#the vet let me walk someone else’s dog

[cygnus-is-tired]

Guess who has a bladder infection!!

[pastafossa]

Something really special and tear inducing happened with Pip today.

(TW for pet loss, not mine but someone else's)

So we were going into the vet for a quick shot he needed, and for a final check on the cut on his leg. So me and him got there pretty close to closing (final appointment of the day), around 3:45 when it closed at 4. And as I'm walking in, I pass a woman hurrying out. She's in tears, and my heart just breaks for her. She gives Pippin a quick, 'hi puppy' and shaky pet in passing.

But then we go through the door into the waiting room. And another woman is sitting there on the bench, cradling a small collar and just sobbing. Sure enough, the little candle is lit up on the counter for pet loss. And I'm not sure what to do - do I offer a hug? Tell her I'm sorry for her loss?

But Pippin decided he knew what to do.

I need you to understand Pip for a second. He has been with us for 3 weeks. The rescue/foster before us had him for 6. This dog is only 9 weeks removed from that horrible farm where he was beaten, neglected, and left outside by himself at all hours and seasons. He did not have love or training. So, he's learning. He still jumps a bit, paws at people. He walks ok on a leash, like he'll pull but not yank, and he's easily distracted. Easily excited by love or attention because he's not used to it. I do not think this dog has ever seen someone cry. He has not been trained to know what to do when someone is upset.

So there's Pip, seeing this distraught woman sobbing in front of him, with - as far as we know - no experience or context he could make a decision by.

In a heartbeat, I'm yanked across the room - something he does not do - so he can reach this woman. He abruptly slows for the final approach, tail gently wagging, and very softly nuzzles at her in a way I haven't seen him do before. And this poor woman reaches down, carefully cradles Pip's head, and whispers, "hi baby, soft boy. My boy was soft too."

And then she just... cries with him, her head on his.

I glance at the receptionist (who may have teared a little like I had) and I kinda tip my head towards them, a 'can I wait to check in?'. I get a nod, and a mouthed, 'we can wait.'

So I just sat down quietly next to her. Let her cry and pet him. He'd done his big lean on her legs with his head in her lap, carefully adjusting whenever she did. After about five minutes she told us - me and Pip - about her dog. 18 years old, one she'd had since he was a puppy. She showed Pip her dog's collar, and showed me pictures on her phone of this dog, a cute little white fluffball with a HUGE doggy grin. And she pets Pippin more, and asks about him - his name, how long we've had him, whether he can sit yet because her boy took a bit to learn. We talk about Pip's skinny head and I get a watery laugh out of her when I tell her I call him corndog brain since I'm pretty sure the only way a brain could fit in his long narrow head was if it was corndog-shaped and went down his snout. We're there for about fifteen minutes before a tech comes out with nose and paw prints and she stands up. Pippin stays right with her, leaning calmly against her side as she takes the prints, her fingers buried in all the fluff around his neck. She gets a hug from the tech, and then leans down to do the same to Pip. And before she goes (Pippin trying very much to follow), she looks at me and just quietly says, '...thank you for letting me borrow him. I needed that.'

I have no idea how Pippin knew what to do, or how he can be like this even after being treated the way he was. But I'm really glad he could help that woman.

[milkweedtussocktubers]

An Extensive "What Now?" List

So, I made a list. A very extensive "Trump Is President-Elect. What Now?" list. And it's fucking ten pages long and I know it's incomplete, because I am white, and multi-gender, and own my own home, and live in a blue state with enshrined abortion rights and so honestly can't know everything that needs to be on that list. BUT I'm posting what I've got so far. I'll also post the link, because it's a Google Doc that I'm continuously updating and sharing. PLEASE do not take my word as gospel - comment, add, share, spread, correct, message me. This is just a jumping off point, because so many of my friends wanted an action plan. All links except the What If Trump Wins? website are credited to @creature-wizard; they don't know it, but I read their posts and find their work very helpful, so I hope they don't mind that I included some of their links and info. Better than reinventing the wheel.

So THIS is the link:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/10zzAchLDd_NeqpWQXixmNQpH6X5ZsGpHRVsojx38Las/edit?tab=t.0

TRUMP IS PRESIDENT-ELECT. NOW WHAT?

I put together a list of ideas that I hope folks find inspiration in. This can be a personal action plan, a path towards resistance, or just an opportunity to feel a bit better. I welcome all thoughts, suggestions and changes. Please note that I am writing this from the perspective of a white, multi-gender farmer, and that will color and inhibit my ability to see certain issues or solutions. This is not a complete list, but can be a jumping-off point.

I've found this website incredibly helpful: https://whatiftrumpwins.org. All links found within this document are credited to @creature-wizard on Tumblr. 

COMMUNITY AND PUBLIC SERVICE 

Community ties are the most important things we’ve got - that’s where our strength lies. All those small-scale mutual aid projects? That’s what’s going to make life possible on the day to day. So: 

Take a deep breath, and knock on someone’s door. 

Check in with your neighbors - this can be a scheduled date, or just swinging by with an extra loaf of zucchini bread, or chatting over the garden fence. 

Offer to help someone with a simple task - cleaning gutters, building a raised bed, taking their dog to the vet.

Create a carpool system. 

Set up little libraries, freezers and fridges. 

Develop a list of ten local people you trust, with their contact information, and who you know will try to help you. Put the list in your phone, on your fridge, in your wallet. Put yourself on someone else’s list, and commit to it. 

Make friends and meet up with them on a regular basis. Have tea, cook together, go for walks, play video games. Just be there consistently. 

Open your house once a month for community get-togethers. Maybe these are queer/women/BIPOC-only safe spaces, maybe they’re street-wide potlucks. Maybe you make art while crying together. Maybe you binge-watch Lord of the Rings, eat popcorn and share joy.

Think about starting Swaps with your community. Swaps of clothing you don’t need anymore. Swaps of home-made food, seeds, plants or artwork. Swaps of household goods. Get yourself trading and sharing with each other. 

Get a roommate or two. It’ll help each of you save money, reduce loneliness, and might save someone from becoming unhoused. Don't feel obligated to retain that roommate if it's negatively impacting you. This is about a healthy present in a chaotic world, not a desperate act that results in abuse and destruction.

Libraries are funded in large part based on the number of cards they hand out, not books. Get a library card, even if you never use it. Many libraries let you apply online. If your library isn’t physically accessible, or you can’t safely leave your home but you have a cellphone, download the Libby app for books and audiobooks. It’s free, you just need your library card number. If you live or have an address in New York State, you can also get cards to the Brooklyn Public Library and NYC Public Libraries.

Places to volunteer: libraries, hospitals, schools, mental health hotlines, small farms and community gardens, animal shelters, food pantries, mutual aid organizations, medical clinics, harm reduction centers, fire stations, emergency rescue services. 

Advocate for handicapped accessibility in all public spaces. Does your library have a ramp? Your local co-op? Your house? Learn what your disabled community members needs are that are not being met, because it will get worse. 

Do you have skills that can contribute in new ways? For instance, if you're a great bike mechanic, I'll bet you can fix wheelchairs. If you're an electrician, you could help with your neighbor's solar system. If you're handy with a sewing machine, you can make flags and banners.

Keep it local - donate to the after-school music program in your town instead of, say, Planned Parenthood. National organizations will be getting a flood of funding from concerned citizens right now, but local organizations are often more effective and know their community’s needs more intimately.

If you want to participate but in person is too much, or not accessible, go to Zoom meetings. Call or email folks. Perform online tasks, or put up posters.

If you're not sure what you can offer, just ask what people need. Sometimes someone needs their dogs walked, or an emergency baby-sitter. Sometimes a non-profit needs someone to table at an event. Perhaps someone wants a logo designed, or just someone to keep them company. It doesn't have to seem big to you; it could still mean the world to someone else.

Online communities are just as important, and often more accessible. Make the space and time for those meet-ups, whether you’re messaging folks, playing video games together, or finding forums and inspiration. 

Become a safe person for those who need to go back in the closet, or who need to trust someone with their sexuality or gender. 

Run for local office, or sit on the school board. Be the opposing voice in a conservative group.

If you feel safe doing it: advertise. Put up every damn flag at your house except the American flag. Pride, Black Lives Matter, feminism, Earth first, land back - become a visible beacon of safety and hope. If you are still safe, now is NOT the time to go underground. Now is the time to find your people, and be someone for others. So flags, volunteering, barter, lending, carpooling, offering tea, offering your guest room. Make the connections.

The more we connect with and care for our neighbors, the more our neighbors will connect with and care for us. Let’s strengthen and widen our circles. 

