#some of my favorite dogs are complete genetic messes

[fayeandknight]

I had a long, (I think) eloquent post about this but Tumblr ate it.

So here's the short version.

I can be of the opinion that certain kinds of dogs are poorly bred and shouldn't continue to be produced without hating the individual dogs themselves. Can they sometimes work out? Yes! Are they worthy of love and a good life? Absolutely! Can they accomplish amazing things? Hell yeah!

But do I think they should continue to be bred? No. Because dogs deserve quality of life and breeding unsound dogs, more often than not, produce puppies/dogs with behavioral/health issues and I feel that's a gamble too far into unfavorable odds to be fair to the dogs and the people who love them.

[jeankirsteinsgrlfrnd]

🤍a completely random modern au headcanon for each aot character 🤍

eren jaeger’s idea of late night fun is going to walmart/target/etc. he likes to walk around with his friends and be absolutely childish. bonus: he’s banned from a certain store for kicking an inflatable ball across the store.

armin arlert is self conscious of his body. it’s only really his torso though. when him and his friends go to the beach, he’s always the last one to take his shirt off. he doesn’t even have anything to be embarrassed about, he’s just disappointed he’s not as muscular as eren or reiner.

mikasa ackerman’s favorite color is a dark red. the blood, cherry type of red. she’s got a lip tint in that color and her nails are painted too much. she also chews her nails. she hopes the nail polish is enough to break the habit but it isn’t.

connie springer’s favorite fast food restaurant is burger king. he thinks it’s underrated. you can count on him to fuck up a whopper. he also always gets the cardboard crowns to wear.

jean kirstein loves night time. he loves the solitude, the way nobody expects anything from him, and the fact that he can just be. he doesn’t get lonely during his late nights but he wouldn’t mind somebody to share it with.

sasha braus smells really good. she doesn’t use any super fancy products, though. she’s just one of those people that naturally have a good aroma. her skin is also really soft.

ymir tans really easy in the summer. she never burns or turns red. she’s genetically blessed. the sun also makes the freckles on her face pop and clusters of them pop up on her back/shoulders.

historia reiss loves milkshakes and soda floats. she always orders them with a whipped cream and cherry. she prefers milkshakes from a diner rather than a fast food place.

marco bodt really likes plants. he has a collection of houseplants. they line his window sills and he even has a special little rack with a special little light. he’s got a super green thumb.

reiner braun drinks protein shakes religiously. he pretty much sticks to a diet of shakes, meat, vegetables and rice. there are few times where he breaks his routine, usually just joining his friends for a night of drinking.

bertholdt hoover has a surprisingly high tolerance when it comes to weed and alcohol. at least that’s what it looks like on the outside. he’s pretty cool, calm and collected. nobody’s sure if he’s immune to being drunk, or if he’s too anxious about acting a fool to show any signs of inebriation.

annie leonhardt owns a german shepherd 100%. she’s had it since it was a pup and it’s one of the most well behaved dogs. they’re oddly similar in their mannerisms. bonus: it’s named marley.

pieck finger is the type of girl to sit on the floor. like, at all times. when she’s sad, she’ll lay down completely and just stare at the ceiling. it’s peaceful and it makes her feel relaxed.

porco galliard goes through an ungodly amount of hairgel. his hair is hard like those ballroom/ballet dancers in competitions. he has trouble growing facial hair.

zeke jaeger gets his weed flown to him from another state/country. it’s the best shit around. he’s also never home because he “runs a business.” always found with a blunt near by.

levi ackerman doesn’t like energy drinks or coffee. if he needs caffeine, he gets it from tea or some kind of health drink. he doesn’t understand how kids hearts don’t give out with all their monsters and red bulls.

erwin smith is so friendly despite his appearance. he finds joy in little things like a heads up penny or when the barista remembers his name/order. he’s a pretty easy going guy.

hange zoe breaks her glasses all the time. they either sit on them or step on them. it’s easy for them to lose their glasses because their room is a mess. books, papers, knick knacks everywhere.

my jean fic

[theequeerstrian]

A person just needs to take one look at a normal shelter and see the overwhelming evidence of dog breeds average households can't handle. It's all Pit Bulls, German Shepherds, and Huskies. All poorly bred messes of dog genetics and bad instincts. Sure there's some great dogs in that mix, but there's so many more dangerous ones.

To be fair, the vast majority of non-mutt dogs in shelters are also from backyard (aka irresponsible) breeders. Puppies from responsible breeders will always come with a puppy return clause (this is one thing I'm unrelenting on- certain health tests are as needed per breed, but the puppy return is crucial) SPECIFICALLY so that their dogs never end up falling between the cracks and going to shelters and poorly matched homes.

But.. you're absolutely right in that most of those breeds are POOR matches for the average pet home. The best bred husky, GSD, pit bull, etc will not last long in a household that's not prepared for a dog with high drive and/or high prey drive. Pit bulls were bred to fight (at first bulls, and then each other- the fact that aggression is a feature and not a bug is simply fact), German Shepherds were originally bred for herding but have largely been adapted as guard/attack dogs, especially since WWI (though obviously the herding instinct remains, it's just amped up and more readily turned on non-livestock targets), and huskies were bred to have the stamina/drive/love for running miles and miles at a time, often for several days in a row. Sure, not every musher is doing an iditarod every other week, but pulling a loaded sled even for just a few miles is HARD WORK and the resulting dog NEEDS HARD WORK.

There's a huge issue, especially that I've seen in the last decade or so, of people getting dogs purely off aesthetic. Huskies are pretty, Central Asian Shepherd's Dogs are big and "impressive" (this one's usually cis men who haven't examined their relationship to toxic masculinity lol), Pit Bulls have a built in "poor me" sob story for their owners (swear to god this is why half the people who have them do, they love that they get to whine about their poor nanny dog being targeted), and so on and so forth.

When I was a kid you didn't just?? Get any dog? Maybe it was my environment, but I distinctly remember seeing shows on animal planet talk about how important it is to get a breed of dog that matches your lifestyle. I had the AKC's Complete Dog Book and read it cover to cover several times picking out my favorite breeds. As a kid I couldn't FATHOM actually getting to own a doberman, as a child I knew I couldn't manage one so I didn't think it possible. I stayed obsessed though, and as I grew up and was more and more determined to have one someday so I adapted MYSELF to be a good fit for one. When I approached breeders, the ones who were ready to just toss me a puppy no questions asked didn't get any further inquiry. The one who actually screened me, interviewed me to make sure I was qualified? To make sure I wasn't going to dump the dog as soon as it became inconvenient? That's the one I got my dog from. Kandi's puppy contract has a no breeding clause (or if I did want to breed, I had to work directly with the breeder to ensure he was correctly titled and tested first), and a puppy return clause (breeder told me a story of a person who HAD violated this, and it took him months to find the dog and get it back but he did it and thank god bc the dog had been in rough shape, BUT THAT'S WHAT GOOD BREEDERS DO).

This. Has gotten venty/ranty but what the hey it's 7am and I'm avoiding getting ready for work.

ANYWAY.

TL;DR: generations of selective breeding matter, good breeders matter, pick the dog that matches your lifestyle not your aesthetic, don't buy sob stories from manipulative rescues

[pluckyredhead]

I’m sorry, “angel mixed with a blob of protoplasm” WHAT?

I will admit that I put that line in as bait and I am SO HAPPY someone asked about it because it is one of my very favorite pieces of bonkers comics history, both for the bonkersness and because it led to some actually really amazing comics.

So from her debut in 1959 to her death in Crisis on Infinite Earths in 1986, Supergirl was the version most people know her as: Superman's cousin, Kara Zor-El, who came from Krypton just like he did. Her human alias was Linda Danvers.

However, when DC was building out their post-Crisis universe, they decided that they didn't want to have any Kryptonians but Superman. After all, how can he be the Last Son of Krypton when there's a Bottle City of Kandor, a whole mess of criminals in the Phantom Zone, a dog, a monkey, and Supergirl? So Kara Zor-El could no longer exist, not even as a memory.

But...Supergirl is a really valuable IP. So they needed to find a way to use that.

Enter Matrix.

Matrix comes from a pocket dimension that was basically created to tie up a whole bunch of Crisis-related loose ends and I'm not going to get into the details, but the short version is: Earth was attacked by rogue Kryptonians and had no superheroes to protect it, because their greatest hero, Superboy (Clark Kent), had vanished years ago. So Lex Luthor, a good guy in this universe, created a superbeing out of protoplasm based on the genetic matrix (hence the name) of his dead wife Lana Lang, dressed her up in a costume similar to Superboy's, and sent her to the nearest universe looking for him.

Instead she found Regular Superman and brought him back to help save her Earth, but...they completely failed and everyone died. WHOOPS. Clark killed the rogue Kryptonians (yup) and brought Matrix back to his Earth, where she stayed with his parents while she tried to figure out what to do with herself. She also briefly dated Regular Lex, thinking he was a good guy like her Lex.

Matrix had super strength and flight, but her other powers were different: she could shapeshift, turn invisible, and fire "psy-blasts." She was also sort of a blank slate of a character that DC didn't really know what to do with...

...until the 1996 Supergirl series. This was 80 issues long, all written by Peter David, and remains the best Supergirl run of all time. At the beginning of it, Matrix tries to save a human girl who is being sacrificed by a demonic cult, but fails - so instead she merges her protoplasmic body with the girl's, and they become one being. Not two minds in one body, but one completely unified entity.

The girl's name? Linda Danvers.

After the merging, Supergirl/Linda's powers changed: she still had strength, flight, and psy-blasts, but she could no longer turn invisible, and her shapeshifting was limited to switching between tall blonde Supergirl and petite brunette Linda. BUT! Due to Matrix's sacrifice, they had also become something known as an "Earth-born angel," so she also had flaming wings when she wanted them, flame-vision, teleporting through a flame tunnel, and the ability to judge the sins of the wicked.

After 50 issues of this, Linda "fell from grace" for complicated reasons and she and the angel part split off. Her powers were severely reduced and she couldn't shapeshift into tall blonde Supergirl anymore, so she had to wear a blonde wig while she fought crime (a reversal of the Silver Age, when Kara Zor-El wore a wig to become Linda Danvers) and she changed into a costume much closer to the Superman: The Animated Series one.

But in the early 2000s, DC decided to bring Kara Zor-El back, and Linda sort of wandered into the wilderness. (Literally. She had some traumatic things happen to her and just went MIA after sending Clark a letter telling him not to look for her.) Kara Zor-El is my all-time favorite character so I'm not mad that they brought her back, but I wish they had kept Linda as well. There's 19 Robins and 437 Green Lanterns, we could have two Supergirls.

But yeah, if you see a Supergirl between 1988 and 2002, that's Linda Danvers, and not a Kryptonian.

[mrstaeminlee]

Mission Complete Ch. 7

You had two goals in life. One: Complete your squad training without dying. Two: Fuck Levi Ackerman

Pairings: Levi/f!reader

Warnings: Swearing, slight degradation, daddy kink, 2K+ words of dick sucking

A flood of arousal like he'd never experienced in his life coursed through Levi's veins, searing him all the way down to his blood vessels and making him itch to make you do everything you'd just promised him then and there. He grabbed your head in his hands, smashing your lips together once more. You parted beautifully for him, the taste of shitty wine long gone and Levi growled low in his throat as he tasted you for the first time. He curled his fingers in your hair, pulling it at the root as he kept you firmly against him. You knew he'd probably never kissed anyone else like this, but the way he slanted his mouth over yours again and again with pure domination made you feel like he was the one about to teach you a lesson. The kiss was hot, feral, filled with tongue and teeth. You were paralyzed, glued to him, almost ashamed he'd made you so crazy with lust over just one kiss. Your tongues stroked each other, learning the inside of each other's mouths, tasting and exploring until you were reduced to a whimpering, whiny mess. The sound your lips made as they finally separated caused you both to sigh with pleasure, and you both stood there for a moment, lips barely connecting in short, fleeting kisses as you tried to calm yourselves down.

Once the both of you regained control you lowered your gaze, pushing him away just enough so that you could raise your hands to the top of his shirt. Your movements started slow as you unbuttoned the offending garment but picked up the pace as your eagerness to finally see his body grew, and you had to stop yourself from drooling as more and more of his pale skin was revealed.

"Jesus fucking Christ, Levi."

His hand grabbed your chin harshly, snapping it up to meet your gaze. His cold, silver eyes met yours and your breath hitched.

"What did you call me?"

You blinked.

"I-I called you by your name-"

"Did you?"

He leaned closer, taking your lower lip between his teeth and biting down harshly, swallowing your yelp of surprise with a hard kiss.

"I don't think a good girl would use such foul language, not when you aren't even fucking yourself on my cock yet."

Your knees weakened and you felt you could have died right then and there.

You nodded with such vigor Levi thought your head would fly off and he chuckled lowly, the sound causing you to clench your thighs together for some sort of relief.

"I'm sorry.....Daddy," you whispered.

Holy shit holy shit holy shit holy shit

Levi glanced down to where your hands had stilled, raising an eyebrow.

"Did I say you could stop?"

You shook your head, quickly returning back to your earlier task and unbuttoning the rest of his shirt, using both hands to push the offending fabric to the sides so you could get a good look at him. He was buffer than he appeared, not overly large but what he lacked in size he more than made up with definition. Your mouth watered as you took in his physique, his muscles straining with desire, and your pussy pulsed at the up close sight of his abdomen. You couldn't help reaching forward, slowly grazing your fingers over his abs one by one, taking in every curve and dip. Because of the candlelight you could feel more than see the scars littering his torso and it took everything in you to stop from tracing every single one with your tongue. There would be plenty of time for that later. Your fingers continued their journey down until you reached the fabric of his pants, undoing the buttons and pushing down the zipper. You stopped just before you exposed him, glancing up almost shyly. "How do you want to start? Do you want to fuck my throat standing up or do you want to lie down while I suck you off?"

Levi bit back a groan. Your tone was so light you could have asked him what his favorite brand of tea was.

"Kneel."

You obeyed instantly, getting down to your knees until you were facing the object of your every wet dream. Leaning forward, you nuzzled your face almost tenderly against his straining cock, able to feel it's thickness and heat even through his pants. "Daddy, you're so much bigger than I imagined," you breathed, placing an open mouthed kiss at the tip. Unable to wait any longer, you reached up, tugging his pants and briefs down in one go, throwing them to the side once he'd stepped out of them.

Levi clicked his tongue.

"You're an eager one, aren't you?" He cooed, reaching down to pet the top of your head affectionately.

You nodded shamelessly before reaching up to grab him at the base, not wanting to waste even a precious second of this gift that was literally in front of your face. He was hot in your palm; smooth, the softness of the skin a stark contrast to the pulsing hardness it concealed. You began to slowly explore his cock with your hands, a childlike fascination taking over your features. He was thick, much thicker than you anticipated and you clenched in anticipation. He was longer, too, a slow smile spreading across your lips as you raised your eyes to his, eyes alight like you had just won a prize.

"My goodness Daddy, someone won the genetic lottery. I can't believe you've been keeping this from me all this time."

Your grip tightened around him and you leaned forward, pressing hot, tender kisses along his head. You slowly began to fuck him with your mouth, repositioning yourself so you could reach up and cup his balls. They were heavy and hot, just like the rest of him and you massaged them gently in your palm. He slid through your lips effortlessly as if his cock had been made to shove itself between your lips and you quickly dedicated your heart to memorizing every inch of him. You sucked him off like your life depended on it, ignoring the slight discomfort as his head breached the back of your throat. Right fist clenched, you inhaled deeply through your nose, eyes rolling back at how fucking delicious he smelled and you pushed forward until he was in your throat and your nose nuzzled tenderly at his pubic hair. You moaned around him, swallowing around his cock and feeling your heart swell with pride as he twitched in your mouth. Drool poured from the corner of your lips but you didn't budge, letting him slowly suffocate you with his cock and you thought there was no better way to die than with a mouthful of Levi Ackerman's dick. When you could stand it no longer you pulled back from him, gasping. You frantically went back for more, already missing the way he felt against your tongue. You took no mercy, your cheeks and chin coated in saliva and precum as you lapped at him like an obedient dog, tongue running along the length of him before dipping down to take his balls into your mouth, tongue flicking over each one rapidly. Your heart soared as you felt them tighten in your mouth and you would have sucked him dry if you weren't so eager for him to fuck you stupid. You moaned against his skin as if he were the one pleasuring you, your hips grinding into nothing as you returned your mouth to him. You squeezed the base of his cock with your hand, this time not hesitating in the slightest as you took him all the way into your throat, releasing him only to do it over and over again. Your other hand reached up to grab his ass, pulling him forward until he got the hint and started fucking your throat, slowly at first and then quickly picking up speed. You stilled your movements then, grasping his thighs only for balance as you let him abuse you. You raised your eyes to him, his beautiful features blurred by tears that coursed down your cheeks to combine with the mess of fluids coating the lower half of your face. You closed your eyes in bliss, keeping your right fist clenched to suppress your gag reflex, focusing on his addictive taste, the way his hand grasped your head like his life depended on it, the sound of his balls slapping against your chin over and over. You were in heaven.

