#I keep envisioning an exchange where Ed is like 'Well this is...different'

[saltpepperbeard]

gnawing on my arm because i think there's something to be said about how stede not only dreams about himself with a beard, but ed with his full beard back too. like, the dream seems to be riddled with imagery that he thinks ed would want.

and i say this especially because of how stede reacted when ed had to shave his beard. he freaked out on his behalf. he shrieked in horror whereas ed was entirely unbothered. he feared he had ruined him, had dragged him down to some despicable level, when in actuality, ed was completely content to shed that part of his persona.

and then there he is dreaming about ed with that part right on back.

so there's very clearly still a part of his mind that's convinced that's what ed wants. because why wouldn't he? everyone else seems to. and why would he want the softness and femininity stede had been bullied for his entire life?

which in turn plays into his own imagery too. bearded, masculine, fiercesome, rugged...

because how could someone love what everyone has hated him for? how could someone want what everyone has tried to quite literally beat out of him?

[siedertreestudios]

“Stupid, Selfless Idiots.” (Parental! RoyEd)

Prompt: When you spend enough time with someone, you tend to start to care a little more about them. Or maybe you cared all along, but didn't realize it until you really thought about it? What ever the case, Roy is stuck with Ed in this damn room for a while, so he might as well talk to him.

If this story looks familiar, IT WAS ON WATTPAD BEFORE I PUT IT HERE. I am the original writer. It is no longer on Wattpad because I am no longer very active on that account. It is edited.

————

Mustang POV

   This is not how he envisioned his day going.

   He expected a simple trip to West Amestris, just a simple check up on some old town. Maybe grab some food after, catch the train, do paperwork on they way back to Central, and finish the day in his minimalistic home with maybe a couple of late night meetings. Nothing he hadn’t handled before, and couldn’t handle now.

   Needless to say, things didn't go quite as well as he hoped.

   For one thing, FullMetal had to tag along for this mission. This is something he knew was going to happen, of course, but things never tended to go smoothly when it came to the Elric brothers, especially when it came to the short, stubborn blonde with anger issues and a superiority complex. He tended to be the catalyst for most disasters, so he knew there would be trouble, but he only expected the occasional annoying jab from FullMetal, not being captured for whatever reason by some sort of secret organization.

   And then there was that— being captured. And not just captured, put in a cell with Fullmetal, his gloves gone and Ed's hands trapped in some sort of contraption that kept him from clapping his hands together. In a cell. With Fullmetal, of all the people in the world. Really, their mystery kidnappers didn't even have to torture him for him to be miserable, if they had actually bothered to show their faces after putting them in this cell.

   Fullmetal has been surprisingly quiet, which was a strange thing on its own. Not once, in all the time Roy knew him, we he this quiet in the face of danger. He fiddled as much as he could with the strange contraption his hands were stuck in, his eyes sharp and focused. Meanwhile, Roy was leaning against the edge of the cell, looking out at the room outside of it.

   Well, if you could call it a "room." The huge cavern beyond the cell was underground, cells lining the walls of the circular chamber. The only source of light was the opening at the top of it all, many stories above them, a golden spotlight shinning down on the dammed souls that did whatever they did to land themselves here. The lack of light from all other places cast long shadows, the simple 4 by 4 cell being dark and damp. The set up was impressive, but Roy personally would've went for more fire. Definitely would’ve added atmosphere. But Roy couldn’t help but think back to when they were captured, and the absolute idiot his subordinate had been.

   After being defeated, mainly by the surprise attack from their captors, he and FullMetal were chained, FullMetal being put in that strange sort of handcuff that prevented him from clapping and Roy's gloves being taken from him, and were led around the long circular path around the room, past prisoners on different floors, each saying nothing, just watching. Their eyes held the hopelessness of a man on his way to the hanging tree, each one boring into Roy solemnly. He didn't like how unfazed they were. It was obvious this was a common occurrence. He'd have to report that.

   But back to the matter at hand. FullMetal had something to explain to him, and he had yet to mention it, let alone say a word to Roy all together.

   "Why did you do that." Roy said, turning his sharp gaze upon the chained boy. He paused, the shaking of chains fading for only a second. He resumed his fiddling, saying quietly, " 'Don't know what's you're referring to, Colonel."

