#i still have a community garden + seed shop to make but that will be a diff time

[landgraabbed]

the three monkeys of bloom valley, a tiny space for locals to enjoy the outdoors

#p #ts2 #sims 2 #sav: bloom valley #i haven't playtested it yet lmfao #i finally decided to fill the 1x1 spaces i had in the map and for once in my life decided to build something myself #i still have a community garden + seed shop to make but that will be a diff time #mayhaps after i'm done assembling the uni hood (landgraab university) with lots stolen from here and there #(i say stolen as in i don't remember where i got all of them but wholeheartedly say are not mine)

[luvrxbunny]

rough

pairing: post-outbreak!joel miller x f!reader

summary: You're confronted with the town's opinions.

warnings: 18+ MDNI, smoking (weed), lots of feelings, (lmk if i forgot anything)

wc: 2.6k

a/n: if you've read my fic 'soft' then you've read this already

|| pt.1 || pt.2 || pt.3 || pt.4 ||

You just want to fuck him already. It’s been months now, of this back and forth. To be clear, you do still want him romantically, how could you not? This man, when his hair is fluffy and soft just like him. When you see his expression now light up when you walk into the room. When he builds you little trinkets in the shop, instead of doing the job he was assigned to. When he makes your favorite for dinner after finding out that you’re having a bad day. When he plans movie nights featuring your favorites that he could find on DVD. 

How could you not love him?

It scares you. The “situation-ship” you both were currently in started a few months ago. Actually… It started exactly four months and three weeks ago. There’s no point in pretending you haven’t kept track. Joel told you that he needed time. You would have never expected it to be this much time but you’ve grown to love and crave him over the months.

He listened to what you said at the bar that night. He’s been giving you so much affection it’s actually making the other women in the community quite jealous of you. He hasn’t kissed you yet but he kisses your cheek, your forehead, and- when he’s drunk or high enough- your neck. You don’t kiss him anymore. You’ve kissed his cheek a few times over the months, his head once when he was sick but other than that you try to keep to yourself. You’re still a bit traumatized from his first rejection, the way it played out, and everything. You’d rather just not risk it.  

You’re in the garden and he’s in the field. You’re planting flowers, pulling and re-planting vegetables while Joel is harvesting the wheat he planted four months ago and tilling the land for the new seeds. You keep looking over at him, you really can’t help it at this point. 

The sun is shining through his hair, making it a dark golden color with streaks of white running through it. His arms are smudged from handling the dirt all day and his biceps flex repeatedly as he picks the kernels off of the wheat and throws them into his basket. His eyebrows are creased and his eyes squinted to avoid the burning light of the sun and he keeps looking over at you. He really can’t help it at this point. 

You look so beautiful, sitting on your knees with your adorably mismatched gardening gloves. Your hair falls so angelically every time you lean forward to lead a new plant to its home. Every time you sit back up you use the back of your wrist to shove the hair from your face, sputtering out, trying to get your hair out of your mouth and it's so endearing. Your arms are dirty and he feels the incredibly odd urge to bathe you. He’s ready to love you. He’s so fucking ready but he has no clue- not even the slightest- as to how he should tell you. 

The current supervisor calls it a day and you almost fall face-first into the plants in your scramble to get to Joel. He’s taking off his gloves, flexing and stretching his fingers when he sees you rushing toward him with a huge smile he can’t help but mirror. “Hey, darlin’. You look so beautiful today.”

You freeze where you stand which luckily isn’t too far from Joel. He makes his way over to you, watching your expression. He loves it so much, he doesn’t understand how he never noticed it before. The way you always take a deep, shaking breath, your eyebrows go inward and you give him this look. He doesn’t understand it yet but it always makes him ache for you, makes him burn somewhere in the depths of his being to just be with you. He doesn’t know how long he can resist it. He doesn't want to. He doesn’t.

“I’m- I think I really- I just really wanna kiss you.” You snap out of your daze and your eyes focus on him, hopeful for a moment then a little dull. You turn your head, give him your cheek, close your eyes, and wait for the gentle kiss but nothing happens. You slowly open your eyes and look at him, he looks scared. “I wanna kiss you.”

You can hear your heart speed up, your breaths getting shorter and your thoughts more jumbled. He wants to kiss me? You’re confused for a moment, not understanding what brought this on. You’re eyes slip from his contact as you lose yourself in your thoughts, not realizing the silence you’re creating or the anxiety you’re causing. But Joel realizes, he’s sweating more than he has all day as he waits for you to say something, do something. He shifts his weight from foot to foot before giving up. “We don’t have to… I just- I wanted to…” He tries and fails to keep the sadness out of his voice.

His words strike fear in you and you reach out to grip his arm, hoping it’s enough to stop him from walking away. “Y-You wanna kiss me? On the… on the lips?” He’s surprised by your voice, it sounds far away, loose, and airy.

“I do.” It comes out with no hesitation, no stutters, no pause. You take a step closer to him and his expression twitches, his chest beginning to heave with anticipation. 

“I would really love that, Joel.” You’re staring up at him now, as best you can in the sun. You’re looking into his eyes, an excited, mischievous glint in your eyes, challenging him, daring him to do something. And he loses his nerve. 

“Oh! Okay. Thats… Thats good. I- I want you to come over later, alright? I’ll get us some weed and alc. You don’t need to bring snacks or nothin’ either jus- jus bring yourself, alright? Okay, see you then.” And with that, he walked off. His cheeks were absolutely burning. He couldn’t believe himself 

‘That's good’? What the fuck is wrong with you, Miller? Leaving that darlin’ girl standing in the sun like that? It just ain’t right, she’s so sweet on you and you fuckin’ know it. Why am I doin’ this to her… 

You’re watching Joel walk away. A bit stunned by the whole interaction, confusion, and questions swarm your head the whole walk home. They stick with you in the shower and as you get ready to head over to Joel’s. They accompany you on the whole walkover as well.

Maybe he wants me to do something… I know people like it rough, so maybe he wants me to take charge? He doesn’t really seem the type. Does this mean he wants me now? Will he kiss me tonight? Is that why he invited me over? Are we gonna have sex? Oh god, I hope so. I’d treat him so well- or maybe I wouldn’t… everyone likes it rough. 

You’ve reached his block when you’re stopped by Susan; Joel’s biggest admirer. She places herself in front of you, blocking your path and forcing you to talk to her.  “Oh, he’s not in, hun.”

You take a calming breath and try not to roll your eyes at her. “Okay… Well, I’m gonna check, just in case.” You turn your steps and try to make your way around her only for her to place herself right back in your way. 

“I’m gonna be honest I- I don’ really get this whole thing with you an’ him. I just- I guess I don’ really see it… Do ya’ know what I mean?” You glare at her, ignoring her statement and waiting for her to just get out of your way. “I mean…” She steps closer to you. “I remember when you first got here…” 

You can feel shame and embarrassment curl in your stomach at the mention of your arrival. You weren’t in the best place, mentally, and you did a lot- a lot- of things that you wished you hadn’t, lots of men you wished you hadn’t. “Don’t be an ass, Susan.” She backs away from you, a sinister smile on her face and her hands in the air. 

“Hey! I’m” She laughs. “I’m jus sayin’... You were interested in a lot of different men.” You start walking, refusing to listen to what she has to say. But the psycho bitch follows you. “I mean are you even sure that it’s him that you want? Weren’t you with Jared just a few months ago? I mean…” 

You’re speed-walking to Joel’s now. You’re only a house away when she hops in front of you again. “Hun! I told you he ain’t home! I’m just-” She sighs and lowers her head as you crane your neck, hoping and praying Joel had made his way to the porch by now. But he hasn’t. “If you just want a man I can set you up with some of my friends! Some people who are… Gosh! How do I say this without bein’ rude? Some people who are more in your… lane… league?” Your head whips back at her, fury raging in your eyes at her audacity. 

“Excuse me?” You question, low and threatening. “Well. Hun, c’mon now, don’t get all bent outta shape, I mean well! You and I both know Joel is too… hmm, well. He’s too good for you I guess.” You’re not staring at her, you’ve turned your head to the patch of sky you can see through the trees beside you, choosing to count the stars instead of listening to this shit. 

“I’d strongly disagree.” You can hear her gasp and spin around as a smile spreads over your face. Joel. 

“Oh! I- I thought you weren’t home, sugar.” She tries to lean into him but he walks around her and grabs your arm, pulling you past her with a mumble of ‘Yeah. I know.’, ending the conversation. 

Joel doesn’t speak until he’s gotten you inside. “I dunno why you listen to that woman. She spews nothin’ but garbage.” You watch him dart from cupboard to cupboard to retrieve his lighter and a little joint you can tell he rolled because it’s dented in the middle. “She’s always saying some dumb shit. I fuckin’ hate it.” 

His eyebrows are furrowed and his face is hard as he lights it up. You can’t remember the last time you’ve seen him so angry. You watch the tension fall from his shoulders, his face relaxing as he inhales. You take your shoes off, still watching him as a small smile spreads over his face and he exhales. “Are you gonna share Joel?” You ask as he goes in for another hit. 

“Hey-  Be nice darlin’ it’s mine after all.” He teases while handing it to you. You push yourself up onto the counter, sitting next to where he’s leaning as you take a drag. 

“Yours schmours, you’ll be fine.” He giggles- giggles- at your statement, his hand coming up to cover his smile as he laughs. All you can see are his pretty brown eyes, the creases around them, and the way they almost shut while he laughs. You feel your heart race, bringing along that urge that has gotten you in trouble many times over. Your eyes flicker to his lips and you immediately avert your gaze, taking another hit to try and calm yourself. 

You wait for him to come back up from his designated, folded, laughing position and hold the joint out for him. You snort at the misshapen stick, causing you to choke on the smoke you were holding. “Yeah. Yeah, that’s what you get for laughing. Mhm.” You’re coughing up a lung as he says this, making the situation worse because you cannot stop laughing at him. He continues his remarks after taking a hit, you’re still choking and laughing, and you hold an arm out to him. 

“Joel-” You cough. “Joel-” You laugh. “Joel, stop it. I’m- oh fuck.” You start coughing again in a way that has Joel turning to face you, amusement and a bit of concern on his face. “Oh my god, stop. I’m gonna die, don’t make me laugh- oh my god.” 

He’s beaming at you, proud that you find him so funny and the high really hitting him. You can tell, his eyes are a bit hazy and his eyebrows are raised for some reason. He walks towards you when your fit dies down, pushing himself between your legs with a dazed look on his face. He’s just staring at your thighs for a moment, his head turning from left to right so he can look at both of them before looking up at you. Your heart is thrumming out of your chest as you try to keep your expression neutral, maybe a bit inquisitive. He stares at your lips for a bit before you see his hand raising with the joint. He brings it to your lips and looks back up at your eyes, his eyebrows jump, prompting you to inhale. 

