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faunandfl0ra · 4 months

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TIMING: Backdated, somewhere in late summer LOCATION: Inflorescence PARTIES: Conor @faunandfl0ra & Inge @nightmaretist SUMMARY: Conor and Inge work on making some seed bombs to increase biodiversity in town and chat about a variety of things, from ventures into art to how the Youths ™️ speak these days. A soft start to a friendship. CONTENT WARNINGS: N/A

It was near closing time when she arrived, her bag clinking with the sound of glass bottles as she got in the store. A wave of green and bright colors burst around Inge as she glanced around, her lips curving appreciatively. Sure, as an artist her color pallet was darker and a lot more desaturated, but that wasn’t to say she didn’t like a burst of color in real life. That of plants especially was welcomed, her apartment filled with dark and lighter greens. When she’d move, she’d get rid of most of the plants save a few, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t always down to add another to the collection.

As she perused Inflorescence’s wares, she considered the online conversation she’d had with the shops owner and their mischievous plans. There wasn’t a lot besides art Inge was passionate about, but since the nineties – when she’d stopped eating meat – she had grown a lot of heart for the environment. If she was to inhabit this world forever, she’d rather not see her home country sink and everything go to ruination because of the greed of a rich few. Which wasn’t to say she was passionate enough to make their lives hell, as art still took a precedent over all other things — but she had once tried very hard to try and find Jeff Bezos’ house from the plane.

At the sound of footsteps her head popped up, falling on the man she’d spoken to online. Conor did, at least, look like his profile picture. Inge waved, fingers tickling the air. “Hiya. We spoke online? I’m here for the seed bombs.” She lifted her bag, which made a clinking sound once again. “And I made good on my promise.”

—

“Sorry, I was working in the back,” Conor took off his gardening gloves, shoving them into his apron to approach her and shake her hand. “Ah, yes. I remember,” he glanced down at his wrist. Where had he put down his watch again? Patting at his apron, he found it there. It was five minutes before closing time. He doubted anyone would show up in that time lapse, still, he didn’t feel like it would be fair to close early.

“I’ll get everything ready,” his eyebrows furrowed. “You wanna work here or outside?” he motioned toward the door he came from, his fingers slipping through his hair as he attempted unsuccessfully to tame it. “Considering the time of the year, we’ll be doing aquilegia, campanula, coreopsis, delphinium, myosotis, penstemon and pansy seeds,” that’s what made the most sense to him, at least. “Though if it doesn’t rain at all until September, I doubt we’ll get much out of these,” his nose wrinkled at the thought, and he gave Inge a look. “Still worth a try, though.” A smile etched itself on his lips. That would hardly be the worst he had done for the good ol’ planet.

___

She shook her head at his apology, rejecting it on sight. “No need to apologize. I’m a little early.” When Inge’s cold flesh met Conor’s warm, she hoped there was no part of him that cared to notice. “Good to meet you in real life, Conor. You’ve got a nice shop here. I’ll have to get something for my place.”

Her hands traveled, fingers rubbing the rubbery leaves of a plant. Maybe these were the only living things she could be trusted to take care of. She wanted no more children, the gap Vera had left too significant to even consider it, and there were no pets that tolerated her. Plants, however, were easy enough for an immortal. Besides, with plenty of care they could grow and live with her. “Just let me know if you need any help. And I’d prefer to work inside, please.” The sun was hard on her eyes and skin on these summer days, and Inge had already walked here the regular way. “It will rain. This is Maine. They named it so to make it rhyme.” She grinned at him, winking. “And otherwise we’ll just have to rebelliously water them.”

___

She ran a bit cold, but it wasn't what troubled Conor the most, nor was it the clear lack of a heartbeat. He'd seen it before.

He tried to conceal his puzzlement, eyes fixating on the floor briefly as he attempted to try and make sense of it, of this feeling of unease he had had as she had approached him, like something crawling underneath his skin. Conor tried to relax his stance. They'd spoken online, Inge seemed nice then. Even better, she seemed great. It was one of those times he didn't want to trust his gut feeling.

"Alright, I just hope you're not allergic to cats," he mentioned, in passing. The animal wasn't around now, probably too busy hunting mice in the backyard or far beyond his fences. "Taoiseach will probably be back later though," with a shrug, he took out a tray, setting down a couple of large plastic bowls, powdered clay, and a couple more things for them to get started. He picked up another apron beneath the counter. He never used it, it was here in case his current one ended up ruined or too dirty for the day, but Conor for all he was clumsy, was clever enough to get an apron that was dark green.

"Alright, put this on, and then we can get started."

___

Godver, this guy had a cat? Inge let out a breath of air, frowned a little. “I am a bit allergic, yes. We’ll figure it out when we get to it, hm?” There was no cat around as of yet, and so she had no interest in forcing the two of them outside where the summer sun was sure to tire her out. Maybe they should have set this appointment after sundown.

As Conor continued wha he was doing, she produced two bottles and opened them by using a third, extending one to him as he held out the apron. That was hung around her neck and tied behind her back with ease. Inge took a sip and looked at the other expectedly, eyebrows raising.

She didn’t want to admit to it, but it was nice to have a goal for the summer. To do something that could be considered a contribution in another way than art was. Selflessness hardly fit her, but she liked projects. Whimsical spontaneousness. A little act of eco-rebellion was exciting. “Let’s do this. Tell me what to do, chief.”

—

"Ah. Well, I'll just have him go upstairs then, it's alright," he brushed it off. She said she was only a little bit allergic, so it couldn't possibly be that bad. "Don't worry, he won't be back for a bit. It's not his hour yet," funny how cats managed to have a schedule despite being asleep most of the day. Conor wondered if that was what the cat did out there, just sleeping somewhere cozy only to return back home for food and pets.

She'd brought drinks along, which he found rather considerate. He took the beer she gave him with a polite nod, having thrown thanks to the bin and replaced them with more fae friendly phrases.

"Alright, so. It's quite simple. We're gonna be mixing up one cup of soil, one of clay and one of water for each pack of seed. As you can see, I have prepared a bunch of them so," they'd have to make a sizable batch. "Lots of work ahead of us, but hey, we're in good company, with excellent food," he motioned toward her beers. "Should be fine."

—

That was a point in his favor, she decided. “I appreciate it. Cats are cute, but I just … don’t respond to them very well. Biologically speaking.” Technically true, though it was more accurate to say that the cats didn’t respond well to her. Annoying and dull, she thought it, the way animals were afraid of mares. She liked them in dreams, though. People dreamt of their cats a ton. “What kinda cat do you have, though?”

With her apron tightened and instructions being delivered, Inge found herself smiling despite herself. This was going to be fun. She took a sip from her beer and put it away for now, grabbing a measuring cup.

“Doable.” Good thing she didn’t get tired and didn’t need sleep, she figured. Left plenty of time for activities like these. “And hear, hear!” Lips spread wider as she dug into the soil, getting ready to mix it with clay and seeds. “When should we drop them, then? This does need a sequel, I think.” Inge glanced at him. “We can’t keep our efforts limited to just one night.”

___

“That’s a shame. Cats are great companions,” her misfortune earned her a sympathetic smile. “He’s a red cat, his coat is fluffy, full of long hairs, you know?” Overall, he’d have described the little animal as regal.

While she was getting ready, Conor headed to the front of the shop to turn the We’re Open sign around and pull onto the curtain. Even with that sign, he knew for a fact people would try to get in if they saw him on the other side of the front windows. How perfectly normal.

“Doable? Music to my ears,” his smile broadened. It was nice to have met someone who took issues such as biodiversity so seriously. Picking up a bucket behind his counter, he set it there and turned around to pour water into a jug. “Go on, add everything in, we’ll stir and then we’ll make bombs the size of a golf ball. They’d put them on a tray and leave them to dry in the sun tomorrow. “Oh this won’t be enough to get the city back on tracks,” he agreed. “We could meet once a week if you want, change seeds depending on the season.

—

Sure, cats were great companions, except when your sheer existence had them flying in curtains or attempting to claw you open. Inge had had a cat when she’d been a girl and she’d loved the thing, despite it’s grumpy nature. But four decades of immortality had put her off the creatures. “He sounds like a beauty,” she said, which wasn’t entirely insincere. Pretty cat. Nice to look at. That’s it.

As she started mixing everything, the familiar feeling of solids mixing underneath her hands made her smile vaguely. Inge worked with clay with regularity after all, molding it into shapes meant to terrify and inspire. (To her, those words were often synonyms.)

It was good work, easy work. She glanced up at Conor. “Indeed. And maybe do more than just seed bombs. I’ve always wanted to do some lobbying.” She had done lobbying. Back in the 00s and the 90s. She’d gone onto the streets, had huddled together with like minded people, Sanne on her side. Wicked’s Rest was not the epicenter of the world and thus not the place where most change could be made, but wouldn’t it be fun to try and shake things up? “Those lawns must change. The common needs to change, too, while we’re at it.”

“He is. I’m not sure why he decided that this was his home though,” he wasn’t Conor’s cat. Or well, he was now. He had even checked with the vet to get him IDed. It was his cat, officially so.

Watching her work with her hands, he noticed that she wasn’t shy about it, or afraid to make a mess. She wasn’t making a mess, which had to be the most impressive part. Conor might have worked with plants for a long time, he was always making a mess, moving too abruptly, too urgently. He’d have preferred being agile, careful, but that wasn’t him. “That’s not your first time doing this?”

He looked at her, and her words made him smile. “I would love that. I haven’t been doing activism in a bit, but I’d be up for it,” now the objective wasn’t to make an enemy out of the city council, but Conor agreed that the town could have done a lot more for biodiversity, starting with the god awful common. Grass and a bunch of trees. Boring. “How much are you willing to bet people would like it better covered in wildflowers?”

—

“So he’s like a stray that just decided to settle here? Adopt don’t shop, huh? Or, I guess he adopted you in that case.” She would like a pet, sometimes. A pair of large hounds would suit her well, or a siamese cat. But alas, Inge only had her birds in the dreams she gave others.

His observant comment was pleasing, and she looked up as she nodded. “No. I work with clay a lot. I’m a sculptor.” And how her works had transformed! There had been that line of bowls and vases when she’d just started taking things more seriously, glazing them in furiously bright colors. Now, Inge was sculpting birds, molding wings and scary beaks, hundreds of them.

“Quite a lot of money, honestly. People must come here for the nature, and then right in the middle of town there’s just that large piece of green grass. Dull! We humans want to frolick in the flowers.” With we humans she did mean herself, in this case. Desires like these were very human after all. “We need to get more people on board. And we do need a name for our initiative. Should get one of the youths to do social media for us, even.”

“I suppose he did adopt me,” he agreed with a small smile. The cat stubbornly showed up in his flat every day, not even asking for food, but rather offering up mice and a set of unlucky birds Conor had buried in the backyard. He now had a plate of food in the backroom of his shop, and his watering can had become a drinking source of choice for the red haired feline.

That made a lot of sense, he thought. “Oh, you’re an artist !” The realization seemed to please the faun, who hadn’t smiled so bright in a while. “That’s great. I’d love to see those sculptures of yours sometimes,” he beamed. It wasn’t often that he smiled, no, but the subject of arts always brought out the warmth in him.

“The worst part is, they must spent even more than that maintaining it in that condition,” because he might have hated what that entailed, he didn’t hate the look of it all that much. It lacked verticality, sure, but it didn’t lack skills. A great lawn was hard to achieve and Conor admired people who could achieve that perfectly even coverage, but it was too damaging to bugs and biodiversity in general for him to sit and applaud those green surfaces. “I’m willing to bet there’s a bunch of young people who would feel invested. The new generation is a lot more aware of these issues, right?”

—

“Cats are known to do that,” she said, though the words were empty. Cats only chose Inge to hiss at or scratch, with little interest for scritches of her manicured nails. She was just glad the creature wasn’t here, because she definitely didn’t want to insult Conor by telling him his cat was an annoying creature with bad judgment. (All animals had bad judgment, for not liking mares.)

She smiled at his next words, of course, her ego something that was always clamoring for some more applause. “You could always come by my studio sometime. I have an online portfolio, but the real thing …” She shrugged. “It’s better. Ah, like the plants, you know? Better in real life. Do you make art yourself, or anything of the sorts?”

Inge nodded, “Of course they do. Such perfection takes effort, even if it looks absolutely dull. Perfection often is, if you ask me — why would we want such boring symmetry in our nature, anyway?” She tutted. “Absolutely, they’re the ones who will have to inhabit the world down the line.” Along with her, of course, and her unaging body. Inge cared for the planet because she intended to live on it forevermore. “It shouldn’t be hard to recruit, but we need something snippy. The seed bombs will definitely be a good way to get people’s attention, too! Who doesn’t like wildflowers?” Well, plenty of people, but fuck them.

“Art? Like painting or sculpting? No,” he wrinkled his nose. Conor didn’t have much of a culture regarding those things. Visual arts were nice to look at, he supposed, but he didn’t get much of it. It wasn’t that he didn’t care, but he lacked the codes required to understand it. “I mean, I play music, but I don’t really make the partitions. I play them,” he rubbed at the back of his neck. “But anyhow, I would love to have a look at it. Let me know when’s a good time to stop by.” Because he agreed that plants weren’t the most interesting in photographs and he was intrigued now.

Nodding along, Conor picked up a handful of the mixture and tried to roll it into a ball between his palms. “I’m gonna add a bit of water and then I think we’re gonna be good to start the fun,” fastidious, repetitive, “part of this.” At least they’d be doing something good here. Saving the town from being dull, one flower at a time. “I spoke to this guy the other day who seemed interested. He didn’t sound young. As in, I understood everything I was saying. Young people are…” He cut himself off. He didn’t look much older than 35 and he supposed she didn’t need to figure out just yet that he wasn’t entirely normal, or that he was plain weird. “Anyway… I don’t care if people don’t like wildflowers if I’m honest. I’m mostly doing it for insects and biodiversity in general,” with a shrug, he poured the water in, and left it to her to stir and make the first seed bomb.

—

She was still glad he did something that was artistically inclined, “But that’s wonderful, too! What instruments do you play?” She went for plural, because she hoped for the best. Inge wasn’t much of a musician herself (she could not carry a tune, for one), but she was a big enjoyer of music. There had been plenty of concerts she’d snuck into over the years, after all, and her record collection was quite vast. “I’ll let you know! And if you’re ever down, I’d be thrilled to hear you play whatever music you’re fond of playing.”

The fun part would be going out on the streets and pulling off some kind of creative process, but rolling up seed bombs was far from a boring way to spend one's time. “Sounds perfect,” she said. She considered what the other was saying — he looked her age, perhaps a tad younger. Inge didn’t want to think too much of it. “Oh, I get it. I feel removed from the younger generations at times too.” Which were most generations, at this point, and it wasn’t like Inge felt particularly connected to her fellow boomers, either. “Ha, agreed. If they like them that’s sweet, but it’s not for us.” She started stirring once the water had been poured, only stopping when she figured everything was mixed well enough. She took some of the mixture and started rolling it into a ball. “So, you’re like an old soul, then?”

“Oh, I play the violin,” and he could dabble with a viola and a cello (he’d never tried the bass) but that wouldn't have counted as being able to properly play those. “I’ve played it since I was six years old,” old enough to hold a fiddle with his chin alone and let his mother pass onto him all she knew about it. Up until he left the house in a hurry in the midst of his teenagehood and selfishly took along with him his instrument as a rare souvenir of people he’d never see again. He regretted only taking one picture of his mother along with him. Not even them together, just a portrait of her. Yes, Conor had a lot of regrets regarding his early life, but not any bigger than having ruined his chance of seeing his mother grow old and letting her see him grow. She had his brother, and his father in law, she was not alone. That was his consolation.

“Well then I'll just bring my violin along. One way to break two windows with one stone.” Because he’d never liked how cruel the original expression was.

“Yeah… the younger generations are … well they are a lot of good things, but I often wonder if they're not just trying to make us confused on purpose with their lingo. Nothing quite like that to make me feel like a bozo,” he shook his head, and dug his hand into the container, aligning on a plastic platter the seed bombs he made. An old soul. The expression made him pause. It felt a bit pretentious at first but he couldn't precisely deny it without lying and suffering for it. “I suppose I am. Me, and my violin, my flowers, my cardigans and my baseball games,” he realized he could have just been someone's grandfather with those sorts of interests. Owen didn't hold back on the old man nicknames for sure, which wasn't very nice, but it wasn't a lie either and Conor figured that was a joke anyway.

—

“Oh, that’s wonderful!” It was. Inge loved a good violin in all kinds of music, thought its versatility and dramatics were the perfect ingredients to a good song. “I wish I’d learned to play an instrument at that age.” But with one dead and four alive kids and too little money, there had been little space for creative pursuits at home. Maybe that was why she had ventured into drawing: that only took a pencil and some paper, or even her writing slate back at school. None of those drawings had survived, she figured, or maybe they were rotting in some storage box of her deceased parents. It was more likely that her siblings had thrown it out, though. “A great idea. Don’t actually break my windows, though.”

She tried to stay with the times, which she succeeded in in some regards — but when it came to the lingo, even Inge was often quite lost. “Ah, don’t let them make you feel inferior! That’s how they win. Besides, plenty of their lingo makes absolutely no sense.” She was amused by his answers, figured he really was an old soul – either figuratively or literally. She continued to roll balls. “My students, they make me feel ancient. Every week it seems they’ve introduced new words to their vocabulary.” She chuckled. “I do like to think I’m hip. And flowers, violin-playing and cardigans are perfectly fine.” Albeit a bit boring. “But I guess there’s always gonna be a new generation to shake things up, huh? Can’t really complain about that.”

The faun tilted his head down and smiled. “It’s not too late to learn, you know.” He paused. “What would you have liked to play?” His eyes darted toward her and he brushed his hands together above the mixing bowl. “I won't, I pro-” his lips pursed into a line and he cleared his throat. “I prefer not to upset you.”

It was unlikely that he would have ever broken one of her windows but he didn't want to find out what would happen if he accidentally did.

“Oh no, not inferior,” feeling that way didn't make much sense to Conor. You couldn't grade people or organize them by worth. That was unethical and rude. The only place where he accepted and understood hierarchy was within orchestras. He’d been in one and he knew how these things worked. He supposed it made sense in the army too, or in institutions, but out there? Absolutely not. “Maybe you should just hit them with archaic or obscure words. You seem like the sort to have extensive vocabulary,” the commentary was neither meant as a compliment or a complaint. It just was how he felt about her. She seemed clever. Anyone who taught had to be.

“It’s fine. I don't care much for being hip,” as long as his bouquet stayed up to date, he was more than glad to keep on making more. “Generations should work together for things to properly shake. There's not much weight in a divided mass,” he noted, setting down the last seed ball of another row.

—

It probably wasn’t too late to learn, especially not in her immortal state of being. But it was frustrating to not be good at something when she was skilled in other areas. “I would really like a bunch of synthesizers and master them all. Or the piano … or the cello …” She thought for a moment. “Bass.” Inge squinted slightly at the way he cut off his own sentence, not sure if it implied anything. “I appreciate that very much.”

