#especially because the shelter is super full right now

[steddieas-shegoes]

Request: steve having 4 rabbits (all male) as pets bc he loves them. They are super rambunctious aside from his last one which he recently adopted from a shelter. But HE SPOILS THEM??? He refers to them as his kids???? The party doesn't know what kids he is referring to until they see him with his babies. Thats all just pure flufff

First of all, title on AO3 is from Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter because Steve loved that story as a child and that was the inspiration behind most of this. Second of all, this is ridiculous and fun. It's so very unserious. I cannot stress enough how much this is just absolutely silly. As with any of the stuff I write, there's some emotions and discussions of Steve's shitty childhood, but the rest is just some hilarity between Steve, Eddie, and Robin with a guest appearance of the party. - Mickala ❤️

---------------------------------------------------------------

Steve’s parents had never bothered with a pet, had never even thought about the fact that most kids got to have a dog or a cat or a turtle when they were young.

They didn’t think about how much Steve needed a companion of some kind.

It didn’t stop him from always playing with his friends’ pets, or stopping at the pet store after work sometimes to show some love to the ferrets nobody seemed to want. He volunteered at the animal shelter when he had time, always getting too attached to the dogs coming and going.

When he moved into a house with Eddie and Robin, they all agreed he could and should get a pet, as long as they could all agree on what it was beforehand.

The problem was, he knew he didn’t have time to commit to a dog, not with how often he was working and taking the kids where they needed to go and helping Eddie with his band. He knew Robin wouldn’t admit it, but being around cats for more than a few minutes left her stuffed up and teary-eyed. He didn’t really want fish, or anything that he couldn’t hold or cuddle with. Birds were out because they were loud and on his migraine days, even the tiniest hint of sound would make him nauseous.

He’d never even considered rabbits.

But on his way home from work on his birthday of all days, he passed a truck with a cage full of bunnies in the back.

He pulled over, not thinking about what he was doing, just knowing that he wanted to hold one.

Robin, who was in one psychology course at the community college, called it healing his inner child.

Eddie, who liked to get on Robin’s nerves as frequently as possible, called it being his inner child.

Steve, who loved them both very much, thought they were maybe both right.

“Can I hold one?” Steve asked the older woman who was sitting on the tailgate of her truck.

“Sure. You have any rabbits?” she asked as she grabbed one from the cage.

“No ma’am.”

“Lovely pets. Unfortunately, we didn’t know one of ours was a male and now we have about 22 of these suckers to get rid of. You got room for one?” she watched him carefully as he held the baby rabbit to his chest.

All of the rabbits were gray except for four, which were an off-white color with speckles of brown. Steve didn’t know how genetics worked, especially not for rabbits, but he knew they were unique.

“I got room for four.”

He didn’t.

Not really.

But he would make room.

The woman only charged him for two, said he was doing her a favor by taking four anyway. She gave him a bag full of some food pellets, but told him they would probably still prefer to get lettuce and other vegetables often.

“I guess I should think of some names,” Steve said out loud on the way home. “I should probably also warn you that I didn’t talk to Robin and your other dad about this yet. But they won’t mind. I can build you guys a home in the backyard! And during the winter, you can stay in the shed.”

He had it all planned out in his mind, and nothing would ruin it.

—------------

“How many?!” Robin exclaimed.

“Rabbits?” Eddie asked, surprised, but not quite as shocked as Robin.

“It’s four males. They’re still babies, but they grow quick. They’re pretty low maintenance, and they can live outside so you won’t have to worry about allergies or noise or anything. And they can eat a lot of vegetables and some fruit so I won’t have to spend tons of money on special food.”

Eddie cupped his cheek in his palm and smiled.

“You don’t have to defend your choice to us, sweetheart. If you’re happy, I’m happy,” he kissed him on the lips quickly before pulling away and giving Robin a look that said she better agree.

“I’m happy you found pets?” Robin said, still clearly unsure about it, but giving a genuine smile.

“Okay, now names!”

It only took five minutes for Eddie to excuse himself from that conversation to start working on their enclosure.

“Steve, you cannot name a rabbit Edward.”

“There are no rules when it comes to naming rabbits. If I want to name the one who doesn’t stand still after my boyfriend, then I will!”

It went on like that for nearly an hour as Steve took turns holding each of the rabbits, keeping them close to his chest and petting them, giving them all a little kiss on the head before he put them back in the box they were temporarily in.

Eddie came in not long after they finally settled on names, giving Steve a kiss on the cheek and grabbing a glass of water.

“So? What are their names?”

Steve picked them up one by one, showing them off as he spoke.

“This one is Marty, and this one is Hobbit, and this one is Bard, and this tiny little guy is Pierre. Robin insisted on it because the speckle on his face looks like a mustache and goatee.”

“I hate to say it, Stevie, but I don’t think I’m the father,” Eddie teased as he rubbed Pierre’s head.

Steve gently pushed Eddie’s chest, but smirked at him.

“Despite your best efforts, I don’t think actual children will be biologically possible for us,” he said as he put Pierre back in the box and picked the entire thing up. “Now, show me their home!”

—----------------

Steve was a natural caregiver, had always been one even when he was alone.

Everyone knew it, everyone loved it about him.

But no one had expected him to treat his new pets as his actual children, not even Eddie.

He knitted them sweaters.

“They have fur already, Steve,” Robin said.

“But they’re so cute in them!”

Robin and Eddie shared a glance as Steve handfed them some lettuce.

—----------------

No one expected him to also come home with a fifth one right before Christmas.

He was holding it against his chest, under his jacket, whispering to it.

“Stevie? Whatcha got?”

“Don’t be mad. He was dropped off at the shelter with a few puppies and they said that they couldn’t keep him. I couldn’t-” Steve’s sharp intake of breath made Eddie drop what he was doing and get closer. “We have room or I can make room. He’ll fit right in! I think he looks like a Frodo, don’t you?”

Steve unzipped his jacket and a completely white rabbit shuffled around so it’s head was nestled further in his shirt.

“Sure, Stevie. Hi Frodo, welcome to our home. Rent’s due on the first, lettuce is available for free, and bath days are every other Saturday,” Eddie said quietly as he petted the rabbit’s back.

—---------------------

The first time the kids held the rabbits, Steve hovered like a worried parent.

“Just relax, love. They’re being careful,” Eddie whispered in his ear.

“I know. I just don’t want one to get loose and end up hurt or stuck somewhere,” Steve said, keeping his eyes on a constant rotation between all five rabbits.

“Can we feed them?” El asked with a beaming smile.

“Yeah, please!” Will said excitedly.

“Sure. But everyone only gets to pick one thing so they don’t overeat and get sick,” Steve agreed.

Eddie watched as Steve continued to hover, physically biting back comments about the way the kids were feeding them.

Eddie could sense his anxiety getting to a boiling point, knew he would probably explode in a minute if he didn’t intervene.

“Alright kids! Time for us to put the rabbits up for the night. They like to cuddle before they sleep,” Eddie said, reaching for the closest one to him, Bard.

They slowly put them all back into their enclosure, and Steve stood outside of it for a moment making sure they were all okay.

They were still a bit over excited from being out of the cage, all except Frodo, who had never been excited about anything.

“I’ll take the kids home,” Eddie said as he kissed Steve’s shoulder. “Staying out here for a bit?”

“Yeah, just until they calm down a little. Tell the kids I’ll see them tomorrow.”

Eddie nodded once and made his way back inside.

“Steve isn’t coming?” Max asked.

“Nah, he’s making sure the little ones behave. Everyone ready?”

The kids looked at each other, then back at Eddie.

“He’s making sure the rabbits behave? What are they gonna do, steal a carrot from the fridge?” Mike asked.

“Tone, Wheeler,” Eddie reprimanded. “And everyone leaves Steve alone about this, got it? He’s being his inner child.”

“Healing his inner child,” Robin said from the couch, focused on her word search.

“Right, that’s what I said,” Eddie clapped his hands. “Kids in the van or you have to scoop the rabbit poop!”

A chorus of “ew, gross!” rang out as the kids scrambled to run out the front door and to his van.

“Can you make sure he comes in in a few minutes?” Eddie asked Robin. “He doesn’t have a jacket on.”

“Are you his boyfriend or his mom?” Robin asked, still not looking up from her word search.

“I’m gonna be your problem if he gets sick from sitting out there in the cold too long.”

“Fine,” Robin rolled her eyes. “But if he makes me bottle feed Hobbit again because he ‘won’t eat the pellets and he has to eat something’ I am locking him out there to become one of them.”

“Fine.”

Eddie glanced out the window of the back door, smiling to himself as he watched Steve talking to the rabbits, like he did every night.

Whatever they called it, Eddie was just glad Steve was getting something he’d always wanted.

[wildelydawn]

that trio fic of ferran, pedri and gavi sounds super good like, i'm listening 👀📢

Alright my friend, buckle the fuck up because I have 1500 words for you (none of it is smut, this is just the lead up). I might end up finishing this some day because I've outlined the rest at the end, but for now, enjoy.

-

“Fuck, I just want someone to get me off,” Ferran complains as soon as they’re back at the hotel. 

Pedri had every intention of just going to sleep. He’s not one to drink, but after being told, “We’re on vacation,” for the hundredth time that night, he decided to have “something fruity, since he’s from the tropics,” as Gavi so eloquently told the bartender. She had rolled her eyes: either too drunk herself to realize who she was serving or simply totally oblivious to football. 

“It’s not the tropics,” Pedri had argued exactly once before getting lost in a mango strawberry something. God, was it sweet. And no one stopped him from ordering three more, especially since Gavi would complain about his beer and then “hold” Pedri’s drink for him.

