#and I don't want to have to bug people about food requirements because it is honestly worse to tell them

[rock-cake-with-a-pin-in-it]

As a flip side, if you do have any of these issues but you don't seek medical help for them because you have them under some control and seeking medical help would be expensive / emotionally fraught / something you've tried before that didn't help / more effort than your current approach:

that's fine for you, it is okay to not get it if you have a workaround

someone else in your situation might benefit more from medical help than you feel you would, and that's fine for them

you do still deserve medical attention and support, even if you aren't getting it / are reluctant to get it (for example, because you tried before and it was an unpleasant enough experience that you don't want to get it)

Always feel bad when I see someone say something like "I don't have a disability but I have [something that is a disability but society doesn't treat like one]"

Migraines. Food allergies. GERD. Vision problems. Skin problems. For people that menstruate, conditions that cause irregular and painful cycles. Those are all disabling. Anything that impairs you from functioning or completing a basic life task without accommodation is a disability. Anything that makes you spend days in bed during a flare up is a disability! Not everyone experiences your symptoms and you're not being weak or whiny.

Mental illnesses that people treat as "mainstream" these days like anxiety, depression, or ADHD are still disabilities. Overcoming a massive struggle just to get out of bed, slow down your thoughts, or focus on what you need/want to do is disabling. Starting the day with less mental energy than most people is disabling.

For the migraine people: yes, everyone gets headaches, but no not everyone gets migraines. It's a condition that can be inherited in which our nerves are literally wired differently and more sensitive than someone who doesn't get migraines.

For the food allergy and digestive disorder people: if you eat something your body can't tolerate, you become sick. Doesn't matter if it's a trip to the ER or skin irritation for a few hours, that's a negative response in your body. Going hungry at social events because you can't eat anything, that's not something you just have to grin and bear. Prohibitively expensive or hard-to-find accessible food. Most people have the privilege of not worrying about eating.

For people with abnormal menstrual cycles: you don't have to suck it up because "lots of people get periods, no one likes them, but they all deal with it." Majority of people who get periods don't spend days in bed with debilitating pain or nausea. Your heightened struggle is real. Going months between cycles can increase your risk of health conditions down the line, and it's good to speak to a gynecologist if you have access to one.

If you are feeling discomfort on a regular basis in any part of your body, or if you usually feel unwell after eating, that isn't normal and you deserve medical attention and support

[felixcloud6288]

It's Hurricane Season so I'd like to share some advice as a life-long Floridian who's experienced a few things. This is going to be directed primarily to people living in areas at risk of blackouts which could last several days.

Preparations

Aside from food, water, and gas, some things you'll want to make sure you have are flashlights and batteries. Make sure to refill any medications you might need.

From @dea-certe: Fill up all vehicles and maybe a few gas containers now. Firstly because it will be more expensive in the storm aftermath, but also because it will be harder to find. I went to five different gas stations to find fuel at one point and was kicking myself because I had used so much has keeping the phones charged and keeping the heat going.

Get raincoats in case you need to go outside cause the wind will destroy any umbrellas.. If you can't get one, take a garbage bag and tear a face hole into it and use that.

Also, get bug repellent, especially mosquito repellent. Mosquitos breed around still water and there will be a lot of still water.

And if you have an infant, make sure to stock up on diapers, baby wipes, etc. Even if you don't have an infant, baby wipes can be useful to help keep yourself clean.

You might want to buy some gardening gloves as well to make the post-storm cleanup safer.

SUPER IMPORTANT FOR SANITY AND SANITATION: get caught up on laundry and dishes. No power means no running water. Don't make things worse by not having clean dishes or clean clothes to use. While you're cleaning, change your bed sheets as well. Once you have power, change your sheets again.

Also, download any games, ebooks, shows, etc you can onto any battery-charged electronic devices you have. It will help your sanity when all you can do is wait.

From @metadata-uber-alles: My recommendation re: radio is to make sure you have an actual AM/FM radio, one that can run on batteries. You can probably thrift it if you don't have one already. Most radio stations stream online too, but if the power goes out you'll be rationing your phone battery and may not have internet.

Finally, while you should ideally board up your windows to protect them from debris, make sure at the minimum that all your windows are closed. Wind pressures are going to suck air out of any openings in your home.

Food and Water

First and most important: DO NOT BE A HOARDER!!

Even if your home has no power, that doesn't mean your local grocery store has no power. You can expect some reduced supply due to damaged supply lines and a spike in demand, but you shouldn't be worrying about empty shelves. At worst, have the amount of supplies you might need for 10 days. If you normally go to the grocery store every 2 weeks or longer, just stock up the amount you normally would.

Buy more items that are less likely to spoil and don't need refrigeration. When you have no power, prioritize eating anything which requires refrigeration (milk, cheese, meats) or has a short shelf life (bread).

Demand will be higher in preparation, and supply will be diminished for a bit, but supply issues only become unbearable when people start hoarding.

As for water, you'll need a surplus since you need water for so much. I cannot stress this particular part enough:

You need water to flush your toilet.

If there's somewhere with running water you can go when you need to poop, use that whenever possible, but you need water available at home to refill your toilet's cistern if you don't have that option (either time, distance, etc).

Make sure you have a supply of drinking water. Don't go buying every water bottle you can find (See the bit about hoarding), but you should buy more than you might normally use. Instead, gather water through things like your sink or from a hose into any sealable containers you might have . If you have a bathtub, fill it up just before the hurricane. If you have a pool, that's another source of water. If no debris got in the pool, you can use it for bathing. If you have empty buckets, you can get some additional water during the hurricane by filling them with large rocks or bricks and leaving them out in the open to collect the rain water.

Different water sources will be used for different purposes:

bottled, canned, or other store-bought water: Drinking, cooking, and refrigeration (explained later)

Water in unsealed containers: refill the toilet cistern

Water in a sealed containers: bathing and cleaning (Can also be used for the toilet)

As mentioned with food, supplies at your grocer will be reduced but not necessarily empty. You should be able to buy enough additional drinking water and be able to also use it for cleaning, giving you more water for the toilet. The tip about gathering rain water will only work once. There will likely be no rain for at least a week afterward.

In case you need to evacuate

Keep tabs on whatever emergency alerts are available. Check what your local radio channel is or what sites to check online. Make sure you know how to get to your local shelter, including alternate paths in case a road is inaccessible.

Load your vehicle with anything you might need to bring with you before the storm so you don't have to spend time looking for them and double checking when every minute could count. Pack some pillows, blankets, and extra clothes just in case. Also include anything you cannot risk losing for school or work like laptops.

Refrigeration

Without power, your fridge is now just a giant cooler and a ticking bomb to being a biohazard. Fill it up as much as possible. Cold air escapes easily when you open it and heat disperses fastest throw the air. Remember how I said you should buy extra water? A fridge filled with cold water will stay cooler longer. Any liquid will do. Fill your fridge with water bottles, soda cans, beer, fruit juice, whatever. As long as it doesn't spoil at room temperature. Milk can technically help too, but since it spoils you shouldn't keep much of it and should use it quickly.

Additional things like fruits and veggies will also help. What matters is you want to reduce the amount of empty space and fill it with anything which can keep the temperature down. Put a frozen block of iron in for all I care. Just don't have a super empty fridge.

If you have a generator

Good for you. You're not completely without power now. But you need to set priorities on what to use it for. Generators can only supply so much power at a time so you can't just hook everything to it and expect things to work out.

Top priority is the fridge. Twice a day, morning and evening, plug the fridge to the generator and let it run for two hours to cool things down. Don't hook up the fridge when you don't expect to open it (like when everyone is asleep).

Second priority should be charging cell phones, laptops, and anything else like that. Depending on your circumstances, you can charge them at work, from your car, etc so only hook them up when batteries are low.

Third, comfort. I understand this will be stressful, but hooking up your tv and gaming computer isn't the best idea. If you've done what I suggested earlier, you'll at least have something to watch or do without needing to hook it to your generator. Like with the above electronics, you might be able to find other ways to charge them, but only attach them to your generator when you don't need to worry about necessities.

Finally for the love of god, DO NOT HOOK AN AC TO THE GENERATOR!!. Air conditioners draw a lot of power, especially once the room is hot. But your generator can only do so much. The AC will kill your power supply really quickly. Use a fan or the AC in your vehicle if you need to cool down.

Also worth noting, if you have an electric vehicle, that could potentially be used as well. I don't know specifics, but look into that if you own one.

Final notes

This is not comprehensive and I may be wrong about some things.

Please refer to actual expert sources for comprehensive help.

This is just suggestions from someone who has to deal with this every year and has figured out how to deal with the aftermath. Your living conditions may be different so please check how to handle any concerns unique to you.

