#chase calendula

[nicolosercredit]

the new episode is great and all but yall are missing so much from this panel and as a self proclaimed flower simbolism enthusiast I will be breaking it down for you

CALENDULA FITS HIM PERFECTLY

and not just cuz it's a yellow flower, most yellow flowers symbolise positivity, but calendula just FITS THE BEST with it's various symbolism across different cultures

Calendula can bloom in a big range of conditions and are considered fairly hardy so they can also symbolise resilience and strenght which fits Chase really well.

In some cultures, they are also assosiated with grief and rememberance, which again fits Chase, with the loss of his father and him still going to visit his grave and still crying over it.

Not to mention how 'cinderella' and 'calendula' look similar as words.

Now onto hyacinth and how perfectly it describes Buddy and how it might describe him into the future...

We saw plenty of his jealousy in this chapter and the fact that purple hyacinths SPECIFICALLY symbolise seeking forgiveness, we can assume something with Ex Libris going down in the future, based on the many theories connected to the 'dreams by night' chapter and Buddy having to redeem for it

Also how the vampire guy talked about how Chase could never compare to a hyacinth?

I might be reading too much into it, but it might as well symbolise their relationship and how there's still a wall between them or to show off their Sun/Sunshine and Moon/Grumpy dynamic

Now, as for Deacon hyacinth, could also represent him with his jealousy for main characters and seeking forgiveness in this arc for what he did in the book of Deacon.

Tho blue hyacinths represent sincerity, I don't know how much it really fits him since I don't see it as a strong trait of his and think hyacinths are here to represent Buddy, I thought I should still put this out there.

I'll find you a flower Deacon.

Anyway, that is all from me. As soon as I saw this panel I went crazy over the flower symbolism and to think no one seemed to pay attention to it - I had to make a post

Thank you so much Punko for giving me something to hyperfixate on and consume every part of my being with for the next several weeks instead of studying

[prythianpages]

Witch! Reader x Azriel | headcanons

Merry Christmas Eve and Happy Holidays! Here are just some headcanons of witch reader and Az🥰 It's my first time making one of these.

this is based off of my dandelion series. you can find the masterlist for it [here]

warnings: fluff, implied smut

Azriel shows up to your apartment to take you out on your first date and he's extremely nervous because he never thought he would get this far and he doesn't want to mess up.

You find it entirely endearing because you can sense that he's not the type to be nervous, even more so when you notice his hand is slightly sweaty in yours. You don't mind at all.

Azriel spends every night at your place and realizes he no longer needs your sleep potion. He only needs you in his arms.

The only time he doesn't stay over is when he's out on a mission.

He slowly starts to leave things here and there until he's completely moved in.

Your cat, which is named Binx hocus pocus referencelol, is excited to have a another living being in your home besides the big spider that lives in the corner of your sitting room that you were too nice to rehome when you first spotted it.

Az is at first startled by it but then you're telling him the spider's name is Pearl and the way you speak of it with such affection makes him smile and he accepts it wholeheartedly, even though he finds it slightly creepy, because he loves you

Binx loves Azriel and his shadows. A little bit too much because he initially mistakes the dark tendrils as a toy and accidentally scratches your mate's back in the process of chasing them.

It's all okay because it's nothing a little calendula and chamomile can't help fix. It also gives for the perfect excuse to have the feel of his mate's hands brushing and rubbing against his back

Despite your deep attraction for one another, you decide to wait to be intimate with one another until you're ready to accept the bond.

Even though Azriel makes it really hard for you when he takes you training with him and all you can do is watch as his sweat makes his bare chest glisten deliciously while he duels with Cassian.

He tries to teach you some self defense moves but you're often too distracted to listen, which makes Nesta laugh.

As the two of you get to know one another more, you find yourself falling more and more in love with Azriel.

He's sitting on your couch, sharpening his knives and you're seated on the floor in front of your coffee table immersed into your spell book.

Your hand glows as you beckon your magic to find a particular spell and as your eyes take in the words on the book, you find yourself turning to Azriel with a smile.

"I'm ready," you tell him and let out a squeal as he drops what he's doing to pull you into his arms and kiss you. He's too engrossed in the way your lips feel against his to notice the way you use your magic to bookmark the page you were on before closing it shut.

Azriel doesn't care what you make for him but you do. You want it to be special and when you suggest a midnight picnic in that field of dandelions on the night of a full moon which is strangely specific but he's too happy to question it, he grants you your wish

"Wait," you tell him before he's about to take a bite of the food you made just for him. "I have something for you."

You're holding out a gemstone to him. It's a rich tapestry of green that dances with life, releasing a radiance of emerald enchantment. It reminds him of the green glow of your magic.

but it's not just an emerald. It's a talisman. It's your heart and when you tell him, you can't help but giggle at the mix of emotions expressed on his face.

you explain to him that it's not your literal heart but it may as well be because that emerald is tethered to your heart and if he accepts it, your heart will be bound to him forever and some of your magic may transfer over to him.

A witch's heart is a precious and powerful thing. Azriel knows this because he's heard Amren mention it once.

Some men have died seeking for it, some men have even gone to war for it and you've heard the horrors of your fellow sisters losing their magic and in the worst cases dying because they were tricked into giving their hearts to undeserving men.

But you trust Azriel.

The mating bond that will bind you together was more than enough for him but there you are, willing to give your heart wholeheartedly to him and he accepts it, promising to keep it safe.

He only takes a couple of bites before he's prancing on you and you're protesting--"Hey! I spent all morning make that--oh!"

your protest dies at your throat and a moan slips out as you feel his heated touch on your skin and lips against your neck.

"I promise I'll make up for it," he breathes against your neck and he does.

He makes love to you in that field of dandelions under the full moon, binding the spell that tethers your heart to him and claiming you as his and only his.

Accepting the mating bond send you two into a frenzy, where you are overcome with an insatiable thirst for one another. Let's just say your apothecary shops remains closed for the following week and the inner circle knows to keep their distance (:

Azriel keeps the emerald you gave him in the chest pocket of his leathers because he wants to have you with him at all times.

When he's away on a mission and has to spend the night away from you, he'll pull it out. It glows under his touch, humming with your magic that tells him that you're thinking of him just as much as he's thinking of you.

Your first outing as a mated couple with the inner circle is at Rita's. Azriel doesn't want to go but you're so excited to spend time with Feyre and the others and he can't say no to you. you can read about that here

On your first anniversary, he brings you a bouquet of dandelions from the meadow and makes it a point to gift you one every year.

He happily joins you on your walks with natures, smiling as he listens to you go on and on about the beauty of it all. But he thinks the true beauty is you.

Even when your eyes darken as you call upon your magic, leaving no trace of white or color. it scares the crap out of Cas and Elain but Az is just always mesmerized by you and he'd be lying if he said it didn't turn him on sometimes.

When you're upset or frustrated, usually because you're stressed over a spell or a letter from one of the witch covens, Azriel is there to make your day better. "Oh, my sweet little wildflower." He kisses your worries away.

You do the same for him when he comes back from a hard mission and the exhaustion of being the Night Court's spymaster catches up to him, taking a toll on him.

His tense body always relaxes at your touch and when he asks if you could give him anything to help with his body aches, you mindlessly point to one of the vials on your kitchen counter.

You don't notice when he picks up the wrong one and when you finally do and realize that he accidentally took a drink from the aphrodisiac Nesta had requested from you, it's already too late.

Needless to say, it's probably the best mistake you've ever made (;

[motimatcha]

"nostromo"

PART 3. Incident.

parts: one | two | three | four | five

dbd Xenomorph (alien) x fem!reader. attention: swearing and swearing; strained relationship; chase.

In the end, only you managed to survive. running for survivors xenomorph managed to find time to stop you from repairing the generators, which is why by the end of the test you were unable to repair the last one and climbed out through the hatch. It would be more accurate to say that the xenomorph himself led you to the exit, chasing you throughout the ship until you escaped. You could say it was a noble act on his part to allow his future mate to leave largely unhurt, and you might agree with that if you didn't know the creature's selfish motive.

If everything continues like this, then soon the survivors will rally against you in tests with the xenomorph in order to present you to him and the Entity first of all.

You shudder when such a thought, the course of events, comes to your head, but you understand that the chances of such an outcome are rapidly growing, while the stranger diligently presents you with gifts in the form of other people's deaths. Perhaps the event with Ripley breaks you, or at least breaks you, which is why in each subsequent match you become colder and colder towards the deaths of others. Death is a concept not applicable to the world of the entity; each departure from the location created by the Creature only means an inevitable meeting with their tormentor, and after that the noise of the fire, the conversations of other people.

Kicking a pebble as you walked away from the fire into the forest to look for offerings, you heard a fragment of a conversation:

“I swear, if I have another test with this...” the man, whose name is David, says with undisguised irritation. His face contorts in disgust, he doesn’t even want to say your name, he was so disgusted, but his gaze - cold and angry - scans your back. “I’d rather climb onto the hook myself.”

“David, don't say that...”

“But why? After all, it annoys you yourself to be killed, so that later this monster will bring your body to this one.”