She shrugged, “Bozo sounded inferior,” she pointed out, but it didn’t matter much to her. “But if that’s not how you fell, all the power to ya.” At his compliment (at least, that’s how she decided to take it), Inge let out a sound of amusement. “That would be one way to go about it, yes. I don’t know if I do, but I have always had a bit of a knack for languages. I enjoy learning them, in and out. The bad and the ugly, you know?”

She laughed in agreement, “Neither do I. It’s much better to be yourself, however cliche that is to say. I think I’m plenty for my age, anyway.” In this case she was speaking of her actual age, of course — the one where she was nearly 78 years old. Not the thirty-something years she appeared to be. “Exactly. This pitting boomers against the current youths is not helping anyone. We’ve been shouting about the environment needing improvement for decades.” Inge hoped that sounded like she was talking about humanity in general. “Every generation has those who don’t care, though — but ever generation has those who do, and we should move together. So, more youths in our group are needed, yes?” As if they weren’t both relatively young-appearing themselves.

“I could teach you the cello,” he glanced her way. “Don't tell anyone I said this, but it is like playing with a big violin,” with a couple differences. He found it easier, perhaps because by the time he first touched a cello, he had already mastered using a violin. There was also the fact that you needed to be seated to play it, and had a better view and control of what you were doing, at least during the first few years of learning. Bass worked the same so he didn't bother repeating himself. Instead he smiled and went back to their hard work.

He supposed Bozo wasn't such a kind word to hear these days but back in the 60s when he was a little boy, he’d found the expression more amusing than anything else. With a shrug, he let her know it was alright. “Yeah? I’d be the opposite I guess. I ain't got a fucking clue on how to write half the shit my family taught me about Irish. I can speak it, but I can't write it.” Come to think of it, he wasn't sure whether his grandparents or his mother ever did. “I suppose I never saw the point in learning. Or learning any other language,” which might have appeared like close mindedness. And maybe it was. Conor hadn't been to school for that long and that might have killed some of his curiosity. That, and realizing monsters were real, because both things occured at the same moment.

“I don't know about cliches but the status quo never really ever was my thing,” which wasn't to say that he was a marginalized person in society (though he once had been) : Conor had missed being around people even if some of them were dickheads. “I know. Back in the 90s people were already commenting on that shit,” he brushed his hands together above the bowl again, and turned around to rinse them over the sink. “Do you want a cup of tea? I’d offer coffee but it’s terrible.” Pause. “ When I make it. You’re allowed to like coffee.” He grimaced. “Anyway. Tea?” He figured that might be nice to have on hand while discussing the terrifying fate of their planet.

—

“Now that’s an idea. I must admit I don’t have a great sense of rhythm, though. Can’t be good at every area of art, huh?” Inge laughed despite herself, not that bothered with her inability to hold a note. She had at least managed to find a good way to move her body on music, and that was what mattered most. “I’ll keep your secret though. And maybe I can teach you some things about my trade.”

She tried to withhold judgment against his disinterest in learning languages. Different worlds, she reminded herself. “Fair enough. English isn’t my native tongue to begin with, and I traveled a lot around Europe, so there was always a push for me to speak the language of the country I was in.” It was crucial to at least know the basics: some flirtation, how to order a cab and the directions to the museum. “But you know, English is widely used. I understand not really bothering.”

Inge nodded and let out a chuckle, “Nor was it mine.” A woman who left her husband in the 70s, who shared a home and life with a woman after her divorce, who was dead but still roamed this earth. She had once minded being an anomaly, but her days in Wanneperveen had long passed. “Even earlier than that, mind you.” She rolled a final ball, patting it lovingly as she put it down. It would do great things. “Tea sounds good. I don’t tend to drink caffeine this late, it keeps me up.” How delightfully human that sounded! As if it was caffeine that kept her from sleeping. “This is nice, Conor. I think we’ll do great things together.”

“I suppose not. I’ve never really given drawing much thought but I reckon I’d be terrible at it,” he was however quite a gifted dancer, or so he had been told. It was a shame he refused to indulge into the activity. Too much excitement could easily lead to a feeding accident, also referred to as mass murder. Once was too many times for a lifetime. It happened over 40 years ago but Conor couldn’t shake it off of his mind.

He believed that he most likely never would.

The papers at the time spoke of a cultist event, unexplainable deaths. Conor didn’t linger around and at the time sworn off feeding himself like this. Believe it or not, this made it even worse.

“Meanwhile I’ve never left New England states,” he commented. That didn’t exactly push someone to try and learn another language. “So you can easily understand why I never really bothered,” the occasion never prevented itself, and Conor might have had a life span that allowed him to learn a lot more things than the regular person, most of it had been dedicated to learning all he could about crops, flowers, the violin, and the Red Sox.

“I’ll fix us a cup of rooibos then,” he offered with a slight smile, and catching a towel to dry his hands, motioned her to follow behind. “I have great hopes for our collaboration,” he agreed.

#faun and flora | threads #inge threads #flower power #wickedswriting

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diveingoa · 5 months

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DiveIn Goa recognizes that not all water adventures need to be high-octane. Kayaking provides a more relaxed yet equally immersive experience, allowing participants to paddle through the calm waters around Grand Island. The guided tours take kayakers to hidden coves, pristine beaches, and mangrove areas, providing a unique perspective of the island's coastal beauty.

Safety First: DiveIn Goa's Commitment to Excellence

One of the key factors that set DiveIn Goa apart is its unwavering commitment to safety. The company adheres to international safety standards, ensuring that all equipment is well-maintained, instructors are certified, and participants are briefed thoroughly before each activity. Whether you're a first-time snorkeler or an experienced scuba diver, DiveIn Goa prioritizes the well-being of its participants, making every adventure a secure and enjoyable experience.

Conclusion: DiveIn Goa

Grand Island Goa, with its pristine waters and diverse marine life, provides the perfect canvas for an array of water sports adventures. DiveIn Goa, with its commitment to safety, professionalism, and customer satisfaction, stands out as a leader in delivering these exhilarating experiences. Whether you're a thrill-seeker looking for an adrenaline rush or a nature enthusiast wanting to explore the beauty beneath the waves, DiveIn Goa offers a variety of activities to suit every taste.

In the realm of water sports, Grand Island and DiveIn Goa beckon, promising not just an escape but a journey into the heart of aquatic excitement. As the sun sets over the Arabian Sea, casting its warm glow on the adventure-filled day, participants are left with memories of a lifetime and a longing to return to the water paradise that is Grand Island Goa.

#jetskigoa #goawatersportspackagewithscubadiving #bestscubadivinggoa #sportsactivitiesgoa #wateractivitiesgoa #WatersportsGoa #scubadivinggoa #Bestplaceforwatersportsgoa #parasailinggoa #Adventureactivitiesgoa

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khushidave4 · 8 months

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Exploring the Vibrant World of Organic Herbs and Hair Colors: Unveiling India's Treasures

In a world increasingly swayed by the allure of natural and organic products, India emerges as a treasure trove of herbal wonders. From ancient Ayurvedic traditions to the modern global market, India has been a pioneer in the production and distribution of organic herbs and hair color powders. So, let's embark on a journey through this vibrant world of nature's goodness.

The Roots of Ayurveda: Organic Herbs in India Ayurveda, India's ancient holistic healing system, relies heavily on the power of organic herbs. For centuries, the country's rich biodiversity has provided the raw materials for countless herbal remedies. Today, these age-old practices are finding a resurgence as people seek natural alternatives for wellness and skincare. India has emerged as one of the leading organic herbs powder suppliers in india

From the soothing properties of aloe vera to the rejuvenating effects of neem, the variety of organic herbs India offers is astounding. Whether it's powders, extracts, or oils, these herbs form the backbone of herbal medicine and skincare products. And with the rise in demand for organic facial products worldwide, Indian suppliers are at the forefront of this global shift towards sustainable and chemical-free beauty.

The Magic of Hair Color Powders India is also renowned for its natural hair colors. Henna, in particular, has gained international fame as a safe and effective alternative to chemical dyes. Obtained from the leaves of the henna plant, this natural dye not only imparts a beautiful reddish tint but also nourishes the hair. It's no wonder that hair colors powder suppliers India are sought after worldwide.

But henna is just the tip of the iceberg. India boasts a colorful palette of herbal hair dyes. Indigo, for instance, is used to achieve shades of blue and black. Amla and Brahmi, two more organic gems, are used to enhance hair health and promote growth. These herbal hair colors are not only gentle on your locks but also kind to the environment, making them a favorite among eco-conscious consumers.

The Wholesale Advantage: Organic Facial Products When it comes to skincare, organic is the name of the game. The world is waking up to the benefits of chemical-free and cruelty-free beauty products. In this realm, India's prowess as an organic facial products wholesale supplier in india is undeniable. With a wealth of natural ingredients at their disposal, Indian manufacturers produce a wide range of skincare goodies.

From rejuvenating face masks enriched with turmeric and sandalwood to nourishing facial oils infused with rosehip and saffron, India's organic skincare offerings cater to every need. The shift towards organic facial products is not just a trend; it's a conscious choice for healthier, radiant skin. And India, with its heritage of herbal knowledge, stands tall in this arena.

The Final Word As we delve into the world of organic herbs and hair colors in India, one thing becomes clear: nature's bounty knows no bounds in this diverse land. From the Himalayan foothills to the tropical South, India's geographical diversity is mirrored in its herbal riches. So, whether you're seeking the healing touch of Ayurveda, the magic of herbal hair dyes, or the purity of organic skincare, India has it all. It's a journey of self-care that connects you not just to your skin and hair but to the earth itself, celebrating the beauty of nature in its purest form.

#Natural #Herbal #Organic #Henna herbs #Henna powder

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farmboyreef · 3 years

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Algae Barn Coupon codes for my Farm Hands

15% to 25% OFF

World wide Code : America and all other countries (FarmBoy15) 15% off

Canada code (FarmBoyReef) 25% off

Hey Farm Hands,

My 600 Gallon Hulk reef is powered by @algaebarn 💪💪. One step closer to creating a live ecosystem with biodiversity that’s full of benefits for my reef and picky fish. I used All Algae Barn products to bring my 600 to life. I started my reef will all dead sand and rock. Here are some before and after pictures of a dead reef to a thriving reef today. This is how I made my reef come to life with biodiversity I added live coralline algae in a bottle the Pink Fusion and the Purple Helix to get my rocks to start growing the coralline algae plus next I added The Ultimate Refugium Starter Pack

Everything you need to set up, start and seed a healthy refugium.

Setting up a new refugium? Looking to establish a copepod population in your tank? This hand-selected package is designed to make that simple and easy. There are two options when purchasing the Ultimate Refugium Starter Pack. The first option is receiving two shipments which is perfect for starting a new tank. The first shipment contains MarinePure Cubes and TurboStart 900 Live Nitrifying Bacteria to cycle your tank. The second shipment is sent one week later and contains our 5280 Pods three species live copepod blend, OceanMagik Live phytoplankton to keep them fed, and Live Clean macroalgae of your choice (Chaeto, Pom Pom, Red Ogo or Spike Sphere) for nutrient export. The second option contains all items in a single shipment. All Ultimate Refugium Starter Packs qualify for FREE Shipping. Here's a closer look at what's included:

Coralline Algae in a Bottle: Make Your Bare Rock Beautiful

One of the big yardsticks that reef aquarists commonly use to determine the health of a developing system (and particularly its readiness for stony coral culture) is coralline algae growth. These encrusting rhodophytes (red algae) give live rock an attractive, natural appearance and thwart the growth of ugly, less desirable hair and film algae. The easiest and surest way to get fast, early coralline algae growth is with Coralline Algae in a Bottle. Here, you get a choice of living pink (Pink Fusion®) or purple (Purple Helix®) corallines! Each product boasts several species of viable coralline algae spores. What's more, each includes live beneficial nitrifying bacteria! There is no faster way to turn your bare base rock into beautiful and vividly colored live rock.

Coralline Information:

Coralline Algae in a Bottle is a truly unique product in that it is developed in a laboratory and contains live coralline algae spores (some products are nothing more than a mixture of calcium and magnesium, purporting to merely support coralline algae growth). Though heavily inoculated with beneficial microbes, Coralline Algae in a Bottle (unlike seed material scraped from someone else's rock) poses no risk of introducing pests or parasites. There is no easier and safer way to turn your fresh base rock into a palette of bright pinks and purples--just the way healthy, natural live reef rock looks like! See below for more information.

My 600 gallon before adding Algae Barn products.

Hulk Reef after adding Algae barn products

PREMIUM LIVE FOODS

With live foods becoming more popular in the saltwater reef aquarium hobby, it is important to have a reliable source. Look no further, AlgaeBarn sells the most premium live foods. Not only are they premium, but there is a large variety of them as well. There are three different types of copepods as well as combinations such as Poseidon’s Feast and 5280 Pods. The Nano Brine is another great option for premium live food. Why is this important? Well, it significantly boosts the health of your marine fish, making them more colorful and less susceptible to disease. The live food sold at AlgaeBarn has a high nutritional value, making it an excellent choice to feed your fish. Live foods replicate what your fish would be eating in the wild. As saltwater aquarium hobbyists, we have the goal of making our aquarium as similar to the wild ocean as possible. So why not do the same with the food you feed your fish? One possible benefit of buying frozen food for your fish is that you don’t have to worry about the food dying and losing its value, except you don’t have to worry about then when buying from AlgaeBarn either. All live food has a 100% Alive On Arrival Guarantee. This makes buying dependable. If you find that the copepods or brine shrimp appear to be dead, you can make a DOA claim and receive a replacement. You can trust that AlgaeBarn has you covered in this unlikely event. Along with independent jars of live food, you can also purchase packs or kits that come with a few different kinds of food. The Mandarin Feeder Kit, for example, comes with Nano Brine, 5280 Pods, and Can O’ Cyclops. Scroll down to see all of the great options you have to feed your fish.

600 GALLON PROGRESSION VIDEO

Virtual Meeting With The Brooklyn Aquarium Society

#Reef tanks #farm boy reef #alage barn

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brunoimyourgorilla · 3 years

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Kids Books About Diversity

Most of the information here on The Educational Tourist website is about reading before visiting specific places, but this post is all about diversity that you can find anywhere – during your travels to far flung places or during local adventures to your grocery store, school, and church. Diversity is what the world is all about and helping children navigate that diversity in a positive way is a great way to set them up, and really to set us all up, for success!!

What is Diversity, anyway?

So what is diversity, really? How do we explain that to children? One of my favorite explanations is to use visuals. I like to show a field of one type of flower and comment on how pretty it is when all the flowers are the same.

But, if an insect doesn’t like this one type of flower, then they’ll be hungry. And this flower only blooms for a certain amount of time, what about the time it isn’t blooming? Then I show them a photo like this one:

In this photo everyone could find a flower they like, and a flower that blooms at a different time so there is always a beautiful flower to be enjoyed.

There is diversity in all parts of the world. Biodiversity in plants and animals helps the planet work properly. People are diverse, too. We all have different preferences for food, clothes, music, religion, and so forth. We speak different languages and have different ideas.

While we have lots of differences we are really more alike than different. We all want to live happily in peace with our friends and family. Everyone wants to feel safe and loved and have enough to eat.

*contains affiliate links*

Reading About Diversity Before a Trip

Improve your trip AND your child’s intelligence:

We want children to remember, internalize, and make these experiences part of their core being! When a child learns something they add to their schema, or background knowledge, which will help them in their education until the end of time. Layering the learning by introducing information and then showing it to them on a vacation is the best way to internalize information. Use travel to get smarter and improve skills for the kids in the family!

“Reading is at the heart of all formal education.”

A GREAT way to get the wheels turning and introduce information about your adventure destination AND improve your child’s intelligent and academic educational success is reading. Stories with familiar characters or beloved animals will pave the way for learning – really learning about the new culture they are going to experience. Read kids’ books set in London or listen with an audiobook. Check out my lists for other destinations, too like Italy, Paris, Hawaii, New York City, Caribbean, Greece, San Francisco, Italy, Colombia, Canada, and Spain.

Need more proof that reading is valuable? A study published in the Economic Journal shows that ‘boys with easy access to books tend to have higher incomes when they become adults than their counterparts who grow up with few or no books by their side’ and “Men who grew up in households filled with books earn 21 percent more..”. So, read before your trip! It will be fun AND will make your kiddo smarter and wealthier in the long run.

Read at bedtime and have sweet dreams about your upcoming trip! Or download to an IPAD or Kindle and read on the loooooooooooong flight over. These are perfect for any storytime before, during, and after a trip, too.

Capitalize on your child’s interest and incorporate those into your next adventure. Choosing a book on something they already like will help get them interested in your family’s adventure! There are literally a million to choose from, but don’t despair. I have spent hours and hours reading books, reading summaries, reading reviews, reading about authors, reading about all topics related to diversity SO YOU DON’T HAVE TO!

*contains affiliate links*

Teacher’s Picks for Kids’ Books about Diversity

All are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold and Suzanne Kaufman

All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold and Suzanne Kaufman is a beautiful story about inclusion and diversity. In this story, all children are welcome and learn about each other’s cultures and lives while showing respect for each other. The repeated refrain, “All are welcome here.” is a calming mantra in the current divisive times of our nation. A must read to introduce the idea that we are all more alike than we are different. Though written for kindergarten through 3rd grade students, even the older children will appreciate the message and it is a good introduction to the school year or a unit or inclusion and diversity. Fabulous before a trip where you’ll meet and mingle with people different from your own family. Pages: 44, Lexile Measure: AD370l.

Same, Same, but Different by Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw

Pen pals from different lands learn that while they do have some differences, they really are very much the same. Great book for teaching kids to look for accepting the diversity of human similarities in others. We are so much more alike than we are different. Written for kids aged 4-7 years old, but can be enjoyed by all elementary school students. Pages: 40 Lexile level: AD460L

It’s OK to be different by Sharon Purtu

It’s OK to be different by Sharon Purtu is a favorite among teachers for reinforcing the idea that different is not just OK but part of what makes the world beautiful. Teaching diversity with books is a great way to get a conversation started. Written for kids aged kindergarten through 3rd grade but can easily be used up through elementary school. Pages: 28.

Sulwe by Lupita Nyong

Sulwe by Lupita Nyong is my personal favorite for teaching about diversity. The gorgeous book is about accepting yourself, even if you are ‘different’ and understanding how your ‘different’ beauty makes the world a better place Written for young elementary aged children, but as is usually the case, these pictures books lend themselves well to older children as well. I recommend it for kids up through elementary school. Pages: 48. Lexile measure: AD580L

Older kids really enjoy connecting with the author. I showed this interview with Lupita Nyong to my students. It helps them see that authors are real people and that even famous people can have struggles like you and me.

