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anipgarden · 9 months

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Tropical Milkweed, Its Problems, and What To Plant Instead

I am writing this to atone for the sins of my past (handing out tropical milkweed cuttings to my friends and teachers before I knew better).

(Also let me make this clear I am Floridian I am writing this from the perspective of someone in the United States if you live in Tropical Milkweed's native range this doesn't apply to you go forth pogchamp)

Look online, on TV, in books, in newspapers, left, right, up, down, anywhere, and you'll see people talking about how planting milkweed is crucial, essential for the survival of monarch butterflies. Milkweed is the only plant that monarch caterpillars can eat as they're growing, and the loss of it in our wild spaces is one of the most direct links to the ecological extinction speedrun of not just monarchs, but dozens of other insects who rely on its abundance of nectar-filled flowers to survive. You'll be urged to run, not walk, to your nearest garden center, buy as much milkweed as you can, and hurry fast to plant it in your gardens and be part of the solution, not the problem. The issue is that, oftentimes, the milkweed you leave the store with is a vibrant red and orange, with pointed green leaves, dozens like it lining the shelves across stores all over the nation...

Tropical milkweed. Scarlet milkweed. Bloodflower. Mexican butterfly weed. Asclepias curassavica. This plant is a being of many names, and our culprit of the hour.

'Culprit? Culprit of what?' Culprit of enticing people to buy it under the guise of helping, only to possibly cause more harm than good.

Let's discuss.

Tropical Milkweed (Asclepias curassavica) is a gorgeous milkweed (especially the yellow variety? ooh, that had me in a grip as a teen) that's easy to obtain--too easy. It lines the shelves of stores like Walmart, Lowe's, Home Depot, and even hundreds and dozens of smaller garden stores, and is sold for reasonably cheap because its quick and easy to grow from seed and eagerly roots from cuttings. It's extremely popular with butterflies too--in many scenarios, Tropical Milkweed will be preferred as host plants over other related species like Butterflyweed (Asclepias tuberosa), and its also popular with other species of butterfly, bees, and wasps as a nectar source. It lasts well into winter in some areas of the United States, is quick to regrow when cut back, and doesn't die back for periods of the season like some other milkweeds do. It's eager to reseed, creating capsules with tens of dozens of seeds and scattering across the winds with the help of little silky parachutes much like the ones dandelions are known for.

'Ani, what's the problem with that? This all sounds like its great for monarchs!'

See, here's the kickers. In fact, here's several kickers. Here's an entire mollywhopping of kickers.

OE Infections

In the temperate areas that it doesn't die back over winter (or even, in some cases, where it doesn't die back during the season like other milkweeds), it can become a host for OE. OE is short for Ophryocystis elektroscirrha, and its a protozoan parasite that can and frequently does infect monarchs. As infected monarchs visit different plants--whether its to drink nectar, to lay eggs, or even just doing a fly-by of the garden--they drop spores from their wings that can then fall onto the leaves, flowers, and even any eggs already on the plant. As caterpillars hatch and begin to eat the plant, they ingest the protozoan, which begins the cycle anew. High OE levels in adult monarchs have been linked to lower migration success, reductions in body mass, lifespan, mating success, and flight ability. And that's if the caterpillars don't succumb prematurely to the infection, or if they're able to even exit their cocoon and fly once they finish pupating--deformed wings are frequently a result after infections. Now, OE is a parasite that's evolved alongside monarchs--and monarchs are usually able to handle an infection just fine, but if they're carrying a high load? That's where the problem lies.

What role does tropical milkweed play in this? Most milkweeds die back after blooming, at least once or even twice per season--and the parasite dies alongside them. As native milkweeds push out fresh foliage, its parasite-free, offering a healthy new buffet for caterpillars. Tropical milkweed... doesn't do that. If nothing's done, (at least in my state of Florida) tropical milkweed will stay fresh and green all the way up until the first real frost hits way in December--and that's if there's a hard frost, when you travel farther south. And during all that time, OE levels are building up on the leaves, so any future caterpillars that feed on this plant are doomed the instant their egg is laid on a leaf.

Its not that it's utterly impossible for a monarch to get infected with OE on any other kind of milkweed--monarchs are known for their traveling habits, and the chances of them happening upon a different milkweed plant than the tropical milkweed in your backyard is pretty high. But whereas native milkweeds die back and essentially reboot their system with fresh, disease-free leaves at least once a season, tropical milkweeds are like downloading a virus onto a USB and then passing it to your friends.

But that's not all, either. Time for kick 2.

Migration Interruption

Sit with me a moment and imagine you're a monarch butterfly. You're hardwired to know that as your food source starts dwindling at home, its time to get a move on and fly on down to the family's vacation home in Mexico for the winter. The buffets shut down, you exit stage left. But on your way to what's essentially a season-long smorgasbord with friends, you find... a buffet is still open. You're supposed to leave when the buffets are shutting down, but this one's up and running, lights are on, and plenty of people are there having fun, so you step in to relax. You'll take your trip later.

Now imagine a bit after you entered that buffet, the staff stuffed the guests into the walk-in freezer, locked the door, turned off all the lights, locked up the building, and left.

That's basically what tropical milkweed being 'evergreen' is doing to monarch butterflies in the fall and winter seasons. In areas up north where it can stay growing far later into the fall/winter months--or worse, in the south, where it can basically be evergreen until a hard frost (if one even happens), it can interrupt the monarchs' iconic migration cycle. They'll stay in place and continue breeding, living life like they aren't supposed to be a country away--until a frost hits, and they're dead in a snap. And if there's not a frost, you're getting a bunch of OE spore-ridden monarchs flying around a bunch of OE spore-ridden milkweed plants that the butterflies who followed the rules and overwintered in Mexico are gonna be returning to. POV you're starting a family in a house so laden with asbestos and black mold that there's practically black dust floating around.

This is already pretty bad. Can it get worse? Absolutely. Kick number 3.

It's Pretty Invasive (in the US)

It's fast growing, its eager to go to seed (so eager that it can flower and produce seed at the same time), its growing all throughout winter--which would be great, if it were native to the United States. Unfortunately, it isn't! As one could imply from the name, Mexican butterfly weed is native to--well--Mexico, as well as the Caribbean, South America, and Central America.

Further North into the states, and it's more of an annual--a plant that lasts maybe a year tops, dies back permanently, and you go buy more next year, or start from seed. Further south? It's a perennial, baby--which means its got even more time to spread its seeds and really thrive in the warmer climates of places like Florida, Texas, California, etc. Not to mention, as climate change makes temperatures rise, places where tropical milkweed is an annual may quickly begin seeing it stand strong all year...

I won't pretend to be a Professional Milkweed Identifier. I'm getting better at it with time, but I'm not a pro. But most of the time I go outside and I go 'oh, that's a milkweed!' its tropical milkweed. I've seen it grow in the sidewalk cracks of a gardening store I go to--its a clean four feet tall, always flowering, always making seeds. Tropical Milkweed is eager to escape the confines of your backyard, or make more plants in your backyard--I started with 5 plants one year, and the next year I had seven, then twelve, and that's just the ones that didn't get mowed over in the seedling stage...

But wait, that's not all! Kick number 4, baby!

Toxic to Monarchs????

