#prehistoric gardens

[aadoppelganger]

I’ve been delighting in @pacificnorthwesterngothic and while these aren’t taken in the trademark pnw overcast mist- I think it’s the right energy.

These are some of the dinosaurs at Prehistoric Gardens in Port Orchard, OR.

It’s corn, a little expensive (15$ for adults), and not super big- but I loved every moment of it.

[danskjavlarna]

Separated at Birth?

Our custom widget that checks for duplicated images suggested this unlikely pairing. See the original post for photo source details.

Wondering about this post? Wait for the dissertation (TBA). For now: Weblog ◆ Books ◆ Videos ◆ Music ◆ Etsy

[meret118]

I don't understand why rich people don't do things like this, and put life size dinosaur statues in the garden too. (Looking at you, Spielberg!)

Now some of these grow too big for an apartment, but there are ones that would work. Not Dutchman's Pipe though. It stinks.

My apologies if this shows up twice. Technical difficulties.

[wild-wow-facts]

Dino Garden Delights: A Vibrant Escape

Transform your kingdom with joyful gardens! Discover how to nurture playful habitats for your adorable dino friends!

Check out my other videos here: Animal Kingdom Animal Facts Animal Education

[oct0bra1ns]

I feel like I've sent so many requests- lmk if it's too many or anything, I swear I'll stop

But until then, I have yet another!

How about a time traveller yandere who's darling is from a totally different period of time. Ex: Victorian era, prehistoric times, etc. Choose which ever you want!

-💌

Timeless Devotion

pairing: Yandere time traveller x Victorian era reader TW: yanderes, violence against others, notes : feelings were annihilated so bad i came out of my hiatus to write LOL

reblogs and comments are appreciated

♡ Yandere time traveller who expected nothing interesting when he decided to go to some obnoxious noble's ball, he wasn't this rich back in his time period, why not enough it now?

♡ Yandere time traveller who initially went out to the balcony to get some peace and quiet from the chattering crowd only to find you bent over the railing solemnly staring out to the garden.

♡ Yandere time traveller who immediately recognised you as the noble's child the moment you turned around to greet him. He who spent the next few hours of the ball getting to know you, hearing you lament of the fact your father married you off to a stranger.

♡ Yandere time traveller who started devising a plan to bring you back to his timeline the moment he saw tears falling down your face, he'd make sure everyone who played a part in forcing you to get married would be dealt with, of course, he doesn't waste the opportunity to let you sob into his chest.

♡ Yandere time traveller who begs you to run away with him, promising he'll take care of you to his best abilities, who promises that you'll never have to lift a finger if you wish so.

♡ Yandere time traveller who wastes no time in bring you back to his time, who's eternally grateful his parents decided to buy an old victorian house before they bailed on him

♡ Yandere time traveller who slowly introduces you to technology, who hands you a phone with only his number, who makes sure to hide the app store in case you decide to explore the contents of the phone.

♡ Yandere time traveller who knows damn well you hate the clothes in his time but buying victorian era clothing is just waay out of his budget so instead he take his time sewing clothes to your life, getting to place is hands all over you is a plus point.

♡ Yandere time traveller who always holds your waist when you go out to town, he's aware your dressing style makes you stand out but god forbid anyone tries to flirt with you, he'll get rid of them and keep you in the house for a while under the guise of it being too dangerous outside.

♡ Yandere time traveller who knows you spent your entire life being served so when he comes home to a burnt meal, hE doesn't complain, he eats it, praising you, asking you if you want to be taught more recipes.

♡ Yandere time traveller who panic when you uncover an old newspaper clipping of an unsolved murder of a noble house, snatching it out of your hand, telling you that even newspapers print lies these days.

[thesims4blogger]

New Official Survey Brings New The Sims 4 Kits Concepts

EA has sent out a new survey asking��The Sims 4 players about potential concepts for upcoming kits.

As with previous surveys, like the recent one about expansion packs, the ideas presented are simply concepts that may or may not ever come to fruition. While there’s a chance we might see a version of one or two of these suggestions, the overall goal is to better understand what players are interested in buying.