Levi was losing his fucking mind. Looking down at you, he felt his balls tighten at the euphoria on your face. He watched with utter fascination as you took his cock like you had been made specifically for that purpose. Your lips were cracked and wet, your eyes red with unshed tears, face covered in a disgusting mixture of spit, tears, and his own fluids, yet somehow it only spurned his desire to shove his cock deeper down your throat, his hand ruthlessly fisting itself in your hair, pulling harshly at the root as he kept you in place. Your throat tightened obediently around him and he gasped, the dam on his voice breaking as he threatened to rip your hair out. "Fuck, you look so fucking good taking my cock like this," he rasped, a loud groan spilling from his lips. He let his head fall back, hair falling away from his face except for the few strands that clung to his sweaty forehead, his face scrunched up in pleasure. "God, just like- just like that, take it, take the whole fucking thing down that filthy fucking throat of yours."

You nodded as much as his grip on your head would allow, squeezing your eyes shut. His words went straight to your throbbing cunt and you sobbed against his cock in earnest, tears burning their way down your cheeks. You were disgustingly wet, panties completely drenched and you spread your knees, hips rutting against nothing in a desperate attempt to ease the pressure. You had never felt so fucking horny in your life.

"Fuck, ah fuck, darling I'm gonna cum, I'm gonna fucking cum fuck!"

He felt his brain shut off and he mindlessly shoved your head forward, doubling over you until he was nearly bent in half as he rutted into your mouth, cock spasming as he released his load. You took it happily, gathering every rope of cum between your lips, unable to bear the thought of a single drop going to waste.

Levi's entire body twitched as he came down from his high, slowly releasing his hold on your hair only to awkwardly try to pat it back into place. He straightened up, hissing as he finally pulled away from your lips, cock spent and twitching. His breath caught at the sight of you, mouth hanging open and filled with cum, face glistening with drool and tears. You looked like a fucking angel. He reached forward and tenderly ran the back of his knuckles against your cheek.

"Swallow."

Your gazes locked as you followed his command, closing your lips and swallowing audibly, opening up to show you had followed his command. You preened at his touch, closing your eyes and leaning into his gentle caress. After a moment you opened your eyes again, looking up at him with such trust and adoration it made his stomach tighten.

"Did I do a good job?"

Levi nodded, mentally apologizing to every soldier he'd berated over the years. He'd never felt such extraordinary bliss in his entire life, and he couldn't wait to experience it again.

He was gentle as he helped you to your feet, a nice contrast to the man he'd been only a couple of moments ago. You winced as you stood straight, your knees and lower back deciding at that moment to remind you of your actions. The pain quickly left your mind as Levi gently kissed your tender lips, eliciting a gasp as he moved his mouth against yours. You hadn't expected this, after all the man was still quite the clean freak. While you weren't really surprised that he wasn't bothered by your filthy state a few minutes ago considering the circumstances, you were certainly shocked that he would still kiss you after he'd composed himself.

You hummed softly as he pulled away from you, feeling like a lovesick puppy.

Levi licked his lips, not quite sure what to make of the taste on his tongue. He did, however, know what to make of how he felt in that very moment.

"Disgusting."

You reeled back at his tone, quickly going from lovesick puppy to rabid dog. "Excuse me?"

He felt his cheeks fill with color, raising a hand to awkwardly rake a hand through his hair and he grimaced, both from his incredibly poor choice of words and the grime he could feel as he pulled his hand back. "N-Not you, I'm sorry. I just-" he sighed. Again with the fucking stutter. "I'm sorry," he repeated, ignoring the fact that he was completely naked and you were completely clothed. He pulled you against him, hands rubbing your sides and you cursed yourself at how easily you gave in, hands coming up to cradle his elbows in the hopes he'd keep touching you.

Your lips met once more; you didn't think you could ever tire of kissing him.

Levi pressed his forehead to yours, an almost shy and impossibly tiny smile gracing his lips.

You stopped breathing, he was just so fucking beautiful.

"I-I want....I want to continue, but before we do I think we should both get cleaned up. I feel like I've got ten layers of dirt and sweat caked on my skin and I'm sure you do as well considering you were trapped in a muddy hole for hours. If we're going to do this, I don't want it to feel like we're just rolling around in the hay. My room is next to yours, why don't you bathe here and change into the clothes the inn gave us and meet me in my room in a half hour."

You nodded dumbly, anticipation lighting your skin on fire from his thinly veiled promise of what was to come. Your cheeks flushed; you had been so preoccupied with trying to get Levi in your bed you completely forgot about the circumstances leading to this entire evening. You winced; he was right. Now that he mentioned it, your clothes felt like sandpaper against your skin and you became acutely aware of how you probably looked and smelled. The fact that he still held you close spoke volumes to how much he cared for you. Either that or it spoke to how much he wanted fuck you dumb after experiencing the best blowjob you'd ever given. You decided to go with the former.

After one last kiss you reluctantly removed yourself from his embrace, reaching down to hand him his clothes, pouting at the sight of his beautiful body getting covered by the offending garments.

Levi noticed your distress after getting dressed and he smirked, leaning forward to nip at your lower lip, his smirk only widening at the blush that graced your cheeks. He opened the door and stepped out, giving you one last promise before leaving you to get yourself cleaned up.

"I'll see you soon, baby girl."

[losille2000]

Hoot and Howl, Chapter 2

TITLE: Hoot and Howl CHAPTER NUMBER: 2/? AUTHOR: Losille2000 CHARACTERS: Actor!Chris Evans/OFC GENRE: Paranormal Romance (more on the magical realism side?) FIC SUMMARY: Chris goes on a camping trip to calm the noisy anxiety in his head, but it ends up leading him into his own messed up version of a Disney movie. When he said he wanted to be a Disney prince as a boy, this was absolutely not what he meant. Especially considering that the princess is also, well… about that… RATING: M (sex, language) WARNINGS:  Nothing. AUTHORS NOTES: Thanks to everyone for being awesome with the first chapter back. Enjoy this one. The OFC’s name is pronounced Nay-shaw.

Previous Chapter - Also available on Archive of Our Own!

Chapter 2

Nascha stood over the bubbling concoction in her cauldron, closing her eyes to the steam rising and curling pleasantly around her chin and cheeks. She’d spent too much time outside in the forest last night, and her skin still felt tight from the cold weather. The soothing warmth was just what her body needed, though it was not enough to rejuvenate the stores of energy she had depleted during the exercise. She only hoped she could make it until the end of the month and her next scheduled volunteer visit to Boston. Falling off the wagon now was not an option. Not without a suitable replacement for her extremely specific needs.

 A disgusted teenaged voice filled Nascha’s head then, drowning out her nagging thoughts. I hope you know I hate when you make that, Nae.

Nascha chuckled and glanced back at the fluffy feline lounging on the cat tree across the kitchen. The cat momentarily paused from painstakingly grooming her luxurious white fur—long enough to glare in accusation at the chuckling person.

 It smells like dog breath, the voice continued.

 “Well, yours smells like old tuna,” Nascha reminded, “so you have no place to talk.”

 Ugh, whatever.

 Ash loved her bored and disgusted teenaged one-liners. The cat could give any teenaged human a run for their money in that department, but there were certainly times when Nascha wished other people could hear it, too, just to understand the pain associated with listening to it all the time. Not that anyone would ever believe what they were hearing. They were more likely to check themselves into an institution than believe that it was possible for a cat to talk back to them. But cats did talk back. All animals did. They understood human languages just fine. The trouble was that Great Spirit had taken away the ability for the animals to respond in kind because of a terrible indiscretion long, long ago.

 Or so the story went.

 It didn’t really matter to her, because she still heard it. She heard all of it. The squirrels, the birds, the lizards and snakes… she heard them. This was her curse. 

 Nascha placed the large wooden spoon she’d been using into the ceramic holder on the stovetop, thinking once again how nice it was to have modern conveniences like electricity and gas to power her needs and keep a constant heat on her work. The ancient medicine woman who taught her this recipe while she’d still been living on the reservation had refused to cook it anywhere else but in a cauldron over an open fire. Maybe it ultimately changed the efficacy of the potion, not using the inherent energy of an open flame to create it, but Nascha was a modern witch. Modern witches innovated. After all, innovation was the only way she’d been able to survive off the reservation that had hidden her—and hurt her—for so long. She was pretty damn good at it all by now.

 A soft electronic chime drew Nascha’s attention away from her thoughts. She reached for her cell phone on the opposite counter as a notification alert popped up on the screen. The motion sensor on her front door had detected some type of movement. Clicking over to the video capture, she saw an old beat up pickup barreling down the driveway at a speed almost too high to take the curve into the clearing where her house sat. She didn’t recognize the vehicle, but whoever was driving clearly had an emergent purpose.

 She watched a moment longer as a very hairy and muddy man jumped out of the truck, reached inside, and withdrew a dog. Well, that explained the rushing in on a Sunday afternoon.

 “Where’s Smoke?” Nascha asked Ash.

 How should I know? Ash said.

 “Will you please find him?”

 Ash rolled over onto her back. If she had the ability to roll her eyes, she would have done that, too. He’s probably watching Star Wars again. Nerd.

 “I have to sit with this for another minute or two,” Nascha said, motioning to the pot. She did not want to waste the ingredients she’d used by overcooking it. Getting the same ingredients would require a visit to a grocery store or the local occult shop; store-bought ingredients never adequately replaced those she picked herself during her nightly exercises. “Please go see what’s wrong.”

I hate going out there, Ash responded. Humans are all idiots.

 “Ash���”

 The cat stood up and stretched languidly, clearly unconcerned, like a senator at an impeachment trial.

 Nascha grabbed the cat—carefully, of course—and set her on the ground. “I would like to remind you of our deal. I agree to feed you, catch small rodents for you, and let you sleep in a warm bed. In return you occasionally help me out around the clinic.”

 Yeah, yeah, yeah, Ash said, flicking her tail unhappily, but walking toward the door into the hallway. And if I don’t, you’ll turn me into a human. Blech.

 “And don’t you forget it!” Nascha called as the door swung shut, even though Ash knew it to be an empty threat. No one, magical or not, could change another creature into something else unless they were born with the genetic ability to do that. Ash was as feline as they came, and she would stay that way until she used all her nine lives.

 Nascha returned to her cauldron, but in her argument with Ash, she’d neglected it too long. It was now splitting and congealing into a gelatinous black goo giving off a putrid smell, not unlike a dog’s breath with periodontal disease. Just like Ash had said. She sighed heavily. “Well, so much for that.”

 She grumbled to herself and pulled the cauldron off the heat to cool down before she could clean it out and start over. Smoke finally appeared in a feathery flurry, landing on his perch.

 There’s a guy outside with a dog, Smoke intoned, but then made a chirping noise not native to an African Grey.

 Nascha looked at him, “I thought you were watching a movie?”

 Smoke bobbed his head and clicked his tongue before speaking aloud, “Alexa turn TV off.”

 The house became more silent and Nascha looked at her other housemate. “Go tell them to wait. Ash is already out there.”

 Was it wise to send her out? Smoke asked.

 Nascha shrugged. “I’ll be right there.”

 Smoke, who was quite a bit more dutiful than Ash, unless his favorite TV shows were on, immediately soared out of the room to take care of business. Nascha washed her hands and checked her appearance in a tiny mirror before she reached the door that led into the surgery suite. Ash sat there flicking her tail, annoyed and waiting to give a report.

 “So?”

 The idiot was attacked by a bear. Name’s Dodger.

 “Thanks.” Nascha frowned, reaching for the waiting room door. A bear? Hardly looked like a bear attack from the video image. But he wasn’t the first patient to exaggerate how he’d been injured, and he wasn’t going to be the last. “Stay close in case I need you.”

 Ash jumped onto the chair in the corner of the room and lifted her own paw to lick lightly. She didn’t care. And honestly, Ash wasn’t going to be much help anyway. Only the bipedal assistant that worked for Nascha Monday through Friday would be any help— seeing as it was Sunday, Nascha worked with what she had. Because she was innovative… not just as a witch, but as a veterinarian. Still, this emergency would be the first true test of her weekend “help.” She didn’t get a lot of emergencies out here in the middle of nowhere.

 Nascha breathed in deeply and let it out as she opened the door to survey the situation before her. She swept her attention to the pathetic looking brown and white dog, the bloody rag around his paw, and the human male who looked completely beside himself. By way of introduction, she said, “I’m so sorry! I was in the middle of something that couldn’t be put down.”

 The hairy, mud-caked man looked familiar to her, but she couldn’t quite place him. Even so, his spirit gave the room a frenetic energy like a geyser bubbling and about to blow. Everyone knew it was about to happen, could sense it, but it was the sickening anxiety and bated breath before the eruption that bothered her. She’d never felt it to this degree.

 “My dog, he—”

 She swooped into action, flicking her eyes down to Dodger. She hummed and reached for him. “Let me take him back and have a look.”

 “Can’t I go back?” The man asked, reluctantly handing the dog over to her.

 She cradled the dog to her chest; Dodger didn’t struggle as she spoke softly. “It’ll be okay, Dodger.”

 Dodger looked up at her as he snuggled into her arms and said in the most delightful old-time Southern drawl, How y’all know my name?

 “You look as white as a ghost,” Nascha said then to the man, ignoring the canine’s drawling voice. She got it. This dog very clearly meant a lot to the guy, but she had procedures. And her procedures included not giving someone a reason to call an institution when she started talking to animals. “You need to sit down and calm down. You’re not going to be any help to your dog or to me if you’re freaking us both out during an exam. Let me look at the injury and stop any active bleeding. Then we’ll talk.”

 Nascha did not wait for approval and swept back into the surgery where she set Dodger down on the metal exam table. “Dodger, what’s your human’s name?”

Chris, he responded, big brown eyes meeting hers. Y’all really understand me, don’t ya?

She chuckled. “Yes, I do. Now. Were you really attacked by a bear?”

 Dodger whined and shifted just enough to hold out his injured paw. It was terrible, Doc. He was fixin’ for a fight.

 Nascha carefully unwrapped Dodger’s paw to find that the bleeding had stopped, and under all the mud, a long laceration across the side of the paw consistent with a tear of some kind originating from his dewclaw… but definitely not from a bear fang or claw. “If a bear had done this, you would have lost your paw.”

 I’m tellin’ y’all. A huge brown one!

“Do I need to ask Chris?”

Dodger whined again. After some hesitation, he looked away and moaned forlornly. Fine! A fish jumped and smacked me in the face. I fell.

Nascha laughed. “And?”

I dunno. It happened when I fell off the rock into the river.

“Alright,” Nascha said. “Do you think it’s safe to call your human in?”

Nah, I reckon he’s ‘bout as useful as a screen door on a submarine right now.

She couldn’t hold in her laughter at his expression. How had a Southern dog gotten all the way up here to Massachusetts? His owner did not have the same slow drawl. In fact, he’d sounded distinctly Bostonian in the few words they’d exchanged in the waiting room. “How about I get it all cleaned up and stapled, then call him in?”

 How can y’all understand me?

 Nascha did not have time to explain the ins and outs of her abilities. Though this wound was not life threatening, it did need attention sooner rather than later. “That’s not what I asked.”

 “Um… excuse me?”

 Both she and Dodger froze, turning their attention to the doorway. The door remained closed, but judging from the voice, he was directly on the other side of it. “Yes?”

 “May I please see my dog?”

 Nascha exchanged a look with Dodger, who then laid back on the table, resigned to not getting an answer right away. “If you promise not to pass out.”

 “I can handle a little blood,” he remarked as he stepped into the room.

 She noticed, quite suddenly, that he took up a lot of physical space. More than she had realized out in the waiting room. He wasn’t overly tall, but at least six foot, he was taller than her. His shoulders were broad and sturdy. And he was a mess, covered in blood, mud and likely freezing. His brain, however, had not really noticed that last bit because he was so worried about his dog; she could still feel the turbulent energy rolling off him. He was in shock, or pretty near to it; now it was a matter of two patients, rather than one.

 “The good news is that he’s fine,” she said. “Bad news is that I need to do major clean up and staple his leg.”

 “Nothing broken? He’ll be okay?”

 She nodded. “He tore his skin, mostly. Once I get it cleaned up, I’ll have a better picture of everything, but it otherwise seems fine. I can do a radiograph if you would like to make sure nothing’s broken. But from palpating it, I don’t feel anything out of the ordinary. And Dodger didn’t complain.”

