#it'll be up for a week then ill start getting proper into it

[alphaclxwn]

Poll time!! I'm working on an alenoah fic and I wanna know what ships u guys want, yeah? There will be multiple for each character so the highest gets put in :DD

[todayisafridaynight]

What’s the moment in Yakuza that made you go “I’m In.” As in the moment that made you obsessed.

there wasnt ever really one Singular moment that made me go 'ok im obsessed now', it just kinda gradually happened and now here we are almost a year later

[thefabulous-mostgroovy]

Beautiful Boy

"You're sure you want to do this?" he asks, softening his voice. Jon nods.

"I... I think it'll be good for me."

That's all Martin needs to hear.

(art included!)

Jon/Martin, 1.7k words, rated Gen, read on AO3. this is for day 3 of @jonmartinweek for the prompt Hair Care!!

Martin truly thinks he's an absolute genius for using one of Jon's hair clips to keep the towel in place. Jon snickers a little at his chuffed face in the mirror, holding the other end of the towel up with his hands in front of him.

"Don't laugh," Martin tuts. "Or I'll give you a bad haircut.

"I don't know if a buzz cut is possible to mess up," Jon says. Even joking, he sounds a little nervous. His eyes dart from his own reflection to the scissors in Martin's hands, and back again. Martin plants a kiss in his hair.

"You're sure you want to do this?" he asks, softening his voice. Jon nods.

"I... I think it'll be good for me."

That's all Martin needs to hear.

They've gone over his decision a few times. First of all, the long hair has gotten a bit annoying. It blows in his face, especially in the Highland winds. It's a pain to maintain. But, mostly, it has too many negative memories attached. The only reason it's as long as it is, is he's been too tired and stressed and scared to go outside to get a proper haircut. He didn't grow it out, it got out of control. Just another thing he couldn't fix, couldn't get a handle on. Not to mention the fairly recent fear of strangers welding blade near his throat. Chopping it all off is about as good of a fresh start as Jon is going to get right now.

He remembers Jon's hair when they first met. It had been a bit long, even for how short he used to keep it. He kept it loosely pushed out of his face, but it fell in loose waves over his face whenever he was concentrating on anything else. Martin was never able to pay attention to the day's to-do's because he was always too busy watching Jon's hands run through his own hair, flipping it out of his face, the grey strands at his temples revealing themselves when he combed it back.

Despite his scruffy, ill-fitting suit jackets and trousers, his hair always fell perfectly with seemingly very little effort. Martin has curly hair himself, and he's never been one to get jealous over someone else's hair, but he really thought that's what he felt about Jon in the early days.

(It was not jealousy. He was just completely arse over kettle for his boss. But, can you blame him? Jon might be the prettiest man Martin has ever met.)

After Prentiss, Jon let his hair grow out a bit more. Well, let is a strong word. More like, he neglected in getting a haircut as his paranoia grew and grew. It reached his shoulders in just a few months, and Jon had taken up keeping it tied back in these large clips that's currently holding up the towel that will catch all that hair when Martin shears it off.

Martin remembers being quite surprised at how long his hair had gotten when he returned from his brief stint of running from the police. It was hanging in loose strings over his shoulders, like it hadn't been very well taken care of. Part of him had wanted to sit Jon down and detangle the nest residing on his head. Maybe give it a good wash.

The next time he saw Jon, it was with his hair in a braid. Or, an attempt at a braid. It was a bit more like a series of knots, a bit lopsided and kind of falling out. In his week-long shock at the fact that his boss was not, in fact, just a creepy middle aged man who was way too into administrative work, but an evil eldritch monster who is still way too into administrative work, he told Jon this. While he waited for Jon's tea to steep, he turned around and told him, 'Hey, your braid's a mess. Want me to fix it?'

To his everlasting surprise, Jon said yes.

With shaking hands and a beet red face, Martin had sat behind Jon on the couch, and carefully brushed Jon's hair through with his fingers. His hair looked healthy, like it had been recently washed, and smelled of coconut and bergamot. There was a lot more grey in it than when he first met Jon (but not as much as there is now).

Jon had sighed and closed his eyes, tilting his head back as Martin had brushed his hair back. He had wanted so badly to run his nails over his scalp, and he just barely restrained himself from doing so. His hair was soft under his hands, and it bounced back into shape when his fingers ran through the ends.

Actually putting the plait in was easy. Martin fell victim to being a girl's Gay Best Friend while he was still in high school, which is never all that great, but he did actually enjoy styling her hair. It came to him as muscle memory, twisting the three sections around each other, careful not to pull or tug by accident. He kept it fairly loose to not give Jon a tension headache, and the shape of his curls were still visible as they flowed into the braid.

After tying it off, Jon had gotten a bit stuttery and smiley, tucking the shorter strands that fell over his face behind his ears, and Martin had practically short circuited and fled the room.

Jon never got around to properly cutting his hair, even as it reached further and further down his back. After Daisy, he could never let anyone near him with a blade without falling into panic. So, he simply put up with the choppy cuts from cutting the dead ends off with a pair of kitchen scissors. It was good enough for him, apparently. And he never had to let any strangers near his neck.

Martin can't help but feel a little pride at the fact that Jon is allowing him to do this. Sure, he's screwing his eyes shut and bordering on holding his breath, but Jon is letting him do this in the first place.

"I'm gonna start now," Martin warns him. Jon hums and nods minutely, and Martin gathers some hair in his hands. He gives him another moment to change his mind, then makes the first cut.

He starts near his nape, moving along in as straight a line as he can manage. He cringes a little at the slope he creates—he somehow manages to cut a bar graph into Jon's ends—but it doesn't matter. He drops the cut strands into the bin below him, not bothering with the bits that stick to the towel. His hair goes from ending at his mid-back, to... whatever Martin has managed to make. It sits in an odd, blunt bob, just above his shoulders. When Martin sets the scissors down for a moment, stretching his hands, Jon's shoulder slump and relax, and reveals that Martin has actually cut much further than he thought.

"You look like Lord Farquaad," Martin snickers as Jon opens his eyes. They glow green for just a second, and Jon gasps in offence, then laughs.

"So mean to me," he bemoans. "Why must I face such treatment? Go to jail."

"If I go to jail, I can't do the rest of your hair, m'Lord." Martin picks the scissors back up, ready to cut more off before going with the razor. Jon closes his eyes again.

"I'll just visit you in jail," Jon says, seeming much more relaxed now that the first shock is over. "Give you a spoon to dig your way out."

"I'll Shawshank Redemption my way out of there," Martin promises as he cuts shorter and shorter. "Come back with scissors and a vengeance."

Jon laughs quietly. After another few minutes, Martin has gotten his hair into a rather shaggy short cut. It looks awful.

"Okay, I'm gonna plug in the razor, don't look at your hair."

"Why not?" Jon immediately opens his eyes and starts to laugh at the sight.

"Don't look!" Martin splutters, scandalised.

"I look like I got attacked by Edward Scissorhands!" Jon cackles, running a hand through the choppy sections.

"I'll fix it, just hold bloody still," Martin grumbles, face red. Even through the buzzing of the razor, he can hear and see Jon humming with giggles. He never could have guessed that Jon's favourite hobby, should they ever have actually started dating, would be winding Martin up at every opportunity.

He starts, again, at the neck and works his way up. His grey hair sits in patches through the black, buzzed hair. Martin wouldn't tell him, but it makes him look like a spotted cat. The hair falls into the towel above Jon's lap, onto the floor. Once Martin is done, and it looks a relatively even length, he turns the clippers off, and kisses the top of Jon's head.

"All finished," he says softly.

Jon opens his eyes and stares at the mirror. He runs a hand over his head, tilting it to the side a little. Martin, to busy his nervous hands, removes the hair clip from the towels and gathers it up with the pile of hair in it.

"Do..." Martin tries to act and sound casual. He does not. "Do you like it?"

"Yeah," Jon says, and finally smiles. There are pinprick tears in his eyes. "I do. I really do."

Martin kisses the top of his head again, running his hand over his hair. The short strands are still soft, but sliding his hand up the opposite direction leaves his palm a little scratchy. Jon doesn't stand, but he reaches up and pulls Martin down into a proper kiss.

