#where do dust mites come from?

[joshmraymond]

How do I remove dust mites from my carpet?

Dust mites are microscopic pests that can live in your carpet and cause allergic reactions in some people. They thrive in warm, humid environments and feed on dead skin cells, pet dander, and other organic materials found in carpet fibers. If you are concerned about dust mites in your carpet, there are several steps you can take to reduce their population.

One of the most effective ways to get dust mites out of your carpet is to hire a professional carpet cleaner. A professional cleaner, such as Axiom Floor Care, can use proven methods to remove dust mites and their waste from your carpet. They have the right equipment and expertise to thoroughly clean your carpet and reduce the dust mite population in your home.

Axiom Floor Care offers a range of carpet cleaning services, including steam cleaning and hot water extraction, which can help eliminate dust mites and other allergens from your carpet. Their experienced technicians use safe cleaning agents and techniques to effectively remove dust mites without harming your carpet or the environment.

In addition to hiring a professional carpet cleaner, there are other steps you can take to reduce dust mites in your home. Regular vacuuming and steam cleaning can help remove dust mites and their waste from your carpet. It's also important to wash your bedding and curtains regularly and to keep humidity levels in your home low to discourage dust mites from thriving.

If you're concerned about dust mites in your carpet, consider hiring a professional carpet cleaner like Axiom Floor Care. With their proven methods and expertise, they can help reduce the dust mite population in your home and improve the overall cleanliness and air quality of your living space. Don't let dust mites take over your carpet – take action to remove them and enjoy a healthier, cleaner home.

[softshuji]

Sometimes Tokyo is a suffocating place. 

Rindou loves it, don’t get him wrong. The various districts, various people, all milling about, some on phones talking fast, pushing through crowds that part unwillingly as they plough through, mothers and babies in prams and it’s loud, so loud, the tinny buzz of voices on top of each other and his head aches with the need for some silence. 

He walks into the library on a whim, his headphones blinking red and drained of battery and the cool quiet interior is a welcome respite from the noise, the collar of his shirt clinging to his neck under his hoodie, the occasional wisp of blond blue hair curling around his ears as the air con blows a blast of cold air.

Once he had hidden here with Ran, between the aisles as a police car rushed past, the two of them hunched over and catching their breath, a long stare that petered off into giggles and laughs, the two of them young and still new to it all. It’s a bit different now, a bit harder to get Ran’s attention since his Wife and child came along. He doesn’t resent it, he’s happy for him. Ran has been the source of his safety for years, it would be selfish to keep him like that- to rob him of what he knows Ran deserves. Peace, something to lean on when he is too stubborn to lean on him. 

Old habits do tend to die hard.

But he can’t lie and say it isn’t lonely sometimes. The days when he picks up the phone, types out a text to his Brother- the only person who was only ever a call away, a message away, a shout across the house- and imagines him juggling the throes of newfound parenthood, something he loves and enjoys, and having his little Brother clinging onto him still, this far into adulthood when Rindou thinks he should be able to stand on his own two feet and wishes it was easier to do so.

There is only so much music he can listen to, only so much he can drink alone, only so many clubs he can waste his time at before it bothers him- the strobe lighting, the flirtations of girls who’ll forget his name when the next hotshot with a wad of cash comes along, and maybe he flirts back for a time, just to throw out the napkin with their numbers on later because it ultimately means nothing to him when there’s so little substance and he hates the idea of meeting someone like that- playing pretend because there’s so little else to do.

He’s angry that it seems so hard for him and he wishes he were a little less….him at times. A little more like Ran, a little easier, a little less rough around the edges, the jagged and sharp points of him that are stubborn and unwilling to be smoothed down by time. If it were a year ago, he’d call his Brother now and they’d drive at night and he’d feel a little less like he’s wading out to shore, a little more seen, a little less like he’s squashed between here and there and scrambling for something to understand. 

Maybe he kicks at the ground then, and maybe he loses his footing and stumbles into you reaching up to get something from the shelf, you knocked sideways and him barrelling into you, one hand braced on the wall to stabilise himself, the other reaching for you to pull you to him instinctually. 

‘Shit, fuck, I’m sorry,’ he says, headphones clattering to the floor, the wires corded around his hoodie, an avid crimson spillingacross his skin. ‘You okay?’

‘Yeah, yeah, no I’m fine, don't worry.’ And you look up from where you’d bent to brush the dust from your legs with the beginnings of a smile. And maybe the light hits you at just the right angle, the sunlight dancing through the window, dust mites flickering in the golden glow- or maybe he’d touched your hand for a fraction of a second and it had been warm and soft or maybe he’s rationalising and something cold in him cracks a little but he smiles back and lifts a hand to rub at his neck with a trepidation that he curses himself for. 

You laugh, awkwardly, a brightness around the edge of you that feels warm, that feels foreign and weird and genuine and he watches the reflection of himself in your eyes, bewilderment and confusion and an attempt at a lopsided smile when you retrieve his headphones from the floor, the two sides now coming apart in your hands.

‘Oh,’ you say, a worried bite on your lip, the two sides of his now broken pair in your two hands. ‘God I’m so sorry, I can pay you for these-’

‘No need, it was my fault, I’m the one who hit you.’

‘No, no, I was in the way-’

‘You weren’t, I was just not watching where I was going. You don’t have to pay for anything, they weren’t that good anyway.’

He neglects to mention that they were his favourite pair, a set he bought a year back to kick off the DJ thing that never really went anywhere, because it was only ever just him and the kit, him and the music and maybe it was a lonely experience to not have anyone to share that with, long nights where the tinny sound of the music is somehow an ache in the otherwise silent house.

‘You sure?’ You cock your head to the side, lifting the two halves. ‘They seem really good quality. I can’t pay for it all now but maybe-’

‘Don’t worry, seriously. I got a tonne more at home.’

You blink and he curses himself again inwardly, avoiding and resisting a sidestep on his feet in nervous apprehension. He sees then, your books scattered on the floor at your feet, and bends to pick them, resting them under his arm as he leans down before handing them to you gently, his fingers brushing yours on the underside and it makes his chest lurch when you murmur a quiet ‘thank you’ that he’s glad isn’t lost on the reverberating drone and shuffle of feet in the next aisles over. 

‘Okay, I can get you a coffee? It doesn’t quite make up but I’d feel bad for not doing anything at all.’ You turn to pack the books into your bag and he watches you, the ease with which you hand the two sides back to him and wait expectantly for his reply, the loud and disastrous crash of his heart that he’s convinced you can hear, the long and ample silence that has his tongue clinging to the roof of his mouth. 

‘You don’t have to say yes by the way- I’m not trying to- you know, I just feel bad for breaking one of your things-’

His lips part. ‘Yes, yes, I’ll….’ he chews on his lip, hands helplessly holding the broken headphones, the swirl of something that feels like desperation clouding the flecked hue of his eyes. ‘Yeah, I think that’ll be okay.’

And it feels strange and different and new and terrifying when you grin brightly and pat his arm  and the hollow of his throat beats with nerves, pink flashing across his cheeks and ears in a way that feels so utterly like a betrayal.

You hum, hoist a stack under your arm and the sun is out, streaming through the windows as you lift your bag over your shoulder. ‘Okay nice, I’m going to go check these out but I'll meet you outside in ten?’

‘S-sure….’ he says, a whisper caught on his lips with a starved and suffocating breath, the dizzying euphoria, nerves and anxiety all rolling along his chest when he watches you leave with a short wav, the bag you’re carrying falling over your shoulder.

And maybe the pain is good this time, the sense of vertigo that has him bracing a hand on the shelf, a hand to his chest to rub at, slow and deliberate breaths to calm his racing heart.

Maybe this time, he feels a little less angry, a little less sad, a little more like something that feels scarily akin to happiness. 

Reblogs appreciated!

[foldingfittedsheets]

my bed mattress is nearly 2 decades old now but it's still like the comfiest bed i've ever slept in (my autism may have a role in this), is it really necessary to replace it?

Hmgh. It… depends. As someone who Bonds with items especially in my comfort zone like bed and couch this is tough to answer.

A few signs that you do in fact need to replace it:

The bed has a divot where you sleep. These will always impact good sleep and support. Automatic replace.

You are tossing, turning, waking up unrested, or achey. Be very attentive to how you feel upon waking. If you need to keep a diary of how often you wake up unachey and check in after two weeks. If you're conssitently not sleeping great the mattress is letting you down.

If you're waking up congested. 90% of people do not have adequate well maintained mattress protectors. Beds can double their weight every ten years due to dead skin, dust mites and their assorted corpses as they live their life cycles, and general dust. All these thing can cause allergic congestion and is also just Not Great to breathe all night.

All this being said. I nor anyone else is gonna come take your bed from you. You can do whatever you like with your bed, ten years is when I recommend people tune in and asses their situation.

[verosvault]

🚨SPOILERS FOR FANTASY HIGH JUNIOR YEAR EPISODE 8🚨

Dimension20 "Fantasy High Junior Year"

Fracas at the Frostyfaire Folk Festival

Timestamp: 34:54

Video Length: 4min. & 45sec.

Research into Cassandra and Ruvina + Learning about Oblivati Mori (Pt.1 | ‣Pt.2 | Pt.3)

Fig: "Do you want a Bardic?"

Fabian: "I can... Hey, The Ball? Let me help."

Riz: : "Okay, yeah. It's just-"

Gorgug: "Can I have a Bardic?"

Riz: "It's just the dust mites."

Fig: "Do you want some help?"

