#so preservation breeders

[littlegalerion]

Listen...I have a young niece in the house every other day, and it's her favorite show. So naturally the show hooked it's claws into my husband and I, and yeah it's as good as people said.

Instead of more Elder Scrolls Art, take some Bluey art I guess, of my husband and I as dogs.

Both German Shepherds, as it just makes sense, given our plans for the Homestead, plus my husband's family are retired, reputable German Shepherd breeders.

⚠️ "Panda" or "Piebald" German Shepherds should NOT be bred! ⚠️

I am a "Panda" German Shepherd due to DARK HUMOR ALONE, as I have quite a few medical issues and dogs bred out of standard, like a "Panda" Shepherd, are more at risk of medical issues.

My husband is a standard Black and Tan, American work line German Shepherd Dog.

[doberbutts]

Is the high level of inbreeding in dobes more because "undesirable" traits are common so those dogs get weeded out (whether actual bad things or just not fitting the breed spec), a small number of breeders having the monopoly, or because they are all related anyway so there's no way of avoiding it without an outcross program? Is something like the Doberman Preservation ​Project a realistic future for the breed?

The doberman breed is in the current shape its in due to multiple genetic bottlenecks- some simple stupid breeding decisions and others due to active war zones and the consequences of wars- paired with people who are stubbornly refusing to even try to make it better because they have convinced themselves that what they're doing is right.

Fenris is my lowest COI dobe to date [23% iirc] and while not the lowest I've seen in the breed [19%], still a huge improvement over to 50-60% breed average. But people have argued again and again that lowering COI means making breeding decisions that produce inferior dogs, and so many refuse to even consider it as a possibility.

(For non-dog people, COI is coefficient of inbreeding, and it is a look at the numbers behind how inbred a population is. You want as low of a number as possible. 25% is equal to immediate siblings. Ideally we'd want single digit numbers, with anything over 10% being a major problem to fix. To compare, my chihuahuas are something like 6% (Fae) and 0.02% (Tater). Sushi is a direct line breeding aunt-to-nephew so she's up in the 40s.)

(It doesn't necessarily mean a dog is immune to genetic predisposition to bad health, as evidenced by Tater's CM diagnosis, however it does seem to correlate directly with longevity and likelihood of developing these problems, meaning Tater unfortunately just lost the genetic lottery)

In other words, it is certainly possible to reduce the COI of the breed by HALF with smart breeding decisions, and people are plugging their ears going LA LA LA LA I CAN'T HEAR YOU because it means actually going out and looking past the popular sires and taking a chance on a dog that might not be your exact type but will still improve the next generation. This is not just a show line problem because I spend the majority of my time with working line dobes and working dobe people and this is an incredibly annoying problem there too. Fenris himself has popular sires in his pedigree, both the show half and the working half, so it is demonstratably very difficult to avoid.

I do think a well executed outcross project is needed, however... the problem I have is that the current proposed projects all suck. There's not a lot of direction outside of throwing things into the pot and seeing what sticks, and a lot of the resulting dogs quite frankly aren't what doberman people would be looking for anyway. Farm collies? Bulldogs? Bullies? Carolina dogs? Border collies? Pyrs? Why??? None of these are going to make a dog that has the temperament that draws people to this breed.

There are. A bunch of breeders who are waiting for an outcross project that actually makes sense. They've even posted in various outcrops groups that they would support a project if it had certain specifications. Many have said, get yourself a nice female and title her out in a bite sport and do all the doberman health testing even if she's not a doberman and we'd be interested in contributing semen. The response almost invariably has been "but I don't want a protective dog". Then what are you doing in a DOBERMAN project??? So of course the chief complaint is that most of these projects are not looking to make dobermans, they're looking to make their own breed and just have a doberman paint job. Well, sorry, but most involved doberman people want a DOBERMAN, not just a dog that looks like one. This is the only AKC recognized breed with the sole function of personal protection. They are protective dogs. Either accept that, or get interested in a different breed.

I have heard increasingly concerning things regarding the temperament of the doberman diversity project dogs, which does not surprise me unfortunately as none of these dogs are in any way sourced from dogs with verifiable correct temperament. What do you get when you cross a Craigslist Corso with a Craigslist doberman? Well the first generation might be okay for people who want pets but apparently the ones that have worked in protection are awful at it. Same with the malinois crosses- of course, you took a lukewarm malinois and bred it to a z-list doberman and you're surprised that you got a bunch of lukewarm at best pet dogs.

I think the only project I solidly am somewhat interested in is the bandog cross, and that cross works just fine but then of course it does because in that country, bandogs are exclusively military, police, and security dogs, and she bred it to a igp3 doberman. Unfortunately the doberman died before his 10th birthday, so now we're all waiting to see what happens with his progeny.

[fatkish]

Breeder Bakugou x Puppy Hybrid Reader

Breeder Bakugou loves his cute little puppy hybrid. You’re his dumb little pup. You’re a real lap dog and as much as he denies it, he loves sitting you on his lap and making you cream yourself. He loves the way your tail wags whenever you cum and whenever you see him. He can be rough and spank your ass and your tail will wag as you moan and whimper. He loves the way your tight little hole squeezes him and milks him. He has you well trained. At night, he sleeps with himself buried in your puppy cunt. Or puppy bussy.

He’s got you trained to wake him up by sucking him off every morning. He gives you fresh ‘cream’ every morning after you wake him up. Grabing your chin and making sure you swallow every drop of his precious spend. He’ll pinch your nipples as you’re on your hands and knees hunched over and presenting for him. He loves the way your cute little tongue sticks out as he thrusts and pistons deep into you. When you howl he knows he’s hit that spot just right and will bully that spot, pummeling it with every rut and thrust. When you’re in heat, he takes every measure to make sure your properly bred and will be giving him pups. He’ll make sure your hips are at a tilted angle and he’ll use plugs to keep his cum inside you.

When you’re finally with pups he’s so happy. He’s rubbing your tummy and fucking you silly every night when you beg him to. In the morning he makes sure to give your ass a good old slap and makes breakfast for you. When you start to lactate, he’s ready with the pumps and makes sure to collect every last drop. He’ll hook your sensitive nipples up to the machine as it sucks the milk out of you. While your hooked up, he’ll swat your hands away from the machine’s pumps when you try to detach them. If you continue them he’ll swat your ass. He makes sure to preserve the bottles of your precious milk and drinks some himself.

When you finally go into labor, he’s by your side helping you through it. Each pup you birth earns you plenty of scratches behind your ears and plenty of praise. He moves each pup to your over sensitive nipples as they latch on for their first meal. Once each pup has their fill, he removes them and rotates the next one to your nipple ensuring every puppy gets their fill of milk. After the pups are asleep he’ll help you clean up. Once the pups are ready and have found their new forever homes, he’s ready to do it all over again

[dark-konohagakure2]

I just read your sexually abusive bf sasuke post and oml that made me feel smth. I was wondering if you could write something like that for Madara, Indra or kawaki. Please feel free to just do one of them, no need to do all unless you want to :) I hope you have a great day loves 🫶🫶

tw: noncon, abusive relationships, misogyny, age difference, breeding, dehumanization, neglect, possessiveness, emotional abuse

All characters depicted are 18+

Madara doesn't have a girlfriend or lover, he has a novelty, a womb with legs, a breeder. Nothing more nothing less. She is so far beneath him that he might as well be a superior species to her, and he treats her accordingly.

He rarely spends any time with her, having a myriad of more important things to attend to aside from humoring the worthless affections of some silly lass, but when he is around her, he isn't very pleasant to say the least, figuratively and literally keeping her at arms length unless he wants a certain something from her, that something being the only thing he ever wants from her, the only reason he keeps her around.

Being the head of the Uchiha clan, he's almost always either out on the battlefield or training himself half to death for his next battle, so Madara gets very worked up and stressed, and when he's pent up, all Madara wants to do is squeeze his favorite stress toy until she pops.

Her consent and feelings are less than irrelevant to Madara, she is his property, and that means he is allowed to do whatever he wants with her, including but not limited to filling her up with his offspring.

"Stop moving so much, you mewling quim. You're just a tool to me, and tools don't cry and struggle against their owners..."

On the rare occasion that he puts aside time for her, that time will be spend either degrading her, trying to impregnate her, or both at the same time. He'll spend hours on top of her and bullying her poor womb with with his cock, not stopping until he is absolutely certain that he's successfully knocked her up.

If Madara ever does take her out on a 'date', it'll only be after much pestering from her and for the sole purpose of showing off his property to the less fortunate men of the village. He'll keep his hands on her to make sure she doesn't wander off like a wayward child, whether it be an arm around her waist or shoulder or even a hand gripping her ass, signalling to everyone that she's Madara's bitch.

Despite his habit of showing her off, Madara doesn't let her around anybody besides himself, not even letting her near people trusted by him such as Izuna and Hashirama, it isn't because he doesn't trust them, it's because he doesn't trust her. She was a lowly stray slut before he so graciously tamed her, and once a slut always a slut.

If she ever dares to try and leave him, be it due to falling out of love or just plain old self preservation, Madara won't physically stop her at first, instead he'll attack her with his words, picking at her insecurities and keeping her in line with his words better than any fist ever could.

"You want to leave me? Fine then, go back to being an unloved little harlot, see if I care. You don't deserve all of my love and care anyway..."

Madara isn't a bad boyfriend to her at all, because he doesn't even consider himself to be her boyfriend at all, he's her handler, and she's just an unruly mutt who needs him far more than he needs her.

tw: noncon, abuse, power imbalance, master/pet, degradation, possessiveness, collars

Indra isn't as cruel as his reincarnation, but he's still very cold, and views herself as being far above a pitiful little human like her, he sees her as a pet, a pet he takes care of, but still a pathetic little kitten regardless.

He doesn't start off too bad, while he's still possessive and forceful, he still dotes on his pet in his own distant way, petting her hair and graciously forcing allowing her to sit on his lap, and he'll even gift her a lovely collar that symbolizes their strange union. Although the peace won't last very long...

When his father unexpectedly makes Asura the head of the clan instead of him like he had anticipated, Indra is enraged, believing that his dimwitted younger brother has stolen his rightful position out from under him, and he is in dire need of someone to take his anger out on.

Indra's sudden turn from coldness to red hot anger is as jarring as it is terrifying, his Sharingan glowing a bright ruby color as he holds her down, his face etched into a scowl as he forces her to bare the brunt of his fury.

"Don't resist me, stupid girl. You're my pet and it's your job to keep me happy, and I am the furthest thing from happy in this moment, so do your job, now."

