#baobab good for you

[caloriesnfood]

Baobab Fruit

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[hedgehog-moss]

The autumn growing season in the greenhouse is coming to an end, so here are my plant reviews!

1. Basil: 11/10

I’ve never had so much basil before! I planted it when it was a baby and it grew to the size of a baobab. I’ve made SO many jars of pesto, I can make pasta all winter. The basil plant started suffering from the cold around mid-November and I harvested the last leaves, but it grew amazingly as long as indoor temperatures remained above 10°C at night.

2. Bell pepper: 10.5/10

The only reason I’m ranking it lower is because I like basil better, but I’ve had a constant supply of beautiful green peppers all throughout the autumn! The plant is very low-maintenance and bravely produced peppers in 35° greenhouse temperatures in early September and 10° temperatures in November without a complaint.

3. Green beans: 10/10

I love fresh green beans. I planted different kinds, purple ones and green ones, and discovered with a bit of surprise that the former grow a deep purple colour and then become green when you cook them. It’s a fun plant. And they grow very well in vertical growing towers!

4. White onions: 9/10

They didn’t thrive in my planters for some reason (they seemed to get smothered by the other plants around them) but they were very happy by themselves in the vertical tower. Will keep that in mind for next year.

5. Kohlrabi: 8/10

Kohlrabi shouldn’t be so high in the list because I don’t like eating it all that much, but it grows so enthusiastically and then it looks like little green aliens going \o/ in their towers, it’s just a very endearing plant.

6. Lettuce: 7/10

The lettuces (I’m making this word countable) in the towers grew amazingly in September thanks to having their feet constantly soaking in water, while their sisters in the planters were suffering from the heat. But as soon as the weather grew colder and more humid all the tower lettuces became covered with mildew :( Meanwhile the planter lettuces were having their 15 minutes of fame (see second picture)—until the weather got even wetter in November and they finally succumbed to mildew as well. So I’ll note that tower lettuce is good for summer and planter lettuce for early autumn, and then the greenhouse gets too humid for healthy lettuce.

6. Parsley: 5/10

Parsley is in the shame corner. It grew very very well in its tower—so well that its roots started colonising the little pipe that brings water, so the pipe became clogged and water stopped circulating in the tower and the parsley died. That is the definition of shooting yourself in the foot, parsley, you short-sighted plant. You wanted instant water gratification and ended up with nothing. There’s a lesson to be learnt here. (The lesson is to put parsley at the bottom of the tower rather than at the top where the pipe is.)

7. Miscellanies: my aubergine plant produced stakhanovically in September and then shrivelled up and died as soon as October (and cold nights) started. Definitely a summer-only plant (at least in a non-heated greenhouse). Fennel grew incredibly well, both in the planters and in the towers, but I discovered (I’d never tried it before) that it tastes exactly like anise and I hate anise. I tried cooking it in a gratin as I figured cheese makes everything okay, but not even cheese could make fennel tolerable to me. No more fennel. Arugula (<- the superior word. Boycott rocket) grew well but had trouble asserting itself next to my giant basil plant. I’ll try to give it more space to grow next time, poor arugula got so squished.

And finally:

8. Fish (not rated for reasons explained below, but it’s hard to imagine what a fish could do wrong)

The point of the vertical growing towers is to try aquaponic gardening—they are connected via pipes and a pump to a water tank in which I would like to raise fish. The idea of aquaponics is that the fish and the plants have a symbiotic relationship, with the fish’s waste fertilising the water for the plants, and the plants’ roots cleaning the water for the fish as they absorb these nutrients. It’s recommended to start with goldfish for the first year as they are quite sturdy, then once you know how your greenhouse behaves in every season, the water temperature changes etc, you can try other kinds (including edible fish).

^ So I had four little pioneers in an aquarium in my kitchen waiting to move to the greenhouse—but I needed to stabilise the pH of the water (among other things) before bringing in the fish, and that proved very difficult! My pH had daily fluctuations that I tried to tame by adding potassium bicarbonate or varying the % of rainwater vs. spring water in the tank, and nothing worked. I thought it was because I had put so many plants in the towers, but as I started removing the summer plants and the pH didn’t improve, I finally tried putting my pH sensor in a bucket of distilled water to see if it worked... and it turned out that the sensor was malfunctioning. I bought a new sensor, who immediately told me that my pH was perfectly adequate. I felt daft.

Anyway, my brave pioneer fish were moved to the greenhouse last week and they seem to be enjoying their new tank (they’ve got lots of plant roots dipping in the water to nibble on or hide behind), so I’ve ordered the rest of the goldfish gang! My greenhouse will become a lot more populated tomorrow, stay tuned :)

[vickysaurus]

(Image, as well as much of my information, from Carboniferous Giants and Mass Extinction by George R. McGhee Jr.)

Take a look at this tree. On a scale of 1 to 10, how weird do you think it is?

You quite possibly just gave it a 3 or a 4 or something. Sure, it's a little odd, but does look vaguely normal, right? A friend of mine guessed it was some sort of baobab when I showed him the image.

This is, in fact Lepidodendron, an ancient tree from the Carboniferous, and by modern tree standards it is absolutely bizarre. Its closest surviving relatives, quillworts and clubmosses, only grow to a height of a few centimetres, yet Lepidodendron were giants that shot up to 50 metres tall... Briefly, before dispersing their spores and completely dying off.

(Lycopodium and Spinulum, modern relatives of Lepidodendron, photos by Bernd Haynold and Pete Pattavina)

You see, Lepidondron lived like a gigantic dandelion. For most of its life, it was a stumpy little thing that stuck close to the ground. Just an odd scaly green stump with some long leaves poking out. The green scales its bark consisted of were the place it conducted its photosynthesis, and thus basically did the work of leaves. The Lepidodendron would stay like this for a couple years, slowly expanding its roots and getting ready for the next step. But its roots would grow mostly horizontally, down not so much! And part of why is that even they had the scaly leaf-like photosynthetic bark. That's right, even their roots could - and to some extend needed to - photosynthesise!

(Fossil Lepidodendron bark in the National Museum of Brazil, photo by Dornicke; a fossilised relative of Lepidodendron with some of its roots visible, photo by Michael C. Rygel)

So why would you ever try to photosynthesise with your roots of all things as a plant? Surely it would make much more sense to just transport the sugars created in other parts there than to have your roots be so shallow that bits of them can catch a little light and make it in situ? Sure, if you're capable of that! This is what modern trees do, but they have two separate vascular tissues they use for transport: xylem, which moves water from the roots to the rest of the plant, and phloem, which moves sugars and other photosynthetic products from the leaves to the rest of the plant. Unfortunately for Lepidodendron, it only had xylem, no phloem, so its sugars were only ever going to move as far as they could diffuse, so every part of the tree needed to have at least a little photosynthesis happening, even the roots.

This truly gets ridiculous when the Lepidodendron decides after a few years of charging up that it's time to reproduce. That's when the weird green stump we have so far starts shooting up, up, up, very quickly, all the way until an enormous 40 or 50 metres in height. Now, modern trees grow this large by being supported by a sturdy wooden core, but that's not what Lepidodendron did. To hold up the entire tree, it relies entirely on its outer bark thickening as it grows. In mechanical terms, it was little more than a huge hollow pole, probably creaking and swaying terribly in the wind. Although I have not been able to confirm this in the literature so far, I suspect that between the shallow roots and the whole thing being held up by its bark, you could probably total a Lepidodendron with a good kick.

