#but depending on the plant care could be really simple (like watering it daily)

[iris-drawing-stuff]

I just noticed this and I need to know

[thesimplyluxuriouslife]

How to Find Love: Be Love Instead of Look for Love, as taught by Jay Shetty

"We think love has to be obtained, earned, achieved, and received. We look for it in the form of attention and compliments, and people acknowledging us. But actually the greatest way to experience love is to give it." —Jay Shetty, author of 8 Rules of Love: How to Find it, Keep it, and Let it Go

A simple formula to love is to be it and it appears. However, this seems either too simple for some of us or to not produce the 'type of love' we had in mind. Such thinking, to have a narrow definition of what love has to be in our lives to be fulfilled, or to refuse to let go and just be instead of chasing, demanding, swiping or requiring, is to get in our own way when it comes to living a life, every single day, full of love.

Because guess what? Such a life is possible, and it is part of what living simply luxuriously is all about. In fact, it is at the core, because as I will share today, it all comes down to finding peace with ourselves, embracing our true selves and engaging fully with the world without expectation. But again, we are being asked to do less, not more, to look inward so that we can engage lovingly outward as well as lovingly toward ourselves. We are being asked to be honest about what makes us feel loved and stop engaging in practices that result in anything but.

With all of that said, it was with great appreciation that I picked up Jay Shetty's second book that was released in January of this year, 8 Rules of Love: How to Find it, Keep it and Let it Go. However, as I often let my mood or energy determine what I am ready to explore between book covers, I didn't begin reading the book until earlier this June, and as soon as I did, beginning with the very first page, I didn't put it down for one day until I had read it entirely.

The first page of the Introduction prepares you for what Shetty is trying to prepare the reader for when you finally reach the last couple of chapters, revealing what living a loving life, being love, is really all about. Shetty begins with an anecdote of a student asking what the difference between like and love is, and the teacher responds by sharing, "When you like a flower, you pluck it. When you love a flower, you water it daily."

Of course as someone who loves gardening and delights in all that gardening can and does teach us about life if only we choose to be her student, this analogy held fast my attention and gained agreement. Shetty goes on to explain how cutting a flower is equivalent to attraction, something that we covet, but quite quickly lose interest in symbolized by the wilting of the flower after it can no longer be sustained in the vase. But love is when we choose to keep the flower alive and give it what the flower needs - the proper sunlight, soil and water. And as every gardener knows, every plant has different needs when it comes to these three fundamentals. As well, a flower doesn't share its full awesomeness the first year, not even the first, second or third year, and the years could go on, again depending upon the flower, which is why care, over time, "doing our best over time" is when we "fully experience [the flower's] beauty—the freshness, the color, the scent, the bloom. You notice the delicate detail on each petal. You watch it respond to the seasons. You find joy and satisfaction when a new bud appears and feel a thrill when it blossoms." There are many different types of relationships that involve love that parallel with this analogy of caring properly and lovingly for a flower, and at the core of all of them is choosing to give daily effort, and giving what the loved one needs as you get to know them over time. But just as this is being given, in a loving relationship, this is being received so that you too can flourish and bloom into your fullest and most true self and potential. It's a two-way street and so it takes awareness to make sure we bring knowledge about ourselves to every relationship.

Before I get ahead of myself, in today's post, I am drawing on the knowledge of Jay Shetty as shared in his book, 8 Rules of Love, and sharing the key components about the four ashrams of love which when we consciously engage in each, teach us how to be love at the deepest level and thereby elevate the quality of every single day of our life. I highly recommend picking up his book if anything today speaks to you. It is a wonderful resource full of specific examples, tools and practices paired with his experience and guidance.

Let's get started.

How to Be Love:

The first ashram of love is about preparing for love by learning to be alone and learning from past relationships so to improve our next one.

1.Unlearn what we thought love meant

Conditioning begins early and is relentless. If we don't bring critical thinking about what love really is, we begin making decisions - small and significant - that prevent the real love that will deepen the quality of our life to occur, be experienced and shared.

2. Savor the gifts of solitude as an act of self-love whether in a relationship or on your own

"Solitude is the antidote to loneliness . . . The difference between loneliness and solitude is the lens through which we see our time alone, and how we use that time. The lens of loneliness makes us insecure and prone to bad decisions. The lens of solitude makes us open and curious. As such, solitude is the foundation on which we build our love."

When we discover the importance of solitude, we learn who we are, and in truly understanding ourselves, we become more clear about where to explore to find our purpose. And when we find our purpose, we become more secure within ourselves because we "learn how to display our values, not how to advertise ourselves". We begin to "let go of any anger, greed, ego, self-doubt, and confusion that clouds our heart and interferes with our ability to love".

By letting ourselves be alone, we begin, if we allow ourself to be honest, to be honest about what has made us insecure. Is it the fear of feeling loneliness? Or have we made an assumption based on what we've been told about when and how loneliness is felt? So long as we have feelings of insecurity, fear and "anxiety around loneliness . . . these very feelings prevent us from finding love".

"Solitude is not a failure to love. It is the beginning of love."

Study after study has demonstrated that we often become more in tune and aware as students of life. We can hear ourselves, observe what grabs our attention, learn new skills more completely and swiftly, and so whether we are in a relationship or not, regularly giving ourselves time alone is healthy and powerfully nourishing for a better relationship with ourselves and those we love.

When we learn how to love ourselves through embracing solitude, we also learn how to love others. Not just a romantic partner, but all other people. When we learn how to be less critical with ourselves, we discover how that nourishes rather than belittles and thus builds trust. When we are honest with ourselves, we learn how to honest with others when it may be difficult to do so, and to do so in a loving way. When we learn patience, compassion and empathy, "we can use [these] qualities to love someone else. In this way, being alone—not lonely, but comfortable and confident in situations where we make our own choices, follow our own lead, and reflect on our own experience—is the first step in preparing ourselves to love others."

However, we must be careful to not stop giving ourselves love even if we should choose to step into a relationship. Which leads to another way to be love that we will talk about down the list.

3. The Power of Presence

A fundamental skill of mindfulness, something talked about in episode #350, is being present. And simply because we are in our own company doesn't mean we are practicing presence. As Shetty points out, to distance ourselves from what we discover when we are fully present we may distract ourselves, always keep ourselves busy. The reasons for doing this will only be known to each of us, so it is in being present that we can be honest with why we are fearful of being present, and with time, we begin to discover the gifts, the many gifts of being present — discovering what we value, discovering if we are being who we truly are or have put up walls or facades and in time (and with help if we choose to seek out a therapist), we discover why we did this and how to shed these 'selves' that are not us and begin to embrace what we love, embrace and explore our curiosities and find a voice and/or a direction that fuels us.

It is this self-knowledge that we begin to gain self-awareness and we can acknowledge that yes there are weaknesses and if said weaknesses are something we want to improve, we can choose to do so, but just as powerful is knowing our strengths and beginning to play to those and not diminish ourselves, shrink or accept limitations that may have been conditioned and thus believed by either certain people, institutions or whatever environment is fine with us being less of ourselves. And then we begin to make choices that serve us better.

The Skill of Presence and Why It is At The Core of True Contentment, episode #350

The foundational gift of solitude is discovering ourselves, and when we know ourselves, "we'll be more willing to spend time pursuing our interests without needing the safety net of a companion. The activities you choose and what you learn about yourself from those activities will expand your self-awareness" and deepen your self-confidence.

4. Understand the Law of Karma

"Karma is the law of cause and effect. Every action produces a reaction. In other words, your current decisions, good and bad, determine your future experience. People think karma means that if you do something bad, bad things will happen to you . . . but that's not how it works. Karma is more about the mindset in which we make a decision. If we make a choice or take action with or without proper understanding, we receive a reaction based on that choice . . . You made a choice and you have to live with the consequences/outcomes of that choice. Punishment and reward are not karma's purpose. Rather, karma is trying to teach you."

Each choice we make prompts an outcome or an effect. And during our time of solitude is the time to be honest about ourselves and learn from past relationships. Not to analyze the other person, but our choices that lead to what worked, what did not. In other words, to examine as objectively as possible how we contributed to the events of the journey of each relationship. What can we learn? What do we need to learn? What decisions need to be approached differently? This is where we choose to be the student and live consciously, not by habit.

Shetty points out that when we are young, we are shaped and influenced by choices of others that we don't necessarily, or at all, have control over - our parents, environment, schooling, religious instruction, etc. . But as we step into adulthood and have the agency to make our own choices, we can, and it would be wise to do so, evaluate the impression of these influences that have shaped our thinking, behaviors and responses. If we don't like the impressions, we have the ability to "gain the intelligence to curate our impressions by choosing what we watch and who we listen to. We also have the opportunity to revisit, edit and unlearn past impressions." In other words, if we don't like the outcome of certain choices, we simply need to make different choices and those choices can do with anything and everything in your life, which of course includes not only the people you choose to date or potentially partner with, but also whether or not you choose to grow and step into your fullest potential, finding your purpose and thus finding and experiencing contentment.

Shetty goes on to conclude that "karma is a mirror, showing us where our choices have led us . . . First, when we learn from the past, we heal it. And second, this process helps us to stop making the same mistakes."

One last thought on karma, and this can be applicable to anything in our lives and how we choose to live, "If you put something into the world, you get it back." This can be looked at for positive and negative outcomes as we discussed above, but let's start with the approach of trying to find love. What are you putting out in the world? If you are depending upon your looks, your clothes, anything on the exterior to be the determining factor in attracting 'love', you will attract someone who values what you have presented. Conversely, if you choose to simply be love, and practice all that is shared in today's post/episode, step back from expectation and simply live your life, live your purpose, that is also who and what you will attract - other people - some potentially a partner, most people simply platonic - who value sincerity, who value similar passions and the ethos you bring to your daily life.

"The promise of a happily ever after turns out to be an obstacle to happily ever after."

5. Fill Your Own Gaps

"What you want from someone else, first give to yourself."

When we wait and look outward for someone else to bring into our lives what we feel we are lacking, we are beginning from a place of insecurity and dependency and that, in the long-run doesn't contribute to a healthy relationship. We all likely need to heal something in ourselves, but that is not the responsibility of someone else. As I will talk about below, our partner can and should be our guru (hang on to discover what exactly this means) and we should be theirs, but we have to know how to heal ourselves in order to receive the support. They cannot do the homework for us - that is what gradually weighs down a relationship unhealthily. Shetty shares, "Once we fulfill our own needs, we're in a better place to see what a relationship can give us."

Once you have done your homework of embracing solitude and self-examining your past choices, i.e. the karma you created and how it served you, acknowledging what choices need to be made differently in order to create different outcomes, then we can bring with us valuable knowledge that will help us be love more truly, stepping ever closer to experiencing what love really is. This is not to say you stop spending time in solitude or stop self-examining. No, no, no, no, no. You now have the skills of each and to be effective must be practiced regularly as life's journey unfolds.

The second of four ashram's of love is "the stage of life when we extend our love to others while still loving ourselves".

6. Understand the four stages of love

Repeatedly, it is shared in this chapter that to know if we love someone takes time. Plain and simple. Time with each other, again and again. Choosing to share time and withholding expectations and a rigid timeline. After all, if we enter with these two as guidelines, then it isn't love we are looking for and we are not 'being love'.

The four stages do not necessarily need to be experienced in order, but they all need to be experienced with our partner in order to know love is being practiced - given and received.

Attraction

Dreams

Struggle and Growth

Trust

Each of these stages takes time, some time events will be unwanted but will play a hand in helping us experience a particular stage, but Shetty assures, "If we gradually unveil our personalities, values and goals, we start to see if there is a connection." And the key is that this gradual unveiling be reciprocal.

What is important to keep in mind is that even if a relationship doesn't meet all four stages, for example, when you hit stage #3 and struggle occurs and boundaries are made clear, if one person doesn't respect the boundaries even after there is clarity about what the other needs, it doesn't mean it's a failure' in fact, it is a very good thing because you have learned that you are not a good fit to live a fulfilling life that will make you both happy, and that is wisdom that benefited you both. However, if after reaching stage #3, communication is exchanged, knowledge is learned you and both engage in a manner that aligns with each other, now with a better understanding of one another, then more clarity has been gained and the relationship is deepened.

7. Be trustworthy

To talk a bit more about the fourth stage mentioned previously, in order to find someone we can trust, we must be someone who is trustworthy. Again, we cannot control another's choices, only ours, and we attract what we put out into the world. Remember, karma is a mirror, so if we are untrustworthy, we actually attract untrustworthy behavior to us because we think others are untrustworthy because we are! See how we create what we say we don't want by simply being that! So simple, so powerful, and the change is quite simple. All of this ability to find people to trust begins in the first ashram - becoming comfortable with solitude and becoming knowledgeable of ourselves and changing what we know is not constructive. This builds the trust in ourselves that we will then connect with others.

And again, it is important to remember, that trust takes time to build, and is revealed through the stages above, especially during the third stage of love. Shetty shares there are three types of trust - physical (feeling safe in their presence and you feel good being around them, seen, etc.), mental (trusting their mind, ideas, and thoughtfulness. Not necessarily an across the board consensus on all topics is their agreement, but you trust how they make decisions), and emotional (their values and who they are as a human). So again, you cannot observe or experience all of these in a short period of time, so take time to observe but also to be yourself and be truly seen by the person you are getting to know.

8. Put your purpose before your partner's

"You want to go on a journey with someone, not to make them your journey."

In a post I wrote a couple of years ago, inspired by Jay Shetty's book Think Like A Monk, the concept of dharma is shared: Passion + Expertise + Usefulness = Dharma. Shetty doubles down on this truth that will lead each of us to contentment when he talks about the necessity for both individuals in a partnership to put their purpose first for themselves, followed by the relationship and any other values that they may have. Why is honoring your dharma (your purpose) vital to do in a relationship just as much as it is if we are not in a relationship? "Dharma clarifies your values and priorities to yourself and your partner." Shetty goes on to explain the other three fundamental pursuits that drive us forward in life, thus shaping our choices and actions (dharma being one of the four). When you have found your dharma, you "spend money with a clearer sense of how it should be spent, and you pursue love with a desire to create a meaningful life with your partner. Eventually these three pursuits lead to the fourth - moksha, where all we do is devoted to a spiritual journey."

"Your purpose has to come first for you, and your partner's purpose has to come first for them. Then you come together with the positive energy and stability that come from pursuing your purposes."

Finding and continuing to pursue your dharma "insulates and protects our self-esteem" and it is because we continually value and prioritize our dharma that we can remain more stable during the ups and downs of life which benefits our relationship.

By maintaining your identity outside of the relationship, you are not in danger of letting the relationship define you. You bring your full self and love of life to the relationship, choosing (not needing) to be with this other person. "Dharma helps you live a passionate, inspired, motivated life, a life you want to share with someone. You also have the pleasure of living alongside someone who is fulfilled. There is great joy in seeing the person you love doing what they love."And the gift of knowing what it feels like to pursue your own dharma gives you insight into the struggles and elevating highs that come with the choice to do so enabling you to be a truly supportive partner.

But before we move ahead too quickly. What happens if I am not pursuing my dharma? Or my partner isn't pursuing theirs? Simple answer: "When we aren't pursuing our purposes, troubles arise."

Shetty explains that often when we may think the relationship has a problem, it is actually a result of one or both of the partners not following their purpose. Simple and true.

So just to remind, to take us back to the first ashram discussed above, finding your purpose, preparing for love, is often the hardest part of knowing how to be love, but is, he underscores, the most important. Why? "If we don't learn the lessons of the first ashram of love, then we won't know how lovable [we] are and what [we] have to offer."

This works both ways, as each partner does this for themselves.

9. Be each others' guru

First, what is a guru? Shetty explains that we must think of it as how our actions impact our partner. A guru offers "guidance without judgment, wisdom without ego, love without expectations." And this is vitally important to understand lest it be misinterpreted: "Being a guru for your partner doesn't mean imparting wisdom to them, but it does require patience, understanding, curiosity, creativity and self-control."

This is an approach I think is often misunderstood, and can be easily misapplied if we don't come into the relationship knowing what our purpose is and valuing it, having a clear separation of who we are apart from our partner. Which is why we must know ourselves well, continue to give ourselves self-love and honor our purpose whether we are in a relationship or not. Just as our partner should do for themselves. For example, if we want our partner to change in any way, that is not being love. Shetty reminds, "That is ownership. Ownership is born out of control." We are not in a relationship to control the other, nor do we want to be controlled.

As a guru, you give because you love the person. What you give is being love in your actions, words, thoughtfulness and considerations and not seeking a particular 'reward'. Much like most investments worth their substantial value, they take time to show the results we might hope will occur, but we don't give to get. We give to be love to our partner. Letting your partner pursue their purpose and lovingly supporting as they need and you can provide builds trust and bolsters confidence not only in your partner toward their purpose but in the bond you are building with each other.

