#I like the idea of everything being new and eco

[dribs-and-drabbles]

Help me decide (because why not make a huge, important decision through a tumblr poll).

Would you rather live in/buy...

An old house (like 100 years old) with character, which will need repairs/some upgrading and will incur greater monthly bills (and be cold in the winter) but has a lot more space (86 sqm/926 sq ft) and is in a better location (closer to town/work - 15 min cycle/35 min public transport to work)?

OR

A brand-spanking new home, which has a two year warranty on defects and a 10 year warranty on the 'technology' (solar panels and ground source heat pump for hot water and central heating) and won't cost much to run (and more likely to be warmer in the winter) but is very small (62 sqm/667 sq ft) and a bit further away (30 min cycle uphill/40-55 min public transport to work)?

Both cost the same. The new one could be available in a month. The old one might take anything up to 6 months (or more) to become available.

[black-lake]

astro observations 9

hey folks, I found new stuff to talk about. this is more of an outer planets and generations obs 🚀

——

✮⌁ when uranus conjunct pluto happened during 1964, we saw a lot of rebellious music, fashion and other forms of expression, the beatles, bowie's debut album, twiggy, bob dylan.. etc. It was an important decade for many changes and revolutions. It's why so many people are still influenced by the art, music and appeal of that era. Even though it was a relatively short period, the intense need for freedom was loudly expressed that decade. I think with pluto in aquarius we may see similar events, but on a larger scale and with a far more lasting impact. 

✮⌁ neptune will move into aries in 2025, and boy when I tell you I can't wait, I terribly mean it. I think neptune in pisces wasn’t doing it for me, I had creative expectations for it but it was all about spirituality and faith practices on the internet and an unhealthy addiction to it. this was right after neptune in aquarius which we all know made the internet an addiction in itself. 

✮⌁ It had its positive impact, being open-minded about different beliefs, exploring our intuition and faith and other abstract topics. but we've already seen the negative impact. It's mainly the spirituality addiction on the internet that has became almost inescapable, replacing reality, practices performed and consumed by really young individuals which could distort their view on the world at an older age. living in an illusion and assumption of everything and everyone, believing everything you hear blindly, because of your or someone else's false sense of intuition will make the world more closed-off and less likely to evolve. it can create a reversed effect, inducing fear of real life interactions, closed-mindedness and seclusion.

✮⌁ with neptune in aries, we will come out of our shells and live in the real world, we will explore the world with a new set of eyes and a fresh sense of passion and childlike wonder. We're less likely to listen to our fears and other people's assumptions and bs. It's a new astrological cycle. Our collective hopes, dreams, fantasies and passions are reborn. Now especially when uranus moves into gemini, the same year, people will be more encouraged to become social and intimate, more fun talks and activities, I hope 🥹 this will also help fuel the inventive ideas pluto in aquarius brings with it.

✮⌁ y'all there's more to astrology than just money, success and fame. you can explore the world with that tool, thousands of things to talk about. there're topics that aren't given as much attention here. if you have something interesting and new you posted or you wanna talk about and are shy plssss just share it in the comments I'm all for ittt I wanna see it. 

✮⌁ last time pluto was in aquarius 1778-1798, there was an industrial revolution going on, the peak of "the age of enlightenment", the french revolution, and many other political revolutions. the battery, hot-air balloon and parachute were some of the things invented. uranus was discovered in 1781. fun fact, the airplane was invented when pluto was retrograde in gemini in 1903, which makes sense since it rules over flying and air travel, also uranus was in sagittarius which rules travel as well, so interestingly enough there was a uranus-pluto opposition.

✮⌁ when uranus moves into gemini (ruling air travel) and with pluto being in aquarius, we literally may see spaceship inventions or spacecrafts and rockets that will launch to space. we may even be able to travel to a certain planet or at least find something new about it. we may find creatures or living things in space. air travel may look different, hydrogen-powered planes, cleaner and eco-friendly energy sources. at the very least we may hear of new scientists, and keep up with them.

✮⌁ any outer planet in libra, is a timeline I'd like to skip if I ever lived in, which I won't thankfully. It's by far the least sign that has potential to bring evolution and advancement to a generation, excluding aspects, it just ain’t doing much. Idk what it is, but maybe people are less likely to do anything considered immoral or unaccepted, they're more likely to do things like pleasing the generation's expectations and opinions. It brings a sense of connectivity, an understanding of comprise to connect and relate to our environment, and a focus on relationship matters, which of course is a building brick to bigger changes like all the transits are. but for me, not an exciting time, ig it's why I'm born in neptune and uranus in aquarius gen 💀

✮⌁ many of us have parents that have uranus or pluto in libra, and tbf, they likely were closed minded, people pleasing or even racist at times. but our pluto sag ass knew how to deal with it. how many of y'all gen z's gave your mommy a lecture on lgbt+ rights and the people with other cultures and backgrounds? 🖐🏼 also butting heads over someone wearing something on the streets, I'm like "THEY CAN DO whatever they want, let them live" 

✮⌁ speaking of pluto in sagittarius, I'm a little underwhelmed. dgmw we made so many changes and paved the way for future generations, but moreso, perspective wise. I didn't see many tangible changes from this gen compared to pluto in scorpio, which was wild in terms of sexual expression, experiments, conspiracies, institutional corruption, societal and medical change. pluto in sag was kinda mild, we allowed everyone's voice to be heard, explored other cultures and lifestyles, probably have friends from all around the world, we're willing to learn and are open to all sources of knowledge, we're truth tellers and we won't shut up. I guess our mission was too easy for us.

✮⌁ pluto in sag gen probably have challenging experiences relating to higher education, college years may have been dark and even traumatic for many esp if you also have it conjunct chiron 🏴‍☠️ even our sense of belief in ourselves and optimism is wounded, we put on a happy front because we see a better future for the world at large, but not for us, like we're some type of teachers or gurus raising a child.

✮⌁ if you have pluto conjunct chiron, you may feel dismissed or misplaced. things can hurt deeply with this. this also may indicate some family karma that needs to be resolved. your ancestors may have done shady stuff that cost them a lot. you are here to change that and find the light that future generations will thank you for. you got the resources to do so since conjunction is the most beneficial of all. you got a lot of healing and transformative powers. since it's in sag, it may be about clearing up nasty beliefs and perceptions of people and the world, even harmful actions and disrespect towards different individuals. you're the truth-seeker that refuses to take on outdated traditions and beliefs.

✮⌁ pluto in capricorn gen understand the value of monetary resources because they experienced a restriction of it at some point in their lives. there's this feeling of restriction coming from societal rules or memories of such repressive time, which they may feel the need to go against and prove themselves by working and gaining more power. they know how to survive in times of chaos and make the most out of what they have. they may have goals of creating some type of legacy for themselves and future generations. also maybe capricorn ruling the skeletal system is why caps give the 💀🩻🪦🏴‍☠️ impression, sry I keep making jokes about y'all, but ya dgaf 🫶🏼

[hecketernal]

Everyone Thinks Jak Is Dying AU (Aka everyone miscommunicates to some pretty ridiculous and angsty levels but Jak's totally fine) ((pls read I swear I still have some comfort with this hurt some funny with the tragedy pls hear me out))

Explanation: I had had this weird impression that Jak was flat out dying from dark eco poisoning, when I was a kid. It seems kid me had made some assumptions from listening to Baron Praxis' propaganda stations where he flat out says, "The dark eco inside you will eventually kill you, Jak," and the way Jak first reacted to getting light eco.

Everyone else seemed to die in the Dark Warrior Project. Hell, they flat out acknowledge Jak should be dead himself from the amount of dark eco pumped into him. Even if a slow death via eco poisoning isn't what the games were going for, it would still make sense lorewise. The game will insta kill you for falling into the stuff.

Buuuuut for a moment just consider...applying that misconception to Damas and Jak's growing paternal bond.

Jak, in his freshly betrayed wariness, decides to hide his dark eco abilities. He's tired. He can't trust anyone except for Daxter, but Daxter is The Exception in capital letters and everything. Jak has found a force he can't or isn't equipped to beat within the long, hot stretch of the desert with no Keira to build a contraption to get them out. He doesn't even know... if Keira cares enough to build some zoomer with a heat shield or whatever would come to her mechanical mind for them anymore. None of his "allies" spoke up very loudly to defend Jak, so Jak stashes his otherness away. Well, he hides it to the best of his abilities. He'll never be a spy, but he can manage a few marauders in some Arena of Death with just a gun and some effort. Transforming had always been last resort anyways. With fear from his betrayal instead of anger leading him, he never transforms in front of all of Spargus to see. He's doesn't want to be Baron Praxis' renegade weapon, the man made monster that slipped its leash. He wants a moment without that. He can't go back to the kid from Sandover. He doesn't want to, but the idea of being just another exile like everyone else is...heady.

Jak doesn't know that he can't hide what's already been seen. Dark eco scars are distinctive, and Jak's were very visible during his stint with unconsciousness and heatstroke. The monks had attended to the two boys, but they had not done so silently. Precursor monks did not care to censor their muttering about dark eco corruption. Their prayers for salvation or less pain for the boy were easily overheard by the alert King of Spargus. It's likewise impossible to hide the way dark eco skitters towards Jak. The way it sinks into his skin. The way his pallor goes white. His face pained. The way the newest recruit sometimes clutches an arm, angling it away from view. Jak does manage to hide the growing claws with this action, so good for him. Bad for Damas.

