#socialization and insistence on stable temperament too

[doberbutts]

elvenferretots replied to your post “On the same topic re:yesterday of tiny dogs and how people treat them:...”

My mentor in conformation actually switched from dobermans to chihuahuas, and I was pleasantly surprised by all the same things you were. Her dogs are athletic, breathe without any trouble, spend long hot days at dog shows much more comfortably than the dobermans (to be fair, they’re longhair so they have undercoat), and are just generally hardy and longlived little dogs. And they’re very much brachy with less snout than Tiki. 

Yes, all of this. I understand that “toy group people” don’t really care as much about some things as “working group people”- things like titles, drive, performance ability, etc sort of fall by the wayside when producing dogs where 99% of them are going to homes where they’ll be cute and small and sit on people’s laps and that’s about it. Most good ones still do conformation and will play around in some of the more pet-friendly sports, but some things flat out aren’t looked for. Why would they be? Toy group dogs are almost entirely pet only at this point. Who cares how much drive a yorkie has when they’ve been exclusively lapdogs for more than 100 years?

(This also revisits my “while testing to see if a dog still has correct breed temperament isn’t a bad thing, how much use is it if that breed is basically never used for its purpose in the modern era” thing- Yorkies started as ratters, sure, but have been solidly lapdogs only for some time now. If you want a ratter, a yorkie is not most people’s first choice when breeds like the jack russell, patterdale, and jagd exist. The modern, toy-sized yorkie is much different than the ratting yorkie of old. What, exactly, is the point of testing a modern yorkie’s ratting ability when the fact is that the vast majority of yorkies will never see a rodent in their lives?)

But because working ability is sort of shrugged off with many toy breeds, I’ve been finding a huge amount of the energy that would go into that be diverted to health testing instead. For ages I thought that the reason little dogs live so long is because they’re just little and it’s easier on their bodies. Now I’m thinking it also may have something to do with how much care and concern the better breeders have for ensuring that their tiny dogs are healthy and are producing healthy puppies. COI of less than a percent! Acknowledging the risk of a serious health problem by recommending extensive imagery testing of the head inside and out! A refusal to allow even mildly deformed dogs to be considered “mostly correct” to prevent the rapid worsening spread of a preventable issue! A demand that every breeder calling themselves ethical follow suit or else! Breeders outcrossing to various other lines on a regular basis, ignoring that they miss out on conformation titles just to reintroduce diversity into their own lines!

Jesus Christ, if dobermans had half of that energy poured into the health of the breed, maybe we wouldn’t be looking at over 50% of dogs dying from a boogieman heart condition and the average COI being over 40%. Maybe we wouldn’t be facing down the extinction of a breed while breeders refuse to even consider breeding to a dog that’s not guaranteed to get them a CH or IPO3. Dobe people are so caught up in the cropped ears vs natural arguments and the “vWD isn’t THAT bad” koolaid while they look down their noses at these “useless little dogs” who at least have enough of their shit together that their dogs usually die at 15-20 instead of 4. FOUR! Dobe breed average is 8 and you get a fucking longevity certificate if you manage to keep that dog alive until 10, with several dogs literally dropping dead at 4-6 years old.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Who owns the covid vaccines?

A key idea from sf is “all laws are local, and no law knows how local it is.” Prisoners of our own time and place, it’s hard not to feel like we’re living in the only possible world, is if everything around us is inevitable and natural — and any change is “unnatural.”

But anyone who’s ever dabbled in multi-agent modeling (sims where “individuals” each have their own goals and aversions) knows there are lots of stable configurations that a big, complex system can fall into, and re-rerunning the same sim produces wildly different outcomes.

14 months ago, we hit STOP on our big, complex system and now the US is about to hit START again. It will not be a return to “normalcy,” because the old normal wasn’t inevitable. There are lots of other ways we could get along. And frankly, the old normal sucked.

A key way in which Old Normal sucked was the way that monopolists were able to style themselves as heroic entrepreneurs whose great rewards were commensurate with their great risks — when in reality, the risks were always socialized and only the gains were privatized.

That’s an area where a new normal is long overdue, and that new normal is being born in the controversy over public access to covid vaccines.

Helping the poor world manufacture its own vaccines is the obvious right thing to do.

Not just because vaccine apartheid is slow genocide, but also because the longer billions of people are infected, the greater the chance that one of them will incubate a vaccine-resistant, even more deadly mutation.

MRNA vaccines are wild: compared to conventional vaccines, they can be manufactured with 99.7% less capital and 99.9% less physical plant, and mRNA production facilities can retool to make new vaccines 1,000% faster.

https://coronavirus.medium.com/manufacturing-mrna-vaccines-is-surprisingly-straightforward-despite-what-bill-gates-thinks-222cffb686ee

Moderna’s own assessment is that new mRNA facilities can be built in 3–4 months. There’s no good scientific or humanitarian reason to object to patent- and know-how transfer to the Global South, where vaccination is currently projected for 2023/4 (!).

https://apnews.com/article/drug-companies-called-share-vaccine-info-22d92afbc3ea9ed519be007f8887bcf6

We’ve just experienced the collapse of the racist lie — peddled by Big Pharma, Bill Gates, Howard Dean and other vaccine apartheid apologists — that poor brown people are too primitive to make vaccines.

The new talking point? “CHINA! CHINA! CHINA!”

https://pluralistic.net/2021/05/15/how-to-rob-a-bank/#roll-the-dice

Whether it’s racist lies about the Global South or New Cold War hysteria, the underlying ideological story is the same: exclusive patent rights and the (spectacular) profits they yield are the foundation of lifesaving medical innovation.

That is, fate has placed among us a tiny cohort of collosi, endowed with the superpower of inventing the future. But for all their creative might, these saviors-in-potentia have the fragile temperaments of toddlers, and if they’re denied their due, they’ll abandon us to die.

“Behind every great fortune lies a great crime.” The true mRNA vaccines theft isn’t entrepreneur-inventors who face robbery by the public sector — rather, those “entrepreneurs” have enjoyed billions in public subsidies, and now insist they owe nothing in return.

So much public investment went into the covid vaccines that it’s hard to account for it all. The GAO thinks that Uncle Sam coughed up $18–23b in direct subsidies. BARDA pumped in $19.3b.

https://www.healthaffairs.org/do/10.1377/hblog20210512.191448/full/

The USG picked up the tab for non-clinical studies of new covid vaccines ($900m), and also shelled out for Phase III trials ($2.7b).

Moderna got $53m for production capacity, part of $100m in direct capacity contracts to pharma, backed with $2.7b for contract manufacturers.

J&J got a $1b pre-order from the USG; Moderna got $4.95b, Pfizer (which touts its lack of public subsidy!) got a $5.97b guaranteed order.

That’s just the latest round of investment. BARDA has been backing mRNA vaccine research for years, pumping billions into the project.

Pharma’s claim that it doesn’t owe us anything in return makes no sense, even by the companies’ own logic. They say that markets produce wonders because they reward canny risk-taking with vast fortunes.

By that logic, the public — who assumed the majority of the risk in developing vaccines — are the angel investors in this high-tech unicorn, and the pharma companies are the VCs who came in with some late capital to help scale up a sure thing.

It’s neither good business — nor legal — for early minority investors get squeezed out by latecomers.

But, of course, the government isn’t a business. Our democratic institutions direct our national productive capacity to R&D in service to human thriving, not profit.

Public investment in R&D isn’t a business in the same way that having kids isn’t a retirement plan: we have kids because we love them and want them to thrive. If they care for us in our dotage, that’s great, but if you treat your kid as an ambulatory 401k, you’re a monster.

I first encountered these ideas when serving as an NGO rep at WIPO alongside Jamie Love and Knowledge Ecology International. Love helped create the Access to Medicines Treaty and has been fighting the pharma industry’s self-serving story of fragile genius for decades.

In an interview with Janine Jackson at FAIR, Love lays out the plain case for an IP-waiver to enable poor countries to make their own vaccines, like the undeniable truth that this would “definitely expand the production and supply of vaccines.”

https://fair.org/home/government-money-thats-gone-into-vaccine-development-is-being-privatized-by-a-handful-of-companies/

Love also recounts the kind of public subsidy that went into covid vaccine production (for example, Pfizer’s boasts of free enterprise entrepreneurship omits the €400m from Germany and €100m from the rest of the EU).

Pharma’s claims of philanthropic largesse are wildly overblown. Pfizer told its shareholders it expects $26b from covid vaccines in 2021; Moderna’s projecting $20b (Moderna’s CEO’s personal net worth just hit $5b).

All that before pharma companies jack up the prices for “their” vaccines, in the years to come when we all need annual boosters, when the price will go from $10 to $175/dose, for a vaccine that costs $0.10/dose to manufacture.

The case for public access to vaccines and the case against pharma as a necessary or even laudable force for good is so thin, it’s remarkable that it’s persisted this long.

But as Love points out, the ideology that knowledge-monopolies are moral has some powerful backers.

Bill Gates is a prime example. Gates has been committed to enclosing commonly created knowledge and turning it into a monopoly — in service to coaxing our toddler-genius-collosi into action — since he was a teenager, writing petulant letters to computer hobbyists.

Today, Gates — a convicted monopolist — directs one of the world’s great fortunes (“behind every great fortune…”), and he mobilizes his capital to prop up the story of necessary and benevolent profiteering.

The Gates Foundation, for example, donates millions to “independent” media outlets (as well as partnering with public media like the BBC), and as Love describes, this has a chilling effect on negative reporting on Gates, the Foundation, and its ideology.

Like the time Love got a Washington Monthly reporter interested in a critical story about how the Gates Foundation’s grants influence its media coverage — only to have the reporter’s editor kill the story because they’d just applied for one of those grants (!).

Gates is a true ideologue, a relentless campaigner against any public access to public goods, in every domain, not just software. He’s been at it a long time, leading the charge against Nelson Mandela’s demand that South Africa be allowed to manufacture its own AIDS drugs.

Love: “Gates is a smart guy; he’s not the only smart guy around or smart woman around. I think people need to listen to other views. And, actually, Gates has sort of a mental block about these issues, and so some of his arguments just don’t add up.”

But all laws are local, and multi-agent systems have many stable configurations. On Friday, the New York Times editorial board — long a voice for strong corporate power — published an editorial and accompanying package strongly endorsing vaccine waivers.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/14/opinion/biden-covid-vaccines-world-india.html

The Times notes that the global economy is losing trillions due to lockdown, and that these loses will mount for so long as vaccines aren’t universally available.

But it also makes an ethical case, calling vaccine apartheid a “moral failure.”

It warns of political instability and the potential for states to topple if something isn’t done, pointing to the pitched battles in Colombia (in which death squads are now murdering leftists with impunity and posting snuff videos to social media as a boast — and a warning).

Beyond advocating for vaccine waivers, the Times backs Public Citizen’s plan to spend $25b ramping up domestic, publicly owned vaccine production facilities to make vaccines to be given away free or at cost to poor countries.

https://www.citizen.org/article/25-billion-to-vaccinate-the-world/

That effort will produce 8b vaccine doses, “enough to vaccinate half the planet.” And it will provide booster shots and new anti-variant vaccines into the future.

The future is coming. Lockdowns are lifting. The rich world is inching toward an emergence from emergency. But normalcy isn’t returning — thank goodness. The whole world deserves (and requires) so much better than normal.

Image: Quapan (modified) https://www.flickr.com/photos/hinkelstone/49920420853

CC BY https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

[mllyweasly]

THE HEART IS HARD TO TRANSLATE; IT HAS A LANGUAGE OF ITS OWN.

𝖖 𝖚 𝖔 𝖙 𝖊 𝖘

“𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘯𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴.” - Margaret Atwood, Moral Disorder and Other Stories

“𝘕𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘌𝘢𝘳𝘯 𝘪𝘵. 𝘋𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵. 𝘚𝘦𝘦𝘬 𝘪𝘵. 𝘕𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘵.” - Geraldine Page

“𝘐 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦...𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘺𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘺 𝘐 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮, 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮 𝘮𝘺 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘰𝘳 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘱 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥.” - Veronica Roth, Allegiant

“𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘮, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦.” - Daniel C.L

“𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘫𝘰𝘣 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘢 𝘤𝘳𝘶𝘦𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥. 𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘫𝘰𝘣 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘤𝘳𝘶𝘦𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴.” -  L.R. Knost, Two Thousand Kisses a Day

𝖇 𝖆 𝖘 𝖎 𝖈

NAME: Molly Elizabeth Weasley née Prewett NICKNAMES: Mol, Mollywobbles (only by Arthur) AGE: Thirty-one BIRTHDAY: October 1st, 1949 GENDER: cis female PRONOUNS: she/her

𝖋 𝖆 𝖒 𝖎 𝖑 𝖞

MOTHER: Iolanthe Prewett FATHER: Darius Prewett SIBLINGS: Fabian & Gideon Prewett SPOUSE: Arthur Weasley CHILDREN: William ‘Bill’ Weasley (9), Charles ‘Charlie’ Weasley (7), Percy Weasley (4), Fred & George Weasley (twins, 2), Unnamed sixth child.

𝖕 𝖍 𝖞 𝖘 𝖎 𝖈 𝖆 𝖑 𝖆𝖙𝖙𝖗𝖎𝖇𝖚𝖙𝖊𝖘

FACE CLAIM: Gugu Mbatha-Raw BUILD: Fairly short stature, average build. Currently seven months pregnant. HAIR: Short, tight ringlets. HAIR COLOR: Dark brown. EYE COLOR: Dark brown. SKIN COLOR: Brown. DOMINANT HAND: Right. ANOMALIES: Stretch marks on her stomach from her six pregnancies, particularly with the twins. Though she has healed some of these with magic, she prefers not to do so, she earned them, after all.  SCENT: Various cooking spices, rose scented soap, and honey. ACCENT: English. ALLERGIES: Lobster, though she’s never tried eating it and so isn’t aware. DISORDERS: None. FASHION: Dresses mainly in muggle clothing -- finds robes too formal and restrictive. Dresses for comfort rather than for style, often looking like she’s just thrown whatever she could find on before leaving the house, but somehow manages to pull this off. NERVOUS TICS: Talks too much, about anything that comes into her mind. Paces back and forth, can’t sit still. Frets over other people, to the point of becoming an annoyance. QUIRKS: Constantly muttering (and swearing) under her breath. Insists on everything being done a certain way. Checks the locks twice before going to bed. Can guess the exact time with surprising accuracy. 