Now remember, all this growth is happening without phloem, so the entire length of that stem has to not just be sturdy enough to keep the tree standing, but it also has to keep doing photosynthesis to feed itself. When it reaches its full height, the top of the tree finally starts sprouting branches and small leaves, leaving it looking like the picture at the start. But those are not what it's all about for the tree: the cones that develop among them are. At a height of 50 metres, the spores produced by the cones can very easily be picked up by the wind and blown far, far away. Being spores, rather than seeds as modern trees have, they have no supplies built in whatsoever, so they need to get lucky to land in a spot that has immediate access to water. Luckily, there are a lot of those in the vast Carboniferous swamps, and with the trees doing so much work to spread the spores very widely, some of them are sure to find good spots. And then, with the spores dispersed, the tree is done for. The entire thing, which has just grown to the skies, dies off and soon comes crashing down.

So how weird is this tree? I'd call it a perfect 10.

[ihopesocomic]

i love the tiny detail that, in their reference photos, Baobab’s smile is just a teeeny bit bigger than Buchu’s.

a nefarious lil guy. up to no good /j

Thank you for noticing! I know I didn't spend a lot of time on those refs but it's the little things haha - Cat

[nagirambles]

Rambling about Fairies - Manga Chapter 203

Okay, I get that tenrou is based on an upside-down tree (baobab?) or something, but like. The characters point out several times how it looks like there's an island above the island.

So. Not doing anything up there is just a unloaded Chekhov's gun. That's a big upset. Why would you do nothing with that fun location design.

C'mon. Mashima. Put one goddamn battle up there. Let us see the view from the top. Why did you make this island a tree and not let anyone climb it at least once? Heck. The one time we were teased to go up we get interrupted by Zeref? And in the end we never went up there?? This is bullying. If I'm ever reincarnated into Fairy Tail my life's goal would be to climb that fucking tree. That's how frustrated I am at this wasted good location design.

[tmarshconnors]

50 African proverbs.

"A bird that flies off the earth and lands on an anthill is still on the ground."

"If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together."

"The lion does not turn around when a small dog barks."

"When elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers."

"The wise create bridges, the foolish build barriers."

"He who learns, teaches."

"Unity is strength, division is weakness."

"Do not look where you fell, but where you slipped."

"Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors."

"A tree is known by its fruits."

"The one who loves an unsightly person is the one who makes him beautiful."

"The strength of a crocodile is in the water."

"The old woman looks after the child to grow its teeth and the young one in turn looks after the old woman when she loses her teeth."

"A wise person will always find a way."

"Where you will sit when you are old shows where you stood in youth."

"Do not be a spectator before life; participate!"

"The rain beats the leopard’s skin, but it does not wash out the spots."

"No matter how full the river, it still wants to grow."

"Wisdom is like a baobab tree; no one individual can embrace it."

"When the mouse laughs at the cat, there is a hole nearby."

"The goat says, 'Where there is blood, there is plenty of food.'"

"By the time the fool has learned the game, the players have dispersed."

"He who is destined for power does not have to fight for it."

"The chameleon changes color to match the earth; the earth doesn’t change colors to match the chameleon."

"The heart of the wise man lies quiet like limpid water."

"If you close your eyes to facts, you will learn through accidents."

"You can't build a reputation on what you are going to do."

"A wise person learns more from his enemies than a fool from his friends."

"You cannot climb to the mountain top without crushing some weeds with your feet."

"A roaring lion kills no game."

"Knowledge without wisdom is like water in the sand."

"Where there is love, there is no darkness."

"The strength of a nation lies in its homes."

"The best way to eat an elephant in your path is to cut him up into little pieces."

"He who refuses to obey cannot command."

"It is the calm and silent water that drowns a man."

"Patience is the mother of a beautiful child."

"A good deed is something one returns."

"When the character of a man is not clear to you, look at his friends."

"If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together."

"If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together."

"When spider webs unite, they can tie up a lion."

"No matter how tall a tree grows, the leaves always fall to the ground."

"When the moon is not full, the stars shine more brightly."

"A leopard cannot change its spots."

"A village without elders is like a well without water."

"The sun will shine on those who stand before it shines on those who kneel under them."

"The eye never forgets what the heart has seen."

"A dog with a bone in its mouth cannot bite."

"The axe forgets, but the tree remembers."

[queenof3ferrets]

Cloudcalling pt. 3

LETS GOOOOOOO.

This is just funny. No one believes that Leona took the time to get a license.

Leona’s trauma deepens. (Respect for Neji -100)

Leona follows the law. (Of the road at least)

We’re included! Leona makes sure of it! I think I might cry.

Fluff’s observations day 3: I’m disappointed that we didn’t have much to say when it came to our opinion on the foods the group tries. We say ‘delicious!’ Once with no other options of preference.

Additionally we can be forced to buy a tapestry if we don’t do so ourselves—and I just find it rude. Like-why?? Couldn’t you have given us a second item we could buy instead of the tapestry?

Ok—maybe I’m a little biased because other games with MC’s we play as have more dialogue options and I’m just being moody. (COUGH Obey Me maybe COUGH)

Moving on.

The food looked really good, and we learned more about Leona’s preferences! Like the baobab candy Kalim and Lilia get for Cater is our grumpy lion’s preferred sweet!

Also—KALIM BUYING A RING FOR JAMIL AND MORE FOR THE WHOLE OF SCARABIA IS JUST. I feel so poor compared to him. All because ‘they like shiny things’. Also Grim—don’t you dare try to be greedy and leech off of Kalim I WILL smack you and spray you with water. Bad cat. Bad.

Kalim makes me feel poor pt. 2 HE BUYS A RANDOM GUY A WHOLE NEW BUS AFTER THE ENGINE JAMS AND A TIRE POPS. Doesn’t even ask if the guy has insurance he just goes straight to ‘buy this nice guy a new bus!’ After the guy worries out loud about providing for his family.

Neji is cooking up a plan of some kind and I don’t know how to feel about it.

Leona reveals that Neji gave him trauma. Yes, forcing a child to do something they don’t want to-especially a sport—is and can be traumatic.