*I recognize that for many, much of what I offer can be a genuine safety concern. Sometimes housemates are abusive. Sometimes neighbors threaten you with guns. Use your own discretion and trust your instincts. 

ENVIRONMENT

Small plots of ecological sanctuary make a huge difference. You can plant flowers, collect rainwater, start a compost bin, let your lawn grow, build a hedgerow. Stop spraying pesticides, pick up litter, plant a garden, research native species, celebrate milkweed…

Volunteer or donate to a local conservation organization. 

Visit a park or go for a hike. Visit a local protected zone and learn about the ecosystem with whom you live. Discover your watershed. 

Learn about local pollutants and advocate for protections. Check out your city’s water health publications. 

Question the installation of new businesses, factories and industries. How will they impact the air, water, soil and human health? Protest them with your friends - on a local level, it actually only takes a few hundred people to make waves. I’ve seen huge projects stopped because my friends sat in on every town hall meeting.

Become a citizen scientist - birdwatch, identify local plants and animals, track the weather and then report your findings to naturalist organizations. The Merlin App is a free app that matches birdcalls to the birds in your backyard, iNaturalist takes really accurate photos and identifies them. It can become a whole hobby that also helps maintain consistent scientific data. 

Get your generator in working order. Storms are gonna get worse and you'll need it when the lights go out. Batteries, light bulbs, candles. Get them now. Prepare as if for a blizzard or tornado.

Consider an air filter or a gas mask for after the Clean Air Act is repealed.

Find out whether or not you’re in a flood or hurricane zone, or if you will be in one as climate change continues. What can you do to prepare for or mitigate the damage?

MENTAL AND EMOTIONAL HEALTH 

Remember that you are WORTHY of receiving gifts and help. Allow yourself to receive help with grace. ASK when you need help, even if you’re not quite sure what you need. 

Eat a lot of food and drink plenty of water; your stressed mindset will make you burn calories. 

Treat yourself. Maybe that means binging television, or buying a cute pair of earrings, or taking a bike ride to your favorite place, or resting in the bath with some fancy soaps. 

Don't isolate. Meet friends for coffee, or Ultimate Frisbee, or to learn to make a cake together. 

Create joy. 

         Don’t Hesitate by Mary Oliver

If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy, don’t hesitate. Give in to it. There are plenty of lives and whole towns destroyed or about to be. We are not wise, and not very often kind. And much can never be redeemed. Still, life has some possibility left. Perhaps this is its way of fighting back, that sometimes something happens better than all the riches or power in the world. It could be anything, but very likely you notice it in the instant when love begins. Anyway, that’s often the case. Anyway, whatever it is, don’t be afraid of its plenty. Joy is not made to be a crumb.

Greet the sun. Listen to the stars. Breathe with the trees. Lay in the grass. Cuddle a cat. Talk with the moon. Find a new book. Take up knitting. Make music. Journal. Make art. 

Have set days each week for long-distance friends, and check in with each other at least once a week. Send them care packages. Ask for care packages.

Accept that you will not do everything every day, that some days you will stay in bed until one, eat ice cream in your pajamas and just nap with the dog. That is real and beautiful. That chance to relax? That's something they're trying to take away from us. Rest and relaxation and hammocks and good books are all at risk, so enjoying them is also revolutionary. It's important to keep normalcy alive.

Think about your boundaries. Are you, for instance, comfortable housing someone in need? Comfortable helping someone through grief? It's okay if not. But find those boundaries so that you don't overtax yourself.

ART AND MEDIA

Download all of your favorite online media that feature queerness, whether it’s videos, fanfiction or artwork. If content featuring LGBTQ+ becomes listed as porn, and porn is banned, then sites like AO3 will have to wipe all of it from their listings. Contact the creators and see what support you can offer each other.

Find a list of banned books and obtain them somehow so that there are physical copies for when the online sites are shut down. 

Make your own art, and share it!

Don't be shy about your presence, and use art to make your presence known. Slap rainbow stickers on every telephone pole, spray paint a building wall with Black Lives Matter murals, knit a cozy sweater that doubles as a pronoun pin. Write a play that centers around the Land Back fights. Host an impromptu concert in the park, and invite the audience to donate to their local library fund.

PHYSICAL HEALTH AND REPRODUCTION 

Get a medical alert bracelet or have a medical alert card in your wallet. This way, no matter where you are, if you’re unconscious and sent to the ER, EMTs and staff know of your allergies and needs.  For instance, I’m allergic to penicillin, have low vitamin D and take St John’s Wort, a powerful herbal SSRI that could interfere with drugs. 

Find your state’s free Narcan programs, and request Narcan and drug testing strips so that you have them on hand if an emergency arises. 

Get a stockpile of COVID tests, decent masks, and if you plan to get the vaccines, do it now. 

Do not use a period tracking app; do nothing to alert the government to your reproductive medical needs. Unless it’s medically relevant, do not tell your doctor the date of your last menstrual cycle. Pay for all medical needs possible with cash, whether it’s Plan B off the shelf or a co-pay on a prescription. 

If you have any prescriptions, get them refilled as soon as possible. Get extras if you can.  

Get all your birth control needs met now. Implants and IUDs last for years, but if the IUD shifts, you will need medical assistance, so keep that in mind. 

Stock up on condoms and dental dams, get your STD screenings and all similar or related procedures, like colposcopies, mammograms and biopsies done now. 

Consider whether or not you need PrEP for HIV prevention. If you’re at risk but don’t have insurance, there are over-the-counter HIV test kits. They ARE pricey, though.

Stock up on pads and tampons or switch to cloth pads, period underwear or cups. They last at least six years. Cups take less water to clean, though. 

If you're planning to get yourself, your kids or your pets vaccines, do it before January. 

Those who don't want to have kids for the next four years and for whom it’s medically viable should consider a vasectomy. They're reversible, and no one gets stuck with an expected pregnancy. Tube tying is generally irreversible and reversal only has about a 50 percent success rate, depending on how the original procedure was done.

Stock up on basic first aid supplies and educate yourself in basic med training, like CPR, the Heimlich and how to treat pepper spray in the eyes (lots of water). Maybe you’ll find yourself at a protest and your friends get hurt, and you want to be able to help. Perhaps it’s an emergency and there are no safe options to call for help. 

Carry antihistamines with you, even if you don’t have allergies - the woman outside your local coffee shop may not be able to afford an Epi-Pen and you could be the one that keeps her alive long enough for the ambulance to get there. 

Get an umbrella, face mask,bullet-proof vest, and goggles, especially if you are considering joining a protest. Pepper spray, rubber bullets, shrapnel and real bullets are no joke and will be used against you. 

ECONOMICS AND RESOURCES

Invest in wood heating - real wood, not a pellet stove. When fuel prices go up, you will need to have a reliable source of heat. Best to get a wood cook stove. Investigate masonry or rocket stoves because they are very efficient and often can be built by a local company and don't rely on steel, which will also go up as more tariffs are implemented

Put some cash aside outside the bank. Put money in a high interest savings account, but NOT a CD.

Take your car to the mechanic now. Buy snow tires and get your vehicle in working order, because parts will skyrocket in price. 

In your trunk, put together a box of: motor oil, windshield fluid, a small empty gas tank, two gallons of fresh water, brake fluid, tire changing kit, tire pump - anything your car needs. Get two of everything. Have another crate with a blanket, gloves, $200 cash, dishware, a dog leash, some jars or Tupperware. That's for you, if you're in an emergency, want to bring home food, or need to rescue a stray dog. Put a snow shovel in, both for digging yourself out and for moving turtles.

Having a working bike with a tow-behind trailer is an asset, especially as gas and car parts rise in price.

Apply for food stamps, heating assistance, energy discounts, phone discounts, and health insurance now, so you have it for as long as possible before they cut programs.

Anyone close to being able to retire and collect on retirement should consider how that might impact their finances. It might be best to retire early, if you can collect.

Get all your fuel tanks filled now. Propane, oil, kerosene. Even gas stoves, and make sure they're in working order. 

Snail mail will be safer than online communications. Stock up on stamps; sometimes you can get discounts on the USPS website. If you’re sending a lot of packages, try PirateShip.com for discounts. 

FOOD AND WATER

Grow and preserve your own. Learn to cook and share with friends. Start or join a garden club or urban garden. Talk to farmers, read books, watch videos. 

Start looking around your area to see where you can wild harvest. Come Autumn, will you be able to harvest apples from the trees in the city park, or the old farmyard? Rose hips from the bushes along the sidewalk? In the Spring, dandelion leaves from your backyard?

Save seeds. Preserving specific varieties is good, but all seeds are valuable. 

