#Small Hydroponic System

[jasperthehatchet]

🌼🌿Indoor garden update!!🌿🌼 (For some of my plants, not all of them)

Here are the hydroponic jars (from left to right: kitchen scrap butter lettuce, seeded butter lettuce and romaine lettuce, emerald oak lettuce, spinach, bok choy, slow bolt cilantro)

And here's the tomato plants. These ones are getting so tall so fast!! Some of them even gained like an inch and a half since the last update:

And here's the basil, coneflowers and daisies. They are growing much faster and much stronger with the homemade banana fertilizer ive been feeding them. The basil is the green pot, the coneflower are in the purple pot and the daisies are in the yellow pot:

I plan on turning the wall in my dining room into a hydroponic system wall, because hydroponic gardening is by far my favorite way of growing things. And i feel very lucky that my family hoards cardboard boxes and stuff like that because I want to use the bigger ones to fill up the backyard with cardboard planter boxes for veggies. And the peach tree in the backyard is blooming!! So I'll have to trim some of the blooms off the tree so it doesn't get overloaded when the fruit comes in. Sorry for the photo quality lol

🌿🌼🍀🪻🍑☀️🌿

[Image ID: the first six images show seven large wide-mouth mason jars with plants sprouting in all of them. They're all filled with nutrient water and have black net pots in the top half of the jars that are pulled with wet clay pellets where the plants are growing from. The first image is a smaller wide-mouth jar with butter lettuce grown from kitchen scraps. The new leaves are about six inches long and very healthy looking, growing in all different directions. The second image shows two of the larger jars, the one on the left being butter lettuce grown from seeds and romaine lettuce. The butter lettuce sprouts are about an inch to an inch and a half and the romaine lettuce sprouts are about four to five inches tall, growing like crazy in all different directions and theres so many. These three jars I've described so far are the only jars in the bunch that don't have black socks covering them, the rest have socks covering the jars up to the top due to their lack of sturdy root systems. But for the photos I've pulled the sock down on each of the covered jars to show their labels.

The third image shows a large covered jar, this one is emerald oak lettuce. The sprouts are somewhere between half an inch and a full inch tall. The fourth image shows a jar showing the spinach label. The spinach sprouts are about an inch and a half to two inches tall, and they're growing in a few different directions. The fifth image shows bok choy sprouts and these sprouts are about the same height if not a little taller and they're growing in multiple directions. The sixth image is of the slow bolt cilantro, which just begun sprouting. There's one sprout that's about half an inch tall.

The seventh and eighth images show my tomato plants. All in terracotta colored plastic pots and one pot has a yellow gnat trap on the side. One image shows six pots, all with plants varying in size, with the biggest ones being five and a half inches tall. The taller ones have more leaves and all the pots have crushed egg shell in the top soil. The next image is of the seventh tomato plant which is the biggest one, easily being six inches tall. My hand is in the photo becauseim holding it up.

The next image shows three pots on a wood shelf, a green one with basil sprouts, a yellow one with daisy sprouts and a purple one with coneflower sprouts. The sprouts are all pretty small, ranging from half and inch to an inch tall but the leaves are much bigger. Especially the basil and the cone flowers. The basil pot is in a translucent purple glass plate.

The last image shows some parts of my peach tree in my back yard, though not much of he yard is visible in the image except for the fence. The leaves are big and green and beautiful and tiny peaches are starting to form on the branches.

Parts of my backyard are visible in all photos but it's a bit blurry due to the material of the greenhouse tent covering the glass window. End ID]

[mossybee-exe]

Solaprunk Worldbuilding 1 - Eco-Cities

I've been working on worldbuilding a solarpunk setting for a slice of life story I'm writing and thought I'd share some of my ideas to maybe inspire other people!

In this world there is no government, no rules, no pressures or bad people. Just society working together after a global crash. A second chance to do things right this time.

(Mind the spelling mistakes)

Although far and few in between, big cities and towns still exist in this universe. However, they've all worked hard to keep it as eco-friendly as possible and still choose to live alongside and work with nature rather than fight it.

Trash and recyclingcans can now be found almost everywhere, giving no one an excuse to litter. Community composters are also a thing.

Skyscrapers, now skeletons of the old world, are draped in thick ivy vine walls, native flowering vines, moss panels, and vertical hydroponics that wrap around the metal and glass bones. These help regulate temperature, absorb CO2, and create habitats fors birds and insects.

Former office buildings and shopping centers like malls have been repurposed into shared living spaces, community markets, workshops, and event areas. Floors have open walls and breeze tunnels to reduce reliance on cooling systems. Those can be shut during colder months.

In taller districts, tree houses extend from reclaimed buildings, blending organically with planted rooftop forests. Rope bridges and wind-activated elevators made if recycled parts help people travel between vertical spaces.

Cities are completely walkable and don't require transportation. Streets are narrow and shaded with plant canopies. Most paved areas are soft permeable cobblestone or moss-tile paths that allow rain to soak through instead of pooling or flooding.

Painted murals double as maps - bold, hand-painted designs show landmarks, walking trails, tram routes, and local art projects. Updated regularly by volunteers.

Giant sculpted trees or mushrooms function ad rainwater collectors, solar lanterns, or even mist sprayers during hot days. Children often climb on them or gather nearby to play. They can also provide shade.

Metal "bike trees" hold dozens if free-to-use bikes, all maintained by volunteers. Bikes come in all colors and sizes, some decorated with flowers or art to reflect the community's personality.

Solar Trams glide quietly on narrow tracks. They're sleek but not flashy, designed with recycled metals and glass. Inside, seats are made from reclaimed wood, each with a small solar lamp or charging port. Solar Buses work in a similar fashion.

Public Plazas now have eco-escalators that are powered by pedaling like on a bike.

Interactive screens at intersections and stops show local events, weather and climate, community votes or messages, and tutorial videos on composting, repair, herbal medicine, or art-making. Digital marketing and advertisements are no more.

Most people carry small, solar-powered devices that have replaced phones called "Data Stones" - slate-like digital notebooks that sync to the city's mesh network. People use them for Journaling, mapping, music, or community messaging, but never for mindless scrolling. Digital use is intentional, not addictive.

The internet exists, but it's localized. Instead of one global net, each town or city has a mesh intranet. Communities upload and share stories, tech guides, magazines, songs, and documentaries- all accessible for free.

At every city node is a "Commons Booth"-a repurposed phone booth now used for small trades, gifts, or lost-and-found. You might find a hand-knit hat, seeds, poems in a bottle, hand-bound journals, or a small bag if dried herbs for tea.

Public parks host weekly workshops: mushroom log inoculation, fixing Guardianers, upcycling old tech, dyeing fabrics with natural materials, and crafting musical instruments from trash.

Fireflies are protected and welcomed into urban life with dedicated "nightlight gardens"- small glowing sanctuaries that bloom under moonlight (usually a mix of regular and bioluminescent plants). People sit quietly here, reading or singing. Festivals are celebrated not with fireworks, but light dances, candlelit parades, or bioluminescent art. It's also a romantic place for a date.

Children and adults alike use "Learning Loops"- open-air circles of benches and tree stumps near gardens and community spaces where mentors teach based on skills, not age. There's no formal school system. Learning is woven into life.

On a certain day each month, citizens volunteer to teach something for free-sailing knots, solar repair, compost chemistry, storytelling, mediation, bird language. The city slows down that day. It's treated like a holiday.

In addition to tire-posted Little Libraries (where people can take a book and leave one in it's place), entire alleys have been converted into "Book Gardens"- free libraries under pergolas or vines, surrounded by reading hammocks and native wildflowers.

Local businesses and shops are still a thing, but are not kept up by money. Money has no use in this world anymore. Businesses upkeep it themselves and will happily trade their wares for something in return. For example, a bakery can trade a cake for something in return like a jar of jam or something else. It's like that everywhere.

Citizens enjoy solar-charged cooking stoves, clean water from centralized purification systems, access to upcycled tech, 3D-printed tools, and digital artist hubs.

Markets overflow with herbs, handmade instruments, mushroom leathers, fermented goods, and hand-bound books from across the region. Some city dwellers specialize in creating high-tech eco-dafe goods to trade with the countryside.

Most people live in co-housing clusters or share entire floors of old skyscrapers converted into lush indoor gardens and social spaces. They might not know everyone, but each block has caretakers and community gatherings.

They're alive with creativity and innovation. Mural projects, street musicians using windows instruments powered by movement, and holographic poetry displays powered by pedals or solar generators.

With more people comes more variety in skills. It's common to find classes in herbalism, robotics, or solar carpentry happening daily in public courtyards.

