#and I have all the old terrarium stuff around

[tggardens]

Sooooo, I'm going to revive my terrarium stuff and start posting about those over the winter. Also I'm going to get some isopods.

And by "get some isopods" I mean I'm going to go catch about 5 from the yard where they like to live in the leaf duff around the roses.

I just read that most of the "Rolly Polly" animals we see in California are introduced rather than being native, so I should be even do this little experiment without stealing a native species from its environment.

[bullet-prooflove]

Taken!Series Part Six: Family - Angel Reyes x Reader

Tagging: @crazy4chickennuggets @kmc1989 @withakindheartx @wakeama @witches-unruly-heart @keyweegirlie @trhett21 @annetje @infinity-mars @emily2003alzaga @danzer8705 @im-just-a-mississippi-girl @thatonesexycancerian @expir3dl0v3  @appreciatelove @the-wandering-lunatic @weiwei0210 @anime-weeb-4-life @multifandomloversworld @harperdoodle @cheyrenee @fanfic-n-tabulous @stressed-chas @daydreaming-belle @est1887 @prettyinpunk85 @adaydreamaway08 @thanossexual @briefpersonenemy @creativitybeware @crimeshowjunkie @librarian1002 @mortal--soul @buddinglinguist @spookyboogyuniverse @spaghettificationandpretzels @nu1freakshow @thebaileybugle @legally-a-bastard @bonsaijoons @sclitvdes @justreblogginfics

Taken!Series:

Part One: Mother - Tragedy strikes when Angel leaves you and Valeria alone for the evening.

Part Two: Bleeding Out - Angel returns home to discover what happened at the house.

Part Three: Touch & Go - Angel discovers where Valeria was taken.

Part Four: Meth Mountain - Angel retreives Valeria.

Part Five: Perfect - Angel reveals what he was really doing the night you were shot.

When you come home, it’s to Felipe’s house.

To a bedroom that’s been redecorated, to a space that’s tailored to help with your recovery.

You’ve been in Angel’s old room before. It used to be a blast from the past, basketball stuff littering the shelves, old, chequered sheets on the single bed in the corner, pictures of motorcycles and scantly clad women on the walls.

That’s changed now. There’s a double bed with crisp white sheets with pretty little plants embroidered into it, a swing cradle for Valeria is situated along side of it. The shelves hold all of your items from home. The various terrariums, the pressed rose in a frame from your Nana. Your clothes are hung up in a gorgeous dark wood wardrobe that had been hidden underneath Angel’s half naked lady posters.

The truth is you can’t go back to the house you were injured in, and neither can Angel. The memories are too raw, too vivid so instead you return to Felipe’s. A place where you can rest and recover with the help you need and the proximity to your daughter. You need to be close to her in the aftermath, the same way that Angel does.

Right now, you’re sitting on the edge of the bed, rocking the cradle lightly as Valeria kicks her legs and puts her hands to her mouth. Those dark eyes of hers stare up at the mobile that Felipe had crafted for her, brightly coloured zoo animals that ensnare her attention. You feel settled right now, at peace. For the first time in a long time everything is right where it’s supposed to be.

Felipe clears his throat from the doorway, you tilt your head up with a small smile before your attention turns back to the baby.

“She doesn’t have a care in the world.” You say softly.

Felipe sits down beside of you, the bed dipping as his shoulder bumps against yours. He chucks his finger underneath Valeria’s chin, and the baby tries to grab at it.

“I never said thank you.” You say quietly. “For setting us up here. I know it can’t be easy having us in your personal space...”

Felipe shakes his head, cutting you off.

 “It’s good to have other people around the house again.” He says, his voice gruffer than usual as he takes over the rocking. “Especially this little one.”

There’s silence between the two of you for a moment as you both watch Valeria. She’s getting tired now, her motions slowing as she turns her head.

You hear Angel’s footsteps trapsing up the hallway before he ducks into the room. He’s wearing a grey wifebeater and basketball shorts that are covered in flecks of paint. There’s a streak of green across his cheek, you can see the same colour marring his fingertips.

“Pops, you said you were getting more paint for the nursery.” He says, before he sees the two of you sitting alongside the crib. A smile crosses his features as he steps inside the room, grabbing the rag from his back pocket and using it to clean his hands.

“EZ’s old room can wait a minute.” Felipe says, continuing to rock the cradle as the baby’s eyelids start to flutter closed. “I want to spend a little time with my family.”

Love Angel? Don’t miss any of his stories by joining the taglist here.

Interested in supporting me? Join my Patreon for Bonus Content!

Like My Work? - Why Not Buy Me A Coffee

[the-s1lly-corner]

General Kinger hcs

you guys already know the drill; mix of general kinger stuff as well as dynamic stuff blah blah perhaps even some x reader stuff if you squint

not very warm, very hard. hes a giant chess piece and his robe doesnt do much to soften and warm him... though the fur of his robe is softer than the majority of his clothing...

very tall, has back pain, for two reasons. one, because hes old!!!! two, hes constantly huddled in his pillow fort so hes hunching over all the time, i mean look at hos he stands.. hes hunch

this mostly applies to any post digital circus aus where everyone escapes to the real world but i can easily see this being true for kinger atm or perhaps later on, but he has some level of agoraphobia (a type of anxiety disorder, makes you not want to leave places you feel secure in. can range in severity, for some its only not wanting to leave their town for others it can be as bad as not wanting to leave a room in their own home. this is a v brief and summarized description so i recommend you guys look into it) (this might be a little self projection as admin has a mild form of it)

good friends with gangle and ragatha! as mentioned in the general ragatha hc post they have a more father/daughter dynamic whereas he and gangle have a grandfather/granddaughter dynamic!

loves telling embellished stories about himself and his adventures... probably hypes up stories about him bug hunting around the grounds

i think he keeps a bunch of bugs in his room, all in their own little homes! terrariums!

on the fence of hcing the he preserves bugs... maybe he did prior to the digital circus but stopped due to a mix of forgetting that was something he did... and if he does have vague memories stopped because it kinda... makes him feel weird, like it reminds him of how hes trapped in the circus now.. which... admittedly is not the same as the preserved bugs but shrugs

leaves flowers and things at queener/queenies room, usually he visits her old door most nights to talk to it... some nights hes consciously aware of the fact that shes gone, other nights when hes a little more out of it than usual he... doesnt

if he ever does start dating again, i think hes going to be watching you like a hawk... never letting you out of his sight and, as unfortunate as it sounds, he might come off as a little too overprotective... overbearing.... overly clingy... at times.. likely all three

definitely sleeps with weighted pillows/blankets, this one is another one thats more so for post circus au but i can see it also being relevant to the actual.. circus stuff, probably asks caine for them

speaking of caine, i can see them having a... decent relationship

theyre not close friends, i think, but theyre polite and friendly to one another

perhaps its out of familiarity and security, at least on kingers end since caine probably isnt able to abstract and hes been there the entire time

i personally dont think kinger really thinks hes royalty, as he refers to himself as in the pilot.. honestly i think he was just trying to appeal to the gloink queen... perhaps he does joke about him being a king, though

he makes dad sounds (grunts, loud sneezes, diabolical snores, ect)

fidgets a lot... usually tugs and plays with the fur of his robe... or messes with his hands (drumming his fingers, flapping them, cracking knuckles, flexing fingers, folding them, ect ect), probably paces around a lot too

has definitely tried to grab someone and run but due to his lack of arms hes run away without his hands and the person he was trying to take with him