According to the Xerces Foundation, emerging research suggests that tropical milkweed may become toxic to monarch caterpillars when exposed to the warmer temperatures associated with climate change.

'What the fuck, I thought milkweed was good for monarchs! How the hell does that happen?!'

All milkweeds produce cardenolides in their sap--a type of steroid that are toxic to most insects (and even people). Milkweeds create it to repel herbivores that would munch on it otherwise--except for milkweed butterflies (Danainae family), like our legendary monarch, as well as the queen and plain tiger butterfly. Larvae eat up milkweed leaves like there's no tomorrow, to stock up on those cardenolides and become toxic to their vertebrate predators--except for a few species that have evolved to become cardenolide-tolerant (black-backed orioles and black-headed grosbeaks). But, when cardenolide concentrations are high enough, it's too strong for even monarch butterflies to withstand--they die because of the very plant that's supposed to give them life. Kinda fucked up. Comparatively, many native species have lower cardenolide levels--and don't immediately go into flux at higher temps like tropical milkweed does.

'Wait, Ani, if there's all these problems with tropical milkweed, why is it sold everywhere?'

Capitalism. The answer is capitalism.

Well, actually, its a bit more complicated than that but it's also still capitalism.

The very same things that make tropical milkweed so invasive and such an issue are what make it so incredibly popular to sell. It's fast growing, and eagerly starts from cuttings as well as from seeds--which is perfect for growing tons of plants in quick and easy batches to send to vendors all over and get a quick profit. It's easy to grow from the home gardener too--its resistant to most diseases, looks gorgeous almost year-round, is quick to return in many areas without even the slightest sign of a die-back, and is popular with monarchs and other pollinators. Want to start a pollinator garden with quick results? Plant milkweed--and when tropical milkweed is all that you see available when you walk into your beloved store, it's what most people are going to get without thinking twice. Not to mention, when you hear it starts quick from cuttings, and you really wanna get your friends and loved ones into pollinator gardening, well... you get well-meaning people sharing invasive plants with their homies, like I did in high school. I've been pollinator gardening for around sixish-sevenish years (I think) and I didn't even catch wind that tropical milkweed was invasive until three years in! To say I was mortified doesn't describe it fully.

'Wait, three years ago? So information about this has been out awhile! Why aren't more places selling native milkweeds by now?! Why are people still buying this invasive milkweed and not native ones?!'

It's capitalism again! But in a different way.

Compared to tropical milkweed, many other milkweeds are a lot more... finnicky to get started, or grow in general. Many of them are a lot slower to germinate, are more prone to failing as seedlings and falling victim to things like 'dampening off' or 'too many aphid' or 'the vibes were wrong.' If they do germinate, they're slower to get to size too--I've grown tropical milkweed from seed in solo cups and gotten something about four inches tall within maybe a month and a half. Some other milkweeds I've grown from seed take about a month and a half to get more than four leaves, or even poke their little green heads out of the dirt. In addition to this, milkweeds have taproots--and some are a lot more friendly to the concept of 'transplanting from a pot to the ground' or 'growing in a pot at all' than others, and tropical milkweed ranks at the top of that list again. Not to mention, their willingness and ability to overwinter in pots--many native milkweeds fail that test, meaning that even if all the resources and efforts are put into getting a milkweed to grow from seed, it won't survive longer than a year in that pot. Considering most milkweeds don't flower until a year or so into their growth, and it's easier to sell plants that are flowering... many plants are a tough sell.

Another reason? Some native milkweeds are way more picky about when they want to make seed pods, or what conditions their seeds want to be grown in. If the seeds are hard to obtain? Good luck growing them in a production greenhouse. Let alone finding seeds for sale to grow them yourself at home--in my hunt for native milkweed species, I've seen packets of ten seeds sold for twenty bucks, packets of 25 seeds sold for anywhere from 50 to 100--meanwhile, you can find dozens if not hundreds of tropical milkweed seeds sold in a pack for maybe a dollar or five.

Let's be real. Producers haven't figured out the magic ticket to pumping out native milkweeds like they have with tropical milkweed--as such, finding native milkweeds for sale is rare, and they're often pricier. And as someone who's been to a native plant sale and found the stands sold out of milkweeds not even 30 minutes into the event--you are likely not the only person wanting native milkweeds. It is war out there in the garden parties.

And that's assuming you've actually found native milkweed for sale! As you get better with milkweed IDs, you'll be able to clearly identify the liars who are telling you they've got something that they don't, but for those who aren't In The Know--if you see a milkweed labeled like a native milkweed and want to buy native milkweed, it might be too late by the time you realize you just got sold tropical milkweed with a mislabel. Whether its on accident or on purpose, it still bites.

I've asked some of my favorite, smaller greenhouses if they'd be willing to start selling native milkweeds. Most of the time I get an exasperated 'I would love to.' But they can only sell what the vendors can produce--so if they can't find a vendor that's selling swamp milkweed (or at least reliably), then they can't give me swamp milkweed when I poke my head in asking if they have any in stock. Of all the times I've gone to dozens of different green houses and gardening events, in different cities even, to see if they have any native milkweeds I've only had success a few times--one small vendor who only has them in stock at events sometimes (and that's if I don't show up late), and the one time I rolled into a not-big-box-but-not-small gardening store near my friends house after being sad that I couldn't find it at a different gardening event. And the one I found there was the last one they had in stock for the next month or two. Until The Vendors get better at growing native milkweeds, your best bet is going to be growing it from seed yourself, getting a start from a friend, or dumb luck at smaller nurseries and events. It's rough out here, friends.

Granted! Keep in mind! That whole last paragraph was personal anecdotes. It's entirely possible that other places' greenhouses have already caught on, and I'm simply in the shadowlands where nobody's selling native milkweeds except for once or twice a year and selling out within 20 minutes of opening their damn booth. And I've heard tell of people getting milkweed popping up willingly in their backyards by doing things as simple as not mowing. I pray you have better luck than I do, young Padawan.

Now, keep in mind, there are people actively working on this. Whether its a team of university scientists dedicating themselves to a project, or a few home-growers in a sunny backyard and a greenhouse doing their damn best to grow native milkweeds as efficiently as possible for themselves and their friends, there are people working on this, sharing advice and communicating online. This isn't some unresolved issue that no one has noticed. We just... aren't at the end post yet. Until then, we scrounge for what we can.

'Oh no, oh god, I have a bunch of tropical milkweed plants in my garden!! Am I a bad person?!?!'

No You Are Not A Bad Person For Growing Tropical Milkweed

And I'm perfectly honest about that. Because I'm here telling you this and I've still got tropical milkweed plants in my backyard. As that one comic once said, about 10,000 people learn something new every day, and unfortunately today that 'new thing' is a bit sad and a bit untimely. In full honesty, oftentimes in my brain I refer to Tropical Milkweed as Starter Milkweed--its what a lot of pollinator gardeners end up starting with, because its just so available! But! There are things that you can do to mitigate the Damage that tropical milkweed can bring to your backyard butterflies.

Step One: Cut back your milkweeds! At least once a year, maybe even twice a year if you want. This will force them to put out new growth, which will be free of OE spores and give monarchs on it a good head start against the Disease. But for sure, for sure, cut your milkweeds back in the fall--once October hits, I go into the backyard and I snip down everything that's tropical milkweed. Usually at this point (at least for me), the milkweeds don't try to grow back again until spring. This is to prevent monarchs from seeing a buffet and getting locked in the freezer.

