#but at the actual vet she was starting to get curious and looking out the window and stuff

[wallabywannabe]

Took less than 10 minutes after getting home from the vet visit for Petra to resume her normal routine without fear. So proud!

[loveinhawkins]

When Lucas Sinclair starts to apologise for missing The Cult of Vecna, Eddie initially thinks that he’s hearing things.

Well, actually, the first thing he thinks is something along the lines of ‘what the fuck are you talking about?’

It takes him almost a solid thirty seconds to even vaguely remember his campaign; the last day of school before Spring Break feels dreamlike, as if it happened to someone else, as if he just watched everything through a fogged-up window.

“Jesus, Sinclair. I’ve got an ongoing list of folks who owe me an apology since, like, sixth grade, and trust me, your name’s not on there. Can pretty confidently say it never will, okay?”

Eddie sees Steve tilt his head ever so slightly from where he’s walking just ahead of them, like he’s listening in. Spots his faint nod of approval.

Eddie can’t decide if he resents it or finds it endearing—kind of gets the ridiculous feeling that Steve’s vetting him on behalf of the kids.

“Okay,” Lucas says, and he’s smiling, but there’s a sort of sombreness to it, too. “Still, I should’ve—”

“Hey, hindsight’s twenty-twenty,” Eddie says, firmly cutting off whatever self-critical bullshit he was about to hear. He knocks his shoulder against Lucas’s, adds a dry, “Like, I would’ve been a dick about it no matter what.”

Lucas laughs, but it’s muted. Then he takes a deep breath, and Eddie suddenly realises that he must’ve been using the apology to get himself started, to work himself up to what he really wanted to say.

“I’m… I’m sorry about… about Jason and… I thought I’d thrown them all off the trail, but—”

“Oh, don’t—don’t worry about it, man,” Eddie says faintly.

There’s a flash of Jason in his mind’s eye, the savage twist of his lip as he ran into the lake; he thinks of Lucas lying to his face, the danger of him being found out, and feels sick.

“Seriously, you could’ve told them… y’know. Wouldn’t have held it against you.”

Eddie doesn’t mention that him getting caught still feels inevitable, like he’s just waiting for the walls to close in.

But right now, at least, he can breathe a little easier. The shire might be burning, but there’s people leading him through it. He’s not alone.

Lucas looks appalled. “What? No, I couldn’t—I couldn’t do that to you.”

It’s said with such conviction that Eddie has to fight through a sudden tightness in his throat—doesn’t really know what to do in the face of such undeserved loyalty.

He settles on saying, “So, how was the game?” which is embarrassingly inadequate, but a genuine question nevertheless; the past few… Jesus, however long it’s been, he’s been in permanent need of a distraction.

Steve slows his walking pace—to anyone else it might’ve seemed subtle, but Eddie’s used to noticing such things. He somehow gets the feeling that Steve is no longer scrutinising him, not exactly; his posture’s relaxed and open, his forehead free of frown lines.

It’s more like he’s simply curious about Eddie’s behaviour. The way his eyes drift over, then down to the forest floor, then back again silently seems to say what are you thinking?

Or maybe Eddie’s projecting because he asks the very same question whenever a muscle jumps in Steve’s jaw.

“Oh, um…” Lucas says hesitantly. “I was on the bench for most of it, so—”

“Quit being modest.” The quiet whir of a tape being rewound; Max Mayfield comes up to Lucas’s side. “He made the winning shot,” she tells Eddie pointedly. “It was a buzzer-beater.”

“Oh, holy shit. Well done, dude.”

From the way Lucas is staring at Max with wide eyes, it’s obvious that he’s barely registered what Eddie’s said.

“How do you know that?” he asks. “You… you weren’t at the game.”

“I, uh.” Max looks down for a moment, fiddling with the headphones around her neck. “I listened to it on the radio.”

Lucas smiles so brightly. There’s an earnestness to him; Eddie spotted it a mile away, ever since that first day back at school, when all the new freshmen were anxiously lining up to get lunch.

Max softens—her arms are still folded, but she drifts a little closer to Lucas as they walk, all studied casualness.

(Oh, Eddie’s been there before: forced to run track in middle school Phys Ed, and the only saving grace was ‘just so happening’ to run at the same pace as any boy who’d smile at him.)

Eddie catches Steve’s eye, and this time Steve gives him a very deliberate expression, nodding fondly at Max and Lucas.

Look at them, he’s saying with his eyes, as if he and Eddie are on the same team, as if Eddie at all deserves to be let in on whatever shared history Steve has with these kids.

Eddie kicks at a stray twig. You’re not going to get a lump in your throat about this, damn it, don’t be stupid.

“S’gonna be historic, Sinclair,” he says. “Last time the Tigers won a championship was, uh, lemme think… twenty-two years ago.”

Lucas stops in his tracks.

“I know that,” he says, eyes shrewd, “but why do you know?”

Eddie raises his hands with a grin, it wasn’t me, officer. “What, I can’t repeat a few years without retaining a little school knowledge?”

“Oh,” Lucas says, and it’s like Eddie can see him mentally replaying every cafeteria speech. He grins back. “So you’re a hypocrite.”

“Maybe,” Eddie says. He glances further afield, where Dustin is animatedly explaining something to Robin and Nancy. “I know you’re not gonna give me shit for it, though.”

“Huh, guess you don’t really know me,” Lucas says, and Max snorts.

Eddie smirks. “And it’s, like, doubly historic since the last person to score a buzzer-beater was—”

He cuts himself off, because Steve abruptly turns to him, like they’re in alliance, and draws a hand sharply across his neck.

But Lucas is already hooked. “What? Who was it?”

Eddie gives Steve a helpless shrug. Sorry, man.

“I’m looking right at him,” he says.

Lucas rounds on Steve. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Because,” Steve says, flustered, “that was your thing, Lucas, I didn’t wanna be all…”

He trails off with a vague hand gesture, and Eddie thinks he somehow gets what he means—smiles at the thoughtfulness of it.

“That makes, like, no sense,” Lucas says vehemently. His eyes practically have stars in them. “Damn it, we shoulda got a photo.”

Steve laughs in surprise. “All right, noted.”

“I mean, Wheeler works for the school paper, right?” Eddie says. “They’ve probably got old issues. Hey, Sinclair, you could have, y’know, side-by-side photos. Yours and then…” He waves a hand at Steve. “Ancient history.”

Steve rolls his eyes. “Ancient, sure.”

“Oh, Lucas,” Max says, batting her eyes excessively, “I’d frame a picture of you. Pray to it every night.”

Lucas blushes. “Shut up,” he says, elbowing her gently; Eddie thinks that it’s the first time he’s heard Max Mayfield laugh.

Steve’s watching over them again, and his eyes go pensive when Lucas mumbles something like, “I wouldn’t mind a frame.”

The expression Steve has is something Eddie’s only seen once before, and it was on Wayne’s face. Eddie had privately dubbed it the ‘found something for your birthday’ look when he’d noticed it: him and Wayne on a road trip, Eddie not so secretly mooning over the secondhand acoustic guitar in the shop window.

“Your picture should be bigger, Sinclair,” Steve says, sounding both teasing and sincere. “My shot didn’t win a Championship Game.” In an undertone, he adds, “As Brenda so helpfully reminded me.”

Oh, Eddie’s not letting that go.

“Do mine ears deceive me? Did you take a date to a high school basketball game?” Eddie cackles. “You sure know how to woo ‘em, Harrington.”

“Hey,” Steve says defensively, “she could only make that day. Told her I had non-negotiable plans: it was either the game or it was a bust.”

Huh, Eddie thinks, that’s actually… really sweet.

Lucas looks torn between being embarrassed or touched. “You didn’t need to do that, Steve.”

“Sure I did. C’mon, you thought I was gonna go to every match and then miss the Championship?” Steve’s eyebrows furrow. “Where was Erica, anyway?”

… Ah.

“Mea culpa,” Eddie says. “She was, uh, at Hellfire.”

Lucas scoffs. “It’s fine,” he says. “Last time she was at a game, she kept shouting that she loved my tactics.” He looks out into the middle distance. “I was on the bench the whole time.”

