#on special days she's very bitey <3< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[milkiigalaxii]

star on special days:

[ferromagnetiic]

uta slams her hand down on the table to get his attention. and she grins proudly while she placed a clear box with holes pierced into the top on the table, shoving it closer to kid so he can have a look at the amazing gift she got him. inside this makeshift cage a big deep red stag beetle was waiting for him. “look at this one! it’s not a scorpion but isn’t it pretty neat? took me hours to catch it.” not that the leaves still stuck in her hair would give away that she might have dived head first into bushes and climbed trees to catch the little fellow. “it looks pretty strong so i thought i would give it to you. you couldn’t win beetle battles with just any beetle.” she nods along to her own words, then points at the beetle. “the red ones are special. and pretty feisty, it reminded me of you. happy valentine's day, captain!” ( kid pirates verse cuz captain deserves the shittiest coolest valentine's day gift in existence <3 )

                    【 𝐕𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐄'𝐒 𝐃𝐀𝐘. 】                     @melodysian 【 Uta. 】

          As if aware of the introduction, the ruby insect in question seems to deliberately shift into the overhead glow of the candlelight, reflecting the warm yellow tones across its glossy exoskeleton. Though it barely moves an inch, the sheer mass of the beast combined with the sight of oversized pincers lined with studded teeth would cause one to associate it with a dangerous nature; something that could, if provoked, cause notable harm. It should go without saying that Kid is enamored with the gift. He leans in to the clear container to get a closer look at the specimen, taking in the sight of it from different angles. Taps the glass with the tip of an equally red nail, trying to tempt the beetle into further movement.

     ❝ Right beast, he is. ❞      He decrees, a signal of his approval accompanied by a smile that displays both rows of his teeth.

     ❝ He's a fighter, then? A bitey one? ❞      It would be for the best if he is a fighter, as she claimed. God knows he was prone to unintentionally squishing tiny creatures whether he intended to or not — he wasn't known for having an especially delicate touch. If the beetle were to survive under his care, it would need to be determined to cling to life.      Kid would not state this information to Uta. He will do his best to care for the bug to the best of his abilities. Perhaps he will make a larger container for it in the near future so it has more room to roam. He ponders over this for a few more moments as he continues to admire the red stag, before finally drawing his attention back to the girl before him.

     ❝ Damn nice of ya.      He'll get a nice spot on a shelf in my workshop. ❞           Placed somewhere he could be easily admired. A very high compliment from the surly mechanic.

Before Kid returns to seating himself upright in his chair, he extends his right hand towards Uta's two-toned hair; plucks a dry leaf from her bangs, then looks at it trapped between his fingers.

     ❝ ...Hold on, before ya go. ❞

A few pieces of silver scrap metal scattered over the floor begin to hover closer to him; all odds and ends he had been intending to save for a future project, now being put to another purpose. He draws a thin sheet of steels to his hands, and begins to effortlessly contort it like he was handling paper. Magnetized fingers fold and bend the material with ease, smoothing down previously sharp edges, reshaping the item like wet clay. He works for a few minutes, carefully fussing over his ongoing creation without another word until it's finished. The metal groans and creaks under his command and progressively shrinks into its new shape.

When he is finally satisficed with the product, he presents it to the musician seated across to him on a flat palm. A shiny silver hairclip, with a little metal beetle attached to the front. It's not quite as intimidating as the one she brought to him, admittedly; it borders more into a simple and cutesy idea of a beetle rather than bearing a ferocious appearance. Still, he thinks it's fairly obvious what it's supposed to be, and that's good enough. It'll keep those bangs out of her eyes, and maybe then she won't get quite so much foliage in her hair when she goes bug hunting.

          Kid drops the hairclip into her lap with a flick of his hand.

     ❝ Gift for a gift. We're square, now. ❞

[valdiis]

Get to Know the Blogger

1. Are you named after anyone? Not anyone personally, but I am named after a Greek deity of the hunt.

2. When was the last time you cried? Six days ago, upon visiting a friend who is dying of brain cancer.

3. Do you have kids? I’m a step-parent, but gods, no. Not by choice. Yuck.

4. Do you use sarcasm a lot? Not terribly often, actually. I’m more of a wry wit kind of person.

5. What sports do you play/have you played? I find it highly ironic that I enjoyed basketball in middle school, given that I’m extremely short. I also played a handful of games of tennis and some sort of frisbee game that was popular on college campuses in the ‘90s.

6. What’s the first thing you notice about other people? Generally, their hair. I’m very much a hair person. If it’s not a meeting in person, it’s their vocabulary I notice.

7. Scary movies or happy endings? Happy endings every time. My brain doesn’t need more nightmare fodder; it’s already great at that as it is.

8. Any special talents? I used to be able to put both feet behind my head until I got too fat to bend that way. To this day, I’m very flexible for as much as my body shape allows.

9. Where were you born? Savannah, GA, USA.

10. What are your hobbies? Oh no. Many. Cross-stitch, embroidery, silver-smithing, engraving... I collect perfumes and nail polish. I’ve done a spot of mead-making with my partner, a tiny amount of wood-burning and painting. I’ve made marzipan animals and tried knitting and crochet and chainmail jewelry. I absolutely love making things with my hands - what’s silly is that I haven’t done so in a hot minute.

11. Do you have any pets? Three, maybe four cats. I say maybe four because the fourth one is technically our roommate’s cat and she doesn’t come out to the rest of the house much. But there’s Shadow, the black and white himbo; Leland, the diabetic old man; and An Lad, the bitey little upstart. And if we’re counting her, Calamity, the shy calico.

12. How tall are you? 5′2″, alas.

13. Fave subject in school? Social studies and history. I’ve always loved learning about people and what they do. Once I reached college age, I fell in love with sociology. It’s a shame that degree gets you nowhere if you don’t want to be a social worker.

14. Dream job? Crime analyst for the FBI. Unfortunately, I’m now too old to work for them and I never did enough statistics courses in college.

15. Eye colour? A brown that almost turns reddish in sunlight.

Tagged by: @talion-graves (obliquely, anyway)

[teddybeartoji]

Morning Mickey!! I'm real excited for today :3 hope your day goes amazing!

I get to spend today with my older sister! We're going to the mall and she's helping me buy binders so I'm so excited for that!!!

I'm also thinking lots about sharks rn so have some silly Shark!Reader thoughts!!

Lemon Shark!Reader being super super relaxed and sweet most the time but gets reeeal jealous but in the 'mine not yours >:(' kinda way very easily

(Cause if you didn't know, fun fact; Lemon sharks are very sociable and if they're socialized with divers, over time they can have a favorite and they won't let other sharks near their favorite!)

Tiger Shark!Reader being real mischievous and likes hoping out like a cat hiding in places and pretending to hunt their owner. Just jumping out from behind a corner to give a soft little munch and run off or getting *all* up in someone's space they're close to to 'cuddle' but in fact they just wanna see what they're doing and maybe tip it over a little

(Cause, Tiger Sharks are actually little hell raisers, if they've been socialized with divers they're rarely aggressive and are mainly only curious to see what they're doing, very curious and mischievous sharks!)

Bull Shark!Reader with lotta scars and marks and such, real scrappy and maybe even sorta bratty but all you gotta do is just roll them over on their side and they kinda just melt on the floor and whine to be pet.

(Cause Bull Sharks have particularly high levels of testosterone, and are also rather aggressive maters so whenever you see one with lotta scars it could be from whorin' around in a silly way or just having regular fights! Also turning a shark to their side or upside down also temporarily just puts them in a 'oh okay guess this is happening and I guess I stop being bitey' kinda state.)

Can you tell I'm hella autistic and my special interest is sharks and I YAP about them whenever I'm excited 🧍🏻‍♂️🧍🏻‍♂️🧍🏻‍♂️🧍🏻‍♂️

Anyways sorry for the yapping BYEBYE MICKEYYYY!!!! HAVE A NICE DAY!!

OMGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!! HI HI HIIII:3333 I HOPE THE BINDER SHOPPING WENT WELL ANGEL!!!!!!!!!!!