Get a water filter, even if it’s just a water bottle filter. Save it for AFTER the Clean Water Act is slashed, unless your water is already too contaminated to wait. 

Find out how to buy local foods, because tariffs will raise the price of all international goods.

Stock up on food that has to cross a border, like black pepper, chocolate and coffee. Those are my top three, anyway. 

Find a space in your house to use as a root cellar, where it’s cool and damp and dark. Root crops, winter crops and fruits will store longer. You don't have to doomstock, but it's important to have a stored base until your community is strong enough to create its own food. So if during the Winter, you can't grow food, you have a few months supply until it's warm enough to grow again.

Learn how to grow sprouts or shoots on your windowsill. 

Small farms will become havens and targets. Grow with them, preserve, volunteer there, learn. 

Find a local source of meat, because the FDA will not be regulating food-borne illnesses anymore. And eggs, if possible. Buy half a cow or something.

Farmers markets will often accept FoodStamps as payment, and prices may be lower than the stores. 

Start sharing meals with neighbors - maybe you host dinner on Mondays and they host dinner on Thursdays. Lets you practice cooking and gives you a social life. 

PERSONAL AND PUBLIC SAFETY 

Unless they’re actively attacking, don’t trust anything the government says. But the minute they say they’re coming for migrants/trans folx/BIPOC - you go find those people, get them to safety, and pretend you never, ever, ever saw them. 

Do not tell figures of authority of your plans, your ideologies, your efforts to help those under attack. 

Take a self-defense course; the chances you have a weapon if you’re attacked are slim, so you need to learn how to use your body. 

Carry a lighter. It’s small, lightweight and legal with no permit. If you’re grabbed, then putting a flame - even a small one - to someone’s skin can make them let go long enough for you to run. 

Switch your Internet browser to DuckDuckGo. It blocks surveillance and ads. AdNauseam is  a browser extension that scrambles your data so it's less traceable, so the government can't see what you're doing. Get them both. They're free

Install blackout or dark curtains so that visual surveillance into your house is limited. I recognize the military has heat sensors, but your neighbor probably doesn't.

Be aware that Venmo and related apps tell the IRS what you're spending money on. Be careful what you use it for and how you record transactions. 

If making a “suspicious purchase,” like of Plan B, use cash. Wear a baseball cap, sunglasses, mask and contour makeup to hide your face from the security cameras.

Think about security proofing your windows, which makes them less breakable, or backglazing them with bulletproof glass.

The police, now more than ever, are an entity of the state. DO NOT CALL THEM, do not trust them. If you are raped or attacked, go straight to the hospital first. Do NOT shower. Go to the ER, tell them what happened and request a full rape kit. Go next to an independent organization that will help protect you and your rights, and help you decide next steps.

If there's something happening that you might otherwise have called the cops for, but there are people of color or trans individuals involved, DO NOT CALL THE COPS. They WILL kill trans and BIPOC folk. 

If you’re considering a divorce, and you’re serious about it, do it now. No-fault divorces are on the chopping block. 

If you're in the US, you can call 211 to help you find resources.

Crisis Text Line offers services to the US, Ireland, Canada, and the UK.

RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) is a US service offers a lot of information for sexual abuse survivors.

The Trevor Lifeline is a service for queer youth in the US.

If you're a minor, you may wish to read How To Escape Abusive Parents: A Guide For Minors.

If you're an adult, you may wish to read How To Escape Abusive Parents: A Guide For Adults.

You might search on Qwant for like something like "resources for people in abuse" or "abuse resources help" or "domestic violence survivors resources".

PROTESTING AND FIGHTING BACK

Make clear decisions and plans about what protests you'll be a part of and how. Tell only your most trusted friends where you are going, but be sure to tell them.

Obtain safety/riot gear, like masks, goggles and padding. Always carry fresh water for washing out wounds and pepper-sprayed eyes.

Practice that self defense you learned. What are the easiest moves?

Become someone's protest buddy, especially if they, for any reason, might be more vulnerable. Stick to one another and get each other out of dangerous situations. Come up with a safe word, and a safe way to communicate across a protest. A song, a wolf howl, a walkie talkie.

I know nothing about apps, but there are communication apps and social media out there that folx under oppressive regimes use and recommend. Find those.

Keep emergency contacts on standby if you're going to protest. Make sure there's someone who could help bail you out of jail or can help raise money for bail. 

Know your rights, and don’t give them anything when they arrest you. Make a list of lawyers and advocacy groups you feel safe trusting. 

Train in proper video and recording methods to track what happens and what the police do. 

If you're participating in a long term protest, plan properly for your health and the health of your home, partners and pets. 

Get your affairs in order. You may not make it out of a protest alive. 

When planning discussions with folks who might disagree with you, know that you may NOT actually be the best person for said discussion. If you’re really far left and you want to chat with your MAGA uncle about immigration, maybe find someone who’s more center-leaning but unsure to be a go-between. It’s less alienating to your uncle and less traumatizing for you.  

I know I’ve said this already, but carry first-aid supplies, learn basic first-aid, and carry a lighter, so that you can help those in need and protect yourself. 

Fight back with everyday statements. When someone says, “Those illegals are taking all our jobs,” say something like, “Wow, that sounds like some shit a weird Nazi would say.” Add “weird Nazi” to your responses. Laugh at the absurdities of MAGA statements. Make them feel foolish, or give good one-liners that leave them scratching their heads. Can’t think of any? Start binging comedians to learn how to give quick comebacks. 

In order to keep yourself from falling into a bad group, it's important to develop your critical thinking skills:  (credit to @creature-wizard)

Learn to apply the Five W's (who, what, when, where, and why) when encountering any information.

Learn common logical fallacies.

Learn the difference between fact, opinion, belief, and prejudice.

Don't equate emotional reactions with some kind of innate or higher moral guidance.

Ask yourself if you're "thinking for yourself" or being led to believe you're thinking for yourself.

Know what emotional manipulation tactics look like.

Watch out for these behaviors in any new group you join.

Yes, there are ways to confirm the age of an old text without having the original text itself.

Learn how propaganda works.

Watch out for these red flags in spiritual groups.

And watch out for this red flag.

Understand that belief doesn't have to be binary.

LEAVING THE STATES

This post is again from @creature-wizard:

Get a passport. It's also an easy way to officially change your gender market. Canada is becoming really conservative, but Mexico has some of the safest queer cities in the world. You can stay there for no reason for more than three months, leave for three days and come back and keep doing that indefinitely. It's cheap and warm and the food is spectacular. Plus the entire country enshrined abortion rights. 

You will need a go bag. It should include non perishable snacks, water, paperwork, copies of your id, cash, meds, and whatever you love for comfort. Know where it is at all times. Keep it near an exit. My go bag will at least contain my ancestral seeds, my teddy bear, and extra socks.

DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE WHAT THEY WILL DO. Remember the bomb threats, the arson and the insurrection. THEY WILL NOT HESITATE TO BURN YOUR HOUSE DOWN AND TARGET YOUR LOVED ONES AND PETS. Believe them. PLEASE believe them when they say they are Hitler. Trump is just a figurehead. He has the force of an entire party behind him. It will change everything. He can implement martial law overnight. 

Make two or three escape plans. During WWII, people escaped by walking, by hiding under garbage in trucks, by building hot air balloons that they flew, by living in attics for years. 

It can be done, but you have to think ahead. We don't have the time to say, "Oh, it won't get that bad.” People are already dying. It is that bad. 

If you know someone who is MAGA or even close to it, NEVER tell them your escape plan. Never tell anyone anything if you don't trust them enough to hold a loaded gun to your head.

If you’re leaving, consider how to bring your pets. Do they need vaccines to cross a border? Do you even have a cat carrier, and adequate food for travel? What about costs for boarding while you resettled in your new home?

Who will house you if you need a safe space? Make a list of places you have friends, or couches you can sleep on.

LOOK, IT’S TOUGH. IT’S GONNA BE TOUGH. BUT IT CAN BE JOYFUL, AND MYSTERIOUS, AND FUN, TOO. SO LET ME LEAVE YOU WITH THESE THOUGHTS:

Overall, the more you rely on community and less on capitalism, the more security you could have during difficult times. The more secure you are, the more you can and will feel comfortable helping others. 

The Holocaust happened because a lot of good people did nothing, in large part because they decided it couldn't possibly get that bad. But the right-wingers know how to play the long game, and they are actively chipping away at our liberties. 

The way I see it, there are now three primary parts to this rebellion: 

Those physically stopping the issues by destroying dams and animal testing labs, harassing and attacking politicians or corporations, and chaining themselves to bulldozers.

