#Spring cleaning in November

[whore-mountainiii]

A Note:

If anyone notices the blog theme change this month, don't panic; I'm tidying up, and making this little corner of solace, and whatever else I'm seeking to, briefly, escape from, more inline with what I intended for this blog when I signed up to Tumblr again. When I created this blog three years ago, I had the intention of a place filled with aesthetic joy, and parts of myself I would be happy to share. This is still my desire. For everyone who follows me, either here, or my friends on discord, I fully aim to endeavour to show all of myself to you, so that you may know me like you would an old friend. The subject matter of this blog is not changing, but how I approach it is. It would mean a great deal to me if we walked this path together.

To go along with the theme change, I'm in the process of writing an "About Me" for the blog. This post will be pinned, and contain links to anything I deem important or want to show y'all. Though, of course, the primary goal is to tell about myself. Within reason lol.

Additionally, if you have any posts you'd like tagged, please send me a private message, an ask, or even message me in Discord, if you'd prefer. Tagging is a notorious blind spot of mine, and going forward I aim to get better at it.

Finally, and perhaps the most important, to whoever is sitting in my ask box right now with three cookie emjoi's, I am so sorry. You've been patiently sat in my ask box for so long, I can't remember if you're an emoji question game or not. Please look forward to me waxing about my love of cookies soon. m(_ _)m

[squibo]

🤲

[the-ninja-legacy-whip]

OC Masterpost (for my own sanity)

'Main' OCs:

Olivia Omar: Shark Army General #1, also general nuisance

Jesse Marvell: Elemental Master of Surprise, Part-Time Magician, Adorer of Cole

Miranda Marvell: Jesse's Sister, resident software nerd and Elemental Compass expert

Bridget Rondinelli: Shark Army General #32 (yet somehow second in command?)

Sunni Dayes: Average High School Student Who Made Not-So Average Friends (eventually)

Harleigh Kognito: Ronin's Daughter, part-time ghost pirate

Side/Supporting/Other OCs:

Aurora Alice-Julien: Zane's deceased Mom

Caroline Marvell: Jesse's Mom

Amelia Marvell: Jesse's Grandma

Frank Marvell: Jesse's Dad (he sucks)

Savannah Kognito: Harleigh's Mom (she sucks too)

Mr. Menloi: Ninjago City High's principal

Meghan Marshall: Member of the Cheer Squad, Kai's Ex

Samantha Fitzpatrick: Sunni's best friend, Student Council Member

Rory (something): Future Magician's Assistant to Jesse with an undetermined last name

With Surely More to Come Augh

Next-Gen (and only for fun) OCs:

Camellia Brooke Marvell: Aftershock's daughter, manifested by magic

Lucina Lloyd: Lloyd's daughter from an alt timeline

Quinn Smith-Walker: Jaya's daughter, older lightning twin

Finn Smith-Walker: Jaya's son, younger water twin

Blythe Smith: Kailor eldest son, inherited Amber

Blaire Smith: Kailor middle child, inherited Fire

Briar Smith: Kailor youngest daughter, inherited bad self-esteem

Seven Borg: Pixane child (aka MiniPix 7 with a full body)

Adrien Cole: Theoretical Aftershock son who doesn’t exist

[4theitgirls]

4theitgirls masterlist

workout posts

🎀 30 day workout plan

🎀 “how much exercise should i be doing?”

🎀 ab & core workouts

🎀 all about mobility

🎀 all about yin yoga

🎀 all standing weekly workout routine

🎀 barre workouts

🎀 beginner guide to pilates

🎀 beginner pilates routines

🎀 cardio and hiit pilates routines

🎀 cardio routines

🎀 christmas-themed workouts

🎀 december 2024 workout plan

🎀 february 2025 workout plan

🎀 fitness tips from adriana lima

🎀 full body workout routines

🎀 how to build your own workout routine

🎀 january 2025 workout plan

🎀 lower ab workout routines

🎀 lower body workout routines

🎀 march 2025 workout plan

🎀 mat workouts

🎀 mat workouts pt. 2

🎀 mat workouts pt. 3

🎀 non-cardio non-pilates beginner workouts

🎀 non-yoga stretch routines

🎀 november 2024 workout plan

🎀 pilates routines

🎀 quick standing workout routines

🎀 short workouts, add-ons, and finishers

🎀 standing workout routines

🎀 stretches to get your splits

🎀 tone and flexibility workout routines

🎀 upper body workout routines

🎀 weekly workout routine (equipment included)

🎀 weekly workout routine (no equipment)

🎀 workout plan for beginners

🎀 workouts and stretches for your period

🎀 workouts and yoga for women’s health

🎀 workouts and stretches for posture

🎀 workouts and stretches you can do in bed

🎀 workout youtube channels

🎀 workout youtube channels pt. 2

🎀 yoga routines

study posts

📖 study like blair waldorf

📖 study like elle woods

📖 study methods

📖 study like paris geller

📖 ways to romanticize school

📖 ways to stay organized in school

📖 youtube channels for study motivation

bookish posts

🍵 november 2024 reading wrap up

🍵 december 2024 reading wrap up

🍵 january 2025 reading wrap up

🍵 february 2025 reading wrap up

🍵 april 2025 reading wrap up

🍵 youtube channels for the book girlies

miscellaneous posts

🍸 2025 goals and plans of execution

🍸 2025 quarterly overview

🍸 a guide to blair waldorf

🍸 youtube channels to replace mindless scrolling

🍸 youtube videos to help you with your glow up (pt. 1)

🍸 youtube videos to help you with your glow up (pt. 2)

🍸 christmas gift ideas

🍸 cycle synching

🍸 how to build a routine

🍸 it girl spring cleaning

🍸 it girl youtube channels

🍸 it girl youtube channels pt. 2

🍸 meditations and tips for anxiety

🍸 productive ways to fill your notebooks

🍸 productivity apps for self improvement

[estrellami-1]

Steddie Microfic

Let Down Your Guard

November prompt: guard

532 words

Rating: G

No warnings apply

@steddiemicrofic

“So, brave traveler.” Eddie sends Steve a shit-eating grin. “What do you do?”

Steve narrows his eyes at Eddie, then glances down at the table. He looks back at Eddie to say, “I flirt with the guard.”

Eddie blinks. “You- alright. Roll for initiative, I guess.”

Steve peers down at his dice, then grins up at Eddie. “Twenty.”

“Jesus fuck,” Eddie mutters to himself, then louder, “Before you say a word, the guard notices you. In a deep, gravely voice, he says, ‘I’ve seen many come around in search of the treasure. I’ve never seen anyone who outshone the treasure all on their own.’”

Steve blushes, but perseveres. “Then maybe you’d like to come with me for a bit? Find out what it’s like to have your own treasure.”

Eddie checks his papers, rolls a dice. Sighs. “‘Perhaps I will,’ the guard says, and allows you to lead him away. Henderson!” Dustin jumps. “Your turn.”

“Uh.” Dustin blinks. “Okay, what the hell was that?”

“Language,” Steve and Eddie chorus.

Dustin rolls his eyes. “Oh, lay off it, I hear you say worse than hell. Perception check?”

Eddie nods. “Roll.”

So the game goes. It finishes with the party finding the treasure and defeating the orc protecting it. The Party cleans up their bit of the mess and bikes home, while Eddie stays behind, cleaning up his part of the game and helping Steve in the kitchen. “I’ve gotta say, I didn’t expect that move from you.” He smirks at Steve.

