#also light and nature in general.. plants need light to grow

[camelspit]

had a vision and u guys arent ready for it (rayni x flori)

[bogleech]

MORE SUNDEW KITS AVAILABLE! A tiny carnivorous plant swamp that should grow for you even if you IGNORE IT ENTIRELY, by which I mean the following are some jars I have never touched (let alone opened) in over six months to a year:

This is the scale of the little baby sundews I will send you:

Here's how the sphagnum moss can grow depending on conditions:

Tinier little plants and liverworts will also come in your moss! Includes instructions in the box but here's some FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

Don't they ever need air?!

-No! Some plants can't handle but the processes of Photosynthesis and a symbiotic microbiome allow many plants to live in an airtight container as long as it holds any moisture.

Do I need to water these?

-No! If they're in a properly sealed clear container that never loses moisture, you will never have to water these. If you do need to add water for any reason though it HAS to be distilled, reverse osmosis water, or fresh rain water, not just filtered or purified water. Luckily you can buy distilled water by the gallon at any grocery store! This is the one rule you have to take to the letter; carnivorous plants grow in such a strict type of wetland, even water from most healthy natural ponds will kill them!

How often do they need to be fed?

-Technically never. As carnivorous plants they will grow bigger, faster and more colorful if you give them tiny prey, such as ants or fruit flies, and some people have success with crumbs of fish food, but be sure to remove any food that gets moldy. If you NEVER feed them, they will still grow anyway, just scrappier.

What about climate?

-Sundews are generally fine as long as they don't freeze solid or roast at over 100f for too long, but can still bounce back even from a little frost or a heat wave, basically more temperature-resistant than you probably are! What are their light requirements? -ANY light that plants can live on, including plant-friendly indoor LED lights! Sundews can make do just fine in fairly low to medium light, but also enjoy intense, full blast sunlight, which can even turn them reddish pink over time. As long as they aren't in total darkness, they should do alright! What about the mosses?? -Sphagnum moss grows right alongside sundews in the wild and enjoys all the same conditions!

What if it dies anyway?!

-Sometimes a sundew dies down naturally, especially after it produces a flower or under prolonged winter cold, but leave it be and you might eventually notice new growth. Here's one of mine that turned completely brown and rotten looking, then months later, every leaf sprouted a baby one:

[astrosouldivinity]

Venus Sign Observations: 💞🖤💞

Fixed Venus Edition: ⚔️

Taurus Venus: 🍃

🍃 Venus in Taurus are devoted in their relationships. They value commitment, comfort, loyalty, and peace. They strive to build relationships built on a deep connection to the physical and sensual aspects of life.

🍃 The influence of Venus in Taurus is romantic in nature, as Taurus is ruled by the planet Venus, representing love, beauty, romance, values, pleasure, and luxury. This connection creates natural ease in expressing love and affection towards others which individuals with Venus in Taurus provide effortlessly.

🍃 Taurus Venus often values financial stability in a partner and appreciates someone who is willing to provide for them. They seek a relationship in which both partners can grow together. Their approach to love can be equated to planting a seed and nurturing its growth until it blossoms into a beautiful flower.

🍃 Taurus Venus prioritizes stability and dependability in their relationships. They are attracted to partners who are also the same way. However, their unwavering nature can sometimes manifest as stubbornness and possessiveness. They do not want to share their partner whatsoever.

🍃 Venus in Taurus tends to adopt a more traditional approach in their intimate relationships. While their openness to different relationship dynamics can be influenced by other astrological placements, they generally prioritize loyalty and commitment to a single partner.

Leo Venus: 💋

💋 Venus in Leo are known for their unwavering loyalty and passionate approach to love. Their love style exudes a sense of fierce devotion, often reminiscent of the legendary loyalty of Bonnie and Clyde.

💋 The love of those with Venus in Leo radiates like the sun, providing warmth and illumination. Their affection serves as a guiding light, offering others a path out of the darkness.

💋 Venus in Leo needs to be careful with who gets access to their light. Like moths to a flame, they can attract extremely dark entities. Essentially, people who only seek to drain them, and are not deserving of their love.

💋 Venus in Leo places a high value on creativity and self-expression within their relationships. They are drawn to partners who share a passion for the arts and creative pursuits.

💋 They seek a partner whom they can proudly showcase, someone who radiates as brightly as they do. They embody a playful, joyful approach to love.

Scorpio Venus: 🥀

🥀 Venus in Scorpio are known for their fiercely protective and unwaveringly loyal nature in love. They wholeheartedly commit to supporting and protecting their partners, often going to great lengths to do so.

🥀 Scorpio Venus approaches love and relationships with a depth, passion, and emotional intensity. They are attracted to partners who they can have a deep meaningful bond with.

🥀 Scorpio Venus highly values emotional intimacy in their relationships. They are often drawn to partners who can match their intensity and fearlessly explore the complexities of the human psyche.

🥀 They are attracted to the mysterious and desire a partner that is just as complex and intriguing as they are. Shallow or superficial connections are unlikely to satisfy their emotional needs.

🥀 Trust holds great significance for Venus in Scorpio. They place a high value on honesty and transparency in their intimate relationships, requiring assurance that they can trust their partner and that their trust will not be betrayed.

🥀 They tend to be possessive of their partners, desiring exclusivity in their relationships. They are prone to feelings of jealousy when they perceive potential outside threats to their relationship. They may consider alternative relationship dynamics, but trust has to be established first.

Aquarius Venus:

🫧 Aquarius Venus can come across as emotionally detached and aloof in their intimate relationships. They are selective about who they open up to, requiring time and trust to feel comfortable enough to share their innermost feelings.

🫧 This Venus placement tends to appreciate the "friends to lovers" dynamic in their intimate relationships. If they do not like you as a friend, it can be difficult to get them to want to commit. They highly value friendship and seek a partner who feels like their best friend.

🫧 Aqua Venus are not usually bound by traditional relationship norms. They are open to diverse dating styles and may not feel compelled to adhere strictly to monogamy. However, this does not imply an inability to commit; rather, they are capable of committing when they find the right person.

🫧 Aquarius Venus highly values their independence outside of their relationships. They seek partners who can respect their need for freedom and personal space. They are often drawn to individuals with their own passions and pursuits and appreciate partners who allow them to maintain their individuality within the relationship.

🫧 Aqua Venus highly values mental stimulation in their relationships and enjoys engaging in deep, philosophical conversations. They are attracted to intelligence and are drawn to individuals who possess unique intellectual perspectives.��

🫧 They want a partner who shares their free-spirited nature, and humanitarian values. 

[ivys-garden]

More Minecraft ideas, what part of Minecraft needs improvement?

You're wrong, it's ponds.

Ponds, lakes, lava pools. They all suck in Minecraft, they end up just being big holes in the ground with nothing interesting about them that make the landscape ugly and hole ridden

Now you might say “Ivy, literally no one cares” and to that I say, wheesht and accept my ramblings ya donut

So, how do we fix Ponds? It's simply really: make ponds generated structures.

Ponds would now be generated structures taking up one chunk, with an actual human made design to make them, you know, look good. There would be, say, 100 or so different designs to stop them looking to samey (they'd be so small that something like that would be feasible)

Lakes would be done similarly, only with the key difference, they would be made up of 4 chunk “cells”, each making up a corner of the lake.

ponds and lakes in plains or forest biomes would be made of blocks like mud and dirt.

