#animal shelter max's house same difference

[arogaba]

This legacy is based on the same one by @sweetlysimss who very graciously gave me permission to try my hand at converting the challenge for TS3. It's not perfect but I tried my best to stick to the original rules and try and make it fun!

Tag: #nsbxbpr should be fine still or @ me if you do try this out!

Rules:

This challenge can be played with vanilla, banilla, or berry sims

As per the challenges this is based on, the romance options are a mix between those in the BPR or NSB, allowing  you to choose which you’d like (or mix them up if you wish!)

There is an optional generational challenge to paint/take a photo of your heir for every generation

The generational requirements do not need to be strictly followed/can be changed as you see fit - the important thing is to have fun!

Generation 1: White

You come from a long line of privileged sims. Life was easy for you and you never wanted for nothing. Despite the easy life, you also felt constricted, unable to be yourself. Now that you’re a young adult, you decide to break free from your parents and pursue your own dreams. Packing your bags, and taking enough money to get by with you, you run away to the old, rundown, farmhouse that the only grandparent you cared for left you in the will. Starting off with nearly nothing to your name, you decide to pursue the hobby you were never allowed to chase to its extent: painting. Due to your upbringing, you find it difficult to let other sims in and may come across as rude sometimes. What you really need is that one special sim to make you feel like it’s all worth it. Slowly but surely, as the years go by, your own family starts to grow, but life is not without its ups and downs…

Recommended traits: artistic, snob, grumpy, hopeless romantic

Career: none; make money through your paintings, fishing, and harvestables

Move into your grandparent’s old house. Must be fairly basic/rustic (the size of the house/lot is up to you)

Max the painting, gardening, and logic skills

Have multiple romantic interests throughout your life, but do not settle permanently with any of them until after you have your first child.

Go on at least one date with a purple, pink, and/or a red sim

Have one child

Get married (does not have to be the parent of your child)

Become enemies with the other sims you did not end up with

Have one more child (can be adopted or an alien baby if you wish!)

Sell at least two masterpiece paintings

Have at least two animals in your household

Optional: raise one from its youngest lifestage all the way through to elder

Be good friends with all your children and animals

Become good friends with at least one grandchild

-

Generation 2: Purple/Pink/Red

Although not everyone would believe you, you would say you had a great childhood. You grew up sheltered but loved by your parents and sibling. From a young age, you had a great passion for reading and books, though all those days spent reading might have left you with a few unrealistic expectations about life. Despite everything, you are eager to see everything that life has to offer and a sudden once-in-a-lifetime trip might change your world forever…

Recommended traits: bookworm, computer whiz, great kisser, irresistible, family oriented

Career: writer

Max the painting and writing skills

Optional: master the charisma skill too

Shortly after you become a YA go to one of the WA worlds or travel to the future. Your time here winds up inspiring you for the rest of your life

Become a writer

Either become a genre specialist or write a book from every genre

Kiss at least five different sims in your life

Leave a sim at the alter (peach or yellow)

Must have had at least two children with this sim

Have a difficult relationship with at least one of your children after the separation from your ex-partner

Have at least 3 children with any other sim (or the sim you eventually marry)

Do not marry until you are an elder

The sim you marry must be yellow or peach (whichever was not the colour of your first spouse)

The sim you marry must be in the culinary career

-

Generation 3: Peach/Yellow

It is fair to say that you grew up in quite a hectic household. The only person who spends time with you and truly understands you is your childhood best friend. The two have you been through thick and thin. They were initially drawn to you for your quiet nature, your inquisitive soul, and a passion for nature inherited from your grandparent. In your late teens, you start to notice those traits are working against you, causing others to call you “weird” or “different”, so you adapted. However, in the process of becoming this new version of yourself, you find yourself losing the one thing you ever held dead. Will you ever get your best friend back? Only time will tell…

Recommended traits: loner, shy, brooding, disciplined, athletic

Career: professional sports and then unemployed when you become an adult (though you can supplement your household funds with your collections)

Max the painting, athletic, and martial arts skills

As a child join the boy/girl scouts, and then join one of the afterschool clubs as a teenager

As a child meet your best friend in a different neighbourhood (orange or grey)

As a teen, never have any close friends except for your best friend and any of your grandparents if they are still alive

As a teen, date your childhood best friend

As a young adult, you decide to change your life around and become the social, popular sim you’ve always wanted to be

Join the professional sports career

You and your best friend begin to drift apart and eventually separate

Not long after they leave, you realise you are pregnant

You date around but nothing lasts

Complete one or more of the following collections: metals, gems, insects, fish, or plants

Do not have a good relationship with your child until they are a teenager

After becoming an adult, quit your career in sports but continue to make money by selling your collections

As an adult, reconcile with your childhood best friend

Optional: have one more child

Get married

-

Generation 4: Orange/Grey

Unlike your parents, you are far more practical when it comes to your life choices - or so you like to claim. After getting interested in your grandparent’s large book collection, you become interested in the occult, in particular witches. A mysterious book leads you to become a witch accidentally and soon strange things start to happen. Before you know it your great-grandparent has come back from the dead! In flesh and blood! How on Earth did that happen? As you begin to figure things out for yourself, a mysterious stranger takes an interest in your so called necromancy…

Recommended traits: bookworm, supernatural fan, artistic, night owl, gatherer

Career: fortune telling (you can supplement your household funds by selling potions/ingredients)

Max the painting and alchemy skills

Get a job in the fortune telling career

Date three sims but never get serious with any of them

One of these sims lead to you becoming a witch

Create every potion

Bring back your great-grandparent (up to you how this is done - you can cheat or use any of the methods in game)

Become at least good friends with them

Your necromancy catches the interest of a local doctor (yellow or purple) and you fall in love

Have at least five children together

Teach all your children their skills

-

Generation 5: Purple/Yellow

The world has so many beautiful sights to offer! You can’t wait to paint them, photograph them, or sculpt them! Your life seems to be going perfectly until one day it isn’t. One day you wake up questioning yourself, your career, even your partner! Don’t you deserve better? Of course you do! You decide to switch your life around first thing in the morning. but was it really the right choice to make?

Recommended traits: artistic, avant garde, good, excitable, savvy sculptor, photographer’s eye

Career: painter or sculptor

Max the painting skill, plus the sculpting and/or photography skills

Go to university and achieve a fine arts degree

Be enemies with at least one sibling

Start a relationship with a former classmate (orange or green)

Have at least one child

After becoming an adult, a midlife crisis hits you hard

Quit your job

End the relationship with your partner or divorce them. Afterwards, you continue to have a good relationship with them

Find a new job and skill to focus on as an adult

start a new relationship with a different orange or green sim (whichever colour was not your first partner)

Have at least one child

-

Generation 6: Orange/Green

Food is love. Crime is life. Doting parent and aspiring cook by day, criminal by night. Have you ever heard of a baking criminal? Neither have you, but someone should be the first. You have loved cooking and baking from a young age, though struggled to find your feet in the culinary career. When you leave at night your family think you are working at a swanky restaurant in town, little do they know you’re actually working for the most notorious criminal organisation in town! You prove yourself to be a hard worker but you know when to slack off and have fun. You make it a habit to visit every seasonal festival…with the bonus of getting some flirty looks from the cute sim in the crowds. 

Recommended traits: artistic, natural cook, kleptomaniac, party animal

Career: criminal

Max the painting, mixology, and cooking skills

Learn all recipes (can just stick the base game ones if you wish)

Meet your spouse (teal or pink) at one of the festivals and become instantly smitten

Have at least two children. Twins are recommended!

One child must have the good trait, one must have the evil trait

Make at least three enemies

Steal something worth at least 10,000 simoleons

-

Generation 7: Teal/Pink

You and your sibling have been together through thick and thin. You are polar opposites but are as close as can be. From a young age, the two have you have always been competing with each other. Regrettably, they always seem to be the one in the spotlight, whereas you are left floundering in the dark. What you do excel at though is school and eventually, your career. You take a job in a rather niche area, one which raises a few eyebrows for certain, but you throw your whole heart into it. Let’s see who’s the best now!

Recommended traits: artistic, good or evil, family oriented, virtuoso

Be taught all your skills as a toddler

Be on the honour roll as a child and teenager

Have three good friends from school

As a young adult, join one of the ‘entertainer’ careers: musician, singer, acrobat, magician

Master at least one instrument

Fall in love with a fellow entertainer (blue or peach)

Partner must max the guitar

Have at least two children

-

Generation 8: Blue/Peach

Music runs in your veins, you enjoy it but it is not where your true passion lies. As a young sim, you’ve always been into drama, stories, and theatre. However, the town you live in doesn’t take too kindly to people who are different, flamboyant, and attention-seeking. As a young adult, you move to a new town and throw yourself into the world of celebrities, drama, and paparazzi.

Recommended traits: charismatic, diva, dramatic, artistic

Career: film star

Master the painting and charisma skills

Join the drama club as a teenager

As a young adult, move to a new town and move to an apartment

Join the movie career

Marry a co-worker or neighbour who is also a celebrity (lavender or green)

Have at least one child

Divorce them once you surpass them as a celebrity

Become a vampire before you become a YA to preserve your looks

Have at least one child after your marriage

This child needs to have the white gen one hair colour

They will become your heir

Become a five star celebrity

Either ruin or maintain a good reputation

After becoming a five star celebrity, reconnect with your ex

Have a negative relationship with your sibling(s)

-

Generation 9: Lavender/Green 

Phew! What a ride that was! Eight whole generations have come before you, all with their own unique interests, drama, and dreams. You, however, want to take it easy. You surround yourself with simple things, friends and family, and your garden. You love the earth and want to preserve it for future generations. What will the universe have in store for you next?

Recommended traits: friendly, good, green thumb, artistic, eco friendly 

Career: gardener or inventor - maybe even both!

Max the painting and gardening skills

Move to a small, simplistic house with a garden

Have at least three friends and three enemies

Throw a party at least once a season for your family and close friends 

Accept every invitation for a party

Marry one of your best friends (colour is up to you!)

Try and live an eco-friendly lifestyle

Adopt at least one child

Teach your children all their skills

[raptorish]

On Sapience, Longing, and the Lack Thereof

Written by Max on August 12th, 2024.

So I was at Othercon 2024 this past weekend - and like many who attended, I came out the other side with a new piece of my identity to chew over. This essay is me chewing over my thoughts on archaeosapience, as it connects to my velociraptor paleotheriotype, and why I genuinely don’t feel like I fit the label.

One of the panels I attended and thoroughly enjoyed was “Not Humans, Still People: How Inhumanity Interacts with Personhood,” by Goratrix bani Tremere of the Draconic Wizard Workshop and Chaiya Askari-Vykos of the Treehouse System. During the panel, Goratrix and Chaiya argue that personhood is different from humanity, defining personhood as, essentially, sapience - the ability to understand oneself, to make rational choices, to comprehend the world in not only physical ways, but also the abstract and symbolic. All humans are people, but not all people are humans - nonhuman personhood is experienced by many, many alterhumans, and this is an important distinction to keep in mind.

Another panel I adored, presented by Sivaan of Candlekeep, was “Archaeosapience: To Awaken as Ancient in a Modern Age,” in which he discusses the label and the intricacies of his own experience as an archaeosapien. Once again, nonhuman sapience is a key feature here - as Sivaan writes in xyr coining essay, “[t]he “sapience” in archaeosapience exclusively refers to our awareness of our existence as ancient beings,” as opposed to an inherent connection with the species Homo sapiens. Archaeosapience does not require one to be human.

An archaeosapien is defined as “an individual whose alterhuman or nonhuman identity is intrinsically rooted in prehistory, antiquity or mythic accounts of history.” And funnily enough, here lies my personal disconnect with the term, even though I identify as a velociraptor - a prehistoric animal well known to be extinct. To experience archaeosapience requires personhood, requires sapience, an understanding of oneself as an ancient being. And this is one thing that my theriotype utterly lacks.

Now, I’m not saying that I lack sapience. I am a person, one who reads and writes and learns about the world around me. I also identify as human, separate but intertwined with my personhood, and my humanity is as important to me as my animality. Both of these core parts of myself contribute to where I stand today - as a prehistoric animal person who is, somehow, completely at home in modernity.

Throughout this essay, I’m going to refer to my raptor self in the third person - it thinks this, it wants that. I separate myself from my theriotype in this way because I do not feel like I’m myself in a mental shift. My raptorial mind is not a person, but an animal. It is incapable of understanding abstract concepts or philosophical thought, living in the physical world where it gets food, water, rest, shelter, and enrichment. This does not make it any lesser than my sapient mind - it does mean that it has a different way of understanding the world.