You take a long hit, trying to get as much smoke as you can, hoping it will calm you down. His eyes stay on yours, darkening as his breathing becomes a bit shallow. He pulls the joint away from your lips and puts it out right onto the counter before bringing his hand up to your cheek. 

You haven’t exhaled yet, savoring the hit while he slowly brings your face to his. You’re watching his eyes, still on yours as he pulls you in. You begin to exhale, not wanting to hold the smoke in if he’s going to kiss you. That’s when he pushes your lips together. You try not to choke as he sucks the smoke out of your mouth and pulls away. You’re in a stupor as he grins at you and breathes your smoke out, re-lighting the fire in the pit of your stomach, the one that always seems to flare whenever he’s around.

“What’d ya think of that, huh? Good kiss or?” He’s wearing a smirk but his eyes are uncertain at your silence. You keep it up, not saying anything, just pulling him back in and smashing your lips into his. He accepts your kiss with a grunt from the force of it as his arms wrap around your waist, pulling you in. 

You’re gripping his hair like it's your lifeline, gripping his face like it’ll fall apart otherwise, it hurts a little but he’s fond of your eagerness. Your hands slide onto his shoulders and you dig your fingers into his skin brutally, pulling a wince from him. He separates your lips and strokes over your cheek with his thumb, admiring you. It's a soft, tender moment until you yank him by his belt loops, crashing him against the counter painfully to whisper in his ear. “I want you, Joel”

He smiles at this and kisses you again as you undo his belt. You remove it from the loops and let it drop to the ground so you can get to work on his button and zipper. You feel his lips stutter against yours and he pulls away, confused. “Not- not here, darlin’. ‘M not gonna do this in the kitchen.” He sounds a bit confused as he grips your hips and lifts you off of the counter and back onto the floor. They come back up to cradle your face again as he places a quick, soft kiss on your lips. “ ‘M gonna make love to you in my room, on my bed, baby.”

Make love...?

What?

thank you so much for reading!! please please please give any feedback you may have! I want it all! also if you liked it please take a look at my masterlist! or send me some motivation here!

🏷️ : @hiroikegawa

#joel x reader #joelxreader #joel the last of us #joel miller fanfic #joel miller x reader #joel miller #joel tlou #joel miller x you #joel miller x y/n #joel miller x f!reader #joel miller x female reader #joel miller fanfiction #joel miller fic #joel miller angst #joel miller the last of us #joel miller fluff

[kaldurcalm]

Astarion might not enjoy flowers for himself, but he would become used to the idea if you liked them.

He might get stressed out at the florist and pick one of everything. He doesn't know how much arrangements cost so he argues with the florist and still leaves unsatisfied, no matter what he leaves with. The florist doesn't like him either.

If he tries to remember flower meanings, he'll probably be muttering over a book wondering how anyone remembers these things. If you walk in on him he'll jump and try to hide it or sheepishly show you his presentation.

He doesn't ever grow to love flowers the way you do, but he learns where the acceptable bouquets are.

~

Wyll is absolutely into the language of flowers and knows many of them by heart. He can do a bit of arranging himself, but he mostly likes to leave it up to the florists. They're the experts, after all. He just tells them what he's shooting for.

Whether he's picking them himself or custom ordering them from a fancy shop, he's happy either way.

~

Gale is an absolutel fussbudget. He micromanages everything and has very specific expectations. If the florist can meet them he's all gushing praise, but gods help the person who doesn't immediately see his vision. He's not rude so much as he's extremely finicky.

He will read up on the language of flowers in a ten-day, if he doesn't know them already. If that's something you like, you'll find flowers with different messages everywhere. He's always finding new ones.

~

Karlach is the most likely to pick some flowers off the side of the road. She doesn't care what they mean--although she thinks it's neat--she just thinks they're pretty.

She wants to live a normal life, so she'll want to have an arrangement at least once. She'll probably tell the florist, "I dunno... what've you got?" and then just go with it, because it sounds good to her.

There's a few exceptions where she would have a specific idea in mind, but she really just wants the normal romantic stuff. She's happy to be able to give and receive.

~

Halsin is more likely to give you a plant to care for. He doesn't really love the idea of plants that will die in a ten-day.

Druid clothing does seem to have leaves sort of woven into them, and @tadfools mentioned that Kagha's leaves looked like they were dying because she joined the shadow druids.

He might weave plants into a garment or something. Though the leaves seem to be a status symbol, so maybe he would gift you seeds. He communicates with the trees as well as well as with animals, so plants have a lot of meaning for him.

~

Shadowheart is flexible. She can do a grand gesture, she can wear a flower found by the side of the road. She jokes about the flowers a lot. She always calls you sweet when you give them.

She knows a thing or two about flower meanings, but far more about which ones make good poisons. She's learning which ones she likes best in her garden.

~

Lae'zel's approach to flowers is the same as her approach to sunsets. She didn't care for them at first, and it took her time to see the beauty in them. She probably asks for guidance because she knows she's out of her depth.

If the florist is scared of her, she gets annoyed; potentially to the point of storming out and saying that she'll do it herself. She quickly learns that doing it herself isn't as easy as it seems.

She appreciates the love she's gained for Faerun and its beauty, but she'd still prefer the heads of enemies.

#bg3 #bg3 characters #flowers #let's not say what prompted this so it can fade with time #also did i get halsin right #i also feel shaky on shadowheart #i could see halsin being like. that's the way of nature. but i still think he would prefer living plants #mine

[lucifer-is-a-bag-of-dicks]

I love that Sam Manson loves the holiday season

I think it makes perfect sense for a character like Sam to enjoy something that most people would expect her not to, she doesn't conform to shit, she can be a goth and still love the holidays, she can be anti-capitalist and anti-consumerism and still love the holidays

imagine Sam giving out a ton of home made gifts, and those cards that have seeds embedded in them so you can bury them in the garden, imagine Sam using entirely biodegradable decorations, even making them herself if she has to

Sam would be the most thoughtful god damn gift giver, if it isn't something she made for you personally it's something you actually genuinely needed or something you really wanted but couldn't afford

any gift shopping she has to do she definitely does it earlier in the year so as not to add to the insane pressure for retail workers, and if she does have to shop during this time she tips wicked heavy, and she definitely puts a lot of focus into small family run businesses and local artists

she 100% donates to those 'gifts for kids in need' programs (after making sure they're legit and reputable) and definitely makes a lot of local contributions to community hall events and such (especially library events)

her parents absolutely do everything in their power to encourage this behaviour because oh my god she's being pleasant and friendly for a change and yes honey you can absolutely donate to that charity! the neighbours gave ten grand to one of those fresh water pumps in one of those poor countries and we need to at LEAST double that if we want to rub it in their faces at the next gala

Sam is 100% aware her parents are using her to benefit their image but she gets to pick the charities and they'll give her as much money as she asks for so she considers it a win win

anyone who knows more about Hanukkah traditions than I do is absolutely welcome to add to this with more Jewish specific details to Sam's festive attitude, like please I'd love to see it

#lula's headcanons #danny phantom #dp #sam manson #I focused a lot on trying to make sure I used inclusive holiday language #but please let me know if I slipped somewhere

[floursramona]

Seeded

Din Djarin x GN!Reader

Rating: G

Word Count: 2.2k

Warnings: Fluff, a ridiculous amount of it, pining, canon-typical violence, flowers, I have minimal knowledge of the Star Wars universe, this may or may not be the beginning of a series, no use of pronouns, no use of y/n, some gendered nicknames, pre-relationship

Summary: Handing out flowers all day wasn’t exactly living the dream, but it got your bills paid. A stranger rolls through your neighborhood and you find yourself drawn to him. Oddly enough, he seems to feel the same.

Notes: This is my first ever venture into the Star Wars universe! Writing-wise, that is. I've consumed enough fic to last me a lifetime and I wanted to contribute my brain worms to the community as well. This idea came to me earlier this month, when I wanted to push myself to do something for Valentine's Day and now it's finally blossomed (ha) into… whatever this is. I may continue if I get an idea of where to go from here. Hope y'all enjoy and let me know what you think!

Cross-posted on Ao3

Handing out flowers all day wasn’t exactly living the dream, but it got your bills paid. Working at a plant shop was a unique experience and you couldn’t exactly say you regretted applying. On easy days you got to take your favorite post, and here you were, with a basket of cut wildflowers and enticing passersby to come inside. Your boss had always been eager to drum up business and what better than giving something away? 

On the busy and overpopulated planet of Coruscant, most people didn’t spare you a second glance, but tourists were always willing to stop and take a free and beautiful flower. From there, it wasn’t hard to convince them to come inside to see the whole garden and the workers inside were masters at sales pitches. Almost nobody left without a new plant for their homes or a bunch of flowers for their sweethearts. 

Standing outside a shop all day was rough sometimes, the sun beating down or the nasty smells but you always find yourself passing the hours people-watching. Even on your off time, you love sitting outside, making up stories and personalities for every being that walked your way. Which is exactly why, when you see the Mandalorian pass by you the first time, you are completely and utterly captivated.

It isn’t that you never saw warrior-types, no, in fact you’d seen many armored figures pass your shop. But you’d never seen one quite like this, covered head-to-toe in perfect, gleaming chrome. 

The armor is the first thing that catches your eye. The second is his posture.

If you had a less careful eye, you would have taken one glance and thought that he was inexperienced. Untouched armor is a dead giveaway for someone who hasn’t actually seen battle. Watching him stalk past your shop tells a different story. 

Even if he wasn’t wearing the armor, you bet he would still have that confident, broad stature. He isn’t peacocking, not strutting like he owns the place, but every bit of him says “I know who I am”. And Maker, do you like the look of that. 

Your inner musings silence all at once when you see his helmet turn towards you. The T-shaped visor gives him an intimidating brow and you feel yourself freeze, unable to look away. He isn’t anywhere near you, at least 10 other people walking past, but you feel like the only two on the street. You wonder if he feels the same.

A hand grabs your shoulder and the bubble suddenly pops, a sharp gasp leaving your mouth as you turn around. 

“Whoa! Didn’t mean to startle you,” It’s just your boss. You feel the hair prickle on the back of your neck and you’re tempted to turn back around, but he’s still speaking. 

“What? Oh, sorry. Just a little lost in thought.”

He chuckles at you, shaking his head. “I’ve just come to relieve you. Go take your lunch.”

