#all cats are a little stinky and weird I have had cats all of my life I am not genuinely condemning my cats i am being silly please lol

[softness-and-shattering]

I was writing tags but I think it deserves main post.

Something I know multiple people to do is get a pet so that you have a life relying on you. You cant do it today because who will feed the cat tomorrow?

And as a bonus, looking after an animal really helps you have compassion and look after yourself. Ive experienced this personally*.

Animals, especially cuddly ones are also super therapeutic. Just holding or touching a warm living creature is really powerful, especially but not exclusively if youre lonely or touch starved. Its comforting. You feel less alone. Theyre affectionate towards you, and that makes you think there must be something about you worth loving because theres a cat climbing on you and purring. It doesnt know about human troubles and self esteem and reputation and work. It knows you are person. You feed it. It sees you every day. It loves you. Youre lovable. Youre worthy of love. This weird creature says so.

This isnt necessarily the right advice for everyone so do think about it; eg dont get a dog if you cant consistently leave the house to walk them. Cats do better indoors, and they need more than just food water and litter change. Brushing, love, play, vet visits etc. I dont know anout keeping fish but that might be easier. You could also try a plant. Its surprising how effecting it is to have a living being with you, even if its just a tiny succulent in a pot that doesnt ever move. Its still alive and thats powerful. If youre keeping it alive thats also an incredible feeling. One time when I was living alone and isolating myself, a friend left me a little succulent at the door when I said I wasnt up for actually interacting. And it made a really significant difference which was so surprising to me, its so small! But its *alive*.

*I once had a psych ask if Id ever had a pet, I said no, he said ok so try imagine. The same way you love a pet unconditionally no matter what it does, try feel that way about yourself. I did not viscerally understand what he meant till I got a cat, who could be a mischievous stinky slippery little shit, and I loved him with all my heart no matter how upset I also was at him. This wasnt something I had experienced before.

Another time Id moved somewhere new and I was talking to my cat about how it must be scary for him, in a new place with new sights and sounds and smells. And then I realised, hey, *Im* in a new place with new sights and sounds AND smells, and its ok if I feel a bit wobbly about it. We can be a bit wobbly and comfort each other together.

Seriously, having a Little Guy follow you around and love you is the best. Pet ownership is one of my best life decisions.

So there is a lot of bad stuff going on right now, and I'm sure there are lots of people feeling hopeless and thinking of suicide. Well, I've been suicidal for 21 years and I have a few practical pieces of advice for surviving that I rarely see in other places but I think have done more to keep me off the ledge than almost anything.

1. Don't feel guilty for wanting to kill yourself. Life can be extremely painful, and you are not weak, a coward, or irrational for considering the obvious way to alleviate that pain. Guilt on top of the rest of your pain will not help, and you are not a bad person. You are going to have to tell yourself this a lot.

2. If you think you might do it, find an excuse to live. This is different from a reason to live in that it is short term and shallow. For years my excuse was that I still had enough money to buy a pizza and I'd be damned if I didn't get my last pizza before I died, and if i still wanted to kill myself after the pizza then I had lost nothing. I swear this kept me alive through some of the hardest years of my life.

3. If you have an online friend you can trust, ask if they would be willing to do check in duty occasionally on your worst nights. It's very simple, on bad days where hurting yourself is a real possibility, ask your friend if they can send you a message at regular intervals, say 15 or 20 minutes, confirming that you are safe. It can be as simple as "check?", with you responding "I'm ok". Being immediately held accountable makes not doing it so much easier. I asked a friend to help me like this about two weeks ago to deal with a really bad self harm day and the difference between trying to do it on your own and simple check ins is astounding. It hurts so much less.

4. You die with nothing left on the table. This is for when it's over and you are going to kill yourself. You have a plan, you are ready, and you want to. At this point you are effectively dead. Which means there are no consequences. You can finally do the thing that you were always too scared to do. Maybe it's quitting your job, or confessing to your crush. For me it was coming out as trans. This is your last ditch effort, so if it blows up in your face and ruins everything it is no loss because your plan will still work tomorrow. You were already dead anyway, who cares if you left behind a bit more chaos.

[icewindandboringhorror]

........creachure

[waffultaim]

Some mama time sketchs too

[sealinredshoes]

Big Four Month Day 1 : Origins

I'm late for the Big Four Month but here we go. Here are some of my headcanons for a Big Four first meeting because my life is a little shitty righ now and I don't have the time to write this as a one shot

Let's be honest, the time line for the RotBTD crossover is way too complicaded. So you know what ? May the RenFair setting be upon you.

Merida is in her best medieval dress but there is a viking boy staring at her from across the food stand like the autism creature so she leave toward the dance area

They are playing songs from ages long forgotten. Music that makes her feel alive, make her feel like if her body is bigger than her bones, spreading freely toward the sun and the sky like if she had already walked this Earth before and know all of its secrets.

Suddently, boom, she end up dancing with Hiccup kingdom dance style and even if they are weirded out, it feel so natural to keep dancing , because there are old souls in young bodies and an old soul know another

Hiccup eventually apologize for staring at her earlier because he is not a creep he just wanted to steal her Mor'du's pin.

"Dude you know Mord'u ?" "Of fucking course I know Mor'du, it's a classic tale !" "Bro, litteraly no one know Mor'du, there is like nothing made around this tale !" "Bro, I know, that's such a shame !" "My life is in shambles bro." "Mine is meaningless without this pathetic bear king !" "He is such a wet cat." "The stinky"

They keep infodumping over celtic tale and legends, Hiccup explaning why trolls are a matriarcal society, Merida making theories about King Arthur's return. They go buy crepes and keep talking with their mouth full, being use as a bad examples for the kids around them.

The Mor'du pin is actually just a wooden bear pin Merida customized. She agree to bring Hiccup back to the stand, because this old lady make such cool things.

There is mostly bears, but also some fantasy book pins, and because I like to think Hiccup would be a Terry Pratchett fan, and that selling Discword inspired art is now illegal, he is very happy to find a beautiful Librarian carving, the only one of his kind.

Wouldn't be a shame if some white haired sheperd just came out of nowhere wainting to buy it too ?

It's time for some roast battle with Merida as a back up (making weird faces behind him) (she is very bad at back up) until they suddently realise the pin isn't here anymore and that a girl in a purple princess dress is ready to pay for it and putting it on her bag.

"Okay, no, you have to fight for it like everyone else !" "*gasp*Is this some kind of mexican standoff situation ?" "What ? No ? I don't no shit about cinema theory ?" "Mexican standoff is a cinema stuff ?" "Anyway, when will you three gonna fight ?"

Of course they are not going to fight right here over the old lady stand so they just walk around the Ren fair for seven minutes to find some Hnefatall board to set it up.

The party is so long, everybody is screaming, Rapunzel is pulling the biggest cheating move without knowing it, Jack contemplate his life with horror and Merida is so frustrated some time that she just move the pieces herself.

At some point, they are not just playing anymore, they are making silly scenario about the pawns and pretending to be merciless gods and causing chaos. It's being hours. People hate them because they doesn't share the board. The old lady is gone.

They end up being forced to leave the board to other kids and go find some food, enjoy the fair, spend to much money over costume pieces. Laughing all the way.

Slowly the sun is getting down, they don't think in matter of time anymore, they watch the acrobatic spectacles from affar. Jack is showing of his backflips skills. They found one of those climbing polls at the children area where they can pretend to be knigh in training. There is no kids anymore, they have it all to themselves. Someway Rapunzel end up at the top of the poll.

