#harvest moon tree of life

[bokumono-bachelorette-bracket]

Round 2: ROCK (AWL, DS Cute) vs TOBY (ToT, AP)

[its-to-the-death]

Glasses Swag Sequel Preliminary Round #10

Only one will make it into the bracket!

[animiilover]

Made this when I was in school

OG picture ⬇️

[love-bokumono-fics]

Fresh Crops! October 21 - October 27, 2024

This week's newest fics and chapter updates for Harvest Moon and Story of Seasons on AO3!

Like Real People Do - by NonbinaryCookie; WIP, 2/4, 2.8k

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Categories: F/M, M/M, Other Fandoms: A Wonderful Life Relationship: Gustafa/Reader; Characters: Gustafa, Takakura, Farmer Additional Tags: Marriage, newlyweds, Wedding, Wedding Night, Forget-Me-Not Valley, Fluff, Domestic Fluff, Domestic, farming, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Sex, x Reader, why is there not more content for Gustafa???, Or more content for story of seasons as a whole????, no beta reader we die like Nina, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, no smut but god I wish i knew how to write it so there was, the second i learn how to write smut it is ALL over for you bitches, Hozier, Like Real People Do by Hozier, Song: Like Real People Do, this man reminds me of Hozier so much, please tell me y'all see it too, Gustafa is Story of Seasons' Hozier confirmed Summary: In between Chapter 1: Beginnings and Chapter 2: Blessings you and Gustafa have to solidify your relationship and find a routine between the two of you. Lots of fluff, romance, and sweet sweet music.

More Than Just Fragile - by MasterZsword; WIP, 1/2, 1.4k

Rating: General Audiences; Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings; Category: F/M Fandoms: A Wonderful Life Relationships: Farmer/Marlin | Matthew, Vesta & Marlin | Matthew; Characters: Female Farmer, Marlin | Matthew, Vesta Additional Tags: Post-Chapter One: Beginnings (Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life), Pre-Chapter Two: Branching (Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life), Sickfic, Common Cold, Matthew Has a Chronic Illness (Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life), Self-Esteem Issues, Married Couple, Protective Female Farmer (Harvest Moon), Self-Worth Issues, Hurt/Comfort, Angst Summary: Only a couple of months have passed since Matthew accepted his wife's marriage proposal, and for the first time since relocating to Forgotten Valley, he believes his life is taking a turn for the better. However, with the arrival of Winter comes the inevitable arrival of sickness, which hits him hard due to his chronic illness. Stuck in bed with a cold, he is reminded of how frail and helpless he is. How frail and helpless he has always been and always will be. At the mercy of his wife's doting care and affection, he begins to wonder if his relationship with his wife, like his body, is doomed by frailty.

All I Have Is A Flower For You - by ulupi; WIP, 1/?, <1k

Rating: Mature; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/F Fandoms: Friends of Mineral Town Relationship: Claire the Farmer/Popuri; Characters: Claire the Farmer, Popuri Additional Tags: Autistic Crush, Neurodivergent Relationship, ADHD Maybe, Romance, Slow Romance, healthy relationship, Developing Relationship, sapphic relationship, nerd love Summary: Claire has left everything behind for an impulsive, fresh, and exciting start at life. Love was the last thing on her mind, especially with the local chicken nerd.

Farm Stories - by Reiz16; WIP, 2/?, 3.4k

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/M Fandoms: Tree of Tranquility, Animal Parade Relationships: Takeru/Akira, Jin/Anissa; Characters: Takeru, Akira, Jin, Anissa, Van the Child, Hamilton, Gill, Taylor, Elli | Elly, Ruth, Craig, Toby, Irene, Perry, Luna, Candace, Shelly, OC Summary: Stories of the characters from, "Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility", and, "Harvest Moon: Animal Parade", getting married and having children.

And one Not Safe For Tumblr fic by Thefallen1986.

[tomodachilifefangirl]

*Screams in cursive*

I redrew it eheheheehehehsehhshesh

[bookishlyvintage]

finally made it to my favorite season in story of seasons ~

[bokumonocosplay]

Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments and tags!

[unboundprompts]

Could you give me some ideas for currencies and the measurement of time, preferably both in a more dark fantasy setting involved with nature?

Currency and Time Measurement in a Dark Fantasy Setting

-> feel free to edit as you see fit.

Currencies

Leaf Coins: Thin, pressed coins made from the leaves of sacred trees. The type of leaf determines the coin's value, with rarer leaves being more valuable.

Bloodstones: A currency made from dark red gemstones that are said to be formed from the blood of fallen warriors.

Shadowshards: Small, dark crystals that absorb light and shimmer with a ghostly glow. They are collected at dusk and are traded as currency, often used in shadowy dealings. The more shadow a shard absorbs, the higher its worth.

Grave Dirt: A unique form of currency, this is literally dirt taken from sacred burial grounds. It is believed to contain the power of the dead. Merchants trade small pouches of it, and its value increases based on how many souls it has been touched by.

Wyrm Scales: Scales from mythical serpents that once roamed the land. Each scale has a distinct pattern and is highly valued due to its rarity and the protective magic it is said to bestow upon its holder.

Fungal Credits: Small, luminescent fungi that can be harvested at certain times of the year. Their glow indicates their value.

Measurement of Time

Moon Phases: Time is measured in moon phases, with each cycle representing a month. Each phase is associated with different rituals and events in nature, such as the “Blood Moon” for harvest and the “Waning Moon” for reflection and atonement.

