#most often this happens in spring and fall! seasons of change

[brown-little-robin]

you know what, sometimes I need a seven minute song. sometimes that seven minute song saves my soul.

[elsweetheart]

cats cradle

synopsis: ellie and her failed lab experiment bestie navigate her first ever heat.

♪ lana del rey, the weeknd — stargirl interlude ♪

cw: whew, this is gonna be a lot. fem reader, reader is a failed lab experiment which gives her cat like appearance in a few ways (ears, tail, claws etc) not furry porn, reader is mentioned to be 20 purely just for detail purposes but you can just change to whatever in your head idk, readers tail touches ellie in the night without knowing really lol, smut / strap on sex / foreplay / dry humping, overstimulation, small blood kink feature but nothing crazy at all, reader is just crazy and horny and primal, cockwarming. lmk if i missed any !

an: alrighty, here it is. i cannot stress this enough — if this isn’t your kind of thing, please just don’t read it. i won’t be offended if you don’t, i just don’t wanna hear any bs in my inbox please! this was experimental and i don’t even know if i like this fic or not so please be gentle. to the people who have been so sweet and encouraging throughout my up and downs of writing this, thank you and i love you! as usual, minors and ageless blogs do not interact you aren’t welcome here. enjoy! 🐈‍⬛ 🤍

WINTER

Spring would be here soon. That was all you could think of, a dull anxiety thrumming in the pit of your stomach at the thought. You stared at the solitary bright yellow flower peeking through its blanket of snow, the downfall of ice from the blizzard outside the window beating it mercilessly against the wind— and yet it stood, continuing to pop back up, almost like it was taunting you. You wished you could love spring. The thing about seasons changing was that they happened without permission and whether you liked it or not. Truthfully, you loved the idea of flowers and dresses and warmth on your skin, but it made it all the more difficult to hide the…elements of you that people wouldn’t understand. You weren’t talking about scars, or hair or bumps, no. You were talking about —

“What’cha lookin’ at.” The mellow voice of your best friend Ellie Williams broke you out of your thoughts, traipsing up behind you to sit with you on the window seat, tucked into an alcove below rotting bay windows in the abandoned house the two of you were holed up in on patrol, whilst the blizzard outside came down hard. She gets comfortable, drawing her knees up as she leant against the chipped paint, accommodating to make more room for you. Your head snapped towards her, towards her grey hoodie that — wasn’t you wearing that last night? shutup, and her khaki green jacket zipped up over it, jeans and Converse and messy bun tucked into the nape of her neck. Pretty. Always pretty. Always just a friend you couldn’t touch. Not how you wanted to, anyway.

“Nothing? Just watching the snow fall.” You sigh out wistfully, knowing you’d both rather be in bed on this early, freezing cold morning.

“Yeah? Y’looked worried about something.” She rasps, toeing you with the dirtied white tip of her maroon chucks and tilting her head. You dart your eyes back to the yellow flower springing up to see it finally get pummelled down by a huge globe of powdery snow. Hah.

“Just scared the snow will cover up the door and lock us in here.” You nibble your lip, tugging your pink wooly hat tighter over your head, ensuring it was still in place. She shook her head, casually, and her blasé attitude to most things often eased any anxieties that dwelled within you.

“There’s a smashed window in one of the rooms I checked, can climb out if we need to. S’why it’s so fuckin’ freezing in here.” She rubbed her arms in tribute to this statement, puffing out her cheeks for a moment. “You not cold?”

“Oh, I’m cold.” You flit your eyes over her with faux judgement. “Just not being a baby about it.” She huffs out a laugh, folding her arms.

“Fuck you, dude.”

Dude. You roll your eyes. Always dude, but ‘baby’ in your late night daydreams. You scrub the thought away.

An hour passes, and the snow is still coming down hard. 8:54AM.

“Okay, I’m sorry — what do you mean you’ve never played truth or dare before. Have you like, never met someone your age?” She’s smirking, always relishing in your lack of general knowledge because honestly, it made her feel like she had more to offer and teach you. You’re drawing a palm tree on the window’s condensation, the tropical sight doing nothing to mask the dreary weather outside of it.

“Okay first of all, we aren’t the same age — you’re twenty-two. That’s a few more years of experience to learn stuff that I haven’t.”

“And how old are you again? Eighteen?” She pretends to think.

“Twenty. And you knew that, idiot.”

She snickers, muttering a teasing “Baby face.” under her breath, drawing a comical penis shape with her finger beside your palm tree making you tsk and swat her away.

“Secondly, no— my old camp were all like, old people. I was the youngest there. Didn’t have anyone to teach me any of your weird games.”

It took you about twelve years of your life to realise that normal preteen girls didn’t have pointed ears atop their head, or a tail, or retractable claws and fangs. You knew you were different, yes. No one else in your small camp had features quite like yours, and you really knew you were different because you spent your life in hiding. Under protection. Ears shoved under hats and tail bunched beneath tight jeans. Hence, you know — the fear of warmer weather approaching.

You didn’t quite know where you came from and you were okay with that. Whispers between the couple that raised you, talks of your real dad being a scientist before this all went down which explains things… enough. You didn’t really want to know how you ended up this way, because it couldn’t have been good — or ethical for you to grow up part girl part animal.

19 years old, and you had moved into Jackson. Found at the gate. No more camp. No more found family. Just a girl who survived, stood in the snow. You’d met Ellie, a friend of Jesse who’d found you — and the two of you had hit it off instantly, as friends of course. Ellie liked how different you are to her, pretty naive with lots to learn in comparison to her hard edges and weathered attitude. When you weren’t biting back playfully at her sarcasm you were the ray of sunshine she’d needed in the snow globe that she lived in. She’d even stepped up to take you with her on patrol and ease you into learning how to fend for yourself a little, a skill you never acquired with your old group. That brings you here, sat on a window seat, trapped by a blizzard, doing very little learning. Okay, back to you Ellie.

“Truth or dare is not weird, I swear. Look, we can play it. Pass the time whilst we wait for the blizzard to chill out. You in?”

“Okay.”

“So,” She crosses her legs now. “You can pick, truth or dare. If you don’t answer your truth, I get to pick a dare. And uh, vice versa. Yeah. It’s simple.”

You nod, and she continues — rambling in typical Ellie style.

“Like, okay. Truth or dare?”

“Dare!” You grin happily.

“Alright, I dare you to run into the blizzard naked.”

“Uh — truth! Truth!” You change your answer, making her laugh.

“Alright… tell me about your first kiss.” She’s giddy, on the precipice of a laugh, dying to make fun of whatever story you come out with and you falter, dragging your eyes back to the window. The palm tree you drew in the condensation is starting to drip and create long clear lines down the window.

“I already told you, never met people around my age so… haven’t had one.” You shrug, peeling a bit of old paint off the windowsill. You glance up and she’s nodding with her lips turned down, trying really hard not to look judgy because she wasn’t, she swears and she didn’t want you to feel bad. She tucked away the thought that she found it cute. Found you cute. The thought of being your first kiss flashed through her mind as quickly as she erased it.

“Alright. No shame in the game. We’ll get you there.” She pats your foot reassuringly and you tense up in embarrassment slightly, a claw spiking through the knit of your glove making you close your palm into a fist on your lap. Ellie had heaps of experience, which kind of made your confession more embarrassing.

“Your turn. Truth or dare?”

“Truth.” Her answer is almost instant.

“Boring.” You giggle.

“Whatever.”

You sigh… eyes wandering around the room, over the dusty canvases on the wall with paintings of mountains, perhaps the very mountains that surrounded your town— you couldn’t tell. What could you ask her? What did you actually want to know? What didn’t you already know? You bite your lip, eyes flickering around.

“Take your time.” She raises an eyebrow and you huff at her impatience.

“Okay, tell me something you’ve never told anyone else before. A secret that’ll literally bind us for life.” Your eyes twinkle and now it’s her turn to falter. She doesn’t want to glance at her covered arm, but she does anyway. Not that you’d ever be able to guess her big secret. No one could, you probably wouldn’t even believe her.

“Good question, see you’re getting the hang of it.” She raises her eyebrows, impressed and you bask in the sound of the icy winds outside, head slowly tilting to the side as you watch her grow a little uneasy. Ellie Williams, your best friend had a big secret. And you knew all of her secrets, so you were doubly intrigued. You knew about the time her and Dina got too drunk and kissed before practically yelling at eachother that it felt too wrong and they’d never do it again, you knew about the time she didn’t wanna trade any items at the little store for food so she selfishly shoved a can of tomato soup in her pocket and ducked out, knew all the rest of them because you remember her drunkenly shoving her hand over your giggling mouth and whispering “You actually can’t tell anyone, okay? Shit, why do I tell you these things?”

“Okay. I’m immune.”

“To being slapped? Answer my truth or face your forfeit.” You were grinning ear to ear, like she thought you would and — she nearly wanted to just leave it there. Let you believe she was joking. But oh, your perceptive self. You saw the falter of her bashful expression, the way honesty coloured her face and for once she couldn’t make eye contact. Surely not? “Immune?” You repeat, more like a statement but you’re confused nonetheless.

“Uh, yeah.” There’s no humour in her tone and yet you’re still smiling, waiting on her still to smirk or chuckle or something. When you just stare at her, she starts to undo her jacket. “I can uh, I can kind of prove it, I guess?” She pushes her hoodie sleeve up, and you’re faced with the tattoo you’ve stared at many times before. The pink pad of her finger traces along the inside of her arm, and your eyes focus — honing in on the faint scar curtained behind the dark blue ink. “There… was a bite here. Me and my friend were together when we were kids and we both got bit. She turned and… yeah, guess I’m still waiting.” Her eyes were distant, and yeah — Ellie played jokes on you sometimes. You were gullible and naive, not having faced the usual prankish behaviour of people similar in age to you before but this? She wasn’t that great of an actor. There was actual, real life pain behind her avoidant gaze.

“You’re serious?” You furrow your brows and she purses her lips, a pinkie-finger of gesture held in the air.

“Swear.”

You stare at her arm, and she reaches for her jacket again — feeling the chill of the house again despite an uncertain heat creeping up her neck. “How do you know it wasn’t just a one off?”

She shrugs. “Guess we’ll know if I get bitten again.” She chuckles dismissively. You go to speak, tell her how life changing her secret was but she’s quicker. “Alright, your turn. Now I’ve told you something no one else knows you gotta do the same. Biggest secret, go.” She exhales, and it feels like the room is alleviated of some of the pressure.

“Excuse me, what if I wanted to pick dare?”

“Do you?”

“No.”

“Well then.”

Your ears twitched and you brought your knees to your chin. Ellie was just so vulnerable with you, but you’d always been told — under every single circumstance not to tell anyone about your…rarity. It was something that not even you understood, so sharing it with others could put you in danger. People often lashed out at what they didn’t understand, you were told it was that way in the old world too— though you’re sure people weren’t quite dealing with being a hybrid with a literal animal.

“I’m not sure you’re ready for my secret.”

“Dude, I just fucking told you I can’t get infected, you’re not gonna top that.” She exasperated, prodding your leg with her knuckles. She didn’t beat around the bush with her secret, or make you beg for the reveal — so you figured you’d cut straight to the chase. You pulled your hat off your head, ears standing to attention — hearing just that tiny bit clearer. Ellie raised an eyebrow, not sure what she was looking at, about to make some kind of comment like ‘Uh, your secret is that you have hair?’ — until her eyes darted up and stayed there. You pulled off your gloves too and held your hand between the two of you, sharp claws extending. Ellie jumped, and you pulled back shamefully.

“What is… what am I… what am I looking at?” She gawked breathlessly, eyes widening at the way your ears twitched shyly, the outside of them coated by fur the same colour as your hair, the inside of your ears pink, sprouting wispy white hair from it. Ellie could barely keep her mouth closed.

“Yeah, so… I’m like a girl who is also a cat who is also just a girl��� nothing weird I swear — apparently my dad was a scientist and he made some fucked up combination DNA and — ah, it doesn’t matter. I’m a freak. Laugh it up.” You ramble, waving your hand in a way you hoped was dismissive and in that moment a gun to your head wouldn’t have made you make eye contact with the auburn haired friend parallel to you.

“Hey, wait — I’m just trying to… holy shit?” She furrows her brows before chuckling. “I feel like I’m having a weird ass dream right now, dude.”

You reach for your hat to shove it back on, and her heavy hand lays on top of yours. She watched the way your ears flattened like aeroplane wings and you frowned a little. “I’m sorry… I’m not laughing at you. That’s… fucking awesome. You’re like a comic book character, man.”

Your eyes lifted from her hand, heart thundering in your chest both from her reaction to your big reveal and her hand laying on yours. “So, a freak.” You go to move your hand but she grips it.

“No, just… cool… don’t… put your hat back on yet. I’ve got questions.”

A pause sat between the two of you, and she broke out into a smile again. “Fuck you, your thing totally beats my thing.”

“Thats not a question, Els.”

11:20AM

“So does this mean you’re immune too? Pretty sure animals can’t get infected.”

The window had fogged over completely now, view of beyond the window obstructed but you didn’t mind. It felt more enclosed, in a good way. The outside world didn’t exist anymore.

“I’m not fully an animal though. Don’t wanna risk finding out.”

She sat back, looking at you incredulously. Not like you were a spectacle, or a circus performer from the old world — but like you were something magnificent. Like a unicorn, or a fairy.

“This is gonna… take me some time to get used to. You sure you’re not fuckin’ with me?” She turns her head suspiciously.

“Oh I’m pretty sure. Had to live my whole life with cat ears and a tail, would be a awfully sick prank.” You huff, focusing your attention on scraping off the shimmery pink nail polish you had acquired on a previous patrol. You’d painted them to distract from the subtle claw-like appearance they had even when they weren’t extended.

“You have a tail? Show me.”

“Oh yeah, I’ll just pull down my pants.”

“Oh shit, yeah. My bad.”

You sat together, and you shifted under her gaze, palms itching to pull your hat back over your ears, shielding yourself from her prying gaze. This was… out of your comfort zone. You trusted Ellie with your life, sure. But this was a lot. You’d been hiding this element to your self your whole life and suddenly you’re practically hollering it from the mountain tops all because you were enticed to share a secret during a silly little game? Who else would you tell just because they’d given you positive attention?

“You wanna touch my ears?” You blurt out. What the fuck?

Ellie’s smile grew, telling you her answer and it was too late to take it back now. She slid her ass forward a little, knees pressing directly against yours now and lifted her hand slowly, carefully, almost as though you’d spook like a real cat if she moved too quickly. You seemed to blink, and then she was right there, her face so close to yours that her warm breath fanned over your face making your eyelashes tickle at the breeze she created. She clears her throat, eyes just floating up above your hairline and you feel the pads of her fingers gently trail down the backs of your ears.

She lets her knuckles gently smooth back the velvety fur coating, before getting more comfortable — short blunt nails scratching right in that sweet spot behind them. With the ball of her hand gently pressed to your temple as she scratched, you melted. The best way to describe it would be the feeling of sinking into a hot bath after being out in the cold wind, rain and snow. A sheet of goosebumps lined up across your arms and up your spine, your tail struggling in your jeans to curl up in pleasure. There was a gentle humming sound, like an engine maybe… a low rickety wind passing through a wooden floor board…

“Are you purring?” She cooed, and your eyes fluttered open. You don’t even remember closing them. The ghost of an alarmed bullet shot through your body but it just… felt too nice to react. Your pupils were dilated to fuck, it was almost startling to see.

“I guess.” You chuckle, a shudder flying through you, the warm purring sound continuing on. “Sorry.” You offer, but it’s half hearted.

“No, don’t.” She whispers with an impressed smile, eyes pinned by your intense gaze — voice gentle, as if not wanting to break the intimate force field she’d created around the two of you. “You’re so… cute.” She grins enough to show her teeth now, you rest the weight of your head more into her hand, pushing for more scratches now that her fingers slowed down, distracted. Your eyes flutter closed, sleepy and euphoric— and then open once more, a constant battle between wanting to just melt away, and also wanting to look at Ellies beautiful face so close up. She seemed to get closer each time you opened them, eyes drifting from your blackened gaze… to your lips…

Maria’s voice was the last thing you expected to hear in that moment and you both jumped. It was static-y, buzzing, making your head snap towards the radio Ellie had let clatter to the floor beneath the window seat. “Blizzards gone and cleared up now, two of you can start headin’ back now before it decides to pick up again.”

You swipe at the fogged window creating a viewing hole through the condensation, snow settling now instead of batting down hard against the ground. You sigh out, and you’re not sure if it’s in relief of the weather clearing up or the tension breaking — but Ellie seems to be shaking herself out of it too.