Those ferrying others to safety and providing the necessary resources for those leaving or hiding.

Those feeding, comforting and healing others through food growing, meal prep, offering tea and therapy, and putting down roots to grow community. 

So where do you stand? Do you fight or flee? Do you share cookies or get out the protest signs? Can you do all three? (Probably not, so choose wisely.)

And in the end:

IN 150 CHARACTERS OR LESS

Everything is on fire, but everyone I love is doing beautiful things

and trying to make life worth living.

and I know I don’t have to believe in everything,

but I believe in that. 

~ Nikita Gill 

Take care of each other and take care of yourself. You are not alone. Godspeed. 

[nani-nonny]

I’m struggling to find some momentary peace right now so I wrote down what I’m thinking like a diary of sorts

This is more for me so I apologize if I upset anyone. Maybe someone else will find comfort in this like I have, I don’t know. I just need this off my chest for now.

I never liked to imagine the death of my loved ones. I never liked to imagine the death of my dogs, knowing they would pass sooner than me. But sometimes I’m reminded of their short lifespans and I imagined what I would do to make their final day the best they deserved for the right send-off.

I’d imagine giving them all the snacks a dog wasn’t supposed to have. Burgers. Grapes. Chocolate. Anything their little hearts desired but I couldn’t give because they still had so much to live for.

I’d imagine their last walk in a stroller, their last time to the beach. Bring them in a blanket and pillows so they were comfortable.

I’d imagine the pupcup they would eat and how wide their eyes would get while eating it.

I’d imagine saying my goodbye with a final kiss on the snout.

But I never imagined that I would get a phone call in the final moments of my chemistry lab. I’d never imagine checking my phone and seeing the text that I should find the time to excuse myself from the room and call back. I’d never imagine the call I got from my sibling, their voice muffled and overpowered by uncontrolled sniffles and sobs that they were going to put my nine year old dog to rest because she developed a cancer in her spleen that reached her heart. I’d never imagined that the last time I would be seeing my dog was when she was strapped to a gurney and her left leg taped as she could barely control her breathing.

I didn’t get the chance to say the goodbye I imagined. I didn’t get to give her the pup cup or the burger. The chocolate or the grapes. I didn’t get to walk her in a stroller and visit the beach. I didn’t get to lake my final memory of her a good one.

My memory of her is scorned by the gurney. My memory is scorned by the feeling of dread when I called my sibling back. My memory is scorned by the cold that developed my fingertips, the shaking of my hands as I packed my bag and cleaned my lab station. My memory is scorned by the tears I shed in the car ride to the vet emergency care. My memory is scorned by the final photo I have of her when we couldn’t explain why her legs weren’t moving earlier that day.

And I’m angry. I’m furious. I’m enraged.

I didn’t get to say my proper goodbye. I didn’t get to see my baby grow to her elder years. I didn’t get to see her grow old with my other dog, her older sister. I didn’t get to do anything I hated to imagine. And I didn’t get to spend her final day with her because we didn’t know it would be her last.

My entire being feels so numb and yet I feel so much swirling within me that it all doesn’t feel real.

It all feels so unreal to me that I keep thinking I’ll turn around and see her laying in her bed waiting for everyone to start turning in for the night like routine. I lay in my bed, hear my mother go to the bathroom to brush her teeth, and I expected a wet nose nudge my toe so I would scoot over and let her lay down next to me.

And nothing hurt more than the realization that she won’t be coming.

She never came.

And she never will again.

I miss my dog. My best friend. My puppy.

I wish I could restart the day so I could spend it with her instead of leaving for class. I wish we could have discovered that cancer before it reached her heart, before it left her spleen. I wish she would come into my room right now and nudge me so I would scoot over. And I wish my other family dog, her older sister, never has to realize her little sister is gone. Because I’d hate to see that happy face disappear. It’s what’s keeping me sane. It’s what’s keeping me from utterly falling apart because I know she needs me too.

I need my dogs. I need my best friends. I need my family back.

What I don’t need is to look through old photos so I can find the perfect one to frame with her collar. What I don’t need is the realization that one of my paw tattoos has suddenly become a memorial on my skin. What I don’t need is this empty feeling in my being. And I definitely don’t need the constant reminder ringing in my head that she is gone and will never come back.

I love you, my little bear. I love you, my sweet girl. I love you, my little bundle of Freedom.

[annunen]

NHLWAM S12 E7: Niko Mikkola & Eetu Luostarinen

I translated the highlights of the video for any florida finns fans to enjoy.

TLDR: the finns love chirping each other and Lundy needs a babysitter.

Manninen and Putkonen are the NHLWAM hosts.

Under the cut <3

Manninen: We've got two Finnish Fort Lauderdale locals here. Niko Mikkola, new guy, and Eetu Luostarinen, who's already one of the vets. So what's up?

Mikkola: Nothing bad, getting to know new places and the sun shines. Great people here.

Luostarinen: It's always fun to get more finns here. Always welcome.

Manninen: Niko, how would you describe Eetu as a person and a teammate?

Mikkola: He's a chill Oulu guy. Chill company, easy to hang out with him, he gets along with everyone. Really nice.

Manninen: Do you agree?

Luostarinen: Sure, i'll take what i'm given.

Manninen: Counterquestion for you.

Luostarinen: We've known each other pretty long. He's one of those Savo guys, a little twisted like they all are. But there's only great guys here, like i said, so it's been easy to come here.

Manninen: You got pretty lucky, your training center moved from the middle of nowhere (lit. horse ass) to the neighbor. You could bike there, have you ever done that?

Mikkola: I don't have a bike but i've been planning to buy one. It's 5 minutes away so it would be pretty nice to bike there.

Manninen: Or an electric scooter! Has anyone ever come with one?

Mikkola: No, but Kaapo Kakko always used one in NYC. I'd walk and he'd drive past me.

Luostarinen: I haven't biked there either but some guys have electric bikes. And golf carts, pretty cool that you can come to the rink with a golf cart.

Manninen: Now that's style!

-----

Manninen: I asked "Lunkka" Lundell this same question, now i want to ask you Eetu too. Looking at your points, this season hasn't been as good as the last. The big crowds only look at points, they're thinking "what's up with Eetu, he hasn't scored points". So what do YOU think, has this season actually been worse than the last, or have you actually gone forward as a player?

Luostarinen: I wouldn't say it's been worse than last season, pretty equal. Just haven't had those successes. There's also a lot happening in the background, in the game. I play a lot shorthanded too, i've got to take credit for that. If i can't get confidence from points, i have to find it somewhere else in the small things.

Manninen: Are the points so important? I don't remember if you lead the league right now, but as a team you're playing really well.

Luostarinen: It's a team game, if your team is doing well, you're doing something right, and you have to be happy about that. But if i have less points than Mikkola, that's when i should be worried.

Mikkola: Why am I suddenly being attacked?

Putkonen: God damn, throwing you under the boat, right there under that Catamaran.

Manninen: What about you Niko, do you ever set - even though you're known as a defensive brush, let's not say broom (that's Hakanpää's "nickname") - do you set some personal goals for points when starting the season?

Mikkola: Defensive brush, i'll take that. Good name. I don't really set any goals for points. The beginning of the season was pretty wild for me, but now i've returned to a normal phase. Probably getting close to 30 straight pointless games now.

Luostarinen: Yeah, early in the season they were throwing the nickname "Niko Norris" around there.

Putkola: You were on a phase for 80 points.

Mikkola: It was crazy, but now we're back to the roots. You can't only get confidence from points. You need some guys who play shorthanded, keep the own net clear. Take some confidence from those.

-----

(Someone walks by with a dog.)

Putkonen: Cool dog. How's your dog doing?

Luostarinen: Yeah, we have a new one in the family - cavapoo, it's a cavalier poodle mix. And then we have Rose, she's a little over 4 years old now.

Putkonen: Who in your team would you not let dogsit your dogs?

Luostarinen: Lunkka. Even if we speak the same language, i wouldn't trust him with them.

Manninen: Is Lunkka your team's little rascal?

Luostarinen: He is, a little. You need to watch what he's doing sometimes.

Mikkola: But he's so young still.

Manninen: You're allowed to be careless when you're young. We've been careless too.

Putkonen: ...older too.

-----

Putkonen: Roberto Luongo was in the net at your practice. He still catches pretty well.

Mikkola: Yeah. I've said that he'd only need one training camp and he could play an NHL game again. I can't score on him either.

Luostarinen: Best possible EBUG.

-----

Putkonen: Let's take some fan questions. Does Sasha "whip" (reprimand) you?

