#fruit of the vine and work of human hands

[eimearkuopio]

Also if you want my brother back too, PLEASE STOP EATING HIM. Like, today. But I get the impression He's been here the whole time, thanks to everyone on the crew. Sorry I don't know everyone's names yet. We'll get there. I gave you all of mine except the one I'm still using. You can have that later. If you already know, shhhh. I'm only an Echo.

[neteyamssyulang]

☽ Forbidden Moonlight ☽

Adult lo’ak art belongs to cinetrix <3

☽ Pairing: T'ahtu (Male yautja) x Fem human reader x Adult Lo’ak ☽

☽ Instead of heading the warnings, you chose to go out anyway. Now you must pay the price ☽

☽ Warnings: Non-con/Dub-con, Dark, Size difference, P in V, Dom T’ahtu, Sub reader, Dom Lo’ak, Belly buldge, Mentions of blood, Creampie, Implied somnophilia.

☽ Word count: 2,133 ☽

☽ Translation(s);

Na’vi: onvä'wll -> skunk palm, vrrtep -> demon, sevin -> pretty, tawtute -> human, syep'an -> lift vine.

Yautja: ooman -> human.

☽ A/N: Soo I’m still not sure about this but I wanted to post it anyway.

☽ Tagging: @ikeyniofthetayrangi @itchaboi-itchyboy @aria-tempest @anemonelovesfiction @loaksulluyswife @tallulah477 @shifting-questions @sinful-tawtute @bambithewriter

Tonight was the night, the annual blood moon and it would just so happen that this blood moon was special. Yes it brought out the na'vi's more feral side but this particular night another creature would make an appearance.

No one knows what it is, all they know is that it comes from a planet light years away and loves the thrill of the hunt. Every couple thousand years, the creature would travel to pandora in search of something worthy to take as a trophy.

This creature knows to respect the balance of eywas creations, which is why it only hunts and captures one prize.

Little did you know that prize would be you.

"Your not going, end of story" Norm spoke, crossing his arms. You had asked him if you could go on a walk just to collect some fruit you were craving. Eclipse hasn't even started yet so you would be fine, atleast you hope you would be.

Huffing you began to protest till Spider walked past, chuckling to himself after seeing Norm finally tell you no. Norm rolled his eyes knowing all too well what was going to happen,"Why does this make a wish Tarzan get to go out but I can't?!"

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Norm shook his head "He is more responsible and knows the forest y/n." Spider turned around putting on a fake pout "Aw, is the little girl mad because she's too fragile to go ou-" , "Spider do not finish that sentence!" Norm spoke firmly, trying to not make the matters worse.

"You know damn well when I do get the chance to go out I'm much more safer than him!" You shouted at Norm, it was true though. Your brother always found a way to get himself into danger whereas you were careful and made sure to avoid certain areas.

"Safer or just smelly to where everything and everyone avoids you like the plague? You wonder why your still single and yet you continue to rub that horrid stuff onto your skin when you go out" he mumbled, getting some yovo slices in a bowl then walked to his room closing the door.

Norm sighed, placing a hand on your shoulder "Please angel, tonight is not the night you wanna go out. Maybe tomorrow though" he gave a soft smile then returned back to his desk, finishing up some work that Grace had assigned to him.

Screw what they said, you could easily make it to the gathering spot and back before the blood moon started, right?..

Maybe also pick up some more onvä'wll since you were out.

You made your way quickly through the forest, towards where the gathering spot was. Upon arriving though you were greeted by the sweet yovu smell, and quickly got to work with picking atleast a few from the bush.

Once you had enough, you quickly started making your way back home. Sure you could try going further out for the onvä'wll but it was risky, if you had left sooner maybe you could've gotten them.

Eclipse had begun, with now the blood moon shining bright in the sky. Your senses were on high alert, knowing that if you made one wrong move you'd be dead.

The forest looked like something out of a horror movie, instead of the usual beautiful glow, everything was red. The only sounds you could hear were various clicking noises that sounded as if they were getting closer and closer each passing second.

Feeling as if you were being watched, you made a beeline for the outpost when something jumped down from the trees infront of you.

"Well well, what do we have here?" Lo'ak chuckled darkly, stepping closer. Instinctively you took a step back making him smirk "Aw, the little vrrtep thinks she can get away that easily."

The clicking noises were louder now, a branch snapping behind you had you turning around quickly, only to be met with a creature. This..this had to be the creature that you heard about..

It was tall, taller than the omaticaya boy making you reach only up to his stomach. Long locs fell past its shoulders and it's eyes glowed like amber. Lo'ak crept up behind you, coiling his tail around your waist as he glared at the creature.

The mysterious alien clicked its mandibles again, almost as if it was trying to communicate with you.

One part of you is aroused to be between two giant men, but the rational side reminds you that one only wants pleasure while the other wants a prize.

"Lo'ak please.. just let me go and I won't tell anyone I promise" you pleaded with him, Lo'ak only looked down at you raising a brow "Oh? you think you have a say in this little girl?"

"You are ours to claim, ours to ruin, it does not matter if you want it or not baby. You'll take everything we give you like a good slut."

His gaze moves back to the other creature, giving it a simple nod while holding you still. The predator looks down to his wrist, fiddling with something on it. The sound of a small hiss escapes the item and he pulls out a little metal disk, your brows furrow "Wh-what's that?"

Lo'ak's left hand went to grip onto your hip while his right moves up to your throat, forcing you to turn your head to the side. The predator steps closer, reaching his reptilian hand out and places the disk behind your ear.

A scream leaves your lips at the burning pain coursing through your skull, it felt as if you were being stabbed by a thousand hot needles.

Soon enough a deep voice fills your ear making you jump slightly "Good, the pretty ooman can understand me now."

Lo'ak releases his hold on you, shoving your body to the ground. Gulping, you back up in fear making both men amused. The omaticaya crouched down then moved closer, leaning in close to your ear whispering only one thing;

"Run”

Your lungs burned as you ran for what seemed like forever, they were playing with you, letting you think you could get away just so they could take that hope away from you.

Loud clicks and yips filled the night air, slowly getting closer and closer. In the distance you saw what looked to be like a cave and made your way towards it, hoping you could atleast be safe there.

The cave was eerie and smelled musty the further you went inside, turning a corner you saw a pink glow from what looked to be a rib plant. Unfortunately though you couldn't open it from this end as it was facing away, looking around more you finally mange to spot a syep'an.

Walking over you tugged on the syep'an, causing it to lift you up just as soon as you heard footsteps entering the cave. Quickly you ran and hid in a small space between two rocks, surely they couldn't get you here.

"Come out come out little one" T'auth taunted,"You can't hide from us baby, we will find you" Lo'ak chimed in, a dark chuckle leaving him as he and T'auth began looking for you.

You could hear their footsteps getting closer, the predators clicks sending shivers down your spine.

Suddenly everything went quiet, the footsteps were gone. Confused, you were about to move out of your hiding spot when a long scaly arm appeared, grabbing at you.

Screaming, you tried moving farther back but you couldn't. T'auth grabbed your leg, pulling you out from your spot "What a pretty little thing" he murmured, using one of his sharp claws to tear your clothes to shreds, leaving you completely exposed under his hungry gaze.

"I bet she tastes as good as she looks" Lo'ak purred from behind you, T'auth layed on his stomach draping your thighs on his huge shoulders "Only one way to find out" he smirked before diving in.

T'auth was ruthless, his long tongue licked from your entrance to your clit where he sucked on the small nub, sending shivers down your spine.

His mandibles gently scraped across the flesh of your thighs as he feasted on you. Your moans echoed throughout the cave, as much as you didn't want this there was nothing you could do except take it.

You were at the mercy of two huge aliens who could kill you at any given second, especially the one who's head was between your legs right now.

The predator reluctantly pulled away, only to let Lo'ak take his spot, but Lo'ak didn't want to waste anymore time. He was already dying to feel your pretty tawtute pussy wrapped around his cock, moving his tewng to the side he groaned as his cock slapped against his stomach. Beautiful patterns of tanhì scattered across his throbbing length.

Your eyes widened at the sheer size and girth of him, no..no that was never going to fit, it couldn't! You tried to scoot back but T'auth was right behind you, he held you against him while his massive arms hooked under your legs, keeping you spread for the other alien.

Grinning, Lo'ak crawled forward "What's wrong mamas? Afraid of a little alien cock?" He teased.

Before you could answer, Lo'ak had already notched his tip at your entrance, a small "Keep her still" left his lips as he thrusted his entire length inside you.

Lo'ak grunted, feeling your tight walls try to adjust around his cock. For him it felt so heavenly, his ears lay flat against his head while his eyes were squeezed shut.

For you though- it felt like you had just been impaled. The stretch to accommodate him hurt like a bitch to where tears were freely flowing down your face.

Did they care? Absolutely not.

Lo'ak rutted into you like his life depended on it, coaxing out noises not even you thought you could make. "Sh-shit mamas.. keep gripping me like that.." he moaned, sharp nails digging into your sides drawing blood.

You couldn't speak at all, all you could think about was how good he felt inside you. It felt wrong yes but felt oh so good too.

Meanwhile the one behind you licked a small stripe along the nape of your neck, a purr rumbling through his chest at the mewl you let out.

The na'vi's hand suddenly pressed down on your stomach, a moan like scream echoed through the cave as you came gushing around the thick cock inside you.

Lo'ak groans loudly at the feeling of your walls clenching tightly around him, the sensation pushing him over the edge and making him release inside you, so much so that it causes a small buldge to form in your tummy.

Slowly he stills his hips, still trying to catch his breath. "See? That wasn't so bad" he chuckled breathlessly, now pulling out.

You glared up at him, your breath coming out in short pants as the two men switched positions. Lo'ak was now behind you, his hands rubbing your sides, claws gently scraping your skin while T'auth made his way between your plush thighs.

His amber eyes locked onto your own as he shoved his cock inside your abused hole, Lo’aks cum acting as lube so T’auth can just slide inside perfectly.

You yelped tried to squirm but it was no use, Lo’ak had a firm grip on your sides while this other brute was nestled between your thighs.

With each thrust he delivered, punched out moans fell from your lips. Your head dipped back, resting against Lo’aks chest as you neared your second climax of the night.

T’auth didn’t talk much but gods was he vocal, he threw your legs over his shoulders while dipping his head back in pleaure. Grunts and moans filled the cave along with your mewls.

“Pleasepleaseplease..” you slurred, looking up at the alien through half lidded eyes. Lo’ak only scoffed, rolling his eyes “You beg for him but not me?”

You didn’t have the words to reply back, T’auth was hitting all the right spots inside you that Lo’ak couldn’t. Your mind felt like mush at that moment, not even registering Lo’aks words anymore.

T’auth couldn’t hold back any longer, his mandibles opened wide and a piercing screech left his throat as he buried himself to the hilt, shooting his seed deep inside your womb.

Lo’ak hissed from the loud screech, his ears slightly ringing. Your own body seized as your climax was triggered, the alien grunted feeling you tighten around him.

Just as your vision was going black, a voice whispered in your ear;

“Sleep if you want sevin tawtute, that won’t stop us from fucking your cute little body though”

[jo-harrington]

Pwdre Ser (Eddie Munson)

Summary: It's Saturday Night. Eddie has no plans and the trailer all to himself. Of course he's gonna get himself into a sticky situation...

Word Count: 1.6k

Warnings/Themes: Eddie implied to be dating/in a relationship with an unspecified partner, Smut, Male Masturbation, Monsterfucking...kind of?, Fantasies, DnD References

Note: Alright, so I've been playing the Stranger Things Puzzle Tales game and relaying all of my silly little fangirl thoughts about the Hellfire Club levels to @fracturedarkness because why wouldn't I? And the way some of these monsters in-campaign are named definitely confirm Eddie is a monsterfucker.

Thanks to @courtingchaos for the middle-of-the-night beta read.

You can find my masterlist here.

Please do not interact if you are not 18+.

Enjoy!

---

Eddie couldn't help himself.

Well, ok. Rewind for a second.

Eddie was rarely able to help himself when the mood and timing were just right and his cock was just hard enough.

But tonight was a perfect storm.

His date canceled on him, Wayne was out of the house, he'd just read an issue of Batman featuring the true love of his life--one Dr. Pamela Isley--and he got inspired for an upcoming Hellfire Campaign.

"A haunted forest," he'd contemplated as he flipped through his Dungeon Master's Guide and wrote notes down. "No, an infected one." The Guide was carefully set on the table as he flipped through other books that he'd accumulated from library rummage sales and the second hand bookstore he favored in Indy.

He always liked to add some personal elements to the adventures and not go strictly by-the-book.

So from his pencil, an army of new creatures were born.

An old tree that housed a mimic-like creature.

A burrowing worm with hundreds of teeth that he affectionately nicknamed "Mouthy."

A moldy mushroom creature that released hypnotic spores.

And the crowning jewel...the boss...part human...part something else...with vines and a sharp-toothed grin and...

He scratched out a rough shape of the creature in the margins of his notebook and then squinted.

Now Eddie wasn't the best artist, but he could get by. Even to the untrained eye, his boss monster looked a little too much like Poison Ivy than he was comfortable with.

Those nerds would sniff him out immediately.

"Ok," his head tilted to the side, tongue sliding along the seam of his lips as he furiously erased parts of the figure. "Maybe...less boobs."

But the boobs were the best part.

"Boobs that...open up and turn into mouths?" He contemplated and then nodded and scribbled. "Venus flytrap boobs...yeah yeah yeah."

He snorted thinking of this boss seducing one of the players only for them to get their hands bitten off when they'd try to cop a feel. Some Botanical Femme Fatale.

"It'll serve them right," he snorted.

Even though he was sure, if he was in their position, he'd do the same.

"Alright, what else?"

And that was where he worked himself into a predicament.

Time was spent perfecting the Boss' body with all sorts of tentacles and teeth and dips and curves--

Not to mention all the ways that a player might be lured into the temptation of said Boss.

--and before long Eddie was well and truly fucked.

Well, more accurately, he wasn't fucked.

Nor would he be.

Because here he was, 9pm on a Saturday, dateless, with a drawing of a gorgeous, giant, monster woman...and a stiffy that he just couldn't ignore anymore.

"Damn," he sighed and leaned back, eyes clenching shut as he realized just how hard he was and just how much it ached just to sit there.

It was the best case scenario though: he had the trailer to himself, didn’t need to keep quiet or crank one out in the shower. He could take his time and savor the act.

Savor the fruits of his rogue imagination.

And he was at a bit of a standstill thinking about the mechanisms of his boss…what better way to figure out the ins and outs and what made it tick?

Before long he found himself in bed, propped up by pillows, jeans and boxers around his knees—he hadn’t been patient enough to fully undress—as he licked his Ticonderoga-and-big-pink-eraser-tainted palm in the absence of any other lubricant.

“Sometimes,” he hissed and let his eyes fall shut as he finally took his cock in his hand and squeezed. Delicious. “You just gotta go for old faithful.”

He treated himself to a few tentative strokes as he imagined himself in his foe’s forest.

His boots sloughed through the muck, clothes smattered with gore and remnants of spores and tar-like blood. He spotted her in the distance…draped in sheer fabrics that refracted the light like dew-covered cobwebs that stretched across the trees.

“Oh, that’s good,” he nodded and squeezed his shaft. If he got his players to focus on her clothes, her body…they wouldn’t be aware of her intentions.

He trudged across a vine-covered ground, the same vines that kept her tethered helpless to the trees. He called forth to assure that her rescue was imminent, but the more he closed the distance, the harder it got to navigate. Until he came to a halt right in front of her…

“Uh-huh.”

He pumped his fist.

…Against his will…

“Yeah.”

And again.

…As the vines slithered around his ankles and up his legs, locking him in place.

While the hand around his shaft twisted and pumped--fingertips dancing lightly as he circled the head and then back down--he traced pathways up his thigh with the other. He played with variations in pressure, much like the vines would, alive and throbbing.

He considered, in a moment of clarity, if his players would be disturbed by the trap they were lured into.

Perhaps they’d find some concern if the vines reached their waists—he traced up the indent of his hipbone and along his happy trail—or if they would only try to slash their swords through the intruding organisms once they were at their throats—he gripped his own throat tightly for a second.

But his neediness took over once again and his free hand found its way back downward and he cupped his balls instead. Less of an unsettling tightness and more of a pleasurable one.

He made to free the damsel, hilt of his sword gripped masterfully—

He snorted at the joke, amused by himself even as he was jerking off.

—in his hand, ready to slash.

