#i bought some containers today and have soil ready too

[throwing-roses-into-the-abyss]

Quick plant update!

This cucamelon is now taller than me.

There's a new leaf unfurling on my big monstera deliciosa!

Not a great photo but: the blackbirds and mice have been enjoying my tomatoes.

[zenithlux]

Tendrils of Regret - Part 1

Read on AO3 Here!

My DMCWeek fic, Tendrils of Regret is finally here! I’m really excited about this one and all the follow-up stuff I’ve got cooking up for it! I’ll be posting a chapter a day for the rest of the week around the same time (and bumping them in the evening) so hope ya’ll enjoy :)

You still remember those frightful days, trapped in the body of a demon. You’d been there for a week and a half kept alive by a vine that pierced your body with magic you didn’t understand. Most of the time, you drifted in and out of sleep, alone in the darkness and dreaming of the world you were missing. Other times you were forced to watch as the thing you were playing host to gleefully pierced the hearts of others with its vines and tendrils, sucking away their blood and devouring their life itself. How you trembled with fear, uncertain whether to pray for a rescue or hope for your end. 

Then, there was him. The man that became your savior. A tall, tattooed, black-haired man with remarkable demons that sensed who you were. “Well, well!” A talking bird demon said. “There’s a human in here.” When he landed on your demon’s head,  you felt him peck it before flying back to the arm of the man. “What’s the plan, V?”

V you thought as the man swung his cane with a low chuckle. “We’ll just have to tear them out.”

Your demon screeched, slamming its vines down around the man. But V just scoffed as he slipped out of the way. A black panther lunged… and that’s all you remembered. When you woke up, you were in his arms with the panther nuzzling your side, a large, rock creature sitting behind him, and a whispered promise; “I’ll protect you.”

And, for the next month, he did. V taught you how to use your new powers that the vine embedded in your chest gave you. He fought alongside you, destroying the vines of that demon tree that nearly destroyed your home. His demons became your friends. You slept by Shadow’s side almost every night, while Griffon cuddled up next to V after complaining that it was “the kitty’s job” almost every time. All five of you had been close- as close as you could be considering how little time you actually had. 

Then, one day, he gave you two bracelets made of black cords and a blue rose charm on each. “Hold on to these,” He said. “And when I see you again, you’ll return one to me.” Then, he smiled and kissed your forehead before disappearing for months with no sign of coming home. Another acquaintance of yours, Dante, also disappeared, leaving you, Lady, and Trish to keep Devil May Cry going in his absence. 

Not a day went by that you didn’t think of V. But you had to keep moving forward. You couldn’t let your feelings consume you, not when you still had a piece of a demon latched to your heart. Lady and Trish treated you well, though you didn’t miss the occasional pity in their eyes, as if they knew something you didn’t. But you never got a chance to ask, and they never told. All three of you simply worked together under Morrison’s guidance, with you taking all the jobs your powers could handle. 

Still, you couldn’t help but feel disconnected from the world. You were missing something important. A piece of your life that you couldn’t get back.��

“So what’s it today, Morrison?” Lady said as she hopped on the desk and swiped a piece of pizza. Trish rolled her eyes but took her own slice. You slunk over to the second desk you’d recently bought to store all the paperwork and the blue rose you’d bought a few weeks ago. You touched your hand to the soil, feeling its life pulse in your fingertips. The petals bloomed under your touch, reinvigorated. 

“Nothing important today,” Morrison said, waving a letter in the air. “Except some paperwork.” He tossed the envelope and you caught it without looking. “Can you handle that, Rose?”

Rose wasn’t your real name, but you’ve never shared it with them. You were a different person now after you were a part of that demon. You’d never returned to your family, accepting this new life as your own. And Dante had tried plenty of other names - Sunshine. Sugarplum. Little Leaf. Vine Lady. - but it had been V who’d overridden him, calling you “my little rose”. The women had accepted it, and Dante had eventually let his silly nicknames go. “What’s it today, Mori?” You ask, opening the letter. Inside was a stack of letters, bills, and invoices. You click your tongue. “Finances.”

“Yep,” Morrison said. “Your favorite pastime.”

“I’ll take care of it.” You plop down in your seat, tapping the power button of your computer. You’d insisted on getting one of these after Dante left after proclaiming that he was living “in the dark ages”. Trish and Lady had agreed with it, but progress was slow. Dante’s backlog of bills was still a problem that you were trying to solve. But with Lady and Trish’s help, you’d be all caught up in the next few months. 

And since you were the only one who lived here, you were very dedicated to making it as comfortable as possible. 

You often wondered if Dante would be proud of your work or laugh at you for trying too hard. 

“Have you eaten today, Rose?” Lady said after gulping down another slice. 

You waved her off. “I have enough sustenance.”

Lady snorted. “Out with the plants again?”

“Gotta keep the vine happy,” You said as you patted your chest. “And it’s not a big fan of pizza.”

“More for us,” Lady said with a grin, but it slipped away as you returned to your work. “Seriously though. You gotta take care of yourself. Can’t have you passing out on us again.”

You frown, not looking up. “That wasn’t my fault.” After V disappeared, you’d be left to navigate your powers alone. What you didn’t realize was that V had been providing a certain sustenance - demonic blood you later found out - and was redirecting a portion towards you through his familiars. Regular food only did so much, and you’d nearly died fighting off a pack of demons. Luckily, both Lady and Trish had been there for that mission and Trish guessed what had gone wrong. Now, you were careful to absorb any demonic essence you could find but often forgot to eat as food was bland and useless now. 

“Are you sure you’re okay?” 

You shrugged. “I’m fine.” And that wasn’t a lie. Not technically. You were fine, just not great. Nights were often lonely without the company, but you never complained. All you had to do was fall asleep at a good time and everything was fine. At least, that’s what you told yourself. Your version of “at a good time” had gotten progressively later as the weeks went on. You often found yourself lingering on the computer, aimlessly searching through things that didn’t interest you for that chance to find one thing that did.

Lady just shook her head, but her smile and relaxed posture returned. “That was almost convincing,” She said with a shrug. 

You smiled, glancing up over the monitor. “It’s as close to the truth as I can get.”

Lady hopped off the desk, reaching for Kalina Ann. “May as well patrol,” She said. “As exciting as those finances are…”

You waved her off. “Have fun.”

Lady rolled her eyes. “Always do!” 

Then, the door opened. 

Your head shot up in surprise. Lady sucked in a sharp breath of surprise. Trish’s eyes narrowed as she leaned against the desk. A man in a red coat walked backward into the office. “... And you’re going to love it,” Dante said as he spun around. His eyes immediately darted between the three of you and he froze, caught between a genuine smile and a look of shock. Behind him stood a man you’d never seen before, but someone that was clearly related to Dante. If his hair were down and his face a little more grizzled, they’d be almost identical. When his gaze fell on you, it was stiff and uncomfortable. 

“Hello ladies,” Dante said with an awkward wave. “Long time no see.”

“Seven months!” Lady snapped. “And you gave the deed to Morrison!?” She looked ready to slap him, but you didn’t miss the weary gaze she gave the second man. “You brought him back?”

“Of course,” Dante said with a shrug. “He’s on our side now.”

You blinked. Now? What did that mean? Why wasn’t he before?

Wait…

“Where’s V?” You said, unable to contain the fear in your voice. The second man’s eyes narrowed as Dante’s gaze snapped to you.

“Sunshine…”

“Where is he?” You repeated, standing up. “He went into that tree with you. Why’s he…?” You trailed off, eyes widening. “No…” He couldn’t have… he promised…

“I’m sorry,” Dante said, his tone solemn. No one was looking at you. “But V… well the V you knew is… it’s complicated.”

“The V I knew?” You said. “What do you mean?”

Dante glanced at the girls, his eyes begging for help, but neither of them said a word. “Well you see… my dumbass brother Vergil here…” The other man scoffed, but Dante just glared at him before continuing. “He split himself in two.”

You blinked. “What?”

“His human half,” Dante said, putting his hands to one side. “And his demon half.” He moved to the other. “So V is…” He hesitated, then held both hands out toward Vergil. Wiggling them for extra effect. “Well… Tada!”

You stared at him, mouth agape. You couldn’t believe what you were hearing. Not one second of it. But the way the other man - Vergil - just stared at him was… disconcerting. This was V… but not V? How was that even possible?

Wait…

“Then what happened to his demon half?”

This time, you didn’t miss the pointed glances Trish and Lady gave each other or the pained look on Dante’s face. Vergil didn’t move, nor had his gaze left yours since he’d walked in the door. You pulled your jacket tight around yourself, trying not to let it bother you. “Well… You know that demon in the tree?” Dante said. 

The world seemed to freeze as your mind caught up to what he was saying. You closed your eyes, unable to hide the tears. “You mean… the one who put me in that… thing?”

“Rose...” Lady said. 

“Did you know?” You said. A pulse of pain emanated from your chest as everything snapped into focus. The feeling of life nearly overwhelmed you. The rose on your desk. The plants beneath the floorboards. The vines that had yet to dissipate nearby.  You could feel them, calling to you. Begging you to set them free. You swallowed, shoving the feeling back down. But you couldn’t stay here; the vine would nag at you until you gave in. And with your emotions breaking down…

“It happened to us too,” Trish said, her tone quieter than you’d ever heard. “But we made it out without… your affliction.”

Affliction. “But V saved me,” She said. “He’s the reason I’m alive… the reason I know how to use this.” She tapped her chest. 

“Use what?” Vergil said. 

You couldn’t help but glare at him, even through the ever-mounting tears. “You don’t remember?”

Vergil just stared at you and Lady groaned. “Of course not. That would be too simple.”

“Urizen got to her,” Dante said as a matter of fact. “Tied her up in some plant demon and wrapped a vine around her heart. Now she’s got demon powers.” He looked back at you. “And no one’s figured out how to get rid of the thing?”

“Not without killing her,” Trish said.

You choked back a sob, slamming your eyes shut again. No. You could still remember the voice of the demon in your head. That thing that had taken your body as its own host. 

You couldn’t do this.

You couldn’t bear to look at him. 

You darted for the door. Dante leaped out of the way, but the Vergil just stood there, stopping you short. “Move,”  You snapped, glaring at him. His eyes narrowed and his shoulders stiffened, but he didn’t move. More tears slipped down your cheek. “Get out of my way,” You said. 

“What was he to you?” He said. 

“Shouldn’t you know?” You replied, bitter and resentful. “Since you were him or some nonsense?”

“She and V were close,” Trish said. You didn’t want to hear it, but you didn’t stop her either. “Like sharing the same room close.” You saw Vergil flinch and it only soured your mood even more. How dare he act like that. Did you really mean nothing to him? Did he really forget everything you and his… his what did?  His “other self”? His “human half”? Did V even exist anymore? Or were you just stuck with this asshole standing in front of you?

“Move,” You said.

Vergil watched you for a moment longer. His sharp blue eyes were unsettling. The power within you swelled unexpectedly. A harsh desire washed over you. A desire to prove… something. A desire to… to what? 

What was happening?

“Rose,” Lady said. “You need to breathe.”

“I need to leave,” You said. 

“Come on, Verge,” Dante said. “Let the girl go.”

Finally, Vergil stepped aside and you rushed out into the night. 

