thinking. about getting my eyes lasered. if possible.

he looked so especially yummy on this day

if i dont procure some cobalt uranium glass soon i will die i think

World Snake Day 

If you have a pet snake, show them a little extra love and pampering. Help end the stigma around snakes, and see what you can do to help endangered species.

Snakes have gotten something of a bad rap over the past few thousand years. What with that one snake tricking that nice lady into eating an apple way back when, thus condemning the entire human race to mortality, snakes have been mistrusted if not flat-out feared.

And while it is understandable that people may fear an animal that can easily kill them, we think these fascinating, diverse creatures that range from several inches to 30 feet long, and from friendly and docile to aggressive and deadly, deserve for people to find out more about them.

Learn about World Snake Day

World Snake Day is an important day when it comes to increasing awareness about the different species of snake all around the world. Snakes tend to have a negative connotation. A lot of people are scared of snakes, and of course, we can definitely understand the reasons why! No one likes the thought of being gobbled up by a snake, do they? Plus, when someone is two-faced or a bad person, they are often referred to as snakes. However, snakes are great creatures and they are so important to the world that we live in.

Did you know that there are more than 3,5000 species of a snake around the world? Because of this, it is not going to be a challenge for you to find a snake that fascinates you and interests you that you may not have heard of before, even if you are someone who is interested in snakes and you have a pet snake of your own! So, this is one of the good reasons why to research snakes and learn more about them on this date. After all, there is so much that you can learn!

Of the 3,500 species of a snake around the world, there are only around 600 that are venomous. This is less than 25 percent of snakes! There are only 200 species of snake that pose a considerable risk to human life as well. Therefore, snakes are nowhere near as worrying or scary as we think they are. Of course, this does not mean that you should go up and start petting any snake that you come across! However, it is definitely something to think about. Perhaps we give these animals a much harder time than they deserve?

History of World Snake Day

The snake is one of the oldest mythological characters and has been revered by civilizations the world over. There are about 3,458 species of snakes known so far, ranging from the semi-frozen tundra of northern Canada to the steamy jungles of the equator and most of the world’s oceans. Snakes are highly effective predators and play a vital role in maintaining the balance of nature in each of these realms. Snakes are also fascinating in that they have a prehistoric lineage, thus giving us a glimpse back to a prehistoric time when the earth was ruled by reptiles—many people have no idea that modern reptiles are literally the living, breathing cousins of dinosaurs.

The species that seem to fascinate people the most are the King Cobra, the largest venomous snake in the world most people have seen in movies being coaxed out of a basket by a snake charmer; the Rattlesnake, that has forced countless people to suck its poison out of the bite before it’s too late; and the Reticulated Python, the world’s longest snake that kills its prey by strangling it.

World Snake Day was created to help people learn more about these animals and how much they contribute to the world as we know it.

How to celebrate World Snake Day

Have you ever thought about having a pet snake? Snakes may not be the right pet for everyone, but if you have it in you to take on the challenge it is to own and care for a pet snake, World Snake Day may be the time to make that decision. If not, however, you can take advantage of this day to learn some more about these incredible animals. Here are some interesting facts to help you do that:

Where do snakes live?

Snakes are found in every continent except Antarctica in the sea, forests, deserts, prairies, and even your backyard or garage.

What do snakes eat?

Snakes consume many different animals including insects small rodents and frogs. Snakes eat their prey whole because their lower jaw can separate from the upper jaw. Very large snakes can even eat small deer, pigs, monkeys, and even primates.

How do snakes behave?

Snakes rely on the environment to regulate their body temperature. They spend as long in the warm sun as they need to in order to get warm, and when they become too warm, they find shade to cool off. They are generally not aggressive unless they are hunting or feel like they need to defend themselves. They shed their skin three to six times a year.

How do they defend themselves?

Snakes use a variety of techniques defend themselves, including camouflage, biting and envenoming those they feel are threatening them. Sometimes they simply curl up in a tight ball to hopefully avoid being seen.

Why are some snakes endangered?

Fortunately, snakes are not widely hunted, but their numbers are still declining due to deforestation and climate change causing the deterioration of their habitats and a declining amount of available prey.

As mentioned earlier, there are many different species of snakes, and so you can spend some time learning about them and their various qualities and features. For example, the Barbados thread snake is the smallest snake in the world. This serpent is actually smaller than a nightcrawler, coming in at only approximately four inches. In terms of the heaviest snake, this honor goes to the green anaconda. The reticulated python is the longest snake in the world. If you spend some time doing a bit of reading, we are sure that you will be fascinated with the results.

You could also spend some time watching films that are based on snakes. There are a lot of different films whereby snakes play a big role. This includes Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Snakes on a Plane, and Raiders of the Lost Ark. Of course, the most famous snake film is Anaconda. There are a lot of great deaths that have occurred in cinema at the hand of snakes, but this is definitely the greatest. If you have not seen this film before, now is the perfect time for you to watch it!

Source

This Week in BL - I'm Late, I know

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

Feb 2024 Wk 2

Ongoing Series - Thai

The Sign (Sat YT) ep 12fin - we waiting 2 weeks I guess? Bah.

Pit Babe (Fri iQIYI) ep 13fin - I wasn't impressed by the last ep at all. Trash watch happened here.