Damas is under the impression that Jak is dying. Dark eco poisoning is an unpleasant but often inescapable death sentence for even the strongest warriors. He's known good Wastelanders that had to be buried after just a brush with the energy. It might be slow with this new recruit, but it will come all the same. Won't it? Damas tries his best to remain distant. His heart has already been shattered from the loss of one child, but it seems those broken shards are destined to break a little more. Jak is so damningly earnest for someone who tries to act jaded and tough. Damas can't remain distant. Every wall Damas builds is blasted away by the young warrior's newest actions. Damas is doing his best to hold himself together, but inside he is a mess. He doesn't want to lose another son. When Jak spoke of not knowing his father, Damas realized there was one thought more agonizing than losing another son, a lonely son dying fatherless. It catalyzes the father for he cannot stop thinking of himself as anything but a father. Isn't this what he always told himself he would do anything for? Another moment with his child? Damas will not squander the time they have left. Besides, the desert is rough and fickle, and violent death has come for all of Spargus' other kings. He might worry for naught. His death might come for him sooner than Jak's.

[reverse-falls-stan]

Just another night

Aka: Stanley is very much not a healthy person in any sense of the word (and I struggle with conflict scalation)

Tw: Child abandonment, manipulation, alcohol drinking, overall toxic marriage dynamics

Ship: Fiddlestan

He thumbed idly across the records, choosing one more on feeling than the title of the vinyl. The whiskey was already opened by the counter. There was no one to complain about leaving alcohol out in the open, his brother had locked himself in his study hours ago and the children- lord knows where they went.

The disc slided swiftly into the player, the resonance of the room being perfect to make the old ballad eco through out. Humming to the tune in an attempt to fully remember it, Stanley served himself the glass and ice. His eyes slipped closed as his body swayed to the soft rhythm, taking his sweet time of enjoying the music before asking the first bitter-sweet sip. It goes down easy, and with it all the worries of the day, the week, the month.

Like many times in his life, there was nothing but a bottle and some music to keep hin company-

"That's... Sinatra, right?"

- until now.

Then again, it was the only interruption he could ever ask for

"Ah, sorry doll. I didn't mean to bother you"

"Not at all" Fiddleford laughed softly- and oh how that laugh still made him feel dizzy still

Stanley opened his arms and his husband walked up to him, kissing his hand before taking it, pulling him in. Both of them struggled to get on track, tripping and stepping onto each other until almost out of nowhere they found themselves in complete synchronization with one another and the tune. Once they realized, they just chuckled, kissed softly, and Stanley took another sip

"Do you remember this song...?"

"I think so? Is... yes, one of our first dates, right?"

"Mhm. I had gotten a record player so you and Sixer would have something while you worked..."

"And you just hijacked it at some point for the date- wait, no, there was a- a band right?"

"I got both. You deserved it after all"

"Still the same flatterer as then, hun"

"And we danced the night away..."

As they swayed softly at the rhythm of the fading song, Stan sighed and left his head rest on the crook his darling's neck

"You really get me acting all stupid..."

"Is that an insult, doll?"

"You know is not. Just... when we dance like this, I get dumb ideas. The kind that only make sense when you're young and sick with love"

"Such as what?"

"... Running away"

The record finally went silent, along with the rest of the room

"I wanna pick you up, run to the car, and ditch this town. Maybe get new names. Leave all this business nonsense and never look back"

After a few moments, Fiddleford hummed and paced a soft kiss to his temple "That really is a love sick idea"

Stanley sighed again and, never letting go, made his way backwards until dropping on his armchair, his husband idly sitting on top of him

"Are you not happy here?"

"Of course I am. We got everything we could want"

"Then...?"

"I dunno. I just got stupid, I told you. But don't you think it'd be nice?"

"Hm... yeah, I guess it is nice to think about. We could try to move out... but we'd be forgettin' sumthing, don'tcha think?"

"Hm? What?"

He he'd his cheek so he'd look up at him "The kids, Stanley"

"Oh."

Of course. It was always those kids. For the last 6 years it has always been those kids.

"I mean, we could always just leave 'em with Ford-"

"Oh please, ya know that man would leave 'em in the garbage dump if he had the chance"

"He wouldn't do that. He's not getting near enough to a dump to do it"

"Ya know what I mean! Those kids got nothin' but us. But you"

It took all of his will power to not groan in response, deciding to instead finish off what was left of his drink in a few gulps to have something else to think about.

"Look, I know it's pro'lly not what you expect to be doin' at this age, but they're still our family"

"Yeah, cuz Sherman decided to fuck off with my nephew to lord know where"

"And that was their mistake. It don't gotta be yours too"

Stanely focused only on the ice that remained om the glass, swirling it around just see them crash and clink, completely useless without its companion.

"... you weren't actually thinking about it, right?"

"... I need to refill my drink. You want one?"

"Hon."

"I'm sure we're got some nice rum arond-"

"Stanley."

Finally, he turned around to meet with those strange eyes. That odd look somewhere between anger, confusion and betrayal. One he couldn't for the life of him remember ever having seen in his husband's face yet the dread that made a home in his stomach as a result felt so familiar.

"Are you actually mad? Really?"

"You honestly think I'm gonna be ok with the idea of just abandonin' them?"

"It's not abandoning. They'd still have Ford, they'd still have all of this mansion, hell they'd have the town!"

"That ain't what a kid wants, they want you! A parent, or- or at least a guardian!"

"Like you would know anything about that!"

Fiddleford suddenly got up, holding the side of his head "ack- just- God you're impossible sometimes! Why- why- why do ya always get like this when ya drink?"

"Fidds- please-"

"Just- Just forget about it! I'm gettin' a headache. I'm going ta da bedroom. Ya can come when ya pull your head out your glass and ass"

Stanley looked from his seat as he walked away, muttering something under his breath. He kept staring until his figure could no longer bee seen down the corridor. Then, he calmly got up to serve himself again, drinking half of it in one go, and walked down that same corridor already with quite the struggle. The alcohol in his system, however, didn't seem to be a problem when he took the memory gun out of his jacket and pointed straight to the back of the head. He rushed to catch him, now both of them in a daze in front of their dorm

"Uh- wha..."

"Geez, I swear ya become more of a lightweight with every year doll"

"Really? I.. ugh..." he held his head, and Stanley kissed his temple

"C'mon, let's get ya to bed before you pass out"

"... a- alright, yeah, thanks..."

After laying him down on the bed and spoiling him with a few more kisses until he was fully knocked out, Stanley took out the gun once more, forcing his foggy mind to think about something

He only had to change a few characters of the prompt before shooting himself

After the shock was gone, he got up with a blank expression, returning the device to the hiding spot it should've been in from the begging, and dragged himself back to the living room

[bodybeyondstories]

dicks keep growing around me - 6 (Ty)

Ty's generally unbothered by the unreal dick now swinging between their knees, yet still has to navigate everyone else's issues with it. They run into a fan at the park, have some workplace mishaps at the gym, and come up with a potentially irresponsible, definitely chaotic idea when learning more about how Myron's ability works.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 (Previous) | 7 (Next)

maleTF // growth // dick growth // self suck // nsfw

4284 words

Note: I was inspired to write like half of this chapter by this ask a few months ago (hope you like it!), then muddled through writer's block until it all slowly came together. Feels like somewhat of a transition / build toward something, but I have no idea what lol.

---

Those two really are meant for each other. 

I strolled away from the happy couple in search of a bathroom, trying to not make the heinous bulge peeking from the leg of my shorts even more obvious to the public. I was enjoying the delicate combination of summer heat transitioning from welcome embrace to oppressive weight, interspersed with rivulets of cool breeze wicking away the humidity at just the right time. A reminder that I could still get away with pretending that my exposed midriff was a fashion choice and not the result of this growth spurt cropping all of my tops for me. I was no longer in denial, but summer dragging on made it easier to hold off on having to figure out a new wardrobe.      

I had high hopes for the dick management system for that outing, opting for some cutoffs that sometimes gave the illusion that I had an ass, not that anyone was fooled. Myron had gifted me underwear from some brand that specializes in “unique proportions,” which I took to mean ridiculously huge pouches supported by a latticework of elastic. I was thankful that there was a customer base out there of what I assume is mostly pumpers and saline enthusiasts, making it possible for me to once again wear cute, quality briefs that weren't a ticking time bomb. There was no longer much hope of concealing the freak of nature extending from my groin, but the pouch managed to at least hold everything together, especially when shoved into my shorts and braced against the rolled up hem. Not that that would last long.

As the day wore on, the mixture of heat and sweat loosened things up, shifting the balance of flesh and fabric to make it near impossible to walk more than a few dozen steps without feeling those cool breezes brush against the exposed tip of my overstuffed pouch, nodding playfully out the bottom of my shorts.

Oh well, I thought. At this point it was long enough that people would likely make up any number of explanations other than the unreal monster dick weighing me down. I was less and less concerned about being too careful about the strangeness of my body.    