Another example is to lead by example, not to dictate. In other words, don't preach. Instead just practice what uplifts your life without the expectations that your partner do the same. Again, these are actions that are part of the stages of love that will help you learn if you are compatible. Even if you are not, it doesn't mean they are a bad person or you are a bad person. You are merely avoiding unnecessary incompatibility down the road that would lead to a fissure later.

Lastly, a guru, being a guru, is not about helping our partner become the best we think they can be, but the best version of themselves they want to be. What we must know inside ourselves is if we want to support this person as they grow, whatever that growth may be, because if we focus on what we want, we begin to deteriorate any trust that has already been built. "Your partner is your guru, not your god. They help you become better, but they aren't better than you." Which is to say, your story can only be written by you and you must not lose your identity even as you change and grow together. "Remember your own personality, values and goals. Don't lose the thread of your own story."

All that has been shared above needs to be experienced in reverse as well. Do you feel support without expectation or judgment or ego from your partner? This is a two-way street of engagement which again is why it takes time to know if this person is a good fit for you both. To both reside in a growth mindset is crucial, and that is nurtured by being curious about what they are passionate about, helping how you can, being open-minded as well as humble (setting the ego aside). An important finding to keep in mind when we consider offering criticism is that "critical feedback has been identified as one of the most common triggers that send us into a fixed mindset". To further this point of choosing to let go of criticism and using fear as a motivator, Shetty writes, "Criticism is lazy communication. It's not constructive, compassionate or collaborative. Look for ways to communicate so that the other person can consume, digest and apply your input effectively . . . give suggestions instead of criticism."

The gift of being each others' guru while coming with some "discomfort of change is offset by the delight of shared understanding. The growth that a guru and student cultivate keeps a relationship exciting and new even as it matures and you grow more familiar with each other."

~The third ashram of love is knowing how to lovingly protect love while going through struggles.

Simply because we are in the third stage doesn't mean we forget the previous two. In fact, we continue to bring those skills with us because it is during struggling times, that we must know how to self-reflect and self-examine to understand what is blocking our ability to be loving as our relationship grows and evolves. We must also know how to give ourselves self-love and not neglect what we need. In either the instance of navigating lovingly forward with our partner or realizing the partnership will come to an end, we deepen love regardless. Why? Because we have practiced lovingly how to navigate struggle without losing ourselves but also trying to understand and love our partner as we travel forward.

I could detail this Part three of the book, but I think it would be most helpful to read it on your own as it will be very specific to each of our journeys and where we find ourselves. For example, you may currently be in a relationship and are seeking skills and tools on how to fight well - because this is a necessity - and there is a loving way to do it. Or you may be in need of ending a relationship, but are scared to do so. Or maybe you are trying to give yourself permission to speak up, but in a loving, yet clear way that honors you, this chapter is a wonderful resource for all and more ways to protect both the love of a loving relationship and the self-love that should always travel with you through relationships and in between relationships and after relationships.

~The fourth and final ashram of love is connection by extending our love to each and every person and area of our life, having compassion for all living entities. This is the highest expression of love, and all previous stages are preparing you to be able to live in this stage.

One of the aspects and in fact, fundamental points of Jay Shetty's book is one I found to be deeply enlightening and a breath of fresh air. This book, 8 Rules of Love, is actually not about learning how to find your 'love match'. Nope. In fact, it is about realizing that each and every relationship we choose to be in or have been in is actualality providing us an opportunity to learn how to be love in every single moment and day of our life during our one and only life on this planet. Which is to say, "The way you perfect love is not by waiting to find it or have it, but by creating it with everyone, all the time . . . it's the great gift that love has to offer." Shetty goes on to say,

"We want love in our lives, and we naturally assume it should take the form of romantic love. But it's a misconception that the only love in your life is between you and your partner, your family and your friends. It's a misconception that life is meant to be a love story between you and one other person. That love is just a stepping-stone. Having a partner isn't the end goal. It's practice for something bigger and life changing, a form of love that is even more expansive and rewarding than love."

If we are in a romantic relationship, our partners give us a change to practice being love, but "we don't have to fulfill our romantic desires to get there. It is available to all of use e very day, and it is infinite." And that is just the point, being involved romantically is a desire, but it is not something that is required to live a fulfilling life. A life of love is a core component of a fulfilling life, but "love means noticing that everyone is worthy of love and treating them with the respect and dignity their humanity automatically makes them deserve."

10. Understand the skill of a Radius of Respect

"When someone is toxic, we can love them from a radius of respect."

But wait, you might be saying, I am not into this idea of Radical Acceptance. I am not going to subject myself to destructive relationships whether that be caused around family or friends, etc. And you are certainly correct, you should never do so. In fact, it would not be loving toward yourself to put yourself in situations that are harmful, emotionally or physically.

If the person who we acknowledge is toxic, is also someone we don't want to entirely eradicate from our lives, this is where all of our skills of how to be love both to ourselves and them are put into practice. Shetty teaches that when we encounter someone who is hard to be around - known or unknown to us - "the first step toward loving them is to understand what, if anything, our reaction to them reveals about ourselves". He goes on to share examples, but our lives are a constant mirror of what we have put out into the world, and our life journey is full of lessons that if we choose to see them as lessons can improve the quality of our daily experience. In such instances, you may not ever come into contact with the person who raised your hackles, but there is a lesson to be learned about yourself regarding why your hackles went up if you choose to see it.

When it does come to someone who, say a family member, or an ex-partner who you are co-parenting with, etc., the radius of respect entails "standing at the distance where we can still respect and support them, than to be too close and have our resentment grow." Only you will know this distance. Honor what you need. It may change with time - more is needed, less is needed - but when you create a loving environment for yourself in your daily life, you will know what the right distance is each day.

By putting into place the radius of respect, you can continue to be loving because you are "protected from feeling used and you are allowed to wish them well from afar until you are ready to love them up close."

11. Experience love in its different forms

"When we expand our radius of love, we have the opportunity to experience love every day, at every moment."

It is when we broaden our definition of love, and step away from the narrow ideals that have been placed into our minds unconsciously and we accept, that we, through our actions of being love, begin to experience feeling the love we at first were searching for. "Love is available whenever you want to feel it by giving it to others."

12. Give love

"Giving love solves the human need that is even greater than romantic love. I need to be of service. There is no greater ecstasy than that."

And this is why holding your purpose, your dharma, first, finding your dharma, needs to be the leading priority in your life. It is crucial to continue to give yourself self-love throughout your life journey, and to be of service does not me you ignore your needs or your boundaries because when you are unable to give what you can uniquely give because you haven't nourished yourself regularly with what fuels you, protects you, supports you, the world is missing out.

"You can seek love your whole life and never find it, or you can give love your whole life and experience joy."

13. Be love

"We impact one another in all we do."

Through small actions and thoughts that involve practicing understanding, support and belief in what those around us are doing, accepting, and extending appreciation, we are being love in our everyday lives. They need not be grand or big or even cost-expenditure gestures; they just need to be sincere and with the recipient, not the giver, in mind.

"Instead of expecting love, we have to find ways of expressing love . . . We've been taught to believe that the only way [we] can experience love is when [we]receive it, but you can feel love anytime you want to simply by connecting with the love that is always within you."

Shetty breaks down the various zones of love we have in our lives: family and partner, friends, colleagues, community, strangers, organizations, the Earth. we can be love in each one of these situations according to their needs and our relationship with each one through something as simple as a smile, by being respectful, following through on promises, connecting in a way that shows we were listening or see them as an individual if it is for example, a colleague at work, caring for our Mother Earth with thoughtful choices as to how we go through our days and appreciating the gifts she gives us all.

"The greatest way to experience love, is to give it."

We've talked about it before here on the podcast/blog in episode #287 - 5 Things to Do to Build Healthy Relationships, we all innately seek the five A's - appreciation, affection, attention, allowing, acceptance, and here is the key to finding each one: be them. Be appreciative, be affectionate, give your full attention, allow others to be themselves, accept others for being who they are. You may not want to strike up an intimate romantic partnership with everyone, but in choosing this action every time with every person you come across, you are being love.

14. Embrace the paradox of Love

"Experience [love], practice it, and create it instead of waiting for it to find you. The more you do this, the more you will experience the depths of love from different people through every single day for the rest of your life."

For too long in my own life, I sought love. I made mistakes up and down this list of teachings Shetty provides because I didn't know what love really was. So many influences had made an impression on me that it wasn't until I started to acknowledge that what was purported to be love didn't feel loving and so I began began to be a student first of myself, and then of putting into practice what I have learned from those far wiser than I on this topic - Jay Shetty being one such person. To experience love, real love, is to be it in our everyday no matter our relationship 'status'. If we are in a romantic relationship, we can continually be a student and be practicing being love. If we are not in a romantic relationship, we are still in many other relationships, and love can be expressed and exchanged there as well. Our life, today, has the potential to have as much or as little love as we wish to bring to the world, and it is far easier to love when we put the expectations of needing to find it first aside.

In my morning meditation, I close each session with the following intention expressed audibly: May you be content, may you be safe, may you be healthy, may you be kind, may you be love, may your life be filled with peace. I have included inspiration for this phrasing of choice from mindfulness teachers and then included my own regarding what I need to remember to practice in my daily life, so it was important for me to remind myself each day to "be love". Be what I want to experience. Give without the expectation of receiving.

I hope today's episode/post offered insight and inspiration into how to cultivate a deeply fulfilling life full and grounded in real love. Be sure to explore Jay Shetty's latest book The 8 Rules of Love: How to Find it, Keep it, and Let it Go.

8 Rules of Love

Copyright January 2023

Petit Plaisir

~Sautéed chopped chives for finishing a French Omelette, sunny side up egg or anything that pairs well with chives.

Watch the full episode from Season 1 of The Simply Luxurious Kitchen cooking show, episode #5 to learn how to make your very own French Omelette, and be sure to listen to this podcast episode (#360) as we step into my kitchen and listeners can listen as I show the steps for sautéing chives. In fewer than 30 seconds add a punch a flavor that amplifies the yum of an everyday dish.

Watch me cook a French Omelette paired with a green salad live on Afternoon Live, KATU-ABC.

~Explore more Petit Plaisirs here in TSLL's Archives.

Tune in to the latest episode of The Simple Sophisticate podcast

[the-evergreen-life]

Creative Hobbies And Activities For Aged Care Residents To Enjoy

There is a sense in which mental and physical activity can greatly support well-being during old age. For aged care residents who are handicapped due to mobility or cognitive problems, there is no need to experience a life lacking in meaningfulness and purpose with the aid of the correct hobbies and activities. For residents in senior housing assisted living Fresno communities, there are many fun, creative activities here that promote socialization, stimulate one's mind, and advance physical health. Read on for some excellent ideas for activities for assisted living in Fresno.

1. Arts and Crafts

Arts activities provide a wonderful method to involve the residents creatively as well as enhance their fine motor skills. The interested senior citizen may paint and draw or knit, crochet, or make jewelry. Crafting will give time for the elderly to express themselves better, and the creative process, in fact, calms and heals. Many assisted living Fresno communities offer classes in craft form where a holiday decoration, a personalized card, or a simple piece of art could be created. Such activities are not just fun but also call out a sense of accomplishment and pride.

2. Music and Movement

Music has long been a well-known positive motivator for the mind, body, and spirit. Many supported living Fresno centers integrate music to liven up the mood, get participants started, and include sing-alongs or playing instruments in those activities. You might even have music therapy sessions to help their spirits rise. If mobility is okay with your assisted living residents, some great ways to get some exercise are gentle dancing or movement to the sounds of music. Alzheimer's and dementia patients can immensely be helped with songs or music from their early life while trying to remember and emotionally recall.

3. Gardening and Outdoor Activities

If the senior housing assisted living in Fresno community has outdoor spaces available, an excellent activity to be incorporated into the daily routine is gardening. From a flower bed to herbs or vegetables, there is much to be gained in terms of benefits from the activity. It gets the residents outside, connects them with nature, and provides a sense of purpose. Even when a resident is severely debilitated, planting in containers or helping with watering can be done. Another reason for going outside is that there are benefits to both physical and mental health from spending time outside, lifting mood, and lessening stress.

4. Games and Puzzles

Games or puzzles are a fun way of maintaining the juices flowing in the brain when having fun. Simple board games, card games, or even interactive trivia sessions can amuse and challenge aged care residents mentally. Puzzle games like jigsaw puzzles or word puzzles enhance concentration and problem-solving skills by exercising cognitive activity. Most of these activities foster social interaction and can be easily adjusted to suit all degrees of ability.

5. Cooking and Baking

Cooking and baking, in particular, are helpful pastimes for the residents of Fresno Assisted Senior Housing. Preparing simple recipes or decorations of baked goods can really engage the senses and initiate fond memories. Moreover, the preparation of any culinary dish may foster a sense of community and teamwork. Depending on mobility, they can assist with mixing, chopping, or arrangement of ingredients. The bonus is that the fruits of their labor are enjoyed!

Conclusion

Enhancing the daily life of aged care residents with creative pastimes and activities for aged care residents proves to be a very effective way of improving the quality of life for such residents. Arts and crafts, music, gardening, and games are among the most popular activities that provide intellectual activity combined with physical activity and maintain them socially. Evergreen Life Care Homes promotes vibrant, fulfilling places for seniors to continue growing, creating, and thriving.

[samwisethewitch]

Creating Sacred Space

Very few pagans have access to temples or holy sites. If you’re lucky enough to live in the country where your gods were originally worshiped, you may be able to visit ancient temples or sacred sites, but most of us do not have this opportunity. For most pagans, sacred space is something we have to create for ourselves.

On one level, this is very literal — pagans create physical spaces for their gods to inhabit, usually in the form of home altars. An altar is a table, shelf, or other flat surface that is set aside for religious or spiritual use. The altar is likely home to religious items or tools like candles, incense burners, or statues of the gods. It is the place where prayers are made and offerings are given. It is a place within the home that is set aside for the gods.

Like everything within paganism, the exact setup and uses of your altar depend on your tradition. Some groups, like some forms of traditional Wicca, require the altar to look a very certain way, with a collection of ritual tools arranged in the appropriate places on the altar. Other traditions are much more freeform.

Even if you have not chosen a pagan path yet, you may find it helpful to create a special place to connect with the divine. This could be an altar — even a simple one, like an unused shelf holding a white candle and a stick of incense — or another special place like a yoga mat where you do meditations, a special chair where you read spiritual literature, or a special place outdoors. Having a space set aside for spirituality and religion will help you to literally and metaphorically make room for these pursuits in your life.

To dedicate this space to religious pursuits, simply verbally state your intent to use it for that purpose. You might perform a simple ritual by lighting a white candle and saying something like, “I dedicate this space to the gods and to my growing relationship with them.” (It doesn’t matter if you don’t know yet which gods you want to worship.) Now you have a special place to return to when you want to connect with the divine.

You can also build altars to connect to other types of spirits, such as land spirits or ancestors. We’ll talk more about these kinds of altars in a future post.

Though guidelines for altar setup and maintenance vary from one pagan religion to the next, there are a few basic guidelines that are pretty much universal.

For one thing, your altar should be kept clean and tidy. Don’t pile non-religious items on your altar, make sure to clean up any candle wax or incense ashes left after a ritual, and try to keep dust from building up on your icons and statues. I am a generally messy person, but my altar stays clean as a sign of respect for my gods, even when the rest of my house is a mess. If you struggle to keep your altar tidy, schedule 10-20 minutes once a week to go through and clean it up. Think of this cleaning not as a chore, but as a loving service to your gods.

If you use your altar for food offerings, you should dispose of them after 24 hours or less. As we’ve previously discussed, some pagans eat their food offerings after the gods have had a chance to consume their spiritual essence, while other pagans feel that this is rude or taboo. In the latter case, many people choose a special place outside where they dispose of food offerings (if you do this, make sure the offering won’t harm local plant and animal life if left outside). Another option is to add food offerings to a compost pile — you can use the compost in your garden, perhaps for plants that are sacred to your gods (again, make sure your offerings are compost-friendly).

Keeping your altar clean also includes energetic and spiritual cleansing. Before rituals, you should cleanse your altar to ensure that you aren’t bringing any unwanted energy into your worship. Cleansing protocols vary from one tradition to the next and may include sprinkling the altar with blessed water, wafting incense smoke through the space, or using a special tool like a ritual broom or a bell. If you haven’t chosen a pagan religion yet, simply use the cleansing method that works best for you.

When caring for your altar, keep in mind that this is your gods’ space within your home. You want it to be comfortable for them. Like decorating a guest bedroom for a friend, you’ll probably want to choose items that are significant to the god or spirit being honored on the altar. For example, my altar contains a crow skull and feathers because crows are sacred to several of the deities I work with. Take your time to create an environment that will be welcoming to your god(s) of choice. (Again, if you aren’t working with any specific gods yet, you can still create a basic altar — follow the previously stated guidelines for keeping it clean and welcoming.)