My final thoughts:

Based on alittlebixth's omegaverse novel #พิษเบ๊บ’ set in the world of car racing omegaverse. Thailand brought us the world's first omegaverse BL but then failed to lean into the courage of its a/b/o convictions by not emphasizing the difference between our world & theirs, adding & subtracting characters & allegiances + a weak ending. With earnest performances, enthusiastic sex scenes, a fantastic side couple, and some delightful scenery chewing - the actors tried… poor things. It's just the story failed both them and their parent genre. Frankly? I just wanted it to be more outrageous and trashy, since I never expected it to be good. Instead, it was just… meh. 7/10

(Imma remind all the newbies that this is not unprecedented from me with hugely popular BL.)

Cooking Crush (Sun YT) ep 10 of 12 - I like it but there’s a high % of this show that doesn’t interest me. Anything to do with the side couple, or the friend group, or the cooking competition drives me into a comatose state of UGH. That means that in this episode, I paid attention to about 5 minutes worth. 

For Him (Thurs iQIYI) ep 11 of 12 - I'm ready for this to be done. I think they were trying to be this year's Big Dragon, but they just aren't good enough. I really didn’t need a third couple.

City of Stars (Fri iQIYI) ep 2 of 12 - I'm warming up to FueangKrom a bit. It’s cute. I am finding the pacing interesting. That pacing might be bad, but right now it’s simply different. 

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Love For Love's Sake (Korea Weds iQIYI) 5-6 of 8 - I still love this show a lot, but this 2 ep installment felt a little disjointed. I’m not sure if that’s the narrative structure or the subs. The captions are shockingly bad for a KBL and I don’t have enough Korean to make up for their clear failings. 

Although I Love You and You AKA Sukiyanen Kedo Do Yaro ka (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 5 of 10 - Oh the return of the manic pixie dream ex. This is all very high school drama for purportedly grown-up adults. But them both being jealous and then kissing was sweet.  

AntiReset (Taiwan Fri Viki/Gaga) ep 3 of 10 - They remain adorable and the sunshine robot is very sweet. But it is a little slow. 

Perfect Propose (Japan Fri Gaga) ep 3 of 6 - I prefer the episodes when we get more of them onscreen together. But this was fine. 

Happy Ending (Korea Tues YT) 3fin - The ending disappointed me (are you surprised?). What can I say, not Strongberry's best as far as I’m concerned. High school besties that many could be sweethearts. I don’t like an ending that’s left up in the air. 6/10

It's Done but...

What Did You Eat Yesterday Season 2 AKA Kinou Nani Tabeta? Season 2 (Japan Gaga) 10 eps - will binge when I have any spare time. 2024 is crazy busy for me so far.

The Servant and the Young Master - from Vietnam, it's on YouTube. I will give it a try when I have a window of time.

Began Beginning (Myanmar YouTube) - A Burmese BL? @heretherebedork vouched for it, so I will give it a watch.

It's Airing But...

[NO INTERNATIONAL] Cherry Magic (Sat YouTube) ep 3 of 12 - yeah Japan put the smack down on our boys. Sadness. You can use a VPN if you like. Read all about it here.

Ossans Love Season 2 (Japan Gaga) - 5 years later, will anything have changed? This is Japan so… probubly not. I won't be watching this. I disliked Season one and actively hated the follow ups. No thank you.

Playboyy (Thurs Gaga) 14 eps - Dear Playboyy, it's not you, it’s me… I hate you. You’re about as deep (and as palatable) as a shot glass of cum. While I'm sure you’re someone’s kink, you're my weakest link. Goodbye. I DNFed this at ep 5. Frankly I'm impressed with myself for getting that far.

7 Days Before Valentine (Weds WeTV) 12 eps - Gave me Luminous Solution vibes. It finished, is it worth it?

Dead Friend Forever (Thai Sat iQIYI) 12 eps - finished, horror, supposed to be very philosophical, I think I'll give it a go.

Time the series (Tue Gaga/YT) 10 eps - dropped it at ep 4.

Next Week Looks Like This:

Starting Up

2/16 My Strawberry Film (Japan Gaga) - not quite sure how much BL this one is, because... Japan, but we shall see.

2/17 A Secretly Love (Thai WeTV) - Khonprot, a third-year head hazer of the engineering faculty, has a secret crush on Pluem, a tsundere fourth-year head hazer. Over the years, he's seen Pluem cycle through many girlfriends. Recently, after a public breakup, however, Khonprot thinks maybe a boy has a chance. Unless this is really good I probably won't I hate the WeTV interface...

Still Coming in Feb

2/24 Unknown (Taiwan Youku) 12 eps - Older brother tough guy criminal breadwinner looks after his sister and defacto adopted little brother. Little bother falls in love with him and is sent away after a stolen kiss. But when he comes back…

Upcoming BLs for 2024 are listed here. This list is not kept updated, so please leave a comment if you know something new or RP with additions.

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

We gotta talk about LFLS this week. Look at Korea go!

Talking about a dead fish kiss, how meta! This will end up on one of my best of the year moments. I could not have been more gobsmacked.

Also something rarely directly addressed, particularly for same-sex firsts.

And then, a claiming trope, a personal favorite of mine.

Thank you Korea!

I just love them. (Pit Babe)

(Last week)

RoR x Replacement Fighter Part 2

When the reader has healed, the gods/humans and the reader decide to get to know each other better. This can take place underneath a gazebo in the Valhalla Gardens, at a festival, in a gaming room, etc. As the reader was now wearing an all-black outfit that included a short-sleeve T shirt, pants, a chain necklace, and a stylish belt, their tattoos became pretty noticeable. Some of them blushed by the way the reader looked now. Others kept fidgeting because of it.