Yeah, real clever.

So when he fumbled around with his wallet to get the hotel passkey out, his first stop was going to be the horrendously expensive mini fridge to drink all the water he possibly could. But leave it to Ferran to invite himself in and for Gavi to follow them around, his tail between his legs like a wounded dog at the shelter.

Yeah, all three of them are coming home alone. Except Ferran’s the only one who’s actually mad about that.

“I can understand both of you being alone, but I seriously thought that one girl was down.”

Pedri tries to catch Gavi’s eye, to silently ask Which girl? Ferran had talked to at least a dozen.

Gavi, though, is far more insulted. “What do you mean you understand us being alone?”

Ferran groans. “Well, you look like you’re twelve, and Pedri’s wearing those awful jeans, so. Let’s face it. Not the best wingmen.”

Pedri looks down at his outfit. “What’s wrong with how I dress?”

“If you have to ask.” Ferran sighs and plops down on the couch. 

Gavi snorts. “If you were any better with women, you wouldn’t need a wingman. Or to chat up a whole fucking bar.”

Pedri agrees, but he’s finally managed to get the cap off his water. He drinks heavily, polishing off the first bottle before cracking into another. His head isn’t so fuzzy. It was worse half an hour ago, when they were in the cab, but standing is a bit of a struggle, and, God, is he thirsty. 

“Says the guy who talked to exactly two people before getting piss drunk.”

“I’m not piss drunk,” Gavi argues back. “Why does everything have to be about getting laid? Why can’t we just be on vacation and have fun?”

Pedri shoots him a dirty look. “Bro, going out was your idea!” 

“If we had it your way, we’d never go out again.”

“Yeah because we wasted four hours, a couple hundred Euros, for nothing. I could’ve stayed home and watched-”

“Oh here he goes, fucking Game of Thrones-”

“I still haven’t watched the ending!” Pedri shouts. “I thought we were supposed to be relaxing!”

Ferran leans back into the sofa cushions, watching the both of them. “As much as this is entertaining, I’m still mad at you idiots.”

Gavi turns back to Ferran. “Why are you mad at me?!”

“Because neither of you helped and you probably made it worse-”

“Okay, for the last time. We didn’t prevent you from getting laid. Take it up with your tiny dick and terrible pick up lines.”

Ferran scowls. “Shut up.”

“I’m serious! We’ve been here two days, and it’s like you’re hellbent on getting your dick wet!”

Pedri nods along because Gavi is right. Ferran has been on the prowl since they landed. He even hit on the lady at the lobby, who flushed very prettily before making a show of her wedding ring while checking them in. 

“You’ve got a couple million. Hire someone,” Pedri says without thinking. Both Gavi and Ferran stop their squabbling to turn to Pedri, shock on their faces. “What?”

“Uh, wow. He must be sloshed.”

“I’m not that drunk,” Pedri groans, a hand over his eyes. He needs to pee. Drinking water that fast, not smart. “It’s a solution.”

“Yeah, no thanks man. I know you’re into the whole MILF thing, but I would prefer someone from this generation.”

Pedri registers the insult. Ferran poking fun at his tenacity to run after older women, but the slight comes from a man who’s sitting alone on his couch, positively bitchless, so he’s not that offended. 

“Damn, what was her name again? Maria? Do you think I could find her on Insta?” Ferran has his phone out. “She has to be on Tinder.”

Gavi turns to Pedri. “He’s hopeless.”

“It’s only 2:00AM,” Ferran scowls again. “Just because you guys are prudes doesn’t mean I have to suffer.”

“Can you go suffer in your room, then?” Pedri asks, but Ferran pays him no mind.

“None of these girls look like they give good head.”

Pedri groans. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

“Spoken like a true prude-”

“Theoretically, men do suck dick the best,” Gavi says solemnly. Pedri doesn’t know how or from where, but Gavi’s managed to find a beer to crack open and drink. 

“What?”

“I mean, girls can suck dick pretty well, but obviously a guy would know better.” Gavi takes another sip of his beer as if debating dick sucking skills is just another conversation topic between the bros. “Because he’s a guy.”

“What?”

“Are you stupid?” Pedri asks abruptly. “Or just drunk?”

Ferran holds up his phone. “I’m trying to figure out what he’s saying while swiping!”

“He’s saying that because guys get their dicks sucked, they probably know how to suck dick better than a girl,” Pedri explains. He feels his ears getting redder at each time the word “dick” leaves his mouth. 

“That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard in my life,” Ferran says with a laugh.

“Well, have you ever had your dick sucked by a guy?” Gavi challenges. 

“Uh, no,” Ferran chuckles. “But I’ve had some pretty great blowjobs before, all from women. So, if you don’t mind…” Ferran points to his phone.

Gavi snorts. “Good luck with that.”

Pedri anticipates the conversation to be dead but Ferran, who’s never really been one to shut the fuck up, immediately complains, “God, this app sucks. What is wrong with this city? Is no one trying to get laid?”

“Maybe they just don’t wanna suck tiny dick,” Pedri giggles, then bursts out into laughter. He laughs and laughs, turning away from them as Gavi and Ferran continue their argument. God, I need to pee.

“Everyone’s probably too drunk to get laid-”

“Then why are they on the fucking app as available-”

“Just give up already!”

“No, I’m horny, and I’m going back out there.”

“Really? Really? You think that’s safe?”

“I don’t give a fuck if it’s safe, I came here to party, you’re both fucking downers, and I’m gonna get my dick wet, like you said I should-”

“Get on the couch-”

“No, I’m leaving- what are you doing-”

“I’ll fucking do it-”

“What the fuck-”

“You said you wanted to get your dick wet-”

“Wait, Gavi-”

“I’m gonna go to the bathroom,” Pedri announces to literally no one before throwing the bottle over his shoulder and walking to the bathroom that’s across from the kitchenette. He shuts the door behind him, sighing at the peace and quiet. Thankfully, it seems Gavi and Ferran have stopped fighting.

Maybe they’ll leave now.

Pedri unzips his allegedly ugly pants and pisses into the toilet, yawning as he does. Of course, it would be nice to be with someone right now. But he’s woefully single, and, to some degree, Ferran is right. His love for older women doesn’t translate well into finding a steady relationship. Not that he’s on the hunt for one. As much as they failed tonight, he can’t deny wanting intimacy. Nor can he blame Ferran for being so goddamn feral. They’re on this vacation to blow off steam. 

Maybe tomorrow night, we can actually go have fun.

Pedri resolves to be a better wingman as he washes his hands and towels them off. He opens the bathroom door and comes out to the living room, ready to tell his friends that tomorrow’s a new day, with new women, and a new chance at love.

The words die in his mouth when he sees what Gavi is doing with his.

“G-Gavi?”

And Ferran is just sitting there, on the couch, his pants shoved down to his ankles, a wicked smile on his face, half shrugging like “What? It just happened!” Like Gavi tripped and fell mouth first into his lap.

“Care to join us, Pedri?”

(Okay, so after that, Gavi proceeds to blow them both before they basically reduce Gavi to a total mess. I'm talking about bullying Gavi a little bit since this was his idea, and then praising him for sucking dick so well. Ferran insists on fucking Gavi first because he's the one who's actually desperate for it while Pedri is just awestruck, like "God, that's my best friend and he takes cock like a champ" before deciding that he needs more of Gavi's mouth. They end up spitroasting Gavi to high heaven and basically swapping between who gets his mouth and who gets his ass. And of course, it ends in some snuggling after. Maybe Ferran leaves halfway through the night because he's like "Okay, that was nice, but I do actually want pussy at some point" but Gavi and Pedri wake up late and fuck in the shower because that's what best friends do.)

EDIT: This is now a full story on Ao3.

[jasongotdrip]

Okay this is going to make me sound super sad but you said you were in New Orleans and right now that’s my current research rabbit hole obsession so if you find anything interesting particular history wise PLEASE LET ME KNOW (I’m such a neek I’m so sorry)

YEAH! Most of my family is from there so I know some stuff off the top of my head- all of this is either memorized from school or family, so correct me if im wrong😭

oh god I ACTUALLY YAPPED IM SO SORRY😭😭

cw: yapping, pretty pictures i took😍

New orleans was founded in (i think) 1718. France owned it first, then in 1803, Thomas Jefferson bought the Louisiana Purchase for approx 5 million dollars. It was actually very cheap for the amount of land it was, because it stretched across the entire middle of the (present day) U.S. It doubled the size of the land they owned, because the only settlements were east of the App mountain range. (I’m so sorry- im a history nerd😭)

it’s the most haunted city in the U.S. - i think San Antonio (TX) is also one of the top haunted cities but I can’t remember

the oldest part of the city is called the French Quarter!

the St. Louis Cathedral is the oldest cathedral in the country that’s still used to this day.

in 2005, (I wasn’t alive but my family told me about this) when Hurricane Katrina hit, a lot of people took shelter in the Superdome, which is a big stadium. The hurricane was horrible to the entire state really, but New Orleans is right on the coast so it was especially bad there. My family moved to a nearby state before it was too late. That’s actually how my parents met! But anyway, the city is actually below sea level (by like 2 meters) which is why it was so easy to flood. It’s surrounded by levees that help keep the water out. Still, many houses and buildings are elevated, or on stilts because of this. Cemeteries are the same- every tomb is above the ground, in cement blocks. When we go to my grandmother’s grave, we always cover it in purple flowers.💜

if you EVER go to new orleans, the food is amazing. Like seriously. Creole/cajun food has always been the best. No matter what place you go, it will be great. Most of it is seafood based, like shrimp, crab, crawfish, etc.

i’m gonna put some photos i took in case you want to see some! Though I really only took pictures of Canal St, a large street with palm trees and trolleys/trams galore. On a lot of the buildings, there balconies full of plants and flags (yes, there was the rainbow flag as well😝)

[is-the-snake-video-cute]

Snake health: vet visits

One of the most confusing things about your first pet snake, especially if you've only owned more common pets like cats or dogs before, is figuring out when and how often to take them to the vet! A new snake's vet schedule is going to look very different from your other pets'.

