#nest nerium

[nestsandnails-1]

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[mrtreesnek]

When people think about wasps, they tend to think violent and aggressive. That's not entirely their fault, the general media and their friend's accounts usually paint the same picture.

I've come to see them quite differently though.

Like with most insects, they're more scared of humans than we ever could be of them. Humans are such big creatures that could crush them and their hive in an instant. The worst a wasp could do to a human is sting them, or cause an allergic reaction if they're unlucky.

It's important to understand that the wasp is only defending, it can't understand the difference between getting close because of fascination, or because of hunger.

Wasps think differently than humans, they have a more prominent expression of fight or flight, life or death. Because they still have predators, they have to.

This is commonly misinterpreted. It's hard to not think of wasps as constantly hostile when across all planes of communication they're being demonized.

I believe a key to making sense of their actions is understanding their viewpoint.

In the wild, a solitary wasp sits on her carefully constructed nest. She doesn't understand why she's brightly colored, yellows allowing sharp contrast to black, she just knows it works.

The warning colors keep some predators away from her fragile hive where her young will soon grow.

When a perceived predator ignores the warning, when they get too close, she springs into action with her world renowned stinger. She can't afford to lose her hive. Of course she could always make a new one, but that would take precious time and resources, and her larvae need that time.

When she's successfully driven the attacker away, she returns to her hive. She has protected it.

She doesn't understand when the hive begins shaking, why it resents and shames her. They were trying to hurt the hive, why does it now defend their actions?

She won, why does it shake and sob?

Her hive expresses its sadness in how she defends, how it wishes they weren't alone anymore. How could she not have noticed? The defense of her hive was only hurting it more.

The isolation, she realized, forcing people away when they get too close; she was falsely identifying dangers.

Of course, she still needed help identifying who to attack and who not to, she learned to recognize threats from attempts at friendship..

As they focus less on defense, and more on the hives daily life, she realizes there's more than just life and death, predator and prey.

When she steps down and lets her hive express itself—himself—she learns more about him, about friendship and how proud she feels defending others from genuine threats. Together, they both grow and find happiness.

She understands how much easier it is for him to focus on his learning, how much he enjoys it now.

^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°

its too direct, and incorrect to say i am the wasp.

i am like her hive, the wasp is my subconscious,my illness ,my disorder, she wont be going away, so i have to work with her. She wont abandon her hive, but she can defend him properly.

^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°

I'm not diagnosed, and im not going to fight about having this disorder,

but I can say my favorite phrase. "If the coping mechanisms help, then it doesnt matter if you're diagnosed or not" i dont remember where it came from 😭.

^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°

i also have this metaphor i found from Nerium-Lemontree

the leashed dog, angry and misunderstanding.. i think they both make a lot of sense,

^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°

sharing my midnight chant about this too.

through stigmatism and shame, hardship and relapse, i will persevere

i will succeed.

through breakups and fading friends, splitting and coping,

ill be okay, because of my will to stay alive, my will to keep going, to spite everyone around me, because i love to explore, because i love to understand.

(thats why i love star trek so much)

i can walk away, i can hide, but i wont back down,

it is hard to remember when im in the depths of it. but things that stick in my mind i will always remember

things my best friend says to me,

"i do care about you, I don’t hate you, I like talking it out and being able to understand you”

^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^°

[empathicahq]

Nome completo: Viola Choi Faceclaim: Jung Chaeyeon, cantora e atriz Data de nascimento e idade: 15/04/1997, 27 anos Pronomes: ela/dela Etnia: sul-coreana Origem: Seul, Coreia do Sul Criatura: Nephilim

Labor: Médica no Empathica’s Hospital Moradia: Edenis Rede social: eptviola

Temperamento: Viola é uma mulher gentil e determinada, com uma personalidade marcada pela assertividade e temperamento forte. Possui um nato espírito de liderança e responsabilidade. É organizada e gosta de manter tudo sob controle, o que pode fazê-la ser um pouco exigente e mandona; mas vez ou outra deixa a impulsividade falar mais alto. Tem um senso de humor estranho e um lado sensível. Também é muito obstinada e dificilmente muda de ideia após tomar uma decisão. É extremamente leal e protetora, tendo um forte sentimento de apego por todos aqueles que considera importantes em sua vida.

Biografia: 

As mais belas flores ocultam os venenos mais letais. Esse é o lema que acompanha a família Ryu desde os seus primórdios e é passado entre as gerações como um lembrete do verdadeiro poder daqueles que herdam sangue arcano. Os mais antigos contam que Jaewon Ryu, a nephilim mais forte em meados do século XV, tinha um jardim de belas flores, mas todas com veneno letal. Seus inimigos costumavam ser encontrados mortos ao lado de uma flor tão delicada quanto seda, mas inebriadas pelo cheiro de sangue fresco. Mesmo sendo apenas uma história antiga, o lema proferido pela mulher marcou a história de todos os nascidos na família desde então.

Os Ryu sempre foram conhecidos pela dedicação de seus membros no estudo de venenos, sendo reconhecidos mundialmente por suas descobertas. Durante anos tiveram forte envolvimento na política que dita as regras do mundo sobrenatural, sendo vistos como exímios diplomatas. O patriarca Junseo Ryu estava na liderança da família quando começaram as primeiras movimentações que posteriormente culminariam em mudanças na forma como o submundo e os nephilins se relacionavam. O Acordo nunca foi bem quisto pelo homem ou por seus sucessores que acreditavam ser um erro a coexistência com as raças submundanas.

Hatami Ryu, prevendo os movimentos políticos arriscados que seu sogro começava a trilhar na Coreia do Sul, insistiu para que ela e o marido, junto com os filhos, se afastassem daquelas intrigas antes que fosse tarde demais. Suoh Ryu, orgulhoso como era, custou a dar o braço a torcer, mas ao enfim visualizar com os próprios olhos o que sua lealdade cega ao sobrenome Ryu poderia causar aos seus descendentes, ele enfim decidiu se mudar com a esposa para o único lugar que não era esperado encontrar alguém do clã; Empathica.

Em 2004, toda a dinâmica da família viria a mudar por conta do incidente que ficou marcado na história da Coreia do Sul como “O Massacre do Anoitecer”. Neste, um clã inteiro de vampiros foi dizimado por um grupo rebelde de nephilins que posteriormente foi descoberto ser financiado por Junseo. Assim, o homem foi culpado por infligir o Acordo e condenado a execução poucas horas depois do julgamento. O crime do patriarca da família Ryu refletiu também em todos os seus descendentes maiores de idade, que foram igualmente condenados por traição e tiveram seus poderes drenados, passando a viver como humanos comuns sem qualquer tipo de contato ou lembrança do mundo sobrenatural. Ainda que alegassem viver em Empathica e não compartilharem as opiniões de Junseo, Hatami e Suoh não escaparam do castigo inferido aos Ryu.

Quando tudo aconteceu, Viola e o irmão – netos de Junseo – tinham 6 e 7 anos de idade, respectivamente. Como eram apenas crianças e não poderiam ser responsabilizados pelos erros dos seus familiares, acabaram sendo poupados e criados sob vigilância constante da Corte Celestial, afinal, ela e Nerium seriam um perigo caso tivessem os mesmos ideais defendidos pelos Ryu. Objetivando apagar qualquer rastro dos responsáveis pelo brutal massacre do anoitecer, os irmãos foram obrigados a adotar o sobrenome da mãe e viver em Empathica com uma família nephilim tradicional, responsáveis por enviar relatórios mensais sobre o comportamento de Viola e Nerium até que atingissem a maioridade. Mesmo condicionados a esquecerem suas raízes, os sobreviventes da família Ryu – agora conhecidos como irmãos Choi – ainda lembram do lema que inspirou seus nomes e que esteve na última frase dita pelo pai antes de partir: “Não se esqueçam que as mais belas flores ocultam os venenos mais letais”.

Viola sempre acreditou que se apagasse o passado, então poderia escrever para si o que quisesse ser no presente. Não queria ser associada ao ato brutal que o avô teve participação. Não queria que a vissem como uma traidora. E mesmo que fosse apenas uma criança na época, sempre sentiu como se devesse algo à sociedade depois do que aconteceu. A escolha pela medicina foi impulsionada principalmente pelo desejo dela de compensar as vidas ceifadas e se distanciar da imagem estereotipada que ainda persegue ela e o irmão.