Nightfall Cycles: Instead of days, time is counted in cycles of nightfall, where each cycle is divided into periods marked by darkness and light. A cycle may last for varying lengths of time based on seasonal changes, with longer nights in winter.

Sundrop Hours: Each hour is marked by the position of a special sundial that has been enchanted to reflect the essence of the sun. During certain times, the sundial emits a soft glow, indicating a magical time when rituals can be performed.

Eclipses: Significant events are measured by the number of eclipses that have occurred since a pivotal moment in history.

Blood Seasons: Time is divided into seasons based on nature’s cycles and the harvesting of life. For example, “Bloomspring,” “Darksummer,” “Crimsonfall,” and “Frostbite,” with each season lasting as long as it takes for specific plants to grow or animals to thrive.

Night’s Breath: This measures time through the cycles of natural events, such as the sounds of nocturnal creatures or the rustling of leaves in the wind. Each breath is a period marked by significant changes in the environment, like the blooming of nocturnal flowers.

[greenwitchcrafts]

September 2024 Witch Guide

New Moon: September 2nd

First Quarter: September 11th

Full moon: September 17th

Last Quarter: September 24th

Sabbats: Mabon- September 22nd

September Harvest Moon

Also known as: Autumn Moon, Child Moon, Corn Harvest Moon, Falling Leaves Moon, Haligmonath, Leaves Turning Moon, Mating Moon, Moon of Brown Leaves, Moon When Dear Paw the Earth, Rutting Moon, Singing Moon, Wine Moon, Witumanoth & Yellow Leaf Moon

Element: Earth

Zodiac: Virgo & Libra

Nature spirts: Trooping Faeries

Deities: Brigid, Ceres, Chang-e, Demeter, Freya, Isis, Depths & Vesta

Animals: Jackal & snake

Birds: Ibis & sparrow

Trees: Bay, hawthorn, hazel & larch

Herbs: Copal, fennel, rye, skullcap, valerian, wheat & witch hazel

Flowers: Lily & narcissus

Scents: Bergamot, gardenia, mastic & storax

Stones: Bloodstone,carnelian, cat's eye, chrysolite, citrine, iolite, lapis lazuli, olivine, peridot, sapphire, spinel(blue), tourmaline(blue) & zircon

Colors: Browns, dark blue, Earth tones, green & yellow

Issues, intentions & powers: Confidence, the home, manifestation & protection

Energy: Balance of light & dark, cleaning & straightening of all kinds, dietary matters, employment, health, intellectual pursuits, prosperity, psychism, rest, spirituality, success & work environment

The full Moon that happens nearest to the fall equinox (September 22nd or 23rd) always takes on the name “Harvest Moon.” Unlike other full Moons, this full Moon rises at nearly the same time—around sunset—for several evenings in a row, giving farmers several extra evenings of moonlight & allowing them to finish their harvests before the frosts of fall arrive. 

• While September’s full Moon is usually known as the Harvest Moon, if October’s full Moon happens to occur closer to the equinox than September’s, it takes on the name “Harvest Moon” instead. In this case, September’s full Moon would be referred to as the Corn Moon.

This time of year—late summer into early fall—corresponds with the time of harvesting corn in much of the northern United States. For this reason, a number of Native American peoples traditionally used some variation of the name “Corn Moon” to refer to the Moon of either August or September. 

Mabon

Known as: Autumn Equinox, Cornucopia, Witch's Thanksgiving & Alban Elved

Season: Autumn

Element: Air

Symbols: Acorns, apples, autumn leaves, balance, berries, corn, cornucopia( Horn of Plenty), dried seeds, equality, gourds, grains, grapes, ivy, pine cones, pomegranates, vines, wheat, white roses & wine

Colors: Blue, brown, dark red, deep gold, gold, indigo, leaf green, maroon, orange, red, russet. Violet & yellow

Oils/Incense: Apple, apple blossom, benzoin, black pepper, hay/straw, myrrh, passion flower, patchouli, pine, red poppy & sage

Animals: Dog & Wolf

Birds: Goose, hawk, swallow & swan

Stones: Agate, amethyst, carnelian, lapis lazuli, sapphire, yellow Agate & yellow topaz

Food: Apples, blackberries, blackberry wine, breads, carrots, cider, corn, cornbread, grapes, heather wine, nuts, onions, pomegranates, potatoes, squash, vegetables, wheat & wine

Herbs/Plants: Benzoin, bramble, corn, ferns, grains, hops, ivy, milkweed, myrrh, sage sassafras, Salomon's seal, thistle, tobacco & wheat

Flowers:  Aster, heather, honeysuckle, marigold, mums, passion flower, rose

Trees: Aspen, cedar, cypress, hazel, locust, maple, myrtle oak & pine

Goddesses: Danu, Epona, Inanna, Ishtar, Modron, Morgan, The Morrigan, Muses, Pomona, Persephone, Sin, Sophia & Sura

Gods:  Bacchus, Dionysus, Dumuzi, Esus, The Green Man, Hermes, Mannanan, Thor & Thoth

Issues, Intentions & Powers: Accomplishment, agriculture, balance, goals, gratitude & grounding

Spellwork: Balance, harmony, protection, prosperity, security & self-confidence

Activities:

•Scatter offerings in a harvested fields & Offer libations to trees

• Decorate your home and/or altar space for fall

• Bake bread

• Perform a ritual to restore balance and harmony to your life

• Cleanse your home of negative energies

• Pick apples

• Collect fall themed things from nature like acorns, changing leaves, pine cones, ect)

