#(ESPECIALLY when they’re species that get big)

[spoofyleaf]

It’s important to me that you guys look at my new son I brought home last night

His name is Bartleby

[animationismycomfort]

honestly I love mutant mayhem splinter so much

he’s such a good dad🥺

[seravphs]

棠 —

ੈ♡˳·˖✶ — TEEN DAD! GOJO x FEM READER

Gojo has something to tell you. Megumi is unfortunately still a member of the male species. Tsumiki just wants to watch the sunset. 

wc — 1.5k

cw — interlude between tried to live in a softer way and stockholm (coming soon), 棠 means "wild plums", Megumi’s a good boy but he’s still a boy (gross), part of teen dad gojoverse, in which you and Gojo raise Megumi together, I lowkey forgot Tsumiki existed when I first started writing Teen Dad! Gojo so now I have to retcon her in 

Megumi’s mouth is smeared with purple pulp. 

“You better have washed that,” you warn him as you carefully cut Tsumiki’s fruit for her. Your knives drip juice onto the ground, requiring careful attention to make sure the sugar won’t rust them. 

Some cursed weapons are durable, outlasting generation after generation of the sorcerers that wielded them. Yours are more delicate. Like flowers, they require great care.

Tsumiki takes the slice you hand her with gratitude and pops it into her mouth with a little shiver of happiness. Her fingertips are turning purple to match Megumi’s lips. You pour a little water from your bottle over them, and place another slice into her mouth yourself. 

“A little dirt is good for him,” Gojo calls from where he’s wedged halfway inside the trunk, fighting for the folding chairs he threw in haphazardly. Now they’re stuck. You told him they would be, and he hadn’t listened. 

You make an unconvinced noise in the back of your throat, pursing your lips. He can’t see you, of course. 

“Germs are gonna make his immune system stronger. Eat up, Megumi!” 

Megumi wrinkles his nose and unhappily swallows his bite. The next time Tsumiki hands him a slice of her (washed) plums, he takes it. Nothing ever works as well on him like Gojo and inadvertent reverse psychology. 

After another minute of letting Gojo struggle to prove a point, you reach over and tug on a latch. The chair Gojo is struggling with snaps shut so you can effortlessly pull it out of the trunk. Gojo smiles sheepishly. 

“What did we learn from this?”

“Wife is always right?” He says cheekily. 

“Can I help?” Tsumiki pops up underneath your elbow. 

“It’s okay,” Gojo ruffles her hair. “We got it.” 

He pushes you gently away when you try to take a chair, carrying three singlehandedly to the spot where Megumi and Tsumiki are waiting with the picnic basket. You know he wants you to gush over him, but you don’t want to give him the satisfaction. 

You purposefully turn away to start setting out the food, only for him to saunter over as soon as Tsumiki and Megumi are sitting in their newly placed chairs. 

“Did you see that?” 

“You are the strongest, Satoru.” This is easy work for him. 

“Okay, but it’s still cool, right?” 

Sometimes you want to ignore him and sometimes you want to give in. Gojo, like Megumi is predictable. He needs the carrot and the stick. 

“Yeah,” you smile. “It was cool. You know what would be cooler?” 

He’s setting out the dishes before you even have to ask. 

You’re not fooled even though Gojo’s acting completely normal. As lighthearted and nonchalant as he is, anyone who didn’t know better would think there’s nothing in the world that could phase him, but you do know better. 

He’s not the type to share his issues, especially not when he thinks he can solve them on his own, which is what you think is going on here. It’s fine. 

You don’t press. He’ll tell you when he’s ready. 

“Someone’s coming,” Megumi announces. 

Gojo raises an eyebrow. “And how do you know that?” 

He looks away, eyes shifty. 

“You know you’re not supposed to be summoning your dogs in public!” You scold him. 

Technically, he’s not supposed to know anything about his technique yet. Young sorcerers aren’t allowed to use their technique if they’re not enrolled at Jujutsu High. Of course, it’s different for clans, especially big clans. None of the elders who sit on the council are going to punish one of their own for getting ahead of the game. In fact, they’re quite willing to turn a blind eye to anything that makes their clan more powerful, even if it means starting their young off early. Too early, in your opinion. 

Gojo disagrees with this judgement, as he disagrees with everything the elders say. He’s been training Megumi in secret, slowly getting him used to the Ten Shadows. The dogs, which Megumi’s manifested since he was young, were the first to become tamed. They’re the easiest for him to control, so he looses them more often than he should. Regardless of what Gojo thinks, it’s simply not safe. You don’t want to give the Zenins any reason to take Megumi and Tsumiki. 

Megumi calls his shikigami back. They evaporate into shadow just as an old couple hobble up the dirt path. 

“Oy, granny!” Gojo calls, ignoring you as you smack his arm. “You need a hand?” 

“I’m okay,” she calls back. “Don’t worry about me! Just taking my daily walk.” 

Gojo gives you an aghast look. 

“Why are they hiking up here? One of them is going to break a leg,” he hisses. 

“Are you sure?” You ask them hesitantly. 

“My, aren’t you sweet! I’m alright, hon. The fresh air will do these old bones some good.” 

Beside her, her husband nods in agreement. He seems like the silent type to her extrovert. 

“What’re you two doing up here?” She says, picking her way over. 

Tsumiki holds up her plate. “Picnicking!” 

“How cute,” the old woman coos as she pinches her cheek. 

“And you! Why, I could just eat you up,” she tells Megumi, who looks mildly alarmed, not at her words, but at her attention. He squirms in his seat. 

“Your little brother?” The couple smiles as you stiffen. It’s not their fault. They have no idea. 

“My son,” Gojo says, his own smile turning unpleasant. 

“Oh!” She seems to sense she’s made a mistake of some sort, taking her husband’s arm once more. “I’m sorry, you seemed so young. Well, I’m sure you want to get back to your picnic without these old folk. Be careful not to stay out too late! I hear there’s a storm brewing.” 

Her husband helps her carefully over the grass back on to the dirt path. She turns back to wave, just once. 

“That wasn’t nice,” you say, watching them leave. “They didn’t know.” 

Gojo rolls his eyes. “Whatever.” 

“Look!” Tsumiki jostles Megumi, who’s still focused on his food instead of the sky. “The sun is setting!”

Gojo picked a good spot. No trees obstruct your view of a sky stretching as far as the eye can see. As someone who’s lived in the city for so long, it’s almost a miracle to witness. 

The sky is awash in floral hues. Burnt orange, ashy lavender, and muted links spread throughout the clouds. You’re smiling, awestruck at the sight, when you hear a click. You turn back just in time to see Gojo shove his phone in his pocket. 

“Did you just take a picture of me?” 

“Nope! Why don’t you sit tight while I repack everything?” 

Even when you try to help, Gojo pushes you back in your chair. His little helpers dash back and forth from the makeshift campsite to the car until everything is safely packed away. 

When you finally get up and brush your lap off, Gojo offers you his arm. 

You laugh at him. “Come on, I don’t need that.” 

He pushes his arm in your direction again, insistent. He’s being such a baby today, but you can’t help spoiling him. You take it as he escorts you to the car and opens the door for you with a flourish. 

The kids don’t want to go home, but Gojo distracts them with promises of McDonald’s on the long, winding trip down the mountain. Megumi’s at that age where he knew better than to trust the strange white haired sixteen year old who offered to take him in but still gullible enough not to understand there are no McDonald’s on mountains. 

He and Tsumiki fall asleep in the back seat as the rain patters rhythmically on the windows. All around you, the earth is lush and verdant. You’re in Eden before the fall. It’s hard to stay mad when the forest is putting on such a show for you outside. The earth is blooming, beckoning. 

Gojo rolls down the sun roof so the warmth of weak sun beams shines into the car. If you look up, the rain beads on the glass like crystals on a backdrop of dove grey storm clouds. 

It’s still raining when you get home. 

Gojo carries Megumi and Tsumiki inside, one in each arm. It’s a testament to their sleepiness that neither protest. You drop a kiss on each cherubic little cheek as you tuck them into bed, pressing the covers down around them. 

Gojo’s waiting in the kitchen when you quietly close their bedroom door. 

“I have something to tell you,” he says almost half-heartedly, looking out the window. “But you have to promise not to be mad.” 

You knew it. 

Whatever it is, you’re sure you can take it. You and Gojo have been through the worst of everything together, from a bullet in the shoulder to whiney, feverish children. There’s nothing you can’t handle to keep your little family together. 

“The Zenins want to take Megumi away,” he blurts out. 

Okay, maybe that wasn’t what you were expecting, but it’s fine. You can make it work. 

“They’re coming tomorrow.” 

You’re going to kill him.

[sommerregenjuniluft]

@jegulus-microfic april 1 - spring - 1340 words (of domestic bliss with little harry)

Sundays are slow in the Potter household.