Jamais fala o sobrenome verdadeiro, mas ora ou outra alguém acaba descobrindo – e com a descoberta vem os olhares e os comentários maldosos. No entanto, o maior fardo de Viola não é ser uma Ryu, mas sim ter visto o que iria acontecer com o clã através dos poderes de premonição. Na época, era nova demais para entender a visão; e quando entendeu já era tarde. Esse é um segredo que nem mesmo Nerium tem conhecimento. É uma culpa que carrega sozinha – e Viola prefere assim.

Características especiais: 

Aura Divina: Um campo de energia angelical ao redor do conjurador que influencia emoções e pensamentos de outros dentro de um raio de 50 metros. Pode ser usada para induzir calma, medo, expor verdades ocultas ou atordoar inimigos. Essa habilidade não pode forçar uma confissão ou mudar a natureza de alguém, apenas gera influência por no máximo três minutos. Se usada em mais de uma pessoa, o tempo de influência é reduzido, bem como a eficácia de seus efeitos.

Regeneração Celestial: É a capacidade de regenerar feridas rapidamente, utilizando a energia celestial para curar a si ou aos outros. Cura ferimentos de leves a profundos e não precisa de toque direto. A habilidade consome muita energia e quando usada em ferimentos graves, exige grande tempo de recuperação após o uso. Não é possível usar em mais de um alvo simultaneamente.

Sonhos Proféticos: Seu portador recebe visões do futuro através de sonhos, sendo mensagens enigmáticas ou simbólicas. Geralmente os sonhos são difíceis de interpretar e seu significado muitas vezes só é compreendido depois que o evento já ocorreu. O usuário não tem nenhum controle sobre os sonhos, ou seja, não pode escolher quando vai tê-los.

Arco Luminífero: A habilidade permite a capacidade de seu portador invocar um arco etéreo que dispara no máximo cinco flechas de luz por segundo (a quantidade de flechas disparadas é escolhida pelo seu usuário). Essas são dotadas de energia celestial e são capazes de perfurar barreiras ou até explodir ao impacto, atingindo múltiplos alvos ao mesmo tempo. O uso exagerado do arco consome muita energia e seu uso prolongado afeta a precisão dos disparos. Exige um elevado nível de concentração de seu portador.

Teletransporte Angelical: Fornece a habilidade de se mover instantaneamente de um local para outro em um raio de até um quilômetro, através de uma fenda criada com energia celestial. É ideal para escapar de situações perigosas ou se locomover rapidamente em combate, no entanto seu uso abusivo gera fadiga excessiva. Quando utilizada para distâncias maiores, seu portador precisa de um longo período de tempo para utiliza-la novamente. Consegue teletransportar no máximo duas pessoas consigo, mas o raio de distância é reduzido para quinhentos metros.

Força Divina: Ao ser utilizada, a força física de seu portador é elevada em 100% de sua capacidade. É capaz de quebrar grandes estruturas, erguer objetos pesados com facilidade e provocar grande dano aos seus oponentes. Pelo excesso de energia que demanda, após o uso seu portador sente fadiga muscular. Além disso, sua eficácia é condicionada ao estado físico e mental do usuário.

Campo de Proteção: Permite a criação de uma zona de proteção ao redor de seu conjurador, onde qualquer pessoa em um raio de 25 metros ao ser atingida tem os danos reduzidos em 60%. Não evita ferimentos ou ataques externos, mas inibi a sensação de dor e retarda envenenamentos. O campo dura apenas quinze minutos e quanto maior o número de pessoas nesse, menor o tempo de duração. Requer muita energia de ser portador e, por isso, o uso por mais de duas vezes consecutivas gera desmaios e fadiga excessiva; também requer grande concentração.

Chuva de Meteoro Celestial: Permite invocar uma tempestade de meteoros de luz sagrada que atinge todos os alvos dentro de um raio de 20 metros. O poder é altamente destrutivo e de difícil controle da área de impacto, por isso é necessário grande concentração de seu portador. A chuva de meteoro tem duração de no máximo cinco minutos e precisa de um intervalo de tempo para ser conjurada novamente; não pode ser utilizada vezes consecutivas. O uso excessivo compromete a capacidade física e mental de seu usuário, bem como pode provocar desorientação espacial.

Asas Etéreas: Embora não sejam físicas, são manifestadas a partir de energia celestial que permite voo e manipulação de correntes de ar. Seu portador é capaz de voar médias altitudes e também criar rajadas de vento cortante, ou até uma barreira de proteção em torno de si com as asas etéreas. As asas espirituais consomem muita energia de seu usuário, o que limita a duração e a intensidade do voo que se for por longos períodos provoca grande desgaste físico e mental, resultando em uma drástica diminuição da velocidade, altura e estabilidade durante o voo. A manipulação de correntes de ar e a criação de barreira protetora só pode ser mantida por curtos intervalos de tempo. O uso exagerado faz com que seu portador fique mais de uma semana sem poder conjurar a habilidade.

Manipulação da Luz Celestial: Capacidade de gerar e controlar a luz divina, usando-a como fonte de ataque, defesa ou cura. Concede ao ser portador a capacidade de criar lâminas de luz para combate, formar escudos de energia ou curar feridas leves e moderadas. A luz não funciona em ambientes completamente escuros ou quando seu portador esteja emocionalmente instável. Não é possível usar as propriedades de ataque, defesa e cura simultaneamente. O uso excessivo da habilidade pode causar vertigem.

[mercurryblack]

Chapter 11: Cait (Part 2)

You ever get the feeling that something just isn't right?

Good. It’s not.

❃❃❃

“Man… it’s already midnight.” Cait said, checking their Scroll. “Are we sure there’s anything here?”

The four of them stood in the atrium of the dilapidated apartment block. Cobwebs smeared each corner and laced the demolished reception desk, the carpeted floor smothered in a thick layer of dust. The wooden door lay lopsided off its hinges, and large chunks of the wall had been completely broken out, letting in a chill breeze from the outside. Aside from the flashlights that Yuen and Sardion held, only a few slivers of moonlight illuminated the room, the electric lights having ceased working long ago.

“We only just got here, kid,” Sardion said, raising an eyebrow as he fanned a piece of cobweb from his hand. “You did say you were up for this, didn’t you?”

“Well, yeah, I’d just rather not have Professor Rook bawl me out for a late paper because I went on a wild goose chase.” Cait replied, scratching their brow.

“I’m sure that won’t happen,” Hattie said. “Professor Lionheart gave us the go-ahead for this case already, so I’m pretty sure that also covers any homework due.”

She paused, thinking to herself for a second. “Wait, was that why you were acting so jittery on the airship?”

“Not exactly.” Cait said, trying to avoid Hattie’s question.

“…Wait.” Yuen, having gone on ahead of them, had stopped in her tracks and was pointing just in front of where she stood. “Look right there.”

Cait, Hattie, and Sardion looked to where she was pointing. Leading up to the stairwell were faint footprints in the coating of dust on the carpet — freshly made.

“Huh. Ask and you shall receive…” Sardion mused under his breath, drawing his weapon, a handgun with a short blade attachment he had christened Joyeuse. “You think we’re not alone, Detective?”

“I don’t know yet.” Yuen replied. “Just do as I said back outside and keep your heads up.”

A few minutes later, the four of them had made their way five stories to the top floor and reached the end of the trail— the center of an outdoor patio. The railing around the edge was unfinished and broken, and what appeared to be a shallow rooftop pool was drained and coated with moss and mold. A fog cloud that was thick as gravy had begun to ominously drift across the rooftop just as they had exited the stairwell, obscuring most of their vision.

“Hey, are there any murderers up here?!” Hattie called out, attempting to wave some of the fog away with her free hand. “Yoo-hoo, anybody home?”

The other three gave her an odd look.

“…What exactly are you doing, Hattie?” Cait asked.

“I can’t see a thing up here!” Hattie said. “Maybe if I get their attention, they’ll just come out and spare us all the trouble.”

Cait groaned. “You think that perhaps they’ll be more trouble if they put up a fight?!”

“No biggie!” Hattie said with a shrug. “Sardion’s got a gun, Agave’s got a shotgun, you have your flails that… aren’t guns, and I’m packing a submachine gun that turns into a buzzsaw.”

“Gee, I feel safer already.” Cait said.