Riz: "I'm a little worried about the dust mites!" 😭✋ (Murph's CONCERNED FACE! 😭✋)

Fig: "Here!" *starts to play* 😭✋

Riz: "Oh no! It's okay!" 😭✋

Emily: "If you see me wink, you get a Bardic." (😭😭😭😭✋✋✋✋)

Murph: Okay, okay. (*blocking Emily's winks with his hands*! 😭✋)

Lou: "Can my Bardic just be that I run screen?" 😭✋

Fabian: "No, no, look at me. No!"

Emily: "Don't you want it? Don't you want it?" (😭😭😭😭)

Murph: "Okay, right off the bat, dirty 20. Should I throw this on there and try to-"

Emily: "Yeah!"

Siobhan: "why not?!"

Lou: "Come on, baby. Let's cook."

Murph: "26."

Lou: "We stay eatin'!"

Brennan: "Hell yes."

Ally: "A feast."

Murph: "So afraid of dust mites. Are there..." 😭✋

Brennan: "So I think you're going through Rana's stuff, which is all the actual, the poetic... She was the cleric of the group, right? And you're going through Cormyr's stuff. Cormyr was a sorcerer, but you actually see, for someone that was innately magical, Cormyr had very meticulous notes, beautiful script, and has something written out which is a long... You can tell it's a copying of another text. As you arrive at it, it's basically, he wrote a glossary literally for the possibility that they would all die on this mission, and another group of adventurers would find this stuff and could pick up where they left off."

Emily: "We should remember to do that in the future." 😭😭😭✋✋✋

Siobhan: "Put it on the board. Put it on the board!"

Brennan: "You find-"

Gorgug: "A for Adaine."

Brennan: "You find-"

Adaine: "That's my name! What?"

Fig: "I think it's the information, not us." 😭✋

Gorgug: "Oh, well, how holistic is it?"

Adaine: "Catch up. Stop thinking about-[inaudible]"

Riz: "I texted you this stuff, man!" 😭✋

Gorgug: "Got it." 💀💀

Brennan: "What you see is, there is the beginning of a text that is written- and I think that... Adaine, go ahead and give me one more- give me actually, an Arcana, 'cause you rolled History. Give me an Arcana real quick."

Siobhan: "I did roll History...23."

Lou: "Sexy." 😂💀

Brennan: "You are able to point out- you know that what you're looking at is not a spell. But Adaine, you're familiar that there's lots of kinds of magical writing that are not spells. There's ways of annotating things that are magical laws or precepts, and what you are seeing here is a dually arcane and religious axiom of magical law of Spyre. And what you see is it says, "Obliviati Mori."

Emily: "Remember you will die? Or forget you will die?!" (👀👀)

Brennan: "Clerics call it Obliviati Mori, but you see that as an arcane rule, it is called the Law of Theothanatic Silence."

Siobhan: "So that's when a god dies, you forget their name."

Brennan: "Yes. But you see that he's writing down all the mortal stuff you already know. When a god dies, you forget their name. When a god dies, they're scrubbed from existence. When a god dies, da da da da da. But you guys also know that for all that being said, 'Yes!' is dead because nobody believes in it, but people remember 'Yes!', right?"

Siobhan: "Oh, we all remember 'Yes!'." 😭✋

Brennan: "You all remember 'Yes!'."

Zac: "I'll never forget that thing."

Siobhan: "They had a cogent philosophy that we comprehended deeply."

Ally: "Maybe we should forget, though." (😭😭✋✋)

Fig: "Just to be clear, when I was talking about becoming a paladin, it was for 'Yes!'." (😭😭✋✋)

Kristen: "Wait, what? No, no!" 😭✋

Adaine: "Wait, for 'Yes!' or for 'Yes??'" 💀💀💀

Zac: "I'll never forget that thing sliding out of-" 😭✋

Ally: "Yeah, sliding out of that hole." 😭✋

Siobhan: "Just so wet."

Murph: "That thing getting pooped out of space." 😭😭✋✋

Brennan: "Basically, there is an intense series of rules and restrictions, but you see this rule doesn't apply to mortals. It applies to the gods."

Siobhan: "Oh! So the gods also forget the name?!"

Brennan: "They do not."

Siobhan: "Oh! And that's why we remember Yes!, 'cause we're all gods!" (😂💀 IMAGINE! 😂💀)

Brennan: "You're all gods! Obliviati Mori is a precept that binds deities to not evangelize or even speak of fallen deities to mortals. In other words, it's written out as a precept of basically like, if a god succumbs to some form of death, they become archfey, they become a demon or a celestial rather than a full deity, if they only have a few dozen followers and another god kills them and they don't have the strength to withstand that, or if literally, in the most extreme cases, their name is fully forgotten, other deities are not allowed to effectively remind mortals of their existence."

Siobhan: "So does that mean that the person who wrote the note that is supposed to be from Lucy was actually a god?"

Brennan: "It makes it very unclear who could have written that. Because you're in this weird position where you guys can all write Yes!, you can write Cassandra. This god is one whose name has actually been forgotten or scrubbed by every single mortal."

[mugiwara-rosewolf]

Hello, I just discovered your blog via one of your writings, I really love your style ♥

I confess that I never think of sabo with a blind eye. It seems to me that in the anime he has his two eyes.

I thought of an idea: how would Sabo react who, because of the flames, lost an eye to a blind reader. Poor thing, she can't see the beauty of Sabo 😢. The reader is female, with remance. Sabo would be insecure about his scar but would try to get over it so at least the reader can know what he looks like when she touches him.

Have a nice day ♥

Hello! I’m so glad to hear that you’ve enjoyed my writings! Though, I have to be honest, a lot of my headcanons about Sabo’s injuries come from binging @theprodigypenguin ‘s works on AO3 when I first joined the fandom. If you’re looking for deep diving fics about Sabo’s character, I’d highly recommend them!

That said, I absolutely adore this prompt and would love to give it a shot. —Hope You Enjoy!

Love is Blind

Sabo x F!Reader

Note: Reader has color vision & acuity to see shapes, so they are technically classified as having “low vision” as opposed to “total blindness” (aka no light perception)

"Alright, the mission is simple," Koala reminded him. "Infiltrate the engagement, gain entrance to the host nobleman's office, swipe the records and get out. We need to be outta sight by dawn, alright?"

"Ah~ good ole breaking and entering," Sabo grinned. “Just like old times.”

"No, no breaking-" the woman spy snagged his cheek before he could stop her. "Hack was clear about our orders. That means no making trouble for the boss, you understand?"

"Okay, okay, ow-ow!" Sabo swatted her hand away, even knowing that scarred flesh wouldn't bruise. "That was one time, alright? I know what I'm doing."

"Do you?"

She didn't need to be on his good side for Sabo to know the look she was giving him. That droll side-eye and incredulous brow she had, like he was a child who’d spilled food down his front. Making messes that she always had to clean up. Or so she said. Sabo shook his head with a hand on his chest. "Come now, don’t you trust your own partner in crime?"

"I don't know, should I?"

"...touché.”

***

The light of her father's chandeliers hung above them, casting the space into a twilight glow. Silhouettes like over-large dust mites blurred slowly in circles as the orchestra strung together one waltz after another. Perhaps it'd be a crime to say - but Y/N would rather be out in the pitch dark of the garden than be a withering wallflower in this ballroom.

She knows it's a ballroom because the piano echoes in her ears, low notes reverberating in her chest just as much as if she were leaning against the instrument herself. The cellos of the string section strike a similar chord into the vibrating floors beneath her slippers. A lifetime of thin-soled shoes helped distinguish warm wood panels from the cold, slippery marble her mother loved to decorate the entryway and balconies. All those outward-facing places where their wealth-sighted guests could gawk and admire their purported majesty.

Occasionally, a confection of colour would flash past, jerking her back from her reverie. Coarse crinoline would rub between her fingers. A passing maid would scold her with a tap on the shoulder. The universal whisper of 'stop fidgeting' or 'stop staring' always caught her ear.

Y/N ran a tongue over her teeth. As if the voices in this cavernous space weren't living for the pageantry of being seen and gawked at in one way or another. All this fuss over mounds of crinkly fabric and gnarly colognes. What did they care if her sightless gaze was -There are only so many times one can pretend to scan the room between one feels like they're adrift at sea in a dense fog. It was hard not to get seasick at the feeling.

A hand on her shoulder. A warm, nimble-fingered phantom that lingered only milliseconds before-

"Excuse me, miss?"

Y/N turned to the sound of the voice. Following a rail-thin line of bruising shadows until a shock of pale…everything halted her gaze. Is that the face? Gods, I hope that’s the face and not some obnoxious- “Yes? Can I help you?”

“Ah, pardon,” the -presumably male- voice said, retracting his hand as if he’d touched a hot iron. Something inside her wilted. “This’ll sound strange but,” cloth shuffled, somewhere around the joint between pale and dark. “Could you direct me to the nearest restroom?”

“The restroom?”

“Yea.”

“The men’s…restroom.”

“Yes.”

“Well you were right about sounding strange,” Y/N quipped. Resolute and unbothered, Y/N rose from her seat and offered an arm towards the figure. “It’ll be easier if we walk there.”

“If we…walk?”

“Yes, then I can guide you.”

“But can’t you just-"

“No, I’m afraid I’m quite terrible at giving directions,” at least in the way others understand them. Y/N jerked her elbow out for emphasis. “Well? Is your bladder about to burst, or what?”

