#( he came into our lives as a kitten. a stray. no one was looking for him and he waltz over to our house )

[melpcmene-arch]

The fluffiest man, Jacky boi. He will be missed greatly. I'm making this so that Jack will be remembered not by just me but by everyone here, so that his memory will forever be alive in more ways than one.

[mrs-kodzuken]

K.K.T.K on my wrist ♡

Pairing: Kōtarō Bokuto x Keiji Akaashi x fem!reader x Tetsurō Kuroo x Kenma Kozume

WC: 1.9k

Genre: soulmate au, fluff, slice of life

CW: fem!reader, four soulmates, poly relationship, fluff, very soft and sweet

˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖ ˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖ ˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖ ˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖ ˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖ ˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖

When I was a little girl, I thought about how a prince would show up outside my bedroom window. He'd take me away to his castle and marry me, treating me with kindness.

Then we'd live happily ever after, just like in the movies.

However, the hardships that came with being a princess made me think that I could handle them. As it turns out, that's not how life is at all.

Not at all.

Plenty of hardships are thrown at you left and right. and it's all about how well you deal with it.

As I got older, my fantasies became more realistic. I wanted to live a small, easy life with the person I so dearly loved.

A small child or kitten running around, giving us entertainment.

Living out our lives to the fullest and being content with simplicity. We didn't need anything more or anything less.

That's how I've always imagined it.

As it turns out, life does throw things at you, but this one was one of the best hardships I'll ever came to love.

And it all begins at the young age of sixteen. A fresh high school student, worried about what people thought about them.

Their hair, clothes, grades, and sometimes even a boyfriend or girlfriend.

However, most of those thoughts got quickly brushed away. On a person's sixteenth birthday, initials will appear on their dominant wrist.

The absolute heart racing feeling full of wonder of who your special significance other could be.

Maybe it was someone who lives halfway across the world. Maybe someone who goes to the same school as you. Maybe someone you grew up with.

Or maybe someone you just happen to know from the internet.

Whatever it may be, they will be bound to meet. Some people say it's fate. Some say even destiny.

However, I just thought it was a clear misconception for me.

I had my dreams significantly crushed by four initials on my wrist. Oh, how I used to despise them—the hate that fueled through me when I looked at my wrist.

Looking back, it was harsh and childish. Life is unexpected; things happen. However, this one was one that's stuck in my favorites, even if it was the opposite of everything I always wanted.

I wouldn't trade it for the world.

The bedroom window was open a bit as the rain fell from the sky. Small devices lit up here and there around the room.

It was an easy night for all of us. Even Kōtarō was quiet, which sparked an interest in me. I was keeping myself busy by reading a book I had been wanting to catch up on.

While also laying on Keiji, who had been next to me reading some other kind of book.

Our beloved Kenma was in the next room over, streaming. The door was slightly ajar, leaving space for the blue rays of light to show on the wall.

I could hear small splashes of water coming from the bathroom. A small, unnoticeable smile gracing my strawberry-colored lips.

No matter how many times I knew water calmed that beautiful boy down, I couldn't get over it.

I had run the bath myself, even adding a few bathroom toys and bubbles, despite it being the late hours of the night. And despite that he was a grown man, we don't in this house.

If I had listened hard enough, I could hear Tetsu downstairs. The soft noise of most likely midnight snacks being made.

It seemed as if we were all content in the house we called home. A shiver ran down my back as I felt the soft breeze come from the window.

The skies were pitch black; if it were a normal night, I'd be on the roof with Tetsu and Keiji. We'd point out the constellations and watch the stars.

It was one of my favorite things to do with them.

If it were later in the afternoon and the sun was slightly straying from the clouds and the rain was soft, Kōtarō would be dancing in the rain with me.

We'd sing our hearts out, then get scolded by our lovely boyfriend, Keiji, who quite possibly seemed like the only sane one in the house.

Besides Kenma half of the time.

The days that it was sunny, and I wished silently that it would rain. Kenma would softly take my hand and lead me to the kitchen.

Even though we both shared the hatred of sunny days, we'd bake something.

Whether it be healthy or not, burnt or just right, muffins or cupcakes. So, our house constantly smells like a bakery. When we wouldn't feel up to baking, a movie was our next best thing.

On hard days when I felt like I really needed something to just get my mind off for a little while, Kuroo was my go-to person.

We'd run to the park and back, putting the stress into exercising. Sometimes, just sitting down with him on a park bench and watching everyone pass by was enough.

However, Keiji was by far the one who comforted me in a strange but loving way. He's the only one I'd talk to. I'd spill all my thoughts to, read a book with, cry to, and observe with.

Being very compatible with each and every one of them made life exciting and, oddly, calming.

"Are you cold? We can shut the window if you'd like." Keiji turned his head toward me, pausing his reading.

"I'll put on a hoodie," I said, shaking my head and loving the smell of rain. However, he knew that that would be my answer.

I'd always wrap up in multiple clothing layers instead of shutting the window.

It was a habit.

I crawled away from him as I watched Keiji place my bookmark in the place I was reading.

Slipping on my pink slippers, I walked out of the room, heading towards the clothing room.

Who knew that living with four other people would bless you with an enormously large house? However, the income we all made could quite possibly also be a reason.

As I walked past Kenma's gaming room, I peered in. My eyes were watching him a bit, I could tell even from when he was turned around that his eyes were glued to the screen.

Knowing Kenma, I knew he wasn't wearing his glasses that protected his eyes. He needed them now more than ever, since it's the late hours of the night.

Backing out, I quickly but quietly moved downstairs. His glasses were on the living room coffee table, if I remembered correctly.

When I was on the first floor, I moved to the living room, where his glasses were. Picking them up, I felt the coldness from how long they've been left alone.

The kitchen light on, curiosity peering through me. I peeked in at the sight of Tetsu sitting on the counter, scrolling on his phone.

He was most likely trying to figure out what we'd be feeling up for to eat after rummaging through our cabinets. God, he could be doing nothing and still look so handsome.

I smiled a little and headed back upstairs. Opening Kenma's door more, I could hear soft grunting from him.

Probably because of a level he was having trouble with.

Setting the glasses close to his keyboard, I leaned down and gave him a soft kiss on the temple. He nodded, his cheekbones glowing with a rouge pink shade.

That small peck meant, 'Please don't forget to wear them.' I could always express myself with small things without actually saying them to Kenma and Keiji.

Usually, I'd have to express my thoughts in a verbal way when it came down to Kō and Tetsu. However, I knew not everyone would be an introvert or just a mind reader.

When I left the room, leaving it cracked like before, I saw his game pause and him slip on the clear glasses.

I made my way back to the room, forgetting about the hoodie I needed to get. When I entered, I saw Kōtarō curled up against Keiji.

His hair was slightly dripping wet, making me cringe a bit.

I spotted his towel, which he had brought back with him instead of hanging up in the bathroom. I softly grabbed it and made my way to him.

He perked up; his yellow eyes seemed to shine a bit brighter in the dark.

"The water will make the bed wet, hon" I softly said, lightly ruffling his hair with the towel.

His arms wrapped around my waist as I continued to get the water out. Wetness and comfortable covers do not mix in my book or even on my book.

I could hear him sigh happily as I played with his hair, trying to get out all the water.

Glancing over to Keiji, his glasses were off, and our books had been set elsewhere. It's movie time.

Kenma would come from his gaming in around fifteen to twenty minutes from now. We'd all cuddle on the bed and watch a cartoon movie.

I walked to the bathroom, setting Kōtarō's towel on his hook. In a house of five people, organization was the best key.

After I cut the lights off, I walked back to see a movie picked up and Kuroo coming upstairs with our midnight snacks.

When I made sure everyone was comfortable in bed, I went to get Kenma. I could basically feel the exhaustion radiating off him. Knowing that he wouldn't get off the game unless someone actually got him.

As I got closer, I gently put my arms around his back. I did it every single time I wanted him to get off the game. I could tell he was fighting himself, wanting to go another round but agreeing.

Soon his system was off and his left hand locked in my right one, walking into our bedroom. We climbed into bed; the rotation was different this weekend.

Each day or week, we'd switch the rotation of who gets to spoon who. It wasn't my idea since I couldn't care less if I was spooning or getting spooned.

However, being the only girl it was kinda nice with everyone being bigger than me, it was kind of hot some nights too.

This time around, Tetsu was spooning me, and I happened to be spooning Kōtarō. After we finished the snacks, I couldn't resist the sleep, which called my name.

Since there were five of us, we couldn't possibly fit in a bed. So we decided to just get one of the biggest; even if we did spoon, I'm sure at least one of us would end up kicking another off the bed.

This has always been how our stay-up nights have been and I wouldn't change it for the world.

When I was a little girl, I thought about how a prince would show up outside my bedroom window. He'd take me away to his castle and marry me.

Well, now that I'm older, it's safe to say that I've got four princes who I was fated with. They agreed to live together with me, and the need to marry wasn't in our minds.

We all knew the reassurance of each other never leaving the other. But if one of us did happen to want to marry? I guess we could.

But this is the end of our weekend night and there was nothing out there that would make me give it up.

˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖ ˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖ ˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖ ˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖ ˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖ ˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖

a/n: this is from my book “Haikyuu x Reader One Shots” on Wattpad. I hope you enjoyed and let me know if you have any requests!

the header is made by me, please like/reblog if used <3

[dean-a-mean-tae]

Why Won’t Bang Chan Let Nicholas Drink? | Stray Kids Extra Member AU

Chan tells STAY why Nicholas isn't allowed to drink.

