#also don't declaw your fucking cats

[itsthislake]

Shen Yuan transmigrated as a Spirit Cat AU (part 2)

First chapter.

---

The rest of the examination, all dutifully narrated by Mu Qingfang, passed in something of a blur comprised mostly of internal screaming and a great deal of cursing, and he only came back to reality when he was picked up by a pair of warm hands.

Shen Yuan flinched and looked up at the man who could only be Liu Qingge, the War God of Bai Zhan and older brother of Best Wife, Liu Mingyan. Living proof that this was a time before the protagonist joined Qing Jing Peak.

Liu Qingge died by Shen Qingqiu’s hand sometime around then, after all.

“Come on,” he said, easily settling Shen Yuan on the crook of his arm and starting to walk like this was an established routine of many years instead of something that had happened twice so far and once under duress.

Distracted as he was, Shen Yuan didn’t bother to question it until they were already flying on— on Cheng Luan again. This sword was as cool as he had imagined, now that he looked at it properly. He smacked Liu Qingge’s arm with his paw until he got his attention, then meowed in question.

Liu Qingge stared for a second before seemingly realizing what he was asking.

“We’re going to see the sect leader, Yue Qingyuan,” he explained. “I need to give him my mission report. And inform him of your presence on the mountain.”

“Meow?”

“Cang Qiong has a rule about bringing in any Spirit Cats that we find. For protection,” Liu Qingge clarified, giving him an unreadable look. “There aren’t many left, so Spirit Cats sell high in many circles. None that our sect supports, of course.”

Huh. Shen Yuan hadn’t known that, even after jogging his memory post realizing which world this is.

He remembered Colored Claw Spirit Cats being mentioned in one of the later chapters of PIDW, something about how they had all gone extinct because of human greed and whatnot. He thinks it might have been wife #629 who complained about how tragic it was to Luo Binghe before the protagonist comforted her with his tried-and-true heavenly pillar. In hindsight, that was probably the last bit of actual worldbuilding Airplane Shooting Towards the Sky had given them before deciding to write terrible papapa and needlessly convoluted harem shenanigans for the next sixty or so chapters before the end of the novel.

What Shen Yuan hadn’t known, however, was that Cang Qiong Mountain Sect actively rescued and protected Spirit Cats. Of course, with the sect long since destroyed and most of the Peak Lords dead or integrated into the harem and promptly abandoned, there was no reason whatsoever for that to come up at that point in the novel.

Regardless, it was an interesting detail of this world, as well as an incredibly convenient fact for him now.

“Liu Qingge,” Liu Qingge said abruptly. Shen Yuan blinked at him, watching the red slowly creep up his ears with slight fascination. Woah. He even blushed prettily, how unfair. “My name. It’s Liu Qingge. I realized I didn’t introduce myself earlier.”

Oh, that was very polite of him. Which was a little strange coming from the guy who chased him through a village for almost four hours earlier that day and who he just saw kick his shidi’s office door in for no real reason. Shen Yuan huffed, then rubbed his face on the man’s arm, purring pleasantly.

“Hmm. Do you have a name?”

“Meow!”

“I see.”

What do you see? Shen Yuan wanted to ask, genuinely confused as to what Liu Qingge thought he understood. Alas, for lack of the vocal cords necessary for human speech, he just settled back down instead and decided to enjoy the ride.

Flying was kind of fun, he was learning.

---

Yue Qingyuan met Shen Yuan’s sudden presence on his mountain with a not inconsiderable amount of polite confusion.

Then, after Liu Qingge explained the situation, including the results of Mu Qingfang’s examination that Shen Yuan had missed almost entirely and was thus glad to hear summarized now, the sect leader just rolled with it with as much grace as his character in the novel took anything unrelated to Shen Qingqiu.

So far, Shen Yuan’s first impression of the sect leader was very much in line with what he already knew from PIDW.

Afterwards, Yue Qingyuan helpfully elaborated on Cang Qiong’s policy on Spirit Cats that Liu Qingge had mentioned earlier. Apparently, the claws of adult Spirit Cats sold very high among a significant number of cultivator circles because of their special properties, and the declawed creatures were usually sold as ‘exotic pets’ to nobles, where they would inevitably die from either improper care or health issues brought on by the loss of their claws. If caught by the wrong people, young Spirit Cats like himself would most likely be caged and tortured to quicken the awakening of their special abilities.

Because of this massive traffic that was both somehow legal and absolutely horrid to think about, the number of Spirit Cats left had been on the decline for many decades now, and none had reached a point in their cultivation where they could take a human form in over three centuries, as far as anyone was aware.

Cang Qiong Mountain Sect, as well as a number of other sects, strictly forbade the abuse of Spirit Cats and the use of their claws to further their cultivation, as well as offered sanctuary for any that they found in the wild or rescued.

“It has been many years since the last time a Spirit Cat resided in Cang Qiong,” Yue Qingyuan said regretfully, tone somber. “When this lord was still head disciple, he had the privilege to meet with one. Master Zhou’s meridians had unfortunately been crippled before he came to our sect, so he never managed to cultivate to a human form despite achieving immortality. This one was told that he was the youngest of a trio of siblings who were rescued together, but that his older sisters had already been declawed and thus did not manage to survive long even in our care. Lan Qingyi, the current Lord of the Shan Shou Peak, was the one who took care of Master Zhou during his final years.”

Listening to Yue Qingyuan’s recounting felt like a bucket of cold water had been dropped on him. All the terrible, horrible things that had made PIDW’s worldbuilding engaging were now real. It was his reality, and that of the people who were here now and had been here before him. The reality of Master Zhou who in the end was unable to reach Ascension, of his sisters who suffered so much and died long before their time. It caused Shen Yuan’s fur to stand on end as he listened to the sect leader speak.