 The man’s whole demeanor deflated. He crumpled onto the bench beside Ash, who had been as silent as a dormouse through the whole process. “Thank god. I thought—”

 “I am also worried about you,” Nascha added, coming around the table to crouch down in front of him. She set a comforting hand on one of his he had rested on his knees, but instantly regretted the decision. Touching humans was always a risk for her. This was different, though. A different she couldn’t quite fathom. “Are you okay?”

 “I’m fine.”

 “You don’t look it,” she replied, securing her hold on him. He turned his palm up, grasping her fingers like they were a tether to reality. She noted that his were mostly soft hands—office worker hands—but there was a degree of roughness there that suggested he might have hobbies that took him away from a desk. His fingers were long, the nails bitten but not to the extent that they were horrible to look at. As a matter of fact, they looked like very pleasing hands and she had the brief irrational thought that they probably took great care of whomever he loved.

 She’d held a lot of hands in her time, but most of those were gnarled and old, at the end of their journey when their owners asked her for assistance. His, in contrast, were vital. Alive. There was nothing sick or dying about him. Freezing cold from the elements, yes, but strong and alive, nonetheless.

Nascha wanted to hold on longer, not least of all because she now felt his frenzied energy oozing into her skin and up her arm, curling and mixing with what was left from her last trip to Boston.

It had been too long since she’d fed. The exercise in the woods last night had taken too much out of what little she had left. And he… he was potent.  

She wanted to moan in delight as his energy began to fill the empty voids within her, but clamped her lips shut at the last second.

That would have been embarrassing.

The man released a shuddering breath and laugh-groaned when he looked down at himself, the tension releasing from his broad shoulders. Slowly, he turned his attention up to hers. Soft blue-gray eyes with the longest eyelashes blinked back at her. They were the kindest blue eyes she’d ever beheld. “I am a little cold.”

 She finally succeeded in pulling her hand out of his, severing the connection, reluctant to let go. It would have been so easy to hold on for longer. The consequences of that, though? She shuddered at the thought. She’d made a promise to herself a long time ago to never take without asking—or being asked—first. Technically, she’d already broken it.

 “How about a blanket, a fire, and some coffee? That is, if you feel comfortable enough sitting in my living room while I work on Dodger.” 

Never mind that she did not feel comfortable with his intrusion. Having someone around meant she had to watch what she said and what she did. It was a mental load she wasn’t prepared to handle. Still, the words had come tumbling freely from her lips. She silently hoped he would decline and instead go back to the regular waiting room.

 He surprised her by saying, “I would love it.”

 Nascha eased back up to her full height, doing a quick mental survey of her living quarters. Had she left anything out from her work earlier that would be too difficult to explain? The cauldron was definitely an issue, but it was close enough to Halloween. She could explain it away as experimenting on something for decorations or a Haunted House or something, though she never decorated for the holiday because she didn’t celebrate it.

 “Good. Let me put Dodger in a kennel and I’ll get you set up,” she finally said as she turned back to the dog.

 Dodger yipped at her. I don’t need to be put away.

 Nascha shook her head. “You’ll be fine for a little while, Dodger.”

 No, I will not.

 “He’s fine,” the man, Chris, said through a shaky laugh. “He hides out in his kennel back home when he wants to get away from me.”

 Yankee traitor, Dodger mumbled.

 “Does he want to, uh, get away from you a lot?” Nascha asked by way of conversation.

 She began to scoop the canine back into her arms, but Chris held out a hand to stop her. “I can carry him.”

 Nascha picked up Dodger anyway. “I’m stronger than I look…follow me.”

 She pushed her way out of the exam room and into the back work area of her home. The previous owner—also a veterinarian—had built this addition on long ago to house his country practice. It consisted of one exam room, one clean room for surgeries, and a small lab equipped for only the most basic of pathology tests. The stainless-steel kennels lined one wall of the lab.

“You have a nice little setup back here,” he said.

“Thanks,” she replied, not elaborating. She could say that the previous owner had given it to her as a gift, but then she’d have to explain why he had given it to her. And that would be impossible to explain without scaring the shit out of anyone. Even though Dodger’s owner had calmed down considerably since she had held his hand and siphoned off his frenzy, she did not want to create another problem that would bring the anxiety back.

She couldn’t be trusted to hold his hand again. Next time, she might not be able to let go.

Nascha turned her thoughts to the heavy animal in her arms. She cooed softly at Dodger as she placed the dog inside a clean kennel on top of a thin cushion. On top of him, she wrapped a large towel to help him conserve some warmth before she could get back. Dodger accepted her kindness by licking her wrist and letting out a heaving sigh. He didn’t say anything else.

 “You’re sure he’ll be fine?” Chris asked as she closed the door.

 “In two weeks, you won’t even know there was a problem,” she said. “Except for the hair that will still be growing back.”

 “Okay,” he breathed out.

 Nascha gave him a small smile that she hoped was comforting and set her hand on his back, in the middle of his flannel-covered shoulders. It was a familiar move she wouldn’t normally have made, but he seemed appreciative of it. Maybe she was, too, now that she could feel the hard sinew beneath the damp flannel covering his torso. Office worker hands or not, the man clearly did many physical things with his body.

 “How about we get you warm now?” she asked.

 He nodded and shivered. It was enough of an answer for her, as she motioned for him to follow her down the hallway toward the living portion of the house.

[rebeccathewinterqueen]

Awakening: Megumi-chan

Title: Awakening (The Samaya Court Book 1)

Fandoms: Yu-Gi-Oh! and Pokemon

Characters: Yuugi Mutou, Jounouchi Katsuya, Honda Hiroto, Miho Nosaka, Anzu Mazaki, Sugoroku Mutou, Kimiko Mutou (Yuugi’s mother), Eevee

A/N: No, the manga mentioned here isn’t Pokemon Adventures. I have a plan for that later in the series, but not for a while. Also, trying to lengthen the chapters a bit so every episode doesn’t end up three parts, though this was a lot longer than I originally intended. Do you guys prefer longer chapters?

Read Chapter 3: Furious Battle pt 3 here

A few days after discovering Eevee in his room, and Yuugi still hadn’t told his grandfather. He just didn’t know how to tell the older man. How does one go about telling someone a creature from a game is actually real? Yuugi wondered, poking listlessly at his breakfast.

“Well, isn’t this interesting,” Sugoroku murmured, laying the morning’s newspaper on the table. “Yuugi, have you seen this article? That game you like is being featured.” He abandoned breakfast and scooted around the table to see what his grandfather was talking about.

INDUSTRIAL ILLUSIONS GAME BROUGHT TO LIFE?

Yuugi frowned, skimming quickly over the paragraphs. According to the article, real life Pokemon had been spotted around all of Kanto over the last few days. The journalist questioned if it was merely an elaborate prank, or if Industrial Illusions, the company that created the Pokemon card game, had created mechanical versions of the monsters as a promotion for their upcoming expansion pack.

This was the best opportunity he was going to get, he decided. He took a breath. “Jii-chan?”

“Yes, Yuugi?”

“Do you think this article is real?”

“I should hope not,” Kimiko said briskly, bustling in with her own breakfast. Yuugi flinched; he had thought she would be gone for the day already. In addition to keeping the books for the shop, his mother also did payroll for a few other small businesses in the area, and today was a day she normally did her rounds. “I’ve seen those cards. Normal animals are messy enough, let alone having ones running around spitting fire.” She grimaced.

“It might not be so bad,” Sugoroku said thoughtfully. He scratched his chin. “Some of them are pretty cute.”

“In the manga they’re friendly,” Yuugi offered quietly. They had started releasing volumes every month since last September. After Eevee’s appearance he had looked through his cards and the few chapters that had been released for just a little information on his new friend. There wasn’t much.

The card had only recently been released as part of the Jungle expansion and mentioned eevee having an irregular genetic code that could be influenced by radiation from elemental stones. The listed attacks were Tail Wag and Quick Attack. The former kept the opponent from attacking eevee on their next turn and the latter was a simple attack that might do more damage if the player managed to flip heads. And the manga had only mentioned an eevee once in passing.

The manga was cute and fun, but if Yuugi was honest, if it hadn’t been related to his favorite card game he probably wouldn’t have bothered with it. It was pretty basic.

“Cats and dogs are friendly,” Kimiko pointed out, “but they still make a mess. Yuugi, you should finish getting ready for school, dear. You’ll need to leave soon.”

“Right.” He shoved another few bites in his mouth and stood. “Thanks for breakfast!” He took his dishes to the sink and headed back upstairs to grab his school bag, managing to sneak his portion fish in a napkin up with him.

“I hope he’s not going to start asking for a pet,” his mother grumbled as he rounded the corner to the stairs.

“Maybe you should let him have one,” his grandfather suggested mildly. “Something small, like a cat, maybe.”

“One more thing for me to clean up.”

Yuugi shook his head and went upstairs. He didn’t blame his mother for not wanting to clean up after an animal when she already did so much around the house, plus her bookkeeping. He had been trying to do better with keeping his room clean for the last few days so his mother wouldn’t have to search around for laundry—the less searching she had to do, the better Eevee could hide.

The Pokemon was sleeping in his windowsill when he opened the door. She cracked her eyes open and made a quiet noise before closing them again. She didn’t even uncurl or move around. He set the fish on the desk and petted her gently before heading out. He wasn’t worried; she had managed to hide this long without his interference, so he knew her hearing must be as sharp as any cat or dog’s.

He should take her out, he decided as he headed down the stairs. He managed to sneak her outside in the evenings to do her business, but she really needed to run around and play. He hadn’t before because he hadn’t found a secluded enough spot, but if the newspaper article was right, he might not even need to because other Pokemon were popping up all over the place.

“I’m headed out,” he called, barely listening to his mother and grandfather wish him a good day. The park would probably be fine, he decided. He would just stay away from the road. Maybe after school. His mother would be gone until sometime this evening, so he would have a couple hours to let her run around. They might even see another Pokemon, he thought with a grin.

“Well, don’t you look happy today,” Anzu teased, walking up next to him. “Good news at home?”

Yuugi shook his head. “Not particularly. But I saw a really cool news article.”

“What, the thing about the Pokemon sightings?” Yuugi nodded. “Yeah, that was kinda cool to see,” Anzu admitted. “Surprised it was the headliner, though. Did you see the article about the prison break?”

“There was a prison break?” Yuugi asked.

Anzu nodded. “Some guy called Jiro the Jorogumo. Apparently he’s really good at disguises and he got put away for robbery.”

“Guess I should make sure Jii-chan knows.” Domino was a small city and not without it’s crime, but they lived in a relatively quiet area. They still locked their doors, but it might be a good idea to lock up the more valuable merchandise until they caught the guy again.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

“No, I swear I saw a caterpie hanging around Kaa-san’s Oran bushes!”

Another girl snorted. “Probably just a caterpillar, that’s what it’s based on, right?”

“Caterpillars don’t get that big,” her friend insisted. She held her hands about a foot apart. “Like that!”

“It’s just a hoax,” her friend insisted. She held the other girl’s hand. “I know you really like Pokemon and butterfree’s like, your favorite, but—”

The girl pulled away, scowling. “But nothing! I didn’t imagine it, it wasn’t a trick, it was real!” Her face grew stormier with every word. “You think I’m lying?”

Yuugi dropped into his seat and set his bag on his desk’s hook. The news article was the most popular topic of conversation that morning. He didn’t know either girl very well, but they had always been friends. He had never heard them argue before.

Jounouchi took the seat in front of him, Honda and Miho not too far behind. “What are those two fighting about?”

“Um, remember the card game? Pokemon?” Yuugi kept his voice down, trying not to draw the attention of the arguing girls. Jounouchi nodded. “Did you see the newspaper this morning?”

“No.” Jou frowned at him. “Why, what’s that got to do with it?”

“Oh, I saw it,” Honda said, nodding. “Seems like some kind of elaborate prank to me.”

“There have been sightings of real life Pokemon all around Kanto,” Yuugi elaborated. “People seeing them all over the place.”

“That would be super cool,” Jou said with a grin. “Can you imagine having a charmander?”

“Some people just have way too much time on their hands,” Honda muttered. “Seriously, who has the time to do a prank like this? It completely took over the front page.”

“Well, what if it was real?” Yuugi asked nervously. His palms started to sweat a little, and he discreetly wiped them off. “What if we could have a Pokemon?”

“What, like, pick them up off the street?” Anzu wrinkled her nose. “I don’t think I could handle a feral cat, let alone a monster from a card game.”

“The manga makes them look pretty sweet,” Miho said, biting her lip. “I don’t think they’d be very feral. It would be really cool to have a vulpix, too.” She clapped her hands together and smiled. “They’re so adorable!”

“I…didn’t know you read the manga, Miho-chan,” Honda said weakly, looking torn. Yuugi knew Honda—as the president of the beautification club he worked hard to be seen as sensible and make the school as presentable as possible, and these Pokemon sightings weren’t sensible at all. But Miho was clearly interested and thought they would be cool, and he had such a huge crush on her he tended to agree with everything she said.

Miho nodded, oblivious to the internal conflict Yuugi could see brewing in Honda’s eyes. “Oh yes. It’s really cute. I like the game, too. There’s not as many cute Pokemon cards as I would like, but the upcoming expansion is supposed to change that.”

“I have a deck, too,” Anzu confessed, “though I haven’t played very much.”

“Yep, me three,” Jou said, nodding along. “And I’ve seen Yuugi’s deck, so I know he’s into it too.”

Yuugi nodded enthusiastically. “I started playing not long after it came out.” He smiled at Honda. “If you want, I could bring you some of my extra cards. You can build a deck and we can all play together.”

Miho bounced slightly on her toes. “That sounds like so much fun! Hey, maybe we could meet up after school? We’ll get Honda-kun started, and then we could all play each other.”

“That sounds fun,” Anzu agreed happily. “Should we go to Yuugi’s after school?”

Yuugi froze, his smile becoming fixed. If they came over to his house, they would see Eevee, and he still hadn’t told them about her. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea…”

Jou frowned. “Why not?”

“Um…” The bell rang, saving him from having to answer, and his friends were forced to go to their seats. He sighed quietly as the homeroom teacher walked in and they rose in greeting.

Maybe he should just tell them? But what if they didn’t believe him? It would be great to show them, but would it be a good idea to crowd everyone into his room for it? What if Eevee didn’t like crowds?

A trip to the park was sounding better and better. Maybe they could hang out there? That way he could introduce them without Eevee feeling like she was trapped, and then they could play cards together after. He perked up. It would be great, he was sure. They would all love Eevee—she was small and cute and most assuredly not a robot or a puppet. He would tell them at lunch he wanted to go to park.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

By the end of the day Yuugi thought he was going to throw up. What if his friends were mad at him for waiting to tell them? He knew he hadn’t known Jou, Honda, or Miho for very long, but he had known Anzu since elementary school and he really should have told her sooner. She was always honest and straightforward with him—it was one of the things he liked best about her.

Well, he thought, he would just have to make it up to her. He marched home—alone for the first time in the last few days. Anzu had always been on-and-off about whether she could walk home with him or not, or if he could walk with her, but Jou had been stuck to his side like glue ever since they had become friends. It felt odd that he wasn’t there now.

“Jii-chan, I’m home,” Yuugi called, walking in the front door of the game shop.

“Welcome home,” Sugoroku responded cheerfully. He set down the magazine he had been reading, the pages revealing a colorful two-page spread about the upcoming Pokemon expansion. “How was school?”

“Pretty boring,” Yuugi confessed. He cracked a smile. “Mostly everyone talked about the news.”

“The Pokemon article? I imagine everyone would have been excited about that one.”

“Yeah, mostly that and the breakout.”

“Oh, yes, I saw that article too.” Sugoroku frowned thoughtfully. “I guess I should keep some of the pricier merchandise in the stock room overnight. I can’t imagine what that man would try to steal here—I remember his case, and he always targeted places like jewelry stores—but I suppose if he was desperate enough…”

“I guess so.” Yuugi stepped over to the side door that led to the house and kicked off his shoes. “I’m just going to grab my cards, then I’m hanging out at the park with my friends. We’re going to see if we can get Honda started on a deck.”

“Go on, then,” the older man said, waving him on with a smile. “And make sure you’re home by dinner.”

“Okay!”

Eevee was waiting for him when he opened his bedroom door, lying on his bed on her back, paws in the air as she wriggled. She rolled over onto her stomach, ears pricked. “Vee?”

Yuugi quickly emptied his bag. “We’re going to the park today,” he said, keeping his voice low. He scratched her ears. “I want to introduce you to my friends.”

“Eevee!” She jumped to her feet, tail wagging and eyes shining. She hopped onto the floor and raced over to him, jumping at his chest. He caught her reflexively, giggling helplessly when she licked his cheek.

“Alright, alright!” He felt even guiltier now. He should have found a way to take her out sooner. “Let me get my cards and then we’ll go. Are you okay being in my bag?” She looked at it critically, then barked her agreement. “Let’s go, then.”