WARNINGS: Nicholas is an emotional whiny drunk.

@cafekitsune made the dividers | Nicholas Ross Master List

Another Chan's Room episode and another chaotic conversation with STAY. Chan had been talking about his room when a comment caught his eye.

"Who in Stray Kids doesn't drink?" Chan read as he laughed. "I don't."

"Nicholas isn't allowed to drink," Chan continued as he watched the comments.

He thought of the first and last time Nicholas got drunk. It was a completely new experience with the younger boy, and Chan wasn't trying to have a repeat.

"Nicholas has only gotten drunk once, and I plan on keeping it that way," He laughed as he crossed his arms.

"Why isn't he allowed to drink?" Chan hummed in thought as he looked up.

"He gets super emotional," He answered as he tilted his head. "Like, everything makes him laugh or cry. There is no in-between."

He remembers the experience like it was yesterday.

"I still don't know how he got drunk. He was there one second, and he was gone the next."

"Does anyone know where Nick went?" Jeongin asked as he looked around the living room.

Everyone was at the 3racha + Hyunjin's dorm for a sleepover. They had pillows and blankets covering the floor with snacks and a hot meal Minho had cooked.

On the couch lay Felix, Seungmin, and Hyunjin. In front of them were Jisung and Minho, with Chan and Changbin to their right. That left Jeongin and Nicholas to lie on the left of Minho.

"He came out of nowhere, and Felix showed him something, and he just started crying."

Nicholas walked into the living room. Well, he waddled more than he walked. Moments showed where Minho came up with the nickname Penguin.

Without a word, Nicholas waddled over to Jeongin and kneeled over him before flopping down. Letting out an 'oof' when Nick collided with him, Jeongin wrapped his arms around the older.

"Look, Bug," Felix cooed, waving his hand at the tallest male. He smiled when Nicholas looked up at him with bleary eyes. "It's a kitty."

It was a kitten. A gorgeous tuxedo kitten wrapped up in a blanket like a baby. It's arms and legs were tucked away, so only its head stuck out of the burrito blanket.

While Jeongin smiled at the cat, Nicholas' eyes teared up. Felix frowned as he sat up, almost falling off the couch, trying to comfort the older male.

"It doesn't have any arms," Nicholas sniffled, snatching the phone from Felix and showing Minho the video. The shorter boy snorted before pausing.

He leaned forward and smelt Nicholas' breath before recoiling. Minho shouted as he pointed at the crying boy, "He's been drinking!"

"Why doesn't it have any arms?" Nicholas huffed, showing the phone to Hyunjin, who was cooing at him.

"I still don't know where he would have found it."

"How did he get liquor?! We don't have any here!" Chan shouted, running to get water for the now-crying Nicholas. He was wrapped in a pile of blankets, sandwiched between Hyunjin and Jisung. A giggling Jeongin was still under him.

Minho was fixing Nicholas a small plate of food so he wouldn't upset his stomach. While Changbin, Felix, and Seungmin watched the chaos that was Chan in the kitchen.

"Why doesn't it have any arms?" Nick cried.

“He also complains about the taste of it.”

"Hyunnie," Nick whined, and Hyunjin threw his head back to hide his smile before looking at the younger.

"What, darling?" He whispered, softly stroking Nick's cheek.

"I drank something disgusting," Nick sniffled. Everyone laughed as he whined at them.

"Yeah, he hates drinking, but he will if you just hand him something," Chan said, blinking fast to escape the memory. He smiled at STAY before moving on to the next question.

"Do we use Nick's height to our advantage? Of course!"

Nicholas Ross Master List

©️DEANAMEANTAE2023

Tags list: @bada-lee-ily, @jinnie-ret, @hwxnghyynjin, You can be added by asking in the replies, sending me a message, or doing an ask thingy.

[mlbigbang]

2023 Marichat & Ladrien Fic Rec List

It’s the end of the year which means it’s finally time for the ML Big Bang’s yearly fic rec lists! We’re really excited to bring you our contributors’ favourite fics started this year to supply you with plenty of reading material while you’re waiting for the Big Bang fics’ publication in January.

Boulangérella by @aidanchaser

Once upon a time, magic was wild. The two princes of the kingdom have been tasked with choosing their brides by the end of their 21st birthday celebrations. Crown Prince Adrien Agreste will have to choose between a woman who can protect his kingdom, a woman offering the power to wake his sleeping mother, and the woman he has loved and admired for the past year. Then there's also the seamstress that he is suddenly falling for. By the time he realizes he doesn't have the power to choose at all, it may be too late.

It's a creative Cendrillon retelling with the kwamis as fay, Adrien as the kingdom's prince and most wanted thief, and Marinette as the seamstess and superhero partner stealing Adrien's heart twice over.

Scary, like a little black purring kitten by @h-sunnywet-d

The calendar just turned into October, and Chat Noir has to make sure that his Good Friend Marinette appreciates the new season wholeheartadly. It sure won't backfire on the long run.

Just An Ordinary Girl by @kasienda

Chat Noir and the other heroes are in a bit of trouble, and Ladybug wanted just one weekend off! But luckily they know someone who can help. Someone who is just an ordinary girl…

you will never sleep alone (i'll love you) by @ladyofthenoodle

Marinette had saved up for months to be able to afford this vacation. Not only that, but she’d spent months trying to convince herself that it was okay to even take a vacation, that Monarch was really and truly gone. Which was why Tikki was at home with Alya, so that Marinette could actually relax and enjoy the plush amenities the hotel had to offer, such as a bed that looked like it cost five times her monthly salary. Or, she would be able to enjoy it, if she wasn’t standing in the middle of the villa she’d booked over a month ago, fighting for the bed with freaking Chat Noir, of all people.

May I introduce myself, Your Highness? by @chocoluckchipz

Whether picking up a stray animal off the streets or saving a dying child at the market, Adrien had always strived to be the best version of himself. Truly, he would've been the perfect candidate to be snatched up by a kwami, were he an orphan, dying somewhere remote after a short life full of nothing but suffering and misery. Yet as it stood, the sole heir to the French throne had little to complain about. Apart from, perhaps, a complete absence of a love life. That is until a mysterious girl, wandering around his gardens at night, catches his attention.

This fic has it all - Ladrien, royalty, fairy tale elements, magic and disguises! It's an enthralling read and one of my absolute favorite fics from 2023.

The Perfect Date by @peachcitt

“I dare you to ask this special someone on the date you just described.” “I totally will,” Adrien says with confidence, looking into the camera and nodding resolutely. “Scout’s honor.” He holds up the kitten as if swearing an oath. There is a space of silence. “Right now,” Hanna says. Adrien stares at her. “I’m daring you to ask that person out right now,” she says. or adrien has a little slip up during a live interview, and ladybug hears. for the golden hour zine!!

reserved by @luckyyoyo

“Don’t you think,” he coughed, a blush creeping up his cheeks, “this kind of thing should be.. reserved for my girlfriend?” He gestured to their poses. A squeak came from her mouth and her knees buckled, but surprisingly still had no struggle keeping Adrien up. “You know, you could always be my girlfriend.” Ladybug, saviour of Paris and local damsel-in-distress Adrien Agreste, suggests he gets a fake girlfriend to ward off his zombie fans. While lovingly holding him in her arms, of course. Adrien, far too comfortable in her arms, suggests it could be her. Introducing your superheroine pretend-girlfriend to your strict, uninterested father is a bit harder than Adrien realises.

Displaced by @kasienda

Adrien loosened his tie and dropped his suit jacket unceremoniously across the back of the sofa that was already cluttered with unopened boxes, mail, and unfolded laundry. He really should have listened to Nino and hired a maid or cleaning person of some sort. But well, he still had a secret to keep, and keeping that secret was more important to him than ever. He moved to his bedroom on autopilot without turning on the light, intending to collapse into bed immediately. But when he tried to slip into his space, he found it was already occupied. He flipped his phone flashlight on towards the ceiling to light the room in a soft glow. In his wife’s place, Ladybug lay sprawled diagonally across the bed.

here comes the rush before we touch (come a little closer) by @ladyofthenoodle

When an akuma attacks during Adrien Agreste's beach themed photoshoot on a dreary day in Paris, Ladybug is on the scene immediately. Unfortunately, with a glimpse of Adrien's alluring abdomen and without her partner, it's not long before she's hit, and Adrien with her—but maybe Ladybug can afford a little vacation with the boy she loves. He's certainly not complaining.

On Borrowed Time by @miabrown007

The life of Paris’ Golden Boy is all shine and glamour; blindingly bright smiles, neverending parties, bargaining for just a shard of time for being happy. But that’s alright; Adrien has long given up the false hope that someone will get it. That is precisely why it’s a spectacle when she does, when she barges in like a hurricane in crimson and turns his life upside down. Heaven knows, it’s time for the wind of change.

