#aka plants that produce flowers and fruits

[canonsinthehead]

A Naruto Headcanon - The Culinary History of the Ninja World.

i'm back and not so bare with me. this headcanons is related to a story telling how chouji and karui's marriage went down. ill post it eventually.

EACH COUNTRY’S CULINARY HISTORY

Konohagakure (Country of Fire) Konohagakure aka the land of the free. Many things make up the uniqueness of the cuisine of the country of fire. First, they are the king of importation, so their diet is really diverse and touched all sectors evenly. They grow all kind of vegetables to meet the need of its residents. While there are not has much native plants from the area in their current diet contrary to other villages like Suna and Kiri.

Konoha being built on a vast forest, their main fruit consumption comes from small fruit trees and fruit trees like apples, pears, and pomegranate. Anything that grows on a tree is often easily available since it takes its roots in Konoha’s founder Hashirama Senju.

The country are the main producer and consumer of eggs and meat especially pork (which they export all over the ninja world) this where you get the whole BBQ concept and omelets. Another downfall of the cuisine from Konoha is the heavy presence of processed goods in everyday cooking preparation. The current culture is far more removed from its traditional cooking methods. Referred to as the Senju Diet is almost getting lost and seen has a flower from the past. Many (often older individuals) resist the hard change that came trough time and tries to uphold the consumption of the way ninjas ate in the past.

Lotus Root is a staple of the Senju Diet

Even Naruto can testify to this and noticed how it hard for him maintain the same diet as when he was a child (aside eating ramen), the way fast foods chains have almost came out of nowhere and took over the market deeply concerns him (especially how its taking hold of this younger generation). The deliberate effort towards modernization and proving the country is the first in everything, can reach everything, can eat everything, can win against anyone basically walking like they are the goat of the ninja world has affected negatively old traditions in subtle ways and in other more obvious ways. Like how the Konoha can keep escape the threat of famine by stealing other nations resources.

At the same time, the combination of different culinary practice gave birth to various more dishes with various diverse ingredients and interesting like Takoyaki, okonomiyaki & dango

Like mentioned before, industrialization gave birth to many processed who are a staple in those dishes. products who are often only found in the country of fire like fish cakes & narutomaki. The land of fire is the soup & noodles master, it’s like their national food for being convenient and versatile with they make the infamous ramen but other dishes like stir-frys Yes, it a generous filling cuisine to overflow your stomach

Classic/Staple Konoha Meal=Shoyu Miso/Pork Ramen with Narutomaki, Apple Salad, Dango, Sushi, Takoyaki, pickled radish, Beef BBQ

Sunagakure (Country of Wind) The cuisine from Suna is unique. Not only emerging from a desertic land, but it was also able to survive the test of time and stay true to its original roots. Based on the high temperatures and sandy soil of the land of wind, the residents have access to interesting crops who cannot be found elsewhere in the ninja world. Suna is the homeland of dates, they are the main intake of sugar in its diet. They are used in countless recipes like sweet & pastries. they are used to sweetened teas since tea drinking is a big thing. Offering tea is a tradition when receiving guests and tea was used by nomads who made long trip in the desert in order to stay hydrated.

In Sunagakure, they go hard on sweets. Especially dates since the are the only producer of them. They have countless of pastries, candies and date-bases recipes because it was once use as a method of survival in the long windy season in the desert or to have the sugar necessary to be transformed in a energy source to endure long trip in the desert. They are a national pride since most nuts in the ninja world grows in the country of wind; almonds, pistachios, walnuts, etc. they also showcase delicate and unique culinary practices when it comes to pastries who set Suna apart from other nations. It is the only place to find citrus, olive & argan trees used to make oils mostly made for exportation & their lucrative citrus production industry.

Their eating style is different since it is not uncommon to eat with your hands. For a long time, families were large so the habit of having a large plate to share with many emerge from that condition

Due to frequent drought, the country of wind has specialized themselves in the production of survival crops like grains like millet, sorghum & wheat who are also a staple in the cuisine of Suna. they most of the time milled to make flour to produce various types of bread crepe and flat breads (also see as more convenient since they don’t require yeast to be cooked). Alongside that, the consumption of legumes like lentils and different kinds of beans is the main source of protein and prized as all around superfood. They are cooked in paste and stew often eaten with bread.

Staple/Classic Suna Meal=Large plate of various pastes/creamy sauces made of beans & lentils, grilled eggplant, hummus, flat bread, millet crepe, spinach, citrus tea,

Kirigakure (Country of Water) The main meal is Kiri is grilled fish.

Unfortunately, Kirigakure has the reputation of eating ANYTHING that swims, crawls, run or fly in the ocean. First and firmly base on their location and how the practice of fishing is part of so many residents lives.

Also, it comes from the lack of access to goods from importation of other nations. For very long time, Kiri and the surrounded regions were left on their own when a bad harvest happened, or if the climate hindered the quantity of fish collected. In those cases, the villager learned to make anything of every single thing they found (in the ocean). Due to their different economical system (mostly based on exchange of goods), it took a long time for Kiri to join the market of importation and exportation. Now they are the main exporter of seafood of various types and fish (a staple in their diet). The land of fire became the main consumers of seafood above the country of water itself. The never-ending high demand for sea product (including fish) has opened the door for illegal activity to create non-approved fish farms and illegal fishing. The country of wind is guilty, while having no access to water yet desiring sea products (which is recent because they try to follow after the country of fire and the whole globalization narrative).The Country of Fire being the biggest culprit due to their insatiable desire to reach all and taste all (even without permission).

Their known cultural theft has implication in the problem since a traditional dish named サメの目 (Same no Me written Samenome meaning Shark Eyes) which consist of thin layers of fish rolled and stuffed with black wild rice and bitter herbs (it is name like this since it resemble the pupils of sharks) was ‘’discovered’’ by ninja scientist from Konohagakure during early invasion of the country of water by various bigger nations for natural resources in this case being clay who was abundant along any body of water (used to make pots and tolls before the emergence of various metals) also to take control and harvest the almost infinite amount of fresh water. The devastation of natural habitat and the disruption of the ecosystem cause a destruction that couldn’t be healed instead it changed the nature of the environment. Since then, most bodies of water in the land of water turned into seawater, the once flourishing pastures of green leafy galore died and the remaining surviving plants gave birth to what we know today as bitter herbs (ex: dandelion, wormwood, chamomille, peppermint, etc) and they are a staeple in the cuisine of Kiri, for some their main intake of green plants. They are also valued for their medicinal values (you know them plants Haku was collecting in the woods)

Learn more about bitter herbs here: https://dirthappy.com/bitter-herbs/

(Going back to what we were talking about)The discovery of Samenome was then taken back to the country of fire and after being merged and modified with the local crops and different culinary practices became what we know today as sushi; the captain of Konoha’s cuisine along side with Ramen. The seaweed paper also originally comes from Kiri, they were not used as food but fertilizers for growing crops. The practice of harvesting seaweed became popular in the southern part of the country of fire after the nori seaweed was discovered in its waters. Meanwhile they still import wakame from the country of water since it’s a staple for various soups and side dishes.

In The Country of Water, they consumed more the wild varieties of different crops like wild black rice, quinoa & amaranth as a main source of carbs.

In Kiri, they seasoned everything with pepper, everything; rice, bitter herbs, fish & seafood, grains. Some regions of the country of water house the spiciest pepper you can find in the warm months of the summer and the most frost resistant cabbages during the cold months. Now, they import a lot of pepper product from The country of lightning during the most of the year. Most of the seasoning is onion-based but the access to salt from the waters allowed the spectrum of seasoning to widen but also utilize is in order to ferment or pickle foods for the winter making pickled goods a staple in the cuisine of Kiri even for pickled fish.

Staple/Classic Kiri meal= Grilled fish, Samenome, spicy pickled cabbage, amaranth crepe of fritters, bitter herbs, pepper sauce

Kumogakure (Country of Lightning) The cuisine of Kumogakure is different than typical meals you would find in other nations. Like Suna the uniqueness reveals itself in their cuisine since its most popular dishes are made of ingredients that can only be found in the country of lightning. Cuisine of Kumogakure follows various principals making their reputation.

Beef is a luxury food. Due to its location, residents of the country of lightning were consuming other animals like sheep and goat who are abundant in rocky areas. The first wild buffalos were in fact imported from neighbor countries and are domesticated for food in small quantities because most green pasture (outside of main cities) are already occupied by sheeps. Many attempts were made to grow the bovine population but failed due to competition for food and access to grass.

Meat is more regarded as side dishes since their protein source mostly come from green vegetable and beans. Like in Suna, where legumes are praised for their high nutritional value but in the country of wind they eat lentils & chickpeas, meanwhile in Kumo they are eating kidney beans, black eyes peas and their infamous black beans. Each nation has a particular legume/bean/pulse they cherish in their cuisine. The Country of fire is house to all types of sprouts like of mung bean and edamame/soy beans. Interestingly, the practice of making tofu comes from Amegakure and has spread to neighboring nations. In Kiri, they eat beans in their original form, simple steamed and sometimes raw so they prefer yardlong beans and peas of different kinds.

· The land of lightning is famous for their abundance of herbs & spice. Hence why they weren’t as enthusiast to rush into meat consumption since they can make many vegetables taste amazing by seasoning it right. Plants like ginger, turmeric, various varieties of peppers, allspice, paprika, star anise & parsley are native to the area. the exception is garlic since it can be found abundantly across the ninja world.

· The cuisine of Kumo could be defined as quick and simple. Hence why they are numerous meals in bites sizes like fried dough (a popular street food), samoussa, meat/bean patties, dried sweet potatoes chips (chouji’s favorite). Unfortunately, frying/pan-frying is a prominent method of cooking so to balance the diet the preparation of vegetables filled stews and soups comes in the picture and they don’t eat foods like white rice. First, because it does not grow in the region at all, instead it’s the rare place where eating brown rice is thing and meals like fermented pureed yam are often use as a substitute for rice along many sauces and stews (after white rice became popular across the ninja world.). In Suna, they sticked to basmati rice and Kiri to black rice but white rice & sweet rice (hybridized in the country of fire) has always been one of the first food to be distributed is smaller nations in food crisis and for daily consumption because of how easily it is to massively produce and for their poorer nutritional value.

(ex: meat/beans patties, sweet potatoes chips, deep fried dough (bottom pic above) called ふわふわ/Fuwa Fuwa meaning Fluffy since the yeast used to make them creates a treat light and airy/fluffy like clouds & samoussa)

· SAUCE, SAUCE, SAUCE. Again, we said people from the Cloud love when it’s simple (hence why many dishes from Konoha like Takoyaki seems like an equation of calculus to them but those who could taste it enjoyed it actually). Its ‘’we dump all in the pot and let it cook’’ cooking style. If your meal doesn’t have a sauce of any kind, its not from Kumo. Many of them contained some form of peanut butter (a national pride food). The country of lightning is the biggest producer of peanuts and use it in various dishes

(exemples: peanut soup, fermented cassava pulp, cassava leave sauce, callaloo/amaranth soup, spinach peanut butter sauce )

· Did you know that Kumo’s peanut brittle’s distant cousin is the Nougat from Suna? It’s the Raikage’s favorite snack. Like the menu of the wedding feature the country most prized, popular, and fancy meals, most of them are the raikage’s favorites.

(from left to right, Nougat (from Suna) & Peanut Brittle also called 稲妻バー/Inazuma bars meaning Lightning Bars) because when you prepare them it is tradition to punch the plate in the middle to break it into smaller portions, it looks like the food got hit by lightning.

Many exotic tropical grows outside of big cities like mangos, pineapples & papayas making fruit the main sugar intake in the Kumo diet.

[entelodante]

The FOOD POST!! Or well the build up to it. I figured before I could get started I need to first clarify some staple crops for Mirum. Not including most fruits cause hoo boy. These are crops of the floodplains, aka most populated areas of Mirum.

Big ass infodump to be found below!

First to be explained the flood plains have FIVE distinct growing 'zones' which are classified by how likely they are to be subject to flooding, as well as the associated fire risks. ZONE 5: Never Floods These areas will as stated, remain above water for all but the most record breaking seasonal flooding. Hilltops and highlands basically, this also means that they are at risk of tinder buildup and highest likelyhood for fire so watch out! ZONE 4: Occasionally Floods These areas are most of the time dry, maybe underwater at the peak of the season or if it was particularly heavy rain or maybe not at all! This level is also were most settlements will be built around, with some overlap into the areas before and after it. ZONE 3: Always Floods/Drains This is the majority of land in the Mirum Floodplain, these places will be sunk for minimum of 3 months of the year but above water the rest of the time. Plants that reside here have no way of not dealing with the flooding and this is also where we flip from Flooding to Draining! ZONE 2: Occasionally Drains The rivers of Mirum, these areas will most likely remain flooded for the entirety of the year. Only maybe draining out during the height of fire season, but even then its not super common. ZONE 1: Never Drains These are the deep bellies of Mirum's rivers and lakes. Where only years of lack luster rain and drought will drain them, a once in a century catastrophe! But typically they will remain filled with a substantial amount of water year round.

NOW PLANTS TIME! 1. Twin Leaf- These plants are grown in Zone 5 mainly for their fibrous stalk and leaves. The stalk is useful for making rope and all that jazz while young leaves are snipped off to be snacked on. Mature leaves are waxy and inedible once split, but young leaves are similar in texture to cabbage. 2. Dwarf Oak- Actually not related to oak at all but moreso named for the similarities in the nuts from the two plants. Here though the 'acorns' are filled with a milky substance that makes a pretty good butter substitute. 3. Funion- Yeah this is an onion, but like a fancy fantasy themed one. If I could just slap an onion in there I would. 4. Brittle Palm- This palm is covered in woody remnants of its old leaves, to get to the good bits you have to peel it down to the center. Ever had heart of palm? Same thing, only a bit saltier.

5. Bubble Grass- This grain spends all year waiting for the flood waters to come in, where it has two distinct seeds awaiting. Light air filled seeds to ride the current inland and heavier seeds to sink down with the receding water. It is named for the fact that these heavier seeds fizz and bubble on the way down. 6. Water-Tato- Listen potatoes are also ESSENTIAL to any world. How about these guys grow big ole tubers to last through the flood? Once they get sunk underwater the leaves die off and it waits out the flooding. Then it uses stored energy to pop right on up again! 7. Never Sleep- This plant reacts to the flood season by letting it's outer wood and leaves rot away, regrowing itself from the inside out! However the chemicals it produces to stave off bacteria and decay are quite potent stimulants. Thus it has become quite popular with chimera looking to get a rush at the expense of their overall health! 8. Stone Flower- These fruits grow on tall stalks until their weight eventually sends them down into the waters below. They float along thanks to sweet, spongey tissues carrying along a big ole seed in the center. Taste like a savory strawberry.

9. Chew- A fun, underwater grass with tough outer stalks and soft, sweet insides. You could go through the trouble of peeling it or always just chew and spit it out once you give up! 10. Rubber Weed- A seaweed, or well waterweed? Not really in the ocean. A waterweed who is actually seaweed and is treated as such! Would be very good dried and salted.

11. Tile- Named because a big patch of these can hide the water below completely, they are big ass water lilies farmed mainly for the soft fleshy lumps grown on the underside of their leaf. Though there are a bunch of thorns scattered in there. I wanna imagine that they taste of mild artichoke. 12. WATER-TATO DELUXE- I want to say this one is more similar to turnip, but its still there baby.

13. Oil Leak- These are underwater flowers. They bloom during the flood season and rely on poor creatures swimming through the clouds of oily pollen they spit up and sinking into the flower patch below, slowly suffocating as their writing only furthers the cycle of death. Also if you get it on you then you'll be feeling sticky for weeks after. Fun to smear on your friends!

[breelandwalker]

hi, i'm currently potted plant witching as well (just planted my first crop of veggie/herb/flower seeds & got some more containers & soil today for more planting this weekend) and i would love to know more about your garden this year; would you be willing to outline your plans? any special herbs or projects? Thanks!! <3 love your blog!

🌿🌿🌿 HYPERFIXATION ACTIVATED. 🌿🌿🌿

OH I HAVE SO MANY PLANS, LET ME TELL YOU.

This is the first year that Ragnar and I are doing actual work and sweat equity with the yard at our new place. Last year things were just too chaotic and we didn't have the time or the energy to do much of anything. We trimmed occasionally and I harvest some wild plants, but that was about it.

This year, it's Go Time.

Last weekend, I finally busted out the gorgeous barrel pots we got for Christmas and spent my April market earnings on potting soil, garden tools, and seedlings. When we lived in the apartment, I had a pretty hefty window garden with herbs and flowers and a few vegetables, so I'm eager to recreate that in an outdoor space where the plants can really thrive. (I mean, I grew cherry tomatoes and three kinds of peppers in 10" pots indoors and they got pretty big, so I can only imagine being outdoors will go even better with fresh air and rain and pollinators.)

The potted garden has Napoli tomatoes, poblano and cayenne peppers, green sage, and rosemary, along with something I've never tried growing before - blueberries! I'm planning to add additional pots and more herbs later on, but I felt like this was a really good start. If I can manage it, I want to grow a huge planter of nothing but spinach and sweet basil so I can make pesto this summer.

We've also started clearing and tilling a space out in the yard proper for a raised-bed garden. Nothing too big or ambitious, just something we can try some larger veggies in. We're hoping to try the Three Sisters model with hybrid corn, snap peas, green beans, and kabocha pumpkins. I was also hoping to put in napa cabbage, but there are quite a lot of slugs in the yard when it rains, so perhaps not. I'm toying with the idea of planting some late crops for fall and winter harvests as well. I have sugarplum visions of strings of peppers and braids of garlic hanging in our kitchen with many jars of preserves and sauce in the pantry.

