#deaf dog awareness week

[theocddiaries]

Jonathan: There's nothing wrong with my hearing. Tim: Um, I have a hearing test app on my phone. Martha: Let's do it! Tim: Okay. Everybody under the age of 60 should be able to hear this. [High-pitched beep] Everyone: Yeah, definitely. Jonathan: What? You're lying. You didn't hear anything. Martha: We did. See? You're deaf. Tim: Okay, 70. [Higher-pitched beep] Everyone: Yep. Heard it. Jonathan: Come on! Did she put you up to this? Tim: Here, Grandpa, I'll play you something even louder. [Nothing] Jonathan: Okay. I heard that one. Tim: I didn't press anything. Jason: Oh, look who's a cheater. Jonathan: You know, I don't need any of this. Lois: Oh, come on, Jonathan. Aren't you being a little oversensitive? Clark: Oh, well, we can consult dear Lana over there. She's the self-appointed sensitivity expert. Bruce [sighs] Lana: Oh, let it go. Clark: I will not let it go. In fact, I would like everyone to be honest with me, please, right now. No sugarcoating. Lana here seems to think you all have to walk on eggshells around me. Do you all think I'm so fragile you can't tell me things for fear of how I will react? Lois: Well-- Bruce: Lois, don't. Zip. Bup, bup, bup. Clark: No. Let her talk, please. Lois, you have the floor. Lois: W-Well, you aren't not fragile. Clark: …Okay. Well, why don't you give me an example of something you haven't told me because you were worried I couldn't handle it? Go on. Lois: …All right. Last week when we were supposed to have lunch and you canceled-- Mm-hmm. Beyoncé was at the restaurant. Bruce and Lana: Ah, damn. Clark: …Okay. Uh, the singer or Jim's dog? Lois: The singer. And when I was leaving, I-I stopped and I said hello to her and we chatted for, like, 10 minutes. Clark [Nods]: Okay, that's great. I'm glad you had that experience. I mean, I don't know what you talked to her about, seeing that you don't know any of her songs other than "Single Ladies," which everyone knows. Jonathan: Love that song. Martha: I'm surprised you can hear it. Bruce: Well, this was fun. Who's hungry? Hey, where's that boar? Clark: Okay, anyone else? Damian: Well, since we're coming clean… Bruce: Damian. Damian: …you overuse the word "divine." It's just an ice cream sandwich, Kent. You're the boy who cried "divine." Clark: Okay. Was not aware of that. Duly noted. Jason: Hey, I got one! Remember that blue rotary phone you gave me for Christmas? Clark: Yes. Jason: I tossed it. Clark: Okay. May… May I ask the reason? Jason: It made me feel like Ann-Margret in Bye Bye Birdie. Clark: Okay, anyone else? Dick: I don't really like the shirts with the crazy cuffs. Clark: I'm sorry. I'll take note of the fashion expert who went out to fight crime dressed as Disco Stu. Bruce and Lana: And here we go! Clark: No, no. Here we don't go. This is fine. I'm fine, okay? Everyone: … Conner: When I was little, I used to pretend to be asleep, so you'd go. Clark [Stiffles a sob in a high-pitched tone] Jonathan: That I heard. Clark: Well, I heard you all loud and clear. I have to use the restroom. Bruce: Clark, you're sensitive. Big deal. It's one of your best qualities. Clark: Thank you, Bruce, and I'm sorry your Beyoncé-loving new friend ignored you blatantly and blackmailed Falcone behind your back. Bruce: You what? Lois: … Oh, come on, I was there like… thirty minutes top! [Clark breaks the doorknob. He looks over his shoulder, seeing all attention on him again] Clark [Hesitant, to Lana]: See? Farm strong.

[cowgurrrl]

Sweet Creature

Pairing: Joel Miller x fem!reader (plus platonic Ellie Williams x fem!reader)

Author’s note: holy shit thank you for your ideas this is my favorite. also i put it in the tags of darlin’ i’d wait for you BUT there is a beautiful easter egg in the baby’s first and middle name and the first person to tell me what it is gets a kiss on the mouth

Summary: “Helping one another is part of the religion of our sisterhood.” - Jo March, Little Women aka Ellie rescues you and Joel [1.3k]

Warnings: newborn DRAMA, post-partum anxiety if you squint, Joel being a softie for his daughters

"C'mon, Charlie girl, you've gotta help us out." You mumble as you bounce your crying baby around the room. It's been an hour of her crying nonstop, and you've tried everything. Nursing, changing her diaper, changing her clothes, burping, changing the room's temperature, and playing music. You even went as far as to check her for any injuries that you may have missed. You're not sure what kind of trouble your one-week-old could've gotten into to warrant an injury, but you're exhausted, and it seemed to make sense. 

Joel woke up with her first, as he has done every night since you gave birth, so you had the chance to get some rest. Recovery has been rough for you, and he's already doing so much for you. He and Ellie barely let you get out of bed most days because they want to ensure you take the time to heal. Even though the thought is nice, you wake up and listen when Joel gets up with her every time. It's not that you don't trust him. It's that you're already the world's lightest sleeper, and Joel is deaf in one ear and is rarely aware of just how loud he is. You also don't mind secretly watching as he lays her on his bare chest in the low light of your room, singing to her or explaining what he's doing for her to engage her little brain. He's caught you staring at least twice since she's come home. 

But tonight was different. She woke up crying and was pretty much inconsolable until Joel brought her over to you. She nursed for a minute or two before wrenching away from you and screaming. Since then, you and Joel have been taking turns trying to get her to go back to sleep. It's hard having a newborn with two capable parents. You have no idea how you had a baby as a single mom. 

"D'you wanna try to feed her again?" Joel asks as he stands next to you, disheveled and overwhelmed but trying his best to comfort the both of you. 

"I don't know," you shake your head, your throat starting to feel like sandpaper. You were always the more emotional person in your relationship, but postpartum emotions are nothing compared to your regular ones. "I don't know what's wrong." You cry. Joel touches your back and makes a sympathetic noise as tears fall down your face.

"Let me take her for a little bit so you can sit down, okay?" He suggests as he carefully takes Charlie from you. She chuffs at the transition before going right back to screaming her head off. You sit on the edge of the bed and watch as he holds her like a football and hums what sounds like Hank Williams to her. You'd be surprised if she could even hear him over her own crying, and you take a deep breath, racking your brain for what could be wrong. 

"What are you doing to her?" Ellie asks as she walks into the room, rubbing sleep from her eyes. She's wearing one of Joel's shirts and hand-me-down shorts from Maria, and her hair is as messy as Joel's. If you weren't still crying, you think you'd probably laugh. 

"She's just a little fussy. You can go back to bed." Joel says, but she shakes her head and walks over to where he's standing with Charlie. 

"What's going on, bug? Huh?" She asks, crouching to look at Charlie's tired, sad eyes. She may have your eye shape, but she got those heartbreaking brown eyes from Joel. When she cries like this, they look like the saddest puppy dog eyes in the world. "D'you want me to try?" Ellie asks, and Joel shoots you a look.

You've been very intentional about not putting too much pressure on Ellie to help with the baby. She's sixteen, and she shouldn't have to be burdened with that if she doesn't have to be. You told her she could help as much or as little as she wanted, but she took it upon herself to help more often than not. You just didn't want her to wake up for midnight cry sessions or feel like she had to be put in a parenting position. She's still a kid.

"It's worth a shot," Joel says, and you shrug, way too tired to argue with him. He carefully passes Charlie to Ellie, who cradles her close and pushes her hair out of her face. Joel stays nearby in case she decides to hand the baby off, but he doesn't intrude on their moment.

"Hey, it's alright. You let it all out," Ellie says as she sways. Her fingers muss Charlie's hair, and she's quieting down. Not a lot, but enough to see it as crying instead of blood-curdling screaming. "I've got you, sweet girl." Ellie's hand moves to her chest, gently scratching and rubbing little circles into Charlie's onesie, and like magic, she stops crying. She turns her little head toward Ellie and yawns big and long like we kept her up. You sigh in relief and tip your head up to the ceiling as silence fills the room. Your ears are still ringing, and your body hurts, but it's quiet. 

It would be easy to claim that Charlie calmed down because Ellie's wearing one of Joel's worn shirts or that she just finally hit a wall and fell asleep, but you like to think she was just missing her sister. Joel looks between Ellie and Charlie in disbelief, mumbling "shit" under his breath. "What can I say? She loves me." She shrugs, and you quietly laugh as she walks over to the rocking chair in the corner and curls up with Charlie. She snags the yellow blanket one of the older women in town knitted for you off the back of the chair and drapes it around them. You would think they've known each other for centuries. 

Joel is still standing in the middle of the room, his curls a mess on top of his head, as his sleep-deprived brain tries to piece together what happened. He scratches at his stubbly jaw and shakes his head as he thinks. "You don't have to stay up with her. I can put her back in the crib." Joel offers, and you watch her hold on Charlie get a little tighter.