Steve chuckles. “Yeah, I missed her being there.” He’s sporting a smile that’s somehow the perfect balance of fond and mischievous; it, quite frankly, has no business looking as attractive as it does. “We had, um, alternative commentary for every game. That kid should have a radio show.” He comes closer, adds in another aside, “Would’ve made the date more bearable if she was there.”

Eddie stifles a laugh, has a moment of respectful silence for Brenda.

Max and Lucas cut in front, keep walking until they’re almost out of earshot; Eddie hears Lucas faintly say something that sounds like, “Was I totally tubular?”, soon drowned out by Max’s laughter.

There’s a short silence.

“Thanks, Eddie,” Steve says suddenly.

Eddie blinks at him, quickly turns his genuine confusion into a bit. “What for, Harrington? My devastating wit? Devilish good looks?”

Steve shakes his head. He smiles for a moment, in on the joke, but then he looks over at Lucas and Max again, and… there.

A muscle jumps in his jaw.

“It’s just… they’ve got a lot to carry, y’know? So…” He shrugs. “Thanks.”

It’s said so quietly, so without fanfare.

Eddie’s hit with the realisation between one footstep and the next: that he’s earned Steve Harrington’s trust.

It feels… weighty.

But Eddie doesn’t mind it; he doesn’t think it’s going to crush his ribs. If anything it feels like they’re sharing a load.

“Don’t gotta thank me for that, Harrington.”

Steve smiles, pushing back his hair; Eddie’s brought back to the moment he did the very same on the basketball court, just as the ball sunk through the net, and Eddie decided fuck it, wholeheartedly embracing his hypocrisy as he jumped up and down with the band kids.

I cheered so goddamn loud for you, Eddie thinks.

He doesn’t say it.

But he keeps walking next to Steve. Feels a little young, a little bit like he’s running track—checking his pace just so he could see a boy smile at him.

[followthebluebell]

I have a friend whose cat was originally part of a TNR program. The kitty was found in the boiler room of our apartment complex, somewhat feral, and ear tipped, and was given to the friend after a few weeks of no one claiming the cat.

Now here’s the kicker, when she got the cat from them she took it in for a wellness check and was told the kitty was a boy. Fast forward about 2 years and their previous vet retired leading them to find a new one, and one of the first things they say to her after the exam is “you realize he’s actually a she right?” And told her the cat is a girl.

Is this something common with fixed cats? I know when males are neutered later you tend to see more of a deflated sack unless there’s a whole ablation performed, but I also know that’s not a super common procedure so I’m just kinda curious lmao

I wouldn't say it's terribly common, but things happen. One of my personal cats was listed as male for a few years because a vet tech had misclicked on her file and it wasn't caught for ages. Sometimes a kitten looks fairly male at first but then the balls don't drop so you check again and oops, that's definitely a vulva. I called Mouse a boy for a few months just because her genitals were pretty indistinct at first and I didn't bother to check again until it was time for her neuter since it genuinely wasn't important to know if she was male or female right up until that point.

There was also a fun confusing moment where I got a kitten from a shelter and the shelter was very clear that the kitten was a girl. Her paperwork was pretty clear, listing that she was spayed because of a uterus infection. So I was pretty fucking surprised when her balls dropped a few weeks later. I checked her chip and they had given me the wrong kitten.

Which was fine, it all worked out in the end. Hermes nee Hermione found a lovely home.

There was another time when I got a VERY fluffy himalayan cat named Princess. She was matted absolutely SOLID. I shaved her down and started to really struggle with a set of mats around her urogenital area--- I just couldn't find the space to get the blades UNDER the mat.

In fact, I realized, the 'mats' were oddly symmetrical. And had a certain feel to them. And a certain shape. And a certain placement.

They were balls.

Princess was absolutely a boy. To his credit, he was incredibly patient about my fumbling around his testicles.

With a significantly less patient cat, I could see a vet making a mistake. With a semi-feral (or a full feral), you might only have a split second to check and sometimes that's just not long enough.

[carionto]

The duality of Man, or triality? quadrality?

Alien to Human about New Human: Correct me if I'm wrong, but they appear abnormally large for your species?

H: Yea, he's a biggun alright, even without the EV suit I'd say... 7'3'', 310 pounds, bet he power lifts.

A: Umm... not to be rude, but, uhh... he seems, well... how should I put this...

H: Intimidating? Terrifying? Evil? Yea, if this station didn't have high screening standards I'd be totally pissing myself if he started walking towards me. The mohawk and eye tat totally make me believe he could snap me in two with a single glare.

A: I feel ashamed that my instincts are telling me to flee. I wish nature were easier to change.

H (shouting at NH): Hey buddy! Could you come over here for a minute please? You look awesome by the way!

A (whispering nervously): what are you doing?!?

H: Gotta overcome those fears somehow, I believe the best way is a direct confrontation.

NH approaches, somewhat slowly, looking around at all the other aliens in the station that are chatting, waiting around, or doing some work. He finally approaches A and H, and in a very deep and husky voice says: Um, hi, hello. T-thanks for the compliment, I, uh, was a little worried I would stand out too much here.

H: Oh you totally do, my friend over here is practically about to pass out from how much like a gothic viking of death metal you look.

NH: Oh no, I'm so sorry, I-I just grew up in Sweden-Delta and both my parents were huge into classic local music, so I just, uh... it's complicated. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare anyone.

H: Hey, relax pal, we're all good people here. Anyway, what you here to do? I'm planning on starting a bakery, still testing out what kind of flour most species here can actually stomach. My friend here is on the team working on Moon theft preventative measures.

NH: Oh, that's cool. I'm here as an exchange student with the department of applied astrophysics. If all goes well, I can finish my Bachelors degree remotely and stay here as an intern with the head researcher.

H: Oooh, that's cool. (so cool yea that you're apparently half my age but oh well guess I'm a big fat time waster like my father before me and oh god change the subject before I get depressed in front of strangers) That's a real big bag you got there, carrying some super secret science things, eh?

NH: Oh, that... uhh... guess it can't hurt to tell, security vetted it already anyway.

NH proceeds to unzip the bag and hold up a large white piece of clothing with light blue rings and accents, alongside a strange white cap with what looked like small fins, and a curious little backpack.

NH: It's uhh... um... my... Ika... musume... cosplay.... (oh gods I can't believe I said it out loud again)

After a moment of awkward silence, NH slowly puts on the backpack and presses a button on it's strap, and suddenly numerous light blue colored tentacle-like appendages sprout out from the backpack and move in line with NH's movements.

NH: I, uh..., got my engineering friend to make them articulate and interface with my contacts. I can make them do all sorts of things, like make various shapes and animals with them, though works best as a shadow theater.

H:...

NH:...

A now frozen out of confusion than fear:...

H: That's so

NH: (oh I know it's so lame, but I love that show)-

H: COOL! I don't know what a ika musume is, but those things look amazing. You said articulate? How precise can they be? I'd love to have something like that instead of my useless assistant. Poor lad can't make a piece of toast if his life depended on it...

NH: Y-you like it?

H: I LOVE those things. My daughter does cosplay too sometimes, but she makes her Dreadnought suits herself from scraps. One time the military came to our house and installed a limiter on the gauss cannon she found in a crash site, said it would otherwise start to generate small doses of radiation if used too frequently. But she replaced it with a handmade rail gun before the next convention. Do you go to those? Did you see a 7 meter tall hulking metal monstrosity with a bunch of candles all over? That was her.

NH: Oh, I think I've seen video of that, but no, not in person, I go to smaller events. I don't really like big crowds.

H: Oh yea, I get ya, you do seem a bit on the shy side now that we've been talking for a bit. Hey, no worries, like I said, we're all good people here.

NH: T-thanks, but I think I should be going now, the teacher is calling me over.

H: Oh yea, go ahead, didn't mean to take up so much of your time. Have a fun stay and I'm sure you'll ace that paper or theory? Or whatever astrophysicists do, you seem like a solid kid.

NH: Oh, uh, thanks. Good luck with your bakery. And you with stopping those weird people from stealing more moons. Bye.

H: Bye bye, come visit, don't be a stranger now, I'm set up just a short bit from the main lift on floor 14.

NH: R-right, I'll, uh, be sure to stop by soon.

A is finally able to process what they just heard and says: What was all that just now?

H: What? Just a friendly chat with what is apparently basically a kid. Man, this kid's got so much going on, while I'm almost 50 and I have an oven. Life, man, it can go in so many ways. Anyway, let's go grab a drink, I'm parched.