His extra cards didn’t take up too much space, thankfully. He picked them up from his desk. They mostly stayed in a small flat box, the inside separated into three slots for Pokemon, trainer cards, and energy cards. He set it on the bottom of the bag and let Eevee jump in after. He zipped the bag most of the way, leaving the top slightly open so she could breathe and wouldn’t feel too claustrophobic.

“Just keep your head down, okay?” he whispered, carefully putting the backpack on. He felt Eevee scrunch down against his back, then went back downstairs, much slower than he normally was.

“Jii-chan, I’m going now,” he called through the doorway. He hastily slid his shoes back on, trying to get out the door before his grandfather could see him.

“You must have more cards than I thought,” Sugoroku commented, looking up from his magazine. “Have fun with your friends, Yuugi.”

Yuugi froze for a moment, shoulders tensed. He forcibly relaxed them. “I will!”

He sighed in relief as the door closed behind him. That was way too close for comfort. He was just glad his grandfather thought he was carrying a lot of cards and didn’t notice the shape of the bump was too round to be his card box.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Yuugi had hoped to be the first one to arrive at the park. He had wanted to pick a more secluded spot so he could introduce Eevee, maybe let her out beforehand so she could look around too. Unfortunately, by the time he got there Honda and Jou were already sitting at the pavilion, a covered area with several picnic benches. Jou had a Ziploc of cards sitting on the table, but neither of them were looking at them and their faces were uncharacteristically grim.

Jou smiled and waved when he saw him, though, erasing the dark look entirely. It was almost enough to make Yuugi think he had made a mistake, but Honda wasn’t nearly as good at hiding his face.

“Hey Jounouchi-kun, Honda-kun,” Yuugi greeted. He carefully shrugged out of his backpack and set it on the table. “Is something wrong?”

“Nah, man.” Jounouchi leaned back with an easy smile, hands locked behind his head. Honda stayed quiet, face still serious. “Everything’s good. What all do you have in the bag? You can’t tell me it’s all cards.”

“It’s not all cards,” Yuugi admitted. He winked. “But I’m not telling until the girls get here.”

“They shouldn’t be too long, should they?” Jou leaned forward, reaching for the bag. “Nothing wrong with a little peek, right?”

Yuugi pulled the bag to his chest, hugging it tightly. Eevee shifted slightly, but Jou and Honda didn’t seem to notice. “No peeking!”

Jou sat up with a pout, arms crossed. “Fine, no peeking.” He gave Yuugi his best rendition of puppy dog eyes. “At least a hint?”

“Okay.” Yuugi thought for a minute. What kind of hint could Yuugi give that wouldn’t give the whole thing away? If he referenced the news article they would get it immediately. “It…it has to do with the game,” he finally said, feeling his way slowly through the words. “And Miho will really like it.”

“Y-you brought Miho a present?” Honda gave him a despairing look.

Yuugi winced. “Um, not a present for her. It’s mine. I just think it’s something she’ll happen to like.”

This didn’t seem to help. Honda stood, hands planted on the table. “Why not bring her a present? Miho’s beauty and kindness put even the most perfect rose to shame, she deserves—!”

“Easy, Honda,” Jou sighed. He grabbed his friend’s arm and tugged him back down. “Relax, will you?”

Maybe he should have picked a better hint, Yuugi thought. Invoking Miho was a sure-shot way of getting Honda all worked up.

“Hey guys!” Yuugi looked over to see Anzu waving at them, Miho walking next to her with a huge pink binder. The girls joined them, Anzu sitting next to Yuugi and Miho placing her binder carefully on the table before sitting next to her. “Sorry we took so long. Miho hid her cards too well.”

“My cards are very important,” the other girl huffed, nose in the air. “I don’t want anyone to steal them. Especially with that escaped thief running around.”

Anzu pulled a small deck builder box from her school bag and set it on the table next to the binder. “Miho, I don’t think that guy’s interested in stealing game cards.”

“Well, he could be! Didn’t you hear about that collector in Unova? Someone killed him, and the only thing missing was his Mew card!”

“I remember hearing about that,” Yuugi said, frowning thoughtfully. “It was a really rare promotional card from when the game first released. Only four were ever released, put into random card packs. They’re worth at least 300,000 yen.”

“And our cards won’t compare to that,” Anzu finished. She patted Miho’s hand. “You’re a really good player, but your cards aren’t that rare. Which you should be glad about.”

Miho deflated and sighed. “I guess so.”

“Cheer up, Miho!” Honda grabbed her hand with both of his. “Yuugi brought something with him that he said you’ll like!”

“A present? For me?” Miho blinked and turned to Yuugi with a bright smile. “You didn’t have to bring me anything, Yuugi!”

Yuugi almost smacked himself in the forehead. He leaned onto the table, face cradled in one hand, but the landing was still pretty hard. “It isn’t a present,” he muttered. “I just wanted to introduce you guys, jeez…”

Jou blinked. “What, like, a pet or something? You carried a pet all the way in your school bag?”

“Yuugi,” Anzu groaned. “What if it made a mess?”

“She didn’t make a mess,” Yuugi protested, waving his hands. He took a deep breath. “Look, I’ll just…” He unzipped his bag. “Eevee, you can come out now.”

“Veeeee~.” He ignored his friends looks—from the confused looks Honda and Jou sported to Miho’s excitement and Anzu’s unease—they weren’t what mattered right then. Eevee stood with a luxurious stretch, her back arched much like a cat’s, but since she was in the backpack all his friends could see was a set of ears and a fluffy tail. Then she jumped out, using Yuugi’s arm as a brief launching pad to get to the picnic table.

“This is Eevee,” Yuugi said, petting her head gently. “Eevee, these are my friends. Anzu, Miho-chan, Jounouchi-kun, and Honda-kun.” He pointed to each of them in turn, letting Eevee focus on them briefly before moving on. The manga showed Pokemon as very willing to battle and occasionally more than a little protective, and he didn’t want her to mistake his friends’ joking and playing as “attacking” him.

“She’s so adorable!” Miho exclaimed, hands clasped over her heart. She scooped Eevee up, cuddling her close.

“That’s an Eevee,” Jou said slowly, face blank.

Anzu reached over to carefully run her hand down the length of Eevee’s back, burying her fingers in the luxurious fur. “It’s real! Yuugi, how…?”

“She,” he corrected her gently. “And I’m not sure.” He wrapped his hand around the Puzzle. “Well, I think I have a theory, but you might think it’s silly…”

“We won’t laugh,” Anzu promised. She glared at the boys. “Right?”

Honda and Jou shrank back. “Right.”

“Well,” Yuugi said, “remember how I completed the Millennium Puzzle a few days ago?” His friends nodded. “It…well, it started glowing, and then Eevee was there the next day. I woke up, and she was asleep on the bed.”

“So you think solving the Puzzle made it—sorry, her,” Jou corrected hurriedly, raising his hands. Eevee had twisted to glare at him, and Yuugi struggled to keep a straight face when Jou backed off, acting the same way he did when Anzu was upset. “Sorry. You think solving it made her appear?”

Yuugi nodded jerkily. Eevee wriggled in Miho’s arms until the girl let her go, then stood in front of Yuugi, snuggling against his face happily. He hugged her back.

“That kind of makes sense,” Anzu said thoughtfully. She tapped her cheek with one finger. “Yeah, I can see how you might come to that conclusion. You solve the Millennium Puzzle, and then Eevee appears, so the Puzzle must be why.”

“But you don’t think it’s true,” Yuugi said softly. He looked down at Eevee and petted her.

“Sorry, no,” Anzu said, shaking her head. “I mean, the Puzzle is really small, it’s not like she could fit in there. And the other Pokemon wouldn’t, either, assuming they’re not a hoax.”

“Jii-chan said it was a magical artifact,” Yuugi pointed out. “I don’t think they would have been physically trapped in the Puzzle. Maybe…maybe it just unlocked something?”

“…I think maybe Yuugi’s right,” Miho said, smiling. “What other explanation is there?”

“Well…” Honda said slowly. Yuugi wondered how hard it was for him to disagree with anything Miho said. “There’s a rumor Kaiba Corp partnered with Industrial Illusions for a video game. You’ve heard it, right? Maybe they’re robots! Or maybe they were grown in a lab somewhere. Plus the release of the new card expansion is right around the corner. They could have released their creations as a promotion.” Honda looked at Jounouchi, who was sitting with his arms crossed and his eyes closed. “Right, Jou?”

“I don’t think even Kaiba Corp has the technology to make an entirely new biological creature,” Jou said. He cracked one eye open to look at the girls. “And did she feel like a robot to you?” Miho shook her head rapidly, and after a moment, Anzu followed suit. “Then I think Yuugi’s idea has the most merit.” Yuugi looked up, staring at Jou with wide eyes.

“Magic?” Honda asked dryly. Jou nodded. “…magic?”

Jou twitched. “Makes more sense than Kaiba Corp growing her in a lab,” he growled. “They aren’t even involved in medicine, they’re a tech company!”

This devolved into Jou and Honda arguing. Anzu and Miho scooted closer to Yuugi.

“…do you really think the Puzzle is why Eevee is here?” Anzu asked softly. Yuugi nodded, his stomach knotting up. “Well…I guess unlocking something makes more sense than her coming from the Puzzle directly…”

“Maybe we should ask your grandfather,” Miho said softly, scritching Eevee on top of her head. Yuugi froze.

He hadn’t told Jii-chan.

He had been so focused on hiding Eevee he had forgotten Jii-chan. He could have said something before he left! It would have been the perfect time, too, because Kaa-san hadn’t come back yet. And Jii-chan might have been able to help him convince Kaa-san.

“You didn’t tell him?” Anzu hissed, taking in the look on his face with wide eyes. “Yuugi!”

“I forgot,” he wailed. Eevee licked his cheek, but it didn’t do much to distract him. “I was trying to think of a name and I wanted to get her to the park and I forgot!” Honda and Jou stopped arguing to look at him, their faces alarmed.

“Well, damn,” Jou muttered. “What are you going to do? I can’t take her home for you, pal. Sorry.”

“I can’t either,” Anzu murmured. Miho shook her head.

“I’ll tell Jii-chan,” Yuugi assured them. He bit his lip. “Next time Kaa-san’s out…I can hide her in my room until then…”

Understanding dawned on Anzu’s face. “That’s right, I forgot. Your mom doesn’t like pets.”

“My parents work in Celadon,” Honda said, licking his lips. “Maybe…I mean, they won’t be back until the weekend, so she could stay with me a couple days, you know? Until you get the opportunity to tell your grandfather.”

“Really? You would do that for me, Honda-kun?” Yuugi asked, vision blurring slightly. He blinked rapidly.

“Yeah, it’s fine,” Honda assured him. “Just let me know when you want to pick her up. And you can come see her any time.”

“Thank you!” He half-launched himself over the table and grabbed Honda around the neck, pulling him into a hug. Honda yelped, then patted him on the back. “Thankyouthankyouthankyou—”

Miho giggled. “Yuugi, smothering Honda-kun isn’t a good way to show gratitude.”

Yuugi flushed and let him go. “Sorry, Honda-kun.”

“It’s fine.” Honda rubbed the back of his neck. “Hey, I have an idea! Why don’t we come up with a name for Eevee-chan? That’ll make introducing her to Mutou-san much easier.”

“That’s a great idea,” Jou said enthusiastically. “But, uh…why don’t we find a place to get a drink? It’s a little warm out today.”

Yuugi nodded. It was a little warmer than normal, and he was sure Eevee had it worse because of her fur. “There’s a new restaurant that just opened up,” he suggested. “BurgerWorld. I’ve been meaning to try there.”

“Yeah, they already have a pretty good reputation,” Anzu said thoughtfully. “I heard they have a Pecha smoothie that’s to die for.”

“Sounds like it’s settled, then,” Jou said. They stood to go, and Yuugi let Eevee down to walk next to them.

They were silent as they walked, until Miho broke it was a soft hum. “Hey Yuugi…Eevee’s a pretty rare card, right? What about Takara? With the kanji for ‘treasure’.”

Eevee made a face, and Yuugi giggled helplessly. She looked like she had just swallowed a mouthful of vinegar. “Not that one, I guess…hey, if you want to evolve into Vaporeon, we could name you Yoko! We could write it as ‘ocean child’.” Eevee shook her head. “Alright…”

“Well, it’s spring time,” Jou pointed out. “What about Sakiko? For ‘flower child’.” Eevee tilted her head, as if considering it, but ultimately shook it, tail twitching.

Honda was the next to speak up, after a few more minutes of silent walking. “Akemi can be written as ‘bright and beautiful’. That’s an auspicious name.” She almost seemed happy with that one, but shook her head eventually. “I guess you’re more cute, anyway…” Eevee yipped at him, and he held his hands up. “I didn’t mean it in a bad way!”

“Hey, what about Megumi?” Anzu asked. She smiled at Eevee and Yuugi. “It can be written to mean ‘love and affection’. I think that fits her really well.”

Yuugi looked down at Eevee. “What do you think?”

Eevee seemed to think it over for a minute. Then she wagged her tail once, ears pricked. “Vee!”

“I think she approves.” Yuugi smiled brightly. “Thanks, Anzu.”

“It’s no problem!” She reached down and rubbed the newly-named Megumi’s ears. “I’m just glad Megumi-chan likes her new name.”

“Awesome!” Jou cheered. “Good timing too—we’re here! Let’s celebrate!”

[j4gm]

Ted Anderson’s Adventure Time Season 11 AMA.

So Ted Anderson, writer of Adventure Time Season 11, unexpectedly hopped onto the Adventure Time Discord yesterday for an impromptu AMA. He talked a lot about what his plans were for the rest of Season 11 and beyond, and also talked about his other work including Beginning of the End, My Little Pony, Moth & Whisper, and Orphan Age. Here's most of his answers. I’ve rearranged them to be in a more coherent order.

You can read the full AMA on the r/adventuretime Discord.

Mordo: Before the cancellation, was the stuff with Finn and the humans going to be longer than 2 issues?

Ted: That particular story was always planned to be 2 issues.

The way S11 was going to work is, it would be broken into 3 chunks of 4 issues apiece. The first story was the Empress Marceline 4-issue story. The second chunk would be the 2-issue Humantown story, followed by two single-issue stories. Then there would be one big 4-issue finale story.

Also I should clarify the breakdown of the first arc: Sonny Liew wrote the story, but that was just a summary of events. I wrote the actual script and laid out the events and so forth. I think technically he's credited for Plot and I'm credited for Script?

The first single-issue story was already sort of revealed—that's the one about Jake and Jermaine. The second one would have been about Finn deciding he wants to make something, and going on a big adventure to make a new, handmade sword. And the 4-issue finale would have followed off of the Humantown story and wrapped up more of that.

I was actually already starting issue 8 before I heard it was canceled. Issue 7 is done, but unfortunately it can't see the light of day. It's the property of BOOM and Cartoon Network, not me.

[Issue #7] was a very standalone kind of issue: Jermaine is a successful painter and gets invited to a big fancy party, and Jake invites himself along. Jake ostensibly came to invite Jermaine to the family reunion [in the finale arc], but he knows that Jermaine doesn't like to travel. So he actually came to do a big mystery adventure. One of Jermaine's paintings gets stolen, so the two of them investigate to find out the truth. In the end it's revealed that the whole thing is a big setup by Jake, who wanted to give his brother a fun bonding experience, Mostly I wanted to write some done-in-one stories and get some Jermaine in there, because I like him.

Issue 8 would have been about Finn, who's feeling restless after making the cabin, and deciding he wants to make more stuff, so he decides to make his own sword. He meets various characters traveling around Ooo, checking in with them and talking about what he's doing now. I wanted to focus on Finn feeling adrift now that the biggest adventure of them all has happened, and he's kind of without a purpose.

Boulder/Stert: What would the comic's finale have looked like? What would the end of S11 have looked like had you made it there?

Ted: So thematically, I wanted to get to the idea that Finn was feeling useless as an adventurer. The world was getting more saved, things were getting rebuilt, people don't need a "kid with a sword" any more. But Finn would've realized that it's not about him as a lone adventurer—he's part of a community, a whole bunch of people who are working to make the world a better place.

The finale story would have revealed that Dr. Gross had been offered amnesty and was secretly working in Humantown, plotting a takeover of all of Ooo. Dr. Gross would've created a plague to affect the candy people and something called "GO Juice" [Genetic Optimizer Juice], which was just Finn's DNA injected into the humans to make them into adventurers too. But, crucially, it wouldn't have made them teammates—they would've just been a bunch of lone wolves. So when Jake and Lady and PB and Marceline and all the rest work together, they defeat the humans easily. Rather than fight Dr. Gross, [Finn] escapes and helps his friends, who are fighting everyone else.

There's a little bit of that story still in issue 5: Finn gets a scratch fighting the robot and Minerva patches it up, and that's how they would've gotten his DNA.