• Have a dinner or feast with your family and/or friends

• Set intentions for the upcoming year

• Purge what is no longer serving you & commit to healthy changes

•Take a walk in the woods

• Enjoy a pumpkin spice latte

• Donate to your local food bank

• Gather dried herbs, plants, seeds & pods

• Learn something new

• Make wine

• Fill a cornucopia

• Brew an apple cinnamon simmer pot

• Create an outdoor Mabon altar

•Adorn burial sites with leaves, acorns, & pinecones to honor those who have passed over & visit their graves

The name Mabon comes from the Welsh/Brythonic God Mabon Ap Modron, who's name means "Divine/great Son", However,there is evidence that the name was adopted in the 1970s for the Autumn Equinox & has nothing to do with this celebration or this time of year.

• Though many cultures see the second harvest (after the first harvest Lughnasadh) & Equinox as a time for giving thanks before the name Mabon was given because this time of year is traditionally when farmers know how well their summer crops did & how well fed their animals have become. This determines whether you & your family would have enough food for the winter.That is why people used to give thanks around this time, thanks for their crops, animals & food

Some believe it celebrates the autumn equinox when Nature is preparing for the winter months. Night & day are of equal legth  & the God's energy & strength are nearly gone. The Goddess begins to mourn the loss she knows is coming, but knows he will return when he is reborn at Yule.

Related festivals:

• Sukkot- Is a Torah-commanded holiday celebrated for seven days, beginning on the 15th day of the month of Tishrei. It is one of the Three Pilgrimage Festivals on which Israelites were commanded to make a pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem. Originally a harvest festival celebrating the autumn harvest, Sukkot’s modern observance is characterized by festive meals in a sukkah, a temporary wood-covered hut, celebrating the Exodus from Egypt.

• Mid-Autumn festival- September 17th

Is also known as the Moon Festival or Mooncake Festival. It is a traditional festival celebrated in Chinese culture, similar holidays are celebrated by other cultures in East & Southeast Asia. It is one of the most important holidays in Chinese culture; its popularity is on par with that of Chinese New Year. The history of the Mid-Autumn Festival dates back over 3,000 years.  On this day, it is believed that the Moon is at its brightest and fullest size, coinciding with harvest time in the middle of Autumn.

During the festival, lanterns of all size and shapes – which symbolize beacons that light people's path to prosperity & good fortune – are carried & displayed. Mooncakes, a rich pastry typically filled with sweet-bean, egg yolk, meat or lotus-seed paste, are traditionally eaten during this festival. The Mid-Autumn Festival is based on the legend of Chang'e, the Moon goddess in Chinese mythology.

• Thanksgiving- This is a secular holiday which is similar to the cell of Mabon; A day to give thanks for the food & blessings of the previous year. The American Thanksgiving is the last Thursday of November while the Canadian Thanksgiving is celebrated in October

• The Oschophoria- Were a set of ancient Greek festival rites held in Athens during the month Pyanepsion (autumn) in honor of Dionysus. The festival may have had both agricultural and initiatory functions.

-Amidst much singing of special songs, two young men dressed in women's clothes would bear branches with grape-clusters attached from Dionysus to the sanctuary of Athena Skiras & a footrace followed in which select ephebes competed.

Ancient sources connect the festival and its rituals to the Athenian hero-king Theseus & specifically to his return from his Cretan adventure. According to that myth, the Cretan princess Ariadne, whom Theseus had abandoned on the island of Naxos while voyaging home, was rescued by an admiring Dionysus; thus the Oschophoria may have honored Ariadne as well. A section of the ancient calendar frieze incorporated into the Byzantine Panagia Gorgoepikoos church in Athens, corresponding to the month Pyanopsion (alternate spelling), has been identified as an illustration of this festival's procession.

Sources:

Farmersalmanac .com

Llewellyn's Complete Book of Correspondences by Sandra Kines

Wikipedia

A Witch's Book of Correspondences by Viktorija Briggs

Encyclopedia britannica

Llewellyn 2024 magical almanac Practical magic for everyday living

[windvexer]

I actually do think that doing magic takes a lot of work and is kinda hard and there aren't very many good shortcuts, and many modern shortcuts actually just amount to leaving out steps, which means you either have to be powerful enough to brute-force it or it fizzles.

Look, I know some people are just much better at magic and witchcraft; anything they do works with little effort, and the lengths some of us have to go to accomplish magic seems bizarre to them. Those people are cool and I wish I was like them but I'm not.

But I also think some of the truth of how to work effective sorcery gets paved over by these "witchcraft has no rules, do anything you want" support posts.

Because A) that is not true, I believe that witchcraft has lots and lots of rules (it's just that nobody else can tell you what they are), and B) I think do anything you want is taken to mean anything you do should work, which is also not true.

I feel like I always see advice given that you don't need to do things (like use physical tools, or cast circles, or whatever). But I never see anyone explaining the techniques and paths of power that are supposed to replace them.

Let's just imagine for a moment that clear quartz really is a universal substitute. Discordians would say that it totally is. So does that mean all you have to do to sub out clear quartz is to just put it on the altar and do the ritual as if it's something else?

Or do you have to do something more?

Do you have to consecrate the stone as being something other than what it is? Do you have to ritually birth it into a new life and baptize it like a baby? Do you have to spend weeks or months honing your technique of focus and beliefs so that you can mentally shift from consensus reality to a personal reality where there is literally no difference between clear quartz and sodalite?

