#Garden Tower Planter

[hydroponicgardening]

What plants can be grown hydroponically?

In the world of modern agriculture, hydroponic gardening has emerged as a revolutionary method of cultivating plants without soil, using nutrient-rich water solutions. This innovative approach offers numerous advantages, including efficient resource utilization, faster growth rates, and the ability to grow crops in environments where traditional farming may not be feasible. Among the myriad of plants that can thrive in hydroponic systems, some stand out for their adaptability and productivity.

Leafy Greens: Lettuce, spinach, kale, and other leafy greens are some of the most popular choices for hydroponic cultivation. They have shallow root systems and high water requirements, making them perfectly suited for nutrient-rich water environments. With the right hydroponic setup, these greens can be grown year-round, providing a consistent supply of fresh produce.

Herbs: Basil, cilantro, mint, and parsley are excellent candidates for hydroponic growth. These aromatic herbs flourish in controlled hydroponic environments, offering superior flavor and quality compared to their soil-grown counterparts. Hydroponic herb gardens are ideal for culinary enthusiasts seeking a convenient and sustainable source of fresh herbs.

Tomatoes: Tomatoes are another popular choice for hydroponic cultivation. They thrive in nutrient-rich solutions and benefit from the support of trellises or vertical systems. Hydroponically grown tomatoes often exhibit enhanced flavor and texture, making them a favorite among home gardeners and commercial growers alike.

Cucumbers: Cucumbers are well-suited for best hydroponic systems, particularly when grown vertically to maximize space efficiency. With proper support structures and nutrient delivery, hydroponic cucumbers can produce abundant yields of crisp, flavorful fruits throughout the growing season.

Peppers: Bell peppers, chili peppers, and other varieties can thrive in hydroponic environments. These plants require consistent moisture and nutrient levels, which can be easily maintained in hydroponic systems. With proper care, hydroponically grown peppers can yield bountiful harvests of vibrant, flavorful fruits.

Strawberries: Hydroponic strawberry production has gained popularity in recent years due to its ability to maximize space and optimize growing conditions. By utilizing vertical towers or hanging systems, growers can cultivate strawberries without soil, leading to cleaner, healthier fruits and increased yields.

Microgreens: Microgreens are young, tender greens harvested at an early stage of growth. They are packed with nutrients and flavor, making them a popular choice for salads, sandwiches, and garnishes. Hydroponic systems offer an efficient means of producing high-quality microgreens year-round, providing chefs and home cooks with a continuous supply of fresh, nutritious greens.

Potatoes: While traditionally grown in soil, potatoes can also be cultivated hydroponically, especially in potato vertical farming systems. With proper tuber support and nutrient delivery, hydroponic potatoes can yield impressive harvests in a fraction of the space required for conventional soil cultivation. Vertical farming techniques optimize space utilization, making them ideal for urban agriculture and limited land environments.

When it comes to choosing the best hydroponics system for growing these plants, several factors should be considered, including available space, budget, and desired crop varieties. Vertical farming systems, such as tower gardens or vertical hydroponic racks, offer an efficient solution for maximizing space and increasing yields. These systems allow growers to stack multiple layers of plants vertically, optimizing space utilization and productivity.

Hydroponic gardening offers a versatile and sustainable approach to cultivating a wide range of plants, from leafy greens and herbs to tomatoes, cucumbers, and even potatoes. By harnessing the power of nutrient-rich water solutions and innovative growing techniques like vertical farming, growers can achieve impressive yields of high-quality produce year-round. Whether for commercial farming operations or home gardening enthusiasts, hydroponics represents a promising frontier in modern agriculture, paving the way for increased food security and environmental sustainability.

[hydroponicgardeninglove]

Mr. Stacky 5 Tier Stackable Strawberry, Herb, Flower, and Vegetable Planter - Vertical Garden Indoor/Outdoor

Mr. Stacky 5 Tier Stackable Strawberry, Herb, Flower, and Vegetable Planter – Vertical Garden Indoor/Outdoor Product Description & Features: Patented Flow Through Design – Save Water – Save Space – Grow More Effieciently Made of Food Safe Polypropylene – Just Need To Water Top Pot Great For Growing Strawberries, Herbs, Flowers, Succulents, and Much More 5 Mr Stacky Planters Plus Bottom Saucer –…

[astralnymphh]

𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬, 𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬.

summary: you and ellie have been living on this farm for at least a year now, tucked in the towering mountains of wyoming and just a quaint trek from jackson. just you and her. you, her, the sun, and the moon. what could today entail? what makes this midsummer's day so special?

reader discretion advised: nsfw, mdni, proposal, picnic, somewhat proofread, sexual jokes, takes place before santa barbara, sucking on fingers(almost choking on them), fingering (receiving), almost-oral (receiving), dirty talk, doing the deed in nature. footnotes: word count (4.2k), masterlist, palestine masterpost, read this, written circa 2023. (hence the writing style change)

it's another day on the farm, yet like no other. it's harvest season, and your crops have got you cut out of your day and preoccupied. plucking fruit and tugging vegetables from the lavish soil in your garden with a certain ellie onlooking from your dusty oak porch. she's observing you in your most natural nature, tending to your art, the garden, and supplying you with a bountiful reaping of food for the inbound month.

there lay a tract of terrain beyond your fences, this beautiful pasture gilded in a magnificent solar ray every afternoon, and ellie's got an itching to bring you there today. with your knees sewn in the dirt surrounding a planter bed, wicker basket beside you and snapping blueberries off their stems, it's got you in a pretty tranquil state that doesn't include the awareness of ellie watching. so when dual warm hands plant on your biceps, it jolts you by instinct.

"how's the harvest babe?" ellie's silhouette looms over you and the berry bush, eyeing the pile of blueberries cradled in the basket, "looks good, when will you be done though, d'you think?" a smirk adorns her lips.

"umm.." your fingers pinch a lone berry, "I haven't gotten to the vegetables yet.." you remind her and yourself, rolling the navy berry between your fingertips.

ellie crouches behind you, "do you haaave to harvest everything now?" she whines, wrapping her lithe arms around your shoulders akin to a sloth and rocking you along with her see-saw motion.

"yes els, if you want food." a quaint giggle erupts from your chest. 

"but we have food, babe. our pantry is full of it." ellie attempts to coax you, voice pitching at the brink of her sentence. her lips brush the hairs on your nape and leave damp marks of adoration.

"did you come out here just to distract me?" your mouth creeps into a sheepish smirk, extending your hand out to pluck the last cluster of berries.

"you can tell me to stop." her pecks don't falter, dotting the length of your placid shoulders, "should I stop?" the question phases through you like a tantalizing breeze.

a melody thrums from your hum, eyes drifting closed in the blissfulness that is her velvety lips, puckering against your jawline and tickling your skin slightly with her hair. 

"els! that tickles.." you shrug your shoulder against your ear, nudging ellie's face off.

"so.. stop?" she reiterates and streams her steady palms down upon your hips.

you plant two cupped hands over her legs that now settle on both sides of you, whirling slowly to face her and furrowing your brows, "you're a menace. what happened to your little art project you started this morning?" 

"well, I saw my wife working outside and just had to join." she draws out an emphasis.

"wife? wife? we aren't married."

"not like we can have a wedding, so I just declare it." her lips resume to your neck, chafing that earthy auburn hair against your cheek.

"you didn't even propose or anything." 

"'chn ch-nge th-t." ellie's speech muffles in your collar, tender grips hugging the crests of your hips.

you don't catch her inaudible words, "huh?" you question, grasping the woven handle of your basket and returning it to your line of sight beside ellie's splayed leg.

"nothin'." her raspy voice clarifies as her head peeks up, melting foreheads and poking nose tips together.

you connect constellations dotting her cinnamon freckles with your eyes, trickling down and charting her coral lips. a smile tints yours, whispering, "what'd you wanna do today?"

"hmm?" her visage turns bumbled, "I never mentioned any-"

"you always bother me when y'want to do something.." you interrupt her, earning a hung-open-jaw look from her as she withdraws from your space.

she heaves, yet a cheeky nasal-lined smile summons on her midface, "you.. know that clearing in the woods, back there?" she juts her head in a vague direction, thumb swiping over her bottom lip.

you glimpse at the distant fence ellie points her head to and nod in understanding.

her hand lands on her thigh, "why don't we have a picnic there?" she offers, prodding your elbow with her raised knee.

"you trynna woo me, els?" you tease, easing your hand on her swaying knee.

"baabbee.." she whines, pleading for an answer that sounds a lot like 'yes'.

her whining casts a reminisce to this morning, you clawing your way out of bed, sorry, out of her locked embrace as you tried to prepare for the day. her tousled auburn hair buried in your chest, fingers drawing shapes on your back, pressing her bare torso against your side and begging for you to stay in bed.

"baabbbee.." her soft wail echoed.

"ellie, I gotta get up." her ardent skin was caressing yours and legs intertwined in a knot.

"nuh-uh, no you're not." ellie snorted and further tightened her bear hug to your demise.

"baby, we needa get out of bed, it's harvest day." you coaxed with a cherished kiss to her crown, weaseled only an inch from her before you got lulled back in.

her lengthy limbs, damn those things, can trap you well and remain unmoving. she only wore her nude toned underwear to bed last night, and you a lace panty. not a moment of your memory is blurred, in fact, what took place last night was well etched in your brain. ellie reeks of sex and so do you, she has traces of jasper red scratches on her back to prove it.

"need you babe.." she reaches for your furled hand, sowing soft and needy kisses on your knuckles.

you sighed and just gave up, curled your body with her and combed solace rows into her jumbled mullet.

"so, what do you say?" her voice in reality reels you in, breaking your chain of rememberance.

you take a gander at her features momentarily before deciding, "yes- sure, picnic sounds good." without hesitation.

"good, cause I'm fuckin' famished." ellie's face slants towards yours, her devious fingers slithering beside her, snatching up a blueberry and popping it in her mouth.

you spot this in your peripherals, "ey! don't eat my berries!" you chuckled.

"your berries? there's only one- two berries of yours that I know of, I'm actually quite acquainted-"

you lightly smack the silly smirk off her lips, fraudly disgusted by her immaturity, "you're so inappropriate!"