My raptor brain, the instinctual animal side, does not feel like it’s an animal from another era. It doesn’t even know what time is, beyond the regular cycles of day and night. It doesn’t understand common features of modern human society, like computers or elevators or money - not because those things didn’t exist back in prehistoric Asia, 75 million years ago, but because it’s an animal. I could be a gecko from the modern day and still feel the same mentally shifted apathy and confusion about the things I need to live day to day as a human being. The raptor doesn’t know or care about its status as a long-extinct relic, because as far as it’s concerned, it is alive and well, healthy and fed and comfortable in a house with people it knows.

In fact, my raptor brain doesn’t even feel attached to a habitat. Early on in my awakening, as someone who knows where velociraptors used to live in the spacetime continuum, I felt a sort of connection with deserts - I’d look at them and think, that’s like the place my species lived! This was the part of me who’s a person, putting a label to a place that I’ve never been, thinking fondly of it despite never having lived there.

The part of me that’s not a person, that knows nothing but pavement and grass and many-walled shelters keeping out the wind, looks at the desert and bristles with distaste. It doesn’t like the idea of being somewhere it doesn’t know, with sand and scorching sun and no food it knows how to catch. It knows its home territory, a place with cooling wooden floorboards and a comfortable nest of mattress and blankets and a cache of good food that never runs out, and it likes its territory. It doesn’t like the desert or understand the significance of it. It can’t comprehend the idea of wilderness enough to miss it. It doesn’t want to be wild and free, it wants to live in a building with air conditioning and clean freshwater from the sink.

As you can see, my raptor self is perfectly content to be a modern animal. How about my human self, the part of me that can think about my theriotype and know that it’s a prehistoric animal? Do I long for ancient deserts, grieve and yearn for a world I never experienced because I know it might have once been home?

Well… no. I don’t. For better or worse, my humanity feels inexorably linked to modernity, to cities, to technology. I can’t go anywhere or do anything without running into electronics. I use the internet every day of my life to learn, entertain, engage with the world around me. I couldn’t imagine living a life where I didn’t have it. There’s no disconnect from the modern day for me, no longing for the past - only the sense that I’m right where I want to be.

As a person, I’m content with where I am today. As an animal, a raptor can’t yearn for a time it has never lived.

[symbioticsimplicity]

Of all the things he'd imagined doing over the weekend, being drug around the pound by an overly excited Maxine hadn’t been high on his list.

Sure, he'd told her his therapist had advised getting himself a dog, but he hadn’t expected that to translate into "We're going dog shopping right now." He supposes he should have seen it coming, but he was always kind of out of it after therapy.

The lady at the counter had given him the stink eye at first, but relented when Max had bopped up to her instead. Not that his sister had any better manners than he did (worse, he'd argue), but she was small and she was excited and it was hard to say no to those big green eyes.

Which was how he ended up being pulled around to every kennel at the shelter.

In truth, Billy had hardly been paying attention. He figured whatever dog they'd land on would be fine. He'd never had a dog but how different could it be from having a sister?

It wasn't until they passed a seemingly empty kennel that his attention was snagged.

"The card on the door says there's a dog in here." Max gestured to said card, containing a little information on the supposed dog, "Daisy, five years old, red nosed pitbull, recent rescue. Huh."

Billy peeked around her, first at the card, then at the seemingly empty kennel before a though occurred to him.

He dropped down into a crouch, a little too quickly for his knees, and checked under the little doggy cot set up in there. Sure enough, there was a little ball of short fur tucked away in the very corner.

She was almost as red as Max's hair, though there were patches missing. Billy had had more than enough cigarette burns to recognize them on sight. It made his stomach turn, the idea of someone using an animal as a punching bag like that.

"Daisy?" He called, keeping his voice as soft as he could, with limited success. Gentle was still new to him.

To his surprise, a head perked up. Just a little bit, just two floppy ears twitching towards the sound of her name. Both ears were notched, and one didn't sit at the same angle as the other one.

"Hey there, Daisy." He spoke again, "You picked the best hiding spot in the house."

The only one really, one Billy himself had tried a time or two before he realized hiding only made things worse.

To his surprise her tail thumped against the ground in an aborted wag. Like she was happy to be spoke to, but so nervous at the same time. He knew that feeling all too well too.

He sat himself down on the floor since crouching was making his legs go numb, making sure he did it slowly so as not to spook Daisy.

"It looks kinda small for you though." He continued, "But I guess that's kind of nice sometimes too."

Billy loved small spaces. No one ever expected him to be able to fit into them, so no one ever looked for him there. Plus the tightness almost felt like a hug. There had been plenty of times he slipped himself into a crawl space or an overfilled closet and just let himself daydream he was somewhere else.

Daisy's tail thumped again, twice this time, and Billy found himself smiling a little.

"Well," Max said, just as quietly as Billy was, "I think we found the right fit."

[hotxcheeto]

Chloe as a mom hc’s pls 🤟🤟🤞🤞 I think the idea is cute

━ 𝐂𝐇𝐋𝐎𝐄 𝐀𝐒 𝐀 𝐌𝐎𝐌

𝙥𝙖𝙞𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜(𝙨) - Chloe Price x G/N!Reader

𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 - Cursing?, a lot of fluff y'all I just kept adding to it, slight angst in parts but nothing bad at all, alludes to pregnancy ig? i don't really know?

𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 ? - Yeah/Nope

𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙧'𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙚 - i love babies sm.. also ty for the request!!

first things first, i don't ever see her actually choosing to mother

but if you have a kid? and she likes you? she also likes your kid

chloe probably meets you later in life, she's matured ( kinda) and explored places she's always wanted and finally she comes across you and that thing.. the little gremlin that's attached to your hip with big eyes and a grand smile

step-father chloe y'all ( nah jk... unless )

she is childish herself and lowkey selfish which is why she for sure questions her parental abilities and never wanted kids young or even at all when she thought about, but you just sprung up and how could she deny herself yours, hers and that little ankle biters happiness

but she's for sure the fun parent, the one that will let your child stay up passed bedtime and eat so much ice cream while watching R rated movies and promising not to tell you

and then you get home, catch them and suddenly everybody getting a time out

including her and probably the cat too

she probably has very loose parenting as well, her main ideas is if there's nothing to rebel against, what's the point in doing the bad stuff?

meaning she is just a very open parent in the sense that she doesn't hide the word from her kids or shelter them, she's honest and let's them choose their own path in life with her soft guidance

and she's just open in general about her opinions on things

you ask? she'll answer, same goes for the little one who has all the questions in the world and she's sure to answer

even if it's 'are unicorns real?'

they sure fucking are kid, and so are leprechauns

speaking of which, her imagination is unreal

remember how she'd play pirates with max? oh yeah, grab your eyepatch, you're in for a long ride with this one

her playtime with baby has lore, bullet point, highlighted text and a few video essays and a whole lot of story telling they have to explain to you

then you have your toddler clapping at you to keep up and chloe trying to throw you into her world of sparkles and sea monsters and you just wanted to know what they wanted for dinner

she's so cool to all of your child's friends as well, she's the cool parent with different colored hair and tats that totally have those prissy moms side eyeing her hard and don't give a single damn

lets them do what they want at your house because they're safe and that's what matters at the end of the day, even if they're getting up to shit in their rooms

if your child wants colored hair she'll get them those fake hair clip ins and temporary die just so they can look more like her and oh my god it's adorable

also the fake tattoos you get at like grocery stores or dollar stores in those machines? your kid will always compare them to mama chloe's or yours if you have tattoos

shows them off and tells people she's matching with her mama

has great bedtime stories

big cuddler too, she's a clinger

when your child is still a baby she just loves to hold them and i mean LOVES too, the baby don't even care about being held chloe just don't wanna put them down

doesn't believe in baby talk

she speaks to her baby like they a grown man and that's it there's not another way

she be talking to it like it understands her while it just stares and drools while giggling because chloe is a very animated and entertaining talker, even you catch yourself listening aimlessly

she loves being and parenting though, even the stresses

sometimes though she feels like she's gonna fail at it but you just have to give her the slight reminder and that she's her fathers and mothers daughter, and they were both was a wonderful people and parents

joyce adores your child, whether you had them before or after chloe, she's in love and spoils them as much as she possibly can

chloe even jokes that joyce loves the kid more than her

which may or may not be true

max also loves them so much, loves taking pictures which actually helps capture a lot of memories free of you freaking out to grab your phone, she never posts them or anything, she actually gives them to most times to keep in the baby book

everybody loves the small human okay

chloe saves so much money up to give you and them the best holdiays ever and birthdays, even if you're struggling with money, she makes it all worth while

handy man of the house as well, will fix toys and put together cribs and bedframes well into the night while you're passed out with your body pillow and noise machine my man

she loves taking care of her family, that's all

but chloe most of all, is both scared and enamored that your little human thinks you and her are the entire world, and she doesn't plan on making that world fall apart like it did for her when her dad passed

yeah, that's not happening

[povofjustme]

A New Start - Obie Bergman imagine {OC} GGReboot

Title: A new start

Pairing: Obie Bergman x Black Reader

Author's Note: I don’t know where this is going but hope you like. I didn’t read this through because I wanted to post it

——————————————————————————————

Full Name: Charlotte Jean

Nickname: CJ, Char, Jeans, Lotts

Birthday: August 23, 2005 - 17

Born: New York

Occupation(s): Student, Dancer, Model, Actor

Residence: Upper East Side

Instagram: @CharlotteJeans (300k follower)

*Relationships*

Family: Nicolas Jean (father) Jasmine Jean (mother) Frances Jean (Twin Brother)

Romance: Obie Bergman (boyfriend)

Friends: Max Wolfe (best friend) Audrey Hope, Aki Menzie, Luna La, Zoya Lott

Enemies: Julien Calloway (frenemy)

——————————————————————————————This story is about Charlotte

- Charlotte grow up as a dancer

- Her mom and dad wanted there kids to grow up being big

- So when they kids both could walk and talk they got them right in

- Char learned a lot to the point where her name was big in the dancing world. To ballroom, ballet, contemporary, hip hop, tap to jazz and ice skating when she had time

- And there for her twin brother, music and sports

- When she was ten years old, her family had moved to france

- 7 years later, they moved back to NY, but there family had a big name to live up too

- But at the same time, she kept herself to who she truly was. She was a loving person who will buy anyone before her own.

- Since then, she loves to give back to people and animals. Will go out to the protest and talk to the people

—------------------------------------------------------

- Moving back to new york after the summer of her sophomore year. She met up with her old time best friend ‘Max Wolfes’

- The Wolves and The Jeans were very close friends

- Godien Wolfes is the twins' godfather, so Max and The Twin grow up together. The trio

- So when the twin came back to the upper east side, they knew who to go to.

- The first day there, all eyes on them, but CJ went straight to the table up first to call out Max’s name.

- He saw he and gave her a big hug

“Hey I want you to meet my beautiful things here Charlotte, Charlotte Jeans and Frances Jeans”

“It CJ, call me CJ”

Introducing them to the group, and one person couldn't keep - their eyes off of her.

“And this is Obie”

- Then the bell was ringing and max took you in his hands to take

- Later on, the group knew a lot about CJ, but it was more of Fracces things

- They were all on the stares when Monet asked her

“Hey CJ, when going out tonight for a little get together, we knew Frances in. How about you?”

“Sorry guys, but am volunteering and the NYC animal shelter tonight-”

“Wait tonight at 8” Obie asked

“Yes, actionaly” CJ said laughing it off

“Am was actually looking at that the other night, maybe we could go together?”

“Sure why not”

- That night, they got to know each other very well, Yes Obie that she was just like any other new york girl but he was liking her for then he thought

- After that night of feeding food to the animals and cleaning them and more, they became closer

- Obie would do anything to hang out with her

- They sometimes walked to school together and have study “Date”

- At school they would eat together and just become friends

- He would even show up at Max house when he knew she was going to be over there

- Frances help him out as will

- After a long study “date”, Obie asked her on a real date

- They would go out to more events which catch the media's attentions in a good way and bad

- CJ posted pictures of them and events (with obie permission) her fans thought it was cute but Julies and GG fans didn't like it so much

- They were cute couple

- Obie met CJ parents and loved him

- CJ met Obie mom, She said she loves her already

- They would go to big events together

- Obie would take her to different places in NY

- CJ would give him dance lesson and when it came to any of her dance competitions, he would be there sitting next her family with a handful of flowers

- Sometimes they would have study dates at each others house but Obie likes it better over her because it feels more like home

- They did everything together, and it made them seem like they were in love

- Since she was around Obie more, she was around Aki and Audrey and Max more. Frances would be around alot, made the self a little group

- Around new york, Obie invited you and your brother to the Quaint weekend house

- The whole weekend, Obie and CJ shared the same room

- When the twins walked in, everyone was just getting there

- It was a fun and relaxing

- Everyone got along and had fun, Frances was flirting with Luna and Obie had you mostly to himself

- Julien felt some way but wanted him to be happy. But not with you

- CJ helped around the house, had the grow make cookies and spend time together, Obie was falling more and more in love

- And on new year, they were each other new year kiss

- After that, everyone loved them. Obie was happy

- GG would post things on IG

*It pictures of CJ and Obie*

Well Well Well, It looks like there's a new couple in town. @Charlotte Jeans and @Obie Bregaens have been hitting off pretty well. Them out on the town helping others and dogs. Let's see where this goes. Charlotte or should I say CJ is the new girl and all around famous dancers with big money to her money. Lets see if Obie will love Julien or CJ? Tell me who you're rooting for?