We might also try some other fruits if things go well, maybe raspberries or grapes, but that's more of a Next Summer project. The fence and the ground around it needs some work first and we don't want to overdo things the first year. (I'd really love to put in a little serviceberry tree, but that might be pushing things a bit with regard to space.)

There's also a side garden that's in need of some TLC where I'm vaguely tossing around the idea of climbing flower vines (clematis or morning glory or trumpet flower maybe? something local) and maybe some ground cover in the form of periwinkle. There's also a downspout that really needs a rain barrel, so that's next on the list.

There are sections of the yard that we've deliberately left wild as well, hoping to encourage native plants and pollinators. The clover patches are massive and produce lots of four-leafers and blossoms, so the bees are having a field day. There's also wild dogbane sprouting up now that the vetchweed is cleared and wild plantain (aka white man's foot) starting to come in along the walkway. If I have my druthers, I'll be planting more wildflowers this summer.

Have some pictures and tell me about your garden!

[kieraspsychonautssideblog]

(Gives you more Non-Human/Vampire Helmut via ask box) Given his own morals AKA sparing the innocent of their blood he’ll simply talk to Bob in a flirty type manner because he finds it funny + loves the roses/flowers Bob produces after their interactions. Meanwhile Bob is wondering how he’s even alive but also why he’s kinda finding a vampire hot 

Oh my god I love it!

Imagine how he and Bob meet is like Bob finding his little bat form in his greenhouse tangled up in some of the plants because they could sense that he's a vampire and Bob quickly going to help him down without hurting him. And like the entire time Bob is just like "God Compton is so much better with animals, I hope you're not mad with me, here, bats can eat fruit right? You should leave, my plants are rather feisty today and I don't want you hurt" and Helmut is like "...oh I like this one"

[learnplants]

Guess who's back! That's right folks, it's your favourite educator for plants and fungus! I apologise for my long absence, I could make a dozen excuses but to keep it short and basic, ADHD!

In order to make it up to you lot, I have a devised a plan! I will post every day this month (October 2024) with a spooky plant, since it's Halloween at the end, aka spooky time! How does that sound?!

Today, we're starting off spooky month with Amorphophallus Titanum, or commonly called the Titan Arum, or the corpse flower! It's a marvel of a plant, growing in a strange way, at least through the eyes of a European! It's found in the wild only in the rainforests of Sumatra, typically on limestone hills, but is unfortunately hard to come by, due to deforestation and land degradation!

The flowers of Amorphophallus Titanum are very tiny, but grow together to form what's known as an inflorescence, which grows to an average height of 2 metres tall! The inflorescence is made up of an inner flower spike, called a Spadix, and an outer petal-like collar, called a Spathe! The Spathe is usually a cream-green colour on the outside, but a very deep burgundy on the inside, with a deeply grooved texture!

The flowers are located at the bottom of the Spadix and grow on the same inflorescence, making it monoecious! The flowers are pollinated by insects, but not how you'd normally think! It's not done by bees, or butterflies, or wasps! It's done by... Flies! And a species of beetle known as a carrion beetle! Now you may be wondering why flies and carrion beetles are interested in a flower, so I'll tell you! It's because, as the name suggests, the corpse flower smells like a corpse! Gross! It produces dimethyldisulfide and dimethyltrisulfide, both containing sulfur, and this both smelling foul!

When the insects do pollinate the female flowers, they'll develop bright red and orange fruits, similar to berries, but don't eat them! When this happens, the inflorescence actually does back, all the way to root, and a single leaf and stem pokes out! It starts growing like a tree, up and up, with white speckles, sprouting new leafs as it goes, which are incredibly large, and the plant photosynthesises! And all of this energy being produced, goes to making one of the largest tubers in the wild, weight at up to 25 pounds, or 11kg!

If you wanted to see one, and didn't want to hike and explore the Sumatran rainforest, you can check out Kew gardens, or the United states botanical garden! In fact, Kew gardens have a record about it! They recorded the first corpse flower flowering outside of Sumatra, back in 1889! This itself is quite amazing, but moreso because the Amorphophallus Titanum is very rare to actually flower! It can take years and when it does, it only lasts a couple of days, 3 at most! When it flowered for a second time, in 1926, it attracted crowds so large, the police had to be called for crowd control!

Additionally, the inflorescence produces it's own heat, making the plant even more believable to be a fresh corpse, as well as it's colours! Such a trickster! All in all, the heat and hills make the scent carry for up to half a mile away! Wouldn't want this in your neighbours garden! Or a garden across town! The scent however, is only emitted in a single evening!

As much as it smells awful and and attracts a lot of flies and carrion beetles, it is still very important to remember, all plants are precious, and need as much effort to keep alive as possible, even the corpse flower! Habitat destruction and degradation has caused the Amorphophallus Titanum to become classified as endangered by the IUCN (international union for conservation of nature), meaning it is at a very high risk of becoming extinct in the wild! Please do what you can to protect all plants and fungus and animals as possible!

Overall, the Amorphophallus Titanum, or corpse flower, makes for a great first entry to our spooky plant list this month! I hope you enjoyed reading about it, and if you did, like, comment, reblog this post and follow for more spooky plants this month! Without any further delay, here it is!

[extraneusfictawrites]

Dreamlight Valley - All about the "Egg-stravaganza"

With the most recent update for the game Dreamlight Valley we got a bunch of new content to explore, and with it for the first time a limited time event dubbed “Egg-stravaganza”. The event lasts from April 8th 2023 through April 29th 2023 and is a celebration for the start of Spring. The event itself brings a host of new content to the game in the forms of items to collect for cooking/crafting, recipes to learn, items to craft, repeatable quests and dreamlight tasks to complete. Here we’ll cover the event in more detail from the new collectible crafting items to the new quests and tasks so that you can get the most out of this fun event before it ends soon. 

New Collectable Crafting Items 

One of the first things that you should notice for the Egg-stravaganza event are the eggs that you can collect around the Valley and other biomes. These are the new collectible crafting items that you’ll use in the new recipes and craft-able items for the event. There will be three in total that you will run into. There are blue eggs - known as Wild Spring Eggs, pink eggs - aka Egg-celent Fruit and yellow eggs - known as Spring V-EGG-etables (pictured below). 

The Wild Spring Eggs and the Egg-celent Fruit will likely be the first you come across as they can be located around the Valley and other biomes by just looking like you would for other fruit/spices. You’ll find the blue colored Wild Spring Eggs on the ground individually in the various biomes. They can spawn randomly in each biome so be sure to have your Easter egg hunt eagle eyes on when you're doing your rounds! 

The pink colored Egg-celent Fruit will also be randomly spawned in each biome, but in this case you will be looking for fruit bushes that contain a few eggs each. With the pink Egg-celent fruit being on fruit bushes, you can move them to a central location for harvesting later once you locate them. If you haven't already done so with your normal fruit I would recommend doing this, as it definitely saves time in running to a specific biome for a one recipe ingredient.  

The last egg, the yellow colored Spring V-EGG-etables, are grown with seeds that you can craft by using the Wild Spring Eggs, Egg-celent Fruit and Dreamlight. You can also get Spring V-EGG-etables as rewards from the new repeatable quests that we’ll cover next in this article. If you are crafting the Spring V-EGG-etable seeds you will need one each of the Wild Spring Egg and the Egg-celent Fruit, as well as 20 Dreamlight for every one seed you are making. The preferred growing biome for the seeds is the Peaceful Meadow and once planted they take about 30 minutes to produce one Spring V-EGG-etable. Also, don't forget to have one of your foraging buddies with you when collecting Wild Spring Eggs and Egg-celent Fruit and/or a gardening buddy when collecting Spring V-EGG-etables, to increase the amount of them you are getting at any given time!

Repeatable Quests 

As I mentioned above we also get some fun new repeatable quests for the “Egg-stravaganza” event. Both quests (one weekly and one daily) can be obtained from Wall-E when you go to speak with him. Generally both quests seem to be fairly simple and fun to complete. 

The daily quest, Blooming and Blossoming, will have you collecting flowers and making a Pretty Flower Basket for Wall-E. The crafting recipe will call for three kinds of flowers and fiber to make the basket at a crafting station. If you are anything like me and pick flowers as you run around playing, you may be able to go directly to the crafting station to make the basket once you have started the quest. If not, you can still complete it easily, but you may have to check out the Collections tab in the game menu to see where you need to collect the required flowers from. It’s also worth mentioning that the flowers for the recipe may change daily. Once you’ve crafted the Pretty Flower Basket for Wall-E you can find him again and once you speak with him you’ll be prompted to give it to him. You will have to speak with him one more time after giving him the basket, and the quest will be completed. 

The weekly quest, Bunnies on the Run, will have you chasing down some rouge bunnies and returning them safely to Wall-E. Once you go to Wall-E initially and speak with him to start the quest you’ll want to head to the Plaza where you’ll find five bunnies running around. You’ll need to chase down each bunny and click the button you’re prompted with to collect them before they get away from you. After you have successfully caught each of the bunnies you’ll simply locate Wall-E again and speak with him to return the bunnies as well as complete the quest. 

New Recipes and Decorations 

With all the eggs you’ll be collecting from quest rewards and around your valley you’re probably wondering what you can do with these so that they aren’t just taking up all your chest space. I’m happy to say that we get a bunch of new things to cook/craft! 

First we have three new recipes to learn that let you use each of the new eggs. They are Spring Chocolate, Spring Mimosa Eggs and the Spring Egg Bowl. 

Spring Chocolate (pictured below) is a three-star dessert that will use one Spring V-EGG-etable, one cocoa bean, and one sugarcane to make at a cooking station. If you eat a Spring Chocolate you’ll get 1,392 energy and if sold they are worth 254 coins. 

Spring Mimosa Eggs (pictured below) are a four-star dessert that will use one of each egg (Spring V-EGG-etable, Wild Spring Egg and Egg-celent Fruit) and one basil seasoning to make. Eating Spring Mimosa Eggs will give you 1,095 energy or selling them will net you 298 coins. 

The Spring Egg Bowl (pictured below) is a five-star recipe that will use one of each egg (Spring V-EGG-etable, Wild Spring Egg and Egg-celent Fruit), one cocoa bean and one sugarcane to make. The Spring Egg Bowl will give you 1,942 energy if eaten and if sold is worth 370 coins. 

We also got five new furniture items that can be crafted and used to decorate around the valley. They are the “Don’t Put Them All in One Basket” basket, the Over Easy Chair, the Spring Egg Bounty, the Spring Egg Arch and the Spring Stall. Together they make for a nice looking set that you could use anywhere in your valley that you think could use some more color. If you need to know how to craft anything out of the set you can read up on it below; each item is pictured below the crafting information for it.  

The Sunnyside Up Arch will require 25 Spring V-EGG-etables, 25 Wild Spring Eggs, 25 Egg-celent Fruit and 10 iron ingots to make. 

The Spring Stall will require 10 Spring V-EGG-etables, 10 Wild Spring Eggs, 10 Egg-celent Fruit and 20 hardwood to make. 

The Spring Egg Bounty will require 15 Spring V-EGG-etables, 15 Wild Spring Eggs, 15 Egg-celent Fruit and 50 stone. 

The Over Easy Chair will require 5 Wild Spring Eggs and 5 Egg-celent Fruit to make. 

The “Don’t Put Them All in One Basket” basket will require 10 Wild Spring Eggs, 10 Egg-celent Fruit, 5 Spring V-EGG-etables and 20 fiber to make. 

Special Dreamlight Tasks 

Lastly we’ll cover the new “Egg-stravaganza” dreamlight tasks. These can be found in the game menu under Dreamlight and then under the Village sub-menu. There will be four in total for the event with the names ``That's Not Where Eggs Come From”, “Spring Taste Test”, “Wall-E Loves Flowers' ' and “Eggs-ceptional Decorating”. Most of them should be fairly easy to do, if not able to be done as you are working on things for the event. 

”Spring Taste Test” will ask you to eat one of each of the new recipes you learn with the event (Spring Chocolate, Spring Mimosa Eggs and the Spring Egg Bowl). 

“Wall-E Loves Flowers” asks that you have Wall-E as your buddy to pick 50 flowers around the village/biomes. Go ask Wall-E to hang out before your next flower picking run and you’ll get this one done in no time. 

“That’s Not Where Eggs Come From” wants you to harvest Spring V-EGG-etables. This task will be broken down into four goals that total 100 V-EGG-etables harvested. Once you meet each goal you will get a different reward. At 10 V-EGG-etables harvested you’ll get a Spring Chocolate, which is the only food reward for the task. At 30 V-EGG-etables harvested you will get a blue rabbit companion, at 60 harvested you will get a pink rabbit companion and when you reach the final goal of 100 V-EGG-etables harvested you’ll get a yellow rabbit companion! 

The last task, “Egg-ceptional Decorating”, will simply ask you to place four pieces of the new craft-able furniture (the “Don’t Put Them All in One Basket” basket, the Over Easy Chair, the Sunny side Up Arch, The Spring Stall or the Spring Egg Bounty) in your village. 

With that we’ve covered everything you should need to know for the “Egg-stravaganza” event so that whether you’re new to Dreamlight Valley or are trying to catch up you can make the most of and enjoy it! Happy Spring and have fun in the Valley!

[parakaryote]

No pictures for this (might edit this post to add some later), but I wanted to talk a bit about the trees of Gexge.

Like Earth trees, Gexgean trees come in many different shapes and from many different clades (polyphyletic grouping).

All of them have pink / purple leaves, as that is the colour of Gexgean plant life.

Flowering plants don’t exist on the planet, but “fruiting” (technically large-ovule-producing like ginkgoes, but I refer to their growths as “fruit” for simplicity’s sake) plants do.

The most common trees on the continent of Lyntege belong to a clade which only has branches near the top. They look a bit like palm trees, but with true branches instead of just leaves.

They bear fruit with hard but porous skin / shells (not nuts, they have wet flesh and usually multiple seeds inside). When the fruit falls to the ground, it cracks open and terrestrial animals can eat it. The taller the tree, the harder the shell on the fruit.

Their bark resembles snakeskin. Saplings have no bark and highly toxic flesh. Once the bark grows in, the underlying flesh loses most of its toxicity.

The bark can be cut off, washed, and eaten. It often has a slightly spicy taste, especially on the side that was attached to the flesh, as a result of the residual toxins.

The other continents are dominated by more “branch-covered” trees.

In southern Kentege and the upper half of Lyntege, aka the permafrost regions, the trees are short (usually no taller than txentx-height) and have wide sprawls of thin roots winding through the active layer of soil. The ones in Lyntege have lost the shells on their fruit.

Outside of Lyntege’s permafrost zone, trees with fleshy fruit are common in Xetege and the northern Kentege forest. They are rare in Patege and the rest of Kentege (and southern Lyntege as covered above). In those regions, the majority of trees either bear shelled fruit or no fruit at all.

[drhoz]

#1958 - Euphorbia glauca - Shore Spurge

It was growing right next to the Mirror Bush. I’m glad @purrdence​ spotted it because if she’d left it a few more years it might be very difficult to find. New Zealand’s only native Euphorbia, which is surprising since the genus has a worldwide distribution and a huge number of species - over 2000.

AKA sea spurge, waiu-atua, waiū-o-Kahukura, and sand milkweed.  Named for thin powdery bloom on the leaves, and Euphorbus, a Greek physician who served King Juba of Numidia in 12BC. Juba suppsedly named a cactus to honour of Euphorbus (rather unlikely to be a cactus in that part of the world - most likely one of the spiny, cactus-like Spurges) and later Linnaeus named the entire genus after the physician.

A perennial herb with multiple erect stems up to 1m tall, and underground rhizomes. Each flower, produced from October to February, is surrounded by a deep red cup-like structure with purple glands. Fruit, as here, occur from December to May. As with other Euphorbia, the sap a corrosive milky juice. 

Endemic to New Zealand and the Chatham Island, growing on coastal cliffs, banks and talus slopes, sand dunes and rocky lakeshore scarps.

Cattle, sheep, pigs and possums are threats throughout the species range, mainly through browsing and trampling. Competition from taller weedy plants is significant. Coastal development such as road widening, and erosion, are further threats to most populations. Some populations on the West Coast of the South Island appear to have succumbed to a fungal disease.

[ancestorsofjudah]

2 Kings 8: 25-29. "16."

Ahaziah was the son of Ahab, "the fraternity bros" and Jezebel the whore no one else wanted, and this produced naught that was good.

No one would have cared if the king married a whore and whored around if he did his job. They would have wondered when the other shoe was going to drop but the number of concerns about his ability to do his job well would have been limited by the extent of his shallow judgement which all of us but must be overcome, but especially royalty.

Ahaziah means to "Grasp God" as much as it means "grasp at whatever one sees." Zaha, a pallindrome which Hebrew is rich in, means "to be ready to deliver."

"It's not clear whether the verb זהה (zaha) or זתת (zatat) ever existed but if it did it probably meant to emerge fresh or bloom (it does so in cognate languages).

Note that a flower contains a plant's reproductive organs and by displaying its flowers a plant indicates its willingness and readiness to reproduce. In our modern times flowers have managed to attain a kind of romantic innocence but their native function and original symbolism is that of sexual union (which is why dudes bring flowers), or rather more general: the willingness and ability of being fruitful.