Step Two: Cut back seed pods! You would not believe how many seed pods milkweed makes. You see those little green footballs? You wanna snip these back ASAP. Even if they're tiny, but especially if they're bit. In peak flower production times, I'll go out there at least once a week and just do a look-back and cut them off. You can even yoink them off with your hands if you're in a rush--just don't get that sap into your eyes. If you do this, you're stopping seed production in its tracks--and don't forget, these plants want nothing more than to split those pods open and unleash a hellfire of flying seeds all over the place. They'll float on air, they'll float on water, they'll do whatever until they land on a prime patch of soil and get started.

If you see these you're a tinge too late. But also still yoink that off and Dispose of it.

Step 3: Don't give cuttings to your friends. It's tempting. If you're raising caterpillars in a little enclosure and see that every time you refresh your cuttings, the old ones have tons of roots and are ready for a little pot of soil and a name tag? Don't. Resist the best you can. Dispose of your cuttings whenever you go in for a trim.

Step 4: Consider replacing them with something else! I know I already went off about just how hard it was to find native milkweeds for sale, how expensive and difficult they can be to grow--but they're not impossible to grow, and putting in the effort could be worth it! Even as I speak, I'm trying to add as many native milkweeds to my garden as possible--and when I've got something that grows reliably in my backyard, I will eagerly rip up my aging tropical milkweed plants and promptly toss them in the bin so i can put a new, better milkweed in its place. Native milkweeds are more likely to be suited to your environment, making it easier to maintain and more welcoming to the pollinators we gardeners want to help. Not to mention, a lot of them are way pettier than tropical milkweed (in my opinion). Do some hunting online to see what's native to your area--your state's extensions office will likely be great for this! You've likely got great variety--the state of Florida has 21 native milkweeds! Who knows how many your state has! (Not me, I am Floridian, and I am already getting dizzy trying to learn about all 21 of our milkweeds).

Conclusion!

Anyone who knows me knows I'm not gonna be the one to discourage someone from starting a garden, especially a pollinator gardener, and especially growing milkweed. But avoid tropical milkweed when you can--the harms it can cause far outweigh the quick satisfaction of a busy garden it can bring. Take some time to select a native plant more suited to your area, give it some friends and some time, and soon you'll have an amazing pollinator garden that'll be teeming with life!

#milkweed #tropical milkweed #asclepias curassavica #asclepias #outdoor gardening #succulents #bloodflower #pollinator garden #pollinator gardening #monarch butterfly #ani rambles #out of queue #what was it three hours ago that I was declaring that I wasn't gonna write up a long research post again?#now here i am at 3:30 am ranting about milkweed with like a dozen sources #granted this is nowhere NEAR as long as the biodiversity saga was BUT STILL #i told myself i was gonna write today... i meant one of my novels NOT RANTING ABOUT MILKWEED #if this post blows up this is gonna go on my wall of 'posts that i thought of on the toilet that got way more popular than I expected'#there's not a lot of posts on that wall maybe 2 or 3 but its weird that its happened that many times already

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oakfathers-embrace · 6 months

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"Halsin.. how do I take care of a potted succulent?" Lynn asked scratching the back of his head anxiously..

"Well, that depends on what kind of succulent it is- generally though, they're quite hard to kill on accident.

Water them around once a week, less during winter and more during summer. Make sure the pot allows for good drainage- the roots can begin rotting if they're too wet, I'd reccomend one pot with holes in the bottom, and another that's fully sealed which you empty at the end of the day after you watered. And give it a good amount of sun during the day, I'd leave it out for a few hours during midday, but some are more light-sensitive so trial and error may be needed."

#i had to research how to care for succulents bc of this #the things i do for yall smh my head

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simpsforscience · 4 months

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For someone who isn't lively, they're said to have a 'heart of stone' 🪨🫀but these stones that are alive will leave you astonished !😲,though they don't have a heart . Swipe ➡️ through this post to uncover the mystery 🔮that these pebbles hold.

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keeps-ache · 2 years

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one human who doesn't know how to cook and one Creature who doesn't eat try to make a meal, what happens?

#art #my art #digital art #artists on tumblr #oc #pink space #heck yeah my stupid guys again :DD #Hid has been to earth a grand total of 2 times #he does not know what a succulent is #they're doing Research to make ?? Food ??#anyway i didn't have a lot of Pop! to put into this so it's a little less WAH! to me but i like the dumb :)#this was fun tho #nice to scribbledy doo as i always do #appreciating my style a lot more w/ this one i dunno why but i was/am #i might try to doodle the Bean Aisle one because it was 2 a.m. when i drew that and i was dying #and though i currently have nothing like confetti towards past me for that Stunt today i can appreciate Bean Aisle #anyway it sounds like i'm talking in code so ciao and trinkets :D

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ellastone-olsen · 5 months

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Would it be possible if you could do a g!p wandanat x female reader with sex pollen?? Its okay if you cant, just an idea if you have nothing else to write🫣🤭

Blue glow - WandaNat

DO NOT COPY ANY OF MY WORKS. MINORS DNI 18+ ONLY

Summary: Curiosity and alien flowers work wonders.

Pairing: G!PWandaNat × fem!R

Warnings:NSWF,SMUT SMUT SMUT, handjob, blowjob, breeding kink, threesome, cockwarming, dirty talk, after care

DISCLAIMER: ENGLISH ISN’T MY FIRST LANGUAGE SORRY FOR GRAMMAR OR SPELLING MISTAKES

Word count: 1.7k

AN: hi anon! I’m glad to see my first request thank you! honestly, until that moment I didn’t know what sex pollen is and I had to turn to google lmao

"What is that?." You asked looking at the strange plant in the pot. "Have you decided to take up gardening? Tony, I thought you weren't old enough to act like my grandma." You stop laughing when the man looks at you sternly, apparently not appreciating the jokes about his age. “This, by the way, is a plant unknown to science (at least on Earth), which I personally grew from seeds strictly for research and not what you just said.” “Okay let’s say it’s like this, let me take a closer does it smell like something?” You also kept a couple of cacti in your room at the Avengers headquarters, which recently bloomed by the way. As soon as you stood up and approached to the pot, a man blocked your way. “Are you crazy, what did I just say? Don’t touch this thing, I don’t know if it’s poisonous or not.” You looked at him sternly and muttered under your breath so that he could also hear, “You said not to touch, not to smell.” The attempt failed.

late Friday evening. Everyone went to their rooms or left the headquarters altogether. There was silence everywhere, only the sounds of Wanda’s steps were heard somewhere in the corridor. The woman had almost reached her destination when she saw some kind of blue glow in the darkness, “What the fuck...”. She came closer and examined some kind of plant that vaguely resembled a flycatcher, but with more spherical “traps.” Then she suddenly remembered...

“Y/N, Natasha, come here let’s hurry up. Y/N, you told me about something in Tony’s office. Check it out, Natasha take a look too.” Apparently the witch was very impressed by the flower, because she excitedly pulled both of you by the hands towards the light source. And where did she get this passion for flora…

“Wanda, we were already getting ready to go to bed, what did you see there?” Nat suddenly fell silent, looking at the strange light. “Did you seriously drag me out of bed for this succulent or what is this?!” She clearly did not share the witch's interest. “Oh, you’re right, this is the flower I told you about. Tony takes such good care of it, and apparently it’s...bloomed? Let’s take a closer and look, it’s cool,” Nat rolled her eyes but followed you two. You raised your face to the flower, wanting to look at it, when suddenly... the ball of the bud opened releasing pollen into the air, apparently from which the light came.