You can take the online survey at this link, and below is a rundown of the kit concepts presented.

Garden Tool Clutter   Bring lived-in charm to your Sim’s garden! This kit features outdoor clutter and decor like planters, mulch bags, essential gardening tools, and a bird fountain to bring the joy of gardening to life in every corner!   Manicured Garden  Elevate your Sims’ outdoor experience with stunning topiaries and lush flowerbeds. Create structured spaces with fences, trellises, and picnic tables. This kit turns any backyard into a manicured oasis.   Kids Backyard Haven Upgrade your backyard into the ultimate kids’ paradise, complete with a basketball court and swing set. Unleash your adventurous spirit with monkey bars and bikes for endless outdoor play.   Luxury Yurt Outdoor adventures can now be an exclusive glamping experience. Use new windows and doors to build a luxury yurt complete with off-the-grid living essentials that redefine the art of outdoor leisure!   Author’s Haven Perfect for Sims who love to read, write, and dream, this literary haven embraces the charm of Dark Academia to create a scholarly space dedicated to writing your next bestseller or diving into a good book.   Bathroom Retreat Elevate your Sim’s bathroom into a serene home spa. Indulge in the art of bathing surrounded by soothing aromatherapy candles and mood lighting. Enhance the experience with stylish new bathroom fixtures.   Sunrooms and Porches Redefine your Sims’ living spaces with enchanting sunroom and screened porch items. Embrace the blend of indoor-outdoor living with craftsman porch swing doors, screened windows, and French door accents.   Themed Kids Bedroom – Dinosaurs Turn your kids’ rooms into a prehistoric paradise with dinosaur-themed furniture, wallpapers, and decor. Spark creativity with an activity table and a toy box full of dinosaur figures—perfect for little adventurers!   Themed Kids Bedroom – Wonderland Transform your child’s room into a magical escape inspired by Alice in Wonderland. Encourage imaginative play with themed toys and whimsical decor including a chess table, canopy bed, dollhouse, and more.   Boho Surfer Bungalow Host epic beach parties with a tiki bar, fire pit, and BBQ, all set against the backdrop of a laid-back surfer shack. Dive into off-the-grid living with a boho ambiance, complete with an aquarium and beachy decor.   Pillowfort Slumber Party Convert any living space into a whimsical wonderland that’s perfect for hosting unforgettable slumber parties. Let creativity flow with pillow forts, plush sleeping bags, and a cozy spot for storytelling.   Tea Time Host a delightful get-together with an elegant tea set and snack tray. Gather around a beautifully adorned table with whimsical décor, and let your Sims sip and savor in style.

[mandsleanan]

Where did this romanticism about loose Chickens in the Garden start?

Do you know what unsupervised chickens running loose in your garden gets you? A fucked up garden.

They eat everything. Not just the bad bugs. The good bugs. Bees from your hive. New shoots coming up. The tops of your root crops. Unripe tomatoes. Ripe berries. Your rare Aroid that you brought outside for more natural light.

What doesn't get devoured gets either trampled down or dug up. Then they go stabby-stab into your baby pumpkins with their damn face-knives. Dig holes like a sled dog trying to escape the suburbs. Gods help you if you’ve got a hormonal rooster with a clear line of sight to your elderly neighbor.

You’ve heard good fences make good neighbors?

Well here good fences are the only thing keeping the prehistoric horrors at bay. They will test the perimeter. Yes I know they're soft, round, and cute. They still forage like an orc army. Don't be John fucking Hammond.

~

For the Horde.

[bleep-bloop-boo]

4 7 11 16 27 29 5

AHHH THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE ASKKKK <3333

4. mythical creature you think/believe is real?

okay, obviously aliens they have found microorganisms on mars's frozen caps and there are possibilities of life on other stars (like kepler) so there is definitely life out there but also like... deep sea creatures?? we know so little so we could have humanoid mermaids we could have krakens and all too! like we already have octopi and giant squids, its not that hard to imagine that either currently or at some point we have krakens also possibly giant crabs like the one from moana i feel like thats a likely prehistoric animal 7. what animal do you look forward to seeing when you visit an aquarium?

