation at the Claw the next morning. First is Ace’s presence, meaning that Paris had ended up being a no for him after all. (Not that she had really allowed herself to doubt that.) 

Second is the reappearance of his earring, glinting in the sunlight as he and Nick follow her out the door and across the parking lot towards the Sunbeam. 

And third is the strange sense of satisfaction that settles in her chest after seeing it; the feeling that something had been set right just by Ace having that bit of metal back in his ear. 

A nagging voice in the back of her head wants to dig deeper into that thought - wants to ask why the feeling of rightness only grows stronger as he meets her eyes in the rearview mirror with a nod and an encouraging smile - but it’s thankfully drowned out by the reminder of the much more pressing issues she has to deal with. Whatever this is would just have to be a mystery for another day.

[twitchesandstitches]

(commission of Rose going through some feederism-induced transformation on behalf of John.)

-------

The Land of Wind and Shade was actually very pretty, Rose thought as she and John walked along a path lit by the luminous fungi and trees. She’d never had much opportunity to really appreciate the visual aesthetics of their worlds when they had played the Game (as they thought of it now), back before they had become gods.

It felt like a long time ago, Rose reflected as she reached into a pocket and palmed a few tiny tablets that resembled a feminine figure in profile, with a massive belly. She considered it a divide in her lifetime.

Oh, yes. It was hard, sometimes, to really recall what it was like before they had given life to a new world and all of them (her friends, Roxy and her friends, the trolls, and all who had perished in the playing of the Game) ascended to true godhood, entering the Medium as their own divine realm and free to engage with the mortal world they made, if they wished.

It had been… who knew how long? Centuries? Perhaps millennia. Rose knew it had been a while since the Mayor and his carapacian cohorts had turned up again, presumably after the end of their mortal bodies, so perhaps it had been even longer. Eventually it might be worth it to check on the mortal world and see how it was doing without their direct involvement, but for the present, it was fine enough to simply experiment.

Reality was somewhat fluid for the new gods in their divine realm. They had different ways of expressing it, and ways to experiment with it.  For some, Rose included (and again, she thought of the transformatives in her hand), that meant tweaking their bodies.

She and John walked onwards, on the surface of his world, for the noble purpose of stuffing her with as much food as possible, and Rose was rather preceded by her own stomach, which bore a lot of testament success in this field. And perhaps a lot of worship towards her in the mortal world; she wasn’t sure if that had an effect or not.

Her belly hung out in front of her. It felt good, like that, and Rose contemplated taking another one of the transformatives she’d made specifically for this task.

Now she was waddling awkwardly, still not used to a body reshaped by those specific transformatives, and for a moment she thought that she resented this being the only word choice available to her.

She didn’t hate that she was waddling, exactly. She hated that it was an awkward word; she was pedantic, and insisted on picking the most applicable terms, and unfortunately she only had something so… inelegant, to work with.

She was waddling, even so. John was even slowing down his usual frenetic pace so she wouldn’t have to hurry, which made her smile even as being outwardly happy completely went against the persona she wore.

John was… tricky, that way.

Rose, like Dave and Terezi, had a whole headful of personas she put on around other people. She tailored herself to match their expectations, or to confound them, or because it was just really funny to do. But John saw through them. Somehow he had a knack for knowing exactly when Rose was putting up a front or not.

It was exasperating, sometimes. It was fascinating, too. It felt good to have a match that just rolled right through clever wordplay and saw what she actually meant, even if her actual wordplay falling on deaf ears was disappointing.

Now Rose fell into an easy stride, John still walking at her side, and striding was easy ernough for Rose with the physical transformation she had begun to explore lately. For instance, she noticed in a distant way, her hips were getting… wider. Much, much wider, and it helped that John enjoyed feeding her as much as she liked, and it was interacting with her transformations in some very unexpected ways; she suspected that his aspect was flooding into them, influencing the tasty treats with his very particular essence of… enthusiasm, and development.

He’d kept them moving onwards, and she wondered what that kind of attribute had towards food. Certainly it encouraged the body to pile on the pounds.

Her pelvis, she was sure, had also changed shape just as her hips had grown, her hip joints modified to swivel and roll with greater ease, and with the weight piling onto her body, it made her hips nearly three feet across. And she felt the delightful weight of every step, her hips rolling and rocking as a natural counterbalance.

Her butt was a heavy weight, beneath her robes. It pushed out and flexed in as her thighs moved, and there was a smack every time her thighs came together; they were wider than John’s entire body, wider than some of the trolls even, and the clapping of her thighs was a steady rhythm behind them.

She was starting to enjoy it, actually.

Her stomach, however, was the primary focus of her growth. The transformative pills she had made had involved little capsules and pictures of progressively bigger stomachs, and alchemized in such a way so that the pills created by it would have the attributes of bellies getting bigger, with all the resonance that implied; of good food, excellent digestion, and hedonistic satisfaction.

Or so she hoped. She no longer had SBURB to experiment with, but there was a whole reality for her to mess about with and see what happened, or maybe learn its rules.

The results of her experiments so far were plain to see: Rose’s gut was hugely distended, a round marvel projecting outwards, the itch to fill it up growing stronger even with a few recent meals gurgling away in there.

Her belly hung out from the rest of her body like a medallion, gently swaying to and fro as she moved, distending the rest of her clothes to a degree exceeding her breasts. That was no small feat; her bustline extended out several feet, lower slopes hanging above her navel and her cleavage was, all the same, pushed apart by the steadily expanding mound of a belly that was getting large enough, and often stuffed enough, to make her look moderately pregnant. Her god-tier robes had been subtly altered and now her stomach slung out of a spade-shaped opening at her front, a soft globe that was very visibly churning her most recent meals.

Her gut had changed; the way it worked was still changing. Rose was intellectually aware of that, just as she also knew that something in her power was affecting her digestive tract. To truly know something was to consume it, to totally make it part of you and grasp it, with your very being, and it seemed that her body had seized the idea.

It was quite another thing, feeling the muscles of her digestive tract seize and flex like a very mobile garbage disposal unit, or enormously powerful acids sink deep into everything she ate to dissolve it into something very much like the grist they used in crafting the things of the heavens. She could feel her meals from only a few hours ago dissolving like that, and she felt…

The essence of them, she supposed, merging with her. It felt… good. The slither of essence left a lovely shiver through her entire body.

Well, she supposed, if it felt this good already, why not give it a nudge? She took the rest of her sample of transformatives and slipped them into her mouth. She moistened them up with her tongue, and then swallowed them.

They slid down without issue. She fancied she heard a faint splash as they made it into her stomach. There was no immediate result, but she didn’t expect one. You needed food to use as fuel for a big stomach; she’d made it like that on purpose. Perhaps she didn’t have to, but there was such a thing as doing it right. ‘What,’ Rose had rhetorically written down in the cosmic journals that had largely replaced the game guides she used to expound upon. ‘Is the point of making your stomach larger if you don’t even do it by getting crammed with digestibles, I do mean, REALLY.’

The pills did have a minor effect; they bubbled and forthed ferociously in her gut, interacting interestingly with the more complex digestive processes her stomach had developed on its own since she started taking them. Her belly swelled slightly with internal pressure, and it was all she could do to stifle a small burp with her free hand.

She and John kept going; he glanced at her briefly, and left her to it. Like most of the others, he took a blaise attitude towards the current trend of mixing up their bodies, even if he currently didn’t seem inclined to do it himself.

Soon the illuminated forests and walkways gave way to an entrance arch with a suitably gnarled and strange-looking sigil upon it to indicate that this had something to do with Rose.

Beyond it, lay a small complex squatting on the ground like a lost turtle. It glowed with a faint, pleasant pattern of blue light: John had somehow taken a number of the luminous trees growing on his land and broken them down, reshaping them into a living house. As they entered, Rose saw that the general layout had not changed much since last she had visited some time ago. Then it had been, and it still was, a many-chambered and sprawling estate extending into the ground and also to the sky, producing new rooms as it expanded.

It wasn’t very well organized and it would probably be hard to find where everything was situated soon enough, but Rose honestly did not mind. It was a dinner place; those chambers were filled with very extensive and experimental cooking utilities, spawned from alchemiters from photos of ovens and handwritten lists of useful attributes for ovens, shaped the outline of massive kitchens that extended for miles, down into the depths of John’s world. They always were baking something, John’s own experiments mainly laying in the fairly mundane art of baking. Granted, where his powers were concerned, even something as straightforward as baking could get very complex.

Rose wasn’t sure if the food he made might interact strangely with her own concoctions. She thought it best to see for herself!

She looked up as they traveled into the complex, where John surely had lots of food waiting to sate Rose’s appetite; her belly rumbled loudly at the thought, so loud that John visibly jumped a bit. Rose acknowledged this with a faint shrug, but she was more interested in the smells of cooking up ahead.

They came into the complex, and John was glancing at her as they eventually arrived at a splendidly decorated chamber. He glanced up at her, specifically; Rose was fairly tall among their friends, at least the human ones, and John was probably the shortest of them all; his face generally hovered (and wasn’t THAT just the best possible word) somewhere around elbow level. The word that came to mind describing him, Rose mused, was ‘plush’; yes, she thought. Just like a plushy. He was thickly build and broad all around, but he was quite short and didn’t look terribly muscular. The effect was that of someone apparently designed for huggability.

Absently, she did just that, looping an arm around a compact but very strong shoulder and leaned slightly into him. The sudden motion tilted one of her massive hips against him, the swell of a huge butt check pressing on his waist.

He put an arm around her waist, in unconscious and perfect synchrony with her. She felt his pulse quicken, and at the periphery of awareness that her powers influenced, she felt the vague notion of thoughts blur across his mind. Not mind-reading, as such; she saw the potential that those thoughts embodied, or at least knew of them. They revealed themselves to her, like a sun rising overhead.

Such was the nature of Light.

Her belly rumbled again and Rose’s face shifted. It was genuinely pleasuable

John misinterpreted it. He looked up at her, around the curve of one huge breast, his expression adorably helpful. “Is your belly thing going okay?”

Rose smirked. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” She sniffed the air, and her belly rumbled demandingly as the mass of her meal was transmuted into physical flesh, and her belly protruded a few inches outward.

The sudden growth made her steps falter.

John took a hard step to the side, and Rose found their trail meandering away. “Hey!” She started to say, and John just kept going, and despite being so much taller than him, despite being a lot heavier than him, she was helpless to control their momentum.

John gently brought her to a chair. “Do you want me to rub your belly?” He asked as he helped her down, the chair transforming to take in her exceptionally broad backside.

Rose’s immediate response was to simply deny any discomfort. This was thwarted by the greater urge, more powerful in recent days, to enjoy being pampered. Her mouth was still forming around the words as she said, “Actually, that sounds quite nice.”

She let herself flatten back, her broad thighs spreading wider as if lounging in some sort of overlord’s throne. Her belly hung out. For a moment she wondered if her sense of her own body was feeling askew or not, as her belly felt even bigger than it had a few moments ago. Surely that was just an illusion, spawned from her still adjusting to a new tweak to her body?

The outer curve of her stomach kept going, sliding against the cool air. She thought she felt it brushing against the tops of her legs, short of her knees, all while the sensation of growth made the whole of her belly a pleasant warmth.

She felt her belly growing, more and more. Doubtfully, she supposed she might have oversizing or undersizing its actual dimensions, and supposed it didn’t much matter. She really liked the idea of her belly being particularly big, and supposed a bit of guesswork on her part would throw anything off much.

Further speculation was halted as John pressed his hands against her stomach. It might have been the power of Breath within his body, or the intimacy of such an action, but his hands felt so warm and soft, moving against her bare skin with a wild thrill that felt so good, she had to resist the urge to force his hands still, or to squeeze against her body just so she could relish the sensation.

For a moment her eyes, and much of her body, glowed like a solar furnace, light pulsing out of her body, and then she mastered it, so that John only saw her glow like a whole body blush. “You get embarrassed easy!” he said, teasingly.

“Oh, you can think that if you want,” Rose said lightly, and gasped as he slowly moved his hands across the outer surface of her stomach, fingers kneading so deeply that it stirred against the transforming walls of her gut.

He didn’t say anything, but she could feel him smiling. Teasing smugness radiated off him, and she gave him points for deserving it there, at least.

Rose still sat up then, mastering the urge to simply lay back and let him rub her stomach, but oh, it was a powerful urge. Briefly, she imagined herself as an immensely bloated figure, without visible limbs, with nothing but an enormous belly that needed to be filled, and a great mouth ringed in huge lips for more food to be slipped down, and John a little fairy filling her up.

It ought to have been frightening. But at the thought of laying back, of food constantly sliding down her throat and making her belly constantly bigger and bigger and BIGGER, all while John orbited about to tend to her every need and whim…

Oh, yes. It was an attractive thought, at the root.

Slowly, without realizing it, she lay back, until she was lounging properly. If she were honest with herself (and honesty was not often a trait associated with those who awoke within Derse), she really didn’t care that much about keeping up appearances. At this point, it was just another habit she was gradually starting to shed.

John’s fingers slid up and around her belly, his strong fingers making intricate patterns on her just above her navel, his Breath power pulsing out into her stomach and accelerating the digestive process. Rose breathed in, and when she exhaled, the noise she made was a languorous and very satisfied sound, flush with the reality patterns of her meals fully melting into her as John’s powers sped up the whole process, mixing together in a very pleasant way.

But of course, adept fingers alone do not make for a completely ideal belly rub. His palms pressed in, deeply, his wrists flexing his hands to sink deeper into the meat of her gut, pressing against the inner walls in just the right way to really stimulate them, and Rose absently patted her own stomach, feeling a warm and fuzzy feeling.

It was hard to keep her hands off her stomach. It felt nicer to have someone else’s hands… admiring her handiwork.

