#i can totally go with wormwood!

[trip-downtheriverstyx]

Hades's eyebrows quirked, the barest sign of reaction to Ben's apparent frustration, though it revealed very little.

It certainly didn't reveal what he was thinking: Oh, you're frustrated? Good.

It was, after all, some measure of justice that the bloke, who had weaseled away from the court of law for his involvement in the Order, was forced to sort through what Hades could only assume was decades worth of poor records keeping.

Not that he ever thought much about the archives. Belle had come down here before; she seemed to access everything just fine.

"Ah, no. I'm just interested in your progress," said Hades smoothly, slipping a smile onto his own face. "So you find the previous system lacking?"

@ben-books

Keep Your Enemies Closer || Hooks

[hp-hcs]

i didn’t realize the riddle brothers were a "buy one get one free" type of deal, but alright — simp! overprotective! yandere! riddle brothers x gn! oblivious! bullied! slytherin! reader

requested by 🎀!

2.5k words, not to brag 😌

i love writing the bros’ interactions with each other as like, actual sibling-core yk? they r just so cutie patootie

the reader's patronus makes an appearance in this, but i tried to make it as accessible to everyone as possible, so it's never explicitly stated what animal it is. it is implied that it’s able-to-fit-under-a-table sized though

also this is totally just pre-slash nothing that interesting happens

warnings: couple mentions of blood, mild descriptions of wounds, implied violence, implied bullying, murder

not edited!! this is my first like, really long fic so constructive criticism is welcome!

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

A well-timed shove to the small of your back sent you tumbling down an entire flight of moving stairs. 

You groaned as you hit the bottom, sprawled out on your back on the cold stone floor. You laid there for a moment, winded. You could hear the occupants of a nearby painting titter at your gracefulness (or lack thereof), so you rolled your head to the other side to give them an award winning smile and an unabashed middle finger. 

You could hear them all grumble about kids these days and how I never would’ve treated my elders this way. You just rolled your eyes at their pettiness. 

“Uh…what are you doing?” A decidedly alive voice interrupted your momentary satisfaction.

“Ah- evening, Riddle!” You said cheerily as soon as you recognized the speaker, scrambling to your feet and dusting off your uniform. “Nothing! Just…tripped. Couldn’t see very well in the dark, that’s all.”

Tom blinked, his lips twisted into a frown. “.....Fine. But don’t let me catch you out of bed past curfew again. You’re a Slytherin, for Salazar’s sake. Act like it.”

And that was it. Tom turned on his heel and continued down the hall without another word. Tom Riddle: prefect, teacher’s pet, and obnoxious hardass extraordinaire—he just...let you go, with no threats of detention or loss of house points. 

Huh. 

~~~

Tom, having just returned from a full night’s shift of prefect hall duty, flopped face-down onto his bed, his cheeks aflame as he let out a muffled shriek into his pillow. 

His brother, in the process of getting dressed for the day, paused at the scene in front of him. 

“Dude, what’s your deal?” 

“L/n,” Tom said by way of explanation, kicking his feet as he shrieked into his pillow again. “They acknowledged me. And they know my last name.”

“Most people know our last name, Tom,” Mattheo rolled his eyes.

“No- you don’t understand,” Tom said emphatically. “L/n is like…the cutest person to ever exist. And they’re so sweet, and smart, and funny, and-”

“And terrified of us?”

“Well…”

Mattheo rolled his eyes, putting his hands on his hips. “You talk about them too much. It’s getting insufferable.”

Tom just scowled and flicked his fingers to cast a wandless spell that straightened Mattheo’s tie and neatened his uniform. “The way you dress is insufferable. Slob.”

Mattheo stuck out his tongue at his brother before ruffling Tom’s hair to purposely mess it up. “Dick.”

“Idiot.”

~~~

Mattheo glanced up at you as you hovered uncertainly by the corner of his desk. 

“Can I sit here…?” You mumbled shyly, your cheeks flushing as the pretty dark-haired boy in your year smiled up at you.

“Course!” He grinned brightly before realizing that might have been too enthusiastic of a reply for eight in the morning and quickly tried to cover up his slip. “Uh…Y/n, right? I’m Mattheo.”

“Yeah, I know who you are.”

Mattheo’s stomach dropped.

Fuck, that’s not good.

“You let me copy your homework in third year for that essay on the properties of wormwood, or whatever.” You said offhandedly, like it wasn’t batshit insane to remember that pointlessly tiny detail. “Thank you for that, by the way. Potions sucks ass.”

Before Mattheo could even think, the words left his mouth. “I could tutor you if you want.”

You looked at him oddly, but grinned after a second. “Yeah, sure. That’d actually be really helpful. Snape hates me, man.”

“Really? Even though you’re in Slytherin?”

“Mhm, his baseless nepotism only extends so far.”

Mattheo barked out a startled laugh as your deadpan humor caught him off guard. You just grinned at him in response, causing the tips of his ears to immediately burn bright red.

He cleared his throat awkwardly, ducking his head in embarrassment. “Um…do you wanna meet in the library after school today? For our tutoring session,” Mattheo hurriedly added. 

“Sure, alright.” You shrugged. “See you there.”

He beamed, giving you that stupidly adorable grin once more. “Awesome! Yeah- yeah, cool. Awesome. See you there then.”

~~~

You were still shit at potions.

It had been six weeks of tutoring, and you’d learned pretty much nothing. Although, that wasn’t an issue on Mattheo’s part, but rather on his annoyingly hot older brother’s. 

Tom Riddle was surprisingly funny. For someone who gave off almost exclusively stoically austere bastard vibes, he enjoyed cracking jokes and enlisting your help in pulling pranks on his brother a bit too much.

It became your routine. Every Tuesday and Thursday after school, you would meet the two brothers in the library, waste like three hours joking around and getting absolutely no work done, and then going back to your dorm and ranting to your roommate about how fucking cute they are and how you would gladly pay for the opportunity to make out with one- no, both of them. 

(Your roommate is so fucking tired of hearing about the Riddles. You’d better buy them a latte and a cake-pop as an apology.)

~~~

You struggled to get up, your legs giving out. You cursed under your breath, putting a hand to your forehead as it throbbed in pain. 

It came away sticky with blood. 

This wasn’t going to work, you realized belatedly. With what remained of your strength, you were able to reach out and grab your wand, murmuring a quiet, “Expecto Patronum.”

A spectral creature formed in front of your eyes, remaining motionless as it stared at you. 

“Go find Riddle,” you mumbled to the Patronus, your eyelids growing heavy. 

You barely registered the wispy glowing animal immediately bounding off at your instructions, your vision doubling before your body went completely slack, the wand slipping from your fingers and hitting the tile floor with a clatter. 

~~~

Mattheo doodled mindlessly in the margins of his parchment as his brother droned on and on about the properties of willow bark in potions and really, this is important, Mattheo. Pay attention.

“Why isn’t Y/n here yet?” Mattheo asked his brother for the third time. 

Tom rolled his eyes. “I don’t know, Matt. Just like how I didn't know when you asked me five minutes ago. Maybe they just don’t want to see your stupid face any more, huh?”

“What if they’re in trouble? Or hurt?” Mattheo worried, chewing on his thumbnail and ignoring his brother’s insult. “They’re never late, Tommy.”

Tom wrinkled his nose at the use of the dumb (albeit endearing) nickname Mattheo gave him when they were children, but the sinking feeling in his gut at hearing his brother’s distressed tone didn’t help to ease the niggling worries at the back of his mind of maybe they are in trouble.

As if on cue, Mattheo shivered as something icy cold brushed against his ankles. He glanced down. A glowing spectral creature nudged his leg, looking up at him expectantly with unnervingly empty eyes. 

A Patronus. 

Y/n’s Patronus.

~~~

They followed the Patronus down the deserted hall, the animal occasionally pausing to make sure the boys were both still following it before bounding forward again.

The Patronus stopped in front of a bathroom door, giving them both that same unnervingly hollow-eyed stare of expectancy.

Tom gulped and pushed open the door, fearing that he might find the worst.