One would think James doesn’t like the pace of it, always having to do something usually, always active, moving around or talking, tugging at his loved ones or caressing their skin, but he does. It hasn’t always been this way but with getting older and especially since they’ve become parents James had noticed how his body and mind welcomed the one break in the week to just shut off and recharge.

They’ve fought their way through a cloudy March and with the arrival of April, spring is finally here. 

James loves spring. People always assume it’s summer—and credit to them, because he does—but there’s just something about the rebirth of everything that comes after the long gloomy fall and icey winter period. The birds chirp with their return and in search for a mate, insects buzz lively and everything brightens with colour. 

Like clockwork, Harry appears in the threshold of the master bedroom at around 7 am, deer plushie in a tight grip by the antlers, his dark mob of hair messy as anything. He drowsily rubs the sleep from his eyes, face squished and James sometimes thinks he might die from how adorable their four year old is.

He grabs his glasses, pushes back the sheets and plants a gentle kiss on Regulus’ cheek where he’s still knocked out like the dead and smushed into his pillow.

Harry pads wordlessly into the living room, James hot on his trail. Though while Harry goes in search of a children’s book for James to read to him, James makes a detour to the kitchen. He fills them two bottles with the tea they let out on the counter overnight, preparing one for Regulus as well for when he wakes up. He cuts up some fruit and vegetables and grabs the packets of rice cakes and crackers from the pantry, loading it all on a tray before he sets on to the living room.

Harry is already curled under the big fleece blanket they keep there, grinning when James rounds the corner with their pre-breakfast.

“Morning, dada,” he greets, sweetly.

James’ chest swells. “Morning, pumpkin,” he returns, pressing a kiss into Harry’s hair, setting down the tray. Before he takes his place next to his son he walks over to open the big terrasse glass doors. 

“How’d you sleep?” James asks, plopping down next to Harry who immediately snuggles closer, plushie still in hand.

“Good,” Harry sighs contently and James can’t help himself when he brushes some of his hair back from his forehead and kisses him again. “Can you read to me?”

It’s a hidden object book but James knows what he means. He grins, “’Course, Hazza.”

They do just that for a bit, James describing what’s going on on the pages, creating a story for recurring characters. Skipping back and forth with Harry randomly pointing out another happening of the drawing while he’s munching away on his rice cakes and cucumbers and the occasional grape. 

It’s still mildly cool, especially when a faint breeze picks up, moving the grass outside and swishing inside but Harry’s still wearing long pyjamas and James knows he’ll tell him if he’s too cold. He simply burrows further under the blanket and into his father’s side. James runs hot anyways.

When Harry decides they’re done with books James puts on a nature documentary for them.

They’re teaching about the strength of some rainforest ant species when Regulus shuffles into the room, arms wrapped around himself and eyes nearly closed.

“Morning, Papa,” Harry whispers excitedly, already wiggling out of James’ embrace even though he knows Regulus will join them there in just a moment.

A smile tugs at Regulus’ lips as he blinks his eyes open, dark lashes fluttering agonisingly beautifully and giving way to soft grey. James swears they get a little more blue every time right around his birthday, like Regulus is just another subject to the changes of spring.

“Mornin’,” Regulus sighs happily when he squeezes Harry against his chest, peppering the side of his head with kisses until he pulls away, tugging Regulus along to James.

His eyes are already closed again when Regulus nuzzles into the crook of James’ neck, pressing a kiss there before he gets comfortable.

“Morning, love,” James murmurs, voice thick with adoration, audible even to himself, and he strokes Regulus’ exposed arm softly.

The spell of Sunday is thick in the air, heavy in their bones. 

Harry, usually the most lively child, always animatedly talking about something or the other, giggling, making jokes or doing mischief, is quiet now too. It’s routine, the way he grabs for Regulus’ arm and squeezes between his two dads, waiting for James to absently card his fingers through their hair and send them back to their slumbers.

It doesn’t take longer than five minutes before Harry’s breaths are deepening and it’s marvellous. Magical in the way that Regulus’ presence seems to calm him so much it pulls him back into another nap.

James smiles so wide, looking down at them like that for so long that his cheeks start straining.

He watches a bit more of the documentary, snaps a few obligatory pictures of them on his phone and sends them into their family group chat. Monty sends back a pixelated picture of a zoomed in shot of Effie in the garden, Sirius replies with a shaky snapshot of him running with the dogs and Remus answers with an aesthetically pleasing picture of what seems to be the breakfast he’s preparing for the two of them.

James’ belly growls hungrily at the reminder and when his gaze falls on the lone grape sitting in the bowl on the tray he decides it’s time for breakfast. 

It’s nothing short of artful the way he extracts himself from besides Harry and Regulus without rousing them before he heads for the kitchen.

He grabs flour and sugar, eggs and milk for pancakes, as well as the bacon, bagles and cream cheese. It’s meditative to put together all the ingredients, set the table and assemble syrup and blueberries and chocolate chips. Halfway through James remembers the leftover quinoa in the fridge and between placing patches of batter in a sizzling pan he whips them up a quick salad as well. 

The smell in the kitchen is divine and James has already made acquaintances with the joyful bluetit in the tree by the window by the time Regulus comes into the kitchen with Harry on his hip. He’s babbling now, talking Regulus’ ear off by the looks of it and Regulus hums and nods and gasps at all the right places, looking ridiculously endearing with his curls mussed and an imprint of the couch cushion lining his cheek.

“Morning, champ,” James teases, smacking a loud kiss over the line in Regulus’ cheek.

Regulus growls quietly, grinning despite himself, “You’re lucky I love your cooking so much.”

“Yeah, you’re lucky,” Harry parrots, grinning widely.

James tuts with faux affront, “What kind of sentiments are you teaching our poor child, Regulus. I’ve been standing in this kitchen for hours now. How about a ‘Thank you, daddy’?”

“Thank you, daddy,” they both reply in unison though Regulus’ has a decidedly different tone to it that makes James point the spatula at him in warning.

Regulus just smirks before he leans heavily into James’ side and rips a piece of pancake off of the ones already on a plate, blowing on it before dividing it in half and feeding it to Harry and himself.

James tasks them with setting out glasses of water and orange juice, mugs for tea. On Sundays coffee is banned in the Potter house. Regulus thinks he can wind himself out of his caffeine addiction that way.

When everyone is done and everything is in place they all sit down together, legs tangled under the table, smiling warmly at each other over their plates of delicious food, the spring breeze ruffling their hair and clothes pleasantly as it drifts through the open window.

[crevicedwelling]

spotted lanternflies, Lycorma delicatula. an infamous invasive in my area, but I’ve come to enjoy these clumsy little freaks more than I ever thought I would.

people are oddly obsessed with destroying them still, although the effect of killing them by hand or even with pesticides is negligible on the now-well-established populations. this is more of a “stop the spread” problem than it is “get rid of established populations,” and it’s people who don’t usually see these who should be on the highest alert for them. still, it’s interesting how their conspicuity, diurnality, and generally slow speed has made them the perfect thing for humans to kill thoughtlessly while other pests stay hidden, like emerald ash borers, or are undeservedly beloved, like honeybees, most of the eastern mantises, and feral cats.

the kill-on-sight campaigns area little depressing to me, especially when directed towards children —sure, they teach invasive species awareness, but really it’s just feeding an ugly desire to kill little animals. not going to ask you to not control them if they’re causing damage to your plants, but the weird bloodthirsty attitude towards Lycorma and declarations of their “evil” nature don’t seem terribly productive. they are as blameless as any invasive species. even when invasives must be killed by the individual (works for some species, not all!), there is still room to act thoughtfully and not demonize an animal for being an animal.

so personally, I let the lanternflies chill—for the most part, they feed on invasive weeds and nonnative ornamental plants, so they’re not much of a concern to me or my garden. whatever proper control methods (parasitoids, pathogens?) get developed probably won’t eliminate all of them, too, so big dumb fulgorids are probably a permanent fixture here. ah, I still feed them to mantises, but the only ones big enough are also invasive…

here’s one all tender and pale after molting. I’d like to find a teneral adult this year, which must be stunning

a good post on the topic of killing invasive species by @bowelfly :

[lynaferns]

Hi, hello. Did you say big bat vampire dca au? As in, they’re big bats? 👀

That sounds really cool!

Yeah, although I don't have a clear image of them yet.

I made a doodle of the three half(?) transformed

They are mixed species but each resemble one more than the others. (I messed up eclipses ears, drew the wrong shape)

(whoops little ramble about bats)

Sun is an Indian Flying Fox, a fructivore bat. They are one of the bigguest (1 to 2 ft tall and 4ft wingspan (great for hugs/j)) and helps with the forest pollinization. They can fly 40km in one night. They lack echolocation but has a better eyesight than other bats. It's endangered due to humans haunting them for their meat.