To illustrate, this is my new puppy, Bilbo. He's about 12 weeks old, and he's already been to the vet a handful of times, and he'll be back plenty more before his first year with me is through. He'll get a few rounds of puppy vaccines, dewormers, fecal tests, and checkups. His ears look super gross right now because he's currently taking ear drops for an ear infection, which are pretty common in puppies, and, like the majority of puppies adopted from a shelter or humane society, he's on a dewormer. He still has a couple rounds of shots to go, and he'll be neutered when he's about six months old.

As he gets older, my vet and I have a plan to be on the lookout for breed-specific health conditions. He's a corgi mix, so we'll be vigilant about looking for signs of hip problems, and I'll probably get him a DNA test so we know what he's mixed with and what else to look out for.

Put simply: there's a lot of necessary vet visits!

For comparison, this is my newest permanent snake, Viago. He's a baby California kingsnake, and he's about nine months old. Viago has been to the vet once, where he got a checkup and a fecal panel to check for parasites (much like a puppy's fecal exam). Unless he has a specific health issue crop up, he won't be to the vet again until he's about a year old. We're not worried about species-specific health issues, and he doesn't need appointments for shots, dewormers, or a neutering surgery.

When compared to a puppy or a cat - it's not a lot!

If you're used to more common pets, like dogs, it's easy to see how a new snake's veterinary schedule can be confusing!

When does a new snake need a checkup?

I recommend new snakes go in for their first checkup soon after you bring them home! Giving them a week or two to adjust can be a good idea, since snakes are sensitive to stress. Unlike a puppy or kitten, they'll need some time to decompress and calm down before and after a vet visit.

What will a new snake exam look like?

Your vet will run a fecal exam to make sure your snake doesn't have parasites, and might also do a DNA swab to test for common viruses.

If I adopt my snake from a rescue or shelter, are there any specific health issues I should be prepared for?

Nope! Unlike shelter puppies/kittens, who you can often expect to have worms and other issues associated with being in close quarters with other animals, snakes from rescues don't have common health issues you should look out for.

Will a snake need vaccines?

Nope! Unlike a puppy or kitten, your new snake doesn't need to be immunized.

Will a snake need dewormers?

Probably not, and if they do, they won't look like puppy/kitten dewormers. If your snake has parasites, your vet will probably give you medicine that you'll inject into your snake's food at their next meal.

Will a snake need to be spayed/neutered?

Nope! Spay/neuter surgeries for snakes do exist, but they're not necessary. Unlike with dogs or cats, where it's most often the responsible choice to spay/neuter your pet, it won't be necessary for your snake unless they develop a reproductive health issue later in life.

What medications can I expect my snake to need?

Your new snake most likely will not need to take any medications! Most young snakes will not need anything at all.

Should I be thinking about species-specific health problems?

Nope! Unlike dogs and cats, your snake won't be particularly at risk for health issues based on their species.

What should a new snake's vet schedule look like?

For most snakes, one vet visit a year (or one visit every other year once they're full-grown) is a perfect schedule.

Are there any snake breeds that should visit the vet more (or less) frequently?

If your snake is particularly nervous, less frequent visits may be necessary. A dog may hate going to the vet, but the stress won't make them ill. Not so with snakes! Stressed snakes can easily become dangerously sick. Many arboreal species, like Amazon tree boas, should visit the vet once every three years at the most. Common beginner species will all be fine with a yearly or biannual visit.

Will I be able to take my snake to any vet?

Nope, unfortunately. Many vets aren't trained to work with reptiles, so you'll want to make sure you can find a vet who does before you get your snake! You can't always rely on your dog's vet being able to see your snake.

If you're in the US, my first step is always to look for a vet affiliated with the Association of Reptile and Amphibian Veterinarians. Use this link to search for an ARAV vet near you!

[emimayooo]

Emi in Japan (2024) – June 7th to June 9th

(Link to previous entry.)

Hey guys,

I've had such a fun few days! Days full of good food, nature, and animals. I can't wait to tell you all about it.

But first, here are the highlights:

I posted a new galeheart fic! It's a fairy tale au I wrote for the galeheart first times event way back in late April, but I finally posted it. It has, predictably, ballooned into a multichap lol but I'm happy with the result :)

My mum and I discovered a local café that's only opened on the weekends. We loved it so much we went both days!

Goats, cats, and even more cats, oh my! Went to an agritourism farm and an open shelter cat rescue. Very fun. Very stinky.

Anyway! Onto the details:

June 7th

June 7th was pretty chill! My mum and I went shopping in the morning. I bought a very handy dandy bag where I can store my wallet, pocket wifi and phone in, that straps around my body. Super convenient for going out with just my necessities.

Here’s a photo of me and the bag, on another day! I just love it.

Afterwards, we went to a sushi train place. Each plate of sushi cost around 100 yen. How cheap is that?!

When we got home, I think we just napped lol. I dedicated my evening to writing, which went well! I was so nervous to post fic since it had been a while, but then I got such lovely comments! I’m glad I pushed through my doubt and just posted the damn thing :)

June 8th

In the morning, my mum and I went to this local cafe that only opens on the weekends. The walk over was so refreshing, with the weather being just perfect. We walked past farms, old Japanese houses, the river my mum nearly drowned in when she was four before my grandma pulled her to safety lol, and finally, we arrived at the cafe.

We took our seat on the porch. I’m so glad we did: we were right in front of the flower garden where we could watch the little butterflies and bees do their job. It was so relaxing. I must read here sometime.

Mum ordered the soup set, which came with veges and onigiri, as well as a cup of coffee. I had the waffle set with the ice cream and red bean. For my drink I had the best iced tea I’ve ever had in my life, oh my goodness it was so good! Apparently, this cafe specialises in herbal teas. I’ve got to try it some of these days, if even their iced tea was this good! Anyway, here are some pics of the cafe:

On our walk home, we passed the local agritourism farm and decided to go in. Since it was Saturday, there were so many tourists from Tokyo. It’s quite popular among families. It’s kinda like if you as the farmer of SDV were real lol because it’s SUCH a money-maker for our town here. And the rest of us are just NPCs lol🧍

While there, I fed a scary ass goat some carrots and had a grape-vanilla mixed ice cream.

And that concludes Saturday!

June 9th

Sunday (today) was such a blast too. In the morning, we took I-san (crazy old cat lady ((affectionate)) from older entries) to the cafe we went the day before. As ever, she talked our ears off and we learned a lot about the neighbours lmao. But also, she came all dressed up with her make up done, which was adorable🥰❤️. I’m so glad she enjoyed it.

When we dropped her off, she forced me to accept 5000 yen from her (50 AUD)😭😭😭!!! You might be like “emi you could’ve just said no” BUT YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND!!! When old Asian grannies give you money you must accept it there’s no escaping their determination😭😭😭

Now I gotta think of a way to repay her, non-monetarily. I’m actually quite decent at drawing realistic portraits (especially old people for some reason lol) so maybe I’ll draw her or her late cat as a present. We shall see!

Also, we made plans for her to dress me in her kimono on Tuesday. I’m very excited!

After breakfast, we headed off to visit an open shelter/cat rescue. I’ve been here before and I was very excited to go again. There’s around 100 cats, spread across three floors (with sealed off balconies), and there are soooo many affectionate cats omg. So many will just flop onto your lap and chill there for like twenty minutes it’s great. I fell in love with so many cuties today…but none of them fell in love with me back lol they all wanted my mum instead aha😭💔

So yeah. There’s no pictures of me with the cats because they were all over my mum so I became designated photographer🤡

But in the end, I did get to pat many cutie kitties, so I still had an adorable time🥰❤️

For lunch, we ate at the neighbouring restaurant, that was cat-themed. I had the nyangherita pizza lol while my mum had a warabi-katsu set.

The pizza was disappointingly average, but my mum liked her food. So all around wins for her today😂 (though, a cat did pee on her bag, so…)

And that was my past few days! I can’t believe I’ve been here close to three weeks now. Time just flies, doesn’t it? Next Saturday, I’ll be off to Osaka. I’ll be sad to say goodbye to my grandpa’s hometown, but I’ll be back at the end of June anyway, before I return to Australia…where I’ll then reunite with my own cats, Apple Pie and Leon🥹💖

Thanks for reading my journal! See you next time.

With love,

Emi xoxo

[boag]

Lol so I wanted to research to make a proper argument & now I'm actually convinced pitbulls should be banned so hear me out because I <3 dogs & if I'm missing something I want to know. From what I just read, pitbulls were bred by humans to be fighting dogs so they have genetic instincts that make them attack very aggressively & be unfazed by their own pain (they literally won't stop attacking even after being tazed & in some cases shot like wtf😭) - in comparison Rottweilers were bred to protect & are super intelligent so they can be trained very well & won't randomly attack despite their potential to be aggressive. It doesn't look like pitbulls can actually be trained cuz they're the only breed that consistently mauls their own owners (even the ones who by all accounts were great owners) & they don't bark/act aggressive to give any kind of warning sign before they attack - dog breeds that attack out of fear or to defend themselves give warning signs to scare off the perceived threat. pitbulls account for 66% of fatal dog attacks which is wildddd (Rottweilers come in 2nd @ 10% which is such a LARGEE margin that it can't be a coincidence) & no other breed constantly shows good behavior before randomly snapping then literally shredding a kid's faces off. Idk what do you think about this? (<3 u btw)

My main concern with the idea of banning pitbulls is just…. What would that even entail? Are they just all supposed to be euthanized? The US is already full of pitbulls, often mistreated or left in cages almost their entire lives before being killed in shelters. I would just greatly prefer to see a future where we have a better solution than to kill all of these animals, especially when many are raised well by owners who understand the risks and do the best they can and they never do attack, or if they do their owner’s are prepared to handle it. Pitbulls have always been very popular pets in all the areas I’ve lived so I’ve seen them be aggressive but I’ve also seen a ton of them be gentle and sweet and live full happy lives without hurting anyone. The idea of eradicating them has never sat right with me.