The ideas are free to use for whatever you want or use for inspiration! All I ask is that you CREDIT ME! And feel free to send me an ask on more details to this lovely world :)

[ras-favourite-balor]

[A set of 12 voices come over the shipwide communications.... singing? Other Systems appear to begin to be sabotaged as their "Song" continues]

Knock Knock

Who's There?

Knock Knock

Better Run and Hide

Your Home's Turned Into a House of Glass

Think of the Lives Your Wasting Now

So Throw Out Your Negotiations

Knock Knock

Anybody Answer

Knock Knock

We're Coming Through the Doors

Knock Knock

Your Ceiling and Your Floors

Knock Knock

Should've Given You the Bark

Things are Gonna Get Dark

Don't Choke When Ya Fear Us

Cause We Aren't Smoke

Or Mirrors

Pushing All Your Buttons but Ain't Got Mute

But All You'll Hear Is Silence When We Find You

So

KNOCK KNOCK

Better Ready to Answer

KNOCK KNOCK

Forgetting All Your Manners

KNOCK KNOCK

Barricade Your Doors

KNOCK KNOCK

Your Ceilings and Your Floors

Floating Into Your House

Bringing You a War

//WHEELLOCK\\

Brigand stands on the bridge, gazing out through Shallow Crimson Tide. His single eye is dim, casting a puddle of weak red light around him, as he stares off into the middle distance. Around the room, the bridge crew throw nervous glances at their absent captain. The bridge crew, the loyal few, are all non-corsairs. All are clearly grizzled veterans, marked by time's heavy hand. Their myriad scars exaggerated by the low light of the bridge, long shadowed valleys carved in old skin. Most are augmented in one way or another. There might just be more prosthesis than natural flesh in the room. Most bear tattoos, even if their not visible here. The logos of long dead pirate crews, symbols denoting great deeds and greater violence. One by one, the terminals around the room go dark. Still, Brigand does not react, yet The Black Hand twitches with each downed system:

"We've lost long and short range comms!"

"No more surveillance Cap'n, powers been rerouted t'life support. . ."

"Even hydroponics is dark. . ."

"Engineering bays 1 through 7 have gone silent!"

"Lost contact with medbay."

"Flight capabilities are gone Captain! We're sitting idle now. . ."

"Habitation's lost it's spin, gravity ship wide is on the fritz!"

"Quartermaster Able says they've lost power down in cargo!"

"C.R.E.W. on gunnery 1, 2, and 4 report near complete power loss!"

"Internal weapons systems are offline?!"

"Hangers are locked tight, nothing in or out."

"They've got control of locking corridor doors sir, security couldn't reach them, even with hull cutters, their like fucking gho-"

The Black Hand slams into the nearest wall. The bridge goes near silent, the sound only whirring fans and beeping terminals. Brigand heaves heavy breaths, distorted to sound like some dying, demented pipe organ. Every head turns to gaze upon the captain. . .

And for just a moment the mask has slipped. It is clear in how he stands, slumped and teetering slightly, that the suit is all that holds him upright. Even then, he leans heavily on a support beam, warped by The Black Hand's impact and it's lasting presence. He seems so small in this moment. A man broken by the world, given in to madness and death. Consumed by hate and the influence of that terrible, black appendage. He looks as if he will collapse under the weight of it all, before he stands mostly straight.

He turns to address the bridge. Yet when he speaks, his voice lacks a degree of threat. He is tired, worn down, when was the last time he slept? No one has seen him sleep since donning Shallow Crimson Tide. . .

[BRIGAND} LABYRINTH, TELL ABLE TO BRING OUT THE PIPECLEANERS, SHOOT TO KILL, OVERRIDE SAFETY PROTOCOLS.

He takes a shaking step forward, regaining his composure by the moment. An older man with a snake tattoo coiled about his neck nods and begins hammering away at his keyboard. Most of the terminals are off, less than a dozen remain on. The pale glow lights waiting faces. He looks to a heavily scarred woman, much her face replaced with crude cybernetics.

[BRIGAND} COSSACK! FIRE THE BLINK DRIVE. I DON'T CARE WHERE, SOMEWHERE REMOTE. THEY WON'T LEAVE HERE ALIVE.

The woman nods, connecting a cable from the terminal to a port roughly where her temple should be. The remaining crew are split, those with terminals still active start checking status of remaining systems preemptively, while the rest look expectantly to Brigand, awaiting orders. Brigand eye flares as he bellows through the tinny speakers:

[BRIGAND} OILER! WHATS OUR STATUS WITH MAINTE-

He is cut off by the woman with the metal face, Cossack. Her voice is similar to his own, but more human somehow. The not quite synthetic voice is a jumble of emotions. Foremost is confusion, and concern, followed by fear:

[Cossack]> SIR! I don't know how to tell you this but. . .

Yet there is also humour, a nervous laugh spills out as she pauses.

[BRIGAND} WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU LAUGHING AT COSSACK? [Cossack]> The blink drive sir, it-its. . .

She laughs again, disbelief pushing through the digital staccato. Brigand lurches towards her terminal. But he is a giant among hedgerows. The space between control stations is tight and there is no room for him. The eye burns with contempt, settling on Cossack like a searchlight. His voice is worse, peaking the limits of it's distortion as his temper flares.

[BRIGAND} THIS IS NO TIME FOR ANOTHER OF YOUR "JOKES". [Cossack]> The blink drive is gone, sir. Not offline, it's not even present, not even here. Empty air where it should be. . .

The room is silent again for a moment as Cossack's not-voice trails off. All stare at her, faces painted with confusion, with disbelief. She turns away from the gawking crowd and works at her terminal. The rest of the crew converse in hushed tones, those with working terminals start their own checks. After a moment, a flickering hologram is projected above them all. A live feed diagnostic with accompanying 3D wire map.

The room is silenced.

The blink drive is gone.

[woubleyou]

Light of the Stars, Glow of the Moon; Distant Satellite

--- --- ---

Rated: G

Words: 4509

Content warnings: Dissociation, derealization

A fic running with the concept introduced at the end of Dorothy's operator record, that the transmitter inside her is receiving stimuli from the Galleria Stellaria.

Takes place after Dorothy's Vision and Lone Trail

Enjoy!

--- --- ---

A causeway of stars, smeared across the dark void like a splash of fresh milk. Glittering and glimmering, particles of light dazzling the eye with their intensity before fading, new bursts of light taking their place. The scope is staggering. Dorothy feels small and weightless, cold and hot. She feels hungry.

Dorothy’s expecting to only be working on administrative tasks today after getting her breakfast (or… maybe lunch?), but she likes wearing her lab coat. She puts it on over a blouse, cardigan, and sweatpants. Definitely good enough for a cafeteria.

Making her way out of her room, she feels kind of ill and has to lean against the doorframe for a moment, but the feeling passes. She slaps her face lightly and feels just barely awake enough to remember the path she’d been shown to the cafeteria.

Rhodes Island isn’t bad at all, she quite likes it actually. The interior decoration manages to mesh ‘high-security armoured landship’ with ‘chic living and working environments’ fairly well. She loves the angular design elements, splashes of paint against brutalist concrete, and various potted plants and hydroponics systems. The lights are bright. Sometimes in places where open spaces are stacked in the layout there are big bay windows where you can look up or down and feel like you could almost fall into it.

She wrenches herself away from the windowed seating area and continues on. She waves at a couple people she’s pretty sure she’s been introduced to already.

That feeling of uncertainty nags at her enough for her to make a pitstop at one of the washrooms, splashing cold water at her face and pressing her palms into her eyes.

She’s fine! She’s literally fine, she’s both awake and alert this time, for real. She stomps her foot on the ground and tilts her head, eyeing her reflection in the mirror. She’s fine. One task at a time. She puts back on her famously charming and gentle smile, and heads out the door to continue on her way.

Much better. The day is still young and there is much to do! She’s still the Director of Originium Arts after all, no matter what post her work shall lead her to. Perhaps she should look up what other Rhine personnel were onboard with Rhodes at the moment, pay them a visit. Maybe she could conjure up some harmless yet fascinating arts device to give as a gift to Olivia’s daughter.

Would a… bouquet of funerary condolence flowers be appropriate for Saria and Muelsyse? Those poor lone planets, losing a constituent part of their impossible three body problem, flung out into the dark… Much to consider, yes.

Oh, the cafeteria! Excellent. Something smells good already…!

Dorothy grabs a tray and gets in line. Not too busy at the moment, just a short wait until she can ask for what she pleases off the menu.

