#a seed of hope

[pitafish]

Why are you risking this ? He asked himself, gulping, feeling a strange and empathetic twist in his stomach. Why? Why your enemy? This was not what assassins did, not remotely--

Because...he saved your life. 

Isn’t that enough? - Chapter 4, "The Seed"

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Drew a scene from @y2kbugs' A Seed of Hope fic Treating someone in the bathroom--the strategic towel isn't in the fic, but it's here for courtesy 😉 I'm not apologizing for the grody toilet, the guy who lives there probably doesn't even own a scrub brush.

[shiningnightstars]

Hello I am here for seeds lore

ask and you shall receive!

seeds and rayla are from my story (which has not been posted anywhere ever </2) "a seed of hope". the concept for the story was based on an article i read when i was like. 11. and it was about how scientists where figuring out how to make it so human children could be born with animal parts (e.g: cat ears, bird wings, etc.)

the story takes place in a time period where this was successfully figured out and therefore parents were giving their children bits of animal genetics through like. putting the dna in them. i would explain the science better but i am TIRED right now so. yeah i think you could probably research it if youre curious?

anyways, of course because humans tend to SUCK. these hybrids were looked upon as just feral animals by many humans. in fact, it started going so far that "zoos" made, not for protection of animals, but for the money and profit off of other's suffering, started popping up, and they would offer insane amounts of money to parents who agreed to give up their children to be raised in these zoos. and it wasnt very great by any means.

at first, scientists had only figured out how to put the dna of other mammals into humans - not, say, reptiles or birds just yet. however, after several more years of studies, they finally figured out how to do hybrids of reptiles with humans/birds with humans. however it was incredibly difficult for them to survive for a long time due to the huge change, and in the case of reptiles, cold-blooded vs warm-blooded. if their animal type can fly, then theres a slim chance of them being able to actually lift themselves off the ground, much less actually glide or even fly. so, naturally, the zoos would pay so much for this stuff. putting these people in cages for being just a bit different in a way they cant control.

flash forward to the present. seeds is 20 now, and has been in these zoos for, well, 20 years. he barely remembers his mom and never met his dad, as they were both bird hybirds like him and, per rules in the zoos, a child born in a zoo is not to meet their father and is only to be with there mother until they can walk and talk on their own.

seeds, being one of the few bird hybrids that can actually fly, hates being trapped in the cages. hes only never escaped because of the chains that tie his wings together and the fact that he was always told bad things about the outside world as a kid. twice a day he goes off to a separate, large open room where the chains are temporarily removed so he can fly freely and show off for the visiters.

one day, however, it is discovered that the keys to unlock the chains were stolen. suddenly hit with the fact he may never fly free again, he immediately went and escaped the zoo in order to find the who stole the keys and get them back.

he managed to, somehow, successfully escape. he got out and promptly began his search, knowing he was gonna have to be quick so that theh dont realize he gone, or at least so he doesnt get caugjt by someone willing to bring him back.

to get a higher vantage point, he climbs up a building in order to see more of the city below. however, for but a moment, he foregts about the chains, and jumps off the building to start flying.... and he jsut falls.

thankfully he is unharmed as he is caught by someone with a pair of big ole ram horns on her head. she puts him down, playfully teasing like "oh i see the little birdy cant fly, hm?"

he is, frankly, caught off guard by this, but once he mentally steadies himself again, he asks her if she might know what haplened to the keys, seeing as shes a hybrid as well, who seems to also be from the zoo. she pulls the keys out, but doesnt unlock the chains. she wants to make deal the next day, waiting a bit longer to see how truly willing he is. he agrees to meet up, and yeah. in exchange for him helping her cause problems from those against hybrid freedom, she will unlock his wings. he agrees, and he is free once more. and the ram girl introduces herself as rayla.

over time they get closer and closer and start to become friends, and eventually partners. seeds finally speaks up about one of the biggest reason he hated the zoo. (heavy tw for sexual trauma, safe to read again once to see the "~~~")

he told rayla about how in the zoo, due to how difficult it was to get bird hybrids, that they would often be forced to have children once they reached 18 years of age. he would never get to meet his children and he never, ever wanted to have sex ever again. not after that. and, once again, hes only 20.