There must be something else we can do to protect people without outlawing an entire breed of dogs. I’ve also seen beagles attack unprompted, including a beloved family pet who had to be put down after she mauled my cousin’s face when she was a toddler and a neighbor’s pet who jumped up onto a trampoline with us and mauled my mom leaving her gushing blood and covered in bruises. Should beagles be outlawed? This is all coming from someone who had a traumatic experience when I was 15 where my best friend’s pitbull mix locked his jaw around my hand and tore it almost in half, but we weren’t careful. We were drunk and messing with him and there were warning signs he showed for a couple minutes beforehand like growling and acting scared but my friend was being goofy and dumb and kept mimicking his growl and playing with him which is what caused him to attack me. And the craziest thing is that he showed remorse for over a year. Every time I saw him after he kept his distance and bowed his head to me and even cried and I’m not friends with that girl anymore for other reasons but I have friends who are and as far as I know she still has him and he never attacked anyone again…. They are such intelligent beautiful creatures and I don’t think they’re unsaveable. I think people need to know the risks of having one and be prepared.

[libraford]

gods as someone that was raised in several churches (mom minister so I got all the shitty behind the scenes drama starting at like 4yo and never really believed beyond general agnostic-ish feelings. which apparently is a super common trend for pastor/minister kids to nope tf out of the church asap) the 'forcing you to be The Right Christian™ Or You Don't Deserve™™ Charity' thing hits hard. especially when I psych myself out of asking for help because I'm constantly remembering how openly hostile some of those places are to even poor christian people using their services.

like one particular church (the "open and affirming" one that threw the only trans woman out of the 20 person congregation because the old white guy treasurer learned she was trans after like 8 years and suddenly didn't want to look at her, or "worse", hear her sing) had a monthly meal for the (very poor neighborhood) community. they'd make everyone pray to God for 20 minutes before letting anyone touch even a slice of bread, but lock them out of the sanctuary during church hours because they were, I wish I was joking and that this wasn't a direct quote, "dirty homeless looters". you had to pray correctly to get food but don't you dare sully the churches doorstep trying to attend worship. meanwhile the church people organizing it are going off about how dare these people be standing in line for food instead of attending church as Real Good Christians Should.

🙃

That's fucking frightening and unfortunately I have my own similar stories.

Tw for racism, homophobia, anti-Muslim, and just... really bad stereotypes.

One of the reasons I started walking away from the church (there's a couple reasons) was at our summer mission trip (yes, I know.) In previous years, we had kept local: deep cleaning the homeless shelter, renovating the local Latino advocacy building, soup kitchen stuff. But one of the (more wealthy) girls in our group wanted to try doing a mission abroad.

Best we could do is Toronto.

We signed up with a shelter there and they gave us some tasks. The shelter REALLY played up how bad it was in this part of town- the gang violence, the culture of sin, the regressive way the men treat women in their home country.

So like... I'm from America. I've been to Chicago. Not to compare but like... hmm..

So during the introduction to how terrible it is in Toronto (...?) Our ambassador takes us through parts of town to show us what it's like to be homeless there. It was a very somber thing. We were given a small amount of money and we were to pretend it was all we had. Try to survive on a few coins.

We take our tour. Remember that this is supposed to scare us.

She takes us to an area where we hear drums. We hide behind a building. "You hear those drums? This is a homeless village. Young people come here seeking community, but you will be turned away if you cannot provide a service for them. They will only use your body for so long."

So... I'd been to drum circles before. And this was very much a drum circle. Like sure these people were a little crunchy, but it was pretty clear to me that these guys were just cutting loose after the day of work.

She takes us to the red light district.

"This is the red light district," she says. "This is where all the homosexuals come. You see that there are many young people here who are attracted to the high life. But you will see: the older men will always come looking for the younger one's to manipulate and that's how many homeless people become prostitutes."

I, a half-in-half-out of the closet lesbian, for the first time in my life, saw two happy gay men arm in arm and it was moving for me. I saw people having a good time. I'd already figured out she was full of shit. Now I was mad.

So we get back to the church we're staying at and I'm already having second thoughts about this visit to Canada. She tells us that our mission this week is to tutor some Somali kids in English and math.

... I feel... oncoming dread.

They didn't give us a lesson,plan or anything. Were supposed to just help them learn where they're stuck in their lessons. And then on Friday we'll have a trip to the museum of science and industry.

I was the only one in our group that had ever encountered a Muslim to know that Friday was their holy day. And that was when I realized that it was a conversion tactic. I asked her about it like... 'is Friday really a good time to do that?' And she was like 'well, it's the last day you'll be here and we want to celebrate don't we?'

And I was livid, but I was in a different country with a bunch of people who believed this woman's lies. And I didn't say anything to my friends because I was already kind of an outcast there, no one was going to believe me.

So I held my tongue, but from then on I lost a lot of respect for Christian-run charities and even now I'll always be looking for their angle.

[bitter-sweet-coffee]

Could you make a brief description of your main/favourite OCs or other important things, I have a bad memory and am confused 👉🏻👈🏻

HELLO! hi hi hi uh. hellow sienna :3 yes of course. i will choose a VERY MINIMAL AMOUNT OF OCS just the ones i’m always ranting about. ALSO I KNOW YOU SAID BRIEF BUT. I AM VERY BAD AT THAT SO HERE’S WHATEVER THIS IS:

1. GEMMA. (Gemma the ??? technically)

Gemma is a green… bird. We do not know what kind of bird she is. She’s Bean’s mom and she runs the criminal underworld of hybrid mobians, trafficking, and mobian puppy mills. She’s not particularly mean or violent though, the joke being that she’s also omnipotent and can break the fourth wall, just with the dark twist that she’s always known everything ever and knows she’s an OC and that I’m even talking about her right now, hence why doing the immoral shit that she does is not ultimately a bad thing since no one she hurts is real. ALSO, she’s based off of Gemma Teller-Morrow from Sons of Anarchy so if you ever draw her, try to make her look like a bird version or Katey Segal :)

2. BRANDO. (Brando the Hawk lol)

Jet’s Dad. Looks like Jet but if he was an alcoholic who somehow manages a receding hairline. Hansu once drew him with a monocle and top hat as a joke but I found it so hilarious we might just keep it. He sounds like James Lance (actor) if his voice was more broken and growly and mumbly, and if he was human he’d have Lance’s hair as well. (He misses his wife, Sienna)

3. ADAM!!! (Adam the Albatross)

Adam is Storm’s dad and he looks like him but instead of being round and fluffy strong, he’s abtastically ripped. You see how I draw mobians you know what’s up LOL. anyways, he was a teen dad and did a really good job, and he works at Prison Island. Well, he did, now it’s blown up, so he works at the inland prison instead. He’s a bit of a manchild and his girlfriend is Jewel’s mom Opal (hehe Lea’s OC) because he sorta has a milf problem. He’s like if Jesse Pinkman was an adult instead of an oversized teenager, yet is still quite childish (in a cute way! he eats dino nuggets for dinner). Think “drawing Storm but for a thirsttrap” and you’ve nailed him

4, CAREY AND DARLA!!! (Carey the Jackdaw & Darla the Swallow)

You really think I’m gonna just include one??? These are Wave’s parents and I’m in love with their designs. Carey is a jackdaw with vitiligo which means he gets patches of white feathers in certain places due to black pigment being a recessive genetic trait due to the Salem trials (long story, you asked for the short version lol). He dyes his front feathers red to be like Party Poison from Danger Days, and often wears a pair of working denim jeans that are kinda stained with oil and paint but that makes them look cooler. He’s Eggman level smart and super witty, but extremely humble and only wants to use his knowledge to help other people. It’s a jackdaw thing. He loves shiny stuff (read: he loves machinery) and also adores his wife. Such a wife guy but in the genuinely good and wholesome way. SPEAKING OF, DARLA IS A BUBBLEGUM PUNK TO ME! She was part of all the mobian riots in the 80’s and operated an illegal shelter for homeless youth via her massive roller rink that’s dead centre in her city that she refuses to sell for luxury condos or parking lots. That is HER block of land and she’s not moving it, so she helps keep kids (especially mobian youth who are disproportionately affected) off the street. She loves wearing full denim and is an array of blue colours. Also, despite her husband being super fucking tall, she’s also pretty tall for a lady! Very round too though, like a feathery ball, very cute and round and pudgy I love her.