The bathroom was an eco-friendly partially outdoor situation, all earth tones, natural airflow, and compost toilet. Public restrooms had become an ordeal to say the least and I was grateful to see the gender neutral single stall with an inviting green semicircle above the deadbolt. I didn’t have to risk scaring the crowd as I hauled the python out of my briefs and let it hang in the air above the in-ground urinal, a pendulum swinging between my legs before being stabilized by its own weight. I locked my fingers behind my head, reveling in the moment of peeing freely, feeling the cool breeze wrap around my dick from behind, preceding the sound of the door closing and a muttered apology.

Shit, forgot to lock it, I thought, hoping whoever it was didn’t catch a glimpse of the meat swinging between my knees, clearly visible from behind. I reluctantly stuffed myself back into the pouch, relenting as it slid plainly into view below the hem of my shorts, and deciding to simply pretend not to notice it as I caught myself in the mirror.

I ducked back out the doorway, holding it open for the guy who had accidentally barged in, who instead looked up at me with an expression of deep indecision.

“Um,” they started. “Sorry if this is inappropriate, and totally feel free to ignore this, but are you MutantMenace97?”

I took a beat, caught off guard by the fact that my dick was recognized in public before my face was. “Right, my stage name,” I said with a nervous laugh. Someone clocking me from my cam sessions was rare, but not unheard of.

“Sorry if this seems rude or anything, but I just–my friends and I are huge fans. The whole growth story arc over the past several months has been so cool.”

“Ah, dope! Glad you like it.” The thing about your dick being an online presence is that your mysterious growth spurt ends up being surprisingly well documented, and after a while I could no longer deny or downplay the changes. So I leaned into it, providing updates, comparison pics, teasing captions about when or if the growth will stop. Once I started posting in the new underwear, the brand even put out feelers for a sponsorship deal. I had somehow become an influencer.

“You’re even taller than I thought you’d be,” he said, his eyes gliding up and down my figure, then resuming furtive glances at the heavy bulge distending my shorts, the tip of the pouch peeking out of the bottom. “I just…can’t believe it’s real.”

“A blessing and a curse,” I blushed. “And tricks of the light.”

“Will you be on tonight?”

“Yup,” I smiled. “Maybe I’ll see you there” I added with a wink before turning to head back to my friends. “Hit me up if you want some private content. Big discount!” He was cute. I was flattered.

As I walked back to Myron and Miguel, the massive bulge out of the bottom of my shorts was jostled further into view, bobbing along in the air with each stride. I was too tired of dealing with it to care. I accepted that these shorts may have to be retired as I accepted the dumbfounded stares of passersby, folding into a cross-legged sit with my friends, my fabric encased dick spilling out in the warm sun.

“You look like you had fun,” teased Myron.

“I met a fan,” I shrugged.

—

“You guys have been liking these briefs,” I said into my webcam, leaning back in my gamer chair, itself a gift from a generous fan. “30% off with discount code MM97, check the link in my bio.” My eyes lowered to my crotch, my hand caressing the fabric-clad mass nestled between my legs, eliciting periodic pulses of enthusiasm as my dick stirred to life. “Honestly, these are feeling kinda tight already.” I gave a mock grimace to the camera, reaching up to stretch and lifting my furry belly and overstuffed pouch more solidly in the field of view. “Might have to re-up soon, huh?”

MutantMenace97 was indeed on that evening. I wondered which of the usernames trickling into the chat room was the person I met in the park earlier. I should’ve asked, but still appreciate the mystery of it all. Maybe he does, too. They get to be no one and I get to be the main character, unencumbered by the perpetual work of worrying about, failing to control, or desperately trying to hide my dick. When it’s all out, standing proud from my groin, purple head leaving globs of precum on my lips, I’m free, unencumbered from the idea that my member was ever an encumbrance in the first place. 

I greet people as they roll in, making sure to shout out my regulars, one hand continuing to pet my prodigious bulge, then sliding under the fabric and moving along my shaft. My face scrunched in discomfort as I tried to make space in the overfilled pouch, eventually relenting and beginning to peel the underwear down, revealing inch after inch after inch of cock. The comments picked up. This was always a moment of truth for the new users who had seen my pics bouncing around the internet and didn’t believe they were real, realizing they were mistaken with awestruck reactions. 

Taking my sweet time, I slide them all the way off, curling up to give a peak at my taint before flicking them off my big feet. My dick bobbed in the air, growing longer and thicker as an erection eased into being. I settled into the lightheadedness as my body adjusted to the sudden transfer of resources to my giant prick, and made a show of moving both hands along the shaft, one covering the base and the other up near the glans, inches of space always visible between them even though my dick approached full size. It was impossible to cover the entirety of my monster cock with just one pair of hands, sizeable as mine were. They always got a kick out of that.

“Send me some love if you want me to suck it,” I smiled into the camera, nuzzling against my engorged glans. The comments, hearts, and most importantly, tips rolled in. I went to work.

The look of tension between concentration and ecstasy on my face as my lips parted to make way for my massive cockhead was always real. The now familiar but still gorgeous sensation still managed to feel new every time. The performance of it had taken some practice, but now I felt good enough to not look like I was wrestling a sequoia, working my head and neck up and down in an awkward attempt to deep throat a penis that had long ago passed that possibility.

Periodically I’d give myself a break and pull my swollen lips from my cockhead, hands continuing to meander up and down the shaft as I checked the chat box.

[So hot 🍆]

[it looks even bigger 😍]

[Nah, there hasn’t been any growth content for a couple weeks, right?]

[Yeah, i think they plateaued]

[Finally lol, it’s massive]

I tried not to dwell on this unfolding conversation in the chat, opting instead to return to self sucking and focus on the task at hand. I leaned back as my balls pulled up, preparing for the grand finale and making sure the camera angle was just right. I gave my slit one final indulgent lick, lapping up a glob of precum as my angry head glistened in front of my face. I worked the shaft in overdrive with my hands, my hips bucking in tandem as I brought myself to climax, shooting jet after jet of thick, ropey cum a few feet into the air. My head lolled back as I let myself fall into another seemingly unending orgasm, enjoying the few seconds of anticipation before my own jizz rained back down, covering my face and torso with the deluge erupting from my engorged penis.

I slowly came back down to earth, giving a blissed out, cum-covered smile to the webcam as I prepared to bid everyone adieu, catching the last scraps of commentary in the chat.

[Ughhhh what if they grew again 😩]

[could you imagine?? 🤣]

Over the weeks and months living with Myron, I had built up somewhat of a following in fantasy growth content, not that I had much choice. They clocked the extra inches I was adding before I did. So I leaned into it, doing comparison shots with rulers and lotion bottles, surreptitious bulge pics out and about, casual shots of my dick falling out of my underwear as I struck a relaxing pose in my chair. I had been roping them in with a tale of unexplainable, unwieldy growth hitting me below the belt, and they loved it.

And now, without my magical roommate, the engagement seemed to be evening out along with the growth. Not that I minded all that much, I had kind of just wanted this to be for fun in the first place. But the money from extra subs had been good, and the sponsorship deal from the underwear brand had made it possible for me to even get my own place. 

As I closed out of the cam session, I was met with my email inbox and a message from the underwear rep that I’d been trying to ignore. They were offering a not insignificant amount of money in exchange for a series of posts in which I outgrew and eventually ripped the pouch, even more if I could do it live. I hadn’t yet figured out how to explain that I’d have to turn it down because I no longer had a roommate with strange dick expanding powers. To be too much and somehow not enough.

—

I was too groggy to dwell on the situation at work the next morning. I curved my back into a full body yawn, indulging in the cracks of a few pesky joints as even more of my midriff was exposed behind a gym counter that wasn’t even high enough to hide the bulge distending my track pants. I risked taking my stretch further and pushing my waist just a few more precious inches before being interrupted by something small and plastic bouncing off my dick.

“Oh, uh, sorry,” I said to a bleary-eyed member attempting to swipe in before their flabber was unceremoniously gasted, catching the scanner reflexively while somehow keeping their eyes glued to my crotch for as long as possibly might count as a polite indulgence. They speed-walked to the locker room with far more liveliness than they had shown walking in, shaking their head in mild confusion.

“Do you mind?” quipped Dana, my coworker hanging with me behind the front counter to handle the morning rush. She set the scanner back in place with one fluid motion, shooting me a mocking death stare.

“What?” I shrugged. “Space is cramped, things happen. I’m not even wearing shorts anymore,” I added, eyebrows lifted in emphasis of the deep sacrifice I made in relenting to wearing solid black track pants so as not to create another morning spectacle.

“Yeah cuz you almost took someone’s eye out.” She shot her eyebrows right back then swung around to grab the top most crate from a stack behind the counter. “Now take this and restock the fridge, we need to clear out our inventory of these. We got ‘em cheap on surplus so keep pushing ‘em until we run out.” 

“GluteMax?” I read off the side. Didn’t they stop production on that?” I asked. “Some weird health issue?”

“Yeah, but they weren’t recalled, so we’re keeping them stocked until we sell out,” Dana said with a shrug. “They’ll probably rebrand in six months as a wellness supplement or something.”

