#dogwoods is fun :3

[hollowed-theory-hall]

Even more Wands!

(part 1, part 2)

So, I have some more wand designs for other characters, here specifically I'll be showing my designs for Fred, George, and Sirius' wands. We aren't actually told anything about their wands, so I took some creative liberties.

So without further ado:

Fred & George

When it came to Fred and George's wands I wanted each to look like a unique individual piece on its own, but together they'd look like a set. I also wanted them to have similar wands (in terms of their properties), but not the same, so I gave them different wand woods but the same core.

Fred's wand:

Spruce wood, Unicron Hair, 12", Whippy Flexibility

Unskilled wandmakers call spruce a difficult wood, but in doing so they reveal their own ineptitude. It is quite true that it requires particular deftness to work with spruce, which produces wands that are ill-matched with cautious or nervous natures, and become positively dangerous in fumbling fingers. The spruce wand requires a firm hand, because it often appears to have its own ideas about what magic it ought to be called upon to produce. However, when a spruce wand meets its match – which, in my experience, is a bold spell-caster with a good sense of humour – it becomes a superb helper, intensely loyal to their owners and capable of producing particularly flamboyant and dramatic effects.

(From Pottermore)

George's wand:

Dogwood wood, Unicron Hair, 12", Bendy Flexibility

Dogwood is one of my own personal favourites, and I have found that matching a dogwood wand with its ideal owner is always entertaining. Dogwood wands are quirky and mischievous; they have playful natures and insist upon partners who can provide them with scope for excitement and fun. It would be quite wrong, however, to deduce from this that dogwood wands are not capable of serious magic when called upon to do so; they have been known to perform outstanding spells under difficult conditions, and when paired with a suitably clever and ingenious witch or wizard, can produce dazzling enchantments. An interesting foible of many dogwood wands is that they refuse to perform non-verbal spells and they are often rather noisy.

(From Pottermore)

Sirius Black

So, I think Sirius has two wands. I believe his first wand was snapped when he was sentenced to Azkaban and throughout the books we see him using a different wand. I headcanon Sirius' first wand to be made of Dogwood, like George's, with a Dragon Heartstring core, 13", and supple flexibility.

After Azkaban, I headcanon he uses his mother's wand, so the one I designed is Walburga's wand, actually:

English Oak wood, Dragon Heartstrings, 12 3/4",

A wand for good times and bad, this is a friend as loyal as the wizard who deserves it. Wands of English oak demand partners of strength, courage and fidelity. Less well-known is the propensity for owners of English oak wands to have powerful intuition, and, often, an affinity with the magic of the natural world, with the creatures and plants that are necessary to wizardkind for both magic and pleasure. The oak tree is called King of the Forest from the winter solstice up until the summer solstice, and its wood should only be collected during that time

(From Pottermore)

[gloomiegalaxie]

[Belated] Femboy Friday

ahaha, so welcome to Femboy Friday, on Saturday! frens and i decided it would be a fun little thing to do showcasing some of our blorbos.

i posted my lil guy yesterday, though here he is a little fancied up:

Cyrprus Dogwood - Plant Doll

first theme: spring/cottagecore

(full size image)

show us ur femboys! Got some? tag me! we're also using the #gloomie's femboy friday tag <3

[rennybu]

Hiii Andy! I've adore your art for years and your characters. Their designs are so lovely!! And expressive!! I was wondering if you had any tips for a cohesive character design? Or even advice on adding little asymmetrical details or features? And help is greatly appreciated! Thanks! Wishing you all the best!

HELLOO!!! AAAH Thank you so much for such a thoughtful question, this makes me so happy to hear! I'm so sorry it took me so long to get back to you, it turns out I have way too many things to say about this topic AKLSDHFKLSDG

(pls take this readmore<3)

For the starting point in a design, I try to stick to whatever rules apply for the setting the character is in, and their role in that setting.

Basic colour theory is always at the back of my mind, as well. I tend to use analogous and complementary colours when I design my characters and their closets. Analogous colours keep a palette contained and feeling similar to itself without being monotone. And then using colours that are complementary to that elsewhere in the design adds contrast while still maintaining that feeling of cohesion :D

The intended use of the character also heavily affects what can make a design cohesive or not - it's very dependent on art style and medium. (A design for use in animation would be extremely different from semi-realistic TTRPG concept art. The rest of what I've written skews more towards the second option!)

I consider the colours, shapes and materials that make sense for what I want to convey about the world, and how the character would want to be presented in it. The Dogwood characters are my current exercise; Mel's clothes fit him perfectly since he works a labor intensive job on the farm, and his identity is wrapped up in it so he never strays far from heavy cotton, straight cut. Ryan and Park both wear ill-fitting clothes in completely different ways (Ryan, butchly. Park, autistic and transly) - and they each have work uniforms. Ryan's work uniform suits her gnc appearance (welding coveralls/safety gear), while Park's uniform completely transforms him into "Just Some Guy" and that changes how others read him, too (cashier). And they all shop at Local Thrift Store / Farmer's Surplus / The Walmart 1hr Outside of Town. Their styles give them each a distinct silhouette, and their levels of social comfort as well as public expression contribute to body language, colour choices, and shapes that make them stand apart from each other despite living in the same small bubble. COHESION!

Asymmetrical details and features are my FAAAAV THEY ARE SO FUN, I find inspiration for these in people-watching, nature documentaries, architecture, my reflection, my friends.. <333 This part is also fun to tie in to the character's setting! Springboard questions like. Are they prone to injuries? Magical injuries? Do they have like, modern dental procedures available? Do they give a shit about crooked or crowded teeth? Are they missing a tooth, or did they chip one? Do they smile a lot and have crow's feet/other wrinkles? Do they get a lot of sun, and do they have/use sunscreen? (Even finer wrinkles.) Did they have acne as a teen? Do they still? Are they in a combat-heavy setting, with the scars to show it? Even more uniform features like freckles aren't symmetrical.