“Even if this is so, what did she do wrong? You think she herself wants to be an eternal object of obsession. Maybe you can also say the same about Lori?”

“Go to hell, Honas.”

Tears roll up to the corners of your eyes, but you, determined not to cry at least by the fire, go into the forest with your head held high . You can't let others know about this conversation . You can't let others know how much this affects you . You can’t, you can’t, you can’t... but you want to cry even more.

Salty paths sting the skin of the cheeks; as soon as a slight breeze blows, it becomes even worse. The accumulated moisture obscures your eyes, and now you no longer understand what kind of herbs you are collecting: are they daisies? Maybe basil? Or in general you came across calendula. It’s better not to wipe tears from your face with dirty hands, but you didn’t care anymore. Pulling your hand on the sweater, squeezing the ends with your fingers, you try to get rid of the moisture, but you only start crying harder.

The body is beating in hysterics, a silent cry escapes the lips. Why you? Why did the monster like you so much that he decided to destroy your life just to make him his mate? Or have you somehow disappointed the Entity? Maybe they were angry or not desperate enough in this endless cycle.

In an impenetrable fog and behind a veil of tears, being out of your mind, you imagine a blurry figure of a xenomorph. The humanoid creature stands in the distance and does not move. It observes how low you have fallen and despaired, are you ready to accept your fate as it is and as it is destined for you?

“Well, why, why exactly me?..” you ask the image of a stranger, but the creature is silent in response to your question, which only irritates you more. Anger rises from your entire being, pours out in the face of a heart-rending cry of anger at the creature that destroyed your life. “Go to hell...”

“Everything is fine?“

Ripley's voice puts you in a daze. You look away from the mirage, turn away to examine the figure of a woman emerging from the forest, and as soon as you turn back, nothing remains of the image of the xenomorph. The thickening fog dissipates and you realize that all this time you have been talking to a stone, the outlines of which are painfully similar to your personal stalker.

You shake your head. You didn’t want Ellen to witness your tears and hysteria, but from her soft look and tone, it became clear that she understood everything. That’s why she was silent, allowing you to release your simmering emotions, to throw out the disappointment and indignation that had accumulated over all the trials with the xenomorph.

The woman comes closer and puts her arm around your shoulders . She hugs the way a mother hugs her beloved child, who has faced adversity and is ready to shelter her from any problems. But Louise is not omnipotent, even if she wants to be so; it cannot shelter you from the oppression of the Entity and the xenomorph possessed by you, but it is able to give you warmth and peace, so that at least for a couple of minutes you do not think about the inevitable.

Ripley's arms are warm and calm.

“Cry as much as you need,” the woman says the words that you have long wanted to hear. At least from someone, even from damn David . Your grip on her back only gets stronger, and the fabric of her clothes wrinkles in your fingers. “I believe that you can cope with all adversities. But don’t keep negativity inside you that you can’t live with.“

“I can…” you sigh into her neck. The former officer smells of a fire, a wet forest and, not surprisingly, the Nostromo, the smell of which is difficult to describe; if you did take a chance, the first thing that comes to mind is the viscous saliva of the xenomorph and its acidic blood. “Thank you for this...” you say, after a minute of silence in someone else’s arms. “Ellen, is there anything else in the behavior of the xenomorph that I should know about?”

“After the stage of courtship on the part of the male, it follows...”

Mount Ormond greets you with the illusion of a bright sun in the sky, snowdrifts and a cold wind from which you cannot hide. And, of course, it was a xenomorph . And of course, you were his obsession.

“Damn, we ended up all together,” David spat on the wooden floor of the shack. “I won’t sit down with you to repair the generator...”

Honas, who spoke, was clearly not in the best mood. Especially after what his friend said.

“Don’t interfere. I can handle the generators myself, without you.”

With these words, David left you, leaving you alone with Vasquez and Michaela. Ridd looked somewhat surprised, as evidenced by her slightly open mouth and confused look as she followed King's back before he disappeared into the distance.

“Idiot...” Honas sighed before turning to you and the witch. “Shall we repair this generator?”

“If you don’t mind, I would like to bless the totem. At the same time, I’ll see if there are any damned totems here, who knows what.”

“Okay, I don’t mind ,” you quickly agree with other people’s words and approach the generator to begin repairs. The man who remains with you sits down next to you and there is silence for a long time, broken by the sounds of equipment being repaired. When silence becomes unbearable, and curiosity eats up from within, you decide to ask a man a question: “Why did you decide to stay with me?”

“It’s safer that way, isn’t it?”

“Oh, so that’s why,” you think, not comfortingly, “Sorry, but not this time.”

“A?..”

“He is here. Leave.”

You bounce away from the almost started generator, as if from a piece of hot iron, as soon as the head of the xenomorph begins to appear from the strong point. Being a former CIA employee, albeit working in the codebreaking department, Honas had a high reaction speed and endurance, which allowed him to dodge the tail of an alien, directed either in his direction, or in yours, running slightly ahead of the man.

Through one of the Entity's offerings, you have been given the power to see the auras of other survivors. Despite the fact that the yellow figures were poorly visible against the background of the light Ormond , you managed to adjust your path so as not to run out onto David repairing the generator and the red-haired witch blessing the totem . You run into the house, once a mountain resort hotel, and climb to the second floor, watching as the xenomorph, who has lost sight of you , turns his head around and noisily inhales the air, trying to track you by smell. Considering how many times he literally drooled on you, marking you with his scent, it was not surprising that the killer found you quite quickly.

Standing on all fours and preparing its tail, the xenomorph climbed to the second floor after you, while you, without wasting time, ran to the end of the corridor, where there were boards in front of the open (broken) window. You had to slow down so that the stranger could close the distance, and when he stretched his tail forward with monstrous force and speed, you ducked down, thereby dodging the attack, and then knocked together boards were thrown down on the killer’s head.

You heard the evil hiss of the perfect weapon when you were already downstairs, jumping from the second floor window . If this were not the world of essence, but the long-forgotten reality of your native world, a fall from such a height would mean a break in your legs. Without wasting time while the killer was busy destroying the obstacles in his path, you ran to the dilapidated walls with skis and poles to them . The xenomorph could not lose sight of you, and he would not want to switch to another survivor; if one of your comrades suddenly ran into the path of the alien, then at most he would get a paw on the body - no more.

Running away from the creature turned out to be more than exciting . In the struggle for your life, where a wrong turn meant meeting sharp claws, teeth or a tail, fears about what others thought about you receded.

Adrenaline took its place.

It was as if you were playing catch-up not only with the xenomorph and the Entity, but also with death itself, breathing down your neck . What's around the next corner? Where is it better to run, hide, wait? The new role opened up new opportunities and sensations . There was no longer a feeling of that all-consuming helplessness, there was only the instinct of survival, a cold mind and a sober mind, analyzing where to run next or where the killer would attack. And even if other survivors had questions about how you managed to run around while repairing five generators, no one dared to ask questions or express suspicions or indignations, while all four survivors could leave the killer’s territory unharmed.

Nobody. Except David.

Perhaps he was simply jealous or you had hurt his fragile pride, but despite your usefulness and vitality, King continued to cast sidelong glances in your direction . He still refused to work as a team with you, keeping his distance from others and seeming to be waiting for something.

“Tell me honestly, did you lie under this bastard, that he is not specifically hunting you in all seriousness?” when the man’s patience came to an end, he, with a slight squint in his dark eyes, finally voiced the question that had been daring him for a long time. “Or have you been a hidden talent all this time, waiting for the right moment?”

Ellen Ripley was a caring mother, affectionate and kind to you, but absolutely ruthless towards people who did not respect others or value teamwork. Perhaps it was the influence that the new survivor had on you, or perhaps the chase had strengthened your character, leaving behind your former vulnerability and timidity.

Murderers don't like snotty girls who are ready to cry from scratches on their knees. What attracts them much more, one might say excites them, is the pursuit of a victim who has not yet been broken, ready to fight back both physically and verbally.

“Are you jealous?”

“Envy that you turn out to be a whore for murderers, and also for monsters?” David asked with feigned amazement, opening his eyes wide, allowing you to see all the rage, anger, and disappointment that had accumulated over all the trials. Perhaps he, like you, did not have enough time to express his emotions. “I’m just curious who will end up in the same bed with you next. Maybe GostFace? I remember you were so happy to see him.”

You understood that the man was talking complete nonsense . Driven by his emotions, self-disappointment and former helplessness, he watched with envy your rapid growth not only as an individual, but also as a significant member of the team . David, who initially had skills useful to the team, was always treated with inflated expectations, and when he failed to cope, when most or all of the team found themselves in the clutches of the entity, the man took it personally.

You couldn’t blame him for the fact that King sees in you a reflection of himself from the past, but you also had no desire to tolerate his character, groundless rude accusations and insults.

“You know, David,” your voice is deceptively quiet so as not to attract the attention of the xenomorph prowling around the territory allotted to him, but, nevertheless, you clearly highlighted the threat with your intonation. “I used to admire you, no matter what the result of the test...”