“Alright, uh — y’ready to head back out there kitty-cat?” She’s back to her usual self, hopping off the window seat and scooping her backpack and radio off the ground, securing them back onto her person.

“Ready as ever. Can’t wait to go home and nap.” You stretch, now standing beside her waiting for instruction. She sways in your direction with a smirk, raising a brow.

“A cat nap?”

“Are you gonna do this from now on?” You hide your amusement, leaning on your hip. She chuckled to herself, pulling her gloves back on before nodding her head for you to follow — taking off in a casual stride.

“Sorry. Let’s go get Shimmer from the garage.”

You pout, padding along behind her as you think of her stood there alone. “I hope she wasn’t too cold. She was shut in there for ages.”

“She’ll be fine. Old girl’s a trooper.”

SPRING

You didn’t regret telling Ellie, infact you were so glad.

It seemed to have brought you closer, the two of you against the world. The weather had finally cleared of snow by mid April, the green returning to all of nature. She’d helped you accommodate, coming to your home in the mornings and helping you pin your ears down to your head, gently manoeuvring your hair to sit on top of them, inconspicuous. Asking you “Does that hurt?” and “Can you hear?” in a sleepy morning voice. You, on the other hand would sit there trying not to pur at her touch. There was still some bite in the air, especially around evening time so you could still get away with stuffing your tail into your jeans, but the two of you often walked around in the sunshine on the days one or both of you weren’t outside the gate on patrol. Nights were spent having sleepovers, falling asleep cuddling because you know — it was convenient and cold at night time, especially convenient if you were getting up early for a patrol together. Definitely not because you wanted to spend every waking moment together.

You had been curled up reading, relaxed, ready to head to bed in an hour or so when there was a knock at your door. Your ears perked up, and you scuttled out of bed and looked through your peep hole, relieved to find the wind bitten, pink cheeked face of your best friend. You figured she’d just gotten back from patrol, swaddled in a khaki green windbreaker and jeans, hair in your favourite style — half up half down. You swing the door open, ushering her in.

She doesn’t mean to ogle you, but it happens anyway — eyes drawn to your bushy tail shyly curling round your thigh, a hole cut in the back of your pyjama shorts specifically for that reason when you turned around. “Hey you, couldn’t be bothered to walk all the way back to my house. Plus, I got somethin’ to show you.” She wiggles her brows, heading to your room.

“Y’want a drink?” You call after her to which she promptly replies with “Please!” already disappearing into the warm comfort that was your bedroom. Your bedroom, a God damn hassle for Ellie to construct. You had… a vision, and that vision became Ellie’s problem when you’d started to build your little home space. “Els if you see any pink blankets on your patrol today please please please grab me one?” “Ellieeee I need a picture frame, like — a cute one.” “If I don’t get a fluffy throw cushion for my bed soon, I might die.” The list goes on. Her patrols were ever-filled with heavy backpacks, trinkets carefully balanced on top of eachother or stuffed into pockets. She smiles warmly at the memory, walking around your room — taking in each item along with its memory of finding it and smuggling it back into Jackson. Her eyes are glazing over your bed sheets now, thinking about you curled up in the you-spaced shape you’d left on the blankets, thinking about you fast asleep in the night beautiful as ever, thinking about you writhing on them with less clothes on — gross, Ellie — shake it off.

A matted tuft of darkened hair peeped from your mass of bed covers and Ellie squinted, bending over to get a closer look before pinching it with her fingers and lifting it. A clump of hair sat in her palm and she raised her eyebrows. Was that a —

“What you lookin’ at?” Your voice is sudden, lighthearted, right behind her— and she jumps, turning her head over her shoulder to glance at you guiltily. You stand wide eyed and innocent, a glass of water for her clutched in your hand.

“Jesus, fuck — we gonna have to get you a collar with a bell on it or what?” She rolls her eyes, clutching her chest before recovering, taking her glass and sipping as she holds up her findings. For a moment, something twitches in you down below at the thought of wearing a bell around your neck for Ellie. The feeling is warm and homely and disgustingly horny and you feel a little shame. She swallows her water an ‘ah’ and explains “Was just uh— I found a fur ball.”

You look at the clump of hair in her hand, then up at her, then back to the clump — and then you’re moving past her. You straighten out your blankets, revealing a hair brush and hold it up— plucking the ‘hairball’ from her hand and grasping it side by side. “From my hairbrush… doofus.”

Ellie makes an ‘o’ shape with her mouth and chuckles, scratching her arm awkwardly after placing down her glass — feeling maybe she’d jumped to a conclusion. This feeling is unfortunately confirmed when she sees your brows furrow, softening in stature ever so slightly.

“Do you really think I’m like… dirty and animalistic? I don’t get fur balls, Ellie.” You sound defeated and just a smidgen whiny, but she’s a sucker for it and grasps your arms gently either side with two strong hands.

“No! I’m an idiot! I’m sorry. Total jackass.” She reassures and you tilt your head, pout turning into a gentle smile. This gives her the green light to move things along. “However, I did get you a little something that might help us understand your… condition a little better.” The auburn haired girl is already shucking off her black beaten up backpack, struggling with the zip for a moment before sliding out a thick hard back book, a manual of some kind. Her eyes are on you, searching for any sign of offence and you catch the title when she spins it around proudly — ‘Caring for your kitty’.

She’s off like a race car with an excited explanation before you even get the chance to breathe, opening it up and flicking through it. “Stopped at that old library today, you know the one we thought the entrance was blocked off and we couldn’t go inside? Well — Jesse found another way in — so I was just lookin’ around, seeing if there was anything interesting and I found this bad boy. It tells you everything you need to know about caring for a cat and well… don’t wanna be a dick but… I’m caring for a cat, kind of.”

As she spoke, your grin only widened — pathetically, and totally embarrassingly so, because it was going against everything you had taught your self. You’d wanted to push this side of you down for what, your whole life? And then Ellie comes along, with her pretty green eyes and her tattoo and her hand veins and her — whatever, and suddenly you’re completely and utterly embracing the fact you’re like, absolutely fucked up, genetically? Crushing on your best friend makes you do crazy, stupid things. You bat your eyelashes at her, regardless.

“You care for me?” It was kind of a joke, but your voice came out softly anyway and Ellie couldn’t look at you because of it, continuing to thumb through the pages, very concentrated, what was that one page again?

“Why’d you think I brought this big ass manual back? Wanna look after you.” She mutters. You soften completely, and she realises that she said that out loud. You look at her, and she looks at you — and then she looks away because God damn, she’s falling in love. “Anyways. Thought we could go through it together. You got those sweatpants I left here? My jeans are like, damp.” She rambles, and you let it slide — though you’re positively floating when you point her to your dresser, pressing the neatly folded grey pants into her arms with a hazed out smile. “Thanks.”

You turn around when she changes. You’re not sure why, she’s wearing boxers — and you have some skirts stashed away that are probably shorter and more revealing (which you unfortunately couldn’t wear due to having a tail) but you look away anyways, out of respect. You clamber back onto your bed waiting for her, and soon she’s sliding up beside you in just her black tshirt and sweatpants, comfy and warm. Ellie clears her throat, sitting up against the headboard and opens the manual for the two of you to check out. “Ahem, caring for your kitty. With special thanks to Juliana.” She reads formally and you giggle, scooching closer until your cheek is pressed to her arm so that you could see the book. “Shout out to Juliana.” She comments, flipping the page.

You snuggle in closer to her, because well — it feels natural. The two of you had always been affectionate since becoming friends and since you’d shared your secrets it had only become more binding. When Joel had comment that you two were literally attached at the hip, it was by no exaggeration. The fat of your cheek pushed up enough to shut one eye as you practically tried to merge with her bicep, warm breath tickling her light arm hair.

“Y’always smell like oatmeal.” You comment, voice sleepy from her warmth and she’d barely even gotten the chance to read anything yet.

Her hand freezes on the page for a millisecond as she acknowledges your statement. “So— wait, oatmeal? That’s gross dude. I don’t wanna smell like oatmeal.” She complains, causing you to lift your head having busted out into a giggle fit. She lifts her hand and sniffs it, looking at you with a displeased expression trying to decipher your observation.

“No! It’s a good thing I like it. It’s just… Ellie smell.” You rub your eye tiredly and she’s fighting every urge not to kiss all over your cheeks at how God damn adorable you are.

“Oatmeal. Great.” She chuckles, shaking her head before nudging you with her elbow — a silent command for you to lay back down on her so that she could read.

And the two of you did, for a little while anyway. The manual was more helpful than the both of you had originally thought, and you came to realise that you had a lot more in common with the animal than you’d had believed. Between each paragraph, the two of you would launch off into conversations and comparisons, Ellie asking you questions about your behaviours and habits. It made your heart swell at how much she truly cared. “Kitten will feel attached to her owner when being scratched behind the ears.” Ellie reads out monotonously, thinking, before reaching up and scratching behind your ears. “To say I’m your owner would be a little crazy, I must admit. Can’t deny you some good old scratches though.” She chides in amusement, watching your happy smile melt into a dozed pur. You can own me, Ellie — God you can —

She read and read and read until you were nodding off, eyes fluttering shut and disappearing off into a dream land as Ellie’s raspy voice trails off, fondly watching you as your lips parted a little, more of your warm weight sinking into her side. “Okay.” She whispered, to no one in particular— and closed the book quietly, stretching to reach behind her and place it on your bedside table, turning off your lamp too.

Ellie was always a light sleeper, maybe she was paranoid or just protective — because she seemed to wake up constantly when she’d stay with you. Not that you didn’t make her feel more relaxed than anyone ever had, because you certainly did. She just… fuck, she didn’t know. She needed to be alert at all times. Just in case.

Tonight was like any other time, stirring at the cooing of a heavy wind outside the rattling windows. Her eyes found the back of your head immediately and settled a little, comfortable and dozed with the feeling of your ass grazing her front and the warmth of your back blanketing her. You slept like two people in love and if she were more awake she’d probably mourn the relationship that was out of her grasp. Too much of a pussy, too much of a risk to ruin things. But this, this she could enjoy in her half awake consciousness.

She was about to drift back off, perhaps a deeper sleep this time knowing that everything is alright and you’re safe from the harsh winds of Spring. Until, she felt a prodding. That was the best way to describe it. Like you were poking her, despite both of your arms being curled at your front visibly. She panicked for a moment, which woke her enough to open her eyes and gaze down at whatever the hell was poking her in the stomach. Your tail.

It curled at the end like a question mark, curious and wandering. She watches, fascinated at how you could be sound asleep and yet your tail had a mind of its own. It knocked on her, like it was asking for entry before it poked lower, lower, Jesus, lower. Without time for her to respond, your tail slots itself between her thighs, curling around and cupping her cunt. She gasps, bringing a hand up that was originally going to cover her mouth, but ran over her own head instead, frozen and unsure of what to do in this situation.

Why was your tail touching her up whilst you slept innocently on the other end of it? She knew you were sleeping for sure because of the quiet snores and the even quieter hum of your pur — making her wonder how she never noticed it before you’d told her about your rarity. Your tail slithered like a snake as if trying to get comfortable, which made Ellie’s mouth hang open as it practically moulded itself to the shape of her. The agile tip of your tail curled around, brushing against the material of her sweatpants all the way up to her clit and she winced, enough to stir you a little. Your tail seemed to go a little limp as you groan quietly, your sleep disturbed. God, what if she wakes up and finds me like this? Her fucking tail getting me off. That’s weird, oh god — you’re a creep Ellie. Move, move now. Jesus.

She spins around so the two of you are back to back, staring at the wall. Ellie clenches her thighs so that your tail can’t slip through them and grope her again, frowning as she squeezes her eyes closed in shame at how good it felt. It was wrong. Wrong and creepy and awful and she hated herself for letting it go on for that long. She willed herself to sleep, repeating those words like a mantra.

The next day you plant flowers together in the community garden. She doesn’t bring it up.

SUMMER

There were certain pages in the manual that the two of you would skip. It was too awkward, too intrusive — pages you would separately read in your own time.

If you don’t get your female cat spayed, they’re going to go into heat. How exciting! And if you’re experiencing kitty in heat for the first time, you’re probably wondering: how do I cope with this? Dealing with a restless, frisky kitty may seem like a challenging task, but it’s not nearly as difficult as you may think. We’ve outlined plenty of quick tips and suggestions to help calm your cat down in the short term, as well as some solutions to prevent heat in the long term. In just a few minutes, you’ll be able to give your loving furball the support and respite she needs during this tough time.

Ellie snickered when she read it the first time, a night where you’d fallen asleep at her house, curled up on the end of the bed by her feet. You hadn’t meant to fall asleep there, it just happened — trying to give yourself space on the particularly warm evening. Not everything in this manual applied to you, like you’d insisted plenty of times — you’re mainly all human. Despite the purring, you hadn’t felt you’d demonstrated any feline-like behaviours (Ellie disagrees strongly, but can’t bring herself to argue.) That night she had sat up later, reading about cats in heat — wondering if… you’d ever… what would she do… no, Ellie. Stop.

When summer had approached, something had flipped. Things were normal until they weren’t— and at first you could blame it on the weather, the serotonin flooding everyone’s systems from the influx of Vitamin D, being able to wear less and enjoy more. Days seeming longer. Life seeming better. You’d grown more affectionate with Ellie, not fighting the urge anymore to be touching her at all times. Gently sinking your teeth into her freckled skin when you felt the urge, wrapping your tail around her leg when you’d stand side by side in your kitchen, clambering onto her lap with the manual and urging her to read some more so you could get sleepy and comfortable and fall asleep on top of her. You saw the way people would look at the two of you around Jackson together, they thought you were together — and you didn’t mind — even though you weren’t. Just two super close best friends.

When the calendar had rolled over to July, things seemed to intensify by ten. Things were changing, urges growing stronger. You couldn’t control yourself purring when Ellie would simply enter the room, kneading your claws into your seat of the canteen area pulling up threads, needing to be near her. Practically vibrating the floorboards in total bliss when she’s give you a friendly, subtle ear scratch in public being careful not to unpin your ears. Saliva pooling inside your mouth with the urge to lick her all over when she’d arrive to your home late at night after a rough patrol, ready to crawl into bed beside you and surrender herself to your grabby paws hands. Wanting to pounce on her when she’d greet you by the gardens, knuckle knocking gently beneath your chin with a friendly “Mornin’ kitty-cat.” Worst of all, the growing neediness you’d succumb to each night you weren’t together, mewling as you’d grind against a pillow pretending it was her thigh, soaking the sheets. You were starting to accept that you were experiencing your first ever heat.

You particularly enjoyed summer evenings in Jackson. The air was was balmy and warm without the scalding, overwhelming sunshine like there was in the day. Most if not all citizens would be in the town centre at movie night or the bar — which created a perfectly calm and empty landscape for walks. It was one that day, the one that’s about to unfold — that you were particularly dazed. You felt high, sensitive, walking on air. You wear a bell around your neck now, a giggly patrol gift from Ellie — something that tinkles quietly and could be confused with simple jewellery to the untrained eye. It sounds each step you take, a comforting noise that was special to you and your best friend. Your summer dress grazed above your knees, and due to no one being around, you didn’t quite care that your tail would occasionally peak out when a warm breeze would pass through.

You stroll past the flowers you and Ellie had planted in spring, stroll past the empty playground with the wooden climbing equipment that you had to continue walking on from to not give into the urge to dig your aching claws into. Your mind was set on finding Ellie — Ellie, Ellie, Ellie, who’d supposedly just be returning home from patrol. As expected, nothing quite getting past your astute cat wisdom — there she stood, facing away from you in just her adorable oversized white tshirt, greenish brownish greenish flannel and long baggy denim shorts. Your whole body felt hot and the sight of her, heart pumping and palms tingling. Approaching slowly, you hear her quietly talking to Shimmer as she undresses her of her equipment, occasionally stopping to give her affectionate pats and love. Ellie was always good with animals.

Figures.

You step closer, alerting Ellie of your presence. “Here kitty.” She smirks, continuing to remove Shimmer’s saddle before turning over her shoulder, eyeing you briefly.

“How’d you know I was here?” You swoon, dumb smile on your face as you step up to her. Probably too close, but something inside of you was clawing to be able to smell her, be able to feel the warmth radiating off her body. She doesn’t react to the proximity, just lifting a finger and jingling the bell at your neck. You fight a shudder when her coarse fingertip grazes the soft skin of your neck.

“Hard to miss you. That bell was definitely a good investment, you’re not sneakin’ up on me anymore, huh.”