Stay safe and do not give up hope.

[rainyfestivalsweets]

9/22/24

Ok.... so some storytime. This weekend's plans were smashed to hell and if I was in a different mental space I would have fared much much worse. But I have been focusing on boundary making and personal growth so here is what happend:

A friend (SPECIFICALLY THE ONE Who was bugging me earlier this year about buying her diet products incessentaly) had called me in July, while drunk and with her husband on their anniversary. During this call, she asked me what I was really doing to lose the weight and insinuated that I was either a recipient of weight loss surgery or on Ozempic or some other GLP 1.

Mind you - This is a lady that I converse with daily over snapchat. Maybe not full in conversations, but she sees all my sweaty selfies, thoughts on mindset, and sometimes food. Mostly daily sweaty selfies.

The incessant requests to buy her weight loss bullshit this year drove me to the brink of getting off all social medias. How many fucking times do I need to say no. Mind you, this lady has been my friend since 2000.

So she tells me during this call, where she isn't really letting me speak, that she will be here this weekend and I should come hang out with her and her friend. Upon inquiry she divulges it is like a 30 year high school reunion thing.

Now, I want to see her because I feel like our friendship is floundering. She lives far away and I find most social media things to be unbearable.

Why? Weight loss is hard and I do better when I reduce interactions with people, because everything feels really emotionally raw. You also have people who will tell you that whatever you are doing is fucking wrong and you should be doing something else OR people who will see you changing your habits and will fight that tooth and nail. It doesn't really matter what you are doing, people will just foist their opinions on you. It is better to block all that shit out and focus on yourself.

So she invites me to 3rd wheel and I want to go because I want to see her in person. It is a 4 hour drive one way, and requires me to get all my weekend chores done before the weekend, have someone come by to check on my mom, who I am a caregiver for, and someone to watch my dogs. It also conflicts with a group fall cabin camping weekend, which I steadfastlu maintain I cannot attend because I have prior plans.

She writes and says at 5 pm the day before I am supposed to leave that "they are concerned" about the drive and that it is alot of driving for a very short visit. I read that as- Don't come.

I kind of expected this, and even tho the late hour annoyed me, I was able to wrangle myself and say, ok, hope you have a blast.

And I have heard basically nothing from her since.

So here is where I ask: Am I the asshole?

She seems to be giving me the silent treatment for not coming when she basically told me not to come. I think the real reason is- she invited me when she was drunk, to an event she planned with her other friend for their high school reunion, and didn't check with her other friend about inviting someone else.

I feel like she has been experiencing sober regret about inviting me to an event they obviously planned together without me. And she waited 2 months to say OOOOOps! Didn't mean to do that.

The other issue is- I also expected to get uninvited because I was sick and she has an autoimmune disorder.

But that is conjecture and not the reason she gave.

AITA??

[spunsugarmusings]

Laura Bow In: The Dagger of Amon-Ra Sentence Starter Pack

Quotes taken from the game Laura Bow In: The Dagger of Amon-Ra, the wildly tonally different sequel to The Colonel's Bequest. TW for murder, death, infidelity and such. Change pronouns and tenses as needed, some entries have been edited for clarity, and please enjoy!

"There is still time to correct this most grievous misunderstanding."

"Don't let him shake you. He's tough on the outside, but inside, he's got a heart of stone."

"Don't touch it! You don't know where it's been!"

"That's what you think, you mallard rest buffoon!"

"It is a unicorn, left over from a King's Quest game."

"You're in a heck of a pickle now!"

"Death is a natural part of life, so when your time comes, it's best to accept it and go out gracefully."

"Your perky demeanor and thorough technique are making you a First Class Detective."

"Death from traumatic lead poisoning claims many lives every year."

"Stay out of my way, or I'll thrash you within an inch of your life!"

"We usually just hire men for this job. It's rough out there, and you're kind of…small."

"You mean there's ANOTHER [NAME]? No two sets of parents could be THAT cruel."

"He's got a chip on his shoulder the size of the Brooklyn Bridge. He'll try to cut you down. Just shake it off; that's what I had to do."

"Look, that was long ago and far away, okay? The room was dark and I was NOT married at the time."

"I don't know how you know about that, but I don't want to hear another word about it."

"Oh, lovely place if you like rats, thieves, and roughnecks."

"Don't bother Doctor Jazz while he's performing."

"Ya look so cute in that outfit, it makes me want to scream!"

"I find it distasteful to celebrate thievery in the name of science!"

"Amon-Ra will have his revenge!"

"Excuse me, SIR, but I see a turkey leg on the buffet table that requires my attention."

"I just happened to be standing here."

"I don't think my wife would ever have done it in a mummy case."

"Oh, I'm sure his body is crawling with maggots by now."

"If his spirit IS with you, let me know because I'd love to see it!"

"Very kind of you to say that, but there are many who misinterpret my actions."

"A delightful girl. I keep asking her if she'd like to be my second wife."

"It never hurts to have highly-placed friends on the police force, no?"

"He doesn't care a fig for what's right and what's wrong! His evil deeds will catch up to him though, just wait and see!"

"Our civilization has evolved over thousands of years, so our methods are quite well thought out and practical."

"I almost didn't recognize you with your clothes on."

"Even empty water glasses have their uses."

"Oh, wunderbar! Now we've got the AMATEURS involved."

"The food is free of bugs, if that's what you were worried about."

"That translates out to: "My Fish Dances in the Parking Lot"?!"

"The tablet says: "She who reads this cursed tablet is doomed to be eaten by a thousand voracious scarabs"."

"You might cut yourself, or you could put an eye out, or any number of other things could happen that your mother warned you about when you were little and everything in your life was dangerous."

"Your face has certainly changed to an attractive pale color, my dear."

"Remember our deal."

"You'll have to show me how sorry you are. Kiss me."

"Honestly, you men can be such crybabies."

"Because of you, a murderer is running around loose in this city, free to kill again!"

"I've got more tricks than you have braincells!"

"Nobody just happens to HIDE behind a museum tapestry!"

"The nerve, going around accusing people of stealing paintings!"

"Just be keeping in mind that I'd have to kill you if I ever found out you were sleeping with someone else."

"It's been a long time since I've been able to trust anyone as much as I trust you."

"We've got a perfectly good art burglary scheme going!"

"That's not blood, you got me all excited..."

"That man'd lie to his own MOTHER if someone paid him for it!"

"I lost a load of Egyptian cobras down there a few weeks ago, and I occasionally come across one of the little darlings."

"I need more proof before I subject him to the full force of my wrath."

"Why are you tied up on my desk?"

"If you see him, will you tell him [NAME] is dying on the desk in my office?"

"Ah, excuse me, I was looking for the women's lounge?"

"There is too much at stake here, too many important people are involved!"

"We can either test you or sacrifice you, it's your choice!"

"It's all that damned lousy reporter's fault!"

[positivelybeastly]

X-Force #50

All right, well, we finally did it, gang. We hit the big 5-0, and it's all done. And guess what?

It's all up hill from here! Wednesday spoilers below the cut, and . . . quite a lot of rambling? If I'm honest?

So, we open up on X-Force trying to kill good Hank and Simon, because they are dumb, despite Kid Omega and Sage asserting their genius. They blow up their little gay boat of love, and our intrepid heroes get pitched into the drink.

So . . . this is . . .

Why is Simon wearing a rebreather/oxygen tank?

Dear reader, I implore you to open this link, and scroll down to Simon Williams' powers and abilities.

Immortality: Williams is functionally immortal. Because of the ionic energy that empowers him, he no longer ages and is immune to disease and infection. This same energy sustains Williams' physical vitality far more efficiently than the biochemical process that sustain ordinary human life.

Self-Sustenance As a result of his transformation he no longer requires food, sleep, water or oxygen to survive. Simon is now a fully energized entity who can sustain himself indefinitely without nourishment, easily able to live outside habitable planet orbit.

Benjamin Percy, writer; Drew Baumgartner, Assistant Editor; Mark Basso, Editor; Jordan D. White, Senior Editor.

All four of these men are incapable of Googling basic facts about a character that Marvel has owned and been using since the 1960s. Basic facts that are available if you do so much as a basic skim of the man's Wiki page.

So, why is Simon wearing a rebreather/oxygen tank? So that evil Beast can destroy it and send Simon up to the surface, and good Beast and evil Beast can talk uninterrupted. That's the only actual reason. This is laziness from both an editorial and a writing standpoint, since you could have easily just had evil Beast use some kind of gadget to achieve the same effect, but don't worry! This won't be the most egregious lack of attention to detail this issue!

Yaaaaaay . . .

"My Beast," huh, Simon?

Gay.

