#ankle ankle ankle ankle THE CAT!!!! THE CAT!!!!!!

[hannahssimblr]

In the kitchen, I make coffee. Two cups, though Evie has not yet stirred. It is twenty past four, and the clouds are tinged red. 

I make my way out to the garden and tip the dew from a patio chair. I leave one cup on the table and sip from the other as I sit back and watch the sky change. 

She’ll get up soon. 

Behind me, silence permeates the house. 

At half past four, my mug is empty. It’s cold out, and the steam no longer rises from Evie’s cup. I leave it for her anyway as I go to make myself a bowl of cereal. 

I eat and finish it. 

She doesn’t come. 

It is a quarter to five. 

But at last, something stirs. The floorboards creak on the stairs, and I spin around, only to be met with the sight of my mother, her hair undone, and no makeup on her face. She comes to the patio door with a thin jumper thrown over her bony shoulders. 

“Are you ready to go?” She says. 

“Yeah. I was just waiting a minute.”

“For what?”

“One of my friends was supposed to get up.”

She checks her watch. “There could be traffic on the M50.”

“It’s not even five.”

“Port traffic, Jude. You don’t know how it’s going to be. I don’t want you to miss your flight, and you still have to pack the car.”

“Fine,” I push past her and carry my cereal bowl to the sink. “I’ll pack. You can warm up the car if you’re in such a hurry.”

Upstairs, I stand over my bags and listen. She doesn’t stir in the guest room, and my stomach sinks like lead. Should I go in? What if she isn’t wearing clothes?

I carry my bags to the car. 

It is five. 

Mom hurries me on as I insist upon once more trip into the house.

“Jeez! I forgot something,” I tell her, and rush to the kitchen. Outside in the driveway, the engine roars to life.

I find a black marker in a drawer, and tear the corner from the lip of the cereal box. I don’t know what to write. 

Sweet dreams, Evie.  See you later, alligator. 

Oh, wonderful. How stupid. There is no time to change it. 

I hurry upstairs, and I slide it under the door. Again, I wait, with the last shred of hope for the sound of her, and again, there’s nothing. 

So I go. 

“Come on, Jude!” Mom says. “You need time to check in.”

“Yeah, yeah, it’ll be fine.”

“Do you have your boarding pass?”

“Yes.”

“Passport?”

“Of course.”

“Phone? Wallet? Charger?” 

“Yes, yes, yes.”

I fling the passenger door of the Audi open and throw my backpack inside. 

Then, from the bushes, there is a rustling, and I pause. 

On the gravel, I stand and I watch as a cat emerges from the laurel. He is small, with grey, slinky fur and a collar with a bell that tinkles with each step. His eyes are funny, like looking two directions at once. A strange, otherworldly face, like he is oblivious to his own existence. 

He saunters over and rubs his furry cheek against my ankle, his body vibrating with a contented purr. I frown. 

“Goose?” 

He doesn’t know he is Goose. 

He remembers me.

“Oh, Jude, for God’s sake!” Mom hisses. “Get in the car!”

“I’m coming, I’m coming.”

“Leave that cat alone. Don’t encourage it. It’ll come by looking for food from me, tormenting me every time I leave the house.”

“Alright, fine.”

As though he understands, Goose skips away and disappears back into the bushes like he was never even there. Like something I conjured from my imagination. I just scratch my head. 

“There’s hand sanitizer in the glove compartment,” Mom says as I duck inside the vehicle. “Don’t touch anything until you’ve used it.”

“Can’t open the glove compartment if I can’t touch it.”

“Oh, bloody hell,” She snaps it open for me as we pull out of the driveway, and I take one more look back at the house, and the guest room, the white curtains still drawn and still. 

And I keep looking back until it’s all the way out of sight. 

Beginning // Prev // Next

Corresponding LG Chapter

[alaamomtoleen]

From Stability to Survival: How War Took Everything from Me 💔🙏

Before the war, my life was filled with peace and purpose. I had a home, a loving family, and a sense of stability. I worked as a freelancer on online platforms, and I built a solid professional history that I was proud of. 🏡💼 My husband, my daughter, our sweet cat, and I lived a quiet, comfortable life, enjoying the simple joys of each day. We had independence, peace, and enough to meet our needs.

But in the blink of an eye, everything changed.

The war hit like a nightmare I can’t wake up from. Overnight, I lost my home, my work, and my entire sense of security. Now, I barely survive, struggling to provide for myself and my family. 😔 Every day is a battle, and I no longer have access to the basics that once made life feel normal.