“I know, right?!” Hattie said, missing the sarcasm in Cait’s tone. “You’ve got nothing to worry about!”

“Enough,” Yuen interjected. “Back to business… this was the only way the trail led. If anyone’s here, then this is the only place that they could be—”

“Pussycat, pussycat… where have you been?” a voice echoed from within the veil of fog.

Yuen jolted, whipping around. Hattie jumped up with a yelp.

Cait did not utter a sound, but instead immediately froze in place.

“Who’s there?!” Sardion shouted as he raised Joyeuse, its barrel pointed into the thickest part of the fog bank ahead of them.

“I spy, with my little eye, a scaredy-cat who wants to cry…” another voice crooned.

“Cait?” Hattie asked, noticing her partner’s petrified look. “Cait, what’s going on with you?” She asked urgently, shaking them slightly by the arm.

“I—I— I know that voice…” Cait whispered to Hattie, suddenly turning to face her. “We need to get out of here.” 

“What do you mean, ‘you know that voice’…?” Hattie said. “Sardion? Detective? I—”

“I’ll burn and cripple you…” the first voice echoed.

Sardion squinted, keeping his weapon levelled as he tried to see where the voices were coming from.

“I’ll slash and hack you…” sang the second voice.

Yuen took in a shaky breath, holding her shotgun steady, a bead of sweat rolling down her brow.

“I’ll rip and tear you to bloody ribbons and scatter you to the four winds…” the voices chanted in unison.

Hattie clutched Cait’s arm in a one-handed death grasp, her eyes darting wildly as she gripped her weapon - fixed in its submachine gun form - in her other hand.

A sudden gust of wind struck them head-on, and the fog parted along with it.

Just ahead of them stood two women — one in a black-and-violet suit, the other wearing what appeared to be a cloak of feathers, their metallic surfaces shimmering in the light of the shattered moon.

The suited woman gave them a smile devoid of warmth, her scarred lips parting to reveal a set of ceramic teeth. “There you are, Cait… now, be good and come over here. It’s time for you to go home.”

Cait didn’t respond.

“Who the hell are you two?” Sardion demanded, now aiming Joyeuse at the woman in the suit. “What do you want from us?”

“Oh, not that much, really,” the suited woman said. “We just want our little one back, so if you don’t put up a fight, we’ll try and make your deaths quick.” She chuckled darkly.  “As for who we are… well, I’m sure you can deliver the introductions, won’t you though, Cait?”

“…How did you find me?” Cait hissed.

“Oh, come on. Is that how you greet your big sisters?” the woman with the metal-feather cloak said. “We haven’t seen each other for… it must be three years now?”

“You’re not my sisters. You never were, Nest,” Cait snarled. “Same goes for you, Moira.”

“Wait— sisters?” a wide-eyed Hattie asked.

“You couldn’t even pretend you missed us a little bit?” Moira asked, ignoring Hattie���s question. “We’d just about given up on our efforts to find you. If you hadn’t ran off like you did, we wouldn’t even need to have this conversation.”

“Cait, who are these people?” Hattie asked again, trying to get her partner’s attention to no avail.

Nest nodded to Sardion. “If you’d stayed, you could have helped us kill his teammates… aw, what were their names again? Yuzuki and Berto?”

“Yaara… and Berilo.” Sardion uttered, momentarily stunned by the woman’s revelation.

“You— you’re the ones that killed them?” Yuen asked tentatively.

“Oh, yeah. Nothing personal,” Nest said with a shrug. “They were just a couple of loose ends, like you are now.”

The feeling of shock and shred of fear in Sardion’s heart burned away, consumed by a rapidly kindling rage. “You… fucking… animals…”

“Oh, there we go.” Moira said. “Now that we’re all acquainted, why don’t we just get this over with? We’re on the clock.”

Sardion wordlessly released the safety on his weapon with a snap, and the Lightning Dust crystal embedded in the slide’s side glowed to life.

“No, wait, don’t shoot—!” Cait shouted, but they were too late.

Sardion fired, a single shot directly at Moira’s forehead. The muzzle of Joyeuse burst with a sound like a thunderclap, a bolt of lightning encasing a single tungsten bullet as it erupted from the barrel.

The bullet was a foot away from Moira’s head when it came to a complete stop. From the point of impact, a shattering effect appeared in the air itself, as if a giant pane of glass had halted the projectile.

“Nice try,” she smirked, as the shatter marks faded and the bullet dropped to the ground.

“What the hell was that?” Sardion breathed.

“I tried to tell you!” Cait said. “Her Semblance lets her create invisible barriers— nothing can get through them, even Dust!”

“Aw, don’t ruin the surprise.” Nest said, unfolding her wings from around her. “Let the big strong champion figure it out for himself. Hope he hasn’t been resting on his laurels… I want to have some fun before we leave.”

“Doesn’t seem like you have a barrier.” Yuen said, raising her shotgun at Nest.

“Nope.” Nest said. “I got these, though.”

She flicked the tip of her left wing, and a feather-shaped blade shot out in a flash of steel, slashing deep across Yuen’s leg in the blink of an eye.

“AAGH!” Yuen cried, sprawling, her shotgun clattering out of her grip.

“Detective—!” Hattie shouted, losing her focus.

“Damn, missed.” Nest said with a laugh. ““Didn’t see that one coming, did you? You’re next, bluey.” With a shrill grind of metal against metal, she dove for Hattie, seizing her by the collar and taking flight off of the roof.

She made it all of three feet away from the roof before she suddenly was yanked to one side, her leg caught by something. Looking down, she saw the head of a flail wrapped around her ankle, Cait holding on to the other end for dear life.

“You interfering little— get off of me!” Nest yelled.

“You’re not getting away with her!” Cait yelled back.

“You great big stupid buzzard…!” With her opponent’s attention on Cait, Hattie seized the opportunity to bash Nest square in the head with the butt of her gun. “Lemme go!”

Dazed by the strike, Nest fumbled and crashed on a lower rooftop, losing her grip on Hattie, who landed in a roll. Cait landed on their side, coughing as they kicked up dirt and dust.

“Fine.” Nest spat, pulling herself up. “Hard way it is, then.”

“C’mon.” Hattie said, helping Cait to their feet. “You ready for this?”

“We don’t have a choice.” Cait replied shakily. “Just stay alive.”

***

Sardion fired several more times at Moira as she advanced on him, but each and every bullet merely stopped short of hitting her, caught by the barrier in front of her.

“Look at you, thinking you’re so heroic.” Moira spat. “Where were you on the night my sister and I were tearing apart your dear old friends, big man? Where are you going to be when my sister tears that little girl limb from limb? Why didn’t you save any of them? You were a Vytal Champion, a paragon of a Huntsman, Sardion Sarikaya… so why are your teammates dead?”

“SHUT UP!” Sardion roared, blood pounding louder in his ears as his anger grew hotter.

“What was your Semblance… superhuman futility?” Moira’s smile widened, her tongue flicking in serpentine anticipation. “Don’t you think it’s past time to join them? A little reunion would be nice, wouldn’t it?”

“SHUT UP!” Sardion fired once more at her, the bullet freezing without landing. Again, cracks appeared in the air where the bullet had struck.

“That’s starting to get really annoying.” he growled.

“Oh, how rude of me.” Moira said. “Let’s finish this up, then.”

Sardion didn’t respond, only pulling the trigger again, futilely hoping that the next shot would make its mark.

Click.

He managed a glance at his weapon— not only was he out of ammunition, but the Lightning Dust crystal had been depleted. “Damn!” he cursed.

“Oh, I know that sound… got you!” Moira exclaimed, leaping into a lunge. Her prosthetic tongue shot out of her mouth as she closed the distance to Sardion, and before he had time to properly react, it had snared around his upper arm. Polymer barbs dug into his jacket, and she landed with her shins into his torso, knocking him to the ground.

“Guh-huhff-get the hell off of me!” He made to cut her away with the short blade on Joyeuse’s underbarrel, but she lashed out and seized him by the wrists, pinning his arms down with great effort.

“Uh-uh-uh, thon’t thrath about like that.” Moira lisped, her mouth still open. “Thith ith the good th’part.” With a hiss, she activated the artificial glands in her mouth, and acid erupted from the barbs on her tongue.

The fluid burnt through both Sardion’s jacket and his Aura in a split second before sinking into his skin, making its way through his flesh and bone alike.