𝖑 𝖎 𝖋 𝖊 𝖘 𝖙 𝖞 𝖑 𝖊

RESIDES: The Burrow BORN: St Mungo’s Hospital, London RAISED: Falmouth, West Country PETS: Grew up with a family owl, Uric. Currently has a family post owl, Errol.  CAREER: Former OB/GYN healer at St Mungo’s hospital, currently a stay at home mother, and homeschooling her children.  EXPERIENCE: E grade N.E.W.Ts in transfiguration and defence against the dark arts, O grade N.E.W.Ts in herbology, charms, and potions. Entered healer training program after graduating from Hogwarts, and chose to specialise in OB/GYN healing magic. Made her way through the ranks and eventually became head of the department before retiring after the birth of her second child, Charlie. Now works as a homemaker and homeschooling her children. EMPLOYER: Unemployed.

POLITICAL AFFILIATION: Neutral (Order sympathetic). BELIEFS: The Prewett children were always raised to be skeptical of the blood supremacy  MISDEMEANORS: None. Was once almost caught sneaking back into Hogwarts at 5:00am, but she managed to make it back to the dormitories and only had to face the wrath of the Fat Lady while Arthur was apprehended by the caretaker at the time. FELONIES: None. DRUGS: Marijuana, back in the day. Wouldn’t even touch the stuff now. SMOKES: Absolutely not. Thinks it’s a filthy habit and gets angry whenever Arthur even mentions it as part of his work. ALCOHOL: Occasionally, not as often as she did before she had children. DIET: Very good, and a variety of different cuisines. Molly has always loved to cook, she finds it comforting and loves the joy that her food can bring to the faces of those she loves. As a result, the Weasleys (and anybody else who comes to visit) are fed very well, a nice balanced diet, taking inspiration from a number of sources.

LANGUAGES: English.

PHOBIAS: The deaths of her friends and family. HOBBIES: Cooking, baking, knitting, used to play Quidditch and though she hasn’t in years, would likely still be very good if she were to get on a broomstick and try it out. TRAITS: { + }: nurturing, compassionate, assertive { - }: stubborn, domineering, self-righteous

𝖋 𝖆 𝖛 𝖔 𝖗 𝖎 𝖙 𝖊 𝖘

LOCATION: The Burrow SPORTS TEAM: Chudley Cannons GAME: Wizard Chess, though she has recently been introduced to a muggle game that Arthur learned about at work called Monopoly, and quite enjoys this, too.  MUSIC: Celestina Warbeck. MOVIES: Doesn’t watch them. FOOD: This lamb stew she learned how to make from her mother, it’s delicious and it reminds her of home. BEVERAGE: Camomile tea. COLOR: The lighter shades of orange.

𝖒 𝖆 𝖌 𝖎 𝖈

ALUMNI HOUSE: Gryffindor WAND (length, flexibility, wood, & core): 10″, English Oak, quite inflexible, unicorn hair core. AMORTENTIA: Cooking food, old wood, and her husband’s cologne. PATRONUS: Bear. BOGGART: The corpses of her family.

𝖈 𝖍 𝖆 𝖗 𝖆 𝖈 𝖙 𝖊 𝖗

MORAL ALIGNMENT: Lawful Good These characters have a strong moral character. Truth, honor, and the welfare of others is all-important. They are convinced that order and laws are absolutely necessary to assure that goodness prevails. Lawful good beings will not want to lie or cheat anyone, good or evil. They will not stand for treachery and will not let obviously dishonorable people use their own honor against them, if they can help it. They will obey the laws and customs of the area that they are in, but will attempt to find legal loopholes to disobey a law which is clearly evil or unjust. MBTI: ESFJ-A MBTI ROLE: The Consul (Assertive) Consuls love to be of service, enjoying any role that allows them to participate in a meaningful way, so long as they know that they are valued and appreciated. This is especially apparent at home, and Consuls make loyal and devoted partners and parents. Consul personalities respect hierarchy, and do their best to position themselves with some authority, at home and at work, which allows them to keep things clear, stable and organised for everyone. ENNEAGRAM: Type Two ENNEAGRAM ROLE: The Helper Twos are empathetic, sincere, and warm-hearted. They are friendly, generous, and self-sacrificing, but can also be sentimental, flattering, and people-pleasing. They are well-meaning and driven to be close to others, but can slip into doing things for others in order to be needed. They typically have problems with possessiveness and with acknowledging their own needs. At their Best: unselfish and altruistic, they have unconditional love for others. TEMPERAMENT: Choleric-Sanguine The Choleric-Sanguine combination is driven by two temperament needs. The primary need is to get results. The secondary need is to be accepted socially. Either need may dominate their behavior depending on the requirements of the situation. The Choleric and Sanguine natural tendencies combine to produce a result-oriented person who needs to be around people socially some of the time. This combination naturally likes being the leader and is often an executive. WESTERN ZODIAC: Libra People born under the sign of Libra are peaceful, fair, and they hate being alone. Partnership is very important for them, as their mirror and someone giving them the ability to be the mirror themselves. These individuals are fascinated by balance and symmetry, they are in a constant chase for justice and equality, realizing through life that the only thing that should be truly important to themselves in their own inner core of personality. This is someone ready to do nearly anything to avoid conflict, keeping the peace whenever possible CHINESE ZODIAC: Ox Oxen are the hard workers in the background, intelligent and reliable, but never demanding praise. Oxen are honest and earnest. They are low key and never look for praise or to be the center of attention. This often hides their talent, but they’ll gain recognition through their hard work. They will never surrender to fate and rarely think of choosing an alternative. This no doubt leads to a life of struggles. But no matter what, they will walk down the road they choose until the end. Despite this stubbornness, they think and react quickly. PRIMAL SIGN: Elephant Determined, romantic, and idealistic, those born under the sign of the Elephant are concerned with hard work, fairness, and intellectual pursuits. Like their animal namesake, members of this sign have strong bonds with family and close friends that overrides nearly every other concern. Generous, diplomatic, and (mostly) peaceful, Elephants guide their daily activities with a focus on the future as well as a work-hard / play-hard attitude. TAROT CARD: The Tower, The Chariot TV TROPES: Mama Bear Apron Matron Determinator Former Teen Rebel SONGS:  I Will, Mitski When the Day Met the Night, Panic! at the Disco Home, Edward Sharp and the Magnetic Zeroes Landslide, Fleetwood Mac All This and Heaven Too, Florence + The Machine Canyon Moon, Harry Styles

IDEOLOGIES: There’s no problem that can’t be solved over a home cooked meal. Not all acts of heroism are remarkable. All children are born with goodness inside them. It’s sometimes okay to put those you love over the greater good. Family is the most important thing.

[astrolocherry]

Venus in Aries The girl who knows how to set hearts on fire romance with venus in aries is like jumping aboard a merry-go-round and re-discovering your childhood. there is good natured rivalry and playful pranking. venus in aries will test your physical, emotional, and psychological limits. everything moves fast and furious, they show you secret worlds inside of this one. plenty of rare qualities, but venus in aries can certainly cause a headache. they generate intense pressure inside their own head when they become agitated. and they unconsciously will it in the direction of their anger - straight toward the lover. never a dull moment, rarely a moment of boredom. they will breathe fire in a rampage, and it’s your own fault if you were standing in the path of their fury 

Venus in Taurus The girl who makes people fall in love with classical beauty again  romance with venus in taurus is largely a sensual and physical experience. there is great pleasure in tantalising the lover’s tastebuds, intimate massage, and generating a powerful carnal desire for each other’s flesh. your body won’t let you forget the touch and tactile memory of venus in taurus. their aroma can stay under your nose for days, you can sense their vacancy and absence as much as their presence. you can hear the empty silence swallowing the sound of her whistling, humming, and singing. it can be hard to go back to sleeping alone because they filled a space beside you that is now so void and hollow. 

Venus in Gemini The girl who spellbinds with her spelling  venus in gemini doesn’t have the emphasised multiplicity like gemini suns and ascendants, but the personality is experimental and flexible enough to try everything before they buy anything, and the same goes for romantic interests. they can decide with lightning speed if their date is worth half a second more of their time. they find it almost impossible to get lovers out of their mind and think about them all the time. most of their conversations will revolve exclusively around this person. falling asleep by the side of venus in gemini can be purely enchanting, late night conversation is deliriously hypnotic like their final words for the day are written like poetry across the tongue

Venus in Cancer: The girl who invites the moon for sleepovers  venus in cancer romance can be quite old fashioned and reflective of family values. if venus in cancer is on good terms with the parents they will be very observant of how well you interact and fit into the family dynamic. the opinion of family is often influential. the person will also be very attentive to the way you treat children, animals, retail workers, and waiters. venus in cancer won’t take very long to begin planning a life, future, and family with you. one of the favourite past times in this relationship is eating out, cooking together while the sun goes down, and enjoying meals together. they value simplicity, closeness, and basic company more than anything grand and opulent.   

Venus in Leo: The girl with a heart of gold love elevates the individual to the top of the world. the energy of venus with leo is unity and heart, so they are not looking for solo stardom. they want to bask their lover with honey sun, sit together in the heat of the day sharing wine, good music, affection, laughter, dreams, and memories. venus in leo can turn every romantic encounter and experience into a royal gala, they know how to make people feel important and indispensable, like queens and descendants of royalty. and they can make just about anybody fall in love with them, they have a charismatic sultriness, playful sense of humour, sensitivity, and a golden auric glow. romance with venus in leo feels like the sun is shining brightly everyday. so the good times are ultra good, and when they are happy you will feel like you are on top of the world. but when they are miserable, have no doubt you will be sorrowfully miserable too 

Venus in Virgo: The girl whose heart was caged in her mind you know how just about every romantic movie has a story about two people with undeniable chemistry, compatibility, and attraction and if only they revealed their true feelings to one another they could be happy together 5 years ago? this is a good re-enactment of a venus in virgo scenario. the ideal relationship can be in the clasp of their hands, the words on the tip of the tongue, and the heart and mind paralyse. venus in virgo are unconditional lovers. they are very unlikely to leave a partner due to illness, unemployment, or even addiction. they integrate people into their life, ritual, and thinking patterns so they typically stick by people regardless of how challenging the circumstance. they always provide a shoulder to lean on

Venus in Libra: The girl everyone wants to know  the venus in libra essence evokes people’s carnal desires, secret temptations, the image of their dream lover. strangers can routinely comment that the venus in libra person ‘reminds’ them of someone they know or will insist they have met before. associates and strangers construct the image of venus in libra a large amount of imaginative input, so people can be quite shocked that the person they meet is so different to who or what they expected. there is typically a natural sense of style and classy social conduct, their glamour can remind you of the golden hollywood age.  

Venus in Scorpio: The girl who hides deep inside you  you will rarely experience anything with the same intensity as a venus in scorpio relationship. ending a relationship with a venus in scorpio can also be a grieving period, they take a part of the lover’s soul with them and cherish them like special keepsakes. the powerful arousing, spirit sensational, cosmic central experienced with venus in scorpio can make people feel like they will never be truly satisfied again, or the person who walked out was completely different from the person that walked in. they wrangle your hidden fantasies, rituals, and desires out from your hiding place. there is no place inside you that is safe 

Venus in Sagittarius: The girl that fell in love with the world  you will never truly have a venus in sagittarius lover all to yourself, their first and foremost lover is the kiss of the sun, the cool cleanse of the sea, the landscapes that call to her spirit and want her to visit home. it’s definitely possible for venus in sagittarius people to connect, settle, and commit. but sagittarius is law, and there are a few laws to be imposed in their relationship. the playground is to be open all hours, there is to be no jealousy or attempts to control or belittle, the house is to have big rooms with big windows and lots of fresh air and savings go toward traveling, holidays, and spontaneous expenditures. they question the smallness of your dreams and make unplanned moments meaningful life experiences. 

Venus in Capricorn: The girl with the ancient heart  you can have an aged, intangible photographic memory of intimate experiences with a venus in capricorn because it seems like time stops or disappears completely. there is something timeless about their love, their heart is encased in the antiquity of amber resin that preserves eternity. and they really make a whole new little world just for the both of you. they are devoted for the long term, and they will do just about anything to make it work. your success is their success, and they want the relationship to bring out the best potential in both people. of all their formidable dreams and ambitions, establishing a beautiful life with you is the greatest.  

Venus in Aquarius: The girl whose love is pure madness romance with venus in aquarius is like riding a cosmic rollercoaster looping through galaxies. nothing will ever be the same again after experiencing their love, everything can seem mundane and tedious in comparison. you rarely experience the same day twice, and it can be difficult not to lose control as you become whipped in their complex and fascinating web. your mind is opened with your heart and life becomes a continuous act of spontaneity. they find something unique and special about you to love, and they help you to discover who you truly are. what you once cared about now seems so small 

Venus in Pisces: The girl who cried and drowned Hawaii venus in pisces has a reputation for peace and harmony, but nothing is really still and stable about their union. they unveil a universe of possibilities and unrealities, you can find yourself questioning your beliefs, sanity, and the legitimacy of your experiences. they can be unpredictable in the sense that you are loved by someone different everyday, their emotional temperament sways their emotional needs and conduct. the heart chameleon, psychic, and wild. it makes their love a very creative, dreamy, imposing, consuming and influential union that can be very difficult to separate from because it reminds you of a place you wish you never left 

-C.

