#Seed Cycling Success Stories

[scarletcomalies]

soul bounds disentwined

Wanda Maximoff x Fem Reader

Part II, Part III

Word count: 5,546

Warnings: A little angsty, I guess? And ofc Reader having a crush on Billy's mom not knowing if it's reciprocated.

A/N: This is inspired in Halsey's music video "Colors", if you have watched it, you can see where this is gonna go...

A/N: For plot purposes, let’s suppose Infinity War and subsequent events never happened, and instead, after the Civil War, Wanda decided to quit her life as a superhero.

Wanda Maximoff hired you -a photographer who urgently needed a fresh start- to capture the dishes that would be featured in her second cookbook. Her son, Billy Maximoff, interfered with what you two could have developed. He had feelings for you, and well, you had feelings for his mother.

According to Forbes (2023), Wanda Maximoff secured the third position among the wealthiest chefs worldwide. She is a living proof that we are all capable of rewriting our own story, even after a lifetime shaped by external influences.

Simone Carlisle (Culinary Arts Teacher): Ah, Wanda Maximoff… (pauses) let me tell you, no one prepares you for that feeling, where you find out that you contributed your seed to the plants of successes that one of your students planted in the garden of her life.

Wanda Maximoff (Chef, restaurant chain owner, and television presenter): For as long as I can remember, my decisions were a cycle of revenge and redemption... don't get me wrong, I don't regret beating the shit out of some idiots (laughs), but, with the busy life I led, the only moment I could pause my life was while I was hiding in Scotland with my ex-boyfriend Vision. I had no one expecting anything from me, no one telling me what to do, where to go, it was like a puppy without an owner.

Vision (Avenger, Wanda Maximoff’s ex-partner): Dear, was it a journey. First, I remember that she watched YouTube videos to learn guitar. As soon as she woke up, she grabbed the instrument, and she wasn't satisfied until her fingers got numb. In a very short time, she caught the hang of it, and played for the first time in a small bar. No one knew who she was, and if they did, they probably didn't care. She was just a talented player keeping them entertained. Afterwards, band members fought over who would give her their contact first to join them. I thought that would be the beginning of a very successful music career, because from what I've read, international artists started that way.

Wanda Maximoff: I said, “Vision, I’m never doing this again”.

Vision: She kept practicing, playing in the solitude of her room, of course. It was a hobby-kind-of-passion, not the type of passion she would like to dedicate most of her life to. She went through many of those to realize that her main passion was under her nose all along.

Wanda Maximoff: The courage to join in culinary classes arose from desperation (chuckles), I used to prepare recipes at home, and I needed someone else's approval… it couldn't come from someone who didn't even eat in the first place! And so the beginning of my trayectory was paved by this amazing teacher, Simone Carlisle.

Simone Carlisle: The shy girl who during the intensive course kept her head down, sitting on the back corner, nervously playing with her rings while ignoring whispers and glances from other students, is now in a big framed picture, placed in the most visible spot so that everyone who enters my academy knows that I taught this legend. She made my small business a huge deal now (laughs).

Wanda Maximoff: I never imagined that I would have my own cookbook, television program, or chain of restaurants, let alone all three at the same time! At first, I was content with cooking in a restaurant and earning a decent living, but later, I thought about the possibility of creating a YouTube channel, which subsequently permitted me to finance the publication of my book. Building on the success of my book, the opportunity of my show emerged, which in turn allowed me to open my first restaurant, and ultimately expand it into a chain of restaurants. What I want to convey is that you must trust that the love for what you do is a powerful tool. Success is subjective, so pursue your own concept of it.

Amy Lee (Evanescence’s lead singer and songwriter): It was a hard day of work. I didn’t feel like cooking but I was looking for the homiest, most comforting food possible, and Wanda Maximoff made it a reality with her restaurant located just a few blocks near me. I told my bandmate, Emma, about this amazing food restaurant, she replied, "Oh, the owner has a YouTube channel and a show, you should watch it so that you don't overcook the spaghetti" (laughs). It has been a great help to me ever since, for those are creative but accessible recipes. Plus, it’s a nice touch that she uses her magic to manipulate ingredients and utensils, while making you laugh with her witty jokes. The best way to put it is; she makes you feel like it's a close and sweet friend who is teaching you. Her human and warm approach felt and still feels like a pat on the back.

Wanda Maximoff: My favorite singer since adolescence, Amy Lee, has said something about me that fills me with happiness every time I remember it. She helped me cope, I helped her cook. We're even now.

Vision: You see, Wanda's powers went from being a source of fear in the world to being the main reason why said fear stopped as well. An impressive understanding in her abilities, still doesn't make her an expert, as she can't prevent unexpected situations.

Wanda Maximoff: I was six months pregnant. In the blink of an eye… literally.

The latest legacy of the Maximoff family, twins Billy and Tommy, were effortlessly admitted to the New York University. The dean was left speechless, for their admission exam grades exceeded expectations.

Tony Stark (Avenger, Stark Industries): With Wanda, our initial connection was through business, the Avengers, you know? It wasn't until she asked me if I could offer her kids an internship at Stark Industries that we developed a closer bond, and man, were those kids geniuses!

Wanda Maximoff: Those kids... one day, they'll outgrow me (laughs). They were so eager to rush through life stages, and I thought, "You don't realize I would give everything to relive those joyful years," but I know better than to project my own frustrations on my sons.

Virginia "Pepper" Potts (Stark Industries): One day, I said goodbye to two fourteen-year-old boys. The next day, Happy informed me that some tall adults with raspy voices, claiming to be Billy and Tommy, wanted to come in. I immediately phoned Wanda, and she casually responded, "Oh, yeah, they can do that," as if maturing into college students overnight was a typical Tuesday occurrence for any teenager.

Thomas Maximoff, (Student at New York University, son of Wanda Maximoff): What can I say? (chuckles) school didn't present any intellectual challenges for us, and, yes, they do admit child prodigies for... PhDs even! But, we wanted to blend in, to share the same age as our classmates.

Wanda Maximoff: I always considered it a priority to spend time with my boys, so I put a lot of my work on hold, including my second cookbook project. Now that they're focusing on college and their internship, I've had too much time, and by that I mean too much time to finish that unfinished work.

Wanda Maximoff had completed her second cookbook, in response to numerous requests from her loyal fans. Another book that promised to aid all those who seeked a different, quick, and above all, delicious meal at any time of the day. There was no doubt that it would become a global bestseller, just like her previous one.

All that was left were the illustrative photographs for the book, and the studio where you worked at was in charge of this task.

You meticulously made the first dish she cooked appear as exquisite as in real life. You employed several tools like lighting, background elements, and cutlery placement, but you never altered the food in any way, it didn't even cross your mind to do so. This didn't sit well with your boss, but it certainly pleased the redhead.

(Y/N) (Y/L/N) (Photographer): I remember my boss suggested that I add components to the food to make it look more appealing. I responded that that was the equivalent of encouraging unattainable stereotypes of beauty... in food (chuckles).

Wanda Maximoff: By offering unrealistic references, people would be discouraged to notice that their result was not the same as mine, not knowing that those references have hours of strategy to make it look 'aesthetic'. I prefer to show it as it is (pauses) I think that's why I liked this girl, I didn't have to say a word and she understood everything.

Your boss was the typical man who didn't let newcomers like you progress. Although you had been working in the studio for about six months, he never allowed you to touch a camera, which was contradictory because that was the job you applied for.

You did the work he didn't want to do, like transporting, positioning and removing the equipment, and setting up the scenery. That idiot just did the angles and clicked the top right button, and then took all the credit and praise. It annoyed you, yes, but unlike him, you didn't need praise from anyone to fill your ego, you just wanted to be acknowledged for your own efforts and not to be another person’s side kick.

In the meantime, it was enough satisfaction to know that none of the praise he gets would be possible without you, and he knew it…

… and Wanda knew it.

"What do you think, Miss Maximoff?" Your boss showed Wanda the array of photographs he took of the latest dish. He proudly displayed them, awaiting for a compliment from the redhead.

"Wow, (Y/N), placing the sautéed potatoes in a separate bowl instead of alongside the food within the same dish... you were right, it gives them their own protagonism and importance as a side dish," was the first thing she said, eliciting a small blush from you. "Great work!"

"Thank you, Miss Maximoff," after hearing her words, you experimented a feeling that was somewhat unfamiliar to you. It made you feel visible, truly seen and acknowledged in a workplace that often overlooked such things. And the fact that it came from her, made it all even more so profound.

"It's just Wanda," she corrected you, as if her previous actions weren't enough, she gave you the green light to address her in a more intimate manner. Along with that, your boss was already frustrated enough at not being the center of attention for two and a half hours. It was all a dream!

"(Y/N), we're done here, remove the equipment and take it to my car. I'll be waiting for you for just five minutes," your boss ordered you. Not even a ‘please’, nothing. In his gaze was evident that desperate attempt to look intimidating, which only made him look like a tantruming child. However, when his gaze turned to the older woman, he held an incredible admiration and appreciation, almost as if they were two different people in the same body. "Miss Maximoff, it was a pleasure working with you, truly an honor. We could continue next week...”

"Do you have equipment of your own, (Y/N)?" She interrupted him in mid-sentence, and you hesitated briefly.

"Uh... yes, of course, Miss... I mean, Wanda," you replied.

You worked as a freelance photographer in your spare time, capturing people or events here and there. It was something relatively stable, but it could not be your main income, so you felt the need to work on a studio.

"Perfect... I'll be contacting only you so we can work on the rest of the illustrations for the book," she stated.

(Y/N) (Y/L/N): I couldn't believe what I heard! The first thing I did was begging to whatever force there is that this wasn't a dream. It was overwhelming, the feeling of fear and ecstasy… Wanda wanted ME to work with her.

She recognized something in you within three and a half hours that others failed to see in six months. This was it. This was the big break you had been waiting for, the opportunity to show your skills and make your mark.

That being said, you never saw your boss, or stepped foot in that studio after that.

In the days that followed, you poured your heart and soul into preparing for the upcoming shoots.

You studied Wanda's previous cookbooks, familiarizing yourself with her style, her preferences. You even watched her program and her interviews, initially with the excuse of seeing those mesmerizing eyes and delighting yourself with her beauty, but you actually learned a lot of cooking techniques that you were excited to cook when it was such an annoying task for you to do.

When the day of the shoot finally arrived, you were ready. You set up your equipment with a confidence you had never felt before. You positioned the reflectors so that the natural light would bounce where you needed it, and set the scene to make the food appealing and motivating. Wanda watched you work, her eyes filled with admiration and respect.

You smiled at her as you turned on your camera, “So, what do you do with all this food after I photograph it?” You questioned curiously.

"I pack it, multiply it with my powers, and give it to the homeless," she explained. "It's something I often do, in fact, but I prefer to keep good deeds a secret, and not brag about it," she added. “I would appreciate it if you don’t say anything.”

"I figured that about you," you smiled sympathetically.

"You figured?"

“You have always used your skills to help," you elaborated, and noticed she slightly scrunched her nose, as a way of disagreeing. "Yes, even when you were working for Hydra, Tony Stark was destroying territories left and right, and you were seeking justice, doing what you felt was right," you added, noticing how her face showed an expression of realization. "And now, you focus on helping people who struggle with thinking of a simple but good meal in the midst of a hectic routine, and not so much on showing off how good you are at cooking exotic dishes. So yes, I assumed you would also help those who can't even afford a meal, too.”

Wanda's gaze was lost in the white marble of her kitchen floor, and you knew you gave her a new perspective on the wrongs she had done in her past. She meant well all along, and ultimately, that's what mattered. She was a great person in the present, and that's what mattered.

"So, you're the photographer in question," a tall, curly-haired guy stepped into the kitchen doorway, interrupting the train of thought of the woman in front of you.

You laughed at the expression on her face as reality hit her again.