Ponds and lakes in deserts (or oases if you want) would be made up of grass and sand

Ponds and lakes in tundras would be frozen over on the top layer of the water and with clay spawning around the water

Now, let's see some things that can be found in ponds and lakes:

Frogs

Nothing new here, frogs and frogspawn are most common ponds, pond frogs also only come in the green frog varietie.

Perhaps the oasis can have a desert rain frog variant that gives a purple frog light

Toads

Toads and toad spawn can be found in lakes and ponds in forest and plains biomes. Toads emerge from toad spawn in the same way frogs do. Toads have an exaggerated size, being double the size of the frog

Toads come in several colours (Green, Brown, Yellow, Orange and Lime) but these colours do not harbour any game mechanics (in other words: sorry but there are no toadlights)

Toads will eat all mobs with wings, that being the Parrot, Chicken, Phantom, Bat, Bee and the player if they are wearing an elytra, so watch out.

All the aforementioned mobs are scared of Toads, making them and effective deterrent to phantoms in particular

Cattails, Reeds, Rice, Algae and Papyrus

I'll just do all the plant life stuff at once (these will generate dependent on the pond or lake cell)

Algae is a new decorative blocks that can be placed on water

It will connect to other blocks, creating an unbroken surface across the water

Algae has a bright green hue and can be found in both ponds and lakes with the same frequency

Papyrus is a new plant that spawns naturally in the oasis, it is used as a more efficient way of making paper as it can be bonemealed and only one papyrus is needed to make paper

Rice is a plant that grows in water in lakes and ponds spawning in cherry groves.

Rice can be used in two recipes:

Rice Bowls:Putting rice, a bowl and any meat together will craft a rice bowl

This food source that can be eaten twice, eating the meat and then the rice

Sushi: putting rice, dried kelp and one fish into a crafting table creates Sushi, a foodsoarch that can be eaten instantly without playing the eating animation, not very nutritious but good in a pinch

Cattails are a purely decorative plant found in ponds and swamps

Reeds are more common around rivers and lakes, being a fern like plant that grows two tall.

Reeds can be used to craft a new item: Pan Pipes

Combining 3 reeds and 3 string will create pan pipes, these can be played to draw passive mobs towards you so long as the button to play them is held down.

Pan Pipes can also calm neutral mobs like wolves, iron golems and bees, but doing this instantly focus the Pan pipes into cool down

Pan pipes have a cool down double that of the Goat Horn

Bagpipes

By putting Pan Pipes, 3 iron nuggets, 3 red wool and 3 green wool together you can make Bagpipes.

Bagpipes have durability on top of having the same level of cool down as Pan Pipes. Bagpipes cannot be enchanted.

Bagpipes have the ability to PERMANENTLY pacify all hostile mobs in the chunk the player is in.

Bagpipes will break after 10 or so uses

Willow and Palm

Willow and palm are new wood types, Willow spawns around lakes and ponds and Palm spawns around oases.

Willow has a dark Bluish-green colour, complementing mangrove, where as Palm is a desaturated pale white

(These will generate depending on the pond or lake cell)

(Part 1/3)

[genshin-scenarios]

a familiar pull - fontaine

Summary: General scenarios with Fontaine characters, very loosely based on the trailers!

Characters: Lyney, Navia, Neuvillette, Furina

Lyney

A long time ago, on streets you no longer bear memory of, you met a magician who not only stole your heart, but planted flowers in place of them.

That is to say; during a rather heavy period in your life, you encountered someone who offered you the comfort of a quiet smile and courteous sleight of hand (to turn 1 coin into 2, then 3, then just enough to treat a lost soul to a drink in the evening, if you cared to join him. And with a demeanor as charming as that, how could you turn him away?) 

You asked Lyney what other tricks he knew, to which he simply pointed to the sky and said that if you smiled at the same time the constellations twinkled, your heart would feel lighter.

“And if I become so light as to float toward the stars?” 

“Well… I’d have to make my own stars, then. Perhaps even ones you can catch yourself, if you’d like to join me onstage.”

Navia

To catch a stray umbrella that’s escaped its owner is not part of your regular afternoon, however a part of you welcomes the incident due to how it acquainted you with Navia, who was quick to thank you for the trouble and invite you out as an apology.

If Fontaine’s lifestyle weighed on the beauty of a show, you could say that Navia shined so brightly on her own that there was no need to put on additional fronts to satisfy this. From her lively actions to the honest furrow in her brow, you might compare her to sunlight - paving a way for clarity and cheer, with warmth in her voice as she spoke your name.

“Say, if you managed to catch my umbrella so easily, could it be that you…”

“I don’t have a habit of climbing buildings, unfortunately.”

“Aww, I was just going to ask you to spot for me next time!”

Neuvillette

Between the administrative work he has and the performances he oversees at court, it’s safe to say that Neuvillette is just relieved to have a bit of simplicity when it comes to you in his everyday life.

There’s no question about the bias he has for you. His affection isn’t falsely given either - how can it be, when Neuvillette returns to see you’ve fallen asleep at the guest seat in his office, waiting for him to head home together after a long day?

When the theatrics of the court finally settle into calm waters, Neuvillette just hopes it means a more regular life for the both of you. Ignoring the times you tease him for being sappy, you’ve always looked at him with a gentleness that hopes he can get more rest. He doesn’t know how to tell you that his ideal scenario includes you as well, having a moment to wind down together with tea and your favorite snacks.

Furina

Needless to say, you were a little more than stressed when Furina announced that she’d like you as her aide.

You were less boring than other people, and fun to drag around and talk to. A part of her was simply flamboyant in nature, but Furina also grew a habit of glancing at your reactions to see if she’s impressed you sometimes.

After a while, you come to realize that there was something lonely about the archon - it’s in the moments where instead of talking your ear off or asking you to join her for another show, she grows silent and simply watches the city around her, like rain on a windowpane, drumming her fingers lightly against her crossed arm.

And just as quickly as the moment settles, it’s gone; replaced by Furina pulling you away by the elbow, impatient for your attention as she pursues the next idea that’s entered her mind.

Maybe, in the same way there are reflective pairs in how hydro works, the both of you find a sense of comfort in your similarities that do not show on the surface, until a ripple disturbs it.

[carionto]

Too tough for paradise

One peculiar side effect of Humans hailing from a Deathworld is that their biological well-being is partly dependent on some degree of microscopic hostility from the environment and what they consume.

It is normal among most species that, should their surroundings change to more hospitable conditions, their minds and bodies would feel relief and be under less stress. However, as with any changes, if they deviate too far too quickly from their normal, you risk damage from a sudden shock to the system.

___________________________

Abigail "Abby" Hostaz had been legally grounded by the Gyin-Trov due to her, ahem, "expansion of business" without the right permits. Not that she bothered to learn that nobody outside Human controlled space in the Galactic Coalition would allow the creation of a deadly asteroid race track AND let sentient beings directly pilot ships through it.

Hell, finding an Alien crazy enough to partake in an activity even most Humans consider insane is one in a trillion. She still did find seven non-Humans, so that math actually is within a reasonable margin. Everything else is not reasonable.