Clothing is really good to use to play with asymmetry - maybe the character rolls their cuffs but one is coming undone a little. Jewelry of all types is also great for asymmetry since it can go anywhere on the body!! Facial and other physical deformities or injuries are also incredible to see, and should be researched to find out if they impact other parts of a person's overall health and mobility outright. The different skin texture of a birthmark, for example! I noticed in certain photographs, the subject's red birthmark changed the texture of the skin, so I started drawing Orson with one drooping eyelid on the side affected by his birthmark. The more you look, the more you find!

Before I get too carried away. I try to use asymmetrical details and features as a way to boost that "world setting" cohesion, and to bring attention to parts of the character I am personally endeared by or want other people to notice. Mahon's snaggletooth is an eternal fav, which made me draw him smiling more, which made me more prone to drawing lines around his eyes. And since the anchor is in his left hand, and he tries to hide it subconsciously, I put thumb-holes in his left sleeves, which he plucks through as a nervous fidget, and as a result, his clothes pull a little across his entire body :D ITS VERY FUN to find the right jumping-off point that lets specific details click into place. For Mahon especially, since so many of those details are derived from the setting and his role in it!

Asymmetry and symmetry are just tools at ur disposal. Asymmetry tends to be more comfortable and natural. Symmetry gives a sense of stability and can be pushed for a sense of power, a sense of being uncanny, rigid, etc. Asymmetry can also be pushed into uncaniness depending on what it's applied to!! (But as a matter of personal taste, I find asymmetrical details to feel more natural and inviting than perfectly symmetrical ones. Which. Again. Depending on the character's purpose, could equally contribute to a cohesive design!!!)

OMG ok my final thought. Asymmetry can also be used as a balancing tool which yet again lends to a sense of cohesion. Adding a detail on the left while leaving it out on the right, repeated throughout with different details where applicable. Loam's colour spots, archery gear, scars and jewelry are all areas I've played with this idea.

[riacte]

@treebarkweek 2023 Day 3: Saplings / Puppies!

(Probably biologically inaccurate and many creative liberties taken, but a really fun exercise nonetheless!)

One day, years and years after the Fall:

A young, spirited dogwood sapling emerges from the damp spring soil. It cautiously inspects its feeble, thin stalk and bright green leaves. "Well, not bad," it says. "At least winter's over, and spring's arrived."

The sapling doesn't know much, but it instinctively knows spring is the time for rebirth and growth. And so it likes the spring. But not much happens next— the ground is defrosting and it's quiet, but that's it. The sapling is alone, and it starts getting bored.

And then a persistent voice, small and desperate and coming from beneath the sapling:

"Helloooo? Is anybody freakin' there?! I'm so lonely down here!"

The sapling sways, pleasantly surprised. "Oh! Who are you?"

"I'm a rose seedling!" the voice says. "Erm, are you that tall, thin stick next to me? I can't see you!"

The sapling's tiny leaves rustle. "How rude!" it exclaims. "I'm a dogwood sapling, not a stick!"

"Whoops. Sorry." The seedling chuckles awkwardly. "Didn't mean to upset my only neighbour."

"Nah, it's okay. I'm in need of some company, actually."

There's a pause, then the seedling cries out, "Oh high and mighty sapling, at thou great height, do you see any others that may become our friends?" It ends with a hopeful tone.

The sapling feels pretty pleased at being called tall, but unfortunately it can't see anything from its height. "There's a grey stone wall next to me, but it seems to go on forever."

"Oh, really?" The seedling sounds sad. "That's all there is?"

"I guess it's just you and me in this world," the sapling says.

"Just you and me," the seedling echoes dramatically, and the sapling is amused.

"Just you and me, together forever."

"Forever!" The seedling sounds content.

The days pass. Sunshine peeks out from the clouds and covers them with a layer of warmth. Raindrops roll off their leaves and into the ground. It's still very quiet, but the sapling and the seedling talk whenever they can. They're both growing in the spring season, but the sapling grows faster, and is always taller than the seedling.

"I don't like this," the rose seedling declares one day. "I'm anxious! I'm respirating from places I shouldn't be respirating from! You're gonna become so tall that you won't be able to talk with me! You'll leave me, dude!"

"I mean, it's not like I want to!" the dogwood sapling responds. "I'm a tree. You're a bush. That's the way we are, dude."

"I don't like it," the seedling continues stubbornly. "I want to become a tree too. I wanna grow tall and grow old with you, my brother from another sapling."

The sapling holds back a sharp "that's not how it works at all" and indulges the seedling.

"By the way, if you're really a rose, why don't I see a single speck of red from up here?"

"Exsqueeze me?!" the seedling demands. "Art thou questioning my noble character? I'm just an innocent seedling! I haven't grown into a bush yet, let alone grow flowers, geez!"

"Well, one day, I'm gonna become a dogwood, you're gonna become a rosebush, and that's just how nature works," the sapling says briskly.

"And since you're a dogwood, are you gonna grow so tall that you'll be far far away from me?" The seedling sounds sad.

As silly as the rose seedling may be sometimes, the sapling has to admit it likes having it around. "I mean, I don't want to go far away. But it's my nature as a sapling. I have to go up, as high up as I can, get all that good sunshine, and survive. That's what we plants are meant to do. Survive."

"Well," the rose seedling says skeptically. "How about, y'know, making sure our leaves are shiny and our flowers are pretty? And attracting bees and making new friends?"

The sapling considers this. "That's nice, but in order to do that, we've got to survive. That's harder than it seems. You'll see."

The rain and the wind come in one dark night, and both the sapling and the seedling shed leaves. Thankfully, their stems are still strong and intact.

The days pass. They get their energy from the sun, their water from the ground. The sapling sprouts more and more leaves and stretches itself towards the sky.

"I wanna get my flowers," the rose seedling whines. "I wanna look pretty instead of having these ugly thorns and leaves."

"Hmm. You're always pretty to me," the sapling says to comfort its friend.

"Well, thank you," the seedling says eventually. "That's nice. I-I like that you think I'm pretty."

The sun sets, the sun rises. The dogwood sapling and the rose seedling spend their time chatting and enjoying the sunshine. The sapling is pretty glad that despite being close to the seedling, they aren't competing for nutrients with their roots. It'll be a pretty bad thing if their roots intertwine, it supposes.