He did.

~~~

Your eyes cracked open slowly, and you winced at the multitude of stinging and stabbing pains that wracked your body.

You had to blink a couple times for everything to come into focus. You were in a small room with white walls and white flooring, and the gentle dawn illuminated the quiet space with soft rays of light. The steady beep of a vitals monitor faded into the background as you stared down at yourself.

You weren’t wearing a shirt, for one, or even a hospital gown. Pretty much your entire upper torso was wrapped in bloodstained gauze. The jagged edges of a brutal slash across your chest peeked out of the top of the dressings, and you had to close your eyes and hold your breath for a moment to keep from throwing up. Once you’d calmed back down, you opened your eyes, startled to see that you weren’t alone.

Mattheo had pulled up a chair to the side of your hospital bed and crossed his arms on the mattress, using them as a makeshift pillow. His dark lashes fanned across his cheeks, his breaths slow and even. He looked so peaceful and...unguarded in his sleep. You reached down to brush a loose curl away from his forehead.

“Having fun?”

You startled, jerking your hand back. 

Tom leaned against the doorframe of your room with an amused expression, quirking an eyebrow and wiggling his fingers in a wave.

“Shut up,” you hissed back in a whisper, your cheeks flaring red. 

Tom’s amused grin only grew at your dark blush as he invited himself into your room fully, closing the door behind him.

 “Your secret’s safe with me.” He jokingly winked, tapping the side of his nose.

“You’re insufferable.”

“So I’ve been told.”

“What am I doing here?” You quickly changed topics, refusing to even look down in Mattheo’s direction. 

Tom sighed, any amusement on his face rapidly vanishing. “You sent us a Patronus, thank Merlin. Pomfrey said you would’ve bled out if you hadn’t.”

You had no memory of casting the Patronus charm at all, but you trusted Tom’s recollection of events better than your own jumbled and spotty one. “Bled out?” You questioned, your heart hammering in your throat as your voice climbed an octave in anxiety.

Tom nodded, his face carefully schooled into a blank and neutral expression. “You were hit with the Sectumsempra spell. You've been out for three days now.”

Your brow furrowed. “Malfoy got hit with that last year though—and was in and out of the infirmary in less than a day.”

“Snape knew the counterspell and found ‘im just in time last year,” Mattheo mumbled sleepily, his eyes still closed as he tuned into the conversation at hand. “But whoever hit you with it just left you there to die.”

“Charming.” You mutter under your breath.

“Regardless of what happened in Malfoy’s instance,” Tom interrupted briskly. “You were on the brink of literal death. So I’ll ask you this one time and one time only. Who did it, Y/n?”

~~~

“I brought you a cookie from the Great Hall,” Mattheo grinned widely, climbing into your hospital bed next to you and unwrapping the napkin in his hand. “And the notes from today’s Charms lesson, but those’re boring and we both know you won’t actually read ‘em.”

“Aww, you know me so well.” You teased, breaking the cookie in half and handing him one of the pieces.

Mattheo cupped the cookie fragment in his hands like it was a priceless treasure, staring down at it in unrestrained awe. 

You just shook your head at his antics and brushed the odd reaction off.

~~~

You woke up this morning and just felt like shit. You were nauseous, and dizzy, and felt borderline faint. Tom’s voice, usually soothing and comforting to hear, sounded like nails on a chalkboard right now. He rambled on and on about the delicate process of making the temperamental Felix Felicis potion. 

“Tom,” you interrupted, your voice scratchy and quiet. “Can we take a break? Please?”

He blinked, surprised at being interrupted, but nodded slowly. “I suppose…? Why?”

“Don’t feel good,” you mumbled, setting your textbook down and rubbing your eyes. 

“I wouldn’t expect you to,” Madame Pomfrey said brusquely as she bustled around your hospital room, shooing Tom out of the way to stand by your bedside. 

(Poppy Pomfrey remains the only person who can and has shooed Tom Riddle III and lived to tell the tale—and all without a single ounce of fear.)

“I’ve raised your dosage so that you can be out of here in time for your N.E.W.T.s.” Pomfrey elaborated upon seeing your confused look.

“Fantastic.” You mumbled dryly, grinning sleepily up at Tom as he grabbed onto your hand and interlaced your fingers together. He ignored the way his heart skipped a beat in favor of letting you hold his sweaty palm.

“Go to sleep, L/n,” Tom muttered under his breath. “Potions can wait.”

~~~

Tom lay in your hospital bed beside you, running his thumb over your knuckles. “Please? We promise we won’t do anything.”

“Yeah,” Mattheo chimed in from the other side of your crowded bed, one arm tossed over your waist as he rested his chin on your shoulder. “Or at least, nothing we’ll get caught for.”

You sigh, tired of their ceaseless pleading. “Alright, alright, fine. I’ll tell you who it was.”

Both boys leaned in close.