I actually have acceptable fanart of these two on hand because Infifi drew them once so here’s that:

[delileaf]

so i fr work in a research building and everytime someone looks me in the eye and tells me they’re working on tuberculosis i gotta try real hard not to fall to my knees and start screaming

#yes it is surprisingly a very active area of research #it shocks me everytime #literally posters i walk past everyday abt tuberculosis and all i can think of is him…..

hi stranger!!! this post came up while i was searching abt TB and i didnt see that you were a red dead redemption(??? that cowboy game that i wish i could play where the main character gets TB) and i was at first very confused that you were like. kind of hostile to the idea of tuberculosis treatment? i saw a post with the name arthur and i was like ohh that makes so much more sense lol

but yeah tuberculosis is still a very big problem, just not one that gets acknowledged much in wealthy or majority white nations. due to several reasons (most notably corporate greed in the pharmaceutical industry), TB treatments are very inaccessible to a lot of people — this has changed very recently, but in some parts global south, just a diagnostic test could cost an entire week’s worth of wages

if you know who john green is, he actually started going in on tuberculosis activism like last year and leveraged his fanbase against johnson & johnson and a biotech company called cepheid in order to get them to reduce the pricing of their treatment & testing equipment in low- and middle-income countries! cepheid & their parent company danaher are still dragging their feet (only the first test for TB is reduced, but if someone tests positive they’re supposed to get a second test that will check what drugs will be effective against their strain. this is a major deal and is still unaffordable to a lot of people).

i’ll restrain myself from infodumping too much about my (very unsettling) special interest, but i have some recommendations in case you’re curious:

phantom plague by vidya krishnan is an incredible resource that is very approachable for someone not familiar with TB history and so full of interesting information. krishnan covers both history and the modern day, and goes into not only some germ science but also the social, political, and financial aspects. this is a massive recommendation to anyone, it’s just really really good

tbfighters . org is a website created by TB activists that’s a great jumping off point for anyone wanting to know what’s up with TB activism right now — includes basic details about TB in the modern day, some very easy calls to action (mostly focused on pressuring cepheid out of their price gouging, with some political information for the US and UK also!), and at the end a bunch of links to learn more!

(also i mentioned john green jumping into the fray earlier, so i have to talk about how he has a bunch of really great youtube videos and tiktoks about TB — history & also the modern day fight against it)

okay sorry this was a lot. please have a good day/night!!! :) <3

wow- this is super interesting !!!! I’ve actually just started my PhD in cell biology and I get so focused on the science I sometimes forget there’s a whole like political and economic landscape to biotech and pharmaceutical companies. doing research, it’s so easy to forget you’re not working in a vacuum!!

honestly as someone from the uk TB is just not on my radar and in my stupid science brain i was like - we can treat it? therefore we solved that problem? very privileged and sheltered of me I know, so I’m so glad you sent me that info!!

it’s crazy to me that i spend so much time getting sad over a fictional cowboy while real people are still going through very real situations with TB and suffering because they can’t afford tests or treatment - something i feel like more people and especially the rdr fandom should keep in mind when making jokes abt a ‘cowboy disease’

so thanks so much for all that!!!! (also …. you should definitely play the cowboy game, it’s amazing but will break you into a million pieces)

have a lovely day!!

[sage-nebula]

I've written about Tails' backstory before, so now I'm thinking about Sonic's. Unlike Tails, I think that Sonic's parents are still alive. They just don't want anything to do with him.

It's nothing personal, exactly. It's just—you know how some people think that life has given them a checklist they have to follow, like, graduate, get married, have kids? That's what his parents did. They were pretty young still, just barely adults, and they had a kid because that's just what people do. They grow up, fall in love, get married, have kids. That's another milestone checked off, they're making great progress.

Except as often happens in these situations, these two hedgehogs weren't cut out to be parents. Or maybe they could have been decent parents to a normal kid, but Sonic is not and has never been a normal kid.

To say that he was a little hell raiser is an understatement. All kids are energetic and like to get into things, but he was energetic and liked to get into things with super speed, which his parents very decidedly did not have. Who knows how or why their child was born with super speed, certainly not them, but they weren't equipped to handle it. The house was a mess every single day. He was constantly running—literally running, as soon as he could walk or run upright—off. And after a couple years of this, his exhausted and stressed out young parents were like, okay, you know what? If he wants to Get Gone so badly, he can Go. That's fine with them.

So what they did was, they took him to South Island. He was maybe four? And they dropped him off there and were like, go on! Have fun! And Sonic, being four and full of energy after a really boring boat ride, took off immediately. Just sped off into Green Hill Zone. And his parents looked at each other.

"If he's not back in fifteen minutes we're legally allowed to leave, right?" his dad asked.

"I don't think so," his mom said, "but no one's around to see it, so . . ."

So they left. And sometimes they felt guilty about it and wondered what happened to him, especially when news broke of Dr Robotnik attacking the island. But mostly, they were just very relieved to no longer have a kid to worry about.

Of course, Sonic's exploits would make the news over time. Sonic remembered that his name was Sonic, even though he didn't really remember his parents, so his name was the same and they would have recognized him anyway. There aren't many blue hedgehogs the exact age of their abandoned child with super speed, after all. But while they low-fived each other on producing a child that ended up being a world-renowned hero . . . they also had no desire to make contact again. If anything, he's even more of a little hellion now. They have enough common sense to know that trying to parent him would do nothing but cause them an immense amount of stress and financial strain. Also, he's fine! He's a hero! Clearly he has done just fine without them, they have no reason to feel guilty anymore. And if they run into him in Station Square, no they didn't, they're very pointedly looking in the other direction.

Not that it matters. He barely remembers them. And they aren't wrong that he doesn't need parents; he was happy to explore South Island, and when he went back to where they were and found them and the boat gone, his immediate reaction was, "Cool, now I get to run around some more!" figuring they'd be back at some point. And then they weren't . . . but the flickies and rickies helped him find food, and he was able to find shelter, and the loop-de-loops were REALLY fun to race around on, so . . . it was fine. If anything, now that he didn't have someone always telling him "no" and "stop" and "go sit in Time Out for the tenth time today for breaking yet another thing with your super speed" he was much happier.

So although Sonic wouldn't recognize them either, if he did . . . he would also look in the other direction, not wanting them to see him. Lots of avoided eye contact here. And his parents probably did not have any other children, because what if they turned out like Sonic? They couldn't take that risk, and living the Dual Income, No Kids life suited them much better anyway.

So that's the story. His parents are alive . . . somewhere . . . and they are steadfastly pretending they never had a kid, what, you must have mixed them up with someone else (though their genes together could produce a superhero just saying they know it's true but don't ask them how they know this). And Sonic doesn't remember what happened to his parents, and that's fine by him. Tails is the only family he needs, anyway.

[circular-jerkular]

Not necessarily expecting you to know the answer to this but maybe someone who follows you does if you don't, this is the only place I know of to ask about this or even talk about it.

Do you or anyone else know anything about physical signs of sexual arousal while triggered?

I'm having one hell of a rough day, very dissociated so can't really tell what's up with me, just feeling physically awful and full of dread and anxiety but the confounding thing is that it seems like I'm sexually aroused as well and it's quite distressing not knowing why that is. I know "hyperarousal" is a thing with PTSD but this seems a little too literal? 😅

Unless that actually is all there is to it in which case...I guess 🤷

Thank you for everything you do Circjerk ^^

Hey! Sorry for the wait, literally forgot this ask came in-

First off, I need you to know how much joy it gave us to be called CircJerk. We are the circle jerk. It is us. (It made us laugh a lot, thank you)

Second off: Gonna put the sexual stuff under a cut on this one for my sake lol. The rest are cringing at what I'm writing.

It's okay to be horny while triggered. Like, right outta the gates, that's fine. For us, when we're triggered, it actually happens a lot. We've made sense of it in that... well, we're going through a lot of emotions, lots of brain chemicals and things, and BOOM, the chemicals cause a physical reaction.

Furthermore, we've been conditioned to see dangerous shit as sexy. That person who sexually assaulted me didn't just up and DO it one day -- she built up to it with more and more dangerous non-consensual acts, until the final moment, which made it more normalized for me so I didn't realize what it was until it was too late. Now, when I see shit that's clearly assault, it triggers me, because it reminds me of her -- but I get horny too, because I was conditioned to see that are good and sexy times.

I don't personally know a name for this kind of thing. I'll be honest, I grew up incredibly sheltered, and it's led to a lot of lack of education on sex stuff. It's something I want to read more on, especially in regards to trauma. At the end of the day, though, it is absolutely not a moral thing, and it's just a fact of life. Many traumatized people get horny when they're triggered, for various reasons. It doesn't mean you like the trigger or are horny for the abuse you faced; it means your body did the mmmm sexy things because your body does weird shit sometimes.

If other people know stuff about this topic, please, chime in -- I think that would be super helpful, especially as my experiences are only mine.

[lcveruind]

[ ana de armas | cisfemale | she/her | thirty ] ——   welcome to grimrose, CAMILIA PÉREZ. it’s cool that you’re here, you know. haven’t you heard of the history of this place… anyway, how’s being a NEWCOMER who has been in town for ONE YEAR, especially since you spend most of your days as an EDITOR & JOURNALIST AT GRIMROSE POST? also, not that it’s a bad thing, of course, but i’ve heard people say you can be a little REPRESSED more than you are ALLOCENTRIC but that’s just coming from people who are bored here, i promise. to me, you remind me of BITTERSWEET SYMPHONY by THE VERVE and a worn out beanie, ink stained fingernails with coffee stained sleeves, dark circles and a heavy heart, a corner full of stacked journals, nostalgia everytime she sees her now daughter, hope to see you around, MILA.

full name: camilia pérez 

age: thirty

dob: april 2nd

place of birth: roswell, new mexico

current location: grimrose, new hampshire

gender: cis-female

sexuality: bisexual

pronouns: she/her

religion: it’s complicated

occupation: editor journalist at grimrose post

finances: comfortable

spoken languages: english can read spanish

pinterest & connections

& the story so far

Raised by a single-father because her mother left them when she was only 5. Camilia’s father was always the hardest worker in the room and instilled the sense that hard work means everything into young camilia’s brain. 