John’s hands made their way down, in steady and experienced movements. Rose’s belly got bigger every time he did this, but he knew her belly all the same. It got bigger, yeah, but he knew it. The places to slide his palms to please her, the areas near her sides where she was almost ticklish, the spots near there that were just perfect for stimulating her digestion and relieved a belly ache, or a recalcitrant bit of quintessence that just would not dissolve properly.

His hounds came to those places, and he was so intent that he didn’t really notice her stomach slowly growing outwards. His hands sank deep into the ticklish spots, just enough to almost bother her, and deftly moving away to safer grounds.

Her stomach swelled a few steps outwards, closer to John, almost pressing directly against him. Absently, too focused to realize it, he stepped aside and rotated his hands against a sweet spot or two, and Rose rewarded him with a happy little noise that put a huge smile on his face.

Then, he tended to the source of the rumbling; with Rose’s pleasure still occupying important spots in his mind, he grew more attuned to her needs and the intricacies of her body, and was in a position to realize that her wobbling belly was growing faster than he was used to at this point.

He placed his hands down in a spot where he would normally rub deep and make little circles in, and he laid them down well enough. Before he could actually do anything more with that, though, her expanding flesh carried his hands apart as her belly widened.

Now John stepped back, completely on instinct, reflexes wired for just this sort of thing, and Rose’s belly still kept coming, sliding right into him and pushing him back even further.

It flowed over her legs. Her breasts, though still quite big, looked improbably small compared to the teeming flesh rising in front of him with a keen sense of demanding need. It rose up, so high and curved that it seemed to be trying to inflate itself.

John stepped back again as her belly kept steadily expanding outwards.

For Rose, the sense of pleasure faded. She felt a curious swelling, though, throughout her entire stomach, and a sense of personal space extending outwards. For some reason, John’s hands felt smaller, before he moved away.

“Um, Rose?” John’s voice called out.

Rose closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling without pondering on it too much.

“Your belly just got super big.”

The sensation continued, so pleasantly that it was a struggle for Rose to open her eyes. She glanced down, unaware of her back gradually sliding backwards against her seat until she was truly laying back, and felt, rather than saw, her stomach growing.

It was not an abrupt thing, as was often the case with these things; that was a later thought, of course. In the moment, her sharp mind faltered and stared out as her stomach slowly expanded outwards, its outer curves rising upwards as well. Her belly glowed, radiating the power of Light and shining like a star in its own right, the same faint orange as the robes hanging off her pin-up body.

Her stomach kept sliding outwards. It’s growing girth moved over her thighs and dipped out past her chair, warm air sliding across her new flesh. It wobbled faintly as she breathed in hard, trying to find words to express alarm and curiosity at this, but… it felt good. It felt really, really good. Rose squirmed in unexpected pleasure, the thrill of digestion gradually fading in favor of the new sensation of her stomach growing so rapidly that, yes, it was rising upwards, right into her field of view, and was starting to interfere with what she could actually see.

It occurred to her that John’s hands had moved back to her belly, even as it was reaching to the floor. Her stomach was quickly starting to get bigger than her, and John was standing up and slowly scooting back, but his hands were still firmly sunk into her stomach. Rose felt a surge of pleasure from the slight adjustments in him moving against her, and made a decision.

“Well?” She said archly, and stifled another swelling belch rising up from deep in her. “I didn’t ask you to stop.”

“Is this supposed to be happening?” John asked. He didn’t sound alarmed, now, that Rose wasn’t either; possibly he felt that as far as he knew, stuff like this happened all the time and he hadn’t seen it yet.

“I don’t know about ‘supposed’,” Rose said, deciding to try to play it off. “We’ve never bothered with that sort of thing. But I would like it if you kept doing what you were doing.” She leaned to the side, just enough that John could see her face where her huge breasts and the person-sized, massive gut sprawling across the floor wouldn’t obstruct it. She smiled at him, softly, eyes half-lidded and thick lips quirked at both corners. “So, would you get back to it?”

John swallowed audibly. “Well, if you say so!” His palms sank in deeply again, and Rose groaned in pleasure as they found new regions to roam across her belly, sliding downwards, nearly to the floor where they rested. The traveling motion of his hands stirred other motions across her stomach, the copious fat rippling as he moved, and it did so with so much force that it traveled up and down her new expanded gut.

Just like a ripple. The push of his hands, the lovely ways he rubbed against her gut, was amplified by the rippling, all over her belly, and she made more low noises in unthinking response, her stomach glowing faintly in response. Oh, but that felt perfect.

John kept rubbing; either her stomach was structured in a way to apply the force evenly, his Breath powers were making his rubbing continue onwards past the point he was actually touching, or perhaps a blend of the two. But as he scooted to one side where there was still a fair bit of rumbling for him to knead at, her stomach kept sliding outwards. It kept growing upwards, with ever more capacity to slide in more of his delicious food.

Rose leaned back, barely aware of losing hold of the ideas of relentless self-control that had kept her in an uncomfortable position on the chair until her belly had gotten bigger. This felt better, as far as she was concerned. She felt her stomach sliding outwards, so that it was rapidly getting close to somewhere around her own size in overall length and width, and it felt so nice that she honestly was not concerned. It did, however, feel rather empty.

Her eyes slowly opened as pangs of hunger started to grow, outweighing even the pleasures of John tending to her belly. “You had some food cooking, yes?” She said, dreamily.

John paused, his hands sunk into her belly nearly to the elbow. “Um, yeah?”

“Go get me some, would you? As much as you can carry.”

John floated up, made a little mock bow, and flitted away, a zephyr in human form.

He came back shortly afterwards. Plates of food hovered around him; not carried in each hand, but levitating about him, and without the restrictions of just two arms to carry it, he was able to bring several dozen in, loaded with all the tastiest treats he’d experimented with at the time.

“I wasn’t sure what you, specifically, might have wanted,” John said. “So I got a little bit of everything!”

Rose’s belly was no longer growing. She barely noticed. The air was thick with sweet smells and sugary tastes, warm smells laden with the distinctive after-tastes of frosting and chocolates, and undertones of milkshakes, fruits coated with impossible layers sculpted into genuine statues via the medium of chocolate and caramel, edible works of art…

“Oh, that smells interesting,” She said aloud, intrigued by what he’d worked up this time. “I must see for myself. Well, not see, but taste is a much more forensic sort of examination than just giving it a smack with your eyes.”

“That’s a horrible mental image. I like it!” John came over, with his many sweets, and sat in mid-air next to Rose, the scent maddening and she knew that he was perfectly aware of it, and just teasing her by sitting there and not giving him a single thing. What a brilliant move, on his part!

(It was entirely possible that John had no idea that Rose expected everyone else to make their every social move as brilliantly calculated as her own, and was not deliberately teasing her. It was also possibly that he knew damn well that she would think he was, and did so accordingly. It was hard to tell, with him!)

Gurgles and rumbles from deep within the expanded regions of her gut, the considerably reworked complexities of her digestive tract, and a more prosaic desire for tasty treats all got the better of Rose. She held herself back as long as possible, playing the part of a refined opponent, and finally she could take no more, and wildly reached out for the nearest piece of cake. John floated just out of reach. Normally, she would have been fine to keep it going for a while, enjoying the game of competition, clashing wits and personalities like a chess game (though not actual chess; having known carapacians, chess was now an uncomfortable exercise), but the thought of getting stuff through her throat and down her belly was too tempting.

“Very well, I give in!” She blurted out, and that was quite the surrender, coming from her.

John was still floating away. There was a terrible look of mischief about him. “What’s the magic word~?” He teased, floating almost close enough for her to pull him towards her.

“Please, and do please hurry with the treats already!” She almost begged.

“Aww. Okay…!” John floated in now, gently taking a seat in the air right next to her, just high enough that his hands could transfer things from plates to her mouth with ease. He admitted he was a little intimidated, and he tried not to look directly at the teeming massives of her breasts, or the gigantic sphere of her belly. Some part of him kept thinking ‘did I do that?’ and he was trying not to think about how nice it would be to lay down on her belly, listening to her digest.

He noticed Rose looking directly at him. Her expression shifted a little; the look of raw need and frustration had just a hint of wickedness in there. Her lips had changed, he realized; they’d grown immensely thick, puffing out into the kind of thick forms you normally associated with balloons. She raised an eyebrow, in that special Rose way of communicating a lot just with a little quirk.

“No mind reading or you won’t get any candy apples!” He said, with an adorable scowl.

Rose chuckled. “One, I don’t read minds, and two, I really don’t have to. You’re easy to figure out.”

“Hmph.” He picked up the plate, which did in fact have candy apples, and he selected one at complete random, holding it by the uncoated stem he used for handles. Gently he maneuvered it to Rose’s face, just above purple-painted lips three inches thick.

He expected her to take a bite; he did not expect her to gently put her lips against it and suck in. Whatever had changed her stomach had also altered the pressure that went into her lips, not to mention the flexibility of her jaw. Her lips flowed around the apple, saliva coating it as they slid completely around it in one smooth movement, her jaws stretching to fit the whole thing into her mouth at once, and then she slurped it into her mouth, plucking it right out of John’s hands.

“Eep!” John squeaked. Rose silently crunched the apple in her mouth, cheeks bulging but showing no sign of discomfort. She kept her eyes locked on him the whole time, her expression worryingly intent. A few hints of saliva oozed against her lips in the heat of her confectionary pleasure, and were slurped back in. Her eyes fluttered as she took in the delicious flavors of the candied apple, the way caramel and fruit blended together in ways amplified by John’s power to make a true taste sensation that a mortal simply couldn’t hope to imitate.

“Mm,” she murmured, after gulping the whole thing down at once, her belly wobbling slightly as it took it all in. “More.”

John nervously gave her another apple. Rose tilted her mouth up and sucked it in more slowly, but also sucked in his fingers too; her lips engulfed them, and pinned them there. John found that Rose’s mouth was very warm, and incredibly moist; as the apple traveled down her throat to never be seen again, the entirety of her lips pressed warmly against his fingers and then the rest of his hand as she drew it into her mouth, holding it there for a moment, and then let it go with a sound suspiciously like a kiss.

“Mm, you still have sugar on your fingers,” Rose said, eyes half-lidded. John was not quite blushing, but he was having a hard time meeting her eyes. She smiled a bit broader at that; it was nice to get one over on him.

“Well, at least you like it, right?” He said, giving her another apple. She ate it without complaint, and the next one he did, and still another went between her teeth, and soon she had polished off the entire plate. The apples were gurgling away in her belly, and she still needed more.

“Go on,” she said warmly. “Fill my stomach up, why don’t you? I’ve more than enough capacity for everything you have?”

“Challenge accepted!” John brought down more plates, picking up a slice of pie and placing it into Rose’s open mouth, and watching with fascination as she slowly chewed it, each flex of her jaw so slow that she plainly was savoring each bite.

She ate slowly, like someone taking a very long time to read a book; all in order to properly appreciate each and every detail, digesting full awareness of it to the last detail. It was the most intense way he’d ever seen someone eat his food; as if with the food in her mouth, there was nothing in all the world but his food. Her eyes closed when she swallowed, throat swelling up in huge gulps, and she radiated such satisfied pleasure that he briefly felt a surge of grand accomplishment.

And then, silently, with her expression alone, she asked for more.

The plates were emptied, one at a time; despite their number, Rose’s appetite grew so ferocious that she devoured everything on them without any sign of growing full despite the massive portions. It was gluttonous, like Terezi or Nepeta during the occasional communal dinner they had (usually corresponding to feast days in their honor, on the mortal world), but it was not ferocious; Rose did not wolf down her food or gorge on it, or try to force entire plates down all at once, as if her belly being emptied was an offense to her and all she had worked for.

No; Rose worked to occupy her belly. One slice of pie at a time, or a fraction of cake, as if taking in residents to a newly opened luxury home complex that required as many people as possible without being too much in a rush. She ate slowly and calmly, savoring every moment of it, and when she swallowed, it was loud. John had heard bells that were quieter, and like a bell, it signaled something. In this case, that she was very pleased with his offering.

He could have sworn he heard a faint, muffled echo after she swallowed. As if he heard the mouthful splashing into place in her belly.

Gulp after gulp, time went by, and both of them were scarcely aware of time passing as it did. Rose was lost in the pleasures of sweetness, tasing every metaphysical connection that went into the sweets, and each mouthful lost her in a world of deceptively calm-looking joy. John found his own satisfaction in feeding her; she loved what he was feeding her, so much, and he felt… proud of it.

And he was noticing that as they worked through the plates, her belly was getting even bigger. It gurgled loudly, of a different character than before. Then, it had wanted more to fill itself with, but now, it seemed to him that these were happy noises; the sounds of a satisfied gut, and that was something that made him feel even more proud of his handiwork.

His nature as a god of Breath felt a sense of imminence coming from her belly, though; something was going on that neither of them were quite aware of, and John felt it coming. He figured that Rose had it handled, though. She always knew what to do.

Her belly swelled larger, and emptied plates (devoid even of crumbs) lay in a neat tower near them both. The tower rose higher and higher, but even once they were all totally cleaned off, they weren’t as high up as Rose’s stomach. It had grown even bigger, sprawling out further as the feeding had progressed; each mouthful adding to its girth. It wasn’t even particularly smooth anymore, flexing and squashing in random directly as tremendously powerful muscle action crunched its contents into a fine grist to be dissolved ever more efficiently, and the power of Light flooded from her body, so that radiant pulses fluxed through.

“Mm-mmm,” Rose said softly as her breasts, now growing large enough to outsize her own torso, towering upwards. They were still small compared to her belly. Even with all the frenetic movement, it was still growing, though more slowly now. The pace of it was a pleasure all its own, a sweet friction from inside her own body and reshaping it to more efficiently be an absolutely ideal glutton.