You sigh again and roll your eyes at their overprotectiveness. “Alright, it was-”

~~~

Tucker Thompson and Devin Dobbs: Gryffindor Sixth Years Found MURDERED at Hogwarts! Dumbledore: “No comment at this time.”

You tilted the newspaper so Madame Pomfrey could read the article over your shoulder as she replaced your IV bag. 

Pomfrey just sighed and rolled her eyes. “I don’t understand how Skeeter is still employed at the Prophet.”

“Cause shock value will always hold weight in the media?” You answered dryly around a mouthful of depressingly plain infirmary wing toast. “And Skeeter’s good at nothing if not coming up with bullshit shock value titles.”

“That may be true,” she began, snatching the paper from your hands. “But patients shouldn’t be reading about such dark subjects, and certainly not while under my care. And don’t talk while eating. I rather like your company, and would hate to see you choke.”

You rolled your eyes at her suffocatingly motherly behavior. “So are they? Thompson and Dobbs; they’re really dead?”

Madame Pomfrey hesitated.

You let out a relieved breath of air that you tried (and failed) to hide behind a cough. “That’s…terrible.”

She narrowed her eyes and studied you for a long moment, her fingers mindlessly worrying the deckle edge of the newspaper in her hands. “It was them, wasn’t it? Your boys.”

“My boys?”

“Yes, yes, Riddles one and two. Your boys.”

“Oh- we’re not…”

She raised an eyebrow, pursing her lips as she tried to hold back a laugh at the utter obliviousness of teenagers. “Do they know that, dear?”

You spluttered out a half-assed rebuke to her statement, but Pomfrey quickly interrupted you.

“They’ve been staying here for hours every day for the last month. They want more than just your friendship, hon.”

“No way. We’re just friends.” You insisted firmly. “That’s all.”

Madame Pomfrey rolled her eyes. “Uh huh. Friends. Keep telling yourself that.”

You stared after her, open-mouthed in bafflement, as she rolled up the Prophet, tucked it under her arm, and turned around without another word—leaving you with zero reading material and a million questions.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

you have to love how pomfrey could not give less of a fuck that the riddles murdered two students as long as she gets her ot3 absolutely iconic behavior

[liminalpebble]

Hi y'all,

I'm having that annoying writerly confidence crisis where I just feel like nothing I'm putting out there is good enough even though I put so much into it.

I'm not saying this to guilt anyone into reading anything you're not interested in. I totally understand that appetites vary from time to time, ability to engage varies, maybe you just need to save it up to read later, etc. (I go through exactly the same thing).

So, truly, no matter how little or how much engagement I get, I'm grateful for every single one of you and your reactions because it still amazes and delights and surprises me that there's even one other human out there reading what I write. And I get to experience the unique things that you other diverse and lovely people make. Often, it even ends up that I've made a new friend. How amazing is that when you really think about it?!

Anyway, I just would like to hear how y'all approach this for yourselves or get over it so you can find more joy in it again. I'd love to hear your thoughts as a reader too.

Also some hugs are always nice. I'm sending you all of mine, and if you want, even a big kiss on the mouth!

Much love to all you. 💋

Peb 💜 🪨 🖊

P.S. I'm considering posting a snippet of The Other Side (which is an Eddie fic). Let me know if you'd enjoy that.

P.P.S. please enjoy this lovely photo of some pretty black flowers I saw on my walk as repayment for your attention.

@mochie85 @lokischambermaid @lokisgoodgirl @little-wormwood @littlestabbyelf @smolvenger @lemongingerart @marcotheflychair @acidcasualties @sweetsigyn @hellfirenacht @leelei1980 @loz-3 @icytrickster17 @loopsisloops @holdmytesseract @josephfakingquinn @elegantkoalapaper @eleniblue @coldnique @ijuststareatstuffhereok89 @peaches1958 @sailorholly @thedistractedagglomeration @thenerdyoldersister @use-your-telescope @take-everything-you-can @fairyysoup @lesservillain @azula-karai-27 @lexr86 @alexakeyloveloki @goblingirlsarah @muddyorbs @jennyggggrrr @mischief2sarawr @mischiefmaker615 @the-haven-of-fiction @unlucky-number-13 @gigglingtiggerv2 @ladyofthestayingpower @buttercupcookies-blog @infinitystoner @munson-blurbs @word-wytch @wolfsmom1 @gruftiela @anukulee @mrs-illyrian-baby @morby

[river-in-the-woods]

i have a similar situation - i'm struggling to make my own correspondences, and i'm trying to draw from my pagan practices as well as my ancestral asian practice. i'm having a bit of difficulty with systematically going through a small dictionary, but maybe this can provide some ideas (and of course, if you have any critiques, i'm totally open to that as well!)

I usually just pick up any reference book and choose whatever I like the sound of and can get my hands on. I have a copy of The Encyclopedia of Natural Magic by J.M. Greer which I use a lot because it has minimal tangential waffle and is neatly laid out. I like Llewellyn's Charms, Spells and Formulas for the same reason.

For culturally relevant things, I like chinasage which has a symbol index of various flora and fauna. I'm not aware of similar resources for other parts of East Asia, apologies.

While I do think that different materials are endowed with particular virtues, I also think this is another area of magic where people get a little obsessed with categorisation.

It's not like Pokemon where lavender has +10 sleep magic points and chamomile has +12, or roses are exclusively for love and attraction and black pepper is only for cursing and banishing, and so on... It's a little more like cooking where there are many possibilities of creating a satisfying meal and yet it still depends on the individual tastes of who's partaking in it.

Cypress, yew and asphodel are strongly associated with the underworld; mugwort and wormwood are associated with night-time and dreams, but these plants will still die without the light of day. Sunflowers and oranges are very solar, but they still have roots that reach into the earth to anchor them. Chilli peppers are incredibly fiery, but they still die without water. Yarrow is for youth, love and beauty, except when you're allergic to it.

Every herb is a herb for protection, and wealth, and attraction, and fertility, and banishing – and so on, because every plant has its own strategy to survive, thrive and proliferate.

(And that's just plants, not even touching on the properties of minerals, animals, elements, colours and so on.)

They do have their specialisations, yes, and I wouldn't use mint to call on the element of fire, nor would I use coffee beans in a sleep spell... What I'm trying to say is: they're all multi-faceted, so set aside the reference books now and then, and just observe and make connections intuitively.

Reference books might tell you that basil or cinnamon or citrus (or whatever) have wealth-drawing properties.

But grass, plain old common grass, completely dominates the greenery of the earth. Crops like rice, wheat, barley and corn are staple foods that support the world's population. And dandelions, with their solar and ouranic qualities and how quickly they proliferate across an open field, are oft overlooked.

These never get listed in books, yet their literal and symbolic powers are undeniable.

Put these – grass seeds, rice grains and dandelion seeds – into a wealth working with a simple prayer. "Bless me with as much wealth as there are blades of grass on this earth, as there are grains of rice that sustain humanity, as there are dandelion seeds that fill the air in spring."

Correspondences are only part of what makes magic work. There's also your own ability and experience, the spirits you call and the relationship you have with them... I strongly favour the relationship part because reference books become less and less important, when you can just ask and the spirits will tell you what to use. Or even better when you don't have to do a spell at all, because you have spirits to take care of it in exchange for some cake.

It took me a long time to open myself up to receiving that kind of inspiration, but... honestly, don't overthink it. You know a lot of correspondences already because you interact with the world every day.

Good luck 🌿

[mayabunny23]

Cringe ass Headcanons about the Don't Starve Together Gang's gender and sexuality

Wilson - Aroace He cares more about science and being a smart ass than he does romance or sex.

Willow - Lesbian She seems like the type of girl that scares men away on purpose... Gremlin woman.

Wolfgang - Aroace He would rather settle down with a friend than a lover. The man also sees most of the people in the group as friends.

Wendy - Aroace She is a kid but even if she was an adult, her grief for her sister is stronger than any love for someone (be is romantic or what not)

WX-78 - Non-binary & Aroace They are canonically non-binary so the obvious is obvious. They don't feel romantic feelings but they can feel many other forms of love... they are not truly emotionless.

Wickerbottom - Asexual Biromantic She wouldn't mind a partner to help her at her library but she might not go with any of the people here... except maybe Wanda.

Woodie - Pansexual More like axe-sexual... Wait wouldn't that make every ship with him a polycule? He loves Lucy but if he was to love someone that wasn't a talking axe, he wouldn't care what gender they are.

Wes - Demiboy & Asexual Wes feels like the type to be referred to with he / them... Be it because of the character he plays or because that's what they refers to themself as.

Maxwell - Bisexual "I miss my wife, Wilson... I miss her a lot... I'll be back." he swings both ways but uh... who wants this pathetic man outside of Charlie?

Wigfrid - Demigirl & Bisexual This queen of theater (Sorry Charlie) uses she / them much the same way Wes does... that and she is just cool like that. Oh and she likes people.

Webber - Demiboy & Aroace His reasoning for being demiboy is because he is literally two beings and the spider is a they / it... also same thing as Wendy, his fixation on bugs and critters is stronger than dumb romantic love. (If he was like an adult)

Winona - Butch [Lesbian] Obvious thing is obvious, she has a girlfriend back on Earth that thinks she's dead. Also like look at her, she is straight up very butch leaning.