Steve smirks back. “What can I say? I’m a man of surprises.”

Eddie snorts. “A dork of surprises, maybe.”

“Hey!” Steve says, affronted, and splashes him with water. Eddie immediately splashes him back, then jumps out of the danger zone. Steve laughs and continues washing dishes.

A few minutes later, he quietly continues. “I’ve been… talking some things through. With Robin.”

“Oh?” Eddie takes a plate from Steve and starts drying. 

“Mhm. About…” he sighs, nibbles his lip.

“You don’t have to tell me.”

“But I want to. I want to say it.” He squeezes his eyes shut, then opens them again. Turns to Eddie. “I think- no. I like guys and girls.”

Eddie smiles encouragingly. “That’s cool, man. Thanks for telling me.” They’re silent for a second before, “What made you think about all of this?”

Steve glances at Eddie. Murmurs, “You.”

Eddie blinks. “What?”

Steve shrugs, won’t look at Eddie. “Yeah. It started with Spring Break, I think, and it just… continued. I couldn’t get you out of my mind. Didn’t want to, half the time. And I know that just because we both like guys doesn’t mean anything, and I know you don’t feel the same, and this doesn’t have to change anything-”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Eddie covers Steve’s mouth with his hand, eyes wide. “Slow down on the catastrophizing there, Steve-o. Let’s take this one thing at a time. First,” Eddie chuckles, “dude, I’ve had a massive crush on you since high school. I do feel the same. And it doesn’t have to change anything, you’re right, we can take it slow if you want-”

“Hell no,” Steve says, grinning, and kisses him.

Eddie gladly kisses him back.

[octuscle]

Exchange student: Berlin, Germany

October 01, 2024

Brad had come to Berlin as an exchange student because it was supposed to be the party capital of Europe. He was looking forward to a semester of spring break. But he quickly became disillusioned. There was hardly anyone walking around at the Technical University who looked anything like Spring Break. Most of them were dressed in black, with short hair and pale faces. Brad stood out like a sore thumb. And apart from that, Berlin was very different from what he had imagined. He had been told that Germany was so incredibly clean. Berlin was dirty and run-down. The people were unfriendly. The weather was terrible. By the time he moved into his room in the run-down student dormitory, which had probably last been renovated in the 1980s, he was homesick for Providence.

Tonight was a faculty welcome party. The building was an old factory hall, a ruin. The music was just one thing: deafeningly loud. The people at the party were all stoned or high on pills. It stank of sweat, cigarette smoke and sweet energy drinks. Brad wondered whether he could still change universities. Munich was supposed to be much more civilized than Berlin. Someone gave him a funny-looking pill. It was about 02:00 when Brad left the party. His sweater had disappeared. But it had been better than he had feared.

November 05, 2024

Monday was the day Brad recovered. There weren't usually any really good parties on Mondays. And if there were, he could make an exception. In fact, Brad was the go-to person for many of his fellow students when it came to where to go anyway. Brad was usually extremely well informed. Not necessarily about life at university… He had let his attendance at lectures slip a little in the first month. But hey, there was still ages until exams. Tonight was encore.une.fois at the OX! Of course Brad was on the guest list. From 21:00 he was in the gym, pumping up his muscles. And from 01:00 he was on the dance floor. Shit, he had expected something like Springbreak. How boring Springbreak was! Real life was raging here. All it took was a few pills, Red Bull and the right beats. And that was definitely the case today!

At 05:00 the music went off and the cleaning light came on. Brad checked his messages to find out where the best after-hours party was. There were no important lectures on Wednesdays anyway. And he was still far too wound up to sleep.

December 20, 2024

Uni was over until the new year. Actually, he should have been back in Connecticut by now. But Brad wanted to take at least this weekend to Berghain. Moritz had become his friend and business partner. The two were the shooting stars of Berlin's party organizers. Brad had collected 39K followers in the last four weeks alone. His party outfits defined what bouncers wanted to see in the clubs. Normally, DJs had groupies. Or musicians. Moritz and Brad always had a whole cluster of guys and girls hanging around them, basking in their presence and hoping to get shagged by one of them. Particularly lucky ones claimed to have been fucked by both at the same time. Whether this was true was debatable. But as a legend, it was certainly a cool story.

Their gas masks were elaborate custom-made masks that gave off a well-dosed mixture of poppers and laughing gas. Not that the two of them needed it. But it made the intoxication of a party night perfect. There were always two spare masks and the necessary cartridges in their rucksacks. To recharge their gas masks. Or to let very privileged fans share in their intoxication. It was 03:00. Too early to decide whether anyone would get that privilege tonight. Now it was time to dance. The way they only danced at Berghain.

[inawickedlittletown]

Why Buck Forgot - 8x13 Coda

Words: 1.4k

Read on Ao3

Buck felt horrible. 

How could he have forgotten Hen’s birthday? 

He had it in his calendar, just like he had everyone else’s birthday. When he looked at his phone on the way back from the second call to help out Archie, it was right there for him to notice. Except he hadn’t. 

Buck had never forgotten a birthday before. Even in those days when he was more a wanderer than anything, he’d always emailed his parents on their birthdays. Maddie too. Over the years at the 118, birthdays had always been given a small celebration. Cake or pie was brought in with a bunch of balloons. Someone — Chim, usually — started a round of Happy Birthday, or For He’s A Jolly Good Fellow. They didn’t always do presents, but birthdays were always acknowledged. They planned for them. 

Deep down, Buck did have some idea why he forgot. Why he’d dropped the ball on that and maybe even other things. 

Still, to hear Hen say it and realize that they had all forgotten. Even Chim. Even Bobby. Even…apparently, Karen. 

Buck felt awful. He felt guilty and like he’d let someone down. 

Well, he had. 

He had let Hen down. 

He thought about sending her an edible arrangement or baking a bunch of her favorite things and taking them over. He knew Hen liked pie, but he couldn’t remember what her favorite was and no one else seemed to have any idea. 

In the end, he settled for asking her if she needed anything done around the house. 

Hen gave him a list. Buck was glad to have it. 

He was happy to busy himself in her yard, getting the grass mowed, pulling weeds, cutting back the bushes, cleaning out the gutters, and adding mulch to the flower beds. It was tiring work, but he was happy to do it. The work also gave him plenty of time to think. 

Thinking often led in one direction. 

Tommy. 

Tommy. 

Tommy. 

Tommy’s birthday was in November. A week after their break up. Buck had had plans for it, had found the bag with Tommy’s gift in it while moving. It had been on his calendar and Buck almost called him when he saw it. Should have called him. 

There was so much on that calendar. All their planned dates added into it even though Buck wouldn’t have forgotten. Those were all gone of course, but what remained was what should have been their anniversary. It’d been a year since they met and a year since they kissed for the first time. He’d been avoiding looking at it for a reason and missed something else that was important. 

The next day, Buck returned early with a bag of Spring bulbs to plant. He was out there for about an hour before Hen appeared. 

“Come inside,” she said. “I made us lemonade.” 

He followed her in, gloves in hand, crossing to the kitchen to wash his hands. 

“My front lawn has never looked better,” Hen said.

“Oh. Good. That’s good,” Buck said. 