The reader's appearance :

They were amazed to find out that the reader was pretty young (around 20) and completed their education quite early. The reader also have the ability to speak in multiple languages (English, Burmese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Laotian, etc.), which the gods/humans noticed as the reader was talking on their phone with their friends. Probably cussing out loud too.

The reader then invites the god/human to their apartment. The entire apartment was freezing cold and had dark neon green LED lights that were all stuck neatly on the walls. There were also traditional Burmese and Thai statues that were set up as decorations. Some of them noted the masks and puppets in a glass wardrobe near the furniture. There was also a large fish tank or aquarium in their apartment filled with Koi and Arapaima fish, which a few gods and humans went straight to observe.

The details of the apartment :

Some gods/humans did get a light hearted smack on the back of their head though. Either for trying to go inside the tank, for fooling around with the masks & puppets, for accusing the reader of being affiliated with the mafia, or because someone tried to smash up the serpent sculptures due to getting flashbacks from their previous battles. (Thor 💀)

Gods: Odin, Thor, Anubis, Susanoo, Loki, Apollo and Poseidon

Humans: Sasaki, Lubu, Tesla and Leonidas

-Today was the day that (Love) and several others were going to your place for the first time, after he and other fighters in Ragnarok had been begging to get to know you more, curious about you- they wanted to know as much as possible.

-Your house was in a quiet part of Valhalla and surprisingly looked relatively normal, nothing really out of the ordinary, at least on the outside of your house.

-When you answered the door, you looked a little disheveled, as if you had only just gotten up, your hair sticking up in random angles, baggy sweatpants, and a tight black tee-shirt on top, showing off the tattoos on your arms, which seemed a bit more vibrant today.

-Several, including (Love) flushed, you looked so alluring as you yawned, “Oh- was that today?” your sleepy voice was so alluring as you opened the door, welcoming them all in, as none of them made any mention that it was past noon and you had only just gotten up.

-As soon as they stepped inside, their jaws all dropped open, seeing that the vibe of your house didn’t fit the vibe of the outside of your house.

-It was dark, with bright neon lights and light strips everywhere, giving it a strange but ethereal vibe as Loki and Anubis gasped, running over to your massive fish tank that took up a whole wall in your living room, filled with koi fish and arowana fish, complete with more lights shining from the bottom.

-You scratched the back of your head, going towards your kitchen to start the coffee maker as many of the others were exploring the rest of your home, seeing the multitude of weapons, puppets, statues, and masks, all with labels next to them, hailing from Thailand and Burma.

-Apollo was fine, but others were quickly shivering as the sun god came over to you as you leaned against your kitchen counter, “Do you always keep your apartment so cold?”

-You looked over at him, an eyebrow lifting, “It’s cold in here?” several heads snapped over to you, how could you not tell that it was freezing in your own apartment?! You didn’t seem bothered, so you were obviously used to it.

-Poseidon and Nikola were looking at several diplomas on another wall, showing them the various institutes that you had gone to when you visited earth, showing them both, as well as the others, when Nikola came over to gush at you, that you were extremely smart.

-Nikola was like a hyperactive dog, not that you minded, as he asked what kind of languages that you spoke, as he had seen diplomas from all around the world!

-You counted on your finger, like you didn’t know exactly how many yourself, “English, Burmese…uhh Japanese and Korean- what else, oh Laotian, Thai, French… I think there’s more but…” you trailed off, not able to bring the names to mind at the moment but they were stunned to see you so well rounded!

-You were like a warrior scholar- they all knew you were a fierce warrior, and Lu Bu and Thor couldn’t help but feel a little antsy, seeing the variety of weapons you had in your place- you should know how to use all of these right? They wanted to fight you!!

-With the dark lighting, strange decorations and overall intimidating feel your place had, a few had to wonder if you were actually a dangerous person, as Loki popped up in front of you, “Are you part of the mafia?!”

-Instantly you were pinching his cheek, a slight scowl on your face as you sipped your coffee as he was begging you for mercy, much to the amusement of others.

-You didn’t mind them taking the masks off the wall, or picking up the weapons, as long as they didn’t break anything- you didn’t feel like you were in the mood for breaking any of them, and as long as they put things back, you didn’t mind them exploring your place.

-Had no idea you were such a well-rounded individual, you had it all, brains, strength, and good looks- you were the perfect package!! With each new thing that he discovered, he wanted to know more and more about you, as well as get closer to you- wanting you all to himself. However, he never did get an answer from you- are you part of the mafia?! He was determined to find out, but he didn’t want to risk you pinching his cheeks.

            -Apollo, Loki, and Anubis

-His eyes were full of delight, a smile on his lips as he turned towards you, fire burning within his very soul as you finished your coffee, putting the mug down, “Fight me Y/N!!” you blinked, turning back to him, a confused look on your face, “Why?” he faltered only for a moment, “Because that’s the best way for us to get to know each other!” You motioned over your shoulder with a thumb, “I don’t feel like it- want to play a board game instead?” Why were you so difficult sometimes?!

            -Thor, Susanoo, Lu Bu, and Leonidas

-Couldn’t help but admire your home, it was so unique, he found something new each time he looked, but unlike others who were taking things off the wall, he minded himself, just looking with his eyes. As he wandered, he kept finding more and more oddball things and he couldn’t help himself going over to you, “Why is your house filled with so many odd things?” you looked confused, as you didn’t see anything wrong with the way your house was decorated, “Odd? There’s nothing odd here- except you guys.” (Love’s) eyelid twitched lightly, you were such a thickheaded ding dong sometimes, but that was part of what made you cute.