Do you have to raise energies of sodalite and imprint them into the quartz crystal, perhaps working over it for an extended period of time? Do you have to use energy work to tie the clear quartz into Ideal Sodalite so that it becomes like an avatar?

No, you don't have to use physical tools if you don't want to. But that shouldn't be taken to imply that tools are useless or can be replaced in a way that matters by just visualizing that you have them.

A witch spends six months propitiating a tree, ingratiating themselves with the land, offerings and acts of fealty to the tree, a week-long branch harvesting ritual, blood offerings at midnight on a holy day, then another year curing the wood and crafting a wand. Big effort, right?

And you don't need to do that. But if you want that power, what are you going to do instead?

Same with circle-casting. Same with magic on the full moon. No, you don't have to wait until the full moon. You don't have to wait until the moon is in Libra. But there's a really good reason people do those things. So if you want those effects, what actions can replace those effects?

You literally could not do the spell while the full moon is in Libra. That's fine. But then what will bridge the gap? Will you have to raise more energy somewhere else? Include a new aspect? Modify the spell for the moon you can work with?

"You don't have to follow the moon phase for magic" doesn't mean the moon phase is irrelevant and some witches just like to inconvenience themselves for no reason. But it does mean that you can probably adapt your working to overcome the moon being in the inopportune phase.

Every time I talk about how much time, energy, and effort magic can be I feel like someone always replies, "well, it's just not that hard for me! I do what I want with what I have when I need it and it always just works, with very little effort."

Which I think is very great for them, but I also don't think that most people can get results with such low effort.

So anyway my entire point is that I think sometimes the reason people struggle with getting witchcraft to work is because they are operating off of out-of-context soundbites that make it sound like you can just completely cut out some of these foundational concepts of witchcraft.

Maybe you don't have to accomplish those steps in traditional ways. Maybe you don't need all of those steps for every spell you're doing.

But if you've just cut out swaths of steps only because you heard someone say you don't need them (not because of your own experiments working with magic and determining what works best for you), then is there enough left to constitute a functional system of magic?

[opalblade]

19 JANUARY 25

𓂀 PUNARVASU NAKSHATRA EXPLORATION .

🌈 PUNARVASU ELEMENTS .

punarvasu spans 20°00 gemini - 03°20 cancer. its vimshottari ruler is jupiter.

punarvasu's deity is aditi - mother of the adityas, goddess of earth, harvest and fertility. her name means 'boundless' or 'limitless' and she is the embodiment of the infinite and vast cosmos.

punarvasu nakshatra is the 'star of renewal' and has several meanings, some being "good again", "prosperous again", "light again" and "the return of the light".

its symbols are the bow and quiver of arrows and a house.

punarvasu's shakti is vasutva prapana shakti meaning the power to 'gain wealth and substance'.

punarvasu's basis above is air or wind and its basis below is moisture or rain. its desire is 'to produce herbs and trees'.

🌈 PUNARVASU THROUGH MYTH .

mrigashira is the birth of mars and where polarisation, competition and temptation are born. in the bible, we see this with eve biting the apple and adam and eve realising they were naked.

this leads to ardra when adam and eve are finally cast out of the garden of eden and left to their own vices. ardra is the star of effort and represented by a teardrop. outside the garden, they learn of true suffering and man is condemned to pain and to "till the earth" for ever. claire nakti corresponded the tower of babel to ardra, and the creation of the tower of babel is what sets off the events in the punarvasu stage: noah's ark.

god feels like there is too much evil in the world and so he decides to renew the earth and then the earth is just vast seas due to the copious amount of rain and flooding. punarvasu is the star of renewal and aditi is the goddess of primordial vastness. noah and his family were deemed worthy enough to be saved and noah was tasked with building an ark big enough to house one pair of each animal on the earth. another one of punarvasu's symbols is a house.

punarvasu's symbol is the bow and quiver of arrows archers had to release the arrow and go and get it back. noah sent out a dove to see whether the flooding had reduced and it kept coming back until one day, when it returned with an olive branch, signifying new life. punarvasu's basis above is air or wind, which relates to the dove flying to see whether the floods had reduced enough and its basis below is moisture or rain, which relates to the vast floods used to cleanse the world of evil. punarvasu's desire is to produce herbs and trees, which is symbolised by the dove bringing back an olive branch to show the floods were over - later becoming a symbol of peace.

after the whole ordeal, god placed a rainbow in the sky to symbolise peace and as a promise that a flood like that would never happen again.

🌈 PUNARVASU IN POP CULTURE .

mariah carey, punarvasu moon

punarvasu themes are all over mariah's career. @vindelllas noticed that butterflies are linked to punarvasu natives, relating to their transformative nature, and mariah carey's first album that she had creative control over was called "butterfly". this album is also deemed her magnum opus. her album after butterfly is called "rainbow" and mariah also has a song called "through the rain". the theme of renewal and "prosperous again" arises with her 2005 album "the emancipation of mimi", which invited immense success and earned her the moniker "the queen of the comeback".

kali uchis, punarvasu sun

kali uchis is another punarvasu native whose music reflects a lot of punarvasu themes. her song after the storm is highly punarvasu and even reflects the noah's ark floods with the lyrics "cause after the storm's when the flowers bloom". the entire song is punarvasu coded and everyone wanting to understand punarvasu themes should go and listen to it.

she uses a lot of flower imagery in her music and has a song called "i wish you roses" and an entire album called "orquídeas" (orchids in spanish). she also used butterfly imagery on her album cover for "red moon in venus".