[problematicraccoon]

I WANNA TALK ABOUT MY SKZ DR AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

heres a lore dump

MKAY so in this reality im gonna be in a polycule situation with the entirety of stray kids (shut up i know im an interdimentional whore), but hwen i first shift there, we're still just friends.

some details about me in that dr is that my name is Alyssa Kolanko, im 23, im in a dance crew thats world renowned with Emmy (the youtuber) Beomhan (our boi) Ryan (hellyxryan) and Ravon (also youtuber), we're all best friends (ive been besties with Ravon since we were teenagers growing up together in ohio, then we both moved to Georgetown, Washington for college and to join the dance crew Ultraviolet)

dance crews are treated like kpop groups are in my cr. we're signed to entertainment companies' dance group divisions, have fanchants, fandoms, light sticks, stadium tours, music videos (where we do dance covers of songs and have cool visuals to go with it). if you guys have any ideas as to what our fandom name should be, i'd appreciate it, i cant come up with jack shit lmao.

i lived with Ravon in a cool loft apartment in Georgetown for four years, ever since we moved when we were 19, and now that we're 23, he's decided he wants to live with his boyfriend of two years, Carter (also youtuber from my cr), and i offered to move out so they could have the loft.

i've known the boys of SKZ since i was 21 and they came to see us perform at a dance festival (a type of concert where a bunch of dance crews come and perform at a stadium or concert hall)

as i've been a youtuber since i was like 15 in this reality, i grew a large following and the guys (skz) have been watching my videos since the beginning.

we quickly become friends after we meet, and become very close over the next few years. they fall head over heels in love with me lmao. i love living in fanfiction. ANYWAY.

now that Ravon and Carter are moving in together, i needed to find somewhere else to live. i expressed to the guys in our gc that i wasnt looking forward to living alone, as i love to live with my friends, and they suggested i move in with them since they're just getting ready to have a house built for them. i agree, and we all work together to build our dream house.

when i spawn in, it'll be the day before i fully move into the house with the guys. my besties (the members of UV) all come to me and Ravon's loft to spend the night and help me pack. then, the following day, the guys come and help pile my stuff into our cars and we head off to our house, where (since its totally empty) we'll lay out blankets and pillows in the unfurnished living room to have a big sleepover until we can get our bedrooms sorted out. i am very scared of living with eight other people btw T0T and it's stray kids for christ sake???? its gonna be so fucking LOUD

OH OH AND I HAVE A CAT. SHES AN ORANGE TABBY AND SHES VERY SWEET AND STUPID AND RUNS INTO WALLS AND HER NAME IS MINKA. SHES 2 AND I ADOPTED HER WHEN SHE WAS JUST A KITTEN <3 minho is absolutely OBSESSED with her

and im besties with Brittany Broski because i adore her she is everything to me i would lay down my life for her

and as for my backstory; very tragic, kinda personal, wont share much about that. but all that you need to know is that my parents were shitty, and my aunt Isla (the same one from my better childhood dr, face claim Daphne Zuniga) saved me and my younger brother Eric (eric lloyd) and took us to Ohio from Poland to raise us when i was 13. she also has a son, who's technically my cousin, but i consider him my big brother and he considers me and eric his little siblings. his name is brandon, and his face/personality claim is Brandon Farris (hes a HILARIOUS youtuber, highly recommend him)

so yeah- theres alot more lore in this dr, its definitely my most detailed one, so i might make another post explaining more lmao.

[kittyhuii]

╰┈➤ cats are the way into my heart 🐾

pairings: schoolmate!jun x gn!reader genre: fluff, mutual pining word count: 705 words of pure fluff

Synopsis: Junhui always seemed like the student who would be closed off, only with the right person does he act like himself. You knew that, and he knew you the same way as well. Yet, here you both are playing with the stray cats by the parking lot of your school.

You rush through the busy corridors of your school, bumping by some shoulders as you try to chase the bell. Gosh were you late, all thanks to the Philosophy essay that was due just last night at 11:59pm. Feeling like the odds of the world were with you today, you finally arrive inside your classroom just a few seconds before your homeroom teacher comes in as well.

You let out a huge sigh as you tiredly fall onto your seat, seemingly already tired when the day had barely started. As you put down your bags beside your table you see your seatmate Jun staring outside the window again, like he was looking for something. You just shrugged and faced the teacher who was now giving out announcements for this week and the like. Being the sleep deprived student you were, you were unfazed by these announcements your teacher was disseminating (do not feed the stray cats behind the school) and so here you are, head lying down on your arms used as a pillow on your desk, dozing off at 8 in the morning.

While you were catching up with your sleep, Jun, who was in his own little world turned to look at you. A smile crept up on his lips as he saw you sleeping peacefully despite the teacher in front of the class. His smile was short lived though as he averted his gaze on you and sighed, now he was doing what you couldn’t do just now – listen to your homeroom teacher. 

You were startled from your slumber as you heard the school bell rung across the halls of the school. Recess, ah yes, your favorite subject. Happily grabbing one of your bags, you skip your way out of the classroom and outside the building. You make your way to your usual spot behind the school building, under an oak tree that serves as a shade under the bright sun. You sit down and grab your snacks from your bag. Just as you were about to take a bite into your sandwich you heard the sound of a kitten. You stood up, trying to look for where the sound came from. You were now a few steps away from the tree when you heard a bush rustle beside you, and there they were, a pair of kittens stepping out of the bush and walking towards you. They both started walking ‘round in circles on your shoe, meowing and purring, somewhat hypnotizing you to give them the food and attention that they’ve been starved of. 

Jun stepped out of the main doors of the school and took a walk around the vicinity while sipping on the small straw of his yogurt. He stopped in his steps when he saw you in the distance, feeding your two new kitten friends. He took another sip on his yogurt before he continued walking again.

“ Y’know we shouldn’t feed them right?” you were startled when someone sneaked up from behind you. You who were bent down playing with the kittens stood up as you faced the person who scared the living shit out of you. There he was, Jun, your seatmate, a smile on his face, a yogurt on his hand and a straw on his lips. “It was the thing our teacher was talking about earlier – that we shouldn’t feed them since they will get attached to the students. Well…you couldn’t have known since you were… asleep” he said, blocking a laugh that could come out of his pretty lips. 

Heat rose up to your cheeks when you saw Jun smile for the first time. You quickly avert your gaze from him, trying to save yourself from the embarrassment you will become. The kittens you were playing with earlier have now found a new friend to ask cuddles from, you watch as both kittens walk up to Jun meowing as a way of it asking for attention. After a few more moments together with Jun and the kittens you realize that you and Jun aren’t too different, you both like kittens, and you both like each other, and for the first time in a while you were glad that you fell asleep in class.

a/n: this is so self indulgent omg AFKBJKABFJK. i just love cats and junhui sm yall dont understand

[stevishabitat]

One of our ferals was hit by a car today.

Mercifully, his head was clipped, so it was instant death and not prolonged suffering and we didn't have to do anything but collect the body.

We had seen him in the yard moments before, and I reminded kiddo to refill the front porch water since we have a heat advisory. When kiddo and Grandmummy went back out, he was laying in the street.

Blaze was one of Franklin and Mama's litter from spring of 2020. As a "teen", he helped raise the next litter, since Mama was terrible at parenting and always handed her babies off to someone else as soon as possible.

He had moved out of the main colony to run around with his aunt Cinnabon, who was a bit of a loner. They'd been getting fed elsewhere for awhile, but this year they came back to take advantage of our front porch food & water station.

We put a shelter on the porch, but they never felt comfortable using it and came and went from somewhere across the street. The backyard colony cats made it clear they could come to eat but then had to get out of the territory.

Our street is one block that dead-ends at a creek, but that doesn't keep cars from zooming like it's a freeway. In spite of the "slow down: kids and pets at play" sign I bolted to a tree earlier this summer.

This is one of the toughest parts of caring for a feral colony. You wish you could protect them and just bring them all inside. But they aren't house pets. They may get used to seeing you around, but they will always be too wild to be made a pet.

We do what we can to make their lives better - neutering and vaccinations whenever possible. Food and water and shelter. Trying to stop the kitten cycle and adopting out any that are people-friendly. Decreasing the numbers while trying to improve quality of life for those who remain.

But we can't make their choices for them. And although they have some level of street smarts, it's still dangerous out there. Cars, predators, dogs, people, injury, illness... They aren't likely to live as long as an indoor cat. All it takes is one moment, one decision, and they're gone. Loss is an inevitable part of what we signed up for.

It's especially hard when it's one you've known for years and watched grow up.

And Blaze was one of the most beautiful we've had. Very petite for an intact tom and he never got involved in the tom cat fight club so he wasn't battered and scarred like some. Lovely tuxedo with a distinct blaze that inspired his name and big green eyes. And he knew his name! He always looked up when we talked to him.

After we packed up the body (giving him many gentle pets and telling him how very soft he was) we saw Cinnabon watching from under a car on the nearby driveway. We can't explain to her that her nephew, her buddy Blaze isn't coming back. I'm not sure what she'll do on her own. It's been just the two of them for a very long time. Maybe she'll try to rejoin the main colony, but I doubt it. I feel bad for her.

Grandmummy came in and gently told Franklin that one of his sons was gone. And what we didn't say, but were all thinking, that a year ago it could easily have been him.

Y'all, I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to keep cats inside. Get them neutered. Get them vaccinated.

And if you feed strays or ferals, find out if there's a TNR group nearby that might help you trap & neuter.

Reducing the number of street cats (pets, strays, and ferals) is the best thing for everyone.

Let Blaze be your reminder.