-Odin, Poseidon, Kojiro, Nikola

[ 12:58 ] apple pie

he makes you feel all the things you often joke about missing in college. he makes you stay up late up on the phone, twirling your hair around your finger like a chick in a typical teen romance movie, so much so you sometimes wish you still had a landline. he makes you giggle in a way that only comes out around him and smile so hard your cheeks hurt. 

before seungcheol you didn’t know what it was like to be foolishly in love. to be consumed by the kind of love that you see in the movies, filled with photo booth film strips and surprise coffee dates and grand romantic gestures. he calls you baby, and sweetheart, and even angel in the right moments. 

he makes it impossible not to miss him.

how do you make a home?

truth be told, you had been resistant to moving in with seungcheol. you liked the idea of having your independence and you liked having your own space.

but somehow, over time, you found traces of yourself appearing in his home.

a green toothbrush next to his red one. your favorite blanket of his draped over the sofa because you always fell asleep during movies. your favorite brand of microwave popcorn in the pantry and a spot for your socks in his drawer. 

you remember asking him, “hey, is it okay if i keep some of my stuff in your dresser? it’s not that much, i promise. you don’t have to, if you don’t want…”

and he had just smiled, watching you with those big gorgeous eyes of his. 

“i would eat hot coals for you,” he had replied, and the response caught you so off guard that you let out the ugliest snort of laughter. 

they were just some socks, but seungcheol was always dramatic like that. it didn’t matter that you didn’t live with him. he was your true home, anyway.

i’ve been running round trying to find a place where i can breathe.

your favorite dates were the ones where you’d walk around fancy neighborhoods, pointing out your favorite houses. 

“ooh, cheol, look at that one!” you say, pointing to an A-frame with dark shutters. “oh, it’s so beautiful.”

“we could fill it with that style you like so much—farmhouse?” he adds on, grinning as you gasp enthusiastically. "with a big kitchen and lots of windowboxes."

“and—and we could have a pool in the backyard!” 

“we could get a big dog. like one of those burmese mountain dogs.” 

“mingyu could live next door.”

cheol snorts, shaking his head. “sure, and wonwoo and seokmin and jeonghan and vernon.”

“would you want kids?” you ask, looping your arm through his as you lean your head on his shoulder. the two of you pause to stand outside the house, admiring its romantic frame and cozy exterior. 

“with you?” cheol murmurs, and you’re surprised to hear a crack in his voice. concerned, you look up, only to see him gazing at you with heart-wrenching affection. you giggle as he leans in to press a gentle kiss to your temple.

“so many.” 

i found you under an april sky.

you met seungcheol in new york, in your second year of grad school. you had been studying at the cherry fountain in central park, working on one of your final papers, when a man in a smart wool coat had come up to you. 

he had brown windswept hair, round wire-framed glasses, and a grin that could melt the coldest heart. he looked frazzled, asking if you had seen his friend around (“he’s tall and kind of stupid—oh, i’m gonna fucking kill him—dark hair, Korean?”).

you shook your head no...do you know how big central park is? 

somehow, you ran into him again, just as you were leaving for the evening. the sun has started to set and the lights in the high-rise buildings have started to come on. you bundle yourself in your scarf when he notices you. 

he’s holding a rose, probably one from a street vendor, and he hands it to you sheepishly, like he can’t believe he actually found you again.

later, when you put the flower in a vase, you notice he wrote his phone number on the tag. 

i found mingyu. i hope i can find you again, too. 

seungcheol x

home is wherever you are tonight.

tonight you’re alone, writing something in your diary when your phone dings! the little heart next to his name makes you swoon.

cheol <3: hey, can i tell u something? 

despite knowing it’s probably not a big deal, your mind races through all the worst-possible scenarios it could be. what if his mom died? what if he’s moving back to korea and he doesn’t want you to come with him? what if he's sick? what if he's breaking up with you—

you: yeah ofc

three little dots pop up on the screen, hardly seconds after your response. you watch them with a strange mixture of excitement and despair, despite how much you reassure yourself it’s nothing bad. seungcheol would never tell you something serious over text message.

you hear the ding! again, and you can't fight the silly grin that inches across your face.

cheol <3: i just cant wait to marry u xx

—

ot13 | masterlist

9 People You'd Like To Get To Know Better

Tagged by @visualtaehyun and @thegalwhorants 💕

3 ships

Need to limit myself because there are too many good couples in media! The three I'm most enjoying in what I'm watching right now are:

Qian and Yuan from Unknown

Kazuhito and Natsukawa from Living with Him / Kare no Iru Seikatsu

Aylin and Luna from 23.5

First ship

I've answered this before but I was reading galwhorants' answers and suddenly the words "world shaking" popped into my head, and I remembered that the main site I used to read Ami/Makoto (sailors Mercury and Jupiter from Sailor Moon) fanfic was on worldshaking.net so I looked it up and that site has been rebuilt and some of the fanfic restored! So if you are curious about what babyqueer me was reading ~1997 it's still around and you can go see for yourself (shout-out to the author & curator Erica Friedman who was [and still is] a mentor and community-builder for so many of us; she was the one who organized Yuricon which is still an excellent resource if you want to get into or understand the history of yuri!).

