"If anything, I’ll give him delicious treats and pet him a bunch. I’ll do that right now! Thank you, grey one; there’s never a wrong time or a wrong reason to give a beloved dog affection.”
HAPPYPRIDEMONTHEVERYBODY! let’s take this as a reminder that no matter what you identify as, no matter if you’re out of the closet or not, no matter if you’re still questioning, all of you are incredibly loved and i am so damn proud of you.
Physical touch was one of Bacon’s favorite things. He liked it when humans hugged or pet him, so naturally, he grew excited the moment his head was touched. He leaned against the human’s paw, softly demanding more. It was effective, because soon enough, the human began to scratch Bacon behind his ears and ooooh, that was Bacon’s absolute favorite! Leaning in even more, Bacon’s mouth dropped open into a big doggy grin.
Thank you, human!
The human’s paw roamed around to look for something and whenever a human did so, they usually looked for Bacon’s badge. It was a nice badge and Bacon loved showing it off! He lifted his chin slightly so the human could see it, hanging from the collar around his neck.
Bacon
Bacon hadn’t had this badge for a very long time yet, but it had been a gift and it was beautiful. He was so very proud of it! And it showed. His doggy grin grew a little wider.
Aww, the way the dog reacted to his pets and scratches was far too adorable for words. Al got the warm fuzzies just looking at him. It was true that no matter what size a dog was, there was just a big ol’ puppy-wuppy in there.
He looked for any signs the dog wasn’t being taken care of and found nothing alarming. In fact, the dog seemed to know what it was he sought and lifted his chin. Al spotted the collar and the badge. The name ‘Bacon’ was on it.
Bacon grinned like he was happy someone else got to learn his name. And you know what? That was so right, that Al was happy to learn Bacon’s name too!
“D'awwww~! What a cute name,” Al gushed. “Lookit the li'l cutie Bacon, such a good boy!” He gave Bacon more pets and scratches, and he’d even rub Bacon’s belly, too, if he had the chance. He imagined the dog got the name because he had a taste for the food; naturally, there was a plan forming in his head to buy the dog some treats.
Bacon was a little wary. He did not know what to make of this human. Was it even a human? It surely did not smell like one. Not exactly. Something about its smell was off. It lacked a certain saltiness. Still, it did not behave threateningly, so there wasn't a reason exactly for Bacon to run. The dog just stood and watched, occasionally smelling the air around the other creature. Now, if it would just speak up, Bacon could hear if its voice did that same pitching the humans often did. That way, he would know if he could trust it..
Oh. It apparently was a human, because it did what all the humans did: it asked Bacon questions and expected to understand the answer. The dog stared up at it, tilted his head slightly and considered. That soft voice the human used was nice. Bacon liked it a lot, it made his tail wag. He was often called stupid, but Bacon was in fact very not stupid at all. Sure, he might not have been the brightest light in the house, but he knew exactly what to do to get his belly rubbed or earn a nice snack.
Now, that was pretty smart in Bacon’s book.
He barked, a single time, light, non threateningly, as an answer to the human’s question. It was a bit bold, a bit of a tease, but it was sometimes fun to tease a human. No matter what Bacon said to them, they most often responded with a smile anyway. He sat down in front of the human, tail moving side to side over the ground, and expectantly looked up, waiting for the next question.
Ooooooh, the dog’s tail wagged! Alastor thought of that as a good sign on its own, and the single light bark added to the wonderful news. This was definitely a friend.
Al accepted the answer he was given and gave the dog gentle pat-pats on the top of its head. He would have invited the dog to sit on the spot next to him on the bench, but there was the chance another human would want to sit there that’d be averse to the sight of a dog occupying that space. The dog had already sat down in front of him anyway, so he had to trust that it was comfortable where it was- why else would it have done that? Best to let that be.
The pat-pats turned to little scritchy-scratches behind the dog’s ears, and under its chin. Alastor tilted his head, curious. As much of an urge as he had to take the dog home, he had to be a little considerate. “Hmm… is someone already taking care of you, I wonder?” He looked for some sign that the dog belonged to someone. A collar, a name tag perhaps. He was also ‘stealthily’ assessing whether there were signs of mistreatment or neglect on his new friend that would help him make a decision. Then again, the last time he took a pet that 'didn’t belong’ to him, Jasmine didn’t take very kindly to that, so there was that to think about.