[cyncerity]

WOW hi again

sorry it’s been like over a month since I’ve posted anything, south park fixation is still strong and I know if I push the mcyt fixation too hard i’ll lose it and i don’t want that!

anyway yada yada more stories in progress as I’ve mentioned in like 3 previous apology posts, but they’ll be a bit more delayed. sorry everyone family emergency happened and I’m gonna be busy for a while yet but dw i’m stil doin stuff

in the meantime since i feel bad about leaving all of you on the back burner i’m gonna post some old art that i never gave you!!

now that that’s out of the way here’s some new characters and art for the alien terrarium au that i never showed you!!

you all already have seen Techno and Phil in the story, and they look pretty basic. Wil is pretty basic but he has some scars from surgeries performed on him to make him a suitable host for Tommy. The first outside person Wilbur meets is Niki.

Niki is Techno’s babysitter and best friend, and Wil quickly becomes close with her after he’s brought back to Phil’s house and Niki has to watch the twins when Phil is at work. The second person Wilbur meets is Shubble.

Techno is in his first year of high school, and Wilbur occasionally hangs around the campus cause he has nothing better to do since he doesn’t want to be enrolled in school. Shubble meets him while he’s loitering waiting for his brother and long story short, she convinces Wilbur to join the school’s theater program. Phil fills out some “homeschooled” paperwork and Wilbur meets with her and the theater troupe twice a week after school to do improv classes, plays, and learn musical numbers.

Lastly there’s Tommy, and there’s not much else to be said about him. Little alien snake guy i love him so much <3

might post more art of him later and explain parts of his character design but idk we’ll see

(also for age reference in this au Techno, Wilbur, and Shubble are all 13, Niki is 16, Tommy is 8, and Phil is an adult older than 25 [im not pinning down an age for him yet]. Dream Team and Sam are all between 23-25 [no specific ages for them either sorry])

[mechanicalriddle]

the moment weve all been waiting for EXALTED SECRET 2023 BIOS YAAAAAY

Heres my bios for the secret santa ! this years theme is Girls Who Rot, Have Rotted Previously, or Are Rotting Right Now

I like to provide some little details, tidbits, tone and setting ideas in my bios in case you want to draw them in like a little scene; don't feel obligated to get that fancy, though!

without further ado.

Pleione (Plin for short, she/they, roughly equivalent to early 20s) is a Marrow Aspect forged from the remnants of a young royal from a long-forgotten kingdom, resuscitated from the depths of the mausoleum in which her body was interred by (accidental) necromantic means. She's spent the past two decades quietly living on her Anchor's manse-estate, indulging in her passions for art and botany.

Plin is a big chicken who is deathly terrified of conflict and does a lot of screaming and cowering when things come to blows for someone who

Her personality is particular, peculiar, and holier-than-thou. She's got dynastic sensibilities, snobbish and disinclined to associate with 'the proles'. Get her on the subject of one of her special interests, though, and you might find each other fast friends.

Motifs- Plin has an orchid motif on account of the fact that she needs a dose of a special tea made from a (formerly) extinct orchid several times a day in order to NOT DIE. She hasn't died yet. She doesnt know she can come back give her a break. Some other motifs include glass, terrariums, spiders & fireflies; marble & porcelain, old-timey anatomical drawings, delicate floral and baroque patterns; antique-white, minty green, deep purple, and black.

Ideas- If you want to draw her doing something she is equally likely to be found reclining on a huge pile of pillows with a book or with her knees planted in the dirt rooting around in a thorny shrub. She loves to dissect and draw plants and is liable to be found at a desk or behind an easel doing one of those activities

Anima- Currently I am thinking... a grove filled with ghostly-white plants twining over enormous bones (hopefully of the animal variety, but hard to say, really) and probably features giant flowering orchids that are shaped suspiciously like skulls... Also its hard to say but the ground does look an awful lot like meat, and those stringy bits look an awful lot like connective tissue... hmm

---

Desert Fang Grim Devil Lioness (Grim for short, she/her, 36 yrs old) is a renegade Midnight caste former-warlord-turned-backwoods vampire-MILF. upgrades!

Grim was fazed a lot as a child (being pawned off by your family as a slave will do that to you) and vowed to grow up into a woman who Wouldn't Be Fazed By Anything. Having achieved this (with a few notable exceptions), she mostly gets her way by via being larger, stronger, and scarier than as many of her problems as possible. Sometimes problems don't and can't have physical largeness, though, which is annoying.

One of these problems included being counter-merc'd by one of her targets and dying of exposure under the desert sun. She didn't... quite... let this stop her, though. There are people in need of her skillsets, and dying isn't really a disqualifier for their service. She was raised as a deathknight and for several years served as one of the First and Forsaken Lion's most fearsome officers.

Another problem is... More recent. Having run off with her lunar mate and tried to start a family far, far from FAFL's stomping grounds, it turns out toughing it out in the wilds of the North can kind of suck.

Motifs- Pretty normal deathknight stuff. Black iron of the wrought variety, and soulsteel; tattered and blood-drenched fabric, rough-hewn basalt and dark masonry. Honestly got stronger canid than felid vibes, to spite the name. Black-and-red is an obvious throughline but grimy grays and natural tones complete her overall color scheme. Things that are totally inert and lifeless, and will always remain as such.

Ideas- Riding her terrifying steed (basically just a half rotting perma-permafrosted elk corpse with a broken antler), slicing something in half with her awesome reaver daiklaive, hovering over a pot of survival-stew boiling over a crude hearth, walking thru the woods in the dark covered in blood. Or maybe hanging out with her awesome baby (pictured) if youre inclined to draw something... Nicer :)

Anima- A bit stereotypical, I think like. a blasted land with bloodsoaked earth so barren and expansive that it blends with the crimson sky, as well as off in the distance banners that tower like skyscrapers which only flutter by virtue of their enormity. Not even Mela's breath will touch this forsaken place.

Grim is the current wielder of Gorgon.