   "Don't play dumb. You know exactly what I'm talking about. Now what the hell were you thinking." Roy said, glowering at him. He turned fully to FullMetal, his shadow casting darkness over the sitting alchemist. FullMetal didn't reply, his golden blonde hair covering his face as he continued to methodically fiddle with the one thing preventing his alchemy.

   "Fullmetal, what you did was reckless. It could've got both of us killed for all you know. You had no idea where they'd take us, yet you surrendered so easily-" Roy started, only to be cut off by the once silent teen.

   "They were going to kill you, Colonel. I just saved your ass, I don't need a lecture." He growled, a spark of his usual defiance showing through, at the most annoying time as usual.

   "So what? You just surrender like that? It's clear that they need you for something, and now you just hand yourself over? I would've been fine-"

   "They had you at gunpoint! Without your gloves! They would've shot you if you had shifted an inch. Besides, now we can figure out what's going on around here!" FullMetal shot back, finally maintaining eye contact.

   "Which you could've done from the outside if you had just ran while you had the chance! For gods sake, can you not follow orders for once-"

   "Again, they we're going to shoot you! You have a life to live, a purpose-"

   "And you don't? What about your brother? Your quest? You're just going to throw all that away-"

   "You didn't deserve to die there! You're going to make this country better, to become a leader Amestris deserves! You deserve better." Edward yelled, shooting up and waving his chained hands to the best of his ability.

   "And you don't? Is that it?" Roy yelled back, his obsidian eyes flaring.

   FullMetal hesitated, breaking eye contact. Not a word was said between the two of them, the silence remaining unbroken. Roy stood silently, regaining his composure. Fullmetal glared at his hands, his head lowered in defeat as he sat again, maneuvering slowly as chains scraped across concrete.

   Roy remembered when Alphonse told him more about Fullmetal, more importantly his lack of self esteem. The younger brother took him aside and told him that FullMetal had always had issues with self-worth, especially when his father left. Anxiety only worsened his depression, and he used his loud and standoffish personality as a shield to his feelings. Alphonse has been worried that Roy would push him too far, or make his anxiety worse if he didn't know. He remembered exactly what he said that day:

   "I thank you for telling me this, Alphonse. I will never let your brother doubt his self-worth, not for a second. He is, as of now, my subordinate. He is important, and if it ever comes to a point where I can clearly see him doubting his own worth, I will help him through it, if you think I am the right person to do so."

   He had meant those words. It almost scared him a little, how willing he was. How he hadn't bothered to question if he was the right person for the job. How he hadn't protested. How he had accepted it wholeheartedly. He just did. He did because every instinct told him to, and there was no if or but in the equation. He had to, so he would.

   He was a man of his word.

   "Full-... Edward." Roy said, sighing. He sat down, running a hand through his hair. Ed had flinched at the use of his real name, but remained silent, listening. Roy straightened up as he sat, thinking of how to phrase his thoughts whilst sacrificing as little of his pride as possible.

   "... I need you to listen to me very closely, because this is important. You, Edward Elric, are worth saving. You are important. If you weren't, why would I have bothered to ask if you wanted to be a State Alchemist? Why would your brother follow you all around Amestris?"

   "Because it could benefit you. And Al wants his body back, I owe it to him." Ed mumbled, not looking up.

   "Is that really what you believe? Because that is the most stupid thing I've heard from you ever, and you are a very intelligent person." Roy said, watching Ed intently, hoping that statement wouldn’t come back to bite him later. "You realize that I don't keep people around just so they can benefit me. I keep people around because they are smart, loyal, and most of all, morally upright. Benefiting me is a lucky side-effect, but believe me when I say, I don't keep people who don't matter to me around. As for Alphonse, do you notice whenever you say that you're going to get his body back, he says he's going to get yours back?" He watched as Ed nodded slowly, his flesh hand shaking ever so slightly. Ed still wouldn’t meet his eyes.

   "He doesn't just say that for no reason, you know. He would do almost anything to get your body back. Now let me ask you this: would he do that for someone who doesn't matter?" Roy said. He hoped that he was doing this right, after all he was way over his head. Edward needs an adult right now. And he was the only one who may be able to help. God, how do you talk to kids anyway? He hoped he was doing this right. He can't get nervous now. Ed needed a level headed adult.