hes struggles with the feeling of being touched at all by someone he barely/doesnt know, and hates it so much.

~~~

aaaaand thats about it (the above part, while it is important to his character, it isnt necessary to know so dw!!!). yeah mans has been through stuff. i could go on a whole other tangent about rayla and how her problems are but it is nearly 11:40 at night and i am TIRED. he has a lot of problems i dont know why i did this to him but WHATEVER. i love rayla though fr so i might add onto this post tomorrow about her lmao.

ANYWAYS THANK YOU FOR ASKING RAHHHHHHHH

[reasonsforhope]

"During an archaeological dig in a desert area north of Jerusalem 40 years ago, a seed was discovered which was determined to be in pristine condition but had obviously seen many a year.

Now, despite falling from its parent 1,000 years ago, it has grown into a mature tree, and botanists examining it believe it may be an extinct species that was used for medicinal purposes for thousands of years—even receiving a nod in the Bible.

Neither Israeli botanists, nor Dr. Sarah Sallon, a physician who founded the Louis L. Borick Natural Medicine Research Center at Hadassah University Medical Center in Jerusalem, could determine what species it was from simply from the seed covering. So they did what nature intended—they planted it.

Using a well-documented technique that saw 2,000-year-old date palm fruit pits germinate, Dr. Sallon soaked the seed in hormones, liquid fertilizer, and water, and then planted it in a pot of sterile seed; then waited.

Despite its genetic code being exposed to environmental stressors for over 1,000 years, the seed sprouted after 5 weeks. The shoot was protected by a caplike feature called an operculum. As the shoot grew, the operculum was shed—leaving something for the team to radiocarbon date. It narrowed down the age of the almost 10-centuries-old seed to between the years 993 an 1202.

Fast forward 14 years and the plant has become a 10-foot-tall tree. Dr. Sallon shared images of the tree, its bark, and its leaves with botanists around the world. One expert suggested it belonged to the genus Commiphora, found across the Arabian Peninsula and parts of Africa. A genetic analysis subsequently revealed this was the case, but a perfect match was lacking.

Pictured: The tree, now 14 years old.

Dr. Sallon and her team thought it was an extinct species known from history as Judean Balsam, but the best way to confirm that suspicion would be to have some aromatic traces similar to the resins of the myrrh tree to which it is related. However, no such fragrant compounds were detected.

Instead, the chemical analysis of the leaves identified a group of phytochemicals known as guggulterols which have been observed in a related species called Commiphora wightii that’s known to possess certain cancer-fighting properties in its resin.

A medicinal balm, the origin of which is not known, is mentioned in multiple historical texts including the Bible as ‘tsori,’ and rather than the fragrant Judean Balsam, it’s this tsori that Dr. Sallon and her team believe they have found.

They must wait until the tree, now 14 years old, produces flower or fruit to know for sure if it’s an extinct species, and if so, how to perhaps keep it alive.

Dr. Louise Colville, senior research leader in seed and stress biology at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in London who wasn’t involved in the research, told CNN that it was a major accomplishment to grow a seed that old and possibly lead to a resurrection of this Biblical botanical.

“What’s surprising in this story is it was just a single seed and to be able to have one chance for that to germinate is extremely lucky,” she said.

“Working in a seed bank, seeing the potential for that extreme longevity gives us hope that banking and storing seeds that some at least will survive for very long periods of time.”"

-via Good News Network, October 8, 2024

--

Note: This is such a good demonstration of why seed banks are so important!! They give us such real and massive hope for deextinction and the revival of endangered species.

[refinedstorage]

Character requests 9/9

jawn.jpeg

[yellowistheraddest]

these 4 have the potential to start a gardening club

close ups + initial sketch under the cut

and heres where it began

[naycelium]

Hinoki, Caretaker of the Forest and it's Seedlings 🐇 🌰

[esmesketch]

Pov : You're once again stalked by a local hobo mountain man at night.

[canonkiller]

thank you.

[becca-e-barnes]

I’ve been enjoying some premature ejaculation thoughts recently and it’s probably time to talk about them before they makes me even dizzier 🤤

Just the thought of slipping Bucky’s thick, leaking dick slowly inside you while you’re on top. The glide down on top of him is wonderful and when he’s as deep inside you as you can manage, you take a second to just enjoy feeling stuffed full.

You feel him throbbing inside you, his dick twitching and although he’s trying to keep it together, he’s determined not to let you know that.

After a couple of seconds, you raise your hips and let them fall again, working just a couple of inches towards the base of his cock.

You do the same again a few more times, barely establishing a rhythm before you feel Bucky’s grip on your hips tighten. “You have to slow down for me, sweetheart.”

The strain in his voice floods you with panic for a second and you stop moving.

“Does it hurt? We can try a different position if you like.” You cradle his face with one hand while holding yourself up with the other, staying as still as possible.

“It doesn’t hurt. Just might not last very long like this. Feels so good.” He’s a little embarrassed to admit it but he’s got nothing to worry about.

“Oh? You like this?” You roll your hips once more and enjoy the sharp intake of air it forces into your partner. “Is this too much for you?”

He nods sheepishly, aware of how much he wants this but of how much he wants to please you too.

“You gonna cum inside me already?” You tease, biting your bottom lip while you raise your hips up, letting him slide almost entirely out of you before sinking back down.

The moan it draws from him is beautiful but you’re not stopping there. “You are, aren’t you? You’re going to stuff my pretty pussy full of cum for me. Gonna make sure you have nothing left tonight.”

