#especially amanita

[musubiki]

Now that you mention it, I realized we get to see Lime liking all flustered in post time skip, clearly and fatally infatuated with Mochi, but we never think of Coco and Taffy's relationship, because coco is clearly different from mochi.

But at the same time I imagine taffy being even worse than lime with his reactions, mostly because he's less used to them.

So like, when do we see taffy lose it and melt on the floor? What about coco?

AH SO TRUE!!!!1 the nature of taffy and cocos relationship is a lot different than that of mochi and lime!!!! m&l is very heavily the mutual pining, dying inside from how much you love them but too scared/proud/anxious/busy to confess to them

TAFFY AND COCO ON THE OTHER HAND...........taffy is less used to his emotions, but since he was so isolated and fucked up being raised (molded) by amanita, he also lacks any restraint in telling coco how he feels when hes comfortable enough around her. lime is like "shit shit no cant ruin my friendship with mochi" vs taffy who is like "what? thats how i feel, so what? whats the big deal?" and doesnt realize how heavy it is. taffy would say the softest, most heart-warming loving beautiful affectionate words to coco (in front of everyone) and stand there like it was nothing. meanwhile everyone is like "BRUH?!?!?"

and coco is not a super stranger to romance. she dated people in high school before so shes a little more comfortable with love as a concept, and shes extremely gentle with taffy because she knows what hes like and what hes been through.

ALSO NOTEWORTHY: when taffy first tells her how he feels shes 100% not ready for it. i dont even know if she felt that way about him remotely when he first tells her, but again shes very kind to him about it and tells him exactly something along the lines of "youre a good person and im glad you came around and i like being around you and i think we could be something in the future im just not ready right now." but taffy knows already he wont love anyone but her so says something "thats fine, ill wait." and continues to love her until she IS ready.

(regardless hes so sweet and gentle and caring to her she does fall in love with him for real and they start going out during the timeskip)

(the only time we see taffy genuinely get flustered is when coco flirts with him and makes very obvious s*xu*l teasing hints and he blanks out LMFAO!!!!!)

[chitsu2]

[rasmodiusofficial]

razzy I adopted a baby shadow creature. It wants to eat poisonous red mushrooms how do I stop it

Worry not! As Amanita muscaria is so common in the levels of the earth that the people of the shadows dwell within, they have developed a full immunity to its poisonous and psychoactive traits. However, if you're really concerned, you may counteract it in full by parboiling the mushroom twice with clean water.

[dinsfire24]

Amanita hummed happily to themself, gathering flowers into their arms. Why were they gathering flowers? Well, they had to give them to someone. They couldn't remember who, so they figured they'd better just give some flowers to everyone they could find. And everybody liked flowers, right?

A pair of voices sliced through the air. Ah, there were their first targets! Listening carefully, they recognized the voices as Caity and... and...

They saw the red-and-black clown come around the corner. Right, Clown. They picked out a rose and a sunflower, then darted up to the pair. "Hey!"

Clown stopped, his shoulders hunching. "Oh... Hi, Amanita," he said flatly.

Caity, meanwhile, smiled at them. "Hey, Nita! Whatcha got there?"

"I was... I picked flowers." They held the sunflower out to Caity first.

She accepted it happily, tucking it into her hair and telling them, "It's so pretty! Thank you."

Clown tried to slip away, but they quickly handed him the rose. "Don't..." They paused. "For you too."

"Ah." He shoved it into his inventory. "I like black roses better."

Caity shot him a look. Maybe confused? Amanita was confused too, but they started to realize something as he walked away.

They turned to Caity, frowning. "Why does Clown- Why does he hate me? Did I do... or, well- forget something?"

She hesitated. "I don't know... I mean, I don't think he hates you. I dunno why he would. But I don't know him very well."

"Hmmm." Amanita looked down at the bouquet in their hands. "Okay. Bye."

Then they walked away, collecting flowers as they went and thinking of a plan.

Someone who knew Clown better. They tried to remember people they'd seen him with. They thought he didn't have many friends. Maddie? Was she his friend? Or was it Kab...?

Well, they could see Kab right now. She was in a house. Probably her house, actually. They looked down at their bundle of flowers. She liked blue, right? She was wearing blue. This blue bell-shaped flower would be good.

With flower in hand, focusing on the thing they had to ask Kab, they walked up to the door and knocked.

"Oh, shit- Be there in a second," Kab called, and Amanita heard the sounds of several things being knocked over. Or shoved into a chest. Or both. They covered their ears to dull the noise.

Once it had ended, Kab opened the door. "Oh, hi, lil' buddy!" She grinned. "You've got a flower for me?"

They nodded, tossing it to her. "It's- I'm trying to... Uh..." Oh, the one thing they had come to ask. "Shit."

Kab snickered. "Aren't you, like, ten? Oh, you probably learned that from me... Pyro's gonna be pissed."

Amanita tilted their head. "But... Not important," they decided abruptly. "I remember. Why does... Yeah, why does Clown hate me?"

She stiffened angrily. "How am I supposed to know? Probably 'cause he's a stupid asshole," she snapped. "Don't- Just don't worry about him, okay? His opinion doesn't matter."

