#Fluffball Foundation

[thepermanentrainpress]

THE PERMANENT RAIN PRESS INTERVIEW WITH EMMANUELLE VAUGIER

You are reprising your role as Tara Kendall in Big Sky River: The Bridal Path. Did you always hope to explore this character further? Did you have high hopes for a sequel when you filmed Big Sky River?

Absolutely! We had such a great time filming the first one. Everyone clicked and the chemistry was so good, I think we were all excited about the potential for a sequel.

How has Tara grown, personally, and adjusted to life back in Parable? Are there any doubts about leaving her life back in New York? 

Taking a leap of faith and making big life changes can be challenging. But when Tara sees all the positive signs around her… a sense of community, quality of life, healthy relationships, and a sense of peace… I can relate to how this would affirm you’ve made the right choice for yourself and your family. 

Tara and Erin have a beautiful relationship. What do you enjoy about their interactions, and working so closely with Cassidy Nugent?

Erin is the daughter Tara never had. Tara cares deeply for Erin, and they are very close, but there is a healthy boundary between their friendship and Tara’s role as a parent. Working with Cassidy is a treat, she’s a talented young actress and she always brings her A-game.

I know in this sequel, Erin will further struggle with where she fits in, with her father and I presume, Bethany, having a child of their own. How will Tara and Erin’s relationship be tested with this new revelation?

I think the tests that present themselves help Erin and Tara’s relationship grow and evolve. They learn to communicate more openly which not only strengthens their bond but helps Erin trust that she can have that with her father too.

How about having Sawyer Fraser (Fletcher) and John JJ Miller (Griffin) on set? Did you create that family atmosphere behind the scenes as well?

We definitely all bonded behind the scenes. Hard not to. Since we’d already worked together the year before, there was a level of comfort and a sense of family between us. 

You also got to work opposite Kavan Smith as Boone Taylor. How is he as a scene partner and person?

Kavan is one of the most genuine people I’ve had the opportunity to work with, on and off the screen. He’s also pretty funny… so there's always lots of joking around and laughter during our downtime. 

You didn’t have any initial chemistry read, so you really had to build that relationship and chemistry during filming; in these circumstances, how do you work with a new love interest to find that communication and comfort level?

Often times that’s the case and you just have to jump in and hope for the best. Kavan and I met a few times before we started filming. We got to know each other better and talk about some of our scenes. We’d worked together a bunch of years ago, but we didn’t really know each other beyond that.

What intrigues you about Tara and Boone’s connection, and what can you share about how their relationship has progressed in the sequel?

I love how open, honest and grounded their relationship is. They are met with some challenges and the script tackles them in a very real way.

These films highlight hard, real-life situations like divorce, widowhood, and blended families. What do you hope viewers take away from the movies and how it approaches these subjects?

I feel the movie handles these situations gracefully. I hope viewers can find comfort in knowing that they are not alone. Life throws curve balls at all of us, and what that looks like is different for everyone. 

You are an animal lover and an equestrian, so these films fulfill that love that you have for animals. Was that a motivating factor for you to sign onto this project? Can we expect more horse riding?

Ha! Having horses be a part of the film was a huge factor for me. I got to go to work every day and be surrounded by animals, it was magical! I do ride again in the sequel. I’m hoping that going forward we’ll see Tara and Boone on horses more often.

Peter Benson stars as Tara’s ex-husband, James, but is also the director of both films. How was it working with Peter and under his direction? Do you think his experience as an actor affects or maybe benefits how he works behind the camera and interacts with the cast/crew?

Peter was amazing. His experience as an actor definitely gives him an advantage when directing. He knows how to talk to actors, and how to communicate in terms that we can easily understand. There’s a shorthand. He has a great eye and is always very positive and supportive.

Did you film both in Abbotsford?

We did. We used the same location for Tara and Boone’s homes. It’s such a great property. I felt so lucky that that was my “office” for several weeks.

You founded The Fluffball Foundation and Relief Fund. Tell me about when that idea/passion became a reality for you, and the non-profits and charities that your sales and work support.

I’ve always loved animals, and I was looking for a way to give back. Naturally, animal charities were what I was drawn to. Initially, I hosted a small event at my home in LA back in 2010. We’ve raised money and awareness through online campaigns as well as our cocktail events for a variety of charities over the years. Best Friends Animal Society, The Animal Hope and Wellness Foundation, as well as Forgotten Horses Rescue. We’ve recently chosen to assist in raising funds and awareness for HorsesnHeroes.org in Ocala, Florida.

As you mentioned, you have a new partnership with Horses N Heroes. What can you tell me about them, and the exciting plans you have for future events?

We’ve just started working together, so we are still in the process of figuring out the details. But part of that is finding out what the organization needs in way of supplies, etc. to help keep things running smoothly and to ensure the young girls and retired horses are cared for. The program takes in retired show horses that will live out their golden years at the ranch, teaching young girls from a variety of complicated backgrounds, how to ride and care for them under the guidance and supervision of founder Mindy Morrow. 

You are of French Algerian and Italian descent; how important is your heritage and culture to you, and how do you stay connected with it on an everyday basis?

It’s part of who I am. Traveling and experiencing the culture first hand in those countries. That's when I feel most connected.

You love connecting with your fans, preferably off social media or at least have that face-to-face interaction. You’ve guested at Galaxy Con, Clexa Con, Dragon Con and Supernatural conventions in the past; how much do you miss these events? Do you have any upcoming appearances?

Meeting fans in person is always really cool. I love hearing how a particular show or role was meaningful to them and why. I’ve been so touched by many of the stories fans have shared with me over the years. I haven’t done a live event in probably 3 years. I’ll be going to my first one in a long while this coming September 21, 22 and 23 at the Salt Lake City FanX. 

When people tell you how much your work and your characters have impacted and inspired them, what does that mean to you?

The whole point of a performance, to me, is to move people. If I’ve impacted them in some way, then I’ve done my job. 

You joined TikTok in 2021. How has it been for you, navigating that social media platform?

I’m still figuring it out. Lol.

You’ve had an illustrious career so far, how would you say you’ve grown as an artist? What are the most important lessons you’ve learned in your industry?

The most important thing I’ve learned is how to say no. I have much healthier boundaries around my work and personal life. Balance is healthy. I’m happier. 

If you could be any ice cream flavor, which would you be and why?

Salted Caramel. Because I’m sweet… but I can definitely be salty!

-

Thanks to Emmanuelle and Lesley Diana (The Promotion People). Big Sky River: The Bridal Path premieres Friday, August 11 at 9/8c on Hallmark. 

Photo credit (cover) to: Erich Saide

[catsofcalifornia]

Cinnamon and Lady Catherine from Feral Cat Foundation in Alamo, California

Click here for more information about adoption and other ways to help!

Click here for a link to Feral Cat Foundation's main website.

Cinnamon and Lady Catherine are a bonded pair of fluffy 7-year-old cats. (Might be siblings; we are not sure.) Theirs is a bit of a hard-luck story, and they have some special needs. They’re looking for that special home to help them blossom, so if you think that might be yours, read on!

Six years ago, the two fluffballs were trapped in a retail parking lot as part of a feral cat fixing program. Both seemed pretty feral at first, but with one needing extra medical care and both being so doggone cute, their rescuer just couldn't bear to return them to the parking lot. She kept them at her home and worked with them, seeing substantial progress over time.

Cinnamon is a cute-as-can-be orange male cat. When he first came to us, his tail was dragging on the ground. It was found to have permanent nerve damage and had to be amputated. He didn’t seem to miss it, and has just a cute little nub on his backside now. Cinnamon has developed a sweet, demure and laid-back personality. He has such a lovable begging face when he wants pets, purrs very loudly and looks so serene when he receives them!