He felt himself close to his release and he immediately let up, not wanting to lose this moment yet--lose the feeling, lose the fantasy.

He let go of himself, cock flopping against his stomach, and he covered his eyes as he took a breath and brought himself back down to earth.

Is this where he would have his players roll for an attack? Or a spell? Roll perception? Would the damsel talk? Stop them from attacking? Would she lure them in that way?

"No physical attacks," he decided. "Only magic to repel the vines. And then she opens her mouth to thank them and her tongue...oh, fuck, her tongue..."

He couldn't get another word out as the images started up again in his head, and he quickly resumed his ministrations.

The boss approached him, motions smooth and unsettling, but her beauty belied the danger. Her mouth opened to offer her thanks...when her tongue slithered out of her mouth unnaturally and she licked along his jaw...

His fingers danced along the path the boss licked, along his jaw, down his neck. The hand around his dick became her hand. Or maybe a second tongue...could she have multiple mouths? Her boobs were already venus flytraps.

That would be a genius move, his boss not just one being, but made up of many in some sort of unholy amalgam. A hive mind, a swarm. Once you were in its clutches, it was too late.

"Perfect," he hissed, fingers trilling back and forth over his sensitive head, spreading precum and spit.

When he was well and truly trapped, she would bite him, paralyze him, render him helpless...

Eddie bit into the part of his free hand between his thumb and pointer finger. He whined and savored the feeling of his breath cascading over his skin, as he stroked harder and harder.

...and then she would feast. Pull flesh from his bones, take his blood, take his soul. Maybe in the feast he would become a part of her, absorbed into the swarm, no longer a man but a part of this thing. Part of this system that sought to consume him all along.

His breathing grew shallow as he chased the high of an orgasm, as his strokes got wild and fast and wickedly erratic. Eddie could hear the slapping of skin and his own breathing and the rush of his blood.

What a strange thing to think about...the pain of being consumed and the pleasure of consuming. Maybe at a certain point the boss monster has its own release--a puff of toxic spores and gunk--and he would feel it too, one with his undoing, one with the forest.

At that thought the pleasure hit him, soared through him, made his legs twitch and toes curl as he kept on stroking and squeezing through his release. His teeth sunk further into the flesh of his one hand as his hot cum coated the other. And his thighs and his belly. As he writhed against the pillows and sheets.

As he writhed against the vines and the moss on the ground, whatever was left of his body, as the vestiges of his mind became a part of the beast.

"Fuck," Eddie groaned as he loosened his jaw, now sore, and stared down at himself. One hand bitten and bruised, the other covered in his spunk.

But he knew he had to act fast as his mental clarity returned to him. With a singular focus, he got up from the bed and hobbled back out to the living room. He couldn't be bothered to fix his clothes or clean himself up otherwise he was gonna lose all of the ideas that had been drummed up in his fantasy.

He picked up his pencil and scribbled next to the sketch of his boss. Note after note after note, as quickly as he could.

Careful not to get any of his cum on anything.

His cum.

He hesitated and considered it. Considered the organic, unpredictable shape it made against his skin. And he was reminded of something else, something similar. White and pearlescent and a little bit otherworldly.

He flipped through the pages of the books he'd abandoned, until he reached it.

Gelatinous substance, amoeba and slime molds...it was perfect.

He narrated aloud as he wrote it down:

"This creature eats its prey and absorbs them, then excretes a euphoric release to continue the infection in the forest. Pwdre ser. The rot of stars."

[scribbled-dream]

Affini loving nonbinary Sophont, cradling them in her vines. Waiting for them to say what they want. “Ohh, you want to be held? There you go..” The Sophont is perfectly content, internally hypnotized by their personal goddess’s beauty—they don’t need Xenodrugs—but today, they want to.. try it. Just a taste. Their Affini already knows this, having silently seen their fascination with Old Compact theology and mythology, particularly people asking gods for all-too-human things like love.

”Do you want to try this?”

It’s an unclear class—some form of modification that allows the Affini sap, produced from small pores on the edges of their vines and small fruits on some Affini, putting the Florent in an addicted state, unable to be separate from the Affini for long without profound neediness.

The Florent is vaguely aware of this—and they’re so curious. So utterly curious to be treated like such a small thing, in the arms of their goddess (Unbeknownst to them, their view of their Affini as a beautiful and wonderful Mistress is very much known to the Affini—but goddess has a distinct ring to it—a needy one, which could be easily solved by making them addicted to her nectar, her Ambrosia, if one would).

Her Floret is sharp! A quick mind, well-suited for the rigors of academia—but they do their work fully knowing they can come home to her loving embrace, the Affini taking a humanoid form to be a truly gentle, but dominant mistress—and she wants to do more.

So much more. Slowly prodding them, sending them research papers on low-level Xenodrugs, remembering every time they cry her name in rapturous pleasure, crumpling and submitting to her.

And then, one day, it happens. They cry out for their goddess—just once, a sharp, quick breath in a quaint cry of pleasure, muddled by her vines flowing into their mouth, curling around their twitching hands, edging them for hours—and she can’t help herself, gently murmuring to them as they spasm.

“Good boy.”

She is profoundly aware of her Floret’s troubles with transitioning, deeply aware from her long questions over dinner—her darling is conflicted with their nature, aware they’re not a man, but still trapped by the patriarchal doctrine of the Accord, even millions of solar miles away from their (now domesticated) home planet.

Only she knows. In her arms, they can be her good, perfect, beautiful boy. In her arms, they can suckle at her vines, utterly enthralled.

And now, as the syringe gently releases, in her arms, they melt, utterly sensitive, utterly vulnerable, utterly desirous.

Just this once, they allow her to ruin them, vines curling and twisting deep into their body, filling their mouth and hole with sweet sap, hanging them in the opposite room and edging them mercilessly while they let out muffled whimpers, then swiftly walking on muscular legs and focusing the vines, thrusting and railing them, praising them telepathically so their mind is consumed by her as they scream.

They crumple. The goddess is satisfied. They feel pleased, a small ball of shuddering heat wrapped in her gentle vines. This will happen again.

Her darling Floret is even more dear to her—because a good mistress never needs to force her hand.

[corpsecomplex]

VARRON

If you're a newbie getting into Demonolatry, it may be tempting to work with more well-known spirits. However, many of the most famous demons got that way because they are extremely powerful, and would therefore be dangerous and unsuitable for a beginner to work with. So, for anyone who was considering working with Asmodeus, why not start out with one of his lesser-known consorts, Varron?

Basic Info:

Appearance: Varron appears most typically as a sphinx-like being with features like those of both a human and a leopard. He is most typically quadrupedal, with four paws and no hands, but can sometimes appear upright, in which case he will be about 8 feet tall and have humanoid hands. He most typically appears with long hair, yellow eyes, and tan skin.

Personality: Depending on one's relationship with Varron, he will behave differently. He will likely seem withdrawn and quiet at first, but is very curious and can easily be won over. He is known to be a playful and even mischievous spirit who greatly enjoys the company of his devotees. He can, however, be a bit demanding and difficult to placate with regards to offerings.

Origin: Presumably Babylonian

Symbols:

Crystals: black obsidian, black onyx, bloodstone, pyrite, red jasper, garnet, labradorite, opal or opalite, smoky quartz

Animals: Leopards or panthers

Plants: Palms, monstera, pomegranate trees, grape vines, tiger lilies, orchids, dead-nettle

Associated Colors: Black, gold, red, violet

Number: 16

Zodiac: Taurus

Tarot: Six of Cups, The Lovers

Suggested Offerings: Crystals, cinnamon, cardamon, clove, incense (especially sweet scents), bones, animal pelts, leopard print items, palm leaves, barley, honey, fruit (especially grapes, apples, or pomegranates), sweet liquors, smoke or cigarettes, jewelry, blood (only to be given once a strong relationship is formed!)

Domains:

Literature

Medicine

The element of Earth

Sexuality

Performing and Visual Arts

Signs Varron is Calling To You

Repeated dreams or visions involving his symbols, especially leopards

Sweet smells

Unexplained or otherworldly sounds, such as whispering or purring

A sudden pull towards him or his domains

Hope this could be of help! Safe and successful summonings to you all <3

[4me2knowandyou2wonder]

(some implied MCD for Roach is in this. Just skip the paragraph that begins with his name if you like to avoid that! or interpret it in a different way that should work too)

Maybe the purpose of poison ivy is to keep things beautiful.

People underestimate their effect.

Whether it’s the mark of a hot mug on a wooden table or the crumbling ruins of Pompeii, worn away by thousands of well-meaning yet selfish tourists, humans don’t see the damage they contribute until the marks are so deep that a once beautiful thing is permanently changed. 

That is what happened to people in the military too, Price mused. Their governments take and take. They take the pretty things gifted to them, and then they girdle each man, before watching the vibrance of each soldier fade and flutter to the ground.

It stands to reason that the prettiest things are those which people cannot touch. The prettiest things are those which are carefully protected so that human hands cannot interfere. 

The prettiest things are those which we shy away from. 

A stinging caterpillar perched on a leaf, the flickering of flame, a snake curled in the warm sun. These were the pretty things that stayed pretty. 

Price worried about his soldiers, each one had so much to give. And somewhere down the line, he’d started seeing them in the delicate things he’d watched fade away. 

Farah was that mangled dog. The beast that must’ve been beautiful once, before human hands tore that away. Price wasn’t the one to put her in the ring, but his kind, humans, certainly had. 

In the same vein, Alex was like that dog’s teeth. Her weapon, once glittery and clean, now cracked, yellowed, and stained with blood. Humans saw that pretty thing as nothing but a tool, and they pitted one jaw against another until the alabaster beauty was lost. And the human’s ideas became right, and the pretty thing was nothing but a tool. Price hoped the dog could be saved from the fighting, that she and her cracking teeth could be saved from the inevitable damage. Price knew humanity too well to believe in that hope. 

Roach was that dandelion, fresh and round with potential. Price has been the one to pluck it out of his yard, his blunt hands tearing it from where it bloomed so pretty, just ruin it - to use his breath to send it out into the street where that potential would never take hold. Price hates that he is human. Price hates that he also destroys pretty things. 

Gaz was still pretty. Like the untumbled river stone on Price’s desk. That scared Price. It scared him because, to Gaz, he would be the hands that tore. There would be no denying, that once Gaz’s beauty was stripped away, it would be Price’s fault. The oils of Price’s palms were what will have worn down his edges and stripped away that which made him unique. 

Price can see Soap in the old apple tree that grew in that big field near Price’s family home. Tall and strong, until late summer came once more, and its apples bloomed. Then the little kids from Price’s home all clamored, like the damned to sin. 

The kids tore at the apples with greed and violence, ripping away the gifts the tree seemed to have in abandon. The tree always gave. It gave and gave until its branches bowed under scrambling feet and snapped at the pull of not-weak-enough arms. 

Price had watched the tree’s giving lead to its death. 

The branches slowly broke away under human hands, and its gifts were forced to wane. Yet the kids still came, still scaled its trunk to get to the fruit—until their shoes girdled the bark and fingers shredded the leaves. Price had watched the tree give too much and nearly die because of it. 

But Price wasn’t worried about Soap. No, Soap, like that great apple tree, would be kept safe. Because after that year, where the apples had grown thin and so boots grew less heavy, a thick harry vine had also decided to take from the tree. 

Ghost was poison ivy. He’d been slashed and torn at, the ground that bore him salted and dosed in vinegar, and yet he always grew back. Strong and vengeful, he brought regret to those who touched him. 

Price saw Ghost in the vine that wrapped that apple tree. 

It scared the children, it made them shy away. The next year, when the apples returned, few returned to climb its branches. The brave ones were left red and damaged. Anyone who dared wade though the three-pronged flourishing underbrush learned what it meant to regret. Humans avoid discomfort, they will not approach something that could harm them. 

The apple tree grew back, strong and green. Its gifts became plentiful once more. The vine twisted itself around the tree’s figure and breathed its soft rustling into the apples own. The ivy allowed the tree to keep its gifts all to itself, only having to share with only the few squirrels that learned to navigate the vine’s twistings. 

Price has watched poison ivy live through the worst of human destruction. The hands that didn’t want to take—that just wanted to destroy. Price watched the evolution of the plant learn to keep those hands away. 

Price trusted that it would keep those hands away from Johnny. 

Ghost is poison ivy, and people itch to get away. He keeps at bay those who would take without care. He lets Soap, who has so much to give, be only for those he wants to give to.

[peggy-sue-reads-a-book]

The Garden of Innocence | Dionysus x Ariadne | 18+

Chapter 6

It would be creepy, he decided, to follow her further. Zeus behavior, really. She had a water source. She’d mapped out trails to get around. She’s be fine.

Only, she wouldn’t because Apollo had said she wouldn’t live long. It crossed his mind that his brother was only fucking with him, a theory he quickly dismissed. It wasn’t that gods couldn’t lie — Hermes did every day— but for Apollo it was out of character.

Dionysus didn’t ordinarily feel sorry for humans. There were too many and so few lived long enough to learn their names. But this one he’d stopped and paid attention to and now that he had, well …

At night, he found himself staring at the stars. Scrutinizing them for any information. He didn’t know how to read them. Not really. He had named the island in his days there: Naxos. It flourished. The branches were thick with fruit and the wind through the trees was as heavy and fragrant as temple incense. It knew he was there, responded to him.

And he was having fun with it. Somewhere on the island was the Minoan girl, abandoned and fated to die soon. But at least not of hunger or thirst. He’d made sure of that: every fruit she could want- figs, pomegranates, apples of every color practically dripped from the forest and none of it toxic to humans.

As for the river gods, he threatened to evaporate them if they so much as looked at her too long.

Admittedly, he was getting preoccupied with the challenge of keeping her alive. If, for no other reason, than to thumb his nose at Apollo.

The truth was, Dionysus was stuck. He could go wherever he liked, but the slightest distraction jerked him right back to Naxos.

He hadn’t actually seen Ariadne for awhile now. He didn’t want to. She was too interesting. And too pretty. The thing to do was fuck her. Get it out of his system.

It’s not that he’d never taken a mortal lover before — he had— but only for a night or so. The truth about sex with humans was it gave him a feeling he couldn’t quite name. It was in the big warm arms of a soldier, the Ephesian whore who had kissed his forehead and called him a pretty baby.

She had not been a gorgeous woman. She was heavy, her nipples pointed down and her eyebrows grew too close together. She worked for his own temple. He did not tell her this when they made love. It felt too good. The concern humans took for each other. Some of the time.

A river god never asked if it felt alright.

What would Ariadne be like? It was easy to imagine her sleek waist between his hands, her breasts firm and brown and warm as figs in the sun. Would her curls still smell of palace perfumes or only of the sea air?

He was thinking of this and more, thrusting furiously into his hand, angry at this island and its hold over him. With each thrust, the ground was firmer under his feet, the sea birds louder. It was a hot evening, as if the ocean were evaporating and trapped by the forest like a pot nearly boiling over.

And something stank. Like. Like rotten fruit. That’s when he saw the grapes. He had been lounging under an oak tree, wanking off with the fury of all Sparta. Only, the tree was nearly choked with vines. As he looked up, the sour juice dripped onto his face. As many bunches of grapes were putrid as it were ripe. The earth was littered with grapes. Some of the brown and squashy. Others molded over.

He wondered for a moment why they hadn’t simply been eaten by animals. Ants crawled over the ground and gnats hovered in the air but they wouldn’t touch the grapes. He looked around, this time really looking, as if he hadn’t idled the past week away on Naxos. It wasn’t just the grapes. Nearby, a pomegranate seemed to have swollen and burst.

Of course, he thought. The animals won’t touch it because it’s all for her. Dionysus climaxed, an underwhelming and distracted event. He wiped his hands hastily and took off. It was a pleasure to run, his godly ankles never twisting, nor his breath running out. His hair streamed in the wind, the envy of any maiden. And for the moment, he did not really care.

Without exactly planning it, he found himself at the fig tree where he had first seen her with Theseus. What he saw would ordinarily have been beautiful. The tree had nearly doubled in size, yet the branches drooped, so heavily were they loaded with figs.

And surrounding the dripping figs were more butterflies than he’d seen in one place in hundreds of years, each one vivid, peacock blue. He could feel their frustration.

“It’s alright,” he said numbly. He could almost hear them shifting around the tree, stepping their impossibly small feet. “I said it’s fine. You can eat them. No one else is.”