However.

It also felt a little bit like hope. Because, see, for every trafficker out there, for every cruel bastard out to get his kind, there was also a person willing to protect them. Willing to give Spirit Cats a place where they could grow and live peacefully. 

And those people were here, in Cang Qiong Mountain Sect, offering him that help now as well.

Huan Hua Palace, on the other hand, was perfectly fine with capturing Spirit Cats and using them as they saw fit. There were even rumors that the Old Palace Master had kept one or two declawed Spirit Cats as pets not so long ago.

Needless to say, Shen Yuan had dodged a massive bullet there. It was nothing short of a miracle that Liu Qingge was the one the villagers asked for help and not a cultivator from Huan Hua Palace, seeing as it was literally their territory.

Shen Yuan had seen Huan Hua Palace disciples flying around, for fuck’s sake.

Liu Qingge’s other hand had come up to rest lightly on top of him at some point during the story and Shen Yuan silently leaned into it, rubbing his cheek against his palm in an instinctual, soothing motion as he tried to burrow his body deeper into the crook of his arm.

“This conversation has taken a dark turn, my apologies,” said Yue Qingyuan softly, when the silent became too heavy. “I’m afraid that this topic is not one that can be avoided for long and it is better to be aware of the dangers sooner rather than later. This master would like to formally extend Cang Qiong Mountain Sect’s protection to the esteemed spirit, as well as an invitation to stay here for however long he wishes.”

Shen Yuan meowed quietly in agreement, and watched as the sect leader smiled gently at him. Then the man nodded, reaching for a brush and some paper.

“We’ll need to record your arrival and arrange everything for your stay,” he informed them. Even if the heavy thoughts lingered in his mind, for now the dark atmosphere seemed to have lifted as they moved onto another topic, for which Shen Yuan was grateful.

Yue Qingyuan paused, as if only now remembering something, and looked up at them curiously.

“Ah. We require a name for the paperwork. Since it was Liu-shidi who found and brought him to the sect, perhaps he could name the esteemed spirit as well?”

Without a moment of hesitation, Liu Qingge shook his head.

“He already has a name,” he informed solemnly.

“Oh?” Yue Qingyuan raised his eyebrows, looking expectantly at him. Shen Yuan also stared, wondering what he would answer. He obviously never told him his name and he was certain that the War God couldn’t read minds.

(Well. Mostly certain, anyway. Great Master Airplane was hardly reliable when it came to developing characters who weren’t wives or Luo Binghe past a certain point in the novel, or any characters at all past another point just slightly ahead in the novel, and Shen Yuan wouldn’t be surprised if he’d somehow forgotten to mention such an important aspect of this awesome character that he’d killed off-screen.

Would he be angry? Of course. Disappointed by the wasted potential? Most definitely. But surprised? After reading that whole godawful story? Ha! As if. Shen Yuan knew exactly what he was in for when he paid for each chapter.)

“He did not tell me what it is,” said the man who, as expected, could not read minds.

Liu Qingge! Shen Yuan cried in his mind, a little exasperated.

“Ah. Of course,” said the sect leader, smiling politely at both of them. He looked like he wanted to sigh but was too polite to do so and had instead defaulted to smiling. “However, I still need a name for the report. Until he can tell us his name, how does the esteemed spirit feel about having a nickname?”

Liu Qingge frowned at the same time that Shen Yuan perked up.

“A nickname?”

“Yes. Something simple and easy to remember that we can use in the meantime.”

Shen Yuan meowed pointedly, tapping Liu Qingge in the arm. The man just stared back silently, clearly deep in thought, before he nodded.

“The children at the village called him Xiao Maomi,” he declared.

“Xiao Maomi?” Yue Qingyuan repeated, looking at Shen Yuan for confirmation.

Shen Yuan considered it. It was very on the nose for a nickname, likely because it was a bunch of little kids who thought of it in the first place, but ‘little kitty’ wasn’t too terrible all things considered. He could have gotten stuck with a name like Doudou or Danhuang. Now that would have been embarrassing.

Therefore, he meowed positively. It was only temporary anyways so he didn’t care much.

Yue Qingyuan smiled politely, reaching for a brush. “Very well. We’ll put ‘Xiao Maomi’ down in the paperwork for now. It can always be changed at a later date.”

While Yue Qingyuan wrote, Shen Yuan looked up at Liu Qingge, considering. Then he wiggled out from under Liu Qingge’s hand, earning himself a curious look that he ignored, and used his claws to quickly climb up his arm and settle on the man’s shoulder, head resting on the collar of his robes.

The reason why the children of the village had taken to calling him ‘little kitty,’ as opposed to only ‘kitty,’ was immediately obvious to anybody with working eyes. This body of his was quite small even for an average cat’s, even a kitten’s, which had worked in his favor while he was sneaking around the village and against him during fights.

Shen Yuan had originally attributed this to a lack of proper nutrition coupled with a young age, but even after months of stealing food he remained around the same size. Now he wondered if maybe it had something to do with him being a Colored Claw Spirit Cat. He made a mental note to find more information on them later.

Right now, however, his small body meant that he was the perfect size to lay down on Liu Qingge’s shoulders and not have to worry about falling, something he intended to take full advantage of.

Liu Qingge huffed quietly, but made no moves to stop Shen Yuan.

Eventually, the sect leader set down his brush and looked back at them with a considering expression.

“In regards to Maomi-xiansheng’s new living arrangements,” he began lightly. “Normally, all Spirit Cats would be sent to the Shan Shou Peak where they’d be able to settle down and live their lives comfortably. However, Peak Lord Lan is currently in seclusion, and this master is uncertain whether any of her disciples are equipped to house and care for Maomi-xiansheng, as they are all quite young and inexperienced still.”