She continues tending to Shimmer as you watch, a fond smile on your face.

“How was patrol? ‘Missed you.” You tug at her flannel sleeve for attention and she chuckles good naturedly, rolling her eyes.

“Wasn’t gone for that long, was I? You’re always missing me lately. Is somethin’ up?” She turns her head to you again inquisitively, concern flashing through her eyes — as well as the stream of bright light from the sunset through the crack in the barn wall. She squints.

“Uh…” You sigh out softly. Yes. I need you. I want you. Come here. Fuck me. “No. I dunno.” You shrug, forcing yourself to look away, defeated. No, you’re here for a reason. “Can you come over tonight? Sleepover?” You realise you’re still clinging to her sleeve and she’s letting you, her eyes drifting to the way your hand slides downwards and catches her hand, intertwining your fingers. You know, just best friend things.

“Jesse asked me to hang out but…” She started, but trailed off when you became all fluttery lashes and bambi-eyed. “Fuck it,” She breathes. “I’m too tired for his shit today anyway.”

You grin, successful and tilt your head. “Not too tired for my shit?” and she scoffs, squeezing your hand.

“Never.”

She steps back, your joined hands bridging the two of you still. Her eyes are trailing down again. That little sundress, she hadn’t seen that before. Maybe hanging in your closet, but not out of the house. Her eyes dip lower and she sees a flash of fur swinging behind you, jostling your dress. Her eyes widen a little. “Hey.” She emphasises, nodding her head down. You’re still staring at her, at her freckles and the way they’re shaded from the sun — a halo of bronze and natural flush.

“Hm?” You sing. She furrows her brows.

“Your dress is short.”

“Don’t you like it?”

“What? Uh— fuck, I mean, yeah — but I’m saying other people might see your…” She nods again in gesture, nervous.

“Tail?” Your fingers trail up her flannel sleeve a little.

“Yeah. People might not be as… open to all that, babe.” Babe. A slip up, usually — usually said when she wanted to soften the blow, or when she physically couldn’t stop the affection from meeting her lips. You preened at the word anyway, didn’t even bother to hide it.

“No one’s around.”

Your claw traces the blue green vein on her pale wrist. You don’t remember it coming out, these days it seemed they just did it on their own. She winces at the light scratch, but she lets you anyway. Just ogling, wide eyed, a little confused and a little turned on — which confused her all the more. She silently begged herself, get a grip.

She tore her hand away, hoisting her backpack off her back and swinging it around — damn near smacking you in the face with it. “Got you a present. Know you like those.” She rushes out, sounding a little out of breath like she’d been running. You liked it, liked that you did that to her. You’re smiling and she’s like, ignoring it — because she knows you know you flustered her and that’s not like Ellie. Not like calm and collected Ellie Williams.

“For me? You shouldn’t have.”

She digs around, pulling out a black rectangular VHS tape. Hard to come by, but always a delight seeing as you had a TV facing your bed in your room that refused CD discs and would only play grainy tapes. Ellie turned it in her hands, displaying the white tape across the front that read in someone unknowns Sharpie’d handwriting ‘Disney Aristocats’

“Think it’s about cats. Thought it would be funny.” She chuckles humbly, her ‘you hate it. fuck my life.’ thoughts kicking in as expected.

“We can watch it tonight!” You grin, gently taking it from her — clutching it proudly in your hands. She relaxes, shoulders unstiffening.

“Cool. Uh, yeah.” She nods, scratching her scalp which made the half-up-bun bob at the back of her head. She looks at you, and then looks around, and then back at you. Always back at you. “Alright. Let me go home and shower, you go set everything up and I’ll be round soon. Just… get outta here, before anyone sees you. Yeah?” Ellie exasperates, softly clapping two hands down on your shoulders and spinning you around, carefully nudging you to start walking away.

“M’kay. See you then, Els.”

“See ya, trouble.” Eye roll. Or maybe her eyes just rolled back at the sight of you swishing away in your little sundress. She’s not sure.

You were stood in front of the mirror when the door knocked. Your heart jumped — like you weren’t expecting Ellie to even come for some reason — but more so because you wasn’t sure you could get away with pyjamas this skimpy. You wanted to seduce her, sure. But this was just obscene. You wore, what essentially was just a long tank top. It fell mid thigh, flimsy and thin, showing every curve and dip and plumpness to you. You didn’t ever feel insecure around Ellie, no — but she might just call you a slut.

There was no time to change, so you ran and got the door, feigning confidence. Something was… different about the way she was stood there. Her hands were in her jean pockets awkwardly, like she didn’t know what to do with them. She’d actually cleaned up surprisingly, wearing her jeans and off white wifebeater. She somewhat looked like she was trying, but maybe that was all in your head. She didn’t look you in the eye either, thick brown lashes fluttered slightly as her eyes jumped down you in segments. Tits, then tummy, then hips, and then tail. The sight of it flapping about freely made her usher you inside quickly, always aware of the risks.

“Hey furball, y’ready to watch the movie?” She clears her throat, looking around your house like she’d never seen it before. Nervous? Something else?

“Told you not to call me that, doofus. But yes, follow me.” You giggle, and that’s all you seem to do around her these days if not purring — constant girlish giggles tumbling past your lips at the slightest joke. It bordered on pathetic.

She enters your room with a chuckle, like — the type that says ‘you’re so fucking cute.’ in Ellie’s voice, if you can imagine. You’d set the movie up, the screen buzzing with static playing old timey music with the start up screen for the movie awaiting the two of you. You’d rustled together every blanket and cushion you could get your hands on to create some kind of nest for the two of you to get all cuddled up in, and even more than that if your plans went how they should. It smells like you in the room, and Ellie wants to stand there and breathe in so hard her ribs crack from the expansion just to inhale you in completely. There’s no time for that, because you’re ushering her down on the bed. It’s almost horny just from the way you push her down, both hands on the warm skin of her freckled shoulders — your smooth and grabbable thighs between her legs. “Get comfy. But not too comfy. You always fall asleep when we watch movies.”

But how could she fall asleep when you’re dressed like that? In your natural form, wearing so little and showing so much. Her palms felt like little ants were inside her skin, running around like their tiny heads were on fire — or maybe it was just the hand static from not being able to touch your electric skin, to graze her coarseness over your smoothness and hear the sizzle of you up against fingertips. She wanted to hold you by the back of the head, take all your weight, all your thoughts, all of you.

But she was here to watch a movie, like a good best friend. And if that’s what you needed that’s what she’d be.

Turns out trying to seduce someone into scratching the itch that’s been aching you for weeks was harder than expected. How were you supposed to initiate this again? Hadn’t you thought about this time and time again, written about your dream scenarios of getting down and dirty with Ellie in the middle of your diary where no one would look if they’d found it and opened it up? You’d practised this, time and time again whilst you fall asleep — or whilst you’re fucking your hand, or whilst you’re staring at her profile idly whilst she sits and draws. God, how do you make the first move?

You’re staring at her whilst this rackets your brain, and you don’t realise how shamelessly you’re gawking at her until she side-eyes you, a fond little smirk daring to grace her features — it was audacious how cute she was. “Somethin’ on your mind?”

She’s practically handing you the opportunity. Your skin burns, body pressed to hers. Her arm is wrapped around your shoulder, the two of you propped up laying back on your bed and it’s all set up perfectly. You could say a million things, you could push your weight up on your elbow and reach up and kiss the side of her rubied lips. You want to slot a hand right between your thighs there and then, relieve yourself, show her what she’s done to you. The mess she’s made out of you.

You squeak out a “Nope.” despite all of this.

You keep planning and rehearsing, not concentrating on the cat movie anymore, that’s for damn sure. Who was that old lady again? What was that cats name? Who cares. You’re staring, syncing your breath to hers. You think yourself to sleep, cheek pressed to her collar bone and soft snores. Completely unsuccessful, but there’s always next time right?

When you wake up a few hours later things feel different. You’re not touching Ellie anymore — Hell, she could be gone for all you know. But you’re feverish, throat dry and prickly. Your skin is broken out into goosebumps despite the heat, your thin tank top dress completely stuck to your skin and sheering from the pure amount of sweat drenching you. What the fuck? Were you sick? You’re panting, aching but not all over — only in your… you reach down, half awake and feel your slick coating your inner thighs, pooling your cunt. You felt feral.

Your eyes shoot open now, because — well, you can’t be doing that. Can’t be touching yourself like that with Ellie right there. The room is glowing blue, and you locate the TV screen causing it. The movie is gone, finished, and the screen is on a standby channel, quiet and staticy as it alights the bedroom. You turn to Ellie, because you need her suddenly, feeling like you’ll burst into tears or cum without touch, whichever comes first and you don’t know why. Any shyness has left you when you turn, spinning onto your hands and knees to touch her and shake her awake.

She’s laying on her front, her wifebeater having ridden up a little to display some of her back. Her arm hugs her pillow, and you don’t remember her being that sculpted — her arms, the ones that hold you when you hug and lift the heavy gates on patrol. You reach out and touch, and then grab, and then you shake her awake. “Els, Ellie please.”

It doesn’t take her much, she’s a light sleeper as mentioned before. She panics a little, flipping onto her back when she hears your trembling, whiney tone. What’s wrong? What happened? She’s reaching for you before her eyes are fully open.

“Hey, wha’samatter?” She croaks, one eye squinting shut in the bright blue glow. You go to tell her but you just whisper her name again, and again and you just need her to touch. Your hand grabs her arm again and she sits up fully, eyes widening a little as she wakes up properly. “Hey, talk t’me.”

“Look at me I’m—” You whine quietly, gesturing to your fevered appearance but you feel like you don’t have time to explain. You have no sense of patience or shame when you scooch closer, hands sliding over her shoulders so your foreheads are nearly touching. You look deranged and her cunt twitches.

“I need you Els. Somethin’ is going on with me and I just... I don’t know but I need you.” You beg. Jesus, she must be having some kind of wet dream.

“What? Uh— you — need me how?” She stutters, and she feels like a fuckin’ idiot because where was the suave flirting skills and pizazz she promised herself she’d have when the day came that you finally asked her to touch you? Let her have you? Her stomach clenches in cringe but she barely has time to overthink it because you’re moving impossibly closer. Your tits are practically spilling out and Ellie’s palms are sweating so much that it makes her insecure.

“Think somethings wrong with me, think I’m in—”

“You’re in heat.” Your words overlap and the two of you are whispering like there’s anyone else in the house that might overhear you. “Yeah, uh — shit man, I read about it in the book, you know? I didn’t know if you’d… if you’d be able to… whatever. What do you need? You need some water?” She’s rambling, needing to think carefully about her actions. She didn’t wanna take advantage of you when you were so vulnerable… was this like, weird? Not because you’re her best friend — no, this has been Ellie’s long game since you met — but because of the whole… feline thing.

“No I don’t need water Ellie, I just want you to help me. It… it aches.” You cry miserably, dropping your face into her shoulder defeatedly. She smells so good, just like her — like Ellie, but so much stronger than usual, your senses heightened by ten. It weakened you, feeling this out of control. You sniffle, rubbing your nose into her top and she rubs your drenched back — sympathetic.

“Is it because it’s like… a full moon or something?” She asks quietly and your brows furrow in annoyance, pushing yourself off her to be face to face again.

“M’not a werewolf Ellie.” You pout, and her lips twitch up into a nervous half chuckle, relaxing a little as she reaches up and smoothes her thumb between your brows. She sighs. And then laughs quietly.

“I know that.”

The two of you look at eachother for a moment, a silent conversation in the place of what should be confessing feelings. You feel like you take the first step when you glance at her lips, and she returns it by glancing at yours. The looks get more eager, and your bodies thrust closer, and you kiss.

You wished it was romantic, like you’d planned for months. But it’s needy and eager and you’re panting and whining within thirty seconds of having her tongue glide against yours. You’re lucky that Ellie is just eagerly going with it, happy to be there. You didn’t wanna make her uncomfortable or come across as forceful — but that didn’t seem to be the case at all, especially not when she let out a little groan at the feeling of of you sinking down pointed teeth into her bottom lip.

She topples back when you lean into her more and you’re clambering onto her lap, thighs shaking. You hear yourself before you realise you’re not kissing anymore, instead whispering “Please, please, please.” against her lips with your eyes screwed shut as you grind your soaked cunt onto her jean covered one. Where you’d usually make a comment about her sleeping in jeans, you pant — and she lets out an embarrassingly loud, wide eyed groan at the feeling. The zipper digs into both of your clits from either side.

“Fuck, fuck okay.” Her hands hover, and she doesn’t know where to grab first. This is happening, God this is really fucking happening. She blushes at the thought of her dorkishly pinching herself, just to check it’s not some super torturous vivid dream as her hands float before just pawing at your back, pulling you closer. Closer. Need her closer.

You shuffle back in the dark, hands fumbling for that zipper that you’d made warm and wet through your cotton underwear and tug it down so harshly you think it’s gonna come off. Buttons get unpopped, and fingers get tucked into a waistband before you’re yanking down. Ellie’s getting whiplash at the speed you’re moving, eyes flickering across your desperate and pained expression. Fat tears sit beneath your eyes as you mutter the word ‘closer’ again, an inkling of relief when you pull her jeans down to her mid thighs revealing soft black boxers.

You sit on her again, and — that’s it, that’s the friction you wanted. You can feel the raised, round mould of her pussy through the material and she gasps when you grind down onto her, forcing herself up onto her elbows, eyes rolling back a little, hands gripping your thigh creases as she stared down at your white underwear smushing itself into hers in the dim light. You’re whimpering (and so is she for a moment), hips jerking forward and Ellie genuinely doesn’t know what to do with you. It feels so fucking good, but she feels like she’s not stepping up the way she should. She wants to take control, make it all better for you like she always does.

“Fuck, okay babe. Chill, okay? Mhpm, I got you. Let me help you. S’what I’m here for right? Lay back.” She whispers, and leans forward again to ease you backwards and like she can’t help it, presses another kiss to your lips. You both freeze, because this time it has feeling behind it. That’s also what you needed, you needed her to take control. You relax for a moment, letting her roll you onto your back barely breaking apart the kiss.

When she pulls back, she strokes your hot cheek with her thumb — staring into each others eyes. Hers are still beautiful and vibrant even in the feverish blue light, glancing all across your face with concern and fondness etched into her features. “Kay?” she speaks, tapping her thumb to your cheek for a response and you nod, huffing out a breath. Okay. Try to calm down.

She kisses the corner of your mouth, which trails inevitably into the crook of your neck, her swollen lips sucking the slippery skin with a hum. Your fingers are bunched tightly into her shirt and her jeans are still below her ass from your dry humping craze. You take some deep breaths, and she hears you — outwardly appreciating your efforts to be calm. “Thats good, keep doin’ that.” She whispers when you push air out of your mouth shakily, and the praise makes your legs fall open limply.

“You gonna let me help you out, pretty girl?” She kisses the centre of your chest and you mewl, body vibrating with purs as you nod. “Tell me, please. I’ve uh, I’ve waited so long to hear it.” She sounds nervous in the sweetest way possible, making you even in your haze reach out to comfort her, pushing her auburn strands out her face as she looks up at you pleadingly.

“Please help me Ellie, want you to touch me.” Your voice is jumpy from your shudders, and it transfers to her — your eyes just catching the way she trembles a little from adrenaline in the dark.

“Alright baby, I got you.”

Hearing her call you baby like you’d always hoped she would makes you heave out a sigh, pushing your hips up into her body weight trying to relieve yourself somehow. She shushes you, distracted by the feel of you beneath her palms now as she drags them down your body. Her thumbs swipe across your hard nipples through the thin material of your pyjamas and you mewl again, arching into her hands.

“Gonna make you feel better, promise.” She whispers but it feels more like she’s talking about you and not to you so you try to keep quiet so that you can just observe. She’s sliding down the bed ‘til she’s practically half off it, pushing your dress up to press fond kisses to your tummy. It feels right, like it’s something she’s been doing for months despite it being her first time down there. It’s Ellie, your Ellie. You can’t think of anyone you’d be in better hands with.

“Never,” kiss. “Had,” kiss. “Someone down here,” kiss. “Before have you?” She drags her lips downwards this time, gripping the meat of your thighs and spreading them. You sigh out a whimper and shake your head, embarrassed by how needy you were for a flash of a second before getting lost in your lust again. She whispers out an ‘Th’sokay’ against your hipbone as she pushes your thighs open before pulling back — taking a look. Her tongue wets her lips at the sight before her, eyes adjusted into the low light now to see how you’ve completely soaked through your underwear — lips fat and wanting through the material. Ellie let’s out a breath she was unaware to be holding, forefinger stroking through your covered folds with a glance upwards to make sure it was all still okay.