"Oh." They drooped slightly. "But he keeps... avoiding me. You weren't the- I was wrong."

"What's that supposed to-" Kab stopped herself, taking a deep breath. Her voice was strained, but calmer when she asked, "Wrong about what, lil' buddy?"

"I wanted- I thought you were his friend," Amanita explained. "Well, it kind of... I mixed you up. With, uh, Maddie?"

"Ah." Her expression darkened. "Right. Maddie is his friend! Yes, right, of course she is," Kab spat.

...She was definitely angry at them. But they weren't sure why. "Do you... Kab, do you hate Clown?"

"I do. I really do. I hate his smug fuckin' face and his stupid words and the way he's taking away my-" Again, she stopped herself. This time, she didn't start talking again until she'd turned around and went back to what she was doing before Amanita had come over.

They were almost going to leave when she quietly said, "You should stay away from him, Amanita. Maybe it's better if he doesn't like you. I don't... I don't want to know what he could do to you."

Some strange feeling congealed in their gut. Were they angry, too? "I'm... sorry. For asking," they told her flatly.

Kab's head snapped towards them. "Lil' buddy, wait-"

They ignored her, shoving their way out the door and running into the field.

There were a couple of people nearby. Pyro and Rae. They didn't think they'd given them flowers yet. But suddenly, they didn't even want to give out flowers any more. They just wanted to go lay down for a while.

[youjustwaitsunshine]

watching sense8 again from the start get back to me on sunday when im collapsed crying in front of my laptop at the series finale

[krenenbaker]

jade with glasses jade with glasses jade with glasses jade with glasses jade with glasses ja

Y E S

I HAVE A HEADCANON THAT HIS EYESIGHT ISN'T ACTUALLY VERY GOOD AND WEARS CONTACTS, BUT AJSHSHAH JADE WITH GLASSES???

... I may need to attempt another poorly-edited piece because that is a BEAUTIFUL thought

[thunderboltfire]

Also pro tip: search for older printed guidebooks, because some of the newer ones are written by AI too. It sucks, but You probably can get an accurate information on the best guides from experienced and/or active foragers. In doubt, a second opinion also can help with identification. Stay safe!

For those not in the know, this is one of the Amanita mushrooms referred to as a Destroying Angel. Never, ever, ever, ever forage with an app. Especially for mushrooms.

[scribefindegil]

Still thinking about how the dominant conception of mushroom-hunting in my (USAmerican) culture is fear and revulsion and the idea that anyone who eats a mushroom they found in the woods is courting a terrible death. And I don't want to push back too aggressively; it's better that people think the hobby is too dangerous to bother with rather than having people who are so blasé about the dangers that they end up poisoning themselves. But it still gets a little annoying sometimes. So, for the record, some more nuanced information:

There are a small number of mushrooms that will kill you if you eat them. Most field guides make sure to describe these species carefully so you know what to avoid.

There are a rather larger number of mushrooms that will make you sick but not kill you. Many of these are also noted in field guides, especially if they look at all like any of the edible species.

Many choice edibles are very visually distinct and don't have any non-edible lookalikes. Many foragers stick with these safe choices permanently. (I do this!)

Some edible mushrooms *do* have poisonous lookalikes. Individual foragers can decide how confident they are in their identification skills and what level of risk they're comfortable with accepting.

You need to learn how to use a field guide if you want to gather mushrooms for the table. For most people, this is not a difficult skill to develop, although it takes practice.

You need to learn how to see what is actually in front of you instead of what you want to see. Many misidentifications come from people ignoring obvious field marks out of wishful thinking.

You need to learn about what grows in your region, and if you move, stop foraging until you've had a chance to research the new region. Sadly, many mushroom poisoning cases are recent immigrants who mistook a toxic mushroom for an edible variety from their home country.

It is extremely possible to forage safely. It is also very possible to forage recklessly. You need to be aware of your own skills and temperament to decide whether it's a hobby that will work for you.

If you want to learn more about mushrooms (both poisonous and edible varieties), I highly recommend the book Chanterelle Dreams, Amanita Nightmares by Greg Marley.

[aesthetic-bbyg]

AS YOU WISH ~ Luffy

CONTINUATION OF (GIRL)FRIEND LIKE ME

LA!Luffy x Genie!reader

TAGS: @oscarisdaddy69 @amanita-the-fairy @idcalol

warnings ! - p in v (unprotected), marking, whiny Luffy, hand job, and straight into the good stuff ain’t no plot here😭

“I NEED YOU.” HIS TONE WAS SO soft, so desperate, and you could tell by the boner poking at you thigh that he meant it. You never though you’re flirting would actually get you in his pants, Luffy seemed way to innocent to even comprehend the sexual innuendo that slipped your lips. But here you were, straddling his hips and staring down at his lustful gaze, you weren’t one to leave someone hanging.

Especially with such a desperate request.