Nodding, you hand him your basket of flowers and try not to rush inside. Your nosy coworkers would want to know what had you all flustered and what would you say? An armored covered stranger walking on the other side of the street looked at you? And you couldn’t even say for sure if he did, because he wore a helmet?

You chuckle at yourself for being silly. He was just another tourist. You see plenty of attractive people walking down the street every day.

But none of them usually spared you a second glance, your traitorous brain supplies. 

You shake your head to banish the thought, busying yourself with collecting your bag and credits where you keep it locked up in the back. You take your leave without saying anything, sure that your voice would give your unsteadiness away.

As you walk through the busy streets, you can’t help but fantasize a little longer. What if that armored stranger had been looking for a flower shop? You can’t imagine him wanting a floral arrangement but everyone could use a plant or two for their backyard. Does he even live here or is he from another planet? A silly pang runs through you as you imagine him living off-world - it means you likely wouldn’t see him again.

This time, you roll your eyes at yourself, entering your usual cantina for a hot meal. As the smells overtake you, you force yourself to leave the silly thoughts behind.

“Hey hon! Take a seat and I’ll be right with you,” The kind barmaid, Giala, who loves to waste time gossiping at your table, greets you and you smile. 

“You know what I want, Gee, I’ll be over at the booths. She grins back and nods, bussing the table in front of her. 

You take out your holopad to scroll through the news, but it’s quickly forgotten. You sit facing the door and a rowdy group of what appear to be businessmen draw your attention. You do your best not to stare, not that people tend to notice you much anyway. You find yourself rolling your eyes again as you listen to their conversation, and this time it’s apparent because Giala walks up to your table chuckling. 

“Those fellas are gonna be trouble, aren’t they,” she says, less of a question and more of a statement. She puts down your steaming hot bowl of… well, you weren’t always sure what was in it, but it was always delicious. 

“Eh, perhaps, but those types are usually harmless.” You’re quickly captivated by your food, hungry after a long morning on you feet. Your spoon is loaded up and on its way to your mouth when Giala says, “That shiny one over there might be a real issue though.”

It couldn’t be. You turn your head- it is. 

The armored stranger from earlier is standing by the bar. He’s obviously not there for a drink, too rigid and hands practically gripping the edge of the bartop. He’s scanning the room and once again locks glares with you, but the spell is quickly broken by Giala blocking the view when she crouches down in front of you. 

“I overheard someone say there was a bounty hunter sniffing around. Wouldn’t you think it’s him, just by the look of him?” Her eyes look at you eagerly and you peer around her again to study the figure. He’s looking back down at something in his hand. Something red and flashing, the reflection showing on his visor and it clicks for you.

“He’s a Mandalorian. I think. Supposedly some of the most feared warriors in the galaxy,” Something stirs within you that’s not quite fear, however. “Do you still work for that sleazeball manager?”

You look back toward her but before she can even get a sound out, shots are ringing out through the cantina. You thank the stars that you got your usual booth today, as you hit the ground and drag your friend under the table with you. She’s whimpering and covering her face, but you’re carefully watching the running feet from your position. 

Once the shots cease, which doesn’t take long, you hold just a bit longer. You can’t see anyone moving anymore, so you lean slowly towards the edge of the table for a better vantage point. You hear a few clicks and shuffling movements and when your head is out far enough, you see him again, arranging the cantina owner to drag him out by the cuffs on his wrist. 

A few other people are cowering under their tables, and there’s some scorch marks on the walls, but it doesn’t appear that anyone’s actually hurt. Well, except for the scumbag the Mandalorian’s got cuffed, but the groans he’s making give away his survival. 

The Mandalorian’s about to leave but he scans the room again, and, for what you hope isn’t the last time, meets your gaze. He nods- at you, you think? You hope- and leaves. For as intriguing as he was, suddenly you’re hoping that maybe he doesn’t pay your shop a visit.

___

Of course, he does. Well, not exactly, but just about a week later, you’re stood in front of the shop again and you spot the Mandalorian on your street again. Your stomach does a flip, partially out of fear that you might be the next one in cuffs, and partially at the thought that you might not be entirely opposed to that. 

He seems to be just as focused as the first time you saw him, but oh, how wrong you are. You’re staring again, you realize, because his helmet turns towards you, and your stomach is flipping again because now he’s making his way towards me, oh Maker, please tell me I didn’t commit some heinous crime in my sleep that placed a thousand credit bounty on your head and-

“Excuse me.” 

You snap out of your spiral at the sound of his voice, a lovely, deep, gravelly voice- 

“You work here.”

Fuck, you’ve gotta stop getting lost in your thoughts. He asked you a question. Except- he didn’t?

“Yes?” You manage to make your voice sound somewhat normal, if a bit higher pitched than usual.

“I assume you see a lot of people that go by,” he says and shit, it’s more than a little intimidating to have his attention on you. He’s fully facing you this time, only an arm’s length away. His hands are just resting by his sides, but the sheer amount of weaponry you see on him is not usual, even for this planet. 

“You’re not here to arrest my boss, are you?” you blurt out and already you’re regretting it. He tilts his head at you and it’s almost adorable, making you think of a confused loth-cat. 

“I don’t think so. I’m looking for this man. I’m told he frequents this area, and I’ve seen you out here every time I pass by,” he takes out a device that lights up with a hologram of a scruffy-looking human. Sure, you’ve seen him before, but wait- every time he’s passed by? As in more than once?

“I thought you found your bounty when you shot up the cantina last week,” and you reprimand yourself again mentally. Sure enough, he doesn’t seem happy with your phrasing when he shifts to cross his arms.

“Sorry- ‘shot up’ is a bit much. I just meant- I don’t always see that kind of… excitement around here. And we don’t exactly get a lot of folks who look like you either. So it’s a bit strange seeing you back so soon. W-why are you back again?” you’re babbling, and you know it. 

He doesn’t need to answer the question and yet he does, “I was completing a job and now I’m here for another one,” he lifts up the hologram again, “Do you know this man?”

“‘Know’ is a strong word. Have I seen him? Of course,” and you go on to describe how he often slinks around, a pickpocket who preys on the unsuspecting tourists of the area. You babble on far too long with a description of the habits you’ve picked up merely by observing, his full attention overwhelming you into running your mouth. 

“Thank you,” the Mandalorian says, when you finally finish. He tucks away the hologram device but he stays standing there for another second, just looking at you. Waiting for what, you’re not sure. He’s already asked what he needs for you. Maybe he would have said something, but you beat him to it. 

“Would you like a flower?” You curse yourself internally, you really just say the stupidest shit when you’re flustered. He’s still just standing there, fuck, fuck, please respond-

“I don’t- I don’t need a flower,” he says, hesitantly. 

You scramble through your basket for the right bloom, something not overly feminine, something that would fit his personality, something that’s not already dying and there-

“Here,” you thrust your hand out awkwardly at him, “just take it. A-as thanks.”

He cocks his head again, as if confused. “For what? I was the one seeking information.” 

“For getting rid of that asshole. In the cantina? He was a real scumbag and treated my friend like shit. I don’t know what kind of price was on his head, and I don’t know what you did with him, but the planet’s better without him. So thanks for that… you, uh, did a good job.”

He stays silent this time and Maker, that blank stare just pierced right through you. Before you lose your nerve, you reach out and wedge the stem in an empty slot of his bandolier. It looks almost silly, on a man so threatening but also fits in a strange sort of way. The spray of light blue blends quite nicely with the rest of his ensemble and the small buds don't actually attract too much attention. It reflects on his chest plate and you let yourself admire him for another moment. 

“Thank you,” he finally says, interrupting your unashamed ogling. “For your time and your token.”

“Anytime, Mandalorian.” The grin comes easily to your face.

He turns to leave but not before studying you for another moment and saying, “May our paths cross again someday.”

You watch him walk away and wonder if he really means it.

——————

#i write things #mando x reader #mando x you #din djarin #din x reader #din x you #din djarin x you #fluff #hope i'm not missing any other tags #the mandalorian #din djarin x reader

[ofoceansandtombsanew]

In nature, nothing is perfect and everything is perfect. Trees can be contorted, bent in weird ways, and they're still beautiful. ~ Alice Walker

Welcome, lovers, to Ocean & Tombs Botanicals! I’m your host Nyla and I will be giving you a brief summary of our facility so you don’t get lost! Here at O&T botanicals, we have two gardens you may roam. First, is our land garden where you can find lovely blooms such as 

sunflower (adoration, loyalty, radiance)

lilac (first love, childhood innocence, passion)

buttercup (”your charm dazzles me”)

jasmine (beauty, good luck)

chrysanthemum (devotion, loyalty, longevity)

orchid (thoughtful, mature charm)

If you wish for something a bit different, however, our aquatic garden is just as beautiful with wet soil-loving blooms and pond plants such as:

water lily (peace, pleasure, celebration)

water hawthorn (love, protection)

forget-me-not (undying love, growing affection, remembrance)

lotus (purity, rebirth)

water poppy (jealousy, desire for forgiveness, sincerity)

water iris (communication, wisdom)

And please don’t forget to stop by our souvenir shop so you can collect any memorabilia from your time here! Here you can whimsical and fine items such as:

jar full of dandelion seeds (hopeful date. someone wishes to take things to the next level, i wonder what that means)

crocus bulbs (first date. you’re nervous, excited and all the other emotions in between)

sakura hairpin (honeymoon phase date. you haven’t been dating for long but everything feels so right)

rose-scented lotion (wizened date. you’ve been on plenty dates, everything is nice and comfortable)

Alright, alright, I can see some individuals are rather anxious to begin their adventures in the abortorium. Please, go ahead and enjoy your time here at O&T botanicals! 

ocean & tombs botanicals

Thank you for 1000 followers!! It really means a lot 1k of you like my writing enough to follow so I wanted to do a little something to celebrate and show my appreciation. As you can see, this time, you’re going on a little floral-themed adventure with your fictional other! Flowers are things I love, so I just had to make at least ONE event where plants are the central theme.

To participate in this event, please choose two flowers from either garden (whether the same garden or not) and one souvenir and I’ll write a short scenario about your date.

🌿Fandoms: genshin impact, shingeki no kyojin, tokyo revengers, chainsaw man, jojo’s bizarre adventure, blue lock, hell’s paradise (jigokuraku)🌿

🌻Event closes: april 21st 11:59 AM🌻

#look she's doing an event #1000 followers #genshin x reader #snk x reader #aot x reader #tokrev x reader #csm x reader #jjba x reader #blue lock x reader #hell's paradise x reader #jigokuraku x reader

[summonerluna]

❄️| 🌈 | ☔

Putting this under a cut because it's long!