"It's gonna take me a long time to fall asleep. You guys should get some rest. I've got her," Ellie says, a smile pulling at her lips. "Besides, I like hanging out with her." You would cry again if you had the energy, but you don't. Instead, you crawl back into bed and get comfortable. Joel looks to you for confirmation, always looking for your approval as the mother of his child before making any decisions, but you're already half-asleep again.

"If she's volunteering, I'm not gonna stop her," you mumble into your pillow. "Just don't fall asleep."

"Sir, yes, sir," Ellie says. They may have stayed up talking. You're not sure, but when you wake up, Ellie is between you and Joel in bed, and Charlie is in her crib. She's tucked under the arm Joel is using to hold your waist as he sleeps, and her hand is on his chest. He's snoring lightly as he holds you both, perfectly content to cuddle with his girls in bed. You smile and kiss each of their heads before falling asleep again.

You vaguely remember fearing how the new baby would affect Joel and Ellie's relationship and worrying if Ellie and the baby would get along. You don't know exactly why Charlie was crying last night or why she calmed down so fast once Ellie had her, and you don't need to. 

Sometimes a girl just needs her sister. 

Sometimes a father just needs to baby his sixteen-year-old a little longer.

🍓

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taglist: @evyiione @nyotamalfoy @abbyhaslongshorts​

[whinesandwhimpers]

Wolfish Offerings

Part 1 - 'Hot Chocolate' (wolf shifter!ghost x f!reader)

White blankets everything outside, the greens and browns of the forest and the roof of your cabin now covered in snow.

Sipping your hot chocolate, you watch as more snow falls down in pretty little flakes. Maybe you’ll make a snowman later when it eases up, you think. For now, you’re just content to admire the weather from inside.

You briefly tense as you catch some movement outside before relaxing again when you recognise that kind-of-familiar fluffy backside as he approaches your cabin backwards, pulling another dead animal to your front door.

A deer, this time, you note.

It's the third animal—offering? gift? stock item?—this week.

You're not sure why he keeps doing this, why he chose your cabin as the spot to dump the victims of his sharp teeth or why he doesn’t seem fussed when he returns to drop off another animal only to find the previous one gone. Which is why you can’t help but feel like they’re somehow for you.

You leave your half-empty hot chocolate on your kitchen counter and head over to the front door, tearing it open and glaring at the wolf as he drops the deer from between his teeth and turns around to face you.

Snow decorates his grey and brown fur as he stands there, dark eyes focused on you.

"Alright, enough of you. I don’t want that thing and this isn't some food storage spot for you. Get out of here!" You're shivering by the time you're done scolding him, your long sleeve pyjamas and fluffy slippers clearly not enough to keep the cold from affecting you out here. The fire in your lounge room beckons you closer but you must deal with the matter at hand first.

The wolf tilts his head at you and maintains eye contact.

You've gotten glimpses of him around this part, your part, of the forest, aware of when he was nearby through his howls. And you’ve even exchanged far away glances at each other. He didn’t hurt you then so you feel a little better now about confronting him, however you aren’t sure if he’s about to devour you and you don’t exactly want to stand around and find out as you feel your bravery slowly leaving you the more he stares you down.

You flick your hand out. "Okay, go on, shoo."

Before he can have an opportunity to pounce, you close the door and start walking back to your kitchen to grab your hot chocolate. A bark startles you, then the sound of scratching at your door. Little Shit. Against all better judgement you go back and open your door. The deer remains where you saw it before but now the wolf is right here in front of you. He's even bigger up close, his head in line with your stomach.

Feeling brave you ask, "What do you want, Terror?"

He replies with a bark, much softer than you expected, as he slowly blinks up at you.

"I am not taking that thing if that's what you mean." You motion to the dead deer.

Another bark, before he bumps his nose against one of your hands that hangs by your side, then pushes past you and walks into your cabin.

"Hey, no terrors allowed, buddy! Get that fluffy butt outside! You're trekking in snow too, you know?!"

Your attempts to kick him out fall upon deaf ears as you end up closing your door and following him through to your lounge room where he circles a few times before lying down in a cozy ball right in front of the toasty fire, resting his head on the floor. He looked at home, relaxed, and more like a domesticated dog than a wolf.

Since it looks like he’s not leaving anytime soon and you really have no other option, you give in with a sigh. "Alright, you can stay for now."

He lets out a soft bark without lifting his head, then another when you try to leave.

"I'm just getting my hot chocolate. Stay." You doubt the command will work but you try it anyway, leaving him there while you walk to the kitchen.

He does in fact not listen.

You barely make it a few steps before he gets in front of you, making you stop, then starts nudging you, your stomach, your thighs, even tries nudging your crotch, making you gasp and push his head away.

"Terror! You're just a dirty, old man, huh?" You giggle, scratching behind his ear before you can stop yourself.

He huffs a breath of air out through his nose and nudges your leg again, before he takes some of your pyjama pants in his mouth and tugs you towards the fire. When he gets you to where he was laying down before, he tugs on your pants making you sit down, before nudging your shoulder so you're completely laying down on your back.

The cold must have frozen some of your brain cells because you just go along with it, allowing him to manoeuvre you however he likes.

"Did you want to eat me in front of a nice, warm fire, is that it?" You awkwardly joke, fingers clenching and unclenching nervously on your chest.

He lets out a little sound, a mix of a whine and a growl, and nudges your cheek, then lies down and rests his head on your clothed stomach, face in the direction of the fire, his eyes closing.

You let out a tense breath and bring a hand to his head and start gently petting him as you close your own eyes, feeling yourself warm up because of the fire and this big fluffy animal that radiates heat. It's not exactly the most comfortable spot but it'll do. You even ignore all the now-melted snow he's brought in.

"Don't think I haven't forgotten about that deer outside. And I'm gonna be really pissed if you eat me while I'm sleeping, Terror." You mumble, too busy falling asleep to hear the little snort he lets out.

Your hot chocolate goes cold.

[a-bucket-of-trash]

The Sound of the Love- Kelvin x Neutral Reader – One shot

Prompt: You are too used to talk with yourself thinking Kelvin can’t hear you… Unles…

Tag: Fluff and Smut but not explicit.

All summer had happened on that island in the middle of nowhere and now the cool air was making itself felt, the soft wind purring in the trees dyed red and gold. It was a beautiful landscape, if it weren't for the randomly screaming of the cannibals. But you were determined to cleanse the island of those beings. You did not believe in a possible rescue, especially since some abandoned buildings seemed to have been disused for at least a year. So you were going to make that island YOUR island. If you two were rescued, fine, and if not, it didn't matter. You were going to make sure that YOUR Kelvin, that soldier who followed you everywhere, could finally rest and lower his guard, no matter what.

He should rest, he had to rest, but he was too stubborn. Convincing him to stay safe was difficult, as difficult as convincing him to stop carrying logs in pairs, or to stop guarding cave entrances when you explored them, or to stop getting into your fights with cannibals so that they would deflect the attacks at him as well. Kelvin seemed to have an urgency to prove that he wasn't useless, even though he was deaf and brain-damaged.

You were thinking about that, standing on one of the paths, with the soldier at your side. You heard him approach you, make the “deer” sign, and aim into the distant bushes. He had extremely sharp eyesight and he saw danger or prey a hundred times better than you, you only saw plants.

Agilely you took your bow and aimed, even without knowing exactly where the animal was. Kelvin stuck close to you, from behind, watching, slightly adjusting the angle of your arm and patting your side when he figured you were in line of fire. You let go, seeing the arrow fly silently and you heard the dull sound of something falling to the ground, so you ran to finish off the animal. He smiled, raising his thumb up, to which you replied in kind. You know that, if it weren't for his hands shaking too much, he alone, with a bow, could kill twice as many enemies and animals.

You both returned to the base you had built, a relatively safe area next to a river, with the simple wooden shelter that was beginning to spread under the idea that it would eventually be a cabin. You stayed near the river, dissecting the deer, removing everything that could be useful. Luckily you had grown up on a farm, you had learned, at a very young age, how to process cattle. Sitting next to you, Kelvin, watching what you were doing.

"You calm down, my big boy, today you will eat well" You murmured.

You had that habit of talking to him when he didn't see you, even though he couldn't hear you. That not only kept you a little sane, but it helped you remember that he wasn't a machine or a dog. Besides, you liked to do it, you often told him how attractive he was or how much you had fallen in love with him, things you could never say looking into his eyes.

And the fall wore on with the weeks, everything was turning more red and brown, and Kelvin had undergone some remarkable changes. His hands seemed to gradually stabilize, his dizziness subsided, and he seemed much more awake and aware, as if his brain was returning to its old self, allowing him to be more proactive, more independent, and able to make important decisions for himself, at least until he passed out of the blue, to spend a whole week flying in fever, barely waking up. You forced him to stay still, while you tried to cool him down and keep him hydrated, hour after hour, staying by his side, day after night. You were terrified at the idea that his internal injury would get worse, that he wouldn't wake up anymore, that your partner would die there.

Luckily his fever was coming down, but you weren't going to let him get up, not until his head was cool, not until you were a thousand times sure he was okay.

That afternoon he watched you enter the pseudo-cabin, tired after annihilating the cannibals that had approached upon noticing the abrupt tranquility of the area. You left your ax near the bed and sat down heavily on a box that you used as a seat, near him, sighing, recovering, giving him the “Ok” signs to keep him calm.