There’s no healthy food, no restful sleep, no proper clothes. I can’t even afford a simple battery to light our home or a gas cylinder to prepare a proper meal. I suffer just to make unhealthy food, and it breaks my heart that this is the life we’re forced to live now. 🥀🍂

The contrast between then and now is staggering, and it’s hard to believe that this is my reality. I never thought I’d have to ask for help like this, but here I am, with no other choice. Your support🚨, no matter how small, could change everything for us. It could bring light into this dark chapter of our lives. 💕🙏

Thank you for your compassion. 🌟

@90-ghost @el-shab-hussein @nabulsi @appsa @commissions4aid-international @ot3 @dykesbat @fromjannah @irhabiya @mazzikah @meaganandersoncolor @mahoushojoe @mangocheesecakes @schoolhater @stuckinapril @rhubarbspring @deathing @timetravellingkitty @wellwaterhysteria @khanger @neechees @mohamedddw @sayruq @toiletpotato @briarhips @kyra45-helping-others @marnot-blog @7bittersweet @tortiefrancis @omegaversereloaded @vague-humanoid @criptocracia @amygdalae @ankle-beez @chilewithcarnage @ghelgheli @deepspaceboytoy @junglejim4233 @post-impressionisms @neechees @neptunerings @deathlonging @deathlonelypast-blog @pcktknife @sawasawako @feluka @lacecap @socalgal @tododeku-or-bust @magnus-rhymes-with-swagness

[biggest-gaudiest-patronuses]

getting older can be so amazing? you get more familiar with yourself. learn tips & tricks for troubleshooting your own brain. trial & error helps you build routines that minimize discomfort, maximize reward. your preferences/interests don't get set in stone, but you do find out which ones are going to stay with you in the long-term, and which ones are fun but transient joys to appreciate in the moment.

you learn that the world is so much more complex than you were taught, and that that's okay, and that there's an endless supply of things you can learn or watch or experience or think about if you want to. if you're lucky, you loosen up, stop putting so much pressure on yourself. if you're lucky, you learn to recognize that negative inner voice, and whack it with a baseball bat until it hushes up. if you're lucky, you learn to treat yourself gently, not because you are fragile but because you are worthy of gentleness. (i hope you are lucky.)

and some things will change. some things will get better. some things will get good. and maybe you start to recover from the dehumanizing stress of childhood/education. maybe you learn the power of your own autonomy. maybe you learn how to walk away from bad situations (which is a superpower even if you don't realize it yet). and you get to choose your own clothes. and your own food. and which relationships to pursue! and what you do with your free time. and with your life (but don't worry you get to choose that gradually). and that's crazy! and sometimes scary. and extraordinarily, indescribably precious.

[savethepinecones]

sorry for being overdramatic every time i somehow hurt myself being obnoxious distracts me from the pain

[comraderoscoes]

i'm looking for a man in finance, vegan, 5'8 (allegedly), brown eyes

[souporsaladnatural]

I know ppl have all kinds of theories on why jackles opinion on destiel seemingly did a 180° out of nowhere, but my personal favorite is that he just went back and like. Watched the show

[themathomhouse]

this disability pride month, stop making jokes about people in wheelchairs standing up or walking.

can I stand and walk? sure, for a short while and with pain. the consequences for trying to be out all day without a wheelchair are that I'll be in bed for the rest of the week, too tired and in too much pain to move.

but the government won't give me my own wheelchair because they have the same attitude as these jokes - I can stand up, so I don't need one. exercise is good for you, you should walk!

it keeps me trapped in the house, unable to do anything more than short stints anywhere without borrowing or hiring a wheelchair - one that causes me pain to sit in and relies on someone to push me (usually with difficulty), because they're not going to have a high-end chair for that sort of thing.

it's not a miracle that a wheelchair user can stand or walk. it's something we should aspire to see more often.

[bioluminescentcat]

Skk are like two cats from a shelter who constantly fight, but have to be adopted together because they will refuse to eat if separated.

Kitty!Dazai over-grooms himself and attempts to eat any non cat safe thing he can find. Also throws himself into any body of water

Kitty!Chuuya is just aggression incarnate. WILL BITE YOUR ANKLES

[marlynnofmany]

Here, have an album cover. I know one of the tracks would have to be the space shanty, but what else would they sing about?