"Okay, how do I get down, know ?" "How do you get on this on the first place ?" "I don't know okay ?" "I'm sure we can use her hair to help her down." " How exactly, like by knittting it ?" "Or braiding it, like this girl on tiktok, you know ?" "Okay but will this be enough to hold her weight ?" "Guys, can you shut up and just help me ?"

She fall down on them and they are screaming so loudly they end up being kicked out of the fair

The nigh is young, they souls are old, they feel bigger than their bodies, today is meant to never end, they get lost on the parking lot, drip down on the mud, fall all the way down a small hill.

They are tired, and messy, and covered in dirt. This is the best nigh of their lives, they feel like they were born again this night

I hope I will catch up on the list tomorrow, I didn't even have the time to check everyone else work.

[p0uncivall]

Moominvalley season 4 spoilers!!!

Okay ignoring what was pretty much queerbaiting and the weird lack of Snufkin

I literally couldn’t be happier about Joxter as a character. I’m so bummed about him and Snufkin not meeting, especially when they were teasing that the whole episode, but I loved everything else about him for every moment he was on screen.

I love that he wasn’t just sleepy Snufkin. He had this proper stoner thing going on which genuinely feels like appealing to the amount of weed jokes the fandom makes lmao. This dude is the guy supplying the hattifattiners what they need for their dubstep con raves.

His design has so many cool unique elements, with the darker nose and his more cat shaped eyes. And I love the new details like the patches on his coat.

And the songs he sang? Oh my god. The fact he wrote a song about mymble. Made me think of that one animatic with the song I love you too much.

I like that little my wasn’t made to have a moment where she forgave her mother or everything was sorted out, she’s never made to think that how her mother treats her isn’t unfair.

I said I was going to ignore the queerbaiting but I find it very funny that the first closest thing to an explicit gay relationship in modern moomin was Sniff and Stinky and Mrs Fillyjonk and Mymble. As much as I like Snufmin I never actually thought they’d make it canon as much as it would be nice, I just hoped we’d get more resolution with how Snufkin and Moomin’s relationship was progressing, even just as friends.

It felt like they still very much had the issue of Moomin being too clingy and not understanding Snufkin’s boundaries, and Snufkin trying to push Moomintroll away in response. They just kinda left it there with that. It’s like they feel they got enough Moomin and Snufkin last season so now it’s time to ignore them.

I very much liked how much Snork was included and that they continued to show his neurodivergent traits without it becoming his whole character.

This is a very out of order rant because I’m tired but going back to Joxter and Snufkin not meeting, and Little My basically figuring it out. It’s at least nice to know they’re not just completely ignoring the family thing, and that all of them just had no idea. And I imagine their plan is to keep things like that for future series. The thing about Moominvalley is that one of the things drawing viewers back is the inclusion of references and the returns of old characters. And the Moomin franchise is so huge that they’re sure to make another show that they can save those moments and characters for.

I guess my take away is it’s not all it could have been, but that very well could be on purpose, and I’m not afraid that we’ll never have a chance to see these things again.

Implied aromantic Mrs fillyjonk was also wonderful

[amusingmusie]

On the note of Nel burning soup (Girl how 😭) are there any skills that Nel has/absolutely does not have that haven't come up yet? Hobbies, too. She can read, shoot, and banter like nobody's business -- but does she have any weird or secret skills lol? Ones that make people think "How and why do you know how to do that?"

Or are there any critical role failures? Such an abysmal lack of skill at something that she could get banned from a place for even making an attempt (cooking in the kitchen, singing karaoke, shopping at Walmart, etc.).

And finally, Al might not be a pet person, but what about Nel and Grace? Do they like animals? Any in particular (cats, dogs, a secret third option)?

Sorry for all the questions. I absolutely love Yours Truly! Your writing is amazing, and the character dynamics are immaculate! Nel has so much personality to her, and I love both Grace and Marie with all my heart. Shout out to the stinky deer loser, too, of course.

Oooooo this is FUN!

Secret or unusual talents? Let’s see…I’d say writing. It’s not unusual but it is a little secret since she doesn’t dabble in it much. Nel reads a fair amount and grew up with her nose in a book when she wasn’t battling swamp creatures (now she battles a different kind of swamp creature as an adult lmao), so she’s had years to absorb literature. Specifically, she’d be baller at writing overly flowery and romantic poetry. Will she do it? Only in private and she’d never willingly show anyone.

Critical failures? Intentional comedy 100%. Nel is hilarious when she doesn’t mean to be. She is the reluctant straight man of her and Alastor’s weird little comedic duo. The second she attempts to be funny it falls abysmally flat, like Dee’s standup comedy routine in IASIP levels of bad. Don’t ask her to tell you a joke. Please don’t do it.

Animals! Both of the girls like animals. Grace especially LOVES cats and her dream is to get a Persian kitty. Nel enjoys most animals casually but I think she’d be a really cool bird mom. Her curly ass hair is perfect for a parakeet or dove to sit in while she works. The reason they don’t have any pets is because their father was very anti-pet. He was a hardass that didn’t want to worry about animals in such a shitty economy. Even though he’s been gone for several years, his memory still weighs pretty heavily on both of the Sheridan girls so they haven’t gotten around to getting a pet. Maybe one day.

That got dark at the end. Oopsie!

[mapplesand]

Writer Questions

thanks @gioiaalbanoart for tagging me ! :]

What is your absolute all-time favorite idea you’ve ever had?

well i do like my idea of taking absolute weird teenager and follow their life without filter BUT I have a fantasy story about anthropomorphic cats living in the medieval era who have to deal with racism, sexism and religion so I think I popped off with this one (it's been there for 7 years now lol)

Is there a question you’ve been asked in the past that really stands out to you, and you still think about sometimes?

I don't think I have one, everyone need to be as insane as me about my characters but for that I have to be extra crazy about them too so it catches people attention (i'm gonna charm you with my stinky ocs)

What is your favorite part of being a writer? What parts could you take or leave?

that i can create weird little people with my mind and write them doing weird shit

and the worst part is that the story has to write itself and I need to translate it because no one speak french

What is your greatest motivation to write/create?

that I can somehow share it to show the representation some people might need, but also my dumb little brain loves to create so it's not really about motivation it's about what my brain want right now and how it motivates me to get really insane about something

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever read or been given as a writer?

write for the worm in your brain that tells you to write what you want

What do you wish you knew when you were first starting out writing?

how to format my writing, bro i was 15 and writing every dialogue by putting the name of the character like a freaking RP

What is your favorite story you’ve written to completion? Link it if you’d like and can!

bro i wish they existed 😭

Which of your characters would you say has the most controversial mindset? Why do you say so, and how do you personally feel about their ideals?