Leona actually wants us in the front seat. I don’t know about you guys but I say this is a pretty big privilege (even if it was after everyone else declined or would distract him and Grim alone would be distracting—in my hopeful little heart I hope he wanted us front seat from the start :,) )

Go renew your drivers license old man

[tired-lamb]

too bad I'm gonna ask. give me kion headcannons NOW

LMAO I like the spunk, dude!

headcanons for the fiercest

he is typical teenager tm you cannot convince me otherwise. he may look put together and capable but on the inside he is winging all this shit and crossing his fingers

(doesnt mean I dont think hes a capable leader. I think hes an extremely good one, just that I hc he struggles in believing in himself and his capabilities)

in relation to that he and bunga have tried kissing once. Like they both wondered how it felt and decided there was no way better than to just Do it

they both end up disliking it and vow to never do it again

kion craves his dad’s approval a lot and often tries to do things the way simba would; kinda like how simba rlly wants to be as good a king as mufasa was yk?

kion is completely oblivious to the fact that hes the mother friend of the group. if you were to ask him how he’d categorise himself he’d probably say the quiet one

meanwhile the rest of the guard cannot be trusted by themselves unless kion is there

in relation to that I hc that a lot of times when the guard isn’t.. well, Guarding the pridelands and theyre just sitting around enjoying each others’ presence, kion takes a backseat and just lets himself relax

his friends and their voices always soothe him + calm him down :]

kion was extremely free spirited before he became the leader of the guard and would often sneak in on kiara’s training-to-be-queen lessons with simba just cause he wanted to know what its like to have a big role in the circle of life

fast forward a few years into him having a big role in the circle of life and he starts struggling with his relationship with the circle of life

dw kiara helps him out since she faced the same problem

kion is a lot more similar to nala than he is to simba

idk if I like, headcanon headcanon this one but I do like that some ppl gave him nala’s blue eyes!!! canon doesnt exist if we look away /j

he’ll never admit it but he misses the days when all he would worry about was winning against bunga in their baobab seed game

he really likes his uncles timon and pumbaa and especially loves to hear about the stories they have of his dad

kion definitely wanted to join on a girls day with tiifu, zuri and kiara once

can ya blame him tho? mud baths and basking in the sun look insanely relaxing

he has bitten rafiki, timon, and pumbaa as a cub multiple times

heck his favourite thing to teeth on (do lion cubs teeth??) was simba’s ear (real life lion cubs do this too!! :D)

as a cub he would never be able to distinguish between other felines (eg: cheetahs and leopards) and himself so he’d see cheetahs running super fast and try to do the same

same thing with leopards. he’d see them climb all over trees and nala will be looking for her baby only to find he got stuck in a tree while trying to be like a leopard

cub kion was super friendly with baby/calf beshte!!! his bff may be bunga but those two loved playing with each other

not exactly a hc but I really like @australet789 ‘s kion design!! I always love it when people draw the siblings with traits from their grandparents

whew I went on a ramble with this one. I would continue but I think the post is already long enough x] feel free to ask for more kion hcs or hcs for any other character tho, I love answering them! /gen

[mysteryshoptls]

R Vil Schoenheit Beastly Garb Personal Story

"I completely regret thinking that!"

[Sunset Savanna – Sunset Villa]

Leona: Yaaaawn…

Vil: Good morning, Leona. You've taken your sweet time waking up. I've been waiting.

Leona: You've been waiting?

Vil: Are you still half-asleep? I'll have you do your job as our tour guide once more today.

Leona: Hah? Your guide? I already did enough of that yesterday.

Vil: Wow. You said you'd "provide quality hospitality," but was that it?

Leona: I even brought you to the specially reserved section of the Elephant Legacy hot spring… You saying there's more you want to do?

Vil: Of course. I came all this way to the Sunset Savanna and applied my UV protection perfectly.

Vil: …Well, if you'd like to take it all back, I don't mind.

Vil: However, in that case, I'll no longer be obligated to participate in Catch the Tail.

Leona: …Tch, fine. May I enquire as to what the great Vil Schoenheit-sama would like to see?

Vil: Oh, you would actually consider what I would like to do? If that's the case, then I would like to request a tour focused on beautification.

Leona: Beautification, huh… Then you should go to the beauty salon here at the hotel.

Leona: Their body treatments made from the plants found here in Sunset Savanna are pretty well known.

Vil: I see… I just looked it up, and it seems to have a wonderfully soothing effect on the skin as well.

Vil: Yesterday, I was running around outside all day, so I would love to focus on self-care today. I'll head there now.

Vil: Fufu, how is it? Do you not think my already beautiful self has gotten even more beautiful?

Leona: Yeah, yeah. Good for you.

Vil: I'm curious about the black soap that they used during the treatment. There wasn't much of a lather, and the scent wasn't too terrible.

Vil: The salon at the hotel didn't have any to provide me… Can it be bought anywhere?

Leona: So you want that black soap next. …There's a store I know. Follow me.

[Sunset Savanna – Sunrise City]

Leona: This beauty store here in the heart of Sunrise City deals with orders from the royal household.

Vil: Oho. This seems promising.

Vil: Skin care items made from plants grown in such a sunny region tend to be very invaluable, since they have a greater moisturizing effect.

Vil: In addition, there are many products that help in clearing the skin here… I wonder which one should I get. It's so difficult to decide.

Leona: Isn't this the black soap thing you were talking about earlier?

Leona: It's made of 100% natural plant products that are native to Sunset Savanna.

Leona: The black coloring seems to come from the ash of burned banana peels. Other ingredients include palm oil and cacao pods.

Vil: Bar soap like this usually gives a soft feel after washing. It's nice to use for delicate dry or sensitive skin.

Vil: I'm sure that I'll be exposed to a lot of UV rays during today's match, so… I should definitely purchase this soap.

Vil: These other skin care products are also all natural cosmetics. This country sincerely does put a lot of emphasis on nature.

Leona: ‘Cause they can't think of anything else to use. …There's other stores that have cosmetics you can take a look at. Once you finish paying, I'll take you to the next one.

Vil: …Despite all his protests, he's doing a pretty good job escorting me around to suit my likes.

Vil: Fufufu, it's not too terrible a feeling using Leona like this.

[Sunset Savanna – Market]

Leona: The stuff that's sold in the Raintree Market are mostly lower cost.

Leona: That store over there has merch made from wild plants like rooibos and baobab.

Vil: They have body lotion, oil, shower gel… Ah, and also lip balms.

Leona: In the next store over, they sell solidified resin. That's a natural fragrance that's been used here forever.

Vil: What an unusual shape. It smells smoky and spicy. And yet at the same time, it has a sweet aroma, like fruit.

Leona: If you want fragrances, they also sell a ton of essential oils.

Vil: I see resin perfumes, as well as herbal and citrus fragrances… There really are a plethora of different products.

Vil: There's much more variety here than I expected. I may run out of time if I try to examine them all.

Storekeep A: Hey, isn't that the top model Vil Schoenheit?

Storekeep B: You're right! I hear if he uses your product, sales just go through the roof!

Storekeep C: VIL-SAN! PLEASE TAKE THIS! THERE'S NO NEED TO PAY FOR IT!

Vil: W-Wait! I make it a point to not accept these kinds of things!

Vil: Leona, you say something too.

Leona: Hey, lucky you, you're so popular.

Leona: You should get the storekeepers to show you around now. I'm gonna head back to the hotel. See ya.

Vil: LEONA!!!

Vil: That man… He ran away as soon as it got troublesome! I completely regret thinking that he was even the slightest bit reliable!

[Pomefiore Dorm – Lounge]

Vil: …was something that occurred there.

Epel: Oh wow. I'm... a little surprised that Sunset Savanna had so much make-up for sale?

Rook: Sunset Savanna's beauty brings such joy and grace to everyone, yes.

Rook: Fufu, I'm so pleased that Vil was able to see just how wondrous that country is.

Vil: Ah, that's right. Since the two of you invited yourselves to my room like this, I'll give you a special gift.

Epel: I mean, we all got a souvenir from the Elephant Legacy hot springs earlier with everyone else in the dorm, though…

Vil: This is separate from that. I'll prepare it right away, so wait right there.