A smirk painted itself on your lips, a sly hand lifting to run up his arms. Luffy felt that burning sensation again, the sting that you left behind when you touched him, and he loved it. Your soft hands cupped his cheeks, lowering you’re face to catch his lips in a kiss. His inexperienced lips did their best to keep up with yours, leaning his head to one side. The cocky smile on your lips only widened, feeling a puff of pride fill your chest at thought of taking care of the beautiful boy under you.

You imagined his flushed cheeks when you called him handsome in the cave, the same cheeks tinted with a red hue while sweat trickled down his forehead after you’re done with him. You gently rolled your hips again his, teasing his hardened dick, he rewarded you with a low moan, opening his mouth just enough for your tongue to slip in. He hardly fought against you, letting you take charge with your intruding muscle.

His wandering hands squeezed the flesh of your hips, your waist, then it lowered down to your ass. You felt the boy smile against your lips, repeatedly kneading the skin with his surprisingly large hands. You chuckle, pulling away to lower your kisses to his jaw and neck, he instinctively tilted his head to give you full access. You marked him with multiple purple bruises scattered from the curve of his neck to his exposed chest. With each suck and gentle lick he whimpered, squirming as your hand fell down to the tent in his shorts.

“You need me, baby?” You whispered into his ear, making the boy nod vigorously, “What do you need me to do?”

Luffy swallowed thickly, opening his eyes, you took notice of his blown out pupils, wide with desire. Gazing into yours only made him feel more dizzy, absolutely hypnotized by your low eyelids. “I..I need you to touch me.” His words were so pathetic that you could only take pity on him.

Gently, you palmed his hard cock through the denim fabric, “Here?” You asked softly once you got a loud reaction.

“Y..Yes, right there.” He whimpered out, throwing his head back as you continued your slow, teasing movements. He nearly groaned when you pulled away but the sound of his fly zipping down silenced him. Your hand reached under the waistband of his boxers, taking him into your hand and continuing you’re slow strokes.

You mouth went back to sucking hickies onto his chest, somewhere he could hide them if he wanted to but a few would peak out. You swiped you thumb over his tip, collecting the pre-cum that leaked out. You giggled at his reaction, his head digging into the pillow, mouth opened with a string of quiet moans spilling out. “You like that.” You teased, watching as the boy choked back his moans and hummed a response.

But Luffy wanted more. He forced his hand to catch you’re wrist, halting you’re movements as you looked at him confused. “I need you.” He muttered, eyes so precious and begging, it wasn’t hard to realize what exactly it was that he wanted.

“What’s the magic word?”

“Please, baby, please, please.” He whined as you smirked, within an instant you undressed your bottom half, climbing back onto his lap. Staring up at him with such a fierce look that he could only close his eyes and await the pleasure, far to intimidated to say any more. You’re hands against his skin were so gentle and soothing, Luffy almost forgot how erotic the scene was when you took both his hands into yours. But the sensation of your wet cunt swallowing his hard cock immediately snapped out his tranced as he let out a obnoxiously loud whine.

It was one that made you giggle, unbothered by his volume, let the crew listen in for all you care, you were having the time of life. That says a lot when you’ve lived through literal centuries. He was just the perfect size that stretched you out while also filling you up. You let out a gasp as you fully sat down, feeling his tip kiss your cervix. You slowly rose back up, taking you’re time, drawing out those sweet noises from Luffy.

But, you could only tease so long before your own desires began to scream at you, so you harshly slammed down your hips. Making the pleasure shoot straight through you, you found a steady pace, one that you could still speed up or slow down depending on how you wanted. You tugged Luffy up from his laying position, removing one of you’re hands from his and cupping his face.

“Luffy.” You moaned out quietly, making his eyes open, his eyes so different from when you first met him. “Keep looking at me, handsome.” You smiled, pecking his lips, he gave you a hum in response. It was so sudden when he gripped your waist and thrusted his hips up, the movement making you lurch forward and hide your face in his neck. He repeated his actions, snapping his hips against yours in such a pleasurable way that your orgasm was building up quick.

“Y..you like that?” He whispered into you ear, lightly kissing you’re shoulder, much more tenderly than his brutal assault to you’re cunt.

“Yes, Luffy—yes!” You moaned, a high pitched ring echoing into the room as you ran you’re fingers through his unruly curls. Occasionally tugging on them when he hit a sweet spot deep in you. You began to bounce down, joining your hips, the coil in you’re stomach threatening to unravel.

Luffy himself couldn’t help but let out low groans, contrasting against his usual chirpy voice. You loved that it was you who made him sound this way, “I’m—fuck.” His load spurted in you, painting you’re walls white, and without letting up for a second. He still thrusted weakly in you until you followed soon after, coming undone in his arms.

You lifted your head from the crook of his neck, looking at his glistening face from the sweat dripping down the side of his cheek. You kissed his lips, soft and gently working yourself off of him. Never did you think that Luffy would be so quiet, but you as you laid on the bed next to him, still cuddling close, he remained silent. He didn’t even move to put his clothes back on, or reach for his dear strawhat that had fallen to the floor. You turned over to him and found his eyes already looking, the familiar smile building up on his lips.

You giggled, “Not bad for Pirate, Luffy.” You whispered, “Takes nerves to ask for some help.”