“...I don't need your admiration...”

“But now I clearly see that you are nothing more than a boy who is offended by everyone, and first of all by himself ”, here it is. You clearly outlined the reason for this conflict, the struggle not of you against King, but of him against himself. “So before you say anything towards other people, deal with your problems first.”

“Fuck you.”

Careless hand movement. David, without calculating his own strength, pushed you painfully in the chest . Having lost your balance and falling backwards, you began to fall, and in another second, the back of your head could have become closely acquainted with the window frame, leaving you unconscious until the end of the test, if ... if not for the xenomorph located in the window opening .

The absolute predator looked around the shack, hidden under its black shell. One of his paws, large and heavy, lay on your shoulder and held you in place, saving you from a blow . Over the course of countless chases and close contacts, you managed to get used to both the size of the monster and its frightening presence, which is why your heart no longer beat like an antelope in the headlights of a car, but a subconscious fear sometimes tickled your mind . What else you were able to learn during your endless meetings were the shades and echoes of the xenomorph’s emotions , expressed in poses, movements and hisses, and the way the creature from deep space tensed up, preparing for an attack, you could only draw one conclusion - it was very alien angry

For the first time, you so clearly felt his overwhelming thirst for blood, but it was not directed at you at all, but at the cause of your unfulfilled injury. Today, the xenomorph is ready to sacrifice his instincts and eliminate the threat to his future mate.

“Run- ” you manage to scream before the predator points its weapon towards the man. In a second, the alien’s tail could have made a hole in David’s head, if not for the sudden roar of the Entity’s world and its intervention: a semblance of a hand that sprouted from the floor, pierced the creature’s body, entwined it with its spider-like legs and pulled it into the fog.

The test was terminated early.

[stupidr3dpanda]

• Content Warnings: Nudity in a non sexual way, GN Reader, and nothing else other than pure love!

I have been thinking of you taking care of your favorite from the Task Force 141 (⁠｡⁠･⁠ω⁠･⁠｡⁠)⁠ﾉ⁠♡

A little note before we begin, I listened to "Nothings gonna hurt you baby" by Cigarettes After Sex, while writing this! Just in case you wanna set the ambient to that!

Imagine he gets home from being on deploiment for months.

Press your lips to his cheek and tightly wrap your arms around his middle as soon as he crosses the doorway of your shared home and feel the way his tense shoulders relax at your touch. Grab his hand and guide him to the bathroom where as soon as he walks in he sees a warm bath with lavender, calendula, and chamomile are already waiting for him to help relax his sore and tired muscles. Help him strip out of that heavy and uncomfortable uniform that ricks of now old and dry blood and dirt.

No words are exchanged as you help him inside the warm water. Knowing how much he always says he misses and loves your smell you grab your shampoo and sit on the side of the tub and gently begin to wash his hair listening to the little grunts of relaxing pleasure that comes out of him. Rinse the shampoo away and place kisses on his wet forhead.

Once his bath is done and while he's finishing soaking in the bath you make your way to the kitchen and start serving his favorite comfort food, always in his favorite tablewear, that one that you picked just for him as an aniversary gift. A recipe that you have come to memorise just for him is now warming the once cold plate, while you're finishing serving his favorite tea you listen to his heavy foot steps as he makes his way to the kitchen now changed into a comfortable pair of pajama pants and a plain T-shirt.

As you're both sitting down on the table enjoying dinner you listen to him talk about his mission, always omitting the gore parts or any information that could put you in risk, you look up from your half finished meal and just fondly stare at him while he speaks, you listen how;

Listen to how Simon talks about how pissed he was when somehow Johnny kept winning every round when they were playing cards, how he knew that that little shit was cheating and how he now owes him £200 and had to also bet his last pack of cigarettes during their last round resulting in him being grumpier than usual during the last days of deployment in the middle of nowhere.

Listen to how Kyle got chased by some 'ugly' antelopes in Mongolia because the mission was during antelopes breeding season and he got too close to one of the females and apparently one of the males thougt he was too handsome and saw him as competition. (I'm not blaming the antelope if I was him and saw him walking around too close to the female antelopes I too would try to chase the competition away!!)

And when you hear Johnny telling you how he was finally able to "outsmart" Ghost during one of their card games night you can't help the loud laugh from escaping your mouth, you told him to start praying cause his ass ain't safe when he gets back and Ghost finds out how he was winning every round. He swears it was all fair and no cheats were used during the game!... you know he's liying tho.

When your eyes rise from your plate you catch John already looking at you with a warm smile on his tired face, he starts telling you of how thankful he feels for his boys, how proud he feels for them after a well done mission, how much serenity he feels when he knows that at this moment they are probably with their S/O enjoying a warm meal and sweets moments together just like the both of you are right now.

You just stare into his eyes and smile, after dinner is finished the two of you wash, dry and when you put away the dishes you walk back to the bathroom to brush your teeth and do your simple nighttime routine. With a few giggles and tired eyes you both make your way to the bedroom where you finally won't sleep another night alone again.

Pulling the duvet covers over the two of you, turning off the night stand light you lay in bed while you trace your fingers through his now fluffly and lavender smelling hair, placing soft kisses on the crown of his head he drifts to sleep in no time to the sound of your voice reasuring him that youll still be holding him when he wakes up. Even when his nightmares wake him up at midnight you'll still be there to calm him down, humming a soft tune for him and reassuring him that everything is fine, he is home, he is safe, and that you wont let anything get to him or try to hurt him.

I hope you enjoy the silly little thought that had been invaiding my mind this past days! Please remember to take care of yourself and stay safe!

[hahskeleton]

oops I never posted this-

New dca oc, Cyrus!! He’s a solar-themed animatronic who works in the daycare. (Yes his mouth only shows up on one side of his face)

~fun facts about Cyrus down below~

Here’s some things about Cyrus!

Important stuff:

Birthday: April 19th

Job: Daycare Assistant (replaces Sun in the future(?))

Age Determination: around 20

Personality: Blunt, Sarcastic at times, Quiet, Hates Kids, Intimidating, Kind (if you get close to him), Soft-toned, Gentle, Intelligent, Introverted/Ambivert

Extra: Virus infestation one time, half of his body (the completely black part) acts as a screen allowing it to change his expression and the stars on his chest and stomach to anything else

Not Really Important Stuff:

Favorite things

Colors: Red, Yellow, Blue Animals: [no info] Hobbies: Write in a journal, go outside, help the daycare attendants, spends time in his room (not clear what he does when he’s alone) Gifts: Flowers (specifically roses, marigolds, and calendulas), art (given by most of the time), yarn, scarves Games: Hide n’ Seek

Least favorite things:

Colors he despises: Purple Animals he dislikes: Rats, rabbits Hobbies he hates: sleeping Gifts he doesn’t enjoy: food (he can’t eat), notes (romantic or platonic) Games he avoids: Chase People + Animatronics he loathes: Vanessa, Bonnie (when he was alive), Mapbot,

[mydisenchantedeulogy]

Chemical Reaction [Part One] Allure [Shang Tsung]

A/n: Again, I apologize for posting these one-shots in separate pieces. It's easier for me because so many scene jumps in my writing annoy me. I have a problem, I know. Please enjoy.

Warning(s): Female reader insert, worry, Shang being Shang, reader can manipulate flora, lewd thoughts, coy behavior, manipulative comfort.

No Minors Allowed!!

Echinacea…Lavender…Calend–

You press your lips into a thin line. Where are the Calendula seeds? Peering into the wax paper envelope where you had stored them, you regrettably confirm that there are none left. When did you last use them, you wonder in puzzlement. You suppose it does not matter in the end. What matters is that you are fresh out and in need of more. 

The few Calendulas that you have are not yet ready, though, with your magic, you can accelerate their growth instantaneously. What takes time is drying out the flowers and giving the seeds time to brown before harvesting them, then replanting. Rinse, repeat. Normally you have all the time in the world to work, but the Queen of Edenia, Sindel, wants you to prepare balms and salves for the approaching tournament. 

You could go without Calendula balm, you reckon. It is used as a pain and inflammation reducer, but without it, you would be unprepared. What are you to do, though? In order for your magic to work, you need a source; nature, seeds. Edenia is rich with exotic flowers, but the day would be wasted locating them. You suppose you could buy seeds from the market in Sun Do, but…

Shang. 

Now you remember. You had given him seeds and taught him how to grow them after an experimental incident left his hands blistered and in need of care. 

His laboratory is not far, you note; the walk you have made several times before. While the sorcerer is often snarky, he is a man to be admired based on his skill and magic. Not to mention, he is extremely desirable. You like him well enough, so without much hesitancy, you leave your house and walk to the dilapidated tower where he conducts whatever experiments he does to benefit the royal family. 

The low creek of the water wheels outside permeate the warm air as you approach the front door. You knock to be polite, but seeing as Shang Tsung is typically lost in his work when you stop by to visit, you saunter on in, searching around the bottom level for him. He does not seem to be at his desk, nor is he roaming around where you can see him, though this does not mean that he is not home; there are two other levels he could be on. You have never been on the upper floors before; you have no business exploring them. 