“Hmm none of this sounds legal,” I said.

“But it does get gains. Which you could definitely benefit from.” She sucked her teeth and flicked her clipboard against my unimpressive backside.

“You leave my ass alone, it’s too early for this! And besides, I know a guy,” I said, winking at Myron as he strolled up to the front desk so Dana could pretend to swipe him in.

“I don’t know how you managed to cohabitate with this one,” she said to Myron with a shake of her head. “I can barely get through a shift.”

“Oh so he can stop traffic in some booty shorts but I can’t?” I asked, gesturing at the gym shorts painted onto Myron’s backside, already drawing the attention of the other gym goers.

“It’s different. And besides, it’s good for business.” Dana winked at Myron as if inviting him to continue on to the locker room before he also had to deal with the morning’s nonsense. “Can I interest you in a complementary supplement for your trouble?” she asked, pulling a bottle of GluteMax from the crate. “Rare formula, technically not recalled.”

“Don’t even think about it,” I snapped. “He’d become too powerful!”

“I think I’m good,” Myron laughed nervously. “And besides, I know a guy.”

“Is it the same guy?” asked Dana. “Can we hire them as a trainer? I’m not kidding.”

—

It was a slow morning, and before long I wandered away from the front desk to start making the rounds, cleaning machines, wrestling free weights back to their correct spots, cosplaying someone with a working knowledge of fitness. Dana, having gotten to work on time, got to control the playlist blasting out of the speakers that morning. I had my earbuds in in protest, just loud enough to ignore the sounds of grunting and the rhythmic clang of barbells against metal from some overzealous lifter who had settled into some sort of equilibrium with gravity, arms straining to hold the weight perfectly still in the air above their torso. 

Seems weird, but not my business, I guess, I thought. I kept it moving until their look of over-exertion turned to clear panic. 

“Um…help??” they exclaimed, finally catching my attention. The barbell had gradually lowered through the air to press down on their chest. This wasn’t some kind of tension workout but actually a losing battle against gravity.

I planted my feet on either side of the bench, not knowing what to do beyond an alert in my brain saying Get Weight Off. I was barely aware of how much I could lift in a pinch, but it definitely didn’t amount to the mass of plates on either side of the bar. The more I thought about my inability to lift, the more likely this person’s inability to breathe, and there was no one else to grab for help. It would have to be me.

With a rush of adrenaline I managed to lug the bar a few inches higher, my face contorting so suddenly that one of my earbuds wriggled its way out and fell through the air. People do this for fun? I thought in disbelief, frozen in a wide stance with only seconds before my upper half gave up. The rack, it needs to fall back onto the rack, I concluded, managing to not so much carry but guide the weight at the right downward angle back onto the rails, my arms screaming in complaint. 

I rested against the bar and took a beat to catch my breath and let the rush fade, noticing the slight tremor in my hands still white knuckle gripping the metal. Legs still straddling the lifter whose life I like to think I had just saved, I leaned over and peered upside down through my thighs to make sure they were still breathing. 

“Are you okay??” I asked, with a little too much volume in overcompensation from off balance music pumping out of the earbud that decided to stay put.

Their chest heaved up and down as they kept gulping air with less and less urgency, eventually managing to lift their head and string some words together.

“Shit. Thanks, I think I…” they trailed off as our eyes locked in recognition.

“You!” I exclaimed. “The guy from the park.” The angle was much different, but I’d know that cute face anywhere, even if it was actively recovering from a near death experience.

“Uh, yeah,” he smiled. “We gotta stop meeting like this,” his eyes flitting pointedly to the pipe running down my inner thigh, just inches from his face, still taking advantage of the adrenaline flooding my system to stretch out with excitement.

“Ah, sorry!” I blushed, whipping one leg over the bench and holding out a hand to help him up. He gladly took it.

“No, it’s cool,” he said. “You know I’m a fan.”

Butterflies. “I, uh,” I stammered through the heat filling my face, trying and failing to come up with something clever to say. “Fair enough.”

“Great show last night, by the way,” he said, his hands resting on his thighs and his eyes resting on mine. “Sorry if that’s not cool to say.”

“No, I appreciate the feedback,” I smiled, resting my hands on my hips in some semblance of confidence in the face of this adorable man, hinging my butt slightly to downplay the bulge that was showing no sign of going down.

“I’m Kai, by the way,” he offered.

“Ty,” I reciprocated. “Also known as MutantMenace97,” I added, rolling my eyes.

“Ty’s cool. And it rhymes,” he intoned, smiling to himself. “Also, I think you dropped this,” he said, holding out my earbud.

“Nice catch,” I joked, letting my fingers linger as I plucked it gingerly from his hand, my eyes catching his once again, searching for something to say.

“Well, uh, thanks again for the save. I guess I’ll see you…” he trailed off, eyes widening as he looked into the distance.

I followed his gaze to the squat rack, where the mid-morning sun was casting two planets in stark relief. Dear Myron was in the middle of a set of deadlifts, hips hinged all the way back, pants split wide open.

“I…let me go deal with that,” I sighed, reluctantly abandoning my meet-cute to deal with the latest crisis.

—

“They split on my second to last set, I thought I might as well finish,” said Myron, strolling ahead of me into the locker room, his bountiful buns swishing back and forth in the wreckage of his gym shorts. “It’s not like it’s the first time this has happened.”

“And Dana thinks I’m the one to cause a scene,” I said, rolling my eyes. “At least the underwear held up.”

Myron stripped off his tattered shorts to reveal the same brand of specialty briefs he had gifted me, cut for significantly different proportions and resembling more of a bikini brief. “Glad I tried out a pair of these for myself, they have yet to let me down.”

I snatched the briefs off the bench where Myron had left them as he rummaged through his bag for his shower supplies, the globes of his bubble butt hovering in the air, a safety hazard for any unsuspecting passers by. “These are pretty resilient,” I said, stretching them between my hands.

“Feels like they’re the only things I can rely on,” he agreed. “I’ve blown through just about every good pair of workout pants at this point. I wonder if they have any in stock…”

I tuned out of Myron’s recounting of the struggles of having too perfect and juicy of an ass, instead fixating on the underwear before me, unconsciously bringing them closer as I picked up on the magnetic musk entering my nostrils. It felt familiar in a way I couldn’t describe. I furtively breathed deep, indulging in the aura of my friend’s recently used gym fit, my heart rate quickening as the very specific scent of his sweat unfurled in my brain into the memory of that night in…

“The car…” I muttered.

“Hm?” asked Myron, turning back towards me and holding his hand out in mild annoyance for me to return his dirty underwear.

“I, uh…” I muttered, my breath becoming short as my lower abs clenched, an all too familiar pressure building in my groin. “Not again.” I rested my hand along the top of the lockers, trying to maintain balance as Myron approached with worry on his face.

“Is it, you know?” he asked, eyes gesturing pointedly to my crotch and the trouser snake making its way down towards my knee. I towered over him but he rested one hand along my ribs in support, while the other held up the towel wrapped taut around his hips. “Let’s find an empty stall.”

“No, wait,” I managed to eke out as, with a shiver up and down my spine, my dick felt like it was unfurling, eagerly taking up more space, the friction against the fabric of my pouch eliciting a spurt of precum and teasing me with an approach toward semi-hardness, the point of no return quickly approaching until it just…didn’t. “I…think I’m good,” I said. “False alarm.” 

I handed Myron’s briefs back to him, the look of concern refusing to leave his face. When he finally walked off to the showers, his round cheeks fighting for space beneath that skimpy towel, I finally breathed out, tentatively running my hand along the bulge in my pants. I could feel the increased mass, noticeably bigger than it was just a few minutes ago, but was surprised to find it totally soft. My fingers tingled with the phantom sensation of the fabric of Myron’s underwear, the aura of his sweat and musk lingering in the air. The gears turned in my head.

—

I didn’t do any cam work that night. I was tired and still a little freaked out by the incident in the locker room. Not that that wasn’t the first time that exact thing had happened. Upon further inspection of my definitely longer, definitely girthier, definitely more sensitive cock, I wasn’t looking forward to seeing it hard. Not that I could even dream of lasting past the following morning before being reintroduced to a schlong that likely extended just past my head. I didn’t even mind at this point, not really. My dick seemed to be a problem for everyone else more than it was for me. But I wanted to get used to it before revealing it to the fans.

I got some takeout, played some Kart, took it easy, ignoring the growing pressure in my crotch which before long would make itself known by force. Through the rest of my shift, it had been straining desperately against the pouch, to the point where I feared catastrophic failure before I could get home and let it hang free. It would definitely have made for some good content if it had rendered my jock strap inadequate in the middle of my day job. I fixated again on that email sitting in my inbox, thinking about the intense effect of Myron’s sweaty underwear, my own pair managing to stay intact around the beast that constantly threatened to rip through. But with the right encouragement, and an apparent catalyst…An idea coalesced in my brain. I took out my phone and pulled up the text thread with Myron.

[Me: Hey, can I borrow your underwear? The new ones]

[Me: It’s exactly what you think]

[Me: Online sex stuff, obvi 😌]

Let’s give the people what they want.

[fcmn]

So, I decided to talk about Downpour DLC of Rain World, because, why not?

