[Human Blitherings.] A Ramble about Introverts.

I think the most important thing to any introvert is a safe place to retreat to. It has to be a place that other people can't enter without the introvert's cooperation; whether an office, a bedroom, an apartment, it has to be theirs and theirs alone.  There needs to be a place that they can be left alone and feel no pressure to be with anyone else. A place whether they can do what they want, to refocus, to reenergize and be themselves. I'm not saying noone is welcome, typically a partner who can humour the introvert's ways is welcome, as is any family who does the same, but for the most part, it's very much theirs and respected to be their space.

Introverts, by nature, either are "on" or "off." The "on" mode is the mode they take when they're around others. The stereotype is introverts are antisocial, but the truth is far from that. I am an introvert and I'm quite social. I'm happy go lucky, I like meeting people, I love talking with people, I love travelling, I enjoy new experiences. But, all of those things take energy from me and I need a time and place to recharge. When I don't have that opportunity to recharge I become, quite rapidly, like a caged animal. There are some who don't bring out that need to perform, to expend energy. There are people who I can trust to just sit and be without expecting anything of me. They don't pester with questions and wanting attention, they don't try to engage, they just let me be. Partners who don't respect that tend to go out the door pretty quickly. My family recognizes this and mostly respect it. It would be easier, of course, for everyone, if my brother and I's introvert cycles were ever in synch.

I'm told extroverts get their energy from exchanging ideas and being with people. I find that drains my energy and I need time to myself to recharge. It's why I rarely stay with others for long; that private space is impossible to achieve. Even if your hosts leave you be, there's still an expectation of socialization. While I am a performer at heart, I love to entertain whether with verbal or written stories and humour, there's only so much steam in the engine.  Often when I get home from travel I lock myself in my home for as long as I can get away with before I wander back into the world of the social. The fact that I'm in pretty sorry shape physically after travelling is a happy coincidence.

I'm told I'm a good counsellor; a good listener. The problem is, when someone just keeps treading over the same ole ground over and over I get bored and restless. It's very hard for me not to say "Do you even listen to yourself?" Or when people feel the need to point out what I consider obvious, I find it hard not to say "Yeah, and?" I don't deal with ego well, which is humorous since I have quite the ego on my own. I don't deal with negative attention whores (those who need attention and will steal it at any cost and do not like others to have attention) well. I've never quite worked out if it's an introvert trait to be the unwilling counsellor to every Tom, Dick and Harriet, or if it's just a me trait.

I've noticed most bunny people tend to be introverts, I think it's probably because that rabbits themselves tend to be. Look at how long it takes them to accept somebun new to their territory! They too require their safe retreat where they don't have to deal with anyone or anything. They too have their time of "Yeah yeah, talk away, just don't expect more than grunts in reply."

Sometimes I wish I could have a way to express the need to be left alone without offending. Extroverts just don't understand, I won't say they don't *try* to understand, but I've yet to find any extrovert who doesn't sit near the introvert personality line who groks it. How do you say to someone "I don't want to deal with humanity at the moment, how about tomorrow?" without them taking it personally? It's not that we introverts prefer our own company, it's just that sometimes we need our own company with no expectations or wants from others attached.

I think it all boils down to introverts need freedom. We need to be able to flap our wings and fly into the sky, to soar and sail, to do as we will, to be free. We also need someone to land for and to be with. Sometimes I think a great reality show would be "Introverts and the poor bastards who love them."

[Random Fiction] Magpie's Flight - Part Three

Post One
Post Two

I tried the whole 'take a deep breath' routine and found that it just wasn't working. My fingers were digging into the armrests (The lady in the middle could fight me to the death for the 'shared' armrest if she wanted) and made me glad I'd had to flap my sorry self all over the place; I was far too drained to accidently shift and plunk talons through the upholstery. I wondered how quickly after take-off I could convince a steward to bring me vodka. I really should have thought to go first class. Or just order a gold card in Horse's name.