Food dissolved alarmingly fast, mixing in with fluids and enzymes entirely unique to Rose’s divine body. It dissolved so quickly that it was building up quite a lot of gas, making her belly swell up once more. The skin of it grew firm, the pressure pushing against the inside of her stomach so much that the tightly packed shapes of her food was obscured, her gut turning almost completely round. It was hard to say how much internal gas that was; it was certainly enough to power a small, person-sized hot air balloon at the least, and in a distant way, that was precisely how Rose felt.

Rose’s eyes widened. Propriety that she unthinkingly complied with demanded that she stifle it, right now, before she did something embarrassing, while at the same time a part of her that really did enjoy not caring so much about image demanded to know ‘for what purpose?’. She tried to find a compromise, placing her hand over her mouth to muffle what she was certain would be a truly memorable belch.

Up it went, ascending like the jetpacks John had once used. Her throat swelled up with the weight of it; her breasts rose and fell as it went up her body, and her cheeks bulged when she clamped her mouth shut, realizing too late that this would be loud-

Her lips, though enormous and powerful enough to turn a milk carton inside out with a single sucking swig, were not strong enough to hold the belch back.

It roared out of her like more a force than an actual sound, wet and dripping as it left her mouth and existed in the world for a long moment. It was a shame John didn’t have any windows in that complex, because then they could have rattled in a way that could satisfy Rose’s sense for drama; it wouldn’t have actually helped the situation, but it would have sounded cool. Stone trembled as the noise went on, so loudly that it silenced every other noise around it, and her gut visibly deflated slightly as the pressure abated. Various chairs actually fell over from the force of it.

And, finally, it faded away, leaving a warm sensation in Rose’s body.

“Excuse me,” she said, daubing at her mouth in the midst of the ensuing silence.

John started to learn forward to say something, and then Rose sighed softly. “Oh,” she said, not exactly wincing but looking fairly alarmed all the same. “That’s an unusual feeling.” She put her hands to the closest bits of rolls and chub that anchored her belly to her body, and squeezed tightly, shutting her eyes.

There was something else coming; another grand change, fueled by the consumption, by her desires, and set off by the burp. Things happened in little steps and then came all at once with the right things to trigger them; she knew this.

And she thought; it was very nice to lean back in this chair. It would be nicer still to not require the chair, for maximum hedonism.

This thought went on its way, and perhaps it gave the surge of sudden physical transformation a specific route to use, a keyword to direct it. She might have already been about to take on the incoming form anyway, and the thought was just a reflection of underlying impulses that heralded it. She didn’t know for sure, and later, it was maddening.

Rose lurched forwards, her legs moving sluggishly beneath her robes and belly. The latter obscured them more effectively as Rose actually managed to get off her chair, floating upwards and then landing with a crash onto the ground. Her stomach softened her landing, and she slid backwards off it onto the ground. The back of her robes flared up, wobbling and shifting alarmingly.

“Uh, should I be looking away-” John started to say, the dimples and outlines of Rose’s butt against her robes growing much more outlined.

The growth interrupted him. Her backside, probably responding to her happiness with reclining so much, grew. Not quite as slowly as her backside, either, swelling out in a great explosion of flesh. Her legs grew shorter as her butt expanded, but it didn’t actually change anything in her height. She just wobbled back and forth, trying to maintain her balance as her butt fluxed outwards, projecting out from her body like a living bustle from Victorian fashion, and kept growing bigger.

It rose up to her waist, and a little bit higher than that, and flared outwards; so big that the sides were as broad as the rest of her body, not confined entirely by her hips. Her butt kept growing, expanding so that it was almost bigger than the rest of her body. It smacked against the ground, taller now than John himself, and Rose leaned back into it, her face almost as shocked as John’s.

Her gut dwarfed it, even so. It didn’t seem to grow larger, apart from the constant state of perpetual expansion it had been showing for some time now, but that was an academic point, given how big it actually was now. Her breasts hung high upon it, and Rose leaned into it, suspended between butt and belly for a perfect balance.

Her legs trembled, and it was hard to see them. Rose frowned, as if puzzled, at a curious cool sensation of her legs. Soon it faded, and she found that she couldn’t feel anything to do with her legs at all. She expanded her perceptions, and gasped aloud. Her legs had fused together, joined in the middle and flowing into a single piece of extended body. While useless for walking, that soon became an irrelevant point: the bones of her legs dissolved, her legs becoming a shapeless mass that hung beneath her.

Any sense of horror was cut off by a pleasurable feeling, like warm nudges coming from inside her. It felt like a sense of pressure too, not unlike that preceding the massive belch that had set off this transformation. The length where her legs had been expanded and swelled out, growing even larger than her upper body and almost as big as her butt, widening out into a sort of living base for her entire body. It was invitingly round, a living sofa for her body to recline into, and it kept expanding until it was twice as broad around as her body. Still dwarfed by her belly, but as she wobbled in place with a few more minor alterations to her stature, she remained stable, and lounged into it.

Rose shifted in place, blinking furiously. She glanced down, her robes exposing quite a lot of flesh below her. Her backside felt very well aired, and her new… base? Podium? Stand? Whatever she might call it, it was certainly supporting her.

Any bewilderment or horror at the transformation was numbed; she was more curious than alarmed. She wiggled in place. Yes; there was something almost liquid within her there, bearing her weight like a living mattress, adjusting itself to her body to avoid any cramps or feelings of discomfort.

She kept wobbling herself, in fact. It felt fun.

Her whole body felt very nice, actually. “Well, that was interesting!” Rose said, feeling herself for any traces of more genuinely inhuman transformation. Well, besides the obvious, of course. She examined herself; massive belly and butt, that puffy lower body base… she looked like a person built of orbs, and she thought it looked very nice on her.

“Rose!?” John floated around her, with the frantic energy normally associated with a hummingbird realizing too late that a diet had been a poor decision. “What happened to you!? Are you okay!?”

“I would say so, yes!” Rose adjusted herself. She turned very easily, her belly dragging on the ground and knocking several chairs and display desks over, folding them into its squishy depths. Feeling those solid objects deep in her belly-skin felt great; so much hard rigidity, shifting against her in all the right ways… oh, that was an interesting sensation.

John slowly floated to the ground. “My food makes people puffy and bloated,” He said, in tones of grave horror. “Why did no one warn me that could happen!?”

“No, no, it wasn’t any quality of your cooking,” Rose said absently, leaning into her massive belly. She was going to need some other means of getting around, but somehow, staying put seemed very attractive. Just enjoying John’s company, and the possibilities offered by her new, lovely body.

She still couldn’t keep her hands off her stomach. It felt so nice to touch, like a massive erogenous zone.

“It was me,” she said, still feeling shockingly calm. She turned towards John, smirking faintly. He looked a little lower on the ground; her new puffy base must have given her a few extra feet in height.

He blinked. His eyes had the glazed look of one trying to process something big, and fit the new Rose into his understanding of the world.

Eventually he said, in patient tones, “Uh. Okay, but. Uh. But, but why, though.”

Rose shrugged, and put her hands right back on her belly where she felt they belonged. “But why not?”

John raised a finger to make a point. He thought about it. He frowned. He lowered the finger. “Fair enough, I guess?”

[countessofbiscuit]

Of Guts & Garbage

A sequel to Of Nerve & Nerf, written for Rexsoka Week 2018′s prompt “A Different Point of View...” (also on Ao3)

The aesthetics of war were one thing. But the exigencies meant everything from transit tickets and newstacks, to hovercarts and Class-5 droids were heavily taxed. So it’d fallen to Hermione to pick up the slack when the sanitation droid fried itself and Dex opted not to replace it.

(“Sorry ‘Min, FLO’s not programmed for that sort of thing. I can’t pay overtime, but hey, you wanted extra hours, right?”)

No such thing as a free lunch in this economy.

“Unless you’re a kriffing Jedi,” Hermione huffed as she dragged two stuffed trashbags towards the closest compactor on this block.

It’d been a long shift. Made longer by the squished mess of beebleberries a Dug toddler spent an hour dropping onto the floor, and Flo’s worsening flirtation with the dishwasher unit, which had rendered them both idle and unhelpful.

Hermione turned into the alley, some distance behind the diner. Inconveniently, it was also a blackout night; only the very dim glow of a repurposed holo-billboard reminding citizens to go home—and not to use appliances when they got there—allowed her to see much of anything. She willed herself to remain alert, though fatigue blanketed her senses. The power companies had taken the CSF’s advice, at least, and now operated the blackouts on a random schedule to throw off the more organised criminals, but opportunists were everywhere, even in CoCo Town. You could see the sky, but people forgot there might still be scum sticking to your feet.

At her approach, scavenging nuna scurried away from sacks that had been dumped in front of the overflowing compactor. Everything nowadays was someone else’s problem. Hermione decided to test the chute on the far end, trusting in people’s laziness if nothing else—especially the laziness of the new juice joint employees next door. This looked like their recycling, all tidily collected by their fancy sanitation droid, only to be tossed here instead of sent to the plant. The hypocrites.

She dropped her own sacks and walked a couple meters into the gloom. Reaching for the chute hatch, she noticed a pale glow in the space between the compactor and the alley wall. A tilt of her head and Hermione found herself staring at the broad, plated back of a clone soldier. He was pressed up against the wall. Two skinny legs were hitched up and crossed at the ankles around his waist.

Shock rooted Hermione to the spot; it was embarrassment that sent her retreating behind the corner of the compactor. It was dark, but that hair … as blonde as her own. Unmistakable. And the horns just peeking out above the soldier’s head confirmed everything.

It was the unusual couple from table six.

They’d been the last ones out. The Togruta had fallen asleep on Blondie—Rex, his name was Rex—while he slurped a shake, trying and failing to blend in with the regular crowd of transient families and freighter pilots. He stuck out like a beldon in a skylane. Hermione had cleaned around them, not wishing to disturb. He took the hint eventually, but not before she’d wondered if he even understood the delicate etiquette of shift work. He’d nudged his companion awake with such tenderness, almost regretfully, like this was the first good snooze she’d had in weeks. Like waking her up might break something besides the tender moment. The more Hermione had glanced at them, the younger he certainly looked. Wide-eyed, awkward, uncertain. Definitely not a droid and definitely not programmed to be a danger to anything but some Separatist scrap. Or a milkshake.

Now that she’d calmed down and the wails of a passing siren had died away, Hermione could make it out: the breathy, sloppy noises of two people kissing like they wanted to do more—much more—but didn’t know what or how.  

Was this … allowed? She didn’t think Jedi could be romantic. Dex always said that was for the best, joking obliquely that the Duke of Mandalore would never take a seat at his counter, and his life and pockets would be poorer for it. The clones didn’t have arcane precepts, as far as Hermione knew, and the other soldiers’ surprise at finding these two sharing a booth had been short-lived ... though there had been bets won and credits to be quickly spent. Their lives seemed very regimented. Necking in a dark alley at this hour was probably breaking a dozen rules. But these two were officers, however young they appeared; maybe they knew exactly what they were doing?

Hermione almost shot out of her skin when the clone spoke, giving a low voice to her thoughts.

“What are we doing, Ahsoka?”

Or maybe not.

“Really? You want to do this now? Next to the trash compactor?”

Oh great. A lovers’ quarrel on her time—but not on Dex’s dime, because she’d punched out like an idiot.

“We're having our first kiss next to the trash compactor!”

The girl huffed as if hearing something ridiculous. “This isn't our first kiss.”

“What—the—the game? That doesn't count, you were wasted.”

“Well. I thought it counted. What do you know about first kisses anyway?”

“Enough...” came Rex’s reply, hesitant, lilting up into a question left hanging in the air.

“But not enough that you’d be satisfied if we stopped. Really.”

“... No.”

They fell silent again—or rather, nonverbal, returning to their first-maybe-second kiss. Everything about it seemed so illicit, and yet so mundane: two kids making out in a rare moment of privacy, before the adults found them and forced them to … to go fight a war, in this case. Like something out of a fekked up holodrama.

Hermione really didn’t want to be the adult in this situation. She needed to leave. But the trash...

“No. Stop,” came Rex’s voice again, slurred through a kiss. “We should stop.”

Some shuffling, followed by the dull thud of boots hitting permacrete. “We’re not gonna get in trouble, Rex,” said Ahsoka, with brazen certainty. “So what’s eating you?”

Hermione’s palms started to sweat. She was nervous for the girl, oddly sad for the boy, and embarrassed for herself.

“Your mouth.”

“Hey!”

Rex reversed thrusters. Wisely. “No! No. I like it. It’s just…”

“What?”

“It tastes like meiloo-salsa.”

“Oh,” came the deflated reply.

Did clones have a really sensitive palette? He had ordered the saddest thing on the menu.

Ahsoka wasn’t convinced. “No, there’s something else. Please tell me.”

“My stomach hurts.”

“You shouldn’t have had that shake. Bantha-milk—if that’s even what it was—will mess you up.”  

“I should get back to base then. Barricade myself in the freshers.”

Ahsoka mimicked a loudhailer. “Biohazard in dorn block. Bring in the chemfantry!”

“Might bust out an old reg manual to pass the time. Since we’re talking about how much shit I’m going to be in.”

“Ugh!” Ahsoka groaned. “Whose business is this but ours? Who’s gonna know?”

“Your bosses. I don’t have a magna lock on my head like you.”

“You worry too much about that,” said Ahsoka, though Hermione had to side with Rex on that one. Would the girl know she’d been listening in? “Look, if they give us any grief, I’ll … I’ll say I ordered you to kiss me or something.”

A pause. “That makes it sound worse.”

“Yeah, you’re right. Forget I said anything.”