One Big Heart by Linsey Davis

AWARDS won:

Good Morning America’s Anchors’ Favorite Book Picks of 2019 — Good Morning America

Outreach Magazine’s ‘Best Books of the Year’ Youth Category’ March 2020 — Outreach Magazine

Plugged In Magazine’s ‘Top 10 Family-Friendly Picture Books from 2019’ — Plugged In Magazine

Risen Magazine’s ‘8 Titles for Toddlers to Tweens During Quarantine’ — Risen Magazine

‘Notable Christian Children’s Books by Authors of Color’ July 2020 — ChristianBestsellerList.com (ECPA)

One Big Heart by Linsey Davis, an award winning new journalist, is a great way to start a conversation about how people have a lot in common. Diversity is a critical element of education now. Teaching children to look for commonalities instead of differences will help get us back to a kinder and more gentle world which is something we desperately need. Written for kids ages 4-8. Pages: 32

Acceptance is my Super Power by Alicia Ortega

Acceptance is my Super Power by Alicia Ortega has such a lovely idea. Imagine if the world rewarded kindness and acceptance of our diversity! Written for elementary school aged kids this lovely book is a great conversation opener with older kids, too. Pages: 44 pages.

We ALL Belong by Nathalie and Alex Goss

We ALL Belong by Nathalie and Alex Goss is a book that belongs in every classroom. Teachers love this sort of opener for the year or the semester to remind kids that we all belong – in the same world and in the same classroom. Diversity is beautiful. Great ideas for our troubled world. Written for kids aged up to 12 years old. Pages: 39.

Hair Like Mine by LaTashia M.Perry

Hair Like Mine by LaTashia M. Perry is about a little girl who doesn’t enjoy her curls. As she looks around for someone who shares her curls she finds out we are all different and fabulous. Written for elementary school aged kids, this book will be loved by all. Pages: 32. Lexile Measure: 560L.

***This book has a sequel!

Skin Like Mine by Bea Jackson

I am Whole by Shola Oz

I Am Whole by Shola Oz is a book about a little girl’s journey to discovering that all the things together make her beautiful. We can all look at our unique and diverse backgrounds and enjoy how they make use unique and special. Great conversation opener for even the older kids. Written for elementary school aged kids. Pages: 24.

Chocolate Milk Por Favor by Maria Dismondy

Chocolate Milk Por Favor by Maria Dismondy is a sweet book about a little boy who arrives in his new school not speaking the language. The teacher uses empathy to help her students communicate with the boy and celebrate the diversity in their classroom. Written for kids aged 4-11. Pages: 32. Lexile measure: 500L.

The Cloverleaf Books – Alike and Different is a series on diversity. Great books handle each part of life and all the many beautiful combinations it can have. Great discussion points. Use with any age up through elementary school.

My Food, Your Food by Lisa Bullard

My Family, Your Family by Lisa Bullard

My Home, Your Home by Lisa Bullard

My Language, Your Language by Lisa Bullard

Interested in Adding Children’s Books on Diversity to Your School Library?

Are you interested in adding these children’s books on diversity to your school library? Have you ever written a grant for such things? Me neither, but ‘Nothing Venture, Nothing Gained”, right? Now is the time!

Take a look at the grant for adding books to your library: Snapdragon Book Foundation. Follow the directions and give it a shot. Maybe you’ll get the grant to add these wonderful kids’ books on diversity to your school library.

If you are traveling with the kids, be sure to read about your destination before you go! You’ll layer the learning and get the wheels of imagination turning before you even arrive.

Where to next?

Kids’ Books on Hawaii

Kids’ Books on Canada

Kids’ Books about New York City

Kids’ Books about Italy

The post Kids Books About Diversity appeared first on The Educational Tourist.

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evalinkatrineberg · 4 years

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Book Club?

A/N: Thank you @ladyreggiewright for a fun rp! Who would’ve thought that Reggie and Evalin would get along so well?!

The words in the french textbook on the table in front of me were starting to blur at this point. How long had I been in the library now? Four hours? Five? I had lost track, and was too scared to look at my watch to check. This was ridiculous. I had grown up bilingual. Learning a third language shouldn’t be a difficult task for me to accomplish, and yet, French grammar was throwing me for a loop. What language needed five past tenses? It was excessive, in my opinion.

I rubbed my eyes, forcing them to focus on the words printed in the book once again. Behind me, I could hear footsteps approaching, the sound of someone's shoes hitting the floor reverberating through the nearly empty library. Whoever it was stopped two chairs over from where I was sitting, and curiosity got the better of me. Tucking my loose hair behind my ears, I looked up.

It was Reggie Wright. That was one name I couldn’t forget. When discussing the other Selected girls before I came here, Lydia and June had both been extremely eager to share their opinions on what they were sure the other girls would be like. They ended up coming to the same conclusions for most of the Selected, but Reggie had become a point of contention between the two of them. Lydia had insisted that Reggie must be a haughty know-it-all, citing many photos of her not smiling, and her job at a law firm - a home for the hoity-toity folk, as Lydia called it - as proof. June had disagreed, arguing that Reggie and I were actually probably quite similar, which seemed like a logical theory to me. She had pulled up some instagram fan account of some sort dedicated to Reggie, which was filled with pictures of her doing normal, everyday things, along with many photos of her smiling. She had a really nice smile, I had to admit.

I caught Reggie’s eye as she took her seat, flashing her a grin before turning back to my notes. Where was I? Right, past tenses. Why were there so many?

Reggie cleared her throat, pulling my focus back to her again. She was wearing a casual dress, with her hair pulled back into a low ponytail. When she saw she had my attention, she asked, “Making progress?”

I glared at my book. The truth of the matter was I had been making progress, up until I had hit these past tenses. French vocabulary wasn’t particularly challenging, considering the Latin roots of many of the words, which made me grateful that so much terminology in biology was rooted in Latin. However, I’d been struggling with the past tenses for a few days now, which wasn’t ideal, to say the least. “A bit,” I finally answered. “Not as much as I’d like.”

Reggie hummed thoughtfully for a moment, opening her own book and clicking her pen. She looked away from me, and began to pick up my own pen, confident that that was to be the sum of our interaction. She didn’t strike me as a particularly talkative person.

“Anything in particular you’re studying?”

Oh, so she does want to have a conversation, then.

“French,” I answered. “I thought it might prove useful - more useful than my Swendish, at least. What about you? What brings you here?” I lifted my gaze to meet hers.

She flipped up the cover of the book she had just placed on the table and replied, “Discourse on Inequality.” I felt the color rising to my cheeks as she leaned over, inspecting my own notes and book. “French, huh? I consider it to be useful in my life so far.”

My brain put two and two together in that moment, and I realized that this could be a golden opportunity. Not only could I possibly find myself another friendly face around here, but maybe she’d be willing to help me out as well. “You speak it, then? Could I ask you a question about the past tense forms of verbs, then?”

With a sigh, she straightened her posture in her chair, clicking her pen as she turned towards me. “If you must.”

Perfect. “What’s the difference between the passé antérieur and the imparfait?” I put my pen down on top of my notebook before adding, “Why would you use one over the other?”

“The passé antérieur is not something you’d have to concern yourself with.” I found myself blinking as she spoke. Her pronunciation of the words was absolutely flawless. How long had she been speaking French? With a frown, she continued, “It’s hardly ever used in speaking. Sometimes, it’s used in old literary texts, however even natives don’t use it.”

Well, shit. What had I even been studying then? The textbook I had found must have been outdated. I dared to consider how much of the rest of what I had been learning might be unnecessary as well, but then dismissed the thought. Better to be over-prepared than underprepared, I supposed. Raising my eyebrows, I picked up my pen and drew a line through my notes on the passé antérieur, glad that in the very least, I wouldn’t have to waste time rewriting them later. “I see. Thank you.” I met her gaze once again, and added, “Is there something I can help you with in return?”

At my question, she started to scoff, and I felt my heart drop in my chest a bit. It appeared that Lydia had been right after all. “I doubt,” Reggie began, trailing off as she narrowed her eyes at me. “Wait, you’re the biology student, correct?”

Well, this was a twist. I wasn’t surprised that Reggie knew who I was, considering how much I and the other girls I had spoken to had prepared ourselves on information about the other girls here, but the fact that she had chosen to identify me but that one aspect of myself was intriguing to me. It really shouldn’t have been, if I was being honest, since studying biology was, admittedly, my defining character trait for most of my life, but Reggie struck me as the kind of person who would memorize names, faces, castes, and provinces before anything else.

I smiled in response. “Yes, that’s me.”

At that, she leaned in, extending her hand towards me, a polite smile plastered on her face. A job interview smile, is what I’d always referred to that expression as. It was almost like I was sitting at the lab table with a new coworker. In fact, I half expected someone to walk in and ask us if we wanted coffee or water.

“I’m Reggie,” she stated. “Nice to meet you, first of all.”

I mirrored her expression, extending my hand and shaking hers. God, the mannerisms, in combination with the outfit I had worn - black dress pants with a red blouse - really hit home the sensation of being back at work. Yet, this time when I thought about the lab, I wasn’t overwhelmed by butterflies in my stomach or a lump forming in my throat, but rather a sense of warmth that seemed to center me, grounding me in the moment. I could get used to this.

“Yes, you’re the political science student from Hansport, correct? I’m Evalin. It’s nice to meet you, too.” I withdrew my hand, reaching over to pick up my pen, which I then tapped against my chin. “So, what can I help you with?”

She nodded, raising both of her eyebrows, as if she might be surprised that I actually knew something about her. Odd. I found myself wondering who she had spoken to before this. Were there girls here who didn’t obsess over who they’d be spending the next few months of their lives with before they came here? I couldn’t fathom the idea.

“Well,” she began, “it’s been brought to my attention that I lack some knowledge on nature.” A grimace flashed across her face, and she cleared her throat before continuing. “Anyway, ecology being quite a broad field, perhaps you have some recommendations for me for some general information.”

Nature? Really? Of all things, why did she need more information on nature? Then again, who was I to stop her from learning more about anything. Maybe if she became interested enough in the subject, we could discuss it together. My main interest might be in cellular biology, but it had been so long since I’d talked to anyone about anything science related, that I’d take whatever I could get.

I hummed thoughtfully, continuing to tap my pen against my chin as I wracked my brain for titles she might find useful. “I believe I can. Are you looking for information about ecosystems, or something more along the lines of conservation or biodiversity?” I offered her an apologetic smile before adding, “Ecology is a broad field.”

She frowned, flipping through her notes for a moment before turning back to face me, her expression entirely serious. “Both. Both would be good.”

“Well,” I began, collecting my thoughts, “The Theory of Ecology by Mark Vellend might be a good place to start. Walden by Henry David Thoreau is probably right up your alley, too.” After a moment, I added, “I also have a book that I brought from home called Elements of Ecology that’s pretty comprehensive, but it’s a little dry. It definitely teaches a lot, though.” I narrowed my eyes. This might be my opportunity to learn a little more, too. Sure, she wasn’t a university professor, but she definitely appeared to be knowledgeable about political science. “Do you have any recommendations for someone who might be interested in learning more about political science, but is new to it?”

“Excellent.” She scribbled something down in her notebook, before looking back at me and blinking a couple of times. “Give me a moment.” I watched as she walked around some of the shelves, pausing to pull one off the shelf every now and then. When she was satisfied with her work, she returned to the table, placing five books down in front of me with a small smile. I decided then that I liked this side of Reggie. I was half tempted to ask her if she wanted to start a book club, considering the exchange of materials that was already happening.

Slow down. You’ve only just met her.

I returned her smile. “Thank you. I could give you my copy of Elements if Ecology, if you want. I actually think I might have it in my bag.” I reached down for my backpack, which was at my feet, leaning against the chair. It didn’t take me long to find the book. It was rather bulky, and hard to miss.

“Oh.” She cleared her throat. “That would certainly be appreciated, yes. I will treat it with care, of course.”

I smiled at her, quickly pulling out some old note pages I had stored in the cover of the book before handing it over to her. “I have no doubts that you will. Keep it as long as you need.”

“Thank you, that is,” she paused for a moment, before finishing with, “kind.” She took the book, smiling politely as she quickly read the cover and walked back to her chair, sitting back down. After looking the book over some more and shaking her head, she turned back to me, inclining her head slightly. “So, you take this Selection serious enough to study for it, I see.”

“Well, I don’t want to look like a fool next to people like you, or Jen Li,” I admitted, shaking my head. “Biology may have provided me with the skills I need to be successful in a variety of fields, but it hasn’t provided me with the specialized knowledge for any settings outside of the lab.”

She held her head a little higher as she replied, “Good. Not all the girls mind looking like a fool, I suppose.” There was the Reggie Lydia seemed to expect, again. I couldn’t help but think about the other girls I had spoken to, and felt a pang of regret for not sticking up for them. Reggie, however, let out a short sigh, and then smiled at me once again. “I’m sure that with your academic background, you’ll catch up, even outside of a lab.”

I smiled a little wider at that. It was almost like being praised by a professor. “Thank you. I’m sure you’ll have no trouble with ecology, either. It’s quite conceptual, in comparison to other subjects within biology, and intersects with various social sciences.”

She nodded. “Yes, I’m sure I’ll manage, thank you.” Again, she carefully lifted the cover of the book, checking the contents with a look of almost apprehension, a frown growing across her face. She turned back to me then, and asked, “Are you enjoying your stay?”

“Yes,” I answered immediately. It wasn’t a lie, but so much had happened, it was hard to pinpoint exactly how everything had left me feeling. I had discovered that it was easier to just focus on the highlights of being here. “Everybody has been kind so far, and the grounds themselves are amazing. There’s so many nice running trails, and between that, the gardens, and the access to the library, what more could I ask for, really?” I finished with a smile. “What about you?”

“I am,” she replied, though she was frowning. “It is challenging in terms of time management, but definitely a lot of new experiences.”

“Yeah,” I echoed in agreement, my eyes going a little wide as I shook my head. With a sigh, I continued, “I can relate to that. I never would have experienced even a quarter of what I’ve experienced here at home. I presume you’ve had some interesting meetings as well, then?”

She pursed her lips, but then said, “Interesting, yes, that’s probably the best way to describe them.” With a sideways glance at me, she added, “The prince is interesting as well.”

I raised an eyebrow at that. “Really?” I’d hardly been able to get more than a scripted nicety out of him. What had she discussed with him? “You must have had a much more scintillating discussion than he and I did.”

To my surprise, she shook her head, frowning. “I’m not sure scintillating is the right word,” she admitted. “Only time will tell how this Selection will progress, I suppose.”

“Yeah,” I agreed, “that’s for sure.” I felt my phone vibrate in my bag, and looked down at my watch, frowning when I realized what time it was. Seven hours. I had been in this library for seven whole hours. What was I doing? “Anyways, thank you for your help, but I actually have to go. I promised my sister I’d call her five minutes from now.” A lie. The buzzing of my phone in my bag was almost certainly Lydia calling me repeatedly for not calling her earlier, like I had said I would.

Reggie seemed not to notice, thankfully, and simply checked her own watch, nodding along. “Yes, of course. Thank you again. I’ll return it as soon as possible,” she finished, tapping my book for good measure.

“It was nice talking to you, Reggie,” I replied with a smile as I packed up my belongings, beginning to make my way down the hall. I wondered if she could see my bag vibrating. Maybe she’d just assume that my sister was impatient, and had called early. That would be ideal.

“Likewise,” I heard Reggie call from behind me as I made my way into the hallway.

I couldn’t help but smile as I made my way towards my room. Talking to Reggie had been nice, familiar, in a way that talking to the other girls had not. I’d have to seek her out again at some point, but right now, I had to hightail it back to my room, before Lydia screamed at me loud enough to burst my eardrums. I almost couldn’t wait to tell her that she had been wrong. Reggie was nice, and helpful, and I appreciated that.

#selectionoc

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an-indigo-moose · 4 years

Text

The Undying

This is my first fan fiction story ever. It was written in 2011, and then edited several times over the years. It’s most recent edit being in 2016. It includes the Rani and a great deal of my own made-up science of regeneration.

THE UNDYING

The Doctor sat alone at the counter in a cozy diner with a friendly fifties theme. A wide eyed waitress with the name Waldo on her name tag served him a plate of pancakes with syrup.

“Are you sure you don’t have any soufflé?” the Doctor asked. “For some reason, I’m really in the mood for soufflé.”

“Pancakes are the house specialty,” the waitress said firmly. “Best thing in Perivale.”

The Doctor poked at the pancakes with his fork. “Waldo… that’s an unusual name,” he commented.

“It’s a nickname. My friend Ace gave it to me,” the waitress answered.

“You’re friends with Ace? Dorothy McShane?”

“Uh-huh,” said the waitress as she wiped the counter with a rag. “How do you know her?”

The Doctor straightened his bow-tie. “She was a traveling companion.”

“You’re the one she called the Professor? You don’t look a thing like she described.”

“I prefer to be called the Doctor,” he grumbled.

“Oh, okay. No judgments. Is she still traveling with you?”

“Uh… no,” the Doctor answered. “I uh … I set her up at the Academy.”

“Nice!” said the waitress with a toothy grin.

“I hoped it would be…” replied the Doctor, mostly to himself.

"Who travels with you now?" the waitress asked, beginning to take off her apron.

"Actually, Waldo –“

“It sounds funny when you say it,” the waitress interrupted him. “Why not call me Clara? It’s my actual name.” She ducked down behind the counter for a moment.

The Doctor muttered the two names. “I’d prefer Waldo, no offense.”

“If that’s what it takes to go on an adventure,” Clara Waldo Oswald answered as she stepped out from behind the counter. “That is what you were about to say, right?” She slung a satchel over her shoulder and began to quickly walk towards the back of the diner.

“Yes. Wait, where are you going? How much did Ace tell you?” The Doctor chased Waldo as she walked out the back door into the alley and found the blue police box parked next to the dumpsters.

***{+==]**

“Well, is there a certain place you’d like to visit first?” the Doctor asked as Waldo marveled at the interior of the TARDIS.

Waldo beamed and pulled a small book out of her satchel. "I have this book, One-hundred one places to See.” She opened to a random page. "The Amazon Rain Forest..." she began to read.

"Please..." moaned the Doctor.

"It says here that the Amazon Rain Forest is a place of unparalleled biodiversity."

She held the book out for the Doctor to look. He barely glanced at it.

Waldo queried, "Have you even been to the Amazon?"

"What? Of course I – well there was this one time I flew over-" He is clearly flustered. "Alright, fine. No," he admitted.

Waldo repeated, "No? You visit London and New York and Perivale of all places, but you've never even bothered-"

"Fine, Oswald. You wanna go? We'll go. Let's go to the Amazon Rain Forest."

The Doctor pushed the buttons and pulled the necessary levers.

**{+==]**

In a laboratory, a woman in a lab coat is distilled liquids and thoughtfully made notes. Behind her were birds in cages and large pieces of high-tech equipment. She looked up from her work when she heard an unusual whirring sound coming from outside. She softly whispered to herself, "No... could it be...?"

She rushed out of the room, taking off the lab coat as she went. Underneath the coat was a fitted, shiny green jacket, tight pants in a matching color, and tall, rugged boots.

In a small clearing in the rainforest, the TARDIS appeared in all its blue glory. It stood out like a jewel amid the bright green plants of the rainforest. The woman peeks out from behind a large tree. "It is him!" she smiled a tight, knowing smile. "After all these years!"

The TARDIS door opened. The woman hid behind the large tree. The Doctor and Waldo stepped out, rubbing lotion on their skin. The Doctor, ever eager to change hats, was wearing a pith helmet.