#Team Julien s or #Team CJ

- CJ didn't really care but it seem to get to Julies head

- Julien was upset that Obie was getting over her and with CJ now

- So she did what she did best, try to break you down

- Julien, Monet ended up finding something and sent it to GG to hurt CJ

- Found out the CJ and Frances are adopted twins

- When GG posted it, It really didn't hurt the twins. Just hated it now that people knew their business more then the should

- Julien didn't like how CJ reacted so she wanted to hurt her more

- But what the found out was not about CJ, but about her twin

- Frances was a Drug addict

- Once GG posted it, know saw the twins for over 3 to 4 weeks

- CJ and Frances were close, not like Grace closes but they were best friends

- Once France was ready to come back to school, So was CJ.

- And CJ had a bad feeling about the group, had a feeling that someone was out for her

“On look who made it back” Monets

“What is that supposed to mean” CJ questioned

“CJ, it meant nothing, after all we just wanted to-” Julien couldn't even finish it all when they all got a ding on there phone

- It was post from GG about all the people who sent thing to GG

- The first things CJ saw was a sent in dm from Julien and Monet about CJ and Her twin

“You sent this about my brother?”

“I- I-”

“What the fuck is wrong with you!” At this point everyone was looking at everyone in the group.

- Know one CJ this mad before. She was always the loving and smiling person

“You sent that in for what? First the adopted and then my brother's addictions. You have to be out of your fucking mind. You have no respect for know but yourself, and it shows”

- Julien couldn't say anything

“This is about Obie” Max spock up

“About a fucking boy, Really!” Getting in Julien face

“ You are a disgusting fucking person”

- CJ walked away pushing the crowd away, Frances, Max, Aki, Audrey and Obie right behind her

Part 2?

[gunthermunch]

[Transcript under the cut]

Pierce: never saw someone so interested on whatever Mr. Morlind has to say Elsa: sad yet true. Lucas: I'm just trying to pay attention for once and finish this school year as quickly as possible Pierce: it's our last year, Lucas. what's the rush? Elsa: Is there something you want to tell us? Lucas: …no. Lucas: [clears throat] where's Max…? Elsa: in his room, i suppose. Pierce: still? that guy already fell behind Elsa: his sister has everything under control, i believe. but yeah, i do find this weird. i thought he told me he'd be back after winter break Lucas: hmph. Elsa: oh well, guess i'll forget about our original after class plans and pay him a visit.

[sweetlysimss]

► BERRY PASTEL RAINBOWCY - UPDATED VERSION ◄

It is finally here! After weeks of working on this challenge, I can finally say that I am done and ready to start playing 👀 But first, let me introduce you to the challenge!

After the ungodly amount of love I received after sharing the NSB updated rules, I figured why not continue this trend and update one of my favorite berry legacies on this planet! Similarly to the NSB updated rules, I wanted to make the Berry Pastel Rainbowcy challenge by @berrysweetboutique​ more challenging and add content from the newer packs to the challenge to make it more current. That being said, this challenge first and foremost belongs to Berry, who kindly gave me permission to share this updated rules version of her beloved legacy challenge!

► WHAT ABOUT THE RULES? ◄

Similarly to the NSB updated challenge, the rules will be posted in a google document for easy access and to enable me to edit the rules whenever I want/need to. In the google document, I have listed the original rules as well so you are able to choose between playing with the original rules or playing with the updated rules. Also, this gives you an overview of what changed and what remained the same. Feel free to skip or add objectives as you play, you don’t have to stick to the objectives I’ve laid out for you, but they’re there if you would like to play around with them!

SEND ME TO THE GOOGLE DOC!

For easy access and to show an example of the rules, here are the first generation’s rules all written out. If you want to look at the other generations, click on the “send me to the rules” link!

Generation One: White Growing up you’ve always been the creative mind of your family, the outcast, with your head in the clouds. You didn’t really have anyone to relate to but your parents though, since you’ve lived a rather sheltered life… When things get rough, you decide to get away from your overbearing parent(s) and seek refuge in the family’s vacation home. With no job and thus no income, you try to make the best of things by growing your own crops to eat and sell your art for money. Love doesn’t come easy for you and your love-live is a bit of a mess, but all in all you’ll have a big happy family you’ve always dreamt of!

traits: creative (family trait), art lover, FREE SLOT

aspiration: big happy family

career: none (earn money through selling paintings and foragables)

max painting skill

make one painting of all genres

Pop Art

Realism

Abstract

Classic

Surrealism

Impressionistic

sell at least 5 masterpieces

make a career out of selling your artwork

have 5 children with two different sims (pink & purple)

adoptions allowed after the birth of the 5th required child

paint a portrait of your heir to hang proudly in the family home (generational requirement)

mate’s career: choose between detective, secret agent or criminal

other sim’s career: unemployed (they’ll be helping you out on the farm)

only decorate your house with your own art, you are not allowed to buy art

escape the original family home and move to Henford-on-Bagley where you move into a small cottage on one of the larger residential lots (50x40). At least in the first gen, you will continue to add to this cottage as your family grows.

your lot has to have the Simple Living lot challenge (cooking is cheaper but depends on what you’ve got in your inventory; you need to forage your ingredients)

max gardening skill (you are allowed to sell foregables for income too)

besides painting, you also enjoy the outdoors and will have multiple different animals on your small farm. Choose between the following animals (can choose multiple animals)

A cow

A llama

A bunny

A chicken

A cat

A dog

A rodent

Max the relationship with all of your animals

As you grow up into adulthood (adult or elder), either max the knitting skill or the cross-stitch skill because you need to start knitting some clothing for all your grandchildren!

become good friends with all 5 children and at least 2 grandchildren

[theramseyloft]

i read your long pigeon poop post, and after some poking around online i saw that a loft in melbourne australia failed. do you have any idea why that is?

Oh... my fucking God. I am so furious.

Look at this thing!

$70,000 went into this monstrosity?

It looks like they converted a fucking water tower by punching holes in it and welding on entryways shaped like the stereotypical toddler’s first house drawing!

Who fucking researched this?!

Was it designed by a committee purely by aesthetic?!

Here is an article I found on it’s decomission and removal.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/melbourne-city-councils-70000-pigeon-loft-turned-into-scrap-metal-20160724-gqcmsc.html

According to the pigeon expert quoted in this article: 

“Frank Hayes is the president of the Australian National Pigeon Association. While his group is mostly interested in show pigeons, a different breed to the city pests, he says it was fairly predictable the coop idea was never going to work.”

“ "The nature of the pigeon is that they find a home and they stick with it. So finding them somewhere else to go is a bit of a dream," said Mr Hayes.”

“ "Trying to shift them is one big headache. It's a worldwide problem and no one has ever figured out how to deal with it." ” 

LOOK at this structure!!!

It’s made of fucking METAL!!!

In AUSTRAILIA!!!

In the fucking OPEN!!!!

From this charming article:

 http://melbournedailyphotodaily.blogspot.com/2011/03/pigeon-loft-batman-park.html

“The loft is painted with light coloured corrosion resistant to reflect the heat and minimise internal over-heating. It houses two hundred nesting boxes for pigeon breeding. Eggs laid will be replaced with artificial eggs intended as a humane way to control and reduce pigeon numbers.”

That is a metal structure in the Melbourne sun...

No amount of Paint is gonna make that less an oven.

And I can’t imagine you can add anything to paint to make it corrosion resistant that isn’t noxious in a small space when the metal under it heats up.

“Bird feeding around the loft base is permitted to attract birds out of the CBD to this area. Bird feeding is not permitted in any other area around the CBD.”

But the city council is not actually providing the birds with good quality fed...

“... and no one has ever figured out how to deal with it."

No one, you ignorant twit?

NO ONE?!?!

Here is the site of a successful branch of the German Stadttauben Projekt, translated:

https://stadttauben-stuttgart.de/

“The Stuttgart pigeon project

Dear prospective customers,

nice that you found our homepage. We would like to introduce our project to you on the following pages:

The Stuttgart City Pigeon Project is an animal welfare-friendly concept for regulating and reducing city pigeons for the benefit of people and animals. We operate several supervised pigeon shots in the Stuttgart city area, in which the pigeons are cared for and their eggs are exchanged for dummies so that no offspring hatch. By the end of 2019, there had been well over 45,000 eggs. By feeding grain mixtures in our shots, the animals are no longer forced to look for food on the streets and squares in the area. They spend 80% of the day and the entire night in the dovecote. Ergo - your droppings also stay there and no longer land on roofs or balconies.

We were awarded the Baden-Württemberg State Animal Protection Award 2015 for our commitment .

The city pigeon is one of the most successful residents of the urban living space and today populates all major cities worldwide. It is the free-living descendant of the wild rock pigeons from the coastal and mountain areas in Africa and Eurasia. Long ago, the rock pigeons were domesticated by humans primarily for the purpose of meat production and thus also carried to our latitudes and cities. In modern times, the stock of the archetypal rock pigeon increasingly mixed with breeding, racing and sports pigeons that either escaped, were abandoned or, exhausted by exhausting competitive flights, ran aground in the cities. Today's city pigeons are the overgrown children and children's children of these rock, breeding and sports pigeons.

In cooperation with the state capital of Stuttgart, the Tierschutzverein Stuttgart und Umgebung eV launched the pigeon project in 2008. The cooperation was formed with the aim of bringing about a permanent and humane solution to the city pigeon problem.

The concept of the Federal Working Group for City Pigeons or the so-called * Augsburg Model * was helpful. It is based on scientific publications, practical experience and has already been successfully recommended by several federal states such as Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia and Baden-Württemberg. Today it is implemented in more than 80 German cities and towns. For example, there are pigeon houses looked after in Aachen, Augsburg, Hamburg, Berlin, Frankfurt, Saarbrücken and Wuppertal.

We aim for a small, supervised and healthy pigeon population in Stuttgart. Then the image of the city pigeon may rise again. Because healthy animals, which have a permanent home and receive animal feed, do not bother anyone!”

https://stadttauben-stuttgart.de/?page=1,0,0,Chronik+%26+Fakten

“Care instead of fighting: our chronicle

2008:The first step was a dovecote at platform 1 in Stuttgart main station

2009:The second blow was made in the roof of the Leonhardskirche

2009:The third pigeon house was on the Mühlgrün parking garage in Bad-Cannstatt, which has since been demolished and replaced by the pigeon tower in the rope

2010:The fourth facility was the pigeon tower in the city garden on Max-Kade-Weg

2011:The fifth pigeon house stood on the roof of the town hall garage until February 2016. Reconstruction on the roof of the city comb in April 2016.

2011:The sixth dovecote was a second stroke on the roof of the Leonhardskirche (other roof side)

2013:The seventh dovecote was built in the roof of the Fairkauf building in Stuttgart-Feuerbach

2014:The eighth pigeon loft was built (as a replacement for the location at the main station) on a flat roof in the Kriegsbergstrasse

2016:Dovecote number 9 was inaugurated in July 2016 at the Marienplatz in Stuttgart in the roof structure of the imperial building

2017:

On Landhausstrasse in the east of Stuttgart, we were able to set up dovecote No. 10 in the attic of a residential building. It was opened in June 2017

2018:In summer, an indoor pigeon tower was opened at Seilerwasen in Bad Cannstatt as a replacement for the Mühlgrün pigeon house

2019In autumn a new pigeon facility was inaugurated at the station in Zuffenhausen and the first egg was laid in December.    

In addition, a dovecote (trailer) on the grounds of the shelter Stuttgart and Nistwand for about 30 pigeons on the will of the ASPCA Stuttgart  House  Adam Müller-Guttenbrunn in Stuttgart Zuffenhausen care.

... more dovecotes are to follow!

Health hazard facts

A health hazard due to pigeons flying around, running and sitting can be largely excluded. New scientific studies have shown (again) that pathogens that may be contained in the pigeon droppings are usually bird-specific and are therefore not transmitted to humans. This was confirmed in 1995 by the Federal Ministry of Health.

The general classification of the pigeon as a pest was withdrawn by the Federal Institute for Consumer Health Protection back in 1989 on the basis of research results at the time and the opinion from 2001.

Feed facts about pigeons

Feeding pigeons in Stuttgart is prohibited on public land. Well-meaning pigeon friends increase the population density of the city pigeons by regular feeding in the same place, without offering the additionally attracted animals sleeping and nesting places where they are tolerated or the clutch can be exchanged. This creates people who work there or often live more pigeon hate and more pigeon misery.