---

(WHOOPS forgot the tattoos in the second thing but like hell im fixing that at this point)

Last but not least, the Gunstar Autochthonia Girl Hirudana Siithavari (Siithi for short, she/her, 32 y.o.) a No Moon ostensibly still answering to the Deliberative; at heart, a roustabout and a scallywag. She crawled deep into Authochthon's world-body on a suicide mission and then beat all odds by sheer cockroach-style stubbornness, earning her Luna's favor. Also, terrible death-sorcery (necromancy is sort of an unknown factor in our rendition of the Gunstar shard but she somehow managed to make contact with the neverborn and stumble into its practice)

she likes drinking, and gambling, and yelling, and generally being a nuisance. Sometimes a little bit of heart-of-gold shines through, and quite frankly everyone is probably better off with the secrets of necromancy in her hands rather than someone slightly less grounded in reality.

theres more pics of her in her tag if you want to poke around.

Motifs- Bronze, brass, grimy earth tones mixed with bright accent colors. Black leather, studs, needles, teeth. Tubes, pipes, gears, grates and various industrial junk. Worms, bugs, and other vermin. Dankness, darkness, the sickly shadows of Black Non. Smoke-haze and drug paraphernalia.

Ideas- Generally she spends most of her time at the bar, the gym, in her lab, or asleep. you could draw her pumping iron, or taking a toke on a decrepit sofa in her dingy weed-cave (not a literal cave though that would be kind of fun), or sitting at an industrial workbench pouring over a half-disassembled chainsaw. or corpse. or both at the same time.

Anima- Her lower-level anima is kind of gloopy like a lava lamp. Iconic is a swamp with oil for water, populated by mangroves assembled from pipes and black plastic tube-vines, with the moon reflecting brightly on its surface. Her spirit shape is a Buffalo Leech, one of the largest species of leeches (on earth at least). i'll attach a pic of her hybrid form if you wanna draw that instead!

(necessary disclaimer for these sorts of things) youre welcome to take this as an opportunity to do some experimenting but if you don't think you can passably represent a certain characters body shape i would recommend picking one of the other options. thank you!

[the-lincyclopedia]

Last night I saw a post about air plants, and my brain went WANT. Now, usually when my brain goes WANT, I respond, "Shut up. We don't deserve things." I've never been an impulse purchase person because I've never really believed I deserve much of anything.

But y'all, I've started fighting that belief lately. Last night I stayed up later than I meant to looking up local garden stores and air plant hanging terrariums, and then I made a list of other things I'd also like to do at the garden store, as long as I was there. This morning I called the garden store and asked if they had air plants and could help with the rest of my list as well. And as soon as I got off work, I drove to the garden store.

Y'all, it was magical. First of all, I brought the Christmas cactus I've been meaning to repot for like seven years. One of the employees was able to get the plant out of its former pot, which I'd been scared to do, since the old pot had a lip around the top that curved inward. I spotted a gorgeous new pot with constellations on the side, and the employee repotted the Christmas cactus into it for me.

Then I looked at air plants. The selection wasn't huge, but there were several options. We talked about lighting conditions in my apartment in order to figure out which one would be best. They didn't have any hanging terrariums, but they did have these shell husks that I could put an air plant in, so I got one of those, and the employee who was helping me drilled a hole in the top and gave me some twine to hang it in my apartment.

And then, just for the hell of it, I got two other plants.

Letting myself buy things just because I want them has been really difficult for me for most of my life, even when I've had the money to be able to afford it. It's just always made me feel really guilty. I still have plenty of critiques of a consumerist mindset, but I'd like to think there's a difference between letting myself fully inhabit my space, versus, like, the mindless accumulation of stuff for its own sake.

Anyway, I'm SO excited about my plants.

[cheemken]

Ya know I haven’t really talked about Drayton n Kieran yet so here’s some canon hc stuff!

Okay so I believe in the French translation it’s stated that Kieran is 14….which I don’t believe lol with how shy he is in the teal mask and then crying over not getting ogerpon in the teal mask as well it just doesn’t fit right w/ him being 14 it seems in line of someone who’s 10 or 9 really + Drayton says he misses the old shy Kieran who likes to battle for fun so we can assume that Kieran was in the league club even before his desire to get stronger and tbh if a 14 yr old was around ppl like the E4 I doubt they’d be as shy as Kieran was in the teal mask, being around those 4 would give anyone a confidence, boost, so yeah Kieran is probably like 10 or maybe even 9 but def no older then that, anyways enough of my rambling n to the actual hcs lmao

Once Kieran is back in the club after mochi mayhem, he’s often seen curled up against Drayton snoozing on the clubs couch together as all of his intense training messed up Kieran’s sleep the boy is often really tired

Drayton is actually really good at comforting/calming down a crying Kieran weather it be from a legitimate reason like the trauma from terapagos, when he’s tired that he can’t help but cry or just him crying from not getting his way with something, Drayton is the second best at calming Kieran down (the first being carmine of course)

On the topic of terapagos, Kieran often goes to Drayton about his issues with the legendary bc Drayton knows what it’s like to be impacted by a legendary and Kieran doesn’t wanna bother his sister more with his trauma cause like yeah terapagos was gonna kill him, that energy beam was going straight for Kieran, he’d be dead if protagonist didn’t step in, so he talks to drayton about his trauma n drayton helps the best he can

Drayton eventually drops the “Ex-champion” nickname teasing as he sees it really upsets Kieran n they just started being friends again! He doesn’t wanna lose Kieran again!

They fly together across the terrarium on their dragonite’s :) often having fun lil races 

Drayton joked about carrying Kieran when we beat him during the champion fight but he actually does give Kieran piggyback rides when he wants! He enjoys carrying Kieran a lot!

Just like with the E3, Drayton can be protective of him, that’s his lil brother your honour……stole him from carmine….~Drayton angst anon💛

Huh but y'know I can picture Kieran being 14, there are teenagers that are still kinda shy around that age, and given his upbringing, it's understandable why he'd act like that too

But anyways hahaha

That's dope tho, them bonding over their trauma regarding a legendary. Drayton never got to really face off Kyurem like Iris, only ever saw him after Iris finally got him from Ghetsis' control, a much tamer Kyurem than the one still being controlled by Plasma. He can't imagine how it must've been for Kieran too, being face to face w Terapagos, almost dying bc of it. Nearly died bros tho real lmfao

That's cute them flying around w their Dragonite🥹 reminds me of this one concept I have of Iris and Lance too hahah and aughgh the piggyback ride thing cndmdn like how Iris would do it for Drayton too your honour they are so soft cnmdnd

[mixed-up-multiverse]

Since I've gotten off my butt to work on drafts at the time of writing this.... Here are some Canon-Divergent things I want to state about all three of my Murder Drones muses seeing as how it's been a while since the show's finale, and because frankly I am disappointed with the direction it all went in. So consider this a big ol' hearty "Fuck You!" to canon.