You took off your gloves and gently reached out to touch his forehead and cheeks, feeling him healthily warm. He hadn't had a fever for a couple of days, but even so, you didn't want him to get out of there, you desperately needed him to be safe.

Kelvin gave you the "Ok" gesture and tried to get up, but you pushed him gently, leaving him sitting in his place, to which he looked at you, confused. You knew he was looking for an explanation, but you didn't have a way to tell him what was going through your mind, there wasn't enough paper on the island for that.

You sighed, sitting back on the edge of the bed, looking away from him, but leaving one of your hands in his hair, stroking him. “God, I wish I knew how I could explain it to you… But… It's just… Can't you stay still, you big clumsy? I don't want anything to happen to you… Okay? What happened to you burns in my soul, and what could happen to you burns even more... Just stay here, safe... Stop trying to prove to me that you're useful, silly, I know you're useful, but it's just that... Wait a bit more, wait until I clean this damn island of those stupid bone suckers, okay? As soon as I kill everything that could harm you, you can walk in peace, honey... I promise I will, so you'll have a more relaxed life, a nice cabin just for you. I promise my love. But for now, just get well, I couldn't survive without you by my side… I love you… I need you…”

Another of your constant sighs came out of your mouth, when you were going to get up to get the notepad. Kelvin grabbed your arm and pulled firmly, to lie down completely, taking you with him, resting you on his chest. Somewhat shocked by his reaction, you heard him laugh softly, hugging you tightly. Your eyes locked on him, seeing him smile, his warm brown eyes meeting yours.

"I can... hear..." He said, smiling, his voice raspy after months of non-use.

"What? What!?" You smiled widely, feeling your heart skip a beat and bathe in warmth “Really? Can you hear me!?"

"A little" He nodded, laughing more "Don't yell..."

"I'm sorry" You laughed with wet eyes, excited "God... I'm so happy for you... Kelvin... Finally..."

“I heard a… plop…” He smiled wider “A little before… you came back…”

"That's great!" Your smile faded momentarily when you remembered what you had said a few minutes ago, thinking that he didn't hear you. "O-oh... OH..." Your face turned completely red.

"Mhm" Kelvin nodded softly, looking at you with more tenderness than you'd ever seen in him, while he held you firmly. "Love you... too..." He whispered, his eyes wandering over your face "For... a long time..."

You didn't give a shit for how long ago. You held his cheeks to kiss him hard, listening to him laugh softly for a moment, before kissing you with more impetus than you expected, as if he were carrying the desire in his heart, for months.

From there everything went to majors, and not long after, a good scandal could be heard from that part of the island, and whose origin was not exactly cannibal.

The sun was going down and you were still curled up next to him, skin to skin, your chin on his chest, looking at him, your mind and body relaxed, feeling one of his hands wander absently up your back.

"Excuse me, you told me not to yell" You murmured, rubbing his waist "I did my best, but, well... You didn't give me many options, Kelvin..."

The soldier laughed widely, denying, to hug you even more, resting his face against your head, taking a long breath. "You make me... very happy..." He gently kissed your hair "Let me take care of you... We are two... We are... A team... Don't leave me behind, I don't like being left behind..." He squeezed you.

"Okay" You smiled, rubbing your face affectionately against his "But don't worry, I'll decapitate anything that comes near you"

"I love your overprotective violence" He purred, running his hands down your back "When you dismember cannibals... Well... I get a little... you know..."

"Kelvin!" You laughed, patting his arm lightly.

“Why do you think…they hit me?” He smiled "I get distracted looking at you..."

You were still laughing a little, when he looked for your mouth to kiss you, ready to do a different type of "manual work".

[signor-signor]

Trending 27th - March 2024

Talking to Craig McCracken

If you had a chance to talk to Craig McCracken, what would you say to him that not only complements him on the work he’s done in the past 30+ years, but also reassures him that there’s still interest in the plans he made for S3?

As someone who grew up watching Cartoon Network in the ‘90s, I would tell him…

“Hi, Craig-o, pleased to meet you! I’ve known your work since the early-mid nineties. I believe you were involved in 2 Stupid Dogs and Dexter’s Laboratory. It must have been a real treat getting to know some history behind Hanna-Barbera. I know it was for me. When I first saw a piece of your own work, it was on the side of a box of Fruity Pebbles promoting World Premiere Toons - one of the characters was Bubbles of the PPG. I gotta say, you’ve been one of my inspirations growing up.”

When it gets to the point where I talk about WOY, I would say this to him…

“I remember when I got into Wander Over Yonder. When I first saw your early sketches of him, I thought of Cantus the Minstrel from Fraggle Rock. And what can I say? I’m a sucker for anything related to Muppets. How about Jack McBrayer? He’s the perfect choice for the character’s voice! WOY marks the first time I got to hear Jack sing. It’s the show that provided the springboard for shows Disney apparently loves best, specifically Star vs. the Forces of Evil and Big City Greens - those shows wouldn’t have been picked up if it wasn’t for Daron Nefcy and the Houghton Bros.’ involvement in the first season. It’s also the first show where Andy Bean provided music for a TV series and where people like Noël Wells got to try their hand at voice acting. The show has made a lot more history than you can possibly imagine, so please don’t take it too lightly.”

Now comes the part where I talk about the elephant in the room, or rather, the ape in the space capsule…

“To be honest, I really looked forward to watching episodes of the show during its run. When I looked at your announcement about the premature cancellation and the plans you’d made for that third and final season, I was totally perplexed. Disney let Fish Hooks go on for three seasons regardless of content - was that because no one turned deaf ears or blind eyes to it? I always assumed they’d treat WOY the same way they treated FH.”

“Somehow it just doesn’t feel right to let your show bite the dust just because the “higher up bosses of bosses of bosses” didn’t see the need to make more, especially not after you made most fans aware of the existence of the plans for S3 and led them to believe it was guaranteed to be amazing. Why do you think I haven’t given up on WOY? And why else would I have Kid encourage viewers to watch the show (Kid Cosmic was great, by the way, one that definitely ended in victory)? I cannot think of any other show that was canceled one week before S2’s premiere, seven months after the S1 finale, five months after writing on S2 wrapped up, five months after your pitch for S3. You, Craig, are one of the most experienced cartoonists in the business and you don’t deserve to be treated like this.”

“To let you know just how determined I am to right this wrong, I worked four months on an Illustrator piece featuring over 140 individuals, built a LEGO Star Nomad (when I showed it to Dave Thomas (@owner-of-wendys), he said, “Dude… that Star Nomad is incredible. Well done!”), and wrote a pre-S3 shorts idea where Andy the Watchdog interviews refugees on the ex-secret planet. Heck, I even had to figure out what Star Force Enforcement Force look like and how the plot of S3 might play out.”

“@peepsqueak started the SaveWOY campaign, and I’m seeing to it that it shan’t be in vain. I know you’re busy with your other projects, but there is still a show waiting to be completed on your own terms. Until the time comes, keep making people smile! Darkest times call for sunniest of smiles!”

[gadriezmannsgirl]

Settling - Frenkie De Jong

Summary: Your relationship is taken to another step

Whenever you thought about future, you could see your two and half years boyfriend, Frenkie, in it. Already settled in with two dogs (Not counting Jagger), a nice not too big neither too small house in Barcelona.

Now, making this big step on your relationship where he just proposed you to move in with him two weeks ago,was everything to you, you were that happy that you screamed a big YES on his face, seconds later regretting it after he had flinched covering his ear

"Move in with me?" The strawberry made words spelled out on the plate chocolate covered made you gasp

"Are you serious?" You asked laughing to yourself as he nods pulling out a little key "OMG, YES!" Frenkie laughed but flinched at your high tone

"Shit, I'm so sorry"

"I'm deaf now" You had laughed throwing yourself at him

The big deal was this one, the house hunting and decorating it, giving it your guys touches and basically doing the moving in. Already having half of that done, seeing as Frenkie did knew your likings and bought the perfect house for the two-three of you, if you counted Jagger at the moment.

It had five rooms, three bathrooms, a library and work space for you and a big backyard for Frenkie to practice a bit and for you to have a lot of fun either in alone time or with family and friends. Also with a pool, for summer days.

You loved it. And so Frenkie did.

After doing the furniture shopping, you decided to put hands on work

Couches were already put in place, the bed was put in your bedroom still not armed, the mattress on the floor, you both had already decided the bed would be done tomorrow, the fridge, the TV, most of the tables and heavy stuffs were also in place, with a lot of boxes of yours and Frenkie's stuffs and also stuffs to decorate your house

Meanwhile Frenkie was standing in front of your new house, you were pulling the food that some neighbours already came in and gave you some pastries or food to welcome the both of you in the urbanization, inside your fridge

"You can't exactly eat all the chocolate cakes there are in our fridge right now" You had said laughing knowing his strict diet, you jogged the few steps down to meet him, Frenkie groaned a bit extending his arm out for you to nestle in his side.