Moon it's a Common Vampire bat (and a bit of White Winged bat for the colors), they eat mammal blood. There are 3 vampire species: the common, White-winged and Hairy-legged, the common can eat blood from any mammal while the other two eat mainly from birds and humans. The common vampire is a good crawler, so they'll prefer to get close to their prey from the ground. The white-winged has these glands in its mouth that uses to spit a really nauseating smell when its being molested (like skunks but these spit on you), there is sulfur in the spit.

Eclipse has the more clear mixes to see and it's the smallest of the three, its a Welwitch bat (it has freckles!!), a big eared and has part of canyon bat (because of the colors too). It's insectivorous, they help with plagues. They pretty much just vibe, just leave them be eating half their weigh in bugs and both of you'll be happy.

Nor the vampire or fruit bat has tails.

And they all can give you

Rabiessssss ✨

I didn't look into every especie there is of bats, first of because there are like 1,000, most of them insetivorous, and second because there is varely any info about any especie that aren't the common ones.

[euphoricfilter]

bts as my favourite sharks !!! (and why)

.　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆.

(a list no one asked for but i will deliver) 🦈🫧

☆ namjoon: bull shark

one cool thing about bull sharks is that they can swim in both salt water and fresh water, super adaptable, super cool and hence why they’re namjoon. and in my humble little opinion, they’re just cooler versions of the great white 🧍🏻‍♀️ plus they’re like the big boy shark top of the shark food chain, perfect place for our favourite guy namjoon

☆ hobi: lemon sharks

i love lemon sharks because they have favourite humans, and love head pats, and form emotional connections with divers, and get jealous when their fav human being shows and attention to another lemon shark. 10/10 sociable shark, perfect for hobi

☆ jungkook: tiger shark

tiger sharks are just built different. and have probably had anything you can think of in their stomachs, they eat anything. they’re also known for having huge litters and after ‘seven’ and ‘3d’ 🤨 plus tiger sharks make it into my top 3 favourite sharks so maybe i’m a little biased

☆ yoongi: whale shark

whale sharks are gentle giants, and have been one of my favourite sharks since forever. and i think people think they’re scary because they’re huge, like school bus size. but they’re just cuties :( who eat lil shrimp and algae and have lil teeth and are so pretty. also random whale shark fact they can process more than 6000 litres of water every hour 🫡

☆ jimin: thesher shark

honestly just silly little guys 10/10 my favourite shark. they look like cuties but thresher sharks can stun their prey with their super cool tails, which i think if we’re looking at jimin and the sassy man agenda… don’t let cute looks fool you. also!!!! thresher sharks can jump out the water and do cool flips, comparable to jimin’s super cool contemporary dancing ☝️

☆ jin: hammerhead shark

a distinctive shark, and a distinctive face. hammerhead’s haven’t actually been around for as long as other species of shark, only existing for around 20-25 million years (where other sharks have been around since the dinosaurs), which may seem contradictory to jin’s age, however, this mf doesn’t age and has looked as young as he did the day he debuted

☆ tae: blacktip reef shark

black tip reef sharks are a little shy and skittish, and tae is often a little bashful, especially on live (in a very very taehyung way), so i feel they fit one another. however! that doesn’t mean they’re not social, which with bts and the wooga squad and everyone else tae meets, 10/10 black tip reef shark kinda guy

[devildomwriter]

A Christmas Song They Absolutely Hate

A request by an anon

Lucifer (That damn chipmunk song)

Enough said, he cannot tolerate it at all, the second he hears those squeaky voices he’ll react somewhat violently. Whatever he needs to do to get that music to stop the fastest, he will do, even launching Mammon into the speaker.

Mammon (Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer)

He hates the song. He’s not so big an idiot that he doesn’t realize everyone only suddenly likes Rudolph because they think he’s useful, he thinks it’s a bad song and the reindeer are big jerks.

Leviathan (Baby, it’s cold outside)

“Those fucking normies. They’re just all over each other, go to hell.”

Satan (God rest ye merry gentlemen.)

They literally diss him in the song, like what’d he do to those guys personally, it makes him very angry to hear carolers singing it especially.

Innocent Carolers: “To save us all from Satan’s power—“

Satan: *yelling from across the street* “I didn’t do anything to you!”

Asmodeus (That damn chipmunk song)

Like normally squeaky or soft voices are kinda cute but nuh-uh, not this one. It feels like nails on a chalkboard to him.

Beelzebub (Believe)

He doesn’t really care but the song Believe makes him kinda sad.

It’s a great song with a bittersweet message and it makes him tear up a little when he hears it so he’s come to not like it much.

Belphegor (Anything hard to fall asleep to)

It doesn’t matter the song, if it’s too uppitty he can’t fall asleep. Even Christmas gospel can send him to sleep but not something like All I Want For Christmas is You.

Solomon (That damn chipmunk song)

It needs no introduction. It’s a song he’d hoped would die out soon after its release but it’s been well over a decade and occasionally he hears it playing and sighs deeply at how disappointing human musical taste has become.

Thirteen (That damn chipmunk song)

She hates it and will only occasionally tolerate it by playing it whenever Solomon is nearby in hopes of seeing his face fall.

Simeon (Santa baby)

The song really drives him nuts, he doesn’t have a real reason he just really dislikes it. Maybe it’s the greed at Christmas time which isn’t even about gifts, but it just really irks him.

Luke

He loves them all, except super romantic ones because that’s not what Christmas is about!

Raphael (All I want for Christmas is you)

That’s not the point of Christmas at all and the song mentions nothing about the true meaning of Christmas everything about some random romantic interest really irritates him. He’s not above spearing the sound system if the song isn’t changed.

Michael (12 days of Christmas)

It's just so long and repetitive.

He’d rather listen to shorter songs than one that just doesn’t seem to end, like get to the next song already, turtledoves aren’t even an existing species anymore—don’t remind him of such a tragedy.

Mephistopheles (Basically all of them)

Mephistopheles isn’t a Christmas demon, he only tolerates it for Diavolo’s sake but he’ll be damned if a song plays around him and Diavolo isn’t there. He’ll contact whoever he needs to to change the music immediately.

Barbatos (Dominic the donkey)

He hates it because he believes it’s rather stupid but also because it cracks Diavolo up so Diavolo plays it a few times a day to amuse himself and Barb is really sick of hearing it.

Diavolo

He loves all of them, even the damn chipmunk song. Even the Christmas gospel doesn’t really bother him but he doesn’t pay as much attention to it as he does humming along to the other songs. He does laugh when he hears Satan’s name in God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, so he actually likes that one.

[anipgarden]

What to Do Once Things Are Planted?

This is my seventh post in a series I’ll be making on how to increase biodiversity on a budget! I’m not an expert--just an enthusiast--but I hope something you find here helps! 

So you’ve gotten started on making a garden to boost biodiversity! 10/10, excellent work! So, now what?

First, you’ll need to keep watering the plants--especially if you’re going through a dry season. Native plants will be more acclimated to your area’s seasonal weather, but they’ll need a helping hand while they’re getting established--especially if you’re starting with young, tender seedlings. With that in mind, if you accidentally skip out on crucial watering days, don't panic! There's been tons of times where I haven't watered for an entire summer and had perennials come back the next spring! Even this year, during a heatwave, I completely did not water my swamp milkweeds, but they're already popping back up! You may also need to go in and weed, especially if you’re seeing invasive species popping up in the garden. Invasives are no good--if you do anything, do your best to get those out as effectively and safely as possible!

If you’re needing to maintain your shrubs in spring and summer, double check to make sure there are no active bird or insect nests within them. If it’s possible to wait until later to cut your shrubs, it could be extremely beneficial.

When fall and winter come around and your plants begin to die back, don’t cut them away if you can! Many insects overwinter in the plant stems left behind as perennials die back to the roots. In addition, birds will use seed heads as a source of food over the winter. Try not to clean things up until late winter/early spring, when other food sources are beginning to come back and things are growing again. By then, the insects should be waking up and leaving the plant stems as well.

However, don’t let this discourage you from collecting seeds! Collecting seed from your plants is a great way to continue gardening at low cost, as well as making friends and encouraging others to garden by trading seeds or offering them as gifts. If you're in an area where you do need to cut back, this is a great opportunity to collect the seeds and save them for the future. You could also cut back what’s dying in the front yard and keep things to overwinter in the backyard. Some overwintering habitat is better than no overwintering habitat.

Want to know how to collect seeds from specific plants? I've found YouTube to be a great source of info for this! Knowing what you're doing and when is key to getting a viable harvest.

As your mulch begins to break down, you’ll need to keep adding more to top it off, if you can. It can get a bit repetitive, but no worries--the mulch breaking down means your soil is improving! 