penelope cruz, punarvasu moon

penelope cruz starred in the movie volver, meaning "to return" in spanish and is about a dead mother who comes back to life. (ps. i haven't watched this movie yet, but the theme of renewal and returning is very punarvasu).

natasha lyonne, punarvasu moon

natasha stars as nadia in russian doll, a show in which she dies and keeps coming back to life to relive the same day over and over again. this theme of reliving the same day seems to be quite punarvasu, and also extends to the other jupiter nakshatras.

franka potente, purva bhadrapada jupiter atmakaraka (trine nakshatra)

lola, played by franka potente, has to find 100,000 deutsch marks in 20 minutes or her boyfriend will be killed by gangsters. each time she fails, she restarts the day again, playing on the punarvasu theme of repetition and renewal. the movie also discusses the butterfly effect, which is also very punarvasu.

the director of lola rennt has purva bhadrapada saturn as his atmakaraka.

eva green, punarvasu sun

eva green plays miss peregrine in miss peregrine's home for peculiar children. she takes on a motherly role and provides a home for these peculiar children and rewinds time to stop a bomb from destroying the home. all inhabitants are essentially stuck reliving the same day over and over again. punarvasu's symbol is a house and its deity is aditi, the mother goddess.

. *     .     　⁺ 　 .⁺ 　　    ˚ . *     .     　⁺ 　 .⁺ 　

© 2025 opalblade. do not copy, repost, or translate my works to any other platforms.

[bokumono-bachelorette-bracket]

Round 1: LUMINA (AWL, DS) vs CANDACE (ToT, AP)

[harridansibyl]

Personal associations/interpretations of the dark/mystical houses (4th, 6th, 8th, 12th)

4th house

twisted tree roots, cultural practices, heirlooms, photo albums, inherited features, traditions, the mother, past lives, generational trauma, picture books, garden beds, childhood homes, ancestor altars, hand written recipe books, hearth, squeaky wooden floorboards, genealogy archives, caves, oak trees, baby wrap carriers, emotional security, cultural heritage, building foundations, photo albums, genetics, laundry lines, swing sets, property, mines, crops, sanctuaries, the chest and heart, home steads, fields, farms, root cellars, harvests, pots on stoves, brooms, backyards, agriculture, vines on trellises, handmade blankets, grandparents house, laundry baskets, attachment styles, singing lullabies, history, deep emotions, instincts, the unconscious, summer, waxing moon, vase of flowers, bath time, picking berries, celebrating holidays, chicken coops, older sisters, family gatherings, stone paths, forest walks, ancient structures/buildings, ancestral languages, cupboards, staying in

6th house

vitamins and supplements, morning routines, pharmacies, tasks and lists, doctors offices, health food stores, stomach medicine, hygiene practices, journals and planners, schedules, herbal teas, personal rituals, emergency kits, dog walks, lymphatic drainage, caregiving, donating blood, examinations and checkups, meditation, colour coordination, sticky notes, gastrointestinal problems, folded laundry, labels on everything, retirement homes, hand washing, braided hair, herb gardens, filing cabinets, face masks, kombucha, detailed diagrams, volunteer work, medicine cabinets, cleaning supplies, shelves, acts of service, skin care, organic linen, gauze and stitches, stress-induced illnesses, essential oil/herb baths, house plants, instructions, repetition, holistic medicine, giving advice, yoga studios, "gut feeling," bone broth

8th house

altars, divination, near death experiences, candle wax, feeling crushed by a heavy weight, grave dirt, red/dim lighting, funerals, double income, control, the underworld, cheques, insurance, heirlooms, ghost sightings, power imbalances, crime documentaries, ouroboros, bank accounts, grief and loss, shadow work, the womb, manipulation, scrying mirrors, Russian nesting dolls, keys, mortuaries, tests from the universe, pendulums, crime scene tape, the phoenix, projections, credit scores, animal bones on a forest floor, blood stained sheets, metaphysical shops, spiritual attacks, deep emotions, snakes, dead flowers, late autumn, wedding veils, envelopes, full moon, muddy boots, shadows at the corners of your vision, scarab beetles, inner processing, experiencing crisis, inherited possessions, natural disasters, sexual trauma, psychological studies, ancestral connections, cracked dolls, veil between realms, mental illnesses, deep connections, intimacy, reincarnation, torture devices, keys, whirlpools, the sound of sirens, unconscious fears, intense first impressions, pushing limits, feeling bound, scratches on walls, ten of swords

12th house

abandoned places, liminal spaces, long winters, shadowy figures, reoccurring dreams, repeated patterns, fog-filled forests, self analysation, inner worlds, cave systems, unfinished basements, hallucinations, solitary confinement, empty parking garages, spiral staircases, substance abuse, trapped in purgatory, hidden beneath the surface, maladaptive daydreaming, hospital hallways, confines of society, waning moon, moths, wandering aimlessly, disconnection from the world, psych wards, healing others, tired eyes or dark circles, chronic mental illness, suppression, addictions, hiding places, overnight shifts, unexplainable experiences, past life karma, exhaustion, cobwebs, others projections, catacombs, bird cages, premonitions in dreams, prescription bottles, self destructive patterns, late night walks, misty lakes, the feeling of walking out of the movie theater at night, identity crises, blurred faces, empty public transport, astral projection, comas, diary entries, dissociative episodes, shape shifting, generational trauma, observing people, mirrors, padded rooms, the afterlife, chain link fences, paradoxes, feeling misunderstood, repression or memory loss, hikikomori, the freeze response, disappearance, waiting rooms

[ranchstoryblog]

Fandom Memories: HMFarm

Hmmm. So, nearly a quarter of you whippersnappers wanna hear about the good ol' days, huh? Well, back in the day, you wouldn't just hang out on one or two big websites to try to find people who shared your niche interests among a million random users. Everything had its own dedicated site, with its own special pack of weirdos that you probably wouldn't find anywhere else. Home grown fandom, sprouting from the cement sidewalks of the freshly paved internet like so many weeds with pretty little flowers on top. So, let's take a little stroll down memory lane and visit one of the oldest fan sites with Archive.org's "Wayback Machine."