I'll talk only about More Slugcat Expansion part of DLC, because Co-op and expeditions that were added is just great, I don't have anything to say about them.

Also I want to make clear that everything said here is purely my opinion and I don't force anyone to agree on it, and also spread hate on anyone who disagree on this opinion.

SPOILERS!!!

So, Downpour. An Expansion, that added 5 new characters to play and 5 new campaings to expirience, and yet, there's something I don't like about it. So let's talk about everything one by one.

1. Slugcats

Gourmand, Artificer, Rivulet, Spearmaster and Saint. Five new scugs, five new ways to play the game. I really like how fun they are, really, they all powerful and unique, you have to adapt for every single one of them. But this coin has two sides. Fun and power we got, cost us the idea of vanilla Rain World, the fact, that we are almost at the bottom of a food chain, we can overpower every threat, but with pure strugle and effort, not just because we have the ability to make everything go kaboom. I can't say I dislike the gameplay of new scugs, but I can't say I purely like it. The same creatures and threat that we encountered as vanilla trio, doesn't feel the same way for new squad, they can arguebly easy kill anything. I do believe, that there is a golden line between fun and philosophy of Rain World, it is probably possible to balance every scug in a way, that they will feel more natural for the eco-system, but still being fun to play. I'm not a developer, nor a game-designer, it's just my opinion as a player.

2. Story

This is something that I started to think about not so long ago. Each of the new campaings, except Saint, has a pretty similar pattern: Go to FP, listen to some dialogue, go into new region and get your score screen. Why is it always Five Pebbles? You have to visit him in order to progress the story. Which isn't true for Hunter, Monk or Survivor. I mean, as a new player, you'll visit him to get a basic understanding of what are you even suposed to do, but when you know where do you need to go, you can get to the ending without visiting Pebbles or Moon. You could say, that it makes sence for them to go to Pebbles, because they have to receive something from him. Fixing ID drone for Arti, giving Riv the ball, opening gate to outer expanse for Gourm and taking thr pearl put of Spearmaster. For SM, I'll say right now, that it is logical for him to visit Pebbles in prder to progress, he is a messenger. Probably it is the same for Riv, but I still have a filing that it could be done differently. Though I think it should be different for Arti and Gourm. As a Gourmand, it doesn't make sence for Pebbles to give him a mark of communication at all, he could just sent him out of his can and show him the direction to the Outer Expanse via the Overseers, much like Iggy does guide Monk and Survivor to Looks to the Moon and then to Five Pebbles. For Artificer, since she's next after Spearmaster, of which visit FP wasnt happy at all and he could just lock the karma gates to FP region like he did with Outer Expanse, so no one could enter his structure and distract him. Sofanthiel (ID drone), could be more useful in this scenario, he could act as an Overseer of sorts, pointing out threat, flashing images of Chief Scav and Elite Scavs as warnings and he could lead to the alternative way into Metropolis and also, I would give player a bit different route to the Chieftain Scav arena, the route that would make a visit to Atop the Tallest Tower mandatory for going forward, and the Echo there would give player a choice, proceed with the path of violence or choose a path of Ascension, which, in my opinion, does fit the "What fate a slugcat?" phrase.

Saint is just worth a whole another post to just talk about him, because he gives off mixed signals for me. But I can say, that, I love his campaing.

Overall, I do think that downpour story is good at some points, for me at least, but I also think, that it could've been done a lot better.

3. Five Pebbles.

I do like the new character of Five Pebbles, it does waves away almost everything pre-Downpour FP showed us, byt it's still a great character with good tragedy story. Five Pebbles and other Iterators being more human-like is a good thing for me. Five Pebbles being more similar to humans with his personality is something I like, because you can grow a bond with him through out the story. From SM's campaing where he is an angry teen who just pushes everyone away, all the way to the Riv's campaing, where he is more mature, regretting everything he's done in the past, not seeking forgivness upon himself. Seeing him first time in Saint's campaing and listen to him barely able to speak is... Heavy. It is a really emotional moment and I couldn't hold the tears, looking at the way he speaks and trying to listen his favorite pearl, even though it's already showing sings of decay, slowly fading out.

4. Sliver of Straw.

It's more about Challenge 70 being uncanon. I do dislike this statement and I think, it wastes a lot of interesting things to discuss because of it. All the theories about Sliver and Saint, also about Iterator's abbilities just fell into nothing. I personally love the theory about Saint being THE triple affirmative, created by Sliver herself to ascend her and probably others, but, it just happend too early, before Sliver was able to share the news about solving their great problem, and that's why she fought back, as Saint tried to ascend her. I just love this theory and I hate the fact, that it all just nothing more than a silly headcannon, because of how Challenge 70 is considered non-canon >:(

That's all I have to say about Downpour. Sorry if there was too much hate of just straight up nonsence, these are just my unfiltered thoughts on the DLC. Also I am, by no means encouraging you to spread any form of hate towards Downpour developer team or Videocult themselfs, they all did a massive job to bringing this Expansion to life and I am happy we do have it at all.

[animation-is-my-jam]

How do you think College would Go for becky's friend circle (plus the others in her age range)? I know you most explore about them in either High School and in adulthood ( like in your Fic and Fan children ). But I'm curious.

Hey thanks for the ask! This is a good one.

Yeah, you're very observant in how I don't really focus on that part of when I do Wordgirl time-skip stories, for example in my current fic I always allude to specific things in college but I haven't straight up wrote about them in college. To me, that's a nebulous 4 to 6 years of vagueness where anything could happen lmao, either for lazy plot reasons or to make some crazy headcanons/jokes out of it. But you know what, sure, I'll give some ideas about what i would do if I had to headcanon the Woodview kids in college:

Becky: I feel like her being an English major is a given with also some creative writing and linguistics pursuits thrown in there. Becky would probably let herself become way more loose in college because girl has been on the school grind for so long she kinda needs it. I could see her trying to be a more reckless party gal during those years (and she cringes at that as an adult). But she also strikes me as the person who would stay up all night to do every assignment as soon as she gets them because she fears procrastination. (Becky starts to see the appeal of coffee). Whether she's still Wordgirl or not, it depends, but I think she would either retire or take a break as Wordgirl when she starts college. For her sanitys sake. She would stay in dorms and probably have maybe Rose or Scoops as a roommate or heck, maybe someone random like Emma or Emily. But... of course, it's a Jam post, so tobecky has to be brought up (i will be put to death after this dw ^v^) After having a dorm roomie for some time, I can see her and Tobey moving into an apartment together during their later years so they don't have to be apart for too much (they go to different schools). But I also like to imagine a mutual tobecky break-up during college, so that's funny to think about. Bob isn't with her during college, "pets" aren't allowed in the dorms, and the college staff isn't buying that he could be a short 40 year-old hairy student, and he's left behind, unfortunately.

Scoops: Easy enough, I can see him attending the same college/university as Becky since they both focus on writing and more liberal arts pursuits. Scoops would be very excited in college due to a lot of things. However, that means also procrastinates and forgets the most out of the group. I can see him absolutely trying to take over the school's news network and campus life updates, but he would have to get through some of the older students. Also, Rose still being his rival if she also attends the same UN. His major is 100 percent journalism, but I can see him being such a photographer fanatic since he wants to capture this era of their lives. He is also probably in some internship program with a news company during college.

Violet: I like to think Violet would get hella art scholarship opportunities, and of course, she's majoring in Art. She's definitely not going to more liberal arts or public universities, so she's going to be away from her friends :( I can see her being the first one to travel abroad for her studies, she's the one who would do all sorts of adventures and write about them to Becky and the others. She will visit when she can, but she'll be busy somewhere in like Italy painting and making more friends than ever before. She's the free spirit of them and definitely has formed some eco-friendly clubs or yoga classes with some students.

Rex: Despite how I headcanon him to be TJ and Johnson's age. I have it that they skip grades to join the friend group in their college years. Rex would absolutely major in mathematics, but I feel like they would stay in university the longest to achieve almost everything that field has to offer so he can have a lot of titles like a doctor or professor. Heck, I can see them teaching some classes while still being a student, lol. I don't know if they would go to the same university as Becky, Scoops, and Rose--probably not. They seemed like they would go out of the city for an Ivy league type school in like a nearby state. He'll be alone a bit since he's still adjusting to making earth their permanent earth, but they'll get the hang of it with some new people to meet. (Would still be a superhero during college).

Tobey: Even though he had a chance to attend college much earlier than the others, he rejected it in order to just live life a bit more in high school before getting swallowed up by studies. Tobey would absolutely get taken by any technical university or institute that could take him. At first, he considered a out of state university, but he didn't want to move far away from his new life he's built up, so he would settle for an institute that Steven and other professors would have gone to. I'm not saying most of that decision would be a (doesn't want to be too away from his friends) decision but...yeah it would. Haha. Okay, so obviously, Tobey's major and field is in robotics (Wow, who would have thought), but other than that, i have this particular headcanon that I know nobody understands, and I haven't shared yet, but I love it okay! So you know how some people discover their own beliefs and philosophies in college that were so different that you might think for them? Well... I have this idea for Tobey, aside from all the robotics... he starts caring a lot about women studies and starts minoring in it...yup! My boy becomes a whole feminist and gets really passionate about it. He's all about women in STEM and actually meets most of his newer friends through it. He goes to college protests and has written essays. Yeah... I can't believe Tobey McCallister turns woke...(but this is what would happen when the most important people in his life have always been strong women. It'll be crazy if he didn't have a strong respect for that).

