#and herbs... lots of herbs

[inusmasha]

Mountain Miko on A03

Summary:

In a secluded mountain village run by a society of mysterious women, Kagome, a young initiate, embarks on a transformative journey under the mentorship of their highly esteemed miko, Kikyo

Prologue – A Dark Fairytale 

In the beginning, within a realm where ancient magic held sway, there once lived a man renowned for his ability to weave spells that brought good fortune to those willing to pay. His performances were nothing short of captivating spectacles, drawing in many who gasped in the grandeur of his rituals. Over time, growing more and more powerful by the day, his glittering magical displays began to draw in the curiosity of wealthy patrons far and wide. 

"How do you do it?"

"You need only to give voice to what you desire." 

Over the years the man turned sorcerer grew proud and prouder still, having forgotten what humble beginnings he crawled out of. He wore his wealth on his body, he adorned his beard with sickly sweet smelling oils and lined his fingers with ostentatious rings. In the era of spell making, the Sorcerer had made this life by his own hand...a hand in possession of a certain Jewel. A small nothing looking bead that was easy to miss even though it hung in plain sight. It's presence barely felt, barely a whisper, only a quiet gnawing at the bottom of his being. 

In the dark night, the heavy shadow of some blackguard, from some dying noble house, made its way to the Sorcerer with big news. A big problem that required a big idea. This truly fair and noble family was harboring a plot to unseat the current emperor and had come to him for help to remedy the issue. 

"What you ask is treason."

"What I ask is to entertain possibilities."

Truth be told; if they had the coin then it did not matter what the request was. He would entertain their hypocrisies. They can keep their dull innocence, keep their hands clean, while he did the unseemly. Though it was dangerous to play with this sort of magic, it's practically what it was there for. 

"What say you, Sorcerer?" 

...it has to be you.. only you could do it.. wish maker ..wishmaker.. wish-

A sinister alliance was forged that night, and he sought to orchestrate their rise to power through sinister rites. 

 His displays of enchantment evolved into bloody ceremonies with costly offerings, ranging from the most humble of creatures to majestic beasts. First a sparrow, a snake, a cat, a wolf to lions, tigers, and- it wasn't enough! To ensure their success, the sorcerer needed more potent sources of power, and he turned to darker methods. He began raiding graveyards for human bones, believing that spirits of the deceased would grant him greater strength. However, he soon realized that live human sacrifices to the Jewel would yield even stronger results. 

Of course! 

Yes, there was a war. 

There was an empty seat in an empty dank room. 

Once the new emperor assumed that cold throne for his own, he called for the Sorcerer to come join him at his royal court and to squat on the lap of luxury. That's what those savage acts were for.. but that damn cursed gnawing hunger never left. It wasn't enough. 

And then...Their paths crossed that fateful evening when he was summoned to perform before their Lord. This was it! Oh! His journey had led him to the fair maiden with black silk for hair. The Sorcerer's infatuation with the woman was relentless, an unquenchable burning within him. Her every word, her every glance, fueled this insatiable longing. He wanted her as his bride. 

But alas she did not want him for her heart belonged to-

It did not matter. He would take her.

In his desperation to possess her he believed that the Jewel, his divine potent resource, could make her love him. The Jewel, fatter still, fed on his fixation. He hated her. He loved her. He hated her. He loved her. The Jewel had never tasted something so sickly sweet. 

"You need only to give voice to what you desire." 

He wished for the woman.

In a final, frenzied act, he sought to give the Jewel a tangible form, giving it arms and legs in which to carry out the deed. Not as some caricature but as something living, with blood and bones. 

"..This flesh is your flesh, these hands your hands!"

At the altar, with great suffering, he relinquished what little was left of his human to the bloody pearl. This was the deep dark material in which miracles sprang forth. He would conjure heaven.. but in the morning there was nothing but the cold dank air, and ash. The fate of both he and the now missing maiden was shrouded in mystery. The ending to this story is always the same.

Now, the Jewel, revered and closely guarded, rests within the new emperor's grasp. It's true nature forgotten. Though the emperor may hold suspicions about the Sorcerer's demise, he chose to remain oblivious of the perils. The relic remained concealed, subject to constant study that often exacted a grim toll and a long list of names never to be spoken of. The Jewel passes from one ruler to the next, as an heirloom of both great power and who's hunger continues to shape the endless road of petty human conflict. 

And we exist in its consequence.   

Many generations pass and eventually the one named Midoriko is born.

[canisalbus]

✦ Mom ✦

[astronite13]

day 10 ♪

[purposechef]

carm & syd's lock screens ➡️ home screens

[mothcpu]

The Savior / The Great Annihilator

[bonefall]

yo, puffballs can be used to dress wounds? how does that work?