❄️Share a snippet from a WIP of your choosing.

From a New Orleans-style Irvine fic I started awhile ago. Vampires, Selvine angst, and GF lore with my love of the NoLA aesthetic mixed in.

It’s easy to get lost in this town. The streets are filled with more people than cars, people whooping with joy mixed with shouts from anger and intoxication. On the corner is a busker, trumpet blaring out Estharii jazz, and he can hear a group of kids playing plastic tub drums one street over. Music drifts in and out of shops, and the balconies lining the street are filled with people in restaurants or homes, commercialism and community and excess and poverty blending seamlessly in this place of old world architecture and new world technology. 

Rinoa leads them into a small cafe and Irvine buys her the promised coffee, and she takes his hand when they walk back onto the street. 

It’s comfortable, with Rinoa. 

They have always been the outcasts, after all. The ones with their memories, the ones without SeeD. In the early days, when everyone was still at B-Garden and they were in the hazy afterglow of the war, she got it into her head that she was going to make everyone the ham and cheese sandwiches Deling City is famous for; stuffed with horrible smelling cheese and smothered in some kind of sauce Irvine could never remember. And it would have been good—Rinoa was a surprisingly good cook—except Balamb’s markets were not exactly known for the rich ingredients most Galbadian cooking required. The result may not have been recognizable in their hometown, but Irvine appreciated her efforts nonetheless. He hadn’t realized he was homesick until he walked into the guest dorm she was staying in and was immediately hit with the smell of the countless food trucks he walked past every day during breaks from Garden. 

That was the first night he knew that SeeD was not for him. 

It was also the first night with Selphie, when he walked her back to her dorm, like he always did, but this time she invited him in. 

Now, he and Rinoa walk the ancient city streets, wandering in and out of shops, laughing at the overly commercialized attempts to profit off of the city’s sorceress legacy. Rinoa finds it amusing, the number of people crowding in, hoping to buy charms or spell bags, to take some of the Old City magic home with them, without realizing a genuine sorceress is standing right beside them. Irvine thinks they should really mess with people—that she should set some crystals aglow, or throw a little wind into the rafters and get the chimes and bells ringing, but stops when a dark look crosses her face, and she reminds him that not everyone is here to tap into their own magic; there are plenty who think they’ll be the ones to find a true witch and take her for ransom. 

Hours pass. It’s dark, and Irvine is tired, and they make their way to the waterfront. Rinoa is on her third coffee since leaving the restaurant, ice melting in a cut sitting beside her where she lays with her head in his lap, so fully engrossed in her book he thinks she has forgotten he’s even there. Irvine drinks a cocktail from a styrofoam cup and just watches the water, listening to the wind in the moss hanging from the massive oak above them. He is half asleep when Squall and Selphie finally return. He can’t get a read on them, can’t tell if their mission was a success or not. Squall looks tired. Selphie looks bored. Rinoa stands up and runs to Squall, and Irvine feels that same twist in his stomach he felt at dinner when Squall leaned in to kiss her. 

Selphie drops into his lap before he tries to stand, and he pushes the pangs of jealousy away, switching to a laugh instead, asking obvious questions he knows she can’t answer, and playfully kissing her neck while she laughs. 

“They’re leaving tonight,” she says, nodding towards their friends. “Squall needs to get back to Balamb. Think we should order room service on his account in the morning?” 

“Why wait until morning?” Irvine grins. “You never got to finish your dessert, after all.” 

“Is that a euphemism, Mr. Kinneas?” 

He winks and kisses her and starts to think that maybe Rinoa is right. Maybe it’s not silly to ask her to move. Maybe... 

🌈 Share something soft/fluffy from your WIP

Y'all know I don't really do soft and fluffy so this one is a bit of a challenge! But gonna go with a LoZ thing I'm working on:

When Link comes back to the fire, he crouches beside her instead of sitting, and she immediately recognizes the look he gets when he wants to ask something, and is arguing with himself over whether or not he should.

“What is it?” she prompts, smiling at him. 

“Do you want to go for a walk? It doesn’t have to be far. I know it’s late.” 

It isn’t that late of course, but she appreciates his concern for her stamina. “Yes,” she says. “I think I can manage a walk.” 

He stands up and extends a hand to help her to her feet. She shivers again as the blanket slips from her shoulders, and the ground has grown cold while she sat–and slept–beside the now-dying fire. Link catches the blanket before it falls and adjusts it so it covers her again, and she is once again acutely aware of how close he is. 

“Here,” he picks up her cup of tea and hands it to her, and takes a couple of steps, waiting for her to follow. 

He leads her around the small paddock set up for Saria, along the edge of the cliff that drops down into the creek. It’s dark, and more than once she worries she won’t see the edge of the cliff before she walks off of it. Link of course, won’t let her; it’s clear he knows the terrain with or without light. He reaches for her at one point, his fingers taking hers and steering her to walk beside him opposite the drop, and it’s a gesture so familiar, something they repeated so many times before, and she wonders again if this is something he remembers, or if the years and trauma between them still aren’t as strong as this natural pull to help each other.

“There,” he says, coming to a stop, and she stands beside him. Their hands are still touching, a couple of fingers interlocked. She can only just see the outline of his face in the distant glow of lights coming from his house, and he is looking out into a greater sea of blackness, at…

“Luminous stones!” she cries. Bright green and blue lights, most of them so far away, dot the valley otherwise hidden in darkness. “There’s so many of them! Oh, they’re beautiful.” 

She counts them, three here, two there, trying to gauge how far away they are. Certainly too far to get to tonight, but maybe soon…? She wonders if he remembers how excited she got, whenever they were traveling late enough to see the glowing stones. Is that why he wanted to show her? Or does he just enjoy coming out here to look, and thought she might as well? 

☔Is there a fic concept you have that you'd like to just explain and share because you're not sure you'll ever write it? If so, what is it?

The first long fic I ever started trying to write for VIII, was a post-game thing that ultimately formed a lot of my headcanons, but never made it past a bunch of scattered chapters, many of which later got frankensteined into things I have written since. But some of the main points from it were:

-A strong focus on Seifer and Rinoa, and their opposing post-game journeys. He ended the game a villain and her a hero, but mostly the fact that his dream had always been to be a Sorceress' Knight--they had been a couple, and in pursuit of his dream his lost her and then she became the sorceress, and Squall got everything Seifer wanted without even trying (in Seifer's mind).

-A big theme for me with Rinoa is that she left a life of privilege to fight for the oppressed, and then she ended up inheriting these powers that in recent history have only been used FOR oppression. Squall can't entirely see how hard this is for her, because he just sees her, and it can be a point of conflict between them (ironically he is the one guilty of almost toxic positivity, though it's mostly rooted in his fear of losing her)

-In contrast, Seifer is in need of a redemption arc, and this results in him being the only person Rinoa can confide in, because he's the only other person (save for Edea but the only person her age) who has had Ultimecia in his head, and really understands her terror. So he and Rinoa end up with this cross-fade between them, as Seifer moves away from his role and she doesn't exactly sink down, but she struggles and it causes problems for her.

Other things I wanted to include:

-At one point Squall assigns a blind contract to Irvine, and it turns out the contract is an assassination hit on Rinoa. Irvine "forgets" to block the sun from reflecting off his sights so Squall has a chance to react and blocks the shot (but is injured). It creates obvious tension between them, and sends Squall into a slight panic of realizing how easily that could happen again, and what the future of Garden and SeeD is, playing on his "I used to keep myself isolated because people might leave me and now I have people I care about and have to try and control everything I can so they don't die" struggle.

-Wimbly Donner is somehow involved because it's funny

-This fic also was where my Seifer/Ellone ship first came from, since Seifer first shows up after Squall is shot in the assassination attempt, where he has been in Esthar with Ellone and Laguna, and includes a scene that is VERY clear in my mind of Squall having a Ross Gellar "WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MY SISTER" moment when he realizes Seifer and Ellone have gotten together.

A lot of these ideas have turned into other things, and there are some scenes I wrote that I really like and may eventually just share them as scraps. This story also taught me a lot about myself as a writer, and how I am just not someone who writes plot-driven stories. This story was way too much plot! I like character interactions and dreamy descriptions of place, and just couldn't figure out how to get my writing style to work with this many moving pieces.

#ask meme #writing #wips #final fantasy viii #the legend of zelda #fanfic #aleheartilly

[vivi-the-goblin]

People just don't seem to get that many of the "flaws" of tumblr are by design, sometimes OUR design, and the only thing keeping us safe. Tumblr is a community garden. The mods are half-conscious landlords that own the lot, stumbling around without much clue about what's going on or even who thier tenants are. WE made this place into what it is. We grew this site ourselves, planted every seed, maintained every plot. All the content was grown ourselves and shared via reblogs, they're the heart and marrow of this place. Reblogs aren't theft btw, as I've heard many confused by. To continue the metaphor, reblogs are like spreading fertilizer. You're definitely still contributing, it makes notes explode and motivates people, gives people the energy to keep creating. Reblogs start chains that can increase activity by orders of magnitude. Likes are private words of encouragement that only you and I see, they're quietly saying "good job" as you pass. I appreciate it, I truly do, they're like a cool glass of water that gives me energy to continue. If you wish to help the whole community without ever posting, a quick reblog on something you like seriously helps. Even without tags or additions, that's fine, it still greatly expands the lot we have to work in. We all follow blogs that're just "someone with similar tastes reblogging things," a good half of the people I follow are. That's all I was on my original blog for like 10 years before I started this, no shame. Oh, and I was serious about the maintenance bit as well. We've had bots spring up like weeds in the past and the only thing that ever kept them in check was community effort to block-report them. I mean "got 5 new followers every day even on brand new blogs" sort of bad, but we beat them down through group effort. So if you have no title or reblogs and are wondering why people block you after you follow, it's because people think you're either spam or a burner account about to start sending hate. Personally don't block until something actually happens, especially now that I'm aware many of you just showed up, but I did think that like half of you were bots at first. Chaning your title to anything, even just "not a bot" will fix that if it bothers you though. Or just reblog something. I see an account completely blank except like, a picture of a spinning lancer, I know they're just someone's personal sideblog. This is getting a bit rambly, but point is that the "flaws" people talk about are primarily by design and what we've fought to keep for 15 years. Yes our landlords wander around incompetently, but that's just as much OUR design. We don't want massive corporations paving this place over to make another shopping mall. We want to stay the quirky little farmer's market living off word-of-mouth, not be replaced by "more convenient" superstore of the algorithm. The work we put in makes this place the wonderful, terrible, irreplaceable treasure it is. Enabling our self-destructive staff, maintaining our community, and making sure we're bottom-of-the-barrel for advertisers is how we do that.

