#Topic: Soil

[symphonicsoul]

Symphony to Silencer || Sinfonia in Wonderland

⋯✧・♪♫♪・✧⋯ Sinfonia was forty-five (45) years old when he landed in Wonderland with Sielu and Sydän. The three of them landed in Wonderland on the second (2nd) day of Misterica's destruction after Sinfonia had a lapse in his own sanity when Usva was killed in action trying to defend Misterica. This caused the musician to rush out into the gale force winds to try to find his fallen prince / liege / nephew even though doing so would have led to his demise had it not been for Sielu and Sydän's quick actions in an attempt to bring him back and save his life.

They managed to find him amongst the rubble and the gales unable to fly and simply trying to survive while clung to a broken piece of one of the sky islands. After taking Sielu's hand, the younger musician lost his own footing and it caused the three of them to tumble back out into the gales and to be blown in the dimensional pillar that had marked Misterica as Chaos' next target. (The black pillar as Mistericans called it)

With no way to fight against the gales, Sinfonia pulled both Sielu and Sydän to his chest as they were thrown into the pillar and into Wonderland in order to protect them. He did so by even breaking their fall onto Wonderland's grounds with his own body. Several of his ribs were broken on impact and he was rendered unconscious for a week's time. It took several rounds of Sydän breathing purple mist directly into Sinfonia's lungs even to get the man to come around, and several more to get him to be able to get out of bed.

It was from there, that their troubles started.

They couldn't speak the language, they didn't understand anything anyone was saying to them, and they had scarce access to food and water. No money to their names, they begged their way into an inn in town, and stayed there until they had to leave due to a dangerous situation outside of their control.

That situation being a Mist Eater by the name of Voltaire. A dragon like man that consumes Mist and works as a bounty hunter within the space of Wonderland's boarders. Upon meeting Sielu and Sinfonia in town one day, Voltaire has been hunting them ever since. The three of them had many hard scrapes and run-ins with the man that lead to countless injuries and close calls.

Five years(5) into their stint in Wonderland, the three of them were separated when they were attacked by a tiger like beast that put Sinfonia in the position of choosing to give up his own life so Sielu and Sydän could survive or damning all three of them. Ultimately, Sinfonia chose to give up his own life in order to save theirs but after the pair of twins had long since fled (much to Sinfonia's begging them to just go) he was saved in the nick of time by a band of passing traders that felled the beast attacking him and saving his life.

Injured, he ended up stuck in a near by town for eight (8) months while he mostly recovered before he started looking for Pilvi, Sielu and Sydän again. Doing so he took on the role of bounty hunting in order to gain the funds to survive and that was when "The Silencer" was born. Refusing to give anyone his name, rumors started to spread that there was a bounty hunter that could "steal your screams away" and they were calling this man "The Silencer" so Sinfonia just went with it.

However this is where I can explain the problems.

Ever since Sinfonia was a small boy he was diagnosed with multiple mental health issues. He manages Bipolar Disorder, severe anxiety, and depression - and this was all before Wonderland. On top of this, Sinfonia has multiple health issues such as impaired hearing (for a Misterican), carpal tunnel syndrome in both wrists and an arrhythmia in his heart that can cause tachycardia. He lives with weakness, shaking, chest pain, migraines, chronic pain and fainting spells and this was all managed through his doctors and the use of medication.

He has not had his medication since they landed in Wonderland because when they fell into this world, he only had left what was on his person at the time. That of which, he used up in the matter of a couple months after he lessened his own dosages in order to try to "stretch it out" for as long as he could.

So basically, Sinfonia has been completely unmedicated for about seventeen (17) years, after being medicated for several decades. His mental illnesses are psychotic by nature. Meaning he experiences both severe depression and dangerous mania. His hypomanic states can also be dangerous and he can and has had his own bouts with psychosis.

Ever since he got separated from Sielu and Sydän, he started experiencing hallucinations of his older brother, the King, Helakanpunainen Aurinko. - Sinfonia just calls him Helakan for short- and has been known to have full on conversations with this ghost that follows him around.

Sinfonia is not stable by any stretch of the word but has been unable to find stability without the assistance of proper medication. Even though he has access to medical care now through Cid and the Comodeen; Cid is unfamiliar with Misterican medicine and does not speak the language so he is struggling to figure out what Sinfonia needs.

This means the pain medication being offered to him is more like a temporary patch to a burst pipe than actually helping the damage. Cid is doing his best with what he has but Sinfonia severely needs the assistance of a Misterican doctor and access to purple mist. Access he lost when Sydän passed as she was purple and her mist was healing in nature.

Sinfonia is aggressive, and cut throat when coming to handle most situations within the space of Wonderland after learning how the people here take advantage of kindness. He's had to become more assertive than he ever was back home not only to force people to listen to him but to stand an even playing ground against other people/species that are dramatically larger than him in size.

Even more so, due to his humanoid like nature most people of Wonderland already carry a predispositioned hatred for him mainly based on how he looks. Even if being human is the furthest thing from the truth about him.

Almost all creatures of Wonderland are Soil based souls and some of which can tell that Sinfonia (and the others) are very much not Soil based and they discriminate against them accordingly for it. This has caused Sinfonia's hatred towards Soil Souls to only grow in size. He's been called a slew of different names while living here, everything from fog breath to short horn to four horns to sky mouse and he has a special place in his heart for hatred towards each one.

Sinfonia's life on Misterica was truly that of a want for not situation. Not only was he one of the most famous men within the space of the entire kingdom due to his musical prowess, but he is also royal by blood. The King's Little Brother (cousin) so he was raised within the walls of the palace and almost never left them.

He didn't have to fight for anything and hardly took any form of discrimination from most people and while he did get it from some people, it was few and far between and swiftly dealt with by the people around him. There were societal consequences for disrespecting him and I think that is a heavy thing to remind because none of this exists within the space of Wonderland. If and when someone disrespects him, no one within the space of this world gives a damn and that's just not something Sinfonia was used to.