Sardion wasn’t sure how he responded in that moment, but he wouldn’t have blamed himself if he had recalled screaming. The pain was like a thousand red-hot needles being driven into his shoulder, worse than any other he had ever felt in his life.

“Th’ere.” Moira leered over him, her sadistic smile growing wider as she strained to hold his arms back. “Ju’th th’give up a—”

BLAM.

A heavyweight slug nailed Moira square in the back. Her Aura flared for a moment, barely stopping them from breaking her skin. With a hiss of pain, Moira tore her attention from Sardion to see who had shot her. Her grip on Sardion went slack, her tongue unraveling itself from his shoulder as it retracted back into her mouth.

“Sardion!”

Leaning down in the pool basin behind the assassin, Yuen lowered her shotgun, her other hand pressed to her leg wound. “Finish it!” she shouted over her shoulder, wincing with exertion. Blood trickled out from between her fingers.

Moira turned back just in time to see Sardion levelling his weapon directly at her head.

“Go ahead.” she sneered. “I’ve still got enough Aura to take another bullet. Call it a parting gift for effort.”

“You wanted to know *hkk* what my Semblance was?” Sardion gasped through the pain. “Whatever I’m touching… can permeate anything.”

He pulled the trigger of Joyeuse. No bullet came from the muzzle, though— instead, the barrel of the gun snapped apart and folded into a guard, and the underbarrel blade extended into one of a full longsword.

The blade itself went directly through Moira’s barrier, through her forehead and out the back of her skull.

“Unkk--!”

Letting go of his weapon’s hilt, Sardion shoved her corpse off of himself and quickly shifted away. Acid began to leak from the corner of her mouth onto the ground, frothing and hissing as it melted through the concrete.

With no small amount of effort, he craned his neck to face Moira one more time, looking into her clouded and glazed eyes, half her visage now slick with blood as it leaked from around the still-embedded sword blade.

“That was…” he growled, “for my teammates.”

***

BLAM.

“Wha—?” Nest looked over her shoulder, caught off guard by the sound of the shotgun fire. “Don’t tell me the detective’s still kicking…”

“You should know never to take your eyes off your opponent!” Hattie yelled at her assailant, firing a burst of three bullets at her.

“And you should know better than to think you’ve got a chance, lolita.” Nest taunted, raising a metal to block the girl’s spray of bullets. 

“Hattie, don’t drag this out!” Cait called, as they swung Entwined Catenary at Nest, who ducked the blow. “Come on, Nest, I’m the one that you want!”

“Don’t give up, Cait!” Hattie shouted. “We can beat her if we work together!”

“No, we can’t!” Cait shouted back. “The only reason we’ve lasted this long is because she’s just toying with us!”

“Listen to your friend there, girl.” Nest chuckled darkly, blocking another spray of bullets. “Honestly, of all the things, I would have never figured you for a Huntsman. You always gave in too easy, after all… you never stood by your own blood.”

“You’re not my blood.” Cait retorted. “And I made my choice. I’m not going back.”

Nest scoffed. “You brought this on yourself, you know. You just couldn’t do as you were told, just had to go your own way. If you’d stuck by your sisters, we could’ve really made something out of you.”

“What, turn me into a murderer like you?” Cait spat back, trying to land another strike with Entwined Catenary. “You’re insane.”

“Aw, I’m a murderer!” Nest laughed, knocking the head of Cait’s flail away with one wing. “I'm so happy you’ve been paying attention! I suppose now you’ll start crying when I rip apart your partner here, huh? Look how soft these “friends” of yours made you.”

“No.” Cait snarled. “There’s no way you’re hurting her.”

“Well, there’s the problem. I am gonna kill someone tonight, and it can’t be you.” Nest said. “News flash, Cait. You can go ahead and run away from your birthright as many times as you like, but it’s always gonna catch up to you. And when it does, it’ll destroy everything that’s standing in the way.”

Cait’s eyes narrowed, their Aura flickering around their hand. “Yeah, well… if I can’t outrun it, then I’ll kill it.”

Their Aura shimmered for a moment, an emerald pattern across their entire form as their eyes began to glow with an unearthly light.

“Cute. But too slow.” Nest bared her teeth, spreading her wings to their full span. “See if you can’t outrun this, either.”

Cait’s flare of Aura fizzled out the second they saw Nest’s stance.

“HATTIE, GET DOWN!” they shouted.

Just as Hattie threw herself to the ground, Nest launched into the air in a spinning fusillade of feather blades, the tips of her wings erupting as she ascended.

Part of the spray struck Cait head-on, knocking them over the edge of the roof. They hit the ground hard, feeling the wind being knocked out of them. Gasping for air and dizzy with pain, they looked up to see Hattie hop down from the roof and onto a moulded overhang, lowering herself to the ground and running over to them.

“No…” she gasped. “Cait, you have to get up, please…” Before she could help them to their feet, Nest landed a few meters away.

“Shit, don’t tell me I killed them.” Nest said, feigning concern. “You still kicking, kitty-cat?”

Cait loudly wheezed in a breath, drawing air back into their lungs.

“Phew.” Nest sighed, before turning to Hattie. “I guess it’s just you and me now.”

“Hattie…” Cait groaned. “Run…”

Every inch of her body quaking in terror, Hattie stood her ground, standing over Cait as she raised her weapon at Nest.

Nest grinned. “Good girl.” Before she could attack, though, a loud crash from the side caught all their attentions, something having fallen off the apartment’s roof above them.

“That yours, Moira?” she called out to the roof as she turned. “Don’t startle me like—” The color drained from her face as she laid eyes upon Moira’s body lying in the rubble, and she lost all interest in Cait and Hattie.

“NO!!” she screamed, her eyes wide with shock. “How… how…”

“Didn’t see that one coming… did you?” Cait coughed, repeating Nest’s words as they pulled themself onto one elbow.

“You… have no idea what you’ve… YOU’LL PAY FOR THIS!” Nest screamed once more, clutching Moira’s body close as she once again took flight— this time, however, away from the two students and the apartment.

“That’s right, you PUSSY! RUN!” Cait shouted after Nest as she fled, their voice nearly cracking with strain as her silhouette disappeared into the night sky. “AND YOU CAN TELL DAD I’M NEVER GOING BACK, EVER!” They tried to rise to their feet but fell to their knees, the rush of adrenaline fading to be replaced by exhaustion.

“Cait…” Hattie said, kneeling down beside them. “Y- you’re— you’re bleeding!”

Cait winced as she laid a hand on their shoulder. Several of the wing-blades had penetrated their Aura and resulted in shallow cuts, while the fall they had taken felt like it had broken a couple of their ribs.

“Yeah, I’m kinda feeling it now.” they said half-jokingly. “I’ll live, though.”

Hattie didn’t respond.

“Hattie…?” Looking up, Cait noticed that tears were beginning to stream through the grime on her face. “Hey, hey… why’re you crying?”

“I should’ve been able to protect you, Cait.” Hattie choked, her voice weakened. “I told you not to worry, but… I couldn’t do anything against her.”

Cait shook their head. “No. Don’t blame yourself, Hattie, you could have been— she was going to kill you. You should have run… why didn’t you?”

“I wasn’t going to leave you behind.” Hattie sniffled, wiping her eyes with the back of her glove. “You’re my partner. And you’re still hurt.”

“I’m gonna be fine, it’s nothing too bad,” Cait reassured her, placing a hand on her back. “I just hope the guys upstairs are better off. I don’t want to have to be the one who’s gotta fly the sailship out of this dump.”

***

“Well… I guess *h-huuuhh* that’s a lead after all…” Sardion murmured to himself, his voice thready and weak.

Gingerly clutching her leg, Yuen poked her head over the rim of the empty pool, where the two had taken emergency cover from Nest. “Hey, Sardion, stay awake. Stay with me, I can still get you help.” she said, her tone hurried with concern. “There’s a med kit on the ship, we just need to make it that far. I’ll get the kids, just stay here—”

“Ahh… *huuuhh*… it’s nothing. Hurts pretty bad… but worst comes to worst… *nnnuuuhh*… I’ll just have to learn to make do with ol’ righty… heh.” Sardion replied, managing a pained grin.

“This isn’t the time to joke.” Yuen said urgently, removing her jacket before tearing it into a makeshift tourniquet. “That arm’s barely attached, and you’re bleeding like a stuck Boarbatusk. You need serious medical attention, and fast.”