"Make sure the lotion is completely rubbed in," the Doctor instructed.

"Now how good is this stuff?"

The Doctor proclaimed, "Anti-venom, anti-toxin, anti—well the list of things it doesn't protect against would probably be shorter." Stepping out in front of his one person tour group, he turned and asks, "How's my face? Did I get everywhere?" Waldo nodded.

The woman came out of her hiding place once she was sure the two were gone. She approached the TARDIS. Smirking, she took a key out of her pocket. Without hesitation, she unlocked the door. With one last glance over her shoulder, she let herself in.

She found herself in the main control room of the Doctor's time traveling machine. She talks to herself, as she walks confidently about the space, looking at the various control panels.

"Oh, he's really changed it since last time. I wonder how much he's changed? Ah, here we go..."

She located the panel she was looking for, a key-board with Gallifreyan lettering. She typed quickly and carefully. A screen slide up from below. On the screen was a picture of the current Doctor, with his various stats, including his age.

"That young and on his eleventh regeneration already? Really! He'll be needing the elixir before I have perfected it. What's he been doing with his lives?"

*{+==]*

Meanwhile, the Doctor and Waldo are enjoying their exploration of the rainforest. "Ah, the Amazon Rainforest. I can't believe I didn't visit here sooner..." The Doctor stopped to admire a small lizard climbing a tree. "You just don't get a flora-fauna blend quite like this anywhere else. All around me I see life!"

A large bird swooped in front of the Doctor's face, snatched the lizard off the tree branch and flew away.

"And death..." the Doctor paused in brief thought. "Life and Death! All around me I see the cycle of life!"

The pair trudged on, with no more thought to the fate of the lizard and bird. However, the lizard deserved more attention. The bird, in mid-flight, decided the lizard tasted awful and spat it out. The lizard landed on the ground with a thud, clearly dead. Then, the lizard began emitting a golden glow.

In the TARDIS, the lady in green was watching the Matrix screen. Though it hadn't been used in a while, it still worked well. It showed her the highlights and intriguing details of the Doctor's past adventures .

"Oh, this stuff is good! I should get some pop-corn." She paused the viewing screen and strolls out of the room. She knows where to find a pantry in a TARDIS.

*{+==]**

Back in the rainforest, the glow around the lizard diminished; a new lizard, with slightly different markings was in the dead lizard's place. The creature woke, shook itself off, and began to wander about. It strolled across the Doctor's foot, but went completely unnoticed.

The Doctor invited a poisonous tree frog to jump into her hand.

Waldo rushed over and grabbed his wrist. "Doctor! Don't do that!"

"Relax," the Doctor chided. "What good is wearing anti-poison lotion if you don't touch anything deadly?" He cheerfully handed the small frog to Waldo.

"Doctor, how strong is that lotion?"

"Very strong, until it wears off," the Doctor replied nonchalantly.

"When does it wear off?" she asked, as three more little tree frogs hopped onto her shoulders and head.

"I'd say... two hours? three tops. How long have we been out here?"

Waldo dropped the frog. "Long enough that I shouldn't be touching colorful frogs." Waldo groaned, "I don't feel so good." She started to feel weak in her knees.

The Doctor caught her before she fell. "Never to worry. Definitely something in the TARDIS medicine cabinet."

*{+==]**

Back in the Doctor's TARDIS, the lady had just viewed one of the 9th Doctor's adventures. She hit pause and rewind, then rewatched the moment. On the screen was the Doctor, as his ninth self, telling Rose that he knew he was the only Time Lord left, because he would feel it if it were otherwise. The scientist rewound and watched again, laughing at the presumptuous nature of the man in a leather jacket.

The Doctor throws open the TARDIS doors. Waldo was fading in and out of consciousness. The woman paused the clip and took notice of the Doctor and his new companion. She stayed silent, but mades no attempt to hide or flee.

The Doctor tries to make Waldo comfortable. "Okay,” he instructed, “You stay here. I'll go find... whatever it is."

"You don't even know what will cure me?"

"I'm not that kind of Doctor!" he exclaimed as he darted out of the room.

Waldo noticed the dark-haired woman wearing green kneeling by her side. A small syringe was in her hand.

"Tree frog poisoning?" the woman asked in a brisk voice.

Waldo blinked. "Yes. Wait – who are y-"

"This'll do the trick." She injected Waldo in the arm. Waldo snaps to and shakes herself.

"What was that?" Ethel asked.

The Doctor reentered the room and immediately turned to the stranger, "Who are you? How'd you get in here?"

The woman answered Waldo's question in a calm and professional manner, "That was an antidote to the poison I invented. You're lucky you were wearing anti-poison lotion. You would have been dead within seconds otherwise."

The Doctor spoke-up, "I believe the frogs are poisonous naturally. What do you mean you invented the poison?"

The woman turned to him with a coy grin. "Alright, I should say improved. After just a few months of research, I was able to triple the toxicity of all the blue ones."

Waldo said, "You still haven't answered our first two questions."

"I beg your pardon?" the woman asked

Ethel repeated the earlier questions, "Who are you? And -"

The Doctor took over, "and how did you get in here? Yes. I'm particularly interested in that."

"I had a key," answered the woman.

"How does someone get a TARDIS key?" Waldo asked.

The woman calmly explained, "It comes with every Time Traveling capsule. A manufacturing flaw – all Type 40 TT vessels have the same lock design."

"And when did you get a Type 40?" the Doctor demanded.

The lady in green smirked, "When I graduated from the academy." She narrowed her eyes at the Doctor, "When did you get yours?"

"Which academy?"

"Prydonian Academy. On Gallifrey."

Waldo's eyes light up. "You're a Time Lord! Or... Time Lady, if you prefer -"

"No, don’t be fooled. I’m the only Gallifreyan left," the Doctor assured Waldo.

The woman in green burst out laughing. She stopped chuckling long enough to say, "The only one left! Yes! That's what the Matrix said, too."

"The Matrix?" Waldo asked.

The Doctor quickly provided the answer. "The Matrix is a device that records everything that happens in and around the TARDIS and plays it back on command.” The Doctor turned to the woman. "What were you laughing about? What did you see?"

"Just this," the woman answered. She swiveled the screen towards them and clicked a button to un-pause.

The woman mimics the 9th Doctor's somber tone and touches her forehead, "I'd know; in here."

She shakes her head as she turns off the screen. "Help me understand this, Doctor. You find yourself unable to sense other members of your species, so there are two possibilities." She started to pace about the room like she owned the place. "Option one: every other Gallifreyan in the universe has ceased to exist, OR option two: your sensor is shot."

The Doctor’s brow furrowed. The woman continued, "And you, you arrogant ass, you choose to believe the first. You'd rather think that all Time Lords have been wiped out than consider you have a rebirth defect. You, who spent an entire regeneration cycle in a human morgue instead of a proper TT capsule... you, who interrupted a regeneration cycle and stored the energy in a severed hand..." She took a deep breath in and out. "Yeah, there's no way your buzzer's busted!" she said sarcastically. She rolled her eyes. "Please..."

The Doctor collapsed into a chair. "All this time..."

Waldo rests her hand on his shoulder. "Doctor! We could go looking for them."

"Oh, where? Not like the TARDIS knows where to look," the Doctor continues to let the news of his rebirth defect sink in.

Waldo persisted, "It knows where not to look. We're just gonna have to go to places we've never been before."

"Why do I smell popcorn?" the Doctor asks. He looked up. His eyes darted about the room "Where did she go?"

Waldo shrugged. The Doctor leapt up from his seat. He returned the Matrix screen back to its proper position. "How did that woman say she got in?"

"She had a key," says Waldo.

The Doctor checks his pocket for his sonic screwdriver and heads towards the door quickly.

"We need to follow her," announced the Doctor. "We need to find out what she's doing in this rainforest."

"What do you care why one random Time Lady chose to live in the Amazon?"

The Doctor looks at Waldo with a very serious expression on his face, "Oh, she's no random Time Lady. There is only one woman who would still own a Type 40 TARDIS."

"Who?"

The Doctor sneered, "The Rani." Then, the Doctor pushed past Waldo to another room.

Waldo found him rapidly rifling through a closet.

"The Rani? Who is she?" Waldo asked.

The Doctor answered Waldo's question without ceasing his search. "Back on Gallifrey, she was a talented bio-chemist." He tossed an unidentifiable piece of junk over his shoulder. "After one of her creatures got loose and tried to kill the President, they banished her from the entire planet." More stuff was tossed aside, landing with a crunch and a jingle. "Of course she wasn't in the Time War! I've been thinking about this all wrong! This changes everything! There must be a half-dozen banished Time Lords floating about this universe, not even knowing the Time War was going on until too late. And refugees! Every war has refugees... Little Wanderers of the Galaxy, settling down, marrying other humanoids, having little half-Gallifreyans..." the Doctor became lost in his musings. In his arms he cradled a strange hunk of technology.

Waldo pointed to the bizarre object. "Is that what you were looking for?"

The Doctor shooks himself to refocus on the task at hand. "Yes! My Visual Recognition System." The Doctor elaborated, "The Rani's TARDIS still has a working chameleon circuit. This will help us find her. Smashed visual receiver, so it won't work perfect, but it'll be able to tell a regular tree from a disguised spacecraft."

With gusto, the Doctor exited the TARDIS. Waldo followed.

"And why are we looking for her specifically?" Waldo inquired. "Don't you think it is more important that you find the rest of the Gallifreyans? Think of it! You could reunite with friends and relatives!"

The Doctor was stepping quickly but lightly, aiming the device at different large objects.

"Wait... it she a relative?"

"No," replied the Doctor.

Waldo pressed, "Friend? Girlfriend?"

"Oh! As if!"

"So... what is she then?"

"The Rani's experiments have always ranged from the suspiciously amoral to the downright evil.” He scanned a large flowering bush. “She's in the Amazon for a reason; and it probably isn't a good one."

"I thought she said she was perfecting frog poison."

"The frogs are side project to pass the time." the Doctor said firmly. "She would never think so small as amping amphibian toxicity. No, the real project is something much bigger."

The machine began beeping when the Doctor aimed it at a large, mossy tree.

Waldo smirked. "Well, that's lucky! We parked practically right next to her."

The Doctor shoved the VRS into Waldo's arms. "Maybe it isn't luck," he said. "I think that the TARDIS stopped here on purpose. Maybe she senses more than I give her credit for."

"How do we get in?" asked Waldo.

The Doctor reaches into his pocket. "Same way she got in mine."

The Doctor slid his own key into a mossy patch. Nothing happened. He was bothered that his moment to look clever was ruined. He tried a few more mossy patches and blossoms around the tree. Finally, an opening appears in the tree. The Time Lord entered confidently, followed cautiously by the waitress from Perivale.

They entered a control room much like the Doctor's, but it had a definite Rani twist. It was soft green, like a hospital ward, with tall triangular panes, instead of the round windows.

Waldo remarked, "Well, it's bigger on the inside, like yours."

Doctor strolled out a doorway and into a corridor, looking all around and peering into corners. The Doctor was musing to himself, "The TARDIS changes with its Time Lord."

The Doctor, again taking up the role of unrequested tour guide, began talking to his companion. "It was said you could tell everything about a Time Lady just by looking in the first five rooms off the TT control center." He opened a door. Waldo saw a luxurious, King Louis type bedroom. She moved to step inside, but the Doctor quickly closed the door and continued towards another room.

The Doctor pondered, "I wonder what Romana's capsule would have looked like..."

"Romana?"

"A Gallifreyan I knew years ago. Traveled with my fourth self. Left me to work with some Leonines in E-space..."

"Can the same be said about a Time Lord?" Waldo asked.

"The five rooms rule? Doubt it. I used to have a cloister bell."

Doctor opened a door, then looked back at Waldo with raised brows. He had found the Rani's laboratory.

The Rani was not in her laboratory. The Doctor looked around impressed, yet concerned. He picked up various beakers and gadgets, muttering to himself. "Oh, I've always wanted one of those... but what is she using it for?"

Waldo saw the glass cages of large, odd looking, yet beautiful birds. "Oh! Doctor! Look!"

The Doctor trotted over to the cages. "I told you she wasn't just improving frogs! Look she's created an entirely new species of bird."

"How can you tell it was created by her? The rainforest is home to so many creatures, scientists haven't even discovered them all. That’s what the book said."

"And that is precisely why the Rani would choose such a place. She can create dozens of new a bizarre creatures and no one would even notice! Just chalk it up to the wondrous biodiversity of the Amazon Rainforest."

"Fine, but creating animals hardly seems evil..." Waldo insisted.

"Oh, there's got to be more to this than meets the eye," the Doctor replied.

The Doctor returned to inspecting the lab equipment while Waldo continued to marvel at the birds. Suddenly, Waldo felt a pinch in her neck. She quickly brings up her hand finds a small tranquilizer dart has pierced her skin. Waldo falls to the floor. The Rani approached silently and dragged her new captive across the floor. She carefully rolled her onto a low platform. Stepping on a pedal, the Rani raised the platform to surgery-table height. Rani turned around and was startled by the Doctor.

"What have you done to Waldo?" the Doctor demands to know.

"Nothing. I've hit her with a mild tranquilizer. See for yourself."

The Doctor rushed to Waldo's side. He checked her breathing and looked her over, but he didn’t have any medical knowledge, so he wasn't sure what to look for. He began a civil chat with the Rani. "I see you're no longer collecting dinosaurs. Birds now?"

The Rani puffs out her chest. "Oh, I didn't just collect these birds," she bragged. "They are genetically and bio-chemically enhanced."

"Are they now?" the Doctor said, trying to hide his distrust and disgust for this Time Lady.

"You wanna see?"

"I'm not sure I do," the Doctor answered. Then, after a brief pause, "Yes."

The Rani tapped the front of the glass cage with her knuckle. The bird fluttered and shifted its weight. The Rani then pushed two buttons on the front of the cage, and threw a lever on the wall. The cage lit up as the bird was zapped with electric current. The Doctor recoiled in disgust.

The bird's carcass lay at the bottom of the cage. Then, a soft glow emitted from its body. The body changed, slightly different plumage, eyes, beak – same species, but clearly not the same bird. The new bird gave a loud squawk, stretched its wings and returned to its perch.

"As you can see," said the Rani proudly, "The bird can regenerate."

The Doctor slapped his hands together. "That is astounding. How did you – It isn't possible to – it must have taken a life-time to – The genetic manipulation necessary alone is just mind-boggling!"

"Yes, it is. Unfortunately, too mind-boggling even for me," the Rani sighed.

"But, we just witnessed regeneration!"

"True, but not a natural regeneration," the Rani says. "It's chemically induced."

"What? You mean there's a pill people can pop and they’re what… death-proof?"

"An injection, not a pill; but otherwise, yes," responded the Rani. She further explained, "Each injection allows the receiver double the lives it would otherwise live. Give this bird one dose, it lives two lives, a second dose, four, a third dose, eight... For a Time Lord on his eleventh life... I'm sure you're thinking how nice it would be to have 15 more lives rather than just two."

"How do you make it?" asked the Doctor. "The injection. What is it you are injecting?"

The Rani responded, "Follow me."

Doctor looks over his shoulder at Waldo, who is still unconscious on the platform table.

"Don't worry about the young woman," the Rani said calmly. "She'll be out for a while."

The Doctor followed the Rani into an adjoining room. It was a terrarium with small pools and places for growing crystals and corral. The Rani put on goggles and gloves. She indicated that the should either do the same or stand back. She went over to a pool and harvested a clump of crystals and a chunk of corral. Then she placed each in a separate mortar. With passionate precision, she used a pestle to grind each into powder.

The Doctor scoffed, "Don't tell me you're grinding up Cadon crystals and TT corral."

As the Doctor speaks, the Rani is measuring and mixing the powders with a clear liquid. “Ancient physicians tried using those to increase the number of regenerations."

"I am well aware,” the Rani stated. “Of course, all the ancients could manage was getting a wicked high.”

“And,” the Doctor added, “If you did it too often, you would regenerate addicted to the stuff. Never tried it, myself..."

The Rani was holding a small, furry creature in one hand and a syringe in the other.

She spokes, "And, if you give too much to creatures that lack regenerative abilities …"

The Doctor protested, "Oh, please don't..."

It was too late, the Rani injected the squirming creature. It glowed a brilliant array of colors, then froze in an albino form.

“You killed it,” the Doctor said.

"Death from an overdose of life!" the Rani proclaimed.

Her eyes took on a wild joy. The Rani began walking excitedly back to the laboratory. She talked as she moved briskly. "When I learned about it in school, I couldn't believe it. It puzzled me for years. Then I figured it out. It's why we need two hearts. It is why we only have 13 lives. The organ wears out. Our first life we only have one heart, then, at death, the hormones kick in and cause the growth of the second heart.” She set the frozen little body on a sterilized counter and turned her attention to a large apparatus. She continued to lecture, “The second heart isn't just for pumping blood around! It is pumping the extra life. For a brief moment, there are two complete beings in one space and time."

The Doctor chimed in, "It's part of quantum physics. Any particle can be in more than one place at one time."

"The converse isn't true," the Rani stated quickly. "Two particles can't be in the exact same place at the exact same time."

"But in regeneration, the molecules are changing – rearranging. There aren't two complete beings, in the same place and time." The Doctor objected.

"Doctor, I'm surprised at you. It isn't just the body that changes." The Rani turns a few dials and flips a few toggle switches. "Each regeneration comes with a new personality, a new set of tastes, a -"

The Doctor interrupts, “A new soul."

"Fine, if you want to get theological about it." She continued her explanation, "Yet, all the memories of the past remain. I didn't say there were two complete bodies I said there would be two complete beings. The second heart allows you to, in a sense, shift out of the way when the new –for lack of a better term – soul is forming." She held up the furry white statue. "This little creature isn't dead. It is simply waiting for the new being to take up its position. Now, are you ready for the cool part?"

The Rani dropped the fuzzy, frozen creature into the mouth of a large tube at the top of a machine. The machine makes a horrible whirring noise, followed by an odd, percolating sound. Out of a thin tube at the other end of the machine, drips a deep pink liquid into a vial.

The Doctor was slightly horrified. "What... is... that?"

The Rani removed her gloves. "The machine is my Liquefier and Life Extractor. And this," she picks up the vial, "is the perfect mix of hormones and chemical triggers. Or it will be after I allow it to sit a while."

Rani placed the vial in a cooling cabinet with a glass front door. She places the vial in and takes a different vial out. It is filled with a pink liquid of a richer tone.

"This one's ready. I call it Aliavix." She smiles at her captive audience. "It remains dormant in the body until one begins to die.” The Rani moved back towards the other end of the laboratory. “At the time of death, the natural surge of adrenalin and other chemical compounds will set off a chain reaction with the Aliavix injection. The second heart will form - or repair as the case may be, making a regeneration possible." The Rani puts on a lab coat, new gloves, and fills a syringe with the pink liquid.

The Doctor folded his arms, "So, you're just zapping beautiful exotic birds to death and seeing if they spring back to life?"