Ah, Shan Shou Peak, the Beast Taming Peak. One of many places that only got one or two lines when Luo Binghe joined and later destroyed Cang Qiong in PIDW. Shen Yuan had always been curious about this particular peak and all the (obviously wasted) potential it held, something he had ranted about on many occasions in the comment section. Infuriatingly, that hack author had once replied to one of his comments with, “okay okay chill dude, I’ll describe more of the sect in the next chapter,” and then spent six whole paragraphs describing Xian Shu Peak’s bathhouse and all the shijies in it.

Shen Yuan had never genuinely considered murder in his past life, but by god did he get close that day. He was sure his comment, written in a fugue state of pure rage, had reflected that.

“Doesn’t Lan Qingyi have Hall Masters on her peak?” Liu Qingge said, and though Shen Yuan couldn’t exactly see his expression from his position, he got the impression that the man was scowling as he said that.

“I believe they are occupied caring for all the creatures already in-house and teaching the disciples during Lan-shimei’s absence,” Yue Qingyuan answered, tone as close to exasperated as possible while still remaining polite. “Lan-shimei’s approach to her duties as Peak Lord is very different to Liu-shidi’s, after all.”

Shen Yuan had no idea what that was about, but he could almost feel the self-restraint it took Liu Qingge not to huff. The sect leader continued before he could question it.

“Nonetheless, with Shan Shou Peak not being an option, Maomi-xiansheng will need another place to stay, at least until Lan-shimei is back. Since it was Liu-shidi who brought him here, perhaps he wouldn’t mind housing Maomi-xiansheng until then?”

“En,” Liu Qingge nodded, after a moment of thought. “I do not mind.”

Yue Qingyuan smiled in response.

“Thanking shidi.”

And thus, Shen Yuan moved in with Liu Qingge.

[viburnt]

Leopard! Dabi Headcanons (Hybrid! AU)

Someone had requested this on my asks, but TUMBLR WAS A BITCH AND UPLOADED THE WRING THING. Anyhow, hoping this reaches that person. Please enjoy!

CONTENT WARNING: NSFW 🔞, mentions of breeding

• Leopards are opportunistic hunters, and they use their particular appearance to disguise themselves and surprise the prey they've targeted. Sounds a little familiar? Perhaps it is because it's something Dabi does. Touya Todoroki joined Shigaraki as Dabi, a false identity he created to take revenge on Endeavor; he didn't join Shigaraki because he supported his plans, but because he needed things he could provide like the resources and a team.

• Something very curious about this species is how they have variants according to the environment. We have grey/white snow leopards, yellow ones, and black ones too! It's befitting considering how Dabi's appearance has changed over the years: white-haired kid, black-haired villain. A snow leopard and a panther.

• Depending on when you meet him, you could either find deep black fur on his tail and ears, or you could still see his white fur. He also has a pair of large canines that you can see whenever he grins or when his anger is too much to handle.

• It is also a thing that leopards have super soft fur on their lower abdomen so... happy trail. Oh! Claws, by the way; my take on this is that Touya might've been declawed as a cub to avoid "hurting himself more" than he already did with his quirk.

• Leopards are also very active during most of the day, always on the lookout for prey. Leopard! Dabi is also plotting against heroes and his father most of the time. He's part of a very solitary species, not exactly forming bonds like other big cats such as lions. They get company, however, when it's time to mate.

• Leopard! Dabi is not the most talkative version of Dabi, he still is a cocky bastard, but he finds it hard to talk to you. So, naturally, when ruts happen, there's no verbal warning. Touya starts playing a little rough with you whenever he feels the need to breed you, pushing and pulling teasingly until he has you where he wants you: couch, bed, chairs, counters, floor...

• Touya often relies on body language to let you know you're his (even when he's not the most affectionate partner). He also has a thing for napping all over your clothes and messing with your stuff (say bye to your food, he'll leave the fridge empty).

• His go-to position is prone bone because of how similar it is to the leopard's mating technique. He bites your neck whenever he's buried deep inside your guts (cat things), groaning and growling whispered "Fucks!" And "Tight!". Regardless of if he can breed you or not, he always stays inside you for a few more moments to avoid his cum to drip out of you.

• His rut lasts around 2 or 3 days, and he can go as many times as he needs until he satiates the itch inside his body. If he somehow knocks you up, you'll have to put that cat on a leash or something, because no feline species stay with their cubs at all. Hates when people pulls his tail.

A wanton moan escapes your lips, feeling Touya sink his teeth into the tender flesh of your thighs. You can see him looking at your face from your angle, legs locked open as he meets your sensitive core with his tongue. "You told me to clean the mess... Don't look at me like that now." The man purrs, licking his lips with a teasing grin. "I'm gonna pull that tail of yours one day, see who's laughing- Oh, fuck!"

"Mhm, you're all talk now. But when I'm breeding you? You seem to be speechless." He murmurs, lapping you once more. "Dumb cat."

"Love you too."

Tagging: @trickster-kat @doumadono @shonen-brainrot @shionancientsblog @dabislittlemouse

[bonny-kookoo]

"her past owners declawed her, fucking bastards." or "my past owners declawed me, that's why my hands look funny/weird now" + yoongi + cat or any feline ❣️

"Why do you get her nails done all the time?" Taehyung asks one evening, you asleep on your owner's thigh, one hand laying next to your face. Yoongi regularly takes you to professional nail appointments to get some short but pointed acrylics done, mostly in a natural clear color, like this time around. "Isn't it usually the other way around? Most people clip their cat hybrid's nails so they don't ruin stuff on accident."