WAAAAAAAAAHHHHH WDYM LEMON SHARKS GET JEALOUSS that's kinda cute hehehehe i didn't know that!!!!! and eeeeeeeee tiger sharks seem so much fun!!!!!!!!!! they do really seem like cats lmao i love it WAIT PLSSSSS TURNING A SHARK ON ITS SIDE JUST KINDA TURNS THEM OFF😭😭😭😭 THAT'S SO SILLYYY the reader is just laying on their side with like satoru sitting by them booping their nose, laughing to himself bc you're just so fucking cute:3333333333

AND AS USUAL!!!!!!!!!!! NO NEED TO APOLOGIZE EVER!!!!! I THINK SHARK ARE REALLY REALLY COOL HEHEHHE I'D LOVE TO GO SWIMMING WITH THEM ONE DAY<3333333333333333

[julies-butterflies]

I know the feeling, I think, in my own way. It's the pain you don't expect, the little reminders, the details of life that somehow change. Grief is a tricky thing, always finding a new way to surprise you.

I lost my grandparents a few years back and that scene from regenisis made me remember that conversation so vividly. That moment when it just hits, all of a sudden, how fast and real the possibility is. How soon. When you finally have to face the truth. When you have to let go. And you talked about it so well...

You put words to these indescribable feelings, these moments, in this simple, vivid way. You have that Writer's Gift. You've made me sob, you've made me laugh hysterically, you've made me rage. There's a lifetime of emotion in your words. Those glass shards turn to diamonds. It's an honor, to be allowed to read these stories you've poured your soul into.

Man, I full-on Pattersoned pep talked you. Whoops. No regrets. You're a wrecking ball of talent and I shall sing your praise forever.

Speaking of the disaster gremlin...guess who sent in the Emily and Luke prompt? Yeah that was everything I've ever wanted. Wow.

Just the way you write the two of them...Luke is so clearly his mother's son. The moment when Emily decided to be a little petty as she woke him up it just hit me how alike they are. And I snorted when she swore, and that last line!!! When she promised she'd always be there! Pain. Unbelievable pain. You just write the love in their relationship so well, and that just makes the ending even more tragic. ( I read your authors note. As if I WASN'T crying already. Thanks for reminding me of "Oh he wanted to be held. he wanted to say everything" which haunts me day and night by the way). Also, wow, Sick Luke refusing to rest is litterally me.

Oh and I sent the Juke too. God that was everything. I'm incredibly soft for the way you write them, it just makes me melt. And the chaos of your luke descriptions END ME.

Oh, please don't even worry about getting the prompts out fast! Take care of yourself fiancee. I enjoy them whenever they pop up. It gives me something to look forward to.

Speaking of WIPS, did you just say MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH? HELLO??? I'M SO INTRIGUED AND TERRIFIED AND EXCITED NOW????

Can't wait for triple threat and himbos. I'm so ready.

OH and I forgot to ask: do you have a Goblin fancast?

-Vampire Anon <3

Oh my god... you're not kidding. Grief is a special type of agony that's really impossible to describe, to fully comprehend, until you've lived it. How awful is that? It's like... we can share our pain with the world, but it will only fully resonate with someone who can draw on their own personal experiences. Of course, it doesn't have to be identical --- like, how many people have had to deal with their ghost bestie potentially fading out of existence --- but it hits something deeply personal, some emotional blister that will never fully heal, and it hurts. Hurts in... a cathartic way, I hope. Some pain doesn't simply demand to be felt, it has to be, or else it'll fester... and there's no healing, once you've gotten to that point.

I think of, like... The Body, the one Buffy episode that absolutely guts everyone when they watch it. Like, that's such a specific situation being portrayed... it's not even supernatural, like the rest of the show, just a deeply personal experience of someone dying, and the people around them processing it. But holy shit, does it hit, and continue to hit all these years later. It's raw emotion, it's... it's real in the very worst way. Confronting that grief head-on does something to you.

I want to do the same with my writing... I think? I don't want anyone to suffer because I've dredged up pain for them, but sometimes... pain can help? I don't know. I don't know.

Sorry, I'm a little scattered tonight. There's... a lot going on. Things are... rough for my family, and I've kind of got that grief brainrot right now lol.

But your Patterson pep talk is exactly what I need, V-Anon! Thank you thank you, I cried a little reading that.... ashhjsjkskskj you're just stroking my little sea polyp of an ego until it turns into a mermaid again, huh? (Not me referencing Buffy and The Little Mermaid in one reply, god help us all.)

So so glad you liked the Emily and Luke prompt! I'm currently working on a few more, so... we'll see how that comes along, hopefully soon. And I've made a taglist, for the first ever time! Also have no idea how that's going to go.

I love exploring the Patterson relationship dynamic so, so much. Emily is one of my favorite characters to write... unexpectedly, bc a large chunk of the fandom doesn't have much sympathy for her, for understandable reasons. I just... try to find the humanity of the situation, the grey areas of love and loss that make their tragedy all the more painful. I... guess it's working? Haha, who doesn't love a good foregone tragic conclusion.

And I'm not giving away anything about the Carrie fic yet! Just that I have big plans for it, whenever it actually gets finished! Not going to murder anyone without a lot of thought put into it in advance!

as for Goblin... ahshsjkjs, he's a fluffy little daschund puppy, so I kind of imagined something like this?? Only with a bit more color.

Love and potentially-tetanusey neck-bitey kisses, Vampire Anon <3 <3

[thesaintofpatience]

Should you fight this character (Archive Squad Edition)

Jonathan Sims: Well, everyone else has. And I can see why you’d want to! He’s a small, prickly man with a small, prickly face and he will absolutely insult you ten times before breakfast before asking for favours or deep dark secrets from you, so I understand the compulsion to ‘do a bit of a Mike Crew’. On the other hand, these days he’s a little less prickly and a little more Apocalyptically Terrifying and so unless you actually want the world to know about your hideously embarrassing vore kink or your AO3 search history or That Thing You Did When You Were Seventeen it’s probably not worth the satisfaction of a quick punch in the kisser. Ask yourself: will it make you feel special? Will it fill the void in your heart to punch a man so thoroughly beaten-down by the world? Will it be worth the Liam Neeson style revenge of one Martin Blackwood? 5/10, initially satisfying, fundamentally not worth it. 

Martin Blackwood: Take a seat. Look at your life. Look at your choices. Look at this jumpered man who is shaped like a friend. Could you fight him? Sure, you could try, but he’ll probably just hug your arms to your sides and talk to you about your problems a bit and you’ll end up feeling better, but empty inside. Maybe he’ll just cry. Maybe he’ll - worse still - just take the punch and say he deserves it. You can’t fight a man who is so absolutely centred on fighting himself. Do you think Martin cares about your violence? Against him? Fighting Martin isn’t worth it because Martin would fight himself if he had the opportunity because he thinks he deserves it (and also because it unquestionably makes you a very, very bad person, you monster) 1/10 because why would you? 

Timothy Stoker: Tim Stoker knows no fear. In the three seconds after you throwing your first punch he will have ascertained your relative strength, whether there’s a chance of this just being foreplay, and your absolute greatest weakness. He’ll spike you through the solar plexus and heelie away without a care. He probably won’t even stop smiling. “Oh, hey, how’s it going - wow, bitey aren’t you, let’s just knock you out there, great chat byeeee!” Now I’m not saying it’s not feasible that you could get the drop on him, and he’s a bit of a bastard sometimes anyway so you might even want to, but Tim stands a better chance of trying to pick somebody up on the dancefloor, slipping on a patch of jaegerbomb and knocking himself out than he does of being knocked out by you. Still. Shoot your shot, I guess - that’s the advice he’d give you. 7/10 depending on sympathetic you are about his backstory. 

Sasha James: Now, look, it’s not that Sasha James is exceptionally strong or exceptionally fast and if you really, really wanted to fight her, you’d probably win. You would! You’d win. Well done you. Off home for a victory march you go. Now watch as your credit-card information disappears and your bank accounts drain overnight. Your broadband bill has tripled but you somehow don’t have any of the packages you want. Your wi-fi has stopped working and your printer keeps printing things that you’re pretty sure you never asked it to print (it’s mainly memes, and that’s Tim’s influence). Sasha will wreck your entire life in an afternoon. And also - why would you want to fight her in the first place? Sasha James has never done anything wrong in her entire life, ever. 3/10, yes you could fight her, but at what cost?