TOUCH PAD TOUCH PAD TOUCH PAD WHATEVER ANIMAL IS THERE IN IT ESP ITS RAYS, I LOVE RAYS ALSO JELLY FISH AND SHARKIES AND FHBENWQKWEUDHFGBDNJSD FISHIES!!!

11. anything from your childhood you’ve held on to?

im a very closeted kid so i had a lot of my phases very late (dolls in like 5th grade 6th grade, ect) so i still have a ton of my legos and dolls from my old phases but i am giving em away rlly casually so nothing in specific butttt, my parents are suprisingly sentimental?? they kept my baby blanket and like all my old gifts (WHICH ARE HORRID BY THE WAY?? WHO LET ME SCRIBBLE ON A MUG AND GIVE IT TO MY DAD??? GET THIS MAN AN OSCAR RIGHT NOW!! i have never given him a single good gift) and also really creepy but they saved all my baby teeth in a jar?? and then my brother found it and his friends started playing with it?????

OH WAIT i also have a treasure chest somewhere in my closet filled with goodies i deemed important! im pretty sure theres some toys i secretly opened, a bottle of glitter glue ive been saving for like 8 years cuz my mom told 7 y/o me she wouldnt buy one until next year and like some shopkins (i still have my hatchimals collection on display)

omg this is getting longgg sorry to everyone who doesnt want to see this lolol ill finish the rest under thiss

16. thoughts on mint chocolate chip?

ICKKY TOOTHPASTE THIS MAY OR MAY NOT AFFECT MY OPINIONS ON PEPPERMINT TOO disclaimer: the olive garden chocolates are the exception

27. what’s your favorite or go-to outfit? this green sweater i have that looks like its layered with my black jeans (they fit so well omgg) and then my green shoulder bag, some funky earrings, my rings i wear everyday and HEADPHONES my go-to is prolly just jeans and my winter hoodie (changes every year but its all youll see me in all winter) i also wear a lot of skirts-

29. preferred pasta noodle?

BUTTERFLY PASTA <333

5. favorite form of potato?

omg this is so hard- evil form

[dinodorks]

[ Visitors pass by some of the iconic sculptures of prehistoric life within Crystal Palace Park. Photo by Richard Baker. ]

"When the Crystal Palace and Park opened in south London in 1854, it was an instant sensation. Visitors came from far and wide to see the giant glass structure that had been rebuilt there, bigger and better, after the Great Exhibition of 1851 in Hyde Park. Wide-eyed spectators wandered freely through Egyptian and Medieval Courts, delighted in high-wire circus acts, and were transported by a 4,000-piece orchestra. Tucked away in a corner of the vast gardens that fanned out from the palace, past sweeping terraces and more fountains than even at Versailles, was a smaller but no less ambitious attraction. Scattered across several islands in the middle of a lake stood three dozen life-size sculptures of prehistoric animals, including several dinosaurs up to 30 feet long—the world’s first attempt to model them at full scale. The Crystal Palace Dinosaurs were the work of Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins, a natural history artist who, aided by some of the leading scientists of the day, had dreamt up a grand experiment in visual education, bringing to life the “dry bones or oddly shaped stones” found in the British Museum and introducing the masses to the burgeoning science of paleontology. By reconstructing Britain’s long-extinct animals, he hoped to “render the appearance and names of the ancient inhabitants of our globe as familiar as household words.” The palace burned down in the 1930s, but, almost 170 years after they were crafted, most of Hawkins’ original sculptures still stand sentry in the park. Today, they’re mostly famous for being wildly inaccurate. With few complete fossils to work off, Hawkins had to use his imagination and the advice of comparative anatomists to breathe life into his models, which, in addition to four true dinosaurs, also depict prehistoric mammals, reptiles and amphibians. As a result, the sculptures look suspiciously like many modern-day creatures. “People kind of scoff and giggle, because they look so wrong today, but at the time they were really cutting-edge,” says Bob Nicholls, a paleoartist who, through careful study of archival images, recently reconstructed a lost sculpture that had disappeared from the park sometime in the 1960s. His tapir-like model of Palaeotherium magnum, an animal we now know looked a lot more like a horse, was unveiled in July and now stands among Hawkins’ own surviving creations."