He went from setting at the very top of the chain of command to the very bottom rung of society simply because of the way he is built and the make up of his soul. Being a Mist based creature has only proved to a disadvantage to him because of this - his hatred for the world around him amplified. His family was put in danger constantly and seeing the multiple times they all nearly died at the hands of a bounty hunter, an angry member of whatever town they were in, or even a Mist Eater - Sinfonia grew colder and more aggressive each passing day.

Sinfonia grew up in a want for not situation but he also grew up during active war time for Misterica. He lost his father to the war with Windaria and he nearly lost his God Father multiple times, and seeing as how Windarians worship the Soil Spiral and have deemed themselves the guardians of it - that is where his hatred for Souls of Soil begins.

The scrapes with death, being hunted by Mist Eaters like prey animals and lack of any and all medical care only made it worse. He was in total isolation for twelve years not knowing if his husband was dead or alive and in that time what was once the Symphony became The Silencer.

[fumifooms]

Makima, devils and self-fulfillment

Dumping some Makima and CSM thoughts after a part 1 binge bc I think about her forever and ever. I’m sure I’m forgetting some devil lore, feel free to correct what i get wrong/what’s been confirmed. On the table of contents there’s why & how Makima got fixated on Chainsaw, her revealing liking for the country mouse and discussion of her nature & emotions & desires. Was the scorpion doomed to be a scorpion?

The most of this post was thought of during a conversation with @saccharineomens and I don’t think it makes sense to jump into the spiral it sent me on without first laying down the interesting groundwork theorizing she did:

"Thinking about how makima herself wants to be deified. I wonder whether she recognizes the difference between Love As Worship and the love that Aki, Power, and Denji had. She says she wants to help humanity by having Chainsawman eat the “bad” devils, but why does she want to help humans? Because she was ordered to by the Prime Minister? No, her drive seems much more personal than that, it seems like she teamed up with the PM for contractual reasons. (In the most recent chapters we see governmental members wanting certain devils to be eaten, too. What was Makima’s relationship with them? She’s too independent to just follow THEIR orders, she’s Control.)

So is she wanting to better humanity for the accolades, or out of the goodness of her heart? She sees the big picture. She sees any small sacrifice as worth it for the end result, and she’s ruthless. Perhaps she thinks that a more sedate human race would be easier to control? But Makima doesn’t loathe humanity. She never acts like she sees all humans as lesser. She loves humanity’s creations, like good food and movies. She just wants Good Things all the time

She says she prefers the country mouse BUT adds a story where she helps exterminate country mice like vermin. She likes the simplicity yet rejects the idea of being simple. Makima the complex individual you are"

~

The story itself seems to prefr the country mouse. Well- it strikes a balance, shows that a risk to live good & fully can be very worth it, but still that stability over ambition is preferable, proning having a simple happy life over fame, a simple job instead of a dangerous one, etc etc. And I do find Makima’s answer on this so so interesting, she prefers the country mouse, but this preference isn’t out of affection or sympathy but because of how relaxing it feels to exterminate them when they cause problems.

Order satisfies her. Her order satisfies her. She likes the action of rooting out disorder. Maybe this is the devil part, like how Power especially wants blood and drinking it, I feel there’s an itch to every devil, and for Makima it’s a very rigid world view/morality/standards & making things follow her rules and submit to her order.

And maybe this is why she’s attached to humans too, why she felt it was worth it to stick with the government- because devils are chaotic by nature (it’s a whole plot point that hell is essentially a free-for-all battleground for example), meanwhile humans are the species that universally rule Earth with systems they invented and instilled. They made then enforced rules, complex and intricate webs of them. She feels alienated amongst devils but she understands the humans’ need for an orderly organised society, and now she wants to be part of it. Control and conquest require social dynamics after all, requires civilizations or groups. War is chaotic while peace is, well, peaceful— Makima resents her sisters for being death, famine and war, things that throw the world in such chaos. She wants a world of perfect order, no matter how much collateral damage there will be if the end result is control.

This is even more interesting if you consider that yes, Makima is untouchable of her own design, she deifies herself with her omnipresent amount of control and the sway over others that she seeks and encourages— There is this urge to dehumanize her for it, that yes, she is the devil of control and that means she was never going to be any different, have any more feeling be any less uncanny. And I love part 2 so much for this, because it shows us the war devil and the famine devil and we see how frankly uncharismatic with poor self-discipline they are, Nayuta too, and it helps us realize just how much Makima’s success was self-made.

She admires Chainsaw Devil, the Hero of Hell, because he had his own code and his own rules and he made Hell, the chaos pit, submit to them unfailingly. Wherever he goes he decides what he does and what happens to the people he encounters but does so consistently, he has his mechanism and his rules that he always obeys, and he fulfills them every time. It’s still a mystery the why of Chainsaw Devil’s behavior back then and how it works exactly, maybe Pochita left hell because he was tired of these rules he lived by like chains, but still, he was a servant to his code. Makima would have been glad being killed and eaten by Chainsaw Devil because it’d have been becoming part of his design, his conquest, his domination, she’d have been part of that —his— order. Through her death she would be shaping his world and be part of a conqueror’s making history. Like how she appreciates the country mice that die for the sake of order. Like how sacrifices must be made to herself, like listing the name of every person whose life was lost to the Gun Devil— All for the ~greater good~, for her vision for the world. Conquest always thinks its reasons are justified.