#It's like an apartment complex that unionized #then realized if we kept the landlords drunk they'll just let us do whatever #like we gotta make sure they're happy enough to not sell to the massive agency and mostly fix things ourselves #Because they're a bit puritan #but they're better than the hell that is corporate housing

[immersivepaganryblog]

Elaborate ceremonial elements are unnecessary for everyday spells, charms, or enchantments. The essence, the heart, of Household Witchcraft is using things from around your home. There is also a certain level of modernization to be expected and respected. For instance, a stew pot might replace a cauldron. There are many more examples to be found online and in books. I encourage everyone to get creative and thrifty with their tools. Many Witches and Pagans make efforts to collect a few family heirlooms, antique, or well-made replicas of antique items. Such tools can be used create a connection to the past and also give a sense of generational continuation.

Tools Pictured

●Knife: Knives are used primarily to cut food or mince herbs but they also symbolically can represent severance, protection, danger, sacrifice, death, or loss.

●Chalice: The Chalice pictured here is a replica of a Nuremburg Wedding Chalice. They represent love, loyalty, and good luck in a relationship.

●Candle: Before electricity candles were an important part of life and culture. Symbolically they may mean illumination, discovery, communication, or safety.

●Keys: I keep a set of faux antique keys on a gold thread. Old keys are easy enough to find in most antique shops and a trip is on my to-do list. They connotate hidden knowledge, gateways/portals, and dominion over a household.

●Book: I love rare or antique books. "Housekeeping in Old Virginia" is the only antique housekeeping book I have at the moment. It has cleaning tips, food recipes, and lots of interesting insight into what life must have been like in the 1800's. While some of the recipes or home remedy advice we know is not safe today-- a lot of it is still useful even now.

The legacy of the Witch is more simplified but just as powerful as that of the Ceremonial Magician. We make potions with tea, grow herbs in our gardens, sweep negativity away with brooms, and follow the natural cycles of the agricultural season. And these are only a select few examples of the ways Witches make the mundane magic. The practices of Witches are as wide and varied as the Witches themselves. There is a beauty in finding your purpose and coming home to yourself. When you live in harmony with your natural gifts and creative callings-- you sow seeds of harmony all around you.

My favorite ways to bring magic into my home and my life involve cooking, cleaning, and fashion/accessories. I also love to garden whenever I have the space for it. But probably most importantly I use traditional warding spells/charms and observe seasonal Pagan practices. Thank you for reading and letting me share a little about myself. What are your favorite ancestral practices or traditions? Do you have any ways you've modernized your practice? Please share!

- Cornelian Gray

immersivepaganrylifestyleblog

#witchcraft #paganism #witchblr #ritual tools #witchlife #witchythings

[cirrasima]

Stardew-Valley-esque Sims 4 Storyline Idea

I came up with this idea a while back for a sim who leaves their life to move to Henford-on-Bagley and repossess their great great grandfather’s farm and rebuild it with the help of surrounding farmer friends. Then I got into playing Stardew Valley and I stumbled upon this old prompt I wrote. I realized how similar the prompt sounded to the premise of Stardew Valley so I took it up a notch to integrate the two more. It mainly focuses on Cottage Living, with some influence from Eco Lifestyle. So here goes the family description (I wanted a young adult named Zuri but it could be any sim):

“150 years ago, Zuri’s great great grandfather moved to Henford-on-Bagley. They made a beautiful farm they wanted to pass on to their children for many generations. But Zuri’s grandfather never really had any love for the farm especially when his father died from overexertion. So when his wife died in a fire leaving him with their young son, the farm was abandoned and her grandfather turned to industrialism instead. Zuri’s father made it big in industrialism and their family became rich. But after being surrounded by smog for most of her life and feeling so out of place in her city, Zuri wanted a different path. On a whim, she left her home and moved to Henford-on-Bagley to reclaim her great great grandfather’s farm. The house and garden need a little fixing up but there’s nothing she can’t do once she’s set her mind to it. But should she take up such a task alone? Her former lifestyle didn’t leave room for positive friendships so Zuri grew up relying on only herself. Her kind and handy neighbor Stu and his green thumb brother Wart offered to help her out. Maybe it’s time she let positive friends in and finally feel like she belongs somewhere.”

That’s the general idea. This can really be taken in a lot of different directions. Before I get into the town stuff, I just wanted to mention that her family can also be taken in an interesting direction. I created my household to actually have her grandfather (and perhaps grandmother) still alive and living with her father’s family. They can live in perhaps San Myshuno or Evergreen Harbor. I wanted to have her father involved in industrialist activities and her mom to be an influential neighbor in charge of clubs and voting groups. I also created her brother who’s wants to be a politician. But the question is, will he take after his father and grandfather before him or forge his own path to creating a better world by being a good leader? I’m not a huge fan of having a “main character” sim who’s a teen or older and having their parents just... exist. Everyone deserves a juicy story and a personality outside of just being parents. Maybe her grandfather can have a change of heart when he visits his grandchild who rebuilds the farm and finds a new love for the place he grew up in. Maybe her mother or father can have some sort of rivalry or frenemy relationship with another family. I have her family in a San Myshuno apartment and the other family who lives in the apartment across from them are their rivals. The possibilities are endless!

But back to the town-play. The key is really making all sorts of sims who contribute to making a community. You can even make events and holidays that imitate Stardew Valley events (Flower Dance anyone?). I mentioned Stu and Wart above and I’ll probably flesh out their story even more, but the general idea I liked is perhaps Stu is a woodworker and Wart is a gardener (like oversized crops or something). And maybe they have a wood and flower/seeds shop they run. Something along those lines. You can make some long-time residents and some new families. Maybe several single people you can pair up. Maybe one family sells chicken coops and barns (like Robin from SV). The list goes on!

Well that’s all for the idea of a Sims 4 Stardew Valley mashup. I hope you have fun with this idea!

#sims #sims4 #sims 4 storyline #sims 4 stardew valley #stardew valley #stardew #sims ideas #TheSims #sims 4 rewrite #sims 4 lore #sims 4 family #sims 4 inspiration #sims 4 simblr #simblr #henford-on-bagley #cottage living #eco lifestyle #sims 4 ideas #sims 4 storylines #sims 4 storyline ideas #sims 4 scenarios

[saintgoths]

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴛᴡᴇʟᴠᴇ

CHAPTER TWELVE - EVERYBODY HAS NIGHTMARES.

WORD COUNT - 2,159.

RATING - G+ [canon typical violence & people being burned alive].

SUMMARY - isabella travels with her new journey partner and heads into danger when they enter a mall while the rosalind children suffer through nightmares that reflect their trauma which leads joel to find out about the secret the rosalinds had been hiding from everyone.

if you want to join a the last of us discord/joel miller discord here you go! 𓆩♡𓆪

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

“We only have Georgia left before we make it to Florida,” Isabella calmly stated out as they made their way through Tennessee, the man was behind Isabella as the woman still made it her responsibility to ride the horse. He didn’t mind it as long as it was her, after Isabella allowed the man to accompany her on her journey, he introduced himself as Tora, just Tora. The introduction prodded Isabella of when she first met Kai.

Isabella remembered as she tried to hide her smile when she remembered her first interaction with her deceased husband.

“Why are you going to Miami anyways?” Kai inspected curious.

“For supplies.”

“Mmmh, then how comes you didn’t come with a group from the Jackson Community you said you belonged to?”

Isabella dramatically sighed, quickly tired of the numerous questions Tora had inquired. “Because some of the supplies have private things I don’t want them to see.”

Tora optimistically cheered, “does that mean I get to see it?”

“No.”

ATLANTA, GEORGIA

They made it to a mall, deserted, but surprisingly full of equipment and necessities that Isabella considered helpful for the rest of the trip, the mall also had materials that the widowed matriarch was sure that her children would like.

For the moment, the duo was on their feet as they explored the depths of the mall. During the adventure, Isabella found a packet of Rhododendron flower seeds, Tora watched the woman happily pick up the small bag, dumbfounded he peered over to see it, “why did you get that?”

“I like gardening,” Isabella blithely replied, “so I collect any packets I find. It’s a habit of mine.”

Tora hummed in amusement in the act of entering a comic book shop, it had to be pulled up for the two to enter, the duo was careful of not alarming any of the impure figures that hid away. Once they appeared in the store, they looked around and the woman was able to find one of the manga books Robin read, “Attack on Titan, Volume Three,” Isabella calmly muttered under her breath ere she placed the visual novel in her bag.

“That’s for one of your kids?” Tora thoughtfully inquired.

Isabella gently smiled as she nodded her head. “Yeah, my son Robin loves to read Attack on Titan,” Isabella coolly informed him.

The two continued the stroll around the store, aside from gathering books, they gathered tools that could upgrade Isabella’s weapons and other necessities that could aid with both of their health, they spoke about their background along with her children’s background. Tora was pleased to hear that her children shared an Arab background beside them being ethnically from Latin America, Brazil.

“My children can speak Portuguese but their Arabic isn’t as strong, their father wasn’t alive for that long to teach them, Ivy knew Arabic the most and taught what she could to her younger siblings, I know some words but I’m terrible at it.”

“I’m fluent in Arabic,” Tora happily informed, intrigued Isabella glanced at the man stunned. “Yeah, I’m from Morocco,” he buoyantly said just as they returned back to the pull up door of the comic book store. Both of them used their strength to pick up shutter door while Isabella commented on how she wished there was someone to teach her children Arabic. “You’ll find someone who will be able to teach your children their father’s language one day,” Tora positively reassured as they exited the store and attempted to lower the shutter door quietly.

Isabella let go of the shutter door in belief that it was low enough for Tora to close on his own, inaudibly, yet, it was her mistake when he accidentally created a loud blast that surely alarmed most of the infected in the mall. The two immediately looked at each other, aware that not too long after, the all too familiar groans and moans from infected will start, the two began to run towards the ground floor before the sounds started but the infected were quick.

The two were fast and tactful, Isabella pulled out her pistol and fired away bullets to buy themselves more time to reach to Lana, and so did Tora, which surprised the woman as she witnessed him quickly eject the ammos.

“Since when did you have a gun?” She asked stunned, the thought that Tora could have used his weapon on her during the night confounded the woman.

“Always had it on me, only use it for emergency purposes.”

Isabella furrowed her eyebrows a bit offended that Tora didn’t think of Isabella’s force to be a reason to pull out his pistol. Tora easily noted her expression then clicked his tongue, comically frustrated, “it would have been stupid for me to pull out a gun because you would have for sure murdered me that night.”