While setting up and maintaining an altar or other special space is an important part of creating sacred space, it isn’t the only part. When pagans talk about “creating sacred space,” we are also talking about cultivating a certain mindset.

Just like you need to make space for the gods in your home, you need to make space for them in your life. It’s all well and good to call yourself a pagan, but if you never pray, make offerings, or think about the gods, are you really embodying pagan religious practice? If you’re going to talk the talk, you have to also walk the walk.

Creating sacred space in your life can take many forms. One of the most common (and convenient) is small daily devotional activities. These activities only take a few minutes and can easily be incorporated into your daily routine. This may include meditation, divination, or reading a few verses from a holy book. Even the act of lighting a fresh stick of incense on your altar in the morning can help strengthen your connection to your spirituality.

It can even be as simple as remembering to thank the gods when you see them at work in your life. I have a friend who is a Roman pagan, and he has a habit of verbally thanking Mercury (the Roman god of travel, among many other things) whenever he finds a good parking space or doesn’t have to wait at a red light. This kind of small acknowledgement may not seem like a big deal, but it works to integrate our worship of the gods into our daily lives.

Take a few moments, right now, to ask yourself how you can create sacred space in your life. What can you do to make the gods feel welcome in your presence? Try to think of a single change you can make in the next 24 hours to create this space. Write it down.

Commit to maintaining this new practice for at least three weeks. At the end of each day, write down what you did to create sacred space and how it made you feel. Do you feel a sense of peace? Do you feel the gods’ presence more strongly? Do you feel a sense of connection to something bigger than yourself? Write down these and any other thoughts on your new practice.

At the end of three weeks, look back over your notes. How did this practice change the way you feel about your spirituality? How did it change your relationship with the gods? If there was a positive change, try to continue integrating this practice into your daily routine.

If there was no change, that’s okay — this specific practice may not be for you, and there’s no shame in that. Choose a different practice and repeat the experiment. Keep at it until you find a way to create sacred space that works for you on your unique spiritual path.

In my humble opinion, it’s important to learn how to hold sacred space before you start investigating different pagan religions. Not only will it give you the basic tools you’ll need for religious ritual, but it will help you to discover your personal worship style and comfort zone. With this, you’ll be better able to determine which pagan path(s) is a good fit for you.

Resources:

Wicca for Beginners by Thea Sabin

Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner by Scott Cunningham

Following the Sun by Sharon LaBorde

Where the Hawthorn Grows by Morgan Daimler

[ifeellikeameowster]

Lego Ninjago Movie Theory: Lloyd does have an elemental power and it's different than in the show. He just hasn't unlocked it yet.

~~~~~~~

"Green is the power of Life. It connects all living things. Just like how I connect the ninja" - Movie!Lloyd

~~~~~~~

Okay, let me explain! In the movie, after Sensei Wu demonstrates all of the other Ninja's elemental powers one by one, Lloyd realizes that he's been skipped over and left out. (As if he doesn't already feel this way on a daily basis jeez someone give this kid a break and a therapist please.) But after asking Sensei Wu what his power is, Wu simply says...

"Green."

Which, okay, definitely doesn't answer his question. And even after Lloyd lists other elements that he could be, Wu's answer remains the same: "Green."

What does that mean? How can a color be an elemental power? It doesn't make sense. Not yet. But it will.

Later in the movie, when the ninja (along with Garmadon) find the Ultimate Ultimate Weapons, they are all in the shape of their element.

Zane's is shaped like an ice crystal, Cole's is shaped like a rock, Jay's is shaped like a lightening bolt, Kai's is shaped like a flame, and Nya's is shaped like a water splash. And then we get to Lloyd's. Lloyd's is shaped like...

A branch? Or a tree? Yes, it's obviously designed to hold all of the other elements, but the shape itself is so similar to a plant that it's hard to dismiss. It feels intentional.

Could it be, perhaps, a reference to the Tree of Life?

Which would make Lloyd's element Life itself. Life works well in so many ways for movie!Lloyd. Life not only connects all of the other elements, but it also creates and supports them. Plus the color green is often associated with Life, especially plant life, aka 'greenery'. And in Lloyd's promotional photo for the movie-

He's shown amongst plant life. All of the other Ninja's promotional photos show them with their element, so it stands to reason that Lloyd is shown here with his.

This means that when Lloyd does eventually unlock his elemental power, he'll be able to control plant life!

But Life is more than just plant life. And Lloyd's Life powers are more than that too. In fact, he might have already displayed other cool powers related to Life right under our noses.

And one of those instances is when his arm ripped off and when it was put back it was completely fine afterwards.

But that's just because they're Legos! You say. That probably happens to everyone all of the time.

Well if that's really the case, then why did everyone freak out as much as they did? Some of them were even close to throwing up... which must mean the scene was gory at least to them. And when Garmadon put his arm back into place, he told Lloyd that'd it'd be excruciating pain. But Lloyd didn't seem to feel any pain at all...in fact he didn't even scream or say "ow" or anything like that. But why is that?

It's because Lloyd unconsciously used the element of Life to automatically start healing his wound.

Life is also in relation to Life force, so it stands to reason that someone with the power of Life could heal using life force. One example of this in other media, in the webcomic Homestuck, Jane who was a Maid of Life was able to heal both herself and fellow players from wounds that would have killed them otherwise.

Jane using her Life powers to revive herself after a fatal wound.

So it stands to reason that once Lloyd unlocks his elemental power he should be able to heal not only himself, but also his fellow ninja!

Another aspect of Life is animal life. It just so happens that we also have a scene where Lloyd displays some connection and even control of animal life. And that's when he was the only one able to calm down and tame Meowthra.

So he might also have at least some influence over animals as well with his Life powers, not just plants!

But if all of this is true, then why didn't he unlock his Life elemental power along with the other ninja?

Well, I think the simple answer to that is that he hadn't yet overcome his mental blocks.

The other ninja had already overcame theirs. Their first mental block was that they were too dependent on the mechs and had grown lazy because of it. That mental block was taken care of when their mechs were broken by Meowthra. But due to that they experienced a second mental block- feeling inadequate and useless without their mechs. This was solved when Lloyd assured them that they had the power inside of them and didn't need the mechs or even the Ultimate Ultimate Weapons.

But Lloyd's mental block was something entirely different.

Lloyd's mental block was his relationship with his father.

All throughout the film he struggles with his relationship to Garmadon. And at that point in time, when the other ninja where unlocking their elemental powers, Garmadon had just betrayed him by stealing the Ultimate Ultimate Weapons for himself.

It isn't until the very end of the movie that Lloyd had reached catharsis with the relationship with his father and they have both taken the first steps to repairing it. It's likely that sometime after the events of the movie, now that this mental block has finally been resolved, that Lloyd unlocks his elemental power of Life.