Rose: I said in the other descriptions how she would be in the same school as Becky and Scoops. Rose's major is, of course, investigative journalism, but that would require her to also be in the social sciences. In addition to that, I can also imagine her being interested in criminal sciences too. She would compete with Scoops in the school news but technically join forces to beat out the upper-class men. Her nosey behaviors don't get better at college/university. If anything, they get worse by how much content of secrets she can learn from the drama of student life on campus.

And yeah, those are my ideas. Again thx for the ask. This was fun to think about, and I'm sorry if it took a while to answer, I keep forgetting when people talk about the Woodview gang. To me, that's like 7 characters (T△T)

Victoria: Finally, my girl is going to thrive. College would be very good for her, and I think it's the part of her life where she does mellow a lot from the terrible tendencies her parents instilled, more than she did in high school. Victoria being exceptional at everything really did have her (and me) struggle at what specific thing she would major in or what kind of school she would attend. I think a popular idea for her is to just attend some fancy university, but she's mostly doing something like the Olympics. I think that's fair, but I like having different interpretations. One of my fav Victoria headcanons is that music is the talent out of all of them that she's actually passionate about, but of course, her parents turned it into something manipulative. So, in college age, she gets accepted into a music institute or college like Berkeley/Juilliard, and there she really has the freedom to do whatever with music. That does mean she'll also be apart from the others, too, but girlie kinda needs a break from them, lol. (Except Rose because I have an agenda to keep). Victoria would also be more lively and reckless in college life, she already was like that in high school, but when it comes to performing she does take it seriously, probably too much from the trauma of needing to impress people :(

Bonus: Eileen goes to the same school as Becky, but nobody knows what she's majoring in. All they know is that she becomes head of a sorority and they have a "mine" philosophy.

[self-indulgent-paw-patrol]

No offense but I think the pups swap places/jobs idea can work. If they were trained for the job before claiming that job. In the show, we only barely seen the pups do training whenever they handled a new job on subseries. Also the pups also canonically did eachother's jobs together on the Ultimate Rescue subseries. I think the jobs don't necessarily have to be assigned on one breed because it's designed for that breed. Paw Logic, anyone can do the job as they aren't too small for it.

*Distinctly remembers a whole entire episode of Ryder doing some last/final training for sea rescues with his pups, in which Rocky failed the test and could NOT join the rescue efforts until the very end when he finally decided to go into the water-- Also how at some point Everest went with them in the Sea Patroller for her first time and Ryder made a point to say she wouldn't join the rescue efforts exactly for the reason she wasn't trained for it yet, until they had something done about that too so she could officially become a Sea Patrol pup too-- ALSO clearly remembering an episode where Chase was training motorcycle driving/maneuvers with Wild at least until his allergies affected him too much to keep going--*

There were several instances where we get to see the pups training or practicing. Just because we don't see them getting PREPARED PREVIOUSLY for a new job role every time there's a new subseries, doesn't mean they weren't at all ever. It's a kids show, they don't show EVERYTHING, they cut straight to the point most times. "Kids won't want to see them training, it's boring, it's like doing homework. They'll want to see the action, the rescues, the pups driving new cool vehicles already." That's the same reason why we don't get "slice of life" scenes either, only when it's for something to happen that will be relevant for the episode's plot - in other words, no slice of life at all.

As for the Ultimate Rescues, it's always the main six pups. They've lived together for years now, they've seen each other practicing and performing their duties, they've helped each others with their tasks and rescues countless times. And even then, each pup goes for a specific role in the umbrella of the job at the time, and are still led through on what to do by the pup who's responsible for that job.

On ONE thing you're right, the jobs do NOT need to specifically go for a specific breed. What I was saying in the other post was that the show producers did that anyway for the main six pups. The police pup is the German Shepherd. The firefighter is the Dalmatian. The Lifeguard is the Labrador. The aviator is the lightest pup. The constructor/builder is the stronger pup. The eco/creative is the mutt - I could actually complain on this one since it reinforces the stereotype of mutts being the ones who are abandoned on the streets ever so often and eating from dumpsters and trash cans, thus making Rocky be the one who messes with trash, they just made it fancy and eco-friendly for a good message for the audience.

For the other pups, they got jobs according to their own life experiences. Liberty works in the big city where she lives. Rex works with the dinosaurs where he grew up. Tracker works in the jungle where he lives too, and so on. They didn't need "training" for their jobs, they just got roles to patrol and care for the places they're already familiar with, and when trouble comes, they call for backup from Ryder and the main six.

Swapping places and jobs WOULD mess stuff up, whether we like it or not. Some won't be able to perform as well once they're out of the element they're familiar with, not without proper guidance. THIS is what I mean with "responsibility first" on that other post as well, switching places only for fun is one thing, but if they try to go on a rescue acting in someone else's place just for fun to see how that goes, that would be irresponsible and could put people in danger if they're suddenly unable to perform as well as the other would. Taking over someone who's currently unable to work - like how Chase tried to work in Rubble's place once before - is already dangerous as it is, let alone if there would be no real necessity to do such a thing.

TL;DR:

The very producers ignored the "No job is too big, no pup is too small" to assign specific jobs for specific breeds with the main six pups;

The pups DO have regular training sessions but we only get to see it happening a few times, only when it's relevant for the episode's plot;

Ultimate Rescues are performed only by the main six from what I've seen in the show so far, which means the very pups who live all together at the Lookout for years and have been following each others practices to know enough to perform slightly better than average at each others jobs, and even then it's mostly for specific things that fall into their own expertise areas;

Nothing changes the point that taking a pup from one job/location to another where they're not familiar with and make them perform an actual rescue with stuff they're not familiar with is not only irresponsible but also dangerous for them and for the people/animals in need of rescue.

The producers created the so-called "Paw Logic" to simplify things and make them work for episode/plot convenience, especially given the short time span for each episode - regularly 10 minutes only, with some specials being 20 minutes long and the "short movies" being around 40 minutes each. 10 minutes isn't exactly enough time to waste around showing slice of life, or pups practicing. They need to cut straight to action.

Meanwhile, I apply real world logic to make sense of things we didn't get to see on screen, that's why I'm tagging stuff as "Paw Patrol Headcanons". That's MY way of thinking these things through. You happen to have different ideas, good for you, you can work on them and create your fan content. I'll work on mine and create fan content as well. Win for the fandom as a whole, getting more content in different ways, with diverse storytelling by other fans.

[fearecia]

In this ongoing learning curve of "oh, these symptoms are actually an allergy response," I've come across some products for use around my house. I've been dealing with dryness on my hands for absolute years, requiring daily moisturizing to combat and keeping cuticle clippers handy to trim off the hang-nails before they get ripped off. I also trim off the slivers of skin that peel back from behind my nails (not technically hang-nails, I don't think).

For the record, I've always struggled with Dawn dish soap (aggressively dries out my hands and will make my knuckles itch and split) and generally stuck to Palmolive (raised on it). I have always been allergic to Dove products (bar soaps, body wash, etc - I blamed the moisturizers in them. No idea if that's the real culprit or not) and have generally used Softsoap or similar products for hand soap. After discovering that everything I was using had fragrance I couldn't smell, I swapped to these products that I could find in my local WinCo.

Ecos Hypoallergenic Dish Soap

Seems to be as effective as the Palmolive. I might be using a bit more soap for the same degreasing effects, or it might just be that since I haven't found a major refill bottle to buy, I'm noticing how fast I go through a bottle (I'm very aggressive in my dish soap use, so this isn't unusual).

Sappho Hill Bar Soaps

I got the Natural one and stuck one on a soap tray in each bathroom in my house. Rinses nicely off my hands and leaves that clean feeling. I haven't aggressively tested it against oils and grease from working on the motorcycle or something similar yet.

The overall redness of my hands has decreased and I'm not struggling with massive levels of dryness anymore. I haven't been picking up the cuticle clippers hardly at all either anymore, though I will admit to not having been paying as close attention to that side effect. I think my nails may also be getting stronger, but I think that correlates more with oral antihistamines more than the soaps. I've had the new products in use for 2-3 weeks now. I think I noted the possible changes in nail thickness over a month ago.

Now that I'm paying more attention, I think I'm also reacting to my shampoo and conditioner, and maybe the body wash. I installed a shower filter that I think made a small difference in the level of red on my chest after taking a shower, but I'm definitely still having issues there. Now that I'm paying attention, the redness pattern seems primarily isolated to my hands, forearms, face and chest, which tracks with the shampoo and conditioner. And I've definitely seen that it shows up right after using my shampoo. So that will be getting swapped out next.

I've also had oily hair but a flaky scalp for like... Ever. I had a brief period of time where that went away when I was being treated for acne with whatever that Vit-A derivative medication is. And then it went away again for a week or two when I was taking all the MCAS meds (I sadly ran into problems with the pharmacy for one medication and started reacting to another, so had to quit both of them). I'm kinda hoping that maybe the oily hair/dry scalp problem is another allergy related issue that I can treat with the appropriate products.