Rook: Merci, Vil! I cannot wait!

Epel: What does he mean he's going to prepare it…? Is it some kind of cosmetic he's making? What should I do if he starts a lecture on how to use it…?

Vil: Sorry to keep you waiting. Here you go, a specially-made smoothie from me made from fruits bought in Sunset Savanna.

Epel: …Eh, a smoothie?

Vil: In order to cultivate beauty, it is just as important as taking the right nutrition from the inside as well. That's why I bought an abundance of fresh fruit as well.

Vil: A vitamin-rich smoothie is not only good for a beauty regimen, but also for your health.

Vil: Enjoy.

Epel: Wow! Thank you very much! [gulp, gulp] …It's so good!

Rook: There's mango and papaya in this, I see. C'est bon!

Vil: As for the Catch the Tail match, it was a shame that I wasn't able to perform as I had hoped, but…

Vil: Other than that, I was able to refresh myself and have a bit of fun. From the perspective of a beauty-focused trip, I suppose it wasn't as bad as it could have been.

Requested by Anonymous.

[delta-pavonis]

😈 + 30

Ooooooooooh, "I missed you". I have a few really good places I could do this in this AU... okay, so, there will be a time jump between end of the last chapter posted and the next, so I am going to do a scene in between Ch 14 and Ch 15 of You create me against your lips.

When Dream comes back from his time in the Waking World he pretty much flops onto the chaise that has become a permanent fixture on the balcony of their chambers. Because it is quite obviously their chambers at this point, there is no use denying it.

Hob marks his place in his book, sets it on a small table, and turns to Dream. "Why do you keep working with this Constantine if she vexes you so?" He rearranges his legs so that they are no longer folded awkwardly.

Dream can feel his eyebrows raising even as he lets himself drop sideways and put his head on Hob's thigh. "Vexes?"

"Yes! Vexes!" Hob's smile is blindingly bright. "It is such a great word, and fun to say! Vexes."

"Fun to say?" He is trying really hard to keep from laughing and is only partially succeeding.

"Oh, you know," Hob looks up, considering with exaggerated glee. "Like galoshes. Or baobab. Or Constantinople." When Dream doesn't respond he looks down. "What?"

He can feel the shimmer of Hob's delight in the waters of the Dreaming, how it causes positive ripples outward. On the far end of Fiddler's Green a few honeysuckle bushes burst into life. Dream sighs, letting the smile win and overtake his face. "I missed you."

Hob's mouth falls open nearly to touching his chest. "You were gone..." He looks out to the sky, no doubt tracking the movement of the celestial spheres, then shakes his head in disbelief. "Like seven hours, at most."

He lets his eyes fall closed and his weight sink more solidly into Hob and the cushions of the chaise. "Felt more like seventy years." Dream nuzzles into the light shirt covering Hob's belly, able to get the scent of his skin even through the fabric. "She does vex me so."

"Hey!" A pillow that was most definitely on their bed moments ago is now mashed onto Dream's head. "No teasing! Or I'll tell Lucienne who knocked over that bookcase."

Dream pushes the pillow aside enough to be able to peer up at his lover with one eye. "You wouldn't." Hob just looks at him, one eyebrow rising in challenge. "You wouldn't dare."

"Looooseeemmmrrrpmgh!"

Dream cuts Hob's hollering short by shoving the pillow up and into his face.

Hob splutters as Dream pulls the pillow away, but then looks down with a gleam in his eyes. Another pillow pops into existence in Hob's hand. "Oh, those are fighting words."

"But I didn't say anything!"

Apparently that is no excuse. And so the Lord of Dreams and King of Nightmares finds himself in his first pillow fight.

[theladyheroine]

Types of Wizards! ✨

❥ This was just a fun idea since I’ve been reading lots of fantasy headcanons, I wanted to try! Plus I don’t see too many for magic-y stuff out there so this gave me a good idea!

❥ Also! Most of these are female centered but some of this can be for boys too! I just prefer the term wizard because it sounds cooler lol. But thank you! Enjoy!

Storybook Wizards 🤎

Usually has an owl or sparrows as a companion.

Quills are made from barn owl feathers.

Wands are made from cinnamomum trees, elm trees, or hazel trees.

Likes to feed the crickets that sing on the bookshelves. Some think it’s gross but they’re very nice!

Uses golden wax seals for nearly everything.

Collects old trinkets they find or receive from friends. They don’t work anymore or are just old, but has tried fixing them up.

Loves both books & scrolls, but thinks books are easier to hold onto. That one friend who decides to read one more chapter, but ends up reading all night.

Loves to wish on stars or dandelions but is too embarrassed to tell anyone.

Seems like a bit of a hermit, but is actually really friendly! Loves to interact with people & exchange different interests, quite talkative at times.

Either works at an archive or some kind of library, has a special little key that works only for them.

Weather Wizards 🌩️

Usually has a bird of prey as a companion, but don’t worry they’re friendly 😅🙏

Quills are made from crow feathers.

Wands are made from maple trees, pine trees, or baobab trees.

The ultimate bird parent!! Birds love them & they’re always putting out bird seed feeders or scraps of veggies.

Lives alone in a tall tower in the middle of the woods. Only goes to town when necessary & will turn into a grumpy pants if you knock on their door.

Sometimes storm clouds or rain will swirl around their house, usually due to spell testing or potions.

The weather is actually pretty nice when they’re around! Cool breezes, clear skies, warm sunny days; tries to deny it’s their work until the sunshine gets brighter.

Collects clean water in mason jars or glass bottles when it rains.

Likes to climb rooftops & chart the stars.

Can always sense when a storm is approaching, doesn’t matter what kind they’re spot on. Likely their job is to keep them at bay as a guardian or lookout.

Love Wizards 💝

Usually has a dove or a type of songbird as a companion.

Quills are made from white swan feathers.

Wands are made from cherry trees, camellia trees, or jasmine shrubs.

Has an easier time communicating with fauna.

Ladybugs are automatically attracted to them & will usually bring good luck to them throughout the day.

Stores their potions in old perfume bottles but will make perfume as a small side job. Has to label everything though.

Has a small rose bush growing outside of their window; likes to talk to it & believes plants have feelings.

Super affectionate! Either the mom friend or the cutsey clingy child friend.

Never forgets Valentine’s Day!! (I’m sorry I know it was last week!) Goes over the top every year & everyone either gets a bouquet or a little goodie bag. The size of the gift depends on who you are sometimes.

Business is a postal service for relationship problems but gets a lot of love letters to proofread. A bit embarrassed receiving one addressed to them.

Swamp Wizards 🐸

Usually has a crane or even a heron as a companion. But sometimes that makes it hard to get in them the house...

Quills are made from duck feathers.

Wands are made of mangrove trees, dogwood trees, or lilypad stems.

Defined as the oddballs of wizardry. They are known to travel a lot but usually live alone.

Uses an old timey ferry boat to get around, but has to use magic to get the paddle wheel moving. It’ll creak & stop like an old engine.

Probably the most experienced in floral/nature magic & their house is like an absolute jungle. Will even let moss grow out because “it wants to be there.”

Has tried more than once to kiss a frog & see if it’ll turn into their true love, but carries medicine around just in case.

Really loves milkweed flowers & will set up cute bundles in their home to make it smell good.