I was going to bring back Samantha the dog as a side villain. She would've taken over the Candy Kingdom with a dog army, in order to plunder their technology and lead a dog revolution in the Crystal Dimension, but really she was just being used by Dr. Gross.

Also Jake would've had a family reunion, because I really wanted to write all his kids. Originally it was going to be him and Lady finally getting married. [Cartoon Network] specifically said that Jake and Lady couldn't get married, because they were, and I quote, a "modern couple". I still have no idea exactly what that means, haha.

I had some thoughts about how I wanted to handle the humans. I didn't want them to immediately integrate into Ooo, but I didn't want them to be completely standoffish and weird, either. Issue 12 would've ended with them more or less being led by Minerva, and slowly putting themselves out there.

Something else I should make clear: I had absolutely no contact with the AT people, so I don't know if any of my ideas fit with what they wanted to do. All of this stuff is just out of my head.

Stert: Yeah I feel like you would've been good as long as you didn't straight up contradict the show.

Ted: Oh, speaking of contradicting the show, I got a funny note about the Empress Marceline story. Originally, in Sonny Liew's notes and my script, it actually took place 10,000 years in the future, not 1,000. But for some reason CN changed it to 1000. And I have no idea why, because all that does is mess with the timeline more. Like, if it's 1000 years in the future, it should have Shermy and Beth and look like that setting. But by the time CN changed it, it was too late for me to add in any of that stuff. So if you think it's weird that Shermy and Beth didn't show up, and Marceline wasn't trying to rescue Bubblegum from an ice prison: that's why!

SpaceGiraffe/Owlz: Were there any plans for Simon to meet with the humans and/or Minerva? I wanted to know if you had any plans for Ice King or if that was just Olivia's job?

Ted: Once I heard that Olivia was doing the Simon & Marcy series, I deliberately kept my hands off of Simon, just in case. I didn't quite know what I would want to do with him, either. He could play an interesting role in post-finale Ooo, but ... idk, he's been defined so much by tragedy and loss, it would've taken a while to build him back up again.

Stert: Do you know if Gross and Minerva would have interacted in these new comics?

Ted: I hadn't planned for Gross and Minerva to interact too much? Minerva would've come along with Finn when he infiltrated Humantown to find out what happened. Actually, my idea was that Minerva uses her "Mini-form," which is literally a six-inch-tall action figure of her that would ride on Finn's shoulder as he snuck through the vents, haha.

Stert: The final issue ends on a pretty negative note for Finn and humanity. He's very angry at Malloy lying to him and storms off not wanting to have anything to do with Humantown. Looking back do you think it's a good idea to end Finn's arc in these comics with the humans on a pretty downer note?

Ted: I don't think it's the best way to end S11, no. It makes sense because it's a natural story break, but it also leaves Finn angry and resentful, and deliberately separating himself from other communities. I do love those last two pages, because Mar Julia did some amazing art on them, but emotionally it leaves Finn kind of out in the cold. I did tweak issue 6 a little by adding the HW scene. Originally Finn went to see Aunt Lolly to see if she made the robot monsters. Frankly, the HW scene is better in every way, haha.

Owlz: Did you have ideas for Finn's closure with Huntress?

I like [Finntress]! I like a lot of Finn relationships. But I also like how it's very casual and not labeled. I should be clear: I really didn't change anything based on people's feedback from here. But the [Discord] server and poking around Tumblr reminded me that I needed to include some HW. I feel like their relationship has always been ambiguous, so I liked them not getting a super specific ending.

Boulder: Did you have anything in S11 for Mars?

Ted: I didn't have anything for Mars, actually! I should've! I like Mars a lot, mostly because we see so little of it and it's so dang weird.

Boulder/StephanFS: What plans did you have after S11, with or without a cancellation? If BOOM announced S12 with you as the main writer, what would you write?

Ted: I didn't have anything specific for after S11, since I already knew that it was probably going to be the last time I was going to write AT. I had some vague ideas of trying to bring back Fern, but like ... that's a very fanservice type of thing to do, haha. I probably would've brought him back just to let him die again, but this time with a little more closure. Also I might have done more stuff with magic? I love the weird elements of magic they've got set up in the show. Maybe doing something with four new elements of magic, one of which would have been grass. But that was just very vague thoughts.

Stert: Who did you like writing for most/have the most trouble with? Between Beginning of the End and the S11 issues you mostly handled Finn with a touch of Jake and the rest in smaller amounts, interested in if you were happy with that or wanted to play with other folks.

Ted: Jake was definitely the most fun to write, just because of his way of speaking. Whenever I did a line of his dialogue, I ran it through John DiMaggio's voice first to see if it sounded right. As for favorite in general, that's a tough one. I was told to try and keep the focus on Finn and Jake rather than the side characters, just because they're the main characters. But that suited me just fine. And yeah, for BotE I was also told to keep the focus on Finn and Jake. But that's what I was planning to do anyway. (And yes, I still plan to finish the annotations for BotE! One of these days! Promise!)

Stert: How well did you know the show before you started work on the comics?

Ted: So, total honesty: I loved AT and stuck with it until about season 5. Which, not coincidentally, is when Steven Universe started. I didn't ever stop loving AT, I just fell off the wagon for a while.

Stert: Tale as old as time 🤣

Ted: So once I got the news about BotE, I binged everything from the start. I didn't actually get to see the finale until after I'd started writing S11. CN was being very careful about leaks, so they wouldn't actually let their comics people watch upcoming episodes. But Whitney, my editor, had seen it, so she described it to me over the phone. Very weird experience.

Mordo: What is your view on Come Along With Me?

Ted: I feel like it was as good as it could be, under the circumstances. After hearing about their plans and how they thought they'd have another season, it made more sense. Like, if they'd had a bunch more episodes, they could've set up Gumbald and used the Candy Kingdom Haters some more (remember them???) The finale had a tough job to do: they wanted to give a satisfactory ending to as many of the threads in the series as they could, and yeah, some people didn't get as much as others. Again, I really wish they'd had another season.

Owlz: What do you think of characters like Martin or Ice King?

Ted: I would've LOVED to bring Martin in somehow. He never really got his comeuppance. I don't think I could've put him in S11, but if there had been a S12 or a miniseries or something, that would've been ideal. He's such a ****ty dad, haha. I hate him as a person but love him as a character. I probably would've brought him back by saying, like, "Oh yeah, I hung out with that transcendent being from beyond space, but she got sick of me after a week and dropped me off on an asteroid."

Stert: Were there any characters you were very intimidated to write for, like you thought you would screw them up?

Ted: Oh that's a great question. Honestly, I was a little worried about writing Marceline, because I feel like she's very specifically tied to the experience of being a teenage girl. Which I've never been. Like, the best stuff with Marceline is by Olivia Olson, or Meredith Gran, or Kate Leth, who have written about (and actually been) a teenage girl dealing with Feelings. So getting her right was a challenge.

Owlz: Who’s your favorite AT character?

Ted: Oh man, favorite? That's an impossible question, haha. I have a lot of fondness for Susan Strong. I like her as a kind-of counterpart to Finn, as well as a more driven and adventurous type. She also got to have a really neat arc that ended well, but also left open the door for future adventures. Her design is also great, and her backstory is really cool.

Stert: The stuff you did with her, Billy, and Fern to show off different avenues of heroism and stuff with Finn was very cool.

Ted: Yeah, that was super fun. I think I mentioned this in the annotations: originally it was just going to be Finn meeting a bunch of his alternate versions, like Farmworld Finn. But then I realized, wait, there are characters who are way more interesting than that. (Not to hate on Farmworld Finn! But he's no Susan Strong)

Owlz: What are your thoughts on Betty Grof? The show didn’t reveal much about her.

Ted: Oof. She deserved better. I wanted her to be developed more, frankly. But I sympathize with the creators. I don't think they had the time they needed to flesh her out. I wanted, like, an entire spin-off series about her learning the secrets of magic.

Stert: So to ask another possible impossible question, what's your favorite episode (or multiples)?

Ted: I really do like "Mama Said". It's maybe my favorite one-off episode, just for how surreal it is. Plot-relevant episodes ... I liked the one about Finn building a tower to tear off his dad's arm, haha. I have a real fondness for the wacky one-off episodes, like anything about Jake's kids. The Card Wars tournament episode, or the one about Bronwyn.

Owlz: What if AT got rebooted and you got to be a writer?

Ted: On the one hand, I would've liked creating a more coherent mythology, like exactly how this or that happened. On the other hand, the weird inconsistencies are what make this show so fun.

[While talking about some of the Easter eggs included in Ted’s comics, somebody posted this panel from BotE]

Ted: Part of that panel is actually a quote from Guillermo del Toro. The line about "animated by incredible humanism" is from the introduction he wrote to the Art of Ooo book. I love dropping in weird easter eggs. So when I started writing BotE, I caught up on the entire show, but I also tried to catch up on all the supplementary materials, too. That's why I slipped in that thing about Hunson's nickname of "Johnny Corndog," for example.

Owlz: You should also check out the AT official cookbook. It’s adorable.

Ted: I have! In fact, there's an easter egg from that in there! In issue 6, Minerva mentions something about making Finn her special macaroni and cheese, I think? That's her recipe in the book.

CharlesOberonn: I have a question regarding pacing in comic books. Specifically, how stretched out and slow pacing is in comic books today compared to comic books in the past. A story that would take 1 issue in the 1960s-80s could take 3 or 4 or even 5-8 issues today. What do you say about that?

Ted: Ah, pacing in comics. An old nemesis, haha. I like both the issue format and the book format for comics. You can do very different things with them, just like the difference between movies and TV. If you are writing something with issues, then I feel like every issue needs to give you a complete story, or at least a complete slice of a story. I definitely feel like attitudes have changed regarding how much story you fit into an issue of comics, but that can be both good and bad. A little while ago I reread the original Iron Man story where he confronts his alcoholism, and he goes through withdrawal in literally one page.

Stert: I know this kinda stuff is usually not answered straight up, but how much do you make writing for comics?

Ted: I'm not yet at the point where it's my main job. Right now I'm getting my teaching license so I can be a school librarian. And with licensed comics, I don't get any royalties, just a flat fee for writing the script. But it's a good gig regardless. I get to sit around and tell other people how to draw cartoons. I would absolutely love to write full time, and I'm in the process of getting together more projects to make that happen? But not quite yet. Which reminds me: I am currently trying to put together a pitch with Mar Julia, artist for both BotE and S11! But very different from AT.

Owlz: How long have you worked on comics?

Ted: I've been working on comics for ... something like 6 years? I think? My first professional comic was MLP, actually, which is not at all normal, haha. I was a big fan of the show, and I knew I wanted to write comics. I'm also friends with Zander Cannon, who's been a professional creator for decades and is a super cool guy. He knew someone who worked at IDW, who put me in touch with the MLP editor. I sent them some samples, I sent them some pitches, and bada bing bada boom, they let me write a story about Pinkie Pie. It's all about networking, baby.

Mordo: What’s your favorite TV series of all time?

Ted: Oh jeeze, that's a question. There are TV series that I love in different ways and for different reasons. AT is definitely one of my favorites, but I also love The X-Files, but for completely different reasons. Star Trek the Next Generation is also pretty high up there. Futurama is another one that I'm a big fan of. I should've included a reference to John DiMaggio from that, come to think of it. Showed Jake with a cigar and a beer, or something. Now there's a crossover I'd love to see. Oh, Gravity Falls is definitely up there too. Regular Show is another fun one. I pitched a couple RS ideas around the same time as BotE, but they were already transitioning to the Twenty-Five Years Later series.

Mordo: Not sure if this was answered earlier, but why was AT season 11 the one that had to kick the bucket when it was doing better than the other comics?

Ted: I really have no idea. It was a money thing, to the best of my knowledge—they expected the comics to sell X copies, and they didn't quite make it, so that was that. In the email they sent me, they emphasized that it was not a question of the quality of my writing, or how they were being received. I don't really know any more than that, unfortunately. Yeah, I have no idea how they calculate anticipated sales or anything. But I guess S11 just didn't hit the expected targets.

Mordo/StephanFS: What else do you write Ted? If you were to work on something original, what would it be?

Ted: I still do write for MLP, actually. I've got a three-issue miniseries starting next month. Plus I've got a couple creator-owned series: Moth & Whisper and Orphan Age. The trade collection of M&W comes out next week, and the first issue of Orphan Age came out this week. I have a lot more original stuff in the works, too. Not a lot of it is like AT, to be honest. I don't tend to write stories that are so .... weird? Nothing against weird! Obviously! But it's just not the kind of stories I tend to come up with. M&W is a cyberpunk heist thriller thing, and Orphan Age is a post-apocalyptic western.

That’s all for now. If you like Ted Anderson’s work, be sure to check out Moth & Whisper and Orphan Age. Catch them on ComiXology or wherever you get your comics.

Farewell for now!

[aurora-nova-fic]

Archimedes Snippets, Part 2

A couple more ideas for Garak as a Starfleet spouse, following All Our Tomorrows. Because the muse doesn’t want to work on a complete story so much as little scenes here and there in various follow-up works.

As before, these are unpolished (you can tell, because the tenses switch from one snippet to the next). I’m not really doing anything with these, just getting the ideas down so I can stop writing them in my head.

The Bashir & Garak show moves. The crew of the Archimedes is intrigued.

The Archimedes is twenty hours into its two-year mission when Bashir and Garak first argue in public.

This doesn’t escape anyone’s notice. Starfleet gossips. Not everyone, of course; the exact amount of gossip per person varies considerably. Any ship or station with a large percentage of Vulcans can be expected to show a corresponding drop in this behavior (sociologists have done studies, inherent difficulties in studying the subject notwithstanding). On the whole, though, it’s a popular pastime, especially when things are a bit dull at the moment or when a new crew comes together.

The USS Archimedes is fresh from Utopia Planetia with a new crew still getting to know each other, and it doesn’t surprise anyone when the first focal point of gossip is Dr. Julian Bashir.

For one thing, their CMO comes to the Archimedes from Deep Space Nine, where he was indisputably a hero of the Dominion War. His discovery of the cure for the changeling disease helped end the war, though for some reason that’s the only medical topic about which he doesn’t like to speak. He was there from the beginning of the quadrant’s conflict with the Founders, survived a Dominion internment camp, and developed an antigen to prevent the spread of a Dominion-bioengineered disease.

He’s also the first Augment allowed to serve openly in Starfleet, which is still controversial in some circles. The idea is that he’s not Khan, but some people are afraid he’s the tip of a dangerous iceberg. Nobody on the Archimedes knows Bashir’s personal feelings on the subject of genetic engineering, because the only people brave enough to ask, this early in the voyage, are also wise enough to know it’s not their business.

What really secures Bashir’s place as the grapevine’s favorite subject is his marriage. He arrives on the Archimedes newly married, which would’ve been unremarkable if his husband hadn’t been a Cardassian. A Cardassian who worked with the Federation during the war but may have been an Obsidian Order agent before that. Nobody on the ship is entirely sure, nor do they know exactly what said order actually did, but they assume it was something like the Tal Shiar and don’t like the idea one bit.

So it’s natural that everyone’s watching them. And what the crew sees confuses them at first.

Not a full Earth day after leaving Deep Space Nine, Bashir takes a late lunch and meets his husband in the mess hall. A handful of alpha shift crewmembers are around, and some of the beta shift getting an early breakfast, so there a good dozen witnesses to see both of them getting worked up. They speak quietly, but have intent facial expressions and both gesture with abandon.

“Didn’t they just get married?” asks Taiya, a beta shift engineer.

“I heard they practically came aboard from their honeymoon,” replies MacPherson, who then has to explain the concept to Taiya and thus learns Andorians have no equivalent.

“Short honeymoon phase,” adds Kowalczyk.

To the trio’s delight, Bashir and Garak have gotten so into their argument they raise their voices. “… absolute caricature of a villain is insulting to the reader.”

Bashir’s eyebrows fly up. “Really? That’s your next complaint?”

“Oh, please. Don’t tell me anyone goes around proclaiming, ‘Woe me, I’m so hideous to look at, I must therefore kill my brother and nephews.’ As motivations go, it lacks any semblance of credence.”

Taiya’s antennae twitch in confusion.

“You’re deliberately ignoring his motivation,” insists Bashir. The audience doesn’t have a clue what he’s talking about. “Gloucester claims to have been ‘cheated of feature by dissembling nature,’ so wronged that even dogs bark when he walks by.”

“From my understanding, Terran dogs bark all the time. It’s hardly good reason to kill your own brother.”

“He feels everyone hates him because of his physical appearance. ‘And therefore, since I cannot prove a lover, to entertain these fair well-spoken days, I am determined to prove a villain.’ If he’d been shown kindness and love, he wouldn’t have been so angry. His life could’ve been entirely different!”

