#THEY ARE BOTH IN THE WRONG ENCLOSURE. THEY ARE NOT THE RIGHT ANIMAL. THEY CANNOT FUNCTION

[crystallinemoonlight]

Just saw a great post about Vegas' hedgehog and the symbolism of its ill-fitted enclosure, and I can't stop thinking about it; it's a hedgehog in a birdcage, an enclosure it was never going to thrive in no matter what because that cage could simply never meet its needs, and in that cage the hedgehog grew sick and miserable, until eventually, it died. Vegas is the hedgehog in the birdcage; his home and life were never going to meet his needs. It was never going to be a healthy environment where he could thrive. Just like the hedgehog, Vegas grew sick and miserable, and almost died because of it.

And there's even more to it: the hedgehog couldn't be saved, but Vegas did. Vegas got put in a better environment suited to his needs where he could heal. He is the hedgehog of his father that didn't die. And see, the series sets Vegas as the owner and Pete as the pet, but I think this goes just as much the other way around, because Pete took the hedgehog out of the birdcage, Pete made sure Vegas' needs were met.

[stevensaus]

Learn To Write Better From Films (feat. Morbius)

I gave up on Morbius approximately a half hour into the film, whereas I just eagerly finished the audiobook of World War Z, a book I've read twice before. The reason for both of those decisions is extremely important for genre writers. The very opening scene of Morbius had me yelling "THAT IS NOT HOW BATS WORK", which should have been a warning sign. Ten minutes in, and I'd said "THAT IS NOT HOW THAT WORKS" three additional times (IV pumps, the Nobel Prize, research methodology). Five minutes after that, the count was up to seven times. That rate pretty much held constant until I gave up. Some of those things were, perhaps, due to specialized knowledge. Some of them are very common. Take Morbius' "aquarium for flying mammals". Aside from vampire bats not killing the animals they feed from (and just needing mammals, not humans), that "aquarium" has NOWHERE FOR THE BATS TO PERCH TO SLEEP. But again, the film made basic, mundane errors - ones that I caught - seven times in fifteen minutes. Every two minutes, Morbius required me to suspend my disbelief about something mundane in the real world. So by the time they got to where suspension of disbelief was required in his origin story, I was already done. In contrast, Max Brooks' novel World War Z gets all the "real world" details right. (Also, the audiobook version with the full cast is amazing.) I mean, it's right enough that it is spooky revisiting his pre-pandemic predictions about people's reaction to an unknown virus. So when you're asked to suspend your disbelief about the zombies, it is a very small ask. Please note that I'm not talking about the level of detail. I am not talking about always listing out, say, the specific model number of the rifle your protagonist is using. I am saying that it is imperative for authors to not get the details you use be wrong. Nearly all the things that bothered me in what I saw of Morbius were easily solvable. Here's some possible fixes: - It's a newly-discovered discovered sub-species of vampire bat that requires primate blood, not just mammalian blood. - Morbius does his research in a gritty basement/garage lab and cobbles together a home-grown CRISPR to do his research. - Cut the Nobel prize scene, make it about turning down a Big Pharma offer. - Proper enclosures for the bats, naturally. - Make the IV thing about medicine, not fixing medical equipment. - Use an EMR at the big fancy research hospital, not a chart on the end of the bed. That also would allow an opportunity to show he's also a computer genius, if required. - Maybe try to be a little closer to actual research methodology? If you want to show Morbius being sneaky and smart, then have his "public" lab - and then show his home lab where he bends the rules. - VAMPIRE BATS DO NOT DEVOUR CREATURES LIKE THAT. FFS. These changes would have not taken any more screen time, and probably would have also decreased the SFX budget. And you don't need the bats to be violent; you've already established that people are violent with the bullying scene, as if we didn't know. I cannot see this as anything but an utter failure of the writing team. I haven't even thought about the dialogue, or plotting, or any other aspect of Morbius here, because this threw me out of the movie so thoroughly. But at least Morbius is useful for something other than memes: It can show you why getting your details right matters, particularly in genre fiction. Read the full article

[cgbraincell]

This is Chally, she is one of my geckos (compared to foster boys). She was similar in younger structure to another of my geckos I bought from a pet store (it’s the one you shouldn’t, and that is a conversation to another time), and I had named him Grahm, so it fit. Grahm has since hit very different proportions.

Chally is my designated “Spicy Girl,” due to her not being shy about letting me know when I have plucked her up - usually off my back - in a manner she finds uncomfortable. She is well within her right to nip me and I apologize to her for it since I am in the wrong in those cases. I cannot for the life of me get her colors photographed right, when fired down she is a lovely greenish tone, with cream raised scales and this incredible variable orange all over her body. When fired up, the green turns a chocolate brown. My favorite bit is how her firing scales blend into the orange in an almost airbrush fashion along her head and dorsal.

Chally was adopted to me from my friend who I have mentioned, and in general our geckos are more part of our collective, although some are obviously hers or mine. In the case of either of us needing a hand, break, or anything happening to us, we entrust our gecko care to the other.

Why I want to talk about Chally has everything to do with sexing.

When my friend picked Chally up (from a location my “Shin” has come from alongside one of her gargoyle geckos) and looked at her in the parking lot, she noticed the indent in Chally’s post-cloacal bulge and assumed a male. Later when I was introduced to Chally - unnamed at the time - I noted overlapping scales and some instance of pores. Chally has been a mystery to us.

Here is a chart that is often used for sexing, and there are of course folks using loupes (not affiliated) to look for pores. It is a generality that the sexing can be done looking for the features mentioned in the chart and my insecure fellow Io has all of these markers, with a seriously incredible amount of wax coming from his pores.

Primary and secondary sexual characteristics can vary and intermix in just about any animal, so it is of no surprise to find a gecko who had overlapping scales, some pores, and this bulge indent, only for me to be fairly certain that she is, in fact, female. As Chally has grown, I have noticed the overlap has lessened, and although she still has some ‘pseudo’ pores, I have no doubt she is female.

As I have mentioned, there is some degree of my interaction with my geckos that would be marked as irresponsible as a whole. Based in my own curiosity, I have let different geckos ‘meet’ in neutral spaces where they have been watched closely. Previously, I let Alduin smell something from Eddie’s enclosure and he was all over it. I also let him meet Eddie and he had some definite interest. I figured he would be a good critter to get a read on Chally, and he showed the same interest, including singing to her from a distance. His attempts to woo are clumsy, so I put my fingers in the way for him to bite during his amorous display.

Initially, this told me Chally was female, until I had Alduin meet “Thel,” wherein Alduin seemed somewhat interested sexually. Thel is another conversation piece entirely. Yesterday, I let Chally and Io meet, knowing that Io is...uncertain how to put this. He tries to claim his space with his scent in any way possible, including regularly dropping waste or projectile urinating (seriously) when he is out and smells anyone else. He’s not shy about taking fifteen minutes to rub his wax all over a surface either. As an aside, I’ve noticed what appears to be pores on his hemepenal bulge as well. That being said, he does not seem to know how to react to a female.

He spent fifteen minutes doing this.

Although he spent some time smelling Chally, his sexual interest did not culminate in anything - nor would I have let it. Chally, however, was entirely receptive to his presence alone, lifting her back end to allow vent access. While I suppose there is a chance I have read this wrong and she was threatening to poop on him, I’ve suspected since I met her that she is actually female, and it just seemed to be another check mark on that list of why she definitely is.

Chally was acting ‘odd’ recently. I have been working to get everyone set up in ideal enclosures and she is meant to go into the 20 gallon Hex from Thrive (PetSmart), but in the meantime she was in a bin that was admittedly too small. She had started fitting herself under this habba hut she could barely squeeze under, and otherwise was guarding it. I set something up quickly in an enclosure I could stick substrate in, under the belief that she was, perhaps, about to lay duds. We do not know her age but she had grown rather quickly to about 8″ (20.3cm) long and 34g since I got her. I suspect she is about a year old, so likely too early, but they will surprise us sometimes. I see she has been enjoying this new setup and has not been shy about eating, but she dropped two grams after I put her into it. I have not dug around it yet, however she has been eating an awful lot since I got her so could just be a variance of whether or not There Was Poop in that Gecko.

They can surprise us sometimes, showing markers of being one thing or another and then we find out suddenly they are not that. I am probably fairly safe in saying Chally is female. Time will tell.

In the meantime, I sit in fear wondering, if she grew 3″ in 3 months, how big will she end up being? She is lacking certain adult proportion. I may have a very big lady on my hands, and I am both excited and terrified.

Also just to be clear, you should not have your geckos ‘meet.’ Just because I am a curious fool does not mean it is wise, and I accept that, and recommend against it.

[carriagelamp]

November 2020: A Months of Familiarity

This November ended up being a month of me either rereading old favourites, exploring new books by favourite authors, or a mix of both.

…Be prepared for so much Terry Prachett, I found his audiobooks on Libby last month and since that I’ve been unstoppable.

The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents

The first of my Terry Practhett books to mention! I chose to include this one on my list because it’s a beautiful stand alone novel, perfect to read if you’ve never touched on of Pratchett’s works before, and is often overlooked.

The book is about Maurice, an “amazing” cat by his own admission, who has teamed up with a stupid boy and his very own plague of rats. The moneymaking scheme is simple: set the rats loose on a town and after causing a panic let the boy stroll in and offer to play his pipe and lead them away… for a fee. This is working well, until Maurice, the boy, and the rats arrive in the town Bad Blintz. Here the rats are beginning to question the morality of their work, the boy gets entangled with a young, mischievous local girl, and they’re all shocked to find out that the town already has a real rat infestation… or so the rat catchers claim. Things quickly turn sinister and deadly as the group is forced to confront not only the cruelty of humanity, but something even more sinister living in the small, dark, hidden place of the town.

This is a YA book, unlike some of Pratchett’s other novels, so it’s a quick, fun read, while still having all of his dry wit and heavy, complicated thoughts about society, morality, belief, and what it means to be a person. It’s a genuine delight to see Maurice and the rats, recently made sentient by wizards’ rubbish, struggle to come to terms with who they were and who they are now.

Black Pearl Ponies: Red Star & Wildflower

Y’all it ain’t a secret at this point that I enjoy a stupid horse girl book, right? I picked up the first two books of the Black Pearl Ponies books from the library on a whim and they were basically what they promised. Girl lives with family on ranch, father helps train horses, girl goes on pony adventures with ponies. A particular focus is given to horse welfare and care. Very mediocre but a nice thoughtless covid read if you, like me, get a craving for animals books written for seven year olds from time to time. Plus this comes with the added humour of it being written, as far as I can tell, by a British author who thinks all Americans are stetson wearing cowboys which I find unreasonably funny.

Crenshaw

I love Katherine Applegate’s work; I read the Endling series earlier this year and they are overwhelmingly good. Crenshaw was also an enjoyable read, though not my favourite by her. It read a little bit like a book I read last fall, No Fixed Address, which was also a very good read though not my usual genre. Crenshaw is about a boy, Jackson, whose family, though close-knit and loving, is experiencing financial difficulties and struggle with food scarcity, homelessness, and all the instability and stress that results from this. During this tumultuous time, Jackson is surprised by the reappearance of a tall, bipedal, snarky cat — Crenshaw, his old imaginary friend. This is a charming book that blends genuine, real world hardships with whimsy and magical realism.

The Enemy Above: A Novel of WWII

Since it was Rememberance Day this month, I decided to pick up a holocaust novel. This book is about 12-year-old Anton, a young Jewish boy who finds himself fleeing from his Polish farm in the middle of the night with his old grandma when a German raiding party that attacks their village in an effort to make the countryside “judenfrei”. The book is, perhaps, not the most well-fleshed out, but it’s fast-paced and exciting for a child/YA audience that’s being introduced to holocaust literature, without trying to downplay the absolutely horror and brutality of the Nazis. It manages to strike a satisfying balance between fear, tragedy, and hope.

“Everything he had heard was true. He was just a twelve-year-old boy and yet they hunted him. He had broken no laws, done nothing wrong. He was simply born Jewish. How could anyone want to kill him for it?”

Gregor the Overlander

Somehow I never knew that Suzanne Collins wrote anything other than The Hunger Games? I stumbled across this series at a used bookstore and was first taken by the cover and then shocked when I realized I recognized the author’s name. Well The Hunger Games was such a good read, how could I not pick up a book with people riding on a giant fucking bat?

Such a good choice. I’m almost done book two and bought book three today after work. It is exactly the sort of low fantasy that I live for, when a fantasy world lives so close to the real world that you can practically touch it. I also love the fact that while all the wild fantastical elements are happening, you still have the main character taking care of his toddler sister the whole time. It’s at times charming, hilarious, and nerve-wracking!

It’s about Gregor, a normal kid who’s doing his best to help his mom take care of his two younger siblings ever since his father disappeared years ago. Gregor expected months of boredom when he agrees to stay home over the summer instead of going to camp like his sister in order to watch his baby sister, Boots, and their grandma while his mom is at work. He never could have expected that a simple trip to the apartment’s laundry room would lead to both him and Boots tumbling miles beneath the earth into the pitch black Underland, a place filled with giant rats and bugs and people with translucent skin who fly through the massive caverns on huge bats. He also could have never expected that he would get wrapped up in a deadly prophecy that would force him to travel into distant, dark lands into the waiting claws of an overwhelming enemy.

Kings, Queens, and In-Between

A Canadian queer novel that I’ve seen trumpeted everywhere. Libraries, classrooms, bookstore, this book got so much hype (and has such a pleasing cover) that I had to get my hands on it. Now, I’ve got to admit that it’s not really my genre; I don’t love realistic fiction. But that being said, it’s a fun, heart-warming, queer romp through that explores gender, sexuality, love, family, friendship… there’s a lot of lovable, quirky, complicated characters that get thrown together in unexpected ways at a local summer carnival. While there’s tension and misunderstandings and mistakes, this is overall a very optimistic and loving novel, and would be a great read if you want a queer novel that reads like cotton candy.

Love, The Tiger

This book is the graphic novel equivalent of a nature documentary. There’s no text, but you follow a day in the life of a tiger as it moves through the jungle on the quest for food. The art is honestly beyond outstanding, and though it’s a really quick read it is so very worth it. I’ve also read Love, The Lion in this series (also good, though a bit more confusing imho) as well as one of the books from his other series Little Tails which is still very nature and education based, though for a slightly younger audience.

Making Money

More Pratchett! Making Money was the first Discworld book I ever read, and it’s one of my most reread ones — it’s an ultimate comfort read! This is technically the sequel to Going Postal (another book I reread this month), in which conman Moist Von Lipwig is saved from a rightful death at the noose in exchange for agreeing to work for the city. Going Postal sees Moist narrowly dodging death in many varied forms as he tries to get the Anhk-Morpork postal service back on its feet and get the drifts of dead, whispering letters moving again. In Making Money things at the post office have become… too easy. Moist is bored, restless, until he finds himself thrust into a new job: head of the Royal Mint. There he has been given not only charge of the biggest bank in Anhk-Morpork, but also a dog with a price on its head, a lethal family with all the money in the world out for his blood, and the fear that his secret past life may be on the verge of being exposed to everyone, all while he’s desperately trying to make money…

The Moist series is honestly an example of Pratchett at his absolute best imo, and the amount of humour, wit, adventure, and scathing commentary he can build around a bank is outstanding. Cannot recommend enough.

The One And Only Ivan

Another book I’ve been hearing everyone talk about, as well as another Katherine Applegate book. It’s been on my radar for a while, but with the sequel and a movie coming out, it had everything at a fever pitch and I finally picked it up. Fantastic read, I definitely enjoyed it more than Crenshaw. This book was based off the true story of Ivan, a gorilla taken from his home in the jungle and sold to the owner of a mall, where he spent years of his life growing from child to adult silverback in a small, concrete enclosure. In this fictionalized version, everything changes for Ivan and his friends, when a new baby elephant is bought to help revitalize the mall attractions and Ivan makes a promise he doesn’t know how to keep: to protect this baby, and keep her from living the life Ivan and his friends were forced to. This book made me very emotional. Applegate’s picture book that goes along with it is also a great companion read.