"I love you," he whispers on Martin's lips.

"I love you, too," Martin whispers back. He brushes some of the stray hairs that somehow found their way onto Jon's jumper before he kisses him again.

That night, in bed, Martin strokes his hand back and forth over Jon's hair while he sleeps, tucked under Martin's chin. It feels nice. Different.

And Jon is still the prettiest man that Martin has ever met.

[muzanswaifu]

Alpha!Rengoku x Omega!Fem!Reader

Warnings: Smut, fluff, a/b/o, alpha/omega, sexist, misogyny, gender-roles, yandere-ish, obsessive, lowkey harassment, dub-con, heat, rut, breeding kink, knotting

KNOCTOBER BITCHES

A/B/OCTOBER 😈🍆

Okay this is just a little drabble after going on that rant ab wanting more abo demon slayer content but wouldn't Rengoku make the perfect alpha?

Okay not peeeeerfect, but you catch my drift, he'd definitely be the type of alpha to think that omegas need to be taken care of by a proper alpha and that omegas are too small and delicate to defend themself, his ideals a product of his old fashioned upbringing

So imagine his surprise when he meets you, an independent, doesn't-take-shit-from-nobody omega who couldn't care less that dangerous people lurk about in all corners of the world

Given, you do work at a small little cafe in a pretty nice part of town, but it still worries him how carelessly you walk around with no protection, a beautiful omega such as yourself should be mated already and kept under the protection of an alpha who can support you financially and physically

You take his lecture of such things... less than kindly, kicking him out the cafe angrily and yelling at him to never come back, he's upset by it but grateful for the opportunity to take in your scent, such a delicious one that has him feeling light-headed and dopey

For the following months, he makes sure to stop by the shop every now and again and at closing time to make sure you're ok, you get quite angry when you see him but he finds it endearing, he especially enjoys getting to know you and how you came to be so liberated

It's a few weeks in when he starts to notice the subtle change in your scent, far sweeter and growing in strength, and not just that, your sweatier too, skin glowing a bright red as he walks you home, when you snap at him to leave you the hell alone, it just makes him more worried, but he's glad he kept you company tonight, especially when four suspicious individuals emerge from the alleyways throwing slurs at you

omega slut

filthy bitch

heat girl

You stop him from tearing them apart, instead fiddling with your purse to whip out a can of pepper spray and promptly blasting them, Kyojuro takes your hand and flees from the scene before the second-smoke can hit your eyes

Thankfully he knows the way to your house as you're essentially useless with how woozy you are, and rushes you through the door and onto the couch, sitting you down on his lap, he feels your forehead for temperature, boiling hot

Clearly you must have some sort of illness, possibly the flu, he expresses his theory to you which prompts a slow shake of your head before droplets of tears pool down your cheeks and you start to sob, panicked he tries to console you, promising to get you some medicine until he pauses with the wetness that soaks through his pants, he flinches away thinking you've pissed yourself until the sweet smell finally hits him

O god, he realizes, you're in heat

You seem to sob harder as you see the realized expression on his face, screaming at him to get out, but he's frozen in place, his own instincts coiling around him and taking hold of his thoughts

Take. Breed. Mate.

Take. Breed. Mate.

He swallows the urges down, pulling you closer and promising it'll be alright, he at least needs to stay to ensure you're alright (even if he can't have you)

You settle down quickly, dozing off into his chest as your hands knead at his chest like a little kitten, if he listens closely he can hear you purr in your throat, eventually you mutter at him, something about taking you to your nest, god just hearing it nearly breaks his self-control but he forces himself to comply, to be the good alpha he holds himself up to be

He holds his breath as soon as he enters the room, shutting his eyes closed as well to get away from the absolutely perfect nest you've crafted, so soft and fluffy that he has no doubt you'd be able to raise several pups in it without a flaw

But being the self-assured omega you are, you tug at the man until he falls into the nest with you, you quickly crawling about to reposition the blankets and pillows around the two of you until you're caged in

As you lay on top of him, your pants soaked through and dripping onto him, he realizes he can't do this anymore, he doesn't trust himself enough to not rut you if he stays, he has to leave, but you trap him in, growling each time he tries to leave or excuse himself

When your irritation bubbles over and you actually bite his neck, right near his scent gland, he can feel the exact moment when he loses himself

You yelp as he flips you over, his neck quickly buried against yours as he begins to scent you, aggressively, He expects you to fight him as he starts tears both of your clothes off but gets the opposite reaction as you whine and wrap your legs around him to hump at his growing bulge

He makes sure to scent every part of you, ignoring you cries at him to bitch you, he takes specially care at the sex of you with which he takes deep, gulping breaths, relishing your delicious scent and how much slick is rushing out of you, it tastes even better than expected, sweeter than the fruit of life and far more quenching as he drinks you in like he's starved, your pathetic whines increase tenfold as you cross your legs behind his head in some search of relief for the pit that growing in your stomach, but even as you come, in less than a minute he might add, the pains and cramps only increase, your stupid, omega instincts in search for the one thing that can ease your suffering - his knot

You beg at him to knot you and give you pups, so many that it makes you sick, you want his cum, all of it, you want it so bad it hurts, it makes you sob when he ignores your pleas, continuing to lick and suck at your gushing cunt like it's all he'll ever need, but you catch him off guard when you kick him back, throwing him on his back and earning a harsh growl from him that makes your omega cringe in submission, but you push past it, crawling between his legs and salivating at the perfect length that bobs in front of you

You can see the knot forming at the base already, hot and throbbing as it pulses with his every breath, you can't stop yourself from leaning forward and nuzzling into it, happily breathing in the strong scent of his musk that such a strong alpha can produce, you hear him groan when you take one of his balls into your mouth, wanting to get him properly pent up so he'd be able to breed you for hours, you rotate between the two, occasionally breaking off to suck and kiss at his knot

When he finally grows impatient, you give in completely to his hold when he tears you away from his cock to throw you into a breeding position, face down and ass up, a dumb smile on your face, as his massive length pushes into you with one quick thrust

He fucks hard and fast, pounding you harshly into the bed and messing up the perfect positioning of your nest, but you can't bring yourself to care as your needs are met with each powerful thrust into your pussy

You sob as his knot begins to push into you, your breath ceasing as you wait for the moment it finally locks inside of you, and when it does catch, your hormones force you into the most powerful orgasm you've ever experienced, the high bleeds on as his seed spills inside of you, filling out your belly in hot gushes and making you drool into the sheets, clenching yourself on repeat to milk him of what you need

His head clears slightly with the orgasm, his eyes focusing with the adrenaline rush, he almost feels guilt at the sight of you bruised and smushed underneath him until his hears your babblings of fill me up, alpha, please, alpha, need it, give me more

And just like that he's hard again, a fresh rush of cum sloshing into your belly thickly, your tongue spilling out to pant

It becomes a blur of fucking, knotting, breeding, somehow you both manage not to mark each other's necks but that doesn't stop either of you from rutting each other's brains out, milking every knot until you can't even move anymore, too sore to ride him or even move your hips as he uses your cunt like a cocksleeve, slamming your hips down on his while he lays down for a much needed rest, when you inevitable whimper from need for reprieve, his teeth graze upon neck, framing your throat in a wordless threat to rip it out unless you stayed put

But your body was weak, succumbing to unconsciousness the moment his knot popped into you again to empty his balls

You didn't mean to go into heat, you took every damn suppressant and pill that existed to avoid it and its always worked

until an alpha barged into your life and insisted he keep you company with his big, stupid muscles and bright, stupid hair

God, you hope your pups had his hair, oh god you want them all to be exactly like him - pretty, strong, and smiley

Even unconscious you can feel how warm and thick his sperm is inside your tummy, you brain praying that you birth control was effective while your body prays that his seed takes and makes you a momma

Oh god, please don't take.

[majorproblems77]

I sent you part of this already but I decided it needed a bit more. 🫂❤️

“Please, Sir. I’ll keep up, or you can leave me behind. Just… go back to your boys.” Sky yanked himself out of Time’s grip and wrapped his arms around himself.  “Please.” His voice threatened to break and he looked away. Why wouldn’t the eldest just… go?