“God damn.” She comments, and you know what she means — she probably didn’t know it was possible to get this wet.

“Take’m off, please.” You whimper, writhing your hips around growing impatient once more and she nods frantically, peeling the cotton down your body making you hide your face in your arm when your centre clings to the fabric.

“So ready, huh.” She whispers, hot breath fanning over your bare cunt now. She breathes out a barely audible chuckle as she strokes the side of her finger across the small curled tuft of pubic hair that sat on your skin.

“Yeah, b—been ready for you Els. Wanted this for so l—ong.” You can’t stop trembling, and perhaps it was your feverish chills or the fact you were so excited to finally have your best friend in the way you’d wanted her.

“Yeah?” She cooes, but she’s barely listening — both thumbs pushing the fat of your lips outward, spreading you for her viewing pleasure. “Been hiding all this from me? But it’s so pretty…”

You sniffle, and she takes that as her sign to dive straight in — tongue flattening against your exposed clit and flicking upwards before dragging her lips down through your quantity of arousal. You moan, barely able to hear yourself through the loud purs emitting from you and buck your hips against her face.

You knew Ellie had experience, from the gutwrenching stories she’d tell you about her escapades with her ex girlfriend Cat (Funnily enough, actually her name — a foreshadowing all things considered.) But you’d figured it was just fooling around behind the barn, or maybe when Joel wasn’t home as the two of them used to share a residence. You didn’t expect her to be so… ravenous. If you knew that the girl sat beside you for so long could eat like this, you might have felt more inclined to approach her for help a little sooner.

The room was filled with obscene sounds, the sound of Ellie’s mouth ministrations which can only be compared to noise that belonged to stirring buttery pasta — mixed with her low moans against you because apparently you tasted that good. This was also mixed with, but not overshadowed by your desperate cries and purs as you pull her head further down into your crotch, panting up against the ceiling praying for release.

You hear yourself cry for “More!” and as if the thought had already sprouted for your best friend, her middle finger immediately pressed in against your hole — applying pressure and massaging that warm spot — a challenge for it not to slip right in given how wet you were for her.

“Can give you more. Lemme in, babe.” She murmurs against you when she finally sinks it in, sucking on your clit as means to get you to loosen up around her — which in hindsight wasn’t her most clear-minded idea as you only clenched harder. Ellie, much to your dismay removes her mouth for a moment to sit up on her elbow a little higher. She blows over your clit, smacking a wet kiss to it before looking up at you seriously — finger frozen only a little way in. Her free hand comes up, wide palm stroking across your lower stomach soothingly. “Gotta relax. Don’t wanna hurt you and you’re tight, babe. Relax.”

This side of Ellie made it difficult to not challenge this by clenching even harder. You could tell there was still an element of nerves to her, not wanting to fuck it up — but it just came so naturally to her to look after you. You push a shaky breath out through your mouth in a small ‘o’ shape, eager to make her proud again like before and focus on unclenching, her thumb on the connecting hand softly stroking your clit up and down to assumably aid you in this. “Good job, that’s it.”

She smiles when she returns her mouth to your folds, absolutely ecstatic to get back in there. You would have giggled at this if you weren’t so worked up, placing all your concentration into keeping loose for her and letting her press her finger up into a delicate spot you hadn’t discovered before. You jerk, briefly clenching again as her gaze snaps up to you— free hand coming back to smooth down your hip and ass, calming you. “C’mon babe, this is gonna get y’there. Help me out here.” She whispers and you try for her again, letting her press up into that toe curling devastating place. The bed rocks with movement, the same feeling you get when you’re half awake in the back of a moving car — and you glance down to realise it’s Ellie, and she’s fucking humping the bed, grunting against your pussy with her nose smushed to your clit. You feel the tears welling, and something turning like cogs in your stomach. Your orgasm approaches, but it’s only at the precipice of your cunt— the ache reaching much deeper and you panic at the idea of being left unsatisfied despite your deep lust, Ellie’s touches only making you ache more.

“Els, Ellie w—wait I’m gonna, let — wait I can’t it’s not — s’not deep enough I need more, need more it’s too —” You’re suddenly crying out, pushing yourself up with a look of absolute devastation on your face which is so sobering that she pulls her fingers out of you completely — pushing her self up at crazy speeds to meet you half way and cup your face.

“Babe, you’re panicking. Just talk to me, tell me what you need I — I can give it to you. Breathe.” She whispers, lips brushing your own as she attempts to comfort you, swiping away the tears leaking down your cheeks still. Your lip curls over, puffing out and wobbling as you suck in a quivering breath.

“More— just need to be… fucked, need you to fuck me, need it deeper.” You wail and she shushes you again, her slender hand coming back down to just cup your cunt in a way that made you dizzy, an attempt for her to comfort you and hold you in a way that you needed. Your eyes squeeze shut and tears moisten your lashes, feeling guilty for asking for such things, unsure if she can really give it to you. You didn’t want her to feel bad.

Ellie bites her lip in thought and tastes you. She did have that one thing… though she hadn’t actually used it before. It was a harness, a thick purple dildo lodged into the centre of it — stashed in a shoebox and shoved under her bed with crimson cheeks and clammy hands. She’d found it on patrol, and figured it could be useful one day maybe — a vision of you taking her with an arched back and her hips slamming against your plush ass making her wince and cup her cunt through her jeans in that very sex store. She had something that could help, and she had to push her pride aside to offer.

“Got something I can fuck you with. It’s… literally for that purpose but uh, it’s back at my place.” When she see’s the way your eyes light up with hope she’s jumping up, yanking her jeans up back around her waist, fumbling to do up her zipper as she continues to stare at you for permission. “I can run, be back in literally five minutes — do you want it babe? I’ll be so fucking fast you won’t even know I’m gone.” She’s not sure who’s begging who anymore, because since handed the opportunity Ellie has become obsessed with the idea of finally getting to fuck you good and proper.

“Yes j—just be fast, Ellie please be fast.” You mewl weakly, dropping back against the bed. She gives you a once over as she stumbles for her shoes, pulling her Converse on at a speed you didn’t think was possible and roughly tying laces. She’s out the door before you know it, leaving you to your own devices.

It feels like hours when she’s gone and you slip further into that dream-like, hazy space you’ve been fighting since she’d laid hands on you. Without her touch, the ache began to settle deep into your centre again — skin on fire and sensitive to the touch. You felt like you were being burned from the inside out without her there, rolling around on your sheets attempting to find comfort and coming up unsuccessful. The arch in your back only opened your cunt wider to the balmy air, and your nipples grew sore quickly from rubbing up against your bedsheet. A bead of sweat rolls between your tits.

Ellie’s feet hurt from the speed her Converse would slap the concrete of Jackson’s town— sprinting her way through the 4AM streets on a mission to bring you the equipment to satisfy your urges. Her heart thunders when she reaches her place, dropping her keys and swearing to herself as she fumbled to get the door open. She doesn’t bother closing it behind her when she runs inside, wood creaking beneath her heavy steps to sliding down on her knees beside her bed, reaching her hand along the dusty floor to find that shoe box. She finds it, muttering a borderline deranged ‘There you are’ before sliding it out, popping it open just to check it’s still there before slamming the lid back on and tucking the box under her arm, heading back to you.

You know she’s back because through your daze you hear the door shut and her loud high-pitched grunt of exertion, the image of her doubling over in your hallway to catch her breath coming to you almost like a prophetic vision. The ache worsens as her footsteps draw closer, her voice strained and out of breath as she calls out to you. “I almost — Fuck, almost ran into Jesse on the way to his early patrol. Saw him and, had to take a detour behind someone’s house cos’ he would have asked what was in the box and like — I can’t just get it out and show him…” Her panted words trail off when she re enters the bedroom, eyes falling on your desperate state once more.

It was a blow to her heart, seeing you so worked up. You were completely naked now in just your collar, brow slick with sweat and body practically glowing. Your tail curls around your thigh self soothingly, ears pointed high and alert. Your back arches painfully as you drag your hands down your thighs. You sniffle, defeated.

“Can’t even touch myself n’make it better cos my claws won’t go back in.” You shake, dragging your hands down your thighs desperately. Your sharp claws catch the delicate skin leaving long thin marks but you don’t even seem to notice. Ellie’s brows furrow and she rushes to you, sitting beside you on the bed and taking your hand in hers, looking at your clawed fingertips.

“Hey, don’t… don’t do that. M’here now. Can look after you yeah? Let me just…” She struggles for the box and pulls out the clattering harness and toy. You’re distracted for a moment as you watch, intrigued by the contraption that she’s pulling up her jeans and fastening at her hips. When she’s done, a purple plastic cock stands proud in the centre of her crotch, and your mouth practically waters.

It was animalistic, truly — and a little embarrassing the way you grabbed her and pulled her onto the bed. She even had the nerve to stumble a little bit, her back bouncing against the sheets as she scrambled to get comfortable and you crawled onto her lap. You press your lips to hers again like she’s your life line, letting out a muffled moan because you missed her. She’d been gone for five minutes and you’d missed her. You knew she’d tease you for that if it were any other time, but this time was like no other. She groans against you too, her hand cupping up to cup the back of your head and hold you there. You couldn’t get enough of eachother, all this waiting was finally paying off.

Your thighs shake around her as you wrap your hand around the dildo, sitting back as you can rub it up and down your slick a few times, collecting it’s juice. Ellie sits up a little, watching with wide eyes. “Jesus. Y’look so fuckin’ pretty.”

Her words send a surge of need through you again and you push the fat tip against your hole, adjusting so you can sit straight down on it. She winces for you, hands hovering above your hips. “Careful you haven’t taken anything bigger than my fingers before it’s gonna—”

You groan, melting into her as you sink down all the way. She’s right, it does hurt — and you’re frozen, laying against her shoulder hiccuping and quietly sobbing at the stretch. It’s way too much, but — it scratches the itch. Dulls the ache inside. You could power through this.

Her voice is gentle when she speaks, hands slowly coming down on your back to rub soothing circles on your clammy skin. “Hey.” She leans back a little, tilting her head trying to get a look at you. “Look at me, baby.”

You do, because how could you not — blinking big wet, eyes at her in the dark. She wipes away some tears with her knuckle, brows frowned and concerned. “You gotta be careful. Okay? I don’t… I’m not going to hurt you. I can’t.” She admits, and it seems to carry more meaning than what she’s letting off in the moment. Your doe eyes well again, fist curling in her wifebeater and then loosening as you try and calm your jerky breaths. She slowly reaches down until the pads of her fingers meet your clit, engorged and pushed out from the way your cunt is stretched open around her. She rubs it in light circles, softly — making you preen into her touch. The pain of the stretch lessens and you can’t help but grind down.

With each grind, you become more frenzied — picking up the pace as you chase the feeling you’d been after. You’re moaning over the sound of your pussy squelching around her and all she can do is grab onto your ass and help you, eyes all over you. “Fffffuck, babe — look at you, takin’ it so well. Who taught you how to fuck like this huh? Thought I was your first?” She chuckles, breathless from your incessant bouncing and grinding.

“You are, Els — m—my first and my only, don’t wanna fuck anyone else ever again.” You whine, so loudly it can probably be heard from outside but who cares — not when she’s got you like this. This worked up and needy for her. It was something from her wildest dreams.

“Yeah? Wanna be my girl?” She grunts, your grinding aiding the harness in hitting her clit just right with each movement. With all this time spent helping you, Ellie hadn’t realised how pent up she was.

“Yes, m’your girl Ellie, m’your girl you — you own me!” You admit, and it seems things go a little quiet at the confession. You clench hard, burrowing into her shoulder as she processes the words. Ellie hears an incoherent ‘More’ again, and her body goes on autopilot — feet sliding up to press flat against the bed. She holds you still, arm across your lower back and pins you to her whilst she fucks up into you fast. She grunts at the feeling, and you cry. With each bounce she forces out of you, your bell collar jingles humiliatingly.

Ellie can’t seem to keep her hands in one place, leaving your back to feel the way your tits jump with each movement caging them under her hands. “Yeah, baby? Like that?” She cooes and feels you nod frantically into her, nothing but mewls and moans able to leave you. You’re gushing over her strap, walls spasming trying to suck her back in each time she draws back — Ellie feels like she can feel it herself.

“Y’own me. M’all yours forever Els.” You babble like you’re trying to keep yourself awake, alive, conscious whilst Ellie fucks up into you like it’s the last chance she’ll ever get.

“Yeah? This all mine, sweet girl?” She cooes, and finally you feel it — the hint of a knot in your stomach, the orgasm you’ve been chasing — one that resides deep inside you, the ache that felt like it could kill you, soon to be soothed by Ellie herself.

“Yes! Yes! Mphm, g’nna cum on your dick!”

Her dick. She’d never thought of it like that before. The words leaving your mouth sparked something in her, and suddenly she was the feral one. Her jaw clenches, strong hands pushing and tugging and rolling you onto your back. You gasp at the feeling of her cock sliding right out to the tip at the jostling, tits bouncing as you lay back on the bed. You looked vulgar and improper and so far from your innocent self, and Ellie couldn’t help but feel that maybe this was all on her. Maybe you wouldn’t have gone into heat if the sexual tension between you wasn’t so strong. What had she done to her sweet best friend?

You stare up at her with doe eyes, and she stares back for a moment — lips parted, jaw squared and eyes dark. This was the Ellie you’d needed.

Her hands slide up the backs of your thighs and push your knees up to your chest, pressing her strap deep inside of you. Her breathing is erratic, hair falling into her face as she thrusts in and out at a punishing pace, the tip of her cock nudging your cervix just right. It’s almost too much to take and you turn your head with a weak mewl, sound punched out of your lungs. She doesn’t let you, grabbing you by the jaw so that fucked out your eyes stayed on her own glossy ones.

“Yeah that’s right, look at me. Stay right here with me.”

“C—can’t.”

“You can. Be good, c’mon, j’st keep taking it, angel.” She moans and your toes curl. Needing her as close as humanely possible, your hand curled around the back of her head tugging her to your lips. You feel her arm pressed between the two of you, giving herself just enough space to toy with your clit as she groaned against your mouth.

You detached, unable to keep up with the kissing as you wrapped your arms around Ellie’s neck — and she was okay with that, focusing on her thrusting to get you where you needed. You squeeze extra hard with a pained mewl, every one of your moans met with a cooed ‘Yeah?’ or ‘That right?’ until you were actually finally cumming.

You’re not aware of yourself when you actually do, feeling like water was being thrown over the fire that was your body all whilst igniting another at the same time. The sounds coming from you were…a lot. Purs and squeals and moans and squelching, nothing left to do but to let Ellie ride it out for you, telling you how good you are for letting go. You hear her wince and it brings you back a little, realising you’d been scraping your fangs along Ellie’s bare shoulder — drawing thick beads of blood.

You pant, and she stares down at you with a clenched jaw as you calm your self, recuperating after that Earth shattering orgasm given by your best f— you couldn’t surely still be calling her that right? After all that?

Your eyes focus, puffy lips smeared slightly with the blood you’d drawn from Ellie’s skin and you heave out a whispered apology, trying to blink back your concentration which was proven difficult with her strap still seated deep inside you the way it was.

“S—orry, got carried away I didn’t mean to.”

She goes to shrug, but the air is then punched out of her lungs as you lean forward a little, looking at her with pensive, wide submissive eyes before flattening your tongue against the wound and cleaning it up. She watches, still not having said a word before she’s gently grabbing your shoulders and pushing you to lay flat again. Her hips shift, a slow experimental grind rolling out from her hips as she watches you. Your brows furrow, jaw gaping at the sensitivity as you grab at her strong arms in a slight panic. She takes your hands and pins them down in a soft and loving way.

“What’you doin’ Els?” You sigh out almost in one breath, and that’s when she leans down and presses soft kisses to your cheek once more, her hair tickling your nose, wanting you to feel the love radiating off her.

“Makin’ sure it’s all out your system. You’ll let me do that, yeah?” She mutters, still breathless and you whine in response with a vicious nod. “Good girl.”

Your thighs, which you hadn’t realised had tightened around her hips loosened and fell open, your tail pushing out from under you to absentmindedly tickle your own skin. Maybe it was for comfort, self soothing you through the pleasurable pain of your overstimulation.

Ellie picked up her pace a little, her movements different from before— long and lengthy rolls of her hips making sure to graze every wall inside of you. “How’s that? That make you feel good?” It’s an earnest and honest question, genuinely wanting to know but you tip your head back, controlling everything in you not to hurt her when you dig her claws into the fat beneath her ass now — trying to pull her deeper inside since she’d let your arms out of her pin.