He shrugged, his goofy smile never faltering, “So I did good for my first time?” Your eyes widened, lifting to rest on your elbows.

“That was you’re first time?” He nodded in response, making you chuckle in disbelief, “That can’t be.”

“What can I say, I’m different kind of Pirate.” You giggled at his words resting back against the puffy sheets, he adjusted himself to hold you close, and damn—the boy had a tight grip. “Can we do this more often?”

You chuckled, “As you wish, handsome.” You pecked his lips, digging you head into his chest.

YOU FIDDLED WITH THE RINGS on your fingers, swinging on leg over the edge of the crates that you sat atop of. For the past ten minutes you’ve been listening in on the hush conversation that the crew, minus Luffy and you, had inside the kitchen. You glanced up at Luffy who was happily guiding the ship to the next village. He met your gaze as you sent him a wink, making the boy smile bashfully.

“You, as his first mate, have to ask him about it.” Nami’s agitated voice snapped, to any person the conversation would be unintelligible, but you weren’t any person. “Especially if this is going to be happening often.”

“Why is that always the shitty excuse for me to talk to to him.” Zoro argued back, his usual monotonous voice raised and defensive. “Since you have such an issue with it, why don’t you talk to him about!”

“No, I’m not gonna—Usopp.”

“Nope, nope, don’t look at me.”

“Sanji?” Nami sighed as the blonde clicked his tongue.

“I’m not one to get in the way of another man’s pleasure, Nami.” His voice grew farther from the rest of the group, the sound of clanking pans and the clicking of the stove as it ignited following after. “Let the boy have his fun, she’s a beautiful genie that’ll probably be gone by the time his final wish is made. Isn’t that how it works?”

You rolled your eyes at his words, and despite it being true, it was still something you didn’t want to think about. Something about Luffy seemed so different, much more attracting than the past masters you’ve had. All the others begged for power, money, and greed took all three wishes within a day or two. Not only did Luffy have double the amount, but he’d only used one in the past week. You’ve had promises made to you, but none ever lived up to them, although Luffy had potential.

“Do I have to do everything myself?” The orange-haired girl groaned.

“You’re the navigator, find a solution.” Zoro pushed the door to the kitchen open, trudging out with heavy steps, his eyes meeting yours for a second.

You gave him a teasing grin, waving your fingers in his direction as he rolled his eyes, a quiet scoff escaping his lips. Nami followed soon after, her steps much slower and tense, she glanced up at Luffy who was still in his same spot.

“Uh, captain, Luffy.” Nami called out, climbing up the steps and onto the deck to reach the boy. She restrained the urge to stare at the purple marks that peaked out from his shirt, clearing her throat softly. “Hey, can I talk to you about…something?”

“Of course, you can talk to be about anything!” He chirped back, making the girl blush at the thought that the same boy in front of her was the cause of the noise problem last night.

“So, me and crew heard some…sounds last night of which woke us up from our sleep.” Nami began slowly, making the boy nod, his kind smile never breaking. “And we were wondering if you may have heard the noise or…may have caused it?”

The boy shook his head, “Nope, didn’t hear a thing last night.” Nami sighed heavily, rubbing her forehead.

“Did Y/n hear the noise or know where it came from?” The navigator looked over at the girl.

“Hey, y/n!” Luffy called out, catching you’re attention before Nami could protest. “Did you hear any noises last night?”

“Nope, I was in my lamp aaall night.” You replied casually, shooting the girl a wink before going back to staring up at the clouds.

“No noise.” Luffy shrugged, “Hey, do you mind steering for a while.” The flushed girl nodded, taking over as the curly-haired boy walked towards you.

“Mind if I make my second wish?” You perked up at the sound of this, sitting up and hopping off the crates.

“Go ahead, master.” You nodded as the boy walked closer to you, lips brushing the shell of your ear.

“I wish for a soundproof room.” You held back a smile, but allowed a chuckle to escape you’re lips.

“As you wish.”

AHHH I KNOW THIS TOOK A LIL BIT BUT IM HAPPY HOW IT CAME OUT!!

(Literally me while writing this)

[lindagoesmushrooming]

Im obsessed with painting and drawing mushrooms. What's your favorite mushroom?

What a good but also hard question! 😁

Aesthetically, anything with bright colors that pop out, so fly agaric/Amanita muscaria is definitely one of the faves. She's a classic. 😄

All kinds of inkcaps, especially the ones with a gothic vibe.

Anything in quantity. Clusters, colonies, armies of mushrooms. 😄

Then there's also foraging and eating mushrooms. If I have to choose mushrooms for eating purposes - all types of boletes, chanterelles and parasol mushrooms.

(I've answered a similar question here before.)

[krenenbaker]

OH MY GOODNESS AUBURN, THIS IS PERFECT!!!!!!!!

mmmm... the idea of cooking with Jade is just a dream, and the idea of cooking with him again??? MULTIPLE TIMES??? more wonderful than I could express! I'm sure we would have plenty to entertain and inspire each other with as we cook and dine together ♡

AND HIS OFFER TO EAT TOGETHER IN THE CAFETERIA, TOO?? hhhhhhhhh that's.... I'm... my goodness, it's lovely beyond belief

and this letter is also so much sweeter than I had even imagined it. it's cordial in the most beautifully Jade way, but emotional in a manner that you can tell is truly genuine.