The local Gyin-Trov government learned of the true nature of her activities when a rogue asteroid suddenly appeared on their threat detection systems. The unnatural change of course quickly pointed to where she had set up her latest "thrill track", which the authorities rapidly dismantled, impounded her vessel, named "Victor", and put her under house arrest in the Human embassy awaiting the conclusion of the investigation and subsequent trial.

While station based embassies are effectively fully contained perfect habitats for the respective species, planet based ones tend to adopt a lot of the local elements and integrate what they can simply due to proximity and availability.

Humans, the resourceful buggers that they are, used everything the planet had to offer (that wasn't outright lethal to Humans, which in the case of the Gyin-Trov homeworld were only a few pollen producing crops found in the poles of the planet).

A combination of a almost perfect temperature range (near constant lows of 14C at night, highs of 21C mid-day), slightly higher moisture levels, and bio-engineered local flora that made the water into this somewhat thicker soup containing virtually every nutrient, vitamin and mineral a carbon-based lifeform could ever want, leaving little for the digestive system to tackle. Heck, just being within a field of such plants lets the body absorb everything for healthy survival.

In short, the Gyin-Trov homeworld, also named Gyin-Trov, is as close to Utopia as you can get.

Aaaaaaand Abby is not having a fun time there.

It's not like she was imprisoned - she was allowed to wander around the city and surrounding area under light supervision, she even had her cat, Hector, with her. But there just wasn't enough excitement to be found anywhere.

They had arcades and various physical activities, but she never felt her body grow tired after hours of competitive gaming and contests. No feeling of hunger or exhaustion ever disturbed her focus. The only thing that kept Abby from becoming, essentially, a zombie perpetually engaged in whatever activity was most fun at the moment was the inherent nature of the Human brain - it gets... wobbly after a while and needs sleep.

Not even a week had passed and people noticed Abby had become... different. No strong reactions to anything, no outbursts of some crazy ideas, just a general positive but not quite cheerful apathy. The Human ambassadors had experienced a much milder version of this, and it is theorized that they did not deem it as concerning due to the simple fact the ambassadors always had something to do, and more importantly - something that put their minds, if not bodies, to the test. Regular challenges, worries, and stress from work in general kept them on edge in some ways.

Abby was just waiting around, "put on vacation" as one of the ambassadors had put it. After a couple of more days of this peace, she seemed more like a automaton than anything else. Mindlessly going from place to place, trying out whatever activities were available, but clearly none offered anything close to the level of excitement and danger she had grown so used to. Not even the flawed thirty year old Human body she was in offered any surprises or discomforts.

Everything was just perfectly fine.

When the paperwork finally cleared and she was issued a fine and formally banned from engaging in any construction efforts in Gyin-Trov controlled space, she was reunited with Victor, and the personality changes she had undergone during her short time were seemingly instantly reversed.

Once she was in her ship and the self-diagnostics showed a few blinking lights, Abby immediately became energized and took action. Breathing in the recycled air with a hint of dry rust made that old bruise on her right side make itself known again. She pulled an all-nighter making repairs and "adjustments" to Victor and collapsed from exhaustion on the hard floor.

The next day, she was already near the border to neutral space when she noticed a dwarf planet with a rock formation in the shape of a trebuchet (very vaguely, if you squint really, really hard, and imagine half of the parts), and that gave her an idea.

All the while, Hector the cat did not exhibit any noticeable changes during his stay with Abby on Gyin-Trov. Maybe just a few more hours of sleep per day than normal.

[practicalsolarpunk]

Hi, I've only just got into solarpunk and find it really cool.

I was wondering, what sort of simple lifestyle changes would you suggest to start with when trying to live in a more solarpunk/sustainable way?

Hi! So glad you're getting into solarpunk! We think it's pretty cool, too, and we're happy you're looking for ways to integrate it into your life. Since you haven't included anything specific about your situation or what you're interested in, this list is pretty general - if you want more specific ideas, feel free to send in another ask!

In the meantime, here are a few recommendations for getting started:

Grow something. Depending on your situation, you may not be able to put in a huge outdoor garden. But there are many plants that will be perfectly happy in a pot on a windowsill, and still others that are happy to grow in low-light situations. Find something that works for your space and get some hands-on experience with growing things. (If you have a window, I highly recommend herbs - many of them are happy in pots and there's something incredibly satisfying about eating things you've grown.)

Compost. Unless your space is extremely tiny, you probably have room for a small composting system. Some can even go under a sink or in a closet. See this post for a general discussion, this post for vermicomposting ideas, and this one for info on bokashi composting. Also check out our #compost tag.

Mending. Mending is a great skill to have. The life of most clothing (and a lot of non-clothing fabric items) can be extended dramatically with some basic sewing skills. I've made entire dresses and quilts and I still find most of my sewing is repairing and mending other stuff. We have a mending tag, but I also love YouTube for this. Searching "how to mend X" (e.g. "how to mend hole in crotch of jeans") gives you a bunch of awesome tutorials. You can get even more use out of things if you're willing to embrace visible mending.

Reduce energy use. Try to use natural light where you can. Set your thermostat high in summer and low in winter and use the principle "heat/cool the person, not the space." Flush the toliet with graywater by removing the p-trap from your sink and dumping the collected wash water into your toilet tank (or directly into the bowl if you have an American-style greedy cup siphon toilet). Experiment with solar energy. What you can do depends on your situation, but see what kind of options you have.

Integrate the 7 R's: There are more R's to sustainable living than just "Reduce Reuse Recycle". See this post for a primer.

Build community: One of the foundations of solarpunk is that it's about community. Even if you start out doing it by yourself, eventually you need a community to do bigger things. My favorite way to start is by meeting the neighbors. Taking over some food (cookies are great) and introducing yourself is a great way to open a relationship. We also have a community building tag for more ideas.

You can find even more ideas in these tags, depending on what you specifically want to do:

#apartment solarpunk

#dorms and small spaces

#community building

#activism

#fiber crafts

#diy

There's also some additional tips in this post and this post, which are earlier responses to similar asks.

I hope this helps! Followers, feel free to chime in with your best tips!

- Mod J

[broomsick]

Self-care & connecting with nature deities during the wintertime

Is it still possible to connect with harvest and nature deities such as Freyr during the cold season?

Long answer short, yes. Obviously, absolutely. But you all saw that answer coming, right? So I’m here to give you some ideas, as the person who’s favorite season is winter and who made it their mission to help everybody like winter just a little more. And since I feel especially close to Yngvi-Freyr when it comes to the Gods, I will use him as an example throughout this post, though a lot of the following could apply to most nature deities.

Let us first examine a common misconception before we get to the bottom of this topic: the fields don’t die when the sun sets on the 31st of October. The earth still lives under thick layers of snow. The process of dormancy is absolutely crucial to the cycles of nature. And if, like me, you find Freyr to be a sort of guardian of these cycles, then you’ll know he manifests himself in so many ways, even where you might not think to look.

Have you heard about the holly and ivy tradition? It was common during the European Medieval times to decorate houses and halls using holly and ivy, because they were the two plants with leaves that stayed green, even in the dark and cold of winter. This type of practice is often referred to as "bringing the outside in", and it's something I'm quite fond of. I've no doubt it could be a great help if you're the type to feel depressed during the winter time. It's a way to remind oneself of how everpresent nature actually is. Lots of greenery remains despite the snow! And to ackowledge this fact and to work with it is such a great way to connect with nature Gods in general! It goes to show that you appreciate their blessings all year round, not just during spring and summer. While it's true that in many cases, the presence of deities such as Freyr may feel somehow "dimmed" during the winter time, I assure you, they don't disappear once the first snow falls! On the contrary, they are every bit as present and active as when spring comes! They simply manifest themselves in a different manner.