[perfectisme-georgette]

Archetype — The Ruler Birthday — October 25th, 1993 Zodiac Sign — Scorpio Sun, Pisces Moon, Leo Rising  MBTI — ESTJ Enneagram — 8; The Challenger Temperament — Choleric Hogwarts House — Slytherin Moral Alignment — Chaotic Neutral Primary Vice — Wrath Primary Virtue — Diligence Element — Water

Overview:

Mother — Addison Midler nee Windham Father — William Midler  Mother’s Occupation — Stay at home wife. Ex ruler of all things pageantry. Hails from old money.   Father’s Occupation — Highly famous News Anchor in the east coast USA. Also, hails from old money Family Finances — Very rich. They upscale. They have a lot of money. Birth Order — Only child. Addison wasn’t going to go through the ordeal of pregnancy more than once. She had her kid for the ideal appearance sake of a family and that was that.  Brothers — None Sisters — None Other Close Family — None. Georgette never grew up knowing much about her extended family, except that they were spread about all rich too.   Best Friend —  Before she really didn’t have any best-friend, except Perdita. She then messed that up. Now, she considers Melody and Rory to be her best friends. Other Friends — She doesn’t really have any other friends. All of her past friends weren’t true friends. They were just friends with Georgette because of her wealth and status.  Enemies — Her ex-boyfriend, Ryan Warren. He was the one that planned her rape and got it all rolling. If he can, he would make her life a continual misery.  Pets — Peaches!!! She is a Maltese and Toy Poodle mix. Georgette is absolutely in love with her!!  Home Life During Childhood — Georgette was very spoiled!!! If anyone would look at her from the outside they would believe she had the golden childhood. Anything she asked for she was given. The thing was, Addison wasn’t the best of mothers. She was cold and only cared about what she was able to gain. That being said, Georgette grew up with many nannies so there really wasn’t much of intimacy in her childhood. She was placed into pageantry the minute she was able to compete and that was all Addison cared about. The older she grew the more intense and strict her training became. It was basically what her world turned into much without her choice.  What Did His or Her Bedroom Look Like — BEAUTIFUL!!! There was definitely a lot of pink!!!! Georgette enjoyed pink and white so her room was those colors. Very organized because Georgette is herself. Everything in her room was definitely named brand. She had an enormous walk-in closet, practically the size of a whole other room and she also had an en-suite bathroom. She really had the dream room. Any Sports or Clubs — SInce Addison was very adamant about her daughter’s pageant career (more for her sake than anyone else) Georgette really didn’t have time for extra-curricular in school anyways. She is, however, AHMAZING in Gymnastics. Addison placed in her such because it was perfect for the talent section of the pageantry competition, plus Georgette has been double jointed since young.   Favorite Toy or Game — When Georgette was very little, like toddler age, there was a unicorn plushie she absolutely ADORED, but once she grew older there was no time really for toys and games so that was it.  Schooling — Georgette graduated from Elementary, Middle and High school in NYC as well as college. She went to Columbia University in NYC and graduated with a bachelors in Business (again on her mother’s insistence) and a masters in Chemistry (this was the degree she actually loved).  Favorite Subject — Science more so Chemistry and that is because she loved learning about the components found in what she eats and what she puts on her skin xD Popular or Loner — Popular of course!!!! There wasn’t a soul who didn’t know who Georgette Midler was in school pfft  Important Experiences or Events — All of her graduations because she is educated!! All of her pageants wins because she has never really lost any so of course, she has to have them as important experiences. She was raped, not an experience she would want to be mentioned but an important one that has changed her life. She entered quite a tragic low after the rape turning to alcohol for her remedy to the pain. Thenn she has DIED and is now UNDEAD so she is navigating those waters.  Nationality — American Culture — British now but was born into American culture Religion and beliefs — Georgette’s family are practicing Catholics, so she has grown up knowing their religious rituals and the classic Bible stories. However, she sure as hell doesn’t practice any of it currently in her life.

Physical Appearance:

Face Claim —  Candice Accola/King Complexion — Georgette has clear and clean skin, currently without acne or any blemishes. She’s very into skin care and keeping on top of her own skin. Now though she really doesn’t have to do much with it because of the regenerative power of the Fountain Youth. It keeps her skin and complexion flawless.  Hair Colour — Blonde Eye Colour — A beautiful gorgeous oceanic blueeee <3 Ughh I LOVE her eyyess Height — 5ft. 7 inches Build — Slim to average build Tattoos — Georgette originally did have tattoos. She had three. She had a large beautiful dream catcher that basically covered her entire right torso. That one was done to cover a scar she had received from her rape. She then had a star on her left foot and cherry blossom on her right wrist. She doesn’t have any of them now though because the Fountain of Youth washed them all away, including her scar. We are still figuring out if she’ll get a new one again, but it’s complicated since the magic of the fountain changed her skin. Piercings — Yes, just the standard two ear piercings. Common Hairstyle — Georgette lovess doing her hair so it can normally be found in some sort of up-do, or an half-half do. She also though, leaves it down and loose frequently especially now since she’s still figuring out her newfound strength. Clothing Style — Good thing I did the closet task on Georgette so here you go this is her closet!!  Mannerisms — Georgette is very expressive with her hands and talks with them a lot especially when angry. She’s very horrible with having patience (we are working on that haha) and you can tell when she’s reaching her limits because she starts tapping her fingers on the nearest counter. If she’s very nervous, aside from the normal body tensing, Georgette tends to incessantly turn whatever bracelet or hair tie she has on her wrist.

Health:

Overall (do they get sick easily)? — Nope. Georgette has always been a health nut and always took care to pay attention to what was going in her body, which definitely helped. Now though, it’s even harder for her to get sick if at all because of the magic of the Fountain.  Physical Ailments — None.   Neurological Conditions — She has to have some undiagnosed PTSD from the rape. Her therapist needs to get on that!!  Allergies — None Grooming Habits — Georgette never steps out of her place without looking completely immaculate from head to toe. She is hugely into make-up. In fact, she does her own make-up, rarely did/does she like when make-up artist had/have to do it for her during photo shoots and/or commercials. There is never a hair out of place or a nail undone. Her clothes are pristine and Georgette showers a lot!!!! Ever since the trauma, she can’t find herself clean enough. Sometimes are worse than others like when she’s triggered it gets bad.  Sleeping Habits — Complicated lol!! Her body isn’t in need of sleep because of the regenerative magic of the Fountain. She can sleep but it will be more out of a force of habit than anything. Some night she just isn’t able to it all because her body says “screw it” and doesn’t let her sleep.  Eating Habits — Georgette was always a health freak. Can’t look amazing eating crappy!! She was very into organic and local sourcing. Gluten free too. Now, however, Georgette doesn’t have the need for eating and her body never really feels hunger so, she forgets that she should eat. She will always indulge in chocolate though!!!   Exercise Habits — It was on point!!!! Look she always had to look fabulous so she was a firm believer of working out!! She was faithful to hitting that gym!!! Now, you guessed it, not needed!!! At the same time, with her new strength, a gym probably wouldn’t even cut it.  Emotional Stability — Hahaha I don’t think Georgette has ever been emotionally stable xDD. Georgette is one that feels all of her emotions. She’s not that best at holding them in and when she has to it often times blows up in her face and flares out stronger than before.  Body Temperature — Warm. I know she’s undead, but she’s not a cold corpse!! Sociability — It swings. Normally, Georgette is a social butterfly. She LOVES talking to people, being the center of attention and having everyone devoted on her, but if she’s triggered that all dies. She will keep more to herself and not really speak with anyone. This happens at times when she’s in the company of men she knows nothing about. They make her uncomfortable because of her trauma.  Addictions — None. Drug Use — Nope. Alcohol Use — Literally none. She intentionally chooses not to drink because of the fact that she had once leaned on alcohol to help heal her trauma wounds and that left her with choices she completely regrets now. 

Your Character’s Character:

Bad Qualities — Tapping on surfaces when angry, she can definitely have an attitude, not very good at swallowing emotions, impatient, can have a temper problem lmao Good Qualities — Always determined, loyal, bold, intelligent, feisty, she can be nice but it’s not a like very strong quality of her lol  Best Characteristic — Her determination  Worst Characteristic — Probably her temper Worst Memory — When she was raped. She has also DIED and it was a pretty traumatic death too, so she can’t honestly tell you which one was worse lmao Best Memory — Her happiest memory was her very first pageant win because after that very first win Georgette practically took the pageant world by storm and even broke the record for the most wins to date. Her first kiss with Hercules. She won’t admit to that out loud though Proud of — The fact that she is somehow still relatively sane enough to live life after all of her previous trauma loool. Also, her very successful and continually rising make-up industry back in the states. The fact that she was able to face and go through the trial that placed her rapist away in jail.  Embarrassed by — Her past, more so at the fact that she leaned on alcohol so heavily as a healing mechanism. While drunk, Georgette made many, many, many regrettable mistakes. A lot of those mistakes have been videotaped and aired by social media and paparazzi, was even shown in her trial.  Driving Style — Georgette doesn’t really drive. No need for it in Swynlake and everywhere else she just gets driven to soo haha Weakness — I would say it’s her view of her herself. Georgette has a very low and sad view of herself. Even though she has a strong determination and on the outside, she exudes confidence, on the inside, it’s a totally different story.  Fears — That she could get raped again it’s her biggest fear.   Phobias — None Secrets — Georgette doesn’t really have a lot of secrets because social media and paparazzi have basically placed her entire life out for the world to see. However, she hasn’t publically released her current condition: that’s she’s undead and now has crazy super strength.  Regrets — Gawwwd a lot. They all stem from when she was depending on alcohol. She made stupid choices while drunk including hookups and one night stands. Wild acting and everything. She regrets all of that and how low she allowed herself to drop.  Feels Vulnerable When — Triggered. She’s still learning through therapy what are specific triggers for her, but they bring her back to the rape and then she’ll get serious flashbacks. She’ll legitimately forget that she has super strength, so getting harmed would be a very low possibility. She’s very fragile when triggered.  Pet Peeves — Gahhh I’m sure Georgette does have some pet peeves but I can’t think of them right now xD Conflicts — There is the situation with her ex-boyfriend Ryan. He’s out to make her life miserable and is like wealthy rich in both money and influence so like Georgette feels like he’s someone that can’t really be touched. Her undiagnosed PTSD. Then there is her gaining control of her new strength and living with the fact that she’s not technically alive but neither is she technically dead too.   Motivation — It’s kind of sad, but Georgette doesn’t really have anyone or anything that she can hold onto for motivation. Besides, like self-preservation and her own will, there is nothing tremendously great that she holds onto. I mean she does love her make-up industry but it’s not like that’s what keeps her waking up the next morning.  Short Term Goals and Hopes — To keep excelling in her make-up industry, and maybe have it go international although she’s very happy with where it is now.  Long Term Goals and Hopes — Georgette really wants to fix her reputation publically. It has gotten so tarnished after the rape and she had made it worse by fixating in alcohol. Right now, it has gotten better and people are aware of the true story, but still, she has shot a lot of her own creditability by her drinking. She hopes that one day she’ll be able to settle down to have a family, but like wayyy in the future. She knows she needs to fix herself first.  Sexuality — Heterosexual butt that’s more because she really hasn’t experienced a bi-wakening moment. I can see her being attracted to females too but with all the shit that has happened to her life, sexuality hasn’t really become a priority with her. Exercise Routine  — Georgette used to have a very rigorous exercise routine, even during the downward spiral she was still very faithful to her exercise routine. She used to work out daily and focus on a different aspect each day ie. cardio, abs, thighs, arms etc. Now she’s in the works of trying to figure that out with her strength haha Day or Night Person — Both Introvert or Extrovert — Primarily extrovert, but if she’s triggered then that switches drastically  Optimist or Pessimist — Neither. Georgette is more of a realist but if I have to choose she probably leans more toward the pessimist side

Likes and Styles:

Music — Georgette is very 80′s trash!!! She loves all the 80′s songs except for the heavy metal ones. Her absolute favorite is I Wanna Dance with Somebody by Whitney Houston  Books — She is a romance novel fan lol. The typical girl answer but for Georgette it’s more because she’s never had the love she would read about like she never even had love from her parents. She also loves reading about Myths. It’s a past time favorite of her, particularly about the Heroes of Greek Mythology.  Her favorite book though is on neither category it’s The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne Magazines — She practically reads all the American ones to see what they have written about her, and she’ll also receive copies of the ones where she’s featured in the front cover and/or featured in a spread. She’s been in a lot more lately since the trial and the rising of her make-up industry Foods — Georgette doesn’t exactly each much at all nowadays but her absolute favorite is CHOCOLATE!!! No surprise there xD  Drinks — She was definitely into those healthy protein shakes and smoothies but her favorite drink has always been water!!! She still drinks water frequently. Alcohol though is Tequila.  Animals — Peaches!!! She loves dogs and absolutely hates cats. Georgette does have a thing now for horses too.  Sports — Gymnastics that’s it.  Social Issues — Now that things are heading on the upside for her publicity-wise, Georgette is getting more involved with Women’s rights and rights and protections for rape victims. She doesn’t want anyone to have to go through all that she did with her own.  Favorite Saying — “If you want something done perfectly, you have to do it yourself.” Color — Pink!!!! Jewelry — Yeaass! Georgette loves jewelry!!! But she isn’t gaudy about it. Her favorite piece of jewelry would be bracelets. She always needs something around her wrist and she never leaves her place without one, so they easily became her favorite.  Games — Georgette really isn’t much of a game person. Websites — Very social media savy. Before, while in her downward spiral, Georgette was avidly avoiding social media and had even de-activated almost all of hers. Now, she back in the world, not so full-fledged like before, but back to where she knows what’s going on and bringing back her Instagram.   TV Shows — Georgette doesn’t really watch a lot of TV. She does enjoy Gilmore Girls and Friends but that’s about it. Movies — Georgette’s favorite movie used to be Mean Girls, but she’s over that now. She’s currently in the process of rediscovering her favorite. She does like rom-coms.  A favorite right now has been The Time-Traveler’s Wife.  Greatest Want — For the trauma of her rape to finally be all left behind her and still not torment her present day. Greatest Need — To work on her mental health.

Where and How Does Your Character Live Now:

Home — Georgette currently lives in the Castle Suites. She’s only one person so she didn’t want anything huge. Plus, her revenue wasn’t the best when she was first dropped into Swynlake. Now it’s amazing, but even still she doesn’t want anything big.  Household furnishings — It’s constantly changing because Georgette needs to replace something every time it gets broken because of her strength, but know that she’s very organized and her furnishings are definitely up their price wise.   Neighborhood — The NorthEast side of Swynlake Town or City Name — Swynlake, England Details of Town or City — We all know how Swynlake issss Married Before — Nope. Significant Other Before — There was Ryan Warren and Hercules for a brief time lmao. Children — Nope. Relationship with Family — Shunned. When Georgette went to NYC for the rape trial, she had stopped by home before coming to Swynlake and literally told her mother OFF. I mean she cursed this woman out lmao, so yeah she’s shunned xD Car — Nope. Career — An American media personality, socialite, model and a businesswoman as she is currently running her make-up industry.  Dream Career — In a past-life, she would have loved remaining in the Pageant world, now not at all. She currently has her dream career with her make-up line. It was something she always wanted and why she majored in Chemistry. Her make-up industry is her BABY Dream Life — Oh gawwd, one where she hadn’t been raped, and like DIED. She would have been Miss America and more continuing through the pageant world. She would be married with kids, but now she needs to change that dream lmao Love Life — Complicated. Going to just leave it at that  Talents or Skills — Georgette is awesome at Gymnastics, she’s super flexible, she has a beautiful singing voice, very business savvy, AHMAZING with doing make-up!!!,  Intelligence Level — Quite intelligent. She did go through all the educational levels.   Finances — She has a wonderful flow of revenue that constantly runs her way lmao

Your Character’s Life Before Your Story:

Past Careers — Pagentry   Past Lovers — Some as above. Biggest Mistakes — Turning to alcohol to help heal her from her rape trauma as well as never initially reporting her rape Biggest Achievements — The fact that she’s still managing to keep her head up after everything that has happened to her.