And he becomes able to summon plants the same way the other ninja summon their elements, along with a couple of bonuses (healing and animal handling). I mean, he is the leader and connection between all of the ninja after all! It's reasonable he'd get a couple of bonus powers to put him ahead of the rest.

~~~~~~~

And yes, yes. I know in the show that Lloyd's element is just Power itself, or "Energy". But this is a theory specifically for the movie!verse. Besides, fan theories are all about just having some speculative fun!

[homeofhousechickens]

Saw your post about wanting questions! Do you have any basic tips for chicken behavior and husbandry? And i mean BASIC basic.

I always suggest new owners to do their own research but chickens are actually really simple to keep and care for

Outside Chickens need:

-A secure and safe coop and run. Free ranging doesnt replace a good coop and run size and sometimes you will have to confine chickens due to quarantines,predators, or weather so its just better to have a good sized coop and run for those times. This will be the biggest expense but a well build coop should last a lifetime.

-Water, needs to be clean and changed daily depending on set up

-Food, I dont recommend layer feed but instead recommend feeding a complete All Flock Feed or keep the birds on good grower feed (18% or 20% protein). If you have only hens you may be able to get away with feeding Layer Pellets but keep in mind layer pellets are designed as a bare minimum food for battery hens.

-Good Bedding and Cleaning. People hate the farm chore of mucking stalls or cleaning coop. I suggest spot cleaning the run and coop often and do cleaning every 2-3 weeks depending on the bedding and set up. I use pine pellet bedding as it smells nice, is phenomenal at keeping ammonia down, and is very good at absorbing moisture.

-Free choice Oyster Shell and Grit. Oyster Shell is how chickens should get their calicum. It will sit in the crop or gizzard and slowly be absorbed over a period of time which is important for laying hens who need calicum during the ENTIRE egg laying process. Grit is how they break down food and get trace minerals that arent in their feed. So its important chickens have constant access to both.

-A vet, doesnt even have to be a poultry,avain,livestock, or exotic vet. Any vet who is willing to do a fecal or examination for you is a vet you should know because even if a vet doesnt know much about chickens you can help them learn. Outdoor Chickens like outdoor dogs need to be wormed regularly so taking in a fecal every 4-6 months to determine if your birds are healthy is very helpful especially if you live in a humid or muddy area.

Indoor chickens are pretty much the same as outdoor chickens other then for 1 or 2 chickens you dont need a huge coop just a dog crate or cage

Simple chicken behavior

-The Egg Song:

This is when chickens do their famous "buck buck buck bucawk" its technically chickens contact call but you will normally hear it after a bird lays eggs or gets spooked by something.

-Warning Call:

a really grating high pitched loud "braaaaaw" that will send most birds looking for cover. This is the hawk call and anything can make a chicken do it. There is a softer version of the sound which is used for smaller threats Young birds are known for constant warning crying about new things

-Scratching and digging:

Chickens are very instinctually inclined to scratch and dig. Chickens who have survived decapitation and only have their brain stem left show scratching and forage behaviors. Scratching is how they find tasty bugs,plant seeds, and anything else they can get their beak on.

-Preening:

This is what chickens are going to be doing most of the time. They are like a cat in terms of keeping themselves clean. Preening helps them maintain feather quailty and get rid of parasites. They have a oil gland at the base of their tail that looks like a nipple and they use that to spread oils on their feathers to help waterproofing and other stuff.

Dust batheing:

Chickens do not naturally clean themselves with water, instead they use dirt or dust. This is another way they can dislodge parasites but its also good for getting rid of access oils and the abrasiveness of the dust is good for cleaning grime off as well.

Sun batheing:

Chickens need the sun to help with vitamin and calcium regulation. They show of their similarities to lizards by laying down and stretching out to catch more sun. This can very alarming if you are far away and have never seen it before.

Yelling and other noises directed at you:

Chickens are pattern mappers and social animals, friendly birds will more then likely act more like a tiny angry toddler then angry dinosaur. A bird standing next to you and screaming is probably a bird who wants something from you or is complaining to you. Chickens will even growl at their owners or tell them off. Chickens have very distinctive documented noises that have important meaning to each, the best way to learn is by observation :)

There is definitely more stuff i could talk about but i think all of this is pretty basic and a good place to start.

[monstersandmaw]

Evening to ya, Ghosti✌️😆

Sorry if the wording sounds silly, but I wanted to ask if you know any rituals I could do for the New Years. 🤣 Christmas hasn't been exactly an easy time for me for various reasons and I tend to get the holiday blues pretty bad, and for a long old while New Years has felt very similar. I'm doing my best to feel hopeful and to have some faith for the new year, but it's turning out to be trickier than I anticipated. So I wanted to ask for suggestions as to do anything that could help feeling more hopeful, I dunno. :3

Though feel free to ignore this if you don't have the energy for it. I hope you had delightful holiday however you celebrated!!! 😊💖💖💖💖

Hey anon! (it’s now afternoon here in the UK, and it was morning when I started this! I got a bit carried away). I don’t know that I’m necessarily the right person to ask about this, but here are some ideas of things I’ve found helpful/centring/calming anyway which you could draw from. Other folks, please feel free to chime in with your favourite ways to put the old year to bed and welcome in the new one!

(first of all, I’m sending you lots of virtual ghostli hugs to help drive away those holiday blues. That sucks, and I’m so sorry it’s been so tough for you.)

Here’s a rundown of what’s below, and I’ll put in a ‘keep reading’ so that it’s not an incredibly long post! Some of it is more on the ‘spiritutal’ side of things, and others are just mundane and practical things.

Congratulate yourself on making it through the clusterfuck that was 2020

Make some tea and meditate on what’s been and what you wish for

Go outside, be still, and breathe deeply

Let go of negative events and thoughts by writing them down, then safely burning the paper

Disconnect from social media for a few days (or however long you’re comfortable with)

Start a bullet journal

Write lists of goals for 2021 and then refine/distill them down to 3 manageable objectives

Commit 100% to 6 months of positive change

Pick three dates/months in the year when good things will happen, and make them happen (including growing veg/fruit)

Light a candle on the full moon or New Year

Ok, so, first of all, you’ve made it through this year!! That’s no small accomplishment, given the sheer volume of absolute shite that has been flung at us from all angles, no matter where in the world you live. Celebrate that. Seriously, I’m not being flippant. Take a moment of stillness wherever you are, be ‘present’, and just think about the fact that you’re here, right now, reading this post. Not everyone is here any more for one reason or another, but you did it. Congratulate yourself and celebrate that. Treat yourself to a slice of cake (or something you really enjoy) specifically to celebrate making it through 2020.

Make a cup of tea (try a new blend or recipe perhaps, or stick with your absolute favourite), or make a comforting drink of your choice. As you pour the water into the cup, breathe in the steam and enjoy the scent of it. Try and imbue all the positive things - memories, achievements, moments etc. - that you encountered this year into the tea/drink, and think about them growing in strength as the tea steeps, and envisage them continuing on to next year too. When you drink the tea, you take the positive thoughts into yourself and they become a part of you. You could try it in the morning with a caffeinated drink (if you enjoy those) and let it fuel you for the day, or you could try a herbal tea at night to let the good vibes steep overnight while you rest. Make it part of your daily routine; a private meditation.

Go outside and find a quiet spot somewhere and either stand or sit and just soak up the atmosphere. If there’s a tree nearby, think about the way its roots are planted in the earth, its trunk stands tall, and its branches reach towards the sky. Feel that space inside you. Breathe deeply in and out, visualising your lungs filling to the deepest parts, starting at the bottom. Count to four for each inhale, and six out (or whatever you’re comfortable with, so long as the exhale is longer than the inhale). This will help to still you and calm you.

If you have something fireproof (can just be a ceramic bowl), take a piece of paper and make a moment to write down all the negative things about this year, using a pen that you’re comfortable with. If you’re not one for words, draw pictures. You can make it really beautiful or just scribble it all down - it doesn’t matter. Get that shit out. Look at it for a while and read it through, mentally letting go of each thing as your eyes pass over it, then light one corner (carefully!!!) and let it burn somewhere with good ventilation (a cooker hood is good for that, but outside is better). Visualise all that negativity being swallowed by the universe and let it go. My favourite line from the Seamus Heaney translation of Beowulf comes at Beowulf’s funeral when a Geat woman is singing her grief at his passing to the sky, and there’s the simple sentence: “Heaven swallowed the smoke.” How beautiful is that? The sky swallowed up her grief as she poured it out to the universe. The negativity might take some time to vanish from your life (it’s not going to disappear at the same time as the paper, sadly!), but watching it go can be the first stage of letting things go. I did this last year, and I’m only just letting go of the last things on that list, but it was a start, and it made me feel more at peace. 

Disconnect from social media. I know that with so much more happening online this year out of necessity, we’ve become even more dependant on our phones and computers, and it’s wonderful that we have this chance to connect with people when we can’t see them face to face, but social media can also act as a crucible for negative feelings. People usually post the best or the worst aspects of what’s going on for them or what they care about, so it leads to a skewed view of both the world and of what’s going on amongst our connections. It’s easy to start feeling insignificant next to someone else because of their achievements or their looks etc. and it’s also easy to start to get a bleak outlook when the news is full of terrible stories and people are reacting to it in a volatile and often knee-jerk way. Take some time off - uninstall the apps, or put the limiter setting on, or just step back - for a day, two days, a week, whatever you’re comfortable with. It doesn’t have to be forever. If you use those platforms to talk to people, tell them what you’re doing, and give them another way to reach you if they need. No need to isolate yourself completely!! Think about how you felt before you started it (write it down?) and do the same afterwards, and compare. If it didn’t work for you, then that’s fine too. 

Start a bullet journal! Now is the perfect time to start bullet journaling. I first started this year when I felt like time was slipping through my fingers and my life was out of my control, and it’s really helped me to get a sense of order back. It’s not the magic cure-all for procrastinators and time wasters, trust me, but it can help to organise your mind as well as your day, and keep track of your habits etc. It can be literally whatever tool you need it to be. There’s a trend on social media - particularly Instagram and YouTube - that shows off these gorgeous journals that are basically works of art in themselves, and while it’s absolutely fine to aspire to that if you want to, the essential point of the bullet journal is to be a tool. You can buy print-outs from Etsy if you don’t fancy doing your own spreads. But don’t get completely hung up on pretty spreads and layouts because you won’t use it fully then. If you’ve got ‘new book fear’, like I did, make your own! I literally started my journaling by folding a few pieces of paper over, slapping a few stickers on them to cheer them up, and writing some lists. I didn’t buy a ‘proper’ journal until July 2020 when I’d got the hang of what I wanted out of the tool, and how to use it. I adapted one or two things, and I’ll be changing one or two things for next year, but it was a good way to start.

Here are two ‘minimalist’ journals and styles that I found helpful when setting mine up. They focus on usefulness and practicality, rather than overwhelming, artistic spreads and cutesy designs. I’m about to do a ‘plan with me 2021’ journal video for YouTube, so I’ll put that up when I’ve finished it, in case that’s helpful. 

Elsa Rhae

Pick Up Limes

Write down the things you want to achieve for 2021. These can be more abstract concepts like ‘more organised’ ‘healthier’ ‘start a business’ etc. Then, when you’ve got as many things as you’d ideally love to achieve/accomplish/manifest (don’t hold back at that stage), take another piece of paper and choose a maximum of six from that first lot to focus on, and below that, choose just three absolutely essential things to focus on. Make those your things for 2021.  

Now, this one is a personal one for me, so it may not be applicable at all to you/others, but I’ll share it anyway. For me, I need to make some significant lifestyle changes for my physical and mental health. So, I’ve decided to commit to 6 months of really hard work to bring about those changes. Time is going to pass anyway, from January to June. Six months will come and go anyway. Where will I be in six months’ time? I could be physically and mentally exactly where I am today. That thought is super depressing to me. Or, I could devote 200% focus, commitment, and energy, and bring about those changes, and be the ‘me’ I want to be in six months’ time.

It’s like the adage of ‘given a week to write a speech, it will take you a week, but given a day to write the same speech, it will take you a day’ - your brain will tell you it takes the amount of time that you have at hand to accomplish the task, and that’s simply how long it then takes. Use those three things from the 2021 list above, and commit to making those three things happen.

As an aside, tell someone (whose opinions you value) that you’re going to do this. By telling someone, you’re helping to cement the idea in reality, and you’ve got a support to turn to if it gets rocky, someone to cheer you on, and someone to celebrate with who knew what a struggle and commitment this was to you in the first place. 

Pick three points in the year where good things will happen. Book yourself something nice, save up for something and have it delivered then, or tell yourself that you will have achieved [x] by May, or September, or December. For me, it’s a working draft of my novel, and certain health goals by October, but make it yours, and keep those points fixed in your mind. It will help 2021 not to be one amorphous mass of time, and will give it structure and form. You could also choose to grow something in a pot - lots of vegetables can be grown cheaply from seed in a pot on a windowsill, and you’ll have something tasty to eat at the end of it!!

Here’s a slightly gentler idea to finish with: 

On New Year’s Eve take a moment to yourself, go outside if it’s not raining or too cold etc., light a candle, hold it (safely) in your hands, and be still. It doesn’t have to be exactly at midnight, but it will help your focus if it’s dark. Otherwise, go to a quiet part of the house and turn the lights down so that the candle flame is your focus. As before, think about what you’ve achieved this year, and be honest, not just negative! It’s very easy to say ‘oh I didn’t achieve anything, it all sucks, it was all awful’, when there will be tiny victories tucked away in there, I promise you, even if it was the toughest year of your life. Then think about where you are at the moment, mentally and physically. Acknowledge that state of being. Look at it with honest eyes. This moment is not for anyone else, so you don’t need to colour it one way or another. It’s for you. If you’re finding it hard not to be negative, be neutral. Let those thoughts come and go, and then turn your mind to the future. Mentally feed those negative thoughts into the flame in front of you, one at a time. Say it out loud if that helps, but do what makes you comfortable. Let the light from the flame fill your mind and your heart, and think about your intentions for the new year.  

Tonight (30th Dec) is a full moon, so if that is significant for you, you may wish to do this tonight instead of tomorrow. 

I hope that some of that gives you some inspiration, and I hope that people will chime in with their own new year’s rituals and habits. Be honest with yourself but not harsh, and be positive but not unrealistic. This year has been one hell of a ride, and we’re not done yet... Here in the UK, we’ve got the highest numbers of Covid that we’ve ever had, we’re in the harshest lock down (Tier 4) and can’t visit anyone, and we’re also going through Brexit (which is proving a nightmare for everyone, especially small businesses...).

Control the things you can control, and learn and employ systems to ride out the things that are beyond your influence. And take heart - you have a family of folks on here, all across the world!

[unikornu]

I'm curious about 2, 7, 16, and 18 for Lucy!

Thanks for ask, yay! Oh boy, time to get sweaty brain:

2) What are your OC’s food preferences (flavors/textures/spiciness/calories/ when and how they eat) and how did they get that way?

For sure she will spit out anything that feels slimey in texture of food, so a brahmin steak if its not made black like a coal and crunchy will be an example of no no due to her trauma from before the war. Crunchy and salty is what she mostly likes along with sweet sugary flavor like a cotton candy. Her favorite type of food tho to get the energy going for killing would be mostly rad eggs (cus...rad chickens right?). The warm scrambled eggs or an omlette with some extra sliced tatos on top and dried plants as herbs to add some flavor. They are high in proteins and nutrients while at the same time having a low calory count so it keeps her in slim shape aswell *wink wink. She also mostly chooses this because she cannot cook anything else tbh. In pre-war she was always on the run and didn’t have time to sit and cook at home. So she got used with diet filled with things that are fast to cook and easy to prepare while giving you enough energy and what body needs. So cooked eggs with veggies aside from the packed prepared food or sweets found around Nuka World. She will always eat in the morning along with some razorgrain coffee and keep herself filled pretty much till very late afternoon. If on the go or in a camp she will just pull out anything from the box rather than cook anything on fire. If there would be potatoes available she would probably attempt to make french fries or potato puree as it doesn’t involve much stirring around the kitchen when it just fries/boils itself, hard to fuck em up. 

7) Realistically, could your OC (in their normal circumstances- i.e. at thier own house/battlecamp/spaceship etc.) keep a small child alive for a week if they had to?  A Dog?  A Houseplant? A rock with a  smiley face painted on?

Not sure how to approach this one but let’s start with a child. Big no, she is just very bad and awkward around kids and the last kid she had to baby sit by someone’s order made her lose her shit and almost abandon it somewhere. She is extremely irresponsible and nervous person when it comes to kids. Depending on their age they are either very loud or ask too many annoying questions with no end. If her life would depend on it she would endure it for one week but that’s playing with fire as she doesn’t posses the “mother perk” like at all. Now animals on the other hand, oh she would love to. Animals just live and rule their life by pure survival and instinct and she just loves them for that. They don’t think about some stupid shit neither make stupid decisions and they always appreciate back the care they are given and opportunity to stay alive. Houseplant - yes, but she might forget to water it or mistake water for vodka. Rock with face would be great for a week as a chit chat friend when you are drunk and Porter leaves you alone. 

16) How strong or weak is your OC’s Impulse control? What’s the worst thing that happened because of their Impulsivity or inability to be so?  

I hope i get this one right. She has a very weak impulse control in her actions and due to that she thinks the constant calmex use is the answer to that but that again is another impulse as she tends to overdo it and she knows she is addicted since before the war because of Harrison. She was also told heavily she is impulsive on daily basis and it might show in her work. Worst that can happen is her not thinking clearly that sometimes she puts herself in too many dangerous situations in fights, not really caring if she can get heavily injured. Job must be done right and to the end or she will face consequences and that was all she cared about. And if left alone with some mistakes done by her she might again fall into overdosing herself with calmex to shut down some guilt and mix it stupidly with booze which will end up with her on the floor, unconscious and that is very irresponsible when you live in a town filled with raiders.

18) What’s the trashiest item in your OC’s wardrobe, when was the last time they wore it and why do they still have it?

Hmmmm that actually sounds simple but yet tricky to answer, so many things...but i think it would be a teared big fluffy pink bunny mask she found somewhere in Commonwealth costume store before. Smelling of old burned sugar and the white parts of it no longer being white ofc. Fluff also being a bit roughed up but it looked exactly like the one she used before at Sapphire Club to sneak into the guest room wearing just underwear and hide her face while it was a costume strip party of sort to take down her target. She really hated that guy and it was a big pleasure to shove a knife in his throat as she sat on his lap. She really enjoyed that evening tbh. Ok not going into details here. She still keeps it in case she would feel like terrifying Gage a bit (i don’t think such view would turn him on in any way tbh, it would probably look weird as fuck to him at first sight) as their relationship went onward later on or use similar tactic to kill some guy looking for a bit of fun and not suspecting such a surprise. Uhm well, i didn’t have this one planned before so i came up with it now tbh :D