Last song

I'm a quiet TXT fan and I've been enjoying their new mini album; the last song I listened to was Quarter Life (which has the unfortunate effect of making me feel old since I'm long past the quarter-life crisis age lolol but it makes me nostalgic for the pop punk heydays):

Currently reading

I finished book 1 and am chipping away at book 2 of MoDu (Silent Reading); it is such a satisfying read! I need more hours in the day so I can keep reading it.

Last movie

I just finished the short Burmese film Khar Taw Mi (another Trust Entertainment work centered around Thingyan, this time around the cultural performance aspects rather than the water party parts, so lots of traditional music and dance). If we're talking feature film, hmm, I think it was either Doi Boy (2023) or Past Lives (2023), I can't remember the order I watched them in; I watched them both in March (and both were very good).

Currently craving

Honestly, what I most want right now is spoons to do the things I've been dragging my feet on doing. Food-wise, I was giving a colleague tips on visiting Newfoundland and now I'm craving soft-serve creamsicle ice cream, which I've only ever had in St. John's.

No-pressure tags! And if you've already done this one tag me in the comments: @lurkingshan (since we fought over ships last time); @happypotato48; @sorry-bonebag; @my-rose-tinted-glasses; @telomeke; @waitmyturtles; @bengiyo (especially for the movie question); @thisonelikesaliens; @hyeoni-comb

Burmese pythons, though they have to be very large (around 20 feet), are able to eat alligators. For every 100 grams of alligator meat, there are 29 grams of protein and 4 grams of fat, compared to beef that has 10-15 grams of fat for the same amount. The design and concept of the Chinese dragon is believed to be inspired by the Chinese alligator, as alligators are fairly harmless until provoked (it should also be noted that Chinese dragons are peaceful and beneficial until angered). Chinese dragons are also believed to be ancestors to emperors and are the subject of many Chinese idioms, phrases, and proverbs. Eohippus, a small, slouched, brown-and-white-marked donkey-like animal, was the horse’s first ancestor, and it appeared on the North American continent around 60 million years ago. Horses didn’t arrive in Australia until 1788 by the First Fleet, a fleet of British ships that established the first European settlements in Australia. It was also the harbinger of Europoean colonization, which has irrevocably disrupted Aboriginal way of life from economic upheaval to epidemic diseases (but we got horses out of it)! The Latin name for Pallas cats is Otocolubus manul, meaning 'ugly-eared'; this is an incorrect observation because they are the perfect creatures and the body is round and I love them (and the positioning of their ears on the side, rather than the top, of their heads helps to conceal them better so the ears dont stick up over hiding spots. I have no idea why this is considered ugly.). The Latin name of the sand cat is Felis margarita, because they are small enough to fit in a margarita glass (kidding, they're named after a French general. They also aren't small enough to fit inside a margarita glass). Parrots are capable of altruism; a study was conducted where parrots could 'pay' for food with tokens, and some were observed to buy food and give it to parrots who did not have any tokens to buy food with. Chinese water deer can swim several kilometers undeterred, a skill used to swim between islands in search of resources. Cats were domesticated around 10,000 years ago, major proof of this being a cat buried closely with another human in a Cyprus village, immortalized as fossils. Troculus hispidus, or "Hairy Snail", is a snail with small, curved hairs growing on its shell. These hairs wear away with age and leave scars on the shell. They are a very common species, with its habitat labelled as "various" (gee, thanks). The hairs help the snails to adhere to surfaces better, especially in humid conditions, and to confuse predators. A group of ferrets is called a business, because they are very busy office workers and they have highly sensitive matters to attend to, thank you very much, such as dancing about in delight and chittering. Possums have very low body temperatures, making it unlikely that they will contract diseases like rabies which thrive in high-temperature enviornments. Still, they can carry disease that can thrive at lower temperatures, parasites, and bugs like fleas or ticks.

[Animal Fact Anon. All these ones are right. Get better soon.]

Animal fact anon I love you <3

Thinking about vampire Tracis drinking each-other's blood

Studio apartment with a scent of incense and coffee, soft sofa in pastel tones, right next to a terrarium with a huge Burmese Python chilling under warm lights of the lamp, spacious aquarium, coffee table from transparent glass, the shards from which will crunch under step. Collection of vinyl records, one of which still playing cheerfully at the moment of knock on the door.

NABCABL ~ {1: The Musician Next Door}

1911, June 5 (Age Count: Mordecai - 12, Marly - 10)

     A Burmese cat slipped her arms through the straps of her cello case. Smiling, she checked herself out in the mirror. Marly wore her best suit, and had cleaned her case and her eyeglasses. She was young, but an aspiring professional cellist, and was already getting to it, being very talented for her age. Marly was content with how she looked for today and trotted down to see her parents.

     "I'm gonna go play with the neighbors kids!" She called out, and her mom smiled at her.

     "Gonna show them your cello?" Her mom chuckled.

     "Yep!!" Marly exclaimed, and her mom smiled, allowing her to go. Marly dashed down the stairs as carefully as possible so she wouldn't lose her balance and fall down, breaking her instrument. Soon the Burmese reached the nearest tenement, and knocked on the door. She waited, and soon the door was opened, and a dark pelted molly stared down at her. She looked kind, and had soft eyes when she smiled at Marly.

     The woman had glasses and was carrying a baby, her dark pelt had a bit of white markings here and there.