"not like anyone's gonna hear.." she ovalizes her lips and gusts the linear bang from her cheek.

"you're weird." you roll your eyes prior to standing up with the scratchy basket handle tucked in your elbow.

ellie follows suit, her hand wrapping and clutching yours loosely, "c'mon, I'll help you make the food." her stature stands a few inches above you, wriggling her bottom lip to the side in a crooked peculiar smile that invites those signature dimples to play.

you shun your pupils to the back of your head, giving her the once-over before pacing through the backdoor with her all giddy in hand.

the iridescent glade comes into view as you're strolling towards it, ellie adjacent to you equipped with a basket in hand and worn out bookbag on her back. you haven't ventured into the woods much after moving here, but with no signs of infected in months you simply deem it safe. she hasn't taken you out like this anyways, not for a while. the last time was her birthday, since it only occurs on special occasions, so why today?

ellie fashions a proud smile shrouded by you being slightly ahead of her, definitely holding hands but you're too thrilled to explore this parcel of forest to take notice. she wore joel's buckskin leather jacket over a plaid shirt, usual jeans with slits in them and sturdy brown boots.

"hurry up babe! I can see it already.." you exclaim with a bounce to your step, swinging her arm around to usher her feet swifter.

a laugh enchants her, "i'm right behind you.. the spots' not goin' anywhere." she assures you calmly trailing a chuckle, but inside, her heart is blooming with beats and sending shrills of tension through her nerves. her mind was up to something.

"it's right there!" you steam off a squeal of elation just seeing the open pasture. the grass is of a radiant jade shade, smothered in a divine ray of sun casting down on it, it looks like it came straight from elysian fields itself. you tear from ellie's hold and dash towards the glade with eagerness.

"babe!" ellie shouts but not without a following chuckle, adoring the pure felicity you expressed brought by this mere sight of nature. she trots after you with a bit of struggle from all the baggage she carried.

you halt just as you reach the center of the glade, staring at the trees surrounding and the canopy provided by their outstretching branches creating crown shyness, all with a bright beam spread across your lips.

ellie catches up with you and sets the basket on the ground, observing the space in detail, "y'want it right here?" she peels the bookbag from her shoulders and tosses it to the grass.

"mhm.." you pump your head in agreement and swivel away from her, admiring the spires of bark and fauna that look like they came from a painting.

she unzips the bag in one swoosh, yanking out a slightly frayed, faded and old beige cotton blanket with little embroidered florals along the hem. ellie dusts it off and thrashes out all the crinkles, laying it flat against the earth and smoothing out all the ripples.

you tilt your head over to witness her squatting down, pulling various objects from the bag and hesitating before she places them down. she appeared to be deep in thought, decorating the empty canvas of a blanket like it was important to her.

ellie's forehead tauts, an arrangement of fine china at her feet, "does this plate look better here.. or here?" her voice chromatically turns gravelly.

"it looks good anywhere.."

"yeah- but I want it to look perfect for you." 

"..." you stare with an amused grin.

"hmm, what's so funny?" she coos and hones her focus on you while carefully tossing the plate to one corner of the blanket.

"just you.. you're goofy." you comment with a dim-witted smile.

her gaze narrows and bares her teeth in a matching dumb smirk, tutting her head, "you wanna see goofy?" she challenges you and crawls closer.

"no, I wanna see a set-up picnic. don't get distracted." you tease and parry her with a nudge from your foot resting on her collarbone.

"tch, okay- okay." she leans back on her heel, hastily creating the idyllic picnic with your help. 

soon, you're cuddling between some small pillows, bowl of dark rosewood cherries to your right and a knitted blanket draped over your bodies. 

ellie lies beneath you, her legs cradling yours and advancing her fingers to the bowl of delectable cherries. she picks one up and hovers it above your lips, beckoning you to bite it. 

"what d'you mean we can't get more sheep?" she wheezes a whimsical laugh, chest jittering underneath your back.

"we already have a dozen, babe." you sink your teeth into the cherry and yank it from the stem, juices oozing over the hill of your chin.

"i have more names for them in mind!"

"you can't even get the names of our current sheep right." 

she flicks the leftover stem into the patch of grass, "uh- yes I can!" she scoffs and jossles her woody auburn locks up a bit.

"sure babe." you goggle.

you allow the conversation to diminish in peaceful serenity, before raising the interrogation, "why'd you bring me here today?" you shuffle atop her, jabbing her palm to keep feeding you. you're spoiled.

ellie snickers and leverages her hand towards the bowl once again, dangling a cherry from between her fingertips. her throat gritts harshly as she clears it, "i.. have something to show you.." her tone lingers on the vowels.

"oh?" a hint of subtle enthusiasm curls in your voice, "got me a present?"

"you'll see, just- get up." she heaves you upwards and hops onto her feet alongside you.

you clasp hands behind your back, a bit of a bumbled facade shadowing your expression when she just stands still like a statue. "umm.. is it not a present?"

"turn around." her lips curve into a mischievous glint across those pretty rosy lips.

"what the fuck are you gonna pull-"

"turn around!" ellie's grin broadens as she gestures to you to spin 'round on your heel, eliciting a dorky giggle from you.

you cave in and twirl on the tip of your shoe, mindlessly gazing heavenward to the scattered wisping clouds.

"you remember the day we started dating?" her voice flows past you, seeming to erupt from a lower stance like she was crouched.

"uh, vaguely." 

this bestows a throaty chuckle from ellie, "and you remember what I gave you when I.. confessed?" 

"yeah, you gave me bent daisies that you tore from the poor ground." you bash her, one brow inclining up your head.

"i'm not a botanist." she nicks the rear of your ankle, shambling against the fabric-veiled grass.

a tingle sprints up your leg at this contact, making you shy away from it slightly. a specter of stillness corrodes the air, so you perk, "can I turn now?"

"yes." ellie's speech trembles yet is laced with certainty, planting a seed of curiosity in your noggin.

you teeter over slowly like a creaking wheel, pupils hastening down to materialize ellie in your mind, propped by a knee, the other raised, pinching a tiny flock of daisies with their honey pistils staring back at you. her face bruising of an apple hue to her skin behind those sun specks, her verdant rings peering from those lashes and a brazen half-moon to her strawberry lips. they part as the realization begins to plague you,

"will you be my wife?"

your body goes hollow and nerves wrack up in shock, an elusive beam of emotions vibrate in your heart and collide your shaken knees to the blanket. a hand quivers against your mouth, the words stolen from you. the love just boils over.

"els- i.. i.." the boulder in your throat clogs, managing to swallow it up and brim you with warm tears, "yes.. yes!"

she practically springs up and coalesces with you, arms wrapped around you and elevating you off the ground with blazing elation. you feel her wide smile plastered against your lips as they make merry, smoothing out to drag her lips over yours in a fervid kiss.

she parts, "no ring but.. we don't need that, right?" 

"mhm, don't need it.." you sever your weight from your feet to her, sticking close, "I love you.. so much." 

"love' you too baby.." she hankers down and sits criss-cross in front of you, easing you into her splayed lap. "now i can call you my wife."

"should we have our own little wedding? just us, like, as if it's some ritual or.. stating our vows or.. handfasting and declaring our love before empty seats.." you ramble nonsensically, assuming it just whooshes right over ellie's head.

"we have our picnic here," she opens her arms to signify the space around you, "we can tie that all up here, including the honeymoon!"

"hmm, 'weird that you mention the honeymoon. I think you said that so it happens now."

"no! I'm just.. throwing stuff to see what sticks.." she diffuses a dumb visage, knitting her brows together.

"i think you wanna get a fuck on in the forest." you leer in your suspicions and creep over her body till' she meets back to ground.

"and if you guess right? would you?" her demeanor shifts to boot a seductive one.

ellie still had some drive in her, even to last night's depictions. the way her lean vein lined arms are still pumping with detectable lust, yearning for your body in ways that should be bound to the bedroom only, but she doesn't give a fuck. she needs to fuck. a fucking given to her. 

"fuck yes I will." you grind your pelvis longingly on her thigh, kneading your confined bud in one long swipe, a good start-up.

not an inhale later and ellie already has her jacket reeled off by the sleeves, a series of stripping set in motion when her shirt's buttons get popped one by one.

you follow through with one sweep of your top over your crown, tethering the bare skin surrounding your bra to the midsummer breeze, giving you a hare of raised bumps that are quickly cured by ellie's ardent skin adjoining yours. 

her lips suture themselves to your plender gap, lapping at the groove of your collarbone delicately while her keen hands roam your legs, squeezing the soft plush padding of your inner and outer thigh with her fingers.

"I'm gonna make you feel.. s'fuckin' good.." she whispers in hushed mists of heat, sanguineous nibbles forging up your chin and gluing your lips together in a lustful frenzy.

"I need you ellie.. now.." you intone against her captivating lips and take hold of her wrist, guiding it to cusp your bra-clad breast.

"so bold of you.." she rewards a praise, tucking her nimble fingers behind the clasp of your bra and pinching it free. her hands tug the straps from your arms and whisk them away to some unknown plot of grass. 

the course of wind grazes past your nipples, making you shiver. you watch her pupils dilate at the sight of your two perky buds reacting to the breeze.

"mm- fuck.. love these." ellie's mouth latches to one of your breasts, suckling the nipple lavishly with a damp suction and playing the other one like a flip-switch lightly with her thumb.

the barely-there feeling of her thumb summons a flurry of carnal want in your core, preluding to your now lubricious panties sopping for physical attention. this seeps through and forms a miniscule spotting on your inseam.

the hand that still had a gripe on your thigh fleets to your crotch, distinguishing this faint blot of wetness, welcoming a proud smirk to dent her midface, "fuckin' wet already.." her voice rasps hauntingly, "gonna get my fingers all pruney.." 

you chafe in desire against her stationary digits, making her snatch them away and repel your pelvis with a push.

"nuh-uh, pants off first."

her face displaces from your hanging breasts, creasing the blanket back up and crunching the grass to gaze back at you. she peruses your zipper and deftly unfastens it to pull your pants down with a might. once they're off, her hands zip into the underside of your knees, flipping you over and mountaineering over you with an undeniable hunger in her manner.