And she does mention with the country mice thing that she goes out to a friend’s farm every year! She has a human friend?? That she visits yearly and she genuinely likes it?? Ultimately she lives a busy city life because of her goal and drive and her urge & satisfaction with overseeing shaping the world herself, but part of her, like so many characters including Angel and Aki and Reze, wishes she could live a slow peaceful country life. Moviegoing and dogs and mice in a farm- Wouldn’t it be so much simpler if Makima could find fulfillment and happiness in being a farmer, in keeping control of her own farm, getting satisfaction from exterminating vermin and expertly getting everything right, the right crops grown at the right time on the right soil? Here, too, in a way it’s trying to have full control of an ecosystem, but her goals would be easier to achieve and better, without ceaseless sacrifice or much pressure. But Makima wants grandiosity and her goal does matter to her on a fundamental and moral level, she does think she knows what’s best for the world, and with the power to change it why wouldn’t she strive to? Visiting the farm is just a break, just something she does in fall to help out and just in time to see the vermin extermination. It calms her, then it’s back to actual work.

In capitalism, even the one at the very top of the ladder is ultimately alienated from others and often unsatisfied by their lifestyle, always wanting more and more power because surely that’s the extra edge they must be missing to be content— like how Makima thinks she wants to dominate Chainsaw Devil instead of being his equal. And she says it herself too, she likes humans the way humans like dogs…….. And she keeps so many dogs :( Makima prefers the country mice because they’re calming to root out, maybe because she usually mainly deals with city mice. It’s very easy to equate humans to the mice in this allegory because it’s pretty direct and she’s already likened humans to lesser animals compared to her. She’s self-isolating by design for her design but she still craves relationships and contentment, and the dogs are the embodiment or her want for bonds and occasional simplicity because there is no possible ulterior motive, no way they tie back into her wider plan. They’re her personal life— something that feels so alien when speaking about Makima. Personality and individuality and likes and preferences and friends they visit every year. She likes how easily she can train a dog and how they become putty in her hands, at her beck and call, how much they love her and how much she enjoys their love. How simple and straightforward and easy it is. She keeps them because she likes being loved by them and loving them, and she’s gotten and raised so many. A conqueror always wants more and more and more, is never satisfied.

Devils and agency

Like Power the blood devil wanting blood and having a fixation on drinking it like with Denji’s, or how it was shocking that the violence devil was pretty tame and nice and how he himself theorized it was because he was a fiend and possessing a human body… There’s something to be said about nature vs nurture with the devils. The way they reincarnate and always embody their fear makes it seem categorically like nature, that they always always end up fulfilling the role they were named after and born to fill… Outside influence they’re helpless but to conform with. Like the humans accepting their spot in the social ladder and the shittiness of their living conditions and job under capitalism. Makima craved being equals with someone despite being the control/conquest devil, Angel Devil despite claiming to be a devil who likes to see humans dying was haunted by their deaths and wanted to avoid ones like Aki’s. The Ghost Devil being ironically haunted by Himeno, seemingly helping Aki in her memory out of… Lasting affection? Or maybe it was less about being haunted itself and more about it recognizing how Himeno haunted Aki, and acknowledging that, with the memento, paying her respect to the ghost of her. It’s Angel Devil’s devil nature that makes him like human suffering, so then is it his angel nature too to still care about their deaths? Is there truth to this or is that just personality, just our confirmation bias haunting every part of their identity like it might in their own view of themselves too? We do know different reincarnations of devils do have different personalities after all.

Yoru, war devil, is the most interesting one when talking about the nature vs nurture debate with devils. There is how through her we see the perhaps the most the consequences of a devil stopping being feared— we see a horseman for a concept as universal and horrifying as war be reduced to some bird who needs a contract with a human to have any power even just on the situation when meeting Asa. And through the story we get to know her better, and it becomes clear that her goal is fueled in good part by simply wanting to be remembered and respected through fear. Liked, validated, seen a powerful. But what is more isolating than war? Or control? We also see Nayuta accepting others’ house rules. If part 1 shows perhaps the futility of running away from the truth, with Denji’s memory, with escapist coping mechanisms, with passivity and denial under a corrupt system and with abusive relationships- running away from your own feelings and from the reality of things and from all that you are, more complex than simply human or devil or both or neither— part 2 builds upon the theme of cult of personalities, the chainsaw church, etc. The apocalypse is coming, but this celebrity superhero might save us all, or doom us all uh, dunno. The hero of hell reliving the cycle of pressure from responsibilities and expectations, maybe the part will end with Denji running away like Pochita did~

But yes, on the reverse, I think Famine is a very interesting example of how a devil’s namesake may be more innate than coerced by circumstances. One would think that a famine devil would only like inflicting famine upon others, not being famished itself, but Famine has a bottomless stomach that can never, ever be satisfied, sated. I struggle to find a psychological explanation for this, except that maybe instead of her being hungry it’s her feeling empty when she’s not eating, tasting and having that high sensory experience that releases serotonin in humans, sort of like drugs? But I do take this as a step towards the compulsion theory overall, feels like a reach in the consistency otherwise. And compulsion does not mean it’s something that they like nor that it’s something that they fight against, pretty neutral, just a nature that nudges you towards one path. Maybe it’s even just their go-to for entertainment. Maybe it’s the only thing that makes them feel right and whole. But still the debate remains, what is it, a compulsion or an urge or an itch or an active desire or a conscious chosen want? Does it change anything in practice?

And because of all of this earlier, devils being self-fulfilling prophecies with their role is not in unsignificant part nurture, because doing their atrocities is how they stay remembered— feared, powerful, known— hell and devils are a very isolating place and breed after all, and we do see devils can want companionship. Existentially, it’s their purpose and how they justify their place in the world, in the terrifyingly vast and unknowable cosmos.

We still know so little of what makes Chainsaw Devil so special, why his carnage is so self-controlled. Despite a chainsaw maybe being possibly one of the most "nature" thing you can be— a tool to cut things, a human tool that can be helpful for many things, something to be wielding by another at their judgement on what they decide, but mainly something to cut, a tool suited for carnage, to hurt and to destroy. A blade with a toothed chain, spinning around and around and around endlessly on the same road at the same pace. Such a…. Innately circular concept. And yet the Chainsaw Devil is his own, not driven by an urge or by chaos but his very own brand of order, his own unique assigned purpose, a "if you call i’ll come running to help" policy equalizing everyone. He chooses to withhold his destruction and interference otherwise, and then he chooses to be used. If it’s a choice, of course.