Below the cut because I wanna spare you all how long this is.

For Uzi:

To start; she is NOT in any kind relationship with N, on account of her being disgusted by romance in general. In fact, N's "We Kinda Hang Out idk" message was to trigger her gag reflex, as well as to get Nori to do the slap that would bring her back to reality.

She's since lobbed off her tail (which contains the Solver), and keeps it in a terrarium in her, Khan and Nori's home. She is now essentially a snake owner lol. Of course, a new, non-sentient one did eventually grow back, but separating herself and the Solver (leaving it in a powerless worm form) FREAKING HURT.

To add to the above fact, following her removing and thus trapping the solver in her old and severed tail, her Solver powers have almost kind of just... been very nerfed. She can move non-solver objects around and no longer has to worry about being controlled anymore, but that's just about it. On the plus side though, she's now got a cool new railgun again! but shes pissed that she can never learn to teleport now.

For V:

Despite the above info about Uzi's relationship status, V and N (@musesofthesun) are not together either. While they're very close, they both acknowledge that there has been a lot of stuff going on (from the solver's interference to both of their own poor choices), and they're both not ready to have what they used to again. But they're taking baby steps to talking and being more open with each other, so they can properly rekindle what they have both lost.

She and Lizzy have... begun talking a lot less, due to the latter deciding to focus on helping Doll (see Lizzy's section below). But they're still on good terms. They'll chat, and Lizzy will inform V of important events going on at the colony, and V is the former's go-to when disposing of students she doesn't like.

She's pretty much tamed and made a big scary puppy out of the Red Sentinel, who she has affectionately named "Sparky". She managed to win them over after defeating them in battle and killing the other sentinels, but unfortunately she's the only one they listen to.

She now has a hobby of exploring Copper 9 in search of other oil sources. Because as much as she misses slaughtering prey all the time, she knows that she can't do that anymore now that she's a part of the colony.

For Lizzy:

She's pretty much gone back to living a normal life now that it's all over, nothing much else to say.

She is the only one besides Uzi who can visit Doll (@handfulofmuses) following the latter being repaired and living as a hermit now, as while she doesn't know what Doll experienced before the Solver killed her, she wants to be there for her even-more-traumatized bestie until thee latter is ready to come back to the colony... even if the chances of that are slim.

She is 12% less mean than she used to be before the series began.

[boreal-sea]

Moving updates:

Packing, Day 4 (though technically I began packing things as early as May).

The U-Box was successfully finished and taken away yesterday, and I took the car to the mechanic to see if it needed anything. I'd suspected it might need new brake pads since according to the mileage it's WAY past due. That was expensive, but now I know my brakes won't fail half way across the country lol.

I didn't actually do a whole lot yesterday other than loading one item into the U-Box and getting my car fixed, but I was exhausted after 2 days of lifting, loading, and packing. I also knew I had all of today to keep working, so I gave myself a bit of a break.

Today I started bright and early at around 8am, and got the rest of the living room stuff collected. I also picked up all the trash in my bedroom (which was a lot), and consolidated the rest of the stuff in there too. I also got the rest of the car cleaned out and put the bike rack on the back. I wanted to take it to get cleaned one more time but eh. I laid down the back seats, then put down some flat stuff, including some small rugs and mats as well as a bulletin board and some foam boards. Then I put in two boxes on the sides by the passenger doors.

On top of those boxes are where the plants are going to sit, inside more boxes for stability. I'm hoping they'll all fit because there's about 20 of them, but most are pretty small/medium in size.

I'm keeping the middle open because that's where the lizard rack and the lizard terrarium are going to go. He's got his own separate traveling container as well, though his favorite hide is also portable and small and secure, so I may just use his hide as a travel container, which I think would make him a lot more relaxed.

Around the terrarium I'll stuff everything else I have left over like my pillows, canned food, etc. The cans are in separate totes so I can bring them inside during the night in the hotel.

I have my day-bag with some clothes loaded up, and the suitcase is next. Bike has to get loaded as well, but that's an easy job. I also keep forgetting the office chair in my bedroom! To be fair I never ever use it. Oh and I still haven't cleaned out the old big litter box yet.

All of the kitty's stuff is waiting right now. I'm probably going to do most of that today, like the scales and the auto feeder and the water fountain. I already have the fountain emptied and drying out. I'll leave the food in the auto dispenser and just tape the lid on, and packing enough for High Five to eat for a few days. I think I'll take 3 cans of wet food and 2 cups of dry food, that should be enough, but either way I'm taking all of it in the car so I can grab more if I need it.

I think that it? The cot I'm sleeping on will go in last. A lot of stuff will probably have to wait until tomorrow morning, since I have to get the terrarium in first before I can load everything else around it.

Argg now I just have to figure out what order to do this all in...

[donnerpartyofone]

I have been thinking a lot about the concept of Experience lately. I've been working on this big piece of analysis of a movie (possibly my Favorite Movie actually) that's kind of a magic-realist fantasy about a guy who lives in what is almost like a little terrarium where every day is the same and not even something as radical as death can alter the cycle. Problems come up when he develops desires outside the bounds of his routine, but because he has no point of reference for the dynamism of real life, he just projects his usual narcissistic fantasies onto everything and everyone, and it's a big disaster. I have an almost frame-by-frame knowledge of the movie, but talking about it intelligently requires a sharp eye for all kinds of esoteric cultural references and influences, it's really meaningfully connected with art history and philosophy and films that went before it--so if you're a guy who lives the same kind of dogmatically cloistered life as the hero, you're really not going to get it. And maybe it's telling that a lot of people Do Not Get this movie.

And it made me start worrying about the mass fandom cult again, like I worry about people who are actively defensive about their right to only consume children's media and avoid any critical reflection of any kind, and I think this must tie into how intensely anti-sex a lot of people have become too. Like being celibate or asexual is a real legitimate thing of course, but I strongly suspect there are a lot of people who just want to be infantilized, almost literally, they want trigger warnings for stuff they just don't like in addition to the reasonable ones for traumatic content, they want media that's stripped of allegorical meaning or whose only meaning is dictated by the rest of the franchise, or by the fandom urge to remove practically all narrative and symbolic considerations besides who's gonna kiss. And I'm not saying that everybody needs to devote their lives to intellectual challenges or big adventures or whatever, but I think that you should at-least-sometimes read something that refers to something more than just the last thing in the same series, I think that even if you legitimately cannot go outside and expand your world, you should at-least-sometimes watch or read or observe something that presents concepts and ideas outside of your pre-established list of favorite things. "Touch grass" (a phrase I find a little annoying but oh well) isn't just meant to differentiate indoor and outdoor activities, it means like, go do something you haven't tried before, or pursue a new line of thought. Just like, find out what kind of person you can really be. If you don't, it's going to make you increasingly brittle and vulnerable as life goes on around you and you're eventually forced to face certain things.