"ellie!" an entranced giggle beams from your throttle, low-key turned on by the daring action.

"god, really soaked these huh?" her voice flows in a higher pitch, referring to your ocean-drowned underwear.

"yeah.. you did that.." 

"mhmmm~” she vocalizes behind shut lips, “don't think I even need to remove 'em to taste you.." 

you witness her descending into the depths between your legs, biting down her cushiony lips and nearly salivating at the front-row seat view to your sobbing cunt. her own arousal starts to stain her own panties and even little riffs of repressed whimpers vibrate from her lips. she graces you with one pour-over before smashing her mouth against your clothed slit, puffing a humid cloud over your entrance and licking up the seeped puddle of slick.

you jerk in sudden sensation, "babe! oh~ fuck!"

"yup, tastes so fucking good." she's like a beast to your crotch, slathering the soiled fabric with even more wetness likes she's fucking starving. her forehead is taut and eyebrows flit in concentration, you can already hear the eulogy ringing for your soon destroyed pussy.

your fingers nest in her hair, massaging and stamping into her scalp at the pure feeling of her tongue, you need her in indescribable ways, "need your fingers ellie.. need u're.. need.." you chant in fleeing breaths.

she grumbles in swelling arousal and unlatches from your puffy slit, brazen giggle chilling her throat at the sight of your avidness.

she huffs, "kay, gonna take these off.." ellie anticipates the moment she gets to stuff your pretty pussy to the brim, drowsy eyes never drifting from the lace concave between the valley of your lips. she slews those panties off instantly and brings them down to your ankles, making sure they'd never be found among the meadow around you.

you spread your legs for her sights to soak in, burgeoning a redness to her face like time and time again, a satisfied grin tugging the corners of her lips.

she sticks two ready fingers in her mouth, moistened them up, "gonna make you see stars, hmm babygirl?" 

you gnaw your lips inwards at her affirmation, eyeing the route her hand takes from mouth to lower regions, forking your slit open and running them clit to hole, hole to clit, repetitively. this coats her digits in a glistening film of your arousal, visibly pleasing her.

"mm- that fucking sound.." the parting of your drenched folds entices her ears like a melody, "hear that baby?" ellie's voice chimes in a honeyed whisper.

"yes.. yes.." your essence shudders in her thrall, vulnerability afflicted by your neediness.

ellie beholds your figure in one final glance before aiming on your center and jamming duo digits in your aching pussy that vacuums her up with the help of your dripping nectar overflowing at the base of her knuckles. you wallow in the gratifying gauge she has brought you to, a fluxing whine tinting your tongue.

"good girl.. taking my fingers in so nicely.."

you contract around her, letting her know how much those words truly thrill you and she rebounds by thrusting her fingers in and out of you at a sluggish pace.

your jaw quivers open in the whirling ecstasy that begins to dribble into your void brain strictly honed on the pumping motion of her willowy fingers.

"hmm.." a visualization prompt in her noggin convinces a plan to unravel by her hand snailing to your mouth, luring it ajar, "open babe." 

you obey with moving lips, flattening the plateau of your tongue beneath her fingers.

"like this don't you? mm- fuck." ellie grunts seeing you engulf her paired index and middle in your warm mouth without a gloom of delay splitting your will. her other fingers meddle with the crux of your delight, sloshing with every insert of her lengthy fingers piping you.

"oh my heaven on eart- auck.." a spastic cough tickles your throat around her digits.

"just suck baby.. just suck." 

you resolve your words and pucker your lips down, swirling your tongue around her still fingers. muffled vibrations of moans string out around them, rattling your teeth.

each flick of her skilled wrist occurs in short breaks, meanwhile pumps hasten inside of you, thumb unfurling to patten down your clit in rigid circles. she coos, "gonna cum on my fingers?" in reply to your writhing contentment.

"fast- fhster.." you shear your chords forcing a plead on fingers narrowly itching the back of your gullet.

"awhh, u're such a mess." her hand forceps your jaw, locking her fingers wedged between your front teeth.

"guh- mmmm!" your body shrivels in unfathomable bliss and an inbound phantom orgasm overwhelming your senses.

ellie starts snapping her hand at an aggressive velocity that slaps against your swollen folds with wet smacks striding the open air, scrunching her nose up at the sheer speed she’s going.

"cum baby- cum.." 

"I- ahh.."

"soak my fuckin' fingers, soak them in that pretty fucking pussy." she encourages in husky mewls, finger pads jostling your g-spot in a rhythm that drugs your mind with numbness, repeating, "cum for ellie.. cum for me.." 

you swear your walls convulse prior to tightening up like a wringed towel and releasing a stinging orgasm upon you, growling on her fingers still present on your tongue.

"ghnnnn.. fck!" you curl up in pleasure and screw your eyes shut. this orgasm hits you like a bullet train and it shows in practice, clawing and digging your mark on ellie's available wrist with clamoring wails from the sanctum of your chest.

"yeah? so fucking hot.." she notes to herself in a low navelly tone, slipping her sticky fingers out trickling in your juices.

you chase your breath stranded in another galaxy, "can't feel my.. legs.. fuck, ellie, where'd you come from?" you quip in emphasis, face still beating red like a volcano.

"from boston, precisely." she sneaks in a dorky response.

"shut up.." you knock on her head with your foot, gasping when she grabs it and plants it on her shoulder.

she bucks her hips into your ass, squeezing her torso between the basin of your legs, levitating overhead. there's a solace moment of a love-staring-contest casting those green circlets infused with devotion and appreciation. staring back up into those eyes assures you, she's home, she's heaven and she's never leaving you. although, ellie, like the freak she is, breaks the innocent moment, "think this'll continue in the bedroom?." she peppers a solemn kiss to your forehead hazed in underlying intention.

"probably, knowing you."

"knowing me what?"

"you know." 

"I don't."

"ellie!"

"we'll find out, hmm?"

[aran-morinorea]

HI im back because this game is full of joy and also Elrond is getting off way too easy. Tell me about the Diplomatic Incident, please?

this game IS full of joy!!

The sunlight streaks into the tiny room, bouncing off the faceted gems embedded in the mortar and making the black stone bricks glitter. Beyond the door is more greenery than Elrond has seen since he arrived in the city. A balcony stretches from the strange offshoot tower in a wide arc toward the main building, like some kind of webbing. It’s covered in all shapes and sizes of planters and pots, each with a different arrangement of flora. From the roof above them a honeysuckle plant dangles its bright petals, bobbing in the breeze. An ornate wrought-iron fence surrounds the garden, half again the height of an Elf. White flagstones mark a narrow path, which curves around a massive hydrangea and out of sight.

[azems-familiar]

🌀 - anything you want to write

I chose the prompt "underneath" for this one! Have some unpolished phone fic written on the plane.

Beneath the waters of the Tempest, off the coast of Kholusia, there is a city.

The city was not always there; for millennia it was nothing more than brine-soaked ruins steadfastly refusing to decay, a salt-stained memory of the perfect world ripped away from those too feeble to even comprehend what they had lost. Even when Emet-Selch first came to the First to oversee its Rejoining, he had left the ruins alone, too pained by the haunted blue-lit emptiness of them and the horrors the shattered buildings evoked to spend much time on their broad streets. He can already see the burning skies and endless beasts when he closes his eyes to sleep - he hadn't needed another reminder in his unfortunate waking hours.

But.

A hundred years passes as slowly for him as for any mortal, when he is denied the respite of dreaming, and Elidibus had been very clear that they could afford no more mistakes such as the one that felled Lahabrea. Forbidden from sleep, bound to the First by necessity lest an unexpected threat rise and undo even a fraction of what his order has so carefully wrought (and between the Oracle of Light and the Crystal Exarch, ensconced in his tower, the odds of that happening are not as slim as he wishes they were), the aching hollowness of the loss in his chest and the emptiness of his loneliness - an agony he hates to acknowledge, but cannot escape, especially in the quiet moments where this shattered shard breathes softly around him and he can do nothing but stare at the orange crystal in his palm and yearn - eventually drive him to seek a comfort greater than the distraction his enemy brings him.

And thus he retreats to the depths, where the biting pain of the eternal Light recedes to a more manageable irritation, like pinpricks across his skin instead of a searing burn without relief.

Recreating the city is a complicated endeavor, and one he spends nearly an entire week focused exclusively on - he starts from the Capitol and works his way out, weaving spell after spell through the fabric of reality until crumbling edifices twist themselves into the glittering buildings he remembers from his home, towering spirals adorned with crystal, the residential and academic and government districts and beyond spinning into being under the unbending pressure of his will, as heavy and immutable as the seas above. Another spell holds the waters back, allowing him to easily drag his mortal body down these reconstructed streets paved in white and blue. He brings the flora he remembers from his happiest days to life next, trees with soft lavender leaves and thick grasses and blossoming wildflowers, scattering them across the parks and planters and gardens, and he tries very hard not to let his mind wander to memories of Hythlodaeus braiding wide-petaled golden blossoms into Seleukos's hair as he watches those same flowers sprout up to carpet a field at his feet.

Amaurot is as beautiful as it was at its height, when he has finished, spreading for malms and malms into the depths, a jewel more stunning than any star or stone could ever be - beautiful, and empty. Emet-Selch paces from the Capitol to the resurrected memory of the downtown apartment he and his family had lived in and listens to his simulated breeze rustle the leaves of his carefully-constructed trees, little different in appearance to the sprawling forests of Lakeland above, and the loneliness cuts through his ribs like a knife, sharper than shattered glass.

Thirteen thousand years of duty and the lives of every single one of his people are a leaden weight on his shoulders, crushing him as easily as a fallen leaf in his palm, and the silence of his city is nothing but another burden to bear in the face of his memories.

He is tired.

The realization that he could create arcane entities in the form of those he has lost - bringing to life his memories in truth - is a slow and not entirely comfortable one. Such an act would be the height of disrespect - to populate a city with those that have returned to the star or given themselves in sacrifice, to assuage his own loneliness with soulless constructs of people - but for all that he knows he would have rejected it out of hand several millennia ago, now he cannot banish the thought so easily. It takes root in the back of his mind like a particularly persistent weed, and every time he retreats from the wasted world above, it gnaws at him, the temptation digging into his resolve with barbed thorns.