 The blossoming of the olive tree was a sign that the winter was over and spring (ziv) had arrived."

To sieze what one wants without the motivation or skill to produce is anathema to the idea of kingship or the role of the Male Crown Princess. Zahaziel would be better, but him we have yet to find. We do meet Hazael, however, who shows promise.

Ahaziah King of Judah

25 In the twelfth year of Joram son of Ahab king of Israel, Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah began to reign. 

26 Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem one year. His mother’s name was Athaliah, a granddaughter of Omri king of Israel. 

27 He followed the ways of the house of Ahab and did evil in the eyes of the Lord, as the house of Ahab had done, for he was related by marriage to Ahab’s family.

28 Ahaziah went with Joram son of Ahab to war against Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth Gilead. The Arameans wounded Joram; 

29 so King Joram returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds the Arameans had inflicted on him at Ramoth[c] in his battle with Hazael king of Aram.

Then Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to Jezreel to see Joram son of Ahab, because he had been wounded.

Ahaziah and Joram try to reach Ramoth Gilead, "the Pomegranate Eye of the Fountain", AKA Ha Shem. Joram means "whom Ya exalts" but it can also mean "who exalts himself", like Rameses, a little pharaoh god, a confederate.

Why do unspirited men seek the power of the Lord? And how can they? Why do losers and lighthead dimwits always try to climb the mountain and draw all kinds of attention to themselves, to their iniquities instead of to the milestone accomplishments explained in the Torah?

Hazael at Aram, "the Vision From the High Place" meets the dumbasses and there is a fight. Ahaziah is wounded and returns to base. A wound from combat is a sign God's prohibitions against violence are being violated. Why is the King of Judah wounded then? How could this possibly have happened?

The scripture says he was prone to evil, jealousy, which is just a kind of greed consumed him. That is how it happened.

The Gematria for the above verses are:

v. 25: The Value in Gematria is 5998, הטטח, "The Thrashing."

Without thrashing, the dehulling of the grain, the soul cannot imbibe the teachings of the Torah. Of any religion for that matter. The Torah acknowledges we all want to be big slutbuckets, and for a time that is not so bad provided we don't get hurt or hurt anyone else in the process, but the Law says what our hearts really want is to be recognized and consumed by just one other.

If one aspires to become royalty one is going to have to learn to consolidate the immense power of this fire of consumption and take it to the limit and ambit to the conquest of the world using it. Otherwise, love, sex, and all those boys are just fizzle in the pizzle.

All the great leaders in the world had a greater man (or woman) than they in their behind. Behind them, I mean. This cannot be taken for granted.

v. 26:

Athaliah= to wax and then be taken away by the lion of justice

Omri=what is gripped by God as in fallen grain.

The Value in Gematria is 10486, ידחו‎‎,"I will reject." A Jew, especially the King cannot defect to another faith. Jezebel and Ahab were pagans, they no doubt raised their children and their children's children in pagan ways:

v. 27: The Value in Gematria is 8368, חג‎ו‎ח, "holiday." They did not observe Shabbat. They were violent tyrants that did nothing for their people but cause them heartache. Even still their kids thought they should attain to the Highest.

v. 28: The Value in Gematria is 8488, חדחח‎, a lol, a worthless thing.

Across two root groups — אלל ('ll) and אול ('wl) — the Hebrew language seems to insist on a direct relationship between oaks and foolishness/worthlessness, although the connection might simply lay in the act of protruding: a tree protrudes up in the air, a foolish person protrudes from convention, and a worthless item protrudes from the economy of useful things.

Then there are two roots יאל (y'l), of which one is comparable to one of the two roots אול ('wl), while the other denotes the showing of willingness or determination:

v. 29: Jezreel =what the nation sows is what it grows.

The verb זרע (zara') means to scatter seed or to sow but may even describe merely extending one's arm or even a leg and ultimately signify the bearing of fruit or even children (hence referred to as one's seed).

Nouns זרע (zera') and זרוע (zerua') mean a sowing or that which is sown, and may refer to: seed, sperm, one child, offspring, posterity, family or a whole community. Nouns זרע (zeroa') and זרען (zer'on) specifically denote vegetables. And noun מזרע (mizra') literally means a place or agent of sowing.

Nouns זרוע (zeroa') or זרע (zeroa') or אזרוע ('ezroa') mean arm but are mostly used to figuratively to denote the seat of strength of a person or a nation or even of God.

זרה

Noun זרה (zara) also means to scatter but where זרע (zara') scatters seed to bear fruit, זרה (zara) scatters chaff and debris. It means to winnow. Noun מזרה (mizreh), describes place or agent of scattering, which in this case denotes a winnowing fork.

Jehoram= "in the name of God, the Most High", are you ripe or are you rotten?

The Value in Gematria is 13397, יגג‎טז‎, 16. The sixteenth letter of the Alefbeis is Ayin, which means "be sixteen, act like you are seventy", AKA be humble.

"In his opening address to the Academy, Rabbi Elazar ben Azaryah said:11 “I am like a seventy-year-old man and I had never succeeded in proving that one has to recite the [verse about] going out of Egypt [in the third paragraph of the Shema] at night until I found the words of Ben Zoma, who explained the verse ‘Remember going out of Egypt all the days of your life’ as follows:

Why does the verse include the word ‘all’? It seems to be redundant. Therefore, Ben Zoma explains, ‘The “days of your life” means the daytime. “All” comes to include the nights as well.’ The Rabbis add to the words of Ben Zoma, ‘The “days of your life” refer to the days of this world, the world in which we’re presently living. All the days, however, includes the days of Mashiach.’”

[tylahsdigitalfieldguide]

Prunus maritima Beach Plum

This shoreline plant (Prunus maritima aka Beach Plum) was photographed at Crane Beach in Massachusetts. As you can see, this is a woody plant and many of the leaves have died/ fallen off.

Basic Facts

Prunus maritima prefers full sun and soil with a pH of 6-7 that is well drained. They are native to sandy dunes but can also be found inland. That being said, the cold hardiness zone of this plant is zone 3a-8a. The plant grows fruit that can be eaten by humans and birds. It also has white flowers when it bloom which can attract pollinators to the shoreline

Wildlife Benefits and Considerations

Prunus maritima adds much wildlife value to the shoreline, as it attracts both birds and bees. As well as 400 species of lepidoptera (butterflies and moths). The shape of the plant, the fruit it produces, and the flowers it blooms are all factors that add to the wildlife benefits. When used in intentional design, it can add to biodiversity and be a source of edible fruits!

Sources:

Information

https://www.bluestemnatives.com/product-page/prunus-maritima-beach-plum#:~:text=P.,wildlife%20with%20a%20lovely%20garden.

https://www.gcc.mass.edu/oll/plants/beach-plum-2/

Photos

https://www.longislandnatives.com/product/prunus-maritima-beach-plum/

https://bhwp.org/item/beach-plum-prunus-maritima/#tab-additional_information

[grokebaby]

PLEASE I've gotta know more about Jetter she is so PRETTY !! Does the species of fungus that infected her have any lore ? Is she he like ok with just living with it now ? Is there anywhere I can read more about him ? ?? AUGH sorry if this is overwhelming I love your chars <3

HEEM no need to apologise!!! This is definitely the most soul touching ask I've gotten in millions of years!!!

As a note: there's still posts on my blog where Jetter is referred with he/him and that is bc she's a very old character and I've certainly had a bit of a journey with her. In the recent years I transed her gender (MtF) and tho in universe she's yet to crack the egg, this character goes by she/her. I wanted to clarify that, bc I was gonna answer that you can see more of her by going through her tag (#Jetter) but some posts are old and from the time before I started revamping her! So like at least that part is outdated. Most stuff relating to her interesting floral mutations has stayed the same tho :]

About the infection: It's a species of parasitic plant and yes it does have lore! It's a very adaptable and "intelligent"/advanced species that can inhabit several kinds of hosts. Most typically it's life cycle goes one of two ways

1. Ground originated: A seed sprouts from the ground. It tends to grow best several feet Below surface, as it takes up lots of space. It can lay dormant underground for a while, many years even, until sprouting to detectable, active levels. The type of seed that takes root in the ground is usually an american football sized bud, surrounded by thick shell. The plant's goal here is to spread and grow, so it starts leeching off of any and every other plant or floral lifeform it can to do so. It can hijack trees, plants and some fungus species, which grants it longevity, since if it just sucked them dry immediately, the plants would die quickly and thus it'd be robbed of further sustinence. You'll find this a theme with the plant. Once it's big enough to detect above ground, it's usually too late/extremely difficult to eradicate. Once reaching a certain level of physical maturity, it goes in with the chemical attack. It's flowers produce an overpowering scent that has strong hormonal effects, acting sort of like a sedative, while also making the lifeform affected more fond of the plant. Just like, making you feel all nice and great so you just wanna stay with the plant. It's one of the lures. Another lure is fruit. To begin the second stage of spread, the plant must get a lifeform to ingest parts of it. Pollen, fruits or flowers typically work best. Once ingested, it begins adapting to it's new environment aka the living host. It hijacks parts of the brain and goes from parasitic to symbiotic, to sustain the host obviously. From then on it's goal is less to spread and more just flourish and survive, but the host can still infect other people in certain ways, but only if the plant has properly taken growth into the body (at which point it can't be removed safely anymore).

2. That ofc brings us the second life cycle which is attained from an infected host. Typically, if the host dies, it's body acts as a growing ground for the flower's seeds and the cycle restarts. But while alive, some ways of spreading it to others usually includes another person ingesting or being struck with parts of the plant. For an example of the latter, like. If the infected person sneezes and pollen or stuff gets into someone's eyes or mouth. If the infected person starts growing fruit or berries though, those are no longer infectious to other people, though they can be used as lure nonetheless (*flirtatious wink*). Oh also if the infected person bites or otherwise breaks skin on someone and gets pollen there and the wound is left to fester..

About the symbiosis: As I mentioned the plant has some heavy chemicals at it's disposal so in order to cooperate with the host it'll use those chemicals to communicate with the brain. At it's early spread stages it's mostly just taking it's time to take root and see what the new crib is like. The adaptation period can be really clumsy. Once reaching the stage where it can properly communicate with the brain, things tend to go smoother. It familiarizes itself with the host's brain slowly, to work with it best, and though this stage can take a while to perfect completely, the plant is able to make basic requests and stimulate simple activities. Like making the host drink lots of water or bathe so the plant gets water, making the host hungrier so it eats for two, calming them down via happy chemicals if it detects the host overly alarmed ect. It's like Brain 2: Electric Boogaloo except it's a plant brain. At the later stages (after 2-4yrs of being infected, depending on complexity or size of host), the plant is able to adapt better to work with the host in more complex ways. It'll gain access to senses, both the host's and it's own (points at those massive flowers growing on Jetter), so it won't just be flailing around. It'll also start "understanding" things the host already knows, like social contexts and what's considered appropriate, who's your mate or family, allies, enemies ect. Note: the plant isn't conscious, it's doing all this with chemical signals and using the brain as it's central processor. There's not another "person" inside the host - and tho they can have conflicts with what the plant would see as best vs the host knowing I can't Just Do That, it's not comparable to being possessed or anything. No split personality situations here, just a plant moving into your body.

Jetter and the plant: Okay so she got it while patrolling her home kingdom's lands (she was a commander), and got immediately infected bc nobody knows wtf that is yet. It takes a bit for any symptoms to show so she directs a few more investigations about the plant until people start acting all funny and odd and so her troops retreat until further notice. Few days later she's bedridden and talks funny and moves funny. Seems all drunkenly and disoriented. Has really vivid weird dreams. Not necessarily related to the plant but Jetter herself: She confessed to her crush (coworker, male) sometime earlier and got rejected but nobody knew of it, until now, when said crush tells about it to their authorities. It quickly becomes a scandal Because (Homophobia and/or said crush showing his true colors: aka asshole). So Jetter is suspended until further notice, esp bc of her infected state and she's hospitalized/put under surveillance. Fast forward through some really awful times and she fucks off of her kingdom entirely, taking on to a wanderer lifestyle. For a while she mostly has just some odd motor dysfunctions and occasionally just blacking out or going into a zombie like state (she's barely here but awake and the plant is practicing trying to function with her). She's definitely not feeling very comfortable with all this body invasion stuff esp with how her life is turned upside down so there's alot of personal conflict with the plant settling in but it eventually smooths out as she recovers from the awful events she went through, and starts to work just fine with the plant. At least since she's a loner and nobody has to see her rolling around in the dirt and standing face up in the pouring rain. Or attacking other plants that her little symbiotic pal sees as threats.

At her current story stage, the plant has grown it's own sensory organs (again points at those two massive flowers), and is starting to get comfortable in this host, being mostly helpful or harmless by now. Still, bc she's been a loner for so long, the plant hasn't needed to get accustomed to functioning appropriately around other people, so, she'll definitely have the plant put her in embarrassing situations in the future when she returns to civilization again more full time. Unintentionally mind you. The plant doesn't realize it'd be inappropriate for some strange lady to start wrecking up a florist shop without context. So, to sum up, she's in the mid to latter stages but not fully integrated yet. Needs more fine tuning, but she's at the better, easier part of her journey with this plant. Just one more hurdle to get through once she like. Gets friends. And is around people consistently. Oh and the uh, internalized transphobia and homophobia. That too.. She had some struggles and Idk I guess she's "Okay" w the plant now but bc it still needs fine tuning it's more like this, kinda awkward but still helpful thing you have to apologise to other people about occasionally and stuff. Inconvenience. Like "No, I'm not drinking from that puddle. Let's drink from a spring. No, I'm not rolling in mud. When everyone's looking.. No, I'm not gonna tear up that flower. It's harmless." stuff like that

[katsukisbimbo]

bun bun

✯ pairing: usagiyama rumi x reader

✯ synopsis: everything changed for you when your favourite hero, usagiyama gets thrown inside your shop.

✯wordcount: 12.4k+

✯warning: fem! reader, she/her pronouns, wlw, swearing :))

✯ note: this is dedicated for lovely andrea <3 aka ms @kagsbuns !! I think I got carried away tho. this was only supposed to be 10k max, but at 9k I still didn’t get to the conflict so here we are LOL. I hope u guys enjoy!! this is my first time writing something so long!

You sighed as you used you picked up the heavy basket of apples. Your day usually consisted of tending to your growing vegetables in the early morning, before picking and washing the ripened vegetables and fruit. Using some fresh peppers from your garden to spice up your usual omelette for breakfast, then getting ready for work. 

You currently owned a cute little produce market in the middle of the city, which was only a twenty-minute walk from your home. Your small shop was mostly frequented by old folks and young moms buying fruits and veggies for their children.

 You loved your work and your life, tending to vegetables and fruits and selling them. Your work helped you produce a schedule, a schedule that kept you sane. 

You smiled as Ms. Takeshi walked in, smiling at you before browsing through her favourite strawberries that you had just picked and washed this morning. “Good morning lovely! Your fruits and vegetables look wonderful today! Did you also make some of my favourite banana bread?” She queried as she made her way to the display case where you kept your freshly made pastries. 

“Of course Ms. Takeshi! I already wrapped it up for you!” you handed the bag over to her. “You’re going to be a great wife one day lovely” She smiles as she leaves the door, leaving you with a sour taste in your mouth. Your smile dropped as you activated your quirk. You had a plant quirk, pretty convenient for your work. You were able to manipulate plants and grow them to your will.

Large vines soon began to rise from your potted plants as you started to organize some of your products, not liking how they looked. You rolled your eyes as you recalled what Ms. Takeshi had said to you. Every morning was the same thing with her. Some days she would even try to set you up with her grandson. Yes, you were only 19, turning 20, but you already had everything you wanted. Plus, you didn’t play for the other team. 

You were more of a “We fell in love in October” kinda gal. 

Your thoughts were swiftly interrupted at the sound of a body getting thrown inside your shop, soon landing right in front of you. It took you two seconds to register that a body just flew into your shop and ruined your blueberries, and another two seconds to figure out that this body belonged to the Rabbit Hero: Mirko herself. You gasped softly as you pried her body out of the rubble with your vines. 

You propped her up onto your counter before wrapping your vines around her once more, with the purpose to heal her bruised body. You concentrated your power as you continued to heal her, your vines sprouting flowers and glowing with a light yellow hue. 

You had to restrain yourself from cooing when you saw her nose twitch. It wasn’t known that you were fond of heroes. Everyone had assumed that you had no interest in it, when in fact, you’ve been a huge fan of Mirko’s for some time. You did have other heroes you liked, but Mirko had your attention and heart. 

You struggled to breathe as you felt your energy being sapped out of your body. You didn’t know how much longer you would be able to take, especially when you had only used your quirk for meagre housework, up until now that is. You suddenly jolted in surprise when Mirko’s arm shot up and grabbed you by the collar of your shirt, bringing your face barely ten centimetres away from hers. 

As her mouth opened to speak, another crash occurred nearby, making both of your heads snap up in the direction of the noise. You gaped as you saw the wrongdoer slowly walk towards your shop. “Mirko-san, please get up” you shakily whispered to her. 

She laughed at your cute shivering figure before jumping up on top of the counter. “Come at me bitch!” she provoked before they hastily jumped her. You quickly threw yourself out of the way and hid behind your apples. “Hey! Baby carrot!” she hollered as she pinned down the villain. “Get out of here!” Rumi growled. You immediately shook your head, small tears sliding doing your cheeks. 