If her mother was in earshot, she’d surely earned herself a smack upside the head. But in the midst of a public soirée, no one could do a thing. To her surprise, the stranger didn’t choke in shock or stammer in flustered offence.

Instead, the man…laughed. He bloody snorted. The sound was muffled, as if he too were hiding behind a cupped hand. But the sound was unmistakable. Laughter was so rare here….

“Pfft! You are certainly more brazen than I was expecting,” the man said.

“Oh? And does that trouble you, sir?”

Before Y/N could find another taunt on her lips, a velvet sleeve slid past her own. Hooking elbows to elbows like the links of fine jewellery. All words dried up. She could feel his breath lean close to her ear.

“-not in the slightest.”

Her stomach swooped. She quickly cleared her throat and set her chin towards the nearest black hole in the wall. “Very well then, this way.”

***

All things considered, Sabo was feeling rather proud of himself. He had successfully infiltrated the event undetected. He'd found a viable excuse to escape the main throng and was now on his way to objective number two: find Mister What's-His-Face's office.

Only one obstacle stood between him and his next steps: the stowaway accomplice. Witty, direct and beautifully dressed, the woman marched down the halls of this obnoxiously coloured palace as if she owned it. Even then, he wasn't sure what possessed him to approach a party guest for an excuse instead of just wandering off on his own, as was his usual. But then again, Koala had already chewed him out for his last solo fiasco, so maybe it was a subconscious abundance of caution. Her grip was almost worse than his.

However, what he found most perplexing about the new variable in his plans - was that she still wouldn't look him in the eyes. Even when they first met, she resolutely stared at the crown of his head as she spoke, unblinking. Their entire trek had been deathly silent, save for the tread of slippers and boots on hard wooden floors. Then again, given how he could only see one side of her face at any given time...maybe there was a reason she refused to meet his gaze directly.

"Tell me something, miss," he decided on a whim.

"Something important, I assume?"

"Oh no, a trivial curiosity, I assure you."

"Then why bother with it in the first place?"

"For the fun of it," he shrugged. "And because I'm curious."

A heavy sigh. The first time he's seen the noblewoman close her eyes for an extended period of time. "Very well then, ask away."

"-Is there a reason you won't look me in the eye?" Her strides stalled. Both of them came to a stop in the middle of the hall. In front of a glorious painting, Sabo couldn't bring himself to attend. She didn't say anything at first. He offered a sympathetic if self-deprecating laugh for her benefit. "I'm not that atrocious to look at, am I?"

She tilted her head slightly. Turning her e/c gaze to some spot over his shoulder. "No. I wouldn't know. I can't tell what you look like."

"You-" That's when it clicked. The unblinking gaze, the thousand-yard star, the way she tilted her head at certain sounds, how careful her steps were amongst the ballroom crowds. "You're, bli-" His laughter caught him by such surprise he nearly choked.

"Yes, I - I beg your pardon?!"

The irony wracked his body so hard he couldn't stop. Shoulders shaking, stomach seizing, he just couldn't stop laughing: "Oh my-!" His scarred face hurt from the pinch of smiling so much. He wiped a stinging tear from his eye. "I just - it really is the blind leading the blind, isn't it?"

Her offended furrow fell slack. "I...beg your pardon?"

"I'm guessing you still have light perception, then. Eh?"

"You are being awfully casual about this."

"Well, why not?" Sabo shrugged. "I'm completely blind in one eye, figure as long as we're talking here, we may as well speak plainly about it."

"Hmph," Something like a twitch of a smile tugged at her cheek. "Well, now who's the brazen one?"

Sabo chuckled. Hiding his smile behind one hand, he leaned into the warmth of her arm and whispered: "I don't see why we both can't be bold, do you?"

The lady's own smile turned coy. "You're not really a gentleman, are you?"

"Not exclusively," he admitted with a grin. "Why? Do I make a bad impression?"

"The absolute worst," she said with a breathy laugh. "Our chain of islands is too small for me not to know the voices of most noblemen - and yet I've never heard anyone quite like you."

"And I you, my lady."

"You weren't really aiming for the restroom, were you?"

"Not really," Sabo shrugged. "Just needed an excuse to escape the crowds."

The woman chuckled. "You and I both, good sir."

"Sabo."

"What?"

"Sabo. That's what my friends call me."

Her smile grew, the cutest blush streaking across her cheeks. "Then I suppose you can call me Y/N, so long as we're among good company."

"Oh, you're in great company," Sabo assured, squeezing her arm against his side. "Now that we're free, we can go anywhere we want."

"Free..." her echoing whisper was like a spring breeze to his ears. "There's nothing more I've ever wanted to be."

Sabo grinned. Unwinding their arms just enough to dare and weave his hand with hers. "Then today's your lucky day, Y/N. Follow me?"

"Lead the way - Sabo."

[burnwater13]

It was one of those days. The kind of day where the most you could do was wait, watch, and listen. The Mandalorian was up to something. Grogu just didn’t know what it was. He didn’t like that. Not at all. But sometimes patience paid off. Of course that was mostly through offers of leftovers. Then patience was key.

It was funny to Grogu that he was kind of annoyed at the tall human for being so quiet and secretive. Din Djarin wasn’t really a chatterbox at the best of times. And he certainly didn’t appreciate it when anyone had secrets that they were trying to keep, like where Grogu had hidden the silver knob to keep the bounty hunter from just putting it back where it belonged. 

But on a typical day, if you would agree for a moment that they ever had anything like a typical day, the Mandalorian bounty hunter would tell Grogu all about that day’s plan. 

“We’re goin’ to see Karga” or “Peli said she had a part for us” or “It’s about time you started carryin’ your own weight around here”. That last one generally meant ‘pick up the mess you made, okay kid?’ Grogu didn’t like hearing it from an understanding perspective, but he did like hearing the Mandalorian’s voice. 

And Grogu knew what kind of day it would be. Visiting Karga meant solving a problem the former bounty guild leader hadn’t told them about. Grogu needed to get plenty of rest, eat a lot, and make sure he brought snacks. Greef Karga never seemed to have any food just laying around. 

On the other hand, if it was a trip to see Peli Motto, Grogu knew that he just needed to make sure that his face and hands were washed before he got off the ship. She was just going to scoop him up, talk at him as fast as she could, then order the pit droids to get him some food and carry him around for the rest of the day. These were some of Grogu’s favorite days for obvious reasons.

The days that were all about Grogu interacting with a world scaled for humans, (the issue that made it harder to clean stuff up, then make them messy in the first place), required planning, thoughtfulness, and accepting that Din Djarin had a very different idea of what ‘clean’ was than Grogu did. It didn’t seem like the Mandalorian had ever noticed that.

No one liked wading through wads of crumpled up vids and papers less than Grogu. If his dad, that big, scary bounty hunter, had to do it, they barely reached the toe of his boot and no harm could come from them. When it was Grogu’s turn, then he had to hope that his coverall remain cut proof because his hands certainly weren’t and he was tired of the tiny little cuts and lacerations he would get picking them up. 

And no, before you even ask, Din Djarin did not want him using the Force to do the work.  He might need Grogu to heal him, or stop a charging critter, or hold off a battalion of battle droids and for those tasks having the full complement of the Force handy was… well… handy. So no using the Force to clean up. 

Yet, here he was. Nothing to clean up. No fun to not need to plan for. No unannounced work to actually plan for… Grogu didn’t know what to do other than wait. He really didn’t like waiting. So instead of doing something obvious, like drawing or eating or chasing dust mites around the space, Grogu day dreamed. 

One of the best parts of day dreaming was that the Mandalorian had no idea that he was doing anything at all. He looked like he was resting. Depending on how he sat in the floaty chair or the seats in the Razor Crest he even looked like he was meditating. Importantly, he was being quiet. His Mandalorian protector liked that a lot. “Quiet was Beskar” or words to that effect. 

So Grogu dreamed a day when he could just go frog hunting on a nice planet filled with nice people and plenty of frogs. Where the frogs weren’t considered people because those frogs were his friends, not his supper. Where the people he met thought he was adorable and went out of their way to scale things to his size. 

Peli was there. Kuiil was there. IG-11 was there. Sometimes even Greef Karga was there. When he wasn’t being tricky or crafty or all the other things a person who ordered bounty hunters around had to be to survive. 

Between Peli and Kuiil they had made Grogu his own home and his own, mini-Razor Crest. He loved them both. The house was amazing because it had a clear roof that let him see the stars at night and let Din Djarin check up on him from time to time. They had even made a sitting area that the Mandalorian could actually enter without crawling in on his belly. (That section of the roof was hinged and Din could lift and flip it onto a stand). 

On this delightful planet Grogu often took his little Razor Crest, which he nick-named Cresty, to explore. There were caves and lakes and canyons. Lots of gorgs, chickens, and you shrimp. There were taverns and farms and all the places that let people live a simple, enjoyable life, especially him. 

At least once a week the population would gather, each in their own town square or commons, and watch the latest episode of Diggle and Daggle, The Fish that fish. After that everyone had snacks and sweets and smiled when they went home. It was a lovely little planet. 

He hadn’t thought up a name for it, other than ‘Home’, which he liked. Because honestly, if you didn’t know where you were going or what you were going to be doing on any given day, having a home to just enjoy seemed like a pretty good thing to him. Of course he also called Din Djarin ‘home’. He was also pretty good in the same way.

[aladaylessecondblog]

no more than halfway real (gortash x good tav pt. 6)

Shorter, no smut, but lots of trust issues. Sad Tav.