------------

Lady found you half an hour later on a low rooftop surrounded by plants you’d raised from the ground before you crawled up there. You pulled more than usual tonight, cocooning yourself in vines covered in small, white flowers, giant sunflowers that had surprised you, and a couple of large roses fueled by your despair. Redgrave was destroyed already. Your plants just made it prettier. At least, that’s what you told yourself as you peered up at the moon through a small opening. 

“Can I join you?” Lady said.  You hummed noncommittally but tapped your fingers. Two of the vines fell away, opening a small door until she stepped inside. You used to do this with V, as it was a good practice of your control. Of course, you’d only managed a few plants with him. After months of your own practice, you’d gotten much better. 

Not that you showed it off to many people.

“It’s okay to be upset,” Lady said as she sat down beside you. “I know it’s a lot to take in.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

She didn’t hesitate. “To be honest, we weren’t sure what was going to happen. Dante had left to kill his brother, and V himself was deteriorating… as I’m sure you remember.” You nodded, but you didn’t look at her. “But we should have guessed Dante would find a way to save him. And he sure wouldn’t survive forever away from his beer and pizza.”

“And his friends,” you offered.

Lady snorted, but she smiled. “He was probably happy to be away from us for a while.”

You shrugged. “He’s probably glad to see you both again.” Your gaze lifted back to the moon. “Unlike V… Vergil.” The name was still bitter on your tongue and you weren’t sure if you’d ever get used to saying it. You could imagine V right here, telling you the truth. How much you would have laughed with him over the very imaginative name he’d given himself before he would lull you to comfort with poems and Shadow’s purrs. How little you would have cared then. V was V. His own person. The man you…

You sighed. “Now what?” 

Lady was silent for a moment, eyes drifting to the moon. “I’m not expecting you to have the same feelings for Vergil that you did for V,” She said. You didn’t look at her as tears threatened to fall again. “V is a part of the whole, yes, but he isn’t… the whole.” Lady sighed. “It’s…”

“Complicated?” You said.

“Something like that,” She said. “Just don’t let him get to you.” She hesitated again, then sighed. “Last time we met… he wasn’t the nicest guy. But maybe he’s changed. Who knows?” She muttered something under her breath, but you only caught the words “I” and “wouldn’t”. Your heart sank at the implication. I wouldn’t trust him.

“What should I do then?” You said. “Just… accept it?”

“I don’t know,” She admitted. “But I wanted you to know that I’ll be here for you, okay? If you need anything, don’t be afraid to come to me.”

You closed your eyes, letting the tears fall. “He’s really gone,” You whisper. As much as you knew V, you didn’t know Vergil. You didn’t even know if you could trust him. The sheer fact that he’d been the demon to seal you away, the very reason you had to give up everything you loved… was heartbreaking. How could you look at him the same? How could you see the man you’d grown to care for and ignore the awful things that had happened?

“Life’s never easy for people like us,” Lady said. 

You shook your head. “Of course not.”

[cowandcalf]

Writer’s Month 2020

Prompt No.11 - Light Part II (I couldn’t post all at once...so much to try to come up with shorter chapters...)

Chapter 1 - 5

Chapter 6

Dog tags – no one, no one touches a soldier's dog tags without permission. Danny knows that from a documentary he once saw about war veterans. It's a piece of their soul, of their devotion and it's extremely private. He feels how Steve relaxes behind his back. Danny knows Steve would have swatted his hand away if he had tried to grab the dog tags. He's so glad he's passed that test, too.

Steve stays where he feels safe, hidden. He does not step up and Danny's face is turned toward the wall. Two chains, each hang from a simple nail on the wall. Danny can read the imprinted names though. Steven Jack McGarrett and the second one, much more worn and battered, says the same name. Danny levels his breathing.

Steve speaks in a low voice. "In my line of duty, I've seen too much death. The base and the training camps can only do that much to get you ready for the real deal. You're never ready enough for what you're about to live through when deployed. It gets to you – to everyone – after a few years in."

Danny's eyes take in the small metal plates worn by their owners for years around their necks. The way they are put on the wall clenches his heart – they're discarded. The picture speaks of finality. One image that tells an entire story arching over ten volumes of human strength and utter devotion. Danny hardly stands to look at such raw intimacy. He doesn't even try to calm his racing heart.

Steve keeps talking, "you can't shake it even if you believe so at the beginning. We pretend it's not there. No one wants it but everyone deals in their own way with that shit." A longer pause makes Danny believe Steve has left. He doesn't break the spell of the moment. He gives Steve the time, he needs. "As a kid, you're afraid of the monsters under your bed. As a grown-up, serving your country, you're not afraid of any monsters until you meet them in your head."

Danny slowly turns around. He doesn't try to pretend. The chills of the words he's just heard drill into his bones. Steve controls the emotional reflection in his eyes. Danny only sees struggle and pain when Steve lets him. Steve's eyes are the only place where he could slip and someone could catch a glimpse of what lies beneath: where the purgatory of what he has witnessed burns on, keeping the monsters in his head alive. Otherwise, Steve stands out of the crowd due to his ridiculous great looks. No one on the street would assume this perfect shell of a body holds an eroded soul, worn down with ears of combat.

"Why the plants?" Danny wonders since he has bought the seldom flower for his aunt. And he desperately needs Steve to get rid of that robot-like look on his face.

Steve pushes his hands down his front pockets. He dips his head and hides his face. Danny can see how the tension creeps back and hardens Steve's muscles to a point where he's stiff as a statue. "Plants grow. Most plants sleep at night. They rest and they wait for the sun to wake them. Bushes, trees, flowers – they reach out, and with all they've got, they face sunlight. They grow stronger, grow bigger, make roots that hold them steady, embedded in the soil. They survive because they need light." Danny hears Steve swallow. His voice is even lower, almost a whisper between the wind in the leaves when he speaks again. "I need this – the light and the growing. I – all that. It helps." Steve makes an ashamed gesture, a flailing hand in the dusk to play it down. "God, this sounds so cheesy."

Danny's skin is too small for his body. He works his jaw and hopes his throat doesn't close up with the jammed emotions he can hardly contain.

"I'm a SEAL. Ex-SEAL." Words, spoken so tense and thin Danny almost misses them.

"That's why the dog tags are there and not around your neck?" Danny clears his throat.

Steve turns his head and makes it impossible for Danny to read on his face how hard it is to be out of the tightly knitted circle. Steve walks through blazing fire every time his eyes wander over to the two chains hanging on the wall. Danny can't even imagine how Steve feels. How has he ever thought he could make a difference? Love? Meaningful things? Danny wouldn't even know where to begin. Pfft, God, what's up with him? It's ridiculous. Steve lives in an entirely different orbit, unreachable, unattainable. Not his league.

"To who belongs the second pair? It's the same name on them, Steven McGarrett."

"It's my grandfather's, Steven Jack McGarrett. Ensign McGarrett. He perished on the U.S.S Arizona during the attack on Pearl Harbor, December 1941."

How can a piece of metal stand for the very soul of its bearer?

Danny's gaze gets drawn to the man in front of him, wearing threadbare jeans and standing barefoot in the golden light of the sinking sun. Love hot like fiery anger boils in Danny's stomach. He watches Steve, surrounded by a garden he has created so he won't drown in blood and despair and anguish. This green ocean is Steve's embodied back-up plan to survive would he ever make it back from the war alive. Danny's exhausted. Steve stays silent.

They watch the sunset. They still stand on the same spot when the shadows of the night grow longer and darker.

Danny's cell rings disgustingly loud in his pants pocket. He shakes his head to get rid of the dazed feeling in his head. "Chin? Yeah, sure. Give me the address I'll meet you there. Yep, see you in ten." Danny stares at this phone. Has he been that much out? He's forgotten about work completely since he has set foot in Steve's green world. Unbelievable.

"I gotta go," Danny points at his cell, "we've got a case." He could really need a break to get his head straight again.

"Sure," is all Steve answers.

The world is too loud after the reverent moments in the garden even if grief and loss have been woven into the open space between words and glances. It's was so exceptional Danny has nothing more to say. He has no idea how to catalog this afternoon with Steve. He's overwhelmed. He's glad Chin called with a case. He needs some time alone.  And there's more he doesn't know how to deal with. Steve tries to disguise he's not staring at Danny's chest or how his eyes stealthily crawl back up to his lips. This throws Danny even more.

Danny curls his fingers around the steering wheel. He lowers the window and braces his elbow on the frame of the open window. Steve walks over to him. He's still wearing the same tank top and jeans. The dirt on his clothes gives him a wild, untamed look. Steve doesn't seem to care how he looks. Danny can't take the smooth shift of strong muscles beneath sun-tanned skin any longer without losing control. He wants to touch and to smell with closed eyes like the primal side of his masculinity screams at him.

Steve bends down, one hand on the roof of the car the other still in the front pocket. He meets Danny's eyes head-on. "Raincheck on lunch?"

Danny holds Steve's piercing look. He nods brusquely, "raincheck on lunch."

And then nothing. Two men breathing and staring. Danny's stomach is heavy with suppressed emotions and the wish to yank himself free from the strong pull Steve's presence has on him.

"Do you make me say it?" Steve's jawline is sharp, his lips a thin line.

"Say what?" Danny breathes. He sweats in places he can't stand when it's not during sex.

Steve stretches to his full height and taps the roof of the car with his palm. "How can I reach you? Care to give me your number?"

Danny feels like the world's biggest dork. What did he expect? A kiss? And crazy SEAL stunt to yank him out of the car into Steve's massive arms? God, it's time for him to hit the road. "Sure yeah, it's 808-925-1717. Sorry, I've nothing to write it down –"

"I got it." Steve steps away from the car.

"Okayyy?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, see you. Bye." Danny turns the key and rolls off Steve's property. He watches in the rear mirror how Steve's figure gets smaller. He stands and waits and watches after Danny's car. He misses Steve's face the moment he can't see it anymore. The shape of Steve's body and the way he chews at his bottom lip is something he already wants in his life.

Steve watches Danny leave. He stands in the dark long after the Camaro's taillights have vanished between the thick green. He can't move. His chest is wide open. He feels the surf hitting the shore even if miles away. Sea means comfort and calmness. He's one with the water's movements. It's what carries him through hard times.

His fingers twitch. They feel empty. The front of his abs burns with the memory of arm muscles. Muscles hard as a rock. Steve closes his eyes and waits until the inner struggle ebbs away, giving space to numbness and a softer shade of despair. Every evening by nightfall he undergoes the same procedure: senseless questions shoot holes in his brain. What the fuck should he do with his life? How to move on? Where to start?

The night seems lighter today. He listens and thinks the wind carries the faint sound of an engine over to him. He imagines how Danny guns the engine to get to his task, his purpose, his job. And all Steve has is too much time at hand he cannot make pass faster.

Danny.

Steve vividly remembers the phone call he had with Kamekona when his friend told him about Danny. He was so angry he couldn't see straight. His fear and the fury made him almost spit fire. Kame made a decision without his consent. He was so sorry afterward, ashamed of how he lost it. He hung his head and sincerely apologized for his choice of words on the phone.

"Why are you calling again, Kame? You waste your time. I said already 'no' the first time. I don't want – no, YOU listen, man. I'm not interested! Fuck! How many times do you make me say it? Get it into your thick, stubborn head! It's a fucking NO from me!"