Read more: "How a Victorian Dinosaur Park Became a Time Capsule of Early Paleontology" by Yannic Rack.

[beardedmrbean]

Part of Stonehenge has been covered in orange powder paint by protesters.

Two Just Stop Oil campaigners sprayed the powder paint on the historic site near Salisbury, Wiltshire, at about 12:00 BST on Wednesday.

The move comes the day before celebrations beginfor the Summer Solstice at the 5,000-year-old landmark.

Wiltshire Police confirmed two people had been arrested on suspicion of damaging the ancient monument.

Just Stop Oil said the orange powder paint was cornflour and it would "wash away with rain".

The group named the two protesters as Niamh Lynch, a 21-year-old student from Oxford, and Rajan Naidu, a 73-year-old from Birmingham, in a statement.

'Extremely upsetting'

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak condemned the incident as a “disgraceful act of vandalism”.

Leader of the Labour Party Sir Keir Starmer said the damage was "outrageous" and described Just Stop Oil as "pathetic".

Members of the public were heard shouting "no" and seen running to intervene as the campaigners ran up to the stone circle at the Unesco world heritage site.

A spokeswoman for English Heritage described the spraying of the monument as "extremely upsetting" and confirmed the site remained open to the public.

She said the incident would not affect the annual summer solstice, with celebrations still planned to take place overnight on Thursday.

BBC correspondent, Paul Clifton, the first reporter to get to the scene shortly after the incident, said the three stones closest to the public path were "splattered" with the powder.

He added that many of the tourists visiting the monument were "slightly bemused".

"Stonehenge managers and security guards are standing by the path," he said.

"I've heard a suggestion that because it is powder paint and the weather is dry and sunny, it may perhaps be removed without lasting damage, but they will need experts to inspect the stone before forming an opinion."

Just Stop Oil said the motivation behind the incident was to demand the next UK government end the extraction and burning of oil, gas and coal by 2030.

A spokesperson for the group said: "Continuing to burn coal, oil and gas will result in the death of millions.

"We have to come together to defend humanity or we risk everything."

Mike Pitts, archaeologist and author of How to Build Stonehenge, said the incident was "potentially quite concerning".

He said: “The monument has been fenced off for decades and the megaliths' surfaces are protected.

"They are sensitive and they are completely covered in prehistoric markings which remain to be fully studied and any surface damage to the stones is hugely concerning.

“A rich garden of life has grow on the megaliths, an exceptional lichen garden has grown. So it’s potentially quite concerning.”

A spokesman for Wiltshire Police said: "We responded to a report that orange paint had been sprayed on some of the stones by two suspects.

"Our enquiries are ongoing and we are working closely with English Heritage."

[ruddyhotelau]

Since Eve is Adam, is it possible of you explaining how the whole garden of Eden part went in this au?

The Eden event

Our AU will not follow 100% of the events in the Bible but will only rely on a small portion. The rest will come from ideas that we think would be suitable for the AU. Note that everything we write is a product of our imagination and is inspired by the Bible combined with what little scientific knowledge we know.

To get to the event of Adam eating the forbidden fruit in this AU, we need to go back even further, to when God first created one of His experiments: prehistoric humans. These prehistoric people still had imperfect shapes, moreover their brains were still flawed. Although God was not satisfied with this creation of His, prehistoric humans still had the potential to develop further, so God sent them to Earth to live with other animals that He and the other angels had created.

Prehistoric people lived and grew up on the fertile and prosperous land that God gave them. After some time in Heaven, God finally created Adam and Lilith, the first perfect human couple. To God, they were among His most perfect creations, Adam and Lilith perfectly matched what God had envisioned for humans. Because he loved the two of them so much, God specially allowed his two creations to live in the Garden of Eden filled with light and joy.

