#Pet Supplies my new fed

[ladykailitha]

A Love Connection Part 3

Hey, all! Welcome to first of two posts today.

I've really got to ask, are you guys seeing these posts? I dropped from 70-80 notes on a post at the beginning of the month to barely cracking 40-50 these days and then it slowly works up as more people see it, but it's taking weeks to get that when it used to take a day maybe two.

I did change my schedule but the people I'm tagging should be able to see them right? And the people that have me on notifications?

Also I've seen a sharp drop in people that used to comment and reblog all the time, from anywhere from not seeing them at all to them only liking a post.

I'm not trying to dog anyone, I'm just curious about the sudden change.

Any advice would be helpful.

This morning's chapter includes the cutest kitten (Sorry Nermal), a Robin apology, and Chrissy and Robin have a confession to make.

Part 1 Part 2

~

Steve pulled up to the apartment building and turned off his car. He put his head on the steering wheel with a heavy sigh. He was about to hit his head on the horn when he heard it. He lifted his head and tilted it.

There!

Steve scrambled to get out of the car. He rushed toward the sound. He skidded on the wet and icy pavement as he tried to come to a stop, nearly toppling over in the process. Near the dumpsters was a wet cardboard box, falling apart in the thick snow.

He scrambled toward it, trying to keep his feet under him. He knelt in the snow and peeled back as sagging corner of the box to reveal the sweetest thing he had ever seen. There, all alone in the destroyed box was a small cream colored kitten with dark brown ears. It looked up at Steve and mewled in the weakest, most plaintive meow imaginable.

He sank to his knees and with gentle hands scooped the wet creature into his arms. It clung to him as he stood shakily to his feet.

“Hey, little guy,” he murmured. “Don’t you know outside is no place to be at this time of year?”

It mewled again and clung a little harder to Steve’s coat. “There’s no place open for me to get you checked out, little one, but let’s get you inside and dried off at the very least, then I’ll see what I have that you can eat until I can get you some proper food. How does that sound?”

“Mew!”

Steve chuckled. “I figured you’d be down with that.”

He turned away from the now fully collapsed box, that once had read on the outside “KITTENS FREE TO GOOD HOME”

~

Before Steve even gotten the kitten dried and fed, he knew he was going to keep it. The poor little thing was as alone as he was feeling in that moment.

He looked up vet services and vowed to make a run to the pet store for supplies first thing in the morning.

He looked up everything he could; like how old the kitten was likely to be, what kind of nutrition the little thing needed, how to tell the sex of his new friend, what toys it would need, proper bedding.

He fell asleep reading how to tell how big a kitten was going to grow up to be, the kitten nestled under his chin.

Steve woke up to distressed mewling. He shot up when he realized it, no not it, he, was no longer on his chest. At first he couldn’t see him, but then he caught sight of the small little paw located near the distressed meows.

He peered over the sofa and burst out laughing. Somehow the kitten had gotten one of his claws caught in the afghan Joyce had given him his first year as a teacher. Something she did for all new teachers at her school regardless of their years being a teacher.

He reached over and gently untangled the little thing from the blanket. “There you go. What were you doing up there anyway?”

“Merrow!” he meowed.

Steve checked his watch and was pleased to note it was barely seven. Which meant he had plenty of time to get dressed, get the little tyke checked out and to stop by the pet store for supplies.

He set him down on the sofa and immediately the kitten tried to walk off the edge. “All all kittens this dumb or is it just you?”

“Meroh!” the kitten cried.

He laughed and scooped him up into his arms. He set the kitten in the middle of the bed so he could change his clothes. Steve laughed every time he had to stop what he was doing and rescue him from the edge, placing him in the center of the bed once again.

Finally he was ready to go. He placed the kitten in his coat to keep it from getting stuck under the car seat and for Steve’s own piece of mind.

He drove to the nearest vet and hoped it wouldn’t cost him an arm and a leg to get the little guy checked out.

~

The vet was quick and painless. On his wallet too. The nice lady at the desk got him set up with a vaccination schedule and the adoption papers.

“All right,” she said warmly, “all he needs is a name.”

Steve chewed on his lip for a moment before he wrote in big capital letters “ODIE”.

She raised her eyebrow but before she could comment the vet’s assistant came out with the little rascal. “That has got be the stupidest or the most fearless kitten I’ve ever met.”

The desk lady looked back at the vet’s assistant and then back at Steve who was trying very hard to hide his smile and failing miserably.

She sighed and helped put the kitten in a cardboard carrier. “There you go, Odie is all set.”

The vet’s assistant burst out laughing. “I like it.”

Steve was about to ask for her number when he noticed a ring on her left hand. Damn.

Oh well, he couldn’t win them all. He thanked them both and took his new friend out to his car.

“Come on, Odie,” he murmured, buckling the carrier into the passenger seat, “lets go get you everything you’ll need.”

~

Steve had just gotten into the car when his cell phone pinged. He opened it to reveal a text from Robin telling him to call her.

He dialed her number. “Hey, Bobbin.”

“So, um...my girlfriend is mad at me for ditching you,” she began nervously, “and making you watch the AV club when last night was supposed to be about hanging out with you before we left.”

Steve sighed. Which meant that Robin had lied to Chrissy about him joining them later and she only found out this morning that was never the plan. “How much hot water are you in?”

“A lot,” Robin admitted. “Like if this trip hadn’t been planned for months, I wouldn’t be going kind of hot water.”

He pinched the bridge of his nose with his free hand and sighed. “Yeah, that’s pretty bad. Is she doing the thing with her bottom lip and watery eyes?”

“Yes!” she wailed. “Now I feel horrible!”

“About upsetting your girlfriend or for ditching me?” he asked because he felt it was a very important distinction she needed to make.

“Shit!” she hissed. “Of course I feel horrible about leaving you with seven little demons. I know I wasn’t last night when you were messaging me, but I filled with booze. When I got home I was filled with regret. I’m the one that told her about ditching you, she didn’t find out any other way. I promise. You know how get with pretty ladies. Chrissy had showed me what she planned to wear out last night, yesterday morning and that the only thought in my head all day. And when you kept messaging me, and Chrissy kept asking me when you were coming out, I just dug a hole for myself and just kept digging. I’m really sorry.”

She paused for a moment. “I probably should have led with that instead of the upset girlfriend, huh?”

Steve clicked his tongue. “Yeah, probably. So when are you two leaving?”

“In a few minutes,” she murmured. “We have everything packed up and ready to go, we just need to get to the airport and get checked in.”

“Are you sure you two don’t want me to take you?” Steve asked. “I could be there in five minutes. That way you don’t have to take an Uber or pay for long term parking.”

Suddenly there was BEEP, BEEP!

“Looks like our ride is here,” Robin said. “Chrissy got one of her friends to take us because they live closer. But you better pick us up, okay? I’ll miss your stupid face.”

“Your face is stupider,” Steve teased back. “You two ladies have a great trip and I’ll see you in a week.”

Robin sighed dramatically. “Don’t do anything stupid while I’m gone.”

“I can’t,” Steve said, “you’re taking all the stupid with you.”

“Hey!” she protested as he hung up on her. He chuckled at the immediate message he got after the call disconnected.

He looked over at the new cat carrier he bought. It was much bigger than Odie currently needed but Steve wanted to give him room to grow into. The kitten was currently asleep in it. Having passed out while Steve was shopping. This is didn’t count as doing something stupid while she was gone, he reasoned, because she was still here.

~

Once Steve got home, he setup the cat bed in the living room, the food and water dishes in the kitchen and the litterbox in the bathroom. He would need to be trained to use the litterbox, but the nice ladies at the vet said it was fairly easy because it was pretty much their instinct to want to bury their wastes.

Steve just had to be consistent. Which was perfect because he had the next two weeks off.

He put the pet toys in his room and settled Odie in. He had been fed and shown the litterbox where he promptly did his business. Steve turned on the latest season of “A Love Connection” and Odie immediately curled up on Steve’s chest right under his chin.

Yeah, this was going to work out just fine.

Over the next week Steve and Odie got used to each other and Steve learned that Odie was more fearless than stupid. He wouldn’t go anywhere he might actually get hurt, once he knew where the limits were. But he was always testing those limits.

Steve knew that he would probably have to find a bigger place once Odie had grown up because of all the jumping the little thing tried to do.

The kitten was aptly named in one sense though, he followed Steve around like a dog. Always at Steve’s heels.

He wasn’t sure how many times he almost stepped on Odie, but it was a lot. But he had good reflexes and he sure put them to the test.

~

A week later, Chrissy and Robin showed up at the apartment with a six pack of his favorite beer, a large bag of gummy worms, and of course his Christmas presents. But it was the guilty expressions that really sold it.

“So um...” Robin began looking at Chrissy for help. “In early November, ‘Love Connection’ posted online for a casting call for their all queer season of their show. I think it’s a little rude that it’ll be for the thirteenth season, but–”

Chrissy put her hand on Robin’s arm. “What Robin is trying to say is that we sent in your application as a joke. We didn’t think that they would pick it. It was one in a couple million shot, you know? Anyway, I think they must have recognized my email as the one attached to my Twitter account and well...”

Steve put his face in his hands. “You didn’t...come on, guys. I don’t want to go on a game show to find love. I’m not that desperate yet.”

“We brought you gummy bears and beer!” Robin said hold up her prizes like that would help the matter. At all.

Steve was ready to open his mouth to shut this down when he got the best idea. “I’ll do the show on one condition,” he said with a blinding smile.

Chrissy and Robin shared a shocked glance. They didn’t think he would agree so easily.

“Yeah, okay,” Chrissy said warily, not sure where this was going.

Steve dashed into the bedroom and came back holding the kitten Lion King style. “I get to keep Odie!”

~

Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8

Tag List: FIVE SLOTS LEFT

1-@mira-jadeamethyst @rozzieroos @itsall-taken @redfreckledwolf @zerokrox-blog

2- @gregre369 ​@a-little-unsteddie @chaosgremlinmunson @messrs-weasley @cryptid-system

3- @maya-custodios-dionach @goodolefashionedloverboi @val-from-lawrence @carlyv @wonderland-girl143-blog

4- @justforthedead89 @irregular-child @bookbinderbitch @bookworm0690 @forgottenkanji

5- @anne-bennett-cosplayer @yikes-a-bee @awkwardgravity1 @littlewildflowerkitten @genderless-spoon

6- @dragonmama76 @ellietheasexylibrarian @thedragonsaunt @useless-nb-bisexual @disrespectedgoatman

7- @counting-dollars-counting-stars @tinyplanet95 @ravenfrog @swimmingbirdrunningrock @lingeringmirth

8- @gutterflower77 @a-lovely-craziness @just-a-tiny-void @w1ll0wtr33 @beelze-the-bubkiss

9- @dreamercec @wheneverfeasible @themoonagainstmers @garden-of-gay @little-birch-boy

[christinebloodwrittings]

To hunt or be hunted

Alastor x Fem!Reader x Lucifer Summary: Shocker! The bleeding heart princess turned out no to be so rainbows and sparkles, she keeps a secret, a soul she owns, a bet and a terrible terror that keeps the demons inside the Hazbin Hotel well fed. Warnings: Blood

Honestly? I don't know if continuing this, let's see how it goes, otherwise I'll arrange this to be a one-shot with another end, and continue other works.

The dust kicked up every time you jumped to avoid the thrusts of her trident. It was becoming more and more difficult for you to move, with the blood falling down your side, your vision becoming cloudy, your back getting closer and closer to the destroyed foundations of what was once a building, until you were trapped.

Falling to your knees you looked up at her red glowing eyes, the two beasts fell to her side, their growl resonating deep within your bones. “I gave you a chance” she sure did, “I wanted us to be friends” her trident fell against your side, only one of the three knifes grazing your skin, “But you just had to, right?” tears fell down her eyes, straight into the dirt under her heels.

“I…I underestimated you” you coughed out blood with a smile, “Go ahead, kill me” she proved to be more of a challenge, you should’ve picked your fights a bit wiser. “You are lost, Y/n, let me help you” she stilled the trident, trying not to deepen the already open wound, “All this fight, and you still want to help me? Why?” you growled, “Let's make it fun, how about a bet?” your lion ears perked up.

“Ten years, you'll work for me at my Hotel, and if I can manage to convince you to find something good to do with yourself, I’ll set you free” she ignited a warm yellow flame on her hand, it danced around her palm without hurting her, “What will happen after if you fail?” you hesitated to take her hand, “You tell me” she already knew your answer, “I’ll kill you” she smiled, her eyes relaxing and shifting colors, “Sounds fair to me”.

You finally took her hand, the flame shifted into a dark hue going up both hers and your arm, the deal sealing itself on your eyes, changing them from red sclera to a black ones, your pupils remaining a white-silver hue.

It was a big relief when the trident left your side, the already warm metal left an uncomfortable empty and cold feeling, “You’re awfully confident” you shrugged, placing your hand over the cut, “Well, we have a long time ahead of us, don’t we?” she took it upon herself to support you on your opposite side, helping you stand from the debris.

7 years later

When the hotel fell apart you received an order, “Take everything inside and take it to safety” and so you did, all that was pictures, pets, luggage, everything, you gathered it far from the fight, then she told you to stay put until further notice.