------------------------------------

Tav sat beside Gortash somewhat gingerly, considering both that she was still sore despite the healing, and the look he'd just given her. She decided not to mention it, or what he'd said, not just yet.

The tip of one of the claws of his gauntlet was tracing over the boy's small lips while he supported the little head with his other arm.

"He's...quite small," Gortash finally said, after a long silence.

"He didn't feel that way coming out," Tav replied, leaning against his shoulder as she reached over toward the babe. She was still tired, but something about this moment--

you've abandoned us

"It felt like he was tearing me in half," she laughed softly, and stroked the pale purple little cheek. "Like he was angry at being ejected from a comfortable place to sleep and decided to make his displeasure known as much as possible."

"I heard the storm," Gortash replied in an oddly muted tone, "And secondhand, I heard you cursing my name and swearing I would never be allowed to touch you again."

"I didn't mean it, not really...it was just...the pain, you know..."

The babe opened his eyes and yawned. A second later he was crying, though not very loudly.

"Let me have him," Tav said, "He's probably hungry."

Gortash allowed her to take the babe, and watched closely as she tugged at the loose collar of her gown enough to expose a breast. She lifted the little one up to it and he latched almost immediately.

"I envy him already."

There was a short pause which Tav broke with, "What shall we name him?"

"A drow name," Gortash said.

"Poor mite will have a hard time with that," she replied, "Are you sure?"

"I'm positive. Every expectation the Lloth-worshippers have about him will be broken in any case, when they find him ruling here. When they sneer at him he will sneer right back. When they order him about like a slave, he will look them dead in the eye and ask them who in the hells they think they're talking to. I want him to have a drow name because I want everyone to be reminded of all the unspoken rules he's going to break."

"There are so many options...let me see, perhaps something to mark how he is your heir..."

"A NOBLE heir," Gortash insisted.

"Cald," Tav said instantly, "It means noble blood...or noble heir. Cald Gortash. How do you like the sound of that?"

He nodded, and she glanced up at him to find that same devastated look on it. She looked away just in time to avoid his noticing.

And then his head leaned slightly against her own, and he reached a hand over to stroke at the dusting of light hair on Cald's head.

"If you were in danger," he said suddenly, slowly, "Would you give him up to save yourself?"

"No, of course not," Tav replied firmly. "Never."

"Even if it would solve every problem you had?"

"Never."

"...and what if I don't believe you?"

The words were like a warhammer crashing down on her chest. For a moment, Tav couldn't breathe. She gulped slightly, and began to tremble. What kind of monster did he think her to be? And where had this come from? He had been so close, so gentle with the child, but then suddenly that softness had hardened.

When she looked up at him she saw a mixture of things--suspicion, anger...pain.

How could you think such a thing of me?

"Then you're WRONG," she said, and pulled back, clinging a little more tightly to the still-nursing Cald. "I would NEVER hand him over, to anyone, for ANYTHING."

Tav's eyes were already wet, but the tears started falling however much she tried to hold them back.

It was either cry silently or loudly, and she wanted not to disturb her son.

Why? Why did it hurt so badly to have Gortash say this? Why was it those words felt like a dagger in her heart?

"I've done everything you ask," Tav started talking, and found she couldn't stop, "I've been loyal, I've...when did I ever give you the idea I would...is it me? Is there something I'm not seeing? Am I doing things I don't remember? Tell me, what is it that makes you think so ill of me?"

Cald was done. Robotically, she burped him, not wanting to look at this suddenly suspicious husband of hers.

"Hand him back to me."

"No--" Tav stood with the boy in her arms and clutched him close against her chest. "If you think I'm going to hand him off to you after you--for all I know you won't give him back!"

"You're being irrational."

"No more than you," she hiccupped. "I see now. The mask is off. You don't need to PRETEND you like me any more, now you have your heir. You don't need to pretend to get along with me any longer. And you're afraid I'll do something to get away from you, is that it?"

Gortash didn't respond right away. Merely stared up at her.

Shattered, that was the word. She felt shattered by those few words, like she'd not realized until now she was made of glass and that push was all it took.

He thinks I would sell my own child to save myself.

"You can't lie and say that you're happy," Gortash practically snarled, and pointed the forefinger of that clawed gauntlet right at her. "Oh, you play the game very well, but we both know you would rather be anywhere but Baldur's Gate. Some bloodsucker's lair, or some druid's home. You don't WANT to be here, any more than you wanted my SON."

There was a brief sneer.

"Perhaps it is not I who thinks I can stop pretending. I imagine YOU must be utterly relieved that you can stop acting as though you want anything I have to give you."

"I wanted--" Tav choked on her words. Her head was storming again, a swirling mess of agony. She knew the seductive touches, the lovemaking, the little compliments were all false, meant to draw her in. But to have his mask dropped so suddenly, so cruelly? She went on, the words running from her mouth like water, "I knew what you were doing was a lie, but still, you did it so well I almost thought...well. You have your heir. You can stop pretending to be the man that I've--"

He perked up slightly at that, but she didn't finish the sentence.

"I will," she said in a strained voice, "Endeavor to be only what the position requires from now on. Now if you'll excuse me, archduke, I--need to go change your son."

Gortash stood there a few moments longer, possibly fuming--Tav didn't know, she was too afraid to look back--and then promptly left, slamming the door behind him.

It was like plunging into cold water.

Once again, she was behind enemy lines...this time with a child. And alone.

Oh, don't fret. You will always have us, kitten.

[frmartinshomiliesandreflections]

3rd October >> Fr. Martin's Reflections/Homilies on Today's Mass Readings for Thursday, Twenty Sixth Week in Ordinary Time (Inc. Luke 10:1-12) ‘The harvest is rich but the labourers are few’.

Thursday, Twenty Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel (Except USA) Luke 10:1-12 Your peace will rest on that man.

The Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them out ahead of him, in pairs, to all the towns and places he himself was to visit. He said to them, ‘The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest. Start off now, but remember, I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Carry no purse, no haversack, no sandals. Salute no one on the road. Whatever house you go into, let your first words be, “Peace to this house!” And if a man of peace lives there, your peace will go and rest on him; if not, it will come back to you. Stay in the same house, taking what food and drink they have to offer, for the labourer deserves his wages; do not move from house to house. Whenever you go into a town where they make you welcome, eat what is set before you. Cure those in it who are sick, and say, “The kingdom of God is very near to you.” But whenever you enter a town and they do not make you welcome, go out into its streets and say, “We wipe off the very dust of your town that clings to our feet, and leave it with you. Yet be sure of this: the kingdom of God is very near.” I tell you, on that day it will not go as hard with Sodom as with that town.’

Gospel (USA) Luke 10:1-12 Your peace will rest on him.

Jesus appointed seventy-two other disciples whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit. He said to them, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest. Go on your way; behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves. Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals; and greet no one along the way. Into whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this household.’ If a peaceful person lives there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you. Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you, for the laborer deserves his payment. Do not move about from one house to another. Whatever town you enter and they welcome you, eat what is set before you, cure the sick in it and say to them, ‘The Kingdom of God is at hand for you.’ Whatever town you enter and they do not receive you, go out into the streets and say, ‘The dust of your town that clings to our feet, even that we shake off against you.’ Yet know this: the Kingdom of God is at hand. I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom on that day than for that town.”

Reflections (7)

(i) Thursday, Twenty Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

Several sayings or phrases of the gospels have made their way into the English language. When we hear the expressions ‘widow’s mite’ or ‘thirty pieces of silver’ we know what they imply. One such saying is to be found in today’s gospel reading, ‘like lambs among wolves’. We use it to express the vulnerability of people in some situation or other. Jesus was aware that the seventy two he was sending out as his labourers would be vulnerable to hostile forces. Not every town would welcome them. Yet, regardless of how they would be received, their message was to be the same, ‘the kingdom of God is very near’. The apparent failure of their mission in certain places does not undermine the fundamental good news of Jesus, ‘the kingdom of God is very near’. God is powerfully at work in the world for the good of humanity, regardless of how Jesus’ messengers are received. The same is true today. We can easily get discouraged by the decline in faith in the Lord in our families, our parishes, our society. People of faith feel more vulnerable, less supported, as a result. Yet, Jesus’ good news, his gospel, is no less good news. God is powerfully at work in our world through the risen Lord drawing all people into God’s kingdom of justice, love and peace. This work of God is changeless and constant, even when God’s work seems to be bearing little fruit. As people of faith, we can draw strength from the good news that the kingdom of God is always very near. The awareness of God’s faithful and powerful presence, through his Son and the Holy Spirit, gives us the courage and inspiration to be faithful workers in the Lord’s harvest, regardless of how well we are being received.

And/Or

(ii) Thursday, Twenty Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

In the instructions that Jesus gives to the seventy-two in this morning’s gospel reading, he tells them that regardless of the reception they receive from a particular town, they are to announce, ‘the kingdom of God is very near to you’. If they are made welcome in a town, they are to make that announcement, but even if they are not made welcome, they are still to make that announcement. Jesus is saying that regardless of whether the gospel is well received or badly received, the kingdom of God remains very near to us. In other words, people may differ, but God remains the same. God remains powerfully present, his reign of love is close at hand, regardless of how the message of Jesus is received. It can be encouraging to remind ourselves of that, especially at times when the hunger for the Lord and for his word does not seem to be as deep or as prevalent as it once was. It is always good to remind ourselves that God was as much present on Good Friday as he was on Easter Sunday. God is powerfully at work when the gospel is being rejected as much as when it is being received. What matters is that the gospel is proclaimed.