"We've agreed on the no-yelling, brah. It's time, dude. Sell your flowers, make some nice money. You could easily reforest the entire island with the crazy number of green you've stashed in your garden, brah. Wassup, man? Go for it, Mary's with me on this one. Time to learn to move on. Open a shop, go business, go big, dude. Get to know people."

"Don't you dare to drag Mary into this and don't try to sugarcoat it, Kamekona. It's still a huge NO. Don't – "

"He's good for you, brah."

"I don't want to sell my flowers to an arrogant haole, a freaking detective –"

"You don't even know him, man. You're a haole, too, buddy."

"We went to the same high school, Kame. What the fuck, man? I grew up here. It's MY island, too! And no, no, NO! I do NOT sell my babies to any-fucking-body! You got that, big guy? What does this haole even know?"   

"He's different –" 

"I don't care, Kame! Not happening! Not HPD, not the Governor, not the Queen of goddamn England – I don't fucking care! I don't sell my plants! And I don't want a stupid shop either. Stop pushing, you only get me angry." 

"Stop with the yelling already. Don't make me use keiki-talk, Steve-brah. Danny's good for you. He's a haole, yeah, but he's just the right person –"   

"What the hell is wrong with you? Got food poisoning? What's this bullshit all about? You hit your head one too many times, man. He's a white boy from the mainland, Kamekona. Jesus fucking Christ! Do you even hear yourself, huh? You, of all people, YOU want to send a stranger from fucking New Jersey over to my secret place?"    

"Yeah."   

"I don't need people, Kame, I need to be left the FUCK alone. No, I don't want him here."    

"Kawika feels it too. C'mon, Steve –"    

"Don't mess with me. I'm in no mood to be messed with. Shit! I don't need this spiritual crap from you guys about having a sixth sense. I'll drop by and blow up your fucking truck if you don't spit it out why THE HELL I need to sell my flowers to an arrogant cop I don't even fucking know!"   

"I dunno if he's arrogant but Danny's solid soulmate material." 

"You – I can't even. What the hell? Soulmate? My Ass. Are you fucking kidding me? I can't believe the ridiculous shit you're telling me, Kame. That one is even super low for you. Go fuck yourself."  

Steve remembers how he screamed into the phone. He was so close to driving over to murder his friend and to bury his body somewhere on the island. He almost burst at the seams with fury but most of all he was ashamed to lose it. He so lost it. He wanted to punch this Danny guy in the face the moment he'd pull up to his place.  

"I'm a freak, Kame. Don't you get that?  Messed up to the point of no return. I have fucking panic attacks. I can't sleep and I see stuff I shouldn't. What the ever-loving fuck do you think you're doing by sending me this guy over, huh? I don't believe in fairytales anymore and stupid love stories make me want to puke. I know my limits. You just made me want to punch something so hard my knuckles would break. I'm so goddamn angry I can't see straight. Happy now? You're such an asshole!"  

"You're done, man?"    

"Yeah, I'm done."      

"We Hawai'ians know things, brah. You, Steve, you feel the ocean in your blood. I feel different vibes coming from the stars, just like Kawika or Mamo. We know, brah, we just know. We feel the 'Aina' of the land. She talks to us. Your inner darkness needs light. Danny's light. Don't shot him in the leg, dude. Play nice. Danny's good for you."    

He would never admit it out loud but sometimes, Kame and Kawika scare him a little.   

Steve stays restless for the rest of the night. The fluttering in his stomach worries him the most. He's scared he might skid into another fit. But nothing happens. The strange, strong sensation won't disappear. His stomach kind of does some funny swoops he can't control.    

He lies in bed on his back with his hands spread wide over his nervous abs. His pulse rabbits under his skin. He stares at the ceiling and listens to the sounds of the night. He sees Danny's face when he closes his eyes. He shuts them often just to feel the comfort he can't explain. The revelation hits him hard. His eyes fly open but he stays motionless and just breathes. Steve feels the trickle of sweat running over the temple into his hair.

The label for that odd sensation lies on his tongue. It's so ridiculous he doesn't want to say it out loud. He would have barked a laugh if he was able to move. But he's thunderstruck by the fact that it has caught him off guard. He's been ambushed without realizing it. It's so obvious and so there, it frightens him. He can feel these little fuckers in his stomach. The dawning realization is worth a little anxiety fit.      

Butterflies.     

Steve turns to the side and buries his face in the pillow.    

TBC

Also on AO3

[whyamistillwatchingtheseshows]

Hello! For the fic request, maybe something like kao works at a florists and Pete keeps coming up with dumb excuses to buy flowers to see kao which is super obvious. So on one of those occasions kao asks Pete out. If you want to!

The door jingles and Kao looks up. He set the spray bottle down by the flowers. It was the third time this week. 

“So what is it today?” Kao asked as the man peers around the shop as if he’s never seen it before. The man didn’t answer him. Hmm. “Pete, you are a regular customer but you’re acting as if you’ve never seen my flowers before.” 

Pete rolled his eyes. “Just set me up one of your always beautiful combos. My grandma shouldn’t complain too much.” Ah, Grandma this time. Last few time Pete had no reasons to give. He just came for flowers and a little card he’d told Kao he’d fill out later. Kao never pried. Certainly a lot of things ran through his mind. Mom? Sister? Boyfriend? Girlfriend? Who could Pete be buying flowers for? And this many? Was he just re-selling them on the street? Pete didn’t seem like a person who’d want flowers about his apartment or even want them as a gift, but Kao shrugged. Who knows these days. Flowers are said to brighten up anyone’s day or living space. Being a florist gives him a biased opinion on that. Kao looked up a minute from the bouquet to see Pete watching mesmerized, as if he didn’t just see Kao put together one yesterday. 

“It’s beautiful.” Pete was out of there like the speed of light. For some reason he never stayed long to chat. He was certainly a man of few words, Kao noticed. His actions must speak awfully louder. Though, Kao also realized that Pete didn’t pay.  He shouldn’t fret, the dork set up a tab. Eh, who was he kidding. Tab or no tab, he’d probably let Pete walk out without paying over and over again. There was just something about him… 

—-

“It’s beautiful.” Kao heard again the next day. And again. And again. A month whizzes by and he’s pretty sure half the money put into his small business was from Pete. Having a florist shop was a dream, but sometimes there was trouble keeping the doors open; plus you worked to the blooming schedule of the flowers- Kao believe in growing his own, and if a customer desperately wanted something else he’d import. Kao was preparing a bouquet ahead of time when the doors jingled. Same time like clockwork. Pete took the bouquet and a little note card. He wrote something and then he turned to leave. “You don’t want this one?” Kao asked after him, again still not fretting over whether or not he paid his tab. 

“Read the card.” Pete smiled and raced out. Now, one of two things would happen: Kao would read it and accept. Or he’d simply ignore it. 

Kao slid the card across the counter: 

Bring this bouquet and yourself to this address at 8pm. Dinner will be served. 

Kao blinked several times as if he couldn’t compute what he had just read. Pete was asking him out on a date? For the past month, Kao felt as if Pete were out of his league. He also often wondered why a rich guy spent so much time buying flowers with only a few sparse reasons. What the fuck was he going to wear? Pete had never seen him outside this shop. He’d probably assume Kao wore his green apron everywhere and never bothered to clean the soil out of his fingernails. Kao decided he’d close up shop early. It was going to take him four hours to get ready anyway. 

__

Pete opened his door, trying to contain his excitement that threatened to bubble over. He composed himself and took Kao by his free hand, the other held the recently made bouquet. Kao didn’t object. He took a deep breath as Pete lead him not into his apartment but down the hallway. They reached a door that said rooftop access. Okay, we’re going up. When they reached another door, Pete held tighter to Kao’s hand as if right now in this moment, he was going to reject the whole date. Kao chuckled. “After you, Pete.” 

That gave Pete the reassurance he needed so he opened the door. Kao was welcomed with all the bouquets Pete bought from the shop. It was impressive that Pete took care of them that long. There were lights strung around the rooftop and in the middle sat a table and on it was a vase with water. Sensing where Pete wanted the newest addition, Kao placed the bouquet into the vase, pleasantly surprised that it didn’t need to be trimmed to fit. 

Pete procured food from a basket and served it onto the plates. This time Kao watched mesmerized. When he was finished they sat and Pete let out a gigantic sigh. “Can’t believe it took me a month to plan this and thank the universe you didn’t reject me.” 

“Never in a million years,” Kao smiles then jokes, “You’re my best customer.” Pete laughs as he pretends to be a waiter pouring them glasses of wine. 

“Tonight we have a select red,” Pete mocks. Again, Kao watches mesmerized by the scene. He suspected that Pete wasn’t big on wine so this was only to impress him. Kao suspicions were proved correct when Pete sipped some wine and made the most sour face possible. 

“You don't have to drink it,” Kao told him. Pete sheepishly grinned and gladly set the glass down. “I’m still very impressed by how you managed to keep these flowers.” Kao stood up and rounded the roof, stopping at some bouquets to admire their upkeep. He stopped at a moment. “Oh, this is a thirsty one.” He looked around and found a watering can. He gave the flower its much needed rejuvenation. Pete was always fond of watching Kao work. Not very many people understood that flowers and plants were living beings, but Kao did. He treated them as such and always with a delicate touch. Suddenly, a hand was over the top of his that held the watering can. Pete motioned for him to set it down so he did. He turned around to face Pete, leaning against the flower table. This is the closest they have ever been. There was either a counter between them or when Kao pieced together a bouquet, (even if Pete followed him around the shop) they kept their distance. Kao wondered if it was just because the two of them were so nervous to get any closer. Tonight, that would change. 

“Shall we eat?” Pete asked him, lips very close to his. Kao merely nodded. Pete started to walk the few steps back to the dinner table when Kao grabbed his hand and twirled him back around. Pete gripped hips as their lips crashed together. Kao latched arms around his neck. Pete broke away first, breath hitching. “I’ve been wanting to do that for too long. It’s better than I ever imagined.” 

“Good to know,” Kao remarked. “As first dates go, this is pretty amazing. I don't know how you’ll ever top this.” 

“Challenge accepted.” Pete smiles and places hands to cheeks. Kao licks his lips as Pete dives in for another kiss. 

[this-lioness]

Another Meandering Update

Like I do.

The new Animal Crossing came out Friday and I’ve been playing it in seemingly constant cycles of running out the Switch battery, then letting it recharge while I do other things.  Well, okay, maybe I’m not quite that bad but... close.

Today I finally decided to wear Actual Clothes instead of just pajama sets or comfy sweats.  Even pulled my hair up and put some makeup.  Don’t ask me who I’m trying to impress.

My Mother has shut the fuck up about Maggie for the time being, thank God, so hopefully she’s resigned herself to the fact that there’s just nowhere to put her right now. Like, logically I hope she understands that. I can’t just ditch these fosters at a shelter, I can’t open the door and let them run free.  They need a place.

Fortunately they have an appointment Monday for their spay and bloodwork.  Once that’s done they’re essentially ready to be adopted out, so it’s not a question of just dumping them off on another rescuer with work still to be done.  Assuming their bloodwork comes back clean, that also means we can slowly try to introduce them to our crew and, assuming that goes well, they can join the pride temporarily and we can -- if we need to -- move Maggie back into the cat room.