Above all, too many food scraps are thrown away on the streets and squares of the city! This waste is mostly not compatible with pigeons. They lead to illnesses, shortages and thus, among other things, to the unsightly liquid starvation. Nevertheless, due to the scarcity of bird-friendly feed in cities, these human foods are usually the main basis for the feeding of city pigeons, but their organism is designed for pure hard grain feed. So this means sick pigeon populations that nonetheless reproduce disproportionately due to their (pet) genes raised by humans.

If you would like to help sustainably, please contact us. Only other supervised dovecotes in the city area (including food and egg exchange) start at the root of the "problem". We welcome any support!”

From their gallery:

Here is a loft.

Small, wooden, well insulated from heat and cold.

Those openings are not the nests. They are just doorways with a landing ledge designed around the comfort of pigeons, which are social birds.

Here is the inside.

Lots of comfortable nest boxes, perches in the back, food, water, comfortable socialization space...

Here is an entry into another loft currently in use.

Here is the inside.

Water and feed are provided by the care takers. You can see feed and drinking stations all over the floor.

And this is the inside of a huge new loft in Frankfurt.

These German Taubbenhauses are designed around meeting the birds’ needs for food, comfort, safety from the elements, and socialization with their flock mates.

None of these birds had to be coerced or forcibly relocated.

Because their needs were better met, they came on their own.

Look at the $70,000 Melbourne monstronsity again!

More specifically, look at the bridge behind it.

And tell me where you would rather me.

Compact metal tower designed exclusively around convenient human access, metal nest boxes, 0 landing platforms, no socialization space, no protection from the elements, still no choice but to forage for what ever garbage people toss you...

or the comfortably Cool space under a concrete bridge with a convenient water source.

Three guesses what’s more comfortable for the pigeons.

Now, would you rather live under a bridge with constant noise from traffic, open to predators, 

or

A well insulated apartment building with comfortable suites, a spacious common area, and a nutritious free meal plan with clean water included by default.

"It's a worldwide problem and no one has ever figured out how to deal with it."

My ass, Mr. Hayes!

[agathaarts]

Spidersonas forever!!!!!! Though she’s become less of a Spidersona and more her own weird spiderspinoff at this point, complete with a name change.

Some more Itsy stuff outta basically nowhere! Her spider-human hybrid form is where she’s most “comfortable” and ultimately where she winds up resting most of the time, though she’s still a pretty competent were-spider-shapeshifter-sort. She has a number of different and modifiable outfits, perks of living with a seamstress, and....I also wanted to draw a bunch of her, uh, rogue’s gallery together, though admittedly the Black Cats could be considered friends before long. Or at least, associates.

This is far from all of them, but these are the guys I have concrete looks for at least! Maybe I’ll do one of her allies soon. As is, most of her issues stem from the monsterous OZCORP, the company that not only created her, but continues to create it’s own forces, meddling in the nature of reality to do so!

Tiny blurbs below the cut for each of them, and if you’d like to know more about any of ‘em...let me know! I have an unfortunate amount of ideas for this AU!

ITSY-BITSY AKA SPIDER-WOMAN aka Aggie Appleton. While working for the unscrupulous OzCorp, unlucky intern Aggie Appleton is caught in the backlash of an experiment that fuses her with unstable realmatter and the test subject- a hyper-adaptive spider created using the same unstable realmatter! Now, she fights to protect her city from OzCorp’s increasingly dangerous experiments and the beings created by their experiments as ITSY BITSY aka THE INCREDIBLE SPIDER-WOMAN!

THE GREEN GOBLIN aka Norma Osborne. The CEO and leader of OZcorp, Norma Osborne has sacrificed everything for her company and their work, being a gifted and brilliant scientist in her own right. It has cost her family ties, friends, her social life, and now- her sanity and stability of form. Able to transform into the corrosive GREEN GOBLIN, she becomes a destructive force of chemical reactions and decay, with no more limits standing in her way! At least, until that annoying spider shows up...

THE KLYNTAR, represented by units VENOM and CARNAGE ~ Inter-dimensional beings, symbiotes (or, perhaps, parasites) who feed off of living beings, the KLYNTAR are horrors from beyond who’ve made a deal with Norma Osborne: a place to stop and feed in exchange for OzCorp to poke and prod and take samples to use their unstable realmatter forms to create new techniques and horrors! Of course, once mold gets in....it’s almost impossible to get it out, even if said mold is far more than anything native to Earth!

BLACK CAT is a mystery. A force of corporate espionage, a cat thief, a rumor, and mystery, a funny joke to poke fun at unsolved thefts and leaked information- of course, it’s very hard to find Black Cat. They slip in and out of secure warehouses, files, and companies with nary a trace, virtually impossible to spot. Especially unless you know they’re not one person, but three. At least, that Itsy-Bitsy comes to know of...

THE BUGS are a group of ne’er-do-wells who took up an offer to be bonded with biotech armor by OzCorp, all for their own various reasons, and now they’re beholden to OzCorp...and on an impressive payroll, that motivates being guards, bullies, and thieves as necessary.

SCORPION aka Mac Gargan. Once a private detective of disrespectful status, Mac Gargan was hardly in a place to turn down OzCorp’s offer after befalling tragedy and desperation. Unlike his fellow bugs, he tends to question a lot of his commands, and is well aware of the quote “hinky crap” going down behind the lab doors of OsCorp- but the pay grade is nice. And the benefits, well, the benefits are killer. Besides, he’s gotten to know the personality of his symbiotic armor well...and wouldn’t abandon him back to OzCorp’s nonexistent mercies by quitting.

BEETLE aka Abby Jenkins. Previously an engineer with white collar criminal aspirations, Abby Jenkins was hardly in a place to turn down OzCorp’s offer after befalling tragedy and desperation. Having bonded well with her symbiotic armor, she’s enjoying the steady work and respect she finds with OzCorp, and gets to spend her spare time tinkering with projects amongst brilliant inventors she’d have never had a chance to rub elbows with before!

FLY aka Richie Deacon. A career small-time criminal, Richie Deacon spent most of his life in and out of prison, halfway houses, and shelters, and was hardly in a place to turn down OzCorp’s offer after befalling a particular tragedy and desperation. Now they don’t care much about the work they do, happy to do whatever OzCorp asks in exchange for living a cushy life, even if it means having to wear the gross symbiotic armor. Still, small price to pay to fly!

SHR- i mean -SHOCKER aka Herman Schultz. Another career criminal, Herman Schultz worked as muscle for a few crime families in various cities, before getting bounced out of almost all of them and directly into OzCorp’s loving arms. No tragedy or desperation needed to convince him to get into a suit of powered armor (even if it’s more or less a giant lobster as far as he’s concerned) and start breaking things at a whim! Besides, everything at OzCorp is so damn weird, he’s never been more entertained anywhere in his life!

ELECTRO aka Max Voltage. Once one of OzCorp’s many test animals, an electric “eel” cobbled together out of various types of electric fish and a hodgepodge of other animals, Max taking on human traits was, well...an accident, but a happy one. Now settled into a form distinctly human, with intelligence to match (though some would argue otherwise) Max is capable of incredible feats of electrical manipulation and sensitivity beyond any creature in it’s creation!

DOCTOR OCTOPUS aka Octavia Otto. Respected young researcher and lead scientist of many OzCorp projects, Octavia Otto was caught in the backlash of an experiment that ultimately fused her with a number of test subjects, hyper-adaptive octopuses...except she’s continued to mutate and change, in ways nobody else can quite pin down (but it’s okay, she’s keeping rigorous, detailed notes on the process! For science!) and has assisted OzCorp’s goals since, happy to have a constant source of supplies and test subjects to work with. Her and Aggie Appleton had...history, before this all went down, too, so that’s not awkward at all!

RHINO aka Aleksei Sytsevich. Arriving in America as Anna Kravenoff’s bodyguard, Aleksei found himself out of work before long as Anna hastily shucked her father’s protections of her and kicked him unceremoniously out of her life. Once OzCorp decided he’d make a fine test subject, well, he’s been a professional mook for most of his life and didn’t have many complaints about the improved size, strength, and toughness. Aleksei may put on a blithe, dopey exterior, but he’s far too controlled to be an actual fool...which makes him quite dangerous, even if he only does as OzCorp asks.

THE SPOT aka Joon-Woo Ohnn. The Spot’s creation is a sort of mystery, even to himself and to OzCorp. An experiment, a failure, and...Dr. Ohnn is still certainly alive and aware, but some sort of bizarre 3D shadow cast by, well, wherever he is. While unable to speak, Ohnn is still fully capable of serving OzCorp, with his ability to function as a series of wormholes and perform strange acts of teleportation.

MYSTER.IO aka Mysterio aka thecrystalball aka The Mystery aka ??? aka aka aka aka aka..... Myster.io is a digital character- either a face for someone distant and anonymous, or many someones, or perhaps some sort of self-aware AI, Mysterio’s story changes every time he tells it and that’s just how it should be! This bizarre digital being pops up on people’s devices and is an information gatherer and peddler, always happy to tweak reality to better suite someone’s needs for a price.

KRAVEN the HUNTRESS aka Ana Kravenoff aka Kraven Jr. aka Lady Anastasia Kravenoff. Kraven the Hunter was a star, a legend- a man who battled beasts and travelled to impossible places and rose to reclaim an ancient family legacy, he was famous and infamous alike, and regardless of if you loved or hated him- he was a household name across the globe. Ana would like that. Ana might have been shipped off to America to live a carefully tailored “normal” life by her father and his estate, but Ana has aspirations that greatly outstrip those of her brothers and a goal to match her father’s infamy someday! But until she can secure a show, she hunts monsters for YouTube and enjoys her modest cult following- especially since she’s found a way to attend college in a sleepy Midwestern City that just happens to have a lot of monster-related issues. Her current target? Spider-Woman!

[dcbbw]

Sneak Peek Sunday (8-23-2020)

I know for certain I was tagged by @sophie-and-shizuku​, and I think I may have been tagged by @bebepac​. Honestly, I have not had a lot of time to work on anything because of work obligations but I do have a fic ready to post and a handful of almost-there WIPs; fics that if I just sat down and added one more section, or did a final read-through on, I could post.

For Sneak Peek Sunday, I present to you my They’re Almost Ready list.

Boomerang (Un-Romance AU):

Maxwell.

I wonder what he is doing here. Then I hear his voice carry over my partition.

“Hey, Reebee,” he says, using his nickname for me.

“Max!” I say a little too loudly and a lot too cheerfully.

He steps to my ‘doorway’. “I come bearing treats,” he announces as he holds out a brown paper bag in one hand and my pink drink in the other.

I tell him to come in, and he plops in the guest chair before handing me my drink and cookies. I place them on my desk and roll my chair around so I’m facing him. I eye him appraisingly: Maxwell looks good. He’s still slim with a head full of gelled hair; his face is still handsome in an odd way. Maxwell is the type that is always animated: eyes flashing and sparkling, a permanent half smile lifting one corner of his mouth, hands moving.

A man in motion.

Right now, his leg is jiggling while his fingers tap and dance against his pant-covered thigh.

“What brings you here?” I ask curiously.

“I dropped Pen off this morning and walking her to the elevator, we ran into Lynn going on a coffee run.”

I freeze momentarily. Maxwell dropped Penelope off? “You and Pen?” I ask in what I hope is a casual tone.

He nods happily. “I ran into her at a pet shelter a couple of weekends ago. We talked some, grabbed some lunch, and we’ve been … hanging out ever since.”

“He was looking for a peacock!” Penelope offered helpfully from her cubicle.

I nod slowly. “Hanging out,” I repeat.

Max’s eyes grow wide as he takes in my expression. “It’s not like that.”

We stare at each other. The yet is unspoken. 

Ghosts (Damien/Kai/Hayden ):

We were eating dinner in the living room. America’s Most Eligible was on, and for whatever reason, Kai and Hayden absolutely love that show. There were shrieks of laughter and finger pointing at the television set while I watched them absently, barely tasting my dinner.

Hayden noticed my lack of scoffing and reprimand and looked at me quizzically. “Are you okay, love?”

Kai put down her forkful of food to look at me through narrowed eyes. “Does this have to do with that client? What’s the job, Damien?”

She is neither suspicious nor jealous, just protective. Kai doesn’t love deeply or passionately; she loves fiercely.

I sip some cold beer. “I don’t know the job yet. I have to meet with them to find out.”

They both look at me skeptically. I shrug. “I just … I don’t know. I feel disconnected and I don’t know why.”

Except I do. I’m lying to the two most important people in my life, after mom and siblings, because of a man who left me three years ago. Over a phone call. I didn’t hear from him when I was heartbroken. I didn’t hear from him when robot assassins and a crazy man were trying to kill me and my friends.