Luostarinen: No, just constructive criticism.

Mikkola: He's flicked me a couple times with a video where I ice the puck or something. More as a joke. He doesn't really "whip" (reprimand) me.

Manninen: But he gives that to Lunkka!

Mikkola: Lunkka is "in his teeth" a little. In a good way.

Putkonen: Yeah, he was already the last time we visited. Gave him an earful from some celly, telling him "don't jump to the glass, only juniors celly like that".

-----

[great-and-small]

hey i know this is really heavy but... My pet of 13 years was put to sleep yesterday morning and I was wondering if you have any tips on handling the loss and absence of him. My whole family is struggling really hard and I would appreciate it.

Anon I have been thinking about how to answer this and what words of comfort I can offer you in this time of grief. I have held the hand of so many people through the death of their pet and still I oftentimes find myself at a loss for words. It’s something I think about a lot, so I’m sorry that this is quite long-winded.

I was driving my grandmother to a doctors appointment a few weeks ago and she was telling me about her first dog, a Boston terrier named Guppy that she’d had since she was 8 years old. She told me that during her first year in college she received an unexpected phone call from home out of the blue. In those times, phone calls were expensive and you really only got an unscheduled call when a relative or loved one had passed away. She told me that as she was walking to the room to take the call she had prayed to God that the news on the other end of the line would be the death of her own grandmother, rather than the now geriatric Guppy who had been sick for some time. It was a call about Guppy of course, and my grandma told me she’s been guilty her whole life for wishing that a family member had died instead. She told me that she was intentionally sharing this story with me because she didn’t want me to ever feel guilty if I grieve the loss of my dog more than I do her death someday. She told me that the love of a pet is something different, and losing it hurts in a different way.

This was a morbid story with a morbid sentiment (though entirely in character for my grandma) but it got me thinking about the nature of our grief for pets. They are such constants in our lives that in many ways losing them can be harder to bear than the loss of someone who matters to you in a completely different way. My grandma didn’t love her dog more than she loved her relative, it’s just a different type of grief.

Do not let anyone (including yourself) minimize your loss, because your pet was here, they were important, and your love for them mattered immensely.

So now let me say this; I am so happy that your pet was able to spend 13 years with a family that loved and treasured them. I hope for every single one of my patients to have that safety and warmth and affection, your pet was lucky to be so dearly loved. That said, here are some little things that I will recommend to people who ask me for help in dealing with the loss of their companion.

Take things one day at a time. This sounds like a cliche and maybe it is one but I found it helped me. Try not to think about the future without your pet, but focus on getting through the day, especially in the short term after the loss. Take care of yourself and your physical needs as much as you can.

Actively grieve your pet. By this I mean, dealing with grief is hard work that cannot be ignored or put aside. Rather than shying away from memories of your pet, take the time to purposefully think about them and the life they shared with you. It hurts and it sucks so much, but there is no shortcut through it.

Memorialize your pet. This can be anything, but try to find a way to honor your pet’s memory. Make a painting, or volunteer at an animal shelter for a day, donate old blankets to a vets office in your pets name, make a rock garden, buy a fruit tree and plant it somewhere, put together a photo collage of your pet. Doing little things like this helped me more than anything else when I was grieving my dog.

Talk about them. It seems so dumb but I swear it helps. Talk about what they were like when they were little, what funny things they did to make you laugh, what it meant to have them by your side through all those years. It doesn’t have to be a therapist, but find someone kind who can listen to the stories about your pet that made them who they were.

And most of all please know that someday (maybe not soon, but someday) it will hurt less. In the meantime please be kind to yourself as much as you can.

[cbk1000]

wip game -- veterinarian Merthur AU

Tagged by @thesongistheriver. This is from the sequel to the fic that actually has a proper title on ao3, but will forever be known to me simply as 'vet fic' because that's what it was called for like nine months in my Google Docs. I don't know how long this snippet is supposed to be, but I haven't been posting much writing lately, so I'll just dump a good chunk here.

As a sober man he would have been embarrassed at himself; but as a slightly pissed one, he put his chin in his hands and stared at Merlin not unlike the child was doing. They were both looking at him like dogs, full of stupid loyalty, and love; and Merlin, looking back at him, suddenly flashed the dimples unbearably, so that Arthur could see he had showed them in the same helpless feeling with which Arthur was receiving them. He was never very sure in his love, of where he stood in its estimation. For him it was a thing which he could never be sure of having, but which he could be sure of losing. But Merlin’s whole face was lit up with it across the table, with the small boy for witness. He was just unabashedly doing it, where anyone could see he was smitten.

Then someone else came round to ask Merlin why their cat went, “Bleugh” and the boy was taken off for his nap by his mother, and the look was turned away from him, though he kept it safe, and warm in his throat. 

“You’re slightly pissed, aren’t you?” Merlin asked when they were alone once more.

“No,” Arthur said, which for some reason prompted a laugh.

“Yes you are, you big numpty. Want to go for a walk and have a bit of a drunken snog? I’ll catch up to you real quick. What, did you have a whole entire glass by yourself?”

“Two whole entire glasses,” Arthur replied crisply.

Merlin shotgunned his own, and a bit of whiskey to be safe, since the blood of drinkers was in his veins; then he grabbed his jacket, Arthur, and a handful of cheese tarts which he ate with no consideration for Arthur, who possibly might not have fancied snogging a man whose breath was now more onion than oxygen. They were heading out, jacket, cheese tarts, and the alcohol which was driving the semi-public indecency to come, when Merlin’s phone went. He fumbled it out of his pocket as they were crossing the lawn to the garden, said, “Gaius” to Arthur, and into the phone, “How are the cats, before Arthur can start nagging me to ask?” He reached out his hand for Arthur’s, which Arthur was just slightly pissed enough to take, in public, for the second time in the same day. “Yeah, I kind of figured they wouldn’t die immediately under your care.”

Arthur rolled his eyes.

Then they stopped in the middle of the lawn, under a second shower just beginning to start up as the first slacked off, though it was not yet, to any Briton, let alone two who were regularly on the moors in the worst weather that a cow could contrive to bring them out in, something to shelter from. Merlin had caused the halt by getting caught up in something Gaius had said, and now was making his Thinking Face, which wrinkled up his brow and lips whenever he was confronted with a case that confounded him, and which Arthur privately thought was cute; very privately, almost secretively even to himself, in case Merlin got wind of the fact that he was not superiorly hideous. 

“Hmm. Ok, yeah, can you send me a couple of pictures? Yeah, no, it’s fine, Arthur and I were just about to go for a walk. Yeah, that was a euphemism, but I can pop out for a minute. I’ll still be in the mood for a walk in a few minutes.”

“Could you not,” Arthur said.

Merlin dimpled at him. Then he dropped Arthur’s hand, gave him the jacket to hold, as if it would have given him too respectable an air wandering round with it over his arm, and said, “Meet me in the garden? Gaius and I are going to chat about a weird abscess thingy for a minute.”

“‘Weird abscess thingy’? Is that the technical term?”

“Yes it is.”

Tagging @kirythestitchwith @the-pen-pot @garglyswoof (I don't know if you have a WIP, I just want to pressure you into writing something) and @aemelia (for the same reason). Also anyone else who wants to do this, consider yourselves tagged. I'm not sure who all has a WIP right now. (I assume most of you dumpster fires here on dumpsterfire.com have several you're frantically juggling with your personal life.)

