#artificial lakes/ponds

[huariqueje]

Echo Pond ,  Zwierzyniec - Karolina Swidecka , 2024.

Polish , b. 1976 -

Oil on canvas , 70 x 80 cm.

[teddy-bear-naps-and-random-snaps]

[reasonsforhope]

"In China, a landscape architect is reimagining cities across the vast country by working with nature to combat flooding through the ‘sponge city’ concept.

Through his architecture firm Turenscape, Yu has created hundreds of projects in dozens of cities using native plants, dirt, and clever planning to absorb excess rainwater and channel it away from densely populated areas.

Flooding, especially in the two Chinese heartlands of the commercial south and the agricultural north, is becoming increasingly common, but Yu says that concrete and pipe solutions can only go so far. They’re inflexible, expensive, and require constant maintenance. According to a 2021 World Bank report, 641 of China’s 654 largest cities face regular flooding.

“There’s a misconception that if we can build a flood wall higher and higher, or if we build the dams higher and stronger, we can protect a city from flooding,” Yu told CNN in a video call. “(We think) we can control the water… that is a mistake.”

Pictured: The Benjakitti Forest Park in Bangkok

Yu has been called the “Chinese Olmstead” referring to Frederick Law Olmstead, the designer of NYC’s Central Park. He grew up in a little farming village of 500 people in Zhejiang Province, where 36 weirs channel the waters of a creek across terraced rice paddies.

Once a year, carp would migrate upstream and Yu always looked forward to seeing them leap over the weirs.

This synthesis of man and nature is something that Turenscape projects encapsulate. These include The Nanchang Fish Tail Park, in China’s Jiangxi province, Red Ribbon Park in Qinghuandao, Hebei province, the Sanya Mangrove Park in China’s island province of Hainan, and almost a thousand others. In all cases, Yu utilizes native plants that don’t need any care to develop extremely spongey ground that absorbs excess rainfall.

Pictured: The Dong’an Wetland Park, another Turescape project in Sanya.

He often builds sponge projects on top of polluted or abandoned areas, giving his work an aspect of reclamation. The Nanchang Fish Tail Park for example was built across a 124-acre polluted former fish farm and coal ash dump site. Small islands with dawn redwoods and two types of cypress attract local wildlife to the metropolis of 6 million people.

Sanya Mangrove Park was built over an old concrete sea wall, a barren fish farm, and a nearby brownfield site to create a ‘living’ sea wall.

One hectare (2.47 acres) of Turenscape sponge land can naturally clean 800 tons of polluted water to the point that it is safe enough to swim in, and as a result, many of the sponge projects have become extremely popular with locals.

One of the reasons Yu likes these ideas over grand infrastructure projects is that they are flexible and can be deployed as needed to specific areas, creating a web of rain sponges. If a large drainage, dam, seawall, or canal is built in the wrong place, it represents a huge waste of time and money.

Pictured: A walkway leads visitors through the Nanchang Fish Tail Park.

The sponge city projects in Wuhan created by Turenscape and others cost in total around half a billion dollars less than proposed concrete ideas. Now there are over 300 sponge projects in Wuhan, including urban gardens, parks, and green spaces, all of which divert water into artificial lakes and ponds or capture it in soil which is then released more slowly into the sewer system.

Last year, The Cultural Landscape Foundation awarded Yu the $100,000 Oberlander Prize for elevating the role of design in the process of creating nature-based solutions for the public’s enjoyment and benefit."

-via Good News Network, August 15, 2024

[selfmetime]

Air Fountain: The Revolutionary Device That Extracts 10 Gallons of Water a Day from Dry Desert Air - Never Run Out of Water Again!

Tap into Nature's Secret Water Reservoir with Air Fountain! Hey there! Have you ever found yourself stranded in the middle of a dry desert with no water in sight? It's a scary situation, and one that can quickly become a matter of life and death. But what if I told you there's a device that can extract water from the very air around you? Learn more. Introducing the Air Fountain! This amazing device taps into nature's secret water reservoir to provide you with up to 10 gallons of water a day, even in the driest of deserts. Imagine being able to quench your thirst and stay hydrated, no matter where you are. I know how terrifying it can be to be stranded in a situation like that, and that's why I'm so excited to share this incredible product with you. It's like having your own personal oasis, always there to provide you with the life-giving water you need. So if you want to be prepared for any situation, if you want to ensure you always have access to clean drinking water, no matter where you are, then the Air Fountain is the device you need. Don't wait until it's too late - tap into nature's secret water reservoir today! Learn more. Available here

[ritualvirtuality]

ok so most of you live near rivers (or streams etc), lakes (or ponds etc), or the ocean (or sea, bay, etc). see the previous poll. this is unsurprising, so:

*if you live on the caspian sea, please use 'sea'. this list is based on area, if you live on lake baikal please use 'lake'

use whatever 'nearest' means to you. there IS water near you i promise even if you live in the desert. it might be far away but its there... it might even be closer than you think :)

also use your best judgement to choose 'lake' vs 'pond' for instance. you can go by the name or if you think its misleadingly named, feel free to select what you feel fits better

[vestaignis]

Озеро Сукко (Кипарисовое озеро), или Голубое озеро — одна из самых популярных и фотогеничных локаций в окрестностях Анапы. Удивительные деревья с узловатыми корнями и приятным смолистым аромато�� растут здесь прям�� из воды. О происхождении названия озера существует множество предположений. С адыгейского топоним можно перевести как «водоем кабанов». Существует также вариант трактовки «Сукко» как «су» — вода и «къко» – свинья или дельфин. Озеро в Сукко было создано искусственно путем строительства плотины на реке, впадающей в Черное море, что привело к затоплению долины. Этот водоем занимает площадь всего 8 гектаров. Высота Кипарисового озера - 40 м над уровнем моря. Особую известность озеру принес уникальный эксперимент, проведенный в 1934–1935 годах, когда были посажены 32 болотных кипарисов, которые успешно прижились и выросли.  Изначально кипарисы были посажены на сухой земле, однако из-за значительных изменений рельефа территории они со временем оказались в воде. В периоды засухи уровень воды в озере понижается, обнажая обширную корневую систему деревьев. Кипарисы достигают внушительной высоты почти в 30 метров, а их стволы могут быть шириной до полуметра. Роща прекрасна практически в любой сезон: весной свежая листва хвойных деревьев нежно-зелёная, летом приобретает более тёмный и насыщенный оттенок, а осенью полыхает ярко-оранжевым или красным цветом. К зиме деревья полностью сбрасывают листву, обнажая ветвистые кроны — в чём тоже есть своя красота.