“Sky…” Time caught his arm. No, not in front of Time. Not when he was holding on to…everything by a thread. “I am with one of my boys.What’s wrong?” And the kindness in Time’s voice was the final straw. 

“I haven’t slept more than a half watch in two weeks.” He admitted. “I’m exhausted and Surface Sick but…” here he stopped as his voice choked. “I just need…” Another sob he fought to stifle. He needed the nightmares to let him sleep. He needed his head and body to quit aching. He was already a burden to the other heroes. He pushed through this on his adventure. He’d do it again…

There was a clatter as a golden gauntlet dropped to the ground and a cool wrist was lightly pressed against his forehead, then the eldest hero carefully pulled him into a hug and it was at that point that Sky fully lost his grip on everything and sobbed into Time’s chest. 

--

Sky collapsed into him, sobbing and Time caught the Chosen hero and fought to contain the panic. The boy had a fever. He wasn’t sure what Surface Sick meant other than Sky seemed familiar with it, some sort of illness obviously. Then there was their current situation. They’d hoped to reach a town soon. It would be better to stock up on supplies and catch news of their quarry but could they even move if Sky was very bad off? He knew the Chosen would feel awful about disrupting the group’s travel but he couldn’t imagine forcing pace when the boy was sick and clearly exhausted. All this was currently being frantically pushed to a back burner as the urgent issue was a teenager breaking down with a simple hug. 

“It’ll be ok, Sky.” He assured, shifting to take more of the Chosen’s weight. "I've got you, it'll be ok."

--

Time was saved from trying to come up with more than reassurances by the noise of rustling in the bushes and the emergence of Wolfie from the undergrowth. For a wolf, the expression was clear concern. It required shifting the Chosen in his arms to sign. So he ended up making an executive decision then and there.

"Go tell everyone to settle in for a bit. We're overdue for a rest day anyway." His pup nodded and trotted off towards camp. He turned his attention to Sky, whose cries had subsidided into exhausted shudders. He needed to get the Chosen somewhere he could rest.

"Let's get you back to bed, Sky." He shifted to pick the Skyloftian knight up, only getting a miserable whine in response. "It'll be ok, Kid." He hummed the Goron Lullaby as he walked. It wasn't on his ocarina and it had none of the magic the song would have if played on the proper instrument, but it was soothing enough he felt Sky start to properly drift off.

--

Twilight was human once more as Time approached the edge of camp. Now came the hard part, convincing the boys to not ask too many questions yet. He needn't have worried. Warriors had most of the others occupied with sword work or sparring. Twilight helped him get Sky wrapped up in his bedroll so he could rest. Wild broke from the group long enough to hand over a potion meant to keep a hylian from overheating in desert sun, hopefully it would help against a fever.

--

"How's he doing?" Wars asked quietly as he dropped to a crouch beside them. Sky was sleeping once more, albeit fitfully. Wild’s exilir plus a damp cloth had done wonders for Sky’s fever. But it was clear the young knight was still struggling.

"Better, a little..." Time turned his attention to Sky as the Chosen’s breath hitched and he began showing signs of distress. The cloth had lost its cooling properties anyway so Time carded a hand through Sky’s hair as he resolved the cloth. It seemed to soothe him.

"Anything you need?" Wars asked once Sky had settled once more.

These kids to stop breaking my heart. Was his immediate thought, but he shook his head. "Unless you know how to fix what's kept him from sleeping and made him ill..."

Warriors smiled ruefully. "We'll just have to keep an eye out. I'll switch you out when you need a break or in two more hours, whichever comes first. Ok, Sprite?"

Time nodded with a small chuckle. The Captain knew him too well to not set deadlines. He'd stay as long as it took to take care of his boys otherwise.

Oh my heart, this is adorable.

Thank you for sharing this with me :)

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

‼️ aita for looking out for a friend?

(all 17, pronouns provided for everyone included other than me)

so I have a relatively small friend group, including people who I'll call T (they/them, my best friend), G (he/him, the friend the title is referring to), and B (she/her, we don't get along). B and I have been on our high school theater team for 4-ish years together, right from the first show post-quarantine to (hopefully) our last senior show in April next year. Last year, my friends T and G joined for a murder mystery show and G LOVED it. we performed it, went into summer, and came back for our senior year. Now, it's important to note that B, T, and I are also on our school's robotics team and off season events typically fall around the same day of theater competitions (dont ask why there's theatr competitions, we mainly do them for fun). B has already said that theater is more important to her than robotics, so our theater director decided to do a two person show.

Our director had already said she wanted B and G to play the parts in the show, but we all asked for an audition anyway. Auditions come around, all four of us audition. We actually talked about doing a different show in our senior meeting a week before that had 5 roles, but everyone agreed that the two person show would be better. B decided to bring up a year old issue we had where I was venting about only getting minor supporting roles where I either die or spend half the show off stahe. I had said in that conversation that before roles were casted, I wanted B's roles. It was the biggest role in the show with no time off stage and I felt like I was at a point i could handle it, but B got the role and it was fine! I was chilling with my yelling role. Well, B heard this and interpreted it as me saying I could do her role better and stormed out of class after yelling at me about it.

This went unresolved for a YEAR because everytime I tried to talk about it she'd either yell at me or change the topic. And now she was using it as a petty argument to show that I'd be upset if I didn't get a role. This isn't even the worst thing that's happened between us, but let's get back to the aita.

So, as of the time I'm submitting this it's only the first week of rehearsals. B and G are both almost off book, which is impressive for G because this is only his second show. He's absolutely amazing at his role but has a habit of getting the idea of his lines and paraphrasing them (if that makes sense? like if that line is "it'll only be a second, let me check." he'll say "let me look ill only be a second"), but beyond that he's REALLY good at making you feel the proper emotion already. The Main issue with him already is he's missed two days of rehearsal, which wouldn't be bad if we weren't so late starting. He missed one day for a sport meet and one day for his sisters birthday, which was understandable to everyone other than B.

B lives, eats, and BREATHES theater at this point and if you don't take it as seriously as she does, she'll try to get you kicked off the team. Since G missed two days, B thought he wasn't taking it seriously enough and decided to tell our director. G was absolutely devastated, he was already misses an event that'd get him really good contacts for the field he wants to go into because B asked the director to make all of the rehearsals mandatory BECAUSE he wanted to do the event. He came to T and I to talk about it and I decided to go to rehearsal that night to warn the director B was trying to get G kicked off. B's full reasoning for trying to kick him off was that he wasn't prioritizing rehearsal and hadn't memorized his lines yet (again, first week).

Rehearsal went absolutely amazing, they were both almost completely off book for one of the longest scenes and did it so soso SO WELL. Once rehearsal ended after 3 hours and B left the room, I went to go tell the director. The director immediately shut me down and told me if B had something to say I don't have to warn her. G and I left trying to wrap our heads around what to do. I didn't want him to be kicked off and deal with the shame of not feeling good enough and he felt insulted that someone he thought was his friend would go through so many hoops just to pretty much sabotage a hobby of his. We agreed that if the director went through with kicking him off we wouldn't go down without a fight.

But, that was that, and I got home and joined a call with some other friends to decompress from how stressful the entire situation was. I would've been completely de-stressed if it weren't for the fact B texted me an hour after rehearsal ended with just "what happened between us?" Apparently, our director had told her that I was trying to warn her that B was gonna say something. I realized that B still thinks we're on good standing, friends even, when I absolutely do not.

I don't know how to go about telling her that any thread of friendship between was severed a long time ago, but I think me trying to protect G and keep him on the team was the final straw for her. I can't tell if I'm just blinded by my dislike of her or if I really fucked up in this situation.

What are these acronyms?

[practically-an-x-man]

14, 23, and/or 24 for Nikoletta for the cuddle prompts?

Ooooh yes!! Thank you so much!

14. cuddles after being touch-starved 23. snuggling up to them when they're cold 24. cuddles of reassurance (Cuddle & Snuggle Prompts)

____ Fever Chills

Word Count: 2.0k Content Warnings: Sickfic, emotional hurt/comfort, domestic fluff

Crossposted on AO3 ____

Sometimes it seemed like one of them was always sick.