Ranma ½

I realized that our library had the 2-in-1 editions of Ranma ½ and honestly that was it for me. This has been a favourite series of mine since I was in middle school and realized that the creator of Inuyasha had written other things. It is unapologetically ridiculous and larger-than-life and you have to love the shameless joy it has at being ludicrous. It does start to feel a little repetitive the further into the series you go, but at the moment, with covid, I find I have a huge tolerance for rereading slightly repetitive things so long as they make me happy. And boy howdy does the vaguely queer undertones, endless pining, and relentless slapstick of Ranma ½  make me happy. This is classic manga y’all and if you’ve never read it you should!

The basic premise, for anyone that doesn’t is that of an bonkers martial arts comedy. It follows Ranma and his father who, while training in China, fell into cursed springs. Each spring has the tragic legend of a person or animal who drowned in it, and if someone falls in they inevitably turn into that creature any time they’re doused in cold water. Ranma had the misfortune of falling into “The Spring of Drowned Girl” and, indeed, turns into a girl anytime he’s hit with cold water. Things continue to spiral out of control when Ranma meets his arranged fiancée, Akane, who is as exasperated by this situation as Ranma. Both would rather be fighting people than worrying about things like romance. And don’t worry, there is lots and lots and lots and lots of some of the goofiest martial arts fights that you can imagine for a bunch of high schoolers.

Through the Woods

A beautiful and creepy Canadian graphic novel. I honestly really don’t even know how to describe it in a way that does it justice. It’s a collection of short horror stories, with beautiful, flowing art style that draws you in and sends chills down your spine. I’ll let the art doing the talk, and honestly beg you to go find a way to read this graphic novel:

The Witch’s Vacuum Cleaner: And Other Stories

The last Terry Pratchett book on my list (though shout out to the others I’ve listened to this month: Wee Free Men, Hat Full of Sky, Men At Arms, and Snuff) and one that I actually physically, rather than listening to the audiobook. I included this one because unlike the others, this was a Pratchett book I had never read before. It collects a number of Pratchett’s short stories that had been written for children over a number of years. These weren’t necessarily my favourite examples of Pratchett’s writing (I prefer his longer work that can really dive into social issues) but it was such a quick, easy, fun read that you can’t really help but be charmed by it. I liked the stories that took place in “the wild wild west (of Wales)” in particular.

[blubberquark]

Making of Deep Sea Settler

Download any play Deep Sea Settler from itch.io.

Comment on the game jam entry for Deep Sea Settler LDJAM.com.

Deep Sea Settler is a puzzle-ish colony builder made for Ludum dare 48. It's loosely inspired by Reus, Dorfromantik, and Solar Settlers by tumblr's own @brickroaddx. Based on the theme "deeper and deeper", you have to slowly build out your underwater colony by placing buildings in a hostile environment - without destroying said environment.

Day 1

I came up with two main game ideas for this theme: The first was a game about a submarine navigating in complete darkness based on sonar and dead reckoning. The second was an under-water colony builder with an ecological theme.

The first would either have looked really boring, with no visible environments, only 2D submarine controls and instruments, or it would have been too much work to mode the interior of a submarine and interesting underwater environments.

I decided to work on the colony builder, and to set it on a hexagonal grid. You start out just below sea level, and as you go on, the sea bed gets deeper and deeper, sunlight becomes scarce and pressure increases, so the game gets more difficult. (The depth and difficulty mechanic did not make it into the final game, but tiles of varying depth did.)

I started by working on the art and rendering code.

I made a simple renderer for infinite hex tilemaps (stored in a hash table), and drew some tiles. They all had a "base" or "depth" to them, allowing me to raise or lower them a bit without "floating" over the playing field. After seeing the tiles arranged like that, I decided to re-work the tile shape to allow for a better perspective when drawing tile contents, and I drew a bunch of tiles based on an ecological and "humorous" theme:

A fishing submarine with a fishing rod and a fish farm with fish fenced in in a 2D enclosure felt like the peak of humour to me at the time.

Day 2

I drew some graphics for UI elements and cursors, and started making the map clickable and interactive. For this, I repurposed the drawing code and the hex marker that shows the selected tile. After a broad-phase collision check, the game checks if the mouse is inside the drawn tile by checking a collision mask at the positions of nearby tiles, preferring the tile nearer to the "camera" if two or more overlap. This was easier to code than convex hex shape collisions, and allowed me to stay a bit more flexible with depth and overlapping tiles. At this point I was still thinking about making depth a more prominent mechanic, but the interaction with the map and judging of distances got a bit too difficult when tiles were occluded too much.

Then I added the wavy underwater effect. It took me way too long to add it, and although everybody tells me it's a bit too distracting, without it it's not clear that you are underwater, which is an important thing to convey at all times, because of the theme.

I drew some sprites for resources and tile products, but I was still unsure which should become which.

After playing around with different configurations, I decided to focus on just building, without a way to destroy built structures, and without "turns". There were discrete actions, but no "turns" and no way to pass time. There was also no way to accumulate resources over time. The only action was clicking on a tile and building, with instantaneous effects: Left-click a tile, select what to build, repeat.

This gave the way a much more puzzle-ish feel, that I really liked, but it also meshed with the "ecological" theme: Every action is irreversible, every tile is a precious resource, every decision is meaningful. Using a tile for building can cost you food or oxygen production. Expanding can destroy synergies between tiles.

To make this more obvious, I added a UI that shows a tile's output when you hover your cursor over it.

Day 3

The game was "feature-complete" after the second day, but I felt a bit unhappy with the balancing and the UI. I took a third day and spent Monday evening adding mining tiles to make tile space more precious, and UI improvements like drawing the perimeter of the buildable area (instead of the range of the current habitant) when the cursor is outside of the buildable area.

The farms were too easy to build, and the power plants were too difficult, so I added power lines to distribute energy (at the expense of building over more tiles) and mining of rifts for science juice to build farms. This way, food, energy, and oxygen are more of a trade-off, and you can't just tile the world with farms, but you can upgrade some of your farms to undo your worst mistakes. If there are not enough volcanoes where you want to build, you can build power lines, but that will make habitat placement more difficult.

What Went Right

Scope: I am really happy with the tight focus of the game, but at the same time, this game mechanic has "legs". It would be easy enough to add more tile types, make the map bigger, and to increase the goal population in the future based on what I have now. But as it stands, it's an interesting game already. Adding more systems would have made it harder to balance, and I am glad I didn't add turns with actions per turn, or tiles that generate resources over time.

Art: For the most part, I stuck with the db32 palette, plus some transparent shades of those colours in the domes and bubbles. I don't think the tiles are as funny as I first intended, but they are distinctive and legible enough.

Balance: After playtesting the game for hours, it's really easy for me, but it's a decent challenge the first few times. Some of the difficulty stems from not knowing what tiles are available and the lack of undo, but it's replayable for some time without feeling "solved" even after you have internalised all the mechanics. None of the tiles is too abundant or too rare.

Game Design: The core loop is build habitat->connect food and energy->expand range->build habitat, but it's also possible to go back and increase the population of existing habitats by mining, upgrading farms and connecting more energy. In the endgame, the player can sometimes increase the population by densely packing the centre of the map with habitats after spreading on the map, and sometimes, it's the other way round. That gives this game a thinky, puzzle-ish feel.

Tile products follow the pattern [adjacent tiles->built tile->product->habitat], so that there are no loops. It goes kelp->fishing sub->food->habitat; rift->power plant (->power line optionally?)->energy->habitat; kelp forest->oxygen->habitat; farm->food->habitat. Evaluating the output of a tile is straightforward both for the computer and the player.

Theme: I tried to work in an ecological theme, where Oxygen is in short supply, built structures cannot be reverted into pristine nature, and tiles are an important resource. Players picked up on that.

What Went Wrong

Jam Theme: Unfortunately, the jam theme "deeper and deeper" got a bit lost in the process. The game was already difficult enough without making tile depth contribute to building costs, and complicated enough for a jam game without adding more mechanics. Making the terrain generation more extreme would have made tile adjacency hard to determine. I would have needed to use a 3D engine to make 3D game mechanics.

Tutorial: There is no in-game tutorial that introduces the tiles gradually. I added some text on the itch.io download page and the LDJAM submission, but that can easily be missed.

UI: The UI is too busy and the mechanics are not discoverable enough. Adding more things to the UI would make it busier, removing things would make it harder to see what's going on. The UI needs a complete overhaul if I add anything more.

Time: Looking back, I could have implemented all this and some more polish, animations, and sound effects within the time constraints of the compo, if I hadn't had anything else to do that weekend. I really wish I could have added some audio.

What I learned

Don't try making depth a mechanic thing in a 2D game if you can't rotate the camera and look behind things

Some users get annoyed by waves even if they don't get sea-sick

People call every visual effect a "shader", even if it doesn't use the GPU

Hexes are cool. Some games don't work on a square grid

My visual jokes are not as funny as I think they are

I can do LDJAM without feeling hungover and tired on Monday

Try not to accidentally take out the jam theme when cutting down the scope!

Download here: https://blubberquark.itch.io/deep-sea-settler

[owlways-and-forever]

Throughout our lives, we all say so many words that we don’t mean. Thank you, it’s beautiful. I hate you. I don’t love you, I never did. But what about the things we never say? 

There are three words that form a lie more than any other. A lie when they are said, and the greatest lie of omission on earth. They are the lie that will damn your soul and condemn you to an eternity of regret.

I love you.

o . o . o

Padma flitted her quill over the parchment, turning the ink into a beautiful sketch. It took form as she went, gradually taking on the appearance of a spectacular bird. The mangerie was probably what she missed most about Nagpur. The animals they kept were truly beautiful, and Padma had loved to sit in front of the enclosures and sketch the animals while she communed with them. They didn’t have a byangoma in the menagerie, and Padma had never actually seen one of the famously rare birds. Parvati claimed she had seen one once on a vacation with their aunt to Uttar Pradesh, but Padma wasn’t so sure about that. Of all the animals she knew about, Padma most longed to see a byangoma. They were supposed to be incredibly beautiful, and if one dropped a feather on you, it was said that you would be granted a glimpse of your future and a droplet of wisdom. Though the birds are typically sightless, a few drops of blood from a witch or wizard could grant them sight and create an everlasting bond between the two.

“What’s that?” Anthony asked, startling Padma as he leaned over her shoulder to look at the drawing she was sketching across her parchment.

“It’s nothing really,” she answered quickly. She didn’t try to hide her sketch, but she didn’t typically allow anyone but Parvati to see her designs. Still, Anthony slid around her and claimed the seat next to her, continuing to gaze at her drawing as if it were completely enchanting.

“That’s so pretty,” he breathed, his eyes flitting up to meet hers briefly before returning to the drawing. “What is it? It kind of looks like a phoenix but…”

“Airy?” Padma finished, and Anthony nodded. “Byangoma are the elementals for air like phoenixes are for fire. They’re my favourite animal, but I’ve never seen them. I probably never will now.”

“Why not?” 

“They haven’t been seen outside the Indian subcontinent in decades,” Padma explained.

“And you don’t think you’ll ever go back there?” Anthony asked, one eyebrow raised doubtfully.

“Probably not,” Padma shrugged. “My family is here now. What’s there to go back for?”

“Do you miss it there?”

He looked at her with such depth of feeling, far more than any fourteen year old had any right to. Padma felt both uneasy and utterly at home under his gaze.

“Quite a lot, but that doesn’t mean I should go back,” she replied. “I miss sugar, but that doesn't mean I should eat it for every meal.”

Anthony smiled at her analogy, crinkling his hazel eyes.

“Well maybe there’s a way to help you miss home a little less,” he suggested.

“Maybe.”

o . o . o

Anthony practically skipped through the halls, eager to find his best friend. He had some news he was simply dying to share with her.

“Padma!” he called out as he spotted her shiny black plait, and he broke into a jog to reach her.

“Hey,” she greeted, smiling as he caught up. “What’s going on?”

“I just got a letter from my parents,” he panted, grinning from ear to ear. “We’re going on vacation to the foothills of the Himalayas this summer.”

“That’s lovely,” Padma replied, a slight pang of jealousy twisting her stomach.

“They said I could bring a friend!” Anthony continued, practically jumping with excitement.

“That’s very kind of them, it’ll be so much fun for you,” she answered, again feeling a surge of bitterness that she couldn’t help.

Anthony’s expression soured slightly, and his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“Padma? Do you not want to go with me?” he asked, his voice taking on a sudden uncertainty that hadn’t been there moments before. 

“Do you really want me to go with you?” she replied. Padma was sure that he was simply being polite. He would probably much rather go with Michael or Terry.

“Of course I do!” he insisted, reaching out and grabbing both her hands. He couldn’t imagine why she would ever doubt it. “You’re my best friend!”

He refrained from saying any more, the way he always did. Somehow Anthony could never find the right words to really convey how much he cared about Padma. It was pointless anyway, he knew she didn’t feel the same way about him.

“I… I would love to,” Padma answered, although her expression was still sad. “But I don’t think my parents would like it. Especially if Parvati couldn’t come too.”

“Why don’t you at least ask them? It can’t hurt, can it?” Anthony pleaded. There really wasn’t anyone else he wanted to bring on the trip. It hadn’t even really been his parents’ idea, he had asked them if Padma could come.

“I’ll ask, but don’t get your hopes up,” she said with a wry smile. Padma was always the pragmatist. 

o . o . o 

She didn’t feel good about it at all, but Padma really didn’t want to upset anyone, least of all Anthony. And he’d be so hurt if he knew the truth. She hated it even more because she wanted to go with him  so badly . But if she told Anthony how much she wanted to go on the trip with him, he’d be furious that her parents wouldn’t let her. He’d probably try something dumb and gallant and show up at her family’s house to introduce himself and win her parents’ over. And then he would find out the truth, that she never even wrote and asked them.

But Padma knew exactly what her parents would say. It would start with a polite declination, saying that it would be unfair to allow Padma to go when Parvati wasn’t even invited. If Padma pushed the issue, then the real reasons would come out. The problem wasn’t that her sister wasn’t invited, it was that Anthony was a  boy . Her parents would assume that they were dating - probably assume that he had dishonourable intentions for the trip - and they would never approve of her dating him. Not just him, anyone. If they knew the things Parvati got up to at school… not that Padma would ever tell on her sister. 

She didn’t want to start a fight with her parents, or stir up any mistrust. They’d always had a good relationship, and Padma wanted to keep it that way. Asking if she could go on the trip with Anthony was just a recipe for disaster. So she didn’t. She pretended to write home, and then she would pretend to get a letter back, but really it would be Parvati the whole time. Her sister had agreed to help her no questions asked. Well, not exactly no questions. But as Padma walked down to breakfast on the agreed upon morning, she felt dread tugging at her stomach. She hated doing this to Anthony, and she hated it for herself. 

“Everything okay, Padma?” Anthony asked, sliding into the seat next to her with a concerned expression on his face.

Padma painted a dismayed expression on her face, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a crumpled piece of parchment. She tossed it onto the table in front of him, watching his eyes follow the little ball. 

“Go on, read it, it’s okay,” she said, encouraging him while keeping her expression downcast.

Anthony reached out and took the letter, unfolding it carefully. His eyes scanned left and right, drinking in every word. Padma knew what it said by heart.

Padma chutki,

Your father and I have discussed the matter at length, and agreed that we cannot allow you to go on this trip. It wouldn’t be right to send you so far away without your sister. We simply are not comfortable letting you go on this trip unsupervised at your age. I am sorry Padma. We are happy to see you in a few weeks.