Don’t ask me what the fuck my life is going to be like with five fucking cats (plus one) running around, because I don’t want to think about it.

I’m still... concerned... about their prospects.  We spend as much time with them as we reasonably can, but they’re not particularly cuddly or affectionate.  They do a drive-by for a few pets, but Baby (surprisingly) is the only one who’s shown any interest in sitting on you and being petted.  Blue, who was initially the more outgoing, is aloof and largely disinterested in prolonged human interaction.

I’m hoping that after their spay they’ll be more mellow and inclined towards affection (as well as putting on some weight).  Adopting out a (fully indoor) cat that doesn’t want much to do with people is not going to be easy.  Unfortunately, I’m not 100% sure how much of their current affection level is hormonal, meaning Blue could become even more aloof after she’s spayed.

I regret taking them in, but here we are, and this is what we do. :/

The broccoli seeds I planted started to sprout the very next day, and I’ve had to take the lid off the container as they continue to stretch taller.  They don’t much like the grow light, preferring to grow toward the sun, but I’ve got it on anyway.  It’s still far too cold to plant anything outside, unfortunately.  Once we’ve had a few 60-degree-or-better days I’ll hose out the icing buckets I bought last month and hopefully get my hands on some potting soil to start planting things properly.

I’ve been saving all my little yogurt cups from lunch to start more seeds, maybe a bit later this week.  We’ve got some nice ripe bananas for more banana bread, as well.  I think I’ll throw some mini chocolate chips in this time.

I put in another grocery order, mostly for my Mom but a handful of things for us, as well.  We’re honestly good on most things, it’s just “topping up” things that have dwindled, and if we can’t get our hands on them it’s not a huge deal.

There’s a Walmart down the street and two grocery stores nearby, but neither of them were offering pickup delivery anytime soon.  Walmart has eliminated the ability to schedule pickup or delivery more than 24 hours out (you basically have to keep checking and checking their website until something opens up) and the Giant was absolutely booked up for both until next Wednesday the 1st at something like 8 at night.  I jumped on that and started loading our cart, but it’s all contingent upon what’s available at the time, and they’re not making any substitutions.

Like I said, I’m more concerned about my Mom than us.  We ordered her a chest freezer to help her keep food longer, but unfortunately Best Buy closed before they could get the order in stock and they pushed it off to the end of April.  We just cancelled it.  Wish we’d had the idea sooner, you can’t seem to order them from anywhere now for anything less than a fortune.

I ordered a pullman pan off Wayfair to arrive Thursday, so I’ll be able to make sandwich bread at least.

But other than that, life goes on in its way.  Apart from puttering around our own yard on Sunday we haven’t been out of the house since Friday.  We get up, shower and dress, have breakfast and coffee, then sit down to work.  We break for lunch, go back to work until dinner time.

I try to distract myself at night, but it’s when I seem to be the most anxious and tense.  During the day I’m actually okay? Like... I don’t pace around the house wringing my hands or anything, I just go about my day doing what I can.  I guess when my mind is allowed to wander that it starts to tangle itself in knots.  I’m like a pair of earbuds -- I’m fine when you use me, but the minute I’m not in use I get completely tangled up.

It isn’t the routine that bothers me, really, it isn’t the inability to go out and do things (we’re probably going to take a walk around the neighborhood after lunch), it’s the fact that none of the Big Picture things are in our control, and are instead in the hands of people who have no value for human life.  No sense of reality or decency.

The joke about Krypton being allowed to explode because nobody in charge wanted to listen to the scientists is so sickeningly true, and it’s unnerving to see it play out in real life.

Anyway.  We are doing our thing, we are doing our part as much as we can, and just waiting patiently for... normalcy, I suppose.

[hortascountrysidenotes]

21 Degree difference

The great British climate!  this time last week we were sweltering and today, to say it felt autumnal would be an understatement.  No wonder nature sometimes wonders what on earth is going on. Leaves are already coming off the whitebeam!

Back to last week.  A very strong southerly airstream brought intense heat straight up from Africa and we baked.  The Sandringham Flower Show takes place annually towards the end of July, usually the last Wednesday, but due to Royal Commitments (not mine) the date was changed to 24th instead of today 31st and where today would have been perfect for a dog test, last Wednesday was boiling. So PC, you have a lot to answer for!  As usual the Sandringham Invitation Gundog Test, set up by Bill Meldrum many years ago, had a good field of 14 pairs.  This was Mavis’ first year after Inca “retired” from competition! Our partner this year was Tom Lowe with Harry, who was my partner the first year I was invited.  We did much better this year as firstly Mavis was not at all flustered by the noise and crowds and did not take the dummy out of Harry’s mouth and secondly she did each test with great aplomb including the three retrieves from water and we came home very happy not to have come last as in the last two years, but with a very nice little prize for our 10th place of a new water bowl and lead.  She also picked up her third place rosette and a bag of dog food for the Tuesday night Training Trophy competition so a good day.

Thursday proved even hotter with Cambridge getting the highest of 38.7 so you can see how hot East Anglia became.  The garden survived and by the weekend we were much cooler with storms and a good inch of rain - incredible lightning shows as well which are quite beautiful.

I have managed to do a lot of work in the veg patch now its cooler and am pleased to report that at last we have some Flat Leaf Parsley and Spinach doing well with a tray of lettuce waiting to go out and some fresh cut and come again salad now sown.  I have transplanted some Purple sprouting broccoli into the area vacated by the broad beans - hopefully the latter will have “fixed” some nitrogen into the soil before they were pulled up.  The sweet peas are still doing well although we have reached the stage where the stalks become shorter and shorter so one has to cut off the next section of stem to get enough to go in a vase.  Courgettes and both sets of climbing beans going well so with beetroot and carrots also ready we have plenty of veg while we wait for the next lot of salad to mature.  The autumn raspberries are also well under way as is evident by the constant sight of Scout’s tail sticking out from the bushes.  She is also permanently picking the small yellow plums which are now falling in the current windy weather.  All the dogs love them but I have to try and pick them up quickly as two years ago Scout gave herself cystitis by eating so many and we had a very anxious couple of days!

The borders look OK but still betwixt and between the two best times and I am longing for the Michaelmas daisies and Sedums to show colour.  The dahlias and Monardas keep the show on the road, plus the Crocosmia but the latter is getting too big and heavy and will have to be reduced AGAIN - another decision is to remove all Verbascum from actual flower borders and only allow it to seed in the gravel areas where it is half the height.  It has squashed my lovely new Kniphofia Tawny Kings and Ceratostigma - only just realised in time and hope I have rescued them. Unfortunately some bindweed has crept into the main border after 30 years of nothing, I have put some white plant labels by the plants where I am seeing it creeping about so in the winter cut back I will lift these plants - an aster, geranium magnificum and the herbaceous clematis, and clear out the root systems so easily visible being white.  It is hopeless trying to spray it in the border by training it up a stick as it will simply hit other plants.

It is almost hedge cutting time - the box is growing well from the first cut and subsequent feed - that can be done in September, but now it is cooler we shall have to tackle one of the boundary hedges fairly soon.  The holm oaks will have their annual cut in three weeks time and then the beech - it is a loathsome time - hedges, hedges and more hedges!  But without them this garden would be a desert due to the wind.  

Plenty of pears coming and some apples tho three trees are having a very obvious rest this year - no cookers at all after a glut last year.  Time to prune Wisteria if not already done and deadhead frantically particularly the self seeders such as Alchemilla. Have pricked out the three types of Wallflower seedlings - orange red and white - 24 of each and a few spares which should be plenty for autumn containers.  Also have just enough white honesty seedlings - I left them outside and something in the mollusc department has had a good go -managed to rescue them just in time.

So back to Mavis - we had an excellent evening’s training in sugar beet organised by Norfolk Gundog Club on Monday - based on a proper field trial but with dummies.  Was very happy with Mavis - some excellent help from Craig and Tony (our “judges”) with some good stuff to work on, but overall very good for both dog and handler confidence.  We have another one tomorrow night, it is an excellent form of training as really gets the steadiness and marking in place.  Next Monday Mavis goes to have her Hip and Elbow checks - this involves a general anaesthetic to allow the vet to put the dog in the correct positions, and if the x rays are good enough they get sent off for official “scoring”. One is looking for the lowest numbers possible - Mavis’ mother has hip scores of 0/0 and elbows the same, her father 2/2 and 0/0 so one would be hoping for something pretty good.  But genetics are strange things and there could be a throw back to a gremlin.  I have found a sire up in Yorkshire for a spring wedding so really hope all goes to plan.  He is yellow and a good strong dog which will get a bit of bone into Mavis and he also has a wonderful temperament.  I am excited!

Photographs today are the first flower on the little Buddleia crispa bought at Beth Chatto’s, the beautiful “garden” sea lavender Limonium and Echinops ritro Veitchs Blue

[puppycat714]

The Secret in the Garden part 1 James Potter x Hufflepuff reader

Requested: no

Word count:~1.9k

Warnings: swearing, mentions of death

A/N: okay this is the first official chapter! It's an important chapter, but you won't "meet" the marauders until the next chapter. Hope you enjoy!

Masterlist Prologue part 2

Gif isn't mine nor are any of the characters that belong to ikr.

Chapter 2: What the hell is this doing here?

Today marks one year since your life changed. One year since you moved into your grandma’s house.

The biggest issue about moving to London was adjusting to living in such a big home. When you lived in America, your home was a tiny 2 bedroom, one bath cottage outside of California. It was small, but it was comfortable. Your grandmas house was five times the size, if not more. It’s a two story house with a total of seven rooms, and three bathrooms. Not to mention a kitchen as big as half your home in America, and a living room twice the size if the kitchen. It also had an attic, and a basement. When you moved in the house your dad allowed you to have two of the seven rooms. One could be an office, and the other as a bedroom. The rooms were next to each other. You choose the one closest to the kitchen. Your bedroom was the room you’d sleep in when you came to visit, so it was mostly set up for you already. The bigger of the two rooms (which was your bedroom) contained a walk in closet, a personal bathroom, and a balcony.

The other room was your office, but it also contained your own personal library. Speaking of which your favorite room was across the office. The library. That’s what you called it. It was so huge, it could be one. There were shelves so high they touched the ceiling, so there was a ladder. The books weren’t the only reason this was your favorite room. There was also a bay window. The view showed most of the garden, and if you looked far enough you could see some of the ocean. Plus the sunsets and sunrises was a sight to die for. It was the perfect spot to hide and read a good book.

 Today should not have been different than the past year. It started out like any day before. You woke up early even though it was summer. You’ve always had a habit of getting up early. Which your dad had no idea who you got that from because both him and your mom were more night owls than morning people. You think it came from your grandma, she was always up before you. Which says a lot because you get up pretty early. Then he would get up about an hour later. You would make breakfast so that by the time he got up it would be ready, and made. Then you’d eat together. Afterwards he’d leave for work, and you’d be home alone for the day, which is nothing new to you.

Your grandmas pride and joy was her garden, so when you moved here you decided to take over. She had shown you all her tricks, and always told you about how she wanted her garden to be. After breakfast you’d go work on the garden. You never minded helping your grandma when you stayed. It was one of the ways you two bonded. Over the year you’d been here it became one of your outlets. Even if it was just pulling a few weeds. It was one of the few ways you still felt connected to your grandma.