It seemed to alternate between them: she got the flu, then Abner caught it from her, then her shadows returned and purging them left her bedridden for three days, then his dots flared up and left him just as sick the following week...

And now it was right back to her.

Nikoletta knew, logically, things would sort themselves out soon enough. Their immune systems were fighting to adjust to an environment that wasn't prison for the first time in years. Their first foray out of prison had come from an incredibly demanding mission that included several nights sleeping on the floor of the open jungle, not to mention contact with far too many rats. They were finally learning to release decades of pent-up stress, which led to its own sort of physical crumbling. She'd always heard things would get worse before they got better, but this was the first time in her life when she was safe enough to truly experience it.

So far, she wasn't a fan.

Maybe it was another bout of the flu. Maybe it was some aftereffect of her shadows. Maybe it was just the karmic rebound of all the stress she'd started to let go of. In all likeliness, it was a combination of the three.

Whatever it was, it left her feverish and shaky and utterly miserable, and Nikoletta prayed for the day it was over.

She trudged into the kitchen with a blanket tucked around her shoulders, shaking so hard she could hardly keep herself upright. Her posture was hunched, like an old woman wrapped in her shawls, and she nearly dropped her coffee mug when she reached to pull it from the cupboard.

It didn't matter. She could hold herself up. She'd held herself up through ten years of Belle Reve, through all the injuries and illnesses and everything else that contained, and this was hardly Belle Reve. She only had to be up long enough to make herself a cup of tea, and then she could crawl back into bed and be miserable there instead.

"What are you doing?"

Abner's quiet voice came from the doorway behind her, and Nikoletta jumped before she could help it. She'd gotten better about that, she really had, but something about her present illness sharpened those old blades all the same.

"Making tea." she mumbled, leaning against the counter and watching the mug spin around inside the microwave. She didn't have the energy to boil it the proper way - not that it really made a difference in her eyes, hot water was hot water and the microwave did it a hell of a lot faster.

"You're sick," he said, with the same careful, gentle tone, "You should be in bed. I can make it for you."

"It'll take two minutes. I'm fine."

Warm hands caught her arms and tried to gingerly steer her away from the microwave. Instead she shrugged him off- and regretted it the moment she did, but buried the emotion with a grimace.

"I said I'm fine."

Abner went silent for a moment too long, and icy self-hatred clutched her heart. She'd promised herself, months ago, that she wouldn't be sharp with him the way so many others were sharp with him. And then here she was with those old habits, the austere performance she'd kept up for so long, pushing her discomfort onto him in a way he didn't deserve. It was liable to make him shut down, and that made her feel worse than any illness could.

The microwave beeped, and with rough motions she retrieved her mug and tore open a tea packet. The tea bag inside slipped through her trembling fingers before she could drop it in the mug, and Nikoletta watched it slide pitifully to the bottom of the kitchen sink.

Something about the sight, her one tiny attempt at making herself feel better only ruined by her own treacherous fingers, threatened to send her into tears. Instead she just slumped over the countertop, utterly defeated. She was so cold it felt like her tear ducts had frozen. She couldn't have cried even if she wanted to. Her body refused to grant her that release.

Abner's arms slid around her waist from behind, drawing her in against his slim chest. Nikoletta couldn't help but melt into the warmth, those agonized shudders easing for the first time in days.

"Nik," he murmured, leaning over to rest his chin on her shoulder, "Please go to bed."

She let out a trembling breath, trying to let him steady her. He had such a way of doing that. She hardly understood it. Somehow, he knew exactly how to make her slow down, to soften the armor and melt the ice, like nobody else had ever known to do for her before.

Part of her still wanted to pull away, to shoulder her burdens alone as she'd always done, to let her pride win out.

The rest of her just wanted to go to bed. She felt like shit.

Nikoletta nodded against Abner's shoulder, and he gently released his hold on her. The shivers returned almost immediately, with the loss of his warmth, but she did her best to push her discomfort aside. Abner trailed her as she began to trudge slowly back towards the bedroom.

"Do you want me to walk with you?"

"No, I'm-" she started, then swallowed the words and tried again, "It's not far. I can manage. Thank you."

"Okay." he said, "I'll be right there."

He started to draw back, then seemed to catch a brief ripple of courage and ducked in to kiss her cheek. Despite the shivers, the horrible ache in her joints, the indescribably unpleasant heavy feeling that came with illness, Nikoletta found a faint smile crossing her face.

She reached the bedroom and slid into bed, tucking herself into a tight ball under the covers. It didn't offer her any scrap of warmth - it only made her feel like some weak, scared child hiding from her nightmares. It made her think of STAR Labs, tucked under the thin sheets of her cot in the same way to shield herself from the cameras and the new unshakeable chill beneath her skin. The memories were nearly as bad as the cold itself. But even the slightest movement made her skin erupt with painful pins and needles, so there she stayed.

After a while one of the cats hopped up onto the bed and wormed its way under the covers with her. That made her feel a little better, in some small way. She'd never had pets in her prior lives - not indoor pets, at least, though she fed the strays whenever she had scraps to spare - and Baron's soft black fur was its own sort of tether to the present. Abner had been right about adopting them. It helped.

She heard Abner enter the room a few minutes later, the old flooring creaking under his shuffling footsteps, but he paused in the doorway. Nikoletta guessed that he wasn't sure how to engage with her: what to say, or even whether to speak at all, whether to come up to her or whether she'd startle from not being able to see his entrance. Nikoletta had just begun to shift when she heard him speak, softly and gently as always.

"I brought you some tea. Are you still awake?"

"Too cold to sleep," she mumbled, finally forcing herself to emerge from her cocoon. Her eyes fell on Abner still standing in the doorway, holding her coffee mug in both hands as if it were a small bird. He took a few steps closer when he found her eyes on him, and stiffly held the mug out to her. There was an odd tension in his posture- but then again, there almost always was.

Nikoletta took the mug and curled around it, taking a grateful sip and feeling warmth bloom all down to her chest. When the heat of the liquid subsided, she caught notes of a shockingly tangy taste - not the cheap store-brand stuff she kept in the cupboard, that was for damn sure.

"This isn't the tea from the tea bags," she remarked, only thinking to catch her words when she saw Abner's face fall.

"You don't like it?"

"No, it's- I do. It's good. Thank you."

"My mom used to make it for us when we got sick. When we were little. Before she... before things got bad." he said, ducking her eyes, "It's got honey in it. And mint."

She took a second sip, now finding another reason to be comforted. It wasn't just about the tea, or the fact that he'd spared her his own time and energy to make it. It was a piece of his heart, a rare good memory from his childhood, something he could easily have hoarded for himself- and deserved to hoard for himself, when good memories were so rare. But instead he shared it with her, however vulnerable that was, took a symbol of comfort from his past and made it an object of his care in the present.

She'd have to figure out the recipe once she was feeling a little better. If it meant enough to him that he'd share it with her...

Nikoletta stretched a hand out and patted the mattress beside her.

"Will you- um, will you warm me up?"

That was about the only way she could make herself phrase it. Anything else felt... strange, somehow both too intimate and not intimate enough, and she couldn't manage that just yet. It was hard enough just to ask to be held, as much as she longed for it.

But Abner knew her well, and for that she hardly had to speak at all.

He slid into the bed beside her, careful not to disturb her mug of tea as he wrapped his arms around her. There were times when he really did remind her of the street cats she used to feed as a child, and this was one of those. They were such particular creatures - half of them were so unsocialized to humans they didn't even know to meow, and they hardly understood how to react to a comforting touch at first, but deep down many of them were just as affectionate as the posh, well-groomed purebreds she saw peering out of city windows.

Abner was a lot like those cats. He didn't know how to initiate, the motions were awkward and the words were halting, but he cared more than anyone she'd ever known.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you," Nikoletta mumbled, grimacing against a swell of the same bitter regret, "You deserve better- I want to be better, I'm trying, I just..."

"You're hurting, Nik. It's okay."