It was getting cooler. The awful humidity was turning clammy. He decided to falling water, find the biggest stream and let it take him uphill. He wished that he could sweat and cut his feet and be miserable running. He deserved it. Laying around pleasing himself over the mere thought of a girl who was probably dead now. By nightfall, he was feeling pretty rotten.

He’d gotten cocky. Told the animals and the leering spirits to fuck off and assuming she’d be find if only he showered her with fruit and magical fountains. He felt silly now. He hadn’t even considered exposure. Or any number of accidents. She could have drowned and oh gods, there were always those high crags.

He felt sick as he ran. He still never tripped but rather than dart around them as a fish through water, he broke branches and even shattered the small boulder he stubbed his toe on. It was his first time ever stubbing his toe.

When he reached the high crags, he scanned the beach below for a sight of her, the blue flutter of her dress, anything. The beach was empty besides a dead seal and the carrion birds surrounding it. For all the island teamed with life, there was just as much rot.

He searched carefully among the rocks. As if a whole girl could be as easy to miss as a rabbit. Should could be hurt — what if she’d struck her head? Maybe it wasn’t too late. It was dark of course. Past midnight with no moon. Not that it mattered to him. All he found were a couple of snakes, who took immediate interest in him and followed in his search.

He almost called her name. He realized he had not spoke it aloud before.

“Ariadne,” he whispered, before he could stop himself. It rustled through the tree tops, cooling the night beautifully.

Hooves clicked behind him. A stag had woken up and was following. Along with the snakes, along with the butterflies.

***

He found her, at last, huddled under a jutting outcropping of rock. It was closer to the sea cliffs than he might have liked, but slanted such that there was no way for her to roll off in her sleep.

She was sleeping. Bunched in her arms were remains of Theseus’s cloak. She looked like a baby with a blanket and for a moment he felt embarrassed, intrusive even, and then angry. He turned over the possibility of tracking Theseus down and plaguing his dreams with visions of her huddled on that cliff with that pathetic cloak. He was the god of madness after all. Dionysus could make the idiot boy suffer.

But that would mean leaving her. He bit his lip and crept forward. Dionysus wore little save for the fawn skin covering him waist down and a cloak of richest crimson. Mortals had to spill each other’s blood just to see its equal. The soft wool was combed spidery fine, blended equally with linen and silk. He didn’t know any of this, or course. These were things you paid nymphs to take think of for you.

It was a treasure. This much he might have known, but did not consider as he unpinned it at the shoulder. Her face looked small and cold. Curls had sprung loose from her practical braid.

Dionysus knelt cautiously. He tucked the red cloak around her without a sound, covering her feet, drawing it around her shoulders. Beneath her was merely the bare rock. Stupid girl. Cuddling the last scraps of Theseus when she might have used it for warmth. Dionysus sighed and frowned, too frustrated even to enjoy the night wind on his bare chest.

As he backed away, his eyes were met by luminous yellow ones. A lion padded onto the ledge directly above her. It could not see her, of course, but no doubt it was attracted by her scent. Dionysus could have shouted with annoyance. He’d fared better looking after himself as a mere toddler. Was there no end to the tedium of keeping one human being alive?

The lion was female, and by the looks of it old and underweight. It dared snarl at him.

“Oh, fuck off,” he said to the lion.

Its teeth glinted despite the almost total darkness.

“I mean it,” he hissed, trying not to wake her, “get out of here. Shoo, kitty. Beat it.”

The creature could not refuse a god. It yowled bitterly before it bolted. The sound startled the sleeping girl.

“Oh!” She jumped back against the rocky wall, terrified, immediately clapping a hand over her mouth. Her chest heaved but she had the sense to stay silent.

Minutes passed. Ten. Then thirty. Ariadne’s eyes showed dark and wide. He wondered absurdly why she did not move before it occurred to him that of course, she couldn’t see to navigate the ledges. He wondered if this was how humans filled up their time, how it seemed to they they had any life at all. The way fear could draw out mere flickers of existence. It was awful to watch.

Forty minutes. He felt wrong staring at her but certainly wasn’t going back down the mountain. The lion had been a bit cheeky for his taste. He watched the forest dutifully. Feeling smug at he prospect of his brother being wrong. She hadn’t drowned and she hadn’t frozen to death and now he could say she hadn’t even been eaten by a lion.

He’d wait till morning, if for no other reason than the satisfaction of another sunrise on this girl’s short little life.

@margaretkart @hycinthrt @kebriones @i-rove-rock-n-roll @sir-lancelot-du-lac @dionysian-daydream @hades-bat

[sethshead]

So there he sat, grumpy and unhappy to be there, knees wide apart and soft tiny hands dangling between them, like vines that had yet to sprout fruit; this terrible man, upset with the world to the extent that it was not fully about him, unable to fill the void inside him with the worship of followers, unable to find love despite the existence of children who had been raised to be as venal as himself; unable to find satisfaction despite a store of money that should have paid for any pleasure it ever occurred to him to want. There he sat, in a room full of people who were not fooled by him, who knew exactly what he was and were not interested in flattering him. There he was, falling back on an act that had always worked quite well on those who had drunk deep from his poison, wondering why the interviewer had scorn for him, why the audience appeared to be laughing at him instead of with him, wondering why they didn't see at once why asking him tough questions was "very unfair," wondering why they didn't approve wildly when he said that the black woman wasn't black. There he was, and it was a very small taste of purgatory for him, and all he knew was that later he would have the opportunity to complain at length about their rudeness, to perhaps call their humanity into question, to, if all went well, further than that, once he reclaimed the power that was only useful, in his estimation, because it was good for him. There he was, and what got under his skin, what would bother him while he got whatever sleep he was still capable of in a diurnal cycle shattered by drug abuse, what he only vaguely realized was a taste of the desserts that awaited him, was that none of this was a step closer to his destiny, but an hour's further lurch closer to the moldering darkness of his grave: the only mirror in all the universe that would reflect his true face back at him.

-- Adam-Troy Castro

[mdzs-owns-my-ass-i-guess]

Abyss

Behold the fruit of my hard work and dedication - a 4500 word MDZS Subnautica AU (part 1)! And when you think I barely knew what that was a month or so ago - character development!

Special thanks to @sasukimimochi for not only giving me alien fish brain worms in general but also for this prompt and all the feedback that's helped me improve this ficlet! This wouldn't have been possible without you!

This will probably not make very much sense without context, but I tried my best to write it in a pretty simple way so that it can be enjoyed on its own even so. The focus is more on feeling anyway!

Enjoy and see you in part 2 <3

There had never been anything more unnerving to Wei Wuxian than silence where there had always been noise, the suffocating feeling of nothing where there had always been something. And that place, that planet, had not been quiet. There had always been sound – the creatures, the currents, the mechanical whirrs of technology, the radio transmissions of people long gone, the data bank entries.

The voice of a loved one, the reassurance that they were still alive because you could see their vitals beep mechanically across a screen, endless. The promise of return, the confirmation that they were with you still.

All of that had been replaced with silence – and Wei Wuxian felt it crawl into his body like winding, lead vines, his hands going numb with anxiety as his heart rate picked up to the point of a health alert beeping incessantly into his ears. It was as though the entire world had stopped, quieted down as if in waiting, like an eager audience focused on the climax of a theater play. What was going to happen next? What would the grand reveal be, the aftermath of what had been before?

Because, before that terrible, painful silence, there had been deafening noise – screaming, growling, the sickening sound of equipment being torn into by something beyond the capabilities of human imagination. He heard it – all of it, through the communication system, and could do nothing but that. Hear. Fourteen hundred meters below sea level, four hundred beyond the capacity of his Seamoth, his beloved was fighting for his life against a relentless, wrathful monster.

And he was powerless to help. If he had tried going down, the pressure would have caved the entire ship into itself, so even if Lan Wangji did survive, there would be nowhere – and nobody – left for him to return to.

And they had made a promise, when they found themselves stranded in this hell world – that they wouldn’t both die here. That, no matter what happened, no matter what they encountered, one of them would come back home alive and stay alive – because there was someone waiting for them at home, in a corner of their galaxy they hadn’t seen ever since they’d passed through the phasegate leading them here. And they had made a promise to that little, crying face, that they would return.

And so, no matter how much his instincts screamed at him to do something, anything, come up with a plan, how can you stay idle while your husband is dying?! – Wei Wuxian did nothing but listen to the fierce fight, motionless in place, shaking, eyes squeezed shut like he was waiting for a powerful blow to hit him the same way it would hit Lan Wangji. 

And then, it was over. The sounds stopped altogether, replaced with that same nothingness that Wei Wuxian had always been so desperate to fill, with music and conversation and even just the tiniest hums and responses from his beloved. 

But he could do none of those things then - all that he was left to do was, yet again, to listen. Listen for the communication system to crackle to life, and for Lan Wangji to tell him that he was  alive, that the creature had been defeated or at least ran off – but Sea Dragons were nothing if not vicious. And despite the prowess of the prawn suit, it had never claimed to be indestructible. If anything, Wei Wuxian was quite certain he had heard it being destroyed before the transmission cut off.  

What could he even do now? He did not have enough supplies to build a second prawn suit, not on such short notice, to try to – to reach that facility as well. The only reason they’d even gone there was an attempt to find a cure for the bacterium they’d both been infected with, to try to stay alive in this wretched place until they could get out – but of course, nothing could ever come easy in a place like this.

And he doubted he could deal with the knowledge that he had lost his husband – or, should there be any left, the remains of – of the suit and the - ! 

His vision became blurry as he stared ahead at the ship’s controls, useless. His fists clenched, hard, and he felt his wedding band bite against his skin with the strength of his grip. Would that symbol of love and devotion now become a relic? A bitter reminder of the person he lost because he couldn’t do anything but listen to him die?

How could he allow all this to happen? Why did he not think of something, anything to prevent this? He should have never let Lan Wangji go down there, he should have –

…ei…ng – Wei Ying!

Wei Wuxian’s head snapped up, as if to search for the source of the sound. Was his mind playing tricks on him? Was this just some other creature attempting to prey on him and use some form of telepathy to get him vulnerable?

Wei Ying, do you copy?

A tremor shook violently through Wei Wuxian’s body, the last of his tears flowing down his face. That was not a trick, it couldn’t have been. No matter how powerful, the creatures on that planet could not replicate Lan Wangji’s voice so well. No, that was his husband, loud and clear – and yet,  “Lan Zhan…? You’re… you’re alive?”

I am here. I managed to evade the Sea Dragon Leviathan by taking cover inside the facility.

Relief flooded Wei Wuxian’s system to the point of it being nearly overwhelming, a fresh wave of tears invading his vision. His husband was there, he was still alive, conscious and his, there was still hope that they would, somehow, reunite and perhaps even leave this terrible place. 

However, the prawn suit is beyond repair. I am going to have to manage on my own.

The relief had been short lived, though, as the magnitude of the situation befell Wei Wuxian again. Lan Wangji was not only alone in a strange, alien facility, but he was also largely defenseless. Whatever awaited him there… he would have no chance to survive against it.

But returning to the base, or even swimming upwards towards the Seamoth, was not viable either – for all it was worth, the alien facility was far safer than the open waters, where it was no guarantee other hostile creatures would not attack. In fact, it was more of a guarantee that Lan Wangji would die if he left the building than if he stayed inside of it.

Wei Wuxian could tell he was spiraling, and losing his head to overthinking and panic would help nobody - what he needed to be was calm, collected and rational. He would allow his emotions to take over once Lan Wangji was in his arms once more, safe and unscathed. 

So, Wei Wuxian took in a deep breath to steel himself and focus on the certainties of the moment.  One, his husband was alive. And two, he needed to help him stay alive until they found a way to get him out of there. Two possibilities emerged: either Lan Wangji would be able to find a safe exit, or Wei Wuxian would come up with a way to go down there and retrieve him - of course, without compromising any of their vehicles. 

Considering the fact that he did not currently have the equipment to go down to the facility and retrieve Lan Wangji himself, the latter option would not be viable - so all that was left was for Lan Wangji to find a safe passage away from the facility. 

As tedious as that could be, though, the alien buildings were rarely death traps – their previous inhabitants needed a means to get in and out, after all. The only question was, how did they manage to do that in a building 1400 meters below sea level, surrounded by an active lava lake and aggressive predators looming so closely?

“How’s your inventory?”

I’ve emptied out some of the storage unit of the prawn suit and still have the supplies I need. I’ve used up one of my tablets to deactivate the force field.

“Vitals?”

Optimal. I’m alright, Wei Ying.

“Okay.” A deep breath, and hands that kept clenching and unclenching to regain feeling. “Tell me what you see.”

For now, there is nothing but –

A loud, mechanical sound came through, and Wei Wuxian could hear the other gasp, startled. He felt his body tense up, heart hammering suddenly against his ribcage.

“Lan Zhan?”

The facility powered on. It was sudden.

Wei Wuxian let out a breath, trying to relax away the tension in his muscles. “Okay. Is it clear?”

Seems so. There’s… something here.

There is a pause as Lan Wangji scans the structure. Wei Wuxian feels his palms sweat as he decides to maneuver the Seamoth to the base and try to think of building something to help in the meanwhile.

According to the databank, it’s an ion fabricator. It creates ion deposits that can be then mined for cubes. 

Wei Wuxian sighed, both frustrated and disappointed. “But the prawn is ruined, so we can’t use it.”

Mn… A pause, before Lan Wangji continued, There are also various artifacts here, I can scan them for you if you want. While I try to find an exit. 

Wei Wuxian found himself smiling slightly, “You know I can’t resist recording some of this really cool alien data. Perhaps it will be worth something when we get back home, and I’ll finally get funding for my research lab.”

 Lan Wangji’s tone softened ever so slightly. 

I will do my best to gather as much information as I can. There are seven entrances I can access freely, and I believe this facility’s main purpose is exactly that, research.

The situation must have definitely worn down on him as well, despite his attempts to downplay it – and now it was the first time since he’d so very narrowly escaped death that he could think of something else but survival. He found himself wishing Wei Ying was there to marvel at the alien architecture and technology and make that place a little less terrifying, a little less treacherous. 

“I’m trying to come up with something to help you, maybe there’s something I can build using our storage…”

No time for that. 

“Lan Zhan-”

Have any of our sea creatures hatched yet?

Wei Wuxian sighed, deciding to give in to the deflection. He would try to find a solution regardless, but he supposed it was better for Lan Wangji not to have to worry about him as well. With all his inventiveness and prowess, even Wei Wuxian himself could admit that he could be reckless sometimes - especially when his beloved’s life was at stake. 

So, Wei Wuxian’s eyes flitted towards the aquarium, in search of new little creatures. He had not even thought to look at it, overcome with dread and anxiety - however, the eggs sat motionless in the sand, no sign of any ready to leave their encasing. 

“Not yet. I think they’re waiting for you.” Wei Wuxian’s voice shook slightly, feeling the other’s absence now more than ever, “Don’t let me be a single parent, alright?”

I will come back to you.

Wei Wuxian opened his and Lan Wangji’s shared data bank just so he would have something to do - something other than be afraid -  and, for a moment, he became distracted with what his husband had recorded for him.

“All of this… so many species, they were so thorough…”

I believe we’ve encountered most of these, except for the Sea Emperor Leviathan. There's a preserved fetus here that the researchers appear to have been unable to utilize.

“They were looking for the Enzyme, weren’t they? Just like we are…”

How are your symptoms?

“Just like usual.” Wei Wuxian lied, and he knew Lan Wangji didn’t believe it either, but he didn’t press the issue. In fact, just that morning, right after Lan Wangji had left for the depths, Wei Wuxian had a flare up, a painful, bloody coughing fit followed by a bout of hallucinations that nearly had him destroy important components of their base in an uncontrollable rage.

If they didn’t find a way to access the Enzyme, Wei Wuxian could not help but fear he would end up being the one to hurt his husband and kill both of them in the process.

There isn’t just alien technology here.

“What do you mean?”

There is a 15th century sword here. From Earth.

Wei Wuxian tapped his chin in thought, “15th century… the 1400s… The Renaissance? Galileo, Copernicus… could some of the greatest human achievements be credited to an alien race?”

Perhaps they did not become involved, merely observed and collected samples.

“Most likely, but that isn’t as entertaining.” Wei Wuxian allowed himself a small laugh. “This is going to make Earth historian meetings a lot more interesting when it gets out.”