"Of course not," exclaimed the Gallifreyan scientist. "I was at first, but a real scientist needs to get results from the field. I tag my subjects and release them back into the wild. I let them die of natural causes." She glared at the Doctor and his doubting face. "My science is solid," she insisted. "I have used two regenerations watching various creatures experience what this pink liquid can do. Fortunately, my fifth self was more mechanically inclined. It was a great day when I completed the LLE machine. And today will be even more grand."

"How so?" asked the Doctor.

The Rani smiled. The Doctor had not yet noticed that they were standing by the surgical platform. The Rani answered the Doctor's question, "I can inject my first human."

She turns around, pulls up Waldo's shirt and injects the liquid into the base of her spine. The human awakens, shouting in pain.

Waldo breathed hard, trying to take her mind off the pain. "What... what the heck was that?"

The Rani answered, "Aliavix. Serum for a second life."

The Doctor noticed that Waldo was missing a shoe. On closer inspection, he discovered an odd plastic and metal chip where her toe-nail should be. "What's this thing on her toe?"

The Rani spokes soothingly. "A simple tracking device. I want to record the results of this trial. I keep records of all the creatures I inject."

The Doctor grabbed the Rani by the shoulders. "Uninject her! She gave no consent to being a victim of your -"

"I prefer the term trial participant – and I can't uninject her."

"An antidote then."

The Rani raised an eyebrow. "The antidote to life? Surely you're not asking me to kill her on the spot."

Waldo shouted, "I don't want to die!"

"And with the injection I just gave you, you won't," said the Rani. "You'll regenerate. All your hopes, dreams, and memories will be held in a transitive state whilst a new body and soul form around your lifeless corpse."

The Doctor protested, "But, you can't be sure. You said Waldo was the first human you've tried it on. Something could go wrong."

"I have every confidence in this current formula. I have reached a success rate of 82 percent."

Waldo, trying to be optimistic, said, "Well that's encouraging."

The Doctor said, "That's an 18 percent chance of failure. An 18 percent chance that weird pink gunk just kills you."

Rani spoke firmly, "No one and no thing has ever died from an Aliavix injection."

The Doctor tilts his head in thought. "Then how are you defining this 18 percent failure, Rani?"

The Rani spread her hands. "Well, there isn't a truly scientific term for it..."

"Then tell us the unscientific term for it," Waldo demanded, sitting up.

The Rani mumbled, "Zombie."

"ZOMBIE!" Waldo screeched. "I'm turning into a zombie? How long do I have?"

"You're not turning into a zombie now," said the Time Lady. "At the time of death most likely you'll regenerate, you'll be a brand-new human with all the knowledge and experience that the old you gained in this life-time."

The Doctor went nose to nose with his old rival. "Don't try to gloss over the fact that she has an 18 percent chance she becomes one of the undead."

"Will I be all stiff legged and craving human flesh forever?" Waldo inquired.

"Don't be ridiculous,” scoffed the Rani. “Just because you don't die doesn't mean the body won't start decomposing. You'll eventually rot away. How long you have is based purely on environmental factors."

The Doctor wants to speak with the mad scientist alone. “Waldo, go back to the TARDIS," he ordered.

Waldo asked, "Are we going to find a suitably dry place to slow down my rotting?"

"If we need to."

"Quite talking as if you’re a zombie already," said the Doctor. "You gotta actually die first."

"Keep traveling with the Doctor and it will happen soon enough,” the mad scientist quipped. “Go on, I release my latest specimen back into the wild."

Waldo scowled at the Rani. She hopped off the platform table and grimaced with pain. She hobbled out of the lab, glancing over her shoulder at the Doctor.

The Rani put her hand on the Doctor’s shoulder. "Really, you shouldn't be so worried. I'm sure she'll be fine."

"Yeah, yeah. 82 percent chance."

"Actually, it is even higher for large mammals. Between 87 and 93."

"What larger mammals?"

The Rani grinned with a twinkle in her eye. She had no idea how unethical and amoral the Doctor thought she was. She was cuter, and much less cold than her former self, the Doctor couldn't deny that. However, perhaps it was precisely that which made her extra creepy.

The Rani called out in a clear voice, "Tracker System..."

A computerized voice responded, "Yes, Mistress?"

The Rani grinned at the Doctor. "I just love a machine that responds to audio-input. Old boyfriend made this for me using parts from a junked K-9!"

"The larger mammals?"

The Rani spoke in a measured voice, "Tracker System, please allow video display for 233, 234, 235, 237, 239, 231 alpha and 236 alpha."

Images appeared on the seven screens, each a large jungle cat.

The Rani glanced over at the Doctor. "Please don't look so troubled by the numbers. It's a classification system. I didn't start at one."

The Doctor gazed at each screen. "So, each of these felines has successfully regenerated."

"Yes."

"And the ones that … zombied?"

Rani shrugged. "In this heat and moisture? The first fell apart in less than a month."

"Are there others?"

"Tracker System, change display. Show 232 and 238."

The images on the screens changed to show two large, zombie cats prowling. As a team, the two creatures worked together to trap and take down a wild pig. The wild pig had a plastic chip clearly imbedded in its front hoof. It gave a little squeal as it was attacked.

The computer voice reported, "437 is now experiencing regeneration."

The Rani looked up with concern. "Display vital stats."

She watched another screen, nails hovering near her mouth. Numbers went up and down. Various lines and waves flickers across the screen, much like a monitor at a hospital.

The Doctor said, "Not even Time Lords can regenerate if half their flesh is in some other creature's stomach."

"Don't worry," says the Rani. "They'll run-off once the pig starts glowing.”

.The system announces, "First period of regeneration successful."

The zombie cats pounced and began to feed eagerly. The Doctor could not take his eyes off the scene. The Rani was fixated on the fluctuating vitals.

"Blast it!" she said.

The system reported, "Second period of regeneration unsuccessful. 437 dead. Do you want the print-out?"

"Yes, Tracking System." The data printed quickly from a slot in the wall. The Rani tears off the print-out and scans the data. "Stupid zombies ate the pig before he could zombie or regenerate. It's not viable data at all."

The Doctor rubbed his chin. "I thought you said they would run away once it started glowing."

The Rani snapped, "Well, I'm allowed to make mistakes."

"Seems to me they were waiting for it to start glowing."

The Rani opened her mouth, but said nothing for a moment. Then, in a slightly rushed tone, she ordered, "Tracking System, repeat most recent visual transmission."

The system obeys. Rani watched the zombie cats. "This is an incredible result!" she pranced about her lab. "Why didn't I think of it before?"

"What?" queried the Doctor. "That zombies don't get scared? That they crave living flesh above all else?"

The Rani shook her head. "Not just any living flesh! Regenerating flesh! See, they waited until the shift began. They somehow sensed that their prey could regenerate."

"Then why wasn't I attacked when I was exploring?"

"You must not have been in a zombie area. Oh, I do hope they don't attack your little friend. She's no good to me if she is devoured before she can provide viable data."

"Oh, she’s fine. We parked practically next-door."

The Rani looked puzzled. "Next door to which door?"

The Doctor blinks and then realized. "Your TARDIS has more than one exit?"

"Of course, doesn't yours?"

The Doctor shouted out, "Tracker System, show Waldo."

Nothing happened.

The Rani said, "Tracker System, video display 653."

Waldo was muttering to herself, "Stupid Rani. She could have at least given me my shoe back before sending me out here." She stopped and panted a bit. "I could have sworn the TARDIS was just over there.” She took another step. Under her bare foot, she felt something lumpy and squishy. "Oh, goodness... what did I just step on?"

Waldo took a deep breath and looks at what is beneath her foot. It is a couple of fat, rotting fingers.

She heard a sound cry and, turning slowly, saw a large zombie chimp swinging towards her.

Waldo forgot the pain in her back and did her best to sprint. As she ran, zombie birds, , all in various states of decay, joined the chip in pursuit. Then, zombie lemurs and lizards came crawling out of the trees. The creatures moved in a stiff fashion, but quickly enough to be scary. As Waldo fled, her path became blocked by more zombie animals. She became surrounded, her back up against a big tree, a variety of zombie animals walking and creeping stiffly closer and closer. A door in the tree swings in and Waldo fell backwards into Rani's Tardis.

Waldo was the floor of a small kitchen with a Dutch door. The Doctor exclaimed to Rani, "Goodness! How many exterior doors do you have?"

"I'm surprised you only have one," she said. "Tsk... tsk... you went cheap, didn't get any of the extras. Bet you didn't get the extended warranty either."

Waldo interrupts in exasperation, "Excuse me! I was just chased by a horde of Amazon zombies!"

"A horde?" The Doctor opened the top of the door to look.

Several rotting creatures lunged at him. The Doctor stumbled back, a small zombie lemur scratching at his face. Waldo grabbed a soup ladel and beat back the other creatures trying to get through the opening. The Doctor is able thrust the creature off him and back out the window. Waldo slams the door shut.

"My God!" The Doctor looked to the Rani, "Are you sure the success rate is 82 percent?"

"Positive," she answers.

"How many animals have you tested? There was a literal horde out there."

Waldo gave a little gasp. "Doctor, you're bleeding. He’s been bitten by a zombie!"

The Doctor shrugged. "So?"

"Everyone knows what happens when you're bitten by a zombie!"

The Doctor gave a small smile. "Oh, but not these zombies, right, Rani?"

The Rani became very serious. "Come with me," she said. "There is an antidote for zombie bites if it is administered in time."

They moved quickly to the lab. The Doctor chatted with himself as Waldo and the Rani escorted him to the laboratory. "What were there, like 12 zombie animals? Plus the two big cats we saw earlier. So that represents the 18 percent failure rate, but then a zombie doesn't last more than a few months in such a humid and buggy climate ..."

The Doctor was ordered to sit on the table Waldo was on earlier. The Rani, wearing gloves, applies a blue syrup to the Doctor's wounds with a cotton swab.

The Doctor reaches his conclusion. "Rani! You must have experimented on thousands of defenseless creatures over the decades."

"I wouldn't call a large jungle cat defenseless," points out Waldo.

The Rani said in a business tone, "He'll want to be under sedation for the next part of the treatment."

"Are you sure?" asked Waldo.

"I've been bitten by these beasts before. Trust me, he will want to be under sedation for the next part of the treatment."

The Doctor speaks passionately, "These animals are in danger of extinction."

The Rani rolls her eyes. "By the loss of habitat and food supply due to deforestation! Not because of my experiments."

"I'll put a stop to this! This is horribly wrong."

The Rani sticks the Doctor with a tranquilizer. He continues to rant. "This goes against the Shadow Proclamation; this goes against basic Earth laws. This is a complete -"

The Doctor dropped off to sleep.

"Finally!" the Rani exclaimed. "It is no fun to save someone's life when he is telling you how evil you are." The Rani continued to work while she spokes with Waldo. Without Waldo questioning her actions, or even really noticing, the Rani removes the Doctor's shoe and sock.

Waldo slumped into a chair. “The Doctor, he's going to be okay, right?"

The Rani smiled reassuringly as she tagged the Doctor’s toe. "Of course. Like I've said, I've used the zombie bite treatment on myself."

"I just can't believe the Doctor was so wrong about there being other Time Lords."

"Well, there aren't many of us," admitted. She removed a pink liquid from the cooling cabinet. "Plus, not all Gallifreyans have Time Traveling Capsules. And, unlike him, those of us with a TTC try to stay under the radar." She filled a syringe.

"What do you mean?" asked Waldo.

The Rani imitated the sound of the Tardis landing, "Wheeeerrrr, wheeeerrr, big blue box.” She chuckled. “Tell me, have you gone anywhere where you spend more than ten minutes unnoticed?" Waldo answered, "The Doctor likes the blue box."

The Rani smirked. "Yes, it suits him. A self-proclaimed policeman of the universe, defending the human race against everyone except themselves, and defending no one else."

Doctor woke up suddenly. He started shouting as if the tranquilizer had never happened. "I will call UNIT. I will call Torchwood. I will call anyone with the power to stop you and put you away for good. I've said it in the past, you didn't need banishment, you needed a padded cell. You .. you... you injected me!"

Waldo tried to calm the Doctor. "She was mending your wounds. A zombie bite vaccination."

The Doctor hops off the surgical table. "No. Rani, you injected me. That's Aliavix in the syringe, isn't it?"

"You should be thanking me, Doctor," cooed the Rani. "In you now are the biological chemicals capable of repairing any re-birth defects that your previous regenerations may have sustained. If you die in your own TARDIS, and stay there for the full regeneration, all eight of your senses will be completely restored. You will no longer have that gnawing feeling of being alone."

The Doctor scoffed. "I would rather die after only eleven lives than know I lived a single extra day because of such inhumane practices as yours. I will call UNIT. I will call Torchwood. You will be stopped. You will be locked away in Stormcage -"

She interrupted him. "They can't lock me away if they can't find me." She takes on her air of superiority once again. "They come, I move, easy. I'm not so stupid as to never get my chameleon circuit adjusted. So, run to Torchwood; notify UNIT. See if I care."

The Doctor pouts. "Come on, Waldo."

The Doctor exited the room with Waldo following.

He walks down the hallway leading to the proper door, which is in the control room.

"So, that's it, then?" demanded Waldo. "We're giving up?"

"No, we're still going to contact the proper authorities."

"But you heard her. She can just pick up and move anywhere, be anything. She could be a castle, an ice-cream truck, whatever she wants!"

The Doctor exclaimed, "That's it!"

"What's it?"

"What if she couldn't be whatever she wants?"

"What do you mean?"

The Doctor gave a sly grin. "I can't fix a chameleon circuit. No one still living can. But I can break one."

Waldo nodded. "You can get the Rani's TARDIS stuck like yours is stuck."

"Yes! Not always the exact same box, but always a blue police box. The controls will be in this room."

"How do you know where to look?" asked Waldo. "Her TARDIS is nothing like yours."

"Actually," the Doctor informed Waldo, "It is exactly like mine, a Type 40. Well, at least the control room is. Just a different desk-top theme. See, we can go from asylum green to... this!"

The walls of the room changed to a soft white with dozens of round windows.

The Doctor slides over to another set of buttons and levers. "And we can change the outside to look like …. this!"

With some shifting and wriggling, the three large trees and the ground connecting them stretched and contracted into a hazy, blob of colors.

The Doctor glances at a monitor to view the results of his button pushing. "There, she'll have a hard time looking inconspicuous now. Shall we?"

The time-traveling capsule's door opened onto a familiar part of the forest. Waldo could see see the blue police box not too far off. Waldo and the Doctor made their way to their own TARDIS, leaving behind them a garish Viking ship.

As the Doctor powered up the TARDIS to leave, Waldo asked him, "What about the zombie animals?"

The Doctor answered in an unconcerned manor, "I suppose they'll just rot away. Mother nature will have to take care of that mess."

Waldo asked, "Are you thinking about it, Doctor?"

"About what?"

"About what the Rani said; you could regenerate and sense the other Time Lords."

The Doctor sighed. "I've lived alone for so long. I'm not sure what I'd be gaining is worth the risk. I mean, now that I know I'm not alone, how is feeling not alone a vast improvement?"

Waldo gave a sigh. “Trust me Doctor, knowing you’re not alone and feeling you’re not alone are miles apart.”

“On the other hand," the Doctor pointed out, "The regeneration could fail, I could turn into a zombie and have the overwhelming desire to kill and devour you.”

Waldo conceded, "You put off trying to regenerate as long as you like, Doctor."

#doctor who #doctor who fanfiction #the rani #the undying #zombies #rainforest

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missbrightsky · 4 years

Text

Velaris National Park

Fics Masterlist

Chapter 1

Green light filtered through the canopy, patches of gold peppering the road ahead. Rolled down windows allowed the late spring air weave through the car, carrying the scent of growing things and warmth to wrap around us.

Elain had some 2000s pop station pouring from the speakers, all of us belting out the familiar words to our audience of Mother Nature. Nesta had called shotgun at the beginning, leaving me to have the back seat to stretch out, propping my feet on the bag that held our borrowed tent.

It was May in Prythian, warm and good and green. I had just graduated from my master’s program in Art History, my whole future stretching out ahead of me. Elain had insisted we celebrate but all of us were in educational debt and couldn’t afford to fly anywhere. Ever the florist, she found a state park a few hours away that boasted the largest collection of wildflowers in the country, one especially that bloomed once every three years. And because Elain was always lucky, this year was one of the few that it blooms in full.

A few days after graduation, she managed to wrangle Nesta away from the publishing house and me away from my couch and stuffed us all into her 2005 Honda.

Velaris National Park

Turn off 5 miles

Elain’s singing broke off mid-verse, a squeal replacing the lyrics as she pointed out the sign. I could only smile at her excitement; camping was never really our family’s thing, but her happiness was too infectious. At least I had managed to throw my sketchbook and watercolor pencils into my bag before she dragged me out the door. It had been a while since I had done some wildlife sketching, there was not a lot of green space or biodiversity in the city.

She turned down the music while Nesta and I straightened in our seats, ready to hop out of the car and get blood flowing back into our legs.

Even Nesta who normally tolerated Elain’s antics had a ghost of a smile playing around her lips, the fresh air loosening her iron grip on her emotions.

Elain slowed the car, turning right before the massive stone wall that announced the entrance to the park, gravel crunching under the tires.

The rough road weaved with the terrain, up and down and curving around hills and patches of meadows that peaked through the trees. We even rumbled over a wooden bridge that spanned the banks of a sparkling stream, the water throwing shimmering rainbows into the air.

A low log cabin-like building greeted us, its small parking lot only holding a Jeep with the park logo on the side and another car.

Elain turned the car off and all of us popped our doors open, slightly stumbling as our legs reacclimated to moving. Small groans slipped out of our mouths as we stretched feeling back into our lower halves, taking in the new environment.

A small sign in the window informed us of the park’s office hours and the emergency phone line. Elain pushed in first, a petite ding announcing our arrival.

The inside was a simple, square room, half the room stocked with souvenirs and anything campers may need in a pinch. A long, low counter ran along the back wall with an open doorway hinting at the back room. This was where a perky blonde emerged, greeting them with a bright smile. Her long hair was braided down her back, a forest green polo stamped with the logo somehow accented her curves instead of looking dorky and too stiff.

“Hi! Welcome to Velaris National Park. I’m Mor, what can I help y’all with today?”

“Hello! I’m Elain and these are my sisters Nesta and Feyre,” she gestured to each of us in turn, we all shook her hand, surprised to find it calloused and strong.

“How long do y’all plan on staying?”

“Two nights, please. And if you can point out on a map where the Starfall flower will be blooming?”

Mor laughed, a grin splitting her mouth. “I should’ve guessed, this is some of our busiest weeks of the year. Well, you’re in luck, we have only a few campsites left. Any preference to where?”

“None at all, we’re not too picky.”

“Perfect, how about y’all take site 20. It’s near the trailheads and not too far from the bathrooms.”

Elain turned to confirm with us, we each nodded back. Our lack of experience had us indifferent to where we camped, as long as it wasn’t out in the middle of nowhere.

Elain and Mor exchanged money and maps, paying for our spot and pointing out the major landmarks of the park.