“Feels so good, Ellie. Y’look after me so well.” You whimper, one hand reaching up to push her hair out of her face and she blinks at you a little off guard— preening at the praise a little. “My strong, clever Ellie. Always doin’ what’s right f’me.” You whine, and it seems the praising is turning the both of you on as her brows knit, lips parting just a little as she grinds harder in a way that rubs her good down below.

“Okay, okay fuck.” She chuckles when she catches herself, which only makes you bite your lip and spread yourself wider for her. The angle hits your gummy insides yet again in a way that you just couldn’t handle and your legs are jerking, eyes squeezing shut as you ride out another soft orgasm — letting her pleasure herself inside of you.

She keeps going, and keeps going, and keeps fucking going until you’re all fucked out — Ellie’s boxers soaked and the strap shiny all over from your releases. The sun is starting to come up through the blinds making Ellie squint tiredly when she rolls you over back on top of her, your thighs splayed either side of her body — plastic dick still burrowed inside of you.

She lets out a sigh of exertion and a gentle ‘Alright’ when she tries to carefully lift her hips, trying to get a good grip on the base of the dildo so she could pull it out of you but you whine, clenching around it selfishly as you smush your cheek against her — fucked out and senseless, already half asleep. “J’st keep it… keep it inside, please. Just for a little while.”

The sentence makes her heart tighten a little and she just nods, letting herself fall back and relax into the soft pillows more, hand opting to instead lazily trail up and down your back until the movements were halting with her journey into sleep— drifting off to the visions of your beautiful face, and the memory of your kisses against her lips.

She’ll ask you out officially tomorrow. For now, she could just enjoy the peace that you brought her.

[ellivenollivander]

A Worthy Trade

Summary: Garreth & Adelaide Weasley ready for the day, and Garreth ruminates on all of the Good in his life. Word Count: 2173 Rating: T A/N: Written for @garrethweasleyfest. My prompt used was Professor Gar. The inspiration to write left me entirely for basically a month straight, and this was actually meant to be a longer work. I might write a part two. We'll see what happens, and I hope you enjoy it for what it is anyway. HUGE thank you to @cuffmeinblack, @pluviowriting & @applinsandoranges for being so kind and encouraging. This wouldn't have happened without you! TW: Pregnancy, Pregnancy Mention

Hogsmeade was in top form when autumn descended upon it, Garreth had always thought. The vibrant hues and blue skies of summer giving way to overcast clouds and trees fading into brilliant reds and oranges and finally into nothing at all, when December came, and with it, linen-white blankets of snow. The florals that clung to the air beneath the summer sun dissipated with the bite of the autumn air, replaced with the scent of wood-burning smoke as the resident hearths were lit to chase away the cold, falling leaves dancing on the breeze and along the cobblestone streets. It all felt very much like home. Which is exactly where Garreth stood, half-drinking a tea now gone cold and scribbling notes into a journal that was stuffed as full as the mind of the man who filled its pages, splayed about on the kitchen countertop. The windows were open despite the roaring flames that crackled and popped in the fireplace, the curtains fluttering in the breath of an early morning wind. Garreth wasn’t fond of the curtains, to put it kindly, likely once a lovely ivory and now yellowed with age. Horribly outdated, and left behind by the home's previous owners but his wife had insisted they gave the place charm, so they had stayed, framing the old paned glass window that seemed to never be streak free no matter how often they scourgified. Garreth’s attention was drawn away from a scrawled note on adjusting the preparation of alihotsy to suit lesser needs (dried rather than chopped?), to their family cat outside the window, pouncing upon something hidden in the wilted and brittle remains of his wifes garden which had succumbed to the changing season. He thought he ought to clear it out, so it was ready for his wife to till and bring back to its usual glory the moment the ground thawed come spring. Or perhaps he ought to build her a proper greenhouse, so his green-thumbed wife could have all of the fresh produce and flowering blooms that she pleased, year-round. Adelaide would like that, he thought, and he knew Mr. Brown of Tomes & Scrolls carried the spellcrafts, and surely the materials would not break the bank with each of their comfortable salaries. With his face falling into an excitable grin that he swallowed with another glug of his tea, should his wife stumble in and catch him with one of his masterful plans, he scribbled a note to remind himself to stop by and visit Tom in the sparse open spaces of his journal after work. 

Tea cup halfway to his lips, he watched with an amused grin as the cat bolted off again, into the dying brush and off to wreak havoc elsewhere. Hopefully, to The Magic Neep, where it had become a thorn in old Mr. Teasdale’s side. The usually jovial herbologist had blamed the small beast for the destruction of his fluxweed crop on more than one occasion. Garreth had tried to defend his wife's beloved feline, with the entirely logical deduction that there was no way the old man could prove it was indeed their family pet, but his wife had shushed him, offering apologies and promises to bring over some of her esteemed ginger cakes as recompense in order to keep the neighbourhood peace. 

Saving the neighbourhood peace was growing to be one of Adelaide’s talents, helped by her enthusiasm for time spent in the heart of the home - the kitchen. Always delivering treats and sweets to their neighbours, and most often, Mr. Pippin, and of course on behalf of Garreth. Who had more than taken advantage of the short distance between their home and the potions shop, eager for spirited conversations with a man as enthusiastic about potions as he was. Only a small footbridge separated their home and the shop, and Garreth Weasley was as much a permanent accessory in the shop as the sign on the door, his wife soothing the scowl of its proprietor at his constant interruptions of his work with hot meals and warm pastries. 

Adelaide Weasley was always welcome, and her husband was welcome in the way a father swears he doesn't care for the family pet, but never moves it from its nap when it curls up in his favourite chair. 

Garreth had only just slipped the loose bits of parchment back between the pages of his journal, when his wife strolled into the kitchen, hair tied neatly behind her head in her usual plait, and fussing with the loose fabric of her blouse. He allowed his cup to fall into the hot, soapy water, mindless to the way it began to clean itself amongst the breakfast dishes, with his attention entirely on his beautiful wife and the contemplative scowl on her face. 

He wrinkled his nose at the sight of her pulling her blouse over the soft swell of her stomach, concealing it away with the ruffles and lace. He leant against the sink with an amused grin, green eyes following the way she poked and prodded at herself. 

“You know…” He began, with a strong arm reaching out to pull her close, wrapping her up in his embrace, his head instinctively tilting down to trail chaste kisses along the slope of her neck.  “... You can’t hide our good news away forever, or else people may question where you’ve got a baby from when it arrives.” His tone was light, Teasing. Even if it took every ounce of his self-restraint to not take out the entire front page of the prophet to announce the news that they were going to be parents, Garreth respected his wife’s choice to delay the celebrations. It was her body in the end, though that didn’t save her from his affectionate jabs due to his own impatience in the safety and privacy of their own home.

He hummed happily, forehead resting where her shoulder met her neck when she reciprocated his lazy morning affections with her hands in his hair, a giggle fluttering from her lips as she kissed his temple. 

“Yes, well. Evie said that once people know, they’ll be poking and prodding at me all of the time and I don’t fancy that much.” 

Evie. Evangeline. His wife’s best friend from their days at school and who had two children of her own already, after having settled down with her childhood sweetheart the moment they had graduated. Adelaide seldom did anything without her ever-present companions counsel and when Garreth had proposed, he had half-expected his lovely bride-to-be to tell him to Hold That Thought whilst she ran off to ask for her friend's opinion on the matter. 

(She hadn’t, and instead, the memory of her standing flushed and teary-eyed amongst the foxgloves and forget-me-nots whilst he slipped the modest ring on her finger during her gleeful acceptance of his self-proclaimed paltry offer would live at the forefront of his mind for the rest of his days.) 

Now, it seemed the two had all the more to talk about now that his wife was well on her way to join her friend in motherhood. Garreth was grateful for the feminine support through his wife's first pregnancy, even if it called for a few interrupted meals whilst Adelaide explained in detail her varying symptoms to Evangeline’s head in the fireplace. “Mm. Well we don’t want you being poked by anyone other than me now do we?” Garreth chuckled; Smiling and savouring the lingering scent of lavender and bergamot from her shampoo as he brought himself back to height, pausing only to steal a kiss from her pouting lips, soothing her look of mild disapproval before helping her into her cloak. “Come on then, the young and impressionable minds of our students thirst for our wisdom.” 

  ***

A choice to live within the faculty quarters of the school or to live outside of its majestic halls was given to each member of the general staff and faculty of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry. Garreth had taken full advantage of the former during his first few years as a Professor, putting every knut that would have been spent on room and board away on a dream for a potions shop with his name on the front. Then Adelaide Oakes came gliding into the picture. A lovely little thing who was sweet and kind and laughed at all of his jokes. Even the ones he knew weren’t his very best work as he slumped over potions essays that had him feeling the slightest twinge of sympathy for the grizzled Auror that had once held his post (and who still haunted his nightmares every now and again when he was struggling with a more difficult brew). 

Adelaide had transferred into the role of Magical Home Economics Professor, A class meant to prepare magical children for the mundane realities of living in a magical world, when the elderly Professor Spindle had finally thrown in the towel and retired to an island in the Gulf of Finland.

Garreth had only just settled into his fate in academia when Adelaide came around (Again. She so loved reminding him of all the classes and moments they had shared during their own schooldays that he had seemingly paid little mind too. He equally loved reminding her that his mind had been very busy becoming the next great potioneer thank you very much.) A year spent inside the castle he now called home for a second time, only this time, he was educating the next generation of magical minds in the world of cauldrons and brews. 

Playful banter, a few shared butterbeers in the staff-room, a decidedly romantic candle-lit dinner at the Three Broomsticks and a terribly, terribly awkward disclosing of a workplace relationship to his own bloody Aunt later, and the rest was well and truly history. Garreth found himself lamenting the years he spent Not Noticing her whilst they attended school together. Missed opportunities of fumbling around in broom cupboards and blushing faces  over sickly sweet teas at Steepleys. (Though Garreth had tried using his Weasley charm to coax his now wife into a broom cupboard rendezvous now and again when their days were especially dull, but his respectful wife had kept things firmly over-the-clothes.) He lamented, even, not taking his fathers job offer to work at the Ministry. If only because it may have put her in his path far sooner whilst she worked alongside her Uncle Rowland  in the Goblin Liaison office. The money Garreth had tucked away inside of his vault at Gringotts had swiftly been reallocated to other worthwhile endeavours. Gifts and dinners out, weekend holidays and yearly passes to the Magical Arboreal Gardens in London. Everything a girl like Adelaide deserved when being courted. Then, the modest sum of gold had dwindled after a sweaty-palmed conversation with Rowland Oakes had given Garreth his blessing, and he bought her a ring. (Not nearly as grand as she deserved, but she had gasped and cried as she stared at it on her finger, so he must have done alright.) The rest of it disappeared with a wedding and a honeymoon, and the scant remains of the gold were scraped together with his brides and spent on their home. 

More often than not, Garreth sat staring at the wall in the office he had spent much of his youth sneaking into, reminiscing on where his life had ended up – and deciding whether or not he regretted the choices he had made that had brought him here and now. His dreams of owning a potions shop seemed further away than ever before, though it still sat dormant in the back of his mind, and weaved its way between the lines of his journal. On a particularly optimistic day, He had even painstakingly filled out a patent application for his perfected Weasley’s Wonder Tonic. Though the high that had carried him through every line of legal jargon transfigured itself into a different sort of joy, when his wife had joined him in the little nook that served as his workstation, delicate hands holding her contraceptive potion and pink lips whispering “What if we started trying?” Garreth had beamed, A Winter Baby. Now wouldn’t that be nice? and took her blushing and giggling to bed. The application had been tucked away in the pages of his most private thoughts, and he barely paid it any mind. Thus, despite the dull longing that seemed to capture him on a Bad Day, the thought of his wife - bright-eyed and giggling by the fire, cheeks pink from the firewhiskey they had shared to celebrate their students surviving exam season their first year teaching together or the way she hummed The Enchanted Garden whilst she baked barefoot in the kitchen - soothed whatever doubts had crept their way into his mind, warming him faster than a pepper-up. Garreth Weasley had simply traded one dream for another, and would not trade a single moment, nor take a single step in another direction if offered the choice. 

[talonabraxas]

The Flower Moon Talon Abraxas

The May full moon marks a turning point, a movement into the bright, sunshiny half of the year.

May’s full moon is often called the Flower Moon. This name originated with the Algonquin First Nations people, while the Cree have called it the Budding Moon. We have entered the season of flowers, the post-Beltane period that marks the beginning of the summer season and the march toward the summer solstice.

A Turning Point Beltane is a traditionally Gaelic holiday celebrated by pagans and Wiccans on May 1st. It mirrors Samhain (Halloween), which similarly marks the midpoint of the season. That means this time of year is a turning point, a movement into the bright, sunshiny half of the year.

Every full moon is an invitation to let go. To look at what we have been growing in our lives, hearts, and minds, and weed what’s no longer serving us. It’s a time to think about completion, the end of a cycle, and to release what’s no longer needed.

The May full moon is an especially powerful time to look back at what’s been happening over the winter. Perhaps it’s time to think about what habits we have been cultivating from the dark, cold times, and start to move into a new perspective for the light half of the year.

When we are working on letting go, it’s always important to also consider what we are making space for. As we move into this new season, what do we want to have room for? What new habits can we cultivate for this coming part of the year?

Find Some Flowers The Flower Moon is a wonderful time to get outside. Depending on where you live, you might like the practice of blossom hunting: go out in your neighborhood and try to find flowers. Look at what’s in bloom. Smell the flowers, if you can, take their pictures, and soak up the bright colors and the beauty.

Naturally, spring and summer are the seasons when many of us want to get out and socialize a little bit more, while the fall and winter are more about hibernating and introverting. If you are feeling the call to be around people more, doing so outside has always been a safer option in these times. Perhaps it’s time to call up a friend you haven’t seen in a while and meet from a distance if your local regulations allow it.

This year has come with some big feelings and big changes, and the full moons tend to intensify whatever it is we’re feeling. Part of a letting-go practice is a willingness to feel. Often when we are in a stage of release, we want to push away the feelings we’ve been dealing with, to get rid of them and move on, so to speak. Ironically, the best way to move on from whatever we’re dealing with is to actually sit down and deal with it. As the old adage goes, you can’t heal what you can’t feel.

On this May Flower Moon, take the time to pause and let yourself feel. Get outside, find some flowers, meditate, and most of all, enjoy.

[filmy939]

Our Flag Means Death: The Queer Pirate Show That Completely Altered My Brain Chemistry

It was early spring 2022, and a dear old friend came to spend the night. She came inside, put her stuff down, turned to me, and said, “There’s a new show I just heard about. It has gay pirates; we’re watching it.” I was a bit hesitant at first. I couldn't tell you why. But, seeing how excited she was, I put my hesitancy aside. With this decision made, we poured a few cocktails, made our favorite dinner (pasta with a yummy homemade pesto), queued up the show, and my life was subsequently changed forever.

David Jenkins and his team of outstanding writers have created a show filled to the brim with love, acceptance, kindness, and humor. Our Flag Means Death follows wealthy landowner Stede Bonnet. Fed up with the monotony of his life, he abandons his wife and children in the middle of the night to become a pirate. While at sea, he finds a new family in his hilariously incompetent crew. Stede, who has quite frankly an impressive lack of skills, often gets himself and his crew into trouble. Which inevitably catches the eye of Edward-heart-eyes-Teach, the infamous dread pirate Blackbeard. Who also happens to be fed up with the monotony of his life. Ed and Stede fall hard and fast for each other (which is absolutely mesmerizing to watch). For as long as they both have been alive, they have had the idea that they are unlovable monsters who deserve to end up all alone. But, once they find each other, that idea, that story that they had about themselves, quickly begins to fall apart at the seams. By the end of season two, they have fully started to accept that they are worthy and deserving of love, no matter their scars or demons. And that is one of the main themes in this show. No matter how many scars you have, the demons you have to face, or what you have gone through in your past, you are worthy and deserving of love. To be quite frank, I couldn't have discovered this show at a better, more pivotal time in my life.

Our Flag Means Death came out during the second semester of my sophomore year. Almost the entirety of that year was extremely dark. I had failed a class the previous semester and was at risk of losing the scholarship I had worked so hard for. I was working insane hours at a job I hated for a boss who could not care less about my well-being. I had convinced myself that most, if not all, of my peers in my major despised me (I know now that’s not the case at all). I was stressed beyond belief. If I were to be fully transparent, I felt that I was fully and wholly unlovable. And when I was in the deepest dark of that year, this treasure of a show, this lighthouse, gave me the hope and the push I needed to start working on how I view myself and those around me.