After some time in foster care, Cinnamon was noticed straining to urinate and was found to have bladder stones. He had surgery to remove them, and thereafter was placed on a prescription diet formulated to keep the bladder crystals from recurring and forming into stones. Right now he’s primarily eating Hills S/O dry food. (Increasing the amount of wet food would probably be even better if you can.) At any rate, he’s been maintaining on the diet for several years now, and the bladder issue has not recurred. To check up on him, we had an ultrasound done very recently, and the vet found no signs of additional stones forming. So, it’s a good indication that the diet is working as planned and keeping him healthy. The food is easy to obtain, and while it is a little more expensive than regular cat food, it’s not outrageous.

Lady Catherine is a drop-dead gorgeous calico female and Cinnamon’s best buddy. She is shyer than Cinnamon, and would require a good dose of patience as she settles into a new location. Once she gets to know someone, she can be quite friendly, rubbing coquettishly on the cat tree and hoping for a visit. She does blow a bit hot and cold and sometimes just isn’t in the mood at all. We are sure that with more personalized attention, she would continue to blossom further and really get the chance to live her best life.

For convenience since they are roommates, Lady Catherine has been eating the same food as Cinnamon (it doesn’t hurt for her to eat it, even though she doesn’t require it).

What is so much fun about these two, is watching them interact together. They spend most of their time sitting and cuddling together, or sort of weaving around each other with purrs and nuzzles. It is really sweet to see how much they love each other!

A couple years ago, this pair actually did get adopted. Their new dad adored them but tragically, he passed away unexpectedly, and the family called the rescue to come repossess the cats. They had been blissfully happy in the home, and they do not understand why they had to come back to foster care. From this experience, we know Cinnamon and Catherine would need a quiet home with patient person(s) willing to take it slow. It would probably go best to keep them in one room of the house for a month or possibly a couple months until they acclimate. They would not be a good fit for a home with kids or dogs; they have gotten very accustomed to quiet adults. They do get along great with other cats, but of course there is the food requirement so if there are other cats eating other food in the home, you’d need a method to separate Cinnamon for feeding (which certainly is not impossible and we can talk about strategies for this, if that’s your situation).

Both kitties are about 7 years old at this time. I know most people will think this is too old for a new cat… keep in mind however that with proper care, indoor kitties typically live 15-20 years. Cinnamon and Lady Catherine have a whole “ACT TWO” ahead of them! They are special kitties, and so very deserving of that second chance to live their best life. They have been fixed, brought up to date on vaccinations, and tested FIV/FELV negative. They have always done a great job of using the litterbox! There is an adoption donation to the Feral Cat Foundation (an all-volunteer organization, which helped get them out of a bad situation and provided all of their medical care) to help us continue our work with homeless cats. If you would like to meet this fluffy pair or have any questions, please reach out by phone or email!

[pokemonshelterstories]

So ive got an eevee, gotten a everstone pendent collar, and have stuff like bed, food, some toys ect but i admit i dont know a lot about raising one. A breeder friend needed someone to eggsit and this adorable little gray ball of fluff popped out last and kicked up the biggest fuss when he tried to take the babies back so we've agreeded i should probably raise him.

well, to be honest i'm a little concerned your breeder friend hasn't given you a list of what you need or pointed you to some resources...a good breeder always vets their clients and makes sure they know what they're getting into. ideally, no pokemon should ever be a surprise!

eevee are energetic pokemon, and you'll need to make sure that you've eevee-proofed your house. they're both diggers and chewers, and they need a LOT to do to keep them from becoming destructive. be prepared for lots of walks and lots of play! in return, you can generally expect a pokemon that is intelligent and eager to please, and the bond that an eevee forms with its trainer really is special.

if you're not a battler, i think it's a good idea not to actively try to evolve your eevee- but i also don't really recommend an everstone for eevee. eevee are one of the pokemon that are most susceptible to something called evolutionary stasis syndrome. it's a bit of a catchall term for a variety of issues related to the prevention of evolution. most pokemon can go without evolving, but eevee's genetic makeup is so unstable that preventing an eevee from evolving can result in complications ranging from minor behavioral issues to severe problems like anorexia. it's the only reason why i didn't give my umbreon an everstone when she was an eevee, and it's also the reason why i warn eevee owners to be prepared to commit to an eeveelution!

hope everything works out with your lil fluffball! as with any other pokemon, good training and enrichment are the best foundation for a successful partnership. communicate with your vet if you have concerns, enroll in an obedience class if you need help training, and give your new baby lots of snuggles for me!

[unofficial-scps]

uSCP-8342 "The Fluffball"

Object Class: Safe

Special Containment Procedures: uSCP-8342 is to be contained in a standard humanoid containment cell. The cell is to be furnished with a soft bed, toys, and treats to ensure uSCP-8342's comfort. uSCP-8342 is to be fed a specialized diet provided by the facility staff. Regular check-ups with a veterinarian are also required.

Description: uSCP-8342 is a small, fluffy creature resembling a mix between a rabbit and a kitten. Its fur is soft and white, and its eyes are large and blue. uSCP-8342 has the ability to emit a high-pitched sound that has been shown to elicit positive emotional responses in humans.

When uSCP-8342 is in close proximity to humans, it will emit a sound that causes feelings of joy, calmness, and contentment. This effect is strongest when uSCP-8342 is physically touching the individual. The effect lasts for approximately 30 minutes after separation from uSCP-8342.

Testing has shown that uSCP-8342's ability to induce positive emotions is not affected by distance or barriers, as long as the individual is aware of uSCP-8342's presence. uSCP-8342 has shown no signs of aggression and has been cooperative with Foundation staff.

Addendum: Due to the positive effects uSCP-8342 has on individuals' emotional well-being, it has been approved for use in therapy sessions for Foundation personnel. All requests to spend time with uSCP-8342 must be approved by the facility supervisor.

[mother-plaguebringer]

*A rabbit the size of MINISCULE-FLUFFBALL TM hops up*

Soup! Would you like some eldritch goop boiled softly into a stew from the legendary dimension called EARTH? The Foundation didn't even try to contain it this time!!

Bunny! I've missed you! I would love some soup, thank you!

*She takes the bowl and inspects it for a moment*

Is it... is it supposed to be squirming around like that...?

[former-proffessor-and-policeman]

Is the ai really gonna go after Yuri? What could it possibly know?

Syobai had quickly left the hospital seemingly speed walking down the street.

"It doesn't know shit, it's a petty bastard like sannoji was."

"And with my personal experience on bastards like them, its going to go over to that fluffballs house and pull some bullshit...So I should hurry over quick."

"And no blabbing to the foundation freaks, they aren't going to be much help here, I have a hunch on it."

[aplushemporium]

headcanon that helped set the foundation for my muse ! for any of them really :O

let me talk to u about headcanons !

//I think just me wanting to appreciate like the supporting cast, the behind the scene folks, the customer service characters was why I decided to take on Waddle Dees as a ...idk how to describe it but like, a swarm...?

//Like people kept focusing on the fighters in smash, with the few assist trophy exceptions. And figuring that mansions USUALLY got staff to take care of cooking and stuff got me thinking that the Waddle Dees got that covered since they're HAL created and well, are known to serve King Dedede in mundane fashions in the Kirby anime and sort of in the games too.

//Of course now that services role is shared with Miis and other species too, and technically the Smashers can (or rather SHOULD) take care of their own messes, but I still appreciate the fluffballs and humanoids for helping to maintain a sense of cleanliness and sating hunger.

[cupiscent]

This is goin to be a long ranting session so bare with me lol. I love your previous talk about Neil being TP’s “First Love” so much I need to sit down and have some reflection about it. When you said that Neil, from TP’s perspective, is a blooming possibility that turned to be “the potential that getting cut short”, I got super excited because I, too, go for a familiar interpretation. I totally agree with you about how we tend to think less about TP’s backstory. I guess it’s because it doesn’t contribute much to the plot as a whole. Here, the question of what kind of person he was is more important than how and why he became the person he was at the time the movie took place. And the entire film just keeps showing that he’s a kind-hearted, sensitive alpha fluffball with a sharp wit. The fact that he chose to work for FBI possibly reflects his crave for action, a sense of control, and orders that he could follow. But, he’s not a sadist who loved violence and bloodshed, he’s more of an idealist. The way he jumped at the whole time travel business right away after hearing the-world-is-in-danger kinda stuff speaks loud and clear (yes, he was in doubt at first because everything sounded shady af, but the reverted bullet already did all the talking.