You took a walk around, trying to go unnoticed as you were ordered, going into your phone adding a lot of new kitchen supplies into a virtual cart, when a groan made you look towards the Radio Demon’s crashed studio. After taking a hit of Adam’s guitar-axe, you thought it was amazing that he remained alive,

“Princess, Smiley is alive” your connection through your deal was truly an advantage when far away, “Try to see if he’s okay, try to stay out of sight, and if he needs assistance, help him” he was obviously not okay, but you had an order, so you made your way across the sulfuric smelling debris, until you reached the door of his studio, pushing it lightly, shadow launched at you, attempting to scare you away, failing terribly.

“I have an order to check if you are, quote unquote, “okay” demon” the shadow smiled and moved away, allowing you in. Shadows painted over your body a veil, which he could not see through, only the silver light your eyes emitted.

You peeked to your right from the door to see Alastor sitting on the floor, back against his desk, trying to hide a big gush on his chest with his hands, “Are you “Okay”?” he shot you a look that you could call a ‘Fuck you’ and a ‘You have to be kidding me’ mix.

“Are you in need of assistance?” again he didn’t answer directly, he just growled making his prongs a lot bigger, “This intimidation skit will not work on me sir, so answer, yes or no” his ears bent down and stayed flat behind his head, “No” he muttered, refusing any help from your part, “Okay then” his shadow opened the door for you, after a small curtsy to the gesture, you moved away from the rubble, the rocks making tiny crushing sounds under your heel.

His shadow caught up with you, mimicking a stop sign with his arm, “What?” then he made a figure with Alastor’s shape, a needle closing up his wound and then the same demon all smiling and walking, “So you want me to patch him up” the shadow nodded, the smile wider and cheery, “What’s in for me? He refused help, why would I go through all that trouble for free?” then he checkmated you with Charlie’s shape, he threatened to tell on you, “Good try joker, but you ain’t got shit on me”.

“Wait, yes” you heard the plea from the echo that the radio cabin made.

You made your way back to the demon, as soon as he saw you he took a look at his shadow before his prongs grew any bigger, then at you taking off his shirt, he continued growling and whining until you got fed up with the static and the guttural noises, “Dry up, will you?” an old way to say shut up and a heavy smack in between his ears took Alastor by surprise, turning his static into light jazz music.

Coming out of the veil he could see your hands, the tips of your fingers were a burned black color, your hands a much lighter color in contrast, light yellow, he would dare to even call it pastel, but due to the poor light he couldn’t decide on hues. Your nails were retractable ones, he noticed how you stopped before you touched the fabric of his coat, your nails went back into your fingers and then you proceeded.

 “I’ll stitch it up, but that’s all, if you shower avoid extreme temperatures, and apply alcohol near the edges to keep it from infections” you instructed while partially removing his garments, leaving both his dress shirt and coat hanging down his elbows. The shadow provided you with a curved needle and suture thread, a very resistant one at that.

“What the blazes!?” he shrieked when you undid his belt, only to tie his hands behind his back with it, “I don’t want you messing my work up” you explained, making a pop with your mouth at the end.

As the needle went through his skin, you found weird not hearing a single peep off of him, then you discovered he was biting his lip, to the point it bled down his chin. “If you need to yell, do so, you’ll only hurt yourself if you continue doing that” his ears went back again, like a plea to make the pain go away, at the same time that embarrassment shot against his spine like a lightning. Then he yelled into the opposite side, to avoid receiving another smack.

When you finished closing the large gash, the shadow wrapped it up in bandages, “There you go” you stood up, dusting your knees before turning on your heels. He cleared his throat bitterly to draw your attention to the fact that he was still tied up, only to receive a disinterested giggle and your utter lack of concern.

“I’ve killed pests for less than this attitude you’re insulting me with” he thought that with an implied threat he would get rid of his binds and also get a little sign of fear from you, sadly his magic was weak, and so was the remaining strength he had, so he couldn’t free himself no matter how much he tugged on the leather.

He had a little bit of hope he could induce some authority toward you, but all he got was his hair pulled backwards and the cold steel of an axe pressed against his neck.

He took a couple of seconds to ask himself, how come you were behind him in less than a second? And also swallow the fact that now he was the one being threatened.

“Knowing how to pick your fights, may save your life one day” The edge Of the blade made a sharp noise while being dragged up slowly up his neck, stopping under his chin. “You’ve chosen badly twice in a day, and barely walked alive of the first one” you tugged just a little bit harder on his hair, just to place your authority over his will.

“Tell me, are you dumb enough to bite the hand that stitched you, and die because your bruised ego and your big mouth are taking control of your rational thinking?” you couldn’t measure the amount of hate his stare held, but he attentively took your advice at heart, so he relaxed his eyes and his smile turned less demonic, only answering your question with a soft no with his head.

Withdrawing the axe from his neck, you used the point to let the buckle lose without breaking it, allowing the belt to fall down his wrists. “Start picking your fights more wisely, boy, afterlife 101” you mocked while ruffling his hair right in between his ears.

“Now, I don’t think someone will ask, but if they do, we never had this conversation, rep wise” he nodded, “You better-“ his tongue tied on itself, he reckon your face being inches away from his, “Don’t worry, I won’t tell a soul, deer-est” you chuckled at your own wordplay, while all he could do was stare at your eyes.

“Who are you?” You assumed for a long time that hell had already forgotten you, after thirty years without making yourself present, who wouldn't?  Plus, he looked a lot younger than you, he lived on earth at least ten years longer than you, lucky bastard.

“No one” before he could make an attempt to grab the veil, you jumped out the door, disappearing from his sight into the mountain of rubble.

When Alastor made his way back to the new Hotel, he felt tempted to ask around about what he just witnessed, but preferred to keep his mouth shut. He wouldn’t admit in front of the others that the Radio Demon got assisted and handled as a whiny child, so instead he remained the smiley guy he is.

All the rooms got sorted later in the night, with a snap of his fingers everything in the new room looked exactly as it did in the old one. He placed the ruined coat and dress shirt on a chair, resorting to a grey suit he had lying around, “I should start broadcasting” he muttered to himself, making his way to his brand new station situated in the left wing of the Hotel.

After a few hours he came back to his quarters to refresh, when suddenly a sight caught on his eyes before he entered the bathroom. His red coat patched with an almost religious delicacy; he could barely notice the new red thread that tied everything together. Even the broken parts of the tail of his coat were fixed, it looked almost exactly the same as it did when he bought it in his time being alive all those years ago, the same with his dress shirt.

Next to the fixed items there was a note that read:

“Now you may kill looking real spiffy. Regards from in between the walls.

PS: Thank you for not telling on me.

- Axe-man”.

No one would catch the Radio Demon blushing, but Alastor didn’t mind at the moment.

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

Part 2

*Dry up: shut up

*Spiffy: An elegant appearance

[heepthecheep]

Inklings 2024- (Insert title here)

Whoops, I posted this last night but I forgot to tag you @inklings-challenge

I would like to sincerely apologize ahead of time for the formating. I can only post from my phone and Tumblr isn't accepting the formating from Google docs. I have no idea what this thing looks like on a computer and I promise that I know what a paragraph break is.

I managed my time really horribly, and I hope to improve for next year. I only got to go over this thing once and it shows.

I was also attempting to write something for a younger audience than I normally go for, because out of Lewis's works I'm most familiar with his Narnia series.

Aboard the New Eden, there is never a quiet moment. At dawn-or the closest thing to dawn: the flicking on of the incandescent bulbs startled awake a chorus of birds. The birds set off the wolves, dogs, and all other manner of dog-like things. Then the whole ship comes alive, squawking and screeching until breakfast is served. At night, the dark is full of insect song and the fluttering of leathery bat wings. It’s enough to cover the sounds made by a lone person. It could cover the sounds of many people, but as far as Ada was concerned, she may as well have been the only human aboard the rocketship. The crew existed in a world entirely separate from the live cargo in the great hold of the ship, stories above in the flight deck. They didn’t even come down to take care of the animals-they left all of that up to the Spitzes.

From where she was now, she could see one, a white fluffy thing with a curled tail. It awkwardly stumbled around on delicate hindlegs, struggling to pour a bucket of chum into a seal’s enclosure. The spitz grumbled as the fish finally plopped out onto the ground, pulling back its ears as the seal loudly barked. Placing the handle of the bucket in its mouth, the spitz trotted off on all fours. Ada waited until the clicking of the dog’s nails faded before she eased open the grate covering the vent in which she was currently crouched. She crawled out and stretched, wincing as she popped. Tiptoeing past the seals and their fishy meal, she made her way to another enclosure, this one for a pair of hippopotamuses. The larger of the two opened its mouth and bared its tusks at her as she reached between the enclosure’s bars.

“Easy, “ she whispered. “I’m not going to hurt you,”

She grabbed an unpeeled orange off of the ground and wiped the rind on her shirt. She took her fruit back to the vent and sat at the opening, tossing pieces of orange peel into the animal enclosures nearest to her. It wasn’t enough. She’d have to go out and look for more later, perhaps when they fed the elephants.

Ada jumped as something clanged loudly, uncomfortably nearby. She pulled herself into the vent and pulled the door closed behind her. She strained her ears, trying to hear above the din of machinery and animals, and her own heartbeat pounding in her ears. Footsteps. She tilted her head and listened: not from behind her in the darker depths of the air filtration system, not from out in the vast menagerie, but from above. The footsteps were too heavy for a spitz’s, too calm to belong to some escaped animal. It was a sound she hadn’t heard since leaving Earth, a sound that she had been dreading, a sound that could only mean trouble.

“Hello, Mister!” One of the spitzes called out shrilly. “Did you come to see our work? We’ve been doing good work, lots o’ good work!”

Ada slowly inched towards the grate, and peered outwards, praying that she wouldn’t be seen.

“Yes, I came to check on you and the others,”

She could see the spitz now, running excitedly towards the stairs to greet a young man. It was the same dog before, although it looked much happier than when it was working.

“Mister! Mister!” It barked, curled tail wagging furiously.

“But first, would you be able to show me where the supplies are being kept?” The man asked, reaching out to pet the dog on the head.

“Supplies? Which part?”

The man started walking again, towards the place where Ada was hidden.

“We have lots of supplies, but we’re only allowed to touch the stuff meant for the animals,”

“The vittles,” The man said. He glanced over his shoulder nervously.

“Vit-tells?” the spitz’s head tilted at the question. “Vit-tells?”

“I mean food. Things you eat. Where do you keep what you feed to the rest of the animals here?”

“Well, there’s a big icebox for all the meat on the other side of this floor. Most of the dry stuff is two floors down, ‘sept for the oats, which we keep up here for the hooved things”.

“I see,”

The man and the dog were eye-level with the vent. Ada sat as still as possible, taking small quiet breaths. The man’s eyes passed over the vent, but he seemed not to notice her.

“Do you want to go and see the supplies now?” The man turned back to the spitz and shook his head.

“No, I can find them on my own now. Thank you.”

“Are you sure?”

“You did such a good job of telling me, I don’t need to see it”.

The man patted the spitz’s head again, and the dog skipped happily around in a circle.

“Will the rest of the humans come down to visit us? We’ve been working so hard!”

The man shifted awkwardly and rubbed his elbow.

“I’m sure the rest will be down eventually,” The spitz’s ears and tail drooped. “We’ve been so busy, but we do appreciate your work.”

“Oh. Okay, well, there sure is a lot of work that needs to be done. You wouldn’t happen to have any treats on you?”

“No, sorry”. The man said, shaking his head again. The spitz scampered away, nails clacking over the metal floor. The man watched the dog go, then turned and looked straight at Ada. She stared back, stock-still.

“Who are you?” he mouthed.

“What?”

“Who are you? Are you one of the crew?”

Ada shook her head. “No- I’m with the spitzes”.

“Really?”

“Uh-huh,” Ada said. “A handler, if you will.”

“Well, I’m part of the crew, and I haven’t seen you around before.”

Ada slunk back further into the vent. “I could say the same for you. Where’s your uniform?”

“Where’s yours?” He squinted at her, leaning forward to peer through the grate.

“It’s being washed right now.”

“Which is why you’re crawling around in the dusty vent?”

Ada crossed her arms and scowled.

“That’s none of your business,”

They looked at each other for a few moments before the man spoke again.

“I’m Kaspar”.

Ada held her silence for a moment more, before sighing and crawling back out of the vent.

“I’m Ada. You’re not really with the crew up top, are you?”

“No, no, I am part of the crew…”

“You don’t sound like you do,”

Somewhere, something cawed out, setting off an echoing choir of screeches and cries. The two stood awkwardly, looking out over the menagerie. This time Ada broke the silence.

“Are you also not supposed to be here?”

“Here? On this ark?” He asked, gesturing to the vast room. “No, I’m not”.

Somewhere a donkey bayed forlornly, causing a monkey to start screeching in panic.

“I figured as much. The Spitzes wouldn’t know any better, but I do.” Ada said, brushing dust off of her shirt. “After all, I actually know-”

“Shh, shut up!” He hissed.

“Why? It’s absurd, you know. Breaking onto a rocket bound for Venus, hiding out amongst a bunch of animals,”

“Be quiet!”

“For some rich guy’s zoo-”

He pushed her into the vent and crawled in behind her, shoving her into the darkness.

“What!”

“Shut up, someone’s coming,” he whispered harshly. “C’mon, we’ve got to go”.

Ada nodded and started crawling away from the light. She looked over her shoulder, back towards Kaspar.