Oh. It apparently was a human, because it did what all the humans did: it asked Bacon questions and expected to understand the answer. The dog stared up at it, tilted his head slightly and considered. That soft voice the human used was nice. Bacon liked it a lot, it made his tail wag. He was often called stupid, but Bacon was in fact very not stupid at all. Sure, he might not have been the brightest light in the house, but he knew exactly what to do to get his belly rubbed or earn a nice snack.
Now, that was pretty smart in Bacon’s book.
He barked, a single time, light, non threateningly, as an answer to the human’s question. It was a bit bold, a bit of a tease, but it was sometimes fun to tease a human. No matter what Bacon said to them, they most often responded with a smile anyway. He sat down in front of the human, tail moving side to side over the ground, and expectantly looked up, waiting for the next question.
Bacon was a little wary. He did not know what to make of this human. Was it even a human? It surely did not smell like one. Not exactly. Something about its smell was off. It lacked a certain saltiness. Still, it did not behave threateningly, so there wasn't a reason exactly for Bacon to run. The dog just stood and watched, occasionally smelling the air around the other creature. Now, if it would just speak up, Bacon could hear if its voice did that same pitching the humans often did. That way, he would know if he could trust it..
Well, wasn’t that a curious thing? Today was a bright afternoon, with breezy weather that served as a welcome reminder that more comfortable days were ahead. Alastor decided to sit at a park bench just to people-watch, but it looked like he had company intent on the same thing.
The good news was, his company had four legs and had a rather inquisitive nature, judging by how it sniffed the air around him.
The bad news was, it was irresistibly adorable and it usually wasn’t long until Alastor declared such similar things as his forever and just, well, adopted it back into his office of eighteen-or-more cats and four children. It currently took all of the effort he could muster to not pet the dog and talk to it in an almost baby-ish, ’Who’s a good boy?’ type of tone.
For now, he recognized that the dog was cautious in its approach to him, and he would respond in turn. He, with much restraint, leaned over to the dog and whispered, “You wouldn’t happen to be the kind of dog that talks, would you?”
Was he expecting an answer? It could go either way; whether the dog could speak in human language or not, he would be surprised for neither thing.
This is just a spot to gather all my posts about the beta / legacy editors and cutting posts into one place, mostly so it’s in one easily shareable link for people who ask. (Last updated February 21, 2023.)
WHAT’S EVEN GOING ON— This long post explains pretty much everything in great detail. It covers the different editors, the different extensions required for cutting posts and how they work, some glitches you may encounter, and reasons the two systems aren’t compatible. I highly recommend reading this one before any of the others, as it provides the most context.
USING TRIM REBLOGS WITH THE LEGACY EDITOR — If you aren’t willing to commit to the beta editor yet, at least learning how to use trim reblogs will make a world of difference to your partners using it.
BETA EDITOR OVERVIEW — An overview to the beta editor, the differences it has from legacy as well as its new features.
TRANSFERRING THREADS TO BETA / TRIM REBLOGS — An overview of how to actually go about transferring threads cut with the old system (editable reblogs) to the new system (trim reblogs).
DOUBLE POSTING GLITCH 1 + HOW TO FIX — Goes over a glitch you may encounter when using trim reblogs on a post that was originally made with the legacy editor, causing your reply to duplicate upon posting.
DOUBLE POSTING GLITCH 2 + HOW TO FIX — Goes over a glitch you may encounter when using editable reblogs on a post that was originally made with the beta editor, causing your partner’s reply to duplicate upon posting.
friends want each other to be happy, if you do not want your friends to be happy (want them to prioritise e.g. writing for you, over their happiness) that should probably chime an alarm bell or two. not ‘you are not being a good friend’ but rather 'what is it that i do want for them? or from them? where did i get the idea that’s how a friendship worked?’ friendships are not contracts, i hope you know you are loved with or without performing for the people around you
“Yes,” came the unabashed reply from the couch, where Arioch sat, legs crossed, reading a book. The ends of his hair dripped occasionally from his recent shower onto the neckline of Alastor’s shirt, a slightly too-long tank Arioch had found. It left just enough to the imagination that Arioch decided to see how his love might respond. He blinked blue eyes up at Alastor almost innocently. “Did you want it back?”