And I mean I'm speaking as a person who had a pretty hard time growing the fuck up even though I was considered "smart". Everyone gave me all this shit about how people like me (hopeless dweebs) really blossom in college, and then it took me [redacted] years to get through it and I still think they passed me just to get rid of me finally. And even though I was interested in sex and relationships, I was so phobic and unsure of myself that I almost only had bad experiences up to the time that I lost my virginity (another annoying phrase but oh well) at [a ripe old age] [and mostly bad experiences after that too let's be honest, but it eventually got better], because I just didn't understand who I was or what was out there. And even if it was essentially right for me to take my time with different things, it was also bad for me to actively avoid life for such a long time--if I hadn't, I would have seen certain people coming miles away and a lot sooner. I have no desire to discuss all the details with the general public but the awful, manipulative, and as it turned out universally abusive person that I "lost my virginity to" (ugh) impressed me because he had this extreme academic intelligence and of course I bought into how Dark and Tormented he was. The thing that eventually made me stand up for myself was when I started noticing that actually, secretly, he was really dumb. That's what a lot of Drama is; sometimes it's deep and dark and rooted in Circumstances, but oftentimes it's just adults who should know better willfully doing stupid, boring, dreary shit, and assigning it WAY too much importance. The specific stupid shit in this story began with a girl who was at the center of a love quadrangle involving my Dark and Tormented person. What inevitably happened didn't even hurt my feelings in the end because I just could not be jealous; the situation was moronic and the girl was not cute, and not stylish, and not smart or clever, and not talented. I met her once outside of a screening of TEXAS CHAINSAW, which she had never seen before even though she was trying out this pathetic horror chick flex, and it did not occur to me for a minute that she might be a threat because she was just so lame. The awful guy asked her if she liked the movie, and she giggled, "Oh yes, um, it was so...MASTERFUL...because everything was so........WELL-HANDLED." I was standing there thinking oh my god, did you just use a word and then define the word in the same sentence? Ever since that day "masterful" has been my least favorite word, it's so embarrassing. My best friend and I use it as a kind of slur for pretentious bullshit, we're like "Oh yeah, was that movie MASTERFUL? Because it was so WELL-HANDLED?"

It turned out her deal was that she was basically just auditioning various men to see if one of them would sign a lease on a new place for her so she could move out on her boyfriend who she was cheating on with all these potential new roommates. I mean it was like, really deeply unsexy. But certain kinds of Dark and Tormented men are extremely attracted to just ugly, crass messiness, they mistake garden variety idiots for like Laura Palmer or something. And if you add in the excitement of competition, like which one of these guys is going to win the privilege of paying her rent while she cheats on him with all his frenemies, that's like heaven for some people. And there is no better way to find out who is smart and who is fucking stupid, than by observing a situation like this in action. Anyway that motherfucker is dead now and I got to enjoy many years of him trying to get my attention back in really stupid ways before he suddenly croaked, but I'm here to say this today: Challenge yourself to get some life experience in whenever you can. You don't have to do every crazy thing you can think of, but it just does not pay to be ignorant and naive, especially if you don't even know how ignorant and naive you are until it's too late.

[inhersepulchrebythesea]

So I went on a "date" last night 9/22/2023

My crush and I left for the bay around 5 yesterday evening so we would still have a little bit of daylight left. I got the jars she was giving me (all very nice), and she had some nice knives to scoop the secretions from the abandoned, dilapidated house.

We got the secretions. She gathered some mud from the water (she said she uses the snails in the mud for some personal stuff). And we headed back to my place to drop everything off.

But on the way back, she asked if I wanted to get dinner. And we looked at our muddy, gross selves and decided we'd pick something up and take it back to my apartment to eat.

So, we were sitting there, eating Taco Bell, talking about the bay.

"You know, the bay is a really good spot to get a lot of neat stuff," she said. "These snails are good for good luck terrariums. There's fish that make a really good tilapia Florentine--and also fish tacos if you don't want to go to that much effort--and they'll boost your stamina so crazy. And there's really cool rocks!"

"What do the rocks do?" I asked.

"Nothing! They're just cool!"

I asked her how she knew so much about this stuff, and she said it's just been an interest of hers. She's in the pharmaceutical program, and she's been diving into the old books kept in the basement of the campus library.

I said I didn't know about old pharmacy books in the basement, and she told me they're there if you know how to look for them. I thought it was funny because I work there. She didn't seem to want to talk about it anymore, so she started asking me about my program.

It was late by the time we finished eating and talking, so I asked her if she wanted to spend the night on my futon. It didn't seem like a good idea for her to walk back to her apartment. I lent her a t-shirt and sweatpants and a spare blanket that had seen better days.

She took a shower to wash off the bay odor. I apologized that my bedroom doesn't have a door and that she could see directly inside. She said it was okay and promised not to watch me sleep.

When I woke up this morning, though, she was hovering over me. I felt that same pressure on my chest. I coughed twice to loosen my lungs. I hadn't had that feeling in a week.

I asked if everything is okay. She looked startled. Like she had seen a ghost.

She said she thought she saw something right as my alarm went off. It was like she only caught it out of the corner of her eye. I asked what it looked like, and she said she couldn't describe it.

"It was probably just a shadow," she said. "From a cloud or a car. Something like that."

And I didn't point that there aren't too many passing shadows in a basement apartment.

She thanked me for letting her stay the night, but she had to get back to her apartment before her shift started at the cafe. I thanked her for the cool jars and the help.

So. I guess. Success in talking to her. But also. She was scared off by my creepy shadows.

[rize-is-writing]

Hello! Can I request a romantic matchup for one of the boys from bungou stray dogs and genshin impact?

I'm 20 years old and I'm an ENTP. my zodiac sign is Pisces and my enanegram is 7w8. I am an extrovert who loves meeting new people and learning new things! I love learning languages and can speak 3 already (learning a 4th one rn) as it allows me to speak with so many more people more comfortably and also learn more about their cultures and things that I wouldn't know otherwise. A few more of my hobbies include drawing, exploring new places/travelling, gardening, cooking, baking, tarot reading, collecting stuff (mostly crystals and books or just anything that looks cool or pretty) tea brewing,  making terrariums, singing, needle felting, sewing, and fashion. I am very big on gardening though, I love making terrarium and taking care of plants! I have an entire notebook dedicated to different plants ive learnt about and how to care for them well. Personality wise, I'm often described as having 'dog energy'? I'm just very expressive, energetic, and get excited very easily. I'm a confident person who isn't afraid to stand out (appearance wise and personality wise) and I do enjoy getting positive attention from people. However, I do have a bit of a short temper and get frustrated easily, especially at people who can't keep up with my energy but it is something that I'm working on. I also get stressed easily, I'm a very hard worker but to the point that I overwork myself a lot and burn out quickly.