Also, this scene makes X-Force look fucking pathetic, because Simon could literally wipe the floor with every one of them and not break a sweat. Simon 'my fists are LITERALLY as strong as Thor's hammer' Williams has nothing to fear from fucking Omega Red. His pacifism is the only thing keeping you from looking even stupider than you already do.

Orchis attacks to give the rest of X-Force something to do. I don't care.

But we do get this funny fuckin' shit.

Tie him up?

Logan, did you forget the last time you fought Simon? Or the time before that?

Anyway, the Beasts talk. It's not a particularly interesting conversation, for the most part.

God, this plan is just so fucking stupid.

But.

There is one moment that actually kinda works.

It's really funny to me that two of the worst Beast writers of all time, Brian Michael Bendis and Benjamin Percy, both managed to grok this essential fact - Hank McCoy loved being this version of Hank McCoy.

He was happy.

He was comfortable.

He was loved.

Feline Hank, as much as I love him, as much as he's my favourite iteration of the character, was never happy in his skin. How could he be? It wasn't something he chose, it was forced upon him. To save his life.

Well, what if he didn't want to be saved? What if he felt his life was so miserable that he might've thought, perhaps I should just let it all end?

He had moments, sure. But he never really escaped this feeling. This fear, this anxiety, this trauma, this pain. He carried it with him for the rest of his life. Just constant trauma, death, misery, regret, mistakes, chances not taken, failures.

But he would never be the same again. It's funny. He's the version I love most, but he's the version of Hank who could never love himself.

Which . . . is partly why it bugs me when people say Hank has internalised mutantphobia. Like, he kinda does, but I honestly don't really feel like it's quite that simple. He's comfortable in his simian form, he loves it, he only very occasionally angsts about it, he is happy. It's when he turns feline that he hates his mutant 'gift,' because now he has to worry about what might come next.

This is not the same as, I hate my mutant powers because they make my life inconvenient, because it means people hate and fear me. He can deal with that. He's been dealing with that since he was seventeen and nearly beaten to death by an angry mob for saving a child.

This is, I hate my mutant powers because they are turning me into something less than human or mutant. Because I am a danger. Because I am in danger.

And his fears are validated. He nearly kills Blindfold and Armour. He eats Logan's leg, tastes human flesh. He spends the last seven issues of Whedon's Astonishing X-Men with the taste of human skin and meat on his lips. How the fuck is he meant to be happy like this?

Anyway, back to X-Force. The two Beasts fight. Orchis shit happens.

Fuck off, Logan. Stop acting like you're at all relevant to proceedings.

Gay.

"X-Force ain't the ones you root for. But we get the dirty jobs done."

You didn't fucking do anything.

Hank and Simon could have fixed this entire mess without you. The only reason you were fighting a Sentinel was because you drew it to your location with your jet, firing at a gay little blue man and his fruity ionic boyfriend! You didn't contribute anything!

And then, as if to cap it all off . . .

What a self-aggrandising load of wank.

Hey, what was Colossus' plot arc through this series?

He spent 5 years being mind controlled and killed his girlfriend.

What was Domino's plot arc through this series?

Well, she got hurt a lot. There was that one time she got skinned. That was fun.

What was Laura Kinney's plot arc through this series?

There were entire issues where she didn't speak a fucking word.

You had.

50.

ISSUES.

And this is the best you could come up with?

"The plan was always for the war without to lead to the war within these two characters."

Is that why Wonder Man was more important to the climax of your book than Logan?

Go step on a fucking Lego, Ben.

This was allegedly a run all about black ops wetwork, the sacrifice of your soul to the harsh work that protecting your country requires, the inexorable slide towards moral degradation that comes from compromise.

It ended with a blue man in a stupid plant suit sacrificing himself to save a D-list actor from a bomb that would have crushed Mars into a pocket dimension, all so that his clone can go and become roommates with said D-list actor.

Ben Percy, of all the writers the X-office has welcomed into its midst, you were certainly one of them.

I just . . . this was what was worth jettisoning 40 years of Hank McCoy's personal history for? This cockamamie bullshit? This excuse for you to whip your dick out and pretend you're Larry Hama, when you can barely measure up to Chuck Austen?

Also, Jonathan Hickman, you're kind of on my shitlist for this, too. You may write a halfway decent comic book every now and then - and make no mistake, they're mostly halfway decent, I think he scrapes greatness with his ideas, but his execution is. Dry.

But that's better than his eye for talent, clearly.

I hate being negative. I feel guilty every time. I don't enjoy it. I hate to dwell. I hate to spiral. I hate to obsess over things.

But X-Force is just . . .

X-Force was, just shit. I will go to my grave telling anyone who'll listen that it's not worth reading.

"It'll read better in trades!" No, it won't.

"It has such a good team!" If you burn a pie made of good ingredients, you still have a burnt pie to eat.

"The art is so good!" And if you put sprinkles in a toilet bowl, it's still a toilet. It just looks prettier now.

Oh, and just in case anyone from Marvel ever reads this - they won't, they only hang around on Twitter so people can jerk off about the panels they write explicitly to be shared by the X-stans - I've pirated every comic I've read in the last 10 years. Every issue of X-Force? Pirated. All these caps? Pirated. Every time someone asks me where to read comics, what to read? Pirate links.

I didn't pay a dime for this series. I still feel like I got ripped off.

I almost can't believe it's over . . . what am I going to do with my life now that I don't have X-Force to complain about?

Oh, yeah. I can just read good comics. Nearly forgot about that.

But hey. That leads me to . . . I don't know, I guess, the end of an era.

Because Hank didn't get his memories back. Maybe he will in the future, but I don't have faith that there's anyone at Marvel that feels this strongly about Beast, so I doubt it. I need to write this down, anyway, for the catharsis. It'll help me say goodbye.

Rest in peace, Hank McCoy, 1985-2018.

You were the Beast I fell in love with. You were the man who taught me to be gentle when the world was unkind. You were the man who taught me that sometimes you don't have to love the body you're in, you just have to want to keep on going, because it can get better. There's always that chance. You were the man who led me to my boyfriend of 12 years, who I love more dearly than anything else on the planet. You were my friend when I didn't have many, and you've helped me make a lot of friends I quite appreciate. People I'm proud to know.

You're gone now. A lot of people aren't going to mourn you. They don't appreciate what was lost. But that's okay. I'll tell anyone who'll listen how brilliant you were. I'll try not to hold it against the version of you I'm left with, that he isn't you. He was you once. He could be like you again. Maybe better. I'd like that. I hope that's the case.

I'll keep writing you. I honestly don't think I could ever stop.

I'll try my best not to be sad that you're gone.

I'll try my best to instead be simply glad that you happened.

I'll give the past its due.

Which is all you can do, in the end, for the dead and for the past.

Well.

That, and live.

[jpitha]

Some Good old-fashioned Shitposting

One of the main problems with posting to /r/hfy for me - beyond the mechanics of it being bad - was that they were very serious about sticking to story posts. Very little Meta, very little OOC, no posting about other sites, that kind of stuff. Posts like that were usually removed quickly.

I still wanted to reach my readers there and since my messages stating that I was leaving and giving the reasons why kept getting deleted I decided to... live within the rules, and posted this. It starts as JaLF 26 (the first time skip one) but from there goes off the rails...

It's been half a year, but I can't believe we're already on our third ship! High Line took two months instead of the one that Omar first promised, but that was because he and his crew were getting use to the process and how best to refurbish the ships. Then after that I made the decision to refurbish the food tugs, but those were (relatively) easy. New thrusters, some strengthening of the cargo containers and a few brand new ones and that was it. Once that was finished the food deliveries increased over 30%!

You would not believe how much cheaper, more abundant food improves one's legitimacy. As soon as that was finished and the food rolled in, almost all of the last grumblings about me coming in and "declaring" myself Empress died down.

Only a couple of weeks after the food deliveries had picked back up, I was on my Throne reading reports when Ava walked in and connected to her chair behind me on the Throne.

"Melody! You would not believe what I just heard." Ava sounded a little worried. I'm sure whatever was bothering her wouldn't be that big of a deal for us to take care of.

"I'm sure we can figure it out, Ava. I was just reading these reports about the increased food deliveries. I can't believe how easy it was to get everything straightened out; it was nice to have an easy win."

"No, this is way more important than that. Please hear me out. Let's talk in person." Now I was worried. Ava doesn't usually look this worried about things.

This was important. I disconnected, and gave Ava my full attention. "What is it Ava? How can I help?"

"The author isn't posting to Reddit anymore!" Ava was practically wailing.

"What? Why not? I thought the Author was trying to build an audience to look more attractive to potential publishers?"