“Well, you did say… *huuuhh*… I should stay optimistic.” Sardion said. “And here I am… being optimistic.”

[scpwiki-official]

Birds nests is really hitting different tonight

[annieboltonworld]

Juniper Publishers-Open Access Journal of Environmental Sciences & Natural Resources

A Study on Sthalavrikshas in Temples of Madurai District, Tamil Nadu

Authored by Vinoth Kumar A

Abstract

India delivers rich biodiversity and it is not just the world’s twelve mega diverse countries, but also one of the eight major centers of origin and diversification of domesticated taxa. These taxa are conserved and have been considered sacred because of their cultural, religious and economic importance. In Tamil Nadu, some sacred trees are in the status of extinct, endangered, threatened, and vulnerable and vary rare habit. The sacred trees are very good examples of ex situ conservation, where a single plant is conserved and worshipped. A study of Sthalavrikshas is also known as sacred trees (or) temple trees was conducted in the temples of the Madurai district during 2016-2017. The study revealed the presence of Sthalavrikshas in 65 temples out of 100 temples studied. Totally 31 species of Sthalavriksha recorded in these 65 temples.

Keywords:Biodiversity; Conservation; Sthalavrikshas

Introduction

Sacred groves and sthalavriksha (temple tree) have been acting as a major role in the conservation of plants and animals. In the location are certain ethnic groups and residential district in India, which have been worshiping forests, trees and certain animals since time immemorial. Occurrence of sacred groves at several spaces in India, clearly defines the community’s attachment to nature. Sacred plants play a really significant role in ecology. Due to their ecological value and effective properties, sacred plants continue to be employed in the religious and social festivals of the Hindus. The five most sacred leaves of pipal, Cluster fig, white fig, banyan and mango are ubiquitously employed in making prayers and oblations. On auspicious occasions, mango leaves are attached to train and strung up on doors as a welcome banner, and leaves of purasu and banyan make workable plates and bowls during community feasts. Leaves of some other trees are also customarily offered to deities e.g., Vilvam (Bengal quince) to Lord Siva, of banana and Arjuna to Lord Ganesha, and of kontrai (Cassia fistula) to all the gods and goddesses. The red flowers of the Indian coral tree are used in the worship of Lord Vishnu and Lord Siva; of Alari (Nerium indicum) in the worship of Lord Siva and the Sun-god; of ketaki (Yucca gloriosa) in the worship of Lakshmi, and of pala or breadfruit (Artocarpus integrifolia) in the worship of Lord Vishnu. The purpose of some flowers is prohibited in worship rites like vaagai (sirisa or parrot tree/Albizia lebbeck) in the worship of Lord Ganesha and vengai (Pterocarpus marsupium) in the worship of Lord Siva. The wood of the sacred trees like vilvam, banyan, vanni, purasu and pipal is never employed as fuel, as it is believed to invite the anger of gods. But it is employed in other ways, in sacrificial rites and ceremonies. Sudhakar [1]. Sthalavriksha worship in temples is a popular exercise. Most of these temples have their own Sthalavrikshas (temple trees) and Nanthavanam (flower garden). Sacred plants provide food, shelter and nesting substratum for several species of birds and squirrels. All souls of certain species are completely protected. Sthalavriksha is a natural tree found in the temple site before construction of the temple and most temple myths (Sthalapuranas) and temple histories (Sthalavaralaru) refer to a prime deity that was first unearthed or found under the tree Gunasekaran & Balasubramanian [2]. Every temple has one plant or tree as sthalavriksham. Sthalavriksha means the tree of the locality (sthal-place; vriksha-tree). In Tamilnadu state, about sacred trees are in the status of extinct, endangered, threatened, and vulnerable and vary rare habit. Such trees are both ethno botanically or culturally important and ecological representative of the area.

Sthalavriksha or temple tree is a single plant worshipped as equal as the prime deity in the temples. In both Hinduism and Buddhism, temple tree worship holds a bigger significance. The plant, primarily worshipped are Peepal (Ficus religiosa), Neem (Azardirachta indica), Bael (Aegle marmelos), Sandalwood (Santlum album), etc. There are temples which have more than one Sthalavriksham simultaneously, whereas some temples like a Sri Kallalagar temple (Prosopis cineraria (L.) Druce and (Pterocarpus santalinus L.f.) to have different Sthalavriksham is different yugas. On that point are also examples of more than temple having the same trees as sthalavriksham (eg.) Aegle marmelos (L.) Corr.serr. and Azardirachta indica Adr. Juss. etc. Some of the important temple festivals are associated with the sthalavriksham of the temples concerned mavadi sevai of kanci Ekambareswara temple and makizhadi sevai of tiruvottiyur temple are two such festivals. Sthalavriksha mostly occurs in tree habit, in main or big temples of Tamilnadu. In some temples, it occurs in herb, shrub, grass or climber forms. Sacred trees are therefore handled as any other sacred space, and it is thus not surprising that many of the customs and ceremonies mentioned in sacred places, in general, are also observed at the sites of sacred trees. This habit shows characteristically the importance of medicinal plants in Indian System of Medicine. Medicinal parts of the Sacred Trees (Sthalavrikshas) are practiced in different forms. It is presented in the form of paste, juice, dried powder and made into tablets and juices mixed with sugar and honey to cure various diseases Amirthalingam [3].

Materials and Methods

Study Area

Historical Background: Madurai is one of the major districts of Tamilnadu State. Madurai is located along the bank of the river Vaigai. It is an ancient urban center known for its age old legacy and agile of contemporary modern lifestyle-a singular spot for worship and the Modern-day of living. Madurai is also visited by different names like “City of Jasmine” (Malligai maanagar), “Temple City” (Koil maanagar), “City that never sleeps” (Thoonga Nagaram) and “City of four junctions” (Naanmada koodal).

Location & Geographical Area: The Madurai district lies between 9° 56’ 20.7348’’ N and 78° 7’ 18.1884’’ E. It takes in an area of 3741.73 Sq. Km and is bordered on the west by Theni district, on the north by Dindigul district, on the east by Sivagangai district and along the south by Virudhunagar district. The district is empowered with a semi arid tropical climate with normal rainfall of 827.1 mm as against 923.1 mm for the state. The present study was extended out in Madurai district, Tamilnadu. 130 temples were enumerated, data gathered from the local people. Flowering twigs of trees set up within the temple premises were collected and identified taxonomically using the Floras. The tree species grown as Sthalavriksha in 65 temples in Madurai district were enumerated. The survey documented several interesting facets of tree worship. The local people, including Temple handoff, Priests, Temple Defendable and Worshipers was interacted with temple area of Madurai district that have indigenous knowledge about sacred plants of their locality and information’s were collected by group discussions and interviews with them in their local language (Tamil). Binomials of the plants with family, their local names, parts used and Medicinal uses were recorded (Figure 1).

Interview and Ethno Medicinal Data Collection: The ethno medicinal information was collected by interacting with the priest and people living around the temples through interview as a recorded data.

Collection of Plant: The floral parts and twigs were collected from the Sthalavriksha for Binomial name identification. Generally, the plant specimens were collected with flower and fruit. In case, if there are no flowers and fruit conditions, the plant twig with few leaves was collected for proper identification.