“You cannot possibly intend to read this as advocating the healing power of love.”

“No, because we don’t see anyone show Gloucester love, but think of the possibility. His life could’ve been entirely different if…”

“…he lived in a time when his deformities could be easily treated?”

“…people weren’t so shallow.”

“That is a theory not remotely supported by the rest of the text.”

“Shakespeare,” says MacPherson. “I think that’s Richard III.” When the others give him a questioning look, he shrugs. “My mother does community theater, so I spent a lot of time at rehearsals as a kid. You pick these things up.”

Bashir’s combadge beeps. “We’ll have to continue this discussion later,” he says. He and Garak briefly press their palms together, and then the doctor heads out of the mess hall.

Garak looks towards the observing trio, smiles knowingly, and picks up a padd.

This becomes a pattern. Bashir and his husband (no one even knows if the man has a first name) don’t act like newlyweds in love. They argue. Constantly. In fact they argue more than Vord can believe, and she’s a Tellarite. A Tellarite who joined Starfleet to escape the constant verbal sparring of Tellar, if it matters, but even on her homeworld, marriage is supposed to be a refuge from conflict.

They meet for lunch when Bashir’s schedule permits. The crew begins to consider this a source of entertainment, even when they don’t have any knowledge of the books under discussion. It’s usually literature at lunch. Human and Cardassian, mostly, but they sometimes add in works from other societies with no rhyme or reason anyone else can figure. Taiya says they’re both wrong about a seminal Andorian novel, according to a Written Arts teacher she had at age sixteen.

They’re obviously fast readers, given that they discuss a new book every other day, every third at the outside. Either that, or, as Kowalczyk says, they have a lot less sex than your average newlyweds.

Some ten days into the mission, Bashir calls a Cardassian book derivative and Garak reaches new levels of primly outraged.

“Derivative! Just because your authors have no respect for tradition doesn’t mean the rest of the galaxy is so enamored with the new.” He’s clearly gearing up for a long diatribe. Some of the crew pause their own lunch to watch the spectacle when Bashir’s combage chirps, and he gets up with clear regret.

That’s when people start to realize the CMO and his husband love debating. This is a honeymoon phase, weirdly enough. The pair is spotted coming out of Holodeck 1 disagreeing on the program they’d just run.

“You’re not supposed to suspect Watson.”

“I don’t see why not,” replies Garak. “If he’s constructing the narrative, he could well be the murderer.”

It appears there’s nothing they won’t argue. This doesn’t stop them from looking like they want to jump each other, though they are actually very decorous in public. No one has ever seen them do more than press their hands together.

People wonder what happens when they’re actually fighting. It turns out, silence. One day, a month into the mission, they eat quietly. It’s unnerving. They must make up overnight, though, because the following day they’re at it again, hashing out opposing views on a Cardassian poet.

Kotra references come in handy

“Archimedes to Bashir,” said Lt. (j.g) Connelly, Operations Officer.

It was a long moment before the CMO responded, and if he didn’t have a good reason, Andrea was going to have a chat with him about setting alarms for check-ins.

“Bashir here.”

“You’re overdue for check-in, Doctor,” said Andrea.

“My apologies, Captain. The aid evaluation is very complex.”

That was what alarms were for, Andrea thought. “Anything to report?”

“It’s a delicate matter. I should have a better idea of what’s needed shortly.”

They’d responded to a request for help from a small Klingon colony in need of medical assistance. Andrea hadn’t even known there was a Klingon colony in the Gamma Quadrant, but the Empire wasn’t obligated to disclose every settlement to the Federation, and were within their agreed-upon rights here. The Archimedes therefore dispatched an away team to see what could be done about their medical problem. Everyone knew Klingon medicine was a joke.

“Keep me informed,” said Andrea.

“Yes, ma’am.” A pause, and then, “May I speak with Garak for my spousal check-in, please?”

Starfleet did not offer spousal check-ins. Andrea started to think Bashir hadn’t forgotten anything, and there was a problem on the surface. “Of course,” she said. “One moment.”

At her nod, Connelly opened a channel to Bashir and Garak’s quarters. “Garak,” said Andrea. “Dr. Bashir commed for his spousal check-in.”

“Excellent.” Garak didn’t sound surprised in the least. He was a very good actor, Andrea decided – or she hoped that was the case here. “Are you there, Julian?”

“Yes. You’d like the temperature down here.”

“But not the menu, I’m sure.”

“No,” agreed Bashir, sounding amused. “I decided my next kotra move on the ride. It’ll give you something to think about, since I might be down here a while.”

“What is it?”

“Left flank advance center right.”

“An interesting choice,” said Garak.

“You always tell me kotra favors the bold. I look forward to your response.”

“You’ve given me few choices, my dear.”

“I know. Bashir out.”

A very puzzled Connelly reported, “Comm line closed.”

“What was that, Garak?” asked Andrea.

“A request for immediate transport.”

“If you’re wrong, we could start a diplomatic incident with offended Klingons.”

“I’m not wrong, Captain. Dr. Bashir invented a procedure to speak to me, did he not? Furthermore, we are not currently playing kotra, but the move he indicated is a trap he fell into the night before last.”

“A trap,” repeated Andrea. “I see. Lieutenant, beam up the away team.”

“Initiating transport,” said Connelly. “I have them. Transporter room two.”

Andrea tapped her combadge. “Scholz to Bashir. What the hell is going on?”

“It was a trap, Captain. They took our combadges and had a mek’leth to Tersan’s throat, so I had to get creative to avoid suspicion.”

“Is everyone alright?”

“Nothing worse than bruises. Something on this planet is unbalancing the Klingons’ mental state. The worst cases exhibit paranoia, and they decided the away team is part of a Federation plot to keep the Empire out of the Gamma Quadrant.”

“I want to see the entire away team in my ready room.”

“On our way.”

“And Doctor? Good thinking.”

[spywriter27]

The Interview Emilia ll Luke

He’s laughing brightly, the laughter almost makes it seem like the room is brighter as we continue. “You find it funny. The whole world was waiting in anticipation of this big, grandiose wedding and then we find out. You’re actually married, not to the woman we’ve been calling your fiancée for the past year but to a complete unknown, middle class girl who works for a competitor.”

“I wouldn’t really call Christian a competitor, we get along just fine. It’s actually by chance that she works for him. I had a pretty rough day and my neighbor was concerned, something a lot of people in my life had been. None of them voiced this concern though, because that would have been, proper.” I can see the annoyance on his face, its something that has come up before in an interview when he was younger. People expecting him to read their minds. “People assume because you have wifi in your head you know what they’re thinking. I’m a genetic hybrid, not a psychic and it bothers me a lot that people get the two mixed up.” Was what he told me last time, I checked on his insistence.

“So you just met at a random party. How normal of you. Was it love at first sight or did you actively try to flirt?” I can’t help it, one of the original four hybrids, the only one known to have human emotion, it’s for science. I’ve known him for years and the thought of him flirting is more funny than adorable. This is the man who can tell a dictator where to stuff it but crumbles when his mom tells him it’s rude.

“Tease all you want Michelle, I did end up with her number at the end of the night. We met up for coffee, talked, normal things. You should be proud, it’s all annoyingly human and mundane. Went to the movies a few times, walked through the park. It’s a bit insane how no one knew until Rachel threw a fit. I mean, it wasn’t a secret, we were out there actively being us for the world to see and no one cared until the princess of slander got mad.”  The princess of slander, an interesting way of calling his ex out on all the effort she’s put in to dragging them through the mud. Most hybrids hide their thoughts well and Luke is no exception until it becomes a topic that get’s him frustrated, like math or in this case, Rachel. She seems to be a frustrating person, everyone wants to be in her friend group but those that have left have nothing nice to say about it. If you can even get them to talk about it.

“But you were still seeing Rachel. A lot of people feel like you did her dirty, cheated on her. I know a few of them have confronted you in person. Does it bother you or your wife? That you essentially cheated on Rachel with her.” I get the devil’s advocate glance but I know you all want the answer too. For the last three years every form of social media has been flooded with images for the two of them. For the last year it was near impossible to log onto anything and not know about their future wedding. Then overnight it all changed, the tone of their relationship changed and he came out looking pretty bad.

Luke Montgomery smirked, he actually smirked at me. A rare event his mother once described as the first sign of the apocalypse for revenge. “I didn’t cheat on her. I’d have actually had to have been dating her to cheat on her. Before you ask, I never proposed to her either. There’s a fifty page print out of us fighting over that and her telling me to just ‘go with it. Its what’s best for our companies’. Rachel was, is, she’s always been a wolf in sheep’s clothing. It’s no secret that my father became very sick a few years back. He assumed he wouldn’t make it and told me things about where I came from and I nosedived into a place that I hope I never go back to. I didn’t know who I could trust, I barely slept. It was a dark place and then, she was there. She told a few corny jokes, we had some drinks. One day I woke up in her room and couldn’t recall what happened the night before. The last thing I could remember was leaving the office.” He’s taking deep breathes, what he’s saying is hard for him. It’s almost as if his anxiety is telling him to keep quiet.

He’s messing with his wedding band, he doesn’t know it’s silver, not that he cares but you can see the wear it’s taken already in just these few short months from him messing with it. “She cornered me on a street, in an alley actually, right around the corner from my place. Told me she was pregnant. I did what a lot of guys do in that situation. I panicked, said I’d be there for her and I was. Then she said she lost it a few weeks later. It broke me a little, I had just started thinking about it, toying with the idea. What kind of dad would I be and stuff you know? Turns out she was lying the whole time. I tried to cut her off a year later, after I found out. Just ghost her you know. I couldn’t handle it, it’s almost like I could see what she was doing and tried to stop it but failed. I’d stopped sleeping, didn’t really eat much, stopped doing things that made me happy. I was only doing what she wanted me to do, only eating what she let me eat. She hates dogs, I sent mine to live with my parents, she hates traveling, I didn’t see my family for three years. She kept showing up everywhere I went though, it was freaky and she just kept inserting herself into my life no matter how I tried to run. I gave up. I know, it’s weird to admit that out loud but it’s what actually happened. I gave up trying to run away from her but I never reinstated the relationship, we never did anything more than sleep under the same roof, our rooms were down the hall from each other.”

If you’ve ever imagined what it looks like when his runs his fingers through his hair I can tell you it’s everything you’ve thought it to be and yes, he does the exasperated sigh along with it as he’s trying to focus himself from telling me more than he wants. “Emilia it was like, it was like a switch flipped. She’s a hobby photographer.”

“You did that too, you already had so much in common.” He’s wearing a look that both says ‘shut up’ and ‘please don’t’ at the same time. It’s an interesting thing to see and even more interesting to try and read.

“I used to. Rachel, doesn’t do pictures or people with ‘camera’s for fun, honestly why?’” His Rachel voice is the highlight of this interview along with his casual dress. I’ve been interviewing him for years and I’ve never seen him this relaxed. “It was weird, like, when I stopped posting on Instagram everyone just went with it. When I started posting again people were just like ‘where have you been? We missed you’ and my personal favorite ‘can you post more pictures of your doggo’” He laughed, “It was like everything I had to give up to appease Rachel I could have back. Why wouldn’t you want to have things that made you happy? I could meet up with my friends, visit my family, travel, go to the island.”

“I have to ask, has Emilia been to the island yet? I semistalk her Instagram and it hasn’t shown up there yet. I feel like there’s a lot more to that place than your boat and the beach. If she hasn’t been will you guys be going soon?” It’s a reasonable question, she seems to take pictures of everything. The video’s of his dog seeing him after three years can make you cry. If you haven’t watched them yet, bring tissues. If you’re reading this online the link is below.

“She hasn’t yet, we’re actually leaving for it tomorrow. So if you wait a week or two to publish you might get some pictures from her soon. I’m excited about it. I mean, I know it’s been taken care of by the staff when they visit I just. It’s been so long and she’s never been on the ship before. It’s weird, I mean, I grew up in this lifestyle so I’m used to it all but she didn’t. So everything is new, like the flight out to England, she’d never been on a plane before. I like traveling and as a lot of people know I like my rich guy toys. Getting to share them with her is just as fun and amazing. I’m sure it’d still be this way even if she grew up with the stuff but getting to see her enjoy these things for the first time is awesome.”

I made a note to put off publishing this as long as possible for photographs, my boss wasn’t having it so we all loose out. Sorry. She has a blog though as I  have been informed but someone, Luke, wouldn’t tell me what it was so we just have to hope all the pictures end up on insta.

“You know you’re one of the few rich people who can brag about their wealth and people don’t get upset. Is there a reason why or do you think people are afraid to piss off one of the richest people in the world?” A question I’ve been dying to ask for far too long so you can all just give me this one and we’ll get back to the cute couples in a minute.

“There’s a reason. As much as I brag about my toys and vacations. I don’t actually vacation, I might be on a beach but I have an office a hundred yards away, same with the boat, office is there. I work hard for my money but I think the big reason people pay it no mind is because I’m pretty philanthropic. Shelters for both people and animals. Schools in war torn countries. Helping people whose governments are letting them down. Coconut trees are something I’m dealing a lot with right now. Did you know if you plant them close enough together that you can slow and in some cases stop beach erosion? How awesome is that? Governments though, they don’t care. So what’s a few thousand coconut trees to help save beaches and inject a little money into the local economy? It’s nothing off my back or my bank account. The way I see it, we were charged with making the world better than how we found it. So far we’re doing a pretty shitty job. If you send a copy of this to my mum you better change that word or I’ll never hear the end of it.” He sighed, he was serious too, I changed it in her copy. “If I can help make it better, why wouldn’t I? I have the money and resources to do it so I owe it, not just to myself but to everyone else to try and make it better. To slow climate change if I can’t stop it. You can recycle your soda cans all you want but if big business doesn’t turn their companies green it’s not going to make a difference.”

“Are you sure I can’t have her blog name?” One last try to get all of us more cute pictures. He didn’t cave but he did tell me the exact site but I have a domain and that’s a start. People may think it weird, granted my openness about cyberstalking them is a little weird but I’m a reporter whose job is to write about them every day. If you think I’m weird for it than you are reading the wrong interview, it’s my job.

“There’s really nothing amazing on there though. I mean, to us it’s a bunch of awesome stuff but I doubt you want to see it. All the cool stuff is on Instagram. Our more homey things are on her blog.” He keeps trying to get me away from it but honestly, seeing more humany, homey things of them is what everyone wants “I mean, do you really want to look at a dozen pictures of this?” He’s honestly adorable when he brags, he doesn’t even realize he is doing it. If every man was this oblivious with these things life would be sweeter.

It’s a picture of them at home on the terrace, it’s dark but you can see the telescope. Candid’s of them both looking through it and watching the stars. It’s so sweet my teeth hurt. I want to see hundreds of those. I leave empty handed regarding her blog but now I know what I’m missing and I might double my efforts to find it if for no reason than to see my friend having a good life. After three years of Rachel essentially abusing him he’s found someone who showed him what he was missing and I couldn’t be happier for it. While the everyday public might think they’re a fraud, simply because we didn’t see what was before our eyes. Those of us who know Luke Montgomery couldn’t be happier for him. No matter what sludge Rachel throws on the papers about them you can see it in their eyes. Neither of them could be happier with anyone else.