Из-за обилия известняковых отложений в зависимости от освещения озеро Сукко может менять цвет от нежного молочно-голубого до насыщенного бирюзового. Голубое озеро не только известно своими кипарисами и кристально чистой водой, но и окружающей его природой. Водоем находится среди лесопарка с дубами и грабами, а с северной стороны его окружают склоны горы Широкая. Рядом также расположена можжевеловая роща, создающая лечебный воздух в этой местности.

Lake Sukko (Cypress Lake), or Blue Lake, is one of the most popular and photogenic locations in the vicinity of Anapa. Amazing trees with knotty roots and a pleasant resinous aroma grow here directly from the water. There are many speculations about the origin of the name of the lake. From the Adyghe toponym can be translated as “pond of wild boars.” There is also an option to interpret “Sukko” as “su” - water and “kko” - pig or dolphin. The lake in Sukko was created artificially by building a dam on a river flowing into the Black Sea, which led to flooding of the valley. This reservoir covers an area of ​​only 8 hectares. The height of Cypress Lake is 40 m above sea level. The lake became especially famous due to a unique experiment conducted in 1934–1935, when 32 swamp cypress trees were planted, which successfully took root and grew.Initially, the cypress trees were planted on dry land, but due to significant changes in the terrain, they eventually ended up in water. During periods of drought, the lake's water level drops, exposing the trees' extensive root systems. Cypress trees reach an impressive height of almost 30 meters, and their trunks can be up to half a meter wide. The grove is beautiful in almost any season: in the spring, the fresh foliage of coniferous trees is soft green, in the summer it acquires a darker and richer shade, and in the fall it blazes with bright orange or red. By winter, the trees completely shed their leaves, revealing branched crowns - which also has its own beauty.

Due to the abundance of limestone deposits, depending on the lighting, Lake Sukko can change color from delicate milky blue to rich turquoise. Blue Lake is not only famous for its cypress trees and crystal clear water, but also for the nature that surrounds it. The reservoir is located among a forest park with oaks and hornbeams, and on the northern side it is surrounded by the slopes of Mount Shirokaya. There is also a juniper grove nearby, which creates healing air in this area.

Источник: https://kukarta.ru/ozero-sukko,//ezhevika-travel.ru /tur/ozero-sukko-foto,/turistexpert.ru/rossiya/anapa/kiparisovoe-ozero/,//kiparisovoe-ozero.ru,/blijehotel.ru/articles/kiparisovoe-ozero/, /experience.tripster.ru/sights/kiparisovoe-ozero-sukko/, /www.tripadvisor.ru/Attraction_Review-g3226223-d2331079-Reviews-Sukko_Lake-Sukko_Krasnodar_Krai_Southern_District.html.

[literaryvein-reblogs]

More Geology Vocabulary

for your next poem/story (pt. 2)

Luster - The reflection of light from the surface of a mineral, described by its quality and intensity.

Microcrystalline - Describes a rock texture consisting of crystals visible only with a microscope.

Moonmilk - A soft, white, initially deformable deposit that occurs on the walls of caves.

Nuée ardente - A swiftly flowing, turbulent, sometimes incandescent gaseous cloud erupted from a volcano, containing ash and other pyroclastic materials in its lower part.

Orogeny - A mountain-building event.

Parabolic dune - Crescent-shaped dune with horns or arms that point upwind.

Perlitic - Describes the texture of glassy volcanic rocks characterized by numerous curving cracks roughly concentric around closely spaced centers.

Permafrost - Any soil, subsoil, or other surficial deposit, or even bedrock, occurring in arctic, subarctic, and alpine regions at a variable depth beneath Earth’'s surface in which a temperature below freezing has existed continuously for a long time (from two years to tens of thousands of years).

Phreatic - Of or relating to groundwater.

Phreatophyte - A deeply rooted plant that obtains water from the water table or through the overlying capillary fringe.

Pictograph - A picture painted on a rock by primitive peoples.

Pillow lava - A general term for lavas displaying pillow structures and considered to have formed in a subaqueous environment; such lava is usually basaltic or andesitic.

Pluvial - Describes a geologic process or feature resulting from rain.

Reservoir - An artificial or natural storage place for water, such as a lake, pond, or aquifer, from which the water may be withdrawn for such purposes as irrigation, municipal water supply, or flood control.

Roundstone - Any naturally rounded rock fragment larger than a sand grain.

Schistose - Describes a rock displaying schistosity, or foliation, which imparts a silky sheen.

Scour - The powerful and concentrated clearing and digging action of flowing water, air, or ice.

Strand plain - A shore built seaward by waves and currents, extending continuously for some distance along the coast.

Tree mold - A cylindrical hollow in a lava flow formed by the envelopment of a tree by the flow, solidification of the lava in contact with the tree, and disappearance of the tree by burning and subsequent removal of the charcoal and ash. The inside of the mold preserves the surficial features of the tree.

Vitreous - Having the luster and appearance of glass.

Source ⚜ Part 1 ⚜ More: Word Lists

[vaguekiwi]

Splitting Light

Read on Ao3

(hospice, terminal illness)

“Hi there, Jesus. It’s me. Sam Fabelman.”

Peter rubbed his eyes and stifled a yawn. Next to him in the hospice bed, Tony appeared to be watching the movie intently, gaze focused and determined past his glasses.