[aknazer]

Plagg’s Day Out: Kwami Club Meeting

Also on Ao3 

Day 3 << Day 4 >> Day 5

The ride back to school was uneventful, aside from Wayzz giving him the silent treatment. Though, truthfully, Plagg couldn’t tell if Wayzz was actually giving him the silent treatment, or was just...meditating or something.

Fu had left Wayzz with some seriously weird habits.

Once they’d reached the building and everyone was settled in their seats, Plagg still didn’t head back to Adrien. Even though it was still another hour or so until the meeting, Plagg knew that if he gave into temptation and left, he likely wouldn’t make it back.

He awoke to a paw prodding him. Cracking open an eye, he smirked when Trixx’s face swam into view, familiar and mischievous.

“Hey, Red. How’s it going?”

“Oh, I’d say it’s going pretty well.” Trixx’s bushy tail flicked back and forth in amusement. “Thanks for the stop over, by the way. Alya is torn between concern for Chat and smug satisfaction at having gotten the only interview with the mysterious Chat Noire.”

“Glad I could help.” Plagg sat up, stretching. “Can you make sure some of those pictures find their way to Ladybug? I talked her into swinging by so she could recreate the suit later.”

“Recreate it?” Trixx’s cocked an eyebrow inquisitively.

“Not actually, I don’t think.” Pagg squinted, trying to recall some of the rapid-fire impressions that had bombarded him a random intervals throughout the evening. “There were a lot of neurons firing off at once. A Chat Noire doll to go in her collection. Mutterings about mandarin collars and hemlines. Some kind of choker with a bell on it?” Plagg pulled a face. “So much girly crap. I quit listening, really.”

“Confused you, didn’t it?” Tikki smirked as she drifted over to rest next to him.

“I could have lived quite happily never knowing what tulle was.” Plagg grumbled, crossing his arms and turning away from Tikki’s amused gaze. However, his traitorous tail snuck off, winding affectionately around his partner. Plagg frowned harder when Trixx joined Tikki in giggling.

“It’s okay,” Trixx’s tone tried for soothing...and failed miserably. “Half the time I’m not sure what language Alya is actually speaking. She stares at these little...glyphs, on her screen and then asks me if I can see the error. The best I can tell her is ‘Well, it’s not Chinese.’”

Plagg snorted.

“It was the same with Marinette at first.” Tikki replied happily. “I’ve actually learned quite a bit from her, and it’s been wonderful watching her work improve over the years.”

“You both are disgusting.” Plagg sneered.

“You three are ridiculous.” Pollen, who was hovering by Wayzz, rolled her eyes expressively. “I was the one who had to sit there listening to Chloe’s phone practically buzz itself apart during dinner.”

“When Nino got home,” Wayzz commented, finishing up a tiny paper crane and setting it aside, “he saw his phone and started cussing.”

Plagg laughed. “How many from Adrien?”

“Six missed calls and ten text messages.” Wayzz said with a small smile. “Now, can we begin the meeting?”

“Oh my gods-” Plagg started to whine,

“-Yes?” Piped up four other voices simultaneously.

“...I hate you all.” Plagg muttered, disgusted. “Seriously. Do we have to do this shit every time?”

“Probably.” Trixx chirped. “But what ‘shit’ did you mean, specifically? The lame and obvious quips or having a meeting?”

“Yes.” Plagg nodded.

“Then yes, we do.” Trixx plopped down and curled her tail around herself with an air of finality.

Sighing, Plagg looked at Tikki, who only patted him consolingly before sitting down. Grumbling, Plagg curled up next to her.

“Plagg, do you want to start us off? Since you obviously have a story to tell?” Wayzz asked politely.

“What? No.” Plagg snorted. “I’ve already told my story three times, which is two more times than I wanted to. And I’ll have to tell Adrien something, so that’s four times.”

“But Plagg-” Trixx whined, “I wanna know what happened…”

“Then ask Tikki. Or Wayzz.” Plagg rebutted, without ever glancing her way.

“Plagg…”

“Pollen, why did Chloe miss patrol last night?” Wayzz ignored Trixx and Plagg, turning to Pollen.

“Her father was having dinner with the Mayor of Marasielle.” Pollen said. “Mayor Dubois announced that his eldest son - who is close to Chloe’s age - would be attending, since the boy is apparently aspiring to politics. Mayor Bourgeois thought it would be a good idea to introduce Lukas to Chloe, and asked her to attend as well. She was unable to get out of it.”

“Unable or unwilling?” Plagg muttered, well away of the Bee holder’s temperament. Chloe was (or at least had been) a notorious social-climber, who lacked the patience for any kind of manual labor. Or anything she considered beneath her, really.

Not to say that the brat hadn’t smartened up considerably since gaining a Miraculous. Donning a mask had certainly allowed her to lower her guard, much the same as it had for Adrien. And under Pollen’s tutelage, Chloe had learned patience and restraint...somewhat. She was a work in progress.

“Unable.” Pollen shot Plagg a look. “She’d already seen pictures of the new Chat, and was quite eager to get out and take a look herself.”

“Depending on what Plagg says to his chosen, she may yet discover that it was only Ladybug.” Wayzz replied, sliding Plagg a glance out of the corner of his eye.

Plagg rolled his eyes expressively.

“Well, Alya was thrilled that Chat Noire came to her for an interview.” Trixx piped up. “It’s quite the feather in her cap, and has put her on the radar with the local news stations.”

“She was already known to them.” Tikki pointed out.

“True.” Trixx smiled. “But never has a new superhero specifically sought her out for an interview, and eschewed the more mainstream official channels.”

Plagg rolled his eyes again at Trixx’s preening. You would think that Trixx was directly responsible for Alya’s success. “She was doing fine long before you got to her, Red.”

“Yes, my holder is a clever one.” Trixx said smugly, and Plagg gave up, dropping his head with a huff.

“And, you, Plagg?” Wayzz asked. “How is Adrien’s home situation?”

“As stable and precarious as always.” Plgg mumbled, and Tikki’s antenna reached out to twin with his affectionately. Plagg was not happy with the danger his kitten was in, and less happy that he was in it unknowingly. However, even he had to concede that informing Adrien was also a poor choice. Right now there was a balance, no matter how precarious and fragile, and it needed to be kept until they could be assured that the shift would be a positive one.

“Seven months.” Tikki murmured soothingly.

Plagg sighed. “I don’t know if it will hold that long. With Jade and Rena joining the scene, Papillion is becoming nervous. It’s only their newness that has kept him in check, but he may yet decide to bring Duusu into play.”

“It is difficult.” Wayzz said solemnly. “And you’re sure that Gabriel does not know his son’s role in this?”

“Some days I am, others I’m not.” Plagg admitted, shaking his head. “Even Nooroo is uncertain where his holder’s mind is.”

Or if he even had one, Plagg added silently. Gabriel Agreste was a psychopath, which made him all the more dangerous to deal with. What affection, if any, he held for his only son was known only to him. It had taken two years to suss out his motivations, and only time would tell if he would be willing to trade his son’s life to achieve his goals.

“Adrien lives in danger, and does not know it.” Trixx murmured apprehensively. “His den holds no safety for him.”

“That he cannot read the book is small consolation.” Wayzz murmured. “But we need to remove Duusu from his hands.”

“If we do, Adrien’s situation will devolve further.” Tikki argued. “Until he reaches the age of majority, he cannot safely leave, and his circle is not strong enough to support him, nor do they have the resources to do so.”

“Duusu is in danger. Master Fu is quite concerned.” Wayzz said.

“Duusu is in no more danger than he was.” Trixx replied.

“Neither is Adrien.” Wayzz countered.

“You all drone without purpose.” Pollen interjected. “This argument solves nothing - it is the same one we’ve had before.”

“Both Duusu and Nooroo say that Adrien’s safety is the priority.” Plagg spoke up.

“Have you spoken to them? Recently?” Pollen asked curiously.

“A few weeks ago.” Plagg said. “They agree that Adrien is far more likely to be the subject of his father’s ire than they are. And even is they are used, there are still fail-safes in place to limit the damage that Gabriel can do.”

“Then what had you concerned yesterday?” Tikki asked gently. “You seemed upset.”

“I was. I am.” Plagg sighed. “Gabriel has been increasing Adrien’s commitments. Dropping Chinese meant adding Italian. His piano is satisfactory, so now Gabriel is saying he must maintain his proficiency, as well as take up the violin.”

On the surface, it wasn’t so bad: Adrien’s conversational and written Mandarin was as good as it could be without traveling and living in China. His piano had been sufficient for a while. But since he had mastered them, it wasn’t as much effort. Learning a new language or instrument, and at the pace Gabriel expected, could easily be too much.

Adrien still insisted on school. Sure, he was well ahead of his classmates (and was actually taking a few University courses at his father’s insistence), but the social interaction was something Adrien desperately craved. And, truth be told, needed.

“He doesn’t get enough to eat.” Plagg grumbled. “And what he does get is insufficient to sustain him. His health is being effected.”

Silence.

“Maybe Chat Noir should take a break.” Trixx offered. “There are three others now.”

“It wouldn’t help.” Plagg said, shaking his head. “This is the only freedom he has. And there is no way he would agree to abandon Ladybug.”

“Lovesick fool.” Pollen muttered, but Plagg knew she was concerned, too.

“Marinette could…” Tikki said tentatively. “But there would be questions.”

“Something has to give.” Plagg said. “I want a reveal.”

“Plagg…” Tikki murmured.

“No, he’s right.” Pollen spoke up. “A member of the hive is hurt. Others must step up to support him.”

“I will speak to Fu.” Wayzz said. “There have been situations like this before, I am sure of it.”

“There have.” Tikki said hesitantly. “However, our foil here is technology. Even a century ago, it was possible to disappear, create a new life if needed. Now? I am not so sure.”

“Then we will reach out to other circles, if we must.” Wayzz said.

There was danger there, too. If Adrien had to leave Paris to save his life, then the black cat would have to either go with him as a companion, or return to dormancy until he had passed and a new holder born. Plagg slid Tikki a glance, and knew that she was worrying over the same thing. It had been done before, separating the Ladybug and the Black Cat, but it was never a good solution. And it was only brought into play if the alternatives were worse.

“If Chloe were brought into it, she may be able to help.” Pollen offered thoughtfully. “She does live in a hive, in truth. People come, people go. Everything moves. There is always a room available, to hide if one must.”

“Does Chloe know the hotel’s system?” Trixx asked curiously. “If not, Alya may be of help.”

“I...do not know.” Pollen shook her head regretfully. “I think she knows the basics, but may not be able to fully manipulate it. I do not know, even, what is involved.”

“I think,” Tikki said, “that for now, gathering information may be our best route. A reveal would be preferable to a move, always. And, as Plagg said, the situation is stable, but could deteriorate rapidly should anything change. If things must devolve, then we need them to do so in our favor.”

“A contingency plan.” Wayzz nodded. “I will talk to Fu, and to Nino. Feel out your holders, see how you think they would do with knowing identities. There is a history of tension between some of them, so we need to know how this will affect things.”

The Kwami Club meeting (and Plagg sarcastically called it: “What are we, a bunch of babysitters?”) broke up not too long after. Tikki did indeed chew him out for tricking Marinette into vaulting past Adrien the previous night, and no amount of wheedling or excuses would sway her.

“I knew you were up to something! I knew it!”

“But, Tikki, I had to let the boy know I was alright. Right? You wouldn’t want him to worry I was hurt, would you?”

“Now he’s probably more worried that he’s been replaced, Plagg!”

Wayzz, the serene little snot that he was, just sat in the corner, quietly folding more paper animals as Tikki ranted. And smiling. Plagg had definitely seen him smiling.

By the time Plagg had crept back into Adrien’s bag, he was ready for a nap. Or ten. Or maybe a ten hour nap.

He didn’t get his ten hour nap, but he did get in an hour or two before he vaguely heard the school bell ring. Jostling meant movement, and he registered the lifting and faint bump that signaled that Adrien’s book bag had been hung up. More noises, the rustling of clothing shifting as he head Adrien trade out his school wear for the fencing uniform. Familiar voices talking and teasing and laughing, before a metallic clang, and silence.

The next time he woke, was to more of the same. The squeak that signalled a locker door opening, and Adrien’s voice as he chatted with team mates and changed. The lifting sensation and rhythmic bumping as Adrien settled his pack and moved off. Plagg didn’t pay it much mind until Adrien stopped.

Plagg could hear the faint whirring and clicking of tumblers as Adrien opened his school locker, mumbling to himself as he did so. Then the top of his bag was opened. Plagg lifting his head, expecting a familiar pair of green eyes - and got a faceful of books.

“...Chapters three and four of…” Adrien wasn’t even looking as he dumped school books into his bag! Sputtering and indignant, Plagg climbed over the book that had been dropped on top of him.

“Hey!” He raised a fist and shook it at the oblivious boy. “Hey! What’s the big idea?”

Adrien’s eyes swung from the open planner in his hand to Plagg’s irate stare, eyes widening in shock. “Plagg? Plagg! Oh my god!”

The planner snapped closed, and Adrien absently shoved it into the locker as he turned, using both hands to bring his school bag closer to peer down at the kwami. Yanking the bag open wider, he gaped openly.

“What are you doing here?” Adrien gasped. “How did you get here? Where were you? Are you alright? When did-”

“Jeez, enough.” Plagg drawled. “Watch where you’re dropping your books, kid, you nearly gave me a concussion.”

“I nearly-” Adrien blinked, eyes narrowing. “Well, pardon me, you weren’t in there last time I checked.”

“And when was that?” Plagg asked idly, lounging on top of one of his papery attackers.

“After lunch.” Adrien answered automatically. “Wait! What the heck happened to you?”

“Not a whole lot to say.” Plagg yawned widely, tiny fangs glinting in the low light. “A bunch of stuff happened, and here I am.”

“‘A bunch of stuff happened and here I am.’” Adrien repeated incredulously. “That’s the best you can do? You were gone for almost twenty-four hours, Plagg!”

“What, were you counting?” The tiny god asked dubiously. “And I wasn’t gone. I was near by...mostly. Well, for a while, anyway. Within a couple hundred meters or so...”