Ava nods quickly. "That's just it, he was, but he's having such a hard time posting on Reddit that it's just not worth it to him. He has a much larger following on Tumblr, and would prefer that any of his readers on Reddit seek him out there." Ava raised her eyebrows. "Did you know he's finished this story over there and has started a new one?"

I gasped. A new story? "But that means that our story is done? What happens to us? Are we doing all right?"

Ava shrugged. "He just said 'no spoilers' and winked. Readers will have to go there themselves and check it out."

I sat up straighter in my seat, fully disconnected from the Throne now. This required speaking in person. "Was it the community? Did they give him a hard time?"

Ava threw up her hands in defeat. "That's just it. The community was so nice and welcoming! The rules about posting were a little Byzantine, but the Author did his best to post within them, but the poor UI and untenable bugs means that the Author spent more time correcting and copy editing posts than he did writing some of the entries. He told me he didn't have 'the spoons' to complete the story."

I sat back in my Throne, surprised. The Author was so excited about building his audience and introducing more people to his work, and through their excitement, improve his craft. "I wonder what he's going to do now?"

"I heard he's going to keep posting, but on Tumblr. He also said any of his fans are welcome to join him there. If they don't want to get an account, they can read his posts as they are public facing. I'm told that making an account and following will boost his follower count and look good to any potential publishers but it's not required."

I stood. It really was too bad, but who are we to go against the wishes of the Author. "Oh well Ava. It's sad to hear, but there isn't much we can do about it. Come on, it's almost dinner. Let's go find the others and eat."

Ava stood too and gave me a hug. "Oh Melody. Thanks. I feel better after talking it out.

"I'm glad." Together, we left the Throne, and walked out into the bustling evening on the Reach.

[arcticdementor]

Anti-tariff Libertarians are regime cucks or traitors. Assuming we don't get Anarcho-capitalism, there are 3 places you can tax an economy to fund your (ideally small) government. 1. Income taxes 2. Sales taxes 3. Tariffs

…

The tariffs, taxing it when it goes through a port of entry, is the only one that imposes basically zero compliance cost and violates privacy not at all. If the port was entirely privately owned and unregulated, pure anarcho-capitalism, you'd still have to declare you goods and pay a fee... It’s just with tariffs the official is a government employee and the fee is larger. By contrast FORCING EVERY ADULT IN THE COUNTRY to fill out and return elaborate paperwork and surrender all personal information regarding every dime that's ever entered one of their wallet or accounts... That's not only a violation of the 4th and 5th amendment, that's totalitarian. Likewise forcing ever business to tax every single sale they make and report it makes small business formation, right down to lemonade stands prohibitive bureaucratic exercises... in 1850 90% of Americans were self-employed or small business owners, now it's 10%.... And a MASSIVE part of that is the fact you now require anyone who wants to do productive work to also become a part time government bureaucrat and surrender all information about their business, how they're surviving, or submit to being a wagie subordinate of someone who does. This is also totalitarian.

…

"Georgism GEORGISM! What about Georgism!? Land value taxes for everything!!!!!" Land value taxes create perverse lifestyle distortions where people squeeze themselves into the smallest environment they can, and then refuse to breed because housing costs so much… so you create misery and crash your population and race within a generation, and make everyone die childless and miserably in the most depressing circumstance by distorting the most important market after food, and making everyone feel miserable and poor.

…

Honestly I do not know the type of person who’d want Georgism except for the kind of spiteful person who doesn’t like to see other people have nice things and gets a perverse thrill out of the idea of no one ever feeling that they own anything free and clear, no one ever being able to live off grid, be self-sufficient, or return to folkish subsistence lifestyles (because you always need more government paper to pay to mere continue occupying the home you built). And who LIKES the idea of disincentivizing people to have children, eventually poisoning the economy with demographic aging, and forcing increasingly immiserated people to lead lifestyles of artificially cheapened city bug-life. It disgusts me.

[septiccoffeefreak]

I'll never understand why some people don't want to answer Tommy's questions, or dismiss them. The "silly" ones, I mean. All throughout the day he'll blurt out something like "Do you think bees know they are bees?" (from last night) or "What would the orangest ice cream be like??" (from last week) or "do different dogs speak different dog languages?" or "what would happen if I was a worm?" (not sure what time) and usually people's reaction is to laugh and move on.

And it is endearing, but like....also, it makes fun discussion!!

We discussed wether or not the orangest ice cream is the orangest because of flavour or colour (we decided colour- like the Pinkest Pink of orange ice cream) and the texture of it (we decided it'd be smooth and likely sort of liquidly, like the kind that melts fast and doesn't scoop well, because mixing the dye and chemicals into it to make it the bright orange it would be would require a lot of mixing).

We talked about how bugs are small and have smaller brains than dogs or people, so they probably have less space for self awareness and non-instinctual thoughts/behaviour. we talked about wether a dog from China and a dog from America would be able to communicate effectively (the jury's still out on that one) and how I would keep Tommy in a nice, roomy jar with some scraps of fabric i made smell like me so he wouldn't be lonely, and take photos of him, and hold him sometimes, and we'd seek out a cure for his magical worm disease so he can play video games and snuggle and drink hot chocolate again. We've talked about how space would change if the emptiness was replaced with soup. We've talked about how cuisine would change if burgers were the most important food in the world, and wether or not the definition of burger would expand to include things like fruit burgers. And it's fun, and he's smart and has so many amazing ideas and input on these things, and it's like exercise for your brain, going down these rabbit holes with him and figuring it out together. And yet i seem to be the only one who responds to him like this?? There's so much room for discussion, and Tommy is such an intelligent person and such a great conversation partner for these things, I like- I just can't comprehend what about those convos doesn't appeal to people. Maybe they don't realize he's actually asking them??? Not sure.

Anyway. I just really love it when he asks me something like that and we get to talk about it together. It's awesome, it's so lovely it fucking rules like you don't get it, it's so amazing.

[rhythm-catsandwine]

Chap 5 Birthday

It's been a while since I've updated 'Life Finds a Way" on here.

Master List and Life

Some NSFW

They got up early to eat a breakfast of fresh eggs, bacon, sausage and toast. The fresh food was a treat before flying out to find a job.

“So what's the birthday want for breakfast lunch and dinner?” Maynard looked over at their youngest.

“Duno”

“Well, we all know what he's getting for dessert.” Adam playfully shoved him towards Danny. 

“Con"t wait.” He grinned.

Danny grabbed hold of him and started licking his face. “Why wait?” giant paws roamed freely against his body.

Justin squirmed and tried to break free.

“Down boy.” Adam pulled Justin close again. Danny barked like a dog.

“Not at the dinner table,” Maynard complained. He pointed at their captain. “Don't encourage the children.”

“You mean child and his golden retriever.” 

“Why do people call you an octopus or a goat?” Justin asked Danny.

“Played drums in school. It kinda stuck, because of how I played.”

They walked back to their beloved ship after breakfast and packing up.

Justin almost forgot how beautiful their ship was. Her cool gray metal, thrusters to either side. The rear end made her look like an actual Firefly or lightning bug from afar. The thing that set her apart was her name hand-painted by Adam.  Blues surround her name in comet white. 

She smelt like home. All the little details scattered across her. From the little red, gold, purple, and yellow (Danny's favorite sports teams) alternating hearts in the engine room. To the little Strawberries, blueberries, and other fruit in the kitchen. Adam was slowly making it their own. He would likely keep going until there wasn't any room untouched. There was always a balance of space and shapes. 

Adam felt something at the back of his mind. It was like some energy shot down from the back of his neck to the base of his spine.  He glanced up to see another Firefly. But a 3, not a 6. There was some familiar energy coming from it. The feeling was like when someone else like him was near. His grip tightened on Justin’s hand.

“Wot?”

“That's a model 3” He pointed to the boat above them. 

The inspector who checked them in handed the paperwork over. Justin took it as Adam was phased out a bit. “I don't see how those old Models keep going.”

Danny nudged the captain bringing him back to reality. “All the Fireflies 3 and 6 keep going.  As long as you take care of them they take care of you” The 6 was bigger than the 3. But not like the 4 which required more crew.”  “Shadow” had a smoother ride, a fuel-efficient engine, and a longer range.

Once they broke atmo they were all on the bridge. They needed a job. Maynard leaned against the airlock leading down the stairs from the bridge. “What if we picked up the stash of meds from that moon? The atmo stuff will expire soon. And a few moons will be overdue for a delivery. Sell the stuff or trade as usual? Plus I'd like to stoke up on the other stuff we have there. “

“I'm in,” Danny said.

“Wot stash?”

“There’s this moon that the main thing they do is making clay. We hid a huge stack of stolen meds there. Has the meds that keep people on a moon or rock with fucked up atmo from dying.”

“The people are a little strange.  Sing about some guy called Jane.” Maynard folded his arms.