[specialagentlokitty]

Eggsy x sister!reader - not the same

Hey saw you wanting Eggsy so I was wondering if you could do one where Reader and Eggsy are brother and sister (with Reader being the oldest) and she adopts a disabled pup (or a normal pup if you prefer) for Eggsy when she found out about him losing his pug. - Anon 💜

Loosing JB was hard on your brother and you knew that, growing up he didn’t have much that he could call his own.

You did what you could for him, and he knew that, and when he got JB it was like his whole world had gotten better.

Though he explained he couldn’t tell you what he did for work, he did tell you that’s how he came across his little pug, that unfortunately wasn’t a bulldog like he thought.

But he adored that dog to no end.

So it tore you up to see how heartbroken he was over the loss of his little best friend, and he couldn’t bare to be alone.

“Hey Eggsy?”

He looked up from your sofa and you smiled softly at him.

“I need to pick something up I’ll be back in soon, will you be alright?”

“Yeah, yeah I’ll be alright go ahead.”

You smiled and nodded, leaving the flat.

You had arranged to pick up a dog from a shelter that nobody else wanted to adopt, and you couldn’t bare to see the sweet thing without a home.

So that’s where you went.

You did some dog shopping first, then went to pick up the the grey hound.

“He’ll need go to a vets once a month, but he’s wonderful and ever so sweet.” The man said.

“He seems it, he’s so trusting.”

The greyhound sniffed your hands as he sat in front of you, tail thumping the ground a little bit.

“Just so I know, you are aware that Bolt here is deaf?”

“I am.”

The man nodded his head, handing you some paperwork to fill out.

Once you were done, you led Bolt back to your car to take him home.

He was so curious about everything, so you took him for a little walk down the street before bringing him back into your flat, taking the lead off.

“Eggsy?!”

“Yeah?”

He came in from the kitchen and stopped when he saw the brown down sniffing around the hallway.

He smiled, crouching down as he held out his hand towards Bolt.

“Well hey there, who’re you?” He asked.

“His names Bolt, he is deaf, but can respond to sign language.”

“Is he yours?”

You smiled, shaking your head a little bit as you walked over, handing him the paper work.

“He’s yours. I know you’re still hurting for JB, and until you’re ready I’ll look after him, but he needs someone who’ll love him like you would.”

At first Eggsy was reluctant to have the new dog in his life.

But soon Bolt grew on him, wherever your brother went Bolt wanted to go, he absolutely loved Eggsy, he loved being near him. He was always so happy to see him.

Eggsy didn’t want to admit it but he did grow soft on the dog, and began to take him out with him.

He was starting to get out more and become more of himself.

You knew he would still hurt over JB, but seeing your brother actually manage to sleep, Bolt laid over him, it made you feel a little at ease

[homeofhousechickens]

Do you have any ideas as to why a 1-year old hen would just…stop laying eggs? My Easter Egger, Plum, laid eggs normally her first summer/fall, then stopped laying over her first winter and just never started again. Since she’s my only blue-egg layer there’s no way I’d mix her eggs up with my other hens’ eggs. And they don’t free-range anymore so she’s not laying them in the woods or something. She looks and acts healthy and normal, so I haven’t consulted a vet. And I’m fine just keeping her as a pet even if she doesn’t lay, she’s a cute little bird and is closely bonded to one of my faverolles so she’s got a forever home here even if she never lays again. I’m just curious, if you know of any health conditions that might cause a hen to stop laying permanently. Thanks!

She looks nice and red in the face so I'm surprised she isn't laying.

Is it possible her eggs were a very light colored egg when she began laying? As hens get older they actually tend to stop putting as much pigment on their eggs so its possible she now lays a cream or white colored egg despite genetically laying a blue or green. She could also be an egg eater. A good way to see is to put a lot of food coloring or livestock chalk on her vent, if she lays an egg you will know, and if she eats that eggs the food coloring will show up on her face.

If she doesn't have a heavy parasite load it's possibly the feed doesn't have the right balance for her.

Stress and lack of light can also stop egg laying. If she is stressed out in the coop or a hanging out in a shaded part of the run that can negatively affect her egg laying.

Some hens are also "early molters" pick your hen up and see if she has ANY pin feathers on her body especially on her neck area. If she does I bet she is just a bad molter and will begin laying again in the spring. In production flocks these are hens who get culled first in their first year because they take a very long time to get production ready again. I'm talking 5-6+ months before they start laying again. (I personally think it might be this)

Another thing to consider, she might have Mareks since I believe you had a positive bird in your flock once. Mareks can negatively affect egg laying even if the hen is healthy otherwise. This doesn't necessarily mean she is sick or has tumors its just the virus is affecting her body in a way that prevents egg laying.

Hopefully this points you in a direction that is helpful in finding out why she has poor production. She is a bird that is known for high production so its a good thing to be questioning why she isn't.

[unbecomingsposting]

When did you start shipping so'hara and what made you want to write them? I know for a while in the beginning I would see people say they were too much alike to ship, they're basically the same person, it's too weird, etc.

Anyway, somewhere along the lines, that opinion pretty much shifted the other direction, though I can't really pinpoint when, and was just curious about how it started for you. Sorry if this made no sense. It’s late and I have many thoughts. Thanks for answering (or if not, that's okay, too)

oh man, idk. 2019, probably? i was in this fandom from like 2012-2015ish and then left and came back in 2019 i think lol, and the friend that got me back into soccer actually was like “hey, there are two girls on the NT competing for the 10 spot who should be rivals and are obsessed with each other which seems like your thing” so actually rose/lindsey was my first ship

BUT i had been all over kelley in my first go around in this fandom, wrote a lot of o’solo back before hope was known to everyone as an irredeemable piece of garbage (rip that ship) and read my fair share of kelley/alex so it was probably pretty quick? looking at my ao3 history and my old blog i think it was essentially asap

i don’t remember ever thinking it would be weird to ship them bc of their similarities but i also don’t really think they’re as identical as people like to say. it’s more, to me, that they have enough in common that it’s actually always been very easy to ship for a couple reasons:

- they’re from very similar places (suburbs on either side of atlanta) so something about them is familiar to each other even before they really know each other

- the way that sonnett was kind of the comic relief when she first came to the team almost exactly mirrors kelley when she was a rookie on the team, which i think a lot of current fandom actually doesn’t know…but the whole point of o’solo was the goofy rookie softening the grizzled vet dynamic

- outside of those things really what is super similar about them? not much except that they’re both super intense. kelley is and always has been a very vulnerable emotional presence and worn her heart on her sleeve whereas you have to pry genuine public sentiment out of sonnett with industrial tools, kelley is super into reading nonfiction and like educating herself and Getting Better Constantly and sonnett’s intensity is on-field only. it’s more that they’re so complimentary of each other: sonnett makes her slow down, kelley makes her feel like she can be honest about her feelings, and then the whole thing with the mild age gap rookie/vet thing and them playing the same position for years before sonnett was seen on the NT as anything but an outside back and you get, in my eyes, one of the most perfect ships i’ve encountered in any fandom

[hasufin]

Shiro, a cloud that purrs, 2009-2024

In August of 2009, my then-girlfriend and I had been discussing getting a third cat. We had one cat - Maurice - who was an older tabby with a heart condition. And we had a younger tortoiseshell, Ashes, who was kind of rambunctious and kept pestering Maurice. So we thought it might be nice to have another younger cat to keep Ashes occupied and let Maurice have a peaceful retirement.

A friend of my girlfriend heard about someone who found some kittens, and we pretty spontaneously said "sure!". My girlfriend departed from a party we were having at our house with a cat carrier, and returned with this little ball of fluff.

He was a handful. And so, so so energetic. At the time my girlfriend was playing the video game "Prince of Persia", which lets your character run on vertical surfaces if you're going fast enough.

Shiro would do that.

Now, the original plan pretty much completely failed to pan out: Ashes hated Shiro; she saw him as a replacement for her. Andfor his part Shiro - who was actually sweet to every other cat he met, including on one occasion a bobcat, was hostile to Ashes.

But, that said, they did tolerate each other and Shiro grew into a handsome long-haired cat.

With a tail that was bigger than him.