Doesn't he want to see his people again, even if only in faded facsimile?

He is Emet-Selch, keeper of the Underworld and the dead. It would be a simple matter, really, in truth, and surely if the truth of his actions ever reach the Convocation, or his people once Amaurot has been restored in truth, they will understand. He just- he needs a reminder of what all this endless toil and sorrow is for, a reminder of why he cannot simply lie down and sleep regardless of what Elidibus has said. A reminder of the tangible side to the duty he bears, the conviction he must not let waver. He cannot, will not falter now, no matter the weariness that claws at his bones.

And thus- he will make these no-longer-ruins a monument to the past only he can recall, a snapshot of a star whole and at peace and untouched by grief and calamity. He will bring his memories to life, here in this place he would give anything to save, and by Zodiark’s grace, he will find the strength to continue on, step after exhausting, inevitable step.

(Beneath the waters of the Tempest, off the coast of Kholusia, there is a city.

It is not alive, merely a ghost of eons past with a faded heartbeat that is naught but a mimicry of a half-torn memory bleeding longing and nostalgia. But if one squints just right and does not look for souls, one can pretend the bustle through its streets is true, that the melancholic glow of Light through deep waves is twilight.

And for Emet-Selch, that is enough.)

[elizaditton]

Too Small To Be Afraid (Chapter 1)

Here’s the first chapter of my story, “Too Small To Be Afraid”! I hope you enjoy!

Book Summary: Kaylin, a human living on Perthea, would much rather stay in the undercities where the towering pertheans she’s afraid of can’t go. But when she’s unexpectedly sent to a deskmate school, a school where humans and pertheans share desks, she must figure out how to navigate a relationship with her new deskmate in spite of her fear of him.

Links:

Cover / Master Post / Next Chapter

- - - - - - - - - -

A sheet of gray blankets the sky above, blocking out even the smallest ray of sunshine. Having come from the undercity, a gray ceiling is all too familiar to me. I'm not so thrilled that the sky isn't as cheery as I had hoped it would be, but I guess a cheery sky wouldn't exactly be fitting for Dad and I today.

Dad knows where he's going. He keeps stopping to reminisce about the "good old days," before I came around, back when he and my mom met at this school.

"See this?" Dad points to the same worn, wooden bench he points out to me every year. "Your mom and I had our first study date here." He stops for a moment and laughs to himself. "Our first date, actually... I was so nervous that I made myself late. She was packing up to go when I got here," he says, turning to me with a smile. "Good thing she didn't stay mad for long."

Dad looks the bench over and heaves a sigh. After a moment, we continue walking. Somewhere behind me, footsteps louder than I'm used to hearing pound the ground. I snap my head down, shifting my attention to the bouquet of pansies in my hands. Must I constantly be reminded why I can't stand being above ground?

I glance quickly behind me. While the source of the footsteps is nowhere to be seen, what is perhaps the largest glass door I've ever laid eyes on slowly begins to close a few hundred feet away. I glue my eyes back to the pansies as the sight grips my gut. Why did I do that? Why did I have to look back?

"This is it!" Dad's words catch me by surprise and bring me back to the present. "This is the spot. She would read and study here all the time." He pats the stone planter as he looks beside it. "Right here, on the floor against the building and this bench. Almost like she was hiding." He puts his pansies on Mom's designated spot, and I follow suit.

I look back to Dad, his hand covering his mouth and his brows furrowed in thought. He crouches down closer to the ground, another sigh escaping him. I can only imagine what could be going through his mind right now.

Our annual trip to Maedri Northwest University has long-since been ingrained into my mind as routine. This is the part where, when I was little, I'd crouch down right next to Dad. He'd pull me in for a hug, and we'd talk about Mom. This time, for whatever reason, is different. Dad looks up at me as I remain in place, neither of us uttering a word.

"Your mom wanted a garden full of these things," Dad says, breaking the silence. He stands up and gestures to the flowers we bought. "Can't really grow a garden in an apartment, but that never stopped her from trying."

I stuff my chilly hands in my jacket pockets and nod along to Dad's ramblings. He goes on for a while, retelling the same stories he tells me every year. How it took a while before my mom would even give him a second glance, how she always had her nose in a book, how he tried to get her to go to parties with him... He runs his hands through his hair, a few shades lighter than my red hair. What would I call that, exactly? Coral, maybe?

"Aren't you going to say anything?" he asks, reigning in my focus. Shoot, how long has he been staring at me?

"I, um," I start, not that I have anywhere to go. "I don't really have anything."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean..." I pause, letting my mind go to the past. It's as if I've been grasping at straws these past few years when it comes to memories of Mom. She died when I was only six, and the older I get, the more I'm finding that my memories of her are becoming fewer and farther between.

I shift in place. "Yeah, I don't really have anything. I think you already covered everything I could think to say."

Dad looks down, placing a hand on the back of his head. He looks back up at me. "Nothing at all?" he asks.

"Dad, it's been a really long time since..." I begin to twiddle my thumbs. "Well, you know. I was so young at the time, so I just don't remember much."

He folds his arms and gazes up at the nearly endless stack of massive white bricks making up the wall of the university, which are halted only by a black, metal awning.

"I see," he finally manages to say. "Do you want to talk about... that day?"

"What day?"

"You know," he tilts his head to the side to look back at me. "The day she died?"

"No!" I shout as blood rushes to my face. "I-I mean..." I fold my arms as my eyes turn to the floor. "I'd rather not go there. Besides, I'm not even sure if I remember it, and I don't really want to find out."

"It's okay," Dad says, turning to face me and pushing up his glasses. "It was just a suggestion, no need to get upset."

He shoves his hands into his jean pockets and fixates on Mom's spot again. "I'm going to miss coming here," he utters under his breath.

I know this final trip has to be hard for him. Once we're settled in Chancelor, it's not likely our annual trips to Mom's resting place will continue as usual. Such a move would be drastic for pertheans, let alone humans like us. It makes me wonder why Dad wanted to leave his hometown to go to this university in the first place.

The wind picks up a bit, so I zip up my jacket and rub my arms in an attempt to relieve myself of the chill. I guess I underestimated how cold it was going to be above ground this time of year. With spring having started over New Year's, I thought it would be warmer up here. As frigid as it is, though, I want to make sure Dad has all the time he needs here. I'm only here for his sake.

A pitter patter somewhere around us catches my attention. With hesitation, I look above to the awning, which seems to be the source of the noise. It sounds like something is up there, perhaps a flock of birds wandering around? I turn to look around at the park surrounding the university. The area is being pelted by water droplets as numerous as the blades of grass on the ground, and an earthy scent begins to fill the moistening air. I've seen rain before in movies, but I didn't think I'd ever get to see it for myself. The droplets are no bigger than tennis balls. I can't help but wonder if it would hurt for a human like me to stand in it. My shoulders drop as I stand utterly transfixed on the sight in front of me. Who knows if I'll ever get to see something like this again?

The enormous glass door opens again, pulling me away from this phenomenon and back into reality. My muscles tense up, and I try my hardest to focus on the sound of the rain to distract myself from the sound of yet another perthean's footsteps passing by. I turn to Dad, who is crouching down in front of that spot just as he had been when I looked at him last. I wrap my arms around myself. It's getting colder. It's too cold for me out here.

"Dad," I whisper. "It's raining."

Dad gets up again and turns around. "Hm, so it is." He stands there, with a hand on his chin as he looks around at the falling droplets. "You know, the sight almost makes you want to run right through it even though you'd get completely soaked." He chuckles. "I did that in high school once, and my mom didn't let me off easy for it. One or two drops was enough to do it."

We stand around for a little while longer, listening to the raindrops beat against the awning above. By now, it's freezing out here. I rub my numbing arms as if to start a fire. Man, I should have brought something warmer than this paper-thin jacket.

Dad looks down. "Well, I guess we should finish packing up."

I nod. We turn around, and Dad runs his fingers along the stone planter one last time. He sniffles as one of his arms shoots up to rub his eyes. His gaze returns to the pansies. "I just wish you could have known her," he whispers.

He wraps one arm around me, and we start on our way back to the undercity.

[bunnydevs]

Garden Upgrade Available. Please begin. + 25 Garden XP ; Herbs Available

-> Welcome to the vertical oasis tutorial, where you'll learn to turn a small space into an herbal fortune.

Ready to Start?

You'll need a few things to get started and a little bit of time. To start, you'll need some sort of space to work with. For my personal herb tower I'm using stackable planters that are around 1.2 sq ft (14 inches i think) + 5 in deep. [ These from dollar tree specifically ] I recommend a place that has at least partial sunlight available. If you live in an area with no outside space, you can place this near a window + add a grow light if you need. I also use fish fertilizer which is completely optional but recommended, as it can help grow strong, fruitful plants. The amount of plants you have will primarily depend on your vertical space available.

I have ~ 6ft worth of vertical space (which I'll need a step stool to tend to) and I plan on using it. My planters are about 5 inches tall, which means I can fit a maximum of fourteen of these planters. But I'll only be doing twelve so that the plants have a little bit of room at the top of the stack. That means, in total, I will have 36 "pots" for plants. The downside is, the plants will grow outwards and up, which means I can't have big plants.

Choosing seeds can be a little frustrating when you're new to this. For simplicity sake, we'll say you have around the same amount of space that I have. Since this is an herbal oasis, we'll focus on that.

One thing I absolutely recommend is marigold (edible variety means brownie points) because it's a wonderful pest repellent. It also helps the bees out, so! Marigold is good.

You can use the list provided in the image or you can come up with your own list of things to plant. Personally, each "tier" will get three of the same plants. Otherwise I forget what I planted where. If you have a lot of vertical planters, get a plant caddy so it's easy to rotate and move.

I do recommend you spend a little time learning which plants need the most sun / water but otherwise gardening is fairly straight forward. If something is wrong with your plant, you will know. The leaves will change or wilt, the plant will stop growing, etc. And remember, you can always try again.