Maybe this is what inspired Makima so much, that Chainsaw Devil could decide what to make of himself despite expectations or innate role. Because even Hell he decided & managed to subjugate under his will and whim, with a precise vision and process. When Chainsaw Devil acts like Denji or is defeated, Makima clicks her tongue and loses her admiration and respect. Makima admired and liked Chainsaw Devil, but only as long as he matched her great image of him in her mind, as long as he followed he rules for what she thinks he should be like. She admired him for his unrivaled self-made success, but once he stepped out of that to truly embody self-fulfillment and agency, disappearing from hell to live on his own road at the beat of his own drum… Well. Surely that was a mistake she has to correct. However their second battle ends, the better conqueror will have prevailed and she’s happy about that, all in the spirit of domination and subjugation.

Imo Makima’s biggest tool, similarly capitalism’s most helpful effect for its own purposes, is complacency. Resignation and passivity helps uphold the system and go along the flow of the will of the people in power. Aki and Reze go along with orders even when knowing their job is trash, etc. In Angel Devil especially we see him go along with the flow uncaring about anyhing, and we discover it was in part due to Makima taking away memories that motivated him. If every devil decides this is just how things are and how things should be that’s what they’ll continue to be and do mindlessly, not pursuing a better life like Chainsaw Devil and Denj and not seeking to change the world like Makima. I think even Makima veils herself to a lot of things, she doesn’t like to think deeply about some things, like her desire for connection, or how making bad movies disappear is strenuous and unsustainable and requiring sacrifices at best— how her judgement is as subjective as anyone else. How liking the country mouse and her friend back at the farm and her dogs could be not devoid of sentimality. Wanting bad movies erased is her one biggest show of selfishness, of pettiness and individuality, it’s about her tastes, simple as. About how she can have tastes, and cry seeing a scene of people hug, and want things that aren’t logical, her ideology and mind twisted into a pretzel to avoid acknowledging that she doesn’t live and breathe purely for the mission she’s made a single-minded robot out of herself to accomplish. Nayuta is assertive and selfish and loud, Makima is manipulative and strategically both for her goals and for coping hollow.

Everything in her plans and goals she says is for the greater good, necessary evil, manufactured happiness the way she’ll have decided for people— and that’s the thing isn’t it, like with War, it’s the crack that shows it was all truly about herself after all. Her self-made deification still had the flaw that a self made it. Makima is not omniscient, and it’s not Chainsaw Devil the not-so-fellow-kindred-soul conqueror who gets the best of her, but a city mouse, a dog, someone she would have never thought to respect, Denji.

[welcome-to-green-hills]

my fave dino boi is pterodactyl because that B can fly 😎✨

as for my check-in?? insane. my gf has been writing a shadow spinoff since 20 dec. she won't come out of her room; shes going so hard! so proud yet scared bc i hope she's remembering to take a break aaahh 😭

also she lemme read some of her scraps (that's what she calls her drafts) and it's actually good????? like insanely good??? i don't read fanfic (casual sonic fan here 👋) & she never let me read her drafts before and IDK SHES INSANE WHY DIDNT SHE TELL ME SHE WAS SUCH A HARDCORE WRITER??? im literally excited for the peeps out there who will have the honour of reading it once its done. shes hoping for a february release but who knlws??

ANYWAY thats it from me. i hope your day/night is exciting too! ❤✨ LONG LIVE THR DINOSAURS LMAOOO

Honey, all I see are green flags with your girlfriend if she’s writing a Shadow spinoff (please tag me, I will reblog and gush and devour it!) She’s making Michelin Star food here!

[mellomadness]

I just fell down a rabbit hole about (legal) body disposal and part of me is so anxious wishing I could tell the FBI agent monitoring my internet searches that I’m just morbidly curious and I’m not planning on dying anytime soon (or planning anything ELSE, for that matter)

[helixoflife]

Windaria || The Land of Soil

Windaria was a planet which orbited two suns. It had three moons, though the largest one was by far the most visible in the night sky. Its climate was a mix of vast deserts and lush forests, depending on where one chose to go. Regardless of where one found themselves, though, it was generally warm. The forests were humid whereas the deserts were dry. Windarian deserts were often quite cold at night. Neighboring planets in its star system were completely inhabitable to all life, leaving Windaria the sole ruler of their galactic neighborhood.

It was ruled by its military and was largely governed by that military's commander, essentially under martial law at all times. Smaller city-states existed under the larger overarching government, but all deferred to the military as the highest authority.

Windaria's people, called Windarians, were the closest to the God of Destruction, Bahamut. As beings made of pure Soil and attuned to the Soil Spiral, they acted in favor of the collective with the knowledge that rebirth was imminent in some form or fashion. They knew Bahamut as their Infernal Father and Bahamut's six lower gods as their direct bloodline. Different city-states typically had different primary gods of worship out of those six.

Windarians were a humanoid species, though they were often quite a bit larger and their senses were much sharper than that of a human's. It wasn't out of place to see a Windarian whose claws were left unfiled, and their canine teeth were extremely sharp. This made them excellent warriors and fantastic combatants, which fueled their general sense of pride and superiority over beings of Mist, whom they largely viewed as more fragile and selfish. They were at war with the kingdom of Mist, called Misterica, for thousands of years. Battles were often fought on Windarian soil or in the dimensional tunnel that connected the two planets.

Their prophecy foretold of their chosen warrior, whomever could attune to the Magun and survive, winning in battle against Misterica's chosen warrior, the Child of White and wielder of the Maken.

[cozmicclown]

Welcome Home Secret Audio Tapes Transcribed (Accurately): Tape #4 Frank & Barnaby

Still posting these because the secret invisible transcripts under the audio tapes aren’t 100% accurate, and I like things to be exact. I may be motivated to post more of these if I spent less time doing them up nice. I’d also be WAY more motivated if I could find that special specific American typewriter font with the rounded Tuscan serifs used in the real WH script pieced together on that secret page. I’m beginning to suspect that’s a CUSTOM font.