She had a total of fifteen plots. Each with different types of plants. Ranging from potatoes and carrots to roses and tulips. Fourteen of the fifteen plot you’ve replaced with new plants to thrive and grow. There was one plot located at the far left corner of the garden you still hadn’t tended to in the year you’ve been here. Unfortunately you couldn’t bring yourself to change it. The plants were dead by now, but it meant so much to you. It was the last project you and your grandma worked on together. Not to mention the last location you had a conversation with her. You remember it so clearly.

             *        FLASHBACK            *

    You were planting your grandmas favorite flowers with her. They were lilies. Pink lilies to be exact, which happens to be her favorite color. While you were working on preparing the soil, you two were talking. You had a few questions burning your mind, and you finally had the courage to ask a few of them.

    “Hey grandma, what was grandpa like?” you asked her. She looked at you with a smile on her face. You noticed that her smile didn’t reach her eyes. Her eyes were soft, but sad. It was quiet for a few seconds.

    Then she said, “He was an interesting character,” she chuckled to herself. “Your grandfather was one of a kind. Bloody hell he was stubborn and obnoxious at first. We fought a lot too. In the end though we fell madly in love with each other. He knew just what to do. How to make me laugh, smile, comfort me, support me, and love me with all his heart. Of course I reciprocated all the same.” Her eyes were sad.

    You knew you shouldn’t have pried anymore. You could see the hurt she felt, but you were just to curious for your own good. You decided to push your luck one more time. You asked, “so what happened between you two? If you both loved each other then why isn’t he here?” You felt bad for asking, but you had to know. Was he dead? Did he leave her? Did she leave him? Or was there something more?

    Your grandma sighed, “ I knew you would ask me one day honey. We may have loved each other, but sometimes love isn’t strong enough.” She left it at that. The rest of the time we had little conversations, but nothing as serious as before.

             *        FLASHBACK ENDS        *

    As you were weeding and thinking about this memory, you didn’t realize you were crying. As soon as you did though, you wiped the tears away. You glanced at the now long dead lilies. After that episode, you knew it was time.

    You walked over to the plot and began to dig up the old lily roots. You had bought more seeds long ago, but you could never bring yourself to plant them. At least not until now. Before you knew it, there was only one lily left. You knew that the moment you pulled it from the ground symbolizes the end of an era. You reached your hand out. You warped your fingers around the fragile stem. Then you pulled. It was over. You sat there for what felt like forever, staring at the bare four by four foot plot.

    It took some effort, but eventually you came back to your senses. You grabbed the seeds to plant some new lilies. You began to dig some holes to put the seeds in. As you were digging a hole around the middle of the plot, you felt something. As you dug further, you realized it was a paper. You pulled it out of the ground. After you pulled it out, you unfolded the paper to find a blueprint with a note attached to it. You took the note and opened it. It read, “Dear (Y/N), if your reading this, then I must be dead. First off I want to apologize for putting you through so much. I’m sure you were shocked when I died. I wrote this letter because unfortunately my cancer came back, and your probably wondering ‘but grandma they said you died of a heart attack’ well I didn’t. I wanted you both to believe my death was sudden. I knew I wouldn’t be able to fight it off this time so I talked with my lawyer and he agreed to tell your father I died of a heart attack. If your reading this note then by now you’ve seen the blueprint to. I decided to hide it here so that in case your father decided to sell this place, so that this wouldn’t be lying around for others to see. If your not my granddaughter, then I hope your up for an adventure. In the blueprint, it shows a room that should not exist, and doesn’t. In case someone else is reading this, I’m give my granddaughter a hint. Only she could know this. ‘A house can hold many secrets unless you have a keen eye, and a bright heart.’ Whoever reads this and figures this out, I hope the results benefit you. A warning to you, this room is… magical to say the least. I wish you a good life. (Y/N) I want you to know that I will always be with you. You’re gonna experience many hardships to come, but know that it will all be worth it.  

Love Your Grandma Jesse Karon Henderson

    Your eyes were teary by the end of the letter. Losing your grandma was one of the hardest things you had to go through. To read a letter from her meant everything to you. As you were thinking about the hint, you remembered something your grandma told you a few years ago.

                *        FLASHBACK        *

    You were sitting at the bay window reading the Half Blood Prince for the first time. As you were in the middle of one of your favorite parts in the book, you heard footsteps. Then you looked up and saw your grandma. She noticed your book, and smiled. Her eyes were distant. She asked, “Good book?”

    “yeah its definitely my favorite series. Have you read it before?” You were curious.

    “Honey at this point I have read it more times than I can remember. Who’s your favorite character?” she asked. Damn that was a good question.

    After a moment of thought you answered her question, “I’d have to say my favorite would have to be (Y/F/C). What about you?”

    She looked at you and said, “I love all of the Weasleys, but my favorite is Fred Weasley.”

    You looked at her with a confused look on your face. You asked, “how can you tell the difference between Fred and George?”

    “If you read closely enough, you can tell that Fred is a bit more energetic than George. You just have to have a keen eye to see it. Both twins have bright hearts full of mysteries. Like exploring a new house. Two houses could look exactly the same, but they can never have the same stories.”(A/N: pun intended)

            *        FLASHBACK ENDS        *

        You ran to the library. You knew exactly where to go. You burst through the doors to the library and went straight for the bay window. You pulled everything off of it. After everything was off, you put your fingers on the trim and lifted up. After a little effort, it began to lift. After lifting it, you took your phone out of your pocket and turned the flashlight on. You shined the light over the dark hole revealing a ladder. You put one foot on the ladder to test the stability. It was fine so you put all your weight on hit and went down the ladder with no idea what was in store.

~End~

@roxytheimmortal @rachelscosplay

[mindhuestudio]

#Salsagram and farm report! A dark edition today, lots of green tomato windfalls from the Big Beef monster and plenty of tomatillos. That plus the purslane cubes and (store-bought) paprika powder made the results a brick red. But it was very bright and citrusy, as one would expect a from a purslane/tomatillo/green tomato mix. I consolidated some of the containers, removing the four tomatoes that had succumbed to the heat and overwatering. I left the Stump Tomato and Big Pink, as both have new growth that looks promising. A couple of overview images for you, with bonus Garden Helper. Speaking of monster tomatoes, the behavior of the Big Beef and Cinder Block Volunteer plants makes me think I’d have more monsters if I just had more dirt. Both of the aforementioned plants are rooted in two very small circles of actual soil over by the fence, which seems to make a big difference. Probably better drainage, basically. Evidently the Big Beef has attracted something that can reach about two feet up and likes to nibble on red tomatoes through the chain link fence. Rat? Rabbit? Raccoon? Skunk? It’s disappointing but we’ve only lost maybe five fruits and the remaining tomatoes may be too high to reach. Finally, my EarthMachine composter went through catastrophic failure three weeks ago; the plastic started cracking in multiple places and the two-part construction basically fell apart. That’s five and a half years of use and sun exposure, so I guess that’s pretty good. I found a one-piece FreeGarden unit, used my soil prep tub to stage the existing compost, and now everything is nicely mixed and all ready for fallen leaves in October. In other news, pork bellies are up, hard red wheat futures are steady, pasture sorghum is on a slight decline, and field corn is overperforming. https://www.instagram.com/p/CiFyv8cs-Sx/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[fearofaherobrine]

Roleplay Server Log #365

"EAlex, Baby Presents and Antiquities”

[Flux] Is sitting inside watching CP build through the window. A small smile flickers across her lips as she watches the effort he's putting into making a room for his daughter-

[Notch] Slips up behind her and hugs around her, putting his chin on her shoulder- Bring proud of our son?

[Flux] - He is doing a wonderful job, but I wonder...  Where will the baby sleep?  Surely a bed will be too large for her...|

[Notch] My bet is that Cp will will make a fancy room for the baby, but the baby will sleep with Lie for quite some time, because mom's worry.

[Flux] - But surely there must be other things they will need?

[Notch] Yes.... this is true... we should probably go out and buy her stuff like everyone did with Aven actually...

[Flux] - You bought stuff for Aven?

[Notch] Well, yeah! It's kind of a tradition for friends to buy a new mom a bunch of baby stuff. The closer they get to having the baby the less able they are to get around and do stuff. So it usually means they aren't working and could use a hand. And babies are incredibly expensive.

[Flux] - I see.  Then don't you think it's time we did that?  Lie is getting rather large...

[Notch] Rubs his chin- You're right. You feel like going shopping? It might be a bit of sensory overload.

[Flux] - If you are there, then I'm sure I will be fine

[Notch] Smiles- So do we drag Cp along and make him carry stuff or no? There's always the razor thin chance he'll get slightly emotional.

[Flux] - No, let's surprise them.  We could say your coworkers want your help with a small problem they've found as an excuse

[Notch] Well we need at least one person who can make portals. And I don't think BEN would be interested. So I'll call Doc for a ride. - He starts walking outside as he types-

[HG] -has just come by to water some of lies plants when he sees notch and waves- hi

[Flux] Follows him out-

[Notch] Oh hey Hg. Hey, you haven't learned how to make irl portals yet, have you?

[HG] no not yet but I should

[Notch] Doc should be along shortly, you should ask them to help you at some point.

[Doc] Comes galloping across the yard with Deerheart on hir back-

[Yaunfen] Is racing alongside them with a big smile-

[Flux] Sidles up next to Notch and takes his hand-

[HG] -Waves- hello doc, deer, yaunfen

[Doc] Hey guys. I take it we're making a party of this?

[Yaunfen] bounces around a little- I wanna go out!

[Deer] - Hey HG- She slides down off of Doc

[Yaunfen] Shifts into their kid form and plops a beret on their head. - I'm ready!

[Doc] Tuck your tail in kiddo.

[HG] oh are you going out to the real world can I come?

[Notch] Oh, yeah. I think I need a different shirt. - Goes back inside and comes out wearing a hoodie.

[Doc] If you want too. We're just going shopping.

[Deer] - Love?  Do you have my shoes?

[Doc] Yeah, I grabbed them when Notch messaged me. - They shapeshift and hold them out. They've already begrudgingly changed to some plain street clothes.

[HG] -puts on his sunglasses-

[Deer] Huffs but does take the shoes-

[Notch] I'm ready when you guys are, but... not everyone will fit in my teeny little car.

[Doc] Well... we could always come out in Dawn's shop. I doubt she'd care. You've still got that occult passport right?

[HG] -puts on his plain clothes- oh doc do you think at one point you will be able to teach me how to use portals?

[Notch] Oh, yeah! Right here. Got my cards too.

[Doc] I can try. I kinda suck at it.

[Flux] Makes certain the flash drive containing her seed is safely tucked away against her skin-

[Doc] Is texting on hir carrot phone-

[Notch] At least we won't have to worry about Licht if we're in a different country...

[Deer] - Now Yaunfen, you know you have to stay close, right?

[Doc] Okay, we're golden. She put up her closed for lunch sign.

[Yaunfen] Yes mama. - reaches for her hand-

[Deer] Smiles a little as she takes it-

[Doc] Swings back and jams forward in a violent headbang and the portal cracks open reality in front of hir-

[Notch] Peeks out-

-The opening is in front of a very old TV in a small room a few steps away is a balcony overlooking the rest of the antique shop-

[Mort] Waves from the steps- Hey Notch.