“I-I can’t! I’m not gonna let either of you mess up my shop!” you weakly yelled as you somehow mustered up enough strength to summon your largest vines, speedily sending them towards the villain and entrapping them, leaving Mirko to gape at your work. She whistled as she observed the vines twining around the body of the unfortunate villain. ‘T-That’s kinda hot, not gonna lie’ she thought in her head before successfully knocking the villain out with one kick. 

“Hey, you okay there?” she questioned as she looked at your trembling figure. You felt unable to respond to her query, your throat suddenly closed up. You let out a squeak in response before feeling your knees buckle, your body quickly tumbling to the ground. Before you could even graze the wooden floor, Miruko already had her arms wrapped around you, carrying your unconscious body princess style, your face nuzzled onto the top of her breast. 

“My poor bunny” she cooed before wiping the sweat off your brow, taking you to the closest ambulance to get the both of you checked out. 

___

You groaned as the exhaustion started to seep into your body. Your head was killing you. You peeled your eyes open, expecting to see your room, only to see a blindingly white hospital room. A few machines monitoring your blood pressure and heart rate had been situated by your side, along with your IV drip which was currently connected to your left arm. 

“I see you’re up” voice booms, making their presence known. 

You turned to see Mirko, sitting on the couch, clad in civilian clothing. You blushed as her outfit consisted of a black leather jacket, accompanied by tight black jeans, a white v-neck shirt, and chunky leather shoes. To sum it all up, she looked delectable. You felt your cheeks warm at the sight of your hero crush. What was she doing here in the first place? Wasn't she supposed to be on patrol or something? What was she doing, wasting her time on a girl like yourself?

You cleared your throat before piping up. “W-why’re you here?” you questioned before quickly averting your gaze. 

“You saved my life, my little carrot” She started, standing up and making her way towards your bed. You felt yourself slightly flinch back, intimidated by both her figure and her aura. Mirko had an intense vibe that made you want to crawl into a hole and die. The way she carried herself was both overwhelming and admirable. She was just so captivating, it was like-

“Hey. Hey!” she snapped her fingers in your face. “What’s wrong carrot? Are you nervous? Last time I saw you, you were brimming with complete and utter confidence. Well, kinda, but you were still badass. Are you a badass or was that just a facade to impress lil ol’ me? Hm?” she teases, her face nearing yours. 

“I-I no! I mean y-yes! Um!” you felt yourself about to tear up from embarrassment. You were humiliating yourself in front of your favourite hero. You sputtered once more before deciding to just shut your mouth, staring at your lap where your hands were neatly folded. 

“What’s wrong carrot? Do I make you nervous?” she taunted. 

God, now you wanted to cry. 

 You felt your tears starting to arise, your throat closing up. Your lips were quivering. You tense your jaw to prevent any whimpers from slipping out, you didn’t want to embarrass yourself any further. Mirko's eyes almost bulged out of their sockets. She made her poor carrot cry! 

She immediately took your hands off of your lap, bringing one of your hands to rest against her soft cheek. She then gave your palm a soft kiss. “Don’t cry! I didn’t mean to tease ya that much!”. You just nodded as you felt yourself become light-headed at her actions. The Pro-Hero Mirko just kissed your palm. She just kissed your palm. You didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. 

You were unaware of how to act in front of her as you didn’t want to make a fool of yourself any further than today. You would always remember the time you embarrassed yourself in front of your hero crush. 

“What happened by the way? Why am I here?” you piped up, taking the time to admire her bright and shining face. 

“Well, I accidentally got thrown into your shop and got knocked out. You used your little vines to help me out! I passed out a little, but the villain came, and I tried to fight him, but before I could do some real damage, you stepped in and told us that you weren’t about to let us ruin your shop and apprehended the villain by yourself! I didn’t know you had it in ya! I was so surprised but I managed to knock out the fella! You also ended up passing out dear! I had to catch ya and carry you to the ambulance myself!” She grinned, playing with your fingertips. 

“I’m so sorry“ you cried, gripping tightly onto her fingers. “I didn’t mean to make your job harder for you! I‘m only nineteen and I don’t have enough money to repair any of the damages! Are there even damages? For sure there are!” you were about to cry again. Everything was just so overwhelming that your first reaction was to cry. 

You’ve only met Mirko and you’ve managed to embarrass yourself three times. 

“Don’t worry about it, carrot. I already took care of the damages, because I was the one who got thrown into your shop. Don’t worry about being a crybaby either. It’s cute” she gave you her signature toothy grin. 

“I-Thank you! Thank you so much Mirko-san!” You cried, bowing as low as you could in your state. 

“Don’t worry about it” she brushed off. 

“Please! I have to repay you somehow! I can give you a free produce? I can make your bread? I can't offer much” your brows furrowing. You wanted to repay her. 

“Yeah? I’ll think of something, cutie. Anyways, I gotta run, I’ll see you around yeah?” She quipped before making her way out of her room, giving you one last smile before exiting. 

You had it bad for her. For sure. 

___

It’s been a week since you were discharged from the hospital, you didn’t have any fatal wounds but was only admitted for overusing your quirk, you didn’t use your quirk for anything as exhausting as apprehending a criminal. 

You sighed as you continued to tend to your vegetables, already missing a certain someone’s presence. Meeting with her, even for such a short time was an experience. 

You clicked your tongue as you checked the time, you only had half an hour to make your way to work and set up your produce. 

You wondered if you would be able to see her again. 

You continued to bustle around, seeing Ms. Takeshi rushing inside. “Oh my goodness! Are you all right lovely? I heard about the attack! Thank goodness you’re okay!” she continued to check your body for any bruises or wounds, sighing in relief when she found none. 

“I’m fine Ms. Takeshi! I wasn’t attacked, a Pro got thrown into my shop.. and she saved me” your mind drifted to the memory of Mirko lunging at the criminal, putting her body in front of yours to shield you from any attacks. 

“She saved me” quipped up a voice. 

Both you and Ms. Takeshi had whipped your head around, seeing Mirko, clad in her hero costume with her hand on her hip. She smirked at your bewildered reaction before moving further into the store. 

“M-Mirko-san! What’re you doing here?”

“I don’t know, to be honest, I was in the area and I just missed your face” she walked around, admiring the large carrots you had grown in your garden. 

“Y-you missed me? I-I missed you too, M-Mirko-san..” you blushed, averting her piercing gaze. “You’re such a precious carrot, call me Rumi�� she offered, stretching her hand out to yours in a handshake, you hesitantly took it, noting how her hand dwarfs yours. 

“I couldn’t possibly!” releasing her hand. “Why not? We’re friends aren't we?” your eyes widened at her implication that you two had something more than just a fan and idol relationship.  

“I-I YES! Of course, we are!” you rushed, not wanting to upset her. If she was willing to call you her friend then who were you to disagree? Not everyone has the chance to be friends with their favourite idol. 

Ms. Takeshi smirked as she watched the exchange between the two, noting how each of them had quite a fond look in their eyes. She shook her head as she signalled you that she was about to leave, you gave her a hasty goodbye before going back to Mirko-- or Rumi, as she preferred. 

‘Those two are getting together’ Ms. Takeshi absently thought, smiling at the thought of you finally having the companion you deserved.

“This is a cute place ya got here, it's almost as cute as you” she flirted, smirking at your abashed expression. Normally you would have cringed at such a cheesy line, but to be honest, it hit a little different when it was Rumi who was saying it. “I’m not cute!” you huffed. You were a strong independent woman! You were not cute. 

As you continued to stew in your thoughts, Rumi proceeded with exploring your cute little shop, sampling some fruits as she passed by. “D’ya have any family here?” she queried, popping a plump, red strawberry in her mouth, almost gasping at the sweetness and freshness of the berry. “I don’t actually! I moved here just a year ago to start the shop I've been dreaming about ever since I was a kid!” you smiled, recalling the obstacles you had gone through to reach your goal. 

“That's good! It’s good to have goals you want to work towards, it keeps people motivated” 

“How about you Rumi-san? Do you have any family here?” you piped up, curious of her families’ whereabouts. Did she live here alone? There was only so much information that could be disclosed to the public about heroes and their personal lives. 

“They don’t live here. They’re back in my hometown. It’s nice living out here, I get to do what I want, save all the people I can, and kick as much as... Though, there are times where I miss my family... They’re a rambunctious and chaotic bunch I tell ya!” she chortled. 

You felt yourself melt at the very thought of Rumi with her family, playing and spending time with her small cousins/siblings. If someone were to describe the look on your face, they would have immediately said that you looked either lovesick or had heart eyes. You blushed at the thought of spending time with Rumi and just being gay <3 with each other. You honestly needed to get a love life, it isn’t normal to fantasize about your idol, especially when they’re right in front of you. 

Rumi noticed that you were mentally elsewhere, smiling at your dumbstruck expression. What were you thinking about that was more interesting than her? Was it perhaps Rumi herself? She shook her head, trying to disperse her somewhat indecent thoughts. It wasn’t proper to ogle or fantasize about your friend. 

“Hey, can I get your number?” she piped up, causing you to snap out of the internal conflict you were previously having about yourself. “W-what?” you stuttered, unbelieving of the fact that she, Usagiyama Rumi, had just asked for your number. Plain, old, little you! This was an absolute dream. 

You quickly nodded, having no words as you haven’t fully processed her question or the meaning of it. You struggled to extract your phone from the pocket of your overalls. Curse women's clothing and their tiny pockets! Rumi laughed at your struggles, loving at how you scrunch your cute little nose when you feel feelings of frustration. 

 “Aha! I got it!” you cheered, fist-pumping with your phone in your hand, before sheepishly handing your phone to her. Rumi raised a brow. “Is this me as your lock screen?” she smirked. 

At this point, you were begging the Gods, any God, to take your soul. You did not understand how you could have forgotten such a crucial thing! You were an idiot! A dumbass! 

“And, did you edit yourself in the picture so it looked like we took a picture together?” 

 You felt your brain short circuit. You froze up, unblinking and unbreathing. Rumi didn’t mean to tease you so much. You were just adorable! The fact that you had been too shy to ask her for a picture and kept the edited one as your lock screen amused her to no end. She just wanted to eat you up!

As she continued to gush about your cute habits and you in general, you were tearing yourself up inside. You thought you had changed your lock screen a few days ago! It was a picture of Rumi as well, but you weren’t included. She must think you’re desperate! Or a stalker. Or worse! A desperate stalker! 

“Lord, please take me” you whispered, hoping that someone would grant your wish this time. “What was that baby carrot? You want me to take you? I don’t mind, but I wanna get to know you better first”

Your jaw dropped at Rumi’s insinuation. “I’m kidding! You're adorable. C’mere” she beckoned, not wanting to keep her waiting you immediately made your way towards her side, her muscular arm scooping you up and pressing you against her warm body. 

“R-Rumi-san..! What are you doing?”

“Taking a picture ya dummy! Make this your lock screen okay? I want everyone to know” she winked. She pressed her face against yours before capturing a picture. You felt as if your face was on fire. She was smashed against you! “Hey, you okay with fanservice?” she asked, you nodded your head, curious of what she had under her sleeve. 

Rumi soon grabbed a hold of your chin before pressing her soft lips against the chub of your cheeks. She quickly snapped the picture, capturing your embarrassed face. She let go of you, opting to check the pictures to see if they had come outright. “You want one more baby carrot?” she mused, peering at your warmed face. 

You slowly nodded your head, she threw her head back and laughed, coming over once more and wrapping you in her arms. This time, she walked, well, more like waddled, as you were in her arms, to put your phone on the counter, setting the timer for three seconds. She hugged you tightly, resting her head on top of yours. 

Since she was already taking pictures, might as well request some poses right?

“Can we do peace signs? I… I like peace signs” you mumbled, twiddling with your thumbs. “Oh gosh, you're adorable!” she gushed. “Peace!” the both of you posed as the flash went off. 

You ran back to your phone, eager to see how the pictures had turned out while Rumi had stayed behind, watching your excited figure. Your eyes lit up as you examined the photos you both had taken. They were adorable! “Rumi-san looks very pretty” you mumbled, unaware that she was now peering over your shoulder and heard what you had said. 

“You gotta stop tempting me, baby carrot. As I said, I wanna get to know you better” she smiled. You blushed. This was the second time she had mentioned that. Does she like you as well? You felt a little bold so you decided to take your opportunity to fluster her as well. 

“If you wanna get to know me better, why not go to lunch with me?” you offered, slyly smiling at how her jaw was left ajar. “Y-You cheeky little brat! If you're free right now we can go but it’ll be my treat okay?” she insisted, raising her brow as if to say ‘are you going to say no to free food’. 

You nodded and agreed, who were you to say no to free food? Especially free food with your favourite hero/crush. She extended her hand towards you and you gladly took it, lacing your fingers with hers, loving how both of your hands fit perfectly within each other. 

“Let’s go baby carrot. I’ll make sure to feed you lots” 

___

“Nooo-- Rumi no more!”

“It’s okay carrot, I know you want more” she smirked

“I can’t! I-It’s too much” you moaned, rubbing your bloated stomach with both of your hands. Both of you had eaten too much chicken! Rumi decided to challenge you to an eating challenge, ordering a whole 10 piece box for each of you. That, plus the drinks and fries she had ordered on the side. 

“Awh you’re so cute, for sure you’ll be sleepy” she cooed, propping her chin upon her fist. “I’m thankful for you Rumi-san, but if I eat more, I’ll surely explode” you cried, wanting to just go home and nap. You closed your eyes and leaned back. You couldn’t even breathe properly anymore! She was going to stuff you full! [;)]

“Hye, carrot. I gotta ask since I want both of us to be on the same page. Was this a date? I mean, would you consider this a date?” she sheepishly asked, bringing warmth to your cheeks. You didn't perceive this as a date, since you two never really outright stated it was a date, but it did seem date-ish. 

Rumi watched as you struggled to come up with an answer. “Ah! I didn’t mean to pressure you carrot! I’m sorry! I-I just really like you, and if you didn’t consider this as a date, I would like to take you out--that's only if you agree! As I said, no pressure cutie”

What was she talking about? This was so much pressure! On the bright side, your crush likes you back. This was a miracle! She was famous on top of that1 not that you liked her for her popularity, but she could have anyone, and she chose you! You had to thank which God was looking out for you, or if it was just your luck. Either way, you’ve been manifesting this for some time. Not exactly this situation, but you had actively been looking for a partner, a female partner at that. You didn’t want anything serious, shoutout to Ms. Takeshi though, she was trying at least. 

“I like you Rumi-san and I considered this as a date! And.. and I want to go on more dates with you!” you nearly yelled, causing some heads to turn. This had caused Rumi to gasp, scrambling out of her chair to sit beside you and engulf you in her arms, nuzzling her soft cheek against yours. 

“You’re so cute! I swear! Let me take you home! I just wanna eat you!” she gushed, uncaring of the peering eyes in the restaurant who had been watching the whole exchange. “R-Rumi-san! How lewd!” you grimaced. sure was a handful. 

“I’m sorry, cutie! I just can’t help it! You make me wanna go feral” she growled the last bit, feeling a coil in your lower tummy tighten. What was she doing to you? Did someone hit you with a quirk? This was crazy! 

“Hey, don’t think too much about it. You and I are going to get to know each other better okay? Okay, carrot?” She grinned, peeking down at your flustered expression. This was going to be something else. 

___

Lately, you and Rumi have gotten closer. You both had started to frequently text and call each other, though you have been a little timid during phone calls. They were mostly carried by Rumi and her extroverted personality. You hope she knew that you were just shy and that you weren’t losing interest in her. 

Your relationship with Rumi had no label, at least for now. You both decided that it would be wise to learn about each other before making rash decisions. Especially you. You had a habit of running off in tandem and making yourself worry about scenarios that have zero percent of happening. Good thing Rumi was there to calm your nerves.

You were so immersed in your thoughts that you had failed to notice the stop sign in front of you, promptly running into it and talking on your butt. Luckily, nobody except a small child had seen you embarrass yourself. That’s what you thought at least, until—

“Baby carrot! Are you alright?! My poor little carrot didn’t see the stop sign! Are you okay? Do you need to be taken to the hospital? I can take you!” She rambled as she checked your body for any extensive injuries, sliding her hands down the curve of your ass in the process. You didn’t wanna go to the hospital as you would be an unnecessary burden to all the medical staff. It was still better to be safe than sorry. 

She was a different breed. 

“I can’t help it, I just.. I care about you” she murmured, facing off to the side to hide her warming cheeks from your view. She was adorable! Is this what she felt when she saw you blush? It was a nice feeling. Like eating really good food. Rumi blushing was good food. 

“Well, um, if you don't wanna go to the hospital, do you just want to come over for dinner or something?” she offered. “Aren’t you patrolling right now Rumi-san? I would hate to impose and possibly get you in trouble with your work” you sheepishly looked away from her gaze, unable to compete with the intensity her eyes hold, as if she wasn't a quivering little mess two seconds ago as well. 

“Nah. I can get someone to cover for me. Let me call them right now so that I can put your mind at ease yeah?” she detached herself from you and went to grab her phone strapped on the side of her somewhat revealing hero costume. You never really noticed it but Rumi’s costume was, how do you say this, very sexy. At least to you. 

You shook your head as dirty thoughts soon started to fill your head. This was wrong! Rumi-san is a strong beautiful woman who shouldn’t be objectified! She does not deserve that! Though she looked very beautiful in it, that was for sure. 

As you continued to have another internal battle with yourself, Rumi had already dialled Hawks’ number. 