And/Or

(iii) Thursday, Twenty Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

It is only in Luke’s gospel that we find this reading of Jesus sending out a large group of seventy two and while doing so calling on them to ask the Lord of the harvest to send out still more labourers into the harvest. The Lord’s work in its various forms cannot be entrusted to a small little group; it requires a large number. The harvest is great and varied; the more labourers the better. This is a very important message for the church in our own day, especially in our own country, in our own Diocese. More and more people are needed to take responsibility for the life of the church, for the work of the Lord. In sending out this large group, Jesus is not slow to draw attention to the difficulties they will face. He anticipates that some towns will not make them feel welcome. Yet, Jesus emphasizes that whether people make them welcome or not the disciples are to proclaim, ‘the kingdom of God is very near to you’. The Lord is very near whether he is welcomed or not. The Lord is present whether he is received or not. The Lord continues to work in and through those who are ready to be his labourers, whether or not that work is appreciated. We are constantly confronted by the presence of God’s kingdom, God’s rule in and through his Son; there is no getting away from that reality. The only question is how we are responding to that ultimate reality.

And/Or

(iv) Thursday, Twenty Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

It is only in Luke that Jesus sends out a group of seventy two disciples. As he does so, the first request Jesus makes of them is to ask God, the Lord of the harvest, to send out more labourers into the harvest. Seventy two labours are not enough. The harvest is so rich that an abundance of labourers are needed. Each of us, in different ways, is called to be a labourer in the Lord’s harvest. The seventy two that are sent out are asked to proclaim two messages which overlap very much, ‘Peace to this house’ and ‘the kingdom of God is very near to you’. They are to proclaim that in the person of Jesus the reign of God is close at hand and they are to announce the peace which those who welcome God’s reign in Jesus will experience. The seventy two are to proclaim this good news regardless of how they are received; they are to announce it to those who welcome them and to those who reject them. They are to proclaim the presence of God in Jesus to all, the receptive and the unreceptive. Regardless of whether the gospel is well received or badly received, the kingdom of God remains very near to us. People’s response may differ, but God remains the same. God is powerfully at work when the gospel is being rejected as much as when it is being received. God was as powerfully present on Good Friday as he was on Easter Sunday. Even in those times when our labours for the Lord do not appear to be bearing much fruit, when our witness to the Lord is not being well received, the kingdom of God remains very near to all of us. Bidden or unbidden, God is present.

And/Or

(v) Thursday, Twenty Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

You may have come across a plaque with the saying, ‘Bidden or not bidden, God is present’. Swiss Psychiatrist Carl Jung had these words inscribed above the entrance to his home and the quote is often attributed to him. Actually, Jung found it in the Latin writings of Desiderius Erasmus, a sixteenth century Dutch Catholic priest, social critic, teacher, and theologian. The saying declares that God’s presence to us is not determined by our openness to God’s presence or our lack of openness to it. I was reminded of that saying in today’s gospel reading. Jesus sends out the seventy two disciples on mission. He is aware that they will be well received in some towns but made most unwelcome in other towns. However, irrespective of how they are received, their message is to be the same, ‘the Kingdom of God is very near to you’. Even to the town that does not make them welcome they are to say, ‘Yet, be sure of this: the kingdom of God is very near’. We don’t have to make God present. God is always present to us. God’s presence is assured. The presence of God’s kingdom, God’s realm of liberating love, is a given. The crucial question is how open, how responsive, are we to God’s presence, to the presence of the risen Lord, God-with-us? The first reading suggests that Job, even in the midst of his darkness hour of suffering, came to the awareness that God had not abandoned him, ‘these eyes will gaze on him and find him not aloof’. The Lord is never aloof from us, even when we are often aloof from him. We do not have to go seeking the Lord after we have been aloof from him, because he is always seeking us; he is always there, fully present to us.

And/Or

(vi) Thursday, Twenty Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

When Jesus sends out the seventy two in the gospel reading, he makes clear to them that, whereas they will be well received by some towns, they will most certainly not be made welcome by other towns. However, regardless of how they are received, their message is to be the same, ‘the kingdom of God is very near to you’. The reign of God in Jesus is equally present to those who reject it as it is to those who welcome it. We are being reminded that we do not make God present, nor, indeed, can we drive God away. God is present to us, through his Son, now risen Lord, whether we want God’s presence or not, whether we are aware of God’s presence or not. God is changeless in that God cannot but be present to us, even though as human beings we can change; we can be more or less present to God. Because the kingdom of God is always very near to us, because God’s loving and just rule is powerfully present to us at all times, our calling is to keep opening ourselves to God’s presence, to allow God to be Emmanuel, God with us. God has done and is doing all God can do for us; it falls to us to keep opening ourselves more fully to what God is doing for us. It has pleased God to give us the gift of the kingdom, the gift of his loving presence; God wants us to receive this gift and then to live out of the fullness and richness of this gift. God has drawn near to us through his Son, and God desires us to draw near to him, to be in communion with him, and then, in the strength of that communion to go forth and become his labourers in his harvest, like the seventy two in today’s gospel reading.

And/Or

(vii) Thursday, Twenty Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

There is a wonderful example of the Ministry of the Word in today’s first reading. Ezra, the priest, read from the Book of the Law from early morning until noon, and all the people listened attentively. They were in tears as they listened to the Book of the Law and heard it explained, sensing that their lives fell short of what God was asking of them. However, it was said to the people that this was not a day for tears but for joy, ‘the joy of the Lord is your stronghold’. The reading highlights the power of God’s word to touch people powerfully. In the gospel reading, Jesus sends out seventy two disciples to proclaim his word, the core of which was, ‘The kingdom of God is very near to you’. However, Jesus knew that not everyone to whom they preached the gospel would be as open to the word as the people were in the first reading. Yet, even to those who didn’t welcome them, the same good news was to be preached, ‘The kingdom of God is very near to you’. The Lord continues to speak his word to us, whether we are receptive to it or not. His word is alive and active, even when we are not alive to it. This is good news because it means we can always return to the Lord’s word and draw life and inspiration from it, even after we have been deaf to it for a long time. The word of the Lord endures forever; he never ceases to call out to us through it.

Fr. Martin Hogan.

[puppyexpressions]

How To Help Your Dog With Fall Allergies

Ah, fall is in the air, and along with that air comes watery eyes, sneezing, runny nose, and, most commonly of all, skin problems for your best friend! Dog fall allergies can be as big of a problem for your dog as they can be for you.

Dog allergies can manifest in the form of itchy skin, red eyes, hair loss, or even general itchiness. So what’s causing the problem, and what can you do as a loving pet parent to help?

What Allergens Cause Dog Allergies?

Allergens are basically foreign substances that your pooch can inhale, ingest, or just come into contact with, and when he does, it’s possible for his immune system to overreact.

While the fall season is not associated as much as spring with allergic reactions, there are still several plants, like ragweed and sagebrush, that release pollen in the fall. Fall winds can then spread those substances far and wide.

Mold is also a culprit in fall allergies because increased rain and piles of decaying leaves are great environments for growing mold. Additionally, your good buddy may be more exposed to dust mites in the fall season when your heating system turns on and spreads them throughout the house.

Your pup may also show signs of a flea allergy in the fall since they thrive on the increased moisture in the air.

Your dog’s environmental allergies can then result in itchiness, redness, hives, or swelling. He usually responds by licking or chewing on the affected areas, and that can result in secondary skin infections, which then create even more itching. This allergic reaction on your dog’s skin is known as atopic dermatitis or atopy.

It’s a real catch-22, so what should you look for during allergy season?

Signs of Dog Fall Allergies

Signs of allergies in your dog include:

sneezing

watery eyes

runny nose

skin rashes

hair loss

waxy ear discharge

red paws

odor

excessive scratching

Just like with humans, your dog may suffer from sneezing, watery eyes, and a runny nose. But you might also see him develop rashes and generally irritated skin.

He might also experience hair loss, a waxy discharge from his ears, and red, discolored, smelly feet. Flea allergies can also cause secondary ear infections and other problems like an aural hematoma.

Aural hematomas occur when your dog shakes his head because of an irritated ear. He can shake it so vigorously that the skin of the ear separates from the underlying cartilage. That creates a space where blood can pool. That’s an aural hematoma.

How Can You Be Sure It’s Seasonal Allergies?

While environmental allergies are common in dogs, other problems can cause similar symptoms. It’s vital to determine the cause of your dog’s itchy skin, ear infections, or other symptoms in order to choose the best treatment.

While runny eyes might be due to seasonal allergies, it could also be an eye infection or injury that causes that. Other types of problems include things like dog food allergies and allergic skin lesions resulting from a bacterial infection, among others.

Respiratory symptoms could be seasonal allergies, but it could also be something like kennel cough.

Though environmental allergies are common, there are many other health conditions that cause similar symptoms. It’s important to know which one is causing your dog’s itchy skin or ear infections.

That’s why you’ll want to consult a veterinarian when you notice allergy symptoms in your pooch. They can perform diagnostic tests to determine the exact cause. Since those symptoms can be very uncomfortable and result in more problems, the sooner you visit your DVM, the better.

How Seasonal Allergies Are Diagnosed

There are a number of diagnostic tests your veterinarian might perform, but they usually start with a general physical exam. Your vet will ask about possible allergen exposure, and then they may follow up with some simple skin tests.

For example, they might do a skin scraping and look at the material microscopically to see if there are any skin mites or other identifiable causes. If your pup’s symptoms involve problems with his ears, they will look for evidence of an ear infection.