"Oh, yes. Sweetheart, this is (Y/N)," she introduced you to who you already knew was her son. "And (Y/N), this is my son Billy."

"Nice to meet you, Billy," you replied, approaching him to offer your hand to shake.

"The pleasure is all mine," he emphasized the last words, as he accepted your hand. "My mom didn't mention that you were so beautiful."

Wanda cleared her throat, and proceeded to look at him with surprise in her eyes. In a I-can’t-believe-you-said-that way.

You couldn't help but laugh again at how expressive she was without noticing it.

But in their perspective, from how you looked the other direction and chuckled softly, you seemed to snicker at Billy's flattery, which couldn't be further from the truth. He was corny and predictable, but most importantly, he was not Wanda Maximoff.

"Oh, forgive him, he still doesn't know how to control those sky-high hormones," Wanda said, grabbing Billy's shoulders from behind to guide him out of the kitchen.

You noticed that she was already shorter than her son by a few centimetres. This was nostalgic for any mother, but how must Wanda have felt watching it happen overnight? You were curious.

"No problem," you replied, and headed for the counter to begin photographing.

Billy entered the kitchen again, standing next to you, but not close enough to invade your space, which you thanked internally.

"Do you mind if I watch you work, (Y/N)?" Billy requested, and you smiled politely.

"Billy! Don't you have an internship to go to?" Wanda interfered before you could answer.

"Pepper and Tony organized a party at the tower," he replied victoriously.

"College homework?"

"Piece of cake. I finished it an hour ago."

“How about you enjoy your free time and go bowling with your brother?”

“He’s busy playing Fortnite online,” he shrugged.

Wanda rolled her eyes, "Behave yourself. That's the only condition."

"It's okay, Wanda," you reassured her. Each stage in a child's life is gradual, and parents usually have many years to learn about what each stage entails. It was understandable that Wanda didn't know what to do now that her children were suddenly old enough to drink and get into adult trouble.

"So, (Y/N), how long ago did you start this whole photography gig?" The taller guy spoke up, once you took your first picture.

"I've been doing it since I was thirteen," you replied, still capturing the image in before you at different angles. "Dedicating myself to this? As soon as I turned eighteen. I had a decent portfolio."

"I don't doubt it," he agreed.

You gave him a slight thankful smile, and walked over to Wanda, who was setting up the second dish to be photographed.

"What do you think?"You asked her, and it wasn't until she turned to look at the camera that you noticed that this is the closest you've ever been to her. You could smell her fragrance and hear her breathing. Your mind was screaming at you to move away, for you had no right to display such trust yet, on the contrary, your body needed to be as close as possible... to feel her.

You had never touched her, not even when she greeted you this afternoon. She simply opened her door and let you enter.

"Excellent. The blueberries next to the gluten-free blueberry pancakes are wet,” she commented. “Did you do it to provide a sense of freshness?" She inquired, looking into your eyes this time, and... the charm of her green eyes was incomparable.

Throughout life, you've seen different shades of green, but hers were unique. They seemed to have a whole story to tell, as if she gave them that power. Her eyes glowed with an emerald hue that mesmerized anyone who met her gaze, and you were no exception.

“Exactly, that’s what I did,” you confirmed, and you felt your cheeks burning, which you immediately hid by looking down and walking back to the counter.

The only interactions you had with Wanda were to get her to approve your photographs, since her son didn’t allow you both a second to talk. He didn’t cease to ask you all sorts of questions, and to keep the conversation going, you responded with brief 'and you?'s so that he still felt heard and had the space to reveal details about himself.

It was all natural for you. Your work was also based on creating a liveliness in the environment where you performed, plus you got more genuine reactions from people if you made them laugh and feel comfortable. However, you always ended up talking with whoever was willing to, even if you were not there to capture them.

In fact, you were enjoying the conversation with such a charismatic guy. At first, it felt overwhelming, but just by letting the topics flow, you ended up laughing and feeling more at ease with him. In any case, you would be meeting him more than once in the eight weeks that remained before the project was completed.

Once you had finished photographing the ten dishes for the week, you turned off your camera and put it back in its case.

You were too happy with the results. This was all done by you alone, and you would be recognized for it. Never again would your boss's name appear under the pictures that were all your doing. The moment Wanda sends your photographs to the publisher, your name would appear in the book credits, and so a new story would begin.

And Wanda... oh, Wanda made it so clear that she loved your work, and paid so much attention to detail. Not only did she praise you, but she made it a point to let you know that she had indeed noticed the details that to the average eye would go unnoticed. You didn't know if you were really developing a crush, or if it was just the fact that she was an older woman that satisfied that need for attention that you rarely got... or it could be both.

When you were working on your own, you didn't feel exhausted and drained despite the long working hours, unlike when you were in the studio. You were very grateful that Wanda had given you another opportunity like that, and you were confident that it could become a regular thing.

"Wow, seeing all these dishes without having eaten lunch has really made me hungry," you laughed, proceeding to remove the reflectors from the kitchen’s window. The sky was still clear. You started at a perfect timing to take advantage of natural light.

"You haven't eaten? Look at the time! I thought you had eaten before you came!" She exclaimed. The redhead actually looked concerned. "Do you have any idea of the damage you're doing to your body? You need energy for this kind of work."

"Hey, I wanted to make a joke and you ruined it with your lecture," you protested.

Wanda sighed, and shook her head disapprovingly, which made your heart crumble a little.

“I… I’ll get some food on the way home,” you corrected yourself.

"How about you stay for dinner? I was going to make it, Tommy won't be long before he comes back to the real world and notices he's hungry," she offered kindly.

"Oh! Or I can take you out for dinner somewhere nice!" Billy proposed, smiling at you with anticipation.

To be brutally honest, you wanted to throw yourself at him and choke him so no other words would come out of his mouth. You knew Billy was just a guy with a silly crush, excited to show you how interested he was in you. He wasn't trying to do any harm. But, hell, wasn't it enough for him to be the center of your attention all afternoon?

"I'm really looking forward to trying something made by your mom," you declined in the politest way possible. "Many people would kill for that honor!"

Wanda let out a laugh, and her expression also seemed to change as she heard your decision to stay.

But, oh, Billy, Billy, Billy... as persevering as his mother.

"Awww! Next week she'll cook you something, right mom?" he insisted, and even though the redhead tried hard to keep her smile, her eyes changed.

"Sure, I'll cook whatever you want," Wanda sighed. "Go with Billy, and continue your conversation... alone," the way she said that last word was as if she had felt like the third wheel all afternoon, as if she was a hindrance to whatever was starting between you and Billy.

"You owe me," you said to Wanda, letting her know implicitly that you were looking forward to your meeting next week, not this dinner with Billy.

Billy led you to the garage of his house, and opened the passenger door of a black car. You thanked him politely and got in, allowing him to close the door for you. The car was completely spotless, and had a new car smell, but not because it was new, maybe because that was the fragrance he asked for at the car wash. For yours, you always opted for lavender… which made you wonder, what fragance did Wanda like for her car?

"Any preferences?" Billy asked once he hoped in the driver’s seat, pointing towards the car radio. It was noticeable he was doing his best to make this comfortable for you.

"A little bit of everything, how about rock like... Evanescence?" you proposed.

"Ah, my mom loves them," he commented, and your eyes lit up at that statement.

"You're kidding..."

"Yeah, since her teenage years," he confirmed. "Evanescence, In This Moment, Epica, Lacuna Coil..." he listed, trying to remember them all.

You made a mental note to put on that music on your next meeting with Wanda. It wouldn't be hard, as you loved all the bands he mentioned, which was wonderful.

You couldn't wait to show her the latest bands, ask her her favorite songs, and have a topic of conversation that would allow you to bound...

"So, ready?" he spoke, noticing that you were lost in thought.

"Yeah, sure," you nodded, putting on your seatbelt.

The dinner was... better than you expected. In fact, it was amazing.

You didn't really have anything in common with Billy, but the way you both listened to each other, and always found a middle ground despite going your separate ways, made the experience with him extremely pleasant.

The only difference was that, as you each went home, he thought about seeing you again, and you thought about seeing his mother again.

And so, after a week, you found yourself in front of the door of Wanda's house, with your camera hanging from your neck, your equipment already waiting on the pavement next to your parked car, and as a bonus, a speaker you brought along to play music while you worked.

Alone, at last...

When the door opened, you found the redhead wearing a casual outfit consisting of dark blue jeans and a black half-tucked in blouse. Oh, and her face, how you missed that face.

"Hey..." You greeted her, with palpable enthusiasm.

"Hi," she replied, and noticed the speaker in your hand, arching her eyebrow. "I found out last week that you and I have a lot of bands in common."

Wanda let out a gasp of surprise, "Oh, please do come in!"

You laughed briefly, and as you were about to enter your equipment to take it towards the kitchen, Wanda snapped her fingers, and it disappeared.

"Wanda, what the hell?" You exclaimed, looking at her with your widened eyes, had she just disappeared all your belongings?

"Relax, they're in the kitchen."

"That skill of yours would’ve come in handy last week too," you commented, walking into her house.

"It was fun watching you run in and out," she shrugged. "But today you earned it, because of the music."

"I see, I have to earn it?!" You exclaimed, feigning indignation. Really, she could have pulverized your expensive equipment in front of you, and you'd still thank her.

Once both of you entered the kitchen, your reflectors were already in the same position as always. And on the other side, the ten dishes were already hot and ready to be photographed.

"And what would I possibly have to do next week to earn that help from you?" you asked, resuming the topic you had discussed earlier.

"Mmmm..." she muttered, in a way that almost made you weak in the knees. She watched you from head to toe making you feel exposed to her as if she had ripped your clothes to shreds and left you standing there, naked and at her mercy. But you were still completely covered. "... I think you've earned it,” your reaction alone was enough reward to her.

“Thanks, I guess,” you cleared your throat.

You picked up the speaker, and turned it on, placing it in a place in the kitchen where it would not interfere. Your hands were shaking, and you could have sworn that Wanda was watching you with amusement, while you avoided her gaze at all costs.

You grabbed your phone, and played the playlist you had prepared for this moment. "A Star-Crossed Wasteland" by In This Moment was the first to come on.

"Oh, I love that song like you have no idea," Wanda exclaimed, closing her eyes and frowning as she passionately listened to that intro. "That album, in general..."

"It's in my top three," you commented.

"Hell yeah! Now we're talking!" She exclaimed, raising her hand offering you a high-five.

"I'm not that old school," you shook your head, chuckling.

Wanda rolled her eyes, and took your wrist, giving herself a high five with your hand.

"Good girl," she praised you, and you swallowed dryly. At the words, and at the fact that this was the first time you'd ever touched her. "What's your top three?" she asked, acting so nonchalantly after flustering the hell out of you.

“Tell me yours first,” you proposed. You couldn’t even think of your favorite three albums of one of your favorite bands.

"Black Widow, GODMODE, and A Star-Crossed Wasteland, she answered, almost without thinking. It amused you to imagine she'd spent her whole life for someone to ask her that question. "And yours?"

"Black Widow is my favorite, too," you agreed. "Blood, and A Star-Crossed Wasteland."

"Oh, two in common and in the same position," she pointed out, smiling. "If the new album hadn't been so good, it would agree with Blood, too…”

For the rest of the evening, the focus was on your favorite bands, as they played in the background.

You finished faster than last week, as Wanda was willing to use her powers for you to just arrange the background and take the pictures, instead of searching in every corner of the kitchen - you only had to ask, and it appeared.

“Alright, we're done...” she concluded, excited. “Now, let me pack this food and put it in the fridge,” and with a snap of her fingers, it was already packed and subsequently perfectly placed inside the fridge.

“Impressive,” you exclaimed, not ceasing to show your admiration, just like every time she used her powers. If you didn't look so cute, Wanda would have grown irritated at you a long time ago.