The best cook in the world but mostly uses magic to help.

Probably the friendliest person you’ll meet! Will tell all sorts of stories about their travels, the different kinds of people they’ve met, where to find the best berry bushes, how to care for tadpoles— It might be awhile before you can introduce yourself…

[budgie-city]

"Budgie City" — how is it organized and what is the story about?

Hello, I'm glad you decided to read my lore article about "Budgie City". The second article talks about where this world came from in general and how I came up with the idea. If you haven't read that article yet, you can check it out here. This article right here will tell you about the world itself and the society of the budgies, as well as describe the plot of the book in general terms. I remind you that the book is currently in the process of writing and will only be published when I have finished it completely.

Fundamentals of the "Budgie City" world

Yes, this is a story about talking animals, in particular, about birds! Set in a world much more wild than our own, filled with lush forests and untouched lands, you can meet the wild variety of birds (the story focuses on parrots though) you may know from all across the globe. From Australian (Cockatoos, Cockatiels, Grass parrots, etc.), African (Lovebirds, Ring-necked parakeets, Grey parrots), and South American parrots (Macaws, Amazons, Short-tailed parrots) to Weavers, Sunbirds, and occasionally even birds-of-paradise - you may find a broad spectrum of non-predatory birds residing right here.

But, of course, the bulk of the population of Budgie City, the main setting of the story, consists of colorful budgies. The city is essentially a large colony that has developed enough to turn into a complex system that depends not only on internal organization, but also on foreign trading. Trading between colonies in their world is based on barter, though inside cities there are local currencies — in most cases they are not metal coins, since metal is a rare and heavy material for birds, but they have their own kind of money equivalent.

The only species that has mastered metallurgy are African Grey parrots. Their colonies settle near volcanoes, and they are one of the only birds strong enough to handle such heavy materials. Therefore, metal is the main trading resource for them.

To show you what other species living in the city have to offer, I have this small excerpt from the first chapter that summarizes this quite concisely:

"Large parrots, due to their large carrying capacity, could easily transport quite bulky baskets with all kinds of food or raw materials, therefore, instead of independently transporting goods to other colonies, the budgies simply unloaded the goods large parrots brought, loaded them with their own and sent them back. Macaws most often brought figs and wild apples, cockatoos were famous for their special success in growing berries and gathering wild bee honey, grey parrots were the only birds in these forests who tamed metal... each species could provide something of its own to others, and as a result, all neighboring forests lived on trade links with each other. Budgies were skilled craftsmen in the manufacture of wooden utensils, and their chicks were believed to have the softest fluff among all parrots. So the fluff of the chicks that came down with molts was carefully collected, and other birds used it for the most delicate bedding in their own nests."

For such mentioned exchanges between the different birds, there is a trading base in the city — a group of large platforms on the trunk of the main baobab, where birds arriving with cargo are received, and cargo from the budgies is sent to other similar colonies.

The Budgie city stands "on seven baobabs" — an analogy to one well-known large city in our real world, which I came up with in 2014, and has since then remained more or less unchanged.

As can be understood from the scheme, the Seventh Baobab is considered the main one — it stands in the center and it is surrounded by the main structures that secure the functioning of the city. The remaining six baobabs are mostly residential. Instead of roads there are rope bridges connecting the structures to one another, which prove quite convenient in the case of carrying something around or to simply reduce the energy consumption that continuous flying demands. They start from the platforms on the baobabs, form multi-tiered intersections on the lower and branching trees standing between the baobabs, whereby, of course, this web converges on the seventh central one.

As for common areas, there are the market, the canteen, the baths (some are located on the Third baobab + the pool in the crown of the Seventh) and numerous interest clubs scattered throughout the city. For example, there are several board game clubs based in the crown of the Fifth Baobab, which the main characters tend to visit, especially Gesha and Gosha (since the two initially met at checkers).

Seventh Baobab concept art (artwork by me and @blackteaarts)

How did Budgie City come into being? Are there other cities in this universe?

Budgie City was founded by Phoenix. A bird whose species is unknown to anyone, so she is considered unique by the other residents. In addition to that no one knows her real age — she outlived those who helped her founding the city, outlived their children and their grandchildren, and so on. At this point no one is even trying to guess how old she is and where she came from. There were rumors about her, which had long become urban legends that every chick knows — they say she has magical abilities and can control fire. But there is no real evidence of this anywhere. In fact, no one living in the city has ever noticed anything supernatural about her — she is just a wise, kind bird with beautiful plumage, who treats every citizen like a mother treats her chick — with love and care.

Chroniclers often tell stories about how she herself was once raised among budgies and considers them part of her kind, and therefore decided to create a place where her sworn brethren can live in harmony and prosperity. Until then budgies had never lived in a colony this large before — usually they resided in rather small communities scattered many hundreds of square kilometers away from each other. Therefore Budgie City is the biggest known colony around. In number of citizens, it surpasses almost all others, which is why it is the center of attention of all the inhabitants of the surrounding forests.

Other parrots and some weavers live in a similar way. Small colonies have built their settlements right around the baobabs — in so-called suburbs, but similar formations exist in other places very far from the Budgie City as well.

What is the plot of the book?

I want to clarify that the book is currently in the process of writing in the form of a paper draft, and will be published only after the completion of the full work. Here I will give a brief description of the plot in general, without spoilers or delving into details, but so that you can have an idea of what this story is about.

In the peaceful and steady life of Budgie City — a life without any prerequisites ever before, there is a sudden turning point — Phoenix disappears. Moreover, she does not just go missing, but literally incinerates, leaving behind only one golden feather. In its entire history, the city had never had to change its mayor before, since Phoenix had ruled continuously since its foundation, so confusion and panic among the residents ensues. The so-called Royal Family, a circle of Phoenix's close advisers, who are direct descendants of the budgies who helped her founding this city, decide to hand over the reins to whom they deem the most responsible and emotionally resistant of them — Clementine and Jack.

But in a fit of desire to preserve their relationship with their son Fenya, who is slowly distancing from them, the couple, without putting it out as a question to the rest of the advisers first, use their new powers, and hand the reign to him. Subsequently, Fenya is now at the head of the city — an unstable, egocentric, arrogant yesterday-teenager. Having been partially raised by a zebra finch nanny, he sees more traits of finches in himself than those seen in other budgies. Therefore invites them to live in the city and he certainly does not go into details about why finches were never favored in the colonies of parakeets. Because there are good reasons for that... Finches are not just small and harmless birds, especially when there are a lot of them. And very soon the residents of the city will feel the effect of the appearances of the uncalled visitors…

In the midst of the ever growing chaos lives Gesha. A quiet florist who loves his routine filled with greenery and quiet pastime, who had always rested in a rather small circle of acquaintances, is forced to get out of his comfort zone and starts acting against the messy situation at hand. All because, it seems to him, that everyone around him prefers to believe and hope that everything will get fixed by itself, when this is clearly not the case. His friend Gosha is of the same opinion — although he often gets a bit carried away by his desire to administer justice (periodically turning into stupid brawls). He's just like that — against everything bad and for everything good, but tends to cross the line sometimes. Together they decide to create a secret society where they keep records of everything that upsets the citizens in this new reign, and try to find ways to solve these problems. While Gesha wants to deal with the situation through negotiations, Gosha, as usual, is more eager for a showdown.