She wanted to protest - it wasn't okay, he'd had to shoulder cruelty from everyone in his life and she promised herself she wouldn't push the same on him - but simply swallowed the words and ducked her head against Abner's shoulder. Her fingers fidgeted with the mug in her lap.

"I hate being sick," she sighed, still curling in closer against him in the hopes that she could finally chase that terrible chill from deep in her bones, "It just... makes everything so much worse. I don't know if it's the shadows, or just my body, or... what else, but I just feel like I'm falling apart."

"I know how that feels." he agreed, and leaned his head against her own - like those near-feral strays, she thought again. "But that's why we have each other. Right?"

What happens when we both get sick, then? she thought, What happens when we both break down at the same time? Who makes the tea then? Who scoops out the litter boxes? Who picks up the mail?

And to her surprise, an answer came almost immediately.

Harley. Cleo. Rick. Even DuBois- he'd bitch about it, but he'd be there. Our friends.

It was strange to think that she had someone she could trust like that. It was strange to think that she had five.

"Yeah." she murmured, and drew the mug to her lips for another sip, "That's why we have each other."

[ceasarslegion]

Anyway, heres how i do my cleaning schedule as an autist. I live in a one bedroom apartment with a balcony and a bathtub, to give you an idea of how big the space is with any speciality furniture and how you should adjust to your situation accordingly:

-i break the cleaning regimen down to the major steps, and i always do them in the same order on the same days of the week. Laundry gets done when i get home on the last day of my work week, and whenever i wake up the next morning i start the next bit.

-laundry itself is broken up into a few steps: i wash my clothes first, then swap out for sheets and towels, hang up my clothes to dry on my drying rack, throw something simple into the oven for dinner, and then i swap my sheets and towels into the dryer when dinners done cooking. By the time im done eating, everythings washed and either dried or hung up from the last week. I listen to my favourite podcasts while i do this, i recommend The Casual Criminalist if youre a true crime girlie like me, but i also like LA Not So Confidential, Conspirituality, and QAnon Anonymous. Mega is another good one if you want a comedy series.

-the next morning after my breakfast and coffee i do the rest of my apartment. I start with ironing my work uniform while i watch silly youtube videos in the background. The Click is usually my go-to channel for this. That takes me about 45 minutes to iron everything in my 4 uniform sets. You dont like, HAVE to do this, but i dont like having wrinkled anything, it sets off my bad texture alarm, and i spend a lot of time wearing those sets. Consider investing in ironing sets and learning how to iron if Something About Your Clothes is Bad to you, its a worthwhile investment for your own peace of mind

-after i iron, i take a snack and water break while i finish whatever video i put on in the background. If i slept in, i'll eat lunch at this point. The food will give you the energy for the meat of the journey, which will cover pretty much everyones needs

-at this point, i'll put on a more cerebral channel that engages my intellectual interests a bit more like Telltale, and start with dusting. I have an order i do this in too, usually starting at the "top" of my apartment's layout and going left to right on every surface until its done. This takes very little time for a routine dust, every month or so i'll do a more deep dusting where ill get deep into the crevices and give the walls a quick go-over. Wear a mask for a deep clean if you dont want to sneeze every 5 seconds.

-for surfaces that see a lot of spillage and use like my coffee table and kitchen counters and bathroom counters and dining table, i then take some lysol spray cleaner (get one with a scent you like, you will feel more fresh and happy after. Theres no right or wrong answer when it comes to what scents are the best) and wipe them down. This also takes very little time. During a monthly deep clean the only difference in this step is that i'll use a bucket of proper cleaner and wipe down every surface (within reason. Dont put wet cloths soaked in cleaning chemicals on the vents of your tv)

-once all thats done, i vacuum. Do not vacuum before you dust and wipe, doing it after will ensure you vacuum up all the dirt and dust that you pushed off your surfaces onto the floor. Bluetooth headphones go on for this, and have a set pattern you follow down your living space. I like to get all the corners and along the walls first and then go back and forth in a circle until i get to the middle, but theres no right or wrong answer for this either. Once you get into the habit of that pattern, you'll be done in no time, and it'll hardly feel like anything. Thats the end of your routine clean unless its clean-your-washroom week, which i do every 2 weeks.

-i clean my washroom last. At this point ill undock my switch and prop it up on the floor before i put my background videos back on. I have a set cloth that i clean my bathroom with, because it sees the most, well, human waste particles, and i dont want any cross contamination with the ones i use for the rest of my apartment. First i spray some cleaner in the toilet and let it sit while i do the rest. I always use proper cleaner for my washroom, i just plug my sink and pour some in while running the water until the basin's full, and use that to wipe everything down and simultaneously let it soak my sink to get all the gunk from the last 2 weeks out. I even wipe down the floor. At this point. If its deep-clean day, just use the cleaner from your bucket youre already dragging across your house and do the washroom(s) last. For my bathtub, i rinse it out with my showerhead first and then take a bucket and transfer it all from my sink to the tub, and follow the same pattern i vacuum rooms in while wiping down the base and walls of the tub/shower. Then i just unplug the tub and give it another rinse with the showerhead. Take a toilet brush to the toilet bowl and flush when youre done, and youre all done. This sounds like a lot, but it takes me about 15-20 minutes. Its really not that bad.

-for deep clean days, i also mop my floors with some cleaner from the bucket, and take a broom to my balcony. I live right above the convenience store in my apartment building so if you have a similar situation look below you before you sweep stuff off so you dont hit anybody. Have a broom you just use for your balcony so you dont track any pathogens from outside inside.

all done for another week! That wasnt so bad, was it? Altogether this usually takes me about an hour and a half. Deep cleans will take about twice the time. But either way, its not like itll take up your whole day or its a daunting impossible task. Adjust as needed, take as many snack/meal breaks as you want, and give yourself a reward after. I like to have a few glasses of wine in a hot and freshly-cleaned bath with bubble bath and a bath bomb. Hey, its 5 o'clock somewhere and i grew up in a later time zone, day drinking is fine!

[its-a-me-mango]

(Two Cents Anon) Glad to see we got a response about the workplace allegations! Imo it seemed pretty solid and I kiiiinnda understand why he remained quiet for awhile.

HOWEVER, I still find it odd that Kevin or Luke haven't said anything about the whole situation with Celeste, which, iirc, was what started all of this. I hope they speak up about that soon- I just want her to get a real solid apology :( Also, speaking of the Celeste situation, it really does feel like the result of just. Assuming and jumping to conclusions. Still makes me feel... weird in regards to watching SMG4/Glitch Productions, so I'll continue abstaining from it.

Oh god hi anon so sorry for taking forever to answer, I've been mega busy the past week so everything's been slow as hell </3 I was also waiting at first to see if anything else will happen but things seemed to have quiet down a bit so I'll say something now.

I agree, Kevin's response was a pretty solid one, acknowledging what Glitch's current working situation is like while also acknowledging how it was in the pass definitely show some growth and change since then. I feel that a more dishonest approach would be to completely deny everything and worse yet, not address it at all. I do think the past criticisms are valid and shouldn't be disregarded now, but having a more even distribution between good and bad experiences really helps balance things out.

However I do agree though, the lack of a response to Celeste is definitely disappointing, I get the main focus of Kevin's response was to address the working conditions allegations, but this would've been the perfect time to say something. I mentioned before that Celestes' situation is probably more of a private matter unfortunately, in that any conversations are going to be between Celeste and Glitch privately.

It'll be up to them if they wish to share it publicly again, if they do or don't is up to them, I can only hope that Celeste gets a proper apology and some kind of closure privately at least, it's kinda one of those things that is more personal and therefore doesn't have to be shared publicly. I'm just glad she doesn't hold any ill will towards Lottie, as we know she's innocent in all this, I'll respect any decision that they make in regards to who keeps voicing Tari.

It's sad to think this whole situation started from poor communication, we can all sit here and say how easy this was to avoid because in all honesty, it was very easy to avoid. We can only hope that Glitch learns from this, but it sucks that this comes at the expense of loosing one of their first VA's, and subsequently all the others who quit too. I still genuinely wish all of them the best and that they can move onto greater things.