But Lilith and Adam were not as compatible with each other as He thought. The couple soon broke up and went their separate ways. A short time later, moved by Adam's request, God created Eve to accompany Adam to share his joys and sorrows. Fortunately, the relationship between Adam and Eve progressed quite smoothly, and the two even developed feelings for each other. However, the happiness did not last long when Adam learned information about the forbidden fruit. An extremely interesting one, too... Finally, unable to contain his curiosity, Adam went against God's words and broke the only rule in the Garden of Eden...

Ultimately, due to Adam's actions, evil found its way to Earth and polluted that peaceful world with many disasters, epidemics, and more. As punishment for Adam's act of disobedient, God decided to banish him to Earth - the beautiful planet that is now tainted because of Adam's action as well as forbid him from ever setting foot through the Pearly Gates ever again. Adam's appearance on Earth brought incredible evolution to prehistoric humans, helping them accelerate the pace of evolution.

The Gates of Hell also opened because of Adam's tragic event, welcoming those with cruel and wicked natures. At the same time, it also imposes on the sinners a horrifying curse, an eternal curse that will always torment them, forever unable to escape the fear and pain...

[outofangband]

I really loved @gwaedhannen ‘s post about wanting more strangeness in First Age Beleriand and I had a post awhile back about potential strange ecology for Middle Earth so I wanted to revisit it with some more thoughts!

Following up to my speculative biology ideas for elves,

Like the last list, these are more jotting down ideas, please please feel free to give me any to elaborate on!

Mammoths on the Helcaraxë and other cold reaches. Tolkien talks of all creatures that walk or have ever walked the earth existing in Valinor and throughout Arda hence prehistoric and extinct species can also exist here. I do also headcanon smaller herds of woolly mammoths and woolly rhinos in northern Hithlum and north of greater Beleriand. Stellar’s sea cows in the frozen waters:(

Early cenozoic aquatic birds such as Hesperornis off the coasts of Balar and Alqualondë.

 Enchanted orchards of Valinor; large, seemingly abandoned self containing gardens and orchards. There are fruit tree orchards hidden behind ivy covered walls; some always filled with Autumn breezes, citrus groves always kept warm and bright lined with lemon trees and deep green grass. Except for the Maia who tend them, the only beings who enter the orchards are elves who do so, usually by mistake.

There are places throughout Arda where the Music was not well, loud, enough. They can be the size of a footstep or a field and are not fully connected to the space time continuum. Those who tread on them will end up elsewhere in time or space and will never realize what had happened.

In the great expanses of unexplored Valinor, there are coves, glens, lagoons, and all sorts of other places that seem shift and change, being there one day and not the next. Even while walking through familiar, charted territory, there is always the possibility of ending up in a hidden clearing, covered in hanging mosses and with strange lights all around.

The forests of Beleriand are full of strange, sometimes dark creatures that have never been properly documented. They are the strange hybrids of Yavanna’s creations and Melkor’s corruption and a few have escaped the eyes of even the Ainur. 

The underground lakes of Middle Earth, especially around Angband contain blind, hungry beings, nourished by the volcanic soils. Strange fungi and lichen stick to the walls of the caverns and passageways beneath the fortress.

There are hot springs in several locations in Beleriand South of the Ered Wethrin (there are many in the Ered Wethrin of course but these are not exactly relaxation destinations). Namely in Himring, throughout Hithlum, north of Barad Eithel, parts of Dorthonion, in the caves of Androth, and parts of the Ered Luin. Not all of these are used by residents and not all maintain safe temperatures or conditions but some do! In many parts of Northern Beleriand, they're used for bathing and communal relaxation. There are other springs throughout the March of Maedhros and I like the idea of Himring being built around a hot spring. There are hot and warm springs in both Nargothrond and Menengroth. The definition of warm springs differs from hot springs only in average temperature

The caves of Menengroth and Nargothrond allow elves and others access to the strange wonders of the underground world of Middle Earth.  They are lit by lanterns and by certain bioluminescent plants. There are windows in key areas that allow sunlight to filter into some of the larger halls and though there are small gardens of species that do not require direct sunlight, some are stationed in the areas where sunlight filters in. A small tributary of the river Narog flows directly through one of the great halls of Nargothrond. Its flora and fauna remain untouched by the elves and algae and aquatic plants as well as small fish, salamanders in their early stages, and stranger creatures are visible to see for those who walk along it. 