"Her past owners declawed her, fucking bastards." He mumbles more or less, one hand running over your back while your tail moves in your sleep, purr a constant background noise. "Put her on drugs n shit, hormones that permanently fucked up her body so her natural nails aren't growing properly any longer." He explains quietly, forever upset about something like this even being considered legal. "I get them done for her so she doesn't hurt herself." He tells the older human.

"Hurt herself?" He asks, unsure.

"She can't grab onto anything without them. They also get infected easily, and she used to pick at them constantly." He sighs. "And these help a lot. So I don't mind spending some money on them every month or so. She deserves to feel like she's worth it." He explains with a shrug, closing the empty food boxes on the table.

When Yoongi got you, you were the cinoletr opposite from now. You constantly hissed at him, you were closed off, filled with pent up frustration and anger over your past. But now, after years of tender care by him, you've turned into the most docile creature imaginable- offering him so much love he can sometimes barely keep up with it.

He loves you dearly- and he'll take care of you forever, that's for sure.

[quietpagan]

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish and yes I'm late, so sue me

I wasn't going to watch any of the PiB movies but I heard 'Death' was a character, so

First two minutes: It's GORGEOUS and here's an entire post of me freaking out over the visual mastery of this film

If I'd seen this in theatres today I'd get kicked out for gasping so much

I can't even

The animation style is so beautiful I'm gasping out loud and had to stop three minutes in to begin this post, it's wild. The particles - !

LOOK AT THE TEXTURE OF THE LEATHER HAT. THE ANIMATORS ARE FLEXING AND THEY ARE FLEXING HARD.

Every single frame of this film is a goddamn work of art. Look at the stars on the wooden ceiling. Look at the lighting.

Even the reflection in the glass, holy shit

They need to stop flexing before I have a frickin heart attack here

Also thank you for putting actual blood and not just a reddish cut, actual dripping blood, thank you :)

This is such a love letter to animation and art and I'm here for it

The scene transitions are absolute *chef's kiss*

THEY ACTUALLY *BEEPED* OUT A SWEAR WORD it's a third of the way through and this is my new favorite movie

Each glitter particle glistens in its own moment, I cannot

I feel like a lot of modern movies have some weird fear of putting genuine color into a film. WELL NOT HERE FOLKS. ABSOLUTE PSYCHODELIC COLOR EXPLOSIONS THROUGHOUT.

What the fuck, that escalated quickly

SIR WHAT ARE YOUR QUALIFICATIONS?

THe dog has a potty mouth and every swear word is BEEP'd out and he swore a LOT

I love how all of the characters just rant the fuck off in Spanish when they get mad

I didn't see the other Puss movies but Softpaws?? Was declawed at some point?? That's so mean?? that's literally amputations omg her poor hands

And she left Puss at the altar at the same time that HE left HER at the altar, these assholes deserve each other at this point because absolutely nobody else will put up with either of them on a serious level

except for the dog, who deserves the world. LOOK AT HIM

Kitty wasn't going to wait for a egocentric asshat to put down his ego for her, YOU GO GIRL

somebody put the puppy in a sock and tried to drown him omg

he has the saddest backstory but he's just happy to have his life and his friends, whereas Puss had nine lives and didn't appreciate any of them, okay, I get it now

The dog actually calmed Puss down from a panic attack and you could hear his heartbeat calming and it was really sweet

The framing of this film is fantastic. Also, Death? Actual Death? The thing that Puss wasn't aware he was afraid of or even needed to be afraid of yet was running from his entire life? Such an incredible villain

I can't concentrate on anything else about the movie because everything is just so goddamn pretty.

The movements and the visuals are just a little bit choppy and a little unfinished, making every still look like a painting. It's so stylized and wonderfully so

jesus christ what a visual callback

Okay movie's done and I can talk now

THE CAT LADY i love her <3

I appreciate that Goldilocks finally accepted her family but it's okay to want other things, I think, as long as you're not taking for granted what you currently have. That said, they're definitely going to have to talk it out because stuff like that doesn't just go away with a quip and a new business plan

One that note, the fucking cricket was hilarious. John Mulaney's character was a riot and I appreciate the cricket giving up on him as a bad job.

I was worried about Death's defeat being a bit of a cop-out but it wasn't. Death was angry that Puss was given so many lives and appreciated exactly none of them, thinking himself invincible forever, not understanding consequences because they never really applied to him, so they decided to cheat and take his last one early. But Puss accepted his mortality and began to appreciate his last life properly, so Death let him live it. It was done well.

I don't really like the 'tough girl no trust femme fatale love interest' thing, I think it's tired and overwrought, so Kitty wasn't my favorite, but I liked her anyway. And I liked that she's able to poor-little-meow-meow Puss when he least expects it.

The doctor scene where we went through each of Puss's lives was storyboarded so beautifully, even the title cards were gorgeous

the fight scenes are so pretty

I can't do anything besides gush over how fucking pretty this film was, I'm useless

Anyway watch the film, it's just a masterpiece and the music was fantastic and I loved the whole thing

[intersexfairy]

do not declaw your cat. do not do it. it is mutilation. it is traumatizing to them. their claws are their first line of defense - you take away that? now they're scared. now, they have to resort to biting to defend themselves. or maybe they just avoid everything, so they wont have to defend themselves. and then they also get insecure in their surroundings, and go outside the litter box. or get hostile towards new people. and remember how i said it's mutilation? yeah. you're not just removing their claws. you are removing their first knuckle. would you like the tips of all your fingers and toes removed? no? dont fucking do it to your cat.

if you do this to your cat knowing all of the above, you should not have pets or children. do not declaw your cat. and do not punish your cat either. no spray bottle. no yelling. no time out. modify the environment and use positive behavior reinforcement. rehome them if you are unable to do that. they will be happier and healthier in a home that can take care of them and teach them how to behave safely and healthily. if you love your cat, do that for them. do. not. hurt. them.

also stop forcing your cat to do things for your enjoyment, or for internet clout. learn their body language. respect their boundaries. if it would be unpleasant or abusive to a child, don't do it to your cat. they deserve better.