“Are you coming?”

“Yes, I am! I just wanted to make sure we weren’t being followed!” he whispered back. Ada continued through the darkness, Kaspar hot on her heels.

“There’s a spot ahead where it gets wider,”

A loud clang echoed behind her. Ada startled and glanced over her shoulder.

“Ow!” Kaspar swore under his breath.

“Watch out, the ceiling is low!”

Kaspar grumbled, before bumping into her.

“I said watch it!”

“I can’t see anything!”

Ada grabbed his hand and pressed it to the floor.

“Feel the pattern in the metal?”

“Uh, you mean the seam?”

“Yes. Keep your hand on it and your head low,” She whispered. Kaspar tapped the floor and nodded.

“Good, your eyes will adjust soon”.

They continued through the dark in silence. Behind them, they could hear the chattering of the spitzes. Slowly, the dark became less black, fading until the walls of the vent were once again visible. The ceiling was higher, high enough that Ada could sit up straight, although Kaspar still had a hunch in his back. Overhead, light filtered in through a different grate, along with the soft sound of bird song. She pressed a finger to her lips, listening for any indication that Spitzes or other people were above. After a moment, she dropped her hand.

“Okay,” she said softly, “Here’s my little corner of New Eden”.

“The vents! I hadn’t even thought of hiding in the vents until I saw you!” Kaspar exclaimed.

“Well, I didn’t think I could get away with hiding anywhere else”.

Kaspar glanced around the metal room and then pointed to the bedding on the ground and the small pile of clothing and supplies that she had brought with her. “You even had time to furnish the place!”

“Not really,”

“Hey, it’s more than I have! I wish I had thought of a hairbrush…” he said longingly.

“Where have you been hiding?”

Kaspar reached into his hair and pulled out a piece of straw, the same color as his messy locks.

“In the hay room,”

“Like…in the straw?”

“Yep! The day before liftoff I buried myself in the back,” He said with a grin, dropping the piece of straw into Ada’s hand.

“But then you came right out and showed yourself?” Ada asked, turning over the piece of straw in her hand. “Instead of staying hidden?”

“Well, the hay was getting used up. There wasn’t going to be much left for me to hide in.” Kaspar plucked the piece of straw out of her hand and stuck it behind her ear like a pencil. Ada snorted.

“So you decided to convince the dogs that you belonged here?”

“Correct!”

Ada rolled her eyes.

“It worked!” Kaspar exclaimed. “Earlier today I talked to one of them, and I got something to eat that hadn’t been chewed on by an animal.”

Kaspar knelt on the ragged blanket that was currently serving as Ada’s bed and smoothed out the fabric. He leaned against the wall with a sigh and closed his eyes.

Ada thought he had fallen asleep when he spoke again.

“What are you going to do when we reach Venus?”

“I could ask you the same thing,” Ada said crossly. “Get off my bed”.

Kaspar scooted off of the blanket without opening his eyes.

“I’m going to get a job. There’s lots of work to be done at the menagerie. If there isn’t, then there’s plenty of work elsewhere in the settlements”.

“I see,” she uncrossed her arms and leaned against the opposite wall.

“So, what about you?”

Ada didn’t answer, instead turning to look down at the darkness of the vent.

“Ada?”

“I don’t know. When I left Earth-” she paused and thought for a moment. “When I left Earth, I thought I had nothing left. But now I don’t know.”

Kaspar opened his eyes and looked at her, even as she looked off into the darkness.

“How will I explain my arrival on Venus? Surely everyone will know that I’m a stowaway.”

“So? Stowaways exist, regardless of whether they’re wanted,”

“Yes, but do I look like I’m cut out for physical labor? Can you imagine me pouring concrete at some construction site? Or welding steel beams 500 feet off the ground?” Ada asked, clenching her hands into fists. Her eyes were burning from tears that she refused to let fall.

“Who said you’d have to do something like that?”

“No one, no one did, but I don’t know what I’m going to do!”

Kaspar laughed, the first laugh either of them had heard since leaving behind Earth.

“Are you laughing at me?” Ada asked incredulously. “Really?”

“You’re so worked up about something that hasn’t even happened yet,”

“And this is funny because…?”

“Because I know you’ll figure something out. You’ve gotten this far,”

“Without getting caught,”

“Yes, without getting caught! If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere.”

Ada finally met his gaze and smiled softly.

“I can make it anywhere,” Ada repeated. Though the tears still threatened to fall, her smile grew wider. “I can even make it on Venus”.

[radskull-69]

BOB X KIDNAPPED READER!

(Someone requested this and I was bored so why not?)

(Also idk how to do writing requests so if you wanted a mini story or some head cannons plz let me know-)

I feel it would have started when bob caught wind of you when you were going home or if you two already met, you’d probably only seen him once as he’s very shy! Stalking you from afar as he works the courage to kidnap- meet you. But once he’s got you in his arms he’ll be the only thing you ever see, that and the basement you’ll be living with him! Don’t worry, if your behaved he’ll let you around the house as long as he’s close by.

You’ll wake up to a chain on your ankle connected to a one person bed in a basement, both were cleaned long before you arrived by bob. He wanted everything to be in tip-top shape for you! He’d be sitting on a chair watching patiently for you to wake up, acting very excited when he sees your eyes flutter open. Maybe he put too much sleeping pills into the food?

Anyway, he’d get *very* touchy and hug you whatever chance he gets! He’d grope your fats and nuzzle into your face more often then not. Buy you sweets and sometimes a eye ball that was the same colour as yours! Something that remind him of you! Ain’t that sweet?

If you struggle against him he’d take it as not getting used to the sudden change in environment and getting antsy, like a cat! If you hit him *too* much he’ll get a bit frustrated. Don’t you see he’s just trying to show you some love?

He will tie you up snuggly and just hug you, rocking you while humming and petting your head until you calm down.

He’ll cook all your meals and be’d watching to make sure your getting fed! He’ll cook all your favourites just so he could see your smile again, (sometimes he’ll slip in a few human recipes-) He’d do anything to make you happy aside from letting you go, if you ask to leave too much he’ll get angry and punch the wall above your head out of anger. Hearing it crack under his fist would probably scare you into tears and he’d immediately feel sorry and comfort you. Saying thing such as ‘I’m sorry angel..’ or ‘I was just trying to prove my point.. I’m sorry’ yeah.. he’s not the best at apologising..

More often then not he’ll be sleeping in your bed next to you, or if you really don’t want him to, he can just sleep on the floor. What ever makes you comfortable. All the clothes you’ll be wearing will be his, but sometimes he likes to get you a cute lil dress to wear or suit to wear. He can’t resist dressing up his lil dolly~

When he comes home from ‘work’ (aka murdering people) he’ll likely come home angry or tired and just stomp down to the basement and flop on the bed beside you, laying you on his chest before promptly passing out. Times like these are usually the best times to escape, as he left the basement door wide open.

If your ever feeling bored he’ll get you things you like, you like drawing? BOOM now you got all the books and drawing supplies you’ll ever want (minus sharpeners and scissors etc) yuo like to read? BAM now you got enough books to fill a library, and if your scared of the dark it is or how creepy the basement looks he’ll get some fairy lights (making sure their put up high enough you can’t get them and hang yourself-) and buy some furniture and decorations to make you more in your new home! The action would’ve been sweet if not given the situation…

When he finally lets you out of the basement after being so good for him he’ll *always* be by your side, incase you hurt yourself or try to run away. Good thing all the windows and the doors were securely locked. He didn’t like the bright sunlight anyway..

Later he’ll even let you go into the kitchen and cook with him! As much as he adores seeing you in a little apron he bought you and for you to cook him meals he’s worried you might hurt yourself (or *him*) with a knife, can never be too careful..

He likes to finally have you sleep with him in his bed, his bed was bigger and more comfortable since it could now fit the both of you( Especially his larger body). Other items he’ll sit on the couch with you and rubbing his thumb over your thigh as they watched the new, telling people that you went missing. He chuckles at how they really think they’ll find you, not to mention that you even *want* to leave.

While it takes longer then bob would like you do get used to his company and your new home, and he couldn’t be happier!

[adancedivasmom]

Pairing: Dave York x F!Reader (no physical description, however it is implied she hasn’t lost her baby weight)

Rating: Explicit 18+ (By proceeding to read beyond this warning, you are agreeing that you are 18 years or older)

Content: Lactation kink, smut, frottage, mention of abandonment, body insecurity, pet names and name calling (slut is used once), Dave York is his own warning

Word Count: 2K

Summary: After a hectic morning and barely making it to work on time, you realize you forgot your breast pump at home. You haven’t nursed or pumped in 16 hours and worry you won’t make it through your important afternoon meeting. Luckily for you, a certain handsome DIA agent knows just what to do and offers his assistance.

(This takes place before the events in The Equalizer 2 and Dave is divorced in my au.)

A/N: A huge thank you to @toomanystoriessolittletime for posting this idea on Discord and for not minding that I took and ran with it (this is all their fault really). Thank you to @ozarkthedog and @firstofficerwiggles for reading this over for me, offering their kind words, and telling me to go for it and post this. Also, special thanks to my fellow Dave York Nasties for their encouragement. I love you guys!

This is the first fic I've ever written, and I'm nervous. Please be kind. 💝

REBLOGS WOULD BE LOVED AND APPRECIATED

No, no, no, no, no…

This can’t be happening.

For the fifth time, you look underneath your jacket in your office.

It’s not there.

Your breast pump bag is not there.

You think back to your crazy morning. Somehow you managed to turn the volume down on your phone alarm. You never heard it and slept in.

Your son, bless his heart, had just started sleeping through the night a couple of days ago.

After throwing on your blouse and favorite flowy skirt, hastily brushing your hair and teeth, you flew to your son’s room.

He was still sleeping as you rushed into his nursery to get him dressed for the day. He greeted you with the biggest smile, kicking his legs and reaching for you.

It was times like this that made the challenge of raising him on your own worth it. His father had skipped out on you a month ago after informing you he no longer felt attracted to you.

No, none of that, you told yourself. You did not have time for self-pity right now.

Once you finished changing your little bean’s diaper and dressing him, you tried to feed him, but he fussed and refused to latch on. 

Most likely, he could sense how stressed you were.

Not a problem, you told yourself. Your mom had extra bottles and an ample supply of your breast milk in her freezer. Everything would be okay.

After dropping your baby off at your mom’s house, you drove to work and made it there at 9 am.

You threw your jacket and purse on the extra chair in your office and barely had time to unlock your computer when the HR supervisor knocked on your door. 

“Brian called off. I’m going to need you to give the morning and afternoon presentations,” she briskly informed you and quickly walked away.

Great, just great, you grumbled to yourself. You had one hour to prepare for the staff meeting to review the new health care benefits package the DIA was changing to at the start of the new year.

You bolted for the conference room and managed to be ready in one hour when your coworkers started filing in.

The meeting went well, and you answered everyone’s questions and addressed their concerns efficiently and cheerfully.

Which was shocking because, at this point, your breasts were hurting, really hurting. It had been almost 16 hours since you last fed your son before you put him down for the night.

Thank goodness it was your lunch hour, and you could close your office door and get some much-needed relief pumping.

This brings you to the present, frantically looking all over your office for your breast pump that’s nowhere to be found.

Maybe you left it in your car?

You grabbed your keys and took off. Not watching where you were going, you bumped right into him.

Dave York.

Of all the people to run into, it had to be him. You’ve been secretly obsessing over him since your first day of work at the DIA.

He was gorgeous. You couldn’t help but notice his large hands, the way his dress shirts seemed to strain to cover his large shoulders. Goodness, he was deliciously broad. One day in the lunchroom, Dave had his sleeves rolled up and caught you staring at the veins in his forearms. He looked at you with piercing brown eyes and knowingly smirked at you, the bastard.

You offered a hasty, “I’m sorry, Mr. York!” and sprinted for the parking lot.

Unfortunately, today was not your day. Your breast pump bag was not in your car either.

You were practically in tears by the time you made it back to your office.

You struggled for a solution to your predicament. Maybe you could soak some paper towels in warm water to ease the pain. Women hand-expressed in the past before breast pumps were invented. Surely that would work, right?

It had to. There was no way you could give the afternoon presentation in your condition. You don’t remember your breasts ever being this sore and full before. You were amazed you hadn’t started leaking through your nursing bra and blouse.

Having that happen during your next session was out of the question. You would be humiliated.

A gentle knock on your door brought you out of your thoughts. 

It was Dave again.

“Are you alright?,” he asked with genuine concern.

“It’s nothing,” you replied. “I’m just having an awful day.”

Dave responded, “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“No, not unless you have a breast pump in your office,” you answered with a little more attitude than you meant to.

“Hmmmm,” he hummed as he slowly walked towards you.

“You may be surprised to learn I know little about what you are going through right now. Your son’s about three months old now, isn’t he? He probably just started sleeping through the night. I remember when my ex-wife, Carol, was nursing. She was relieved when the girls started sleeping through the night, but not so much when her milk production didn’t slow down right away.”

Your eyes widened. “Wait, how do you know this? How do you even know how old my son is? I’ve never even talked to you except to say hello in passing.”

“I notice everything about you,” he admitted as he touched your cheek.

“Let me offer you my… assistance,” Dave said as he held your gaze.

“There was something I always wanted to do with Carol,” he continued, “but she never wanted to try.”