Melanie King: Do Not. Even if you get a few good licks in she will bite off your ears and use your skull as a colander. 0/10

Basira Hussain: You could. But consider for a moment Basira’s absolute ruthless pragmatism. If you pose a danger - to her, to those she holds dear - she will have precisely zero hesitation about burying you twenty foot deep after killing you in a distractingly thorough and practical fashion (can’t come back as an undead monster if she’s buried your lungs in Swindon and your feet in Bournemouth, probably). It probably won’t even ruin her day. You can fight her, die, and it won’t even ruin her day. It might even improve it. It’s nice to get something productive done in the morning while you still feel fresh. 2/10 if Basira doesn’t kill you Daisy sure will.  

Daisy Tonner: There’s a lot of arguments for fighting Daisy (remember that time she stabbed Jon in the throat and made him bury a man lol wild) but the only time you stand a chance of fighting her is when she’s fresh out of the Buried and God, talk about kicking somebody when they’re down. That’s on fighting-Martin level of monstrous, tbh, and you’re bad for thinking about it. The only exception to this rule is if you’re Into being Torn Apart in a Sexy Way and honestly, you might get more than you fucking bargain for. 3/10 sure can understand your motivations, chief, but have you considered maybe not 

Peter Lukas: Ooooh, I’m a big Avatar of the Lonely, I have a ship and a hat and a whistle and I can feed people to my eldritch god oooooh. Peter big (this we know). But Peter doesn’t like confrontation. Peter will not know how to respond to a flurry of fists and fury that isn’t Elias and there’s a pretty good chance that he’ll just run away. Still, if you can corner him, you should absolutely fight him, because Peter needs to be taken down a peg. Sure, you’ll feel like a bit of a bastard because he’ll keep trying to smile that cheerful smile and complimenting your technique as you break his jaw, but you’ve got to look past that and remember what a monster he is. 10/10 fight him and push down your own inevitable guilt. 

Elias Bouchard: Does this even need a score? If there is anybody in the entire Archives you should be fighting, it is this mean. Sure, it’ll cost you some resurfacing of your deep-seated trauma but that’s a small price to pay for the satisfaction of clocking him in the skull with a stapler and hanging him by his silk underwear on a flagpole somewhere. It’s What He Deserves. 99999999/10 this bastard rat man absolutely deserves to be fought. He’ll make out like he’s pleased by this, or that he’s enjoying it, or that it’s all part of his Grand Plan. It isn’t. It is your moral duty to fight Elias and frankly if you’re not already on your way to the Institute I’m shaking my head. 

[snowdice]

The Horror of Stereotypes (Part 1)[Dice Roll 6]

Fandom: Sanders Sides

Relationships: Remus/Logan/Patton with Remus/Logan focus (more pre-romantic considering the situation), Remus & Roman, Logan/Patton (established, but not at the forefront for most of it)

Characters:

Main: Remus, Logan

Appear: Roman, Patton, Deceit (but blink and you’ll miss it)

Summary: There had always been a certain stereotype about people like him for as long as anyone could remember. After the Heart War of 1963, those stereotypes had been legalized and places like this had been created to enforce the universal truth: everyone had a soulmate. One soulmate. No more and no less.

At least they were supposed to.

When Remus’s brother gets arrested because of his two soulmarks, Remus risks everything by infiltrating the facility he legally should be in as well due to his own two soulmates to save him. There he meets Logan and it turns out they have a lot in common: they both got hired this week, they both have two soulmates, and they’re both here for the same reason.

Oh. And as it turns out, they’re each other’s soulmates too.

Universe: Soulmate AU

Genre: Horror (Yeah, it’s a fun combo. The horror vibe is mostly contained to chapter 3 though. It’s all still horrifying, but that specific tone is pretty much only there.)

Notes: Torture, Torture of a main character, Dystopian, Blood, Guns, Gunshot wounds, Leg wounds, Mentions of Desecrating an Animal Corpse by a Main Character, Imprisonment, Mentions of Cannibalism, Genocide Suggested, Sexual Innuendo, Fear, A tasteless but not serious incest joke, Medical procedures.

...

Goodness my tags were already horrifying enough because of the darkness of this universe and concept of this AU and then Remus started talking...

This is part of my Roll the Dice Event which is where I do random ships, universe, and genres for the Sanders Sides fandom. For more details see this post. I posted a few days ago my results from this dice roll here.

In which I once again do a dice roll that ends up not being a one-shot like it’s supposed to be... This is going to be 6 parts...

Getting into the building had been easy for Remus. Remus had a special set of skills that he’d never really thought of as skills until he was sitting in a little office right outside the main gate of this facility spouting off every one of his worst possible thoughts in extensive detail during a job interview. They listened to him for less than half an hour before deciding he was perfect for the job and two days later, here he was.

His tour guide chatted and chatted happily to him seeming not to question his contentment with his surroundings. She’d probably gotten a peak at his file after all.

Remus had always been… a weird child at best and the “bonkers evil twin” at worst. Almost everyone in his life tended to give him a wide berth since he was younger. Honestly, you hang one dead cat you found on the road on the middle school flag and suddenly you’re a pariah. It’s not like he’d killed the cat. In fact, he’d loved Senior Bitey when he’d been alive and knew for a fact that it was the type of funeral the feral little thing would have wanted. It was one more chance to put terror into the hearts of all the children in the school. He’d attempted to explain his reasoning to the school counselor. He didn’t think he’d done a good job at that.

Later in life he’d been “guided” toward more “productive” outlets for the dark thoughts that sometimes rattled in his head. He was given a pen and told to write down stories. Remus had taken to this suggestion with gusto and quickly learned not to let anybody read them. His high school biology teacher had been a bit weirded out by how enthused he was about dissection days, but he scored well on the AP test and got the highest marks, so she was willing to write him a letter of recommendation that helped him get into college with a biology major. He’d thought about becoming a coroner or forensic scientist, but when he’d turned 18 and his soulmark… well, soulmarks he guessed… had shown up, he’d decided that he really shouldn’t be doing anything that would put him in such close contact with law enforcement.

So much for that, he thought and glanced at his tour guide. “And last I’ll show you the upstairs housing!” she was telling him. “It’s for the multis who have already gone through processing and interrogation and are now on work detail.” When they walked into the next building, Remus did his best to pretend to look without actually making himself look. For all his notebooks full of bloody stories and horrifying abstract musings and his memories of dissected frogs, cats, and pigs, actual human suffering was not something Remus relished. Yet, he still smiled at the woman who was gaily guiding him through the prison that legally Remus himself belonged in.

See, there had always been a certain stereotype about people like him for as long as anyone could remember. After the Heart War of 1963, those stereotypes had been legalized and places like this had been created to enforce the universal truth: everyone had a soulmate. One soulmate. No more and no less.

At least they were supposed to.

But for a universal truth, different things happened at a surprisingly high frequency. There were people who didn’t fit the mold. They were broken. Like Remus.

There were people who grew up to not have any soulmarks. Since soulmarks appearing were the cut off for adulthood, legally these people never became adults. Once they turned 18 and no soulmark presented, they had no legal right to basically anything. They couldn’t own property or make decisions for themselves. They weren’t allowed to attend school anymore, and they couldn’t get jobs. Their parents could decide they didn’t want to deal with them anymore, and if they did so, the soulmarkless people were either put into a shelter or left to die on the streets. Remus wasn’t sure which option was better honestly.

Then there were people with multiple soulmates. They were monsters. They were selfish, immoral, and deranged. For most of his life, Remus had accepted this as fact. He probably would have gone on believing it even after he got two soulmarks himself on his eighteenth birthday. After all, people had been telling him all his life he was a monster.

Then his brother had gotten two as well.

If Remus was the evil twin, Roman was the good one. He was kind and enthusiastic in his love for other people and the world around him. He’d become an EMT during the day and was an actor on the side. His creations brought people joy and happiness. He was everything good in the world. Everything Remus could never quite be.

And he had two soulmates. Just like Remus.