Shiro was, I must emphasize, a "back porch special". But in every respect he was a Turkish Angora. He had the soft, kittenish coat. The smart, curious demeanor. The odd-colored eyes. The love of high places. The friendliness but close bonding with a chosen human. If I didn't know he wasn't a purebred, I'd think he might be.

He was always there to greet me at the door, and he if I sat down, there he would be.

I knew he was getting older, but this all started in mid-October when I noticed him wheezing.

Wheezing is Very Bad for cats.

I took him into to the emergency vet. They found he had fluid in his lung cavity. Their tentative diagnosis was congestive heart failure, which causes fluid buildup in the chest. This gets a lot of cats, and he had dealt with it before: it's what took Maurice. So I didn't panic. This is treatable, and while it's fatal it would be a couple of years down the road. They drained the fluid and sent me off with some drugs and a referral to a cardiologist.

That weekend, he was wheezing again, and just wasn't any more energetic. I went to take him in again, but my usual vet was full and could not take in any more patients with lung issues. I took him to another veterinary hospital, VCA Southpaws. That was, it turns out, a very good call.

They determined he did not have CHF, but rather the fluid buildup was due to a twisted lung lobe (cats have 7 lobes in each lung). It had twisted and was impinging on another lobe. This was terribly rare, and required immediate surgery. Fortunately, we had him insured and once that was approved, we had a very long night waiting to hear the outcome of the surgery.

Aside from being expensive and rare, that was one of the best possible major medical issues: treatable with a single surgery, no ongoing medication, no special concerns in the future.

But.

Because VCA Southpaws is a specialist hospital, and frankly has a higher standard of care than the majority of human hospitals I've visited, I also had them look into an ongoing issue we'd had which our regular vet had brushed off: for the past year Shiro had a massively increased appetite and concurrent weight loss. We were feeding him about 3x as much food as normal and he was only maintaining weight.

Well, the truth is, we never really found out for sure what caused that. But what we did find was lymphoma. That is, cancer.

Now, without going into too many details, there were many junctures in which it might have been one thing which wasn't so bad, or another thing which was very bad. In Shiro's case, at every juncture it was the worse possibility, and it was - as befits a cat who is an incredible statistical rarity in every other respect - the rarest version. As I understand, the body of work for his particular kind of cancer in cats - high grade, non-localized lymphoma with no specific tumors - is basically Shiro. A non-specialist would not even have had the tools to diagnose it. Moreover his presentation was "highly atypical".

Unfortunately, the weirder the cancer, the harder it is to treat. I knew some about cancer, but I learned more. Cancer is all about statistics. And here's a statistic for you: 50% of all feline lymphomas are resistant to treatment. That means you can give them the best care possible, and in about half of cases that will just not mean a thing.

The first chemo protocol didn't help. The second chemo protocol didn't help. We got to the third chemo protocol - a particularly nasty synthetic form of what is known as "The Red Devil" but actually broader and more cytotoxic - but his hematocrit was dropping. He'd been losing weight since October, and having a hard time eating, but at that point his hematocrit was only 14% (a healthy cat's should be in the 30s). We authorized a transfusion, which got it up to 22%, and then he began the third chemo fallback.

Unfortunately, on Tuesday he only ate a very little of his breakfast, and nothing after that. By evening I was deeply worried and we took him back to the hospital. His hematocrit had in five days fallen to 17%. This was incredibly bad; it meant that the cancer had infiltrated his bone marrow and he could not rebuild his blood supply.

At that point we only had bad options.

We could have him given another transfusion and a feeding tube. However, that would only buy him a few days and he would be utterly miserable.

We could take him home, where he would die within a day or so.

We opted to not prolong his misery.

Shiro died in my arms, purring, shortly after 10:30 pm on January 2nd, 2024.

Goodbye, Shiro. You were a better kitty than I ever dreamed I could have.

[exielimon]

Guess who said was not a writer and proceeded to write another thing?? that’s right, me. So, this is-

Forest song

————————————

The night was chill and the air felt cozy, I was with the chain sitting around the fire and telling curious facts about ourselves.

“Seriously? call Epona, with grass??” The vet deadpanned to the sentence Twilight had said.

“If we were in my Hyrule I could show ya!” Twilight defends while Epona, behind him, flicks her ears at the mention of her name.

“Does it have to do with that instrument you hang around your neck?” Wind asks curiously, slightly looking up from the second bowl of soup he has taken tonight.

“Yeah, kinda”

“You can actually call her by many methods, I, for example, could play the same song with an ocarina” Time proudly states.

“Still, grass is not exactly what is expected to be included in the ‘many methods’ of calling a horse” I defend Twilight’s curious fact about himself.

“I can get the notes on a recorder. Play the song and I’ll repeat it” The traveller says suddenly taking out a wooden recorder flute from his way-larger-inside-than-it-looks-outside pocket.

“Oh- no, I can’t do that, that’ll alert m’ girl, and she’s so relaxed right now, I don’ wanna wake ‘er up” Twilight says glancing over his shoulder to Epona, peacefully resting against a tree.

“Awh, kinda wanted to learn the song” The traveller pouts, lowering the recorder and putting it aside to take another sip of his soup.

I look at the wooden object and something passes through my mind; a memory of myself playing Zelda’s Lullaby with a beige recorder flute a few weeks before getting tossed in this adventure with these nine heroes. What were the notes again? Fa, La, Mi… Fa, La, Mi… oh yeah, I remember the melody, I remember song of storms and song of healing too… damn I miss my flute… wait… “Hey, ‘Rules, do you mind if I try your flute??”

“hm? You know how to play it?” He passes it over to me and the rest of the group’s eyes land on me, which I don’t realize, for I’m too focused in my excitement, it’s been a while since I played my instruments…

I take the instrument up near my lips and stop to think what I was about to play, I know quite a bunch of songs, what can be good for this occasion?

.

..

…

The air whispers and makes the leaves dance above my head, there is a faint mist that swirls and hums a melody that is not comprehensible yet not less calming… reminds me of…

Lost woods.

So that’s What I start playing. Saria’s song; the melody that can be heard in the misty forest Time grew up in, the song that the skull kid played when Twilight arrived to get the Master Sword during his journey.

My fingers move, making different melodic sounds with ease as I close my eyes and feel like I’m back home, annoying my mother with the same song time and time again. Once I finish the song I open my eyes and chuckle at the memory.

“How do you know that song?”

I flinch at the sudden Time’s firm, deep voice, that one that people use when they’re confused and will end up in a negative reaction.

I let out a quite nervous chuckle and begin “Uh- well… history says an old hero used to play that song when he missed a certain person… it’s said that one can still go to Lost Woods and will hear the soft notes of an ocarina playing that song, along with a childish laughter, in certain place… I don’t know which, though…” That was the longest lie I’ve ever made up.

Damn I wish I could tell them the truth, but the idea of them starting to question their existence for being just game characters for me… yeah, I wouldn’t like that reaction.

Time smiles softly and lets out a calming huff through his nose —Dad Time was tense, glad he relaxed— “A good friend wrote it… along my fist journey, I could play it and I would feel like i could hear her voice…”

“Oh… that why is called ‘Saria’s song’?” time to play dumb.

“…Yes.” His face is not one hurt, nor of loss… but nostalgic. Ouch, sorry.

“Wait- a skull kid played it whenever I entered the sacred grove that guarded the master sword,” Twilight started “that lil’ brat attacked me with marionettes”

“Wait wait wait- a skull kid played it?? THAT skull kid is still alive in your era?!” Time exclaimed… the others are missing the way a faint smile is twitching on his lips…

“YOU KNOW HIM?!”