Fast-forward two years, and I am about to graduate. I have fully realized that I am not only deserving of receiving love but also of freely giving it. While I am deeply saddened that Our Flag was canceled, I know that its legacy and message will stand the test of time. Inspiring those who feel undeserving of love for generations to come.

[allaboardthevespa]

Ellie Headcanons!

I love she. I've been thinking about her a lot lately so I've decided to share some HCs. Both recent ones and ones I've been kicking around in the past.

Her full name is Elinor Madison Hayden.

She grew up on a farm, as I stated before. Her father is the farm's owner, while her mother is an animal carer. Ellie grew up among nature and animals and thus has a strong admiration for them, just like Gabby. Her family in general is utterly chaotic, but they love her and she loves them just as much.

Her mother named her for the titular character of Elinor Wonders Why - a show Ellie grew a strong love for growing up. Bluey is also a family favorite.

Her favorite food is pumpkin pie, especially when baked by her uncle.

She owns a lot of stuffed animals. Not quite as many as her girlfriend but still a respectable amount. Especially bunnies!

She's a very big pop-punk fan. Some of her favorite artists include Boys Like Girls, The Maine, Dashboard Confessional, Yellowcard and All-American Rejects. Her all-time favorite song is, as I mentioned before, "Only One" by Yellowcard. She's also someone who regularly listens to different pop-punk albums every day and thus she's had a lot of wonderful experiences hearing new songs and bands. In particular, "A Twist in My Story" by Secondhand Serenade is one album that had her in tears.

She happens to be an amazing singer, too. (wishing so bad we could have a DC musical season)

Though, she's not particularly a great dancer...she often needs Gabby to help her out lol. But with Gabby's guidance, the girlfriends have shared some amazing slow dances in nature.

Autumn and spring are her favorite seasons. Autumn for the general coziness, warm lattes, orange leaves and happy vibes. Spring because she loves when it starts to warm up again after winter, and also she loves the smell of spring flowers so much. Getting to know Gabby has her loving spring even more - seeing Gabby's energy whenever spring starts is always adorable to her!

I've already mentioned that Ellie's favorite flowers are peonies and lavender (if you count that as a flower lol) but she also loves roses, gardenias, lilies of the valley, hyacinths just like Gabby, jasmine and lilacs. ...Okay she loves most flowers lol. In general, flowers have always been something Ellie has loved. Whenever her jobs were stressing her out, Ellie finds some time to spend admiring flowers, and it calms her down. Gabby has taken notice of her girlfriend's love of flowers and thus uses floral-scented products to wash both herself and the girls' belongings, and Ellie finds it so utterly heavenly.

Ellie's interest in fashion sprouted when she caught some My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic on television as a young girl and really admired Rarity's eye for fashion. Her father also has an old friend who is in fashion school.

At school, Ellie made a couple friends, but was also picked on a lot for her looks and being too much of a "girly girl" for her fashion interest and love of flowers.

Ellie realized she was bisexual not long after joining high school, where she started crushing on two different people - a quarterback boy, and a girl on the soccer team. Her family accepted her the very nanosecond she confessed.

She ended up asking both suitors out, but neither went all that well. While the quarterback let her down gently, the soccer player rejected her pretty brutally, pushing her onto the crowd and calling her nasty names. Ellie didn't ask anyone out again for a while after that. Falling deeply for Gabby truly changed her life.

In spite of her enjoyment of fashion and beauty stuff, Ellie generally doesn't use make-up. It's not her style...and she's pretty allergic to lots of make-up products anyway.

She gives AMAZING hugs. (Might as well be canon)

Her dad has an old Gamecube which Ellie plays a ton, often with Gabby and a couple of their other friends outside DC. Her favorite game for the system is Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door. You can bet she turned into a squealing little ball of joy when the remake is announced, and now she has a Switch on pre-order!

As a kid she made friends with one of the pigs on her family farm, a girl named Amelia, and spent time every day going to see her and play with her. She loved that pig dearly. Sadly, Amelia ended up passing away not long after she returned from season 1, devastating Ellie. Luckily she did have Gabby as her shoulder to cry on in those tough times.

In general, being with Gabby has helped brighten Ellie up considerably in her daily life. Sure she's pretty cutthroat when it comes to high-stakes reality TV shows like Disventure Camp, but when she's not in a competition, she's a sweet and tender soul. Her family in general is grateful to Gabby for bringing so much happiness out of their little girl. 💖

I've probably forgotten some but whatever, these are just a few of the ones I have.

Yet again I depict Ellie as a soft cinnamon roll I need professional help

[lifewithchronicpain]

Intellectually, I love the concept of a crisp autumn day. I love the idea of pumpkin spice lattes, crockpot chili, and cozy scarfs. But in practice, the intense temperature swings are pretty horrible for me every year.

The cool fall weather here in Northern Illinois is always devastating on my body. Indeed, my chronic pain has been 10/10 the last few days as the temperatures start their yearly drop, and it rains non-stop.

It’s the same with spring too. Regardless of how much I’m longing for warmer weather every March, the shift from winter to summer means I spend most of the spring in too much pain to function.

To me, it is obvious that these weather changes impact my pain. I’ve been dealing with it for more than a decade now. And every year, spring and autumn are especially bad.

Surprisingly, the medical community still questions whether or not the link between weather and pain is real though – and if it is real, why it might be happening.

“Research still hasn't confirmed a cause-and-effect link between weather and joint pain, though many people insist they can predict the weather based on such aches,” writes Toni Golen, MD, Editor in Chief of Harvard Women's Health Watch, in a 2022 article in Harvard Health. (Read more at link)

Winter is actually the worst for me and the heat of summer is intolerable. I do get extra aches with rain but without the suffocating heat, seasonal depression, and worse pain in the cold, spring and autumn are the better seasons for me personally.

[kxttsstuff]

Naming Conventions

🌷;; Borrower names are often borrowed from nouns or adjectives, or borrowed from animals/human names.

🍀;; The following shows the most common borrower names. Some names have strong female or male associations, but most of them are unisex. Most borrowers' names are strictly dictionary, literal nouns and rarely have deeper forms.

❄️;; After seasons: Spring, Winter, Summer or Autumn/Fall. Often because they were born in that season or because it holds a special meaning for the parents. Example: The parents met in Summer, the kid was born in Winter, or they found a home in Spring.

🌺;; After flowers: Rose, Lily, Ivy, Violet, Magnolia, Lilac, Rosemary, Bluebell, Wisteria, Tulip, Margaret, Buttercup, Peony, Orchid, Camellia, Lavender, Petal.

🌳;; After herbs, trees and other plants: Basil, Dandelion, Laurel, Cedar, Leaf, Willow, Aspen, Clover, Cypress, Ginger, Olive, Mint, Herb, Sage, Moss, Pine, Oak, Branch.

🌎;; After noble occupations that their family used to have or that they find brave and charming: Archer, Hunter, Ranger, Author, Gather, Dancer, Rider, Fisher, Rogue, Striker, Chaser, Poet, Explorer

🍎;; From fruits, spices or food: Apple, Honey, Apricot, Cherry, Cinnamon, Plum, Peach, Tangerine, Lemon, Almond, Sesame, Rue, Strawberry, Saffron, Pepper, Maple, Berry, Clove, Tea, Thyme, Fennel, Coriander

🛠️;; From household items or tools: Penny, Denim, Clay, Quill, Blade, Treasure, Dagger, Cotton, Jewel, Velvet, Calico, Anchor, Feather, Dice, Coal, Shell, Guitar, Bell

🐿️;; From animals or bugs: Robin, Raven, Hummingbird, Byrd, Fox, Bee, Fawn, Lark, Cricket, Newt, Crow, Teal, Buck, Sparrow, Doe, Dove, Crane, Swan, Canary, Wren.

🌙;; From natural phenomena: Rain, Storm, Sky, Snow, Cloud, Sun, Moon, Star

⭐;; From human names/pet names: for example, being named after a cool name your parent saw in a magazine, or once when they saw what the human called the housecat.

Changing your name in borrower culture:

• Contrary to popular belief, often borrower names given by parents don't actually have a deep value, like with humans. They're often more than welcomed to change it however they wish, this is known as "to borrow a name".

• Some borrowers will change their name just because they found a nicer one, or they want to transition to one that fits more their current identity or their age. Some nicknames may transform into a borrowers' name, this is surprisingly common. This tradition is popular, especially reaching adulthood or even late teens, and some communities heavily encourage the borrowing of a name to signal a borrower is ready to get involved within the community. A borrower may have borrowed lots of names through their lives.

• Some people give their kids ‘baby names’. This is the case of names like ‘Peanut’, 'Raindrop', "Button" or ‘Seed’ and they are expected to be changed later on when the borrower finds their own identity. The new name shall be called the "Chosen name/true name", and it is considered demeaning/patronizing/sometimes mocking to insist on using the baby name of someone to address them (if you happen to know it); this happens a lot with parents and their young. Baby names lose their value the second they change it, so it's not really necessary to let others know what it was unless you want to explain the term to a human and get teased for one month.

🪲;; Some spelling has changed over time, transforming “Bird” into “Byrd”, for example. There is also a tendency of choosing shorter names, making "Leaf" or "Petal" one of the most common ones.

🪲;; Giving nicknames based on their skills, personality or appearance is very common. This tradition has developed from survival purposes but now it is considered cultural, a form of showing love and is especially seen from older borrowers to the young.

🪲;; Borrowers don't have middle names.

About last names: This depends on the family, some of them consider them superficial and have no last names. Some borrowers do HAVE last names, especially the ones living in communities. As with names, last names don't usually hold a deeper value and have very literal meanings. Most of them reflect the particular part of the landhouse their hideout is close by, whether it's the Clock, the Cabinet, the Shower, etc. Their last names may or may not be subject to change in case they move out, some could be slightly attached to them so they choose to keep it.

Generally speaking, when a borrower "marries" another and they move out, they'll get a new last name based on the location they're building their hideout on, which their children will inherit until they move out. This would make most Borrower's last names transitory.

[littlethingwithfeathers]

Tornado Safety!

When tornado season starts up each year, I usually do a little PSA about how to prepare for bad storms. Since it seems like tornadoes are getting more and more likely outside of Tornado Alley (thank you climate change…), I thought I’d do a little more thorough and less Deep South centered write up to help people new to tornadoes prepare for bad weather.

Please note I’m not a severe weather specialist, nor am I any kind of emergency or crisis assistance professional. This is just wisdom gleaned from three decades living in a place where this stuff was just… normal. You learned about tornado safety in school, and you knew how severe weather worked by watching the news. It’s just part of the culture around here (Here being northern Alabama). But if you’re new to it, or it’s new to you, here’s my primer.

Tornado 101: Tornado season happens in the mid-to-southeastern USA (nicknamed Tornado Alley) twice each year. Broadly speaking, tornado season is from late February to August each year, with another blip in the autumn that’s less severe. (obviously tornadoes are becoming more common outside of this area and “season” is varying more and more. Again… Climate change.) Most tornadoes occur in the late afternoon/early evening, usually after the sun has warmed up the ground and caused the atmosphere to become unstable due to the rapidly changing air temperature. The reason spring is so volatile is because that is the widest temperature change on a day to day basis, plus it rains often which adds to humidity which adds to the instability. This is not to say tornadoes can’t happen any other time of year. It’s just less likely. If you’re interested in a deeper primer, check out the National Severe Storms Laboratory page on the subject HERE! Cool… so you live in Tornado Alley or another place that gets tornadoes (They’ve been seen as far north as Chicago and as far west as California)! What should you do so you don’t get blown away?

Well first of all, don’t freak out. Don’t ever freak out. It’s fine. There’s some prep you should do both in terms of equipment and knowledge, but there’s no need to go full Doomsday Prepper on this. There’s just some basic stuff you should have and know, just like someone in northern Wisconsin should know how to drive on snow and have an engine block heater. Annual Tornado Safety Checkup: Here’s a list of things you should do to prepare ahead of time for a possible tornado or bad storm (tornadoes are bad, but there’s things that cause just as much disruption or damage like straight line winds and hail). And once you get your gear together, you should check that stuff every year. I usually go through mine in March, and then again when the weather starts to turn cold in fall (there’s a lot of overlap of this stuff and winter storm gear in my area so I can double up). Know where your safe place is. This is where you will take cover during a tornado. If you live in a house, locate an interior room on the lowest floor of your home (including your basement). This should be the room with the most walls between you and the outside and no windows if possible. Usually this a bathroom or interior hallway. If you live in an apartment that’s not on the ground floor, or in a trailer or dormitory, find out where the nearest shelter is and make a plan of how to get there. For dorms or apartments sometimes they have an onsite shelter. At work, ask your manager/boss/coworker who’s been there awhile what happens during a tornado. If you work in a non-public facing place like an office, it might take some time to get an answer (and if there’s not an answer, that’s a red flag. You should push to figure that out.) but if you work in some place that the public goes regularly (school, mall, entertainment venue), it might be posted somewhere in the building like the bathroom or a main hallway. For public spaces, when in doubt, go to the bathroom or an interior stairwell/hallway on the first floor. Remember, you want as many walls between you and outside as possible and as few things between you and the ground as possible. Get a weather radio and get extra batteries. This will be a programmable radio that will alert you to severe weather in your area. Walmart and similar stores usually have them. Sometimes news stations will give them away for free, but they aren’t expensive. Seriously… go get one. They’re absolutely vital. And make sure to get one that can run on batteries if the power goes out. I have a pretty sweet one that also has a built in flashlight and functions as a regular radio. You’ll need to program that sucker so it knows what location to give alerts for, but there’s plenty of online tutorials for that or it will come with instructions. And you may be tempted to think that you don’t need one because of internet or cell service. Don’t. It’s a trap. A major rule of severe weather safety is don’t rely on only one piece of hardware/source for information. So don’t just rely on your phone. Don’t rely on the TV. Don’t rely on the internet. Those things can and will go out. But even if the power goes out, the radio stations will fire up the generators and keep broadcasting. During the terrible tornado outbreak here in April of 2011, the power was out for over a week and we -only- had radio. They kept broadcasting though!

Oh, and make sure you swap out the batteries and test that puppy every year. Familiarize yourself with a map of your area. Map reading skills and personal awareness of your location are basic tornado safety skills. Learn what county you’re in. Learn where you are in said county and what counties border you. Learn basic landmarks in your more immediate area, especially to the west as most storms move west to east. These landmarks should be things like major highways/roads, municipal buildings like schools, hospitals, and public buildings, and other major locations of note (parks, major shopping centers, and large well-known churches). And not only will you want to know this stuff visually, but you’ll need to be able to hear it via radio and know where you are and where the storm is. This takes practice, so start working on it now. Find a local weather person you like on a local news channel and start watching their broadcasts. Sometimes you can even find them on YouTube! For example, this is how a weatherperson will explain where a storm is over the radio and which direction it’s headed: This storm is currently outside Warksburg in Warking County and is headed west across Warkwark Road along Interstate 0. If you live near the Warkmart on Warkington St. or in the neighborhood around Our Lady of the Perpetual Warking Church, take shelter immediately. If you live in Warkford Plaza or in the area of the Warkball stadium on Warkford Street, take cover as well since this will be on you in about 10 minutes. I’m always surprised at how many people can’t find themselves on a basic county map. Growing up in Alabama in the 90s, they drilled this stuff into everyone both in the school system and as a public safety project… we even had stickers with county maps for the back of your remote so you could make notes about where you were for when you were watching the radar. Map skills are basic safety in tornado country. Especially if the TV is out and all you have is the radio to listen to for updates. You need to know that stuff when the weather-people are talking about trajectories of storms, so you can know if you need to go hide in your bathroom or if you can go stand on your porch. (kidding. Don’t do that except I’m totally one of those people…) Learn to sling the tornado lingo. Know what a hook echo is and how to spot one on a radar? How about a wall cloud? Know what a super cell is and why it’s dangerous? There’s a whole lexicon of terms about tornadoes and learning them will help you more effectively watch your local weather coverage during severe storms. You should also learn what the different alert levels are and what they mean… but the short version is that a Watch means conditions are favorable for tornadoes (this often gets announced at least a few hours before storms move into the area), and a Warning means that a tornado/funnel has been spotted or has appeared on radar (This will be announced as soon as the rotation is spotted on radar or there’s a physical report on the ground. Likely lasts less than half an hour). Watch means just hang tight, get eyes on your safety gear, and keep an eye on the weather. Warning means there is (or is very likely) a tornado on the ground so if you’re in the path, go hide. A great source for this and other vocabulary is here!