“We do allow fires, as long as they’re in the designated fire pits. Please use the trash cans we have all along the park, anyone caught littering can be fined up to 200 dollars along with not being allowed to revisit the park. No glass or alcohol on park grounds. If y’all need anything, please don’t hesitate to call up to here the main office, and the numbers for our rangers are on the maps, along with the emergency line. Further into the park, cell service can get a little spotty, but as long as you stay near the trails, our rangers can spot you if you get into trouble. A little tip, don’t feed the wildlife, we have them on a diet,” she finished with a laugh and a wink. We laughed along with her, it was easy to feel a friendship forming with the bright woman.

“Well if that’s all y’all need, just keep following the road and you’ll see the signs pointing out the campsite. Parking gets a bit limited so try not to double park.”

We thanked her and headed out to pile back into the car.

As we were pulling out and getting back onto the road, I spotted one of the rangers on top of a horse.

The animal was tall, taller than any of the horses I had ever encountered before, and blacker than the deepest night sky. Its rider was sitting perfectly still, used to having to blend into the background.

I stifled a gasp. The ranger was the most beautiful man I had ever seen. I was too far away to see the color of his eyes, but they peeked through the leaves, boring into mine. His shoulders were broad, covered with a khaki shirt, he gripped the horse with powerful legs clad in dark green pants that were tucked into wore brown boots.

Our car soon turned a corner, breaking my gaze from his, banishing me of the spell he had cast.

More gorgeous forest passed us by, feeding my artist's mind with texture and light and color. Maybe this trip would replenish my weary mind after years of rigorous study. I loved every minute of my classes, but it left little free time for drawing and painting.

Wooden signs ticked up, eventually indicating where our sight was. Once again parking, we exited the car and took in the scenery.

We were to share a small common area with a few other campers, picnic tables and grills dotting the grassy area. Two cars were already parked there, brightly colored tents peeking out from the bushes that gave each sight a bit of privacy. Under a massive oak tree, there was a ring of rocks that held gray and black ashes from prior fires, stumps surrounding it for us to sit and enjoy the company.

I grabbed the tent from the backseat and slung my pack over my shoulder, leading the way to the small clearing that would be our home for the next few days. It was simply packed dirt, slightly raised from the rest of the ground so that if it rained, our tent would not get flooded.

I had never set up a tent before but with the instructions from the bag combined with the store owners’ tips, it was soon popped up in no time. Maybe only slightly leaning to the left but that would be a problem for later.

Nesta had pulled out our coolers of food, prepping sandwiches for a late lunch. Elain was already off in the surrounding area, making notes of the greenery and wildflowers that grew nearby. It was not the elusive Starfall but it did not take much for her to get wrapped up in flora.

Satisfied at my work, I tossed our bags into the tent and zipped it up. We could unpack after a bit of exploring.

Joining Nesta at the table, I swiped one of the completed sandwiches, ignoring her protest to wait for Elain. She was the one who refused to stop for lunch so she would just have to get the next one.

My fingers itched to start drawing the massive oak tree, its complex branches and multicolored leaves begging to be noticed and put onto paper. My stomach, however, told me it can wait.

Nesta somehow pulled Elain away from a blue flower, convincing her that it won’t disappear in the next 15 minutes.

“So, what’s first on the agenda, sis?” I asked her.

“Well it is getting a little late so I don’t want to go too far before it gets dark, but I thought we could start with one of the short trails!” Elain radiated energy, feeding off the teeming forest around us.

I smiled back at her, excited to start cataloging the world around us. We finished off the sandwiches and repacked the coolers into the car. One thing we all learned from watching TV was to not let wild animals get into a camper’s stash of food.

A quick trip into the tent had us changed into t-shirts, shorts and tennis shoes with light jackets tied to our waists. Even with Prythian warming up, the nights could still get a bit cool.

Elain consulted the map Mor gave us, confidently leading us to the first trailhead. It was only two miles long and would introduce us to the wildlife we could see in the park.

Every few hundred feet, plastic signs would pop up, listing fun facts about the park and giving an example of some of its inhabitants. Some would show a burst of color followed by the flower’s common name, scientific name and any medicinal or historical facts about it. Others would tell you how to spot an animal camouflaged in the surrounding foliage.

We all talked and joked with each other, with no tension that usually accompanied us when we got together. Nesta told us a story about an author that tried to sneak in her friends’ manuscript that turned out to be an awful rendition of Twilight and Fifty Shades of Grey. By the end, all of us were in stitches and barely able to walk, clinging onto tree trunks and each other in an attempt to stay upright.

Just as the sky was glowing orange and pink, the trail delivered us back to the beginning of the campsites, all we had to do was follow the gravel road back to ours.

The smell of meat and potatoes set our stomachs growling, the sandwiches from earlier long gone from the hike and laughter.

The other campers that were out earlier had returned.

“Howdy!” one of the men shouted at us waving his arm. He looked to be in his late fifties with combed back salt and pepper hair, sporting cargo pants and a navy long sleeve to ward off any wayward cool breezes.

We all gave back nervous smiles, unsure of who our neighbors were.

“Kevin,” a voice scolded, “you can’t just yell at unsuspecting young girls.” The source of the admonishment appeared from the bushes.

“Sorry about my husband, he’s just excited to have more company,” a man apologized. He also looked to be in his fifties, a bit shorter than Mike but leaner. Dark brown skin was covered in matching cargo pants, but a faded Prythian U sweatshirt covered his torso.

“I’m Raymond, this is our third night at the park.”

We tried not to look too relieved as we shook his hand. All of us had experience taking care of ourselves but we were in the middle of a national park with the other nearest humans about 50 yards down the road.

Kevin looked appropriately sheepish as he came to greet us. “Sorry about that, I am excited to have more company. The couple that’s over there just keeps glaring at us and avoids us like the plague.” His words were playful enough but there was a deeper sadness buried in his eyes as if he was used to this sort of treatment.

“Well it’s awesome to meet you,” Elain gushed, ever the social butterfly. “I’m Elain and these are my sisters, Nesta and Feyre. We’re here in celebration of Feyre graduating!”

“Congratulations! Where from?” Raymond asked.

“Well you’re actually wearing my college right now,” I replied with a smile. There were tons of people who went to Pryth U but it was always fun to meet someone who graduated there in the past.

I fell into conversation with Ray, who insisted on using the shorter version of his name about the campus and how much it has changed from when he was there. He was an engineering major but still asked me a million questions about the art history department and why I wanted to get my masters there. Elain roped Kevin into a debate about botany and the best soil for growing tulips in. It sounded like he was also in the flower business and was here to see the blooming of Starfalls.

Nesta was never one to make easy friends and opted to start our dinner, taking over the grill next to Kevin’s. Tonight was burgers with potato chips and then s’mores for dessert that would be roasted over the campfire.

Dinner was full of lively conversation under the night sky. We were far enough away from the city’s light pollution that we were able to make out constellations that we had only read about and see the dusting of galaxies that spanned the sky.

“And that’s when the professor realized he had designed a system that looked exactly like a dick!” We burst out laughing at the end of Ray’s story from his time in college, even Nesta couldn’t keep her giggles contained at the raunchy tale.

Our cheeks were rosy from the fire that crackled happily before us, the smell of burnt marshmallow filling the air. As perfect as Nesta was at everything, it took her a few tries to get the timing and distance right for roasting.

“Sounds like I missed a hell of a tale,” the new midnight voice sent shivers down my spine.

“Ah! Rhys! I was wondering when you would show up,” Kevin greeted the newcomer. “Where are Cas and Az?”

The figure stepped into the ring of light and perched on an open stump beside Feyre. I forced myself not to freeze and stare at him. It was the same man I saw on top of the horse.

Closer up I could see how his dark hair shone blue in the firelight, no longer hidden beneath the Mountie hat he wore earlier.

He shifted his body to angle slightly towards me, catching my eyes with his. They were so blue they seemed to be an impossible violet, sparking with hidden laughter at an inside joke. “They’re right behind me,” he said without breaking eye contact with me.

I forced my eyes to drop to the page I was intermittently sketching on. I was lucky that I had started a new outline of the stream we passed on the way in instead of still having the sketch of him on his horse open. Hopefully the blush that was already on my cheeks hid the new blood that was rushing there.

“What was all that laughing about? I hope someone was making fun of Rhys,” another male voice called out as he came into view. He was tall and even more well-muscled than the man beside me but had his dark hair pulled into a low bun on the nape of his neck and his eyes glowed amber.

Rhys broke his stare at me to twist to the man, “No, I was telling them about the time you got stuck in what you thought was quicksand but turned out to be just a massive mud pit,” he shot back. The group laughed at the retort, including me while trying to shake off my embarrassment.

He pouted at the memory, “Aw com’on, you promised you would stop bringing that up.”

“Never in your dreams, brother.”

“Cas, come sit by me and have a s’more, I’m sure you thought you were right at the time,” Kevin teased, offering a marshmallow already speared on a stick. Cas threw one more sulky look at Rhys and walked over to where Kevin and Nesta were sitting. Nesta sized up the addition, bracing herself for interaction.

Cas saw her reaction, immediately forgetting his brother’s teasing. There was a new opponent to spare with. He aimed a feral grin at her, spurring her to narrow her eyes at his assessment.

A final figure, presumably Az, emerged from the dark, almost as if melting from it. He nodded a polite greeting to the group opting to stand near Ray and Elain. It took no time at all for her sister to draw him into a conversation about what all she can see at the park and if she was allowed to take any wildflower clippings home to preserve.

I turned back to my book, darkening the path the water took over, around and through the stones on the creek bed. The weight of Rhys’s gaze settled over me, making me tighten my grip on the pencil.

“You’re a good artist,” he remarked.

I smiled slightly in his direction. “I would hope so, I staked most of my career on it.”

“You do this professionally?”

“Well, I hope so someday,” I admitted, “I just graduated with a master’s in art history.”

“Really? Congrats. What’s next for you?”

He finally succeeded in pulling me away from the drawing, meeting his gaze again, looking for any sign of mockery at my chosen path. Most heard the words “art history” and assumed I would become a starving artist or elementary art school teacher.

There was no trace of judgment in his face, only open curiosity.

“In my dreams, I would open up my own studio, maybe a few galleries. For now, I’ve applied to a few museums as a curator and I have an interview with one of them next week.”

“I hope it goes well, anyone who can draw that well must know a thing or two about Picasso.”

I barked a laugh at his statement, “I can’t even begin to tell you how wrong you are,” giggling my way through the sentence. “You won’t believe the number of students I met who couldn’t tell the difference between Picasso and their own ass.”

His eyes flashed with surprise, followed by laughter rich and clear as a bell spilling from his mouth. “I can believe it, I’ve met my fair share of idiots in this world.”

“I bet, being a park ranger must set you up for a whole slew of idiots who watched one episode of Bear Grylls and thinks they can survive out here with nothing more than their wits.”

His face jokingly darkened, “Do. Not. Get. Me. Started.”

“Please, start,” my sketch was now long forgotten, pulled into his expressive voice and body. He wove the tale of a couple that thought they could go all Naked and Afraid only 20 feet off the trail, managing to get as far as cutting down a few trees to start a shelter before another camper contacted them and they were able to stop them from scarring any more people.

My cheeks hurt from the constant smiling and laughter, unable to stop myself from leaning closer to catch every detail.

By the end of his story, our knees were brushing each other every few seconds, both of us catching our breath. He paused at the end, taking the small bubble we had trapped ourselves in.

His eyes dipped to brush my lips before meeting mine again. My breath caught in my throat at the intensity of his gaze, heat blooming across my cheeks and down my neck. Our shared air was sweet with chocolate and heavy with anticipation…

A hiss startled us apart.

Across the fire, Nesta looked to be about two seconds away from slapping Cas, fury twisting her face into a knot. Cas looked like he was the cat that got the cream, lazily reclining against the stump, looking up into her wrathful face.

“And that’s our queue,” Rhys muttered under his breath. “It was wonderful to talk with you. I’ll see you around the park.”

I blinked a few times, mentally shaking myself out of the trance he put me in. “Uh, yeah sure, see you around.”

“Cas, Az,” his voice was sharp, “We need to go to the next campsite. Thank you for the s’mores and have a good evening everyone.” He pulled his brothers away, retreating into the dark. From the blackness came the sound of a sharp slap and angry words being whispered.

Everyone exchanged awkward looks at their departure. Nesta was still fuming, glaring at the direction they disappeared in. Feyre and Elain knew better that the question her on what Cas said, knowing it would only infuriate her more.

“It’s been a long day, and we have a lot of hiking tomorrow,” I broke through the tension, “I’m off to bed.” Elain and Nesta got up to join me, bidding Kevin and Raymond good night and that they’ll see them for breakfast.

Elain and I exchanged worried looks behind Nesta’s back, but it would be better to let her sleep it off. She was quick to anger but given time, could squash it back down.

We all climbed into the tent, leaving our shoes by the door. It was colder away from the fire, so we didn’t waste time layering on warmer clothes and crawling into our respective sleeping bags.

I fell asleep with purple eyes burning behind my eyelids, chasing me through my fitful dreams.

Next Chapter

#acotar #acomaf #acowar #acofas #sjm #sjmaas #sjm books #sjmaas books #feyre #feyre x rhysand #rhysand #cassian #azriel #morrigan #amren

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sweetheartjeongguk · 6 years

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love letters

pairing: namjoon x reader

genre: high school au, fluff, minimal angst

rating: g

warning(s): insecurity, slight jealousy

word count: 2.2k+

summary: you’ve held his heart in your palms since the age of eight years old, but there was a difference between true love and wishful thinking.

masterlist

He writes you the first letter at the tender age of eight years old.

It is filled with numerous grammatical errors and multiple ink streaks from him forgetting that he can’t erase pen marks. He signs the bottom as “Joonie” because everybody calls him that.

Everybody being his parents and his sister.

The next letter is written when the two of you are graduating middle school and heading to the same high school. He is extremely ecstatic that day when he finds out, kicking his feet up and down and jumping high on his bed until the springs yelps in agony (more so, when his sister barges into his room and screams at him to stop bouncing or else she’ll take away his Pokemon cards). Needless to say, Namjoon bottles up his excitement and lets the words flow onto paper, all summed up with a shaky “Kim Namjoon”.

The third letter comes nearly a day after the homecoming dance. Namjoon is forced to go by his best friend Seokjin who ends up vomiting on the dancefloor after eating a few bad shrimps and has to be picked up by my mom. Namjoon writes about this in full concern, hoping that you would share his worries too.

Not that you’ll ever see these letters, but Namjoon would like to think that despite not knowing Seokjin that well, you’d feel sorry too.

He also comments on your beauty that night – how the yellow dress you wore brought out your smile and the lipstick was a nice shade of red.

‘You looked like a princess that night. Kind of like Belle from Beauty and the Beast. I wish I could have told you that myself, but you wouldn’t want to be seen by a guy like me.’

Namjoon tries to write a fourth letter, but he finds himself unable to do so. He watches you from a distance – seated at the back of the cafeteria, vaguely listening to Seokjin’s rant about the cost of school lunches while staring intently at your figure as you walk across the room to your friend’s table. Ever since your debut at the high school, you’ve been dubbed popular royalty by pretty much the entire student body. Boys grovel at your feet while girls are desperate to be called your “best friend”.

Call it wishful thinking, but Namjoon likes to think that he understands you. He likes to think that he can understand your emotions better than your “friends” can, better than the boys who claim to be in love with can. While Namjoon could very well be sucked into the “boys-who-are-hopelessly-in-love-with-you” category, he likes to think that he’s different.

He hopes that, given the opportunity to get to know you, you’d start to feel the same way.

That night, he writes you the letter. He recalls the look on your face in the cafeteria when your friends are joking around you and aweing at your every move. He could see the pain in your eyes at the insincerity. He could see your longing for more, for something real.

‘It’s okay to feel sad and anxious. It’s okay to feel like you’re fighting against the entire world. Just know that I’ll be by your side when the time comes. I’ll fight for you.’

His fifth letter is written at the back of Biology class during a boring documentary about biodiversity. The side of his hand smears at the pencil markings, but he’s too desperate that he doesn’t seem to care that grey stains his skin. Today, you come into class late, your hair a tangled mess and the lipstick smudged at the corner of your mouth. If you had looked closer, you could have seen that the concealer over the reddened mark on your neck didn’t cover a thing.

Namjoon feels a sharp pang in his chest – no doubt, jealousy – but he also feels anger towards himself, more than anything.

‘Why am I too cowardly to do anything? Why must I force myself in the distance while you drift further away?’

This time, he signs off as “KNJ” – someone mysterious, someone unknown.

Exactly what he is to you.

For a while, he stops writing you letters. It feels awkward to write to you now. Looking back on his old letter, he’s ashamed of the way he thought of you. You weren’t his – everyone knew that, Namjoon especially. This is why he stops writing to you – in an attempt to collect his thoughts and not spew them out of the pages like an immature teenage boy. Seokjin would disagree and say that ‘Yes, we are immature teenage boys’, but Namjoon still enjoys a little blissful ignorance once and a while.

The two of you are reaching the end of your junior year, heading closer to your last year of high school. Soon, you will be off to college, off on your own separate paths.

He overhears one of your friends’ conversations that you had been planning on going to a university in America. You have been desperate to study abroad and to experience a culture so different from your own. This is no secret to everyone – even the janitor knows. Namjoon decides to play it safe and aim for a university closer to home, possibly even in Japan if he tries hard enough.

He tries to ignore the innate feeling to pick up a pen and scribble down his thoughts as they rush through his brain and spill onto the paper. He tries taking an extracurricular afterschool despite his teachers telling him not to overload his already-packed schedule. He takes his dog out for walks almost twice as long as usual, in hopes that the cool breeze and scenery will force him to forget. He even takes a minute to text Seokjin back, even during his scheduled My Hero Academia binging.

No matter what he does, you always seem to creep back into his thoughts.

The start of senior year kicks off before Namjoon could even take a breather. Homecoming is shoved down their throats, demanding for school pride and support for the upcoming homecoming game. Namjoon sees on the senior board that you have been nominated for homecoming queen. He has no doubt that you’ll win and even puts in a vote with a heart at the end of your name in the little bucket at the front of the cafeteria.

When you finally do, he’s sitting there on the bleachers, clapping alongside everyone else. He smiles at the look of complete surprise on your face as you walk down onto the field with your partner Jung Hoseok to receive the obligatory crown and sash.

As you link arms with Hoseok and wave at the crowd, Namjoon gulps as your eyes meet.

Your stare lingers until Hoseok nudges your side and pulls you in for a group photo. Namjoon sighs (from relief or dissatisfaction, he doesn’t know which) and starts down the bleachers to head towards the parking lot. Seokjin is waiting by the car for him, and Namjoon gets in without another word, ignoring the look of bemusement on his best friend’s face.

Certainly ignorant of the wandering eyes that had been watching him from the bleachers for quite some time.

His sixth and final letter is written hours after prom. Once again, he is forced by Seokjin (as well as his parents) to attend. Something about it being “one of the most important moment in your high school career, nay, your entire life!”