"Have you ever wondered where we came from?" the rose seedling asks. "I've been thinking about that a lot lately. Y'know, the secrets of the universe."

"We obviously come from seeds," the sapling says, but now it's curious too. "Tell you what, one day I'll be taller than the stone wall, and I'll see what's outside of it. We'll make our theories when that day comes, okay?"

"Promise?" the rose seedling asks, a little pathetically.

The sapling's leaves sways in the wind. "Promise," it says in reassurance.

They both lose track of time. The sapling gets greedy and wants to get taller and taller. It marks its growth by every stone brick it reaches past. Nutrients are less abundant now, and it becomes a bit of struggle.

"You can have some of mine," the rosebush (not a seedling now) offers. "You need it to grow strong and tall, and I don't think I'll be growing flowers anyway."

Once upon a time, the young dogwood might've stolen from the rosebush, but that was back when it was a wee sapling. The rosebush is the dogwood's loyal (and only) companion. They're good friends. Good friends don't steal from each other.

"Take it," the rosebush insists. "I wanna know what's beyond that grey wall. I'm a useless bush anyway."

"You're not useless," the dogwood says, but finds itself unable to refuse the rosebush's offer. The dogwood thinks it won't ever be able to refuse the rosebush— the dainty, silly, but still wholly sincere rosebush.

So the rosebush shrivels up, and the dogwood flourishes. The dogwood doesn't like seeing its beloved friend suffer. The dogwood drops down its leaves as fertilizer for both of them.

"Stop shedding your leaves," the rosebush says, concerned.

"Then stop giving me your nutrients," the dogwood retorts.

Day by day, the dogwood and the rosebush grow apart. Despite that, they still manage to talk, although their voices grow smaller and smaller from the distance. The dogwood passes brick by brick, and it would've felt more pleased with itself if it could bring the rosebush with it.

One day, the rosebush screams excitedly, "I got a rosebud! I'll finally be pretty!"

"Congrats, dude," the dogwood says from above. It's sincere. "I think I can see it. A small, pink little thing. I'm proud of you."

"And I'm proud of you too. You have to be close to the end of the wall now."

"Yeah." The dogwood's not there yet, but it can see where the grey vanishes and becomes the blue sky. "Remember the pact we made when I was a sapling and you were a seedling? I'll tell you what I see beyond the wall when I reach it. It'll be any day now, I'm sure."

"And we'll magically figure out where we come from. But, y'know, I'm worried."

"About what?"

"That when you're taller than the wall, you'll be too far away to speak to me. Will that be worth it?"

That completely stops the dogwood in its tracks. Its leaves stop moving. "Err. Y-you're making me reconsider my entire life, dude."

"Umm, ignore me then. Don't respirate about it, dude. Keep on growing."

The rosebush gains more rosebuds. The dogwood is getting closer and closer to where the wall ends, its own white buds brimming on its branches. It's exciting, but also weirdly melancholic. The dogwood's life mission is about to be achieved. What will they see beyond the wall? What wondrous sights will they be greeted with?

"I think today's the day," the dogwood announces solemnly. It's a fully grown tree now, handsome and strong, and one of its branches is about to peek over the wall.

"Today's a good day for me too," the rosebush declares. "I think I'm going in full bloom mode, dude! I'm a happy rosebush!"

"Yeah, I think my flowers are ready too," the dogwood says, but it's mostly preoccupied with taking care of its branches. It can't afford to look pretty. The dogwood's branch is about to cross the previously insurmountable stone wall.

"I'm gonna do it," the dogwood promises. "I'll muster up my energy, and I'm doing it."

"Let's go! Ohh, I'm so freaking happy for you, dude. I'll hold your branch in support if I can. We're gonna find out what else is in the world!"

The dogwood's leaves tremble, and then it pushes its branch across the wall—

And nothing.

Nothing at all.

Well, it's not completely nothing. It's just— patches of untamed grass. Some wildflowers. Rocks. And the beautiful blue sky above them. Nothing they haven't guessed already.

The dogwood stares. And stares. When it finally turns back, it stills in complete shock.

Because from above, the dogwood finally sees where it and the rosebush came from.

Two skeletons, half buried by the soil, one plant emerging from each skeleton. The hands of the skeletons are intertwined. Hand in unlovable hand, still together in death. Down there, the rosebush is gazing up at the dogwood, its petals as red as the blood that was once spilled upon the soil that it grew from. The dogwood begins to bloom, soft white petals unfurling, as pure as the colour of snow.

In the dogwood's furious race to grow taller, it neglected to look down and see the whole picture. It didn't realise they were born from the remnants of two humans.

The dogwood wanted to see beyond the wall. The dogwood and the rosebush thought the wall was their ultimate obstacle. But no, they're wrong.

Because the stone wall protects them. What the dogwood wanted to see was within the walls all this time. And what the dogwood actually wants is within the walls.

Because within these walls is the dogwood's home.

And the dogwood's home is where the rosebush is.

-

Well, that was a fun if not wholly scientifically inaccurate writing exercise. Forgive my grammar mistakes because it's late at night haha.

Dogwood sapling Martyn and rose seedling Ren are so precious. I've grown attached now. This is some fantasy plant reincarnation AU I guess.

Thanks for reading! Anyways the dogwood and the rosebush live together happily ever after in the ruins of Dogwarts <3 <3

[the-crow-binary]

Looking up CV names' meanings :)

Joachim: Established by God (Hebrew)

Walter: Commander of the army / Powerful warrior / Ruler of the world (derived from Old High German Walthari)

Leon: Lion (Greek. Fun fact: its meaning is said to be steeped in heroism and bravery)

Mathias: Gift of God (fucking LMAO) (Hebrew)

Elisabetha: My God is an oath, my God is abundance (Hebrew)

Rinaldo: Ruler's advisor (Latin/German)

Sonia: Wisdom (Greek)

Trevor: Great (or large) settlement / The large village / Wise (Welsh)

Or

Ralph: Wolf counsel / A courageous counselor (Scandinavian)

Dracula: Son of Dracul / The devil (Romanian)

Isaac: He will laugh, he will rejoice (or "one who laughs or rejoices") / Laughter (Hebrew)

Julia: Youthful (Latin)

Sypha / Syfa / Cipher: The sword / Caring, Master of their own destiny, charisma / Freedom-loving, free-spirited individual (???)