So, fuck the world, honestly. In particular, fuck tour guides cheerily guiding him through the first level of hell who would have definitely run away from him if she’d met him on the street. Would she have jeered at him that he was crazy and disgusting all through middle school? She may have been right, but at least he knew it. He could draw the line between the evil in his head and what he put into the world. Her though? Her head was probably clear as white snow. She probably just followed orders and didn’t think about it. Her brain probably skipped right over the sights and sounds before her and never lingered. Remus thought dark thoughts, but he also didn’t ignore them when they came to life.

“This of course isn’t where you’ll be working,” his guide went on with a grin. “The people up here don’t know anything or already gave up what they do know. So, you’ll really not have much to do with it. You could use it as a reward offer though if you ever want to play good cop.”

This was the reward, Remus wondered with disgust. It wasn’t even a prison. It was a pig pen at best and a slaughterhouse at worst. Human suffering was pouring off these cement walls and, though Remus talked a good game and kept a smile on his face, it turned his stomach.

His brother was probably in one of these pens somewhere and that was the best-case scenario. You’d think, Remus though grimly, that the brother who was an actor would have been the one able to pull off the lie the longest. But no.

“Anyway, that’s the end of the tour. Well, except the two floors downstairs. You’ll need to wait for your pass to get there. It’ll take about two to three days.”

“Can’t wait,” Remus said.

She smiled at him and swiped her keycard to open a door into a much cleaner area before leading him down a hallway. “So, now, I’m going to introduce you to your team. It’s actually a very fun thing!” Fun. “You should be excited to be a part of it. We’re expanding the facility and we’re thinking of separating them all out by class. You’re going to be tasked with helping design a whole new wing for the 4 and ups.”

“Fantastic!” Remus gushed. “I’m surprised you’re letting the new guy in on it.”

“Well, the higher ups wanted fresh ideas for this, so we went out and got people in the tops of their fields specifically for this project,” she explained. “Most of your teammates have been working for us less than a month except for your boss Gavin. He’s been working with us for almost five years and was transferred to this office specifically for this project. Speaking of,” she said swiping her keycard at a door so it opened into a fancy looking office space. “Gavin!” she called. “I have your new interrogator here!”

A man turned and his eyes flickered to Remus. There was something off about him even more so than the sickly-sweet guide who ignored the horrors happening around her every day. He paused for just a moment too long before he gave Remus a wide, predatory smile. “Hello,” he said, his voice smooth and low. He walked over to them. “Gavin,” he introduced himself, his eyes studying Remus intently.

Remus plastered on a smile. “Nice to meet you,” he said with a wink.

Gavin chuckled a bit. “Thank you, Beatrice. I’ll take him from here.”

‘Beatrice’ apparently (Remus hadn’t bothered to learn or remember her name before.), nodded and quickly left the office back the way she’d came.

After that, Gavin showed him around the office, introducing him to normal looking people doing normal looking things. That more than anything he’d seen today make a shiver go up Remus’s spine. They all acted like normal people, but any one of them would happily annihilate Remus on the spot if they learned about the soulmark he hid on his back in addition to the one on his forearm. They’d likely helped harm his brother in some way in the last two weeks over the coffee and donuts in the corner of this very pretty office.

Once Remus had seen most of the office and been introduced to most of the people in it, Gavin led him into a different room off to the side. This room was something out of a science fiction movie. It had a giant screen across an entire wall with a 3-D blueprint pulled up of a building and a bunch of text scrolling down the side. At the console in the center of the room stood a man in a dress shirt and tie.

He turned emotionless eyes on Remus and Gavin as they came into the room. Remus barely kept himself from tensing to run. This man looked dead inside, like someone had stolen his soul and left him an empty husk.

“And this is Logan Berry,” Gavin introduced. “He’s the head architect for this project. You two will likely be working closely for a lot of this venture. Logan, this is Remus Prince. He is an interrogator who will be consulting with us.”

Something flickered across the stoic man’s face, but it was gone in an instant. “Salutations,” Logan said, sticking out his arm.

“Sup,” Remus replied, reaching forward to shake his hand. The moment that they touched, Remus felt warmth bloom across his lower back where he knew his hidden soulmark was. He met Logan’s eyes which were suddenly wide and not nearly as emotionless as they had been just moments before. Terror had immediately broken through whatever mask he’d been wearing. Oh, Remus thought. Remus had just met one of his soulmates, and clearly, he also had more than just one soulmate as well judging by the fear in his eyes. Remus swallowed and pulled away his hand. “Nice to meet you Nerd,” he said with a careless shrug, “or whatever.” He saw Logan take a small breath and then the mask slipped back into place.

“Likewise,” he said, voice impressively monotone.

Gavin clapped his hands once, not seeming to notice anything off. “Well, we have a lot of work to do today gentlemen. Let’s get to it!”

Want to read more? Click below!

AO3 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6

[justslowdown]

Can we see pics of all the doggie? :3

Sure thing! They each have their own tags too, although I just started using them so search on my blog would probably work better

Corvus the mystery mix, who’s Embark should be coming back pretty soon! Evil good boy. Barky bitey. Adores me and a couple people, so silly and cuddly, but risk to life and limb for everyone else

Kai the 1/2 sheltie, 1/2 husky. Chill dude

EDIT: I was going to go back and add to this before I posted but I forgot! He's my heart dog and there's no way to put that into words. He's something special. I've never met a dog like him.

Kestrel, Kai’s daughter, 3/4 husky, 1/4 sheltie. Coming out of the teenage stage, sunny personality, pretty mild mannered for a husky. Way too smart for her own good

Trixie the English shepherd, who will be having Kai’s puppies around Valentine’s day! She’s sweet, devoted, SO loyal, and opinionated. Very herdy controlling personality

and Kiwi the farmcollie style working sheltie! He’s relaxed and polite but super silly and goofy when he’s in the mood

[theaspiringwanderess]

Maligne Pass Trail

(my amazing sister)

The Maligne Pass Trail is a well known, now partially decommissioned trail, located in the world renowned Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada. It is a highly sought after hike, known for its alpine meadows full of amazing wild flowers and spectacular scenery. In 2018 I had the privilege experiencing this amazing and historic trail not only with my sister, but also an impressive group of female backpackers. In total we spent a full 3 day weekend hiking; one day hiking the Potokan Creek Trail to Avalanche Campground where we setup camp, a second day of day-hiking further up the pass, and day 3 hiking back to civilization. 

A Little History Blurb 

There is a significant story nestled in Canadian history about a woman explorer named Mary Schaffer that makes the Maligne Pass Trail just a little bit more magical. You may have never heard of her but, you could almost say little Miss Mary could be credited in large part for the later development of Jasper National Park, literally a Canadian jewel. In Pennsylvania, 1861, then Mary Townsend Sharples was born into a time when it was considered improper for woman to be on expeditions, much less leading them. In 1889, shortly after being introduced to her then future husband, Dr. Charles Schaffer, the two married and began the first of many trips together through the Canadian Rockies. They collaborated on a labour of love, a joint book of regional wildflowers, aptly named ‘Alpine Flora of the Canadian Rockies’ which would eventually be published in 1907 (a historic version can be found online via open Chung Collection of UBC). After Charles’ passing in 1903, Mary set about to complete the guide book in his honour. In her endeavour to do so, she forged relationships, and friendships, with local Nakota tribesman whom assisted in guiding and helping her through her travels, most notably Sampson Beaver and his family. As a result of these expeditions, Mary is considered equally as famous for the “discovery” of Maligne Lake and for being (likely) the first Caucasian person, albiet female none the less, to chart a path to it, as she is for the completion of the botanical guidebook. Her additional, and possibly most famous publication, Old Indian Trails of the Canadian Rockies, recounts her expeditions between 1907-1908 and is credited not only as leading to the protection of the Maligne Lake area, but as being a key, first hand account of social standards of the era. In 1911, a 49 year old Mary was approached by the Geographical Survey of Canada to survey and document the lake area and in doing so name the lake, mountains, peaks and other geographical features for her guides, family, friends and sponsors. You can read more about these details, and Mary, including some fascinating quotes and other points of interest here.  