He could have told Seokjin (and his parents, primarily his mother) that he was overreacting, but he didn’t exactly want a smack in the face to leave a big bruise on his cheek before the “big day”.

Namjoon sits on the gym bleachers, awkwardly holding onto a flower corsage that his mother bought for him to give to his so-called lovely date. He didn’t want to mention to her that he may or may not (emphasis on ‘may not’) have asked someone to the dance, but the teary smile on her face is too precious to destroy with his devastating news.

The flowers are a simple yellow color – a symbol of happiness and sunshine. Yet Namjoon is sat here with no one to share it with.

Seokjin is dancing it up with his date amidst the large crowd of teenagers by the DJ, making her laugh with his ridiculous rendition of the Chicken dance mixed with some other obscure dance move that is certainly outdated. The gym is filled with sweaty teenagers either standing around while waiting for someone to ask them to dance or grinding it up and making the teachers stew angrily at the blatant provocative moves.

Namjoon twirls the flower in his hand, pausing to scratch behind his ear and scan the crowd for anything interesting to watch. Suddenly, the visual of Seokjin crowd-surfing isn’t enough to satisfy his entertainment needs. No one seems to pay him any attention as they pass by, shouting over the loud music or laughing drunkenly. Namjoon scrunches his nose when he catches a whiff of the strong alcohol, but he stays silent in his seat. He couldn’t care less about what those people were doing – besides, what he is doing isn’t any special either.

“Mind if I sit?”

Namjoon turns with widened eyes at the sudden voice. More specifically, your voice.

You stand at his right with a hopeful expression on your face, wearing a fluffy peach dress with matching heels. Namjoon wipes his sweaty palms on his pantlegs in an attempt to rid his mind of his lovesick thoughts.

“S-sure.” Namjoon stammers.

“Thanks.” You settle down next to him, fluffing up your skirt in an attempt to avoid catching it on your heels.

The two of you sit there in silence for a few minutes – Namjoon trying hard not to sweat profusely and you bobbing your head to the upbeat song playing throughout the gym.

“So…” You start, shocking Namjoon back into reality. “Where’s your date?”

“My…date?” Namjoon asks stupidly.

“Yeah, your date.” You point at the corsage in his hands. “Isn’t that for her?”

“Oh…” Namjoon’s gaze shoots down to his lap where the sad excuse of a corsage lays. “Y-yeah, my mom got them for me, but I-I couldn’t tell her that I…”

“…didn’t have a date?” You finish.

“Y-yeah.” Namjoon chuckles nervously. “I know, it’s stupid, right?”

He half expects you to agree and laugh at him too, but you do nothing of the sort.

“Of course not!” You frown. “I think it’s sweet!”

“R-Really?” You nod, your frown replaced with a cheeky smile.

“Yellow’s my favorite color, so you get extra points for that.” You wink.

‘Oh, god, I feel like my heart is about to explode in my chest.’

“Any girl would be lucky to be given flowers by the one and only Kim Namjoon.” You continue as you fiddle with the rings on your fingers.

“Y-You know my name.” Namjoon stutters, fumbling with the flower in his hand and nearly ripping out a couple petals as a result.

“Of course, we’ve been in the same classes since elementary.” You hum knowingly. “Also, between you and me…”

Namjoon waits for your next words, his heart pounding in his chest. He wouldn’t be surprised if he died in the next five minutes.

“I’ve heard from Seokjin that you like me.”

Namjoon pales.

‘What the fuck, Seokjin?’

“Actually, not really.” You backpedal on your words. “Seokjin was telling his girlfriend about you and it just seemed to come up. She’s one of my friends so…”

Scratch that, Namjoon is about to die in approximately five seconds.

“What?” Namjoon awkwardly laughs. “He’s just lying, he just says all that to rile me up.”

Namjoon’s crooked grin falls flat when he sees the expression on your face drop. “Oh…I’m sorry then.”

You shift in your seat, suddenly wanting to leave and never face the boy ever again.

‘Seokjin, you said he liked me!’

As you begin to rise up from your seat, Namjoon starts to panic.

‘Shit, this isn’t supposed to be happening!’

In the span of the five seconds that you begin standing up, Namjoon has already visualized the future.

You ignoring his very presence at graduation and proceeding to move out of the country, never to see him again.

Namjoon decides that it’s not a future he’s willing to live in. Not if he had anything to say about it.

“Y/N, wait!”

You turn on your heels to face him again, your face flushed from heat and embarrassment.

“Seokjin wasn’t…wrong.” Namjoon watches as you raise an eyebrow. “I…”

‘Suck it up, Kim.’

Taking in a gulp of air, Namjoon begins to speak again, but the soft touch of your lips to his cheek startles him into silence.

You pull back, the familiar grin pulling on your lips.

“You busy this Saturday?”

“Um…no.” Namjoon coughs. “Why?”

“Good.” You turn on your heels again as you begin walking towards your group of friends that stay clustered next to the food bar. “Pick me up at 6! We’ll go see a movie!”

Namjoon stammers as he shoots up from his seat, clutching onto the corsage for dear life. “What movie?”

“Your pick.” You mouth from across the room, turning back around to dance with two of your friends.

That night, Namjoon rushes upstairs and throws his suit jacket on his bed. He instantly picks up a pen and begins to write.

‘This is a start of something unknown, but I’m no longer afraid. I’m no longer scared of taking hold of your hand and telling you how I feel. This time, it’ll be different. This time, you’ll see the real me.

Signed, Joonie.’

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wovav · 3 years

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Bees, Butterflies & Other Flower Visitors

No doubt about it, blooming plants are busy places. Many insects seek sustenance from pollen, nectar, and even petals! A powdery or sticky substance composed of tiny grains (containing male genetic material), pollen offers nourishing carbohydrates and protein. Nectar, on the other hand, is mainly sugary water with traces of nutritious minerals. With few exceptions, our flower visitors benefit our gardens. Many are predators and parasites of pest insects, certainly a good thing. A great many other winged flower visitors are performing a vital task when they visit our blooming plants, pollination, and in that regard they are inarguably valuable allies. According to one of my favorite books, Evolution of the Insects by David Grimaldi and Michael Engel, if we eliminated bees, ants, and termites from the planet, all terrestrial life would collapse.

Whenever someone expresses a horror of insects, I pull this astonishing assertion from my bag of tricks. Without bees (and a few other six-legged pollinators), our diet would also become horribly bland. We would be living on potatoes, corn, wheat, and a few other crops. There would be no apples, pears, berries, citrus, zucchini, or tomatoes. No mint, thyme, oregano, or parsley. No chocolate, tea, or coffee! Most of the beautiful flowering plants that we take for granted would disappear. Insects and flowering plants coevolved, leading to an explosion of species and the creation of multitudes of niches for other animals. Bees played a central role in increasing this biodiversity. The effectiveness of flower visitors as pollinators varies, but none can match the efficiency of bees; characteristic branched hairs on their bodies maximize the collection of pollen. One of the ways that bees can be distinguished from wasps (which they sometimes resemble) is that wasps lack branched hairs. Also, bees literally attract pollen due to an electromagnetic charge. Similar to the positive electric charge we humans experience when we scuff across a carpet, bees’ bodies accumulate positive charges as they forage. Pollen is negatively charged. When the two meet (bees’ branched hairs and pollen; we reach the other side of the room and touch a doorknob), there is a brief “static electricity” connection. So far, bees are the only insects found to carry this electromagnetic charge, although it is possible other flying insects and even hummingbirds experience this phenomenon; investigations are ongoing. We begin this chapter, then, by exploring the diversity of the all-important bees. Ideally, you would like many species to become regular pollinators in your garden. They can be loosely grouped by type according to their dominant social behavior (three essays are ahead). Knowing what they eat is only half the equation, for they also need a home base. For an abundance of native bees, remember that most are ground-nesters and require bare soil, while others nest in hollow stems and twigs. As for the butterflies, while some of the hairier ones can be effective pollinators, many perch high above the blooms where they gather nectar, collecting little pollen (including our beloved monarch butterflies). Moths are far better pollinators. Even stinging (aculeate) wasps must be included here, as they regularly visit flowers for sustenance as adults. Although their shiny, usually hairless bodies make them much less effective as pollinators, they collect many pest insects to feed to their larvae. We will explore the parasitic wasps in another chapter, as many don’t require nectar as adults. We would like to clearly differentiate between hunting wasps and parasitic wasps, but nature being what it is, the boundaries are sometimes a bit vague. Hunting wasps are not always larger, nor are parasitic wasps always tiny. Life history is a better indicator. For our purposes here, we define the hunting wasps as capable of carrying off their prey to their nest. Some are specialists, for example, the colorful wasps known as tarantula hawks. Specialists can be more effective at controlling garden pests than generalists, which are not as discriminating in their tastes and may even attack desirable garden insects. If you would like to further explore the subtleties of the differences between hunting and parasitic wasps, I highly recommend Eric Grissell’s fascinating book Bees, Wasps, and Ants: The Indispensable Role of Hymenoptera in Gardens.

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angel-teavivre · 7 years

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The Black Beauty of Dian Hong Tea – Ancient Wild Tree Black Tea

Yunnan ancient wild tree black tea is a variety of fermented tea produced in Lincang, Yunnan province, China. It uses fresh leaves of ancient wild tea tree as raw material, following by a series of steps, such as withering, rolling, fermentation, drying etc. Unlike other types of Chinese teas, the ancient wild tree tea only selects fresh spring tea leaves which have a slow growth rate. Therefore, it has low output but with high quality.

The largest living tea tree is believed to be 3210 years old

At present, Yunnan wild tea tree are distributed in different locations of primary forests throughout the area. However, there are not many of delicious wild teas out there. Among them, the ancient wild teas produced in Lincang River hold the highest quality. Lincang also obtains rich resources of ancient tea trees, while teavivre’s Nonpareil Yunnan Dian Hong Ancient Wild Tree Black Tea is exactly originated from there.

Tea Tree

Ancient wild tea trees are larger in size and their roots are stronger and deeper than that of other tea bushes. Besides, there are no small hairs on the wild ancient tea tree leaves and its leaves are also featured with smooth and soft characteristics. In addition, there are thousands years of ancient wild tea trees grow in the old-growth forests, some of which are more than 2000 years that still needs several people to hold their tree trunks.

The tea leaves closest to the ring are the ancient wild tea tree

Tea Leaves

It would be the best time to pluck ancient wild tea leaves when the leaves look like the below picture, neither too old nor too tender. Tea made by tender leaves will have a beautiful appearance, but it will cause strong sour taste when brewing. If it used old tea leaves as raw material, then it’ll not only make the tea lack of aroma and taste, but also can’t be re-steeped multiple times.

Appearance

Dry leaves present glossy and dark in color that is usually very thick and fleshy with good texture. It also carries on different degrees of red edges, or mixes with red color leaves.

Tea Liquid

Bright golden-yellow in color, producing a full and smooth taste with the background of fragrance stays in your mouth. It has a strong “wild fragrance” with long-last lingering aftertaste, which makes people feel relaxed and happy, as if it allows us to immerse ourselves in the primary forests.

Features

Ancient wild black tea has its own unique fragrance, especially the floral aroma. It presents bright color when brews and the flavor of this tea is full-bodied with mellow flavor, offering unforgettable sweet aftertaste, accompanied by the taste of primary forests (we also called this flavor as “Ye Wei: 野味yě wèi, wild taste”, a unique taste of ancient wild tea owns).

Teavivre’s Dian Hong Ancient Wild Tree Black Tea comes from Xiaowan town, Fengqing County, Lincang City, Yunnan province at an elevation of more than 2,000 meters above the sea level. It is embraced by surrounding mountain ranges, ravines and gullies criss-cross, with a thick layer of fertile soil spreading across the area. This place also always keeps a temperate climate and adequate illumination throughout the year. Accordingly, these tea trees used ingenious biodiversity method to control pests and diseases. Through the natural fermentation between wild fruits and leaves, therefore it provides rich fertilizers to these tea plants.

Click to learn more >>>

#tea #chinese tea #tea time #tea life #tea lover #black tea #yunnan

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trenttrendspotter · 4 years

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A Conversation About How Retailers and Manufacturers Communicate

Key topics and top trends at the ECRM

By Nancy Trent

I had the privilege of being the featured speaker at a recent ECRM conference, a prestigious “speed dating” event for major retailers and manufacturers. This particular ECRM event catered to every day and holiday cosmetics, toiletries, fragrances, and bath industries. The topic I covered was How to Flex Your Social Media Muscle, so I spent much of my time at the networking events surrounding my speech talking to the participating retailers and manufacturers about their marketing. What I heard was disconnect. Every manufacturer sales rep I spoke with said they would do anything the retailers wanted them to do to support sell-through, and many of them have marketing departments to drive it. When I spoke with retailers, they often said the manufacturers aren’t giving them what they need, which for most, is regional sales support.

Every retailer is looking to sell a pre-sold product. They look for brands they know have consumer demand. Retailers are telling us that they want “destination brands,” brands that consumers know by name.

Product manufacturers and retailers need to strategize and work closely together to support sell-through in their regional markets. Likewise, sales and marketing need to work more closely as well. All marketing is first and foremost to support sales; if sales doesn’t know what marketing is doing, it’s a waste of efforts. If marketing doesn’t know what the retailers are telling sales they need, it’s never going to happen.

Marketing and sales should be collaborating to build the stores’ confidence in the brand by getting both national and local recognition for it. People buy what other people tell them to try, and it’s a brand’s responsibility to drive new shoppers into stores for their products.

One of the first steps is to get on the same page about consumer needs. Today’s shopper is obsessed with well-being and seeking natural ways to look and feel healthy.

Today’s “well-thy” shoppers want retailers to be the source for what they need, when they need it, how they want it.

This morning they are parents. This afternoon they are executives. Tonight they will be spouses. Tomorrow they will be a child. On Friday, they are foodies. Saturday, yogis. On Sunday, they are travellers. Brands need to cater to whoever shoppers may be this minute, and well-being is always on the list. The problem, as you have identified, is that with all of the substantial, impactful and wonderful things shoppers are doing, they don’t have time for self-care.

Trendspotting at the ECRM

One retailer I spoke with, Dominique Rush, Buyer for The Beauty Collection, wants consumers to know that The Beauty Collection is a family-owned business with close-knit vendor relationships that takes pride in its carefully considered brand portfolio. “Our customer requests and buying team ensure we have the best offerings in our locations,” said Rush. “Customers are ingredient savvy and want clean ingredients in their beauty products. A trend that I have seen grow across the board is fo sustainably sourced products, including the packaging and support collateral. Nowadays, less is more when it comes to packaging and cartons.”

Also speaking to consumer interests, Tony Giovanini, Senior Vice President, ECRM Health & Beauty Care, said, “There was definitely a theme around beauty personalization and wellness, and how consumers are making lifestyle changes, pampering themselves from the comfort of their homes. We saw a wide variety of bath and spa products, including bath bombs, scented soaps, body lotions/moisturizers, bath salts, and candles.”

The theme of the products is focused on pure ingredients that are natural, sustainable and good for you, Giovanini added. “These products were available in single units, as well as in luxury style gift sets for the holidays. We also saw new mask treatments, including traditional but unique face masks, hair masks and hand & foot masks with a focus on style, superfoods and CBD.”

On the cosmetics side, there are some really great luxury style gift sets available at affordable prices for the upcoming Holiday Season.These sets focused on color focused eye pallets and lip glosses. Again, sticking with the lifestyle and DIY theme, the beauty tools have continued to improve as well from implements, applicators, cosmetics bags.

According to Robin Raskin founder of Living in Digital Times, “Beauty and wellness is moving very quickly into the digital age. We’re seeing artificial intelligence being used in facial recognition for personalization of services allowing the customer to experiment with product, gauge their results and make new offers for products including skin care, makeup, hair care, dental, personal hygiene and more.”

Raskin also predicts the blockchain supply will help improve sourcing for the beauty industry and trends show an emphasis on purity of goods and eco-tasteful packaging and materials. “The line is blurring between cosmetic and overall wellness.” That was apparent in the brands I met with at the event.

Here are a few of the highlights:

Classic, function and real-time results. City Beauty is a classic, luxury beauty brand dedicated to formulating skincare and cosmetics that look amazing and deliver actual, real-time results. They specialize in anti-aging products, but women of all ages love the results along with how they feel. Their main focus is “functional beauty” where all of their products are designed to not only make you look beautiful while you wear them, but to provide deeper benefits that you can actually see. City Beauty was developed for consumers seeking solutions for specific, hard-to-treat skincare concerns rarely addressed by other skincare brands. Although the products can benefit anyone, consumers with visible signs of aging often see the most dramatic results. Each product is formulated not only to give immediate effects, but also provide lasting benefits.

Born as a digitally-native brand in 2002, City is starting a new chapter of giving both existing and new consumers a hands-on, in-person experience meant to enhance their skincare and beauty journey. Some of the biggest trends that City sees in the industry are greater inclusivity, a growing consumer demand for attainable luxury, and a shift towards enhancing one’s natural beauty.

“Beauty brands are now showcasing models and brand ambassadors of all ages, genders, and cultures, which makes beauty feel inclusive for a lot more people,” said Allyson Barrio, Director of City Beauty. “There is also a growing demand for professional-grade products that feel luxurious, deliver results, and are attainable. This has especially allowed newer, more agile brands to rival established giants for consumer attention. Leading this massive shift is the growing wellness movement, which has influenced beauty ideals to reflect a more natural, personalized, and health-conscious look.” City Beauty has been a long-time proponent of age-inclusivity, attainable luxury, and products that are as healthy as they are beautiful.

Thermal wellness made easy. Parasilk is a company redefining the future of paraffin wax treatments with products and delivery systems for medical, spa and massage professionals, and direct to consumers for at home spa treatments. From athletes, to pain relief, to dry and aging skin, Parasilk hydrates, moisturizes, retexturizes, rejuvenates, soothes and protects your hands and feet.

Accessible anti-aging for years to come. Bellefontaine Switzerland is the Swiss-based luxury skincare company specializing in anti-aging. All of their products contain natural and precious ingredients from the Alps, pure water from glaciers and the most recent discoveries in biotechnology to bring you the best quality products on the market in order to have great skin now and even better skin in the years to come.

All good oils. Peet Bros. has a simple and powerful promise: to deliver more of the premium, moisturizing ingredients their customers value, while remaining 100% palm oil-free. They know the harmful dangers that palm oil puts on our environment, so they are taking a stand to protect the world we call home. Palm oil is one of the largest contributors to global deforestation, greenhouse gas emissions, and biodiversity loss; the palm oil industry also has a devastating impact on the environment. So instead, they substitute their products with olive oil, shea butter, hemp oil + CBD. They believe in full ingredient transparency.

Bottling up the best nature has to offer. Faith In Nature believes that everyone should benefit from what the Earth provides. That is why they are passionate about keeping their prices affordable and only using the best natural ingredients to ensure that everyone can afford to go natural because that will truly make a big different. Starting out in the UK, Faith In Nature quickly became the best-known natural beauty brand. They make decisions for the brand that put people and the environment ﬁrst.