The alley fell quiet and intimate again, as the couple forgot everything except each other. There was nothing for it: Hermione would have to interrupt. She was exhausted, and she couldn’t just leave the trash. It might attract something worse than nunas, and if any police droids rumbled by during the night and scanned the sacks, they’d issue fines, mandatory power outages or no. The juice people could live with that—she suspected they were a subsidiary of TaggeCo, and such companies had entire budgets set aside for environmental penalties—but Dex would dock it straight from her pay.

Hermione crept, quietly and absurdly, back towards the sacks, took them in hand, and shuffled her soles across the permacrete. For good measure, she punted a bottle into the alley. If the couple unglued themselves, hopefully they’d recognize a beleaguered fast food employee, with no reason to suspect any eavesdropping.

It was only when two blades of green light shot up along the alley wall that Hermione remembered the obvious. These two lovebirds, startled out of a compromising position in the dark, were armed and beyond dangerous.

“Don’t shoot! Don’t shoot!” she squealed, blinded by a sudden flash and ducking down. As if supersoldier would miss.  

“Oh kriff!” said the girl, somewhere above her head. “It’s fine, Rex. It’s just a woman.”

Uncurling a little, Hermione found the helmeted clone looking down at her. He’d dimmed his lights, but she couldn’t make out much besides the distinctive black visor.

“Let me take those, ma’am,” he said, all politeness behind the artificial mouth, severe and downcast.

He had a rich voice—strangely disembodied by the helmet—and that same clipped, offworld accent as the Guardsman who collected what was left of the morning’s caf af half-ten each day. Or was it a different soldier each time? She’d never asked his name, and swore she’d start tomorrow.

“It’s fine—” she began, as one of the sacks was gently tugged from her hand.

“You’re from Dex’s,” observed Ahsoka, jumping down from the compactor as Rex tested the hatches for an empty chute. “I hope we didn’t keep you late?”

With a glance, she directed the question at Rex. He didn’t answer, stuffing the silence and the compactor with a shove of the trashbag.

The awkwardness weighed on Hermione, so she lied. “No, um, a toddler made a mess.”

Rex returned with an outstretched hand for the other sack, but when Hermione lifted it for him, the bottom fell right out. A quarter-shift’s worth of garbage decanted itself onto the ground.

“Fek!” she cursed, bending down to gather the cleanest pieces first. Plasto: another casualty of war, now that the best of it was being used in clone armor. Then she silently cursed herself for the unkind thought.

A cool hand touched Hermione’s shoulder, lightly, and the sensation of standing too close to the edge of something vast sliced through her. For a moment, she feared the Jedi had read her mind.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got this,” said Ahsoka. She motioned for Hermione to step back.

Hermione did so, glad for Rex’s helmet lights now as she watched napkins, sauce tubes, meat wrappers, and all manner of diner detritus wobble and float upwards into the air. With a clap! of the Jedi’s outstretched hands, the pieces smashed together, crunching in on themselves like a super dense star. This ball of trash Ahsoka then sent flying into the compactor, with enough capital-F Force in its wake to slam the hatch closed behind it.

Hermione blinked a couple times. Few people actually witnessed a Jedi in action, and here she was, treated to a practical, yet magical, post-shift demonstration behind the diner.

Next to her, Rex gave a loud buzz from behind his helmet and signalled for a halt like a bolo-ball official. “Endex. Inappropriate use of the Force, Padawan Tano.”

Ahsoka made a gesture that would’ve stopped speeders, had any been around. “I’ll show you ‘inappropriate,’” she leered at Rex, then, recalling that they weren’t still alone, softened her features. “We can’t let you go home by yourself, Miss … ?”

“It’s Hermione. But really, I’m fine. The station is only a few blocks away.” She didn’t say it would be an hour or more before the next train. The place would still be half-lit, and she didn’t relish holding the oxygen between these two all the way home.

Ahsoka shook her head. “No way. Not in a blackout. Rex can escort you home.” She turned to the clone. “You take the bike. I’ll, uh, hop back to the Temple.”

Now Rex’s helmet really looked like it was frowning. To go from an intruder in their little rendezvous to a bogwing in the nest made Hermione want to sink into the ground. He stood there, askew and a little artificial, a plain white sign to indecision. He so palpably wanted to object, but if he wouldn’t—couldn’t?—counteract his superior girlfriend giving a strong suggestion, she’d do it for him.

“No. I wouldn’t dream of—”

“Soter,” Rex said suddenly, poking at his wristcomm.

“What about him?” asked Ahsoka.

“He’ll be out.”

“Oh, good idea,” Ahsoka nodded, turning to Hermione, while Rex’s helmet bobbed in some silent conversation. “You’ll like Sergeant Soter, he’s very genteel. Not sure about his passengers though.”

“He’s on his way.” Rex extended his arm in an after-you fashion, ready to get going. “Soter will see you home safely, ma’am. Wants to be a designated driver when he grows up.”

It sounded like she was about to be thrown into a cab full of drunk clones. That too seemed unlikely ten minutes ago. Genteel or no, her parents would be shocked.

“That’s ... very generous, thank you.”

“I’m Ahsoka, by the way,” the girl said as they walked towards the front of the diner. “I’ve been coming to Dex’s for years, but it’s been a while since was on Coruscant.”

“It’s a long way from the Jedi Temple to come for a meal.” That sounded accusatory, in the circumstances. “I mean, it’s so beautiful up there, I’d never leave.”

Ahsoka shrugged. “I’ve been on dry rats—sorry, army rations for what feels like half a cycle. And no one makes a nerf burger like you guys.”

Probably because no other establishment cared less for its food-safety rating and served up raw meat slapped between a bun with a shrug. “Dex will appreciate that.”

The pavement in front of the diner still pulsed with speeders and groundcars, but it wasn’t heaving, and Hermione was belatedly glad for the company. She had neither Togruta vision nor headlamps to slice through the enforced darkness, just puny human eyes that wouldn’t see anyone till they were right on top of her.

“Do you live far?” Ahsoka asked, weaving some more small talk as they waited.

Deep enough that her neighbors would probably shed tears of joy for some Jedi street-sweeping. “Thirty-two levels down, just off the Endion Tunnel,” she said, as if talking to a local, and Ahsoka nodded like one.

“It’s very kind of your sergeant to drive me,” Hermione repeated, as Rex ambled up with the idling speederbike. She couldn’t shake the odd feeling of being a massive inconvenience, when any other couple’s dilatory antics would’ve just made her cross.

“Our pleasure, ma’am. We like to do a good turn by civilians. Show the Guard we don’t just infil every now and then to organize piss-ups in their cantinas.” Rex dipped his helmet sideways, maybe in an exaggerated wink. Then he seemed to spot something on Ahsoka’s back. With a hesitant hand, he reached under the girl’s headtail and when Hermione saw it—a dress clasp, undone—she flushed and looked away. Stars, what had she interrupted?

Staring pointedly at tendrils of speeder lights, Hermione tried to absent herself from their moment. At last, a blinker indicated in their direction. The vehicle that pulled up was army, the Galactic Roundel and blue decals illuminated by Rex’s headlamps. Another fully-armored clone, presumably Sergeant Soter, jumped out, threw a brief salute at the two officers standing next to her—“Sirs”—and trotted around to the other side.

“Soter, ma’m,” he said, by way of introduction, before opening the passenger door expectantly. “I’m afraid you’ll have to sit up front with me.”

Rex stepped forward to peer into the speeder. “Zip. The di’kut,” he said, shaking his head at one of the two armored figures passed out in the backseat.

“And who’s this?” Ahsoka asked, pointing to the one missing his helmet, his face almost completely obscured by silver glitter and—Hermione’s eyes strained in the dark—blood?

“One Trooper Xero of the 327th, Moon Company,” said Soter. “Didn’t think they were still on Corrie.”

“They aren’t,” Rex sighed. “Clean him up, throw him to Sticky, and if he remembers how to count and stack blocks like a good cadet, he might not get slapped with an AWOL.”

Rex thumped the back of the speeder and turned to Ahsoka, who was already astride the bike, adjusting her goggles. With a dashing flick of his skirt-thing, Rex settled in behind her.

“Happy to take over PT tomorrow, sir. If required,” Soter said, all innocence, as Hermione buckled up.

“That won’t be necessary, sergeant,” said Rex. He gripped Ahsoka’s waist primly, like one might hold a teacup with lifted pinkies. “Carry on.”

“Sir.”

Ahsoka revved the bike’s engine. “Nice to meet you,” she said to Hermione with a bright smile.

“You too.” Some platitude about “coming back soon” tugged at the tip of Hermione’s tongue, but her mother’s old Corellian proverb about not speaking of the voyage home rang in her ears. So she just returned Ahsoka’s wave and watched the unusual couple drift into traffic, wishing them a more private conclusion to their evening.

Soter turned towards her, dimming the lights on his helmet, which bore the same blue accents as Rex’s, minus the tooka ears. “Now, ma’am, you could make me the luckiest man in the galaxy tonight—”

Hermione braced herself. These accelerated soldiers certainly lived in the fast lane. Maybe gentility in the Grand Army meant proposing to a girl before propositioning her.

“—if you tell me everything those two got up to.”

[dolljunk]

So if anyone knows me, they know I do not like Lammily despite me being someone who desires diversity in dolls, and as someone who supports feminist issues and addressing the problems relating to how we treat women as a society.

The biggest issue is that there was no clear influence of women at the forefront of this doll, and if any media interviews or advertising happening, it was always Lamm at the forefront. And the fact is, this doll is fundamentally badly designed as a doll.

My opinion is, if you are going to make a political statement about women’s issues using dolls as your medium, you’ll need knowledge of dolls from a design perspective AND women at the forefront of your design otherwise it comes off as hollow and cheap on multiple fronts. 

I had no desire to even own one but I’ve been following this Lammily auction for awhile until it was $10 so I got her since she was in my state. Ironically she took 5 days to get in what would have been a 20 minute trip.

The best aspects of this doll has to be the fact the packaging is really nice and the clothing is well designed with nice details and fabric that feels in scale. But... the fact is the drawing of Lammily is significantly slimmer and better proportioned than the doll speaks volumes about the disparity about the idea and reality of the doll.

The first thing I noticed when I took this doll out of the box is the fact she’s held in with wires and her hair is stitched onto a plastic which are both things I haven’t seen in modern doll packaging in almost a decade. But whereas 2000s Barbies’ hair can be freed if you just pull the two plastic strips apart, Lammily’s plastic strip tore around the stitching and I needed to carefully snip the stitching to free her hair.

Her hair quality is comparable to Sparkle Girls’ nylon (and other higher quality clone doll hair), which is a thick fibre, but it’s heavily prone to drying out, frizzing and not conductive to hair playing in general. In fact there was already a huge frizzed snag the moment I freed her hair.

Her ankle joints are not only weak, but from the design of them, are very poor. There’s excess flash on the joint so you need to trim off the excess plastic before posing it properly. But due to how thin and tiny the joint is, it’s impossible to get subtle movement on the ankle due to how often it gets “stuck” and they pop out easily due to the peg just plugging into the soft vinyl leg instead of a stiff ankle socket. If it had a much bigger ankle joint I could probably stand her up easier, but right now I can’t even even get her to lean on a wall without her falling over.

Due to the width of the legs she can only manage one knee click, which isn’t worth the issues of vinyl legs like this. Having one click knees isn’t worth having sticky vinyl legs, weak ankles and impossible to dress legs just because your 3D render showed her doing much more.

Despite Lamm just warping a Barbie doll to have these proportions, Lammily’s hip joints are simple V cut joints, meaning there is NO subtlety in how you position her legs when she sits. She sits like a drunken sailor cuz it isn’t a ball and socket joint like literally every other fashion doll produced in the last ten years, or at least with the T cut joints so her legs moves forwards instead of outwards.

Her arms can only manage two clicks, but the elbows are in the forearm area instead of.... the elbow area. Her hands pose a bit better, but again, due to the wrist pegs being plugged into soft vinyl, they fall out easily.

And... aesthetically, it’s very much a mathematician doing an artist’s job. Despite Lamm using the average measurements (instead of the median measurements) or just picking an actual body type, Lammily ends up looking like a shapeless, out of proportion mess.

Her arms should not be so short next to her torso, or her legs being so dwarven, and the fact of the ankles being so thin and the neck being so short despite her having a huge fashion doll head. This doesn’t take into account of how her body would need to be adjusted to make redressing intuitive for children either.

All in all, this doll really needed to have gone through several prototypes first. All of these structural, engineering and design issues could have been solved if Lamm marketed this doll after the prototype stage instead of basing everything on a 3d Render.

Even as someone with a diverse and eclectic doll collection as mine, I can’t in good faith recommend this doll to anyone especially at her $25 pricepoint. It’s so structurally flawed as a doll, and as a body positive model it’s quite rudimentary and potentially damaging to tell children THIS is what an average woman looks like when she’s so far removed from reality. It fails as a toy, and it fails to buck the trend of our image obsessed society.