No, he waits until I’m happy again to call. And I answered.

Love in a Time of Betrayal:

The light in the room was muted as the late afternoon sun filtered in through the closed window blinds. The heavy damask curtains were pulled open, tied back with cords of silk rope. They reminded her of an opera box.

Her hands ran down the front of his shirt, frantically pulling buttons through their holes; the diamond on her finger sparkled in the muted light of the room. The fabric was soft beneath her fingertips. Silk? Often washed cotton? It didn’t matter as she pulled the shirt from his broad shoulders. He let out a low laugh at her eagerness, his hair falling across his forehead in an endearing way.

She couldn’t wait to run her fingers through it.

The man pulled her closer to his bare chest, his short curly hairs matted to his skin. She breathed him in: pinecones, green grass, cognac. A hint of leather. Her lips found the crook of his neck and placed a kiss on his collarbone. He responded by planting a kiss in her hair.

They were star-crossed lovers, their hearts and their fates always at odds. The very Universe telling them constantly that they were not to be together, yet their bodies spoke differently.

Their love spoke differently.

She wondered if what they shared was lust or love, and always decided love. Lust could be sated, but her feelings for him never were.

He knew he loved her, with every fiber of his being. But he saw the signs: every chance they had at happiness was snatched away; sometimes cruelly, sometimes subtly. Either way, the pain was the same:

Deep. Hurtful. So intense not even the sweet release of death would alleviate it.

But here they were again, under the most trying of circumstances, attempting to right their world the only way they knew how.

The Queen’s Friendship:

The woman and Veronica were sitting in a dive bar, eating burgers and drinking beers. It had been five years since high school graduation, and their group of friends had disbanded:

Brenda’s mother had died soon after graduation, and she and her siblings had sold the house and divided the money. Brenda moved to Richmond, VA and had gotten a job with the state government. She was expecting her first child any day.

James had gotten a football scholarship from Auburn University. He played well, but not well enough to be noticed by the NFL. He was working as an accountant in Birmingham.

Michael D. had joined the Army.

Michael B. had moved to DC to attend Howard University and was applying to the police academy.

Shirley was in nursing school, and roommates with Rosalind, who was now a cosmetologist.

Ryan had gotten a degree in Physical Education Teaching and Coaching. He had always liked sports, but not playing them. He was waiting to hear back from the school board about a coaching position.

Veronica had gotten her meeting planning certification and was now looking to get into real estate.

The woman had her degree in Office Administration, along with the rest of the world. She had applied to several places but had yet to hear back.

Veronica dipped her French fry in ketchup as she studied the woman’s face. “I need you to be there! We’ve been friends forever and I want you to be my maid of honor!”

“You and Ryan are getting married?” The woman repeated her friend’s earlier statement, feeling foolish. Why, she wasn’t sure.

Veronica leaned back, tapping her nail against her chin. “I thought you were over Ryan?”

“I am! I am!” the woman hurriedly reassured her lifelong friend. “I just … wow, life is moving fast.”

Veronica nodded as she sat up straight. “It is, but it’s right, ya know?”

The woman nodded, but she didn’t know. She didn’t know how right felt. The two friends finished their meal, and on their way out, the woman saw a sign hanging on the wall: Now hiring waitresses, all shifts.

How I Met Your Wife:

The Duchess stopped fussing long enough to allow Yu to greet her deferentially; Riley smiled at the pretty, slim waitress and asked if there were a more private dining area she and her friends could enjoy their lunch. Yu arched an eyebrow; already the waitress held resentment against the Duchess. Of course she would want to lord her power and position over everyone else.

With a grunt, Yu led them to the private dining area reserved for large and/or private parties. Once the group was seated, Riley grasped Yu’s hand. “Thank you so much for accommodating my request. My appreciation will be reflected in your gratuity.”

Yu looked at the Duchess with a touch of incredulity before saying, “It’s the least I can do given that the King is offering the orchard workers some relief. I have family members who are affected.”

Riley looked at the waitress with concerned eyes before rummaging in her purse. “What are their names?”

Yu gave her the names before leaving the table with menus. She didn’t expect anything to come of it, but at least the new Duchess gave good lip service. She returned with the tea service in time to hear the Duchess on her phone arguing with someone who had to be the King.

“NO, you CANNOT return to the manor, Liam! And NO ONE is coming to the Palace! How in the HELL are you going to suggest WE use the SAME BAKER you and Madeleine were going to use?”

Silence as the Duchess listened to whatever the King was saying.

“I DO NOT CARE THAT THEY ARE THE ROYAL BAKERS! DO I LOOK ROYAL TO YOU?”

Yu hung back, not sure what to do. Riley smiled, and waved her over. “I am going to find a local Valtorian baker for the cake.” Brief silence. “IT ISN’T OUR WEDDING CAKE! I have three people, possibly four, with me RIGHT NOW who would LOVE to be the Duke of Valtoria! Don’t worry about who they are!’

More silence, then the Duchess hung up the phone. She looked at Yu. “The King will be joining us. Please send him here when he arrives.”

Coronation:

I run my hand through my hair while keeping the other on the steering wheel. The car is quiet, too quiet. I turn on the radio and a melancholy song fills the sedan.

And I bruise when you leave the room I never liked the way it felt Keepin' my hands to myself, mmm

Like some magic moment of which I'm not quite sure I wonder if you've ever been in love like this before You'll be scared when I possess you But you'll want me all the more

The music doesn’t help because my brain is filled with questions and images. There’s not enough room for the music and I impatiently turn the radio off. My phone rings; my hand fumbles on the passenger seat and I pull my eyes from the nearly empty road long enough to see it’s Beaumont calling and press the speaker button to answer.

“Yeah?” I growl as I check the speedometer and press a little harder on the gas pedal.

“Drake! We got Little Blossom! She’s going to stay!” he babbles excitedly in my ear.

I am quiet for a moment before I respond. “That’s great. Liam will be happy to hear it.” I don’t bother to ask Maxwell why he convinced Brooks to stay.

Liam made a choice. It wasn’t her.

“I thought you’d be more excited,” Maxwell says with some confusion in his voice.

“Olivia showed up at the Coronation, talked to Liam, and left. Then the pictures of Brooks came out. Wondering if there’s a connection.”

“You think Liv sent the pictures?”

I roll my eyes in annoyance. I try to keep the irritation out of my response. “No, Beaumont. I’m wondering if whoever did this to Brooks is behind Liv’s leaving.”

Desperate Measures:

Blinking back tears, Bertrand glanced at his watch. He raised an eyebrow as he realized it was almost time for his visitors. They were coming to meet with the stoic, confident Duke of Ramsford, not some maudlin, lovesick fool whose bank account was dangerously close to being overdrawn.

He pulled his papers together in neat stack and centered them precisely in the middle of the desk. He opened a drawer, and retrieved his lint brush, rolling it in brisk strokes over his suit jacket and sweater vest. Before leaving the study, he reached in a candy dish; he plucked a breath mint, which he popped in his mouth.

The Duke strode down the hall, ignoring the paintings and photos that lined the walls. He needed to check on lunch; the cook had been with the Beaumont family for decades; she still came in twice a week to do the grocery shopping and prepare dinner for the Duke and Lord. The rest of the staff had been let go; Bertrand could not afford to pay them, and people needed to make a living.  

Bertrand trusted the chef implicitly, and normally wouldn’t micromanage, but today was important.

This meeting could put House Beaumont back on the road to riches.

Crown Prince Liam’s social season was starting in two days’ time; Maxwell had accompanied the Prince and some friends to New York City. Bertrand had tasked him with finding a wealthy American socialite who may be willing to sponsor herself in the season. It was a long shot, but Bertrand was desperate. Nothing seemed too farfetched at this point.

House Beaumont could not afford to sponsor anyone; however, every house who entered a suitor received a stipend to cover expenses such as clothing, food, and transportation. The House with the winning suitor received press coverage and a check to be split with the suitor.

Bertrand needed a winning suitor.

But the noblewomen of Cordonia did not need House Beaumont; they had their own houses, and no need to come out of pocket. However, there was one suitor who was entering the season who came from a minor noble house. A suitor whose name was unknown despite her mother having strong ties to Cordonia.

A suitor who had money, and lots of it.

Lady Hana Lee of Shanghai.

What are you working on @ao719​ @bobasheebaby​ @katedrakeohd​ @glaimtruelovealways​ @burnsoslow​ @thecordoniandiaries​ @bbrandy2002​

[akimmito]

Heroes are made by the path they choose

Previous | AO3 | Next

___________________________

Chapter 3

The Paris news continues to speak of the Akuma two days after the event, Marinette is stressed coping with the disaster that remained on her catwalk. Unlike in previous years, Paris is not ready to deal with another Hawkmoth again, and the city's mood fell immediately from the moment appeared. Fashion week continues, but everything feels bad. They have not officially left the apartment since the event, although they have been going to the MT headquarters.

She looks at the cup of chamomile tea that Hugo, her butler?, was kind enough to prepare to help her relax, but she knows that a tea won't help her.

"Mother, we should get out of town. You're pale. ”Damian approaches her and analyzes her posture, obviously she didn't sleep the night before because she was checking the security cameras distributed by Paris looking for the origin of the butterfly, but they are more than five hundred and Max's algorithm barely reduced it to one hundred and twenty cameras. He's concerned about her health, he knows how she gets when she focuses too much on a task.

"Do you want to go to the country house?" She asks putting her head on her arm, dozing off from lack of sleep and the calming effect of chamomile. She just needed a distraction from her mind.

"Yes, you could use a break. Felix can take care of everything in the MT and if they need us, we are a portal away. "He maintains his neutral expression, there are days when he reproaches himself for caring for the woman who decided to adopt him knowing that he's a trained killer, but today is not one of those. She never wanted to change it, not as he thinks his father would have done if he had gone to live with him... Bruce Wayne doesn't tolerate murder, after all. The MT is curious, they dance a lot on the gray line. He was lycky to get them.

"Yeah... you're right." Mariette straightens up and rubs her eyes. If they are going to travel, she must avoid falling asleep until they are in the car on the way to the country house. "That reminds me, we can take Ringo, the vet says that its leg is already better and that he can be transferred from the shelter without problems. "

Damian is encouraged by the news, the little cub was shot in the leg by some thieves, the owner despised him taking it as lost, but he asked his mother to help it heal so that it would not die. The puppy is alive and they can take it to a place where he can be safe and be a happy dog. They made the right decision.

"Go get your bags ready. Maybe we will get to lunch time. "She gets up and picks up her phone, she must notify the employees that they will arrive earlier than planned.

Damian goes to his room being followed by Longg, he must get everything he will carry ready. Not even fifteen minutes have passed when he has everything ready, keeping comfortable clothes to be able to play with his pets in the extensive terrain, very different from his normal residence.

Marinette and Damian live on the top floor of an apartment building just four blocks from the Eiffel Tower, she likes the evening view and even has a window where she has placed a mattress. Damian also became a fan of that same location and became his favorite area within the apartment, although he prefers the Animal Shelter and the country house, both of which were bought especially for him, all because she couldn't fill the apartment with animals (despite of her own desires to do so).

The only pet in the apartment is a very demanding fluffy white cat who likes to be the center of Damian's attention, who gets angry on weekend trips to the country house, where it's forced to live with the others animals ... dirty and unworthy of be a Lenoir. The cat is very proud to be the favorite and it hates with all its might the cat of country house, which always steals the child's precious attention (with dogs it doesn't get in because they are very large, two German shepherds, a Garafiano shepherd and an Australian Shepherd, plus a Bernese Mountain puppy.)

Damian is ecstatic with the prospect of spending six days on the country house, although the cat, named Dafne, doesn't look happy and even growled at the boy when he tried to grab it the first time, now it has already relaxed and brought its bad humor to its transport box. He closes the box and takes his things, now all he has to do is wait for his mother to stop being a mess to they can leave.

"Do you have your suitcase yet?" Marinette asks going from one side to another in the rooms, Damian doesn't even answer her and he only goes out to the living room to wait until she finishes messing up the whole apartment. "Hugo, where are my sketch books?"

They're already packed, Miss Marie. Also the fabric catalog of the next collection and the general balance of the month."

Hugo is a very English man to someone who lived in France most of his life, but she's not going to question him about it (Max did a very good background check). He started working with her a year after founding her brand and somehow managed to discover the MT and is now an unofficial member, making her escapades much easier by having him cover her. She's grateful to heaven for making her cross her path, she would have gone mad without him already.

"Thanks, Hugo."

"Hugo, did you pack the Kwami and Dafne meals?" Damian asks when the man returns to the room. He's eager to leave to meet his pets, he sees them every week, but it's not enough time.

"Of course, the extra order for cheeses was also made for the country house."