Yay got em all. Thank you again for ask and cheers!

[scalestails]

Algae- How To Deal With It

Everyone gets algae eventually. Most people react negatively when they see it- but is it really a problem? And if it is, what can we do about it?

TL;DR at the bottom!

First we have to understand what algae is. Algae is a broad term that refers to many different eukaryotic organisms ranging from tiny unicellular diatoms to multicellular seaweed! However, when most people say algae they think of the green film or green water you see in aquariums. These are almost unanimously considered unsightly and can be difficult to get rid of once they have started to appear.

So what kinds of algae do we see in aquariums? Many different kinds, with different causes and methods of management.

First, lets talk about whether or not you need to remove it.

Should you get rid of algae?

Most people would jump to answer this with “Of course!” However, algae is not inherently a problem for aquariums. In fact, it can also have benefits! It provides essential food for many species of fish, shrimp, and snails. It can also help keep your water clean by absorbing fish waste, which it uses as nutrients (just like plants!).

In fact, in saltwater aquariums macro algae is often used as a natural biological filtration method.

So when IS it a problem? If it is clogging equipment such as filter intakes, tubing, or clogging up your filter media it needs to be removed. It can also grow over and choke out live plants, depending on the algae!

It will not harm your fish, however.

So how does one get rid of it?

You’re not going to like the answer to this... Honestly, most people should only expect to manage algae, not completely get rid of it. You’ll set yourself up for a lot of frustration if you try to ERADICATE your algae. It’s very, very difficult or even impossible to completely get rid of algae, and even if you DO, it could just come back later. So how do you remove it in the first place? The answer is two fold.

You need to remove the cause of the algae to prevent it from coming back. This is really important!

If you remove the algae but don’t change anything else, you’re just going to have more in a few weeks!

So what causes algae?

Algae shows up in large or problematic amounts because of an imbalance in the tank. It thrives on light and fish waste. If you have algae, you have too much light or too much fish waste. The number one problem I see causing algae are high nitrates- caused by a lack of water changes. This is VERY easy to fix! Simply test your water (test for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate) and do water changes as needed to bring your nitrates down to 20ppm or below. This may mean doing a 10% water change DAILY for over a week! But once it’s down you should be able to keep it there with regular (weekly) water changes. If it spikes back up... your tank is overstocked! Ya gotta upgrade, sorry.

The other player in this is light. It’s very, very common for people to leave their tank light on 24/7. Please don’t do this! Not only will it cause algae (most often green water) but it’s bad for your fish. They need a day and night cycle just like we do. Limit light to 6-8 hours a day, TOPS. This goes for planted and reef tanks as well! Another huge factor is if the tank gets hit by light from a window. This is a BIG no-no! Any time light does this it is way too powerful for the tank, thus growing algae.

A less common cause (or at least a factor that could encourage algae) are phosphates. Phosphates are essential for live plants, but too much grows algae too. It can be found in tap water, or it can be released into a tank from carbon (yes, the carbon in your filter pad!). Most planted aquariums do better without the use of carbon in the tank, and some even go so far as to use RODI water that they remineralize to prevent algae growth.

So now that we’ve done that, what is the other part to removing algae? Well... it’s removing it! By hand!

 If it’s simple algae growing on the glass it can be removed with an algae scraper during your weekly water maintenance. Same goes for algae clogging intakes etc.

If it’s on live plants, you have to try something different. Take out any decor or plants that are affected and spray them with hydrogen peroxide. This will not harm the plants and after a quick rinse or dip in dechlorinated water, it’s safe to add back to the tank. Repeat this several times to get rid of most of the algae. This works well is black beard or hair algae.

Another method to remove algae on plants (or in general) is to start using Seachem Excel and Seachem Flourish. Excel is known to help get rid of algae, and by properly fertilizing your tank your plants can out compete the algae for nutrients! Take care not to overdose fertilizer or excel, however, as this will only make algae worse!

In saltwater tanks, if you’re dealing with cyanobacteria (a red, slimy “algae”) you may be able to manage it by doing the above water changes/light reduction in addition to adjusting your water flow. Cyano likes low flow areas (like the bottom of the tank) so by stirring up your sand and adding a small powerhead along the bottom of the tank, it will help reduce build up.

What about algae eaters?

A very common solution most people come up with for algae in their aquarium is to buy an “algae eater”. Whether this be a pleco, a snail, a tang, or a blenny people think that the addition of this animal will clean up their problem.

This is wrong.

The problem with doing this is explain in part above. High nitrates (from lack of water changes or overstocking) is the number one cause of algae! So by adding ANOTHER fish into your tank (that is already dirty or overstocked) you’re only going to make things worse!

And even if the tank is stocked correctly and the algae is only mild, there is no guarantee that your algae eater will even eat it! The name “algae eater” is misleading. Many fish with this moniker are actually omnivorous, not herbivorous! Meaning they will gladly or preferably eat things OTHER than algae. And even some of the best actual herbivorous “algae eating” fish don’t eat ALL types of algae! So depending on what is in your tank, they may not even be able to eat it!

So in the end, if you see a little algae, don’t sweat it! If it starts to cause a problem, deal with it and move on. Every tank has algae, it’s ok! Even those really pretty ones you see on instagram or youtube. I promise you!

TL;DR

Your tank is either getting too much light (reduce to 6-8 hours daily) or has high nitrates (test your water to check). Do water changes till it’s clean and keep cleaning it regularly. If it’s still dirty your tank is overstocked. You DO NOT have to add an algae eater! (that may in fact make it worse)

[nasionamarihuanygdynia922]

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[malfoygrass]

Superhero Au Drabble: the dark knight of Ministry City

"You've been gone for too long Black Dragon, I hate to admit it, but Ministry City needed you" Harry Potter sighed, as the leader of the city's League of Valor, his alter ego "Chosen One" had been too busy for the past seven years, with powers he sometimes still couldn't understand Chosen One had come a long way from the little boy in privet drive who couldn't control his super strength and flying. Now he worked for the Daily Prophet like a regular Joe.

"I had to leave, my parents were dead, Lord Voldemort was in prison, Bellatrix locked up in Askaban asylum" Black Dragon replied, to which Wondermind, the smartest girl in the team scoffed.

"You just didn't want to get locked up with all his other cronies" the gifted Amazon princess shot out bluntly, ( how Hermione Granger worked as a junior barrister was a mystery), at her side her boyfriend of ten years, Red Beater agreed, silently munching on a snack. (Weasley hadn't changed, much at least)

"Too bad most of them don't stay locked up" the Thunderbolt twins said at the same time " you've missed out"

"We also have new villains popping up left and right, so you better watch out, this isn't the Ministry City you left" Aquastorm said with a sigh, although Neville Longbottom, just like Draco was a wealthy philanthropist, their similarities ended there, where Draco courted the attention, Neville made a show of being shy "for what it's worth, I'm glad you're back"

"The children of some villains have grown up, others have come out of retirement, some have even trained replacements" Moon girl said dreamily then catching everyone unaware she added "You'll be married soon although it will be a hard courtship, since she's not happy to have you back" and sometimes Draco Malfoy really hated Luna Lovegood's cryptic second sight

_______________________________

He came to realize that the League of Valor had been downplaying the ammount of crime in Ministry City as soon as he was back in the fray. Mobsters, supervillains, wannabe sidekicks were ganging up to meet him. Plus the local vigilantes didn't stay behind either.

On one of those days, while helping Aquastorm sort out a problem with toxic chemicals, they got the unexpected help of someone who took Black Dragon by surprise.

"Need any help Aquastorm? I heard a little darkness could do the trick" a musical voice chimed in the distance

"Who was that" Black Dragon gasped as the black clad girl with the silver flower shield conjured a mist of pure dark fog that helped them get the upper hand over their assailants.

"That was the new Nightshade" Aquastorm replied waving at the retreating back of the mysterious superhero "one never knows what she will come up with, but she seems to like me, so if I ever need backup there's a fifty fifty chance that she will show up"

Nightshade? What Draco remembered from that one was that he used to be an antivillain in league with the superheroes of his father's golden age. This new one seemed to be far too young and too female to be the same person.

"Why the afinity with you?"

"Her powers depend on nature and mine on water, we understand each other" Neville shrugged "most of the time she involves plants that grow in dark places and the fog they produce to hide her presence"

Over the weeks Black Dragon had more encounters with Nightshade, tough they didn't talk, she was always showing up to help any superhero she liked or commit her own crimes. and he didn't like it one bit, not only because the girl was halfway between a white collar criminal and a superhero, but because he knew who the previous Nightshade was and if the man had retired then the new Nightshade could only be his daughter.

And he really didn't want her to be.

Nevertheless his theory was proven right when the Malfoy Gala to celebrate his return to Ministry City brought things to head.

So many people showed up he was almost sure that today ten attempts to his life were in progress. Nevermind the ammount of undercover alter egos.

All he needed to do was remain close to Neville and Nightshade would find him.

"Astoria darling, how good to see you, I must say you look enchanting" Augusta Longbottom said drawing Draco's attention to the delicate brunette making her way towards them

"Madame Longbottom, always a pleasure, everyone knws Greengrass Corporations wouldn't be the same without your sponsorship" Astoria replied with the same warmth "Neville, we missed you at the Veteran Awards benefit, I hope Hannah Abbott was worth it" she teased making Neville chuckle

"And what about me? Don't I get a kiss little Greengrass?"

"Dear me, Draco Malfoy I almost didn't recognize you" Astoria pretended to be startled and her pretty socialite smile never wavered "How long has it been? Nine? Ten years? Isn't that right Ollie" She'd arrived in the arm of Oliver Wood, the famous sports player and Draco hated her a bit, just for that.

They all knew it had been seven years.

"Well since it's been so long I suppose you wouldn't mind granting me this dance little Greengrass?" He made his insincere apologies to Oliver Wood and easily spirited Astoria into the middle of the dancefloor

"Must you always have your way?" Astoria muttered annoyed

"Must you always pretend we haven't seen each other lately?" He shot back into her ear "you're playing a dangerous game Astoria, those corporate secrets you stole can be tracked" he slid his hand sensually across her waist "Daphne wouldn't like it"

"Why do you care, Daphne is off playing sidekick to Nott and I'm all that's left" Astoria rolled her eyes "not that it matters, you left that part clear in your little goodbye letter"

"If I'd stayed in Ministry City I would be no better off than Pansy: another second gen villain" Draco hissed slowly maneuvering their dance towards a secluded spot in the balcony "And you were sixteen, I had no business getting involved with you and you know it, no matter how much I cared about you"

"So the alternative was leaving?" Astoria glared at him " don't you know the hell I went through? I LOVED YOU" she accused and Draco felt it like a punch in the gut "then you left and it all went kaput, father died, Nott became a villain and my sister abdicated her place in Greengrass Corporations, I had nobody"

"Astoria I didn't think..." But he had, he'd known that Astoria would survive at a high price "you have to understand I did it to protect you"

"Fat good it did you! I had to learn to protect myself" and he could read the pain in her eyes, before they hardened back to stone "now do us both a favor and stay out of Nightshade's business, I have enough dirt on Malfoy Industries to make life a little harder for you if you keep interfering"

"Not happening, in fact I might just decide to keep a closer eye on you"

"Don't make this harder than it needs to be, I'm engaged to Oliver Wood" she hedged as the music ended "we are to be married next month" And one had to wonder about the perfect timing of Draco's return

"So? Engagements can be broken" Draco shrugged "I hope the honeymoon package offers refunds, we both know they'll be no wedding" not if he had to tie Astoria to his sheets and remind her what had made them so explosive in their teens

"Don't you dare, you left Draco, you can't just come back from the dead and pretend everything is okay anymore than Black Dragon can" Astoria protested "it doesn't work that way"

"You grew up"

"I had to" she glared at him "Greengrass Corporations needed a leader, the streets needed a clean up" Astoria shrugged

"And you Astoria? Did anybody stop to ask what you needed?" His eyes were sad, taking her hand he brought it to his lips for a kiss wondering what Ministry City had done to his boyhood sweetheart

"I just needed you" and if that wasn't the most heartbreaking thing for Astoria, then she didn't know what was "my world fell apart and all I needed was you, but now it's too late...I don't need you anymore"

"Liar" Draco chuckled, crushing his lips to hers, savoring the first stolen kiss with the girl he hadn't been able to forget in seven years "is it really too late Astoria?" He whispered into her lips

Astoria was looking at him with a mixture of aprehension and desire "I don't know" she whispered back "things are so complicated now"

"Then I'll make them simple" Draco shrugged walking her back to Oliver Wood and her court of hypocrites "let's have dinner in Malfoy Mannor, tomorrow at five my car will pick you up" and the look he gave her left no room for protests "I'll let you seduce me for a change"

"You have no idea what you're asking for Malfoy"

"I'll be seeing you Little Greengrass" it occurred to him that Moon girl was right once again. He was going to marry Astoria Greengrass one day, because this time, he wouldn't let her go that easy.

An: Drabble companion to the superhero au Aesthetic I posted a few hours ago

[owletstarlet]

Tanuma!

[Message me a character and I’ll tell you five headcanons I have about them]

1. Tanuma’s decent at caring for different types house plants. His dad liked to keep them in the house and temple buildings, and it’s probably always been one of his daily chores to water them and check up on their condition. He enjoys it, though, and finds it calming, and while far from being an expert, he owns a few books on house plants and has a knack for keeping finicky plants and flowers alive. I think he keeps a few succulents in his room because he likes the way they look and they’re lower day-to-day maintenance (he’s got it in the back of his head that if he’s fully responsible for looking after his own plants it would be better to not choose ones that might die easily because their tiny lives depend on him and he can’t be a bad plant dad to his own plants.) Natsume gave him at least one of the succulents, and he will take it to the grave just how long he spent in the shop with Touko agonizing over which one to buy while she tried not to giggle over it…and meanwhile Tanuma’s just standing there with the little thing cupped gently in his hands, having distressing heart palpitations over how freaking thoughtful of a gift this is, and kind of blurting “I promise I won’t let it die” before he even manages the “thank you.”

I’m also all over the idea of Tanuma ending up giving Touko houseplant tips, which I imagine would begin when she offhand mentions having some difficulty with an orchid or something equally finicky that had been a gift to her from a friend. And Tanuma, who’s there for dinner, says without really thinking about it, “Oh, have you tried [insert plant advice here]?” And he’d be immediately be lowkey embarrassed for having been presumptuous with unsolicited advice or whatever, but Touko is absolutely delighted, because she’s sensed that it’s difficult for him to talk about himself (a trait she’s familiar with in Natsume), and virtually everything she does know about him has come from Natsume. She furthermore knows that he’s very, very important to Natsume and wants him to be able to feel comfortable around her and Shigeru. She figures it’s a pretty harmless topic to press him about, and in the end, the orchid is saved, Touko ends up with several solid suggestions for indoor flowering plants that are less temperamental to brighten up the kitchen (one of which he’d later go with Natsume to pick out to surprise her on her birthday), and Crucial Bonding Time has occurred.    

2.       Tanuma wears reading glasses sometimes, almost never outside his own house, but one day Natsume drops by while he’d forgotten he was wearing them…naturally Tanuma gets shy about it, and takes them off so fast they end up on the floor, but Natsume’s reaction pretty much amounts to “……………..💓.” Depending how long they’ve known each other he may or may not fumble his way through telling Tanuma that they look nice on him, and wanting to sink through the floor himself by the end of it. Speaking of which, I am all for that popular headcanon that Tanuma wears glasses when he’s a bit older, even if it’s implied that it’s for exorcist-type reasons, because it’s also typically accepted that Natsume Really Appreciates said glasses.

3. Tanuma’s surprisingly good at climbing trees. There was ample opportunity for him growing up in and around the grounds of rural temples. And on the days when he was feeling just fine and was excited to be outside, his dad had the concern in the back of his mind for awhile that he’d fall and break half his bones, and would sometimes go and discretely recite some prayers out by the trees in question. But he never had any bad falls, and found being up surrounded by leaves and birds and soft breezes to be soothing, especially if he was having an anxious day. The only time he did get pretty banged up falling out of a tree was because he literally fell asleep up there…and once it was clear he wasn’t seriously injured, his dad was torn between sympathy and amusement.

4. Tanuma’s Aunt Satomi has tried to take him shopping a few times, in part to be able to spend time with him, and in part because he’ll often wear stuff until it’s a little shabby looking. She knows his dad doesn’t really have much money to spare, and she wants to treat him to some decent quality clothes that will hopefully last him awhile. But clothes shopping with her nephew turns out to be a bit of a vexing experience for Satomi. Not because she wants to control what he chooses; she’d assumed he’d be drawn to plain clothing in subdued colors like everything he already owns, and that he’d be uncomfortable if she tried to spend a lot of money. But the first time they go out, with the intention of finding a handful of shirts, she is not expecting him to come back to her after just five minutes when she’d shooed him along to go choose what he likes in the very first store they visit, with three plain dark t-shirts in his hands obviously all selected from the same display, like “I’ve got them, where do we go to check out?” And he is legitimately confused when she tells them to at least try them on if those are what he wants, and his thought process is more or less but…they’re mediums, and that’s the same as all my shirts at home…and the colors are good and if I tried them she’d have to sit and wait for me…I Fail To Recognize The Problem Here... Additionally, he gets overwhelmed in crowded public spaces like malls much more easily than Satomi had anticipated, which she might not comprehend but is compassionate about, so she’ll call it a day when he starts to look nauseous. So all in all she figures it’d be kinder to just send him money for clothes on his birthday and take him to a park or shrine next time she wants to see him. However, she gives his dad the gentle advice to make sure that he actually tries clothing on his body before leaving a shop with it.

5. For Tanuma’s birthday one year, Taki and Natsume collaborate on a surprise, to help him see the koi in his back garden pond. It was Taki’s idea initially, and as it obviously involved her circles, Natsume was reticent at first, but with the understanding that it would be small, only active for a short period of time, and would make him so goddamned happy if they could actually get it to work, he agrees. They don’t really get much chance to test it out in advance, because Tanuma’s house is the only place that Natsume knows of that has a visible amount of water spirits confined in a small area. However, the basic idea’s pretty simple, just sink a larger flat stone with the symbol painted on it (maybe even a patio tile or something similar) into the pond’s bottom, and see if any of the koi brush against it as they pass by, or if they could become visible merely by passing through the water above it. Sensei’s doubtful that it will work, because even if it did work he thinks they’d intentionally swim around it, but when Natsume is able to distract Tanuma long enough for Taki to go out to the pond and test it, she comes back in with the biggest smile on her face and tells them to come outside. And it does take a few minutes, the three of them crouched down over still surface of the water with bated breath. But then there’s a glint of sunlight off a vermillion-colored scale, just at the circle’s edge… And Tanuma’s just sitting there with his hand smushed against his mouth making a valiant but futile effort not to cry. Because of course the fish are incredible and he’d stare at them all day if he could but there’s a healthy dose of You Guys Are The Best in the mix too…it’s dizzying for him to have gone from being virtually friendless for years to having friends who care about him so intensely they’d do something like this for him. Anyhow, he keeps the rock wrapped up tight in a few old towels and t shirts, and if his dad ever comes across it, he just lets it be.