If your vet thinks that the symptoms are due to something else, they may recommend other types of diagnostic tests. If they suspect food allergies, they may also conduct a food trial, which often involves stopping all foods your dog is eating and instead feeding something hypoallergenic like lamb and rice. Then you reintroduce his old food slowly until the symptoms reappear. That will allow them to identify the specific allergen.

If allergies are determined to be the cause, and your dog has a particularly severe case, they might also recommend allergy testing to determine the specific sensitivity. Once they know the environmental allergens are causing your pup’s symptoms, they can recommend an appropriate treatment.

How are Seasonal Allergies Treated?

You can’t cure allergies, but you can manage the symptoms so that your pooch stays comfortable. There are some over-the-counter medications, like antihistamines (think Benadryl, for example), that can manage those fall allergy symptoms.

Of course, you want to be careful about giving any over-the-counter drugs until you’ve spoken with your vet. Just because you can take a drug like that doesn’t mean it’s safe for your pet.

Your veterinarian might also recommend using a medicated shampoo to help relieve skin irritation or itchiness. For many dogs, those kinds of treatments will be enough to relieve the symptoms, and if fall allergies are to blame, you shouldn’t have to use them year-round.

Dogs with more severe symptoms, however, might need something stronger. In these cases, your dog might need something like a steroidal medication to lessen the strong reaction your dog’s body is having to the allergen.

There are also allergy shots available to help desensitize your pup to the allergen. For these, it will be important to conduct skin testing to determine the specific cause of the reaction.

Of course, it’s also important to treat your pup for any secondary skin or ear infections that develop as a result of the symptoms.

What You Can Do at Home

There are a couple of things you can do at home to help prevent allergic reactions or at least lessen the severity of the reaction. You can wipe your dog’s paws and belly off with a clean, wet cloth after you’ve been on a walk, for example.

It’s also a good idea to bathe your dog once a week. Use a gentle dog shampoo, and pay special attention to areas that might come into contact with plants shedding pollen.

Wash your dog’s bed and any linens he comes into contact with regularly so you can limit his exposure to dust mites. Feeding high-quality dog food and getting him checked regularly for parasites are also important for reducing allergy symptoms.

Final Thoughts on Dog Fall Allergies

While it might be a lovely time of the year, fall can also bring different allergy symptoms that can make you and your pooch really uncomfortable. Take the steps you can to keep your home free of allergens, and see your vet if symptoms develop. You’ll feel as relieved as your pooch when the itching stops!





[pancakeke]

I was looking up insecticides and came across a reddit thread where someone was like "I used neem oil, clove oil, cinnamon, and vinegar but nothing works :("

which drives INSANE. influencer brained essential oil fanatics who do not understand the scope of organic products need to do like an extremely basic google search into this shit because there are plenty of natural/organic insecticides that actually work.

Spinosad

This is a natural compound made from fermented bacteria (saccharopolyspora spinosa) and kills ants, fruit flies, leafminers, mites, mosquitoes, spider mites, and thrips. This comes in a spray and a dust.

Bacillus thuringiensis and its subspecies.

This is a species of bacteria that can control a wide range of pests depending on which subspecies you use.

Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis (BTi) is used to kill the larvae of flies, mosquitos, and fungus gnats. This is the bacteria used in Mosquito Bits** granules and can also be purchased as a spray or dust.

Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki (BTk) kills wormy type pests like gypsy moth caterpillars, tomato hornworms, cabbage worms, cabbage loopers, cutworms, and leaf rollers. It will kill non-pest caterpillars though so be careful with this one. This comes in a spray.

Bacillus thuringiensis var. san diego works for certain beetles/weevils but not all. Look up a list to see what it's effective against if you have a beetle problem.

There are other ones but idk if they're really commercially available.

**I see people applying Mosquito Bits ineffectively all the time and then they assume the product doesn't work. Don't just sprinkle the bits onto your soil (they aren't effective unless the bacteria is well washed off and allowed to permeate the surrounding soil, plus they eventually decompose and mold).

Fill a clear pitcher with water and add a tablespoon or two of bits. let them soak for 30 mins, stir, and then use that water for your plants. This ensures an even distribution of the bacteria over the plant's soil. If you retain like 1/8 of the pitcher of water and fill it back up you can get several applications out of your spoon of bits. dump the spent bits and replace with fresh ones once the water in your pitcher gets too clear.

There's other stuff that can work for specific insects in specific environments (inorganic dusts, sticky traps, utilizing beneficial predators like chickens, wild birds, or wasps) but they have enough drawbacks that I wouldn't recommend those things without knowing your exact situation.

Be extremely wary of any DIY/home made "insecticides". At best their effectiveness is deceptive (the "insecticide" does nothing but through its application you are mechanically removing pests by washing or wiping them away), and at worst they may cause harm to your plants.

Lastly, never put any kind oil on your plants. It doesn't matter what people say about neem. Plants breathe through pores in their leaves and oil covers those pores up.

[praline-elegy]

iirc you said nick is allergic to cats, do you think he has other allergies??

Hello anon!

(Ooh my first ask, I’m so excited 😆)

If anyone is curious, anon is referring to this post that I made with a list of random headcanons I have about various Fence characters. I mentioned hc-ing Nicholas to be allergic to cats, but still petting them anyways (as he should, even if he does get an atrocious runny nose much to Seiji’s dismay).

Circling back to the question, I do think Nicholas would probably have other allergies. Most likely the kind that aren’t life-threatening but still very annoying to have.

I think that Nicholas would be allergic to grass. It’s the kind of allergy that kind of just exists, and doesn’t come up often in conversation nor does it greatly impede Nicholas’ quality of life. It would be a pretty mild allergy that at most causes itchy skin if he laid or sat in the grass with bare skin.

Tbh I’m mostly just yoinking my own allergies and giving them to Nicholas, but I do have a drabble where I briefly mention this allergy (I’ll polish it up a little and post it sometime).

In a similar vein, I also think that he’d be allergic to dust mites which pretty much exist everywhere in every scope of the world. There’s no escaping it 😩🤧😅

I have this small image of Nicholas in my head doing a research project at the library and sneezing several times in a row after reaching for a dusty book on the top shelf, and Seiji passing by and thinking to himself that Nicholas has a cute sneeze 😆🤧💕✨

Alternatively it would be pretty cute if Seiji learned this fact about Nicholas after inviting him to his home for winter break while rifling through an old dusty box of 2-player board games or puzzles only to hear the cutest sneeze coming from him 🥹🤧💗

Thanks for the question anon! Feel free to leave some more! 🤍

[ghostlycandlefairy]

Simple Steps To Finding The Right Mattress

Buying a new mattress can be a hassle. But with these simple steps, it doesn't have to be!

According to “Better Homes and Gardens,” most of us replace our mattresses every 8 to 10 years. Trying to pick the right mattress for you, one that you want to sleep visit site here on for the next 10 years, can seem like a daunting task.  You spend 1/3 of your life sleeping, make it a comfortable 1/3.

As we're about to show you, it can be as easy as choosing the next show to TiVo.

The first question you may be having is, “do I need a new mattress?” This one is probably the easiest. Ask yourself if you are sleeping well at night. Do you feel rested in the morning or do you need five cups of coffee before even thinking about getting ready for your day? If so, chances are you do need a new mattress.

The age of your mattress could also be a factor. Chances are you have dust mites, and dust mites can actually double the weight of your mattress in ten years. We won't go into detail about that here, but you get the point. This along with mold and mildew can create havoc on allergies and asthma.

Some of the most common indicators of needing a new mattress are:

mattress is too lumpy

mattress is too soft/hard

mattress is too old

mattress is just not comfortable

Ok, so you decided that you do need or want a new mattress. The first thing you need to do is decide on what size you want. If it's the same size as you already have, you're ahead of the game. If you have decided to move up in size, a simple way to see how your new mattress will fit is to move the old bedding and mark the area where the new bed will sit. You can do this using towels, sheets, or even an outline in string.

If you want to really get creative, buy yourself some graph paper and organize all of your bedroom furniture. Draw out your bedroom dimensions and on another sheet cut out your furniture to scale. Then you can organize your whole bedroom without lifting anything heavy.

Here are some of the more popular mattress dimensions to help get you started.

Twin: 38" x 75"

Extra-Long Twin: 38" X 80"

Double/Standard/Full Size: 53" x 75"

Queen: 60" x 80"

King: 76" X 80"

California King: 72" x 84" (Recommended for people over 6'4")

Important Tip: Remember these sizes can vary by manufacturer and don't forget headboards and foot boards can add several inches to these dimensions.

When it comes to beds and mattresses, the softest are not always the best. This almost always comes down to personal preference. Your going to have to “test drive” your mattress. Don't be shy, and don't be afraid t ask the sales staff to leave you alone while you try out the mattresses.

If someone will be sleeping with you, bring them along. Above all, the mattress should support your spine and should not interfere with your pressure points.

Check the number of coils the mattresses has. The higher number of coils the better the mattress will wear. Generally, 300 coils for a double and 350-800 for a queen. A king size mattress can range from 400 to 900 coils. You'll also want a few fabric and padding layers and a pillow top.

Many recommend going to a local mattress store and test the ones you like, then go online to stores like GreatPricedFurniture.com were you can find better deals.

[silentanomaly]

LONG POST, OCD TW may be warranted

Minor gold-panning moment when I found an earring left by my roommate's ex-girlfriend inside this beast after wrangling it. I miss her (scroll down for pic, don't worry, she did not get ate or die). She is a genuinely good person, and I'm surprised it wasn't her dumping him.