When winter comes, I love to work with evergreen spirits. I incorporate spruce, fir and cedar into my practice and in my offerings. I won't go into too much detail for this topic however, because I've written posts that pertained to it in the past (namely, this post on tree work and this one on land spirits). Since I don't have easy access to holly or ivy, I make due with evergreen! Not with any actual branches, except when I'm lucky enough to find some that were torn away by the wind. But rather, using representations of it. In the same manner, and in the spirit of "bringing the outside in", it's also possible to decorate using representations of the sun! Harvest deities such as Freyr are often associated with it due to its crucial role in the cycles of plant growth. Candles also make for great solar symbols, and to place them around the home is like lighting a handful of little suns to bring much needed light and warmth inside. What's more, lighting candles on the winter solstice night is a widespread practice among pagans today! It serves to symbolize the return of the sun, as the days start to grow longer again. Until then however, it can be soothing for one to light a candle every morning before school or work, and to call upon any harvest, nature or solar deity of their choice to ask for strength and motivation throught the day. Even when it's difficult for us to feel their presence, they always hear us.

Now, how to actually feel more connected to nature? Oftentimes, connecting with nature and connecting with Yngvi-Freyr are one and the same. And on a more personal note, a lot of the advice I received from him pertained exactly to that: I believe he's often urged me to go spend more time in nature when I am going through rough patches. I know the cold and the cloudy weather can make it depressing for a lot of people to go out. My advice on this is to take it step by step: no need to go on long, four-hour long hikes right away! After all, there is already much beauty to be seen close to home. And I can't put enough emphasis on that: dress warmly! Also, as a tool for motivation, prepare a treat for yourself to enjoy after you've gone out. Part of what makes me enjoy winter so much is the thought of the warmth and light which await inside after I’ve gone out into the cold. The home is as sacred as the outside world! So why not buy, or prepare a batch of cookies, a cup of hot chocolate or a spicy dinner! It's something I love to do as a way to motivate myself to go out more often. And I like to offer part of these to local land spirits and to the Vanir, to show my appreciation for the beauty of this season. Just as an aside, I find snow water to be a great such offering as well!

I know that I’m not revolutionizing the pagan scene with this post, as there’s only so many ways to connect with nature during winter. I think it’s important to keep in mind that the snow, rain and cold that this season brings is just as much part of nature as the greens and lively colors of spring and summer. For this reason, they are just as much a part of nature deities and what they represent. Deities have so many facets and depth, and it can be so fulfilling to explore these different aspects, and the way we perceive them. While it’s true that spiritually speaking, it often feels to us heathens as if Skaði is somehow “taking” Freyr’s place in the order of things for the time being— much like the Holly King takes the Oak King’s place in Celtic folklore. This doesn’t make it so he disappears! In my experience, he presides over the cycle of seasons as a whole, and he is every bit as present for his followers as he is during the winter. I can connect with Skaði during the summer in a similar manner. And I’m sure that the same can be said for so many other harvest deities.

[foralternateuniverses]

au where Sora is a nature spirit that Judge tricked and shackled to himself

With her last breath she hid her children from Judge, sending them away but unintentionally locking them where they landed

Sanji ends up in a somewhat populated place

Yonji and Reiju end up close by populated places

And Ichiji and Niji ending up pretty isolated

(Ofc Judge is looking for them)

Sanji is on a beach, the area they can move around isn't small, but Sanji isn't able to reach any food source, fortunately, Zeff ends up there and ends up taking care of him. Sanji doesn't tell him but Zeff isn't stupid, he realizes that 1 - this kid isn't completely human, and 2 - he is locked in place, so he has their house and restaurant built there. Ofc it becomes popular and the nearest city slowly grows its way closer and closer to the area Sanji is sealed in. Zeff is also looking for a way to free Sanji from his curse.

Both Reiju and Yonji end up in borders, able to reach the outskirts of the nearest cities.

Reiju becomes a bit of a local deity, since she's the oldest (hence the one that was able to spend more time with Sora) she has better control/understanding of her powers and is able to make deals and help people (as well as defend herself)

Yonji becomes more of an urban legend, sometimes interacting with people (mostly those who seem to be his age, but sometimes others too, as long as they seem interesting) and using his long reach to steal stuff whenever he wants/needs.

Niji ended up high in a mountain while Ichiji ended up in the deepest parts of a forest, both almost completely isolated, the only reason they didn't go completely feral was because of their mother's blood in their veins. Niji is the one with the least amount of control over his powers so the mountain top is in an almost eternal electric storm, It ends up attracting some other spirits that end up settling in his general area, but Niji doesn't like them very much (they're Kaido and his gang). there’s a small village at the base of the mountain Niji is trapped on and they sincerely believe he controls the weather so they send offerings to him, Niji doesn't learn about them until later but the citizens are sure that the mountain is cursed (cuz of Niji)

Ichiji, when he first gets trapped, loses control and ends up torching a good chunk of the forest early on and has to live with the fact that his permanent new home is a charred wasteland unless he can get himself under control, And then overcompensated and the new grown plants barely let any light pass through But it's fine, Ichiji is his own source of light He's so deep in the forest he's only ever found by people who get lost, at first he tried to keep them there, but there's no way for mortals to survive the way he lives, so they ended up dying which only caused him distress, so he ended up deciding to completely avoid people or sth, he ended up learning how to use his ability to create firefly lights to guide people to their paths the anxiety that consumed him when Ace ends up there and decides to stay with him (he's in hiding, if he leaves he'll be captured and killed)

Ichiji, always shrouded in darkness, people are usually only able to see his bright eyes and whatever lil else his lights illuminate (he's terrifying, but he also guides the innocent back home) Sora's powers mainly had to do with the wind and all her kids also have some minor wind abilities which are also what have allowed them to at least keep each other somewhat updated (i picture it more like the wind telling them random stuff that them actually controlling that) so maybe the wind sometimes tells Ichiji about what the people who end up there have done (since he needs the wind to tell him where he should guide them to) so he decides whether he wants to help them or kill them uwu

Niji doesn't like Kaido and his men, they keep pestering him about joining (submitting to) Kaido. Kaido can't enter Niji's sealed area because the same magic that keeps him in place also keeps overly dangerous beings like Kaido out. But others like Yamato, Ulti and Page 1 can (yes, he does end up at least making out with each one of those three at least once)

In this au the Marines are kind of a "Fae hunting" organization, they "take care" of "dangerous and malicious" spirits, while MADs study them (and experiments on them)

While the revolutionaries rescue and protect all the spirits that actually aren't malicious & dangerous.

Which is how Sabo ends up looking for (and finding) the Long Arm Man, his "legend" has outgrown his small city by a lot and the Marines will arrive at any moment for it, so the Revolutionaries will beat them to it.

This is also the reason Ace ended up on the run and hiding in Ichiji's forest.

His father was an incredibly powerful fire spirit and the Marines found and caught Ace, he was fortunately rescued but it was a close call and he's still very much in danger.