I am very much looking forward to another cooking date with this dear eel (*´◡`*)

absolutely fantastic work, Aubs!!

Hi Auburn!! Congrats on your follower milestone - it's incredibly exciting!!

For this event, may I request a little letter from Jade Leech after our first time cooking dinner together? (is that a relationship milestone? idk) Either that, or a letter from him after meeting his family?

Congratulations again, and do make sure to take care of yourself with all of this! ♡

dearest,

thank you for allowing me to cook alongside you. i must say, you surprised me when you accepted me into your home and allowed me into your kitchen. most would have held nothing but suspicion for me.

you’re refreshing. thank you for the entertainment you provide me.

of course, it would be crass if i did not thank you for the meal as well. i assure you it's not just simple flattery when i say that your cooking is delicious. perhaps it’s because you made it. perhaps it's because we made it together. perhaps we should make another meal together, just to test it out, hm?

i hope that sounds like a good idea to you. personally, i couldn't ask for a better use of my time.

of course, if you don’t want to miss dinner in the cafeteria that day...i can walk you there. it displeases me to think that you may be eating alone, even though i’m certain you’d be accompanied by grim, ace, and deuce.

regardless, i hope you will cook with me again.

jade leech

[shadow-fell]

Notes on Cazador's Spawn

Mostly for my own reference but hey, someone else might find it useful.

Cazador Szarr becomes the Master Vampire of Baldur's Gate in 1276 (list of master vampires) completing the Rite of Perfect Slaughter on his master, Vellioth.

Astarion's gravestone gives his years as 229-268 DR. There are two assumptions we can make here: the first is that this is just being written without the 1, so he's turned in 1268 DR. The second is that it isn't DR, but instead meant to be Northreckoning - which would make the dates 1261-1300 DR.

We have a few choices here: if it is in DR, either the 1276 date is wrong, or Astarion was somehow turned before Vellioth was killed. Because of that, I think it's a bit easier to assume NR, especially since he's "one of the first" and not "the first". But this is a bit nitpicky.

For the rest of the spawn:

Petras is around ~1390 ("one hundred years eating rats and dogs" from the Flophouse convo)

Yousen is around ~1430 ("only sixty years" after Cazador's defeat)

Dalyria was Physician General to the Parliament of Baldur's Gate (journal). The Parliament of Peers was founded in the mid-1400s, so she would have been turned after this point ~1450

Leon is at least from 1486 (6 years of favored spawn) maximum ~1480 (turned while Victoria is alive based on diary)

Violet and Aurelia have nothing that concrete. However, Violet does offer a prayer to Kelemvor after Cazador's defeat, so I'm going to assume she didn't pick up worship of a new god as a vampire, which makes her turning after Kelemvor's ascension in 1358.

This leaves us with like a century gap, with Astarion (and maybe Aurelia) being turned around 1300 and everyone else in the 1400s. But there's an answer to that as well...Jaheira and Astarion have a party banter

Astarion: Cazador always warned us to stay clear of this neighbourhood. Never said why, though. Jaheira: The last spawn who tried was sunk into the cobblestones and left for the sun to find. I had an unfortunate taste for theatrics, in my youth. Astarion: Ah. Yes, that was probably it.

The original BG games are set 1368/69 - so probably around then or shortly after is when Jaheira killed at least one of the spawn; we can assume there's a few more that got killed and replaced in the 1400s to get back up to magic number seven.

(more on the Szarrs below the cut)

The Szarrs were a merchant family. In 1479, they had been wiped out in an attack that destroyed their home in Tumbledown in the Outer City, leaving only Cliffside Cemetery within large caverns, and which were home to strange lights that could be seen from the river. Rumors about the Szarrs being seen as ghosts were commonplace.

The crypts under the Szarr Mansion we see in BG3 are the Tourmaline Depths, discovered by Donnela Szarr the architect - based on the article while she was Master Vampire in 1138-1204, but potentially earlier. I think it is reasonable to assume that the Depths are connected to the Cliffside Cemetery and Szarr family crypts underground (deeper than the Sewers or Undercity).

Amanita Szarr, or Lady Incognita, has a series of journals dated to 1477 recounting her turning.

Alturiak: describes that she was raised near Anga Vled, and rarely visited her 'Uncle' Cazador

Tarsakh: summoned on her thirteenth birthday

Mirtul: references every living (well, vampire) Szarr as Uncle Cazador, Granddam Fistula, Great-Aunt Dralia, and Cousin Blovart.

Kythorn: describes being turned, imprisoned in the attic. for refusing to participate. Then she drank human blood, and at least a year later, sent up a captive.

Flamerule: "succumbed" and declares herself Lady Incognita.

These span over 6 months (skips Ches after Alturiak). Reasonably, I think these were written during the period of the "captive" sent up, which puts her turning proper probably in 1476, born ~1462. We can probably date the death of her parents to be the killing of the Szarrs, while she was very young. About 15 years before 1479 is perfect time for a ghost story to develop while gangs to take over.