"Oh, Hugo! You're the best, I hope you live a thousand years!" Plagg arrives full of joy and almost dares to hug the man, but that is not his style, on the contrary, he cheers for the excellent service. "I wish all my kittens would treat me like you. "

Marinette enters the room with her suitcase and looks at Plagg with mock annoyance, amusement seeping into her gaze. She misses Tikki, she was always the voice of reason, but Plagg has a unique way of keeping her high spirited and, with the stress of her life, very much appreciates his presence, daring to consider he more effective than encouraging words from Tikki.

"Yeah, right? It's not like I paid for all your cheese. ”Plagg flies towards her and repeats the action, causing her to finally laugh at his games. Longg lets out a small snort from his position near the boy, he had not made any noise and that causes others to be surprised by his presence sometimes. Damian rejoices when he sees the others jump off  for forgetting that Longg is active too.

"Shall we go now, mother?"Damian takes out some Dior brand sunglasses and the black mask from his handbag to prevent his face from going out in magazines or social networks without his consent, he doesn't understand what is the interest in them, they are only people with a little money and a brand that becomes more famous after each show. In any case, they shouldn't be interested in him and he detests those who do.

"Yeah, we can go now."                                                

Damian smiles with pleasure putting on his dark glasses, which are already part of his daily wardrobe because he always accompanies Marinette to all kinds of events, the least he can do is learn to combine brands and styles for each time he goes out. He usually opts for black, although lately he no longer cares about trying styles and clothes that he would never have considered wearing.

When they go out to the main entrance, where Hugo is already waiting for them with the car, he have already put on the mask and, of course, a curious spectator treats them as if they were the stars of an Oscar-winning film. At least no one can notice his annoyed expression under the mask.

They enter the car and Damian takes the opportunity to get Dafne out, it prefers to travel like this and  they will not change vehicles as when they leave the country, he can carry it all the way. Everyone thinks that he’s too spoiled, but he considers that it's fair since it's the only animal that he's allowed to keep at home.

As the small Lenoir family moves towards the country house, in the MT, Kagami destroys the training dolls with a saber, under the watchful eye of Luka who, from the second level, watches her move with the fury of a hurricane. He mentally notes placing the doll replacement as part of the following month's expense.

"If she continues like this, she will come looking for us to fight with us." Luka turns to the person who has just entered, Alix stands near him, appreciating the power of the cuts and the lethality of the Japanese woman. "The little demon would have a good training match with her. "

"Mari sent a message, they will be at the country house. "

"How envious, I wish I had a place like that to escape to." She yawns, leaning on the railing. "But duty calls.”She mutters when her phone starts ringing to the rhythm of the Seven Nation Army, which means it's a call from work. Alix walks away just waving.

Luka smiles softly, it's a calm day. Perhaps everyone is a little more tense, stressed and with excitement itching their hands, but it's very calm, life continues its course regardless of the problems that may exist. The insignificance with which life itself deals with the matter gives he the certainty that they will solve it, that this time there will not be a third party that stands in their way of recovering Nooroo.

The voices are loud outside the training room and he can see the moment when Nathaniel and Kim enter arguing, Marc is a few steps behind them looking at them with an undoubtedly irritated expression, as if they had been on that same topic for a long time.

"I tell you, if we were to work with someone outside the MT, it can't be Batman. I love my privacy, thanks. ”Nathaniel says tired, he despises eternally the heartless blonde who brought up that subject only to leave saying he had job. Kim is not an official member, hei tournaments trips and constant swimming training prevent her from being one, so he doesn't fully understand why the MT remains so in the shadows (even with the irony that the Parisian media talks about they with the same frequency as Jagged, Clara and other famous faces).

"He would help a lot, you know."

"Yeah, but he would also discover the Miracoulous and that is a resounding no. Our duty is to protect them and the less people know it, the easier it'll be. "

"They mention it in the news!"

"In fact. "Marc speaks behind them, tired of hearing them repeat arguments. "Since decree No. 35 of the current French government was released, any mention of the Prodigies in the media will be sanctioned according to the provisions of the MT, that is to say, us, and of the Parisian heroes, also us. It has even been included in the Constitution as a secret of identity and provenance for the protection of heroes. Chloe was devastating when she demanded a law that protected us and the Kwami, without lying, she put all the cards on the table without mentioning personal gain. "

Kim is speechless, he really didn't know that. When was the last time he updated on the laws in his country? He might as well break some and he wouldn't know it. To take into account, just like talking to Chloe about it.

"You see? Now that we are done with this, can we train? "

Kagami destroys the last doll at that moment and turns to the newcomers, has released all her frustrations.

They are supposed to be starting the investigation into the new Hawkmoth, but the mayor's office has requested that they refrain from starting the investigation for a week, he does not understand the irrationality of that request. She's very angry at the mayor's negligence, the longer they delay the investigation, the harder it will be to track him down. Still, it annoyed her more the way Marinette and Felix so easily accepted orders… when they don't take orders from anyone, they can move around the edges of the law, but they're not below it.

"Has Mari-hime arrived?"

"She texted that she'd be at the country house with Damian, she needs the break," Marc replies before heading to the locker room to change into training clothes.

"Where's Felix?"

"Work." Nathaniel growls the answer and then follows his boyfriend, just thinking about the blonde makes him bitter. An hour arguing nonsense with Kim is enough to put anyone in a bad mood, he doesn't understand how Max can be such a good friend with him.

Kagami frowns and hands the saber to Kim before leaving the training room, she's angry again. What do Marinette and Felix intend? She rarely understands what goes through their heads.

Luka comes down from the second level to intercept Kagami, she's being overbearing on the whole miraculous butterfly issue. He knows that Marinette doesn't play with the affairs of the MT, she doesn't endanger them on purpose and they don't make hasty decisions, only one person is more cautious than she and that is Felix, if the two agreed to wait, they have something keep in mind.

"Kagami." He calls her, but she doesn't stop. "Kagami."

"I'm not listening to you, you're going to defend them."

"I ask you to think about it more deeply. Mari is very serious about retrieving the butterfly clasp, she knows what she's doing."

"Oh, Yeah. I really believe that." She looks at him annoyed, in front of him.

"You are upset, but don't let anger cloud your thoughts. We are all frustrated, eager to fight, but we will only hit a wall if we rush. You have to know when to take a break, this is a good time. "

She purses her mouth, holding back the words. He's somewhat right, their cannt just run into the unknown pretending they know where they are going. Her only answer is a nod before she resumes her journey, perhaps she should go see her mother and stay away from the MT until the break ends or another Akuma appears, whichever comes first.

_______________________________

Damian @DamianLenoir

Ringo is better and today he will meet his new brothers, he is a very happy puppy.

[Attached photo]

Alix @LostHeroBunnix

Why did I think opening an art school would be fun? I should have kept my skates.

Felix @GrahamV_Felix

Should I yell or yell at the worthless one who flooded the set? I just had to turn on a tap, not recreate the scene of the Biblical Flood.

Nath @NathanielKC_twt

@GrahamV_Felix Being nice and not giving a scare of death to the people around you could help you the other people not flood the set. Did you know?

Felix @GrahamV_Felix

@NathanielKC_twt And become Marie? Is not my style.

Marie L. @MarieLenoir

@GrahamV_Felix @NathanielKC_twt Too much style for you, it doesn't fit with you; p

Chloe B. @BourgeoisQueen

Marie take me with you! @MarieLenioir

Damian @DamianLenoir

@BourgeoisQueen NO.

______________________

Ages:

Tomoe T: 50. Bruce: 45. Dick: 28. Luka: 26. Jason: 25. Marie and her group: 24. Tim: 19. Damian: 10.

[lovemesomesurveys]

do you have a lot of barbecues during the summer? Not anymore, but growing up we did quite often.

do you plan on going to the movies soon? to see what? I’d like to, but probably not anytime soon.

do you tie your shoes or just tuck in the laces? I tie them.

What is one present you got for your last birthday? A new pair of Adidas.

What is one thing that you took to show and tell as a kid? Hmm. Probably a Barbie or something.

Do you remember losing your first tooth? Not the very first, but I remember eating an apple and loosing a tooth.

In the summer would u rather have the windows down or the AC on in the car? I’d definitely turn the AC on. Rolling the windows down just blows hot air.

are you itchy anywhere right now? Not at the moment, but I probably will now.

Have you ever thrown anything at a moving car? Uh, no. 

Have you ever been addicted to a game? What game? I get really into Mario games. And The Sims.

What song makes you laugh when you hear it? Hmm.

do you believe in "the one"? I don’t know.

Do you like maple cookies? I don’t think I’ve ever had a maple cookie before. <<< Me either, but that does sound good. I love maple.

Have you ever volunteered anywhere? where? Tons of places.

are you afraid to pop a balloon? Yes, haha. I’m such a jumpy person. Even if I’m expecting something I’d still get scared.

Name one person you'd like to see this month. I don’t want to see anyone outside of my parents and brother right now.

How high do you put the volume while using headphones? When listening to ASMR I put the volume all the way up. If I’m watching a regular video or listening to music then maybe like half way, it depends.

When was the last time you laughed when you shouldn't have? I don’t recall. What would be the worst possible way to be woken up? I hate when I wake up from a horrible dream that feels so real that I wake up literally sobbing and shaking.

which was better: lion king 1 or lion king 2? Oh, the first hands down.

Do any of your grandparents have a tattoo? No.

When was the last time you had a bubble bath? When I was a kid.

have you ever had a pet rock? No, but I did collect rocks as a kid.

Do you believe in marriage? Sure, I just don’t see myself getting married.

What word do you say way too much? “Nice.”

What do you usually buy when you go to the corner store? I haven’t gone to like a 7/11 or anything in quite awhile, but I used to all the time cause I live close to one and I’d go and get all kinds of snacks and a drink, like a soda or Slurpee.

are you currently cold? No.

do you believe that your pets feel love towards you? Yes.

what is a creative way to paint your nails? I wouldn’t know.

does your computer have built in speakers or do you have some plugged in? They’re built into the laptop.

bubbles or sidewalk chalk? I liked drawing with chalk as a kid.

What do you use to tell time when your gone out somewhere? My phone.

what color is your alarm clock? I use my phone, which is gold.

what brand is your TV? Philips. 

are you proud of your body? Nooo. I’m extremely self-conscious.

Watermelon or Cherries? Watermelon.

What is your all time favorite song? I couldn’t choose just one.

Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character? On TV shows and movies, yeah. Eric Northman on True Blood started my love for Alexander Skarsgard.

What is the band you've listened to most lately? I haven’t been listening to music lately.

how much effort do you put into how you look? Not at all anymore. :/ I’m a mess.

Favorite brand of cookies? Not really a favorite brand, just favorite types like sugar and shortbread.

what would you do if you found out your mother had killed someone? Uh, wow. I don’t know...

If you could meet anyone who lived before your time, who would it be? Lucille Ball.

Do you pay for your own things? Some things.

Have you ever been rushed to the hospital in an ambulance? Yes.

Do you think the world is getting worse every year? Kinda feels that way.

Have you ever had a reoccurring dream? Yeah, a few.

Have you ever gone a day without eating? Yeah. 

How do YOU believe the world & universe started? I believe God created the world and everything in it.

What was the topic of the last essay you wrote? I don’t remember.

how old were you when you discovered what sex was? Uhhh. Elementary school sometime.

Do you wish you had smaller feet? My feet are small.

Have you ever stuck gum under a desk/chair? EW, no. That is so incredibly disgusting like why do people do that?? *barf*

When shopping at a grocery store, do you return your cart or just leave it? We return it.

What is one thing you'd never want your parents to find out? Hmm.

Who is the best cook in your house? My parents and brother are all great cooks and have their own specialties.

When you were little, did you like Dr. Suess books? Yeah.

Have you ever felt trapped in a relationship? In a way I did.

How many dryer sheets do you put in a load of laundry? I’m not the one who does the laundry, my mom helps me with that.

Recommend a good book to me. Check out the many different series from Willow Rose and Mary Stone, as well as the Emma Griffin series by AJ Rivers if you’re into murder mysteries and psychological thrillers.

What would you consider unforgivable? If someone murdered one of my family members? <<< Most definitely.

When you hear someone talking about lice, does your head start itching? Ugh, yes. 

What would be a clever name for a giraffe? Haha, I named one of my giraffe stuffed animals Gigi, as in GG, meant to stand for Giant Giraffe because it stands 4ft tall.

Are there any items of jewelry you never/rarely take off? No, not anymore. I haven’t worn any jewelry in a long time.

What's something you like to do while you're drunk? I haven’t been drunk or drank alcohol at all in almost 10 years.

Do you think you deserve more than what you have? I don’t think I deserve anything.

Would you rather give your food to a homeless shelter or money to charity? Give food to a homeless shelter. And other items.

Kiss on the neck or kiss on the cheek? Depends.

True or False: you this read wrong True. 