For moisturizing, I currently use Renew Lotion by the Melaleuca Company*. I started using it years ago when I lived on the top of the mountain in Colorado and my skin could not stay hydrated at all. Most lotions barley got me through 24 hours. This stuff took care of my skin for like a week. I've had multiple people who are medical professionals try it and love it (because it helps combat the dryness of constantly washing their hands). I've also had folks who have eczema use it and claim it is better than their prescription lotions. It's not cheap, but it's worth every penny in terms of how much less you need of it and how long the effects last. I will be considering it as another potential allergen source at a later date. For now, I'm barely using it, so I'm not super concerned at the moment.

*Yes, the Melaleuca Company is an MLM from what I can tell. I get the lotion because it's the best thing I've ever found. They have a variety of other products that are probably good as well (tea tree oil is the big component of their stuff) that I have never tried. I get the lotion on Amazon, which is probably about double the cost of what you would pay if you found someone selling the products directly (I used to get it for $20 a bottle with I had friends who worked for them). So, yes, MLM sucks, but products are solid.

Side note, I stumbled over this thread with recommendations for hypoallergenic products for MCAS folks:

Anyway. Just recording things and the process for future me/other people. Goodness knows it's reading things like this that has helped me figure a ton of shit out in the past.

[seventeendeer]

I’d like to hear more about the unstoppable sand dune

haha thANK YOU anon for enabling me, I feel the world should know about the killer sand dune. it's so special to me

DISCLAIMER that this is all an ameteur sillyguy’s observations after one (1) day of researching the dune. do not trust my word on the dune. I’m just very excited and I want to talk about a cool thing I learned about. I will link a wikipedia article at the end of this post so anyone who wants to do proper research will have a place to start. this is simply me trying to infect you with excitement for the dune so that anyone who thinks this sounds cool can do their own research.

SO ANYWAY ABOUT THE DUNE !

for context, I live in denmark, which is 1. small, 2. flat and 3. generally very, very low-risk of natural disasters or extreme weather conditions. we generally don’t get big earthquakes or massive wildfires or tsunamis or even all that intense storms or anything like that. this is important to note because it is part of the reason my mind is blown by the giant fucking sand dune that apparently exists up north that used to DESTROY EVERYTHING IN ITS PATH up to and including entire forests and at least one town

the largest chunk of danish land is a narrow peninsula sticking up in a northern direction from germany. because there’s a little small ocean to the east and a fuck-off huge ocean to the west, the wind almost always blows from the western sea across the country, toward the eastern sea.

at one point a few hundred years ago, massive amounts of sand on the west coast just ... got up and left. the harsh wind and lack of vegetation to anchor the sand made it just sort of ... start creeping across the peninsula in the form of a gigantic dune. in a couple more hundred years, it will have fully crossed the peninsula and come up on the east coast.

some fun facts about the Giant Killer Dune:

- again, ate at least one town. the tower of a church is the only remnant of the town still sticking out of the dune.

- there was once an attempt to anchor the dune by planting grasses and pine trees on and near to it. this disturbed the dune’s eco system, however, so the state decided to buy up all the land on and around the dune in order to preserve it and allow it to continue on its path unhindered. the dune has acquired rights

- I can’t help but notice that if the dune continues on its path as predicted, it will eventually destroy roads and other infrastructure connecting the northernmost part of the peninsula to the rest of the country. I’m going to go ahead and assume someone is going to be doing something about that and we’re not just leaving Skagen to go full mad max fury road

- because the sand moves so slowly, the dune eviscerates any natural areas it comes across. it has eaten entire forests. nothing can survive under the sand long enough to see the light of day again. however, because of how dirt works, the dune also leaves behind gaps in the earth that fill with water, creating ponds and lakes, which eventually enable new vegetation to move in and start new densely-vegetated areas. the killer dune is apparently also the lifegiving dune, if you feel like being generous and Very patient

- if you’re less patient, be a bird! the dune is home to and a pitstop for several different types of birds, who have come to depend on it. this part gets me so fucking hyped. imagine being a bird on that dune. he can’t help but feel like his summer house has moved ever so slightly to the right compared to last year. his bird friends tell him he’s being weird but he knows the truth

- and here comes another part that is SO COOL. METAL SAND! THE PALE SAND IS STRIPED WITH METAL SANDS LIKE A PAINTING!! I have distant memories of visiting the dune as a child and using a magnet to draw out dark sand and seperate it from the pale sand. I still have a vial of the metal sand I keep with my rock collection. I have no idea if stealing from the dune is legal or ethical (surely not? there’s a lot of dune but not enough for everyone to take home souvenirs surely ???), but I didn’t realize. I have however treasured this sand for over a decade, which is ultimately what made me decide to look up the dune and learn all this cool stuff in the first place. now that I have an adult brain with adult context for how fucking cool this dune is. the magnetic sand is nicknamed ‘stardust’ by locals that I would very much like to meet and personally congratulate for somehow making the really cool dune even cooler

- its name, Råbjerg Mile, is also metal, but in the badass sense. “rå” = “raw” or “harsh”, “bjerg” = “mountain”, “mile” = “wandering dune.” they really named this thing “giant pile of sand coming to kick your ass”

here’s the english wikipedia link to the dune for anyone curious!!

all jokes aside, I really am so enchanted by this thing. I never even knew giant moving sand dunes like this existed! this is a mini biome that has only existed for a few hundred years and will eventually end the same way it began! and yet it’s become so important to the land and the animals that live and pass through here that people have fought to give it legal protection in the limited time it has yet to exist! I’m so glad it’s being taken care of and protected. what an absolute wonder. I’m so, so glad I took the time to read about it. god. geography you guys !!!!!!!

[arianaofimladris]

I saw a post about food rationing in Poland back in the 80s and it made me think... I've talked about that with my friend recentlly - how things that are now presented as zero waste, eco friendly or whatever is trendy right now - and they are often presented as some life changing ideas - are things we were actually taught by our parents and especially grandparents. Basic stuff like not throwing away your dinner leftovers, since you can take them as lunch to work the next day. Like repairing something that broke instead of throwing it away and buying a new one. Obviously, you can't do that with everything, but in many cases it is possible at little cost and a bit of creativity. There was shortage of basically everything, so people had to come up with ways to make their life better/nicer. Every other person has a sewing machine or knew someone who had one, because clothes were expensive and ugly and fabrics were cheap and pretty. You knew how to repair things. Right now possessing manual skills and ability to make something is considered hobby or craft. Don't get me wrong, it's not bad that now we don't have to be resourceful to have nice things.

Of course, there are some habits caused by generational trauma we do not need to appropriate. Like keeping literally everything because "it might come in handy one day", which results in a garage or a cellar full of half broken stuff that you will never actually use. That comes from the time where everything was scarce, so you kept literally everything you had.

But things like Not Wasting Food? That should not be some illuminating new idea but a standard. I do my best to reduce food that I end up throwing away. My grandma considers throwing away food a sin. Not even in religious aspect, she's hardly one for enforcing beliefs on other people, but in terms of this being A Really Bad Thing.

I'm glad I was born in a free country that is prospering well enough. I certainly would not want to go back to the times I grew up hearing about. But what I do like from those times I never experienced is the resourcefullness that came with it. Today I'm a weirdo (in a positive way) who sews her own dresses. 40 years ago that would have been normal way to get something nice.

Huh. I guess this post isn't going anywhere particular, except perhaps stating the obvious like we should appreciate what we have.

[crispysnake]

I'm doin it:) ok yall here is a list of all the more obscure hobbies I think modern au Keyleth gets up to plus examples! goin under the cut cause it's gonna get a little long!

first of all she is an Eco Friendly Girl almost everything she makes or does is for repurposing and reusing other things:)

• Rebinding books! Keyleth gets almost all her books from second-hand stores so usually they're pretty beaten up and damaged, so she rebinds them and makes her own covers with old fabrics or sometimes patterned paper she feels fits the vibe more! I think for the twin's birthday, Keyleth found two copies of Elaina's favourite book, one she used to read to them all the time that eventually got harder and harder to find, and she rebounded them and added little touches on the cover so it was something even more personal to them:,) (Also Percy forged Keyleth her own personal book embosser and its one of her favourite things on the planet)

• I think this girl definitely learned how to cut glass. listen she is clumsy and tries to carry far too many things and once and often drops and breaks her cups. So she takes old glass bottles and cuts and sands them down to regular cups! on bigger ones like wine bottles she turns those into plant pots. I think she kept the wine and pop bottles from her and Vaxs first date and now those are her most treasured glasses. But she also over the months stole some of Grogs bottles, all of his favorite beers and ales, and turned those into a set of glasses for him:)

•Kind of hand in hand with the last one but I think for more recreation she also knows how to make and cut stained glass, they are hung up in almost every window in their home (Vax loves being up for the sunrises and sunsets cause it casts a whole lot of rainbows all over the walls and floors) for Pike she made a piece involving the Everlight colours to hang up on the window she prays under, and when Percy was having a particularly rough time, she made one for him where the centrepiece resembled the sun tree.