   "He's just doing it out of obligation! Equivalent exchange, I get his whole body back and fix the shit I caused and he gives me my limbs back if we can. That's it! It's more than I deserve, after all it was my idea to bring her back. And look where it got him." Ed exploded, finally looking at Roy. He shot up as he said it, his lips were curled into a snarl, his pose defensive and standoffish. Roy didn't miss, however, the small pools of tears beginning to form in the corners of his eyes.

   Roy stayed quiet, letting Edward calm down. Ed drew back a little, his eyebrows furrowed as he looked down. "Tch." He said, running a hand down his face.

   "Edward. Look at me." Roy said, his eyebrows furrowed in concern. Silence, for a second. Roy sighed, ‘to hell with it.’

   "Please."

   The small, sincere word was all it took.

   Ed let out a small, almost wounded noise, sinking to his knees. Roy kneeled, putting a hand on his shoulder, and saying, "Hey, hey. It's going to be alright."

"Damn it." Ed said, roughly wiping the tears away. "Tell anyone about this.."

"I won't be so insensitive as to poke fun at your worst moments Ed, who do you take me for?" Roy said, sitting down and leaning against the wall, mirroring Edward's position. "Besides, I think our mysterious kidnappers didn't account for something.."

Ed looked up curiously and Roy smiled, holding up a Bobby pin and gesturing to the cuffs on Ed's hands. "I suppose you want to get out of that? I think one of them made a comment on your height..."

The shift in mood was almost instantaneous. Ed growled, "Which one? I need to know who to skewer..." Malice filled his eyes as plans filled his brain, a Cheshire Cat grin stark on his face.