“They wot?”

“You'll hear. Once we're there.” Danny answered. “Some people warship weird things.”

Adam pulled up the maps and charts they needed to get there on the computer in the control panel, in front of Justin. “Some people juggle geese.”

“That's quite odd.” Justin followed Adam's finger gliding across the map of the stars, showing the route to take.

“Weirder than the occult or the fact the government cuts into people's brains to make them physic?”

“Guss not?” “Wait, they?”

“Don't think too hard. Over-analyzing separates the body from the mind” Maynard messed up Justin's hair. “Take about three days to get there curly q”

“Stop calling me that and messing with my hair!” Justin untagged his curls and got them out of his face. 

That night their captain was restless, tossing and turning between the sheets. Justin was tired from flying in empty space toward their next job. Leaving the busy moon and seeing stars he had never seen before, made it even worse. Then he worked out with Danny, with the weight equipment they kept under the stairs to the catwalk. After that Danny fucked him against the wall of the cargo bay, until Maynard needed Danny’s help with something in the greenhouse, that was next to the infirmary. He tried to distract himself with the image of the mechanic. Covered in sweat, clothes clinging to his body, showing everything. The man was big all over. 

“Adam. I can’t sleep with you moving about.” He wined. 

“Sorry. I just have a lot on my mind.”

“Wanna talk bout it?”

Adam still had his back to the other. “You’d never leave us, right? Leave me?”

“No. Corse not.” He pulled the other close, pressing their bodies together. 

“It’s just that people usually leave me at some point. Even my parents. Maynard, Dan, and James are the only people who haven’t. Sometimes I think you’ll wake up one day and decide you’ve had enough. Or that I’m too much to handle. I mean Paul just left us.” He sounded fragile like he’d break if pushed even a hair further. “He left us. Fucking just left us.”

Justin propped himself up on his arm and rolled his partner over to face him. “That’s not what I’m going to do.”

“You’re the best thing that happened to me. I don't think I could handle you leaving.”

“ I promise I will never leave you. I love you.”  

“I love you too.”

“Is there anything else you want to talk bout? “ Justin had a feeling, that something was left unsaid. 

“There are things I’ve never told Maynard or Dan. I was dragged through hell. James was the only thing that got me through. Or we got each other through it. But I don’t want to talk about that tonight.“

“Is that why you get more nightmares when we’re landside?” 

Adam was afraid Justin could see right through him. “Yeah.” He let himself be held by the other. “Wait how do you know it gets worse landside?”

“I keep track.”

“You what?”

“Let’s go to sleep.”

“Hey! Tomorrow’s your birthday.”

“Mhmm” Justin pulled the other against his chest.

“Want the day off?”

“Why?”

“I know how to fly her. You deserve it.”

“Bot didn’t we already have a few days off?”

“That don’t count. Do you want off or not? Maynard and Dan do the same.”

“yes.”

Justin awoke to Adam kissing him softly all over, no inch of his skin would be left untouched. From his jaw to his neck and down towards his hips. “What do you want?” He asked between kisses.

Justin flipped them over and straddled the other.

“Hey! You’ll be doing all the work.”

“You asked me what I wanted.” He moved pulling a wine from the one beneath him. “But tonight. I want you to have yer way with me.”

“I know you like it rough. But like?” Adam felt Justin lower himself on his cock. “Fuck.”

“Like you always fuck me.” He hummed as Adam bucked his hips against the other. “I've grown to like it. Jus depends on my mood. Which I want.” 

“As you wish.”

“Cinnamon roll for the cinnamon roll?” Maynard placed a sweet treat, bigger than his face in front of him. It drowned in sweet icing. This was all real. Not protein. Real bread, sugar, and cinnamon. “And something to wash it down with.” A mug of real hot chocolate was placed carefully in his hands. “It’s salted dark chocolate with two shots of bourbon.” That’s how Maynard showed love, through food mostly but he wasn’t pushy about it. The other side was when he fussed over someone when they were sick of injured. 

“You want to get me drunk at 9 in the morning?” 

“You want to be?”

“No, I want to remember this day.”

“Happy 22 earth years curly-q”

It wasn’t long before Justin found himself pinned against the wall right next to the engine. He was getting railed by Danny. This time the door to the room that contained the heart of the ship was closed.  “Faster. Harder. “ He said between breaths. “Please.” He begged. “Dan” it was all over too soon, like with Adam just a few hours earlier. His legs felt like jello as soon as his feet hit the floor. “Bloody-” he fell into the blond's huge arms. 

“You had that coming curly q “ Danny messed his curls up even more. “God it's been? What? Like two weeks?” He was grinning like sunshine on a warm summer day.

“Duno.”

“Probably I'll stay like this until you two get out of your puppy dog honeymoon stage. “

“Nardo says we ain' going to”” Justin let the larger man hold him tight. 

Danny laughed.” It's weird when you mix accents” 

At lunch, he had his favorite soup, of meat and vegetables, and birthday cake. As soon as he was done eating the others put gifts in front of him. He opened the one from Danny first. It was a new black waistcoat with spirals in the same blue as his eyes. Maynard just gave him a blank menu for the week. Usually whoever had a birthday got to plan the meals for that week. Last he opened the one from Adam. “Lord of the Rings,” He read the name on the set of four small leather bond books. “The Hobbit.”

“I know how much you like literature and reading.” Adam pointed to the white journal with random doodles drawn on them. “And I know you’ve been wanting a new one.” 

“You didn’t have tu do this.” He blushed when he saw the little blue heart with “JC + AJ” in the middle, drawn on the first page of his new journal. 

Justin watched the others, talking and wondered why the other couple never got married. Dan wanted to but Maynard didn’t.  They would still have an open relationship. But Maynard called marriage a fancy piece of paper. Dan disagreed. He watched Adam laugh at something Maynard said. Adam was pretty. Maybe they would get married eventually. But how would they show that? Some wore necklaces some bracelets, tattoos, and others rings. Would one of them take the other's name? Or keep them the same?

Later Justin sat with Adam on the bridge, it almost felt weird sitting in the captain's chair, but they weren’t a normal crew either. Most captains would never let that happen. Adam was still flying “Shadow” with a few expert instructions from her actual pilot on how to fly smoother and more accurately. 

“Which do I read first?”

““The Hobbit”. If you want, Or you can read “The Fellowship” first like most. It don't make much of a difference.”

“In a hole in the ground, there lived a hobbit….”  He read out loud until he came to the first song. He sang, trying his best to imagine how it was supposed to be sung. 

“I didnt know you could sing.” Adam stared at him in amazement. 

“I guess I can.”

“Don’t tell Maynard.”

“Why?”

“He’ll bring music night back and make you sing with him. Although I think you would sound great together.”

The last word resonated in his mind. He kept thinking of what the captain would do to him at the end of the day. “Adam.” He got up, placing his gifts carefully in the seat. “Would you want to go to our bunk early?” 

“You okay?”

“I jus keep thinking of what you're going to do to me.” He hugged the other from behind and giggled.”I’m already hard jus thinking about it.” 

“Or we could stay right here.”

Justin reached over to plug in the codes for autopilot.” No” He shook his head. “Our bunk.”

[leavingautumn13]

Do you have any burning regrets in life? Also who is your favorite fictional pet and why is it dogmeat?

because dogmeat is the best boy, duh.

as for your first question... the first job i got after i moved out of my bio mom's house was at a pet store. stupid naïve sheltered younger autumn, not quite disillusioned with the capitalist hellscape that is modern america, thought to herself, "a pet store will be a great job for me! i love animals, i'll love getting to work with them every day!"

wrong. (well, okay, i did enjoy getting to pet dogs regularly.)

so, here's the thing about pet stores, or at least the pet store i worked at: ultimately, it's retail, and those animals are products for the company to sell to turn a profit and not, you know, living creatures who deserve care if we're going to be removing them from their natural habitats. it's also, you know, RETAIL. with all that that implies. suffice to say i was made very bitter very quickly.

another thing you should know about me is that my beloved father introduced me to spyro the dragon when i was four years old, and i've loved dragons and all manner of reptiles ever since. naturally, when i started working at the pet store, i got pretty attached to the selection of geckos and bearded dragons and what have you and endeavored to learn everything i could about them. i even bought a beardie and a skink of my own.

anyway, all of this culminated in me being the "reptile person" at the store. if customers had a question about reptile diets, or terrarium care, or whatever, talk to autumn. i was known for sending customers home with big printouts of what the best foods would be, what temperature ranges needed to be, etc. and if i didn't have that information out of pocket, well, i'd take them up to the register and look it up for them. i was a damn good employee.