[1-800-local-slut]

With a Heavy Heart- Chapter 4

𝒲𝒶𝓇𝓃𝒾𝓃ℊ𝓈： 𝓈𝓉ℯ𝒶𝓁𝒾𝓃ℊ， 𝓋𝒾ℴ𝓁ℯ𝓃𝒸ℯ 𝒯𝒲： 𝒥*𝒽𝓃 𝒲𝒾𝓃𝒸****ℯ𝓇， 𝒸𝒽𝒾𝓁𝒹 𝒶𝒷𝓊𝓈ℯ （𝒸𝒽𝒾𝓁𝒹 𝓃ℯℊ𝓁ℯ𝒸𝓉， 𝒸𝒽𝒾𝓁𝒹 𝒶𝒷𝒶𝓃𝒹ℴ𝓃𝓂ℯ𝓃𝓉）, 𝒶𝓃ℊ𝓈𝓉，𝓈��ℴ𝓀𝒾𝓃𝑔，𝓂ℴ𝓃𝓈𝓉ℯ𝓇𝓈，𝓁𝒾𝓉ℯ𝓇𝒶𝓁𝓁𝓎 𝓅𝓁𝒶𝓃𝓃𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓂𝓊𝓇𝒹ℯ𝓇 𝓁ℴ𝓁， 𝒥ℴ𝒽𝓃’𝓈 𝒶 𝒷𝒶𝒹 𝓅𝒶𝓇ℯ𝓃𝓉 𝒷𝓊𝓉 𝓌ℯ 𝒶𝓁𝓇ℯ𝒶𝒹𝓎 𝓀𝓃ℯ𝓌 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉，𝓂ℴ𝓂𝓂𝓎 𝒾𝓈𝓈𝓊ℯ𝓈

༻༺༻༺༻༺༻༺༻༺༻༺༻༺༻༺༻༺༻༺༻༺༻

August 18th, 1997

Dear diary- I never thought I’d see the day when I loved my job. But the day has come. Dean and I wrapped up a pair of shapeshifters then a ghost in Baltimore. I wrapped up the guy in the Chinese shop, dragged his body out back and into the dumpster then lit it on fire. Dean’s put up a fight, she threw a rotisserie chicken at him and two hot dogs. She sprinted out the back and I tackled her before getting her back into the store. I was personally ready to just shoot her and go home. But Dean, ever the hero, asked about the pack. The thing got real angry, and she lunged at us, but I handcuffed her to some pipes in the break room. After some light interrogation (I gave it five seconds to talk then I kicked it in the mouth) she told us she and her man were on their own. Some sad love story between the two who ran away from their pack. I honestly would’ve let her go, but Dean didn’t appreciate getting bitten in his shin so I shot it in the face. That and we did find some shedded skin (gross). Then we went to Baltimore.

I never thought I’d call Baltimore the city of love, but it’s mine! So, picture this. Dean and I, get into this abandoned hospital and get locked inside a small closet. I only agreed to go in because he helped me out with the shapeshifters. It was just us, dark as all hell, and I don’t know if it was my heartbeat or his beating so loud. He tried beating down the door, then we heard someone else walking around. The next thing I know, his hand is over my mouth and I’m pressed up against him and the door. I peeked through a crack in that ghetto ass door. I didn’t see anyone, but I wasn’t really invested in that. I know, poor timing, but I didn’t ask to be a hunter in my life. So yes, I took great joy in feeling Dean’s body against mine.

I had to climb on top of him, and get on his shoulders. His hands were on me and I had to squeeze into a vent. He muttered something about a pipe. I was worried about that for a minute until I saw a dead rat and almost vomited in the vent. Sometimes nose plugs just aren’t enough. I eventually got out and to the other side of the closet, and was able to get Dean out. We found the ghost or whatever, I still don’t really know what happened. I wasn't super invested. I just kept thinking about Dean. Even though the hospital smelt like shit, I was fine with it because he was present. Gosh, I never thought I’d have such a massive crush on Dean. I always thought he was cute but I never thought him holding my waist up to shove me into a vent would make my heart race. I’m a little bit nervous though. What if he doesn’t feel the same way? Oh well, no time to worry about that. He’s with me now, and I think I heard the shower cut off. I’ll write more tomorrow.

P.S. I think Salem might be coming down with something, I may have to take him to the vet tomorrow.

༻༺༻༺༻༺༻༺༻༺༻༺༻༺༻༺༻༺༻༺༻༺༻

“So tell me, am I the only guy you sneak into this castle?” Asked Dean while he put his necklace back on. Fresh out of the shower, and in soft clean clothing he sauntered into the kitchen. He saw Salem sitting with the gorgeous huntress who was tenderly petting him on the island.

“Why? You jealous of the others?” She shot back looking up at him. Yes. He was jealous at the thought of another man in here with her. After today, he especially was. His heart jumped in his chest at the implication of others and he had to stop himself from frowning.

“If I am, you gonna stop having them over?” He teased sliding next to her on the kitchen island. But he was hoping she would, if there were any other guys. With a laugh, she handed him Salem and wordlessly got up from the counter top, turning on the tea kettle. He watched her take out a green container with a man in a soccer jersey on it.

“Tea?” She asked while twirling around holding a mug with her first initial on it. With a raised eyebrow, Dean decided to just leave it be instead of asking a possibly stupid question.

“Sure.” He responded. It was 8:00 PM now, and the two were settled in for a cozy evening. Dean called John from a payphone when they stopped for gas, told him it would take a bit longer and mentioned dropping by her place for help. Now he can’t say he never told him where he was. Plopping down a recliner while Salem jumped down and ran free.

His eyes raked over her body while she shut off the stove and he admired her shorts that clung to her shape and the matching cami she wore. Since he was squished up against her in the closet earlier, he was really thinking about her. Not in the normal tender, loving way he usually thought about her. In a more…intimate way. She was now walking towards him, Dean’s eyes were glued to her thighs that rubbed together as she walked towards him.

He felt tension though, unsure if it was between the two of them or just him. Her voice broke through his thoughts.

“Here you go hon.” Her eyes raked over his chest, he felt like he was being undressed by her gaze. He took it, brushing two fingers over her smaller ones. She slowly (maybe it was just Dean’s horny brain slowing her motions) turned and sat down on the arm rest of the recliner like always. With hesitance, Dean slowly moved to wrap his arm around her waist and rest his hand on her thigh. He felt her breast smoosh against his head and he fought the urge to bury his head in them. For some reason, things felt different than other times. This time it was like someone put on mood lights and left rose petals out for the two. Like something else was going to happen and separate their friendship from longing stares he gave her, soft pecks on the cheek and forehead and into something else.

He felt her shift closer to his body and saw her place her mug down. Dean stared right ahead at the window, the rain pouring down outside. Soft music played from her radio, just regular jazz that she liked. She casually wrapped her arms around his neck, Dean’s blood pressure shot up incredibly fast. Now Dean doesn’t freak out over women touching him often, that’s a regular day for him. But this woman was different. This one he wanted so much it made his heart ache.

“You mind if I sit on you?” Oh God. Swallowing, Dean tried to remain charming. He flashed her his signature boyish grin and looked deeply into her mysterious eyes.

“Long as you don’t crush me, beautiful.” He shot her a wink and she laughed. What the hell was that line? As long as you don’t crush me? Dean couldn’t help but admonish himself for his awkwardness. He was broken from his thoughts though, from her slowly sliding down onto his lap. Her ass was directly over Dean’s crotch and he knew right there he was going to blow it. Forget playing it cool, forget all of that. He couldn’t hide himself from her.

“Hey what’s on the TV?” Taking a sip from her mug, Dean tightened his grip on his mug. Reaching down for the remote, Dean stifled a moan feeling her move. Was this a test from God? To see if he would ruin his friendship and make a move on her? In his head, Dean began to chant.

‘If she wanted me she would’ve told me, if she wanted me she would’ve told me, if she wanted me she would’ve told me, if she wanted me she would’ve told me, if she wanted me she would’ve told me.’ Right. He’s never known her not to say she wanted something. She was always super vocal, so if she wanted him he would kno-

“Dean.”

“Yeah sweetheart?”

“I want you to kiss me.”

༻༺༻༺༻༺༻༺༻༺༻༺༻༺༻༺༻༺༻༺༻༺༻

Tag list:

@roseblue373

@titty-teetee

[jackass-jones]

Here’s some Shinji hcs I have made that I wanna share:

Shinjiro doesn’t know Jack shit about technology. Put him in front of a computer and turn your head for one second and the things making some cursed dial up sounds and definitely broken. He’d probably call remotes clickers. He just can’t keep up with these new fangled devices!

Hes autistic because get real like I’m gonna let him escape my grasp without making him autistic. But in particular hes the bad at eye contact kinda autistic, he’s often looking at his shoes when walking, off to the side when he’s being edgy, and in an upper corner when he’s nervous. And socially he is very much a cat he doesn’t wanna talk too much but he will just sit in the corner of the room while everyone else is talking. Hed definitely mask a lot and repress a lot of stims but one that always comes out is nail biting, he’s a big nail biter

Shinjiro just seems like he’d like to read and in particular hed read jane austin and he’d absolutely freak out if anyone found out lol. Like he hates school, it’s never clicked for him, but when he’s on his own I think he’d enjoy reading to pass time and idk he just gives strong jane austin energy

He sews he knows his fucking way with the needle your honor

Shinjiro was always secretly really jealous of Mitsuru cuz she has a motorcycle and he thinks it’s the coolest thing ever but he was always too afraid to ask if he could ride it. He will one day though don’t worry!