Lan Wangji let out a huff, almost chastising Wei Wuxian for the oncoming scientific chaos he seemed eager to cause. But in truth, he missed the other’s humor, the little remarks he would make whenever something surprised him - and the alien base was indeed surprising. Wei Wuxian would have to make do with the scans and the data, though - as well as Lan Wangji’s stories. And while he had never been much of a storyteller, he would try. He would tell Wei Wuxian anything and everything he wanted about that place as long as he managed to get out of there alive. 

There was silence for a while again as Lan Wangji scanned through the artifacts and explored the area, though it was less nerve-wracking this time, because Wei Wuxian could hear him breathe, and move – and though it was not ideal, it was more than enough for now. However, the anxiety ate away at Wei Wuxian regardless – he could not be there with his husband, could not see what he was seeing, and couldn't help him.

Not to mention, Lan Wangji’s options were limited - without the prawn suit, there was not much he could do and there was nothing he could use to either defend himself or build something to escape. 

The communication system came to life again. I’ve reached some sort of pipe room. There is tubing, where infected peepers swim through and come out cured.

Wei Wuxian tapped his chin again. Could that be part of the alien’s project to cure Khara’a? Had they managed to get some kind of experiment to be successful or was there something else healing the fish? 

 “Can you trace back where the healthy ones are coming from? Maybe that’s where the cure is.”

The tubing system appears to be built into the facility somehow, I cannot follow it…there is no exit here, either. 

A cold shiver ran down Wei Wuxian’s spine, and though he had never been superstitious, he could not help the sinking feeling that settled into his gut. “Be – Be careful, alright? If there’s anything – “

There is not. And, in a softer, soothing voice,  Trust me, Wei Ying. I will be alright.

Wei Wuxian crossed his arms in front of his chest, as if seeking warmth, comfort. His voice had dropped as well, unsure of whether he wanted to speak out loud or not.  “This is really difficult for me, you know? You’re down there, and I’m up here, and I can’t do anything…”

I know. It will be over soon.

Wei Wuxian did not find comfort in those words at all, feeling his eyes well up again. “Don’t say it like that.”

I apologize. I meant that this… unpleasant situation will be over soon. I will not. We will not.

Wei Wuxian desperately wanted to believe that, to hang onto Lan Wangji’s words like they were the promise of the heavens and not even dare to question them. But this planet is not a place for hope, for optimism - it’s a merciless underwater jungle, hell beneath a sparkling blue surface. And there had never been room for hope in the abyss. 

I have found another… doorway. It is guarded by a forcefield. 

Wei Wuxian quickly wiped at his face, clearing his throat so he could speak. “Where does it lead?””

I can’t tell. 

“You’ve already used up the tablet we found, though… ” Wei Wuxian all but wailed. “God, if only I could find a way to –“

I have brought a second tablet, Wei Ying. Lan Wangji interrupted, only a little bit smug about it. I was granted access.

Wei Wuxian couldn’t help a little smile. “Always so well prepared, of course my husband would foresee even the most unexpected things.”

But instead of some teasing reply back, Wei Wuxian was once again met with silence, and he realized the more time passed without hearing his husband, the more the dread he’d barely managed to stave off returned. 

“Lan Zhan? What’s going on?”

There was no response. Of course, Wei Wuxian could hear the other breathe still, and nothing violent seemed to have happened because Wei Wuxian had not heard anything to cause him worry. 

So then why wasn’t his husband replying?

“Lan Zhan?” 

Yes. I am here. 

“Are you alright?”

Do you remember the vision I had? 

“With that female creature thing?”

Yes.

“What about it?”

She’s calling for me.

Wei Wuxian felt ice invade his bloodstream, his voice unsteady as he spoke. “Lan Zhan, that wasn’t real.”

It is now.

“Lan Zhan!” He all but screamed, slamming his hands into one of the ship’s consoles. “Whatever that thing told you, it wasn’t real. Don’t listen to it!”

Lan Wangji did not reply, but Wei Wuxian did not want to allow silence to take over again. He struggled to steady his breaths, quick as they were, and continued, “Tell me what you see.”

A moonpool.

“That’s…all?”

Yes.

“Lan Zhan, you’re – are you going in?”

There must be something of value here, otherwise they would not have guarded it like this. 

“There could also be something dangerous they wanted sealed away. Lan Zhan, we can’t just infer on –“

There is no other way, Wei Ying.

“Did -” Wei Wuxian swallowed back his tears and the mounting despair, “Did that thing you saw lure you in there?”

Was his husband losing his mind? Was that it then? He would jump into the water, right in the jaws of whatever awaited him there, and Wei Wuxian would be left to, once again, listen to it happen? Would his husband go die willingly?!

Wei Ying, I am still of sound mind. If whatever I am seeing was trying to kill me, it would have already. But I think this is different. 

It was growing increasingly difficult for Wei Wuxian to control his emotions, voice coming out louder and more desperate than he had intended. “Lan Zhan, you - we can’t just risk so much for a hunch!”

There is nothing else to do. I either take the risk, and perhaps find a way home, or I die here.

Wei Wuxian could hear the echo of his husband approaching the water, and the sound of his body disturbing the surface, little ripples hitting against him. “W-What if there is something else, what if you haven’t found it and you’re just – you’re killing yourself for no reason?!”

Lan Wangji remained ever so calm, There is nothing else. I’ve checked everything.

Wei Wuxian’s eyes scanned wildly around the base, hoping that a solution would manifest itself out of thin air for him to hang onto. “Then – then wait, I can try to upgrade the Cyclops! I-I have enough time to go find the materials we’re missing, it’s only a few things, I can already set up the map and-“

Wei Ying. I asked you to trust me.

Wei Wuxian all but slid, bonelessly, against the console, voice breaking, “I do, Lan Zhan, I trust you and I love you and I… I can’t let you – I can’t lose you. I don’t want to, and I’m-“

I love you.

It was too late to stop himself from crying now, “Don’t say it like you’ll never say it again.”

I’m going in.

“Lan Zhan…”

And once again, Wei Wuxian found himself surrounded by silence. What could he do now? Who could even know what Lan Zhan would find, what kind of creature would tear him apart without any hope of fighting back? And when - if - that happened, what would Wei Wuxian do?

He needed his husband, needed to not feel like the world had forgotten him there and was waiting for him to die just like everybody else already had. He needed to not be alone, to have someone to live for, to fight for, to make him feel like there was still a point to his struggle to survive. 

And he still - A-Yuan was still at home, waiting for him. Waiting for both of them - to come back and tell him stories about worlds further away than even his imagination could take him… to tuck him into bed and kiss him goodnight, and make his favorite breakfast every morning… What would Wei Wuxian tell his son when he asked about his a-Die? That some terrible monster tricked him into offering himself as sacrifice in a strange facility deep inside a cursed sea? Wouldn’t A-Yuan ask ‘where were you then, baba? why didn’t you do anything’? What would Wei Wuxian tell him? That he was incapable? Useless? That he hadn’t even tried?

Would his son not hate him then? Would he not hate himself? Would it be right for him to keep living?

Wei Ying! Wei Ying, can you hear me?

Wei Wuxian did not react at first. There was no way that was his husband. Perhaps that creature had found a way to reach Wei Wuxian, and was trying to make him believe in delusions so he would jump into the water and let himself be killed as well. 

But Wei Wuxian would not let that happen. He would not give in, and he would not allow this horrid place to kill him. If he decided he would die, he would do so on his own terms - and if these monsters had taken his husband away from him, he would not give them the satisfaction to take him too, to claim another life. 

Wei Ying! I’m - there wasn’t a monster, it saved me! I’m trying to…

“Get lost.” Wei Wuxian almost wanted to laugh. That’s what that monster would want him to believe, right? That Lan Zhan was alive, so he would run out and try to find him, only to fall prey to it!

I’m - I don’t know where I am, I can’t… go on any further…

“I said, get lost!”

What an annoying creature! Did it not realize Wei Wuxian would not fall for its tricks? If only he had the equipment to go out there and kill it - kill all of them, everything, destroy the whole place, blow the whole planet all up until there was no trace left of it, of anyone or anything…

His eyesight blurred, anger simmering beneath his skin. He was having another flare up, wasn’t he? The bacterium was going to kill him… how disgusting…

Wei Ying, I know you’re angry, please, just listen…

Wei Wuxian coughed out a mouthful of blood. Why won’t the damn thing shut up already?!

“Get lost!”

Wei Ying… I know you’re sick, I know… know you don’t mean to… just… just listen… for a little bit…

Wei Wuxian heaved a long, painful breath, the pressure against his ribcage bringing some clarity to his mind. He could hear the other struggling to catch his breath, a sound far too realistic for anything on that planet to be able to make it.

What if that was indeed Lan Zhan? 

Wei Ying… the cure… the Sea Emperor Leviathan is… her eggs… go and…  free them and… I… 

All Wei Wuxian could hear now were quick, shallow breaths - and he sprinted towards the Seamoth with all his might, more afraid now than he had ever been before. Would his husband die before he reached him with the Seamoth? Had he been so incredibly dumb to think someone was playing mind tricks on him and left his husband to die in the middle of the ocean?! 

Would Lan Zhan die thinking Wei Ying let him -

The radar on the ship blinked rapidly as it detected the temperature pattern of a human being less than 300 meters away - Lan Zhan was close, a lot closer than Wei Wuxian had thought him to be. If he hadn’t snapped out of that trance, if he hadn’t - 

When he got close enough, Wei Wuxian was quick to jump out of the vehicle towards the floating, aimless body of his husband. He was unconscious, but not dead - he couldn’t be dead. Wei Wuxian would never forgive himself if his mistake killed his beloved, and he would betray his promise and take his life right there. 

So, with shaking, fearful hands, and tears clouding his vision, Wei Wuxian brought his husband into the Seamoth and carefully removed his helmet so he could breathe freely. But the first thing Wei Wuxian noticed, other than the slow breaths that fanned from his beloved’s lips, were two shining tear tracks down his face. 

–

The vehicle surfaced with ease. Outside, the planet’s sun shone brightly on a clear sky, casting light over the wild greenery of the Mountain Island. 

Wei Wuxian let the hull of the Seamoth open, warm rays of sunlight cascading over Lan Wangji’s face. He had carefully placed his husband in his arms as he sat in the captain’s seat, never wanting to let him go again, and so he anchored the ship to the shore like a sailboat, rocking with the tiny waves like a child’s crib. 

Now, all that was left was to wait. 

Lan Wangji had not been unconscious for long. It was likely that exhaustion caught up to him before he could make it ashore - after all, no matter how strong, he was still human. A human that had barely survived a nearly fatal attack and then ran around a strange place in search for a way out, not unlike a trapped animal seeking escape from its cage. Anybody else in his place would have been long gone - so much effort for his body to take, on top of being infected by a powerful bacterium�� it was a wonder he was still alive. A miracle, even. 

Running a hand through Lan Wangji’s sweat-damp hair, Wei Wuxian could not help the tears in his eyes from falling as he leaned down to leave a soft, chaste kiss over his love’s forehead. He had almost lost him - and not even because of a mindless sea monster or a twisted form of technology.

He could have killed his husband himself.It felt sacrilegious to love on him now - to touch him, to hold him. But Wei Wuxian could not help it, not as his body still trembled with the horrors that he had had to live through. Or rather, to witness. He would never forget that suffocating feeling of helplessness, the despair that came with hitting the limits of technology and his own humanity. 

It flows out of him almost as smoothly as his tears do - a song so full of heart and longing and love, that the world around disappears into it.

And then, quietly, a second voice joins in, humming along the beautiful melody and the shaking voice of his beloved. 

The song cuts off into sobs and I love yous, and the sound of the waves lapping at the sides of the floating ship…

[fandomsandflyingstingrays]

Starting a new multichapter fic at last!

I’m here! I finally beat you!!

I’m waiting…

Where are you?

Are you okay?

Raine’s finger hovered over the final message, a hair length from the send button, wondering if it would make Eda more or less likely to message them back. Of her many aptitudes, she was perhaps most adept at dodging that particular question. But they still had to ask, didn’t they? Pressing down on the button, they took a deep breath and held it, until a new gray bubble popped up in the thread.

Yeah sorry, woke up with the common mold. Guess you’ll have to endure that ceremony after all :(

Raine groaned, barely resisting the urge to fling their scroll onto the ground, and pressed their free hand to their forehead. The only thing that had gotten them to graduation was the promise of getting to skip it. They’d been making plans with Eda for months. She was supposed to get dressed up with them, help them hide their ears, and finally take them to the Human Realm, where they could be far, far away from all the prying eyes in the Hexside auditorium and their moms’ disappointment. Where they could actually enjoy themself instead of being glued to their chair with terror at the prospect of walking across that stage. 

Come on! Last time you had the common mold, you still managed that spell that turned Bump’s office upside down for a week

Ah, but this time your fragile immune system is at risk too. Just go to the ceremony, Rainestorm. It’ll be over before you know it. And just think how happy you’ll make your moms

Another groan, louder than the last, rumbled in Raine’s chest, but this time it was a sound of defeat. That was the best card Eda could play, and she knew it. As much as they’d been looking forward to the Human Realm, their stomach had squirmed every time they thought about depriving their moms of the opportunity to coo over their graduation robes and take a dozen mortifying photos for the fridge. At least someone would be happy today. 

Drawing the fortifying breath of a soldier marching to their martyrdom, Raine willed Fiddlesticks into staff form and flew away from the snapdragon hill with a last look of regret. They almost turned right back around when Hexside— and the crush of people entering it— came into view, but Ms. Jenkinmeyer caught sight of them before they could make their escape and began waving at them so forcefully that they knew she wasn’t above sending a vine up to pluck them from the sky herself.

“Late, Mx. Whispers! On today of all days!” she scolded as they landed. “Your robes should be in your locker, so get going! And for Titan’s sake, do not let it catch any of your limbs with its teeth! You don’t have any time to waste!”

She pushed them up the steps and into the hall, where they began inching their way along as soon as she turned around. The students would be called up alphabetically, which meant that maybe if they stalled, they could slip into their seat just before they were called and could avoid the crowd for as long as possible…

Or maybe everyone in the crowd would see them trying to sneak in and boo at them for ruining the ceremony, chasing them from the auditorium with rotten fruit.

Raine broke into a sprint. 

They made it to the Paranormatorium just as the lights were going down, shoving their left arm into the sleeve of their robe as they scrambled into their seat, fervently thanking the Titan it was at the end of the line. Paige Weller glanced at them from her seat next to theirs, relief and confusion mixing on her face.

“Raine? I thought you were going out with Eda today.”

“She— has— the— common— mold,” they wheezed between breaths. 

“Didn’t she come to school the last time she had it? And pull that prank on Bump?”

Raine rolled their eyes. “This time— she’s worried— about my— delicate constitution.”

Paige smirked. “Now that makes sense.”

Raine shoved them lightly and was about to reply when Ms. Jenkinmeyer, from ten rows up, turned her head around one hundred and eighty degrees. “Silence,” she hissed. 

Both witches froze. 

When Bump began what promised to be an agonizing hour of speeches, however, Paige took the opportunity to whisper, “I’m glad you’re here.”

Raine couldn’t bring themself to echo the sentiment, but they gave her a smile. Paige had been the only other student in any of their bard classes who preferred hiding out in the lighting booth and eating iced scream to the terrifying ordeal of performances, and Raine knew they were just as petrified as they were about what lay ahead. At least she wouldn’t have to face it alone. 

As Raine had predicted, five out of six of the speeches were various iterations of we’re so proud of you, now go make us proud in return, because conformity and overachievement are things you can never graduate from. The sixth, given by Terra Snapdragon, was essentially a tutorial on how to try out for a coven. At least, as far as Raine could tell, considering they spent the entirety of it figuring out how low they could sink in their chair without drawing attention to themself. But as much as the speeches seemed to drag on, they were over all too soon. 

“And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for,” Bump called. “These promising young witches’ Final Ordeal! Starting us off strong is… Alador Blight!”

Alador drifted up the steps in a daze. He’d joined the Abomination Coven the month before at his girlfriend Odalia’s insistence, and since then, it always seemed like half of him was in his office at all times, his gaze on whatever new flavor of abomination he was designing. Raine fought the urge to close their eyes as shadows began to swirl around the stage, forming wings and teeth and blood-red eyes, wondering if Alador would even think to look up at the centibats before they attacked. The first one formed, opening its mouth wide to show every row of the hundred teeth it was named for, and flew straight for Alador’s face— only to get smacked by a wave of purple goo and fall back to the shadows it emerged from.

Alador didn’t even look up.