Yes I know the last one I posted was audio tape #2, I’ve got #3 written out but not done up/aged, but I had this one finished and if I didn’t post it now it would be harder for me to get to it later.

Full Written Transcription Under Cut

Page 1

EXT. FRANKS FRONT GARDEN - DAY

SCENE FADES IN, AS FRANK FRANKLY, HOMES MOST STUDIOUS AND DETAIL-ORIENTED NEIGHBOUR, IS CAUGHT MID SENTENCE EXPLAINING SOME FINE DETAIL OF HIS METICULOUS GARDEN.

FRANK

“Blue, don't actually have any blue pigmentation. They have to grow in soil that is basic as well, so the pine straw should be left for the other beds-“

BARNABY B. BEAGLE, LARGE, BLUE, STAND-UP COMEDIAN CANINE (WHO GETS AROUND A LOT FOR A SUPPOSED LAY ABOUT), INTERRUPTS FRANK AS HE STROLLS UP THE PATH TO FRANKS FRONT GARDEN.

BARNABY

“You're tellin' me that these flowers are liars, Franky?”

FRANK

(Exasperated sigh as he notices Barnaby approaching.)

“Urgh, I'm not telling you that these flowers are liars, Barnaby. I'm talking about how these flowers are specially selected to look this way.”

FRANK GESTURES TO HIS CORNFLOWERS IN THEIR POTS.

BARNABY

“Eh, bein' blue isn't anything special, pal. Don't ya know that blue is all the rage nowadays?”

FRANK

“I don't think people are painting themselves blue, frankly. Are you saying your fur color isn't natural?”

FRANK SUGGESTS THIS WITH A SLIGHT CHUCKLE.

BARNABY

(Feigning insult.)

“I beg your pardon!? I'm a natural beauty, as far as you know.”

Page 2

FRANK

“Heh. I doubt you're any sort of beagle. I've never seen any blue dog before in my life! Now, if you don't mind, we'd like to continue tending to my flowers in peace.”

BARNABY

“You're gonna have to do more than tend to 'em if you want 'em to grow up nice and big. You know what they say: you gotta entertain your plants to make 'em happy.”

FRANK

“Heh, That's true... but I'm not going to let your snappy patter poison my petunias

I'd hardly call your material entertaining, much less fertilizer.”

BARNABY

(Subtle standup tone.)

“Oh, don't you worry, Frank. The last thing I'll do is overwhelm your orchid. Your plants all seem clover it.”

FRANK

(Annoyed groan before taking a deep breath.)

“Uuurrggggh. Not with these puns again. You're going to make all of my hard work wilt! Your humor is too dry for my impatiens.”

BARNABY

“Hey, hey! Not a daisy goes by where you don't get impatient... but hey, I'm just pollen your leg.”

FRANK

(Another deep breath and annoyed groan.)

“Uuurgggg. Will. You. Just. Get. Out of here!? My plants don't need your ridiculous jokes to grow; go find an audience for your silly gags somewhere else.”

Page 3

BARNABY

(Starting walking away backwards.)

“Alright, alright, I'll grow... But every dogwood has his day! I'll still poppy in from time to time, even if you're still a little rough around the hedges!”

FRANK GROANS AND FUMES AT EACH PUN AS BARNABY GETS FURTHER AND FURTHER AWAY.

FRANK

“Hrrrrr, hm. Urgh, honestly with him! I don't know how you can stand to be around him, Wa//=Y.”

End Scene

[twistthesinews-writes]

First chapter of my Les Mis ecology grad school AU just posted! Come check out all the different ways I can shamelessly project on these characters.

Story-wise, featuring: Grantaire has a very shitty day followed by a very irritating morning. Enjolras acquires a cause.

Author's notes wise, featuring: opinions on French presses and strong opinions on ways to include code in a paper's supplemental materials.

[saltyground]

"yeah a lot of it everywhere...sand by the looks of things"

[everliving-everblaze]

GRRR BITE BITE BITE JAMES "the one good thing I've ever done, that i can be proud of in the past 17 years, was teaching you. watching you become better than me" BLACKBURN i'M GNAWING ON YOUR BONES

YEAH YEAH YEAH. when you said you were obsessed with blackburn so early on, i was like boy have you made the right choice. or exactly the wrong one in terms of emotional devastation ^-^

[symphonicsoul]

The Source of Life || The Linear Mist

The Universe was created through the force of two energies. These energies came from the Goddess of Creation and the God of Destruction. The Linear Line, as the path of life from birth to death is that of the lifeforms born of the element known as Mist.

Mist is a magical substance that exists in the universe creating life through air and aquatic means. It's primarily an element in relation to the sky and the lifeforms created from it tend to hail from those areas - be it rivers, oceans, seas or the sky. Aquatic and Airborne beings tend to have souls comprised of mist. In turn, that is what is considered "A Celestial being".

Pure-Blooded Celestials are the only Mist born beings that can produce the substance within their own bodies and are in turn the closest to the Mother of all Mist, The Goddess of Creation, Lady Tiamat, herself. It is a substance that when one passes, expands the universe. So Pure-Blooded Celestials are beings that don't leave corpses.

When a Pure-Blooded Celestial dies, their DNA breaks and their physical forms fade out from existence, in turn dispersing their Mist back into the skies above. From there that Mist returns to the heavens to be guided in a way that it would be used to expand the universe further or repair parts of standing things that would otherwise be lost. Mist can create the skies, the rivers, the oceans and the seas. It can mix and become the very worlds around us to further grow out and expand the reaches of the beings that live within this grand cosmos.

All live is created from one of these two energies, whether they know it or not. The other energy being known as Soil and it is Mist's stark contrast. Mist functions on the Linear Path, where as Soil the Spiral. Mist as an element can be harnessed for various uses such as magic, energy, food, life, etc - but the thing to remember about Mist is that at the end of the day it is an element of creation and it is used to as an energy source to accomplish various things. Even if that thing is providing a being with life itself.