He liked sweets but was also very aware his life style didn't allowed him to eat it as much as he would like to

"You'll eat it for me, right?" You laughed

"I'll get diabetes if I eat them in one go" Both of you laughed lightly

"I'll take care of you then" You smiled standing on your tiptoes to kiss him sweetly. You were happy, starting a new chapter of your relationship and your life with your person

"Thanks for the house" You blurted out

"You don't have to thank me" He laughed a bit "This is our life now" You blushed hugging him tighter "I want this, you want this too. This is just a step more"

"It's a shame tho" You said "This house is so pretty and once we've kids we'll have to move out"

Both of you had talked about a family and it was in your guys plan. Not now but in a few years, definitely.

"Who said that will happen? I bought this house with that amount of rooms for our kids, as much this feeling is amazing, the moving in with you, the furniture shopping and everything else... I'm not moving the fridge out of this house ever again" You laughed as Frenkie shook his head "Too much work to do" You ended up laughing together

You were left in silence for a good few seconds more before you heard Jagger bark, you laughed lightly and yawned

"C'mon love. Let's go and take a lil nap"

"Lil? You mean as in... We sleep in until tomorrow right? I don't have the energy to keep going" Frenkie laughed kissing your head

"Of course, that's exactly what I meant, love"

[brookstonalmanac]

Holidays 9.21

Holidays

Arbor Day (Brazil)

Battle of Kulikovo Day (Russia)

Biosphere Day

Bleeding Hearts Club Day

Celebration of Honors (French Republic)

Celu Press Freedom Day (Philippines)

Commemoration of th Declaration of Martial Law (Philippines)

Customs Service Day (Poland)

Daily Newspaper Day

Day of Inventors and Innovators Day (Ukraine)

Devil’s Nutting Day (UK)

Do You Remember Day (the 21st night of September; Earth, Wind & Fire)

Earth, Wind & Fire Day

Eleven Days of Global Unity, Day 11: Peace

Emoticon Day

Escapology Day

Farm Safety Day for Kids

Feast of the Ingathering (UK)

Founder's Day (Ghana)

George Harrison Day (Illinois)

Get Out Of Town Day

International ‘Ask a Satanist’ Day

International Biodiversity Day

International Day of Peace (UN)

International Day of Progressive Rock

International Day of Struggle Against Monoculture Tree Plantations

Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Day (Ghana)

Long Count Day

Medusa Asteroid Day

Miniature Golf Day

Myositis Awareness Day

National Brittany Day

National Cat & Dog Gut Health Awareness Day

National Day of Civic Hacking

National Day of the Radio Broadcasting Worker (China)

National Deaf Dogs Rock Day

National Disaster Prevention Day (Taiwan)

National Farm Safety Day for Kids

National Fisheries Day (Thailand)

National Garage Condo Day

National Gymnastics Day

National Hannah Day

National Imperfection Day

National Kristina Day

National Myositis Awareness Day

National New York Day

National Opioid Awareness Day

National Radio Day (Chile)

National Singles Day

National Surgical Technologists Day

National Volunteer Day (Ghana)

Observe the Speed Limit Day

Pause the World Day

Peace One Day

Pharmaceutical Worker’s Day (Ukraine)

Secret Note Day

Spring Day (a.k.a. Student’s Day; Argentina)

Sree Narayana Guru Samadhi Day (Kerala, India)

Student’s Day (Argentina; Bolivia)

Telegraph Pole Appreciation Day

Throw Something Away Day

Victory Over the Golden Horde in the Battle of Kulikovo (Russia)

Volunteer Day (Ghana)

Watticism Day

World Alzheimer's Day

World Day of Pagan Pride

World Day of the Plastic Artist

World Gratitude Day

World Minigolf Day

World Myositis Day

Zero Emissions Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

Cask Ale Week begins (UK; through 10.1)

International Banana Festival

Juice Day (Russia)

National Chai Day

National Pecan Cookie Day

National Sponge Candy Day

Oktoberfest begins (Munich, Germany; until 10.6)

St. Matthew's Beer Festival Day (patron saint of publicans)

Independence & Related Days

Armenia (from USSR, 1991)

Belize (from UK, 1981)

Malta (from UK, 1964)

3rd Saturday in September

Abergavenny Food Festival (Wales) [3rd Saturday]

America’s Day For Kids [3rd Saturday]

Batman Day [3rd Saturday]

Big Whopper Liar Day [3rd Saturday]

Boys’ and Girls’ Club Day for Kids [3rd Saturday]

Curiosity Day [3rd Saturday]

Day of Love & Friendship (Colombia) [3rd Saturday]

Ember Day (Roman Catholic and Anglican Churches) [Saturday after 9.14]

German-American Steuben Parade [3rd Saturday]

Idaho Spud Day [3rd Saturday]

International Coastal Cleanup Day [3rd Saturday]

International Eat An Apple Day [3rd Saturday]

International Red Panda Day [3rd Saturday]

International Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura Day [3rd Saturday]

Locate An Old Friend Day [3rd Saturday]

National Cartonnage Day [3rd Saturday]

National Clean Up Day [3rd Saturday]

National Dance Day [3rd Saturday]

National Gymnastics Day [3rd Saturday]

National Hunting, Trapping & Fishing Heritage Day (Canada) [3rd Saturday]

National Lacrosse Day (UK) [3rd Saturday]

National Multivitamin Day [3rd Saturday]

National Neighborhood Day [3rd Saturday]

National Pool Closing Day [3rd Saturday]

National Seat Check Saturday [3rd Saturday]

National Sew a Jelly Roll Day [3rd Saturday]

National Singles’ Day [3rd Saturday]

National Tell a Police Officer ‘Thank You’ Day [3rd Saturday]

National Women’s Friendship Day [3rd Saturday]

Puppy Mill Awareness Day [3rd Saturday]

Qaumee Dhuvas (National Day; Maldives) [1st of Rabi I]

Quarter Tense (Ireland) [Saturday after 9.14]

Responsible Dog Owners Day (AKC) [3rd Saturday]

Sandwich Saturday [Every Saturday]

Sentimental Saturday [3rd Saturday of Each Month]

Six For Saturday [Every Saturday]

Software Freedom Day [3rd Saturday]

Spaghetti Saturday [Every Saturday]

Steak Saturday [3rd Saturday of Each Month]

Surgeon Day (Russia, Ukraine) [3rd Saturday]

Thank a Police Officer Day [3rd Saturday]

Usher Syndrome Awareness Day [3rd Saturday]

Von Steuben Day (New York, New York) [3rd Saturday]

World Clean Up Day [3rd Saturday]

World Marrow Donor Day [3rd Saturday]

World Pathfinder Day [3rd Saturday]

Weekly Holidays beginning September 21 (3rd Full Week of September)

National Farm Animals Awareness Week (thru 9.27) [3rd Week]

Oktoberfest (Munich, Germany) [thru 10.6]

Festivals Beginning September 21, 2024

Augusta Harvest Festival (Augusta, Missouri)

Bines and Brews Beer Fest (Monument, California)

Black Walnut Festival (Bethania, North Carolina)

Brew at the Bridge (Oswego, Illinois)

Brookston Apple Popcorn Day (Brookston, Indiana)

Cane Hill Harvest Festival (Cane Hill, Arkansas)

Cape Cod Brew Fest (Cape Cod Fairgrounds, Massachusetts)

Cider Days (Springfield, Missouri) [thru 9.22]

Colorado Mountain Winefest (Palisade, Colorado)

Crystal Lake Home Show (Crystal Lake, Illinois) [thru 9.22]

Cuba Garlic Festival (Cuba, New York) [thru 9.22]

Dublin Peanut Festival (Dublin, North Carolina)

Fair Oaks Chicken Festival (Fair Oaks, California)

Fall Family Festival (Kansas City, Missouri)

Fall Festival & 19th Smokin' Hot BBQ Challenge (Nisswa, Minnesota)

Festival of Grapes and Hops (Petersburg, Virginia)

Festival of the Sea (Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey)

Garlic Festival (Mystic, Connecticut) [thru 9.22]

Glassboro Craft Beer Festival (Glassboro, New Jersey)

Haralson Country 8th Annual Fried Pie Festival (Buchanan, Georgia)

Harvest Food & Wine Festival (Stonington, Connecticut) [thru 9.22]

The Hermitage Food Truck Festival (Ho-Ho-Kus, New Jersey)

Homemade Pie Baking Contest (Augusta, Missouri)

Idaho Spud Day (Shelley, Idaho)

Johnny Appleseed Festival (Fort Wayne, Indiana) [thru 9.22]

Johnny Appleseed Festival (Lisbon, Ohio) [thru 9.22]

Killington Brewfest (Killington, Vermont)

Lafayette Art & Wine Festival (Lafayette, California) [thru 9.22]

Lake City Uncorked Wine & Music Festival (Lake City, Colorado)

Lowville Cream Cheese Festival (Lowville, New York)

Manaki Brothers International Cinematographers’ Film Festival (Bitola, North Macedonia) [thru 9.27]

Montana Brewers Fall Rendezvous (Missoula, Montana)

NATO Days in Ostrava & Czech Air Force Days (Ostrava, Czech Republic) [thru 9.22]