I did mention I hated flying, right? I'd been trying to figure out how it was I was sitting in a tin can about to be launched into the stratosphere (or whatever sphere) when Bear and Horse were probably driving, the lucky bastards, to the oil fields. Let's face it, Bear was the oldest of the spirit incarnates I knew, so on his part it was probably just not considered chauvinism. It probably wouldn't occur to him that a girl could work in a mucky, icky, male dominated field. Horse, on the other hand, was a chauvinistic bastard and think that a girl couldn't possibly dirty her fingers with a wrench. How he'd known me for a few hundred years and not figure out how BS that was was beyond me.

The lady in the middle seat stood up and moved and someone else plunked down in her chair. I turned to find myself staring at in the strange yellow eye of Goat. I can't say I'd ever met him before, but we recognize our own. The square irises also kinda gave it away. "Uh," I said brilliantly as I pulled out my ear buds. So much for NOFX as comfort music.

"Good afternoon Miss Magpie," he said with an ironic smile and a raised eyebrow. "A certain cat has sent me as intermediary. He offers his apologies for damage to yourself and his home."

My eyes narrowed, and if my hands hadn't already been placed back in their death grip of the chair arms, they'd probably have clenched. I was about to tell him to get the heck off the plane, but apparently he'd boarded just before they closed the doors as the stewardess had launched into the safety speech no one listened to anyway. I was trying to think of something else to say that wouldn't get me in trouble, but failing.

"He offers explanation of trauma of coming home to a rather dead lover and possibly a mental box trap." Goat turned a smile at the steward who had come to tell him off for talking through the safety lecture. The steward apologized to Goat and backed off.

"You have GOT to teach me how to do that," I said in awe.

He smirked, "Just be more stubborn than anything else on the planet and hold that in your eyes when someone comes to pick a verbal." He cocked his head to one side, "Said cat says he will take feed and clean up after your cat as penance. She, apparently, landed on his head claws out and tried to rip off one of his ears with teeth."

Okay, I couldn't help the smirk of that mental image, even if it had a near suicidal move on Miss Fluffikins' part. "How do you know Coug?" I asked, and then realizing our location, "Craig," I corrected myself.

He snorted, apparently ears listening didn't bother him. I just hated being interrupted by people wanting to know what cult or gang you were in that you called all you friends by animal names. "He liked to hunt on the north shore. He doesn't anymore."

I opened my mouth and nothing came out. I closed it and opened it to try again. "What did you do?"

"I pushed him off a cliff." Came the reply. "I'd be sympathetic if he had been hunting for anything other than sport."

Okay, that won me over. Anyone who shoved Cougar off a cliff was okay in my books. "Too bad you didn't off him."

"Too agile." He crossed his arms, "Now, is that a you've forgiven him? I like to finish one task before I start another."

I sighed. "As long as my cat is still alive when I get back, I guess." I mean, I'd thought myself that he'd been jinxed, but still. Why'd he blame me? Who'd cursed him and why? I mean, I was an irritant at worst to the guy, I know there were people out there he actively hated. It would have to have been a pretty specific hex. "You're really going all the way to Toronto for this?"

"Sure, why not? Consider me Cougar's replacement in the quest for clean lands and justice for the underdog." He blinked slowly, which was just creepy with his square irises. "Oh, and I suppose if you need a mundane name, you can call me Gage."

"Maggie," I replied. All my enthusiasm for talking was stopped when the plane's engines went from taxing speed to starting its run down the runway to try and conquer Newton by throwing itself into the sky at hopefully fast enough velocities. I closed my eyes and tried not to swear.

"Don't like flying, huh?" was Gage's oh-so-helpful observation. "How strange for a bird."

"I have no problems flying when it's my wings," I growled back. Why is it everyone thinks I should adore being incased in metal and thrown into the atmosphere at high velocity?" I didn't quite growl and I'm sure the sarcasm was dripping all the way to the carpet.