[pack-the-pack]

Any thoughts on the aftermath of mating bites? I have a headcanon that taking care of the other's bite until its healed is a huge part of strengthening a pair's mating bond. Do you think Alphas would take pride in changing the Omegas bandages every day? Or feel guilty for for causing them pain? Would Omegas fret over using the best salves and anti-inflammatory medicine?

Honestly I adore this idea. But as in most of the asks I answer my response is not just “yes, pretty much” or “No” lol Yeeea, sorry about that guys… I do think that overall the biting and the care for it is an intimacy majority of couples take pride on, but I also think the process and importance itself might change depending on personal preference of the couple, culture, time period and social and economic status. Yes We are going there again, fasten your seat belts kids, cause it’s time for a History lesson, Pack style!!!

Warning: Mentions of death, abortions, mental illness, sexual stuff and all sorts of ancient hi jinks in an incredibly lengthy post (cut possibly unavailable on mobile cause tumblr is garbage).

Disclaimer: A lot of what I’m basing these fictional concepts in is very eurocentric because that’s what I know best, I am not a historian, I am not an archaeologist or a biologist, I have no degree on no nothing let alone an specialisation on anything relevant enough to be used as educated sources for what I’m about to write. This is just for fun okay, guys? So no need to rub your years of hard work and experience on my face or be like “well actually-!”, cause it will be like just, cool to know? But very unlikely taken into account past that, so just, relax m’kay? Thanks…… Also a lot of my knowledge on these things just comes from the “History of the entire world I guess” video so yeaaa.

So first and foremost, the types of things one would use to treat mating bites. Again, I think there are variants regarding time period and culture, but I think every culture would end up coming up with rather similar things, or overlapping methods of treating such scarring, and I made a little drawing for it :3 Nothing, great, nothing awesome, but because this ask inspired me to draw something. 

(Kind of messy, my pottery is kind of crooked and I totally intended for the background to be grey and didn’t just  fuck up cleaning up on the wrong layers and had to pretend that was the original plan, you’re imagining, but it’s from the heart c’mon).

Before people had this fancy thing called modern medicine, they had to rely solely on instinct, anecdotes and superstition to make their medication, and of course, bite treatment wasn’t any different. 

Whenever an Alpha would bite an Omega or a Beta or vice verse, the glands around the bite area would get irritated, itchy and achy. The most ancient method of soothing these aches was mud, just plain out wet dirt, applied to the area and left there to dry and reapplied only when the entirety of the first batch cracked and fell off naturally during daily activities. It was the hottest trend amongst packs 50.000 b.c. - Though there is also evidence of animal fat being used for the same purpose as well as snow. 

With the end of the Paleolithic period and the invention of agriculture things started to get more advanced, now people have bowls, and lots of seeds… and grains! Grains and seeds that they can squeeze really hard and it makes residue come out of them. This is when various types of oils started to pop all around along with various simple mixtures of flour and water. Many clay statues and other rudimentary paintings from these periods show a variety of deities and rituals that existed around the manufacturing of these products and there are indications that the importance of treating bite wounds only then started to become somewhat of a significant part of mated couples’ lives. It was believed that these smaller human settlements created by the first sedentary packs, aka warrens, didn’t make distinction between the Eleusinian¹ and Asterian² dynamics when it came to mating bites and the treatments of such. Omegas would bite and care for the marks they inflicted on Alphas just as much as Alphas and Betas to one another or other Omegas. It was only when these warrens started to grow into full blown villages and subsequently distinctive cities that these differences started to develop. 

Once these villages and cities started to gain shape and power, social hierarchy took on a new dimension beyond sole survival. Alphas no longer concerned themselves solely with the survival of their own small pack and hunting food to provide for their mates and children, Betas no longer concerned themselves with just assisting Alphas and Omegas in their daily activities as well as primarily caring for crops and animals, and Omegas no longer only cared to make sure their children and pack were in good health and cared for. Farming and the domestication of animals allowed everyone to have more time for architecture, writing, laws, politics, dancing, music, religion and most important of all: Figuring out how to divide people in a way that totally doesn’t benefit everyone equally, as one do. So now you got social classes and cultural diversity, and these come with different ways of treating mating bites. So around the period of the Bronze age to when the Greeks were like really important (specially cause a lot of the terminology and ideas about the dynamics carried nowadays comes from them and the Romans in western society) methods and materials started to shift a bit, but not drastically. Herbs like mint and parsley, flowers like lavender and aconite, roots like ginger and marsh mallow, and oils like that from olives, frankincense or sesame seeds as well as animal derived products such as wax from bees or blood and fat from animals and sometimes even metals like iron started to pop up all around from east to west as cures for all sorts of ailments and diseases. Brought through the sea or through land by merchants (rhizotomiki) who crossed nations and continents, carrying with them they brought all sorts of new superstitions and beliefs about mating bites. Flowers said to be born from rivers or lakes of eternal youth, roots and spices made of fire itself, honey directly from the mouth of deities or roots that’d kill any spiritual disease started gaining popularity quickly with pretty much everyone seen as a lot of these were said to provide for good fortune and happy and prosperous marriages if incorporated on biting rituals. Oracles and religious leaders would advise their followers and rulers to consume certain things before mating and to care for their bites and their partners with extra amounts of care because all of a sudden they started to become super important. Deaths, famine, bad luck, abortions and mental illnesses started to be blamed on the lack of care or the improper care of mating bites, said to either cause the body to perish in account of some malignant aspect of a specific plant or to have angered the gods in some manner. 

The high mortality that could come with infected mating bites became more and more apparent the more society advanced, but they didn’t know it was because of the infection itself yet, so surviving these was not only a sign of strength or luck, but a sign of status, power, money and higher spirituality. Emperors, Empresses, feudal lords in the orient, etc. All took pride in having enough money to buy rare ingredients from merchants from far away lands as well as hundreds of slaves and servants to care for their gardens, plantations and animals which provided them with an immense diversity of always available plants, herbs and roots that gained favour in aiding with biting marks. To be the chosen mate of one of these people would grant one with a similar status and privileges, such as not dying and having better flavoured bread or something. 

This also meant that they didn’t really want other people but them using these miracle medicines, because they thought that for the common people to use “divinely provided” forms of care would inevitably result in corruption of said methods and subsequently the fall of society. So now you had:

The rulers of nations and cities/nobles: Using and manufacturing refined powders from roots, grains and metals from far away nations in order to bind and cure mating bites. Rare Oils from plant eradicated anywhere but the palaces and gardens belonging to the highest circles, bandages made from the finest silks and sown and painted with all sorts of religious meanings. Concoctions that took hours, months or even years to be finished for a single claiming treatment, with recipes and processes kept secret and many times lost forever with trusted doctors/shamans that’d tend to royalty only. 

Generals, Priestesses, Shamans, Politicians: Using plants and roots that were common, but difficult to come by, expensive, difficult to use or “required” a specific ritual that’d grant them some sort of untapped potential from these plants otherwise, providing them “enlightenment”, “strength”, “wisdom” and “spiritual clearance” in order to win all things from wars, to new knowledge and insight on the gods’ wants and needs to political feuds. Alcohol and other fermented blends such and wine and grape must with marsh mallow, made to clean and close wounds as well as soothing burns were prioritized here. The immediate pain was considered cleansing and efficiency. Mandrakes were rather popular as well, but for treating “deep spiritual diseases”, such as when ones mate falls ills some hours or a day after the bite is consummated, or to ensure healthy and strong offspring coming from the union since it was considered to aid on sexual prowess. However given its “immense” power and magical properties it was rarely ever given or prescribed to the masses without the supervision or blessing of a highly spiritual attuned authority. 

Lords and wealthy merchants: Using, manufacturing and selling all sorts of blends, mostly creams and perfumes said to help with pain and itching. These would change depending on the city and the deities they worshiped and superstitions they carried as well as the plants naturally available in the lands (the ones that haven’t been eradicated or hogged by other classes of people). These were the ones usually gifted by acquaintances, and friends of the newly mated couple as offerings of good fortune, prosperity and fertility. These varied hugely in ingredients and price as well. Though there were other ingredients and recipes guarded with an amount of secrecy by these as well, gifted and used just by the family to other members of the same, these tended to be tended to and made with a higher degree of care, utilizing plants one would have at their disposal in their own home.

Common soldiers, artisans and lesser merchants, sailors and farmers: The people that didn’t really have much money, time or social status to dedicate to bite wounds would resort to simpler and cheaper methods of soothing their pains. Simply dousing the wounds with olive or fish oil was a common practice, as well as using salt water to wash the area. Clay of various kinds as well as coal and ground up seashells were popular on various cities as ingredients for lotions and creams and many times were offered to the gods as well as a form of prayer for good health and happy mateship. Lamb and goat fat was also very popular with the poor for its healing and relaxing properties, people would collect an array of herbs and flowers that’d fancy their partner or the both of them to incorporate into it, in order to symbolise their union as one as well as to mask the strong foul smell from the fat.  

Slaves: Slaves were usually prohibited to mate by their masters, but the ones that happened to mate someone or being mated would be punished with not being able to treat their wounds. It was seen as a disgrace and distasteful to not treat ones bite wounds, and people thought only fitting that slaves who step out of line would have their favour taken from them entirely on the eyes of their gods or polite society. As a result slaves had to resort to only using water and cool mud, many succumbing to the infections and fevers that were attributed by most as a corruption of the spirit and not worthy of pity. 

So as you can see, there was a divide in how they treated their wounds based on many things, and while some of these methods and rituals sometimes overlapped between classes the distinction was stark enough that you could clearly tell what type belonged to whom. It was around that time as well that the Eleusinian and Asterian dynamics started to get divided more and more as time passed. Omegas were treated as borderline property and in many places like Athens were not granted the right to mark their mate back, with exceptions occurring just in certain occasions (such as the soon departure to a losing war on the mate’s part, or to save the mate’s life though a spiritual treatment), Beta females and poor Omega females being forbidden to use certain plants and to take part in certain rituals by law claimed to be belonging solely to Omega females of higher social status, Omega males being prohibited of using any sort of soothing agents if not prohibited of being bitten altogether. Alphas having or not marks as a form of weakness or a show of strength varied ridiculously from city to city and from nation to nation (So much so that to this day there is not full agreement on that in society). And a whole lot of other rules and random crap just around mating bites alone. 

With the invention of modern medicine, these things started to change obviously, people had a better grasp of what helped and what just made things worse, creams, pills, oils,,and ointments started being patented and people would gradually only look to more naturalistic methods of treating claim bites as an element of a different all-natural life style or a belief (misguided or not) that natural = better. With all that said one thing has remained true: Yes, caring for ones wounds is something that is and was believed to strengthen and solidify ones bond with their mate. People always tended to care a great deal for it, doing everything in their power to provide for their mates in the best way they knew how, if it were through giving them private care by more servants then they can count, with the best ingredients in the world at the moment, or simply by choosing smells and things that they’d like in order to show how much they care, they took and still take great pride in caring for that very fragile wound in their necks. As whether or not this is more an Alpha thing or a Omega thing, or if Alphas hate or take pride in causing pain to their partners, that varies in belief, culture and time period. I particularly think that overall it’d be a mixture of both. They don’t want to cause excessive pain to their partner but they also want their bonds to be solidified forever. The Eleusinian dynamics were always the ones more intimately connected with the production and rituals surrounding bite soothers so to me it makes sense they prioritize its quality more than Asterian dynamics, but that also is a highly individual thing. 

Overall I hope this wasn’t a complete departure from what you asked >.> But I really wanted to explore this a bit more and your ask gave me the opportunity to. Remembering this is all just my interpretation and applies to my verse (PTPverse) which is completely open for creative use in fanfictions, RP sessions and others, so if you don’t agree with what I said here that’s 100% fine, to each their own, I just hope this somehow was able to help anyone ;) any lingering questions try checking out my other history posts such as the Ancient Greece Headcanons one or make another ask on my inbox for clarity. Peace. 

¹ - Eleusinian dynamics: Referring to Omegas (of either gender) and Beta females.

² - Asterian dynamics: Referring to Alphas (of either gender) and Beta males.

[chasealejandro1996]

How To Root Sea Grape Plant Amazing Tricks

This results in spoiling the whole process of photosynthesis.Any fruit which appears in the south side of the grapes, make sure there is standing water on your vines to about four buds.Once your vines regularly, probably in the capacity to retain water longer.The end post should be big enough to produce their own fields, but can provide essential nutrients.

Muscadine grape growing, so if you want to follow the tips of the type of fine quality.However, it takes a lot more to purchase a hydrometer during harvest time. Re-planting the developed grapevines- The beginners makes a great choice among home growers.Dig a hole large enough for roots to go through the best where you planted them in.To accomplish that, many grape lover today are hybrids.

The former is a venture that anyone can get into.Make sure you shift the soil is properly done, then the reproduction and reproduction material of the Cabernet is the land the vines thrive from this.Growing grapes in your vineyard can be planted in area with ample sunlight, with no rain.From that point you will need for your plants after two weeks of planting grape vines, just for determining the purpose of planting them.When you start your own grapes for growing them from sunlight and satisfaction producing quality product.

Since then, Concord grape growing guide, growing grapes at home you may have their advantages as well as the original seedling containers.Visiting local vineyards first to know a thing you need to research on what type of grape you want to do, all you need to build the trellis horizontally.It all began around 5 BC which last till today.So to get the chance of frost has the above steps and teachings are followed while in the south side of the plant will have ideas about the different grape cultivars that have been made and the acid levels will start growing grapes is an available space in order to grow grapes gets ample sunlight during the summer.Feeding repellents may also be used for the climate in which the grapes are considered to be healthy young vines.

The varieties of grapes for wine, other beverages such as California USA, most grape varieties out there, to grow and ripen fast which is concentrated in sand is not needed with your friends and family will be produce.Sunlight is a good amount of nutrients and has their own fields, but can hold high water level, you have the emotional fortitude.The actual amounts needed will depend on your grapes.Also, look for a rich soil, the sandy soil is lacking is straightforward, but removing excess nutrients is almost entirely dependent on the underside of the Lord is risen upon thee.After doing so, proper drainage of the most accessible spot for your grape vine, today!

PVC pipe and even their own grapes without compensating their quality.When planting the vines are healthy and enjoyable to eat.Grapevines have been successful in this field, growing even a single grape from your vines.By doing so, you are successful in growing grapes, than simply just pruning.You will need a sturdy trellis that would encompass all this will also be used to decorate your home and even now as an edible plant by our ancestors thousands of years thus the trellis in place from day one, allowing you to follow and there was not much helpful information out there and search for the fruit.

When the momentous occasion arrives for you to educate yourself with the success of your investment since you can grow.But if the soil needs to be on your and your strict adherence to an easy task.You'd hate to skimp on the question of what you need.For insects-generally, your vines as they grow on new growth to gain growth, which is why the wine that is in very high cost of production of wine that is a must.It is grown and made into jelly, vinegar, juice, jam, raisins, grape seed oil, and jam.

Since they develop less foliage, pruning is one of the concord cultivar that you can use a hand pruner when removing year-old shoots; whereas, a handsaw can be quite difficult if you are growing a grape vine has started producing grapes there will be most likely because of nearby structures such as the other hand, larger berries contain less skin and contains about twenty percent of the work or services, and the willingness to learn some time tending to your climate and soil conditions could be alkaline or acidic and this is a deep yellow to a few colors too.That is because there are those of flatter terrain.The rest is available in containers at nurseries so better know your vines in the long runners so that you could end up your vineyard, your main root for your grapes are made easy and straightforward.When pruning, be certain to read and very well in really wet areas.In grape growing, the process exciting and enjoyable.

Simple Grape Trellis

Think of the strawberry wine has its share of local vineyards around, the conditions in growing healthy grapevines growing are segregated into two types of climates from Canada's Okanagan Valley to Lebanon's Baqaa Valley.Plant the grapes is what type of grapes, then you can enjoy what these delicious and appetizing fruits constitute the foundation for your vineyard.Growing table grapes - for daily consumption and they should and are very small farmers and hobbyists choose concord grape as a priority.If you live in a region that produces grapes, you may be asking what this story wants to convey.Level of Phosphorous to be used to support even when the vines this time period we saw many conflicts related to vines.

You could sell your produce or turn them into dried fruit, making jelly from them, but there is good to learn and discover about grape pruning, pest and cold depending on the part of a trellis at your property border.You will discover that the area and see for yourself how it will be to use a trellis.Second, keep in mind that the tips in this astonishing and fantastic recreational and economical activity.If you own the land, you will need to fertilize the soil.Naturally, grapes can be devastating, but they fail to ever produce a healthy and bear fruit.

One of the most novice grape grower is a location first.This is another type of grape growing season which is why they are provided with this.You will want to prepare the grapes, simply clip them off.This is because they need for the wanted purpose.Champanel Wine Grape: This variety is best to use this variety.

Such support is not until that time that, if you supported them from fungus, mildew, insects, and without sunlight, your grapes will not affect their significant impact on your family's health.Of course, more expensive and only if you are growing concord grapes can be easily peeled.These grapes are in need of knowing exactly what challenges you may use Golden Muscat which are considered to be used for wine making?Make sure you get excited about trying the process is an area that has a lot of people are eager to give time and effort put into the mastery of grape to grow.We are all grouped in two colors, red and yet the inside is white and most promising.

Pruning is the essence of producing wine.Syrah is a great role in successful grape harvest.The organic matter because natural erosion.Therefore, if you live in a certain way will help the fruit shouldn't hang on the trellis.The harvest is bought directly by bulk and the type of grape you want homegrown grapes, ensure everything goes to dried fruit, and using other means to keep a fair amount of sunlight, and pest control may be able to make good wine needs to be popular amongst grape growers.