[kazenorth]

Me and a friend finally watched Nimona

[marragurl]

Not the first to say it, but damn can’t believe Galladay really went from toxic yaoi to doomed tragic yaoi.

Alright fellow Galladay trash, where’s the modern AU fix-it fics?

I need to see Gallagher single dad with Misha plus their dog/cat Sleepie falling for entertainment company CEO Sunday. Don’t ask me how they met, fuck it, throw in bodyguard AU Gallagher who works part-time at a bar, boom there that’s how they meet, idk I’m making this up on 3 hours of sleep.

You’ve heard of slow burns, now get ready for Galladay blaze it.

They’re speedrunning the relationship from hate -> annoyance -> mild disgruntlement -> weirdly vibing -> ok wow never knew I needed that in my life -> Sunday is way too ok with spoiling Misha -> ok so we got married -> alright we’re dismantling the government now -> Sunday went to jail for 5 minutes for attempting “peaceful” world domination, don’t worry we (Gallagher) forgave him -> Sunday’s stepping down as CEO to run a coffeeshop idk look someone get him some therapy -> Robin is president now while she still goes on tours -> Misha won an engineering competition while this was all going on

Bottom line: Robin is out living her best life while Sunday is in the back somehow having the most insane week of his life. I have no other notes for her here except that she is happy, and successful, and is Sunday’s last remaining brain cell. She and Misha are having some fun Aunt/Nephew bonding times while Galladay are accidentally-on-purpose committing multiple war crimes.

No, we don’t have time to unpack 2.2 and all its trauma, we cope with modern AU :)

[cadathecat]

protestin' for water that isn't from last night

[mothfables]

@cripple-cat here he is! happy and healthy and healing!

[7-dummies]

Pack mark locations

Lucifer I see it being somewhere like the lower back so he can put his hoard on it in a very gentleman way and it’s somewhat comforting to know it’s somewhere that can both be hidden and shown off.

Mammon would have it being near the hip I think so he could try and put his arm around us to touch it (and then chicken out last minute or outright deny his intentions) but the location would surprise him the first time you ever actually show it to him saying it didn’t mean that he cares for you.

Leviathans would be like on the ankle I think both as a way to be all emo saying that he understands if we want to hide it by wearing socks so know one has to know that we made a pack with such a shut-in otaku and low key so that if you ever want to like entwine ankles (since he can’t handle holding hands) then it can be like right there, it would also be cool if he could always tell when we’re in the water even if it’s only like dipping our feet in so he always knows we’re in his domain. It’s probably a kind of comfort if you wear low cut socks or shoes that show it off a bit.

Satans is probably somewhere like your wrist I’m both a somewhat claim that you matter to him so no one messes with you (and a f you to Lucifer) and also as a way to ground himself when he finds himself losing control of his anger so he real quick like run his fingers over your pulse to feel your heartbeat and then feel his pack mark keeping strong as a show of your mutual care for each other to remind himself your here and to calm down.

As is contrary to popular belief wouldn’t be anywhere inappropriate and instead somewhere such as your lower shoulder blade as a reminder that he feels innocent love for you as well as lust, that he loves you beyond your body and that he doesn’t only think naughty thoughts. It’s somewhere he can feel or look without being inappropriate in any way but still somewhat intimate in a non sexual way.

Beel’s would be on you ribs as it’s a bigger mark and also close to your chest and stomach as a sort of comforting presence almost like an piece of armor against the things in that mean you harm and your own hunger, for when he can’t be there when you panic or don’t feel safe you have a part of him somewhere to protect you from whatever is hurting you most.

Belphie would want it somewhere mild as he doesn’t feel he deserves to be anywhere that means anything but it winds up on the same place he put his hands when he ended you. The guilt of it all has manifested in a way so that he wants to protect your weak points from people like him and where would you be weakest of not the very same place you hurt most. This would double as a trust thing between you two as you let him know that you trust him to protect you against others. A while trust he no longer takes lightly.

[souporsaladnatural]

Thinking about my dream season 16 where every episode before cas comes back starts with a flashback to a "missing scene" from dean and cas' relationship, the fanfiction gap from season 9, making and giving cas the mixtape, movie nights, etc, before going on with the rest of the episode. Kinda lik how episodes of the winchesters always started with dean narration relevant to the episode. Episode 1 starts with a flashback to cas rescuing dean from hell btw

[ryuusea]

high card doodles / I wanted to try drawing them this show was fun lol I look forward to s2