#the Circumstances that meant I couldn’t test thyme were:

[arbitrarycategories]

Hi! I was lurking through the reblogs on a post and you mentioned something about mosquito repellent plants? Can I pleeeeease hear you infodumb about that I'm so tired of them

This is all from memory so may be a little inaccurate and I will not be citing sources, but I have written a paper on this (in high school so it’s not in any databases) and all my sources had to be from peer reviewed journals so this IS academically informed.

Okay

SO first off: most mosquito-repellent plants work by releasing chemical agents that may smell good to US but smell very bad to the mosquitoes. The problem with this is that these oils tend to be released as globules that cling to the plants with fairly high surface tension, so unless the plants are disturbed somehow (wind or animals/humans) the oil isn’t released into the air and it does fuck all to actually repel mosquitoes.

That said, the best accessible mosquito-repelling plant is a plant called LEMONGRASS. If you live in the states then Home Depot sells this usually. If you don’t live in the states then idk, check your local garden center. I live in Texas and our lemongrass dies every winter but tends to come back on its own in the spring, and it smells really good to humans. You can also throw the dead grass into the yard and mow over it to release extra scent.

The most EFFECTIVE mosquito-repellent plant is something called lemon-eucalyptus which is a lab-created crossbreed produced somewhere in either Australia or New Zealand. I don’t remember which I just remember being super mad that I couldn’t get my hands on it for experiments. Anyway there’s a special compound in the oil this plant produces that lemongrass shares. I don’t remember the name of it but mosquitoes hate it. Plant lemongrass :)

If you can’t get your hands on lemongrass, rosemary will also repel mosquitoes, though there’s not much academic literature about this one and various mom-blogs all contradict each other about its effectiveness. It’s pretty smelly (good to humans bad to bugs!) and will repel a variety of insects.

Citronella contains a compound used in current commercial bug repellent, so it is also good to plant! I could never get mine to be very big though. You can also buy torches (like decorative tiki torches) with citronella oil in them which are designed to repel bugs by releasing the oil in the smoke.

Mint will also repel insects and mice though I could never narrow down if mosquitoes were among the list of insects that mint repels! Pro tip: PLANT MINT IN POTS. DO NOT PLANT MINT DIRECTLY IN THE GROUND. It will take over everything <3

Lastly, basil and thyme are reported to be insect repellents! I have not tested these myself (I tried but there were Circumstances) but a variety of home-blogs say that these work. I found basil in an academically sourced list but found no proof of thyme working. I despair at the lack of academic literature on this topic. Anyway.

Also, did you know you can purchase mosquito larvae on Amazon? It’s about $10 USD for 100 larvae.

If you choose to disturb your plants yourself to release the oils then be ready to have very strong smelling hands. Also, if you get your hands on cheesecloth (lightweight) you can see simple sleeves and boil one of these plants, then dip the cloth in the boiled water. The oil from the plant will soak in and the cloth will smell like it once dry. Idk how long these last because I never properly tested them, but I kept some in a drawer for a year and they were still pretty smelly. If you wore them out and about they would probably last about a month before the small wore off. Cheesecloth is extremely light so it shouldn’t be much of a bother in the summer, however idk how well they would hold the oil if you got sweat on them.

It’s also important to note that different hormones are capable of attracting or repelling bugs, so some plants may not be strong enough to get the job done if you’re particularly bug-attractive (I am rip). Also if you’ve ever noticed that you get a ton of bug bites but a friend doesn’t then may not be random. They may be repellent, and you may be attractive. This fact blew my mind when I learned it. Go forth and repel bugs!!!!

[yan-twst]

Can I request yandere prompt 11 for Jamil?

prompt 11: “feeling dizzy? well, it’s too late to realize: you already ingested what i slipped in your drink.” 

warnings: general yandere themes, drugs, alcohol

Jamil usually helped with the meal prep at Scarabia- it was part of his duties as the vice dorm leader, and it was clear everyone enjoyed his meals. Perhaps that was the reason why he continued to cook even after Kalim declared he no longer had to act as a servant to him: it gave him a small sense of pride, to know his skills were so widely appreciated.

Also, being on cooking duty meant he got to work with them.

Before, Jamil would have just bitterly ignored all thoughts of love; who’d want to be with someone from the Viper family, whose entire existence is one of servitude and being in the shadows of the Asims? But even so, he had fallen in love with a fellow Scarabia dorm member. He was positively obsessed with them, thoughts of them clouding his logical thinking at any and all moments of the day- he wanted them. 