so one day, i'm in the reptile section, and this super sweet lesbian couple is talking to me about wanting to purchase a bearded dragon. we're going over heat lamp requirements and how you definitely can't have a baby beardie on sand because of the ingestion and compaction risk, when this middle aged man steps between us and demands my attention. no waiting for a pause, no "excuse me," just bursts right in with his question. this might be petty of me, but i thought it was pretty rude, and to be honest i don't even remember what he asked, but i directed him on his way and got back to helping the couple.

once i get the couple sorted with their tank, substrate, uvb and heating lamps and accessories, etc, i let them know i'll meet them at the register once i've wrangled their little dragon, and that we can get their food situation sorted once we get up there, since live bugs were kept behind the register. so i do so, lizard in his little carry box, but there's a line. no worries, i hop on and help my coworker check people out.

middle aged dude from earlier is also in line, and actually DIRECTLY in line before the couple. i get him and his lady friend checked out, and the lesbian couple approaches the register. i turn around and grab the box of small dubia roaches, which in my somewhat professional opinion are the best starter food for a little beardie, since they've got a higher protein-to-chitin ratio than mealworms or crickets. the caveat though is they're more expensive, so i'm about to try and make a hard sale to these two nice ladies to please buy some cockroaches.

i've got the box open, and i have to dig around for a dubia because there were only about a half dozen left. (they go really quickly, even being .5 USD per bug. like i said, good eating.) but now i've got one in my hand and am holding it up to show the nice lesbians, and they're going "oohhh" and leaning into look at it and whatever.

middle aged guy from before and his lady friend overhear me talking about bugs, and for whatever reason, turn around halfway to the door. they come back to the register and get in the nice lesbian couples' space, and lady friend says,

"that's DISGUSTING! you'd have that in your HOUSE?? i could NEVER have something so gross in my home!"

here's another thing you've got to know about me. i was in the gifted program as a kid but got shit grades in school and was always getting in trouble for reading during class. but i was a girl child, so instead of the adhd diagnosis i needed (and actually only got last year, FINALLY), i got told i had all of this potential i was wasting.

but it's not that, the potential was never there, whatever. i just have adhd. it makes me, let's say, the tiniest bit impulsive.

i look this lady in the eye. i smile. "actually," i say, leaping to the defense of one of my favorite invertebrates, "they're an excellent source of protein."

i am about to eat that cockroach in front of her, in front of the nice lesbians, in front of my coworker tom, in front of the whole damn line, just to ruin this lady's entire fucking day.

but.

but. i only have six roaches left. and i really want to make this sale. and like i said--dubias are pricey for bugs.

i don't eat the roach.

and that is my burning regret. fuck that company and fuck its profits, and especially fuck working retail in the first place. i should have eaten that cockroach.

[fuddieduddies-art]

🐷 💘 💛 🖤 🍝 🧐😞 🤔🍛 🎶 🩹 FOR TONY AND HILDEGARD

omg hiiii bestie. once more let's get some read more action cause this is a lot lol.

🐷 PIG FACE — what is your oc's favorite animal?

hildegard. again, certified bug liker. probably weird stuff specifically like spiders, centipedes, anything with like weird long ass legs and million eyes and pincers. tony will see a falcon and be like wooahh sick The Maltese Falcon (1941) reference.

💘 HEART WITH ARROW — what and/or who do(es) your oc consider the most important to them?

hildegard. the fact i do not have a immediate answer makes me so sad. probably some people at the circus who they still write to on their travels. it will become tristen god willing. tony. steph one million heart emojis and zivah :) and also dire, yes, but he would never say that to his face lol.

💛 YELLOW HEART — how many languages does your oc speak? what language(s) are they learning, if any?

hildegard. they speak common and elvish :] tony. english, some italian. fluent in talking shit.

🖤 BLACK HEART — has your oc killed or seriously wounded anyone before? have they broken someone's heart and/or broken someone's trust?

hildegard. somehow she hasn't lmao. definitely has caused a few accidents with their powers that have gotten people hurt, but nothing that serious. they don't strike me as a heartbreaker tho tony. iman you know this. yeah like a handful. whoops lmao. broke steph's heart with The Incident.

🍝 SPAGHETTI — what is/are your oc's favorite food(s)?

hildegard. stews and soup and meat pies and whatnot. tony. i bet his mom makes really banging risotto and It's That.

🧐 FACE WITH MONOCLE — is your oc more logical or emotional?

hildegard. more logical in a way people find maybe a little cold or uncomfortably clinical. tony. ohhh he is so emotional honestly he needs to chillax.

😞 DISAPPOINTED FACE — does your oc attract others, or do they tend to be left alone?

hildegard. tragically their weird and off-putting swag is too much for most, and they tend to be left alone. creatures don't mind, though. monsters don't mind. tony. everyone either wants to climb him like a tree or is immediately intimidated by him. so like jury's out. until the time of the campaign he's been very reluctant to make any sort of deeper connections with people. because of the curse.

🍛 CURRY AND RICE — what does your oc's typical dinner look like? do they usually eat dinner

hildegard. since he travels around a lot, he tends to eat stuff that can last longer and that's easy to have on the road. bread, cheeses, dried meats and fruits. tony. well. he has a notable and unfortunate dietary requirement, so generally speaking he just kind of does a Snake Meal of human flesh and whatever he has on hand, either leftovers or takeout or something he makes himself, and that keeps him going for about a week. girl dinner.

🎶 MUSICAL NOTES — what type of music does your oc like? do they listen to music very often?

hildegard. god what music do they have in dnd. spooky music from the sims 4. i think they'd like stuff that's pretty upbeat and intense, and songs that have a story. tony. dad rock and jazz. perhaps he peeps some more musical theatre bc of zivah. he likes to have something on in the background pretty often.

🩹 ADHESIVE BANDAGE — does your oc have any physical and/or mental disabilities?

all of my characters are autistic even if they're neurotypical because they are made and played by me. hope this helps.

[munsontm]

“OH MY GOD DID YOU TAKE MY FRICKIN CORNFLAKES” — steve lol

@harringtontm & @musecraft

School runs were Steve's domain. Actually, most things to do with the boy's school were Steve's domain. The place made Eddie feel a lot of uncomfortable memories of his own educational experiences, and he avoided going near it when possible. Plus, everyone knew that Sam and Rian's dad happened to be a very famous rock star, and he held no desire to make his kids' lives more difficult because of that. But not even a cosmic supernova could keep him away when one of his boys graced the stage for school plays. Sam had aced playing the role of his namesake last year in a production of The Hobbit, of which Eddie helped him learn his lines for weeks before. Then when the moment came, Eddie sat front and center with Steve, recording the whole thing half in tears with pride.

Rian wasn't as dramatically inclined as his older brother but had still bagged himself a role as one of the mice in this year's production of Cinderella. And Eddie still meant to sit front and center, maybe let Steve record this year since they intended to bring Joan with them to watch, too, who managed to sit without fidgeting as much nowadays compared to a year ago. But that wasn't for a few weeks yet, so Eddie awoke one Friday morning to find Steve had left early on the school run to drop Rian off for a rehearsal before school. Leaving Eddie to his usual yoga routine on the deck with his feral daughter. He had a feeling that Joan was just in it for the fruit smoothie afterward, and he respected her decision to pretend to like something to get what she wanted. It was a very Munson move on her part.

At some point around the time Eddie and Jojo were settling into their downward dog pose, Steve returned home and started grouching about his cornflakes from the kitchen. Father and daughter shared a look across their yoga mats, the latter whispering, "he's hangry," with a childish giggle that nearly made her topple over. Eddie, on the other hand, resisted laughing, mostly. When the kid was right, she was right. Steve sounded pretty hangry. Undoubtedly, he'd skipped his usual breakfast to get Rian to his rehearsal on time, and he now needs to pout over it. Eddie could hardly contain his affectionate smile despite their daughter being the only one to witness it.

"I don't know nothing 'bout your cornflakes, babe. I'm not allowed to purchase food, remember? I can't be trusted with that, according to you." Apparently, beer, instant ramen, and pop tarts were not what growing kids required for nutrition. Bummer. The memory of Steve's outrage still amused him to this day. "But if you come sit your ass out here for a little bit and chill. I'll make you a smoothie once we're done, yeah?"

"Smoothie!" Joan squealed, dropping back to her knees with her selective hearing in full throttle, under the impression that she was getting her heart's desire immediately. Ah, impatience, a folly of having Munson DNA. It was good at getting in the way of their manipulative schemes.

"In a bit, baby bug. We ain't done here yet." He replied as Steve appeared, pouting, as Eddie had predicted. Then, Joan decided to take the news that she'd have to wait badly and rolled onto her back with an exaggerated groan, kicking her miniature legs about like an angry cat. Honestly, these people thought he was the dramatic member of their family? For a brief moment, Eddie suddenly felt mildly offended at the common accusation of his character. Clearly, his husband and daughter were just as bad. But he didn't hold it against them this time, deciding to finish early and feed his two drama queens.