I do think Jasmine's apology is all we'll get unfortunately, but it's at least something.

I get what you mean about still not feeling comfortable watching Glitch, I'm still not entirely comfortable with it, but for me personally I'm probably gonna go back to watching them soon, even if this never gets fully resolved. Don't get me wrong, I'm still upset and disappointed with Glitch over this, but I do genuinely believe they can improve from this, I'm willing to give them another chance basically.

Part of my reasons to stop watching was because of the workplace conditions, I was under the assumption every single employee was horrifically overworked and underpaid, and I would take no comfort in watching something I knew was made under those conditions. But now that we have clarified that those claims are not entirely true (again maybe for in the past but definitely not as much now), I can take some comfort in that.

I will still 100% keep myself and everyone else here updated incase any new developments happen, but I do genuinely think this is all we're going to get unfortunately. Wether you can continue to watch Glitch or not is entirely up to you and as I've always said, I hold no judgement towards anyone, if you're not satisfied enough to keep watching them, thats fine and understandable.

I don't want anyone to think I'll be forgetting about this just because I'm gonna go back to watching and making content soon, and neither should anyone else forget about this, I just genuinely think Glitch can improve and change from this and I'm willing to give them a chance. Obviously if something like this happens again then I'm done, but I've seen enough accountability this time around (albeit kinda weak) to keep watching them for now.

That's all I'll say for now, I'm still happy to keep hearing from people about this, I don't want this to become "old drama", it's literally 2/3 weeks old now that's not old, I'm old, my back aches.

[nothing-more-than]

✨️ A proper tour of my feeding tube!! ✨️

Putting it below a readmore link bc it'll be a little (read: very) long <3 It isn't graphic though!

The tube!! There's a little balloon in my tummy to hold the tube in, and a rubbery disc against my skin to help hold things in place. The numbers and lines on the tube are meant to tell me if my tube has slipped out/pushed further in, so I can adjust it as needed (or contact my doctor if it's a significant amount of movement). The tube isn't connected to the disc, and can move independently of it.

Then we have the tube itself, with its three chambers and ports:

The Gastric port, aka the G port, that leads to my stomach. I use this for meds crushed in water, as well as draining my stomach when I feel ill, because my tummy isn't very good at processing things I consume.

The Jejunal port, aka the J port, that leads to the beginning of my small intestines, is the one I use for my feedings. I have to flush it with water four times a day to prevent the thick formula from clogging it up.

Lastly, we have the Bal. port, aka the Balloon port. The Balloon port was just used to inflate the balloon, so I don't do anything with it. When it's time to replace my tube with a shiny new one, they'll snip the tube with a scissors, and the air will leak out of the balloon, allowing them to remove the tube.

Here we have the tube connected to the feed bag! It has a cute purple cap for the end, so I can keep my formula from leaking everywhere or getting contaminated while I stop my feedings for water flushes. I like to loop it and put it in my cute zebra print clip, to hold my tube up and shorten the length of tube I have to deal with.

The feed bag tube goes through a pump, then connects to the bag, all hung on my iv pole!

(Sorry for the shaky pic, I have pretty bad hand tremors from a medication side effect rn).

There's a screen to display my dose, rate, and how much I've consumed during my current feeding. I can just click the labelled button and it'll show me what I wanna see/adjust! It also explains whatever alarm might end up going off, such as 'NO FOOD' (when my feed bag runs out), or 'PUSH PAUSE TO START' (for when I pause a feeding and forget to continue it after I've finished whatever I was doing). Oh and it shows if it is actually running, along w how much battery life it has left! I plug it in each night after I've finished feeding for the day.

The screen does light up when it's plugged in, but I don't like dragging the cord all over the floor when I move around, so I just deal with the dim screen.

Then there's the feed bag (which will actually change now that I get pre-filled ones). The tube comes out the bottom, and at the top is a cap you can twist off to add more formula. Each bag (and tubing) is only used for one day, as it isn't sanitary enough to continue using it for more than 24 hours. The other style of bag I'll be getting can be used for 48 hours max.

Each bag can hold up to 1200ml of formula, but I only fill it half full and add the rest later, as I don't like when it's super heavy. The lines and numbers along the side show you roughly how much formula is in there, the key word here being Roughly. It's not always accurate.

BONUS: Here's my table! When I first got home, I was in so much pain I could barely move, so my bed was put in the living room, and I have a table with baskets of everything I might need. I've got headphones and gaming things, tissues, socks and headbands, my planner, and tooons of meds. I'm also borrowing my brother's grabber thing-- I use it to turn on the light behind me :3

BONUS 2: Here's a self-portrait I did shortly after I got my tube, expressing the struggle I've experienced while healing and adjusting to my new situation. It was a rough couple of weeks, but I made it through, and things are finally starting to look up now. I'm eager to start sharing the things I've learned, and what I'm still learning!

And that's it!! I hope this was interesting or helpful <3 You're welcome to ask questions about anything, either here or at my main blog @arcadian-vampire . Thank you for your time!

[im-a-goddamn-cat]

this is a premature vent so i might look stupid if i'm wrong but i'm doing it anyways bc i highly doubt that i'm wrong about what will happen:

so this week is my final week of this semester and i'm very likely going to fail 2 or 3 out of the 4 classes i'm taking rn and if i do, i won't be able to continue on. i'll have to wait almost a year to retake these classes before continuing my degree. also, idk if there's a guarantee i will even be able to come back bc i think i might have to reapply to the degree program. i'm crying rn bc i'm so disappointed in myself and bc ik a major reason why i struggle with college is bc i'm mentally ill af and i'm only just now getting it looked into. i'm currently in the process of being tested for adhd and other mental issues but it's too late, i've fucked my life up so many times and ruined everything. i'm 24 and have nothing to show; i don't have a job (and never kept one for longer than 3 months bc i was so anxious at my last 2 that i had to quit), i'm failing out of my degree (only a a fucking associate's degree too), i can rarely do anything myself, i don't have friends irl, and more... i wish i had started looking into mental health resources way sooner, i wish i could start over.

but also tbh, in a way, i'll actually be kinda glad that i flunk out. bc it'll "force" me to have a break. maybe i can finally get diagnosed and proper treatment during my break to help me. i am very happy that i'm finally being tested, i hope it will lead somewhere good. also i thought this degree was what i wanted to do but i've been kinda questioning it lately tbh so i'll also have time to think about it.

but idk, i'm still really depressed and disappointed and mad at myself for doing this/being like this. i can't do anything right.

[undeadorion-archive]

Last week I went to see a cardiologist and my god was it a series of glaring red flags.

What sparked me thinking of this now is today I identified another sign of an asthma attack. Mine don't present as the usual wheezing and severe shortness of breath. Sometimes my lungs will burn like diffused heartburn or I won't even know it's happening until I start coughing super hard and hack up really nasty phlegm. Well, apparently my severe overheating in stuffy environments is a sign, too. I have no other symptoms, but using my rescue inhaler helped when I was sitting in a stuffy car. And I was able to go into a stuffy store after with minimal issues.

What does this have to do with a cardiologist? Well, that day it was unseasonably warm. So the whole building was gross and stuffy and his office was even worse. I only realized today that it was probably an asthma attack. All I knew is that I felt super hot, and I was sweating profusely. To the point that when the sticky pads for an EKG had trouble sticking to my skin in some places.

The first thing he did was straight up gaslight me. One of the first things I told him was that I was super warm. And he just said "It's not warm in here." I didn't say I was! I said I was warm! When I tried to explain the issue further he just said "Huh, that's weird" and IGNORED IT. When he said my blood pressure was concerningly high that day, I again pointed out the fact that I was gross and sweaty and uncomfortable. And he just ignored it.

He then went on to discuss my past blood pressure at other visits. But he ONLY looked at the ones that were high. I explained that it had started in the summer of 2022 when I got sick and had never been a concern about that. He pretended to consider this, then ignored it as well. Never addressed the pre-illness blood pressure again.