Neither Luffy nor Sabo are spirits, but Luffy is the chosen vessel of the Sun God Nika (something only a few people know about him) and Sabo has a spirit deal with Ace which allows him to use his fire abilities (to no to the same extent or as powerful as Ace specially when they're far away from each other and also lets them be somewhat aware of each other's safety and location)

the town Reiju ended up near by being the one where Mihawk and/or Gecko Moria live so she and Perona can have a childhood sweethearts/friends to lovers and that part of the reason of Perona's obsession with the occult is 1 - the fact that she can see ghosts and 2 - find a way to free Reiju

when Sabo finally learns that this super weird guy is the Long Arm Man he's gonna be like: we have to leave Yonji: lmao, good luck with that

now we have 4 different people trying to free these morons (cuz ofc Kaido wants to drag Niji out of there) 3 of those 4 will definitely end up joining forces

meanwhile, Acechiji is chilling in the dark

there's a problem with freeing them tho

the only reason Judge was unable to find them was because of the same spell that kept them in place

Judge will probably find them rather easy once they're free

Luffy, unintentionally, frees Sanji (cuz being Nika's vessel grants him that kinda power) Sanji and Zeff are super confused but happy and ofc Luffy takes Sanji on his quest for adventure

Ichiji who hasn't seen sunlight in literal years so he needs to keep his eyes covered and Ace helps him move around

I'm thinking that freeing Sanji should also have an effect on the others' seals, like, maybe now Kaido can reach Niji and Judge can find them (even if he can't take them away)

[moonchild033]

Agricultural Astrology 🌾❤

Agriculture is done according to the phases of the moon as it influences the growth of the crops/plants. 🌒

Seeds are generally planted during waxing moon phase, especially those plants which grow above the ground and is in need of water and light source. Due to the gravitational pull of the moon, the water flow is not that deep and is sufficient for plants that grow above the ground. There is constant light source both during day and night time from the sun and moon for the seeds to flourish.🌕

During waning moon phase, plants that grow below the ground like tubers can be planted as the gravitational pull of moon draws more water to the deepest of roots and edible parts under the ground flourishes.🌑

Destroying weeds or cutting plants/trees are usually done on the last quarter of lunar phase and planting anything new is avoided in this phase. 😌

Note: Your grandparents can tell you these details if they were in farming or someone doing traditional way of farming can also tell. This is not something new, it can also be present in internet if you want to learn more details, I just wanted to share this with y'all.😃

Now coming to the astrology part❤-

If you are someone who wants to do farming/gardening/agriculture as a main/leisure business, the first thing to note is presence of earth signs in your big three or a stellium, especially Taurus. 💚

Taurus Mars/Moon natives can naturally be inclined towards nature and greenery. Their hands are also lucky for any greenery related businesses.🤗

If you are a fire dominant, but still want to do something with lands, real estate can be your forte, especially if you are an Aries Mars or have a strong mars placement. Usually fire dominants have a pitta body type, their normal body temperature itself can be a little bit higher and plants can be more sensitive than we think. 😇

If you are an air dominant, growing flowering plants is more profitable. Libra venus or moon can be attracted to beautiful and colorful flowers. 🌸🌷

Water signs in big 3 or water dominant people can indulge in agriculture or horticulture, especially cancer. Even seeds are planted when the moon is in the zodiac sign of Cancer, Scorpio or Pisces for favorable and profitable results.🌴

Check for the strength of your 4H lord and his connection with your 10H and 11H lord if you want to do agriculture or planting as your major money making business. Also check for 7H lord if it is a business partnership. All of these house lords should not be afflicted, debilitated or in connection with malefic planets.🌾

Usually Leo ascendant and Capricorn ascendant do well in this sector, as their 4H is ruled by Mars who is the significator of lands. If Mars has beneficial aspects with Mercury, greenery based businesses can be beneficial for the native.🌱

Moon in 4H, especially in a water/earth sign can also be an indicator of being interested or feeling serene in nature and liking professions/leisure works related to lands you own. You can be a legal professional but still you may enjoy gardening or having a terrace garden/balcony plants at your home. It can be your comfort zone.🌻

Please feel free to comment down your questions or thoughts! 🤗

Let's Learn and Grow Together!💅💋

With Love-Yashi❤⚡

Here's my Masterlist! 💖

[simplyreveries]

love langauges; heartslabyul

just what my opinion!! i think ill do this for the other dorms as well :)

riddle rosehearts

receiving: quality time

riddle as we know is pretty inexperienced with love and relationships in general. he struggles with wanting to do things almost by the book all the time since that's all he knows. hence why in the beginning of your relationship you may see him planning out in detail how a lot of things are going to go. you remind him these things happen more so naturally!!

he loves to see you whenever you just decide to pop by his dorm, but he feels unprepared-- he'll ask trey to make you some treats or brew some tea, ask cater to set up a nice small table outside to enjoy. you're going to have to gently remind him that it's okay haha.

whenever he's around you he gets such a sense of peace that he really needs for himself. riddle can easily get lost in track of time around you.

he can grow more seemingly impatient and hotheaded towards others in his dorm when hes being strict about rules when hes had less time with you if you've been busy and such. everyone notices his more negative energy; he can't help but feel so much better around you.

giving: gifts

okay i think he would reeally love to give little gifts to a lot. since hes no good at really expressing himself, he gets flustered easily, so he prompts to giving you things like flowers ("roses for my rose" as he'd say), with those flowers you'll sometimes receive a fancy looking letter from him.

riddle is very keen and observant on things you like or mention wanting like maybe a new book you wanted or paints. he loves to watch your face light up whenever he gifts you anything. he feels so proud of himself to because he feels like he's doing something right when figuring out relationships.

if you ask him why he randomly gifts pretty and nice things randomly he'll be confused and tell you something like: "why? well it's been exactly 100 days we've been together." he celebrates REALLY specific dates and milestones. he thinks its a no-brainer that hes doing all this.

trey clover

receiving: quality time

trey is much like riddle he's very content and happen when he's just with you. especially when you come over and chat his ear off about random and mundane things while he tries to bake. if you like to bake, he'd enjoy doing it with you but if not he's just as fine with you sitting up on the counter and being his taste-tester.

he also likes it when he gets to show you what he's done with the science club with the plants he's grown. he gladly tells you all about it as you stroll around nrcs botanical gardens.

though he's no avid planner like riddle is, he still will make some of an effort to make sure you enjoy yourself around him with something to do, that includes mostly baking or even coming along with him as he prepares for yet another unbirthday party for heartslabyul.

giving: words of affirmation

he can be pretty cheeky jerk when it comes to you and will take a lot of opportunities to make you all nervous around him with compliments or praise. he always says it in such a casual way with a smile whenever he does it.

but he really does genuinely lift you up all the time, he always gently and affirmingly reminds you in some way of something he loves about you, basically every day. he also gives some real good advice and can be someone to talk to, trey just has this really big comforting aura that surrounds him. it's easy to be persuaded by those calm and sweet words into taking it easy when feeling upset or frustrated.

like its hard to stay in a bad mood around him because his energy is just so kind?? and inviting?? he has such a way with words and talking to you.

cater diamond

receiving: words of affirmation

he genuinely does hold onto ever compliment or praise you give him; it may be hard to tell from your end because he would answer it with a "aw thanks~♫" but trust me he'll think about it throughout the day. you make him feel a little more seen when complimenting stuff he's actually interested in and good at.