The rest of the bats met a similar fate, being slammed against the walls and each other by Alador’s abominations as he controlled them with a flick of his wrist. He made it to Bump without speeding up to so much as a light jog, and the crowd roared with approval, Odalia actually jumping up and down with the force of her delight. Beside her, Darius folded his arms and scowled at the floor. Bump raised his hands and sent a shower of gold sparks over Alador, ringing his head in a crowd of gold, and Alador ambled off the stage, a student no longer.

Not everyone faired as well as he did. Most students came away with clawed faces or bald spots or missing teeth. A few didn’t make it across the stage at all, and slumped back into their seats bent over by the weight of the year they would have to repeat. By the time the W’s began getting called up, Raine felt like every single defeated centibat had taken up residence in their stomach, all flapping around their intestines. When Paige stood in response to their name, they could see them trembling from head to foot. 

Paige summoned her guitar, and Raine exhaled as the melody filled the room. Clearly, Paige had practiced this; their fingers were steady as they moved over the strings, the melody clear and flawless. Dozens of centibats flew at her, and all of them bounced off of the shield of sound she was weaving. 

Until one flew directly at their face, and they lost composure. She hit a sour note, and her shield crumbled, the centibat opening its mouth and latching onto her nose. They shrieked, flailing, stumbling into another three centibats that latched onto their arm. Raine was half out of their seat, wondering if there was anything they could do, when she found the right note on her guitar, blasting the centibats off of her and sprinting over to Bump.

Cheers came from the parents’ section, but they were drowned out by the hysterical laughter of the students. Paige’s violet skin blushed a vivid magenta, and Raine could tell the secondhand embarrassment heating their own face didn’t leave them much better. They opened their mouth, determined to silence the crowd with a whistle even if it meant taking on the horror of their attention, but someone else beat them to it.

“Hey!” Ambrose shouted. “Leave her alone!”

“Yeah,” Vera added, “plenty of you didn’t do any better.”

“Plus, that was an epic tune,” Nico called. “All of you have it stuck in your heads now, don’t even try to deny it.”

The laughter subsided, and Raine breathed a sigh of relief.

“Next up is Raine Whispers!”

The sigh of a relief was a mistake. Raine fought to breathe in again, but their lungs didn’t cooperate. They stood robotically, so focused on getting air, any air at all, that they missed the first step and barely caught themself before they went sprawling face-first onto the ground. A chuckle ran through the room, and this time, no one called out to stop it. Paige wouldn’t want to draw attention to themself, of course, and unlike them, Raine didn’t have a future with the Bard Coven to bond them to their classmates. 

Eda would have made them shut up.

But Eda’s not here. Because of you.

Raine shook their head. Bump, their moms, even Eda herself had all told them that kind of thinking wouldn’t do them any good. Especially not now, facing down an army of ravenous centibats.

Centibats that looked like the shadows of Grom. 

Centibats that reminded Raine of the last time they stood in the Paranormitorium with all eyes on them, the last time Eda had ever set foot in Hexside at all—

They delivered a piercing whistle, loud enough to send every centibat flying but not nearly loud enough to block out the pain of the memory, and raced across the stage without so much as a scratch.

The laughter turned to cheers, and Raine tried to smile as Bump conjured the crown of light over their head. 

The cheering only grew louder as Raine settled back into their seat, no longer for them but for the entire graduating class. The students stood up as one, allowing their families and friends to shower them in celebratory rays of light, then broke apart as the room swelled with chatter. Raine’s mom spotted them immediately, taking their mama by the arm and rushing to pull them into a three-way family hug. 

“You did it!” their mama squealed, pulling back to ruffle their hair before planting a kiss on their head. 

“And you were the fastest person to cross the stage,” their mom added smugly. “I timed it.”

“Now, now, it’s not a competition,” Bump scolded as he passed by. “But you did very well, Raine. I’m certain you’ll be a credit to whichever coven is lucky enough to have you.”

“Raine isn’t joining a coven,” Odalia said in a singsong voice from where she stood beside Alador and his parents. “They’d rather make a living selling trash like their girlfriend. Good thing you learned how to tackle big, bad monsters on your own, Whispers. I don’t think Eda will be showing up to save you again after how things went at Grom.”

I don’t need anyone to save me, Raine wanted to say, and I don’t want to be like all of you. I’ve taken on a Coven Head before, and she wasn’t that tough. But the words shriveled up under the number of eyes turning their way. They thought about the other bards closing ranks around Paige, about Eda facing down Terra at their side, and just for a moment, they ached with longing to have someone watching their back.

“Do you want to go?” their mama asked quietly, and they nodded.

“Good,” their mom said, nudging them with a smile, “because we don’t want to make all your classmates jealous by giving you your graduation gift in here.”

Stepping into the open air, Raine drew their first full breath in an hour, leaning against a pillar to the right of the door and closing their eyes. They heard the low hum of one of their moms summoning something, but didn’t think twice about it until they felt something smooth and heavy being slid into their hand. They opened their eyes to see—

“A new violin?”

“The best that Harmony’s had to offer,” their mom said, passing them a bow made of the same warm brown wood as the instrument in their other hand. “Top-quality sound, and you can customize the scroll. There was a whole shelf of them at Harmony’s, but I’m sure Eda could carve you something custom if you’d prefer.”

Raine swallowed, trying to ease the tightness in their throat. “I’d like that.”

“Do you want to stop at her place before dinner?” their mama asked. “I know today wasn’t the same for you without her, but I understand why she didn’t feel up to attending. Maybe a visit will cheer both of you up.”

Moldy or not, surely Eda wouldn’t be able to worm her way out of at least talking to them through her window. Raine had never been able to imagine graduation without her— maybe just seeing her would be enough to calm the ickiness that had begun crawling through them since they’d arrived to their hill to find it empty. Maybe she’d be cheered up by being serenaded with this fantastic new violin.

There was another possibility, too, but not one Raine wanted to entertain until they saw for themself. No matter what, there was only one way to find out.

“Sure,” they said, drawing a circle to send the violin back to their house until they were ready for it and willing Fiddlesticks into staff form. “Let’s go.”

[sauntervaguelydown]

easy home gardening suggestions

Are you bad at eating the vegetables you buy? Do you feel like everything goes bad before you can eat it? KEEP IT FRESH ON THE VINE. Or at least, pickle it yourself.

You will need: pots (plastic is fine, terra cotta is drier, glazed ceramic retains moisture best). Dirt (surprisingly cheap but very heavy). Sunshine (free).

(I live in a humid part of the USA, these tips are not meant for deserts)

Container options: all your containers NEED drainage holes, but if you're a freak like me, you can take any sturdy plastic thing with sides & a bottom and nail/drill/MELT holes into it. Storage tubs may be a cheap alternative. Don’t hold the tub upside down and melt the excess plastic with matches directly onto your human hand. Burn bandages are expensive. Or just steal old ceramic pots from your aging grandmother.

Container Gardening

BELL PEPPERS: if you get half a day at least of direct sun, you can grow bell peppers. They do want warm weather so either you have to put them inside your house in a very sunny window or wait until it's 70degrees F or more. Remember that flowers do need to be pollinated by SOMETHING. Note that if you're planting them in containers, deeper is better; bell pepper tap roots can go 3 feet down if you let them. Minimum of 12 inches. If you have time but no money, scrape the seeds from dinner and plant them. If you have money but no time, try to buy one sprouted from the local plant nursery. Outdoors you will get caterpillars, but in my experience they are very polite and do not attack the fruit, so they're fine. You can grow three pepper plants per foot diameter of dirt surface.

OTHER PEPPERS: generally all peppers have the same needs, although my hot peppers seem a bit less thirsty than my bell peppers. I bought some already-growing hot peppers from the local plant nursery and they have been EXTREMELY productive; some "hot" peppers like mine (a Holy Mole pepper) actually make great mild salad greens if you scrape the spicy seeds out & pick while still green. Minimum of a foot deep containers, deeper is better if you can manage it. Full sun.

SCALLIONS: with green onions/scallions, you know the big thick ones they sell in the store with the roots still on? buy a couple and plant them in a pot of dirt in the sun and you'll have infinite green onion leaves. They can stand freezing weather if you cover them. It got down to 20 F here and I still didn't lose them. No flowers involved, just juicy crunchy leaves. They only have to be in containers 6 inches deep minimum. DO THIS.

SALAD GREENS: container gardening works well for lettuce and mustard/mizuna. Lettuce needs regular watering, it has shallow roots. You just gotta plant Mizuna when it's cold enough for the seeds to germinate (40 F ~ish). Mizuna is a hardy little guy, tolerates heat AND cold. You gotta buy the seeds, but they're cheap. Follow directions on the seed pack. This can be done (theoretically) in a sunny window indoors since they do not need pollinators. It's all LEAVES baby.

LIMA BEANS. These have deep roots and they have long tall vines; if you have the space for the roots, and any thing LIKE a trellis for the vines, and sun, you can get so many goddamn lima beans for 0 effort. Forget about these suckers you can't STOP them from fruiting.

More below the cut bc this is getting long

TOMATOES are kind of an investment; they're easy to grow from seed but they need a lot of sun & a deep pot. If you want full size beefsteak tomatoes, try a tall, lightweight plastic pot with a lot of fertilizer & consistent watering. Don’t forget the tomato cages! Those beefy boys will pull your plant over sideways. The lightweight pot will allow you to move the pot inside if you have a sudden deluge of rain that will waterlog & split the fruit. You can try planting seed from harvested dinner, but you may end up with some much smaller tomatoes than what you harvested from. It’s something to do with commercial hybrids.

TBH i recommend growing a cherry tomato, you get more fruit and you're less likely to lose it to bugs/sudden rain/general bad luck. Buy some ripe in the store and harvest the seeds. Do not try to grow indoors, you need pollinators & sun. Sensitive to cold. Giant green caterpillars will try to consume your entire tomato plant. You must catch them before they succeed.

SPINACH is nutritious, but honestly don't bother with growing spinach past spring if you live south of the Mason-Dixon line, it likes the cold. I'm having bad lucky with it--it's either too hot or too wet or BOTH around here. My friend who gardened in the desert said they had good luck? It works in container gardens tho. Critters love to eat it. Maybe ask about it at the plant nursery.

ARUGALA: bought some already growing and it's a real champ, doesn't need much water. 6 inch depth minimum. NOTE: Once it flowers, you will not get enough leaves for a sandwich. Since then I've grown it from shed seed and it's very hardy--it actually put out a whole tap root through the bottom of my growpot and got down into the soil. Keep it watered when it's baby. The seed will sprout pretty much any time through the spring and summer.

CARROTS & BEETS:

Carrots are... more complicated. Unless you really like carrots or you really like gardening, idk if I'd recommend them for beginners. You start them from seed then thin them out so they're all at least 6 inches apart, and the seedlings wilt in the heat but they also don't like it when it's freezing so... I'm having a hard time with them. Maybe there's a breed that grows really well in your area? Ask at the local plant nursery. I did a "baby carrots" variety (sex seeds) and two survived infancy. One is still growing as of September. I'm hoping for more seeds.

Beets are less picky, and need a bit less water. But they do die off at the height of summer, so get them going while you can.

CELERY: basically the same, but less angry about the heat. Keep moist. Pick a bit & come back again for more. My seed packet said they should be ready to pick stalks in April but they definitely were not. July was really when they got big enough to eat.

ZUCCHINI: There's a lot of posts about how easy zucchini is to grow, but I think I'm in the wrong part of the country for it. Needs a lot of water, at least when it's hot outside. Definitely works for container gardening. Give it a 12 inch deep pot. TIP: put your old coffee ground in the dirt to increase the acidity. You will not get any fruit unless you have pollination, but pollinators also like to lay eggs on the leaves and eat them all to smithereens. Pickleworms have destroyed me two years in a row now. Cucumbers are the same way--and if you're gonna try cucumbers, buy a burpless variety to keep beetles away at least.

YAMS are pretty easy. They like the HEAT. They need 100% full sun. What you do is you buy a yam from the store, wait until it starts to put out growths, then (indoors) suspend it partly in some water until the green growths are at least 6 inches long. Then you can plant those growths in dirt. It's especially good if the growths have little white roots, but I've planted growths without any roots and they were fine. Healthy vines will put out runners. Suggestion: start in a deeper container but only fill it up with like 6 inches of dirt. When the yam vine gets long, add another few inches of dirt and bury some of the vine. Keep doing this until you run out of space and/or dirt. You get more yams this way. Harvest when the cold starts to make the leaves all sad and crinkly. Using fluffy light dirt makes harvest easier.

STRAWBERRIES: You'll get them one at a time, and they won't be very flavorful in many cases. They need pollinators, but squirrels steal them as soon as they're ripe. Keep under a net. They're also VERY hard to grow from seed. I have managed it, but the germination time is like... three months. Perfect container plants though. And in the summer they start putting out runners, and then you can MULTIPLY your strawberry content. Set them somewhere just out of the rain, so that the fruit won't swell up and split during a deluge, but remember to keep them moist.

BLUEBERRIES: fine for containers, although they need to be deep. Get at least two blueberry bushes so they can cross pollinate. Make sure that both varieties bloom at about the same time of year. Partial sun is fine. In winter it may go dormant but it comes back.

BLACKBERRIES and RASBERRIES are insanely low maintenance but bad for container gardening. They want a lot of space. You'd need a big container. Maybe a costco storage tub. Better off putting them in the ground, if you have a garden. But watch out, they spread.

A note about PUMPKINS: you can get a pumpkin seed to sprout basically spitting on it. I threw some dirt on a rotten halloween pumpkin and now I have a legion of leaves. However, getting them to fruit requires pollinators, and the vines take up space. I wouldn't try to grow them unless you have an actual garden with flowers (weeds are fine) or you just.... want a pretty vine to look at. Also they don't like the heat very much, even though they grow over the summer.

LEMONS: you can actually grow lemon seedlings from the seeds of regular ass grocery store lemons. They're supposed to be pretty easy to do but I haven't had much luck. Now that it's warmer out I'm gonna try again; basically just put them in some dirt and keep the dirt moist until a sprig comes up. you won't get fruit for like 5 years but the leaves smell nice. Tangerines are the same way.

I've put a couple over-ripe onions in the ground, but I don't think I'm going to get much out of it. There's a wikihow article on it. Basically you cut the bottom off an onion from the store, eat the top, and then treat the bottom like a yam. But you might as well just plant the whole thing if it's already started putting out green tendrils. Maybe you'll get flowers.

Herbs

hard Rosemary is actually difficult in most places bc it needs Mediterranean conditions ie. FULL sun, not a lot of water, warm weather. It starts to grow mold if it's not blazed 8 hours a day. Rosemary can get up to the size of a full ass bush if you give it the space. Needs 12 inches of pot depth. If you haven't got full sun, don't bother. I don't recommend growing these from seed--if you have a plant nursery anywhere near your home, just buy one there that is already established with roots. Cold hardy when large enough.

medium Basil has about the same sun needs as Rosemary, but it doesn't mildew. Basil will do the hydra thing and put out new heads of leaves if you snip them off. I'm growing it from seed and it's doing pretty good! Do not eat the flowers. Not cold hardy.

medium Ginger is a tropical shade plant, so you can grow it with no direct sunlight (it does need to get at least indirect sun). It needs really rich soil so you gotta go buy some bagged potting soil with compost, but literally you can get a healthy ginger from the store and sprinkle dirt on top and it ought to start growing. Especially if it already has little white or green fingers growing out of it. Give it a deep pot, 10 inches if possible. not cold hardy. If the soil freezes, it dies.

easy Mint: we all know it's insanely prolific. However I have managed to kill all my mint twice. I think I didn't give it a large enough container to spread out in. Aim for something at least 10 inches deep and at least a foot diameter. I know, it's a big commitment for an herb. Partial shade is fine. do NOT put it directly in the ground or it will take over. Cold hardy perennial (survives at 0 F and lower). It may go dormant but it comes back. Keep moist.

easy Oregano. Good boy. Precious child. More sun is better, and not a lot of watering. Pot only has to be 6 inches deep, though more never hurts. I've heard that cilantro and tarragon and thyme have the same root depth, but I've never tried growing them so that's all I know. If you're planting from seed, make sure it's hot outside and do Not bury the seed. It goes right on the surface of the dirt in the sunshine. 3 months from sowing to adulthood. Cold tolerant perennial; it may go dormant but it comes back.

easy Garlic: you might not be up for growing garlic from seed, but if you want to harvest the green stalks that grow up from the bulbs in spring, they are kind of like a cross between chives and garlic in flavor, and very safe to eat. Good in soup. Just buy some regular garlic and then forget it in your kitchen until the individual bulbs start poking up green shoots inside that papery wrapping stuff. Then plant them in some dirt with the green shoot pointing up. These bulbs survive VERY cold winters and thrive. It may go dormant but it comes back. If you let it go through a cold winter, you may get harvestable additional bulbs.