Hector: Steadfast / To have / To hold / To possess (Greek)

Rosaly/Rosalie: Rose / Rose garden (French, derived from the latin word for rose)

Grant: Tall / Big (ARE YOU SURE ABOUT THAT) (English, French and Scottish)

St Germain: Holy Brother (French)

Christopher: Christ bearer / Christ within (Greek)

Soleil: Literally the french word for "sun" (...french)

Simon: To hear, be heard / reputation (Hebrew and Greek)

Juste: Just, upright, righteous (french, literally, like Soleil)

Maxim: Greatest (Roman)

Lydie: The seller of purple / (a maiden) From Lydia (French)

Richter: Judge / To make right (German)

Maria: Beloved / Bitter / Rebellious (Latin)

Annette: Grace / Favor (French)

Shanoa: Black cat (Castlevania???)

Albus: White (lol) (Latin)

John: God is gracious (English)

Eric: Sole ruler / Eternal ruler (Old Norse)

Elizabeth: God's promise / God is my oath (Hebrew)

Drolta: Knowledgeful / Inventive / Elegant (??)

Nathan: Gift of god / He gave / Given (Hebrew)

Hugh: Soul / Mind / Intellect (British)

Camilla: Servant for the temple / Free-born / Noble (Latin)

Jonathan: God has given / Gift of God (Hebrew)

Charlotte: Free man / Petite (French)

Julius: Youthful / Downy; soft and tender hair (Latin)

Yoko: Sun child / Ocean child / Good, positive child (Japanese)

Soma: Lunar nectar /Moon (Indian, though its mostly feminine) / Creation, genesis, origin + truth, reality, genuine (Japanese, can't find one precise meaning) (It can also have a Hungarian origin wich in this case means "dogwood tree" lmao)

Mina: Royalty (Greek) / Protection/Protector (German) / Eternity, permanence (Japanese, chose the simplest meaning but i'm not even sure about it because. Kanji. Someone help)

Bonus: Belmont means Beautiful Mountain in french <3 (very fitting)

Feel free to add more! Or correct me because some of them were very confusing to me :')

[serpentsurgency]

Hope you have fun!

M!A a 10l bucket filled about 2/3 with water. Once the water has been used to clean Dogwood, the bucket will refill itself to its maximum holding capacity with completely safe and clean drinking water

Thanks much. Give me a quick minute and I’ll let you know how loud he yells.

- N.

[libraryofmoths]

Moth of the Week

Io Moth

Automeris io

The Io moth or peacock moth is in the family Saturniidae. The name Io comes from Greek mythology in which the mortal Io was turned into a cow by Hera for sleeping with Zeus. The eyespots are said to look like the eyes of a cow. The species was first described in 1776 by Johan Christian Fabricius.

Description Males have yellow to orangish yellow body, legs, and forewings with symmetrical brown patterned markings. On the hindwings are large black eyespots with a white center and surrounded by yellow, black, and red orange edges. Also on the hidwings are a large red orange edge on the edge closet to the body. Females have reddish-brown body, legs, and forewings with patterns in varying shades of brown. the hindwings are similar to those of the male but with maroon instead of red orange and a small light brown edge. Some hybridizations have resulted in variations in these hindwing eyespots.

Average wingspan: 75.5 mm (≈3 in)

Males have larger antennae

Females have larger bodies and wings

Diet and Habitat The io moth caterpillars first feed on the eggs they hatch from then their host plants. These host plants are a variety of grasses, herbaceous plants, shrubs, deciduous trees, and conifers. Some of these plants included the mulberry, pin cherry, willow, balsam fir, red maple, bastard indigo, wild indigo, American hornbeam, sugarberry or southern hackberry, button-bush, eastern redbud, showy partridge pea, sweetfern, flowering dogwood, and common hazel. Adults do not feed. This species’s preferred habitats are deciduous forests, thorn scrub, and suburban areas in continental North American. They range from Manitoba to Nova Scotia in Canada and from Montana to Texas and onward over all the eastern states in the United States.

Mating Io moths breed from late May to July, though southern populations may breed earlier and later in the season due to having several broods per seasons as opposed to the north’s single brood. The females emit pheromones to call males as soon as the second night after leaving the cocoon. Males detect female pheromones with their antennae and mating lasts for about 90 minutes staring around 9:45 to 10:30 pm. 3 to 5 days after mating, females lay their eggs in clusters of 20 to 35 on the host plants leave or stems. Eggs hatch after 8 to 11 days.

Average eggs laid: 300

Predators This species is harmed by many species of parasitic flies and wasps and hunted by birds, small mammals, and spiders. In defense, the caterpillars of the io moth have venomous spikes. This venom isn’t fatal to humans, but it does caus acute dermatitis. The adult io moths use their hindwing eyespots to scare off predators by shaking them to imitate a larger animal.

Fun Fact Adult moths are strictly nocturnal and rest on the branches or trucks of trees during the day.

(Source: Wikipedia, University of Florida, Missouri Department of Conservation, Butterflies and Moths of North America, Animal Diversity Web, Adopt and Shop, Kiddle)

[mycelium-menace]

Happy holidays @yoshiintheweb !!! This is my gift to you for the @mcytblrholidayexchange. I hope you enjoy!

I saw Vampire Fwhip in your requests and got very excited, because I have been obsessed with Dracula this year. I hope you enjoy this Roseblings/Wither Rose Alliance vampire au! The playlist has songs that are vampire-coded (to me), as well as songs that just fit the vibe. The fic is epistolary like the original Dracula novel. It's sometimes serious, sometimes silly, and hopefully a lot of fun to read. Fic under the cut :)

Fwhip’s Diary, Sept. 17

So, my teeth are definitely getting sharper.