Don't you hate when you hit your tooth on your cup trying to get a drink? Yeah. Or with a fork is even worse.

Which store would you choose to max out a credit card? I wouldn’t ever want to max out my credit card. <<<

Who has the loudest mouth in your house? My dad talks loud.

Can you understand Shakespeare English? No, but that’s why there’s SparkNotes or modernized versions. <<< Ha, yep. Quite helpful.

Do you usually buy or make your Halloween costumes? I just put simple stuff together.

Do you like eating out at restaurants? I used to. These past few years I’ve become a major homebody and just prefer takeout. With the pandemic I’ve had a ton of takeout.

What was your least favorite year of your life so far? These past few.

What is the most ridiculous law you ever heard about? There’s a lot of really random, ridiculous ones.

Is your name common? Very.

If you could have any pet in the world, illegal or not, what would you get? I just want doggos.

Do you like fried bologna? I’ve never had it, but I do love regular bologna sandwiches.

How do you act around people you dislike? Probably the same, just slightly more disinterested in what they have to say. <<< Yeah. I’m also more short and don’t engage much in the conversation. 

Do you like decorating rooms or would you rather have someone else do it ? I don’t have the creativity or knack for that, it would just stress me out. I’d much rather hire someone. 

Have you ever been to Canada? No.

have you spent money on a game online? I have on apps on my phone.

Are you good at making small talk? Noo, I’m the worst.

Has someone ever taken something from you that you could never replace? Yes.

Are you a fan of tattoos? Eh, I kinda want a little one but it’s not a big deal if I don’t. 

Are you bikini ready? I don’t wear bikinis or any kind of bathing suit.

What do you dislike the most about being the gender that you are ? Menstrual cycles sucked.

[scarlettxduke]

Is that EMMA MACKEY on campus? Oh no, that’s SCARLETT DUKE. From LEEDS, UK, the 18 year old has come to study VETERINARY MEDICINE and SEXUALITY AND GENDER STUDIES. Rumor has it she is DOWN-TO-EARTH and VALIANT, but PRIVATE and STUBBORN, which is why she is known as THE ANIMAL LOVER. She resides in YORK and can’t wait to graduate.

+ Down-to-Earth/Realistic, Confident, Intelligent, Fair - Private, Distant, Stubborn

Many would say that Scarlett had a very lucky life and they would be right for the most part. Being the first born daughter of a rockstar sounded like a dream. Her father is a rockstar well known in the UK called Max Duke. He married a French model called Lucille. It took a few years a marriage before Lucille fell pregnant with Scarlett and she was her mother’s pride and joy. This wasn’t saying that her dad didn’t love her but he wasn’t around. He was too busy in the height of his career that for most of her childhood he wasn’t around and when he was, he was more trying to buy her love than spend actual time with her.

Scarlett didn’t care much about material possessions even as a kid. She was smart and knew what he was doing. However, the one guilt present she got that she loved more than anything was Beauty - a black Fell Pony. She learnt how to ride a horse with some lessons and loved Beauty more than anything. Beauty was the stem of her love for animals. Over the years, the family have adopted many dogs and some cats too. 

In school, Scarlett always did well - finding particular enjoyment in science/biology. She didn’t enjoy her school experience all that much. She wanted to go to a public school over a private school since she didn’t want to deal with snooty kids. She just wanted to be like all the other boys and girls. However, when people learnt who her dad was, people would pretend to be her friend to try and meet her dad or the boys would make comments about her mum who they had seen in magazines. It wasn’t so much bullying but all Scarlett wanted was to feel normal and this experience wasn’t normal.

When she was 7, she gained a little brother called Axel. In spite of the age difference, by the time Axel was around 7, they were close. Scarlett looked out for Axel and tried her best to stop any form of experience that Scarlett was given in school. She only ever wants to best for him and although it looks like he’s taking the same footsteps as their absent father who Axel idolises unlike Scarlett, they still get along like a house on fire.

When Scarlett was 16, the family up and moved from Leeds, England to some surburbia in Los Angeles. It was a second home and they would still fly back to England most holidays to see family and friends but it was still a big move and a difficult one for Scarlett. This was when she really started to rebel more. She began to go out with bad crowds at school and got in to drinking and smoking and occasionally drugs. Her father was trying to make it big in Los Angeles which was slowly becoming more and more popular but before he built this fame, Scarlett had a sense of freedom from everyone knowing his name. She felt normal for just a moment.

Leaving school, she knew she wanted to be a vet in the future and that’s where she has chosen her major. She loves animals and wants to help. If she has time, she sometimes volunteers at a pet shelter trying to help find forever homes for cats and dogs. She also wanted to move out of the house and although she was quite happy getting the cheap student housing, her parents were adamant on getting her the most expensive house which at times she detests. She doesn’t want people to think she’s rich and just wants to be normal like she has wanted all her life and luckily, so far, things have been normal now that she’s away from her parents.

[beeupsidedown]

Sweet Dreams | Billy Hargrove

Billy Hargrove’s favorite voice was always hers.

Warnings: Angst. death 

A/N: I’m so sorry in advance.

Billy sat quietly on the edge of his bed that morning. The house was empty, his parents having gone out to town and his step-sister running around with her small group of friends. He was alone, with nothing to do and no strength to even get dressed.

He sighed, his hand running over his face. He hadn’t bothered to shower in days now, his oily hair proof of that. He knelt down beside his bed, his bare knee hitting the cold wooden floors. His hand reached for an old shoe box that rattled when he grabbed it and gently placed it on his bed. Without a second thought he grabbed the small Walkman that sat on his drawer and threw himself beneath his covers again.

Inside the shoe box were a handful of cassette tapes. Each were labeled with different dates, some labeled with book titles or clever mixtape names. He pulled one out that was simply labeled “Billy” and popped it in.

The sound of her voice soothed him immediately. If Billy had a say he’d claim it was the most beautiful voice in the world, one that no one could ever beat. He grinned as he listened to her speak as if she were there.

“Hey Billy. I’m going away for a while so I thought I’d make you a tape so you don’t miss my beautiful voice,“ she chuckled.” You really can’t live without me, can you?”

Billy’s lips tugged at her chuckle, her words holding more truth that she could imagine. 

“I wish you could go with me. You know I hate these family vacations. Florida? Worst place in the world, Billy. All I ever get is a tan. Which I know you’re a fan of.”

Billy smiled as he listened to her rant about her disdain over the family trips. That’s all these tapes really were. Just a bunch of nonsense that was meant to soothe him to sleep the way her voice usually would when she slept in his bed. He laid there, her voice his sole salvation as he fought the feelings he had bottled up.

Before he knew it the tape had ended, her voice fading out to silence. His hand reached for the next tape, smiling as he realized it was the music mixtape she had made. It was full of awful pop and disco music that she adored. He constantly made fun of her music taste but she remained stubborn, insisting that Madonna was the epitome of all that was good.

He pushed play, listening to the cringeworthy beats and lyrics. Their music taste was night and day but he still respected her devotion to it. He listened, having long ago realized that each song was some form of “I love you” in musical form.

He fell asleep halfway through. His body was exhausted, his lack of sleep taking its toll. He rested, undisturbed and peaceful for a few hours. It wasn’t until a nasty nightmare woke him, its cruel images enough to shake him to his core. His hands desperately reached for the next tape, quickly pushing it in and hitting play.

This time it was a collection of her favorite poems. He listened to the way she read, her voice soft and full of adoration for every word she spoke. His heart returned to normal, the tears on his face beginning to dry.

“But we loved with a love that was more than love,” she paused for a moment, “Kind of like us, huh Billy?”

He found himself nodding in agreement although she couldn’t see him. They did love each other. That raw emotion was what had saved him from himself. She had taken him and showed him how to live without anger. She taught him to not let his experiences define him so negatively. She taught him to be kind, to be human. Her mere presence was enough to calm him even on his worst days, her kisses enough to let him know that life was worth living for.

She continued on reading, her voice filling his mind as he closed his eyes. He pictured her there, seated on the edge of his bed with a book in her hands. It was something he had various memories of, if only he could recreate it now.

“Alright Billy. I hope that was enough to get you through the night. I’ll see you when I get home.”

The tape came to an end and he simply laid there, drowning in silence. Finally his hand reached for another tape, grabbing hold of the newest one he had added to his collection just the week before.

He stared at it. The cassette box had been decorated with stickers and glitter along with doodles made in marker. It was nauseating, the amount of hearts that were drawn on. He pushed it in, listening to her voice once more.

“Hey Billy. Looks like it’s that time of year again. Where I go to hell and you get to listen to the same tape for two weeks straight.”

Billy turned in bed, pulling his covers closer to him. The sun was beginning to set now. He had spent all day in his room, his door shut to remain undisturbed.

“There’s no books or poems or amazing music this time,” she laughed, “no. This time I think I’ll just talk to you.”

His eyes closed as he pictured her there, her hair tangled as it spread across his pillows. He could see her smile, the sparkle in her eye always present when she looked at him.

“We just graduated. You know what that means? It’s time to plan our futures. Scary, right?”

Billy had given his future some thought by now. She was always it.

I don’t know about you but I have some plans. I want to start an animal shelter. You know, the one I’ve always dreamt about?”

Billy thought back to their conversations. She was an avid animal lover and had helped out at the local shelter during her down time. She’d even convinced him to join her in the summer where he found his mood greatly improved by the company of stray dogs. 

“We can start it together. I know you love it deep down,” she went on. “But that’s not all.”

“Billy Hargrove,” she said with a deep sigh. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” he said softly, his eyes shut tightly as his hands balled into fists, holding tightly to his blanket.

“My future is with you. I see us getting married. Can you imagine that?” she spoke softly. “I’d wear a big puffy dress, not so big that I can’t dance but big enough that you’d compare me to a cupcake.”

Billy released a choked laugh, tears beginning to build behind his eyes.

“And you’d wear a suit and look amazing. God, imagine you in something like that.” Her light laughter filled his ears. “That’s something I can’t wait for.”

A soft pause and a smack of her lips.

“We’d honeymoon in California. You’ll take me to all the beaches you always talk so much about. I’ll get so tan you won’t even recognize me.”

The thought of her at the beach was something he’d imagined before. It was something he’d always wanted to make a reality.

“And then we’d find a small home somewhere. Maybe raise a few kids and some dogs. If we have daughters I know you’ll spoil them rotten.”

The sound of the front door opening fell on deaf ears as he continued to listen.

“God, we have so much to do Billy. I adore you. You’re the only man I could ever love,” he could hear the smile in her voice. “Pathetic, right?”

She laughed and he could already see her shaking her head, a clear indicator that she was joking.

“I love you so much Billy. Don’t you dare forget about me while I’m on these trips.”

He couldn’t. He would never be able to forget about her. She had changed his world forever the minute she came into it. She was the good in his life, the reason he woke up in the morning and the one girl he thought about at night.

“I’ll see you when I get home. I love you.”

Except she never came home.

A drunk driver had crashed into them on their way to the airport. The car had rolled, falling down the side of the mountain, each hit worse than the last. By the time the paramedics arrived she was gone. 

This was all he had left of her. Her voice and her promises. Her dreams for their future that would never come.

He sobbed, his wails loud enough to fill the entire home. The walls of his bedroom had been punched through, his furniture kicked in with his pain. He cried, burying his face in his pillow as his face turned red and his knuckles white as they punched the mattress.

Max fought tears as she heard her brother’s cries. His pain flooded through her as she remembered how happy he had been. She recalled the way she’d always see her in his room, seated on his lap with a smile on her face. Billy had been happy. He had changed for the better because he found someone worth living for. And she had been taken in the blink of an eye.

Max sat outside of his door until his cries quieted down. Slowly she opened his door, scared of what she would find. Her heart shattered as she saw Billy in bed, his eyes puffy and his face red. He glanced at her and said nothing, instead choosing to stare up at the ceiling as he hid his sniffling.

She walked over to his bedside, placing all of the tapes back into their box. She left one out, the very first one marked “Billy.” He said nothing as she climbed into bed with him and gently pulled the Walkman out of his hands. She switched out the tapes and hit play, snuggling into his side as the voice he loved so dearly greeted him again.

“Hey Billy. I’m going away for a while so I thought I’d make you a tape so you don’t miss my beautiful voice. You really can’t live without me, can you?”

[purrincess-chat]

A Place to Call Our Own CH2

The next chapter of my QPR Adrien and Kagami fic for @auyeahaugust and @miraculousfluffmonth. This goes with the prompt Summer Love and is a continuation of my roommate AU, so ayy here you go.

Read on AO3

Chapter 2

The afternoon was calm and quiet as Adrien and Kagami reclined on their couch. Kagami laid across his lap, scrolling aimlessly on her phone while Adrien squinted at a Sudoku puzzle. Cartoons played on the TV in the background, the remnants of their breakfast strewn out on the coffee table that Adrien’s feet were propped upon, and after forty minutes, Kagami set her phone down with a sigh.