Further down the line, Yasha appears — a native of a remote village who came from distant forests, where Budgie City is only considered a legend. He is a hopeless dreamer and a restless talker, but just as he is looking for a cozy home in this, for him, new and magnificent place, it is meanwhile literally bursting at the seams. Which soon forces Yasha to take off the metaphorical rose-colored glasses and, together with his new friends, face the harsh reality head-on.

Will the united citizens be able to solve the problem of the finch invasion and pacify the restless Fenya? Or maybe even bring Phoenix back? You will find it all out when the book is completed!

Huge thanks to @annchanorsomethin for helping with translation of this article!

[datotherd00d]

RSA Fanmade Dorms

Thought I should share a fleshed-out(ish) list of dorms that me, @chohouse , and @dizastermango made for Royal Sword Academy. Honesty thought that RSA should get more love (plus it was a lot of fun to make this, especially since I have some OCs that go to RSA). Also I made a Pinterest board for the dorms, the dorm uniforms, and their ceremonial robes.

The overall inspiration of these dorms were the supporting characters in the stories of the Big 7, but it’s the characters that were associated with the heroes. Now with that out of the way, here is the list!

- Iterspeculo: Spirit of Carpe Diem

Themed off of The Mad Hatter

Pronounced as “I-ter-speh-coo-loh”

Carpe Diem roughly translates to “Living in the Moment”

The complete opposite of Heartslabyul when it come to organization and tidiness

Basically an eyesore, and constant game of ‘Eye-Spy’

Dorm name was made with: ‘Speculo’ which is Latin for mirror, ‘Iter’ meaning journey, so it completely comes out to ‘Journey (through the) Looking Glass’ 

- Baoheart: Spirit of Mindfulness

 Themed off of Rafiki

Pronounced as “Bau-hart”

ALL DORM MEMBERS LIVE IN A GIANT BAOBAB TREEHOUSE! It’s pretty cool ngl

This dorm is SO chill and can be wise. They have a lot of relaxing activities like yoga and meditation sessions. Literally living that Hakuna Matata life 

Dorm name revolved around the tree that Rafiki lived in which is a Baobab tree, and the heart because it sounded better and more whimsical than tail or fang lmao

- Plimsoll: Spirit of Sharing

Themed off of Scuttle

Pronounced as “Plim-sl”

Nautical and sea port vibes with this dorm (ngl was hard to figure out, so I mixed it together)

Heavily community based! Everyone helps everyone out because why not? The more the merrier! 

Literally a silly headcanon, but the common room has a deep brown wood flooring to imitate a ship and someone made the joke of it looking like shit, so now everyone calls the common room the “Poop Deck”

Name came from the Plimsoll Line of a ship, which is a mark on the hull of a ship indicating how deep a cargo ship can travel safely to trade goods

- Sadjinn: Spirit of Friendship

Themed off of The Genie

Pronounced as “Sah-jin”

Kind of similar to Scarabia, but it has that overall “goodness” to it

Not as many parties, but still very much so community based

It’s a more creative dorm that leans more into enjoying what you have and making the most out of it with the people you have. Literally if Kalim was a dorm it would be this one.

Also, the Cave of Wonders is where the dorm resides, and it is surrounded by a beautiful oasis and small forest of sorts

Name came from: ‘Sadiq’ meaning friend in Arabic, and a Djinn (Jinn) is another name for the mythical creature of a genie (this is under the pretense of fiction and fantasy rather than the Arabic/Islamic religious aspect of Jinns) 

- Septierre: Spirit of Humility

Themed off of the Seven Dwarves

Pronounced as “Sep-tea-error”

Such a hardworking yet humble dorm. Like omg- this dorm is that meme that is like “It’s not much, but it’s honest work”

COTTAGECORE VIBES!!!

Literally all of the produce and materials for the school is from this dorm! The students in this dorm are basically all in agriculture and geology, it is wholesome and very simple living

Mostly flatlands with cottage dorm rooms/dorm housing. It’s cute ngl. A lot of orchards and mines and woodland creatures

Name came from: ‘Septem’ which is Latin for 7, and ‘Pierre’ roughly translates to ‘stone/rock’

- Fulgyros: Spirit of Growth

Themed off of Philoctetes (Phil)

Pronounced as “Fuhl-ger-ose”

Dorm of perseverance and growth (emotionally, physically, and mentally. Literally in every possible aspect)

Basically the gym bros/fraternity of the school lmao, but don’t worry, they’re usually himbos. Just want what’s best for everyone and will help achieve that goal

All Ancient Greece influences, kind of a mix between Mount Olympus and Phil’s home/training area. Ethereal and godly vibes with white and earth tones. One of the more pristine dorms, especially with their mostly white uniforms

Name comes from: ‘Fulger’ which is the Latin root word for ‘lightning’, the suffix ‘-ysos’ from Dionysus who Satyrs would be associated with (along with Pan), and ‘-os’ from mythos

- Rosasci: Spirit of Harmony

Themed off of The Three Fairies (Flora, Fauna, and Merrywheather)

Pronounced as “Roh-zeh-see"

Spirit comes from the three fairies working together to raise Aurora despite how chaotic it was. They worked in harmony together and were able to make things work. So that same vibe of responsibility and harmony of oneself and community is prominent in this dorm.

All roses imagery with no thorns. Thorns are a big nono in this dorm

Was another difficult dorm to figure out, but then again this whole school can be viewed as pretentious, so why not add in that overly sweet ‘goody-two-shoes’ aspect lol

However, this dorm is so pretty and very Fairycore with flowy and whimsical uniforms and decorations

Best way to describe the dorm vibe is the Moors in the first and second Maleficent movie

Name came from: ‘Rosaceae’ which is the botanical family name for roses. It’s a simple but pretty name.

- Bonus HCs

Snow White’s Wishing Well is the magical object(?) that sorts students into their dorms

The way it works is that you have to sing a tune or something into the well, and the well sings back to you what dorm you are sorted into. Note that the voice singing back is a collection of voices that are in perfect harmony. It’s creepy if you think about it because do those voices belong to anyone??? Who knows.

Also, students arrive to RSA in a brilliant, blinding white, pumpkin carriage drawn by horses, pegasi, unicorns, even comically large seahorses/dolphins, you name it! It’s magic- anything is possible.

Honestly think of the flying carriages in Sophia the First, and bam it’s that, but a white pumpkin! 

Everyone is alert and awake during their journey to the school, with various magical accommodations to make the trip as pleasant as possible. Hungry or thirsty? No worries, a menu with simple summoning spells fixes that. Bored? Don’t sweat- free wifi in the carriage AND a hidden movie screen to watch the latest block buster starring Vil Schoenheit  and Neige LeBlanche. It’s basically a first class seat on a magical airplane. Straight up comfort.

However, once you do arrive to the school and land, your luggage disappears (of course there is a notice before you land). Once you get your dorm and room assigned, your luggage will already be there waiting for you

Students are dropped off towards the back of the castle where staff greets the new students on the outskirts of a whimsical tree line. Upon crossing into the forest, students are magically dressed in their ceremonial robes and matching makeup . They all flood into a large whimsical pavilion full of seats (think of the one from Barbie and the 12 Dancing Princesses) that surrounds a very well known wishing well

After the ceremony, the headmaster opens portals to the Heart of the Castle where the main portals are.