[dent-de-leon]

Once again, throwing my Molly thoughts upon you.

Sometimes I think about the times Molly is like extra soft with kids. Like Toya and that little firbolg child. I know there was a little bit of contention with how distant he was from Kiri, but I think it made sense because he and the Nein are a travelling adventuring group sent out on a dangerous task for the Gentleman, and like that is not safe for a growing baby Kenku, no, sir.

And sometimes I think that if he were to reconcile with Aldreda and meet his niece and step-nephew, he be so fucking great with them.

Yes!! I can't get over how compassionate Mollymauk really is ;; I think a lot about how Molly tries to hide the sight of Kylre's body from Toya, to shield her from the worst of it all...

When Molly was lost and all alone in the world, it was Toya who first saved him; he followed her song back to the carnival. To his new home. Toya reminisces fondly on how they both found their voice together, were able to really connect and anchor each other.

"The newest people we've had are Mollymauk and Yasha...He came after I did. We both found our voice together. I was very scared, and he wasn't talking--and together, we helped each other learn to have fun again."

Molly only lived a very short two years. In some ways, I imagine he still feels a bit childlike--and wouldn't be surprised if Toya still thought of herself as Molly's protector as much as he was hers. After all, she's the one who first takes him in, who tries to convince the rest of the circus he should stay. When Molly stumbles into their camp naked and shivering, looking so desperately lost and all alone? She wants the circus to keep him like a stray kitten, to make him a part of their little family.

I think Molly is able to connect so well with kids because it wasn't too long ago that he was so young and vulnerable and new to the world himself. He admits to Beau, "Oh! I just realized--I never had a childhood," and seems to agonize a bit over that loss. He recalls of his early life at the circus that, "I was a bit out of it. It's hard to remember. I wasn't speaking really. Do you have...memories, from your childhood?...It felt like that. It was all bright and more meaningful than it should be. There was just nothing. I was practically catatonic; I was barely speaking."

So it's easier for Molly to understand kids I think, because he still feels like his own childhood was just two years ago, because he's still finding his way in the world--still the Fool at the beginning of his journey.

I think about how Molly and Toya always had each other's backs. How Toya first brought him home, and then Molly picked her up in his arms and carried her away from Kylre's body. Promising her that everything would be okay. "I'm scared." "I know. It's going to be a bit rough, but it was for the best. I'm so sorry. Some people just turn. I'm so sorry...He got sick. There was something inside him. Something that made him do bad things, but it had to be taken care of. You're going to be alright."

He's gentle with her, comforting. When Jester reveals Kryle's head, Matt describes Toya as, "sobbing into your arms at this point. You feel her body shaking against her grasp." And Molly does his best to just hold on and reassure her. "I'm going to take her to the front of the boat and keep her far away from all that." Whenever Molly's being soft with Toya, I can't help but imagine it was exactly the same for Lucien with Aldreda.

As for the firbolg child, that always just breaks my heart; if this were any sort of scripted show, Molly being the one to comfort them and try to make them smile after everything, this moment of such compassion right before Mollymauk sacrifices himself...that would be a death flag if I've ever seen one. Mollymauk performing a little magic tragic to cheer up a child whose just lost everything? Completely fumbling it, but still being so earnest and warm, it made the kid happy all the same? Gifting him one of his own little trinkets, like a good luck charm?

The way Molly made sure to prioritize their comfort first, to check that he wouldn't scare them--because god, Molly's used to people only ever looking at him with fear. A devil, a demon, an outcast. But for just a moment, he's back at the circus putting on a show again, bringing a bit of joy to another lonely child? It's such a tiny thing, but it's another reminder of how much Molly's "choir practice" really means to him, how he really did try to leave every place better than he found it--

And the thing about Kiri is...even though Taliesin admitted Molly avoided ever getting too close to Kiri because he thought they were going to lose her, it's also very much because of Molly that she even survived to begin with.

In the swamp, Jester hears a desperate cry, and runs to help. Everyone else in the Nein try to tell her that it's a lost cause; they're not going to make it, it's too late, it's too much of a risk. Jester worries over what she should do, whether her chance to save them is already long gone.

And Molly? He's the one who makes a snap decision, who chooses then and there to go with Jester's instinct and try to protect this little creature in need. When he casts Enthrall, he ensures that they stay in the fight--and that Kiri isn't devoured right away. "Are we doing this? Well, we're doing this." It really feels like the deciding factor in whether or not Kiri was going to make it.

Molly is just...so soft hearted, and we see that side of him a bit in Lucien too. Especially with children or someone in need, Molly's always had this fierce protectiveness about him. I think a lot of it maybe stems from Lucien's own childhood--how he always tried so hard to shield his little sister from their parents, did everything he could to give her a better life. How he tended to his older brother's wounds after what their father did to him.

I want so badly for King to get the chance to reunite with Aldreda and his niece one day, I really do think he'd still be very good with kids, and very protective of the family he has left.

It just...breaks my whole heart that Lucien ached so terribly to be a part of their life, dreamed of it every day in the Claret Orders. Always imagined he'd get to come home one day and they'd be a family again. And even as Aldreda can't stand the very sight of him, wants absolutely nothing to do with him--it makes it hurt all the more that her other child clearly wants to know Lucien. He looks so excited to meet someone who looks just like his mom!! He gives Lucien a little wave before Aldreda sends him away! It just...really hurts to think that even though Aldreda herself turned him away, at least one of her children still wanted Lucien in their lives.

I can see Lucien's little niece and nephew maybe finding King one day, really wanting to get to know him--even though Aldreda wanted to burn that bridge. I don't think it'd ever stop them from being curious, from wondering why they've never met anyone from their mother's family or past. But when they're older, I can see them wanting to reach out to Kingsley, to reconnect. Especially if their mother is still as unhappy as she seemed that day.

I genuinely think the most tender moment we ever see of Lucien is when he tries to reach out to his niece for the first time. When he sees this baby tiefling that looks so much like his dear sister, the tiny bumps of her horns, her little round face...you can tell he's trying to be so very gentle and ginger with her, but the very moment he reaches for her, Aldreda reels back in disgust.

And it's his scars that make her react like that. The blood hunter scars from all the times he let himself get hurt chasing the desperate hope that he could ever see his sister again. That's just haunting. Of all things, it's Lucien's own pain and trauma that terrifies and reviles his sister the most. The final straw that makes him unworthy of being family to her. It's Aldreda seeing him as nothing but a stranger, a monster, another reminder of the horrific nightmare she always tried to forget.

"And what could you do for me? For us? You've been ignoring me for years, and at first it hurt, but then I came to realize it could be for the best. I could forget our family, leave the nightmares behind, make something good of my own...I don't recognize you anymore. Who knows what kind of danger you've brought to our doorstep just by coming!...You can't even tell me what you are now or what you've become!...It's too late, Lucien. It's too late. Maybe years ago, I don't know...I can't think properly. Just looking at you stirs up such evil feelings in me. It isn't fair, I know, but it's true. I look at you and I hear distant screams, I see again our brother's face leering, bloated with unnatural life."

Aldreda stabs him in the heart with every confession, every admission that her own brother terrifies her. That he just feels like some other terror of the past come back to haunt her. Lucien gave everything to try and spare his sister from their cruel parents and a bloodthirsty hag, but it still wasn't enough. It was never enough. He isolated himself, risked his life again and again, did whatever he thought was necessary to keep his sister safe--baring the scars of it all alone for years, trying to shoulder all that pain himself--and still. In the end...he's alone.

I think about Aldreda demanding, "How? How could we be a family again? I don't even know you." And Lucien's heartbroken promise that, "But you will know me. You could." And what hurts even more? I could see that same exact conversation playing out years later, between her and King. I want them both to have that kind of closure so bad. I want a oneshot where we get to see King meet his family again for the first time. A world where Aldreda would let her brother hold her child. A time where they can finally reunite and start to understand each other--

[faithintaiwan]

Independent Excursion - World’s First Cat Cafe

At first I was unsure as to what aspect of Taiwan I wanted to talk about for this project. There are so many interesting things that we have explored on free days from night markets, traditional tea houses and foods, and the nightlife. For our last free day I wanted to go to a pet cafe. Back home a lot of my friends have pets and I was greatly missing playing with them so I thought a pet cafe would be perfect! As I was researching about different cafes I came across the first one ever and learned that the idea of cat cafes was first spawned in Taipei! Of course we had to go. I had Andy call the place (thank you!), Kitten Coffee Garden, ahead of time to schedule a reservation. They said it was good we did because the cafe becomes busy during weekends.

The next day Fanny, Andy, Zoe, Brev and I went for 2 pm and it was completely empty. As we sat though, the cafe quickly filled up with other locals who were all looking to play with the cats. We ordered our drinks and cakes and as we waited we walked around and played with the cats. There were also two dogs and I fell in love with one of them. His collar had a little note that warned he would try to bite your face if he pet him but he was so sweet to Zoe and I. Andy went to aggressively pet him after us though and put his face too close to his. He ended up trying to bite his face but it was a good lesson in boundaries. Fanny also fell in love with the cats and went around petting them. There was an especially adorable one on the chair in a loafed position! When we finally left, I felt rejuvenated and relaxed and was so glad I got to pet some dogs as well!