About the Trail

Our party of 10 tenacious women parked in a parking lot located on the western side of the bridge over the Poboktan creek. We suited up, grabbed our packs and walked over the bridge to the Poboktan Creek Trail Head and began our adventure. The trail primarily tracks alongside the Poboktan until you reach its confluence with Poligne Creek where you will shift direction to head northwesterly along Poligne until you reach Avalanche Campground. Although only an approximate 11 km to our destination at Avalanche, the elevation climbed from about 1540 meters at the trailhead to approximately 2037 meters at the campground itself; it is important to note that the elevation continues to climb as you continue further down the trail past the campsite. The best advice is pack light, the terrain was very firm, I was thankful I had bought some good quality, hiking grade insoles for my Lowa’s, but my feet still came away pretty sore. It took us most of the day at a steady pace (roughly 6 or so hours, not rushing and accounting for brief breaks and lunch riverside) to reach Avalanche. Both black flies and mosquitos are plentiful residents here, so be sure to pack, and liberally apply, a broad spectrum insect repellent (unless maybe you like bitey friends!). 

The creeks provide clean and plentiful water sources all the way to Avalanche, though water tabs are always recommended. In total we passed few other hikers along the way, most closest to the trailhead, including a young couple with a new baby (brave, admirable... Park lifestyle, who knows!); but for the most part, as we ventured into more remote areas, we were on our own and very secluded, passing only two or three other parties the remainder of the weekend. The trail was fairly clear and easy to see, though some of the bridges were not in good shape. Although we were still able to cross at the expected spots, being a partially decommissioned hiking trail means the Park is no longer doing formal maintenance on the trail; bridges may not be upkept or repaired and fallen debris may not be cleared, so be prepared, if necessary, to find safer routes if required. A special reservation must also be made through Parks Canada to stay at the Avalanche Campsite. Only single party reservations for specific time frames will be allowed at a time with a limited number allowed each year. 

(map courtesy Parks Canada)

Wildlife and Plantlife

Oddly enough we actually did not encounter much wildlife on our trek. If you’re like me, wildlife and photography are a huge part of what I enjoy about hiking, so this was a bit unfortunate. I believe this may have had to do most likely with our party size. However the area is very well known for elk, moose, bears (both black and grizzly), cougars, pikas (at higher elevations), ground squirrels and many other amazing creatures. We also spotted some amazing wildflowers including wild columbine, willow, lilies, and much, much more! Even with the lack of animal appearances, trust me, there is no shortage of stunning scenery and photographic opportunities - beauty is literally everywhere.

However, I think its worth mentioning, even if you don’t come across much in the realm of animals, it doesn’t mean they aren’t still around. It is important to ALWAYS remember and exercise bear safety. Ensure you have the proper equipment, this includes bear bells and other noise makers to alert wildlife to your presence, and keeping readily accessible bear spray. Travelling in groups is always recommended, there is safety in numbers and no cell service for emergencies. Do not leave your garbage on the trail and do not bring food or scented items into your tent, this can attract animals of all kinds, including bears, that you may not appreciate sharing your supplies with, or cuddling next to, at night. One of the ladies in our party shared a tale of the time they left their bike helmets outside to dry overnight, only to awaken the next morning to find raccoons eating the salt soaked foam padding (I couldn’t help but imagine it must not have been a comfy wear after that - lol) ... mice, skunks and racoons are also common campground scavengers and have been known to get into even the best hung bear bags. 

(small animal tracks)

Why Decommission Trails? 

This is something I was curious about when I read up on the Maligne Pass Trail. Why suddenly decommission a popular trail with so much history? In short its because of its popularity and the rare and unique wildlife and fauna put at risk by the people traversing through. I learned that it takes years (6+) for the tundra to recoup from a single misplaced step! Obviously this area is special, and because of this Jasper National Park has decided now to make it accessible only to the most well versed and savvy backpackers in hopes that it will remain protected and safe for years to come. This means removing it from common maps and advertising it significantly less. Please be cognoscente of the purpose behind this as you pass through and remember to keep your impact on the area to a minimum. Pack your garbage back with you, burn fires only in provided pits, do not feed or approach the wildlife, and... beware of where you step ;) . 

Avalanche Campsite 

Avalanche Campsite was beyond amazing... I was so saddened to realize I didn’t actually get a good shot of it, so this magical photo of the path into it will just have to do (sorry!). Perched atop a hillside overlooking a bend in the creek, this amazing spot snuck right up on us. There were about 4-5 tent-ready pads. A couple picnic tables and 2 fire pits. There were 2 bear bag hanging areas further to the left of the site (as you face the tent pads) with stainless steel cord and fixing carabineers. There was also a surprisingly nice toilet facility located above and slightly to the right of the tent pads, well concealed in the forest. One of the articles I read prior to the hike describe the facilities as ‘having the best skylight you’d ever seen...” took us a bit to clue in, but rest assured the view is definitely boundless (lol). There was also a pretty sturdy fallen tree across the river that one of the braver ladies turned into an impromptu yoga study... just be sure if you give it a try that your balance is spot on because the water is brisk!

Beyond Avalanche 

After setting up camp, having a hearty meal and crashing for the night, day two was a welcome adventure into the great beyond of The Pass. Ensure you have ample water setting out on your trek as further along the trail you stray away from the creek supply. You will eventually come across some fresh springs and small pothole lakes as you enter the higher altitude, valley-like area just above the tree line. The path leaving the campsite was a bit tricker to find for the first while and winds through some scrub brush and light coniferous forest. Eventually we made our way past this and the path opens up into a small valley-like plain, congratulations, you have set eyes on something few will now see, The Maligne Pass! With peaks on either side and a well trodden, dirt path which passes by a chain of tiny little lakes (almost more the size of large ponds) the wild flowers are stunning and the view is breathtaking. Here you will be treated to an array of various colours of Indian Paint Brush, willows, Alpine Heather, Alpine Aster, Western Pasqueflower, numerous awe inspiring fungi, and I was told by a biologist in our group, a very rare beauty she was literally mind blown to find, known as Teal Gentian, amongst much, much more. 

 We passed much of the day away climbing the nearby mountain peaks, making snow angels and looking down on the stunning view of Maligne Lake which was visible in the distance. We even enjoyed a brief dip in the tiny lake, brief being the operative word since it was also freezing! Having throughly explored The Pass, as the day came to a close we turned around and headed back to base camp. On our way back we came across a young solo German hiker making his way through the valley and continuing along the pass trail. This was worth a mention as we briefly spoke with him and he inquired about safe places (or rather the lack there of at this point) to make a camp and bear proof your supplies. What trees there were, were spindly and not high enough to adequately hang or keep safe a food bag. If you intend on continuing through the trail do keep this in mind as you will need to have enough time to make adequate arrangements to keep you and your supplies safe for the night.

Noteworthy Points

The majority of the women in my party had camel backs (If you’re not familiar, these are large refillable water bottles able to be stored inside your pack). I used two large Nalgine water bottles which were very sufficient but not as easy to access on the fly. After returning I did some research and invested in a Platypus collapsable hydration pack; it just seems so much easier on the move and these babies weigh literally nothing empty (which is a major objective for me!).

Pack sunscreen and be prepared to reapply it mid-day. Although I’d applied ample sunscreen, I found out the hard way that skin burns faster at higher altitudes due to the thinner atmosphere. I was teased by friends the rest of the summer for my awesome half-tanned legs (courtesy of my gaiters).

If you plan on making a base camp as we did at Avalanche and doing some day hiking, consider packing a lightweight, compact daypack or camelback pack.  

While the days were hot (+25/27 celsius), the nights were much colder than I expected. I have a Marmot Womens’ Trestles mummy bag (which I ADORE! it just wish I’d brought the warmer one!) rated for +5 celsius and a charcoal bag liner, and even with layers on (tee shirt, sweat pants, socks, merino wool sweater and leggings) I was STILL cold (much to my surprise and dismay). The mountains can be deceiving, pack warm and consider the temperatures drops significantly at night.

Final Thoughts

I consider this as one of my most favourite hiking experiences to date and I only wish we could’ve spent a bit more time and extended our stay to explore the full trail. The scenery was spectacular and was only made better by the great company. 

You can find more of my photography from the Maligne Pass Trail and more on my website at KatrynaJones.com 

[saranel]

Tagging @mags-duranb, who asked (thank you for the interest btw, it was super sweet. Also, I love your art <3333) :)  I was gonna make a post anyway, but I wanted it to be a timeline photoset hence why I’m not replying directly.