That shouldn’t be a surprise, but it’s definitely going to take some getting used to. You don’t just wake up to your teeth being different and say “Oh yeah, that’s not weird at all. Totally fine. Already adjusted to it.” Like, you don’t realize how well you know your teeth until they��re wrong. Ugh.

It is fine though… I think. We still have time before the transformation is irreversible. Between Gem and I, we’ll figure it out soon. That’s what we’ve always done.

It’ll be fine.

Right?

Gem’s Diary, Sept. 22

I finally got my hands on that book on vampire lore! Who knew the occult section of our local library would be so popular? (And to that, who even knew our local library even had an occult section??)

It has the best recipe I’ve found for a blood replacement meal for Fwhip, and this one doesn’t even need any sheep’s blood or expensive coconut water! Fwhip seems to like it pretty well too, which is an added bonus.

The rest of the book was pretty useful, beyond the basics (avoid sunlight, garlic, wolfsbane, silver, giant stakes in the heart, you name it.) It had some pretty good tips on how to slow the transformation, and of course what to do when we find the vampire who started all this.

We still don’t have any leads on said vampire, but I’m optimistic. It’s most likely they’re in this town or the next town over since they usually have to rest in their original grave during the day. Honestly it’s not surprising, all things about our local history considered...

Fwhip’s Diary, Sept. 30

We finally told Sausage. He wasn’t really buying my “sudden garlic allergy” story to begin with, and he was asking a lot of questions, so we figured we might as well let him on it instead of keeping secrets from him. And he’s taking the news pretty well actually! It turns out one of his cousins is a werewolf, which is… not quite the same thing? But his heart is in the right place.

He’s really enthusiastic about helping us with all this, which is helpful because he’s the only friend we know with a car. We want to drive to Dogwood Grove to investigate one of their graveyards. It’s the oldest one in the county, with a proper mausoleum and everything. Maybe we’ll find that vampire’s hideout and get him to turn me back. Maybe we won’t even have to use the crossbow I’m building.

Gem’s Diary, Oct. 2

This isn’t strictly related to our research, but I thought it was interesting. The author of that vampire lore compendium, X. Thorn, also wrote a book on demonology, and I was curious enough to check it out too.

Apparently Thorn was an expert on all things occult, but also just a little… weird. I suppose that comes with the territory. He wanted to summon a demon army and conquer the world. Or maybe become a demon? It wasn’t super clear by the end of the book to be perfectly honest. He was kind of obsessed with some demon called Xornoth that he wanted to summon (or maybe it was his demon-sona? it’s not really clear which of those it was, and he published these books like a hundred years ago so we can’t exactly ask him.) Incidentally, Thorn was from right here in Rivendell. I wonder if we’ll come across his name any more during our search.

Fwhip’s Diary, Oct. 3

Well, Sausage was the only friend we knew with a car. Now we’re all out of luck.

Last night we were coming back from a research trip to Dogwood Grove when a white fox ran out onto the road in front of us. Sausage swerved and luckily missed it, and his car wound up in the ditch. We’re all safe, if a bit shaken, but his car is totaled.

It’s weird… I didn’t know we had many foxes in these parts, much less arctic-looking foxes? I mean, I guess that’s not the absolute weirdest thing about this town (I’m literally turning into a vampire right now), but it’s still unusual.

In any case, we need to figure out a new ride soon. The recipe Gem found for substitute blood is fine, but I’m starting to get thirstier. A lot thirstier...

Gem’s Diary, Oct. 5

I’ve noticed Fwhip isn’t sleeping much anymore.

He stays up most of the day when we’re doing our research, although he can’t go outside without SPF 1000 and my old floppy beach hat. At night I usually find him in the garage working on his inventions. He’s always been a gearhead, but he only ever throws himself into his work to this extent when something is seriously bothering him. When I ask him how he’s taking all this he insists he’s fine, but… well, I’ve known him my whole life. I know when he’s lying.

There have been a couple recent incidents at night when I wake up in the small hours to find him standing at the bedroom window just staring. I call out to him, but he doesn’t hear me. It seems like he’s sleepwalking, which is something he’s never done our whole lives. After a few minutes he turns, looks at me with eyes that look right through me, and silently goes back downstairs. I ask him about it in the morning but he doesn’t remember any of it.

Fwhip’s Diary, Oct. 9

Good news, we found someone with a car who’s willing to help us get around! Bad news, it’s Sausage’s cousin… the werewolf.

Gem’s Diary, Oct. 9

Don’t get me wrong, Pearl seems really nice, and I’d probably get along with her great in any other circumstance. The problem is, well, the circumstance. I guess vampires and werewolves don’t exactly get along? It’s hard to describe the feeling I get around her, but I’m just so uneasy. I mean, for her part she’s polite to me, even if she might feel the same as I do.

I guess it’s good to have her on the team, and anyone to help us fight the vampire who turned me is good to have along. I just don’t want to have her around any more than we need to for right now. I’ll talk to Gem about that in the morning when she wakes up, hopefully she’s on the same page as me.

Pearl is the coolest person I think I’ve ever met. She has a van called Gilda that’s covered in sunflowers, she lives on a farm, she’s a classically-trained fencer, and she’s a werewolf?! I love her. I want her to join our group and also stay forever.

Fwhip’s Diary, Oct. 13

Gem found something in one of the books about hypnotism, and we decided to give it a try. It’s supposed to help slow the transformation process, which would be good because I feel less and less like myself every day.

The thing is, when I was in the trance I kept getting these visions. There were shapes I couldn’t make out at first, and a smell of somewhere damp and musty, and the sound of stone on stone. But then I saw myself standing in a cemetery, right in front of an old mausoleum. There was an angel statue next to it which was pointing at the doorway, and a great big oak tree behind it. I really get the feeling that I’ve seen this before. I just can’t remember where.

I’m not really sure if the hypnotism is working to hold off the transformation. My teeth – fangs, really – are sharper than ever before. And last night I dreamed I was flying through the night sky on dark wings. At least, I hope it was a dream.