She runs her eyes over the chalk-written menu, and then the various metal basins and trays. Much to consider…

Green bean casserole… mappo tofu… pierogi… Maybe she really had missed breakfast time. Well, there’s always the cereal bar. Her stomach is feeling a bit loopy, so perhaps lighter fare would do well for her. There’s a thin looking soup behind the glass as well though, that might be suitable. She absently feels her fingernails click against the glass as she presses her fingertips to the surface. It’s cold, but it’s hot underneath. She can see liquid being stirred and poured and it’s fascinating in a numb sort of way. She feels very far from her body and yet too close at the same time. Too close, too much detail to take in, fuzzy and numb. A chill wind and ultraviolet radiation. She thinks someone is talking to her.

She blinks. “Wha— Pardon me?” 

The forte behind the counter is creasing his brow slightly. “Apologies, you seemed to be spacing out. Are you alright?”

“Oh, yes! Absolutely, don’t you worry.” She smiles.

His smile in return communicates that he doesn’t really believe her but his brow lightens. “Very well, I’m glad to hear it. Can I get you anything?” He nods his head in the direction of the nearest copy of the menu.

“Oh, ummm. I believe I’ll help myself at the cereal bar, but thank you for the offer.” She gives a shallow curtsy and steps over to the other counter.

Drat. That almost certainly wasn’t the optimal way to say that. Was probably holding up the line too. Maybe she needs to go back to bed.

No no no! Cut it out! She’s. Literally. Doing fine.

She congratulates herself on selecting and pouring a cereal no problem, picks up a little clementine to go with it, and is standing in front of the milk selection. She picks up the almond milk. It’s good to try different things sometimes! She usually goes for soy.

“—Haha yeppers, okay see ya!”

Oh okay, well there’s an alarmingly familiar voice. She wanted to speak to the other Rhine members but not at this exact moment, preferably.

She stays still in the off-chance that she’ll camouflage into the environment and be passed by. It’s a pharmaceutical company, surely lab coats are a common sight for the staff.

She can see Muelsyse in her peripheral vision with her hands tucked in her pockets and whistling as she passes behind her. Dorothy’s ear twitches. Muelsyse tilts her head and then wheels around on her heel, eyes wide.

“Whuh— Doroth— Director Franks!! What are you doing here!?”

Dorothy smiles serenely, “Yes, that’s me. You can call me Dorothy, Muelsyse.” She hopes that she can make this a quick exchange, lovingly encourage her to run along. She likes Muelsyse, she’s sweet, and has a good heart. They should really talk more, but right now she would really like to eat alone and be on with her day.

“And to answer your question, I’m staying here for the time being.” Beams at her, eyes crinkling.

“Oh! Neato! Um. Are you cradling a carton of almond milk?”

Dorothy sighs almost imperceptibly and lets her smile falter. She lifts the object that she had subconsciously tucked close to her as if to look at it for the first time. “Yes, it would appear that I am. Thank you Muelsyse, I’ll pour it and then go eat.”

“Sounds great!” Muelsyse bounces on the balls of her feet, “do you mind if I come with you?”

Dorothy stares at the milk a little longer. “No, I shouldn’t expect to mind at all. Let’s go,” and she pours her milk.

The two of them settle down at a quiet and unoccupied table off to the side, Dorothy tucking her tail over and around her leg as she sits.

“How have you been doing, Muelsyse? Up to anything fun?” Dorothy starts eating her cereal while she listens to the answer.

“Oh, absolutely fabulously! And very much so, yes yes! I haven’t really been here that long either but they’ve already let me set up some experiments to run in the gardens, I’m expecting it to be very interesting.” Muelsyse is resting her chin on her hand while talking and seems to be kicking her feet under the table.

“Hmm, that sounds lovely, you’ll have to give me a tour of the gardens at a later date.”

“Of course!! You betcha, any time you want miss Dorothy Franks!”

“Mhmm.” Dorothy starts the process of listlessly peeling her orange with a medium amount of coordination.

“Oh, I’ve got that for you!” Muelsyse snatches the orange before proceeding to attempt peeling it with an also medium amount of coordination and a stalwart expression. “So,” her tongue is protruding from her mouth in concentration between utterances, “what’s the full reason you’re here at Rhodes?” She places the enthusiastically peeled orange in Dorothy’s hand.

“House arrest, I believe”

“Hou—, House Arrest? But this isn’t your house!!!”

“It can be, for the time being,” Dorothy smiles wryly. “I like the idea of a house that moves around.”

“Who’s… arresting you?”

“The Columbian government, Maylander I guess… Or Dr Olivia Silence if you’d prefer. She’s meant to be keeping an eye on me, theoretically.”

“What the hell? Just because of that stuff at Site Something-Or-Other? You’d think they’d care more about that hole in the sky…” Muelsyse trails off pouting and chuffing.

Dorothy chuckles warmly, glad for the first time to have gotten roped into sitting with Muelsyse. She’s trying to cheer her up.

Dorothy extends a segment of orange to Muelsyse, who breaks her comical expression to crack a smile and accept it. She puts it between her teeth and starts sucking the juice out of it noisily.

Should Dorothy mention anything more about that hole in the sky? She hasn’t acknowledged… any other part of it yet.

She just ends up watching her eat her piece of orange weirdly. Her cereal bowl was still mostly full.

Muelsyse chomps down on the husk of the orange to pull it into her mouth like a scalebeast. “Aah, I’m going to give Olivia a piece of my mind next time I see her, no matter what say she had in it.”

“Please don’t, she’s been very kind to me. I… appreciate her perspective.”

“Okay, okay, you got it. You should finish your cereal, before it gets soggy.”

“I’ll do that.”

Dorothy doesn’t feel like she has the words enough at the moment to put together a meaningful sentence for Muelsyse, nothing that would feel right. Maybe she will drop off a bouquet at her dorm or when she sees her for the garden tour.

She supposes that’ll have to do for now.

————

Dorothy sighs, a weary sound emanating from down near where her forehead is pressed against the surface of her desk. Her work has been progressing, just slowly. She oscillates between bouts of perfect clear-headedness, and feeling the stars rush through. She even has her own small office that Rhodes has provided her for the time being, perhaps as compensation for the inconvenience. It’s nice, she can hang things on the walls and play her own music. Old-fashioned Columbian jazz fills the space.

A knock comes from the door. “Come in!” Dorothy shouts as she abruptly rises to her feet.

The door clicks open and Elena steps through, holding a mug of coffee, and a plate with some cookies on it.

“Ah, Elena! Good to see you, good to see you!”

“Hehe, you as well Dorothy, it’s been a few days! I brought these for you,” Elena lifts the items she’s holding and steps over to set them on the desk away from the computer. “Have things been continuing well with settling in?”

“Thank you Elena dear, and yes, very much so. Nothing to worry about.” She smiles

Elena lifts an eyebrow at her. “Are you sure? Muelsyse mentioned that you seemed a little bit… off.”

Dorothy hums and takes a sip from her coffee. “Hmm, nothing more than the consequences of my own actions, if that’s what she’s talking about.”

Elena adopts a look of consternation and leans forwards. “You mean… the transmitter?”

Dorothy grimaces lightly and says, “Yes, it would seem so.” She sets the cup down. “No worse than oripathy certainly, much more manageable. I’ll grow used to it soon enough.”

Elena seems unconvinced. “What’s it… doing? Is there anything the doctors can do to stop it?”

“I’ve had extensive testing done with collaboration from Dr Silence and Dr Kal’tsit both. I’m afraid it’s not quite ‘doing’ anything, simply made a place for itself wrapped around my nervous system, as expected.” Smiles some more.

“Umm, okay, yeah. It’s a bit weird when you say it like that, but sure. What’s the problem then?”

“What problem? It’s functioning exactly as intended.”

“Ugh,” Elena groans. “Dorothy,” she adds, in only a slightly whiny voice, “what was Muelsyse talking about?”

That gets a good laugh out of Dorothy, lifting her hand to her mouth in mirth. “Sorry, Elena dear, sorry, I won’t tease you any further.”

Dorothy moves to clear some books off a spare stool and brings it over to the desk so they can both sit.

“It’s the Galleria Stellaria. The guidance system relied on transmitter to communicate with Terra. I can feel it.” Elena’s eyes widen in response. “It should be fine, I just need to get the hang of turning it off.”

“Dorothy…” Elena breathes, “that’s… what…? What’s it like?”

“Oh,” Dorothy chuckles, “it’s like… it’s very bright, and distant. I feel so�� far away. There’s a lot of temperatures as well. It’s hard to tell… sometimes it’s hard to tell if I’m dreaming or not.”

“Oh Dorothy… Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Elena looks slightly heartbroken, or maybe just concerned.

“I’m sorry, Elena, you… had enough going on, no? All of us do. I don’t want to worry you.”

Elena smacks her on the shoulder with all the strength of a baby fluffbeast. “Stupid,” she mutters under her breath. “How are you feeling right now?”

Dorothy laughs and tilts her head, “Fine, just fine Elena, thank you. Let’s enjoy these cookies together. Tell me about what you’ve been up to.”