“Now, I owe you a dinner,” she said. She never told you, but she was so eager to finish quickly because that way, when her sons returned from the internship, you and her would have spent a significant time together.

The food Wanda made for you was... you didn’t even believe that the accurate word to describe it even existed.

The sensations you experimented had you mindlessly closing your eyes, trying to memorize this magnificent meal, absorbing it all in. You had tried a lot of different restaurants and foods, but none like this, oh they wished they were even close to what you tasted.

This was more than just eating. It was a demonstration of peak exquisite cuisine. This was about more than just sating hunger. It was about the delight of tasting food prepared with passion.

And... just as Wanda was leading you out of the door, you noticed that it opened, and you met who you knew was Tommy.

"Oh, finally I have the pleasure to meet the famous (Y/N)," was the first thing he said. So Wanda... "Billy hasn't shut up about you."

You forced a smile, "That's... nice," you hesitated. "I have a feeling he's going to be a great friend, and I hope you are too."

Tommy noted the intent of your response but decided to reply, "Of course," with a small chuckle. "In fact, you should come play tennis with us next Saturday."

"Oh, I don't know how to..."

"I'll teach you," Wanda quickly interjected, and that hope in her eyes made your decision easier in an instant.

"Well... will you send me the address?" I asked.

"Rest assured."

When you said goodbye to Wanda and Tommy, Billy was climbing the steps to the doorway, and he smiled broadly at you.

"Hi, (Y/N)!" He exclaimed happily. "Have you eaten yet? If not, we can go eat something and catch up."

Oh, how kind he was...

"Thank you, your mom and I already had dinner."

It was Saturday, and you were walking around the room in your apartment. Your best friend, Kate, was already starting to get dizzy.

"Kate! It's a country club!" You exclaimed, for probably the twentieth time. "People there probably eat pizza with silverware, and know the use of all ten thousand kinds of forks. I won't fit in..."

"It's just a tennis game! I'd understand if it was golf, but tennis?! You'll be fine!" She groaned.

"I look ridiculous..." you shook your head, looking at yourself in the mirror. "I mean, what is this cap? And why all white? Am I getting baptized or something?"

"Hey! Do you want to fit in? This is the outfit," she countered. "You look hot, surely Wanda will drool over you when she sees those legs," she cheered you up

"Surely it will be Billy," you sighed, disappointed.

"Wanda too, from what you've told me..."

"No, this is one of the situations where I'm misinterpreting a hint of validation from an older, beautiful woman," you quickly denied. "And as always, my best friend is encouraging my delusions."

"Really? Name one situation."

"That Italian woman who I photographed with her family for several Christmas sessions?"

"Ha! She looked at you funny."

"Yeah, that's why she turned down my invitation to dinner when I finally found the courage, saying I knew she had a husband and kids."

"Uhm... she refused just because she had a husband and kids, not because she didn't like you!" She quickly justified, and you couldn't help but laugh, forgetting for a moment the nerves that were eating at you.

[lets-try-some-writing]

I like writing little stories and snippets of things I like and alot of your TFP work I really like, but this AU was what finally got me to send in an ask, so how about this for a prompt? (I'm new to the TF Fandom so please excuse my excited rambling)

In your Innocent Abominations AU, what if - in a bout of strength and clarity - Orion/Optimus fights back against the Matrix and gets through to Megatron, Bumblebee, and whoever else might be there? (Like Elita One, Ratchet and Drift (if they came to visit), Grimlock, the Humans, etc.) He begs them - mainly Megatron - to remove the Matrix, this accursed power that's willing to kill sparklings that have no clue about their origin, that haven't done anything wrong. He even reasons that since the Emberstone, Quintus Prime's artifact and thus a creation of Primus, had created them. Despite their Earthly origins, they were still Cybertronian. But the Matrix is having none of it, actively trying to suppress Orion/Optimus again so it can fulfill its duty. 

Megatron asks who's who, if he's Orion Pax or Optimus Prime. To which Orion/Optimus says they are one in the same, just that the Matrix would offer wisdom and influence his decisions. And now the Matrix was in fill control, or trying to have full control.  A puppeteer forcing Orion/Optimus to watch as his frame attempts to slaughter innocent sparklings. 

As his strength is weakening, he bears his spark chamber and begs for the Matrix to be removed. To free him. To silence these overwhelming voices in his head once and for all. And just as the Matrix is about to smother Orion/Optimus for good (what good is "the perfect host" if it doesn't listen?), Megatron rips out the Matrix, shoves it into a container that silences its commanding whispers, and the Prime collapses from exhaustion. Optimus retains his Primely frame - the reformatting he went through when he accepted the Matrix was permanent - and his spark chamber is damaged, but his spark itself remains intact, having physically rejected the Matrix from his frame. 

But the Matrix was successful in one thing, it sowed a seed of doubt in Optimus' mind. He just hopes that despite the Terrans being of Unicron, he made the right choice in sparing their lives. Seeing the sweet Innocent Abominations sparklings happy and alive - not scrapmetal beneath his axe - was all the more relieving and could put his warring mind to rest.

It was finished. He was free. But at what cost?

I love this prompt thank you.

Previous part here.

━━━━━━ ⊙ ❖ ⊙ ━━━━━━━━━━━━ ⊙ ❖ ⊙

The voices grew louder with every passing cycle. Optimus knew deep in his spark that he was hunting sparklings, but he found he simply didn't care. For weeks he stalked, his remaining inhibitions stopping him from progressing further than a few feet out from the tree line once a few warning shots were fired. Megatron and Bumblebee always stood in his way, and while the Matrix wanted the Terrans dead, it did not demand the loss of life of his own kind. There were so few of them. He could not risk killing those that remained.

The parts of him that were untouched by the Matrix grew quieter, and soon enough, he found himself no longer fighting back against the Matrix's demands. Beings not born of the Well were not Cybertronian. How could they be? They were not touched by Primus, they knew not the trial of emerging from the Well and the struggles of living on Cybertron. So many long nights he fought with himself, until at last, something in him was silenced and it did not cause him any distress to imagine killing the Terrans. The pain hung in every cable still, but it was no longer the unbearable agony that caused him to try and tear his plating off.

The itch, the urge, was impossible to ignore. But now that he had his mind? He could handle things more... delicately. The Matrix hummed in affirmation as he stepped out of the tree line one dark night, for once completely composed. Megatron and Bumblebee raised their blasters and the Terrans emerged from their resting place in horror. They did not know the details, but they knew enough to be fully aware that Optimus was no friend. Not while his optics shone a pure white.

Optimus: Megatron, Bumblebee.

Megatron: Stay back Prime!

Twitch: What's going on? Optimus, are you alright?

Bumblebee: Don't go near him! That's not Optimus, not anymore.

Optimus: That is where you are mistaken. I was foolish for failing to listen to the Matrix. It only caused me pain because I refused to adhere to it. But now-

Megatron: Save it! My old foe would never sink so low as to slaughter sparklings!

Nightshade: Slaughter...

Bumblebee: All of you, back inside.

Hashtag: No, we are staying here. We are family. And if Optimus isn't right in the head, we are going to deal with this together.

Optimus: How very noble of you abominations. If there is truly any touch of Primus in you, come to us willingly. Your deaths shall be swift.

Twitch: Why do you want us dead? I thought we were all Cybertronian!

Optimus: You wear our faces, you act like us, but you are not of us. The Matrix says this. Parasites, all of you. It is for the benefit of all that you perish by our blade.

Megatron: Stop this Optimus!

Optimus: There is no halting the inevitable. This is our only attempt at diplomacy. Give us the Terrans now and they shall die without pain. Deny us and we shall inflict as much damage to the surrounding life forms as necessary to accomplish our goals.

Megatron: This isn't you! Fight back against that Primus forsaken relic! It does not control you!

Optimus: You will not give us the Terrans... how very disappointing.

Optimus glared, but he did not fight. His voice rang cold, his expression so frigid that there was no room to even imagine what he was thinking. As he turned to walk away, his frame did not sway with any sort of life. He moved with calculation, like a true machine. Megatron almost fired on him, but he could not bring himself to for both the political havoc it would bring and due to the simple fact that he had no desire to see his old foe slaughtered. Bumblebee hurried the Terrans back inside and quickly called in all Autobots who were aware of him being on Earth and fully functional.

Arcee and Elita-1 were informed with haste. Starscream was called in, and he came without complaint the moment the situation was explained. Grimlock arrived without question as soon as Bumblebee notified him of the potential danger to the Terrans. Soundwave was kept in containment but on standby. An agreement was made that he would defend the Terrans if it was required, and in turn, he would be allowed to walk free afterwards. Megatron was willing to take no risks when it came to the Terrans and the unstable Prime. Bumblebee could only do his best to keep everyone calm as the children were forbidden from leaving and the Maltos carefully extracted. It was too dangerous to move them, not when Optimus could be lurking. And so instead they remained at home and the available Cybertronians constantly stood watch. There was always someone on guard, regardless of the situation. G.H.O.S.T were kept out of the loop through careful artificial orders and recordings.

As such, they did not react when Optimus Prime failed to return to base. None knew where he was, and for weeks, he remained completely off the map. Their fears grew, until at last, Optimus returned.

It was a sudden affair. The Terrans were milling about the Malto property and the children were sitting with them, watching Thrash play with Jawbreaker. Then there was a distinct sound of pedesteps, and Starscream who had been keeping watch that day, leapt to the air with his blasters ready as the lost Prime came crashing out of the tree line. Optimus was all but feral as he flew forward, his optics blazing white and his axe coming down hard into the ground where Thrash had been mere moments before. Starscream did not hesitate to throw himself into action, rocketing down and grabbing the Prime around the neck to by the Terrans time to flee while the others arrived.

Optimus flung Starscream off his back and slammed the seeker into the ground, causing him to scream in agony as a wing broke under the hit. The Prime did not waste a moment in rushing toward Nightshade who stood their ground, their optics cycling in fear only dulled by conviction. He charged like a rabid animal, his mind long degraded by the Matrix as he threw himself into action. Nightshade dodged the worst of it, only receiving a minor slash to their left arm. Twitch flew in to attack with her blasters, drawing Optimus's attention away while Jawbreaker rammed the Prime, sending him sprawling as he practically frothed at the mouth.

He rationalized his weeks hiding by saying it was for the best. Phycological warfare and all that. But in reality, the small parts of Orion that remained cried out and did their best to push forward morality to subvert the logic. He wandered for so long as a desperate attempt to prolong the Terrans lives. Now all that remained was wild wrath that did not even belong to him.

Elita arrived with Arcee and they wasted no time beating the Prime into the ground, tying him down like a wild boar. Starscream was tended to and the Terrans stood around in fear as Optimus snarled, screaming obscenities' and strange prophecies to the stars. Too weakened by weeks of wandering without reasonable energon rations left the Prime unable to do much when Grimlock arrived and kept a pede on his back to ensure he couldn't escape. He snarled, he bit his own derma, and by the time Megatron arrived, he'd damaged himself enough on the ground that his face bled from a thousand small cuts.

Something changed in that moment though. As Megatron drew near and Optimus was heaved to his pedes and held in place by Grimlock, Optimus stilled. He fell eerily quiet for the first time since he came bursting free from the forest. Those who were gathered feared he would attack, but instead his voice came out so softly as to be a whisper.

Optimus: Take it away. Make it be silent.

Megatron: Who am I speaking to? I refuse to be manipulated by that Primus forsaken relic.

Optimus: You speak to Orion Pax, I who then became Optimus Prime.

Megatron: How-

Optimus: We are one and the same. The relic merely awakens the Prime, it does not make us.

Megatron: Then we can remove it.

Optimus: Yes. Take it away. Make it be silent. Remove it before it silences me. I don't want to kill them. Please don't make me kill them...