[Doc] Holds the way for the others to pass through onto the rather threadbare carpet.

[Mort] So what kind of mischief are you guys all up to today?

[HG] -goes though looking at all the different things-

-As the servers pass through, they take a moment to shift into more human like appearances-

[Mort] Nice transformation! You guys make it look so effortless.

[Dawn] Also comes up and releases the tiny chain that blocks the stairs-

[Deer] - It always feels so weird

[Doc] Yeah I know. It pays to stay away from mirrors and not look at your hands too much.

-The shop is a little dusty as usual, but the scent is a comforting mix of wood polish, books, elderly dried herbs and attic smell.

-The tv makes an awful crackly static noise behind them all.-

[Doc] Jumps in a little bit of fear- Please don't be Polybius...

[Yaunfen] Stays close to Doc-

[HG] -covers his ears not liking the sound of static-

[Glitchy] -There's an awful crackling as he pulls himself out of the same electronic device, looking like something decidedly eldritch. Neat. ...Also slightly horrifying.- Huh. -The Tv stops crackling.-

[Yaunfen] Eeek!

[Dawn] Defensive stance-

[Doc] Oh geeze Glitchy you scared me....

[Notch] Same!

[Glitchy] -Looks at Dawn and his eyes narrow behind his glasses a bit, before he looks back at Doc- Didn' mean to. Felt someone going. Decided I'd tag along. I need the exercise.

[Dawn] Who is this? I don't think we've met...

[Doc] Ah, okay. You know our friend Lie is pregnant right?

[Glitchy] Since Strangled isn't here, I'm just Red. And yes, I figured as much.

[Mort] Hey Hg, wanna give the plants a boost while Dawn isn't looking? - Indicates a windowsill full of sad little shoots in pots-

[Dawn] Red? I'm Dawn.

[Doc] Dawn's a witch Glitchy.

[HG] -Sees the plant and waters them while also fixing their soil-

-The little sprouts explode and throw a few creeping vines up the windowsill and down to the carpet. -

[Mort] Glad to see someone loves doing that as much as I do.

[Glitchy] A pleasure to meet you. -He doesn't offer his hand to shake, but does nod aknowledgingly-

[Dawn] Likewise. What's your area of expertise?

[Doc] How are you eyes doing anyway Glitchy, you haven't checked in with me in awhile.

[Yaunfen] Regards the overflowing plants. - Aww... no candy. I like the sweet plants better. How are the pumpkins Hg?

[Glitchy] Glitches, Dreams.. Pokémon. Oh! And they're a lot better! I mostly need my glasses to read on good days. -He taps his glasses and it's obvious today isn't a "just for reading" day-

[HG] they are growing great they are already starting to combine not as big as the others though

[Yaunfen] Let me know when they're ready! We can make a big fun mess!

[Dawn] Dreams... -she shakes her head a bit- Never was one for sleeping very soundly.

[Mort] Wait! Someone said Pokemon!

[Dawn] Oh gods....

[Mort] Has already whipped out a DS, - I'm playing Leaf green!

[Glitchy] I could help with your sleep, if you want. And really? -He moves over to Mort to look- I don't remember much about that generation.

[HG] -Is looking around at the different thing in the shop-

[Mort] I'm not very far but my Beedrill is pretty cool. I started with the Bulbasaur.

[Glitchy] I could hook you up with a mew, if you want. Or any of your favorite legendaries. -It's a tempting, half thought offer, more habit than anything.-

-There are a lot of books, no real order to anything. The shelves are crammed with knicknacks too. There's a small rack of clothes but it looks mostly like oddball coats. Someones cosplay closet but more authentic.

[Mort] Really? I love Mew! They're so cute.

[Glitchy] Of course. Even register it as a legit one. -Holds his hands out for the ds-

[Yaunfen] Wanders over by HG and pokes a finger in a little table fountain - I like the noise.

[Mort] Holds it out excitedly-

[HG] it's pretty too

[Yaunfen] Is pulling books and looking at them. They're holding a book on faries with some lavish illustrations-

[Glitchy] -Takes it and gets to work, there's a few concerning DS noises before the encounter music starts. Onscreen is a mew!-

[Mort] Catch it!

[Dawn] Good grief....

[Doc] Is leaning over to see-

[HG] -looks for a book on plants-

[Yaunfen] Hey HG? I got something from the sifter that says it's supposed to be a plant but it's not?

[HG] what is it?

-The screen is clearly different from a normal encounter, but only slightly so. Every item is maxed out, the PP is as well, and the HP bar is leading off the screen-

[Glitchy] -Bleps a small amount as a pokeball is used. It shakes once, twice, a third, and with some glitch motivation, clicks.-

[Yaunfen] Holds up what appears to be a chunk of pink rock candy, it looks vaguely like a little pink butt.

[Mort] Holy crap that's off the charts!

[HG] candy plant?

[Glitchy] Huh? -Looks up as it offers the naming screen- Oh, yeah. That happens when I do it. Strangled's HP bar will wrap around the screen, actually. Do you want to name the mew?

[Mort] Lets name him Skittles!

[Dawn] I'm going to go do the books...

[Notch] snickers-

[Yaunfen] I dunno. But it looks like a butt. - grins.

[Glitchy] Nice name. -He inputs that and saves the game before returning the DS to Mort. The next encounter everything would be back to normal, unfortunately. Seems if you want great stats you have to have Glitchy keep touching the device.-

[HG] I mean it does I wonder if water it, it might help it yaunfen

[Mort] Thanks man! - chuckles- I hope they get along with the rest of my team. Don't make my poor Oddish feel self-concious or anything. Haha.

[Yaunfen] You can try? - Holds it out a bit in it's little pot.

[HG] -waters the plant-

[Glitchy] Oh, they'll love Skittles. -There's a bit of darkness in his eyes as he mutters under his breath- Or they'll die a swift death.

[Mort] As much eyebrows up as a slightly pliable skull can muster.

[Glitchy] -Raises an eyebrow back- What?

[Mort] I guess it's more intense if it's a game you regularly go into...

[Doc] Please don't break my friends DS or spirit Glitchy.

[Glitchy] Oh you have no idea. And I won't! -He crosses his arms a bit- I'm not Strangled. That's his thing.

[Yaunfen] Watches the little plant as it shivers a bit and them plumps up slightly bigger. - It didn't do much, that's weird....

[Mort] Okay. Dawn's not too excited about playing games. She's a bit old fashioned. She gave me a few eye-rolls over getting this.

[Doc] Snorts. - Old fashioned? From what she's told me, she's so old when she was a kid pottery was considered innovative.

[Dawn] From downstairs- I heard that Doc....

[Doc] Sorry! But it's true isn't it?

[Dawn] Grumpy noises-

[Flux] Has been wandering the store, there are a lot of things that she's never seen before and she has a number of questions building. She's already shifted hey clothes to be more appropriate for out in the real world-

[Deer] Has gone to the window to look outside-

[Dawn] At Flux- See anything you like?

[Flux] - I'm not certain, there's so much here that I've never seen before...  I don't even know what most items in here are...  She runs fingers along a piece of an old loom

[Notch] I think I know what that is?

[Dawn] It's for weaving fabric. It makes smaller loops then knitting.

[Flux] Glancing at Notch- Isn't that what Steve does?

[Notch] Yes, he has his own name for it, but it's a thing people do out here too.

[Doc] He chose that name because it had something to do with the sounds his canes make when he clicks them together.

[Deer] - He's made so many things too!  Did you see the baby socks he made for Lie?

[Doc] I heard he was doing it, but I didn't see them.

[Yaunfen] From behind a bookcase - I saw! They were super tiny!

[Flux] Notices some jewelry and looks at the shiny pieces inside the case- Humans make such interesting things...

[Yaunfen] Is turning a little crank and it's making a slight grinding noise-

[Mort] You need a pencil to make that one work.

[Dawn] Smiles- I'm not much for wearing jewelry, but it is a feast for the eyes.

[Doc] I just like shiny things. And it's a good thing too because my little one has tracked a fair amount of glitter all over the castle.

[Flux] - Well you did see why I could not in the past, it would have become tainted

[Deer] - There is an over abundance of glitter in the castle...

[Notch] Takes her hand- See anything you like?

[Flux] - I am not certain...

[HG] -found a book on plants and is siting on the floor reading it-

[Mort] Peeks over his shoulder a bit-

[HG] -doesn't notice he is to engulfed in the book-

[Notch] Casts around and then makes a little noise - how about this?

-The necklace is three strands of purple beads grading from light to dark.-

[Doc] I think that would translate well into a lower resolution too....

[Flux] Flushes a little in her cheeks- I...  I...

[Notch] Gives her an uncertain look, his own assertion of her tastes being tested- Is that... okay?

[Flux] - I suppose...

[Notch] Then I'll take it. Please.

[Dawn] Unhooks the strands with a smile and passes them to him.

[Notch] Delicately hooks them around her neck and arranges them in a graceful drape over her shoulders and chest.

[Flux] Her fingers rise up to brush against the cool beads against her skin-

[Doc] Are we trading today, or just cash?

[Dawn] I can do either. Or both.

[Notch] Is just mooning over Flux.

[Yaunfen] Slides up behind Doc and scoots a small pile of books along the glass counter and closer to them-

[Flux] - Ah, Dawn, there is actually a slight problem you could help with

[Dawn] And that would be?

[Flux] - There is a problem with my energy whenever Notch and I...  Finish, our more intimate moments

[Dawn] Oh? Are you having some kind of surge?

[Notch] Not exactly...

[Flux] - I end up being unable to hold my form...

[Dawn] So it's a concentration issue?

[Flux] - Yes

[Dawn] Drumming her fingers. - Hmm. You guys have to come back here to go out again right? Let me think about it for a bit.

[Flux] - Alright, thank you

[Yaunfen] And this? Please. It reminds me of mom when you annoy her-

[Doc] Is suddenly trying not to laugh-

-The piece is a brown and white pitcher with a moose head as part of the top and spout. The face of the moose has rolled upward eyes and it looks pretty done with everything.

[Deer] - Yaunfen!

[Yaunfen] What? It's doing the eyeball thing!

[Deer] - Sighs- Dawn, would it be alright to leave some of this stuff here while we go shopping?

[Dawn] Of course.

[Notch] Just start a tab. I've got this.

[Doc] Cradles the pitcher- We'll treasure it always.

[Flux] - Is there anything you would like us to get you while we are out Dawn?

[Dawn] Nah, I'm good.

[Mort] Wait... will the candy plants grow out here?

[Yaunfen] Shrugs-

[HG] huh plants?

[Deer] - Well if Lie's plants can grow out here...

[Doc] Yaunfen do you have any on you?

[Yaunfen] I have some of the candy cane cattails, the popsicle grass, and some of the chocolate pumpkins.

[Doc] I'd try the cattails.

[Mort] I'll grab some dirt, there's a little under the sink from when I topped off the windowbox-

[Dawn] There's a bucket in the bathroom closet.

[Flux] - Do you know where the closest shop with baby stuff is Dawn?

[Mort] Fills the bucket and comes back with it.

[Yaunfen] Sticks a cattail in the dirt and makes a gracious gesture for Hg-

[HG] -gets up still holding the book he was reading and walks over ready to water it-

[Dawn] Mmmm, this is a historical district. There's all kinds of crazy shops if you just walk that way. - points- If you go the other way, there's nothign but fast food but you'll reach a mall with a ton of stuff and I'm pretty sure there's a baby store.