Get a first aid kit. This is basic life safety, really, but it’s also important for tornado safety. If you can, get one of those kits that has some of the outdoorsy survival stuff like rain ponchos, alcohol wipes, emergency shears, and splinter removal. You will also want sunscreen in there (in case the power goes out for a long time and you need to walk somewhere like the grocery store so you don’t waste gas). Check it every year to see what needs replacing. Also make sure it has some basic OTC meds like pain relievers. Buy good flashlights. And don’t forget the batteries. They also make super cool hand-crank flashlights, and my personal favorite are these flashlights that have a charging cradle. You plug them in and they double as a nightlight… and when the power goes out they turn on so you can see to find them. And before you ask, no your cellphone does not count as a flashlight, save to use it to get to your real flashlight. You’ll want to save the charge on your phone for later. Remember that the assumption here is that the power might be out for awhile… possibly more than a day. You will need a real flashlight. More than one preferably. I have one in my kitchen, garage, and my bedside table. Make sure when you get them that you take them out of the plastic prisons so you’re not fumbling with scissors in the dark. Also, it’s not the worst idea to get an electric lantern or two. They can live in your car until you really need them. Test your generators and service them if needed. This is pretty self explanatory. Stockpile prescription meds. If you’re on meds that will be a Bad Time ™ if you go off them, make sure you keep a bit of a stockpile. If you’re on a controlled substance or just generally have issues with this, contact your doctor or pharmacist for assistance/information. This is just good life safety again, but you do not want to get stuck behind washed out roads with no power AND no meds. *** Okay… so you have your stuff. You know your plan and you can find your house on a map. And you hear there’s severe weather coming in a few days. Now what? Well, there’s no reason to go crazy. Odds are good everything will be fine. So to keep myself from going overboard, all my prep goes through two gates: What will I kick myself for not doing if the worst happens? What will I kick myself for doing and not needing it? That tends to keep the desire to over-prepare at bay. Check your annual checks again. Ensure they’re all working and you have back up batteries for your radio, flashlight, etc. Also, make sure all these things are where you can find them in the dark. Bear in mind as you’re prepping that you might be without power and/or internet for awhile… as in days. Get the following items and make sure you can find them in the dark: -Pocket knife/multi-tool. -Rain jacket, -Sturdy, closed toe, shoes and good socks (water proof/resistent if you have them. You might need to pick your way out of your house through debris so pretend you’re going to a construction site). -A bike or construction helmet (put it in your safe place). -Sturdy clothes… like some good jeans, longsleeve shirt etc. Again, pretend you’re going to a construction site. -A good backpack/duffle/small suitcase (no need to pack a bag every time it thunders but just be able to lay a hand on what you’d need if you have to pack in the dark). -An umbrella. -A little cash. (No need to go crazy, but if power, cell service, and internet go down, we’re back to the stone ages… so get enough to grab some groceries and maybe a tank of gas). -Pet carriers if you have animals, and food for them. (In case you need to evacuate) -Candles and ignition sources. (don’t have this be your only light source, but they’re not a bad idea for prolonged outages)

Get gas. Gas up any cars you have the day before severe weather is due to hit. If you have a generator, get gas for it. No need to go hoarding, but you will want a full tank of gas just in case. Best case scenario, nothing happens and future you has one less thing to worry about in the morning on your way to work. Worst case scenario… Future you has one less thing to worry about in a crisis. (We learned this lesson in the 2011 outbreak in Alabama… The power was out for over a week and we had less than half a tank in both our cars and were not sure we could make it to a place with power that also had gas so we were stuck.)

Check your prescription medication stock. Make sure you’d be good for at least a week if the power goes out or you get stuck behind fallen trees or a washed out road. Do laundry. I’m serious. Make sure you have clean clothes and plenty of towels just in case the power goes out and you can’t do laundry for awhile. (also a lesson personally learned in 2011) Charge all your devices. Cellphones, tablets, laptops, power banks and external batteries for your cellphones, and such. Anything like that. Find all your cables and have them in easy reach. Again… future you will thank you for this regardless of if you get blown to Oz. Make sure you have weather apps and alert systems installed on your phone and check for updates. If it’s supposed to storm overnight, turn the ringer on your phone on. Don’t just trust the sirens to warn you. (we learned that lesson a couple of years ago… a software glitch lead to the sirens not going off). Make sure you can lay hands on things you don’t need power to do. If the power goes out for a really long time it can make you a little stir-crazy, so stash some playing cards, a crochet project, a book or anything like that with your emergency supplies. Your bored future self will thank you. I read a lot of books in the week we were without power in 2011 and I taught my husband to play Egyptian Rat Screw. 

If you have a propane grill, make sure you have a fresh/extra tank on hand. If you lose power for a long time, you might want to have a cookout to work through anything perishable in your freezer. Make sure you have food on hand that doesn’t require cooking. Granola/protein bars, canned goods, peanut butter, that sort of thing. Also, keep drinking water on hand, just in case. Just a case in the pantry will do. And don’t just feed yourself! Make sure you have food and supplies for any pets you might have. Again… don’t stockpile or go crazy. Just make sure if the power goes out for a couple of days, you’re covered on food… stuff you’d eat anyway. Make sure you can find weather info quickly and from multiple sources. Tune your radio, weather radio, and TV to your local weather station of choice. Bookmark a good local weather source in your web browser and on your phone. *** So you’re all prepped. But now your weather radio is going ballistic! THERE’S A TORNADO WATCH! WAT DO???

Stay calm. Seriously, it’s probably fine and you aren’t going to change the trajectory of the storm by stressing about it. If where you are is not safe (such as a mobile home or you’re out driving) go to the tornado shelter. Do this before the sirens go off or the take cover order is given. You don’t want to be caught driving. Take a change of clothes, your first aid kit, a flashlight, your phone charger, your phone, ID and money, and something to do that won’t drain your cellphone battery. Stay glued to your local weather news. Use everything that’s working… TV, website, and radio. Watch the trajectory and heed any advice from the local weather-people and the National Weather Service. You’re watching for things close to you now. Often the weather people tracking the storms will draw a cone out from areas of concern (not just tornadoes but things like hail as well) and those cones will mark neighborhoods, major landmarks etc. and give ETAs for all those places. This is where all your map reading skills will come in handy. They said to take cover! The sirens are going off! So that means you need to go to your safe spot we mentioned before. Stay calm and get moving. Turn up the TV/computer so you can hear the weather from your safe spot. Bring your pets and family. Bring your flashlight. Bring your first aid kit. Bring your phone and charger. Bring your weather radio. Grab all your pillows or a fluffy duvet to hide under. Put on your helmet if you have one. (This is to help prevent injury from falling debris or broken glass.) And bring something to do. You might be here for a hot minute. Stay in your safe spot until the all clear is given. Be patient. These storms move fast usually, but tornadoes can spin up on the front and backside of a line of storms. Sit tight and wait for the all clear. WHAT IF I’M DRIVING!? If you’re driving and a tornado warning is given for the area, or God forbid you SEE a funnel cloud, stay calm. If there’s a house or building nearby, go bang on the door and beg them to let you inside. I’m serious. If there’s no buildings, go lay flat in a ditch. I’m still serious. Get as low to the ground as you can and cover your head and face with your jacket. You absolutely do not want to be in a car when there’s tornadoes about. They will toss you around like a tin can. Edited to add: Do NOT get under an overpass. This was common wisdom (even I was told this and originally had it in the post) but according to the National Weather Service and FEMA this is not the case. It seems like a good idea because it's a sturdy shelter, but it acts like a wind tunnel. Thank you to @medic-kix for the catch.

*** Aaaannnd that’s that! I’m sure I missed something so feel free to tack on if you’ve got any further advice. Everyone be safe and stay weather aware!

[sc-intothedarknightofthesoul]

🤥 LYING 🎂 BIRTHDAY CAKE 🍁 MAPLE LEAF 🙈 SEE-NO-EVIL 📣 MEGAPHONE 🌪️ TORNADO 🌈 RAINBOW from OC emoji ask? For either Kasta or Ezra (or both, if it's not too much)

🤥 LYING - are they good liars? do they have tells to show they're lying?

Kasta: Their lies are a hit or miss. They're honest to a fault at times, blunt even. There are moments where they get away Scot-free with a white lie. Then comes the times they tell their friends they're fine when they're literally dying on the inside. It drives their travel buddies crazy.

Ezra: There's a reason she's an Imperial Agent in my SWTOR playthrough. Considering the bad crowd she's in and who's the ringleader running that whole show, let's just say she's picked up a few tricks. She's a bit short, but she takes advantage of that and her ladylike mannerisms to assume an innocent persona if it means getting herself out of a sticky situation. It doesn't work on Aval Agents, though.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

This is gonna be a long post, so I'll put the rest of the answers under a cut:

🎂 BIRTHDAY CAKE - when is their birthday? do they like celebrating it?

Kasta: Their birthday is April 2nd (same day as Xianghua), but is born in 1562. For a long time, they didn't like to celebrate it because of the first birthday they had after their father passed away, but that eventually changes as they continue on their journey. It also helped that Xianghua, a friend of Maxi and Kilik, also shares a birthday with them, and they sometimes celebrate it together when they can.

Ezra: Her birthday is September 17th, 1560. She has a habit of being so busy with her tasks that she forgets when her day rolls around, but she does appreciate when someone does wish her a happy birthday. She's not a fan of the parties, tho.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

🍁 MAPLE LEAF - what is their favourite season? why?

Kasta: Spring. It's not too hot, and it's not too cold either. Plus it rains a lot during this time.

Ezra: Autumn. She a lot of the things associated with it, the nice hot chocolate, the colourful leaves falling from the trees, etc. Her better memories happened around this season.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

🙈 SEE-NO-EVIL - whats a side of your OC that they don't want to show other people?

Kasta: For the most part, they are a chill person that can easily forgive others for their wrong doings (but they have limits) and people tend to open up to them about their problems or secrets as a result. However, they also have an anxiety problem, which can manifest itself as emotional outbursts of deep seated anger that was built up over time. It's a part of them that they are ashamed of having cos they know that in the end, not only will it not solve their problems anyway, they can't solve every problem.

Ezra: A lot I have in mind for Ezra will be explored further, but for what I shared in the story now is that she prides herself on being a practical thinker, someone who is always checking to see if her head is screwed on at all times. She's also an imaginative thinker too, a mind that has the urge to create and escape to, a mind usually found in fantasy novelists, artists, and musicians, a mind she often brushed aside as childish as there was no room for that in her line of work.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

📣 MEGAPHONE - how loud are they? what do they speak like? got a voice claim?

Funny story, I picked the Taciturn Cynic for Kasta on accident when I played Libra of Soul for the first time. How? A habit I've sort of abandoned a long time ago is that I would turn down my game's volume so I could listen to my music (I can't live without music blaring in my ears 24/7).

Kasta: I'm kinda already satisfied with the voice I already gave them in Create a Soul (Taciturn Cynic), but if I had to pick a voice for Kasta outside of Soul Calibur, it'd sound similar to Jade from Beyond Good and Evil (R.I.P Jodi Forrest, her voice actress):

Ezra: Her voice I'm not completely satisfied with in Soul Calibur cos she actually shares it with Natalie, but if I could pick a voice outside of the game, it would probably sound similar to Beatrice from Over the Garden Wall:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

���️ TORNADO - what is the biggest change you've ever made to them? how have they changed from their original version?

Kasta: Oh, the many stories I've told about Kasta's little phoenix moments. First, they were a character I made in TERA Online, then they became a vampire OC based on the vampires from the Legacy of Kain games, then an online persona set in the modern era, and now they are a Soul Calibur OC. The only thing that did not change about them are the moon-shaped horns and their red hair. As for them being a Soul Calibur OC tho, I think I should refer you all to this post of every design change I've made before sticking to the one I've made recently:

Ezra: Compared to Kasta, not much has really changed about Ezra, except her skin got tanner and she became more well-endowed compared to the first time I drew her:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

🌈 RAINBOW - what advice would they give to their younger self?

Kasta: "You can't save everyone you love. What matters is that you honour them by living in the now."

Ezra: "Just because someone seems friendly and claim they will give you the moon, doesn't always mean well. Show them their true colours by showing them something they like and then tell them no."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Thank you so much for the ask! I love going into details about these two as far as I'm able, there's so much more I wanna tell but I don't wanna spoil my fanfic like a dummy.

Ask list is here:

and have a wonderful day or night!

[blank-house]

Hello! After reading the post about the characters' sexualities and how there will be room for change, and players cannot expect every LI to be interested in their MC, I am a little confused, because this seems to contradict an earlier post where you said the LIs do not have preferences for any seasonal personality type. If it isn't the seasonal personality that affects each LI's interest, it must be something. Is it the choices the player will make throughout the game?

Hi!

It still holds true, LIs will never have a preference for a seasonal personality and yes, it will be the choices that affect their interest in the MC! I suppose a good way to show this is with an example.

In one event we planned out, the cast members (save for Reynah) find themselves playing in the rain. There's a group event that happens near the end, and you get an option of who you'd like to do the event with. Reaching out to Elio would increase his interest because he would be touched that he is the first one you thought of even with your friends included. The same goes for Jamie, he knows he comes off as standoffish, so you attempting to include him would raise his interest (though whether he agrees is still up in the air because he's trouble like that).

So because you wanted to hang out with them, they'll recognize that and it could raise their interest.

You can also raise their affection based on your response. An example of this (and I actually don't believe I've hinted this event before so feel free to skip to the line break if you want to avoid some spoilers) is when MC runs into Jamie during an errand. You discover a hobby of his and if you decide to press him on it a little, he'll ask if you don't believe him. Your choices are as followed:

“Pretty much, yeah.”

“It’s not that. I'm just surprised to find out.”

“It’s a little cliche, don’t you think?”

“I’m double checking.”

The choices are linked to an attribute, so you can increase one of them and/or increase Jamie's interest in you. Not all of the choices will raise his affection because there is a time and place for a behavior. (Also just to note but just because one attribute coincided with a raised affection doesn't mean it's always going to lead to that)

- - - - -

If it still doesn't make sense, then the best way for me to explain this is how you might end up developing feelings for someone in real life.

It's not the same case for everyone, but if someone were to show interest in your opinions or your thoughts, you might grow conscious of how they always value your inputs. If someone were to laugh with you and start inside jokes, you might start to feel a bond with them. If someone were to state that they liked hanging out with you, then it might dawn on you how special you are to them.

It's the same way in the game. Each guy will pick up if you've been interested in what they have to say or if you've been playing along with them on occasions. They're not immune to these little things (even the most stubborn of them all), and if MC keeps it up then of course they're going to fall in love with the person who makes them feel seen, heard, and special.

I only say that they have no preference type on seasonal personalities because every seasonal personality is capable of being that kind of person to them. Just because a Spring MC often likes to joke doesn't mean they're unable to lend a shoulder during their vulnerability. And just because a Winter MC often holds their tongue doesn't mean they can't partake in a joke or two.

But like I've been saying, please don't get so caught up in the finer details. I know people are aiming to romance the guys, and would like to be successful in it, but just be the best person that you can be and they'll see you, too.

~*~*~*~*~

Hope that clarifies things for ya! If not then shoot another ask and I'll do my best to make things easier. :)

[nemojokard-blog]

greetings everypony, it is I Nemo Jokard. I come offering my fancures for the fancuries .

Here are my main fanseries:

Nature Shift! Precure

The Four Seasonal Kingdoms of Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter lived in harmony, protected by the precures. Until one of them went rogue. Regalia, the Winter precure, along with some other rogues, attacked the kingdoms with these monsters called Heartaches. The only one who can help them now is the Princess of Spring, Tupper who holds the 3 remaining seasonal keys. Can she find the new precure? (I don’t know, CAN SHE??)

Ayame Mizuki/Cure Vernal

Our resident pink cure of the team, she is spring themed. Ayame is a reserved girl who isn't great at socializing. She's a little lazy and tends to procrastinate, but she's trying to change that. She also panics on a daily basis and is in a constant state of screaming inside her head.

Kaori Natsumi/Cure Solstice

Our orange cure who is summer themed! Kaori is bright, energetic and seems to always be moving. She is kinda unreliable though and tends to forget things easily. She has a big sweet tooth and has a family sweets store called Natsumi♡Pastry. She's an optimist and can kinda annoy her teammates with her constant positive attitude. She has a bit of a competitive side.