I really like nonbinary Shinji like he’s kinda insecure about his more feminine interests but the sees gang is pretty supportive so he eventually gets comfortable enough and he may wear nail polish or long skirts. He’s also definitely the type to have always been really defensive over his long hair like as a kid whenever his hair was cut he’d just be really upset over it and whenever someone comments on his hair being too long Akihiko is like 😤. And in general I think Shinji just doesn’t feel connected to gender hes just like get this thing away from me lol

If he doesn’t become a cook I like to imagine him becoming a vet

He has a really hard time saying no to the sees gang like if he’s one on one he can with great strength but if more than one of them are in the room absolutely not they all give the biggest puppy dog eyes and he thinks they’re adorable it creates lots of highjinks

When Ken talks about his favorite superheros and mangas Shinji tries to be supportive but he literally has no clue what this kid is talking about

Throwing in some akishinji teehee they both wanna be the strongest one in the relationship it creates lots of petty arguments but Akihiko definitely would pick up Shinji super dramatically bridal style and Shinji would hate it but secretly like it at the same time. He wants to be the strong one he wants to be the one to take care of Aki but also Aki is so strong 🫣

Throwing in some shinjifuuka too Shinji thinks Fuuka is the cutest person he’s ever met he just wants to scream but he can’t do that he can’t emote so he just sits there silently dying inside while Fuuka meows at the wall. I also think when he was on the streets and heard those people bragging about bullying Fuuka he kicked ass about it cuz yo fuck those people man they suck and Shinji wouldn’t put up with that, especially not once he actually meets Fuuka. Like I don’t think he’d try to pick fights as much after the coma and I don’t think he would if he was with Fuuka cuz she wouldn’t want him to fight people but before that yeah he’d definitely be pretty pissed. Also I think Fuuka is a knitter and Shinji is a sewer so they bond over that and make clothes for each other Fuuka makes Shinji a cutesy frog beanie and he’s like tch whatever 🥺 but definitely wears it and he’s really embarrassed its cute

[ao3feed-kiribaku]

Kitty

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/MJc1USr by RebelRedRiot Looking at this poor cat I couldn’t help but compare myself to it. I’d been born with a useless quirk and no matter how hard I tried, I’ve never been able to stand out. And once my 18th passed, my parents had told me to find a living for myself. They also told me how I could always ask them for help whenever I needed it. They never replied to my pleas. I look around and see no signs of a person or dog that could’ve hurt the poor thing. I stagger a bit, debating on what to do. It’s hurt, and if I take it to a vet I’d have to pay for its bills. But I don’t have the money to take care of a cat, let alone save one! I’m barely hanging onto life myself. I release a sigh, my breath becoming a white fog as it rises up into the air. I take a step back. Maybe, maybe someone else will find the poor cat. It’ll be fine! I turn my body in the direction of the other street, forcing myself to move away from the poor kitty. Walking out of the alley I stand still underneath the glow of a street light. What am I doing..? . . . Words: 11410, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Fandoms: 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia (Anime & Manga) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: M/M Characters: Bakugou Katsuki, Kirishima Eijirou, Todoroki Shouto, Midoriya Izuku, Crimson Riot (mentioned) Relationships: Bakugou Katsuki/Kirishima Eijirou Additional Tags: Angst with a Happy Ending, Heavy Angst, Angst and Feels, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Poverty, Soft Bakugou Katsuki/Kirishima Eijirou, Soft Bakugou Katsuki, Pro Hero Bakugou Katsuki, Protectiveness, Protective Bakugou Katsuki, Insecurity, Kirishima Eijirou Needs a Hug, money problems, Cats, Quirk Accident (My Hero Academia), POV First Person, Kirishima Eijirou-centric, Kirishima Never Went To U.A, I like making my favorite characters suffer, Loneliness, Lonely Kirishima Eijirou, might be a little ooc, Bakugou Katsuki Swears A Lot, (Bakugou Might Be A Little OOC), (Maybe Kirishima too), (Listen Writing Is Hard And I Tried), Gay Panic, Idiots in Love, Boys In Love, True Love read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/MJc1USr

[virtie333]

So, hey!

Someone in the neighborhood reported a trail of blood and a cop followed it to our house! Glad they are on top of things! Anyway, I was still in bed, so my brother let him in to meet Jackson and explain things, so all is well. Jackson went ballistic when he heard the doorbell, so he's feeling better. I just took more pain meds and started a load of laundry for my bloody hoodie, coat, leggings, and socks. The glove on my hurt hand was cut off last night so I threw its mate away.

Merry Christmas?

Anyway, I sent the dog owner Jackson's bill, and she said she'd get me a check by Friday. Half will go to my brother, who paid for half, the other to my Care Credit.

My BIL, the one I don't talk to, sent a private 'get well' email. He is mad for my sake; their dog has gotten attacked while on walks, too. This is the 3rd time Jackson has gotten attacked. I am so done with walking him in town. I'll take him to the barn or somewhere else in the middle of nowhere.

Anyway, my older sister sent me a check for Christmas that will cover Chester's January board. My other sister got me a gift card that allowed me to get some Bath and Body hand soap, and some new nail polish (unnecessary things that I love). My brother, before he ended up spending half of his SS check at the vet, got me a gift card, too. I used it to get something he can enjoy, too: the Moon Knight steelbook.

I'm going to attempt to clean Chester's paddock in an hour or two, if only to spend some time outside with him. It's cloudy, but almost 50 degrees!

[lizzdaniellexo]

I wanted to share something I experienced yesterday while taking my Felix boy to the vet for a shot.

A woman walked in saying that she needed a stretcher for her dog who was too weak to walk. I was sitting there waiting to be cashed out and the woman explained her dog needed to be euthanized. My heart shattered. My mom and I just put Sarabi down a few months ago and even though she was a cat, it was just as painful. I wanted to hug the person in the lobby, but I kept to myself.

When I was going outside to put Felix in the car, another woman was standing outside the car waiting for the vets to help escort the dog out of the car. I sat there and kept watching. This woman held it together beautifully. I didn’t know how she was doing it. As soon as the dog was inside, this woman got in her car and broke down. At that point I couldn’t sit there and watch anymore. I got out of my car, tapped on her window, and gestured for her to get out of the car. I wrapped her in my arms as she sobbed. I told her how sorry I was for her having to do this. I also apologized for being a creepy stranger who hugs people. 😂 I assured her she was doing the right thing. But this was a family member, don’t let anyone tell you differently.

She thanked me and asked me my name. We wished each other a happy holidays.

Amy, I know you will never see this. But I did what I would’ve wanted someone else to do for me. I didn’t want you to feel alone in that moment. I chose kindness. Sometimes it doesn’t take much to be kind.

I hope that dog felt so much better after going over the rainbow bridge. 🌈

[encorific]

what the dog doin???

more about him below break!!! :]

this is my stupid dog he's a workaholic and plays bonescape on the job at HQ

art is a bit old, ham looks kinda different than i draw him now, and i wanna change the spider logo on his back, but dogg..

he and ham have that coworker love-hate-but-usually-hate dynamic because i say so‼️

stupidly long dog infodump incoming vv

-his entire dimension is populated by silly dogs !!

-chased a frisbee thrown by his Uncle Bernard during a game of fetch into a bush with a spiderweb in it. this is when he was bit by his spider

-hes a medical journalist/intern at the Daily Beagle in his dimension. he got a veterinary degree since he wanted to learn more about his abilities on that level, and had always been interested in the concept, but ended up being stuck with an internship instead of a vet job. he uses his Spider-Hound battles to get photos of rare injuries and the like.

-speaking of the Daily Beagle, Spider-Ham physically attacked him once, accusing him of plagiarism.

-he juggles his internship with also being the head of the medical wing at HQ. most work he does is logging information about the various Spider-People that come and go, so he and anyone else there can more easily treat them in the future. he's gained a lot of dumb jokes and weird looks when a dog steps out to treat wounds, though, and every time he does he's gotten used to saying 'i don't shed' before anything else.

-he will sleep in his office under his desk on a dog bed a lot, just so he can go right back to work easily the next day.

-while his world has a somewhat cartoony appearance, toon force is a lot less significant than in universes such as Ham's.

-he has heightened hearing and smell because he's a dog, but it was heightened further after the spider bite. he often wears earplugs, only taking them out when in his office, so he can hear when someone walks into his wing.

-organic webbing, but it usually doesn't hold well since he's always exhausted.

-he can run on all fours, able to outrun most Spider-People like this.

-he's weaker than other Spider-People, and while the toon force's resilience provides some protection, he still struggles to physically fight your usual, non-dog villains.

-he hates any kind of smoke.

-he is 100% the guy to tell you to sleep and drink water and then stay awake for 5 days straight only drinking room temperature pepsi.