’49er Festival, Chili Cook-Off! (Groveland, California)

NYC Hot Sauce Expo (Brooklyn, New York) [thru 9.22]

Oktoberfest (Munich, Germany) [thru 10.6]

Oregon Grape Stomp Championships & Harvest Celebration (Turner, Oregon) [thru 9.22]

Pacific Islander Festival (San Diego, California) [thru 9.22]

Pacific Wine & Food Classic (Newport Beach, California)

Paxton Swine 'n Dine (Paxton, Illinois)

Persimmon Festival (Mitchell, Indiana) [thru 9.28]

Preble County Pork Festival (Eaton, Ohio) [thru 9.22]

Pumpkin Fest (Caseville, Michigan)

Putnam County Wine & Food Fest (Cold Spring, New York)

Salem Food Truck & Craft Beer Festival (Salem, Massachusetts) [thru 9.22]

Sample the Sierra: South Lake Tahoe Farm-to-Fork Festival (South Lake Tahoe, California)

Seafood Throwdown Competition (Boston, Massachusetts)

Sugar Beet Days (Sterling, Colorado) [thru 9.22]

Taste of the Seaport (New York, New York)

Thresheree & Harvest Festival (Richfield, Wisconsin) [thru 9.22]

Tiel Fruit Parade (Fruitcorso Tiel) [Tiel, Netherlands]

VegTO Fest (Waterloo, Ontario, Canada)

Vintage Illinois (Utica, Illinois (thru 9.22]

Whiskey Wine & Fire (Cary, North Carolina)

Wild Rice Festival (Roseville, Minnesota)

Wine & Harvest Festival (Cedarburg, Wisconsin) [thru 9.22]

Feast Days

Adopt a New Phobia Day (Pastafarian)

Alban Elfred (Starza Pagan Book of Days)

Athena Festival (Everyday Wicca)

Barbara Longhi (Artology)

Birthday off Athena (Greek Goddess of Wisdom)

Breakfast, Dinner, and Supper Day (Goblins; Shamanism)

The Bun-Bun Brothers (Muppetism)

Cigoli (Artology)

Edgar Valter (Artology)

Ephigenia of Ethiopia (Christian; Saint)

Fannie Flagg (Writerism)

Feast of Kuodor-gup (God of Riches; Siberia)

Feast of Nyamuzinda (God of Famine & Epidemics; Zaire)

Feast of the Divine Life (Filianism)

Feast of the Divine Light (Ancient Egypt)

Hans Hartung (Artology)

H.G. Wells (Writerism)

Jerry Garcia Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Julio González (Artology)

Kharisteria (Feast of Aremis Agrotera; Ancient Greece)

Laurent-Joseph-Marius Imbert (Christian; One of the Korean Martyrs)

Leonard Cohen (Writerism)

Light of the Water (Celtic Book of Days)

Lo (a.k.a. Laudus), Bishop of Coutances (Christian; Saint)

Lodovico Cigoli (Artology)

Matthew the Evangelist (Christian; Saint; Matthew’s Beer Festival Day) [publicans] *

Maura of Troyes (Christian; Saint)

Meán Fómhair (Starza Pagan Book of Days)

Mielikki’s Day (Pagan)

Metastasio (Positivist; Saint)

Michael of Chernigov and Theodore (Christian; Martyrs)

Nativity of the Theotokos (Eastern Orthodox Church, Julian calendar)

Pavel Tchelitchew (Artology)

Sarcasm Day (Pastafarian)

Stephen King (Writerism)

World Peace Day (Baha’is)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Dismal Day (Unlucky or Evil Day; Medieval Europe; 18 of 24)

Egyptian Day (Unlucky Day; Middle Ages Europe) [18 of 24]

Lucky Day (Philippines) [52 of 71]

Tomobiki (友引 Japan) [Good luck all day, except at noon.]

Unlucky Day (Grafton’s Manual of 1565) [44 of 60]

Umu Limnu (Evil Day; Babylonian Calendar; 44 of 60)

Premieres

All Along the Watchtower, by Jimi Hendrix (Song; 1968)

All Apologies, by Nirvana (Song; 1993)

All of Me (Film; 1984)

Amadeus (Film; 1984)

American Idiot, by Green Day (Album; 2004)

Andor (TV Series; 2022)

As You Like It (Film; 2007)

Bat Out of Hell, by Meatloaf (Album; 1977)

Blindspot (TV Series; 2015)

Caroline in the City (TV Series; 1995)

Cold Turkey (Disney Cartoon; 1945)

Colonel Bleep (Animated TV Series; 1957)

Creep, by Radiohead (Song; 1992)

The Delivery Man, by Elvis Costello (Album; 2004)

Dog Day Afternoon (Film; 1975)

The Fire-Eaters or Hot Lips (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S6, Ep. 304; 1964)

Fishbone, by Fishbone (EP: 1985)

The Fragile, by Nine Inch Nails (Album; 1999)

From a View to a Kill (a.k.a. James Bond and the Murder Before Breakfast), by Ian Fleming (James Bond Short Story; 1959)

Ghost World (Film; 2001)

Gold, by ABBA (Greatest Hits Album; 1992)

Herzog, by Saul Bellow (Novel; 1963)

The Hobbit, or There and Back Again by J.R.R. Tolkein (Novel; 1937)

Hockey Homicide (Disney Cartoon; 1945)

The House with a Clock in Its Walls (Animated Film; 2018)

Il Sogno, by Elvis Costello (Album; 2004)

Into the Wild (Film; 2007)

In Utero, by Nirvana (Album; 1993)

Kiddie Revue (Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Cartoon; 1936)

The King of Queens (TV Series; 1998)

Madam Secretary (TV Series; 2014)

The Medium is the Massage, by Marshall McLuhan (Manifesto; 1967)

Message in a Bottle, by the Police (Song; 1979)

Miller’s Crossing (Film; 1990)

Millionaire Droopy (Droopy MGM Cartoon; 1956)

The Old Plantation (Happy Harmonies MGM Cartoon; 1935)

The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Film; 2012)

Places in the Heart (Film; 1984)

Presto, by Rush (Album; 1989)

Push and Shove, by No Doubt (Album; 2012)

Raising Hope (TV Series; 2010)

A Red Letter Day or Drop Us a Lion (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S6, Ep. 303; 1964)

Road to Ruin, by the Ramones (Album; 1978)

Rushes, by The Fireman (Album; 1998)

SCTV (CBC TV Series; 1976)

Sidewalk Blues, records by Jelly Roll Morton & His Red Hot Peppers (Song; 1926)

Small Change, by Tom Waits (Album; 1976)

Spooks (Ub Iwerks Flip the Frog MGM Cartoon; 1931)

Rabbit (WB Cartoon; 2015)

We Have Always Lived in the Castle, by Shirley Jackson (Novel; 1962)

Will & Grace (TV Series; 1998)

Wintersmith, by Terry Pratchet (Novel; 2006) [Discworld #35]

Yankee Doodle Swing Shift (Swing Symphony Cartoon; 1942)

Today’s Name Days

Deborah, Jonas, Matthäus (Austria)

Jona, Matej, Matiša, Matko, Maura (Croatia)

Matouš (Czech Republic)

Matthæus (Denmark)

Lembit, Lembitu, Lembo, Lemmert, Lemmik, Lemmo (Estonia)

Mervi (Finland)

Déborah, Jonas, Matthieu, Mélissa (France)

Deborah, Jonas, Matthäus (Germany)

Jonas (Greece)

Máté, Mirella (Hungary)

Matteo (Italy)

Matīss, Modris, Nara (Latvia)

Mantvilas, Matas, Viskintė (Lithuania)

Trine, Trond (Norway)

Bożeciech, Bożydar, Hipolit, Hipolita, Ifigenia, Jonasz, Laurenty, Mateusz, Mira (Poland)

Matúš (Slovakia)

Jonás, Mateo (Spain)

Matteus (Sweden)

Maira, Maura, Maureen, Mayra, Mira, Moira, Moreen, Morena, Myra, Norna (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 265 of 2024; 101 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 6 of Week 38 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Muin (Vine) [Day 21 of 28]

Chinese: Month 8 (Guy-You), Day 19 (Wu-Zi)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]

Hebrew: 18 Elul 5784

Islamic: 17 Rabi I 1446

J Cal: 25 Gold; Foursday [25 of 30]

Julian: 8 September 2024

Moon: 82%: Waning Gibbous

Positivist: 13 Shakespeare (10th Month) [Schiller]

Runic Half Month: Ken (Illumination) [Day 15 of 15]

Season: Summer (Day 94 of 94)

Week: 4th Full Week of September

Zodiac: Virgo (Day 31 of 32)

[rebeccathenaturalist]

Umwelt: What Matters Most in the World

(Originally posted at my blog at https://rebeccalexa.com/umwelt-what-matters-most-in-the-world/)

I will be the first to admit that a lot of philosophy tends to bend my brain in ways that I’m really not prepared for. I’m a very earthy creature, and I am more comfortable in physical, solid spaces than in abstract conceptualizations. Even the modalities of psychology I gravitated toward in grad school tended to be based in our interactions with physical nature, and measurable effects thereof. But it was a casual discussion on philosophy with regards to the awareness of animals that introduced me to the concept of umwelt.