“Ya know, I thought freedom would be a little more exciting,” She said, leaning against her fist as Adrien glanced up from his puzzle. “It’s been three days of store bought food and cartoons, and I’m already bored.”

“What else do you wanna do?” Adrien asked, setting the booklet and pen aside.

“Something exciting,” She grumbled.

“We could invite Marinette over,” He suggested hopefully.

“She’s got class and some internship,” Kagami said glumly before burying her face in the couch pillow.

“What about Nino? I could text him-”

“He was djing all night at a club and just got home an hour ago.” She shook her head.

“Alya?”

“Working.”

“Alix?”

“Out of town.”

“Kim and Max?”

“Family in town and in class,” Kagami sat up and hugged the pillow to her chest. “All of our friends are busy.”

They slumped together with pursed lips, contemplating a fun activity they could do themselves. As it turned out, they didn’t really know what to do with their new found freedom, and the lack of structure in their lives was proving to be extremely dull. There was so much that they wanted to see and experience, but they didn’t know where to start.

“We could go walk around town and find things to do,” Adrien offered with a shrug, and Kagami stood up, stretching her arms over her head.

“Beats sitting around here,” She said, striding over to her room to get dressed, and Adrien did the same.

They started up the street, passing by shops and cafes with little interest, but being out of the house put Kagami in a better mood at least. After a while, they stopped for bubble tea and took up residence at a table. Kagami leaned back in her chair, soaking up the summer sun while Adrien sipped his drink.

“We should see a movie,” Kagami said, sitting forward.

“Okay, but I promised Nino I’d wait to see the new Star Fighters movie with him,” Adrien said, and Kagami leaned back once more with a groan.

“There’s gotta be something to do in this city,” She whined, rolling her head around until her eyes fixated on a young woman walking her dog, and she shot forward once more. “I know what we can do.”

Several minutes later, they pushed open the door of the nearest animal shelter, and Kagami placed her hands on her hips as they approached the counter. The small attendant raised her brows in a tell-tale expression of ‘can I help you?’

“Show me your dogs,” Kagami demanded slapping her palms on the table, and Adrien held up a clarifying finger.

“We’d like to look if you don’t mind,” He said, and the woman nodded, beckoning them to follow her to the kennels.

“We have over a hundred dogs and cats here that are ready for adoption,” She said over the clamor of barking as they made their way back. “What kind of dog are you looking for?”

“Cute,” Adrien said.

“Floppy ears,” Kagami added.

“Well, feel free to browse, and see if anyone stands out,” She said, folding her arms over her chest as they made their way down the aisle.

“Oh, look at this one!” Adrien squealed, stopping outside the kennel of a golden retriever puppy.

“He’s handsome,” Kagami cooed, letting it lick her fingers through the bars. “I think I saw a poodle up the row a little.”

“Where?” Adrien gasped, following behind her eagerly.

This continued for another hour as they bounced from kennel to kennel, admiring different dogs for a moment before moving on to another. When they decided to peruse the shelter, they hadn’t actually intended on adopting one, but at the end of one aisle sat a dejected looking black lab curled up into a ball. Kagami and Adrien hesitated outside his cage, and he quirked a brow at them but made no effort to sit up. Instead he simply watched them with his one eye, waiting for them to look him over and then continue on their way.

“Excuse me?” Kagami hailed the attendant. “Can we take him out?”

“Of course.” She nodded, retrieving a leash from the wall and directing them to the visitation room.

“Hey, buddy,” Adrien cooed as she led him in, rubbing between his ears.

“His name is Beau, and he was brought in by his owners after an accident that cost him his eye,” She explained.

“Poor guy!” Kagami gasped, scratching his side.

“He’s been here for several months, and we’re at max capacity so the next wave of euthanasias, he’s going with,” She said, pursing her lips. “It’s a shame too. He’s very sweet and incredibly smart.”

Adrien and Kagami exchanged looks. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“100%” She nodded.

Marinette climbed the stairs to Adrien and Kagami’s floor, a fresh loaf of bread in her hands. It had been a couple days since she checked on them, and she wanted to ensure that things were going well. The place was still standing, she supposed, but she did want to make sure they were both still alive. Arriving at their door, she rang the bell and waited.

“Coming!” She heard Kagami yell. She sounded cheerful, so Marinette deemed that they must be eating to keep such high spirits. “Hey, Marinette!”

“Hello, I brought over some bread for you guys,” She said, exchanging kisses with Kagami. “How is everything-”

She stopped short in the entrance to the living room, gaze locking on the black lab stretched across Adrien’s lap, panting happily while he scratched his belly. Adrien laughed as the dog licked his face, glancing up at her with a grin.

“Oh, hey, Marinette!” He said. “We got a dog.”

“I can see that.” She nodded as Kagami settled back in beside him and resumed stroking between his ears.

“The shelter was gonna put him down, so we adopted him,” Kagami explained. “His name is Beau, and we love him.”

“Yeah, when we first saw him, he looked so sad, but look how happy he is now!” Adrien beamed.

Marinette surveyed the adjacent kitchen, seeing no signs of a dog bowl or toys and sighed, but she couldn’t bring herself to spoil their moment. It was obvious that they truly loved Beau, so she’d lecture them later. It seemed as if she had another thing to keep alive now. Just great.

[puppyexpressions]

10 Myths About Border Collies

Myth 1:  I have small children, so I want a puppy. Without a doubt, this is the most common reason people want a puppy.  A sweet, small puppy just seems like the best choice for sweet, small children. You know that cute Kodak commercial with the puppies climbing all over the giggling little boy? Have you ever noticed how short it is? That’s because they could only film for a few seconds before the welts rose, the blood dripped, and the boy began to scream for his mother.  Puppies have needle-teeth that they happily sink into anyone who walks by.  They also have sharp nails that scratch when they jump up -- and on little Ryan, those front feet land right around his face. Puppies leave “presents” that your toddler always seems to find before you do.  Puppies wake your children during the night.  And a puppy doesn’t know the difference between his stuffed toy and Sarah’s Piglet that she MUST have to fall asleep. And suppose you get a puppy when little Morgan is 2.  In six months, Morgan will be about 1 inch taller and 3 pounds heavier.  However, the 8-month-old puppy will now be as tall as Morgan and outweigh her by 20 pounds.  And those baby teeth will have been replaced by big snappers that need to chew. Of course, puppies and small children do successfully co-habitate.  But, in our experience, your child will go through far less Neosporin and Band-Aids with a calmer 2 + year old dog who is road-tested with children. Myth 2:  It’s better to get a puppy.  With an older dog, you never know what you’re getting. Seems to make sense, except the exact opposite is true.  All puppies are cute; all puppies love everyone.  It’s not until a dog hits sexual maturity that some innate behavioral problems start to surface.  We can’t even estimate how many calls we’ve had from people who paid thousands of dollars for a purebred puppy, who is now a year or two old and biting people, attacking other dogs, or engaging in some oddball neurotic behavior.  Purebred is not the same as well bred, and sometimes it feels like the disreputable breeders grossly outnumber the responsible ones. The truth is this: when we list a 4-month-old puppy, we can only guess what kind of adult she’ll make.  When we list an 18-month-old dog, we can predict pretty accurately what kind of dog you’ll have forever. Myth 3:  If you train your dog right, he’ll stay in the yard without a fence. Many people believe this, right up until the moment the dog is hit by a car, eats poison in the neighbor’s garage, or is stolen.  We insist on a fence or leash walks.  Rescue dogs are typically either strays (which means they have a history of wandering) or owner-surrenders (which means they’re going to go look for their ex-owner first chance they get).  We just can’t risk it. Myth 4:  When I was growing up, we had a PERFECT Border Collie. No, you didn’t.  Trust me, he was only perfect because you were 8 and didn’t have to clean up after him and be responsible for him.  I know you believed he was perfect, but you also believed in Santa and honest government then, too. I had a perfect BC named Max when I was growing up.  He died in my freshman year of college, and has since, in family lore, gone on to be canonized.  St. Max.  Bow your head when you say it.  Everyone in my family seems to forget the time St. Max was hit by a car he was chasing.  Or the time he bit the kid biking by.  Or how he used to sneak in and sleep on the furniture when no one was home.  Or the time he had diarrhea all over the hardwood floors.  Or how he used to eat the Christmas ornaments off the bottom half of the tree. Since I’ve been an adult, I’ve never had a perfect Border Collie--but every single one of them was perfect for me. Myth 5:  Border Collies stop being puppies around a year old. BUUUUZZZZZ! I’m sorry.  Try 2 or 3 for most.  Many Border Collies don’t calm down and hit their stride until they’re 4 or 5. Myth 6:  I want a dog without dominance issues, so I want a female. In the wacky world of Border collies, that’s just not true.  For starts, it’s impossible to make gender-based absolutes.  But once you spend time around Border Collies, you’ll start to notice there are plenty of hyper, dominant females out there.  You’ll also notice lots of mellow, roll-with-the-punches males (especially after they make that all-important trip to Dr.  Knife). It all depends on the individual dog, but don’t think for a minute that a female is a sure ticket to a passive, submissive pooch. Myth 7:  My 8 month old Border Collie is biting people.  He’s not lunging or growling, but he makes little nips on arms and legs.  I can’t keep an aggressive dog. The secret here is to look at what the dog has been bred to do.  Border Collies herd.  It’s what they do.  And chances are, that’s all he’s doing to your friends and family. This is called mouthing.  It’s what happens when those cute little puppy bites go uncorrected.  And if your dog’s doing it, he will continue to do it--and do it harder and stronger--until you DO correct it. Fortunately, it is relatively easy to fix in most dogs.  There’re lots of tips on the internet (just search for “dog mouthing”) and your vet can probably help as well.  If the problem is really out of hand, you may need to call in a trainer for a few sessions. Myth 8:  I’m unsure about getting a rescue dog, because I’m afraid he won’t bond to me. That sound you hear is all the people with rescued dogs falling over laughing.  Because the exact opposite is nearly always true--your rescue dog will CLING to you. Look at it from the dog’s perspective.  She’s spent the bulk of the last year on a 6-foot chain in someone’s back yard because she committed the unconscionable sin of no longer being a puppy.  At some point during the day, someone may remember to bring her food and water.  The only attention she gets is when they yell at her for barking. Finally, they take her for a car-ride--dumping her in a wooded area where she can have a “fighting chance.” Despite everything, she waits there for their return or tries to get back home.  She finds water somewhere.  She raids trashcans and gets sick.  If she’s extremely lucky, she survives long enough for an animal lover to find her and bring her to the shelter. Then she sits in the loud, scary shelter run, starting to lose faith that her family will ever find her.  The kennel people are nice, but she is one of a hundred needy dogs they have to care for. Finally, the shelter calls us.  And you take her home. You not only bring her into your house, you give her her own bed and bowl, and a crate where she feels safe.  You speak quietly.  When she messes on the carpet, you don’t seem to mind--you just take her outside and then clean it up.  You feed her regularly AND give her toys and treats and Nylabones.  She sleeps in your room.  She may even have a big brother or sister to play with.  She gets kisses.  And when she goes out in the car, she always comes back.

Your rescue dog’s biggest fear is that you will spontaneously combust.

She’s not going to let you out of her sight for one minute.  People with rescue dogs learn to function with a 70 pound shadow following us everywhere. That said, there are some dogs who just never learned to connect with people, but that becomes apparent very quickly--long before we place him with you. Myth 9:  Border Collies are so smart they practically train themselves. Wrong.  Think about it- the dog is smart, so he learns to figure things out.  He may housetrain easily, learn basic obedience easily, but what else can he learn? My BC has learned to open doors, steal laundry, and climb a tree.  He’s also learned that he can entertain himself by digging or barking.  What makes him stop digging or barking? Learning something new and getting a lot of exercise- every day.  Not once a week, every day.  BCs are like that super-smart nerdy kid in Chemistry class- he successfully completes the class experiment, and then blows up the lab because he wants to see how the chemicals interact.  Super smart kids make super big messes. Myth 10:  I don't want to have my dog spayed or neutered because it's not natural/ she should be able to have a litter/I want my children to see the miracle of birth/etc. If everyone prevented irresponsible breeding, we'd be happily out of business.  Do not humanize your dog--no one's asking you to neuter yourself.  Your dog will be healthier and more comfortable once s/he's shifted into neutral--and will also be a much more pleasant companion. Neutered male dogs roam less, mark less territory, and are generally less aggressive.  Spayed female dogs avoid the messy and annoying heat cycles, and are not at risk for unwanted pregnancy.  And both males and females are less likely to get certain illnesses. As for the miracle of birth, well, there's another rite of passage occurring to 20 million dogs a year in this country, 25% of them purebred.  It happens every day at your local animal shelter.  But most parents are not as eager for their children to see that.