I thought it was about time I gave you guys a nice long update on the purrito, since we have now officially reached 2 months of age as of yesterday!

To answer the requester’s question, SHE is doing just fine xD  That’s right, when we visited the vet about a week ago for the second round of shots, we got visible proof (or rather lack thereof) that we have a little girl in our hands.  This was only a couple of days before I made an insta post announcing the official name, because of course it was. Way to embarass me, kiddo.

So I’d like to introduce you all to Buffy, because hello, so dang pretty, look at that last pic that was taken only yesterday, and she’s also pretty fearless and resourceful, though not necessarily highly intelligent xD  Not a vampire slayer, but an ankle slayer for sure.  I generally post updates on her every couple of days on instagram.

Oh, and, just as a final note on the whole name thing, yes, we still call her purrito from time to time, as well as a thousand other nicknames ;) 

So! On to the update (and an extra... suprise?¿¿??) below the cut:

Buffy’s issues with food have gotten a lot better.  She used to be vicious about meals, meowing and pleading hours before her feeding time.  At first we thought we were perhaps feeding her too little, so we followed the general advice everyone gives re: how much to feed kittens, which is to say we just let her eat her fill.  She did not stop until her belly was so distended I had to physically drag her bowl away.  So we decided to slowly increase her intake whenever we saw she started to get skinny.  Which, given her Longcat status, was so. damn. OFTEN.  Seriously, if she looks malnourished in some pics, I assure you she’s not.  She just grows and grows like a damn weed.

Lately, however, since her weight has reached a healthy plateau, she’s gotten much better about food.  No screaming, no scratching, and she doesn’t really complain before feeding time anymore.  She still follows us whenever we dare visit the kitchen, but hey, it could be worse xD

Something I’ve never mentioned here is that when we first found her, her whiskers were very short and stubby, which we originally attributed to her being very young.  But eventually, we noticed that not only were her brow whiskers much longer, there was a lone whisker next to the stubby ones that was regular-sized, and the shorter ones looked almost... manually cut, if that wakes sense.  A bit of research led us to find out that sometimes, littermates may do this to a runt (bite them off) when they’re competing for mom’s milk, which... not only makes my heart ache for our little buddy, it starts to put her whole attitude toward food into perspective.

Long story short, we were prepared for the possibility that she may forever have issues with food, but she’s been improving constantly.

Other than the food issue, Buffy has grown into a happy, healthy kitty :) She’s up to date on her shots, and we took her to the vet only last week where we got nothing but good news.  

She’s very attached to us, especially me since I work from home and basically see her all day, and though she doesn’t complain and yowl when she’s left alone, she is super cuddly when we return home.  

Given her age, she’s incredibly playful to the point that we get more exhausted playing with her than she does xD She likes climbing all over the place and exploring everything within reach, always looking for new ‘lairs’ and stuffing her butt into every nook and cranny, she loves to chew on cables (which has led us to do some highly creative concealing) and often engages in what we call ‘Crab Dancing’ when she gets excited/territorial during playtime:

( I *****MAY***** have edited this.  Slightly.  For my own amusement.  It’s kinda soporific if you stare at it for too long)

We were glad to see she takes to new (human) acquaintances very well, and she hasn’t (yet) started wreaking havoc in our apartment.  She, has, however,  gotten very bitey during playtime, and it’s ALWAYS playtime, so we’re trying to encourage her to bite on toys instead of our fingers: it’s a sloooooooooow process.  There’s also the possibility that she’s teething a bit early so she’s just constantly looking for relief.  We’ve bought her a few special chew toys that should arrive shortly, and hopefully they’ll help.  Even if it’s still early for her, hey, new toys, amirite? xD

Still, she never lashes out to us in anger/anxiety, not even when we gave her a bath where she was visibly distressed (yes, I know it’s not necessary for cats, but we’d never cleaned her with anything but pet wipes since we rescued her; she needed at least one) and yet she never tried to scratch or bite us.  TL;DR she’s mischievous, but not aggressive outside of playtime.

She’s super long for her age and will most likely be a pretty long kitty when she reaches maturity.  Seriously, y’all, Longcat 2.0:

( USB stick for size comparison, lol )

I’m still bummed my theory that she was part Van doesn’t seem to be true (in my defense, she has something very similar to the characteristic Van spot on her nape!), but hey, less shedding xD She also has a permanent bald spot on her spine now (as we knew she would), where the vet had given her that shot that saved her life back when she got sick.

She’s a sweet little doofus, who thinks she’s really a parrot and likes to perch on our shoulder, and meows the whole time I’m in the kitchen because how dare someone in this household eat when she’s not eating too, and when I ignore her grey-green supplicating eyes she just curls up over my foot while I wash the dishes, and she constantly gets tangled up in our legs and waits for us behind closed doors, and she’s a friggin’ Duracell battery who does.not.tire, and she  tosses half the litter out when she digs, and she loves to take naps with us cuddled right over our chests so our heartbeat can lull her to sleep, and we love her.

Here’s to the next two months :)

Size comparison below, using my hand in both pics.  Then and now :)

Addendum:

Edit: You can keep on reading, but the story has a sad ending, unfortunately :(  

The above was the post I had prepared and was going to post yesterday on Buffy’s 2 month ‘birthday,’ so I’ve left it intact.  However, I would be remiss if I didn’t add this latest development:

For a while now, we’ve been discussing how to deal with Buffy’s inexhaustible energy levels, because we do have other responsibilities, all of whom also require a good night’s sleep, which as you may imagine, has been a bit rare lately.  There’s this saying that the only one who can keep up with a kitten is another kitten, but we were very reluctant to adopt another one, since we’re currently dealing with an imminent move and we weren’t sure if we could even afford it.

Well...................

I found and rescued Buffy.  My partner found and rescued this little guy yesterday:

Five things here:

1) NO THIS WAS NOT PLANNED THIS IS SO BEYOND UNPLANNED I’M WFSJKLSDFJSKDHFSDKJ

2) MY PARTNER DIDN’T EVEN FIND HIM IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD HE WAS VISITING HIS MOM ASJKFDHLSADGHFDDFAS

3) WE SERIOUSLY DON’T KNOW IF WE’RE KEEPING HIM.  SERIOUSLY.L

4) YEAH I KNOW YOU CAN’T REALLY SEE MUCH LMAO EVEN HIS WHISKERS ARE BLACK JFC BUT I DIDN’T WANNA SCARE HIM SO I DIDN’T USE FLASH

5) 31 FUCKIN YEARS WITH NO KITTENS AND NOW TWQO, TWO KITTENS WTFFFFFFFF ITS RAINING KITTENS PRAISE BE TO BASTET i guess?? wtffffffffff

*breathes into a paper bag*

I’m going to be even more reluctant to make any grand claims than I was when we found Buffy, because this little dude (this one is a dude, indeed) is in pretty bad shape.  Though she’d been abandoned, Buffy was very clean and hale when we found her, even if she was a bit small and underfed.  

This one though... poor little soot sprite is all skin and bones, he was flea-ridden until we took him to the vet, he’s filthy, he’s terrified and has a bum leg from some sort of accident.  We didn’t even have a plan yesterday when my partner found him, but we figured since we had a lot of leftover milk powder and kitten pate from Buffy, we might as well feed up this little orphan. 

It took some coaxing with a syringe, but he got a bit of milk down which got his appetite going and we were able to feed him some pate.  He actually ate a fair bit, which is encouraging.  We know for a fact he was abandoned by his mom, btw, she’s still roaming around the neighborhood but refusing to tend to him since he’s already older than 4 weeks (maybe 1,5 month old max).  Just two weeks younger than Buffy.  After he got some food down, we took him to our vet, who was reserved but cautiously optimistic even for the leg.  He made us no promises, of course, and he advised we prepare ourselves for the possibility that he might not make it.

We’ve now had him for just under a day and he’s been improving.  He was very scared at first, hissy when I went near him, and the first time I fed him at home, the new environment had stressed him out to the point that I had to use a syringe again to get him to eat.  And yeah, we’ve had to keep him isolated ofc to protect Buffy (and him, omg, she’s literally twice his size in weight, no exaggeration, and most likely a social dunce with other kittes, she would destroy him).  I’ll be able to give him a bath tomorrow afternoon after the 48hr clock on the flea medicine runs out, which is yet another reason we had to isolate him.  Today, he’s been getting less and less reserved around me and he hasn’t needed to be force fed once, he’s been downing pate like no-one’s business.  I weighed him earlier and found he’d gained about 40-50 grams, a number I offer cautiously as both weighings at the vet and today aren’t entirely accurate, because squirmy kitty.  Still, he’s gained weight, even if only a little.   