“Plagg, this is no time for your crap!” Adrien hissed. “What if something had happened? What if there had been an akuma? Who would've helped Ladybug then?”

“Calm down,” Plagg drawled, “It was fine.”

“It was not fine!” Adrien snapped, then glanced around for anybody nearby before lowering his voice. “What the hell happened, Plagg? Seriously.”

“What, you want the long version?” Plagg eyed Adrien skeptically. At his resolute nod, Plagg heaved a sigh. “Fine, fine…”

Adrien’s phone jangled, and both of them winced. Adrien reached back, pulling it from his pocket and grimacing at the screen.

“Gorilla’s here.” He said unnecessarily, before pinning Plagg with a glare. “But you will be telling me what happened when we get home.” 

[fmdtaeyongarchive]

headcanon #001: personality types

artisan | hufflepuff | infj | melancholic | type 4

soul type: artisan (source)

“Spontaneous, innovative, and imaginative, the prodigious Artisan is not only the most creative role but the most eccentric. Viewing life as just one big canvas for their creative offspring, Artisans can slip into delusional worlds that bear little resemblance to reality. For this reason, Artisans must stay grounded in the world and avoid this natural penchant for being a bit scattered.  

With five inputs to manage, the Artisan's focus in the world can be omni-directional, like an oscillating fan that sends a flow of air in many directions, never diverting its attention for too long in one spot.”

hogwarts house: hufflepuff (source)

“Students belonging to this house are known to be hard-working, friendly, loyal, honest and rather impartial. It may be that due to their values, Hufflepuffs are not as competitive as the other houses, and are more modest about their accomplishments. Hufflepuff is the most inclusive among the four houses; valuing hard work, dedication, patience, loyalty, and fair play rather than a particular aptitude in its students.”

myers-briggs: infj (source)

“INFJs indeed share a unique combination of traits: though soft-spoken, they have very strong opinions and will fight tirelessly for an idea they believe in. They are decisive and strong-willed, but will rarely use that energy for personal gain – INFJs will act with creativity, imagination, conviction and sensitivity not to create advantage, but to create balance. Egalitarianism and karma are very attractive ideas to INFJs, and they tend to believe that nothing would help the world so much as using love and compassion to soften the hearts of tyrants.”

temperament: melancholic (source)

“The defining feature of a melancholic attitude is perfectionism. They are idealists who wish for things to be a certain way, and they get distressed when they are not.

They hold themselves and others to unrealistically high standards, and get distressed when these standards are not met. This leads to them being self-deprecating - because they do not meet their own standards - and critical of others - because those others do not meet their standards.

Their generally dour demeanour comes from their inner struggle between an imperfect world and a desire for perfection.”

enneagram: type 4 (source)

“Fours often report that they feel they are missing something in themselves, although they may have difficulty identifying exactly what that “something” is. Is it will power? Social ease? Self-confidence? Emotional tranquility?—all of which they see in others, seemingly in abundance. Given time and sufficient perspective, Fours generally recognize that they are unsure about aspects of their self-image—their personality or ego-structure itself. They feel that they lack a clear and stable identity, particularly a social persona that they feel comfortable with.

While it is true that Fours often feel different from others, they do not really want to be alone. They may feel socially awkward or self-conscious, but they deeply wish to connect with people who understand them and their feelings. The “romantics” of the Enneagram, they long for someone to come into their lives and appreciate the secret self that they have privately nurtured and hidden from the world. If, over time, such validation remains out of reach, Fours begin to build their identity around how unlike everyone else they are. The outsider therefore comforts herself by becoming an insistent individualist: everything must be done on her own, in her own way, on her own terms. Fours’ mantra becomes “I am myself. Nobody understands me. I am different and special,” while they secretly wish they could enjoy the easiness and confidence that others seem to enjoy.

Fours typically have problems with a negative self-image and chronically low self-esteem. They attempt to compensate for this by cultivating a Fantasy Self—an idealized self-image which is built up primarily in their imaginations.”

[lcudationarchive-blog]

HELLSTATE TASK 025. ― identity.

she was a compulsive pessimist, always looking for the soft brown spot in the fruit, pressing so hard she created it.

name meaning

OONA — a name of gaelic origin which means LAMB. generally pronounced oo-nah although with her thick accent is often heard as oh-nuh ( thus her nickname oh no ) 

CHRISTIAN — latin for CHRISTOS or simply A CHRISTIAN. she shares the middle name with her younger brother, vilhelm. 

SAYER —  from the middle english personal name saher or seir. this is probably a norman introduction of the continental germanic personal name sigiheri, composed of the elements sigi ‘victory’ + heri ‘army’.

astrological

BIRTH DATE — February 17, 1997

STAR SIGN — Aquarius

ELEMENT — Air

QUALITY — Fixed

COLOR — Blue, Blue Green, Grey, Black

DAY — Saturday, Sunday

RULER — Uranus

GREATEST COMPATIBILITY — Gemini, Libra

LUCKY NUMBERS:  4, 8, 13, 17, 22, 26

Aquarius-born are shy and quiet , but on the other hand they can be eccentric and energetic. However, in both cases, they are deep thinkers and highly intellectual people who love helping others. They are able to see without prejudice, on both sides, which makes them people who can easily solve problems. Although they can easily adapt to the energy that surrounds them, Aquarius-born have a deep need to be some time alone and away from everything, in order to restore power. People born under the Aquarius sign, look at the world as a place full of possibilities. Aquarius is an air sign, and as such, uses his mind at every opportunity. If there is no mental stimulation, they are bored and lack a motivation to achieve the best result. The ruling planet of Aquarius, Uranus has a timid, abrupt and sometimes aggressive nature, but it also gives Aquarius visionary quality. They are capable of perceiving the future and they know exactly what they want to be doing five or ten years from now.

STRENGTHS — advanced, creative, irrespective, humanitarian

WEAKNESSES —  overly emotional situations, inability to compromise, hot tempered, apart

LIKES —  entertainment, aiding others, struggle for reason, intellectual conversations, a perfect listener

DISLIKES — restrictions, incomplete promises, solitude, boring occasions, identities that have other thoughts

YEAR OF THE OX — Ox plays great important role in people’s life. Without the ox’s hard work in agriculture, human society couldn’t makes such a rapid progress. As the ox act slowly but having a strong will and are industrious, the people born in the year of the ox also have these kinds of nature. No matter how terrible the surroundings are and what other people say, they usually go forward to do things step by step and finish finally. The ox is one of ruminant animals. They need to munch repeatedly for a long time without swallowing hastily when eating in order to digest the food completely. This is the same with the people under the ox sign. They like to think hard and ponder repeatedly for a long time before taking actions. Because of this, they are thought to be the kind of people thinking too much and too much questions. However, once begin to act; they will carry it off courageously without a hitch and rest. The disadvantage for them is that they lack of the flexibility ability to adapt to changes in the market. They usually insist on holding by their decisions and would like not to change which shows to be stubborn in other people’s eyes.

myers briggs

ESFJ-A ( THE CONSUL ) 

Few personality types are as practical and caring as Consuls. Known for their social and administrative skills, Consuls are good at creating and maintaining a secure, stable and friendly environment for themselves and their loved ones. Consuls’ dedication is invaluable in many areas, including their own personal growth.

Yet Consuls can be easily tripped up in areas where their kindness and practical approach are more of a liability than an asset. Whether it is finding (or keeping) a partner, learning to relax or improvise, reaching dazzling heights on the career ladder, or managing their workload, Consuls need to put in a conscious effort to develop their weaker traits and additional skills.

enneagram type

TYPE NINE ( THE PEACEMAKER )

Nines demonstrate the universal temptation to ignore the disturbing aspects of life and to seek some degree of peace and comfort by “numbing out.” They respond to pain and suffering by attempting to live in a state of premature peacefulness, whether it is in a state of false spiritual attainment, or in more gross denial. More than any other type, Nines demonstrate the tendency to run away from the paradoxes and tensions of life by attempting to transcend them or by seeking to find simple and painless solutions to their problems.

To emphasize the pleasant in life is not a bad thing, of course—it is simply a limited and limiting approach to life. If Nines see the silver lining in every cloud as a way of protecting themselves from the cold and rain, other types have their distorting viewpoints, too. For example, Fours focus on their own woundedness and victimization, Ones on what is wrong with how things are, and so forth. By contrast, Nines tend to focus on the “bright side of life” so that their peace of mind will not be shaken. But rather than deny the dark side of life, what Nines must understand is that all of the perspectives presented by the other types are true, too. Nines must resist the urge to escape into “premature Buddhahood” or the “white light” of the Divine and away from the mundane world. They must remember that “the only way out is through.”

BASIC FEAR — Of loss and separation

BASIC DESIRE — To have inner stability “peace of mind”

character alignment

NEUTRAL GOOD — To a neutral good being, life and the assurance of other creatures’ rights take precedence over all else. This is not to say that this character will have an aversion to taking another’s life when faced with a choice between an attacker’s and his own, however. Neutral good beings also believe that law and chaos are merely tools to use in bringing life, prosperity, and happiness to all deserving creatures. Neither numbers nor individual concerns have any bearing on decisions regarding the needs and rights of any given creature. In other words, in the view of a neutral good being, rarely will either the needs of the many or the personal desires of an individual outweigh the needs of any other creature. All life is given even-handed treatment. As with all alignments neutral with respect to law and chaos, self-reliance is a cornerstone of a neutral good being’s personality. In a crunch, neutral good characters trust in themselves and in no other individual or group. This doesn’t mean they can’t make friends and develop trusting relationships with others, however. Neutral good beings aren’t normally as independent as chaotic good beings, and they can cooperate in groups. But they won’t always trust a group to be more effective than they could be themselves. 

four temperaments

PHLEGMATIC — The phlegmatic temperament is fundamentally relaxed and quiet, ranging from warmly attentive to lazily sluggish. Phlegmatics tend to be content with themselves and are kind. They are accepting and affectionate. They may be receptive and shy and often prefer stability to uncertainty and change. They are consistent, relaxed, calm, rational, curious, and observant, qualities that make them good administrators. They can also be passive-aggressive.

miscellaneous

HOGWARTS HOUSE: Slytherin

ILVERMORNY HOUSE: Thunderbird

DIVERGENT FACTION: Amity

HUNGER GAMES DISTRICT: Twelve

[gradinar11]

I believe in singing. I believe in singing together.

A few years ago a friend and I realized that we both loved singing but didn't do much of it. So we started a weekly a capella group with just four members. After a year we started inviting other people to join. We didn't insist on musical experience — in fact some of our members had never sung before. Now the group has ballooned to around 15 or 20 people.

I believe that singing is the key to long life, a good figure, a stable temperament, increased intelligence, new friends, super self-confidence, heightened sexual attractiveness and a better sense of humor. A recent long-term study conducted in Scandinavia sought to discover which activities related to a healthy and happy later life. Three stood out: camping, dancing and singing.

Well, there are physiological benefits, obviously: You use your lungs in a way that you probably don't for the rest of your day, breathing deeply and openly. And there are psychological benefits, too: Singing aloud leaves you with a sense of levity and contentedness. And then there are what I would call "civilizational benefits." When you sing with a group of people, you learn how to subsume yourself into a group consciousness because a capellasinging is all about the immersion of the self into the community. That's one of the great feelings — to stop being me for a little while and to become us. That way lies empathy, the great social virtue.- b.e.

[trendingnewsb]

I’ve Photographed More Than 180 Girls And Their Cats To Prove That Cat Ladies Are Awesome

I started Girls and Their Cats on Instagram two years ago as a way to showcase cat ladies in a positive light. These are some of the most heartwarming stories from the series.

Show Full Text

You can also see my previous post here.

More info: Instagram | girlsandtheircats.com

Anna Agneta & Captain

“My husband Brian and I used to live in this old loft building in Toronto called The Coffin Factory, that’s what it was before people started living there. It was right next to this abattoir and around it there lived a colony of feral cats. They probably thrived from the waste of the pigs slaughtered there. They all looked tough as hell. Our dog wouldn’t even go near them. One day my friend Agi and her boyfriend at the time had a new cat mom and her kittens arrive on their doorstep. A friend of theirs had found her and dropped her off. She was no doubt from the colony, a beautiful pale grey calico with exotic light green eyes and orange ringlets on her tail. They named her Nala. When the kittens were ready to find new homes, we thought we’d go take a look. I remember going down through the maze-like hallways of The Coffin Factory to her unit. There were 6 kittens and they were all nuts, one climbing on something, a couple napping on the couch, another chasing a toy across the floor, they were everywhere. I wasn’t sure if we should get a cat since we travel and move around a lot, but Brian said “Of course we’ll take one of the kittens, we’ll make it work!” Ok, we’re getting a kitten. I’m not sure which came first, his boss-like swagger or his name, Captain. Probably his name but he grew into it so well I can’t imagine him as anything else. He’s always liked to ride around on our shoulders, I think it comes from his nature of liking to be up high and perhaps escape our overly affectionate dog when he was too small to ward her off. He’s a cat and can’t help but do cat-like things, like wake us up when be wants food, showing a certain remorselessness when he chews on expensive computer cords, but behind those things there’s something of higher being capable of great love and affection. Anyone who spends enough time with him falls completely in love. He tends to really affect people and share special moments with them. I feel very lucky that I get to be his cat mama.” Anna Agneta is a model and musician. She plays guitar in a Canadian indie rock band called Dusted.