Optimus spasmed in Grimlock's grip, his optics flaring as his voice turned to static. His plating folded away and revealed his spark quickly being smothered by the relic within him. Megatron did not waste a moment in dragging the Prime to the ground and reaching in to rip the relic out. It burned him, sending power flooding up his arm and into his frame. He screamed as his servos wrapped around the relic that was clasped around Optimus's fluttering spark. But with a burst of strength, he tore it free with an agonized scream from the Prime on the ground.

Before anyone could stop them, the Terrans hurried forward and checked on both downed mecha. Megatron got up with a few new electricity scars, but he was fine. Optimus for his part remained prone, his frame falling still. His spark still blazed, but it was weak. He was taken away and held in restraints, the Matrix boxed away and hidden until Optimus woke and they could decide what to do next.

But when he woke, Optimus was... different. He was still very much a Prime in frame and mind. He had the programming and he still remained the same in personality. However, as he recovered and revealed himself to be ordinary, no longer plagued by madness... he looked upon the Terrans differently. At first the gathered Cybertronians worried he was still maddened, but when questioned, he only had one thing to say.

"They are young, they are no threat to us. However... despite the lack of the Matrix poisoning my mind, I fear that they may not be pure. I could never harm them, not now. So if they really do become the threat the Matrix warned me of... I do not think I would have the strength to fight back."

With time, he returned to his normal activities, and the fear abated. He spoke with the Terrans normally, teaching them under supervision. He continued acting as Prime. But deep beneath the surface, he questioned.

And unbeknownst to anyone, when the Emberstone was used to restore the fallen, Optimus felt the all familiar call once more. The call that summoned him to receive the mighty relic of old. It was back, and this time, it was not loving.

He could ignore it. The call never grew stronger. But whenever he passed by the container the Matrix was held in, his spark flared in pain and fear.

It wanted him back. It still wanted the Terrans dead.

[dootznbootz]

At this point i am so sorry Ovid for all the hate you are better than the author that wrote Tele-GONE-ny :')

Like makes no sense for Odysseus story like it's not even canon. I believe he wrote it because of the success of Homer and wanted to make a known book based on something

Hmm this behaviour is oddly familiar with something recently we experience 👀

Honestly, it's not Ovid's fault in a way, just most peoples' taking his work as GREEK mythology instead of Roman. I don't think it's bad to enjoy the Roman Mythology version as long as people KNOW it's Roman and as long as they leave sweet boy Perseus alone.

Tele-GONE-y? That is just a titan of its own and it's so frustrating.

Because if you look it up? That's technically part of the Epic Cycle!

One of these is not like the others~

And it really sucks because we can't just say "It's Roman, therefore technically not Greek Mythology" like we can with Ovid! Why, out of all the myths for Odysseus and Penelope, would you choose this one? Why would you finish such a lovely story with such a trainwreck?

It literally goes against Tiresias' Prophecy! The myth of Odysseus being turned into a horse would've been a better one to go with if people didn't think "dying peacefully, surrounded by loved ones, after old age" isn't "exciting enough". At least then it's kind of cute to possibly imagine Horse!Odysseus being pampered by his family or something.

It is so dumb and just WRONG to say that the Odysseus and Penelope that are in the Tele-GONE-y are the same ones we know and love in Homer's masterpieces.

Even to lump the Tele-GONE-y with the rest is laughable. Even without considering the extreme out of character-ness of it, its plot is just messy and almost overly simple. As even with just FRAGMENTS of the other poems, we can take so much of what is implied and see the beautiful web that's being woven!!!

One of my favorite arcs, for example, is with Palamedes and his effects along the way. He places Odysseus' BABY in front of the plow and ofc, Odysseus saves his son. His sanity is proven and he has to go to war now, after having a prophecy of being the only survivor and not seeing his family again for 20 years.

Odysseus' rage is just boiling under the surface and he frames Palamedes for treason, causing him to be killed. THEN Palamedes' father, King Nauplius, hearing of his son's death plans to get revenge against all the kings. He goes to their wives telling them that their husbands plan to replace them.

Almost all of them take new lovers EXCEPT for Penelope. While we don't know the exact details, I believe it was likely that:

1.) "You're telling me, my husband, my Odysseus, is planning to replace me? That man is the biggest simp to ever simp, I've never heard such utter bullshit in my life. Get out of my house." 2.) When she realizes that he is Palamedes' FATHER? She's absolutely not believing one word that leaves his mouth. This is the father of the man who nearly got her baby killed and caused her husband to be taken away from her. She does not trust him.

(Silly side thing but Penelope's also probably making sure that Telemachus doesn't meet him lol "Remember that mean man who put you in front of the plow that I told you about? That's his dad. Don't talk to him. We don't know if 'Malice towards Telemachus' was inherited." 😂 )

It's so amazing and ironic that Nauplius got revenge against them all except for the man responsible!!! ALL BECAUSE PENELOPE IS THAT COOL AND SMART!

Granted, yes, he lied to Anticlea causing her heartbreak but still!

It's just such masterful and lovely storytelling!!! The rest of the Epic Cycle interweaves and connects lil stories into the big ones in such satisfying ways!!!

There is nothing like that in the Tele-GONE-y. No little seeds placed along the way to build upon. No "hey, this decision is actually monumental". Shit just happens.

It really does just feel like a young author being like "So, this is my new OC. His name is Telegonus and his dad is Odysseus! No, his mom isn't Penelope! And like, he has a special stingray spear and he kills his dad with it!"

I'm all for supporting and encouraging authors no matter how silly or cringy they get (I'm silly and cringy too!) but imagine from Homer's and the other authors of the Epic Cycle's perspective, that you write a book that you worked so hard on, only for people to take some FANFICTION as canon and therefore affecting how people see your work!

I got really rambly but I'm just genuinely mindboggled that people take the Tele-GONE-y as canon. It's not good. In general.

Another small thing but Homer usually tells us little details even when the characters don't know it. For example, with Helen not knowing her brothers are dead. (in Homer's works)

But I can’t see two of the men’s leaders,                                     Castor, tamer of horses, and Pollux, the fine boxer—they are both my brothers, whom my mother bore along with me. Either they did not come with the contingent from lovely Lacedaemon, or they sailed here in their seaworthy ships, but have no wish                                     to join men’s battles, fearing the disgrace, the many slurs, which are justly mine.” Helen spoke. But the life-nourishing earth already held her brothers in Lacedaemon,                             in their own dear native land.

(Book 3, Johnston)

Homer would have most likely said something in Book 12 of the Odyssey along the lines of "And so he left Aeaea for the final time, not knowing that he will have another son that grew up without his father." or something. HE DOESN'T SAY ANYTHING LIKE THAT. BECAUSE IT'S NOT CANON. It also never says that they slept together in Book 12. All she did was pull him away so that they could talk and she could warn him.

[roboyomo]

wait ok I'm not last anon but I'm curious as to any ideas u might have for adams canto . . . . . 👁️ 👁️

YES. MY GOD I *DO* AND I AM SO GLAD YOU ASKED

So the Idea for Sinner Adam univ ties with the "Dante is Ayin" Theory that is actually important, because Sinner Adam canonically cannot recall anything of the other As or just Ayin, nor can he recall the Seed of Light project or its researchers, but even then he knows that Dante is somehow important to fulfilling his (Distorted Carmen's) vision, and that is because his gut feeling knows that Dante is a familiar person and is the key to success (Kind of saying that Dante is like X in LBC??)

Adam does not remember his past just like Dante, but he has only one goal driving him forward, to bring the Light out of Humanity, and the only reason he is trying to achieve that goal is that an unknown (Carmen's) voice tells him it is an important step to making a healthy world. But throughtout the story, it is obvious he kind of went overboard (and insane). Also he thought that joining Limbus Company would help him to achieve his vision

SO Adam's Canto was planned to go last out of all of them and throughout his Canto, the cast ends up going through one of the ruins of Lobcorp to get the Golden Bough (might tweak that part, i still have to write his Canto) and they manage to find some of the last L. Corp. Employees that got killed infront of the cast by Abnos that have breached a while ago so boom abno fights have started and that is when Adam's fuzzy memories of most likely the team of researchers for the "Seed of Light" project he could not recall start to swim back up. They start with him remembering who was Carmen and the other researchers before their death, and once he remembers that, an ALEPH Risk Abnormality that has breached attacks the cast and that is WhiteNight, so the WhiteNight Boss fight starts and it is going to be like the Dongbaek fights in Canto 4, aka first WhiteNight battle is gonna be fighting against the Plague Doctor, and after that fight is finished, it transforms into WhiteNight and it is the last boss fight before you start the dungeon.

In the Dungeon, you go through Adam's forgotten memories about the Project, Carmen, the Story of LobCorp, the 50 Days Cycle and the "Ending of Ayin" . Starting from the first floor, you go through the memories of the whole research team, as well as Carmen's death, the brief look at the death of the team and ending the 1st floor at a Bossfight against Garion (Might also change that part)

Floor 2 is about the Aftermath of the story, where basically Lobcorp becomes a Wing and the "50 days" Cycle Loop has started, ends at an abno bossfight because i dont have ideas for this just yet

Floor 3 is where Adam actually remembers about the other A's, and learns that the Manager X and A are all part of Ayin, so you get an Abel fight that is trying to make you go back to the start, Abram Fight who is also trying to stop the cast, and then lastly

Adam has remembered who he was, what he was capable of, and why is his goal so important to him, although he realizes that he cannot achieve his goal just yet without a key component, and that component in his eyes in Dante, the Manager X that will lead him to the door of success, and as he went more and more crazy over trying to lure Dante in, to let them both free this Humanity of its shell, to let their Light bloom, he just straight up snapped and attempted to attack the cast, luckily Ishmael was able to block the attack with her shield. But Adam cannot take it any longer and Carmen's voice keeps on speaking louder in his head, in the end causing Adam to distort

And that is the last Bossfight of the Dungeon, Distorted Adam

'DON'T YOU SEE THE WORLD WE COULD'VE HAD TOGETHER, A?'

CANT SAY ANYTHING FOR THE ENDING/POST BATTLE DIALOGUE RN CUZ I HAVENT PLANNED THAT YET BUT IWILL TRY TO DO THAT SOON

ALSO PLEASE DONT JUDGE THIS MUCH, ITS ONLY THE FIRST DRAFT I HAVE. I AM LIVING FOR THE SINNER ADAM UNIVERSE SO IT MIGHT GET TWEAKED TO MAKE IT MAKE MORE SENSE

[jeanmoreaux]

top 9 books

tagged forever ago by @doctorsrose & @rosesau (🫶🫶🫶)

tagging: @lvnchs | @permanentreverie | @tolerateit | @speaknowtv | @henwilsons | @newtmsa | @greenribon | @brimay | @hollyfhumberstone | @tbosas | @alinastarkovz (ofc no pressure <3 would love to hear about your fav books in whatever way you wanna share and if you don't then that's okay too!)

rules: list your top 9 books obviously. like the people before me and probably most people who did this i cheated and put series or several books by the same author as one thing bc rules are made for breaking <3 this is very much both an 'off the top of my head' as well as a 'laboured over this for hours' kind of list that's heavily biased to the present moment.

(1.) all for the game by nora sakavic; i don't even know what to say about this. either you read it and Get why this is on my list or you Don't. and if you haven't read it this is not a recommendation btw. this is just me saying these books did irreparable damage to my developing teenage brain. hit me like no other series probably ever will again because i read this at the Right Time while being the exact right amount of Insane. and just like seed mentioned in her list if you want to know Me and Understand Me then you need to know this series. i am sure there are traces of it in my dna by now.

(2.) the raven cycle by maggie stiefvater; same goes for this one tbh. if you want to know Me and Understand Me then you need to know this series. another instance of Right Time and Right Me. these books burrowed themselves deep into my bones and became a part of my dna. they shaped soo much of my taste in prose, storytelling techniques, tropes, and dynamics. this story and these characters took me apart and put me back together again but rearranged some essential parts inside of me. much like with aftg, i came out of this series irreversibly changed and drenched in blood final girl style.