Self-care part of every day. From body wash and gels to moisturizers to candles to fragrance, Vitabath is a retro brand appealing to a new audience by bringing all of the necessary luxury bath and skincare products to treat yourself at affordable price points.

Complexion helper. “Tranexamic Acid is set to be a huge ingredient trend, it’s an anti-inflammatory and amazing for addressing skin discoloration whether it’s melasma, post acne hyperpigmentation, dark spots, sunspots or just general dull and uneven=looking skin,” said Stephen Byrne, Head of Global Sales of Amelia Knight, creators of Scientia (see-en-cha), a new beauty brand that is knowledgeable, innovative and upfront. “With hyperpigmentation being one of the most common skin concerns, answers to this complexion complaint are always popular in the industry and market.”

After 15 years at the helm of her family’s cosmetics business, Founder and Creative Director Tiffany Salmon hunted down the best ingredients mother nature has to offer from all over the world and took her vast knowledge of beauty innovation back to the in-house laboratory at Scientia HQ, creating products that are straightforward, transparent and not just make you look good, but feel good too. The Scientia Dusk and Dawn Elixirs are designed to give aromatherapy benefits as well as intense skin nourishment. Take three deep breaths and enjoy invigorating Ginger, Pink Pepper and Fennel (with Dawn) or calming Lavender, Ylang Ylang or Frankincense (with Dusk) to help promote overall better well-being.

“With the majority of people often leading hectic modern lives,” noted Byrne, “research is showing that ‘Anti-Fatigue’ beauty will become a huge trend over the coming years, as consumers look for products that make them look more awake and well rested as a response to leading busier lifestyles.”

For more industry trends and to nurture relationships between manufacturers and retails plan to participate upcoming ECRM events.

As seen in WholeFoods Magazine

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therealmexicanguys-blog · 5 years

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Do you try to preserve animal species?

The extinction of animals is a natural process of the evolution and over the history has been produced massive extinctions in determining eras where the change weather are usually. Nowadays à lot of species are extincting faster than years ago the man is the only responsable of this extinctions. How can we prevent the extinction of animals? there are many endangered animals that are at risk of extinction. What that means is that we are at risk of losing these animals completely. We put considerable time, effort and money into saving endangered animals, but why? Extinction is a natural process that would happen with or without humans. But, while that is the case, research shows that extinctions are happening quicker now than ever before. And, loss of habitat is by far the biggest cause. This is a problem that we need to address, and here are a few reasons why. One thing we humans fail at is seeing the big picture. We are often blind to the interconnectedness of everything that supports life, a web so complex and interdependent, we are only beginning to understand it. The food chain, from the tiniest little microorganisms to the largest creatures on earth, keep us humans alive. So, when we talk about the grey whale, the timber wolf, the black rhino, it’s not just that we should save these endangered creatures for their own good, but it’s also for ours.The current legislation and government bodies that protect wild species from extinction are both being defunded and reorganized. It will be up to ordinary citizens and environmental groups to save these important links on the food chain. Here are someways to accomplish this. There are many things we can do to help endangered animals, here are a few suggestions. Protect wildlife habitats. Habitat loss is one of the biggest causes of extinction. Do your bit to preserve wildlife habitats. Volunteer to maintain a local nature reserve, campaign against deforestation or create a space for nature in your garden. Educate others. People are more likely to want to save animals if they know about them. Spend time doing some research and spread the word. Stay away from pesticides and herbicides. Animals are venerable to pollutants that can build up in the environment and can die if they consume high levels. Shop ethically. Avoid buying products made from endangered animals. Be an ethical tourist. We all love spending time with animals, but the rise of animal experiences abroad is endangering the lives of many animals. Often they are treated cruelly and kept t in unsatisfactory conditions. “Educate your family about endangered species in your area” There are many endangered species that we can find in all the world we can change the future of this species like protecting them and another thinks like stop the haunting of all of this species, all the species around the world would be protected by the human because animals are the balance in the world. Giant Panda Ailuropoda melanoleuca Native to the mountain forests of southwest China, the giant panda is one of the most beloved animals in the world. Giant pandas are identified by their distinctive black and white coloring. Their ears, muzzle, eyes, shoulders and legs are black while the rest of their body is white. Their thick hair keeps them warm in the cool, wet mountain zones. When on all fours, giant pandas average between 60-100 cm (2-3 ft.) tall at the shoulder and between 1-2 m (4-6 ft.) long. They can weigh between 100-115 kg (220-250 lb.), with males being larger than females. One of the interesting evolutionary traits of the panda is their protruding wrist bone that acts like a thumb. This helps the pandas hold bamboo while they munch on it with their strong molar teeth. Bamboo makes up nearly the entire diet of the panda. Due to the low nutritional value of bamboo, pandas need to eat 10-20 kg (20-40 lb.) a day. Occasionally pandas will eat other available food, including small rodents, eggs, fish and other flora. Bamboo provides a good amount of water, but pandas need to supplement this with fresh water daily. With only around 2060 pandas living in the wild, the giant panda is considered vulnerable of extinction by the IUCN. Due to the fact that pandas reproduce so infrequently, it is very difficult for their population to recover from such a low point. One the main reasons that panda populations have declined is habitat destruction. As the human population in China continues to grow, pandas’ habitat gets taken over by development, pushing them into smaller and less livable areas. Habitat destruction also leads to food shortages. Pandas feed on several varieties of bamboo that bloom at different times of the year. If one type of bamboo is destroyed by development, it can leave the pandas with nothing to eat during the time it normally blooms, increasing the risk of starvation. Macaw Overexploitation and Habitat Loss Of the 145 species of parrot in Central and South America, 45 are in danger of extinction. All 18 species of macaws are threatened. The primary causes are habitat loss and heavy exploitation for the pet trade. The hyacinth macaw is especially vulnerable to capture and habitat destruction because it is noisy, intrinsically fearless, predictable, and dependent on palm trees. Hyacinth macaws brought $5,000 to $10,000 each in the pet trade as of 1988. This high price fosters a dangerous level of poaching and smuggling. Data and anecdotal evidence suggests that as many as 10,000 Hyacinth macaws were taken from the wild during the 1980s. Trees are cut down to remove the young from nest holes, which not only removes that generation of birds, but permanently destroys the nest site. Hyacinth macaws do not breed every year even under the best circumstances, so this predation on chicks is particularly bad for the species’ survival. Since captured young survive so poorly (up to 99 percent die between capture and final sale), adults are sometimes trapped through liming of perches or use of baited clap-nets. Still, for every macaw that arrives safely abroad, it is likely that five died on the way. The United States is the largest market for the exotic pet trade. In the last decade, 8.5 million birds, at least 85 percent of birds captured in the wild, were imported or smuggled into the United States. Even when the export of birds is controlled, the domestic bird trade often is not regulated. Millions of tropical birds, including parrots and macaws, are captured for local sale. About 50 percent of hyacinth macaws trapped in Brazil were bought by Brazilians rather than being sold overseas. It is common in many rural areas for households to have a pet bird. Half the households recently surveyed in northern Argentina had some kind of parrot. Leopards Leopards could vanish before the tiger if this animal is not given due attention. This year alone, 30 leopards have died in Maharashtra while the Wildlife Protection Society of India has reported 207 deaths across the country compared to 290 deaths in 200 Leopards are the epitome of grace in motion. But leopard skins and canine teeth are widely traded in Africa, and leopard poaching is common in Asia. The IUCN lists leopards as “near threatened” and warns their population is rapidly disappearing. Leopards live in sub-Saharan Africa, NE Africa, Central Asia, India and China but despite this wide geographic spread – the largest distribution of any wild cat – many of their populations are endangered. For instance, the rare, solitary Amur Leopard is listed as “critically endangered” with a population in the wild of only around 60 remaining individual cats. And the highly adaptable, nimble snow leopard is listed as “endangered” with a population of only around 4,000 – 6,500 in the wild. It should not be a surprise that the biggest predators of these wonderful animals are humans. Sadly, these cats’ beauty is contributing to its decline towards extinction – demand for leopard fur and other body parts is driving a robust poaching market. In addition, hunting, habitat loss and retaliatory killings are additional pressures resulting in many of the Leopard subspecies teetering on the brink of disaster. These beautiful, solitary creatures deserve a chance to thrive in the wild. Let’s pass strong laws to end the illegal trade in leopard skins and other parts The highest number of leopards killed was in 2000 when it shot up to 1,278. From 1994 onwards, between 70-200 leopards have been killed every year across India Leopards tend to survive even outside the forests, as in the sugar cane plantations of Ahmednagar and Pune and therefore come close to the villages. That is how the man-animal conflict begins. Panthera onca is its scientific name, it is related to other species of big cats, such as the tiger or the lion. In fact, of the big cats, the jaguar is the third largest of all after just mentioned. It is one of the most important symbols of Mexican culture before the arrival of Hispanics, that is, the pre-Hispanic culture, where the role of spiritual protector was granted. The jaguar lives in jungle and swampy areas, which are being destroyed faster and faster. When we talk about threatened or endangered species we are referring to those species that become part of the Red List of Endangered Species or Red Book. This list was created in 1963 by the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature). This organization aims to ensure the conservation of biodiversity and the natural wealth of our planet. In this way, when we say that the jaguar is in danger of extinction, we are referring to a species that has been included in the IUCN Red List. Specifically, currently, the jaguar would have the category of "almost threatened species". The natural habitat is established in the center and a good part of the south of the American continent, which includes the Amazon jungle. In fact, currently, the main threat that is decimating jaguar populations is the deforestation of the Amazon, which is advancing by leaps and bounds to obtain new crop lands. However, it is true that although the destruction of its habitat is the main threat facing the species, it is not the only one. The deforestation of the Amazon should include poaching, illegal trafficking of exotic animals and traps of the peasants, who pursue this animal because it is a specie that attacks livestock. In conclusion we search for differents endangered species the most threatened in the world, animals are the most important think in the world because without they we didn't have a lot of things that we have now but only natural thinks like the honey the polen and the most important think is that animals can carry the balance in the world and we have to protect them all the species around the world like bee, elephants, leopards etc. This Text is to create conscience about how important are the animals and the hurt that we do to they, is that the only think that we have to see the hurt that we are causing in the nature, the place where they live we have to carry them and protect all the species around the world.

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thegloober · 6 years

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How good is your photo keywording?

Keywording is essential when licensing your photos. If your images don’t have the right keywords, people won’t find them in search, so are far less likely to buy them. That’s why they’re called keywords, not meh-words.

So what are good and bad keywords to use? How much keywording is enough for a photo?

In this article, we’ll look at some examples across a variety of images to shine a light on the most important keyword categories, and help you get your images sold.

People keywords

People tags are, unsurprisingly, among the most highly-searched. All images should have at least one people tag—even empty Alaskan landscapes (which should be tagged “no people”, in case you’re wondering).

For images that actually show distinguishable people, you should include information on the number of people, ethnicity, age, and gender. If you’re uploading images for Licensing, don’t forget to include a model release with ethnicity, age, and gender information.

Example:

The keywording on this photo is a bit meagre. We could flesh it out as follows:

People: One person, man, 20s, [specify ethnicity], handsome, serious, facial hair

Location: Entertainment District, Toronto, Canada

Setting: indoors, studio shot

Technical aspects: color image, head and shoulders, portrait, black background, looking at camera, horizontal image, copy space, side lit

Objects and colours: shirt, brown

Hate to repeat myself, but don’t forget the model release!

Example:

This photo was uploaded by me, the keywords and metadata person. I added no tags at all, which is ironic and shameful. To be fair, though, I wasn’t thinking of selling it.

I would recommend (to myself) adding the following tags:

People: Irish ethnicity, two people, man, child, 5 year old, 30s, family, red hair, brown hair

Location: Irish National War Memorial Gardens, Dublin, Ireland

Setting: outdoors

Technical aspects: color image, square image

Nature: trees, summer

Objects and colours: monument, jacket, jeans, green, red, grey

Themes: humor, teasing, cute, innocence

One advantage is that I know the people in this image, so if the picture were good enough to sell, I would have no problem getting model releases stating age, gender, and ethnicity.

Model releases are a prerequisite if you want to sell images with clearly-identifiable people in them. You may think you know someone’s ethnicity, age or gender, but if you’re thinking of licensing the image, you can’t just guess. It has to be in the signed model release(s). This is particularly important when it comes to ethnicity.

Location keywords

People need to know where an image was taken. It’s pretty simple, but people do forget! I would also recommend that you do not add more than one location—or for that matter, any inapplicable tags. (They really mess up search. Please don’t mess up search.)

Example:

So are the location tags up to scratch? Well, ‘Iceland’ is there, and I guess most people will usually search that rather than try to spell other places on the island. Nonetheless, this image was taken at Reynisfjara beach, so the tag should be added. Especially if the image were to be licensed, I would recommend adding the following tags:

People: no people

Location: Reynisfjara beach, Iceland

Setting: outdoors

Technical aspects: copy space, selective focus, black and white

Nature: landscape, scenics, mist, sea stack, sea, rocks, coast, seascape, beach, water.

Themes: beauty in nature

‘Copy space’ is a useful keyword for advertising designers, or anyone looking to overlay text on the image.

Example:

This photo is from Canada, our second most popular photo location after Iceland (I just made that up but it’s not that far from the truth). It has some great keywords: Hamilton, city, graffiti, street, downtown, building, rabbit, outdoors, sky.

Problem is, Hamilton is the name of loads of different places (Wikipedia lists 40 or so). So it would be helpful to add the tag ‘Ontario’ in the format ‘Hamilton – Ontario’. Here, ‘… – Ontario’ is what keywording types call a disambiguator.

For Licensing, the following tags would be good:

People: Incidental people [you can just see them if you look closely]

Location: Hamilton – Ontario, Ontario, Canada

Setting: outdoors

Technical aspects: color image, horizontal image

Nature: clear sky, sky

Objects and colours: building, brick, graffiti, drawing, rabbit, orange color, blue

Themes: youth culture, downtown

Notice the tag ‘orange color’ rather than just ‘orange’? This is because ‘orange’ could also refer to the fruit.

Image color and image orientation

Keywords like “color image”, “black and white”, “horizontal image”, and “vertical image” are so basic that they are easy to miss when you’re tagging your image. Thing is, they are important and highly valued by the image libraries that may acquire your photo.

Example:

Here are the image’s existing keywords: TTC, Toronto, subway, train, station, Bathurst, movement, moving, platform, wall, tiles, blur, people, waiting, window.

Not bad! But ‘Bathurst’ also refers to several places, so ‘Bathurst station’ would be better; ‘blurred motion’ is more specific than ‘blur’. TTC can also mean lots of different things, so ‘Toronto Transit Commission’ would be better. Here is how full keywording would look:

People: small group of people, man, woman, adult

Location: Canada, Toronto, Bathurst station

Technical aspects: color image, horizontal image, blurred motion

Objects and colours: train, subway, platform, window, tiles, wall, black color, white color, text

Themes: waiting, commuting

Animals and plants example:

The existing tags on this image are pretty minimal (Ecuador, small, tiger, oncilla), although ‘oncilla’ is a nice, unambiguous one. The keyword ‘tiger’ isn’t helpful here since it generally refers to a completely different animal.

Recommended keywords:

People: No people

Location: Ecuador, Amazon rainforest, [specific location in Ecuador]

Setting: outdoors

Technical aspects: color image, horizontal image

Nature: oncilla, Leopardus tigrinus, feline, epiphyte, moss, leaf, tree

Objects and colours: green color, brown

Themes: animals in the wild, animals hunting, nature, biodiversity

Note the rather specific keywords ‘animals in the wild’ and ‘animals hunting’. These help distinguish clearly from domestic animals and from images depicting humans hunting animals.

Adding the scientific name of an animal or other lifeform is always helpful, as the scientific name (in this case Leopardus tigrinus) is rarely ambiguous and can therefore be safely translated across languages.

Objects and devices example:

This image does have the tags ‘car’, ‘highway’ and ‘road’, but the tagging fails to catch some of the prominent objects: rearview mirror, electricity pylon. Location is also missing, which is a keywording no-no. There is also no information about technical aspects such as lens flare.

Recommended keywords:

People: No people

Location: [Add specific location plus country]

Setting: outdoors

Technical aspects: color image, horizontal image, reflection, lens flare, blurred motion

Nature: sky, sunset, sun, cloud

Objects and colours: road verge, electricity pylon, rearview mirror, car, highway, road, yellow, red, black color

Themes: motion, travel, on the road

Some kind of filter appears to have been applied, so I would also add this information to the ‘technical aspects’ tags.

Food and drink example:

The existing tags ‘delicious’, ‘tasty’, ‘gourmet’ are subjective, which is OK. But we are missing keywords on the actual foods and utensils, as well as people, location, setting and technical aspects.

Recommended keywords:

People: no people

Location: [Add specific location plus country]

Setting: indoors

Technical aspects: color image, horizontal image, close-up, studio shot

Objects and colours: plate, spoon, white color, orange color, green color, yellow

Food and drink: food, carrot, cucumber, bell pepper, hummus, parsley, vegetable, vegetarian

Themes: healthy eating

The specific tag ‘healthy eating’ helps distinguish from ‘healthy living’, or healthy-looking bodies and the like.

Landscape keywords

I think it’s fair to say we have more than a few excellent landscape photos at 500px, so perhaps I should give some keywording tips for this category.

Example:

The location keywords are pretty good on this photo, although ‘Victoria’ is ambiguous and could be helpfully replaced by ‘Greater Victoria’. ‘Canada’ might also be a useful addition. ‘Black and white’ is great, but apart from ‘snow’, natural objects such as ‘tree’ and ‘lake’ are not mentioned—they are essential for nature and landscape images.

Recommended keywords:

People: One person

Location: Langford lake, Vancouver Island, Greater Victoria, Canada

Setting: outdoors

Technical aspects: black and white, horizontal image

Nature, objects and colors: landscape, scenics, winter, snow, tree, deciduous, lake, mist

Themes: solitude, contemplation, beauty in nature

Note the rather specific tag ‘beauty in nature’, which helps distinguish from images of ‘beautiful people’.

The individual keywords ‘black color’ and ‘white color’ would be unhelpful here, since the keyword ‘black and white’ is included.

Business keywords example:

If you want your images to sell, you could do worse than producing some nice, non-cheesy business shots. In this case, the keyword ‘media’ is very ambiguous and could be replaced with tags like ‘advertising’, ‘digital media’ and so on.

Recommended keywords:

People: one person, adult, 20s, woman, [ethnicity], blonde hair, long hair, smiling, attractive

Location: Toronto, Canada

Setting: indoors, office

Technical aspects: color image, vertical image, portrait, waist up, three quarter front view, low angle view

Objects and colours: window, wall, brick, jacket, yellow, brown

Business: business, businesswoman

Let’s not forget the model release, too. A property release may not be necessary in this case, as the property is not clearly identifiable—although it does look like 500px’s office! Also take care not to include any visible brands in business shots.

As you can see, a lot of the essential keywords fall into a few categories. When uploading images to Licensing, think about keywords for people, locations, setting, technical aspects, objects, and colors. If you do this, your images are more likely to sell—simple as that!

Source: https://bloghyped.com/how-good-is-your-photo-keywording/

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