If possible, add to your garden! Expand, add in new things, and keep encouraging the growth of native plants. If you couldn’t add that water feature in year one, see if you can in year two! New interest in birds? Add a birdhouse, or more bird feeders. Loving the butterflies? Add plenty more nectar-rich plants, or do more research into what they lay their eggs on! Want more color? See what else you can add in! Came into some new pots to expand your flowerpot garden with? Find cool native plants to put in them! I always encourage people to start small and then expand over time, as opposed to starting big and getting overwhelmed.

Keep learning and observing native species of birds, insects, mammals, etc. See what’s coming to your yard now, and look into how you can improve things more for them on your budget. If you aren’t seeing what you were hoping, see if there’s other actions you can take that’ll attract what you’re hoping to see in your backyard habitat. Knowing more about the world around you makes it easier to know how to help the world around you. Talk to others about what you’re doing, the changes you’ve made, and the results you’ve seen! Curious neighbors? Work friends? Your closest homies? Your family? All fair game! You just might be the one who gets someone else interested in making their space a habitat for local wildlife!

That’s the end of this post! My next post is gonna be about the secret Other Thing you can do to help biodiversity--tackling invasives! Until then, I hope this advice was helpful! Feel free to reply with any questions, your success stories, or anything you think I may have forgotten to add in!

[gatorbites-imagines]

Eddie Brock (and venom too!) x FTM reader where eddie and venom love to touch and caress reader especially when readers feeling especially dysphoric.

Eddie Brock (and Venom) x ftm reader

Headcanons

First of all, Eddie and Venom would not treat you different in any way for being Trans. Eddie has always been very accepting, and Venom doesn’t see gender as his species is pretty much genderless, and he just prefers male pronouns.

They wont fully understand dysphoria since they aren’t trans themselves, but they’ll do their best to be there for you. Be that holding your hand when your doing testosterone injections, or if you use T-gel. They’ll also get you a binder, or get you in contact with surgeons if you want surgery.

But if you didn’t want to go to a doctor, Venom can probably do some of the changes to your body if you wanted, like removing your uterus if you wanted it gone. He’ll just go from Eddie to you, chew up the bits you didn’t want, and go back to Eddie afterwards.

But if you want to changes or treatment, they wont mind at all, since you’re a man in their eyes no matter what. They both see gender as something up to you, so even if you come out after you’ve started dating, they’re nothing but supportive.

Eddie also lets you wear his clothes if you want, since sometimes wearing male clothes can help with dysphoria and feeling more masculine.

Venom is the touchiest out of the two, though Eddie loves to be in physical contact with you as well. Venom just creates limbs to grab you and pull you into hugs, he also takes control of Eddies body to hold you.

When you and Eddie are kissing its not uncommon for Venom to shove his way into control so he can kiss you instead, he’s had to learn to summon lips though since kissing sharp teeth isn’t the most attractive thing, unless you like that kind of stuff.

When you are having dysphoric days they both make sure to love on you an extra amount, with lots of kisses and cuddles, they’ll also pick you up and carry you to the couch or bed so they can cuddle and kiss you even more.

If you have days where you don’t want to get touched because of dysphoria they’ll find other ways to comfort you, like bringing you your favorite snacks or watching your comfort movies.

They are also the type to go out of their way to go pick up a gift you book you like, just because. Eddie shows his affection through gift giving for the most part, whilst Venom is more physical affection and bringing you meals.

Venom always purrs up a storm when he nuzzles against you, almost like a big affectionate alien cat. Eddie doesn’t purr, but he still likes to hug you from behind and cuddle into your shoulder.

Expect a lot of grabbing and touching from this relationship, since they’re both touchy people, and Venom expresses most of his love through it. Venom also uses the excuse that it creates positive brain chemicals to cuddle.

[naavispider]

Spider + recom squad headcanons because @hyperfixatedfandomer got me inspired ✨

(pic source)

Spider constantly cussing out Quaritch and the other recoms and nobody batting an eyelid

Quaritch secretly loving it because even though those are some spicy insults, Spider is obviously comfortable enough in his presence to say them

(Quaritch doesn’t know this is why he enjoys it, to him he’s just confused when a warm glow starts to spread from his chest)

Spider having the time of his imprisonment life because nobody seems to care that he hates them, he can just freely live his truth without being punished

He used to feel like he was walking on eggshells around the Omatikaya (esp Neytiri) because everything he said he could be judged for, but here no one gives a shit, it seems

Weirdly, he also knows that he’s probably a great deal safer with the recom squad than with any old Omatikaya, because these guys will actually try to protect him if any of the wildlife turns foul

Z-dog praising Spider for his creative insults, stating that they’re some of the most inventive ones she’s heard in her two lifetimes. Spider glowing warm because it’s the only praise he’s received from an adult in years

Quaritch watching the other recoms take the piss out of spider for his foul attitude towards them, but his juxtapositional softness and gentleness when it comes to the animals they encounter

Quaritch not joining in because he’s just watching Spider react, always trying to gauge his response

“What the hell is a Tarzan and why do you keep calling me tiger?!”

Quaritch has enough and gets a picture of a tiger up to show him. Spider is unimpressed at first until he realises that tigers look pretty ferocious, and he likes their stripes. From then on, the nickname doesn’t bother him.

The recoms all promise to never enlighten Spider about Tarzan, making him believe it’s a kind of species of Earth animal that died out thousands of years ago. Quaritch doesn’t join in but has to hide his smirk whenever Spider starts frustratedly asking how big tarzans were and if they had stripes or sharp teeth or were predators

Spider being woken up early in the mornings for trekking through the jungle with a furious, albeit sleepy, “fuck off.”

The recoms joking about spider being a baby, or weak, or fragile, but they recognise deep down that the kid is built. Quaritch knows this too and knows they’re only doing it to wind spider up, so he doesn’t stop them

When spider is especially annoyed/homesick/sick of being a prisoner, the recoms are better at noticing it than Quaritch, who at the beginning of their relationship was abrasive and unable to empathise with him

A hand on Quaritch’s shoulder from Wainfleet or Ja or Lopez is all it takes for the recoms to stop Quaritch from going off at the boy after he ransacked the supplies

Spider trying out the recom food from the suction packets and their faces bursting into laughter when spider pulls a disgusted face and starts gagging (a la trying alcohol for the first time)

Spider teaching Quaritch Na’vi at Quaritch’s request, but exchanging phrases like ‘good morning’ to ‘I am a worm’s anus’

Mansk has been checking the translation on his tablet software, and starting grinning when he catches on to what Spider is doing. He gets Z-dog and the others round and they watch with barely concealed laughter as Spider tricks the Colonel (Quaritch never finds out)

[ebonyslasher]

Spicy Alphabet: Jason Voorhees

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

Such a sweetheart. He's eager to clean up after. It's a bit sloppy at first but he gets the hang of it. Tucking you into the bed and laying right beside you when he's done to cuddle. He does everything out of love and necessity. Of course you won't be able to move after THAT session. 

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

He's quite proud of his torso, it's a powerhouse. His torso is the one thing he'll allow himself to look happily at in the mirror. Those abs and back muscles were a blessing.

You? He doesn't have one. Everything about you is a blessing from God to him. There hasn't been an inch of your body he's neglected. 

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

This may sound strange, but it depends on your relationship development.

Married? Cream pies oozing out of you every time.

Engaged? Cum shots on different body parts.

Even if you can't physically get pregnant, Jason feels like creampie always equals possible pregnancy. 

D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

There's nothing dirty about this pure man. How dare you! Until he kills……then he's pretty messy.

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

Not experienced at all. Pretty sure he grew up evangelical Christian. They don't like even kissing until you get married. He's awkward, uncomfortable, and shy. 

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)

Missionary 

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

Let's avoid laughing until he gets super comfortable with sex. He might think you're making fun of him. Once he's more confident in himself, he'll also laugh at the weird sounds and awkward transitions.

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

His pubic hair has its own ecosystem. You swear you could discover some new animal species in there. He'll groom if you ask him, or even let you trim him yourself. But if you like the ecosystem, be ready to become an ecologist 🌱

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

Exceptionally romantic. There are times where it gets so overwhelming, it makes you cry. That and the incredible orgasms he gives you. Actually, you can't tell which reason made you cry the most.

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

Nah. He will just come to you.

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

As long as it's gentle, he's into BDSM elements. Mostly bondage and you dominating him. Big scary guy likes to be put in his place, figuratively, by his small, cute s/o. It helps him unwind from his killing sprees. Once married, he will have the strongest urge for breeding.

L = Location (favorite places to do the do)

If you are okay with it, on a bed near the lake. The moonlight shines down on you both, exposing the glisten of sweat on skin.

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

Your existence is enough to turn him on. But he gets especially hard when you take charge and take care of him, doting on him like the loving spouse you are.

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

Anything that will hurt you. Also, anything that he finds degrading for the both of you like; scat, piss play, or spitting 

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

Loves to give, give, givvvvvvvveeeee!! Oh, you'll be screaming in pleasure when he goes down. His tongue and the amount of saliva he produces makes you feel like you're sitting in his heavenly water. 