She learned rather quickly how to take care of herself due to the long hours her father worked, and spent most of her time studying or her nose in books to get her out of her town. Her father constantly telling her she needed to do better than what he did. 

Got a full ride scholarship to a college in chicago and milia had her bags packed and was out of new mexico faster than you could blink. 

In college she finally felt like she was on the right track to being who she was meant to be especially when she met winnie. The girl was quite literally camilia’s better half and without her mila had no idea where she’d be. Winnie got her out of her head and brought her into the world, taught her to look at life through ‘the glass is half-full’ glasses. 

Through winnie mila met danny and jesse and while winnie & danny’s attempts at trying to match the latter and her up didn’t work they were like a family and that was enough for mila besides relationships definitely scared the girl. 

After graduating, Mila immediately took a job in Chicago as an investigative journalist. She stayed for a year before moving toNew York to work at New York Times. Her life was solely her work until winnie called to tell her she was expecting. Over the moon for her friends she couldn’t have been happier. promising that she’d always be there for her friend's child, and after meeting little iris camilia knew she hadn’t lied.

TRIGGER WARNING: DEATH Life was going great and then the dreaded call came that her best friends had passed. Her whole world changed overnight. Resigning from the times and packing her bags to move to grimrose, new hampshire to be a parent. Camilia picked up a job at the local newspaper and while it wasn’t as fancy as her old job it’s slow and steady which is maybe what she needs.

other facts !

super career motivated, but is trying really hard to take a step back and not let it consume her world. 

She comes off stoic but wears her heart on her sleeve. 

definitely a big pessimist at heart even if she’s currently a ‘glass half-full’ person. 

Hasn’t actually begun to grieve her friend's death & is throwing all of her focus into iris so she is definitely overdo for a big cry. 

Was obsessed with ufo’s and aliens when she was younger because of where she grew up. 

will be your biggest cheerleader if you need one.

Has always dreamed of being an author & has a novel in the works, but is terrified of actually publishing it. 

the idea of having a family terrified her, but now that she's doing it she's still mortified that she will screw it all up.

camilia volunteers at the animal shelter to get her daily dose of serotonin and is very very tempted to adopt a kitten. 

burns water, absolutely cannot cook to save her life so anytime she hosts she orders food beforehand. no one’s caught on to her act.

[cryptidsurveys]

Saturday, August 10th, 2024.

What was the last thing you ate and why? I'm eating a salad while taking this. My lunch is typically one of two things - a salad or mixed veggies and a sandwich - and today I chose the salad.

What was the last thing you drank and why? Water. I tend to feel a bit dehydrated after volunteering, so when I get home, I often chug about a half-bottle of water.

How many tabs do you have open and what are they? Two Tumblr tabs, a YouTube tab, and a Notepad tab.

What browser do you prefer to use? It's not really a preference. I'm just using Microsoft Edge.

What’re five random things on your desk besides any computer-related items? A water bottle, a digital thermometer, a salt lamp, a mushroom nightlight, and a penguin music box.

What room are you in right now? I'm in my bedroom.

What color are the walls and floor in that room? The walls are white and peach and the floor is teal.

What’re the items closest to you that’re red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink, white, gray, brown, black, silver and gold? Ugh. I'm too lazy for this, lmao.

Out of all the things you listed above, which is your favorite? N/a.

What kind of chair are you sitting in? A computer chair.

Where would you prefer to be right now? There's nowhere else I really want to be right now.

Do you have any plans this weekend? I was at the animal shelter for a half day today, and I'll be there for a full day on Sunday.

Are you excited for anything this month? I'm excited for it to end. I try not to wish time away, but September 1st feels like the psychological beginning of fall and I am so ready for summer to be over.

What’s the date today? August 10th.

Is there anything special about today? Naw.

How’re you physically feeling right now? I'm feeling pretty decent.

How’re you emotionally feeling right now? I'm feeling ever so slightly down and somewhat introspective. This morning was…not terrible, but a tad awkward. I'm mostly thinking about how differently I handle things now compared to how I would have in the past.

I showed up at the shelter and Diane seemed to be in one of her moods. When I went back to cattery, she was in there chatting with Pam. Pam was saying something like, "Well, they're desperate, haha," which was probably in response to Diane saying something like, "Why did they hire these new girls?" Diane turned to me and said, "If I'm not back here this morning, make sure to tell them that they need to give these cats more blankets." She wasn't happy with how one of the kennels was set up and was going on about how awful it was, etc; but I eventually let her know that was my bad and not to blame the new hires. One of the kitties tends to absolutely trash her kennel, so yesterday I tried to keep things relatively simple with the hope that it wouldn't wind up as a complete disaster (it didn't work, lmao - she got her main blanket wet and was curled up under the litter towel).

Normally, I would have felt super stupid, incompetent, or what have you (and I still felt that way to some extent), but I think I was able to keep things in proper perspective. I was more concerned with how she was speaking about the new employees. She's that way toward all the new people and I don't know why. It's like she's been there so long that she's forgotten what it's like to be new, and she just expects everyone to know everything and do everything perfectly right from the start. And when they don't, she gets unreasonably grumpy about it.

But also…acting like they're desperate picks…? Like, come on. That's rude. Again, give people a chance to learn and adjust before you judge them so harshly…especially over something that wasn't even their fault. :') This is also one of those times when I'm like…are y'all mean or am I just naive? I think the newbies are nice and doing a good job, but are they actually not…? Also, Erika ended up not sticking around for reasons unknown to me, and Alex said she was glad because Erika was terrible. Like, how? Am I just missing something? Stop alienating all the nice people!!! D;

Have you ever traveled outside of your home country? No.

Can you speak, read and/or write in another language besides English? Not fluently.

What language course did you take in school, if any? German.

What language would you most like to learn? Japanese.

What grade are you in right now? I'm not in school anymore.

What would you like to get a degree in? Lol, idk what the degree would be called, but if I ever went back to school, it would be to become a vet tech. I would want to work at the shelter, though, not at a clinic.

What was you dream job when you were a little kid? Veterinarian. Me now: glorified kitty pooper scooper…...(close enough). ;D

What happened to that dream? I just think being a veterinarian would be too heartbreaking.

Speaking of dreams, when was the last time you had a sleeping dream and what was it about? I mostly just recall being on a hiking trail and being concerned with all the cockroaches I was seeing. I've been having a lot of buggy dreams lately, apparently.

Do you have more nightmares or good dreams? It's rare for me to have a legitimate nightmare - like, one that actually really scares or upsets me. Many of my dreams are weird, but they don't cross the threshold into terrifying.

Do you wake up a lot in the middle of the night? Once or twice.

Can you sleep comfortably in another bed besides your own? Probably. It's been a long time since I've done that, though.

What book are you reading, what genre is it and do you like it so far? The third book in the Dune series. It's sci-fi. I was enjoying it, but I haven't picked it up in forever. I'm probably going to start bringing my Kindle to the shelter, though, that way I can read while I'm on my lunch break.

What genre of books do you like to read? Fantasy, sci-fi, backpacking journals, and books about the paranormal (like, not fictional ones, but ones actually exploring the phenomena).

Do you prefer physical books or a Kindle, Nook or other e-reader? Kindle.

Did you ever sometimes flip through your text books even when you didn’t need to? Yeah.

What types of magazines do you read? I don't read magazines.

Have you ever ordered anything through a catalog? When I was younger.

Would you prefer to read a book, watch a movie or TV show, or play a video game? It depends, but probably read a book or watch a movie.

What’re five of your favorite TV shows? I don't really watch TV anymore.

How often would you say you watch TV? Basically never.

Do you prefer to watch movies at home or to go out to the theater? Go to the theater.

What’s the last movie you watched at home, and what about at the theater? I don't remember the last movie I watched at home, but the last one I saw in theaters was Despicable Me 4, for my mom's birthday. I haven't seen the first three films, but it was actually pretty darn cute.

Do you usually get popcorn or soda at the movie theater? Usually a small diet Coke and some sort of candy.

What genre of films do you like the best? Fantasy, sci-fi, psychological thriller, horror…

Do you like movies based off of books? Sometimes, sure.

Do you like video games based off of movies? Eh.

What was the last video game that you played? I don't recall.

What genre of video games do you enjoy the most? Music-based games like DDR, Rock Band, and Guitar Hero. I like watching my best friend Oliver play various RPGs, though.

Which is your preferred video game system? I don't have one.

Do you like playing online with other people? I have enjoyed it in the past. Maple Story was my main fixation.

How often would you say you play video games? I haven't played any for a long time.

Now that this survey’s done, what’re you going to do? Finish my salad and go vacuum downstairs.

[transamorousnetwork]

Why Some People Are Born Transgender And Trans-Attracted

Why are we born transgender and trans-attracted? Why are we born at all? What’s the purpose? Why would someone want the struggle and shame? Why would we choose being so different? 

Ordinary people ask similar questions. But transgender and trans-attracted people might especially want to know. Being trans or trans-attracted can bring many struggles. Struggles piled on top of struggles everyone else faces. It seems someone’s playing a cruel joke.

What gives?

Unfortunately, most people never find satisfactory answers. Life’s dramas overwhelm them. Living in modern society does too. After all, a woman’s gotta eat. A guy needs shelter. Both need healthcare.

But knowing the answers liberates anyone who has them. Because knowing the answers is a super power. With it, getting what we need happens so much easier. Transamorous Network Clients gradually discover this. Especially when it comes to finding love.

Knowing why is powerful

But transgender and trans-attracted people don’t need a mentor to enjoy lives that work. Plenty of transgender people live lives of influence. Lives full of personal and professional satisfaction. Lives filled with love and belonging.