It’s impossible to know what he thought about relationships, but we know he’s a smart guy, and a smart guy who knew what’s best for him. He might even want to have a lover. He had his squad that's willing to die for him. I'm sure he loved having a pack or someone to trust his life with. But objectively speaking, romantic relationship and family are vulnerability. And judging from his personality, I can’t picture TP is capable of bringing someone to his life, fully-known what this line of job can affect both of them. To some extent, I can see him having relationship when he was younger or during his FBI training but definitely not after joining a full force. And this is why the arrival of Neil is important.

No one’s gonna tell me that TP wasn’t attracted to Neil since his first contact with the man. It’s already intriguing enough to meet someone for the first time who seems to know a bit too much about you. Then the mission called, this incident was lost at the bottom of the memory. But, Neil just kept on being himself, and in no time a fond smile was already on TP’s face. You see, Neil wasn’t ordinary people, he’s an agent who’s well aware of what they were dealing with. A person who understands all the risks and the nature of their job. And a person whom TP found himself enjoying a company with and eventually trusted. And, trust is a good foundation for love. For me, Neil might not be TP’s first love, but he’s someone who he CAN be in love with. Here is the chance of having a possibility, and I think it’s a journey that TP’s looking forward to. After they saved the world, he might think, they would have time. There’s an infinite opportunity to nourish this connection so it can bloom to be a beautiful friendship or something more. Before everything crumbled down right in fron of him when he witnessed what lied at the end of their story. It’s like reading the last page of a book you’re still half-way into it. Now, it's entirely up to him what he’s gonna do about the chance he had in his hands now. Is he gonna love Neil with his entire soul so that it makes his sacrifice worth or will he spare himself for a second heartbreak. (Sorry about the spacing I don't know why it's like this lol.)

I’m loving all of this! 😍 I love your summary of the Protagonist, I totally agree with that assessment that he wouldn’t want to have any partner have to deal with this life of his, and I am totally into that point about Neil and trust and love--trust is demonstrated as such a big deal in the movie, so that just feels spot on. And then “After they saved the world, he might think, they would have time”--OOF, right in the feels! 🥺 

That final dilemma you outline is perfect, it is the tension in a recruiting-Neil, we-get-up-to-some-stuff fic. It’s such an understandable and human dilemma, in such a crazy scenario, and that’s what makes this pairing so compelling for me.

Thank you for this lovely long reflection! It was a wonderful, thorough trip. 🥰

[anggecity]

Pag-asa, the late Philippine Eagle

Pag-asa is best known for being the first Philippine Eagle bred and hatched in captivity.  He remains an icon of biological heritage conservation upon hatching in January 15, 1992.

The Philippine Eagle is a giant bird of prey that can only be seen in 4 islands in the Philippines – Luzon, Samar, Leyte and Mindanao. It is considered to be one of the largest and most powerful among forest raptors. —Philippine Eagle Foundation

Image from the website of the Philippine Eagle Foundation.

The Philippine Eagle was discovered in 1896. Before it was known as its common name by virtue of Proclamation No. 615, it was dubbed the “monkey-eating eagle” after the bird was alleged to prey on monkeys. 

The Philippine Eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi) seems interesting in its own way. Its eaglets are fluffy—fluffballs that appear to least reflect the fact that it will grow to a large bird of prey. But even as an adult, it exhibits a graceful coat of browns.

Image from Reddit.

Philippine eagle pairs remain loyal to one another; they are monogamous. They lay a single egg for every two years, and a pair will alternate in incubation for 58 to 68 days. A couple will not lay another egg unless their offspring is able to fend for itself.

Image of Pag-asa as an eaglet from the Philippine Eagle Foundation via PanahonTV. This was the reference pic I used!

The namesake of Hope may have soared beyond its physical home, but he has passed on this legacy. His only offspring Mabuhay and many other captive-bred eagles carry on this little triumph. 

Hopefully, we can build hope in various spaces, where one of these will be the co-existence of humans and nature and conservation of creatures unique in our areas.

[theadventurek9]

Hello, I was wondering if I could pick your brain a little bit since you are basically doing everything I want to do with my dog. If all goes well, I will hopefully be picking up my Australian cattle dog puppy around Christmas. I know the early puppy stage is super important, but honestly all the information out there is a bit overwhelming. So... What should I focus on for a good foundation? links and resource appreciated.

Of course! I’d love to help! First though, I hope all goes well and you have a nice round fluffball for christmas!

There is so much information out there. I know I was incredibly overwhelmed when I was preparing to get Aayla. I wanted her to be a model citizen and my adventure companion. So I’ll list the things that I did with her I think that shaped her into a stable dog, and some things I wish I would have done differently. Okay so I wrote a lot more than I expected, I’m sorry!

In short, do a lot of socializing your dog to all different people, animals and environments. Crate train, do puppy group classes, use puzzle feeders, and reward your dog for being good! Find groups that train in events you might want to do. Volunteer, attend trials and so on. Even better if you can crate and walk around your dog way before they trial at other practices and trials. Let your dog sniff on a long line for walks. Don’t do any jumping/repetitive activity until full grown. Have fun!

If you wanted the long answer!

Research the breed! Know what you are getting! Talk to people who have raised cattle dog puppies. Whether that be the breeder, someone here on tumblr, or so on. I know that we both have herders so the main thing that is common is the nipping! They are bred to bite ankles, they are bred to snap at things that get into their face. Watch videos of working cattle dogs. Herders like to feel like they are in control and like to put animals in their place. Be prepared to walk around with a toy in your pocket. Redirect redirect redirect! Cattle dogs are a hard tempered breed, they tend to be opinionated! So you may have to work harder with socializing and basic husbandry more than your happy golden. Yet they are fun dogs! I’ve always liked them. If you’re looking into getting into dog sports or adventuring they thrive in it!

Crate training Do it. Its something you will use like crazy if you get into dog sports. It will give you peace of mind, helps potty training, and helps a dog learn to settle.

Socializing Okay so I’m constantly doing research on this. With my next puppy I will do some things the same and some things different. I want to my puppy to experience a lot of different people. Adults, kids, babies, elderly, men, women, people in uniform, people with walkers, and everything I can think of. Yet that doesn’t mean I want everyone saying hello and playing with my puppy. If I had another confident puppy I would err on the side of really polite people, who will listen to rules, can reward for sits, and maybe some petting if the puppy can remain calm. No jumping, no over aroused mental state. A nervous or shy puppy, can get food rewards dropped around the people they are unsure of, but are never forced to interact. Puppy doesn’t want to be pet, puppy does not get pet. Yet in general, just being around all these people while getting ignored. Great places for this are parks with playgrounds, home depot, lowes, breweries (non busy hours), coffee shop patios, neighborhood schools when kids get out, and any other dog friendly locations. As for dog socializing, the more I learn the more I find that puppy class socializing is not ideal. Find friendly, calm OLDER dogs (3+ years) for your puppy to interact with. Older dogs that are willing to correct without harming or terrifying your puppy. If you don’t have access to that, then do try to find a puppy socializing class. Your puppy should be around (but doesn’t have to play!) with a lot of different dogs.

Let your dog, be a dog. Let your dog sniff on walks, get a long line and give them some freedom. Let them explore and discover their world and not feel so confined to your side. If you have safe areas that you can let your dog off leash, (and you know they won’t take off) I’m a big advocate that off leash walking is really healthy for your dog’s mental health. But that being said, your dog should not bother any other person or dog. So make sure you have enough awareness of your soundings and a good enough recall to leash them when you are around others. Be safe, and I’m not telling you to break leash laws. If you can’t off leash, then long line is amazing!

Loose leash training started with Aayla the moment she came home pretty much. People often start way later and let their dog yank them around. I started around the house and back yard. If she pulled, I simply didn’t walk until she loosened the leash herself. I also rewarded walking with me, at my speed heavily. Aayla has pretty great leash manners 90% of the time.