The glow of the TV was the only thing to illuminate them— that and the humming machines Tony was hooked up to, atoms of artificial light split the room into hazy grey shadows.

Peter nestled closer to Tony and let his eyes fall shut.

Tony rumbled against him. Peter could hear each heartbeat like this — he wondered if it was like a tree in a forest. As long as he was around to hear it, would Tony never fall?

“You’re missing the movie, Pete.”

Peter peeled his eyes open to focus on the teenagers again. Normally he’d be all over anything with Steven Spielberg’s name on it, but he found he wasn’t interested in the angst of teenagers and art and coming-of-age stories. 

What about the end of an age? How come no one ever wrote about what happened afterward?

Peter reached for the TV remote and switched the screen off. Tony didn’t protest, but a smile quirked along his lips. He adjusted his glasses on his nose and turned his chin down to look at Peter.

They were both quiet in the darkness.

“We knew this day would come, Pete.”

They had always known it.

Peter blinked back the tears that sprang to his eyes. He took in a shuddering breath and didn’t answer.

The hospice centre was located at 1049 Strawberry Lake Way, in a cul-de-sac shielded by oak trees. They’d liked the quiet of it. The seclusion. The greenery. The bench by the pond in the back where Tony could sit, if he was up for it.

They’d prepared for Tony to live here. They hadn’t prepared for the inevitability of what it meant.

Peter wrapped an arm around Tony’s middle and hugged his husband fiercely, not caring if it hurt him, not caring that he could feel Tony’s bones beneath his touch. There were 8 pairs of glasses on the lampshade to Tony’s right, each a different colour.

Peter longed to turn and kiss his husband, to shimmy up on his elbows and lock their lips together and whisper how urgently he loved him, how he already missed him, how…

But Peter didn’t move, and the space between thought and action widened.

“Pete… will you say something?”

Peter turned his face into Tony’s chest and gasped, muffled, “I love you.”

Tony shook with a laugh that transformed into a cough, and Peter hated every wracking minute of it.

A few moments passed after Tony collected himself. Moments where Peter thought of Tony Stark leading him into galas and restaurants, dancing to rock music in the lab, laughing in board rooms, revving cars down the highway, kissing Peter so tenderly and passionately and…

The memories played hopscotch in Peter’s chest until he thought he might burst, and then he hugged Tony all the tighter and choked out, “I’m not ready for this.”

Tony hummed and squeezed Peter back.

“Not ready?”

“‘M not ready for you to go.” Peter couldn’t stop his tears this time, and he muffled himself in Tony’s shirt as he twisted up the grief inside of his heart.

Tony laughed again.

“But I’m ready to go, Pete.”

That was the crux of it all. The cruel reality. Peter, ostensibly, had so much time left. Had decades to live before he would need a place like the little hospice centre on Strawberry Lake Way. How was this fair? How was this…

Peter wiped his eyes and sighed, not wanting to waste Tony’s time on his own greed.

Tony sighed and settled into the bed again, giving Peter another squeeze and murmuring, “You want to put the movie back on?”

Peter really didn’t, but he croaked out, “Okay.”

And he reached for the remote.

The TV blared back to life, splitting light all around them.

[script-a-world]

Submitted via Google Form:

I'd like a world that has numerous bodies of waters and especially rivers and streams and the like. Basically, it's so prevalent that everyone can rely on, both physically and spirtually, such to the point it's considered awkward if someone were to be anywhere more than say 5km from any water. However, inevitably, there will be parts of the world where being away from water has its use. I'm wondering how that is seen. Would they find it 'scary' or something like in the distance past people going off to sea and because they don't really understand what's out there it's considered mysterious and dangerous and have no idea what happens if someone never returns. Maybe people who go far from water generally don't want to to be there and only the bottom social rung tends to go there like cleaners and garbage men etc... no one wants it but someone has to. Then a third idea... how about building numerous artificial rivers. Akin to the type that you'd find in gardens, parks, etc. I think I have the most trouble trying to figure out the logistics of that.

Tex: To build up a reference, here’s a cropped screenshot of a map of Earth with rivers, from soar.earth:

The visibly arid places you see on this map will be the Sahara Desert in northern Africa, western Australia, northern Eurasia, Alaska and northern Canada. This isn’t to say that there’s no water there, only significantly less precipitation, water reservoirs, and rivers in a noticeable manner compared to more temperate areas of the planet - plenty of people live in all of the named areas, and plenty of non-local people in the surrounding areas will travel through these arid places and also trade with the locals there.

For some additional context, humans have had a history of navigation by the sea for about two thousand years, and a history of cartography for a bit over 25,000 years. Depending on how you want to look at it, humans have also had a history of international trade ranging from approximately 3,700 to 2,000 years ago, which would allow for the exchange of knowledge such as maps. Ergo, it is unlikely that there are significant areas on the planet that have remained unexplored by any culture, and the aggregation of knowledge covers a fair amount of the planet.

Both the sea and the desert are an important source of salt, which historically has been a major trade item with its own dedicated routes (Wikipedia 1, Wikipedia 2). Because of this, there is physical, cultural, and economic incentive to exploring and living by both areas, where many people will consider the benefits to outweigh the drawbacks of its comparative, and sometimes marginal, isolation to societies formed in other climates.

Artificial lakes and waterways have also existed for some time, and serve a variety of purposes, so can absolutely be included in a realistic manner.

Further Reading

List of deserts by area - Wikipedia

Salt evaporation pond - Wikipedia

[bardic-tales]

Nurturing November: Day 10: Likes / Dislikes / Hobbies / Unique Quirks

Throughout this month, I’ll be sharing character-building exercises that I have completed that will bring out my ocs’ more tender sides. This can be anything from snippets to oc questions to character analysis.

🎃 Autumn

Likes: Crisp air, pumpkin spice, deep conversations, cozy firesides, falling leaves, haunted forests, leather jackets, Halloween, spiced cider, vintage candles, full moons, Gothic novels, midnight walks, graveyards, tarot readings, witchy aesthetics, silent films, black cats, overcast skies, autumn storms, enchanted amulets, mysterious libraries, spiced apple, Sephiroth’s autumn scent, nostalgia.