The two of them have a nice chat, well over an hour of work-time spent well-wasted. For the most part, the specks of light fading in and out of Dorothy’s vision behind Elena stay away. Outside, the setting sun casts a warm wash over the landship, Trimounts fading further away into the backdrop.

On her way out, Elena hears Dorothy call from behind her., “And don’t bring me coffee anymore, you’re not an assistant.” She smiles.

————

Bundled up in a warm winter jacket, with thick pants, mittens, and a scarf pulled up over her face, Dorothy lays on her back on one of the benches on Rhodes Island’s deck. Her misting breath spills out around her scarf and floats into the star-filled sky.

The rumble of engines, the feeling of slow but persistent motion, lulling one like the rock of a cradle. A field of vision filled with points of light, distant.

Dorothy feels clearheaded, like collimating a telescope, her mirrors are aligned in this moment. Unfortunately, her life demands more than gazing at the stars, she has things she wants to do.

Like turning a lens on and off, on and off.

If such a thing were possible, she’ll figure it out.

Despite the chill on her exterior, she feels a warmth inside.

————

Dorothy is reclined on one of the couches in one of the recreation rooms, a science magazine gripped loosely in her hands that she was ostensibly reading, and a few of the younger residents of the landship nearby playing a game who she was ostensibly supposed to be minding. The caretaking staff had had to leave the room and hastily put the task on her, as the adult around who looked put-together and responsible, apparently not noticing how not-up-to-the-task she was.

The sound of the kids talking was far away, and her consciousness felt like it was swimming hazily above or behind her body. The stars are uncountable.

Her eyes are pointed more up towards the ceiling than the magazine she’s holding, so it catches on her attention just enough when a brown shape enters her field of vision. Brown, and fluffy looking…

The shape leans down and puts a hand on Dorothy’s forehead, as if checking her temperature out of habit.

Dorothy raises an arm in defence, but the hand is withdrawing, and the person letting out a weary sigh.

“Good afternoon, doctor.”

“ ‘Afternoon, Dorothy.” Olivia sits down on the couch next to her. “Hm, Scientific Columbian, is that issue good?”

Dorothy shrugs with a small motion, “I’m babysitting, I think.”

“I can see that.” Olivia surveys the room passively. Dorothy can barely make out her face looking away and above her, then back down. The lights are too bright. “I’ll keep an eye on them for you.”

“… Thank you, Olivia.”

The clock on the wall ticks away, and the kids’ chatter feels like music heard through a wall.

Dorothy tries to look up and to her side at Olivia. “Wait, what… are you doing here…?”

Olivia huffs a little, and says “I took a transport over for a quick visit, it’ll be my last chance to see Ifrit for a little while. I trust Rhodes to take care of her, and… Saria, but I wanted to visit her while I can.” A pause, “If you mean what am I doing in this room, I’m checking on you. Heard you were in here.”

“Indeed I am, you’ve found me,” Dorothy laughs limply.

“Hmm, have you been using the grounding exercises we talked about?”

“Sometimes… When I remember.” Dorothy feels a little frustrated, distantly. She would do them more if she could remember, and she would remember more if she was grounded.

Olivia starts walking her through some basic ones again, but Dorothy’s eyes keep being drawn to a point on one of the walls, as if seeing through it to something on the other side. Just over there… Twinkling, dancing…

She feels something soft being placed in her lap.

“… Here, my wing. Try running your fingers through it, feel the texture.”

“Oh…” Dorothy breathes. Her hands shake lightly as she brings her hands over the wing, lowering her fingertips to the array of feathers, before slowly sinking them in.

They’re soft…

“… Thank you, Olivia, very much.”

She runs her fingers back and forth through the feathers

“Mhm, it’s… no problem at all. Now, listen to my voice, we’re going to name some things we can see in this room…”

Dorothy doubts if it will help, but she’ll try her best, for Olivia’s sake at least.

————

It’s been about a week since Dorothy first met with Muelsyse in the cafeteria. Probably an appropriate time to ask about meeting up again. (Dorothy has definitely spent more time in the lab than on arranging social visits.)

—

DoOA D. Franks: Good day Muelsyse! ♪

DoECO Mumu: Dorothy!!! ٩(◕▽◕)۶*:･ﾟ✧

DoOA D. Franks: Is today a good day for a visit? I have some time, but if that doesn’t work for you I’ll see what I can arrange over the next week.

DoECO Mumu: nono, swang on by anytime! id love to have you up here! Not like its my place, but its always open for visitors im pretty sure

DoOA D. Franks: Excellent! How about 1:00pm, does that work for you?

DoECO Mumu: yeppers! see u then bbgrl!!

—

Dorothy closes out of her tablet and leans back, stretching her arms and popping her shoulders. Maybe she should set about acquiring a nice little bouquet before the visit. Nothing too fancy, just to show she cares, right? … Now that she thinks about it, the flowers would be coming from one of the greenhouses on the ship most likely, but maybe they’re available at one of the shops. She’ll ask around.

Dorothy makes a mental list of things to do: the last bits of work she wants to wrap up for this session, go talk to some people to find out about flowers, have lunch (regular lunch at regular lunch-time), acquire flowers, then head to the gardens. Excellent.

————

The clicks from Dorothy’s boots echo in the hall as she makes her way to the gardens, bouquet tucked in against her arm. She’s back in her ‘Stylish-Researcher’ garb, and hopes to make a good impression. She hopes that the bouquet she picked out is appropriate as well. She doesn’t know anything about flower language. Shoot, what if Muelsyse does and she picked something wildly inappropriate? It’s a bit late to fret about that, so it’ll have to do…

She steps through the set of sliding doors and is hit with a wash of air a good bit warmer than the cool hallways she’s left behind. The December days are cold, but the glass ceilings above and walls along the side do a good job of trapping heat.

Dorothy casts her gaze around, and sees Muelsyse arranging some stuff on a broad stone bench, surrounded by some ferns and a tall tropical-looking tree with fruit. As soon as Muelsyse sees her too she gives a big exuberant wave with her whole arm and beckons her over excitedly. Dorothy smiles back as she trots over.

“Dorothyyy!!! Hellooo!!! Oh! What’s that you got there?” “Hi! Ah, well, it’s just a little bouquet that I got for you…” —Geez maybe she should have thought this through more— “…to express my condolences.”

Muelsyse’s eyes blow wide and her eyebrows shoot up. “Your— WHAT?!” She takes a step back, then a step forward, and her face kind of crumples. “What the hell, what the fuck dude,” she’s muttering almost to herself as she steps into Dorothy’s space and rests her forehead on her shoulder. She sets a hand on the paper wrapping the flowers, as if to accept it. Dorothy hesitantly rests one of her own hands on Muelsyse’s back.

“Oh, um. I’m sorry Muelsyse, if that wasn’t the right thing to do… Maybe I should have just said something.”

Muelsyse sniffles wetly. “No, no. It’s nice, thank you.” Dorothy rubs her back a little bit. “I mean— I didn’t really think you would say anything, we don’t know each other super duper well… But thank you, it means a lot.”

“Of course, Muelsyse. It’s the least I could do, I think. I’m really sorry about what happened. I understand her dream, and I’m happy she achieved it, but… I’m sorry.”

Muelsyse is definitely wiping her face on Dorothy’s shoulder, but… she’ll allow it.

“ ‘sokay. Me ’n’ Saria have been talking about it. It’s… I’m happy for her too.”

“Mhmm”

“All of Terra will remember her name, that’s for sure.”

“Yeah, that’s right. And we’ll all keep striving for our own dreams in turn.”

Muelsyse raises her other hand to wrap around Dorothy’s back, completing the loose hug/huddle with a bouquet of flowers tucked between them. Over her shoulder, Dorothy can see the little picnic of tea and some sweets that Muelsyse had set out for them. She hums a sweet low note in appreciation, setting her cheek on Muelsyse’s head. Such a sweetheart…

———

After their little dessert picnic, Muelsyse makes good on her promise to give Dorothy a tour. They stroll through the ornamental gardens, marvelling at all the interesting colours and shapes of flowers, growth forms of leaves, bark, and spines.

Then Muelsyse shows off what she’s working on, actually in some smaller adjoining rooms where the temperature and humidity can be adjusted to simulate more extreme conditions for plants. There’s even a bank of high-security cases along one wall where the air inside is filled with originium dust.

They end their tour through the food-gardens and hydroponics. Muelsyse snatches a strawberry of a plant and smoothly passes it to Dorothy with a finger raised to her lips mischievously.

Dorothy thoroughly enjoys the tour, but throughout it is struggling more and more with feeling awake.

She does her best to feel the weight of body resting on her feet, to look around and take in the specific sights and smells, run her hand lightly over plants that they pass.