“Shang! Are you here!?” You shout. 

He answers soon after. 

“I will be but a moment!”

You leave him to wrap up whatever it is that he is doing and saunter over to his mahogany desk near the stairs. As you wait, you tinker with a bonsai tree resting on a stack of old books that you can not make out the names of. You do not remember seeing it the last time you had come to visit, but that had been a fortnight ago. Regardless, it is budding. You raise your hand, using your magic to accelerate its growth. In awe, you watch as the buds instantaneously bloom into beautiful pink flowers, filling the stale air with a soft floral scent. 

It certainly gives the room more color now.

“I see you have made yourself at home,” Shang Tsung states.

You turn and watch him descend the stairs.

“I apologize. I should have asked you first.” Noticing the look of annoyance on his face, you frown. “Did I…come at a bad time?”

“Not at all. To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?” Shang Tsung asks. His expression softens as he approaches the desk, but there is still a furrow in his brow.

You do not want to exacerbate his mood, so you cut to the chase. 

“I ran out of Calendula seeds and I haven't the time to dry out the few flowers that I do have. I was hoping that you might have some.” 

“Perhaps,” Shang Tsung drawls. 

You pout. Is he seriously toying with you? 

I swear he's a sadist. 

“Please, Shang. I would forever be in your debt.” 

He smirks, a sure sign that you have humored him.

“Wait here.” 

Leaving your sight, he returns a short time later with a wax paper envelope and hands it to you. The squid-shaped seeds of the Calendula plant are brown and stored well, making you sigh in relief. 

“I'm so grateful.”

“I presume so,” Shang Tsung utters. 

He tilts his head in curiosity and looks you over, then meets your eyes again. 

“Are you troubled with something? You can confide in me, you know.” 

Of course. Every time you feel burdened, the sorcerer can tell. And every time he offers for you to voice your concerns to him. With an uneasy breath, you lean against the edge of the desk. Aside from being unprepared, there is something deeper eating at you. 

“I suppose it is the tournament I am worried about. I'm never so unprepared, but also it feels rather pointless. Outworld so often loses to Earthrealm.”

Shang Tsung grins, then places his hand on your shoulder as if to comfort you, an act that makes your heart race. 

“Do you doubt Empress Sindel?” 

Your eyes widen in shock.

“No. That is not what I'm saying.”

You are simply trying to express how pointless it is to stress so much over the matter. The reason for the tournament you understand. It is to maintain peace. If Lord Liu Kang, who preaches peace, wanted to conquer Outworld with his champions, you imagine it sadly would not be hard since no one in the realm has yet to best him. You doubt this will happen, but life is sometimes cruel. 

I just hope the Empress knows what she is doing.

Shang Tsung grins. 

“Your concerns show just cause.” He wets his lips, then leans in closer. The warm and sweet scent of jasmine invades your senses. “Would you like for me to help you ease your stress, my dear?”

An embarrassed heat spreads to your face. Is he low-key asking if you want for him to fuck you? All of a sudden you feel lightheaded, as though you stood up too fast. The sudden thought of him thrusting his cock to the base inside of you sends a tickle of arousal through your body. 

“A-are you sure?”

What if he says yes? The question then remains, do you want him to? A part of you is unsure, but the other funnily enough welcomes the idea.

His soft chuckle snaps you from your thoughts.

“Of course, my dear. There are an abundance of elixirs that I can make to soothe your worries.” 

You are discomfited. 

“Oh…right.”

Shang Tsung raises a curious brow, then as though it dawns on him, he smirks. 

“Your thoughts are rather…wicked. Are they always such?”

“No,” you answer quickly. Honestly, you do not understand why your thoughts immediately went to something sexual with him. It's like they are in tune with your body. “Your tone was misleading.” 

“My tone.” Shang Tsung snorts. “I always speak in this tone.”

Does he? You try to remember a time in which he had spoken to another in the same coy tone, but there is not a memory that you can compare it to. 

“I will manage,” you reassure him. “Thank you.”

You avert your eyes to the seeds in your hand, then clear your throat. It is strangely dry and tight. 

“I should return home. There is a lot to do.”

His hand tightens around your shoulder, then he releases you and takes a step back. 

“If you need me, I am always here.”

You nod to show that you have taken his words into consideration, then with trembling legs, you walk to the door. As you exit the tower, the scent of nature fills your nostrils; earthy and rich. After a few deep breaths, you feel much better. Clear headed.

How strange. Could it have been the jasmine?

Or something else? 

[ladyiristheenchantress]

Lughnasadh and Full Super Moon Blessing

Just wanted to share my lughnasadh blessings spell my coven and I put together for our lovely clients! We wanted to bring the full moon energy to light so here is how our spell went. Also enjoy the altar tour lol We first started by keeping all the petition papers with peoples goals and desires on our seasonal side of the altar (the orange morter!)

Then after, on the afternoon of the full moon, we started off by moving the papers into their own separate space, and lit up a few charcoal disks. Dont worry about the mortar, it is both fire and heat safe but also doesnt process any herbs and was designed for this On the charcoal disks I started off with myrrh and frankincense resin to set up and purify the space, then added sandlewood for protection over my clients wishes

When it started to burn, I placed my morter in a crystal grid of carnelian and yellow jade. one by one I dropped each paper in, and added my lughnasadh blend (Oak leaves, sunflower petals, calendula, and rosemary) over top, and it creates a beautiful fire and smoke cloud that wafted out of my window and carried their hopes and dreams out into the world, and set them into motion.

After all the smoke cleared, and the energy was set, I preformed a prayer on everyone's behalf so they have the strength and energy to reach their goals, and that abundance simply chases them wherever they go :)

With all that said, That is the end of the spell. I had a really great time working with both my coven and clients on this, and I was really excited to share the results and possibly inspire others on it! When I can I will be repeating this spell on my own for my own wishes, and then mixing it into a paste and using it as a sigil creator, to hopefully kickstart my intentions and goals for the future! This was a simple but beautiful spell I just had to share in case anyone wanted to use it for the pre-fall season!

Do you want in on the next spell? Feel free to contact me via messages or Kofi and we can set something up! My kofi has constant updates on specials I am offering and how to get involved

Tip Jar/Kofi

[horus-unofficial]

hey so I ripped some calendula files off this random omninet archive a few weeks ago and now the xenoglossia are after me. I keep trying to lose 'em through the shadow realm... or whatever this place is-- but they keep following me. I'm not even sure how they're tracking me

I've been trying to disable anything they could be using to get my coords but anytime I try it just turns off my omninet and I can't have that I need to catch my livestreams anyways if you've got any calendula piloting tips/antitracker workarounds they'd be appreciated, cheers

first of all you need to get out of barony systemspace as soon as possible, once the karrakin cant chase you themselves theyll be sending grayspace mercenaries after you so its not like youre safe but making sure the local government has little interest in extraditing you is important. free sanjak is probably your best bet

youre doing pretty good if youve already figured out how to access the shadow realm, you can use that as a bootleg wormhole in a pinch cos you dont really want to be engaging with the baronies' forces anyway but you should also check those files for tracking code and scrub em clean if you find any. its not gonna stop them from tracking you if you need to tune into livestreams periodically but its a start.

[whispersfromwanderers]

Some of my Favourite Herbs and Their Uses (Part I) - Deborah Blake (The Eclectic Witch's Book of Shadows)

Apples: Blossoms, fruit, and wood. Primarily used for love and healing magic, the wood makes a nice wand and the cider is a great "ale" for cakes and ale at the end of a ritual, especially one that takes place in autumn. Apples are particularly witchy because if you slice one crosswise, you will see the shape of a pentacle inside. For simple love magick, try baking an apple pie and adding cinnamon, which is associated with passion.

Basil: Leaves. Used for love, protection, prosperity, and (theoretically) exorcism. (I don’t have any experience with that last one, but you could certainly use it to try banishing negative emotions). Easily used in cooking, like my recipe for prosperity pesto, which I make with walnuts (fertility) instead of pine nuts. As a dried herb, basil also works well when added to sachets or magickal mixes.

Calendula: Flowers. Also known as marigold. Often used by herbalists for its healing properties but is also grown by many folks as an ornamental. In magick, it can be used for healing, love, and to boost physical abilities. I like to use dried flowers in healing sachets, although I also grow them in my garden just because they're pretty.

Catnip: Leaves, flowers. Love, happiness, beauty, sleep, calm, and connection with cats. While more often associated with felines than with humans, catnip (which is a member of the prolific mint family) has healing qualities for people as well. Magickally, you can use it in sachets for sleep, calm, and love, but be prepared to share them with your cats if you have any. It's also useful in cat magick, especially to find a familiar.

Chamomile: Flowers. Peace, sleep, love, prosperity, protection. This is one of my favorite herbs to use in sleep or calming sachets. It is also a traditional healing tea that can be used for either of those purposes, so you can bless and consecrate some chamomile on the night of a full moon and then drink it when you need it.