Result

Sthalavriksha worship in temples is an ancient religious practice in India. This study is the first attempt to survey the Sthalavrikshas of 100 temples in Madurai district. Tamilnadu, India. Of the surveyed 100 temples, there were only 68 temples in which Sthalavriksha were present. The temples found among them 12 were Lord Shiva temples, 28 were Lord Amman temples, 7 were Goddess Sakthi temples, and 7 were Lord Murugan temples, 3 were Vinayaga temples, 11 various deity temples. A total of 31 plant species belonging 20 families was recorded in the study. Most of these plants belong to Dicotyledons of angiosperms and one species belong to Monocotyledons (Borassus flabellifer L.). 30 Sthalavriksha plants were trees while one was a shrub (Tabernaemontana divaricata R.Br.ex Roem & Schult.). All the Sthalavrikshas documented in the study are given in Table 1 In Madurai district; the ancient temples were recorded for this study. The temples include Meenakshi Amman temple, Kallalagar temple, Thiruvaapudaiyar temple, Inmailum Nanmai Taruvar Temple, Puttu Sokanathar Temple etc. A total of 31 Sthalavriksha species belonging to 20 families were recorded, and Dominant families were Moraceae and Fabaceae with 4 species each, Moraceae, represented by 4 species (Ficus benghalensis L. Ficus microcarpa L.f. Ficus religiosa L. Ficus tintoria G.Forst). Fabaceae represented by 4 species (Prosopsis cineraria (L.) Druce, Pterocarpus santalinus L.f. Acacia leucophloea Wild. and Prosopsis cineraria (L.) Druce) and the other dominated families were Anacardiaceae and Mimosaceae. Each family is represented by 2 species, Mimosaceae (Albizia amara (Roxb.) Acacia nilotica (L.) Willd. ex Del.) and Anacardiaceae, includes 2 species (Lannea coromandelica (Houtt.) Merr and Mangifera indica L.) Among these Rutaceae was the dominant family represented by 16 temples followed by Moraceae represented by 6 temples and followed by Meliaceae and Rubiaceae represented by 4 temples each. The frequently occurring species was Aegle marmelos (L.) Correa recorded in 17 temples followed by Ficus benghalensis L. Druce in 6 temples and Azardirachta indica Adr. Juss and Neolamarckia cadamba (Roxb.) Bosser was recorded in 4 temples each. All the 31 species were reported to have medicinal properties. Tholkappiyavathi et al., (2013) reported that 16 temples have Sthalavrikshas while 20 such element exists in remaining temples. 9 species of Sthalavrikshas have been recorded in these 16 temples. Prabakaran et al. [4] surveyed the sthalavriksha of 106 temples in Salem, Namakkal, Karur district. They record sthalavriksha were found in 81 temples and a total 18 plant species belong to 18 genera and 14 families.Among this Caesalpiniaceae was the dominant family represented by 3 species followed by Rutaceae and Moraceae represented by 2 species each (Figure 2) .

Economically Important on Species

Most of the plants put down from sacred plants (Sthalavriksha) of Madurai district are economically significant. The medicinal plants comprise about 31 species, 29 species having timber value and 19 species were regarded for minor forest produce. Many multipurpose species have also been reported from the groves. Of these, 23 species are used as timber and medicine, 34 species as medicine and minor forest produce, 18 species as minor forest products and timber, and 10 species as timber, medicine and minor forest produce. Sukumaran et al. [5] reported 329 species belonging to 251 genera of 100 families and economically important plants such as medicinal value (194 sp.), timber value (34sp.) and minor forest product (19sp.) (Figure 3).

Quantitative Analyses of Medicinal Use

The village people have used the Sthalavriksha plants for many ills. It may be noted here that most of the sacred trees usually have great medicinal value. Traditional medicine continues to act as an important role in health maintenance. Medicinal parts of the Sacred Trees (Sthalavrikshas) are practiced in dissimilar kinds. It is presented in the form of a paste, juice, dried powder and juices mixed with sugar and honey to cure several diseases. The similar documented was made for 31 plants belong to 20 families are identified as traditional medical used species (Table 2). Gastrointestinal problems like digestive problems, diarrhea, dysentery, stomach ache and constipation were treated using specific herbal prescriptions by the local peoples same reported. Respiratory problem like cough, cold, and asthma also used medicinal plant. The plant parts, mostly reported in this regard were Leaves (29%), Bark (25%), Fruit (14), Root (12%), Flower (8%), Stem (6%), Seed (4%) and Latex (2%). Gunasekaran et al. [6] Ethnomedicinal uses of 91 Sthalavrikshas (temple trees) in Tamil Nadu, southern India, posses medicinal uses and cured various diseases like Toothache, Dysentery, Stomach ache, Diar¬rhea, etc.

Medicinal Preparations

The medicinal preparations followed by the Sthalavrikshas of Madurai district to cure a disease were based on many kinds of preparations which are as follows.

a) Decoction: A decoction was obtained by boiling the plant in water until the volume of liquid was reduced to more than ½ or ¾ of the original amount of liquid.

b) Extract: The plant material was ground with some amount of water as per the need and filtered. The filtrate was used as an extract.

c) Juice: The juice was obtained by grinding the plant material and this preparation was administered wholly (This juiciest material used for filtered or non-filtered)

d) Latex: Latex was obtained by detaching the leaf or young stem at normal region of the plants and used.

e) Paste: The paste was prepared by grinding fresh, dried material with water.

f) Powder: The powder was prepared by grinding dried material.

g) Raw: The plant material is also used in raw form, was used immediately after harvesting.

It was also likewise mentioned that the sthalavrikshas in Madurai district in Tamilnadu used the medicinal preparation mostly in the form of Paste (19%), followed by decoction (20%), juice (20%), extract (15%), Powder (9%), Raw and Latex (17%). Some of the sacred plants cure to various diseases, taken from various forms, such as Aegle marmelos species bark decoction is used to treat intermittent fever. Bark powder used for skin diseases. Leaf act as a blood purifier. Cassia fistula species taken from various forms, Leaf (paste) flower (juice) and root (extract) cured of some diseases such as skin diseases, snakebite, fever and cold. Gunasekaran et al. [6]- Ethno medicinal uses of 91 Sthalavrikshas (temple trees) in Tamil Nadu, southern India, they reported medicinal uses and taken from various formations such as juice, decoction, powder, paste, used to cure for various diseases and ailments like Diarrhea, fever, cough, cold, etc.

From the present investigation, it was noted that the Sthalavriksha plants on Madurai district of the study area used to herbal preparation made from the medicinal plants mostly used for the treatment of diarrhea (5 species: Aegle marmelos, Mangifera indica, Acacia nilotica, Morinda tinctoria, Tamarindus indica), dysentery (5 species: Acacia nilotica, Acacia leucophloea, Syzygium cumini, Tabernaemontana divaricata, Morinda tinctoria), fever (5 species: Acacia leucophloea, Aegle marmelos, Mimusops elengi, Morinda tinctoria, Neolamarckia cadamba), cough (5 species: Ailanthus excels, Acacia leucophloea, Lepisanthes tetraphylla, Prosopis cineraria, Millingtonia hortensis), skin diseases (9 species: Aegle marmelos, Azardirachta indica, Alangium salviifolium, Cassia fistula, Ficus religiosa, Millingtonia hortensis, Pongamia pinnata, Pterocarpus santalinus, Borassus flabellifer). Gunasekaran et al. [6] - Ethnomedicinal uses of 91 Sthalavrikshas (temple trees) in Tamil Nadu, southern India, they reported medicinal plants, mostly cured of fever (23 species), dysentery (13 species), asthma (10 species), rheumatism (10 species) and diarrhea (8 species). Nandkishor et al. [7] reported that the Some Sacred Trees and their Medicinal Uses from Amravati District (Maharashtra), used the medicinal plants, mostly for the treatment of fever (12 species), followed by dysentery (8 species) and diarrhea (3 species) [8-10].

Conservation Status of the Plants

The plant species Pterocarpus santalinus comes under the endangered category, all other species are of least concerned status (Table 1).

The Necessity of Security

Sthalavrikshas worshipped in plants are a means of conservation of plants. Plants in the temple gardens are cultivated and maintained and this is also a means of conservation of plants. The role of people in the conservation of plant has been an age old practice since historic period. It was concluded that the Sthalavriksha worship is an age old practice; myths, beliefs and this practice play a major role in the conservation of plants. Thus, the above results and discussion proved the relation of the human and the nature towards plant conservation. The traditional worshipping has protected many plants which have tremendous medicinal value and made them as sacred, so that with the fear of deity nobody eradicates it. So we have to protect these sacred plants for us and our next generation for better survival. On the basis of this study, we have to follow our ancestor’s belief in humanity and nature sustainability.