Perhaps it had to do with his temper becoming so corroded and jaded due to harboring so many negative feelings in secret for so long, or because he desperately craved to have something precious to call his, but at the end of the day, Jamil’s crush had grown into a monstrous, dark obsession he kept tucked away.

His beloved always signed up for kitchen duties, preferring that work than other dorm chores. There was no rule that forbade a Scarabia student from switching chores with another, so they always managed to trade their other chores for meal prep. Which meant that Jamil got to share the kitchen with them often. Often enough that they’d grown to trust him, even after his overblotting incident and after everyone had seen his true colors.

It should have overjoyed Jamil- the one he loves believes in him! His beloved grows closer to him everyday! But...

“Ah, Jamil, can you pass me the thyme? Kalim mentioned he’d like manakeesh for dinner today, so I thought I’d make some with a recipe from the library.” they said, and Jamil’s grip on the knife he was using tightened.

Kalim this, Kalim that- this was hell on earth. Even though Jamil had demonstrated to be superior to the white-haired brat in every sense, his beloved seemed to still be very chummy with Kalim. In fact, it made Jamil’s blood boil: since he was no longer helping Kalim with everything, it almost seemed like his beloved had taken pity on the heir and offered to help him out. Seeing the one he loved carefully applying Kalim’s eyeshadow, patiently explaining class topics Kalim didn’t understand: what did Kalim ever do to deserve that attention?! Didn’t the spoiled heir have enough already?! Why must he take Jamil’s beloved too?

“... Sure, here you go.” Jamil said, pausing his chopping and passing a bundle of dried thyme to the fellow scarabia student. He felt like he was back in the old days of pretending to be fine as a servant, putting his all into modulating the rage out of his voice. “The spice grinder should be somewhere in the cabinets.”

Jamil hated it. He hated how at dinner, Kalim cheered for the one he loved as they brought out the manakeesh they’d made for him specially. He hated how they sat next to him and smiled- how every student seemed to get along with the one he loved. He finished his meal quickly and left to his quarters, locking the door as he flopped onto the bed. There laid a shirt he’d... Borrowed from his beloved (hey, he was on laundry duty and they never asked for it back!), and he held it close to his face as he sighed. It didn’t smell like them; it’d been washed, the scent of detergent lingering in the fabric, and it was only slightly disappointing to him.

He clutched the stolen shirt tightly, desperately wishing it had his darling’s scent. Their scent, their voice, their hair- gods, he loved all of them. How couldn’t they see he was the best choice for a lover? He was one of the smartest students in NRC, his skills were honed from years of training, he could protect his darling better than anyone else! Sure, he didn’t have the riches, but- surely, someone like him would climb up in life easily, right? Unlike Kalim, who liked pretty things and lost interest soon, his love was genuine! He loved his darling; every part of them, even the ones they tried to hide (and he knew of those very well- from snooping around their room while they were away or watching them from afar). So why- WHY didn’t they act as caring towards him?

The dark voice inside Jamil’s head telling him to just take what was rightfully his grew louder every day. Every time he saw his beloved smiling with others, every time he saw them blush at Kalim’s stupid and accidentally flirtatious words, his jealousy grew and fed into the dark desires in his heart. Does he not remember the story? Of how the Sorcerer of the Sands knocked down the phony fake prince? Of how the princess had been so desperately in love with the fake prince, until the Sorcerer of the Sands showed he was a sham? And... Had he forgotten the rumours of how the princess blindly refused the Sorcerer because she’d been fooled by the prince- until he forced her by his side and she finally understood that HE was the best option for her...? 

Having overblotted once, Jamil knew he had to be careful about gathering so much negative emotions- who knew if his body could really take a second overblot in such a time period. Luckily, his magic crystal didn’t show any signs of blot buildup; despite nursing his increasingly twisted and dark desires, he wasn’t abusing his magic. It was a pain: it’d be so easy to hypnotize people in order to drive his darling to him, but... He knew abusing his unique magic to get what he wanted wouldn’t work a second time.

His patience ran thin with every passing day where his romantic advances were seemingly ignored by his darling, who clearly seemed to treat him merely as a “friend”. Every laugh that wasn’t directed at him, every smile shown to another man, and every nervous blush aimed at Kalim, of all people did nothing but feed the nefarious impulses in Jamil’s head- until they snapped.

He’ll take what’s his. If being a charming person wouldn’t work, then perhaps he’d use the knowledge imparted on his family to take what he wanted.

“Hey, can I bother you for a second?” it was after dinner, and mostly everyone had left. Jamil had volunteered to clean the table, and his beloved had offered their help too- it was just the two of them now, finishing up the job. “My parents sent me a little bit of arak to celebrate my latest test grades. It’s a bit too much for just me, so I was wondering if you’d like to taste it?”