(3.) frankenstein by mary shelley; a beautifully written story with soooo much room for whatever literary lens you want to apply to it. i know i answered an ask once where i talked about my love for this book in detail but i can't find it. but i found this rant on frankenstein and the creature. i think a lot of my love for this story comes from the fact that i had the chance to work closely with the text several times. but also it's just a heart-wrenching tale about how we define humanity and how love is essential nourishment for the soul. it reminds me of that one quote from the good place: "people improve when they get external love and support. how can we hold it against them when they don’t?" because frankenstein basically answers the question what happens when someone gives you a life you didn't ask for and then opts out of any (emotional) responsibility and leaves you desolate and utterly forsaken.

(4.) the green bone saga by fonda lee; an epic family saga i still think about A Lot. kinda succession without logan but make it fantasy mafia. sibling relationships are a big part of this story too. which if you know me. big fan of that. it's also a series that grows in scope (world building wise) and keeps adding complexity So Naturally it's impressive. amazing storytelling craft at work fr. definitely an underhyped series in my opinion.

(5.) the sword of kaigen by m.l. wang; another fantasy story focusing on family dynamics but also functioning as a character study. it's a self-published work and it shows in the BEST way. there's just something about it that makes me insane one a storytelling level because it breaks so many conventions and you either hate that or love that but no matter your opinion on it i think it's undeniable that this book has some of the best character work written in recent years. i desperately need to reread.

(6.) on earth we’re briefly gorgeous by ocean vuong; another book that fucked me up with its beautiful prose and incredibly gut-wrenching emotional honesty. it really feels like you're reading about someone ripping out the most vulnerable and messed up and complex parts of their soul and laying them bare for you to see expecting nothing but acknowledgement in return. and while my own lived experience is nothing close to ocean vuong's the emotional core of this book rings so true. also i just have to say it again. the prose fucks severely.

(7.) the grisha trilogy & the six of crows duology by leigh bardugo; another (two) series i read in my teens that shaped my taste to a drastic degree. the crows are just forever ingrained in my brain. alina's story will forever fuck me up. you all know. you all understand. w're not getting into it. i think the fact that tgt is so misunderstood and undervalued just makes me love it more. because if you get it. damn. devastating. if you don't. so sorry for you because you're missing out.

(8.) the song of achilles & circe by madeline miller; tbh both of these retellings did something to my brain. you all know these i don't have to elaborate. it's very typical queer of me to fawn over anything to do with greek mythology and retellings but. these two just HIT different. also, the prose? makes me a little insane.

(9.) giovanni’s room by james baldwin; this book has some of the most insane prose i have ever read. baldwin's grasp on language is uncanny fr. every other sentence packs a punch in one way or another. he manages to capture some aspects of the queer (specifically the bi) experience in a way that felt so familiar to me and put words to so many of my internal experiences. it's about the self and identity and being lost and refusing to let yourself be found. it's also about human connections and how you'll wither when you deny yourself to open up to the people closest to you. it's about so many things without being about one think in particular. like all the other books on this list, love and belonging are at the core of it, but in a very distorted way. i don't think you can really understand unless you've read it. it's So Good.

honorable mentions; emma by jane austen (cunty women RULE), wuthering heights by emily brontë (severely fucked up in the most entertaining way. that's how you write drama.) east of eden by john steinbeck (cain and abel shit and deranged women? sign me up), these violent delights by micah nemerever (be gay do crime in the most mentally ill way possible), if we were villains (love it when characters haunt a narrative. also definitely a book about the gay sex that is not happening), women in love by d.h. lawrence (still currently making my way through this one but it's so deliciously messed up and queer i am almost certain it will leave a permanent mark)

[wuahae]

What if 'Gundam SEED' was told from Flay's point of view? How would they approach it? Would it have been better?

ANOOOONNNDJWKFKW MY HAND SLAPPED OVER MY MOUTH. GUNDAM SEED TALK ON MY KPOP X READER BLOG….. IM OBSESSED W U LET’S GET INTO IT .

to be honest with you i didn't rewatch seed during my latest viewing of seed destiny so i can't say i remember enough to have a In-Depth analysis about the successes and failures of seed But! that being said in retrospect i actually really like flay? i like what they do with her character and i like her role in the story. i like that she's meant to be an asshole and more than a little of a bitch but it's never unsympathetic (unjustified maybe) and i like how her being rich and sheltered and YOUNG (i'm pretty sure the girl is literally 14 when the series starts) plays into how she reacts to the events of seed ... like the war is Not kind to her in the slightest. she's such a good character that explores the civilian side of war and how hatred can so easily twist into your very being if you don't know any better (or you're not given the opportunity to know any better)... i love her!! and i love her redemption arc at the end!

that being said, i actually don't think making flay the protagonist would have been better ,,, a large part of seed (and extends to seed destiny) is the relationship between kira and athrun; how your enemy is just those who happen to be on the other side of the battlefield, the cycle of violence and how it continues to be exacerbated in the name of revenge, etc etc. i think it's important that s/sd are told from the pov of the soldiers because of that? also because i just think the kira-athrun conflict throughout the series is soooo .... </3 i love my star-crossed bffs .

to be fair i think if flay was the protagonist it would have been a lot more of a character drama than it already is but i feel like they explore her character well as is in the anime? she has such a pinnacle role in kira's character i can't really see her being expanded in a better way than that! also i'm ngl the anti-coordinator bigotry flay has in like . probably the first third of the anime is already a hard pill to swallow as a side character idk if i could go through seed with her as the main character HSDFJLDSFKJJ like i already don't like kira!!! the beginning of seed is hard enough to get through with him as the protagonist!!!!

[giftfromblythe]

Choices

This is the beginning

Of every end I see

Though I find it daunting

They’ve taken root in me

Every seed I nurture

I yearn to see full-grown

Yet in all these futures

Somehow I’ve never known

Which will grant me the purpose

For which I still long:

Something fair and perilous

Or simple, quiet, and strong?

As an apology for posting a day late and as a pick-me-up after the heavy topic of the last poem I posted, I thought I would post something a bit lighter this time.

This is the poem I could call my “Overcoming Anxiety” saga: it is an expression of how my perspective on making decisions—choices—has changed.

I used to be paralyzed with fear and uncertainty over every decision placed before me, even sometimes the smallest of them.  I would stare into the fridge wondering what to eat and unable to choose; I would lay around in bed all day fearing what the day would bring until the day was gone, only to start again the next morning.  Anything larger?  Forget it.  My mind would conjure visions of ways I could die or fail or lose all I hold dear.  I was unable to even consider what success might look like.

It took a lot of work to convince myself that the possibilities my mind presented to me were lies created by fear—sure, they could happen, but my mind offered them as certainties, certainties that were not in truth certain.  If I don’t know the future, how could my anxiety?  We use the same brain.

I learned in therapy (and later life-coaching) to recognize those thoughts for what they were, and then to break the cycle before I could spiral into panic.  I found, built, a purpose that I desire more than I fear what could happen as a result of the decisions I make to achieve it.

So this poem is the result of finally learning to see the good that could come of the choices I make rather than solely what could go wrong.  I hope reading this can help you take a step on that journey too.

As always, thanks for reading.  Take care, listen well, and share your stories.

[actuallyyourreflection]

Hello I saw you reblog a post from me and add into the tags some very interesting info about species in Australia being adapted specifically for wildfires. Do you have any more fun facts for me to read about this subject? Ive never heard of it before and thoroughly enjoyed reading your tags. Tysm and have a great night/day!

Hi! Yes I do!

So a fire regime is the pattern, frequency, seasonality, and intensity of fire disturbance in a particular ecosystem over long periods of time. A whole lot of places in Australia are ecosystems that've adapted to exist in a fire regime, and the timing between fires tends to be fairly short (compared to a lot of other countries/bioregions). So a lot of species- mostly plants- have become really specialised because of this.

There's a lot of ways that plant species have adapted to frequent fires (many need fire in order to reproduce!). This includes extreme heat releasing seeds (e.g., heating up sap until the seedpod explodes and sends seeds everywhere), plants that resprout quickly after leaves have been scorched off, smoke and heat breaking through seed dormancy by sending the right temperature/chemical signals, etc.

There's also a bunch of things that aren't adaptations but are ways fire can help certain species! The ashbed is really rich in nutrients, and with much of the undergrowth burned away there's a lot more sunlight, improved windflow, decreased herbivore activity- all things that promote establishment of pioneer species, which are first-in hardy species that settle in after a big disturbance, AND help those seeds released by/after the fire to get going. This changes the environment, and eventually, these pioneer species get out-competed by other species that take a big longer to get established and tend to have different traits. (kind of goes pioneer -> building -> mature -> degenerate or disturbance -> back to pioneer! it's a whole cycle).

As the plant species change, the environment changes, and the animal species change as well! If you look at small mammal succession after fire, you'll see that different mammals are present at different times after a fire as vegetation (and other factors) change.

Basically, a bit of burning in Australia leads to maximum diversity with a variety of successional stages. And this means higher recovery potential and resilience in the face of other potential disasters!

And of course there are animals that have adapted to fire in interesting ways, like fire hawks. These are birds like the Black Kite, Whistling Kite, and Brown Falcon and they work both solo AND together to spread fires! They do it by picking up burning sticks and dropping them in other places. The reason is because it's how they hunt- but it plays an important role in the ecosystem. Aboriginal Australians have plenty of stories and knowledge about this and take it into account in their care of the land- but until recently most non-Aboriginal people involved in land management were super skeptical about it so it wasn't factored into any planning or policy.

Of course climate change is absolutely fucking all of this and turning all our fires into devastating megafires which are definitely NOT good for the ecosystem so....

Um anyway sorry I wrote so much, hope the fun facts interested you!

Some links with further info/explained better:

Trying to manage fires and recreate healthy fire regimes

Fire and seed germination

If you happen to want to read an old but very important academic book on the subject, which I have only skimmed

Open-access article on fire as an ecological process

Evolutionary history of fire-stimulated traits in plants

I highly recommend doing some research on the topic (for fun) because it's super interesting, especially how fire has driven evolution of Australian species!

P.S. hope you don't mind me posting this publicly, but thought I'd share in case anyone else was also interested :)

[rebelsofshield]

Star Wars Andor: “Nobody’s Listening!”- Review

Stellar character beats carry a slightly unfocused, but nonetheless great, episode of Andor.

Deep in the bowls of the prison of Narkina 5, a resistance is fermenting. Cassian and some of his cell mates have begun to whisper about how they might escape from their stark and sterile prison. Standing in their way is their overseer and fellow prisoner, Kino Loy who is all too willing to buy into the promise of freedom that is supposedly less than a year away.

In many ways I’ve come to love the rather sprawling ensemble that Andor has built over the course of the last nine episodes. So many of these characters feel nuanced and complex in the way few others in the franchise do. However, Andor does at times risk growing unwieldy in its expansive scope. We are juggling quite a few plot lines at this point and while the storytelling has yet to become too cluttered for its own good, “Nobody’s Listening!” maybe feels more crowded and unwieldy than past installments. While previous episodes have managed to connect different stories through theme, galactic events, or interwoven plot threads, Beau Willimon’s script feels more like it is cycling through different, separate narratives. They are definitely great stories, but that sense of thematic or narrative inter-connectivity feels slightly more absent this week. It also leads to a few areas that feel bizarrely underfocused like an off screen Imperial raid that may or may not connect to Luthen’s meeting with Saw last episode or the comparatively flat characterization of many of Cassian’s cellmates.