[meteor752]

Curious of what a modern au with the kids would look like…

Oh Anon don’t make me go there

(I am going there)

Not making designs for them (at the moment >:)) but I will give you some headcanons

Liana

Home girl is on her way to take over the fucking world

Comes from an extremely confusing home life, with her dads splitting up and getting together over and over again, both of them having had other partners during the breakup periods that never really last

In the present she has two dads and an additional step dad. She doesn’t like him that much, but her dads relationship seem more stable with him so she bears with it

Liana lost her leg just as she did in canon, due to frostbite. She got lost in the woods during winter for almost a week, and lost one of her shoes in a hole. She likes to dramatize the story though, to seem cooler

Started her own company at eighteen, and it grew into a multimillion corporation after only two years

She dabbles in a lot of things with her company, everything from movie production to train travel, tech to food items, theme parks to merch, and everything in between. Liana doesn’t calm down until she has control over every major industry in the world

Evil capitalist? Yes but consider this: Sexy evil capitalist lesbian. It makes up for it

She does own a lot of charities too, the majority of which being somewhat bird related, like the preservation of endangered birds, or rehabilitation of birds that have been abused by their owners. She likes birds

Still married to Jassy, her childhood best friend. She spoils her wife absolutely rotten (mostly with anime merch and manga’s), and would give up her entire company for her

Buuuuuut, Jassy hasn’t asked that of her yet, so Double Co. will keep on growing

Wes

Even without the imp genes, he’s still a big fricking boy

I mentioned multiple times that BDubs and Impulse were a bit like beauty pageant moms with Wes. Well…yeah

BDubs and Impulse wasn’t full beauty pageant moms (like those fuckers who like, perform surgeries on their four year olds so they will have fuller lips and shit), but beauty pageants was a huge part of my boy’s childhood, which wasn’t the best thing since he hates the spotlight and when people have their eyes on him. His dads would have stopped signing him up for them if he asked, but he was too nervous to do so, so yeah

But hey, at least my man can play the cello like a champ as an adult, since that was his talent.

He’s studying geology because rocks are cool :)

As an adult is relationship with his dads is…a bit strained, but he’s working through it in therapy

Engaged to his fiancé Jekiv, and has been so for many years now. Both of them are still studying, and even though his best friend (and stepsister’s) rich af wife has offered to handle the budget for the wedding, they want to wait until they can afford it themselves

Still has OCD and a lot of Anxiety, but now there’s at least medicine!

Gertrude

Golden retriever personified

She works out everyday just so she can lift and hug every dog she meets

One of her dads cheated on her other dad when she was little, so she grew up in separate homes. It was alright though, Big B would always bake with her and take her to the dog park, while Ren would tell fantastical stories and play as much dress up as she wanted

So yeah, Gertrude is actually pretty aight in this universe

I imagine Renchanting is some shop her dad owns, maybe either like a bisexual crystal shop or like a costume place, but she probably works part time there

Volunteers at a lot of dog rescue shelters, and has adopted many of them

Is studying to become a vet, but is also practicing writing on the side. She wants to write children’s fantasy novels, about princesses and magic

Is dating Novo, and has been waiting for him to propose for almost six years. She gonna keep on waiting

Johnny

Man is half British half Arizonan, still somehow speaks with a country accent. Only god knows where he got it from, and I don’t even think he does

Apart from more humane features, nothing about Johnny changes. Still an Aromantic icon, still a sweetie, still a rancher at heart, and he can still absolutely shred it on the Banjo

Suffers from mild anemia and asthma. He sometimes struggles to keep up with his friends, especially when they were children, but he always found ways to keep their pace, even if that means he sometimes had to be carried

He absolutely has one of those trucks that he treats as his baby. He’s worked on it for years, he has a name for it (It’s Butternut), he will cry if it’s even slightly scratched, it’s his child and he loves it very much.

Gertrude probably taught him some mechanics to take care of Butternut

Dreams of one day owning a ranch, but that’s a bit away

He probably volunteers and helps out at a lot of stables and riding schools, wrangling horses and whatnot. He’s got a natural talent, what can I say?

Jassy

She still styles her hair in all of those ridiculous anime styles, but now it takes a considerable amount of more hairspray and time

The way she bonded with her dads as a kid was through their favorite medias, so with Etho they would always talk Naruto and anime while with Joel she would always talk Shrek and Harry Potter

Has taken Ninjitsu and parkour classes since she learned how to walk

The only dyed part of her hair is the green streak. She has incredibly pale blonde hair

Married to one of the most successful entrepreneurs ever, and she pulled that bitch by being a fucking weeb

Is extremely into Cosplay, and has a Naruto OC that is Kakashi’s super cool powerful daughter

Has a job in a book store, mostly because she enjoys having something to do during the days. Is a bad employe tho, spends most of the time reading manga or mystery novels

Collects knives and daggers as a hobby because she’s just that bitch

Jekiv

Imagining Jekiv as not a Zombie is actually very difficult

In canon Martyn just kinda dipped, but imma say he stuck around here, so yeah Jekiv grew up with both of his parents. Separated of course, but they were both present

Still, he’s got a lot better relationship with his mom than his dad. They’re more alike

Suffers from Hyperthyroidism, which is the reason behind his skinny figure, his patchy hair, his weak muscles, and his bulging eyes. He’s had it since he was a tween, and he tries to not let it bother him

He gets sunburnt really easily so he rarely goes outside when the sun is shining. He’s pale af

Is studying forensic pathology, and works part time at a morgue. He’s always had a weird fascination with dead bodies, but hey at least he isn’t a serial killer

Would absolutely be a serial killer if he had the skills and strength to do so

Owns over twenty breeds of frog, two of which is poisonous

Has a resting bitch face, but he also is just a straight up bitch sometimes

Novo

Mans still a lil freak

Has Stahl’s ear syndrome and thinks it’s cool as fuck. Usually has his hair tied up to show it off

Bleaches and dyes his hair a new color every month. His hair is permanently damaged because of it, but he’s mostly fine with it

While his parents are on non speaking terms, they’re a lot more healthy than in canon. Novo is well raised and loved, he’s just Like That

Has a freakish resistance to the cold, like, Canadian level resistance, so mans will just lay in in a t-shirt and skirt in the snow while taking a nap

Picks up a new instrument every few weeks. He can’t play any of them, but he likes to find ways to annoy his friends with them

Is studying law, actually. He may not look or act it, but he’s freakishly smart, and he wants to become a prosecutor

Is dating Gertrude, and has been waiting for her to propose for almost six years. He’s gonna keep on waiting

[bengiyo]

La Pluie Ep 7 Stray Thoughts

Last week, I got all of my life from Patts and Tai almost having their first time on the floor, and all the implications of that. Patts learned about Tai's parents' proposal, and so organized his work trip to give them the opportunity to learn more about themselves. Independently, Tien and Lomfon decided to tag along on this volunteer trip to make their documentary for their class. Bow came along so Tai can write about the trip, and to make sure he progresses with his soulmate. Now, all of the characters are in one location, and I will get to see Patts show disdain for Lomfon.

Lomfon is always just so rude. What is his deal?

Tien is so excited about all of this. Poor Patts is consistently surprised by the enthusiasm from everyone in Tai's life.

Patts is so funny. He absolutely needed Tai to know he's still on from their last meetup. My man has waited a month for this!

I'm so invested in this beef between Now and Kung. Instant dislike always amuses me.

Now I'm curious how (presumably) Tai saved Lomfon's life.

Glad Patts and Tien aren't dumb. They see the way Lomfon is looking at Tai.

Lines are being drawn! I'm ready for Tien to start plotting Lomfon's murder.

Tien told Lomfon, "I'm the third son. You gonna find out what that means. I keep a ready clip."

I'm with Bow. They're taking all day on these damn dishes.

I love Bow. I'm glad she put everything on the table for Tai. He's been dodging the Lomfon question for a bit now, and I need to know what Tai intends to do. This is probably his first experience with attraction, and I don't think he has the experience to proceed with purpose.

I wonder at Lomfon and his experience with hearing loss.

Being a bunch of city kids, I bet the night sky would be stunning for them.

Okay, I will never shut up ever again. You could see that Tai was uncertain going into that makeout, but once again Patts was willing to stop for him. What intrigues me is that Tai decided on his own to offer to blow Patts. I can't remember another time we've been here in BL or queer cinema where the characters were in a developmental stage and one was willing to perform but not receive.

Now I'm wondering how much of a virgin Tai actually is.

Oh shit. Nara is here. Actually excited to see Tai accidentally befriend Patts' ex.

I love Bow so much.

Tai and Tien feel like brothers every time they interact. I like that Copter keeps acting in the background.

Goddammit. The vets tried to prevent this, but the drama requires Tai to see Nara pulling Patts into a kiss that he doesn't want to have.

Dramatic running up the mountain next week to wish the soulmate away!

I'm so glad I wrote my post about the overt sexuality of this show last week! I feel so righteous about that blowjob right now! Tai crossed a line with Patts and now feels like a fool! This is so exciting!