Warly - Gay The other side of the spectrum, Warly is probably gay... Totally not because Waokevale and another person influenced me with Warly x Woodie...

Wortox - Aroace Mortal concepts as "love" and "sex" doesn't interest this imp, he is only after chaos and fun.... Also Wortox gives zero DAMNs what pronouns you use on Wortox.

Wormwood - Non-Binary & Aroace The lad doesn't know or really feel that type of stuff [And it's not because he is a "kid", he is an adult.], Wormwood only uses he / him pronouns on himself because they sound nice but he doesn't mind any pronouns really.

Wurt - Aroace Wurt is a kid and she's more focus on creating a merm kingdom and learning to really care.

Walter - Aroace Kid doesn't care about romance but probably had a crush at some point.

Wanda - Asexual Lesbian Wanda doesn't have time to have sex with your mother, she is trying not to turn into dust.

Wonkey - Literally not even a real character.

If you scrolled down this far or read this, thanks! this is probably hell to read for people with like... reading issues (I have some form of it, don't worry)

I might do the DLC characters from Don't Starve next but uh... maybe never, just need to remember they exist.

ALSO!!!!!!! If none of the headcanons suit you then be happy knowing they are HEADcanons and are not real...

ALSO Also... sorry for no art bros, been doodling ocs shit for discord server and no one would be interested in that.

[peachdues]

Idk if my ask got ate by Tumblr or if you just haven't had a chance to get to it. Which is totally understandable! I was jw if you had any scent suggestions for something with a pepper-y kick to it. Idk how to describe what I'm trying to say 😩

Or maybe something that can be masculine and feminine at the same time. I'm leaning more into my masc side and I'm feeling so much more confident. So I'm trying to find a scent that can be my go-to.

I fell in love with Replica's Spring Time in a Park, but i think I want to be able to switch to something different when I'm not feeling as girly?

OKAY I GOTCHU. I love peppery/spicier scents this time of year!

As a general rule, you’ll want to look out for the following notes: black or pink pepper, any sort of spice (clove, cinnamon, cardamom, etc). Patchouli is also a good one to keep an eye out for, as is benzoin!

Lord of Misrule by Lush — on my current rotation and a good price point! Wonderfully spicy and I definitely think it can be more androgynous depending on how you wear it/what you layer with. Notes include patchouli, black pepper and vanilla!

By the Fireplace by Replica — I used this as my headcanon for Kyojuro’s choice of fragrance. It’s definitely strong, but you can soften it with a good vanilla lotion and make it a little creamier (but still spicy!) if you want. Notes include clove oil, chestnut accord and vanilla accord.

Crystal Noir by Versace — since you like Springtime in the Park, this one is like a spicy floral. Notes include ginger, cardamom, pepper and white florals!

Eilish No. 2 by Billie Eilish — another spicy floral, but more woody as well. Definitely a perfect androgynous scent. Notes include apple blossom, wild poppy, black pepper, incense, and palo santo

Bull’s blood by Imaginary Authors — I love everything Imaginary Authors does. This also has some floral notes but it’s balanced well with additional notes of patchouli, black musk, tobacco, and sandalwood

City on Fire by Imaginary Authors — THIS ONE. THIS ONE. Oh my god, I love this one so much. When you first spray it, it smells like a lit match but the dry down?? Utter perfection. Notes include cade oil, spikenard, cardamom, dark berries, labdanum and burnt match. I would definitely recommend getting the discovery sample of this, though — some people hate it, and others love it!

Bousvali by Maison Louis Marie — imagine a girl wearing masculine deodorant. Notes of bergamot, ginger and orange

Poltergeist by Heretic Parfum — this is actually on my buy list! I can’t wait to try it because the notes are incredible. Juniper, wormwood, frankincense, champca flower, cade, vanilla, patchouli and labdanum!

Hope this helps! Usually you can get samples, and i always recommend buying samples/travel sizes first. Love you bestie 🤍🤍

[sir-yeehaw-paws]

can we have some more of ur tpp ocelhira hcs? 👀 (its my bday today although thats completely unrelated ehe)

AYEEEE HAPPY BIRTHAY OCELHIRA ANON.

Let me see what I have brewing and cooking here.

So TPP can definitely get a little wonky-donky for the Ocelhira times because Ocelot has hypnotized himself. This puts a minor wrench in things, depending on what Kaz knows. And I'd say there's a good chance Kaz doesn't know he's hypnotized BUT I think Kaz might know something is up. He's known the guy nine years at this point (give or take) and he knows Ocelot is the master of mind games, but after that long working together, I think even Ocelot is going to have some consistencies with his personality-at least, the very basis of his personality himself.

But I don't want to complicate it too much, so anyway. I think that Kaz asks a lot of questions in this time period, and the answers he comes up with boil down often to things like: Boss is back so Ocelot's mindset and priorities have (of course) swapped over to his favourite person of all time again. The stuff they've been building for 9 years is now in fruition, their needs and mindset have changed and Ocelot has other things on his mind besides Kaz, etc. Intense, unforgiving self-loathing. Kaz assuming he's not desirable or interesting anymore. Etc.

I do think Ocelot helps Kaz out (whether he wants that help or not) because it has to be done. If neglect or otherwise starts affecting Kaz's work, he is going to step in. I have shaving headcanons here too-Boss is off base half the time (and often by Kaz's request, especially early on when Kaz is giving Venom mission after mission after mission) and Ocelot's good with a blade (IMO anyway). Kaz doesn't shave much in this time (as we can see), but if he does. Ocelot is there and waiting with the straight razor.

Their banter got WAY worse in this time period. Like, way worse. Banter is a normal thing for them, it got dialed up to 11 in this time. This one gets explored in fanfics periodically and it's one I agree with, or at the very least it is one I like to explore and ponder myself. It's where Kaz actually does catch onto the hypnosis, and confronts Ocelot about it. I have a headcanon about them orchestrating Kaz's capture together.

Far as Parasite! Verse is concerned, I headcanon Ocelot being one of the first to really clock into the parasites, and start coaxing them out to play because his morbid curiosity gets the better of him, and he knows it's around and happening of course he's going to pry.

The worst fights they have are about Quiet (though Ocelot just makes Kaz admit he's jealous and maybe gets slightly petty and teases him about it)

Ocelot loves to fuck with the office. They probably share an office, but Ocelot will do shit like move Kaz's pens slightly to the left, or hide his favourite notebook somewhere stupid. Rearrange things JUST enough that Kaz knows something moved, but can't quite pinpoint how, or where too.

NSFW/Darker

Ocelot has probably offered Kaz Venom's wormwood more than once. With or without complete total consent. Just dip a little bit into the food, the coffee. Anything that will get him to chill out for ten seconds. It's for Kaz's own good (is how Ocelot justifies it to himself)

I imagine they have probably the least amount of sex here than ever before. Ocelot is distracted, and I feel that Kaz's own sex drive is about the lowest it's been since he can even personally remember. There are a few lackluster quickies, maybe. Sometimes there's the sudden re-surge where it's as good and as intense as before, but it's not a frequent thing.

That being said, I think Ocelot is one of the few people who doesn't 'kid glove' Kaz. He will still get physical with him, he will still call him out. They will still fight/fuck. Kaz takes a little bit of perverse pleasure in it because it makes him feel something like his old self again, to some degree.

[sealrock]

been rotating my sadboy hector in my mind like a hot pocket in the microwave for a while, here's a very long random lore dump in no particular order as I write up his backstory:

like gaia, hector doesn't remember much of his past. he's not sure if his name is even his real name, but people tend to accept 'hector wormwood' despite his garlean origin well enough

his memory is spotty and he can't go into detail much, but he can recall his nameday, living in a place with bright blue roofs (terncliff), a white room, and that he had a twin sister who died early in his life. he can't remember his parents or the life he lived before he 'woke up' in the middle of the dravanian hinterlands

he met andromache on the road and joined her group of adventurers (yves and tauvane). the four of them took on odd jobs and hunted down monsters for the clan centurio. he would later be romantically involved with her and have a child (paris)

his third eye is usually hidden behind his bangs, and he doesn't like to talk about it with others. he doesn't know why, but he experiences negative emotions when someone points out his third eye

he's very withdrawn and skittish and is intimidated by others to the point that he'll freeze up if someone tries to take advantage of him. which happens often

he likes horticulture and cooking. when he lived in the west shroud hector had a beautiful garden of flowers, vegetables, and fruits

he doesn't remember how he ended up in eorzea, he just knows that he's running from something

at some point he picked up a rusted sickle to defend himself with, but he's not that good at melee combat

he's extremely short for a garlean, standing at 5'4. yves liked to pat his head and call him 'mouse' despite hector's embarrassment

he doesn't like being around other people, bad things always happens to others whenever he's around, usually death. hector blames 'the shadow' that's been following him for as long as he can remember (the shadow is halmarut without a human vessel, not that hector knows this)

the shadow is something that hector is most afraid of, even though the entity has saved his life countless times. this was halmarut's plan in making hector isolated and totally dependent on them

similar to gaia and her time/darkness skillset, hector has shadow-based abilities a la nier that are seemingly psionic in nature, and deadly to boot. garleans can't manipulate aether, but how hector can be able to apparently summon dark aether is a question even he can't answer. he hates using his powers because of its malevolent nature and will apologize to those he has to fight