Dislikes: Bright orange hues, pumpkin carving mess, loud Halloween parties, crowds in haunted houses, plastic holiday decor, kids’ trick-or-treating noise, candy corn, leaf blowers, sudden cold snaps, sticky caramel, crowded bonfires, plastic witch hats, artificial pumpkin scents, bright LED lights, tacky Halloween decorations, noisy hayrides, costumed mascots, Halloween pranks, candy apples, overly cheerful fall decor, burning leaves, overly commercialized Halloween, loud trick-or-treaters

Hobbies: Carving intricate designs into apples, night bonfires, collecting fallen Sephiroth feathers, moon-gazing, gathering herbs, reading classic horror tales, spell crafting, graveyard strolls, seasonal tarot readings, leaf pressing, gothic poetry writing, charm-making, potion brewing, drawing eerie autumn landscapes, collecting vintage spell books, writing letters in sepia ink, walking on misty paths, creating spooky story collections, candle-making, exploring haunted lore, knitting with indigo yarn, arranging fallen leaves, visiting abandoned buildings, stargazing.

Unique Quirks: Whispering incantations at dusk, leaving mysterious symbols near forest paths, singing to the moon, murmuring to leaves as they fall, gathering shadows on misty evenings, polishing her nails to blood-red stiletto for the season, always carrying an autumn-scented satchel, letting smoky eyeliner be more intense in autumn, watching thunderstorms, covering mirrors on Halloween, watching for foxes at night (before Gaia).

❄️ Winter

Likes: Snowflakes, silence of snowfall, vintage wool coats, starlit nights, the quiet of deep winter, Sephiroth’s voice in the middle of the night, midnight skies, fur-lined gloves, frozen ponds, hot mulled wine, Victorian ghost stories, roaring fires, candle-lit rooms, snow-covered forests, shadows cast by moon on snow, whispered secrets, celestial observances, cold air against her skin, lunar halos, frost-covered roses, moonlit snow trails, deep quietness, nostalgia for another life, ice patterns on glass.

Dislikes: Sudden winter storms as she develops hypothermia quicker than mortals, loud winter festivals, overly sweet treats, artificial winter decor, bright Christmas lights, forced holiday cheer, wet slush, crowded town squares, garish holiday colors, overly bright reds and greens, loud holiday music, crowded shops, plastic ornaments, wool that’s too scratchy, icy sidewalks, holiday parades, open fires in close rooms, bright winter sun on snow, Christmas carolers, ice on eyelashes, sticky candy canes, forced cheeriness.

Hobbies: Snow walking at midnight, crystal scrying, collecting snowflakes on black silk, polishing Noctemaris in moonlight, freezing herbs in ice trays for spells, sipping hot herbal teas, reading ancient tomes by candlelight, singing softly under snowfalls, creating “frozen” spell bottles, knitting scarves and gloves, making hot ciders, meditative breathing in frigid air, practicing spells that “crystallize” the air, writing eerie winter tales, sketching frost patterns, collecting animal tracks in snow, meditating under starlit winter skies, crafting snowflake-shaped charms, watching snow-covered landscapes, visiting frozen lakes, collecting small icicles, observing Sephiroth’s quiet form in winter light.

Unique Quirks: Always carrying a vial of dark winter air, leaving small feather prints in the snow, running fingers over Sephiroth’s feathers for warmth, polishing blood-red nails against black silk, weaving shadowy patterns into fresh snow, humming winter lullabies, wrapping her scarf like a ritual, reading under winter stars, whispering into icy breezes, adjusting her trench coat against wind, murmuring old spells that “freeze” moments, melting ice with her fingertip.

🎄 Winter Holidays (Christmas and Other Winter Holidays)

Likes: Antique holiday decor, silver bells, vintage holiday cards, velvet ribbons, candlelight, Sephiroth's reflection in snow, dark evergreen trees, quiet holiday mornings, solitude by a roaring fire, the scent of winter spices, moonlit snow-covered forest paths, vintage holiday songs, quiet exchanges, ancient holiday tales, wreaths made of real pine, handmade gifts, secrecy in gifting, stars shining brighter on holidays, dark holly berries, fallen snow glistening in lantern light, seasonal spiced cider, silence of holy nights, Sephiroth’s voice in winter air, mysterious holiday lore.

Dislikes: Tinsel, gaudy holiday decorations, too-sweet holiday treats, bright holiday lights, noisy gatherings, loud jingling bells, synthetic holiday scents, forced holiday cheer, fake snow, modern carolers, crowded markets, overly cheerful greetings, glittery ornaments, sticky candy canes, gift-wrapped boxes with plastic bows, plastic poinsettias, overly warm fireplaces, bright decorations, holiday-themed commercials, crowded holiday parties, holiday cheer parades, loud New Year’s fireworks, plastic Christmas trees.

Hobbies: Gathering fresh pine, handcrafting holiday wreaths, leaving gifts under moonlight, quiet holiday prayers, writing short tales by firelight, visiting dark, quiet groves, filling small vials with “holiday essence” scents, listening to winter winds, reading old holiday folklore, mixing spiced cider blends, hand-stitching indigo scarves, creating herbal-infused hot drinks, painting winter holiday scenes, arranging Sephiroth feathers in evergreens, quietly singing dark lullabies, sketching Sephiroth by holiday light, hiding small trinkets, carving charms in the frost, tracking snowflakes on glass, wrapping candles in holiday colors, keeping rituals around midnight, quiet meditations near the fire.

Unique Quirks: Writing her wishes on ice with a single feather, humming holiday songs and sharing them with Sephiroth, keeping holiday nights darker than usual, capturing frost in small vials, keeping her nail polish deeper red, dancing by firelight, sketching small snow charms in the dark, faintly scenting letters with winter herbs, crafting silent charms, staring at winter stars longer, lighting small fires.