There is absolutely everything around in this stuff, you can hear Natasha’s exclamations: “Don’t breathe in this, it can be poisonous. Damn it, I told you not to come here.” The three of you cough, covering your faces, and go out into the corridor, shaking yourself and each other from the remaining dust. “Now you make me need to take a shower again.” The woman grumbles something else while Wanda calms her down, you also want to answer, but suddenly this feeling comes.

If there was a mirror in front of you right now, you could appreciate how quickly your pupils are dilating, as if you were a drug addict on a high (technically you were), beads of sweat are rolling off your forehead and this pulsation between your legs is as if you were given a dose of an aphrodisiac multiplied by five times. Oh no this is definitely not normal, you need to tell Wanda and Natasha what is happening apparently because of this cute glowing flower. While you were in your thoughts you didn't notice how the swearing died down and both women also noticed the changes.

When you turned your head, you saw two women looking at you with hunger and tents in their pants. Your mouth watered at the sight of the obvious bulge on both of your girlfriends and you impatiently walked over to Wanda, clinging to her like a lifeline. "Oh God, I don't know what it is, but I need you both so bad." Natasha came up from behind, pressing her rock-hard dick to your ass, her arms wrapped around your waist and the redhead’s whisper was heard in your ear. "Oh don't worry baby you'll get what you want.Damn I'm going to die if I don't fill your pretty pussy at least twice. What do you think Wanda?"

You feel the soft material of the sheets as they throw you on the bed, watching as they take off their clothes and look at you as if you were their prey. Your own panties are already hopelessly ruined, lub flows down your thighs at the sight of your girlfriends.

You quickly take of your clothes after which Nat takes you in her arms, pressing a kiss on your lips, you feel her cock poking into your stomach and dripping with pre-cum. Wanda, meanwhile stands behind stroking her length at this spectacle. "Mmm..Nat please." You rock your hips to rub against her cock, but you are suddenly pulled to your feet and forced to your knees.

"No no, first you're going to take every inch of my dick into your mouth, baby." The tip of her cock pressed against your lips and you obediently open your mouth and shake your head along entire length. Wanda can’t just watch anymore and comes up to you, takes your hand and places it on her pulsating length. "Come on baby, jerk off Wanda you can't leave either of us needy. Damn Wanda her mouth feels so good around me. That's such a good cocksucker." You move your hand and rub your thumb over Wanda's sensitive red tip as she begins to rock into your hand. Tears well up in your eyes when Natasha grabs your hair and shuts your mouth. Wanda helps you jerk her off and grins, “What is it baby girl? Is Nat’s dick too big for you? You’re so beautiful, now I want to cum all over your face.”

Natasha began to shamelessly fuck your mouth, running after her orgasm, the head of her dick hitting the back wall of your throat every time. "That's itmbaby, I'm going to cum in your beautiful fucking mouth and you'll swallow every drop. Wanda, are you close? Cum with me." Your hand was thrown away so that Wanda could jerk herself off, cumming all over your face, ropes of Natasha's cum hit your throat and you breathed through your nose as you swallowed every drop as you were told.

You took a deep breath as the redhead pulled out of your mouth and wiped Wanda's release off your face. When you were lifted from the floor, a small puddle of your arousal remained on it, your legs did not obey and your knees were red. You were already dripping and the pitiful whining and pleas left your mouth without hindrance. “Please it hurts so much, I need you to fuck me so bad.”

"What do you think Wanda, I think she deserves to have you fill her pussy." The witch got off with a simple nod as her two strong hands forced you onto all fours on the bed, allowing her to position herself behind you so she could start pounding into you without warning. "God Nat, her pussy was made for my cock, so greedy and tight. You need to see how well she takes me." Nat, meanwhile, spat on her hand for extra lub and stroked her red sensitive tip, appreciating how good the two of you looked. The long-awaited feeling of filling and Wanda’s quick thrusts drove you crazy, you put your hand under you, stimulating your swollen clit. "Yes yes thank you thank you so good fuck I'm gonna cum can I cum?" You know that with the tip of Wanda’s cock deliciously hitting that nice spot inside you, you wouldn’t last long, and having received approval, a minute later the orgasm hit you with incredible force. "Oh yes Y/N you squeeze my cock so well. Oh my God, cum for me like that, cum all over my length." The witch praised you.

You were turned over again and your back touched the cool sheets. Wanda pounding into you hearing a cute whine from your mouth, "Too sensitive. It's too much." "Oh baby girl you can take it. I need to filled this tight pussy so badly. You want my cum inside don't you? Do you love this cock?" "Yes yes I love so fucking much!". Natasha continued to jerk herself off when a cute little idea popped into her head that she only bothered to tell the witch about. The women looked at each other and Wanda nodded in approval of the plan.

The witch's thrusts became faster and she exploded, releasing her load inside you. “Oh yeah baby fuck take all my cum!” The feeling of fullness and how good it was, was the only thing you could think about. Wanda, meanwhile, pulled out of you, giving way to the redhead. Natasha turned you around, taking you by the hips and jerking off her cock, she stuck only the tip inside you, filling you even more. "Oh fuck fuck I'm so full fuck Natasha!" “That’s it my little greedy girl, I know you love it when I fill you up .” The only sounds in the room were heavy sighs and Nat's little whining as she pulled out and looked at the beautiful picture in front of her.

You were lying on your shared bed, Wanda took napkins from the nightstand and carefully wiped all the liquids from your thighs, kissing you and telling you how good you are and how much she loves you. When the witch finished, Natasha threw a robe over your naked body, picked you up, kissing your cheeks and carried you to the bathroom so they could both take care of you the way you truly deserve.

Sitting in a hot bubble bath, you asked, “How do we tell Tony about the pollen effect of his science experiment?”

#natasha x reader #wanda fanfic #wanda maximoff x reader #wandanat #wanda maximoff imagine #natasha romanoff #natasha x you #wanda x you #wandanat x reader #natasha x y/n #natasha romanoff x reader

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writers-potion · 2 months

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Describing Food in Writing

I love food. And drinks.

When I think of the HP series, I recall the feasts. Treacle tarts and puddings. Butterbeer. Food trolley on the train and chocolate frogs in the Gryffindor common room.

Foods helps readers engage with the story, so it's good to know how to describe them.

Just one Adjective

There's really no need to go overboard with how a particular food tastes. If it's something that your readers are already familiar with, just add in a small detail.

Are the breakfast eggs yellow or white, clumpy or fluffy? Salty or bland? Grainy or silky?

Just one adjective/detail is enough.

Think of the Character

Take note of each character's palate while you describe. Especially if you're writing in 1st person POV.

Someone in your cast may be a culinary artist and another content with spray cheese.

Food descriptions can reveal a lot about character's personality and lifestyle.

Watch Food Shows

Master Chef. The Great British Baking Show. Aesthetic character baking channel on YouTube.

Food shows usually have a section where they assess/review the food made, which might be helpful.