-he made a translation collar for hq so that he could talk to others. otherwise, he just makes huffs, gruffs, and woofs. (100% inspired by dug)

-he can be understood by standard quardopedal dogs without the collar on, and can understand them regardless. they don't usually have much to say that anyone would find interesting. food! squirrel!

-if someone is rude to him about being a dog and their ailment is minor, he'll refuse care until they own up to their actions. he's been reprimanded for this before, but knows he won't get fired.

-he's kind of on Miguel's side, but only because he's put his entire life into HQ and wouldn't risk losing it. once he's attached to something, he's locked down, loving like a dog.

-he loves great pyrenese (his gwen was one, named gizmo)

-when miguel came to recruit him, he had to write down 'give me a dictionary and come back in 48 hours' on a notepad, and made his translation collar within that time. miguel was a bit impressed by his dedication, which helped him get his position.

canon events: vv

-a rabid dog broke into his home, still somewhat conscious of decisions and continuing his life of crime in his haze. Pawter had let the man go earlier that day, before the furious rabies had set in, and Pawter had thought the guy was just a bit strange. the rabid dog bit his Uncle Bernard, leaving him to not die then and there, but slowly, with nothing to do to help. this both encouraged him to become Spider-Hound, and encouraged his medical interest onwards.

-lost Gizmo Stacy and Harry Pawsborn in a similar way to the classic 616 Peter Parker

-when his Aunt May's health began to deteriorate, after he'd lost his uncle and closest friends, he began to work at HQ more than back at home, ashamed of it, but too scared to watch as his aunt faded away too.

[rogueartistjyn]

On the same day my wife & I got the election results we expected, which were crushing & so disappointing, our vet called to tell us our youngest fur baby is terminally ill.

Oswin Pinky Pie Pond. Baby Monkey. The Monk. The Chupacabre. Baby chupie. Our baby. I cannot express the amount of soul crushing sadness we are experiencing right now.

Her sister has been very ill for a while now, so we made the decision to let them go. Together. Tomorrow.

Her sister was THAT dog for me & watching her decline has been so hard. She was the Jake to my Finn. She quite literally saved me from one of the darkest moments in my life. Leela Boo Bug. Baby dog. Old dog.

She hated dancing, loved walks & soaking up sunshine. I called her my "Krypto". We've had the best adventures. She made it to 17. But now, she can barely walk & she sleeps all the time & she hurts. She's down to about 15 lbs from her normal 23. The vet said she was declining & her liver numbers sbowed her liver was beginning to malfunction. I have already been mourning her for a year.

Oswin was always so happy she had a sister. I'm happy Leela made it to be with her in the end.

I don't exactly know how we are going to get through this, but everyone says it's the right thing to do.

It doesn't feel like it. And I guess I'm sharing this experience in the hopes it will help someone else. It's an impossible decision when one of them is bounding around & seems healthy. But she isn't. They gave her 2 weeks & said the decline will be rapid.

We have been sobbing on & off for 3 days now.

They are the bestest girls.

My heart is shattered.

But we made them a promise. We'd never leave them & we'd always be there for them & do what was best.

The best feels awful.

Sweet dreams, babies.

You made my life so much better.

[elphabashepard]

Today was a good day.

It didn’t start off that way. Or really continue that way, if I’m honest. Several things continued to or went wrong through the morning. Skye got my keys stuck & couldn’t get in to let Serena out. Jim was being a pain in the butt. Callie suddenly needed information she’d asked Keith for two weeks ago (surprise, surprise 🙄).

But I have awesome neighbours, Jo gave Skye my keys, Helen was home to answer Skye’s knock & it all worked out. Skye is so nice & apologetic & would have driven to Stevenage to get my keys if she needed, whereas Kate always makes me out to be the bad guy. It’s so refreshing.

I had a chat with Sarah, only a brief one but enough to remind me why it’s so good to talk to her. Monika’s lovely & I like her a lot, but Sarah & I are so similar, we know what the other’s going to say three quarters of the time before we even say it. I need that sometimes. She knows me so well, she’d clocked something wasn’t right with me before I was even fully aware of it, & being seen that way always helps. Like I’m not some alien that doesn’t make sense to humanity at large.

Then very slowly, all the problems got sorted out. Sarah sorted Callie. I sorted Jim. Skye sent me stuff about Serena, who was doing amazing & Skye really adores her, which always fills me with warmth & relief.

Monika & I got out for a walk & the weather was so much better than I was expecting. Then together (together! What a novel experience that still is, to have someone else to share all this extra work stuff with!) we put a list together that Keith needs. I bounced a few things off her that had come directly to me.

Then I was able to help out at the IDBS meeting & had another moment of someone just knowing me - Robyn really is lovely, I wish I had more to do with her - which made me glow.

I came home to a very excited Serena that I had been worrying about all afternoon because she was so active, but she wasn’t frustrated or mischievous, she was just happy & excited. We met Mischa & his owner on the way out, always lovely to chat (even if I still can’t get used to the compliments & feel guilty about accepting them in case there’s a behind-the-scenes reason he’s paying them because - no. He’s lovely but no). Serena absolutely adores that big gentle giant, it’s so sweet.

Then we met quite a few others dogs on the way round that Serena got to say hi to or play with & that makes her so happy, which in turn makes me really happy & everyone is usually so lovely & friendly to her & me. Serena had a race with a greyhound & finally got outstripped by a mile!

The sun wasn’t completely out but it was so warm - still is! Even with the sun setting. It’s the first time I’ve gotten this year to sit out in my garden while Serena’s playing her sniffer game for her food. I’ve learned so much from other dog people, so much more than I did at first from looking online, it’s made things so much easier.

I managed to complete all the goals in the PQ app for the first time today, have contributed to the group chat & been honest. I can’t remember right now when the last time I felt this at peace was.

I’m still waiting to hear about my blood tests until next week, but at least I know there’s a potential answer coming now, it’s not just that I’m rubbish at getting sleep of any substantial quality.

I’m not saying that suddenly everything is fixed. It isn’t. Serena’s vet bills have made things very awkward, bank wise. I’m meant to be travelling to Newark tomorrow & that’s more petrol to pay for but I can’t cancel because I really want to see the people up there & I owe them that effort.

But generally speaking? Today was good. I’m happy.

[slecnaztemnot]

Hi, I saw you have a czech mottled dog. I was wondering whether you could tell me about the breed. You can read up on the dog, but living with it gives you a whole new perspective on things like shedding or attitude to strangers. No worries if you don't though, thank you anyway :)

Hello,

sure. It originally started as a laboratory dog breed made from various mixes. It was used for testing meds for epilepsy. Later, when the research was banned, it became more of a social breed.

I think "social" fits well. My doggo is more on an active side, though less so since she got older. (she is around 5 now) She is intelligent and has no problem picking up new commands. She is bit fussy about food and picky - she refused to eat our dry food and in the end we feed her BARF diet. (so mostly raw meat specially prepared. idk my dad handles the feeding.)

She is not very cuddly type. She loves greeting us when we return hom and licks our face and likes belly rubs, but no other stuff. Touching paws is a no-no. She dislikes lying in the same bed as someone else - if the bed is wide enough so there is space for both people, then yes. But doggo + person squished together? Or doggo lying on the person? Nope, she immediately goes away. Not her thing.

Her health is... hm. She has no known problems associated with a breed, but we found allergy when she got older. 2 of her siblings got it too I think. Cost us quite a lot in vet fees and it took time to diagnose.

Shedding, depends on the type - there are short and long haired mottled dogs. Our is "middle" and its okay. Bit more vacuuming than before we got her but manageable. No huge piles of hair or need for extensive brushing.

She is happy to welcome strangers if we welcome them. If its a person neither of us knows, she will usually ignore them and usually isn't much interested in pets from random people.

As for other animals, she is usually friendly to other dogs or ignores them. She used to be more friendly but she was bitten by a big off-leash dog in 2021 and is more careful as a result since then.

She barks only little. She barks when she wants outside (like, one huff bark to let us know), when dad is preparing her dinner... sometimes at dogs who pee next to our garden, but she is chill with them if she meets them outside.

She doesn't like cats and chases them (though if she manages to catch up, she just growls at them). However I know several people with the same breed who also own cats and whose dogs are chill with them, so its not really a breed thing. We just don't really have any friends with cats and most cats she meets are half-feral village ones.

She likes longer walks in nature and chasing with her doggo friends. She is a sprinter type, can go fairly fast but tires quickly.

That's all I can think of I guess. Here, have a photo:

Her fave watching point (where she sits when we are at work)

How she enjoys sleeping when she is relaxed.

Hope this helped!