[kakyogay]

Can you please say more about your 24-25 year old cat? OvO

his name is Jake and he's so old that I have lost track of how old he is. Last time I remember, I think he was 21 and that was a few years ago.

uuuh I talked about him a bit in a previous poll thing so I'll just put it here

I don't know how but he's basically immortal.

Like bro has been bullied by my other cats for years, declawed which fucked up the way he walks, and tossed around (not harshly) a couple times for getting into things he's not supposed to get into. He is so light that it takes almost no strength to pick him up. He's also very thin which concerns me.

We are all very confused as to how he's still alive (my dad literally calls him zombie)

Oh yeah also he's the only one who has managed to keep their collar on (staring directly at my two other cats who just completely lost theirs)

But despite everything, he's just a sweet old man who I occasionally have to look at intensely to make sure he's still breathing 😊

(sorry for the length and unorganized nature of this my thoughts aren't thinking too well at the moment)

[short-horse]

So here's that ranty post propted by topics horsekin bingo

I actualky have zero desire to ride horses. Years ago, sure, since I thought that was the only way to interact with them but now I'd honestly just be happier working with them at like a rescue or something. I don't feel like I need to sit on them for us to be companions. TBH I get a tiny bit of aversion to it as a horse therian. Like a desire to dump riders off my back in a rear or buck them off. I feel like I was more of a cart horse not a riding horse. Is it possible to train a horse for pulling and not being ridden? It's probably uncommon but I'd like to think possible. You don't have to sit on oxen to train them to pull a wagon or plow.

I also have mixed emotions about horse sports too. Some of it is cool when the animals are treated well and things are done ethically but a lot if them involve some shit practices. A lof of which is so normalized that I feel icky even considering the idea of watching the sports because I don't know what's going on behind the scenes. Like ruining a young horse's body for life just because they are supposedly faster than a fully grown horse. Or drugging them. Breeding for unhealthy traits to fit breed standards as a halter horse. Fucking with their tails (from cutting tendons to injecting them with drugs/anisthetics) for a certain "look" in arenas. Using extremely tight nosebands that hurt soft tissues and affect breathing. Shaving off whiskers, ect. I could find a whole lot more if I googled them. And I may get angry anons from equestrians but if you have to hurt your animal to make it perform better then it's not right, tradition be damned. Being traditional doesn't make it okay. I don't want to unknowingly support a bad industry that perpetuates animal abuse. I feel the same way about declawing cats, cropping ears and tails in dogs, breeding extremely brachycephalic pets, unhealthy morphs in reptiles (spider ball pythons and scalelessness in any species), traits that affect the quality of life for pigeons like fantails. You get the idea.

Some of this isn't necessarily therianthropy related per sey but as an animal person who cares about animal welfare I feel like I need to use what I've got in a human body to at the very least inform peers about terrible things that go on in the animal world and pet trade. Maybe they'll think twice about impulse buying a reptile at a pet store, research good breeders not buy from puppy mills, and adopt the stray cat that would have a hard life as a stray so it'll have a good life indoors filled with love and food.

[agoddamn]

Asst'd skunk facts because I always want to tag ramble whenever I reblog skunks

They're legal to keep in a number of states as well as Canada and the UK! With license or without, depending on location. Registered breeders and everything are out there.

Many pet skunks get an elective surgery to remove the stink gland, although this is illegal in the UK and considered similar to declawing in that it removes a natural behavior purely for human convenience. You can also just not terrorize a skunk, and then it won't spray

Spraying is a last-resort weapon for skunks; it usually takes a few days for enough fluid to build up in the stink glands again

They have an unusually low level of fear because they've got very few predators on account of the aforementioned stink glands. Certain birds of prey can't smell their fluid, but everyone else with a nose...Although they are a significant rabies vector, it's not strange to see them not very fearful of humans in the same way it's strange to see a bat or a fox or a rabbit not showing much fear of humans. If you've seen a video of a skunk nosing up to a human and then walking away, that's not bizarre behavior (also they're crepuscular, not purely nocturnal!)

The primary barrier to them being legal pets in the US is the lack of an official rabies vaccine more than anything else. I've heard that a feline rabies vaccine functions perfectly for them, but isn't currently federally recognized in the US (this is also a very off-the-books "I've heard...") because testing would be very expensive for little profit

Pet skunks tend to get fat easily because the cheapest/easiest thing to give them is cat food, which is very high-calorie...and skunks are gorge eaters. Since they're scavengers their instinct is to eat fucking everything they can whenever they can

On the scale of exotic pets my completely amateur asshole opinion is...not the worst you could do, honestly. They're not an already-domesticated species like cats/dogs, but it's also not the kind of thing like a mountain lion or a wolf where 'dude that is literally just a wild fucking animal in your house.'

I don't get vaguely concerned when I see a skunk tiktok like I do when I see, idk, people snuggling with tiger cubs or some awful Dodo video. Although animal abuse is always out there, their pop culture bad reputation actually protects them a little bit in this sense; very few people want to keep a pet skunk for clout, where zillions of people want to keep a wolfdog for clout.

(of course, the ethics of keeping an exotic pet are questionable for a number of other reasons such as vet availability, but like I said--on the scale.)

[awigglycultist]

Hey, Melissa! Read through thoughts bc I'm super behind on the stream but there's no way I was gonna just catch up and start watching were the stream is now, absolutely had to watch this first

"hey nick! Hey nick? Before we get started can I ask a character question?"