Kibble in a bowl is a waste Kongs, puzzle feeders, snuffle mats, pupcicles and training are all ways Aayla ate as a puppy. Everyday I measured out the amount of food she should be eating, then had one bowl with a little of that kibble for every room in my house that Aayla had access too. Whenever I saw a behavior I liked from her, I had rewards close by to give to her. I rewarded chewing on toys, settling, laying on her bed, calling her name and she came to me...and so on. Then the rest of food was given in kongs or puzzle feeders when I couldn’t watch her and she needed to be in a playpen or crate.

Puppy classes I already mentioned I’m not the biggest fan of the puppy crazy play time. Yet if done well the play can be good. There should be short sessions of play with lots a toys and things to explore. It shouldn’t just be an empty room where all the puppies do is wrestle with each other. But I do have to say that getting into puppy obedience classes is really good for your dog. Aayla attended group classes her whole first year. We didn’t need help learning the basics, it was an opportunity for Aayla to learn to work with me in a distracting environment with other dogs and people around.

Find a community. So whatever sports your want to do, find clubs and trainers early. See if they have puppy level classes. They will help with a lot of the early stuff if they are good. Offer to volunteer at events! If you can bring your puppy (after 4 month vax) and have them crated at classes, events and trials. They will be a pro by the time you actually are ready to show yourself! Walk them around trials, and get them used to the environment. Plus let me tell you, getting into dog sports is SO MUCH EASIER when you have people that know whats going on to help you.

Don’t rush it - Spend a lot of time just enjoying your puppy. Go on leisurely walks, play together, not everything has to be super intense training. You have to wait for a lot of stuff for after their growth plates fuse anyways! So no jumping higher than their elbows, and no consistent jumping until after a year at least. Save any repetitive movement (like weave poles, playing strenuous fetch (think chuck-it stick until dog is tired)) until after a year as well. 

Keep it positive - Your puppy has no idea whats right and wrong. They are not (and never will) do anything out of spite or to get you back. They just don’t know what you want or how to be a good dog. So its important to have a lot of patience to help shape them into mature dogs. Reward reward reward. If you are able to ignore your puppy, they should be getting rewarded. The more fun you make training, the more fun it will be and the more your dog will want to work with you. 

Okay so I can’t think of anything else right now, though I’m sure I’m missing a lot. If you know what sports/activities you’re interested in I can give more details on those as well! Otherwise here are some resources for you!

+After You get your puppy - Ian Dunbar (Pretty great details on most common things, good read)

https://www.dogstardaily.com/files/downloads/AFTER_You_Get_Your_Puppy.pdf

+Fenzi classes are great! For a new puppy I’d look at a lot of the foundation classes. 

They have a self study that is: Raising a Performance Puppy

https://www.fenzidogsportsacademy.com/index.php/courses/24

Kikopup on youtube has some great puppy videos!

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLF26FD559887E7EA4

If you let me know what else you’re trying to get into sport wise I can provide more resources too! 

Podcasts : Drinking from the Toilet and Cogdog Radio 

[sexycontainmentprocedures]

I think I look better (read: more like a Foundation operative) with the sides of my head shaved tbh, I'm kind of a fluffball in the trans poster remake for instance

[pjbehindthesun]

chapter 14: gossamer truths

Monday, October 22nd, 1990

“I swear to Christ, Cora, I’ve given haircuts to sticky, sugar-hyped children who sit still better than you do…”

“Maybe if you bribed me with sugar, I’d be a more pleasant customer. What takes so fucking long anyway?”

My brother grabs a fistful of my hair and holds it up for me to see in the tiny bathroom mirror. “You can’t be serious, Cousin Itt. When was the last time you got a trim?”

“Uhm, counting that time I cut it myself in the lab because the ends fell into the Bunsen burner?”

“I’m gonna fucking faint,” Patch steadies himself dramatically on the sink, taking several deep breaths. At the sound of a knock on the door, he bolts out of the bathroom, and I hear the typical high-pitched yell he lets out whenever he sees Lucy. I pluck at the ends of my hair and decide he got it looking healthy enough that I can put an end to my torture, so I pull off the apron and go out after him.

Patch is in the kitchen, filling up the big Erlenmeyer flask to hold the armful of purple irises Lucy's cradling.

“We don’t deserve you,” I hug her as I take the flowers off her hands and pass them to Patch to trim. “What's the occasion?”

“Irises like that don't need an occasion,” she insists, “but if you need one, isn't the show enough? I just left some across the hall.”

“The guys are at the Off Ramp already, yeah?”

She nods, letting loose one of those huge smiles of hers that make her look otherworldly, almost glowing.

“I'm so excited,” Patch chimes in from the sink, “I get to see this man of yours in action! Is he good?”

“He’s amazing, you’re gonna love... Holy shit, Pat, did you actually manage to cut her hair?” Lucy rounds on me, trying to tug on the ends of my hair before I dodge her.

“Yeah, yeah,” I mutter, but I have to grin at my brother because he’s beaming with pride.

“You gotta admit, Cor, you were starting to look like… what’s the guy, you know, the whatchamacallit, from the thing…” Lucy snaps her fingers at us while she wrinkles up her nose in concentration.

“Thanks for narrowing it down…?”

“The monster, the one Bugs Bunny used to outsmart.... the big shaggy red one with the tennis shoes, what was his name?”

Patch chokes out through laughter, “yes, oh my god, the ginger fluffball in Converse… how have I never noticed that?”

“I resemble that remark!” I pout. “I’d forgotten all about that one… did he even have lines, let alone a name?”

“Something ironic… Tiny, or Dainty, or… GOSSAMER!” She and Patch high-five.

“We solved life’s most important question. Yay. Now we can all die happy,” I monotone.

“Not until we reenact the best part,” Patch grins maniacally, glancing at Lucy who returns the evil expression.

“You’re gonna blow me up with sticks of dynamite? Not likely. I’m the only one here who knows how to make a proper bomb…”

“No, dumbass, the makeover,” he cackles, adopting a Bugs Bunny lisp. “Myyy stars, where did you EVER get that awful hairdo??”

“I’d prefer the dynamite. Which, if I remember correctly, is how the makeover ended anyway.”

“Fuck YEAH, you’ll look like dynamite. Do you even have any makeup in the house?”

Lucy snorts. “Gossamer? You know her better than that. I’ll go downstairs and get my bag.”

She makes for the door as Patch’s smile grows increasingly menacing. Just as she disappears, he calls out, “CURLING IRON!”

“Got it!” her voice echoes down the hall.

My brother’s evil giggle drowns out my exasperated grumble. “Why in the hell are we bothering, Patch?”

“Hmm?” He bats his eyelashes innocently. The problem with siblings is you’re working from the same playbook. After all, you wrote the goddamn thing together.

“Why are we bothering to doll me up?” I flop on the couch with maximum drama. Two can play this game.

“Because it’s fun?”

“For whom? I’m pretty sure you got whatever gene I was supposed to get that makes any of this shit fun. For me, it just feels like I’m a sheep walking on its hind legs.”

“Oh, baa-haa,” he fake-cries in a sheepy bleat, gathering up my hair and evaluating his work. “Just let me have my simple joys, huh? Brush, brush, comb, comb… all girls who like to brush and comb should have a pet like this at home.”

There it is, his kill shot. Suddenly I’m 7, and he’s 3, and I’m teaching him to read in our old house. I had the smaller room between the two of us, but it had a big walk-in closet, and I’d stolen a bunch of pillows and one of Dad’s lava lamps to turn it into a reading nook. It was my safe place. Ours, when the arguing would get bad.

“Okay, fine,” I sigh, “just don’t make me look too ridiculous, I have a reputation to uphold.”

“You doubt me? Just wait until Alex sees you all scrubbed up.”

“Hmph.”