After that day any semblance of fondness that Indra had for her is seemingly gone. He still keeps her around, but he no longer pats her head or acts affectionately, instead yanking on her leash harshly whenever he wants her close and forcing her to service his erection whenever the urge strikes him.

He doesn't let her out of his sight either, Indra doesn't want her to be around anyone except for him, especially not wanting her near his father or that damn Asura. She's like a consolation prize for him in a way, Asura might have gotten the position of their father's succesor, but Indra got the most perfect toy in the world.

Indra also won't be as forgiving of disobedience from her as he used to be, in the past he would simply lecture her or give her a slap on the wrist if she went against him, but now if she steps out of line his punishments will be much more swift and brutal, be it a slap across the face or a harsh face-fucking.

If she ever tries telling him that she wants to leave him, Indra will show some mirth for the first time in a while by laughing at her, although it's more of a mocking laugh than a happy one, letting her know that leaving him isn't an option for her.

"You're leaving? Oh how funny, but you seem to have forgotten something, little one. I own you, and you are never leaving me unless it's in a casket."

Indra is nothing short of cruel towards her, but the Otsutsuki doesn't see it that way, he truly believes that the way he treats her is justified because he loves her, because he owns her, and that means he can do whatever he wants with her.

tw: noncon, abuse, threats, semi-public sex, possessiveness, jealousy, victim blaming, noncon kissing

Kawaki actually makes a semblance of an effort to be an actual boyfriend, but he doesn't fully understand how to be one, he thinks that being someone's boyfriend just means having someone he can kiss and order around and nothing more, so that's how he approaches it.

He doesn't try to be mean, but she's always pushing his buttons, trying to hang out with other people that aren't him and not putting out for him, so he sees ever instance of her raising his hand or berates her as completely justified, she's being a bad girlfriend.

Despite how he acts, he doesn't hate her, but she's just so annoying and ungrateful, hardly worthy of all the love he's pouring into her, but he does love her quite a bit, but he isn't able to express those feelings without force and violence due to her tumultuous past.

His gruff disposition will give way to anger when he sees her talking to other men, Kawaki is paranoid when it comes to the people he claims to love, and seeing his girlfriend talking to other guys when she already has him just amplifies these feelings. Why does she always have to be such a bitch? Such a bad, bad girlfriend?

"Who the hell was that? Do you like him more than me? Huh?! If you really love me so much then stop being so damn cold to me and prove it for once.

Kawaki will take her right then and there. She doesn't love him enough to put out, he'll just take what he wants. Fucking is what boyfriends and girlfriends who love each other do, and he's going to fuck her extra hard so she can feel the full depth of his feelings for her.

He's incredibly rough out of both anger and inexperience, he'll try to make up for his harshness in a way by kissing her, but Kawaki is a bad kisser too, his teeth slamming against hers as he presses his lips onto her own, nearly choking her when he forces his tongue down her throat, his bad kissing just makes the entire experience worse for her rather than acting as a band aid solution to his harsh thrusts.

After their 'first time', Kawaki takes that as meaning that their relationship is good and healthy again. Couples are supposed to kiss and have sex all the time, that's the entire point, so he has no idea why she's crying. Maybe she's just shy, or maybe she's just trying to play the victim and make him feel like a bad partner.

Kawaki won't take her seriously if she says she wants to break up, dismissing her words as stupid empty threats, but if she persists, he'll get mad, threatening her with a fate worse than death if she talks like that ever again.

"What?! Leaving me?! Pssh, don't be stupid, if you talk that nonsense again then I'll just send you to the same place I sent Lord Seventh..."

Kawaki doesn't try to be a mean boyfriend, but his intentions don't match his actions in the slightest, but he still tries to justify it regardless, he's trying to be nice, but she just makes it so hard for him.

[bigtedbear]

“ 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐧 “

𝐩𝐫𝗼𝗺𝐩𝐭: 𝐡𝐮𝐬𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐝! 𝐧𝐞𝐮𝐯𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐟𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝗼𝐫𝗺𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐧𝐞𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐡𝐮𝐬𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐝’𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝗺𝐞𝐚𝐧𝗼𝐫 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞

Content warnings: SFW, hurt/comfort, domestic arguments, arranged marriage, dubcon to said marriage, misunderstood feelings, brief mentions of gore??? (description of grievous bodily injury)

" welcome back caller 🪷! connecting your line as we speak! "

" new contact noted! caller 𝚗𝚎𝚞𝚟𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚎 has been added to your phonebook! - love, 𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑜𝑟 𝑡-19 “

The night was clear, the moon radiant and seemingly beaming down upon the newly weds with a special smile embedded in it's waxing reflection.

It was a stark contrast to your own inner turmoil.

Perhaps you were resentful it was only your genetics that had landed you here. Maybe it was the dangling expectations that loomed overhead. But in all reality, you knew what bothered you. It was not Neuvillette nor was it the marriage. It was how quickly you were tossed to the wolves when "the greater good" became involved.

You had been previously described as invaluable to your family, a proud line of draconic warriors and protectors. Despite this, they seemed to eager to sell you off to Fontaine's Archon in the pursuit of preserving your species. It was utterly dehumanizing.

It wasn't as though you had any warning from your supposed "family" either, no. You and your siblings had been lined up, looked over and then called into a room for closer inspection. The length of your tail, your horns, the potency of your venom, fuck, it felt like they might as well have counted each and every one of the scales that adorned your body.

Not only was it a complete violation in terms of your own physical autonomy, it was a complete violation of your trust in your parents. You believed them to be your advocates, your protectors, and yet they were so eager to let a group of researchers poke and prod at you incessantly for hours on end.

Then, when it was decided you were the most physically and psychologically compatible with your to-be-husband, they were quick to pack you up and ship you off.

There were no warm, heart-felt, teary goodbyes. You were left to mourn your quiet life in the countryside of Fontaine to be sent crash-landing straight into the heart of a court of ruthless nobles by yourself. Sure, your siblings cried for you, but they weren't allowed to witness your departure. You were given a stern handshake from your father, a pair of kisses on each cheek from your mother, and a 'make us proud'.

You knew they were not affectionate people, but would they not shed a tear for their only son being sent to be picked and prodded at by rich snobs that could care less about your circumstances? Were they really so unfeeling they viewed you as some kind of transactional bargaining chip? Did your mother and father hate you so much they could view you as some kind of breeding mare only meant to take the yoke of carrying on your bloodline?

The elegant luxury that was your new bed stared back at you. The clean, pristine white sheets mocked you. The deep blue pillowcases and bedding only further drove a special hatred into your heart, reminded of your captor and the other unfortunate breeder that'd been tasked to settle down with you.

Everything felt unnaturally cold in the capital. There were so many rules and unspoken expectations in the form of social etiquette and manners it brought a familiar whirlpool of despair to your cranium the longer you thought about it.

It was just under a year ago you'd been plucked from your home; a year ago you would've been in a smaller, warmer bed surrounded by your loved ones. You didn't always have a full stomach, but the emptiness in your stomach was filled with the overflowing zest for life in your heart.

Every morning, you would wake up to your younger siblings climbing all over you and your bed. They'd demand you take them somewhere fun today, like you always did. You would brush your little sisters off with a laugh and tell them you were busy. Still, you'd let them drag you off to the bathrooms, where both of your older sisters would already be getting ready to start their house chores.

You'd braid your younger sisters' hair gingerly, pick them up off the stool in front of the mirror, twirl them around and shoo them off to have breakfast so you could get ready to tend to your family fields.

Swapped out with the tender love shared by family was a strict, punishing hand attached to a stricter etiquette instructor that seemed hellbent on breaking you into a perfect little house husband. Of course, your proud nature certainly didn't buckle to their whims, and they instead settled on making sure you wouldn't be an embarrassment.

Speaking of your future husband, you heard his careful steps towards the bed resound from behind you. He stopped just a few paces short of your figure, clearly sensing your disdain for the room and everyone in it.

"Is something the matter?"

Your lips pressed into a tight line, tail laying glumly on the intricately dyed carpet. The room was too large yet too small all at once. You wanted your space, yes, but you wanted to be embraced with that comfortable warmth again.

You wanted nothing more than to go home with one of your sisters tucked into your side and a storybook pushed into your bone-tired hands. You wanted nothing more than for your stomach to growl in the middle of the night with hunger pangs, knowing you went without so your siblings could grow tall and strong.

You wanted to throw up all the food you ate during the reception, erase the memories entirely, and run back to the countryside. You wanted to be free of the piercing stares, the dismissive shakes of the head when you panicked and forgot which fork to use for your salad.

Instead of trying to reason with your new husband, you gave a tired huff and went to sit down on your side of the bed. The plush material gave way to your body as your eyes scanned over your side of the bedroom. There was a small desk in the corner, but besides that it was largely barren.

In comparison, Neuvillette's side of the room seemed a little bit too cramped. You reasoned he was used to having the room to himself, he most likely had to clear all his belongings to one side in preparation for your arrival.

You hated that the transition to married life was easy for him.

He got to move all his stuff to one side, get used to sharing a bed at night, and wear a ring on his finger.

He knew nothing of your suffering.

Yet, curiously he followed after you, though he moved to his own area. The deafening silence caused your ears to ring, but you could care less. Eventually he, too, sighed when he sunk into the welcoming give of the mattress. He laid down quietly, keeping his distance.

"Goodnight, Husband."

The next morning, you were gone before the sun rose. Despite Neuvillette himself being an early riser, you seemed to have put him to shame with just how eager you were to leave your shared bedroom. He learned later that you busied yourself with the inner workings of the social sector.

It would be helpful to you, at the very least, to get used to socializing in a much more formal setting than you were likely used to. Still, he worried for you and how you would hold against the societal pressure that came with being married to the seemingly untouchable Iudex.

Despite your hatred for the socialites and the nobles of the court, the day you spent out quickly earned you a reputation as a "Cute Countryman", focused on chivalry and being as respectful as possible. It was laughable, really. Had they taken a moment to really think about it, they would've realized you were being respectful because you had no interest in learning about them on any kind of deeper level. Your eldest sister would've said they missed the forest for the trees.

You did find, however, a handful of nobles that were less than concerned with their public appearances. Specifically, her name was Navia, and you were happy to accompany her and the Spina de Rosula in their endeavors. In fact, this was what you busied yourself with most of the time. In the process, your name largely became synonymous with the organization and their influence throughout Poisson.