“I think you’re different, though. I think you know what I can do to help ease your pain,” he whispered in your ear. “And you want it, don’t you?”

Goosebumps erupted on your skin as arousal spread through your body. You clenched around nothing and fought to keep yourself from moaning.

Was this really happening?

“Shut your door and lock it,” Dave ordered darkly.

You never moved so fast in your life.

By the time you turned around, he had already moved your purse and jacket to your desk and was sitting on the extra chair in your office.

“Now be a good girl for me and let me take care of you,” Dave said as he held his hand out to you.

You walked to him and took his hand as your heart pounded in your chest.

“What do I...” you began.

“Sit on my lap,” he commanded softly.

Feeling self-conscious, you quickly argued, “But I’m too..”

“Don’t,” he interrupted. “Don’t you dare say what I think you’re going to say. You are beautiful. Don’t let anyone tell you differently. Now, sit.”

You straddled him, your legs on the outside of his, facing him.

Eyes blown with lust, Dave stared at you like a man starved.

You couldn’t believe you were doing this. You worked in HR for goodness sake. It would be the end of your career if someone walked in on the two of you.

But you couldn’t bring yourself to care, not when Dave looked at you like you were the only thing that mattered. You would do anything to please him at this point.

“That’s my good girl,” he breathed. “Now unbutton your blouse.”

Powerless to resist, you undid your buttons and exposed yourself.

“Fuck,” he growled out. “I knew your tits would be spectacular.”

He slowly unclasped the right side of your nursing bra and glanced down.

You knew what he saw. Your breast was engorged and started to leak almost immediately.

Dave gently massaged you and gave your nipple an experimental lick, causing your milk to start squirting from your breast.

He quickly opened his mouth to catch the flow. You could hear your milk landing and pooling in his mouth.

Dave groaned and latched on. You could feel the familiar pull and sighed with long-awaited relief.

Dave continued to massage your breast while he gulped down your milk enthusiastically.

It took a tremendous effort to keep quiet. The reality of what was happening right now made you dizzy with desire. 

Once Dave felt he had taken enough from the right side, he stopped and turned his attention back to you.

“That ex-boyfriend of yours is an idiot if you don’t mind me saying,” he told you candidly.

“You are a goddess. If you were mine, I’d make sure you were told that daily.”

Before you could think of something clever to reply, Dave had already uncovered your left breast and latched on.

At this point, you were incredibly turned on. You could feel your arousal leaking through your panties, and you desperately wanted to rub your thighs together for relief.

Sensing your struggle, Dave grabbed your hips and pushed you down until your core rubbed against the now rather large bulge in his trousers.

Mortified, you heard yourself moan out loud.

Dave put his hand over your mouth and hushed you.

"I know, I know. That feels good, doesn't it," he taunted. "But you need to keep quiet otherwise your co-workers will discover what a filthy little slut you are."

“Now take what you need, gorgeous girl,” he instructed as he returned to your breast.

With his help, you started to rub your core over his clothed erection. Need coursed through your body, and you lost yourself to your pleasure.

With every second, you become acutely aware of how much of your slick was dripping from your cunt, soaking through your panties and making a total mess of his lap.

Dave did not care in the least and only encouraged you.

“That’s my good girl. Just like that,” he moaned and quickly resumed gulping your milk like a man dying of thirst.

Faster and faster, you moved against him, whimpering while you felt your crest quickly build.

Dave released your nipple with a pop.

He held your chin and forced you to look into his eyes.

“Come for me,” he demanded, his voice dark as sin. “Be a good girl and come for me...now.”

That was all it took to push you over the edge. You came with a silent scream. Not taking any chances, Dave kissed you to make sure he would swallow any of your noises that might escape.

You could taste yourself on his tongue, and it was the most erotic thing you had ever experienced.

When you slowly came down from your high, you opened your eyes to see Dave gazing at you fondly.

“You look so beautiful right now,” Dave said reverently. “You did such a good job for me.”

You shyly replied, “Thank you, Mr. York,” and tried to look away.

Dave was having none of that.

“Don’t look away,” he said, forcing you to meet his eyes again. “We’re both consenting adults. You needed help, and I was happy to offer my assistance.”

Before you could respond, Dave reminded you of the time and your upcoming afternoon meeting.

You slowly and reluctantly removed yourself from Dave’s lap and tried to look presentable again. You smoothed out your skirt, closed up your nursing bra, and started to button up your blouse.

Anxiety crept into your mind. Did anyone hear what the both of you were doing?

Dave quickly took over buttoning your blouse.

“Don’t worry, pretty girl. No one heard a thing,” he promised sincerely.

You met his eyes and knew he would never lie to you.

“Next time, you’ll have to come to my office," he offered. "I have a couch in there. You’ll be much more comfortable sitting on my cock while I drink from your gorgeous tits.”

You must have had a shocked expression on your face because you heard Dave chuckle softly.

"Does that sound good to you?" he teased.

You shook your head yes immediately.

You didn't know what you had gotten yourself into with Dave York, but you were excited to see where this was going.

You left him in your office to sort himself out. Thinking about his promise of a "next time," you walked to the conference room smiling softly.

[wheretheharekissesthefox]

Bon appétit - Chapter 7: Chili

[Astarion/Gale]

It's 2 a.m., Gale's tired and wants some food. Astarion, the cute barista/waiter at the Emerald Grove knows how to sate his cravings.

Trigger warning (18+): Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, No Magic, No Vampire, No Wizard, Graphic Description of Sex, Smut, Anal Sex, Fellatio, Fingering, Waiter Astarion, Professor Gale, Angst, Feels, Panic Attack, Face-fucking, Role-play Breeding, Vomiting, Negative Self-talk

Served to: @patheticfangirl

Special thanks to her for giving me the 'be gay, do crimes' brainworm (thankfully, it's not a tadpole).

"What?"

Shocked, Gale stared at the vet of the Open Hand Pet Sanctuary, stomach churning with anxiety.

"Your cat's diabetes got worse, thus, she needs the double amount of her daily insulin injection."

Gale couldn't move. He already spent 70gp on her medication per month, plus an additional 50 for the testing supplies.

"I recommend switching to a different food as well that fits her new dietary needs better."

Gale barely suppressed a gasp when he saw the price tag. It was four-times more expensive than the special kibble he already fed her with. Another 200gp gone from his quickly dwindling savings...

"You should think about my recommendation," Dr. Logan droned on. "Otherwise, complications could arise, such as cataract or pancreatitis. The price for surgery would be around 3'500gp and 5'000gp respectively. Thus, it should be prevented at all costs."

Gale's ears were ringing, the edges of his vision was swimming, vertigo rising. He steadied himself against the countertop.

He'd made a payment plan for the upcoming year, every spending had been budgeted. Such big additional expenses hadn't been included.

"Mister Dekarios, are you listen?"

"Yes," lied the addressed, trying to keep breathing.

"Well, then that's settled," Dr. Logan said. "The next visit should be in three month. Have a nice day, Mister Dekarios." He bent down to stick a finger through the lattice of the pet carrier’s door to boop the cat's nose. "Bye, Tara, be good."

"Mreeh!" the addressed complained moodily. With a chuckle, Dr. Logan was off, leaving a very ill Gale behind.

"Schedule for March? How about Wednesday, the twelfth, at 9 a.m.?" asked Miss Bramble, the secretary.

"Sounds good," Gale got out, trying his best to keep his knees from buckling. He quickly grabbed the card with the scheduled visit, the medication, cat food, and Tara's carrier before fleeing the building.

"Have a nice day!" lilted Miss Bramble, but Gale couldn't hear it. The latter practically jumped into his car, locked the door, and gasped for air.

His head was spinning as he thought about the new financial situation. 3'080gp. Almost three-times as much as this year. The quarterly vet visits of 80gp each not included. How was he going to afford this?

"Mrp?" Tara asked. Gale ignored her, too caught up in his own head. His heart was beating so fast that his chest hurt, and he was reminded of the plastic-metal device stuck under his skin. He swallowed and tried to keep his breakfast down. With a yowl, Tara banged against the door of the pet carrier, and Gale opened it with shaking hands. The cat jumped onto his lap with an impressive speed and immediately shoved her head under Gale's bearded chin, purring obnoxiously loudly. The former professor heaved a sigh and started petting Tara's flanks. Her purring vibrated through him, slowly relaxing his tense body, and her rough-textured, little tongue flicked out to lick at the corner of his mouth.

"Thank you," Gale mumbled, kissed the spot between her ears, and scratched her chin. "Let's go home, get in your carrier."

"Mro," complained Tara and rolled up in his lap, gently making biscuits against his soft belly. With a small smile, Gale looked at her.

"This is dangerous, you know? A violation of the safety rules."

"Mrm," Tara rumbled happily. Gale huffed a laugh, turned the car key, and drove home.

When he arrived, he was greeted by three more bills in the mailbox and a letter informing him about an 'unfortunate' increase regarding the interest of the mortgage. Gale's heart sped up again, head spinning. His neatly planned budgeting was falling apart by the second. With shaking hands, Gale placed the letters on the table. He didn't want to lose his childhood home, he didn't want Tara to die, he didn't want to be uselessly unemployed any longer, he didn't want Astarion to leave him. What was he even good for? Gale clutched his aching chest, once more reminded of the foreign object inside his body. This time, he couldn't keep the bile down. He barely made it to the bathroom before vomiting into the porcelain bowl.

When Astarion walked through the door, he found Gale in bed. Motionless, an open book next to him - unread -, Tara rolled up behind his back, and eyes vacantly staring at the windowsill. Immediately, Astarion knew something was wrong.

"What happened, love?" he asked while kneeling down next to the bed to be on eye level with his fiancé. The floodgates opened.

"I'm sorry," cried Gale. "I'm such a useless partner, please forgive me. Tara's condition got worse and she needs higher dosages, and the bank told me the interest of the mortgage increased, and it's all so expensive. If I cannot find a new job soon, we'll be broke. I'd have to sell the house. God, Astarion, I'm so sorry."

The addressed held his partner close, shushing him, while rubbing his back gently.

"It's okay, love. Everything's going to be okay," he tried to reassure him.

"How do you know?" Gale sobbed. "You cannot know if it'll be alright. Everything I touch, goes down the drain eventually."

"Stop it!" scoffed Astarion. "None of that unhelpful self-talk. We will get through this. Together. You and me. Partners in crime." He cradled Gale's face in his hands and looked at him, determination clear on his sharp features. "I'm nothing like that bitch. I won't walk away and leave you behind as soon as things get rough. I love you, Gale, and will stay by your side no matter what." He kissed the brunet gently. "I'd do anything for you, my love. Even kill."

At that, the addressed barked a watery laugh.

"I love you too," he sniffed. "I just hate feeling so useless and like I'm failing you."

"You're not," Astarion told him sternly. "You're wonderful, perfect in your imperfection." He kissed him again. "Now, let's eat something. You skipped dinner, didn't you?"

Caught, Gale lowered his gaze, mumbling: "I wasn't hungry."

Astarion looked pained, but tried his damn best to conceal it behind a poker face.

"Come on, love. Let's have some food."

Together, they moved downstairs to the kitchen and Astarion rummaged through the fridge for leftovers. He wasn't the best cook, but still perfectly capable of whipping up something tasty. With Gale's help, he threw together a weird version of fried rice, using leftover deer cutlet, various already cooked vegetables, the rest of a tomato sauce, eggs, and the name-giving leftover rice. It was an abomination in terms of authentic and haute cuisine, but it tasted fucking delicious. The couple sat down and devoured the entire pan of food. Afterwards, Astarion and Gale got ready for bed and fell asleep spooning.

The next day, Gale was still uneasy and anxious, but felt better. He distracted himself from negative self-talk by doing house chores.

When Astarion was back from work at 2 a.m., he was greeted by a spotless home and freshly-baked chocolate chip cookies. He knew his fiancé well enough to know what had happened, but he decided not to comment about it. Instead, Astarion kissed Gale deeply.

"I have a plan," he announced and proudly emptied a shopping bag onto the kitchen table. Confused, Gale blinked at the two black fleece jackets, the gloves, and two black, rib-knit three-hole balaclavas.

"I fear I don't follow. What's all this for?"

Astarion shot him a dangerous grin and replied: "We'll rob the vet."

"What?"

"You heard me, love. We'll drive downtown, break into the veterinary clinic, and steal all the medication and cat food we can."

Gale stared at him, shocked and slightly paler than usual.

"Are you insane?" he got out.

"Probably," answered his fiancé with a nervous giggle.

"We can't just - just steal things, Astarion! That's illegal!"

"Really? I had no idea," teased the addressed with a shit-eating grin on his face.

"I -" Gale was lost for words, rubbing his temples. "Astarion..."

"Come on, love. It'll be fun," the blond interrupted him. "I did my research and there are no cameras inside or outside the building. Plus, there's a back door that we can use. There's not much risk involved and I can't stand how those sad cow eyes look on you."

Gale balked and huffed disgruntledly: "I don't have sad cow eyes!"

"You do," Astarion retorted matter-of-factly. "Now, get dressed and let's rob the place."

"That's... we can't -" Gale sighed deeply. "We'll get in trouble. This is an insanely stupid thing to do. We're not some low lives. It's not right."

"The only thing that isn't right is that you have to pay an arm and a leg for Tara's medication," Astarion told him. "They squeeze you dry. In the not sexy way."