“...! I, well- isn’t that alcohol? Won’t you get in trouble for that?” his darling stared at him with wide, curious eyes. Jamil chuckled- of course they’d be the type to worry over that.

“It’s not strong at all, relax. Besides, if alcohol was a problem, Kalim’s parties would have been shut down long ago.” he said. It was well-known that in some of Scarabia’s rowdiest parties, the devil’s juice got around a bit too much  amongst the teenagers; it was just a fact of life for Scarabia. Besides, he knew that the promise of a little forbidden fun would tempt his darling; something as innocent as a drink, but still holding the thrill of it not being allowed... Judging by the sparkle in his beloved’s eyes, he knew he’d caught them.

“I guess you’re right! Well, I mean... One drink can’t hurt, right? It’s Friday, and...” they said, clearly calculating. “Wait, but isn’t that something your parents sent for you? I’d feel really shitty if I was drinking from a gift that they sent you-”

“They told me to share with a friend.” said Jamil, putting on his most charming smile. “I’d like to share with you. You’re always helping out in the kitchen- plus, I know you’re keeping Kalim from being a complete mess by himself.”

He didn’t particularly mean the last part, but he knew it’d work to fluster his beloved a bit. The praise worked, and their cheeks blushed slightly- Jamil’s heart fluttered. Not yet, he can’t show his love quite yet. Still, he was giddy as he led his darling to his room, locking the door behind him under the guise of “avoiding being caught”. His darling sat down on the neatly made bed, and Jamil retrieved a bottle from his desk drawer.

“Woah, it’s fancy...” said his darling, looking at the beautiful blue bottle. Jamil nodded- it... Really wasn’t. In truth, he’d bought it at the market a few days ago to use for this specific purpose- the lie about his family sending it was merely to make his beloved feel more special. He retrieved two glasses he’d been holding in his drawer as well. 

He prepared the drinks with some water from a bottle, and ice he conjured, the more advanced magic making his darling’s eyes widen. Handing the chilled glass to his darling and keeping one for himself, he sat down on the bed close to his beloved.

“Cheers,” he said with a smile. He could see his darling eyeing the whiteish liquor- had they not drank before, perhaps? But before he could encourage them to down it, they seemed to have a surge of courage and took a sip. They grimaced for a second, unused to the taste of alcohol, but quickly downed their drink.

“You liked it, huh?” said Jamil. Perhaps he should’ve added something to make the drink sweeter; it was bound to be a bit more bitter than usual, considering the circumstances, but... Well, his darling had drunk their glass, so all was good.

“It’s a bit odd, but... It’s nice! Your parents are certainly unique for sending you this as a celebration.” they said with a smile. “It’s... kinda odd...? But itsh... tasty...”

They blinked a couple times, noticing their own speech slur. Was it- was it that strong? Jamil had said it wasn’t but... Judging from how their vision was blurring slightly as they looked from the glass and back to Jamil, perhaps they were being affected a bit too much? Their head was spinning, and it felt like a certain sort of induced drowsiness was filling their head with cotton. Something was up.

“W-well.. Thankss for th.. the drinks, ‘Mil!” they said, slurred voice betraying their internal panic. “I gotta... Gotta get to m’room... Good night...”

Stumbling up, they tried to make their way to the door. Jamil observed with a dark smile, not saying anything as his darling tripped and stumbled until they got to the door, clumsy hands attempting to turn the doorknob to no avail. It was locked- they quickly realized that as their attempts grew more frenetic, looking back at Jamil with slight panic.

“J-jamil...? I wanna go to my room...” they said, eyes flickering nervously. Finally, Jamil just laughed, putting down his untouched glass of liquor on the nightstand as he made his way over to his beloved.

Strong arms pinned their dazed body to the door with ease, as his darling reeled from the sudden movement. They were scared, Jamil could tell- it was evident, even as their eyes were clouded and hazy. But... He was sure even the princes was scared of the Sorcerer at first, right? It took a while for him to show her that he was the best option... With those thoughts in mind, his hand moved to caress his darling’s warm cheeks, as he chuckled.

“Feeling dizzy? Well, it’s too late to realize: you already ingested what I slipped in your drink.” he said, thumb caressing their cheek as their panicked face blossomed into a deeper fear, uselessly and drunkenly struggling against his grip. “I’ve decided I’ll show you what’s best for you- so you won’t ever be stupidly laughing along with Kalim or any of those idiots. You’ll be with me.”