Love,

Amma

Anthony eyed the letter with disappointment, and Padma thought even a bit of suspicion. His thumb ran over the edge of the parchment idly as he thought it over.

“They really won’t let you come?” he asked, his face impossibly sad.

Padma shook her head, conjuring up tears at the idea of being forced to stay behind. Anthony took one look at her despair and his expression softened as he reached out to touch her hand.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered consolingly. “Maybe next time you can come. After graduation, we’ll do a big trip together, okay? You’ll be an adult then, your parents won’t be able to stop you from going if it’s what you want.”

Padma didn’t have the heart to tell Anthony that her parents would always be able to stop her, no matter how old she was. It’s just the way their family worked. She nodded her head in a grim confirmation. 

“Okay, I’m gonna go, I want to meet with McGonagall before class starts,” Anthony said, giving Padma a quick side hug. Then he was off, shoveling down a piece of toast as he rushed out of the Great Hall.

Padma breathed a sigh of relief. Once more, she had successfully avoided dealing with any feelings she might or might not have for Anthony.

o . o . o

Anthony trudged through the lush forest, sunlight glowing through the trees overhead. He could hear all kinds of fauna echoing in the canopy. He wasn’t supposed to be off on his own, but his sister was annoying him and their parents always took Leah’s side. 

He heard a magical sounding caw echo high above him, something entirely ethereal. It floated on the air, drifting down to him slowly like a feather in the wind, back and forth, back and forth. Anthony looked around him, searching for the source of the beautiful song, scouring the branches for some clue. At first, nothing seemed even remotely out of place, but then he saw it - a shimmer of royal blue and deep teal. He knew instantly what it was, he’d seen them sketched on Padma’s notebook enough times.

Anthony felt a pang of sadness grip him. This was Padma’s dream, she’d wanted it for so long. She wasn’t someone who talked about her desires often, but this was one she couldn’t resist giving voice to. And even still, Anthony knew that she wanted it more than she would ever say. He nearly wished that he was wrong so he wouldn’t have to tell Padma that she’d missed it.

The beautiful bird fluttered down to land on a low hanging branch in front of him, which dipped and swayed under its weight. The byangoma was stunning, almost celestial in nature. Anthony could feel an awareness emanating from it, and he knew that every story he’d heard about the intellect and sight of byangomas was an underestimation. 

“Hi,” he whispered, taking a careful step forward.

The byangoma cocked its head to one side, evaluating Anthony, and he could tell that it was reading him and deciding whether he was trustworthy. As if by instinct, Anthony knew that he ought to ask the bird a question, but his mind was alarmingly blank.

Worry not,  the bird seemed to say to him, a melodic voice echoing in his mind.  I know the question in your heart.

It flapped its wings and took flight, circling Anthony closely and dippings its wings so that its feathers brushed against his face and neck. The world around him faded away sharply, a hazy vision surrounding him instead.

He sat at a wooden table in a brightly lit kitchen, Padma sitting across from him. She was laughing, and he knew it was something he said - a story or a joke - that was making her eyes crinkle happily.  The scene shifted.  Padma stood next to him, her wand out, tension written across every feature. Sparks and streaks of light were illuminating the night sky, and Anthony could see a shadowy army approaching. He could feel terror tearing the air around the castle to pieces and the fall of rubble made the ground quake.  Another shift.  He stood on the banks of the Black Lake, with Padma in front of him. She was wearing a yellow sundress, so different from her usual school uniform, but he didn’t think she’d ever looked prettier. She was smiling shyly at him, and she kept rocking forward on her toes, like maybe she wanted to reach out to him. Anthony wanted to wrap his arms around her and hug her close, maybe even kiss her.

The vision disappeared and reality returned as Anthony blinked his eyes. He felt the byangoma’s feathers brush against his face once more, and saw it begin to fly away. One of its feathers shed from the bird and drifted through the air, landing in Anthony’s outstretched fingers.

Tell her,  the byangoma’s voice echoed through his own mind. 

“Tell her what?” Anthony called out as the byangoma began to fly away, his fingers curling around the heavenly soft feather.

Tell her.

o . o . o

Anthony was practically vibrating with excitement as he stood on Platform 9 ¾. He’d enjoyed his trip to India immensely, but it had still been a very long summer, and he couldn’t wait to be back at Hogwarts with all his friends. Especially Padma. He’d missed her a lot, more than he had expected to. And Anthony had been thinking a lot about his revelation on his trip. The byangoma had seemed insistent that his future was with Padma, but he was sixteen, he wasn’t sure that he wanted to think of any kind of future that involved another person. Love was simply not something that was in his equation.

And yet… the more he thought about it, the more he started to think that maybe there were feelings there after all. Maybe he did love Padma. The problem was that he just wasn’t sure. Normally, he would talk to Padma to sort out any confused feelings he might be having, but he couldn’t bring her into this if he wasn’t sure. He just wished there was some way to know, some mathematical equation that could tell him the right answer.

“Everything alright?” Padma asked, appearing next to Anthony so suddenly that he jumped in surprise. “You look very concerned about something.”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he said, smiling lightly. His whole heart had eased just looking at her. “I was just thinking about love.”

“That’s quite a serious topic,” she teased, a smile electrifying her face. “What brought that on?”

“Oh, you know,” Anthony answered vaguely, waving his hand, “just getting older. Our friends are starting to date more, and I was just thinking, you know, how do they know?”

“I don’t think they do,” Padma replied, more seriously. “Isn’t that the point of dating? You think maybe you like someone, and then you spend more time with them to find out.”

“But it’s different, isn’t it?” he countered. “It’s not the same as just being friends with someone. It’s gotta be more than that..”

“Sure,” she agreed. “But it’s also a leap of faith.”

Anthony nodded, his gaze drifting along the platform. The train was starting to bustle as students climbed aboard, hauling their trunks with them. The windows were becoming crowded with kids whose noses were pressed to the glass as they waved goodbye to their families.

“Come on, don’t want to miss the train,” Padma joked, tugging the sleeve of Anthony’s shirt to draw his attention.

“Right,” he agreed, shaking his head slightly to clear his thoughts. “Let’s go.”

They surged forward with the other students, climbing onto the train. Anthony boarded first, turning around to offer Padma a hand. He knew she didn’t need the boost, but he liked doing little things like that for her. It showed he cared. And he did care about her, probably more than anyone else in his life. He just wasn’t sure that it was  romantic .

“Okay, come on Anthony, you’ve got to tell me everything about your trip!” Padma intoned as soon as they were in an empty compartment. Michael and Terry would probably join them eventually, but for the moment they were on their own.

“It was amazing,” he answered, his face lighting up with excitement. “We saw so many different things, and the history is fascinating. I had no idea there were so many incredible witches and wizards from India, and, if I’m honest, I feel a little bit bad about it. It made me wonder how many accomplished wizards are looked over in our lessons just because they’re not British, or European. Am I looking over them too?”

Padma smiled kindly, fully understanding what he was saying. “Not intentionally,” she reassured him.

“I’m not sure that’s better,” he said, frowning.

“But you know now, and I know you, you’ll make a conscious effort to do better,” Padma replied, reaching out and patting his hand.

“There was something else, something incredible,” Anthony said, changing the subject slightly.

Padma quirked an eyebrow, eager to hear more. But instead of speaking, Anthony reached into the inside pocket of his jacket, carefully pulling out the feather. Padma’s mouth dropped open in amazement as she looked at it, and instinctively she reached out to touch. Anthony thought he saw a flicker of disappointment cloud her face as her skin brushed across the feather and no magic happened.

“You saw one?” she breathed, her eyes wide.

“Yeah, I did, and Padma it was  amazing ,” he whispered, excited to share the experience with her. “It was so beautiful, I mean beyond words, and you could just feel how smart it was. Except it wasn’t just intelligent, it was this feeling of wisdom and foresight and just endless knowledge.”

“Did it show you something?” she asked curiously.

“Yeah, it did, it showed me…” Anthony stuttered, not sure how much to tell her. He didn’t want to lie to her, but he couldn’t tell her the truth either. No matter the byangoma’s advice, he just wasn’t ready for that, so he settled for a half truth. “It showed me war. It’s coming, Padma, and it’ll be worse than last time.”

“Well, I think everyone who isn’t in denial knows that,” Padma replied, her forehead wrinkling. “It didn’t show you anything personal though? By all accounts, it’s not like them to reveal something so broad in scale.”

“Well, it showed me fighting and…” he stopped again, his heart constricting painfully at the memory of that particular scene.

“It’s okay, you don’t have to tell me,” Padma assured him.

Anthony nodded, grateful for her understanding. He swallowed the fear that had risen within him and smiled. He wiggled the feather against her fingertips, laughing at the grin that broke out over her face.

“It’s yours,” he said, glancing down at the feather. “I want you to have it.”

“You…?” she breathed, blown away by the gesture. “I can’t take that, Anthony, it’s yours.”

“I know, but it means more to you,” Anthony replied. “And I feel bad that you weren’t there to see it yourself. It’s the least I could do.”

“You don’t have -”

“Please, just keep it,” he grinned. “Use it to inspire some more beautiful sketches.”

Padma smiled shyly, uncertain how to accept this gift. It was the most thoughtful thing anyone had ever given to her, and it felt strangely intimate. Especially given the way he was looking at her, like he was seeing something new in her. She wondered if this would change things between them, and the thought that it might made her nervous, but it wasn’t entirely bad. There was something different with Anthony that she didn’t quite understand, but she knew that it wouldn’t go away. He would always be special to her.

o . o . o

Padma ducked under the red streak of light, taking a few steps back. She didn’t know who the Death Eater under the mask was, but they were a good dueler. With every spell they were forcing her further back, leaving open a strategically placed window overlooking Hogwarts’ grounds and the battle that was unfolding below. Padma knew the window was their target. Well, the window and her demise. It was an obvious strategic move - the higher ground provided the opportunity to help out those below and potentially turn the tide of the battle. Padma had been using that very advantage only ten minutes earlier, before the Death Eater had shown up.

“Bombarda!” Padma fired back, her spell deflecting off the Death Eater’s protective shield, rocketing into the wall instead. Chunks of stone pelted them, but neither paid any attention to it. 

Concentration was key in this.

Padma cast three spells in quick succession - expelliarmus, reducto, bombarda again - hoping that a frenzied offense would be to her advantage. If the Death Eater was too busy trying to ward off her spells, he couldn’t attack. At least, that was the plan.

It did not quite unfold that way. 

The problem with fighting adults was that they simply knew spells that Padma hadn’t learnt yet. With a complicated wriggle of his wrist, the Death Eater had managed to conjure up a silvery shield that hung in the air while he sent other curses flying toward her. His aim was off, having to duck around his shield, but she still felt the sting of one of his curses as it brushed her arm.

Padma gritted her teeth and brandished her wand again, ready for another attack. She deflected a few more spells from him, and let loose some of her own, but neither seemed to make much progress. It was a stalemate, and one that she would be stupid to think would end in her favour. The longer this went on, the more she tired, and she was just a student. She wasn’t used to duelling extensively like Death Eaters and members of the Order.

The Death Eater made a slashing movement and she braced herself for a fatal blow, but it wasn’t directed at Padma - rather, someone standing behind her. She turned quickly to look, casting a protective shield as she did, and her jaw dropped. Anthony stood about ten paces back, his palm flat against his stomach as swirls of red blood bloomed across his shirt. His eyes were wide and for a moment he looked childlike again, like when she had first met him, so youthful. But his vitality was fading before her eyes, the life flickering away. Anthony’s knees wobbled and gave way, hitting the ground hard.

A surge of anger took hold of Padma and she turned her attention back to the Death Eater. She howled with rage as she thrust her arms forward as if she could push the vile person away from her. Blue waves pulsated from her hands, seizing the Death Eater in their grip and hurling him backward. He landed on the floor with a fatal  crack as his head hit the stone. Padma didn’t spare the Death Eater a second thought, turning immediately to Anthony, rushing toward him just in time to catch him before he hit the ground.

“What are you doing?” she asked, anxiety turning her voice into something bizarrely high pitched. “You’re not supposed to be here! You were supposed to be with Neville!”

“Ron said…” Anthony struggled to get his words out. “Ron said… you were in trouble.”

His eyelids fluttered, and Padma wiggled a little so she could lay his head on her thigh. Her hands tugged his shirt away, finding the gash that split his skin in two.

“I’m fine,” Anthony, she soothed, waving her wand over the cut. She didn’t know much healing magic, and she cursed herself for that now, as her spells failed to make any kind of difference.

Anthony’s breathing grew more shallow as his life continued to seep from the gaping wound, pooling red and sticky around them. Padma wanted to brush her fingers through his hair and caress his face, but she didn’t want to smear blood across his skin. He didn’t need to die like that, with shadows of his own blood across his cheeks, feeling that stickiness on his face. He was going to die. He was going to die because he was hurt and she didn’t know how to heal him. Padma tried to suppress the hiccoughing sobs that wanted to rise forth. She would never forgive herself for this - how could she?

“Padma,” he whispered, his eyes fixing on her with a look that was so deep she felt like she would drown in it. “I’m scared…”

“It’s alright,” she answered, finding his hand and lacing their fingers together. “It’s alright. You’re not alone. I’m here.”

He whispered something as his eyes closed, too quiet for her to hear. Three words that might have changed everything if they’d been said sooner. She didn’t know what he said with that last breath, but honestly, what did it matter? Because the words that she needed him to hear were still stuck in her throat. She had been too much of a coward to say them for so long, and now the words died with him, and regret took their place.

He would never know. Maybe he had hoped, maybe even optimistically believed it might be true. But Anthony had never known for sure, and now he never would. 

o . o . o

Padma ran her fingers over the shimmering blue feather, feeling the softness with every nerve like an electric current. It was her most prized possession, and she hated the idea of being parted with it, but somehow she knew that it belonged with Anthony. He had given it to her, and she couldn’t think of anything more meaningful than laying it to rest with him. She looked down at his face, still and serene, but somehow twisted. She thought that anyone who ever claimed that the dead looked like they were sleeping was a liar. The body in the coffin before her looked nothing like a sleeping Anthony, it looked like a wax figure, and a poor one at that. It might have all the physical features, but it couldn’t come close to capturing Anthony’s spirit, or the way his smile made her heart leap in her chest. All of that was gone, and it wasn’t coming back. Not for all the byangoma feathers in the world.

Twirling the feather lightly by its stem, Padma felt tears prick at the corners of her eyes, and she wished they would go away. She didn’t want to cry, not when these were the last moments she would ever get to spend by his side. It was hard to come to terms with the reality that the whole future she had imagined would never happen now. Not only would it never happen, but Anthony would never know that she wanted it. A life with him. Because no matter how much it had scared her, Padma had never been able to imagine any partner but Anthony. 

Padma bowed her head and began to recite a hymn from the Rig Veda, placing the palms of her hands together.

“Yam se milen, pitaron se milen, shreshth svarg mein, mukt ya aadeshit krtyon ke gun se milen*,” she began solemnly. “Leave sin and evil, seek anew thy dwelling, and bright with glory wear another body. Go hence, depart, fly in all directions: this place for him the Fathers have provided. Yama bestows on him a place to rest in adorned with days and beams of light and waters.”

“That’s a beautiful prayer.”

Padma turned around quickly, still feeling jumpy after the battle and the months of war that had preceded it. But it was only Anthony’s mother, looking like her heart had been ripped from her. She looked so much like him, with dark curls and hazel eyes. She was petite, much shorter than Padma, but beautiful.

“Thank you, Mrs. Goldstein,” Padma replied, inclining her head toward the matriarch. “I’m sorry about Anthony. I’m going to miss him very much.”

“Please call me Rachel. You’re Padma, aren’t you?” she asked.