I don't think I have a specific type or ideal person but I would like someone who is able to keep up with me and my love for new things. I like people who are okay with being dragged along to different places by me and also being very spontaneous. I love doing most things unplanned when I feel like it so someone who wouldn't mind that would be nice ahaha. Also someone who is alright me me talking and rambling a lot. I don't mind if they talk back with me or if they just listen as long as they don't get annoyed at me talking a lot. Also I have OCD, so someone who is understanding of that instead of just telling me 'deal with it' would be nice.

Other than that I don't have much of a preference/type

So sorry this was such a big long read but thank you if you read through all of it! I hope you have a good day!!

I found your match! Come to meet them, c'mon c'mon!

I don't know whenever someone even remembers this guy, but I do. Expressive, energetic as well, and can perfectly put up with your energy perfectly. Just ask this guy to fetch anything you wanna do, and he will be in maybe half of an hour back? (maybe it helps that he might or not be rich thanks to papa Fitzgerald? So he helps to support any hobby you need to?)

Definitely curious and enthusiastic on what you can do, with all the hobbies you have. So you might even teach him something (do you have space for shooting on you hobby list? Just a small suggestion from him. You know, as for how much enthusiast about shooting)

At the same time, he is laid back as a person: relaxing somehow is always good after all! You don't need to push yourself too much. He won't stress you, so you don't need to as well. Just there to help whenever you need to!

I know this guy looks like he is totally on something strong 24/7 to be as chill as he is, but as you said you need someone to put on with your energy? Kazuha definitely can.

Definitely as curious on what you are able to do, maybe not in an enthusiastic way but will be there to silently watch you do all the work.

Also I feel he would definitely like taking care of plants with you, as he is absolutely tuned with nature. Maybe more as a helper, I'm not sure how green his thumb is, but with the right instructions he can do anything. Just like Mark, he is extremely laid back and knows many ways to relax, like meditation, strolling around nature, making Haikus.

Kazuha is also an understanding person, he definitely wouldn't tell you "deal with it" at any problem you can have with your situation, and even supportive about it. Ready to help you to relax and encourage you at any moment!

[doorrobloxstuff]

What if snare has like a lil terrarium instead of a playpen like a human kid

Like lots of moss n plants and soil and stuff and its nice and warm and humid so the little baby can have a place to relax :)

What is he talking about I do not know.

Imagine Screech causes chaos by purposely shaking the terrarium and Seek just loses it like “Curses child, I just got that toddler to sleep!!”

But I feel like snare would be more a “shitty terracotta/clay pot” kind of baby. It’d eat the delicious clay for nutrients. Or maybe not even clay- maybe one of those extremely delicate fiber pots it’d gobble that shit up like a snack. Tastes like pancakes and sates the critter temporarily. Snare loves them.

Are they pancakes stolen off of dead intruders??? WHO would in their right mind would take pancakes with them while exploring a seemingly abandoned hotel??

It’d be cool to think of what entity..”pancakes” are. What snare defines AS pancakes. Is blood used in them?? (Blood pancakes ARE a thing.) Actually, blood could be used to replace the egg components due the complete lack of eggs.

Are they real thin or real THICC pancakes?? I like to imagine their thin yet biiig and sorta crusty around the edges. Served in stacks or even as just individual. The closest I’ve been able to show you guys is this.

(‘But Rush!’ You might say; ‘those are basically crepes are!’ I put a pipe bomb in your mailbox. Open your mailbox open it open it now)

Update: Found an even more accurate pic of what I’m talking about. Behold. Blood pancake. Do not ask me to censor blood pancake. You came here, to the horror blog to look at horrors. You will get speculative biology and blood pancakes. Bare witness.

Witness it. Witness the pancake made with pig/maybe reindeer blood depending on were you live.

Full of iron and proteins. Mystery entity, Snare and Screech will grow big and strong.

All the first floor entities actually share food together at a big old dining table, so everyone can witness Snare wolfing them down before attempting to steal other people’s pancakes. (Much to the great and terrible ire of Halt, Seek and Ambush alike.)

I wonder what fucked up syrup/butter they put on these things.

I might have said entities are obligate carnivores but that was thrown out the fuckin window given all the lore these past few months. Omnivore it is.

Ambush would make them big and fluffy btw

[berryscaryskies]

"Despite your love for the environment and the planet you also Really love consumerism, you just have to have your things! You try to balance these aspects of yourself as best you can in whatever ways you can, which isn’t always easy, but that won't stop you! You’re gonna have it all and no one can stop you."

-My earth gen is Chirimoya! Growing up Chiri was spoiled with love and support by her whole family, and her dad especially. He hated the idea of leaving her alone so he'd take her on all of his jungle excursions(the safe ones anyways) and archeology digs. From these trips Chiri developed a grand sense of love for nature and the world around her. She could spend hours simply sitting outside watching plants grow. 

-Chiri's very first collecting habits started up with going on these trips with her father. He would occasionally gift her fossils he had no need for and she'd display them proudly. As an adult her house is practically full to the brim with just the Stuff she's collected over the years. With her most lucrative and completed collection being her Frogs. 

-Chiri LOVES frogs, she's been breeding and caring for them since she was old enough to and she has her frog terrariums proudly displayed throughout her house.

-I wanna talk about Alice too! The two met as children in Oasis Springs, her father was scowering for limestones meanwhile Chiri met Alice(and their other bestie Julie) at the park. This trip is also when she caught her first frog! Chiri and Alice hit it off super well and the two would hang out all the time, turns out they went to the same school as Chiri also invited Alice home after class frequently. It was only as teenagers that it became clear to Chiri (and me) that Alice had a massive crush on Chirimoya and after a bit of lowkey flirting and constantly spending 1 on 1 time together the two went on a date and the rest is history.

-They went camping at granite falls for their honey moon after their wedding and they both seemed to have a great time. I think once their kid(s?) are old enough they'll go a couple more times.

-there was a period of time where Alice actually wore a paperbag over her head in game, i eventually decided to take it off cuz i wanted them to have cute childhood pictures together, but I like to imagine it was Chiri being sweet and Alice's big crush on her that made her stop wearing it lol

-they wore their friendship bracelets To Their WEDDING 😭it was literally so stinkin cute and sooo sweet, im like obsessed with them. THE childhood friends to lovers ever.