It wasn't much, you realized. But, the constant younger feminine presence brought a comfort to the gaping wounds in your heart. Spending much of your time with Navia started a few rumors throughout the Court, but they were quickly dismissed when a few prying eyes discovered you had plenty of sisters in your previous life.

About a month after your wedding, the matters of the Spina de Rosula managed to keep you late into the night and into the early hours of the morning.

As you returned home, you lamented the heavy downpour soaking your equally heavy suit and the extra cold that racked through your reptilian body. The moment you'd stepped through the doors of the Palais Mermonia, you were inundated with attendants pawing at your jacket to strip it off of you. You were quickly offered a towel, your belongings were whisked away from you, and in this little whirlwind, you were pushed towards the residential wing.

Despite having lived in the Court of Fontaine for just over a year, you would never become accustomed to the feeling of others in your personal space. It felt just as invasive as when the men in their fancy jackets came and measured you and your older sisters up and down, left, right, sideways and horizontal.

You stalked through the long hallway down to your marital chambers. You made a quick stop in your closet, changing out of your soaked street clothing and into something more palatable. The soft hug of the silk pajamas was comforting, but off putting in a way. It was as though you were a formerly feral cat now being domesticated. You hated the idea of surrendering yourself to the comforts of luxury, surrendering your dignity to become a loving little house husband. You would be provided for, more than comfortable, but that wouldn't stop you from longing for the outdoors.

You dried your hair off with the towel the staff at the door had provided you with, being extra careful to not be too rough with the horns. You tilted your head side to side to get the remaining rainwater out of your ears before stepping through the door that connected your dressing chambers with your sleeping chambers.

The room was quiet, and yet the lamplights had remained switched on. Soft snores were emanating from the man on his side of the bed, but he was still sitting up, propped on the headboard with more documents strewn across his lap.

You realized bitterly that he'd tried to wait up for you, ensure your safe arrival home. You hated the soft fondness that coursed through your bloodstream. You hated it just as much as you hated your inability to harbor any ill will towards Neuvillette.

The man had been nothing short of a gentleman to you the moment you walked down the aisle. The short kiss at the altar had been sweet, to the point, and he let you control it's duration. He let you take his hand and lead him back down the aisle and to the reception venue. He hadn't fussed in the face of your silence when the two of you got home, he hadn't complained that you never made yourself available to his various invitations for lunch.

You should've been appreciative of his attempts to make you comfortable, but you couldn't bring yourself to. If anything, you wanted him to be some selfish, evil, brutish older man that took advantage of you just like all the others. You wanted, desperately, for a reason to hate him like you hated all that declared themselves followers of Focalors.

But you simply couldn't.

Your pride wouldn't allow you to love him as your husband, but it also prevented you from hating him without reason.

In the end, he was a victim of this marriage as much as you were. He had not been the one to make these arrangements, he hadn't been the one to order those men into your home or the one that deemed you the most compatible with himself. He could've been sleeping beside another who returned his affections in full, someone who could love him unabashedly. Perhaps your older sisters would've been more skilled in navigating their inner turmoil. But you were not your kind, intelligent, and endlessly patient older sisters.

You had been a farmer, you had been an older brother, but just as quickly as you learned to love those titles they'd been stripped away from you in the span of mere hours.

You were a husband now, a noble.

You let your hatred for those titles consume you, but only for a moment. You wanted to throw your towel at him harshly to wake him up, to yell and scream at him for hurting you, but you knew you had no right. The very second you took a moment to gaze upon his unconscious serenity, you felt your resolve crack and shatter again.

So, instead you took to carefully plucking each paper off of his lap carefully, commandeering his quill from his dominant hand and gently laying them out for him on his desk. The amount of domesticity that coursed through made you feel indignant and pathetic, but for all the care he showed you, you could put your pride aside to do this one small thing for him.

You did your best to lay out the papers in the order you'd remembered them sprawled out on the bedspread. Afterwards, you very gently positioned him to rest and turned out the lights.

Despite the man laying asleep next to you and the ache of fatigue taking over your mind, you seemed to be unable to quiet the various conflicts taking place in the recesses of your consciousness.

If you continued to stay beside Neuvillette, how long would it be until you folded?

"Is he in the gardens?"

Neuvillette carefully adjusted his cravat, violet eyes gazing off into the expanse of greenery behind the Palais Mermonia. As of late, you had been avoiding him in his entirety.

Even on nights you didn't happen to be busy, you would be out and about. He'd grown tired of trying to wait up for you to return home. However, Fontaine was enjoying an extra long rainy season.

Formerly, you would be the one waiting for him to return home. You would be in bed, book in your lap, head beginning to droop. The two of you would exchange pleasantries while he would ready himself for bed. Every single night, you would wait for him to be tucked into bed before you would allow yourself to lay down. It had been endearing, cute even.

He knew it would difficult for you to settle into life married to him. He wanted to give you ample time and space to get used to it, but each and every day there was an ache in his heart when you continued to ignore him, refuse to acknowledge him.

He would fall asleep before you got home and then you would be gone early in the morning. Despite his hurt, he worried for your sleep schedule. Surely, your energy was suffering and you were most likely fatigued throughout the day. As your husband, one of his many duties was to ensure your health and happiness.

He was tired, in all honesty. He didn't care if you continued to be cold to him, as long as you would actually be there. The two of you might not have had the most conventional romance, but Neuvillette still found himself craving some kind of acknowledgement. You didn't need to love him, to be nice to him even, as long as you would be there for him again.

"His grace is currently enjoying tea at the pavilion, would you like this servant to announce your presence?"

The Iudex raised his hand dismissively, "There's no need for that. Please, allow us some alone time."

With a curt bow and a pivot of the foot, the attendant was heading back inside the residential wing of the Palais. This left you and the hydro dragon sovereign alone in the gardens.

Carefully, quietly, he paced towards the far end of the property towards the pavilion. His hands balled into clammy fists by his side. Normally, he was calm and reserved, and yet you managed to knock him off of his usually steady feet. He did his best to relax, flexing and unflexing his fingers.

Soon enough, he was greeted with the back of your lovely figure. Long elk-line horns reaching towards the sky, draconic tail brushed to the side to squeeze underneath an armrest so it could come to rest on the concrete behind your plush seat. It swept back and forth as you took in the scenery.

Even though his steps were nearly silent, the barely audible 'swish, swish' of your tail came to a halt. Before he could speak, there was a small clink of the highest quality porcelain money could buy meeting porcelain. You threw a negligible glance over your shoulder.

Even in what was your act of defiance against him, he couldn't help but allow his breath to catch in his throat at the sight of your countenance. Your eyes met with the same familiar silver violet hue, a small huff passing your nostrils before you turned your attention back to the array of pastries and the half-empty kettle of tea.

He tried to speak, but found his throat unbearably dry. Quickly, he cleared it, trying to formulate some kind of greeting in his mind. His mouth opened and shut a few times before he managed to stammer out, "Would you care if I joined you?"

He experimentally stepped in closer, hands coming to rest on the back of your chair. He took in the annoying twitch of your tail smacking against his shin, feeling his heart sink when he watched you stand from your chair. "There's no need. If you wish to enjoy time in the gardens, I won't bother you."

"Ah, but I see you haven't yet finished your own time in the pavilion." He pushed tentatively, gloved hands tensing on the wooden frame of where you'd been perched previously. Your tail carefully untangled itself from the arm of the chair. He noted your expression, examining it thoughtfully.

"If you wish to take my spot, I don't see a need, frankly." You crossed your arms across your chest, completely abandoning the pleasant shine of the sun on your skin and the half-eaten sweets on your plate.

His pressed into a line, considering his words carefully. Clouds began to circle overhead, blotting out the sweet radiance of Celestia in all of their haste. "Perhaps I wanted to share some time with you in the sun, would that be too much to ask?"

He'd meant it genuinely, but as soon as your lips turned downward into a frown, he knew he'd chosen his words wrong. "I am not your plaything, Monsieur. If you'll excuse me, I have much more pressing matters to attend to."

You went to turn on your heel, walk back into your shared home, but he interrupted you, "Wait-"

Your eyes shut indignantly, you took a deep breath through your nose before letting it out in the sound of a sigh. You turned back towards him, "What is it?"

You could sense the remorse brewing in his tone. You also took note of the light drizzle beginning to settle in the garden. There went your plan to sunbathe from the comfort of your small study instead. "I hadn't meant to offend you or insinuate that you were some commodity to me, if I did so please allow me to extend my sincerest apologies."

You hated that your own pity circled in the pits of your stomach. You still had no reason to hate him, no reason to deny him your affections, and yet you couldn't bring yourself to let him in either. You hated him, you hated him and all of his sweetness. You hated him and the feeling of trust you'd built for him in your heart.

"No, Monsieur Neuvillette. You simply bore me." The moment the words tumbled from your lips, you automatically regretted it. However, you couldn't stop yourself from pressing him further. "You come home from work and expect me to be happy to see a tired, haggard shell of a proud sovereign. You allow humans to string you along and work for them when they could care less if you and your sorry little "cute countryman" of a husband dropped dead so long as another Iudex would take your place."

You turned again on your foot, each fat drop of water falling from the sky burning into your skin as you went to retreat from him entirely.

"You are pathetic, as such I don't wish to see you or spend time with you. In the future, do not seek me out."

About a year into your avoidance of him and this sad excuse of a marriage, Neuvillette was awoken in the night by a strangled scream.

Before he could process it was you who made the sound, he was overwhelmed with the noise of pitiful crying and the sensation of wetness pushed against the crook of his neck. He could tell you were doing your best not to shatter his eardrums with loud cries, your chest shaking with each heaving breath you took.

In your desperation, he realized, you'd thrown off your covers, shot up like a rocket and you were clinging onto him like he'd vanish if you'd taken your hands off of him for a mere second. One of your arms secured him snuggly into your chest by the waist, the other combing through beautifully silvery locks.

Groggily, he called out your name, stirring from his deep slumber. His arm rested on the one you'd draped around his abdomen, face flushing a pleasant pink from the sudden intimacy of your actions. "What on earth has you so frightened at such an ungodly hour?"

You didn't answer him, instead opting to press your nose further into his neck. Effectively hiding your face, you babbled nonsense noises into his skin, never full words or sentences, cut off syllables and hushed sobs. You hands raked across his scalp like a madman.

Despite the clear fear in each and every one of your incessant affection, Neuvillette couldn't help the soft purr that resounded from the back of his throat. He squirmed in your grasp, moving so his back wasn't pressed up against your chest, but instead the two of you lay face to face.