More infected sprouted from the darkness they deliberately hid in, and the two were able to identify the Stalkers and Clickers that emerged from the bleak darkness. Their shrieks and screams louder every second, withal, Isabella and Tora were still able to arrive to Lana, unwrapped the reign they had once wrapped around a poll and quickly hopped onto her back just as Isabella replaced her pistol with her hunting rifle, Tora had now had the care and constraint to ride Lana out of the mall whilst Isabella released her ammo towards the infected that hunted them.

“Fuck, no wonder why nothing is touched over here,” Isabella gritted her teeth during the moment she observed the Shambler make its appearance, the appearance was horrifying as they were able to fire bursts of acidic spores that emerged from their bodies. Isabella theorised that there must have been a large body of water from where they were, hence Shamblers were usually encountered around aqua.

“Tora, can you please fucking quickly find an exit!” Isabella harshly called out.

“I’m fucking trying!” He cried out thwarted as they shifted into becoming overcrowded by the infected, Tora examined their surroundings in desperation and anxiety as he attempted uneasily to find an exit; the sick’s screams brought greater abhorrence towards the man as it hinted that the loud sounds came from all sides of the mall.

The woman reloaded her hardware just as soon as a loud erratic roar echoed down the mall, a noise Isabella knew only Bloaters could produce. “Fuck, fuck, fuck!” Isabella loudly repeated just before she discharged her bullets into the crowd of zombies. Thankfully, the small group fortunately evaded the astringent weapon the Bloater hastily aimed towards them.

Isabella briskly took out two Molotov cocktails and hurriedly darted the objects into the crowd one by one, completely taking dozens of them out, the juncture Isabella finished throwing the fierce weapons into the infected individuals, she returned to shoot them with her hunting rifle, aware that the fire also paced towards Isabella and Tora while it also took out the keen and violent infected.

In the nick of time, Tora was able to find an egress they could escape through, both relieved, Lana still galloped and ambled through the tall grass as they finally exited the abject and forlorn area.

It must have been something in the water or their lunch food, but Robin couldn’t stop himself from moving under his blankets, as the images of his loved ones deceased preyed upon his mind, the image of him being in the previous community they once lived in, particularly the night when everything went to ruin.

The trees that burned mightily had flattened and mangled against the ground whilst birds squawked and screamed in fear as they flew away from the danger, yet, the fire that dawned upon them that caught onto any building and nature it touched and enveloped the species in its scorching embrace.

“Robin!” He could hear his mother scream, another doppelganger of his matriarch entering the atmosphere and ending up burnt and scorched like the other multiple doppelgangers of his mother that were deceased in a vast pile.

“Robin!” Another voice screamed, that young voice had belonged to Venus who paced towards him in fear but not too long was hugged by the blaze that surrounded the grounds.

Robin struggled to move but screamed out in frustration as a hand pierced out of the hill of bodies, the hand extended towards him, as a voice inside the pile yelped out his name repeatedly. “Robin!” Ivy crazily shrieked from inside the heap of folks. “Robin help us!” She desperately cried out.

Berserk and uncomfortable that he wasn’t able to do anything, as if his body was paralysed for the crowd of inferno to take over his body, and once the hearth and embers devoured his figure, Robin furiously screamed out of his sleep as he patted his physique as if the inferno still covered his skin.        

Sanguine and relieved that the blaze wasn’t absolute calmed him down, his first idea was to make his way into Ivy’s room who seemed to be struggling against ordeal herself.

“Venus!” Ivy excessively called out for during the period she tried to forcefully open the tightly sealed entry that cinched the young girl in the domestic cabin that briskly burned.

With her hands that banged against the wooden door, scared and frightened, Venus struggled to push the door open whilst the smoke of the inferno made its way through Venus’ nose and mouth. “Ivy!” Venus frantically called out, the cycle of Venus weeping Ivy’s name stopped as the fire successfully swallowed the young girl’s body who couldn’t do anything but howl in pain and terror as she burned.

In echo, Ivy wailed for her younger sister in desperation to take her out of the building, her howls and shrieks interfering outside the dream at the time that Robin tried to shake her out of the nightmare, it was complicated as it signified that Ivy was too in trance with the ordeal to the point that the only route, he could take was to whack his hand against her cheek, redness emerged on her face but Robin succeeded as Ivy woke up, stunned by the random blow.

“What just happened?” Ivy crazily shrieked.

“You were having a nightmare,” Robin forwardly replied, “I also had a nightmare,” he directly informed Ivy who knitted down her eyebrows lightly surprised.

“You too? What was yours about?”

“Fire and death.”

Ivy gazed at her younger sibling, dazed and bewildered. “That’s strange.”

“What?”

“My dream comprised of the same thing.”

Thrown off and stumped, the two Rosalind children sat there wordlessly, calmly progressed the event they dreamed of was somewhat the case that happened to them ere they reached to Jackson. Seemingly, without the deaths of the Rosalind family but unmistakably of the hearth that frequently reminded them of the event.

“We should check on Venus,” Ivy tiredly mumbled, she got off her bed and swiped the locks of her hair that fell in front of her face, her walk lightly limp with Robin who trailed behind her, the walk mute ere they realised that her bedroom door was unfastened, flustered, the two shared a glance anteriorly they rushed into Venus’ room to find it empty.

Instantly, the two undertook the initiative to hunt and rummage the second floor, eager to find their youngest sibling, but, the moment the two silently consolidated that Venus was not upstairs. The duo apace down the stairs scarcely to find the front door ample and broadly open, both too worried and distressed to utter a single word or even make a sound. They raced outside the large lodge, examined the area for their younger sister only to hear the choked and disturbed yells of Joel.

“Wake up!” Joel apprehensively begged, his large hands cupped around her shoulders, fearful and tense in relations to the state the young girl had been trapped in.

“I need to wake up! I need to wake up!” The young girl chanted as if she were in a stupor. “I need to wake up! I need to wake up!”

“I need to wake up! I need to wake up! I need to wake up! I need to wake up! I need to wake up!”

Horrified and confused by the hypnotic state Venus was in, Joel lifted Venus up, observed that she was barefoot, the bite on her lower left leg exposed to him.

Finally awake, Venus’ eyes snapped open, afraid and alarmed of the scenario she was in, once she acknowledged her surroundings and realised that she was in the able and tenacious arms of Joel Miller, Ivy and Robin belatedly arrived to the location both Joel and Venus were in.

Both aware that the man had identified the mark on her legs, nonetheless, too frightened and anxious to reveal a single word about the matter, still and all, Ivy protectively pulled Venus away from Joel’s grip and hurried back to their home with Robin by her side.

thank you @mrknightt @ladamari68 @ash37474 @d34thswallowme and @originalhero for the support, really appreciate it <3

liking, commenting, reblogging or following would be heavily appreciated!

if you want to join a the last of us discord/joel miller discord here you go! 𓆩♡𓆪

#joel miller #joel miller fanfiction #joel miller x oc #the last of us #the last of two #the last of us 2 #the last of us ii #the last of us fanfiction #joel miller fanfic #joel miller x reader #isabella rosalind #ivy rosalind #robin rosalind #venus rosalind #magneticsiren

[oldsalempost-blog]

The Old Salem Post

                   Our  Local Tamassee-Salem SC Area News each Monday except holidays                                          Contact: [email protected]                              Distributed to local businesses, town hall, library.                            Volume 7 Issue 18                                                                                                  Week of April 15 2024                https://www.tumblr.com/settings/blog/oldsalempost-blog                                                         Lynne Martin Publishing

EDITOR: A new resident to Oconee said her family moved here to get away from the overdevelopment.  “ There are not many places like this left, ” she said.   Shouldn’t that be a message to us all that we need to protect what we love?   People love community and the rural way of life.   I say to leaders and developers who want to destroy our Oconee County life—you move!  Move to the overdeveloped destroyed areas and cities.  Sell your home to the people who want to come here to get back to real living.  “There are not many places like this left.” Let’s keep it!  LRMartin

TOWN of SALEM: 5 Park Avenue * Visit the Downtown Market every Sat, Winter hours 9am-1pm. Town of Salem Clean up day– April 27th meet at 8AM at the Calvary Baptist Church– Invite your friends, neighbors, civic groups, and anyone interested in coming together for the good of our community.                  Salem Beautification Committee is a group of volunteers who support the Town of Salem by maintaining the gardens and decorating some areas for the holidays. If you are interested in volunteering or donating please call Vickie Towe 864-6229 or Ethel Cameron 864-280-4040                                                                                            SALEM LIBRARY:  5B Park Avenue.  Hours Monday 10am-6pm. Tues-Friday 9am-5pm. Closed 12-1 for lunch.                    

Jottings from Miz Jeannie  by Jeannie Barnwell.    Walhalla HS Plant Sale  Plan to visit the greenhouse area of WHS off HWY 11 and shop for hardy blooms at a reasonable price.  Instructor Josh McCall's green thumbed  students will carry your tray while you select from Zinnias, Okra, Daisies, Latana, Ferns and Hostas, just to name a few.  These high school students will educate you while you make your choices.  Then they cheerfully carry the buds and blossoms out to your car. I want to thank the students who planted  and tended the seeds and prepared them for the sale. They are Aiden Wallace, Reagan Smith, Kristen Winland, Hudson Smith and Jackson Medlin I told these young entrepreneurs that YOU WOULD BE STOPPING BY!  LOVE YA!!! Miz Jeannie                                                                                              ASHTON RECALLS    by Ashton Hester                               SALEM SCHOOL NEWS, APRIL 1, 1964 continued from last week -  The following are some more items from the "Salem School News" column, written by Mrs. Nelle Rochester, in the April 1, 1964 Keowee Courier. . . BETTY CROCKER SEARCH. . .Our senior girls did very well on The Betty Crocker Search for the American Homemaker of Tomorrow contest. . .Ruth Lusk and Sharon Rankin both received "excellent" ratings. Ruth had Salem's highest score but Sharon was only one point behind. We had nine girls that received "good" ratings, and three received "fair" ratings. None of our students received "poor" ratings. . .LEAP-YEAR CARNIVAL. . .The juniors did real well on their Leap-Year Carnival. They had a net profit of $309.74. Thanks to all of the merchants, parents, students and teachers who contributed to the success. . .ILLNESSES STILL ABUNDANT. . .We are still plagued with a variety of illnesses. Mumps seems to be taking the greatest toll while measles and chicken pox are also still prevalent. Ruth Lusk, Sue Murphree and Larry Jones are a few that have had mumps recently. . .DONKEY BASKETBALL GAME. . .The juniors are sponsoring a donkey basketball game on April 2, Thursday, at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $1.00, 60c. for students and 25c. for children.                                              

JOCASSEE VALLEY BREWING COMPANY,(JVBC) & COFFEE SHOP* 13412 N Hwy 11 Open Wed–Sat 9am-9pm and Sunday 12pm-7pm   Events this week:  Wed: Blue Grass Jam  6:30PM  Wings and more by Blue Ridge Grill starting at 4PM.  Thursday: Trail Talk Thursday at 6:00PM  Food: Kodesh BBQ Blue Ridge Grill  Fri:  Music: Scott Low ( Appalachian Blues Singer-Songwriter)  at 6:30pm Food:   Sat– Music: Conservation Theory ( Americana Mountain Folk Singer-Songwriters)  at 6:30pm Food: Just a Smile Caribbean   Sun:  12pm-7pm  Food:  El Charro  Music:  11 North with Chad Rawlings 4PM  More info 864-873-0048    April Book Club meeting on Wednesday, April 17th at 10AM to discuss The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose.                      COMBAT VETERANS MOTORCYCLE ASSOCIATION SC 34-2:  7th Annual Veteran Benefit Ride April 27th 2024  Register 0900 at Harley Davidson of Greenville, 30 Chrome Drive 29615  All vehicles welcomed.  **   These riders will be stopping at the  Jocassee Valley Brewing Company around noon.   JVBC is proud to be a host stop-off.   