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

Scared to go rough, so he's slow and sensual. Later on, he'll allow some rough moments, but they are very quick. 

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

Would rather have a full love making session. Quickies remind him of the teens who he kills for having pre-marital sex. There's no love in the action to him. 

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

No. He'll try something new for you. But he has his hard limits.

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

Although he's a powerhouse, he delivers so much emotion through his movements during lovemaking. He can last 2-3 good rounds before he's tapped out. He needs to emotionally recover.

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

Sex toys? He's neutral. It depends on what it's being used for. He likes using them on you more than on himself. With bondage (and other related items) , he would rather be on the receiving end.

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

He is not unfair! He'll give you what you want. He's a sucker for you 💕. 

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

Moderately loud. He grunts a lot. Sometimes whimpers. 

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

You were teaching him how to tie knots one day with some colorful rope you ordered. His hands were used as a demonstration. After running through various techniques, you noticed his arousal poking out. That's when you both discovered he likes being tied up.

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

Anaconda. Not kidding. He's soda can thick, 10.5 inches long. He has a small curve to the left.

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

Low, on his own. You're the deciding factor on how high his sex drive is. He tries to match you.

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

Sometimes he will quickly fall into slumber after caring for you. Other times, he's energized by the session. So he'll go out and check the camp.

[avocadoguru]

He was staring at her in a way no one had in her entire life. She couldn’t read anything in his eyes - not surprise, not fear, not malicious intent - nothing. (wolfrry, werewolf!harry, alpha!harry, ranger!y/n)

Lupus Noctis- Masterlist, Author’s Note & Warnings

Chapter 1 (word count: 4.1k) / alternatively, read on wattpad

“Ready to head out for patrol?”

Y/N looked up at her colleague before switching off her laptop for the day “Yeah, let’s go. Finished for the day, anyway.”

“Good. Eager to get home early, I never sleep well on a full moon, I’ll just toss and turn the whole night, least I can do is try and turn in early.”

“Really? Thought that was just a myth or something. Just close the curtains.”

Nick shrugged as he locked up the station behind them “It’s not that, it’s not even shining directly through my window. For the longest time, I didn’t even make the connection until an ex of mine figured out I could never sleep through full moons.”

“So then why aren’t you the one on watch duty tonight?”

He furrowed his brows at her as they started going down the trail they usually took when they started their nightly patrol “What, like you don’t sleep while you’re on watch duty?”

“I do, but the bed in there is awful. So it’s not a good sleep anyway. You could’ve taken one for the team.”

“I mean, I’ve been stationed here long before you came along, so I did actually spend quite a few full moons while on watch duty, thank you very much. It’s guaranteed no sleep. At least at home I maybe get 2-3 hours in.”

“Awh you poor man, you,” Y/N teased as they ascended an area of the trail where it became steep.

“Right? Speaking of. You’ve been here almost 2 months now. How are you liking it so far?”

“It’s… definitely not what I was expecting. But in a good way, I think. The only thing that I’m most phased by is how secluded this place seems most of the time when it’s not even that far outside town. I was expecting a bit more… action?”

Nick laughed lightly “Action? Like what?”

“I dunno. More wildlife interaction, for one.” 

“God, Y/N. You’re such a rookie” he snickered. “You’ll get your fair share of wildlife, don’t you worry.”

Y/N wouldn’t call herself a rookie in general. Maybe for this particular job, but she was confident in her skills. A trained survivalist and ranger. She could identify species of birds, reptiles, mammals, and plants from sight alone. She knew how to build a fire, climb a tree, make a shelter from only what the forest could provide, and forage for food. She could do it all, despite being a newbie to the team. She felt like she was probably even more skilled than Nick. But as much confidence as she had in herself, she knew the forest, mountains, and wildlife were due respect. Especially during the night.

“I mean, don’t you find it odd that the bears are so few around here? Like ok… boars and rabbits and what have you, but where are all the bears? I’m convinced they’re hidden somewhere in the deeper parts of the forest.” 

“Haven’t you patrolled deeper in? With Karl, maybe?” Nick asked with brows raised.

“No, I have, but we hardly saw anything exciting. You can’t really believe we only got the 3 bears we’ve spotted this year around here. I mean, the place is massive,” Y/N's breath was slightly labored as they continued along the steep path, "The highest points are so difficult to access, the few times we actually get up there can’t really give us that great of an insight.”

“Bears are nosey. They’d have come down to explore way more had they really been cooped up high up there. I know it’s odd, but there’s just not that many. I’m sure there’s more than the 3 we’ve inventoried, definitely. But I wouldn’t expect many more deeper in.”

“What does Karl think? He’s not much of a talker.”

In all honesty, Y/N preferred patrolling with any other of their colleagues. She wasn’t big on small talk, which Nick seemed to have a penchant for. She much rathered be vigilant and actually do her job whilst patrolling instead of listening to his mindless chit-chat. Or maybe it just irked her ‘cause she had a feeling he had a thing for her and was worried he’d try more one day.

“He’s on the same page. He’s been here the longest and has seen most of this forest, but it’s always been like this. I’d say we’re lucky not to be handling that many bears. Maybe look for excitement outside of work.”

Y/N let that comment at the end slide. She got the vibe that Nick might have been trying to flirt with her once or twice but she wasn’t about to entertain any workplace romance. Especially not with him, since that would definitely not amount to much excitement if she was being honest.

“Maybe if we were stationed at the highest point we’d have a better understanding of what really goes on in the deepest parts…”

“Yeah, no. You’ll see once we hit winter, there’s no way to make it to the top, no SUVs or ATVs are gonna get you there unless we hiked up there and stationed for longer periods of time. And that’s definitely not in the job description for me, I didn’t sign up for ranger life full time.”

“Suppose you’re right… It’s a difficult climb even when dry. I don’t think I could’ve driven the 4x4 on my own up there. Karl definitely knows the trail like the back of his hand and we got stuck a few times anyway – what was that?” 

“What was what?”

“Didn’t you hear that?”

They both perked their ears up and listened intently but there was nothing to be heard except for the usual forest noises. “Sounded like a wounded pup.”

They kept on listening for a while and then slowly resumed their trek, “Well if it was a pup, you know what that means. Where there’s a pup, there’s a she-wolf guarding it with her life. Honestly, I’d have much rathered had more bears on our hands than all these wolves.”

“At least they keep their distance, not as nosey as bears are, as you put it.”

“Unless you get in their way,” Nick cautioned.

Y/N knew the story, knew who she'd replaced when she got this job, and what had happened to him. Safe to say, she didn’t want to stumble upon any wolves while patrolling on foot. Whenever they were inventorying fauna they would take their jeeps for a reason.

“But the pup sounded like it was hurting…”

“Virtually impossible. They’d never let a pup stray from the pack. You’re just not used to hearing them up close. It’s deceiving, even the young are quite feral. And never by themselves.”

Y/N was not convinced, she knew what she’d heard, but then why wasn’t the pup crying out again? Maybe she’d imagined things. And Nick was definitely right about not going near a wolf pup.

After finishing doing their nightly rounds, Nick got in his car and drove away, leaving Y/N to peace and quiet. 

She filled her water bottle and turned the radio on. The radio station Y/N usually listened to began crackling and the fuzzy noise was more annoying than silence, so she turned it off. She wondered if the moon was affecting the equipment at all. Normally she had no issues listening to the station. It was one of the few that typically came in crystal clear. She shrugged as she sipped her water.

The night shift wasn’t all that bad. It could be a little creepy. The dark, dark night, the noises coming from the forest, the chill in the air, the silence inside the station… She tried to ignore the strange feeling she had in her chest. Something felt off. Perhaps it was because it was her first night shift during a full moon. Perhaps it was nothing. Perhaps it was just that she couldn’t listen to a little bit of music while she did her paperwork. The music made things feel lighter.

The tiny station wasn’t anything special, but it did have some very high-tech equipment, medical-grade kits, room for a bed, a table, a bathroom, a desk, and an entry area for any wandering humans. The daytimes are for people. During the day shift, she was used to encountering a person here and there. People would occasionally come into the station with a question during daylight hours. But at night, it was animals. They’d usually run off before she could spot them. She’d hear them, she’d take notes and infrared pictures, and use the data to compile for inventorying and informational purposes.

Finishing half of her bottle of water, Y/N locked up the room with the computer and turned the sign on the window to the station so it read ring bell for help just in case anyone were to wander toward the station. After dark, the forest park was closed, except to registered campers, but that didn’t always stop people from finding their way inside anyway.

She was about to settle in with her book when she heard the same wail as before, much fainter this time due to how far away she now was from the place she’d heard it initially. And even then, she registered it would’ve been across a clearing that was most probably amplifying it and making it sound way closer than it actually was. 