Recently, I've noticed that 1-minute food reviewers on YT Shorts are pretty good at graphic yet succinct taste descriptions!

Ratatouille

I'm not kidding!

If you ever want to get into the mind of someone who is passionate about food, or need inspiration yourself - check this movie out.

Just watching Remy's passion and the magic of the culinary arts will boost your writer soul with inspiration (or something like it, anyway).

Experience Restaurants

The best research of all is probably experience, so the next time you eat a meal, challenge your palate.

Think about how it looks, tastes, and feels in you mouth.

If possible, try dishes your characters would eat and discern what they would detect. What elements of the disk would your character like?

Some Food Adjectives

Tangy Creamy Crispy Tender Juicy Exquisite Luscious Gourmet Wholesome Delectable Risk Zesty Succulent

Crunchy Greasy Gooey Tart Smoky Savory Marinated Meaty Moist Battered Dainty Homestyle Fudgy

If you like my blog, buy me a coffee☕ and find me on instagram! 📸

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vote2 · 2 years

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Next day off I will prune plants and REPOT MY ALOE SHE IS HURTING

#firebird aloe my beloved. shes def root bound. its not a planter pot too its the small ceramic one she came in. i will break it if i have #to cause shes wider than the planter.#not retaining any water either. we have potting soil but she needs like a succulent mix or whatever ill research and stop somewhere i work #next to a tractor supply lol

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captaindomy · 9 months

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Alternative substrates based on green compost in Agave victoria-reginae and Agave striata minima

Author: Domenico Prisa * CREA Research Centre for Vegetable and Ornamental Crops, Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Via dei Fiori 8, 51012 Pescia, PT, Italy. Research Article GSC Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2023, 24(03), 022–027. Article DOI: 10.30574/gscbps.2023.24.3.0357 DOI url: https://doi.org/10.30574/gscbps.2023.24.3.0357 Publication history: Received on…

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#agave #agave striata minima #agave victoria-reginae #alternative substrates #cactus research #compost #green compost #olivo compost #substrates #succulent research #succulente #succulente ricerche #succulents

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unorthodoxfaithxx · 1 month

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Soft Yandere Simp with CamGirl Reader, part 2

3, 2, 1, FINALLY IT’S TIME! He can hardly contain himself as he counts down the days until he finally gets to meet you in person.

During your nightly video chats with him, which he’s grown to cherish dearly, you brought the idea of meeting up to his attention. You have no idea how happy he was that you brought it up on your own accord!

Through some shady research, he already knows you are about 3 hours away from his home-city. It wouldn’t hurt to drive your way. He’d row a damn boat for hours if it meant getting to see you in person.

The two of you decide on meeting up for a picnic, and then a shopping date at the mall closest to your vicinity.

The night before the designated meetup, he sits at his computer desk studying everything he had learned about you over the past couple of months, lest he forgets something important.

He wishes he had a perfect memory, but he doesn’t. So he opted to writing down every fact he had ever learned about you in a special journal, dedicated to you and only you. All your likes, dislikes, blood type, height, weight (all three of which he had to break into your medical records to find) , favorite games, health issues, the amount of freckles on your face—every little detail he knew about you was written down, along with many, MANY hearts and grade-school doodles because he really can’t help it. You make him feel like a giddy kid again.

Saturday morning. It’s show-time. He leaves thirty minutes early, dressed up and ready to tackle the day and meet the love of his life for the first time. He shoots you a text when he arrives (Did he ever mention his background screen was a photo of you?), nervously standing at your doorstep with a box of your favorite chocolates in hand, as well as a little vase with succulents in it, since you’re allergic to the pollen in actual flowers.

You greet him with a hug and he just about melts in your arms, taking in your scent and rubbing his face into your beautiful locks.

You’re pretty on camera, but nothing beats the real thing. You’re simply a goddess in the human form. He wishes he could take a photo to capture this moment forever, but his eyes will have to make do.

The drive to the park is an awkwardly quiet, but serene one. He swears you might be able to hear his heart pounding the entire ride, despite the music playing in the background (a playlist he made dedicated to you, obviously). When he glances over to the passenger seat, you’re gazing out the window with the cutest little smile on your face. He’s happy you’re happy.

When the two of you arrive, he opens the trunk and removes all the supplies he brought to ensure today’s picnic would be great. He brought a giant blanket for the occasion, a small speaker for music, and even packed sandwiches and cookies that he had made himself, praying to god they would taste good. He wasn’t the greatest cook, so he watched about five different baking videos on how to make the perfect cookies. He hopes Youtube hasn’t failed him yet.

He silently thanks whatever god lives in the sky when you take a bite into a cookie and compliment his baking skills. You take another bite and moan, making him feel ten times hotter than the warm spring day already made him feel.

30 minutes pass and both his and your bellies are full. You lay down on the blanket, inviting him to do the same, and he nervously lays next to you. He relaxes once you intertwine your fingers with his. He thinks he’s never felt more at peace than in this moment, relaxing with you. The two of you talk about random things, watching the clouds in the sky morph into various shapes as time passes.

Eventually, you both pack up and head to the mall. You buy him a figure from his favorite video game, and he gets you a new set of earrings. You laugh when his face turns fully red as you two walk into a store specializing in lingerie.

He feels like he might faint from the sheer intense feelings he has when you ask him to pick something out, ‘just for his eyes only’ you say with a whisper into his ear.

If he didn’t have such good self control he’d bang you in the try-on rooms right then and there. But no. He’d be a gentlemen.

But be prepared for all his pent up longing when you two finally share an intimate time together. Let’s just say he has…plenty in store for you :)

The date ends with you being dropped off back home. You invite him in for a drink, and chat a little more before it becomes late. He finds your yawns adorable, and he kisses you on the forehead before heading out for the night.

He sincerely hopes you don’t ever find the tracking device he’s planted in your purse when you weren’t looking. He convinces himself it’s for peace of mind since he’ll know where you are, whenever you are. To protect you. That’s what good boyfriends do, right?

Wait. Are you two even dating now?

He wants to pull over on the drive home and just sit in utter defeat because his dumbass totally forgot to ask this.

He sighs as he asks the dumbest, most cliche question in the world. He shoots you a text.

“Hey, Y/N. What are we? (｀・ω・´)”

#male yandere #yandere imagines #yandere scenarios #yandere #yandere headcanons #yandere male #yandere writing #yandere x reader #yandere drabble #soft yandere #obsessive yandere #yandere thoughts #yancore #yandere blog

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b1ttersuite · 3 months

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how would adam in eden treat his first wife reader

Was he an asshole before eve and lilith left him?

HOOOOLY CRAP GUYS. i went down the BIGGEST rabbit hole for this (perks of being sick and having free time)… first request!!!! (AND FEEL FREE TO LEAVE MORE :)) tysm!!! and with all the background research, i cooked !!! (proofread + i tried my best to make this accurate)

˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

how would adam in eden treat his first wife reader?

was he an asshole before eve and lilith left him?

(no warnings, no pronouns used, but suggested you are his wife ^_^)

— in my opinion, lucifer pretty much messed with his whole love life. i think he would be much more chill than he is now. but to try and match his character, he will be a little egoistic.

you were adam’s first wife, and to him, you meant a lot.

seriously, being the first man on earth he grew to be a bit egotistical. but, you helped tone that down from him.

you knew he thought higher of himself, but you tried to remind him that humans should all be equal.

life was wonderful in eden. after spending time in eden with him, you both realized you were falling deeply in love with each other.