Roy only laughed, unlocking the cuffs with the Bobby pin and saying, "First you've got to get us out of here.."

~~~

Roy sighed, thinking of how much paperwork this was going to cause. Maybe telling FullMetal about that comment was not such a good idea in hindsight... but the damage was done. The frightened captators has been taken into custody, the other captured let loose, and the day had been saved as he’d hoped.

FullMetal reunited with his brother, who had been worrying ever since they didn't call and check in when they promised they would. Luckily, Riza had sent out a search party after an hour, so when they escaped they didn't need to look far for backup. Unluckily, however, now Roy really had to report this well, considering military eyewitnesses were at the scene. Meaning he'd have to file his kidnapping.

God, he's already tired.

He glanced FullMetal's way, observing the usually energy-filled alchemist as quiet and dead tired. It has been a long and emotion-filled day, something he was probably not so used to. After all, sharing and caring wasn't exactly the kids style, and Mustang can relate. But he knew Ed needed someone to let everything out to, and if that meant Roy had to be the adult in the room, then he would be.

Suddenly, Ed looked at him in the eyes, a silent message. Don't tell Alphonse, or the others about what we talked about. Roy smiled, giving him a nod. Ed relaxed a little more at that, his slightly tense shoulders sinking fully.

Roy leaned back a little, relaxing and looking at the night sky stretching above the scene.

Perhaps the paperwork is worth it.

=====

2020 words (Coincidence?)

That was purely self indulgent but oh well. Hope you enjoyed!

-🍎SiederTreeStudios🍎-

[gingersteigrad-blog]

The Bedokian Portfolio: Cryptocurrency

cryptodailynews.Online - http://Cryptodailynews.online/.

Though Paybase system is sweet for merchants, traders and public but it surely not helpful for banking system. A good coin distribution model can be wanted to ensure a great start to the system that does not unfairly benefit some folks over the others. Needles to say, while MUFG only envisions its coin used to make stable transactions in Japan, once the cryptocurrency will be out within the wild global traders can use it for different uses as well. How long will it take for Google Glass to morph into Google Contact Lenses, then, ominously or not, relying in your paranoia about these items, into Android Brain Chips? Take a look at our Free Guide to get started at the moment. When catastrophe strikes, the true heroes are the first responders who give it their all to take care of others. The following step in fiat-denominated cryptos are the cryptos with a fiat ground. As bitcoin’s worth continues to drop, alternatives to the cryptocurrency are also declining. What are among the possible kinds of ‘audit’ that will come? Just lately Amazon registered domains associated to Ethereum, one other cryptocurrency, and the price seemed to rise from 300 to 600 USD and it is still going up.

That is where Ethereum, one other blockchain forex, shines. Blockchain know-how offers a possible answer to this by wrapping your key knowledge up into an encrypted block that may be verified by the blockchain community whenever you have to show your identification. I not too long ago had an opportunity to be taught concerning the venture from a corporate perspective as represented by Ed Corno of IBM (see IBM Blockchain), the opposite member of the panel I discussed above. The previously talked about web site, xe, can be a great supply for answers to these questions. You get a username and password and three security questions to your account. A bond sell-off may even be triggered by a good news event. Recent detrimental news has not helped the market worth of bitcoin. So regarding Bitcoin value or the Bitcoin fee this can be a most outstanding appreciation of worth and has created many, many millionaires over the last eight years.

Bitcoin was originally created, amongst other causes, to be a retailer of value just like gold. Beneath you possibly can obtain the original bitcoin wallet, or client, in Home windows or Mac format. There can be deadlines to keep up and dates to keep on with, but the work is carried out online and you'll earn money online. For the reason that South Korean government announced its cryptocurrency regulatory measures in December, there have been a number of controversies and indicators of contention among officials. If there was something I might learnt from this is that I did not act quick sufficient to chop first and relook at the whole thesis again. In the first two months of 2017, real wages have declined. Since Bitcoin (BTC) began to stage off in value after its futures contracts launched mid-December, altcoins have grow to be the highest trend. In reality, its makes use of have turn into indispensable with the existence of machines that require coins to gasoline it. The truth is, every cryptocurrency becomes obsolete with the invention of massive-scale quantum computing.

Mr Wasyluk and his colleagues raised bitcoins for a new tech venture and lodged them in escrow at an organization working a cryptocurrency change referred to as Moolah. These days, monitoring the trade rates and changing currencies from one to another just isn't an enormous deal. The web was one such case. How has the purchasing power of gold held up during the last little whereas? As a mom, like all mothers the world over no matter financial standing and social beliefs, your greatest want is for your son and daughter to grow up completely satisfied, wholesome, well, and safe within the love of their household. This creates the BitUSD asset that can be transferred like any foreign money. The government Reserve Banks disperse new foreign money exchange on your US Treasury Workplace. Banks pushed forward anyway. Specks function an invisible hand may. This truth could be credited to its comparatively small market measurement, which means that a lesser amount of money can shift the price of 'Bitcoin' extra prominently. Up to now yr, the bitcoin value has surged greater than 500%, as this chart from bitcoin trade Coinbase illustrates. For a daily Bitcoin transaction, a fee of tens of U.S. Do you like to analysis and read about Bitcoin know-how?