Carolina Hemlock Festival:   April 20th  11AM-4PM  at the Mountain Rest Hillbilly Grounds. Music, Conservation Groups &more!     

2024 UPCOMING EVENTS           Check out our website Eaglesnestartcenter.org as future events are added.                                                                                                                                    April 20th 7pm– The War Cry Band will host a benefit for Ralph Turpin medical expenses at the ENAC venue.                              April 26th, 7 PM Friday Evening Wellness Event:  Reclaiming Our Inalienable Wellness  Doors open at 6:30 PM  Free event hosted by ENAC featuring speaker Meredith Orlowski, AFMC, INHC.  Bring your friends and family along. Gain Energy, Lose Weight, Feel Happy, & Save the World While Doing it!       Call 864-280-1258 for more information                                                                                                         Mother’s Day Afternoon Tea on Saturday, May 4th  from 2PM-4 PM:   Join us for a special afternoon and treat yourself to delicious goodies, hot tea, and a guest speaker!  Our youngest guests will enjoy manicures and a craft!  $10 per guest.  All funds will be donated to support the Eagles Nest Art Center.  There are also opportunities to sponsor a table for the event.   To RSVP or find more information:  Kayla or Emma Lusk at 864-903-0681                                                                                                               Oconee Mountain Opry:  May 18th at 7PM.   Jef Wilson, West End String Band, Mystery guests, comedy and more.  

June 3-7  ENAC hosts  Art Camp for children 6-12 years old.  9AM-12PM  Call 864-280-1258   $50 fee                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        EAGLES NEST ART CENTER                                      

The Eagles Nest Treasure Store is open every Saturday morning 9AM-12PM.  Will accept donations also or call 864-557-2462.

Information on sponsorships, events, volunteering, donations, or rentals call 864-280-1258 or email at [email protected]. 

Interested in becoming a YOUNG APPALACHIAN MUSICIAN?   For ages 3rd grade through adult.     Call 864-280-1258                                                       

           CHURCH NEWS                                                           Bethel Presbyterian Church (PCUSA),  580 Bethel Church Rd Walhalla, 29691. Worship at 10:30 a.m.   Come visit us. All are welcomed!   April 29, 2024, Mel Davis will give the message.                                                                                 Boones Creek Baptist Church, 264 Boones Creek Road, Salem invites you to join us for regular worship service on Sunday morning with Sunday School at 10am and followed by worship at 11am.

Salem Methodist Church: 520 Church Street, Salem.  9AM for breakfast, 9:30AM for Sunday School, and 10:30AM for Worship.  You may tune in to our live service on Facebook or view it later on our website.  All are welcomed!

Calvary Baptist Church in downtown Salem is inviting you to attend a special Bluegrass Gospel Singing featuring, "The Tugaloo Holler Band" on Saturday, May 11th at 6 PM. You will be blessed! Come worship God with us through singing and fellowshipping with believers.

News:  On April 9th from 5PM-7PM the Jocassee Valley Brewing Company was the host site of the OPUS Trust unique wine tasting event featuring rare California Napa Valley wines provided by a donor family, and matched funding from another generous family patron.  The tables were set up with white table cloths and fresh flowers.  The wine tastings were from 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014.  Paring these delicious rare tastes with local farm products created a unique palate pleasure. The Reed Homestead owners David and Casey Thornton presented herbed flatbreads, pickled watermelon rind, pepper jellies, chocolates, spiced pecans and more. The  Split Creek goat farm provided 3 types of tantalizing cheeses.  The McPhail Angus Farm  was the featured farm for a delicious cut for smoked beef.  This proved to be quite a social event for our Salem area with these fine tastings from local farms and this special stock from California Napa Valley wines.  You may purchase from our local farms on the Clemson Area Food Exchange online farmer’s market.   Check out CLEMSONAREAFOODEXCHANGE.COM.                                                                                                                                             

Love & Blessings to you!  LRM    

[soufsidesiren]

blog entry 5: happy solar eclipse

you know how yesterday was remarkably unremarkble. today was exactly the opposite. i feel like i had beautiful experience after beautiful experience all under the energy of both the eclipse and new moon in libra, a sign that i often relate to interpersonal relationships and communication ( a detail that will be important later on).

i started my morning in the garden on the west end. an incredibly abundant space nestled behind an old auto shop that has fed me in so many ways throughout summer. i am always grateful when i can pour my energy back into it. it was my first time back since the seasons began to change. the drive over was mellow and quiet in the way that overcast fall mornings usually are. today was special tho. one of the other volunteers was hosting a dance class to invite more people and new energy into the garden. i had forgotten how much i missed moving with other people until she gave me the opportunity to lead the grooves for a song. i know how good moving and shifting the energy through my body can feel when i dance, and i am always grateful when people entrust themselves and the ceremony of that connection to me wholeheartedly. not to mention the eclipse passing overhead. the clouds of the morning cleared not to long after we started moving making the colors of the garden more potent as the energy of class begins to build. (i've used the word energy so many times so far but i am still working on finding the words to describe the tangible richness of my experiences today). while i couldn't see the eclipse with my eyes, the shadows fell of the concrete, mulch, and plant boxes with an new clarity as morning slid to afternoon. after an incredible exchange of movement, an all black biker clubs rolled up almost 30 deep right around the peak of the eclipse. there was a massive surge of energy as all these new people explored this place that i had been so desperate to share with other for so long. also they were all just so cool. so many new friends, faces, and stories shared as we planted the new fall crops. i cannot wait to witness the harvest of seeds sown today.

after leaving the garden, i headed over to a new coffer shop on the west end. black owned and photography focused. how could i not? i roll up and one of the homies is a new barista there. what are the odds? at this point, i've had so many incredibly enriching conversations with the baristas, bikers, coffee shop regulars, etc. that im like somethings in the air and take a step back to really analyze the energy of this eclipse. while in conversation with the two baristas, in the coffee shop, trying to decipher the lesson in it all we reduce the energy of the day to a single question:

"what old habits/limiting beliefs have you had in your relationships and communication with others that you are trying to release"

this opened a rather long and intimate conversation about belonging and values and character and birth charts that i was honestly so surprised to be having with my two new acquaintances, but the conversation came so easy. it honestly had been that way all day. and i feel like my response to the question was also the reason why.

i feel my feelings often times with my whole body all over. sometimes i have the words. in fact, i oftentimes have the words but not the confidence that they will fall on ears that will understand them. but see that part is not my responsibility. i love to talk and share and learn through conversation and people who are willing to listen will do so, but if i censor or quiet myself for the sake of brevity or being understood. i will never truly be seen or heard be the people i will feel most at home with. lately, i have been gaining the confidence and discernment to decipher the spaces and places that will understand me and accepting the spaces that do not.

rather than viewing things that "should" be done. i have started searching for my own wants and needs to locate my own desires outside of that anonymous voice of should that encourages to mask, appease, and dilute myself because it is what should be done.

after the cafe( i stayed till the close), i ended my afternoon at the gallery for a single-day exhibition "WITNESS" collection of art by black women and non-binary artists who project their vision of the world through their art. not only was the art incredibly inspiring, the installation and curation was incredibly evocative. i love when not only the art but also the space tells stories. and wouldn't fate have it that i met both the curator and spatial designer outside while i was leaving the exhibition. riding the high of a day well spent i stopped by favorite wing spot in the city and watched the clouds roll by in the parking lot as i tore down a ten-piece lemon pepper wet in record time. i find such sweet solace in eating alone in the car. my car ride home a bit sweeter with a full belly and full heart after a day of new connections. the sun and clouds and turning leaves racing me home. until tomorrow.

#dailyblog #fall #frontporchprojects

[tinyshe]

Garden Report & Frugal Living 23.08.16

We have one grow box almost rebuilt. The scrap lumber we had saved was starting to rot with all the moisture so went to recycle mode and started using larger seasoned limbs from the hawthorn that was cut last year. Will start renovating that box area gently as it has some of my asparagus that has bolted and making seed. The one box we rebuilt last year, I put down a layer of cardboard because the seabuckthorn is trying to come up. Its easy to root out by hand but want to make the attempt at blocking & discouraging that. On top of the cardboard barrier i placed a good build up of aged manure (complete with worms! and worm eggs!) and then a layer of potting soil. Have planted mustard greens, two types of lettuce (loose leaf prizehead and a 'jericho' israeli lettuce (both slow to bolt because all of a sudden we have summer type weather), some king leek seedlings. Later i plan to take out a large sharp knife to 'cut' a few rows (cutting through the cardboard) to plant root crops of french radish, white egg type turnips, little finger type carrots, some chioggia/bullseye beets. The parsley may in the end sown in pots , and red chard will try to cram in. The mid box we decided not to cut a path space through as 1) the lemon cuc is smack dab in the middle and just now starting to produce after three months; 2) we would loose a good portion of grow space in the box since they are 2mx1m/3ftx6ft. A compromise is to reevaluate the rotting lumber to use as a compost base and the good wood to build up half the box (cutting in half across with wood). I have another little rhubarb that i grew from seed that will go in the low half with the grandmother plant.

The hens are slowing in egg production. They always slow as the days shorten and then when the cold weather sets in, they decide to discard all their feathers. I use to worry but they do this every year so we are all just resigned to the fact that this is what they do. My other previous flocks had always molted earlier in the year but they were also different breeds.