LMAO do I really need to answer this one it's pretty obvious

well I have many many character with controversial opinion but you know, they're villain

however Marco from Morbid Minds is definitely not the villain, well actually he grows to be like fine, but he does start off as a creep towards girls and deals with toxic masculinity, internalized homophobia and incel like behaviors (and dark humor like joke about hitler or school shooting) do not worry everyone, he does get better and even at this time of his terrible mindset he was like a communist and never went down the nazi pipeline because "being filipino and a white supremacist is fucking stupid" (his words)

If you, when you first started writing, met you now, what would younger you think?

that i'm a fucking weirdo

free tag anyone can join the fun yeehaw

[ceasarslegion]

Im thinking of keira again oh no

She was so incredibly smart that she stopped fighting us on taking her painkillers when she realized that her joints would stop hurting if she ate the weird pill in her dinner too instead of spitting it out

And one time she ate an entire box of 24 wax candles after meticulously opening the box they came in, and then somehow put the box back on the counter as if we wouldnt notice the CANDLES WERE GONE

She was trained incredibly well, never barked unless something startled her or she was telling someone to knock it off, was very gentle with everybody, even let little toddlers win tug of war with her (when she was a viciously powerful tugger who refused to lose with the grown ups). She even had her own little language. There was distinct difference in her playing growls and her angry or warning growls. She would play bite while wrestling but would never bite down, just a little hold in her mouth. If she bit by accident at all she would stop immediately and lick you all over the place she bit by mistake to say sorry, and we taught her the phrase "im sorry" for when we accidentally bumped into or stepped on her so she never took it personally and would go right back to sunbathing instead of looking at you with betrayal. She also liked to go with my little sister to play so that she could protect her, only to end up stealing the neighbourhood kids tennis balls and bringing them home because they were her favourite ball to play fetch with. Thief! Thief!

She loved the smell of babies and would poke her snoot into strollers to go sniffsniffsniff at them, and then would like to make them laugh by licking their little faces.

She also loved water so much, because she was a lab. We never had any trouble bathing her because she heard the shower go and would perk up like "for me??? Water for me????? Bath time???? :D" and jump right in. I used to take her out to the beach that was right where we lived in abu dhabi to go swimming together. She loved to run in the sand and jump in the water with all my high school friends and i. And then we would towel dry her as best we could and let her lay on her beach towel with her toys while we uh, totally legally drank at the correct age to do so and generally did high school boy things.

She loved cats. Absolutely adored cats. She played nicely with them and always wanted to be friends. The neighbourhood strays did not appreciate this as much. Many times happened where she approached a stray with "play? Friend??" dog body language, only to get hissed at and then look at me with big sad eyes like "why wont it be my friend? 🥺" she hated other dogs though. She never ever liked other dogs. We think something may have happened with another dog before we got her. She had this best friend in a neighbourhood stray who always came to visit our backyard and would like, politely sit there like it was asking if keira could come out and play. Keira would always run up to wherever we were with her tail wagging and lead us to the yard where the cat was sitting. They played so nicely together, theyd usually take turns chasing each other in circles and then lay down together when they got tuckered out.

Obviously i walked her on a leash but she never needed one, she would never stray out of our sight. She also loved stuffed animals, just to cuddle with. She had the giant ikea dog that she carried around with her everywhere and it got so stinky with dog drool that whenever we washed it she would sit in front of the washer and dryer and pout for the rest of the day. It was her favourite toy and definitely a comfort object. Every other toy she destroyed on sight in typical labrador fashion, but not stuffed animals.

She also had her chair. It was a black leather recliner that was her chair. She always hopped on it and curled up and took naps on it. She loved her chair, it was her main spot and came with us throughout every move we made with her because she loved it so much. It was the perfect proportion for a dog of her size to curl up in the seat of and rest her head on the arm of like a pillow. My parents said they couldnt bring themselves to get rid of keiras chair until nearly a year after we had to put her down

She had such a rich life for a pup that started as a rescue from an abusive owner. She saw multiple continents and multiple countries, made so many new friends, explored more of the world with her nose than most humans do in their lifetimes, and made so many fun memories.

I couldnt be there when she died. I was in my last year of uni about to graduate on the other side of the world. I kinda knew it was coming though, thats why i took a video of the last walk i took her on before i flew back to toronto that semester. You dont spend 16 years growing up alongside a dog without kinda knowing intuitively when these things are about to happen. I miss her a lot though, and i wanna get a tattoo of a black lab swimming at some point because of how much she loved to swim.

She was the best dog i ever could have grown up with, and no other will ever compare to her or replace her for me. I hope one day i'll be healed enough to take another pup into my life, but im still in the process of moving on from her. Its been a really long and arduous grief period that i feel isnt gonna let up for a while yet.

[frogofalltime]

23.02.2024

today i had no classes at all so i let myself sleep in without an alarm. i had around 10 hours of sleep and when i got up i felt a lot more well rested than i have in a long time.

i brought my notebook, pens, and ipad to the kitchen and got started with studying immediately after eating breakfast. this was a very smart idea because normally executive dysfunction means i procrastinate for hours between tasks, but today i had all the things i needed to do my work straight away.

i watched and took notes on a lecture that i missed last week, it was about jawless vertebrates (lampreys and hagfish) and it was very interesting. i drew lots of weird little creatures.

then i took a break to use the bathroom, pray, and eat lunch. i didn't bother getting changed out of my pyjamas, because i was feeling very sick from The Plague™️, and i wasn't planning on leaving the flat, and i also needed to shower before i could put clean clothes on anyway because i was a Stinky Rat Boy

after that i started working on a coursework project that i should've started months ago but it felt too daunting. it took many hours and i sent a few rants to @etherealspacejelly and @mollusc-consultant but eventually i got it done. there's just one more task i need to do for that project which is a mock interview, i am still putting that off because Autism™️, but the deadline is in just under two weeks so i have time. when i've done that it will hopefully be ready to submit.

i also looked on the university website to find out when all my deadlines are and i put them into my reminders app so i would not forget. this made me feel a lot more organised and on top of things rather than like i was drowning under stress.

then i put away my laundry which had been hanging to dry in my room all week; i didn't realise how much it was stressing me out until it was all put away and i finally had space to move around in my room again. you know what maybe marie kondo is right and an uncluttered home is the most important thing for mental health after all

after prayer time i decided to cook a proper meal for dinner and i called my mother while i did that. she gets worried if i don't talk to her a few times per week. little things did annoy me, like how she said "i always love hearing from my daughter", and when i compared myself to the cat saying i was "so sleepy all the time like meery" (because i keep having to take naps recently) she was like "yes he's a sleepy boy and you're a sleepy girl" :/ but oh well it doesn't matter.

i ate dinner and i was reading percy jackson when my Cool Gay Flatmate walked into the kitchen. she was wearing a really nice outfit which was similar to the kind of clothes i usually wear, and she's dyed her hair green and cut it shorter, and she has a nose ring and other piercings, basically she's exactly the kind of person i want to be friends with, but i Literally Never See Her because she's always staying at her girlfriend's house or visiting family and stuff. i have such a huge platonic crush on her :')

she noticed i was reading percy jackson and got excited about it and we both nerded out about it for a while, which was super fun !! she likes one of my special interests omg !! but she had to go because she was going to be late for something, which was sad because i really want to spend more time with her !! also i was kinda embarrassed because she always bumps into me when i'm like. in my pyjamas and sick and desperately need a shower. but i want her to see me when i'm wearing my daytime clothes and not Dishevelled™️ so she thinks i am cool aaaaa

then i washed my dishes and went to take a shower but it was hard and i procrastinated a lot. afterwards i felt a lot better though. being greasy and stinky is Not fun

i put on clean pyjamas and went back to the kitchen to eat a snack before bed. i have such a huge appetite recently, i can't stop eating, and it's kind of scary, but i am trying really hard to honour my body's needs. i ended up eating twice as much chocolate as i had intended to eat, but i have to remember that it's okay. i'm finally eating what my body wants after more than ten years of neglecting it and i think that's extremely important.