Ted pt 2

Omg Jeff-

Fanart my beloved everyone's incredible <3

Charlotte :( hnggg

Also yes Melissa likes cats!

Paul!!

Oh yeah Melissa likes Paul doesn't she

Bill!

Yeah Bill! Call Paul out!

Yeah Paul! Call Bill out!

You see your daughter in her hey?

TED!

Okay Jesus Ted

It's... Kinda.. Sweet? In a way? That Ted doesn't want step on Paul's game and chances with Melissa. I mean considering heoves fucking other Men's wives, and as someone who's obsessed with the fact Ted sees Paul as his best friend, there's something nice about Ted saying this... Even if it's followed by him being a horny bastard and saying he can't keep it up for long

"you're a fucking idiot Paul!"

He doesn't like her bc she's a cat person? I agree with Ted, "come on Matthews!"

Paul's childhood pets were named Spot and Whiskers my god he's so fucking Normal™

"well your lost fuckhead!" "yeah, ya fuckhead"

Ted doesn't see women as something you can, it's a win!!

Oh no Freddy is going to fucking run Ted over isn't he? If he dies this soon istg-

Omg no his office is empty omg noooo

But they didn't actually say he's dead... Maybe... Maybe there's a chance-

Melissa how do you not know Paul despises musicals?

Working Boys?!

"do you like film?" "not particularly" this single handly destroyed everyone's hc that's Paul's has a special interest in movies wtf Langs I'm gonna pretend that he does like film and only said this to get out of going out with Melissa

Beanies delivers?

Emma!!

Paulkins :))

Oh poor Melissa :(

Yeah Melissa stand up for yourself!! I love you!

Oh boy I wonder what he wants to tell his wife...

He'll never be able tell his wife huh?

"don't work to hard" "I don't :)"

Oh no...

I wonder if it's Freddy or is it Melissa?

Yeah!! Melissa! Badass!

Oh god Mr Davidson why would you keep that in your office...

Paul is a good man :) I love him :)

Wow Paul really loved that dog

LANGS STOP KILLING THE DOGS :( FFS

I mean it was when he was 10 so Spot would dead by now anyway ig but COME ON

Okay wow jeez Melissa he didn't mean for the dog to die, he didn't kill the dog it was accident

Teddy Bear? I.. Don't like that...

Holy fuck wtf Melissa omg

But at least Ted's alive!!

She cut off his fingers? Melissa is the human pet guy-

Can I just say Jon's scream in response to the taser was great

The way Melissa is saying absolutely terrifying things while also saying "soft little puppy beans!"

Something about Jon "Catteson" playing Paul pretending to be a cat

Also Melissa has lost her mind like she fully thinks Paul is a cat just bc he meowed

Ignoring the irony she is right about declawing being inhumane

Melissa should know that cats don't listen well

She's leaving RUN PAUL RUN TED

"WHAT THE FUCK TED!? WHAT THE SERIOUS FUCK!?" this line has me dead and Jon's delivery is grest I will be quoting this forever

Honestly yeah piss on her couch, she deserves it

The way Ted's totally accepted that he's stuck here

Joey omfg

Why would she record it??

Emma! Omg yes Emma that's right! Emma please! Go to Melissa's house! Save them!

Okay so Melissa... Is both aware that Paul is her "cat" but also full believes he's a cat?

Yes Bill!

No Bill-!

Melissa I have a feeling your friends are gonna be freaked out by your human pets

"w e n e e d h e l p"

Yeah ofc they don't care

There's a community of ppl in hatchetfield that all have human pets

Ted you fucking horny bastard-

TED THIS IS YOUR CHANCE YOU CAN FUCK OTHER WOMEN LATER WHEN YOU ESCAPE THE TREAT PROBABLY ISN'T GONNA BE SEX ANYWAY YOU DUMBASS

"if you go near that door I will bark at you! I swear to god I will bark at you Paul!" this is another line I'll be quoting a lot

Please the Scooby Doo impression

Ya know... I don't actually think this is considered a treat for dogs...

Goddammit Ted's alive again

"you don't want to get another dog killed do you?" is so. So bad. Like Paul already feels terrible for accidentally getting a dog killed when he was young and now I can't imagine how he feels partially being the reason Ted's dead... And then Melissa saying this, like obviously everything she's done up to this point is worse but like goddamn the psychological hurt

BILL!!!

Bill.... Daddy.. No..

PLZ NO GIRLS DONT NOT BILL NOT BILL PLEASE

PAUL!!!

Bill you dumbass-

NO OFC A CAR WOULD HIT PAUL

A gun?

FREDDY?? I CAN'T BELIEVE HE'S THE FUCKING HERO!? Also good job Melissa you forgot to kill him

HE'S APART OF THE FBI???

The Kitty Cat Club?

Okay come on you didn't have to saw paw

13?

Paul let it go she deserves to feel bad for this if nothing else

SHE'S GONE? HOW?

Paul- Paul- PAUL WHAT DID YOU DO

PAUL YES SHE IS A MONSTER SHE KILLED 13 PEOPLE YOU LITERALLY SAW HER KILL TED SHE WAS GOING TO KILL YOU TOO

PAUL WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU

"love comes in all forms"

[champion-of-ennui]

Hihi same anon from earlier who was like "auuu heart declawing himself.." It's the purest form of love he can give in a language they understand, violence. Turning it onto himself in their name, for them. It's very fucked up but it would be his very last resort.

howdy anon! wilkommen züruck!