She poured him a glass and pushed it towards him before grabbing a glass for herself. 

“I think once you’re done with those bulbs, I can let you off the hook.” 

Hen smiled at him before she brought the glass to her lips. 

Buck drank as well.

“Are you sure? I feel horrible, Hen. I can’t believe I forgot.” 

She reached over and placed her hand on his wrist. “Really, Buck. You’ve done more than enough. It’s just a birthday. It’s silly and I think I let Archie get to me a bit. I know everyone’s had a lot going on.” 

“But—”

“No buts, Buck. This wasn’t a bad birthday. It was just a little delayed.”

Buck sighed. It didn’t get rid of all the guilt, but everyone had done their best to make up for it and Hen was clearly over it. Buck still felt like he needed to explain. 

“Next week would have been a year,” Buck said. 

“A year?”

“With Tommy,” Buck clarified. 

Hen’s eyebrows went up, her eyes widened, and her mouth formed an “oh”. 

“So I’ve been avoiding looking at my calendar,” Buck said. “It’s why I missed it.” 

He wasn’t expecting for Hen to pull him into a hug, but he was glad she did and he leaned into it, wrapping his arms around her as well. 

“Ravi mentioned you guys ran into him,” she said a few minutes later when they were both sat at her dining room table. 

Buck had no idea how much Hen knew. Considering he’d spilled everything to Maddie and Maddie and Chim shared everything it wouldn't be surprising if Chim had then blabbed to Hen about it. 

“Ah, yeah, we went back to mine that night. Things didn’t go well the next morning. He said Eddie was the competition and I sorta got mad.” 

Hen’s eyebrows were shooting up again. “Wait, he said what about Eddie?” 

So, Buck explained it all. He told her about waking up alone and thinking that Tommy had left. How Tommy had made them breakfast and then asked Buck out on a date. How close Buck had been to getting Tommy back right until Tommy made it seem like he was happy that Eddie was gone. How Buck hadn’t handled that well and thrown words at him that made Tommy shut down and leave again. 

“I mean,” Hen said, “can you blame him?” 

“For leaving? No, not at all.” 

Hen nodded. “Yes, but also the Eddie thing.” 

“What? Not you too. Come on, I’m not in love with Eddie. Me being upset that he moved doesn’t mean I’ve been pining for him or something.” 

Hen shook her head and tapped the table. “No. That’s not what I’m saying. I’m just saying that you and Eddie are pretty close and that to Tommy it might have felt like he was always competing for your time when it came to him and now that Eddie’s in Texas, you have more time for him.” 

Buck knew he and Eddie were a bit attached at the hip, but it wasn’t like Buck hadn’t made time for Tommy. It wasn’t like he and Tommy hadn’t been in constant contact. Hell, the very reason Buck had asked him to move in was that he wanted more time with Tommy. How had Tommy not understood that?

“I just…I don’t get it. I asked him to move in, Hen. Maybe it was too much too fast, but I wanted to spend more time with him. He’s the one that walked away. He’s the one that said no to that.” 

As he said it, Buck realized that outside of talking about it with Maddie, he hadn’t really discussed the break up with anyone. He could tell that Hen was shocked at the new details. 

“Back it up,” she said. “You asked him to move in?” 

“Yeah and he broke up with me.” 

“There is more to this story,” Hen said and she looked at him, head a little tilted, lips pursed. 

He told her about Abby and about how it had genuinely freaked him out. 

“Wait, did you know he dated Abby?” 

Hen shook her head. “Back then he was always pretty quiet about his dating life which makes a lot of sense if he was still figuring himself out.” 

“Right,” Buck said. “I…I get that. I mean, Josh explained it to me. How I shouldn’t judge those that came before because it was different.”

“It was,” Hen said. 

“So I moved past that and I asked him to move in and he said no.” 

Hen winced. “You scared him off,” she said. After a long pause. “Twice, apparently.” 

Buck hung his head. She wasn’t wrong. She wasn’t wrong at all. Buck should have called him both back then and right after their hook up. 

“I should call him,” Buck said. 

“Probably,” Hen said.

“You’re not going to tell me I shouldn’t?” Buck asked. 

Hen chuckled. “Buck, it’s clearly what you want or you wouldn’t be avoiding your calendar or still baking so much. And if you need me to, I can vouch for how much of a mess you and Eddie would be as a couple.”

Buck couldn’t help but laugh. “Thanks, Hen. And, Happy Birthday.” 

When he got home after he went out and finished planting all the bulbs, he took a good amount of time in the shower and then found himself taking a seat on his couch and pulling out his phone. 

He hit call. 

[minyard-05]

twinyards timeline but its correct this time

i reworked my original timeline because something was bugging me about it and now it SHOULD be correct

NOTE: some of these dates are approximated from generalizations made in the book– for example, nicky says andrew's letter to aaron arrives two weeks after cass calls tilda. i assume this is an general use of 'two weeks', but i've taken it literally as 14 days, which is why the letter is dated to arrive november 29th. approximated/assumed dates are marked with a *

november 4th, 1986: aaron michael and andrew joseph minyard are born to tilda minyard in san jose, california

november 7th¹*, 1986: tilda gives the twins away to foster care

november 14th*, 1986: tilda returns to the hospital and takes aaron home with her, leaving andrew behind.

november 4th, 1999: aaron and andrew turn 13 years old. aaron lives in san jose with his mother, and andrew lives in oakland with his foster parents cass and richard spear. they are unaware of each other

november 14th², 1999: oakland raiders vs san diego chargers football game at ring central stadium in oakland. aaron and tilda go with one of tilda's boyfriends, and whilst there, aaron is mistaken for andrew by officer phil higgins, who takes tilda's contact information to pass onto andrew's foster mother, hoping to reunite the brothers

november 15th, 1999: cass spear calls tilda to arrange a meet up for aaron and andrew, but tilda refuses, telling cass she wants nothing to do with andrew and to not call her again. aaron hears all of this by listening in on the upstairs phone line, and he and tilda argue.

november 29th* 1999: aaron recieves a letter from andrew that basically says "fuck you, go away."

december 1999: cass writes aaron a letter asking him to try contacting andrew again in the spring, and that holidays are a difficult time at their house

march 2000: andrew goes to juvie for an unspecified offense

may 2000: tilda and aaron move to columbia, south carolina, and aaron meets his cousin nicky hemmick for presumably the first time.