Originally coined by biologist Jakob Johann Freiherr von Uexküll, umwelt describes the unique way in which a given animal experiences the world around it. Uexküll looked at how various beings take in information through their senses; the way that a blind, deaf worm engages with their environment through taste and touch is very different from how we with our hearing and color vision connect with our world. Even when I am walking with my dog out in the woods, her interpretation of what’s going on around us is going to be much more heavily influenced by hearing, and especially smell, than my sight-heavy approach. (And when we engage with each other, our respective umwelten create a semiosphere!)

So umwelt is essentially the sum total of all the ways in which an animal takes in that sensory information and attaches meaning to each fragment thereof. It’s how they tell the story of the world around them, and understand their place in it. And they rank the signs according to importance; umwelt is more strongly formed by things that are of particular interest to the animal.

That means that umwelt, rather than being constant throughout life, is always shifting according to new sensory input, or changes in how the senses work; as my dog gets older, her hearing and vision may not be as good as they were, but if her nose stays sharp then smells may become an even more important part of how she navigates her world.

Or look at a Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana), which is born as a blind, deaf little hairless being with two front legs that they use to crawl to the mother’s abdominal pouch. At that time their umwelt centers on seeking and retaining the warmth of their mother’s pouch, and the sensation of the constant flow of warm, nourishing milk. After about ten weeks they leave the pouch as a miniature furry little possum and travel on their mother’s back while learning to walk; their umwelt has expanded quite a bit to include the sight and smell of their mother, the visual and scent cues that tell them how close they are to known food sources, and visual, sound, and audio information warning of various dangers. At around five months, the opossum becomes independent, and their mother fades from their umwelt while being replaced by an even larger network of food, danger, and perhaps even potential mates. Over a lifetime, as the opossum’s senses develop (and, with age, decline) and their priorities shift, so does their umwelt evolve with them.

This then led me into a bit of a rabbit hole with biosemiotics. Semiotics is the study of symbols and the communication of meaning, to include communication with the self. Biosemiotics, then, is how non-human beings assign meaning to various things in their lives, and interpret the world they live in. Zoosemiotics specifically refers to the semiotics of animals, like the examples I’ve given so far, while endosemiotics (aka phytosemiotics or vegetative semiotics) is semiotics at a cellular or even molecular level.

One example of endosemiotics can be found in our immune systems. A B lymphocyte can recognize an invader such as a virus or bacteria, and it sends out a signal (an antigen) to T lymphocytes that then attack the invader. The B lymphocyte’s umwelt consists of information received through surface receptors that can detect certain proteins and other molecules, and the response it’s programmed to have as a result of detecting an invader. The T lymphocyte’s umwelt, on the other hand, centers on the B lymphocyte’s antigen signal, as well as the invader itself.

Biosemiotics is important because it moves meaning-making beyond humans, demonstrating that we are not the only beings who assign more importance to one part of our world than another. It promotes the idea that human language is not necessary for an organism to be able to find meaning in their environment. I’m cautious about anthropomorphization–assigning human traits to non-human beings–but biosemiotics allows each being to be its own unique self, rather than being gauged by human standards.

It’s all too easy for me to get overwhelmed by just how technical some of the discussion over biosemiotics can get (especially when delving into the “semotics” part of it!) But my takeaway is that it’s nice to have a term–umwelt–that encapsulates the unique experience that every animal, plant, fungus, slime mold, and other being has, no matter how large or small its world may be.

I can envision millions upon millions of overlapping umwelten in every ecosystem, becoming semiospheres whenever two or more of those umwelten nudge, slide, or crash into each other. I’m already delighted by knowing that I myself contain several ecosystems, with microbiomes in my organs and on my skin and more. But I can now also consider the umwelten and semiospheres of the lymphocytes in my immune system, along with all the other cells that are carrying on their existences within my various tissues, fluids, and so forth.

Of course, this gets into discussions of whether umwelt requires some level of consciousness, the nature of consciousness, sentience vs. sapience, etc., etc., all of which are the sort of headache-inducing philosophical discussions that I try to avoid at this stage of my life. So I can understand that this whole umwelt-biosemiotics thing is still being hammered out and explored and critiqued, but also use it to augment my own personal model of my world, internal and external (my innenwelt!) And for now, umwelt is a perfectly good shorthand for “the unique way in which an organism experiences its environment.”

Did you enjoy this post? Consider taking one of my online foraging and natural history classes, checking out my other articles, or picking up a paperback or ebook I’ve written! You can even buy me a coffee here!

[no-stupid-questions-official]

are animals aware of their own disabilities? my dog turned 12 this year, and she is mostly deaf by now. do you think she knows why she can't hear us talk to her anymore? does she think the world is quieter or that she can't hear as well anymore, or does she just not have any idea? does she know she won't be able to hear us at all one day? if a horse breaks its leg, does it know it is bound to die soon, when its body chooses to shut down (regardless of euthanasia)? i've been thinking about this for weeks

-

[otter-love-asl]

Writer Poll Game

Saw this going around, so why not.

Rules: make a 24-hour poll with the names of your WIPs and then for whichever wins, write one sentence for every vote it gets.\

I have a lot but these are my main focuses.

Description of Fics will be under the poll.

Home for the Holidays (Multi-Chapter)- Christmas Story for 911 Holiday Fic Fest. All but Epilogue Posted on AO3 & FFN.

Concrete Angel (One-Shot)- title may change, an Awareness Fic that I plan to post in April.

TK Begins (One-Shot)- Prompt from TK Strand Appreciation Week 2022. Unsure of Title at the moment.

Casey Raises the Dardens (Multi-Chapter)- Unknown title; If Casey found out about Heather's continued DUIs when they were still in Florida..

Love Makes a Family (Multi-Chapter)- If the Shayveride baby storyline wasn't dropped.

Sixth Sense (One-Shot)- Prompt for Stellaride Appreciation Week 2021. Incomplete story posted on AO3 & FFN.

Holding on to You (Multi-Chapter)- Marcel's Cancer journey with his daughter.

Silence is a Strange Sound (Multi-Chapter)- Deaf Jay Halstead Fic. 9 Chapters posted on AO3 & FFN.

Man's Best Friend (Multi-Chapter)- Jay has a PTSD Service Dog. 33 Chapters posted on AO3 & FFN.

Whump Prompt (Multi-Chapter)- a prompt that I received via review.

Just Keep Swimming (Multi-Chapter)- title may change, a Cancer story.

Hogwarts AU (Multi-Chapter)- No title. One Chicago Character go to Hogwarts.

Tagging: anyone who wants to.

[jonathanvair]

I need to reblog this quality information while explaining why I still follow a tight COVID protocol. You have no guarantee that you'll get through COVID unscathed, and we are constantly learning new things about long COVID. One parent and a friend dealt with brain fog far longer than a few weeks, and they aren't sure how long it'll last. One friend of mine has spent years convinced his body's neutral skin/oil scent smells like rotting onions, despite his wife assuring him that it's just a COVID side effect. I have many more firsthand stories like these. One disabled furry I talked to said a disabled furry group chat died because of too many COVID-related deaths. If you want to take on a personal risk, I get it. But not masking up and social distancing at events is forcing everyone else to take a risk they didn't sign up for. I have to go to these conventions for my survival, and in hopes of community building, no to party. Please, have fun if you're there for that, but be aware of your own temporary able-bodied status. Live long enough and you'll eventually be at risk no matter what. The safety of you and your loved ones is not guaranteed, but that's not all I'm talking about. Those facing the highest risk from COVID exposure often don't get to advocate for themselves where you get to see it. Your decision to unmask provides an unnecessary risk to others not dissimilar to driving under the influence. I want furries to truly care about each other, but we have a long way to go. We raise money for charity sometimes, but it's not always big-picture. Giving cops money for K9 Unit bulletproof vests or funding a luxury dog cancer charity proves we don't have a mature understanding of community development. We may be nice and have fun at conventions, but plenty of these furry cons still often allow military uniforms and cosplay. Plenty still drag their feet on safety measures and establishing safer codes of conduct. In short, The furry fandom has a long way to go before they set an expectation of honoring our disabled populations with our COVID protocol, at cons and at home. I want disabled, POCs, indigenous, d/Deaf, and other at-risk populations who are community-focused to lead the charge with how our fandom develops. Our white cis-gays furry con majorities should not be waiting until the aforementioned demographics beg them to care. Please don't wait until you're at risk or know a high-risk person to start caring. Treat them like they matter now by adopting a stronger COVID protocol. Their lives should mean so much more than the convenience of unmasking at room parties with no contact tracing and/or eating indoors whenever you feel like it. Personally, I'd feel like a hypocrite if I said "disabled people matter" but I couldn't be arsed to keep up a good COVID protocol. I know that's down to philosophical identities and that I can't judge your exact situation. My friends who unmask seem to be burnt out, out of spoons, and uninterested in the topic of COVID, and I understand. That illusion of normalcy, surrounded in a crowd, is compelling. And the US gov did not make it easy to access quality current info. (That's why this is the People's CDC and not the CDC--if that wasn't obvious.) I can't know your exact reason for unmasking, if this applies to you. I wish your motivations alone could protect disabled people, but they can't. If disabled people do matter to you, I beg you, prove it to us all by your actions. Mask up. Limit indoor time. Contact trace at parties. Let the voices at risk inform your time on this earth (need a suggestion? Start with Crutches&Spice). Protect the folks who are forced into risky situations while you enjoy a con at your leisure. My thanks. Stay safe out there, and see you when I see you. <3

y’all do NOT go out next week unless you have to and wear your best masks and tape the edges down bc it’s just not worth it