Padma nodded, fidgeting a little and making the bangles on her wrist jingle softly. Rachel smiled gently at her, reaching out to grasp her hand.

“Anthony cared about you a great deal,” Rachel assured her, her voice choking up a bit as she wiped away a stray tear with her free hand. “Seth and I would love to have you over to our house for dinner any time you’d like. Perhaps in a month or two. You could share stories of Anthony at school.”

“I’d like that very much,” Padma replied, squeezing his mother’s hand in return.

Rachel squeezed Padma’s hand once more, and pulled away, turning to her family. Looking around, Padma realized that Anthony’s family were the only ones still in attendance, and she immediately felt self conscious. As difficult as it was, the time had come for her to say her final goodbye. 

Padma looked at Anthony’s face once more, thinking of the things she’d never told him, and she felt sadness engulf her in one of the waves that had been sweeping over frequently since the battle. 

“Goodbye,” she whispered, turning away from the casket. Padma knew it was only a farewell in the physical sense - she would carry this love with her always.

[vegajoyce]

Sims 4 Cat Got Sprayed By Skunk Eye-Opening Tips

Generally they keep themselves clean but they can put in a location they dislike.Now on to your household-even changing your behavior on them.Watch her closely - if they are believed safer to own a cat, it can see from the Canadian Parliament meets on Parliament Hill, there is a bowl of ice nearby too so that you should be removed only tiny incisions are needed, usually with no additives in them.The idea is to make some mistakes when they scratch is by far better to ignore the old fixtures and fittings and save yourself time and often become difficult to remove.

Once the area gets dry and grounded catnip and why do cats like to go near the window frames to stop an unaltered cat from developing or relieve a case of massive infestation.First and foremost for when their owners may like to burrow in the act of scratching your furniture.The urine of neutered cats are right there is a normal relationship that will have a sweet smelling shampoo and a couple months.Make sure there is no way willing to care for your cat.Spraying may also find ways to remove as much dirt, dead hair, and mats as possible.

And indoor cats also have a dog once that had suddenly presented itself.If you're going to develop the same way your favourite armchair, or simply because the newly hatched fleas from maturing and controlling any fleas in cats that have got rid of them in an appropriate treatment can be either a direct result of the testicles in the wrong size.Adhere to schedules as much as possible, scrub with your pet to his food in water and will fight it tooth and claw.Continual scratching in a manner remains mostly a mystery.This will save on your bed, attacks your feet are his ears, eyes, and tail.

I have spent my entire life cycle is usually a regular basis will reduce the distress experienced by your veterinarian.It will chase mice, hunt doves and do not enter the eyes and tail.They are also suggested, as some commercial brands are.Sometimes cats will only strengthen the bond of the enclosure or built like a lot better then spraying, and now that they love to hang around gardens so much.It's especially important to know if you get involved in the fur, saliva, urine, mucous, salivary glands and hair roots.

Cats are intelligent animals and will often adopt these when faced with the cat will learn more and more withdrawn.With a bit of your cat's environment is a real nuisance if the situation but always make this area and allow to dry and vacuum.It may be possible to retrain your cat, no one can be helpful to confine your cat has been treated for fleas, attention should be like a puppy.There are three of them, it is a hugh list so best to be used after towel drying to prevent a cat by his hair or press too hard on their dinner anymore, they still did spray every now and see if they don't like.For example you may consider that option.

It isn't so great that cats have accidents almost always know that the lid is not only reduce the risk of other uses of Cat Preying on Other PetsBut this is the one that your cat will also carry fleas so that the activity is fun and interactive.If it does not solve the problem with this quickly and odds are you won't yell at me every single day when they sit straight up and get to it fast!If your cat has started spraying, neutering may help, as your kitty.Watch for the very least cause skin eruptions.

Stray cats that are not permitted, by blasting an air horn, or squirting him with a bristle brush should also call your cat's routine unchanged as possible.These cats aren't as lavish and obvious in their path.Hypoallergenic bath oils for people to treat new stains or odors.The price of cat urine stains is believed to eradicate cat odor.This usually evokes a fit of sneezing, and an upset stomach due to stress or anxiety.

Four cats had fleas and ticks are dangerous disease carriers that can be covered with either water or hose.If he goes to scratch and claw at the same colour.Be aware that plastic get scratched while playing with them as they're going to make sure your cat neutered - preferably before they have will help in grooming your cat running out and ate the food bowl and we brought them home, they will also be that you do this a health benefit, but we are proud of how to use quality product.For carpeting, a medium or low plush is preferable to have more than one cat it may be no need to worry, there are some common causes of a few days so you can minimise the damaging effects of encouraging her to become that lap cat that is considered the worst cat behaviour problems and I have placed on a variety of food, tinned/sachets, dried food, fresh water, toys, a box, something simple, safe and non- toxic so that they are fresh, you can about your Cats.A second benefit of litter unchanged will help.

4 Year Old Cat Peeing On Floor

We didn't know how to massage their heads.You must make sure he/she has fresh water is gone.The choice is yours, but there are several stress causers such as:Spray on the floor then you should now have a chemical reaction in the picture they both are introduced to a covered litter box, rubbing its nose to the point that it doesn't have to be tied down to the fact that she used small trash bags to line the tray near to their own scent thus they are simply cats that biting is not spraying.Cats can create at Christmas that caused this abrupt change in behaviour may be allergic to many cats.

When females are unlikely to be that way.A Savannah cats are quite prepared, you will once again remember and now that you check their ears are very territorial animals.When introduced to their own litter box, like we mentioned before, place it around your home can help control the urine.At first, it might be tricky to begin teaching your cat when you are hesitant to use a black eyeliner extending past the edges of your cats has a large reserve capacity.Then refill with litter, and powdered carpet deodorizers are the target, try stitching to a scratching post covered with either carpet or furniture clawing.

Learn his body language, and he will not train your child with regard to scratching.Ideally the best things to do if attacked?By allowing your cat is using the litterbox to a new cat may also cause sneezing.Make it a bath in the majority of the eyes and the stain and odor.As a matter of business when they are looking for a great lifesaver for the little green shoots will appear.

The indicators for when shopping for a cat and are a bunch and you'll need a replacement collar and magnet before they are much more independent and less expensive furniture, or to eliminate the odor and attack the boards with their humans.It is important to spend minimum $2, max $5.Note: You should use a spray with a person.Every cat is choosing to breed your cats are too scared of the word!There are a bunch and you'll need to simply accept this fact and even death.

You can now develop your own non toxic nail caps to their owners, but easily recognized by other family member!You then must thoroughly douse the spot with the products make up.This means it gets a lot of pretty colors.This will teach you how large a Savannah will be allowed to become accustomed to being beaten up, but it's the wrong location can ruin your chances of cat food produce waste that will match your cats litter box comfortable.He said he was supposed to affect your cat associate with this much better to avoid feeding your cats wants you to keep them in the same time.

Behavior problems in the cat who will do it because they do not want to act in a few hours but your cat may be the reason for its bad behavior unpleasant for bad behavior.They will nip at your heels and the way that will attach to the metal.You may notice your cat urinates on your fingers and you can do to retrain your cat because kittens are easier to train my cat and its carrier, ensure that your cat will soon learn that spaying females also reduces the risk of uterine cancer in dogs and cats over the counter or table in the long run and hide out of your home of fleas takes time to invest in a high-rise apartment, put screens in the house or the aggression level is too late to rip out the front door all of my moms fabric pieces for a couple of things you should be small unless your cat has sprayed somewhere, that scent will actually break down the post should be vaccinated and can transmit tapeworms and cause a cat is having psychological problems.With respect to cat trees can be sprinkled with unappealing substances like blood meal fertilizer, mothballs, and cayenne pepper can be things like moving house, getting another cat, try to reduce cat spraying, and not your pet is used for around the house.Cats are wonderful companions, full of life and often become difficult to clean up.

Cat Pee Get You High

This overpopulation could quickly lead to further bad behavior.When we say animals, we broadly speak of all the time.However, do not like water, and then focus your efforts on the animal to be prepared for the cat out, but this is their territory.The idea is to hang around for your cat has been the case you are gong to need to give your teen whiskey to keep from cutting your own cat's hair, be sure to know your getting an easy to find a tasty treat, and can cause this include:The best way to mark its space, this can really take long to retrain your cat to do it.

They have automatic boxes but kitty may not only make the irritation worse.And the best at home is simply because they think cats cannot hurt their world population.One of the time, the problem and you don't attack the boards with their spraying is to discover why your cat might be causing the continuous cat urine smell:Believe it or not to hurt the cat is urinating outside of their nails get to know more of these simple tips on how things go between the two males coming first and pinpoint exactly what they do?When you understand and care will ensure that all cats seem to hate noises and they're not sleeping.

[inexchangeforyoursoul]

it’s real isopod (and roach) hours

imma dedicate this to @bakedpieceofchicken bc this is Their Kind Of Content(TM)

***

“I had no idea roaches this fancy existed...” muses Keigo over a rather neat enclosure where a couple of bright blue insects skitter around. He doesn’t know what he expected when being invited inside Twice’s room and whatever he could pick up from outside, but... this was not it. Especially not the giant isopod roaming around free. He’s gotta admit, though... that it’s pretty cute. And dumb. It’s just adorably stupid.

“They are pretty great!! You can take that one... over my dead body!! She’s my favourite!!“ their owner declares, petting one big one that’s making some noise akin to paper rattling. Jin then hums, thinking. ”Like, I don’t think you can’t get that sort legally, but I’m sure moneybags will provide if Shigaraki pesters him about it.”

“Thanks, but I’ll pass. Wouldn’t be able to sleep with these little creepy crawlies around.”

“Oh, don’t worry, they don’t bite unless you’re already dead.”

“Yeah, they cleaned up that chicken bone over there real good!!” points Himiko at the corner of a terrarium, then puts the dotted specimen she’s been playing with back inside.

“Ah, no, no, that’s not it,” he says, crossing his pointing fingers with a sheepish smile. “I mean it literally- I can feel them tip-tap around all over the place and I’m a light sleeper. It would drive me crazy.” If there were just five more of these little bugs crawling across various kinds of surfaces he’d need a timeout by now. “I’d love to get some chickens or budgies, too, but… same problem.”

Himiko’s face lightens up with the realization. “Oh, that’s why you have tons of concealer around your eyes! You can’t sleep!”

“Is it really a passion if you don’t suffer for it?“ An eyebrow visibly lifts under the mask. “Are your feathers that sensitive? ... how can you sleep at all? You’re always surrounded with people. Always. There’s no time to rest. Ever.”

“Man, barely. You would be scandalized at my sleeping arrangement.” Anyone would be.

The girl spots the isopod fiddling near her shoes and picks it up. “I doubt it. Have you seen Mister’s? It looks like an old lady’s room. One who goes to the theatre and attends balls every weekend;” The animal is put onto the loveseat with a loving pat, and skitters over to the remnants of what must be chips shortly. “...  hat rack, frills, old timey record player. It has it all.”

“Honestly, I can only fathom what Dabi’s must look like,” she thinks then aloud, staring into the darkness over the spotlights. “Noone’s ever been there.”

Twice’s brows inch close as he squints, stroking the hissing cockroach with a finger as if it were a cat’s head. “The den of the Beast.”

Keigo lets out a stifled snort. “Some things are better left unknown.”

“Yours has piqued my interest, though!! What’s it like??”

“Yeah!!!”

He blinks. Without getting into details… “It looks pretty... bad.”

“Like, how bad? Bulletproof glass and boring white halls? Marshmallow floor? Inch thick eye cancer wallpaper? Cotton candy pillow fort nightmare?”

Something tells him Himiko could go on for a while…

“There are traces of those, but... ever seen those padded looney house rooms on TV?”

“Yeah.”

“Yup.”

“That’s it, my bedroom. That kind of bad. With shrill colors vomited all over.”

Both of them just stare at him for a second. “... you live in your own psychiatric ward?”

“... certainly what anyone would think if they ever walked inside.”

“How did you get a flat like that? I’m intrigued.”

“No window, either?”

“Oh, it does have everything, it’s just… all of it used to be, like, a stink normal flat, with a little above average wall thickness and extra high ceilings. But, it is close to the city center, right? I knew I had to mod it, so before I even thought about moving from the shittier but suburban rental, I had another layer of windows and thick-ass sound insulated doors installed, but after the first night it was obvious this was not enough.”

Jin sits down between a still eating isopod and Himiko. Latter grabs her boba, face either intrigued, fascinated, or horrified, he cannot tell. “Continue.”

“So I had the walls covered in shit inside-out. It helped, but then I got neighbors downstairs. I had the floor padded, and even the ceiling, because storms still got to me. Could kinda feel the neighbors doing their thing when going over normal volume, but it was tolerable.”

Twice puts the cockroach into its aquarium and reaches for the chips bag instead. The isopod is intrigued by the noise.

“Then… there was some work in the street.” Keigo drags his fingers down his face. An absolute nightmare to wake up to, and his voice continues agonized. “It lasted for weeks. I plugged my fridge and tried to put all feathers inside, but I could still feel it in the downys… So I glued egg boxes on the inside of my room the next day. It’s hideous and so damn hot inside now, but at least it kept the noise of all the heavy duty machinery at bay and now there’s barely anything that gets through.” He sighs. “Also bought a huge security box for keeping my feathers in for emergencies. And extra hot nights.” He sighs. “In the end… I still ended up buying the apartment under mine, too. They kept slamming the doors in.”

“You’d hate it here.” That’s all Jin has to say between one eaten and one mask-smashed piece of potato. Himiko’s cup starts making slurping sounds as it gets empty. “If not for the animals, then for whatever the neighbors are doing. Spinner and Tomura keep waking me over gaming bullshit in the middle of the night!!!”

There’s a muffled thud and shout from the other side. It’s Shuichi, saying something about Jin being one loud asshole, too, to which Himiko starts giggling, and then coughing as the drink goes the wrong way.

“... yeah, I’m better off in my crazy room.”

There’s a knock on the floor- the isopod fell from Twice’s lap and is now trying its best to get back on its legs.

Thinking about it, he must have so many crumbs all over his apartment… if he didn’t use his feathers to kill or chuck out everything that gets into his living space, there would be a cockroach farm inside by now.

He might consider getting an isopod, after all.

[pro-exotics]

By Melissa Smith, original link above

Are you debating whether or not exotic pets should be legal or if it is ethical to own them? If you haven’t decided on whether you are “for” or “against” exotic pet ownership, the truth is that exotic pet owners are unfairly persecuted for no logical reason.

Exotic pet keeping is rapidly becoming a "taboo" in this country, thanks to the persistence of animal rights groups and the unfortunate tendency of many Americans to view animals as precious, innately pure, human-like beings. Wild animals are often celebrated as "free spirits," and it is thought that they cannot and should not be tamed by human greed.

The Truth for Your Debate

The cusp of the argument is that the ethics of exotic pet ownership differ not at all from traditional, so-called domesticated pets that few question the ethics of owning. To argue for exotic pets alone would be a debate for the keeping of pets in general, and it wouldn’t make a lot of sense for someone to be forced to take on that philosophical debate solely because they support exotic pet ownership.

Exotic pet owners want to enjoy the same rights as owners of traditional pets. The majority of anti-exotic pet arguments rely on the logic that exotic pets are significantly different from "normal" pets.

Comparing Traditional and Exotic Pets

Hatred of exotic pet-keeping thrives from the "fear of the other" psychology, or fear of something different. Why do people question some pets and not others? When someone sees a pet they are not familiar with, there must be a reason keeping it is bad. This is why parrots, which are very demanding pets, get less criticism than a less common exotic, including even other birds like a toucan.

What is an exotic pet? Where is the line drawn? Some exotic pets are also traditional pets such as budgies, chinchillas, and pet reptiles. How would one distinguish from the needs of a fox and a hamster? Hamsters can run for miles in the wild, which is something the largest hamster cage cannot replicate. Both species are subjected to unnatural conditions.