Cinnamon: Bark. Prosperity, success, passion, love, lust, healing, protection, power, psychic ability, spirituality. Who would have thought that the simple cinnamon in your cupboard would have so many magickal uses? Cinnamon is especially useful in love and prosperity mixtures and can easily be added to food. Actually a spice that comes from the inner bark of an evergreen tree, cinnamon is usually found in its powdered form, but I like to use cinnamon sticks in charm bags, magickal mixes, and even as a miniature wand to stir the Yule wassail.

Dill: Leaves, flowers, and seeds. Love, protection, prosperity. Magickal prosperity pickles? Sure, why not? Dill is a tall plant that is used for both its delicate-looking thin green leaves and then, later in the season, the flowering heads filled with seeds that are used to flavor pickles and other foods. It is easy to grow and can be used fresh or dried. For a boost of prosperity, I toss the fresh herb in my salads in early summer and add it to various magickal mixes later in the year in its dried form. 

Eucalyptus: Leaves. Healing and protection. Eucalyptus is a powerful healing herb, whether you are using dried leaves or essential oil. It has a strong, pungent odor and can be quite powerful, so it is best to use it in small amounts. The oil can be added to healing mixtures or the leaves placed in sachets or poppets intended for healing use. 

Garlic: Bulb. Healing, protection. As anyone who has ever eaten it knows, garlic is a strong-smelling herb that will chase away prospective dates and possibly vampires. But in magickal work, its protective properties will definitely work for your benefit. You can use whole cloves in protection sachets or powdered dry garlic in spell mixtures. (I don’t suggest putting those under your pillow, though.) It is also used for healing and can be added to food if you are doing kitchen witchery. Magickal chicken soup for a cold? You bet! Just remember to focus on its healing potential as you use it. 

Geranium: Flowers, leaves. Love, healing, protection. Geraniums are a pretty and easy-to-grow plant that comes in a range of colors, red and pink being the most common. The plants themselves can act as protection for the home, and the flowers can be picked and added to sachets or other magickal preparations. Rose geranium in particular has very pleasantly scented leaves and makes a lovely essential oil. (Note that geranium essential oil and rose geranium essential oil will have different scents; they are both useful for love and protection work, but rose geranium in particular is known for its calming and healing properties.) 

Ginger: Root. Power, energy, prosperity, success, love (especially the passionate type). Ginger is a fiery herb that lends its heat and power to any spell you use it in. It can be used in the powdered form in magickal mixtures, or pieces of the whole root can be sliced and added to food or charm bags. 

Lavender: Flowers. Love, sleep, happiness, purification, healing, peace. Lavender is a beautiful and strongly scented flower with many magickal uses. If you have a garden, it is lovely to cut fresh flowers and place them on your altar. For most, however, the dried version will have to do. My group often follows the traditional practice of tossing lavender into the Midsummer bonfire as a sacrifice to the Goddess. I also use the herb in sachets for healing and peace and tuck one under my pillow to help me sleep. It makes wonderful incense, and the essential oil is easy to use in magick baths or sprays. 

Lemon: Juice, peel. Purification, cleansing, love, energy. All the citruses (specifically lemon, orange, and grapefruit) have similar magickal properties, but lemon in particular is good for any purification or cleansing work. Add a few drops to your mop water for a magickal boost to your housework, especially if you are doing spring cleaning. The dried peel can be added to sachets and charm bags for love or purification, and the essential oil is perfect for room sprays that are intended to purify your space and boost your energy. 

Lemon Balm: Leaves. Healing, happiness, calm, love. Lemon balm is a member of the mint family and will grow prolifically in a garden. It is known for its ability to attract bees and is sacred to Artemis and Diana. Lemon balm can be made into a magickal tea to boost the mood or calm a troubled spirit, and the leaves or essential oil are particularly helpful in spell mixtures to deal with sleep, anxiety, or depression. 

Mugwort: Leaves. Psychic powers, protection, divination, dreaming, and astral projection. Mugwort’s most common use is in a dream sachet, which, when tucked under one’s pillow, is said to aid in prophetic dreaming. It is also used in incense and drunk in teas to boost the user’s power of divination. While not as dangerous as the hallucinogenic herbs employed by earlier witches, some people can find mugwort overwhelming, and it should be used with caution if you have no previous experience with it. 

Parsley: Leaves. Protection and purification. Parsley isn’t considered to be one of the more powerful magickal herbs, but I like it because it is so easy to add to foods if you are doing kitchen witchery. If you are already making a dish with the magickal intent of protection or purification, why not toss in a little parsley for a magickal boost?

...

[kariohki]

Trip report of the six lives I went to on my last trip to Japan - more condensed than I kind of want because it's approaching 5 weeks since and my memory is awful, and I also am bad with words and describing things.

BUSHIROAD ROCK FESTIVAL 2023 (5/27, Fuji-Q Highland) Acts: Lyrical Lily (OA), Fantôme Iris, Morfonica, Peaky P-key, Nijigasaki High School Idol Club (three members), RONDO, Liella!, Gyroaxia, RAISE A SUILEN My seat partner lucksacked the ticket roll so I was sitting in the second row in a near-middle section. This was my first time seeing any of the groups except for RAS of course. Lyrical Lily's opening act was three of their higher energy songs (two being covers), and also the required Maihime. Nothing amazing but a good taste of the group. Fantôme Iris was fine. I have no interest in the From Argonavis franchise. Morfonica I had a perfect view of Ayasa so kept my eyes on her bow twirling most of the time. Song choices were relatively standard with both Daylight and flame of hope. They had a one song collab with Liella!'s song WE WILL!! at the end that was good. Peaky P-key was the first actually hype portion for me, even if their setlist skewed very old with their first two songs, Gonna be right, and CYBER CYBER as the one cover. OVERWHELM! from D4DJ All Mix was their only recent song performed. Felt good to do the furicopy as part of a large group. Peaky P-key rolled into the NijiGaku section with a special version of Ryouran Victory Road with extended unique lyrics for all the other main singers (and one DJ) from Bandori and D4DJ groups which was unexpected that they'd go that far with the song as the collab wasn't previewed as such. NijiGaku's three members in attendance were Tanaka Chiemi (Rina), Sagara Mayu (Kasumi), and Hayashi Coco (Setsuna). So… my least two favorite characters and my former oshi character's new seiyuu. The group songs were very standard hitting the usual Tokimeki Runners and anime songs, and they stuck to their original solo songs, which honestly was fine because I know the calls and I got to hear CHASE!. RONDO was next with a killer set leading with ARCANA into KiLLiNG ME and a short version of Calendula. BLACK LOTUS was also played hitting my top two favorite originals from them. This was also the first performance that Momo Haruna (Hiiro) attended in almost a year, having been on a semi-hiatus due to health issues. Lots of screaming "OKAERI!" to her from the crowd, myself included. Liella! performed exactly 0 songs that I recognized, which is understandable as I only listened to 5-member Liella and dropped off before 9-member Liella was a thing. It was nostalgic to do idol-style calls though. Kumachan is pretty and I kept following her around instead of my actual oshi Paychan. Gyroaxia was fine, but it was my "sit down and rest" time. RAISE A SUILEN was the final act and had a good mix of older and newer songs, all high energy to keep the crowd going as it got dark. Got to learn the Shakunetsu Bonfire! furicopy and headbang a lot. The final song was RAS's R•I•O•T but with the full cast. Yes, including the boy groups. Full cast covers are always amazing and chaotic, even if this is one of the more "basic" RAS songs to do it on. Highlights are Moepii abandoning Peaky P-key to go hang out with her NijiGaku buddies and the final spoken line being done by Mayuchi and Kumachan. Also I think it was at the end here that I greased fingerhearts from Cocochan so that was a thing.

RAISE A SUILEN LIVE 2023: EXCLAMATION HIGHLAND (5/28, Fuji-Q Highland) Guest Act: Roselia Sitting in a more middle section, five rows from the front gave good views of basically everyone but especially Raychell. Roselia was billed as the guest act but was more like an opening act really, since no collabs happened. Roselia skewed quite old for their setlist (Nesshoku Starmine, Dear Gleam, PASSIONATE ANTHEM, BLACK SHOUT, FIRE BIRD), with only one song being after the release of the Wahl album in Dear Gleam. Solid overall for a guest/opening act of course, and it was nice to see them again after three and a half years. RAS opening with Invincible Fighter gave me good memories to the other major RAS live I attended back in 2019, Heaven and Earth, where it was the Day 2 opener. The most surprising part of the setlist was a Goka! Gokai!? Phantom Thief cover out of nowhere, and I was also the only one jumping during it in my row :P The back-to-back-to-back attack of Rettou Joutou, Keep the Heat and Fire Yourself Up, and Repaint was also very strong. They debuted one previously unperformed cover with Kyouran Hey Kids!! and one brand new song, -N-E-M-E-S-I-S-, which was still a month away from CD release at the time. Overall a very good live from the group but it still didn't beat out how magical Heaven and Earth was (and at this point I don't think anything ever will…)

tipToe. 3rd ONEMAN "My Long Prologue" (5/29, Ebisu LIQUIDROOM) I was shilled into this by someone I know who is a big fan of the group, so I decided to pull a "sure I'll go to lives three days in a row, I won't be that dead I swear". This is the first time I'd attended a live for an actual idol group and not a group of seiyuu playing idols. This was also the smallest venue I'd ever been in, until later in this same trip. tipToe. is billed a "concept idol group", where the members are required to graduate after three years of activity. It's hard for me to describe their music. There's some very emotional songs, there's some more standard pop-like fun idol songs, there's some in the middle. There's apparently a story that weaves everything together as well, if you understand the lyrics. Also, since these are actual idols, penlight waving and calls are different - raise your penlight for your oshi and no one else, and mixing is fair game. Well, I liked the group enough to get a twoshot cheki (my first one ever) with one member, Yuzuki Rin, who was very happy to talk to a new overseas fan. I recommend reading this more indepth trip report: https://ramen.events/tiptoe-3rd-oneman/