• ofc she knows how to embroider, she tries to make all her clothes last as long as possible, so usually when they get holes or rip, she patches them but embroiders a little flower or plant to cover up the stitching

• Keyleth definitely knows how to dry and press flowers, she loves being able to preserve that beauty, you just know she's talented at making bouquets that hold a whole lot of meaning, but DRIED flower bouquets are just so beautiful and she likes thinking that since all those flowers are preserved, that the meaning behind them stays preserved too. (in this au Vilya went missing and then presumed dead. so they still had a funeral for her. and keyleth visits regularly to replace the dried flower bouquets.)

• HANDMADE NOTEBOOKS. Keyleth does not like wasting paper, so she collects all her scraps, dilutes and blends them, presses them, makes her own covers, coils them, and creates them into something new:) Scanlan has his own handmade customized notebooks for all his songs, and eventually commissioned one for Kaylie too:)

•(BONUS) When Keyleth does eventually start going to therapy, she had yoga recommended to her a few times but it just didn't really work for her, she doesn't like her mind being that quiet and letting all her not pleasant thoughts run rampant. She still tries and does it most mornings to wake her body up and take deep breaths though. I think she just prefers having these hobbies as a form of expressive therapy etc, I'm not quite sure what I want her job to be in this au yet but yall this girl is a hard worker and afraid of failure, she definitely had an unhealthy work-life balance and needs these hobbies to have time for herself and her family.

OK THATS ALL I GOT FOR NOW, if anyone has literally any other ideas please lmk I would love to hear them! I will definitely be adding on to this when I think of more :)<3

[faded-springs]

Working on a large-ish set

So normally I would try and release something new each week, but I decided to start working on a set. I love to create sets based on a pack and label it as an 'Add-on', which I did with Cottage Living, Eco Living and Nifty Knits.

I will reveal that the pack that I'm working on is Pastel Pop, and the working title is 'A Pop of Colour'! I'm excited about this and once I formed the idea I immediately put what I was going to release next week aside for another time (it was another dress..)

I hopefully will have it done soon, but I am tossing up on whether I do a piece-by-piece release or just wait until everything is finished and then release. I've seen other simmers do either of these options and I can't decide. Let me know which option you like best.

Unrelated: 100% of my Patreon donations for May and June will go to the PCRF. The situation in Gaza is worsening every day as Palestinians face genocide by the Israeli Government. Children are being injured, separated from family, orphaned and killed, and require aid urgently. The PCRF is a non-political, non-profit organisation working to get aid to Palestinian children so that they can get the help that they need.

You can either donate to my Patreon or donate via my PCRF fundraising page. The link will also be in my Linktree.

[expandinghorizonschallenge]

The Challenge

Over the course of 2023, complete each item from all three parts — or, ya know, do it your own way. To access the lists, click on the titles below. The idea is to expand your knowledge base and build your community, and since everything seems to be going up in flames, here is a way to start being part of the solution.

There are 28 items in each section. Why did I make it that way? Why not round up to 30? Because 28 is an underappreciated number. You can fight me on this but you will not win. (it may or may not actually be because the seemingly random items on the lists follow a secret pattern down to the order in which they're listed, which, if you can figure out you will get 10,000 Cool Person points).

Also, it's all mix-and-match-able, so you can either do it in order, or jump around (even between the different parts). While it is angled towards Americans, you can modify it to your own purposes by replacing America or United States with whatever your country is.

Part 1: Read

Read things you might not usually read. Or if you don't like reading, watch videos or listen to podcasts. Each item on the list (with the exception of No.2 is a category which you can take in a number of different directions.

Part 2: Share

Art! Share the art! It can be your art or (making sure it's credited) other's art that you like as long as they're not telling you to avoid reposting. And the art can be visual, music, photography, short-film, performance, poetry, whatever

Part 3: Do

Get in on the action. Basically 28 prompts that you can mold to your specific situation to help you explore new things and better your community. Some are about experiencing new things, or learning and teaching, or tangible ways to improve yourself.

Feel free to submit posts with what you get up to, and use the tag #horizonschallenge to share and see all the cool stuff people find. Also crossposting to other social media with credit is absolutely fair game.

As for the cool-person points, it has been brought to my attention that I should maybe offer hints. You can find them below the cut.

The first 14 items in each section are based one list. The second 14 are based on another.

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For the first 14, some search terms: Lawrence Britt, 2003

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For the second 14, some search terms: Umberto Eco, 1995, the New York Review

[possibilistfanfiction]

your latest rebloghad me snickering i never have understood the obsession with her. anything youve been listening to lately that you rec for someone looking for something new?

ok before anyone comes for me lmfao i do want to say that i generally find her music mostly fine, sometimes good, occasionally a song will make me absolutely feral for no discernible reason lol. i think she's an eco-terrorist basically but like... her music is fine & ppl being normal fans is... normal lol

what is BEYOND to me is when ppl will literally like... post abt her like she's their friend, or defend her music when like sometimes artists u like make mediocre shit! that's fine! lol like i have two lorde tattoos & i do think overall as a project solar power is beautiful & cool but was it earth-shattering like pure heroine or melodrama? no! which is fine! i don't need it to be! i also have no idea what lorde is doing day to day lol

also i will say i love pop. i love being a fan of pop. i think the world runs on pop music & it should! i named my dog after charli xcx! not everything i listen to (or consume in general) aligns with my personal politic of a free palestine & a free world! my ultimate weakness is drag race! so the level of insanity surrounding taylor swift (& beyonce tbh) by (at least in my community) gay white men (or gay men trying to perform whiteness / gain proximity to it) is just... bonkers! i could go on about this forever but i will not lol. [if u like podcasts tho, a bit fruity did an ep on the political power of taylor swift which is quite interesting. their episode becoming a woman with miss benny also talks abt gayness, femininity, & pop (in an illuminating way!!) -- check them out if u want!!]

ANYWAY SORRY. some stuff i'm currently loving:

tierra whack's new album whack world. super funky, smart, heartfelt, she's the weirdest in the game & we are all better for it

BRAT ERA BABEY aka charli xcx's new singles. my favorite is club classics atm but B2b & von dutch (& the remix w/ addison rae) are summer bops. can't wait to be drunk on the beach listening to them

constantly going back to ethel cain's preacher's daughter, especially when i'm in nature w/ char. it's one of my favorite albums of all time; so fucking beautiful. hymns.

as the world's no1 bangerz apologist, & bc of jojo siwa being absolutely delulu & kind of iconic lately, i've been returning to 2013 miley for a laugh, & bc that album is so good. feels rly sad now? idk. her cover of jolene ate so hard no one will ever come close, sry

random but a cover of breezeblocks by taylor rae

honestly also whatever i loved II MOST WANTED lmao. it's gay. the only reason ppl are saying it's not is bc beyonce is on the track. it's gay i will die on this hill

lastly listening to a lot of lonnie holley

[birdbrainweekly]

Mining? Sustainable?

So, it was Earth Day yesterday (hope everyone celebrated) and I was thinking to myself about a fun little topic that would be relevant to talk about, because I love me some fun little topics, but I decided to be a little serious. Who is she? I don't know.

Because this isn't cute and fun I am not posting it on my cute and fun blog and I will talk about it on this account instead. I wanted to talk about two topics, the first is squeezing everything from the rocks that must be mined and the second is carbon sequestration.

Mining is not a popular topic, in fact most people hate the idea of it, however, it is an unavoidable truth in our attempts to move to a greener future. Why? Because technology requires resources. Of course we should recycle our old technology as much as possible to decrease the amount of mining necessary, but its unavoidable. However, there are so many ways people are trying to make this process better! And I want to talk about those ideas.

The first is that a lot of heavy metals are able to move in water/erosion processes, this is a problem we have faced in terms of contamination for many years, and why retaining ponds exist (to prevent bad water from leaving the site). But still a lot of companies will scrap the soil off the surface of the ground to get access to the rock holding the desired resource. However, the soil above the rocks tend to have the same or sometimes higher yield in some of the desired elements than the rock they mine.

This is an exciting find because if we must disturb a site, it is best to get everything we can from it.

Another related topic is revisiting sites that have been mined in the past. We haven't always wanted Rare Earth Elements, but now they are really important for solar panels, wind turbines, and electric cars.

So we can go back to these already disturbed sites and get these important metals without effecting other locations. Great, amazing, beautiful.

Another new hot thing is Carbon Sequestration. So lets talk about it. First I would like to say, this is something that occurs without human interference! The plain English explanation is CO2 in the air/water will react with ultramafic rocks on the surface and in will essentially absorb the CO2 into a new mineral.

The specific reaction is commonly having a rock bearing olivine and serpentine which in the presence of CO2 will form a carbonate like magnesite, calcite, and dolomite. It is a very simple idea, and something we see in nature already, but it is a great way to utilize previous mining sites to get the most value out of them!

Long story short, it is really exciting to look to see what work is being done to be ecofriendly in the mining industry, as geologists are generally very eco-conscious themselves.

Anyway, I know this isn't all the work being done, but this was the topic of much research being done at the SE GSA conference and it left me feeling very excited. I know it isn't my usual topics but thanks for reading!