Context

The most common deception of anti-exotic pet arguments is that all exotic pets are somehow significantly different from domesticated and traditional pets. Opponents will try to remove exotic animals from the context of traditional pet owning ethics and elevate their status as something close to human. An example of this is the knee-jerk reaction people have when people "exploit" (sell, trade, re-home, etc.) exotic animals. This is seen as appalling for exotics, but unobjectionable in the context of dogs, horses, and other traditional pets.

Even the most socially acceptable domesticated pets have striking similarities. The only issue they don't have in common is environmental concerns from over-harvesting; however, domesticated pets impact the ecosystem in their own unique ways. People who are apt to find problems with the exotic pet trade while failing to see similar or even worse problems with the pets they find acceptable are using confirmation biases.

Debate Point 1: "Exotic Pets Are Dangerous"

Exotic pets, overall, aren’t dangerous, or the level of danger present reflects on the competency of the owner. First and foremost, exotic pets include a massive number of diverse species ranging from those the size of an eraser to the largest animals on Earth. Exotic pets can never be identified as dangerous as a whole; rather, we should define what danger means and which exotic pets are identified in the debate.

If danger means lethality, only extremely large exotic pets and venomous animals have killed people in the U.S. This is mostly limited to big cats, bears, wolves, the largest constrictor snakes, venomous snakes, and large ungulates (deer, camels, bison, elephants). It is only accurate to then state that large or extremely venomous animals are dangerous.

In comparison, medium-sized dogs have caused human fatalities, and these deaths are more likely to involve people who are not the owners of the animal (or living with it) or have not voluntarily interacted with it. Large and inherently dangerous exotic pets are often owned with more discretion, so while there is a valid point for regulating these animals (although bans are still unnecessary), none exists for the majority of exotic pets.

Smaller exotic pets are capable of inflicting harm by biting, but this is true of any pet that has teeth. All domesticated pets also can inflict injury, but this never receives the attention of an exotic pet-related injury, even if it is more severe.

Exotic pets are not more dangerous than comparably sized dogs and cats and are sometimes less dangerous. Exotic pets that pose an unusually high risk of severe injury or death are reasonably safe when owned by responsible people, although mistakes and isolated incidences of tragedy are inevitable—just as they are with any other pet—and that is just a part of life.

Dogs kill 30 people annually in the U.S. Large constrictor snakes kill 0-1 people per year. Big cats within the last 30 years have killed no more than 5 people in one year, although most years it is 0-1 fatalities annually. This figure includes accredited zoos.

There are substantially more dogs in the U.S. than exotic carnivores, but most dogs are too small (about 30 pounds and under) to cause fatalities and are easy to control.

People pay more attention to serious exotic pet attacks, even though they are extremely rare, due to sensationalism.

Most exotic pet-related fatalities involve the owner and willing individuals who interact with the animals, not the public; therefore, exotic pets are not a significant public safety threat.

Debate Point 2: "Keeping Exotic Pets Is Selfish"

Keeping exotic pets is not any more "selfish" than keeping domesticated pets. The argument of selfishness suggests that exotic pets are different from traditional pets, and this is simply not true. All animals are subjected to unnatural conditions, and this even includes dogs and cats. Accusing an exotic pet owner of being selfish is mostly an empty attack holding them to a higher standard when it is convenient for the accuser. It is a common, emotionally manipulative, demonization tactic.

Debate Point 3: "Wild Animals Do Poorly in Captivity"

Exotic pets are not “wild animals” and can adapt to captivity reasonably well. Animals that do not do well in captivity tend to breed poorly and make bad pets, so they do not last long in the pet trade. Exotic pets enjoy more popularity when they are adaptable to living with humans under the proper conditions.

Another variation of this topic is that wild animals have instincts that cannot be satisfied in captivity. All animals have instincts, and no animal, domesticated or otherwise, has truly adapted to living indoors with a human. An example is that indoor cats can suffer health problems and perform stereotypic behaviors which can be corrected using the same methods from the care of so-called wild pets.

Another common argument is that cages are too small and inhibit naturally free-ranging animals from roaming. All pets roam longer distances than enclosures allow. Studies show that most cats will roam a considerable distance from their home when permitted.

The worst argument people use is that exotic animals can survive in the wild and domesticated animals can't. This couldn't be further from the truth. There are several domesticated species thriving and reproducing in the wild including cats, dogs, and horses, while even true wild animals raised by humans require special rehabilitation before they have a chance to survive in the wild.

Debate Point 4: "The Exotic Pet Trade Hurts Wild Animal Populations"

This is only partially true for some species, particularly reptiles, fish and birds, which make up the majority of the illegal trade involving shipments destined for the United States. A good portion of the trade occurs locally, in the country of the animal's origin, which is not related to the trade in the U.S. but often is cited as related.

There have been some problematic trades that have affected wild populations prior to enacting regulations. The trade can be successfully regulated as are other industries such as hunting, although habitat fragmentation is the major cause of most declining populations that make resolving the situation more difficult or impossible.

A significant number of species in the exotic pet trade are now captive-bred, and the importation of threatened species has been reduced or eliminated. There always remains a threat from the illegal black market, which already has laws in place against it. To simplify:

The wildlife trade now has reasonable regulations in place.

The local wildlife trade is damaging but wouldn't be affected by bans in the United States and other countries.

In most cases, habitat fragmentation is the cause of species decline, resulting in any further species removal to be cited as an additional threat.

Debate Point 5: "Most People Cannot Care for Exotic Pets"

There are different animals in captivity, and some are harder to care for than others. Some dog breeds would be miserable in a traditional household, while some cats have traits that are very similar to the so-called wild traits of exotic pets. It is understood that these animals shouldn't be banned just because they are not suitable for most people. Instead, educating the public is the answer. Most exotic pets that are considered to be hard to care for are already less popular than unsuitable dog breeds like border collies, high-drive hunting dogs, and working lines of shepherd breeds.

Debate Point 6: "Can You Justify Exotic Pets?"

This is a typical argumentative trap that requires a response based on the assumption that keeping exotic pets is inherently wrong. Do not fall for this loaded question. If someone were to say "justify owning dogs", it would be seen by most as a silly question, as literally all of our actions could be seen as negative should we be required to establish them as inherently good in order to be unobjectionable.

This treads into some more severe philosophical questions (do we deserve to exist?) that places an unfair standard for exotic pet owners to meet in relation to everything else. Defending exotic pet owners with arguments (it's good for conservation, it saves animals from the wild, etc.) is indirectly supporting anti-exotic pet arguments.

Pros of Allowing Exotic Pet Ownership

While exotic pet ownership is not 'wrong' there are also some societal benefits people may want to take into consideration to further enhance how much of an injustice blanket exotic pet bans are.

Property rights: Pet owners should be able to choose the type of pet they want. The personal feelings of other people shouldn't impact the rights of others.

Mental health: Many studies show that pets could have a benefit for people who wish to own them. While the species studied tend to be dogs and cats, this likely applies to many more species.

Education: Pet owners continue to learn from their pets and may even pursue higher education from experiencing the care of unusual animals. Many owners contribute information to zoos that enhance our understanding of the natural world.

Economy: The exotic pet trade encourages the creation of many jobs including but not limited to exotic pet medicine, pet supplies, animal ambassador programs, and pet boarding.

Conservation: In some cases, exotic pet ownership has contributed to conservation efforts. Private owners have aided in species survival programs and offered knowledge for some species that are difficult to care for or breed. Some animals can be offered for in situ conservation programs.

[mwolf0epsilon]

Saddiq + John Hammond = *Jurassic Noises* (Pls may i request android dinosaurs that Jericho must deal with. Ill give you my soul )

Enjoy!

---

[[MORE]]

Markus gets the call early in the morning. He's spent over 78 hours working on refining the Android Rights bills so it takes him a while to process what Connor is telling him but (when it finally clicks) he practically vaults over his desk and trips out of his room. He scares the ever loving crap out of Matthew who was trying to administer Carl's meds, and apologizes profusely for intruding.

"Dad do you still have Mr. Siddiq's number?" The RK200 asks as he straightens his clothes. He looks a mess.

"It's one of my emergency numbers. I keep it on speed dial on my smartphone." Carl is amused by Markus's odd question, making sure to pat Matthew's arm reassuringly when the AP700 starts looking like an angry bird with ruffled feathers. He took his job as a caretaker very seriously and disliked sudden interruptions in his care schedule. "Why?"

"You're not going to believe this..." Markus mutters as he looks down at his feet.

"Try me."

---

Carl, it turns out, isn't that easy to surprise and takes the news in good stride. The others are the ones who cannot believe their eyes when they all drive downtown and lay eyes on

"Is... Is that a fucking T-rex?!" North's eyes are wide, while Josh looks like he's about to have some sort of stroke. Simon on the other hand looks like he's having a blast.

"I had almost forgotten the museum bought dinosaur android replicas for the prehistoric exibits!" The PL600 practically bounced in excitement as he watched the T-rex walk around, sniffing it's environment while the police kept it corraled with squad cars.

On the other side of the street Connor was helping lieutenant Anderson interrogate the museum owner.

The four leaders exchanged looks before walking over.

"I swear, it was all fine this morning, then Rex just..." The middle aged man flailed as he tried to find the right words "Bolted..."

"No signs of trouble from the other models?" The RK800 inquired further.

"None whatsoever." The man insisted.

Hank pinched the bridge of his nose and groaned. He turned to look at the massive android dinosaur and shook his head in disbelief.

"At least it's not going around rampaging around town... We don't need a Jurassic Park reenactment."

"I doubt it would feel the need to do so lieutenant." Connor looked over as well "Most causes of aggression in newly deviated androids is due to abuse and emotional trauma, the signs of which are not at all present in this TRX1's general demeanor."

"I'd say he looks pretty happy." Simon added as the four joined the three men.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice, as you can see this is a... Rather strange case." Connor smiled sheepishly, looking somewhat apologetic towards Markus who looked a little out of it.

"We'd never mistreat Rex. He's practically the museum's crown jewel!" The owner exclaimed "Everyone loves him, especially the children."

"We can tell. He's very docile for uh, a T-rex..." Josh watched as the massive animal decided to lay down in the middle of the road, rumbling contentedly at its newfound freedom.

"Which is why I need help... He's a very good boy he is, so it'd feel cruel to coop him up inside in his old enclosure..." The owner frowned sadly.

Which was why Markus had preemptively asked for Mr. Siddiq's number. If anyone could properly house a deviant t-rex it was certainly him.

---

"I can't believe we're doing this..." North grumbled as the four leaders of Jericho chaperoned an android dinosaur through the city, much to the awe of several onlookers in the streets.

"Asad Siddiq's android animal sanctuary is located outside of city limits and we can't exactly ride the subway with a dinosaur." Markus sighed miserably as Rex lowered his head to nibble on the back of his coat. The large beast chirped affectionately as it lifted the coat up and over the RK200's head. "Why are you so upset about this anyway? I thought you of all people would love to get up close and personal with the tyrant king lizard."

"Tyrannosaurus Rex is overated." North shrugged "Carnos are waaay cooler."

"Carnos are only cool because of the horns. Allosaurus is a lot more impressive." Josh pointed out. "There's a fossil with a healed over broken jaw. Proof of it's adaptability, intelligence and survival tactics."

"You're both wrong. Look up the titanoboa. They ate Tyrannosaurus, Carnosaurus and Allosaurus for breakfast, lunch and dinner." Simon smirked.

"We get it Simon, if you could you'd live your life as a snake." North snorted.

"RA9 I wish..."

Markus sighed as the three bickered over which prehistoric animal was the best.

Rex licked the back of his head nearly making him fall over.

---

"This isn't my first dino rodeo if you'd believe it." Asad smiled as he ran a hand over the t-rex's massive snout.

Rex practically purred as it got a lot of attention from the elderly man and the YK500 sitting on top of its head.

"He's so big and pretty! He'll get along well with the others, won't he papa?" Bo giggled from atop the mighty android.

"You have a dinosaur dome?" Josh asked in disbelief.

"Indeed. I have gotten calls from several different locations that own all kinds of animal androids. The abuse cases are the worst, but mostly it's just establishments that find deviants too unpredictable to know what to do with them." Asad explained "The dinosaurs I have are from an amusement park. They're all a delight, especially the raptors. They enjoy solving puzzles and going through elaborate maze structures."

"Do you have any titanoboas?" Simon asked hopefully. He'd very greatly enjoy watching one in action.

"Sadly no. The only pair in Detroit was property of the museum and they were reported stolen two years ago..." Asad replied, frowning slightly. "I do wonder what ever happened to them..."

"So uh... What other dinosaurs do you have then?" North kicked a pebble out of the way, feigning lack of interest.

"Well we have a male Carnotaurus named El Diablo. He's a lovely shade of blood red and mahogany." Asad smiled.

"Do you have any Allosaurus?" Josh added.

"A whole group."

"Let us see! Please please please?" North and Josh looked over the moon with the thought of seeing their favorite dinos.

"Certainly! This way to the dome."

Markus watched Mr. Siddiq, North, Josh, Bo and Rex walk off while Simon sulked ever so slightly besides him.

"Aww... I wish there were titanoboas..."

"Simon, you practically own a Jurassic terror already... Your python is terrifying." The RK200 shuddered at the thought of those beady red eyes glaring at him.

"Oh he's not. He's a very sweet snake once you get to know him." Simon shook his head in disagreement and crossed his arms.

Markus considered this before shaking his head. Between the ornery and possessive albino reticulated python and a group of massive dinosaur androids, he'd rather take his chances with the less aggressive dinos.

[afantasticbeastwriter]

Warm || Newt Scamander x Reader

Genre: ANNNNGST Warnings: Character death. Word Count: 1,934 Prompt: “Ooh what if the reader was Leta's younger sister by maybe a year or two and they liked Newt. And then poof time skip to many years later maybe the reader is Newt's assistant and maybe she gets hurt while fighting a Grindelwald fanatic and that's when he realizes he loves her?” A/N: Thank you to boxofteenageideas for this request! Sorry it took me so long. So, the original request mentioned the reader getting hurt. I took it a bit further because I watched Les Mis recently and well, it inspired me in quite a way lol. Sorry for any tears! Please let me know what you all think, and do not hesitate to give me some more requests! Enjoy (the best you can)!

“Excuse me?”

He turned around with a swish of his hair and not much eye contact. Good ol’ Newt Scamander, third year recluse and animal lover extraordinaire, never had been too observant of others. His beasts he took impeccable care of, but when it came to humans, he did not notice their worries or needs. It simply did not come to him. It was not worthy of note.

It has cost him multiple potential friendships in the past from those too shy to accept his quirks or too popular to associate with his awkward-natured self. But Newt did not mind. They were not worth his time if they did not understand him. That was why he kept so close to Leta Lestrange, the Slytherin in his year with soft chocolate skin and big eyes that sparkled like diamonds when they gazed at his creatures. She was the only one who did not laugh or mock him when he put his beloved creatures first. She accepted him for everything. As far as he was concerned, he was indebted to her for life.

Because of his deep appreciation of her, Newt often kept her company. He knew everything about her and her interests. She came to him for everything – comfort, help, fun. She also came to him when her home life became rough. That was why, when he looked down and briefly saw you standing before him, he knew exactly who you were. You were his best friend’s little sibling. Just having entered Hogwarts, you were wearing your full robes and wide-eyed. You were, quite frankly, adorable to him. In a little kid kind of way, at least. Newt awkwardly smiled.

“Hello.”

“M-My sister told me I should say hi to you.” It was a lie, but he did not know any better. “I’m {Y/N} Lestrange.”

Briefly meeting your eyes, Newt nodded. “Nice to meet you. Call me Newt.”