cater loves it when you play with his hair and put it up in different cute styles or put clips and bands in it- then tell him he looks pretty boy does he love that.

when his club isnt eating and hanging out he really likes it when you come and watch him play!! he'll shamelessly ask for compliments like "i was soo good wasn't i?" trying to be lighthearted about it but hes desperate for any sweet words from you.

giving: physical affection

he can't help but be affectionate. i mean even with friends he is, so with his you?? cater is all over you. he always is holding onto you or touching you on the arm or something whenever you're getting a picture taken with him, he loves practically smushing you up against him.

cater likes to pinch your cheeks playfully, he'll coo and give a cheeky grin telling you you're cute, he'll laugh and lay on your shoulder if he's tired in class, he'll poke your side to try to get you to laugh, he'll play with your hair, he adores affection.

clearly, he isn't afraid of pda, i mean everyone and their mother knows you're together, its painfully obvious by the way he acts around and with you.

like you could be doing literally nothing and he's scrolling on magicam on his phone, and he'll still have his hand on you in some sort of way.

ace trappola

receiving: physical touch

when he started to catch feelings for you was when he realized just how much he was a sucker for any affection. whenever you'd laugh and put a hand on his shoulder or even playfully punched his arm. so, once you to officially got together he just wanted more. even though he's not like the most- gooey over the top with public affection, he loves it when you do something small and playful like swing his arm when you're holding hands.

whenever he gets tired and wants to doze off in class and lays on the table in front of him and you rub his back, he loves a lot from you. or when you're bored with him and take his hand in yours and drawing random doodles on it. he does the same thing to yours as well.

he likes hugs, they're short sometimes but he squeezes you a bit and rocks you side to side in a playful manner. he also subconsciously stands closer to you; he likes it when you're near him where your arms are lightly touching and brushing against his.

giving: gifts

okay hear me out on the gifts, but i think he'd unintentionally and intentionally gift you little things all the time. i mean he's not exactly rich level status like idia or kalim but if he's getting a s snack or drink from the vending machine, he'll get something you like too (im sorry but he sometimes will quicky say "catch!" and then proceed to chuck a chocolate bar at you) you'll end up hearing a whine and complaint from grim though because he wants something too.

if he ever goes out somewhere and visits another place, he'll get you some sort of trinket like a keychain from there. he never tries to make it seem like he went out of his way to do something like that, he'll just be like "ehh thought this was cool but i don't really want it, you can have it." that said item is something that you would totally want.

he does like to win you those prizes whenever you guys are out at an amusement park or fair. though he seems confident about it and claims those games are too easy, after his 50th try he gets the plushie for you. he's too stubborn to quit those anyway.

deuce spade

receiving: words of affirmation

he loves it when you acknowledge and tell him he's good at something or looks good today. he pretty much hangs off of every word you say, so it's important to him. he doesn't ask for it like cater or anything, but he really wants them from you.

like whenever he gets awarded for his efforts on the track team and you tell him something as simple as a "nice job!" can mean a lot to him he really does want to make you proud of him and his accomplishments especially since he's trying to do and be better at school even though its challenging. now despite him favoring this whenever he does get complimented, he always gets all bashful, its sweet though.

he tends to feel elated for the whole day after something small youve said to him. he gets a sense of pride in himself and feels proud as he goes about his day. he can't even be upset about painting the roses for the next unbirthday party or studying extra hard for a test because he knows you'll tell him he did well.

giving: acts of service

he wants to be the best boyfriend for you because you deserve the best. so, he's always trying to go out of his way to do things for you and be of some help. he not only likes but wants to be someone you think about first when needing help with anything.

even just small things throughout the day like carrying your bags if you got something from sam's shop, opening doors for you, fixing things, and even though he isn't the most academically inclined he'll attempt and try his absolute best to help you with homework you're struggling with even if it ends with both of you confused. he just actively goes out his way to do things for you.

ace always teases him for what he does for you all the time, but he doesn't even really feel like what he's doing is enough. ace only laughs at him and tells him he stupid and overthinks it completely. but deuce just aspires to always be better, so he has trouble not.

he has definitely at some point called his mom and asked her what to do when it comes to what your partners want and would like and just mentally took notes of what she said and does it x10.

[mercurianchild]

Venus in the 4th house

🦋Venus in the 4th house: A Sanctuary for Love and Harmony🦋

Venus in the 4th house is a placement that brings a deep sense of love and beauty into the sphere of home and family. It's like having a warm, cozy blanket that wraps around the very core of your being, providing comfort and a strong desire for harmony within your private life. With Venus here, home isn't just a place to live; it's a sanctuary, a space where love and aesthetics are intricately woven together to create an environment of peace and tranquility.

Growing up, you might have experienced a home filled with love, art, and a general sense of well-being. Your parents, particularly your mother or the primary caregiver, likely played a significant role in nurturing your sense of beauty and emotional security. There might have been an emphasis on creating a welcoming, beautiful home, with lots of pleasant memories tied to family gatherings, holiday traditions, and shared moments that felt almost magical in their simplicity.

As you carve out your own space, whether it's an apartment, a house, or even just your bedroom, you have a natural talent for making it aesthetically pleasing. You have an eye for design and a knack for creating a harmonious atmosphere. Plants, soft lighting, cozy textiles, and a well thought out color scheme are your go to elements in decorating. Your home reflects your inner self, a place where you feel most at ease and where you can express your true self without any pretenses.

Relationships with family members are generally warm and loving. You have a strong desire to maintain peace and harmony within your family, often acting as the mediator or the one who brings people together. Conflicts in the family can be particularly distressing for you, as they disrupt your sense of security. You’re naturally inclined to smooth things over, preferring to avoid confrontations and seeking to resolve issues with kindness and understanding.

Emotionally, you crave stability and a sense of belonging. Having a secure, loving home base is essential for your well-being. You thrive in environments where you feel safe and cherished, and you go to great lengths to create such an environment for yourself and your loved ones. This placement can also indicate a love for entertaining at home, inviting friends and family over to share in your cozy, beautiful space. You find joy in hosting dinners, small gatherings, and intimate get-togethers, where you can share your love and hospitality.

Venus in the 4th house can influence your emotional patterns and how you express love. You might find that your way of showing affection is deeply tied to providing comfort and care. You express love through nurturing, creating a warm environment, and making sure that those you care about feel at home and at ease. There's a softness to your emotional expression, a gentleness that others find comforting and reassuring.

In romantic relationships, this placement can make you seek partners who value home and family as much as you do. You might be drawn to those who appreciate a beautiful, harmonious living space and who share your desire for emotional security. Your ideal partner is someone who can create a peaceful home life with you, where both of you can retreat from the world and recharge in each other's company. However, it’s important to be mindful of the tendency to idealize your home life or your family relationships. Sometimes, you might overlook issues or sweep problems under the rug in your desire to maintain harmony. Learning to address conflicts directly, while still maintaining your natural grace and diplomacy, can help you create even stronger, more resilient bonds with those you love.

This placement highlights your innate ability to make any space feel like home, your talent for nurturing relationships, and your profound need for a harmonious and loving domestic life.