His own hands reached up to your scalp, sleepily toying with a few loose strands that stuck up around your rather large antler-like horns. In this position, he could properly see the harsh rise and fall of your chest, hyperventilating at some vision he hadn't been privy to. "What makes you so afraid, my dear?"

Usually, you would've scowled at his use of a petname, but instead, when he reached from your hair to your face to stroke some of your tears off your cheek you leaned into his hand. The tears fell faster from your eyes as your hand wrapped around his wrist like a vice. Your actions begged him to keep his hand there, to use his comforting touch to get rid of the horrible things that plagued your mind.

He could feel your sorrow begin to translate into his own tragedy, his heart cracking at the sight of someone usually so reserved and filled with hate turn into nothing more than a tall child. A tall child that clung unto him like a frightened baby would its mother. His sharp features softened as a light drizzle began to knock at the windows of the Palais Mermonia.

It was a few more minutes of quietly holding one another before you could finally clear your breath enough to speak, "N-Neuvillette," you cried, painfully tugging at his heart strings, "Forgive me, please, forgive me-" You cut yourself off as another sob racked your being.

He stayed silent for a moment, his fingers interlacing with your own shaky hands. "What are you talking about?"

You shook your head, knocking your forehead against his rather unceremoniously. "I-I have truly been so awful to you- so utterly horrible to the one person who has done nothing but love me and patiently wait for me." You pressed a devastatingly hungry kiss to his cheek.

"You've done no such thing," he reassured, giving your hand a gentle squeeze. His ears lit up an embarrassingly dark red hue. Still, it seemed his words were no help to the wounds upon your aching heart.

"I don't care, if I must- If I must, I'll use the rest of my pitiful life to make it up to you, I don't ever want you to have a day that goes by where you don't know how much I appreciate you-" You sniffled against the skin of his cheek. "You deserved so much better than my hateful words and avoidance. The only thing I haven't done to you is lay my hands on you. Archons, I could never even begin to think-"

He called your name again, soft against your face, his teasingly airy laugh cut through the frigid air of the bedroom, "What horrors must you have seen to have changed your mind this quickly?"

Your face flustered a pink of your own, "Don't laugh at me! This is serious!" Even through the obvious annoyance in your throat, a certain sadness plucked at Neuvillette's heart in accordance with the quaking tremble in your tone.

He apologized to you with a soft kiss on the cheek, tentatively pushing the boundaries that had previously been established in your relationship. To his own surprise, you let out a content hum and settled against his figure again. "I apologize, but you must understand me."

You nodded, nuzzling a hand further into his palm, removing your grip from his wrist to wrap around his waist again. Despite the appeasement radiating from your body language, your voice was still huffy in it's response, "Of course, I understand you." You tugged him ever closer to yourself, scooting around to rest your head against his chest.

The sound of his heartbeat acting an impromptu lullaby as your eyes glided shut. His thumb caressed your cheek with an unspoken softness as he stared down at the tear tracks staining your beautiful features. Still, even in your sadness, your clear adoration of the man in your grasp shone through.

It was enough to make the the steadfast Iudex begin to crumble, suddenly taken with just how intimate the moment was between a formerly touch repulsed man and his longing husband.

You were curled up, just about wrapped around him like a blanket. You clouded every one of his senses, he could tell that he clouded a majority of your own in turn. What terrible thing did you see that caused your hatred for him to wilt like an aged rose? To bloom again as a newfound love and devotion to him?

He wondered to himself if he would ever find out.

But for now, he could enjoy the quiet and nervous, but also bold and blind reach for his affections.

The rain quieted to a stop outside of the window, the clouds beginning to sail across the soft winds. He twirled a lock of your hair around his finger, relishing the further slump of your body against his own.

You practically melted into him, your tail coming up to ghost around his shin. The small hairs on the end of it tickled just the slightest bit, prompting a loving smile to adorn his features. Against the crown of your head, he pressed his lips again. Then again as you finally wrapped your extra appendage around his leg.

It might not have meant much to Neuvillette, the lowering of your defenses in such a vulnerable display of your inner workings. But, his quiet comfort and understanding meant the world to you.

And so, before you allowed yourself to drift back to sleep, you promised to cherish him properly this time around.

There was a quiet rap on his door before your horns peeked from behind it, followed shortly by your face.

Yes, the night before had been nice, you had been through something rough, but he hadn't exactly expected the changes to be instantaneous. You had harbored a deep seated hatred for him for so long, it seemed as though you were a new person the next morning when he woke up to you still curled up around him.

He'd dismissed that as something unimportant, most likely the result of terrible sleep. Not to mention, your sleep schedule had always been much worse off than his own. Keeping this in mind, he snaked his way out of bed and gave you a kiss on the forehead before he made his way to your shared closet.

He pulled on his expensive suit, and, as usual, he skipped breakfast in the residential suite to get straight to work. He would have breakfast brought in later. Imagine his surprise when you were the one to turn up at his door, still in your pajamas, breakfast in hand.

You had the small cart loaded to the brim with his favorites, things he hadn't known you'd noticed. There was a kettle of tea and two cups perched on top of the precarious tower of breakfast luxuries. He found comfort in the fact you looked well-rested and eager.

"What are you doing here?"

You yawned, arching your back upward to get a good stretch in. It was apparent you'd just barely woken up before suddenly deciding to treat him. "Is it really so strange for me to bring you breakfast?"

He hummed, contemplatively, "I suppose it wouldn't be in any other circumstances, but I didn't know you were aware of my office's location. You certainly haven't visited me before."

You waved off his concern with your hand dismissively, yawning into your palm again. You pushed the cart towards his desk, towering over him from behind as you laid one of the two porcelain cups on the table. You poured him a cup before you retreated to seat yourself in a chair in front of his desk. "Even if I don't visit, it isn't strange that I know the layout of my own home."

He nodded again, letting the scent of tea waft up his nose. He noted your much more casual demeanor when you poured your own glass. You settled on grabbing a pastry from the bottom of the stack, allowing yourself to eat casually around him. Usually, when the two of you were forced to share a meal at some kind of event or other, you were prim and proper to the point of being mechanical.

It was rare to see you so... relaxed.

The sun shining on your face from behind him, hair still tousled, pajamas loosely hanging onto your figure, and crumbs all over your face. It brought a special warmth to the pit of his stomach, even more so when his hand reached out for your face to gently dab away the remains of your snack from your lips.

Instead of insisting on doing it yourself, you pressed yourself into his awaiting hand and simply let him do as he pleased. He couldn't help the fond smile that stretched across his cheeks. Lowering his hand back to the table, he allowed himself to take in the sight of you, half-awake and eager to spend time with him.

Soon enough, the moment was over when you yawned again and stood up from your chair. You gestured towards the cart, "Your breakfast is served, I'll be back soon enough after I get changed."

His eyebrows raised, "You'll be back?"

You nodded, not really all that shocked at his surprise. "I've occupied much of my time with the workings of the Spina de Rosula, but I haven't a clue what happens in this office of yours. Surely, as your husband it's one of my duties to make sure you aren't overworking yourself."

His brows furrowed again, conflicted. He was happy to be in your company after so long alone, but he didn't know if he was the one dreaming now. Would this dream transition to a nightmare when you went back to the way you were before? Even with the sun beaming down on his back, he wondered whether or not the feeling was genuine the longer he stared at you.

Would he have to wake up and be greeted with the cold reality of your absence from the bed once again?

"I..." he closed his mouth, resting his quill against the table. "Are you sure you want to bore yourself with the paperwork? I'm sure there are more interesting things you can do with your day."

You huffed, "What could be more important than your health? Even if I'm not home when you get into bed, our attendants still notice when you come home later. Starting today, it will stop." You put your hands on your hips, scanning his written archives of cases. "Now, as much as I love lounging in my sleepwear, your place of work isn't exactly appropriate for that."

He didn't respond, more so trying to decipher this blooming dread at the pit of his stomach. He had finally gotten just an ounce of attention from you, but he still feared the worst. When you realized your nightmare was just a silly little vision conjured up by your imagination, would you continue to ignore him?

Should he bother trying to enjoy this time? To get attached again? Would he be able to bear it if you were to sever the tie with more hurtful words and venom that dripped from your lips like honey?

Just as you went to walk away from him and towards the door to his office, he called your name. He hadn't really thought through what he wanted to say, but he did, however, know he wanted to say something. As you turned to look at him, alert but confused all the same, he considered dismissing you entirely.

But there was this gnawing feeling in his gut that he desperately need to solve if he wanted to be able to focus on his work.

"You say that there is nothing more important to you than my health, but in the same vein, you worry me with such sudden changes. Please, when you return, can we discuss what happened last night before anything goes further?"

'I'd seen lifetimes ahead of us Neuvillette, lifetimes you could hardly imagine. I saw our beginning and I saw our end.'

"Neuvillette?" you called out blindly into the dark. The door to your bedroom was just slightly ajar, it allowed an eerie sliver of light to trail out into the large corridor of the residential wing. In your many years of marriage to the Iudex, he hadn't waiting up for you since the first year the two of you had been wed.

After all, he knew better.

Was this some kind of special occasion? You could only speculate as the many discrepancies in your routine began to swirl through your mind. There was nobody that had come to greet you at the door, nobody to take your belongings off your or rip your jacket off. There was nobody to usher you towards your shared bedroom.

Despite your lack of real status within Fontainian society, nobody would've dared to insult the Iudex's spouse so.

Had Neuvillette asked for them all to be cleared out for some kind of special dinner where it would be just the two of you in the home? That didn't make any sense either. Neither of you celebrated your birthdays, you didn't celebrate an anniversary, you often left on holidays. So what exactly was happening?

You called out again, your voice trembling, "Neuvillette, this isn't funny. What are you up to?"

Something was terribly wrong, you realized. Terribly, terribly wrong. You summoned your blade quietly at your side as you approached the door that was just barely open.

You regretted that you hadn't come home sooner.

The formerly blue and turquoise carpet had turned to an ugly shade of brown, some parts so saturated in crimson you could no longer see the patterns you often traced with your eyes when you were bored and home alone.

You froze, unable to really process what could be happening.

The first thought in your mind was that Neuvillette had murdered someone and expected you to be out long enough he could clean the mess.

But who would Neuvillette murder? He had no reason to dirty his hands when a man of his status had so many connections.

And so, you realized what had actually happened when your eyes trailed to source of the pooling liquid.

A blood-curdling scream ripped itself from your throat as you rushed forwards at the sight of your spouse all but decapitated on the floor. His beautiful, beautiful neck has been sliced so cleanly it was obvious to tell which side of the blade had been sharpened for combat. You reached desperately for him, despite knowing he was likely gone.