(Anga Vled is a gnomish village between Baldur's Gate and Elturel, along the Risen Road - so not far at all from where Act1/2 are set)

If we assume that the relations Amanita describes are accurate, the tree would look like this. Given that they're an elven family (or at least, Cazador is elven) that means we have a lot of space to work with, timeline wise, but the quotes around 'uncle' might mean he's actually Dralia's son or Amanita's great uncle, to give a bit more space.

??? (Donella Szarr?) |-------| Dralia Fistula |-------|--------| Cazador ??? ??? | | Blovart Amanita

The question is: if the Szarr family are all vampires, then what does it mean that they haven't shown up? And that Vellioth was apparently not a Szarr but was still the Master Vampire (and definitely in charge over Cazador?) Who turned them?

My personal theory goes something like this:

Donnela Szarr, wealthy (but not Patriar) elven merchant has at least two children, Dralia and Fistula (probably not real name because come on)

some time from 1019-1138, Donnela Szarr, while investigating the tombs below her family's estate, encounters Hideous Gathwycke and is turned as his spawn.

1138, Donnela Szarr kills him and becomes Master Vampire

Donnela turns Vellioth

Donnela potentially turns her children to grant them immortal life

1204, Vellioth kills Donnela, becomes Master Vampire

Vellioth takes control of the Szarr family (intimidation, magic, or potentially turning Dralia/Fistula, if they're his spawn and not Donnela's)

Cazador is turned by Vellioth (at least 1260, probably earlier)

1276, Cazador completes the Right of Perfect Slaughter

~1460, other Szarrs die; Amanita sent to the countryside.

~1475 Amanita turned

I imagine that Cazador was fairly young when Donnela was killed (young enough to not be turned yet), and knew Vellioth already, even if it might have been some time before he was turned. I'd put him at no more than 100 when Vellioth becomes Master Vampire; their relationship (and "martinet") feels very 'strict teacher' which makes me wonder if he was a tutor beforehand.

The debate is whether the Szarrs were killed for mundane reasons (rival merchants), by vampire hunters, or by Cazador himself. If he killed them, it might be for refusal to let him turn them into vampires (Blovart as the exception), or some level of sibling rivalry? Amanita's parents are presumably not vampires since she was turned, but that doesn't remove the chance of monster hunters.

Based on the timeline, Blovart may have died sometime after Lady Incognita's entries, placing Leon as his replacement for the seven spawn (maybe the Favoured Spawn room was his by default, and became a competition after? The fact it only goes back 6 years is interesting). Perhaps related to how she left or died herself.

Dralia and Fistula's absence might be that they don't live with him, but I could also see if they discovered the Rite of Ascension and tried to usurp him and got killed for it. Cazador is fascinated by the idea of family, and I could see him very much wanting to keep his family intact but also has no qualms about killing his own mother / aunt if they actually posed a threat to his real goals.

All of this + the Lady Incognita stuff is very rough, presumably a lot of it having been cut with the Upper City/shift in direction for Cazador's story. For more links/information, there's also this masterlist.

[talonabraxas]

Amanita Muscaria 🍄🌀🍄 Talon Abraxas

The Fly Agaric mushroom (Amanita muscaria) has a long history in the shamanic traditions of Siberian, Tungusic, and Samoyedic cultures. This mushroom was not just used for its hallucinogenic properties but also as a spiritual conduit for accessing the unseen layers of reality.

Unlike typical psychedelic mushrooms, the Fly Agaric does not contain psilocybin but instead active compounds ibotenic acid and muscimol. These compounds interact with the body differently than those of traditional shrooms, yet they can still lead to altered states of consciousness and hallucinations. These altered states were essential for Siberian shamans, who used them to engage with the spirit world. The consumption of this mushroom was typically preceded by various ritualistic preparations such as fasting, isolation, and the wearing of ceremonial garments, believed to purify the shaman and enhance the mushroom’s spiritual effects. These mushrooms also have cultural significance, as they are woven into the folklore and traditions of these communities. For example, the Tungsic and Samoyed people hold the mushroom in high esteem and have folklore and mythologies rich with references to mushrooms. These cultures believed that mushrooms, especially the Fly Agaric, could act as mediators between the natural world and the spiritual realm, providing them with the ability to understand hidden wisdom, communicate with ancestral spirits, interpret dreams, and even see into the future. --The Spiritual Significance of Mushrooms in Ancient and Modern Cultures

[rebeccathenaturalist]

The most salient point to me in all this is that he used an unnamed ID app to try to figure out what mushrooms he found because he thought "Man those look good." The app misidentified the mushrooms as edible puffballs, but in reality they were destroying angels (Amanita ocreata). One is enough to kill an adult, and this person ate four of them. He's very, very lucky to be alive.

This is far from the first time someone put their entire faith in a single app to tell them what mushroom they were looking at, and then they paid the price with their health. You're going to hear me say this again and again: never, ever, ever use an app as your only tool for identifying anything, especially if you're planning to eat it. An app can be useful in conjunction with other tools like books, websites, online foraging groups, etc. But apps are frequently wrong, and are not the easy answer many people seem to want them to be.