     "Hello," She started, "Why, look at you all dressed up! Are you one of the new neighbors from over there?" The molly pointed to Marly's apartment building, and the Burmese nodded her head. Marly just now noted how tired she looked, but she brushed it off, not wanting to get a bad start with the neighbors! New York City is a big place, and because of this Marly thought it would be good to have a group of people and friends that you can count on.

     "Yes ma'am!" Marly mewed with a smile, "I wanted to go check out and meet the nearby neighbors, and you and your family are some of them!" The Burmese peered at the baby her neighbor was holding, her ears perking up as her smile widened, "Oh she's so cute!" Marly exclaimed, and the molly smiled.

     "That's Hannah," She meowed, "You can call me Zippy," Marly nodded her head, what a fun name! Zippy continued, "I have three other children, go meet them," She smiled softly. The Burmese nodded her head and entered Zippy's apartment room when gestured to. When she stepped in, the molly called out, "Rose! Esther! Mordecai! Our new neighbor is here to visit!!"

     Soon, three tuxedo cats padded up to Marly. The smallest bounded up to her, young and bright.

     "Hi! I'm Rose!!" She mewed excitedly, circling Marly, her tail swishing side to side. The next tuxedo was also a girl, and she smiled at Marly, her hair in one large braid.

     "Esther, nice to meet you," Esther meowed, grabbing Rose's paw and gently pulling her closer to her sister. She seemed about Marly's age, perhaps.

     The last tuxedo stared at Marly through his circular yellow framed pince-nez glasses, but didn't speak quite yet. He held a book in his paws, and he adjusted his sweater, as it was falling off one of his shoulders. Marly watched him with intent, taking interest in his character. If she remembered correctly, this one was Mordecai.

     Footsteps approached them as Zippy stood behind Marly, smiling down at them all, "Mordecai, say hi to your new neighbor" She meowed. The tom kept his distance, but spoke.

     "Hello," Mordecai mewed quietly, glancing down at his paws. Zippy led them to the couch, where Marly took off her cello case and lay it down in front of her as she sat down.

     "I'm Marly," The Burmese mewed to them all. Rose waddled over to the instrument sitting next to Marly, eyes sparkling.

     "What's this?" She asked, looking up at Marly, her tail flicking in curiosity. Esther looked at Marly with a smile, also wondering. Mordecai opened his book, but listened to the conversation.

     "Oh, this?" The Burmese smiled, pointing to her cello, "It's my instrument, the cello," Marly mewed. Esther smiled widely, and Rose's tail wagged with excitement. At the word 'cello', Mordecai lifted his head up to look at the cello case, then at Marly, intent and interest in his eyes. Noticing this, she smiled softly at him, and hoisted her instrument to her lap as she began to unzip the case. "Wanna hear me play something?" Marly asked the three tuxedo cats. While Rose and Esther nodded their heads and exclaimed of how they wanted to hear her, Marly watched Mordecai instead. The tom looked at her instrument in her lap to avoid eye contact, but his gaze flickered up to hers as he spoke.

     "Yes, please," Mordecai meowed quietly. Marly's smile widened, and she continued to unzip her instrument. She set the empty case down on the floor, and held her cello and bow in her paw. The Burmese sat on the edge of the couch, and pulled out the end-pin, adjusting it so that the cello would lay comfortably against her body. She quickly tuned her instrument, and then looked at her crowd of three. Rose was hushed by Esther as she wriggled around. Mordecai even proceeded to set his book down, and moved closer to the couch where Marly sat, staring at her and the cello as he watched her. When she decided that everyone was settled, the cellist took a deep breath, before setting her bow down to the string.

     Marly proceeded to play Dvorak Cello Suite, closing her eyes, as she has already memorized the majority of the piece. She projected her sound and tone perfectly, each note ringing out and stopping when needed. The cellist used the perfect amount of vibrato on her notes, to help enunciate each one. The music was very emotional, capturing many different emotions in it's writing and notes. Marly played flawlessly, unaware that her crowd was in awe. Rose wasn't chattering away, Esther seemed more calm than usual, and Mordecai's eyes widened ever so slightly as he watched the Burmese. Despite being quite loud and probably clumsy, her movements seemed to flow when she was with the cello. Marly seemed like a whole new cat as she played, but it was just a side that only showed in certain situations.

     After a few minutes she stopped, well knowing that the full performance would be about 40 minutes, and Marly also knew that Rose probably couldn't sit still and quiet that whole time. So when she finished movement one, she broke off the song when she finished movement one. Opening her eyes, she was met with the tuxedo cats, and Marly smiled warmly at them all as she grabbed her cello case, pulling it closer to her, ready to put her instrument away.

     "Y'all like that?" She asked with a grin, and Esther nodded her head, Rose going off about "how cool the loud part was". Mordecai nodded his head, his ears flopping ever so slightly. The tom eyed the cello case, before speaking softly.

     "May I see your cello, please," He meowed as he stared at the instrument. Marly pursed her lips as she thought. She rarely let other cats ever touch her most prized possession. Yet, by his nature and the way he looked at the cello and the way he watched her play, Marly decided that he wouldn't do anything horrible.