エクストロメ!! (6/1, Shinjuku Loft) Acts: airattic, われらがプワプワプーワプワ, Finger Runs, tipToe. This was the unplanned event I ended up at because I got enabled into going after enjoying tipToe.'s oneman live earlier in the week. Loft is the smallest venue I've ever been in. This was also the cheapest live out of all I attended at only 2100 yen for the ticket + drink fee. All four groups were good, though the most I remember about Finger Runs and われらがプワプワプーワプワ were their outfits. airattic is a "sister group" to tipToe. but I didn't like their music as much. I did another twoshot cheki afterwards with Rinchan. She remembered me, noticed I'd followed her on Twitter, and talked to me about going to Shibuya and seeing Hachiko. That's how real idols get you…

Raychell Live Tour "Sing Alone" Aichi Performance (6/2, Nagoya ell.FITS ALL) Another first for me, seeing a seiyuu artist's solo performance. I don't heavily follow Raychell's solo career so didn't recognize most of the songs until Are You Ready To FIGHT near the end. If you haven't listened to it and are a RAS fan, I highly recommend checking her songs out as they're a much more varied style. She gave a lot of fanservice to the people standing up front, including fist bumps and a few jokes with people she recognized as regulars. I do not recommend attending a live in wet shoes and socks, though.

Ave Mujica 0th LIVE "Primo die in scaena" (6/4, Nakano Sunplaza) The final live of the trip and, because something has to be at the bottom, my least favorite one. Ave Mujica is the newest band in the Bandori franchise, and this was their debut live. I'd been following their music releases and teaser videos since they started and was already a fan of the general style being a harder rock. Of course they played all of their existing originals, plus debuted a new self-titled one. The surprises were the covers, consisting of songs originally by angela, Creepy Nuts, Ali Project, and…Roselia! Determination Symphony was an odd choice I think since that song is so heavily tied to Sayo, but PASSIONATE ANTHEM was good and also meant I heard the song twice in the span of a week The live length was very short at only 70 minutes, sort of expected due to the lack of content but would've thought they'd pad it out to at least 90. Also they only revealed character names (stage names probably since they're Latin words) and not the seiyuu - hopefully it's not a MyGO situation where it takes a full year for an official reveal (though after seeing the first bits of the MyGO anime, I don't think they'll be going that long before official reveal…)

Next trip is in November for a stupid YOLO weekender for Bandori 12th!

[occasionallybirds]

Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula)

October 10, 2022

Southeastern Pennsylvania

Only the males have the ruby crowns, and they only show them when they are agitated or as a mating display.  There have been flocks of these migrating through, and I have seen the males displaying while chasing each other. I think this one just realized I was taking his photo.

[nana1000night]

Haunted Serues 🎃

Okay, so since October is Halloween Month, I have some ideas about monster au with CE and SS Characters.

Poppy

Revenant!Steve&Vampire!Bucky x fem!reader

Summary: Moved in with your two best friends is like some dream came true. BUT things go wrong as the time flies.

Belladonna

Jinn!Ransom&Mare!Steve x fem!reader

Summary: You're not sure why, why did Ransom Drysdale amd Steve Kemp, two of the most famous and handsome men in your campus would invite you to join their camp team.

Calendula

Phantom!Chris Beck&Shade!James Mace x fem!reader

Summary: Your job is connect with those astronauts in the Space Ship. But one day, you received a call from Chase Collins and James Mace—and they are both lost in the Space after the ship exploded.

[timstolejasonscorpseagain]

A list of LU charas with some songs that I feel either fits them or makes me think of em when I listen to it. 

I was very surprised I had as many as I did with Legend tbh, but then I realised he’s an edgelord and so am I. 

Time: Sounds of someday - Radio Company  Family - Austin Wintory Eternity, served cold - Seth Peelle, Toby Fox, Malcolm brown and Joren de bruin Deja Vu - Crusher P, covered by Rachie and Jubyphonic

Twi:  Beast in Black - Beast in black  Separate ways - Journey Wolves - Marshmallow ft. Selena Gomez Wretched and Divine - Black Veil Brides Black & Moonlight - Machigerita Can't be tamed - Miley Cyrus Animals - Maroon 5 Flesh - Simon Curtis Black Moon - Ghost town Bête du Gevaudan - Powerwolf Tear you Up - A-ONE ft. T.stebbins Wind:  Nostos - Orion's reign ft Minniva Oceanlove - Anggun Thrilling one way - Aqours Way back home - SHAUN ft. Conor Maynard (Sam felt edit) Rain Dance - A-ONE ft. T.stebbins The Riddle - Gigi D'agostino Inner Child - BTS (Taehyung Solo) He's a pirate - Scotty remix Moonchild - RM Dark Link:  TROUBLE - Parov Stelar ft. Nikki Williams  Love Love Nightmare - Kiichi Bang! - AJR Devil's Manner - Tatsuya Kitani Diablo - Simon Curtis Play with fire - Sam Tinnesz ft. Yacht Money Demons are a girl's best friend - Powerwolf March of Mephisto - Kamelot ft. Shagrath Kamikazee - MISSIO Come with me to the other side - Orden Ogan. Ft. Liv Kristine FAITH - A-ONE ft. T.stebbins Every breath you take - Chase Holfelder Poison - Asking Alexandria  Monster - KIRA covered by Kuraiini/Nijigenki

Legend: The Last -Agust D 134340 - BTS If I killed someone for you - Alec Benjamin Hvorfor har du busker på? - Moster Moster Too Soon - Orden Ogan The things I deserve - Ghost Over and Over - Three days Grace Paradise Lost - Hollywood Undead Sleepless - Josh A The worst in me - Bad Omens I hate Everyone - Falling In Reverse Angel - Judas Priest Violet Prince - DJ Sai Tee Yobanashi Deceive - Jin ft. IA Sleep - My chemical romance Wild: Dead man walking - Smiley Circles - KIRA covered by Rachie Snowblind - STYX To hell And back - Sabaton The bards song - Blind guardian, covered by Van Canto Isabella's lullaby - Takahiro Obata Interlude:Shadow - BTS (Yoongi solo) Donut Hole - Kenshi Yonezu  Calendula Requiem - Kanon x Kanon Gekka Reijin - BUCK-TICK Mikazuki - Sayuri I don't wanna die - Hollywood Undead Mother Murder - Hollywood Undead 'Till I collapse - Eminem  Alive or Undead - Powerwolf Time Will Tell - A-ONE ft. T.Stebbins No Guardian Angel - A-ONE ft. T.Stebbins Karma - AJR Castle Walls - Styx Entomologists - Ghost It kills me - Lil pitchy Up there - Post Malone Maisou - Yasuharu Takanashi Chichi to Haha - Yasuharu Takanashi I don’t wanna know - SEDO Sounder Self-Inflicted Achromatic - Nekobolo

[nikkiwriteswords]

Hi! I would love to hear your thoughts/predictions/hopes for s3, now that we got the episode titles :D

Hey Nora!! Let me go grab my tua theory hat real quick. Spoiler alert, it looks exactly like the umbrella hat on the 3 right here:

Full disclosure, I've only got like a pinky toe in the tua fandom right now, but I'm still going to see what BS I can spin from these titles.

1. MEET THE FAMILY. The description on imdb is "The siblings get to know some more of the 43 children in an alternate timeline." So, I think this is pretty self-explanatory. Netflix likes to start things off with a bang, so s3 of TUA will probably be no different: we'll probably get a vague flashforward/flash-sideways to a "what if" scenario that will make sense by the last few episodes, and the rest of the episode will be sowing seeds for the s3 plot. The big question is, what family are we meeting? I think this episode will revolve around themes of family (no-brainer) and redefining the relationships between our Umbrella siblings in light of the season 2 finale, as well as their new Sparrow 'replacements'. To that end, initial Sparrow sibling parallels will be presented and subsequently complicated in this first episode. I also predict we'll see varying reactions to this alternate Reginald, as the Umbrella siblings are thrust into an outsider perspective that follows on from season 2.