(Rant about foraging below the cut.)

This right here is why I spend a decent amount of time in my foraging classes trying to scare the hell out of my students. I want them to understand the risks, not just as a brief aside, but as anecdotes I've collected from the news over the years like this one. I have had more than one person say afterward "Wow, I had a really romanticized view of foraging, and now I'm going to be more careful." That's a clue to me that I've done my job.

It's why my classes are SO focused on identification skills and tools to make you a more informed and careful forager. I am not going to just spend a bunch of time showing you slides of all sorts of edible species, with a little bit of information on how to identify and collect them tucked in before or after. Yes, we do look at some beginner-friendly species near the end of the class, but if all you want to get out of a foraging class is names and pictures of edible plants or fungi, that's what field guides are for. I spend the bulk of the time doing my absolute best to make sure people are PREPARED to go out and use their observational and critical thinking skills when assessing a new-to-them species, to include making use of many different types of resource, not just a single app.

I have literally had people complain that we spent too much time on "boring" stuff, and not enough on the edible species themselves---aaaaaand I don't care. My goal is to try as hard as I can to make sure incidents like the article above don't happen in the first place, which is going to take more than a couple of hours of looking at pretty pictures of mushrooms. Sure, sometimes all you get is a night of bad indigestion, but if you get one of the really nasty species full of amatoxins, you can die. Or end up with permanent liver and/or kidney damage. Or need an organ transplant.

And yes, as I said, you will get information on some species that I think are relatively beginner-friendly because they're distinctive AND they don't have any really serious poisonous lookalikes. But puffballs aren't on that list, and this article is a perfect example of why.

[rentumblsstuff]

Back to the NPMD x Monster High AU, a couple more things:

I would like to rescind my Werecat Brenda in favor of Nighthawk Harpy Brenda. Yes, I know I made Kyle a werewolf to parallel Brenda being a werecat but I also have a better offer for Kyle too: Yeti, which is why he still holds a grudge against Max for wrecking his dad’s ski-doo.

I have so many thoughts on Vampire Grace. She was born a normie and is a recently turned vampire (maybe even a vampire hunter that failed on an outing and was turned by her prey). She’s having trouble coping with her religion now that she’s a monster and constantly wears turtlenecks like the one she wears in Perky’s Buds to cover up her bite marks. She tried still wearing her cross necklace as a show of rejecting this new form, trying to embrace the pain of having the cross so close because she thought that loving Jesus even when she’s a form of half-demon would make herself better than other Christians, but it hurt way too badly for her to handle so now she just says she wears it underneath her sweater. Jason was born a vampire and wants to help her through her dysphoria but Grace won’t accept anyone treating her like she’s a vampire (even though she is). She does like the part about eating flesh and drinking blood- it’s what Jesus says to do with himself, so in a way, she’s making everyone she eats a little more Christ-like. That’s her thought process, at least. She also still pretends to be human around her parents and normie best friend Gabe. Gabe may or may not know that she’s a vampire though and wants to seduce her so she can turn him too.

In High School is Killing Me, the lyric is now changed to “Fuck you, biteology.”

Max’s Jekyll form is human (Max), but his Hyde form looks like his ghost (The Jagerman).

Stachie is soooo canon because Richie loves swimming but as a werecat Stacy refuses to get in the water and they feel like their romance is especially forbidden because of it. If Richie didn’t love the water so much, he’d wish he was a werecat too because he also wants to be a pretty little kitty meow meow

Ethan, Lex, and Hannah also went there obviously and Ethan was a ghost á la Jonny Spirit and Lex and Hannah are both spider people. You know tf why lol

Ruth is a lot like Frankie Stein in that she flirts with a lot of people but they Do. Not. Flirt. Back. Rather than solid stripes, her sweater looks more like lightning bolts and the mushroom design is a little creepier than just an Amanita.

A lot of the smoke club are also nighthawk harpies (because they like eating the weed) (including Deb) and so a lot of people assume Brenda is also in the smoke club. She isn’t. Monster high typical speciesism mixed with Hatchetfield High typical bullying regardless of social hierarchy.

The Woodwards are flytraps and that’s why Alice doesn’t smoke- plants don’t do that to other plants. This is often a point of contention between Deb and Alice even though they try to pretend it isn’t an issue

Steph’s secretly embarrassed about her decay so she always makes sure her wraps are FRESH, but the rest of her outfit is always her jagged hand-cut crop tops and ripped jeans. Her decay spread to her scalp and forehead and everyone knows better than to say something about the wraps on her forehead or how she always wears a beanie but Pete accidentally tells her he thinks it makes her look even cooler. Swooning ensues because nobody dares address her flaws, much less say she’s cooler for having them.

Steph secretly wishes Pete had a corporeal form because her love language is physical touch and she’s sad she’ll never be able to hold him. (Kind of like how Cleo is sad she’ll never get to look Deuce in the eyes).

Sophia/Spitfire as a background character fire elemental is a MUST.