But even those people will eventually face the ultimate test: death. How one handles that experience determines what happens next. So even someone with a happy life can enjoy benefits coming from knowing why we come into the world as trans and trans-attracted. The answer greatly enriches even the happiest life.

Besides, we don’t really know how happy a person is. Outward appearances don’t always equate to inner happiness. That explains why so may seemingly successful, happy people kill themselves. But the answer can prevent suicide too. That’s how powerful the answer is.

^^This is trans activist, owner of the Miss Universe pageant and the third richest transgender person in the world, Anne Jakrajutatip. Lots of trans people are successful and influential. But we can’t know if they’re really happy or not. (Photo By POPPORY FASHION BLOG, CC BY 3.0)

In fact, knowing the answer is like a magic spell. One that actually works though. Taking time to know the answer, then, can transform lives. It’s a wonder so many don’t take the time to get it.

So what is it? What’s the answer? Why do we come into the world as trans and trans-attracted? Hang on to your hat, sweet pea. The answer is deep.

We are that which we call God

We come here, because the very act of coming is literally expanding the Universe. Our arrival literally is All That Is focusing itself into becoming more of all that is. I know, I’m using the word “literally” often in this paragraph. But it literally cannot be stated anymore clearly than this. Our individual human experience is the process by which All That Is becomes more. It’s not just the process though. Our human experience, our consciousness, is Universe.

So Universal expansion occurs through our experience. So what?

Well, imagine a god. It’s eternal, all-knowing. It experiences itself as constantly expanding. But it wants more. So it continues expanding into its own expansion. And the more it expands, the more it creates to expand into. “New” then, becomes that which occupies it most. Because “new” represents more expansion. So the more “new” it can experience, the more it becomes.

Transgender isn’t new. Neither is trans-attraction. But our specific experience of it is. And so you and me coming in to the world now represents “new”. A new perspective. A new experience.

Well, let’s get back to that god.

It has always been. It has seen everything that comes to be, unfold in ways that keep things being. Everything becomes better as it becomes more. Everything works out. So how do you think that god would feel about all that? 

That’s right! It would be eager about it. It would be joyful in its creations. Especially any new instance of experience.

Well, we, as a transgender and trans-attracted humans represent that new experience. What’s more, that hypothetical god introduced above is us, having this human experience. We’re the eternal being pleased beyond measure with our expansion.

Here’s the benefit of knowing

When we perceive our life on Earth the way we perceive it from our “godly” realm, then we enjoy all that we are the same way that hypothetical god does: with eagerness. There’s great benefit in doing that.

Because when we do, we let go of stories (beliefs) creating experiences we don’t want. How do you think the world around us happens? It happens through our collective focus. It literally happens “through” us.

When we realize we are that which creates the world around us, we have tremendous leverage of the entire Universe at our disposal. Leverage we can use consciously, deliberately to create lives we love. No matter what that looks like.

But it takes a while to learn how to harness that leverage. It takes a while to unlearn how we look at and interpret the world. It also takes a while to learn to see it the way I’m describing. That’s why a mentor can be helpful. My clients get it. Like Penelope here, who is transgender:

Learning to see life in its original cast offers TREMENDOUS opportunity. This is why my clients rave about being clients!

A delicious, satisfying life

The best version of life is being an instance of the god we are, adding to expansion, and being consciously aware that’s what we’re doing. We literally are that sacred, glorious, act of creation. Realizing this, life becomes absolutely amazing and delicious, as my clients and I can attest.

Even the word “delicious“ cannot adequately convey how absolutely satisfying life gets. Yes, transgender and trans-attracted lives included. The experience I’m describing becomes intoxicating. It becomes wonderful beyond words. As it does, everything we want happens too, as it should. After all, if we are gods, and we are, what is beyond our abilities?

That’s right! Nothing.

And so what would you create? If you knew you are creator, what would you create? This is what my clients and I are about: creating and living lives full of things we love. And everything else we want too, all coming to us effortlessly. Because we are the creators of our lives.

It starts with learning to satisfy our desires. Satisfied desires become the basis of the life that’s possible. Eventually, though, our intentions expand to include bolder creations. Creations leading to truly extraordinary experiences.

The no-limits life

The charmed life in its fullest is the experience described above. The absolutely satisfying, conscious awareness of every particle of expansion we create as god. That creation moving out from our consciousness, becoming the world around us. A world defined and created by our deliberate intent. Physical reality bending to our will, literally.

It’s in that full experience where one begins really exploring how far they can take things. Only our imagination limits us. 

So physical life experience as a transgender or trans-attracted person contributes to All That Is. Remember, we each are All That Is. So our life is a contribution to ourselves. The trick is realizing this as a knowing, not mere intellectual understanding. When that happens, the power of the Universe lines up behind us.

Then everything becomes possible. No limits. Fulfillment of every desire. I think everyone would want that, whether they’re trans, trans-attracted or not. Why so few are open to discovering this is a wonder, for sure.

My own experience proves the extremely gratifying nature of expanding awareness. I’m seeing things people think impossible becoming my reality. It’s gradual, and that’s for good reasons. I want to savor every moment of expansion. If it all happened at once it would be totally overwhelming!

Expansion is a given, but awareness is optional

Our collective participation in All That Is’ expansion is a given. The only question is: are we consciously participating in it or not? Rewards from consciously doing so are enormous. My clients are well on the way to realizing this, as am I. I’d love to include you too. The more the merrier!

So why are we born? What’s the purpose? Why would I choose being so different? Why did you?

Answering these questions is so worth it. Receiving the answers literally gives us everything we want. Including things we didn’t realize we wanted. Things far more satisfying than a lover, a great career, a new car or other material thing.

Transgender and trans-attracted people come into this world with a truly divine intent. Expansion is the fundamental nature of All That Is. It is our fundamental nature. Conscious realization of that has no peer in terms of satisfaction, delight, or joy.

Experience it directly. Contact me. Let’s get started.

[krotosis]

I am literally the most pathetic person I know.

I don’t know if I’m serious when I say this. I can hear birds chirping outside, slowly. Breathing is difficult, I’m just too tired.

Ever since I was so super small, I have struggled with selective mutism. You’d think the world “selective” would allude that I have any fucking control over it, but I don’t; my lack of control is just my favourite reenactment, I guess, just constantly visiting just to reinforce itself. I can control it most days, it takes a lot of preparation in certain environments. I still can’t talk when classrooms are too loud or full, even if someone looks like they’re about to speak I try hard to stay poised and quiet until there’s space for me. What I never seem to learn is that space isn’t made for you, space is taken, and that’s supposedly okay.

I can’t function in loud noise, I hate that. The buzz of layered speech drives me crazy, usually crazy enough to desperately want to claw my way out of the situation, but that’s not usually an option. My own comforts should never match up to my responsibilities. The worst is when it’s directed at me, especially if it’s hostile, I get violent and panic. I seem to just start hitting whatever is nearest, which is gross. I should be able to control myself by now, I’m just leaking any sense of responsibility I have. Childish. Why am I allowed to do this? I feel like… Something should be assigned to teach me right and wrong. Punish me so I can move on and learn. I never seem to learn. No matter what I do, or how hard I attempt to FINALLY DRILL IT INTO MY HEAD, I never seem to let it through. I guess that’s just what life is like when you’re an incredulously selfish, stupid and nonsensical retard. I am so, so, so incapable, it’s a surprise I’ve gotten this far. It’s through no work of my own, how to other people I seem to be doing reasonably “well” is nothing but an enigma honestly. Getting by on scraps of consciousness, I am an idiot.

There have been so many versions of me, I can’t tell which one I hate or love the most. I have conflicting feelings on all of them. I wish to be like all of them yet would rather disappear then ever relive them. I am an idiot.

The court case for the kidnapper + murderer should be getting released soon. I promise you, when I find out he barely gets any time because his little fucking pathetic excuse of a “gang” all equally take the blame, I will go insane. I will go insane in the way that I will feel crazy yet go on about life as normal, as if it never happened, and it isn’t following me around. When it happened the first time, for what the law liked to call “manslaughter” but I know as murder, I followed along with it. I was just naive. The woman feeding me those stories of innocence and justice was just as endangered as the man before her was. I hate naivety, I hate seeing it in anything. Even animals, like dogs.

I hate dogs. Not in the way that I don’t think they’re extremely loveable or cute or loyal or any of the positive connotations connected to them, but they are just. so. trusting. I don’t like overly eager animals. They are in danger, it scares me that I can’t protect them from people. I use to want a dog shelter, a cat cafe, food banks, all that charitable stuff that I still kinda crave now. I always loved animals, they never spoke, I didn’t have to awkwardly count down the seconds to my eventually strained response. It’s SO CRINGEY, and SO OVERUSED, but that’s just who I seem to be. Pathetic. Dogs should be smarter, animals should be smarter. I hate that people enjoy how animals overly rely on them, how a dog can love you in a matter of days, forgive and forget so easily. It’s just wrong, nothing should ever stay so obscenely naive. Even young children, the capacity of which dogs are often compared to, quickly learn when they’re taught. Why can’t dogs be the same? I hope every mutt grows to be fast, with sharp teeth, at least then they’ll have a backup. It’s why I like birds, they’re feeble but their trust is to be earned. It has value.

I forgot what I was talking about. I’m tired.

Bye, Alice.

[black-kitties]

Chapter 6

Start reading from Chapter 1

Brin had returned sometime during her conversation over the phone. When she’d re-emerged from the bedrooom he had placed the ground rules that neither her, and especially Hero, could leave the house. Even the balcony was off limits. In the back of her mind she worried that despite the beacon now being moved, they’d still come to this place since this is where it had originally fallen. To quell her worries she thumbed through TV channels until she’d found WGBS with a ‘breaking update ‘on the missing Superman. Jaz wasn’t really interested in the story herself, but the sudden reaction Hero had to hearing the story made her pause. His head had shot up, his ears were firmly forward and his eyes were glued to the screen as the anchor spoke.