@parasite-2 sent robin a mathematics challenge and robin asked me to help, so i spent two hours puzzling over it which was So Much Fun. i forgot how much i enjoy doing maths questions. its probably also good for my brain, right ? maybe i should do this more often as self care.

then i finally went to bed, i changed my pillow case because i had just washed my hair and that's the Rules. i was feeling very ill again, i couldn't stop coughing and my back hurt a lot, so it took ages for me to get to sleep. i think i finally fell asleep around 2am.

[cloudcountry]

Part 3 of rant ig?

But yeah, idia is fucking doomed by the narrative in every way and for whatever reason it make my brain light the fuck up.

I would definitely consider myself the emotional support dog to a degree? I like helping people with mental health and I feel obligated to help those I can. I've had a bad run with my own brain and my shit can be considered MILD compared to a lot of stuff. And so I look at characters like idia, I relate, and I immediately go "HOLY SHIT I NEED TO TAKE HIM OUT OF STRESSFUL SITUATIONS IMMEDIATELY " I'm the oldest of my siblings I'm a care taker I look at those people who need validation or brain feelings help and I go "I GOTCHU BRO" because if my brain made me feel as bad as I felt.. WHO KNOWS WHAT ITS DOING TO THIS POOR GUY :((( LIKE

Liking idia is like finding the wettest most pathetic half dead cat that's scared of ppl and has behavioral issues, and helping it becuase that kitty has the potential to be the bestest and most happiest cat ever

Tldr: he's so fucked up he triggers my protective and nurturer instincts

Plus!!! He likes anime and I was literally raised on that! Since I was like 8, every Saturday the whole family would watch an episode of Dragon Ball and an episode of Bleach. Otaku??? Ranting buddy??? Someone the theorize and binge with?? YES. Dude have you ever shit talked your least favorite character and everyone hyped you up becuase they ALSO hate that character???? THAT SHIT CATHARTIC!! AnD THAT HALLOWEEN GETUP???? HONEY DO YOU WANT TO COSPLAY WITH ME PLEASE I JUST WANT TO WEAR MECH ARMOR---

Idia is Hella nuerodivergent coded and it makes me salivate because like!!! He knows TM. Existing around other people with fucked up brains is so weirdly cool becuase alot of the time you can just tune in to the other on a subconscious level like Bluetooth connection. PARALLEL PLAY WOULD BE FUCKING AMAZING WITH IDIA BC HE WOULD JUST PLAY GAMES AND YOU CAN DO WHATEVER YOU WANT!!! Also the infodumping. INFODUMPING BELOVED. I personally, would love to hear him go off about tech shit that I would not understand becuase just the feel of the passion is intoxicating!! (This feeling extends to Jade leech btw) FREE DOCUMENTARY!!!

Another thing I also appreciate is the Sass that they stole from Hades, Idia is a sassy little bitch and it is WONDERFUL. He is a petty little shit. A horrible stinky gremlin man. I love the slang, the puns, the utter bullshit. He intrigues me and I wish to study him!!!!! He would send me a blurry picture of bread with the caption "me living that crumb life " at 2:47 am and I would lose my shit BECUASE YES. CRUMB LIFE!!! YOU ARE LIVING IT!!!! He's also genuinely smart and I like smart characters. Idia is a little shit, but he's also smart. I 100% believe in the "you can think your way out of anything if you just get creative enough" way of looking at things. IMPROVISE ADAPT OVERCOME!!! I appreciate the technological skills and alternative thinking patterns! (camp Vargas where he motivated himself to pick up sticks by comparing it to something he liked? Boom. Creative thinking beats out executive dysfunction!!!)

It's a type of friendship and weird bullshit I couldn't see myself doing with a lot of other twst characters ? There potential for a deep emotional understanding and connection that is just really alluring for my mind ig

Just 2 fucked up ppl trying to exist, but at least it's easier together sort of thing? Also idia would probably let me kill someone.

okay WOW you and edie sent me so much about this man and i like just woke up so now im reading this with a hazy sleep brain LMAO AKSJDHHSFGJDHSGDFH

but you know its very interesting to see how things that bother me SO MUCH are things that make other people laugh. they make other people like him. THE THINGS I DONT LIKE ARE ENDEARING TO YOU PEOPLE!!!!! its all about perspective!

idia is really fucking smart like i may not like him but i can acknowledge his good parts. he cares about his brother hes smart and uhhhh ummmm uhhhhhhhhhh ANYWAY. im just teasaing SDJJSDDJ but thats why i love when i get these long winded messages about characters i dont like because if i can change my mind about rook and vil i can change my mind about idia

all it takes is people who loves him!!

[icewindandboringhorror]

finally settling once and for all... with the evidence laid out plainly.. which of these brother boys is more stinkys ,,,

[blubushie]

Ok this is like probably a really weird thing to receive but

My loser cat has been diagnosed with asthma, not a big deal cause i know how to look after him, but the little SHIT decided to have the asthma attack that got him diagnosed AT MIDNIGHT ON A SUNDAY cause he's a COMPLETE NOBBER so I'm sending a photograph of him to your ask box so you can bully him for being stinky and making vet bills expensive by having problems out of hours.

He's really smelly all the time, like if swampass was a cat it'd look like him, so I mentioned that at the vets too and they said he just smells bad naturally which I think is hilarious

I'm teasing him because he smells not because he had a medical energency

Oooooo dumb smelly swamp cat oooooo you're so stinky oooooo have a bath ooooooo cunt you need one

[the-martyrfication-of-the-matron]

I am reviewing my first sacrifice for consumption, ‘Woof! Woof! Bork! Nya?’ By our very own, @zane-romeave (I do believe, correct me if I tagged the wrong person lmao)

A warning from the author themselves on discord: ‘I didn’t know how to write romance so this is mostly the setup to a highschool political drama’

And the summary on the website that shan’t be named because ew stinky (/j, it’s Wattpad):

‘Kai and Ein are seniors attending Phoenix Drop High. Although neither wants to admit it, they’ve grown quite partial to each other. But, Kai’s a Meif’wa and Ein’s a werewolf. Cats and dogs should hate eachother, right?’

Kien? Kain? Is that’s the ship name? Idk I’ll shut up now

Now onto the actual review (and further summarising from myself):

It starts in Ein’s perspective, him talking about how much Phoenix Drop sucks in comparison to his old highschool (appropriately named ‘Remus Amademy’), for all the reasons that Ein would of course think something sucks. There’s a lack of paragraphs per speaker but because of the way the dialogue is written it’s easy enough to figure out who it is talking (and by that I mean they literally say it right after the dialogue. Ein begins to complain about having to be shown around by Kai because that’s what Orientation is for (in England we call it something else so sorry if that’s the wrong word). At the end of the day, Kai gives Ein his phone number, and the chapter ends Kai’s perspective, wondering what Ein is hiding.

A good start. Gotta love Kai’s phone number being 987-654-3210. There’s an introduction of two relationships (Aphmau and Kai’s with Ein), a little preview of Ein’s violent tendencies, and some mystery sprinkled in, overall setting up well for a story.

Chapter two starts with Kai looking out for Ein (stalking, but with good intention). And then him explaining some social shit, like werewolves and Meif’wa not typically being seen to hang around each other a lot, to the point where people find it strange when they do. We also meet one of Kai’s friends that I will call Chess because I think it’s funny. Then we find out he has Chemistry with Ein, and Kai wonders why no one seems fond of the guy. We know. He doesn’t.