i see what you're saying, but it's like a cat presenting it's owner with a dead bird. it is love. unwanted love presented one of the few languages he can speak

he can't help that he sees the world in black and white. he knows that he keeps making mistakes, but he can't read the others well enough to know how far he's gone, so he assumes every mistake has earned him a death sentence. his reactions to his own little mistakes are the catalyst, not the mistakes themselves. sometimes they're not even mistakes. sometimes he does everything right and he still feels like he's abhorrent because the others don't speak love the way he does

i'm not sure what level of grotesque i should go into here, but i definitely see a heart that inflicts violence on himself in the name of love for the mind and soul. but like, the kind of thing where it's all in his head, and the others don't want him doing that sort of thing, but they also don't care to stop him. if the heart's going to tear itself asunder, he's free to do so. the heart, like the mind and the soul, is addicted to suffering

he is love and he's so alone and he wishes there was some level of bloodshed that could wash it all away. there is not. there is only healing, but he can't heal on his own. and he can't seem to figure out what they want from him. he can't figure out that they don't want anything more from him, except a quiet orbit and steady tides. so he continues trying to love in any way he's familiar with. he cannot learn a new song

he's a "liar" because him earnestly just sitting outside their door and asking to sing with them always ends in violence, regardless of his intentions

the other two understand violence, and they're not afraid to speak it, but violence is heart's hauptsprache

anyways. have the rigorous self critique thought from disco elysium, because it feels relevant:

You're one sorry piece of shit. A cop penitent, a flagellant cop-monk. This is not the right line of work for you. You should be grovelling at the feet of a feudal lord, providing lurid evidence against yourself at a Mazovian show trial, or ripping the flesh from your back with a cat-of-nine-tails. Whatever made you this way -- you can be damn sure it was *your* own fault. Do it. *Really* criticize yourself. Who knows? You might uncover something of importance from your guilt-ridden past!

Here it is. Hard facts from the man you are. You once jerked off in the locker room and were caught. You held a young woman by the arm and kept her in your apartment for 20 minutes against her will. That's right, these are not flights of fancy. These are *real deeds*, Harry, emerging from the darkness of your past. You tried shooting a fleeing suspect in the foot but hit him in the pelvis, crippling him for life. And above all, you let life defeat you. All the gifts your parents gave you, all the love and patience of your friends, you drowned in a neurotoxin. You let misery win. And it will keep on winning till you die -- or overcome it.

[nil-the-glitch]

also like this post got my mind circling but like. the stuff OP talks about in there? frustrating as fuck - no. infuriating as fuck. because to them it's all sparkles and convenient and sanitized BULLSHIT while the rest of us are out here trying to not, like, kill ourselves. i'm sorry Mahquenssie MacUnique, who has fine straight blond hair but puts it in "dreads" anyways. am i too fucked up for you? are you uncomfortable with the fact that most days, i feel like i am made of more teeth than i am normal flesh? can you not bear the idea that someone could have suffered so much that it's a normal and periodic thought to them to either murk their parents or themselves - or on a really fun day, both? i can imagine how to gouge out an eye or hide a body better than i can fishing on a beach. how about the idea of relating more to a dog than to any human being. to look at some beaten, starved, mangy thing, and say "we are the same, you and i." to see a declawed cat and say "i understand why you bite. it is all you have now to show your fear." if i smell newport menthol cigarettes, i daydream of kissing a telephone pole at 80mph because i remember the way his hands felt on me. i was 16. what were you doing the summer you were 16? i was being blamed for what happened to me, or accused of lying about it.

my scars scare you, i know. you can't fathom what i, what thousands of others, have been through. you don't understand and you fear what you can't wrap your mind around. to you, we are the incomprehensible horrors that lovecraft wrote about. but remember that even if you think us monstrous, we were created by man. the teeth embedded in us are not our own. the eyes that sprout from all angles to keep watch for danger were not always there. the silent movement is not to stalk for prey, but to hide from a predator. you might think us monstrous, but remember - the real monsters look just like you do. and they have a wife and a job, and a daughter your age.

[ofdinosanddais1]

I need people who consider declawing cats to understand (does not apply to cats declawed for legitimate medical reasons):

The vision of what YOU perceive as declawing is what cats already do and why they need to scratch. When people think of declawing, it's thinking that you only remove the claw.

No.

When cats scratch, they are trying to remove that claw for a new one to grow in kinda like how baby teeth fall out and new ones grow in. Except more than once and on a weekly basis.

What declawing actually is, is removing the first knuckle. It's an amputation. It's painful. It takes away their defenses which would not only be horrifying for a cat but that would make the cat more likely to bite you. That bite opens you up to a multitude of infections.

Protecting your furniture is not worth a cat's wellbeing.

If you are coming to the conclusion that you need to amputate a cat's appendages unnecessarily, then rehome the cat to someone more responsible. If you can afford the fee to declaw a cat then you can afford to buy better enrichment items. If you can afford the fee to declaw a cat, you can afford the fee to rehome them. Cost is not an excuse because proper cat enrichment items cost the same if not less than the fee to declaw so don't fucking think that you can say "oh well i can't afford a big scratching post" because you absolutely can if you can afford a declawing procedure.

Also, having a scratching post is not enough. You need the CORRECT kind of scratching post. It needs to be tall enough for the cat to stretch up and drag its claws down.

But no. You're not gonna fucking use the excuse about cost because you cannot fucking tell me that $600 minimum to declaw your cat is cheaper than a $50 scratching post or $25-$100 rehoming fee. The "cost" excuse is absolute bullshit because you're not going to tell me that $600 is cheaper than $50.

[officialcreature]

We've got to kill the culture around dogs (and in many ways most pets). Like people feel so entitled to owning an animal and talk about dogs is all sunshine and rainbows, but most people don't properly care for them.

Regardless of your yard size you should be taking your dog for walks, they want to roam and explore. If you have a high energy breed you need to be playing with it daily for at least SOME extended time. If you don't want to/can't do these things you probably shouldn't have a dog.