[pigeon-behavior]

Hello! Homeofhousechickens sent me. Apparently pet pigeons eventually go through a sort of puberty, do you have some insight about that? around what age and how long it lasts, what to look for to know it's begun and when it's over? how much handling/training should be done during that time, if at all? Thanks!

Hey!

This is true, pigeons do go through a pretty significant hormonal shift sometime during their first year of life, and when this is and how long it takes can vary by individual, as everything does with pigeons.

But most pigeons tend to go through puberty somewhere between 2 to 8 months of age. It typically presents by someone noticing abruptly that their previously curious and friendly young bird wants NOTHING to do with them. It can leave them wondering what they've done wrong, and if there's anything they can do.

In reality, I actually very much doubt the internal process is so abrupt. Having seen puberty first hand at least 6 times by now and been in contact with many people who shared their experiences, I think puberty is about a 3 month long process, and we generally completely miss the on-ramp that lasts about a month and a half.

During the worst of puberty, which is typically about a month, it's very common for the pigeon to be sullen and anti-social, to spend a lot of time at windows and not by your side, and to seem a bit unfamiliar. They also can be more easily frightened, and often can be very angry.

You know that puberty is on its way out the door when your pigeon starts to gravitate back into your orbit, more and more often. They will become more interested in you and your activities again. You will feel your connection reform to them. One day, it will seem strange that they were ever acting like that.

My personal experience with pigeon puberty has given me the opinion that they should essentially be left alone during this phase. Handling and training should be put on pause except where absolutely necessary (like if they won't get back in the cage or to go to the vet, etc). I overhandled my first pair during their puberty and they never quite recovered in regards to their relationship with hands. They have forgiven me but not forgotten. I think it's highly likely that I might be able to pet the hen if I hadn't made this error when she was in such a crucial phase, but I didn't know any better at the time.

I also want to say that it's normal to feel discouraged and upset during puberty. It is very hard not to take personally, even if you know it is coming! Just remember that it will end. The best thing you can do in the meantime is just to make yourself available to your pigeon in case they want to hang out. Do something in the same room, see if today is a social one! Try not to take it personally if it isn't.

And, if you're very lucky, you may not really notice puberty at all. Some people's pigeons seem to just waltz through without much change in behavior at all. They just are the minority, so it's best to be prepared.

Thanks for the tag @homeofhousechickens !

If you enjoy my posts, please consider tipping me on ko-fi!

[setagaya-division]

Elliot's Thoughts on Third Members

Saburo Yamada

"I'm a bit surprised someone as smart as Saburo-kun isn't already in high school. Don't tell him I said this, but I think he and Yorii should switch places considering Saburo-kun is as smart and mature as my younger brother. ...Although, considering Saburo-kun doesn't bother with anyone who isn't Ichiro-san, perhaps I shouldn't say that. It's a shame cause I'd really like to converse more with him. But I don't think he'd give me the time of day."

Rio Mason Busujima

"I'll admit, I never thought I'd actually make an acquaintanceship with a member of the Yokohama division team. Honestly, I tried to avoid Yokohama because of them, but I, unfortunately, had to go there when my boss at the vet asked if I could spare some time to go there and work. Since I've never been there, I got turned around and somehow ended up in the woodlands. That's where I met Rio-san. I admit, seeing a man dressed up in an army uniform was something I hadn't expected to see."

"I was afraid he was going to do something, but he was strangely nice. I told him of where I was going and he showed me where the vet center was. Later, I went back to his... campsite and thanked him for his help. Lately, I've been going there because I've been curious how the army heals wounds and treats animals that have been hurt. A lot of what he's explained to me has been very interesting, and I've learned a lot."

"Rio-san even made me some of his... food. I'll admit, it looked a little... unappetizing, but it tasted pretty good. I brought some home once and planned to take it for lunch the next day. However, Yorii threw it all out the night before because he didn't like how he looked! I was so upset! I didn't speak to him for the rest of the day because of that. And the bad thing is, he didn't even care! I'm not sad that Mina got on him for that."

Dice Arisugawa

"I... I don't really care for Dice-kun that much. I mean, I loaned him some money out of sympathy once when he was here in the city, but I later found out that he's a notorious gambler who begs people for money and then gambles it all away. ...Truthfully, it's only because of... K-K-Kureha-chan that I say 'hi' to him when we meet. ...Speaking of which, I may be wrong about this, but... I can't help but feel that she and Dice-kun know each other..."

Doppo Kannonzaka

"Yorii can be a real jerk at times! He said that if I didn't start standing up to my bullies more, I was going to wind up just like Doppo-san! ...Which, in my opinion, isn't really such a bad thing. I actually admire Doppo-san. I know life is hard for him considering people use and abuse him all the time. I can relate to him a lot. Some days, I wonder why I get out of bed to begin with. I guess its only because of my siblings and the few friends I have that give me the strength to push forward. I wonder if Doppo-san is the same way..."

Rei Ayamado

"...I don't know this guy, but... I can't help but feel like I've seen him before. I know I'm not being paranoid, because Mina-oneesan and Yorii feel the same way. I don't like this feeling, and I don't like this man. I get bad vibes from him..."

Hitoya Amaguni

"I've never met him, but I admire Amaguni-san. Jyushi-kun stated that it was him who saved him when bullies tormented him and caused his grandmother's death. He took on his case pro bono, and won it, sending his bullies to jail. I've thought about going to him, but my siblings have told me not to, but for different reasons. Yorii states that would be too much like running to someone else to deal with my problems, and Mina-oneesan says that whenever I'm in trouble, just come to her. I'm grateful for them both, but... I don't know. It's good to know I have someone else to go to in case things get hard."

[conjured-osteon]

Hiatus

{-Kicks rocks an mumble grumbles- I SWEAR this account was fully intended to have more activity but I'll be going on a Hiatus till further notice. If curious, I've added more under the cut but to keep it short'n'simple; Rough start to the year that only continued hasn't helped my creativity an instead stressed me out. (Triggers in the Tags, just in case.)}

{Starting this explanation on a softer note, I find myself having a hard time focusing on my lovely characters an this blog. Not to say I'm intending to get rid of it! But when you get nervous trying to reach out to others or don't get responded to it can be a bit disheartening an I never know what to do as a plan B. (Plus I know we all have lives outside of this. I'm just an unfortunately nervous person an sometimes the Logical Thinking gets bopped by the What If's) But I also have Bouncing Interests so at times my drive will go from full throttle to Zero without any warning because something else has gripped me like a vice.

I have been desperately wanting to work on the blog but as mentioned above, lack of interaction kills the motivation an leaves it kinda stressful cause I dunno what I can do to do better, especially when not wanting to be a pester or bother anyone. Otherwise I HAVE met some wonderful people who are a delight to chat/plot with and I am so, so, so sorry I've been inactive the past month :'D I take responsibility for that radio silence of mine.

And onto rougher notes... New Years Eve I had to say goodbye to my childhood dog. She lived a good, long life an it's still upsetting not seeing her around after nearly 15 years. Holidays already grate me so the addition only made it worse and then some other details surrounding it just, made it especially bitter for me. I've suffered depressing/anxiety fueling dreams involving her almost every night since. Following as a few days ago; one of my cats passed away. Another example of old age but losing a pet never comes any easier over the years.

Around December is when my mental state really started taking a nosedive, one I thought was going to be a temporary thing seeing as I was working odd hours for events from my usual shifts, not resting or eating properly Truth be told I'm bad at that in general bUT, grieving over the approaching vet visit on top of other stressors that came during the Holiday season. A part of the mindset I was thinking it would pass was due to the fact I don't register things that have happened/are happening immediately, an so I just guessed I was having one of my delayed responses from other things and handling present stress... Cept, it continued on in waves for several weeks in comparison to a day or two. Aaaand earlier today while I was working, I got so stuck in my own head, so tightly wound up by meaningless thoughts, arguments with not purpose and physically over stimulated into self directed aggression by getting MF'in' hiccups that I ended up reaching out to a Cr!s!s Hotline when I found I couldn't even make myself contact friends/family. My strongest Rational and Logical Thought was I needed to talk to someone before my predicament made itself truly hazardous. Immediately after, I called my partner so he'd be aware. I'm doing better at the current moment, quite chilled out actually an I fully intend to bring this all up with my Therapist this week.