[alesio3jphln]

Don’t Fall Because Of This BigCommerce Rip-off

Front End style guides have already been well publicised recently, with many examples being made readily available for all to see. They are a popular and way that is effective of usage guidelines for Interfaces that stick to an agreed upon design ethic. They allow you to speed up, maintain, and keep UI consistency. At BigCommerce, we have started to take into account the simplest way we could implement something similar that would help us achieve those goals. Style guides inside our experience fail the majority of the right time because they become stale reference sites that people copy and paste from but never update. They can be too loose, and permit freedom that is too much effectively you skin Bootstrap and everyone thinks they're a designer. There are many situations needless to say, where you are fortunate enough in order to dedicate resources and a united team to solely taking care of your style guide and shaping its direction. Many of us aren't that lucky, but if by some miracle you manage it, the following most likely thing that will ruin all your dreams is mutations. Deficiencies in an integration that is effective may cause your style guide to become obsolete, as teams will deviate from your agreed approach, making any upgrade path impossible. These mutations most of the time appear as it's not that hard to copy, paste, add an CSS that is additional class a component and produce some variation of it from the core library. Usually the excuse is "it didn't quite feel right", or "simply because" but this has a significant effect that is detrimental your capability to maintain a consistent look and feel, and familiar interaction patterns in the application or website; particularly if you are working with hundreds of pages. Those small mutations mean any significant change to a component will not roll out. The changes you've made will mean new upstream CSS changes will not take effect as a result of cascade and you will quickly create fragmentation and a frankenstein of an interface, introducing technical and design debt to the body. This essentially contributes to the origin regarding the naming - a Laboratory, not a Library. This takes a complete lot of inspiration from the Pattern Lab project and also the Atomic Design system. Essentially, this plain thing should live. It shouldn't just be a library piece; something that sits on the design departments shelf to now look at every after which. It must be constantly worked on and iterated over. It should enable us to push ideas that are new our design patterns to the app quickly and easily, which means it's necessary that we deal in and produce production code. That production code is not just used to create the pattern-lab itself, but in addition the application form it describes.

A single supply of truth, that which you see is exactly what's in production and what the Engineers on your own team are employing. A Pattern-Lab is a couple of very well defined, strict guidelines and patterns designed solely for a really domain that is specific. It is not a one-size fits all framework to build something BigCommerce-esque, but a razor-sharp, narrow focused toolkit to create a part that is particular of BigCommerce eco-system; in particular, for our Control Panel. We specifically wanted to lay out that if an interior team was building something that's not the control interface, and they found they certainly were missing significant chunks of UI, as opposed to doing a hack job they might benefit from building their particular Pattern-Lab for that domain that is specific. A Pattern-Lab is made to only have what we wish the delivery teams to have to construct that domain. Nothing more, and hopefully nothing less. We intend to build a Pattern-Lab to serve each domain separately, as they will all have different design aesthetics predicated on their purpose, but most likely a really set that is similar of components and patterns. That's where Citadel, our CSS framework, comes into play. More on that in another post. A Pattern-Lab probably get's you 90% of this means for each domain, but that isn't to express a Pattern-Lab is inflexible. Product Managers and Designers love a "Snowflake", so we expose all the global and component maps, variables and mixins, with their corresponding Pattern-Lab "theme", to enable a consuming app the capacity to build custom Components, which look right at home and on brand with all the wider app domain. A Pattern-Lab is a joint effort between the look team and engineering, however it is most certainly not an engineering tool. It ought to be owned and lead by the style team. The Pattern-Lab should not just be a documentation site where engineers pick out code snippets, although code snippets are included. It will range from the design thinking and language behind the "why" and also the "when" a pattern that is particular be utilized. You should use a certain level of alert, the situations it's appropriate to use a modal etc why you should use a colour for a certain situation, when. Other areas worth considering are defined animations and rules around how and when to make use of them into the application or interaction. Again, the Pattern-Lab should describe just how to build the greatest experience that is possible our product as well as for that to be a success, it takes rules around how to use it. Think about it as an use that is appropriate, or an interaction playbook.

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We are not quite there yet, but we're well on our option to defining a design that is solid and guidelines on how to implement it inside our app. The task by Lonely Planet on their "living style guide" Rizzo, seems like the natural progression in the style guide world, so we set about defining a way we currently build our Control Panel that we can do the same within the context of how. The beauty of modern frameworks that are javaScript React, Ember and what we use at BC, Angular, is the fact that they are all aligning pretty strongly towards the concept of Web Components. Directives, in Angular speak. This permits us to define small chunks of our UI into standalone, dynamic pieces, that people can then stitch together. It gives a true number of advantages, for the reason that each piece is testable separately from other components. We get to abstract complex HTML patterns, semantics and accessibility attributes away from JavaScript engineers who just need implement custom tags or elements in their apps. With that, we get full control of the HTML since it's compiled into JavaScript objects, meaning we are able to update a component and rollout it out without the dreaded "find and replace" across huge number of lines of slightly differently formatted HTML. The engineers that are javaScript get to only concentrate on the things they really worry about - application logic, architecture, and performance. The UI and design teams get to own a significant chunk of user interaction and accessibility best practices, which is precisely what they care about the most. We're now getting nearer to solving the issue of our style guide moving away from date, by building components for our guide that get used in production. Solving for mutations is a tad bit more tricky, but from my observations, engineers are less likely to want to add a CSS class to a custom element if they could just paste in "normal HTML". Which can be somewhat of a win. Because it's JavaScript code, Sass and compiled CSS we can start to think of our Pattern-Lab as a small software project. With which comes the capacity to create releases and version tags that people can use to aid distribute our code and offer a controlled method of upgrade to our apps by treating the Pattern Lab as a dependency. The thing that is neat a versioned design language is that it provides the teams some advantages in charge, predictability and workflow. By adopting Semantic Versioning (or SemVer), we give our teams control over how they make use of our design language by deciding what version they have been using because of their particular product area.

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They get predictability without them knowing, which would make a very unhappy and stressed engineering team as they know we're not going to push a change to them that will break all of their things. Predictability and control leads to confidence in your design language and much more estimations that are stable the project teams, that is super important in enabling them to ship things on time. With confidence comes adoption. Teams are able to range from the design language inside their product area, and because change is predictable, are actively engaged and encourage the evolution of those patterns to help make their product areas better. Another strong feature of versioning and distribution is testing. With good design comes iteration as you learn and refine your patterns to generate to best possible product experiences. Componentisation not merely enables you create quick, high fidelity prototypes for your usability and design research, nonetheless it can also potentially enable you to split test versions of certain components as you release beta or pre release versions of the Pattern-Lab. We are somewhat lucky in that we're aiming for an even more service orientated architecture in our main app, that also includes end code that is front. We build single page apps for each part of the control panel as we systematically upgrade the platform, using common core libraries to create each "micro-app", and then stitch them all together to create one control interface. What this means is we could potentially run updates that are minor our Pattern-Lab in some elements of the app rather than others. What which allows us to do is feed in improvements to a component that is particular the Lab, based on the research and testing we've done. We are able to split test that update in a small an element of the application with real users and track any improvements to task completion that we identify as important metrics. This could be huge when thinking about a long term design language where we slowly iterate over design as opposed to attempting a "big bang" re-design every 3-4 years. No users like big changes and giving us real data in a reduced risk manor on our design thinking is a massive win towards a happy product experience. Have we made much progress towards our utopian future? Not exactly, no. We've definitely made progress, just nowhere near as much as we could have wished for, for a number of reasons. We now have a fairly broad group of building blocks; elements and slightly more complicated components which we've used to construct a number of new parts of the app with great success. But whatever they're really missing may be the glue that is used to stick them all together into more rich patterns and layouts.

The rules, the principles, the do's and do not. In "atomic design" speak, we have built a lot of atoms and molecules rather than plenty of other things, and that which we're finding is that that's the stuff that is really important making our teams successful. Within the coming months we will be addressing just that, to help our project teams build more high fidelity features, more quickly sufficient reason for less guessing. In terms of the technology choice itself, we possibly may start to rethink the whole approach. We are still convinced that components will be the way that is best forward, but we are struggling with adoption, since only about 5% for the app is converted up to Angular. As a UI platform team we are pondering if Angular is the choice that is best for people to be providing our components in. For the reason that Angular is so "all in" on the "Angular way" of accomplishing things, it certainly leaves no flexibility in implementation. Even if assembling your project is super simple, it has to be a full blown single page Angular app, with the abstractions and conventions that come with it. Some of our teams are resource and time lucky, meaning a full re-write in Angular is totally feasible. Other teams are not so lucky; they may lack time or Angular expertise making a full re-write seem overkill or unnecessary. I think we should definitely still provide components that are javaScript perhaps the "framework" buy-in is holding us back. I'm personally fairly confident that a far more lightweight utility; a view or component library like React, Riot or Skate, will be better suited to our needs. Simpler abstractions, boiled down seriously to encapsulated custom elements which consist of plain DOM elements, along with event and callback hooks that respond to users interacting with them. Whatever framework that is javaScript use (or avoid using) to control the information layer, are able to hook into these and starting piecing them together to build apps. Essentially just a collection of serialisable DOM elements, with a nice developer API and no framework specific conventions to opt into. Pattern-Lab itself then becomes an infinitely more self service tool and really would not care about your technology stack. That's obviously a pretty stretch that is big and also the project all together is super ambitious, but that isn't planning to stop us from trying. For a app that is sizeable BigCommerce we think it's super important in enabling our product and engineering teams to provide new and improved features quickly with less re-inventing, and keeping our UI manageable. We're currently hiring for amazing engineers that are front-End understand these principles to join our UI Platform team. If you should be experienced in creating and shaping graphical user interface guidelines and you like what you read, get in contact.

[drferox]

20 Questions with Dr Ferox #20

Sometimes it blows my mind how many questions and comments you all have and want to share. This makes 400 we’ve got to in this format. Once again I’ve tried to tag people, but if you sent a question on Anon you’ll have to look yourself to see if you were answered.

@crazy-aquarium-lady said: Do you have any experience with farm or large animals in general? Goats for instance?

I spent the first few years of my veterinary career working in mixed practice, which included large animals and goats. I really did enjoy goats, though they often weren't kept as seriously as other livestock, but I'd have to admit I'm somewhat out of practice with large animals.

Anonymous said: omg all of your animal names are incredible. i once met two cocker spaniels called Beans and Trousers and that was pretty amazing

Bean and Trousers are great names too

@sketchingblanks said: Hi there Dr. Fox! Thank you for your wonderful blog and all that you do. My dwarf hamster recently passed away at the age of 3 and I'm a wildlife rehabilitator who has dealt with animal death many times before, but it's never quite the same when it's one of your own. However it did make me wonder what is the smallest animal you have ever worked with? Was it more fun or challenging? Question tax: How do you take your tea? I usually have something herbal (like peppermint/spearmint) with honey.

The smallest patient I've personally dealt with was a mouse. But the finch with the broken leg was pretty close. Believe it or not I don’t actually drink tea.

Anonymous said: Question: have you ever treated an arthropod (specifically tarantulas, because they can rupture their abdomen pretty easily) or know someone who specializes in that? Because I'm quite interested in knowing if vets provide care to arthropods, or if its better for the owner to perform medical care to their tarantula at home (ICU's, helping a bad molt, treating hemolymph leaks, etc).

I haven't personally treated an arthropod, though I learned a bit about them during work experience at the Melbourne Aquarium, most of their medicine seemed to be 'just don't make them sick'. There are vets that will treat them though, the Bird & Exotic Animal Clinic is my go-to for exotics (you should check out their facebook page).

Anonymous said: You dont have to reply to this if you dont want to, i just wanted to say i have rats and i love them so much and i will do anything they need at the vets. Because idk i thought maybe you might need encouragement that there are people who prioritize exotic animals health. I hear a lot of stories of people that wont get vet care for their rats but not a lot about people who do. Thought it might give you a little bright light amongst all the dark. Have a great day youre amazing.

People like you are definitely out there. Thank you for your comment.

Anonymous said: just needed to blow off a bit of steam because this still annoys me, but my father told me that taking a hamster to the vet to make sure she's healthy before taking her to college with me as a support pet was "a waste of money." granted, he hasn't taken the family cat to the vet in about seven years, so he generally seems to think that veterinary care is a waste of money. i love my hammy and i just want to make sure she's healthy, but since she isn't a cat or dog, she's "not worth it"

Anon, sounds like your father would think any dollar spent at a vet clinic is a waste of money, regardless of what sort of animal it was. There's not much you can do to change people's minds about this, so just do what you need to do.

Anonymous said: It's amazing how many people don't understand how economics works. They seem to expect vets to do everything for free or for cheap, but if they did that, how could they afford to eat? And besides that, you guys DESERVE to be paid for your time and effort. I wish more people thought about it like that instead of just looking at their bill and thinking that their pet's life isn't worth that much. Thank you for everything you do.

Veterinary medicine is one of the fields where people seem to think it's criminal for a practice to make a profit. Most other professions are not vilified for making a wage, but we're expected to like our jobs enough to work for free. Partly this is our own fault because we start to believe it after a while but we do frequently undercharge, do desexing surgery at cost, and treat strays and wildlife for free. The difficulty is most of this charity is invisible

Anonymous said: I want to say thank you as well because I thought I wanted to become a vet for the longest time, but reading this blog among others has actually taught me that it probably wouldn't be right for me. Now I'm more interested in something like a research professor. The amount of respect I have for you is boundless. I love seeing your work and following you and I think it's a good thing that I stumbled across this blog. This way I won't be stuck in a career that I wouldn't like.

Being stuck doing something you don't really like isn't a fun place to be. I'm glad you've found some more options and hope everything works out great for you.

Anonymous said: My favourite part of your blog has always been your vet stories, so I've been curious -- What kind of case/problem gives you the most satisfaction to solve?

Anything where I actually find a treatable diagnosis. Animals that get better 'mysteriously' are great and all, but I want to know why. And getting the answer is only bitter sweet if the answer is catastrophic or terminal. EPI, Addison’s and reconstructive cases are my favourite, because you can do so much good for them.

@daedricprincessxoxo said: Cute story for happiness: So a nurse-for-people brought in her dog for a sick visit. Unlike most human med people I've met, she was so respectful of those of us in veterinary medicine, and absolutely fascinated by how similar it all was to human medicine. Not only was she a dream client, her dog had freckles on its nose, which the vet adored too. What was funny is when she referred to the dog's spay as a hysterectomy instead.

It's great when you get a good one instead of a know-it-all. Technically a dog spay is an ovariohysterectomy though, we take those pesky ovaries out too.