*unspecified time in early-ish 2001³: luther hemmick finds out about andrew and begins a 'years-long' campaign to reunite him with tilda and aaron. i am choosing to place this around april 2001

six months later, approx. october 2001: luther flies to california to meet andrew and his foster family

one month later, november 2001: aaron flies out to 'meet' andrew for the first time at juvie. they have probably just turned 15

march⁴ 2003: andrew makes early parole and is released from juvie. luther makes tilda take him home, and then aaron, andrew, and tilda, finally all live together in columbia

→ sidebar: on the second night living there, andrew makes his deal with aaron

august 2003: aaron and andrew start their junior years at macon high school, andrew's first outside of juvie

early september 2003⁵: tilda mistakes andrew for aaron and hits him. andrew goes to the hemmicks' who call tilda and she takes him home. aaron is actually at a study group standing in for his brother, and on the drive back, andrew orchestrates the car crash that kills his mother

→ nicky hemmick moves back from germany on the day of tilda's funeral, presumably about a week after the crash. he gets a job at sweetie's diner to provide for the twins, eventually becoming their legal guardian⁶

→ not long after, andrew locks aaron in the bathroom to get him clean from the drugs tilda got him addicted to

october* 2003: nicky and the twins start working at eden's twilight

november 4th, 2003: the twins turn 17, their first birthday together

december 2003: nicky is attacked by four homophobes outside eden's. andrew saves him, almost killing the men in the process, and he is arrested

may⁷ 2004: andrew, 17, finishing his junior year of high school, is put on trial for what he did and sentenced. his parole agreement includes court-mandated therapy and mood altering drugs that he is scheduled to be on for 3 years

august 2004: andrew and aaron begin their senior year at macon high school

february⁸ 2005: kevin day and riko moriyama offer andrew a contract to play with the edgar allan ravens, which he refuses. kevin and riko travel to south carolina to find out why, where andrew refuses again and he and aaron play a scrimmage with kevin on the court

march 2005: david wymack meets with the twins and nicky at subway, and gives the three of them contracts to sign with the palmetto state foxes, which they do

june 2005: aaron, andrew, and nicky finally join the lineup for the PSU foxes

---

notes/citations under the cut

1) guesstimate based on when i think it's legal to give children to foster care. i assume its not that long after birth, and i believe the twins had to spend time in the ICU beforehand as well. the 14th is an approximation based on the fact that nicky says tilda went back for aaron after a week

2) raiders v chargers was an actual football game that took place in oakland 10 days after aaron's 13th birthday and therefore works out perfectly for the timeline thank youu nora

3) nicky says this in the start of the raven king, october 2006:

4) he went to juvie in march 2000 so i'm assuming his 3 year sentence just works out linearly like that

5) approximated from being about 5 months after andrew moves to columbia

6) while he DOES do this it's probably a very long process so i assume its ongoing as other events in the timeline happen

7) this is just me counting backwards because andrew is SUPPOSED to come off his drugs in may 2007 (obviously he doesn't) and so once again i assume the 3 year time period is linear or nothing else works

8) i'm saying february for this for two reasons: 1) i'm completely guessing when college teams recruit athletes 2) in the EC aaron describes the drive home as being darker earlier in the evening, so late winter feels about right

[susiekern]

on ice - Sukuna x fem!reader

a/n: Guess who's back with something other than The Fallen... me, hi. Since I've been in a bad slumber lately I finally edited the Sukuna piece I wrote in november probably mixing my hyperfixation on jjk and hockey

general: modern au

warnings: swearing, suggestive language, Sukuna probably ooc but idc, Naoya probably deserves his own warning

word count: 4.191

There’s soft music playing in the bathroom as you go through your morning routine. Wash your face, put on skincare, have a few sips of coffee, apply makeup, and then curl your hair. It’s peaceful and relaxing almost.

Barely 6:30 am on the clock, and you’re almost ready to head out. After curling the last strand with the straightener, you take another sip from the pretty ceramic mug that’s been waiting patiently on the counter and clean up the little mess you’ve created getting ready. With all of the cosmetics and hair tools in place, you grab the mug and small Bluetooth speaker, taking them with you to the bedroom for your final and hardest task of this morning. Getting the 6’2 tall hockey player out of bed. Every time, you find it amusing how the sounds of you making the coffee or even the music you always put on don’t wake him up. It’s like he’s hibernating and won’t wake up on his own until the spring comes. Actually, when you think about it, the 210-pound clump of muscles, under the giant duvet, kind of reminds you of a bear in its cave.

“Kuna, get up; we need to leave soon.”

You place your mug on the nightstand and sit on the edge of the bed, leaning over his sleeping body. Your voice is not much louder than a whisper, but after doing it so many times, you know it’s enough to wake him up. He’s able to sleep through 5 alarms, but as soon as you whisper “Kuna”, he’s out of sleep slumber in seconds, like he has some kind of y/n radar. A bit funny, but mostly adorable. A soft smile pulls on your lips when his brows slightly furrow, and he wraps one strong arm around your figure. With one pull, you’re lying flat on the mattress, half of your body under his weight, his head nuzzling in the crook of your arm and neck. There’s a grunt coming from his throat as he breathes in your perfume, and the arm that’s around your waist brings you even closer, if that’s possible.

“Kuna, seriously, we’ll be late.” You try again, even though your fingers instinctively tangle in his pink strands that softly tingle your cheek.

“Let’s stay in today. It’s not like we have anything important to do.” Sukuna murmurs in your neck, and you can’t help but laugh at his words.

“Oh, right, Mister Team Captain. How stupid of me to think your training, game, and my presentation are important enough for us to leave the bed.”

“Exactly.” He nods and sighs after a few seconds. Giving your neck a small kiss, he pulls himself up to sit and stretch his arms. “I fucking hate it when you’re right.”

“So, always?” Teasing a little, you admire the view. All of the hours he spends at the gym and on ice pay off because just the sight of his upper body muscles stretching makes you almost drool on the bedsheet. Every time you see him shirtless, there’s a strong urge in your brain to bite into his pecs and/or abs. And you did it before, many times. “On second thought, maybe I should drop out, you leave the team to Yuji, and we stay here forever?”

“As much as I like how that sounds, I have to decline the offer.” It’s Sukuna’s turn to laugh. He leans in to give you a quick kiss and gets up. Giving you one last smirk before he locks himself in the bathroom. “Besides, you’ve already got yourself all dolled up; we can’t let that go to waste. Right, doll?”

With a deep sigh, you move up too, following another step in your routine. Teasing by Sukuna? Check. His breakfast protein shake and coffee? Work in progress. You’re standing in front of the coffee machine, preparing his usual double espresso with one teaspoon of sugar, when he walks in and wraps his arms around your waist, resting his chin on your shoulder.

“Your shake is on the island, and coffee is almost ready.” One of your hands rests on his forearm as you lean back into his chest. Not sure how, but Sukuna is like a walking heater; his body temperature is always a bit higher than it probably should be. That makes him a perfect sleeping partner for cold winter nights, or for someone who’s always freezing, every night.

“God, I don’t tell you how amazing you are nearly often enough.” The man sighs and, using one of his giant hands, turns your head by the chin to kiss you. You smile but pull away as soon as he bites your bottom lip. It’s either stand back now or be late for everything, because if his tongue makes it in, there’s no way he’s letting you go with just kissing.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m perfect, I know. Now drink and get ready, because Yaga will kill you if you’re late again.” With one last peck, you leave him alone to get fully dressed in the bedroom and finish your own coffee.

“You’re staying at mine after the game?”

15 minutes later you’re both in Sukuna’s jeep as he drives towards the campus, and you go through the notes for the presentation one more time. His warm hand is on your thigh, thumb caressing in circles.

“You just assume I’ll be at the game, huh?” He squeezes your leg lightly as a warning not to play with him. At least not that early in the morning.

“I can’t play without my lucky charm, can I? We can go to yours, but I doubt that Shoko would appreciate it.”

“You always say that.”

“Yeah, ‘cause I have better things to do in the morning than listening to ‘my sleep schedule is fucked and you fuck it up even more with your mating sounds of a feral rabbit’ lecture again. You, for example.” You roll your eyes but nod and flip the page in the notebook. The rest of the drive is silent; you focus on your notes, and Sukuna decides not to interrupt but keeps his hand on you for the whole time. When he stops in front of your faculty building, you grab your bag and turn to him. “So, I’ll see you at the rink…?”