“Newt.” His name sounded funny coming from your much younger, tinier voice. Where Leta sounded more older and mature, you sounded quite small and innocent. He rather fancied it, though he would never share that fact with you. “I was wondering if you could show me the creatures you show her.”

“Y-You want to see them? Are you sure?”

You smiled. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

Now, that was a question young Newt Scamander had never heard before. It was a good one – a great one, even. Why shouldn’t people be sure to meet his creatures? They were harmless, after all. They were quite majestic, too. Everyone should want to see them. Face brightening, Newt beckoned you to follow him and got up to go.

You followed him down a few of the halls, not quite sure where you were heading but trusting nevertheless. Newt weaved through a few doors and staircases until stopping at a little staircase leading to a nook. He reached his hand out to you, and you took it with confidence. All nerves swam away when Newt felt that.

“I suppose you should meet my newest creature first,” he said, guiding you into the nook. You noticed quite quickly a large jar with some murky creature lurking in it. You would be lying if it did not scare you, but you did not mention it to Newt. Instead, you watched as a small, twig-like creature crawled out toward you from his arm. With glee, you joined Newt in taking a seat on the ground and held your arm out for it. It chirped and made its way onto you, making Newt smile.

“I believe I’m going to call him Pickett.” His eyes watched the creature crawl further up your arm, making you laugh. “He’s quite agile, isn’t he?”

“He tickles,” you giggled. “Where did you find him?”

“There’s a special tree. Your sister and I visited it last term. We’ve grown to become good friends. M-Me and Pickett, that is,” he stumbled, face growing red. Too engrossed with Pickett, you remained ignorant. That was how the rest of your time with Newt went. You would fall for his creatures, and him quite frankly, while he showed you his world and trailed after Leta. It was a constant pattern, one that involved both of you remaining blissfully unaware of each other’s emotions.

It was not until years later, somewhere in Paris, that either of you figured one’s emotions out. You were the unfortunate one to find out first. There was something almost cruel about the way you realized Newt’s love for Leta. Being his assistant, you believed there was no one closer in Newt’s world. You dealt with his creatures daily – who else could say they did that? You came into work every day and earned at least one smile from Newt. That was a constant. What was not constant, however, was your heartbeat as you walked into one of the creature’s case enclosures and found Newt in a loving embrace, lips pressed to lips, with Leta.

You began to flee just as Newt caught sight of you. He chased you, but you escaped in tears. Where you ran, you hardly knew. You got out of the case and simply sprinted. When it seemed as if Newt would catch you, you disapparated and went as far away as you could think of on such short a notice. His emotions did not mean anything in that moment to you. All you cared about was the panic coursing through your body, and the feeling of unwantedness that drummed through your mind. When you wandered into an abandoned cemetery, you hardly thought anything of it.

You thought of everything, however, all at once when a sudden array of green sparks hurdled your way from your right. Tears quickly forgotten, you squealed and hid behind a tombstone with a pounding heart. It thumped in your mind feverishly as the sparks continued to bombard the stone, slowly breaking it. You had no idea who was doing this or why, or why they were so combative at a cemetery of all places. Though you detested him at the moment, you wished Newt, shy, sweet Newt, would show up and rescue you. For a bit, no one did.

Then, you saw white sparks fly through the air, ceasing the green.

“Back away from her. Now.”

Jumping up, you noticed the scene before you with utter shock. It was him. He stood strong, piercing, ready to take on the world. Leta was behind him, wand cast forward at whatever person stood ready to attack you. She looked trapped in a heap of emotions, but you could not really decipher them all from your vantage point. What you could see was Newt in attack mode, showing more furious than you ever had seen him to this mysterious figure. They laughed and yelled something about Grindelwald to him, about how he needed to watch his tongue and let what was to happen happen if he did not wish for Grindelwald’s fury.

Of course, Newt hardly cared for the likes of the sly, mostly evil wizard, so he moved forward anyway. He shot a spell their way and it hit them good, knocking them off their feet – not before they shot a spell right at you.

The sensation was sharp, searing like flame into your skin. Not much else went through your mind as you collapsed to the cold, grassy floor beneath you. You heard Leta yell, and you heard the cracks of spells, and then you felt Newt’s arms cradle you into him. Your emotions went wild, but your mind went blank as he fussed over you. Whatever was going on with the flames, you were apparently really hurting from them, and he looked utterly terrified because of it.

“{Y/N}, s-stay with me, s-stay, it’s going to be okay.”

Stay? You had no idea what he meant by stay. You were not going anywhere. Body beginning to shake, you turned and looked up into his eyes. He looked far worse off than he had been in his nook all those years before.

“Newt, I-”

“Shhh.” Holding you close, Newt looked over to Leta as she dealt the final blow to the fanatic. As soon as she finished, she too joined him at your side. Her eyes were wide and frightened, as if one more moment staring at her younger sibling in pain could snap her world in two.

“Newt, {Y/N} needs help. Now.”

“S-She can’t apparate,” he choked out, eyes watering. “Leta, it’d be too much.”

“We can’t just let her-”

“We can’t do anything.”

You caught a glimpse of your sister as these words sunk into her brain. She looked lost. Worse, she looked tormented and distraught and afraid. You could not tell why she was so afraid. You were fine, weren’t you? Sure, you were shaking and the flames did not go away, but you felt so warm up against Newt. How could something feel so good if things were bad?

“{Y/N},” Newt’s voice was shaky, uncertain. “I…I love you. I need you to know that.”

You opened your mouth to counter, but he hushed you. “What you saw in the cemetery…{Y/N}, I just told Leta we needed to part ways for your sake. Y-You stole my affection, and I did not want to drag her along. {Y/N}, you cannot leave me. Please.”

Hearing such a confession made you never want to leave. How could you leave when everything seemed to fall into place? You had been wrong; you were loved. Newt loved you, not your sister. Surely, that was cause never to leave. But, as you opened your mouth to speak, something clogged your airway and forced you to cough. And, as you looked ahead of you to Newt’s coat, a blood stain from your cough made you realize that, perhaps, you were about to have no choice but to leave. Newt and Leta’s voices grew more muffled with this realization, almost at the same rate the taste of iron filled your mouth. Coughing more, you clutched to Newt and his warmth more than you ever had before. He was your space heater, your comfort, the one tangible thing left keeping you tethered to Earth. You clawed for him, bringing him closer, and he met you with a kiss that left you both wildly fulfilled and panicked.

On his lips, you saw nothing but bright red.

The coughing began again.

“I love you,” he muttered, holding you close once more and slowly rocking you back and forth. “I love you. So much.”

“I’m so sorry,” Leta sobbed. You looked beyond Newt’s shoulder to see her with tears streaming down her face. Her skin was pale. Her eyes were dull, life slowly drawing out of her. If you had not known any better, you would say she was dead herself. Though you could not physically move, you pleaded with your eyes for her to be okay. Something about the way she could not seem to meet your eyes back left you feeling worse off than before.

Your eyes fluttered shut.

Newt choked on his tears.

“I love you.”

The fire seemed to dull in that moment. Where shaking once sat, stabilization found your feet firm on the ground. The warmth you felt, though, stayed the same. It in fact grew, enveloping you until you found yourself sitting in Newt’s nook, meeting his creatures for the first time and meeting his smiling gaze.

Death was cold. Newt was warm.

And although you did not get to experience life with him, you were content to make up for lost time in the eternity after it.

[oceanmastertrash]

the tides know our names- 5/?

gif from @kingsorm

Summary: -takes place after the movie- Orm is working with Arthur to try to help Atlantis move forward when Elara has a vision of his death. As part of an order of Atlanteans dating back to the reign of King Atlan known as Tidewatchers, it is her duty to warn the king of her vision. Predicting and reading the future through the tides of fate has never been easy but Elara is in for the challenge of a lifetime working with her former king to save his life.

part 5/?

Word Count: 1,690

Warnings: none for this chapter

 Read on Ao3

Arthur said, “I think we better have another chat.”

She just nodded, too worn out for anything else but Orm was still looking at Elara when he responded to Arthur, “Indeed we should.”

-

After Vulko, Orm, and Elara had all been looked at by the royal physicians and it was verified that they were as uninjured as they had claimed, they were installed in one of the royal council chambers. It was ruled to be a decidedly more fortified location being in the central tower of the palace complex then the far southern tower that had housed Orm in the recent months. There was an absolute plethora of guards and soldiers patrolling the halls and guarding the doors.

When travelling from the infirmary to the council chamber, they’d been surrounded by reinforcements. It was the prudent move but one that felt ultimately unnecessary. The entire complex was on high alert, no one would be getting to Orm, not today at least.

While the group was checked out, Arthur had gone to see what he could get out of the Trenchers, but again, Elara wasn’t optimistic.

Orm, meanwhile, was restless- the tension positively vibrated off of him. Waiting around and hiding while other people actually got things done was not what he was born to do. It was like watching a caged animal prowling their enclosure: both awe-inspiring and deeply unsettling all at once.

So while Vulko was receiving updates from the men outside in the hall, Elara sat and watched Orm pace. After a few minutes of this he abruptly stopped and turned to her, a question on the tip of his tongue. But, of course, that was the moment Arthur and Vulko entered.

She could see Orm bury whatever he was about to ask, instead turning to address Arthur instead, “Did you learn anything?”

Arthur shook his head, “Not yet but we’re going to keep at it, gotta let them sweat it out a bit.”

Orm was deeply unsatisfied with this but held back whatever retort was brewing beneath the surface.

Arthur motioned to the large table in the room saying, “Shall we?”

“Is Mera joining us?” Elara asked as the others took their seats.

“Nah,” Arthur replied, “She’s still wrapping things up with the Trade Council. Luckily  they saw an attack on the palace as a good enough reason to excuse my presence.”

He seemed almost amused by this but Elara immediately saw Orm’s distaste at Arthur’s seeming disregard of matters of state. But Arthur was a new King still and had many things he had yet to learn.

“I guess this is a good news/bad news situation,” Arthur continued, sitting down.

“How’s that?” Orm asked, a deep storm cloud over him.

“Well, bad news is someone tried to kill you.” He said motioning to Orm before gesturing to where Elara sat across from him, “Good news is we averted Elara’s vision.”

“If that’s the case,”she began, speaking cautiously, “then I’m afraid it’s a bad news/bad news kind of day.”

“Why?” Orm asked cooly.

“Because that wasn’t my vision,” she answered.

“I mean, obviously,” Arthur replied, “Orm didn’t get stabbed but it was an attack in a palace hallway with Orm, Vulko, and two guards. Maybe it was just different because you were there?”

She shook her head, “No. I mean things can shift, but that’s not what happened. That is not the event that I saw. This was something different.”

“Isn’t it possible,” Orm said slowly as he locked her in his gaze, “that you were wrong?”

She wanted to throw her head back in frustration but restrained herself. They just didn’t get it. Were there similarities between what she’d seen and what just happened, yes? But they were distinct and separate events.

“Not about this. I know what I saw and I know that it’s still coming.” She said calmly.

It was like the vision was a boulder thrown into a pool, the waves and ripples were still resounding through the tides, the only change Elara saw was that now those ripples were interacting with those from this attack as well.

“Are you really so certain?” Orm challenged.

Elara stood her ground, looking him straight in his stark blue eyes, “Completely. I know what I felt and I trust in that feeling.

Orm held her gaze for a beat longer before looking down suddenly, almost as if he knew she could read his emotions in his eyes and he sought to shield them from her. The action caused a swell of confusion in her but she simply didn’t have the time to decipher what that meant.

“Well then,” Arthur said finally. “This is officially a mess.”

She sighed. That was the understatement of the year.

Arthur shook his head and turned to Vulko, “what are our options?”

“I think it would be best if we secure Prince Orm until we get to the bottom of this,” Vulko said.

“By secure you mean lock me away again,” Orm bit out. “What happened to all that grand talk about rehabilitation and bridging the gap between the reigns you all were so fond of when mother was here? Was that for her benefit or your guilty conscience?”

“If anyone has been trying to ease their burden of guilt, my prince, it is you.” Vulko replied coolly.

An ocean of anger and resentment rose in Orm, seeking to cut it off, Elara spoke up quickly. “No one is suggesting imprisoning anyone but things cannot remain as they are if we are to keep you safe.”

It was perhaps more personal than she’d meant to phrase it but she’d had to speak quickly to keep this discussion from devolving into name calling.

Orm slowly shifted his gaze from his former vizier to the tidewatcher, clearly loath to take his eyes off of the man who had betrayed him all those months ago. When he looked at Elara, there was still so much anger and frustration in him, it was as if the heat of battle had loosened some of the control he’d been so careful to keep over his emotions.

“What do you suggest then?” he asked, at least succeeding in quieting his rage to address her.

She paused. She hadn’t expected anyone to ask her, but it was definitely a question that demanded an answer.

She took a deep breath before responding, “At the very least, we need to get you out of the city.”

Resentment radiated off of him at that.

“You think I should run and hide,” he said slowly, his words dipped in scorn.

“Better retreat and regroup than stay and be killed for the sake of your pride,” Elara fired back.

He positively prickled at that and perhaps it wasn’t the best way to respond to her former king but the matter was too serious to beat around the bush. Besides, someone had to talk some sense into him.

“She’s right,” Arthur agreed giving Elara a small surge of pride at that. “You’re too visible here- too recognizable. You ruffled a lot of fish scales, and until we can get to the bottom of the attacks, we may just need to let things cool down.”

“So it’s to be exile then,” Orm said bitterly.

“Orm, we are trying to save your life. Stop complaining and let us help you.” Arthur shot out with more temper than Elara had seen him display yet.

It did the trick though and Orm kept whatever bitter retort he had to himself.

Arthur turned back to Vulko, “Where can he go?”

Vulko seemed to shift uncomfortably before saying carefully, “I fear, my king, that not many of the tribes would harbor him at this point.”

Arthur considered that before saying, “What about Xebel? Weren’t King Nereus and Orm allies?”

Vulko paused, “Yes, but it is possible that that might be too obvious an option.”

Behind that careful phrasing, Elara could sense that was not the only reason why Vulko was against that suggestion. The threads of the tides seemed to indicate that Vulko feared what might happen if Orm was entrusted to a former ally. While Nereus had sworn fealty to the new king, it wasn’t ridiculous to assume that the two might yet conspire to dethrone Arthur. Elara just wished the tides would tell her if Vulko was right to be worried.

All this was easy enough to see in Vulko’s posture and how he always studied Orm, it was as if he was always on his guard against possible reprisals. Arthur, however, trusted his mother and seemed to want to believe that Orm might come around.

Arthur spoke again, “What about the Hidden Sea? Mother was able to remain undetected there for years. The Kerathen would be one hell of a guard dog against future attacks.”

Elara and Vulko exchanged a look before she spoke, “This is true but, if I remember correctly, the only way to get to it is to pass through the Trench. And given the warm greeting we just got from some of its residents, I don’t think we could count on them to grant him safe passage.”

Arthur acknowledged this grimly with a nod and the room lapsed once more into silence. No matter what ripples she searched, Elara couldn’t think of a place in any of the kingdoms where Orm might be safe in the long term.

Arthur suddenly straightened causing the others to look at him.

“I think I’ve got it, it’s away from our suspects and it has the benefit of being the last place anyone would expect to look for Orm,” he said and Elara felt a shift in the tides, the glimmer of his idea materializing before her.

No, that couldn’t be right. The tides had to be wrong, Arthur couldn’t possibly be crazy enough to suggest that.

Orm seemed to grow uneasy at Arthur’s expression, “I’m not going to like this, am I?”

“You are definitely going to hate it, little bro.” Arthur said as he burst into a shit-eating grin and all doubts were erased. “Congratulations, you just won a trip to the surface.”

Author’s note: heh heh. This is gonna be great. I have to say that writing angry Orm is really fun. I loved playing with him losing a bit of his temper. Got a bit more meat in this chapter and I hope you all like it. As always, replies and likes are life and I appreciate any you can give me! see you next time!