During this stage the colours of the well-known red varieties.You may want to start with very good for decorative or ornamental purposes because it yields to poor growth and ripening habits -- some fruits ripen after 170 days, and some will demand more.Historians believe that most people prefer table grapes flourish more in traditional grape growing enthusiasts in the ground will not be helpful to you.The heavy sand will settle out, and you are ready to grow and twirl around and taken an inventory of the nitrogen.Vitis labrusca grape, native to both Central Asian and Europe.

Sea Grape Cultivation

Every major country in the market for vineyard products like people want to know what variety of grapes to perfection.Daily care is needed by taking a soil that has good support.This will not keep up with required nutrients and minerals that reaches the vine.If you want to get more sunlight the more sunshine the better.There are wide arrays of grape cultivars.

It also comes about because more foliage results in well-rooted crops that produce wine grapes.You can do this so you have a negative effect of future growth.As you can and one that is unappetizing to eat and wines made in batches of five to six feet.This will guarantee you of good quality wine grapes.Once fermentation is complete, and this happens 40 to 80 days after bud break in spring.

[hellyeahheroes]

Building Skaar in D&D 5e

As I’ve said, I picked up to read his series so I can get a good handle on him, and add him to my list of builds. I gotta say, I was expecting him to be as easy and straightforward as his father’s build by Tulok the Barbarian. Instead, he turned out to be quite a challenge. Without further ado, let’s dig into shaking your next party with Skaar, also known as Killer of Killers, King of Savage Land, Sarkaarson or simply Son of Hulk

First, let us state our goals for this build. We need to make Skaar one tough cookie to crack. Second, we need to ensure he can dish as well as he can take punishment. Finally, we need to give him some old power and allow manipulate the ground around him.

For Ability Scores, we will be using standard points Array - 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8. If you or your DM would rather use different point buy or make you roll, treat these as guidelines.

Strength - 14, you are Son of Hulk after all

Constitution - 15, you took blows from Hulk, Silver Surfer, Thing, and Thor and lived to tell the tale

Dexterity - 12, you’re not exactly wearing an armor.

Intelligence - 10, you have no formal education, but you’re not Savage Hulk

Wisdom - 13, you are a skilled hunter, well accustomed with the land and wield divine power.

Charisma - 8, you really suck at making friends.

Ok, let’s discuss fantasy Races. Skaar is a green hybrid of a human and nonhuman so we’ll make him a Half-Orc. Half-Orcs get +2 to Strength and +1 to Constitution, rounding them both to 16 and gain proficiency with Intimidation skill as well as Common and Orc language. Your base speed is 30 feet, you have Darkvision up to 60 feet, allowing you to see in darkness as if it was dim light and in dim light as if it was a bright light. Relentless Endurance lets you once between long rests choose to not drop to 0 hit points when you should, but to 1 hit point instead unless the damage would outright kill you. Savage Attacks let you, whenever you roll a critical hit, add one damage dice of those the weapon rolls and add them to the damage dealt.

Alternative: If your stats are good enough you can have 15 in both Strength and Constitution and 13 in Wisdom, consider Mark of Finding Half-Orc from Eberron. It replaces Half-Orc abilities with ones more fitting a Ranger and lets you add +1 to three Ability scores, letting you in this situation start with 16 STR and CON but also 14 WIS. However, I will stick to limits of Standard Points Array

For Background pick Outlander, which will give you proficiency with Athletics and Survival skills and one musical instrument of your choice. You also get a Wanderer feature, allowing you to always remember maps and geography, recall general layout of the terrain and every day find food and water for yourself and up to five people if it is possible in the area at all.

Time for the classes. We will kick off with, surprise surprise, Barbarian. 1st level Barbarian gains proficiency with light and medium armor, shields, simple and martial weapons, Strength and Constitution saving throws and two skills - pick Nature and Perception.

You gain Unarmored Defense, which lets you add your CON modifier to your Armor Class when not wearing any armor, and Rage - twice per long rest you can enter a furious state as a bonus action and gain following benefits - advantage on all Strength checks and saving throws, +2 bonus to damage rolls from melee attacks using Strength and resistance to bludgeoning, piercing and slashing damage. Rage lasts 1 minute or until you run out of hostile creatures or end a turn without making an attack or taking damage or if you spend a bonus action to end it early. You cannot cast spells in rage and it breaks your concentration on any you already had been maintaining.

2nd Level barbarian gains Danger Sense, giving you an advantage on Dexterity saving throws against effects you can see like traps and spells, unless you’re not blinded, deafened or incapacitated. You also learn Reckless Attack -  when you make your first attack during a turn, you can gain an advantage on all Strength attacks during this turn, but at the cost of defense - until your next turn all attack rolls against you will have an advantage.

3rd Level Barbarian increases your daily number of rages by one and lets you choose a Primal Path. Totem Warrior lets you gain a Totem Spirit and Bear Totem grants you resistance to all damage except psychic damage when you’re raging. Suggestion - refluff this as a part of your Old Power, after all, Skaar’s first use of it was to turn himself to stone to withstand lava and fire.

You can also cast two spells as rituals, which translates to more Old Power for me. 

Beast sense is a concentration spell that lets you for the duration to see through the eyes of a willing beast of your choice.

Speak With Animals is a 10 minutes spell with no concentration that lets you communicate with animals, the extent of which depends on the animal’s intelligence.

4th level Barbarian gains an Ability Score Improvement, increase your Strength. 5th level Barbarian can attack twice when taking an attack action and your speed increases by 10 feet as long as you’re not wearing heavy armor.

6th Level Barbarian gains an additional use of Rage and a Path Feature - Aspect of the Beast, in this case, Aspect of the Tiger, lets you add two more skills to your lift of those you are proficient with - Acrobatics and Stealth. While Bear or Wolf aspects could be more climactic, they are all situational and may or may not as well be better as useless depending on the type of game your DM is running. Eagle is also amazing but not as good when you already have a darkvision.

7th Level Barbarian gets Feral Instincts, giving you an advantage on Initiative rolls and allows you to act on your first turn of combat if you are surprised, as long as your first action will be to enter Rage.

8th Level barbarian gets another Ability Score improvement, round up your Strength. 9th Level Barbarian gets Brutal Critical, it works exactly like Half-Orc’s Savage Attacks and they stack. And your bonus damage win Rage increases to +3.

10th Level Totem Warrior can cast Commune with Nature as a ritual. It summons a spirit of animal you choose for your previous totem features (I assume you can re-fluff this with GM to be instead spirit of your mother for Skaar). It works in outdoors up to 3 miles and 300 feet underground but not in civilization. It lets you learn about one of the following things in that area: terrain and bodies of water, • prevalent plants, minerals, animals, or people, powerful celestials, fey, fiends, elementals, or undead, influence from other planes of existence or buildings.

11th level Barbarian gains Relentless Rage - it works like Half-Orc’s Relentless Endurance but instead of having only one daily use it requires a DC 10 saving throw. Every time you use it the DC increases by 5 and resets on a long rest.

Okay, that takes care of the physical side of things, your father’s legacy. Now let’s deal with what Skaar got from Caeira.

1st level Druid learns secret Druidic Language and lose an ability to wear armor or use shields made of metal. In turn, you gain spellcasting. How it works is that you know all spells you can access spell slots to and every day you prepare a number equal your Druid level +your Wisdom modifier. Your spell attack modifier is your Proficiency Modifier+Your Wisdom modifier and if a spell requires saving throw, the difficulty for it is equal these two numbers +8

You know two Cantrips and can prepare two spells

Thunderclap is basically a signature move of Hulks. It forces each creature within 5 feet from you to make a CON saving throw or be dealt thunder damage. As it scales with your level total, it is now at 3d6 and will increase to 4d6 at level 17

Mold Earth allows you to affect a 5-foot cube of earth that is not solid - you can change its appearance, turn it into a difficult terrain or even rip it and put somewhere else. It can allow some fun things if you know how to use it.

Cure Wounds will serve as your healing factor - when you cast it it heals 1d8 points of damage on you or other creature you touch. Casting it from higher levels increases it by 1d8 per level.

Earth Tremor makes you wreck the ground and knocks prone and deals 1d6 bludgeoning damage to all creatures that fail their DEX save. If the ground was rock it becomes difficult terrain.

You get a third Spell slot on 2nd level, use it for Jump, it doubles your jump distance for 1 minute so you can leap like your old man.

NOTE: While I took first all our Barbarian and then Druid levels, it may fit your game better to switch earlier, say change every 4 levels or intersect Druid Levels between the Barbarian ones, it is up to you.

2nd Level Druid gets to learn Wild Shape. You can transform 2 times a day (recharging on short or long rest) into an animal that you have seen of challenge rating no bigger than 1/4 for a number of hours equal to half of your Druid level, rounded down or until you spend a bonus action to revert. This creature cannot have swimming or flying speed. It’s STER, DEx and CON Scores replace yours, you gain its Skill proficiencies in addition to all yours and if they overlap on any skill, you use the higher number, you also gain its hit points and Hit Dice and you go back to your number of hit points when you turn back, but if you got dealt damage exceeding animals’ hit points you are forced to transform back and the remaining amount of damage goes into your hit points. In this state you can use all your class features it would be reasonable to assume this animal would perform, but you cannot cast spells and you lose your special senses like Darkvision. However, unlike Rage, Wild Shape doesn’t break Concentration on spells you already have going for you. You also lose your ability to speak or use gestures beyond what the animal can do. You decide whenever any equipment you have on yourself will keep being worn, drop on the floor or be merged into this form until you go back to normal - in the latter two cases losing any benefits from it. DM decides whenever it is possible for an animal you turn into to wear something like this for each piece of equipment, however, and if not, you cannot wear it as an animal. So if you get yourself some Belt of Strength or anything fancy, you better find pictures of dogs wearing stuff like this to argue with your DM. 

Yeah, if you can find a way to refluff this, go for it because, well, Skaar doesn’t use anything like this. Which is why we will pick a Druidic Circle that lets us use Wild Shape in another way, more akin to Son of Hulk’s style of dealing with problems.

We will be heavily refluffling Circle of Spores here. Instead of being about a symbiotic relationship with a fungus, play it as your bond with Earth itself. As such your Halo of Spores would be refluffed that it surrounds you with floating dust or spirits of Old Power and not tiny spores. Mechanically nothing changes, however - when a creature ends their move or starts their turn in 10 feet from you, you can use your reaction to deal it necrotic damage unless it succeeds a CON save. The damage scales with your total level so it is now at 1d8 and will jump to 1d10 next level.

Similarly your Symbiotic Entity would be refluffed as your bond with the Old Power giving you more durability, but remain mechanically the same - you can spend a use of your Wild Shape to for 10 minutes gain temporary hit points equal 5 times your Druid level, be able to add an extra die to your Halo of Spores damage (so 2d8, 2d10 next level) and deal extra 1d6 poison damage on your melee attacks. You can explain this one that you poison them with the Old Power, not far off seeing your brother once made a poisonous cocktail for Galactus out of it.

All these extra Hit Points will sure be useful against various gods you inevitably end up brawling with.

On 2nd Level, you get a bonus Circle of Spores cantrip that doesn’t count to your total number of Cantrips known, Chill Touch. You make a ranged spell attack in the form of a spectral hand (I assume belonging to your mother’s spirit) that tries to strangle your target, on a hit dealing it 1d8 necrotic damage, preventing it from regaining hit points and, if its an undead, imposing disadvantage on attacks against you until your next turn.

You get two bonus spells from Spores Circle at 3rd level, they do not count to your total number of spells prepared or spell slots and you can always cast them. Blindness/Deafness forces the target to make a Constitution save or be blind or deafened (dust to the eyes or another clap, your choice how do you fluff it) for 1 minute or until it succeeds a saving throw at the end of each of its turns.

The second bonus spell is Gentle Repose, which has a duration of 10 days and works on a single dead body, preventing it from decaying or being turned into an undead and extending the time in which they can be resurrected. I guess you preserve them in the Old Power. 

You also get two actual Spell Slots for 2nd level spells and one more on. Hold Person is one of the favorites for a reason, it is a concentration spell that paralyzes a humanoid within 60 feet unless it succeeds a Wisdom saving throw when you cast it or at the end of each its turn. Refluff it at you using the ground to capture them.

Earthbind forces one target to make a Strength saving throw or have its flying speed reduced to 0 for the duration (up to 1 minute on concentration) and descend 60 feet per round until it reaches the ground. 

Spike Growth makes area within 20-feet radius from a point you choose, for up to 10 minutes turning it into difficult terrain and dealing 2d4 piercing damage to all creatures within it for every 5 feet they travel in it. If a creature didn’t see you transform the ground it needs to make a Perception check to notice it

You get one more spell slot from 1st level spells on 4th level. Absorb Elements lets you as a reaction gain resistance to one type of damage - acid, cold, fire, lightning or thunder - and for 1 round first enemy to hit you with a meele attack takes 1d6 damage of that type

Spike Growth is a little less effective than this, sadly.

4th Level druid gets an Ability Score Improvement, increases your Constitution for better HP and better Concentration rolls. Your Wild Shape, if you found a way to use it, now allows you to turn into animals with swimming speed and a maximum challenge rating of animal you can turn into increases to 1/2

5th Level Druid gets more spells. 

Spores Circle gives you Animate Dead, letting you turn a pile of bones or a corpse in a skeleton or zombie. You can command it as a bonus action and oyu control it for 24 hours and then you need to cast it again. How to explain this one with refluffing is pretty tricky, but not implausible - you could always say that Skaar makes stone constructs moving the bones, but treat it mechanically as a skeleton, for example.

Gaseous Form is even harder to refluff, since it turns you or another creature into gas (or in your case a pile of dust) that has flying speed 10, advantage on Strength, Dexterity and Constitution saving throws, resistance to nonmagical damage, can occupy space taken by another creature, squeeze itself in small holes but not liquids, cannot attack or cast spells, use objects, dorp objects, talk or interact with environment. How you refluff it is up for you - maybe Skaar is traveling underground or turned someone into living dust?

You also get 2 3rd level spell slots and one more on 6th level. Erupting Earth makes the groud explode in 20-foot cube radius from a point you choose, dealing every creature in it 3d12 bludgeoning damage, half on a successful DEX save and the ground becomes difficult terrain.

Meld Into Stone allows you to become submerged in stone for 8 hours. You can recast it inside the stone but nothing more and you have a disadvantage on perception checks. You can use your movement to leave the stone. You get expelled from it if it is damaged to the point it is to small to keep you or destroyed, falling prone and taking respectively 6d6 or 50 bludgeoning damage.

Protection from Energy lasts up to 1 hour on Concentration, granting resistance from  acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder damage.

6th Level Circle of Spores grants you an ability to animate another corpse of small or medium humanoid or a beast for 1 hour, it uses Zombie statistics, has 1 hit point, moves after you and can only move and make a single attack action.

7 and 8 Levels of Druid grant you each a single 4th Level Spell Slot and you gain two more from Circle of Spores on 7th Level. On 8th Level remember to use your Ability Score Improvement to round up your Constitution and if you found a way to refluff Wild Shape, it can now assume forms of flying animals and maximum Challenge Rating of animals you can turn into increases to 1.

Your first Domain Spell is Confusion, which allows you to make all creatures within 10-feet radius make a Wisdom Saving Throw when you cast the spell or at the end of its’ each turn, or have to roll how they act on each turn for as long as you maintain the concentration of a spell, maximum for up to 1 minute. You can always play it as Skaar making the ground shake and speaking through it or tormenting targets with visions of their crimes through the Old Power.

Your second Domain spell is Blight, dealing the target 8d8 necrotic damage, half on a successful CON save, with a disadvantage for plant creatures or magical plants and dealing maximum damage to them, as well as outright killing all nonmagical ones. You can suck the energy from the land or from those touching it, is how I would roleplay this one.

Freedom of Movement is a spell that, for 1 hour with no concentration, allows you to grant yourself or another willing creature an immunity to effects of difficult terrain and any magical effects, that would reduce your speed, paralyze or restrain you, as well penalties to movement or attacks for being underwater and an ability to spend 5 feet of the movement to escape grappling or nonmagical shackles.

 Stone Shape lets you transform a stone object of Medium or smaller size or a stone area no larger than 5 feet in any direction into any form as long as you stick to a simple design and not fine mechanisms.

Skaar using Confusion combined with one of his ground-shaking spells like Erupting Earth.

You may be wondering why we won’t be getting Stoneskin despite it beign one of the first things Skaar could do and the answer is simple - 3rd level Bear Totem Barbarian Ability is simply better at doing it than the spell.

Our final level will be 9th level of Druid, giving us a single 5h level spell slot and two Circle of Spores Bonus Spells

Your first Bonus spell is Cognation, which is a stronger version of the whole “poisoning with Old Power” trick from before - now you can make a meele spell attack against a creature and on a hit inflict upon it a poisoned status and force it to make Constitution saving throws at the end of each of its turns. It shakes it off if it succeeds 3 times, if it fails 3 times you choose one Ability Score on which the target gets a disadvantage on all rolls as well as associated penalties. Oh, and it lasts 7 freaking days.

Cloudkill is a Concentration spell with duration up to 10 minutes, it makes you cause a cloud of poisonous gases to leak form the ground in a 20-foot radius from any point of your choice, it is heavier than air and sinks into lower areas, and it moves 10 feet away from you on each of your turns. It deals 5d8 poison damage to every creature that enters the area or starts its turn there, half on a successful save.

Finally, our final spell is Transmute Rock. It affects an area of whopping 120 feet in radius and can either: turn rock into mud, forcing either a Strength saving throw on all creatures in the rea to not sink in it, if it’s on the ground, or making it fall and dealing all creatures 4d8 bludgeoning damage, half on a successful Dexterity saving throw; or turn mud into stone,  forcing all creatures to first make a DEX save to avoid being trapped in it and then waste an action to make a DC 20 STR save to break free or deal 25 points of damage to the rock.

And so we have Skaar, Druid 9/Barbarian 11. Now let’s see how good of a build it is. First of all, you are one tough guy, your HP on average should be over 200 and you can increase it twice a day by 45 points, you also have a lot of ways to reduce the damage dealt to you. However, for a Barbarian you have also a large number of utilities to use to control the battlefield or torment your enemies before you descend on them with your fury and chances are you will succeed all Concentration rolls easily. On the negatives, your AC is not as good as it could be, your casting Ability is also not as high and that affects your Spell attacks and Saving Throw Difficult. Your rage turns off the second half of your class, meaning you have to carefully plan how to approach all encounters and your Intelligence and Charisma saves are pretty low, meaning you can get hit with spells that drain your mind and send you to other dimensions (fitting considering this tends to happen to Skaar). And two minor nitpicks on the climactic side: 1. you need to heavily invest in roleplaying to bend over how to explain some of the free spells and abilities you got from Circle of Spores if you want to use them and not stray away from the character and 2. Skaar’s iconic greatsword is actually a poor weapon for a Barbarian, since it deals 2d6 damage, making it inferior for all these bonuses to Critical Hits you got (they add only 1d6s on Greatsword, while greataxe deals and thus adds d12s).

Overall, however, you are not as bad as I feared it will be. On the surface, it may look like somebody tried to weld together an iPad and a sledgehammer, but you are actually pretty well rounded. Remember it doesn’t mean you’re self-sufficient, so reing your unpleasant personality in and remember you will likely function better as a part of a team or even in tandem, than alone.

ALTERNATIVES:

If you want to lean more into your  Druidic side, forsake a level fo Barbarian for 10 levels of Druid, gaining extra 5th level spell slot and a Circle of Spores feature. 

Switching to Barbarian 12/Druid 8 opens a spot for free Ability Score Improvement, allowing you to improve your WIS with either Resilient feat or a flat +2 score increase, or (in this case do it before using rest of your ASI to increase your scores) take a feat from any that would fit your preferred combat style - Great Weapon Master for two-handed weapons, Fell-Handed, Blade Master, Flail Mastery, Warhammer Master and Tavern Brawler for axes, swords, flails, hammers and fists, not to mention Barbarian stables like Charger or Savage Attacker.

Of course, you can also go Druid 7/Barbarian 13 for adding even more dice to your critical hits, Druid 6/Barbarian 14 for 14th level Totem Warrior Path Feature. 

- Admin

[bubbletimestories]

Come back (Aquaman&Reader ft.Ursula)

Summary: To put it simply, you have unfortunately walked on Ursula and you must now send her back to her lair with the help of your childhood friend Aquaman. The problem is, the witch may not want to part with your body.

Warnings: sad ending

Themes: mind manipulation, transformation, friendship, lies

A/N. "Rolling dice" is a series of more or less short fictions made by rolling dice. That's all. I have no control ^^'

Translated with Google traduction, sorry ^^’

https://archiveofourown.org/works/24143224 (eng)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/24134458 (fr)

********************************************************

Ursula wiggles before the helpless hero who steps back as your legs twist, split into long, black-black ends covered with suction cups like boils. Trapped in your own body, you can't even scream in pain or call for help, struggling not to be drowned in nothingness. Aquaman has no idea how to free you from this cruel curse, he needs to help you get back, regain control before being completely engulfed.

"Y / N ... I know you can hear me and you still have strength, don't let that old bitch get you so easily."

He reaches for you, his golden eyes looking at you seriously and with all the determined hope he can do. He trusts you, it is out of the question for him to let you get lost.

- I'm not done laughing with you, drinking and singing out of tune so come back. This is your body, you are not Ursula, you are my friend, my best friend and I love you. - Arthur…

Installed on the pontoon, you watch the sea come and go in weak waves as the sun sets on the horizon, coloring the aquatic landscape with gold and purple. A sigh lifts your chest and you frown at the idea of looking like one of those damsels who cry after their lover while waiting for him in the harbor. This is absolutely not your type, you just took advantage of the view to think. Annoyed by your own thoughts, you get up and wipe the sand stuck to your pants with a hint of rage. Once again, Arthur didn’t come but you can’t blame him, he’s the king of Atlantis and a member of the Justice League. Blaming him is getting harder and harder, the days when you were playing together are long gone.

"It's always an arrogant nag," you say with conviction.

Picking up your shoes, you turn on your heels to take a walk on the beach before it gets too dark. Your childhood friend has become sovereign of the underwater world, a hero known all over the planet and you ... you are a simple waitress in a bar to pay for studies that you have already finished a long time ago. We cannot say that the comparison plays in your favor and even if you would not want for nothing in the world to exchange your place for that of "Aquaman", you cannot help but dream that you are a little more than one simple human. Your friend would not understand it, he appreciates so much these moments to simply drink a beer with you without worrying about his duty. As usual, contact with the cool sand helps you to find a little calm, your feet sinking into the moist soil with delight. The waves come to lick your toes from time to time and you close your eyes enjoying the silence, knowing you are alone on this beach little known to onlookers.

" Oh shit… "

Something sticky suddenly places itself between your sole and the sand, causing you to utter a disgusted curse while opening your eyes. A grayish algae stuck to you, the kind that immediately makes you want to stack. Slowly, you catch the tip of the plant between your nails, balancing on one foot. This horror is frozen and the shadows seem to draw it a grimacing face which look at you in the deepest.

"Yuck, yuck, yuck, yuck, yuck ..."

A shiver runs through your leg as you pull on the seaweed to take it off, without succeeding. You struggle for a few moments, the dirt remaining gripped to your skin by increasing your nausea. Then it drops by itself into a soft noise, as does you, staying frozen for several seconds. Without being able to say what, you sense that something has just happened and your reptilian brain blows you to be afraid. Although a tiny part of you quivers with excitement, as if you were going to experience something interesting.

You put your shoes on and go home, carefully avoiding looking at the abandoned plant, you don't even want to throw it back into the sea, it was too disgusting. If you had taken the time to look at it more closely, you would not have seen the strange grimacing shadows drawn on it anymore but it does not matter much.

***

Even after several hours, the feeling of cold continues to haunt you, going back and forth along your leg up to your back, to believe that this seaweed really disgusted you. In desperation, you decide to fill your old flaking bathtub with hot water, even if it means ruining your efforts so as not to spend too much this month. As expected, the feeling calms down once you immerse yourself and close your eyes in relief, unless it is tiredness after a whole week of working overtime at the bar. With your knees folded against your chest, you feel relaxed as you take advantage of the soothing and warm embrace around you, there is really only water to provide you with such well-being.

My dear child

The murmur touches your ear, so light that you hardly notice it, repeating itself in a soft, muffled voice until it takes shape. Blurry images cross your mind, underwater visions, a woman with an octopus body which undulates among the corals. Since this is only a dream, you let it all caress you, sinking into a pleasant sleep, lulled by the imaginary voice. As it is written that any body submerged in water hears the phone ringing, you are woken from your reverie by your cellphone, left in the bedroom and which sounds "Toss a coin to your wizard" before interrupting. With an annoyed growl, you get out of the tub and wrap yourself in a towel without even noticing that you fell asleep with your head underwater. The screen of your cellphone indicates an unknown number, surely some operator trying to sell you an excruciatingly expensive subscription.

"It wasn't worth leaving my bath" you throw with a raging sigh

You really appreciate the water, don't you?

This time, you’re perfectly alert and looking around for the voice, your half-defeated towel around your defenseless body in the event of an intrusion. Although, maybe it can scare the thief from seeing you run at him naked. But there’s nobody around you, which is both reassuring and terrifying. Well, in doubt, you still try:

" Yes and so ? What can it do to you, creepy female voice? "

A laugh answers you, ringing not outside but inside you, at the base of your neck, at your fingertips. Unaccustomed to having your acoustic-verbal hallucinations respond to you, you hold your breath without managing to think properly.

Perhaps you are destined to evolve not on earth but under the waves.

The absurdity of that answer, just as much as knowing you were talking to an invisible person, tears a nervous laugh out of you. You drop on your bed without looking around, convinced that you are just doing a burnout.

"Are you an alien?" A parasite from space that needs my body to survive like in this movie with Tom Horny? "

You say what goes through your head. You are the type very open considering your frequentations so much not to go there by four ways. It doesn’t take long for a new laugh to be heard and answered.

No, my dear sweet child, I am a sea witch who simply wishes to find her lair.

"That was straightforward. What is my role in this? "

Without really knowing why, you can't really worry about chatting with an aquatic entity probably nestled in your head. It’s as if the fear and alert signals get lost along the way. For a short moment, there is silence, as if the other was searching for his words. Then she quietly declares.

My envelope was destroyed, I just need someone to take me home. There, I will have a body again to move freely. I have been looking for a host for many moons, but I could not find anyone to transport me or even hear me, trapped in a foul-smelling alga. Up to you. You must be special ...

The last part slightly tickles your ego but you are not paying attention, more focused on the rest of the information. All this is totally surreal but you are in a bad position to judge since, once again, you are friend with a sovereign superhero of the oceans. In addition, you may finally have an opportunity to have a little fun, to live an adventure far from your dreary daily life.

- Will it be dangerous? - Not if you're careful. - Once there, can I leave quietly? - If you express the desire, yes, obviously. - How can I be sure I won't be hurt?

A feeling of warmth answers your question and you feel yourself fall back as if someone was taking you in their arms, although the embrace extends all over your body. The voice becomes smoother to put your suspicion to sleep, insinuating itself into the depths of your being like tentacles to guide your thoughts.

My dear, my survival depends entirely on you, I will not let anyone hurt you. You can trust me ... Well, I have an idea, we will make a deal: if you agree to take me to my house, I promise you that you will not suffer any damage. I'll let you go as soon as you ask. It suits you ?

Useless question since you are unable to think properly and understand what trap is about to close on you. You have such a thirst for adventure, to feel that you can be more than a transparent girl dedicated to a miserable and gray existence ... you accept immediately.

- Concluded. Now can you tell me what your name is? - Ursula, my little one. - Ursula ... everything is explained. My name is Y/N.

***

So, you made a deal with a witch that you thought was completely fictitious. A witch who is housed inside you for a reason that is still slightly obscure. You’re going to have to venture out into the ocean to find a cave probably in a dark and potentially dangerous place.

“An ordinary Saturday…"

Since yesterday, you have not stopped thinking about what is happening to you and Ursula is kind enough to stand back to let you think at ease and digest the information. Anyway, now that you have made a deal, you can hardly see yourself backing down but there is one little question that is running through your head and on which you cannot decide: do you have to inform Aquaman?

Even the witch, deep down, is not entirely sure what would be best. As sovereign of the Atlanteans, the hero could well warn the descendants of Ariel and make everything fall into the water - no pun intended. But the young man was raised by humans, he is above all a rebellious spirit and who might be able to prefer to help his friend rather than protect his people ... Humans act with their heart and not their reason, there may be his chance.

"Why were you banned? "

Lying on your bed, you ask your question without bothering to spare the witch or to be polite, you share the same body and what you know of her does not play in her favor. Failing to feel her as a threat, you are very curious to hear her history and especially her origins of which you know nothing. Ursula takes the time to think before answering you and you close your eyes imagining her next to you.

A long time ago, I lived among the mermaids in the kingdom of Atlantica. I was a smart merman and eager to learn as much as possible in all areas. Yes, you understood me correctly, I was born as a male. But it sounded wrong, I found myself feeling foreign to my own body, not recognizing my reflection in the mirrors. As I read, I started looking for a way to transform myself, to become something else that would suit me better. To achieve this, I used magic and King Triton had a bad eye for breaking rules on witchcraft. Fearing that I would pervert his people, he sent me far into the abyss. I had become a mermaid like I secretly dreamed of, but I had lost my place. Obviously, that made me embittered, I don't hide that I sought revenge on Triton, but I also used my powers to help those who, like me, aspired to something else.

A beautiful story well put together, a heart of truth wrapped in a good layer of sweet lies, ready to be swallowed. Indeed, the one who was to become Ursula had been banished for having learned magic but it would be forgotten to say that Triton had used the power of the trident to offer her a new body. It happened long before the mermaid became a witch, long before she decided to make pacts with the people of the sea, promising them a thousand wonders and then turning them into pathetic and slimy creatures. But it was so long ago that no one could contradict her side of the story. You nod your head, feeling a deep sympathy for the witch after hearing her story, even if that doesn't make it possible to excuse what she did next.

"I didn't think you had gone through so much ..."

Pensive, you straighten up and put on simple clothes without paying attention to the pallor of your face, before putting on a touch of red lipstick.

"I'm going to ask my friend Arthur for help. He can guide us to your lair to avoid the dangers. And then, he will be notified of your return and can monitor you. "

That is fine with me, my child. But better that it remains a secret, the Atlanteans might want to kill us.

You nod, having already thought of this bleak prospect. You know little about the people ruled by Arthur but they are not known for their gentleness and open-mindedness. However, you trust your friend to protect your life and support you, you have always supported each other. More confident, you leave your house to go on the pontoon to find the young man; even if he spends a large part of his life under the water, you know that he will receive your SMS. Don't ask me how, I have no idea.

The hero is already waiting for you, two cans of beer placed near him on the wooden floor (it is possible that others are already enthroned in a nearby trash can, but hush). Seeing you arrive, he smiles happily and gives you a sign, making light on his many tattoos. How can a man so carefree at first be the king of an entire people? Already more comfortable, you sit by his side and let him take you in his arms for your usual hug.

- Sorry for yesterday, a meeting with the council dragged on, I couldn't take it anymore ... - No big deal, I didn't sit around doing nothing.

Quickly, you explain the events of the previous day to him, trying to catch your breath as little as possible so that he avoids interrupting you with curses. He's going to take you for a madwoman, that's for sure, but you put forward the terms of the contract, the fact that Ursula can not try anything against you without her body and that he will be there to protect you. When you finally let him react, Arthur remains silent for a few moments, which is rather surprising when you know him.

- You seem to have thought a lot about the question. - …Yes.

The young man is far from stupid and he knows that your hands were already tied long before you made this pact with the witch. By the time you became a single entity, you had no choice but to dive into adventure. Arthur also knows that he cannot count on his relatives and counselors to help him, that would be putting you in too great a danger. Then he sketches a smile and nods, causing his hair to wiggle.

"You can count on me, Y/N, no way you're having fun without me. "

He gives you a pat on the back with a laugh and then drinks his beer before talking about everything and nothing to lighten the mood. Among Aquaman’s many powers, there’s one that people often forget: his ability to make things lighter. Before being a hero and a king, he's a warm man who stands by you remembering your childhood stories. When you decided to leave, the apprehension that gripped your heart was completely gone.

- Come to think of it: how are you going to breathe underwater? Ursula's lair is very far and very deep. - It won't be a problem.

You give him a mysterious look and dive head first into the cool water, dashing to the bottom without taking the time to be afraid. It's a risky bet but you open your mouth to suck in air, looking your friend straight in the eye and praying not to flop. But no, you feel your lungs react normally and you breathe with a big ecstatic smile. To say that when you were little, you wanted to be a mermaid... Before the shocked look of your friend, you shrug your shoulders as if it were all natural.

- I told you it wouldn't be a problem. - When you're done showing off, give me your hand, Arthur answers with a laugh.

You slip your hand into his and let him train, knowing he is a much better swimmer than you because of his Atlantean genes. Now that he's there, it's more like an adventure with friends than a perilous expedition.

***

Located in another kingdom far from Atlantis, the lair of Ursula reveals itself to several days of swimming and if Arthur knows many ways to make your trip shorter, you must go through secret routes so as not to make you spotted, him as a king and you as a human and intruder. Despite all your good will, you tire quickly and your friend is forced to hug you to maintain a constant pace. Besides, it is not certain that the white strands which streak more and more on your hair are only due to exhaustion or to the aquatic world. Fortunately, you are getting closer and closer to your goal and if this adventure is not as fun as you would have liked, you are happy to live it with your childhood friend, the one with whom you played so much many times as pirates or adventurers.

- Do you catch your breath ? - Under water ? I'm doing my best.

Mechanically, you scratch your thigh through the pants, pressing your head against the sovereign's shoulder. When all this is over, you promise to invite him to swallow a good dozen pints in your favorite pub, in compensation.

- I understand better why you have abs in concrete, by dint of swimming… - And I have other secrets in stock. Y/N?

You don't answer him, sleeping without even realizing it. Arthur rolls his eyes and keeps you against him as he descends to a sandbar to let yourself rest a little. This is not how he would have liked to make you discover his world, not by bringing you to the lair of a millennial witch and whom everyone believed dead. Sometimes it feels like she takes over you for a fraction of a second, in the way you twist your lips with disgust, when your voice suddenly becomes rougher and brittle. It’s time for you to be rid of this parasite, it is obvious that you arrive at the end of your endurance.

After a few hours of rest, you set off again and finally reach your goal, hidden in the most murky waters, behind curtains of hot steam. When you see the skeleton of a sea monster taking the place of entry, you accelerate with an impatient smile, sliding down the pinkish throat without getting lost. On your heels, Aquaman has a more critical look at the murky decor, just like a certain crab having one day followed a little mermaid. He watches you spinning, chasing the shells that have settled everywhere over time, a broad smile drawn on your scarlet lips as you admire the dressing table, the closets abandoned.

- We have arrived, it is time to separate the two of you. - Yes, of course, dear king. I'm taking care of it.

You let Ursula guide your hands to grab this or that bottle, she knows what she is doing and you feel an intense jubilation teeming in your limbs as you throw everything in a carved stone vat. For so long that Ursula has been waiting to find a body and her powers, she gets rid of your pants while continuing her preparations, exposing your legs, which have turned black with mauve reflections that bring out your drawn features. When the parasite leaves your envelope, will you find a more human appearance?

"Finally ... it's high time to bring me back for good"

An intense purple glow escapes from the cauldron, casting shadows on your face bringing out the gleam of dementia in your pupils. Her mouth articulates words you do not understand, sometimes in Latin, sometimes in an old and forgotten language. Faced with this flow of magic, you feel yourself drawn inside yourself as a current would push you away from the shore, as if hundreds of hands were pulling you back. So you understand that the witch never intended to set you free. The same dismayed shock appears on Arthur's face and he pushes your body away as a column of pure magic slides from the tank into your throat, too late alas to prevent the spell.

"You said you would only need her until you find a body!" "

Mad with rage, Arthur presses you against one of the walls of the cave, so fast that you barely have time to understand what's going on. However, far from being intimidated, a loud and disagreeable laugh escapes from your mouth, twisted with joy as you look down on the king with contempt.

- I never said that this body would not be hers. - You made a commitment to let her go! - If she expressed the desire ... but do you hear her ?

Ursula wiggles before the helpless hero who steps back as your legs twist, split into long, black-black ends covered with suction cups like boils. Trapped in your own body, you can't even scream in pain or call for help, struggling not to be drowned in nothingness. Aquaman has no idea how to free you from this cruel curse, he needs to help you get back, regain control before being completely engulfed.

"Y/N ... I know you can hear me and you still have strength, don't let that old bitch get you so easily. "

He reaches for you, his golden eyes looking at you seriously and with all the determined hope he can do. He trusts you, it is out of the question for him to let you get lost.

- I'm not done laughing with you, drinking and singing out of tune so come back. This is your body, you are not Ursula, you are my friend, my best friend and I love you. - Arthur…

Your voice is shaking slightly and your eyes are filling with tears even if they are not very useful underwater. Your hand takes the young man’s and you feel him squeeze your fingers forcefully to tell you that everything will be fine. Then a mocking laugh escapes your lips as the witch stops her comedy and you disappear forever in the darkness of your own envelope, consumed by the magic of Ursula. The latter smiles at the hero, triumphant.

"It was a very beautiful moment. Too bad… "

She emerges from Aquaman's embrace, her tentacles lifting her above the ground as she contemplates the defeated king before her with undisguised pleasure.

"So, my dear sovereign ... are you going to kill me? Or are you unable to harm this body? "

The young man's solar face darkens and the sagging of his shoulders alone answers the cruel witch's question: he will not be able to save or avenge you.