Gale snorted a laugh and his partner's face softened. As the latter wrapped his arms around Gale's neck, he said: "Just think of it as a spontaneous date. A brush with danger can spice things up."

The brunet groaned, burying his face in the crook of Astarion's neck.

"You're an awful influence on me."

"And you'll thank me for it."

They were doing it. They were really doing it. Anxiously, Gale tapped against the steering wheel, leg bouncing, as he watched Astarion adjust the balaclava. Then, the latter turned, shooting him a smile.

"Ready?"

"No."

Astarion laughed gleefully.

"Off we go then."

They left the car which they'd parked a few streets away for safety. With their ski masks and matching fleece jackets on and backpacks over their shoulders, they approached the Open Hand Pet Sanctuary. It was snowing wildly, the glittery white flakes danced in the light of the street lamps and were covering the city rather quickly. It was around three in the morning and this part of Baldur's Gate was asleep. Astarion and Gale walked into the narrow, dark alleyway and climbed over the fence. While the blond showed a feline grace, the brunet huffed and puffed while struggling to climb over the fence. Snickering, Astarion kneeled down before the door and pulled out a picklock.

"Do you really know how to use that?" Gale asked curiously.

"Mhm," mumbled Astarion, jamming the thin metals into the lock. "Perks of spending your teens in shitty foster families, I suppose."

Gale's heart sunk.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that."

"That's life, I guess," replied his partner, shrugging nonchalantly. He gave a little triumphant "hah!" as the door clicked and opened. Astarion got up and hissed with a wince. Gale shot him a concerned look.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing to worry about," Astarion played down the issue. "It's just my back. It hurts a little."

"Why? Since when?"

Averting his gaze, Astarion mumbled: "Since yesterday morning. It's just the cold weather, love. No need to worry."

"I always worry about you," Gale sighed. "We don't have to do this. Let's go home and I'll run you a hot bath and give you a massage."

"That's tempting, but we have more pressing issues right now," his fiancé retorted. "Come on, let's get it over with."

Gale nodded and they stepped inside. It was pitch-black in the clinic, the only light sources were the street lamps outside. The couple switched on their small flashlights and got a move on. In the entrance area behind the counter, the various pet foods were arranged. Astarion whistled when he saw the price tags.

"Bloody hell, that's some gourmet shit! Almost more expensive than our own food."

Gale hummed non-committally as he glanced around, slightly paranoid. Astarion grabbed two plastic bags from behind the counter and started to stuff them with the cat kibble Tara needed.

"How about some help, love," he teased.

"Of course. Apologies."

Gale hurried over to help his literal partner in crime. When they'd filled four bags, Astarion dragged Gale over to the huge, humming fridge and pushed the door open. Sickly white light spread out, illuminating a small patch of the floor in front of it and revealing dozens of packages of different types of medication inside.

"Ta-da! Merry Christmas," grinned Astarion and Gale had to chuckle a bit. Quickly, the brunet walked over to relieve the fridge of all the Vetsulin, shoving it all into their backpacks. Meanwhile, his partner sauntered over to the shelves, reading all the labels.

"Hmm, some liquid painkiller for senior animals, especially those with arthritis, rheumatism, and back pain. Maybe, that works on people too," Astarion mused. He opened the package to read the instructions. "16 millilitres for big dogs and 32 millilitres for horses. I guess I'm the golden middle, eh?" He took out the pipette, unscrewed the vial and draw some of the milky-white liquid out. "Here goes nothing."

Gale's head shot up.

"Don't -"

But Astarion had already leaned his head back and squirted the liquid into his mouth.

"Ugh! Fuck, that's bitter!"

He coughed and shook himself before rinsing his mouth by the sink.

"Told you," snickered Gale.

"Shut it, love," huffed Astarion half-heartedly, and walked down the corridor to see if any doors were unlocked. As it turned out, they all were. Curiously, the blond peeked into every room, and when he’d reached the last one, he stepped in to squint at a cabinet filled with different medications. Carefully, he opened the glass door and started picking up each bottle and cardboard box. Most of the writing could just as easily have been gibberish. The complicated technical terms made his eyes hurt.

“Astarion,” whispered Gale anxiously as he entered the room. “We have everything, let’s go home.”

“Mh,” mumbled the addressed, still reading a label. Then, he pocketed multiple of the bottles.

“This is pentobarbitone for animal euthanasia,” Astarion explained lowly. “Maybe, we can use it if Tara’s health declines so that she can die peacefully at home instead of in a sterile room like this.” After a pause, he added: “I’d like that, you know? Dying at home. In your arms.”

Gale swallowed thickly, feeling the tale-tell pressure of tears behind his eyeballs. He didn’t want to think about the death of his two favourite beings. He’d already lost his mother. Seemingly sensing that he’d hit a nerve, Astarion turned towards his partner and joked: “Or, we can use it to get revenge on Mystra. It works on humans too.”

That made Gale snort a laugh, and he pulled the blond into a hug. The latter went easily despite his surprise. The couple dwelled like this for a moment, then, Astarion pulled back and sauntered towards the metal examining table in the middle of the room. Playing coy, he glanced over his shoulder and purred: “It’s time for my appointment. Won’t you vet me, doctor? I was a naughty pup, you know? Had my ways with many men, like a good bitch."

Smirking, Astarion hopped onto the cold metal and Gale frowned.

"What are y-"

The rest of the sentence got stuck in his throat when Astarion shook off his trousers, boxers, and boots, spreading his legs wide with a coquettish expression.

"Oh, doctor! I need an ultrasound!" he wailed, dramatically reclining on the examining table with a hand against his forehead. Gale's lips quirked into a smirk and he replied: "I am a doctor - of literature."

Astarion rolled his eyes with an inelegant snort.

"Killjoy."

With a hum, the addressed let the beam of his flashlight wander through the room. Then, he stepped to the left, rolled a machine over, and flip a switch which resulted the machine to hum and the lamp that was fixed to it to turn on. Astarion squinted at the light that painted the examining table in cold, white brightness. When his eyes had adjusted to it, he witness how Gale put on a pair of latex gloves, shoving his own into his jacket pocket. The brunet turned around, cocking his head to the side and said: "Well then, let's see how you're doing."

Gale squirted some lube from the tray table onto his gloved fingers and slowly pushed them into Astarion's ass. The latter grunted and shifted slightly to adjust his position. Gale immediately stopped and looked at him with concern.

"Did I hurt you?"

"No. Keep going."

"What about your back? We can -"

"I'm fine, love. Go on. Please."

With a nod, Gale continued scissoring his partner open, slowly and thoroughly. Astarion groaned impatiently, trying to spur Gale on, but the latter kept his leisurely pace.

"I cannot feel anything," the brunet told him. "I guess you're right and you need an ultrasound."

With that, he withdrew his fingers, grabbed the endocavitary probe, covered it in lube, and slowly shoved it up Astarion's ass. The latter threw his head back with a gasped moan.

"Fuck, Gale!"

"Do you want me to stop?"

"N-no..."

Closing his eyes and biting his lip, Astarion tried to focus on the feeling of the ultrasound stick sliding over his prostate, but his fiancé had other plans.

"Open your eyes and look."

The addressed obeyed and was faced with the monitor of the machine, a live stream of the ultrasound in his ass flickering across the screen in black, white, and all shades of grey. It was incredibly weird and slightly embarrassing, but Astarion couldn't look away. Meanwhile, Gale casually rambled on.

"Here we can the uterus and over here are the ovaries. It seems like your little sexcapades didn't lead to a pregnancy."

"What a shame," snickered the blond. The brunet shot him an undefined look before setting the ultrasound stick aside.

"In that case, more drastic measures must be taken to ensure the fertilisation of your eggs. We'll offer our best stallion to breed a bitch in heat like you."

Astarion's eyes went wide and his breath hitched. Gale immediately looked apologetic and asked: "Was that too much? I knew it's stupid idea."

"No!" the blond blurted out without thinking. "Keep going. I want to hear what you came up with."

A blush of embarrassment and an amused smirk bloomed on Gale's face.

"Okay," he muttered, more to himself than anyone else. "Okay." He cleared his throat and threw away the latex gloves before wrapping his hands around Astarion's thighs to pull him closer and towards the end of the examining table.

"Our recommended stallion has a one hundred percent success rate regarding impregnation. He'll breed you and fill you with pups."

Astarion whimpered. Why was this hot? He wasn't into this type of dirty talk, but somehow it worked on him? Maybe it was the added thrill of danger. Or simply just because it was Gale. Probably the latter.

The brunet unzipped his pants and took out his half-hard cock, stroking it to full hardness with the help of some extra lube. Then, Gale leaned forward, slightly over Astarion, with his hands on the latter's knees, and whispered: "Ready?"

All the blond could do was nod and moan when his partner entered him in one slow motion.

"You feel perfect around me," Gale told him. "Warm, soft, and wet. Perfect to take my pups."

He set a rather fast pace, bottoming out each time and hitting his partner's prostate, making Astarion moan and whine.

"Good, bitch. You take me so well," Gale praised. "I'm going to pump you so full with my cum, you have no other choice but be knocked up with my pups."

"Fuck, Gale..." groaned Astarion. He was already close and attempted to jerk himself off, but Gale stopped him.

"If you can stave off your orgasm, I'll let you come in any of my orifice," he promised.

"Oh, God..." whined the addressed, gripping the base of his dick to keep from climaxing. Gale glanced up at him, asking: "Do you want to stop?"

"Don't you fucking dare!" panted Astarion, rolling his hips upwards. With a cocky grin, his partner pulled him impossibly closer, fucking into him hard and sloppily.

"Take my pups," Gale panted and came with an inelegant grunt. Astarion gasped and trembled through it, teetering on the edge of his own climax as Gale emptied himself into his ass. Cum was leaking out of him soon, trickling out around Gale's cock which was still lodged deep inside Astarion. The latter shuddered in the most pleasant way. Gale pulled out slowly and pushed his spent back inside the puffy hole. The blond whimpered, squirming, rattling the metal table. Gale smiled at him; half cocky, half softly.

"Do you want to come in my mouth or ass?"

"Mouth. Oh, please, love. Your wonderful mouth."

Astarion knew he was begging, but other than his previous lovers, Gale wouldn't deny him anything. The latter smiled - it looked a bit silly with the ski mask on - and bent down to suck Astarion off. The latter moaned and bucked up, his feet desperately searching for support on the flat, cold surface of the examining table. Without stopping what he was doing, Gale grabbed Astarion's legs and propped them up on the tabletop, allowing his partner to thrust upwards more efficiently. The latter's hands scrabbled for purchase futilely. Gale popped off of his dick with a gasp and took Astarion's hands to place them on his head.

"Take what you need," he told him softly. "Don't hold back. Use me however you please and come for me, sweetheart."

Astarion cried out as Gale put his mouth on him again. Sweetheart. No one had ever called him sweet before. Astarion pushed his partner's head down while he face-fucked him, cock speeding in and out of that relaxed throat, crying out a litany of blissful moans. Sweat was beading down his covered face, his clothes stuck to his skin uncomfortably, his gut tightened. He felt like he was going insane. Astarion's eyes fell shut and his head back, as he arched off the examining table and exploded into that talented mouth. Gasping for breath and dizzy, he slumped down, legs feeling like jelly. His back no longer twinged. Gale panted against his sharp hipbone before straightening up and tucking himself back into his pants. Astarion simply watched through hooded eyes, brain still offline.

"We should go before we get caught," the brunet remarked, slinging the backpack over his shoulder.

"Right," mumbled the blond, but didn't move an inch. Gale looked at him worriedly.

"Astarion, come on."

"Mmh..."

"Do you need help?"

"Mhm."

He aided Astarion onto his wobbly legs, hastily dressed him and laced-up his boots before shoving him through the door. They grabbed the bags with cat food in the entrance area. Astarion giggled stupidly, stumbling back towards the rear exit, completely fucked-out. They climbed back over the fence and hurried along the streets until they'd reached the car. Gale sighed a breath of relief as they left the Open Hand Pet Sanctuary far behind. Back home, they basically fell through the door, adrenaline finally wearing off. While Gale stowed away the stolen insulin in the fridge, Astarion smooched a purring Tara.

"The things we do for you, darling. Be grateful that we love you so much and are positively insane," smiled Astarion before setting her down. "By the way, those pain meds work like a charm. My back doesn't feel uncomfortable anymore."

"I'm glad," smiled Gale. With a snicker, he added: "Let's hope that the amount we stole will last you for multiple years. Also, I think we need a bigger fridge."

Astarion laughed, pulled his partner into a ravenous kiss, and they tumbled into bed.

"Say it again, love," Astarion panted against his fiancé's lips.

"Hm, what?" Gale asked slightly confused.

"The word you said before letting me fuck your face."

Gale blushed and smiled simultaneously. He held Astarion tight, placed a kiss on those sinful lips, and said: "Sweetheart."

"Again," whispered his partner, choked up.

"Sweetheart. My sweetheart. I love you."

[papermonkeyism]

Went to a pet expo today in the hopes of getting some new substrate for the Bug Box in the future (the local store recently closed down, so I've been looking for alternatives) and possibly seeing other cool little critters and.

It's been probably close to a decade since the last time I visited one, but there was surprisingly very little. Like, anything.

Like, not a single booth or stall selling terrarium supplies. None!