“hey, i think i’m in love with you.”

adam says with a grin, and you can’t help but reply,

“me too.”

and your relationship bloomed from there. he thought you were the most wonderful woman he would ever meet.

and as a few years passed, you became adam’s wife.

he could hardly believe it, considering how dumb he was. you were like a goddess to him. beautiful in every way, even if you didn’t think so. he would always tell you how important you are to him.

you spent days upon days with him, and you would plan various things to do.

one of your favorite activities was spending a day in the warm sun, prancing in meadows and playing in creeks.

adam just adored you, sometimes he got a little embarrassed to participate because of his somewhat ‘manly’ ego, but if you asked him to do anything, no questions, he’d do it right away.

“babe, there’s a bunch of flowers in your hair.”

he says, gently leaning forward to pick some of the succulents out of your hair. you two sat in the meadow, as adam hummed while doing so.

“what happens when we die?”

you say curiously, and adam looks at you wide eyed.

“oh, sweetness, don’t worry ‘bout that, ‘kay?”

you silently nodded, curling close to him. the sun was starting to set.

you two shifted on your backs to look at the stars, and he listened intently as you mumbled about the different constellations.

and soon, he knew when your speech got slower, and your hands stopped pointing up at the sky, you had fallen to slumber. and he follows quickly.

͙͘͡★

and you remained close, in love for years to come.

when it came time for death, you both succumbed.

when you made it to heaven, you were there together.

he was so happy, happy he is able to spend the rest of eternity with you.

extra / if he left you for eve + lillith (angstyyy kinda?)

when you and adam got married, you knew this wouldn’t last forever. you love him, so so much, but you knew he didn’t love you fully.

and that’s just who he was, perhaps. he was always eyeing other women, thinking he was superior to you, and seemed to become a bit short tempered around you.

and that’s when you couldn’t take it anymore. you confronted him, tears in your eyes.

and he left.

left you for eve, left her for lillith.

you knew there was no end to it, but when you became an angel, you saw just how fucked up he was.

he was even worse now, somehow, and you knew it was all his wives fault.

˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

research/long blabber about adam’s backstory i looked up to understand him further even after rewatching hazbin 4 times… adam’s first wife lilith married lucifer,, lilith and adam fought (as of religious text) demons =sinners and freedom with a life in heaven =exterminations lilith = left and kinda evil? adam =first man earliest of man and kinda worst of man? (according to lol more religious text blah blah blah) uprise because lilliths singing which adam took advantage of? alastor’s master = lillith..(theory i think) OH GOD IM SO CONFUSED anyways. lilith hates subservience (willingness to obey others unquestionably) that’s why she left adam?? adam =toxic masculinity. eve left to eat the apple from lucifer ADAMS EX-wife set lillith up? or what. first human. after his wife’s? he’s EXTRENELY cocky and arrogant in charge of annual extermination of sinners (because of overpopulation) is mean because he thinks it’s hilarious, who’s gonna stop him? adam thinks no one can change, and thinks heaven and hell is a great system. basically abuses his power.. lucifer had a baby with adam’s ex-wife and is indirectly responsible for adam losing out on paradise. adam didn’t eat the fordbifden fruit which is why he acts the way he does? god complex cuz he’s firsy man. lillith was the first woman in hazbin, lilith left because adam thought higher of himself. EVE ATE THE FRUIT of knowledge! i tried to use my brain to the max to make this so I HOPE YOU ENJOYED!!!

#adam x reader #hazbin hotel adam x reader #hazbin adam x reader #hazbin hotel x reader #hazbin hotel fanfiction #adam hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel #fanfiction #tvgirlcore #hazbin hotel x you #hazbin hotel x y/n #hazbin hotel x oc

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kylejsugarman · 1 year

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everyone on breaking bad is such a bad jesse owner. "why isn't he doing what i want him to do!! >:(" WHERE IS HIS ENRICHMENT?? have u done ANY research?? did u just assume that owning a jesse would be as simple as buying a succulent?? u put him in an environment with ZERO video games, of course he isn't going to follow ur instructions. how often are u giving him a cigarette?? does he have access to funyuns to collect for his foraging instincts?? for fuck's sake, are u even providing him with the unconditional love that he needs to thrive?? i swear to god, its like everyone wants a jesse until they actually have to take care of him

#syd squeaks #oh no I forgot to give my jesse enough enrichment and now he is chewing thru the RV's wiring #breaking bad #walt is the worst of course but gus isn't much better and even mike has a lot to learn #jesse pinkman

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heavenly-fag · 1 month

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24-hour minizine (8 pages) about DIY propagation from leaf and stem cuttings (free to copy and distribute!! pls just take my name out if you change any content)

EDIT: thank you for all the love! check out @contentsunderpressurezine (instagram) for more of our stuff!

pdf download for print and read friendly versions on this ko-fi I just set up! pay what you wish, free to print and distribute

plaintext under the cut:

So You Want to Make Some Plants Into Even More Plants?

A Quick + Dirty Guide to Propagation from An Amateur Who Likes Watching Roots Grow. (by Fran Tirpak)

propagation - n.

"multiplication or increase, as by natural reproduction."

1. Prepare!

Important: Sterilize your shears w/ rubbing alcohol.

Wear gloves -- some plants can irritate your skin when cut.

Gather supplies: shears, gloves, soil medium, pot, glass jar.

Optional: plant food, rooting hormone, cinnamon, tealight.

^ we'll talk about these all more later on.

2. Take your cutting!

Succulents -- just pop off a leaf!

Vining plants (Pothos, Monstera), cut below one of the root nodes.

Woody stems (fiddle leaf, rubber plant) -- cut with 1-3 leaves at the top

3. Root your cutting!

(Optional) Dip the cut end in rooting hormone. For a homemade method, dip in cinnamon, then seal with melted wax from an unscented tea candle.

Place the cutting in a glass of warm water in indirect sunlight.

Succulent owners: simply place your leaves flat on damp potting soil.

4. Plant the cutting

(the scariest part)

Once the cutting has roots (~3-4 weeks later) time to put it in soil.

Depending on your plant, your soil needs will change.

When in doubt: good drainage, airy & loose, added nutrients.

For tropicals: 1/2 peat moss or coco coir, 1/4 perlite or pumice, 15% orchid bark, 10% compost/organics (i.e. worm husks).

(For succulents, just watch 'em sprout!)

* Potting Tips

Experiment with lighting and humidity levels.

Try out LECA or a mix to slowly introduce your plant to solid ground.

LECA: Lightweight Expanded Clay Aggregate. Balls of clay used in hydroponic gardening - popular with Monsteras

Some tropical plants also have no prob being in water full-time!

5. Now you have a friend!

Pro tips: You can take props from anywhere (as long as you're responsible -- and sneaky).

There's no one way to care for a plant. Do your research, go with your gut, & have fun!