She can see the colourful and exciting plant-life around her, can almost feel it even, buzzing. Her head and extremities feel numb and deadened, heavy, but she feel as if in her heart there’s that same buzzing present, too.

They end their tour at a different bench, shrouded by azaleas. Muelsyse takes a good look at her.

“Hey, are you okay? You seem a little…”

Dorothy groans internally and does a little waving motion with her hands, “Quite fine, really… just a little out of it, to be honest.”

Muelsyse tsks under her breath and looks her over, as if looking for a stray hair to tuck back or a bit of dirt to brush away that would make things better. “I noticed before, last time… You didn’t use to dissociate like this did you? Like I said, I don’t know you the best, but I would think it was obvious…” She gives up on or thinks better of her apparent attempt at personal grooming and settles for taking a beaded fidget toy out of her pocket and placing it in Dorothy’s hand. “…It’s the transmitter, right? I heard what you did, and the only other large concentration still existing is in the network used for the guidance on the Galleria Stellaria…”

Dorothy smiles ruefully and gratefully accepts the toy as Muelsyse takes a seat at her side, spinning the textured beads. “Look how clever you are… Right on the money with that one,” she gives a tired laugh.

Muelsyse smirks playfully and does a little fist-pump. “Gotta put my analytical brain to use somehow huh?”

“Ahaha, of course, absolutely.” Her laugh manages to be bright, even with the way she’s feeling. “I must admit it does feel a bit peculiar, in new and different ways sometimes, but I have to say I do prefer feeling peculiar alongside a friend.”

Muelsyse leans her weight into her from the side and crows, “I’m literally always saying this!”

————

In a few months, Dorothy has the hang of it, more or less. It turns out, practice can be effective. Not a miracle cure, but when the stars are dropping down to grab her attention, she can answer by seating herself firmly in her body and grounding herself in her surroundings. She can say hello to the cosmos, give it a wave, but remember where she herself is and what’s around her.

Her colleagues and friends from Rhine are entirely understanding, and do their best to be helpful. She loves them for that, truly. She’s even started making new acquaintances at Rhodes. There are so many interesting people onboard!

And when there’s a rash of bad days, sometimes she spends part of a night on the deck, stargazing and taking some time for her lenses to be aligned, so to say. It’s nice. If one were to look carefully, they could see the hole in the Starpod, and where the cavas of stars has that misaligned edge, the refraction through a surface and the true view beyond.

It’s one of these nights, long after the Horizon Arc incident, that she finally puts it together.

She can see it, she feels like she can see it, through the hole punched in the sky, past the cosmic dust. One speck of light tracking slowly across the sky. It could be anything, but her eyes are drawn to it with a certainty rarely felt.

She can see the star-filled field, glorious and full, a magnificent view from front row-seats. She can feel the cold all around, except for the sun-facing side, and a peculiar warmth within, buzzing and alive.

She has to tell Saria and Muelsyse as fast as she can.

[theironjanissary]

Assalamu alaikum Janissary. My name is Saleh, callsign ‘Square Head’ of the Mud Wasps ICC. I was hoping to get in touch because you seem very knowledgeable in hydroponics setup? I have been working as best I can aboard our my ship (a Mueller-class corvette, which I’m happy to say I personally retrofitted) to try and keep many fresh herbs and such, but to only such avail.

If there’s any advice or schematics you have which could help, I would appreciate this greatly! In return I’m happy to offer any of my engineering or architectural knowledge.

[S H]

—@no-future-mudwasps

>> "Hello, Saleh!"

>> "I have some experience with hydroponics, mostly because it was the easiest way to maintain plants between missions and cryo."

>> "I think the first thing to ask is what you are looking to grow, and what resources you have available to you."

>> "If you want hearbs or leafy greens, I would recommend true hydroponics. Anything else, your probably better of with a standard garden or maybe a hybrid."

>> "True hydroponics requires no soil, and instead uses heavily enriched water pumped through below the plant's root system. You could probably achieve this by grinding nutrients bars to a powder and dissolving in water. May leave you with some substrate, though."

[ Janissary gestures to his makeshift setup, and pulls out a small pod that contains soil or a soil equivilant ]

>> "This is my makeshift setup, I use a combination of true soil, non-organic binding materials, and compost made from scraps I save to hold the plants in place and provide nutrients to both the immediate plant and leeching into and through the water."

[ janissary hold up a rough, hand drawn schematic ]

>>" I dont hook my system to the ship lines in case of impurities, mostly salt, but if your lines are good you could probably hook it up just after black water reprocessing. Get a lot of spare nutrients that way. Risks a chance of diseases though, so your mileage may vary."

[ Janissary starts furiously scribbling and addition to his schematic, then show it to the camera ]

>> "If you want extra protein, you could try to upgrade to aquaponics and grow fish in the water basin, too. Haven't quite figured out how to balance that one yet. There's a fish-to-plant ratio where you have to do minimal nutrients addition, but i haven't found it yet."

[ Janissary glances at the terminal and realizes how long he has been talking, then grins sheepishly ]

>> " Sorry for the ramble. Let me send a couple setup files I've drafted, for various purposes."

>> [[ shipboard-hydroponics.omf ]]

>> [[ black-water-hydroponics.omf ]]

>> [[ coffeeponics.omf ]]

>> "Made that last one for someone that broke their coffeemaker. Probably wouldn't recommend for plants, but who knows. Maybe you can find another use for it."

//Janissary\\

[prepperjournal]