I tried to explain to him that I was essentially housebound for over a year due to how sick I was, and I was barely able to function. That I'd started feeling much better in recent months and I was slowly getting my stamina back. The only part he was concerned about was how much physical activity I could do and how far I could walk. Which is a complicated question because are we talking on a good day or bad day? Is it how far I can walk before I start feeling bad, or how far I could walk if I pushed through it before proper fatigue kicked in? Other than that, he basically ignored that and the fact that I'd gained a fair bit of my weight in that time.

I told him how bad my asthma was, and again how long I'd been sick because of it. I told him we had difficulty identifying it was asthma because of how it presented. He just said "It can sometimes present with a cough" like some sort of NPC and moved on. Never addressing my asthma again.

Then he looked at my past test results. He went into a lot of detail about those and how my cholesterol was high. The only problem was those tests were from March 2022. Nearly TWO full years ago. He didn't ask if I'd changed anything since then, or if I'd addressed with my primary doctor or anything. He just went on as if the test results came in yesterday and were valid and current.

Ultimately he diagnosed me as fat and lazy without saying as much. And my treatment was to eat better, get exercise, and take my blood pressure twice a day. The problem is he barely asked about my activity levels and never once asked about my diet. But when describing how he wanted me to eat, he but weird emphasis on only having desert "sometimes" and maybe having fruit instead of cake, and no more bacon. Which I almost never eat. And I only have baked goods SOMETIMES, and cake only on special occasions. Because, shockingly, I can't have a ton of sugar because it'll make me feel sick. But he didn't bother asking about that.

He completely disregarded anything my other 2 doctors have told me to do. He said minimum of 30 minutes of exercise every single day. While the other two have told me to do what I can, but to not push myself because that will make me worse, even if all I can do is 20 minutes one day a week.

Then he ordered tests for me, which included one where you have to run on a treadmill. He hesitated when I told him I can't run. Between asthma and having a really bad knee that can't handle the stress running is impossible for me. The impact of running makes it feel like my knee is going to dislocate and makes me feel like I'm breathing hot sand. He just said "Well, do your best" and ignored any concern I might have.

Jokes on him. Out of spite I opted to rest any time my body wanted it, and kept going with my regular diet. And I lost like 6lbs in 10 days. I've checked my blood pressure every other day (I have an at home monitor I use) and it's been completely fine every single time because my lungs aren't screaming in agony.

Honestly, I should have just walked out the moment he disregarded my state of stress at the time of the visit. I've rescheduled with someone new and put in a request to speak to patient relations. If the new guy is just as much of a dick, I'll walk out of his office. Cause I have not patience for that nonsense.

[autumnalhalcyon]

why does some fucking bullshit always have to happen

[astroscientia]

Astro-Forecast: Virgo New Moon🌙

Disclaimer: This is a general overview. I cannot cover everything and chose to focus on the most relevant info for each sign!

Date: August 27/28- depending on where you live in the world.

This new moon gives us the chance to focus on:

Our mental and physical health, how we organize our tasks to get things done, how we can be of service to others, and our habits.

This moon will be squared by the Gemini Mars and might generate tension if you want to start something new. How this plays out depends on your rising sign (SEE BELOW).

It is also important to manifest using pen and paper during this time because the earthy moon emphasizes the mechanical act which puts our desires (moon) on paper (mercurial quality of Virgo) through physical labor (earth).

On to the rising signs/placements:

🌸 Aries:

This new moon will be activating your 6th house of health, debt, service, and habits. Since Mars, your ruling planet will be making a square to this new moon, I anticipate that this might cause fighting in the home or minor physical illness that informs you of your lack of proper habits to take care of your health. I've noticed a lot of Aries risings are neglecting their health and this new moon might be a warning that you need to be more careful. It can also mean that you might suddenly need to make repairs to your devices or car, or that you need to pay a debt.

🌸 Taurus:

In your 5th house, this new moon is telling you to start a new hobby and make sure you can monetize it too! (Mars in the 2nd house for 7 months). Or it could indicate that you might be writing a book or becoming an author. You might gain public recognition for certain efforts- mostly literary or anything text-based. Knowing that not all Taurus placements will suddenly become famous, I'd say this might manifest in a good effort to write something or express yourself somehow in a way that makes you feel proud of yourself!

🌸 Gemini:

As a mutable sign, you'll be more impacted by this new moon. It'll be happening in your 4th house squaring Mars in your 1st house. It'll be a tumultuous yet productive time for you. You will be asserting yourself in the home and taking up the space that you deserve. This indicates to me that some of you have been feeling that you don't have a space for yourselves and you will be making it clear that no one gets to mess with that. Asserting yourself now will be fruitful for you, and I encourage you to do so.

🌸 Cancer:

With this new moon activating your 3rd house, generally a lucky house, and with the Mars transit activating your 12th house, things can get a bit tricky. This is looking like it might cause a lot of emotional turmoil to rise to the surface (your mind - 3H), and the best advice that I can provide is to use physical activity as a way to release negative emotions. The reason I say that this is an emotional time is that you also have Mercury transitting your 4th house. Use this energy to make changes in the home to make it a safer, more comfortable, and secure space for you.

🌸 Leo:

Leos, this new moon is happening in your 2nd house of finances, luxury, security, and sensuality, giving you the chance to think of what you want financially and how you can actually make that happen. With Venus in Leo, there is an amplified focus on Venusian elements in your life. Use this energy boost to plan for how you want to get financial gain and be mindful of any collaborations that might emerge during this time because they can become valuable partnerships or friendships in the future. You might find a way to make passive income even though that idea might be opposed by others at first. Caution: relationship tensions are highly likely but can be resolved.

🌸 Virgo:

Happening in your 1st house, you are the main character! The things that you've been thinking about throughout the last three weeks of August will have you planting seeds pertaining to your career. Initially, you might need to take bold action or put yourself out there, which might make you feel stressed at first, but it will lead to beautiful outcomes as the moon transits later degrees and forms. an earth grand trine involving Pluto and Uranus on the 28th. Though Pluto and Uranus aren't the most positive of planets, the grand trine allows your manifestations and efforts to be supported as long as you make sure you PLAN for the desired outcomes especially if it relates to your career, education/ travels, or hobbies. You've had a tough year but now you get the chance to see your efforts materialize as the rest of the year unfolds!

🌸 Libra:

Occurring in your 12th house, this new moon will be a bit more internal for you. It might unlock your true desires for your future plans, your vision, and your inspiration to keep moving forward in life (or friendships). It activates doubts or questions about what you plan to do in terms of your higher education, spiritual development, travels, and your guiding principles. For some people, you might think of changing your major! Or, you might consider going on a retreat to rethink some life choices. On another note, this new moon will really be causing some conflict with Mars transiting your 9th house and casting doubt over the validity of your recent choices. You will have the opportunity to make amends pertaining to that matter in the next 7th months as Mars transits Gemini and the effects of the new moon gradually unfold.

🌸 Scorpio:

Scorpios, this moon is focused on your long-term goals, vision for the future, desire for progress, friendships, humanitarian aspirations, technology, community-wide communication, social media, etc. It's a good time to check your friendships as you've been feeling a sense of loss because of a particular one of your friends or a group. You might choose to cut ties, fight, or simply ignore the problem and allow it to come to bite you when Mercury goes retrograde. Focus on healing, self-reflection, and journaling because your water houses are going to be most active (4th, 8th, and 12th house) which adds a sense of finality, nostalgia, and loss to the situation. Knowing you, you've had a lot to deal with and these changes are necessary to purge all the bad influences from your life.

🌸 Sagittarius:

During this new moon, there will be a focus on your career developments which will be squared by your relationship, and long-term commitments/promises. So, if you have plans to develop your career, they will be impeded by a long-term social commitment and you will need to make a choice that'll impact the next 7 months. The majority of you will be choosing to focus on your career and will acknowledge that this commitment was put in your life to teach relevant skills which would help your career down the line. Rest assured that things will be working out after a bit of a tense period. Just like Pisces, you are encouraged to merely observe and let the facts come to you instead of focusing too much on the principle of how things are playing out.