     "Sure," the Burmese mewed as she stood up, slowly padding over to where he sat, and sat in front of him, but not too close. Taking the large wooden stringed instrument, she set it in his lap. Mordecai's gaze flickered up to hers, and he slowly took the instrument in his paws. Marly had left the end-pin still unscrewed, curious of what he would do. The tuxedo cat ran his fingertips along the body of the cello, and quickly reached to the end-pin, looking up at Marly as a small smile crossed the Burmese's face. He took this as an invitation to go ahead, and Mordecai quickly slid the end-pin back into the cello, screwing it back tight. He then ran his fingertips along where the neck of the cello was fitted to the main part of it, feeling how the two parts welded into one another. Marly's ears perked up as she watched him. His touch seemed very light along the instrument, as if the cello would crumble if he wasn't careful. Marly smiled softly as she noticed this. Most cats, if Marly handed them her cello, would have plucked all four strings way too hard, holding her priceless instrument in a way that made the Burmese surprised that the cello hadn't broken yet.

     The tuxedo cat looked over Marly's cello, and his gaze lingered on the top half of the cello. Mordecai peered closer at something on the cello, and Marly knew that he was probably staring at the small crack in the top left side of her cello. Mordecai traced a finger over the little crack. It wouldn't be noticeable if Marly was far away as she played, like on a stage, but up close it was clearly present.

     "There's a crack, on your cello," Mordecai mewed softly, looking up at Marly. Marly nodded her head. The crack has been there for a while. It wasn't that bad, but Marly needed to find time to fix it, and her family was quite busy.

     "Yeah, I know," The Burmese sighed, "It happened a while ago. My parents were unloading the cello and dropped it, hence, it cracked. I'm going to fix it soon though," Marly smiled hopefully. Mordecai seemed to think it over a bit, before speaking again.

     "The crack makes your cello asymmetrical," Mordecai replied matter-of-factly. Marly almost laughed, but she held it in. It seemed like a very out of pocket thing to say, she was unsure of what to respond.

     Esther spoke up, "Mordecai isn't fond of things that aren't symmetrical," she mewed. Marly nodded her head, thinking.

     "Oh," She started, "Well, I'll fix it soon, I promise," the Burmese mewed. Mordecai looked at Marly, nodding his head back slowly.

     After a few minutes of silence, Mordecai gingerly picked up her cello, supporting it as he held it. Marly smiled as he handed it to her, and Marly took it in her paws, laying the cello on its side as she stretched to pull her cello case over to her. Rose trotted up to Marly, a wide smile on the toddler's face.

     "I liked today!" She exclaimed, "Play more music for us!" Marly laughed cheerfully as she lay her cello into it's case, zipping it up.

     "Then I will, but not today. I have practice and stuff," The Burmese smiled, standing up. "I guess I should probably go now," Marly grinned. She had things to do, but this was genuinely really fun. It was rare she would play for such a small audience like this.

     As she walked towards the door, she spotted Zippy. Marly smiled at her, waving a paw at her.

     "I think I'll head out now," She began, "Thank you so much for having me," As she was about to head out, Marly poked her head back in, asking Zippy a question. "If you don't mind me asking, what's your last name?" The Burmese felt more comfortable calling adults by a title, then their last name. Zippy looked at Marly, a kind smile on her face as the molly still held the infant, Hannah.

     "Heller, that's this family's surname," She mewed calmly.

     "Alrighty then, Ms. Heller! See you all soon," Marly grinned back, as she headed out the door, carrying her cello on her back. The Burmese dashed up the steps and floors of her own apartment, before reaching her own room. She knocked on the door, and the sound of scuffle behind the door was clear. Probably her siblings. The door slowly opened as her father smiled at her. Marly walked into the room with her family, slipping off her cello case and laying it down on the ground near the entrance.

     "Hey Marly, how was it?" Her mom asked her, a smile crossing her dark pelted face. Marly grinned, taking a seat down onto the couch. As she was about to reply, a shout came from her younger sister, then one from her brother. Marly smiled, a chuckle coming from her lips. Sibling fights. The cellist soon turned to face her mother.

     "It was really fun! They all liked the cello. And they were all very nice," Marly mewed. Her mother nodded her head.

     "Really? How many of them were there?" Mrs. Divata meowed, excited to hear of their across the street neighbors. Marly's eyes lit up, she was always one who was happy to speak about her day and the fascinating people she had talked to.

     Marly spoke of Ms. Heller, the kind molly who tended to her infant, Hannah. She spoke of Rose Heller, the ecstatic youngin who was always so chipper and smiling. She spoke of Esther Heller, the tuxedo cat who was probably her age, who always seemed so chill and nice. Marly spoke of Mordecai Heller, the quiet tom-cat who watched her playing so intently, and who was so gentle when he handled her cello.

     Marly spoke of each of these cats so kindly, and as she spoke of each of them she knew she would give them another visit soon, with a new song to play. 

Excuse me, what?? You fought a huge python???? You can't just drop that in the tags and not explain how that happened

Lmaoooo I forget not all of you were here in 2015.

This all happened in the very exotic area of the northern suburbs of Chicago. I used to pet sit for a guy who owned a reptile roadshow, and he had like 2 black throat monitor lizards, a few ball pythons, a couple of boa constrictors, a sulcata tortoise, some more lizards and snakes, a tarantula, a snapping turtle and an African millipede. Anyway, I got to feed the smaller animals because they needed to be fed more often but the Burmese python (pictured above) and the adult monitor lizard were fed before he left every time.

They’re all show animals, so they were trained that they were only getting food in their enclosures to minimize incidents at shows. I misunderstood the directions to mist the python’s moss bed and stuck my hand and squeeze bottle into the Burmese’s enclosure.