List of Flowers You Can Eat:

Nasturtium, violet, viola, coneflower, chrysanthemum, citrus blossoms, daisies (who knew), marigold, clover flowers (clover is good because it nitrogenates the soil). When in doubt, eat the petals only. Except for Nasturtium, i know you can eat those leaves and stems and all. They're kind of peppery.

There's actually a LOT of edible flowers I haven't begun to list. If you're curious, look into it.

Things you simply cannot grow at home: Vanilla. Cinnamon. Soy beans. Apples. Do not try. (Vanilla is an orchid. Orchids are Hard.) (Cinnamon is growable in Mexico if you keep it well watered.)

straight up, if you're gonna grow any of these, just google "how often water [x]" and then do that forever. Set a recurring calendar alarm. If they look wilty, increase how often you do it. Personally I water everything when the dirt looks dry, but that's because I'm an obsessive.

Anything sold in the store uncooked/undried that is either 1. a seed itself or 2. contains a seed (or 3. has roots attached) can PROBABLY be pirated. Nothing ventured nothing gained. Google is your friend.

Other Notes:

you CAN pollinate a lot of things by hand, if you're willing to put the effort in

"well draining" soil usually has compost material content mixed in. Sand is also well draining, but maybe a little TOO well draining. Basically, avoid clay if it needs to drain.

Most things do not need fertilizer all the time if you buy potting soil (it's pre-fertilized). However, growth costs nutrients. Keep that in mind.

You can steal dirt out of the ground for your pots but remember that it may be contaminated depending on where you get it (roadside? BAD idea). Also it's heavy as fuck. Plan accordingly.

Coffee & tea grounds are acidic and nutritious. (for plants) (don't eat them)

it's not actually a great idea to bury a moldy piece of fruit in a pot. You will get flies. I know it seems like a composting hack but don't do it.

You can put old wood cuttings & logs at the bottom of a container for plants that need a lot of nitrogen, like ginger. Make sure there's still an appropriate amount of soil between the wood and the surface.

potting SOIL contains dirt (sand/silt/clay), potting MIX is just organic matter (peat usually). Mix is fluffy, soil is denser. You can combine to get the advantages of both. Potting mix is usually a good bet for fruiting plants, but I've tried using plain ground soil for almost everything and the main problem is it just dries out faster. If you're putting things directly in the ground, just get some "gardening soil" to fill in around the roots a little bit.

pots are weirdly expensive. Scavenge and recycle what you can. I've used costco cranberry juice jugs for things, but the ridges in the plastic do retain water. Make SURE your pots are deep enough. And make sure they have a fair bit of surface diameter.

depression meal: boil one package of maruchan ramen, as many lima beans as your little hands can grab, chunk of scallion (chop if you have the energy, shred it with your fingers if not). celery? if you've got it. pour flavoring packet. add lemon juice. survive another day without scurvy.

A note on TREES

Citrus trees are easier to manage than some other kinds, but they do still need management. Citrus is very cold sensitive so if you can bring them inside as soon as it hits freezing at night, that is best. The trouble is they also need deep enough pots for their tap roots, which makes them hard to MOVE. Even with frost covering, I lost a lemon tree to a hard winter this year RIP. The good news is that after they've been in the ground about 5 years, you do not have to cover them as carefully anymore. I've got a 30 year old tangerine tree that went dormant this winter and then came back kicking, and I didn't cover it a single inch.

Peach trees are also fairly cold sensitive, but they need a minimum number of cold nights (40 F or lower) to produce fruit. So uh. Either cover them with a frost cloth as soon as it gets freezing out, or bring them inside in a big pot but leave them outside as long as you can. I wouldn't try to grow one from seed personally, but I've bought a couple saplings. Look for a variety that does well in your climate. Your local university might have made a hybrid.

You can grow and make your own tea leaves; the tree is a specific variety of Camellia. Grows well in the southern USA.

"pawpaw" trees are a fruit tree native to north-east america, cultivated by american indians. They're pretty cool. They grow well on the sides of hills. You can buy dormant saplings in the winter/late spring online. You need at least one male and one female. Deep tap roots.

You can GROW a banana tree, but you can't make it fruit unless you're in a tropical climate. I wouldn't bother. Even subtropical doesn't cut it.

Figs are cool but keep in mind that lots of people are allergic to their leaves.

In the case of most trees, long term, a pot is not a good idea, but for the first few years it's fine. Remember that every year the roots get bigger.

If you have a commercially sold tree seedling, the chances are it's been grafted at some point. If there's a knot or a notable bend in the lower part of the trunk, that's the graft point. Stuff that grows below that knot is going to be Not Delicious. Pick off growths below the graft point.

A note on COMPOST:

composting is a great way to enrich your shit, but watch out, because it also produces mildew, mold, flies, and scavengers.

The lowest effort version of composting is simply to take your tea leaves/coffee grounds out of the pot when you're done with them and let them dry out somewhere--a bowl or a tupperware, idk--then save them to mix into your potting soil later. Minimum amount of fungus, no bugs. You can do this in your house. Unbleached paper also works, and basically any "dry" organic material.

The more intense version includes things like egg shells, banana skins, things that will attract pests and grow mold. You don't want this in your house. Also the shells of beans, discarded lettuce greens, tops of strawberries--etc. Most of this stuff is of too little caloric value to attract rats, so it's okay to keep near your house.

But the more "food" stuff you start to add, like rotten vegetables and table scraps, the more rat appealing it becomes. Don't get over ambitious. That stuff needs to be 50 ft away from your house minimum.

[luna-is-lost]

UNDERWELCOMED

CHAPTER 13

Sir POV:

A fleet of great men and women lost in a signal day…

15 of our best hounds lost; 5 no longer able to serve…

All because of him…

So, “WHY WAS I SPARED!”

I scream staring into the mirror, which shatters as my fist collides with it, knowing we need to get him back…

Sans’ POV:

…This is probably fine…

Papyrus is lying unconscious on Snowdin’s floor, Flowey is most likely watching still, and I have no clue what to do now that Pap remembers.

‘Maybe start with healing that crack in his skull’ Yelled the analytical part of my brain, but I was still frozen in shock.

After a few seconds I gather my self and begin to evaluate the situation. Papyrus looks okay, provided the exception of the small crack in his skull (it could be easily healed, Papyrus had always been stronger than him), a few marks from the thorns of Flowey’s vines, and a small fracture in his left arm… Papyrus will be fine. Papyrus is ALWAYS fine, he has to be… ‘Cause I’m not sure how to do this without him… He’s my little brother, so I’ll do what’s needed to protect him. That’s my duty, always has been.

I gather Papyrus the best I can into an almost hug and prepare to teleport… I’m going to feel horrible tomorrow with all this used magic, but Papyrus is worth it. He’s always worth it.

Undyne’s POV:

A bright blue flash appears and out comes the silhouette of the skeleton brothers. “Sans? Where were you…?” My question is lost to the wind as Papyrus drops from the arms of a dizzy-looking Sans. I run up to them and throw Papyrus over my shoulder (rather easily I might add) as I grab Sans’ shoulders to help him steady out. “ ran into a certain flower that really makes my anger ‘bloom’. heh… oh… and pap needs some help with…” He trails off as he gestures to the rather pained skeleton on my shoulder (who happens to be my best friend, and if I find who did this I WILL TAKE REVENGE), looking kinda sad. “Let’s get HIM healed and YOU some food, not to be rude, but you look awful.” I chuckle as I (not so) gently lay Pap on a floor mat, and apologize to said sleeping skeleton when he winces. “yeah… prob’ly for the best…” Sans yawns as he walks to the kitchen-ish area, though it isn’t much. One day, when the humans accept us, we can have the wonderful thing the surface offers, but for now, we need to work to get our prize. We WILL Win. We have to… I am DETERMINED to make it work.

“Papyrus?” I nudge my friend in an attempt to wake him up. It’s weird to think that not long ago I had no idea he was capable of doing that, but I feel more and more like Papyrus is part of something MUCH bigger than anyone thought… Maybe he is…

“…owie…” Papyrus’ broken voice responds. “Can you eat something so you can heal?” “Mmhm…” He sits himself up with a tired groan and a worried look on his face. “I-Is… Sans A-Alright?…” As if he was called on, Sans appears right next to Papyrus. With another yawn; seriously, how tried can one monster be? He hands him some sort of canned fruit and a piece of monster candy, before settling down next to him, leaning against his brother’s shoulder for support. “Okay, NOW, tell me what happened!” “really it was nothin’ “ Sans gives me no helpful information while Papyrus shivers and grips his skull painfully. “Are you okay Papyrus!?/you okay paps!?” Sans and I ask him simultaneously. His eye sockets are wide as he repeats, “I R-Remember…” “WHAT EXACTLY DOES HE REMEMBER?!” I yell out but Sans is already falling asleep… What happened…

Sir’s POV:

The tracking device on the giant skeletal monster was going haywire earlier. Appearing from an undisclosed location to Mt. Ebbot in seconds… That should be physically impossible… Maybe monsters are more powerful than we thought. Even Papyrus rose high in military ranks swiftly. Actually, he did in three weeks what take humans 25 years… He became a general… If Papyrus and his race are similar, there’s no way we can win this… They’re to powerful to destroy. So not only is our government’s power and the country’s military strength in danger, but they could easily overpower or destroy us. Destroy everything… There would be nothing we could say or do. They’d win… Unless…

…we destroyed their order…

…we destroyed their king…

Papyrus’ POV:

Sans… The King… Undyne… The Royal Guard… The Web Of Lies… Muffet… The Machine… The Army… The Underground… Humans… SOULS… The Human Frisk… Death… Resets… Timelines… Flowey… Manipulation… Loneliness… Forgettable… Useless… Dust… …👎︎☼︎📬︎ ☝︎♋︎⬧︎⧫︎♏︎❒︎…

How do flowers talk. Why did he hide. Why did she lie? Why didn’t they live? Can I trust him? Did he mean to? Why did he disappear? Will the world go back? How can silence scream? Why does it hurt…

I wanted them back. I wanted to remember… But the memories bring more questions, bring more pain. I wanted this… WHY DOES IT HURT SO MUCH! … I just wanted to remember… It hurts… Why?…

I feel tears stream down my face as I begin to shake… Why does it have to hurt?… I don’t think I like this very much…

“U-Undyne…?” I catch the captain’s attention in a second. “Papyrus! Are you alright?!” “I T-Think?…” I try to sit up, but Undyne shakes her head in disapproval as she sits next to me. “So… uh… are you feeling any better?” “A l-little?…” She smiles and compliments my strength. “If you’re feeling up to it, could you tell me what you remember?” “E-Everything… M-My Childhood, The Royal Guard, The Base I W-Was Kept At… You and S-Sans and Everyone Else T-Too…” She looks shocked for a moment then she just smiles. … The Human… “Papyrus? Is something wrong?” “No… J-Just… I M-Miss My Friend…” She looks down sadly. “Yeah, a lot of monsters are missing or dus- on vacation” “I…” I sigh. What’s the point of talking about the human if it will make Undyne sad? My friends deserve the world, my brother does too, despite being lazy and slightly self deprecative… “Undyne” “Yeah?” “I T-Think Everything Is Going T-To Be Alright, We J-Just Need To Believe!” Right?…

CHAPTER 14 COMING SOON-ISH

[whump-in-the-closet]

The Scarred Among the Mundane.

cw: medieval torture (pillory), stress positions, public humiliation, manhandling, mock execution (implied), magic whump, elf whumpee, forced to kneel

previous. masterlist. next

— —

The dawn is cold and wet and grey. And there is a fresh bruise in centre of the town square

Two guards stand on either side of a wooden T-shaped structure.

One sways on his feet, eyes drooping shut under his helm. Both are leaning on their spears for support.

A bird breaks the grey dawnlight with a diving swoop– a dart of black feathers and loud shrieking.

One of the guards straightens, cracking stiff bones with a sharp twist. “Lord.”

The other pushes back his helm to scratch the raw indents left in his temples. He mutters something unintelligible, walking over to the wooden carcass that is a pillory.

A limp body hangs from the structure. Hands are dead against the wood and face obscured by sandy dreadlocks, heavy boards fastened over the prisoner’s neck.

Shallow breathing is the only sign of life. Chains snake around the pillory as an extra measure of caution.

The guard yawns. Wiping his mouth, he kicks the prisoner as violently as he can. His boot leaves a smear of dirt and violet bruises on the figure’s side. “Rise and shine, elfboy.”

The first thing Finn is aware of is the ache in his neck and weighted numbness in his arms. His stomach turns, yesterday’s bread tasting like ash in his throat.

He tries to roll his shoulders, only to be met with wooden resistance.

That’s odd.

Behind him, someone laughs.

And it all comes back– the brilliant plan, the failed plan, the red-headed human and the freezing pain–

And now this strange, wooden device he’s trapped in.

Exhaustion turns to panic in a ripping heartbeat. He wants out of this.

Right now.

Right this instant.

He’s yanking at the holes his hands are trapped in, yanking and twisting and rubbing them raw and it’s not working.

“Let me out!”

More laughter. The sun rises higher, playing on his face and making him squint.

“This is…” Finn strains against the wooden boards– strains to find the right word. Dozens come to mind. Absurd. Unacceptable. Unbelievable. He finally settles on one, spitting it out with a bitter curl of his lip. “This is a mistake.” I’ll make you regret this.

Watch.

He thinks of the town square going up in flames, all scarlet and white-hot agony on the thatched roofs.

The guards stop laughing. One brings down the butt of his spear across Finn’s head.

Finn sets his jaw, a sudden and sharp roaring in his ears. Still he can hear the guards talking.

“You hear that? The bastard thinks he’s some powerful lord.”

Another flick of the spear that Finn can’t dodge. Wood fills his vision, cutting off his curse mid-sentence. Crack.

“As if he’s got longer than a day to live.”

Something wet and hot and sticky drips from Finn’s nose. He licks it away, but it leaves the taste of salt behind.

A deep-throated snarl rises up– bloodied and thick– “You will all burn.”

“For Christ’s sake, he’s feral.” There’s a shudder in the guard’s voice.

Finn bares his teeth, showing off the jagged edges. These humans had every right to be scared of him. Honestly, how dare they? Who did they think they were? And what did they mean by he didn’t have a day to live–

This train of thought is interrupted as the first few villagers start to trickle into the open clearing. Eyes flicker from the pillory to Finn to Finn’s pointed ears.

An entirely new emotion twists inside him. A vine crawling and wrapping and snapping his ribcage, leaving his heart beating on display.

Finn snarls and a few humans recoil. But a few of the braver ones step forward. And that's when Finn sees the basket of rotten fruit.

Bruised tomatoes.

Horrid pears and smashed apples.

Those last ones will hurt. As if his day can get any worse.

Finn redoubles his efforts to escape. “Let me out of this! Let me out!” He yanks and panics and tries not to scream.

The guards, predictably, do nothing. Finn decides he’ll set their houses on fire first.

Blood trickles down the wooden structure in thin lines, but scarlet rage is all Finn can see. Scarlet and the outlines of the first villagers bending down to pick up the fruit.

Eyes widening. A final, breathless curse. “Don’t you dare–”

The humans dare.

A tomato explodes directly in his face. Rotting red in his mouth and in his eyes and probably in his ears too.

He never wants to eat fruit again. An apple hits him in the mouth. A pear to the side of his head. The barrage comes faster and faster. The crowd grows, and with it, the amount of rotten fruit thrown.

Finn will never eat fruit again…

Midday does not bring much relief, though the basket is now empty and the crowd dispersed. Most of the basket’s contents are on Finn.

He keeps his eyes closed to the mass of humanity. The crowd swirls and tightens and laughs. Someone shouts out the prices of eggs.

Finn tries and fails to pretend that he doesn’t have a tomato slipping down the front of his shirt. There’s raw egg sticking to the inside of his ear.

He gags.

Then gags again.

“Damn it all,” he says.

Somewhere in the distance, a bell rings. The clear tones echo harshly twelve times. Next to Finn, the guards snap awake. Before Finn has time to process what’s happening, a black bag has been thrown over his head.

Damn this specifically.

The boards around his neck and wrists are loosened, only for cold metal to take their place. His arms ache and then burn as the guards tighten the chains behind his back.