-Not in the drawings but I actually think Chiri is pansexual, but she's literally only ever dated or had serious feelings for Alice. A bit opposite of her parents who both never really settled down ever with anyone and preferred the casually dating/woohoo-ing people but generally single lifestyles.

-Alice is a school teacher, and because of her love of music trait i like to imagine she's specifically a Music Teacher at school. She spends most of her free time at home on an instrument, and I like to imagine the three of them having little jam sessions cuz Chiri isn't horrible at the guitar either and little baby Olympia join in however she can. With little mini dance parties popping up on occasion.

-Since Olympia is so young and I have plenty of playtime left with Chirimoya(and also she's currently my favorite generation thus far) I imagine I'll have more content for her as things finish up and Mars Gen truly begins.

Sim Chiri and Alice plus their adopted daughter Olympia

[ellemany]

Stressed Out - Chapter VI

<<&lt; Index

<<< Last Chapter

Sound Waves

Recommended Music: Die for You - The Weeknd

Sound is the propagation of an acoustic mechanical wave, whose perception is received by human beings who give them meaning.

The Reyna and Fade bodies emit sounds whose meaning does not please the Viper body. However, they are the ones she needs to hear.

Reyna looked Viper from top to bottom, outraged by the daring of that snake. Fade made a beak, looking at them both curiously.

- What's wrong with you? - Reyna put her hands on her hips, looking Viper with an eyebrow raised. - We've always talked to him like that.

- Only I can talk to him like that.

The rough phrase floated between them, weighing on the environment. Viper thought about how many meanings it had. She was possessive. She didn't want anyone to hurt Chamber with words, but... Was it fair for her to hurt him? She may have hurt him that day... She wanted so much to make him feel bad about the way he talked to her... However, when their eyes met in the infirmary and she noticed how much pain he felt... She hated to see him suffer. And everything got worse when she realized she could be the cause of his pain.

Viper was sorry for a lot of stuff. It was a bitter feeling.

- Okay. Say it. What's going on between you two? - Reyna gestured to Viper, getting into the elevator when its doors opened.

-Nothing. - It was an answer too short for the amount of stuff that was going on between them.

- It's not nothing!

- They had a fight. - Fade concluded and Viper turned to her, wondering how she knew about this information. Was it that obvious? - You've been avoiding each other. And we're not blind like your boyfriend so we don't see how you've been looking at each other lately.

- What I told her, it goes for you too. - Viper narrowed her eyes to Fade, who raised her hands as a sign of surrender.

- Viper, I can feel the grief between you. - Fade looked at Reyna, gesturing for her. - Aren’t their hearts heavy?

Reyna wandered her eyes from Fade to Viper, until she nodded at last.

- It's not... Beating as it should...

Viper closed her eyes, wanting to get away from it. She was really feeling a chronic chest squeeze for a while. Exactly speaking, four days. Among so many people Viper could call something close to friends, he had two sensitive ones. It was everything that a reserved person like Viper least desired.

- Viper, you can count on us.

The noise of the elevator doors opening almost drowned out Fade's soft words. Viper felt bad, thinking she wanted the sweet phrase to come out of someone else's mouth at that moment. She took a deep breath again, as if taking the courage to get out of there.

-Let's go. - She repeated it, more to herself than to the girls.

Reyna and Fade got out of the elevator with Viper, following her to her apartment. Viper was a magnet for annoying people.

- If you want, I can take care of him. You know. In the old-fashioned way. - Reyna tried to play, giving a smile.

-No. - Viper soothed Reyna with her eyes. Because if there was someone who was going to murder Chamber, that someone was exclusively her.

- It has to do with riso...

- Can you stop? You never shut up! - Viper complained, opening the door to her apartment and entering.

- It has to do with... Rice. - Fade completed, entering Viper's apartment with Reyna. - Did they eat spoiled food?

- You don't help at all. - Viper mumbled.

Viper threw herself on her couch, hugging a pillow. Reyna sat next to her, giving a safe distance from that natural predator, just enough to still be close. Fade went to the terrarium of Viper's snake, looking curiously.

- Where's Caladium? - Fade asked, looking for the emerald snake.

- She’s hiding… - Viper sighed, staring at the terrarium. - She hasn't been around in four days.

Viper moved uncomfortably on the couch. Caladium took a long time to trust Viper but fell in love with Chamber in the first mouse he gave her. Viper thought he spoiled that reptile too much, but she couldn't deny that she thought it was cute how Chamber got along with an animal that others tended to hate. Viper wondered if Caladium missed Chamber too.

- She must be stressed. - Fade commented, causing Viper to roll her eyes for her attest to the obvious. - Like you... - The Turkish agent turned to the other. - Animals feel it, you know?

Viper frowned, wondering how Fade had the ability to read her thoughts. She felt Reyna's penetrating look upon herself, knowing that she was literally able to decipher the beats of her heart.

They were very, very annoying.

- Let's see something. - Viper took control of the TV, changing channels without actually paying attention to what was going on there.

Reyna popped her tongue, looking at Viper with disapproval.

- I told you he was going to destroy you. Look how you're now! Sad because of a male. How degrading.

Viper squeezed the bridge of her nose, taking a deep breath. She felt really embarrassed by her feelings. She wish she could rip the heart out of her chest to stop suffering because of him. She'd take her brain out to stop thinking about him.

- If you're going to keep making me feel worse, why don't you just leave? It's not helping at all. - Viper spoke between teeth.

- What Rey means… - Fade intervened with a soft voice, moving away from the terrarium. - It's just that you don't have to be like this. - She leaned on the back of the couch, looking at Viper. - Come on, help us to help you to find a solution.

Viper bit the inside of her cheek, looking at the TV in a reality show.

- Let's see it. - She sighed, wanting to get out of that matter.

Fade nodded and jumped off the couch, sitting among them. Chamber hated when she did that; said it'd ruin the couch. He could have a certain amount of pleading with her friends, and they could have a certain amount of pleading with him. However, their coexistence was almost peaceful. Chamber enjoyed challenges and Fade and Reyna always found a new recipe for him to make or play a humanly impossible sonata, just to try to push him away a little from Viper and they could enjoy their friend. Viper looked Fade at a glance, wondering if that day, under other conditions, she would make Chamber cook or play the piano.

Viper rested her hand on her head, thinking sadly about how everything and everyone reminded her of him.

- I told you… - Reyna spoke, convinced. - They both have red flags too strong to ignore...

- Where am I a red flag? Viper leaned forward, looking at Reyna angrily. - You're a red flag!

Reyna gave a slow smile, supporting her chin in her hand.

- Dear Viper, you're toxic. Admit it.

- I'm not toxic! - Viper defended herself. - You're throwing in my face how bad I am or a shame, but you're the one who's being a scum. Always thinking better than everyone else, as if the world were yours! Oh, you can see Reyna. You're a fucking spoiled child who tantrums for everything! And I'm not even going to comment on your outbreaks.