“Yo Hawks! It's Mirko! I need a favour!”

“What is it?”

“Please cover for me. I’m on patrol and I just asked my crush out for dinner at my place but she’s iffy because she doesn’t want me to get in trouble for ditching my patrol--”

“You are ditching your patrol though” he replied. Rumi can already see Hawks using this against her. 

“PLEASE! She’s so beautiful and I like her so much” Rumi practically begged.

“Fine, but I’m doing this because you’ve never seemed so serious for anyone before and I’m happy for you. You don’t have to owe me” he sighed, but Rumi knew that he didn’t mind at all. 

“Thank you so much! Bye! Muah!” she yelled, before facing you. “Hey little carrot, you can come over! I told you my friend was gonna cover me” she smiled, her shiny teeth showing. “I-I..let’s go!” you blushed, wanting to be able to hide your cheeks from her. 

“H-Hey, slow down! Plus I haven’t got any ingredients! We gotta go shopping first!” 

“S-shopping? Together? That’s quite domestic” 

“Better get used to it”

___

“Are you allergic to anything my little carrot?” she questioned, wanting to know which ingredients she should take. “Ah! I’m allergic to shellfish” you mentioned. “I get hives and sometimes my throat closes up”. You stressed that your allergy wasn’t a big deal, but Rumi thought otherwise. “Hm, no seafood then” she pondered on what to get next. “How about pasta?” 

“Oh-I still eat shellfish, but just not often” you spoke, hoping she would overlook this small thing. “That’s not good carrot! You can die like that!” she yelled, catching the attention of most of the customers within the vicinity. “R-Rum-san! Not so loud!” you mumbled, tugging onto the fabric of her hero costume. “I’m okay Rumi-san! I promise!” 

Her concern for you was adorable. Nobody had ever really cared for you like this. You knew your limits and everything, and everyone knew as well, but it was a nice change. The way Rumi cared for you gave your tummy butterflies. Her smile, the way she spoke. You might be in love. For sure, it’s too soon to tell. You’ve also never felt love other than familial love or love for your friends, but you were sure this was love. 

You haven't known Rumi for a long time, but love isn’t about the time you spend, it’s the experiences you both share. If you could describe the way you felt in a word, it would be love. The way Rumi plagued your mind 24/7, the way you felt your heartbeat a little harder than it usually does. This felt like love. Of course, you weren’t about to tell her, but you already had a love for her from the beginning. It had just grown into something more than idolization for her the more you got to know her. Loving Rumi gave you absolute euphoria. Even if her feelings for you were platonic. 

“Hey, baby carrot? Let’s go?” she asked, already pulling you towards the exit of the store, waving at some fans who had called out her name. 

You were still lost in thought. You never understood why she was attracted to you, it wasn’t love, but even her attraction was questionable. To you, it seemed like a whole joke. The fact that your idol even offered to cook for you was baffling, not even that, the fact that she even spoke to you was a miracle itself. You felt tears well up in your eyes. There was just no way that Rumi would actually like you. 

Too lost in your head, you bumped into Rumi who had suddenly stopped, though she wasn’t facing you. She tightened her grip on your hand “I can smell your tears, why are you crying Y/n?” she whispered before whipping around to face you. Her face was riddled with sadness, her ears flopping down at the sides of her face. “D-Did I do something?” she stuttered. She loosened her grip on your hand, letting go completely. 

You felt your heartthrob in your chest. That was the exact opposite! You were crying because you were happy with her, too happy almost. You never wanted it to end. You sobbed a little harder before running to her, burying your face into her chest. Her arms wrapped around you, rubbing your back and pressing soft kisses on the crown of your head.

“I’m sorry! I’m a crybaby! I was crying because spending time with you made me happy! Very happy! I don’t want it to stop! I wanna stay with you forever Rumi-san!” you cried, hugging her tighter as if she was about to evaporate into thin air and never come back. “Baby... I...Can I kiss you?” she whispered, bringing her warm hand to rest upon your tear-stained cheek.  

Your eyes widened. Did she want to kiss you? Well, who were you to deny her? You nodded your head and shut your eyes, feeling the press of her lips against yours. She pressed multiple kisses against your lip before swiping her tongue against your bottom lip, causing you to let out a soft whimper at the contact. 

She grinned and did it once more, this time letting go of the groceries in her hand before pressing you into the bricked walls of the alleyway. Rumi had her hand on your hip and the other against your cheek, your arms wrapped around her and tangled in her soft, silky hair. You moaned as she pried her way into your mouth, exploring it with her tongue before you let out a whine that caught her attention. 

She pulled away to see the work she had done, she had left you flustered and fucked out, just from a kiss. She leaned over to press another soft kiss onto your lips before slowly pulling away again. “I like you, so please believe me when I say so. I want to have more good memories with you. Don’t cry okay? You have me, and I’ll never let go” she whispered before rubbing her nose against yours.  

You giggled as she pulled away, almost surprising her. It was stupid of you to think so negatively. You knew that Rumi would never do anything to hurt you, well, not on purpose at least. You nodded before picking up the groceries on the floor. You smiled. “Let’s go home, Rumi-san”

Her eyes sparkled at the fact that you had called her apartment “home”. She quickly nodded before helping you with the bags, opting to hold all with her one hand so that she could use the other to hold yours. 

___

“We’re finally here!” yelled, making her way to the kitchen to drop off the groceries, you took off your shoes before entering and following her. Her apartment was pretty luxurious. It was one of those gated places that needed I.D and permission to enter, in other words, it was high end. It was to be expected honestly, she was a very famous hero who had some very..determined fans.

Her apartment was mostly white, it didn’t have that many decorations, mostly since Rumi was quite a simple person who had no desire for such things. She did have matching furniture though. You walked through the living room, taking a moment to gaze at her white and grey furniture. It all matched! She had a knack for interior design. If she wasn’t a pro, she would have made some money off being an interior designer.

You finally made your way into the kitchen. Seeing Rumi already putting the groceries away, setting out the ingredients. You gaped at the various ingredients laid out on the counter, why hadn’t you noticed the number of ingredients she had picked up?! There were quite a few.

“Rumi-san? Why’d you get so many ingredients?” you queried, tilting your head to the side in confusion. “Cuz! We’re gonna make a lot of food!” she cheered, raising her fist that was currently holding a pork bun, slightly squishing it and slightly deforming it. 

“R-Rumi-san the pork bun!”

“Oh, haha! Sorry about that baby carrot” she apologized before splitting it in half and pressing it against your lips. Did she want to share? A-And feed you as well? You couldn’t refuse so you shyly took a bite, taking a small piece of the pork bun in your mouth and chewing. You moaned at the wonderful flavours dancing on your tastebuds, this tasted so good! It was still quite warm as well. 

As the both of you continued to stand in eat in the kitchen, neither of you noticed a familiar flying birdman hovering above the balcony, peering at the both of you with a happy smile on his face before flying away. 

“She’s lucky she has me as her friend” Hawks laughed as he continued his patrol. Hopping off of the balcony and flying away like a little weird fairy man. 

___

You both had finished cooking, there was a surprising amount of dishes you two had made. Your meal consisted of a wide but healthy assortment of dishes. It was no surprise that Rumi cared about what she was putting inside her body. 

“Come on baby carrot, let's go eat yeah?” 

You nodded and brought as many plates as you could to the counter, pulling up a chair while Rumi took a chair to sit beside you, promptly digging into her food. “This is so yummy! Where did you learn how to cook like this? I’m not a bad cook myself--” that much was obvious, “-but you cook well carrot!” she gushed, quickly swallowing the food in her mouth. 

“Ah-you're giving me too much credit Rumi-san!” you cried. Your cooking was mediocre at best and she was likely just gassing you to make you feel better. You were unsure of why she was hyping you up, though, you weren’t going to question it. Your mind suddenly drifted back to the kiss you both shared, heat rising onto your cheeks. 

You slapped your cheeks, trying to get any indecent thoughts to exit your head. This caused Rumi to laugh and take another bite of her food, used to your unusual behaviour already. You blushed, though this time, you were less embarrassed than usual. If she had already liked you after knowing you were weird, then why hold back?

“Hey baby carrot, why do you call me Rumi-san? It just seems a little too formal.. and I wanted us to be a little closer than that? I mean, I have a nickname for you” 

This wasn’t the first time that you had thought of giving her a nickname. You were nervous as to what she would say about it. Would she think it was stupid? Would she hate it? Would she make fun of you for it? Of course not, but your thoughts were going a mile a minute and you didn’t have any time to filter them out. 

“I’ll think of one for you, but please give me some time to do so!” 

“Of course baby carrot” she replied before quickly getting back to eating as she motioned for you to do the same. 

The both of you had just finished eating, already washing the remaining dirty dishes, including the pots and pad you had both used to cook. It was quite a domestic and intimate sight. Both of you, side by side. Both washing the dishes. and the other drying. 

As of right now. You were in complete and utter bliss. You’ve had a taste of euphoria and that was Rumi. It was amazing how one person could affect another so much. 

“Hey, it’s getting late. Do you wanna sleep here?” She piled up. Drying a plate before placing it on the dish rack. Meanwhile. Your mind was once again in distress. Why was she so casual about these types of things? Of course, you wanted to sleep beside her, and cuddle close to her, and gee her soft skin brush against yours, and—you get the idea. 

You were a bit hesitant as you didn’t want to overstay your welcome or burden her even further. No matter what she said, you knew that a hero wouldn’t be able to drop their patrol just on the dot. She broke the rules and you knew it. You didn’t want her to be making reckless decisions just because of you! 

“I-I... Am I already overstaying my welcome,” you asked, trying to make sure she wanted this and that she didn’t feel obligated to let you stay for whatever reason? You just wanted a good reason for you to be here. 

“It’s late. I would walk you home to ensure your safety, but right now, there’s a lot of villains lurking and to be honest, I’m not sure if I can take them all while protecting you at the same time” 

She wasn’t lying. If it was just her. For sure she’d be able to go all out and defeat as many villains as she could. She was in the top fen for heaven’s sake! She was just afraid that you’d get caught in the crossfire and end up injured, kidnapped, or worse, dead. 

“Oh.. okay” you mumbled, finishing up washing the dishes. Right now. You were unsure of what to do, she was still unfinished with drying the dishes and had suggested you slept over. Sure you trusted her, but, were you ready to sleep beside her? Were you ready to let her head you snore? Were you ready to let her see your horrible bedhead in the morning? Quite frankly, you were unsure if you were ready at all. 

“But if you want to, I can take you home, it’s your choice. I’ll gladly defend you and protect you carrot” she had quite the facial expression. You could tell that she was determined. Her sheer determination was held in her eyes, her lips pulled up in a smirk and her eyebrows furrowed. 

“I don’t want to be more of an inconvenience, so I’ll just choose the less inconvenient option. I’ll sleep here tonight but I’m taking the couch” you announced. She was going to take it or leave it! You were not going to go into her private space and make her share her rooms and bed. 

“Fine. But. Please feel free to move inside if you’re uncomfortable. I know that couch seems like a good couch to sleep one, but it’s only good for sitting really. More like decoration if you were going, to be honest. 

“Fine, but I promise that I won’t!” you stubbornly added. Wanting to make sure that she understood that you weren’t going to sleep beside her. You were fine sleeping on the couch and she had to understand that! She smiled before giving you a change of clothes, some pillows and blankets, including a spare toothbrush. 

“I’ll be in my room okay? Goodnight carrot” she bid you goodnight before entering her room, not fully shutting it. You fixed up the couch before making your way into the bathroom, passing by Rumi’s bedroom and seeing her shadow move around as her door was left ajar. You changed your clothes and cleaned up, getting ready to take your place on the couch. 

You charged your phone and closed your eyes, waiting to drift off into sleep. 

___

You screamed as you were being chased by a villain, it was in the early hours of the morning, you could tell as the sun was coming up and it just had that morning vibe. You were used to getting up this early and were familiar with it. What you failed to comprehend was why a villain was chasing you? 

It seemed as if it was only about five a.m or six a.m at the latest, but surely by now, there would have been cars driving around. You peeked behind you and saw that the villain had caught up, as he was about to grab you, you suddenly fell off a cliff, your stomach-dropping, your voice stuck in your throat before letting out a shriek and waking up in a cold sweat. What type of dream was that?

“Baby carrot! Are you alright?” said a worried Rumi who already had a glass of water at your side. You tried to take the cup from her but she noticed how shaky your hands were and decided that it would be best to help you drink herself. You slowly gulped down the water, not wanting to choke. You were heaving for air after drinking, maybe you didn’t slow down as much as you had needed to. 

“I-I had a bad dream! I was being chased by a villain and I was all alone! Then when he was about to catch me, I fell off of a cliff!” you explained, recalling the haunting images of the unknown man who had almost caught you. Rumi wrapped her arms around you and had placed you onto her lap, patting your head and rubbing your hands to comfort you. 

“How about you sleep in my room and I sleep here? Are you comfortable with that?” she whispered, not wanting to startle you while in such a vulnerable state. 

“No.. please stay beside me bun. I wanna sleep beside you if that’s all right” you blushed, averting her gaze as you were embarrassed to have mentioned the nickname you had been thinking about for her. It was something you had been thinking about and whilst being cliche, it still suited her quite well. 

“B-Bun? That's such a cute nickname! A little cliche, but still cute! I love it so much and I’m so happy that my cute little carrot thought of it for me!” she gushed, holding you even tighter against your body, almost squeezing the life out of you. 

“I’m glad you like it bun”

“I do carrot. Let’s go to bed now yeah?” she offered, placing your figure down on the couch before straightening herself out and standing up, stretching her arm your in your direction, asking you to take it. You gladly placed your hand in hers, pushing yourself up and sticking beside her as you both made your way to the bed. 

Rumi let go of your hand and made herself comfortable on the bed, making space for you as she moved the large and fluffy comforter and patted the spot, beckoning you to come to take your place beside her. You reluctantly sat on the bed before fully laying flat on your back, awkward and unmoving as you felt Rumi’s eyes on your still figure. 

“You can turn on your side and face me y’ know” she piped up. 

“I’m nervous” you admitted, not wanting to gaze into her eyes. 

Rumi laughed before placing her hand on your cheek, coercing you into facing her direction. You hesitantly obliged and turned your whole body to face her, still avoiding her piercing eyes. She laughed once more before inching her face closer to yours, both of your lips just an inch away from each other. 

“Don’t be a nervous baby carrot, it’s only me” she reassured, stroking the chub of your cheek while you relished in the feeling of the soft pads of her fingers stroking your face. You placed your hand on top of Rumi’s, pressing your face even harder against her palm. Rubbing your cheek against her warm hand. 

“Can I kiss you bun? I wanna kiss you so badly” you softly whined, feeling yourself in the hands of Rumi. Instead of replying she decided to just press her lips against yours, moaning at the feeling of your soft plush lips. 

“Baby carrot” she whimpered, pulling you impossible closer to her, your chests and thighs pressed against each other. You felt arousal consume your whole body, a tight coil forming in your stomach. You whimpered needlessly as Rumi sucked your tongue while wrapping your leg around her hip, placing her hand on the curve of your ass. 

You continued to whine and moan as Rumi caressed your body, her tongue pulling you in and leaving you in a trance. You pulled away, feeling yourself get lost in Rumi herself. 

“If we continued any longer, I would’ve passed out for sure” you sighed, pressing soft kisses on her lips and moving to scatter kisses on her cheeks. She closed her eyes, relishing in the pleasure of you peppering her face with soft kisses. “That’s okay baby carrot, we’ll take it to slow okay?” she took her turn at peppering your cheeks with kisses, making sure to kiss each untouched spot. 

“I like you” you confessed, this time using the courage that had magically shown up to your advantage. You swiped the hair out of her face, wanting to see her. “I like you more,” she replied, kissing the tip of your nose. 

 ___

“Ah~ This is the life! Getting your hair braided by a cute girl while she feeds you!: she chortled, leaning back into your lap as you continued to braid small pieces of her hair while taking small breaks to grab the chopsticks and feed her. You enjoyed watching Rumi relax and eat. It was somewhat satisfying. 

“Don’t you have work today bun?” you asked, feeling much more comfortable than you were from before. After you had spent the night at her place, your relationship with her had only gotten stronger. You felt closer than ever and felt as if nothing could break the pair of you up.

“Nah baby carrot, this is a once in a lifetime thing us heroes call a ‘day off’” she joked, looking behind to face you. “But I’ll be busy this week okay? I don’t want you to worry so I’m just letting you know that I’ll be on the down-low”

It was quite upsetting to see your crush? Girlfriend? Partner? You didn’t even know what to call her. The both of you still hadn’t put a label on your relationship, not that it was a problem, but you wanted to know if she was in it for the long ride or if this was something casual. If it was something casual you would prefer to break it off. You didn’t appreciate sharing your significant other with anyone. 

“Okay bun, I’ll wait for you” you had just settled on something simple, though Rumi saw through your facade and saw that you were somewhat upset by her incoming absence. She just turned around and hugged you, hoping it would give you some type of comfort for your oncoming lonely days without her. 

___

It had been a week since you had seen or heard from Rumi. While she was away, you had busied yourself with tending to your garden, your customers, and practicing baking pastries. You had quite a lot to do. At the moment, you were currently picking some ripe strawberries as you were planning to make some strawberry shortcake, seeing as you had never properly tried it before. 

As you picked the last strawberry, you had noticed it was a mutated one. It was huge! It seemed like it was about three to four normal strawberries combined into one! It fits in the palm of your hand! While you were distracted, you failed to feel your phone vibrate in the pocket of your overalls. 