Anonymous said: Im a vet assistant at a local shelter, and while helping a family look at dogs they remarked to me, "yeah our daughter is allergic to dog FUR but not dog HAIR. Do you know which dogs have just hair?" Needless to say, i was a little speechless and just recommended a poodle. Theres no real difference....right?

It's only semantics but some people like to use it to feel special. Hair and fur are chemically the same, if you're really allergic to one you're allergic to both, but hair is finer and typically longer so either doesn't shed or sheds much more rarely. It's weirdly common for poodle owner to be proud that their dogs have hair instead of fur. As long as they end up loving the dog, it doesn't really matter.

Anonymous said: Here's one: I work at a pet store. A man came in asking for a remote electric shock collar for a 3 lb Yorkie. Told him we carried nothing small enough to be safe. He told me it wasn't for barking - he and his wife had cattle, and when they went to visit the herd the dog would go pelting towards the cows. He said, "I just need something to drop er so she don't get stomped." I suggested a leash. He replied, "Nah, she don't like leashes."

Nothing the general public does or says surprises me anymore.

Anonymous said: I have a natural English Cocker. Her tail is heavy, constantly wagging, and a hazard to any legs in the vicinity :) Where I am there's a lot of working cockers, and hunters will swear up and down that docking is necessary because they'll ruin their tails in the brambles, etc. I'm not convinced - my (pet) dog loves diving into thick cover and this has never been an issue. Their ears are surely more of a risk, I'd think, but no-one's trying to crop those. Is there any real merit to docking?

No, there is no real merit to docking healthy tails and you're correct in assuming the ears of cocker spaniels are far more problematic for these dogs. Cocker Spaniels are the most notorious breed for difficult, drug resistant ear infections, with quite a few of them requiring lateral or total ear canal ablation surgery, but nobody would even think about docking Cocker Spaniel ears. This is because docking and cropping are done for aesthetics, not function.

@cakeandpi said: A long time ago, I took my cat in to the vet because he was limping badly and did not want to be handled. Turns out, rather than breaking his leg or anything like that, his hip joint had essentially eroded away and - to quote - “looked like swiss cheese”. His leg was amputated and it healed nicely, though he never let anyone close to that part of his body again. He had a long, easy, and mobile life, until he was roughly 18 years old (he was a shelter rescue) when his kidneys finally gave out on him for good. Whatever happened to his hip bone, it was unusual enough that the vet sent a sample to a vet research clinic. It’s been a few years since my cat passed, and even more since his amputation, but it helps a little to think that that sample might one day help, I don’t know, with orthopedic research or something of the sort. Maybe. Question tax: I really like your fantasy-animal science posts!

I of course have no way of knowing where the hip bone went, but I'm sure somebody, somewhere will make use of it. Veterinary Medicine is advancing all the time, which is the best thing about science, and accumulating raw materials and data is critical for us to be able to do so.

Anonymous said: hi dr ferox! i love your blog! earlier today my sister cut our cat's claws with human nail trimmers. i know you're not supposed to do that, but i don't know why. i looked at his claws after she told me she did it and they don't look hurt. should i be worried? thank you so much!

I use human nail trimmers on my cats' nails all the time. It's fine if your technique is good, though they're not the easiest device to use for that purpose.

@gemma-handyman said: Dear Dr Ferox, I've tried to find the answer via google but have come up short. Do you know why some cats have such an affinity for loaves of bread? For instance, my grandmother's cat, Cece, would drag loaves beneath my grandmother's bed and fiercely protect the pilfered loaf. She's not the only cat I've heard of with a strange penchant for gluten and carbohydrates. Do you know why some cats love loaves of bread? Question tax: came for the mythical breed breakdowns- stayed for the irl info

Cats can digest carbohydrates, and from a metabolic point of view they're likely treating it as glycogen in terms of dehydration. Some cats like novel chewing textures, celery leaves is another common thing for cats to like, so may be just chewing it for fun.

Anonymous said: I want to be a vet tech but everyone always says I'm selling myself short... vet techs are just as useful right?

Of course they are. Have you ever seen a human hospital function without nurses?

Anonymous said: So our clinic has a batch of neonate puppies. 10 of them. I'm clearly not going to be able to sleep for the foreseeable future, as I'm on puppy duty. At least they're cute.

Good luck bottle feeding the little squeakers. They'll turn into waddling balls of chaos soon enough.

@fndm-trsh-sht said: my cat is a lil shit- but a cute lil shit- t h a t i s a l l- *slinks awaayyy*

Most cats are buddy, but we love them anyway.

Anonymous said: Something about the angle of trashbags ears reminds me of a goblin. Hes wonderful

He is a bit of a gremlin, he's starting to grow into his ears though.

[ps-my-dad-is-not-in-the-mafia]

10 Tips For Making A Good Stamped Colored Concrete Patio Cost Even Better

Labor is A part of this concrete leveling or slab jacking estimate. Rate accounts for pumping slurry into drilled holes to raise standard of sunken concrete slab and stabilize subsoil. Supplemental demand for pouring new concrete, concrete removal, concrete demolition, or tree elimination.

Dakota Clay is often a basic brown earth-tone color that complements heat color palettes and deep brown trim and landscaping.

Such as, darker colors are good for driveways and walkways Considering that the Sunshine will boost the speed of snow and ice melting. Nonetheless, for any pool deck, dim concrete will surely be warm to stroll on.

These flowable polymer-modified toppings have a chance to self-level with no trowelling, making them A fast Answer for smoothing and levelling worn or uneven concrete.

If your cracks are comparatively compact, don rubber gloves and smear the patch into compact cracks by hand. Be sure that total crack is crammed completely. For bigger cracks, scoop the patching material using a tongue depressor or a putty knife.

As their contractor, we acquire it on ourselves to introduce them for their options and tutorial them in creating their color assortment.

Generally execute a demo run, putting mats in the region prior to the pour. The crew must know in advance in which the first mat is going to be put, in addition to conscious of regions where a regular mat will not suit, and in what direction stamping will move forward. Always strategy appropriately to be certain best results. It is critical to bear in mind The situation of growth and Management joints(The skinny traces the thing is in almost every thing concrete). These will be required and could disrupt the visual sample you experienced prepared for. Your installer can immediate you extra With all the options.[one]

Area mats tightly alongside one another to avoid messy grout line patterns. Continue on with mats on hand, leapfrogging the mats as They may be taken off and changed from the concrete. A minimum of 3 mats must be employed for lesser pours. Greater tasks involve more mats.

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Stamps and stencils are common decorative concrete applications to produce a beautiful patio. Preferred stamping patterns for patios involve cobblestone and herringbone. Or for a far more contemporary sense, consider slate and bluestone.

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fish pond for Dummies

When pondering ways to rejuvenate a landscapes, what improved way to take action then to develop life by setting up a pond that may sooner or later help an entire ecosystem?

Developing a pond carries on to get a solid craze during the landscaping sector and permanently explanation. Not just do h2o options increase the worth of a property equally aesthetically and commercially, Additionally they supply a variety of functions from irrigation and drainage functions to encouraging an ecosystem and wetland mitigation.

The installation and routine maintenance means of a pond will likely be affordable, pretty much routine maintenance no cost and relatively quick if the correct degree of organizing is finished at the correct time...which happens to be now. Allow me to share The fundamental inquiries to deal with and tips to comply with when planning:

What functionality is your pond planning to play?

Any drinking water feature has the role of a truly unique landscape factor. It also has the chance to capture everything- irrespective of whether it be your awareness or operate off, as found from the four most widely used forms of gentleman-created ponds:

Retention: Dependant upon the place your pond is going to be located, little question it'll receive operate off between fertilizers and grass clippings to parking a lot to farms. As Many people know, operate off can do fantastic harm to turf. To gather these destructive nutrients, a retention pond is strategically put in a region that may be most certainly for being the amassing issue of extra h2o. This location is usually the bottom element of one's home or at The underside of the slope. After the contaminated drinking water is acquired, retention ponds do not distribute the water back into the bottom, alternatively they, very well, will keep it. Ultimately, via character's very own processes, the h2o gets recycled back into your setting.

Bear in mind that this type of pond additional time is considered the most at risk of obtaining really high contents of hazardous nutrients such as sulfur and iron Except if taken care of properly.

Detention: Much like the retention pond, a detention pond is skillfully developed and situated for the purpose of amassing surplus nutrients and operate-off. However, this type of pond won't retain the h2o, instead it distributes it back to the soil via a drainage system.

Decorative: Like its name indicates, a decorative pond's objective should be to bring in and be sure to its viewer's senses by means of its serene placement and stress-free resonance. Ordinarily built-in places that do not need a higher number of run off, this type mainly functions for a compliment into a environment.

Water Hazard: Nearly always inbuilt golf programs, the only real function of this type will be to act as an obstacle to golfers

Where by are you currently intending to set the pond?

Probably, Once you have decided the objective you want your pond to think, you should have a greater target where accurately to position it. Consider the following:

In case you are designing a retention or detention pond, the smartest notion is to attend till following a downpour and find out in which most of the water has gathered. Presumably, these h2o sodden parts might be at the bottom details within your turf, and where by most of one's operate off and excessive nutrients ultimately stop. Thus, this will be the ideal placement to your pond.

Certainly, When the pond will likely be useful for largely decorative and aesthetic causes, you can want to make sure that the pond is placed within a intensely trafficked and highly noticeable location. Even though it may manage to add on the attractiveness and become tempting to surround the pond with lots of trees, this will only bring about anxiety Sooner or later. Slipping leaves and animal squander will lead to nutrient loading within your pond, that can include to The underside layer sludge, developing an ideal habitat for bottom rooted algae... plenty of it.

One more temptation and seemingly swift Option can be to create your pond above an unsightly and unwanted landfill. Don't be tricked into this enticement! In time, this tends to only bring about you aggravation and considerable fees, as the realm will most likely collapse and ought to be refilled.

Lastly, so you won't have to go in the more inconvenience of putting in a person in the future, you should be confident that an electrical supply is nearby.

How will your pond be loaded?

Is your pond destined to be operate-off dependent, or will it Possess a makeup drinking water supply for instance a very well or stream? There are actually benefits and downsides to both of those along with the function of the pond will help you come to a decision more than one or perhaps the other options.

Whether it is to become run-off dependent, needless to say acquiring the water will rarely set you back everything. In the long term, even though, excess nutrient Construct up is inescapable and this will negatively result the appearance and high-quality with the water. You are able to make sure to be expecting extra algae and foul odors, Except you preserve the pond from the beginning. Also, as a result of droughts or floods, the water degree will fluctuate. This can be detrimental for the shoreline the place soil and crops will loosen, contributing on the sludge layer.

Filling from the pond with very well h2o or from a stream, However, will allow you to preserve a constant water amount and will avoid erosion. Although it might be rather pricey to fill the pond, In the end It's going to be more productive as It'll be far more simply maintained.

May be the soil adequate?

Once you've established the overall location of your respective long run pond, you should take a look at the soil to be certain it's low in nutrients so as to prevent algae overgrowth and other nutrient-overload related troubles. You will also want to verify the soil is not very porous. If not, in time you can be remaining with nothing but an vacant cavity.

Soil which has a Permeability Index (PI) of 25-40 is the most fascinating. When the soil falls underneath a PI of 20, you can more than likely really have to line or seal the pond.

Pond Liners

There are actually normally four kinds of pond liners:

Clay: A clay liner needs to be no less than two toes thick and will be set up in six-inch lifts then compacted. For each and every foot of h2o above 10 toes, the thickness on the liner should be improved.

Bentonite: Bentonite is actually a quality Main drilling mud and is considered a form of clay. When putting in, it should be distribute, disked rolled and compacted at one to 2 pounds per square foot. On drying, Bentonite is thought to crack, which allows some h2o to seep. When your drinking water resource is operate off dependent, water fluctuations usually tend to impact this cracking.

Adaptable Liners: If clay or Bentonite is not really accessible, a synthetic plastic or rubber is usually installed. Even though equally are long-lasting, in time the plastic must get replaced since it starts to deteriorate.

Concrete: This sort of liner is the minimum highly-priced of every one of the techniques. Even so, extra time it may kind its individual growth joints (small cracks,) which must be monitored for just about any ground sinking behind them.

*When utilizing a pond liner, you ought to be sure to consider groundwater into consideration and when current, really should involve a drain program that will permit drinking water to circulation laterally underneath the lining. This below drain will reduce the liner from floating resulting from ground drinking water or fuel Establish up.

What is the proper shape and depth?

The shape of your respective pond will straight affect the amount of servicing needed in the long term. The perfect form for a pond is circular (i.e. round, oval, oblong) as opposed to complicated shapes (i.e. kidney, lengthy and slim.) Though one of a kind pond styles may very well be attractive, be forewarned that quicker or later on you'll have to facial area challenges such as insect infestations and foul smelling and discolored waters as a result of very poor circulation.

Depth is among the significant factors and that is usually missed. In case you create a pond that's as well shallow, thermal stratification will manifest in the heat months and without the need of appropriate servicing, you will be faced with significant cleanse up fees. An ideal depth assortment is from a minimum of 12 to 20 toes. Further depths offer lake bottoms with limited publicity to ultraviolet gentle in the Sunlight which will discourage excessive algae and nutrient overload. Water temperature in further depths also tends to be Considerably cooler, making it possible for for the larger degree of oxygen, benefiting fish and Total water good quality.

Slope

New study and h2o administration procedures have said that by developing a gentle slope offers increased general public basic safety and should be considered within every installation. This shallow shelf need to lengthen outside of the edge horizontally between six to ten toes after which fall off sharply in a minimum amount ratio of 3:one to the utmost depth.