Academic Reflection

Taipei invented the idea of cat cafes with the creation of the first ever one: Kitten Coffee Garden also known as Cat Flower Garden. Many people in Taipei live in small apartments. The limited space increases land prices in the city making tall, compact apartments more affordable and accessible to the population of about 2.5 million . This creates a lack of space to own pets such as cats and dogs as they need areas to run and play. To fill this demand in the market, pet cafes were created with the first one being a cat cafe. Since then Kitten Coffee Garden has increased their offerings to two dogs and one bird. The Taiwanese people are able go to a cafe after work or on weekends, destress with the cats, and go home without having to take on the other responsibilities of a pet.

It was a hit in Taiwan, spreading all over the country and to Japan where it truly took off. In Japan, many rented places don’t allow pets, so their demand for cute animal interactions was even higher (A Brief History of the Cat Cafe by Mental Floss). It further globalized to the United States and various other countries. Even in Gainesville we have our very own cat cafe and in many American cities there are different animal cafes! The idea also evolved from just cats to dogs, reptiles, bunnies, chinchillas, capybaras and more. An especially popular one in Taipei for both tourists and locals is a capybara cafe called Capybara Knight that allows interactions with the world’s largest rodents!

Pet cafes also offer a smaller scale alternative to animal shelters where a lower number of stray animals can be rescued and marketed for adoption (How to: Partner with cat cafes and find shelter cats homes by HumanePro). Some people who visit would have never considered adopting but fall in love with an animal they interact with in the cafe and adopt. The animals can also have more personalized care with more funding for their medical needs and one on one time with a caretaker. When done responsibility, pet cafes can be a great addition to the community and benefit the adoption system.

As we have traveled around in Taiwan, I have noticed a big emphasis on cute things. From cute mascots on the MRT that explain the fines administered for eating or smoking to popup stores in malls that have Miffy, Lulu piggy, and more, people in Taiwan love cute things. Even political candidates have used cute things to benefit their public image. Mascots have been used to campaign and market a politician’s candidacy such as President Tsai In-wen being portrayed as a cute girl with cat ears and a tail for her 2016 campaign (The Use of Cuteness: Gender, Identity Politics, and Elections in Taiwan). The cute animal cafes seem like a further development of Taiwan’s cultural love for adorable things. Petting animals has also been shown to have health benefits such as lowered blood pressure and lowered cortisol (stress hormone) levels (The Power of Pets by NIH). The ease of access from a cafe and the health benefits of animal interactions allow locals to relax at an affordable price! I, of course, love animals and relaxing as well so this aspect of Taiwan really excited me and it was a treat to be able to visit the cat cafe that started a worldwide phenomenon!

[mordmortis]

the three beginnings

“We’re the same, you and I. Aren’t we?”

The elf looked at their friend who sat next to them and frowned. It was a cloudy day, with weather that weighed down on one’s eyelids.

“In what way? You are human. Your life does not compare to that of mine.”

The girl smiled and closed her eyes. She tilted her head to the side, her strawberry blonde hair shifting and framing her face.

“And yet there are similarities. You think I do not know of your efforts? Your skills and experiments which you are unfairly shunned for?”

There was a pause before the other spoke again.

“My medicine is in no way comparable to the way you toy with people’s emotions.”

“So why are both things forbidden?” A red eye was cracked open, aimed at the elf together with a playful smirk.

“Ainsworth.”

The elf turned their dark green head to the woman at the call of their name. They saw swirling hearts in her eyes and immediately covered them with their hand, a move that earned them a grin.

“Ask me what you will but don’t toy with me, Erien.”

“Come live with me. You know the Academy is going to come after us sooner or later. So let’s run.”

Silence.

“Ains? What do you say?”

Suddenly, without warning, their lips were on hers. The kiss was gentle but lasting.

“You already know my answer, Erien. I’d follow you to Infernal and back. But promise me one thing.”

“Hm?”

“No hypnosis.”

“Alright then. No hypnosis.”

⊢———————————⊣

“Now, now. What do we have here?”

The love witch opened the door, only to find a disheveled woman with raven hair standing in front of it. Dark circles lined her puffy, tear-reddened eyes and purple choke bruises decorated her neck like a morbid choker.

“Please take me in,” the woman said with a raspy voice.

“Oh?” Erien glanced at the woman’s wrists covered in bloodied bandages. She hummed in thought, leaning her head on the doorframe. “So that’s how it is… You committed the greatest taboo, haven’t you?”

The disheveled woman paled and swallowed audibly.

“How did you know to come here?”

“I… met an elf in the city…”

The love witch laughed, fixing up the cardigan that was wrapped around her shoulders. “So my dearest elf has taken an interest in you! Well, why not? We’re outcasts. We might as well take in another. But first…”

The woman’s chin was lifted up in a gentle hold, gaze pointed up into the witch’s eyes. She swam in their depths, frozen in place as an overpoweringly sweet scent tied her up like a tight blanket. Erien’s form grew taller and taller, her hypnotic eyes becoming brighter against their backdrop like a lantern in the night.

And then the witch smiled and closed her eyes - and things went back to normal in the blink of an eye.

“Do you know how to put up barriers?”

⊢———————————⊣

A bloodied warrior wandered into a forest. His eyes were stained with the souls he had taken, eyes wild and lungs out of breath. The battlefield was no place for a gentle man. And so he fled like the coward he was, ran until his legs could not carry him anymore. The burn on his back stung as a constant reminder of the friends he had left to die.

“We need to do something about these stray cats. They just keep wandering into our home,” came a voice from up on the tree.

The man lifted his gaze with terror, freezing when he spotted not an assassin but rather a woman dressed in revealing clothes. She watched him with a cunning smile, her legs hanging off the branch she sat on.

“My oh my, this one is especially roughed up… It almost makes me feel bad for it.” She put her hands on the branch and pushed herself off of it, landing gracefully onto a patch of grass. She dusted off her skirt before regarding the kneeling witch.

“Although, now that I’m looking at you from up close… You are one cute kitten. Perhaps I should keep you.”

“Another one?” Ainsworth approached from behind the treeline, carrying a basket full of herbs. They sighed and put a hand on their slim waist.

Erien smiled at them, an expression that demanded obedience.

“Very well. I shall go run a bath and prepare my instruments.” They knew what came next. They refused to watch.

The man saw them disappear in the forest once more before his attention was pulled elsewhere.

He looked into the witch's eyes and fell into a swirling ocean of red, never to return.

[fandomohana]

It's still bad. Last night the neighbors who have been abandoning cats, and have caused the explosion in our stray colony, as well as likely being the cause of the issues our kittens are having, had their dog running wild again. This time the dog killed a cat. One of our stray colony members. Whitey, named by our neighbor's son, not the same people with the dog, who we called Wild Man. That same dog went after two other cats on Friday, and I was able to chase it off before any harm came. My heart is broken. The wails that came from me last night are something I didn't know I had in me. I think my screams carried across the neighborhood, and I fell to the floor after I saw my mom walking back across the street with the box he was in.

I heard screaming and crying from the open living room window, and went out to see what was wrong. Across the street there was a small group trying to herd the dog, they told me it had killed a cat, I didn't think it was one of ours...Our lovely neighbors across the street, the ones trying to herd the dog, had kindly placed him in a box while they tried to find his owner. They went door to door, and I asked what the cat looked like. When they said it had a flea collar, I knew. My mom went across to check. I couldn't bring myself to look.

I'm broken. My hair hasn't been out of this top bun in almost three days. I didn't shower last night despite running outside in bare feet. I left everything downstairs, and pulled myself up to bed at 10 last night. I didn't eat or drink after it happened. I sobbed my eyes out and stared into space. I cursed that house. I was a feral animal. Now I just feel like a shell, a husk. I have to force myself to take care of the kittens, to take care of the fish...

[supercunninglinguist]

A month ago today, my cat Billy passed on. I keep putting writing this off because there was just so much to do for spring and summer now that my father is in the hospital. Their house still feels a little empty without the dog and the cat. Just one cat left now, Casper. Click the read-more if you want to see photos of him and some of our other pets.

Billy first came to their house when I was visiting Amherst to find housing and to meet my grandmother, Summer 2010. My parents told our neighbour that we had 1 gray cat - named Smoky - and she called me and said that now we have 2 gray cats. When we got back, we searched the backyard for him for a while without success until finally he came out of a rosebush - maybe he was napping - and immediately ran up to my mother, meowing for attention. My mother thought he was so cute. We weren't sure if he was a stray or abandoned, and he had no collar but looked healthy. I checked him for fleas before letting him follow us inside, and he just let me comb him over until he got bored and ran in. My father thought that he was about 10 months old, probably left behind by someone living in a nearby street. I moved to Amherst a month later, so I didn't spend a lot of time with him until more recent years.

This is the earliest photo I have of him, from 2012.

I miss that orange cat, Chester, a lot too. Billy and Chester mostly got along. Chester was already around 10 or 11 when Billy started living here. Chester was well-behaved and a badass adventurous alpha cat, so Billy definitely learned some of Chester's better behaviours over the 5 years that they lived in the house together, including staying out on the porch all night. Billy probably learned the best spots to catch rats from him. When Chester passed on that 2 September in 2015, Billy became the new chief rattenfaenger (Smoky was never much for catching rats). I regret that we never adopted a younger cat or a kitten for Billy to pass on his unique set of behaviours, and it especially stings because he was such an incredibly good cat.