You pulled his limp body into your lap, your jaw agape as you struggled to comprehend what you were seeing. You used one hand to keep his head on his neck, the other holding his blood-stained face in a gentle caress.

Even in his death, he was lovely. The peace in his colorless eyes was telling as he succumbed to eternal rest. You were upset, yet you felt you had no right to be. The man had pined after you for decades and you couldn't so much as muster the ability to spend an anniversary with him, to come home an lay next to him in bed a reasonable hour.

You had never been there for him to wake up to, you had never been the one to take care of him when he was ill or weak. You had never responded to his desperate invitations for lunch nor had you ever spared a glance at his attempts to be romantic. You set the bouquets he sent to your study in a vase and you let them die when you couldn't be bothered to water or care for them.

Why was it you were so devestated?

You swore to yourself you would never love him, and yet you couldn't bring yourself to part from his body. Perhaps, if you held him together for long enough, he would revive and you would be able to nag him like you always did when he didn't take proper care of himself.

Behind the both of you, a tall man loomed. His silhouette was intimidating, but you couldn't be bothered to care when you were faced with the devastation of loss that shattered your heart. You only really cared to pay him any attention when he stepped in closer to the both of you.

"Don't you dare come any closer."

You snarled at him, clutching Neuvillette's corpse closer to your heart. You refused to look at him, but the intensity in your tone cause him to pause for just a moment.

It didn't last long, seeing as mere seconds later he continued to close in like a predator would prey. A mocking laugh slipped past his lips as he looked down upon the sorry scene. "Will you stop me? You already failed to protect your husband once."

You pressed a soft kiss to Neuvillette's forehead before you stood up on shaky legs to face his murderer. You were met with only one of his eyes before you pointed your blade at him. There was a black mask draped over the side of his face, painted in an electric blue that matched the iris you could see.

"I may have been unable to protect him, but that doesn't mean I am unable to protect what he sought to protect." Your blade made contact with his chest, daring you to make the move to kill him.

"What I am here to retrieve is none of your concern, perhaps you would be happier if it were in my care than that of Focalors." He wrapped his fingers around the point of your sword. "After all, she is the one that forced you into this predicament."

You made a quick move to jab the blade into his chest, watching the shock wash over his face, before he promptly raised his own blade. You pulled your weapon out of him, watching the blood pour from the wound before it miraculously closed up once again.

"What was once Neuvillette's duty is now my duty to protect in his absence, you will not leave with his gnosis, harbinger."

"I see."

Neuvillette held your hands in his own across his desk, rubbing the back of your hands with his gloved thumbs. You let the small action comfort you, letting out a soft sigh.

There was a small smile on your face as you continued on with your little story, "I'm proud to say that the two of us ended in a stalemate. I was much worse for wear, but ultimately, someone managed to scare the harbinger off. I later succumbed to injuries, but for a short moment, I felt as though I could die peacefully knowing I fulfilled the duty you could not."

Your husband hummed in response. "Is this why you are so insistent on making sure I know I am loved?"

You nodded quickly in response, "Precisely. In that moment, the moment I realized you were gone without so much as a farewell, it was only then I truly came to terms with how I felt about you." You gave his hands a light squeeze, "It was only when I was too late did I realize I would be able to love you without guilt."

The Iudex cleared his throat, trying to hide the pinkening of his cheeks with his fist. "I understand, but I fear that your visions of the future have answered the questions of our relationship, but raised more about the potential future of Fontaine. Eventually, someone will come to retrieve the gnosis, but now that you've chosen to change the course of history, will that also mean the future will also change?"

You pursed your lips carefully, "I don't know, Neuvillette. I fear I can't answer those questions myself. I only know what I did, what I saw, and what happened in that specific scenario."

He paused again, letting his fingertips fall back into your embrace, "This is... indeed troubling."

You shook your head, "The only thing I can promise you is that I will be by your side throughout it all. I'm afraid for if the time arises when I will once again be unable to protect you." You swallowed some spit down your throat, "To see you in such a state is a sight I will not forget for the rest of my life, nor will I forget it in every single lifetime that follows. I wouldn't be able to live with myself should something like that happen to you again."

He could see the vulnerable tears well up in your eyes once again, likely being confronted with the image of his headless body, cold in your arms. The rain that tickled the glass of his study picked up as he reached towards your face.

His fingertips cradled your jaw sweetly, his blank expression distorting into one of anguish. "Please don't cry, beloved, it only hurts the both of us."

You took his free hand in both of yours, squeezing it insistently. "You must promise me in this life, if nothing else, that you will live. You may not remember the years we spent together, but I do. Each and every memory between the two of us from my past life is one I will cherish forever, but I want to make new ones with you."

The rain on the window slowly began to dissipate as an awkward smile graced his features. "You can't expect me to be used to hearing you say these kinds of things, my dear. I hardly ever hear your voice and suddenly you're pouring your heart out to me. At least give me a moment to recover."

You wiped your own brewing tears away from your eyes, letting out a chuckle at his words. "Never."

He let out his own airy chortle. "And why wouldn't that be?"

You kissed the palm that rested on your cheek softly, tenderly. You let yourself bathe in the sight of a flustered Iudex as you smiled at him, truly and genuinely again. "I've held my tongue for far too long already, I can't stand to let my precious husband go on forever not knowing that he is the one I will treasure forever."

He tugged at his collar playfully, "I didn't take you to be a charmer."

Your smile widened, allowing your teeth to be put on full display, "Like I've told you time and time again, I must make up for lost time."

Neuvillette smiled back, though it was more dim, "What if I am not the same Neuvillette you remember?"

You shook your head, "Nonsense, don't think such strange things. If you aren't the same Neuvillette, I will simply have to fall in love with you all over again."

Quick as a whip, you stood from your seat across from him at his desk, looming over his chair as you leaned down and playfully pepper kisses on the exposed area of his neck just above his shirt collar.

He gave a hearty laugh, holding your face off of his neck after just a few short seconds, "Easy now, you've only just told me that you're willing to offer me your heart, aren't you being a little too forward?"

You smiled against his hands, pressing another kiss to his temple. "Do you not like it?"

He did his best to feign annoyance, but he wasn't fooling anyone, "That isn't what I said."

"Then must you be so suspicious of me? Let me shower my lover with kisses!"

He called your name, reprimanding you gently, "I thought you were supposed to be helping me with my work, Monsieur."

You sighed, "And now, you're the one being formal with me. Is my love not a good way to destress from your endless papers?"

Neuvillette was overwhelmed, but it was a good kind of overwhelmed. The kind that made his insides warm and fuzzy, the kind that made his face burn a bright red.

He squirmed under the pure adoration and determination in your eyes, but he chose to allow himself to succumb to your whims. "I suppose you're right."

With a triumphant smirk, the moment his hands loosened from the sides of your face, your lips were upon his exposed face in moments. Peppering each ridge and valley with the tender caress of your lips. You positively drank in his boisterous laughter.

You hadn't been able to give him the love he deserved before, but you were certain you would not fail in this lifetime.

You told him that no matter how much he changed from your previous incarnation, you would fall in love with him. The only thing left was for you to get him to fall in love with you.

Not only in this life, but every life time that would follow it.

there's a note on the side of the phone booth, read it?

" thank you francis forever by mitski we all say in unison "

THIS IS A REPOSTED WORK FROM MY ORIGINAL ACCOUNT BEFORE IT CRAPPED AND DIED ON ME

I USED TO BE FOUND AT @steadybear

I FEAR YOU WILL HAVE TO DEAL WITH SEEING @bigtedbear INSTEAD FROM NOW ON

Part 2 here: " l'amour de ma vie "

[felinefractious]

Is there anything ethically wrong with breeding cats of colors that don't fit the breed standard? Are there usually reasons (like related health problems) that cause certain colors to be excluded from a breed? :0

It depends.

A major point of controversy in the Maine Coon fancy right now is the subject of dominant blue eyed cats. The breed standard considers blue or odd eyes to be a disqualifying fault with the exception of white or high white cats.

We now know that the dominant blue eye gene referred to as Rociri Elvis (DBE-RE) is associated with deafness and other physiological changes (which are also off standard) similar to Waardenburg syndrome in humans.

Unfortunately this gene seems to be the most common one found in DBE Maine Coon lines, although there are a smaller number of breeders working with unrelated genes - some of which haven’t been fully explored, yet.

So in this case yes, there is a health issue associated with an off standard trait which is exactly what those in opposition of blue-eyed Maine Coon’s from the start were concerned about.

In this case breeding off standard colors - honestly, the entire hypertype is contradictory to standard but I digress - is the cherry on top for an all around bad breeder.

It is especially concerning to see the breeder working with the colorpoint pattern specifically because we know pointed cats are prone to vision issues such as nystagmus and strabismus and thus require very careful, conscientious breeding to avoid.

Additionally these variant cats are labeled as Maine Coon mixes on their pedigrees but if you trace the pedigree back it doesn’t tell you what that other breed is, the data is omitted missing.

There are other situations where someone may produce off standard cats where it isn’t a red flag and has no detriment to the animals health, in particular outcross programs to improve genetic diversity may result in this.

This is a Havana Brown from Broghill Cattery. You might notice he is not, infact, brown (chocolate).

This is because he’s a 2nd generation outcross, his dam is also black and is a 1st generation outcross. The Havana Brown is an uncommon breed and these outcross programs are essential to maintain the breeds health.

There are also individuals who outcross with the intent of introducing off-standard colors into their breed of choice for… whatever reason. This is always controversial and can result in heated discussions within the fancy but, breed preservation aside, is it bad?

Eh, personal tastes aside… it can be done right.

The breeder should be transparent about where the disqualifying trait comes from, ideally it should be a generally healthy breed and one that doesn’t completely contradict standard.

The goal should also be to overall preserve breed type by crossing back to the desired breed with the only ‘incorrect’ trait being the new color/pattern.

[somewhere-at-the-burrow]

I'm really curious about what job options are in the wizard world!! In the movies & books they show so little, like aren't there other professions besides working at the ministry, owning a shop, or being a teacher?

I was so so curious about this as well before I shifted.. so I am glad to answer!

thank you so much for the ask <33

something unique about the wizarding world is how common it is for the average wizard/witch to work a main job and a side job (usually creative). Arthur used to work two jobs, one at the Ministry and one at an antique artifacts office in Diagon Alley, but he doesn't go there as often to spend more time with the family!

because the wizarding population is so slim, many people are not afraid to show their skills and try different things, as we rely on each other in our secret little world! for example, many of my friends have wizarding parents who have written a book, sometimes about commonplace things or about research topics or art, even!