[afanaticrabbit]

Blush Red Coffee

The budding start of romance, between two young warriors of Remnant. A commissioned RWBY fanfic, featuring Weiss and Ruby!

Weiss wasn’t too used to being a nobody, but that’s mostly what she was in Vale. Passersby gave her the odd look, and sometimes someone she’d have to talk to would recognise her face or name if she needed to share it. Other than that, she was mostly a face in the crowd.

She didn’t like the anonymity. Even though she had spent years working hard to prove herself worthy of her family name, she was so used to other people doing things for her, bending over backwards to give her the things she wanted.

Private patios. Coffee, hot and ready. A simple gesture, and she’d have biscuits, too.

But that day, she wasn’t alone. She had found her own way to the café on Vale’s waterfront. She almost had to buy her own coffee up front rather than rely on it automatically going onto her card. She had to take it to the filled patio herself, forced to find a table with available space.

And even at that table, she wasn’t alone.

Fortunately, that last fact didn’t make her grit her teeth and inwardly gripe. The dark-haired girl sitting opposite Weiss nursed her near-overflowing drink by simply leaning over it while she swung her legs over the edge of the chair that was just a little too high for her. Weiss’ was a little too high, too, but her toes found the beam between the legs to balance her feet.

The two had remained silent for most of their date so far, and there was an awkwardness between them. It was as though Ruby was too nervous to break the fantasy she’d stepped into, and Weiss didn’t want to put her foot in her mouth and spoil it for the girl.

Weiss had turned her attention to the sea across the street from them. The café Ruby picked sat on one of the many seaside promenades at the edge of the commercial and upper districts, giving Weiss an unprecedented look at the ocean. Other than when travelling, Weiss rarely got to see unfrozen flowing water that wasn’t an artificial lake or pond, especially not something that stretched out to the horizon. It was only broken by a spit of land in the distance, a pretty little island that Weiss couldn’t remember the name of.

“Sooo…” Ruby’s voice caught Weiss’ attention, but she didn’t turn her head from the sea. “How’s the weather?” “Same as yours.” Weiss bit her cheek when she heard her response.

“Yeah, silly question…” A nervous laugh filled Ruby’s chest. “Not sure why I asked that…”

Weiss could have sighed irritably. She could have added more snark. She sighed instead and turned to look at Ruby. “You’re nervous. It’s fine. I guess I just don’t have much to say about it other than it’s kind of warm, though.”

Ruby tilted her head. “Really? I always start getting chilly when fall comes around.”

“Yes, really. Atlas is temperature controlled, but between its elevation and the surrounding climate, it’s still a little on the chilly side year-round.”

“Hmm…” Ruby stared down at the cup immediately before her. “I guess that means you don’t really have a favourite season, then. Fall is cold, but it’s also when spooky month happens, and my birthday and all the pumpkin spice stuff comes out.”

“Can’t say I do, no.” Weiss smiled. “Guess I’ll just have to wait and see what my favourite time of the year ends up being, huh?”

The two fell into silence once again, with Weiss watching Ruby while Ruby contemplated her drink before taking another sip, sitting back and bringing the cup to her lips like a civilised person.

Weiss didn’t know how Ruby could stand to drink something so big and thick and full of sugar and syrup. Even Weiss’ latte was a little too sweet, expecting the spices she asked to be added to be unsweetened.

But then Weiss had managed to put up with the brat before her for over a few months by now. If she could get used to the glucose overload that was Ruby Rose, she could kind of get someone tolerating a triple-shot pumpkin spice latter with five extra pumps of caramel and gingerbread syrup.

That didn’t mean Weiss could understand how Ruby could enjoy the drink, but it was a step in the right direction. Leaning back, seemingly delighted with her choice of drink, Rubby hummed. A thin pencil line of foam stuck to her upper lip, unnoticed as Ruby stretched her arms above her. “So good…!”

“All that sugar is going to rot your teeth,” said Weiss, and she sipped her coffee. Dainty, careful, none of the foam stuck to her face. “I hope you have good dental coverage.”

Ruby blinked and giggled. “Oh, yeah. Dad’s got that covered,” she beamed at Weiss, her legs still kicking out beneath her and making her bob slightly. “Thanks again for saying yes. I’m still kind of seeing stars.” She giggled, reaching down to the rounded edge of her seat to make it look like she was steadying herself.

Weiss shrugged and smiled at Ruby. They were only where they were because Ruby asked and offered to head to the café. She’d even offered to pay, and while Weiss resisted—she had an allowance bigger than Ruby’s whole family income—she felt a little better about the arrangement when she saw the price of Ruby’s drink over hers.

It was odd to hear Ruby admit she had a crush on Weiss. If it were anyone else, she’d have rejected the notion as a means to climb the social ladder, but Ruby didn’t seem to care about that a bit. It was earnest, and the letter she handed over was childish but adorable.

“Besides, it’s a reason to get out of studying,” Weiss added after a few moments. “At least, a better reason than poking our noses into dangerous business and doing borderline illegal vigilante work.”

Ruby giggled. “Yeah, I guess so.” Finally, Ruby wiped her mouth and reached for one of the two pumpkin-shaped cookies between them. Weiss hadn’t had gingerbread in a while, and she followed Ruby’s lead and pulled out the second cookie from the paper packaging. Ruby then took a bite from her cookie, snapping off one of the edges. “You could sound a little more enthusiastic, though!”

Weiss laughed as she nibbled at the gingerbread. She mostly scraped off a little of the orange icing on top, rolling it over her tongue. “Sorry if I’m not over the moon.” Unlike the cookie, it was best not to sugarcoat the possible start of a new chapter of their relationship. “It’s not an indictment against you, don’t worry, I’m just… Not used to this.”

Ruby tilted her head, her imaginary puppy ears flopping with the motion. “Used to what?” she asked, then took a larger chunk of her cookie.