I named him Billy after a friend came over and I asked him if he wanted to help name this cat, since he had helped me pick the name Chester for our new orange cat, back in 2006. He felt that Billy was a friendly name for a friendly cat. Sadly, Billy experienced a rapid deterioration starting in December 2022, becoming noticeable only by the end of December & early January. He went to the vet and recovered for a few months, but ultimately complications from a stroke did him in. After the stroke on 22 April, his recovery stopped and his condition declined quickly. He was so tired and frail at the end. But I cherish his memory, so I'm not going to remember my cat that way.

Billy was mostly friendly with Riley, my brother's dog, and most of the cats in the neighbourhood too. Riley passed in February of this year. Both of them were 14 years old. I tried so hard to keep him alive for the first 5 months of 2023.. but his little body just couldn't take it anymore. So he passed at 09h50, 09 May, 2023. He passed in the backyard, with me by his side.. I had already scheduled his at-home euthanasia for Wednesday. But he didn't even last long enough to reach the vet clinic 2 miles away. Maybe it was selfish of me to think on Monday that I could just have 48 more hours with him. Maybe it was foolish of me to try at all. But I had to. He was a great cat. A great cat is worth fighting for. It's the least we can do to reward him for all the rats he caught over his life. It's been a month and I still miss him. He was with us for 13 years, yet it wasn't enough. All I wanted was for him to survive to the end of summer, because that's a cat's favourite time of year... alas, it was not meant to be.

Even in his old age, Billy preferred to stay outdoors. He was an incredible hunter, primarily of rats, mice, voles, and other small rodents. He definitely caught his share of birds and lizards, but thankfully those weren't his primary targets because there were just so many rats. I estimate that he caught, on average for 10 years, 5 rodents per week. There were many nights that I saw him catch 3 rats in a single evening & night; even ~7 where he caught 5 in a single night. My parents definitely would not have been able to grow a garden or keep the tortoise safe from predation by rats without Billy & Chester staying out most of every evening catching rats. Both of them had outdoor shelters too, or sometimes used the dog's old house. Billy & Chester were both incredible cats. Truly my family has been fortunate to have such wonderful fuzzy creatures.

Billy learned to sit in a chair to eat from Chester, and all the cats since have been doing it. I wish we had more early photos of him, but hard drive space was at a premium. 80% of the 236 photos & videos are from the last 3 years. At some point around 2020, he also learned that he could get attention and better food by banging on the pan, or by tipping over (empty) cups.

Casper, the white cat, came to the neighbourhood some time around ~2013, possibly from our neighbour 2 houses down, already approximately 2 years old. My father was feeding him outside, and he started coming inside and living with us starting in 2019. Billy wasn't exactly fond of him, but they did get close sometimes. He sometiems would steal Casper's dinner. Casper actually came up to cuddle Billy one night when he was sick. Billy also got along with the tortoises too, never really bothering them except for a few sniffs sometimes. Mrs. Slowski liked to try hiding in his fur sometimes when he was asleep, which always scared him. Now that Billy is gone, Casper is the king. The King is dead; All hail the King.

This is the final truly good healthy photo I have of him, from 24 March. I think the only thing keeping him going in the end was love - for me, for my parents, and for this house & neighbourhood. He wanted to stay with us as long as he could because he loved us. And I felt that I had to grant him as much time as possible, because it would be dishonourable to take time away from his life which is so precious to us when he so clearly wanted to stay.

I wish I could tell his original owners - an air force family who received orders to move to somewhere, Colorado, I think - that we loved him so much, that he brought so much joy to this house every day. Right up to the end. I wish I could tell them that when I came home on his Sunday evening, he still tried to run to the car to greet me. I wish I could tell them that he purred and that the sun was shining and the breeze was nice and that Casper and Mrs. Slowski were both there for him during his final moments. And so was I.

Adieu, Billy. I keep telling myself that you're still with me, just in another form. I keep pouring out my spent incense onto your grave, which is near Chester and Riley's graves. You are at peace now. Perhaps I will put together a combination of incenses that I feel represents your memory. I think it would be an eclectic combination of rose, pineapple sage, black pepper, and minty\piney frankincense.

Now, all that's left are his memories, his photos, his impact.. and his love.

If you're reading this, because I want you to depart with thoughts of happier times, here is a short video of Billy slowly sanding me while I scratch his belly - his favourite activity in the world.

[lillianofliterature]

hi lillian! i hope this isn't too intrusive (feel free to disregard) but i saw your post about losing your great-grandmother. how are you? i hope you're feeling a little better and, if not, i hope you're holding up as well as you can<3

thank you so much for checking in on me, anon! it really means a lot. i'm doing as well as i can, but it is the most intense grief i have yet faced. she spent over a decade looking after me and my brother while our single mother was working during the week, essentially helping raise us, and it was very jarring to lose a very close motherly figure so suddenly. the pandemic kept us apart, so we weren't able to be around her very much the last few years, which made the goodbye less shocking but made the guilt worse. anyway, it's just tough stuff to deal with, but i really am managing alright.

i don't know if you believe in this sort of thing, and honestly i'm not even sure what i believe exactly, but she always had a connection to animals (cats specifically) and throughout my childhood always talked about how she would like to be reincarnated as a cat. when she was unresponsive in hospice, the last night i saw her alive, i asked her to find a way to come back and tell us hello, either as a cat or a butterfly---two symbols that have a meaningful history in our family.

on the day of her funeral, a yellow butterfly (specifically a tiger swallowtail, one of her favorites) flew around my shoulder and inches from my face while i watched her casket being lowered next to my great-grandfather.

two months later, on this most recent halloween night, a litter of kittens were randomly running around in our front year during trick-or-treat hours. they came and inspected our porch decorations and left, and an hour later, another one came back and sauntered right up our porch and into our kitchen while we were handing out candy!

now, for context, my parents and i always feed the stray cats, so we're used to seeing quite a few and recognize them easily. but we had never seen these kittens before, nor had any of our frequent strays ever appeared pregnant over the last six months. we believe the litter was dumped in our neighborhood on halloween due to their black coats (black cats unfortunately are treated very ill this time of year due to ridiculous negative superstitions).

we decided to keep the little one that walked into our house--i do believe it was a sign, both from the little kitty wanting a home and also from my great-grandmother saying she heard me while i visited her in hospice although she couldn't speak. unfortunately, we didn't see the other kittens again, despite trying! we're keeping an eye out for them so we can rescue them if possible.

anyway, the kitty is a little boy, he has beautiful black fur and golden brown/yellow eyes, a perfect halloween cat. and i named him Severus (yes, after Snape, lol). i'll include some pictures! he's five months old and has a clean bill of health, despite some tummy issues. he's the most affectionate and clingy cat i've ever met, and i can't believe he's ours. i absolutely adore him and he's given me more energy to keep going and be excited about getting up every day.

sometimes when he looks at me, i swear i see my grandmother looking back, but not always (which makes me believe it more in those little glimpses).

so, all this to say, i'm doing better now, although my grief isn't linear. i think the best thing that's helped me is choosing to recognize the little signs i do believe our loved ones can send us beyond the grave. i don't know how it works or what it means for those of us who are still living, but i do know there is truth to some sort of existence beyond the physically tangible, and that gives me hope. <3

[saiyef]

My family and I had a cat named Misty. After having him for 1 year, he left home and didn’t come back. I made a side blog of all my videos and photos of him here.

On 28th December 2021, I woke up and went downstairs to the living room were kept hearing a high-pitched noise. I looked everywhere, even outside the house, for source of the noise; eventually I looked under the dining table and saw a kitten on one of the chairs mewling. My family bought a cat while I was asleep. A tabby cat with white-grey fur with black stripes and white fur on his paws and mouth. I fell in love with it instantly and left my fleece and scarf on the floor for him to smell and become familiar with my scent.

We named the cat Misty and thought it was a girl who was 10-weeks old at the time we bought him. It turns out we were given a boy who was 5-weeks old instead.

We let Misty out into out back garden where he would go over the fence into our neighbours’ gardens and explore. He usually did this every day before coming back either on his own or when we shook a bag of food, usually at around sundown or before it was about to rain. But, on 22 December 2022, we let him out at night and he never came back. My family and I searched for him, asking the neighbours whose gardens he roams into and putting up posters but we did not succeed. One of the neighbours supposed that because Misty was 1-years old and we didn’t fix him yet (I was thinking about whether we should but I didn’t bring it up to my family before then), he smelled a female cat and ran off to chase it. I kept hoping he’d come back but after months, I think it was safe to say Misty was gone.

My family has decided to get a new cat, which we’ll be getting next week. I think I’ll be happy to have a new cat but I’m also really sad because it feels like Misty is gone and the hope that he’ll come back will be gone with it. I just hope he’s still alive somewhere, either as someone else’s new pet thinking he was a stray or perhaps he turned feral and is living in the wild. Or, on a sadder note, consider that he might have been stolen, as I noticed a poster for a stolen reindeer while out so there were animals getting stolen around that time and someone kept tearing down our lost cat posters.

[toxicsquad]

would the characters mind becoming a cat parent? I've got a kitten and he's officially my son, my life, my everything, and no one will receive as much attention as this cat (except for my dog)

Hi anon! In our team we also love animals, and cats have a special place (we have more than one at home). So it's a pleasure to answer this question and imagine how compatible our characters would be with a little feline.