I definitely wasn't expecting this, but the wizarding world loves to share information through magazines, books, plays, etc. they have bookstores that are always releasing new books, and there are many popular magazines that have whole teams of people who work on them every day! so being a writer is definitely very common in my DR

there is also a rise in radio hosts and commentators, and there are many shows you can tune in to on certain days of the week. there are also many wizards / witches who go to quidditch games worldwide and their job is to commentate and keep radio stations informed on the games. when I went to the League cup, there was constant chatter of radio hosts broadcasting to worldwide quidditch channels!

on a different note, many people choose to go down the research / conservation scientist route, and this is usually paired with authoring a book or documenting with the Ministry. Cedric's mom (Kelley) goes on many trips to Scandinavia and those regions to document magical plants and their properties, and she comes back and writes artistic books under the pen name Kellory.

many witches/wizards will collaborate with magical governments worldwide to better help wildlife in different locations and preserve the wizarding culture around them! this also comes with people who work with animals / beasts, and there are breeders, tamers, and caretakers. these jobs need lots of training and experience, but they are so vital to the care of magical creatures.

working at inns, bars, and restaurants is also very common, and for some people that is their only job. take Rosmerta in the Three Broomsticks for example... she works and lives there, and these roles are incredibly important in small wizarding towns like Hogsmeade. this also comes with cooks, and when the barmaids and the bakers come together, absolutely ICONIC restaurants are born and food really ties us all together so it is PERFECT!

there are also traditional jobs like being a broom-maker. this is kind of a dying art with mass produced racing brooms becoming the norm, but many wealthier families will pay for customized brooms and sometimes the artists hold teaching workshops. I went to one at the beginning of summer, and I made my own broom from maple and apple branches with my dad. the broom-maker and his team did help us with enchanting it, though, but it didn't cost as much as I thought it would and I am so glad I got that experience!! wand-maker is also a very similar job! I love folk arts <3

I forgot about actors, musicians, and singers too! there are so many littler bands in the wizarding world, and it is pretty easy to gain an audience (at least for a short amount of time). a lot of popular musicians will also go on to write books too, so double whammy!

AND ALSO HEALERS—— any type, people are obsessed with wanting to become a healer in my DR! St. Mungo's is the most popular workplace, but there are also private healers who go to wealthy households and healers who work around quidditch games! it always requires schooling after hogwarts, but it is a very common route!

honorable mentions include herbologist, farmer (who tends to magical plants and sells them), greenhouse owner (similar to farmer, except more "pretty" plants), professional quidditch player / substitute player, magical photographer, traveling saleswizard, magical translators, and being a psychic medium!

I hope this helped!! if you have any more questions about any of these jobs in depth, I can try and answer to the best of my ability!

all I do in my DR is study the world around me... I am just so fascinated by it! i love rambling about these little things :,)

[eponymous-rose]

I can't find it now, which probably means it was months and months ago, but someone sent me an ask about considering adopting a cat but, as a dog person, not knowing much about adoption (e.g., whether shelter cats are good for first-time owners) and the day-to-day responsibilities of cat ownership. I can answer for my own experience, although I'm sure I'll be forgetting some important aspects!

Shelter vs Purebred:

I have a little 5-year-old shelter cat, a female domestic shorthair with a tuxedo coat! That's a big difference between cats and dogs - the vast, vast, VAST majority of cats you'll ever encounter are simply categorized as domestic shorthair/medium hair/longhair, with purebred cats being rare enough that they generally are limited to breeders - when I was an adoption counselor at a shelter, I only saw a couple of potentially purebred cats some through, and both were likely mixes. A lot of the time, cats are identified by their coat colors instead (e.g., calico, tabby, orange, tuxedo, colorpoint, dilute, etc.) with much made of the personality traits associated with those coats even though there's tragically no real science to back that up. Some coat colors are much more common with particular sexes of cats - orange cats are about 80/20 male/female, while calicos are >98% female - and that may contribute to some of the kitty stereotypes (e.g., orange cats are typically male, and neutered male cats tend to be quite calm and chill).

I'd heartily recommend shelter cats to anyone, including first-time owners. A lot of purebred cats sadly come with medical conditions (e.g., scottish folds often have significant pain due to connective tissue disorders, manx cats are prone to arthritis and spinal problems, maine coons and sphynx cats have relatively high rates of congenital heart disease, persians are brachycephalic and have breathing issues) or extra-high maintenance care requirements (e.g., sphynx cats must be bathed regularly because the lack of hair means the oils on their skin stick to any and all dirt, maine coons and ragdolls and norwegian forest cats require significant daily grooming to keep their long double coats from matting, brachycephalic cats require extra baths and grooming since they're generally unable to keep their own coats as clean, and breeds like bengals are so immensely high-energy that it's nearly a full-time job keeping up with their needs for enrichment and constant activity).

Shelter cats are almost all domestic shorthair/medium hair/longhair breeds, and tend to have the longest life expectancy of all kitties - although there are no guarantees (I sadly lost a 9-month-old kitten to a congenitally damaged heart) the lifespan numbers quoted lately for indoor-only cats tend to be around 15-25 years. And, of course, most places are overrun with stray cats - adopting from a shelter often comes with a free spay/neuter and vaccines, along with the satisfaction of having rescued a little critter that had a rough start before finding a forever home. You can visit shelters and get to know the kitties there - keep in mind that most cats are dramatically more fearful and shy in cages, and that you can often ask volunteers to point you to their favorites, especially if you're looking for an extra-chill cat as a first-time owner.

Consider adopting an adult cat! Kittens are adorable, but their energy levels are absolutely through the roof... as well as their destructive potential. Picture tiny whirlwinds with knives on their feet, the ability to jump 4-5 feet from a dead stop, zero sense of self-preservation, and the ability to keep sprinting for hours at random times of day and night. If you do get a kitten, consider adopting two - they tend to be less work since they'll keep each other entertained. Adult cats, however, tend to have more chill personalities and are more likely to settle into a routine quickly. My Clara is still pretty high-energy, but at 5 years old she's happy to have a shorter session of zoomies and intense play if it means she can then just curl up on a lap or in the sun to snooze and purr. Senior kitties are also wonderful - often cats don't have a very visible decline and remain relatively high-energy and chipper until very late in life, so it's not unusual that a 13-year-old cat will still act like a kitten and have many good years ahead, just a bit more chill.

Keep in mind that a cat is a long-term commitment. I was 7 years old when my parents brought two kittens home from the shelter - they lived another 18 years, until I was well into grad school.

Common Health Problems:

Cats that were once strays are very prone to two common diseases: FIV and FeLV. FIV (feline immundeficiency virus) essentially is a disorder of the immune system: these cats may be more prone to getting ill and may get more significantly ill when they do get sick. Luckily, FIV is far from a death sentence! These cats can live a normal quantity and quality of life with proactive health monitoring and regular trips to the vet (we're talking every 6 months instead of every year). FIV is contagious to other cats, but generally is only spread via deep bite wounds, so mixing of FIV+ and FIV- cats is possible given that you know that the cats are unlikely to get into a major fracas. FeLV (feline leukemia virus), sadly, has a worse prognosis - there's a lot of variability, but generally the best-case scenario is only a handful of years before the viral load is too high to avoid dangerous symptoms.

Another kitty disease that is sadly common among younger cats in particular is FIP (feline infectious peritonitis), which is a complication from a common kitty coronavirus that can emerge at any time and often manifests in very vague symptoms and is difficult to pin down. Until very, very recently, FIP was essentially considered to be 100% fatal within a couple of months and the recommendation was euthanasia. Now there are medications that can bring that survival rate past 90% - they're in the process of going through FDA approval, although there are groups online dedicated to getting you those medications through less official channels as needed. If anyone's familiar with Drawfee, Jacob and Julia's cat Olive was diagnosed with FIP at around 1 year old and was considered to be terminal - and, thanks to one of those online groups getting them the medication, is currently a happy and healthy 6-year-old kitty.

Nearly all shelter cats I've encountered have some level of URI (upper respiratory infection) - be prepared for a little extra sneezing and potentially having to give eyedrops the first couple weeks after getting home. URIs are SO CONTAGIOUS that it's almost impossible to keep them from spreading in a shelter setting. Also common is ringworm, although most shelters will isolate any contagious kittens and keep the infection localized.

Please spay and neuter your cats! They can have kittens incredibly young and incredibly frequently - unspayed female cats are also prone to certain cancers and unneutered male cats are prone to spraying (urinating on walls and other surfaces). The surgery is incredibly routine for both males and females (Clara had complications, but that just meant she had a few extra days of confinement) and generally the hardest part is keeping them from going after their stitches. Most shelters will provide spay/neuter services for free or on the cheap. They recover quickly and completely.

Cats also do incredibly well in a lot of different situations - deaf or half-deaf cats are quite common (nearly all blue-eyed cats with white coats are deaf) and just need some extra care to ensure they feel safe; the same goes for blind or one-eyed kitties, who can still happily play and navigate a space once they're familiar with it. Routine is key! Three-legged cats do so well that the saying is that cats are all born with a spare leg they don't actually need. If this is a recent condition, or if there are big changes in the cat's life (such as moving to a new home), just make sure to give them some extra time, support, and patience while they adjust. Amputation in cats can be really rough in the first couple of weeks, but soon enough they'll be sprinting around and jumping up on improbably high shelves.

Male cats are more prone than female cats to urinary blockages, which is one reason why I think it's important to actively clean the litter box yourself rather than using a robot. Changes in urinary output/pain while urinating/urinating outside the box can give you hints about a urinary blockage (a medical emergency in cats) or longer-term issues such as kidney disease, which can be managed with medication for quite some time as long as you know they're happening.

Cats are really good at hiding pain/illness, so it's important to be aware of signs of discomfort (sitting hunched with the neck extended can indicate difficulty breathing, whiskers extended stiffly from the face can indicate a grimace of pain, disruptions to routine such as avoiding beloved people or favorite spots, eating/drinking/litter box irregularity) and to ensure that you bring them to the vet on a regular basis to catch the stuff that might not be causing symptoms yet. Clara has a benign heart murmur and a little stiffness in one ventricle that requires her to visit a vet specialist every year or two to get an echocardiogram to check for any progression into heart disease (one in seven cats wind up with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which has a long median survival with presymptomatic treatment) - if those symptoms are ever present, we get her on medication early and it's unlikely to influence her lifespan for quite some time, whereas unmonitored and untreated, the first symptom would likely be sudden death. Knowing about this in advance also means that she has recommendations in her chart if she ever needs anesthesia for a different procedure. Having a regularly updated baseline at the vet means your cat is that much more likely to live a long, happy, healthy life.