Weiss hid her grimace as best she could, hoping what little came through would go unnoticed by Ruby. “It’s… Uh.” A nervous laugh bubbled up Weiss’ throat, and she looked down at her coffee into the white foam atop the assumed creamy brown liquid. Honesty was wise, but starting that honest, that soon probably was not. “Girls being into me. Normally, it’s guys and the thought of them securing a legacy.”

Ruby stuck out her tongue. “Ick. TMI.”

A smirk tugged at Weiss’ lips, and she looked back at Ruby. “You asked, dolt.”

“Yeah, but I didn’t think that’s what you’d say!” Ruby had risen from her seat a little, but she whined as she settled back into place. “I’m sorry to hear that, though. That just sounds rude and unfair to you.”

“Oh, you don’t know the half of it.” Pinching the bridge of her nose, Weiss shut her eyes, the echo of headaches brought on by long lectures given by her father filling her head. “It’s not like I’ve never had someone actually flirt with me because they like me, but it’s so rare up in Atlas.”

“Well, at least with me, you know that’s not the reason!” The words spilt out of Ruby’s mouth, and then a blush crept across her cheeks. “Should we change the topic?”

Weiss chuckled. “Yes, we should.” Humming for a moment, Weiss thought about what they could talk about next.

Thinking about it, Ruby did just give an excellent suggestion.

“You know, your letter was sparse on details on what you like about me.” Ruby’s eyes lit up for a moment, then she shrunk back into her hood a little, her shoulders rising up. Weiss snapped a third of her cookie off and held the smaller piece to her mouth, ready to slip in. “I’m sure I can guess a few reasons, but would you care to enlighten me?”

Ruby’s expression made Weiss think of an animal trapped in a cage, making her feel slightly mean for asking. Then again, coupled with her blush and the little flapping motions of her arms, she also looked adorable, so she didn’t feel too mean.

“I—I don’t really know how to answer that…!”

Weiss tilted her head. “Oh? So you just asked me out on a date just because? That’s a real flimsy reason.” She snapped the small piece of cookie in half with her teeth and chewed slowly, letting her smirk and glare bore into Ruby.

Weiss’ date whined loudly. “That’s not—Guh!” The arm flapping intensified, and Ruby bounced in her seat. “You’re cute! And cool looking. I like your fighting style; you’re smart in ways I want to be.” She paused, both hands rising up in front of her face. One was balled into a fist, and the other held up four fingers. “I thought you were stuck-up and obnoxious at first, but I realised that’s just because you’re really self-assured and confident, and who doesn’t like confidence. Confidence is basically all Yang is, and boys and girls crawl all over her.” A thumb flicked out for a total of five.

“You like coffee!” The other hand started counting. “And we can chat about how Dust is used almost endlessly. I thought I knew all the different applications, but you know sooo much more than me. And, uh, what else, uh—“

Weiss broke down into giggling, and she reached out to grasp one of Ruby’s hands. “Okay, stop, stop! You’ve made your point.” Gently, she pulled Ruby’s hand down to the table, resting the back of it on the glass while wrapping her fingers around Ruby’s palm. “That was mean of me. You made your point well enough.”

Ruby stared at Weiss momentarily, then sprung another finger out on the hand Weiss hadn’t grabbed. “You think you’re funny.”

Weiss snickered again, squeezing Ruby’s hand tighter, reassuring her. “I am funny! I told a joke, and I got to watch you squirm.”

Ruby growled, sounding all the world like a mildly miffed puppy girl.

“I like making people squirm,” Weiss said. “Especially when they act all cute and huffy.”

The growl rose up an octave, and Weiss cackled.

A finger folded down. “You’re a meanie.”

“Oh, come now, I’m just teasing you—“

“You’re a complainer.” Another finger.

“Ruby, please, don’t be childish—“

“You’re not funny, even though you think you are. You don’t like video games, and you slander the godliness of my coffee!” The little redhead had risen from her seat, leaning over the table while she raised her voice. Weiss’ skin prickled from the sensation of eyes on the two of them, but that didn’t bother her too much. A Schnee rarely had privacy.

“… Nobody’s perfect, which still leaves me at a net positive.”

For a moment, the two of them stared at each other. Ruby’s frown really stuck, and a part of Weiss began to worry that she had crossed a line, irritating Ruby a little too much during a vulnerable moment.

Then, one finger reversed course, and Ruby smiled as she put her butt back onto her chair. “If I’d said any of that when we first met, you’d have yelled at me until we both got a headache. Plus-one for character growth.”

Without her smile vanishing, Weiss rolled her eyes. “Dork.”

Ruby giggled, then turned up her cup and took a big swig of her drink.

“I guess I like that about you,” Weiss said. “Being a dork means you’re goofy and fun. A little too much for me at times, but that’s true of you and your sister. You’re like a pair of pendulums threatening to bounce off each other, I swear.”

Gasping as she placed her cup on the table, Ruby tilted her head again. Once more, that thin line of foam stuck to her upper lip. “What do you mean by that?”

“Uh…” Weiss turned up her eyes, looking toward the sky. “How do I put this without sounding mean…” She hummed. “You kind of enable each other. As much as that can be a headache, it’s cute and admirable that you and Yang get along so well. I wish I had half that relationship with my siblings.”

“What’s stopping you?” Ruby asked.

Weiss kicked herself mentally. Don’t be the downer, moron. “Eh… It’s a complicated story. Maybe we can talk about that on our second or third date.”

That brightened Ruby’s eyes. “H-Hang on, second? Third?”

“Well, assuming today ends well, there’s nothing to say we can’t go on more together.” Weiss chuckled. “I’m assuming that’s the whole point of asking me out, right?”

Ruby’s eyes went big. Real big. Bigger than when Weiss had shown off Myrtenaster or Blake’s Gambol Shroud. Weiss swore that if Ruby had a tail, it would wag right then.

“Ruby, I swear if you start shrieking or shouting—“

“Does that mean you like me? Like, like-like me?” She scooched across the table, pulling on the hand Weiss kept outstretched between them. Weiss would have toppled off her seat if she hadn’t quickly put out her other hand, slamming it palm down onto the table where her skin squealed against the glass.