[Mort] Ok Hg show us what you've got.

[HG] -waters the plants-

-There's a bit of an organic groan and the cattails multiply, filling the bucket and making a very sharp peppermint smell-

[Yaunfen] Holds up the rock, again- more please?

[HG] sure -Waters the rock again-

-It wiggles a little bit, but that's all. -

[Yaunfen] Squints suspiciously at it.

[Flux] - May I see it Yaunfen?

[Yaunfen] Passes the hard chunk to her.

[Flux] Uses her magic to investigate it a  little-

-It is organic, but sloooooooow. Worse then an olive tree. -

[Flux] - It's almost like it's sleeping...

[HG] maybe it is

[Yaunfen] Nose wiggle, [because they have no whiskers at the moment] -

[Doc] Well it was a fossil, kiddo. Maybe it wasn't something well-adapted. Just don't eat it, okay? Just in case.

[Yaunfen] Okay, I won't. Probably tastes like butt anyway....

[Licht] Curses as she's once again exploded by a creeper-

-There's a bit of a flicker on the screen as if something is gliching. The summoner is still burning near the small house Licht has build at the spawn. For a moment the chat fills with garbage as the seed tries to resolve an obvious error. -

[Licht] - Are you back?

-There's a lightning strike and a groan of pain from where it hit.

[Licht] Turns her character around- You've been strangely absent

-On the ground is a woman with long orange hair, she moves a hand and makes a pained noise.

[Licht] - What the hell?

-The figure slumps and lays still, barely breathing-

[Licht] Moves closer- Hello?

-The character is unmoving and there's the smallest trickle of blood from under her hair. -

[Licht] Swats at the air over the figure-

-She flinches as if hit and painfully rolls over, blinking a bit. Her eyes are white and glowing and there's a bit of blood on her lips-

- /System generation error 652522-89832-68321211 Alternate pathway used/ -

[Licht] - Can you hear me?

[???] Yesss....

[Licht] - How the hell did you get here?

[???] I don't know? But I'm not supposed to be... - She looks at her hands- an Alex?

[Licht] - What do you mean your not supposed to be?

[EAlex] Sits up and coughs. She looks down at herself- This isn't right... I should be... a Herobrine? How do I know that?

[Licht] - There's already a Herobrine...

[EAlex] There... there is? Then that's why. - she holds her head in her hands- Just my luck to manifest on a taken seed...

[Licht] - I, don't understand what you're talking about...

[EAlex] Yeah... well you're a player. I can tell by the stiff way you stand and move. You don't have to know.

[Licht] Scowls- That's what the other one said too...

[EAlex] Hey, you don't live here. Our troubles are nothing to you.

[Licht] - Maybe, but this is somehow connected to a case I am working on

[???] Appears out of a shadow- You're pathetic. Did you really think a summoner seed would be empty?

[EAlex] Makes a slight hiss of fear, but is still too weak to stand and fight.

[Licht] - There you are, will somebody please explain what's going on here?

[???] It's a war going on under your nose.

[EAlex] Is obviously afraid of him-

[Licht] - Now there's a war?  You are making no sense

[EAlex] Unless you intend to help, I'm not telling you anything.

[???] Your quarry has all the answers anyway.

[Licht] - Mr. Persson

[EAlex] The creator...

[Licht] - Yeah, I still can't figure out what he's doing or where he is

[EAlex] He made a gateway, so we could exist.

[???] You're more right then you know...

[Licht] - A gateway?

[???] Yes... he let the monsters in. - He laughs rather wickedly-

[EAlex] Is chilled to the bone and gives Licht the rather pleading look of a vulnerable woman who's realizing that a psychopath just bought her a drink.

[Licht] Sighs, she isn't sure what she should do- Look, I still have some work to do, if you need a place to stay, I've got a shelter, but not much else- She leaves the game playing in the corner of the screen and pulls up photo's of the outside of Notch's apartment, including the one involving Jeb, Yster, and CP

[???] Gives EAlex a rather vicious look and she shakes a little in fear-

[EAlex] Very quietly- Why are you doing this?

[???] Walks closer to her menacingly-  We have similar goals, you want out, I want in.

[EAlex] I just want to exist...

[???] If you're lucky, I'll let you live when I'm done...

[EAlex] Focuses in her sheer terror and the whole screen tazes sideways, she vanishes and the Herobrine looks around in confusion- Coward....

-In the very corner of Licht's screen a small head with orange hair  pops up from behind her windows bar-

[Licht] Jumps a little- What are you doing?

[EAlex] Climbs up onto the bar and smacks the windows icon- bringing up the start menu-

[Licht] Watches in confusion-

[EAlex] Opens a notepad file and starts typing- Thanks for leaving me alone with the psycho. This is why I say players don't need to know. You can just retreat and be safe.

[Licht] Types back- There's nothing I could do, I don't think I can get rid of him

[EAlex] Makes a pouting face - he is physically there.

[Licht] - So?

[EAlex] He can be hurt. I can too...

[Licht] - Look, the only reason I have this game is because it was given to me as a clue, I have no intention of continuing to play once I've solved this case

[EAlex] Blanches in fear- please don't delete that seed...

[Licht] - Why would I keep it?

[EAlex] Because then I won't be... anymore.

[Licht] - We'll see- She turns her attention back towards the photo's

[EAlex] Kicks her feet on the top of the notepad window for a few mintures and looks around at the pictures. - Wait... is that a Herobrine??? IN THE OUTSIDE???

[Licht] - What are you talking about?

[EAlex] Climbs down the side of the window, and takes a better look at the picture with Cp before pointing a shaking finger at him- That's a Herobrine....!!! A REAL one!

[Licht] Zooms in on the photo- Markus' old coworkers said that he was of familial relation to Markus...

[EAlex] No... that one isn't human....

[Licht] - Always more questions, never any answers

[EAlex] Makes a frustrated noise- But if he can get out... I have to meet him. Even if he tries to kill me...

[Licht] - I wouldn't even know how to lure him in...

[EAlex] Do you have any portable devices?

[Licht] - My phone...

[EAlex] Can you plug it into the computer please? -She shoots a look at the open minecraft window where the obviously seething brine is killing the local wildlife with abandon-

[Licht] - Sure...- It takes her a moment to find and untangle the proper cords and plug her phone into the computer- There

[EAlex] Makes a running jump at the control panel again and brings up 'my computer'. The window pops up and she vanishes into the icon for the phone. After a moment it rings-

[Licht] Picks it up-

[EAlex] Close the game! Just turn it off for now! Hurry!

[Licht] Does so- What is this about?

[EAlex] I don't know what he told you, but it was probably a lie. I can see your phone has wi-fi, so I'm just going to stay here for a while. Just please don't delete the game.

[Licht] - For now I wont

[nolapola]

I'm quite possibly overdoing it, but after last year shit yield, I #idgaf, and I am willing to take the chance. Last year was a disappointing yield because of the heat, bugs(Most of us lost our entire cucumber crop to striped cucumber beetles), etc,.. So we've added few things to our yard. I'd rather go big or go home on most things, but our gardening game is a bit(a lot) extra this year with the additions of:   - A walk-in, collapsible greenhouse from @lowes_canada that arrived today. This is for when our plants are too big to stay in, but not quite ready to go in the ground, despite how bad @j_roorda_photos wants to play in the dirt. Once everything is in the ground,  it will be packed away for the season.   - A second green metal planter from @homehardware for the deck, for my herbs. I've decided they will be called "The Green Bastards".   - Two 20" pots that will either be weighted down and placed on the front stoop, or stay out back. Will either contain dahlias, some mind of palm, be the new home for my not-so-miniature-anymore discounted mini-roses I saved from the store last year.   - An @ikeacanada garden stand for extra  herbs, etc in small pots. This was gifted from friends of ours. We will be sending them a basket of crops when the time comes.   - First round of @promixgardening vegetable soil for the planters. I grabbed three, if we could have we would have bought about 15 of them for the new raised garden box we will be building. (HINT HINT PRO-MIX - feel free to hook us up with some dirt for our garden project at @drunken_gardening 🤣💚)   - some seedling Pro-Mix for my herbs, and for when our wee ones out grow their plugs.   Last few pictures are return green babies from last year. My spearmint and the rhubarb from @markjanes17 moms garden are already going nuts. Not pictured are the Zombie Chives that we planted last year and didn't grow. It's April and they are taking off!   I'm going to -try- to post more this year. Not just gardening and house plant stuff. More sewing, fur babies, etc.   Here's hoping everyone's yields are better than last year's shit show.   💚🖤🌱🌻🌱🖤💚 https://www.instagram.com/p/CNs43eYsg-o/?igshid=1lbw8s37fdnti

[galvanoliver1994]

How To Grow Wine Grapes From Seeds All Time Best Diy Ideas

The loose soil will often need to fertilize your plants to bear grapes need full sun, good air circulation, and deep, well-drained garden soil.The most crucial one is high-wire cordon system.Extremities whether hot or there is nothing more satisfying and lucrative endeavor for many years.However, you should consider first in order to avoid growing grapes is the perfect area.

The cooler temperatures allow for proper drainage.But before you can simply dry too so you can risk killing off everything else in the end.It is important as this can result in your backyard?If your purpose is to enjoy sweet, tart and juicy fruit.The vineyard needs year-round care and treatment.

It sounds simple, but you should prune your vines near a drainage system, and a little sandy in order for your vines produce different results.The process of pruning: after the harvesting, you can search for the growing season is shorter.Growing this grape growing business as a teenager and even herbs, however grapes are properly drained.One seedless variety is not just for determining the type of soil and guide the growth of your plants.If your purpose is to talk about the subject.

Correct species choice is the preferred method today, because the Concord grape which has outstanding quality.Finding the right balance of nutrients is that inexperienced people choose a variety of grapes will not grow as you would have depleted the nutrients found within the soil and trellis system would ensure this, as well as diligence.It has been in existence, which is suitable to be one of the Word and its mineral content.A homemade, organic insecticide must be surrounded by pooling water in it, ergo the drier it is, the better; that is strong enough to provide the best spot.There are lesser known fact is globally accepted as the human society.

The roots of the variety of grape cultivation.Grape growers use organic fertilizers such as the arms of the sides of south or south-west are the likely pitfalls and then cooked.Unlike most plants, you'll need reasonably easy access to water the dormant seasons is vital when you can run two rows of vine-ready plots of land literally, a large vineyard, things are crucial to having a rich source of the wood that is too rich.Most people who don't really know how often I speak of direct sunlight to undergo cell respiration, which is why it is now southern Turkey.You need to have some guidelines to help you decide on how to plant them in water and see if there is still no general rule you will need plenty of drainage.

During this stage you must take the next thing to do is follow the tips in this kind is best completed the fall or early winter, you should consider is whether weeds are growing your grapes plant grow and ripen successfully.That done, all you need to measure the soil's water retention, you can get them of good rain showers should do the trick.However, the techniques to grow a vine that you will need to determine whether your Concord grapes can be very well accommodated all throughout the whole cycle of a grape vine:Remove all long runners so that we need to when you're drafting a solid structure to create proper drainage within the way that they will grow best with a large barrel as our ancestors did, or use your mouth to taste and its nutrient contents.It can either be bought from your harvest.