That being said, an overcrowded or distracted episode of Andor is still fantastic television. The production, acting, and writing on this series is too consistently stellar at this point to churn out anything less than “very good.”  And while “Nobody’s Listening!” may feel like multiple different plot threads going through their own separate motions it, each of these manage to hit their own narrative highs.

The most successful is Cassian’s imprisonment and his attempts to fight back against the Empire’s penal system. When we step into “Nobody’s Listening!” it’s not really clear just how much time has passed since last week’s episode and in a way it feels thematically fitting that the expanse of time of Cassian’s imprisonment feels so nebulous. At a certain point the days blur together. It’s interesting then to see how Cassian and his cellmates have already started to plant the seeds of resistance while still fighting their damndest to survive the Empire’s brutal productivity incentives. Willimon’s script smartly rotates around Ulrich, an aging prisoner who is supposedly less than a month away from completing his sentence. Cassian and the other inmates on his team often go out of the way to support their older teammate and while at first it may seem like their concern is related to meeting Imperial quotas, there is a sense of genuine care in how they keep an eye on Ulrich’s freezing joints and ailing heart.

In the smartest move in Willimon’s scripting, Ulrich also serves as a point of connection to Andy Serkis’s Kino Loy. Characterized previously as a man that was letting the relatively small sense of power afforded to him by the Narkina 5 guards go to his head, it becomes clear just how much Kino needs to believe in a story like Ulrich’s. All of Kino’s hope rests on the fact that his freedom feels within reach and it’s enforced by buying into a worldview that doing your time leads to the reward of leaving Narkina 5. In Ulrich, he sees a man who is theoretically even closer to this freedom than he is. But when Ulrich’s fatal stroke is treated as little more than an inconvenience and it slowly dawns on Kino that there is no real way that the Empire will ever really let him leave, the final piece of Cass’s resistance falls into place. It makes for a intelligently structured episodic character arc and it’s impressive of how quickly the viewer can go from viewing Kino as a power hungry middle manager to a sympathetic ally. And Andy Serkis’s performance, particularly in those tense final moments as Ulrich passes and the truth of the Imperial prison system comes into place, is truly outstanding and is another testament to just how in sync the writing and performing sides of this show are. It all makes for maybe the most fist pumping ending to an episode that Star Wars has delivered in a while.

On Coruscant, Mon Mothma’s financial schemes mostly spin their wheels but Andor throws a nice wrinkle on things with the revelation that Vel is actually her cousin from back on Chandrila. It’s a fun twist to learn that this woman that we originally met as a backwoods guerilla fighter is actually a wealthy heiress and it shows again how great The Gilroys and the rest of the writing team are at upending our expectations for the show’s cast. Also, as a queer viewer, I found the dinner scene between Vel and the rest of Mon’s family to be fascinating. Not only in how Mon and Vel steal each other knowing glances but also in how Perrin (the literal worst) throws a homophobic microagression at Vel. The silence and subterfuge not only further elaborates Mon and Vel’s relationship but also reveals a lot about Chandrilan and maybe even galactic culture. Vel and Cinta may be the series’ most high profile queer characters at this point, but they are hardly the franchise’s first. In the past characters with queer sexuality or gender have often been treated with little difference by the wider galaxy. Perrin’s comment and Vel’s secrecy hint that there is a level of prejudice that exists towards homosexuality in the Galaxy Far, Far Away. This might feel like a small detail, but honestly it makes the queerness present in Andor feel more intentional and nuanced than some other examples. There’s absolutely a time and space for joyful, uncomplicated queer rep but I appreciate that a show that is already happy to challenge and dirty our expectations for this universe has done so with these characters as well.

Perhaps one of the most unexpected but frankly great twists in Willimon’s script this week concerns our two fascist protagonists, Syril Karn and Dedra Meero. The fact that Syril has transferred his obsessive hate of Cassian Andor to obsessive adoration of Meero feels exactly right for a character that’s as desperate and shaken as he is now. I highly doubt we will be getting a traditional romance between these two given Dedra’s rightful disgust at Sryil’s attention, but this additional wrinkle makes him feel like even more of a wildcard. What exactly happens to a man who places all his hopes on a fascist system to enact the justice that he feels is owed? Given history, things will be messy, but I am definitely intrigued about just where Syril’s journey takes us.

Next week’s episode looks to be another explosive one. While as an arc topper it has a lot to live up to with “The Eye,” I’m confident that the Andor team is up to the challenge. Let’s see a prison break.

Score: B+

[shesquaredpodcast]

Hello, I’m interested in your project. Can you tell me more about it?

Hey there @peacekeeper2theface! We’re just going to go ahead and put this info out there in case others are interested. This is the base info for the show. This is an original work that’s been built for about ten years. Seasons are arced out with storylines broken, it’s literally a desire to give this amazing world life in a way that doesn’t get touched by people who will dismantle it in ways that would take away the multi pairing LGBT representation and downplay the importance of the BIPOC stories and would just generally hurt it.

Ideally with the way it’s been designed, it’s looking at 6 seasons, but it can change depending upon the way it falls.

The pilot and breakdown have already been copyrighted and stored with the WGA and the pilot script is actively being revised from Katherine Fugate’s notes now.

Here’s a small breakdown:

“I can never forget the first sensations I experienced when it dawned upon me that I had observed something possibly of incalculable consequences to mankind…I was not merely beholding a vision, but had caught sight of a great and profound truth.” – Nikola Tesla on his discovery of the Black Knight Satellite in 1899.

A satellite, discovered in 1899 by Nikola Tesla, has been orbiting earth for an undetermined period of time. No one knows its origin or purpose. There are documented records of ancient carvings of futuristic technologies, mythologies detailing beings from the sky, ancient worked gold mines in Africa that do not fit with the archeological record, gaps in human history that have no verifiable explanation. Ancient Sumerian texts discuss a race of beings who return to the earth in cycles to harvest minerals and destroy. Ancient cities of unparalleled advancement have been detailed and lost to time. Thousands of destruction mythologies that span time and geography have innumerable similarities. A seed bank holds the world’s stock of agriculture “just in case of a doomsday scenario”.

Why?

Human history is a lie.

The show operates under the presumption that all of these things are tied together.

The Space Opera has been done in almost every modern decade. With the extraordinary advances in gaming, people can actually become one of the characters and experience the drama virtually. Successful movie franchises like Star Wars and Guardians of the Galaxy show us that this genre is not dead; it is evolving. Television entertainment must continue to evolve with it. This is where the show comes in.

This show is familiar yet original. While we still have our cast of characters in space, our characters span from different eras of human life – some criminal, some insignificant. Two individuals are taken from each time period to give a sense of anchoring to each other. They may not be from the same area, however. The time period is slightly futuristic – 2050.

There are three main settings for the series: The Colony Ship; Aegis, the ship; and Earth.

The players:

The Colony Ship: Hundreds of thousands of humans live on this ship shielded safely inside Neptune’s atmosphere. They are the purest members of humanity – those who have been evolving without interference from the Blight – a race of aliens who return to earth every 10,000 years (as referenced in Sumerian lore). Those on the colony ship restart humanity on Earth when the Blight destroys it. They make use of the seed bank which is in real life kept on Earth in case of a worldwide disaster. Life on earth continues after those aboard the colony ship replant and rebuild. It is a cycle that is repeated over and over again in order to maintain the existence of humanity. They are in contact with worldwide leadership throughout time as both the colony ship and Earth’s leadership maintain humanity’s greatest secret in order to ensure its survival. In modern day, Earth’s leadership serving in this role is the UN.

Aegis: The primary function of the ship is to transport “important” people and representatives from across the human spectrum, seed bank deposits, and DNA from animal populations to the Colony Ship. (This can be referenced in mythology such as religious texts). For the history of humanity, this ship Aegis has served this purpose – instilling in its new crewmembers the knowledge and abilities to carry out all duties needed to run the ship and protect/replenish humanity.

The Blight: (the name given to this species by humanity) Their purpose is to harvest humanity as slaves. Blight scout ships come, extract slaves, take precious metals, destroy humanity, and leave. When the Blight leaves, they decimate the remains of the human race left on Earth; their existence is erased but for the secrets preserved in ancient mythologies and monuments. All mythologies talk of beings descending from the sky, but scholars put this down to notions like the collective unconscious. To fight against the ongoing cycle of human harvesting would result in permanent annihilation of the human race. They do not disturb the Colony Ship because it allows for an unchecked repopulation of slaves. When the crew of Aegis does not adhere to the unspoken understandings of the cycle this time, the Blight comes in full force to occupy Earth as punishment instead of capturing, destroying, and leaving as it has in past cycles.

Earth Leaders/UN: The leaders of Earth are aware of the true history of the planet, and the United Nations (now) makes sure that the cycles are never revealed to the general public and carried out with precision. This task of keeping the knowledge of the Blight secret and working to preserve humanity was always carried out by important cultural leaders, organizations, etc… throughout the years. The very survival of the human race depends on the routine. They remain in contact with the colony ship through the Black Knight satellite. Its purpose is a communication link to prepare for the cycles throughout Earth’s history.

The Resistance: This diverse group of men and women are those remaining after the Blight comes to occupy Earth in this cycle. These individuals around the world are trying to protect those left to fend for themselves. This springs up as a necessity on Earth.

Commander A****** M***** decides that it is time for the people of Earth to have a choice – to fight. If they are to be destroyed anyway, they should be given the opportunity to choose. The crew members who have family on earth have very strong feelings of support for this. Those who have nothing to return to agree with the idea. This sets in motion a dangerous contentious relationship with the leaders of the United Nations and with the President of the colony ship. Horribly outgunned when the alien species comes calling behind their scout ships to squash any rebellion, humanity’s only chance of survival is the rag tag crew who must flee and protect the colony ship in the unknown reaches of space.

Allies and enemies are made. Pasts catch up to individuals, political intrigue ensues on the colony ship, and relationships develop on both as life and death play out with a group of individuals who were never intended to meet. The goal is to save humanity – whatever it takes.

Anyway, that’s the breakdown of the show. We’re looking for people who are interested in writing, creating artwork, can produce in a virtual setting, snd who are interested in directing episodes. We want people from all over the world and of different backgrounds because we want our writer’s room/crew to be representative of our world and we want our stories to be told from the correct perspectives. We would love a social media wizard who can promote the show. (We already have official domains and such). There is more detailed stuff but we’d like to save that for a group session with a team on board.

[iqwest]

What is Emotional Intelligence and are You Allowing it to Control You?

By definition, Emotional Intelligence is:

"Emotional intelligence (EI) refers to the ability to recognize, understand, and manage one's own emotions, as well as the emotions of others. It encompasses several key abilities, including the ability to perceive emotions accurately, to use emotions to facilitate thinking, to understand emotions and emotional knowledge, and to manage emotions effectively. EI is often considered to be a key factor in personal and professional success."

Are you easily triggered in certain situations? If you are, can you control your emotions or does your "other", less desirable, persona uncontrollably spring to life?

If I'm describing you, I guarantee you haven't achieved many of the goals you've set forth in your life because this one trait, when it gets the best of you (which it usually does if you're allowing your subconscious mind to run the show rather than you taking control of it), is not only a limiting factor, but it can be downright destructive.

Why am I Behaving this Way?

Acknowledging you have a problem is the first step in fixing it. Taking for granted you're willing to make this acknowledgement, then, serious, mindful, thought needs to be given as to what's really bothering you.

Trust me, the behavior manifesting through your quick fuse is rooted in anger, frustrations, stress, almost always something deeper seeded in your life, not the actual circumstance at hand.

No, there's nothing wrong with you! We all have issues to work through and we all spend more hours than we'd like fighting the gremlins in our minds.

However, whatever this root issue is, it needs to be addressed and we have to deal with it head on. Otherwise, the routine cycle of finding ourselves in these out of control moments will never end and sabotage everything we're working towards (not to mention, strain or even completely ruin our personal and business relationships).