[theherblifeblog]

Spotlight Series: The Stoned Housewife Maggie May

If you spend any time on Instagram looking at feeds to do with cannabis you will eventually find yourself on the page belonging to Maggie May AKA The Stoned Housewife. Maggie bills herself as a Metaphysics + Cannabis Oracle, a Frequency Healer, Shadow Alchemist and a Metaphysical Practitioner. Her website is a treasure trove of products, blogging and information related to energy, astrology and of course cannabis. She offers events, tarot readings, a podcast and a little online store full of beautiful things that would make a perfect gift for a friend or to yourself.  

"I am a cosmic incarnation and a channel of divine light. I am here to help you understand you are the same!"  -- The Stoned Housewife

Tell the readers a little bit about your website, what do you do there and what does “Where metaphysics meets cannabis" mean?

Where Metaphysics meets Cannabis is a way for me to bring the ancestral healing modalities of the Eastern world, that are rooted deeply in the energetic foundations of life, with a widely western view of acknowledgment of Cannabis medicine. My work as a Metaphysical healer for the past decade has led me down a road I wouldn't have believed when I was being raised in the conservative south. The Stoned Housewife has become a platform for me to creatively express the experience I have received through Reiki and working with Crystal Spirits, among many other things. I like to say I am getting stoned on two levels. I create content for people who want to get into Metaphysical realm and already have a base of Cannabis knowledge. There are so many websites out producing education on Cannabis but very little education on the energetic realm. 

I’m very intrigued by some of the services you offer, including tarot readings, how long have you been reading cards and how did you get into it?

Thank you so much, I have been practising reading cards for almost a decade. I began ritually using them for guidance after 3 years of solely studying the deep symbolism that the cards contain. I have been actively reading almost every day for the past 6 years. I resonate highly with the fortune teller aspect of culture. The cards bring a calming reassurance when times get a little vibrationally out of whack. I studied for years before I ever got my own deck to work with the Tarot, as a sign your first deck is supposed to be gifted to you. My Reiki healer gave me my first deck and it was a standard Raider-Waite deck. I now have just shy of 30 decks I have collected over the years, each with a different method of healing. 

You’re also creating content in the form of podcasts! I am such a podcast nerd so I was very happy to find the Lifted Life, tell us a little bit about your podcast.

Lifted Life came to me as a way for me to get my thoughts out in a more fluid way than writing a 40-page blog post. I love bringing in the simple but powerful techniques in the metaphysical healing space, I also enjoy talking a lot. I have had numerous people tell me they could listen to me speak for hours. I wanted to bring something into the space that I didn't see before and that was a spiritual podcast dedicated to all the energies including the stuff people think is "out there". Plus I am not someone who lives completely outside of the real world, I love Bob's Burgers and Game of Thrones as much as the next person. During the season I would look ahead and try to find spoilers though, which I am a sucker for finding out what happens before I watch a show. I tried to make it as real as I am. Not just solely spiritual based because we live in a 3-dimensional plane, so we can't ignore the other factors. They are all here for a reason.

Each episode has a foundation of 3 parts: Metaphysics, Cannabis, and 3D Life. I am always talking about the frequency of our surroundings in everyday life and the planets pull on us anyway so I was like, "Hey, I listen to myself talk about this, I am going to start a podcast." It started to grow and pour out of me in a way that flows perfectly. I plan to have other Metaphysical women and men on in future episodes. 

Do you find that cannabis helps you in your metaphysical side of your business? If so, how? 

Cannabis has heightened my energetic work exponentially. I began consuming Cannabis and would give myself Reiki treatments, I noticed how much more aware of the energies I became.  Whenever I begin to give a client Reiki, I have them fill out a questionnaire as to how, when, or even if they consume. This gives me what I like to call their "cannaaura".  If they do not, I know I can bring CBD products for them to use during the session as well as after. If they do consume I have them take part in a "passing of the pipe" type of ceremony. We both consume and I guide our messages with the intention to be delivered down Blue Road. The White Buffalo Calf Woman brought the smoking pipe to the Lakota natives and told them this was a way to communicate their messages to their ancestors. Whenever I smoke Cannabis, it is always intention based and I want my clients to feel as if they can call in their ancestors at any time. Cannabis helps loosen some of the conditioned patterns of how we experience the energy, thus helping people be more open to receiving higher frequencies. 

What are your plans going forward with The Stoned Housewife? What do you envision for your business?