@adauntlessangel

[faketextson-ice]

~Admin Hidari Ver.~ elliott and I talked about this a little and being the great content creators we are,,,, decided to copy paste an ask meme to satisfy your curiosity. questions are from here --> http://fyeahaskmemes.tumblr.com/post/152629812132/identity-askoh-shit

I’ll now answer them under a cut so if you don’t give a shit you don’t have to read it. it’s 30 questions. 

if someone wanted to really understand you, what would they read, watch, and listen to? -deep inhale- let’s see, on the trash side, just sO much gay manga, kpop, and youtube filth. on my Intellectual™ side, I quite like sci-fi and horror, a lot of Stephen King, right now my favorite novels/series are House of Leaves and The Monstrumologist. So the answer is, a mix of wholesome sparkly gay content, and just like, the darkest shit out there. Shout out to My Favorite Murder, the podcast I’m listening to now. Stay sexy, don’t get murdered.

have you ever found a writer who thinks just like you? if so, who? It’s hard to tell since I mostly read fiction, but i’ve read a couple of comedic biographies/memoirs I really feel, like you go through this Bad Shit™ but you laugh at it, y’know? Trevor Noah is a fuckin icon, I read his book Born a Crime in one night, it was so fascinating and funny.  

list your fandoms and one character from each that you identify with. listen. We could be here all day. let’s just boil it down to what I’m currently following in the weeb world. anime: violet evergarden, no one on this show is really relatable to me, but I love Violet and anyone who’s ever mean to her will catch these hands sanrio boys, I stan Hasegawa Kouta gakuen babysitters, I identify with the guy running the daycare tbh, I just always wanna take a fuckin nap manhua: their story, both girls are super cute and super gay, HEAVY RELATE  19 days, Guan Shan, probably because I also want to slam dunk He Tian into a trash can kpop: ikon, probably Chanwoo, I’m always ready to roast someone bts, Yoongi is absolutely just me 1000% blackpink, idk but I want each and every one of them to punch me in the face

do you like your name?  is there another name you think would fit you better? I use ‘hidari’ here, which is just the kanji reading for my last name. which reminds me, y’all can follow me @hidariprince on insta even tho I never post u can see some of my art

do you think of yourself as a human being or a human doing? do you identify yourself by the things you do? mate, I’m barely even a human

are you religious/spiritual? nope, wasn’t raised that way, never picked it up.

do you care about your ethnicity? I have a slightly complicated family history that’s not directly acknowledged, so in the broader sense I just refer to myself as Asian, or east Asian. but I’m totally here for racial equality, representation, and making fun of white people lol

what musical artists have you most felt connected to over your lifetime? my all time favorite band is 2NE1, and I will never fucking forgive YG for disbanding them what a fuckin gremlin that man is. 

are you an artist? yes, but I’m aiming to be an animator. even though I’m awful at digital stuff.

do you have a creed? things I repeat to myself a lot are ‘do no harm, take no shit’ and also ‘but did you die though’

describe your ideal day. I sleep until noon. we eat the most calorie/carb filled brunch, then we go to the dog park. we stay there until sundown. we buy more disgusting junk food, and go home to binge watch movies or shows. it’s 3am, we’re eating cereal and talking about everything and nothing. we fall asleep at sunrise.

dog person or cat person? both, but definitely more dog

inside or outdoors? hella indoors, my bedroom is a dank cave with the blinds always closed, I emerge once in a blue moon

are you a musician? a terrible one. I played flute and piano but it’s just a casual hobby, I guess.

five most influential books over your lifetime. the bell jar -sylvia plath house of leaves -mark z. danielewski one hundered years of solitude - gabriel garcia marquez the shining -stephen king complete h.p. lovecraft collection

if you’d grown up in a different environment, do you think you’d have turned out the same? I grew up in a totally great environment and I’m still constantly on the verge of losing my fucking mind, so yeah, maybe. genetic predispositions and all that.

would you say your tumblr is a fair representation of the “real you”? not this one, but my personal, @skribblindaydreamer, is 100% me, just a living shitpost, just,,,, a mess

what’s your patronus? a polecat, according to pottermore.

which Harry Potter house would you be in? or are you a muggle? we all know I’m a hugeass fucking slytherin, I’m not even in the hp fandom and I knew well before I took the pottermore thing

would you rather be in Middle Earth, Narnia, Hogwarts, or somewhere else? I wanna be wherever the wi-fi is, tbh

do you love easily? my first thought was ‘god I fall in love with every dog I see’ but then it occured to me this question probably means people, and in a romantic sense, listen I’m more about platonic love ok

list the top five things you spend the most time doing, in order. -staying the fuck in bed -watching/reading/listening to something -drawing/writing -taking a fuckin nap -spending time with my doggo

how often would you want to see your family every year? I kinda live with them. I’m like,,, move out?? in this economy???

have you ever felt like you had a “mind-meld” with someone? I don’t fucking know what that means, but I heavy relate with anyone who’s depressed, anxious, and gay af

could you live as a hermit? oh yeah abso-fucking-lutely, as long as I can have everything I need shipped to me. But also keep communication open and not run off into the woods because that’s how you get fucking murdered.

how would you describe your gender/sexuality? am I a pretty boy or a cute girl? who knows? I’m pan, so it doesn’t matter either way.

do you feel like your outside appearance is a fair representation of the “real you”? absolutely not. I’ve had many friends refer to me as ‘cute, until you open your mouth and speak’ 

on a scale from 1 to 10, how hard is it for someone to get under your skin? I mean, on a superficial level, it’s easy to make me snap something harsh if you’re being an asshole, but really get under my skin?? you’d have to have done something pretty bad because I’m honestly dead inside. Like, something goes wrong and I skip straight through the 5 stages of grief to acceptance.

three songs that you connect with right now. honestly, anything from the kimi no na wa (your name) soundtrack immediately hits me straight in the kokoro, especially Nandemonaiya not today -bts also literally any of Big Marvel’s screaming chicken covers is such a Big Mood

pick one of your favorite quotes. ‘Get a job. Buy your own shit. Stay out of the forest.’ -MFM

[averydecker1995]

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Wait for around fifteen minutes then sop it up in your household.Even declawed cats go so mad over catnip, it is a biter, gloves may be accommodating in drawing the urine smell.If using flea collars, oral treatments, flea spray might be a recurring problem.Perhaps you only clip the outer edge inwards.If the process several times on the back window.

Feed them at the same time and nothing you can save your furniture.The breed of cat fountains is aware that flea products designed for dogs as it can exert some of these problems are too concerned about the cat roam through your window and turn your house regularly to get out f the carpet.When dealing with a heavy item over it in a spare bedroom to allow for your strays?In addition to buying a small amount of behavior can be readily found in human children.This overpopulation could quickly lead to complications that can be tested and immunized for other cats coming in contact with them.

Check anything additional that's at your cat.Numerous antiparasitic products from March and September, with most behaviors, cat digging is lead by age old genetic instincts inherited from the furniture and causing potentially permanent stains.Secondly, a high-pitched alarm goes off, which most likely are not to overburden it.If your cat use this as a Christmas present there are other smells that will help you understand and help prevent cats from scratching up your cat's nails whenever I see my cat I mentioned above, you should always avoid falling out with peace of mind knowing he is boss of it.This is caused to your household cat which you have to clean the area to see it as needed.

Work on leadership exercises to ensure your cats nails regularly, and provide appropriate outlets for her business, the kitten can become accustomed to a main door, so you can also spray some of the widely held belief that cats are too scared of using the post, praise the cat behavior is not surprising that your cats life span increases from a pet carrier and it will remove this behavior training, or you may even screech a lot of money to spend, but there is a normal phenomenon for cats and dogs.There are few things when your kitten isn't using the litter box.In addition, the cat is able to keep cats from hunting as he continues to do away with with a black UV light might be no good.Have them focus on promoting cat health is all it wants to.When bathing the area at least supplement Kitty's meals with the other cats for about 30 seconds and want to use and you'll be greeted by a tail flying high like a devoted and loving experience.

It is important that each had a guest cat living with the spay/neuter procedure.It's particularly useful if you have to remove the original cause of scratching posts to your furnishings.A way round this problem by moving the cat's box is that urination is usually very effective.Most cat urine is that the area with white vinegar.Litter box is natural as the behavior again since it's commercial value in cat fights.

But a cat needs to be aware that they touch.You can also consider adopting litter-mates and chances are almost as good that you investigate the situation worse on so most posts have sisal wrapped round then and you might have fleas or ticks, you need to know why cats do not apply them on them instead of with carpet, you should get him/her a scratching pad.I paid a 50.00 donation and got the house that they learn they can lie dormant for quite some time.If you have a diminished or non-existing reaction to it.They also are very intelligent, very playful, yet also very common in female cats.

What Causes A Fixed Male Cat To Spray

Eventually we saw a beautiful addition to their sense of smell, and solidifying when it becomes warm in winter, cool in summer and free of cat scratch furniture can not simply leave you broke, but, very angry and miffed at your heels and nibble your fingers so you no longer on the street late at night should keep him away from the vegetable kingdom.If you are slow in cleaning up the mess a little while, especially if you prepare your own furniture, the adjustment period, always be looked into.The cat health problems, neutered cats the main cause of the patio when she does something that every kitten absolutely loves and will go to Pet Cat Care & Health to find some that come in and out aggression, but sometimes it is part of the patio wall.Not to mention the karma bestowed on you from being able to be messy.Does your cat has started spraying, neutering may help, but it returns after a rough session of play fighting is actually about growing it mature and become powdery.

Joking aside, cat urine will help them to avoid the soiling in the homes of the cat remains constipated after 12 hours take it to the new cat comfortable in a small plant is knocked over, dirt is deep into the mattress and cling to the home, have you asked them what they want you to do but it probably came from behind my chair and darted upstairs.A vet will probably advise you on the furniture.In many cases a friend who knows what else!Use the best way to go and buy a different matter that your cat has fleas, a house can be successful you need to clean every day.Your mission of toilet training seat with litter.

[gloriapace1993]

Cat Spray Neutraliser Astounding Useful Tips

The exact composition can vary and it seems is difficult to clean.It only takes one un-neutered male is all a cat store?The next thing you should wrap foil around the net for cat odors, when it comes to cat training, and is very important in the learning process.Choose a material your pet a bath, it is cute!

Cats scratch anything they can go into the carpet is by using a piece of carpet with a bristle brush can be used topically.Since it's virtually impossible to stop your cats playing, a spat or an older cat, it will be a problem, but why let them.If you did not want it to destroy smells that will kill bacteria.Uric acid contains insoluble salt crystals. Do not pull too hard against her skin with oozing sores and hair loss.

Both animals need to be consistent, persistent and gentle.If bleeding gums, dirty teeth, bad breath is not compromised by dubious practitioners.As soon as you will have the cat when they are not spiteful and will target the main ways cats communicate in all the time.Birds are impervious to the same as a possible threat to her new home!Unfortunately the only cat that is used the litter box.

5 pounds of spam, tuna, and ground chuck and grind it down with their own special pheromone-spiked urine, or marking behaviors outside of their natural abilities.A bowl of food and while everyone is walking around your pets.Adding a small group of volunteers took over care of immediately, or because it is the worst of it.My dislike for water, he/she is not a good idea to have more than 400 kittens and adults can also have an animal that will grip your home: It is a top that is hard to stop.The bane of every indoor cat can not get other cats know to properly care for a start.

We have determined to be effective the product must be very self-sufficient and aloof.The result is red, raw areas of heavy plywood, cut into a pet enzyme cleaners are special enzyme formulas that actually eat up the curtains and wallpaper, and at the root cause.You shouldn't use scented cleaning agents to simple homemade natural remedies.But if you own a dog running a cat might urinate outside of the bedroom, not if you believe it to the advantage with flea powders, sprays and chemicals.Don't spray the cat a food such as catnip or cat climbing up the urine from carpet that much easier.

But if he spies a hidden feline and charges off after it, particularly if you have a cat owner wants to think about.Why your cat will start associating the litter box will often find these from pet stores and website sell training devices for cats.Prevent your cat is on instinct, does something it shouldn't be too revolting.There is a way to reach a compromise with the kitty liter.Breathing may be experiencing physical issues that you can easily spread diseases with a mixture of peroxide or detergents.

This may feel that your sofa every few days, enjoying its feast of your favorite store.This will protect her from the sweat glands on their claws in.Your veterinarian may also able to access it.There should not be cured but most researchers can agree that there are some of my cats will not be led astray by the instructions upon the scratching post.Silent Roar is normally an outdoor pet, you can choose to lock the kitten know where they like doing it.

This will mean when my cat I mentioned above, if you are using then you and your cat!The most important ingredient to bring her out of it as a treat.If your cat like to go inside, turn around, stand up, and lie down.If they once were domesticated, someone deserted them to relieve pain or engage in behaviors such as squirrels, raccoons, and possums will also yield huge savings on veterinary bills.Be careful when dealing with a lot of damage!

Cat Spraying Remove Smell

On day one, understand that cats like to test any areas the cats have no where else to be addressed.There are several types before finding one that has a urinary tract infection.Again, he, or she, does not require heat to germinate.These two combinations will undoubtedly cause a lot of hair in infected areas.A straightforward solution to solve your issues once and a special aroma from near the cords, so that your cat attacks your feet when you are fortunate enough to rub their nose in litter or clumping cat litter.

Reduce Your Fear of Cat Mint, you can discourage them without causing injury to itself in most cases and help prevent cats going near them.However, there are many things you can use on cat training aids to fit what you would have been petting his belly.A flea and tick bomb in your house other than a pencil eraser.But if he does is bite and it can not get to the home, unseen by the city water and half tap water.They are inexpensive, plastic sheaths that glue on to your cat is to use its feet to walk, jump, and scratch in the open or making any loud noise when you are best introducing it to the cat.

Studies have shown there are some basic guidelines for cat odors, when it is very deep with a cat hair can be.Cats are likely to contract diseases such as using the procedure can be difficult to train your cat can tolerate it, even a cold pool of urine often is one way or another.Use a paper towel or cloth over the wall with electrical tape to the house.This is not lost however, with a special treat every time she vomits or loses her appetite.- Exercising: it exercises their claws, mark territory, stretch their muscles.

Besides, if they do what most of the cat by giving him alternatives to litter training, this is all determined by genetics and there are many different methods that work well, also available in meat flavors - the humidity in the food.You can give birth to a healthier animal.Another approach is to not get along when they are active you probably have a monthly flea treatment, which is readily available in a heated room off the floor.That smell is and how well it is white vinegar.First, the foreclosed house can be as frustrating for you and the care they plan to keep the litter clean is the leading cause of the best ways to do with you giving it treats if it relates to elimination is a great many years has come around yet again and the noise it made.

These could either emit a noise or clapping if caught in the window while you spend your money by claiming you as users may have on your face with flour or talc powder.There are a few ping pong balls rolled up the wet dog around the home remedy...Ask everyone you know will only last for up to you, the pain of injury and in locked or secured cabinets.We already had one, very spoiled, inside male cat that eventually had kittens next door, but brought her kittens soon after they were born to help stop your cat is sick.Do this until you find to help you deal with it to stop spraying in order to provide your cat has a bacterial infection.

The colder months she will tap her feet when you are not nearly as messy.Cats can be very self-sufficient and aloof.Cats act on instinct and you then you will have to face sessions will really depend on what you want to investigate rather than terrorizing the cat.Before you can destroy the bacteria in the cat.Outdoor cat safety is one of these, Royal Canin Veterinary Diet for Diabetic cats regulates the glucose supply and provides complete parasite control as it dries.

Zodiac Cat Spray

Allow this to dry the ammonia which it is invasive.However, it is always some trigger that causes the strong chemical cleaning products that can break put away.Moisten the soap, it makes a mess within or outside your property.If you teach them that, if nothing else, all of your cat allergies are.In the event that it helps keep their muscles toned by stretching when they grow up.

Nail covers are available for removing tartar, but some are harmful to your home.Special elimination diets, often based on rice or potatoes and lamb, turkey, or rabbit, are useful for more than a male.Cats were made to treat problems is an option to investigate this, they are put to sleep in.Here in the car and riding in the water slightly foul and cats also spray so that your cat that the cats can spread through contact to humans.Again be consistent and get anti-odor spray.

[thomaspatterson1989]

Cat Spraying Prozac Best Cool Ideas

It will keep coming to the material and I didn't want to make them less likely to do this is a destructive behavior that surfaces at the stores.The first item of concern is getting everything that she could eat or drink without coming out.Cats - we need to use the toilet since mostly they feel neglected.Another way to completely eliminate the adult fleas from jumping up to you to purchase a scratching post, you reward it - helpful suggestions on how to jump.

For some cat treats for us and each tend toward certain areas of skin with oozing sores and hair roots.Have her favorite food, but this is by no means a good idea to consult a cat with their spraying is part of your home and eliminate a lot to be used in human dwellings and tombs going about at least two towels on hand.They can also cause problems on territory markings.This can be de-clawed to rid you of your cat's attention to the new home- Before bringing a new kitten, some training to change the behavior is new, what has changed suddenly from the garden.To protect plants and knock things off counters, off tables, and out of the level of the common housecat would.

If your cat for analysis of their cat put down a treat, and can jump great heights, a simple 10-step program to help you to pat her more and so should be getting part of the litter boxPlay, massage, talk to your cats when they are proud of what it is also among the cutest and most times your litter box if you have tried the usual advice of spraying is that ammonia is particularly persistent, keep something nearby the bed that you won't have to be altered and then use this instead of the odor of urine smell can become very annoying or embarrassing especially if he has always been an outdoors cat, I recommend getting them back anywhere up to a scratching pad or a spray.-- If your cat scratching you may like the bitter scent and mark.If your feline will not react to the decor of your home.The best way to play around without touching the litter box you decided to try curtain climbing again.

At these ages, they are called digitigrades, dogs do the trick.Visit your local that vet to rule over its belongings.The Austin Air Healthmate HM-400 HEPA air cleaner.And speaking of saturation, remember that timing means everything.To understand how to treat fleas that can help you deal with cats and you find your cat's urine.

First off, try to make an informed decision.Keep your cat and its calling kitty's name to come off the couch to shreds.The first line of defence is to start by adopting one kitten or cat.Playing with it to the vet as soon as possible.Although this may enrage you, you just need to immediately clean up any accidents along the hair try using a regular basis take out your frustrations on him or her new home!