RSA has a similar portal system to NRC, but the room is full of really pretty ports that fit the decorum of each dorm/school location. It’s located in the heart of the castle, which is easy access for the students and staff

That is basically all of the headcanons I had, and I hope it helps in any creativity process, or was enjoyable! Let me know if you want any more HCs or have any comments, questions, or concerns! It was a blast making this!

Also! If you want to use any of this for OCs or fanfics, please go ahead!! Just please link this post and like/reblog 🖤 I appreciate those who want to use this! Thank you!

[solecist]

more 악어 day 3 vod thoughts!

춘식 continues to be the only saving grace of this house, so now we have windows!

while placing the windows, 악어, for the first time, realizes that the middle of this house, the original part, is not symmetrical

he fixes this? he does not fix this. he add an oak half-slab in the ceiling of baobab.

악어 keeps saying "we don't need to dump all of our time at home" "집에서 모든 시간을 쏟을 필요가 없어" is this. is this perhaps a result of you not spending time on the architecture of your home

"깨뜨려" (kkae-ttul-rwuh) does a lot of heavy lifting for game specific jargon - it literally means to break something (like a glass, think something that breaks sharply) but in qsmp you can read it as "fulfill" in a lot of cases - 악어 uses it to indicate finishing quests or completing a dungeon

"i feel like a horse would be significantly faster - 춘식 do you have a horse" 춘식 does not have a horse 춘식 only has ostrich

"ok i'm gonna kill some horses before we go" -> "i'm going to go get some gas" the translator actually saw the motorboat and was trying to help

"we can't go to hell" -> not the nether portal dumping them back at spawn

"개꿀" (geh-kkul) "꿀" is honey but it just means very good (in korean slang) -- 악어 used it quite a lot this stream so i thought i might mention

cookie economics

"when 중력 (jungryeok) comes in on friday, i'll slip in and give it to you then" more cookie economics

raiding a wheat farm for the seed quest (is the farm foolish's?) "no one will know"

ALL DONE 악어 said in the stream that he's pretty busy with games and such this (last?) week so i'm assuming that aside from him coming in for 중력 (jungryeok)'s introduction that he hasn't been on qsmp since!

[ihopesocomic]

As an older sister, I believe that we shouldn't reduce the relationship between siblings to certain patterns that we know from the media. We have to remember that it doesn't look like that in every family like in the movies, that the youngest sibling is mean, the oldest is know-it-all, the middle one is the glass child. Besides, I think it also comes from the fact that even though we have the same parents, we have different parents, y'know. Because our parents are better prepared for a second child than the first. That might play a role. But that's beside the point...

I prefer breaking patterns, that's why....

I love the fact that Adamant was such a typical bratty younger sister who always had something (rather mean) to throw in your face. But over time she has learned that sometimes such innocent banter is not nice at all for the other side. She became a really nice sister, she's improving fast but she still stays her old self, just more aware of others (idk if there's a good adjective for that, sorry).

I love the dynamic between The Light Siblings. They are completely different but you can see that they really care about each other. And here we have the younger sibling (Fade) reprimanding the older sister. Completely different! Plus he's the youngest and the only one to stand up to his father.

We will also have the opportunity to meet the kids from Red Stone pride. There we'll have more chances to see the dynamics between the siblings!

Yep, exactly! I feel different dynamics exist for different families. Sometimes, the youngest child is favoured and babied by the parents. Sometimes, the eldest child is the favourite. Sometimes, the eldest child is parentified and expected to run around after their siblings for no real reason other than being the oldest and therefore 'more mature'. The list goes on...

But yeah, this is what we tried to show with the differences between the sisters of the Grove (both sets) and the Light Siblings. We're also going to see it with Careful's cubs where the abusive situation has affected them in varying ways and they've had to work out a dynamic around that, especially in light of losing Clever. Also, yes, the Red Stone cubs and their whole dynamic is... a lot. Some cubs - such as Baobab and Daffodil - are certainly more well-adjusted than others, such as Rose. oof - RJ

[bits-and-babs]

🗝️ Some kind of a guide seems fitting for him and because it’s me, I always think he’s out guiding a team or just you and all hell breaks loose!

Trekking through the Sahara or the Amazon or the Himalayas. Summoning Everest or just going on a fun outing for a weekend camping. It all seems like such a good fit for a Mills AU because he’s so rugged! Anything you like would be amazing!

Thank you for sharing your talent! 💗

⋆𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐃 𝐒𝐈𝐃𝐄

pairing: TourGuide!Mills x f!Reader

word count: 2k

warnings: 18+ MDNI, references to slow-ish burn, yearning, 69ing, spanking, dirty talk (he talks you through it 😩)

summary: Heartbreak takes you on a tour of the Zambian safari plains, where you trip into a vacation romance- literally.

mills masterlist | main masterlist | follower celebration | taglist

Waxing and poetic reviews of the ‘life changing’ tour of Zambia’s safaris had led you to book a flight at four in the morning while three glasses of wine into your ridiculous display of moping heartbreak following another failed tinder romance. Yes, the giraffes interested you, but you’d be lying if the reviews detailing how sexy the tour guide was didn’t sway your decision.

When Mills introduced himself to the group, you swore your jaw nearly hit the grasslands in shock. He was gorgeous, the golden sunshine melting his gilded irises and warming his face. You had mentally scolded yourself on the first day, because you swore you spent more time ogling his, frankly ridiculous, body than observing the herds of zebras that plodded along the dusty tracks.

Delusions set in by day three. Eating the fruits that were provided at the safari lodge, you were convinced he would glance up at you from his cereal, his eyes flicking back down to the bowl that his hands engulfed. Talking yourself out of the absurd notion only got harder when you eventually did catch him looking at you, distracted and enamoured by the mother elephant pushing her calf along with her trunk. His eyes had been warm, honey pots dripping with amusement as he absorbed your excitement, appreciating your interest in the animals he had clearly grown to love.

Day five is when shit hit the fan. In your defence, the sun was in your eyes and you’d left your sunglasses on your pillow back at the lodge— there was absolutely no way you would have noticed the fallen branch from the Baobab tree, even if you had been watching where you were going rather than ogling Tour Guide Mills’ ass. You trip over it unceremoniously, hitting the sun-baked ground with a sickening thud.

Tears spring to your eyes almost immediately, pain shooting up your ankle and catching you entirely off guard. You’re unsure if it was the sound of the impact or the agonised gasp that grabs Mills’ attention, but he’s over by your side in an instant.

“Are you alright?” He asks you, his voice both music and ridicule to your ears. Of course you would make a tit of yourself in front of him, karma loved to keep you on your toes-

“I’m fine,” you wheeze, but you are not. The stabbing pain in your ankle indicates you are far from fine, but fuck, Mills is. When you look up at him it almost takes your breath away, his long black hair tied into a bun to keep the heat of the baking sun off his neck. Strands have come loose in the breeze, framing his face as he leans close to look you over.

“You’re hurt,” he speaks plainly, and you wish a leopard would just launch itself from the bushes and carry your pathetic carcass up a tree rather than face the mortification of being the reason he had to stop the tour.