You’re not sure if that’s a question or a statement, and honestly, Sukuna’s not sure either.

“Yeah, boys would kill me if their captain sucks, because his ‘charm’ is not there.”

“Are you really still doing that weird thing with Sukuna?” A few hours and a presentation later, you’re sitting in the cafeteria with your friend Yuki, sipping another coffee.

“What weird thing?” You ask, not sure what she means.

“Relationship without an actual relationship, duh.”

Okay, here’s a thing. Or to be fair, there isn’t. Because you and Sukuna aren’t together, at least not officially. You are together most times, sure, but you haven’t put a label on it so far, and there’s no forecast of it changing anytime soon.

You met him over a year ago, when your good friend and his cousin, Choso, introduced you at the party, and you kind of clicked from the first moment. You were intrigued by his ‘I don’t care about anything’ image, and obviously, he’s attractive as fuck. And you caught his interest when his attempts at flirting with you were laughed at. After that night he got your number from Choso, asked you out for a coffee, then for a drink, his game, a movie, and suddenly one day you’re being introduced as his friend. And it was PG-friendly for the first few months. Sure, there was teasing and flirting for fun, but you never went further than cuddling while watching a movie. You both appreciated what you had and didn’t want to fuck it up by… fucking. It’d mean crossing the invisible line that was drawn at the beginning of your friendship.

Until you did cross it. The hockey team had an important game that even Sukuna was nervous about, and you were probably the only person who knew how not to make it worse. Even scolding your mutual friends for violating his space when he just needed some silence and peace, not 100 texts from everyone. And then you showed up at the arena wearing his jersey and a smile that somehow calmed his nerves as soon as he saw it. That’s why when, after the victorious game, you offered to drive Sukuna home so he could get ready for the after-party, and you were still in his jersey, with his name on the back, sprawled in his bed, waiting ‘till he got out of the shower? He was all over you in no time. There was no awkwardness, no regrets after, and no weird moments you’d experience during the first time with someone new. It felt natural, like you’ve done it a million times before. It felt right. Safe to say, you didn’t make it to the party, too absorbed with each other.

And ever since, you’ve been in this… weird state. You’re not together, but neither of you has even looked at someone else since your first night; you spend most nights at his or your place, and you know each other's schedules and routines. Hell, you even have your own for shared evenings and mornings now. At this point, almost half of your closet is in his apartment, and after the first month of going back and forth, Sukuna secretly took photos of your cosmetics to get you a set for his place so you wouldn’t leave him early in the morning.

All of your friends just assumed one day you’d randomly make it official, seeing how deep you fell for one another. Honestly, at first, you thought so too. That maybe after a few weeks, one of you would start that ‘what are we’ conversation.

But you know Sukuna’s not a relationship type of guy, and you don’t want to risk losing what you have for a dumb label. Even if it hurts like hell every time you tell people you’re ‘just friends.’

“We’re just having fun, Yuki.” Your answer is not the one she was hoping for, but it’s the one she expected.

“You’ll hurt yourself, babe. And I’ll be the first to tell you ‘told ya.’ Then we’ll buy cheap wine and drink from the bottle, watching some shitty rom-coms.” She sighs when you smile at her and turn your attention to your phone when it pings on the table. She doesn’t need to check to know you’re texting Sukuna, because who else would you reply immediately to? “Dumb, dumb girl.”

It’s almost time for the game, and the arena is buzzing, full of excited people. Your team is playing against their main competition for the playoffs, and every time they meet on the ice, it’s intense and brutal. And people can’t wait to see it tonight. You’re standing with Choso, Yuki, and Nobara, Sukuna’s brother’s friend, in the no-civilians zone, one of the perks of being close to the captain. Your conversation is cut short when the enemy team makes their way in. Funny enough, you know at least half of them from high school, since you’ve only moved here when you’ve started college.

“Well, well, isn’t that y/n y/l?” Hearing a familiar voice, you turn around and smile lightly. “Shit, it’s actually you.”

“Hi, Naoya. It’s been a while.” The blonde man smiles back and pulls you into a hug. You and Naoya were friends when you were still in middle and high school, meeting young when your families were doing some business together. For some time you even dated, but that ended up pretty quick when you decided to leave the town. Many said that Naoya was shady; you’ve heard about him a few times in the last two years, about how he changed, more and more similar to his father, the biggest asshole you’ve ever met.

“Year or two, yeah. How are you?” He asks when you separate after a moment and looks you up and down. “Looking good as always.”

“Stop, gosh. You don’t look bad yourself. Keeping the hair longer now?” You ruffle the stands a little, and he scoffs, pushing your hand away.

“Quit it, woman. It’s already messy without your help.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m good, thanks. Studying business, so a little busy, but…”

“Too busy to grab a coffee with an old friend tomorrow?” He interrupts. “I really missed having you around, and I’d love to catch up. So what do you say, y/n?”

You don’t even get to answer, ‘cause a second after his question, there’s a tattooed arm over your shoulder, and you feel the warmth you know so well.

“She’s busy. So quit it, Zenin.” You look up at Sukuna and almost shiver. His face is like a stone, jaw tense, and if looks could kill, Naoya would be reduced to ash already.

“And since when are you a guard dog?” The blonde man snorts but looks between you with the tiniest specks of confusion and much more annoyance. Just now he notices that you’re wearing a jersey with a proud C on your chest, and it doesn’t take a genius to guess it says “Sukuna” on your back. “Well, I’ll be damned.”

“Naoya, let’s go!” One of his teammates yells at him, but his gaze is still stuck on you.

“Think about it, princess. For old time’s sake. You have my number.” With that, he winks and turns to join his team.

“What the hell, Kuna?” You move from under the tattooed arm and cross your own on your chest. “What was that?”

“What was what?” The man in front of you furrows his brows and checks the time on his phone. “We’ll talk about it later if you want, but I have to go get ready.” He says, but stays right there, looking at you expectantly. You scoff and lift your chin up a little.

“Need something?”

He does, and you both know it. Before each game, he finds you to collect his good luck kiss(es), since the one time you did that jokingly, he scored 5 points on his own that evening. Now it’s a must-have, and if they have a game away, he’ll collect it right before he has to leave.

“Doll, don’t be a brat. Told you we’ll talk about it at home.” He sighs, and you roll your eyes, trying to hide the fact your heart went mad. Home. Not my or your place, home. What the hell?

“Fine, grumpy. Only because I want you all to win; I hate to see Yuji sad.” You take a step closer, and Sukuna leans down a little so you can reach his face and cradle it in your hands. One kiss on the forehead (that Sukuna cringes about), one on the lips. However, it’s never just one. You hold back a moan that tries to slip out when he pulls you closer by the waist and deepens the kiss, his tongue making its way into your mouth.

“Suku—oh, shit, sorry.”

You pull away, hearing Yuji’s embarrassed voice from behind you. Sukuna’s younger brother stands in the locker room’s doorway, holding the door with one hand, the second scratching his neck nervously, not used to seeing his brother in situations like this.

“I’m coming, Yuji, chill out.” The older one says his way and looks back at you. “Wait for me after the game, doll.”