[khaire-traveler]

🌫️ Subtle Erebos Worship 🌑

Sit in stillness for a while, especially darkness; meditate or become comfortable in the quiet

Take time each day to decompress from the events of the day; relax and rest

Drink herbal tea or a warm drink you enjoy before bed; preferably something soothing

Get a candle that reminds you of him (no altar needed)

Wear jewelry that reminds you of him

Keep a picture of him in your wallet

Start a bedtime/nighttime routine

Try to avoid screens an hour before bed; try reading a book, drawing, or another relaxing and screenless activity

Fall asleep/meditate/study to music reminiscent of emptiness, stillness, or liminality (links included to videos I sleep/listen to c:)

Have a stuffed animal that reminds you of darkness, stillness, or The Void™; nocturnal animals work well (Stygian owl, trust me)

Have imagery of fog, darkness, the night sky, what you believe the creation of the universe looked like, or The Underworld (his name is sometimes conflated with The Underworld itself) around

Dedicate a collection of coins to the souls passing into The Underworld who don't have coins to cross the Stygian

Watch the sunrise; watch the sunset

Learn about the night sky; learn the different constellations and myths they have

Learn about space; learn about cave systems; learn about anything you consider mysterious, expansive, and a bit frightening

Visit/tour a cave (SAFELY!!!!)

Leave water outside for nocturnal animals that stop by; leave out water for a bird bath

Listen to the morning bird songs; listen to the sounds of the night

Press/dry a flower still wet with evening dew

Practice mindfulness; practice meditation

Go camping, and sleep under the stars; take time to be present in nature, in the night

Watch a scary movie in the dark; you're also welcome to watch a comfort movie instead

Collect animal bones (thank the animal's spirit after doing so)

If fog rolls in, go outside in it; take a walk in it (SAFELY!!!)

Plant seeds in the ground; start a garden; tend to plants

Grow your own herbs or produce

Honor your ancestors or passed loved ones; engage in spirit work if comfortable

Visit a cemetery; leave flowers on graves if given permission to do so

Reflect on your deeper beliefs; what do you believe about the different mysteries/uncertainties of life (the afterlife, universe creation, purpose, etc.)

Dance/sing to music that makes you feel ancient, mystical, mysterious, or generally cool

Take a walk during a new moon (if it is safe to do so your area)

Learn about self-defense; be sure to take a weapon with you when going out at night (if you feel it's necessary mostly)

Wear black or darker colors

Take a relaxing bath/shower at night, especially with herbs or in dim light (SAFELY!!!)

Write/read ghost or mystery stories

Light a bonfire; gather around it with loved ones; share scary or mysterious stories

Support space, deep ocean, or deep cave exploration organizations; support nocturnal animal preservation organizations

Learn about the different phases of the moon; learn about what each one means

Practice patience and restraint

Find healthy outlets for extreme emotions; drawing, writing, boxing, dancing, crafting, etc.

Learn to become comfortable within your own presence (this takes practice, it'll be ok)

Sleep with a small bag of soothing herbs under your pillow (lavender, jasmine, etc.) or charms

Keep a dream journal; try to interpret your dreams

-

This is my list of discreet ways to worship Erebos! He is rarely talked about, from what I've seen, but he is the God of Darkness, born from the primordial Khaos at the creation of everything. He is paired with Nyx often, and the two have had several children, including Hypnos and Thanatos. His name was used interchangeably with The Underworld sometimes. I'll likely add more later, but for now, I hope you enjoy what I've made. Take care. ❤️

Link to Subtle Worship Master list

[cloudyswritings]

Vessel biology:small details

Y’all know the drill by now.

Vessels exposed to natural daylight or Light from gods that are compatible with plant growth(Unn, Radiance originally but not once she starts the plague) can actually grow foliage on their horns(cause they’re actually branches) or around their ruff(their little cloaks are probably some hybrid of wings and leaves)the reasons most vessels don’t is because most grew up in darkness and never made it out to the surface or never encountered gods.

Side note but Hollow used to have very delicate white leaves(kinda like some of the foliage in the white palace or the plants growing in queens gardens but stunted), taking after their mothers nature. unfortunately pale lights tend to be cold aligned and thus lack some of the warmth in their spectrum needed to keep up vessel foliage growth long term. The radiance burned away the rest of their more delicate leaves. Interestingly though their actual ruff has a greenish hue to it in the their black egg fight that the pure vessel fight lacks, indicating that the radiances light may have at least started chlorophyll production for them before rapidly becoming scorching.

Vessels have a sort of hoarding instinct, the urge to take things inside of themselves and store it for later, which originates with wyrm. They don’t really have any preferences for what they take though, unlike Wyrms who are neurotic by human standards about what is and isn’t allowed in their hoard(which is why the white palace is color coded).

Vessel kinda have eyes? They have basic photo receptors lining the inside rim of their eye socks/mask holes, but most of their actual vision is magic. They also tend to have different attunements to their vision and thus how they see the world. Little ghost is highly attuned to void and soul and the gradient between them, whereas Hollow is far more like us and in addition to standard wavelength color vision can also see the “qualities” of Light that’s deific in origin, this includes seeing lingering effects, the wills and reasons of gods for how they use their Light, and they will almost always notice the boundaries of territories of higher beings.

Hollow is so stained with light that they may genuinely have more lingering light that void, in theory they could use this to transition towards being a more standard god, which would allow them to heal their wounds. They choose not to of course, mostly cause of the trauma they’ve been through and their feelings on gods in general.

Vessels have small retractable/void based burrowing claws/appendages that they can use for when they want to dig. That’s actually what Pure vessel uses during their fight, it’s the long void tendrils arm thing. These claws also tend to correspond to the shape their teeth/horns would have been in as worms.

Speaking of that, that’s what the horns on their heads are, they’re branches but also at the core of each branch is the tooth “root” and the branches tend to grow into the shapes they would have had the vessels been born Wyrms.

Vessels in general don’t have a lifespan, but if they were given the chance they’d all eventually metamorphose into a different form ala their father. I think that the typical vessel shapes/bodies we see are really just temporary and not particularly stable(hence why I’ve said they’re susceptible to influences in the past and also likened them to evee) and given the chance each vessel has an adult form it would eventually grow into. Those forms tend to by Wyrms, roots, and wyrm root hybrids, but also contain a wide variety of stranger life forms, probably echoes and imprints left behind in the void from gods it’s devoured in the past that made their way into the vessels.

Hollows is actually just how they were as PV though, they were simply too influenced by light and also have too much wyrm blood in them

Ghosts is quite obviously void given focus, the potential for that lay in them(and all other vessels to some extent) but only they made the choice that allowed void given focus to exist.

[dr33mtal3]

Pippin Bitty

Felt like drawing a Bitty today so have some more of the Pippin, with fun facts!

A Pippin is a subclass of Bonsai-Bitty (another of which is the Pazazz)

Bonsai-Bitties are a kind of Plant-Bitty that use a skeletal structure to carry a root and branch system: a walking tree

Bonsai-Bitties have 'wings' which are actually their canopy: leaves, branches, and flowers make up the many structures

The wings of a Bonsai-bitty are sensitive to touch, capable of crude vision (light, color, movement, and shape), used for breathing and photosynthesis, and are also used in reproduction

The wings of a Bonsai-bitty may secrete pollen, nectar, or sap, given relevant circumstances

Bonsai-Bitties are capable of great chemical complexity, and will often change their chemical makeup to communicate (or for some other conscious purpose). This results in changes to their coloration, smell, taste, and toxicity.