In order to activate this energy one has to be attuned to the mist and generally that means being born to it and having Celestial Blood of some form or another within their being. Mist will only activate and obey the commands of it's user when a linear path is drawn - or a straight line. If there is even the slightest curve within the path made, Mist will not activate and whatever effect that was to attempt to be used will fail to do anything.

So blade masters who use Mist based magics and attacks do so with perfectly straight slices of their blade or paths drawn with their hands. Mist can be activated by any straight line motion regardless of what the line was created with. Even a mere twig is enough to summon Mist's mighty force.

Beings of Soil cannot use magics born of Mist as they are not Mist attuned and due to Soil's habit of having rather nasty reactions when mixed with it's opposing counterpart.

Mist comes in a varying array of colors, but only Pure-Blooded Celestials ever display them. They come in every color of the rainbow excluding black (hue) and are generally reflected in the Celestial's hair color and breath.

[unsat-and-strange]

tma/bones crossover with hodgins as an avatar of the Buried

[cj-kenobi]

fucking love late night conversations gotta be one of my favourite socialisation types

[carfloorfrenchfry]

I would like to use this site to find content abt my more grandmotherly hobbies and interests (cooking, fiber arts, native plants) but it feels like it's structured poorly for that

I'm not interested in a handful of specific people's chronicling of their own personal gardens or crafting projects, but that's what following individuals gets you. The tags are just firehoses of self-promotion and variations on the same infographics.

Is there a secret third option?

[helixoflife]

The Children of Destruction || The Infernals

Windarians are Soil-souled beings who are directly descended from Bahamut. Being so close to the God of the Soil, the Windarians' Soil matches the color of their blood. A Windarian with green Soil would bleed green, for instance.

The Windarians organized their society around Soil, with people typically assigned certain places based on the color their Soil was read as at birth. They also based their society on collectivism and contributing to Windaria as a whole, as their Soil would eventually enter the Spiral once the person passed away. Soil Mages could then utilize the Soil to cast spells or summon beings known as Eidolons.

Additionally, Soil in the Spiral tends to reincarnate over time regardless of whether or not it is called upon by a Mage. Windarians are the only species capable of utilizing the Spiral and consider themselves to be the guardians of it and those who speak for Bahamut, who they refer to as the "Infernal Father." They are the universal opposites to the children of Tiamat, the Celestials.

[sagistrology]

𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲,

𝐩𝐭 𝐈𝐈

(the following observations are kept general)

♱ w. pluto in aquarius we might see the height of absurd microtrends (short influx, cheap production), devoid of originality. a fast paced cycle, replicating past authenticity - creating a shell of meaning rather than an homage. separation.

♱ keep an eye on how medicine and esp. holistic treatments develop. topics dealing with death and its philosophical meaning might be seen as a more integral part of life. (pluto in aquarius)

♱ saturn dominants can appear detached or aloof; when they're selective, seeking stability in ways that do not (!) mirror the distress or hostility experienced in their formative years (neglect, unpredictability, abuse).

♱ saturn conjunct ascendant being the 'consequence', and served 'justice' according to one's actions - casting you as judge, defendant, and witness. extremely elegant, private, and humble.

♱ no bigger insult than the betrayal of one's values. to stoop 'low' is to lower (and harm) oneself, knowing that we all reap what we sow - whether 'positive' or 'negative'. protected by saturn.

♱ obsessed, ‘grounded’, devoted – what’s more earth bound than human intimacy? soil (earth) holds water (emotion), earth placements are deeply committed. mars in earth signs = stamina.

♱ a cancer ascendant's appearance fluctuates when there’s change happening internally, e.g. by a circumstance affecting them. emotionality is inherent. heavy on introspection, intuition, divinity, femininity, ‘archetype’ of the mother. it’s about nurturing the ‘self’, in the first house of identity. care is non-negotiable.

♱ the second house is tied to how the voice is used to ‘attain’, whether for wealth, status, possession, or seduction. water and earth both are resources. abundance within, knowing that you’re the ‘source’, building ‘status’, ‘prestige’, from nothing - you’re the asset. currencies can lose value.

[rockingbytheseaside]

Hiii I really love the one with the harbingers where reader calls them words of endearment from their homeland, can you do one where reader cooks for them food from their homeland? pantalone's part was so cute <33

✦ You cook them their favorite home meal, based on their homeland

(Or trying to guess what food the not-yet-playable characters might like based on their region, culture, or language. ) 

Pierro, Capitano, Dottore, Scaramouche, Pantalone, Childe 

✧ It is to no one’s surprise that Pierro, the Director of the Fatui, would easily drop everything to grant your needs. Just blink and the world’s spoils are at your feet, bestowed by your beloved. Expensive clothing, jewelry, art pieces, weaponry, or lavish dishes. With his money and status, plus being a connoisseur of the ancient lores of Teyvat, The Jester can easily acquire anything you require on a silver platter. 

But this time, it was you who tried to gift him something on a silver platter.

On an unsuspecting day, Pierro returned home only to be greeted with a strong scent of baked goods. The smell wafted all around the living quarters, warm and sugary. Glancing curiously, the Jester marched to the kitchen, where he found you grumbling to yourself. You stood with your oven mittens, a tray of voluptuous Kanelbullar presented in front of him; some were cut as you tried to take an analytical bite of the cinnamon rolls.

“Trying your hands at familiar recipes, my cherished?” - The man asked with a welcoming glance while you mulled and judged the taste of your cooked goods.

“Ah, Pierro, you’re right on time. Here, try this one for me. Does it resemble traditional cinnamon rolls?”