I hate worrying others and I falter to express what's going on due to the always hovering thought of I'm just looking for attention, or I'll be ruining another person's day because I'm being a child. Something I've struggled with for a long time that I'm hoping-- Trying, very hard to work through.

Soooo yeah- I guess this is me saying I need to step back for my mental health. I'm still so bummed out by having to do this but I really, really want this to be a fun space I can look forward too at the end of my day without my own nagging negativities getting in the way of it.

DMs will continue to be open but I'll be much more MIA from here than I was prior, this time with reason behind it.}

[pookha]

No Tengo las Llaves: Chapter 4

Summary:

Masha invites Vee to a sleepover. Two confessions happen. Lyuba discovers the truth about Vee.

Notes:

TW: This chapter will mention conversion camps. I believe this will actually have 2-3 more chapters as I'm still enjoying exploring it.

Vee fell into a routine. They would get up early, check everything was okay with Camila’s finances, then they would bake. After cleaning up the kitchen, there was still so much of the day. They fell into the hole of Cosmic Frontier fanfiction. After reading all of Camila’s stuff, they clicked on some of the tags and discovered that they really didn’t understand humans. They went into safe mode and searched. Their cheeks flamed and they made notes about things to ask Masha later. Curious, they logged into Luz’s laptop and found her Fan Archive account. They read all of Luz’s Good Witch Azura stories, too. Luz’s stories weren’t as well written as Camila’s, but her artwork was amazing. 

They met Masha’s Uncle Ivan (call me ‘Vanya,’ he said and laughed). It seemed to be an inside joke. He agreed to test out Vee’s goods with his vegetables and his… special herbs.

“Da, brownies are a good choice,” he’d said. He ate a brownie and then one of the piroshkis. He gave them a thumbs up. The first Saturday, he sold completely out of the brownies and conchas and had just a few piroshkis left. He handed them a fat wad of cash which they looked at in amazement; when they counted it, it was enough for them to get more supplies and still be able to have some pocket money left over. It wouldn’t make up for Camila’s pay, but Vee could at least feed herself without further draining Camila’s accounts.

Vee went to an away game with Lyuba to see Masha play. Masha came in just a few minutes into the second half. Lyuba said they were a ‘super sub,’ and explained to Vee what that meant. The other team won, but Lyuba said that Gravesfield played well and that Masha had done well, too. Vee nodded like they understood, but soccer was going to take a while to understand. Masha only had one quick moment after the game to hug their mother and Vee before running off to the locker room.

On the drive back, Lyuba asked Vee a bunch of questions about themself. Vee had the backstory all prepared: they were in foster care and Camila was trying to adopt them; their father was abusive, they were being home-schooled to catch up; and they’d been in the same camp as Luz and Masha.

“Camila sounds like a good person; maybe I will change vets to her,” Lyuba said.

“For Fluffy and Buffy?” Vee asked. Masha had told them about the two cats and how funny they were.

Lyuba nodded.

“Masha doesn’t know I’m asking, but would you, Luz, and Camila like to come for Thanksgiving? it’s going to just be me and Masha…and Fluffy and Buffy.”

Vee was silent for a long time.

“I—I’d like to, but I’ll have to ask Mom what she has planned.”

Lyuba nodded.

They passed the rest of the drive with small talk. Lyuba dropped Vee off at home and Vee texted Masha immediately.

Your mom asked me to Thksgiving dinner.

…

…

…

You should come, it’ll be just us and the cats.

Yr dad’s not coming?

…

…

….

F him,  Masha sent back after a very long pause and multiple “Masha is typing”s that appeared, stopped, then restarted..

When you’re ready, pls talk to me about what’s up, Vee texted back.

Can I txt later; too many eyes on bus?

OK, I will be up late

<3

<3

Vee sighed and sat down. This pretending to be two or more people was getting to be hard and it’d only been a few weeks.

They looked up a new recipe for caramel brownies and started making them. They burnt the caramel sauce the first time and the fire alarms went off. They counted to twenty, remade it and poured it over the still-warm brownies. While they were cooling, Vee cleaned up. They’d just finished when Masha texted.

Can you sleepover tonight? Mom will pick you up? I want to talk and it’s better in person than on the phone or text.

Vee texted back immediately. Masha didn’t usually text in full sentences with punctuation, so it seemed serious.

I can. I made caramel brownies, too.

Bring those.

There was a pause.

Mom will be there in 30.

<3

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*<3

Vee had never done a sleepover before, so they looked up what it entailed. They weren’t originally going to take a bag, but it would have looked suspicious, so they packed some of Luz’s clothes. They also grabbed their toothbrush and a few maxi pads, even though they didn’t need the latter. They put the bag by the door and got the brownies. At the last moment, they grabbed a jacket (because it would look weird to not take one off when they got inside) and Luz’s laptop and put it in the bag. They saw Lyuba pull up, grabbed the bag and brownies, locked up and left. 

“Thank you for picking me up, Lyuba,” Vee said politely.

“You’re welcome; Masha’s never had a sleepover before, so when they asked, I said okay.”

She sniffed.

“Those caramel brownies that Masha said you were bringing smell good.”

“I’ve never made them before, so I’m not sure how they came out.” Vee put their pack in the footwell, buckled up and balanced the pan of brownies on their lap.

It wasn’t far to their apartment, and Lyuba just made small talk. When they got there, Lyuba turned and looked at Vee.

“Masha’s upset about something, but they won’t tell me; I think that’s why they called you. I’m so happy they’ve got a good friend to talk to.”

She squeezed Vee’s hand.

“You seem nice. Please don’t break their heart.”

Vee blinked and Lyuba looked at her sharply.

“Are your eyes okay?”

“Oh, I’m fine, they just look weird sometimes in certain light.”

Vee followed Lyuba to their apartment; Masha didn’t seem to like to spend a lot of time in it and preferred to work, play soccer or visit Vee.

Lyuba unlocked the door, and Vee followed her in. Vee hung their coat up on the hooks inside the door next to Masha’s, then went to the tiny kitchen and put the pan of brownies on the counter.

Masha met them in the hallway on the way to their room. They hugged Vee tightly. Vee could see that Masha wanted to say something, but maybe not here. Lyuba poked her head out from her room.

“Go ahead, if you need me, I’ll be in the kitchen eating all the brownies.” She laughed and closed her door. Masha and Vee went into Masha’s bedroom. Vee sat at the chair by the desk and Masha flopped on their bed bonelessly. They both heard Lyuba’s door open and Lyuba walk to the kitchen. A small tabby cat came out from under the bed and jumped up onto Masha’s stomach and curled up there. Masha petted Buffy absently.

“Ugh,” Masha said and put their arm over their eyes.

Vee rolled the chair close to Masha’s bed so they could take their hand.

Masha opened their eyes, then took their arm from over their eyes and gripped Vee’s hand with both of theirs. Buffy let out a small ‘meow’ and jumped back down and went under the bed.

“Thank you,” Masha said.

“Um, you’re welcome.”

Masha sighed.

“Sorry, I didn’t want to talk about my dad on the bus.”

“You don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want to.” Vee squeezed Masha’s hand.

“No, I have to tell you a couple things.” Masha sat up, still holding Vee’s hands in theirs.

“My parents are separated…”

“I guessed that since you never talked about him,” Vee said quietly.

“It’s because of me,” Masha said quietly.

Vee slid off the chair and sat next to Masha on the bed.

“Well, not entirely I guess, but the camp was the final straw for my mom. My dad sent me there because he thought it was a conversion camp.”

“I—what is that?”

“It’s a camp where the ‘counselors’ try to change kids orientations or gender identities to conform to what they think is ‘normal’.”

Vee squeaked.

“That’s—that’s awful. Do humans not understand that’s just how people are?”

“Some people don’t; my dad’s one of them. Where he’s from being queer is actually illegal and he’s very…old-fashioned would be one way to say it…or close-minded.”

Vee put their free hand around Masha and pulled them tight. Masha buried their face into Vee’s shoulder.

“I was supposed to spend the summer with him, and mom didn’t know I was at the camp until I called to have her pick me up. I thought they had agreed on it together, but I should have known that mom would never have…” Vee felt a small trickle of tears on their shoulder.