“Yeah, okay.” You simply nod and watch his back as he disappears with his brother. Only then does a deep sigh leave your lips before you go to find your friends on the bleachers, guessing they left during your conversation with Naoya. What a mess.

You can barely sit still throughout the game. Being at almost every one, since meeting Sukuna, you got used to seeing aggression on ice. But this? This is a new level.

Both teams went through almost every player they had, penalties were thrown left and right, and at one point you were sure that the guy named Todo missed his destiny and should try MMA instead of hockey, ‘cause what the fuck.

Somehow your team managed to score three points in all of that chaos, two on the power play and the third with pure luck, but it counts. Which made their opponents even more bloodthirsty with only one period to go and 3:1 on the table. That’s also why Geto gets the meanest elbow to his sternum, Toji, your goon gets thrown into a wall by Todo (you worry for a second that the wall would break with how hard that was), Yuji gets tripped and run into and ends up with an actual deep cut from this asshole’s skate on his leg.

There are 7 minutes left on the clock when Sukuna goes against Naoya in a face-off. So far he was calm, surprisingly, seeing as his brother had to be taken to the medical room, and there were barely any emotions on his face. Until Naoya starts talking. He says maybe two sentences before Sukuna drops his stick and pins him to the ground with actual murder intentions in every single one of his punches.

You’re on your feet, as close to the wall as you can, and you swear your heart stops when Naoya manages to land a few punches too. It takes four players to pull Sukuna away from him, and before he skates straight to the penalty box, knowing very well he’ll probably stay there until the end of the game, he spits a mix of saliva and blood, landing it mere centimeters from Zenin’s face.

“What the fuck did he say?” Choso wonders, as you all watch how Naoya’s teammates almost scrape him from the ice.

“I’ll take a wild guess and bet it involved y/n.” You hate how you have to agree with Yuki. But what could he say to flip the murder switch in Sukuna?

The team won, but no one is really in a celebratory mood. Yuki and Choso wait with you outside of the arena, but as soon as they see Sukuna, they leave, not wanting to piss him off anymore. You take a look at him and sigh, taking in damp hair, a busted brow, and bruised knuckles that took damage even through the gloves.

The silence seems ironically loud as you drive the car to his apartment, but neither decides to break it before you get there. Only when you get inside does Sukuna drop his duffel bag onto the floor and lean his hips on the kitchen island, that you decide to speak, not sure where to start.

“Why?”

“You have to be more specific, doll. Why what?” He sighs and crosses his arms on his chest, fingers tapping on one bicep, a nervous habit of his and the only sign he was actually stressed about this conversation.

“Cut the bullshit, Ryomen.” Well, that got a reaction. You’ve never before called him by his actual name; hell, you weren’t sure if anyone ever used it before. Even his brother and cousin called him just Sukuna. Not letting his stare intimidate you, you keep talking. “You know exactly what I’m asking about. But do you want to hear it? Sure. Why did you try to scare Naoya off before the game, and why did you beat him later?”

“I wasn’t trying to scare him off.” He starts, and you can’t help but roll your eyes.

“Please, I’ve known you long enough to know your ‘look at how big and dangerous I am’ stance.”

“Will you fucking let me talk?” There’s annoyance in Sukuna’s raised voice after you interrupt him. “You want to be right so badly? Fine. I was fucking jealous. And yeah, I acted like a damn guard dog.” He admits and pinches the bridge of his nose with two fingers. For a few seconds, he stays silent, and you furrow your brows.

“But why, for the love of god? And is talking to me a good enough reason to almost kill a guy?!”

“This guy is one of the shittiest people I’ve ever met, and your history with him doesn’t fucking change that!” He’s standing straight now, every muscle in his body tense, and he looks like he’s about to punch something to release some of it. “Still, no, that’s not a good enough reason. But this fucker is talking shit about my girl, how he’s going to ‘ruin your pretty body again’ and how he misses how easily you bruise ‘cause he can mark you, is.”

“W-what?” Sukuna is taking deep breaths to calm himself down while you try to process what he just said. ‘My girl,’ ‘ruin your pretty body again’…

“That’s fucking why, y/n. I don’t care that you’ve slept with this fucker in the past. But if he ever tries to touch you when you’re mine, I’ll rip his damn arms off. And I won’t fucking regret it for even a second.”

“Mine?” You ask quietly, looking into his crimson eyes like they alone could give you answers to so many questions you have right now. At the same time, you can’t put the words together to even ask one.

“Yeah. Mine.” Sukuna nods and takes a step closer.

“Since fucking when? And don’t tell me you’ve just decided, ‘cause if that’s just your stupid testosterone ass talking, I might actually punch you.” You groan and rub your temples, feeling overwhelmed.

First, your ex-(boy)friend turns out to be an ass; now your current (boy)friend has an enlightenment moment about your relationship? What’s next? Yuki goes to the church? Choso wears colors?

“Of course not, who do you think I am, doll?” He looks actually offended, and a part of you wants to laugh. “You’ve been mine since the first time you’ve put on my jersey. I thought that was obvious?”

And you’re laughing.

“What the actual fuck, Kuna? That was like eight months ago. You’ve never thought that I don’t know, we should maybe fucking talk about it? Like adults do?”

“You clearly have a mouth that I know can do a lot more than talking. Why didn’t you say anything either?” You brush away the hair that fell onto your face during the laughing fit and sigh.

“Because you’re the Ryomen Sukuna. You’ve been here only a year longer than me, and you’ve already had a reputation when we met. The first thing I learned about you, other than your name, was that you don’t do relationships.” Either you’re losing your mind or Sukuna is nervous. No, he’s definitely nervous, biting his cheek from the inside.

“I’ve been ‘doing a relationship’ with you for almost a year now, y/n. Yeah, okay, we should’ve talked about it, but I thought I was pretty clear with… my actions, for example? Damn it, woman. We cuddle! I can count on one hand how many people I’ve cuddled with.” You bite your lip to stop the laugh that’s trying to escape because Sukuna, THE Sukuna, always so calm and stoic, is gesticulating. “What’s so fucking funny?”

“It’s just… I haven’t seen you this emotional about anything ever, I think.” Hearing that, he’s back to crossing his arms and furrowing brows at you.

“Sure, laugh at your man being emotional. That’s called a stereotype, and it’s hurtful, doll.” He has a point, obviously, but there’s a soft smile on his lips, and you can only focus on one thing he said.

“My man?” You take a step towards him and lean your head back a little to maintain eye contact.

“Um, yeah? That comes in a pack, doesn’t it? If you’re mine, then I’m yours, y/n. I’m not into polygamy.” Sukuna sighs for the nth time tonight and moves his hands to your hips finally. He can almost feel how just touching you soothes his nerves.

“Say that again.” You whisper, resting your palms on his chest, the warmth of his skin spreading throughout your body, even if you only feel it through the t-shirt material.

“I’m yours, weirdo. I’ve been for a long time now.” As amused as Sukuna is about your reaction, he finds that wide smile on your face adorable.

“Damn, you’re actually serious. And all it took was an idiot talking shit about me? Wild.” You can’t help but laugh and shake your head a little at how stupid this situation is.

“I’m kind of opening my heart to you, and you bring up this fucker again? Seriously?”

“Sorry.” You take a deep breath in and caress his cheek with your thumb, careful about the bruise that’s forming around his brow and cheekbone. “So I can actually tell people that you’re my boyfriend now?”