Zihel: Certainly wouldn't be someone who would take in a kitten for the joy of it (nor would anyone ever recommend that this demon take care of such a fragile living being). But… If he ever had one, it would probably be a stray kitten that would have ended up following him around, ignoring the demon's efforts to scare him away. And, who knows, maybe it would win a little spot in the demon's scorched heart after proving to him that it's a small survivor that, by hissing and scratching, doesn't even fear those who are bigger and stronger than him.

Pin: He's more of a dog person than a cat person, but that doesn't mean he doesn't like all animals (including insects and other things most people find unpleasant). He would love to have a pet, but the brotherhood won't let him. So when no one sees him and he has free time, he feeds and plays with the stray cats around Raziel's church.

Ariel: His life is too busy and, above all, too self-centred to take care of another living being… But, if he ever had the whim to have a cat, it would probably be a pedigree cat. Probably a cat with a diva's name, and who would have more style than many humans. Ariel probably wouldn't like to find everything full of fur, but perhaps he would end up enjoying the silent but faithful company of a cat.

Akane: She has a lot of affinity with these animals. She likes how independent and agile they are, that they know how to take care of themselves and at the same time have that demanding point that lets you know what they want. Sometimes, especially at times when she has felt lonely or low mood, she has considered the possibility of adopting one…. But she has always put the idea out of her mind, because in her current situation she doesn't feel capable of looking after something that depends so much on her. She would be afraid that she would do it badly or that it would end up lost because of her.

Kyeran: To Kyeran they are very spiritual and free animals. Perhaps he would not look for any to take home, precisely because of these beliefs, but of course he would never refuse help or care to any stray kitten that came to the camp. He would feed and care for it as best he could, but always leaving it free to return or not, and of course any animal would feel safe and attracted to Kyeran's calm and gentle energy. A funny image would be to see Kyeran doing his yoga routine with a curious kitten messing up the balance of all the poses.

Maske: With their way of life and their risky job, a cat couldn't enter Maskeguy's life, or so he thinks. They can't say they don't like them, and if they were in an extreme situation where the kitten's life would be in danger, they would resign themselves to taking care of it. Temporarily, at least, until they can find them a decent place to live. Of course, they would not lack any kind of care, and even if they tried to deny it, they would end up getting very attached to the little one… But they would still think the cat would be much better off with someone else, rather than with them.

Hasiel: Everything he knows about cats he's read in books, or in the typical kitten videos on the internet… So he has never thought about living with any feline, and if he had to, he would probably be a bit uncomfortable at first, and he would find this little animal with chaotic impulses unpredictable. One minute they're begging for affection, the next they're biting you and running away… What kind of logic was that? There aren't even answers in the books, humans haven't yet fully understood the nature of cats, so an angel like him, even less so… But we certainly think that, if he were to spend time with one, he would make a perfect companion for Hasiel.

Joe: The question is… Would a cat mind being Joe's companion? Because that would mean being her personal doll… Having his own social networks, being dressed up with accessories all the time, and being asked for impossible tricks. Poor kitty. The truth is that their life would be a bit chaotic, including that sometimes Joe's dispersed brain would forget to feed him… It's a good thing she's not allowed to have pets at church, apart from Chewy, her emotional support goat.

Arael: Like all cute things, she loves kittens and if possible, yes, she would make a good cat mum. She would be the perfect companion for her video game time, and it's said that cats can tell how people feel, so she would relate to them quite a bit. Unfortunately, Hanael would never allow her to have them in the church. So she would probably volunteer at a shelter of some kind so she could be with them.

Ask masterlist

[khalixascorner]

Debt Paid in Soul Part 5

Summary: Tony fully intends to go to the Parker residence simply to claim his latest acquisition, one Peter Parker. When he finds out Peter is in fact his soul mate, things change in ways Tony couldn't have planned or expected. Not that he's complaining. Instead of just another worker for his clubs, he found a smart sexy omega that he's going to keep for the rest of their lives. This is an omegaverse hybrid mob au with a different bingo prompt per chapter.

Tags: Mafia AU, Mob Boss Tony Stark, Soul Bond, Soulmates, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Hybrid AU, Serval Peter, Black Tiger Tony, Dub-con first time, Soulbonds made them do it, Lots of spice and smut, Some fluff too, Dark Tony Stark, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Intersex Omegas, Tony is not a nice person, except to Peter, mention of sex work, Human Trafficking, In that tony makes people pay off debt while working for him, and some of those people work in sex clubs, Size Difference, Tiny Peter, Large Tony, Mild milk kink, Breeding Kink, Dom/sub Undertones, stuffing kink, Size Kink, Tony loves how huge his cock is and making Peter take it, Nipple Play, I don't know, theres lots of omegaverse typical sex tropes, eventual kidnapping and rescue,mild angst but always with a happy ending

Read on AO3 Here Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

View Art Here And here And here

Peter took longer to verify that he was pregnant for sure, but given how pleased and protective Tony was being, he had sort of guessed it was the case. On one hand, he was ecstatic, because he had always wanted a bigger family and being an omega came with the expectations of kits. On the other, he was worried that he was too young and that people would talk. Worse, how would he tell May that he had bound his life closer to Tony’s when she barely tolerated his presence to begin with.

“Something bothering you, kid?” Bucky, one of Tony’s men, asked. The alpha had been assigned as his guard after Peter had gotten the official pregnancy test back with a positive. It had only been a few weeks, but he had already grown to like the alpha, even if he was a bit surly on the outside.

“You can already smell it, can’t you?” Peter asked, a hand going to rest on his belly even as his ears flattened. “I’m supposed to have my dinner with May and I just– I don’t know how to tell her. She’s still so mad about our mating and I want to share this with her but I’m scared of how she’ll react.”

The last was said with a whisper, and Peter wondered if he really should even be telling Bucky, because Tony had assured him when Bucky was assigned that the alpha would remove any threats. Tony had meant it in a positive way, but what if Bucky saw May as a threat?

“Yeah, kid, the scent is noticeable but we can use a neutralizer as long as you don’t stay much past dinner,” Bucky said, his voice careful like he was worried about spooking a stray cat. “You can probably buy yourself another week or two before it becomes obvious. More if you say something came up with school and you miss a dinner or two.”

“I’m gonna lose her, aren’t I?” Peter sobbed. Bucky was quick to gather him up, trying to soothe him even as the tears came faster. Peter tried to get in under control, but the harder he fought to not cry, the worse it got.

Distantly, he heard Bucky calling out, but it was like he was underwater, and everything was garbled and muted. He wanted his kits and his mate, but he wanted his aunt too and to be able to go to school without people whispering about him.

He wasn’t sure how long he cried for, only that when he finally calmed down, it wasn’t Bucky holding him anymore.

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

“There’s my kitten,” Tony murmured as Peter looked up at him with watery eyes. “What’s got my omega so upset?”

“Everything,” Peter replied with a sniffle, and Tony wondered if part of it wasn’t just hormones too. The little omega had been so fragile since his heat, worried about everything and anxious.

“It’ll be alright, ‘mega,” Tony promised, nuzzling at their bond mark. “You know I’ll take care of everything.”

“But you can’t make May stay or people not stare,” Peter retorted, ears flicking in irritation. Tony bit back a chuckle at the glare that accompanied it. His poor omega tried to be fierce but ended up looking more adorable than anything else.

“It’s true, you’ve expressly forbidden me from interfering with your relationship with your aunt, though I think you’d find that I could create common ground if you let me,” Tony said gently. “But I definitely can keep people from staring. I’d just need to make an example of a few of them and no one would dare.”

“I don’t want people hurt because of me,” Peter practically hissed. Then the younger man sagged in his lap. “I just want to have our family. Why is that a bad thing?”

For just a fleeting moment, Tony regretted the path life had put him on. In another time or another universe, maybe his mate would have just been the happy soul mate of a tech mogul or whatever job position Tony would have been. Hell, he was handy around cars, maybe he’d have been a mechanic. If he had, the things haunting his mate wouldn’t have been an issue.

And yet, Tony couldn’t truly regret it because it had brought them together. It had given Tony the resources to provide for his mate in every way and to ensure that his mate was safe from anyone that would try to harm him.

“It’s not a bad thing at all, kitten,” Tony said firmly. “And anyone that can’t accept that doesn’t deserve to be a part of your life. You’re an omega, mated to your soul mate. This is the natural course of things.”

“I know you’re right,” Peter said, leaning his head against Tony’s chest, ear pressed right over Tony’s heart. “I just wish it wasn’t going to come to this.”

Tony gathered Peter in even closer, his tail wrapping around the boy’s waist as he did.

“I love you, sweet omega, and I would go to great lengths to keep you happy,” Tony said, nuzzling the top of Peter’s head. “So tell me how I can help? How can I make this better?”

“Will you come with me? To dinner tonight?” Peter asked. “I’m- I’m scared to tell her by myself.”

“Of course,” Tony said, already pulling out his phone to make arrangements. “And regarding the rest, have you considered doing a home bound learning during your pregnancy. There’s widely documented situations of Omegas preferring to be closer to home to reduce anxiety. I’m sure Columbia would be willing to let you finish the semester at home and then take a leave of absence until the kits are born.”