[brookston]

Holidays 9.23

Holidays

Al-Yaom Al-Watany (Saudi Arabia)

Asian Corpsetwt Day [Every 23rd]

Asteroid Day

Autumn Stroll Day

Barbara Gordon Day

Batman Day (DC Comics)

Bi Visibility Day (UK)

Bonn Phchum Ben (Ancestors’ Day; Cambodia)

Celebrate Bisexuality Day (a.k.a. Bisexual Pride & Bi Visibility Day)

Checkers Day

Chuuk Liberation Day (Micronesia)

Day of the Genocide of Lithuania's Jews (Lithuania)

Dogs in Politics Day

Education Technology Day

Flashbulb Day

Gray Cat Day

Grito de Lares (Puerto Rico)

Haryana Veer and Shahidi Divas (Haryana, India)

Holocaust Memorial Day (Lithuania)

I Have Not Yet Begun To Fight Day

Innergize Day [Day after Equinox]

International Bi Visibility Day

International Day Against Sexual Exploitation & Trafficking of Women & Children

International Day of Sign Languages

International Hospitality Women’s Day

International Restless Legs Syndrome Day

International Za’atar Day

King’s Birthday (Western Australia)

Kyrgyz Language Day (Kyrgyzstan)

Landscape-Nursery Day

Learn to Code Day

Martyrs Day (Haryana, India)

National AFM Day (a.k.a. Acute Flaccid Myelitis Day)

National Acute Flaccid Myelitis Day

National Checkers Day

National Day of School Failure Prevention

National Day of Women’s Political Rights (Argentina)

National Field Marketer’s Day

National Fitness Day (Ireland)

National Go With Your Gut Day

National Maritime Day

National Property Manager’s Day

National Redhead Appreciation Day

National Singles Day

National Teletext Day (UK)

National Temperature Control Day

National Volleyball Day

Neptune Day

New Year's Day (Constantinople)

Nintendo Day

Pancake Queen Memorial Day

Puffy Shirt Day (Seinfeld)

Restless Legs Awareness Day

Saffron Day (French Republic)

Speed Racer Day

Sügise Algus (a.k.a. Sügisene Pööripäev; Estonia, Finland, Sweden)

Teachers’ Day (Brunei)

Thrue Bab (Blessed Rainy Day; Bhutan)

Teal Talk Day

That'll Be the Day Day

West Nordic Day

World Adopted Dog Day

World Maritime Day (UN)

Food & Drink Celebrations

Chewing Gum Day

Gastronomy Day (France)

Great American Pot Pie Day

Hummerpremiär (Lobster Festival; Sweden)

National Apple Cider Vinegar Day

National Bacon Butty Day (UK)

National Baker Day

National Snack Stick Day

Za’atar Day

Independence & Related Days

Duchy of Prussian Britannia (Declared; 2014) [unrecognized]

Unification Day (Saudi Arabia)

4th Monday in September

American Indian Day (Tennessee) [4th Monday]

Canterbury South Province Day (New Zealand) [4th Monday]

CASAColumbia Family Day [4th Monday]

Dominion Day (New Zealand) [4th Monday]

Family Day — A Day To Eat Dinner With Your Children [4th Monday]

Meditation Monday [Every Monday]

Mellow Monday [4th Monday of Each Month]

Monday Musings [Every Monday]

Motivation Monday [Every Monday]

Mushroom Monday [4th Monday of Each Month]

National Eat Dinner with Your Family Day [4th Monday]

Weekly Holidays beginning September 23 (4th Full Week of September)

Falls Prevention Awareness Week (thru 9.27)

Global Week of Student Prayer (thru 9.27)

International Happiness at Work Week (thru 9.27)

International Week of the Deaf (thru 9.29) [M-Sun including Last Sunday]

Festivals Beginning September 23, 2024

Mayberry Days (Mt. Airy, North Carolina) [thru 9.29]

Feast Days

Adomnán (Christian; Saint)

Augustalia (Ancient Rome)

Bunster Winding (Shamanism)

Carl-Henning Pedersen (Artology)

Cicciolina Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Cissa of Crowland (or of Northumbria; Christian; Saint)

Citua (Feast to the Moon; Ancient Inca)

Corneille (Positivist; Saint)

Emmuska Orczy (Writerism)

Feast of Chukem (Deity of Footraces; Colombia)

Feast of the Ingathering (a.k.a. Harvest Home, Kirn or Mell-Supper; UK)

Festival of Papa, Wife of Rangi (Maori; New Zealand)

Festival of the Goddess Ninkasi (Sumerian Goddess of Brewing)

František Kupka (Artology)

James Carroll Beckwith (Artology)

Libra zodiac sign begins (Pagan)

Linus, Pope (Christian; Saint)

Louise Nevelson (Artology)

Manolo and Carlo Flamingo (Muppetism)

Matthew Pratt (Artology)

Paul Delvaux (Artology)

Padre Pio (a.k.a. Pio of Pietreclcina; Christian; Saint)

Pekka Halonen (Artology)

Sossius (Christian; Saint)

Stan Lynde (Artolgy)

Suzanne Valadon (Artology)

Thecla (Roman Catholic Church)

Walk the Plank Day (Pastafarian)

Wesley Chu (Writerism)

Xanthippe and Polyxena (Christian; Saint)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Fortunate Day (Pagan) [39 of 53]

Taian (大安 Japan) [Lucky all day.]

Unlucky Day (Grafton’s Manual of 1565) [45 of 60]

Premieres

Abraxas, by Carlos Santana (Album; 1970)

Aja, by Steely Dan (Album; 1977)

Arsenic and Old Lace (Film; 1944)

Baa Baa Black Sheep (TV Series; 1976)

The Blacklist (TV Series; 2013)

Blonde (Film; 2022)

Brave Little Tailor (Disney Cartoon; 1938)

Bridges to Babylon, by The Rolling Stones (Album; 1997)

Bunker Hill Bunny (WB MM Cartoon; 1950)

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (Film; 1969)

Capture the Saint, by Burt Barer (Novel; 1997) [Saint #52]

Corpse Bride (Animated Film; 2005)

The Count of Monte Cristo (Hanna-Barbera Animated TV Special; 1973)

Crazy House (Andy Panda Cartoon; 1940)

Daffy’s in Trouble (WB LT Cartoon; 1961)

Difficult Loves, by Italo Calvino (Novel; 1970)

Dolphin Tale (Film; 2011)

Educating Rita (Film; 1983)

Enola Holmes (Film; 2020)

Girls with Balls (Film; 2018)

The Goldfinch, by Donna Tartt (Novel; 2013)

Goofy Gymnastics (Disney Cartoon; 1949)

The Greatest Beer Run Ever (Film; 2022)

Heroes, by David Bowie (Song; 1977)

Highway Hecklers (Chilly WIlly Cartoon; 1968)

I’ve Got to Sing a Torch Song (WB MM Cartoon; 1933)

JAG (TV Series; 1995)

Jeepers Creepers (WB LT Cartoon; 1939)

The Jetsons (Animated TV Series; 1962)

Light of the Midnight Fun (WB MM Cartoon; 1939)

Mad About You (TV Series; 1992)

Moneyball (Film; 2011)

Modern Family (TV Series; 2009)

Mom (TV Series; 2013)

Mutiny Ain’t Nice (Fleischer Popeye Cartoon; 1938)

NCIS (TV Series; 2003)

Night of the Living Duck (WB LT Cartoon; 1988)

North, by Elvis Costello (Album; 2003)

The Nylon Curtain, by Billy Joel (Album; 1982)

One Tree Hill (TV Series; 2003)

Only When I Laugh (Film; 1981)

Oo-oo Birds of a Feather (George of the Jungle Cartoon; 1967) [#3]

Parallel Lines, by Blondie (Album; 1978)

People Are Strange, by The Doors (Song; 1967)

Phantom of the Opera, by Gaston Leroux (Novel; 1909)

Pink Pull (Pink Panther Cartoon; 1978)

Pink Suds (Pink Panther Cartoon; 1978)

The Prophet, by Kahlil Gibran (Prose Poetry; 1923)

Rodent to Stardom (WB LT Cartoon; 1967)

Round Trip to Mars (Woody Woodpecker Cartoon; 1957)

Scooby-Doo! And the Goblin King (WB Animated Film; 2008)

The Shawshank Redemption (Film; 1994)

Sicque! Sicque! Sicque! (The Inspector Cartoon; 1966)