Her keys in her hands, she debated what to do. What if it was hurt? It sounded like it was hurt. After all, part of her job as a ranger was to ensure the wildlife’s safety, and poachers were unfortunately hard to keep at bay. 

It didn’t necessarily have to be a wolf. There were all sorts of pups that sounded about the same at an early age. Could’ve very well been a stray dog even, not unheard of, and actually much more probable to roam on its own than a wolf. Maybe it was attacked by a wolf and left to suffer, maybe it wasn’t poachers at all. Maybe, maybe, maybe. The possibilities were endless.

She thought to call Nick back in, after all, how far could he have gone? But she felt a sense of urgency taking over her, well, if worse came to worst - she was armed and knew her way around the woods.

Wolves travel in packs. There’s no way there was just this one pup and maybe its mother - no, she’d have heard them from afar. And especially with the full moon, they were bound to be vocal. 

Just to be safe though, she took the Jeep. Making sure to keep a low profile - after all, the moon was up and was definitely aiding her way around the forest without having to turn on the headlights - she knew the general direction she was going in, but couldn’t help but wish the pup would make some noise so that she’d be able to locate it more easily. 

She kept her window down and her engine revving to a minimum as she made her way as close to the clearing as possible. She’d have to go on foot soon, but she would leave the car close enough to make a run for it if needed. 

The cracking of twigs underfoot and the bright moon rising above made her feel grounded. The moon gave her a sense of direction, while the dried twigs let her know she was stepping on solid ground. Though it was only visible when the curtain of leaves opened every ten feet or so, it was the moon that would help guide her back toward the path.

Y/N stopped and closed her eyes. She wanted to hear it again, the noise that she’d heard earlier. It could have been a wolf. It was very likely a wolf or stray dog. But she wanted to hear it once more and then she’d turn back, she promised herself. With her eyes closed and the sounds of the wind blowing through the brush and the tree limbs, the scent of pine and wood all around, she felt calm. These moments were the ones she considered a perk of the job. Being in nature, still, and quiet with a cry of an owl or a small peep of a fox.

She sighed and opened her eyes. Her heart rate had calmed considerably. The silence of the moment (though not without the noises of nature all around) had made her feel peaceful. Y/N shook her head and laughed at herself. She was silly to wander off the path in this off-limits zone. It was dangerous at night. It was time to head back to the trail.

And there it was again! The whimpering of the pup, but this time around, she could also hear muttering. Human muttering. Poachers, then. Just her luck. She knew she had no choice but to call in reinforcement in this case - there was no way she was gonna arrest people on her own, even if by some miracle there was only one person, which was never the case anyway. She went for her walkie-talkie and then fumbled for her phone instead, realizing yet again she was alone at the station for the night. Nick was gonna have to make that u-turn after all.

But just when she was about to make the phone call, she stumbled upon a very peculiar scene. 

There was just one man - oddly enough, probably an amateur since he didn’t know this was definitely not a one-man job, and he was holding the pup close to him, while he was kneeling on the ground in front of it. 

She couldn’t tell the exact breed of the pup. She was too far away and it was too young to tell, but the man was the one she was casting all her attention upon now. He seemed to be in some sort of physical pain, he was contorting and grunting, which was what was making the pup whimper. It didn’t seem to fear the man, but it was clearly compassionate to his suffering. 

Still - what the hell was this man doing? Had the pup been the one to cause him harm, he’d have hurt it by now, she’d seen her fair share of human cruelty. But the pup was not budging. Also, the man was speaking to it, whatever he was muttering was more than just grunts of pain - he was actually speaking to the animal.

She took in the appearance of the man, or at least as little as she could make out of him from a distance. He had long hair, he was definitely a tall person, even knelt on the ground, she could tell. His appearance was overall very… unique. Certainly not your average Joe the poacher. 

An idea came to her that made her grasp her rifle more tightly than before. What if he was some sort of hippie weirdo, some sort of witchcraft enthusiast that was looking to perform some sacrifice on the pup? With the way his body was contorting, and the chants he was seemingly performing, his overall appearance, the dark clothes, the long hair - it all added up. He was gonna sacrifice the pup for some pagan ritual and she wasn’t about to sit there and watch him take out a knife or something right before her eyes, hurting the pup before she could intervene!

“Stop right there!” 

The man’s eyes darted toward her immediately and she could’ve sworn they shined a bright yellow hue when they made eye contact. Clearly, her imagination was running wild with this whole pagan ritual scenario she’d been envisioning just earlier because the closer she got the more the man looked as normal as any.

Well. Maybe that wasn’t quite the right way to describe him. Aiming the rifle at him and advancing slowly, she couldn’t help but take in his appearance more closely. His eyes were in fact piercing, but they were a very light shade of bright green. His complexion seemed quite ghostly but that was surely due to the intensity of the moonlight that was shining brightly upon them in the clearing. His hair was unlike anything she’d ever seen on a man before. Long, silky curls, reaching slightly over his shoulders, it appeared to be wild and soft at the same time. She couldn’t make up her mind, because his mouth kept catching her eye the most, his large mouth with luscious, almost feminine lips that shone temptingly in the moonlight along with his irises. She had to stop inspecting his appearance as soon as her eyes landed on his cross pendant that hung low on his torso, his shirt open to his ribcage. She’d gotten close enough, and also, she was getting distracted.

Yes. He was unusual looking for sure. She was probably not far off in her assumptions since there was an eerie vibe to him, but what really confirmed it was the intensity of his stare.

He was staring at her in a way no one had in her entire life. She couldn’t read anything in his eyes - not surprise, not fear, not malicious intent - nothing. But she felt incredibly vulnerable under his scrutiny. She barely had a chance to glance at the pup, which, at a closer inspection, she still couldn’t quite tell whether it was wolf or not. It was weird how it just stood there next to the man, though. Like it was his pet he’d trained for years and years, and the pup couldn’t have been more than 7 maybe 8 months old judging by its build. 

The man was still panting heavily, his jaw slightly set, but whatever was happening to him before - pain or him performing a chant or whatever it was - had seized. She made sure her demeanor and voice were unwavering “What are you doing with this animal here? Are you aware you are trespassing in a prohibited area?”

“Officer. I was not aware. I’ll be out of your hair, and back on the trail.”

“Stay put.” she gestured with her rifle, discouraging him to get up as he was about to. “Why didn’t you log into the station if you were going to camp overnight? You are violating a number of laws here, sir. Is this animal yours?”

She tried her level best to read him, but his eyes weren’t giving away anything. It was like looking at a psychopath, oddly enough, that was the only comparison that came to her mind. She’d never seen anything like it.

“I wasn’t planning on camping… the pup is my pet. He wandered off a while ago and I’d been looking for him ever since. Now that I’ve found him, we’ll be leaving.”

“Sir, I will not warn you again. You are to stay put until I give you clear instructions otherwise.” She looked at him some more, scanning him head to toe as best she could. He was wearing chelsea boots. Heeled chelsea boots. Velour, heeled chelsea boots… to go for a hike? “Did you drive here?”

“Yes, my vehicle is parked at the southeast entrance into the forest.”

“That’s the furthest exit. A long trek over here, at least a 9-hour walk. You’re telling me you made it all the way over here dressed in those?” she pointed her rifle to his boots and for the first time she saw a hint of a reaction on his face, if only for a split second.

A smirk.

The man had smirked. 

Was this entertaining to him? 

“I stopped for a quick walk, just to get some fresh air. I wasn’t planning on spending the whole day here. My pet wandering off left me no choice, I’m afraid.”

“What’s the dog’s name? Why isn’t it collared? What breed is it?”

The man looked over to the pup who was just standing there dumbly. This was the oddest dog she’d ever seen. If she didn’t know any better she could’ve sworn he’d placed some spell on it to stand so still - she’d never seen a dog behaving like this in her whole life.

“I don’t know. Haven’t had him long.”

“Sir, have you stolen this dog?”

There it was again, that smirk, only this time, it seemed like he was doing it with his eyes somehow. They sparkled with mischief. “No.”

“Do you have any means to prove this is, in fact, your pet?”

“He obeys me.”

Y/N whistled and tried to make the pup come to her, but it didn’t even budge. 

“I’m his owner.” the man reiterated.

“I’ll have to take it in until you can make proof of ownership, I’m afraid.”

“You’ll do no such thing.”

Y/N scoffed “Sir, you are in no position of bargaining. Let me see some ID.”

“I don’t have any on me.”

Y/N pondered the situation. Did she really want to take him into the station? She wasn’t prepared for that, she didn’t call in for reinforcement as per protocol, and she would’ve just gotten herself into unnecessary trouble. She could easily just take the pup - the sweet little thing was obedient and well-behaved, check its chip to see if it was in fact stolen, and have the man bring in proof the next day. Yeah. That sounded a lot more reasonable.