“You’re sure they will because it’s in their policies or because you’ll make them?” Peter asked wryly.

“Does it matter?” Tony asked, an eyebrow raised. Peter just huffed in response, and closed his eyes as he relaxed into Tony’s arms. Tony let it drop, instead focusing on the work Pepper had sent to him.

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

“Go ahead and arrange it,” Peter said suddenly a few minutes later. “Leaving our den makes me feel sick and anxious anyway.”

Tony nodded and also made a note about getting Peter to see Cho. It couldn’t be good for an omega to be that stressed so early in the pregnancy.

“As you wish, kitten.”

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

They cuddled the rest of the day, waiting until the last minute to get ready and head to May’s. Peter didn’t call ahead to let her know he was bringing Tony, but he figured they could always just give her the news first if she objected to his presence that much.

Climbing the steps to her apartment felt odd despite having done it for so many years. Already, it didn’t feel like home, and instead put him on edge. He fought to keep his ears from going flat, as the last thing he wanted was either her or Tony interpreting it wrong. Especially since Bucky was trailing behind Tony while watching Peter closely.

Tony had said he was just bringing him in case Peter wanted to stay without Tony there, but Peter couldn’t help but think it was something more. Still, he tried to put it out of his mind as they finally reached the door. He knocked and then waited patiently for May to call out if it was unlocked or if he should use his key. It didn’t feel right just walking in anymore either.

May’s voice called out from the other side of the door so Peter pushed it open and stepped in, expecting to find May in the kitchen waiting for him.

He didn’t expect to see a bunch of alphas in dark suits sitting around the living room. For a moment, he was thrown back to the day he met Tony, and he stumbled back into his alpha as panic caused him to freeze.

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

Tony growled as he saw the waiting alphas, and Bucky was quick to slip past them and put himself between the strangers and Peter.

“What is going on here?” May demanded as she came out of the kitchen. She froze briefly when she saw Bucky placed not so discreetly in front of a shaking Peter and a furious Tony.

“That’s what I’d like to know as well, Mrs. Parker,” Tony bit out as calmly as he could. The pheromones pouring off of Peter were making it hard to stay civil, but he doubted his mate would appreciate him lashing out in his aunt’s apartment.

“If I may, Mrs. Parker?” One of the alphas, a canine of some sort, said as he stood. “This actually works in our favor. Mr. Stark, you are being charged with the kidnapping and rape of an omega. There are clear concerns of abuse and until the courts have determined you are not a danger to the boy, we will be taking him into protective custody and putting him in with a foster family.”

For a moment, Tony’s brain froze at the sheer absurdity of the situation.

“I’m sorry what?” he asked, tail twitching behind him. “Buck, did I just hear right? They’re accusing me of kidnapping, raping, and otherwise abusing my mate? And they think they’re going to be allowed to take him away and put him in foster care?”

“That is what they said, Boss,” Bucky replied with feigned disinterest.

“Mr. Stark, I would appreciate if you would respect the charges you face,” the canine started, only to stop when Bucky took a threatening step forward. “Mrs. Parker is suing for custody of her nephew.”

“Peter is literally of age and my soul mate. We bonded and mated on his 18th birthday, and all of the appropriate paperwork was filed to support this,” Tony bit out. “Per federal and New York state laws, that means there is no custody to issue to debate as he is old enough to consent.”

“Mr. Parker is clearly underdeveloped given his size, and any court could see how unhealthy your relationship clearly is when he immediately panics just because he meets a new alpha,” the canine argued and Tony didn’t bother to bite back the growl.

“I’m not afraid of Tony,” Peter declared, lifting his face from Tony’s chest. “He protects me. And I’m not underdeveloped either, I’m just a serval breed. We’re small by nature.”

“You don’t have to defend him honey,” May said, stepping closer only to freeze when Bucky turned his hard gaze to her. “I’ve seen how upset you’ve been these last few weeks. These alphas can help.”

“I’ve been upset because I’m pregnant and I didn’t know how to tell you because this is how you treat my alpha,” Peter shouted, stepping out of Tony’s protective arms. “I’ve been trying so hard since we bonded to get you to give him a chance and you’ve already decided he’s a villain. He’s my soul mate, May. Don’t you understand that? He isn’t just my alpha or my mate, but literally a part of me.”

“You’re- pregnant?” May asked faintly. “Why would you- with him?”

“Because I love him,” Peter said quietly. “He makes me feel safe and he takes care of me. I know you don’t approve of him but that’s how I feel.”

“Baby, you can’t- if you do that, I can’t get you back,” May said, her voice tight.

“What do you mean get me back?” Peter asked, voice suddenly flat.

“I was just trying to do what’s best for you, protect you,” May tried to explain. “There’s laws where you can take legal custody of an Omega to save them from a bad mate.”

“How could you?” Peter asked, his heart breaking. “I, we came here today to tell you about the kits, and to try to mend things between you and Tony. Because I wanted you to still be part of our lives. But this whole time you’ve been going behind my back to try to take me away from my mate.”

May started to speak but Peter just shook his head and put up a hand to stop her.

“I’m sorry, I just, I can’t do this anymore. I thought maybe you’d come around but I can see now that you’re never going to,” Peter said, tears filling his eyes. “This isn’t healthy and I have to think of my kits now.”

“I know you don’t want to hear it but he’s not good for you and you can’t keep those kits or I won’t be able to say you,” May said desperately.

“If you’re talking about the mated marriage laws, then you already can’t,” one of the suited alphas said, voice resigned. “If he’s pregnant and they really are soul mates, the courts will never award you custody Mrs. Parker. They won’t take an omega and it’s kits from the husband if the omega is unwilling to leave.”

“Husband?” Peter asked, his voice trembling as he turned to Tony. “What are they talking about?”

“Legally it’s like a common law marriage,” Tony said carefully. “It’s meant to protect the legal interests of the children and make sure alpha’s can’t just knock anyone up and then not take responsibility for them.”

“So you knew?” Peter asked, his voice small and hurt. Tony sighed and reached into his jacket pocket instead.

“Yeah I knew the law but I was hoping to ask you properly before it mattered,” Tony said, handing Peter the small ring box. “You had mentioned you wanted a proper wedding after all, and our mating was unconventional so I figured I could at least give you this.”

Peter broke down in tears again, and Tony drew him in close, trying to offer comfort to his distressed mate.

“I want to go home, Tony,” Peter said through the sobs.

“Alright kitten, we’ll go,” Tony said, motioning to Bucky. “You go with Buck and wait for me in the car.”

“Want you,” Peter whined, and Tony gave him a gentle kiss.

“I know, ‘mega mine, but I need to make sure we’re in the clear with the suits over there,” Tony murmured. “I’ll be down before you know it.”

It took a few more kisses and nuzzles before Peter allowed Bucky to pull him away, picking up the small omega in a princess carry. Tony gave a short nod to Bucky then turned back to the others in the room.

“I take it there won’t be any further issues gentlemen?” Tony asked pointedly, and the other alphas shook their heads and quickly excused themselves. Once they were gone, Tony turned to May.

“Bravo,” he said, giving a small clap. “I couldn’t have engineered this better if I had planned it all myself. You know, you do the loving parent bit so well, that even I didn’t expect the crazy kidnapping plot. But I know better now.”

“I was just trying to protect him from you, you monster,” the woman hissed, tail fluffing and ears going flat.

“I may be a monster, Mrs. Parker,” Tony said, his eyes hard and cold. “But I love Peter. He’s the other half of my soul and there are no lengths I wouldn’t go to in the name of protecting him and keeping him happy. You’d do well to keep that in mind.”

“Is that a threat, Stark?” May asked with a low growl.

“Just a friendly reminder. Because know this Mrs. Parker. I haven’t done a single thing to drive Peter from you,” Tony said. “I’ve let the kid make his own decisions and handle your how he wanted because he’s my mate and I want him happy. But now you’ve endangered him and our kits. So now, I will be stepping in. And it will be a long time before you see him again.”

“You can’t do that,” May argued.

“Oh but I can,” Tony practically purred as he stalked towards her, tail flicking away as he did. “You were so worried about me taking him away when in reality all I had to do was sit by and let you dig the hole deeper and deeper as I played kind understanding mate.”

“You bastard, I’ll get him back,” May spit, but Tony just grinned wider.

“And how are you going to do that?” Tony asked. “You’ve endangered him, tried to kidnap him from his mate. No one would side with you now. You’ve lost, Mrs. Parker. And you’d do well to accept that.”

“You can’t just-just replace me,” May sputtered. “I raised him.”

“And now he’s going to be raising his own family, as is the way of things,” Tony agreed. “He doesn’t need you anymore, and after today, he doesn’t want you either.”

May looked like she’d been slapped and Tony stepped back, satisfied.

“I see you finally get it. Enjoy the rest of your life.”

With that, Tony turned and didn’t look back. Bucky was waiting for him at the car, and Peter climbed into his lap sleepily for the ride home.

“Wha’ took you so l’ng?” Peter mumbled as Happy drove.

“Just had to make sure everyone was on the same page,” Tony said. “Now rest kitten.”

“M’kay, love you T’ny,” Peter murmured happily.

“Love you too,” Tony replied with a soft smile and a gentle kiss to his curls. Love you enough to do whatever it takes to protect you, even if you wouldn’t like it, Tony added to himself. One day, Peter would understand.