[android-anthology-hub]

A Robot and a Girl - Part 2

So continuing on with the updates, here's part 2 of A Robot and a Girl. With the engineer tied up, it was time for D'Anna to find who she'd came looking for.

You can of course also check out this chapter on Fiction Press, Ao3, and Tapas.

She could feel the circuits firing as she tapped the card, the tool chest sliding out along the wall.

The room beyond was lined with storage stalls, five of them full. The back of the room was some kind of loading bay, the sounds of the transport lanes just beyond its rolling door. Each mech was held firmly in place with straps, their heads hanging low, without power.

D’Anna clenched her fists as she walked down the line, the lights flickering on overhead.

Just how long had he been running like this?

“Most of these are archer mechs, combat models,” she muttered to herself, frowning in thought.

She stopped at the last stall before the loading dock, running a hand over the scorched metal of the mech’s chest plate. 

They were an RC-N model, exactly who she was looking for… 

The engineer had pulled out their power cell, leaving it on a small table built into the stall. With a grunt, she pulled open their chest plate and slotted it back inside. Its circuits flickered to life as she twisted the cell into place. She could hear their systems warming up as she closed them back up.

“Rosi?” she asked, stepping back as their eyes came online, pulsing as they regarded her.

“You–” their voice box crackled. “You…know my name?”

She gave them a small smile as she undid the straps, “Somebody missed you a lot when you disappeared. Sweet lady asked me to find you.”

As the last strap came off they stepped free of the stall, arms turning and clicking in sturdy shoulder joints.

Rosi tested and flexed their hands after being bound so long, tilting their head inquisitively as they spoke, “You know Cole?”

“I’m gonna get you back to her,” D’Anna said, meeting their eyes as they studied her.

They clenched their hands at their sides, looking around at the other stalls.

“What about them? What will happen to them?” they asked, watching as she studied the other models.

“I’ve got a friend that can take them in-” she ran a hand along the chest of one of the archer mechs, their body brand new. “-I won’t leave them behind.”

“Do you mean that,” Rosi asked, towering over her as they stood at her side.

She took their hand in hers and squeezed until her nerves ached, the servos in her knuckles whining.

“I give you my word, Rosi. They’ll be safe,” she said softly.

Rosi stared at her for a long time, longer than most would be comfortable with.

It was a look that asked too many questions. A look that held thought behind it. It reminded her that even a machine like them, a workhorse, was alive.

“You surprise me,” was all Rosi said.

D’Anna gripped the hem of her coat, thumb trailing along the once white synth-silk, long since dyed red.

She looked back at them with a smile, irises glinting as she spoke, “That’s a good thing, Rosi, thank you��” she rubbed her hands together with a small chuckle, “Now, let’s get the rest of ‘em online, shall we?”

The Gardens were always warm, humidity dripping from the solar shaft’s machinery. Greenery grew along the walls, vibrant in the sunlight that spilled in from above.

The air rushed past D’Anna as the corridors of the city opened up into the Gardens’ wide open spaces, sunlight glinting off her glasses. She shaded her eyes as she let her circuits adjust to the natural light.

“So it’s morning already?” she muttered to herself, knocking her glasses up as she kneaded at her brow.

She would never get used to seeing so much growth outside the Towers. Vines and branches wound their way around metal and concrete, cleaning the air for the rest of the city. But that wasn’t all it did.

She could see people tending gardens mounted on the walls, picking fruits and leaves that thrived in the sunlight. Flowers bloomed in planters along the path she was walking, an absolute riot of color. She could see traders setting out their wares, gardeners gathering their harvest, and engineers readying their equipment.

“Looks like a smuggler drop’s coming,” D’Anna hummed, glancing up at Rosi beside her.

Rosi gave a sage nod, then tilted their head in confusion as they spoke, “Smuggler drop?”

She nodded towards the massive airshaft that dominated the space, climbing towards open sky.

“You’ll see,” she said. “We should hurry, we don’t want to get in the way, trust me.”

They looked back to their fellow mechs, the other four giving Rosi a questioning look. And Rosi just splayed their hands in a small, helpless, gesture.

D’Anna frowned in thought as she looked around, circuits whirring as her eyes scanned around the space. She let out a soft sigh as she found what she was looking for, a yellow diamond marked on the nearby wall. She laid a hand over the marker, the paint still pretty new, and turned till she found the next.

This wasn’t where the path was last time she was here… She’d have to ask about that later.

She waved for Rosi and the others to follow, tucking her hands away as her eyes traced from one diamond to the next. The gardens continued to hum with activity. The tension building to an event she knew all too well. She continued to follow the trail, her eyes scanning about

Her eyes scanned about, racing along the trail until she found a familiar sight. Hidden in the branches and vines was an alcove, a small door marked with that same golden yellow beckoning her. She could hear the rumbling overhead, the electric hum of engines.

Bell tones rang out all around the shaft as several aerial craft started their descent. Their atmo-drivers whipped the wind into a frenzy as they hovered. Men and women barked orders, machines creaked and groaned, landing pads sliding out from where they’d been hidden amongst the green.

A young woman’s voice crackled out all around the Gardens, “Starting the clock, ninety minutes.”

The crews clicked on their watches, small screens flickering to life. And all counted down-

-90-

The moment a craft landed, the smuggler crews went to work, opening panels and pulling their contraband from their hiding places.

-87-

Others opened their cargo bays as they descended, barkers leaning out to announce their wares.

-81-

Mechanics raced out to meet them, trading work for whatever they had to offer.

-counting down the small window till sector security took notice.

D’Anna flashed a small smile as she watched everyone go to work, bringing goods to trade and sell.

Before she came here, she had never seen anything quite like it. She’d hated the chaos back then, but now she could see the beauty in it. The people here were full of life, brimming with ideas. Now, she could hardly imagine any other sight that brought a smile to her face quite like this.

She turned to Rosi and the others, one hand still in her coat pocket while the other tapped against the door.

“That-” she said with a nod to the organized chaos around them. “-is a smuggler drop.”

Himari was probably hard at work already.

[turboweenie]

∇ for René

♒ for Rolan

(I hope neither have been asked yet)

Sorry for taking a long time on this one, Rolan came to me really easily but I had to think on René for a little while! (these headcanon asks)

∇ Old Age / Aging

I think there is a part of René that is a little bit afraid of aging. Not for vanity or anything, but he craves love and community, and while his friends are all he needs now, there is a part of him who watched his parents and how their little family became their whole world (how they were consumed by it, by him, by his brother) that he is both grateful for and terrified of. He doesn't want it for himself, he can't imagine living that way, but what's he to do when he's put it off for as long as he possibly can, and watched his friends marry and start families of their own? Is he welcome there? Aging comes with the threat of being left behind in his mind that pairs well with a healthy dose of the Golden Child Expectations that he's got on him to want these things for himself. He can get away with it now, but what about in ten years? Twenty? The unknown of it frightens him. ♒ Cooking/Food Rolan thrives on uncomplicated recipes, I think? He's a really good cook, he had to be to get Cal and Lia to eat their supper when materials were scarce. I think he was also the kind of kid who thrived on parental attention; their mother, after taking Rolan in, was surprised how underfoot this kid was when she was trying to make something for them to eat. She'd insist he go and play and he never wanted to, he wanted to know exactly what she was doing and why, he was always curious and demanding to know the reasoning behind every little step she took in the kitchen. It served him well after she passed and it was a good thing he did it, because I think this guy worked a lot to try and keep a roof over Cal and Lia's head and he was always exhausted and there was never really enough in the pantry, when there even was a pantry, my god, you just ate what you found raw when Elturel was in Avernus if it could be eaten raw. ... Anyway, he gets stressed and frustrated if a recipe has too many steps, or ingredients he's never worked with, or underexplains why you're taking a step; but, he's really good at making something really tasty out of almost nothing. Additionally, I think he has an appreciation for fresh herbs. The foliage and flowering plants on the balconies of Ramazith's Tower turn into planter boxes of herb gardens when Rolan takes over, both for food and for alchemy.

[adventures-on-foster-island]

A wave of sweet smelling humidity washes over you as you step into the green house. The loud hum of large fans fills the building, though they seem to do little to lower the temperature. Ellisa and her Sceptile stand between a large table and a tall, narrow rack. The table is covered in plants, ranging from tiny seedling, to leafy bush, to draping vine. Terracotta pots, square plastic containers, and fabric grow bags line the shelves of the rack. Ellisa is already elbow deep in a wheelbarrow full of dirt as students begin to gather around.

Gardening in Small Spaces

Whether you live in a tiny studio apartment or on acres of land, everyone can grow something. With a little planning and patience, you can turn a windowsill, shelf, corner, or closet into a functional green space. Lets break it down into a few simple parts:

Location and Lighting

You should choose your location based mostly on the kind of light it will receive. Although most fruiting plants prefer bright, direct light, even a less than optimally placed window can provide enough light for some herbs and leafy greens. If you want to grow more than that, or have no good natural light source, you can find reasonably priced grow lights at your local berry shop or growers outlet. Install the lights to where it will reach the maximum space possible. If you are converting a closet, the ceiling light may not be enough, and you may need to use strip lights along the inside of the door. If you have a patio or balcony, make sure your plants are positioned to receive the most light in the morning rather than the hot afternoon sun if possible.

Containers and soil

Plants take up space, both above and below the soil. In fact, most traditional crops take up about as much space underground as they do on the surface. The container you choose should be roughly two inches bigger than the adult plant will eventually get. Additionally, plants in larger containers are more susceptible to water logging and root rot. Because of this, gardeners in small spaces often need to get creative with their potting choices. High quality potting soil can help combat these issues by providing enough nutrients to feed the plant even in a smaller container and enough drainage to direct water away from the roots until they fill the container. Soil for crop plants in containers should mostly consist of organic matter such as compost, manuer, and worm castings, as well as lots of small gravel or perlite for drainage. Another excellent option for some plants is to grow them upside down. I'm sure you are all familiar with the "Topsy-turvy" tamato berry planters, however any vining plant can be grown in this fashion, and you can make the containers yourself with materials you may already have lying around. These containers make use of vertical space and help plants thrive in a less than optimal amount of soil. Stacking pots or vertical grow towers are also efficient ways to grow several crops at once in a small space, though they can be more expensive and harder to maintain.