Christene Barberich & Phoebe

“Two years ago, on New Year’s day, I was finishing up my usual annual ritual—bringing my journal with me from the previous year to a special place and taking stock of all the highlights and accomplishments of the year past. This time around, I chose the Mondrian hotel. And as I sat there detailing the events of the year, I began to feel very low, reflecting on another year gone by that I hadn’t had a child. Not that I hadn’t tried—I had and failed a few more miserable times. Amid all the wonderful things blossoming in my life, that one enduring defeat never seemed to stop lingering, casting a shadow over every small happiness. But, always, on this day for the past four years that we’d been trying, it hurt the most. On the way home from my ritual, I passed an animal hospital in my neighborhood. I saw a fluffy, white cat named Chalky in the window up for adoption, and went inside. I asked to meet Chalky, without even checking in with my husband about the prospect of fostering him. The attendant seemed delighted by my interest, but kept suggesting I meet another cat instead. Her name was Cora and she was deemed “special needs” because she’d lost her leg in a car accident the year prior. For some reason, I felt determined it was Chalky who should come home with us that day, but it was my husband who insisted we meet Cora since she’d been bounced around in foster care for months. About a half-hour later, my husband met me there. I was in kind of a daze, and didn’t even know what I was doing, but felt strangely guided to do it anyway. They took us into a small visitor’s room where they do potential pet-parent meet-and-greets. A few moments later, the door cracked open, and in popped this tiny, tiger-striped head—her bigs eyes were so wide and curious. She was so small but so elegant. She hopped in and I watched her look up at both of us, pensively, and then curl around Kevin’s ankle. He scooped her up with one hand and just looked at me, like, “Let’s get out of here.” And that was it. We brought her home. She hid out in her furry little cat house that she’d lived in at the shelter, until she gradually got used to roaming the apartment and finding new spots to claim as her own. It’s obvious she’s deeply devoted to Kevin, likes to hide around corners and pounce on his feet and ankles. But with me, she’s more soulful and sturdy. She sleeps between my legs and then, at some point during the night, she sneaks up alongside my chest and purrs until we both fall asleep again. I still don’t have a baby of my own. But Phoebe reminded me of how good it feels to love something, to really care for it and need that simple love in return. To feel like destiny had intervened and she had found her rightful home, too. Phoebe taught me it wasn’t all my fault that I couldn’t have a baby, and helped me find the courage to write about what all that loss was like in an essay on the website I co-founded,@Refinery29. The constant love and presence of a soul like Phoebe, reminded me that life does go on. That through heartbreak and failure and so much regret, comes other kinds of love and nurturing that you’re not always expecting, but that feeds you just the same. Very simply, Phoebe opened my heart again. And, she made me believe in myself, too, maybe in a way I never had before. “ Christene is the co-founder of Refinery29.

Simone Thompson & Nigel

“It was the brutal winter of 2015 & as I sat in my poorly heated Flatbush apartment my girlfriend presented me with a tiny, scrappy little black kitten by the name of Nigel. Nigel was big enough to fit in the palm of my hand and street smart enough to be unmistakably feral. He possessed a spastic quality and had been a rescue from East NY. Having previously sustained a head injury, he has a permanent head tilt which gives him the appearance of a cat that’s constantly questioning authority. He loved to scratch, bite and took joy in breaking everything within site. The adjustment period was admittedly tough. As a self pro-claimed cat lady I had a hard time warming up to him. He rarely was calm & antagonized me whenever he could. My girlfriend & I even began to fight because she accused me of not “loving our child.” After a few months though it all changed. We moved to Bedstuy & the change in scenery brought a new, less manic Nigel. His catastrophic kitten stage was finally over. He still bites but gives me cuddles.. sometimes. Most days he watches TV with me & I spend a lot of time asking him important life questions that go unanswered. He’s proved himself to be our difficult but loving child that my partner & I adore.”

Athena Wisotsky & Frikki

“I’ve wanted a cat of my own for so long, but I’ve moved a lot the last three years and there was always something in the way. I never felt settled enough, or the apartment was too small, or my housemates weren’t on board. I have three bodega cats I visit as often as I can, but it’s not the same as coming home to a little creature of my own. When my mother Donna passed away suddenly last month, I had the responsibility to re-home her cats in the middle of everything else that was going on. She had five! Two ladies that we got when I was in high school, and three siblings from one of them. They were her joy and companions, and it was so important to me to find safe and stable homes for them. She would always send me photos of them curled in her lap, or hamming it up, and tell me whatever antics they were getting up to. We joked that she would have to mail one to NYC. When she passed away, it felt like the right thing to do to adopt one of them. We didn’t choose Frikki at first. Her brother is a lot more social, happy and almost comically beautiful. But I realized that with her skittish temperament, she’d need a lot of patience and love. And my decidedly not-a-cat-person boyfriend Max even took to her right away (it was her giant cartoon eyes), so little Frik flew with us from Oregon to New York. It’s been less than a month but she’s warming up a lot, and so is the household. Max initially didn’t want her on the bed, but he caved within 3 days when he realized the power of a cat snug. I’ll often catch them cuddling in bed, and he will text me “How are my girls?” if I am working at home — sometimes with her in my lap. They have bonded already and it warms my heart. This isn’t the way I ever imagined getting my first cat, but having her around has been a major comfort in my grief. Sometimes I just sit and pet her and imagine my mom doing the same thing just a month ago. She’s a living piece of my mother’s life, I’m so happy to have her in my home.” Athena Wisotsky is a writer, editor and artist living in Brooklyn.

Jess Peterson & Oscar

“I got Oscar as a kitten from a craigslist ad. Not knowing at the time that there was a reason they put him on craigslist. He was a giant. He is now full grown at a lean 30lbs. (every doctor who has seen him claims he is the largest cat they have ever seen) Well, as most people would know, Giants tend to have bone issues. So, when Oscar was about 3 or 4 he started limping. his bones were all out of wack and eventually we discovered he had a luxating patella, which is common in dog breeds. Debating for a long time about surgery and success rates I was eventually talked into it by my cousin who is an orthopedic vet surgeon. She said it was a routine procedure and she’s done hundreds of them, and with his specific grade of luxation it was supposed to be no problem. One and done. It wasn’t. He ended up having 4 surgeries last year. It’s a lot to get into with each specific surgery that happened. It brings me to tears just thinking about it. It was the most difficult thing I have gone through in caring for another animal/being thus far in my life. It would have been impossible without the help of family and friends (most definitely my cousin and her hospital staff at Cornell Vet Specialist in Stamford). He became their favorite patient. With all the complications he actually ended up living at the hospital getting constant care for one month on two separate occasions. He even had acupuncture 3 times a week. I’ve never even had acupuncture. It was almost impossible to see the light at the end of the tunnel at many points. On the day he had a successful x-ray – after the 4th surgery – it was the best feeling. I made him a hat for that day, a kitten cake, tons of cat nip and had some champagne. He just celebrated his 7th birthday. He has touched many lives. Mostly mine.” Jess is jewelry designer and painter living in greenpoint.

Ashley Meyers & Oliver

“One evening about a year ago I was walking with some friends in Brooklyn heading to some get-together, when this little peanut ran up to us out of nowhere meowing purrrfusly while staring into my soul. I was apparently born with the gift of an aura that attracts kitty cats where ever I go. This little guy seemed ravenous with hunger. (Which I know now is just his personality) with no nearby homes in site and doors to knock on to see if he belonged to anyone, I decided it was best to just care for him until we figured something out. He was social and friendly but seemed to be on the streets for a while, as he was dirty and had a little ear wound. I asked the others if they would mind if he came along and they were more than happy to include him. We stopped at an open market on the way and fed him a couple cans. We proceeded to head to our destination with a new guest in our arms as if he had been our friend all along. I had just taken in my little furball Isabella. (Not pictured because she is afraid of anyone but me and missed her opportunity to have amazing photos in her new little hat that her mommy made her). Also, I wasn’t allowed to have any pets in this apartment and my roommate at the time wouldn’t have been happy with another cat. So, my compassionate friend who bonded with him that very evening, took him in for about a week while we figured it out. My friend kept him until he had to leave for tour with his band the Mystery Lights, so his gf, took him in until she wasn’t able to keep him anymore either, despite falling in love with him as everyone did along the way. So, I took him and the rest was history. After falling in love with my last roommates cat in my previous apt I was scared to get attached to another kitty cat again, but in reality, it wasn’t much of a life without a furbaby around. Oliver keeps me laughing all day every day. He is the biggest ham you will ever meet. I call him a little space cat. He has these enormous intense eyes that never seem to blink and he’s either sitting around on the couch like a human on his butt with his legs out or against a wall on his back with all fours up in the air. He also LOVES wearing clothes. Hats not so much. Everyone that meets him becomes a fan. Oliver and his older yet tinier sister love to chase each other like hyenas in the jungle and kiss and bathe each other like little heavenly angels. Watching them be mushy together is the most heartwarming, peaceful and precious thing to witness. They also couldn’t be any more different from each other. Both in size and personality. They are total opposites, which make quite the comical team. Isabella is the cuddliest sweetest little peanut but too afraid to be held which would drive me crazy, but Oliver makes up for that part. I love picking up his big chubby body and carrying him around like a baby. They make me so happy. A home without a mushball is no sweet home at all.” Ashley Meyers is a NJ native currently living in Brooklyn and working as a freelance makeup artist.

Chelsea Trout & Mushu

“I began fostering with the NYCACC in the beginning of 2014. It was my junior year in college, and I felt simultaneously compelled to begin volunteering again and severe separation anxiety from having a pet. It was a fairly quick progression into fostering kittens for me. I started fostering 1-2 kittens every few months, and quickly escalated to 2-3 on rotation — as soon as one set would leave, I’d ask to foster another. Fast-forward two years and about 30 kittens later, I found myself living with my boyfriend in our first apartment. It took a little persuading to get him fully onboard with my obsession. Almost a year into our lease, I accepted a request to foster two “singletons,” (the name they used for any young kittens that were without a litter). One, Reed, was an adorable little fluffball only about 5 weeks old. The other, Alipha, was a bit older, at maybe 9 weeks, and reportedly needed a little more socialization to get over her shyness. I looked at Alipha as my personal challenge, because I took pride in taking foster kittens in and sending them back to the shelter as extremely people-friendly and of healthy weight. In the first couple weeks of our time with Reed and Alipha, we saw little improvement in Alipha’s temperament (this would become a trend in our time with her). Reed, however, was just as bubbly and inquisitive as could be. I also began to notice that he really enjoyed being in my presence. If I was cooking or doing the dishes in the kitchen, I would find him directly next to me sprawled out and leisurely flipping his tail around. When I’d use the bathroom, he’d mosey on in and plop himself right on the floor in front of me — waiting patiently. There was something special about our connection that stood out from all of my past fosters. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but it was there. I eventually found myself giving the shelter excuses as to why it was too soon to send them back to the shelter to be taken to adoption events. “I don’t think Alipha has had enough time to fully get past her shyness,” I’d tell the foster coordinators. Meanwhile, Alipha turned out to be a cat that would not soon grow out of her habits. But I simply couldn’t part with Reed — who we had begun calling Mushu. I don’t remember the exact moment it was decided, but I woke up one day knowing I wasn’t sending Mushu to any adoption events. It was July 31, 2016 when the adoption was finalized. Mushu is still the greatest companion and friend I have ever known. As I type this, he’s sleeping on his little scratch pad directly in front of me, because even though he’s not the biggest cuddler he always wants to be within eyesight. He’s extremely verbal and even talks back when you ask him questions! He’s water-obsessed and will sit perched on the kitchen sink waiting for water to come out of the faucet. He welcomes people at the door, and has such a distinct personality that friends have often said he’s “not like other cats” they’ve met. He’s unbelievably inquisitive, and doesn’t shy away from getting in your face for a sniff. Though it’s been only a year with Mushu, it feels like I’ve known him a lifetime.” Chelsea Trout is a New Yorker born and raised, and has been living in Brooklyn for the last four years. She founded a women’s discussion group called Nasty Women’s Retreat that motivates and inspires her endlessly.

Maggie Freleng, Bandit & Daisy

“I went to the shelter looking for a kitten. I’ve never had a kitten because I always take in older rescues so it was time to treat myself. But when I went to the shelter I found Bandit, a 6-month-old blind cat, the shelter worker said had been there for months. No one wanted him. It broke my heart and even though I was looking for a kitten I took him. I couldn’t imagine life without him. He melts my heart every day sometimes I cry I’m so happy we found each other and people passed him up because he’s blind. He is the most special boy in the world. He can’t see but he knows his mom. As soon as I pick him up he collapses in my arms purring, and always finds his way to nestle in my arms at night. I got Daisy when she was about 4. I was living in a farm community in Massachusetts and she was a friend’s mom’s cat. The mom just got a divorce and she couldn’t keep Daisy, or her companion Scuter, anymore. So, I took them both to avoid them going to a shelter. It was just a few months after my childhood cat Lou died at 16. Daisy had a great life living outside hunting squirrels and birds in Massachusetts. She would literally swallow them whole! (it was sad and impressive) Eventually she went to the vet where they informed me she has FIV. I was devastated. I didn’t know what this meant. I met with experts at the vet and joined community boards and it turns out that Daisy will live a fairly normal life, but she has to be an inside cat to avoid injury and transmission. It was a long hard adjustment for us. Every day she would cry and scratch at the window screens and try to sneak out. Eventually after moving back to NYC she has gotten used to her simple life playing with fake mice and laser pointers. She has been living with FIV for 7 years now and all her tests come back great. She is the best cat, and my best friend. She has been through everything with me. 10 moves, multiple partners, breakups, deaths. I couldn’t imagine life without her. Although I am starting to think more about it because she is about 11 and I know the time will come sooner than later.” Maggie Freleng is a journalist and audio producer who works from home and is obsessed with her cats.

Naomi Fry, Nina, Roo & Matilda

“Our cats, Roo and Matilda, are both very good girls, but they’re also two very different types. Roo is a large tabby. People always think she’s a man and I always get a little offended for her. She looks very dependable — she has the face of someone you’d ask to watch your laptop for you if you needed to use the bathroom at a cafe. Her body type often reminds me of the bowling bags Prada used to do; I can almost imagine attaching a shoulder strap to her and tucking her snugly under my arm. She’s six years old, and we adopted her when she was one. Nina, our daughter, was also one at the time, so they’ve been growing up together. In fact, she got her name because “roo” was Nina’s approximation of a cat’s meow when she tried to communicate with her initially. (Her original name at the shelter we got her from was Circus (!)) Probably the best part about having Roo as a cat is that she likes to sleep between me and my husband’s heads, and I often drift off with one palm underneath her, one over: a hand sandwich bursting with fuzzy goodness. Matilda (aka “Tilda” or “Tildy”) is younger and more of a wildcard. She’s slim and sprightly, mostly white with some black markings, and while she’s not exactly “bad,” she turns scratchy occasionally, which Roo never does. She has the personality of an aloof popular girl in a teen movie who you discover mid-plot actually has some problems — like maybe a dead parent or an eating disorder — that make her secretly sensitive. For instance, she can appear prancingly self-sufficient with no interest in spending time on your lap, but then she immediately goes limp and pliant when you pick her up, as if all she was waiting for was for someone to break through her brittle shell and give her the love she was craving. Matilda is about three; when we adopted her a couple of years ago, Roo was initially traumatized and spent the first couple of weeks up on the kitchen cupboards, terrified. For the next few months, every time they’d come face to face, they would paw and hiss at each other. Over time, however, they’ve gotten used to living together. They don’t like to co-snuggle or touch, but even though they’d probably deny it if they could, I think they’re really curious about one another. They love to try and sniff each other’s butts, and you can often find them hanging out together on the bed or the couch with the air of two retirees who’d rather die than exchange a single word, but who have also chosen to share the same bench at the park for the past fifteen years.” Naomi Fry is a writer living in Brooklyn, and the copy chief at T: The New York Times Style Magazine.