This is his house. He does not clean (he does a little, but, not as much as he should, he will let everything fall into disarray if you let him/idle). I clean his floors more regularly than he does. This is what happens if I don't do that for a bit. That's just the stairs to the second floor and the living room and kitchen. There's so much more to be found. But, this is all I'm taking time to do for now...and it needs to be mopped.

He has a dog. Said dog lays on the vents (kin). Fur everywhere (I too am hairy, I spoke to him about our shared trait, he pat the couch with his tail as he layed curled up on it, I love him and I ensure he knows that). On top of that, homeboy smokes indoors without cracking a window, and when he does crack a window, he still doesn't blow the smoke outside. It settles everywhere...like in the ventilation, I'm sure. This does not bode well for his dog either. I'm more worried for him than myself.

Not to mention roommate's in a union for scaffolding over at the plants, and has tracked plenty of that in here over time as indicated by all the light switches being grimy and such (also due to another labourer who formerly lived here, who was pretty dirty too, smoked up in the basement where there were no windows and where the furnace is, ffs, I should clean all the switches next, then the walls). Also, roommate lived in this house for years before I moved in, and he only changed the furnace filter for the first time a few months ago. So, no doubt loads more debris to come out of the ventilation.

I am allergic to dust mites, lol.

Anyway, were someone else to move in here, I'd heavily take it upon myself to help them make it more livable (as long as they weren't arrogant, degrading, and disrespectful). It's just discouraging taking on the ever piling list of things to do, as you keep up with your own responsibilities, when you're not even the homeowner and said owner lives on site.

Otherwise, it's a decent space to carve out your own little slice of heaven (of which gets interrupted by obnoxious profanity from roommate coming through the floor/walls at times, and creepy people who lurk outside the building, what else is new in this city these days, I really say "heaven" loosely), and I have certainly done that! Still a work in progress, of course. Floor, walls, ceiling, light switch, etc. all cleaned before moving in, and doing my best to keep it that way (not without some things laying around).

It's nice that my roommate lets me keep to myself too. Will even text me opposed to finding me in the house to talk - which would be fine if he did that. I figure he should do that a bit more as I'm typically the one seeking him out to initiate any sort of conversation. But, it's nice to just keep it simple via text and stay where I'm at in my cozy space. I appreciate that. He can be chaotic and stressful to be around at times anyway, so I prefer to avoid that. I'm gaslighting myself if I'm applying "heaven" to here. It's just my room that's really nice, and I've never had such a nice room, is what I mean.

So, things are coming along nicely for me in this room. I'm happy to have many things and also space to move around. Where as my room at my family home was tiiiinyyyy and keeping my life organized in such a small space while also having to get a goodnight's rest in it was a challenge. Not that new challenges haven't presented themselves here. But, at least there's more space for me, less people, and less dogs..unfortunately was not keen on living with two puppies right after my dad passed away and all. I certainly didn't sign up for it, and yet I was expected to have the energy for them, to watch over them all night almost every night since I was the one who had an irregular sleep schedule. So, also less unwanted expectations being imposed on me. I do love those dogs though. I'm just not a dog owner and I needed my peace.

Plenty other reasons to move out. But, that was one of them. I was not one to not support my family in abundance during the time we were grieving too, all the while working hard to stay focused on sorting out my own life too. I had to get out for myself, even though it wasn't desirable circumstances.

Some day, assuming I'm here long enough, this house will no longer be dilapidated...and maybe my roommate won't be so bad off too. Sucks seeing someone you grew up with since kindergarten turn out to be...like that (it's tough when I've developed actual hatred for him, but, also remember the parts of him that I appreciated before I discovered my hate for him). I hate to talk shit 'cause he means well for me, I figure, but, in meaning well you also gotta do more to back that up, not just the bare minimum.

Wow, look at that! You made it to the end! Respect. Thanks for your time, potential readers.

[verosvault]

🚨SPOILERS FOR FANTASY HIGH JUNIOR YEAR EPISODE 8🚨

Dimension20 "Fantasy High Junior Year"

Episode 8 "Fracas at the Frostyfaire Folk Festival"

Timestamp: 00:12:54

Video Length: 3min. & 20sec.

Adaine casts "Comprehend Languages" on all of the notes that Lydia provided and gets some (bad luck) help from a Cursed Fig Bardic! 😭✋

Brennan: "You can spend a little while to cast it ritually. It will take you a chunk of time. It's the middle of the day. You've got Frostyfaire later tonight."

Siobhan: "Yeah, it's a minute per page. Can I grab Riz and go up and turn around my calendar that I have on my wall, and it's just a blank corkboard?"

Murph: "Great."

Brennan: "Hell yeah."

Ally: "I'll go up there too and just give you both as many Help actions as I can"

Siobhan: "Oh yeah."

Brennan: "Hell yeah, I think the whole gang can tromp on upstairs and jump to it. This feels like the biggest payoff of not being sure that Lydia was even gonna be able to get this stuff. Go ahead, and I'm gonna say there's so many materials here, Adaine with that Comprehend Languages, go ahead and roll either Arcana, History, or Investigation with advantage, and then because Adaine has to translate for everybody, you guys will use Help actions to offset the disadvantage because you guys can't read the text yourself. So if there's any other checks you wanna roll that are Religion, Investigation, whatever, go ahead and roll them straight."

Murph: "I'll roll Investigation."

Brennan: "Cool."

Siobhan: "So I'm rolling with advantage?"

Brennan: "You're rolling with advantage."

Siobhan: "Okay, great."

Zac: "I assume I'm not there? Is it the morning?"

Brennan: "It's morning, but you might have come by. If they texted you, you could have swung by."

Ally: "Yeah, I think we would've."

Brennan: "Yeah."

Ally: "Unless you need to help your parents set up, but I'd imagine they already did everything."

Brennan: "And actually, let me know what your rolls are real quick."

Siobhan: "I got a 17 History."

Emily: "Do you want a Bardic?"

Siobhan: "I would love a Bardic."

Murph: "21 Investigate."

Ally: "If I have advantage in History or Religion, it's still straight, 'cause we would have disadvantage?"

Brennan: "Yes, with a Bardic-"

Siobhan: "With a Bardic from Fig, I got a dirty 20."

Brennan: "Dirty 20 on your History."

Siobhan: "On my History, yeah."

Brennan: "Okay."

Murph: "And I got a 21 Investigate."

Brennan: "21 Investigate, awesome. Kristen, what are you looking at?"

Ally: "11."

Brennan: "11 for Religion. Okay, copy that. So you guys are taking time to pore over the books. Maybe someone shoots Gorgug a text. Adaine, as you begin to read with some of that help from Fig, you feel your stomach gurgle and-"

Siobhan: "Oh no." *gurgling sound*

Emily: *laughing* 😭✋

Brennan: "You feel your stomach gurgle-"

Fig: "Adaine, can I help you?"

Brennan: "Can you go ahead and roll a d100 for me?"

Adaine: "Is anybody feeling weird after that breakfast?"

Kristen: "Hm, no, I thought that was good."

Fig: "Yeah, I think I'm feeling fine."

Siobhan: "I got a 91."

Brennan: "91, okay. As you go to study, you are looking at the book, and as you lean in a little bit closer, there's something moving on the page, in the binding, in the shadow of where the pages sort of fold into each other. And it looks almost like it could be text or writing. As you blow into it, you blow thousands of dust mites into your eyes."

Adaine: *coughing*

Brennan: "You stumble back, slam your head into the bunk bed, and one of the railings comes loose, hits you in the head, and knocks you unconscious."

Murph: "Holy ****!"

Ally: "No! No! I'll do a Medicine check!"

Riz: "Quick, Kristen, do a Medicine check!"

Brennan: "Go ahead and roll with disadvantage. Let me know if any of the dice come up under an eight."

Ally: "Oh, No, no, we're good."

Brennan: "Okay, cool."

Ally: "12."

Lou: "Jesus."

Brennan: "You go stabilize Adaine."

Ally: "So, 21."

Brennan: "21."

[hasufin]

Ad astra, non planetarum

With current talk of the pipe dream of colonizing Mars, I'd like to put forth a more realistic notion:

We are never going to colonize other planets at all.

Now, I'm not saying we will give up on space and stick on this little ball of rock. I mean, yes, it's a pretty nice ball of rock and it's well-suited to us, but there are Damned Good Reasons to not limit ourselves.

However, it's a really nice ball of rock, in terms of human life. Uniquely so. To the extent that it's kind of silly to think of Humans as independent organisms. We are part of this ecosystem. I think it's fair to say Earth's ecosystems would largely continue without us - we are not a keystone species in most cases - that ecosystem is crucial to our survival.

We are uniquely suited to, and reliant on, Earth conditions in ways which are both obvious and subtle.

It's not hard to replicate straightforward things like temperature, pressure, and atmosphere. We're at the point where we can - with risks, to be sure - create shirtsleeve conditions both on the ocean floor and in space. Gone are the days of Oxygen-only environments for space, and exotic gas mixes aren't obligatory for deep sea exploration.

That's enough for brief little excursions. For longer time periods, though, that's not enough. Earth's Van Allen belts and ozone layer protect us from the worst of cosmic radiation (fun fact! Apollo astronauts reported seeing bright flashes. This was due to high energy particles passing through their eyes! This is horrifying!).