Gem’s Diary, Oct. 18

We found the mausoleum from Fwhip’s vision! And get this, the family it belongs to? The Thorn family. That’s right, the same X. Thorn who wrote all those occult books. Somehow I knew he would come back up.

I did some more reading, and it looks like Thorn had a half-brother named Scott. Scott was actually one of Rivendell’s mayors, and he and his brother had a couple of public clashes that led to him stepping down from his mayoral seat. Then a few years later, he just apparently disappeared without a trace. In one of his last journal entries before his disappearance, he lists a bunch of symptoms eerily similar to vampirism: aversion to sunlight, sudden allergies to nightshade-family plants, and he couldn’t bring himself to enter the cathedral he had once attended regularly. If I’m right that Thorn was behind those incidents, we may have a solid lead. I’m going to see if I can find a picture of him to show Fwhip. That may help to confirm it.

I think we’re getting very close. I just hope we’re quick enough.

Fwhip’s Diary, Oct. 18

As soon as Gem showed me a portrait of X. Thorn, I knew that was who we’re after. It was just an old painting, but it sent a chill down my entire body. I would know that face anywhere. That’s the face that keeps me up at night. Those were the eyes I saw that night. The eyes of Xornoth, Dark Lord of the Night.

I know what we have to do now. Even if it destroys me, which the books say is about a 50/50 chance, we have to stop Xornoth for good.

I won’t let this happen to anyone else.

Gem’s Diary, Oct. 27

I’m starting to agree with Fwhip about garlic to be honest. We just had to buy, like so much. Garlic cloves, garlic flowers, garlic salt, garlic powder. It’s all for the binding ritual, which will hopefully go off without a hitch and get Fwhip back to normal without complications.

With the garlic, we have everything we should need now. Fwhip has his contraptions, I have the charged crystals, and Sausage got us some holy water. The only thing now is to wait for the next full moon.

Fwhip’s Diary, Nov. 6

Tonight was the night. It took a while for us to prepare everything, but we finished right before dusk. We all waited just outside the mausoleum door until we heard the scraping of stone against stone. Not long after, we heard an unearthly growl. That was our cue.

We found him trapped in the binding circle, spitting and hissing. When he saw us there, he got quiet for a second, and then started to laugh. This is the part I’d like to say that we were super cool and didn’t cower at all… and you know what? This is MY diary, and I want to keep my cool image. So yeah, we were like, “Hey Xornoth, turn me back into a human NOW or else we’ll send you back to your grave.” And he was like, “Oh no, please spare me! You’re too cool and that crossbow is super sick and-”

Gem’s Diary, Nov. 6

That’s not what happened.

Fwhip’s Diary

Yes, it totally is!

Gem’s Diary

Oh my god.

Fwhip’s Diary

Alright then, how would you tell it?

Gem’s Diary

Sausage screamed and your voice cracked when you were trying to confront Xornoth. And then he laughed at you. Pearl had to be the one to force him into starting the ritual to turn you back.

Fwhip’s Diary

Well, you also screamed.

Gem’s Diary

I’m not denying that! I’m just trying to keep you to the facts. Geez.

Fwhip’s Diary

In any case, the process worked! I have a reflection in the mirror again, and my teeth are slowly going back to normal. And we managed to banish Xornoth, or Thorn, or whatever you want to call him, back to his grave for good. A win all around, I’d say!

The one thing left that’s bothering me is, I think we’re missing one of the vials of blood replacement from the fridge. Gem was meticulous when she made those, with a date labeled on each vial so we could track my intake. The only other people who knew about those are Sausage and Pearl, and both of them swore they didn’t touch it. I just hope no one drank it. It has nasty consequences if you’re not already a vampire.

Well, that’s a problem for another day. At least we know none of our friends were dumb enough to drink it, right?

...

...

Sausage’s Diary, Nov. 7

I’M A VAMPIRE NOW??? THIS IS SO AWESOME!!!!1!! I CAN’T WAIT TO SHOW PEARL!!! :D

[jolalibrary]

Happy birthday Jo!!! 🎂🎉🎁 No wonder I feel like we're kindred spirits, I didn't realize you were a fellow cancer!!! You are one of the kindest, most genuine souls I've had the honor of getting to know, and I'm so happy and grateful you're letting us celebrate with you! 🥰🫂

I would love to play along, and if you have any colors left, I would love to request 🎨 #3 (or 15 whichever is still free) 🥰🥰🥰

ahhh hello my love! and yes crabs together.

and this is too nice, stop it! I'll cry. thank you so so so much, i appreciate this lots.

okay, unfortunately, both of those shades were gone, but i've span a little wheel and it came up with 5, which i hope is okay and it's:

dogwood rose

the paint code and shade is under the cut, just because it varies so much on the internet.

have the most fun, thank you again for joining and for your lovely words!

[arcplaysgames]

Literally the best character in the game. I would be friends with Kanji IRL. I like that he's very hotheaded about everything, including defending ladybugs.

Also I very belatedly realized that the summer vacation days had no music and instead have the bug sounds. Which, maybe I am stupid but is Inaba in, like, the Kansai area? Is it meant to evoke that? I don't know enough on this topic, I know a few of the signifiers but not enough to be certain.

I remember the Tim Rogers video on Boku no Natsuyasumi (which is my favorite film of all time) and there's multiple points of meditation on the idea of cultural signifiers of childhood that feel universal to you but are completely unknown to others. The horned beetle thing is to me so deeply strange, and I remember when I was younger, playing Animal Crossing New Leaf, I was sort of going "why are all these games obsessed with beetles, this isn't real" but it is, it's just a deep-set, obvious part of someone else's childhood, a signifier I don't share. My summertime dogwood snow would probably be very strange to other people. But they all have the same tang of nostalgia.

Anywayyyyy.

Oh fun Rise can now shout out a weakness in battle. She will not specific which enemy, and her info will not be added the enemies' card, but. Cool.