Finn curses the guards, and the Monarch, and every member of the crowd in rapid fire succession. Most of this is muffled by the hood, but Finn feels infinitely better.

“Where are you taking me?”

He’s pushed forward roughly. “Public execution.”

“You mean, I’ll be watching your public execution? Excellent.”

The butt of the spear. Again. “Your execution. You’re to be hanged.” This time, Finn stumbles, feet suddenly weighted.

“You deserve something worse,” adds the other guard. “But the Monarch says hang the elf, so we hang the elf.”

Finn stops walking.

The guards shove him forward. “Move it.”

But Finn’s legs have turned to wood. The word execution sounds like a sharpened knife. The drop of an axe, burying into flesh. The noose tightening.

The world spinning on and leaving Finn behind.

His last moments are to be spent with stuffy breathing and glints of sunlight through a hood?

A dead sound rips its way out of him. It tastes as black and vile as the word execution.

“Shut up,” says one of the guards.

Finn takes a long, dragging step. And then another. And then one more. He’s going to die with egg yolk dripping into his ear?

A scream builds up. Futile and hopeless.

Finn twists his arms out of the guards’ hands, stumbling away. He can’t get far. He knows this. But through the panic and the screaming, can’t sounds a lot like can.

The sound of hoofbeats seems to come from everywhere at once. Finn still tries to run, not caring in which direction he’s going.

And then his own body betrays him. He’s not entirely sure it’s his own body. A single word consumes it, while his mind watches with violet-tinged horror.

Kneel.

Finn drops to the ground. Inside, he’s screaming. He’s aware of voices beside him and hears the crinkling of paper, but he can’t make out the individual words.

Defeated sighs from the guards.

The hood is withdrawn. Finn’s stomach drops. “Damn you, specifically.”

The red-haired sorcerer smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. She tucks the scroll away with a small shrug, keeping one hand on her horse’s bridle “You might regret that.”

“That’s my line.”

“Not anymore.”

Finn snaps at her, lips drawn back to his gums. “I’ll watch you burn and laugh.”

The sorcerer doesn’t seem too bothered by the idea. “You’re not too polite to your saviour, are you? I was expecting at least a ‘thank you’.” She glances at the guards. “Does that seem like too much to ask?”

Sullen silence.

“Say ‘thank you’, elf,” says the sorcerer.

Finn glares and says nothing. A long moment of silence. The crowd watches out of the corners of their eyes and pretends not to notice.

The sorcerer lifts her hand in a beckoning gesture. Speak. The words are ripped from Finn’s mouth, leaving the taste of copper behind.

“Thank you.”

“Hm…Your name, elf?”

Again, that ripping sensation. “Finn.” I’ll burn your house with you inside it.

The sorcerer’s hand drops. She mounts her horse, swaying slightly. The moment passes.

Digging through her satchel, she pulls out a rope and ties it into a noose. Throwing it to the guards, she says, “Allow me to take him out of your hands.”

Finn has never considered the idea of “a fate worse than death” before but he does now.

tagging: @kira-the-whump-enthusiast (lmk if you want to be added/ removed!)

[pandorafallz]

Vampire AU | The First Harvest

It was a quiet day away from Hometree, Jake returned from his training with Neytiri about noon to help with his camp and Neytiri did stay as well but seemed to go off to spend time with N’deh. He didn’t know where they were but he was following Nadine. The first harvest of their planted goods had occurred and Jake was there to help wheel around with a basket on the back since he put his avatar to rest for now.

Nadine first collected up the new dried weed with reverence from the strings and added the latest and fresh to dry now. It wasn’t a lot, but with the new seeds planted and growing, they’d soon get more yield once it was ready.

The growth of the planted weed now was far faster than what they were expecting, let alone harvesting again within a matter of weeks. Eywa was working fast but they given they had only a few shoots, they’d still have to balance the quantity of plants and the number of harvestable leaves. If the growth kept happening, he’d predict that the leaf would regrow for a weekly harvest. Seeds would collected every time and he’d see about getting them potted and shared to the other camps.

The trade of joints would be the meta when each of their camps had new herbs and leaves to add to it. To enhance it. He was looking forward to it.

“How many can we make?” Jake pondered, looking at their slightly unimpressive yield now that they had dried and shrunk.

“Probably… six sticks with this lot. Not as many as I hoped but we can have some filler herbs to bulk it out. I shotgun one for myself, you and the others can share the joint for this camp and one for the others.”

“One just for you?”

“Out of everyone here, I have two amputated limbs with phantom pain and we grew it here first and I’ve been overseeing it personally, I want my share.” Nadine fixed him with a solid stare, daring him to argue.

Jake hummed, really not wanting to pick a fight. “Alright.”

Nadine sniffed at him behind her mask then returned back to her job. Tying up the last of the fresh weed and then leading the way toward the other crops and pulling back the insect tarp that had been put up to protect some of the goods as they grew.

Nad had gotten them once the interested insects had done their part in pollinating the flowers and protecting them from any further damage. Jake hadn’t…personally been involved but this little garden set-up had been more Nad’s thing to tend to. N’deh too, actually but between Hometree and training, keeping track of the seeds and earth crops hadn’t been his priority, even if they had been Tommy’s pride and joy.

Now, he could see how far all of them had come in the last two months since they were put into the ground.

“Oohh, those are looking good.”

Jake leaned over as Nadine pulled what looked to be a very large, round watermelon off the protective mat. Large to her human hands but a firm medium-sized fruit to a Na’vi but he could see the colours and stripes. When he had last seen them, they were tiny baseball sized things… now they were good. Ripe, even. Ready for the pickings.

“Yep, Watermelon is done. We have three so far on this plant, two on the other so we should save as many seeds as possible and get them growing or dried for storage.” Nadine grinned, turning the one she was looking at over and was content to see that no animal had yet sought opportunity despite the net. “Look along this vine, We’ll get three more within the next week or so.” She pointed to the small green lumps along the second vine. “Let’s keep the others growing a little and see if they get any bigger.”

“How are the pumpkins?” Jake, after setting the basket down to ease the weight off his chair, wheeled to the second plot and tugged the insect tarp away and boy, he was met with the glorious sight of at least ten pumpkins of various sizes. Some were small and unripe but at least half looked good enough to cut and enjoy. “Woah.”

The largest one stood out to him the most, it was mostly orange, and the size of an avatar’s head. Grown fat and happy. Ripe and ready. There were a few that were white in their colouring with a few splashes of green which was expected but he liked to think Eywa was being adventurous with these new fruits in her system.

“Definitely gotta share those pumpkins. There’ll be a shit ton of seeds. We can probably plant more here but I think we can share with the clan and the camps. Some we can dry and eat ourselves.”  He said, mostly to Nadine but it seemed she was busy when he turned to look at her.

 “Hmm..” Nadine was examining the berries they had, sounding a little put-down but unsurprised.

The tomatoes had had small sticks driven into the ground to form a support fence for them to grow and had formed large fruits now of the thick vines, but they were almost all green and had very few flowers still but that put them two weeks before they’d turn red, maybe less if Eywa also sped their maturity up. The strawberries were in a similar state, but more developed, it seemed. The berries were turning red but not yet ripe to pluck. Maybe another week until they could start harvesting them still, the amount of berries was looking good.

Once things were growing at a steady pace, he did want to dry and replace the seeds that they used once they started to produce them. That way, they still had backups and plenty of them. Maybe if they left the lands, they’d replant them again but he wasn’t comfortable spending seeds without thought.

What they had currently, it looked like a good start.

“Anyone wanna make a jack-o-lantern?” Jake suggested, cheekily.

“No.” Came the reply from Nadine, Jerome, Kim and N’deh, of all people. The latter appeared with his niece and a basket of soil. N’deh didn’t even linger with his dirt and went off with it.

“You guys are no fun.” Jake reigned hurt at his rejected idea.

“You are harvesting the Earth Crops?” Neytiri hurried over in interest, picking the pumpkin straight up to examine carefully but remaining careful not to remove it from the stem. “It’s so… orange.”

Jake laughed a little at that. “Yep, Orange and probably would be delicious in pumpkin pie.” Better now with Eywa’s care into accepting and growing these plants.

“Oh,” Jerome groaned in distant longing from his place by the fire, spinning flax into cord, “Pumpkin pie. Oh, I’ve missed that simple pudding.” His eyes looked a little far, a hand coming to his heart. “My grandmother made such a wonderful pumpkin pie when we were growing up. My sisters stole the bigger pieces from me and almost all the whipped cream but she gave me the recipe for it when I was fifteen.”

Nadine turned her attention up from the berries. “Do you remember it?”

“Of course. I’ll never forget it. My grandmother died a week after she gave me the recipe. I was her special grandson who wasn’t a greedy bastard so she made to be careful with teaching me how to make it. She also taught me to also spite my dad who wanted to know as well.”

Jake snorted a little. “Sounds she was very smart.”

“You have no idea. She once won big loads of cash from casinos from exploiting machine bugs and bailed before they caught on. It’s how she got enough money to support herself and my dad after Grandpa flew the coop for younger tits. My dad blew most of it when he twenty gambling which pissed her off royally.” Jerome carried on. “She never forgave him and made him pay it back to her.”

Neytiri’s head turned to Jerome in confusion. “Flew the coop?”

“It’s an expression used to describe people leaving suddenly or secretly. My grandfather left my grandmother after my dad was five for a younger woman he worked with. He was her main financial support until he left them.” Jerome explained. “Casinos were her quick shot of cash to keep the family afloat until she could get better paying job.”

“What is a… Casinoo?”

“A casino is a place where people spend money gambling to get more money back. Say… we play a game, we all put something of value in, the person who wins gets everything that was put in, everyone else loses out” Jerome explained. “We have machines that do that and most of the time, they’re rigged against the player for players to spend more than they win. Extortion, basically.”

Neytiri frowned deeply, setting the pumpkin down. “But if money is hard to get, how could someone gamble away and risk not having trade for food?”

“Desperation, boredom, risk takers and gambling addictions. Some people have luck, exploiting machine faults and stealing to win.” Jerome listed. “Machines are easier to trick, my grandmother learned how to use the machine's flaws to give her more back than she was losing. If the company that had the machines found out, they would have tried to arrest her for it.”

“But… what of the game if you’re not playing with honour?”

“With those gambling houses, you have to play dishonourably to get a chance to get more back. Honour gets you nothing and lose everything. Now, say if we were to play a gambling game together as a group here on Pandora, we would play honourably. We’re not at a predetermined disadvantage and no one here wants the term cheater stuck to them if they do try and cheat the game. It affects their social standing. No one will play with cheaters.”

Neytiri considers this with a hum. “I see.”

“Anyway,” Nadine coughed, turning the attention back to the garden at hand with a gesture. “Since this is going so well, we should totally start planting more, Jake.”

Jake winced a little. “Which ones were you thinking of?”

“I want to plant sunflowers next,” Nadine shrugged. “We can make tea out of them but also we can get sunflower seeds and squeeze out sunflower oil too. Soybeans, Ball Peppers and Chilli Peppers too.”

“I…don’t know if I have those but I’ll check.” Jake hadn’t opened that seed box for a while. “Maybe we can see if the others have better terrain for our crops as well. I’d rather not waste seeds if they’re not gonna thrive in this location.” He was gonna have to check the gardening manuals he had to make sure.

Nadine gave a silver thumbs up.

-

For Dinner, they had Pumpkin soup, made with their new pumpkin (obviously), some plant milk that N’deh procured, and the next best Pandoran Onion, spare vegetable broth from the fridge from the morning’s breakfast, some spices to thicken and enhance the flavour. While they were outside, they didn’t bother with spoons, like N’deh and Neytiri, they just sipped at it slowly between mask lifts.

Suffice to say, Jake was groaning happily with the rich flavour that greeted his taste buds. The pumpkin was present with each sip but offered a sweetness to compliment the savoury vegetable.

The desert was equally wonderful, Watermelon slices (minus the seeds) with a nectar dip which was slyly seasoned with salt that… oddly worked.

Neytiri had been all too happy to be a part of this meal, which wasn’t often and Jake was oddly elated to see her so happy and trying Earth foods. She had looked a little cautious at the orange soup when they handed her a bowl, even wobbling it a little to see how it flowed. He liked how her ears wiggled a little when she took that first sip and the full flavour hit. The fact it was hot was probably the only thing that stopped her from gulping it down.

Kim returned from her day way on Neptune’s back just after dessert. Jerome was quick to give her a bowl and let her join them while he took the supplies from Neptune’s back.

“What’d you get?” Jake asked, eyeing the baskets as they went past.

“Huh-oh.” Kim shrugged, “Parchment, sausages, some herbs from their area for cooking. Kung also found really nice bones that they didn’t want. She’s keeping Bree from making more frames and shit for her projects.” She smiled into her soup and took a content sip, closing her eyes with a pleased hum. “Oh, this is wonderful.”

Nadine grinned at the praise.

“The teen is that determined for paper and parchment?”

“I think she’s bored.” Kim shrugged. “I was thinking that… maybe we get them living closer to another camp to socialise. It’s just two of them there.”

“Maybe see about getting them in the caves or close to them? Kung was MineOps?” Nadine asked, “or we could invite them here?”

Kim shook her head. “Kung and Alejandra don’t get along.”

“Really?” Neytiri spoke, picking up another watermelon wedge. “I thought they got on? I have seen them interact many times.”

“They’re polite in public. Both know to keep it civil but Alejandra hates Kung and the latter is indifferent. Kung ran MineOps with an… iron fist, to be polite. Demanded a lot from the miners, actually. This could have contributed to a few of the miner’s injuries but I can’t say for certain. What I do know is that they may be out but their history remains.” Kim sighed. “Bree’s worried about her mother opening up old wounds. Unintentionally or not. I’d rather not push them together and let them combust.”

Jake winced but…he supposed that it was probably more complicated than he initially thought. Still, he hoped it didn’t progress into something worse or fracture relations between them. Kim was right but… sooner or later it would have to be addressed. It was an elephant in the room.

“Then maybe we should consider maybe our camp?” Nadine suggested again, “Or Ruby’s camp? It’s only three of them up there and they live away five miles from Kendra’s camp.”

“We can ask tomorrow.” Jake opted to do for. “It’s still their choice at the end of the day.”

“I suppose.” Kim sighed, discontent.

-

Jake stayed up a bit longer once they had bid their farewells, extinguished the fire and went to bed. Nadine snorted into her pillow, her arm and leg blinking in the dark beside the bed as they charged but Jake was sitting up, gently sewing the last piece of his beads onto the armband.

A deep sense of relief to finally finish the piece, now worthy to be given. He hoped Neytiri liked it.

-

At Hometree, the humans went on their way to their chores and tasks. Jake kept Neytiri’s gift in his hip pouch for now for safekeeping but she wasn’t around to train him as she was running a patrol with Tsu’tey so he went to his place at the bone shapers. Morgan remained at camp with N’deh. Kim went up to find Mo’at for a check-up on her babies.

He approached Hukinli with an idea of what he wanted made, now that he had plans made.

“<this will not be easy to make,” she said, eyeing his crude drawing on his tablet, not touching it at all but looking interested in his idea. “<To make it possible, it would need to be made into pieces to achieve a hollowness to the bones that would archive.>”

“<I thought that might be the case.>” Jake had hoped she might have a secret way but if it wasn’t possible, then a three-piece to make the thanator whistle was what it was going to be… he just didn’t want to see the seams of it. Sure, making it out of pottery would and should be the go-to but… he liked bone. Bone was interesting and versatile. Bone felt… natural in his hands now. Like it spoke to him when he set his blade against its surface. “<I’ll make it work. I’ll come back to you if I’m struggling.>”

Hukinli just nodded.

Jake found a large hip bone that was fractured from the main femur, A little too short for a weapon’s handle but he could easily make it work, so he sat down at the carving ring where some people were making Loom shuttles, handles, beads and decorations. He was glad to see that Harper was also sitting among them with a small knife and making beads.

“How are you doing?” Jake asked, making sure to be close. “Healed up?”

“More or less. Doc still has me on light duty so no heavy lifting.” Harper sounded displeased as she patted her side. “Still, can’t complain. I’ve not had a chance to rest for so long without the pressures to return. The first week, I was trying to get out of bed still to come by.”

Jake tutted a little but… fair, honestly. American work culture was incredibly toxic and the habits lingered long after they had bailed. They still had to work on letting it go, even two and a half months into it.

They were soon joined by Moran so Jake cracked on with his work.