“You haven’t before? Wait, what have you been telling people?”

“Um… that were really good friends? You?”

“Everyone knows you’re my girl, doll. I didn’t even have to say it. But I did, just to be clear, you know.”

“So half of this campus knew we were together before me? So romantic.”

[megtrns]

seasonal anthologies ft. the mtmte bots, sfw !

summer is for celebrations and driving down to the beach with drift, where the air hot and thick despite the setting sun in the distance. you stick your head out the passenger window to feel the wind rushing past your ears, the excited roar of his engines bouncing off the cliffside. it's sitting on rodimus's shoulders as he runs past the shore, the spray of cold water making you squeal into the side of his helm. june, july, august — salt dissolves in your mouth while thunder rumbles in the distance. you sit by the steps of your porch with swerve, the air heavy with heat. as if the earth was holding its breath in anticipation, waiting to break and give way to rain. his big, blocky fingers awkwardly tearing through an orange for you to eat. saccharine and sticky, the fruit drips down your forearms with every bite. green is the grass between your toes, grey is the sky as it melts to nightfall. summer is when the mattress dips unequally to one side, where you and tailgate sleep back to back, skin to metal. the warmth sinks into your bone, blanket on the floor as the faint whirring of his systems lulls you to sleep. fall is for new beginnings, shorter days, and knitted scarves. where the sunlight is lighter and softer, casting long, golden shadows across ratchet's face. he displaces his mass to help you tie your coat by its belt, pulling you closer to soak in the heat radiating off his chassis—soft wool between his shiny servos. september bleeds into october, and somewhere between, where the air is so clean it shivers, cyclonus walks next to you in muted contemplation. optics quietly taking in the ocean of leaves crunching underneath his pedes. cinnamon between your teeth as you swallow your longing, fingers tracing over the holo-picture of skids. nautica says the muted colors remind her of him, but she blames it on the morning chill creeping past her cables. you tell her that fall is the season of reminiscing, of missing what is gone and what is yet to come — the ending and beginning of things, the place where all things come to die. the soil is soft and the world is asleep. this is the part where you turn off the lights and leave.

winter is for joy and relaxation, november a mosaic of warm orange windows and deep blue nights, where the moonshine falls thin and silver. minimus is determined to keep you from straying off the path, guiding you through the thick heap of snow — arms intermingled, hand and servo intertwined. your laughter rings into the night like bells, airy and light; a quiet wish, a happy prayer. for some, december is asleep. it's reclusive and shy, just like rung when he gives in to your request to stay inside, submitting to the weight of the duvet as it swallows you both. for others, the darkness only makes them vigilant. optics wide awake, prowl slinks back into the shadows, pale like the blizzard, soundless like a secret. early mornings and frozen lakes, megatron tells you the winter is cruel — barren and empty, silencing the earth. you disagree, telling him that winter is full of hope, where the snow is white with the promise of forgiveness. the promise to begin again.

spring is for waking up under the sun, where the light kisses your cheeks and shoulders; brainstorm suddenly envious of the star. you chew berries against the bark of an old, dying tree. skin buzzing with a new kind of energy, heart bursting at the sight of perceptor studying the small animals in the distance. in february, you stretch your arms to welcome a night of storms. in march, you patiently listen to whirl complain about the pollen in his cogs. finally, in april, the air is alive, sweet and rosy, laughing and singing. first aid lifts you with his open palm, across a running stream, down a winding, rocky path. somewhere behind you, misfire raises his helm to the clear, cloudless sky. drowning himself in the sound of strange birds and even stranger insects. there is a tenderness to all of this, capricious and fickle, flowers buried in the wash of green grass. a dream you don't want to wake up from, an embrace you're not ready to part with. nightbeat says he hates when beautiful things are fleeting, and you think he's no longer referring to the spring, optics sad and distant as they land on you.

[balkanradfem]

So, you might remember I started fixing my abandoned garden, and I said I was going to do it in small increments, and then I never said anything about it again. This is because, after I started doing it, suddenly the temperatures dropped below zero, and we had frost! This is appropriate in November, but it was so sudden I didn't expect it. I hadn't even planted garlic yet! And now it was too cold to work the soil. Oopsie.

However this morning I woke up, opened the window, and realized the southern wind was blowing, which means it got super warm! I immediately dressed up, grabbed my garlic, and went to the garden. I couldn't plant my garlic in the area I had already cleaned, because it's the outer area of the garden, and garlic is the #1 crop that gets stolen, so I have to plant it sneakily behind other things, invisible to prying eyes. That means I'd have to clear off another area. Here's what I'm dealing with today!

I know this looks like such a flop but honestly, this is so good for nature. All of the plants have lived their life cycle, housed little bugs and insects, produced flowers for the bees, and then got obliterated by the frost, as it should be. If I just left them be, they would slowly decompose into the soil and make it more fertile. It looks chaotic but nothing bad is going on here! I am going to make space now because there are some regulations for how community gardens should look like, and if one looks abandoned for too long, it gets taken away. I'm off to work :)

I've been working on this for 20 minutes and I found some produce in here!

I'm shocked there's a whole zucchini in there, even after the frost, I've never seen that. She's a bit of a weird texture, because she's gotten frozen, but otherwise looks good! Certainly the slugs love it. I also found a little potato plant, there could be potatoes underneath her. And in the third picture, I'm holding young garlic! I usually find this in the spring, it's interesting it's already so big, I love that.

Another little task I had planned was to find basil seeds; basil will usually grow flowers when it's allowed to grow naturally, and then the flowers create little seed packets inside of them, and after those get nice and dried up, they're ready to harvest. Here's how it looks like:

If I rubbed all those little pods together, I would be able to find tiny black-brown seeds in there! I used to do that before, extract all of the tiny seeds and store them, but later I got lazy and figured I can just save this entire mess and plant it and basil still germinates just the same.

An hour of work later, I have dug out a giant lemon balm plant out of the soil, because it was taking up too much space (no worries about her, she'll grow back in no time, they're immortal), and took out most of the grass, dead plants, and weeds. Here is the cleared garden!

I've freed two small kale plants that could still thrive during the winter, and there's a few brassicas that look willing to go to seed, which would be great for me to have more seeds from them. Now I can finally focus on the task I've come here for; to plant my garlic.

I made little holes with my spoon, and grabbed two biggest heads of garlic to plant the cloves. I'm not too fussed about it, as long as the bulbs are underground, you can't stop them from growing. If they're not in too deep, then it's easier to pull them out later! And my soil is more fertile on the surface as well. Usually during the winter, little rodends will dig a few of these out, to see if they're delicious, but when they realize it's not yummy, they just leave the bulbs on the top of soil. So I have to check on them a few times to make sure I plant them back! And they're so forgiving and strong, they just go right back to growing, bulbs are incredible.

I counted the garlic here, and there's 22 cloves, which should give me 22 heads of garlic in the late spring/early summer. I couldn't take any more pictures, because my hands were too muddy, but I planted additional two rows in a different location (in case thiefs find one location), and then I also had some of the 'spring garlic', which is a late variety, meaning it grows later, but lasts longer. Usually normal garlic will start sprouting in december, after which point it starts getting inedible, but late-variety garlic will stay fresh until spring. Planting garlic is so easy! The entire venture took me 15 minutes, and you could do this anywhere, and would be guaranteed some heads of garlic.