Knowing this, we can only move forward in our lives by taking the necessary steps to address what's really going on.

Change the Story You're Telling Yourself

Our mind does what we ask it to do. It listens to the story we tell it. If we focus on negativity, it will look for everything negative and find it. If we focus on positivity, it will look for the positive and then find it.

Here's an example:

We all know that person where everything in their life is a crisis. They define themselves by this drama and that, seemingly moving from one problem to another - always drowning in them. It's the same, predictable, movie - it's just a different storyline on a different day. Here's another example:

You know those days that get started off on a bad foot? We get out of bed and the world seems to be conspiring against us before we've even had a chance to take that first sip of coffee. On these days, isn't it funny how the entire day seems to be thrown off track? One problem seems to be compound into another. We put out one fire and another arises. It's like plugging holes with bubble gum.

Do you think this is a coincident?

Our lives don't happen by accident. Don't get me wrong, things most certainly do happen to us throughout our lives. There's no getting around this. However, when these things happen, we do have a choice in how we go about dealing with whatever comes our way. Again, when we focus our minds, our minds go to work with the direction we've given it to focus on.

Knowing this, start giving your mind better directions. Give it a better roadmap. Tell it where you want to go rather than sitting by letting it take you where it's always taken you. It's your mind - yours to run.

It's Your Life, Take Control of it

When we fail and blame someone else for what happened, we're merely making an excuse. We're telling ourselves our success is dependant upon outside variables and circumstances we can't control. Instead of tuning out the noise, we use the noise as our convenient scapegoat.

Yes, things happen to us that we can't control. It's maddening, it can be frustrating, and seemingly outright unfair at times. We've all been there and can relate.

However, we do have free will to choose how we react to any situation we run encounter. In making the better choice in how we react, taking the better road, we'll get to a better place. When we tune out the noise and take ownership of our emotional intelligence, we can then begin taking control of our lives, creating the life we want rather than believing we're getting the life given to us. It is indeed a choice!

We have one life. Live it and embrace the struggles. They make us stronger and our record, the book of our life (the one we are writing every second of every hour of every day) will reflect our ability to deal with the obstacles thrown our way and the choices we make in how we go about handling them.

If you don't like your story, change it by getting your emotional intelligence under control. It's empowering when you do and you'll soon realize that what you want can be earned if you start focusing on telling your mind the right story.

[yashansiwrites]

Atomic Habits

Started reading this book ; recommended by a YouTube channel. Loved the book, things are clear with a crisp explanation. It starts with the narrator's real life story , about his injury and his recovery , how he felt depressed and overwhelmed for months and how everything came about to end with his dwelling self doubt within, how he was thrown from his baseball team and being a player since age four, how humiliated it felt. All that helped him were his beliefs and his thoughts, he knew if things were going to improve, he was the one responsible for making it happen. He could have led his injury and shattered his life professionally and personally but he focused on building a positive outlook and building himself from scratch once again. He focused on getting his life in order while his peers stayed up late and played games , he built good sleep habits and went to bed early each night , In a world full of distractions and party culture, he made a point to build himself and kept him tidy and neat while hostellers are just messy in general. These improvements were minor but it led to a drastic change in future and it gave him a sense of control over his life . Changes were small and gradual but results were remarkable, and with better habits , anything is possible. He started small and made everything big , be it his website or his baseball career or his academics. Small changes in his habits and consistency made a big difference.

Then he started with a story of British cyclists where Dave Brailsford gave it a completely new trajectory; turned everything associated with cycling 1% better. We often convince ourselves that massive success requires massive action, and put pressure on ourselves to make some earth-shattering improvement that everyone will talk about. Getting 1% better each day will end up 37 times better by the end of the year. What starts as a small win or minor setback accumulates into much more. A little difference on any given day, delivered over months and years, can yield tremendous results. You should be far more concerned with your current trajectory than your current results as it is a system that builds you. Time will multiply whatever you feed it, bad habits can cut you down as easily as good habits can build you up.  People make a few small changes, fail to see a tangible result, and decide to stop; it is often because they have not yet crossed the plateau of latent potential. Your work is not wasted, it is just being stored. All the action happens when it crosses the plateau of latent potential. Then the narrator also said, when nothing seemed to help, he got and looked at a stonecutter hammering away at his rock, perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred and first blow, it will split into two and that is not the last blow that did it but all that had gone before. The seed of every habit is a single, tiny decision but as the decision is repeated, the habit sprouts and grows stronger. A system of continuous small improvements will yield a different outcome.  Don't associate your happiness with the results, just trust the process and you will start loving the process.

[ittybittykittyfingers]

9/2/24

Every home in the world was visited by 3 alien chibi cartoon cats in their driveways. The cats had 2 demands: feed them canned dog food; and repeat whatever word they say back to them without making any other sounds for as long as the exercise takes place. Those who complied would be saved. Those who did not would stay behind. The cats wanted Earth to be terraformed into their litterbox.

I had experienced this day over and over again. Each time my family would fail.

At first I tried desperately to convince everyone this was real but we're all such goofballs. It had varying levels of success but I ultimately couldn't get everyone on board.

Next, I just couldn't take it anymore and kept killing myself in an attempt to exit the cycle, only to be consistently Groundhog Dayed back in over and over.

Finally, I was ready to try something radical.

I had some time before the cats arrived so I used that chance to collect the required items along with general survival stuff. A tired backpack exacted its regret for existing upon my equally regretful shoulders. It turned out that being prepared ahead of time worked to my advantage with getting my family to cooperate. They thought the whole thing was some elaborate bit I'd gotten together.

Unfortunately, even with this advantage, we never did make it out. We were always doomed to go down with the ship, I suppose. In the final iteration of this day I finally got to see what happened to the earth.

I saw low-flying helicopters dumping water like rain, like the kind you see putting out forest fires. The water kept coming. I caught a glimpse of the face of someone manning the vehicle. They looked like what I would, loosely, describe as a zombie- obviously being controlled by the cats. This one was particularly close to our house and swung back and forth threatening to collide with the house. Water flooded everything-- 4ft, 6ft, 10ft up and up. We managed to climb into our old mini-van which did surprisingly well. It acted as a water-tight boat.

Younger family members slept soundly in the trunk (hatchback minivan) while adults took stock of what we had and how we would get through the next few days. I was prepared with food and water and some medical supplies, so our focus turned to setting up shop on the van and establishing a contact point outside of our family. We needed to find a way to be useful. For now, we would focus on navigation and surviving the flood. The sunroof gave us access to the outside when the 'rain' finally stopped. We took to pulling in bodies to loot them, which wasn't exactly a pleasant chore on the best of days, but felt especially surreal to do in front of an ornate church spire where an oddly pristine type-faced banner hung that read “WE WORSHIP OUR EVIL OVERLORDS". I wondered how it was so professional looking when the event was less than a day old.

Tall buildings had dry floors. Given our early advantage, we had a modest surplus of useful items like weapons, drugs, cigarettes, alcohol, etc., your typical post-apocalypse staples. It was pulse-poundingly terrifying to approach windows of high-rise buildings but, for the most part, people were happy to trade with us and let us go without trouble. People were quick to part with food and seeds and tools if it meant a quick break from the insanity. The plan was to establish a rooftop homestead somewhere defendable, Project Zomboid style. Eventually, we'd level up into figuring out how to get underwater and scavenge.

Unfortunately, we didn't get that far and the next stage of the terraforming began. My writer's instinct wants to continue the story anyway but this tag is for what happened in my dreams. I honestly don't know what the next stage was. I guessed when I woke up into reality that it was gas because people in the van started dropping like flies. I just... suddenly woke up.

Thank you!

[tahomawhisperingwind]

The Importance of Purification Rituals Before Hunting in Apache Traditions

Image generated by the author

The Sacred Dance: Purification Rituals Before Hunting in Apache Traditions

Introduction: The Call of the Wild Imagine standing at the edge of a vast, sun-kissed landscape where the mountains kiss the sky, and the whispers of the wind carry stories of ancient wisdom. Before you, a hunter prepares not just his gear but his spirit. In Apache culture, the act of hunting transcends mere survival—it's a sacred ritual steeped in spirituality and profound respect for the natural world. This article explores the importance of purification rituals in Apache traditions, revealing how these practices forge a deep connection between the hunter, the spirit of the game, and the land itself.

Spiritual Observances: A Sacred Relationship In the Apache worldview, hunting is much more than a physical endeavor; it is an intricate dance of spirit and intention. Purification rituals serve as the first step in this sacred dance. Before embarking on a hunt, Apache hunters engage in ceremonies designed to cleanse the mind, body, and spirit. These rituals create a harmonious connection with nature, allowing the hunter to approach their task with humility and gratitude.

The essence of these rituals lies in their focus on intention. As one Apache elder put it, “You must be in harmony with the world around you before you can take a life.” This mindset fosters a respect for the animals that are hunted, acknowledging their role in the cycle of life and death.

Cultural Significance of Purification Rituals: Honoring Ancestral Wisdom At the heart of Apache purification rituals is the deep-seated belief in the interconnectedness of all living beings. These sacred practices not only prepare the hunter physically but also spiritually. By participating in purification ceremonies, hunters honor their ancestors and the wisdom passed down through generations.

In one ritual, a hunter might bathe in a clear, flowing river, letting the cool water wash away negative energies and distractions. This act serves as a powerful reminder of their reliance on nature and the need for spiritual alignment before engaging with it. Each chant and prayer uttered during these ceremonies is a tribute to the spirits of the game, demonstrating respect for the lives taken in the pursuit of nourishment.

Historical Context: A Legacy of Respect Historically, purification rituals have been an integral part of Apache life. They are not mere customs but sacred practices that have helped guide hunters for centuries. Picture a scene from long ago: an Apache hunter, adorned in the traditional garb of his people, stands at the riverbank, the sun dipping below the horizon. He pauses to chant prayers that echo against the mountains, invoking the spirits of the land and his ancestors.

Such ceremonies have evolved over time but remain rooted in the core values of humility and respect. The hunter understands that successful hunting is not just a matter of skill; it requires spiritual readiness. Each animal hunted is viewed as a spirit with its own essence, deserving of reverence and acknowledgment.

Cultural Significance: Nature Worship The Apache relationship with nature is one of profound reverence. Purification rituals embody this ethos, reminding hunters of their responsibility to the ecosystem. The act of hunting becomes a reciprocal relationship, where the hunter gives thanks for the sustenance provided by the animals.

These rituals help hunters focus, cleansing both their energy and their intent. Just as a gardener prepares the soil before planting seeds, an Apache hunter prepares their spirit before entering the wilderness. This preparation fosters mindfulness, encouraging the hunter to engage with the land in a respectful and thoughtful manner.

An Apache Story: The Journey of China To illustrate the importance of purification rituals, let us delve into the story of an Apache hunter named China. China lived in a community where respect for nature was paramount, and each hunt began with a series of sacred rituals. Before setting out, he and his sister, Dozen, would gather sweet grass, a plant believed to carry the prayers of their ancestors.

They would light the grass, allowing the smoke to rise into the air, carrying their intentions to the spirit world. As they prayed together, a sense of calm enveloped them, linking their hearts to the land and its creatures. This tradition was not only a ritual but a way to strengthen their bond as siblings and as stewards of nature.

With their spirits aligned, China and Dozen ventured into the wild, their hearts filled with respect and gratitude. Their successful hunt that day was not merely a testament to their skills but a reflection of the sacred connection they had nurtured through their rituals.

Examples and Expert Insights: The Depth of Tradition Purification rituals are deeply embedded in Apache culture. They involve a medley of sacred herbs, prayers, and moments of silence that cultivate a mindset of respect and reverence. Experts emphasize that these rituals enhance spiritual connections with the environment, fostering a sense of responsibility toward the land and its inhabitants.