The only terrarium related stuff I saw were one (1) small table of a corn snake breeder selling their newest clutch of baby snakes, one (1) small table with few crested geckos for sale and a tank with few frogs in it. And a school advertising their animal related education that had some cockroaches and stickbugs on display. No supplies.

There was a small cat show, and some dogs, some parrots and actually a pretty good sampling of rodents but I'm pretty sure the hobby horse toy ring was bigger than the entire herp section. There was way more artist alley type stalls than there were anything related to terrariums. :(

Luckily there was also a food convention happening in the same building in the upper floor, so I wasn't left empty handed (fed myself with all the free samples I could get my hands on, as is right), but man.

I'm kinda disappointed. I remember it being a lot bigger the last time I went, all those years ago. I remember more reptiles, and ferrets, and dwarf hedgehogs, and alpackas and goats and just generally more everything.

Though I did get to scritch couple very friendly kitties and a gerbil, so still a nice experience (also seeing all the little critters in person, like the rats and the dwarf hamsters and the baby snakes and all the cats)!

[cordycepsfem]

I'm sure I've mentioned it here once or twice, but I have a special hardness in my heart for "queer" groups that turn into beg-fests. I didn't join a networking group to see people with their hands out begging for money or supplies - sorry, "mutual aid" (that usually only goes one way).

I also have a certain hardness in my heart for people who are homeless or who have chosen to live in less-than-conventional ways but keep animals with them. That is absolutely unfair for an animal. There are resources for homeless people - are they great? Not always, and many of them have stringent requirements that make little sense, and we could always do better; big cities tend to have better resources, etc. - but I know that accommodating people with pets is definitely less possible than accommodating just people.

I understand that people love their pets and are willing to go to what I sometimes consider wildly bizarre levels to keep them, but if you are subjecting your animal to sleeping in the cold with you, to having less-than-enough food, you are a dick. Your pet deserves better. They did not choose you as an owner, they did not ask to be in those situations. They need to be housed, fed, and receive veterinary care. If you cannot do those things, it's time for the animal to live elsewhere.

I give you all of this backstory because one of the first posts to pop up for me on the book of faces was this

Okay, so, FTM individual who somehow can't get their Venmo name changed... had an extremely expensive sleeping bag (approximately $1000 worth of one) that they just... let get moldy. At that rate they should just head over to the thrift store, where they can get one for like $10... oh, but wait...

I can't risk it with used items. I can only take cash. And you should give me the cash in my preferred way so you can give me MORE.

"If you can't give me money, reminding me that I matter is also great!"

WTF. Why is it everyone else's responsibility to tell "queer" people that they matter, that they're valid, that everything isn't their fault, that it's cool that they always have their hand out for money.

And of course the cherry on top:

"Don't suggest anything that might be helpful! Money or nothing!"

I don't know why this bothers me so much, this money-grubbing... just that in every other community I'm a part of, minority groups especially, there's not this blanket carte blanche to wield one's individual identity for money at the slightest provocation. Parents mean? Help my "survival fund" so I can leave home and have a total mastectomy. School hard? Help me stage a protest so I can bring my ESA ferret to the dorm. Wind blow the wrong way? I need snacks and pronoun pins! Oh, and I'm greypansexual demigender sparkleboy with AuDHD and I only like to kiss on Tuesdays (damp/damper pronouns).

I'm a gender-free lesbian woman with actually diagnosed autism, a pantheon of mental illnesses, one very rare neurological condition, and a brand new autoimmune disorder that's been making my life hell. My sister's disabled, my college didn't give me any financial aid this term, and I can't afford a parking pass. Most of my friends live 900 miles away, I can't see my girlfriend as often as I'd like, and the library keeps sending me oppressive emails with titles like "Hey, it's time to return that book that you keep saying you're going to finish but are ignoring in favor of watching TV."

... wait, maybe this is easier.

[gummy-axolotl]

Sad news ahead

As you guys know, I'm moving out of my house to go to college in-person soon. Originally, my pet axolotl was going to stay here, and my brother, who would be moving into my room, would take care of him.

But my brother said that he doesn't really want to but would begrudgingly take care of him. Since my brother isn't committed to this, I feel like Frilly would not have the quality of life I want him to have. I don't trust him to be fed enough, to have his tank cleaned enough, All the stuff that he needs.

So I am going to sell him. I'm going to find my pet axolotl a new permanent home. I made a list of all of the supplies that I own for him, and purchased new, the total comes to about $425. I'm going to halve that price to $200ish.

My mom is going to help me post on local facebook groups and stuff to sell him and all of his things. So hopefully within the next month or so, Frilly will have a brand new home.

It's for the best really. I'm so glad that I got to have him for 3 years, and I'm glad I got to write a comic about him and stuff... But I can't take care of him anymore.

I'm really going to miss him.

[redriotinggg]

the sniper's cat!

got this submission from @trans-jester-420 for the ask game where i discuss fics i’d write based on the title given to me!

OKOKOKOK SO the Straw Hats have stopped at an island and Usopp went to explore and get supplies for all of his Usopp needs. He's passing by an alley and sees the sweetest alley cat. He originally stops just to give it some pets, but when he tries to leave, the cat follows him. He looks at its sweet face and is reminded of all the stray cats he used to take care of back at Syrup. So, he stuffs the cat down his sweatshirt (his bag has too many dangerous items) and sneaks back onto the Sunny.

Hidden away in his workshop, Usopp has a fantastic time playing with the cat. However, it's becoming obvious that his workspace is way too dangerous for the cat and he's going to lose it if the cat knocks over one more thing off the shelf. So he sneaks his way up to the gardens to resume their play session.

His secret doesn't stay a secret for long as Robin and Nami come up to tend to their gardens and spot him with his new cat. They are enamoured by the cat, happily petting it and expressing their love for it. Usopp does not appreciate their plans to dress it up in clothes and accessories.

Sanji comes up soon after to bring snacks for the ladies and starts making a commotion about the cat, though he does stop to pet it as well. Luffy hears him yelling and comes to investigate, and soon the whole crew knows about their new crew member.

They bring the cat down to the grassy deck where they watch it run and play. They all love the cat and are excited about having it aboard. (Except Zoro, who is indifferent, but doesn't stop the cat when it comes to nap with him.) Brook is singing feline shanties and Franky is making plans for a super awesome climbing tree.

However, they do have to think of the logistics of having a cat out at sea with them. Given the size of the ship they do think it's possible, but would the cat like it? Chopper asks the cat what it would think about living with them on board the Sunny.

The cat explains that while it loves Usopp and all of his friends, they don't like the rocking of the boat and they'd prefer to stay on land where they are familiar.

Everyone is super sad that they have to leave the cat behind, especially Usopp, but they know it's for the best. After making sure the cat is clean and well-fed, Usopp brings it back to the alley where he'd found it. He leaves his new friend with lots of snuggles and a promise that they will always be a member of the Straw Hats.

--

Aaaah I love Usopp and I love kitties, he so deserves one! Although I think he'd be the type to own reptiles as pets. Thanks so much for the ask/submission! My inbox is always open so feel free to send me more prompts! <3

[pbandjesse]

What a lovely day. I barely didn't feel good. I was engaged and happy and felt like I really liked it at both of my jobs. It was honestly just really great. And an ego boost for sure.

I slept fine. I woke up at 6:30 because I had a nosebleed. I guess I jinxed myself when I said I'm glad that I haven't been having that symptom. But it wasn't so bad. James came upstairs and laid with me for a few minutes. I didn't actually have to get up yet but I ended up just getting up and washed and dressed and sat downstairs on the couch for a bit. James left for work after giving me a big hug and I would leave like 10 minutes later.

Driving to campus fine. It was chilly this morning and would remain fairly comfortable to wear a long sleeve shirt all day. And when I got there I would eat my breakfast and waited for everyone else to come in.

It would be a really productive day with the BGE volunteers. There was like 45 of them and they were really sweet. I was not thrilled that I was on the painting the floor team because I was like I don't think I can bend that much but they decided to cut painting anyway because we didn't have the proper supplies. And so I ended up going to the barn with Rachel and Heather to help muck and drive the Gator.

when we got up there I did remember I am technically allergic to hay so the back of my throat was kind of itchy but I don't get hives like I sometimes would when I was younger. So it was fine. I wasn't really actually raking anything I was just driving the gator and I have never driven the barn gator and it was slightly different and I was very nervous and then I did drive it into a tree by accident. But overall went fine. And I enjoyed talking about the horses and petting the horses. And after the two-ish hours of raking I gave all the adults handfuls of carrots to feed to the horses and it was really cute.

They were really nice team too and I told them that this was not just busy work and this was really important and I really really appreciated them coming out and donating their time and it was just really good.

after we fed the horses carrots we walked back down to the lodge for lunch. Which was running late but it was fine. Because I'm pregnant and have no self control I did not wait until all of the volunteers got lunch. I helped set it up and I got them utensil so I got pizza for some. And there was plenty of food so it wasn't like I was taking from anyone and we were more than welcomed by the woman who organized it. Who was lovely. She grew up going to camp and I love that she cares so much about making this connection. She would love to come volunteer over the summer as well which I think is great.

Elizabeth would come over to kind of give a little spiel about camp itself and getting your kids involved and stuff. And alexie had talked to them earlier in the day about all the important programs that we do. Maiden choice. Baltimore station. Stuff like that. And we really just tried to emphasize that all of this goes to support those things and it's really nice to give you reminded of it. For me. And I really hope that we continue to get to support those things.

After lunch I let Elizabeth know what we had accomplished. Apparently all the other teams finished all of their work. Mine would probably benefit from another hour but apparently Rachel wanted to finish it herself so I let her know I was going to go home and go to sleep.

And that is exactly what I did. Because I halfway home just became so tired. So when I got back here I changed into pajamas I put on the fans I closed our new curtains which made the room nice and dark and I slept for over 2 hours.

Sweetp was all up in my face meeting so much attention and affection which is very sweet but also he trips me when he does that. He was following me around and standing on me. But we slept and it was good. And I woke up around 4:00. I got dressed again in a circles and would go and sit downstairs to wait for James before I had to leave for the museum.

When James got home they were very excited to see me and give me a big kiss on the face and they would clean up and then come sit with me on the couch. Warmed up my Chipotle for dinner. I wasn't hungry but I knew that I needed to eat so that I wouldn't feel all weak and stuff when I was working. And honestly for this event I'm really glad that I gave myself that bit of energy. Because I was busy.

The event tonight was young Catholic professionals. I thought it was a boy's charity but no it was like people my age. And honestly a little weird to be around that many people that are Catholic. I am not used to people being religious that are my age. Just not a world that I'm a part of anymore. But man they were all so nice. I had an excellent night.

I got to break out our religious imagery from the print shop which I never get to use so I was really excited about that because we have a lot of it. I found a couple Mary's and a couple jesus's. And I was just the bell of the balls tonight. Just everyone was so excited and I kept hearing like oh my god it's the blessed mother and I'm like yes enjoy my art. I know I didn't make them but I did print them and I got to talk about print to basically everyone that came because the people who were running the front desk and the check-in table were so excited about the prints I made that they were telling everyone they had to come back so I have never had this many people in the print shop before and it was wonderful.

Ended up making multiple types of prints not even just the two that I have photographed above. I was just making whatever and telling people come get a picture of your mom because that's a funny joke to me when you talk about Mary. And it was just so nice. Everyone was so sweet and I just loved all their questions and was just having fun. It was honestly just the most ideal event night I have had in a really long time.

I did get to tell a lot of stories about printing but also just about working at the museum and doing art and some of the other interesting things I've done. I also told people about the lead exposure. I did get my test results back today and my lead levels are fine. Specifically the nurse practitioner said that they are reassuring. And now I have a funny story.

I just finished cleaning up and I checked in with Merrill and I ran around the main hall to see the tables that they had set up for the different parts of the charity and support system I guess. And the one table had like free stuff on it. I did not take any of it but it was like rosaries and very tiny little vials of holy water. Which was very funny to me. I love the ephemera of the Catholic Church. And honestly everyone was just really nice tonight and I met another pregnant girl and she's 28 weeks pregnant and we had a lovely conversation and I was just really happy.

I'm almost home now. And I'm going to clean up and get all the ink out from under my fingernails. And hopefully sleep easy. Tomorrow we leave for North Carolina. Charlotte going to check on the house and the animals. I am hoping it is just a nice drive and I don't get nauseous. But thankfully we were able to get me more zofran so I'm going to bring that to as a gist in case. But I was not very nauseous today so I am hoping that we have reached a point where I stop throwing up.

I hope that you all had a lovely day. And I hope that tomorrow is nice. And you sleep well tonight. Take care of yourself. Take care of each other. Good night

[tubefullofdemons]

HI my name is Jessica, I'm queer and autistic and I need your help. Anyone familiar with me would know that I have had many ups and downs for the past couple of years. I've been going to college in an effort to help my community and also seek some independence. Some good news is on the horizon, I was able to get a job but it won't be a month until I can get my first paycheck. I've been living month to month, struggling just to get by paying for pet food, pet supplies and utilities. I don't even have enough to buy work attire. My mom and my pets rely on me and I don't have any other family that could help. We are alone in this. The reason I'm posting this and starting a gofundme is because it's going to be my birthday in June and honestly my birthday wish is to make it without any struggling or fear of the rug being pulled under me.