We appreciate Kai having his own friends here in this house. Because I swear he doesn’t in canon PDH?? Idk. Appreciate the building up of the social dynamic between werewolves and Meif’wa, though, introducing an issue that may come from them being friends. Also, paragraphs for speakers begins. Negatives points for the unironic use of the word bro.

This chapter is Ein’s POV. He meets Leo (otherwise referred to as Lunar) who is kind of an ass. Kai is a sweaty little shrimp, Ein thinks that’s grim. Some dude throws up.

It was a fun chapter, albeit short. Poor Quintara, whoever he may be, and I have known Leo for all of three seconds and I am already expecting to dislike him.

Kai’s POV this time, giving us a little idea for how long he and Ein have known eachother thus far. 2 weeks. Kai is thriving in the makeup remover brand ‘school air’ and his only stress is that Leo wants him to be Saber, though thankfully the only move they’d made regarding this was sending Chess to tell him. We get some saber lore, Ein eats gummy bears in a chem lab, Kai mocks him for fearing the gummy flames as it is dropped into the molten potassium chloride. Someone and their buddy Carlos have a weird plan including pictures. Creeps.

I actually appreciated the saber lore. Idk if it’s included in canon but if it was I didn’t remember it. Thanks. And more drama, we love drama, we want drama, drama was had. Lovely. Also, Ein not obeying lad safety rules makes a lot of sense.

The final chapter, the end to it all, ‘Love, lies and fanfics’. We get Ein’s POV. He thinks he’s being stalked. Chess proves himself not to be a ‘lapdog’ like Kai suggested by saying he calls Leo ‘Lunar’ to piss him off because Leo is a racist cunt. Chess also writes fluff au fics, absolute icon. He especially likes non-violent tsunderes and megane pairings, even going on to explain the two tropes. Ein begins to think he can manipulate Chess, and then we get some more things to do with that person and Carlos. Carlos is airing them. Rude.

A cliffhanger, oh no. And it’s the end of it so far, but it’s been a fun while. We love Chess in this house, chess is an icon, Ein needs to back off. Negative points for getting me hooked on something with only five chapters, asshole /j

[0scar-piastri]

Did you know that I had to open this post in my phone browser to be able to copy the text @cupidskissx lmao 🥲😂 also I adore you wanting to know me better, when I feel like you can basically answer all these questions about me 🥰

1: are you named after anyone? My middle name is after my grandmother on my dads side, but by first name was actually not the one that was planned, was supposed to be called Moa.. but I didn’t look like one

2: when was the last time you cried? Like it’s weird, since having a kid I have literally not been crying at all? Like full on crying I mean, I have still been emotional and a few tears have slipped out literally watching any show/movie.. but full on crying has been a long while.. or well i cried a bit because of my sinus infection a few days ago..

3: do you have kids? Yes, a beautiful baby son, he is now 9 months and after the summer I’m going off my parental leave (the father will stay home for 6 more months) I’ll probably cry then.. 😅

4: do you use sarcasm a lot? Lol, yes, all the freaking time. Too much some would say, not enough in my opinion

5: what sports do you play/have you played? (I just feel the need to say @cupidskissx, it’s called football 😘) I have played/coached basketball for the last 21 years of my life lol 🏀

6. what's the first thing you notice about other people? If they have kind eyes and genuine smiles

7: scary movies or happy endings? Happy endings for sure, tho I would occasionally like a scary movie

8: any special talents? No 😂 I’m pretty average at most things

9: where were you born? 🇸🇪

10: what are your hobbies? Reading is a tried and true hobby, but then I also hyper fixate on things from time to time, currently that hyper fixation is f1, but it has previously been kpop, 1d, writing, drawing, soap making, baking, cooking etc etc..

11: do you have any pets? Two stinky little cats 🐱

12: how tall are you? 186cm tall, I am a tall cookie

13: fave subject in school? English

14: dream job? Charles Leclerc’s wag < yes, I want to be the arm candy of both Charles and Max, I want to be double sandwiched between them pls

15: eye colour? Greeeeen, literally once a student of mine told me they looked like little earths 🌍 lmao, he was only a couple of years younger and I think he was trying to flirt.. it was adorable. I told him the earth was mostly water.. so blue 🥲

Tag tag tag @pooks06 @rinna0017 @yesboys-haha @norstappen @lestappenheart

[boygirlnothing]

the child's diary.

the door is heavy for my little hands

I'm warm and i cant quite see out the windows yet but its ok

the dog makes pitter patter sounds with her claws on the floor

im learning how to use the mp3 player mum got me

i reach up to doorhandles and the good snacks are out of reach

but its ok

i can reach the doorhandles pretty well. they are cold.

i can watch dad in the garden from the window just about.

if im on my tippy toes.

i started getting embarrassed when mum finds me dancing in my room

she doesn't seem to mind but i think i care more now

the cat was outside when we came home today, i dont know why she was so far from home but shes inside now so its ok

the dog plays with me less but i have toy cars and my brothers play with me

i still cant reach the good snacks

the kids at school aren't nice. i stopped dancing.

i dont understand where the cat went

i must be cold outside, i hope shes ok

mum days the dog is wetting the bed, but why is she crying about it?

there are seagulls in the backyard sometimes, dad tells us all to run over when they are here

i forget the beach is close

the dog likes the beach

mum gets the good snacks down for me after school

mums new car doesn't smell the same as the old one

the cat didn't come home. i miss her. i hope she comes home. its too cold out there for cats and theres so many cars. im worried about her.

the dog isn't greeting dad at the door when he gets home very well anymore

i still love when he gets home

hes stinky from work but its ok

i missed him

i dont think the others at school like me very much, im not very good at volleyball that must be why

im practising

i miss dancing

my friends think im weird too

i keep thinking trying to figure out why

i miss when i didn't mind

i miss my cat

the dog cant jump up on the bed anymore

shes getting old.

mum and dad scream at each other all the time

the must hate each other

i wonder if its my fault

i dont understand it.

the dog went to sleep the other day. i understand this time. i understand the cat now too. i am so sad. i miss them both so much. no one went to school or work. the house is so quiet.

the spot by the cupboard where the floor gets warm is empty.

mum comes home crying. dad keeps trying to make her feel better by hugging her but she yells at him.

i know someone made her really upset. the kids in my class do that to me too. they dont like my braces or my grown out bangs. mum doesn't have either of those things, shes so pretty. why would anyone be mean to her?

mum says we are moving to Cranbourne. i don't know where that is.

i miss my dog.

my bed is cold.

its been a while. the move-out and move-in got mixed up and we had to live out of my aunt's garage for a few weeks.

i miss having a house.

mum and dad dont say they love each other anymore.

i wonder if they still love me.

my aunts puppy got hit by a car.

why does everything die.

i miss my house. i miss the round window and hiding under the stairs.

i go shopping by myself now. the clothes i got are nice. i like black skirts.

kids tell me they are too small for me, but the tag is the same as my age so it should be ok.

the new house is ok. the floor is cold and hard. my room is much smaller.

my new friends at school told me the clothes i got will look better if i eat less. that seems like it'll work. i want them to like me here, i dont want them to be like the kids at my other school. i want to be pretty.

i told them about my favourite music, but they didn't like it.

i think I'll stop packing lunch.

i dont miss my old school.

the new medication i got from the doctor makes me less hungry and so so tired but i can do all my schoolwork without getting distracted by books.

i dont really like reading anymore.

but im so tired.

i miss eating.

my friends said i looked pretty though.

the boys give me attention.

they said writing is nerdy snd cringe.

i dont want them to think im weird again.

why is everything to important to me.

i want to hide under the stairs in my old house.

i miss my old house.

i miss my dad.

he left.

i miss my old house.

i miss dancing.