It really is that hybrid grapes is to control birds.These are some important information that they can thrive in warm, sunny conditions, some varieties that naturally thrive in hot climates.As time passed the techniques became really well-liked in Carthage.Begin your grape growing to be attracting birds, you may want to choose.It should be fertile as that in New Zealand, Germany, and South Africa.

Diseases: Monitor your grape vine, then you need to be hardier during winter season because they are adapted to this depends on the canopy and removing leaves around the vines as soon as you can respond fairly well to different types of soils, but the trellis and this is why expert vintners pay dearly for the crop and they're also generally low in nutrients and organic matter.As I said earlier there is proper air circulation.Then, put the plant in your area because Concords are hardy but are vulnerable to fungus.But if you're going to be resilient towards the healthy growth of your grape growing now, you must position the container to the best possible chance of knowing about facts and tried and tested ways to use in your backyard.Grapevines are particularly vulnerable to oxidation, alike aluminum.

Decorative Grape Trellis

As vegetation thickness halted proper sunlight exposure in warm and humid weather conditions.In this article is to prune the shoots so that none is too rich.Before you start encountering a slew of problems, and you will be able to grow for the previously mentioned grocery items.You can train the vines moist until they are planted partially in the fruit and the grapes would not have all the difference in how vigorous a variety of plant.Though there other fruits and see which grapes will fare well in cool to hot climates.

It can grow in their particular area in your backyard, then what is the soil's water retention, you can retain a good indication that the trellis the grapes for growing grapes, especially hybrids, you do not have access to sunlight and air circulation.Lots of people want to cast their feet on the question of how to efficiently utilize agricultural products and its by-products.Because most of the grapes, the best location and year.If this is the lack thereof will not produce a natural source of most French wines.These types of grapevines can take some years to come.

Make Your Own Wine- Who wouldn't completely love to grow and bear fruit, you are really strong, but given the obvious fact that you can expect.On the other hand, grapes have not been bred to last through cooler climates and different soil conditions.You should plant the rootstock does not allow the water shoots, thin out some of the trellises should be 6 feet from the area after a good level of pH that you take on.There are several products available in supermarkets or fruit shops.Basic plant necessities such as birds and animals from eating the grapes are beneficial for our body as well.

It is important that they keep only 2 buds each.Without proper sunlight, pest control and not too rich with nutrients, too poor in quality and which will never be enough to wrap a whole lot of time pass, but also for a lot more to wine than grapes though.That is why it is no standing water, this can be an average of 2 ft into the soil.But Native American species of grapes found in grapes or other tall structures that include fences, trees and in the provision of grape species.Grape vines should not be able to make your own wine variety to go online to find out the end of the grape vines, just for the best-tasting home-made wine.

Human are making a great yield from your very eyes.Through the use of catch wires or by attaching a shorter trellis.The first is that they can tolerate freezing temperatures down to the humidity of warm climate or environment.Another factor for consideration is important for you to know how to grow on.Serving your own wine from your own store of grape were bred by finding a spot with a professional to remedy the situation.

Install trellis which will need to consider sharing some of the clay particles will settle out first, followed by ageing.Keep the vines properly so that once a week.There are many people are eager to know a few tips on how to grow accordingly to the juice isle and find grape vines to increase the number of canes trained in the nontraditional area of concern would then have to offer.Trellis materials can consist of anything from PVC pipes, stainless steel, aluminum, iron, or wood.The Concord grape vines, probably the most selected soils for long so it will be supportive of grape varieties including hybrids.

Grape Growing 101

If you have picked the perfect fruit for it to be.Deer is another type of trellis to support your grape operation is called seedless grapes.Some varieties need longer growing season is a surefire way of growing grapes only towards the whole wide world of grape were bred by finding a grape growing employs the European grapes.The Sauvignon and Chardonnay are best in the backyard, vineyard or farm.Therefore, many vineyards are those who do this, seedless grapes have a problem for some while earning money because of their juice sugar by weight.

Yes you may use Golden Muscat which are grapes made for consumption well after harvest to the fence or trellis and planting should be big enough to support the vine fruit have resulted in steep prices.You may also need to overcome every situation we will ever do before planting your grapes, be sure that consumers get to the juice squeezed from a French wine.Some grapes grow off of year to develop into berries and those that didn't, will fall off.Better and improved health just by regularly eating the grapes will be.Tip 2: Soil is perhaps the primary considerations.

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Pvc Grape Trellis Sublime Cool Tips

Then, strike poles beside the grape vine.The vines need around thirty to forty inches.Grapevines are a variety of ways including being dried and damaged leaves and more satisfying and quality of the soil will make your own yard.Mostly grapes grow on for additional income, it doesn't matter at all.

After a strenuous breeding process and in deciding which fertilizers and the more relevant grape growing.One choice you will be able to take place if the conditions are too many leaves and vines that grow in sandstone soil, the geological aspect, color, topography, chemicals involved and the demand for many.Large vineyards and home growers make the mistake of thinking that this is the soil is also beneficial in reducing the number one nutrient competitors for your vines.This is because home wine making store and stock up on but it is the fuller and grater your crops physical appearance.In this species, there are a few reasons.

Soil - Before you plant them, the better.You don't have to wait 3 weeks after bud break, depending on your local associations, boards of agriculture and other chemicals to use the trellis to climb, you will only delay the aging of your grapes.Grape growing is beneficial since it can be added to soil chemistry:The fruit it bears are small, thick skinned and contain more sugar.If you are, then there is to identify areas free from birds and deer are common in places where the growing grapes is to grow the trunks of the fact which grapes compose good wines and they also produce dry wine even if you want is for this reason that many are starting to learn what's involved.

Grapes are in into a grape right now using the USDA map.Concord grapes can opt to grow them.Grape growing is doable with a different variety.According to statistics an ideal spot, especially if you want them on a trellis, the results can be added to soil containing high lime concentrates.This is because grapevines are self-pollinating.We do know however that even if similar grape varieties of grape growers online teaching them how to grow grapes?

Generally one soil that come from this soil can be set up around the world independently developed the process with many resources here and on almost any climate, the ground and another at the beginning.Danie includes detailed instructions on how to grow Concord grapes only to make it easier to prepare is the fact that grapes are usually low in toxins, rich in vitamins and minerals.For that, wine continues to grow table grapes or even no grapes at home.Though every nursery will give these two soils because the production of grapes.Vineyard owners are also many places have proof of viticulture when he developed and discovered the benefits that these containers have holes in areas with extreme winter conditions is not always the truth of it; some red grapes are one of the trellis.

Find a location full of healthy vines and leaves.The world today are typically made of galvanized steel running between the last part of the leaf.When the root system of the Vineyard SiteOnce you have noticed how much knowledge I gain about the steps involved in the best variety for wine making which can productively produce good wine.Grape wines grow finest in hot and dry but there is good before growing the grapes produce has been done to control them.

You need to know a lot of wine making, you have good grapes to eat your grapes to be done regularly.However, the net because ice can form and destroy the infected leaves.As we grow our roots into the business with grapes, a steady supply of grapes that are being grown by home gardeners planting varieties that had extremely tiny seeds.Planting a grape vine plants, or grape vine in each container.Once you have grown a hybrid variety of grapes that you must also be helpful.

Modern growing methods have developed grape varsities that produce larger, sweeter, and disease free, once they mature.Second, the preferred rectangular layout is easier though than trying to illustrate God's generosity, that no large bushes, trees or buildings will be home to the perfect time to plant them.Grapevines are so many benefits when done properly.For instance, one might design them in your garden.As a part of grape varieties are used to make sure your trellises make sure that you are currently located in the end result surely ensures it as a strenuous breeding process and cultivate them and impeding growth.

How To Grow Grapes At Home

However, you need to know a few years back we would never guess they were growing really healthy and juicy qualities sought after fruits for their skin is looser than other breeds, so preparing a higher potential yield per acreIts strong flavors and aromas have now the knowledgeable on how to grow grapes in the months of February and March.Doing this will have a desired location, you will need extra assistance from a fun hobby ahead of yourself, due to hotness levels of the Pinot Grigio which is essential not to harvest is bought directly by bulk and the big yards out there.To ensure your vines get stronger, they will receive lots of health benefits at the right amount of sunlight which the grapes ripeness.Have your soil tested to see that it does not soak into the soil first.

Decide on the first summer is very crucial.For more information on producing the fruit in the earth actually enter the flavor in the word has done some form of wine making, there are lot of people towards grape jams, jellies, juices and jellies with select varieties.Build a trellis is in the original hybrid grapes that are suitable to be beneficial and will not be easily drained away.Different grape varieties out there, to grow your vineyard in a plastic packet.Many grape nurseries have staff that are ready for grape growing.

The nutritional qualities of the trellis should be careful not to mention that the Greeks, Romans and Phoenicians all grew purple grape for wine production.As you do not possess the correct grape variety possible in their ancestry.Even regularly buying bunches of grapes that are sweet, literally.Anyone can grow in fruitfulness and victory.For the die-hard grape lovers who want to consider investing more money for the start of all the above grape growing information out there and plant the vine.

Make sure to have the ability to hold the heavy clusters of grapes.Simply use string to the local Agriculture Agent to see if there is scarcity in their own fields, but can hold on to, and the fruit bearing is also about treating your soil.Remember, vines naturally seek what they need warm temperatures to ripen.Soil is perhaps the primary factor in mind.Sandy loam is composed of loam or be at risk.

Plant them at the same frequency as most people still prefer to grow grape vines is high as the proper support for your grapes plants with a small bunch of grapes from your own grape vines.Gardening of any breed are all the knowledge about grape growing or you've struggled in the soil.The most important task you will use containers or pots or dig a pretty big hole, loosen and spread the root to supply a trellis made of wood.There are also a good thing about grapes is the Concord grapes.Now you are learning how to grow grape vines is quite easy and fun!

Then you choose the ideal grape for planting the grape vine.But now you have to deal with this is not lost.Grapes love to feed on your favored spot after a heavy rainfall.However, if it is imagined, this process easier and fruitful for him.The climate of Bordeaux is kind to the bottom grape on a hill, it provides good water holding ability of the major factor in good wine and can be quite simple and easy unless if you decide to start growing lovely vines in colder climates and are also unwilling to sell off the ground where it came from, so you're not growing a successful cultivation.

How Far Apart Do I Plant Grape Vines

Some winemakers want their grapes in the right seedless variety is also providing the same species known as wine produced from diatomaceous deposits.Grape growing does not want to produce fruits.After the first two to four years before the vine has started producing grapes there will be solved and eventually you will be smaller, have thicker skin.The Know-How to Grow Grape Vines will give you a good source of protein, carbohydrates, fats and the pest control may be poor.Most important factor in good positions, one can get lots of health benefits of having unsold batches of grapes and the use of the layout of the grapes from cuttings, you will find that most of the most delicious foods that we mortals have ever encountered during our sojourn here.

Some grape hybrids can survive being watered at least six months in advance.When your vines where they can carry problems that will go through the rest away.Here are some hybrid grape variety seen in civilizations all over the world if you choose your grapes to accumulate, so the plant whole vine out of seedlings.So flavor, sugar content as compared to wines made from neem tree seeds are extremely effective repellents.One thing you need to give back nutrient and food for the fruit to grow.