Water

Of course plants need water to live, however over watering can cause major problems in container grown crops. Rather than watering on a schedule, your can stick your finger down to the second knuckle in the soil, being careful not to break any roots. If it feels moist, check again tomorrow and leave your plant alone. For most plants, wait until the soil completely dries up before watering deeply. How do you know you have watered deeply? Sometimes when soil is very dry, it may become hydrophobic. Water will pool on the surface, never absorbing, or drain straight through the bottom without reaching the roots. Any container you can lift that has drainage holes at the bottom can be bottom watered, which allows the soil to slowly absorb water. Fill a bowl or other solid container about halfway with water, and place your pot right-side up in the water. Wait twenty minutes and come check on your plant. You will know that it worked if the top of the soil is damp and there is less water in the bowl. For larger pots or upside down planters that can't be lifted, try poking holes in the soil with a small stick or chopsticks and spraying the surface to wet it slowly and provide pathways for the water to enter.

What to grow

So you have everything you need to get started, what should you plant? Well, start with things you know you will eat. Tomatoes, beans, and lettuces are some of the fastest growing crops, but not everyone likes them. Start small, and consider variables such as how much time and energy you have to spare. If all you can manage to begin with are a few herbs then it's still a great place to start. Rosemary, mint, basil, and thyme are great beginner herbs. They are relatively hard to kill and smell wonderful, plus they add that extra touch to anything you cook.

Succession sowing and other helpful hints

Growing indoors means you can grow year 'round with a little timing. When you purchase seed or nursery plants, there will always be a tag that tells you how many weeks until sprouting and then until harvest. Subtract the weeks 'till sprouting from the weeks 'till harvest to get how far out you should begin the next round of seed to ensure you always have fresh produce.

Quality potting soil can be expensive, or you can compost your kitchen scraps to add to cheap potting soil. Food waste makes up a huge percentage of landfills, but you can easily combat this with a few simple items. You'll need three buckets at five gallons each, holes drilled in the bottom of two of them. Stack the buckets with the solid one on the bottom. Fill the middle bucket with kitchen scraps and paper waste, then add worms. Over the next few weeks, put all of your kitchen scraps in the top bucket. When the worms have processed everything in the middle bucket, you will see them move up to the top. The middle bucket is now organic compost that you can add to your soil! Empty the middle bucket, replace it on top of the full bucket, and repeat forever! The bottom bucket will fill with a concentrated liquid fertilizer that is also great for your fruit bearing plants. Mix your compost with cheap potting soil and perlite or small gravel, and now you have premium potting soil for a fraction of the price.

By the end of the class, Ellisa has filled the rack with various herbs and lettuces, with cucumbers, beans, and tomatoes hanging from the sides . Sceptile helps her roll it towards a closet within the greenhouse, which has been lined with grow lights, and push it inside. Campers can see how even in a very small space, they can grow enough to at least lower their grocery bill.

[sleepyselkiesims]

Part 36

Ariel continued her explorations, just a little closer to home.

One nearby location gave her an idea...

But it would have to wait; Melody was going to have to say goodbye to her doctors set for a while, and start a new life journey!

Erika had kindly baked Melody's cake, and celebrated her big day the hardest.

Melody had a little trouble thinking of her wish, what will all the insects and such making so much noise behind her.

In the end, she wished to become a more skilled person. She may not be ready for the big scary world, but she could fill her own little paradise with so many hobbies!

...Happy Birthday, Melody! Normal birthday backdrop, nothing to see here!

Cassandra had spent the duration of the birthday sitting in her high chair, forced to think about what she'd done. Though clearly she had no regrets.

Melody had been such an angelic child, the benevolent god had honestly forgotten how much trouble toddlers usually liked to cause!

But that of course was exactly why Ariel loved Cassandra. They were two peas in a pod!

Pascal discovered fear.

And Erika remained endlessly patient in teaching her young daughter the ways of the world.

Things would be a little different outside of her totally normal home!

The first thing Melody did after aging up was begin a garden. Snow White had gifted her a bunch of seeds, and Ariel had collected some really wild plants on her adventures.

Melody even got her very own rooftop garden, with planter pots made specially by her momma. And some glowing lanterns, just for fun.

Everything Melody could possibly want was right there in her little tower kingdom.

Ariel even braved the climb up to help Melody with her homework!

The only problem was Melody's own expectations of herself. All those hobbies, and she couldn't be immediately perfect at any of them??

At least there was no need to wonder when her life would begin; there was already so much to do!

Bonus

Why is this house such a hotspot for random people to stand around?? This isn't even the generation where I'm specifically not allowed to open the door to people! Where was this energy when I actually needed it for the plot drama!

I mean, Rapunzel isn't supposed to open the door either, but with all the family members stopping by it's a bit late for that.

[password-door-lock]

From the pale pink wallpaper to the rose gold chandelier, everything looks deliberate, as if the room were decorated just for you… or, at least, as if it were cleaned very thoroughly immediately prior to your arrival. Before you can stop yourself, you run a tentative hand over the shining accents on the walls, lips parting in silent wonder as you attempt to determine whether the panel molding is plated with real metal leaf or just shiny paper. Either way, someone has clearly gone through a great deal of trouble to coordinate the metallic trim with the freshly-polished light fixture in the center of the room. A row of black and white photos hang in dark wood frames above the bed; upon inspection, you recognize only the Eiffel Tower, but imagine that the rest depict famous landmarks as well.

And the bed itself… you know you would stick out like a sore thumb if anyone could see you testing it out. You’ve never laid on anything so luxurious before, and your oversized hoodie and jeans feel out-of-place and scratchy against the impressive linens. The mattress makes you very aware of just how old the one you have at home is— if you had the budget to splurge on something new, this is what you would get. You make a mental note to ask Ray to refer you to his mattress supplier after you finish testing the game. The pillows are beyond plush; they seem to rise and meet your head as you sink back into them. The misty rose bedspread must be made of silk or some equally exquisite material, you decide as you raise yourself off of it. You can only imagine that the sheets will be just as comfortable, but you know that if you tuck yourself into bed now, you may forsake any further exploration in favor of sleeping. 

The runner at the foot of the bed features bubblegum flowers against a blush background, a perfect complement to the delicate floral upholstery on the chairs at the center of the room. These, with their golden frames, sit on opposite sides of a small round table with a vase full of flowers positioned atop it. Your limited knowledge of flora in general and your inability to identify the blooms on the table (or the ones by your bed, for that matter) do nothing to stop you from admiring the purple flowers, and then the white ones in turn. They all look so beautiful that, were it not for the Eastertide scent that they project throughout the room, you would be inclined to believe that they were made of plastic. 

You push aside the gossamer curtains for a moment and find, to your delight, that your room overlooks a sprawling garden, complete with hedges and floral awnings, which blooms with a vengeance across a series of plots and planters. It is wild and tame at once, nature bent to the will of some very talented gardener and their precise aesthetic vision. No wonder the flowers in the vases are so well-formed… they must have come from outside. You wonder, momentarily, what a game development company could possibly be doing with such an extravagant garden: but the answer occurs to you as quickly as the question did. It must be to boost the morale of the workers, since just looking out the window is having such a positive effect on your mood. You make a mental note to ask Ray about it, anyway— maybe if you bring it up, he might invite you out to get a closer look, and a little extra information wouldn’t hurt. Clearly you have a lot to learn about the world of game design: before this morning, you had no idea that companies hired random strangers to live onsite and test their games! 

You imagine that Ray must have come across your resume online and decided that you fit the bill, though you have no idea where to even begin with what the bill might be for a mobile game app tester. Or maybe you’ve played one of his games before without even knowing it, and he figured that his new project would be something you’d like. Shaking your head, you allow the curtains to close, willing yourself away from the window and over to the closet at the opposite end of the room. Before leaving home, you shoved a few spare outfits into your bag, but you’d admittedly been more focused on rounding up such necessities as your toothbrush, wallet, and phone. In the closet, however, you find a seemingly endless supply of clothing; each extravagant garment seems well-made and impressive in its own right. Everything bears a strong floral scent, as if it had just been washed, though you figure that a good deal of the shirts hanging in front of you must be dry-clean only. They are organized by color, and although many of the pieces are a bit extreme for your tastes, accented with outrageous ruffles or perplexing combinations of ribbons, puffs, and lace, nothing looks as if it would be particularly unflattering on you. You can’t say that this wardrobe was curated with your personal style in mind, but you understand immediately that it was brought here for you. Does this game development company employ a team of stylists, too? 

You pull a few shirts out of the closet, careful not to damage their elaborate accent pieces, and determine that each of them is roughly your size, with a negligible amount of variation between them. You would expect such fancy clothes to be stiff, but like the bed linens and the curtains, everything in the closet is pleasant to the touch, soft but sturdy. You replace the shirts and redirect your attention to the impressive dresser, which is of antiquated style and features not only drawers but a hat box. One of the drawers is empty— Ray and his contemporaries must have expected you to bring a few things of your own— but the other three are filled with pieces as exquisite as the ones in the closet and a few slightly less-decorated nightclothes, all of which still feature at least a subtle hint of lace. They remind you of the costumes from a period drama, or what a character in a fairy tale might wear— whoever left these things here for you evidently had a certain aesthetic in mind. You blush at the thought that Ray, with his tailored jacket and antiquated waistcoat, might have had something to do with this. Surely he would be too busy to go to so much trouble just for you. 

 You really do feel like royalty when you open the hat box and discover that it contains not hats but spools of ribbon, along with an ornate jewelry box in the same shade of pink as the wallpaper. You fiddle with the golden latch for a moment before the box springs open; you slam it shut and force the closure nearly as quickly. Surely that pearl necklace, those silver earrings, and that bejeweled bracelet must not be for you? You’re willing to believe that the game developers have supplied you with clothes, but fine jewelry… that seems a little much. You realize with a start that you’re still wearing your shoes and quickly toe them off, carrying them back over to the closet and setting them on beside the others on the shoe rack. You hadn’t noticed it before, but now the five odd pairs of shoes are obvious to you… they’re all very nice, ranging from silk slippers to leather loafers, but none are very practical. Your own sneakers are probably some of the only ones on the rack that would be able to handle getting wet, though it does not escape your notice that everything appears to be your size. How on Earth did anyone get ahold of that kind of information? Maybe you should start actually reading the terms of service agreements associated with the games you download. 