he has terrible and horrifying nightmares and hallucinations because of the shadow. sometimes he'll be found on the floor in a ball or crying

besides the shadow, hector is followed by the 'spirit' of his dead sister, she speaks to him at times and hector appears to address no one. this tends to creep people out

andromache and yves can't see the shadow, but they feel an menacing and oppressive presence hovering around hector at times. but paris could actually see the shadow and shared their father's fear of it as a child, especially at night

hector hates the feeling of being stared at, people who tend to stare tend to not have good intentions. he feels like he's being watched 24/7

hector has a near 1:1 counterpart shard on the first that halmarut attempted to possess. the joining was unsuccessful, however, and the shard ended up going mad because his soul was damaged. he was killed by andromache and paris during the events of shb

when halmarut's influence began to overtake him, hector's mental state slowly began to deteriorate when paris was a child. hector began to remember a life he never had and a dream of a burning world. the straw that broke the camel's back came when andromache, who already left him because of his descent into madness, wished to take paris with her and away from hector, leaving him completely alone. the resulting mental breakdown was what halmarut needed to possess him

[angryshortstacks]

Back on my willow shit after mourning the removal of the show (and forcing my friend to watch it). So here’s my Tanthamore playlist with explanations for each song

- Crimson and Clover by the Pom Pom squad: this one’s obvious

- I’m on fire by Soccar Mommy: also just because it’s in the show but the lyrics about bad desire feels very repressed queer love so it’s a tanthamore song now. I don’t make the rules.

-Bags by Clairo: the lyrics are very kit running away in episode 1 plus Clairos vibes are just so tathamore.

- Ceilings by Lizzy McAlphine: this songs lyrics gives me Jade’s internal monologue after the kiss in episode 1.

- I am yours by Churchill: this goes on every ship playlist I make because it’s so cute and it’s just about being devoted to someone else and thinking about it with them makes me FERAL!

- Cherry Wine by Hozier: the soft guitar feels very fantasy to me, plus the lyrics feel Jade talking about kit.

- Trees by The Oh Hellos: this is a childhood friends to lovers song and it makes me think of them as little kids not knowing their in love with each other 🥺

- Dear Arkansas Daughter by Lady Lamb: I blame edits. It’s Jades pov from episode 5 when she’s a little mad at kit in the wildwood. “you with the dark curls, you with the water colour eyes, you who bares all your teeth with every smile.” Like cmon that’s so kit.

- Like or Like Like by Minature Tigers: again it’s a childhood friends to lovers song but like more current. The sort of will they won’t they from episode 1-5.

- Another Story by The Head and the Heart: this one is mostly vibes but I feel like it gives the way home from the quest and moving forward together. It’s them choosing each other in the end.

- Without You by Oh Wonder: it’s a PINING song okay so therefore it’s a jade song.

- Softly by Clairo: this song is a Kit song about falling for jade. And I’ll say it once I’ll say it again. Clairo has tanthamore vibes.

- Dear Wormwood by the Oh Hellos: the title sounds so close to wildwood and the vibes are super fantasy esc. It’s very much jade’s arch learning who she truly is and what she wants and how that change was sprung by the wildwood.

- Home by Edward sharp and the magnetic zeroes: this song is a classic and it’s just so cute. It’s them acknowledging their each others home 🥺

- Gemini by Tash Sultana: this is also a kit song and her admiring her feelings for jade.

- Fight or Flight: pretty sure I got this song from an edit and went yes I agree. It’s a kit song and her dealing with her weird feelings for Jade. “I’d rather lie they tell you I’m in love with you” like that’s so wildwood truth plums.

- Heavy Feet by Local Natives: this is them both being unable to admit their feelings contrasted with when they finally say what they needs to and their “left in the sun, shivering”

- Soldier, Poet, King by The Oh Hellos: there is no band with more fantasy vibes then the oh hellos. Kit is the soldier, Jade is the Poet and Elora is the King. I will not debate, I could write an essay proving this.

- Two Birds by Regina Spektor: I saw one edit and it went on the playlist. Kit is the one that says “cmon” and Jade says “I’m tired” need I say more?

- Until I Found You by Stephen Sanchez: the EDITS. The lyrics are just so bloody romantic it will go on every ship playlist imaginable but it hits particularity hard for them. “Never let you go again” so makes me think of end of episode 6 beginning of 7 when Jade almost looses kit.

- Bloom by the Paper Kites: again just so totally, completely, desperately romantic. it had to go on the playlist the gods demanded it.

- Will We Talk? By Sam Fender: again just the idea of them finally saying what they haven’t. I can also see an au where they meet as a one night stand (which is what the song is about).

- Would That I by Hozier: the edits Plus the image of a willow tree in the first verse made me associate it. Also so bloody romantic.

- Sleep on the Floor by the Lumineers: the idea of running away together feels very Kit trying to convince Jade to go with her in episode 1.

- Pretty Firl by Clairo: you thought I was done with the Clairo songs? Think again. It’s Jade willing to wear a dress and become a “pretty girl” to support Kit.

- Croses by José González: this is a kit song. Her talking about her trauma and the “well cast sunlight and you’ll be alright” is Jade.

- the colour violet by Tory Lanez: this one is vibes alone and because there were so many edits of this song.

- Start a Riot by Banners: this song is just what they’d both to for each other very much the sentiment of “when you love someone you jump off the edge of the world to get to them” and it FITS SO WELL.

- Gajendra by Willow and Jahnavi Harrison: again the Willow association felt right. And the vibes of “I depend on you alone” is so tanthamore.

- Bad Idea by Girl in Red: it’s so sapphic panic and “oh fuck we have feelings we need to address” because of this it goes on every playlist.

- Sound and Colour by Alabama Shakes: the song gives me jade vibes and it’s honestly vibes alone but I don’t care.

- I’ll Call You Mine by Girl in Red: it’s so GAY and so ROMANTIC and it’s one of the first songs I thought of when I made this playlist and then I saw an edit immediately after and I just about died.

- Cosmic Love By Florence and the Machine: Florence only writes character songs so this is my obligatory contribution to this playlist. Song has fantasy vibes and has the same dramatic vibes as the banners song.

- Morning Dove by Genevieve Stokes: this one’s all vibes and because the dove had a vague association but it’s a good ass song.

- Like Real People Do by Hozier: cmon this is probably the most romantic song ever written. It’s very kit finally kissing Jade to me because “I will not ask you where you came from.. just put your sweet lips on my lips, we should just kiss like real people do.”

- Homecoming Heroes by the Head and the Heart: this is so Kit and jade imaging having adventures in the world together. It’s such a cute image.

- Love Ain’t Enough by the Barr Brothers: this is so Kit at the end admitting love is the most powerful thing in the universe (specifically her love for jade).

- Falming Hot Cheetos by Clairo: “I wanna be the one you think about at night, I wanna be the one that you would put up a fight for” LIKE THAT IS SO JADE!! I can’t even it fits so good.

[incarnadinedreams]

tag someone you want to get to know better

Tagged by @least-carpet & @add1ctedt0you :D

Favorite color: blue! particularly more muted/grayish light blues

Last song: 'Root to Root' by The Devil and the Almighty Blues

Last movie: Yep I'm another one whose last movie was Oppenheimer

Currently watching: the real answer is an embarrassingly trashy real estate reality TV show so I'm going to ignore that and go with Wormwood which I'm working through currently in more serious viewing time

Currently reading: I finally got through the approval process to get the password for the fan translations of Dinghai Fusheng Records, so I've been reading that! I'm only a few chapters in but so far it's very funny and entertaining. I'm also learning a ton about Chinese history and cultural references from the translator's notes and further googling (it's set in a very specific year/time period coinciding some real historical events and figures).

My to-read/technically-in-progress pile is massive beyond belief though, including the MDZS re-read I've been meaning to do, so we're not even going to talk about that...

Currently working on: uuuh if we're counting totally unrelated-to-fandom things, I'm in the process of redoing my desk setup! I made a desk a few years ago that's just a butcher block countertop with legs, but decided to upgrade to a sit-stand desk. I work from home so I'm at my desk pretty much all day and I'm getting to the age where things like 'ergonomics' sound like they might actually be a good idea to do...

I refinished the butcher block top (sanding and staining is finished and it's currently in the garage drying before the first coat of gel urethane! Mmmmm, VOCs). Technically it'll be dry for light use by Wednesday, but I'll be giving the stain/topcoat some extra drying time before putting the legs on and using it, probably next weekend. I also got a dual monitor mount so I can get rid of my monitor stands, so I'm excited about that too, there will be so much desk space and monitor height adjustments going on over here!

Uh in terms of actually fandom related things... I actually signed up for some art classes so after 1-3 years of practice you unfortunate souls might be getting inundated with questionable fanart if I can get over my crippling fear of publicly posting anything I've made!

Current obsession: my late-stage Jiang Cheng Derangement Syndrome symptoms have not abated in the slightest

Tagging (feel free to ignore if you don't feel like playing! or if I've doubled up on previously tagged by other folks then... oops): @twilightarc-gm @sonik-kun @spriteofmushrooms @lansplaining @tavina-writes @gekidasa @slytherinzidian @cerusee @bokvshou @gaycowboyjesus @iri-vail @fubuwu @seethefakemuses