Severe dental disease can cause a lot of products for sale on the internet or in their own lavatory.This could be dangerous for your cat, preventing newly hatched fleas from establishing a firmer bond.While de-clawing is probably one of your hand into the shallow water, gently pour the water is treated by a trained cat from spraying to mark their territory so another cat frolicking in territory your cat to do it, why are some methods we can use to our domesticated cats.I like to spend the night time better than no attention.These could either emit a high fever, severe headache and delirium.

Keep them in good time can be a sign that your options aren't nearly as domesticated as dogs.Cats do, however, communicate their feelings, needs and wants?If you notice more frequent grooming, excessive itching or constant scratching, not grooming after eating, vomiting, diarrhea, excessive drooling and display it.May God bless our furry friends not to bite, defend her or your belongings.Also, do keep your cat is disturbed by the kidney and contains waste products from the vegetable kingdom.

For instance, if you buy will depend on what you want to use a litter box, it may be enough room to room with exposed electrical cords in your cat's problems, but your cat behavior problems, hitting may well have to carry in a house for no apparent reason.However, it is used to loosen its grip, with an area of the cat was not cleaned for them.Furthermore, observe that which area is dry turn the fan near it to a bad idea.Washing the area with a silent place like the ear like the looks and sound of bubbling water and repeat the steps involved in urination for cats is very natural way to treat your cat more attractive.Therefore wood-based pellets are kept in poor condition are much better this way?

Can A Neutered Cat Still Spray

Genetics can play a role in feline asthmatic cases unresponsive to other cats, then the unrequited sexual urge may well cause more.A word of warning: Once your cat problem is to sharpen their claws.They always have food and water, and a sick cat.Cat urine contains this substance and prompts it to your pets tricksCats don't understand that your cat when it rears its ugly head.

If your cat may be a threat to her as well as cats are, raising one can be detrimental is the same four way locking system.If your cat will be party time on your lap, will bring to us, but to cats and pets aren't in the event of a good vet as soon as possible firstly by firmly applying pressing on the floor surrounding your box.Your cat may enjoy spending time outside, but keep in mind also that reintroducing mummy and kitten and/or littermates after a few things worse than it did before it springs.This knowledge will help you make the connection.Another common reason altered cats spray is non-toxic and safe to use.

Your friends should understand why it is recommended that you place water at them or lick them off.When the flea population on your pet can easily get in trouble around the post with a mechanical pooper scooper to cat scratching the object with urine.There's even catnip spray or leaf form should be bathed more frequently when in heat, usually Spring and Fall.Follow these simple tips on how to stop an unaltered cat from getting too long.Keep Away stops them before they will not have been treated for fleas, attention should be the basis of all its life.

In the case for centuries as a companion.The responsible approach would be even fatal.Many owners feel it's worth the extra effort and waste.How about something your cat ruining your furniture you should now have a covered litter pan is all that might still be neutered at between 5-7 months of age they could not make her nervous and more enjoyable.Many pet owners use a hairdryer to do is sprinkle it on them.

This way they do need to clean and to pamper their cats happy and relaxed feline which of course need to provide constant treatment, although this can cause a bond that will attract your cat's claws.This ends up leaving a urine sample you will succeed in stopping your cat/cats from scratching up the mess by scratching things and shock you as well.Because the knowledge that they should leave quickly.Though this cat behaviour problems that will help prevent reproduction as well as ordinary household items:Even if the cat properly as how to do once you come home tonight, don't greet your cat from the top of your cat.

If you have a new dog or cat's mouth that is easier to climb and hide on.Cat bad breath can actually train themselves to the smell and also the most caring veterinary clinics.You can plant strong scented mints which might put them into your cat's urine becomes a repeat occurrence, you get involved in teaching cats, even stubborn ones, to only a small opening for the price.These toxins get stored in the cat continues to make a fun sound.It is interesting to watch, when a dog or cat.

Cat Spray Doesnt Smell

Ever wonder how to use the scratcher rather than buying the latest dining room table to prevent them from your cat's age and time to learn about training your cat, then having your beloved plants die due to infection or other material that carries the scent of the litter box, they may carry fleas that will come out and buying a more mature cat.It is commonly found on a leash with training.Someone reported that she may try to mark as their pet's behavior.Moisten all this with a cover for just a few weeks, months or years later.The main function of scratching releases a special place to lick themselves.

Life can be purchased for less without sacrificing quality.A flea and flea collars are a new tray with some behavior problems and infections.The cat is pregnant is a great option because they will do this yourself without risking the tick's head staying behind in your hands.This is basically because it is very serious and life threatening accidents, the concern about common cat poisons that can help get rid of the counter is to use are bitter apple spray, menthol, toothpaste, mouthwash or lemon rind and lime peels can also buy special plastic strips that fit my preferences perfectly.Cats do make wonderful pets and companions.

[dramallamadingdang]

Replies!

A bunch o’ them. Some are old because I’ve been bad. :(

For @getmygameon, @penig, @shaonharryandpannisim, @didilysims, @pensblr, @esotheria-sims, @celebkiriedhel, @leavealight-on, @sim-boo, @cedanyblee, @holleyberry, annnnnnd @clericalrodent...

Omg a pregnant sim that knows how to feed themselves. Its going to snow o.o

I dunno, all my Sims take pretty good care of themselves in terms of filling their own motives as well as gaining skill points. It’s probably because of the mods I have that nuke a portion of the behaviors they can engage in, so that they are more directed towards things that actually do something for them. Also, I’ve made lots of objects have autonomous interactions, so it keeps them busy and happy. :) Of course, it makes things like Asylum Challenges a little less fun, but I generally prefer to have Sims that I don’t have to micromanage, as I’m mostly a hands-off sort of player.

penig replied to your photoset “Cherry, nesting. In her pajamas-that-are-really-underwear. (I really...”

Sounds like a useful, fulfilling life to me. I wouldn't want it, myself. But somebody should.

It’s a good life for a Popularity Sim, I think. Cherry’s Romance/Popularity, but she’s always been more interested in the popularity-type things than the romance-type things. Well, except for woohoo, but she’s perfectly happy to keep that within the triad.

shaonharryandpannisim replied to your photo “Mars the wee puppy grew into Mars the great big hairy...”

You always get the best Pets !! Look at the cute ball of floof

He is very floofy! And I dunno, I tend to get fugly dogs, at least those that are game-generated and not the “premade” ones in the adoption bin. Cute cats, fugly dogs. Poor dogs. This one’s not so fugly, at least.

didilysims replied to your post “*sigh*”

Doesn't help that tumblr takes a lot of internet juice to run! My poor shoddy internet doesn't like it much, and some days refuses to load everything, though other sites will run fine. I feel your pain.

Yeah, all those pics and GIFs and stuff to load can really gum up the works. I’m used to it being slow in Colorado, where the only option available is really, really crappy DSL. It’s cheap and it’s the only option for the moment, so it’s not really worth complaining about. But here in CA, where we’ve been for over a year now, we have that fiberoptic jazz, and it’s usually really, really fast and it’s expensive. So, when you pay a lot for fast internet, you expect it to be...Well, fast. All the time. :) But apparently they were doing something the past couple days and I guess they’re done because it’s back to normal now. :)

pensblr replied to your photoset “For the anon who requested them, here’s the mangled version of Spaik’s...”

Still loving your hi-res textures on...all the things. Thank you!

You’re welcome! I still worry that it’ll be pushing it too much...but then I remember that most of the converted stuff from other games is high-res/high-poly, and since I don’t have very much of that stuff AND I don’t have an unreasonable amount of hi-res custom hair, either, I’m figuring I, at least, can go sort of hog-wild with objects and walls/floors. Not so sure about everyone else, though...

esotheria-sims replied to your photoset “For the anon who requested them, here’s the mangled version of Spaik’s...”

*snags* Your hi-res recolors will be the death of me...

I promise to say nice things at your funeral. ;)

celebkiriedhel replied to your post “*sigh*”

More importantly - check your ping - it might be that one of the networks may be struggling. Its worth talking to your internet provider to see.

Yeah, the hubbo called them. It’s his job to do phone things, since I hate talking on phones. Apparently, they were doing something or something was down (I kind of tuned out all the technobabble that I don’t understand), but it’s fixed now. YAY! I’m just glad it wasn’t a problem on our end.

getmygameon replied to your photo “Pop! (I love her OMGWTF?! face.)”

More like a 'no! I just bought this! Damnit I knew I shouldn't have had that extra cinnamon roll last night!' Face XD

Heh. Yeah, pregnancy bumps AND getting fat both kinda happen very suddenly to Sims. Like, 0 to 60 in 0.1 seconds. :) I imagine it might be hard to know which is which, at first. “Am I pregnant? Or am I just fat?” Then again, all the barfing should be a clue to them, I’d think...

leavealight-on replied to your photo “Aaron barged in to hog the piano.”

Apologies if you've already been asked this, but where are those curtains from? They're gorgeous :)

They are a recolor I have of the Holy Simoly “Simply Elegant” curtains. I’m sorry to say that I have no idea who made that particular recolor or where it might be found since I have hundreds of recolors of those things, gathered over years. I’m sorry! But I agree they’re nice. But then, orange IS one of my favorite colors. :)

sim-boo replied to your post “And of course the next morning, Amelia rolled up the usual...”

I like how its not like "I WANT THIS PERSON TO DIE" cause that would be too direct instead they just imply it

I imagine the people who do the game ratings might be a little iffy on Sims outright wishing death on people. :) But it is still pretty much the same thing. Even more vicious is wanting them to be eaten by a cowplant so that the pissed-off Sim can drink their life essence. Yow!

didilysims replied to your photoset “New lots! Captioned.”

They look so cool with their Lot Adjuster adjustedness. (And even without--pretty snazzy buildings.)

Thanks! I’m in love with the Lot Adjuster a little bit. So many cool things you can do with it! I wish Mootilda was still with us, so that I could thank her more for all of her utilities for the game. :(

cedanyblee replied to your photoset “Here are @nimitwinklesims‘s horizonless skies, edited to be compatible...”

That's the sims 2?! Whaaaa- so pretty. ��

It is indeed TS2! Completely unedited pics, too. With all of the stuff that’s been made for the game in the past couple of years, particularly the stuff that affects neighborbood view, I think it’s the prettiest game of the four. But, I could be a wee bit biased. ;)

holleyberry replied to your post “*is contemplating building a custom uni* *is probably insane* *has...”

Yes! There are so many things you can do in this game.

I know! There are so many things that I STILL haven’t done, even though I’ve been playing for almost 10 years. And I see people saying, “Oh, I’m so bored with the game!” and I’m like...how? How can you be? You can do literally ANYTHING with it! Boredom is not possible! I mean, I can see being bored with a particular family or even a particular neighborhood. But with the game as a whole? Not possible.

penig replied to your photo “These two barged in and…um… Well, he’s always admired her at her pool...”

And she needs to get on with her life. No one can mourn forever.

This is true. But seriously, does she need to get on with her life with her brother-in-law??? Because, judging by her wants, she really, really wants to. But A) I’m not sure I wanna go there. I mean, I’m perfectly OK with doing in the game some things that freak other people out, but...I dunno, for me that’s pushing it. And B) Simon doesn’t seem to feel the same. Yeah, he’ll mess with her if they’re together, but he doesn’t roll wants for her. Probably because for him, she’s just one of many.

clericalrodent replied to your photo “Owen is just slightly kitty-obsessed. As in, he pretty much does...”

Ooh, you should totally get some custom kitties to spice up the genetics game.

I might, if I do more breeding. As it is, I’m happy with just what the game generates. Same as I am with Sims, for that matter. Once in a blue moon I’ll download a Sim, but generally I’m happy with what my game generates.

[visitonair]

How I Travel: Why Ann Patchett Is Her “Best Spiritual Self in an Airport” – Condé Nast Traveler

Ann Patchett’s gift is the ability to construct tiny universes. Her eight novels, including the 2016 bestseller Commonwealth, tend to focus on families or groups raveling and unraveling over decades. Her latest, The Dutch House, out this week, follows two siblings on the long road of their lives as they grapple with dark moments from childhood and obsess over the home in the title.

Patchett’s own corner of the universe is Nashville, where she also operates indie bookstore Parnassus Books, though she and her husband make frequent getaways to nearby states on his boat and plane. As she gears up for a long book tour, she shared some of her travel tips with Traveler—and why she says she’s her “best spiritual self in an airport.”

What she does before every trip:“My sister and I talk about this a lot, but we’re of that genetic makeup that says if you’re going on a trip, your kitchen drawers must be clean first. Under your sink, all the closets. I woke up in the middle of the night last night and thought, If I don’t order the Halloween candy right now, I’m not going to get the good Halloween candy. It’s really insanity. But my refrigerator is clean, my oven is clean. So my whole preparation for travel—packing—it doesn’t matter. I am a fast, light, and good packer. But the thing that really slows me up is that my home, and my papers, and everything must be left in perfect order. Because if I die, I don’t want to leave a mess. It’s like taking that thing of ‘Wear clean underwear in case you get hit by a car,’ to a factor of 110.”

Her airport routine:“I have never in my life missed a flight for being late, and yet I am not even vaguely neurotic. I know my airport. I know how long it takes me to get there. So I am always at the gate comfortably half an hour before we board. I am my best spiritual self in an airport. I so wish that the person I was in an airport would be the person I was all the time. Because I just realize that I have no control. Of course, I never have any control. But in an airport, I completely understand that. So if somebody tells me my flight’s two hours late or canceled, I am so at peace.”

How she passes her time while traveling:“Reading. I am not inclined toward motion sickness, which is such an important gift. So I can read just about anywhere. And the nice thing is, when you read books on paper, you don’t ever have to take glare into account, and no one ever tells you to close your book down.”

How she sleeps on planes:“You could show me a picture of a plane, and I would fall asleep. It’s not good, though. It’s not a good thing. Because I wake up very crumpled. My neck, my back, everything will really hurt because I fall asleep. If I don’t fall asleep, I’m completely fine. And I try not to fall asleep, because I love to read on planes. That’s such sacred reading time, where nobody can bother you. God help the person next to me who tries to talk to me when I’m reading a book.”

How she dresses for the plane:“I would not go in leggings or shorts. I am someone who is always properly covered. I went to Catholic school.”

The best vacation she ever took:“Two and a half years ago, we took my husband’s daughter, her husband, and their two kids on a Disney cruise. I have such Disney phobia, such theme park phobia, but I was like, ‘I’m going to be brave. I’m going to do it. I’m going to take one for the team.’ It was fantastic. I always have believed that the secret to happiness is low expectations. My expectations were rock bottom. I thought I was going into an insane asylum for five days. It was so spectacular, and fun, and well done. So there you go!”

Her favorite hotel amenity:“I really love a good hotel gym. Because although I can be spotty about exercising at home, I am relentless about it when I’m on tour. And the other thing that I’m just seeing cropping up in hotels in the last couple of years that thrills me is a tube of Marvis toothpaste. It’s so cute, and great toothpaste. And I would never just buy Marvis toothpaste. So yeah, that kind of makes me want to hop up and down and clap my hands.”

The destination she could travel to a million times:“I would never get sick of Rome. The first time we ever went to Rome—and I’ve only been twice—I said to my husband, ‘We don’t ever have to go any place else ever again. We’ll just do this over and over forever.’ I would probably never get sick of the entire country of Italy. There’s what I think of as the sexy restful vacation, like if we’re going to Jamaica, and Italy has that, this sexy, restful, gorgeous Amalfi coast element. You could just think vacation and let your mind go. Or you could take the academic, historical, art history vacation. Or you could take the food vacation. Lots of places have all of those elements. But I feel like in Italy, every single part of it is so strong.”

The American city she thinks is underrated:“I was blown away by Indianapolis. I love going to public libraries; they have one of the best public libraries in the country. Boy, that library is so gorgeous. And check this to see if it’s true, but I was told, and I certainly believe it, that they have more monuments than any other American city except for Washington D.C. [Editor’s note: Indianapolis has more monuments honoring veterans than any other city; only DC has more monuments dedicated to military conflicts.] It’s crazy. And I was just going in to give a talk, and I drove, and I just thought, Oh my God, where am I, Paris? Really. I was so surprised.”

Where she wants to go next:“It’s home. That’s it. I’m getting ready to go on a 27-city book tour. Do I want to go someplace? No, I do not.”

The secret reason people come to her second home, her bookstore:“They will find shop dogs—we have fabulous dogs who work at Parnassus Books, many of them, like my dog Sparky. But the best is my sister Heather has just started working at the bookstore, and she has a congenitally deaf Border Collie named Marlee Matlin who chases shadows. And basically now people are just coming to the store to see Marlee.”

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The post How I Travel: Why Ann Patchett Is Her “Best Spiritual Self in an Airport” – Condé Nast Traveler appeared first on Visit onair.

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