[signs-of-the-moon]

Moon High: Chapter 13

A grumbling startled Moonpaw from her nap close to sunhigh. It sounded as if someone were talking, as softly as a dove's coo. But with how sleepy she was, Moonpaw could barely distinguish if the noise made up any coherent words. And it barely managed to coax the silver and white she-cat completely from her doze, anyhow. Whatever was going on couldn't be that important. So she allowed herself to drift, ready to return to the land of dreams. Then a series of whimpers rang out in the den, disturbing Moonpaw once again. Frustrated a little, she groaned, tucking herself tighter into her nest. She wasn't ready to get up yet. But the sound only kept growing louder. Until, suddenly, a cat caterwauled;

"No!"

Moonpaw immediately jumped to her paws, pelt bushing with alarm. Instinctively her claws slid out, ready to face whatever had come into the den. Her heart was racing as she glanced around the tree hollow for the unknown enemy. But there was nothing there. The only other living thing that seemed to occupy the space was Moonpaw's lazy brother.

At the back of the den, Skunkpaw was hunched over in his nest. Their pelt was fluffed, and their sides heaved as if they'd just run from Grassclan's meadow and back. Moonpaw stared at her brother for a heartbeat. Had he been the cat who shouted? Cautiously, she moved closer to the oddly colored black and white tom.

"Skunkpaw..?" Moonpaw called softly.

Skunkpaw jolted, whipping around to look at his sister with watery eyes. "M...Moonpaw!" He sniffled. Immediately Moonpaw came to curl her body around his.

Skunkpaw began to sob, burying his muzzle into her neck ruff. He snuggled deeply into her, his body quaking like a leaf in the breeze. Moonpaw shushed him quietly, nuzzling the top of her littermate's head. She placed her paws onto his flanks, kneading his fur comfortingly.

"What's wrong, Stinky? What happened?" She asked when the tom had begun to settle.

"I-I..." they started, taking a sharp inhale. "I thought you were gone...!"

Moonpaw tilted her head a little. "Gone?" She echoed. "What do you mean? Why would I be gone?"

"A…a beast was attacking the camp!" Skunkpaw explained shakily, "S-so many cats were dead.... Then you came out of hiding and...and led it away. When the warriors went to find you, they only returned with the body of the beast.... You were gone."

"Ooh," Moonpaw mewed in realization,  "you had a nightmare." She nuzzled her littermate some more, and began purring soothingly. "It's alright, Skunkpaw. I'm here. Nothing's happened. The clan is fine, too."

"But it felt so real..." Skunkpaw breathed, pulling back to look at his sister. His dull blue eyes were as wide as the full moon. The light from the outside world was reflecting in his startled gaze, making it look more haunted. "I could smell the blood. Hear the shrieks of the clan. I saw the beast; its horrible teeth and piercing golden eyes...."

"You were remembering the fox attack," Moonpaw figured. The way Skunkpaw was describing his dream sounded a lot like what happened in the nursery a few moons ago. All the way down to the color of the creature's eyes. They haunted Moonpaw, too. She couldn't blame her brother for still being shaken up. For still being plagued by the events of that terrible night.

"This was different!" Skunkpaw insistent with a rough head shake. "It was worse... At least half the clan was dead or missing because of the beast! I...I had a weird dream like this before the fox attack too... I didn't believe my dream, then. I thought...I thought it was a nightmare. But then it really happened...."

"Shhh," Moonpaw hushed, licking their cheek. "I think you should talk with the queens. You can't keep your trauma cooped inside you like this. It's eating you up."

"This isn't from trauma," Skunkpaw growled. It seemed he was becoming agitated. But Moonpaw was trying her best to keep him calm. "Whenever I  have a realistic dream, whatever I see...it comes true."

Skeptical, the silver and white she-cat responded; "I'm sorry. But...there isn't any way that's possible."

"The other night I dreamed I had a large bird in my mouth. Then yesterday, I managed to catch a crow," Skunkpaw started, determination in his mew. It was obvious he was trying to convince Moonpaw of his supposed strange ability. "And a quarter moon ago, I was dreaming about Blackpaw, with his chin fur replaced by fluffy yellow flowers. A quarter moon later he came home with a huge bundle of dandelions; so many that they drooped out of his mouth and covered his lower muzzle like a curtain."

"Those all sound like coincidences," Moonpaw responded.

"Not when they all keep coming true!" Skunkpaw snapped. Then he sighed, pulling away from his sister completely. "Nevermind. I'm...I'm going to go speak with Silverhawk."

"That's a good idea," Moonpaw agreed, rising from the nest. She offered to walk with him to the nursery. But Skunkpaw insisted on going alone, unable to look her in the eye anymore.

Moonpaw's heart ached. She didn't want to see her brother so upset. Especially when he'd dreamed she disappeared somehow. She wished she could follow him; she so badly wanted to reassure Skunkpaw more. But she also wanted to respect her brother's wishes. So, she watched as he squeezed out of the entrance of the apprentice's tree; disappearing as he climbed below the branches outside. After a heartbeat, Moonpaw slipped out of the den as well. She could barely make out Skunkpaw's tail-tip as it vanished into the nursery across camp.

Moonpaw stood tall on the branch outside her resting place, watching where Skunkpaw had gone with longing. Leafheart soon padded by, looking to the nursery before turning her attention up to Moonpaw. She signed at her in the Silent Language, asking what was wrong. Moonpaw simply shook her head, avoiding her mentor's gaze. She didn't want to speak with Leafheart right now, not after disappointing her earlier.

"Duck, Moonpaw!" Leafheart instructed as she swiped a front paw blow directly at the apprentice's face. Moonpaw shrieked, barely evading the hit. In a real battle, an attack like that could be incapacitating. Come on Moonpaw, focus, she'd mentally scolded herself, taking a few steps back before dropping into a crouch. Her head was throbbing slightly. She could feel her eyes drooping as she forced herself to think. But it was difficult. She'd barely gotten any sleep, after being out with Hazepaw all night. Leafheart had come to wake her shortly after dawn. Which left Moonpaw feeling exhausted. It was bad enough she already considered herself a lousy fighter. Now, she'd be even worse. But Moonpaw was determined to keep trying.

After a heartbeat, she lunged towards Leafheart's belly, aiming to knock the older molly onto her back. But Leafheart was an experienced warrior, and a move so obvious wouldn't be enough to take her down. Leafheart maneuvered away from Moonpaw easily, turning like a snake to kick out her back leg in retaliation. Moonpaw felt her paws slip out from under her just as she landed onto the dusty ground beneath with a thud. Leafheart was on her in an instant, forcing the younger she-cat to lay belly up. She feigned a clawing motion at her underside.

"Resist! Push your enemy away!" The ginger and white she-cat commanded. Moonpaw tried her best to throw Leafheart off of herself, but to no avail. Fatigue began to set into her limbs, until finally Moonpaw went limp beneath her mentor. At once, Leafheart stopped what she was doing and stepped away. "You're doing good," she started, "but you need to put more force into your actions. Even a move like that lunge you pulled could be more effective, if you threw yourself a little harder."

"I'm trying," Moonpaw griped, rising into a seated position. She was fighting to not fall asleep on her paws. "But it's hard. I don't want to hurt you."

"You won't," Leafheart assured. "That's why we fight with claws sheathed. Now come on, try attacking me again."