Reyna wet her lips, her purple eyes glowing bright. However, she gestured to Viper, as if to show that he was right.

-Ser? That's your red flag. You love pointing. You did this to Sage in the infirmary and you must have done the same to Chamber. - Reyna turned to Fade, scratching behind her ear. - You bet how much he's been off?

- It wasn’t… - Viper had the answer rolling in her tongue, ready to be uttered. But, she remembered Chamber's words the other day. Almost identical to Reyna's. If Viper was a flower, it would have wilted there. She took a deep breath, regaining control. She couldn't be that horrible. - Ok. Since you want to know so much, gossipers. - Viper fulminated the two with her gaze, squeezing the cushion in her arms. - I wanted to surprise him. He didn't like it and freaked out on me. Who's the fucking red flag now?

- BothOUCH! - Fade elbowed Reyna, preventing her from finishing the sentence.

- Did he apologize?

Viper felt her heart sink. She had fantasized several times about Chamber's apology. With flowers or caramels. At her door or in the lab. But the fantasy hadn't become real and it hurt more than the poison that eroded her hand.

Reyna and Fade looked at each other, understanding Viper's silence.

- What an asshole. - Reyna made a grimace. - Why do you still insist on that spoiled guy?

- Don't talk about him like that! - Viper threw a cushion at Reyna, almost hitting Fade.

Fade touched Viper's shoulder, drawing her attention.

- Viper, you clearly miss him. You'd be willing to murder us for him.

- And we're your friends! - Reyna completed by throwing the cushion back at her.

Viper shook her head, kind of agreeing with the two of them.

- Why don't you talk to him?

- Because he's an idiot who yelled at me and told me that I make everyone feel bad. - Viper took another pillow, hugging her.

- You literally just tried to do this to me. - Reyna raised her eyebrows, watching the TV.

- It's not like you don't deserve it. Come on. Which side are you on? - Viper looked at them both with indignation, snorting.

- I’m trying to be on your side… - Fade mumbled and took a deep breath, like she was tired of the therapy session.

- I would never take that disgusting rich boy's side. - Reyna wrinkled her nose, looking at Viper next. - Do you expect so little from me?

- I usually expect the worst from you. - Viper rolled her eyes. - At least he supports me, you know? Unlike you, he... Helps... - Viper lowered her tune, thinking Chamber was her most faithful lab mate. Always willing to assist her in every experiment she needed. He would never deny helping her make food for him. Maybe that mess wouldn't happen if she just talked to him and didn't want to do it all by herself.

Viper sighed in a way that would make her vomit if anyone else did it, feeling many regrets and sorrows at the same time. Damn, when was the last time she felt so much? The emptiness she felt before Chamber came into her life seemed very attractive during that emotional whirlwind.

- I'm going to throw. - Reyna pressed her lips, making a grimace of disgust.

Fade nodded slowly, turning to the TV.

- Viper, Chamber is crazy about you. And we have to deal with you in love with him.

- You've made me couplephobic besides misandrist. - Reyna commented, making Fade agree with her.

Viper narrowed her eyes to Fade, waiting for her to finish speaking to have a fair reason to attack her.

- If you haven't noticed, the only thing that's between you and Chamber is yourselves.

Viper really wasn't waiting for this. She sank on the couch, thinking about how wrong the two of them were.

-Wow! - Reyna looked at Fade, giving a slight smile. - Did you make that now?

Fade nodded, smiling.

- Ouh, I'm rooting for the pink hair girl! - Fade pointed to the TV, beginning to talk about the reality show with Reyna while Viper was miserable in her corner, feeling an inexplicable longing for her boyfriend and thinking that she had a bad or a very good taste for friends.

>>> Next Chapter

[thedruidsdenexotics]

New Terrarium, new plants

Yesterday was the Salt City Reptile Expo and I was super excited for it...because I was finally picking up my DIY bioactive tank with custom background from Unz-arium!

Terrarium Setup

Let me start with the kit as it came:

I love the background, I definitely wouldn't have been able to make it look as clean as that.

It included:

Drainage layer (Leca Balls), 2 bags

Unz-arium simple soil, 4 bags

18x18 piece of mesh

Oak leaf litter, 1 bag

10 ct. dairy cow isopods

Spring tails, 8 oz culture

In addition, I bought:

a second 10 ct. of isopods, also dairy cow

16 oz culture of spring tails

sphagnum moss -- picture not taken/posted

I also had some hardscape that I had been buying in small pieces in anticipation of this project:

At the time of this posting, I had just brought the kit home from the expo. I did blueprint and start getting into place the final touches that I wanted to fill the space inside. Step 1 was cutting the 'sleeping' branches to size.

I forgot that I had frame hanging string but my husband was able to McGyver some of his old wire into stick holders.

Once both sleeping sticks were in place, next came the Great Stuff to hold them into place.

Stay tuned for next weeks update where I (try to) hide these joints and make them look more naturalistic.

Plant Project

If you've been following our Instagram or Facebook, you've probably seen the excited news. If not, you should probably go drop a follow on one of those as I post updates there in (near) real time.

But there's been lots of new growth noticed in the forest section of the Den! I'll start with the polka dot plant because I've been obsessed with it.

It had actually started to fall over. I staked it for a couple of days while I finished up my 9-5 week. But I took a clipping and started the process of cloning it.

These plants are so dramatic! I thought that I had royally messed up because the clipping started to wilt. And not just a little bit...but a lot. Enough so that I was honestly concerned that I was going to lose it. But it has now bounced back nicely:

More notably though, the mother pothos has sprouted lots of new leaves!

I also went down Ack's Exotics and bought a couple more plants.

China Doll plant (Radermachera sinica), left

Japanese fern (Polystichum polyblepharum), right

Probably going to take some trimmings from both after getting them established in the terrarium. I think they'll definitely add the jungle/forest-y feel that the pothos and polka dot plant just don't give off.

Cabinet/Wood Products Project

No updates for this project this week. My goal is to have the workshop completed by spring 2025.

Upcoming Shows/Expos

October 5th – Finger Lakes Reptile Expo Fall Show

October 20th – Corning Reptiles and More

October 26 – Rexpo Fall 2024

What’s Next?

I'm going to be working on getting the terrarium finished and set up in the reptile room. Steps to be completed this week:

Carve off excess Great Stuff from around joints of branches.

Layer silicone on the joints and attach sphagnum moss to give them the naturalistic appearance

Move tank into reptile room.

Set up mist-king system.

Put in drainage layer, substrate, plants, CUC.

Calibrate mistings,

Once all of that is completed, we can then start the process of getting it set up for a Crestie!