“What?” The hand in Ruby’s grip found itself pulled close to Ruby’s chest, protective expectation filling Ruby’s big, silver eyes as she enclosed two hands around Weiss’ one. “Yes? Maybe. It’s a first date! I can’t be sure yet.” If she pulled any harder, she might succeed in evicting Weiss’ butt from her seat and sending her sprawling over the table or floor.

“But you want to go on a second date?” Ruby asked.

“Ruby, please—“Weiss managed to yank her arm free, or at least free enough to jog Ruby’s senses back to the present. She kept ahold of Weiss’ hand, keeping her from properly settling back into her seat. “I—Yes, I do. This is proving to be more fun than I expected. Now, please, please stop pulling my arm so hard?”

Looking down between them, Ruby looked over the one hand still holding firm. Both arms came perilously close to knocking over their cups and spilling staining coffee over their laps.

After some hesitation, Ruby relented. She refused to let go, but she let Weiss sit back in her chair and straighten her posture.

Something in Weiss wanted to yank away, not in disgust but in irritation. It was a part of the old ice queen persona that hated people even laying a finger on her, let alone getting a whole hand into their grubby mitts.

She quietly and firmly shut down that whiny cow in her mind.

Ruby didn’t have grubby mitts. Her hands were smooth and soft, clean and entirely free of the stickiness actual children half her age tended to have. While her grasp clamped down like a vice, pinching the bones in Weiss’ hand, the call to release her seemed to free up Ruby’s grip.

Weiss tested that and pulled her hand away. It slipped free without issue. A little light dimmed in Ruby’s eyes, but she still looked as awestruck as she had throughout the entire date.

Ruby holding Weiss’ hand so close could have been indicative of more. An entitlement, a desire to keep Weiss all to herself and not to let go. But she listened, and then she did let go. She let Weiss be free. Were Ruby one of the many, many suitors waiting back in Atlas, she was sure they’d have kept hold for longer, pontificating about their role as a protector or as the leader of the two.

After flexing her fingers, Weiss stopped depriving Ruby of her touch and interlaced them together. Rolling their knuckles up, she applied just a little tension to lock their hands tight, keeping Ruby’s hand against hers.

“You said your birthday is in the fall, right?” asked Weiss.

Ruby blinked, then nodded. “Yeah. October 31st.”

“Then I guess fall is my favourite season.”