“No, not right now,” Al replied. He sounded distracted, as he swept his gaze over Arioch, from head to toe and back again. Perhaps he took a few seconds longer than needed on a certain spot, but there was no doubt that his look was very, very appreciative. “I was only making sure I hadn’t lost it, is all.”
He sat down beside Arioch on the couch, leaving just enough space that his angel could adjust his seating position if he wanted. Stretch his legs across the couch, maybe, or whatever else he could think of. Alastor certainly wasn’t going to provide any hints about it. None whatsoever. But he would lean to the side just a bit, a teensy little bit, just a smidge, and ghost his fingertips along Ari’s thigh.
“ ‘I don’t give a rat’s ass, weh weh,’ ” Alastor replied back, in a mocking tone. “Yet you’re still here letting me know about it, which would be funny if it weren’t so pathetic. Out of the two of us, I’m not the one that’s pissing myself in rage like an overtired toddler, alright? Slow your roll.”
Honestly, what a miserable existence. And not that Al had any confirmation one way or the other, but he’d surmised that he guessed at least one of those things correctly, whether it was the something-something previous traumaor something-something psychological complex, which was why the other man didn’t even broach the subject and pretended he didn’t care.
What was next? If Alastor had to hazard a guess, it’d be something-something, there’s really a heart of gold under there and someone just had to love this man hard enough for him to realize it, something-something, possibly had to be a woman to do it, because of course it would. Like he’d come straight out of a second-rate romcom that characterized women as Feelings Receptacles for emotionally constipated men and put on the earth solely to help the man evolve with saint-like patience and nurturing nature, or whatever.
“So, what did I do that’s so wrong? Use your words competently, this time.”
Wow. It did not often happen that Ilyas had to go through this much trouble to get rid of someone. And even despite all the trouble, his attempts clearly were not fruitful. Not yet, at least. Something told him the silent treatment would not be very effective either, because what was worse? This guy being a smartass or this guy being a smartass literally every passing second? God damnit.
Hold on. No. There wasn’t a god, otherwise none of this crap would happen. Unless, of course, god was a sadistic asshole. Ilyas surely hadn’t ruled out that option yet.
“I will not.” Yeah, now Ilyas was just going to do the exact opposite of what was being asked. Like a toddler. A toddler who was trying to drink himself into severe amnesia. If he were really lucky, maybe Ilyas would not remember a single thing about this tomorrow.
Sounded unlikely. Ilyas was never lucky.
“You could use your eloquent ways to explain why you got nothing better to do than bother people here.” He’d get bored, for sure. Sooner or later.
“What? Me, explain anything? I thought you said you didn’t give a rat’s ass? So, too bad for you. I won’t explain for you. You’re going to have to do that first.”
There was a quote out there, likely said by an important person, something about an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object. Well, this was a terrible example of that, and were the individual who coined that phrase a witness to this exchange, they would probably shake their head in disappointment.
It was really a matter of which of them was the most stubborn. Al remained where he was, sparing the occasional glance at Ilyas, arms crossed as if he had better things to do than be there. Unfortunately for Ilyas, he did not.
Al had to be careful here, because the way he was tapping his own lips, Will wanted to pull him in and just kiss him already. But no, he needed to be patient.
Something told him it would pay off.
“Oh,” he muttered, feigning a frown, “I suppose I could forgive you for losing count..” Will, too, seemed to seriously consider this issue. “Maybe.. maybe you could start with just one. You know, to keep it simple.”
Oh my, this was something serious. He could tell, because Will had that look on his face, giving very serious consideration to just how they would be able to get through a whole one hundred kisses.
Ultimately, Will chose to be generous and suggested they start with one. Just one. And it sounded easy enough, start with a simple number and go on from there. It would add up to a hundred eventually. Excellent~.
Alastor was making himself quite comfortable, his arms around Will’s shoulders, their lips drawing ever closer, but wait– he pulled back and put a finger to his lips again, not tapping it this time, but again thinking of something.
“Hm… this just won’t do,” Al said. “This’ll be the first kiss of the day, and it’s a very special day at that. I can’t just treat it like any old thing.” He smiled mischievously and whispered into Will’s ear. “How about you tell me where you want your kiss? Wouldn’t want to assume, after all…”