I want to empower people to live a life that revolves around them keeping themselves on a frequency of love.  Our lives don't have to revolve around worrying about what others are doing, telling others how they need to be, or feeling helpless when something "out of our control" happens. We have all the control, it is just wrangling in the toddler energy level of our brains. Working with Reiki for the past 6 years has changed my life greatly. It is the path I chose and I have a divine inner feeling, I knew it all along. I want to empower people to take back their power, one way I have found works greatly in gathering people in a room and having them do their work. We so often give our power away in so many ways, from the very moment we wake up we are on our phones checking in on what the world has to say. I want to show people you don't have to give any power away and no one can take it.  Moving forward I want to bring these healing techniques to people all over the world. I feel confident in my abilities and the higher frequency energies I work with daily. I know I am guided solely to what is for my highest good. I envision my business continuing to grow on a global scale as I have books, magazines, and self-help programs in the works. I love collaborating and as for the rest of 2017, I have an event in Malibu, California coming up on Friday, October the 13th. I have teamed up with Cure Designs of the Emerald Exchange and two Holistic Health and Wellness coaches (@hintofgreens + @balanced_life_leslie) to bring together the goddess culture surrounding the number 13. It is a co-ed Sacred Space Sleepover on a private ranch, nestled in the hilltops. 

I noticed you also strain reviews… What is your favorite strains and why?

Oh my! It is so hard to choose. My favorite would have to be Wonder Woman. It is an amazing producer and a mood game changer! It is my favorite because being an empath, I absorb tons of other people's energetic junk. WW helps clear out those energies and leaves an actual high feeling, like your levitating. It smells like a combo of jet fuel and fruity pebbles. The terpene profile has pretty high amounts of Humulene and Caryophyllene. Humulene is found in Hops, Sage, and is a powerful anti-inflammatory. Black pepper and oregano have high amounts of Caryophyllene and it has been used in Alcohol craving reductions. I may be a little partial to this strain because my husband met Linda Carter, the OG Wonder Woman and gave her some of this strain. So not only is she my favorite but the actual Wonder Woman has smoked the weed I grew! That's freaking amazing. 

Do you have a cannabis ritual? Do you think rituals around consumption are important? 

I use Cannabis ritually when I want to communicate with the energies most cannot see (going into a Reiki session or conversing with the Tarot). I consume with the intention to be an open vessel and receive the guidance I need for the healing needed at that exact moment. I think we are naturally drawn to ritual as an ancestral way of healing. It's as if it is in our blood to perform rituals. Most people don't think they are rituals but refer to their rituals as "schedules". So for me if I do something everyday, I look to see if some kind of consumption would be beneficial. I religiously take CBD though, I wake up most mornings and reach for my Grapefruit CBD vaporizer with organic terpenes to supplement my coffee intake. This just sets me up with a higher energetic footprint for the day. 

Another thing you’re doing is events, what are the Green Lodge Events like? 

The Green Lodge is like stepping into a vortex of healing. Time stops and we just go within. I had a vision to bring women together under the premise of using different modalities of healing. I gather a lot of information before each lodge and no one lodge is similar. Each lodge is based on a foundation of Earth Realm Medicine. So that entails not only Cannabis and Crystals, but an animal, Goddess, Spirit, and Moon energy. We have had a Shamanic drumming chanting session which left the goddesses in tears and have planted wildflowers under the Budding Trees Moon. One month we had our local Brazilian Samba instructor come and we danced for the waters and the Goddess Oshun. TGL is more centred in giving you the tools to walk out the door and shift your perspective with literal frequency control. Nikola Tesla style! Not to say it is not work, I make you work. I make you question the self-talk you repeat every day to yourself and others. If our eyes could see the natural energetic auras that emanate from everything, we would have more awareness of our thought-forms. The Green Lodge is simply a portal, like something from Burning Man. You come in leave your Ego at the door and there is a good possibility you'll get to see some Fire. The next Green Lodge is November 18th in Boulder, Colorado, we will be having a food, coat, and feminine supplies drive and the proceeds will be going to a local domestic violence shelter in Denver. 

What about cannabis do you love?

I love how Cannabis raises people's vibration. It opens the heart chakra and some world-renowned psychic channelers say it is a literal "deprogrammer."  Energetically when someone consumes Cannabis it elevates them. I love explaining to people you don't have to get high to use Cannabis and that I could get them higher with an energy healing session most times. Getting lifted is an understatement. I love being somewhere and asking someone if they would like to share a joint or bowl with me because I can literally see the tension melt away that so many people carry. Cannabis has helped me develop my Reiki practice into a full-blown way of life. I have a confidence I knew was somewhere inside of me, and working with the Cannabis Spirit has definitely helped me feel more in my self.  

What advice would you offer to a woman interested in joining the cannabis industry?

Do your own thing but don't be intimidated to ask for help. This isn't a lone wolf pack as much as we have been taught on societal standards. The pack survives. So I would reach out to people who align with the work You want to do, not the work someone else wants you to do to fulfill their dream. If you have confidence in your self, the right people and opportunities will align into your path. I have met some amazing people and I simply reached out with the intention to have a mutually beneficial relationship, whether that be business, sponsor, or simply just a friend. The Cannabis industry is the tadpole of the world right now. It is just a little baby! So nurture it and yourself and we can grow this into something that benefits humanity as a whole for the better. 

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