Conclusion

Madurai district, unitary of the ancient districts of Tamil Nadu famous for its religious culture, was studying for the sthalavriksha plants. It was noted that a total of 31 plant species was recorded. The recorded plant species belong to 20 families. Among that family of Moraceae and Fabaceae dominated together with 4 species followed by Rutaceae, Rubiaceae, Anacardiaceae and Mimosaceae family consequently represented with 2 plant species. Medicines are obtained from the Sthalavrikshas and are used in different forms. Sthalavrikshas are valued for their botanical, medicinal, environmental, religious and mythical importance. The sthalavrikshas of Tamilnadu constitute a lot of genetic resources for the conservation of species diversity. Propagation of sthalavrikshas in temples contributes to the conservation of our floral diversity. Some trees are significant for their economic use of shipbuilding or in the timber industry, some for providing homes for various animals, birds, and others for their medicinal value. In the present study, it is concluded that the religious activities are having a close relationship with plants boost up the mental health of local people of Madurai district and many of the sacred plants found in the household and temples were used for various religious cultural activities as well as for health care. These sacred plants are worshiped by the local people for getting the blessing of health and wealth by positive powers of nature. Hence the religious ceremonies, rites act as a protective factor or device for the conservation of sacred plants. So, it is the duty of the present generation to preserve and promote these aesthetic treasures to conserve biodiversity and nature, which will surely play a part in the progression of human beings. These sacred trees preserved through millennia by our ancestors as potential bio resources should be respected and conserved for the future generation. The sthalavrikshas is a mean of conservation of biodiversity.

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[archer80v41659-blog]

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[radconnoisseurrebel-blog]

A Recente Consumidora Modifica O Mercado Com Venustidade E Plástica

Acarrear - visto que mundo este qualquer vez melhor abeloura, não possui modo, é certo caminho sem volta! Acabam queimando eras com suas vidas bem como de arrebatamento encontram-se dentro de tenra anos e também com filhos a fim de acautelar-se, vendo a grande conjunto de problemas em que se meteram, correm e pedem adjutório para seus pais. A Rodan+Fields e também a Nerium Cosmopolita fizeram contribuições significativas a fim de crescimento deste bósforo, por volta de as componentes recém-chegadas isto a Younique, que anunciou aparceiramento com a Coty no começo com 2017. https://estilo.uol.com.br/beleza/noticias/redacao/2017/06/14/cabelo-da-moda-e-uma-mistura-de-castanho-com-rosa.htm Para estar mais necessário, invadiu rotina a milhões a indivíduos no globo (REIS, 2009, p. 31). No Arabutã por causa de ao alimentação por causa de SUS (Programa Especial de Resistência) dos medicamentos os pacientes estão recebendo sem ser lhe acabado exagerado. Esta atuação a consumo do coletivo efeminado é forte cantadela destinado a acordo de salões de beleza. Lugar oferece também forte natureza destinado a encontros empresariais, com hotel-fazenda agora construído no estilo colonial, excelente inclusive destinado a abertura de clínicas, ESTÂNCIA HIDROMINERAL, etc. Expressão do assomada do globo medieval, contemporânea dos castelos e das catedrais, tomismo é uma abadia com idéias, onde a teologia do séc. Ele é aceno de que Arabutã isto enveredando através de arrojado caminho a tentar aferir as indivíduos nunca através de acepção com seu caráter, no entanto pela aparência de sua pele. A análise tem adelgaçado, similarmente, que certo percentagem de acadêmicos das licenciaturas, porém, nunca fizeram certa apuramento pautada através da pensamento. Amestrado dentro de Administração com TI, atuo há 17 anos no setor de acréscimo de programa; construção bem como comando a instituições bem como no acréscimo de pessoas. Na Mintel, sabemos que está por acordar na indústria com venustidade e afazeres pessoais. Pedidos a dados destinado a aleitamento a e-mails, blogs, orkuts etc precisam ser encarados com bastante atenção. Com infelicidade diversas seres humanos acreditam que a delineação medicamentoso não faz problema por ser amplo, que nunca é adaptado, várias prejudicam sustento a HIV/AIDS que Cargo da Resistência desaconselham teu consumo. De acordo com Zuanetti (2000) na Idade Moderna os exageros caíram a artigos e aparência natural voltou a estar molde de beldade na Anosidade Moderna. C) alçada da exploração no Curado Paulo e a alicerce a casas com saída que tinham que nem propósito abastar mercado brasilense de produtos nacionais. Os comentários publicados até este lugar nunca representam a avaliação do jornal e curado com completo autoria com seus autores. A presidente da Assetans acrescenta que que a alvitre a plano de resistência acessível” faz é mexer nas chico da ANS retrocedendo”. Com programa One beldade e também bem-estar, você, gerente, alcança acessar todas as dados financeiras da instituição, adequar a produtividade bem como a lucratividade dos profissionais, ajudar as vendas e também afluxo a compradores. Prezado Garanhão, agora aludido no antecedentemente, toda vez atribuía atividades urgentes bem como de forte responsabilidade aos líderes mais ocupados. Sou muito lógico, no entanto não bastante para ignorar a abonar dentro de sonhos e também na beleza daquilo que nos é ausente. Colocando neste momento novíssimos e também exclusivos extras, Abalroamento Abismo, enorme êxito a bilheteria que cativou público do globo cada, faz sentir teu abalo de certa aparência sincera bem como famoso.

[nestsandnails-1]

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[mercurryblack]

Chapter 11: Cait (Part 1)

You speak of the Grimm that scour the land outside the cities?

The real monsters are already here.

❃❃❃

“Can you please *hah* tell me why *heh* we’re running to *huh* Yuen’s office?” Cait wheezed.

After Hattie had so gleefully hinted at what they were going to do, she had wasted no time in dragging Cait out of the door and ordering them to run as fast as they could to the precinct, giving them only enough time to grab their weapon; a pair of chain flails they had christened as Entwined Catenary.

“I called her up, and she said that Sardion and her were going to go investigate a potential lead!” replied Hattie, her weapon Whirling Dervish strapped over her back in its gun form and her left hand firmly around Cait’s right wrist. Her jubilant attitude appeared to be doing wonders for her stamina—despite the fact that they had been running for a good half mile, she hadn’t even broken a sweat.

“Wait, seriously? Where?” Cait asked, completely forgetting about their still-incomplete essay. Despite their past week of getting nowhere, a small feeling of excited anticipation sparked within them.

“I don’t know the details yet! We have to hurry, though, she said they’re waiting for us!” Hattie said as she finally let go of Cait’s wrist, keeping pace ahead of her teammate.

***

After a few more minutes’ worth of running, the duo stopped in front of the precinct to find Sardion already waiting outside. The streets were vacant except for the trio, with the building’s windows darkened and Yuen nowhere to be seen.

“Okay, so… where’re we going?” Hattie chirped, bouncing on her heels as Cait took a minute to catch their breath.

“Out to the Manju-Shage District.” Yuen answered. “It’s a long shot, but we might pick up a trail out there, if nothing else.”

“Manju-Shage?” Cait asked. “That’s a pretty long way from here.” Their legs weren’t suitable for a mile-long run and such a walk, with only a five-minute breather.

“Don’t worry,” Sardion said. “We’re taking a ride.”

A sound of a whirring propeller overhead caught the two students’ ears. They glanced up to see a compact Sailship descending from above them, lowering itself beside the trio to hover just above the pavement. It was noticeably smaller than the transport Sailships that the city police usually flew, but it looked to be big enough for the lot of them.

“Might as well get there in a bit of style, eh?” Sardion said, hopping into the cabin. “Climb aboard, you two.”

“Where’s Detective Yuen?” Cait asked as they hoisted themselves in. “Wasn’t she the one who called up Hattie?”

Sardion jabbed a thumb at the cockpit, and Cait turned to see Yuen sitting in the pilot’s seat.

“You two got your weapons and everything?” Yuen asked, turning to speak to them. “I don’t want to waste any time.”

Hattie nodded, her grin brimming with excitement. “Locked and loaded, captain!”

“Detective Captain,” Yuen replied, feigning amusement. “Well, at least you’re enthusiastic about this. I’ve never seen anyone this eager to check out Manju-Shage.”

“Hey, where’s Rudyard?” Hattie asked, realizing the man in question was nowhere to be seen. “Wouldn’t he want to come along for this?”

“No idea where he is,” Sardion said, shaking his head. “We tried to get through to him before calling you, but he left his Scroll in my office. I left behind a note for him, just in case he comes back to look for it.”

Yuen cleared her throat, turning back to the sailship’s controls. “Alright, guys, hang on to something— I’m gonna take us up.”

With a rush of wind and a roar from the engines as the propellers sped up, the sailship slowly rose into the air, sailfins gently undulating up and down as the vehicle ascended.

“Whoa…” Hattie uttered in breathless awe, never having experienced a ride so high before. “I can see the whole city from up here. If it were lighter, I could probably see Lake Matsu from here… this is so cool.”