When the Jester took a bite, even his icy eye widened for a moment. A wave of nostalgia and warmth lanced his memories, ones he thought were long forgotten. The cinnamon rolls you baked were not the average confectionaries one could easily purchase, as the taste resembled traditional Khaenri’ahn Kanelbullar. A simple treat that all children and adults used to enjoy in their free time.  

“Well…? Oh no, don’t tell me it’s that bad?” - you awaited his response, but Pierro quickly shook his head.

“It’s rich and potent in taste, but not too sugary. Just like the ones in our Homeland… I didn’t think replicating such intricacies was possible. What did you add this time?”

Your eyes light up. Finally, some progress. “Really? I’ve been mulling over it for hours, I thought my taste pallet was going numb. I tried to find any local ingredients that might add the flavor of saffron and cardamon.”

“Like the golden Saffron…? They were a local specialty back in Khaenri’ah. Although some variants exist in Teyvat’s soil, they are not used as cooking ingredients here.” - Pierro pondered, amazed at your ability to combine other local spices to imitate the taste of the past.

As both of you mulled over how to achieve the most accurate results for these traditional Cinnamon Rolls, half of the tray was already gone.

“Although now that I think about it, my divine, I don’t think it would be an issue to send an expedition to obtain that rare spice for you. Especially if the result is such exquisite home pastry.”

✧ In this house, Il Capitano is the master chef. The man is proficient in the art of survival, thus, his skills in outdoor cooking are especially shown. From simple meat and vegetables, the Captain can come up with the best meat skewers you ever ate. Not to mention the topic of sustenance and growth is intertwined with a good diet. A man his size and capabilities puts immense care into outdoor survival and health.

But even a strong Captain deserves some spoiling for his hard work. 

After a wearying day spent honing the skills of his Fatui troops, a group of soldiers that will prepare for an upcoming expedition, Il Capitano was greeted with a surprise visit from you. You arrived right on time for their break, and as always, the Fatui soldiers couldn't help but eavesdrop on the Harbinger’s exchange with his beloved…

“I brought you your meal for today, Bife de chorizo. You need lots of protein.”

“Thank you.” - The Captain stood obediently, holding the lunchbox you brought.

“With Pico de Gallo and avocados. I also put some almonds and walnuts as a snack.”

“I understand.” 

“You are preparing for another important expedition. You must take care of your body after such intensive training, Cappy.”

“You are right, you are right.”

“And I don’t want to see anything left from the lunch boxes. Make sure to eat all of it, okay?”

“Understood!”

It sure was a sight. One would think the Harbinger was the student as he stood nodding vehemently while you scolded him. With one hand on your hip, you gave him an earful as you checked up on him, generously providing him a full-course meal neatly packed in a mealbox.

The Fatui soldiers were slightly jealous. Even they could easily tell that behind that pitch-black helmet, Il Capitano was absolutely joyous to have his beloved visit him and provide such mouthwatering nourishment. 

✧ Today, you were ready to tackle and kill Il Dottore. Why? Because that man barged into your kitchen and confidently announced himself as the culinarian for today’s dinner. A simple and kind gesture, right? You would rather starve than have The Doctor implode your kitchen again.

“Stop exaggerating as if I let your Serenitea Pot house crumble. It was just a little fire.” - Dottore defended himself, watching closely as you made him stand back from the stove. 

“I had to replace the whole walls, Zandik!”

The two of you stood in the kitchen, with the Harbinger peeking from behind your shoulders as you claimed dominion over the frying pan. The whole day, he was made watching you prepare Sumeru Kibbeh meatballs, since the last time he decided to dabble in the art of cooking, your house was put at stake.

He was a scholar, not a chef, unfortunately. But The Doctor is not ashamed to admit his impatience and lack of skill in the kitchen. Hence, he helped you as much as he could while you diligently taught him how Kibbeh is properly made. He remained silent but pleasantly subservient. The sight of your sleeves raised, hands tactfully molding the Kibbeh was oddly amiable. Especially when your face was so focused on the task, he couldn’t help but stare. 

Yet every time you fried the meatballs and set them aside on a pan lined with paper towels to drain, a sneaky hand would try to steal some. You’d slap his hand away.

“Nope. Hands off! Wait till dinner”

“They’ll end up being consumed anyway. I’ll just have a small tas-”

Slap!

And it continued for a long while, all the way to the end once you finished cooking. When the two of you finally sat down and began eating, Dottore would often remain silent. You were too busy relishing the dish, unaware of the Harbinger’s appreciation for your home-cooked meal. Sustenance is just a waste of time that the human body must go through to gain its energy. But it’s not the same when he is sitting with you casually, the warm afternoon sunlight wrapping the dining table, and the warm food steaming with an appetizing aroma.

For him, eating with you was different. It was simple, but it was home. 

✧ Scaramouche may huff and scoff all he wants, but when it comes to appraising your Unagi Chazuke, no master can compete with you. Perhaps because he is a puppet, but Scaramouche has a delicate pallet. He despises strong flavors and always preferred simpler dishes, to appreciate the unique flavor of a singular ingredient. He would never admit it vocally, but he would often crave your chazukes, and it was easily written on his grumbling face.

“Come on, just say it.”

The Balladeer lamented.

“Say it. My home cooking is the best, and you just want me to cook for you today.”

“...I won’t. I don’t have use in consuming any human meals.” - he mumbled in response, arms crossed. You sighed and with a wide smile, you turned away.

“Oh well. Guess you don’t want any, huh…? And here I thought I could prepare your favorite Unagi Chazuke today. But I guess it’s foolish-”

“No, Wait-!” - The Harbinger wished to bite his tongue but it was too late. He already called out to you in a moment of weakness, and your goofy grin only widened with his desperation. 

He gave up. With reluctant embarrassment, the Balladeer admitted your victory - “If you may… Can you prepare another one of your signature Chazuke? Please.”

And that’s how you two ended up by the dinner table. You couldn’t just deny him after such a heartfelt request. You prepared the unagi meat and rice diligently, showing him how to prepare green tea to add mild bitterness to the salted rice. Topping off with some dried Nori leaves, and sesame - two bows of Unagi Chazuke were ready and looking artistically grandiose.