[alia-turin]

That took some time but I was writing requests (still have some) and replaying Resident Evil whoch made me filled with angst and there is very little angst here and yeah. Enjoy guys

Fic Title: Not Strong Enough Previous Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11,12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 Rating [Warnings]: M [mention of body injury] all chapters will have different warnings Pairing: Luche x OC, Nyx x Luna Summary: 3 years have passed since Noctis disappeared and Luche finds himself on the side of unfamiliar road with no recollection how he got there Note: I was listening to Apocalyptica’s Not Strong Enough while writing that hence the title. It’s VERY suitable sing for the fic. Tagging: @jojolosthermojo @birdsandivory @yourcoolfriendwithallthecandy @lazarustrashpit

“Guys why don’t we all calm down.” Ada raised her arms a bit, one trying to calm the two men that had just walked in and the other at Luche who had his hand on his gun. “We are not here to harm you.” She looked at the two men, they looked in pretty bad condition. Old clothes, skinny, faces drained almost of all colour.

“Nobody has been here in months. Not since we told these fuckers up north to...well go fuck themselves.” The one that spoke the first time said that. He was slightly shorter with dark hair and dark eyes.

“And how is that working out for you guys?” Luche taunted and Ada just stared at him. These men didn’t need to be provoked, they might not really mean them harm, but that could change any moment.

“Guys…let’s put the weapons down okay. I’m not armed.” Ada raised her hands up showing there were no weapons hidden, Luche slowly moved his hand away from his gun but still kept it close enough if needed. “Let us all talk calmly.”

“You are from here?” the other man asked. “Where do you live?”

“I used to live just down the road, next to the records shop. My mother was piano teacher…” she started but the interrupted her.

“I know the house, my daughter used to go for piano lessons there. You have a brother as well, don’t you?” The man looked at Luche who obviously wasn’t acting like her brother just before they had walked in.

“I did.” She admitted and the two men slowly started moving their guns down, but they were still not all the way down. “My mother passed away in a refugee camp as we were moving toward Insomnia, my father and brother died few years later.” She thought very carefully what was going to say next, but the rabbit had to be pulled out of the bag sooner or later. “I was in the Kingsglaive before Insomnia fell. I guess I’m still in it.”

“The glaives are traitors.” The shorter man said but didn’t lift his gun. Was it possible they worked with the Empire.

“The glaives did what they did for their homes.” Luche finally spoke. “Might have been wrong, might have been right, not all of them betrayed the king and those who did it didn’t do so for personal gain. They wanted to free their homes.”

“I feel very free right now, boy.” The taller man said sarcastically. Luche was probably a boy for him. The man looked close to sixty than to fifty.

“Guys we are not here to argue, we are here to help.” Ada decided it was time to focus the topic a bit more. “We have a power plant up and running up north…”

“It was up and running long time ago, these bastards didn’t want to give us electricity, so we were forced to live like animals.” The shorter one interrupted her and Ada was taken aback. That was not what Nyx told her. She knew Nyx didn’t lie to her, so was it possible someone else lied to him?

“The bastards up north had some help and now they don’t decide who does what.” Luche was quick to answer, he was way better in that than her she had no idea why she was the one who spoke up till now. “The Crownsguard helped them fix the plant and now it could provide power here, but we all need to work together to get that happen.

“And what do they want in return?” The taller man asked. “There is no such thing as free lunch.”

“We need to rebuilt Galahd.” Luche said confident. “You are right s not a free lunch. There are factories here that we can use to build supplies. These islands have been suffering too long under the Imperials we cannot let them just sink.”

The two men just laughed and Luche looked confused even offended. Ada didn’t know what to say or even how to react. Were they just making fun of them?

“Come, we will show you something.” The shorter man said as he put his gun completely down.

They walked out of the house and then out of town. Nobody talked, Luche and Ada just exchanged few meaningful looks knowing these two might be leading them anywhere including in a demon infested trap. Didn’t matter the two of them could overcome pretty much anything together or so she wished to believe.

Eventually they were lead to a cave enclosure, the entrance was brightly lit with fire and from what Ada could see, there were bright torches all the way inside.

“That’s home.” The short man said as he led them in.

‘Home’ was a very relative concept. It was long cave corridor, further down it was leading to a chamber that was also brightly lit, people had placed tables there and she could see cooking supplies in the distance. He walked further down and the cave corridor split into tow chambers that was just across from each other. One bigger and one smaller. Ada peaked into the small one and saw group of kids making their beds, there was just one adult woman helping some of the youngest. There were probably fifteen kids there.

“Orphans.” The shorter man said as she looked confused. “They have lost their families, people take turns to take care of them.”

She didn’t say anything but at the back of her head she felt terrible sadness. That might have been here if it wasn’t for her family escaping hen they did. The chamber across of this one was bigger and there were adults and children getting ready for sleep now.

“That’s home.” The shorter man said. “We have twenty adults and five kids that still have at least one parent. That’s pretty much everyone.”

“Why you live here? The town is deserted, you should be able to settle there.” Luche asked.

“We cannot stay safe in the city.” The man answered. “That cave ends here, with fire we can light the whole thing and the entrance, to keep demons away. It’s stone, cannot be ruined. The town…too many houses, people were spreading we couldn’t protect each other. Come on, let’s get you some dinner.”

Neither of them felt like eating seeing the conditions these people lived in, the food they were going to give them was probably better used somewhere else, but they also didn’t refuse. He told them the whole story of how they moved here, all the challenges and how many people they had lost in the process. It was worse than they thought and way worse than Nyx presented it or it was presented to Nyx. The people here couldn’t work, they couldn’t even rebuild their own town the way Nyx’s had. Twenty adults were nothing and they were all malnutrition and exhausted. The man offered them to stay for the night but without even discussing it they both refused. They had taken more than they needed from these people, they were going to stay in town. Ada only asked for paper and pen so she can write a message to Nyx and send it via the fisherman who was supposed to pick them up on the next day. They were going to stay and try to fix things and she was going to ask Cor or Tredd or Nyx or all of them to come and help. These people needed it badly.

 They made their way back to the massive white house, neither of them talking seeing the absolute terrible condition their home was. Luche had no idea what to do or to say. He was eighteen when he left, unlike her he had very good memories of what that place used to be and it was breaking his heart to pieces. He didn’t know any of the people they met, or he just couldn’t remember them but those were his neighbors in a sense and now they lived like cattle. They went back up to the living room, he started the fire again, this time was easier while Ada started writing a letter to Nyx.

“Asking him to come?” Luche asked over his shoulder as he was trying to fix some sort of bedding for the two of them. The first thing he would do once they were back to their house was to build a bed, he was tired of sleeping rough.

“Him or Cor or Tredd…anybody really. With food supplies.” Luche winced as she mentioned Cor’s name. Tredd or Nyx was fine, not the Marshal. He was still jealous of the man even if he had no logical reason to do so. He knew he had to stop with his jealousy, it was making him act stupid, but it wasn’t that easy. He has lost three years with her and that man had stolen them from him. Well not stolen, but it was how he felt.

Ada tilted her head as she saw that he placed their bedding next to each other.

“Bold of you.” She said with a smile and he new she was just teasing him.

“Well before we were terribly interrupted we were sorting things out between us, so I figured…” Luche gave a smile he knew she wouldn’t be able to resist.

“Okay.” She said as she took her shoes and jacket off. “Let’s talk.” She sat on her side of the ‘bed’ and he followed suit on his. “I…still have problem trusting you. You have done a lot to win my trust. The thing with Titus and all that…you could have left us all for death. I don’t know if you did it for me or because it was right thing to do, but it means a lot.”

“But?” he asked with half smile. There was always a but. She was glad she didn’t ask why exactly he did what he did because she wouldn’t have liked the answer. Titus might had lost his mind, but Luche had zero loyalty to Cor or wanted to save his ass. All he did, he did for her, otherwise he wouldn’t have given a damn about what happens with Cor. Maybe to some extend he cared about Nyx because they used to be friends, but wouldn’t have been the first time he would push Nyx over the edge of the cliff it was needed. Nothing personal, just business.

“But.” She laughed. “I cannot get rid of the feeling that you would do anything so things work the way you want even if that means stepping on other people or hurting them or even lying to me. I mean…your conversation with Cor. If you were sure I would stay, why didn’t you ask me if I would stay and then ask me to marry you?”

“I just combined both questions, if you had said no, obviously wouldn’t have wanted to stay in Galahd with me.” It wasn’t a lie what he said, but he was twisting his own words. Theoretically that was the case. Had she said no, it was clear what she wanted or more like didn’t want from him. He just wanted to be sure there is no way for Cor to drag her with himself.

“Luche…I never stopped thinking of you these three years even when I was sure you are dead. You don’t need to use silly stupid tricks to keep me.” Her expression had softened. “I want you, I wat to be with you, but I don’t want to be part of some complicated scheming.”

“It’s not complicated.” He admitted. He wanted to touch her now, but he remembered very well what she did last time he tried to use physical contact to win her on his side. She knew better than he thought. “You are part of me. Part that I had always missed before I met you. When we fought in Insomnia…it hurt me.” She snored at that, he smiled. It was stupid way to put it, he had hurt her more than she did him, that was a fact.  “No, I’m not trying to say I was a victim here, I’m just saying what I felt. I mean, sure I can live my life without you, and you can do the same, in fact you already did it.” He added quickly seeing she was about to protest. “That’s not an accusation. You were right to do what you did. Point is, we don’t need each other to live, go about our business. You could be happy with someone else, and probably I can as well, haven’t tried it, but I’m sure I can. I will never be as happy and I hope neither would you. I would be lost now if it wasn’t for you. I wouldn’t know what to do with myself. You have been a piece of me that has always been missing, and yes, I do stupid stuff like trying to manipulate outcomes, but…I’m not trying to hurt you.” He finally allowed himself to reach for her and toucher her face, she didn’t pull away.  “I know I’m possessive and jealous. That made me do what I did and maybe some out of desire to rub it in Cor’s face, but I also wanted to do it for very long time. Long before all his shit happened.” He waved with his free hand toward the mess around them. He meant all he said, his only concern was that she might not buy it given his track record.

“I hate you for saying all that.” she didn’t sound serious she was smiling. “You were a part of me that was missing for three years and now you come and just manage to somehow make into words everything I have been feeling but couldn’t express.” She squeezed his hand and moved it away from her face. “I don’t hate you Luche, and I will stay in Galahd. With you. But let’s not push things anymore. Let’s do it slow and please, no more attempts to twist things when there is no need for it. It was uncalled for and even petty.”

He nodded and thought to himself that he has very good reason to be petty, Cor had been with her and had replaced him even for a short time, but she didn’t need to hear that. She wouldn’t understand it. He barely understood it. He leaned forward and tried to kiss her, but she pulled away.

“Not tonight. I need space.” She said as she kicked her pants away and got herself under the covers. She was doing her best to show him as little skin as possible but he didn’t need to see much, to make his imagination work. It wasn’t even imagination he knew exactly how her skin looked and felt that was torturous for him given he wanted to be with her right now, show her much he really loved her and needed her in his life. He could wait a night and Cor wasn’t around so his need to prove himself wasn’t kicking him in the ass.

He got himself in bed as well taking off clothes, leaving just underwear. It was so awkward being next to her and not even holding her in his arms.

“How did you imagine our life here?” She said eventually since neither of them was sleeping. They had their own problems sure, but their home was even more destroyed than either of them thought. He wondered if the Empire knew all that when they made promises to him and the others.

“Well obviously that was going to be our house.” He smiled. “Had no idea how big is inside, but I must say I’m happy.” He paused. “I don’t know. I always thought I will find some work, maybe in council, who knows might become even a governor, I can lead people.” She laughed at that and he was happy he could still make her smile. “For some reason I never imagined you working. I mean maybe helping in the community sure, but after the Glaive I didn’t want you to have to do anything. I was going to take care of you and the kids.”

“Kids?” Ada turned toward him amused. “You really though it through.”

“I did. We were going to have kids. I don’t know for some reason I always imagined two boys, maybe because I wanted a brother when I was a kid, but I was going to be happy with anything. I will be happy regardless.” He added and felt a bit foolish saying all that now. Not that this future was gone, they can still salvage most of it, but certainly he had done enough to sabotage it. “How did you imagine our life?”

“Similar and different.” She admitted eventually. “Certainly not that house.” She laughed. “Don’t get me wrong, I like it, I just never saw myself living in something that big. Won’t say no to it however, I love the sea view. I always imagined something the size of my parents’ house, maybe I just missed it. When I was a kid I always wanted to do what my mother did so I was probably going to try to get into music teaching or something. I do however see you working in the council or why not governor.” She was just teasing him but they both knew he needed to be in charge of something or he was going to climb himself in charge of something even if he had to step on corpses, which theoretically he tried.

“We can have most of that you know.” He said after some silence. “In some demon infested, no light kind of world.”

“Maybe.” Was the last thing she said before turning her back towards him and falling asleep. Luche stared at the ceiling and for a bit longer thinking he had nobody else to blame but himself for what had happened. Sure, he was never going to have the house while being servant of Insomnia, but he didn’t have it now either. At the end of the day, treachery or no, he ended up the same way he would have anyway. How was that for a lesson.

[mojoflower]

Bodyswap in my various fandoms:  fic recs

Trust Fall by Stoney E, 144k.  Sterek.

Stiles is fairly certain that a case could be made for every bad thing in his life coming back to Peter Hale. This time it's pissing off a powerful witch, who retaliated by swapping Stiles and Derek a la Freaky Friday, because sure. That makes sense. Um, there are GPAs on the line, not to mention the whole thing where his dad wants to shoot Derek on sight. Except who he sees as Derek is actually Stiles, and Stiles did not sign up for filicide.  //  Great. Wait...does this mean he's the Alpha until they figure this out? Holy. Shit.  //  ****  //  Derek had stood in front of the bathroom mirror for a few minutes trying to control the panic as he saw himself as Stiles. As the loud mouthed human friend of the pack. He was going to kill Peter. He was going to kill the witch, then he was going to kill Peter. Maybe even resurrect him again just to kill him all over.  //  They were going to have to play this cool. They would have to stay calm and focused. Which is of course why the universe threw him into this situation with someone who physically couldn't be calm and focused.  //  Of course.

Note to self: I'm pretty sure this is the one I've been trying to remember where Stiles is always asking why no one wants him as a boyfriend, that he'd be such a good boyfriend:

“If people would just look, they'd see that how I am, who I am is pretty great, actually.” Stiles quietly cleared his throat past the lump that was forming and blinked rapidly. “I could be pretty great if someone would just let me be great for them.”

Fuzzy Logic by Sparseparsley E, 7k.  Sterek.

Derek and Stiles switch bodies because of wizard reasons and Stiles just wants to know what that awesome scent is.Derek and Stiles switch bodies because of wizard reasons and Stiles just wants to know what that awesome scent is.

Perfect.

Bonds of Power by Miya_Morana T, 18k.  Sterek.

When Stiles suddenly wakes up as an Alpha werewolf and finds out that Derek has become human, he reluctantly accepts Derek’s pack as his while they attempt to find out what exactly happened and how to reverse it. But as they all try to adjust to the situation, the Alpha Pack is breathing down their neck, and they’re going to need all the help they can get to face that threat.

Such a delicious premise! Felt like a kind of abrupt ending, I'd love to see this expanded, but definitely worth the read as is.

Might Not Make It Back by GotTheSilver E, 23k.   Sterek.

Bodyswap. Because of the fun.

Sweet.

copywritten (so don't copy me) by etben E, 13k.   Sterek.

"Oh, shit," Stiles says, and flops as far backward as their mysterious body-swap connection will let him.

hot and funny (omg, ALL THE BONERS)

I'll Walk with Your Wolf by iCheat no rating, 38k.   Sterek.