At the time I had two small dogs and I wasn’t a familiar smell so I don’t blame the snake at all, but it struck my left hand and threw coils around my arm. The snake constricted and let me tell you that thing was 80lbs of pure muscle. Pythons have four rows of teeth on the roof of their mouth and they’re all hooked back to aide in moving food down their throat. So I’m like, “fuck okay” and started pushing my hand back further into its mouth to unhook the teeth.

By the time I managed to get the snake off my arm (it was turning purple) I hadn’t figured out how I was going to close the sliding glass door and my grip weakened enough for it to turn around and bite my right wrist. Which is my dominant arm and all I can remember thinking was “oh okay I guess this is happening now” in the calmest and most resigned way possible. So now the 17ft snake has thrown coils again, is constricting my dominant arm, immobilizing a joint and I’m like “wtf did Jeff corwin and Steve Irwin teach you dumbass”. So I struggled with the snake as gently but firmly as I could until I unhooked it again from my arm. I’m talking prying a hand sized snake head off my limb with my usually useless left hand. It was all in all a 20 minute fight that ended with me getting the snake off and quickly locking the enclosure.

(I did not realize it at the time but if I had stood up and tried to use gravity to get the snake off or moved it out of the enclosure so I had more room I could easily have died if it decided to throw coils and constrict my chest. But that comes into play later.)

ANYWAY, I then wash all my puncture wounds out with antibacterial soap and call my mom who was hysterical and told me to go to the ER. There’s nothing quite like showing up to the ER in a suburb like “yeah I got bit by a very large nonvenomous snake 😔” and they’re like “?????” So all my punctures get washed out with saline and then they take X-rays to make sure no teeth broke off inside my arms.

The funny bit, the funniest part of this whole thing was I was in an intensive out patient group therapy program at the time. Imagine your new patient of like 2 weeks suddenly walks into group one Thursday morning with their forearms and hands all professionally wrapped up with gauze and shit. They were all like “did you self harm” and I was all “no I got bit by a 17ft 80lb snake” and they were like “we haven’t heard that before but we need to unwrap them to verify”. But I was like “Peggy you don’t understand if you unwrap them I can’t wrap them up again and the doctors told me to keep them covered” but Peggy was like “I need to make sure you didn’t cut or self harm” so she unwrapped my arms and was very surprised to find out I had, in fact, been attacked by a large snake instead of lying about it.

Anyway, I then found out that I’m more terrified of open communication and conversation about relationships than possibly dying fighting a snake so I learned a lot about myself that week lmao.

hey I'm curious, but what animals did you use for your ppt2 animal au? I wanted to make one and remembered that you had some designs too

OH YEAH!!

Here's the updated list. Subject to change

Ace- Lop-eared Rabbit

Basketball- Urchin

Bottle- Glass Frog

Brick- Komodo Dragon

Bubble Wrap- House Centipede

Caramel Cube- Hamster

Chainsaw- Barracuda

Cup- Zebra Mantis Shrimp

Flashlight- Sea Angel

Gamebot Berry- Giant Land Snail

Glass Shard- Nudibranch of some sort

Globe- Pangolins

Gong- Humpback Whale

Journal- Death's Head Hawkmoth

Knight Helmet- Deer

Malachite- White Rhinoceros

Milk- Valais Blackhorn Sheep

Pan- Sardine

Plasma Ball- Lamprey

Post It Note- Paper Wasp

Slipper- Skunk

Treasure Chest- Lemon Shark

Ukulele- Hawaiian Happy Face Spider

Bag- Bagworm

Chip- Monitor Lizard

Fridge- Polar Bear

Melon- Chinchilla

Mirror- Lace Bug

Shuriken- Hummingbird

Toothbrush- Burmese Python

Undecided on Mr Hand, Loaf and Santa Hat. I do know that the ingots are all some variation of Honey Bee.

Back to the alternate universe:

I missed playing with Megan and Iseul in the AU save, so I decorated their home, adding some cute clutter and decor, changing up the kitchen, and widening the dining area so they could have a bigger table and more space for their family coming over. Unfortunately I was dumb and didn't save after and my game crashed later on, so I'll have to open the game later today and recreate this. 🥴😅

Megan came home from work and made Burmese Samosa Soup in the new steam cooker they'd bought while Iseul was in the shower. Iseul came out of the shower just as it finished cooking, and Megan smiled at Iseul before she put the soup in their serving bowl and put it on the table. "Hey babe." She said. "Hey Jagiya, how was work?" Iseul asked, and Megan made a so-so gesture. "It was busy and hectic. I'm thinking of doing something relaxing to de-stress before tomorrow." She said. "Maybe I can de-stress you a couple times tonight." Iseul said, grinning mischievously as she moved her hands to Megan’s hips. "Issy…But I'd definitely like that." Megan said flirtatiously, blushing but grinning too. Iseul pulled Megan in for a kiss and Megan smiled as she looked into Iseul's eyes as they broke apart. "Let me go change and I'll be right back." She said. Iseul nodded, her eyes still soft as she looked at Megan. Megan changed into her everyday clothes, took out her contacts and put on her glasses. She headed to the kitchen and sat down next to Iseul. Megan asked Iseul how her day had gone, and Iseul told her about how she photographed a local restaurant and had the best Bulgogi in the area. "Okay, now I'm kind of jealous." Megan said. "I'll bring some for you next time." Iseul said, and Megan smiled. "You'd better, Kang." She half joked but smiled at her wife.