Light and sublime, that’s what Scaramouche thought. A true definition of soul food, as he held his bowl and chopsticks close. A rare but sincere smile would always grace his features whenever he ate your cooking, but he of course would conceal it by clearing his throat.

“Hm, okay fine. Maybe your cooking is adequate after all. Especially when you don’t make it too sweet.”

You’d laugh at his reaction. At the end of the day, it was you who taught him how to cook what later would become his signature dish, even if his identity as a Harbinger was wiped away. 

✧ Being the richest man in Teyvat like Pantalone means dealing with lots of bureaucracies and business. Sometimes, after a prolonged day in the office, the sight of stacked papers becomes dreadful and negotiations with the Snezhnayan elites may go fruitless. Thus, The Regrator would often slum by his desk, removing his glasses to rub the bridge of his nose and sigh in exhaustion.

Now what would the richest man in Teyvat do to relax after a bad day at work? Go to the most expensive five-star restaurant? Perhaps purchase a fancy drink that costs more than his subordinates' monthly salary? No. He would head straight back home, where he knows you are awaiting him with open arms.

A single look at him and you would know he is fatigued. Leaning up to embrace him, you plant a tender kiss on his cheek - “How about I make us a quick snack, hm? You can go and take a shower in the meantime.”

Pantalone would try to conjure up a faint smile and nod. As he winds down for the day, subconsciously he knows your home cooking is like a balm to his soul. No matter how many exquisite restaurants he tried, he’d easily sacrifice all of them for a bite-full of your culinary.

And here you are, merrily handing him his childhood favorite - Mora Meat Roujiamo. A simple meat sandwich, but a staple street food in Liyue’s culture. That’s all the Harbinger desires after a tough day at work, as he gobbles the sandwich wrapped with a paper towel.

“Made your favorites. I added some extra meat since I know you like it juicy.” - you gave Pantalone soothing pats on the back as he ate up.

“You’re a lifesaver, honey. You would not believe how frustrating work has been today,”

Pantalone would rant and confide in you about his work. He would rather do that than delve into the nostalgic feeling that Mora Meat sandwiches gave him. It was indeed his childhood favorite. Yet it also reminded him how in the distant past, when food or money was scarce, starvation and desperation were his only companions as a lowly child. Thus, on better days when he acquired some change just to purchase simple Mora Meat - these sandwiches felt like a king’s feast.

Such an unadorned dish, but one that brought warmth and sustenance to a starved child, telling him that everything would be okay. Today, this starved child is the richest man in Snezhnayan. Nevertheless, he still relished these sandwiches from your hands like divine wealth, telling himself once more that everything would be okay. 

✧ Tartaglia was bedbound for some while, bandaged heavily after a massive battle he faced during one of his missions. The young Harbinger would never tell his family where his scars hail from, except for you and his father maybe. But after an earful of scolding, you took care of your reckless boyfriend and sighed.

“You made me worried, you know. I don’t want to see you move a muscle around the house these days, are we clear? You must recover first.”

“Y-yes, captain.” - Childe chuckled humorously, suppressing the soreness his cuts provided around his body. “It’s just… there is only one remedy that could save a fallen soldier like me.”

“Hm? What is it? Do you need something, Ajax?” 

“Please, dear… come closer.” - he said with a pained expression. 

You did so he could whisper to you what he wanted. Your concern was only heightened, oblivious that his dramatic words were playing you - “The secret to my healing… is…”

“Yes?” - you leaned even closer.

“... Some yummy food.”

You blinked at him, and Tartaglia immediately gained a comically “passed out” expression on his face, as if your cooking were his last death wish. You let him plop to the pillow and gritted your teeth - “Why you little-...! Ugh, you’re lucky I am worried about you. You just want me to pamper you.”

“Oh, come on, is that such an unrealistic request? You told me not to move a muscle and I would receive your scolding no matter what. Please, sweetheart, just anything you would like - cook it and I would happily gobble it up!”

You crossed your arms. You hate to admit it, but his puppy eyes were working effectively and if his appetite was returning, that means he is on a good path of recovery anyway.

“Fine… I’ll make something nutritious and easy for your stomach.”

Tartaglia's eyes lightened up in an instant. He was a simple man - if you cooked him something, he would drop on his knees for you instantly. That day, you pondered whether you’d make him some Piroshki or Borscht, but he needed something light. His health was your priority, after all. Even though Childe fancied himself a master at concealing his painful whinces, you are no fool. You always notice them.

Thus, your beloved was presented with Ukha fish soup. A warm bowl with fresh herbs, imported calla lily, and nutritious fish.

“Easy now, I know you like Calla Lily Seafood Soup, since you often had it in Liyue… So I decided to go with the local version of it. Now make sure to eat all of it, or you won’t feel better.”

Like an obedient child, Ajax felt pampered and delighted. Lunch by the bed? His sweetheart feeding him? The injuries were worth it as he happily ate the Ukha fish soup.

“If getting injured makes me taste food more worthy than the gods themselves, maybe I should get wounded more often, haha- Ow!”

Your response was another fistful nudge to his shoulder.  

Kanelbullar - in Swedish, Cinnamon Rolls Bife de chorizo - in Spanish, Argentinian beef cut Pico de Gallo - in Spanish, Mexican salsa/dip Kibbeh - in Arabic, bulgur parcel stuffed with minced meat filling (in Genshin, they just called it meatballs lol) Chazuke - in Japanese, green tea poured over a rice meal (Scara's signature dish)  Mora Meat - had to look this one up, apparently Genshin is referencing RouJiaMo (肉夹馍) meaning “meat in a bun". Ukha fish soup - in Russian, also known as fisherman’s soup. Childe’s signature Calla Lily Seafood Soup is probably a variation made with Gēng found in Chinese cuisine. But there is a Slavic variation that reminded me of his signature dish.