Dr. Amelia White, an anthropologist specializing in indigenous practices, notes, “These rituals remind us that we are part of a greater whole. They teach us that every action has a ripple effect on the ecosystem.” This perspective highlights the importance of integrating such practices into modern hunting ethics, promoting a sustainable relationship with nature.

Practical Applications: Modern Hunting and Purification Rituals As we navigate an increasingly disjointed relationship with the environment, the teachings of Apache purification rituals provide valuable lessons for modern hunters. Integrating these practices into contemporary hunting methods can enhance mindfulness and respect.

Practical applications might include performing cleansing ceremonies, engaging in prayers before a hunt, or sharing stories of past hunts that honor the animal spirits. Establishing ethical hunting discussions within communities can foster a sense of interconnectedness with the natural world, reminding hunters of their role as stewards of the land.

Modern Relevance: Rediscovering Nature's Wisdom In our fast-paced society, where many feel disconnected from nature, the teachings of Apache purification rituals serve as a poignant reminder of the importance of preparation and intention. These practices encourage us to slow down, reflect, and engage with the world around us mindfully.

Just as the Apache hunters prepare their spirits before a hunt, we can learn to approach our daily lives with the same level of respect and gratitude. Whether it’s a simple walk in the park or a camping trip in the wilderness, integrating these values can foster a deeper connection with the environment.

Conclusion: Embracing the Sacred The significance of purification rituals in Apache traditions extends far beyond the act of hunting. They embody a profound respect for life, a deep connection to the land, and a rich tapestry of ancestral wisdom. As we contemplate our relationship with nature, let us draw inspiration from these sacred practices.

Engaging in purification rituals nurtures not only our connection with the natural world but also our identity and community ties. In a time when the call of the wild is often drowned out by the noise of modern life, let us embrace the teachings of the Apache. Let us remember that every step we take in nature is part of a sacred dance, and with each breath, we honor the interconnectedness of all living beings.

As you reflect on this, consider: What rituals might you incorporate into your life to deepen your connection to nature? How can you honor the land and its spirits in your daily actions? The answers may just lead you to a more mindful existence.

About Black Hawk Visions

Black Hawk Visions preserves and shares timeless Apache wisdom through digital media. Inspired by Tahoma Whispering Wind, we offer eBooks, online courses, and newsletters that blend traditional knowledge with modern learning. Explore nature connection, survival skills, and inner growth at Black Hawk Visions.

AI Disclosure: AI was used for content ideation, spelling and grammar checks, and some modification of this article.

About Black Hawk Visions: We preserve and share timeless Apache wisdom through digital media. Explore nature connection, survival skills, and inner growth at Black Hawk Visions.

[plantenthusiastsblog]

The Brief History of Plants: How Kratom & Other Plants Shape Our World

Plants have shaped the Earth's ecosystem for billions of years, evolving from simple aquatic organisms to the complex and diverse flora that populates our planet today. The history of plants is not just a tale of green life but a chronicle of life's interdependence and evolution.

The Dawn of Plant Life

The story of plants begins over 3 billion years ago with the advent of photosynthetic bacteria, commonly known as cyanobacteria. These early life forms harnessed sunlight to produce energy, a revolutionary process known as photosynthesis. This process not only provided these bacteria with sustenance but also began to alter the Earth's atmosphere by releasing oxygen as a byproduct.

Around 500 million years ago, the first true plants emerged from their aquatic origins, marking the beginning of the Paleozoic Era. These early plants were simple, non-vascular organisms similar to modern-day liverworts and mosses. Over millions of years, plants began to develop vascular tissues, allowing them to transport water and nutrients more efficiently and thus colonize new, drier environments.

The Age of Ferns and Gymnosperms

The Devonian Period, approximately 400 million years ago, saw the rise of vascular plants, which included the first trees and forests. This era is often referred to as the "Age of Ferns" because of the dominance of ferns and their relatives. These plants contributed significantly to the development of soil and altered the Earth's carbon cycle, impacting the climate.

The Carboniferous Period followed, characterized by vast swampy forests of giant ferns, horsetails, and the first seed plants, the gymnosperms. Gymnosperms, including conifers, ginkgos, and cycads, were particularly successful because of their ability to reproduce using seeds, which provided protection and sustenance for the developing embryo.

The Rise of Angiosperms

The next major evolutionary leap occurred during the Mesozoic Era with the emergence of angiosperms, or flowering plants, around 140 million years ago. Angiosperms introduced a novel reproductive strategy with flowers and fruit, which attracted pollinators and facilitated seed dispersal. This innovation led to a rapid diversification and the eventual dominance of flowering plants in most terrestrial ecosystems.

Angiosperms co-evolved with various animal species, leading to intricate ecological relationships. The explosion of floral diversity also corresponded with the diversification of insects, birds, and mammals, creating the rich tapestry of life we see today.

Kratom: A Remarkable Plant

Among the vast diversity of plants, some have garnered particular attention for their unique properties and uses. One such remarkable plant is kratom (Mitragyna Speciosa), a tropical tree native to Southeast Asia. For centuries, kratom has been an integral part of traditional medicine in countries like Thailand and Indonesia, prized for its versatile therapeutic properties.

The leaves of the kratom tree contain several bioactive compounds, with mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine being the most notable. These compounds interact with opioid receptors in the brain, producing a range of effects depending on the dosage. At low doses, kratom acts as a stimulant, enhancing energy levels and improving focus. In contrast, higher doses produce sedative and pain-relieving effects, making kratom an effective tool for managing chronic pain and alleviating symptoms of opioid withdrawal.

In recent years, kratom has gained significant popularity in Western countries as a natural alternative to pharmaceutical painkillers. Many users report that the best plant medicine online Canada helps reduce anxiety, alleviate depression, and manage chronic pain without the severe side effects and high addiction risks associated with conventional opioids. Its potential to combat the opioid crisis has sparked considerable interest among both the public and the medical community.

Researchers are actively studying kratom to better understand its pharmacological effects, therapeutic potential, and safety profile. This ongoing research aims to clarify the plant's benefits and risks, ultimately informing policy decisions and ensuring safe use.

Kratom stands out as a plant with remarkable medicinal potential, offering a natural alternative to synthetic drugs. Its ability to provide relief from various ailments while minimizing adverse effects highlights the broader significance of botanical research in modern medicine.

The Future of Plant Evolution

The journey of plants from primordial bacteria to modern-day flora is a testament to the resilience and adaptability of life. As we continue to study plants and their histories, we unlock new potentials for medicine, agriculture, and environmental stewardship.

In the face of climate change and biodiversity loss, understanding plant evolution is more crucial than ever. Plants not only sustain human life by providing oxygen, food, and medicine but also play a pivotal role in maintaining ecological balance. As we look to the future, preserving plant diversity and harnessing their potential could be key to addressing many global challenges.

[kisaanhelpline]

Stay Ahead - Latest Agri Mandi Bhav Updates and Market Trends

Agricultural markets are dynamic and are influenced by many factors ranging from weather conditions to government policies. For farmers, staying updated with the latest Mandi Bhav (market price) and understanding market trends is important to make informed decisions. This post aims to provide comprehensive information about the Latest Krishi Mandi Bhav Updates and market trends, to help farmers optimize their sales and maximize profits.

Farmers need to understand market prices and trends in agriculture to remain competitive and profitable. The agricultural market is influenced by various factors such as supply and demand, weather conditions, global market trends, and government policies. This post will cover the following major topics:

Importance of Krishi Mandi Bhav

Factors Affecting Market Prices

Latest Trends in Krishi Mandi Bhav

Impact of Government Policies

Technical Tools for Market Updates

Success Stories

Tips for Farmers to Stay Ahead

Importance of Krishi Mandi Bhav

Krishi Mandi Bhav refers to the current market prices of agricultural commodities in various mandis (markets). These prices are important for several reasons:

Price Realization: Knowing the current mandi bhav helps farmers decide when and where to sell their produce so that they get the best price.

Planning and Budgeting: Accurate price information aids in planning the production cycle and budgeting for inputs such as seeds, fertilizers and labour.

Market Strategy: Helps in creating effective market strategies and understanding competitive position.

Factors Affecting Market Prices

Several factors affect the prices of agricultural commodities:

Supply and Demand: Basic economic principles where an increase in supply leads to a decrease in prices and vice versa.

Weather Conditions: Adverse weather conditions such as drought, floods and unseasonal rains can affect crop production and market prices.

Global Market Trends: International demand and supply, trade policies and global economic conditions affect local market prices.

Government Policies: Subsidies, minimum support prices (MSP), import/export policies and other regulations can significantly affect market prices.

Seasonality: Different crops have different growing seasons that affect their market availability and prices throughout the year.

Latest Trends in Krishi Mandi Bhav

To stay ahead, it is important to understand the current trends in agricultural markets. Some of the latest trends include:

Growing Demand for Organic Products: With rising health awareness, there is a growing demand for organic fruits and vegetables, which command higher prices.

Technology-driven Marketplaces: Online platforms and mobile apps are revolutionizing the way farmers access market prices and sell their produce.

Sustainability and Eco-friendly Practices: There is a shift towards sustainable agricultural practices, which can fetch premium prices.

Diversification of Crops: Farmers are diversifying their crops to reduce dependence on a single commodity and increase market resilience.

Impact of Government Policies

Government policies play a key role in shaping agricultural markets. Key policies that influence mandi bhav include:

Minimum Support Price (MSP): The MSP set by the government ensures that farmers receive a minimum price for their produce, thereby protecting them from price fluctuations.

Subsidies and Incentives: Government subsidies on inputs such as seeds, fertilizers and machinery can reduce production costs and influence market prices.

Trade Policies: Import and export regulation influence the supply chain and market prices of agricultural commodities.

Infrastructure Development: Investments in storage facilities, transportation and digital infrastructure can increase market access and reduce wastage.

Technological Tools for Market Updates

Several technological tools can help farmers stay updated with the latest mandi bhav and market trends:

Mobile Apps: Apps such as Agribazaar, Mandi Trades and others provide real-time market prices, weather updates and advisory services.

Online Marketplaces: Platforms such as eNAM (National Agriculture Market) enable farmers to sell their produce directly to buyers, helping them get better prices.

SMS and IVR Services: Several organizations provide SMS and IVR services that send regular updates on market prices and weather conditions.

Satellite and Drone Technology: These technologies provide valuable data on crop health, soil conditions, and yield forecasts, helping farmers make informed decisions.

Success Stories

Understanding how other farmers have successfully adopted market trends can provide valuable insights. Here are some success stories:

Organic Farming in Maharashtra: A group of farmers in Maharashtra adopted organic farming and used online marketplaces to sell their produce directly to consumers, resulting in higher profits.

Precision Agriculture in Punjab: Farmers in Punjab adopted precision agriculture technology and used mobile apps for real-time market updates, leading to better crop management and better price realization.

Cooperative Model in Karnataka: Farmers in Karnataka formed a cooperative to collectively market their produce, negotiate better prices, and reduce transportation costs.

Tips for Farmers to Stay Ahead

To stay competitive and maximize profits, farmers should consider the following tips:

Regular Market Research: Stay informed about current market prices and trends through reliable sources.

Diversify Crops: Grow a variety of crops to minimize risk and take advantage of different market opportunities.

Adopt Technology: Use mobile apps, online platforms, and other digital tools for real-time updates and market access.

Collaborate: Form cooperatives or farmer groups to improve bargaining power and reduce costs.

Invest in Quality: Focus on quality production to command premium prices in the market.

Stay Informed About Policies: Stay informed about government policies and schemes affecting agricultural markets.

Conclusion

Staying ahead in the agricultural market requires a combination of knowledge, technology, and strategic planning. By understanding the latest mandi bhav updates and market trends, farmers can make informed decisions that enhance their profitability and sustainability. Embrace the power of technology, stay informed about market dynamics and leverage government policies to optimize your farming operations.