Etsu Akino/Cure Fall (tumblr hates yellow)

Etsu is the yellow cure and mom friend. She's the one helping the other cures with their homework, scolding them, and discouraging them from doing bad things. Although she isn't without fault. She's very hardworking, which is good, but is prone to burning herself out with all nighters and club activities. She also tends to be the most passive agressive person ever. She learns to balance her life and leave time for herself.

Tulipa 'Tupper' Flora Leis Fleur Bouquet Laverne

Tupper is a meanie. She usually bosses the cures around and comes up with the strategies. She also gives the cures a lot of sass and criticizes their flaws. She obviously cares about them, she just sucks at showing it.

The fanseries themes are seasons, friendship, and change.

This was my first ever fanseries and I’ve probably done the most for this one. I’ve written ten episodes for them that you can read on Ao3 and wattpad ! (A rewrite of chapter 1 and chapter 11 are in the works !!)

Ahoy! Pirate Precure

About nine years ago, Umi Ishikawa met a mermaid! She's been obsessed with them ever since then and still carries the gift that the mermaid gave her. When her gift happens to be a treasure from the Cordelia Kingdom, she is hunted for theft. Suddenly a crab and parrot are talking and wait, is she transforming?!

Umi Ishikawa/Cure Ness

Umi is an airhead that is infatuated with mermaids. She's always wanted to live in the ocean. The mermaid obsession started probably when her parents went on a cruise and she was all alone by herself. Then suddenly she came face to face with a real mermaid. No one believes her tho. She loves swimming and wishes to live in the sea one day.

Yuzu Egawa/Cure Citrus

Yuzu is a sour girl who doesn't like much of anything. She's ready to sass anyone and everyone. Because of this she doesn't have many friends and throws herself in her studies as a result. She tends to be a know-it-all. Apparently she loves visiting the aquarium in her free time.

Nyoko Izumi/Cure Aurorus

Nyoko is a spoiled girl with a rich background. She's pretty annoying and tends to brag about her money. She's also very very competitive when it comes to swimming and often her & Umi compete. She's also a sore loser.

Shelly

The old advisor for Cordelia Kingdom. She's strict and crabby.

Parry

A parrot with powerful magic. It helps the cures in battle or sometimes it mocks them. Whatever Parry feels like doing.

The motif of this series is pirates and the main theme is treasuring life.

I don’t know when I’ll do more for this fanseries since it was originally made as a joke, but I might write it some day!

Beauty Guru Precure

The Queen of the Glamour kingdom was the Super Instant Influencer. She stood strong until the scandals attacked. She was dethroned, and in her last stitch efforts to pass on her wisdom, was to pass on her legendary Make Up Pallet to the Precure to fight the scandals. She handed it to Pinkity Drinkity her trusty snake.

Tomoko Ayano/Cure Guru

The first girl to awake as a Precure. Tomoko is an airhead with a bit of an ego. Her teammates keep her check. She isn't very smart, but tries her best! She's really into makeup and likes to experiment with different kind of looks. She transforms with the Aerie Lip gloss into Cure Guru. At first scared of Pinkity Drinkity and still kinda is. Lovingly calls the snake "Pinky."

Keiko Arai/Cure Blush

The second girl to awake as a Precure. Keiko easily embarrassed and has a short temper. She enjoys studying and has a one sided rivalry with Kagami. With the Periwinkle Compact, she transforms into Cure Blush. She loves Pinkity Drinkity to a fault. She calls her "Pink-chan."

Aimi Hitomi/Cure Shadow

The third person to awake as a Precure. She seems to keep to herself a lot and has a bad habit of bottling everything inside. Although when they are with Tomoko and Keiko, she seems to turn into a different person who can't keep their mouth shut. She transforms with the Goth Pallet into Cure Shadow. They so not lovingly refer to Pinkity Drinkity as Future Soup.

Kagami Ayano/Cure Cosmetic

Technically the actual first one to awaken. She helps the girls in a pinch, but always seems to keep her distance. She doesn't seem to want to get closer to any of the girls. An exception to this is Cure Guru, which the girls and Pinkity Drinkity find strange. (Of course this is because she’s Guru's twin sister, but shhhh, they don't know that.)

Pinkity Drinkity

The girls’ trusty snake partner in crime. She ventured out to find the legendary Precure and now that she found them, she’s a bit worried. She thinks the girls are too young to be fighting Madam Masquerade’s Scandals and fears for their safety. On the other hand though, she knows that the only thing she can really do is guide them as Precure.

Dragon Drinkity

Dragon Drinkity just screams a lot. She sometimes says wise things, but completely cracks under pressure. She was sent first to find the Precure of Lipstick and the Precure of Nail Polish.

The motifs of this series are angels and make up. The themes of this series are inner beauty and love.

This series also kind of started off as a bit of a one off thing. Might also get written someday but no promises!!!

Sew Magical

This fanseries is a crossover between lalaloopsy and precure! It admittedly no longer has a plot anymore but I did make some cute designs .

Live Laugh Love! Precure

Kasumi Ieiri is used to her simple life with her father where it's just the two of them against the world.. Well until it wasn't. Suddenly there's this whole new marriage and there's three random kids living with them! Tsumugi, one of the kids, is the same age as her, but that's where the similarities end. Tsumugi is quiet and you can never really tell what she's thinking. Kasumi is anything but quiet and is easily read.

However these two supposed sisters are now forced to work together when a monster comes marching at their front door and is terrorizing a poor helpless mascot who drops two items that resemble mood rings. The mood rings then fly onto Kasumi and Tsumugi, recognizing them as Precure! Kasumi transforms into Cure Haven and Tsugumi into Cure Comedy. They manage to defeat the monster and rescue the mascot! Who seems a little mortified about this whole development..

Omg new Nemo fanseries !? Admittedly this is kind of the first time im mentioning them and I haven’t thought abt them for a hot minute 👁️👄👁️💧 But perhaps I will work on them some day! Might even get around to drawing them. I really like duo seasons.

(the order is Kasumi, tsumugi, cure haven, and cure comedy)

Their only theme is Live, Laugh, Love.

And that’s all, folks!

I recycled a whole lot of it from last time but I hope you at least consider nominating me :]

[max05nb]

Day 11:

(Part 1)

(masterpost)

Topic: Shubble lore (Part 2)

So I start off by I read the fandom wiki and it mentions nothing about her being unpopular in her class and I double checked in the videos and yeah my mind was making stuff up (the videos mention her becoming popular, kinda like a highschool legend but nothing related to net being popular previously). She was just disliked by the higher ups '-_-

Well anyway back to the topic!

So let's talk about why is she a Storm witch in witchcraft smp? Well if you watched esmp2 you probably remember the ending where she gets a glow up and switches her themes from general fog witch to specialized storm witch. She even goes to Joel to learn about thunder!( And we also learn Joel is a bad teacher cause you ain't having someone train for 10 years and then they're only power is making rain like I know why but just think about the implications °°)

So why stars?

That's the question I brought up before as well, her design is star and space coded, not storm, why?

Well it's nature wiwes.

If you're unaware esmp2 from Shubble pov (and only from her pov, Katrine cut the scene like wha??) ends with her getting to go on an implied date with Katrine. At previous moments we seen her crushing, and she even fought Pirate Joey for a chance to date her.

After she dies (okay if you really don't know the ending I do sound like a lunatic but I swear all of the stuff I'm telling you happen in 1 ending episode, she's just going through the motions) she has her hair turn white, signifying her resurrection. That color is almost opposite to her brunette hair so it's immediately makes her go from a spring/fall to a cold winter color season making her look out of place in her old clothes. When she meets with Katrine she mentions not liking the hair and thinking about dying it. Katrine to that immediately says that it suits her and it makes her look like moonlight. Later we see her getting her new outfit and based on a comment made by the creator on the video, she basically took Katrine's compliment and made it her entire aesthetic.

So yeah the star theming comes from that, she just took her crushes words and run with it.

However I still don't understand why they didn't just make her a star witch?

Here comes my theory:

Like I stated before I'm pretty sure it was a last minute change. Other possibility: not good enough mods, the fantasy pack they used could have just not have good star related mods.

Another thing I wanted to mention is that, stories change and grow. This happens often on esmp (think of Xornoth, who started out just Scott messing around with a voice changer) (or Hermes) (or the statue in the evermoore being made by Joey but later changed to be made by spirits) (my point is that it happens a lot) but it happens in any story, especially in smp based ones where the viewers could have a directly impact on the story. Watching an smp often like watching a story still in it's first draft, things just happen, you retcon things from before and pretend you have foreshadowed something you just made up 5 seconds ago. So what I'm trying to say that I been thinking a lot about how I tend to think of smp stories as this set in stone, proof-read story that cannot change and everything have been planned out before hand. Shubble must have planned to merge these characters from the start surely! But most of the times they're fluid and changing. Shubble could have planned it from the start of wcsmp and made her design based on that but she could have also just thought about it later. Katrine's comment could have no connection to Shubble's outfit but later on Shubble though it could fit so she pointed it out. Shubble didn't think about what lore implications every funny response she says had so if "I dunno I didn't go to school" was funny in the moment then why do I assume she meant more by it? And just to be clear this refers to all creators I watch, I just thought about it the most relating to Shubble.

Is anyone else in the same boat as me? I think I just have to stop overanalyzing lore details from something that happened 2 years ago (yeah I almost cried seeing that it feels like yesterday, the nostalgia shouldn't be hitting this hard TT)

Thank you for reading my ramble about nothing in particular. Hope you enjoyed this! I'll try to keep it short next time :'>

[lamaisongaga]

             LADY GAGA ATTENDS THE 2023 OSCARS

After a long blackout season, Lady Gaga finally returned to the public eye at the 2023 Academy Awards held at the Los Angeles Dolby Theater.

Not only did she grace us with several looks, but also with a surprise performance of her “Top Gun: Maverick” movie title song “Hold My Hand”.

Styling by Sandra Amador and Tom Eerebout with assistance by Victor Cordero, Gianni Catalina and Venetia Kidd. The hair was done by Frederic Aspiras using Joico while glam was done by Sarah Tanno-Stewart using Haus Labs. Sweet and short manicure by Miho Okawara who used OPI.

Mother Monster made her entrance wearing one of the freshly debuted Versace Fall/Winter 2023 closing numbers seen on Gigi Hadid — a semi-transparent black tulle corseted bustier top with bullet bra, long wool-silk box pleat drop-waist skirt with frontal projected kick and silver Nastro Gianni Medusa 95 belt to perfectly reflect the Italian fashion label's house codes!

Her jewelry was provided by none other than Tiffany & Co. who chose some of the most stunning diamonds for her. Just like these $1,950 solitaire brilliant diamond stud earrings.

Shop:

Tiffany & Co. Solitaire Studs ($1,950.00)

It’s rare to see archival pieces on the red carpet—it happens occasionally but not as often as jewelry historians would hope. This 1960s necklace of platinum and diamonds definitely made sure to catch all the attention.

She also wore the house’s “Victoria” collection platinum and diamond cluster bracelet...

...and a whopping $20,800 platinum and diamond pavé band ring from the “Soleste” collection.

Shop:

Tiffany & Co. Band Ring ($20,800.00)

To create the look, Tanno used products from Gaga's beauty brand, Haus Labs. She started with Color Fuse Blush.

"I used “Dragon Fruit Daze” first which served as the base, and then we layered with “Watermelon Bliss” to add depth,". For Gaga's red glossy lip, Tanno used Atomic Shake Lip Lacquer in shade “Cherry Shine”. "It was the first time I've used it on the red carpet — It deserved a moment!"

Tanno also reveals the reason why Gaga's skin wasn't flush after removing so much makeup before she got on stage, crediting the Triclone Skin Tech Foundation, which she wore on the carpet, for being very gentle and soothing on the skin.

"Because our foundation contains fermented arnica it calms and soothes the skin while you are wearing it — I believe this is why I didn't have to worry about any skin irritation after such a fast removal." Tanno explains.

On her nails: OPI gel lacquer in “It’s A Girl!”. So timeless.

For her raw performance of “Hold My Hand”, Gaga went for a bare face and a minimal outfit consisting of pieces we’ve seen her rock before in her off-duty hours. 

She rocked her favorite Saint Laurent black skinny jeans with slashed knees she owns and loves since 2016! It was paired with a vintage band tee she turned inside out, which I have yet to ID.

The shoes are the Converse Chuck Taylor All Star classic low-top sneakers in black canvas.

There was actually a third outfit change that was not broadcasted on TV! LG wore a vintage Versace Spring/Summer 2002 black silk gown with lace insets and jet crystal embellishment. Above you can see a similar, shorter version.

She also added another Tiffany & Co. ring onto the mix. It’s the alternating ring in platinum and diamonds ($19,500) from the “Victoria” collection.

Shop:

Tiffany & Co. Alternating Ring ($19,500.00)

[literaticat]

Do editors lie about who will be a lead title? I am about 10-12 months from pub. When I accepted an offer, I was told that I would be lead, and believed it bc it was 6 figs. But I've since learned from other debut authors that "real" lead titles get mocked-up marketing and publicity plans handed to them as part of the offer, and pitched to big book clubs at least 1 year from pub. None of this has happened for me (I don't even have a firm pub date beyond a season) and I am questioning everything.

Lie doesn't feel like quite the right word. If they say it, they meant it, based on the information that they had at the time. They might have been being overly optimistic about what their publisher is actually willing or able to do -- or "lead title treatment" might be different at that publisher than at some other publisher -- or something might have happened in the interim that your editor had no control over (like suddenly the imprint got bought by some other entity! or they acquired a crashed book by Michelle Obama and suddenly all their marketing budget got vaporized! or the boss changed and the new boss decided they only want to promote books with pink covers?!) but I wouldn't say they are like, LYING LIARS WHO LIE. They are people who were talking a big game to try and get a book they wanted. (That's your book! And they paid for it, and the check cleared, so hey, you're one up on 90% of other authors!)

IMO -- if it was six figures, it basically is a lead title. (A book doesn't HAVE to have sold for six figures to be a lead title -- and not all books that sell for six figs end up necessarily getting treated as such -- but a book that sold for six figs they are definitely considering to be in that "This could be a Big Book" bucket at the time of acquisition).

Your friends mean well and it's nice that they have that experience but also you are not your friends and their experience is THEIR experience.

They are mistaken, for what it is worth -- "Real" lead titles don't necessarily get mocked up marketing and publicity plans handed to them as part of the offer -- sometimes books of all sorts get that (especially if they are sold at auction, because it "looks impressive") -- but often they don't, and either way, if they DO get those plans, they are mostly horse shit, because it's literally impossible (and NOT BEST PRACTICES actually) to make a marketing or publicity plan 18 months or two years ahead of publication -- anything can change in that amount of time. So that "plan" might be a "this is the kind of thing we MIGHT do" -- but it's NEVER an actual plan.

(I don't know about the book club thing - I would think that would be more about when the material is ready to pitch than a specific timeline.)

Anyway, if you are concerned about this - ask your agent?

As for the schedule of it all: Different publishers work on slightly different timelines, but mostly they go season by season, and regardless, year out (or even 10 months out) from pub it is not alarming to not have a firm pub date. You MIGHT have those things ten months out, but I'd say eight months-ish is quite normal.

For perspective, at this moment, mid-September 2024, I believe I have covers and firm pub dates for all my books scheduled through Spring of 2025 -- but past April or so, I have no idea, I know a couple but not MOST.

Probably by the end of the year or early January, I'll have covers and pub dates for all my books through Summer 2025. Probably by March or April, I'll have the covers and pub dates for all my books through Fall. Etc.

[jacksoldsideblog]

what temperature is it at the bottom of a lake? and what happens to the bugs in the water when it gets too cold/freezes?

The temperature at the bottom of a lake deep enough to stratify and have cold water will always be 4 degrees Celsius! This is because that's when water is densest. Lakes are made up of layers as a result of temperature and salinity changing water's density. This has exceptions (mostly tropical and very shallow lakes) and changes seasonally (lakes often destratify in fall and spring) but generally, yep. 4 C.

Bugs in water survive winter by going deeper! That's related to the first question, actually. In winter, you go deeper to avoid freezing. Most bugs in freshwater tend to be benthic, aka living on the bottom/on surfaces. So they already live there. They can withstand some degree of freezing, though! Depending on the species. They can make themselves freeze tolerant basically by raising the salinity of their cells to prevent internal ice formation — because salty water freezes at colder temperatures than freshwater. This can be done with other cryoprotectants too. This is stressful for them to do so if they can avoid it by going deeper, they do. Some just tolerate freezing, some make special cocoons. Everything gets through winter by letting the cold weather slow down their metabolism.