"Alright, alright, no need to assault me with harpy noises and sad eyes. Joany, go get the blueberries and bananas. Papa Steve can cut up the peaches. Now get going before I change my mind." Smiles emerged all around before Steve and Joan raced to the kitchen, and it gave Eddie the warm fuzzies to know that he'd done that; he'd made them smile and turned their sadness into happiness. It was a far cry from where they'd been two years ago. He meant to keep it that way. Making his family smile. That would be Eddie's domain.

[free-for-all-fics]

kitty cat anon here!! i am back and forever cursed with even more thoughts of our beloved fat fictional feline friend! these are more of loose little ideas but i have an even bigger and more coherent au on the backburner, so stay tuned!

onto my thoughts~

-you know how sometimes neighborhoods will have social media groups? basic comments about hoa regulations or random complaint or the odd advertising for lawn services? well, alex is a frequent guest on that page. some lady posts about how "there's a bear in her yard!" and that everyone should keep their kids inside. attached to the post is a grainy figure of your plump housemate, chowing down on the lady's picnic remnants. you had wondered why he smelt like charcoal and grass clippings when he came home...

another person posts about how there's a shadowy figure that keeps attacking their cart of snacks for delivery drivers! no matter how often they restock, there's always something missing and it's really bugging them! anyone have any ideas? you had found him waddling around with a snack wrapper stuck to his tail...silly cat.

-your neighbor keeps congratulating on your impending delivery! when you look at them oddly, they only coo at alex, who's glaring daggers at them at your feet when you try to keep him inside the house. they gush about what a good mother he'd be and you couldn't be quicker to try and explain that no, your darling little kitty is a male- but the old (perhaps senile) lady keeps fussing about how he must be close to birthing. you have to make an excuse of your oven being on fire to slam the door shut fast enough before he turns the old woman into curtains...

-speaking of neighbors, they're constantly wondering if you have children because why on earth would you need to be reprimanding something so often in your house?

"alex, no!" "put that down!" "out of your mouth, mister!" "what did i say, huh? now you're stuck." "don't you whine at me like that..." "i am not buying you more food."

-if you like kids, you can't have them at your place. it's too much of a liability off the bat. so, when you're babysitting children in your neighborhood or apartment complex, you're constantly back and forth looking between your fur-baby and the actual baby you're taking care of.

-there's a constant flood of pet shop advertisements in your mailbox (more than a few have suspiciously-shaped feline teeth marks on them...) and you constantly have the pleasure of getting them dropped in your lap when you're doing something. oh, a sale on treats? alex is insistent! you simply must go before they all run out! you don't want to deny him his basic human right!

-i'm stuck between the idea of you wanting him to be more social and taking him out, either on a leash or in a stroller or one of those pet backpack things or not wanting to take the risk of him lashing out or just being so stubborn that he won't move. you want him to WALK? what is wrong with you?! he's only coming with you if you hand-feed him a few treats (and the EXPENSIVE ones, not the generic ones!) every step of the way. eventually, you might get fed up enough to just carry him along the way (which was his goal, of course).

-you have to do all of the chores that require you standing while he's asleep. the second you sit down to sort laundry or something, bam. he's in your lap like a weighted blanket with his eyes boring into yours.

-this is going to sound so stupid but i love the idea. you know that trend of people showing their pets things where they've never seen before? like higher-up places or things they're not allowed to see. you're cooing and tutting like a mother hen as you lift him up to show him the top of shelves and inside the fridge and whatnot.

i guess these turned out to be more home-based than i thought but i just thought i'd share! :3 🫶

Kitty Nonnie!!! Good to hear from you! And omg I’m so excited to hear about this bigger AU you have cooking! 🐱💛

- Alex is an absolute glutton! You have to keep cords and random household items away from him because he’ll chew on anything and everything! “Alex why are you eating plaaaaaaastic??” And any time you say his name and ask what he has in his mouth in that tone and order him to spit it out, he just chews faster. He comes home with his stolen bounty in his mouth and politely sets it down in front of you and looks up at you like “well? Are you going to open it for me?” As if he did nothing wrong and finders keepers. He grumbles whenever the neighbors think he’s a pregnant female. Can’t they see he’s a handsome man??

- No matter how many times you call him chunky or try to get him on a new diet, he’s a firm believer that he’s not fat and doesn’t need to lose weight. He’s perfect the way he is! And then he proceeds to get stuck in the cat door like Winnie the Pooh and you’re like “Awww, so you need a little push?” And he meows in a way as if he’s saying, “You laugh, you die!”

- He doesn’t like kids. They’re too noisy and have no sense of boundaries or social etiquette. They keep wanting to pick him up and pet him and he’s doesn’t like anyone except you doing that. He scratched or bit a kid once as a warning and the crotch goblin started crying like a baby. He didn’t even scratch or bite them that hard! He didn’t even draw blood! Either way, he got in trouble so now he just hides away somewhere in the house they’ll never find him until they leave.

- He can’t read but he’s smart enough to recognize the advertisements by their bright and colorful visuals. He sees a fish, and that means food! You already have treats at home though, so you don’t always go to the pet store to get more. Only when you’re actually running low. That’s when you try to teach him he can’t always get what he wants. He doesn’t like this lesson very much.

- Alex doesn’t walk, he waddles. He’s a heckin Chonker. He can still jump though. The only time he’ll let you carry him like a baby is to get out of exercising. He’d rather be held or ride along in your backpack and look around. You can do all the work.

- Oh you’re sitting or laying down? That’s obviously an invite to sit in your lap and not move. He also loves anything warm so sometimes you’ll find him laying in the laundry basket and you’re like “Alex! Really? Get out of the laundry!” And have to pick him up to set him back down on the floor.

- He’d love to be tall! He’s too heavy to be a shoulder cat, but he likes seeing things from high up. It’s a whole new world up there! He loves bird watching, it’s his favorite show.

[jaybug-jabbers]

There's a big reptile expo in a few weeks right in my town. I am excited to go and check out all the inverts there. I can get a few more Magic Potions to replace the ones that died, since 3-4 isopods might be difficult to establish a colony with. (Esp. since I don't know their sexes) I'm also preparing a few more bins in case my isopods breed and some need to be transferred over, or in case I buy one new species/color morph at the expo.

Just one, though. It's important to start small while I am still learning, after all. If I do it, it will probably be A. vulgare 'Punta Cana' or 'St Lucia' or maybe something like A. nasatum or A. maculatum (the Chocolate morph is so pretty). They're supposed to all be good beginner species with similar requirements.

Mostly I will just be looking around and learning about the hobby at the expo. It would be especially good to see how many people are into the hobby locally. I know a lot of people travel to expos but I hope to find local folks too. And, well, hopefully they're friendly and welcoming. Not gonna lie, I have a suspicion that most invert keepers are older men, and I'm a 30-something woman, so I dunno how it's gonna go, but we'll see!

The top bin in the picture is one I bought online to see if I would like it. I also bought a bin and modified it myself (the bottom one). The top bin certainly has very clean-looking vents which I really like (I believe the seller 3D prints the plastic portion of the vents). Altho the mesh is a bit large. I purchased a finer metal mesh to do myself. It's a little bit of a pain to work with I admit, because it dulled my scissors so fast, and then my scissors didn't cut very cleanly-- and the mesh itself can be quite sharp, of course. Tbh will need to buy a new pair of scissors if I want to make more. Still, I do like the mesh, it's very fine but still seems to allow airflow. This house has potted plants with some fungus gnats so I have concerns about keeping those buggers away.

Oh, the top bin also doesn't have a sturdy latching lid, so that's not quite as nice in that regard, either.

I'll see what I prefer. I also might try an acrylic tarantula enclosure like one of these. I really like being able to actually observe the isopods. (Although the acrylic ones all seem to just have a bunch of tiny airholes, none with mesh vents.) I know a lot of folks have got shelves full of bins and bins, and that works fine for them but I'm not looking to have a huge collection. Just a few species I like. I used to breed Zebra finches and I must say I think I would really enjoy breeding isopods too, but again, just as a small thing. Would occasionally sell to local petshops or keepers once I have a good colony going. That's about it. Anyway, as I was saying, I like being able to observe the little guys, and you can't really do that with shelves full of Sterilite bins.

Also took a photo of my springtails (before misting and adding more food). I found them at a Petsmart, shockingly, not something I would expect from there, but it was labelled Smug Bug! So I guess Smug Bug sells to Petsmart. The containers were pretty much bone-dry, so I told the people there they needed to keep the poor guys moist. (I wonder if they'll actually do it. ugh. Petsmart does not have a great track record with small animals.) They seem very happy with the nutritional yeast I give them. Waiting to breed them a bit before adding to my isopod enclosure.