Ahh, just like I remember it. This here is "Harvest Moon Farm." 'course, we just called it HMFarm, like the URL did. This used to be the place to be. The prime progenitor of all farmin' fansites in the English speaking community. Maybe not the literal first, but up until around 2005, this was where you would go if you wanted to know anythin' about digital farmin'. It truly was a magical place to visit.

This screenshot isn't the oldest design, but it's the one I fondly remember. The majority of my time using the site was during the lead-up to A Wonderful Life, which was probably also when it was the most active as an information source. Seeing the screenshots, checking the forums, speculatin', wonderin', dreamin'... It's a warm feeling. I can't really describe how it felt to look at these shots for the first time. Granted, they were mostly sourced from various places like IGN or Newtechnix, but who wanted to go to THOSE messy sites when all the info I wanted was right here? IGN wasn't telling me how to revive the Vineyard in Harvest Moon 64 while I was waiting for AWL news either.

Our first look at the character we would come to know as Muffy, the sheer novelty of being able to go into the townsfolk's glorious, 3D-rendered rooms, the apparent misidentification of flowering tomatoes... The webmaster, Gamergirl87, would caption each one as well. Some of the captions of those screenshots ended up not being exactly true, but it was the closest thing to on-going coverage we really had. Who else was there to trust?

It's a little off topic, but I think at one point after learning about the GBA connectivity, I must have dreamed about this very gallery and seeing a screenshot of a Gamecube-ized Popuri with the caption that Mineral Town villagers would visit after connecting the GC and GBA together. At least, I'm pretty sure it was a dream. I've met some people who claim they saw the same thing, but none of us have been able to find that screenshot or comment again.

The one that would most catch my attention was the one on the left here. I didn't have a PlayStation 2, so I was coming fresh off of the GameBoy and Nintendo 64 when going into A Wonderful Life. The pond, the mysterious glowing plants, the mood and ambiance of their lighting, the little tree on the door... Naturally, I mirrored it on my first day the remake was available.

It's a real shame that the message boards are poorly preserved, since it doesn't look like there was a news post about the pre-order plush cow. I was hoping to find the name of whoever it was that convinced me to commit my first ever preorder. I still have the receipt, but without the forum post it's really only tangentially related to HM Farm.

'course, just learning about existing games and upcoming games wasn't the only good thing HM Farm was for. As I alluded to, there was a whole community here! While it's a shame that the message boards aren't well preserved by the Wayback Machine, you know what is?

The "ideas" list! This incredible time capsule was one of the first "interactive" parts of the site, starting in the year 2000. It's kind of fun to see how many of these ideas actually happened. Obviously, new characters and personalities were probably expected, but Animal Parade would eventually feature a honeymoon, several games have clothing and other customization, a mall, city, and pig would be added as soon as GBC 3, a goat would be in A Wonderful Life... It's actually amazing how prescient a lot of the suggestions are.

I'd share the whole thing, but the amount of e-mail addresses involved gives me pause. Still, there's a couple I wanna highlight:

Considering how often I still hear about people wanting to marry the moms and people attributing it to just "the fans getting older," it's funny to see Laserion lay out that, no, we've always been like this. Right down to using Manna's unhappy marriage and Lillia's husband never returning as valid reasons they should be available.

Tuan145, on the other hand, I just find extremely amusing because of the specific "2002 Escalade" part. Yes, this is clearly the ideal vehicle for all farmers in the Story of Seasons universe. This is now accepted headcanon. The boat was added in GBC 3 too, so obviously a 2002 Escalade is going to be added any day now.

Another thing that's amazingly well preserved is the site's fan art section. There's a few missing images here and there, but for the most part the entire thing is open to explore. People of basically all ages and skill levels happily submitted their creations, including original characters, digital art, traditional art, crossovers with popular series like Sailor Moon, a liiittle bit of drug use... Y'know, all the kinds of things you'd expect to see in a fan art gallery of the day.

Even better, some of the artists are still doing art today! Looking around, I quickly discovered one of my favorites, Rina Cat, is now on Blue Sky. I made sure to ask for permission to repost their art before including it here. Reaching out to everyone would be a bit much though, so I'll just encourage you to just browse the gallery using the Wayback Machine yourself. There's poetry and fanfics too!

There's a lot more to the site, including useful bits of history like keeping track of release dates for games, pre-release screenshots, and information that was only available on Japanese websites at the time, but I'll leave it at that for now.

Unfortunately, though the site continued to be updated until 2010 and stayed online until 2021, it's no longer available on the regular internet and the URL doesn't seem safe to access anymore. I wanted to include an interview with the former webmaster as well, but all their readily available contact information was tied to the website and I haven't had any luck so far in finding other means of contact. If I have any success, I'll be sure to make a follow-up! If you have any memories of HMFarm, or other fan sites, I'd be happy to hear about it.