For years, the idea of food independence has conjured images of sprawling gardens, backyard chickens, and rows of home-canned goods. But let’s be real: not everyone has an acre of land—or even a backyard. Does that mean food independence is out of reach? Not by a long shot. In 2025, it’s time to rethink what food self-reliance looks like. Whether you’re in an apartment, a condo, or just don’t have the time or space for traditional homesteading, you can still build a pantry that’s resilient against supply chain hiccups, inflation, and shortages. Step 1: Maximize Shelf-Stable Staples You don’t need a garden to stock up on dry goods. Focus on building a pantry of essentials with long shelf lives. Stock Up On: - Rice, beans, and lentils - Oats, pasta, and flour - Shelf-stable milk and powdered eggs - Salt, sugar, and cooking oils Step 2: Canned Goods Are Your Friend Canning isn’t just for homesteaders. Commercially canned goods offer a long shelf life, convenience, and variety. Buy Smart: - Focus on vegetables, proteins (tuna, chicken), soups, and fruits - Check for sales and bulk-buy deals - Rotate stock and use older cans first Pro Tip: Don’t forget about canned butter, ghee, and shelf-stable cheese options. FIFO Countertop Mini Can Tracker Holds 30 Standard 10-24 Oz Can Sizes, White| Stackable & Adjustable Can Organizer for Pantry, USA Made, White - Mini Can Tracker: Keeps your kitchen organized by storing and rotating your canned goods on a First In First Out model saving you from expired food cost and waste - Can Organizer Easy Install: Ensures effortless installation saving you time and energy; Carefully sized dowels fit smoothly into the panels, giving your fridge or pantry a fresh new look; Made in the USA - Customizable Can Rack: Includes the following easy-fit dowels; 3 - A dowels (fits family soup cans), 6 - B dowels (fits chunky soup and fruit cans), 6 - C dowels (fits standard vegetable/soup cans) - Canned Food Organizer Capacity: Make room for up to 30 cans, preserving sodas, soups, and veggies in great harmony; Measures 16 inches long, 16 inches wide, 12 inches tall, and weighs 5 pounds - Expandable Food Storage: Expand your organized empire in your refrigerator, pantry, cupboards, and cabinets by adding panels, dowels, or even units for limitless growth $44.19 Buy on Amazon Step 3: Think Vertical—Indoor Gardening No backyard? No problem. Grow small-scale crops indoors with minimal space. Try These: - Herbs (basil, parsley, cilantro) on windowsills - Microgreens using shallow trays - Hydroponic kits for lettuce and greens Step 4: Store Water, Not Just Food Water is just as critical as food, and most urban preppers underestimate how much they’ll need. Store: - At least one gallon per person per day (for drinking and minimal hygiene) - Water filters and purification tablets as backup - Collapsible storage containers to maximize space Big Berkey Gravity-Fed Stainless Steel Countertop Water Filter System 2.25 Gallon with 2 Authentic Black Berkey Elements BB9-2 Filters - ENJOY GREAT-TASTING TAP WATER EVERY DAY AT HOME- The 2.25-gallon Big Berkey System can be used on a countertop in your kitchen or office to transform tap water into delicious drinking water that's also ideal for making your favorite beverages or cooking. - INDEPENDENT TESTING- Black Berkey Elements (the original BB9-2) are composed of a unique, proprietary blend of multiple media types backed by testing from accredited, third-party labs. Black Berkey Elements remove or dramatically reduce over 250+ typical contaminants that could be present in freshwater sources—no electricity, tools, or plumbing are required. - INCLUDES AUTHENTIC BLACK BERKEY ELEMENTS (THE ORIGINAL BB9-2)- Don't fall for lookalike filters that use our Berkey BB9-2 model number or trademarks in their titles or product descriptions to legitimize their brand as replacements or "compatible", when they are not. Black Berkey Elements are designed to work synergistically and target specific contaminants that far exceed the reduction capabilities of black filters solely composed of activated carbon. - ECONOMICAL, LONG-LASTING- Black Berkey Elements provide filtered water for just pennies per gallon. Each pair of Black Berkey Elements lasts for up to 6,000 gallons before replacement is recommended. Elements may require replacement sooner based upon the quality of influent water. Each additional pair of Black Berkey Elements (sold separately) adds an additional 6,000 gallons of contaminant reduction. - THE GOLD STANDARD IN GRAVITY-FED WATER FILTRATION- Authentic Black Berkey Elements are capable of greater contaminant reduction and a longer lifespan than virtually any of the other filter elements on the market. Berkey systems are simple and easy to use and require no electricity, costly installation, or tools, providing economical, long-lasting water filtration for just pennies a gallon. $367.00 Buy on Amazon Step 5: Get Creative with Storage When space is tight, you have to think vertically and creatively. Ideas: - Under-bed bins for bulk goods - Overhead shelving in closets or garages - Stackable containers that maximize footprint Step 6: Plan for Rotation and Replenishment A pantry is only as good as its maintenance. Maintain It: - Label items with purchase and expiration dates - Create a simple inventory spreadsheet - Set reminders to rotate stock every few months Final Thoughts: You Don’t Need Land to Be Ready Food independence isn’t just for the rural prepper. It’s about mindset, strategy, and a commitment to self-reliance—no matter where you live. By focusing on shelf-stable essentials, clever storage, and a few innovative growing techniques, you can build a pantry that stands strong against whatever comes next. Related Reads: - The Sensible Prepper – Practical Advice for Tough Times - Survival Gear List – The Essentials You Shouldn’t Leave Without Finally, remember that food independence is an ongoing journey. Stay informed about food preservation techniques, explore new recipes using your stored items, and continuously adapt your strategies as your needs evolve. This proactive approach will help ensure that you remain prepared for any eventuality, no matter where you live. Moreover, engage with your community to share ideas, resources, and even trade goods. Building relationships with local farmers or joining community-supported agriculture (CSA) programs can enhance your food independence and introduce you to fresh, local options that may not be available in stores. Regular maintenance of your pantry is essential for ensuring that your food supply remains fresh and ready for use. Consider setting up a reminder system on your smartphone or calendar to help you keep track of your inventory and remind you when it's time to check on your supplies. When considering creative storage solutions, think beyond the conventional. Utilize space in your home creatively by incorporating multi-functional furniture that doubles as storage, such as ottomans or coffee tables with hidden compartments. Every bit of space counts when preparing for potential shortages or emergencies. Another critical aspect of water storage is the need for emergency preparedness. Storing water isn’t just about filling up containers; it’s also about ensuring you have access to clean, drinkable water during emergencies. Invest in high-quality water filtration systems and purification tablets to ensure your stored water remains safe for consumption over time. As you think vertically for indoor gardening, consider the benefits of LED grow lights. These lights can mimic sunlight, enabling you to grow plants indoors even when natural light is scarce. This technology allows for greater control over your indoor gardening environment and can significantly expand your growing options. In addition to canned goods, consider freeze-dried options. These products not only have an impressive shelf life but also retain more nutrients and flavor compared to traditional canned foods. They can be rehydrated and used in many recipes, making them a versatile addition to your pantry. When thinking about shelf-stable staples, it's beneficial to explore legumes beyond just basic beans and lentils. Incorporate a variety of dried beans—such as black beans, kidney beans, and chickpeas—not only for their nutritional value but also for their versatility in a variety of dishes. Each type of legume can bring unique flavors and textures to your meals, enhancing your culinary repertoire. Consider urban gardening techniques that allow you to grow food in small spaces, such as vertical gardening or hydroponic systems. These innovations can transform a small apartment balcony into a lush, productive garden, yielding fresh vegetables and herbs all year round. In today's fast-paced world, the notion of achieving food independence takes on new dimensions. It's not just about self-sustaining your food source; it's about creating resilience in the face of global uncertainties. With the increasing volatility of food prices and supply chains, understanding how to prepare for the worst while still enjoying the best of what our urban environments have to offer is crucial. Read the full article

[probablyfunrpgideas]

Lancer System Idea (GMS) - Enclosed Ecosystem

Your mech has a self-contained hydroponic garden with water recycling. Choose how high up the food chain it goes, whether you have just algae or terrestrial plants, insects, even small animals? This is a cut above the typical pilot’s lifeless mechanical world, and tends to heighten your morale while providing fresh food and oxygen. In a pinch, you can even siphon nutrients to power other parts of your mech!

The resources produced by your mech can sustain one person indefinitely, and you can take a reaction (called “Life is Fuel”) to gain accuracy on an Engineering check or save. This reaction can be used only once before each Full Repair.

[unimother]

This video demonstrates a completely low-maintenance aquaponics system featuring goldfish and guppies in a self-sustaining, eco-friendly setup.

Aquaponics is a symbiotic system that combines aquaculture (raising fish) with hydroponics (growing plants in water).

Designed for those who want a hands-off approach, this system requires no water changes, no maintenance, and only feeding the fish.

A walkthrough of the design:

Fish Tank: A large, stable tank housing goldfish and guppies, with an established natural ecosystem.

-Grow Bed: Overflowing with healthy leafy greens, herbs, and small vegetables.

-Water Flow: Automated circulation keeps the system oxygenated and nutrient-rich.

-Closed-loop system, where the water continuously recycles, eliminating the need for manual water changes.

Plants grow by absorbing fish waste nutrients, with lush greenery thriving in the system.

Footage of successful growth with no added fertilizers or chemicals.

This video is ideal for anyone interested in low-maintenance gardening and aquaponics, demonstrating how simplicity can lead to sustainability!

[solar-sunnyside-up]

hey, something i've been struggling with recently is i've been struggling with "finding my people" because i'm a minority in my hometown, and a lot of people... aren't. they don't understand me, and often when i try to get them to understand they seem like they fall back into the old systems they were traumatized with (elitism, classism ect.,). 1/2 -solidarity anon

Im gunna say this at the top, this is so rough and im so sorry you gotta go through this sweetie. We are so isolated and filtered into categories within our current system in order to keep that isolation and to fight solidarity and unity. Now I cannot know for 100% sure what your going through or the extend your suffering. But will say I am from and currently still live in a oil loving, god fearing, anti-LGBT, and very racist city while i was raised wiccan by a poly core family and all my gay aunts/uncles and have been dreaming of an earthship my whole life plus every summer id be stuck in an even more harsh farming community that was so small they gotntheir first street light when i was 9 and the chruch is also town hall (mayor works in a wing off of the building). So there is at least some overlap in the experiences your having.

But that being said, how I got weirdly connected to people and involved in so many projects and stuff might not work for you.

Personally? I just yelled and yelled about the injustice of the system at work, about cool forestry projects and people buying ghost towns to start up Co-loving villages. Sharing discworld and different philosophers with coworkers backed up by their fave hobby. About how terrible the conservative politics are. About how cool transit could be if we funded it. About community art projects and how cool solar glass would make things look. About drags shows and events and did you know there is A SOUP FESTIVAL? I'm autistic and have only really interacted my whole childhood with friends with ADHD so my brain is weird and won't shut up once it starts going.

As a result of my ramblings, I have gotten a lot of responses mostly ones that are positive since if they didn't agree with my absurdist philosophy ramblings or solar project ideas they'd just leave the coffee shop. If they enjoyed it, say they want to join a community garden/event or if someone was as stoked as I was about again UNLIMITED TASTINGS SOUP FESTIVAL than we'd chat about that. The thing is a lot of these things have overlap. Someone who wants to convert their lawn into a pollinators habitate prob also likes little libraries and as a result prob also likes the idea of dark sky street lights. And down the rabbit hole you go.

That being said... my best actual advice is 2 pronged.

RESEARCH and REACH OUT

I personally have done years worth of research on my city. What local events and politics are happening? Even in rural places there is at least garderns, there's engineers, there's usually a LGBT focused club. And from these spaces, you can build a network. Doing research I found out about 5 different organizations in my city (most of which was founded 40 yrs ago??) That where sustainability focused. Doing research made me realize how cool community associations could be and how I could help mine out. It also gives you all those ideas for convos.