It's the simplest use in the world. I wouldn't even be able to make a whole guide on puffballs as a wound-dressing it's so simple. You literally just cut and apply to a bleeding wound.

It's a hemostatic; its spores stop the bleeding. So when it comes to puffballs, you either harvest them young and eat them, or let them mature and harvest as a medicine.

This is a puffball when it's young enough to be edible. The flesh is pure white. When the spores have started to form, this will turn yellowish and become a poison if ingested.

You can just use a slice as a gauze, or powder it. It's that simple. No processing required. It makes the blood coagulate and stops bleeding.

[a-hearts-a-heavy-burden]

Dewdrop sexting Aether from across the room during practice :

Dewdrop "I can take it! Haha!! Not in a fight 😏"

Aether "I don't think you know what you're getting yourself into, little flame?"

Dewdrop "Pfft .... Someone's cocky!"

Aether "Interesting choice of words."

- Attachment Sent -

Dewdrop across the room :

[nekohime19]

Mini Mac #12 : two monkeys and their hobbies

They're just enjoying a great afternoon and doing their respective hobbies while still talking together! Just peacefull times 😌

Macaque was organizing the various flowers and herbs he gathered during spring to prepare his medicines, at least that's what the golden-furred monkey had been calling his powders and elixirs. Speaking of the sage, he was leaning over him curiously, whispering now and then some questions about the different ingredients. While Macaque took some petals and herbs and brewed them with a sharpened pebble he used specifically for this, Sun Wukong began to busy himself with cloth and threads. Lately, the sage had been fond of needlework, especially since he could gift his creations to Macaque. The black-furred monkey had to admit, Sun Wukong was way more talented than him for this kind of work. His wardrobe had never been so diversified, he had traded his leaves for linen robes, silk shirts and cotton hats. He still wore some leaves, especially during the heat-wave hitting the mountain at the end of spring.

Macaque added some petals of purple phlox to his powder and smelled it, once he was satisfied with the scent he put the powder in a little vial and tied a purple ribbon (or more precisely a bit of the ribbon he cut) at the neck of the vial.

“You know your sleeping medicine is terribly effective. How did you find the recipe?” Asked the sage as he sewed the edges of his new creation, a tiny purple robe embroidered with plum blossom fitted for Macaque.

“Trials and errors.” Shrugged the lil guy, he took some sage herbs and brewed another medicine, one for increasing strength. “I always had some facility with flowers, being born from one and all.” Sun Wukong raised an eyebrow at that, he turned the robe he was working on and began to work on the back.

“I thought you were born from the shadows?” Mumbled the sage.

“Both.” Macaque felt the King's curious gaze and decided to elaborate a little. “I'm born from the shadows gathering inside of a plum blossom bud for one year.”

“Aw, that means you bloomed? That's adorable.” Macaque fondly rolled his eyes at this.

“Then how were you born?”

“From a stone egg gathering the power of the earth, the egg hatched once thunder struck it.”

“Dramatic.” Snorted the black-furred monkey.

“I like grand entrances.” They fell in a peaceful silence after this, each enjoying their own hobbies. Sun Wukong was lounging on his wooden couch while Macaque was on a silk napkin created especially for him by one of the sage hair. The silk didn't hurt his knees contrary to the wood and it was comfortable.

“Maybe I should create a pocket for you in my clothes.” Suddenly said the sage as he peeked over Macaque with an excited smile.

“Really? You want me to go in your pocket?”

“Well, I'm always afraid you'll fall when you're on my shoulder.” Whined Sun Wukong, mayhaps he also wanted the pocket to be on his chest and carry Macaque close to his heart, but the lil guy didn't need to know this.

“If the pocket is comfortable I'll consider it.” Huffed Macaque with the hint of a smile. “I made some powder for the elder who had trouble with his back, the one you told me about, it's the green vial.”

“You know you could give it to them yourself.” Pointed out Sun Wukong, Macaque huffed with flushed cheeks and averted his eyes.

“I may get along with the younglings but still I'm not part of your troop.”

“You could be.” Whispered Sun Wukong with a hint of longing. Macaque stilled for one second before shaking his head and resuming his brewing. It was not the first time the topic of the troop came between them. Sun Wukong was always eager to include him but Macaque had his reluctances. He liked to show off his stories to the younglings and he did see the olders watch him from afar, some even nodded at him, apparently grateful that he entertained the cubs. He also supplied medicines to the King for the bruised and sick, but he never truly interacted with monkeys outside of the sage and the cubs. Some part of him was scared of truly being part of a group. Having a friend was fine, having fans was troubling but he could deal with it, but being part of a troop? Being in an active community? It was something he never did, the unknown at its utmost. Macaque was scared of that.