Like, for real, I miss Fuuka so fucking much. Fuuka's scans took a random amount of time, usually 2 to 3 turns to happen, but they ACTUALLY TOLD YOU SHIT ABOUT THE ENEMY so it was a good trade off. The way Rise and Teddie both function as in-game notebooks of all the shit you already trial-and-errored is my least favorite thing about the battles in this game. I am sooooo bored of starting EVERY fucking fight with mabufu/magura/maragi/mazio just to fucking catalog shit. It sucks.

Fuuka was the best.

The kind who are boys. Sorry, Rise.

I'm working on Marie's SLink again bc I was told I have to max it out and I dunno if there's a deadline on that, and she literally called me out for not hanging out with her. SORRY, I was maxing out Magician and (soon to be) Emperor and Priestess!

Meanwhile, Chie is very focused on Yukiko which is very cute but also I know from Yukiko's SLink that it's.... not as reciprocated? As you would hope? Like, has Yukiko even mentioned to Chie her plan to skip down the day of graduation and leave? Jesus christ. I feel kind of bad for Chie honestly? She.... feels like the spare to a lot of people? 8C

lmao kanji that's--

>It's very elaborate.

KANJIIIIIIIII

why isn't he a romance option honest to god. why is atlus this cruel to me specifically. kanji would be GREAT at wooing someone lemme tell you. fucking lightning bruisers, you cannot contain their power.

Final notes, I did some running around to gather materials and YOSUKE AND TEDDIE HAVE A JOINT ATTACK. GOD THIS MAKES ME EVEN MORE ANGRY THAT RISE CUT OFF WHAT YOSUKE WAS GONNA SAY. smushes them

also when Teddie is in a dungeon and you give him an outfit that makes him appear human, he does the exact bouncy animations as if he were still a bear and its adorable

Impeccable.

[dansnaturepictures]

29/08/2023-Lakeside and home

Photos taken in this set: 1. A nice moth that came into a moth trap we did last night. 2. Yarrow out the front. 3. Mugwort on my Lakeside lunch time walk. 4. White-point moth. 5. Acorns on my way to Lakeside, I enjoyed seeing these at Lakeside too on a day I enjoyed oak. 6. A beautiful and dazzling Brimstone moth, we had more than one in the trap a distinctive moth I had enjoyed seeing before this was my first home sighting. I was pleased to see this one. 7. A gorgeous Shuttle-shaped Dart, a fascinating new moth for me. Seeing this alongside a few other new ones and firsts for the year made my moth year list my highest ever, the fourth of my five year lists I've reached this point with this year with the other (my dragonfly and damselfly year list) being my joint highest ever total which I am thrilled with. 8. An adult Great Crested Grebe at Lakeside, I enjoyed great intimate views of it and its calling chick which was a key moment on the walk with others seen. 9. Dogwood, great to see flowering and berries I do enjoy this in the late summer/autumn. 10. View on a lovely lunch time walk.

Other moths seen from the trap were Vine's Rustic again after last night, my first ever Lesser Yellow Underwing and Pale Mottled Willow, Large Yellow Underwing, a stunning Willow Beauty and my first Square-spot Rustics of the year I do love these. A fun activity that we've not done before doing a trap and I think we'll do more. Some fine views of Small White and Speckled Wood were highlights at Lakeside, with Common Darter and a pretty Long Hoverfly seen too. I was fixated on a cheery flock of Long-tailed Tits with Chiffchaff and Great Tit mixed in whilst in the southern fenced off area, with Blue Tit possibly seen too and heard in the garden today. Blackbird, Carrion Crow, Magpie, Woodpigeon, Moorhen adult and young, Mallard and great views of Lesser Black-backed Gull and soothing Wren heard feeling springlike funnily enough as I heard it for a minute were other Lakeside highlights. Cress and dock out the front, giant broad-leaved clovers at Lakeside, knapweed, thistle, ragwort carpeting the place nicely, fleabane, bird's-foot trefoil, lady's bedstraw, my first self-heal for a little while, water mint, great willowherb, purple loosestrife, yarrow, a wealth of rose hips and hawthorn berries were great flowers seen at lunch time. Collared Dove, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, the immersive sight and fluent calls of Starlings and snails on the balcony were good from home sightings today.

[necromatador]

Getting a double-glass suncatcher frame in to start making pressed plant stuff for my shop!~

I ordered a cheap one to arrive tomorrow to test and to get some pretty pictures with for product photos and I'm really excited.

I have like 3 books with their covers full of drying plants I cannot wait to use for fun and pretty designs.

I've been testing what plants and stuff press well from work and I can safely say: dandelion flowers and trout lily leaves Do Not. But jetbead flowers, dandelion leaves, and dogwood petals Do. Dogwood flowers are next experiment as they're kinda thick in the middle.

[paradoxesofgalaxies]

Okey dokey, you asked for it, so here are the most random questions that popped into my head.

1. When you roast marshmallows, do you let it brown slow and even or just shove it in the fire and blow out the now-steaming burnt marshmallow and eat it like that?

2. Red nail polish, yay or nay?

3. Cara-cara oranges, navel oranges, clementines, tangerines, tangelos, mandarins, or satsumas?

4. Favorite type of flowering tree? (I.e. dogwood, sakura, apple, those pink ones that I'n fairly sure give me hives)

5. Do you call hot dogs hot dogs, frankfurters, franks, weiners, or hakka diggity dogs?

6. Do you think it is ethical to name a child Peter Richard Johnson knowing all of those names are euphemisms for shlong?

7. If you needed a bandaid but the only options were Teletubbies, Monsters Inc, or Frozen, which one would you pick?

8. Peppermint, Spearmint, or Wintergreen?

9. If someone paid you $1,000 to pierce your belly button, would you do it?

10. Best type of tag? (I.e. freeze tag, tag-tag, ninja tag, etc).

11. Do you like washi tape?

12. What do you think i should name my car? I was leaning towards something ironic like Hot Cheeto because my car is old and silver and most certainly not hot.

Thank you so much! I ended up passing out not long after requesting distraction the other day so it's taken me a bit to answer. Thanks for your patience!

1. When you roast marshmallows, do you let it brown slow and even or just shove it in the fire and blow out the now-steaming burnt marshmallow and eat it like that?