2. WORLD'S BIGGEST BALL OF TWINE. This is going to be a multi-layered metaphor. I can feel it. It will no doubt refer to the plot that's about to unfold (is it an outside threat to both parties - the Umbrellas and Sparrows - from, say, the Commission, or is it more to do with the two rival Academies?), but I wonder if it also refers to the Wizard of Oz type scenario the Umbrella siblings find themselves in: they aren’t in Kansas anymore. (But you know what is in Kansas? The world's current biggest ball of twine.) Also kind of want to see Klaus knitting again in this ep - perhaps as a way to subtly re-address his ongoing addiction issues, especially now Ben is gone.

3. POCKET FULL OF LIGHTNING. This probably has to do with powers. Sparrow powers, Umbrella powers. There'll be a lot of new flexes in this season, so who this refers to is anyone's guess.

4. KUGELBLITZ. Here's where it starts to get interesting, because this title carries forward the subject of lightning from the last one. According to a very quick internet search, kugelblitz literally means "ball lightning" in German, and refers to both a) a glorified WW2 tank designed to take out aircraft (a certified Big Boi), and b) a theoretical black hole made from light/radiation rather than matter. So this is absolutely going to be a new, unseen power - probably from the Sparrows. Hopefully from Christopher because a cube executing a move named after a sphere just makes me chuckle. Ah, fun with shapes... But in addition, this power is probably going to pack a huge, debilitating punch to whatever narrative is underway at this point in the plot. I'll bet money that whoever wields this power is the tank character in their party or they are after this at least.

5. KINDEST CUT. This throws me back to the barber shop meta, I'm not gunna lie. Someone's going to get hurt, either physically or emotionally, and it's going to be the lesser of two evils. If it's a follow through on the barber metaphor, then Reggie will be the one to orchestrate it. Or, in a surprise twist, will he be the one gTetting hurt or being silenced? (Remember that cutthroat allegory that chases the siblings through the first season, particularly Allison and Klaus. It was about becoming voiceless.) 6.MARIGOLD. Big shout out to this post for spreading the word on the marigold symbolism. I'm pretty sure this will be Reginald backstory, which ties in with the creation of the Umbrella Academy. Also, because I'm a sucker for flower symbolism and reading into things, consider that marigolds:

a) fall into two families, the calendula which means "little clock" and the tagetes, which is named after the Etruscan prophet Tages. The Etruscans believed heavily in predestination - some events are set in stone, and cannot be changed. (Consider the way the apocalypse seems to always come for one set of siblings...) b) are named as such colloquially because they were offered in place of money to the Virgin Mary. (More divine imagery, and reference to a pure mother figure...) They are Mary’s gold. So maybe it’s a reference to Reginald’s wife, which would fit with the flashback scene we see in 1x10.  c) are a flower of duality. They have strong connections with the sun and resurrection, yet the marigold is thought to be a flower of grief because it blooms in autumn. Again, think about that flashback in the first season. At the end of the world and a wife dying, there was the promise of rebirth. d) It's also a very common flower. Remember, there's actually 43 siblings out there. We've only met 14.

Also Netflix loves to do this thing around the halfway point (usually episode 5/6) in a season they're producing. They'll switch up the narrative with a twist or turn that provides a new perspective. 7.AUF WEIDERSEHEN. Once again, a German connection. And, obviously, a goodbye. Considering the last season focused on Kennedy, are we going to get some earlier Cold War time-travel shenanigans? Or maybe WW2? I think Blackman has said something about the Berlin Wall, which is interesting. A country divided... Umbrellas and Sparrows allegory? But as an aside, I'm also kinda lowkey hoping it's a nod to Auf Weidersehen, Pet. If you don't know the show, here's the wiki summary for the first season:

Auf Wiedersehen, Pet is a British comedy-drama television programme about seven British construction workers who leave the United Kingdom to search for employment overseas. They find work on a German building site in Düsseldorf but despite promises of hostel accommodation, are forced to live in a small hut that reminds them of a World War II POW camp. The rest of the series is driven by the interactions and growing friendships between the various characters.

In episode seven, three of the “Magnificent Seven” visit an intercontinental hotel. Just saying. If s3 was to go this route, my money would be on Luther, Diego and Five getting up to shenanigans in this one. I miss 125 shenanigans.😢

8.WEDDING AT THE END OF THE WORLD. Honestly, I’m holding out hope that one of our fave siblings gets married. I feel like that’s a trap though... Actually I feel like it might actually be a trap. As in, this is when the rising action really kicks it up a notch. But also remember the title of 1x01: We Only See Each Other At Weddings and Funerals. Maybe the siblings get split up, possibly in episode 3/4, and they’re trying to reunite through episodes 5-7. Also thinking about hotels and apocalypses...  There’s something very fatalistic about these titles so far. I have a feeling that the B-plot or the subtext is going to reveal a lot more about Reginald’s history and the destruction of his world.

9. SIX BELLS. This makes me think of church bells, which is some nice continuity with the wedding of the last title. But church bells are rung for all sorts of reasons - as a call to worship, or in celebration or mourning, or to tell the time. (Thinking back to those marigolds suddenly.) But why six? Now I’m thinking of bell ringing (change ringing), and the way different bells have different cord lengths to control the time of their chimes. It’s a highly mathematical process. Will this episode be Five’s time to shine? Will he coordinate his siblings through a large attack? 10. OBLIVION. Does anything even need to be said about this one? Hotel Oblivion baby ✌✌ Any further theorising would require more knowledge of the coming plot tbh.

Edit: I wrote most of this at 2am, so I’ve just tidied it up a little. Thank you for the ask, Nora! This was fun to think about. 

[grumpygreenwitch]

Summer Gardening.

So it’s been a while, and for that I apologize to the... 200+ people who follow me. I’m sure y’all are here for the cat pics and the nekked men, but TOO BAD. Today you get to suffer through pics of my green children. Also, I do share seed. My seed list link will be up later in the year. To begin with, the summer flowers are out en force:

Echinacea Purpurea, the original echinacea. I do save yearly seed from these guys, although it’s an incredibly pointy, stabby and bleed-y job. 

Mountain Phlox. Unfortunately, all of it around the house is afflicted with powdery mildew, so I will not share seed. But it’s still pretty to look at, and the clearwings (hummingbird moths) love it. Not pictured is the white variant, who grows on the other side of the house. Look, it was hot and I was already melting.

Peppermint Balsam. This thing is basically indestructible, for an annual. It will reseed freely (to truly Lovecraftian levels) and blooms continuously from late spring until mid-fall, when the seed-pods set. There is a dormant genetic in it for double flowers, but when it pops up it’s always been sterile. It just pops up occasionally from the peppermint seed.

I may give the roommate hell over the hostas (I hate them. They’re so useful to protect toads and control weeds, but I hate them), but they do put out pretty flowers. There are several variants around the house - white-edged, blue and green, but hostas in general are very, very hard to start from seed. I will save it on request, only. We were also incredibly lucky to have a Moth Mullein sprout in our porch bed, along with some Variegated Solomon’s Seal.The SS doesn’t put out seeds, and I don’t have enough to share bulbs (yet), but the mullein has been exceptionally generous with seed pods, and it repels bugs. It repels ROACHES. It’s going everywhere. And I may be convinced to part with some seed.

Onward!

A view from a hill. Can you see the garden? That’s OK, I can’t either. Those are peach trees, on the side of the orchard closest to the house. Unfortunately a freak storm during early spring killed all the blossoms. Also, don’t mistake ‘orchard’ for ‘organized’. There’s a pear, some apples, a plum, some nectarines? And front and center are two walnuts. I’ll probably be plunking my laurel there to see if it survives winter. And someday when I have a job and money again, I would like to drop a few Chicago Hardy figs, and maybe a kiwi trellis.

This is the big garden (and fortunately not my responsibility, or I would cry). The guys are ‘handling’ it. The weeds say otherwise.

The jasmine tree and the roommate’s garden. Because of a bad back injury that refuses to heal, I’ve been helping them on and off with it. And if you thought jasmine was supposed to stay a delightful little bush, AHAHAHAHAH. Yes, that’s a light-post next to it. For size comparison.

MY CHILDREN. Please ignore the dead soccer ball. That’d be a dog toy.

Lemon balm, amaranth, and a new bed that I’ll be finishing off during fall, for use next year. The lemon balm is a permanent row - it will overwinter just fine, and it will even keep growing through the mildest part of December. Mine didn’t die back until a few solid days of sleet in January. Unfortunately the weed fabric under the amaranth turned out to be an old roll, and fell apart on me (no big, the whole point is for it to fall apart eventually), so the weeds have kinda eaten it alive.

Unfortunately, both cucumber beetles and blister beetles love the amaranth. Fortunately, it does not seem to give a damn. It’s an incredibly resilient plant, not minding weeds, bugs, flood or drought. We’ll see what the grain actually tastes like, but so far it’s looking like a good candidate for continuous growing.