“I’m taking the pup into the station until you make proof of ownership tomorrow. You’re lucky I’m not fining you for trespassing.” She unclasped a key from her keychain and threw it at him, he didn’t budge to catch it so it hit him square in the chest “That’s for the tourist cabin down west from here, it’s a 5-minute walk. You can’t miss it. Stay on the path, and don’t try and take any shortcuts. This area isn’t tourist friendly. This is why you should log in at the station when you plan on camping. Make sure to check for snakes, otherwise, it should make do to get you through the night,” she also threw a flashlight in his direction. “Use that.” She whistled again, trying to get the pup’s attention “Come here, boy, c’mon.”

The pup wasn’t budging, if anything it began whimpering. The man looked at it and without having to say a word, it unglued itself from him and made its way toward her reluctantly.

This man was definitely into some dark magic at the very least. The whole thing sent shivers down her spine. It was as though he had the dog hypnotized or something.

She tied a makeshift lead around the pup’s neck and secured it to her belt, as best she could while still aiming the rifle at the strange man. “You may get up now.”

He didn’t even bother picking up the keys and the flashlight in doing so. He stood at an impressive height, even taller than she’d originally assumed. He was clearly concealing his displeasure with the way he had to give up the dog, that perpetual scowl on his face was the only thing trading any kind of emotion, though she suspected that was his default expression.

“I expect you tomorrow at the station with proof of ownership. If you don’t show up it’s considered a federal offense. Am I understood?”

“Understood, officer.”

She nodded and lowered her rifle for the first time since coming upon him. “Be safe.” 

She waited for him to start towards the cabin, but he was just standing there, staring at her. “It’s that way,” she gestured the rifle in the direction she’d indicated earlier.

He reluctantly took a step back, and then another, and then turned and disappeared into the woods. It was as if he’d never been there.

She looked down at the puppy who was seemingly distressed, looking after its owner “It’s alright, boy. You’re safe,” she whispered at it and then tugged on the lead to make their way back towards the jeep. 

It wasn’t until she got inside and secured the pup in the crate she had in the back that she realized the man hadn’t picked up the key and the flashlight from the ground.

Oh well. His problem. She’d done her duty.

The drive back was much shorter now that she could use the headlights and not worry about being as silent as possible. Just as she was about to unlock the station though, she heard a wolf howling. She’d not heard one as close in the whole 2 months she’d been stationed there. It made all her hair stand up on her body.

The last thing she expected was for the sweet little pup by her side to start howling in return. 

“Guess you’re not exactly a dog, are you, boy?”

She knew it. That man was not its owner. And whatever hold he’d had on the pup was not exactly human either.

Chapter 2

A/N: (@fkinavocado and @gurugirl here) We're so excited to begin this series and we really hope you love it as much as we do! ❤️

please remember to like & reblog if you enjoyed this, and most importantly, come share your thoughts on it with us here 💌

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[circeyoru]

{Collection of Overlords} Trick's Design

Everyone! Meet Trickster, the (somewhat) opposite of you!

If you had yet to read Part 7, go to MASTERLIST and read that first. This is a major spoil for that part.

Name: Trickster (aka Trick as per your nickname to them)

Alias: Noir

Title: The Big G | God | Lord

Status: The True Ruler of Heaven | Supreme Being of the Heaven Realm

Species: The Holy Entity | Symbol of Angelic | Everything & Anything

Appearance: Basically an opposite height of yours, like if you’re tall they’re short and if you’re pretty average height then they are too. Has short black hair and pitch black eyes (think Cannibals’ eye feature). Wears baggy and causal clothing, think long sleeves that covers the hands, they love waving that in your face. Does not wear any accessories because they hate those human creation. Has a pair of silver wings with golden highlights

Prounoun: They/them

Personality: 

“Nothing’s decided, nothing’s fated. Nothing’s anything really. Where’s the fun is picking or thinking a reason for anything. Don’t put your assumptions on us Rulers. You’ll only get hurt. I don’t mind watching though.”

Trick was once kind and sweet, living up to the expectation and painting of what the humans think of them. At the time, you were truly the ‘evil’ one and you do call them by ‘Noir’ as it was a name you two picked for each other after a colour that was believed to suit the other. Like how they saw light in you, you saw dark in them. And you were right. Noir was the dutiful God that was merciful and forgiving to humans, they watched over the living and Heaven while you were down in Hell with the souls of the damned. Rarely would Noir call you for a little meet up to pass the time. The changed them was the humans that committed evil time and time again, in their rage and disgust, they only saw the ugly side of the world that they so loved. Noir found it more pleasing to let the souls go to Hell that nurture them so that they would join them in Heaven. Those filth weren’t worthy in Noir’s mind.

Soon, Noir offered for you to mark where the souls go instead of only them judging and you dealing with the directions and torture to the evil ones. You changed and called them ‘Trick’ after that. From then on, Trick found pleasure in toying with the souls and saw them as their toys instead of living beings. Heaven had it worsen when things were done without understanding, all the high angels can do was listen to the ‘divine message’ that Trick gives as a prank. Just to see how far their ‘beloved’ angels would go. They have a dark interest and fascination with evil and his personality developed to match. Trick is indifferent to suffering of others that doesn’t interest them and is keen on causing chaotic and disorder as long as they get a laugh out of it.

However, Noir and you were once kept distanced from each other and he feels guilty for it but he puts his duties as the godly holy being above catching in on you while you’re in Hell. Now, as Trick changed and all that, they value your friendship and companionship with them above all else. The meetings like the one in Part 7 are more frequent and prolonged because Trick understands that you’re the only one that can match them and stay by their side without scaring for a terrible change. The way that you didn’t care what image they put up was another factor. With that being said, Trick bares some level of envy at your collection, especially your Overlord favourites. That was the reason why Trick killed you with holy powers and put both of you into a madatory slumber to heal.

Abilities / Powers: 

Immortality: It is physically, mentally, and spiritually impossible to kill Trick. Unless the user is the owner of curse based powers. Even after killing Trick, all they need to do is wait for time to pass and their body will be reformed so they can move and do everything again

Holy Powers: A higher form of light powers

Omnipotent: As a True Ruler and Supreme Being of a realm, Trick is all-powerful but has weaker curse and darkness-based powers and abilities

Omniscient: As a True Ruler and Supreme Being of a realm, Trick is all-knowing of what happens all around. Knowledge is at their disposal if Trick wants to know, but they rarely do because they view that there’s nothing interesting to know

Omnipresent: As a True Ruler and Supreme Being of a realm, Trick is present everywhere (but Hell) at all times. This ability is more commonly used when it was their Noir phase since Trick doesn’t like being everywhere at all times

Realm Travelling: Trick can travel between the Heaven Realm and Earth Realm, but can never enter Hell

Soul Marking: Trick can mark a still living human soul and judge whether they go to Heaven or Hell, now they mark souls with you so he only marks those that are allowed to Heaven instead of both realms

Flight: Trick has a pair of wings that can give them flight to travel to wherever they pleases. Shown to be able to float with it opened and even fly from high up in the sky to down onto the streets

Death: Trick can cut a human’s life short with a wave of their hand or wing

Teleportation: Trick can teleport themselves and other beings with them to wherever they please without any incarnation or action needed

Fun Facts: 

Trick’s favourite colour is black, that’s why you picked ‘Noir’ as Trick’s name in the beginning. However, ‘noir’ also means a genre of crime film or fiction characterized by cynicism, fatalism, and moral ambiguity in the dictionary which they are later on fascinated by when they changed personalities. In contrast, Trick hates the colour gold or yellow

Trick is the more childish and unhinged one between you and them

Some time to time, Trick descends to Earth and ‘haunt’ places to scare humans. They find the ghost hunting videos and ‘ghost hunters’ a funny concept

Trick hates ‘shiny rocks’, basically gemstones, and gold, namely anything that humans see as valuable and makes into jewelry. The only exception is silver because that’s what they picked as your nickname

When Trick gets bored, they whine to you telepathically. If you shut them off, they’ll give random and harmless ‘divine messages’ to the angels and have them fly around trying something impossible and Trick gets a laugh out of it

One can get Trick to eat anything if there’s cream on it. Trick can eat frosting and whipcream without getting bored of it

Trick can’t stand spicy food, it reminds them too much of the sun and being under it

(what kind of other fun facts do you think will fit Trick or Noir?)

Note: How you like this character? Oh right, there isn't a definite design for Trick/Noir as of right now, so you can go ahead with the drawing and doodles if you like~

Circe Y.