"Alright..." Moonpaw mumbled getting back into a crouch.

The pair continued battle practice for a little while longer, until it was obvious that Moonpaw had no energy left in her to fight with. Leafheart stared at her with disappointment and concern; searching for an explanation as to why she was training so poorly today. How could Moonpaw possibly try to explain? Being honest and admitting she'd barely slept a wink last night would be best. But then Leafheart might suspect something was up. Could Moonpaw trust herself not to confess about her meeting with Hazepaw, if pressed?

Moonpaw blinked, suddenly remembering where she was. The memory of the events from earlier had clouded her mind. But now enough time had passed for Leafheart to decide to leave her alone. Moonpaw sighed, observing her clanmates from her perch above the camp to distract her troubled mind.

Emberpaw, Foxpaw, and Meadowpaw were sharing tongues near the center of camp. Meadowpaw idly chatted with the dilute tortoiseshell she-cat while Foxpaw groomed her, looking up at Emberpaw with sparkling eyes. Every now and then she glanced back at him, smirking playfully. Then he'd glance away, clearly flustered, before they'd do it all again a few heartbeats later. Nearby, Tigerpaw sat beside Batpaw, whose ears were wrapped in cobwebs. The tabby she-cat told tales of battles she fought recently, while Batpaw smiled simply, nodding along as she listened. She seemed to appreciate  the distraction from her painful wounds. Beepaw came whizzing by, chasing Adderpaw as they tried to avoid her chatter. He came to settle himself beside Bluefang, who was sharing tongues with his mother, Greytuft.

By the fresh-kill pile, Wolfheart was sitting with Brightsky. She mewed to Brackentooth and Sagetail to join them for a meal. But by the time the other warriors padded over, Wolfheart had taken himself to sit away from the rest of the clan. He looked unsurely at Brightsky, who mewed an apology to her friends, before picking up a squirrel to go share with her mate in the corner. Then, Smokepaw padded over from the fresh-kill pile to speak with Moonpaw, grabbing her attention.

"Hey, what's wrong with Skunkpaw? He seems frustrated," the smokey tom meowed up at his sister.

Moonpaw responded; "He woke up from a nightmare." Then she scaled down from the tree, to speak with her brother on a more equal level. "He was trying tell me about how all his dreams keep coming true. I didn't believe him, and he got more upset."

"I see." Smokepaw hummed. "Maybe he just needs to get away from the clan for a little while. I know all of our mentors have been pushing us hard with battle training. Maybe we all need a break."

"A break?" Moonpaw parroted. "We can't just take a break from clan life, Smokey."

"Why not?" Smokepaw queried. "How about you, me, Magpiepaw, and Skunkpaw sneak off somewhere? As far from camp as we can go, without leaving the territory. Then we can hang out and do whatever we want."

Moonpaw thought for a moment. A break away from everything did sound pleasant. It had been a while since she'd spent true quality time with her littermates, too. Perhaps an idea like this would be beneficial for everyone involved. "Alright," she agreed after a heartbeat.

"Great. Let me go grab Magpiepaw," Smokepaw purred as he turned, padding off into the crowd of Treeclan's cats. He mewed a greeting to everyone he passed; Oakfur and Flamepath by the warrior's tree, Galestorm and Thrushmask sitting not too far off. Fogpaw tried to hold him up as he passed the Great Stump, but Smokepaw directed the other tom to speak to Nightpaw instead who sat in a sunny patch nearby. Finally, Smokepaw made it to Magpiepaw who was hanging out with Violetshade, Tinypaw, and Blackpaw. He said something to her that Moonpaw couldn't hear, before the pair finally made their way back over to her.

"Hi, Moon-moon," Magpiepaw greeted.

"Hi, Maggie," Moonpaw purred in response.

"Let's get Skunkpaw!" Smokepaw urged. His sisters nodded in agreement, the three of them walking together towards the nursery. Mapleshine and Silverhawk were practically blocking the entrance as they sat and shared gossip just outside. Magpiepaw padded up to them, dipping her head respectfully before speaking. "Is Skunkpaw available?" She asked.

"He finished with his session a little while ago," responded the calico queen, Mapleshine. "The kits have  taken to distracting him, now. But it's time for their feeding, so I'll send him out."

Magpiepaw purred thankfully as the queen slipped beneath the roots of the tree. A bit of mumbling could be heard before the sound of pawsteps drew closer to the nursery's entrance. Then out popped Skunkpaw with Honeykit on his shoulders.

"Come with us," Magpiepaw requested quietly, gesturing to their other littermates. Skunkpaw looked at Magpiepaw then at Moonpaw and back. Darkness still clouded his dull blue eyes. But he nodded, putting the kit down.

Moonpaw trilled with delight as the two came to stand beside herself and Smokepaw. Then the smokey gray tom flicked his tail, prompting his siblings to sneak with him into the dirtplace.

The smell here was rank. One of them would have to work with a collector and clean it soon. But this wasn't the time to think about that. Skunkpaw was climbing up into a tree with branches thickly covered in leaves. It would be hard for the clan to see them get out of camp from here. Magpiepaw followed him up, then Smokepaw, and finally Moonpaw made up the rear. She took one last glance behind to make she they weren't spotted. Then she followed her littermates through the bridging canopy, far out into Treeclan's woods.

Birds flitted by, singing songs to their chicks and mates as they went along their merry way. Eventually, the sound of roaring joined the noise, alerting the apprentices of how close they were to the Thunderpath. Carefully, the four littermates made their way back to the forest floor, staring ahead at the dangerous black stone river as it stretched out in front of them. A few monsters rushed past. Magpiepaw gulped at the sight of them. But Moonpaw pressed her flank against hers, offering to be the molly's crossing partner. Magpiepaw smiled at her sister, the two rushing across the Thunderpath just as soon as it was safe to. Smokepaw and Skunkpaw crossed together next. They were nearly across when another monster came rolling up, missing the toms by a fox-length as they settled on the opposite bank. Skunkpaw breathed a sigh of relief, while Smokepaw nudged him and took up the lead of his littermates.

A little farther ahead, in a clearing just shy of the Grassclan border, is where the group decided to settle down. Skunkpaw immediately flopped over, rubbing himself against the grass. Moonpaw came to sit beside him, giggling at her brother's antics. Magpiepaw and Smoke stood beside each other, exchanging glances. Then they turned to face each other, holding their stares as if locked in competition. A heartbeat passed, then another, and finally Smokepaw blinked.

"Ha!" Magpiepaw mocked. "I won!"

"Nuh-uh," Smokepaw countered as he suddenly leaped onto the white and black patched she-cat. Magpiepaw yowled, wiggling and jumping from the smokey tom's grasp. She turned to run, Smokepaw quick to follow her. The two circled the clearing a few times, taking turns chasing each other. Moonpaw cheered, circling around her littermates as they began to play-fight.

"You're doing great, Smokepaw! Don't forget to dodge!" She meowed to her brother. "I believe in you, Magpiepaw! Show that fluffball who's boss!" She encouraged her sister. Skunkpaw rolled his eyes playfully, tucking his legs beneath himself as he got more comfortable. Moonpaw purred when she glanced back at them, pleased to see her littermate finally happy. Then her attention returned to Smokepaw and Magpiepaw. They had taken their battle to the ground, tussling and fighting for dominance. Smokepaw as the larger of the two easily gained the upper paw. But Magpiepaw used her wits to figure out how to escape his grasp, using the tom's size against him to hold him down.