I think this varies between parts. Sometimes we are very committed to slowly roasting the marshmallow to the perfect golden brown. Other times we stick it right in a flame to catch it on fire and blow it out once it's fully blackened

2. Red nail polish, yay or nay?

Yay for other people but nay for myself. If I wear nail polish, it's black

3. Cara-cara oranges, navel oranges, clementines, tangerines, tangelos, mandarins, or satsumas?

I enjoy all of these that I've tried. Navel oranges are great for juicing when cooking. Clementines and other small varieties make good snacks

4. Favorite type of flowering tree? (I.e. dogwood, sakura, apple, those pink ones that I'n fairly sure give me hives)

I think my favorites are weeping cherries! (I have a fondness for all weeping trees<33)

5. Do you call hot dogs hot dogs, frankfurters, franks, weiners, or hakka diggity dogs?

Hot dogs

6. Do you think it is ethical to name a child Peter Richard Johnson knowing all of those names are euphemisms for shlong?

That seems like a cruel and unusual punishment to inflict upon a child lol

7. If you needed a bandaid but the only options were Teletubbies, Monsters Inc, or Frozen, which one would you pick?

mmm probably Frozen

8. Peppermint, Spearmint, or Wintergreen?

Peppermint

9. If someone paid you $1,000 to pierce your belly button, would you do it?

Sure. Tho I wonder if I'd be able to. I have multiple scars in my belly button from separate surgeries. But for $1000 I'd give it a try

10. Best type of tag? (I.e. freeze tag, tag-tag, ninja tag, etc).

Tbh I don't remember playing tag well enough to have an opinion

11. Do you like washi tape?

Theoretically, yes. I think it's pretty and can be used in a lot of fun ways. But when we got some we didn't really use it

12. What do you think i should name my car? I was leaning towards something ironic like Hot Cheeto because my car is old and silver and most certainly not hot.

I think that's a fun name! I usually leave naming cars to my husband bc he's great at it and I can't handle the pressure lol

[oldfacesnewdawnoffical]

I’m not best with ideas but here’s what I got for prefixs

Dogwood-

Fox-

Cardinal-

Apple-

Foxstripe sounds very fun, alongside holding some fun little homage to his bio step-mom…

But I think my heart is with Yewstripe. Thank you for the suggestions!! <3

[hejanic]

very thankful for all the love this silly piece of art got, so here's them going on a date as thanks. i call them dogwood and clover in my head.

i love seeing everyone tagging their partners, saying "WHEN IS IT MY TURN", and the various other tags people have left. it's very fun and heartwarming.

my favourite is the variety of trans people who have connected with it. trans femmes, trans mascs, nonbinary people... i've seen so many people being able to connect to it and that's so pawsome to me. it was intentional, they have no specific gender or identity other than t4t bunnies <3

t4t bunnies

[drdunev]

Native Americans Taught Us More Than Just Turkeys and Corn

Recently I had to have some dental surgery. (Did you ever wonder how people used to handle their dental problems? The big secret-they rarely had any, before processed foods and chemicals. But that’s the subject of a different blog post.)

For my own dental surgery, my dentist recommended a pain killer for after the anesthesia wore off. I bought some just in case I needed it. But I was able to handle my discomfort with homeopathy (lots of oral Arnica Montana before and afterwards) and herbal nerve pain reliever. I used a combination of California poppy, Jamaican dogwood. Honestly, I was uncomfortable the first night, but I still slept, and the day after there was very little discomfort left.

Pain is no fun, and I don’t like to see anyone suffer. So, I love finding natural medicine that has no downside, and doesn’t add to the toxic burden our organs already have to deal with.

So many of our wonderful herbal medicines were already being used by the Indigenous Americans who helped the Pilgrims and celebrated the first Thanksgiving. We have all grown up with the stories about the gifts of turkeys and corn that were native to our Eastern shores. But only herbalists talk about the deep debt we owe to the First Nations people for their wisdom and sharing of plant-based medicines that grew here and were unknown in the herbal tradition of Asia and Europe.

One herb is called “American Ginseng.” Unlike it’s popular cousin, “Siberian Ginseng” which is a warming herb, the American version is cooling, explaining it’s use for calming fevers and inflammation.

“Goldenseal” is a favorite herb for mucous membranes, which includes sinus and lungs. I have a nasal spray made with Golden Seal that works wonders for opening up nasal passages when congested.

Ask many menopausal women what assisted them through the transition and they will swear by “Black Cohosh.” It helps with cramps, hot flashes and mood. i

Perhaps best known is “Echinacea,” which was widely used for a variety of ailments from anthrax, snakebite and pain to its more common use for colds and sore throats. Native peoples observed that Elk sought out the plant when wounded or sick.ii

It turns out that many Indigenous people learned about plant medicine from our primate buddies such as apes and chimps. Dr. Tieraona Low Dog, an MD and premier teacher of herbal medicine, has some fascinating stories about going to Africa and discovering that observing what animals did when they were sick informed humans about natural medicines.

Witch Hazel is another common remedy that we learned from Indigenous people.

The list of plants that were in use in the Americas when Europeans arrived is several pages long, if you check out this link on Wikipedia . https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_American_ethnobotany

I love turkey and most kinds of potatoes, pumpkin pie, and all the trimmings. But this Thanksgiving I will be very grateful for every creature and person along the entire chain of discovery about plants and plant-based medicines. My life would not have been as rich without this great tradition, and the opportunity to share this wisdom with all of you. After all, these were the first medicines on the planet, and trying to extract and patent the active ingredients in herbal medicine has created some helpful drugs, but also caused some harm and addiction. When human illness is no longer considered an opportunity for gargantuan profits we will have healthier people and pets. And if enough people learn how to use plant medicines, we can be less dependent on the system.

Imagine if the medical industry had this viewpoint:

“All plants are our brothers and sisters. They talk to us and if we listen, we can hear them.”

— Arapaho Proverb

Happy Thanksgiving to you and all your loved ones!

ihttps://www.thesacredscience.com/3-powerful-indigenous-herbs-from-north-america/

iihttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_American_ethnobotany