He starts gathering up his supplies, and I decide to maintain my objections via grudging silence, inspecting my fingernails, rather than explain to my kid brother why Alex’s opinions aren’t going to matter. If my relationship is dead, lipstick and a curling iron aren’t going to revive it.

I don’t know whether it is or not, I guess. I just know neither of us has been really invested in this thing for what feels like months. I can probably count on one hand the number of times we’ve slept together this year, for Christ’s sake, I can’t even remember when the last time was. Never a good sign. But the most troubling part is that it doesn’t even feel like a problem most of the time… it’s like we’re roommates. Okay, maybe more affectionate than your average roommates, but almost more out of habit than anything else, like we’re just playing house. And then there was that bullshit with the airport a few weeks ago… I should have just ended it then. Obviously we’re done here, and I should have just let him off the hook. Why didn’t I do it? I start picking at a hangnail that’s been bothering me for a few days, but of course, that just makes it worse.

I know precisely why I didn’t do it then. I’m responsible for Alex. For this whole life we have here. For him picking up and moving away from his whole life at home, and his was a lot happier than mine… what the hell kind of person am I if I don’t take this obligation seriously and try to stick it out through our problems?

And in his defense, it’s gotten better recently. Having Patch around, remembering how good Alex is with my family… it's almost been enough to make it feel like the old days. But it feels hollow somehow. Performative. Temporary. And when the shine wears off again, then what? Back to the same slow atrophy? Or do you just pull the plug?

Careful. Don’t ask a question you don’t want an answer to.

I’m saved from answering myself, if you can call it salvation, by Lucy bursting back through the door with armfuls of additional instruments of glamour and a deeply distressing amount of enthusiasm, which is mirrored if not amplified by Patch. They drag me into the bathroom, where I sit down on the toilet lid, pouting.

“Okay, let's get this over with, just don't make me look like some common trollop, yeah?”

“Only the fanciest of trollops. Got it. Here, moisturize.”

I do as I’m told while Patch heats up the curling iron and starts clipping up my hair, and Lucy rummages through her makeup bag.

“That’s a good little monster. Now, I'm not going to do any foundation, I don’t want to hide the freckles... let's just keep it simple… close?” She models closing her own eyes, and as I mimic her I can feel her brushing some sort of crap onto my eyelids. “And Pat, what's your deal, did you ever decide? Are you in Seattle permanently?”

“No, I don’t think so,” I hear my brother answer her idly as he begins to wind my hair around the iron. “Definitely not going back, though.”

“Good for you!”

“I was gonna call a buddy in Portland tomorrow, see what he says about hanging out there a while.”

“You know you can stay as long as you want, kiddo,” I interrupt as Lucy continues to jab at my eyes.

“Okay, open, Cora,” I hear her say, and she starts attacking me with a mascara wand.

“I know, I know,” he sighs. “Just, I wanna do something different, you know? Start fresh somewhere. Fuck that place. I’ve got nothing there worth going back for.”

“Yeah, fuck that place!” I echo him.

“Absolutely,” Lucy nods. “Cora, for fuck’s sake, hold still or you're gonna look like a demented raccoon.”

“And to think, I tried to talk you out of this brilliant plan,” I groan.

“Relax, C, she's a pro, your eyeliner’s so sharp you can stab your enemies with it. See?”

He holds up a hand mirror to let me survey the damage. It's actually pretty subtle, which I'm thankful for: just a little emphasis around my eyes, winged out a tiny bit, ever so slightly Priscilla Presley style.

“Not bad,” I concede.

“Oh, ye of little faith,” Lucy grins. “Here, do your lips.” She holds out a little stick of dark pink lip gloss, which seems too vivid in the tube but looks better on.

Lucy finishes up her own makeup, impeccably, while Patch works my hair into some reasonable-looking waves. Alex is just getting home as we’re packing up and deciding on dinner options before the show.

My boyfriend snorts in amusement when he sees me. “You let them kidnap you, huh?”

“It was an ambush.”

“You look mahvelous, dahling,” Patch fawns. “Lucy, my love, pizza for the beautiful people?”

Lucy grabs her bag and then Patch’s arm. “I know a place. Back in a few, lovebirds!”

The two of them flounce out the door, leaving Alex with that entertained smile still fixed in place.

“Well?” I wave a finger around my face. “Ridiculous, right?”

“No, you actually look incredible.” He gives an approving nod before heading to the kitchen to grab a beer.

“Incredible, like, 'you should do this more often’ incredible?” I hate that I actually sound hopeful.

“I don't know, babe, you look fine. Just don’t kiss me, okay, I don’t want your lipstick shit all over my face.”

So much for hopeful.

“Yeah. So, uh, you’re sure you don’t wanna come with us tonight?”

He glances at the clock before flopping down on the couch. “Ugh… didn't we just go to a show?”

“Well, yeah, but see, there are different bands, and they play all different songs, so the shows aren't interchangeable…”

“Ha, ha. I just don't feel like it. You guys go. You’ll have more fun without me anyway.” He glances at the clock again.  

“Right.”

I watch him turn on the TV and zone out, wondering what to make of the relief I’m feeling.

***

What the fuck is wrong with me?

Why did I think this would be a good idea? Playing a show after six fucking days? Well, in my defense, I guess I never technically thought it would be a good idea, I just went along with what Stone wanted because I wanted to be cooperative, and I was excited about the music. So if this whole thing’s a disaster, which it’s sure to be, then at least I know it’s not my fault, right?

Who am I kidding, of course it’ll be my fault, that soundcheck was terrible, I fucked up so many times. The guys sound great. Of course they do. They’ve all been playing together for months, and they’ve got nothing to worry about on their own home turf.

I tap a cigarette out of the pack and lean against the wall of the club, people-watching to calm my nerves. At least I’ve got some anonymity in Seattle, for the next half hour or so, anyway. Before everyone comes to know me as that piece of shit singer who ruined Jeff and Stone’s new band. No pressure, just possibly their last shot at success after everything they’ve been through, and I’m just out here falling apart on the sidewalk. They clearly picked the wrong guy.

I don’t get a lot of time to work on my brooding, though, because some familiar faces appear one by one in the tide of people moving past me on the sidewalk. First Patrick, with his shaggy pink hair bobbing head and shoulders above everyone else, and then Lucy, and then finally Cora, who doesn’t come up past anyone’s shoulder but is still obvious anywhere.

“Hey, Ed!” Lucy gives me a massive hug, beaming. “You all set for tonight?”

“Yeah, uh, should be great. Uhm, Jeff’s inside...”

“Break a leg, Edward!” Patrick calls as he follows Lucy inside, but Cora pauses on the sidewalk, regarding me with a little crease between her eyebrows. There’s no getting away from that look, I know that by now, but I also know she’s easy enough to talk to that I don’t particularly feel like trying to escape.

“You okay, bud?”

“Truthfully?”

“Yes please.”

“Not really, no.”

She purses her lips, nods, and leans against the wall next to me. I hold out the pack of cigarettes, and I don’t even have a fucking clue if she smokes, but she takes one so I light it for her and watch as she takes a long drag.

“Well, our island’s still an option, if you wanna bail,” she says thoughtfully. “I won’t tell if you won’t.”

The thought of the island makes me smile in spite of myself. “You’re bailing too? How come?”

“Uh uh, you first. What are you hiding from out here?”

“Certain annihilation.”

“Oh, is that all?”

“Yeah, you’ll wanna stay a few rows back to avoid becoming a casualty as I go down in flames. This is gonna be a trainwreck.”

“Is not!” Her childlike indignation actually gets me to laugh through the gloom.

“Thanks for the vote of confidence. Can you say something nice at my funeral?”

“Sure, bud… something really nice, something with imagery,” she chuckles. “You’ll be fine, you know that? The guys are so lucky they found you when they did.”

“I’m not so sure about that.”

She frowns at me but doesn’t say anything.  

“I just… this whole crowd, this whole scene --” I wave my hands vaguely at the street “-- it’s theirs, and I’m so afraid I’m going to fuck it up for them. It’s got me scared shitless up there, and it never used to bother me before, but here… and the kind of thing they used to have… I’m just not that guy. In that soundcheck just now, it hit me, this feeling that at any moment, someone’s gonna figure it out.”