Currently working on a new substrate mix with a potting soil base instead of a topsoil base, to put in the new bins. I will make sure everything is prepared before buying anything at the expo. I already have lots of dead leaves and some rotting wood. Ooh, still need to rinse and crush my collection of eggshells. I should do that tomorrow.

Been taking lots of notes on my isopod research. My google doc of notes is 30 pages long so far. :D

[jsuhosh94127]

2023 | 12-29-23 5:16 PM

hi, blog!

ooooh, year 2023 is about to end! so, as a little recap, i'll be posting and jotting some of the highlights, experiences, and learnings i've gathered this year. so, this might take really long to capture everything

ps. please bear with me while we go through together this journey-and i'm already asking for some understanding that there will be grammatical errors as i just typed this on the fleet of the moment. hahaha (while listening to paramore! what a throwback ><)

during new year, i never have ever thought that this year would bring out so many things. but, i prayed and really put my faith and heart to wish and look forward that this year would bring all the unexpected, great, and wonderful blessings. and, well, truly! all good and great things happened. as a summary:

i graduated magna cum laude, like boi!!! that's one of the unexpected things i received. i have these inferiority issues that keeps me from taking pride of what i achieve. whenever i would look at my grades on the portal i need to have peptalk myself that i did my best and really put effort on every points i have.

i passed licensure examination for teachers. this one too. i cried the night after the exam. i wasn't able to enroll on any review center because y'know budget and priorities. i submitted papers and the exam fee a day before the last day of submission. i forgot to take my noa from the cashier and took us a week or so to get it. those days, the review days and waiting days are tooooo long. there are times i would cry myself to sleep and go on work like nothing happened. as all i have are the everyday afterwork review and the 3day in house free review by my alma mater, PNU, who called me as i was endorsed by the dean. anyway, i realized that i really did put effort and prayers and having 90.20 average for the exam is really awesome! (thank you get it-keshi and 7rings-ariana grande for reminding me to always get up and get that bag)

i have a decent paying and a work that i finally learn to love. it all started 4 months before our graduation and my schedule is all free so i decided to work immediately. after our finishing school, i immediately prepared my cv and requirements, look online for school vacancies. then, tadda! i am where i am now. funny thing about my employment process is that, there are some applicants before me and the school is still on the screening process. and there is still one person after or before me, i think (?) but after my demo and interview, the school directress asked me if i am readily available to go tomorrow to start my job. ofcourse, i said yes and yippie yup, i love my bffs now. hahahaha. >< even though i can't even have a me time as they always hug and bug me.

buy things that are pink. buy things for myself, buy things i want buy make up, and continue do my hobby. mag-ganda gandahan all day, every way. hahaha

groceries and things for the fam. this one is more of a breadwinner and ate duties, though sometimes i need to sacrifice my wants, it feels fulfilling to give and see my mom's smile. i luv it so much!!!!

not hesitating to buy and have and give things just because i want to.

learn and try new things! i learned how to do eyeliner precisely and perfectly. i was able to eat on different food shops and try new things (with my bf ofc, because if i don't like it he knows what to do! hahahha :P) i also learned how to handle student and people with special needs. i learned that life to each and everyone of us is different, and that's really beautiful.

new friends and reconnected to old friends.

prayers, talking to yourself, and having alone moments. this helped me during the times i am sick. having muscle pains everyday is really irritating but having mindfulness techniques helped me to get by and being open on your condition will greatly make life a little easier.

forgive. freely and wholeheartedly. myself and those people i need to so i can run free from the hurt. idk, but for me forgiving is a must so i can move and see life in a clearer view. but, yeah, i don't forget and i know the place and boundaries and all. i always say it to myself that when i made a mistake "oopsie, i can't undo it, but maybe i can be kinder the next time around." it may sound cheesy and too optimistic, but talking to myself like a 5 year old kid, heals.

listened to new artists. hindi na si keshi at doja cat lang. hahahaha. i learned to go back and listened to the songs when i was moving on, when i was just barely living, and when i am on my lowest. now, i'm listening to them casually reminiscing each moment. acjkkk, life is so nice. some parts of me healed through it.

being grateful. idk, but being grateful to whatever it is, makes me feel better and knowing that if i can handle this, i'll be able to handle much beautiful and greater achievements or things.

basta, marami pa. marami pa akong gustong ilagay sa true lang. i just can't put it here all. should i make a part two? jk. hahaha. but all in all, i want to give praise to God. for making me safe, protected, provided, guided, and sane this year. there's a lot of struggles, left and right. but, knowing that there is someone or an entity that listens to me and where i can speak to anytime makes me feel less alone. (im not lonely, there are many people i love and loves me.) it's just there are thoughts that i think i always keep to myself, and having times where i just look up and blurt out words, makes me feel more connected.

this is taking too long na ata? reader check, press 1. hahaha. until next year again my friends! i pray and hopefully, we may see life in a greater light. i hope we could list more achievements and wonderful things, do greater and kinder things. either be it small or big, may it sound like a leaf on a river or a tree in the forest, every effort to support, be kind, and do for the love of other is the best thing we can do all year round. most importantly, be kind to yourself. always. love it and help it grow. may we become rich in finances, love, life, beauty, and be hearty as always. may 2024, bring the success we all work and put effort for.

i hope than whenever and wherever we are may we grow and bloom and shower everyone around us with love and kindness!

i love you all! <3

[chefgretamorrison]

"Oh please, I'll be throughly offended if you don't go there weekly," she promised and she meant it. Greta loved cooking for her friends, being able to do that in a full kitchen with staff and making excellent cuisine? That was dream come true and she would cherish every bit of it.

October did feel like a life away when she wanted to be married to Lake this very month already. "I would have eloped the same day I asked her to marry me, alright? But she deserves everything. The party, the big dresses, the dances, the guests, the food!" Greta chuckled, because obviously she would be making the menu for the day, and putting the best chef to cook it. "But yeah, it'll be a beautiful ceremony for you to go, I promise."

Greta chuckled when Callie explained her preferences and experimentations. "Well, not all men are doomed to be idiots. We can find you a nice one," she winked and then looked around, still testing the waters of trying to get Callie hooked up with someone that very night.

She did listen to her talk about the chaos that casual sex had brought into her life, and Greta understood why she wanted to avoid it for now. "Alright, so don't do the casual sex thing, you know? But open yourself up to possibilities. Meeting people requires that openness. I learned that from the French women," along with many other things that were irrelevant at the moment. "You gotta be willing to give a little love to get a little back, Callie." Greta raised her brow.

"I'll stop bugging you about that, I'm sorry," she promised with a kind smile. "I just wanna make sure you're ok, friends look out of each other, you know!"

"Wouldn't miss it, Chef Morrison." She saluted her friend, before giving her a firm nod, "What kind of friend would I be if I didn't show up to celebrate your success? Plus, you know I love your food. So, good luck keeping me out of there weekly." Callie could cook, herself. She was not a bad cook by any means, but Greta's food? Exquisite.

Callie arched a brow, "October?" She questioned, "Urgh, that's so far from now. I could use a beautiful wedding to attend." Callie wasn't a believer in love for herself, but for other people? Absolutely. She loved seeing people find that love. The good kind, the healthy kind. She didn't see it for herself, and she wasn't pressed about it like she may have been at one point. But she'd always be open to celebrating other people's happiness.

Callie shook her head, "I experimented a little in my early college days--" She stated, waving her hand in the air as if it was no deal. "--Girls are absolutely beautiful, but unfortunately, I am straight. I like men, and believe me... I was just as disappointed to come to that conclusion as any." Not saying that her experiences with women would've been any better, if she wasn't, but considering her long track record with men minus, probably Jameson, which was the best, yet briefest relationship she actually had, and they were teenagers for God sake. Her love life was a joke, and she'd pass on the headache.

Callie arched her brow, "I have a 5 year old because of causal sex that turned into an entanglement, and its been a hot mess with that fucker ever since. Although, I do love my daughter, and I am grateful for her. I don't want another child, and I definitely don't want another crazy baby daddy." If she was honest, she never saw herself as a mom. So, Harper was definitely a life changing experience. "I also -- I don't know, I tried the causal thing. It's just not really for me anymore." Or ever, but especially anymore. "I'm not saying I won't have sex ever again in my life, because even I don't like the sound of that. But, it's not on my top priority list right now."

Callie pitched in here and there as Greta ordered the drinks and apps, before falling back against her chair. When Greta spoke again, Callie softly smiled, "I know, and I promise, I'll get out there at some point. I am just not interested right now."