I just want to be okay. Most of all I want my pets to be fed and the bills to be paid.

Just to give some background in november last year my mother lost her widow's benefits due to lost paperwork and it set us back two months. In those two months we were evicted, taken to court and forced to use any money I would acquire to make the move. I am left with virtually nothing and I've run out of things to sell. I've been barely with my head above water all the way until now. I also have other ways to receive funds also.

paypal (this is my mom's) bojess78550@gmail.com

Cashapp $applelily74

Venmo @Jessica-Ortiz-586

Please share I would really appreciate it. Ignore the goal, I don't need to meet it, any donation helps. If you can't donate, please share.

[wilderun]

same anon another new curiosity! how do you feed them/work out their nutritional needs? I recently read a discussion on the issues with all raw diets in a lot of pet dogs, does that still apply to wolfdogs? Or are they able to get more of the nutrients they need from just the meat?

Raw is a species appropriate diet for wolves but may cause nutritional decencies over time if not balanced out. In the wild a lot of wolves suffer from decencies. In captivity we can balance it to the correct ratios if choosing to feed entirely raw, but my dogs eat primarily dry food with supplemental raw at this point. In the past I have fed almost all raw and done carcass feeding and the dogs loved it but it’s a lot to manage and takes a massive amount of storage space to supply in bulk to be affordable lol.

[purveyorofsnozzberries]

So, let’s talk about anti-depressants for a bit.

Tw: suicide, depression, and SSRI withdrawal symptoms.

Antidepressants are wonderful miracles of modern medicine. In that we don’t really know how they work.

In 2016, my life sucked. I could go into how bad it sucked, but ironically I feel like that way lies a depressive episode so let’s not. One day, I received some unusually bad news. Life ending bad, it felt at the time. And, in the wake of that news, I tried to commit suicide. I thankfully was not well equipped, or I would have actually done some damage. I was lucky. I had a support system who sprang into action to let me know that I was loved, and would be missed.

So I started taking antidepressants. I went to a doctor and said “I tried to off myself, I think I need antidepressants.” They readily agreed, and I was prescribed escitalopram. Years have passed, I’ve had my ups and downs but for the most part the antidepressants did a lot to help me stay sane during those bad years. Hurray!

But then, a few months ago, I moved from my hometown to one 5 hours away. My doctors said they could prescribe me 3 months supply while I found a new doctor. Easy, right? Wrong. I have made 3 appointments with doctors in this town and each one has called me back saying “we’re not accepting new Medicaid patients”

I’m sorry, the fuck? I just need someone to sign the little pieces of paper that allow me to take the pills that make my brain work. And sadly, I am one of those people who needs medications. I take them to focus, I take them to sleep, I take them to maintain my mental health. But while I was trying to find a doctor, my antidepressants ran out.

“Oh shit.”

Day 1 through day 3 wasn’t so bad. Felt a bit off, emotions were swinging more than usual, maybe got a bit irritable sometimes but nothing I haven’t gotten used to dealing with over the years. This was hardly the first time my ADHD ass forgot to re-up on meds over a long weekend. It sucks, but it’s manageable. Day 4 changed that. Day 4 I couldn’t sleep. I woke up really to kill someone. I SCREAMED obscenities at my pet cats when they meowed to be fed ( I feel really bad about freaking them out now). Any little thing went straight to 11. My mind was foggy.

Day 5 was worse. The body aches started. My muscles felt… thin, like I could bite right through my arm without stopping. My extremities were at turns numb and tingling. I started experiencing “brain zaps”, which is a phantom sensation that feels like an electric shock goes from your brain all the way down your body. Deeply unpleasant all around.

Day 6 I started feeling a bit better mentally. I found that marijuana could at least keep the irritability down. I made another appointment, then sobbed when I got a call back saying no new Medicaid patients.

Finally I called my mom. The nuclear option. I, a 32 year old man, called my mom hoping she could make things better. And for the most part, it worked, lol. She showed up a few days later and marched me down to an urgent care who was able to prescribe me a months supply. I was so out of it I told them the wrong dosage (I take 10’s but said 20’s) and so wound up with a 2 month supply. Which hopefully will be enough to find a real doctor who takes Medicaid and can write me my magic pieces of paper.

So, what takeaways can be divined from this mess? Don’t run out of medication? Don’t assume you’ll be able to find a doctor easily?

How about “know what medications you’re taking”.

I didn’t ask about lexapro/escitalopram when I started. I didn’t know it was an SSRI, I didn’t know what would happen if I stopped suddenly. No one told me, either. Not one doctor in the 8 years I’ve been taking it warned me about *gestures at my last week of existence* THIS.

And I was okay with that. Because it did what I needed it to do. It works. But as soon as I can find a doc, I’m going to ask them to wean me off it. I can’t live with that kind of pain hanging over my head. The physical symptoms have mostly abated but my legs are still sore and my fingertips are numb. Some studies have shown such symptoms lasting for weeks or even years.

I’m not saying everyone or even anyone should stop taking their SSRIs, and certainly NEVER EVER stop taking them cold turkey like I did. That’s what caused The Issues. But if you are unaware of what SSRI withdrawal feels like and you’re taking them, I would absolutely suggest talking to your doctor about what can be done to minimize the risk of something like this happening to you.

Because this last week has been hell, and no one should have to go through that just because they moved.

[butts-bouncing-on-the-beltway]

I'm deeply ready for the days off I've planned for myself, including PRIDE night for me and wifey (and maybe some new clothes to go with? Neither of us have had a new outfit in over a year. I think maybe for wifey for sure, as her wardrobe always take harder and faster hits than mine does)

I've got a nice four day lil 4 day weekend, and a 3 day weekend to follow, so hopefully by the end of it, I will be feeling much better rested and will have gotten a few things handked around the house.

God and I have our anniversary to plan for next month already, and I'm still neck deep in initial planning for our tenth so I honestly don't even know what that's gonna look like. Maybe just a nice dinner at our favorite place? And maybe buying a new movie to watch together and cuddle. A nice jug of cider for me to spice up.

Lord I'm just tired all the time lmao, and I'm trying to get myself in order, but I'm just usually so busy or exhausted or we've run thru the paycheck for the week, or whatever the fuck.

We definitely need to buy and build the chicken run first thing during my long weekend, because it's almost butchering day for the waffles, and the ladies are almost big enough to deserve real exercise space (the hen house is huge lol, and until now genuinely has been big enough for them all to not need outdoor space at all). They can managw another week together in there with no consequences, but after that, they're gonna need their outdoor run.

I think I'll buy the berry bushes and the fencing supplies all in one go so I don't have to worry about coming back to it later and disrupting the ladies. Which really means I need to find a local nursery with native berry bushes, because I don't feel up to driving all the way down the mountain to Ream in the same weekend if I don't have to. I can save that trip for picking up our trees later in the sunmer.

Man, I really am looking forward to having the garden set up and the ladies grown enough to lay. Free fresh eggs are a huge relief on our budget, especially if we keep doing periodic waves of meat birds to keep cutting down our meat budget alongside it. I'm thinking probably 2-3 sets of meat birds per year, maybe a dozen each time? I'm never doing Cornish Rocks again tho, these little abominations are a disaster to raise. Literally every bird we lost (4 total) was a fuckin Waffle, and they always died for the stupidest reasons. One literally just ate too much and then passed out for a nap under the heat lamp until he got heat stroke because he didn't bother also hydrating???? The only other birds I've raised with this kind of mortality rate are fuckin great white turkeys and they drown in the goddamn rain. Apparently it's not just us either. If I'd taken the time to research more instead of trusting the meat and egg chick mix, I'd have seen all the other homesteaders online panicking about half their flock dying and meing warned by more experienced folks that Cornishes are really only viable for industrial scale farming that can reliably take those kinds of losses. In retrospect, now that I *do* know that, I'm almost proud we managed to keep 80% of our Waffles alive.

Point being, I'm never going through that again. There are plenty of heritage meat birds, and I'll be sticking with them please and thank you.

I've considered starting to do rabbit too? It would cut down on our pet food costs a fair bit, and then maybe I could co-graze themand the chickens in a tractor along the yard to manage overgrowth of ground cover. I'd prefer a goat obvi, but I don't think the council will let me have one, even if wifey would lmao. That's definitely a later thing tho. Gotta get the humans more sustainably fed before I can consider any new livestock lmao

I think the chicken run, the berry bushes, the first order of seeds, and a chest freezer are probably the major expenses this coming paycheck. We might be able to postpone the chest freezer? Our freezer isn't overly full at present, and I think could actually fit 20 processed Waffles if needed. We'll need one soon regardless tho, cuz it definitely won't fit the next butchering day product at that point, nor the frozen fruits, veggies, and easy preps we'll be starting to make over the summer. So if not this pay period, then the next one.

God, I guess that means I should prep all my orders so I can place them first thing on Friday when I get paid, and price out the batches. Ughhhh I'm so busy today, that's gonna be hard to make time for during my breaks, and after work it's dinner and eorzea time, plus probably some tidying.

Awww fuck i gotta bring in the washing too and maybe do another load.

Whatever. Point is, I'm gonna be busy for a while. Which is good. But also means I have less time to sit and think and write which does make me a lil sad. It's just until harvest season is through tho! Once everything is planted and plucked and canned and stored, I'll be back to having time for other things. I'm probably gonna prioritize my writing and my sewing thru the winter so I can be ready for fiber processing in spring and publishing season in summer/fall. I'll want to get back to the zine soon too, because I really do want to add in the documentation I've been building around appalachian riperians

Lordt

Someone needs to tell my brain to pick a goddamn lane. This is how I end up pulled in so many directions that nothing gets done lmao

[realm-sweet-realm]

A Road Further, chapter one: New Journeys

The protagonist of Scarlet/Violet moves away, and the lives of the Paldea trio go on.

Nemona is ecstatic when Geeta decides to take her under her wing and groom her to be the next head champion of Paldea, and doubly so when it means competing against champions of other regions in a worldwide tounament. With Geeta’s very rigid ideas of how a champion should act, Nemona will have to find a balance between respecting authority and forging her own path.

Penny’s crimes begin to catch up with her as her parents send her to live with her uncle Looker in hopes that he’ll set her straight. But as Penny’s skills turn out to be quite useful for crime-solving, she might find out that her weird uncle Looker isn’t so lame after all.

Between the loss of his dad and his three friends moving away, Arven is crushed. When Clavell tries to cheer him up by introducing him to two Alolan exchange students including the tech-savvy Sophocles, Arven hatches a desperate and ill-advised plan to bring back his father.

I hope you all enjoy this.

---

The sky was grey and heavy as Arven walked Miraidon to what would be its new home in the Lighthouse Laboratory. Penny and Nemona followed behind, carrying supplies for the creature. Arven shifted the bags of Pokémon food he’d been carrying into one arm and stroked the creature with the other, trying to quiet its whining.

“I know,” he whispered. “I miss him, too.”

Not long after the annual treasure hunt, Florian’s mother had been transferred to a new location for work and they’d had to move away. They’d been forced to leave Miraidon behind, and Arven to try to find one of his father’s old lab techs to look after it. He wasn’t looking after it himself longer than he had to. It was just too much of a reminder.

There wasn’t much to be done at the Lighthouse Laboratory. The three students put down a giant pet bed for Miraidon, scattered its toys, fed and watered it, and they were done. Arven had called Penny and Nemona out for emotional support more than anything.

“Thanks for being here,” he said to the girls, sitting down on one of the old tables in the laboratory. “You know, I played it cool in front of Clavell, but losing my dad is... well, it’s a lot to process. I mean, apparently he did love me, but now I’ll never get to actually spend time with him. It kind of hurts knowing what could have been. But hey, at least now I have you two.” He gave them a smile. “Between that and all the schoolwork I have to catch up on, I won’t even have time to think about it!”

The two girls exchanged an awkward look.

Penny was the first to speak. “Actually, my parents are sending me away to live with my weird uncle Looker in Kalos. Probably for a whole year. They found out about the whole Team Star and stealing millions in LP thing and want to scare me straight.”

Arven got up, fists curled and teeth gritted. “Seriously?! But Geeta and Clavell let you off with community service for all of that! And you have a job lined up after graduation. How many 14-year-olds can say that?”

“Yeah, but they said that ‘it’s still a felony,’ and ‘I need to learn to respect the rules before I run into someone who won’t let me break them.’ It sucks.”

Nemona spoke up next. “...And Geeta wants to train me up to be the new head champion. Which means I’m leaving the Uva Academy, too. I’m really sorry, Arven.”

“Oh. Well, at least I’ll be able to reach you by flying taxi since you’ll be in Paldea.”

Nemona shared a pained look with Penny. “…She’s starting by taking me to a world championship event in Hoenn. It’ll only be for a few weeks!”

Arven felt like the lifeline he’d caught was disintegrating. He’d be all alone at school again, at the time he most needed not to be. It took him a second to blink back tears and figure out the right response. “Oh. Well, that’s amazing! I’m so happy for you. Are you excited?”

Finally released from the expectation to act sympathetic, Nemona’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “So excited! You have no idea. I’m going to get to battle some of the strongest trainers in the whole world! Up until a while ago, even meeting them would have been a dream come true!”

“Great. You’ll finally have some people who can keep up to you. I’ll watch all your matches.”