A happy, healthy Bonsai-Bitty can be harvested from for edible or medicinal substances

The wings of a Bonsai Bitty has indeterminate growth

And about the Pippin, specifically:

Pippins are a type of Bonsai Bitty which display cool-colored pigmentation

Pippins prefer cooler temperatures and semi-humid to unreasonably damp conditions. They enjoy sleeping in water pools. A Pippin can breathe in freshwater through their wings with little trouble, but cannot breathe in salt-water for more than an hour at a time.

They especially enjoy playing in ice and snow, but ought not to be kept in freezing temperatures for more than a few hours at a time: they can and will catch colds.

A Pippin is boundlessly loyal to its chosen Person, even before becoming a proper bondmate. If they 'choose' a person, they will pursue them persistently.

A Pippin that has found its chosen Person will desire to be beside them at all times, even when their Person cannot pay direct attention to them. They will hide in pockets or bags, sit on shoulders, or sit on the head, in order to remain as close as possible whenever they can get away with it.

Pippins are sedentary by nature, and will take naps often. While they can perform incredible feats of speed, strength, and acrobatics, their stamina is lacking.

Pippins are affectionate: they will show their affection with closeness, cuddles, nuzzles, and shedding.

Pippins are incredibly intelligent, and crave knowledge both fictional and nonfictional. They can often be found enjoying books, videos, comics, and podcasts.

The Pippin's personality is fundamentally easygoing and kind. They have a great capacity for compassion.

That being said: the Pippin's intelligence makes it capable of developing in a wide variety of directions.

A young Pippin is quick to learn and a model student, making them easy to train.

Pippins are emotionally brittle: once a Pippin has experienced what it perceives to be betrayal, it will quickly learn mistrust. Such a Pippin is more difficult to socialize and train going forward, but is no less intelligent or capable if handled with care.

A Pippin is excessively protective of what it perceives to be its 'things', whether those things are literal objects or the people it values. It is equally likely to imprint upon other bitties.

Although Pippins are by nature non-aggressive, a Pippin will respond to the aggression of others, especially if it is targeting something the Pippin values.

Pippins have an incredible sense of smell. They can track an individual for several miles with little trouble.

Up close, a Pippin's sense of smell can give them great swaths of information, including the health and emotional state of the person

Older Pippins and Pippins which have healed from an injury may display darker colors in their wings.

Pippin wings are generally slow growing after a certain point, and will not usually need trimming more than 1-4 times a year. It is recommended that Pippin trims be done under anesthesia by a trained professional, as they are highly sensitive.

[aisling-saoirse]

Quaking Aspen - Populus tremuloides

Today I want to bring up a charismatic favorite: the Quaking Aspen. Like all populus species, it's a fast growing, clonal colony forming, northern extreme and mountain loving tree (just like its Eurasian sister species: A. tremula) with an incredibly wide range of distribution. In addition to all those interesting qualities, the oldest known organism is presumed to be a Quaking Aspen colony (Pando, in Utah)

General identification before I can talk about the more interesting bits, Aspens are best known for their yellow autumn leaves and smooth white bark with dark knots, they can grow as large as 60' but depending on their environment can be stunted to around 5-20' (think of krummholz). Leaves of this species appear slightly heart shaped and retain the same sheen on both sides (image 1). Plants are unisexual meaning individuals either have male or female flowers, interestingly enough this is a good method to distinguish where one colony begins and ends by looking at the color of the branches in spring (see image from Colorado below, note trees with light green and those without). Emerging catkins are white at first which become green and longer as the season changes, male catkins having slightly longer stamen but female fruiting catkins ultimately growing longest at 10 cm. Seeds are small capsules with silky hairs to assist in wind dispersion, these trees are ruderal so they produce around 1.6 Million a season with many unable to germinate. Seedlings often need consistent moisture and full sun to even germinate, most of the seeds growth goes to root structure the first year.

The name Quaking Aspen (or trembling per the Latin) refers to the extremely mobile habit of the leaf. Leaves are connected to flexible petioles (stems) which flip around in the slightest breeze. Environmentally speaking, I was once told that leaves have chlorophyll on both sides however this stem could also be a biological strategy to cope with harsh wind conditions in mountainous environments, I didn't encounter any recent research verifying this though. Interestingly enough, given the harsh nature of which this tree thrives, apparently, there is chlorophyll in its trunk, allowing extra energy to enter the tree when it's leaves are gone.

Quaking Aspen is an early succession species, able to reestablish/colonize a site after a fire or other major disturbance. Many of Upstate New York's famous Aspen forests are actually a result of logging and fires in the early 1900s rather than a typical forest compostion. Establishment is different depending on opportunity, in the west its often long lived clonal roots systems, in the high arctic its often through wind blown seed, in the east its generally short lived clones out-competed by hardwood/conifer forest after a century, and in its furthest southeastern range I typically only encounter individuals on rocky outcrops or former fields.

Above ground trees usually live less than a century, in the east maybe 50-80 years given our moisture, out west individual trunks can live two centuries. It's common to find dense forests with even-age trees since clonal root structures re-emerge together (Image above from Bluebell Knoll Mountain in Utah). Its also thought that the root system can live for two millenia or longer, Pando being an example of extreme longevity (I mean 40,000 years would survive an ice age, even in Utah there would be mountain glaciation, thats quite spectacular if true). Ironically, one of the best survival tools in the Aspen's playback is fire recovery, otherwise it will get out-competed/shaded pretty fast (see the context in image 2, that NJ forest used to have lots of aspen).

All this in mind its good to point out that Aspen's early successional habit makes it great for ecological restoration. It's common to find them as the first pioneers on former mines or superfund sites (aspen grove below from Palmerton gap, Pennsylvania). Unfortunately one of the negative side affects is that populus species often bring up a lot of heavy metals in their leaves and wood meaning they can re-contaminate through their own biological accumulation. Which is good for extracting small scale contaiminants...very bad for large sites where you need to trap metal under soil to prevent toxins from eroding offsite

All this being said Quaking Aspen's large geographic range mirrors that of the last glacial maximum, implying a rapid spread onto retreating glaciers. This also suggests a growth habit requiring wet or moist soil conditions. This range is North West to Alaska nearly touching the Arctic Ocean at its Northern-most range in the Yukon, then east to Newfoundland; south west to Mexico (usually restricted to high mountains) and east from Iowa to New Jersey (with scattered populations in West Virginia).

Since Aspen often colonizes sites of former glaciation, with climate change it's predicted there will be a northward and uphill progression of populations. Aspen isn't really in intense danger of dissappearing but studies have shown major stressors (draught, extreme heat, over-grazing) cause higher mass-mortality events from minor stressors (typically disease and insect herbivorey). Given the fact that many forests are clonal there was a question of low genetic diversity amoung populations, yet interestingly, individuals undergo somatic mutations (DNA alterations after conception) and are extremely variable, so different individuals often place different energies into different defense tactics.

In addition to all of this information Aspens are primarily used today to make paper pulp. Historically settlers used aspen to derive quinine (think gin and tonic), and indigenous tribes have a history of using big trunks to create dug out canoes.

So please go out to your nearest mountain/boreal forest to enjoy the Quaking Aspen's lovely smooth bark and haunting shaking in the wind!