🌸 Capricorn:

This new moon is going to impact your 9th house. I suspect that it is part of a broader struggle you've had with your living circumstances and your sense of privacy. You might be reconsidering your major, or you might be considering relocating to facilitate your learning experience. This also indicates to me that you are planting seeds and educating yourself for the next 6 months or 1.5 years to reach a long-term goal related to travel, higher education, coaching, tutoring, publishing, international relations and affairs, international trade, or philosophy. This is a career-focused new moon with numerous decisions to be made. Plan accordingly and make sure that when the earth grand trine happens the following day, you are ready to release emotional baggage and limiting beliefs that you've let fester for too long.

🌸 Aquarius:

Much of a similar message to Capricorns is going to be relevant in your case as well. However, you need to release the emotional baggage you've held on to as a result of the harsh transits you've faced this year. Your health has suffered and you have distracted yourself through overindulgence in some cases. This new moon is telling you to focus on your mental health, and settle any debts (financial, emotional, moral) with yourself and others so that you can make the most of this transit.

🌸 Pisces:

A 7th house new moon tells me that you might enter a new phase in your relationship. You might resolve a conflict early on (Mars). This new moon also boosts your ability to socialize for the sake of getting a job or interview! With Neptune opposing this new moon and mars squaring it, I'd say that it'll be a bit of a tough one for you but it will illuminate lots of things that you have been wondering about for some time now. Stay indoors and observe. You're going to gain clarity.

Thank you for reading. My DMs are open for inquiries and feedback/criticism is always appreciated.

[hyah-lian]

Idea

Wind being the chaotic teenager he is with good intentions but not fully realized reasoning skills and stuff gets the idea to do some like seedbombing and or guerilla gardening is the term I think? Next time they're in Hyrule's Hyrule. Thinking it'll bring life and good things back, wanting to plant edible things so the people living there have an easier time etc etc after seeing how thriving Wild's Faron is and Twilight's forests and such and being overwhelmed with how unfair it is and how much he wants to do the right thing and to help

So he starts trying to pick seeds and seedlings and saplings as inconspicuously as he can over the next weeks and months and hoarding them in small sachels and containers and not really labeling or keeping track of what came from where or what is actually edible or what it was that made his hands and arms itch fire for a few days- because he grew up on islands so its very different flora from what he is used to for the most part

He is being so pure of heart in intention and just really lost on how to do it properly. After several instances of the itchy fire-like blisters cropping up again or some things starting to take root in his bags when he sorts through it all questions are asked and Wind shrugs it off. Maybe it is someone else who is pure of intent but misunderstanding and also tries to help.

They end up in Hyrule's era again and Wind keeps trying to sneak off to plant things but everyone is under strict "stay in eyesight" rules because of monster activity so he can't until night and volunteers for a watch slot.

Hyrule wakes up to Wind quietly cursing because a lot of the seedling have wilted, some have molded, and the sap from that one itchy thing has gotten all over the entire pouchs' worth

Hyrule comes and sits and helps get the sticky sap off Wind's hands before it gets bad again and looks over everything and is so touched by Wind's explanation but also fucking terrified and concerned how did he not get more hurt or ill from some of these very obviously poison plants????

Co-conspirator is also awake and Hyrule explains very carefully what each plant is and does because he learned the hard way- as in the near death experiences hard way- and carefully moves anything he doesn't recognize off to the side to get help identifying later on.

Out of what is safe and noninvasive there's very very little. Wind deflates and looks so upset and angry about it and about being told he did it wrong. But of course they all share the same strong thread via hero shit so it's all ok and gets explained.

Hyrule helps make plans on how to do it properly (absolutely at all because his heart feels ready to burst because he has been desperately trying to do this exact thing through his adventures and know it hasn't worked well but a few wheat fields and some very sad tomato plants are still thriving from where he made a surprise garden outside of a very small hamlet with kind people)

Tldr: new info on proper planting etiquette and researching shit outside of fandom stuff got a thought stuck in my head and inner lu gremlins took it and ran but are not very athletic so it's not a full story just a this.

[mushy-dreamer]

CAGE:

Very very important. Lots of things need to be taken into consideration. You want a big cage, first of all. A good cockatiel cage should have room for food and water bowls, an assortment of toys, and for the bird to fly around in. You're probably gonna want to get a cage for a larger parrot because of this. And if you can, you want a cage with horizontal bars rather than vertical. This isn't absolutely necessary, per se, but it's definitely better. It's easier for them to climb around the cage with horizontal bars. There should also be a pull-out tray under the bottom of the cage to catch dropped food, shed feathers, and poop.

FOOD:

Also very important. Seeds should make up only a small part of the diet. Like, very very small. The seed clusters you can find at any pet store? One a day is good. Sunflower seeds should only be given as a treat and should not be a regular part of the diet. In this area, blogs are your friend. Look up chop recipes for cockatiels and make sure they're specifically for cockatiels. Grains and vegetables should make up most of the diet, and pellets should be included as well. It does vary sometimes in what a cockatiel likes - Coconut won't touch kale and loves apples, which is pretty odd for a cockatiel - so try out a bunch of stuff. But always always check to make sure any food you give them is safe. Chocolate, avocados, salt, sugar, and caffeine should never be given. In small doses (and I mean SMALL) it won't do anything, so if a bird manages to steal a piece of candy or something and only LICKS it and doesn't actually eat it, it'll be fine. Coconut does that all the time because he's an idiot. There's a few cereals that are okay for them, like plain Cheerios and Grape Nuts, but those shouldn't be given regularly. Coconut loves Grape Nuts and it's so funny 'cause I use a very specific bowl to eat them, so he sees the bowl and gets really excited and starts running around and screaming at me to give him some. And then I give him some because if I don't he'll either 1) Not shut up or 2) Fly to me and walk down my arm to sit on my hand and eat them out of the bowl as I'm eating because he thinks he's hot shit

TOYS:

Also really important!! Cockatiels need toys to keep them stimulated and happy. A lot of them like bells, so those are always good. And things they can shred. Nothing with small plastic bits, 'cause they can break those off and choke on them, or swallow them and that's not fun. At all. I can't really say much here because Coconut refuses to play with toys, so I don't have a lot of experience with them. So you'll probably need to do your own research and stuff for that.

HEALTH:

Find an avian veterinarian in your area, and a parrot store. Chain pet stores don't always offer wing/nail clipping and don't usually have a wide selection for birds. A lot of parrot stores will give free nail/wing trims, which is great. The most common health-related problem is feather picking. This usually occurs when the bird is stressed. So for instance, if they're bonded to you and you're away for a while (I mean for weeks), or if their environment has undergone a massive change, or they're understimulated. As long as they have proper toys and spend enough time with someone, they'll be fine. Coconut's never feather-picked once in the six years I've had him, even when I've been in another state for weeks. There's a lot of illnesses and stuff that cockatiels can catch, so just be careful. Oh, and never pick up wild bird feathers. They can carry mites that can be passed onto your birds.

YOU:

Unless the birds have bonded to each other, they'll bond to you. They look around a year old, so they can still bond to you. Since you have a pair, they probably don't need as much as a single one needs, but they'll still need to be out of the cage for a lot of the day, and they'll need snuggles and stuff. Cockatiels are very cuddly birbs, and very clingy a lot of the time.

CLEANING:

They poop. A lot. Between every five to thirty minutes, depending on how recently they've eaten. You'll want to buy cleaning products specifically made for pets, and there's a few specifically to clean bird poop. You don't want to use anything, cleaning or otherwise, with strong fumes. This includes things like candles and incense. You can't train them not to poop, or only poop in a certain spot because they can't hold it in, so don't even bother. They also make a mess when eating, so you'll need to vacuum/sweep around the cage on a daily basis. Newspaper should be set at the bottom of the cage and changed every few days. There's a few alternatives, but I find newspaper to be the best because the cockatiel can actually stand on it, they can shred it, and it doesn't harm them. They also produce a lot of dust. Not as much as cockatoos, but a lot. It's not so much of a problem, but you need to be aware of it. They also molt a few times a year, so don't worry about that unless they're like, dropping all their feathers and new ones aren't growing back or something.

This is a lot more than the local vetenerian told me! Thank you i want to make sure their comfotable cuz they are still pretty scared of other humans.

Thanks for the help!!