The Day-to-Day:

Caring for cats is extremely fun, and the key is routine! Cats LOVE routine and will happily follow you around through your day-to-day. Clara is fed with an auto-feeder, which means she doesn't tend to pester me too much about food (and which means I can monitor how much she's eating and make adjustments as needed). She's prone to stress-induced stomach upset (aren't we all!) so she gets prescription food and some extra wet food with probiotics if I know something stressful is coming up soon. The auto-feeder dispenses food multiple times during the day, so she can't gorge herself and get sick.

For grooming, Clara does a pretty great job on her own, so I just have to brush her occasionally and every few weeks I will trim her claws. Do not declaw a cat! It's an amputation that is illegal in many states/countries and frequently results in chronic pain and behavioral problems such as an aversion to certain textures (a Major Problem if that texture includes litter...). If you can't trim a cat's claws on your own, try doing one or two at a time while they're sleeping - unlike with dogs, the quick is super visible on a cat's claws, so it's tough to mess up too badly. If all else fails, vets will trim claws for you, or can provide you with glue-on covers for the claws. I also brush Clara's teeth - you can get soft little toothbrushes and tasty-to-cats toothpaste, and even just them gnawing on the toothbrush can provide some benefit. Regular vet visits are also important to monitor any tooth decay that may occur. Cats can do well even with no teeth at all (the teeth are generally just for tearing pieces of prey, not chewing), but keeping those teeth healthy while they've got 'em is important, if only to avoid general anesthesia for a cleaning!

Most cats do very well without baths - so far, Clara has only needed a few little spot-cleans after minor accidents. Bathing is extremely stressful for most cats, so if necessary, I'd check out guides online to help reduce the stress levels. Many cats gradually lose the ability to keep themselves clean, so it's worth looking into, but don't expect to have to wash a cat as often as you would a dog by any means. (Unless you have a sphynx cat, of course...)

To help with scratching, provide scratchers for cats and keep them near the things you don't want the cat to scratch, as attractive alternatives (you can entice them with some catnip sprinkled on the scratchers!) - it's important to have both horizontal and vertical scratchers, since they exercise different muscles. Be aware, though, that bringing a cat into the home means that some of your furniture may be at risk. You can absolutely minimize the risk of damage, but I'd say you can almost never get rid of that risk completely.

Play is super important! I play with Clara throughout the day, but I also set aside some time every single evening to run around with her and really get her playing hard for a while (after which I clean her box, replace her water dishes, and go to bed - the importance of routine!). Cats aren't endurance hunters, but they require very little rest between bursts of energy, so hanging around for a bit with a toy even after you think they may be done is super valuable. Keep in mind that cats can get into life-threatening danger if they eat pieces of toys (strings, feathers, etc.) so it can be good to have some safe toys out all the time (e.g., foam balls) while the more dangerous ones (strings, feathers, etc.) are locked away when you're not actively playing.

Daily maintenance is pretty easy. I clean Clara's litter box at least once per day (which just involves scooping the contents into a bag that I then throw into the trash bin outside - less than 2 minutes/day) and do a deeper clean every week or two where I empty out all the litter and quickly scrub the box itself. Cats are lousy at remembering to drink, so I have three water bowls around the house - these get washed and replaced with fresh water every evening. Fountains are great for some cats (Clara had no interest) - some cats are obsessed with running water. Keeping water away from food can also help encourage cats to drink more. Apart from that, it's mostly just refilling the auto-feeder, attempting to tempt her with wet food (she's not a fan), and giving the occasional treat.

She also gets a monthly flea/tick preventative, which is just a couple drops of liquid that I apply at the base of her neck (usually while she's sleeping). She's an indoor-only cat, but bugs get inside and can transmit all sorts of bad stuff. Be warned that you should NEVER use a dog flea preventative on a cat - the dosage can be so high that it can cause a lot of harm. Make sure you have a correct dosage - ask your vet for more info.

And that's about it! In return for that minor maintenance, I get a silly little fluffy friend who follows me around and makes me laugh all day every day. She's gone from a really skittish little scaredy-cat to... well, still a skittish little scaredy-cat around most people, but around me she's affectionate and constantly looking for cuddles.

I hope this is in some way useful! I think a lot of people who don't consider themselves cat people would really enjoy having a cat - and even if you decide it's not for you, I hope you can appreciate and enjoy the other cats in your life!

[antifainternational]

Might be a weird question but why is fascism always so sexist? The demonization of minorities I understand as an enemy to blame but why ostracize practically half of the population?

That's a topic that people have literally written entire books about. We think it comes down to two things: 1) Fascists valorize and fetishize physical force and violence. Using violence to assert power is more-than acceptable for fascists - it's the most desirable and status-gaining expression of power. Because of this and because of sexist definitions of physical force, fascists emphasize men as the "natural" social/political actors because of their alleged superior strength. In the fascist value system, groups who are less-strong as less-valued. 2) Tying in to 1), fascists generally claim that women's primary function is domestic and reproductive. Fascists expect women to function as baby factories, producing the next generation of fascist soldiers/workers. This becomes doubly-important because in a fascist society, borders are closed to preserve the "purity" of the population, which means labour shortages can't be met thorugh immigration. Women (but only the "right" women, of course - any woman that deviates from fascist ideals for women do not count in this equation) must have more babies. See also Breeders for race & nation: women and fascism in Britain today; How Fascism Ruled Women; and Women, Gender, and Fascism in Europe 1919-45;

[darkwood-sleddog]

AVENUES FOR CONTACTING REGARDING THE NEW CDC DOG IMPORTATION RULING

The CDC recently released their newly revised rules applying to all dogs wishing to enter the United States. This includes stricter paperwork and veterinary record requirements within a certain timeframe, implantation of a specific type of microchip PRIOR to rabies vaccination and a hardline restriction on any dog younger than six months. You can view all the new requirements HERE.

It is my belief that several aspects of the new ruling require additional review and nuance that is not being taken, specifically the 6 month of age rule which in my opinion is over regulatory as dogs can be fully inoculated against rabies at four months of age.

The new ruling makes very little if any distinction of dogs coming from high risk rabies countries and dogs coming from no/low risk rabies countries. The reasoning outlined in the ruling is to "streamline" the process of importation by making the requirements the same across all areas of import. This is unreasonable to countries that have no rabies present as they pose no risk.

Additionally, these rules do not take into account the shared land borders between the United States, Canada and Mexico and treats Canada and Mexico like other foreign bodies which is unreasonable. People living in border areas often cross between the US and Canada/Mexico on a frequent basis. There is no fencing at the Canadian border and wildlife of any health status can cross freely on both the northern and southern border. There are also border towns and enclaves that have an increased frequency of border crossings for daily life that need to be taken into account in regards to the paperwork requirements.

And Finally, I take big issue with the fact the ruling and reasonings behind several of the restrictions addressing the concerns of hobbyist and ethical dog breeders regarding the restriction on age of import will put on genetic diversity of dog breeds. Many breeders would rather place a puppy in an equally good home in a country where the puppy can be home at the critical young age than hold on to a dog for months. This will also prevent sport dog, service dog, and working dog puppies from being properly socialized into their future roles. Not only does the CDC make no exception for service dogs, dogs of military families, or any dog in this instance, but they addressed hobbyist and preservation breeder's concerns by stating that the USDA already has rules limited dog imports to 6 months of age for commercial breeding. Note that commercial breeding and what requires a USDA license is very specifically outlined by the USDA which does make exceptions for hobbyist breeding. The CDC ruling talks about commercial and hobbyist breeding as the same thing, referring specifically to the USDA even though the USDA themselves make specific distinctions. The CDC ruling equates hobby breeding with commercial breeding directly, with no acknowledgment that even if they were the same the puppy can be and is often most often already purchased and legally owned by the client/new owner so breeder requirements would no longer be applicable.

There are many other individual concerns. These are just my top concerns.

What can you do?

HERE is a change.org petition by Jaye Foucher that outlines similar concerns that I share as well as ones more specific to sled dog teams traveling and those that frequently do business in Alaska.

CONTACT the CDC directly and voice any concerns you have.

Contact your REPRESENTATIVES and SENATORS, especially if you live in a border state. Phone OR email would be fine. I personally prefer email as it provides a written record of the communication. While the CDC is not full of elected officials, the Senate and House recently passed an Agriculture bill titled "The Healthy Dog Importation Act" where many of the new restrictions are echoed and reiterated on a legislative level.

[kxizoku-ou]

Have you had any thoughts on hybrid versions of the one piece characters? I love seeing what animals people associate with the characters 😅. Also ears and tails are cute

Hybrid Au, my beloved!!! owo I tend to go heavier with the animal research/xeno than just "ears and tails", but yes, I absolutely have thoughts— here's a handful of my favorites/who comes to mind!

. . .

Kaidou — Auroch bull: The now-extinct relative of modern cattle, closely related to Spanish fighting bulls. Bull feels fitting for Kaidou, I think— they're huge, potentially dangerous animals that get screwed over in blood sports or as slaughterhouse bait, and near-universally seen as aggressive because of instincts that are based in self-preservation or protecting a herd. And of course, ending up as a bull hybrid is just what happens to my favs, by now... (@senjuushi)

Judge — Tawny eagle: His "Garuda" theme implies a bird of prey from the start, so it's an easy pick! Described as "opportunistic", with a habit of feeding on carrion (and stealing other animals' prey), yet still "a bold and active predator", tawny eagles fit well with Judge's vibe of regal, pompous, and trying way too hard. They also tend to mate for life... and male birds are known for flashy courtship habits. Reiju, Ichiji, Niji, and Yonji would be the same species for this Au.

Sanji — Mourning dove: Keeping with the bird theme of his family, but a far less bloodthirsty species. Mourning doves are fluffy, vocal birds that are known for being "prolific breeders". They can be territorial between males, but are also social pair-bonders. Sora would have been a dove too, and Sanji sharing her species is just one more sign that the modifications failed. There's also something very fitting about a "caged bird" theme for his experiences with Germa.