[love-bokumono-fics]

Fresh Crops! December 18 - December 31, 2023

That last of 2023's newest fics and chapter updates for Harvest Moon and Story of Seasons on AO3!

Her Voice Within - by syavwits; Complete, 7/7, 15k

Rating: Not Rated; Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings; Category: F/M Fandoms: Back To Nature Relationship: Claire the Farmer/Gray; Characters: Claire the Farmer, Pete the Farmer, Gray, Rick, Kai, Cliff, Doctor | Trent, Mary the Librarian | Marie, Karen, Popuri, Ann the Innkeeper | Ran, Elli | Elly, Manna, Duke, Doug | Dudley, Old Ellen, May | Mei, Stu | Yu, Zack, Won | Huang, Anna, Basil the Writer, Saibara, Harris, Gotz | Gotts, Kano, Louis the Entomologist | Chuu, Greg, Barley | Mugi, Aja | Adge Additional Tags: Friends to Lovers, Romantic Soulmates, Soul-Searching, Mystery, Mute Protagonist, Found Family Summary: It's not that Claire can't talk, she sometimes speaks yes, but only when she really put all her energies to do it. Then there's Gray, the stoic guy with the famous resting b*tch face, he doesn't want anything to do with anyone, everyone, even the new girl although she's… cute. While Pete tries to save his farm, he also confides in Claire and asks her help to search for his unknown childhood friend, his first love, who apparently is one of the girls in Mineral town?!? Will Claire manage to find Pete's long-lost Best friend? Will Claire find what she truly desires in her second chance at life?

Cooking Lessons Part II - by blushroomx; Complete, 1/1, 3.5k

Rating: Not Rated; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/F Fandom: A Wonderful Life Relationship: Flora / Vesta; Characters: Flora, Vesta Additional Tags: Fluff and Angst Summary: The sequel to "Cooking Lessons", Flora's POV.

Restraint - by MidnightArrow; Complete, 1/1, 4k

Rating: General Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/M Fandoms: A Wonderful Life, DS Cute Relationship: Celia| Cecilia / Marlin | Matthew / Pony; Characters: Marlin | Matthew, Celia | Cecilia Additional Tags: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Tragic Romance Summary: Cecilia studied the area where his fingers met her wrist. The farmer's face flashed through her mind. She thought of the long afternoons they spent analyzing Matthew's stray touches and unexpected smiles, the farmer gushing over his every move. She thought of Matthew beaming at the end of the aisle on his wedding day. She thought that she couldn't love Matthew if he went any further.

We're Friends - by dicelady20; Complete, 1/1, <1k

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/M Fandoms: Friends of Mineral Town, Kill la Kill Characters: Matoi Ryuuko, Gray Additional Tags: POV Third Person, Double Drabble, One Shot, Friendship, Gray, ryuuko Summary: This drabble is an aftermath of an incident, where Gray (Harvest Moon) saves Ryuko (Kill la Kill). Now she returns the favor and drags him to a closed mini-mart.

Rainbow Curry - by Anonymous; Complete, 1/1, 2k

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: Multi Fandoms: Grand Bazaar Characters: Hansel, Gretel, Daisy, Ivan, Freya Summary: Oliver sold Anita's peculiar grass collection, and now she's upset because she needed them for the rainbow curry she always prepares during the holidays. Oliver ventures into the city with Daisy and Ivan to find new ones for her.

Sex for Christmas - by Daryls_Favourite; Complete, 1/1, 1.5k

Rating: Mature; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/M Fandoms: A Wonderful Life Relationship: Daryl /reader; Characters: Daryl, Reader Additional Tags: Sex, Fucking, Oral Sex, its just a mature one shot x reader, Unprotected Sex Summary: It’s Christmas time in the valley, and this more demanding reader-chan is gonna get what she wants

Out of Reach - by MidnightArrow; WIP, 5/11, 2.6k

Rating: General Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply Fandoms: Sunshine Islands, Island of Happiness Relationships: Chelsea/Vaughn | Waltz, Sabrina | Sefiina/Vaughn | Valts, Chelsea/Mark, Mark/Sabrina | Sefiina; Characters: Vaughn | Waltz, Chelsea, Mark, Sabrina Additional Tags: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Slow Romance, Friends to Lovers Summary: "What's it like to be in love?" Chelsea and Vaughn share a bittersweet moment in the meadow that slowly unravels their friendship. Will something new take its place?

Live a little, love a lot - by IslandsOfAvalon; Complete, 1/1, 7.5k

Rating: General Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Categories: F/M, Gen Fandoms: Trio of Towns Relationship: Female Farmer/Wayne; Characters: Wayne, Female Farmer, Original Female Character(s), Ludus, Ethan, Yuzuki, Lisette, Siluka, Stephanie Additional Tags: Stephanie doesn't speak but I mention her enough that she counts, and a good few others who're mentioned but don't speak!, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Rodeo, That's right folks this is a Rodeo AU, I call it "the Trio Rodeo", Fluff, Country & Western, Rodeo Competitions, Cowboys & Cowgirls, Alternate Universe - Western, Horses, Horse Racing, I spent so long doing research for this please let it pay off, I sneaked in a little bit of Lisette x Ludus because I'm soft, Dancing, Love at First Sight, because he is and I will repeat a dork, Not Beta Read, no beta we die like my crops the second the season changes, I spent way too many hours listening to country music while writing this Summary: There used to be magic in their world, once upon a time, and it’s widely accepted that magic is still very much present even if humans no longer have the ability to use it. Wayne blames magic on the way Hinata falls off his horse, boldly wrestles a steer to the ground as fast as he can manage while the animal struggles valiantly against his hold, and somehow makes it away completely unscathed.