He was born alone and lived alone for a long time. Not fully fae but also not fully monkey, he had no places. Some giants even chased him because of his oddity, finding his rarity entertaining. Macaque wasn't ready to be part of something bigger than him. Mayhaps, one day he will be ready, but not for now. No. He was still trying to get used to friendship after all. Speaking of friendship, Macaque was experiencing one of his first great crisis with relationships. From what he understood and the specks of conversations carried by the wind, the brotherhood was planning to attack Heaven at the end of summer. And while Macaque had told himself to let Sun Wukong make his own decisions, he was also torn by the need to warn him about the consequences, the dangerosity of this endeavor. He knew he shouldn't dictate Sun Wukong's life, but sometimes he just wished he could lock him behind the water-curtain cave and protect him from the outside world. Those odd urges were becoming stronger and stronger as the planned attack approached.

“Hey… So you still want to follow through with the attack on Heaven and all?” Asked Macaque as he bit his lower lip.

“Yeah of course, man, I'm so excited for it! You know when we will take over Heaven I'll give you anything you want!” Chirped Sun Wukong with a thumping tail.

“I don't need anything.” Sighed the macaque, a little bit fond. “You know it's dangerous, right? The Jade Emperor is… ruthless sometimes.”

“It'll be fine. We're not gonna lose.” Shrugged the sage, Macaque sighed, but he couldn't do anything more than that. Sun Wukong was allowed to do anything he wanted with his life and Macaque didn't want to take this freedom away from him.

He simply hoped everything we'll go well for his friend.

+ cut scenes

Older monkey *At new mom struggling with both her babies* : You know you could leave them to the lil shadow. 😌

New mom : the lil shadow?🤔

Older monkey : a friend of our king, he entertain the younglings with his shadows and they adore him. You could have the afternoon to relax.

New mom : so that's what lil Yue and lil Yong were fighting about!😲

Older monkey : they were fighting?🤨

New mom : yeah for being the shadow club president or something. 😅

SWK : look I made you a new robe!

Macaque : Oh it looks good, let me try it on!

Macaque proceed to shed his clothing

SWK : w-wait let me turn around!! 🫣

Macaque : you know we're both monkeys? 🤨

SWK quickly turns around with flushed cheeks and a puffed out fur.

Ch1 / Previous / Next

[vamp-a-day]

day 60

"It doesn't happen often but it's... not pretty. Takes a lot of juice to get him calmed down."

[plantanarchy]

Maybe the last crazy heat wave of the year aka organize a new tag and seed and greenhouse tools area but it feels like you are on the surface of the sun

[battythewitch]

You're not required to share your craft or whatever, btw. It's fine to keep it all to yourself, to only share a little, to only vaguely mention it, or to talk about it constantly etc. Whatever. Do what feels right for you.

[lizardtheartist]

Sam and Max but everyone else is an animal instead, quick credit to @pikaflute for the Superball otter idea!!

(along with a comic panel redone with my own humanized Sam and max, massive credit to Steve Purcell of course)

[pummelingbat]

i feel like personally it's hard for me to view The Bride as solely a daughter figure for Dan + Herbert even in an ideal situation, u know?

like she exists in such a Freudian nightmare-space of having to be a projection for every womanly role that Dan (and Herbert!) view as a necessary accessory to "normalize" their own relationship: sexual object, domestic spouse, and nuclear daughter. like it's so scary!! she's fully a grown, adult woman, but she's also thirty minutes old. she has enough autonomy to unmake herself, but she only unmakes herself bc she can't exist outside of the purpose Dan and Herbert gave her.

the amount of "this will fix us" pressure on her is insaannnee. swiss army knife girlsona. i would have clawed my skin off too!!!!

[mildmayfoxe]

went to marshall’s to do my obligatory halloween decor check & was going to buy some ice cube trays for those big cubes yknow but then the line was sooo long which it does tend to be at a marshall’s so i was like “surely the grocery store next door that i am going to next has ice cube trays” so put the tray back & went to the grocery store. of course the grocery store did not seem to have ice cube trays anywhere so despite it all i had to go BACK to the marshall’s and go back to the kitchen section and get back in line because i decided i do actually really want to have those big square ice cubes. for my beverages. also there were some really cute throw pillows in the halloween section but we DONT need more throw pillows in this house. there are already several and the couch is not big enough for more

[rubenesque-as-fuck]

Got the newest vax shot today, and in anticipation of it knocking me on my butt I am making a lovely pot of stew.