"Probably because it's less work for you," was his reply to the rhetorical. Apparently he was happily ignoring my sarcasm, so I decided to happily ignore him. Only an hour till we landed in Calgary and I switched planes. Maybe I'd luck out and mister cheerful flier hadn't bought a connecting ticket. Of course, considering what my luck had been like lately I highly doubted it.

I could have strangled him when he started to snore. How the hell could he sleep at a time like this?!

[Doctor Who/Bunny Fanfiction] Just a spot of tea?

There was a scritching at the door.

"Doctor," Called the tall redheaded woman. She waited for a response and then sighed, "DOCTOR!" she bellowed.

The doctor straightened to answer and bashed his head on the underside of the console, "Ow! What?"

"We are, are we not, in deep space?" She asked.

"Right you are. Deep space. Its where we are and stuck until I restart the colagulating pulse instigator." The Doctor replied, coming out from under the console, one hand clutching his head where he'd hit it, the other a pile of wires. "Did you see where I put my snips?"

"I ask this question," she said, ignoring his question, "because we have a scratching at the door. One would think, that because we're in deep space, that there wouldn't be any such thing."

The Doctor cocked his head to one side and listened and then nodded, "Right you are, that is, indeed, scratching at the door."

"Well?" She demanded.

"Oh! Right." He looked at the pile of wires and started to fiddle, "Shouldn't you answer it then?"

"Answer it? You're madder than usual." She muttered, walking across to the door of the TARDIS. "We're in deep space and he has me answering the bloomin' door like it's Avon calling."

Opening the portal revealed a buff coloured bunny with lop ears and an irritated expression. "It's a rabbit!"

Said rabbit hopped past her and thumped.

"Mickey!" The Doctor cried with glee. "Long time no see! Well, not all THAT long, all things relative and all that, but good to see you!"

"You're talking to a rabbit!" The redhead protested.

"He's not just a rabbit, he's Mickey!" The Doctor crouched down, "Don't suppose I can borrow your teeth, can I? Right about here, and here..?" He gestured.

Mickey sighed and hopped over, "Hmph, fine." The voice came from the console, the TARDIS translating for the human in th eroom.

"He can talk!"

"Of course he can talk!" The Doctor held the various bits he wanted snipped and Mr Mick complied. "All animals can talk, you just have to know how to listen!" He paused to give Mick a scritch on his nose, "Mr Mick, aka Mickey, that's Donna, my companion. She's a bit rough around the edges, but she's a heart of gold!"

"Oi! She's standing right here!" Donna protested.

Mickey looked over his shoulder at her, "Shouldn't she close the door before she lets all the air out?"

"What am I? The butler?" Donna muttered, attempting to slam the door, that instead just shut with its usual click. "So, besides playing wire cutters, why is there a rabbit on the TARDIS."

"An excellent question! Not that I'm not happy to see you, of course, you're welcome to drop by for tea anytime Mr Mick, but, why are you here?"

Mickey sat back on his haunches, "Someone has been mucking about with the rabbit portals!" He thumped a foot for emphasis. "And I can't go visit Speedy! He said he has extra oats and *everything*"

"I can see how that'd be a bit of a problem." The Doctor agreed. "Let me take a boo, then." He scrambled to his feet, dropping the bundled wires and pulled over his monitor.

"You can pet me if you like," Mickey said to Donna, giving her his best cute look.

"Oh, I can, eh? Lucky me." Grumbled Donna, but she sat down on the floor and stroked Mickeys head, "Oh, your fur is so soft!" She said delighted.

Mick gave a brief tooth pur, "Thank you!" He wiggled closer, "Start at the nose and up the bridge to the ears is the best petting, but ear rubs are nice too."

"I'm taking orders from a bunny." Donna said with some whimsy. "New thing every day."