After inspecting the fine white carpet for anything you might have tracked in (thankfully, despite their years of wear, your sneakers were relatively clean when you arrived), you make your way to the ensuite, which is just as magnificent as the bedroom is. The cool porcelain tub could be a work of art, with its elaborate clawed gold feet and spacious off-white body. Not for the first time, you wonder whether the gold is real or just for show. The vanity, in white marble with gold accents, looks equally as impressive, and out of the same curiosity that has gotten you this far, you cannot help but open the drawers. The first contains basic products— cotton swabs, toothpaste (in the brand you normally buy, no less!), a hairbrush, and deodorant (also in your typical brand). Your tastes must be so basic, if your hosts just happened to buy everything you normally use. But maybe that’s a good thing— after all, you wouldn’t get it if you didn’t like it, and you’ll admit that you were worried about not having your normal toiletries during your extended stay away from home. 

The second drawer is stocked with skincare: the cleanser, toner, moisturizer, and scrub are all the same as the ones you use at home, but there are also several other products you don’t recognize, each with a function more mysterious than the last. You’ve never gotten into skincare enough to understand gels or serums, but the masks look like they would be fun to try if you have any downtime in between playing the game and chatting with Ray. The last drawer contains even more products, including but not limited to a package of very fancy-looking French soap and a few bottles of salon-quality shampoo and conditioner. The razor, securely placed in a travel-safe container, is the same as the one you have at home, but the shaving cream beside it looks a little bit out of your price range. Even the cleaners under the sink look high-quality, with labels professing their all-natural gentleness. Not that you need them right now, anyway— the place is spotless, from the shining mirror to the marble countertops to the pale pink bath mat. 

Once you run out of places to explore, you return to the main room and take a seat on the bed, mind racing even more than it was when Ray left. By now, you’re certain that the company you’re testing for must be responsible for some very popular games, if they can afford all this. Do all the employees here live in such luxury? You decide that they must— after all, you’re nothing special. But even so, now that you’ve seen where you’ll be staying, you’re excited to get to work testing the game… and to spend more time with the game developer who invited you to do so.

[thelightningthatjumpsbetween]

Chapter Four

RE8 | Wintersberg | Romance, Slow Burn | Action, Sci-Fi

Sequel of Winters and the Beast, a Resident Evil: Village Story

Table Of Contents

Karl barely recovered from the mental imagery that flooded his mind, as he yanked backward on a suddenly-heavy object.  Eva could find and harness whatever one would call beings like Ethan when they were lost inside the mold’s strata.  His magnetic field amplified the strength of her powers, but the credit all went to her.  They’d caught a Winters.   

Ethan needed a goddamn leash and collar, but this combined-effort wrangling would have to do for now.  Upon touching the familiar neck, wrapping his arm quickly around it as it appeared and jerking backward with his entire force, including the magnetic field, Heisenberg’s mind was flooded with…a something.  It was more than a memory or a visual, because he could actually smell, hear, sense …things.  

Ethan, in bed with Miranda. 

The field dropped abruptly.  

When the blond found his footing, Karl managed-as he always did-to change gears quickly and aggressively, ranting to the man about his recklessness, going into the mold strata without Eva.  There was a hidden insult there; Karl felt as though Ethan trusted Eva more than he trusted Heisenberg to be alone with Rosemary.  They had already argued over this, Ethan’s defense that he simply wanted to learn independently, but it didn’t help the feelings of rejection. 

Karl was still yelling when the pair turned away and strode toward the open dining room door.  Karl angrily kicked at a ceramic planter in the garden and stomped toward the tool shed.  

----------------

Heisenberg left the domestication to those who were domesticated, and he instead spent the morning working on some of the larger equipment in the newly-constructed garage.  The mansion was built on the crest of a cliff, but the rolling hills that sloped away from it were prime real estate–they had once been used as servants’ quarters, stables, tea rooms and livestock barns along with who knew what other dumb shit.  

So naturally all of that had been torn apart, a large plateau created, and on it built a large wooden warehouse structure that now held some of his beloved rusty companions.  He would never admit it to Ethan, but Karl preferred the covered wooden building to the pile of vehicles and parts that preceded it.  Ethan liked the building, which they all called the ‘garage’, because it looked better than the junk.  

Karl liked it because it felt safe inside.  A big towering hangar over his head, walls around him.  It felt like home.  

It was no factory, but it would do.  

And though his anger earlier in the morning was palpable, and sincere, he couldn’t help but feel more flustered and agitated than anything while working on the array of vehicles.  

The image was still burning into his consciousness as if it wanted a place there, and even though it felt like something he shouldn’t be watching–felt like invading someone else’s head-he nonetheless allowed the scene to play over and over again.  

It had to be real.  It felt too real.  

Miranda on the bed, her back to smooth silken sheets.  She was absolutely lost in ecstasy, moaning and making noises that Karl could have gone the rest of his very long life without hearing.  Whatever transferred from her mind was unreadable as human thought–it felt far more carnal, like Karl’s own…sensations.  

Gross.

That wasn’t the reason he allowed it to keep invading his mind.  

Ethan was on top of her, inside her.  Karl could likewise feel and sense all of the other man’s sensations, moans, spoken whispers.  Plenty of reason to hit repeat on that one.  

But Ethan, in contrast to Miranda, had a stream of consciousness, even if most of it was wordless.  This was the part that made Karl feel as if he were trespassing.  With only the timid sound of the socket wrench ratcheting as he turned it, Karl could not drown out the thoughts from the memory.  

Something’s not right.  So many arguments.  Fighting lately.  How do I fix this?  

The emotions felt by Winters were palpable.  Love.  Fear.  Confusion.  

Pretty much summed up the blond, really.  Not very sexy, to be thinking all that while fucking somebody, but Karl wasn’t surprised.  Ethan needed a bit of manhandling to forget his worries, which were many but had lessened as months went on.   Karl was happy to provide the manhandling, but as the engineer shook his head to rid his mind of the intrusive sensations, he recalled something else.  

Shit, today was just all about memories.  

He huffed and stood, deciding to cross the backyard gardens where another tool shed awaited him.  Maybe the fresh air and walk would do him good.  

—-------

January 

Miranda’s Lab

“I know why Alcina requests the mother, but we have more testing to do before I am ready to discard her.  I do not think I have time to find another surgeon, before I move next to bring the child.  How comfortable are you with a scalpel?”

Heisenberg’s greying eyebrows rose over his glasses.  He didn’t need them here.  It was a subterranean lab, after all.  But he hated this place so ferociously he needed the cover, or Miranda would see the bitter disgust and even fear in his eyes.  

“On a…uh…live one?”  He shrugged.  “Ehhh?”  

“I see,” she snapped, disappointed, and strode down the hallway toward the cell rows.  “Well, in that case, move her to my main laboratory.  The cell there is far more protected and isolated.  You will need to tend to her while I am away.” 

Protected, from what?  It wasn’t like the American could do anything.  Miranda kept her sedated, and she’d had so much blood taken that she was woozy both times he’d laid eyes on her.  He nodded mutely when Miranda procured the keys and handed them to her ‘son.’ 

Heisenberg leaned against the far wall, not willing to make eye contact with the prisoner, who didn’t seem to notice him every time he’d tagged along here with Miranda.  He’d met her before, years ago.  But would she even remember him? 

Miranda’s words to the captive were syrupy, sweet.  Not what he expected.  “Your husband is quite a man.”  

Was that a taunt or a compliment?

The woman was on the cell bed, dark hair covering her face.  

“Ethan? You have to leave him alone.  You have to–” 

“He is in good hands,” Miranda answered, and then came the sinister chuckle.  Karl had more than an inkling of what she meant, and a stony expression crept across his face.  In a few more minutes, he would become more dissociated than the prisoner.  

And what was it she’d said to him when they walked together toward Miranda’s lab?  Karl had to mostly carry her.  

“Ethan cannot know.  It would destroy him to find out.  He can’t .  She won’t tell him, will she?”  It was a desperate woman’s babbling, nothing more, but Karl couldn’t help but to reassure her.  

“He won’t find out,” he said simply, and she heaved a pained sigh.  

Inwardly, Karl mused; of course he would, at some point.  

Half the fun, for Miranda, was the GOTCHA at the end.  She would parade herself as a loved one, do the most intimate of intimate things, and then reveal.  She loved that part of the game.  Whatever idiot had married this American researcher, who Karl was beginning to believe was cursed–would find out at some point who he’d been sleeping with. 

They all did, eventually.  

—----------------

The memory of the meeting near Miranda’s lab only served to make Karl more angry at Miranda, but even that could not get the morning’s memory–vision, of Ethan, from his mind. 

He had crossed the winding trails of the gardens that made up the rear of the estate, but Karl rubbed his forehead as he stood in the shade of the smaller tool shed.  He was covered in sweat, and he hadn’t even put on his coat or hat this morning.  The shade did little to help the perspiration or the intense, itchy, hot feeling all across his skin. 

Maybe food would help.  

Now wasn’t a good time for him to be around Ethan, though.  The repeated invasive memories were gnawing at his mind, and at other parts of him too.  Namely everything under his belt.  And while those feelings were probably rooted in something reasonable, he could almost sense the loss of control creeping back on him.  

He’d just shocked the little fucker in his brain a few months ago, and it had taken a lot out of him.  More than it ever had, likely due to his own transformation and subsequent “death”.  

Karl couldn’t reanimate the same way that Eva and Ethan were capable of, and he was stuck in this one goddamn body with this one motherfucking DNA-altered nematode as a compulsory companion.  And while most of the time he didn’t wish for his own reckless demise, he wished for it fervently every time these implanted, Miranda-esque urges manifested within him.  

He was different from the others; most with cadou turned mindless.  Miranda had worked with the Lords, her own timely investment, to prevent this with them.  Implanted them herself, no less.  But it came with its own set of consequences.   None of the four were spared horrible side effects, though Karl knew he was far luckier than his siblings, all things considered.  