Slopes will also be beneficial in The truth that they allow for your planting of particular species of aquatic plants that buffer nutrients as they run in to the h2o.

Flora and Fauna

Drainage into your lake from fertilizers, grass clippings, and herbicides can cause several uncomfortable h2o circumstances.

The good news is, There's also several types of aquatic weeds which can be planted round the perimeters of the pond to work as a barrier. Specific forms of crops also float on the h2o. This blocks UV rays and immediate sunlight, deterring thermal stratification and weed expansion.

If you choose to have fish within your pond it will eventually most certainly be the Koi breed. These big goldfish glance-a-likes is often belongings in ridding your pond of algae and For that reason, insects.

What type of upkeep application?

At the time your pond is put in, like the rest of your landscape, you'll have to get started a upkeep system. Although your first feelings may perhaps transform to algaecides to keep the h2o algae-no cost, these are typically detrimental into the surroundings and might also build an excess of nutrients within the pond, resulting in repugnant smells and murky h2o.

A magnificent Resolution is setting up an aerating fountain. No matter whether you select a fountain which has a chic, fascinating spray pattern, or if you choose for your subtle aerator (that's almost undetectable,) the advantages for your h2o excellent are exactly the same since both of those:

make a circulation sample, discouraging thermal stratification

protect against fish kills caused by a scarcity of dissolved oxygen

enable aerobic microbes breakdown nutrients

avert sludge from settling at The underside

crack up stagnant waters in which mosquitoes breed

continue to keep drinking water crystal clear and cleanse

Floor spray aerators give a spray sample much like a drinking water fountain, and so are significantly well-liked among golf study course proprietors, state club superintendents and private homeowner associations. While They may be pretty affordable, they elevate assets values and increase to the impressiveness of the landscape. This outcome is often expanded to the night time Using the addition of lights

Whichever style of aerator method you decide on, you can ensure that you'll be just about doing no work. Essentially looking after on their own, aerating units only need to have servicing about every three to 5 years.

Keep in mind Protection

As with every landscaping task, security really should normally be described as a Principal problem. Due to the fact installing a pond requires digging incredibly deep, it can be in the utmost worth that you've got the world examined for utility traces. In several parts, gurus will mark your electrical, telephone, plumbing traces gratis.

Cautious scheduling is very much stressed since in time, with no appropriate getting ready, the pond will need significant restoration perform that may be very costly. Having said that, with the correct style and implementation, your pond are going to be a sparkling accent towards your assets!

[nyerus]

In Regards to Hate: On Victuuri

I don’t know what suddenly happened again but there’s a shitton of hate for Victuuri/Viktuuri(/etc) in the tags lately. People are welcome to feel however they want for a particular ship, but I just wanted to give my two cents by tackling the common complaints I’ve seen. I’ll start from the beginning so I’ll be addressing basically all the arguments against this ship I’ve seen so far. I’ve tried to maintain some sort of order for these, but honestly I just winged it at some point.  A lot of these arguments are also heavily character-based, so keep in mind that I’ll be deconstructing several scenes as well as character motivations as I go.  (As a note, this assumes you’ve seen the whole show. Also, I’m only using canon evidence from the show itself.)

This is like an informal follow-up to my super old post but also not really.

No I’m not avoiding work why would you say that.

WARNING: This is a massive post/wall of text. Grab popcorn.

1.)  “Victor shows up naked at Yuuri’s home and continues to be uncomfortably forward with him.”

First let’s all remember that Yuuri’s family runs an onsen. People are naked in onsens. Very naked. That’s how hot springs generally work. And Yuuri is probably extremely used to nudity, which in and of itself is treated with less shock in Asian culture than it is in most western countries. Not to mention that Victor is unashamedly proud of his body. Also… in hindsight, we sort of understand why Victor was so forward with Yuuri. It’s because the last time they met, Yuuri grinded against him, nearly naked, after pole dancing. Then they proceeded to have this lovely dance together that basically changed Victor’s entire life. Victor genuinely thought that Yuuri remembered at least part of the banquet and just sort of cuts straight to the chase of “hey let’s get to know each other, personally *wink wink*” because he assumes that they’re past formalities by this point. When he sees that Yuuri is super shy and uncomfortable with this, Victor quickly changes gears. From the moment he realizes what Yuuri’s boundaries are, he never oversteps. All physical contact he initiates from then on is reciprocated or welcome (even if Yuuri is bashful about it).

 2.)  “Victor fat-shames Yuuri and never apologizes.”

People have already gone over this but as a competitive figure skater, Yuuri could not afford to be at the weight he was in episode one. It was dangerous, plain and simple. As someone who works in the medical field, I can’t understate how big of an impact weight has on joints in something like figure skating. Especially given how jumps are a major part of every routine, and landing those at a reasonable weight itself is rough on joints. (Not to mention, getting height for your jumps would also be more difficult.) As for people who’ll no doubt say “but Yuuri managed to do all the jumps in Victor’s FS perfectly at that weight”: no, he probably didn’t. We know from established canon that at that point, Yuuri could not yet reliably land a Quad Flip—which was the second jump in Victor’s FS. So even with just that information we can safely infer that Yuuri probably turned the Quads into Triples (or even Doubles). When Yuuko praised him on his perfect copy of the routine, she was probably telling him how he nailed the choreography as a whole—which in itself was hellishly difficult.

Victor is not the only person who points out Yuuri’s weight, as it’s Minako who first criticizes him for it. It’s not just an aesthetic thing. More so than his weight, Yuuri is out of shape. (He’s not able to run as far as he later is, etc.) And Yuuri himself knows this—he starts working out even before Victor shows up in Japan. Victor urging Yuuri to lose the weight is not abusive or fat-shaming, it’s just him giving Yuuri professional advice. Is it tactless and a little mean? Yeah it definitely is, but Victor is sometimes extremely blunt. More on this below.

 3.)  “Victor calls Yuuri ‘little piggy’ which is mean.”

I can’t really argue with ya there in that it was kind of mean. But just to clarify, the phrase he uses is “Kobuta-chan” which is oddly endearing and less “little piggy” and more “piglet” which has a different connotation entirely. Also the nickname is obviously not random because Yuuri’s favorite dish is a Pork Cutlet Bowl (which was the main culprit behind his weight gain). Like, that was the entire joke. It was based on katsudon. That was the whole point.

But anyway, Victor used the nickname for like one episode. Between episode two and three. After that he only ever refers to Yuuri by his given name, nothing else. It didn’t hurt Yuuri’s feelings, either, and we know Victor cared about Yuuri’s weight only in terms of figure skating.

Victor can be an asshole sometimes, and that much is true. But he’s not ever intentionally cruel for the sake of being hurtful.

 4.)  “There’s an inherent power imbalance because Yuuri’s idolized Victor for so long and now Victor is his coach.”

One of the major points of their entire relationship is the balance of power between them. First let’s examine the Victor-->Yuuri dynamic. At no point in time does Victor think of Yuuri as anything less than an equal. He never talks down to him, never belittles him, never makes him feel weak or lesser. Nor does Victor ever abuse Yuuri’s self-esteem issues; instead helping Yuuri seeing that he’s worth so much more than he realizes. He never uses his “power” over Yuuri to get his way like he probably easily could have. He knows that Yuuri’s idolized him for years, but he’s Victor Nikiforov. Everyone idolizes him. He’s a goddamn living legend, a Russian hero. Honestly, when this show first started, I was worried we’d get a weird hero-worship based relationship and the very thought of that made me super uncomfortable, but that entire trope was so masterfully subverted. In fact, Victor’s been pining over him for months before the two of them meet in earnest. Victor is enamored with Yuuri both as person and as a skater. It wasn’t just a really elaborate booty call. He was incredibly impressed with Yuuri’s skill and decided that he could help him, all the while trying to find his own inspiration again. It’s a symbiotic relationship.

Now the Yuuri-->Victor dynamic is a little more complex because it takes Yuuri time to get over his hero-worship stage. But he does. He completely does, and that’s a very important milestone in their relationship. By the end of episode four, he’s stopped seeing Victor as this God-like being and instead starts seeing him as a person. The change in their dynamic is instantly clear. Yuuri becomes a hundred times more comfortable around Victor as soon as he realizes that Victor—another human being with human fears like aging and male pattern baldness—is someone who’s going to meet him in the middle. (Interestingly, after the beach scene in episode 4, Yuuri uses more informal language with Victor instead, like how he does with his family. Beforehand, he always used very polite language only. This is a little bit lost in translation, but is actually really important. It shows how comfortable he’s become around Victor.) Yuuri’s infatuation turns into real love because he’s found someone who is patient with him, who doesn’t intrude upon his heart or his feelings, but pushes him to be better every day. And it’s important to note here that Yuuri never allows Victor to think of him of anything less than an equal. He calls Victor out on his bullshit, especially showcased in episode seven, where he yells at Victor in the parking garage and later when he roasts Victor in his head for the entire first half of his Free Skate. “Victor no baka!” is an important line, guys.

Victor and Yuuri are both consenting adults and Yuuri’s career does not depend on Victor. He can very well drop Victor and get a new coach if he wanted. (Let’s remember that he’s Japan’s #1 Figure Skater—there will be no shortage of people ready to be his coach, regardless of when it is in the season. And funnily enough, they would all probably be more qualified to do this than Victor is.) Yuuri is under zero obligations here.

 5.)  “Their relationship moved unrealistically fast with little development.”

See, the problem with a 12-episode anime that isn’t actually about their relationship but about Yuuri’s Figure Skating career is that we’re not going to get very much screentime for relationship development. After all, it’s a sports anime and not a romance. We need to read between the lines a lot because even when the writers want to give us more, they simply cannot (e.g. how they wanted to give us the beach date scene but couldn’t, and had to stick those stills in the ED instead). Victor and Yuuri’s relationship did not move at some whirlwind pace that people make it out to be. There’s like an eight month gap between when Victor shows up in Hasetsu and when they get engaged in Barcelona. Granted, it’s not a whole lot of time, but I know people who’ve gotten married in faaaaaarrr less time than that. But for those eight months (most of which we are NOT privy to, because it takes place off-screen), the two of them are together every day. There’s going to be a lot of development happening there, and we see clear evidence of it. For example, the two of them are EXTREMELY comfortable with physical contact from episode six onwards. Let’s take a moment to remember what happened in the previous episode. Yes, that lip balm scene. But also? Yuuri’s speech on live television. Between episodes 5 and 6 there’s about a month and a half gap where the two of them have gotten very comfortable with each other, probably aware that there’s mutual attraction. Their relationship is actually moving at a reasonable pace, all things considered. And honestly? Every relationship is different. It depends on the people involved in that relationship and how comfortable they feel with how it’s progressing. It’s not like there’s some guidelines like “must attain quota of 17 lunch dates before frick fracking” or something. No one gets to dictate the terms of someone else’s relationship. That’s silly.

 6.)  “It’s abusive for Victor to stipulate that they’ll only get married if Yuuri’s wins gold.”

Look, we know that Victor is very clearly romantically interested in Yuuri and had no real intention to cockblock(/weddingblock) himself. If anything, he meant it as a motivation for Yuuri to do his best and also in a teasing manner. It’s a way of Victor showing how much faith he has in Yuuri, that he’ll snag that gold medal. (After all, what Yuuri asks of him is his full faith and support in him, and this is another way of Victor taking that request to heart. He doesn’t even entertain the idea of Yuuri losing—in his head, Yuuri’s going to win, plain and simple.) Yuuri’s shock to the announcement was due to the fact that he was just put on the spot in front of his competitors, all who want to win too—not that he was uncomfortable at Victor’s “ultimatum.” If that were the case, the rings would not be treated with such attention and importance in the following episodes. Yuuri very clearly holds their rings in high regard, emotionally speaking.

 7.)  “They’re not actually engaged.”

Listen, I’m very close with a few of my friends but I’ve never bought 800€ gold wedding rings to be exchanged in front of a famous basilica with a choir singing in the background following a romantic shopping date. Yuuri says that they’re good luck charms (“omamori” actually, which are a bit more than just good luck charms in Japan—but like a spell or a wish, too; though traditionally they are a specific type of amulet) to thank Victor for everything, but Yuuri very specifically chose those rings and chose to give it to Victor in front of a church. Where people get married. He could have done it anywhere, casually, like outside the shop or back in their hotel room. But he decided to do it there, blushing the entire time. It means Yuuri was very aware of what he was doing and what he WANTED, even if he was too afraid to say it aloud. And Yuuri is very much the type of person who would be afraid to straight-up propose to Victor because of his own self-esteem issues and also the fact that he isn’t sure of Victor’s plans post-GPF. Yuuri is not good with his words, but he is far clearer with his actions. It’s a key facet of his personality. Here, by giving Victor a gold ring in front of a church, he’s made his intentions known in a very Yuuri-like way. And Victor understood. He has always let Yuuri set the pace in the relationship, he never pushes too hard, so him “accepting” Yuuri’s “good luck charm” is him meeting Yuuri in the middle. And when he slips the other ring on Yuuri’s finger, Yuuri is clearly surprised. He’s overjoyed when he smiles back at Victor because he knows that Victor wants to be with him.

But okay, fine. Let’s leave that. Let’s go to the scene in the restaurant where Victor says in PLAIN WORDS that they’re engaged. He literally says the words “engagement rings.” It’s even partly in English so it can’t be mistaken for anything else. Yuuri freaks out when Phichit announces that they got married because, well, they didn’t get married. But Yuuri never, ever denies their engagement. (Neither does Victor, of course. No one does, in the show.)