“It’s just my ankle, I’ll be oka-“

“Phiri,” Mills calls to his fellow tour guide, catching his attention with a wave of his gigantic palm, “Can you continue on your own?”

Phiri must nod, because Mills is scooping you up bridal style before you even have the chance to insist upon struggling through the rest of the tour. Your arms dart out quickly at the height he stands at when he rises effortlessly to his feet, a totally subconscious action that causes heat to swirl in your cheeks as he begins the journey back to the lodge.

It must only be fifteen minutes at the very most, but it feels like hours. Mills smells mind-numbingly delicious, a mixture of the perspiration drawn out by the sunshine and something earthy, woodsy. Soon, despite the fact you were doing nothing other than tremble in his arms, you’re sweating more than Mills is.

You can’t bear to look at him, but you can feel his eyes on you. There’s a rumble in his chest, one that sounds vaguely like a chuckle. Perhaps for the sake of not shrivelling up and dying while the vultures pick at your poor, humiliated bones, you elect to ignore the sound of amusement from him.

Hauling you into the doctor's office, Mills is a silent, hulking presence in the doorway as the doctor checks you over. The professional indicates it is most likely that you have mildly sprained your ankle, informing you that you should be back to normal within a couple of days. He concludes with a devastating blow: ‘You need to rest, though. Don’t walk on it.’

This piece of advice leads to Mills insisting upon carrying you to your lodge. This time, you find yourself leaning into the broad expanse of his shoulder, grasping the cotton of his khaki t-shirt and taking in the oaky scent that you swore if you breathed in any deeper you’d inhale the whole man.

“Here we are,” he says, the man of little words, as he moves to slowly sit you down on your mattress. You clocked the stupid fucking sunglasses on your pillow, just where you remember leaving them.

Mills, as much as he is absolutely not being paid for this, takes his time ensuring your comfort. He props up pillows for your back, your shades placed neatly on the bedside table. When you’re all settled, however, he doesn’t rush to pull away.

His eyes are dancing over the frame of your lips, flicking up to your eyes when he realises how long he has stayed in your personal space. You don’t complain.

“… How can I thank you?” You whisper. It comes out breathier than you plan, a lilt to your tone that makes it sound far closer to a moan than a steady question.

“Don’t mention it at al-“

It’s not him. It’s not you, either. You both crash into each other with insistence, moans of relief bleeding into each others mouths as you finally embrace after days of craving each other. It’s an oasis, whetting the insatiable lust that had clouded your concentration and judgement. There were only so many times you could pretend your fingers were Mills, and you had far surpassed that total only two nights into your trip.

“Hah-“ you gasp softly into the kiss as Mills’ hands wander over the tops of your thighs, squeezing at your hips and tugging your body slightly closer to him. He seems equally as needy, chasing your lips when they part from his for breath.

“Come here,” he orders softly, though it sounds more like a plea. You can’t deny him, delivering kiss after hungry kiss to his open mouth as your fingers fiddle with the hem of his cotton T-shirt.

It all happens so fast, without contemplation. He’s stripping you out of your clothes delicately, making sure to avoid your tender ankle as he carefully pulls the leg of your trousers over it. The groan of delight that rumbles in his chest when he sees your lacy white set beneath your safari garb makes your heart stop.

“Pretty Thing,” he murmurs, tracing your nipple through the lace of your bralette. It’s Mills, and the touch causes a shuddering exhale to creep from your lungs. “Here.”

That order again. It flips your stomach over, and soon Mills is moving you like a ragdoll, with such ease that it’s almost dizzying. Mills spins your body, facing you away from him before grasping your hips and pulling you back towards him.

When his mouth meets the soaked crotch of your panties, you’re arching back into his face without thinking, a loud sigh of bliss escaping you. At first he sucks at your clit through the fabric, but he loses patience and pushes the panties aside, delving into you and enjoying your taste as he laps at you with his tongue. Meanwhile, his hands explore the plains of your body, hands squeezing at the flesh of your ass and thighs. Without looking at them, they feel gigantic against your body, covering an expanse of your skin that puts the distance of the Sahara in the north to shame.

You don’t need prompting. Your hands are pushing the elastic waistband of his boxers down, his cock resting against his stomach as you push them over his thighs. Greedily, you take him into your mouth without even bothering to take in the view, desperate to taste him. The salt of his precum coats your tongue, and you both moan in unison.

“Fuck,” Mills breathes, his palm cracking against the curve of your ass. It’s not too hard, but the spank sends your heart wild, swallowing down his length and whimpering at how he stretches your throat and fills your mouth.

The veins on the underside of his cock pulse against the roof of your mouth, his hips jolting slightly as your tongue traces his frenulum. You’re so needy, letting him fuck your face despite the threat of a gag pulling at the back of your throat. It’s messy, the wet, sopping sounds obscene to your own ears.

Mills’ hands travel all over your body, up your waist, reaching forward and under to squeeze your tits. You’d wanted to make this some form of an appreciation for him carrying you across the safari-lands, but he’s insistent upon making you feel good too.

“Oh, shit-“ he gasps when you take him particularly deep into your throat, gagging around him. Mills’ head falls back onto the pillows, rocking his hips up involuntarily until your nose is pressing into his pubic bone. He’s rambling a sorry, the apology slurred and almost indiscernible over the sloppy sounds of you sucking his dick.

“That’s it,” he whispers, his hand moving between your legs to rub rapidly over your clit. You’re caving inwards at the sensation, hands grasping at the tops of his thighs as he talks you towards your orgasm. “You’re so fucking good. So hot—wanted to drag you into my room the minute you walked in here, giving me those ‘fuck me eyes’ all the time. Can you feel it coming? Huh? Your thighs are trembling. There it is- there it is.”

You cum with a whimper around his dick, mouth stuffed full of him and unable to make much of a sound— but fuck, it utterly obliterates you. Rocking back onto his fingers, onto his face, you sob as he juts his hips up once, twice. He cums down your through with a haggard groan, sinking his teeth into the flesh of your ass in an attempt to muffle the sound he makes.

It becomes a frequent pastime. A long safari ending with a quick, desperate fuck. You discuss what will happen when you return home, the two of you skirting around the fact this has become far more than a vacation hook up. He gives you his number, of course it’s a shitty Nokia phone, but it makes so much sense.

“One of the vervet monkeys took my iPhone,” he grumbles when you arch a brow at his brick phone.

For now, without the stress of leaving, Mills holds you in his arms, your hips slotted between his thighs and head resting on his chest. You’re exhausted, still recovering from your injury while enjoying as many safaris as you can— and fucking Mills every waking minute.

You feel Mills gently touch your shoulder, rousing you from the blissful sleep that almost had you. A whine creeps past your lips, eyelids heavy.

“What?” You mumble, pausing when you see Mills press a finger to his lips and point to the sliding glass doors that he had left open.

A baby giraffe, a few months old, peeks its head into your cabin. Its eyelashes flutter as it looks over the box room, blinking slowly. You can’t help but wake, a grin pulling at your lips as it slowly backs away, unamused by the lack of edible greenery.

“Wow,” you whisper, watching it begin its slow journey back to the herd, tail swishing behind it.

“Worth it?” Mills murmurs, brushing his fingers up your spine softly.

“Worth every single penny.”

END

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