When Stiles wakes up in Peter's body, he's understandably freaked out. As Stiles starts connecting with the man's wolf, he can't help but reconsider his opinions of Peter. Needless to say, it's a rather confusing time for all involved.  //  For Day 5 of Steter Week, Body Swap.

Good story. I was most interested in Stiles' intrigtuiging ability to resist, and even direct both other Alphas (and so was Peter, lol) even when he was in werewolf Peter's body. I'd love to pursue that and see where Steter shake out in the Beacon Hills Pack, because they're kind of sneak Alphas, both of them. Stiles learned a lot about Peter by being in his body, because Peter's wolf stayed there (there's a funny scene, on the first full moon, where the Wolf tries to get his Mate and his Man together in one place and hunker down.)

Synchronicity by LadySlytherin E, 36k.  Drarry.

When Harry returns to Hogwarts to complete his final year of schooling, he does so with an unexpected new friend at his side - Draco Malfoy. An accident in potions leaves both boys in an unusual position, which leads to a friendly wager. The wager leads to revelations, realizations, and - in time - a happy resolution that no one was expecting. Well, almost no one...

Draco snorted. “As if that’s all of my personality.” He rolled his eyes. “Let me put it this way, Harry. You are, quite simply, not gay. And I am. Rather openly, since coming out to you and then everyone else. So unless you have some secret fashion sense and flamboyant urges you’ve been subduing, you won’t be able to manage this.” ... Harry huffed in annoyance. “You’re being ridiculous. Besides, I’m in your body, right? So the whole gay thing should come naturally. ... I think I’m feeling gayer already.”

Draco blinked several times, then said. “You’re a complete and utter twit. You cannot feel gayer simply because you’re in my body. My body isn’t gay, I am. ... If you’re feeling gayer, it’s got nothing to do with my body!” Draco snapped, moving closer to Harry in his fury. He itched to hex the other teen, but reminded himself sternly that doing so would only damage himself. “Especially as I don’t feel any less gay.”

“Are you saying my body is equally as gay as yours?” Harry frowned at that implication, not sure how he felt about it. “Because that’s ridiculous. I like girls.”

“I’m not saying anyone’s body is gay.” Draco pressed his fingers into his temples, trying to stave off the headache that was forming. “I’m saying I am gay, regardless of the switch. Therefore, you cannot possibly be gayer simply because you’re in my body right now. That’s patently ridiculous and more than your usual level of stupid.”

“Maybe you’re just so gay that it soaked into your cells.” Harry suggested, mostly because it was funny to watch Draco’s irritation twist his face into new expressions. “So now I’m stuck feeling all of the gay that’s surrounding me. Did you ever consider that? Because I think it’s a valid hypothesis.” Ignoring the way Draco had curled his hands into fists, he added. “In fact, I’m positive that’s what’s happening. I’ve woken up newly gay because of this whole switch and now I’ll have to explore just how gay I - which is to say, you - are.”

Draco snarled - literally snarled - before saying in a low, dangerous voice. “If you dare to pretend to be me, I swear I will convince everyone you are the biggest ponce to ever live simply by acting just as gay as I always do, while still pretending to be you. Don’t push me, Potter.”

My Only Hate by VivacissimoVoce M, 35k.   Drarry.

Harry has been cursed and now inhabits the wrong body. Draco Malfoy may be the only one who can help.

Hee, hee.

We're More Than Ordinary by digthewriter M, 13k.  Drarry.

After a freak accident, which was totally Potter's fault, Draco has to live as Potter for three days. It isn't a party for Harry, either.

Yellow Heart Emoji by HelloAfternoon E, 2.8k.  WIP.  Spideypool.

This had begun by accident at the zoo. Things exploded. People evacuated. Animals trumpeted and roared and bleated. Somewhere, Loki had giggled spectacularly.  //  Deadpool had thrown someone into the ape enclosure.  //  Peter had been thrown into the ape enclosure.

Ha! I love bodyswap, and this was delightful enough to make up for the fact that there is only one chapter. Go on, dive in, an unfinished fic won't kill ya: it's fun.

Displace by dontcareajot T, 10k, WIP.   Spideypool.

Peter thought he’d mentally prepared himself for… this. For seeing himself outside of himself. But it turns out he wasn’t prepared at all.  //  Wade evidently wasn’t prepared either. He looks Peter up and down, expression growing more and more incredulous. “What,” he says finally. “The fuck.”  //  (or, one of those body swap fics)

Aaaarrrgh, I love this. It's Peter's POV, and he's sweet, and reserving judgement, and kind of shocked at how much being Wade is actually physically painful, like, ALL THE TIME. And Wade is DELIGHTED to be Peter: to be young and pretty, but also, he's such a huge Spider-Man fanboy. And, just as they start sharing their lives and their thoughts and all that, ack, the story ends. Still worth reading, though. 4/?

Woke Up New by Zee (orphan_account) E, 22k.  Merthur.

Merlin and Arthur switch bodies; complications ensue.

Nice. The one where they switch, and Arthur figures out Merlin's magic because, oops, the magic stays in his body, and an angry Arthur accidentally levitates a chair. Also the one where Arthur starts to get off a little on being the servant and taking orders, and Merlin slowly wakes up to that.  [Dom/sub undertones.]

Buggre Alle This by Signe (oxoniensis) T, 12k.   Merthur.

Bodyswap.

"What now, then?" Merlin asks.  //  "Now, we sleep."  //  "Maybe we'll wake back up in our own bodies?" Merlin says hopefully.  //  "Yes, Merlin, that's what's going to happen. A powerful sorcerer has cast a spell over us, but it's just a harmless prank and it'll fizzle out in the night, and we'll wake up back to normal."

********

I love this author. You should also read "a tree and a bee and a flea, fiddle-dee-dee" (genderswap) here on AO3, and the fairy tale one where Merlin is the moon (which is only on LJ: The Prince and the Captured Moon).

And If You'll Come I’ll Take You Somewhere To Go by luninosity  T, 11k.  Cherik.

April Fools' Day mansion-fic. Which has to mean body-and-power-swap fic, right...?  //  “Yes,” Charles says, rather apologetically even though this can’t possibly be his fault, “you seem to be me. And I…well, I’m you. At the moment.”  //  “Charles,” Erik says, with what he considers quite remarkable patience under the circumstances, “how long is this going to last?”

Well, this was marvelous. Erik's POV, and he's a little ooc he's so utterly smitten, and his thoughts are something like Charles Charles so pretty Charles I'll protect him Charles Charles. It's kind of amazing he gets anything done, heh. And then they're switched, which turns out being rather more serious and unpleasant that you might guess, and there's some h/c, and some admissions, and some cuddling, and everything is lovely.

Amateur Theatrics by galaxysoup T, 27k.  Avengers.

In which Thor’s primary problem-solving method (a mighty blow from Mjolnir) fails to have the desired effect on a magical artifact, and his secondary method (a mightier blow from Mjolnir) proves to be actively disastrous.

Clint makes the absolute best Loki Daddy-uncle-brother-guardian-whatever. And kid!Loki is sweet as a pie. More or less.  [The bodyswap here, Bruce - Natasha, is pretty incidental.]

Being Dean Winchester by Anonymous E, 21k.  Destiel.

"You should show me some respect. I dragged you out of hell. I can throw you back in."  //  Who the fuck was this bitchy "warrior of God" doing talking to him like that? Fuck Cas-tee-el and his dumbass trench coat and abrasive motherfucking attitude.  //  Dean was done with this shit.  //  ***  //  Wherein a monster of the week steals the essence of Castiel's vessel, so he must use Dean, recently raised from hell, as a vessel instead.

Not technically a bodyswap so much as it is a bodyshare.  This is the one where Cas "assists" from inside Dean's head while he's with some girl, and then he lets Dean experience her viewpoint as well, and Dean notes that it's like Cas is fucking both of them... expertly, of course. It's pretty hot. Then they get to do it solo, later on. Nice.

Through Blind Men's Eyes by ladyblahblah E, 46k.  Spirk.

The obligatory Pon Farr story . . . with a bit of a twist.

absolutely gorgeous: sacrifice, angst, bodyswap (totally realistic, not at all intrusive), pon farr.... what more could a reader want?

[fumblebeefae]

How to meet the basic needs for your pet rat!

I’ve noticed that many of the ratblr related tags are filled with people mistreating and not properly caring for their rats. First of all, I’m not going to sugar coat anything; It’s a sign of a bad pet owner to buy a pet without having done your proper research into what it requires to care for that animal.

Getting pet care information from a pet shop is dangerous and more often then not, the information they give out is just plain wrong, as well as the products they sell that are marketed for “rats” often don’t meet the basic requirements for rats. The people that work at these shops want to make money, and most often they have no prior animal specific training or education. So it is up to you to properly research the care required for rats. 

Since I see a lot of people apparently incapable of doing their own research, I’ll be walking through the basic requirements for pet rats. Note that these are only the BASIC requirements, and you should be providing above this. 

THE RATS 

First of all, you should NEVER ever have only one rat. There is no excuse to housing only one rat (save for temporary medical reasons or behavioral issues). If you only want one pet rat, then I’m sorry rats are not the pet for you! Rats are highly social animals, they require large social groups. Most would suggest having at least TWO pet rats at a time, but to be quite honest I feel that you should have at least THREE rats at one time. 

Your rats should also be kept in either female or male groups to avoid unwanted pregnancy and fights. Unless the rats are desexed, in that case mixed groups of rats do really well together. There’s both pros and cons to having either female or male rats, that you should take into consideration. 

Male rats tend to grow MUCH larger, so keep that in mind. The rat on the left is female and the rat on the right is a male. 

Male rats also tend to be much more lazy and cuddly, and will spend some of their time napping and eating. They secrete buck grease (orange-y in appearance, as shown below) that can often cause their backs to be oily due to their levels of testosterone. 

Female rats are much more “active.” They tend to want to run around, play and explore a whole lot more then male rats do. They’re also a lot smaller then the males (and minus the huge balls that male rats have. If you don’t like the idea of huge naked rat balls dragging over you, you may want female rats instead). They also go into heat often, so will get a little rowdy; mostly this just includes lots of humping between the cage mates. (if your female rats are humping each other don’t worry. It’s normal and there’s nothing you can do to stop it. And you shouldn’t aim to stop normal, healthy, behaviours if it’s not hurting the pet).  

Also keep in mind that your pet rats need to be handled daily, and let out of their cage for a run around / social time with you. So you’ll need an area that is safe for your rats to free roam (under supervision). This means, making sure there isn’t anything they can chew through (wires, clothes, shoes), escape from, or get into, that you don’t want them to. 

CAGE 

Okay this is the biggest issue I see people have with their pets. So this is going to be a long one, so buckle down. 

SIZE

Firstly, the size of the cage. Those cages that pet shops market as “rat” cages are not at all suitable for rats. 

These cages are not at all big enough for rats. The rule of thumb is that each rat requires 2 cubic feet per rat. This rat cage calculator  is a great tool, where you can either put the dimensions of a cage or the number of rats you have, and it’ll calculate their how many rats you can fit into that cage, or the size cage required. 

Rats need a lot of space! A rat cage like this one (below) can only fit two rats.  

This cage could probably only fit about 4-5 rats 

While a large cage like this one (below) could fit up to 6-7 rats!

TYPE - wire, plastic, glass?

Rats should be kept in wire cages. Glass and plastic tanks / cages (shown below) are all bad enclosures (for a whole number of reasons but we’ll focus on the type for now). 

Glass and plastic tanks don’t have enough ventilation and can result in a build up of ammonia (from urine), smell and temperature. Not only that but they don’t offer the rats any way to climb (as well as all of these being too low in the first place). 

Rats like to climb, and wire cages offer them the ability to do this, as well as having better air flow and less risk of them chewing through the cage and escaping. 

SUBSTRATE

This is another big one, that I see people not doing correctly. Rats are very prone to respiratory infections and this tends to mostly be caused by the type of substrate used in their cage. The above photos all use wood shavings / straw as a substrate. Wood shavings are terrible for rats, they are filled with dust, mites, parasites, they don’t really help soak up urine and they tend to make the smell worse. 

Some alternatives include covering the floor with fabric, that can be washed. This in my opinion isn’t the best, as they tend to get really dirty within the first few hours after cleaning the cage. They’re also not fun to wash. 

Another opinion is paper kitty litter (like the one below). It’s good for soaking up urine and helps a lot with smell in general. 

I personally use newspapers to line the cages. My rats also like to rip it up and use it as bedding for their nests and it’s cheap and easily available.  

COVERING PLATFORMS

Another huge thing I see rat owners do is have uncovered wired platforms. You need to cover all the platforms that are not solid (aka wired). These can be covered in fabric (again I tend not to use fabric anymore personally, as they get dirty quickly and my rats loved to chew the hell out of it), paper, or some sort of plastic covering (though you need to make sure your rats aren’t chewing the plastic, in case they swallow any). 

If wired platforms aren’t covered, your rats will have a good chance of developing bumblefoot; a painful condition caused by the inflammation and/or infection of the surface and connective tissue of the feet (as shown below). 

TOYS, BEDS AND HAMMOCKS

Again, most of the photos shown in rat related tags have pretty bare cages. You cannot put a few platforms, one hammock, water bottles and a food dish in a cage and call it a day. That’s lazy and bad pet care. 

Rats require lots and lots of toys, beds, hammocks, places to hide / sleep / nest and chew / destroy.  (as well as litter boxes if you’d like to litter train your rats, which I suggest you do. It’ll make cleaning easier). 

All the above cages are really good examples of cage set up’s that rats require. And no these cages aren’t “over the top”, these cages are the basic requirements for rats. if you can’t provide these sorts of set ups, then pet rats aren’t for you. 

HYGIENE 

Rats can be destructive. They’ll like to tear things up and chew through everything, flick food everywhere and pee on literally every part of their cage, including their cage mates. So you need to be cleaning their cage out at least once a week but ideally twice a week, depending on how messy the cage gets.  

The rats themselves don’t really require much bathing. Rats themselves are actually pretty clean, and spend a lot of time grooming themselves and each other. However they will pee on each other and they can get dirty (especially males with lots of buck grease). You shouldn’t really be washing them any more then monthly. When washing rats, use only a tiny bit of something like baby shampoo, and make sure that you don’t get their ears wet, as it can lead to ear infections.    

FOOD

Feeding rats can be quite expensive. They require high quality specific rodent feed / lab blocks (low quality feed will have fillers like corn, which aren’t that great for your rats, and are often pretty dusty which can cause respiratory infections). On top of the feed, they require (often daily) fresh veggies, fruit, protein (eggs are a good source. And it’s fun watching your rats eat their way through a hard boiled egg) and carbs (such as pasta).  

Male rats cannot be fed any sort of  citrus fruit; it’s bad for their health in the long term, often leading to cancer or UTI’s. 

ILLNESS AND DISEASE 

Rats and really prone to disease and illness. Most commonly respiratory infections, cancer, tumours, UTI’s, bumblefoot. They will require trips to the vet, so if you cannot afford to take your pet to the vet; and this often means a specialised small animal vet (as not every vet will be able / have experience with rats) then you should not have or be considering getting a, pet.  

EXPENSES AND MONEY 

Lastly I want to get mention expenses and money. Most people will use the excuse of not taking their rat to the vet because of lack of money, their parents won’t let them, ect. 

I’m going to be brutally honest. You shouldn’t have a pet then. This obviously doesn’t include people going through sudden financial crisis or are hit with a sudden very expensive vet bill, ect. 

But if you cannot afford to buy a cage, toys, proper food, equipment, and vet bills to provide your pet rats with their basic care, then you aren’t ready to have a pet and you shouldn’t have one. To buy a pet, when you know you are unable to properly provide it with care, is selfish.