Twice Shy - by JillOfAllTrades__x; WIP, 1/2, 6.7k

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/M Fandoms: A Wonderful Life Relationships: Molly/Matthew, Mark/Cecilia mentioned; Characters: Muffy | Molly, Marlin | Matthew Additional Tags: Unrequited Love, Hurt/Comfort, Heartbreak, Drunken Confessions, Christmas Party Summary: Last Winter Forgotten Valley bore witness to Mark and Cecilia’s nuptials, leaving two residents reeling from the ceremony. A year later, Rock’s impulsive Secret Santa holiday party gifts them the potential for closure.

Home For The Holidays - by TheBeckster; Complete, 1/1, 2k

Rating: General Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: Gen Fandom: Grand Bazaar Character: Lloyd Additional Tags: Ranch Story Secret Santa 2023, cozy vibes, coming home, home is where people love you Summary: After a long time away from Zephyr Town, Lloyd returns just before Starry Night.

deja vu - by FountainOfDreams, pinkfrogsndaylilies; WIP, 2/?, 3.4k

Rating: General Audiences; Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings; Category: F/M Fandoms: Animal Parade, Tree of Tranquility Relationships: Angela the Farmer & Kevin the Farmer, Candace/Kevin the Farmer, Angela the Farmer/Chase, Everyone & Everyone; Characters: Angela the Farmer, Kevin the Farmer, Hamilton, Gill, Chase, Candace, Wizard Gale, Witch Vivi, Harvest Goddess Additional Tags: Slow Burn, Cross-Posted on Wattpad, Sibling Bonding, Past Lives, Alternate Universe, Crossover, kind of, Evil Plans, replaying the games and felt motivated to repost this, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Tags Are Hard, Slow To Update, Older Sister Angela the Farmer, Brother-Sister Relationships, Chatty Cain, being revamped as we speak Summary: Siblings Angela and Kevin move to Castanet, a faraway island in the middle of nowhere, to start their new lives on a farm. Their days passed peacefully, everything the same as the last; wake up, water the plants, care for the animals, give Chase his marmalade, visit the town, repeat. It was all very...familiar. One day, a strange small fairy showed up in their kitchen in the middle of the night looking anxious, and scared? Something wasn't right about this town, and Angela and Kevin now feel obliged to get to the bottom of it.

The Princess and the Carpenter - by SymphonicFantasia; Complete, 50/50, 7.5k

Rating: General Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/M Fandoms: Magical Melody, Save the Homeland, Hero of Leaf Valley Relationship: Dia/Kurt | Hayato; Characters: Dia, Kurt Summary: They weren't so different from one another although others may not think so. Just because she was a "princess" didn't mean that the carpenter didn't belong with her. It just took a bit of chiseling to see who they really were deep down. And even then, they would only show those halves to one another.

[beaulesbian]

ONE PIECE CH. 1138 SPOILERS

i can't stop looking at it. i can't stop thinking about this.

so specifically i love seeing how the Sun symbol changes throughout the three parts of this mythology mural:

in the first world we see the sun symbol as part of the factory (the advanced technology of the pre- void century world) - it looks more like cogs of a wheel, working together - meaning the work of the slaves, who were praying for the freedom. praying for the sun god.

it's both depicting symbol of sun but also the power they were harvesting from the sun, the forbidden star, into the weapon (possibly to the mother flame - could it be already something like a celestial dragon - the fire breathing figure/'weapon' in the background?, powered by the sun which then caused the sinking of the world lower)

in the second world, the sun god nika was killed (Edit: meant Joy Boy), and only few of his allies remained, hiding or scattered around the world - that only ship amongst others who carries his symbol of the sun.

the adam tree and franky are interestingly placed in the middle of this mural (actually, it might not be the adam tree, only a tree with the devil fruits, but with franky connected to it, it could be really the adam tree, also for elbaf it's the most important tree, and is the equivalent to the yggdrasil tree from the nordic mythology - connecting all the realms). the tree dividing the history in half, almost like the red line on the one piece map being in the centre. i wonder if the devil fruit's came from the adam tree - the forbidden knowledge apple - devil fruit that gives powers, etc etc bible, adam and eve, gods and devils.

(that other fire breathing creature could also be symbol for the lunarians, the race which King the Wildfire is part of, that were said to live on top of the red line. black wings and fire are their known features, plus it looks like it's fighting against the mother flame, against the WG, which was keeping King captive..)

in the third world the sun motif is both on Nika's shield, but also clutched in the large figure's hand, it looks very similar to jimbei's tattoo he changed after he escaped slavery. it feels like this figure could be holding in their hands the concept of freedom, of power, of life - hording it only for themselves, and the nika figure is going straight against their hand to free it - fighting for freedom.

(the figure's other hand literally looms over nika, like the shadow mentioned in the text above, and 'the voice of the half moon echoes through the agees' speaks of toki, who carried the prophecy throughout centuries to the future, believing in the sun god to reappear)

if imu is the darkness and holding onto the life itself for themselves (immortal), then luffy/nika would be their biggest enemy because it would mean they're grabbing the light and life from others, and nika fought for freedom, and luffy wants everyone to be able to live like they want to.