[ghaniblue]

@the-francakes tagged me. Go check out their own gems. I am terrifically late responding to this.

Recommend us 3 of YOUR fics: 1 that is “most popular” and 2 that are “hidden gems.” Then tag some folks.

🍫🏖 An Improbable Bout of Summer Madness, dad!Draco falling for fudge maker Harry in Cornwall, is the most popular judging by hits and kudos. I can understand why. It's a total feel good fic, everything is fluff and nothing hurts. I'm still very fond of it. It's just happy making.

As far as hidden gems, I have to say my recent foray into the Marauders era: 💀🖤 Wormwood. It's 14k of Regulus character study written for @hp-fearfest in daily installments. Regulus is so interesting to me, and this fic was so much fun to write. I poured a lot of obscure world building tidbits into it. Very much not fluffy, though. I didn't get a lot of hits on it, but the few readers who left the most amazingly encouraging comments along the way (you know who you are) made this such an amazing experience.

The second hidden gem would be my Drarry series where Voldemort won, Draco is evil and everything is terrifying. 😱🪄 Magic is Might series. Definitely check the tags on the second one, dead dove alert. I should get back to the series and write more of that universe.

Tag, you're it: @queerregulusablack @moonflower-rose @lumosatnight @m0srael @corvuscrowned @rockingrobin69 @vivantesopales

(anyone else, if you've already done it, please point me.)

[sophieswundergarten]

I've seen several things talking about S. Q. and "The Oh Hellos", and I happen to very much enjoy The Oh Hellos". So far I've noticed @sqenthusiast bring up Constellations, Dear Wormwood, Bitter Water, and Thus Always To Tyrants. While I whole heartedly agree, I would also like to add my own thoughts in a way that is definitely not me going through nearly all of their songs in an excessive and repetitive manner that is wildly out of context and that nobody asked for:

There will come a poet / Whose weapon is His word / He will slay you with His tongue - "Soldier, Poet, King"

I really feel like this embodies his attitude and artistic mind, and even though he may not always be good at words, he speaks honestly and from his heart

Heartache, I've heard, is part of life, and I have broken more and more

That we can learn to love without demand, with unreserved honesty

I'll give you all I have to spend / And you'll give nothing back to me

I will wait for this to end / The back and forth, the battery / For you, at last, to comprehend the kind of love of which I speak - "This Will End"

This is such a melancholy description of his perception of his relationship with Curtain

Could you love me more / If by the sun and moon I swore / That I would never flee

And I know I shouldn't love you / I know I shouldn't love you but I do

I feel it in my soul / I feel the empty hole / The cup that can't be filled

Even now you mark my steps / Lovely bitter water / All the days of our delights are poison in my veins - "Bitter Water"

More Curtain symbolism! He is so loyal, and he will always remember the times that he chose to love his dad, even when Curtain was making bad decisions. (Also I totally stole this one from @sqenthusiast, so don't forget that)

There beneath the willow tree, I learned a lot about the way of things / I learned that everything has breath inside

I know, I know this / There is beauty in the way of things - "There Beneath"

This I think is part of how he see life: through the lens of beauty and nature, and with a respectful awe and wonder at the world

Gather the soldiers, the heir to enfold / Crown him and give him a sceptre to hold - "Caesar"

This is pretty solely because of the ideas about Jackson, Jillson, and Jeffers trying to make him take over Curtain's work

It was the raging storm of a foreign war / And a face I'd seen before - "Pale White Horse"

When Curtain is beginning the Improvement and then things go to pieces, allowing S. Q. to see what was going on outside the island for the first time

I have always known you / You have always been there in my mind / But now I understand you / And I will not be part of your designs

I know who I am now / And all that you've made of me / I know who you are now / And I name you my enemy

I know who I am now / I know who I want to be / I want to be more than / This devil inside of me - "Dear Wormwood"

Also stolen from @sqenthusiast! I imagine S. Q. starting to make a stand as he learns what Curtain was doing, and (especially in the books) he separates himself from Curtain's villainous actions, but not from Curtain himself

To and fro, I will not follow / Where you go, I will not also - "Thus Always To Tyrants"

Ditto from everything in the last note

We were born in the shadow / Of the crimes of our fathers / Blood was our inheritance / No, we did not ask for this - "The Valley"

Poor S. Q. probably had such a weird reputation as the headmaster's son, since many people would probably resent him or be scared of him, but the kid himself is so nice

He'd put me deep / Deep under so that he could work - "Like The Dawn"

This just caught my attention because of how S. Q. was brainswept in the books

I ran like a speeding train / Cut my hair and changed my name / Only had myself to blame / For the company I was keeping - "Wishing Well"

When S. Q. begins living on his own, and realizes he can make decisions independent of how he was raised

I have made mistakes, I continue to make them / The promises I've made, I continue to break them / And all the doubts I've faced, I continue to face them / But nothing is a waste if you learn from it - "I Have Made Mistakes"

The kid tries so hard to be a good person and a good son, but when he has to recognise that what Curtain is doing is wrong he must feel horribly guilty for being "disloyal", but as he gains a support system he is able to work on growing out of it. He starts to learn from the Benedicts that he is able to let go of the guilt, and that he is able accept grace and understand life as a learning experience

(This one is the whole entire song, but read it and tell me that I shouldn't have included it)

I was young I was young and naive As I was told As I was told, so I believed And I was told there's only one road that leads you home

And the truth was a cave on the mountainside And I'd seek it out until the day I died

I was bound I was bound and determined To be the child To be the child that you wanted But I was blind to every sign you left for me to find

And the truth became a tool that I held in my hand And I wielded it, but I didn't understand

I was tired of giving more than you gave to me And I desired a truth I wouldn't have to seek

But in the silence I heard you calling out to me - "The Truth Is A Cave"

And the way the shadows on the wall are cast / Look like a twisted apparition from the past / And all the memories come flooding fast / A wilderness you kinda miss - "Grow"

~~Nightmares~~

At the edges of my fingers / Never quite closing round it / Oh, that peace like a river / Always going, but never getting

Maybe that's what it's all about / We keep fixing what we know is only bound to break / What's worth saving is never worth letting go to waste / I want to mend what I've got, instead of throwing away

Ain't nothing come easy / No, nothing comes quick / It's gonna hurt like hell to become well / But if we set the bone straight / It'll mend

But I want for you this, that you are well / I want for us this, that we are well - "Theseus"

He gets to grow as a human!! He starts to make choices, and he chooses to make amends with his dad, and he makes the decision to work on strengthening his relationships with the others, even though it's scary for him

But I swear with all your burnt bridges / You could leech what's caustic and find / A rudimentary lye / Some kinda miraculous bind

All the things we've broken / Can be puzzled together again / All your sums and your pieces / Are enough to clean up / All the messes you've made

I've heard / If I were tougher / Then maybe I'd make it alive /I got a tender side /I'll need a harder shell to survive

I don't know I've seen a thing grow / Without an open coat / Not without a softness showing

It's gonna hurt like hell /But we're gonna be well / I'll give you my best shot - "Soap"

This is whole exactly what I think about S. Q. and Curtain's relationship

Like constellations imploding in the night / Everything is turning, everything is turning / The shapes that you drew may change beneath a different light / And everything you thought you knew / Will fall apart, but you'll be all right - "Constellations"

Again, stole it, but this set of lyrics is so important to me and I think that it is a really good way of talking about transitions in life

But the water's rising (quicker than light and sound) / From the seas within me (coming up from the ground) / And I try to fight it (cumulonimbus clouds) / But I drain completely (cover the sun and drown it out) - "Notos"

I imagine this is like an internal commentary of S. Q. when he's being overwhelmed by all of the emotions (either to stand up to his dad or just in general)

Hello, my old heart / It's been so long Since I've given you away / And every day, I add another stone / To the walls I built around you / To keep you safe

Oh, oh, don't leave me here alone / Don't tell me that we've grown For having loved a little while / Oh, oh, I don't wanna be alone / I wanna find a home / And I wanna share it with you - "Hello My Old Heart"

The kid has so much love and trust and no one besides Curtain to share it with, and so I think he would take a while adjusting to being around so many people who want to love him, even though it's what he's wanted

When the bitter creeps in / To bite you whole / A spectre unreflected, oh / It keeps you cold - "Cold"

This and the one after are such poetic descriptions of how we see his arguments with Curtain go, because you see his nerve fail and his words stall because even with all of the feelings behind them, he doubts himself

So I'll keep half of my words in my mouth / Let the syllables fall out / At a steady trickling / I'll be your roof caving in - "Lapis Lazuli"

Yeah, I'm one spoon away / From setting the ends of my hair on fire / If I'm kindling for a little while / At least I'd feel of use

Making lists, folding laundry / Keeping tidy with my radio show / I'd be lying if I told you / I'm keeping tidy anymore - "Boreas"