Weiss risked an explosion of energy, but Ruby’s reaction was markedly more downplayed. She beamed, her eyes brightening like spotlights, and she made the goofiest, deep little ‘hee’ of a laugh.

~~~~

On their way back to their dorms, Weiss and Ruby remained inseparable, and the two hadn’t stopped grinning. Weiss had considered pulling away from Ruby in case curious eyes started a gossip train she could ill afford, but she decided to let the assumptions flow. Many might have assumed they were good friends, which was still partially true.

She kept ahold of Ruby’s hand even as they meandered their way through Beacon, where many more eyes would immediately recognise Weiss and the rumour mill was guaranteed to start spinning into action. Still, Weiss found that she simply didn’t care.

Ruby was too good to let a little worry about her public persona get in the way.

Once they’d returned to their dorm room, standing before it, Ruby’s grip tightened again. She pulled Wiess’ hand close to her chest once more, pressing its palm to the middle of Ruby’s collar. The tips of Weiss’ fingers reached over the collar of her dress, gracing the skin of Ruby’s neck. Had Ruby’s heart been beating like that the entire time?

“I guess this is it. Thank you again, Weiss.” Giggling, Ruby idly moved her weight from foot to foot. “Today has been fun, and I’m looking forward to doing it again.”

“You’re more than welcome.” Weiss curled up her fingers over the edge of Ruby’s collar, putting more skin in contact with the thundering beat.

Silence filled the air between them as though they were both waiting for something. Weiss wasn’t sure what she was waiting for and could only begin to guess what was on Ruby’s mind.

Whatever guess it was, though, could be well informed.

Gripping Ruby’s collar, she pulled the girl forward, closing the gap and kissing Ruby’s cheek. Weiss pulled back as quickly as she dove in, but in that split second, Ruby’s cheeks had gone from their faint usual rosiness to be as red as her cape.

Oh, Brothers, Weiss just made the little dork bluescreen.

“Thank you too, Ruby.”

Whatever came out of Ruby’s mouth wasn’t words but a general muttering. Weiss got the gist of it, though. It was a goodnight, or goodbye, or a later. It had the correct syllables and available sounds, at least.

With great hesitance, Ruby took a few steps toward the door, then stepped through and closed it behind her.

Weiss chuckled to herself and crossed her arms. As cute as Ruby could be, she did hope she’d be a little less hyper-reactive in the future.

Nevertheless, it left Weiss fulfilled. Her cheeks hurt from grinning, and the feeling was unlikely to fade away soon. The tingling in her chest and the butterfly swarm in her gut made Weiss want to write down her feelings about their day out.

Once she’d taken a few steps forward, heading back to the intersection in the corridor, the squeal through the wall pierced through her mind at the same Weiss realised what she was doing.

Spinning on her heel, Weiss muttered to herself. “I guess I do like-like her.”

[birdstudies]

May 14, 2023 - Mangrove Swallow (Tachycineta albilinea) These swallows are found along the coasts of Mexico and Central America in mangrove forests and other areas near water, including marshes, lakes, ponds, and rivers. They feed on flying insects, capturing them in the air while skimming over the water. Their nests are built from grass, stems, moss, and feathers in cavities in trees, dead trunks, partially submerged branches, and sometimes artificial structures. Both parents care for the chicks.

[teddy-bear-naps-and-random-snaps]

[whiskeyswifty]

looking back on folklore in it's historical context, another aspect of it that i think made it so special and hit so profoundly is how airy it's production style is. that is in contrast to when it was made and released, which was during the height of the strictest pandemic lockdown, in america at least. we were all confined to small rooms like rats in a cage, running up against the same four claustrophobic walls for months and months. along comes this album that has just the most open and breezy production. when that first piano note hits, it's allowed to echo and reverberate. her voice in caridgan and mtr and mirrorball and august echoes to the point where it harmonizes with itself, as if she was wailing into fifty foot ceilings of a cathedral or down the then vacant thoroughfares of new york. instrumentation is soft and spaced out, allowed to breathe, never crowding each other or stacking on top and collapsing in on each other. you can feel the space between the instruments, the air flowing freely and carrying the notes all around them. where typically you can hear the cushion of the recording booth muffling and absorbing the voices and notes, clipping them short. the whole album is full of airy reverb and spacious echo, creating a feeling of a boundless space, especially on headphones. but also, crucially, it's muddy and unpolished. you can hear all the squeaks of keys and the soft white noise that comes with every sound recording, typically "cleaned up" before finishing a song. it sounds unfiltered. and all together the atmosphere it creates in your ears feels like you're standing across the clearing from her as she's singing out into the very woods she's pictured in and hearing the rustling leaves and trees echo her desperate cries back to her for the vast songs. and for the intimate songs, her voice and the instrumentation is still open and three dimensional, but is brought closer until it feels like she's regaling you with these tales right beside you on that dock on the lake. some of this was created thanks to that great long pond studio of course, but a lot of it as we know was done in bedrooms and was then artificially treated with reverb and echo filters, layering her voice and delaying it for effect. that stylistic choice was so crucial to it's success and why it has such an organic, free flowing sound. how for those of us on day 105 trapped in those four walls, to close our eyes and be transported somewhere wide open like that, it was incredibly refreshing and cathartic and liberating in a way we perhaps didn't realize we needed, and one of the many reasons why, i think, it was such a profoundly impactful reprieve at that exact moment in time.

[aquaquadrant]

Thinking about what kinds of foods Timmy and Tango could reasonably have access to: As well as rotten flesh and spider eyes, a mob farm set up for player kills would also occasionally drop carrots and potatoes. In addition, it would occasionally spawn chicken jockeys. If they have access to moss and moss-replaceable-blocks, they would also have access to wheat and seeds (so chicken + eggs eventually), plus sticks for fishing rods, and if they had access to any water sources that means fish

OHHH… this is so fun to think about. there’s a lot of little nuances to hels that make survival difficult (ramble incoming)

so a mob farm would be a great source of food- if a player can gather enough resources and space to build one, and it’s left undisturbed long enough to actually be used. for tango and timmy, who can’t stay in one place for very long, it’s not really an option.

in fact, for most of hels, mob farms are a tall order. lots of hels players will grief one as soon as they see it; it’s like an anarchy server that way. the only way to make one is to be part of a relatively structured community that enforces rules on its citizens, such as new helington, or to go so far into the wilds of hels that no one else disturbs you (and i’m talking like, HUNDREDS of THOUSANDS of blocks away from spawn).

water is a bit tricky. hels isn’t the nether in that water still exists and can be placed down, but natural sources of water are scarce. rivers and lakes tend to be lava more often than not, and oceans are extremely rare. but hels players can fish from them! tango and timmy have fish in the little drabble i did. the issue is that in hels, fish will not spawn in an artificially-created water source. so if you filled a bunch of buckets up with water and made an artificial pond somewhere else, it wouldn’t spawn fish. this makes the few oceans a hotspot for activity, which is quite dangerous (as tango and timmy found out).

now, crops. crops can technically grow in hels, like in the nether, but they don’t grow very well. the soil has a tendency to revert back to dirt and even with water nearby, growth is extremely slow. hels is a pretty hostile environment to plants (all the grass and trees are kinda brown and wilted, except for crimson and warped forests which thrive). it’s more complicated than tilling some dirt next to water; in order to create the right conditions for crops to grow, you need a well-controlled greenhouse- which again, isn’t an option for many players.

building off that, grass has an extremely rare chance of dropping seeds when broken, due to the poor nutritional value of the dirt. beetroot is basically extinct (not that it’s a huge loss). moss is a great source for those who can find some, but- unsurprisingly- lush caves are rare, too. tango and timmy certainly haven’t come across one.

and finally, the animal problem. you know how in the life series, the players would kill all the animals on day one, and then no more animals would ever spawn? i think it has something to do with chunk loading, and that applies in hels, too. there are so many players in hels (it’s an infinite world that gains new players frequently and no one ever really leaves) so the chunks clustered around spawn are always being loaded by someone. players have to go to very distant unloaded chunks to find animals, and it’s risky to bring any back; there’s a high chance of them being killed by fire, lava, fall damage, hostile mobs, and even other players out of spite- if they can’t be easily stolen.

CHICKEN JOCKEYS. SMART. if you have a player-kill mob farm operated by someone actually paying attention, you could successfully extract the chicken and, after a few eggs are laid, have a proper chicken farm. i’m sure new helington has one of those set up, as does any other community that’s able to have a mob farm.

in a nutshell, i’m sure there are a few successful farms (mob, crop, and animal) located way, waaaaaay out there in hels, created by players that fled to the less populated chunks. but for the majority of the population, who are more concentrated around the spawn chunks, the options are limited to hostile mob drops (cause hostile mobs still spawn everywhere) or having a secure food supply from someone powerful in an organized community (ie. new helington gets its main food supply from hels!vintage beef, who works with alisker in return for protection for his cow herd).

PHEW. thanks for the chance to ramble B)

[tarninausta]

tolkien femslash in february ✦ 2/?

GALADRIEL X MELIAN

[ID: An edit consisting of 6 graphics. They are mainly green and silver, alternating between the two. On the three "green" images, text reads "Galadriel & Melian"

1: A forest / 2: Two women, in a pond, with their eyes closed / 3: A person holding a silver orb / 4: Green Gems / 5: A woman standing by a lake, covered by a translucent veil through which only her outline is seen / 6: An artificial flower, with translucent white petals /End ID]