“If you can find time while digging yourself out of the homework pit,” Penny quipped. “But yeah. We’ll be watching. ...Assuming uncle Looker lets me. Or I can find a way around his rules. Which I will.”

“You heard it. We’ll keep in touch,” Arven agreed, crossing his arms. “Assuming Penny can go a couple weeks without doing something stupid and getting her phone privileges revoked.”

Penny jabbed his arm. Arven jabbed her back.

Nemona smiled. “You guys are the best! Yeah, let’s keep in touch!”

---

Nemona squinted into the sunrise as she tried to make out whether the flying taxi on the horizon was La Primera’s or if she still had a while to wait. She’d shown up twenty minutes early. Some might call that overkill, but one couldn’t take this too seriously, and Nemona had read that Geeta liked to be early.

As the flying taxi neared, Nemona could see that it was Geeta. She stood up and ran to it, getting in before it even touched down.

“I’m glad to see that you’ve kept your passion for battling,” Geeta said. Even in the early morning, her image- the suit, the elaborate hair, her gentle smile- was just as flawless as she’d been every time Nemona had seen her. It almost hadn’t sunk in yet that she’d be working for her. She’d be spending the next few weeks learning to be just like her.

“Oh yeah! I’m not gonna let you down.” Nemona replied. “Oh my gosh. Do you think Cynthia does autographs? Do you think I could get a picture with Blue’s blastoise? Or maybe...” Nemona caught something vaguely disapproving in Geeta’s eyes. “Uh, sorry, I’ll calm down.”

“No, go ahead,” Geeta assured her. “It will be best for you to get your excitement out now. Once we’re at the airport and especially once we’re there, you’ll need to keep that excitement under wraps. You’re representing Paldea, after all. You have to act like you belong with the other champions, because you do.” Those last three words were a jolt of energy to Nemona’s heart. “No autographs. Pictures are fine so long as they look professional.”

“You got it!.”

As it turned out, they had plenty to talk about on the flying taxi ride and then the flight to Hoenn. Nemona already knew a good deal about the champions and the teams and strategies they used, and Geeta helped fill in the gaps of her information. After getting settled at the hotel, it was late and Nemona was tired, but her energy came right back when she told Nemona that some of the champions were already competing.

“I thought that the tounament didn’t start until tomorrow?”

“The brackets will be announced tomorrow,” Geeta explained, “but for now some of the champions are doing some unofficial one-on-one matches to warm up the audience. Would you like to watch them?”

“Watch them? I want to join them! Let’s get down there,” Nemona replied, already running for the door to their hotel room.

“No,” Geeta said gently, making Nemona stop dead. “I’d like us to watch them from here, where we can discuss what they’re doing. It will be an important lesson for you.”

“Okay.” Nemona sat back down on the bench next to Geeta.

The television displayed the tournament arena. On one side of it, Diantha strode in alongside her gardevoir, mega-evolving it to the audible delight of the crowd. On the other, Cynthia glided down from the bleachers on the back of her garchomp, sliding off of her at the last moment and landing nimbly on her feet as the dragon took her position in the ring.

“Begin!” shouted the referee.

“Garchomp, Poison jab!” Cynthia ordered. Her garchomp lunged, her claws coating themselves in purple fluid.

“Ice punch,” Diantha returned. Gardevoir’s fists covered themselves in ice, and she countered the first jab. Garchomp was darting in and out of Gardevoir’s range as Gardevoir stayed stationary, blocking only as many quick but relatively weak jabs as it took and clearly taking more damage than it was dealing.

“Wait, why's she doing that?” Nemona asked. Gardevoir didn’t have the attack or speed for this, but with her special attack, a good dazzling gleam would have-

“Because,” Geeta explained calmly, “This is what everyone came here to see.”

“Ah,” Nemona said as she watched the garchomp’s speed and footwork.

“Dazzling gleam!” Diantha ordered. Gardevoir gathered energy and blasted a powerful beam of pink energy from her outstretched hands.

“Dig,” Cynthia retunred. Garchomp quickly dug into the ground, only its tail getting grazed. Earthquake would have been more powerful and maneuverable, but this was more of a sight to see.

“Send it into the earth, Gardevoir,” Diantha ordered. The gardevoir ran over to the hole and sent dazzling gleam down into it, filling the hole completely and leaving pink light overflowing from its edges. A roar of pain emanated from it. And yet, Cynthia seemed unworried. She closed her eyes and smiled as the ground behind gardevoir opened up, releasing pink energy and a battered-but-still-fighting garchomp, her claws coated in poison. Gardevoir barely had time to look back before a powerful hit took her out.

“Cynthia and Garchomp are the winner!” the referee announced, pointing his flag to Cynthia. The TV screen showed a close-up of her smile before cutting out to sports commentators.

“Wow!” Nemona beamed, clasping her hands together in excitement. “Man, it’s like they’re coordinating with each other in real time to give everyone the best show possible! Like, to show everything their Pokémon are capable of, while also trying to win as a second goal. That must be even more challenging than just winning!” Nemona gripped the pokéball at her belt, her body yelling at her to go and try out this new challenge.

“Yes, exactly,” Geeta stated. “You are a great trainer, Nemona. You will have no trouble at all upholding the Pokémon league standards, I’m sure. But I’ve brought you to this tournament so that we can work on your image and showmanship. Part of a champion’s job is representing their region, after all. There is much to attend to- we’ll need to design you a perfect outfit and figure out your trademark mannerisms and a team including a trademark Pokémon.”

“Oh, man, a trademark Pokémon!” The mere thought that one of her Pokémon could be as iconic as Cynthia’s garchomp or Diantha’s gardevoir... or Leon’s charizard or Steven’s metagross or... Nemona couldn’t help it. She let out some little squealing noises.

Nemona smiled. “Yes. I suggest you make a list of candidates for that role. We’ll go over them tomorrow morning and find just the right one.”

---

The heavy door that separated the prison from the outside world slammed shut, nearly making Penny jump. Looker walked in front of her and gestured for her to follow.

“This is what happens to people who break the rules,” Looker explained, stone-faced as they passed by cell after cell, each one containing two miserable, dead-eyed prisoners, two cots with thin mattresses and thin blankets, a metal toilet, and little else.

“People won’t keep giving you free passes forever! And there won’t be a warning for when they won’t. Every rule you break could be the one that puts you in here! Yes, even now. Stealing as much currency as you did could have given you more than two years, and once you’re sixteen, you would have been transferred to a place just like this! We don’t want that.”

Only if you get caught, Penny thought as she followed behind him, but she thought better of saying it. She settled for nodding along instead, with a face that she hoped said “I’m taking this seriously,” but might have been more along the lines of “how much longer until you shut up?”

“I love you, Penny! And that’s why I have to do this. You’re going to work here after school for the next semester. Maybe the next year if it’s necessary. I promised it to your parents, so to make sure it’s all the time you’ll spend there!”

The two ran into a gruff-looking security guard, who Looker handed Penny off to for a tour of the facility and explanation of her duties.

It was late by the time Penny was off work, done with dinner, and could escape to the room that Looker had her set up in. It matched the rest of the house in containing a functional amount of furniture- in this case, a bed, a desk and chair, a bedside table, and a closet with hangers- but nothing else. When one worked for the international police, one moved too frequently to make a house a home.

Penny sat down at the desk and pulled out her rotom phone, only to realize that its usual rotom had been replaced with a sharp-eyed parental control one. When exactly Looker had managed that was beyond her. Penny sighed. It was a good thing she’d prepared for just this situation. She opened the window and then dug into her eevee backpack and pulled out a plastic baggie of dead batteries interspersed with red and green loose wires.

“Want a snack?” she asked the rotom, firmly holding her phone in one hand and dangling the bag in the other.

The rotom nodded vigorously. Penny could feel it trying to get loose and float over, but she held the phone firmly. The rotom pulled until it popped out of the phone. Penny threw the baggie out the window, and the rotom chased it out. She closed the window, got up, and laid down on her bed, ignoring the creature as it tapped the glass. This should give her a few hours at least.

The phone’s screen was filled with new texts from Arven, Nemona, and the ex-members of Team Star. She could respond to them later. For now, she brought up the internet and typed “how to get fired from a prison job without getting killed.”

If Looker was going to give her a hard time, she’d give him a hard time right back.

—-

Late morning light filtered through the curtains as Arven laid in bed, phone in hand and Mabosstif curled up on top of him. He was missing second period and had missed his classes yesterday as well, but who cared? Clavell wouldn’t suspend him while he had nowhere else to go, and he was almost beyond caring if he took an extra year to graduate. He was scrolling through a some long-winded excited ramblings from Nemona when he heard a knock at the dorm room door.

“Arven?” came Clavell’s voice. Arven scrambled out of bed, almost kicking Mabosstif in the process. Thankfully he’d gone to bed in his clothes the night before, so he could pass as having been up for a while. He’d say he had to catch up on some important school project and had thought it was more important than a couple missed classes. Hopefully that would make Clavell go away.

Clavell opened the door and stood awkwardly in the doorway, looking like we wasn’t sure what to say. After pausing for a moment, he crossed the room, sat on Arven’s bed, and gestured for Arven to sit next to him. Arven obeyed. “How... how have you been handling the professor’s death, really?” Clavell asked.

“I’m fine,” Arven replied.

“...And your three friends being away?”

Arven closed his eyes and looked away from Clavell. “I’m fine, alright? I’m used to not having anyone around. It’s fine! Just punish me if you’re going to and go.”

Clavell took a deep breath. “I’m not going to punish you, I just thought...” Clavell shook his head as though reconsidering something. “Actually, very well. There is something you can do for me as punishment for the missed classes. Two exchange students are arriving today from Alola. If you could give them a tour and get them settled into their dorms, that would be wonderful.”

“Okay,” Aven replied. He had a strong sense that this was to get him moving or to cheer him up somehow. He would have thanked Clavell if it weren’t being framed as a punishment.

“Excellent. Stop by my office and I’ll give you the details. And let me know if you need anything.”

Hours later, the flying taxi touched down in front of the academy, containing a green-haired girl in her early twenties, a little boy playing on a gaming device, and their luggage.

“Hey,” Arven said to them. “Welcome to the Uva Academy. My name’s Arven. I’m going to be the one to show you around.”

“Mallow,” the green-haired woman replied, “Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you, too. first thing’s first, let’s get you guys set up in your dorms. I’ll lead the way.”

Arven navigated the crowded halls, checking every so often to make sure that Mallow was still following.

“So, what brought you to the academy?” Arven asked.

“Well, I aged out of being a trial captain- that’s like our equivalent to gym leaders, and only people under twenty can be one- so I thought I’d try to figure out what I want to do next. I’m probably going to be a cook, though. Alola is just so good for growing ingredients. Berries are the obvious ones, but you wouldn’t believe how many medicinal plants grow there. Maybe I could be some kind of healer!”

Okay, Clavell had definitely put him up to this to cheer him up. “Wow, you’re into cooking, huh? Me, too. And as for medicinal plants, trust me, I know more about those than I ever wanted to. But at least the little collection I got out of it can make anything taste great.” Arven stopped in front of their dorm room doors and turned to Mallow. “The teachers let me use the home ec lab so long as I’m out and it’s clean by the time it’s needed. Want to show me what you’ve got?”

“Yeah! Oh boy, I knew I didn’t bring those dehydrated rawst berries for nothing!”

“You brought dehydrated rawst berries? Oh my God, we need to put those in a stew, right now! I swear, they’re like the only thing that’s better dehydrated. Or un-dehydrated, as they’ll be once we’re done with them.”

“Sounds good! But only if you show me which of those healing herbs we can add to it!”

“Oh, you bet.”

“Can I help?” the little boy asked. Arven realized that he hadn’t spoken until now. He didn’t look older than eight or nine, maybe ten, and between the short, round physique, the bad haircut, the quietness and the resting grouch face, Arven predicted that he’d be spending most of his free periods at the academy alone, and that was if he was lucky enough to fly under the radar of bullies.

“Of course you can join us, little buddy!” Arven replied, giving him a big smile.

Mallow smiled down at the younger boy. “This is Sophocles. He’s also a trial captain. He invented a machine that can summon totem Pokémon, and he’s made a lot of other really cool stuff, too! His parents wanted him to come here so he could expand his horizons and hopefully make some friends.”

“Oh. He’s good with tech, is he?” Arven’s brain had practically shut off once he’d heard that, and it was currently screaming at him not to do what he was about to do. “Do you like robots, little buddy? Have you worked on them? Ever programmed anything?” he asked, crouching to get down to Sophocles’ level. Hopefully his voice sounded less suspicious to Sophocles than it did to his own ears.

“Yeah,” Sophocles replied nervously.

Arven’s heart was beating hard, the way it did when one was about to do something that could get them in immense trouble. “Oh, well, in that case the academy might just have a special field trip for you. I’ll be leading you on it, alright?”

“Okay.”

Arven stood up straight again. “Pack for a couple nights. I’ll meet you right outside Mesagoza at eight tonight.” Arven started for his room to pack. Going back to Area Zero would be risky, even with a gym leader-strength trainer coming with him. And who knew what the distant future would be like once they got to it using the time machine. But maybe, just maybe, Sophocles would be able to reprogram his dad, get him to come home and act like a parent to him.

Arven looked back to Sophocles and Mallow, the latter of which had definitely realized something wasn’t right. “Uh, your room numbers are 309 and 310. See you guys for your tour later,” he called out before running off.