Buffy can tell something’s up, since we basically had to move her litterbox and feeding area and haven’t let her in that room since.  It’s been... an adjustment xD But she bounces back admirably fast, she didn’t even bat an eyelash at the change; she’s just curious to discover what we’re hiding from her, obviously.  She’s probably heard him meowing, too.

We honestly have no clue what we’ll do with him.  Taking it one day at a time.  He might not make it at all, and even if he does, he may never get along with Buffy, in which case we’ll have to give him away for both their sakes.  I’m not gonna lie, money is a concern.  Research tells me at their age and beyond the cost isn’t prohibiting, not even double that of a single cat.  So if he doesn’t require any costly meds, we can afford him, especially since Buffy can now eat dry food (and so will he in a couple of weeks).  This, again, is all hinging on a) him not having any serious, contagious illnesses, and b) him and Buffy getting along.  In the long run, we know it would be way better for Buffy to have a companion to play and cuddle with, but we have to be realistic and prepare for the worst for now.

Soot sprite is a little cutie, he has the softest, most plaintive meow and there’s even hope for his little leg down the road (though honestly, that’s the last thing that concerns us; even in his current state, he’s perfectly mobile).  His eyes, too, should get better with time if he grows healthier. 

SO WE’LL SEE.  RN I am beyond stressed and reserved, but also kinda hopeful. *sigh*  

[ssteezyy]

Cat Behaviorist Mikel Delgado Answers May’s Questions

Last month, we launched our new “Ask the Cat Behaviorist with Mikel Delgado” segment. Once a month, we’ll post a reminder for you to post your questions for Mikel. She’ll answer as many of them as he can each month, and I’ll publish her answers in a subsequent post.

Mikel is a Certified Cat Behavior Consultant at Feline Minds, offering on-site consultations for cat guardians, shelters, and pet-related businesses in the San Francisco Bay Area, and remote consultations around the world. She is currently completing her PhD in Psychology at UC Berkeley, where she studies animal behavior and human-pet relationships.

Sleep deprived cat guardians

I am becoming sleep deprived! My Kat wants my attention all during the night, yowling and pushing at me. Could close door but she doesn’t like closed door. She refuses to play at bedtime to tire her out..I need my sleep! (Patricia LeBlanc)

Dear Mikel, I adopted 5 yo littermates Bo & Ellie last summer (days after saying goodbye to my 19 yo Evi). Their daddy, who’d raised them together from the age of 6 weeks with a ton of love, was being shipped overseas and they were in desperate need of a home together, so in they moved. The problem is the habit dear BoBo has of meowing ever so loudly outside my bedroom door every morning starting around 5:30am. I’ve been sleep deprived since they moved in. Sadly I must keep my bedroom door shut because I’m allergic to cats. I adore cats, have always had cats, will always have cats, but I have to sleep in a “clean room” to prevent attacks of allergy-induced asthma. These kitties always slept on their daddy’s bed, so being shut out of the bedroom now must make them feel sad, lonely, forlorn, confused. I’d hoped they’d just get used to the new normal, but nothing’s changed in 9 months. I leave plenty of food out before I go to bed, and there’s usually some left in the morning, so it’s about attention, not food. I do give them a long play session at night to tire them out. Earplugs fall out by morning. I tried to just ignore it and stay in bed, knowing that if I got up when the meowing started then I was just cementing this bad habit — but he won’t stop meowing (I waited 90 minutes once!), and eventually I do have to get up for the day — so of course he’s learned that if he continues meowing, mama will get up. Apparently they’re 1/2 Siamese (and 1/2 Maine Coon), so that might explain some of the vocal volume. Help! I’m sooooo sleepy. Thank you! (Karin Moore)

Mikel:

Patricia and Karin,

Your complaints are similar enough that I’m going to address them together. Cats waking up their humans in the middle of the night is one of the most common reasons I’m called for help. Sleep deprivation takes its toll, on our well-being, and on our relationship with our cats!

This behavior is usually being maintained for a few reasons, the key ones being that the cat gets something out of it and that they aren’t sleepy when we are – and so they need a “schedule shift.” Sometimes the situation is complicated by the fact that there has been a change (such as with Karin’s kitties, where they were used to sleeping on the bed) or a housing situation or cat that doesn’t allow for the cats to be separated from humans at night.

So, to sleep through the night: the first step is to keep the cat more active throughout the day, and for some cats this means more than just a play session at bedtime. Food puzzles, bird feeders attached to a window, and vertical space can encourage more activity during the day. At least one or two daily play sessions with interactive toys will help.

Patricia, I wasn’t sure if Kat is only difficult to play with at night – so there may be a special toy that you reserve for a night time play session, OR you may want to shift your feeding schedule so she plays FIRST, then gets a meal. A lot of humans feed their cats first thing when they get home from work, and it can be difficult to get cats to play when they’ve recently had a meal – just like we don’t like to exercise with a full tummy!

Food can also get cats more on your schedule. I recommend meal feeding (or some variation thereof) so that your cat has exercise and the largest meal of the day shortly before your bedtime. That will make them more likely to settle down for the night. If you don’t want to meal feed, then perhaps pick and choose when your cat has food freely available, picking up their bowls in the early evening so they are hungry at bedtime.

Now is when things get a little gnarly. To really stop this behavior, you have to ignore it consistently. If you give in after 5, 10, or even worse, 90 minutes, then you have just rewarded persistence. Now it is true, Karin, that at some point, you have to get out of bed. Why not use clicker training and reward your cat for going to a perch when you leave the bedroom – only click when he has settled and stopped meowing. You can reward with treats or praise.

A few other things that may help you out: a piece of cardboard with double-sided carpet tape outside your bedroom door will make your cats less likely to sit there (just be careful not to step on it when you get up!). I’ve also found that a heated bed that is turned on only at night can be really helpful for getting cats to give up their human sleeping habit – turns out a lot of them just use us for body heat! Also, I’m a light sleeper, so I use an air filter for white noise, which helps me sleep, and might dull some of those annoying middle of the night meows!

Male feral cat is aggressive with other feral cats and stalks caregiver

I have a small colony of feral cats that I care for and have my own indoor cats that go outside. A male cat joined the colony early this year I had him trapped and neutered but 4 months later he has become very aggressive with the other ferals and my own cats as well – I have the feeding stations on the perimeter of my property but now he will stalk me and my cats near the front door. Is there anything that I can do short of relocating him to tone down his aggressive behavior? Thanks! ( Karen Aseltine)

Mikel:

Hi Karen,

Unfortunately, some cats are more territorial than others – and it is natural for cats to be wary of other cats. I think I would need a bit more information about the interactions and what type of behavior he is displaying to give you concrete advice. The fact that he “stalks” you, suggests to me that he is at least a little bit socialized. This is also complicated by the fact that your own cats spend time outside, so tactics that might keep him away from your front door (such as the motion-sensitive air cans) would also be unpleasant for your own cats.

What might help: spacing out resources so that the ferals’ feeding stations have plenty of space between them. Encourage him to get his needs met as far away from your home as possible (or even off your property). If you can set up any deterrents, in areas that your cats do not go, you might be keep him from getting to comfortable. If he is friendly enough, you might try giving him some playtime with feather wands (yes, you can try them with outdoor cats) to blow off some of his steam, especially if there are particular times of day that he tends to be more aggressive toward the other cats.

Unfortunately, when we let our own cats outside, it makes it complicated to manage what happens outdoors. You might want to consider keeping your own cats indoors part time so that you can set up deterrents to let the ferals know that your home is off limits. I would not rule out relocating, but we also know that for cats in colonies, it often takes several months and several attempts for them to accept each other, so it’s possible that time will heal some of these wounds.