You made your way inside of your small home and placed the freshly picked basket of fruits on the counter and washed your hands in the sink. After drying your hands, you took your phone out to see a text from Rumi. 

From: bun<3

I’ll be coming home today. I miss you

7:24

Her text made your heart flutter. Even if it was simple, it still filled you with love and affection. Anything Rumi did was amazing in your eyes. It was quite pathetic really, but that’s what love did to people sometimes.  

You decided that this would be a good time to drop by and give her some love and affection with some food included. You smiled as you imagined the happy face that would be present on Rumi’s face when she saw you. She was for sure going to be happy!

You felt yourself starting to feel giddy. This was going to be a good day!

___

You were wrong, dead wrong. Going to Rumi’s house had been a horrible decision. 

You had decided that after closing up the shop, you would make your way to Rumi’s and bring her food. You wanted to show her how much you had missed her, but you mostly wanted to spend time with her. She was always around and made sure to check up on you and your shoot during her patrols. If she wasn’t in the area, she’d send one of her sidekicks in her place.

When you had gotten to Rumi’s place, she still wasn’t home, giving you time to set up a nice dinner for her before she had gotten home. You had prepared some fried rice along with stir-fried vegetables, knowing that she enjoyed a healthy balanced meal, especially after a hard mission. You smiled once again, you were excited to see her again. You just wanted to take her in your arms and love her the way you wanted to. She wasn’t aware, but you were completely and utterly in love with her.

As time went by, it became easier and easier to admit your feelings for Rumi to yourself. Before, you would blush and stutter at the thought of it, but now, you were able to say it to yourself, but sadly not to Rumi. Not yet, at least. 

You heard the front door slam open before hearing a familiar pair of feet stomp inside before hearing the door slam shut. You heard Rumi stomp her way to the kitchen, her brows furrowed and her eyes filled with anger. She didn’t even spare you a glance before placing her keys on the counter and making her way into the bedroom and slamming it shut. 

You sat down on the counter, hoping that she just needed time to relax before spending quality time with you. You waited, and you waited. It had already been an hour and the food had gone cold. The vegetables were cold and hard, as well as the rice. You decided to place everything in a counter before cleaning up. You knew that she was just upset and needed time for herself.

You made your way to the front door, making sure to shut all the necessary lights as it was already nearing midnight. You didn’t wanna upset her any further by overstaying your welcome. Usually, you would have asked to spend the night, but it didn’t seem like Rumi was in the mood for head pats and cuddles. 

You smacked your head with your palm, already putting on your shoes but you had stupidly forgotten about your phone which you had tossed on the couch when you had first arrived. You took off your shoes once more before stepping back into the living room, knowing how disrespectful it was to walk into someone's home with shoes on, especially dirty shoes. 

You made your way to the couch before picking up your phone, seeing two different texts from Rumi before she had gotten home. 

From: bun <3

I’m really upset, usually, I’d love for you to visit but I just want to be alone. I hope you understand. 

10:23

From: bun<3

We can go out tomorrow if you’d like? I miss you carrot

10:26

You were an idiot. An actual idiot. At that time, you were already setting the table as you had closed the shop at eight, having only two hours to cook Rumi a proper meal before her arrival. You should have just left her alone. Now she thinks that you ignored her texts and invited yourself into her home anyways.

You sighed before plopping your phone down on the cushion beside you, placing your arm over your eyes, wanting to just go home and sleep. You should probably make your way home now. It was already getting late. You sat up, making a move to get up off of the couch when Rumi’s bedroom door slammed shut. A pair of feet dragging down the hallway as she made herself known in the living room, standing barely two feet away from you. 

Your jaw was left hanging. You were unsure of what to say? Would she be upset? Would she kick you out? Before you could come up with any more anxiety-inducing thoughts, Rumi had chosen to interrupt you before you had gone any further. 

“Why’re you still here? I thought I made it clear that I wanted to be alone. Do you not know how to use your head?” she sassed, moving around the coffee table to walk towards the kitchen. While she was in the kitchen, you remained glued to the couch. Appalled at the words that had just exited her mouth. 

“I-I” you stuttered, unable to formulate a proper response under her piercing gaze from where she stood in the kitchen. 

“What? Are you just going to stutter and babble like a dumbass? I asked you if you could use your head or not. I’m not sure how clear I could have made this, but I did not want to see you today. I had a shitty mission and all I wanted to do was come home and relax. Instead, I come home to you, doing God knows what in the kitchen! Have you no boundaries? Can your pea-sized brain even comprehend boundaries?” she mocked, harsh words spouting from her mouth as if her mouth was a fountain of curses. “Fucking idiot” she mumbled under her breath. 

You wanted to cry. This time, you had a good reason. You hadn’t expected Rumi to be this upset with you. You had good intentions but you didn’t mean to overstep. You had only wanted to let her know that you had missed her. 

You nodded, opting to stare at your hands that were neatly folded in your lap instead of defending yourself. You probably deserved this anyways. It would be over soon, you just had to suck it up and tough it out. You did put yourself in this situation in the first place. 

“Nothing to say? You’re dumber than I thought” she hissed. 

“You’re going too far Rumi-san. I never intended to step over any boundaries. I was already here before you texted me because I wanted to make sure that you could easily relax when you got home. I wanted to cook for you and take care of you—“ you cried, your tears finally sliding down your cheeks “—I didn’t mean to overstep. But you insulting my intelligence and my mannerisms is too far. You’re being disrespectful and I don’t like that. Don’t take your anger out on me” you scolded, staring at her with such an intense and almost hateful gaze.

You could never hate Rumi, but the words she had spoken to you were something that you were going to remember for the rest of your life, you knew that this would haunt you forever and probably give you nightmares. 

Her face faltered. Your words had finally been processed in her head. Sometimes Rumi acted before thinking. It was one of her lesser traits but you grew to love it anyway. 

It was quite surprising how you were able to defend yourself without bursting into tears, probably because this was the one person whom you had never expected to blow upon you--to take their anger out on you. 

“If you never liked me, then why did you lead me on? What was the whole point of this? You wasted my time, and yours as well” You spat, finally allowing your tears to cascade down your cheeks. “You are a horrible person Usagiyama Rumi.” you spat with venom before taking the rest of your things and walking past her, stopping at the door to say “Delete my number”

You understood that you had done something wrong, but the fact that she had degraded you and insulted you was just immature. You wiped the tears off of your face, upset at the fact that she thought that was okay. Had she always thought this way? Was she just playing you? Your mind was just running amok and you didn’t have anyone to calm you down. 

Luckily, you had safely made it home, encountering no villains or criminals during your journey home. When you had gotten home, you had thrown yourself in bed, not even bothering to change your clothes or clean up. You cried yourself to sleep that night, your anxiety and insecurities weighing down on your shoulders. 

___

It had been a few days after your encounter with Rumi. You had muted her texts and calls, not having the heart to block her and fully eliminate her from your life just yet. You sighed once more, picking the rest of the carrots and taking them back inside to wash. It was almost time to open up the store. 

It had been quite a rough week, you spent most of your week crying, thus resulting in red puffy eyes. It still hurt to touch or rub them. You probably looked stupid, and it was probably noticed that you had been crying. 

You chose to wear glasses today, hoping that it would hide your tired and puffy eyes, not wanting your customers to worry about your wellbeing, especially Ms. Takeshi. She was quite old and you did not need her to worry about you as if you were one of her children, of course, you thought of her as a mom but you didn’t wanna burden her with your problems. 

Hopefully, today will be a better day for you and your fruits and vegetables. 

___

“She’s not answering me Keigo! I’m getting nervous!” Rumi whined, feeling slightly queasy.     

“She probably blocked you” he laughed, finding some amusement in his friend's pain. It was quite sadistic but this was Keigo we’re talking about. It wasn’t rare to see him finding amusement in fucked up things. It was just how he worked. 

“But my texts are still going in! I keep trying to apologize but she keeps ignoring me” she whined, flopping on her back and tossing her phone away from her. They were both currently on patrol, sitting atop of a building somewhere in the city. Both of them were currently situated on top of the building a few buildings away from your shop, your little building of establishment visible. 

“If you did that to me, ridiculed and degraded me, you would never hear from me again. I’m not surprised by her actions Rumi. She was a great girl and sorry to say it, but you fucked up. Real bad.” he continued, wanting his companion to realize how badly she had fucked up. 

“You don’t have to tell me okay?” she grumbled, starting to feel irritation seep into her veins while her supposed friend continued to bring up her mistakes. 

“Yeah, but you still gotta apologize anyways” he blew a piece of flyaway hair out of his face before continuing. “Why’d you do that anyway? Were you just leading her on or something? Cuz that’s mean” Keigo teased, adding more salt to her open wound. 

“I-I was frustrated. One of the younger heroes got killed. A bunch of civilians too. I felt so fucking useless. I was useless. I didn’t save anyone. I may have kicked ass, but that’s not what being a hero is all about. Being a hero is about saving as many lives as you can. I saved nobodies. I just wanted to be alone and I told her that, but I guess she didn’t see. When I saw her at my place, I just left her for a while. I didn’t talk to her--” she sighed. 

“Then I came out and she was just sitting on the couch. I don’t know what overcame me. I just lost it. What I did wasn’t right and I have to earn her forgiveness, but I’m not even sure she’ll let me. I hurt her so fucking bad Keigo” she sighed, placing her arm on her face, shielding herself from Keigo’s pitying gaze. 

Keigo tsked before getting up, shaking his head in disapproval. “I got a plan for you bunny girl, don’t worry about it. Just make sure that you have something nice planned for tomorrow, and dress nice too. Just leave it to me. I’ll help ya. Believe it.”

“Naruto?”

“Shut up”

___

As you were exiting the shop, you encountered a familiar winged hero, stopping at the magnificent sight of his wings. “Hawks?” you squinted, almost thinking you were dreaming, fast asleep on top of the counter in your shop. 

“Hey birdy, how are ya?” he greeted, stepping a little closer to you. 

“I’m okay. I’m sorry, I’m closing the shop right now but if you want anything, I can open it back up? They won’t be as fresh as it’s already late, but I can fix them up with my quirk!” you explained, already digging for the key in your pocket. 

“Nah baby I’m okay, don’t worry about me. I was just wondering if I could take you out? Maybe for coffee?” he asked, scratching the back of his neck. You blushed. What did he want with you? Was he playing with you? Was this a ploy to get you back with Rumi when you hadn’t even established a proper relationship with her?

“O-Okay, I don’t mind” you stuttered, blushing at the fact that he wanted to take you out. This still must have been a play, but this was still the Pro-Hero Hawks! This was an opportunity you couldn’t miss due to your stubborn and prideful personality!

“Come here baby bird, we’re flying” he smiled, wrapping his arms around your waist before taking off, launching the both of you into the air. You screamed as you both flew up, not used to flying. 

“Um… Hawks-san... Why did you want to talk? I’ve never spoken to me before” you started, clutching his arm a little harder as he weaved the both of you through the city. “I’ll talk at the coffee shop okay? I promise.” he smiled.

You nodded, not wanting to pry any further as you didn’t want to overstep your boundaries once more. 

___

“Look, Rumi misses you kid.” he started, scratching the back of his head, mussing up his already wind-swept hair. “I KNEW IT!” you cried, slamming your frappuccino that he oh so kindly bought for you on the table, startling Hawks and the few customers in the joint. 

“I know she’s sorry. I’ve seen her. She’s messed up right now. I know what she did was shitty but you gotta give her another chance kid.” he nearly begged, grasping at your hands. You scowled. How dare he? What did he know? 

”Is that supposed to make me pity her? She knows what she did. And, with all due respect, you shouldn't even be trying to apologize for her in the first place, Hawks-san” you seethed, letting go of his hands and balling yours into fists. You were irritated. 

”Look, I know how badly she fucked up. If it was me, I wouldn't even waste my time with her. But that's me, and this is you. I know you’re in love with her baby bird. Please don't give up on her just because of one fight. All couples fight and all couples are toxic in their own ways. You just have to communicate.” he smiled. 

”F-Fine! But… Please don't mention my feelings for her! That's just embarrassing!” you yelled, hiding your heating face into the palms of your hand. Hawks smiled again before getting up, beckoning for you to follow him. 

Hawks was quite surprised at your willingness to accompany him to meet Rumi. he expected you to be either hesitant or just reject his proposal and leave Rumi in the dust. He smiled once more, you had strong feelings for her, that was a guarantee. 

But, it was now or never. 

Hawks had flown the both of you on top of this building a few ways away from your shop. Your shop was actually visible from here! As Hawks set you down, he motioned for you to turn around, you obeyed, only to see Rumi standing there, holding a bouquet of white orchids. You recognized them as the ‘I’m sorry flowers’. You scoffed. Did she think you were going to be bought by flowers? 

Maybe. 

You felt your cheeks heating up at the sight of Rumi. She still wore her normal clothes, but for some reason, she looks even more attractive than she did before. Of course, she was attractive but it felt as if her attractiveness doubled. Or was that just because you haven’t seen her for some time? People did say that absence makes the heart grow fonder. 

Rumi approached you before trying to nudge the flowers in your hands. You reluctantly took them, not wanting to rub any more salt onto her wounds. You knew that what she had done was wrong and disrespectful, but you understood that sometimes people snapped. Anger was a human emotion, though she just didn't deal with it very well.  

“I’m sorry carrot. I disrespected you and called you names. I made fun of your intelligence even though you’re one of the smartest, prettiest, and most creative people I’ve had the pleasure of meeting. I know that I can’t make excuses, but I know what I can do is try my best to get you to forgive me and regain your trust” she softly spoke, staring lovingly into your eyes. 

You felt tears well up in your eyes. You knew she was sorry, but you still felt hurt by her words. She may have just said it out of anger and to hurt you, but it still hurt. There was the intention with her words. You knew and felt it. You knew that you would be able to forgive her but when things like this happened, it turned you off. 

Though, this case is special. You should’ve checked your phone and asked for permission to go inside her home in the first place. Your fault may not have been as serious or as severe as hers, but you weren’t going to let her shoulder all of the blame. 

You placed the flowers down on the floor, resulting in you worrying Rumi in the process. Were you going to leave? Did you not accept her apology? Did you hate her? Did you never want to see her again? Were you ever going to forgive her? Rumi could feel her heartbeat pounding in her ears, anxiety bubbling up inside her. She was suddenly overcome with an urge to hurl. Before she could even gag, you had already thrown yourself in her arms, wrapping your arms around your neck whilst your legs did the same to her waist. 

“I accept your apology! I’m sorry too! I didn’t mean to ignore my texts! Please take me back! I love you so much bun bun!” you sobbed, grasping her even tighter, unaware of what you had just spoken. You heard Rumi let out a laugh of disbelief. 

She pulled away to gaze at your crying face, feeling herself fall even harder for the crybaby right in front of her. She smiled before slamming her lips against yours, quickly dipping her tongue inside of your mouth. Your eyes widened at the surprise kiss before you slowly melted into it, using your tongue to caress hers, pulling her in even further into you. 

As you and Rumi made out, Hawks stood there. He literally just stood there. “H-Hey Rumi! I thought you said I would be eating dinner with you guys” he tried to gain their attention, even sending some of his feathers to them, trying to separate them from each other. 

But, Rumi just shooed him away, leaving Hawks to sadly walk away. As Hawks flew off of the building, his one thought was ‘when will I meet my someone?’. He sighed and continued his flight home. He would meet his soulmate one day. That was for sure. 

“Rumi, do you love me back?” you asked, wanting to hear it come from her mouth. She smiled, caressing the soft skin of your cheeks. “I do carrot. I really do” she smiled, leaning in for another kiss. “Why did you choose to bring me up here though? We could have just gone to your apartment” you tilted your head, resulting in Rumi’s heart skipping a beat. 

“Well, I’ve actually known you for a while. There was a time where I was patrolling here and I saw you walking home, it was already late so I wanted to keep an eye out for you and make sure you were safe. I saw you reviving all the dead plants you passed by, even growing some berries on the shrubbery. I just thought you were so interesting, but I didn't want to be a stalker so I let you go. Then a few days later, I get thrown inside your shop. What a coincidence huh?” she laughed. 

“You’re such a simp bun” you teased, pinching her soft chubby cheeks. 

“Oh! That reminds me, I got you something!” she revealed a small box before handing it to you. It was quite heavy. You opened it, only to find out that it was a bunny! Rumi had gotten you a bunny! How ironic. You scooped it out of the box before placing the bunny in your arms, feeling your bottom lip tremble at the adorable site of the bunny. 

“Do you like it?” she queried, anxious to find out. 

“I love it! I’m gonna name them Hawks!”

“E-Eh? Why!? Why not after me? Hey! Wait! Don’t use your vines to escape! Answer me!” 

___

“Rumi! Where do I smash this in?” you asked, wondering where the hammer was. “Baby carrot, that’s a screw, you can’t use a hammer, we need a drill,” she informed you, carefully taking the hammer out of your dangerous hands. 

“Why’d I have to get such a big closet anyways” you grumbled, sitting on the ground with a pout, hating how useless you were right now. “Because you ran out of snack space. It’s okay. My dad taught me how to build stuff, also this is from IKEA so it’s easy to follow” she bragged, smirking at your sulking figure. 

“Can you hand me the door? We can attach it now. Don’t worry, we’re almost done baby, I promise” she smiled, ruffling the top of your hair. You grumbled about not liking her messing your hair up before reluctantly getting up to fetch the door for your lovely girlfriend. Has this door always been so big and heavy?