“Figure out what?”

“That I don’t belong here. Like someone’s going to point me out --” I scowl at her and stab my finger in her face “-- j’accuse!”

“Imposter syndrome,” she nods, unfazed.

“Syndrome? Is it actually a real thing?”

“It’s kind of my thing. But I’ll let you have it for tonight.”

“Gee, thanks?”

“No, I just know what you mean. Grad school’s a breeding ground for imposter syndrome. I always feel like I’m on borrowed time, and one stupid question at a seminar or one failed experiment is enough to expose me as a fraud and get me kicked out. Sound familiar?”

“More than I’d like to admit.”

“Well, it’s bullshit.”

“Maybe for you, you’re actually a genius, or so Chris tells everyone.”

She shakes her head with a little smile. “Bless his heart. It doesn’t matter, though. Science, music, art, whatever. It’s human to feel this way. You’re in this… I don’t know, this rarefied air with all these other talented people, and it’s natural to think you’re shit by comparison. But everyone else is thinking the same thing about themselves all the time.”

“That’s pretty bleak. So what’s the solution, just taking comfort in our collective misery?”

“Better than sitting out here waiting for an anvil to fall on your head as a plan B.”

“No, in a weird way, that does help. I’m still gonna fuck it up, though.”

“Maybe.” This wide, slightly crazy grin spreads across her face, and suddenly she reminds me of someone or something, but I can’t figure out who or what… oh fuck it, it’s just nice to talk to someone who can relate.

“Thanks,” I laugh, giving her a small shove.

“You’ll be great, Eddie.”

“Thanks,” I say again. “So, no Alex tonight?”

Her smile fades and for a split second, she scrunches her mouth over to one side, just barely, fleetingly, not a smile, almost a wince. “No, he wasn’t feeling all that great, he decided to stay home and rest.”

“Oh. I’m sorry to hear that, I hope he’s feeling better.”

There it is again, that strange little scrunch. She takes a deep breath. “Yeah. And what about you? Feeling better?”

“Yeah, I think. The island’s still there if we need it, right?”

She nods. “Although I’ve been lying to you this whole time.”

“Oh?”

“I'm really more of a forest person.”

“What? No water?? What the hell am I supposed to do in a forest?”

“Can I interest you in a glacial lake?”

“Well, Cora, it’s been real nice knowing ya…” I fake pushing off the wall to walk away but someone a lot stronger than Cora collars me.

“Smokey, you can't run him off now, he’s got a show to do!”

Cornell, who’s just materialized outside, drapes an arm over my shoulder and gives me an easy smile. “You ready?”

Before I can answer, she cuts in, “I was just trying to sell him on our mountain, Chris, but he's not having it.”

“What mountain?” I look between the two of them as they share a knowing grin.

“You like hiking, Eddie? We should go, I know this great place…” he steers me inside, talking calmly about this idyllic trail he and Cora know, and I allow myself to be led as I listen, hoping some of that peacefulness he’s describing can rub off on me just for tonight.

***

Chris gets poor Eddie deposited up on the stage with his bandmates, where he sheds his jacket and has a nervous-looking word with Jeff, while I track down my brother and Lucy, who are right up in front of the packed crowd. It’s kind of nice being tiny sometimes because no one gives a shit if you squish in front of them.

Just as I make it up front, Stone, Dave, and Jeff start playing this incredibly calm melody that I haven’t heard before, almost like a lullaby, and Eddie lets out a low, steady drone over the top of it. The crowd is still talking, Mike pulls a random Hendrix-y riff out of nowhere just for fun, and it’s like no one’s even sure whether the set’s started, but Eddie begins to add more and more words, and people start to pay closer attention to try and figure out what he’s singing. What a weird fucking way to open a show. And Eddie… poor guy. I wish I could go give him a hug. He’s wrapped himself up so tightly, and he looks so fragile and small that I’m almost afraid he’ll break if they do actually play something more up-tempo, like the vibrations from a harder bass drum kick will just shatter him.

Oh, dear dad…

All my misgivings blow away, and all I can think to do is take my little brother’s hand. He gives mine a squeeze back, but I can’t take my eyes off the stage as the song builds and builds, sending shivers somewhere down in my bones when Eddie’s voice starts to soar up over it all.

The guys start up the next song, and the crowd starts to wake up more after the sedate opener. Even Eddie loosens up a tiny bit, and I have to try not to laugh too hard when his hair overwhelms his hat and makes its escape. After that song comes the familiar sound of Alive, and the guys sound great, although Eddie’s having a hard time finding the groove, which is sort of funny on a song like this one with a groove a mile wide. He sounds really good, though. I need to remember to tell him that later. He sheds his flannel layer, and counterintuitively, it seems like the more layers he loses, the less diminutive he seems up there. Or maybe it’s just that he’s settling into the show more and more. Stone, on the other hand, looks like he’s having a great time. I don’t even try to stop myself from laughing when I notice him mouthing along to his own riffs. Christ, what a dork. I make a mental note to give him shit later for yet another choice scrunchy from the collection, but if I’m being honest with myself, I might actually like the way he looks with his hair back like that… it does something good for the angles of his face…

We edge over to the right just slightly to get away from a lunatic who’s slam dancing all by himself in the very front, which puts us a little closer to where Stone’s standing. As they launch into Even Flow, it occurs to me again just how much I like to watch him play. It’s sort of hypnotizing, the way he seems to wear the rhythm mostly up around his shoulders, and how it moves through the rest of his body from there in waves… and his comically huge hands… normally he reminds me of a puppy who hasn’t finished growing into his paws yet, but they don’t look comical when he plays, they just look… uhm...

...why is it a million degrees in here?

***

“Thank you guys very much for comin’ out,” I say to the crowd before we all head off the stage. Jesus, that actually felt pretty good. Little bit of a rocky start, maybe, but it seems like it came together toward the end! I wonder what Cora thought of it, I should go see if I can find her…

Ugh, knock it off, just because she was right up front doesn’t mean shit. I hate this, I do this every time I see her. I get all turned around. She’s not available, she’s not interested, I need to stop letting myself get so invested. Why is it so hard to figure out how to keep the right amount of distance? She certainly doesn’t struggle to keep me at arm’s length. If I could just figure out how to be her friend, just her friend, this would all be so much easier…

“Hey, Stoner,” her voice floats over my shoulder. It’s uncanny, did she know I was just thinking about her? Honestly, when am I not?

“Hey…” I turn around and give her what is probably a ridiculous face, given that she’s laughing at me.

“What’s your damage?”

“Sorry, sorry, just… since when do you do stuff like curl your hair?”

She scowls, which is always impossibly hot but tonight is even more so because she’s got lipstick on. Fantastic. So much for the friend thing getting easier.

“Patch did it, blame him,” she shakes her head in irritation, and the loose curls fall around her shoulders. It looks even softer than usual. It's taking all the willpower I have not to tangle my fingers in it. I'm done pulling pigtails, right?

“Well, the man does good work. You don't like it?”

“You do?”

She's watching me with wary brown eyes, and I'm probably giving her a similar stare back. It's a weird question coming from her. I was expecting some typical Cora tirade about how any of this glamour crap is impractical and sexist, but here she is asking me if I like her hair?

“Yeah, I mean… of course, you… you look really good… you always do,” I mumble, sensing that I’ve blundered onto thin ice, as usual. Shut up, idiot, she doesn't want her friend hitting on her. That's what got me frozen out in the first place. But I can't lie to her either. So all I can do is hope that I sound sufficiently nonchalant about how painfully fucking gorgeous she looks.

“Stoner, you're getting all diplomatic on me, I don't know what to think anymore.” Her scowl dissipates into a warm smile. “You guys sounded great tonight, you know.”

“Oh, while we're on the subject of diplomacy, huh? That segue was about as subtle as a flying brick.” I roll my eyes, but I’m thankful for the change of subject. And the big bearded guy who just shoved himself between us unceremoniously on his way backstage, creating some space after we’d drifted a little too close.