The lemon balm is lemon-balming. Planted on a lark, it’s proven to be a fantastic wind-breaker - because it grows so early and so quick, it keeps the colder winds that come down through the hollow from my more fragile seedlings, like the lettuce, dill and cilantro. You can see here where the spent flower-heads are dying but there’s new growth underneath; I really have to get in there and behead it. It makes nice hot tea, meh cold tea, and hanging fresh bunches of it around the balcony keeps the skeeters off. It also seems to be a decoy for cabbage moths.

Canary Zinnia. The seed was sent to me as a gift with one of my seed orders, and this is my first year growing it. -If- I can save some, I’ll definitely be sharing and growing again. It’s a lovely plant, very sturdy, and the bees love it.

Dwarf Castor Oil. I don’t think there’s anything dwarf about it, but then I’m a short green witch myself, so maybe it’s all about perspective. Don’t let the pods lie to you, until they dry the spikes are relatively soft. However, it being castor oil, I don’t recommend it to anyone with ducks, chickens, goats, or anything that might accidentally try talking a nibble or pecking at the beans. I do, however, recommend them from jewelry if you know how to pierce things and so on. They are a gorgeous tiger-stripe pattern.

Say hello to the chard! Say goodbye to the chard! Nothing else, absolutely nothing else since the limas, has given me so much trouble. The deer love getting into my chard bed and destroying it (ergo all the forks). And once I managed to chase those off, the blister beetles showed up in force. This will be the last year I grow it - we just don’t eat enough of it to make it worth my while, and it only occasionally sold at the Farmers’ Market.

Red lettuce - Merlot and Lollo Vino, a combination of bought and saved seed. I planted a red romaine of some sort, too, but unsurprisingly it bolted in the heat. The darker reds of my favorites, though, keep bugs off them, keep deer from noticing them, and keep them from bolting. It’s just now threatening to, and at this point its kind of allowed. I need more seed for next year. Seed for this will likely be shared by the teaspoon-ful.

Calendula! I searched for a long time to find the plain ol’ calendula officinalis ancestor, rather than a cultivar where I would have no way of knowing if the medicinal principles would have been sacrificed for looks. It’s supposed to work well as poor man’s saffron (color, no taste), and I’m going to be soaking the heck outta my feet on it during winter. The plant is... not pretty. It gets leggy and the leaves get grotty very quickly. But it’s very sturdy and as long as you cut the flowerheads off as fast as you can, it’ll keep blooming until well into winter. I usually leave it to go to seed around late September.

Green cilantro seeds. You pick ‘em when they’re brown, but before they drop off the plant. Or you pick ‘em when they’re brown-ing, and put them in a paper bag so they’ll finish ripening there and you don’t end up with fifty wild cilantro plants in your garden >_> Most of the row is already gone, and I’ll be putting in a late dill crop in its place. No such thing as too  much dill!

Don’t let lemongrass lie to you. Unless you tie it up, it will not grow up neat and tidy, as most grass does. Instead it will sprawl like a dramatic wilting Elizabethan lady and do its best to end up under your feet so you’ll feel bad about it. I just tie it up with a half-blade of grass; it dries up and withers away before it can hurt the plant.

I ordered pennyroyal seed because... Well, because it’s something one should have on hand, considering the way the world is going. What I got was Creeping Pennyroyal, which doesn’t care if you step on it (mint family), smells absolutely delightful, and has the most adorable, tiny purple flowers. I plan on harvesting, drying and sprinkling it everywhere in the crawlspace under the house. Making war on cave crickets, wood roaches, and other such sundries, me.

The thyme and Spicy Oregano took a beating in the heat, but they’re slowly bouncing back. The bed behind them is more pennyroyal, desperately in need of weeding, but there’s only one of me, y’know.

SIGH. Just. You absolute, ill-mannered monster of a creature. That would be horseradish, gloriously happy to be alive, as horseradish should be. Also, NOT IN ITS BASKET. Because never mind the rules, I guess.

I don’t even know how I’m gonna dig that up come winter. With some construction equipment, I GUESS. 

Decorative gourd! It’s the only one producing so far, but being the seed was 10+ years old, I’m very pleased.

And an apple gourd (I think?), from a mixture of drying gourds that was only slightly less ancient. Snake, apple and birdhouse gourds. There’s a bunch of them competing in the basket at this point, we’ll see what we will see.

And this, I think, is a great use of a dead canopy frame (the dogs ate the canopy. No, I’m not making it up.) I hope to coax the gourds to grow me a lil’ roof so I can sit in shade, surrounded by pennyroyal anti-skeeter barriers, eating my maters.

My Peter Peppers (nrehehehehe) aren’t producing yet - it takes them a while. But my Chinese 5-Color are getting started. It’s a lovely pepper, both edible and ornamental, with (so I’m told) about four times the heat of a Jalapeno. They’re tiny, with deep purple undertones to the plant. They’ll go purple-white-yellow-orange-red.

The bullhorns, on the other hand, are fairly sizable SWEET peppers on very tiny plants, and I honestly suggest staking them while they’re young so they grow a sturdy trunk, else you might end up with all of them growing at a slant.They’re just now beginning to turn colors. Keeping in mind I’m virulently allergic to peppers (less so sweet than hot, but allergic to all of them), the roommate loves ‘em.

It’s a small pepper bed - mainly to refresh my seed on the hots, and to grow sweets for the roommate. Pardon the nekked bed, the autumn lettuce hasn’t sprouted yet. And yes, that’s a mixed basil/dill bed next to it. My basil grew in patchy holes (NEVER buying from those seed people again), so I filled the holes with dill. Unfortunately, dill seed heads are so fine that they’re hard to photograph well.

The tomato row. After arguing with them for this long, I went the extra mile. Every plant has a metal stake. There’s also a double line growing at the top supporting the stakes so they don’t fall over. And they still fell over. Because why not, you unruly children, why not.

Green, white, pink and brown cherry tomatoes. Delicious!

Two kinds of cucumbers, some of the only decent shots of the dill seed-heads, and a special guest hiding in the shade. I usually plant dill as soon as the cucumber sprouts, to keep cucumber beetles off it. Otherwise I’d have no cucumbers and a lot of fat beetles.

The Muncher is a small cucumber, somewhat delicate. It’s very sensitive to temperature changes, and it’s candy to cucumber beetles - basically, it’s impossible to grow it without a heavy curtain of dill, or a heavy duty decoy. This year I got lucky enough to have both. It’s also delicious pickled, keeping its crunch and getting a good ooomph in flavor.

The Japanese Long is, as the name implies, long. It’s also incredibly bitey, and absolutely scrumptious. It’s sweet! And unlike the average cucumber, it does not go metallic when salted.

And now for the SPECIAL CHILD OF MY HEART. Seriously. I have been lusting after Blue Tea Peas since I first saw them offered, and every single time they’d be sold out pretty much the day of. This year I finally got some and... remember me mentioning that freak freeze that killed the peach blossoms? Yeah. Guess what it also killed. But two plants soldiered on. I have them heavily shielded by the cucumbers, dill and chamomile, and really I have no words for the blue. Pics don’t do it justice. I won’t have the tea this year, I’m saving as much seed as I can, but I am so pleased to have it at all!

 Last, but not least, and it’s a poor shot of it, the chamomile. I cannot drink chamomile to sleep - it does put me to sleep, but it also gives me bad dreams. I plan on using it as a skin wash for all the bug bites, along with the calendula, and to give me some respite from dry skin during winter.

Stay green! See you in fall! Now back to our normal schedule of frogs, cats and nekked men!

[eddiescouch]

My god I still can’t believe she’s gone. Waking up in the mornings without her makes no sense. Closing my door all the way at night still doesn’t feel right. 

I wanted to honor Ellie in all the ways possible that I could. I wanted to give her the kind of funeral archeologists would find in the far future and think ‘this person loved their dog’. I wanted it to be the kind of funeral with enough love that couldn’t be eroded by centuries. 

I do not have enough gold to bury with her to show how much she meant to me. What tools do I leave with her to show just how much she did for me? I’m at a loss and I think I always will be. If I had one I would bury her with a crown worthy for the queen she was, always regal even when she was silly. No amount of riches could describe the goodness Ellie had. She deserved to be called Yakira, precious, not me. 

Ellie was born and died in winter. She loved the cold and the rare moments of snow in her life. Grey days with wind and chill were her favorite. She would ask to go outside and curl up in the grass to just enjoy it. Even if that meant getting me up at three am for the coldest part of the night. Still, I’m burying her with the wealth of summer. I want the flowers to remind her of all the warmest parts of life. That calendula will be like a little sun to light her way wherever she goes and it will never be truly dark where she is. This is how I know she’ll be alright. She can handle any cold that’s waiting for her, and now she’ll have warmth too when she needs it.

Every moment she had was a blessing. Even the time she covered herself in mystery poop on a walk and it took two baths to only kind of get the stink out. Ellie saved my life over and over, but she also was my life. She sustained me. When it felt like I was so cold and numb my heart would stop beating she kept it going inside her. It was never her, and I, it was only ever us together. 

The love I have for her is still so real and powerful. It has not diminished a fraction in her passing and it never will. Ellie will be waiting for me at the gates of the underworld where she’ll be chasing circles around Cerberus until I can join her myself.