"Great job, keep it up!" Moonpaw goaded. Behind her, the silver and white she-cat heard movement, before a weight fell upon her shoulders. She let out a surprised squeal, turning to see Skunkpaw clinging to her back. He parted his jaws to snatch up her scruff, pulling on it as he pressed his paws into her shoulders. Moonpaw grabbed Skunkpaw's ear in return. She tugged on it gently, her eyes shining with mischief as they met with the tom's. Skunkpaw feigned a growl, batting at Moonpaw's muzzle. The silver and white she-cat lost her grip from the distraction, collapsing onto the ground under her brother's heft. Skunkpaw laughed triumphantly.

"Wow, Stinky, you're getting pretty strong!" Moonpaw commented as she struggled to get away.

"Silverhawk's teaching me everything she knows," he responded. "Especially how to beat up bee-brained cats like you."

Moonpaw let out a mrrow of laughter, taking Skunkpaw's insult lightheartedly. Magpiepaw and Smokepaw soon came to join the pair, goading their littermates as they partook in their own play-fight. But just as Moonpaw had managed to flip Skunkpaw onto his side, something large came barreling through the trees. A pair of squeals followed after, grabbing the Treeclan apprentices' attention. Moonpaw gasped at the sight of the creatures.

They were tall, pale as a freshly bloomed primrose. They had fur only on the tops of their heads, and long lanky limbs that swung around with glee. Are those...Twolegs? Moonpaw wondered as Skunkpaw lazily flopped off of her. She gave a curious sniff, approaching the creatures as they came to crouch on the ground.

"What are you doing??" Magpiepaw whisper-hissed at her.

Moonpaw looked back at her. "It's ok, I don't think they're planning to hurt us," she reassured. "They're only kits. They probably just want to play."

Moonpaw took another few pawsteps forward, meeting the Twolegs' outstretched forepaws. One ran a paw along Moonpaw's spine, cooing sweetly as she arched into their touch. Seeing that the creatures were harmless, Skunkpaw and Smokepaw approached. Magpiepaw was more hesitant, but eventually caved and stepped up to meet the Twolegs too. Skunkpaw seemed the most fascinated by the creatures, rubbing his flanks along their folded legs as they pet him. Then he flopped onto his side, rolling to face his belly towards the sky. The Twolegs kits giggled, petting his delicate area with a gentleness cats could never expect from such creatures. Moonpaw purred as the larger of the kits scratched her cheek.

"I guess they're not so bad," Skunkpaw confessed as the other Twoleg reached out to pick him up.

Just then, a flash of white and black shot across the apprentices' vision. A cat had come to stand beside them, their fur bristling hostily. Moonpaw recognized this cat. It was Swiftpaw, the Grassclan apprentice she'd met at last night's Gathering. What was she doing here in Treeclan territory?

"Get away from them!" The Grassclan molly yowled at the Twolegs. Magpiepaw and Smokepaw exchanged confused glances. Moonpaw moved to get closer to her friend. And Skunkpaw rolled back onto his paws, standing to greet Swiftpaw. His eyes were glittering as he looked at her. Then, his attention drew back towards the Twolegs, who cooed for his affection. He gave another glance towards the white and black patched she-cat before moving closer to the kits. The smaller one finally made its move, scooping the unusual black and white tom up. Skunkpaw went without a fight, snuggling into its grasp. The Treeclan apprentices gasped. Then Swiftpaw lashed out, rushing forward to scratch the Twoleg kit. The tall creature cried out, dropping Skunkpaw without hesitance. Skunkpaw fell with a hard thud, wincing as he made contact with the ground. Then Swiftpaw hissed, turning to speak to the other apprentices.

"Run away, hurry, before it catches you!" She urged as she looked towards the second of the kits. It had worriedly jumped to its paws for its sibling, before turning towards the clan cats. It snarled at them, reaching out its paws to try and snatch them up. Swiftpaw took off as fast as she had come, looking over her shoulder to see if Moonpaw and her littermates were following. Magpiepaw was the first to follow the Grassclan apprentice's lead, Moonpaw and Smokepaw soon joining her.

The apprentices were panicking, fur fluff as they fled into the safety of a dense bush. They all gathered around its trunk, hugging it as if the shrub itself could pardon them from harm. Moonpaw panted, heart beating rapidly from the adrenaline rush. She glanced between the faces that surrounded her, taking a head count. Swiftpaw was the first cat she saw. The Grassclan she-cat had her attention towards the outside, eyes flickering as she focused on the Twolegs who clamored around beyond their shelter. Then Moonpaw looked to Smokepaw, who's head was lowered as he fought to catch his breath. Magpiepaw was the closest to the bush's center; her tail wrapped around it to anchor herself as she stared in Swiftpaw's direction, eyes as wide as a full moon. Moonpaw then scanned the rest of the bush, looking for the last of her littermates.

"Skunkpaw?" She called out quietly, glancing around again. "Where's Skunkpaw?" She bristled as she looked between the other cats crouching with her one last time. Dread began to creep into her belly.

"Is he..?"

"They've got him," Swiftpaw confirmed, her voice sounding grim.

Immediately, Smokepaw jumped to his paws. "We have to help him!" He snapped, looking frantic. Moonpaw rested her tail against his side, attempting to calm her brother down. She'd never seen him so panicked.

"Not unless you want the Twolegs to nab you too!" Swiftpaw hissed, turning her attention back to the outside world.

Moonpaw followed her gaze. She could see the Twolegs had Skunkpaw in their cluthes; holding him belly up within their forepaws again. Two adults had come to join the kits. They'd taken the responsibility of keeping Skunkpaw captive. Moonpaw could hear them garbling words affectionately to the little black and white tom. It was almost sickening. Didn't those creatures notice how terrified Skunkpaw must be? Did they not care? Moonpaw wondered what Skunkpaw was going to do now, faced with so many enemies. No cat present could save him, Moonpaw was certain of that. So, would Skunkpaw fight? Would they try to escape on their own? Moonpaw wasn't sure. She could hardly make out her littermate's movements as the Twolegs crowded around him. Then they turned, stalking back into the forest where they came, taking their Treeclan catch along with them.

Suddenly, Magpiepaw let out a cry. "Skunkpaw!" In a flash she burst out from under the bush, ready to rescue her littermate. Smokepaw rushed after the reckless molly, Moonpaw following not too far behind. She raced ahead of her brother, pouncing on Magpiepaw before she could get any further. Smokepaw joined in, helping to hold her down. Swiftpaw came padding over just a heartbeat later.

"Skunkpaw! Skunkpaw come back to us! Please come back to us Skunkpaw!" Magpiepaw wailed some more, crouching beneath the weight of her siblings.

"He's gone," Swiftpaw breathed, lowering her head and ears.

Magpiepaw trembled in place, eyes brimming with tears. She squeezed them together tightly as her sorrow began to drip down her cheeks. "Mama is going to be devastated," she whispered.

Moonpaw and Smokepaw turned to look at one another, each holding back tears. Smokepaw's were the first to fall. Then, Moonpaw's followed suit, rolling down her cheeks and dripping off of her whiskers. Her heart ached painfully. She wanted her brother back.

"We need to go," she told her remaining siblings. "We have to rescue Skunkpaw."

"On our own?" Smokepaw questioned, voice waivering.

"We-we should go home first," Magpiepaw sniffled. "We'll need help from the clan."

"She's right," Moonpaw agreed, rising to her paws. "C'mon." She flicked her tail, prompting the other two cats to follow.