There's also the microbial world. Now, a controlled environment has some advantages - people don't get the common cold at the South Pole, because everyone who goes there undergoes quarantine and screening so they don't bring in unwanted bugs - but you need your gut bacteria, your skin mites, your yeasts. There's even the old friends hypothesis that you need some exposure to allergans so your immune system doesn't freak out. So a fully-controlled long-term environment has some potential issues there.

But we haven't even touched the big one: gravity. Humans evolved on a nice 1g planet, and living a long time in lower G is... not great. Technically the ISS and other orbital habitats are not in zero G, they're in freefall, but the effect is (probably) the same. It has significant effects on bone density, lymphatic drainage, and cardiovascular health, just to name a few things.

Some of these issues can be ameliorated. I recall discussing with a friend how to handle the radiation issue - I was coming up with a design for a hypothetical P5 containment facility out at a LaGrange point - and he suggested sintered lunar dust as shielding. Because in the absence of a planetary dynamo generating a magnetic shield, you need a lot of mass to block that sort of stuff.

And sure, we'll probably work out the microbial stuff. The gravity, though... we do kinda need it. And so far there's exactly one way to generate gravity: a centrifuge. Which could be adapted to operate on a planet, but would be an engineering challenge. It would be necessary, though, as the only planets with surface gravity even close to Earth's are Venus and (with caveats vis a vis their lack of a "surface") the three outermost gas giants. And I cannot even go into how difficult it would be to build a habitat on Venus. So you couldn't have people permanently living on one of the other planets - they'd have to rotate out every few months, and even then have permanent health issues.

Not to mention that those other planets all have their own issues. For example, moon dust turns out to be terribly abrasive and gets everywhere, which is bad for equipment. Martian soil is full of toxic perchlorates. Venus is... well, Venus. Mercury is at times inside the solar corona. Not only is Mars a bad place to raise your kids, so are the other planets.

What I'm getting at is, in order to have a habitat on any other planetary body, we'd necessarily need to have a fully-realized supporting space station. A habitat in space which provides not just heat and atmosphere, but has a functional facsimile of a Terran ecosystem, is largely a closed or at least self-sustaining system in terms of food and water, provides gravity, has appropriate radiation shielding, and addresses whatever other unknown unknowns we have with extraterrestrial habitation. Some of the solutions can be put on a planetary body, but only a few are easier to implement on a planet, and some may not be possible on a planetary body at all. Moreover, before we could do them on a planet we'd inevitably have to build them all in a space station at the same place anyway.

Which means that you decide you want to go to Mars. Or Epsilon Eridani. Whatever. You build a pretty comfortable space station, you park it in orbit. Then you decide to build an inferior habitat on the planet below. At which point you need to address the exorbitant cost of going in and out of a gravity well. And for what? Bragging rights?

I'm reluctant to cast this strictly in economic terms, but from where we are right now, it looks like it will never make sense (assuming humans remain as biological entities) to colonize other planets: we will always have to build something better first, and a planetary habitat will be both more expensive and inferior to a space habitat.

[noodlenoodlenoodlenoodle]

unfinished eldritch horror pyro fic

uhh warning for like, body horror, i guess gore??? idk its more implied than in your face i think. eldritch shit. disturbing themes maybe idk. just like. viewer discretion okay?

this is the unifinshed second draft because i wanted to like, polish what i had before i started working on what comes after the asunder tear

To say that Pyro was secretive would be stating the obvious. RED or BLU, the team didn't matter: each and every member knew.  It wasn’t something spoken about in hushed tones behind locked doors. It wasn't even something unspoken, a secret held between fleeting glances across the battlefield, something they knew but never said out loud. It was loud, obvious even, but louder yet was the team’s curiosity for what lay under the suit. Was Pyro’s skin charred, burned into an unrecognizable crisp of flesh? Was their skin soft and pristine, not a scar or blemish to be found? The color of their hair, their eyes, the very question of their gender was a secret privy only to Pyro.

Pyro’s secrets stretched past those they held at a distance, wrapping around Engineer like a vice. Even he knew little to nothing about the elusive firebug, and it ate at him like a buzzard. On nights when nothing happened, nights where Engineer was left alone in his workshop, those thoughts corrupted him like a computer virus. Blueprints were quickly abandoned, sentries left unfinished, inventions left to collect dust. His thoughts, his very mind, were occupied by ideas, horrible and beautiful ideas of what Pyro kept hidden.

What were they so afraid of showing?

The air inside of Engineer’s workshop was stale, the summertime heat making it unbearable to move. Fans whirred loudly, drowning out the crickets and frogs outside the open workshop windows. It was too hot to work, too hot to move, too hot to do anything. Even the simple movement of his chest rising and falling, air entering and exiting his lungs, felt like a massive exertion of effort.

Engineer shifted, rolling onto his side, the sheets sticking to his sweat-coated skin. A low grumble left his throat, his eyes squeezed shut as he tried to quiet his mind and get some much-needed sleep.

His thoughts, however, wouldn’t quiet.

Thoughts of what lay under Pyro’s mask ran circles in his head, taunting him, picking at his resolve. Engineer grunted in annoyance as the thoughts swam faster and faster, possibilities near endless, each one more unrealistic than the last.

It was almost enough to drive him mad. He knew so much about Pyro, but in the grand scheme of it all, he barely knew anything. Engineer often wondered what it would be like to put his hand on the firebug’s shoulder and ask them downright why they didn’t trust him enough to be vulnerable, to take off their mask, to be themself, but every time the words died in his throat.

Insecurity  gnawed at him like a harvest mite, burrowing uncomfortably under his skin, planting seeds of doubt and worry.

Maybe he just wasn’t good enough.

Maybe he just needed to take things into his own two hands.

Engineer’s footsteps were quiet against the tile floors of the base as he crept through the winding halls. The air was quiet, as if the universe itself knew what he was about to do, and waited with baited breath to see the end. The halls seemed to go on forever, twisting and turning, but Engineer knew he would be reaching his destination soon. He knew the base better than he knew his sentries.

The smell of burnt wood and spent matches drifted to Engie in a wave, hitting him like a brick wall. He was close.

He came to a halt before a charred and paint-splattered door left slightly ajar. A hand-crafted and painted sign hung from a single nail, the edges slightly charred but otherwise in good condition. Engineer still remembered the day he had helped Pyro make and hang it up, his heart aching a little at the memory.

The metal of the doorknob was cold against Engineer’s palm, a stark contrast to the hot and stale air of the base. For a moment he hesitated, mouth set into a grimace.

Was he really going to invade Pyro’s privacy like this? Was this really something he was okay with doing, even if it might destroy their bond?

Was he really going to do this?

Yes. Yes he was.

Engie pushed the door open, flinching at the loud squeak that perforated through the air. A beat passed, with the only sound being faint snoring from down the hall. Engie pushed the door open the rest of the way, thankful the hinges were silent for once as he stepped into the dark room. Moonlight cascaded through the closed window, illuminating Pyro’s room with an eerie white glow.

Pyro’s room was just how Engineer remembered it, like a little time capsule that never seemed to weather. The pastel pink wallpaper was charred, peeling and crumbling into ash, causing the room to smell of smoke. Stuffed animals and toys were scattered messily across the floor with no rhyme or reason, various pyrokinetic tools tossed to the floor or propped up against the walls, the little pink tea party table Engie bought Pyro for Christmas one year covered in empty matchboxes. Pyro’s charred wooden bedframe was nestled in the corner, with Pyro sleeping atop the pile of blankets and pillows. They were curled around a plush unicorn nearly the size of the bed itself, something Heavy had won for Pyro at a carnival many years ago. The fur was worn and singed, stitches visible from where Medic had repaired it.

Engineer paused again, his grip on the doorknob tightening. Something about this felt… wrong. Not in a moral sense, but rather… foreboding. Like a dark cloud was looming over him, telling of a bad fate that would befall him.

He’d come this far, though. He couldn’t turn back anymore.

He was just following the path that had been laid out for him.

Engineer stared down at Pyro’s sleeping body, his heart sinking to his stomach. Something was wrong here. Something about the entire situation was wrong in a way that danced just out of his comprehension. Engineer wanted to turn around, to run, to forget he’d ever attempted this, but his hands seemed to move of their own accord. Engineer’s shaking hands slowly and carefully pulled the mask off of Pyro’s head, his breath catching in his throat with anticipation.

The mask fell from Engineer’s hands, making a loud thud against the floor as Engineer’s eyes widened.

Oh.

Oh.

Engineer’s mind struggled to process what lay in front of him, sliding out of the thick flame-retardant red suit. Whoever it was—whatever it was—spilled out onto the floor like a liquid, writhing and groaning softly. The pitch black liquid seemed to absorb the milky white moonlight like a sponge, pulsating like boiling water as it began to expand.

Engineer’s heart pounded against his chest like a cornered jackrabbit, his knees failing him as he fell backwards and onto his back. His head and eyes ached, like he had just stared into the sun, burning his retinas beyond repair. Black spots danced in his vision, something warm and wet creeping up his legs. Engineer barely had the strength to lift his head and look at the thing that had come out of Pyro’s suit, its writhing wet body enveloping him like thick molasses. Engie wanted to scream, to thrash, to struggle, but his limbs felt numb and heavy, like he was moving through water.

Thousands of milky white eyes tore through the thing slowly wrapping around Engie, a reverberating scream piercing through the air, shattering what little fight Engie had left. He let himself fall backwards, fall cushioned by the viscous thing, his eyes fluttering shut as thousands of claws pierced his skin and began to tear away his flesh.