Second, I reached out to those groups about weird ideas I had, about if I could hang up posters for them in my local area, if I could buy groups worth of tickets in advance, and than also reaching out to the ppl I already talked to and had these ppl interact. My fave example of this is T. T is an engineer who built a fully functioning solar car during his degree program but specializes in hydroponics (how we ended up talking was over plants) he than gets shown my fave farm near by and now he's building the farms hydro system and Seedling house. Writing in to newsletter ppl and showing off weird layout design. This is ultimately very anxiety indusing. What if I'm bothering them? Why should I be spamming them like this? But the secret here is-

No one will ever be mad about you showing interest in their interest once you find those ppl. They want the interaction just as much as you do.

[oh-he-grows]

figured i would do a quick write-up about JADAM farming techniques since there's only one post about it that I could find on tumblr and you're not likely to find a more niche subset of organic farming-

TL;DR: JADAM is a korean grassroots organic farming method that uses 3 recipes (a soil microbiome solution, a pest/disease control solution, and a surfactant) to increase yields cheaply and organically, scalable to both small-scale gardens as well as industrial agriculture.

Above is the inventor's youtube channel, and although most content is in Korean, it has enough English-language instructional content to get the basic idea across.

The most interesting aspect to me is the JMS (JADAM Microorganism Solution) that improves the soil microbiome and and nutritional diversity. By blending and steeping leaf mold, salt, and boiled mashed potatoes, you can make an entire drum of intense living fertilizer in a few days.

The JADAM sulfur solution that is used as pesticide is less convenient for a small home gardener due to the inherent risk of inexperienced gardeners creating chemical reactions with sulfur and caustic soda, but if utilized on an industrial scale could cut back pesticide usage so significantly.

I believe that large scale organic farming is too focused on hydroponic growing due to FDA/USDA organic restrictions being so inflexible, and that a revolution in the organic scene is necessary to allow for "true" (non-hydroponic) organic growers to continue existing, and the JADAM system offers a cheap and effective way of farming organically.

The JADAM "Ultra-Low-Cost Agriculture" philosophy is an ideal organic agricultural system, and I really hope it starts to get more attention outside of Korea so that we can more closely examine its feasibility.

[ofdeedsglorious]

Title: A Garden Characters: Emrys with mentions of others Warnings: N/A

It had been some time since he had set foot in the greenhouse.

Back in those early days, all that had filled the at the time stark-white and grey room had been a few too orderly pots with herbs. All with what had been explained to Emrys as hydroponics for caring for the plants with as little mess as possible. He had walked the sterile, dull room with only a hum of acknowledgement towards the doctor's explanations for the state of it.

Sun lamps lined the ceiling, warming it in lieu of having windows that would only allow for cold to seep in from outdoors.

Warm, but dry. Lifeless. Emrys frowned, running a finger along a familiar plant's leaves. Basil, he believed it was. But it was so small, so dull. The scent had barely been present. There may have been great care taken with building the facility of Chaldea by its previous director, but none of the employees seemed to understand the importance of caring for even the plantlife.

So he had said, casting a level gaze towards Doctor Roman before announcing one thing:

"I'll take over here. Please arrange some training missions in locals with various fauna, if you would. It'll be necessary to gather what's needed."

And from there he had begun.

Gathering seeds and sprouts and clippings from various plants he recognized, some from books and some from his memories. Finding silphium in the third singularity had been a true treasure, of course. And Emrys had wasted no time carefully gathering the plant and the soil around it to bring back. Aided, of course, by Da Vinci's inventions to make transport easier.

It wasn't just plantlife and soil samples, though.

Pollinators were important too.

Then, slowly, as more and more Servants joined Chaldea, more worked with Emrys on his project.

Transforming the sterile greenhouse into something alive. A sprinkler system invented by Tesla and Edison was added. Limoncellos brought in by young Romeo, with their growth sped by carefully crafted alchemical fertilizers from Paracelsus. Flowers began to fill the room, first lilies and roses from Marie Antoinette and then many, many more.

All of that had meant, of course, that the room had need to be expanded, and expanded it was until the entire sub 15th floor felt like a sprawling garden.

A welcome respite for the Servants and human staff both, a place of quiet and peace. Emrys had felt such pride, not in himself but in how the plants thrived now. Now he wandered after being away for some time, marveling over the new additions. Tropical fruits he had only ever read of in Chaldea's library grew in a section of dense plant life, with cocoa and coffee being some of the few he spotted easily. Another section was carefully laid out with rows of fragrant lavender alongside his silphium, and a new addition!

"Well, well... I wonder who brought you in?" he mused, lightly brushing a finger against the golden yellow blooms of the ferula asafoetida. "Constantine, perhaps? The one with the earrings. Ah, and I see an orange grove too..."

Doubtless the work of Charlemagne, Emrys thought to himself with a small huff of laughter.

It was...nice, to see something he started come to fruition. Like Logres had done under his careful rule. A satisfying thing to see something thriving at the hands of dozens of caretakers.

"Like an encapsulation of human history... Or something," Emrys laughed, "The things we can only accomplish when we work together, rather than alone..."

[artherzenswarme]

An introduction to Castor erectus:

Castor erectus, common name "Mountain Dwarf" is member of Castorimorphia, a suborder of rodents that consists of the superfamilies Castoroidea, (Modern Beavers) and Geomyoidea (Kangaroo Rats). In our current timeline, the genus Castor has only two extant members, Castor canadensis, common name "North American Beaver", and Castor fiber, common name "Eurasian Beaver". Castor erectus offers an alternate evolutionary history where Beavers evolved to fill human-like niches. Their look and culture are heavily inspired by the stories of Dwarves as told in fantasy epics such as Lord of the Rings, as well as stories of dwarves from Germanic folklore. Their design is meant to be unique enough to offer an interesting history and flavor for Dwarves, while still being familiar enough to be recognizable as Dwarves. Castor erectus stands at an average of 4'5", with specimens varying in height by +/- 4 inches (for healthy adults.) Female dwarves are on average 3 inches shorter than their male counterparts. Castor erectus shows little to no sexual dimorphism. (You may have seen my previous sexual dimorphism model, this was based on my incorrect assumption that strong sexual dimorphism was present across most mammals.) Modern beavers lack external genitalia, a trait that is present in Castor erectus, which makes it difficult to distinguish a Dwarf's sex. Members of the species can easily distinguish the sex of other members through smell, though their culture does not place a heavy emphasis on gender. The Dwarven language lacks gendered pronouns, and sexuality among Dwarves is incredibly fluid. Same sex pairings can be a helpful evolutionary tool, allowing communal-living social species to meet the social and sexual needs of its' members, without increasing population of their colony to an unsustainable size. Dwarves typically live in large colonies constructed in and around mountain cave systems. These structures are known as Lodges, which are an evolved form of modern beaver habitats. The construction of these lodges generally begins with the construction of a large cistern, and a canal below the snowcap of their home mountain which diverts runoff into the cistern for collection. They use this collected water to fuel primitive aquaponics and hydroponics systems in their lodges. Dwarves are often separated into small familial groups, but it is not uncommon for distantly related groups to merge into a single colony to control resources and water. In the future, I will be posting more illustrations and writings detailing Dwarven Culture, as well as exploring their evolutionary history through extinct relatives. If you have any questions about their culture or anatomy in the mean time, feel free to ask! Any amount of feedback helps to flesh them out and answer questions I might not have otherwise thought of.

[kidspawn]

for the soft asks:

8, 22, 27 pls!!

for the "things that remind me of you":

TRC (obvi) & weird dream-core art (idk why, but it just does, maybe because of the colors of your pfp). you also kind of remind me of someone I went to high school with, but, like, much much nicer and less judgmental <3

8. What's a fabric/texture that's nostalgic for you?

My mom has an afghan I have an odd emotional attachment too. My baby blankets are made of the same material, so ofc I sleep on them. Any big knit blanket/scarf/hat.

Idk if it counts, but sand too? I hate the feeling of it, but I grew up going to a lot of beaches in Hawai'i and sand just clings to every bit of you and descends from the oddest nooks and crannies for up to a week after you swam in the damn ocean. Peak existence is a prison.

22. Name of your favourite playlist?

For my playlists: I keep a monthly playlists of my favourite songs at the moment, but considering those have boring names, here are a few others: "screaming, crying, throwing up" (all my fav rock/punk music), "[internal monologue]" (making a playlist like i'm a YA protagonist), "healing the world....(with comedy)" (several bo burnham songs), "let's go let's go dateko!!" (anime themes)

i listen to a lot of character playlists. someone sent me a "tim drake kinnie (derogatory)" playlist and to them i say: i will find you in every lifetime (threat) <3

27. Do you like to garden? Have you ever grown something?

In theory, I'd love to garden actually! A lot of my extended family gardens, I appreciate it from a practical standpoint, and it's a controlled activity where you can dig your hands in the dirt. I grew up making hydroponic systems with my school, and if I had the space I'd do something like that with relish. It's good for food, and I have a use for my leftover coffee grounds!