Spandam — Giant panda: Useless animal that would be extinct by now without human intervention. Clumsy, pathetic, and admittedly pretty cute, but not good for much other than existing under careful supervision in a zoo. Of course, Spandam's terrible personality ruins most of the cuteness effect his hybrid species might have— ultimately, he's a needy, spoiled idiot who's eternally dependent on the care of others. And personally, I think he should have a cute, sensitive little stubby tail, perfect to yank on when he's being a brat.

Katakuri — Grizzly bear: Linlin is a grizzly hybrid as well, and the shared species adds to Katakuri's reputation as her "perfect" son. He's huge, powerful, and highly threatening... but would be just as content to gorge himself on snacks and all but hibernate afterward. If it wasn't for his self-imposed standard of perfection, that is. His fucked-up mouth seems even worse on a large predator species, too, which definitely adds to his complex/self-consciousness over it.

Perospero — Red fox: I saw a fanart of him as a fox hybrid on Pixiv, and it convinced me. A smug, sneaky bastard who takes after his mother's carnivore tendencies, but with far less of an intimidation factor to back it up. Annoyingly talkative and far more socially oriented than he wants to admit, as well as capable of being an absolute nuisance when he wants to— all of that sounds very fitting for Peros, I think. And fox whining noises fit his crybaby side.

Cracker — Bushy-tailed woodrat: Prey animals that are described as "vocal and boisterous", and nuisances for "creating general noisy havoc"— seems appropriate for Cracker, an overconfident brat who's far less tough than he acts. Packrats (the overall category) are nest-builders, too, which fits with how he spends so much time hiding in his biscuit soldiers to avoid direct combat. Woodrats also apparently have a foot-thumping tendency; a good match for his clapping!

Pudding — British longhair cat: Babygirl-looking murder machine seems highly appropriate. British longhairs have the sweetest little faces and soft coats, but cats are nature's finest serial killers at their core. Pudding would be perfect as a needy, jealousy-prone kitty who's way too good at playing up the cutesy kitten act to get on people's good sides— right up until a tsundere moment kicks in. Then, she's all puffed-up, twitching tail and poorly stifled purring.

Caesar — Axolotl: Like his pet poison slime thing! Axolotls are apparently "used extensively in scientific research due to their ability to regenerate limbs, gills, and parts of their eyes and brains", which feels fitting for Caesar, as does the fact that they're tricky to take care of as pets (and keep getting put in cages by people who don't treat them well, at that). Also, those feathery external gills are cute!!

Queen — American alligator: Lethal fat fuck of a reptile, exactly how Queen should be! Alligators can be lazy and kind of goofy-looking, but they're still dangerous and very strong. The huge, thick tail is also an obvious plus (the "Brachio-Snakeus" trick haunts me). And really, can't you see him sprawled out all lazy, for gator-style sunbathing?

Drake — Rottweiler/Border Collie mix: A strong, intelligent, capable, and work-oriented animal, that would (as a dog-experienced friend put it), "tear a house down to the foundation" if left without enough to occupy it. Drake gives me "beaten dog" vibes, in general, and it feels fitting that his hybrid species could easily have been sweet, if not for the trauma and DEEP psychological issues.

Law — Shorthaired silver tabby: Law is so very catboy-coded. He's a grumpy, fussy kitty who will both claw your arm open if you try to touch him, and could just as easily be reduced to a purring puddle if his guard gets torn down enough to allow it. Cats are highly effective agents of violence (and can be total bastards, when they want to), but also absolute babies. And imagine tiny, angry catboy Law getting scruffed by Rocinante to prevent the aforementioned clawing.

[girlhorse]

i hate what ARAs did to people's perception of ethical dog breeders. it's adding insult to injury to accuse them of being animal abusers and contributing to overpopulation when that has never been the case. they are more oft than not people who care so deeply about dogs they sink all of their money, time, and resources into something that is no more than a hobby in many peoples' eyes. they're keeping an incredibly amazing part of history alive, and working hard to imrpove on their dog's health and performance with every breeding. It's always done out of love and care for their breed, and for dogs in general. no good breeders wants to see their dogs end up in shelters or on the streets and they will do their due diligence to keep any dog they produce in a loving and appropriate home. It's not a perfect system, by all means. Some breed clubs can actively promote harmful standards and there's often some infighting with every breed. But there are so many more compassionate people involved in the purebred community than there are bad actors. and they deserve respect, not to be spat on by detractors and people who will never understand the value in preserving history.

[pokemonshelterstories]

You've probably answered this before but what exactly is a shiny mill

I know that it is a bad thing but i don't know what exactly about it makes it bad

i'm gonna expand on this and talk about pokemon mills in general. pokemon mills are breeding facilities that focus more on the profit they can obtain from selling offspring than on breeding healthy pokemon, bringing them up in a positive environment, and placing them in a good home. these can focus on a variety of aspects of pokemon- breeding rare pokemon, breeding pokemon for competition level stats, breeding pokemon for particular characteristics...and this includes breeding for shinies regardless of whether those pokemon will have good quality of life. those kinds of breeding facilities are called shiny mills.

there are a variety of reasons why breeding mills are bad, but here are just a couple:

there is little genetic testing for things like inherited health conditions, and there is little tracking of temperament across generations. competitive breeding mills do sometimes run some tests for certain aspects of health, but they don't look for anything that couldn't impact competitive viability.

because they're looking to produce as many viable pokemon to sell as possible, breeders who focus on specific genetic traits will inbreed pokemon to preserve those traits. shiny mills and competitive mills are notorious for this

they rarely vet potential customers, as they're looking to sell as many pokemon as possible regardless of whether someone can care for a pokemon. this gets really important with some of those popular but difficult to care for pokemon like zorua and mimikyu

the conditions that the breeding pokemon are kept in are typically not up to welfare standards. a few examples: breeding females are bred as often as possible regardless of when they've last laid; breeding pokemon are given the bare minimum they need to be sexually productive, but are often lacking in space and enrichment; social pokemon are weaned too early so they can be sold as quickly as possible and allow the female to be bred as soon as possible

pokemon that don't meet sale requirements are often dumped- filling up the shelter system, creating invasive species, and leading to pokemon who become nuisances and take up the resources of rangers/might end up being euthanized

responsible breeders often have long wait lists, and they aren't in it for the money- breeding pokemon responsibly is EXPENSIVE. when profit takes priority over good practices, that's when you've got a mill.

[spocks-kaathyra]

Cardassian egg painting

I know it doesn't make a lot of sense for Cardassians to lay eggs but humor me for a second here because imagine the culture that could evolve around it.

You know how reptile eggs shouldn't be rotated during incubation otherwise the baby will die, so breeders will often mark the top of an egg so they know the proper orientation? What if Cardassians do this too. And what if it's evolved from simple markings to, like, auspicious sigils. Like, you can wish your baby health/prosperity/filial piety/etc. by painting or stamping the corresponding symbol on top of their egg. Of course it's superstition that this actually affects the baby's fate, but even non-superstitious people do it anyway, just because it's tradition.

The substance that the symbol is painted with also supposedly affects the baby. This is a bit more scientifically sound, since chemicals can penetrate the shell and influence the fetus's development. Traditionally you'd use different kinds of herbal dye, but in modern times people are getting more scientific about it and using dyes imbued with chemicals that are proven to be beneficial to fetal development.

There are established symbols that signify different well-wishes, but of course people get creative with it. You can incorporate multiple symbols in your design, or hire a fortune teller to come up with a personalized design for your baby, or just add your own little flourishes. The designs can get quite elaborate. In modern times, parents who don't believe in the superstition of it have started painting other things on their eggs. A pretty design incorporating the baby's name, writing a letter to their baby, drawings with sentimental but not spiritual importance.

If the baby hatches in a way that doesn't damage the design, parents will often preserve the portion of the shell that has the design on it as a keepsake. If the baby does damage the design when they hatch, it's considered a bad omen, and a sign that the baby's fate will be the opposite of whatever the design symbolized.

When you walk into a Cardassian hospital's incubator room, you'll see eggs with all sorts of different designs—and some unmarked eggs, too. Those are probably orphans or bastards, babies without parents who care enough to wish them well. Sometimes hospitals will stamp those eggs with a generic, simple design wishing health. Usually not, though.

[acti-veg]

I know you have talked a lot about leather. But what’s about wool and fur like are those materials really that lang lasting and sustainable?

Long lasting? Sure, but that doesn’t mean sustainable. ‘Long-lasting’ and ‘biodegradable’ have been seized on as marketing for what are about the only corporate green buzzwords you can legally apply to these wildly unsustainable products that make them sound vaguely sustainable. Anti-vegan tumblr of course, does their advertising for free.

The massive environmental harm caused by grazing sheep, who have converted vast swathes of formerly forested land into ecologically dead wastelands, is difficult to overstate. Grazing animals are widely acknowledged as one of the most significant barriers to forest restoration and re-wilding.

Sheep are called ‘the white plague’ by some ecologists for good reason. Just take a look at what has happened to most of England and Wales. That isn’t even factoring in the methane emissions of the sheep themselves, their resource requirements, or the fact that farmers routinely kill predators to protect their herds. Not to mention the fact that modern production and dyeing processes make much of the wool we buy not actually even biodegradable.

The vast majority of fur is farmed, and farmed fur is no more sustainable than plastic is by just about any available metric. From getting the animals to slaughter size in the first place to the production processes, toxic run off, preservatives, it is nonsense to call fur sustainable. So much so that a campaign from the European Fur Breeders' Association which claimed that it is ‘eco-friendly to wear fur’ was banned by the Advertising Standards Authority, as the group could not provide adequate evidence that this was true.

It is just utterly depressing how much corporate propaganda that otherwise intelligent people are willing to swallow just because it confirms their existing bias and supports the choices they already want to make. Let’s be honest, nobody is buying a fur coat, a leather jacket or choosing wool over cotton because they did the research and decided it was more sustainable.

People buy animal fabrics because they like the way they look and feel, then find ways to justify it according to their existing values after the fact. Hell, they barely even talk about the sustainability of fabrics outside wanting to criticise vegans for being somehow solely responsible for the existence of plastic clothing.

[doberbutts]

Dobe person on FB shares a post about whether "preservation breeders" of working breeds who are not proving their dogs' working ability or temperament are really preserving anything or not.

Popular show dobe breeder responds saying that dobes should not be bred to be aggressive so anyone breeding aggressive dobermans isn't preserving the breed.

Multiple working dobe breeders respond that aggression is part of the breed as a personal protection dog.

Popular show dobe breeder doubles down by saying aggression is not required for protection.

Aaaaand. That's exactly why the breed is in the state it's in today, folks.