The vermi wormy bins need to be divided and sorted. I am so slow on this! There are two bins ready in the stack. I thought about releasing them all but then i would have to throw away the kitchen generated compost due to it being a critter lure and all the saints know i don't need any more wild critters in my urban homestead! The creatures i have think i plant and tend just for them .. that is is a free for all and a party every day&night.

The apples are still to green too harvest but that doesn't stop the rat(s) from sampling the produce and the sparrows come along and then what is knocked to the ground by those animals invite the skunks. We are in a race to get the blackberries in the garden before they do. We share but they don't! The autumn raspberries might give a second lite crop since the first came in so early. The hops are just beginning to flower so probably no crop unless winter holds back. The quinces are so late and small, not bigger than a walnut and with the warm weather will probably start dropping fruit so there will be no crop which is a trade off considering last year was so magnificent (but we just adore quince so we are sad on that point).

Scrapping out shirts and raggety pants into squares. Depending on the material, some will be designated to the cleaning rag bag while the others put in a bin for quilt making/ other projects like android cover slip, potholders, tote bags, patches for mending jobs ... Those that are still good/have plenty of wear but are too small are going to a Free Closet that is available at a local shop. People can bring their gently used clothes and household items for those that need/want them. It really helps out the community iby helping those in need and recycling goods.

#catholic gardener #urban homestead #permaculture #hens #vermiculture #winter garden #garden #gardening

[solarpunkani]

Guerrilla Gardening Commodification (?)

Alright friends so I was shopping at Target with a friend and I went to check out their Spring/Outdoors section because of course I did and I saw an assortment of 'seed ball' gardening kits. See below.

Now, this caught my eye for several reasons. For one, I'd been thinking about making seed bombs (another term for seed balls) for awhile now, but hadn't figured out where exactly to get the clay from. I've also already started thinking about what I wanted to grow in my garden, as well as what I wanted to put in my hypothetical seed bombs. Not to mention, they're bright and colorful.

Perhaps I'm reading into it too far. But the origin of guerrilla gardening is gardeners planting things--food, flowers, etc--on land that they don't have the legal rights to. It's been a form of direct action and protest from the beginning, and not necessarily one that always has positive connotations either, depending on who you ask.

Granted, in recent years, it's gotten a lot of positive press--I'd heard of the idea of guerrilla gardening in this time, where lovely positive articles were being written, morning news shows were doing quirky little shorts showing off seed bombs as a cute fun activity with your kids in the backyard, and guerrilla gardeners were getting TedTalks. Hell, the first time I'd heard of a 'seed bomb' was volunteering at the zoo as a teenager and making and selling them for a dollar donation to help save tigers. It was literally the whole thing that made me want to garden in the first place! Is the positive PR a bad thing? Not in my opinion, no. Sharing positive radical ideas and concepts, drawing attention to the lack of green spaces and food access in communities, and boosting the amount of habitat for pollinators are all fantastic things! But at the same time, I don't know how to feel about these kits. It sort of feels like commodifying and capitalizing a revolutionary act, sort of 'sanitizing' it to be more PR friendly? Again, I could be overreacting.

The entire air these kits had to me was sort of a 'hey, make seed bombs, toss them in your backyard! How fun!' Am I going to demand that the company making these puts an entire history lesson on the back of every package, mentioning the origins of seed bombs and their revolutionary nature? Not necessarily, but still.

Obviously, this seed bomb kit could be the thing that gets someone into gardening, which is always a plus in my book. Maybe people will use the seed bombs for their intended purpose, and throw them into empty lots and neglected spaces to create some color in their worlds (though, at that note, I'm not sure how excited to be about people throwing tomato seeds into lots where they may pick up toxins from the ground that people may try to eat later). But still, in the moment, I was getting a very heavy 'oh hey we're sanitizing your movement' sort of vibe.

History of guerrilla gardening aside, as a pollinator gardener, I wanna talk about the stuff included in the wildflower kit.

The front of the box has cute pictures of hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies, hanging out around drawn and labeled flowers; dwarf snapdragons, plains coreopsis, sweet william pinks, dwarf cosmos, coneflower, and milkweed (if you know me you know I love milkweed). The back lists all the flowers included in each 'set' of seeds. But you've gotta wonder... are these native? And to where? It says it was made in the USA, but the USA is pretty big, with a wide variety of different pollinators and pollinator plants in each region. Something native to one area can be invasive in another, which is never really good. The company making these kits, Modern Sprout, is based in Chicago, Illinois. They have a lot of other products on their website, many of which are all very cute, but. There are over 100 species of milkweed native to the United States, and they don't all grow well in the same places or are even native to the same places. The back of this kit only says 'Milkweed.' Thank you. Which one is it? Am I going to plant swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) in an area better suited for common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)? Am I going to be planting the mildly-controversial tropical milkweed (Asclepias curassavica) all over my neighborhood? This doesn't even begin to address the other plants in this kit, which I recognized the names of but not enough to know intimately if they're native to my area. The idea of someone intending to do good but accidentally spreading an invasive species around is scary because it's possible.

I don't think I'm allowed to critique too much, seeing as I did end up impulse-buying the kit. I'm going to double check and see if these are all native (maybe the inside has more information, specific species names?), and if not I'll just use the clay and worm castings to make my own seed bombs. I just had a lot of thoughts, and wanted to start a discussion of sorts?

#guerrilla gardening #guerilla gardening #gardening #outdoor gardening #edible gardening #pollinator gardening #seed bombs #seed balls #flower gardening #solarpunk action #solarpunk #ani rambles #out of queue #anyways someday I'm gonna make my own seedbombs. I just gotta figure out what kind of clay to use and where to get a reasonable amount. #i dont want a whole bigass elementary school size tub of clay but I need SOME yknow?

[angelsndragons]

So, after rewatching the Grove scenes enough times to make my head spin and rewatching Certain Scenes, let’s talk Caduceus. Yes, this is going to be long. No, I am not sorry.

Blanket TW for this series: as we will be delving into Caduceus’ backstory, quick warning for discussions of drug use, self-harm and self-neglect, and general depression.

Part 1: Chosen and Unchosen

So one of the most interesting aspects of 130 is how Taliesin and Matt took what could have been simple sibling rivalry and made it a fundamental core to both Caduceus and Calliope in particular. Back in episode 96, Colton and Calliope both were described as put out or annoyed that Caduceus saved them and created enough seeds to save the Grove. Matt specifically mentions their wanting to be the ‘hero of the family.’ 

In particular, what’s fascinating to me is that, all things considered, Calliope seems a much stronger ‘protagonist,’ a much stronger PC if you will than Caduceus on first glance. She wants out, she wants adventure, she wants to save her home and be a hero, she has spent years honing her fighting and crafting skills to be able to do it. If she is a paladin or cleric as many suspect, then her ‘lesser’ abilities connecting to the Wildmother and understanding her will are even the basis of a great campaign long character arc. Hell, her brother minding the Grove gives the party a somewhat isolated, out of the way base they can return to when things get rough. She seems to be precisely the character one would want on a journey like the Mighty Nein’s. And she would have been terrible at it, with them.

Caduceus, on the other hand. Well. Liam’s joke, “You’re just a random shop keep in the woods?’ is kind of on the nose. Unkind fans keep saying that Caduceus is a heal bot or a glorified NPC. Caduceus doesn’t fit the mold of adventurer and never has. And after 130, that is the point. Because the Calliopes are long gone; they don’t wait around for adventurers to find them. They don’t have the patience for it. From 130, we can gather that Caduceus was not just a quiet, responsible, self-sacrificing kid. He was also the kid who just went along with whatever was expected of him and who didn’t seem to have any contradictory opinions of his own. Notice that the Clays are confused and unsettled by Caduceus just walking out of the middle of the conversation; this is not normal to them. The Nein, on the other hand, are not bothered by it; they don’t consider it a tantrum or disrespectful. They are actually used to Caduceus not completing a conversation, to him saying something and walking away or shutting down the conversation. It’s only been the last several weeks that Caduceus has really been reaching out and actively trying to communicate fully. I think it is fairly obvious that Cornelius expected that Calliope would be able to shake Caduceus from his course because she had always been able to. As I said in my playlist analysis, Caduceus only realizes just how far he’s come, how far he has drifted from what his family expects of him when he runs into them again. And he is not ready to go home with them until he can resettle who exactly he is.

All of this is to say, Caduceus began the campaign fervently telling himself that he was chosen to save his home. He anchors himself to that fact. He says that he has always known deep down that saving the grove was his responsibility and that he had been neglecting it. Constance also says she expected him to do it in 96, Clarabelle accepts that Caduceus of all people saved her pretty quickly, Calliope reluctantly admits that everything seems connected to Caduceus, that it wasn’t her time, and thoughtfully agrees to let Caduceus continue traveling if he feels he must. So that begs the question: how did we get to episode 28? No, seriously, think about it. If everyone, from matriarch on down, had a sense that Caduceus would be their savior, what the hell happened? Why was Caduceus alone in that grove, waiting for the Nein? Why on Melora’s green earth did they leave him there?

Caduceus says it himself in 130: he didn’t want it. And his family loves him, imperfectly as we all do. So his sister steps up, says, “I will do it in his stead” and “I want this, let me have it.” And they all go about their lives hoping that it is enough. But. We can’t walk the path laid out for other people. They have to walk the path. Caduceus tried to unchose himself, Calliope tried to choose herself. And it didn’t work. At all. The Wildmother still waited for her chosen Clay to choose to start walking again then pointed him in the right direction. It sounds cruel, in a way. But the Exandrian Prime Deities have always allowed mortals to choose their fates. Even if Caduceus was the only one who could save the grove, it was still his choice whether to do so.

And here is what really gets Calliope’s goat and what Caduceus is sorry for: he enjoys being out there. He didn’t want it but now that he has been out there, there’s a part of him that likes it. What is left unspoken: What if you had left earlier? Taken your mantle sooner? You mean we did all of this for you, because you thought you couldn’t handle it and now you’re throwing it in my face how much the entire world has come to depend on you?

Honestly, I love this deconstruction of the Chosen One trope. Caduceus had to choose himself, as surely as he unchose himself. His fate, and the fate of so many others, is defined by his choices. What a painful lesson to learn.

I have *checks notes* four other parts I’m currently working on, including Apathy is Death and What Does Manure Do for a Garden, so I’ll be back soon with them.

#caduceus clay #caduceus meta #critical role #cr spoilers #my meta #i warned y'all #clay family #cr caduceus #if you choose not to decide #you still have made a choice