I think that, although he may not be up to speed in relational stuff, he's very mature in random things like keeping a schedule (because he didn't have anyone enforcing it on the island and he needed to have one so he created it himself) and while he may not know how to cook he probably spent a lot of time looking for something he could do to help, either his dad or the staff, so he could be useful

He has hoisted out of the mire every child / So lift your voice with timbrel and lyre / We will abide, we will abide, we will abide -"Where Is Your Rider"

This is more Curtain/the Waiting Room/Messengers, but I really wanted to include it because I though it was neat that it fit

[moonssugar]

wip inspiration tag 🌟

got tagged by @encrucijada​

there are A LOT of places of inspiration for my personal writing project roadtrip! and if i had to list them all i’d have pages and pages of bits of inspiration from so many different places but i think i can gather the core wells of inspiration...

list: the Northern Lights trilogy, the Oh Hellos, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Castle in the Sky and Sprited Away

ROADTRIP! : sam, a transmasc youth, and his furry ever-companion soulmate kaid live in sunshine arizona with their new rambunctious friend who moved into the neighboring town a year ago, chelsie who has two furry companions of her own named cosmos and chrysanthemum. high school hell, summer shenanigans, friendships, chaos and fun ensue until a girl named aubry shows up in the middle of the desert following a series of strange occurrences. a week later, the three of them take a short walk and don’t return home. they find themselves in a new world, and, well, quite a few new worlds after that. they need to find a way home and they’re determined that nothing stops them, so they journey into a ever shifting, strange, curious and beautiful multiverse that unfolds before them.

this story is about changes and grappling with them, queerness (trans, lesbian/gay mostly), self discovery and becoming, love, family born into, made and found, faiths, destiny is fake, essentialism is bogus, war is hell, different kinds of trauma, the pace of healing, growing pains, be gay do crime, love for humanity, displacement and belonging, oppression and fighting it, the power in being kind gentle and merciful, and how hugs, hand holding and forehead kisses go a long way. theres a lot more but the hugs are extremely important!

The Oh Hellos

entire arcs in this story have started as seeds planted by me listening to the oh hello’s but especially the albums eurus and the other four winds albums, dear wormwood, and into the deep dark valley. ive got a deep emotional connection to their music and since i found them back in 2019/2020 which happened to be the time i started writing this wip. there are whole albums in my character playlists. they are this music on a certain level. the grip maggie and tyler heath have on me is criminal

HDM

daemons, angels and the multiverse concept not only totally ripped completely off from this series but also extremely yassified and hit with a transgenderification beam. transdimensional travel as a metaphor for being trans. a angel fabricating a physical body as a metaphor for being trans. rainbow colored openings to other worlds hint hint nudge gay. answering the age old question “trans people daemons gender what?!” with “lol whatever i have a 4D understanding of gender you wouldn’t get it”. using daemons as a way to talk about queerness, gender etc etc. also us american evengalicalism fuckin sucks, lets talk about that and religious trauma without demonizing “religion” as a whole!! this inspired me to think about the beauty of faiths instead of its ugliest sides but also honor the horrific trauma a certain brand of christianity causes. also what if this multiverse concept was executed better and the story was actually satisfying??

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Castle in the sSky (and some other ghibli movies)

okay nausicaä actually inspired a big latter part of roadtrip, mostly its solarpunk elements and focus on ecology, post apocalyptic world and humanity. and insects! castle in the sky is where i got the floating island idea from. some honorable mentions are spirited away, its one of my earliest memories of other world concepts in fiction i remember from when i was a kid, ponyo which is the favorite movie of my character chelsie + some ocean imagery sprinkled here and there and sam loves princess mononoke (this movie helped radicalize me)

Ari and Dante

the slice of life vibes, desert setting but arizona instead of el paso texas, a mexican main character, just taking it easy and being emotionally honest when writing and telling a story is something i learned from benjamin alire sáenz because its one of the first places in literature it really stuck out to me. that you choose your own methods for writing, whatever works for you even if it strays from ‘traditional’ literature structure. realizing a chapter could be 1 paragraph freed me, but now i wish i’d actually let myself apply the guy’s advice. this book had a profound effect on me when i read it at 17, it got me through a lot and its lived inside my head and my soul ever since. rent fuckin free. changed me on a molecular and spiritual level and im so glad it did

honorable mentions: a bunch of different science fiction media, fantasy media, real life locations like arizona, my own state, cartagena columbia, costa rica, peru and about a thousand other places, ecology and the concept of interconnectedness herself, class struggle, queer history, catholic imagery, ‘80s aesthetics, many romance languages, my friends and their many backgrounds, many different cultures, angelology, world history, revenge and spite but also self indulgence and falling in love with writing

gonna tag: @shapeshiftersandfire​!

[bills-bible-basics]

iPHONES -- a poem by Bill Kochman Visit https://www.billkochman.com/Poetry/ to see more. #Christian #Poetry #Poem To see other poems related to this one, go to: https://www.billkochman.com/Poetry/index.html#Social-Networks Oh me oh my! What is this Bill? A poem about iPhones? I hope that you have a sense of humor, folks, and can appreciate my tongue-in-cheek. Please take this poem with a grain of salt, and have a good laugh at yourself. Just to give you some perspective: I am in my late sixties. I have worn corrective lenses since I was six years old. At my current age, my corneas have already hardened. In fact, it happened years ago. This means that I have great difficulty focusing my eyes sharply. In other words, reading tiny print on labels is totally impossible for me. That's dangerous man! That means that half the time, I don't even know what I am really eating! Even the things I can read, I have to hold out at arm's length away from me, and I still have to squint and make odd gestures with my face. I think it scares some people. :) And my computer? Well, with all of the writing and typing that I do everyday, I have no choice but to keep the font size in my BBEdit text editor at 24 point. I bet you keep yours at around 12 point, don't you? Get the picture? Now enter Apple's iPhones with those tiny screens. Forget it! Boy was Apple smart! Making millions of dollars while half the world goes around with their face glued to that little screen half the time, ignoring everything that is going on around them, including important things, and even friends and family. Oh, and by the way, desktop computers really are the best if you want to get any serious work done! :) Oh, and one more thing . . . Yes, I do own an Apple iPhone XS Max 256 GB . . . and I love it! :) Bible Study Resources: Article: "Science and Technology: The Forbidden Knowledge?": https://www.billkochman.com/Articles/sci-tek1.html Article: "Organ Transplants and Blood Transfusions": https://www.billkochman.com/Articles/organtr1.html Article: "Assisted Suicide, Euthanasia, Terminal Sedation": https://www.billkochman.com/Articles/AssistedSuicide-Euthanasia.html Article: "Death: Final Battle, Final Victory!": https://www.billkochman.com/Articles/death-01 Article: "Alien Life, Extrasolar Planets and Universal Atonement": https://www.billkochman.com/Articles/alienlif01.html Article: "The Nibiru Planet X Wormwood Controversy": https://www.billkochman.com/Articles/nibiru-1.html Article: "Comet Elenin, Hercolubus, Nibiru, and Planet X": https://www.billkochman.com/Articles/Elenin-Hercolubus-Nibiru-01.html Article: "Nature of the Alien: ETs, Demons or a Government Plot?": https://www.billkochman.com/Articles/natalien.html Article: "Our Expanding Universe -- Einstein, Hubble, Dark Energy and God": https://www.billkochman.com/Articles/Our-Expanding-Universe.html Article: "The Dinosaur Dilemma and Modern Science": https://www.billkochman.com/Articles/dinosr-1.html Article: "Adaptation, EVILution and the Six Days of Genesis": https://www.billkochman.com/Articles/evilut-1.html Article: "The Manipulation of Time and Space: Goal of the Beast?": https://www.billkochman.com/Articles/maniptm1.html Article: "The Earth is Under Seven Thousand Years Old!": https://www.billkochman.com/Articles/timelin1.html Article: "IBM's Cognitive Computers, DARPA and the Image of the Beast": https://www.billkochman.com/Articles/Cognitive-Computers-Image-of-the-Beast.html Article: "Robot Wars, Skynet, the Beast and the False Prophet": https://www.billkochman.com/Articles/robotwar Article: "The Internet: Our Final Frontier; Your Last Chance?": https://www.billkochman.com/Articles/internet.html Article: "Is Science Better Than the Bible?": https://www.billkochman.com/Articles/science1.html Article: "Keeping Things in the Proper Perspective": https://www.billkochman.com/Articles/propersp.html Article: "The Wisdom of God Versus the Philosophy of Men": https://www.billkochman.com/Articles/philos-1.html "Wisdom of God's Spirit" KJV Bible Verse List: https://www.billkochman.com/VerseLists/verse077.html "Foolishness of the World" KJV Bible Verse List: https://www.billkochman.com/VerseLists/verse020.html https://www.billkochman.com/Blog/index.php/iphones-a-poem-by-bill-kochman/?feed_id=210522&iPHONES%20--%20a%20poem%20by%20Bill%20Kochman

[lividria]

Vivlore: Elementia & WORMWOOD

PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD READ THE POST LINKED HERE FIRST NONE OF THIS WILL MAKE SENSE IF YOU DON'T

I totally didn't forget I was doing this when my brain turned into popcorn after the metroid prime 4 trailer no you're crazy what are you talking about