Also an interesting point I have to bring up: Yurio. He asks Victor at the beach why he’s “so damn happy to be looking after that damn pig”—meaning Yuuri, of course. Looking after him??? What, like just bros??? For like, the rest of their lives??? Just in a totally bro way??? Clearly not. The entire conversation at the beach was Yurio being super pissed off that this could possibly mean that both Victor and Yuuri meant to retire after this season and would run off to get married and settle down. We see how much both Victor and Yuuri mean to Yurio, so he’s very clearly upset at the idea that he might never see either of them on the ice again after this. (And he’s basically like “well fine if you’re going to leave then just leave already” because #AngstyTeen.)

I also feel like a lot of these doubts stem from the fact that the way a western audience perceives such a relationship is inherently different than a Japanese audience. But in a lot of Japanese shows (and Asian shows in general), even when there’s a heterosexual couple, there is often no inherent declaration of love or on-screen kiss. Same goes for other forms of media. Many times they will imply that the two characters are together and then do something like a time-skip showing them with their kids or having dinner together at their home/a fancy restaurant, further implying that they’re married. And you know what? In these situations, no one ever questions the legitimacy of that het couple’s relationship. I know many people are scared of being queerbaited—and I’ll be honest, there’s a part of me deep down that always lives in fear of this because of how often we’ve been scorned—but I want everyone to keep in mind these cultural differences. (Furthermore, as someone living in South Asia right now and who watches Asian shows, I can re-iterate that things like on-screen kisses are SUPER rare (yes, between het couples). They’re on the level of being scandalous and not so long ago, they were literally illegal here.) 

(*And a slight spoiler here for the video game Final Fantasy X, to help me illustrate my point about cultural differences (I’ve seen other people mention this and am essentially using it myself, but cannot remember specific blogs—sorry!): in the English/International release of the game, the main female character Yuna tells her love interest (the main male character, Tidus) “I love you” at the end. HOWEVER, in the original Japanese version, Yuna says “thank you.” The phrase “I love you” is never uttered in that entire game, yet Yuna and Tidus’ relationship is never questioned. Not once.)

I know we want explicit confirmation and I know why that’s important (and that it’s also important to discuss this and demand better from creators) but let’s not outright dismiss what we got so far. But ah, we could spend years talking about this one thing and others have already done it, so I’ll finally move on.

 8.)  “They have so many communication issues.”

I agree with “they have communication issues” but not the “so many” part.  People against this pairing seem to be under the impression that they constantly miscommunicate and I have no idea where that stems from. They’ve had two big failures in communications (episode 7’s garage scene and episode 11’s hotel room scene) and sometimes they may not be on the same page in terms of their relationship, but they actually do remarkably well. Remarkable because both of them are both actually quite terrible at communication in general. I’m going to heavily break down both of those aforementioned scenes so we can discuss what exactly happened.

We know that Victor has never had any serious relationship in his life. He admits himself that for the last twenty years, he’s basically ignored both life and love. So he has very little experience in comforting someone else—because he’s just never had to do something like that. He doesn’t know how to handle Yuuri’s anxiety because it’s not a problem he is familiar with, and while he knows that Yuuri has anxiety, it’s never manifested this intensely before. So it’s no wonder he’s at a loss for what to do. He does what he can: making sure Yuuri gets a little bit of sleep, advising that he not to any jumps during warm-up, not berating him when he does those jumps anyway and instead being calm and supportive, and taking Yuuri away from other people when he sees it’s detrimental. When nothing, absolutely nothing seems to work, Victor becomes desperate. He decides to try something out of left field that will hopefully jerk Yuuri out of his self-destructive state. And thus the infamous “if you miss the podium I’ll take responsibility and resign as your coach” speech. And I want to point out that Victor very specifically says “I’ll take responsibility.” As in, “I’ll attribute it to myself.” While this is actually somewhat noble of Victor to avoid ever placing blame on Yuuri directly, it actually only makes matters worse. This is because we know that what Yuuri’s primarily afraid of is not messing up, but messing up and having it reflect badly on Victor. He cannot bear the thought of people talking ill about Victor—someone he loves very dearly—and while Victor was trying to be as gentle as possible while, well, shattering Yuuri’s heart, it ends up backfiring doubly because of this. 

The last thing Yuuri wants is to drag Victor’s name through the mud and the idea that Victor would do that himself, if Yuuri messes up, is horrible. Never mind the very idea that Victor would leave. (Though, of course, Victor actually never says this either—only that he’d resign as Yuuri’s coach, not that he would straight-up leave Yuuri; though since Yuuri doesn’t know the full extent of Victor’s feelings for him, he assumes that Victor quitting as his coach would also include him leaving Hasetsu altogether.) And of course, Victor doesn’t mean any of this. This is probably how he was motivated by his coaches (and seeing as he’s new to coaching, he’s probably taking ques from them) so he figures, hey, since nothing else is working, maybe shocking Yuuri out of his funk will do the trick. It absolutely does not do the trick and Yuuri ends up bawling his eyes out—but not at the prospect of Victor leaving. No, he’s furious that Victor would say something like that. Victor backs down IMMEDIATELY. He doesn’t try to justify himself, he doesn’t try to give any sort of explanation or defend himself. He just apologizes because he knows he fucked up. This is more than most people do in an argument. And not only does Victor apologize, he takes this to heart. He never, ever pulls something like this again. He actively changes his behavior. This is so important. 

And now, since neither of them are very good with words, their official “make up” doesn’t happen there, even if Yuuri wasn’t actively mad at Victor after the fact. But he didn’t know how to express that and Victor probably felt like he was walking on eggshells at that point so he smartly kept his mouth shut. Still, Yuuri knows its important to communicate that he isn’t angry at him. So what does he do? The head boop. It’s a clear throwback to episode 4—the scene that showed that Yuuri was coming out of his shell and impulsively acted upon realizing that Victor was a normal, human person with his own fears and insecurities. And this is Yuuri’s way of essentially rubbing that in, in an affectionate way. Saying “You’re an idiot, but you’re my idiot.” (By the way, this is the final step of Yuuri letting go of his idolization of Victor and fully coming to see him as a normal guy with his own shortcomings.) And if Victor had any doubts of Yuuri forgiving him, Yuuri does the Quad Flip at the end of his routine to signify that yes, you’re forgiven (and also I will surpass your wildest imagination, among other things). They didn’t have to implicitly say “I’m sorry”/”I forgive you”/etc. It was all made crystal clear in the one way they always communicate freely in: skating.

Coming to episode 11…. Yuuri, being the nervous ball of anxiety he is, often has moments of intense self-doubt. Often times he thinks “what does Victor see in me” throughout the show and is quick to become disappointed in himself. This is what happens in episode 11. Yuuri doesn’t do as well as he wanted to in his Free Skate, causing his anxiety to kick up to 100. But Yuuri doesn’t say anything about it. He doesn’t tell Victor what he’s feeling or what he’s afraid of. So Victor has no way of understanding what’s going through Yuuri’s head and reassuring him that everything will be just fine, regardless. After his own lackluster performance, Yuuri sees that Victor is watching other skaters and assumes that Victor wants to go back to skating. And sure, while it does sort of spark that competitive spirit in Victor, his only concern at the moment is Yuuri. But Yuuri completely misunderstand Victor’s appreciation of other skater’s performances and jumps to conclusions because that’s what anxiety does. It takes an otherwise innocuous situation and twists it until you can only think of the worst-case scenario. To Yuuri, this is Victor leaving him behind to go back to Russia. And this is where it becomes a sort of double-whammy. 

Despite his moments of confidence and delight at being the one who “stole Victor away from the world,” Yuuri suffers from an immense amount of self-doubt that tells him “you aren’t good enough.” He feels like he’s keeping Victor from doing something that he loves (skating) and after that lukewarm performance, he figures that maybe he’s not worth Victor’s time, coaching-wise. And he loves Victor enough to not want to hold him back anymore, either. He feels like he’s a burden and thus should cut Victor free and let him go. And after all, didn’t Victor say it was until the Grand Prix Finals anyway? But moreover, what Yuuri does at the end of episode 11 is a defensive tactic. He’s terrified at the prospect of Victor leaving him, yet he feels backed into a corner, so he decides to put distance between them in order to protect himself. (Remember Victor’s line from episode 10 about how when athletes feel pressured into a corner, they sometimes act unexpectedly? Foreshadowing.) Yuuri is giving Victor a way out, should he want it. It’s Yuuri’s way of minimizing the pain he thinks is inevitable. 

But what Yuuri here doesn’t understand is that Victor is fully invested in their relationship. Victor’s shock makes this completely evident. He never for a moment entertained the idea of parting from Yuuri, especially not now. He just lived under the assumption that once the Grand Prix was over, they’d go onto Nationals and Worlds and so on. Victor had NO IDEA the turmoil that’s been plaguing Yuuri this entire time (who has honestly spent much of the show afraid that his time with Victor is limited—and that’s another reason the rings were so important to Yuuri; they were genuinely a wish he made of keeping them together). For Victor, skating doesn’t hold the same joy it once did for him. Without Yuuri there, it feels lackluster; he’s tired of feeling alone. I will argue that yes, Victor’s competitive spark was re-ignited by Yurio (and also Yuuri) breaking his world record, but Victor clearly values his relationship with Yuuri more than he does his skating. 

Now, we don’t get to see the rest of what happens in that scene but they at least got to the point where they put it on hold until after the Finals—because it was obviously important that Yuuri focus on that, first and foremost. And what happens at the finals? At lot of things, really. The most important thing is that Yuuri’s Free Skate is his way of communicating to Victor what he feels. His skating says “do you see how much I love you?” and Victor—with tears in his eyes—understands. They communicate a lot through skating; that was the entire point of the Quad Flip as I mentioned before. It was a conversation between them. But now I’m veering off into poetic territory, so I’ll bring it back. Yuuri realizes here that he doesn’t want either his career or his relationship to end there. In the end, they not only decide to keep going—together—but also apparently have to redo whatever their initial plans were and move to St. Petersburg together because they can’t bear to be apart—and that much is confirmed canon.

Do they still have issues to work out after this? Absolutely. There will no doubt be more things that come up if we get more seasons. But Rome was not built in a day, people. And to expect a perfect relationship with zero miscommunication ever is highly unrealistic. That’s unhealthy. Even couples who have been married for decades and are on the same page regarding everything still have their squabbles now and then. You’re not always going to understand what your partner feels/thinks in a given moment unless you have telepathy, and you’re going to disagree over things. That’s just how it works. The most interesting part of Victor and Yuuri’s relationship is how genuine it feels, for these reasons.

 ***Now mentioning two additional points that are not strictly about Victuuri, but YoI as a whole***

9.)  “Other shows have done representation better.”

I know other shows like No. 6 and Shin Sekai Yori (which are both based on pre-existing novels and not original works like Yuri!!! on Ice) have done things like show explicit kissing between two same-sex characters and should not be forgotten or dismissed, but “better” is a really subjective word. (*Spoiler alert*) In neither of those two shows do you get a queer couple that is happy and together by the end of the show. In No. 6, Shion and Nezumi part ways and we are never explicitly told if/when they reunite and if/when they officially get together. In Shin Sekai Yori, Shun is killed off and Satoru marries Saki, instead. (Though this in itself is not horrible, per se, the “Bury Your Gays” trope is so prevalent that I personally couldn’t help but grind my teeth at it.) However at the end of Yuri!!! on Ice, Victor and Yuuri are both alive, happy, engaged, and looking forward to a future together. Take this to mean what you will. Some people value an explicit romance even if it ends in tragedy more, but personally I prefer when my same-sex couples are alive and happy together for once.

And just to say it: even though other shows have been more explicit about homosexual or otherwise queer relationships, not all of them have handled it with the same level of respect they do with heterosexual relationships. More below.

10.)  “Yuri on Ice doesn’t address homophobia, and thus Victor and Yuuri’s relationship is unrealistic.”

I for one am exhausted. Exhausted because so many shows featuring queer characters inadvertently turns into a struggle due to those characters’ identities. It becomes a part of the plotline (and often is the whole plotline) and while I think it’s incredibly important that we do have stories like this—because they’re especially important for young people who are finding themselves—it’s also important that we showcase a world in which equality exists and a character’s sexual orientation does not encompass their entire story; and in which they are allowed to have story arcs about literally anything else like their heterosexual counterparts. I was dreading this happening in YoI following the kiss, to be frank. I didn’t want to tune into the next episode and see homophobia of any sort. YoI was like a safe haven for me and so many others—a blanket you could wrap around yourself and find hope that one day, yes, the world will really be like that. It seems so wonderful and simple and liberating. I didn’t have to watch this show with a dark feeling in my gut, angry at the world. I could watch it feeling happy and light for once. I am so grateful that Yuuri and Victor’s relationship is treated the same way as a heterosexual relationship would be. No one makes snide comments, no one doubts their legitimacy, it’s never the butt of a joke, none of that nonsense occurs here. Normalizing same-sex relationships is an important step, especially when such a relationship aired for all to see in a country where gay marriage is not yet legal. (And also the fact that the relationship features an interracial couple who both come from conservative counties.)

There are no doubt a ton of things I’ve missed here and I’m not going to get into things like “YoI has poor animation” and “YoI didn’t deserve all the awards it got” because that’s not the point of this post—and this post is monstrous enough. Everyone, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. But once you make your opinion public, you are inviting discussion. You can’t spout hate against something other people love and not expect to be challenged.

I know I’ve basically been preaching to the choir with this post, and thank you to everyone who’ve taken the time to read this or skim this. Hopefully it helps you organize your own thoughts. For dissenters who’ve read this post, thank you as well and I hope we can have some interesting discussions regarding Victuuri and Yuri!!! on Ice as a whole.

TLDR; Victor and Yuuri’s relationship is not picture-perfect, but that’s what makes it all the more compelling. It feels real and genuine because these characters feel real and genuine—flaws and all. If anyone has anything they want me to address specifically, please drop an ask or a message!

[dantexive495-blog]

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