Alvina Bokhari & October

“I met baby October on the eve of my 21st birthday. He was the best birthday surprise! October was found inside a cardboard box behind an office in Long Island. As soon as I held him I was so in love. This is a new experience for me because October is my first pet. I definitely treat him like he’s a new born baby. I’ve been spending some time researching more about October and cats in general and I’ve found their behavior to be very interesting. I love that when he circles my leg it means he’s leaving his scent on me so other cats know I’m his. He’s very playful and loves to cuddle. We also have so much in common like our nap schedules and the fact that we aren’t too fond of the vacuum. I’m so lucky to come home to the sweetest little guy!” Alvina Bokhari currently lives in Midtown Manhattan while she attends FIT for fashion business merchandising.

Alexandra King, Lois & Maxine

“Lois and Maxine are 7-year old sisters. My husband adopted them five years ago from a no-kill shelter in Chicago, and named them after local diner waitresses. Even though they were the only kittens in the shelter that day, my husband said that everyone kept stopping to look, then immediately walking past their cage because it was clear they were not “normal” cats. Which they are not. They both have a condition called cerebellar hypoplasia (sometimes affectionately known as “wobbly cat syndrome”). It’s a brain condition in which some kittens are born with an under developed cerebellum, the part of the brain which governs motor skills. As a result, cats that have CH don’t have great balance or coordination- they walk like little drunks and don’t have that regular cat-like ability to jump. Though it sounds like a scary thing, it’s a condition that’s non-progressive, non-contagious and too few people know that it results in THE CUTEST KITTIES IN THE WORLD. They don’t do any of the asshole type things normal cats can be prone to, like scratching or biting or leaping on countertops. They’re not very bright, bless them, but they’re obsessed with people. And each other. All they want to do is cuddle. Other than not being the shiniest crayons in the pack, they are physiologically perfect. They don’t require any kind of treatments or meds or pricey trips to the vet. They have a completely normal life span. All you have to do is baby proof the house a bit (sharp corners can be a hazard) and get ready to be adored. Every morning, I wake up wearing a cat bikini, one snoozing across my chest, one on my hips. Very sadly, many kittens that show signs of CH when they are born are often destroyed, because people think that they won’t get adopted. But they are the best cats in the world! There are a bunch of rescue places on the internet that specialize in CH cat rescue. I can’t recommend enough bringing one of these little weirdos home.” Alex King is a journalist, writer and blogger. She owns an art gallery in Chinatown with her husband Isaac. She currently works at CNN, but also freelances for The Guardian and Refinery 29 among others.

Paulina Virgen & Schiap

“I met ‘the one’ in Greenpoint at the home of a woman who saved cats from the euthanasia list – her name was Eva. We knew we wanted to rescue and that perhaps we wanted a grey cat. So, I went and met the cats Eva had and fell in love with a little playful Russian Blue. He had been rescued from the streets of Bushwick and was only 2 months old at the time. Spencer (my then boyfriend, now husband) came to meet him and we agreed. This was it. A few days later Eva brought him to our apartment on North 7th and Bedford and we fell in love. Hard love. But we noticed something was different about this cat. Were his eyes a little brighter? Was his face a little rounder? We called but Eva assured us this was “our” cat. Okay, we thought – he’s here and the cutest thing we’ve ever seen. Whoever he is we love him! We named his Schiaparelli after the designer Elsa Schiaparelli. I told Spencer we would either name our future child Schiap or our cat…he could chose. He chose the cat. A few days went by and Schiap made himself feel at home. He slept on our laundry bags and pawed at our feet as we walked by him. 3 days after we got Schiap I got a phone call from Eva at 9 am – she frantically confirmed our suspicion. She gave us the wrong cat!!! The numbers of the cat we chose and the cat she gave us were just reversed. She apologized profusely and told me she would come by that afternoon to swap the cats out. At that point we had already fallen in love with Schiap and figured it would be awful to send him back. We kept him and we are SO happy we did. He is the most mischievous, vain and sweet cat we’ve ever met. A few interesting things about Schiap: he pees/poos in the toilet (even covers his poop and pee with toilet paper). He is a world class hunter (birds, mice, rats, cockroaches, worms – you name it, he’s brought it). He wakes me up at least 3 times a week asking to be spooned back to sleep. generally he bites my cheek or chirps until I open my eyes then he crawls beside me and lays on his side. At that point I have to put my arm around him or the bites start! We joke that he’s Mexican like me because he loves beans and avocado.” Paulina is a fabric r&d manager for Coach.

Dinah Eke & Wolfie

“I walked into the shelter with every intention of bringing home a fat Russian Blue kitty I had seen on their website. Before I had a chance to meet said kitty, the proprietor pulled me aside and asked if I was open to looking at another cat. I assumed she would show me another Russian Blue, but instead she showed me my Wolfie- a feral black cat. He made no eye contact, in fact, he ignored me the whole time. When I reached out to pet him, he skirted to the back of the cage and hissed. I turned to her, I didn’t understand. Then she explained to me that he was wary of people due to being treated badly in the past. As a black cat, he had a higher chance of getting put down than getting adopted. Wolfie was mean as hell and I had no idea if he would take to me, but I couldn’t bare the thought of him getting killed through no fault of his own. So I brought him home. It’s been four years since we met. He is still wary of strangers, but he is the most loving kitty ever! If you are not superstitious and ever have the opportunity to adopt; please give a black kitty a chance.” Dinah Eke is a lifestyle blogger at deediary.com.

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I’ve Photographed More Than 180 Girls And Their Cats To Prove That Cat Ladies Are Awesome

I started Girls and Their Cats on Instagram two years ago as a way to showcase cat ladies in a positive light. These are some of the most heartwarming stories from the series.

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You can also see my previous post here.

More info: Instagram | girlsandtheircats.com

Anna Agneta & Captain

“My husband Brian and I used to live in this old loft building in Toronto called The Coffin Factory, that’s what it was before people started living there. It was right next to this abattoir and around it there lived a colony of feral cats. They probably thrived from the waste of the pigs slaughtered there. They all looked tough as hell. Our dog wouldn’t even go near them. One day my friend Agi and her boyfriend at the time had a new cat mom and her kittens arrive on their doorstep. A friend of theirs had found her and dropped her off. She was no doubt from the colony, a beautiful pale grey calico with exotic light green eyes and orange ringlets on her tail. They named her Nala. When the kittens were ready to find new homes, we thought we’d go take a look. I remember going down through the maze-like hallways of The Coffin Factory to her unit. There were 6 kittens and they were all nuts, one climbing on something, a couple napping on the couch, another chasing a toy across the floor, they were everywhere. I wasn’t sure if we should get a cat since we travel and move around a lot, but Brian said “Of course we’ll take one of the kittens, we’ll make it work!” Ok, we’re getting a kitten. I’m not sure which came first, his boss-like swagger or his name, Captain. Probably his name but he grew into it so well I can’t imagine him as anything else. He’s always liked to ride around on our shoulders, I think it comes from his nature of liking to be up high and perhaps escape our overly affectionate dog when he was too small to ward her off. He’s a cat and can’t help but do cat-like things, like wake us up when be wants food, showing a certain remorselessness when he chews on expensive computer cords, but behind those things there’s something of higher being capable of great love and affection. Anyone who spends enough time with him falls completely in love. He tends to really affect people and share special moments with them. I feel very lucky that I get to be his cat mama.” Anna Agneta is a model and musician. She plays guitar in a Canadian indie rock band called Dusted.

Christene Barberich & Phoebe

“Two years ago, on New Year’s day, I was finishing up my usual annual ritual—bringing my journal with me from the previous year to a special place and taking stock of all the highlights and accomplishments of the year past. This time around, I chose the Mondrian hotel. And as I sat there detailing the events of the year, I began to feel very low, reflecting on another year gone by that I hadn’t had a child. Not that I hadn’t tried—I had and failed a few more miserable times. Amid all the wonderful things blossoming in my life, that one enduring defeat never seemed to stop lingering, casting a shadow over every small happiness. But, always, on this day for the past four years that we’d been trying, it hurt the most. On the way home from my ritual, I passed an animal hospital in my neighborhood. I saw a fluffy, white cat named Chalky in the window up for adoption, and went inside. I asked to meet Chalky, without even checking in with my husband about the prospect of fostering him. The attendant seemed delighted by my interest, but kept suggesting I meet another cat instead. Her name was Cora and she was deemed “special needs” because she’d lost her leg in a car accident the year prior. For some reason, I felt determined it was Chalky who should come home with us that day, but it was my husband who insisted we meet Cora since she’d been bounced around in foster care for months. About a half-hour later, my husband met me there. I was in kind of a daze, and didn’t even know what I was doing, but felt strangely guided to do it anyway. They took us into a small visitor’s room where they do potential pet-parent meet-and-greets. A few moments later, the door cracked open, and in popped this tiny, tiger-striped head—her bigs eyes were so wide and curious. She was so small but so elegant. She hopped in and I watched her look up at both of us, pensively, and then curl around Kevin’s ankle. He scooped her up with one hand and just looked at me, like, “Let’s get out of here.” And that was it. We brought her home. She hid out in her furry little cat house that she’d lived in at the shelter, until she gradually got used to roaming the apartment and finding new spots to claim as her own. It’s obvious she’s deeply devoted to Kevin, likes to hide around corners and pounce on his feet and ankles. But with me, she’s more soulful and sturdy. She sleeps between my legs and then, at some point during the night, she sneaks up alongside my chest and purrs until we both fall asleep again. I still don’t have a baby of my own. But Phoebe reminded me of how good it feels to love something, to really care for it and need that simple love in return. To feel like destiny had intervened and she had found her rightful home, too. Phoebe taught me it wasn’t all my fault that I couldn’t have a baby, and helped me find the courage to write about what all that loss was like in an essay on the website I co-founded,@Refinery29. The constant love and presence of a soul like Phoebe, reminded me that life does go on. That through heartbreak and failure and so much regret, comes other kinds of love and nurturing that you’re not always expecting, but that feeds you just the same. Very simply, Phoebe opened my heart again. And, she made me believe in myself, too, maybe in a way I never had before. “ Christene is the co-founder of Refinery29.

Simone Thompson & Nigel

“It was the brutal winter of 2015 & as I sat in my poorly heated Flatbush apartment my girlfriend presented me with a tiny, scrappy little black kitten by the name of Nigel. Nigel was big enough to fit in the palm of my hand and street smart enough to be unmistakably feral. He possessed a spastic quality and had been a rescue from East NY. Having previously sustained a head injury, he has a permanent head tilt which gives him the appearance of a cat that’s constantly questioning authority. He loved to scratch, bite and took joy in breaking everything within site. The adjustment period was admittedly tough. As a self pro-claimed cat lady I had a hard time warming up to him. He rarely was calm & antagonized me whenever he could. My girlfriend & I even began to fight because she accused me of not “loving our child.” After a few months though it all changed. We moved to Bedstuy & the change in scenery brought a new, less manic Nigel. His catastrophic kitten stage was finally over. He still bites but gives me cuddles.. sometimes. Most days he watches TV with me & I spend a lot of time asking him important life questions that go unanswered. He’s proved himself to be our difficult but loving child that my partner & I adore.”

Athena Wisotsky & Frikki

“I’ve wanted a cat of my own for so long, but I’ve moved a lot the last three years and there was always something in the way. I never felt settled enough, or the apartment was too small, or my housemates weren’t on board. I have three bodega cats I visit as often as I can, but it’s not the same as coming home to a little creature of my own. When my mother Donna passed away suddenly last month, I had the responsibility to re-home her cats in the middle of everything else that was going on. She had five! Two ladies that we got when I was in high school, and three siblings from one of them. They were her joy and companions, and it was so important to me to find safe and stable homes for them. She would always send me photos of them curled in her lap, or hamming it up, and tell me whatever antics they were getting up to. We joked that she would have to mail one to NYC. When she passed away, it felt like the right thing to do to adopt one of them. We didn’t choose Frikki at first. Her brother is a lot more social, happy and almost comically beautiful. But I realized that with her skittish temperament, she’d need a lot of patience and love. And my decidedly not-a-cat-person boyfriend Max even took to her right away (it was her giant cartoon eyes), so little Frik flew with us from Oregon to New York. It’s been less than a month but she’s warming up a lot, and so is the household. Max initially didn’t want her on the bed, but he caved within 3 days when he realized the power of a cat snug. I’ll often catch them cuddling in bed, and he will text me “How are my girls?” if I am working at home — sometimes with her in my lap. They have bonded already and it warms my heart. This isn’t the way I ever imagined getting my first cat, but having her around has been a major comfort in my grief. Sometimes I just sit and pet her and imagine my mom doing the same thing just a month ago. She’s a living piece of my mother’s life, I’m so happy to have her in my home.” Athena Wisotsky is a writer, editor and artist living in Brooklyn.

Jess Peterson & Oscar

“I got Oscar as a kitten from a craigslist ad. Not knowing at the time that there was a reason they put him on craigslist. He was a giant. He is now full grown at a lean 30lbs. (every doctor who has seen him claims he is the largest cat they have ever seen) Well, as most people would know, Giants tend to have bone issues. So, when Oscar was about 3 or 4 he started limping. his bones were all out of wack and eventually we discovered he had a luxating patella, which is common in dog breeds. Debating for a long time about surgery and success rates I was eventually talked into it by my cousin who is an orthopedic vet surgeon. She said it was a routine procedure and she’s done hundreds of them, and with his specific grade of luxation it was supposed to be no problem. One and done. It wasn’t. He ended up having 4 surgeries last year. It’s a lot to get into with each specific surgery that happened. It brings me to tears just thinking about it. It was the most difficult thing I have gone through in caring for another animal/being thus far in my life. It would have been impossible without the help of family and friends (most definitely my cousin and her hospital staff at Cornell Vet Specialist in Stamford). He became their favorite patient. With all the complications he actually ended up living at the hospital getting constant care for one month on two separate occasions. He even had acupuncture 3 times a week. I’ve never even had acupuncture. It was almost impossible to see the light at the end of the tunnel at many points. On the day he had a successful x-ray – after the 4th surgery – it was the best feeling. I made him a hat for that day, a kitten cake, tons of cat nip and had some champagne. He just celebrated his 7th birthday. He has touched many lives. Mostly mine.” Jess is jewelry designer and painter living in greenpoint.