You squatted and wrapped your arms around the door, grunting as you tried to pick it up. You succeeded but lost your balance, your legs locking into place as you fell backwards, the door landing on top of you and smashing into your forehead. “HELP!” you cried as you were pinned under the door.

Rumi came running in, thinking you had hammered a nail through your own foot, only to find you on the floor, under a cabinet door. She snickered as your limbs wiggled. 

“I guess you can say you look… a-door-able HAHAHA!”

“Haha. Please help, my lungs are being crushed”

“OH SHIT”

© katsukisbimbo 2020 — all rights reserved. please refrain from modifying, translating, reposting of any kind. plagiarism will NOT be tolerated. please be kind and enjoy!

[walks-the-garden]

"You can't save seeds from F1 hybrid plants! They'll just [magically] revert back to one of the original parent plants!"

And

"You can't save seeds from F1 hybrid plants! They're sterile, or will produce plants that can't produce fruit!"

Are both 100% myths by the way, perpetuated both by seed companies that profit off of telling you that you habe to buy seeds from them every single year if you want to grow food, and also people who just straight up have done zero research including a 2-second Google search, and don't know what they're talking about because they don't even actually know what a hybrid is in terms of plants.

In plants, hybrids are not like animals.

When people think of hybrids in plants, they're imagining some mad scientist creating hybrids of cats and dogs, or strawberries and pineapples, and gene splicing them together into some sterile monstrosity that will burn the other crops and poison the water supply and send a plague unto their houses--

When in reality

1) they're thinking of GMOs which are completely unrelated to hybrids

2) GMOs don't do that either

3) GMOs are not inherently bad, it's the capitalist peice of crap corporations that own them that are horrible, doing things such as donating seeds to nations hit by natural disasters, and then forcing them to buy seed from the company every single season and suing them if they tried to save seeds to grow their own food in a sustainable way

4) bouncing off of #3, you cannot buy GMO seeds as a home gardener. You can't even do it by accident, because you have to sign contracts for it and buy a few thousand at a time.

5) And no, you can't accidentally save seeds from GMOs either if you're saving seeds from grocery store produce-- you think companies that sue farmers for saving seeds are going to let their Patented Products hit store shelves in a way that anyone off the street that they can't track could save seeds from it?

Nope!

GMOs in the US are pretty much all going into processed foods, such as canned goods, sugar (sugar beets), corn starch and oil (corn), Cotton, and Canola. etc etc. There's also potatoes and papaya that have been genetically engineered to be more resistant to browning (a major point of food waste when it comes to potatos) and to resist viruses that can wipe out a crop, but again... You're never going to get these whole in the grocery store that you could plant them or save seeds from them, and if you did, the only thing you'd have to worry about is lawyers turning up on your doorstep.

6) as such, any seed company marketing their products as "non GMO gaurenteed!" Are trying to make money off of your ignorance. If their prices are exorbitantly high because they "test every seed for GMO" then they are scamming you.

8) hybrid plants are simply plants that have two different varieties as parents that were cross pollinated. Say I have a bell pepper, and I cross pollinate It with a Poblano.

The seeds I save from the bell pepper that came from the flower I pollinated with Poblano pollen are now hybrids. I plant those seeds, and all of the plants that grow are F1 plants which are going to be pretty stable and similar to each other, like how you and your full-blooded siblings all probably look very similar.

Now, when you save seeds from those F1 Bellano plants? That's where the traits and characteristics really start to get wild, and you start to get high variations between each seed grown, which is what will happen when you plant seeds you saved from an F1 hybrid.

Your job (fun experiment!) now is to grow out Multiple plants and save the seeds from the ones you like best, and grow those seeds out and select the best traits, season after season until they grow "true to seed", aka they grow out consistently every time without having to continue selecting specific traits to save seeds from.

This is how every single heirloom and open pollinated variety was born.

This is how you create brand new varieties.

This is how your grandparents and their grandparents and their grandparents all created the heirloom varieties we know and love today, handed down for generations of gardeners.

All this to say, I actually encourage you to save seeds from hybrids, because I encourage everyone to save seeds wherever you can! Saving seeds from hybrids is how new varieties are born, and allows you to create your own unique plants of your own, that are adapted to your growing environment.

Anyways, here's some comparison pictures of storebought Black Pearl F1, and my F2 plants I grew from my original plant last year (that did not succefully overwinter)

1) no longer dwarf, plant is much taller with larger leaves and larger fruit (fantastic as far as I'm concerned)

2) still has the bright purple flowers and dark leaves, the leaves are simply not as dark as the original so far.

As a last fun fact: all ornamental peppers are edible, they just won't have a lot of flavor and probably be just pure heart or be slightly bitter. Once they're red-ripe on the plant, you can harvest them, save the seeds, and dehydrate the flesh to grind into a spicy seasoning powder, good for adding a kick to ramen noodles :)

[ID: Five Images.

The first image is a picture of a Black Pearl F1 plant (Capsicum Annuum) which has jet black leaves, green new growth, and immature, round black peppers that ripen through green to eventually a bright red when fully mature, about the size of an M&M candy. A white hand is held behind two of the peppers for scale, showing how small they are.

The second image is of a cluster of immature peppers on a Black Pearl F2 (Capsicum Annuum) plant with a white hand behind it for scale. The peppers on the F2 plant are much larger and they are a dark, reddish purple while immature instead of black, about the size of a marble, around 2-3 times bigger than the mature F1 fruit, and still growing. The fruits grow in a cluster with black stems, and the visible leaves are all new growth, still bright green.

The third image is once again of the F1 plant, showing how small the pitch black leaves are, with a hand behind them for scale, the width of the leaves are barely wider than the average adults finger, and would barely extend past the first joint of your finger if you held the base of the leaf, with the tip pointing towards your palm.

The fourth image is of the F2 plant, showing just how much larger the leaves are compared to the F1: where the F1 plant was extremely tiny, the F2 has standard-sized pepper leaves, in this photo showing as almost covering three fingers and reaching the palm of the white hand holding them for scale. The color is also lighter, not jet black but still dark, on the F2 plants the green colors of the leaves is still clearly visible. Also visible above the example leaf are two bright purple flowers on branching stems, with bright green new growth coming up below them, and a few young flower buds in clusters.

The fifth image is of the mature fruit of the F1 plant behind held up next to the immature fruit of the F2 plant, showing the size difference: the mature red fruit of the F1 is about 4x smaller than the immature, still-growing purple fruit of the F2. End ID]

[cjtheghost-14]

Requests

Hello all, and welcome to Xen’s Apothecary! Here you can get creative, take a look under the cut for prompts and magical items to craft together your very own potion (aka, a request)

Have fun! Fashion your request as a letter to my shop for example, or keep it simple if you so wish

But for simplicity's sake, please only choose one prompt (or none) and a max of three ingredients! The amount of characters is up to you

Adeptus Amber Shard - Amber known to originate from Adepti, most commonly used to ward off evil, but it also can be used for good luck with things such as confessions. 

Amakumo Fruit - The fruit produced from the grass of it’s namesake. This grass was born from violence, and it most commonly used for aiding jealousy.

Aphotium Ore -  An ore found in the land of Enkanomiya. This ore is assoicated with childhood memories. 

Bloodjade Branch - Branches fallen off of the Dragon King in battle. Ironically, this item is often used for reconciliation.  

Butterfly Wings - Carefully collected from all across Teyvat, these are most commonly used for feelings of infatuation.

Calla Lily - A common flower in Mondstadt. And much like it’s flavor in cooking, it’s associated with bittersweet relationships. 

Cecilia - Another flower native to Mondstadt, perhaps it’s most famous. It’s known only to appear where harsh winds blows, and it’s known for helping with mourning. 

Cleansing Heart - A orb of eternal and pure water dropped by a mysterious being in Liyue. It’s associated with soulmates.

Crystal Marrow - A crystal found on one of the islands in Inazuma. When adding this material during smelting it increases strength and toughness of materials, therefore it is also used to help with the durability of a relationship through hardship.

 Dendrobium - A flower found in Inazuman battlefields. Following it’s bloody story, this flower is associated in helping ensure a reunion in death.

Dragonheir's False Fin - A Biological tissue found in Bathysmal Vishaps, helping to pass on specific traits to offspring. Because of this it’s commonly used in luck with pregnancy. 

Energy Nectar - A thick and sticky honey from Whopperflowers. Most commonly used in association with young love due to it’s energetic properties. 

Everflame Seed - A seed that helps fuel the never ending fires of the Pyro Regisvine. Mostly known for marriage proposals, ensuring a long and happy life with your partner. 

Fluorescent Fungus - A glowing mushroom that hails from the Inazuman Islands. This is most commonly used in courtship, helping to awe, or cause one to blush. 

Glaze Lily - A common flower in Liyue, and an ancient one at that. It’s said to be associated with past lovers. 

Horsetail - A purple plant found across Teyvat, usually among Silvergrass, only more noticeable. Because of this, it is known to be used to catch someones eye.

Lizard Tail - A bitter and skin hardening lizards tail is said to help someone come out of the their shell, and open up to you. 

Loach Pearl - A beautiful pearl obtained from Loaches when they sense danger. It is commonly used to help telling a painful secret.

Lotus Head - An aquatic plant native to Liyue that grows in pairs. Many have been known to use this to increase flirting abilities. 

Luminescent Spine - The light-emitting part of a firefly. Used for courtship, and is said to help with how much comfort your presence emits. 

Marionette Core - An object from a mysterious being residing on an Inazuman Island. It’s commonly used to ensure a marriage lasts for the rest of your lives. 

Matsutake - A rare mushroom found in Liyue and Mondstadt, and is said to help reveal the truth. 

Mint - A refreshing herb used in every modern and domestic household. 

Mist Flower Corolla - Using Pyro, you can collect this flower bud. It has been known to aid grumpiness. 

Mist Grass - An object found on most Cicin Mages, it’s said to help break bad habits. 

Naku Weed - A plant hailing from Inazuma, said to shake even on windless days. This plant is used to boost protectiveness.

Philanemo Mushroom - A mushroom most commonly found in Mondstadt, it is said to help nourish life. Because of this, some say it helps raising kids. 

Qingxin - A flower found in Liyue, only on the highest peaks, overlooking Teyvat. It’s known for boosting urges to travel.

Sango Pearl - A beautiful object found in Inazuma. It’s said to shimmer like the moonlight, therefore making it a good luck charm for stargazing. 

Sea Ganoderma - A plant species that only grow in certain parts of Inazuma. It’s produced from other soft-bodied organisms. It’s been told that they encourage cuddling.

Seagrass - A plant found in the waters of Inazuma. It’s been told to aid in having a pleasant anniversary.

Silk Flower - A flower found in Liyue that is often used to make soft fabrics, such as jackets and sweaters we steal from our partners.  

Slime Concentrate - Concentrated essence of a slime, said to represent personal journeys.

Small Lamp Grass - A glowing plant commonly found in Mondstadt. Known for enhancing the aspects of our love languages. 

Snapdragon - Flowers found in Liyue and Mondstadt. They can be used for cooking, but they are also known to help keep secrets. 

Starconch - Empty seashells that you can hear the ocean through, no matter where you are. They are commonly known for aiding in long distance relationships. 

Unagi Meat - Fresh meat of an Unagi is said to enhance hugs, making them more enjoyable and comforting, to both us and our partner. 

Valberry - A plump berry found in Mondstadt. In the past, stormwatchers would eat them for their sweet taste. Although, it’s been said that they are most enjoyable under a sunset. 

Violetgrass - Small flowers in Liyue, most famously known to mend the heart after an arguement.

Windwheel Aster - A flower famous in Mondstadt. They can be spotted all over the nation, and are most commonly found while on picnics. 

Wolfhook - A berry with thorns, commonly found in Wolvendom. They are said to cause attachment issues with your partner. 

PROMPTS: 

(optional)

“You look like you could use a hug”

“Huh? Over there? Hold on, I’m gonna go kick their ass”

“Where’s your jacket? It’s cold out, c’mere let me warm you up”

“Dammit! How stupid are you!? I’m in love with you!”

“I’m sorry… I-I never meant to hurt you!”

“Is that our song that’s playing? What a perfect night, let’s dance.”

“What’s the one quote from that show you like? Ah, “driver picks the music, shotgun shuts his cake hole.” Sounds pretty good to me right now, be quiet my favorite part is coming up.”

“How is that you get even more beautiful every time I see you?”

“I’m not jealous! I just… I just want you to look at me the same way you look at him.”

“I’m going to marry them one day, I just know it…” “What was that?” “N-Nothing!”

“So… random question, what’s your favorite flower?”

“Hey, do you have any extra blankets? I’m sleeping on your couch tonight so I’ll only be a shout away if you need me.”

“Yes, I am upset! Because I’m convinced your my soulmate!”

“Hey… sorry to just show up like this but I heard you weren’t feeling well so I got you some of your favorite snacks. Oh, and your favorite movie, just in case you were up to watch it with me?”

“Listen, I…. I know you’ve had a rough life, but I’ll always be here for you, no matter what”

“Hey, hey, hey, no more apologizing. I’m glad you called me, I meant it when I said any place, any time.”

“I’m helping you, and that’s final. I’m not taking no for an answer. Now, where’s your kitchen? I’m making us some comfort food.”

“You know, I make the best hot chocolate in the world. Seriously, I’ve asked absolutely everyone on the planet. Everyone except you… what do you say? Wanna make it a global fact?”

“You stayed?” “Well of course I stayed, your here, where else would I be?”

“I knew you wouldn’t go to sleep willingly, so I brought you some chamomile tea and a blanket. Twenty minutes of shut-eye, okay?”

“I…sometimes, I guess I kinda wish you could see yourself through my eyes.”

“I see you still have my shirt!”

“I’m not letting you sleep on the couch. Come on, get under the blankets.”

“Hey… you’ve been crying.”

“Don’t think I won’t carry you if I have to!”

“Of course I noticed. I notice everything about you.”

“I knew you wouldn’t bring a jacket, so I made sure to color co-ordinate with you so you could wear mine on the way home.”

“Please, talk to me… it kills me seeing you like this.”

“I wish I could just freeze time, let this moment be forever.”

“I got you some flowers. But, if you have allergies, I also got fake flowers! Just in case.”

“I don’t know precisely what I did to earn your presence in my life, but… I’d do it a thousand times over if I knew what it was.”

[livingcorner]

Safe Aviary Plants and Toxic Plants for Birds@|what plants can i put in an outdoor aviary@|@|24

Plants not only add aesthetic value to an otherwise sterile-looking enclosure, but they also provide a more natural, engaging, and secure environment for the inhabitants to enjoy. Using plants to create visual barriers within the flight may help reduce aggression among cagemates by providing objects for the birds to hide behind.5 This in turn helps to make the birds feel more secure, and may therefore result in reduced stress levels. Foliage in the cage gives the birds something to occupy themselves with–birds often chew on, play within, and even build nests out of plants placed in their living space.

For this reason, care must be taken when selecting plants to decorate a flight. Both live and fake plants may be used, but all parts of the plant must be safe and nontoxic. The best fake plants to use are constructed of untreated silk and plastic. Make sure the silk plants do not have any components that may be easy for a bird to consume, tangle itself in, get caught on, or stuck by. Treated wood baskets and paper plants may be hazardous choices and are not recommended for decorating flights. Two benefits of using silk plants are: 1) they are not as easily destroyed by the birds, and 2) they can be scrubbed clean and disinfected as needed.

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Live plants tend to demand more upkeep and may need to be replaced more frequently, as finches often love to pick them apart. Try to obtain plants that have not been sprayed with any pesticides or chemicals, and be sure to rinse the plants off before placing them in and around the flight. Do not add any fertilizers to the soil (they are toxic);6 if fertilizers are already present in the soil, repot the plant with uncontaminated soil. Leaving each plant in its pot is suggested, in case a plant dies and needs to be removed.

Helpful Hints41

Placement Plantings should be spaced appropriately to allow room for flight paths and to permit the birds to access to the floor of the enclosure. Walk-in enclosures should also have planned pathways for birdkeeper access. Be careful to provide climbing vines with trellis to support the weight of their growth; otherwise they could break the aviary mesh and allow escape of the birds.

Selection Aside from ensuring that the plant(s) you have selected are non-toxic, try to avoid purchasing plants which are tall and rapidly-growing as these will require constant pruning. In addition to considering what plants are best suited for your area, don’t forget to also consider the needs of the birds. Avadavats and Munias enjoy climbing small bamboos and grasses, for example, Munias and Mannikins prefer to weave their nests into grass clumps, and Weavers need palm leaves and broad-leafed grasses for nesting material.

Timing of Live Plantings Plants should be added to the enclosure as it is being completed. The plants should be allowed to grow sufficiently before adding the birds; this way, the plants will be better able to withstand being nibbled on. Ideally plants should produce their densest foliage while the birds are nesting.

Safe Aviary Plants25,17

When choosing plants for your aviary, consult a botanist or experienced gardener who can help you select plants which are suitable for planting in your locale (considering your hardiness zone, soil type, sun exposure, etc.). Below are some options which have been listed as safe for birds.

Note: Please be aware that roses and bougainvillea have thorns.