“Fuck, fuck.” He groans, his hands gripping your waist, pressing you down so he can finish as deep inside you as he can. His face is scrunched in pleasure while his hot cum shoots in thick ropes against the walls of your eager pussy.

There’s something so satisfying in the knowledge that it took no time at all for him to finish and if the rest of the evening is like this, it’ll be a whole lot more fun than you imagined.

[deadbeatdadjokes]

brought to you by all the things people have literally said to me in 100% earnest

[whenfatecollides]

Callisto through the seasons ⚔️ for anon

[inafieldofdaisies]

Kristine Froseth for JW Anderson S/S25 show

[laststandx3]

i'll be the first to say that Ulf is an idiot, but at the same time he's right. he treats the blacks the way they've never been treated before: as normal people. and it bothers them because they feel themselves above the smallfolks. that people should obey them and be silent when they speak because they're the authority. not only monarch but dragon riders. Ulf is there treating them like they're normal people and they HATE IT. but for how rude and out of place Ulf gets framed and shot when he asks for more wine/food he's the proof of how common people are always in service of the powerfuls' whims. if they didnt need him they wouldnt have him at their table. the court it's a place for people who respect manners and are never annoying. Because we saw how people in kings landing starving and dying how dares he asking for more good food at dinner? doesnt he know he's a guest and he better be grateful with what he has? Because Rhaenyra will make them knights even tho without them she wouldnt even be queen. "We'll be knights...Just like that" he says, because titles are freely given by the queen, yes just like that. How dares he be a little loud at dinner? HOW DARES HE ANSWER RHAENYRA's pretence at politness by keeping her accountable?

"A knight will comport himself with grace at the queen's table"

"Best make me a knight, then"

"You forget yourself...friend" Jace says, and in the background we see the knight of the queen's guard putting a hand on his sword, after his oath of protecting the innocents like Criston Cole reminded us a few minutes before.

you've done things we didnt even know was possible // Remember your place // this war will kill thousands // "will you stay here and make yourself easy? If you hinder our efforts through sloth or unreadiness, I'll see you hanged and your body fed to the dogs in the street" // we want to avoid bloodshed

Now, this is the pick-your-favourite-war-criminal show so i'm not saying the blacks are evil. i'm sure the greens will act just as them. I think it's interesting to see the parallels of in-story propaganda of the crown and their action, that Rhaenyra's waiting to fight was never about avoiding war, but because she knew she'd lost. when you cant stand even the idea of having smallfolk at your table or them dearing to treat you like one of them it was never about saving people's life.

[reasonsforhope]

"Inspired by an innovative Chilean forest restoration effort, the English town of Lewes is enlisting the help of dog walkers to rewild a local nature reserve.

Heavily degraded by foot traffic, the project co-opts dogs’ tendency to run about in the woods to spread wildflower seed from saddlebags strapped to a harness around the dog’s abdomen.

The idea mimics the function that wolves once played in that part of England, roaming over vast distances getting grass and flower seeds stuck in their coat, only to fall off and germinate somewhere else.

This helter-skelter seed-spreading is actually how many plants evolved to reproduce, and it’s key to maintaining a biodiverse and native ecosystem.

“We’re really interested in rewilding processes, but they often involve reintroducing big herbivores like bison or wild horses,” said manager Dylan Walker from the Railway Land Wildlife Trust who organized the project back in 2019.

“In a smaller urban nature reserve it’s really hard to do those things. So, to replicate the effect that those animals have on the ecosystem we aimed to utilize the vast number of dog walkers that are visiting the nature reserve daily.”

The saddlebags are filled with a variety of perennial plant seeds mixed together with sand. This allows the seed to be spread for longer across larger distances, while also providing a helpful tracking sign to inform the Trust’s employees where dogs are walking.

THE REWILDING MOVEMENT IN ENGLAND…

Salmon Return to the Heart of UK for First Time in 100 Years After Dam Removal: ‘It’s very rewarding’

‘Give Nature Space and it Will Come Back’: Rewilding Returns Endangered Species to UK Coast

Farmer Combats Flooding by Returning Creeks to Nature: ‘Wildlife That Has Come is Phenomenal’

Finally Rid of Invasive Shrubs, Scientists Use Lichen to Regrow the Celtic Rainforest in Loch Lomond, Scotland

2 Beavers Named Hazel and Chompy Reintroduced to English County–the First Ones to Live Here in 400 Years

“I signed up because it sounded like such a good fit. I was asked to place a harness on my chocolate cocker spaniel called Bertie and he ran around spreading seeds like wolves used to do many years ago,” Cressida Murray, a dog walker who regularly uses the nature reserve, told The Guardian. 

Wolves were persecuted to extinction in England as early as the reign of Henry VII, who reigned during the latter third of the 15th century.

“A community-based project like this not only helps engage and teach people about the ecological impacts of wildlife but also allows us to make our wildlife and environments richer in the process,” said Walker."

-via Good News Network, July 30, 2024

[pmartyr]

Obsessed with this review from Kojima

[helyeahmangocheese]

guys do you know how absolutely cracked the british!Grace siblings dynamic is... punk british Thalia who is so anti establishment bc look at the fucking monarchy and the british empire.... BLACK JASON GRACE, SON OF THE KING OF GODS, GRAPPLING WITH THE HISTORY OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE, THE BRITISH EMPIRE, AND THE EMPIRE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. the implications... and yet they're just kids who want to fit in... the family story, yall, fucking ouch.