Dogs should have other dogs or owners to sleep/cuddle/play with, they're pack animals. If you have to crate your dog while you're out during the day or at night you need to immediately work on training it to be okay uncrated. Imagine you're behaving like a normal person but your family doesn't like how you act and so they just lock you away in a cage barely bigger than a closet for 8+ hours of the day.

Don't buy/adopt dog breeds that aren't going to fit your needs. I don't care how much you like a breed or whatever, if you have children, can't be as active, don't have as big a home, share walls with neighbors, etc. these are all things that may impact the breed you should get and it doesn't matter if you want a different one. You should not expect the animal to confirm to how you live just because you like the way it looks. It's not a piece of furniture.

Dogs shouldn't have ears, tails, etc. cut for aesthetics. I've heard some people say that some breeds need it done for different reasons, but I don't know anything about it so there may be some cases where it's needed.

If you want a bird, you better have space for it to fly (and fly well, not half a foot of space) and have it uncaged plenty. Imagine keeping an animal with fucking wings in a 1x3 ft cage.

Rabbits should be allowed to roam at least a room. "Well I want to, but they poop or bite stuff. 😔" Yeah they're fucking rabbits, that's what you get if you want to own a fucking rabbit.

Fish need more space, plants, hiding places, cleaner tanks.

Cats need toys/play time, they may need more personal or private space. Cats should NEVER be declawed and should be given plenty of things to scratch. They will probably still bite/claw things they shouldn't, they're fucking animals and you should have expected them to act as such. They also deserve clean litter boxes. You don't want to use a toilet that's overflowing do you?

All pets need regular veterinary care and owners with the ability to afford that for them.

Long-haired pets and others may need regular grooming. "He bites when we brush him." Yeah because you never got him used to it as a kitten and you're pulling his fur, there are a number of ways to try and remediate the situation or improve it over time. If the situation requires immediate attention vets can usually assist in grooming sedated pets. "But that's expensive." Yeah, you bought a long-haired cat that you haven't been grooming properly (or that is just a bit of a mess of an animal but that's how it be sometimes).

This is all without getting into the ethics surrounding different breeds that will be born with specific health issues like French bulldogs (respiratory issues, hip issues, and many more) or Scottish folds (their ears are folded because of a condition that can distort cartilage development throughout the body).

Also not even touching on common exotic pets because I don't know much about them (reptiles, amphibians, insects) or horses.

ALSO, don't even get me fucking started on wild animals as pets. Obviously there is a wild spectrum between people who nurse a raccoon that was orphaned and people who keep chimpanzees or tigers as pets, but rarely is there ever a good reason for anyone to have a pet like that. There are extreme cases that may justify having that sort of thing,

[syrinq]

fucking despise people who 100% insist on leaving your cat indoors 24/7 and the other side of the spectrum, also despise people who 100% insist on leaving the cat outdoors 24/7 and not take care of your pet

[keysimash]

Some bonus fun facts about my interpretation of Magolor. Tw for body injury and drug use

His gloves are the kind of gloves that fold back and button the fold-back part if you want to briefly use your fingers, but for precise work he takes them off all the way

The declawed thing is inspired by how declawing affects real cats. Look at your fingers. Mentally remove everything past your last knuckle. Those are Magolor's fingers. His thumb is still intact because Halcandrans don't have claws on their thumbs

The palms of his hands are pinkish and soft and squishy (his left at least. His right is scarred), while the backs are covered in a silky-soft brown fur (except for where he has the symbol for 'forgetting' on the back of his hand)

It's also inspired by Magolor soul. Look at his hands. The fingertips are black, void. Missing.

Sometimes magic requires blood for a spell. Magolor always uses his right hand or his right side for this, since he's left-handed. His right side also has a burn scar he often draws blood from, because there's a long-deactivated rune there that was put against his will. He hates this thing and will take any opportunity to further destroy it.

The first spell he ever learned was shield. He's really good at shields. He learned to cast before he learned to talk.

His mother was his only parent. She was a strict teacher who instilled in Magolor a strong desire for survival and power. She was alive before the Fall of Halcandra, when it went from bustling space-faring civilization on multiple planets to apocolyptic, deserted desert ruins. Despite there being less than a thousand functional starships on the whole planet, she made Magolor memorize more than enough math and science to possibly repair and escape with one.

Magolor is indeed a nerd. He's got his times tables and periodic tables and body systems and laws of movement and more all memorized.

Indeed, he is also a cat. He can purr, but more often he purrs out of stress, injury or being high than genuine happiness and peace.

Obligate carnivore. Occasionally illegally hunts nonsentients or kills people's livestock. Can break down a body in an hour if pressed for time

He's also a piece-of-shit stoner /j

Fr tho he is often high to either manage pain from constantly overworking himself or because he's bored and/or lonely

Smoking isn't AS bad for him as most because Halcandran lungs are designed to handle smoke, but it still isn't great he does it so often

He can't really get drunk because his healing ability is so efficient. He does like the taste of wine, though, esp mixed with blood

He doesn't really take good care of himself because he still has eight lives

Also yes, as a Halcandran he got nine lives at birth. He died once already when kirby killed him while wearing the master crown

His cheeks and head have scent glands like a cat. Pet those and he would probably melt purring, if he didn't kill you first.

Touch starved enough to get a contact high from like, a cashier giving back his change at a store

Touch starved enough that he lets Marx pick fights with him because even the contact of someone pushing him into the dirt or nearly breaking his fingers is better than nothing

Can make himself cry at will and stop crying at will

Does the second one a lot, but it only works when there's people around

OBSESSED wi th starships

Like could talk for hours about the different models and companies that make them and the pros and cons of each and weird little design flaws and how they are used on different trading routes and

talks to himself sometimes because there's nobody else around. But only in his head, not out loud

Might fuck around n add more later idk