last vivpost was about the main gimmick of the world, now it's time to introduce the character and a half who caused the apocalypse, and the first of many tragedies to befall this consarned world, and i do fucking mean many

Elementia, Delusional Demiurge

At some point in early human history, on the continent of Vitalem, masses of every individual type of magic all somehow merged together into one living being. How? I dunno, doesn't matter. This being was Elementia, because I have very original names.

Elementia somehow believed they were god, when there's like... An entire pantheon of gods above them that they didn't know about. So, they got to work helping out the humans around them, giving them knowledge, fire, shelter, all that with their all-powerful magic. They even made helpers corresponding to each specific magic type to cater to specific needs or wants of humanity... I only have one of them solved, and they deserve their own future post, so just keep this concept in mind in the future. Or don't.

They even built a giant structure in space to contain any Negative Vehemoths that formed, fittingly named the Land of the Vehemoths, instantly warping them there any time Elementia found them with their awesome not-god-powers. As such, nobody ever really figured out how to dispose of them, because they had a demiurge to take care of it from them.

But then the gods sent down an angel to go let Elementia know that they aren't actually god. That was the message, in its entirety. It wasn't malicious, they didn't tell them to stop being nice to humanity, they just wanted to correct the misinformation. But, of course, Elementia, not having known these guys even existed and having developed an ego to go with their god complex, lashes out...

And gets a massive scar carved into their chest, in the shape of the symbol of the gods, as the angel leaves. A permanent reminder to know their place. And with that, Elementia was in pain, confused, horrified, and alone, because obviously humans have no clue what the fuck is happening.

Elementia's Exile

Elementia, unfortunately, didn't get the proper message. They just got shown a glimpse of the power of the beings above them, and that angel easily could've killed them if they wanted to, so they know without a shadow of a doubt they're not god anymore. If they're not god, they shouldn't be helping humanity anymore, they need to just... Go away, and cry in the corner. Obviously, they aren't thinking straight.

They retreat to their space jail thing, the Land of the Vehemoths from earlier, because at this point they view themselves as an equally abhorrent being to a Vehemoth because of their fuck-up, so they just kinda hang out with the hate monsters for a while, unsure what to do for the next couple eons.

But, soon, they had an idea. Using their powers, they created a miniature planet in the Land of the Vehemoths (don't worry, there's plenty of room, and they made sure to cut it off from the rest of the exclusion zone). If Elementia can't help humanity, if they're not god, they can make their own people. Help them prosper. Watch them grow, and succeed. Be their god.

So Elementia got to work, creating a beautiful landscape across the planet; lush wildlife, awe-inspiring creatures, enough water, food, etc. for life to survive anywhere on or even in the planet. They then tried to make their own people, their own humanity. Of course, they tried to make it distinct. Humanity isn't theirs, they can't have it, they need their own toy.

But, indeed, nobody short of a fantasy author could exactly come up with an entire completely unique race of sentient organisms when their only exposure to such a concept was humanity, and this people mirrored humanity far too much. So did everything on the planet, really. The planet itself, too. It reminded Elementia too much of home. They left it behind, returning to the Land of the Vehemoths. They couldn't... They just couldn't, you know?

Remember how basically any living being can make Negative Ardor? Yeah, Elementia's really fucking going through it, and it's starting to overcome them like an infection. They're unwillingly becoming an Immortali. Of course, they recognize this and try their best to cheer up, find some way to get the Ardor off, but it doesn't exactly work, and the Vehemoths are circling like sharks.

Elementia, eventually, violently rips off as much as they can, shape it into a ball, and just... Hurl it away. Vehemoths try to feed on it, but it's so big, it dwarfs them, and consumes them, just growing bigger... It hits the edge of the Land, and it breaks through the wall.

And lands on Earth. On the same continent where Elementia lived. Vitalem.

WORMWOOD, Horse of the Apocalypse

It's name is only stylized like that to make it cooler (Relic of before I made Elementia... Or, rather, transplanted them into this story, and WORMWOOD was the unexplained sole cause of all this), and I actually stole this idea from Metroid Prime's Leviathans, only to find out it might've come from the Book of Revelations, so I just stole the name from the Bible version because it's fun. It'll just look like I took it directly from Revelations to anyone I don't call this out to, anyways.

WORMWOOD, being a giant ball of Ardor and leftover magic from Elementia, touches down in the middle of Vitalem, in a large lake, immediately sterilizing the entire resulting area. It's a combination of the impact fucking shit up, and Negative Ardor getting launched everywhere and effectively destroying the environment. This place goes on to be known as the Fervent Wastes, with the immediate area around WORMWOOD fittingly being named the Ocean of Wormwood. The immediate effect beyond killing a ton of people upon landing, is that the Vehemoths are no longer being sent to the Land of the Vehemoths any time they form (Well, ever since Elementia left, but people have been doing fine so this only becomes a problem now), multiple of them came along with WORMWOOD and got launched off, and even more are pouring out of the LotV and coming back to Earth.

Humanity is immediately overrun, and I'll describe the fight they put up in the next post. But, all you need to know right now is that they fail, and are almost completely wiped out. This is the apocalypse.

But, also, something more insidious begins. WORMWOOD is alive too, like the other Vehemoths, but instead of acting as an apex predator of humans like the rest, it instead grows roots that dig into the Earth. They sap all magic from everything they touch, and from the surrounding area. They use this magic to grow and find even more, though most of it is sent back to the primary ball to grow stronger. Why is it feeding off of magic instead of Ardor? I don't know, and it doesn't matter, and I also don't care.

One day, when it has grown to become unstoppable, it will pry itself from the Earth's crust and bring about a final doomsday. Plants, animals, humans, magic beings, other esoteric entities that defy characterization, any object containing magic, they will all be sapped of their magic by WORMWOOD in it's endless search to consume more power, and when it is done with Earth, it will depart to another planet, because aliens are canon. Or so the prophecy foretells. Don't worry, things don't ever get THAT dire, this story has a main protagonist with plot armor.

And, of course, Elementia does have a fate after they damn their former home and former people, but I'll save that for the future. You can probably vaguely guess what happens to them, though.

Oh, yeah, by the way, despite all of that, neither Elementia nor WORMWOOD are the main antagonist of Vivlore. He's coming up in like... 3 posts? Yeah, that sounds right.

[the-bottle-tree]

Weekly Garden Update - 5/13/2023

Today there is a lot of growth and amazing things happening in the garden! The stopped finally around noon so I was able to go work in the garden today and do a check in on all the little guys we have outside.

Our Mexican Flame Vine has it's first buds.

The plumeria looks like it is getting it's first buds as well.

The purslane which I started from a tiny baby that I found in Lamb's Ear has taken off and is blooming now. I'm so happy because I feared I had lost the plant entirely and I love the bright pink and yellow flower combo this particular variation has.

All of the peppers have buds and veggies growing from them. The tomatoes as well though the growth of the fruit isn't quite as much as the peppers.

I did notice that there seems to be some bloom rot going on with the peppers and there is yellowing and dying foliage around the root on the tomatoes. My BIG concern is the amount of rain that we are getting is making everything unhappy. There isn't much of anything that I can do for that. I'll just keep keeping an eye on them and pray that the weather shifts to give them a chance to dry out. We've lost tomatoes before to too much rain. There are some peppers that look like it might be close to time to pick and that makes me so happy!

The sage has totally taken off and is now filling out most of it's container. Same with the wormwood.

The malabar spinach is giving us a crazy good crop this year and we can start pulling them for food any time we are ready. **Note -- Research the best way to harvest malabar spinach!*

Skullcap is blooming.

Basil is almost 3 foot tall!

I planted the orange mint I bought yesterday. I don't need more plants....but it smelled so good I couldn't leave it behind.

I was sad because I thought that the chili pequins were all but lost because of the freeze in December but it looks like they came back but only in the place by the far back flower bed where the gnome birdbath is. That's okay! They will be nice to have regardless. He is already budding!

The black berries are taking off this year! One is almost ripe.

Sunflowers popped in out of nowhere by alien neighbors fence and I'm grateful for their added beauty to our yard.

Chocolate plant started blooming! **Note. I DO NOT KNOW THE NAME OF THIS PLANT YET! But when you trim it or break it's stems it smells like milk chocolate and it has beautiful yellow blooms. **UPDATE - THIS IS A GOLDEN THRYALLIS I THINK. WILL RESEARCH MORE AS I DO A PLANT STUDY ON IT.

The yarrow in the flowerbed by the bedroom window is starting to bloom as well!

The chives are budding.

The butterfly garden is really doing it's job! So much flutterbies!

I noticed as I was walking in the Passion Vine is budding!

Overall everything seems to be doing well right now. I just need the rain to stop so that everything can dry out.