Ashley Meyers & Oliver

“One evening about a year ago I was walking with some friends in Brooklyn heading to some get-together, when this little peanut ran up to us out of nowhere meowing purrrfusly while staring into my soul. I was apparently born with the gift of an aura that attracts kitty cats where ever I go. This little guy seemed ravenous with hunger. (Which I know now is just his personality) with no nearby homes in site and doors to knock on to see if he belonged to anyone, I decided it was best to just care for him until we figured something out. He was social and friendly but seemed to be on the streets for a while, as he was dirty and had a little ear wound. I asked the others if they would mind if he came along and they were more than happy to include him. We stopped at an open market on the way and fed him a couple cans. We proceeded to head to our destination with a new guest in our arms as if he had been our friend all along. I had just taken in my little furball Isabella. (Not pictured because she is afraid of anyone but me and missed her opportunity to have amazing photos in her new little hat that her mommy made her). Also, I wasn’t allowed to have any pets in this apartment and my roommate at the time wouldn’t have been happy with another cat. So, my compassionate friend who bonded with him that very evening, took him in for about a week while we figured it out. My friend kept him until he had to leave for tour with his band the Mystery Lights, so his gf, took him in until she wasn’t able to keep him anymore either, despite falling in love with him as everyone did along the way. So, I took him and the rest was history. After falling in love with my last roommates cat in my previous apt I was scared to get attached to another kitty cat again, but in reality, it wasn’t much of a life without a furbaby around. Oliver keeps me laughing all day every day. He is the biggest ham you will ever meet. I call him a little space cat. He has these enormous intense eyes that never seem to blink and he’s either sitting around on the couch like a human on his butt with his legs out or against a wall on his back with all fours up in the air. He also LOVES wearing clothes. Hats not so much. Everyone that meets him becomes a fan. Oliver and his older yet tinier sister love to chase each other like hyenas in the jungle and kiss and bathe each other like little heavenly angels. Watching them be mushy together is the most heartwarming, peaceful and precious thing to witness. They also couldn’t be any more different from each other. Both in size and personality. They are total opposites, which make quite the comical team. Isabella is the cuddliest sweetest little peanut but too afraid to be held which would drive me crazy, but Oliver makes up for that part. I love picking up his big chubby body and carrying him around like a baby. They make me so happy. A home without a mushball is no sweet home at all.” Ashley Meyers is a NJ native currently living in Brooklyn and working as a freelance makeup artist.

Chelsea Trout & Mushu

“I began fostering with the NYCACC in the beginning of 2014. It was my junior year in college, and I felt simultaneously compelled to begin volunteering again and severe separation anxiety from having a pet. It was a fairly quick progression into fostering kittens for me. I started fostering 1-2 kittens every few months, and quickly escalated to 2-3 on rotation — as soon as one set would leave, I’d ask to foster another. Fast-forward two years and about 30 kittens later, I found myself living with my boyfriend in our first apartment. It took a little persuading to get him fully onboard with my obsession. Almost a year into our lease, I accepted a request to foster two “singletons,” (the name they used for any young kittens that were without a litter). One, Reed, was an adorable little fluffball only about 5 weeks old. The other, Alipha, was a bit older, at maybe 9 weeks, and reportedly needed a little more socialization to get over her shyness. I looked at Alipha as my personal challenge, because I took pride in taking foster kittens in and sending them back to the shelter as extremely people-friendly and of healthy weight. In the first couple weeks of our time with Reed and Alipha, we saw little improvement in Alipha’s temperament (this would become a trend in our time with her). Reed, however, was just as bubbly and inquisitive as could be. I also began to notice that he really enjoyed being in my presence. If I was cooking or doing the dishes in the kitchen, I would find him directly next to me sprawled out and leisurely flipping his tail around. When I’d use the bathroom, he’d mosey on in and plop himself right on the floor in front of me — waiting patiently. There was something special about our connection that stood out from all of my past fosters. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but it was there. I eventually found myself giving the shelter excuses as to why it was too soon to send them back to the shelter to be taken to adoption events. “I don’t think Alipha has had enough time to fully get past her shyness,” I’d tell the foster coordinators. Meanwhile, Alipha turned out to be a cat that would not soon grow out of her habits. But I simply couldn’t part with Reed — who we had begun calling Mushu. I don’t remember the exact moment it was decided, but I woke up one day knowing I wasn’t sending Mushu to any adoption events. It was July 31, 2016 when the adoption was finalized. Mushu is still the greatest companion and friend I have ever known. As I type this, he’s sleeping on his little scratch pad directly in front of me, because even though he’s not the biggest cuddler he always wants to be within eyesight. He’s extremely verbal and even talks back when you ask him questions! He’s water-obsessed and will sit perched on the kitchen sink waiting for water to come out of the faucet. He welcomes people at the door, and has such a distinct personality that friends have often said he’s “not like other cats” they’ve met. He’s unbelievably inquisitive, and doesn’t shy away from getting in your face for a sniff. Though it’s been only a year with Mushu, it feels like I’ve known him a lifetime.” Chelsea Trout is a New Yorker born and raised, and has been living in Brooklyn for the last four years. She founded a women’s discussion group called Nasty Women’s Retreat that motivates and inspires her endlessly.

Maggie Freleng, Bandit & Daisy

“I went to the shelter looking for a kitten. I’ve never had a kitten because I always take in older rescues so it was time to treat myself. But when I went to the shelter I found Bandit, a 6-month-old blind cat, the shelter worker said had been there for months. No one wanted him. It broke my heart and even though I was looking for a kitten I took him. I couldn’t imagine life without him. He melts my heart every day sometimes I cry I’m so happy we found each other and people passed him up because he’s blind. He is the most special boy in the world. He can’t see but he knows his mom. As soon as I pick him up he collapses in my arms purring, and always finds his way to nestle in my arms at night. I got Daisy when she was about 4. I was living in a farm community in Massachusetts and she was a friend’s mom’s cat. The mom just got a divorce and she couldn’t keep Daisy, or her companion Scuter, anymore. So, I took them both to avoid them going to a shelter. It was just a few months after my childhood cat Lou died at 16. Daisy had a great life living outside hunting squirrels and birds in Massachusetts. She would literally swallow them whole! (it was sad and impressive) Eventually she went to the vet where they informed me she has FIV. I was devastated. I didn’t know what this meant. I met with experts at the vet and joined community boards and it turns out that Daisy will live a fairly normal life, but she has to be an inside cat to avoid injury and transmission. It was a long hard adjustment for us. Every day she would cry and scratch at the window screens and try to sneak out. Eventually after moving back to NYC she has gotten used to her simple life playing with fake mice and laser pointers. She has been living with FIV for 7 years now and all her tests come back great. She is the best cat, and my best friend. She has been through everything with me. 10 moves, multiple partners, breakups, deaths. I couldn’t imagine life without her. Although I am starting to think more about it because she is about 11 and I know the time will come sooner than later.” Maggie Freleng is a journalist and audio producer who works from home and is obsessed with her cats.

Naomi Fry, Nina, Roo & Matilda

“Our cats, Roo and Matilda, are both very good girls, but they’re also two very different types. Roo is a large tabby. People always think she’s a man and I always get a little offended for her. She looks very dependable — she has the face of someone you’d ask to watch your laptop for you if you needed to use the bathroom at a cafe. Her body type often reminds me of the bowling bags Prada used to do; I can almost imagine attaching a shoulder strap to her and tucking her snugly under my arm. She’s six years old, and we adopted her when she was one. Nina, our daughter, was also one at the time, so they’ve been growing up together. In fact, she got her name because “roo” was Nina’s approximation of a cat’s meow when she tried to communicate with her initially. (Her original name at the shelter we got her from was Circus (!)) Probably the best part about having Roo as a cat is that she likes to sleep between me and my husband’s heads, and I often drift off with one palm underneath her, one over: a hand sandwich bursting with fuzzy goodness. Matilda (aka “Tilda” or “Tildy”) is younger and more of a wildcard. She’s slim and sprightly, mostly white with some black markings, and while she’s not exactly “bad,” she turns scratchy occasionally, which Roo never does. She has the personality of an aloof popular girl in a teen movie who you discover mid-plot actually has some problems — like maybe a dead parent or an eating disorder — that make her secretly sensitive. For instance, she can appear prancingly self-sufficient with no interest in spending time on your lap, but then she immediately goes limp and pliant when you pick her up, as if all she was waiting for was for someone to break through her brittle shell and give her the love she was craving. Matilda is about three; when we adopted her a couple of years ago, Roo was initially traumatized and spent the first couple of weeks up on the kitchen cupboards, terrified. For the next few months, every time they’d come face to face, they would paw and hiss at each other. Over time, however, they’ve gotten used to living together. They don’t like to co-snuggle or touch, but even though they’d probably deny it if they could, I think they’re really curious about one another. They love to try and sniff each other’s butts, and you can often find them hanging out together on the bed or the couch with the air of two retirees who’d rather die than exchange a single word, but who have also chosen to share the same bench at the park for the past fifteen years.” Naomi Fry is a writer living in Brooklyn, and the copy chief at T: The New York Times Style Magazine.

Alvina Bokhari & October

“I met baby October on the eve of my 21st birthday. He was the best birthday surprise! October was found inside a cardboard box behind an office in Long Island. As soon as I held him I was so in love. This is a new experience for me because October is my first pet. I definitely treat him like he’s a new born baby. I’ve been spending some time researching more about October and cats in general and I’ve found their behavior to be very interesting. I love that when he circles my leg it means he’s leaving his scent on me so other cats know I’m his. He’s very playful and loves to cuddle. We also have so much in common like our nap schedules and the fact that we aren’t too fond of the vacuum. I’m so lucky to come home to the sweetest little guy!” Alvina Bokhari currently lives in Midtown Manhattan while she attends FIT for fashion business merchandising.

Alexandra King, Lois & Maxine

“Lois and Maxine are 7-year old sisters. My husband adopted them five years ago from a no-kill shelter in Chicago, and named them after local diner waitresses. Even though they were the only kittens in the shelter that day, my husband said that everyone kept stopping to look, then immediately walking past their cage because it was clear they were not “normal” cats. Which they are not. They both have a condition called cerebellar hypoplasia (sometimes affectionately known as “wobbly cat syndrome”). It’s a brain condition in which some kittens are born with an under developed cerebellum, the part of the brain which governs motor skills. As a result, cats that have CH don’t have great balance or coordination- they walk like little drunks and don’t have that regular cat-like ability to jump. Though it sounds like a scary thing, it’s a condition that’s non-progressive, non-contagious and too few people know that it results in THE CUTEST KITTIES IN THE WORLD. They don’t do any of the asshole type things normal cats can be prone to, like scratching or biting or leaping on countertops. They’re not very bright, bless them, but they’re obsessed with people. And each other. All they want to do is cuddle. Other than not being the shiniest crayons in the pack, they are physiologically perfect. They don’t require any kind of treatments or meds or pricey trips to the vet. They have a completely normal life span. All you have to do is baby proof the house a bit (sharp corners can be a hazard) and get ready to be adored. Every morning, I wake up wearing a cat bikini, one snoozing across my chest, one on my hips. Very sadly, many kittens that show signs of CH when they are born are often destroyed, because people think that they won’t get adopted. But they are the best cats in the world! There are a bunch of rescue places on the internet that specialize in CH cat rescue. I can’t recommend enough bringing one of these little weirdos home.” Alex King is a journalist, writer and blogger. She owns an art gallery in Chinatown with her husband Isaac. She currently works at CNN, but also freelances for The Guardian and Refinery 29 among others.

Paulina Virgen & Schiap

“I met ‘the one’ in Greenpoint at the home of a woman who saved cats from the euthanasia list – her name was Eva. We knew we wanted to rescue and that perhaps we wanted a grey cat. So, I went and met the cats Eva had and fell in love with a little playful Russian Blue. He had been rescued from the streets of Bushwick and was only 2 months old at the time. Spencer (my then boyfriend, now husband) came to meet him and we agreed. This was it. A few days later Eva brought him to our apartment on North 7th and Bedford and we fell in love. Hard love. But we noticed something was different about this cat. Were his eyes a little brighter? Was his face a little rounder? We called but Eva assured us this was “our” cat. Okay, we thought – he’s here and the cutest thing we’ve ever seen. Whoever he is we love him! We named his Schiaparelli after the designer Elsa Schiaparelli. I told Spencer we would either name our future child Schiap or our cat…he could chose. He chose the cat. A few days went by and Schiap made himself feel at home. He slept on our laundry bags and pawed at our feet as we walked by him. 3 days after we got Schiap I got a phone call from Eva at 9 am – she frantically confirmed our suspicion. She gave us the wrong cat!!! The numbers of the cat we chose and the cat she gave us were just reversed. She apologized profusely and told me she would come by that afternoon to swap the cats out. At that point we had already fallen in love with Schiap and figured it would be awful to send him back. We kept him and we are SO happy we did. He is the most mischievous, vain and sweet cat we’ve ever met. A few interesting things about Schiap: he pees/poos in the toilet (even covers his poop and pee with toilet paper). He is a world class hunter (birds, mice, rats, cockroaches, worms – you name it, he’s brought it). He wakes me up at least 3 times a week asking to be spooned back to sleep. generally he bites my cheek or chirps until I open my eyes then he crawls beside me and lays on his side. At that point I have to put my arm around him or the bites start! We joke that he’s Mexican like me because he loves beans and avocado.” Paulina is a fabric r&d manager for Coach.

Dinah Eke & Wolfie

“I walked into the shelter with every intention of bringing home a fat Russian Blue kitty I had seen on their website. Before I had a chance to meet said kitty, the proprietor pulled me aside and asked if I was open to looking at another cat. I assumed she would show me another Russian Blue, but instead she showed me my Wolfie- a feral black cat. He made no eye contact, in fact, he ignored me the whole time. When I reached out to pet him, he skirted to the back of the cage and hissed. I turned to her, I didn’t understand. Then she explained to me that he was wary of people due to being treated badly in the past. As a black cat, he had a higher chance of getting put down than getting adopted. Wolfie was mean as hell and I had no idea if he would take to me, but I couldn’t bare the thought of him getting killed through no fault of his own. So I brought him home. It’s been four years since we met. He is still wary of strangers, but he is the most loving kitty ever! If you are not superstitious and ever have the opportunity to adopt; please give a black kitty a chance.” Dinah Eke is a lifestyle blogger at deediary.com.

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