#zine #zines #art #propagation #plants #minizine #24 hour zine #CUP collective #contents under pressure

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leafie-draws · 5 months

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plant care masterpost ⋆˚✿˖°

part 1 Types of Plants: plants come in all shapes and sizes and each plant has specific needs! so here's some quick tips to keep in mind while picking out a little plant friend!

a general rule of thumb when choosing a plant is considering how the plant thrives in it's natural habitat and providing that with your care, whether it's in a sunny spot in your window or in your garden outside. Succulents and Cacti need more sun and dry conditions than tropical plants that enjoy more wet and humid conditions. keep this in mind while growing many different types at once!

if growing plants in a terrarium make sure there is plenty of light and air circulation to prevent moisture buildup and rot. do not seal the plants inside! you'll want to be able to remove them in case they get sick.

all plants have unique grow-times and dormant periods. for example plants native to the northern hemisphere go dormant (hibernate) while plants in the southern hemisphere are growing, and vice-versa. plants in their peak grow-time require more water and care than dormant ones.

some tropical plants have very specific needs; like staghorns, orchids and air plants so I recommend researching those thoughroughly before getting one.

I don't have a lot of experience with trees, fruits and vegetables so I'm skipping those for now.

Watering: the amount of water a plant needs depends mostly on what type of plant it is and which climate it's in. remember that growing plants need more water and dormant plants need less!

plants only drink when they're awake! roots are most active during the daytime so water your plants in the morning, afternoon or evening. watering at night will cause too much water to sit in the pot and will rot the roots.

tropical plants are picky needy guys and enjoy very damp, humid, rainforest-like conditions. humidifiers help keep moisture in the air as well as routine misting with a waterbottle, just make sure there's proper ventilation so the plants aren't too wet for too long.

arid plants like succulents and cacti are pros at storing water and need less watering than other plants. (I water mine every 2 weeks. 3 weeks in the winter.)

no plant likes having wet feet! make sure your pots and containers have drainage holes to allow airflow to the roots and so excess water can escape.

it's always better to under water than to overwater! it's easier to save a dried-up plant than a rotten one. so if your plant seems sick it's better to hold off on watering it for a while.

most plants die from getting too much water! overwatering leads to rot, infections, mold, and even attracts bugs! it's a bad time! so only water your plants when the soil is dry and make sure there's proper drainage.

an overwatered plant will look sickly. it might turn yellow or pale, drop it's leaves, or be squishy to the touch. some plants like succulents or cacti may have swollen, cracked stems from absorbing too much water.

an underwatered plant will look droopy and the leaves will feel dry, crispy or wrinkled. water the plant throughroughly until water drains out of the bottom of the container and give it some time to recover. if your plant is severely dehydrated you might want to completely soak it, spraying the entire plant and putting the pot in a basin or tray of water so it can absorb water as needed.

Soil: the type of soil depends on the type of plant, but all plants require nutrients in order to grow. it's important to use well-draining soil and provide airflow to the roots.

typically you want soil that's a mix of organic matter and grit (like pumice or lava rock.) the organic matter provides nutrients while grit helps keep the soil loose so it doesn't compact and rot the roots while watering. (I've been using Bonsai Jack's gritty mix for years and I swear by the stuff.)

keep in mind that thick, organic soil holds water longer than a loose, gritty mix and takes longer to dry out so you should water your plants less. likewise, gritty mix drains faster and may require more watering, especially in the summer.

seedlings require more nutrients and have less developed roots so highly organic soils or coco coir works best. (more organic matter = more prone to rot though so be careful!)

worms are friends. like seriously. earthworms in your pots are a good thing! not only does it mean your soil is rich in nutrients plants love, but worm tunnels help create air pockets in the soil so your plant's roots can breathe easier and helps prevents rot. they won't hurt your plant at all and only eat decomposing matter. if you don't want them in your house though they'll do wonders for your garden!

#leafie speaks #plant care #advice #masterpost #leafie plants

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nitewrighter · 4 months

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Who in the DC universe has a podcast?

-Leslie Willis (Podcast's official description is "current events and humor," but is in fact 90% shit talking. Has an absolutely banger weekly indie music recommendation tho.)

-Ronnie Troupe (SUPER SOCIALLY-CONSCIOUS DEEP DIVES. METICULOUSLY RESEARCHED. WORKS CITED LISTS AS LONG AS YOUR ARM. Would probably be an INCREDIBLE video essayist but they just like the audio format better.)

-Jimmy Olsen (Deep dives. Insane edition. Frequently brings guests on and it's like "How the fuck did you get ahold of DOCTOR FATE." 80% of people who listen to it think its some kind of parody but he is in fact telling the truth.)

-Harley and Ivy (Lifestyle, humor, and activism. Listeners call in for advice about relationship and mental health issues, as well as tips for gardening and sustainable living. There are noticeable cutoffs where you can tell they had to edit out Ivy doxxing or threatening an oil executive with murder mid-answer about succulent care.)

-Mr. Terrific (Discussions on technology's impacts on society as well as physical and mental health. Midnighter calls in frequently to just be an antagonizing asshole. Has lots of cool guests in various scientific fields as well as professional athletes, but really went viral when they managed to have Lex Luthor as a guest and he had a complete meltdown on-air.)

#dc

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rahuratna · 8 hours

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Get that Bread, Sir

Written for the Foodies and Goodies challenge, created by the amazing @tsukimefuku !

Ijichi hummed tunelessly, his fingers tapping out a rhythm on the steering wheel. Today was going to be a relatively stress-free day, a rarity in his line of work. And it was a Monday too. A stress-free Monday … practically unheard of! He owed it all to his overly diligent handling of the paperwork from the missions last week. He’d put in some overtime and managed to complete all outstanding tasks before the end of the day on Friday.

Friday afternoon had seen him exhausted, but happy and accomplished. He’d even managed to enjoy his weekend. And today … well. Nanami had requested his assistance on a mission in a quiet suburb, located an hour away from Shinjuku. The research had been run-of-the-mill and the file he’d compiled was handed over to Nanami with confidence that the information would guide him well.

Now, all he had to do was ensure that Nanami reached each location on time and make sure that the hard working first grade sorcerer had something to eat when he returned to the car. Speaking of which …

Ijichi checked his watch and nodded. It was almost lunch time. Nanami would probably complete his work at the marked location within the hour. It was time to go and buy him a meal.

Setting the car in gear, he pulled away from the kerb and drove slowly through the town centre, searching for any restaurants or seven-elevens that looked promising. Ijichi knew that Nanami preferred sandwiches, but was also partial to most food, provided that the ingredients were of good quality. He exclaimed softly as he spotted a small, but neatly kept deli on the corner, adjoining a bakery to the right. It looked like the perfect place to buy Nanami what he preferred.

Pulling up, he parked and hopped out, glancing up at the awning over the deli. It read “Sugimoto’s Slice of the Day”. The small board standing outside advertised that day’s specials: a pork cutlet sandwich, served with salad and a free coffee, and a baked cheese and corn with a pickled garnish and tea. Ijichi’s mouth watered at the thought of the cheese and corn on a cold day like this. He was also sure that Nanami would appreciate the sandwich.

Tugging slightly as his scarf, Ijichi pushed open the door of the deli, a small bell over the entryway tinkling musically as he made his way in. There were a few people in the shop, and he had obviously missed the lunchtime rush. He ordered his cheese and corn at the counter, turning to browse the shelves as he waited. He found some delicious looking croissants, along with a selection of freshly baked madeleines that he had always been partial to. Searching further, he breathed out a small sigh of relief when he saw that there was still one of the pork cutlet sandwiches left. As much as there were other options, this one looked particularly succulent.