Sky Scrapper (Ub Iwerks Disney Cartoon; 1928)

Sledge Hammer! (TV Series; 1987)

Slouching Towards Bethlehem, by Joan Didion (Essays; 1968)

Storks (Animated Film; 2016)

Up a Tree (Disney Cartoon; 1955)

The Veldt, by Ray Bradbury (Short Story; 1950)

When I Was Cruel, by Elvis Costello (Album; 2002)

Whose Line Is It Anyway? (UK Improv Series; 1988)

Wild Ralph Hiccup (Super Chicken Cartoon; 1967) [#3]

The Wolf’s Side of the Story (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1938)

Today’s Name Days

Gerhild, Helene, Linus, Thekla (Austria)

Elizabeta, Lino, Pijo, Tekla, Zaharija (Croatia)

Berta (Czech Republic)

Linus (Denmark)

Diana, Dolores, Tekla (Estonia)

Mielikki, Miisa, Minja (Finland)

Constant, Faustine (France)

Linus, Gerhild, Thekla (Germany)

Iris, Polixeni, Rais, Xanthippe, Xanthippi (Greece)

Tekla (Hungary)

Lino, Pio, Rebecca (Italy)

Ivanda, Omula, Vanda, Veneranda (Latvia)

Galintas, Galintė, Linas, Teklė (Lithuania)

Snefrid, Snorre (Norway)

Boguchwała, Bogusław, Libert, Minodora, Tekla (Poland)

Zdenka (Slovakia)

Constancio, Lino, Pío, Tecla (Spain)

Tea, Tekla (Sweden)

Autumn, Linnet, Linnette, Lynette, Lynn, Lynne (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 267 of 2024; 99 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 1 of Week 39 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Muin (Vine) [Day 23 of 28]

Chinese: Month 8 (Guy-You), Day 21 (Geng-Yin)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]

Hebrew: 20 Elul 5784

Islamic: 19 Rabi I 1446

J Cal: 27 Gold; Sixday [27 of 30]

Julian: 10 September 2024

Moon: 61%: Waning Gibbous

Positivist: 15 Shakespeare (10th Month) [Almarcon]

Runic Half Month: Gyfu (Gift) [Day 2 of 15]

Season: Autumn or Fall (Day 2 of 90)

Week: 4th Full Week of September

Zodiac: Libra (Day 1 of 30)

Calendar Changes

Libra (Balance) begins [Zodiac Sign 7; thru 10.22]

[mybandagedsoul]

you know how, when you dream you dont really know youre dreaming until you wake up, like, your dreams feel like a reality and youre just living in it and nothings weird (even tho everything is youre just not aware how weird)

well i used to lucid dream when i was a kid, idk how i developed it but i did and i used to do it often (lucid draming comes with a lot of perks; negative and positive, but as a kid a had a lot of fun doing it)

it kind of messed me up in my teenage years so i stopped doing it and now i have to focus really hard to be able to do it, but the point is i have moments in my regular dreams when i “wake up” or my conscious turns on and i become lucid; i know im dreaming but im enjoying it and “observing”

a few days ago i had a normal dream nothing special; it was a regular day i dont remember half of it but i remember one special part; i came home from work i guess and in the hallway my three dogs happily greeted me (nothing unusual), but then a fourth dog appeared, an old dog, he was wobbly and had grey hair but he was super happy to see me and i was super happy to see him, and in that moment i became lucid

you see, that was my old dog that we had to put down last november because he couldnt walk properly anymore and by that time he lost almost all of his sight, he was deaf and just wasnt doing well health wise, but he was a big baby. his weak fragile body was filled with soooo much young puppy energy and every time he would look at you with those milky eyes you could see how much life there actually is

we kept him alive for months and everytime we tought it was his end he would get up and run around and SHOW us he was still alive, just a little tired. but that one day in november he couldnt get up anymore.. it was a beautiful sunny day, warm weather, a perfect day for him to cross the rainbow bridge

his passing absolutly destroyed me, grief was unbarebale (mind you he wasnt the first pet i lost nor the first being that left a hole in my heart), i was depressed for weeks and i couldnt look at pictures of him or even think about him without crying (even now my throat is gettin a little tight and eyes are filling up with tears) but slowly with time i moved on, so when i saw him in my dream i was really happy but almost instantly got sad; because i became lucid and realized that was a dream and that it was a reality i will never live again, so i just enjoyed the rest of it and when i woke up in the morning i was pretty sad abt the whole thing and proceeded to have a shitty day (grief is a bitch and it hits you out of nowhere)

anyway yea i wanted to share this cause i miss my dog and life is beautiful and you need to cherish every moment you get <3

[worldrandom]

5-1-23

Couple appreciation day. CSS reboot day frequent flyer day, global love day great Lakes awareness day, international doodle dog day keep kids alive drive 25 day learn to ride a bike day. May day national love thy day, phone in sick day deaf awareness week, sun awareness week be kind of animals month, BetterSleep month, zombie awareness month, small business month national Strawberry month

[eclvpses]

Leo, to his core, was abrasive in moments of vulnerability. They could do it, show their soft underbelly and say the right things, but it was a far easier task when it happened to be with a stranger. Usually Leo could concoct a whole story about his past life, with a few alterations here and there, to people he bedded - it was easy, to earn trust when it didn't matter - but doing so with those he knew well was something else entirely. It had the potential to follow him around forever and remind him of things that were shoved down and buried deep in the parts of his brain that were purposely collecting cobwebs to avoid the confrontation. Leandro was a walking, talking reminder.

Not that Leo wasn’t fond - he had to give it to Lea, who was stubborn in his affections. The topic of religion had always been one that made Leo feel as if fire ants crawled under his skin - something that was met with violence and shame. In their father’s eyes, Leo was unsalvageable, preachings from the Bible falling on deaf ears. It’d only make sense then, that he’d resort to violence to get his point across, a long, thin scar tracing down Leo’s right cheekbone from when he’d thrown a Bible right at their head. Leo had been laughing rather audaciously in his father’s face, over something they didn’t even remember, but they had shut up rather quickly then. “What the hell. Are you suggesting that I look so shitty I’m concerning her?” Leo always did dress a little peculiarly (to put it nicely), but even they were aware that wasn’t what Lea meant at all.

The hand to his shoulder felt all encompassing - both intrusive and comforting. They weren’t sure if they wanted to shrug it off or feed into it, but there was a mild relief when Lea practically answered the question for them with the suggestion of a hug. Leo was tactile by nature, took the two seconds it took to clock in, before reaching for Lea and pulling him into a tight hug. “I am happy to see you.” They whined, feeling simultaneously childish and nurtured. They often wondered what it’d been like to be raised by someone who cares as deeply as Leandro did, but never focused too much on it. “I feel like shit. Don’t take it personally.” They’d attempted to nurse their hangover with a cocktail of vodka mixed with Pedialyte, which they’d thought was rather clever of them - hydration and hair of the dog. “And stop gossiping with Marj. She’s a married woman, perv.” A sly venture to see if Leandro would cough up any information about what she must’ve been complaining to him about that week. He really was a saint, in Leo’s eyes, for putting up with her regular bouts of grievances.

It always amazed him to watch Leo interact with his family. Leandro had spent so much time around the boy to where he felt as though he knew the words and actions the young man directed towards his aunt Marj, or even his uncle Steve, weren’t malicious or even meant to come off as disrespectful, however Leandro couldn’t help but make a face in distaste. Just because it wasn’t meant to be disrespectful didn’t make it not so, and knowing how good his aunt was to Leo, Leandro didn’t think she deserved it. Thought Leopold should be a little more understanding and gentle when all Marj wanted to do was ensure he was doing well. Make sure he wasn’t getting lost like her son had not too long ago. But while he knew all of this, Leandro felt no need to interject with Marj there. He didn’t want her to feel embarrassed with him present, so he simply focused on anything else until Leo addressed him.  Over the years Leandro had become quite close with the family. First with the little boy he met all those years back, and slowly he found himself befriending Marj and Steve. Meeting Finn not too many years later. For most of their friendship, Leandro hadn’t known about all the trouble the family was going through while their son struggled with drug abuse. It wasn’t until years later, after his Sol passed, that Marj in an attempt to soothe the grieving man, went into details of the distress they were experiencing. Leandro hadn’t let Leo know of his knowledge, finding that sharing that sensitive and emotional moment he had with Marj was any of his business, but he did make a better effort of coming around more. Keeping an eye out for the young man in fear that he too might end up like his cousin.  Sending Marj an apprehensive smile and a wink, Leandro turned to follow Leo. He could have chuckled at the authority the boy possessed, but refrained just as he disregarded the original question finding the answer was more than obvious. “You should always dress your best, Leopold. It would keep your aunt from questioning and worrying so much.” he went with instead. A tease on it’s own as he reached to squeeze his shoulder, “Do I get a hug or should I expect to be scolded some more like a child in trouble?” Leandro raised an eyebrow as he waited, doing his best to keep a straight face even as he processed Leo’s current state. “I thought at the very least you’d be happy to see me. Should I be offended?”

[ainawgsd]

September 24-30 is National Deaf Dog Awareness Week!