“A brick, a brick, my kingdom for a brick,” she mimes hitting me in the head with something heavy. “I mean it, I liked it. A lot of it's new, or, I guess it’s new to me.”

“Yeah, well, busy few days,” I mumble to the ground.

“I’ve been a little absentee, huh?” she says softly.

“It’s cool, you’ve had a lot on your plate,” I look back at her again, frowning. “How's your brother?”

“Pestiferous.” Another person elbows by us, so I take her by the arm and we edge our way over to lean against a wall with a little less traffic.

“Yeah, I hear brothers can be like that. How long's he staying?”

“I don't know, that's the thing. I just know I'm not sending him back there,” she says fiercely.  

“Hey, what’s the matter, did he get into some kind of trouble?”

“No, nothing specific…”

“Well, what then?” I know I’m probably pushing my luck, but I honestly want to know. And I don't think I’ve ever asked her before. She scowls again.

“...Patch doesn't exactly fit in back home…”

“... because he's gay…” I finish her sentence for her cautiously, and the frown deepens, making me worry I’ve overstepped. I thought it was common knowledge, but maybe not.

“No. I mean, yeah, that's part of it…,” whew, okay, I didn’t fuck it up that time. She continues, “maybe it’d be more fulfilling if it was just your typical tale of a homophobic redneck backwater, but it's actually a more enlightened part of the world than you’d ever believe, Stone.”

No Cletus jokes. No Cletus jokes. No. Bad. I nod for her to go on, chewing my tongue.

“I mean, it's no great secret that he is, everyone back home knows. And yeah maybe there are some people with shitty attitudes occasionally, but that kind of mentality doesn't exactly have a zip code, right?”

“No, that’s true. So then what's the issue?”

She sighs. “Stepdad. I mean, I fled home screaming too, didn't you ever wonder why?”

“Sure I have. Just… didn’t want to pry.”

“Well, if it helps you understand Patch any, my stepdad thinks I’m a total fuckup.”

“What??” Shrieking at your crush is generally undignified, I realize, but I couldn't care less right now. “Mad scientist genius?”

“Yep. Graduated magna cum laude, double major, on a full ride. And I’m a fuckup because 'there’s no money in dirt science, kiddo,’” she puts on a fake voice dripping with disdain. “So what does that make my kid brother who does hair for a living and barely finished high school on time and has the audacity to still live at home, five whole months after graduating? He even pays rent but they still call him a deadbeat and give him shit constantly for being a failure.”

“Who’s your stepdad to be so hard on you guys, Albert Einstein?”

“John Sullivan, regional bank manager in the district of Bumfuck Egypt. Paterfamilias.” She lays her accent on a little thicker. I try not to think about how hot it is.

“Jesus.”

“Yeah. So Patch is not going back,” she shrugs. “We’ve been talking about it, he wants a new start. I don't think he’s gonna want to stay around here, but he doesn’t have much of a plan yet, so… I don’t know, we’ll figure it out, I’m just glad he left.”

“He’s lucky he has you.”

“Too bad he’s not within earshot, he’d tell you he'd be luckier to have a cancerous mole.”

“I mean it. You're a good sister. A good person.” She grimaces.

“You're melting, Marshmallow, careful. Speaking of which, what's with that show opener? The mellow one?”

Oh, shit, that’s what I was afraid of. I told Eddie it was a terrible fucking idea, and that we should have come out with something stronger. “Yeah, I know, it’s a weird one,” I say, trying to keep the defensive edge out of my voice.

“No! Well, I mean, yeah, it is weird,” she fumbles, “but I liked it.”

“You did?”

“I like the weird ones, remember?” She offers me the smallest smile, but it’s enough to make my heart start pounding. Damn it, girl… yeah, I remember. Understatement of the year.

“Anyway, yeah, I liked it. I mean, I know this whole new thing is supposed to be harder-edged or whatever, I know you and Jeff wanted something a little darker, and that stuff all sounds fantastic too, but I have to say, I think you guys sound really good when you play slower songs as well. More range, or something, I don’t know. It’d be cool to hear you develop more stuff like that.”

I could listen to her talk about our music all night long. I can’t find any words to say back, although I’m aware that she’s looking at me and probably waiting for me to respond. All I’ve got is a lame little “Yeah?” that comes out much quieter and higher than it was supposed to.

“Yeah,” she grins, looking anywhere but right at me. “You know I have a thing for you playing an acoustic.”

I want to pause the whole universe right now. I know I’m just one small person, and there are wars, and elections, and natural disasters, and things that are so much more consequential than anything that will ever happen to me in my small life. But it can all go to hell. I just want those words in my ears forever.

“You have a thing for me?”

“Playing an acoustic,” she fires back in an exaggerated voice, but holy shit, she’s blushing! Like, a lot! She does, doesn't she?? She does want me, I wasn't imagining it, no fucking wonder she's been pushing me away, it makes perfect sense…

“Uh huh,” I say quietly. “Well, anytime…”

I watch her face for clues, but all I get is that persistent flush in her cheeks and her inability to look me in the eye all of a sudden. It's enough, though. It's there. Why are we dancing around this thing if we both feel it? Why can't we just say it directly, instead of playing songs and cracking jokes and taking anything but the straightest path between two points? Why don't I get to just kiss the hell out of her, smear that pretty lipstick, pin her against this wall, or better yet, let her pin me, and just work out once and for all that we’re fucking perfect for each other?

“STONE!”

I turn around and see Jeff about twenty feet down the hallway, looking at me impatiently.

“I’ve been yelling at you for ages, what the hell -- oh, hi Cora -- you gonna help us pack this shit up or not, man?”

I roll my eyes as I turn back to her, and she’s laughing but still not willing to look at me.

“I should let you go,” she says quietly, still blushing.

“Yeah… uhm, see you later?”

She finally hits me with her gaze and nods before turning around to disappear into the crowd without another word. Yeah, this turned out to be a pretty okay night.

***

When Patch and I get home, it’s well after midnight and the apartment’s dark. I say goodnight to my brother and get ready for bed as quietly as possible, sneaking into my own bedroom and crawling under the covers carefully so as not to wake Alex, but he rolls over anyway.

“You have fun?” his drowsy voice mutters.

“Mmhmm,” I inch a little closer. He sighs grudgingly and lets me climb into his arms. I can’t explain why I want to be so close to him tonight. I can’t even remember the last time we actually cuddled. But he lets one hand drag down to my lower back, where he begins trailing his fingertips in circular patterns, and for the first time in weeks, I feel it. That unmistakable hum, vibrating up and down all my nerves. Without a word, I slip into his lap and we fit our bodies together, finding a rhythm to match the urgency, wasting no time building toward our peak. I’m not very interested in kissing him tonight, though, for whatever reason… I focus my attention on his neck and jaw instead, until he hungrily pulls my mouth back to his. I shut my eyes tight and to my surprise, I see a different pair of eyes swimming before me, unbidden. Not Alex's icy pale blue ones but another pair, warm and olive green. That's all it takes. The shattering release sends me careening into nothingness, biting my lip hard to keep from crying the wrong name.

[countmohawk]

Lillie is indisputably the best character in Pokemon Sun/Moon

I was not prepared for the storyline of Pokemon Sun/Moon. (If you haven’t played through either, you should probably stop here, as I don’t censor any spoilers below.)

(Edit: added a “Keep Reading” tab for readers’ consideration.)

Specifically, I was not prepared for a Pokemon game to have a supporting cast of characters I would feel emotionally invested in. Pokemon games just don’t have that kind of depth. Sure, the lore behind the regions and the legends is pretty good, but Pokemon game characters are generally fairly one-dimensional. I’ll give GameFreak some credit for its cast in Gen V (Black and White), but although I enjoyed the characters of Cheren, Bianca and N, at the end of the day they were just another set of rivals.