“Mmm.” Cait hummed in apparent agreement, looking less interested than the former.

Sardion cocked an eyebrow at Cait’s uncharacteristically morose behavior, but chose to say nothing of it. He brushed his hand against the handle of his weapon, holstered in its pistol form inside of his jacket. While his gut feeling more or less indicated this excursion would be as inconsequential as the past seven days, he couldn’t help but entertain the uneasy thought that something would end up going wrong.

At least nobody said ‘what’s the worst that could happen’, he thought to himself. ‘...Wait, damn, does that still apply if you think about—’

“Don’t get too comfy,” Yuen called out over the noise of the engine, interrupting his paranoid inner monologue. “We’ll be there in ten minutes tops.”

***

To the two of them, the simple act of killing was an easy task, and a depravedly enjoyable one at that.

The art of assassination was not, nor was it particularly fun— especially when it involved multiple targets. The job called for sleepless nights, long boring stakeouts, the painstaking task of ensuring any kills had no trace of evidence, and comparably squalid living conditions in hideouts.

While they weren’t exactly the neatest duo for such a profession, they had tried their best. The two had always preferred making their kills nice and personal, one of them in particular relishing the opportunity to savor every dying breath.

Suffice to say, neither had much regard for the mess they tended to leave behind. This time around, however, they had been given specific instructions to leave no trace.

“I gotta admit, the plan you had to clean up those two loose ends wasn’t half bad. Still doesn’t look like anyone’s caught wind of us yet.” Nest observed.

She stood atop a stump of concrete on the edge of a dilapidated apartment block’s roof, her partner sitting on the ledge beside her.

“If we’d kicked down both doors like you suggested, the whole Mistral City police force would be breathing down our necks right now.” her partner said. “You see, Nest, you should think sometimes about focusing on your brain rather than your brawn. Then again, since you don’t even have a Semblance, that’s not saying a lot.”

“…You calling me dumb, Moira?” Nest asked, bristling slightly.

“No, I’m calling you unreasonable and impulsive, because you always want to fight without thinking about your next move.” Moira retorted. “But if you want to call yourself dumb, I won’t argue with it. Just remember that you said it, not me.”

“Yeah, well, you’re just jealous ‘cause that tongue of yours isn’t all that useful. At least I can fly, froggy!” Nest hissed.

“Whatever you say.” Moira said. “Dumbass.”

“RRRRRRR—!” Nest growled, the metal wings fused to her back scratching together as she rounded on Moira, razor-tipped feathers glinting dangerously in the moonlight. “Say that again, I dare you! I double-dare you!”

“Calm down.” Moira said, rolling her eyes. “Seriously, your whole thing about ‘leaving them alive just to toy with them a while’ nearly cost us big. What are you, a housecat with anger issues? You remember as well as I do what Faine said about these two.”

“Tch.” Nest glared at her, folding her wings in reluctant acquiescence. “Fine, whatever. Any update on where we’re supposed to go with the kitty cat yet?”

Moira shook her head. “You know, if I’m being honest, I still can’t believe that we found them.” She leaned back, letting out a long sigh of disbelief. “It’s been so long, and just when we least expect it…”

“Mmmh..” Nest mumbled. “Boss’s still being too soft on them, if you ask me.”

“What, the whole thing he said about not hurting them?” Moira asked. “You make it sound like you didn’t expect it, but you know as well as I do how much they mean to him.”

Nest threw her hands up, growing more exasperated the more she thought about it. “Goddamnit, Moira, he hasn't shown me a tenth of the kindness he has to them for the last eighteen years, and here I am, ready to die for him! Cait… that little bastard’s got an ungrateful streak half a mile wide. That's why I never cared much for them, you know?”

She shook her head in disgust. “I just can’t stand anyone who won’t stand by their own.”

***

Cait hunched over in the cabin, their elbows on their knees and their hands holding their head as they stared at the metal floor. Their chest felt painfully tight, and butterflies were practically swarming in their stomach.

“Are you okay? Even without my Semblance, I can tell you’re not feeling well.” Hattie asked Cait, the latter sitting alone in the center of the sailship. “You’ve got ‘anxiety’ written all over you.”

Cait looked up, a bit surprised that Hattie had noticed. “Uh, yeah, I’m fine. It’s just a bit stuffy in here, that’s all,” they said. 

Hattie pouted. “I’m not dumb, Cait— it’s a chilly night, and we’re in an open-door sailship.

“If you want some air, maybe it’s best for you to come closer over here.” Sardion added, pointing at a seat next to the edge of the cabin where the windstream was stronger.

“I said I’m fine.” Cait said, a bit more emphatically. “Seriously, don’t worry about me. It’s just… jitters or something.”

Hattie and Sardion looked at each other. “Okay, just... don’t freak out, okay? We’ve got this.”

Cait nodded, looking down again.

While it eased up slightly with the pair’s reassurances, the knot in their chest remained as the sailship drew above Manju-Shage. It was a feeling of dread they had felt before, and it had been a long enough time since they did that the sensation felt almost foreign— but still, they knew it all too well.

It can’t be him. Not here, of all places… there’s no way he could have found me so soon…

***

“You see that?” Moira said, pointing up at the sky.

“Of course I see it.” Nest snapped. “What’s a sailship doing out here at this time of—” She froze in the middle of her sentence.

“What?” Moira asked, turning to her partner. “What’s the matter?”

“Hold up.” Nest motioned to the open cabin, squinting. “Are my eyes playing tricks on me, or is that… Sardion Sarikaya? And… the kitty?”

“That— oh. Oh, that’s just wonderful.” Moira said, displeasure clear in her tone. “If he’s here, then that means he and the baldy already narrowed it down to here. I knew that we didn’t cover all of our tracks.”

“Stop whining, Moira, don’t you see how good this just turned out for us?” Nest said. “We’ll be killing two birds with one stone. Kill Sarikaya and whatever sidekicks he brought along, sedate the kitty, fly ourselves back home in grand style like we were never here in the first place. I’m telling you, it’s the perfect opportunity.”

Moira raised an eyebrow, opening her mouth to rebuff her partner before pausing. “I could dismantle any tracking device that’d be on that ship… and we could scrap it once we touch down.” After a moment, she nodded. “Okay, Nest. Let’s play it your way.”

***

“Whoa… this place is super gloomy.”

Under the sailship’s floodlights, the bright blue accents of Hattie’s dress stood out from the dilapidated grays of the decrepit Manju-Shage District. Yuen had opted to land the sailship dead center in the ruins of the abandoned city expansion, in a small area where a park likely would have stood. The grass around the perimeter was clumped and overgrown, neglected yet still alive.

“It’s a shame this wasn’t even finished.” Sardion said. “Would’ve been a nice place if they’d gone through with it, but now it’s just a big waste.”

“Speaking of, pay attention to your surroundings.” Yuen said, a shotgun slung over her shoulder. “Sometimes a Grimm or two make it in here, but never anything the police can’t handle. What I’m worried about is the squatters.”

“Squatters?” Sardion said.

“Yeah. We’ve had a few times where some thugs from the Hana Guild or the Spiders decide to drop in and lay low if they’ve made trouble in the city.”

“They ever killed anyone before?” Sardion asked a bit warily. “Given who it is we’re looking for…”

“No,” Agave replied. “There’s a first time for everything, though, so stay alert.”

***

“They’re coming closer, froggy.” Nest called down to Moira, beating her metal wings to keep herself level as she hovered a few meters above her partner.

“How many?”

“Four in all. The leader, the detective… the kitty… and their teammate.” Nest replied. “So what do you say? Who gets who?”

“I’ll deal with the grown-ups, you take the children. Look, just try not to hurt them too much— he won’t be happy at all if you do, and I’m not taking the blame on your behalf if you screw up.”

“Fair enough.” Nest said, landing beside her, a tense note of excitement in her voice as she furrowed her wings. “When do we start?”

“Patience, Nest. Let them play around a little bit more.” Moira said, flicking out her serpentine tongue. A single fleck of spittle dripped from a polymer barb on the end, and landed on the concrete below. It hissed for a second, then melted right into the stone, leaving a penny-sized crater behind.

Her lips, pocked and distorted by scars and welts, curled into a predatory grin. Several stories below, the quartet from the sailship entered the apartment block.

“Oh, this is going to be ever so fun.”