“Mom picked me up and we came home and she had a big blow-up with dad over the phone. Long story short, my mom has sole custody now and dad is in the shit-house.”

“I’m so sorry. Any way I can help, I will.” Vee kissed the top of Masha’s head.

“Thank you, but that’s just one thing.”

Masha let Vee hold them for a few minutes, then sat up, and turned to face them directly.

“I—I think I’m in love with you, but it’s the first time for me and I just realized something recently that I think I’ve been lying to myself about.”

They lowered their eyes, then raised them to meet Vee’s.

“I’m ace,” Masha said simply.

Vee blinked a couple of times, once showing their true eyes.

“It means asexual,” Masha explained, seeing that Vee didn’t understand.

“I have romantic feelings toward you, but no sexual attraction. I love being with you, being held by you, kissing you even, but I don’t have that…that oomph that most people seem to feel when they look at the one they love.”

Vee was silent for a moment.

“That’s okay,” they said finally.

“Actually, it’s a relief because I feel pretty much the same way.” Vee smiled, leaned in and kissed Masha on the forehead.

“I—you don’t hate me?” Masha asked.

“How could I hate you?” Vee kissed the tip of Masha’s nose and they both laughed.

“I don’t have those sorts of feelings in my natural form and when I’ve been in human form, I haven’t felt them either.” Vee sighed.

“I was so worried that I was strange somehow, or something was wrong with my shifting, but it’s just who I am. I think I love you, too.”

They paused.

“No, I do love you, and I want to see where this goes.”

They laughed.

“Even if it means that more than just making out is off the table?” Masha asked.

“Even then,” Vee said and kissed Masha gently on the lips.

They were still kissing lightly when Lyuba burst into the room.

“Who are you?” she demanded, pointing at Vee.

Vee and Masha broke apart, both blushing.

“What?” Vee asked.

“Who are you? Did you run away?” Lyuba rushed to the bed and grabbed Vee’s arm.

“Mom! She’s all right,” Masha said.

Lyuba yanked Vee upright.

“I just called to change vets and they said that Dr. Noceda has been out of the country for weeks and they don’t know when she’ll be back.”

“Please, mom, let her go!” Masha yelled.

“I can explain,” Vee said.

“I’m a shapeshifter and I was at camp as Luz, because Luz had gone to another dimension. I took her place with Camila because I didn't know what else to do. After a while, Luz made contact and it all came out.”

“Don’t bullshit me!” Lyuba shouted.

“Are you squatting at the Nocedas? Do I need to call the police? Are you a criminal?”

They sighed and shifted form.

“Bozhe moi!” Lyuba shouted and released Vee’s arm. She took two steps back and bumped into the desk. Her breathing became ragged.

Masha stood and went to their mom. They hugged her and whispered, “Vee’s okay, I promise.”

Lyuba turned to Masha.

“You knew?” she asked.

“I knew when I saw Luz at school and Vee came to the Historical Society.”

Vee shifted back to human and Lyuba gasped again. Buffy came out from under the bed and started brushing Vee’s ankles.

“Please, I can explain,” Vee begged again and sat on the bed. Buffy immediately leapt onto the bed and climbed onto their lap.

Vee and Masha told the whole story of how they met at camp while Vee was taking Luz’s place. They explained the Demon Realm and what Vee was and finally they told Lyuba that Vee was just trying to hold it together for Camila while Camila was with Luz in the Demon Realm.

“If they wanted to hurt me, they could have anytime,” Masha said.

“I’m a pacifist,” Vee said, spreading their hands, “and I hate conflict. I would never hurt you or Masha.”

“This is so much to take in.” Lyuba’s eyes still twitched back and forth to Vee, but she no longer trembled so violently.

She pointed at Buffy on Vee’s lap.

“That also is good; Buffy doesn’t like bad people, like…” she trailed off.

“Dad,” Masha finished for her.

Lyuba sighed and nodded.

“I—I love Masha,” Vee said.

Masha stepped back from her mom and sat next to Vee on the bed again.

“And I love Vee,” Masha said

“Wait, I’ve eaten your food, am I cursed?” Lyuba asked.

Vee could tell she was serious.

“No, it’s just food. I make it because I like it and other people like it and I can make a little bit of money, so I’m not just using up all of Camila’s money while she’s gone.”

Vee sighed again.

“Really, I’m just a lost kid, far from home.”

Lyuba seemed to come to a decision.

“Nyet, I don’t think that’s true; you seem at home here.”

“I’m hoping to, if Camila comes back.”

“How long have they been gone?” Lyuba asked.

“Since Halloween. I’ve gotten one text, which means they had a portal open for a moment, but it cut off part way through.”

“How long do you think they’ll be gone?”

Vee shrugged helplessly.

“You can’t keep this up on your own; you’ll need an adult sometimes. Let me be that adult,” Lyuba said.

“Thank you.” Vee stood, stepped to Lyuba and hugged her. Lyuba went stiff then relaxed. A few seconds later, Masha joined the hug.

“Mom, I’m ace,” Masha said in a choked voice.

“I know, dear,” Lyuba said. “I’ve suspected for a few years, but I never said anything because I didn’t want to upset…”

“Dad,” Masha finished for her again.

“Da, your father.” Lyuba kissed the top of Masha’s head, paused, then kissed the top of Vee’s head, too.

She pushed Vee to arm’s length and looked at them.

“Wait, if you’re a shapeshifter, where do your clothes go?”

Masha met Vee’s eyes and they laughed until they cried. Eventually Vee was able to explain it all to Lyuba through gasping laughs that kept recurring.

[vikasgarden]

‘ mice are never just mice, and pumpkins are rarely just pumpkins. ’

Building a small town for mice took almost the whole summer and autumn. There were little houses, little tables with little things on them. There were little flower pots with a few weeds and tiny little flowers that Vika had enchanted to keep them so small. She used wood, self-drying clay, lots of glue and other things she already owned or found at flea markets. There was a small corner shop, a pharmacy, a supermarket and lots of houses with small windows and open doors so that the mice could live in them. The mouse families were also given names. They were written on the front of the houses. There was everything from the Micington family to the Micemellow and Micegrown families. The houses were even painted. With a little help from Ana, they turned out beautifully. And the houses fitted perfectly into the stone wall that surrounded Vika's garden. 

For some, this is a strange or even crazy idea. But for Vika, it was an idea that had gripped her from the start. Ana had given her the idea, and ever since she had first seen this tiny city that someone had built in their garden especially for mice, Vika had not been dissuaded from the idea for a moment. Others would be happy if there were no rodents in their garden. But Vika knew that even the smallest inhabitants are part of the ecosystem. Vika also lived by the motto that every life is valuable. At least when it came to animals. With some humans, even the fairy was tempted from time to time.

“We're at the end. I'd say so.” Vika sat in front of her new little town, which could now be seen freely in her garden. Moss was already growing on some of the roofs and it was so beautiful. No one could say otherwise. A little spider was crawling across a façade, some ants were trying to pick the little clay apple from one of the tables. 

Vika looked down at the mouse sitting peacefully in her hand, enjoying the little cuddles Vika gave it. “Do you want to see your new home?” The mouse looked into her face. The little beady eyes were so cute, so tiny, that Vika wanted to keep the mouse in her house, where she had raised it for the last few weeks. She was so tiny, but an adult animal, as the vet said. So it was time to release her into the hands of Mother Nature. 

“I hope you like it.” Vika placed the mouse on the ground, and after looking left and right, it simply jumped back onto Vika. The fairy began to giggle. “Okay, okay. I get it, Marlowe. You want to say goodbye.” The fairy took the mice back on her hand and led her to her face to give her a few kisses and feel the little whiskers on her cheeks one last time while Marlowe sniffed her face one last time. 

Vika tried again to free the little mouse, and now she was curious and hopped over to one of the houses and a small table before actually disappearing into one of the houses. “I'm going to miss her. I hope she knows there's always a treat waiting for her.” Vika looked at Ana. The other woman sat at her side. “Mice are never just mice, and pumpkins are rarely just pumpkins. She would know. She wanted to say goodbye before she disappeared into her new home.” Ana smiled at her friend and Vika smiled back. “You're right. But ... are you telling me that the pumpkin waiting for us to return to the house is like Marlowe? What are we supposed to eat then?” The women burst out laughing as they made their way back to the house. They left Marlowe and the little mouse town behind.