It took time to carve the bone down into a rough shape. Using his tablet to design the three parts as a reference to separate the sign, the lower jaw up to the underside of the mouthpiece was a single piece, the top jaw and snout were the second piece and the third piece was the latter half of its head with the extension to the top half of the mouthpiece. While he knew he could add the six amour plating but couldn’t add the ten quills onto them; too delicate work and would no doubt break if he tried. Plus, he might stab himself in the face with the quills if he did.

Translating the design into bone was hard but Jake spent time separating the bone into pieces first, making sure to check that they fit back together perfectly before he started to work into carving down the grain the jaw, working on hollowing out the mouthpiece and tapering it off down to the back of it’s tongue and only carved the teeth outline for now. He’d do the detailed work like those in his human form.

He paused every so often to check the pieces as he worked into the latter half of the skull, first carving out underneath the top half of the interior chamber that would aid in the screaming sound.

Lunch pulled him away from the ring so he pouched his work pieces and sat with the group of humans however, they weren’t alone as Mo’at also pulled Eytukan to join them. Nadine and another cook handed out leaf wraps and Jake was happy to devour.

Alejandra was the first to rise once she ate but didn’t leave.

“So, the good news is we’ve been able to clear a route to Homebase from one of the tunnels, big enough for Na’vi and avatars to enter.” She spoke. “We’ll be able to take people down tomorrow but there will be a few things that may need to be prepared for any visitors over the height of six foot.”

“Preparations?” Mo’at questioned.

“Yes, specifically, this entryway has a route that goes through water. We have a rope fixed to guide anyone there now but it’s a seven-minute swim without any air pockets. You either need to learn how to hold your breath for seven minutes or use our breathing masks for it.”

“We have masks and canisters.” Ruby pointed out. “We can provide those easily.”

“Good to hear.” Alejandra nodded, pleased. “Second, the na’vi will need more protection in certain caves. Some we don’t have to explore but if they want to see those areas, they need that gear. Right now, they’ll need boots.”

Jake cocked his head curiously. “What sort of protection are they gonna need? Thermal or terrain difficulties?”

“Thermal with good grip.”

“I have boots I can use, I can look and see what else I can find.” Jake considers. It had been a long while since he wore shoes. With his Na’vi clothes, they’d certainly clash but still, it was for a reason. It’d be weird after so long without.

“Try and use thorns to add spikes to increase grip” She clarified.

“Ooh,” Jake had a hunch on what that meant or why it was needed. Thermal problems and spikes; maybe there was an area of ice or loose dirt. Na’vi wouldn’t have any foot protection and would certainly slip or not tolerate the cave for long. He could get something made for that once they knew it as well; he itched to mention it but… the surprise would certainly be worth it.

“Oh, Madaki and I have avatar-sized boots too, Ashely as well. We can come in our human forms, that’ll allow three Na’vi to explore some of the caves until they have more Na’vi-style shoes made for it?” Ruby suggested. “I don’t know if they’d fit Na’vi’s feet but we can make some socks to pad out any gaps to prevent discomfort.”

“Hm.” Eytukan frowned a little, discontent with the thought of shoes.

“Our feet are only slightly slimmer in width.” Mo’at pointed out, sparing a look to her own. “You may have an extra toe but that extra is where the gap is between our big two and smaller one. Marginal difference.”

“<You want to wear Sky people clothes?>” Eytukan asked very sceptically to his wife.

“<They would not suggest it without reason. They have explored these caves to know the risks. If they feel that we need more protection in certain areas, then we should deed that wisdom.>” Mo’at responded with. “if it is only for a cave or two, then there is little harm.”

“<You don’t have to wear shoes,> Ruby pointed out, “<We can take the spares with us until you realise why you’ll need them. You could make your own once you guys understand what’s needed.>”

Eytukan eyed the short human for a moment.

“<Relax, husband.>” Mo’at placed a hand on his forearm, offering some peace to his discomfort.

Jake turned his gaze away and down to Alejandra. “Will there be wheelchair accessibility ability?”

“None in the tunnels. Homebase has a few level areas but you’ll struggle. It’s still a rocky and uneven terrain. If you really want to come down in your human body, then we’ll need to get scrap sheets of metal or wood to lay down and level.” Alejandra explained. “It is part of our plan but it’s not a major priority unless we’re setting up temporary ones for you.”

Jake waved it off. “Don’t rush yourself. I’ll come down in my human form when you’re ready. I have this body still.” He was a little touched that they were considering new options to account for him.

“Well, when the radiation hits, you’re gonna have to be down here in your human form so it’s not on the bottom of the list,” Alejandra said.

“What?” Jake blinked at her. “Radiation storm?”

Alejandra frowned at him in genuine concern, her eyes darting off and gave a very dry look to Jerome who was content in listening in. “Did no one tell him about the radiation storm that Pandora has?”

Jerome’s yellow eyes widened. “I forgot.”

“What is… this storm?” Mo’at frowned, also confused. “You are worried?”

“You know it by an event that’s a week of darkness,” Alejandra said.

That Mo’at did understand, the familiarity of her words made her nod slowly. “You call it something else?”

“Yes. It’s a week unsafe for humans to be out and about.” Alejandra sighed, bending down to draw in the dirt a large circle in the ground in front of the Tsahìk and Olo’eyktan. “Your moon,” she added Pandora onto the drawing and an orbit pattern, “you go around this gas giant, now Gas giants often have a…distance from its surface into the void called a Radiation belt. This…radiation is like an energy wave, like sunlight; you feel its heat but lives on a different frequency to be out of our eyesight. Radiation can kill and damage cells and lead to death if exposed for too long.”

Mo’at and Eytukan peered at the drawing with vivid interest that grew as she drew in the radiation belt line that encompassed a part of Pandora’s orbit

“We are not… harmed by this energy.” Mo’at pointed out.

“No, you’re not. Na’vi, plant life and wildlife have evolved to be immune because of this repeated, annual exposure in your development into your current forms over millions of years. Humans are not immune because we’ve not evolved the necessary mutation and genetics to combat the radiation effects.” Alejandra said, “It’s why Hell’s Gate will go quiet. Patrols will be minimal and mining will cease in all areas for that week. We cannot go out without proper protection. We have meds to help combat the effects but… we didn’t bring that many.”

“What about our shacks?” Jake asked. “Surely they’ll protect us, right?”

“They’re made with a lead-lining and the windows need to be covered as well with the appropriate screens.” Jerome spoke, “Morgan’s had to stay in the shack the last few years when each one hit. I forgot you guys didn’t know.”

“We’ll be safe down at Homebase. The caves are a safe spot. Large too.”

Jake mulled quietly, his tail lashing a little in discontent. “Can… can we bring link beds into the caves? Our Dreamwalkrs should be immune, they’re more Na’vi than human. We can come and go only through our Dreamwalkers.”

“We have the link shack at the mountains.” Nadine pointed out, “We can all group up there.”

“It’d be nice to spend time with humans as a group, not just three of us in one shack.” Jake pointed out, glad to see he wasn’t the only one seeing the fact they’d have to be inside. They wouldn’t be inside and isolated from each other for a week. “Let’s just… consider it. Mountains are a backup option. It can still be a backup option. We can still steal more shacks with link beds and move those underground. Caves would be safer for us and we’d have proper social interactions together.”

“We’ll see. I’m no link bed technician but even I know that’s a lot of delicate technology to move in small spaces.” Alejandra spoke.

“I can go a sweep of the tech size. Get some measurements?” Moran suggested behind her after finishing his last bite.  “If we can move the link bed in pieces then it should be far easier. If all it needs is a stable surface and a power supply, then that’s also easier to provide. Homebase is not at a risk of flooding or becoming unstable.”

“I can take you to the mountains tonight?” Zeke offered, “I want more of the science equipment no one’s claimed anyway.”

There was no complaint there.

News of their harvest, Jake did share with the group, earning Mo’at attention more, and Nadine pulled out their shares for each of the groups; Pumpkin seeds and watermelon seeds for now. In return, Ruby pulled out a small bag of large potatoes for each of them and Garlic. Jake happily took the three large garlic bulbs with relief.

“For the Omatikaya,” Ruby added, handing one to Mo’at. “To protect your clan against vampires.”

Mo’at eyes the plant carefully, turning it about in her hands with deep consideration and a slight purse to her lips, almost a little… dissatisfied but accepted it nonetheless.

Masterlist

[theprayerfulword]

May 26

Romans 8:38-39 Paul wrote, “I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Philippians 2:10 so that every knee will bow to the name of Jesus — everyone in heaven, on earth, and under the earth.

Ephesians 1:21 [Christ is seated] far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.

Psalm 24:1 The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.

Psalm 86:15 But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.

Jeremiah 33:3 Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.

May you seek out those who are dear to the Lord, those who are bound, and lame, and held captive by fear, and demonstrate the kindness of the Lord through His love. 2 Samuel 9

May you understand that the reproach and ill-will of others is what they always carry in their heart, and that it is expressed, not because of who you are, but because of Who you represent, and knowing that the unjust contempt will fade, draw aside for a time, resting in the loving care of the Lord. 2 Samuel 10

May your hands be diligently about your duty, and your eyes ever kept on God, as you are taken by your feet to the places God has appointed you to be, that you may escape temptation and avoid the way of sin. 2 Samuel 11

May you realize that the world hates you just as it hated Jesus first, for you no longer belong to the world since He has chosen you out of the world. John 15

May you daily renew your connection with the vine, just as the vine daily renews the mercies that bring life, that you may be fruitful and glorify the Father. John 15, Lamentations 3

May you see, in the Word and by the Spirit, the height and breadth and depth and width of God's love for you, so that you may understand the value which others, as well, have to the Father, and be able to willingly express His love to those around you by obeying His commands. John15

My child, do not fear to make mistakes. You are weak, and you have limited understanding; you are human. I am God, and I am your great and loving Shepherd. I know you need watchful care, and I am always attentive, never sleeping. I do not make allowance for persistent and continual rebellion, but I work with those who love Me. I teach those who desire to be with Me to know My voice and follow Me more closely, that they may safely rest in peace, for that is My gift to you. It is when you utterly abandon yourself to that which you have seen and received from Me, having touched and been touched by My heart, that you are most likely to err in your zeal with limited understanding and through your own resources, But that is when I give the greatest care to you, knowing that your love for Me is motivating you. I would rather you were hot or cold, for then I can give you direction and provide you the discipline that teaches and guides you in the way you should go. When you are double-minded, indeterminate, lukewarm, indifferent, without fervor for or against the work of God, I will not take the time to unsettle your comfortable world-view. However, when you find yourself in a dead-end, having pursued My will with a desire to see Me glorified, I will not leave you or forsake you. My rod and My staff will rescue you, lifting you out of the hole you ended up in. You will have the assurance of My loving presence and never-ending merciful compassion, for I know that it was Me you were pursuing. Though you may be headstrong, I will never reject you. Though you are timid, I will always encourage you. I will never allow blunders and mistakes to entrap you in destruction. Instead, they will form the basis of My teaching and drawing that brings you nearer and reveals Me more clearly. I see your heart and I know that it is not stubborn individuality and self-will which motivates your choices, but a passionate desire to please Me through obedience to My purpose. Learn of Me, My dear one, through patient waiting before Me as well as through active participation with Me, for I am with you to train you in the way you should go.

May you remember the time-tested regulations and well-proven judgments of the Lord, finding hope, comfort, and instruction in them during suffering, for the Lord remembers His promise to enliven you and to quicken your life even though the arrogant constantly mocks you without restraint and the proud cruelly derides you in utter contempt, therefore you do not turn from God's word. Psalm 119

May you obey the Lord's precepts daily and remember the name of the Lord in the night so that the decrees of the Lord will be the theme of your song wherever you lodge. Psalm 119

May you seek God's face and entreat His presence with all your heart for He is your portion; as you have promised to obey God's words, so He has promised to be gracious to you. Psalm 119

May you not forget God's law though the wicked bind you with ropes, but hasten and not delay to obey His commands since you have considered your ways and turned your steps to His statutes. Psalm 119

May your soul lift up thanks to the Lord for His righteous laws even in the middle of the darkest trials and most stubborn struggles, for the earth is filled with the love of the Lord, Who teaches you His decrees, making you a friend to all who fear Him and follow His precepts. Psalm 119

May you submit the intents of your heart and the planning of your thoughts to the Lord, so that the reply of your tongue may be from the fullness of God's heart. Proverbs 16:1

May you accept the Lord's verdict as He weighs the motive of your spirit and the intent of your heart, bringing circumstances designed to reveal what you cannot see within you by your response to what surrounds you. May you allow Him to complete His work in your life by the cleansing of the Word and the power of the Spirit. Proverbs 16:2

May you lay your works open to the Lord, entrusting to Him your efforts and committing to Him your deeds, and He will establish your thoughts and bring success to your plans. Proverbs 16:3

[aikoiya]

Plant Rights Lunatics

OmG... I just... my head hurts just thinking about this...

I just heard that there are actual studies out there... where people are trying to convince us... that plants feel pain & that they are intelligent & that we shouldn't eat them...

...

...

What does that mean for vegans? What? They just shouldn't eat at all? W-! What do these idiots suggest we do????

I...

I can literally feel myself losing braincells...

I just... why not just say that you want humanity to die & get it over with if you're gonna go this far? Like, give up the damn game & just admit that you're anti-human!

This is basically what not having balance in one's beliefs looks like. It's like how feminism these days is just being anti-man. Now being cruelty free is anti-human & this just makes me so upset!

I just... there should be a limit to the desire to reduce pain! A limit to the amount of 'compassion' that one has. Life is pain! You can't live your life without it!

In order for something to live, something ELSE must DIE!! That's how life WORKS!

These people even made suggestions like only eating fruits that have fallen off the plant & what basically amounts to roadkill!!

Apparently, only eating food that's fallen off the vine is a specific type of Fruitarianism that doesn't even seem to have a name. A decent name might be "fallen fruitarianism." Also, there are vegans that only eat roadkill & they're evidently called roadkill vegans. I haven't found a name for when the 2 are combined, but I imagine it's something like "roadkill fruitarianism" or "forager veganism" or whatever. Or you can just call them dumbasses with death wishes!

Either way, these guys are basically saying that we should go back to being foragers!!

From what I can tell, a fruitarian diet is absolutely not healthy. It could even send you to the hospital!

I wonder how Sam Manson & Damian Wayne would react to this information...

I wonder how any vegan character would react!

Either way, I could care less because I'm gonna eat like a sane human being.

Like... I'd kind of like to see these characters try. Initially, they start with fallen fruitarianism but end up slowly growing weaker & weaker over time because they would no longer be able to take nutritional supplements.

Those things are apparently often made from soy proteins & dairy cultures, so definitely not allowed.

In order to live, they'd need to learn to be okay with the supposed suffering of plants. But then, in such a case, why not eat meat? Don't animals suffer just like plants apparently do? So, why not eat them too? Is the suffering of plants somehow less than that of animals?

And what about animals? Aren't they all just as monstrous as people who choose to eat meat & plantlife that hasn't fallen from the vine? Because, for supposedly intelligent beings, they certainly don't seem to care about the pain they bring.

Like, don't get me wrong, eat what you want, but acknowledge that your choices come with consequences. Don't bring this moralistic bs into it.

Here's the thing. I don't give a flying frickadoo if plants do feel pain. If it's between me or the plant, I'm choosing to save myself. Same with animals!

Even still, plants don't have nerves or pain centers & thus even if they did feel some sort of 'distress,' it wouldn't equate to the same sort of pain that we feel.

Like, of course, they're gonna react to the possibility of cessation. That's how survival works. It's why some plants are poisonous. It's a defense mechanism. No organic life wants to die, but just because it reacts to such things doesn't mean its sentient or sapient. Let alone intelligent.

If all it takes is a desire to live to be equal in value to humanity, then wouldn't antibacterial medicines, soaps, & hand sanitizers be considered chemical warfare?

Also, what about parasites like ringworms? They're alive. Shouldn't that make them just as precious as any other animal? Should we just let them continue to live inside of us when we get them? What about when our pets get worms or fleas? What makes a dog more valuable than them?

What about mushrooms? Shouldn't we protect the poor black mold under our floorboards that just wanted to find a nice moist place to rest even if it literally kills us?

These pussies just need to get a fucking grip.

Actually... I do wonder how animal rights activists react when their pets get fleas or worms. Or when they themselves get parasites...

Like, what do they do? Does it just not count in those situations?

Isn't bacteria alive?

You can't say that "all life matters & it should all be preserved" without taking these things into account.