Taglist: (those that don't specify to being in all the works' taglist will automatically be assumed to be in whichever series they comment on)

@aconfusedwonderland @crowleysthings @donustellaron @mistpurpl3 @lucifers-silhouette @fluffy-koalala @plutobots @ray-rook @thealienartist @serenity-songbird @galaxydreamer468 @raynerrold @wen01203 @hikari-michiko @colecreo @myromanempiree @xsamkuro @yourdoorisunlocked @clavelina @jono723 @cursedcattalastor @an-idyllic-novelist @flamiohotman2024 @rea-grace @myromanempiree @veroneverleft @lousypotatoes @crazysuityouth @jellyedkazoo @wat4r @kiraisastay @thealienartist @chefysawesomeideas @wtvbabes @patronizingbitch @koshi-kazu @craftyperfectiontragedy @scr4luv @chrollobb @mysterypotatoink @callmefe

[is-the-snake-video-cute]

I’ve got so many more snake and snake related questions and so I’m just gonna give them in a big list:

I thought that your “animal bones” tag said “snake bones” and now I’m fascinated by that idea as a tag and generally snake skeleton stuff. This isn’t a question I suppose.

Is the number of vertebra of a snake (minus the tail vertebra) comparable in amount to human vertebra?

Are snake scales and snake skin made out of the same stuff human skin and nails and hair are made of (keratin and collagen and the like)?

Are any snakes physically capable of chewing or generally eating something not-whole? Do any of them chew?

To your knowledge, was the creation of syringe needles inspired in any way by snake fangs?

How do scientists milk venom, physically? How much can you take from a snake in one go without harming it? How often?

What are your “smartest” and “dumbest” snakes, if such a thing can be quantified?

Thank you for the snake fact answers. I could just look it up but SEO is a bitch and I like asking people questions about things they’re passionate about.

Great questions!!

Snake bones are so cool. I love looking at viper skeletons especially.

2. Nope! People have like 24 vertebrae, with snakes it depends on species length but snakes have between 100-600. Snake tails are actually pretty short when compared to their torsos (look at the skeleton image below, the tail starts where the ribs end); tails have as few as 10 and as many as a couple hundred vertebrae. Those numbers sound very variable, and that's because snakes just vary so wildly in size and shape!

3. Yes! The same materials make up snake skin and scales as make up human skin and nails. Same stuff, different blueprint! :)

4. Snakes are built very specifically to swallow whole prey, and there are no real exceptions to this. No snake can chew. Some snakes, like snail-eaters, have specialized teeth and jaws designed to "scoop" snails out of their shells so sometimes they don't get it all in one go, but even they are built to try and get as much out at once as possible.

5. Not to my knowledge, I think it's a matter of convergent evolution! :) Hollow needles are just really good at getting stuff into other stuff.

6. When we do venom extractions from snakes, we usually just have them bite a funnel and what they give us is what they give us. If a certain venom is in very high demand, then sometimes we'll express the venom glands while the snake is biting down. That involves gently squeezing the glands to ensure a good amount of venom is released in the bite. It looks rough but I promise it's not, the hold is as gentle as possible and the snakes are not hurt in the process! You gently hold the snake's neck to keep them restrained and keep everyone safe (if you lightly squeeze your wrist just hard enough to manually tilt your hand, it's about that much pressure) and you use your fingers on the opposite hand to express the glands.

We might get 1/10 a teaspoon from each snake per extraction, it's genuinely just a few drops. It takes multiple snakes to get enough to do anything with. At my lab we extract from each snake about once every other week; they need time to relax in between! Venom isn't necessary to remain healthy for lab snakes, but we don't want to stress them.

7. In general, elapids (cobras and their relatives) are the smartest snakes I've ever worked with! King cobras absolutely take the award here, they're so intelligent and curious and just a treat to interact with. Our old boy at my lab, Puppy, can put himself in his handling tube and is always such a show-off for tours. One of my favorite snakes at the lab is an Egyptian cobra named Seth, he's so much fun and loves figuring out the food puzzles and mazes I set up for him!

As for dumbest...I've said it before and I'll say it again, but hognoses are just absolutely zero thoughts animals.

[delcakoo]

im obsessed with hybrid aus i wish there were more ☹️☹️

what do you think hybrid!rikis or hybrid!taehyuns (either of them i rlly dont mind) would be when they found out they were getting adopted 😁

OOOO i decided to go w riki to continue my hybrid riki agenda !! consider it a warmup for the longer fic i have in the work for him 🫶 also i was thinking of picking up my pokemon riki fic since it was literally a scene from being done 🧌 sigh so many riki thoughts

3:41PM — “so, what kind of companion would you be looking for in a hybrid?”

you give the adoption centre employee a nervous smile, “um, i’m actually not too sure yet,” you confess. “sorry, i should’ve came more prepared.”

the boy with a nametag reading ‘mark’ giggles, leading you to the back where you assume the hybrids are located. “nah, we get customers like you a lot, don’t worry. just follow me and let me know if anyone catches your eye.”

with an appreciative nod, you follow him into what you assume is the bunny hybrid area judging by the long, droopy ears atop each hybrid’s head. one bunny with shining blue hair watches as you walk by with big, boba eyes, and you hastily lift a hand to wave in his direction. you grin when he shyly waves back, taking note of the name ‘soobin’ on his pen.

mark speaks up, vocalizing just what you’d been thinking. “these are our bunnies, the most common species of hybrid right before dogs and cats. they’re definitely nice if you want a cuddly and affectionate match, but if you decide on one, you’ll have to bunny-proof your whole house before taking them home,” he notifies.

you tilt your head, “what does that mean?”

“well just like real bunnies, they have a habit of chewing everything, especially if their owner isn’t giving them enough attention. i’m sure you can guess what that means for your furniture and well.. everything else in your house.”

you gulp, glancing back at soobin who’s now busy chewing on small carrot slices. “… i think i’ll keep looking.”

after getting through the rowdy enclosure of dog hybrids and silently independent cat hybrids, you sigh. mark’s brows furrow, sending you a sympathetic gaze, “still nobody?”

instea of replying you glance around the room, eyes locking onto a seperate grey door reading ‘enter with caution’. without a moment’s hesitation, you rush over in big, curious strides. mark’s footsteps quickly follow, grabbing the handle first right as you reach out for it. “hey, uh- ma’am, i dont really think there’s anyone in there suited for you,” he laughs awkwardly.

you give him a polite smile, and you can tell it scares the male a bit by the drop in his expression. “i’ll decide that for myself, please.” the boy swallows, pulling the door open for you hesitantly and trailing close behind.

some hisses and other strange sounds were heard as you walk in and gasp, taking in the sight of all sorts of unique looking hybrids. “these are our.. other hybrid options. all quite rare species, and of course way more expensive and challenging to look after,” he reminds.

you slowly walk by cage after cage, mark introducing you to a meek-looking deer girl, a giddy, cheerful penguin, and even one buff tiger hybrid along the way. most of them were either scared or curious at the sight of you, though the tiger seemed more determined to intimidate you than earn your ownership.

however, a moving figure near the back of one enclosure catches your eye before you can mention anything. you watch intriguingly as a pitch black tail swishes side to side under the dim lighting, gaze drifting up to meet the face of a tall, pouty-lipped black cat boy. unlike the other hybrids that rushed up to see you or pounced away in fear, he only sits there in silence, studying you curiously.

“oh, that’s riki,” mark informs from behind you. “he’s a panther hybrid, and he doesn’t care for humans much from what we’ve seen so i wouldn’t really recommend him.”

riki’s ears drop at the male’s words, but he doesn’t say anything. you inhale, “can i go inside the enclosure then?”

“uh.. yeah, i guess so. but ma’am, i really think there are better matches for you back at..”

mark’s words fade into the background as you focus on opening riki’s cage, slowly stepping inside until you were only a few feet from him. he makes no reaction to escape or attack; merely staring up at you with no emotion.

you clear your throat, abruptly feeling nervous as you tap your foot. the panther quickly notices your anxious movements, a tiny smirk growing onto his plush lips. “hi i’m y/n. it’s nice to meet you, riki. do you like it here?”

the panther blinks calmly, “i get free food and shelter, so it’s okay i guess.” his deep voice visibly startles you, and riki giggles breathily as he watches your eyes widen and lips stutter. he thinks you’re cute.

“well then uh- what would you think about coming home with me?”

you watch worriedly as the cat boy glances at mark, clearly weighing his options while his tail swishes animatedly behind him. “i wouldn’t mind.”

at his shocking response, you snap your head over to the employee for confirmation, yet he simply shrugs in reply. “alright then, i’ll go get you the paperwork.”

by the time you’ve slowly turned back to face him, ready to begin some basic small talk, your jaw nearly falls from your face. the hybrid - technically your hybrid now — has risen to his feet, realising in horror that he towers over you ridiculously. you estimate he’s around 6’2, and his cute, fluffy ears only make you look that extra inch shorter.

you choke at the smug, amused smirk now plastered across riki’s lips. “is something wrong, owner?” he asks slyly.

only a few minutes past your introduction, and you were already starting to question who was owning who in this relationship.

this wasn’t supposed to be that long why do i always do this 💔 other hybrid riki drabble heree