In realms with Ainur or certain Eldar rule, natural life may not follow typical laws. Melian has great influence over the biodiversity and climate of Doriath for example even without meaning to.

The horror potential of the boundaries of the girdle or of Nan Elmoth. Time and space distorting, the forest becoming a maze, bird calls confusing and disorienting unwary or unlucky travelers

The Ered Gorgoroth, the eerie, mysterious mountain range, bordered to the north by Dorthonion and to the south by Nan Dungortheb. It was said the spawn of Ungolian haunted these mountains and the valley. I have some more posts on this but I've always imagined there being many pools and meres in Ered Gorgoroth, many harmless though frigid and some completely corrupted by the powers of Ungoliants spawn and other beings. Unfortunately, it’s not always possible to know which was which until it was too late.

Chemical reactions causing glimmering or colorful water. Elves learn carefully when this has occurred due to natural phenomena and when it is the result of unnatural influence or Ainur presence.

Salt lakes and landlocked waters mimicking ocean conditions. I’ve always imagined there being a lake like lake Baikal in the March of Maedhros

More Bioluminescence

The realms draped in dragon reek especially around Nargothrond. The pools of Ivrin are ruined by Glaurung and they are the source of the river Narog, the largest tributary to Sirion. The entire land could be poisoned. I imagine that plants wither or lose color, birds and frogs stay silent, animals are thrown off of their natural cycles, The orchards in the hills barren or producing foul fruit, strange happenings resulting from drinking from the river Narog or even eating animals that drank from it…

Alternatively the effects of the water where the power of Ulmo is still strong such as in Nan Tathren or the Twilit Meres

[eezdalf]

We should also consider if the inhabitants of the mega-sites consciously managed their ecosystem to avoid large-scale deforestation... Archaeological studies of their economy suggest a pattern of small-scale gardening, often taking place within the bounds of the settlement, combined with the keeping of livestock, cultivation of orchards, and a wide spectrum of hunting and foraging activities. The diversity is actually remarkable, as is its sustainability. As well as wheat, barley, and pulses, the citizens' plant diet included apples, pears, cherries, sloes, acorns, hazelnuts and apricots. Mega-site dwellers were hunters of red deer, roe deer, and wild boar as well as farmers and foresters. It was 'play farming' on a grand scale: an urban populous supporting itself through small-scale cultivation and herding, combined with an extraordinary array of wild foods. This way of life was by no means 'simple'. As well as managing orchards, gardens, livestock and woodlands, the inhabitants of these cities imported salt in bulk from springs in the eastern Carpathians and the Black Sea littoral. Flint extraction by the ton took place in the Dniestr valley, furnishing material for tools. A household potting industry flourished, its products considered among the finest ceramics of the prehistoric world; and regular supplies of copper flowed in from the Balkans. There is no firm consensus from archaeologists about what sort of social arrangements all this required, but most would agree the logistical challenges were daunting. A surplus was definitely produced, and with it ample potential for some to seize control of the stocks and supplies, to lord it over others or battle for the spoils; but over the eight centuries we find little evidence for warfare or the rise of social elites.

a description of talianki (located in modern day ukraine), a neolithic site from 5,700 years ago (inhabited from roughly 4100 to 3300 bc) from the dawn of everything by davids: graeber and wengrow

once again this book is fantastic - and one of its main theses is that "the agricultural revolution" and some of the conclusions we draw from it are, largely, not true.

the development of farming in human societies is a much much longer and more "playful" process than popular narratives would have us believe. 'agricultural revolution' suggests an on/off switch almost. and the way it's usually taught sees agriculture being "invented" and then spreading like wildfire to take over the globe - only then allowing for true cities and the "necessary evils" they entail. this simply isn't true. an urban, farming society is not automatically doomed to bureaucracy, inequality, and exploitation.