               ‘The Justice league has yet to address the public’s fears that Superman is missing. It has been over a month,’ The screen cut to a shaky camera displaying images of Super man walking out of what looked like the rubble of a building with a child in his arms reuniting her with her family, ‘Since Superman has last appeared to the public. Concerns over Superman’s absence at the libraries opening have grown exponentially as request for comment is continually ignored by the Justice league Media coordinator and spokesperson Abigail Point. As weeks pass with no sign of Superman, the public fears what this could mean for emboldened villains the world over. Superman is scheduled to appear at the children’s hospital next month…’

Jaz glanced back at Hero. He was completely absorbed by the story at this point. She’d never seen a dog act like this. The story had shifted to street interviews with ‘concerned citizens’ who voiced their well wishes and spouted some interesting theories on where Superman was. It ranged anywhere from him being on vacation to him having given up on the world. One that piqued Jaz’s interest was an interview given outside one of the many closed down animal shelters in Metropolis’s suburbs.

               “I know for a fact that Superman is genuinely missing, know how I know? Because this is happening.” He gestured to the boarded up windows and police tape across his business’s front door, “Here, in Metropolis city we have strange metal reptiles stealing pets off porches and destroying hard working American businesses and where is Superman! Where is the Justice League? People are getting hurt!”

The image cut back to the anchor as she continued the story but Jaz wasn’t paying attention to it. Hero had whined hearing the mans pleas and he genuinely looked… Concerned. He was too expressive for a dog. Jaz’s thoughts were cut off as Brin climbed up the staircase. “Anything good on tonight?” He was wearing what she could only describe as his costume.

“Who are you supposed to be?” She asked jokingly.

“Ha ha, very funny.” Brin sat down in the lounge chair of the couch. Jaz hadn’t seen a super up close yet, at least not one in the full getup. The orange and black spandex moved and hugged his form perfectly and the giant wolfs head emblazoned on the front of it… It looked genuinely good in person. Nothing like the cheap spandex or materials used in cosplay’s she’d seen at Comic-Con’s. It looked well made with small delicate details, little metal emblems and leather accents that elevated the suit from cheesy to cool. “I’m from the future…” She nodded, pretending she didn’t already know that, “But you already knew that…” The blood drained from Jaz’s face. Her heart instinctively began to race.

“What are you talking about?” To her credit, she kept a calm demeanour and tone of  voice.

“You do that really well.”

“Do what?”

“Lie. If I didn’t have this super hearing,” He said, pointing a clawed finger to his ear, “I may have fallen for it.” Jaz grit her teeth. Right, Timber Wolf had enhanced senses on top of his super strength and ability to shoot things with his claws.

She crossed her arms over her chest, “If you already overheard, why are you asking me all of a sudden?”

“I’d like there to be some honesty between us, Jaz.” There was an edge that entered his voice that put her hairs on end. “No more lies, no more deflections. Who are you, who are you really?”

Jaz struggled to come up with some way to get herself out of this, but as she racked her brain a low growl began to rumble in’s Brin’s throat warning her. “Alright.” She threw her hands up, running her fingers through her hair, “You’re from the future yeah?” He nodded, “Well. How bout try another world.”

“I’m not from Earth either, I’m from-“

“I know, and no that’s not what I meant.” She shook her head, regretting even correcting him… But she couldn’t keep up a lie as big as pretending she’s from some other planet in this galaxy. Timber Wolf was part of the legion of Super Heroes, he knew far more than she would about all the other planets and worlds here. “I’m… I’m from an alternate reality. Sort of. It’s… Its really hard to explain.”

Timber Wolf smiled, “Try me, I may seem like a dumb brute but I have the futures knowledge and understanding of the universe.” He shrugged, “Sort of.”

“It’s not so much you as it is me. I don’t honestly know as much as I probably should anyways. I- I wasn’t really supposed to ever come here, or really even supposed to know much about the program that sends people here.” She sighed again, biting her lower lip. Could she trust him? He was a Super and she’d seen some of the shows his character appeared in. He was a good person, albeit very hot tempered and prone to losing his sanity… “Me being here was a mistake. I’m just sort of floating around and making the best of it until the gate reopens and I can return home.”

He nodded, deep in thought. “Is that why you’re homeless?”

“Eh?”

“While you were passed out I searched your bag,” When she looked like she was about to protest he held his hands up in defence, “I couldn’t just let some random stranger off the street stay under the roof without knowing the least bit about you. Not with all the targeted attacks going on recently.”

Jaz glared at him, “Well, no. If I really wanted to, I could probably get a job and a place to stay. It’s just… Why waste my opportunity to explore a new world and experience all these new things as a nine to fiver, ya know?”

“So you decided to be a vagrant that bums her way through this world?” Brin raised a brow.

“I decided to be free. And I don’t bum my way through the world, we call it busking and I’m pretty good at card tricks. I earn my money.” She replied indignantly. Jaz watched Timber Wolfs smiling face warp into a snarl as he sprung to his feet faster than her eyes could follow.

“Stick close,” He barked before rushing down the stairs. Jaz had to scramble, nearly falling over her feet to try to follow him with Hero keeping close behind.

“They’re here?” She whispered, several paces behind him but he heard her anyways, nodding his response without casting a backwards glance. Jason met them at the bottom of the stairs, his laptop clutched to his chest. The sound of the door being busted inwards made Jaz and Jason jump, while Timber Wolf snarled.

“Go to the basement, stick together and call me if they find you. I’ll hear,” And with that Timber Wolf launched himself at the three metal forms that had already piled through the doorframe. Jaz followed after Jason, holding onto the hem of his shirt while he reached behind himself to hold onto her arm. Hero at her side looked torn between joining Brin or protecting them. The sound of Timber Wolf Grunting and the sight of him being grappled by three of the Dino’s decided it for Hero. He rushed into the fray, leaving Jaz to call after him as she was lead downstairs to safety.

 -          -      -

Hero leapt through the air using the full weight of his tackle knock the Dino with its arm locked around Timber Wolf’s neck off balance. Using that opportunity Timber Wolf reached behind himself shooting his claws between the jaw plates on the underside of the Dino. He’d grown so used to the pain that caused him that he didn’t even wince. It’s eyes flashed on and off before it slumped to the floor. The other two Dino’s tried to subdue Timber, but he punched one off balance while Hero slammed himself behind its knee toppling it to the floor. The tail of the second one swept underneath Brins legs sending him to the ground as well, with it falling on top of him. They struggled against each other, hand to hand grappling with each other as Timber Wolf’s claws sunk into its metal gauntlets.

The other Dino was trying to stand back up but Hero kept attacking its tail or its feet, distracting it just enough that it didn’t join the other on top of Timber Wolf. The second Dino came crashing into the first with Hero barely dodging out of the way. Brin landed on top of them, stabbing his clawed hands between the metal plates in the chest of the final prone Dino. He watched its eyes flicker and shut down. He stood up surveying the wreckage. The two arms of the second Dino had been ripped off its body before he’d destroyed its internal circuits, the third’s head was smoking and the final one had a gaping hole in its side.

His smile froze though when he heard Jaz scream.

 -          -      -

 Teresse followed Clara through the halls of the Watchtower. Back in their world Jaz had described it as a massive satellite base that the Justice League used to monitor their world. The place sounded impossible. It was equipped with artificial gravity, a jungle to filter air and a lake under it to provide environments for every league member to hang out in comfortably. Its hull was made of Prometheum, a metal that didn’t even exist on earth, and it was filled with strange technologies from Martians, Kryptonians, and other races that Teresse had already gone and forgotten.

Cyborg was their most frequent babysitter and he was currently walking them towards the research lab. It hadn’t taken much convincing to get him to talk to them about the metal lizard case the league was working on. He spoke as they walked telling them about how the lizard men had only just started popping up in and around Metropolis. They were working closely with the detectives to get to the bottom of it. Just last night they lead a bust on a warehouse suspected of being a base of operations. It led to dozens of arrests and the safe return of over a hundred dogs to their owners.

As they were walking, a sanitation worker dressed in blue overalls with a blue cap pulled down over his eyes accidentally bumped into Clara nearly sending her to the ground. He caught her with a slap against her back, muttering apologies as he rushed off. “Ow.” Clara winced.

“The hell was that?” Terese shot a glare back after the quickly disappearing form of the man.

“Are you ok?” Cyborg’s stopped to check on them. Clara nodded, “We’re almost there.” He frowned as he watched the janitor disappear around a corner.

“Any idea why they’re going after pets?” Terese asked.

“They’re not just going after pets.” Cyborg explained as he keyed in the code that granted him access to the research lab. Inside was a giant circular table with numerous buttons, dials and screens all flashing and displaying different feeds of information. The rest of the room was split into subsections with open halls into other offshoot rooms surrounding the circular main one. There were lab assistants with the Justice League symbol stitched into their lab coats rushing about and attending the numerous machines and whatever experiments and tests they were running. “Last night they all began transmitting the same image, they’ve even gone so far as to distribute it among every petty criminal and thug throughout the city.” Cyborg pressed a button on the giant round ‘war table’ that was at the center of the room. Terese and Clara gasped in unison as a giant image of their friends’ fierce face holding a comically large wrench over her head mid swing appeared as a hologram in the centre of the room. Beside it was the image of the same dog Jaz had sent them a picture of when they’d been talking earlier in the day.

Chapter 7