"Right-o." The Doctor said, "Seems that there's been some overlaps with the portals. They're getting more use, as there's more bunnies who've been using them for shopping trips and pirating and things. Mix in the sunspot activity in that era and neighbourhood and the walls of the tunnels were weakening, so they all sort of shut down in a safety measure."

Mickey tried to concentrate on the important matter at hand, but he had to admit that Donna was a very good bunny petter for a newbie. "So, how does it get fixed, then? Give the sun acne cream for its spots?"

"Oh that's clever." Donna observed.

"He's a very clever rabbit, told me so himself." The Doctor agreed. "Anyway, what all you need to do is find a better powersource than what you've got."

"What powers the tunnels now?" Mick asked with curiosity. He'd never really given it any thought.

"You bunnies, do. It's why you nap so much. Your energy is going into all sorts of projects." The Doctor replied, fiddling with the console a bit.

"HA! I knew it wasn't 'cause I was lazy. Will poop in The Boy's shoes for that one!"

"Poop in his shoes? That's a bit rude." Donna said with a frown.

"Its just fertilizer. Hay. Nothing gushy."

"Oh, well, that's all better, that is!" Donna grumbled. "Stay away from my shoes!"

"Of course!" Mickey agreed. He'd stay away from her shoes for as long as she petted, anyway. "So how do we fix it?" Mickey asked again. The Doctor seemed to get distracted every which way if you didn't keep pestering him.

"Oh, I'm thinking that is we just reroute dreaming into powering, it will offer a renewable, powerful, resource that'll power your tunnels just fine. Probably use it for other things too, but I'm not sure what all you rabbits need."

"Food, tunnels, scritches.." Mickey answered playfully.

"Oh, yes, can't forget the scritches." The Doctor said. "Right-o then. Just give me a minute or two. Did you want me to send a message out on the W3 that everythings working again? When I get it working, of course."

"W3? What's that?" Donna asked.

"World Wild Web. Kind of like the world wide web, but a bit furrier."

"So you're saying, there's animals out there, who use the internet?" Donna asked with disbelief.

"Hundreds, if not thousands!" The Doctor agreed.

"Blimey."

Mr Mick nudged her hand, surprise was no reason to stop petting the bunny!

Donna dutifully went back to stroking the silky-soft nose.

Silence reigned the TARDIS for several minutes.

"RIGHT!" The Doctor said, causing both Donna and Mick to jump. "All done. Anything else I can do for you, Mr Mick? Oh, wait, I know!" He started running around the console, flipping switched.

"Here we go again," Donna grumbled, "Grab onto something, we're gonna get tossed about!"

Mr Mick scrambled onto her lap, deciding that human cooties were the lesser of the two evils; he didn't want to be tossed about.

Donna scooped up the rabbit to hold him against her shoulder as the TARDIS started to thrash about as it whirled through the time vortex.

The TARDIS gave a final lurch and landed with a thud. "There we go, your pal Jensen's front door. If you want to go grab him, we'll then head to Speedy's and we should be in time for tea!"

Mickey wasn't sure he wanted to go through that whirlagig a second time, but decided it was easier than tunneling. Besides, he'd almost figured out where the Doctor's stash of jammy dodgers was.

"We're chauffering rabbits now, are we?" Donna asked, bemused as Mickey hopped out the door.

"Well, why not? They're cute little fellows. House broken, if they don't break the house, and its not too far out of our way."

Donna shook her head, "Animals and children." she said, with a smile.

"Animals and children," he agreed.

[Status of the Human] Hi there!

Hello Bucks, Does, Cats and Kittens!

After a dance with severe depression I'm back and online. I have my RSS reader downloading all my blogs (It may get a hernia) and I'll hopefully be soon caught up with all of you!

Freddie is still well and very happy destroying anything that enters his domain. He's got a babysitter for a month as I'm off to Omaha to stay with Cabana Boy. 

Hopefully my brain starts cooperating and lets me spit out some stories soon.. I have one of Mickey that's been rattling around my head looking for an exit.

Hope everyone's well!