And then I bought Pokemon Sun, and I met Lillie. I admit that my first impression of her was overshadowed by the more immediately-impressive event instigated by Nebby, the mischievous Pokemon she never quite manages to keep inside her bag. I’m not even ten minutes into the game and I’ve already been thrust into a near-death experience courtesy of the purple fluffball breaking a rickety rope bridge suspended over a giant chasm, sending me plummeting to my death! Gee, thanks, Nebby, now get back in the bag.

Anyway, after that bit of drama subsides, it turns out Lillie is the local Professor’s assistant, and since this Professor intends to more or less follow us around as my rival and I complete the island challenges, Lillie comes along for the ride. Lillie’s not a Trainer, though, despite her taking care of Nebby, so she spends much of the first half of the game either following Kukui around or holed up in one of the many hotels and other public amenities available in Alola.

Now, if this were one of the previous generations of Pokemon, it would probably be fair to expect Lillie to sort of fade out of the story as the game shifts its focus to the machinations of whatever local Team is operating in the region. But instead of disappearing, Lillie ends up taking more and more of the center stage as the story unfolds, each new twist tying her further into the plot. And because she’s not a Trainer, it falls to me to act as her part-time chauffeur as I move from location to location.

And then a funny thing started to happen: As I progressed through the game, I started to look forward to each new story event with Lillie. Despite having to step in and save her from Team Skull (and, later, the Aether Foundation) more than once, doing so never felt like a burden. Of course, it turns out that neither group was ever interested in Lillie for herself - rather, they wanted Nebby so as to use its powers to open rifts to the outer dimensions. But instead of being crushed by her inability to protect Nebby, or indeed to do much of anything else without having myself or another Trainer around to protect and guide her, she takes the opportunity to reinvent herself, visually depicted by her “Z-powered form”.

For the rest of the game after that, rather than watch Lillie follow me around, I found myself having to chase after her as she pursues her own goals (saving Nebby and reaching her mother). She takes the courage she learned from her experiences with me and my rivals and uses it to clear her own “trials”, and is rewarded at the summit of the mountain by the discovery that the legendary Pokemon she sought to help Nebby was none other than Nebby himself, courtesy of a melody she plays on a magical pair of flutes. Nebby then returns the favor by opening the gateway into Ultra Space where her mother disappeared into. And for a brief moment atop the Altar of the Sunne, all is well.

And then the game proceeds to drop a bombshell on me. For all her newfound strength and courage, Lillie is still not a Trainer, so she asks me to take care of Nebby in her stead. This was probably the first time in the entire series I didn’t want to catch a Legendary Pokemon; why couldn’t Lillie herself keep Nebby, after taking care of it for the entire game? But I did as the game required of me. (for those curious, I made damn sure to catch Nebby in one of the Luxury Balls I had received from Lillie as a gift earlier in the game)

There’s actually not much left to do in the main game after you descend from the Altar of the Sunne with Legendary Pokemon in tow; all that stands between you and the credits is a single, relatively-short dungeon, followed by the traditional final-boss gauntlet known in Pokemon parlance as the Elite Four and Champion match. For all the grandeur of the Pokemon League, however, the more important scenes were the ones immediately following my victory there. I followed Lillie out the back way to the bridge where we first met, newly repaired by the kahuna, and crossed it to pay respects to Tapu Koko for saving Nebby and myself from the deadly fall into the pit at the beginning of the game. (and by pay respects, I mean I two-shotted him with my Incineroar. i’m not trying to get a good nature on a legend during the damn end credits)

After that, there was only one scene left to watch. In a culmination of her journey with us throughout the game, Lillie decides to leave for Kanto on the first ferry of the following morning, so that she can finally become a Trainer herself. I was not prepared for how sad I’d be to watch her leave. The goodbye scene felt far too final, even though Lillie’s own journey was just beginning. The picture montage at the end of the credits just threw more wood onto that fire.

Having taken a few days to process the whole thing, however, I think part of the reason Lillie’s departure hit so hard was because of a perceived lack of closure. By playing the game through, I’d effectively watched her grow from an quiet, powerless girl living out of Kukui’s loft into someone who could almost be the player character of another story. And because I’d seen that development for myself, rather than having to infer it as with other, previous rivals and supporting characters, watching the story play out hit me that much more powerfully.

Anyway, I hear Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon have an expanded postgame; hopefully we’ll get to see a little more Lillie when that comes out this Friday.

(by the way, anime lillie is also a great character, to the point where i’ll put up with ash ketchum existing just to watch her there as well)

[gossamer-scraps]

I sure am glad I got this fluffball just in time for his warm coat to come in handy.

Whisper in the Dark is definitely a story-release-enthusiast’s story release. I think it honestly makes a compelling case for the future of the game itself as a primarily story-focused endeavor. GW2-as-a-mechanical-playground shows its 7 year age at this point in so many areas, but GW2-as-a-narrative-device has just seen improvement after improvement every since... at least since Primordus went back to sleep and the “kill each elder dragon” narrative suddenly went sideways, which I think was a big moment for the direction of the series. Knight of the Thorn was around then, too. Ever since then, I feel like the goal of uninstanced PvE development has been to just tell whatever story can be made most compelling, without needing to follow or enable one big plan. And it’s worked really well.

Is it true that from a HoT-like “I wanna do lots of stuff on a day-to-day-basis” perspective that this release shows the effects of all the recent turmoil at Arenanet? Sure. And I think that’s fine. That side of the game hasn’t been very compelling for a while now, and what they did focus on is executed perfectly. Does anyone really want to grind daily hearts and collect [unbound/volatile] magic? I doubt it, so I don’t miss those at all. But what’s here is a foundation for the Icebrood Saga stuff to really serve as a third expansion, and I can only assume that as everything settles into that, the foundation will pay off.

(Also, I feel like the aesthetic of all the new foundational season 5 stuff was laser-targeted towards what I like. Like, damn.)

[theolddogblog]

Toast is 9 years old and was rescued from Bonita Shelter after he was brought in as a stray. He has is an adorable fluffball who loves pets and trotting around independently. He has pretty bad spondylosis so he sometimes wobbles off of his back right leg, possibly better enduring shorting walks than longer ones. Toast is great with kids, cats, and dogs of all sizes. He knows how to fetch too! He needs a Foster or Forever Foster Family where we cover lifelong medical expenses, so please apply at www.frostedfacesfoundation.org/apply/

FROSTED FACES FOUNDATION 7155746320 San Diego, CA 92109 friends@frostedfacesfoundation.org

Petfinder

[former-proffessor-and-policeman]

Damn Syobai

"..."

"Don't shut up NOW you piece of shit, answer me."

"...Fine, i'll be going. I have better things to be doing then waste my time with criminals."

"But my offers still open, so if any of you wanna chat, call me~!

"Especially you two, Sora, Yomiuri. I'll be waiting."

The phone proceeded to turn to static, while also seeming to short circuit. Quickly afterword the phone screen turned back to a regular lock screen.

"Welp, its gone."

"Thank god..."

"While i'm glad whatever that was is gone, what the HECK was that!?"

"I...guess...ag and kisa have another brother...?"

"What was all that, why was it mentally attacking everyone!?"

"Like I said, its a long story..."

"Well you might as well explain since were all in this shit now."

"Pardon?"

"You heard me, we've all pissed it off and now were in this shit too, so you should explain everything you know, unless you want us all to get mindfucked."

"This bull was supposed to be between you foundation freaks and the fluffball, and now were all in this shit because you guys couldn't do your damn jobs."

"And along with that, me and sora are now possibly being targeted! I didn't sign up for this shit!"

"Cmon Nik, calm down a bit i'm sure no one in specific is being targeted-"

"IT SAID BOTH OF OUR NAMES SETSUKA I THINK I HAVE THE RIGHT TO BE PISSED RIGHT NOW!"

"Why did you even let it talk for that long? Syobai has a point, We allowed it to speak and now it has more leverage to use against us."

"And its definitely planning something, and none of its good...The least you could do is explain."

"You're right...You're all right. I'll explain everything-"

Teruya began to stir in his sleep, indicating he's waking up.

"Gah..."