Outdoor Plants

Trees & Shrubs Acacia Almond Arbutus Ash

Aspen Autumn olive Bayberry Birch Bladdernut Blueberry Camellia Cottonwood Dogwood Elm Fir (balsam, douglas, subalpine, white) Forsythia Fuchsia Guava Hawthorn Larch Madrona Magnolia Mango (zone 9+) Manzanita Mountain ash Nectarine Papaya (zone 10+) Pear (as long as the seeds aren’t eaten) Pine (ponderosa, spruce, Virginia, white) Pittosporum (zone 9+) Poplar Pyracantha Raspberry Rose Rubus odoratus Spruce (black, Norway, red, white) Viburnum White poplar

Vines Bougainvillea (can also be grown as shrub or small tree) Grape vine Russian Vine (Polygonum baldschuanicum)

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Grasses & Herbs Bamboo Oregano Rosemary Thyme

Ground Cover and Short Plants Baby’s tears aka Polka Dot Plant (Helxine soleirolii) Chickweed Creeping jenny (Lysimachia)

Wild passerines built a nest in a hanging petunia.

Dandelion Marigold Mother of pearl Nasturtium (zone 9+) Petunia Piggyback begonia (Begonia hispida variant Cucullifera) Piggyback plant Plectranthus (zone 9+) Sedum Thistle White clover

Indoor Plants (Safe Houseplants) and Tropical Plants

African violet (Saintpaulia spp., Episcia reptans) Aluminum plant (Pilea cadierei)

Bird’s Nest Fern (Asplenium nidus) Boston Fern (Nephrolepis exaltata) Bloodleaf Bromeliads Burro’s tail Cactus (except pencil, peyote, mescaline, candelabra) Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera bridgesii) Cissus: Danish ivy aka Grape Ivy (Cissus rhombifolia), Kangaroo vine (Cissus antarctica)

Emerald ripple peperomia

Flame nettle (Coleus sp.) Gold-fish plant Hens & chickens

Lipstick plant

Madagascar jasmine Monkey plant Nerve plant Palms:

Potted palms provide privacy around the nest.

Areca (Chrysalidocarpus lutescens)

Bamboo (Chamaedorea erumpens)

Butterfly Cane

Canary Island (Phoenix canariensis)

Date

European Fan (Chamaerops humilis)

Fishtail

Golden Feather

Paradise/Kentia (Howea foresterana)

Parlor (Chamaedorea elegans)

Lady (Raphis excelsa)

Madagascar

Miniature Fan

Phoenix

Pygmy Date

Robelein Lady

Sentry

Wine

Peacock plant (Calathea) Pepperomia (Pepperomia sp.) Prayer plant (Maranta leuconeura) Purple Passion aka Velvet Plant (Gynura aurantiaca) Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum) Swedish ivy (Plectranthus verticillatus)

Wandering jew (Tradescantia sp.) including Giant white inch plant Wax plant (Hoya carnosa) Zebra plant (Aphelandra squarrosa)

Plants which Allow for Perching Dwarf or Hawaiian Schefflera (Schefflera arboricola) Umbrella tree/Schefflera (Brassaia actinophylla) False aralia

Toxic Plants

Plant toxicosis in birds occurs if they chew on or ingest toxic plants. The toxic reaction can be due to pesticide residues on the plants, or to toxins within the plants themselves. Birds which chew on toxic plants may develop oral irritation; if they ingest enough, systemic clinical signs can occur such as vomiting or diarrhea. There is likely significant species differences in sensitivity,16 and studies are lacking. However, plants which have been reported as toxic in some birds, or which are considered to be potentially toxic include:6,25,52,29,56,16,17,28

Common Name Scientific Name Poisonous Part Symptoms Aconite Aconitum sp. all parts Agapanthus Agapanthus sp. sap Amaryllis Amaryllidaceae bulbs American yew Taxus canadensis needles, seeds Apple seeds Apricot pits Arrowhead vine Syngonium podophyllum leaves Arum Lily Arum sp. all parts Autumn crocus Colchicum autumnale all parts Avocado Persea americana pits, skin, flesh Reduced activity, inability to perch, fluffing feathers, labored breathing, rapid death, generalized tissue congestion. Azalea Rhododendron occidentale leaves Balsam pear Memordica charantia seeds, fruit rind Baneberry Actaia sp. berries, roots Bay tree Laurus nobilis Beans all types if uncooked Belladonna Atropa belladonna all parts Bird of paradise Caesalpina gilliesii seeds Bishop’s weed Ammi majus Bittersweet nightshade Solanum dulcamara immature fruit Black locust Robina pseudoacacia bark, sprouts, foliage Blue-green algae Schizophycaea sp. some forms toxic Hepatotoxic, lethal respiratory arrest. Boxwood Buxus sempervirens leaves, stems Buckthorn Rhamnus sp. fruit, bark Burdock Arctium minus Buttercup Ranunculus sp. sap, bulbs Caladium Caladium sp. leaves Calla lily Zantedeschia aethiopica leaves Severe irritation of mucous membranes, edema & irritation may take weeks to subside; severe dyspnea; severe keratoconjunctivitis if plant juices contact eyes. Vomiting, diarrhea. Camel bush Trichodesma incanum Candelabra cactus Euphorbia lactea sap Castor bean or Castor oil plant Ricinus communis beans, leaves Vomiting, diarrhea (possibly bloody), necrosis of organs (liver, spleen, lymph nodes, stomach, intestine) in mammals. Chalice vine Solandra sp. all parts Cherry bark, twigs, leaves, pits Cherry laurel Prunus laurocerasus clippings release cyanide fumes Chinese evergreen Aglaonema modestum all parts Christmas candle Pedilanthus tithymaloides sap Chrysanthemum Chrysanthemum sp. leaves, stems, flowers Clematis Clematis sp. all parts Coffee bean Sesbania sp seeds Gastroenteritis, can be fatal. Hyperthermia, hypertension, hyperactivity, seizures, tachycardia. Coral plant Jatropha multifida seeds Cowslip Caltha polustris all parts Croton Codiaeum sp. sap Crown of thorns Euphorbia milii sap Daffodil Narcissus sp. bulbs Daphne Daphne sp. berries Datura Datura sp. berries Deadly amanita Amanita muscaria all parts Death camas Zygadenis elegans all parts Delphinium Delphinium sp. all parts Diffenbachia or Dumb cane Dieffenbachia picta, sp. leaves Severe irritation of mucous membranes, edema & irritation may take weeks to subside; severe dyspnea; severe keratoconjunctivitis if plant juices contact eyes. Vomiting, diarrhea. Eggplant Solanaceae sp. all parts except fruit Elephant’s ear Colocasis sp. or Alocasia sp. leaves, stems Severe irritation of mucous membranes, edema & irritation may take weeks to subside; severe dyspnea; severe keratoconjunctivitis if plant juices contact eyes. Vomiting, diarrhea. English ivy Ilex aquafolium berries, leaves English yew Taxus baccata needles, seeds Ergot Claviceps purpurea present in poorly stored seed, silage, dog food Gangrene, hyperexcitability, seizures. Euonymus Euonymus sp. all parts False henbane Veratrum woodii all parts Flamingo flower Anthurium sp. leaves, stems Foxglove Digitalis purpurea leaves, seeds Digitalis glycoside – vomiting, bradycardia, arrhythmias, heart block Golden chain Laburnum anagyroides all parts Hemlock (poisoin and water) Conium sp. all parts Henbane Hyocyanamus niger seeds Holly Ilex sp. berries Horse chestnut Aesculus sp. nuts, twigs House plant ferns Pteris sp. Hyacinth Hyancinthinus orientalis bulbs Hydrangea Hydrangea sp. flower bud Iris Iris sp. bulbs Ivy Hedera sp. leaves, berries Jack-in-the-pulpit Arisaema triphyllum all parts Japanese yew Taxus cuspidata needles, seeds Java bean (lima bean) Phaseolus lunatus uncooked beans Jerusalem cherry Solanum pseudocapsicum berries Arrhythmias, bradycardia, heart block, severe gastroenteritis, calcification of vascular system, lungs, kidneys. May be teratogenic. Jimsonweed Datura sp. leaves, seeds Tachycardia, convulsions, death. Juniper Juniperus virginiana needles, stems, berries Lantana Lantana sp. immature berries Larkspur Delphinium sp. all parts Laurel Kalmia, Ledum, Rhodendron sp. all parts Lily Lilium sp. bulbs Lily of the valley Convallaria majalis all parts, including water housing the plant Vomiting, diarrhea, cardiac arrhythmias, bradycardia, heart block. Lobelia Lobelia sp. all parts Locoweed Astragalus mollissimus or Astragalus emoryanus all parts Hyperexcitability and locomotor difficulty. Lords and ladies Arum sp. all parts Lupin Lupinus sp. Marijuana Cannabis sativa leaves Maternity plant Klanchoe sp. Mayapple Podophyllum sp. all parts except fruit Mescal bean Sophora sp. seeds Milkweed Asclepias sp. Weakness, ataxia, seizures, cardiovascular signs. Mistletoe Santalales sp. berries Mock orange Poncirus sp. fruit Monkshood Aconitum sp. all parts Morning glory Ipomoea sp. all parts Narcissus Narcissus sp. bulbs Nightshades Solanum sp. berries, leaves Arrhythmias, bradycardia, heart block, severe gastroenteritis, calcification of vascular system, lungs, kidneys. May be teratogenic. Oak Quercus sp. Anorexia, diarrhea, small intestinal ulceration and hemorrhage, renal failure & polydypsia, hepatotoxic, can be fatal. Oleander, bay laurel Nerium oleander all parts Digitalis glycoside – vomiting, bradycardia, arrhythmias, heart block Parlor ivy Senecio sp. all parts Parsley Petroselinum sativum Peace lily Spathiphyllum sp. Regurgitation, oral pain, dysphagia and anorexia Peach pits Pencil tree Euphorbia tirucalli sap Philodendron Philodendron sp. leaves, stems Severe irritation of mucous membranes, edema & irritation may take weeks to subside; severe dyspnea; severe keratoconjunctivitis if plant juices contact eyes. Vomiting, diarrhea. Poinsettia Euphorbia pulcherrima leaves, flowers, stem, oily white sap Irritation, vesication, gastroenteritis, conjunctivitis. Poison ivy Toxicodendron radicans sap Poison oak Toxicodendron quercifolium sap Poison sumac Toxicodendron vernix sap Pokeweed Phytolacca americans leaves, roots, berries Ulcerative gastroenteritis; acute hemolytic crisis in people. Potato Solanum tuberosum skin, eyes, new shoots Arrhythmias, bradycardia, heart block, severe gastroenteritis, calcification of vascular system, lungs, kidneys. May be teratogenic. Pothos Epipremnum aureum all parts Regurgitation, oral pain, dysphagia and anorexia. Precatory bean Arbus precatoius Privet Ligustrum volgare all parts Ranunculus Ranunculus sp. sap Rhododendron Rhododendron sp. all parts Rhubarb Rheum rhaponticum leaves Rosary pea, prayer beans, Seminole beads Abrus precatorius seeds Vomiting, diarrhea (possibly bloody), necrosis of organs (liver, spleen, lymph nodes, stomach, intestine) in mammals. Sago Palm, Zamia Palm, Cycad Palm Cycad sp. Liver failure. Skunk cabbage Symplocarpus foetidus all parts Snowdrop Orinthogalum unbellatum all parts Snow on the mountain (ghostweed) Euphorbia marginata all parts Spindle tree Euonymus japonica all parts Split leaf philodendron or Swiss cheese plant Monstera sp. all parts Sweet pea Lathyrus latifolius seeds and fruit Tobacco Nicotinia sp. leaves Vomiting, diarrhea, hyperexcitability, muscle fasciculations, seizures, rapid death. Pododermatitis if bird handled by a smoker. Coughing, sneezing, sinusitis, conjunctivitis, secondary respiratory infections if exposed to cigarette smoke. Umbrella plant Cyperus alternifolius leaves Virginia Creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolio sap Western yew Taxus breviflora needles, seeds Wisteria Wisteria sp. all parts Xanthosoma Xanthosoma sp. leaves Yam bean Pachyrhizus erosis roots, immature pods Yellow jessamine Gelsemium sempervirens flowers Yew Taxus media wood, bark, leaves, seeds Vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, shock, coma, seizure, deaths from cardiac or respiratory failure.

Avian Plant Toxicology Research

Studies of plant toxicity in finch species are greatly lacking, however a few studies were done using canaries. Unfortunately, because great variation exists among species, it is not safe to assume that plants which are non-toxic to canaries are equally safe to other birds and vice versa.

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AUTHOR(S): Arai, M.; Stauber, E.; Shropshire, C. M. TITLE: Evaluation of selected plants for their toxic effects on canaries. YEAR: 1992 CITATION: J Am Vet Med Assoc, 200(9), +61404532026

ABSTRACT: Leaves or fruit from 14 plants considered to be toxic to pet birds were administered by gavage to 15 pairs of canaries (Serinus canaria). Each bird was given 0.12 to 0.70 g of plant material. One pair served as a control and was given distilled water. The plant materials were flash-frozen in liquid nitrogen, pulverized, and resuspended in deionized water for administration. Of the plants tested, 5 (

oleander, lupine, foxglove, yew leaves, and dieffenbachia) were considered highly toxic and were associated with acute death of birds. The remaining plant samples (clematis, Hoya carnosa, privet Ligustrum vulgare, parsley Petrosilium sativum, cherry Prunus sp., Pyracantha coccinia, rhododendron, black locust Robinia pseudoacacia, and wisteria) caused no, or only transient, clinical illness.

AUTHOR(S): Hargis, A. M.; Stauber, E.; Casteel, S.; Eitner, D. TITLE: Avocado (Persea americana) intoxication in caged birds. YEAR: 1989 CITATION: J Am Vet Med Assoc, 194(1), 64-66

ABSTRACT: Following two incidents in which a pet canary and three pet cockatiels died under conditions suggesting ingestion of avocado as cause of death, an experimental study was undertaken. Avocados of two cultivars were mashed and administered via feeding cannula to 8 canaries and 8 budgerigars. Two control budgerigars were given water via feeding cannula. Six budgerigars and 1 canary died within 24 to 47 hours after the first administration of avocado.

Deaths were associated with administration of both avocado cultivars. Higher dose was associated with greater mortality. The 2 budgerigars given water were normal throughout the observation period. It is concluded that avocados are highly toxic to budgerigars and less toxic to canaries. PM findings observed in some birds included subcutaneous oedema in the pectoral area and hydropericardium.

The following study was done using just budgies:

AUTHOR(S): Shropshire, C. M.; Stauber, E.; Arai, A. TITLE: Evaluation of selected plants for acute toxicosis in budgerigars. YEAR: 1992 CITATION: J Am Vet Med Assoc, 200(7), 936-939

ABSTRACT: Pairs of budgerigars were given samples, by gavage, of plants considered potentially toxic to pet birds. Samples were prepared by flash-freezing and powdering fresh plant material in liquid nitrogen and resuspending the material in deionized water for administration. Of the 19 plants tested, only 6 induced clinical signs of illness; these plants included

yew, oleander, clematis, avocado, black locust, and Virginia creeper (Taxus media, Nerium oleander, Clematis sp, Persea americana, Robinia pseudoacacia, Parthenocissus quinquefolio).

The other plants tested in this study were: bleeding heart (Lamprocapnos spectabilis), privet (Ligustrum sp.), honeysuckle (Lonicera sp.), lupine (Lupinus sp.), cherry (Prunus sp.), pyracantha (Pyracantha coccinea), boxwood (Buxus sp.), dumbcane (Dieffenbachia seguine), foxglove (Digitalis sp.), spindle bush (Euonymus alatus), poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherima), rhododendron (Rhododendron sp.), and blue elderberry (Sambucus cerulea).

Note how some plants which appear well tolerated by budgies (lupine, dieffenbachia, foxglove) prove fatal to canaries, while some plants which canaries appear to tolerate (clematis, black locust) make budgies quite ill. Until more research is done, it is important to err on the side of caution and avoid any plant which may potentially be toxic. [external_footer]

source https://livingcorner.com.au/safe-aviary-plants-and-toxic-plants-for-birdswhat-plants-can-i-put-in-an-outdoor-aviary24/

[tylahsdigitalfieldguide]

Benthamidia japonica Kousa Dogwood

This post is detailing Kousa Dogwood aka Benthamidia japonica. I was able to spot this tree easily just by its bright red fruit. This tree was photographed at the Arnold Arboretum at Harvard University. This fruit is loved by both birds and is edible for humans!

Basic Facts

The cold hardiness zone for this species is zone 5 to 8. When in bloom, the flowers are white. The tree prefers full sun to partial shade. It performs well in sandy loam and medium moisture. Notice how the bark looks like camouflage.

Design

Kousa dogwood is a great ornamental tree and can be added if you are looking for an aesthetic tree with an early bloom. However, the fruits on the tree can tend to drop, making a mess of any landscape it is planted on. Make sure that they are not planted near any surface you intend to keep clean. The white flowers can also act to brighten any landscape :)

Wildlife Benefits and Consideration

Kousa Dogwood has many benefits for wildlife. The fruit that Kousa Dogwood produces attract birds, mammals, and insects. The flowers the tree produces also attract pollinators, acting as a way for reproduction. Even the canopy that the tree makes serve as habitat.

Do you think it would be easy for you to spot and identify this plant?

Sources:

https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=364357&isprofile=0&#AllImages

https://www.chesapeakebay.net/news/blog/an-understory-tree-becomes-the-main-attraction#:~:text=Benefits%20of%20the%20dogwood%20tree&text=The%20flowers%20offer%20pollen%20for,in%20calcium%20and%20fat%20content.