Kitten suckles and kneads on everything, bites and claws

Hi my name is Cindi and we just got a kitten and i think he was weaned too early he suckles and kneads on everything including us(me my fiancé n my 9yo son) also how do i get mittens to stop bitting n clawing us it getting bad we tried the use toy instead of fingers thing and still bites us all the time thank you. (Cindi)

Mikel:

Hi Cindi!

I feel strongly that kittens need a buddy – have you considered adopting a second kitten? This will allow your kitten to have another kitty to take out all that biting and rough play on. Cats can communicate “you’ve gone too far” much more easily with each other than we can with them. If she gets too “bitey,” it’s best to just walk away than try to correct her. Over time, she’ll learn that if she is too rough, she will lose your attention. Be sure not to force her to be held or petted at times that she would rather be playing!

Kittens are at the stage of life where they are going to be most active and they do need a lot of playtime with interactive toys – so things that keep your hands far away from the biting activity, like feather wands (these toy should be kept away from kittens when not being directly supervised), are best.

In regards to the nursing and kneading, your kitten may also benefit from some appropriate toys that let her chew and kick, like kick bag style toys. Cat grass can be another way to give cats an outlet for oral behaviors that might be related to early weaning.

All that said, I still think it would be great to adopt another kitten. Although it sounds like it would be more work, in most cases, the kittens keep each other busy and it ends up being less work for the humans. Plus your kitten has the possibility of a life-long companion of her own species!

Demanding cat won’t stop screaming

Oh if only you could get my cat to stop screaming. She wants her way…to overeat, go outside, whatever…it’s always something….mostly food. She was about double her ideal weight when I got her 4 years ago. I cut back on her food, let her roam outside when I was at home and the weight came off in about 9 months. Now the neighbor got a sport’s car with a cover and she ripped through 3 of them that I had to pay for…so now she can’t roam free outside. I try to walk her supervised every day for a bit before one of her 3 mealtimes. That is the only way to get her back indoors…she is so food driven. But she screams constantly about 2 hours before her next meal. It is driving me crazy so I try to outscream her…send her to the bedroom but she just screams in there! What can I do to get her to stop? I have NEVER had this issue with ANY of my other cats before. Thank you! (Samantha Sandy)

Mikel:

Hi Samantha!

Cats who scream can be really annoying. Unfortunately, they are really hard to ignore so they are often reinforced for their behavior – either because the owner “talks back” or gives in to the cats demands for food or to go outside. Another reason that cats meow incessantly is because they are bored. She needs to be kept busy and occupied enough that meowing for other things doesn’t occur to her!

You didn’t mention your cat’s age, but excessive vocalization and weight loss can be related to medical issues, so if your cat hasn’t had a yearly vet check, it would be worth bringing her in and mentioning the behavior.

It’s great that you are taking her on daily walks! But I think it’s time to give her some more mental stimulation and challenges to keep her busy. Since she is SO food motivated, why not get her working some food puzzles. Cats like this should not get ANY of their food for free. Every bite must be worked for or earned – which brings me to another suggestion. Cats that are food motivated and restless are often perfect candidates for clicker training. You can use the clicker to communicate with her that you like when she is NOT meowing – and you can also train other basic behaviors, such as sitting quietly before meals, or cute parlor tricks like “sit” and “high five.” What I like about clicker training is that it gives cat parents a way to give their cat attention for good behavior instead of responding to their cats when they are being annoying. There are many great resources for clicker training available online or in your local bookstore!

Since she has transitioned to more time indoors, I would also recommend boosting other types of enrichment – such as vertical space, window perches, bird feeders to watch, and playtime with interactive toys. Try to tire her out once or twice a day to help her be more relaxed…and IGNORE the meowing. Trust me, it will be hard at first, but if she gets nothing from meowing, she will do it less.

21-year-old cat won’t play anymore

I have a 21 year old female, Chloe. Chloe doesn’t play anymore. The vet says she’s healthy. I’ve tried several kinds of toys, the feathers, a ball on a stick, catnip mice (she used to play with those.). I just can not get her to play. Is it age related? How can I give he the mental stimulaton she needs? (Rebecca)

Mikel:

Hi Rebecca!

Congrats on Chloe living to such a wonderful senior age! I adore elderly cats, and I’m glad she is healthy. When playing with senior cats, it’s important to change your mind set on what play looks like – it might not be backflips or active chasing. In this case, the goal is mental engagement. That might mean just watching the toy, it might mean occasionally pawing at the toy. More activity than that would certainly be a bonus.

To get seniors more engaged, I recommend using small, quiet toys, such as a cat dancer or feather wand – but try moving it vvvveeeerrrrrrrrryyyy slowly – and try moving the toy under a towel or piece of tissue paper – that is often irresistible!

Most senior cats love warmth and looking out the window, so a bird feeder in a sunny window with a heated bed would probably be dreamy for Chloe. You can try encouraging her to use a food puzzle for treats – if she is very food motivated you could try them for some of her meals, but with most seniors we want to encourage them to eat as much as they want, so check with your vet about whether food puzzles might work for some of her meals. Other enrichment could include cat grass, self-grooming corner combers, and the HexBug Nano cat toy, which is my favorite “automatic” cat toy as it is small and quiet.

I hope you get to enjoy plenty more time with Chloe!

Cat likes to roll in freshly scooped litter box

After I scoop the litterbox my cat Bandit likes to go roll in it. Why does he do this and is there anything that I can do to stop this behavior? (Lorraine Anderson)

Mikel:

Lorraine,

Thank you for the question that made me smile. There are definitely some quirky behaviors that are hard to explain! Many cats do like to roll in dirt, this behavior not only feels good, but in the wild, it might have some protective effects, like preventing parasites or helping cats cool off. Cats may also roll to mark an area with their scent glands.

One possibility would be to harness train Bandit and take him out for a walk around the time you clean the litter box – so he can roll in some dirt rather than used kitty litter. Tactile enrichment, such as the CatIt Spa or corner groomers would give him some other ways to scratch that itch and spread his scent around. More playtime with interactive toys after cleaning the litter box might be a nice distraction for him. Finally, you could consider trying a different brand of kitty litter – although when changing litter, we always recommend doing so gradually and offering choices!

Interview of Mikel Delgado with David Feldman

Wow, everyday issues and answers, purrfect to share. I listened to an interview of Mikel Delgado with David Feldman just yesterday, full of information. (Bernadette)

Mikel:

Thank you for your kind words, Bernadette! David Feldman was a really nice guy, I had a lot of fun doing that interview!

Leash training a cat

Hi, I recently adopted 3 yo Peanut the cat from a rescue. We think he use to have a home but got lost or dumped at a feral colony. He is confident (tail always high in the air) and curious. He doesn’t mind being picked up tho he is very independent (not a lap cat) and sleeps at the foot of the bed. I would love to leash train him and I think he has the right personality but when I tried it once (no issues wearing the harness) he growled whenever I touched him while he was exploring (but he wasn’t pulling away). It concerned me enough that I took him back inside and he fought me (no injuries). Do you have any thoughts or suggestions on how to make this work? (Tanya)

Mikel:

Tanya,

Thank you for adopting a rescue kitty! Peanut sounds adorable. It sounds like when he’s outside he gets pretty focused on the task at hand (exploring) and doesn’t want to be disturbed. Since he doesn’t have any problem with wearing the harness (sometimes that is half the battle), I think that you could use clicker training to help Peanut understand that when he is on his lead, he should follow (and focus on) you when you call him. Target training in particular can show him that following a target will lead to rewards. These exercises need to be practiced indoors first so that he understands the task at hand – because once he is outside he is going to be distracted by all the things to check out there. But a solid base of training will help mitigate some of the effects of all that distraction!

When he is outside, avoid touching him, but instead use the target or other lure (toy or treats) to encourage him back indoors. I would pick him up only if you must. Start with very short ventures outside and keep the lead short at first so that it won’t be too difficult to lure him back in. As he gets more used to being outside, you can increase his time and range. Finally, try taking him outdoors before meals, when he’s a little hungry, so he is motivated to come back inside for food or treats.

Learning from responses to concerned cat parents’ issues

This is my first time reading your column, and I felt very educated by your responses. Thank you for giving well thought out replies to these concerned cat parents! (Jean McCormic)

Mikel:

Jean, thank you for reading! It’s a great place to be sharing information about cats!

Do you have a question for Mikel? Leave it in a comment!

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