all across the world the archaeological evidence points to the domestication of plants taking literal thousands of years longer than it "ought to." and then, even when the domestication of a wild plant was complete there isn't an immediate rise of huge fields and class stratification (as the popular narrative goes). again - in the magnitude of multiple thousands of years. we have generations upon generations of humans with farming know-how who don't immediately begin a march of politics and inequality precipitated by farming.

agriculture isn't humanity's curse no matter what the memes and capitalists say. we are not doomed to our current ways - we can imagine, we can build, we can create new ways of being. the past is the present is the past. and fuck you capitalism and doomed "human nature" debates. and read the dawn of everything <3

[bardic-tales]

Tip of the World Tuesday: Issue One: Magic and Magician: Bianca and Sephiroth's Dreamscape

For this Tip of the World Tuesday, I decided to focus on the dreamscape that Sephiroth created for Bianca during her captivity by Diana, Hojo, and Shinra. This was originally created to break her emotionally, so Sephiroth could twist her for his grand scheme, but it evolved into a place where they could just be themselves as their relationship post-Nibelheim Incident unfolded.

The dreamscape is bathed in soft, silver moonlight that cast long, ethereal shadows. This symbolizes the balance Bianca’s celestial heritage and Sephiroth’s connection to darkness. The moonlight enhances the dreamlike quality of the setting, making it a realm outside of the boundaries of time.

The sky above the dreamscape is filled with constellations that move and shimmer like living entities. These celestial patterns sometimes align to tell stories from Bianca’s past or Sephiroth’s dreams of reshaping existence, offering a shared reflection of their inner worlds.

The dreamscape reacts to the emotions of both Bianca and Sephiroth. When she feels joy, the celestial flowers bloom and fill the air with a soothing fragrance. When he is contemplative or troubled, the shadows deepen and the stars ahead dim slightly, creating a reflection of their soul-bond and moods.

The dreamscape fuses elements of the Celestial Realm, Bianca’s afterlife, with echoes of the North Crater, Sephiroth’s dominion. Majestic waterfalls pour starlight instead of water and the ground will alternate between soft glass and reflective, snow-covered obsidian.

At the heart of the dreamscape lies a mystical garden that Bianca bends. Each plant represents a shared memory or significant moment between them. The garden is enchanted. When touched, the plants replay emotions and scenes tied to the memory , serving as some sort of living testament to their evolving relationship and Bianca’s descent into darkness, her own madness, and personality shift.

tagging some fellow mutuals: @themaradwrites @littleshopofchaos @serenofroses @megandaisy9 @watermeezer

@nightingaleflow @prehistoric-creatures @creativechaosqueen @chickensarentcheap @glbettwrites

@seastarblue

[demi-shoggoth]

2024 Reading Log, pt 2

006. Gardening Can Be Murder by Marta McDowell. I honestly thought that this book was going to be about something else. With the subtitle “how poisonous plants, sinister shovels and grim gardens have inspired mystery writers”, I thought it was going to be about, you know, that. True crime themed to gardens, discussions of poisonous plants, that sort of thing. The book is actually about the mystery books that have gardening as a theme. And while the author’s dedication to not spoiling anything (seriously, anything, even 150 year old stories like The Moonstone or “Rappacini’s Daughter”) is admirable in its own way, this leaves the book feeling like endless buildup without any payoff. Big fans of murder mysteries might enjoy this—especially the last chapter, which interviews writers about their gardens—but I found it more boring than anything else, and finished it only because it was very short.

007. Antimony, Gold and Jupiter’s Wolf by Peter Wothers. This book is about how the elements got their names, and most of it deals with the early modern period, as alchemy transitioned to chemistry and then into the 19th century, when chemistry was a real science, but things like atomic theory were not yet understood. The book goes into fascinating detail, and has a lot of quotes from primary sources, as scientists then were just like scientists now, that is, opinionated and bickering with each other over their preferred explanations. And names! Many of the splits between elements and their symbols (like Na for sodium) are due to compromise attempts to appease two different factions with their preferred names. A book covering arcane minutia of history always has the risk of feeling like a slog, but this is a fast and fun read.