As he reached for the sandwich, the bell over the door rang once again. Someone brushed brusquely past him and snatched the sandwich off the shelf, the same one he had been about to grasp. Ijichi turned, indignant, but the sudden hush that had descended over the store gave him pause. The person who had grabbed the sandwich was a stunning woman in a fitted maroon top and dark jeans, the sparkling diamond earrings she wore offset against her lush raven hair. She was obviously known in the area, because the quiet in the store was quickly broken by whispers and glances in her direction. The woman in question was looking at Ijichi as if he were a worm that had crawled out from under a rock.

“Problem?” she questioned, archly.

Now, Ijichi was normally a well-mannered, placid man who would not court trouble of any kind. Under other circumstances, he may have backed down and exited the store without comment, but there was something about this woman’s manner of speech and the way she looked at him, with that small, mocking smile, that rubbed him the wrong way. Not to mention, Ijichi had had to face down Gojo on a daily basis at work. Whoever this lady was, she certainly wasn’t in the league of the strongest sorcerer of modern times. This fact was what made Ijichi’s posture straighten, and his brows draw together.

“Yes, ma’am, there is a problem.”

She had been half turning away, but his words stopped her in place. Turning to him, one of her perfectly drawn eyebrows raised so high it almost disappeared into her hairline.

“And what, pray tell, may that be?”

“I was about to take that sandwich when you grabbed it. In a very ill-mannered way, might I add. I’d appreciate it if you put that sandwich down.”

She looked at him incredulously.

“Do you know who I am?”

The whispers around them were growing in volume. Ijichi’s mouth drew into a stubborn line.

“No, I’m afraid I don’t.”

The woman uttered a sharp bark of laughter. She didn’t bother responding to Ijichi, merely jerking her head at the burly man who seemed to be her companion. Ijichi noted that the man carried what looked like high-end filming equipment, an expensive video camera in his hand. ‘Muscles’, as Ijichi dubbed him in his mind, turned and shoved his bulk behind the woman, allowing her to progress to the counter unhindered.

Oh no. No, no. Not today.

Ijichi was not quite sure what came over him then. Perhaps it was the fact that they were in a small town which he was not likely to visit again. Perhaps it was the fact that none of the other sorcerers or any of his work colleagues were nearby. Maybe the miso soup he’d eaten for breakfast contained some special ingredient that gave him daring.

Grabbing one of Muscle’s elbows, Ijichi manoeuvred past him with ease, his sorcerer training coming in handy. In the same motion, he snatched the sandwich out of the woman’s hand, giving her no time to protest before he slapped some money down on the counter, grabbed his order of cheese and corn, and dashed out the door.

“Hey! You – “

“What the – “

“Get back here!”

“How dare you! Satou, get him!

For all their posturing, Ijichi was a lot faster than Muscles, who he now knew as Satou. By the time people had been pushed out of the way and the bakery door slammed open, Ijichi was already behind the wheel, pulling away from the kerb, swinging the steering expertly. In his rearview mirror he saw the woman grab the video camera away from her companion as they clambered into a white van with some kind of mural on the side. He noted that she had lifted the camera, from where she sat in the passenger seat, and seemed to be filming his car.

Oh no, you don’t.

Accelerating away, Ijichi took one hand off the wheel, raising his index and middle finger in front of him.

“Emerge from the darkness, blacker than darkness … “

Of all the jujutsu techniques, summoning a veil was the one that Ijichi was most proficient at. Although not possessing a huge amount of cursed energy, control and manipulation of the little he had had always been his strength. He could manipulate cursed energy to the point that he could make smaller, condensed curtains over objects and people of his choice. He used that ability now to shroud his car, such that any identifying factors would be impossible to record on camera.

Eat that, lady.

The country roads were winding and empty, allowing Ijichi to use his far superior driving skills to navigate the tricky turns and sharp bends with ease. Although his pursuers would probably be far more familiar with the area, they were no match for a Jujutsu Tech assistant determined to leave them in the dust. Ijichi eventually lost them, pulling to a stop in slightly concealed cul-de-sac. He consulted his GPS, nodding in satisfaction when he realised that he was not far from Nanami’s pick up point.

Emerging slowly from the cul-de-sac, Ijichi drove to Nanami’s location. Standing tall and intimidating in his longer-length warm coat, blonde hair gleaming in the winter sun, Nanami cut a distinctive figure standing on the sidewalk. Ijichi hoped that nobody would connect their arrival in town with the … incident.

Seeing the car, Nanami raised a hand and approached, clambering into the back seat. He exhaled heavily and worked the tension out of his neck.

“Successful mission, Nanami?”

“Yes. No issues. All targets at the location have been exorcised.”

Succinct as always, Nanami relaxed into the cushioned seat with a sigh and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Having known the man for this long, Ijichi knew that there was only one thing that could fix that fatigue. He was one of the very few who was privy to the sight of Nanami surrounded by breads and snacks of various kinds, the chiselled, angular face bulging slightly at the cheeks like a hamster as the sorcerer helped himself to the things that made him most happy.

Contrary to the stoic and cold demeanour Nanami showed most others, he was kind and generous with many things, including his food. He would often share with Ijichi and had even remembered all of Ijichi’s favourites. This was why Ijichi had gone through such lengths to procure that sandwich today. This man, of all sorcerers, was worth the effort. Reaching for the parcel in the passenger seat, he handed the wrapped sandwich to Nanami.

“Here you go. It’s a pork cutlet sandwich, with salad. There’s also coffee in the cup holder and some croissants. Still warm!”

“Ah, thank you.”

It was extremely subtle, but Nanami perked up immediately and unwrapped the sandwich, taking a large bite followed by a quick, satisfied sip from the coffee cup. Ijichi smiled and put the car in gear once again, heading for the interchange that would lead them back to Tokyo.

“Have you eaten, Ijichi?”

“Err … not yet. I’m not that hungry. I’ve got something for myself though, so I’ll warm it up at the next stop.”

He couldn’t exactly let Nanami know his reasons for wanting to book it out of that town as soon as possible.

____________________________________________________

Of course, things never worked out that smoothly for him.

Somehow, the story reached even a few news sources in Tokyo. The strange tale of the well-known morning magazine show host, Maeda Yoshino, who had been robbed of her sandwich by a mysterious dark-suited man. What drew the audience in wasn’t so much the bread snatching, but the fact that on the recorded footage, the car had been obscured by a dark cloud that was shaped suspiciously like a raised middle finger.

Yoshino and her assistant had insisted that they hadn’t seen such a cloud surrounding the car during the chase, but had never closed the gap enough to take the registration number. Yoshino appeared on TV, indignantly describing how the man had grabbed the last speciality pork cutlet sandwich right out of her hand.

Ijichi tried his best to avoid Nanami at work, knowing full well that the wily sorcerer would take no time at all to figure the situation out. It appeared that he had not been entirely successful there either. Coming in to work one morning, he paused as he noted a parcel on his desk. Opening it, he found a beautifully prepared pork cutlet sandwich with a note stuck to the packaging.

Next time, we’ll just go for yakiniku.

Nanami.

@strawberry1042 @darkfaerietails @Jay220a @fattybattysblog @suguru-nugget @senseifupa @aleigant @gigiculona

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