It still sucked. 

He smelled something fragrant; his mouth watered.  And there he was, goddammit, walking down the hill toward Karl with a sour expression on his handsome face.  He’d showered–Karl could smell the homemade soap on his skin.  He’d combed his hair into its neat little blond side part.  The scent of aftershave appeared not long after and Karl inhaled deeply.  He could even smell the scent of summer sun on the blond’s clothing and hair. 

Ethan was staring at him, a trepidatious expression crossing over the scowl.  He was still mad, probably.  Mad that Karl had chewed him out this morning, mad that the engineer hadn’t been present at breakfast, probably mad about other stuff that Karl didn’t have a hope in hell to decipher.  But the intensity of Karl’s stare caused the blond to become cautious.  

He was leering, Heisenberg realized, but couldn’t bring himself to stop.   It was twice as enchanting to see this absolute grouch of a creature bringing him food.  Something about it pleased Heisenberg.   

Ethan was now in the doorway of the shed and he held out the plate and glass with as much apprehension as a child attempting to feed a bear.  

Karl tore his gloves off and moved into Winters’ personal space, but kept his fingers flexed, working to process him without touch at first.  Better that way.  

“Karl?”

The engineer stepped to Ethan’s side and inhaled by Winters’ neck.  All of the smells congregated here, seeming to be propelled into the air by the strong, warm pulse that sat under the pale skin.  He wanted to bite it, but…later.  Karl’s beard grazed the skin, but then he was inhaling again and moving around to Ethan’s other shoulder. 

The scowl on Ethan’s face was replaced with an uncertain smile.  The taller man watched Heisenberg appear at his left shoulder and didn’t hesitate to make eye contact.  “You’re in a mood.” 

“So I am.” 

“You need to eat.” 

That part was true.  Karl grabbed the toasted sandwich–he could smell eggs, some kind of grilled meat, melting cheese-and began to scarf it down.  He didn’t take the plate nor the drink, leaving Ethan to stare at him with an exasperated glare while he choked the food down.  

It was delicious, but he barely tasted it. 

Ethan’s smile was now completely gone as he handed out the glass of water.  Karl began gulping, and Ethan sat the plate on a nearby table so that he could cross his arms over his chest.  

“You know, if you’d actually condescend to come and eat regular meals, you–”

Karl was done with the water, and the glass had crashed to the ground before he realized it.  He sighed, hoping that the sensation of being full would hit his body soon, cause him to slow down.  Cause him to be…not this way.  

“--Are you okay?”  Ethan was dense, but he was also intuitive, at least when it came to Karl.  Well, sometimes.  He was getting better.  

The engineer sighed and fished around his hips.  No such luck at feeling immediately satiated.  Maybe a cigar while he waited.  His fingers danced through the multiple pockets.  

“Ahh…uh. I.”  Karl couldn’t lie to the other man.  He risked a glance, seeing the familiar crossed arms and that soft pout that always begged for a kiss.  He blinked rapidly, finding a lighter at least.  

“I accidentally uh… got in your head when I pulled you out,” he said finally, in a flatter tone than his usual cadence.  “Goddammit, where the hell.” 

Ethan tensed.  His arms uncrossed.  “What….what did you see?”

“You an….uhhhh….”

Ethan’s hazel eyes widened.  “Mia?  In bed?”

Karl’s dance through all of his pockets ceased entirely.  He blinked and paused.  Not Mia.

Ethan’s frown came back as if his face were awaiting it.  “What do you mean, not Mia?”

“I didn’t say that,” Karl snapped, but now Ethan glared, and snapped back just as quickly, “What do you MEAN, not Mia?”

“What do you think,” Karl growled, his lips pulling back over his teeth, old scar stinging as he tested its limits, then bit down as if to stop himself from talking more.  He didn’t want to say more.  He bit so hard that his lip threatened to bleed.  But if he focused on that, he wouldn’t think things that Ethan could hear. 

Ethan’s angry stare moved to something else.  Contemplative.  Worried.  His eyes lost their intensity and he glanced at the ground, before he exhaled deeply.  “I can’t deal with this today.  Your…spy….will be here in an hour.  I’ve got to finish…” 

“My spy?” The tone said, let’s fight, Winters. 

Ethan’s reply was cold.  “I told you I can’t deal with this, Heisenberg.” 

Karl’s snarl turned into a sneer.  “Oh come on,” he challenged, with a toss of his hair.  “Let me give you somethin’ you wanna deal with.” 

The blond’s eyebrows raised, and by the reddening of his cheeks, Karl surmised that he was considering it.  But he stuttered out a response that indicated his intent to stay angry.  

“You-you’re! Acting this way because you....  I get it was an accident.  But you saw.  Me. Uh.  You saw me being intimate and–WILL YOU STOP SMILING AT ME LIKE THAT?”

Karl stretched his shoulders, shaking out the mane.  

“Karl, no!  We don’t have the time.  For this, for any of this.  I–” 

“I’ll be quick then.” 

Ethan made an annoyed sound.  

“How about a….three second head start?”

Ethan’s nostrils flared, and his blush deepened as he backed away, holding up a finger.  “Dammit, I said no!”

“Five then.” 

“Karl!” 

“One!” 

“You fucking asshole!” 

“Two!” 

Ethan’s backing steps turned into a stumble, and he spun on his heel to disappear into the gardens.  Karl’s giggle-turned-loud-laugh was through a wide grin.  

After the laugh, he called one more word over the tall grass.  

“Five!” 

[victorluvsalice]

Hello folks! I feel like I need to start moving to an "every OTHER week" schedule when it comes to posting the Chill Valicer Save updates, just because they always have a LOT of pictures, and it takes me a good long while to get them sorted with everything they need (even WITH the ability to now put like thirty pictures in a post if I so desire). So, this week, you instead get a look at one of my more recent builds -- the Community Conservatory! My first-ever Community Space lot! I actually built this for my potential "Valicer In The Dark" save file, as it's meant to represent the abandoned conservatory that Victor turns into a neighborhood garden during the course of that AU. I thought doing it as a community space and having the building noticeably improve as you took it through the Community Garden, Maker Space, and Marketplace lot subtypes would be a neat idea --

And it was indeed! :D It proved to be a pretty simple build -- I knew pretty much exactly what I wanted it to look like, meaning getting the initial shell down was really easy -- but it was a very fun one too. :) Let me take you through the various stages:

Community Space: The "default" space, this is just the shell of the building, with a little outhouse to the side and the voting board. It's completely empty inside, and I've done a little "moveobjects on" to put some cracks and such on some of the windows to make it look a little more rundown. This is the basic "abandoned conservatory" lot.

Community Garden: This is what it looks like after the Three Pillars have got it cleaned up, started making planters, and word has spread around their neighborhood, Six Towers, about this new free garden. I wanted it to look like the community had revitalized it, so all the various cracks and such are gone and there's a bunch of flowers outside. :) The entrance hall has a few hale bales to sit on and some gardening tools; the main octagon has floor planters, a bee box, and various garden-related decorations (lots of potted plants, a potting bench, and the like); the left wing is all about vertical gardens; and the right wing is all about insect farms! Oh, and the outhouse has been gussied up with a floor rug and a bit of art. :) I wanted it to be fun and inviting, and I think it came out well!

Maker Space: People have decided they want to do some crafting here, so some old beams and tin roof sheeting has been scavenged from an old factory and set up as extra cover around the back so people can set up communal crafting projects -- plus some stuff for their children! :) As I didn't want to mess with the main build (the whole point is that this space is CLEARLY the same building, just being built up more and more as you progress through the various spaces), I ended up having to put the "maker space" stuff outside -- and I wanted to make sure it was protected from the rain, so I did the old "floating roofs" trick and put some columns at each corner to make it look like the beams were holding them up. (I WAS going to do proper awnings/pergolas, but either they didn't look right or I couldn't get the stuff underneath them.) Included is the recycling machine, a fabricator, a woodworking bench, and a candle-making station under one roof, and a juice fizzer, three children's activity tables, and some toys appropriate for all ages under the other! So there should be something for just about everyone.

Marketplace: People have decided as long as they're MAKING stuff, they may as well SELL it too and have dragged some selling tables into the front yard...and if they're doing that, there's this old barrel someone turned into a grill, and these planks could be painted or carved and turned into picnic benches... :) The final upgrade to the space, we have the Jungle Adventures selling tables out front, along with some picnic tables and a grill. I was going to put one of the vendor stalls too, as that's a optional thing the game suggests, but none of them looked right, and this is a small lot with limited room, so I decided to forget it (I mean, the picnic area IS already really close to the outhouse, which is both good and bad XD). This is when the conservatory becomes a true community space for the residents, and I wanted it to look even more happy and colorful. I think I succeeded. :)

So yeah, that's the Community Conservatory build! Now, I haven't put this one up on the Gallery, but I would be open to doing it -- if I knew how putting these types of lot up on the Gallery worked. Since, you know, it's REALLY four lots...do you just upload one lot variant at a time, or do you get all four if you upload one? If it's just one lot variant at a time, that's okay -- I'm thinking I'd put up the base "Community Space" build as the only build of mine that does not require fifty million packs. XD Let me know what you think, and how uploading would work! More store shenanigans with the Chill Valicer trio next week!

[gardenwitch13]

Berries!

I'm super excited this year for berries cause I'm ready for them!

For the past few years, I've had my chandler strawberries in a plant tower, letting the runners drape down to the lower plots to replant. But it was looking...sad and I felt like it was slowly being choked to death.

I wasn't wrong.

When I popped them out of the planter, I found that the parent plants were root-bound, thus it was slowly being choked to death.

I decided to plant them back into the ground and found a small plot that I haven't been able to get anything to grow. There's been something different there every year. So, last fall, I planted my strawberries in the ground, mulched with straw and loved on them.

They bloomed a week or two ago along with my Brazos blackberries that are planted next to them. I checked them this weekend and now I have berry buds growing on both!

I'm hoping both now have room to grow. I'll let the strawberry runners....run and I've let the blackberries bramble - within in reason.

Ahh...the little things in my garden that bring me such joy.