When I still lived with my parents, I grew garlic and tomatoes and green onions. (I accidentally grew a tomato patch and had to rip all the vines up from outside bc my propagation went to well *sobs*) I rescued a basil plant from work, all that. But now that I'm moved out, my apartment is unfortunately just too small and my cat too prone to jumping on things and demolishing them. Love her. My succulent is dead because of her. His name was Steve. RIP Steve I miss you everyday.

AND THANK YOURGEHJN Especially about dreamcore. I have noticed I like dream-related media tbh. The irony is not lost on me. I hope everyone thinks of TRC in conjunction with me. It's my life goal. Fun thing not to diminish your correlation of me with your old peer, but I actually get that sentiment a lot. I'm not sure what it is but I often hear like... "oh you remind me of my childhood guy friends but not a raging misogynist" or "you remind me of my childhood friend but [x,y,z]". I find it interesting and a tremendous honour, actually.

Thank you so much, I hope you have a lovely day <3

Ask Games

[pommedepersephone]

A Garden for Madeleine from Am the ghost at the end of the song?

She and Mathilde can never go back to the house on the lake. It would always be a place they had been forced to run from. When Q asked what she would miss most, Madeleine confessed it was her summer tomatoes and her bed of foxgloves.  “We can build you a garden,” Q says.

This story is about the relationships Q and Madeleine had with Bond, and the one they have with one another.

Chapter 3: Repetitions of Snow is now up!

The Garden

With a small paved patio garden, Madeleine had to be creative. Good thing she has her friend Celyn (ops sorry) Q to help her design and build something meaningful.

First they picked a few veggies. Some grow well using a hydroponic system - aubergines, cucumbers and a variety of lettuces. Best to test out the system this summer, then it can be expanded! At least tomatoes were easy - they do well in hanging baskets. And since Mathilde will miss the wild strawberries they used to gather, he found a good substitute for her.

Second, it was time to pick herbs for the vertical garden. Q put together a quick list. Growing up in France, Madeleine would need those flavors she grew up cooking with - like parsley, tarragon, chervil. But, he also knew she made Italian food when she was sad. They don't talk about his, but he included those flavors too - rosemary and basil especially. Madeleine however knows that Q loves coriander (she thinks it tastes like soap) so she added it to the list.

Third, Q has to sort out flower beds of some sort. Probably raised boxes? There must be some place to grow foxgloves, lavender and hollyhock which are all good plants for pollinators. They agreed forget-me-nots are a must too.

And of course, they need a bit of whimsy for Mathilde. Which is why Q is ordering flamingos, and Madeleine is taking Mathilde to second hand shops for teapots, cups and saucers. Nothing like a little Alice in Wonderland magic!

[cosmariner]

[plant_birthdays.omif]

[ID: A small ebb-and-flow hydroponic garden, constructed lovingly from materials probably not ever meant to come anywhere near a plant. A few tiny lettuce shoots can be seen, bright points of green amidst the brown of the substrate and the weathered navy of the used coolant cans Sadia has turned into plant pots.]

SPROUTS!!

I'm beyond excited. Honestly wasn't sure if the Star's environment controls were fine enough to get these guys to germinate, but they're alive! And on the universe's finickiest spaceship, no less! I am RA's favorite.

Planning on expanding the garden today. The lettuce plot I'll build out to cover the rest of the bulkhead, and I'll have to scavenge around more to make another couple pump systems for the other seeds I've got. I have so many plans! The Star's gonna end up looking like a forest by the time I'm done with her.

Does use up a lot of water, though. Hope the recyclers don't give out or I'll run out of the stuff and die. At least the Star's got a big reservoir.

[elbiotipo]

Varied worlds of Campoestela:

This time they are outside from the Esteloplatense Confederation (you can call it Space Argentina). Some of them are from the wider 'human space', others not.

Hilav: A pleasant world of blue seas and archipaelagos, at the junction of several trade routes. Initially settled by Alevis from Turkey, their influence can still be seen in the local culture and architecture, but is now probably one of the most cosmopolitan worlds of human space, with bustling universities and markets. The orbital ring around Hilav glitters with the constant docking and undocking of ships, and is a reminder every time you look at the sky of just where you are.

Fraternité: A tropical world with low-lying lands and extensive river systems, terraformed with African flora and fauna. The Republic of Fraternité is one of the newest members of the Ubuntu Union, and is located in a privileged new aetheric route leading to Concordia. The cities of Fraternité are booming with cranes and construction robots, even as it tries to retain its traditional forestry genemodding art it is still known for.

Iaotol: Homeworld of the ibis-like Syuted, a dry world with rivers fed by melting glaciers. The canyon cities of Syuted are where you would find the sometimes uncanny displays of traditional Syuted "magic", including sentient gemstones and talking corpses whose secrets are tightly kept. The newer cities in the desert fed by hydroponics are where most of the population lives nowadays.

Ruleta: A million-years old ancient ring-shaped orbital, it has an overall steppe oceanic climate and geography, but it's unclear if that was the original configuration of its builders. Countless cultures have risen and fallen here, many still live in mountain chains or open spaces within the orbital. The current human inmigrants, perhaps because of nominative determinism, are known by their lavish casinos by the seas.

Berekti: A world under an ice age, with karstic caverns sheltering pockets of vegetation from the glaciers. Originally inhabited only by Oriental Orthodox monks from Ethiopia and a small spaceport town with EXCELLENT cafés, in the past few decades it has recieved some attention by extreme sports fans who come to enjoy the rugged geography.

Smaragaid: A carefully terraformed world of forested islands each with their own unique dialects and cultures, it was colonized by Irish culture revivalists who took the rather extreme step of completely banning English and related languages from the planet. Despite the trade opportunities, it remains a rather closed world, only accessible to chosen confidants who have to be vouched as trusted by local councils and families.

Utveh: Homeworld of the snake-like Feisans. While having a variety of climates, Feisans do prefer to live in the many floating 'mangroove' forests that spread over the tropical seas of this world. The basic political unit in Utveh is precisely the Floating Forest, and they have translated this to their expansion into space, preferring to live in independent orbitals. Their orbital constellations are often close to human worlds, coexisting or competing with them.

Saudade: Part of the Brazilian diaspora, this world of beautiful granite formations and flowered valleys experienced such political inestability that it turned into an absolute monarchy. Over the centuries, a constitutional regime emerged, but the dramas and turns of the Realeza are known all over human space, despite the thriving communist movement who's fucking sick of them.

Nueva Valparaíso: A remote, lightly populated world above the galactic plane. Rumors of strange elements on its stormy seas have brought several prospectors, but few settlements besides some remote floating platforms loosely aligned with the Cruzur. It always rains in Nueva Valparaíso, even if it's just a drizzle, hiding the spectacular views of the Campoestela.

Saesfi: A dry world with a thin atmosphere, with lush lowlands with unique ecosystems separated by lifeless mesa-like continents. Homeworld of the Saihisi, a cactus-like species. Saihisi mostly live in connected genets, and one driving factor for their spacebound exploration was to avoid damaging the fragile enviroments of Saesfi. They have settled in all sorts of "gardens" across the stars, but some embrace a more individual existence.

San Marco: Capital of the Serenissima Unione and a major trade center, San Marco is a warm world of low-lying seas, stromatolites and coral reefs, with colorful iridiscent fauna. Because of its beautiful sunsets and islands, it's considered one of the most romantic worlds in human space, at least according to the tourist board. There is a replica of Venezia in one of the atolls, but over time it has adquired a more tropical flair.

Concordia: If there is a true center of Campoestela, it's Concordia. Located in the crossroads of the main three aetheric currents, every space traveller eventually ends up here. A dyson sphere made of swarms of habitats of diamond-like carbon, it has been inhabited over millions of years, in fact, many cultures long extinct are still found here. From the modern city-ports to the ancient palaces and the edenic habitat gardens, Concordia is a sharp contrast of itself: a bustling, modern trade center with a yet not-wholly understood history stretching into the night of time.

Gagarin ("Little Terra"): An O'Neill Cylinder in Concordia, built under the auspices of the Terran Council to represent humanity in the galactic center. Over time, it has become an overbuilt city with people from all over human space and beyond. You can find virtually everything and everybody in the streets of Little Terra with every organization and culture represented somewhere. Many other habitats have been built around it, giving a bit of a ramshackle appearance. However, it retains its political and economic importance.