The janitor is a crazy man who lives in the catacombs under the school and is possessed by what the student body can only assume is a goat demon and Peter Geist feels weirdly like he knows him.

Rosary as Claire Rosary as Claire Rosary as Claire-

Pete has also died recently as one of The Jagerman’s attacks when he was out of control, and he’s new to the school along with Grace. He’s stuck in this dorky outfit he wore so he wouldn’t get bullied and can never change clothes, but at least he’s impossible to punch unless if another spirit tried to attack him. As opposed to Grace in life, he was very interested in the supernatural (one of his special interests) so he knows quite a bit about monster types but is always hungry to learn more about the new world he found himself un-living in

[igglemouse]

Amanita Succubari is a fungi that is pretty toxic, in certain doses, of course. If you're down for a really bad and trippy trip, take a nibble of it, that's all it takes, just a nibble and...you know, I could go for one right now. I wonder if one of the many protection spells that guard my being would prevent it from melting my mind too much...

The plan was to gather a few, stuff em in my bag, and wander around Windenburg with the intention of picking up whatever else there is to pick up. Herbs, rocks, fungi, just whatever?

This is all part of my morning routine which was part of my dream of being the world's best gatherer. Okay, yeah, that's not my dream. I really don't have one outside of making it to the next day I suppose and hoping tomorrow is better than today.

Thing's are not that bad but...

Let's not get into my situation right now, it's too personal, it's too much of a sob story for you all to even care about? Maybe it's too cliche? Is that how you use that word? Maybe it's just a little boring and yes, even more boring than watching me chip away at rocks hoping to find gold.

Spoiler alert. I don't. I'm the exact opposite of lucky.

I guess I'm not too unlucky because after all, I'm alive. That does count for something, especially with the kind of life I've had to live. Yeah, again, let's not get into that. The important thing is I make it back home and thankfully I avoid all the nosy neighbors who enjoy watching me go about my morning routine for whatever reason.

Collecting gems and making jewelry is the only way I know how to make simoleons, for now, or rather it is the most comfy way to do it. I'm sure I could find a regular nine to five but honestly I don't think I can handle a mundane job so for now, until I need more simoleons or something, this will be the source of my income.

I'm a complete noob at it and most of what I create is actually very bad but I do have faith that in time I'll improve.

You know what? I'm just now realizing that you all don't even know who I am? After all this time I've yet to introduce myself so ummm, here I go.

Welcome to the life of Gracelyn Matlock, yes, Matlock. That surname might sound familiar to you, it might not, I hope not, because I tell you the amount of trouble I've found from simply telling people that I'm a Matlock, the last known surviving one at that, astonishes me.

Some people really do hold grudges and I'm speaking of the generational variety. Hate that runs so deep that my children, should I have any, will have a basket full of insults before they can even speak.

Why? Well, we Matlock's are a very magical family.

Watcher, what are they even putting on networks nowadays? Anyways...

You might not believe in magic but I do have proof. See? Do you see! Sparkles! What's the spell called? I don't know, sparkles? Yeah, I just short of wriggle my fingers and ta-da, SPARKLIES!

Any ways or rather, long story short. My family, my parents to be exact, did their best to use their power to subjugate and control any and everyone they ran into pretty much and their bad actions has basically banned me from the magical realm. Despite me having nothing to do with it I've been told I'm far too much of a risk and so here I am, sparkling up my fingers with just a pinch of success.

If magic runs through my bloodlines it has likely skipped right over me.

So what you see here is just a normal girl. Mainly, at least.

Sure, I can do a few tricks but they never amount to much. Obviously so since here I am in a humble little house eating mac and cheese that came right out of a box for dinner.

If I were some powerful spellcaster I would at least feast on steak every night. I'd poof it into existence or something.

Despite it all I believe it is for the best. The no magic thing I mean. It allows me to be free and it gives me a chance to be normal.

Like for instance, I get to head over to the bluffs on a perfect lukewarm day and just sift through the pool and enjoy the world around me. Appreciate the water on my skin, the clouds drifting by, even the mosquitos buzzing about in frustration as they realize I might appear a perfect feast to them but they can't partake.

I've been told that when you have magical ability it is harder to appreciate the natural world. I don't really understand why that is but...again, maybe that is for the better?

So I have no issue just floating and letting the day pass me by.

And pass me by it does...

Before I knew it the sun had fully retired and the once orange sky had given way to a deep and calming blue.

Despite the soothing vibe that came with night it also dragged in a chill. Well, more than a chill as snow, speckles of it really but snow all the same, started falling from the sky.

That's Windenburg for you, I guess.

I should have fled home. After all, it was chilly enough to nag at me and late enough to remind me that I should be in bed and yet...

And yet this castle, a reminder of times past, nabbed my attention. It was a little while off from the bluffs, a long ways off, actually, but it stood so stern in the distance that it touched my curiosity and pulled my feet, step by step, nearer.

It was Chevalier Castle. The place my friend, my dear friend Valerie, told me about. Warned me about even.

But standing before it didn't scare me. It was just a castle, after all. Whatever happened here happened long ago, but now? Now it was just an empty place. Maybe I'd adventure through it sometime?

Not tonight though...

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