008. Doctor Dhrolin’s Dictionary of Dinosaurs by Nathan T Barling and Michael O’Sullivan, illustrations by Mark P Witton. This book is an odd concept, but one that I was immediately on board with—a D&D book written by paleontologists with the intention of bringing accurate and interesting stats for prehistoric reptiles to the game. The fact that it’s mostly illustrated by Mark Witton definitely clinched my backing that Kickstarter. And this book is a lot of fun. So much so, that I read it all in a single sitting. I don’t know how accurate the stats are (like, a Hatzegopteryx has a higher CR than titanosaurs or T. rexes), but they seem like they’d be fun in play, and the writing does a good job of combining fantasy fun with actual education. Even for someone not running a 5e game, the stuff on how to run animals as not killing machines, and the mutation tables, could be useful. There are multiple types of playable dinosaurs, all of which seem like they’d work well at the table and avoid typical stereotypes, and a lot of in-jokes and pop culture references (like the cursed staff of unspared expense, which looks like Hammond’s cane in the Jurassic Park movie).

009. Romaine Wasn’t Built in a Day by Judith Tschann. I’m a sucker for books about etymology. And this one, on food etymology, is a pretty breezy read. I had fun with it, and it even busted some misconceptions that I had, etymologically speaking. Like, there’s no evidence that “bloody” as an explicative originated from “God’s blood”? Wild. Etymology books tend to be written in a sort of stream-of-consciousness style, where talking about one word may lead down a garden path to the next one. The book also has a couple of little matching quizzes, which is something I haven’t seen in a book since like the 90s.

010. The Lives of Octopuses and their Relatives by Danna Staaf. I was previously a little disappointed in The Lives of Beetles, another book in this series, but I knew I liked Staaf, who wrote the excellent book Squid Empire about cephalopod evolution and paleontology. I’m pleased to report that this book is also excellent. Staaf takes the “lives” part seriously, and the book is arranged by ecology, looking at different marine habitats, the challenges that they pose to living things, and the cephalopods that live there. Cuttlefish get slightly short shrift in this book compared to squids and octopuses, but that’s about the biggest complaint I had. I like how the species profiles cover more obscure taxa, and information about the best studied (like Pacific giant octopus and Humboldt squid) is kept to the chapters.

[virethele]

Chapter 115

according to vivi, the reason the the weather is especially crazy at the start of the grandline is because of the seven magnetic fields coming from reverse mountain.

we've arrived at our second island on the grandline, little garden which seem to be an island filled with prehistoric fauna and flora.

i love how excited luffy gets about the prospect of an adventure. he is quite literally shaking in anticipation.

and zoro and sanji's rivalry continues.

according to vivi due to the nature of the grandline it makes it hard to travel around so the islands are mostly isolated, which made them develop their own unique cultures, while some of these islands advanced some of the other islands stayed unchanged for thousands of years.

we find out an explorer named this place 'little garden' due to the fact that to its inhabitants the island may as well appear to be a little garden.

Chapter 116

we are introduced to broggy a giant. apparently the dinosaurs aren't the only big things living on this island.

he calls himself 'the mightiest warrior of elbaph', probably where he's from.

luffy has barely been on the island and he has already been eaten by a dinosaur. thankfully he was saved by the other giant who live here, dorry who is apparently also 'the mightiest warrior of elbaph'.

poor usopp and nami thinking the giant wants to eat them.

we find out that it takes a whole year for the log pose to reset on this island.

we also learn that the reason dorry and broggy are on this island is because they follow a specific code in their homeland regarding disputes, so they have to have a duel to solve it and whoever wins is the one who gets to live and go home. they've been at it for 100 years.

we learn that giants lifespans are three times to those of humans.

the fact that they don't even remember why they're dueling anymore is crazy. i guess that it just shows how much they pride themselves on honor.

-☆