So watching these pictures you might think 'there's still so much weeds in here, you did not clear this off' and you're correct, I don't clear everything off! This is because I employ a different tactics in stopping weeds from growing; usually during the winter, I will cover the ground in a thick layer of dry leaves, so that light won't reach any of those weeds, and they stop growing just due to lack of sunlight. I'm not doing it this year because of one particular reason, and this reason is slugs. If I cover the ground in leaves now, they won't only protect it from the light, but also protect it from the cold. They'll prevent the ground from freezing as badly as it would usually freeze. And usually I love doing that, but this time, there are so many slugs in the ground that I want cold to eliminate. I'm going to leave my garden like this, and hope that we have an exceptionally cold winter and that slugs get deleted.

I planned to make a lentil soup today for lunch, so I'm grabbing some chives, and some kale to add to it! Kale is still thriving, and I'll be able to harvest it all winter. At this point I've been working for two hours and my pain started acting up, so I figured it was enough for today, and headed home. Here's all the stuff I brought home for lunch!

Zucchini, kale, potatoes, chives, young garlic. All great additions for my lentil soup! I love being able to get fresh food in November. The soup turned out amazing, I love lentils with potatoes and kale and garlic.

[dandelionsresilience]

Dandelion News - December 22-28

Like these weekly compilations? Tip me at $kaybarr1735 or check out my Dandelion Doodles for 50% off this month only! Starting in January, I’ll also be posting 5 extra news links to Patreon each week (for free since they aren’t my work)

1. These countries all scored major wins for LGBTQ+ rights in 2024

“Consensual same-sex activity became legal in Namibia [and Dominica…, c]onversion therapy was banned [in Mexico…, Greenland] made LGBTQ+ discrimination illegal […, and] same-sex adoption and same-sex marriage became legal [in Greece.]”

2. After trial and error, Mexican fishers find key to reforesting a mangrove haven

“So far, the project has planted more than 1.8 million mangroves that have a 92-94% survival rate, Borbón estimated. [… M]angroves can prevent coastal erosion, store carbon and provide a nursery for all kinds of fish and crustacean species.”

3. ‘Britain’s wildlife safari’: baby boom in Norfolk as seal colonies flourish

“More than 1,200 seal pups were born […] in November, and 2,500 more are expected to be born before the breeding season ends in January. […] “Mortality seems to be much lower than in other colonies[….]””

4. Barcelona's metro trains are helping to charge the city's EVs each time they brake.

“[…T]he energy from the underground trains' brakes is used to power the trains and the stations themselves, while the remainder is sent snaking through cables to the surface to power plug-in stations for privately owned vehicles.”

5. Scientists thought this whale could only live for 70 years – turns out it's double that.

“The data [from repeated “photo identification of individual”s] revealed that Southern right whales can live for more than 130 years, with some speculated to reach the grand old age of 150.”

6. Rural Power Co-Ops Gain $4.37B in Latest US Clean Energy Funding

“[… A power co-op in Florida] will use its funding of more than $1.3 billion to develop 700 MW of utility-scale solar and battery energy storage projects in rural areas, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by more than 3.5 million tons annually[….]”

7. Fish-friendly dentistry: New method makes oral research non-lethal

“[… T]he researchers successfully performed the procedure on 60 fish with no fatalities. […] "This new approach researchers to track tooth replacement and development [in living] rare species or museum specimens that can't be damaged."”

8. These Brooklyn Homeowners Couldn’t Afford to Go Green. Then Help Arrived

“The program aims to repair and retrofit 70 two- and three-family homes […] in the span of two years. […] EnergyFit staff work as case managers to help homeowners navigate the complicated technical and bureaucratic processes, coordinate with tenants and set them up for further upgrades down the road.”

9. 2024 was a fantastic year for energy storage

“[… California] became the first state to pass 10 gigawatts, back in April. [… In Texas and California,] when extreme weather events hit, batteries were able to shore up the grid and lower energy costs for customers.”

10. Amid concern over microplastics, a Maine company creates a kelp-based laundry pod alternative

“"The slurry we're creating is similar to that of paper milling, and […] with Maine there's a lot of old infrastructure from the paper industry [… which] can be applied to our process here[….]” If all goes to plan, Dirigo Sea Farms' first batch of 10,000 kelp-based laundry pods will be ready for online sales by next spring.”

December 15-21 news here | (all credit for images and written material can be found at the source linked; I don’t claim credit for anything but curating.)

[marsprincess889]

Ok so I'm back to bringing you guys' attention to what's going on in my country.

I don't have the heart to tell it all in detail. In truth we're all so familiar with it that talking about it seems comical. But to keep you up to date, there have been massive protests in Tbilisi, Georgia since late November.

On 26th of October of this year, the Georgian Dream party falsifies yet another election and on the 26th of november elects themselves as the ruling party again, despite EU, most of the other nations and all the other parties recognizing the elections as illegitimate. Recently they chose their new president, who was basically the only option. The photo of the literal bulletin from the parliament leaked.

People demand another election, a fair one. Peaceful protests soon turned into police beating up the protestors, even teens and women. They're still using water cannons mixed with pepper spray, in December btw. You can look up the videos, even on here.

The main thing that is painful to me and my generation in all of this is the fact that this is a completely new, modern and different version of the same damn fight. Right now I'm thinking of young men and even women and others who were severely beaten up, about people struggling to make ends meet who have their loved ones in such situations, young people trying to build their future who see less and less hope every day in their homeland but are desparately trying to hold on to the last tiny bit of it, maybe even goimg to protests in that state. Today I heard two girls around my age talking. "We gotta get out of here right?..." "yeah... but who are we leaving it to?" "The country?..."

Being free and sovereign in your homeland should not be an uphill battle or a luxury.

We have been fighting against Russian influence for centuries. For those who don't know, even when the repression isn't obvious, they still attack bit by bit(killing or kidnapping our citizens near the occupated borders??????), often with an old and tried tactic: trying to erase our culture and history, and with it our spirit and identity. And with all the other horrors, this is a huge insult.

My heart sinks everytime I read a random comment on a map or other type of video saying "Georgia is not Europe", "but Georgia is Asia". Not that there's anything wrong with Asia, but those statements mean something different and much deeper than an average foreigner suspects. Georgia never ever was "not Europe" to me. This isn't even about joining EU immediately as much as it is about us voicing our own wishes, opinions and truth as the vast majority of our country.

One thing I want to say to people who are far away from this is this: please do not fall for propaganda. And by that I mean Russian propaganda. If you just try to keep it clean while posting about us or checking sources while reading about us and calling out misinformation, it is going to mean a lot.

I tried to not write about this cause let's be honest, what can I do here?

I hope this will do at least something.

I do have followers so, I'm also asking them🤍🤍🤍 even those who just know me from astrology. Please consider reading and reblogging. 🤍🤍

reblogging(esp with tags) is still support.

Edit, additional info that you should probably know: Georgian Dream is a pro-russian government, they just banned wearing masks and goggles(those protect you from pepper spray by the way). If you walk by the parliament in Tbilisi your eyes and skin will almost definitely start to "burn" and you'll most likely start coughing.

There have been phone numbers calling and cursing at/insulting/threatening citizens, even pre-teens, believe it or not. And since the government passed "the russian law" earlier this year, we are most likely being tracked😐

Here is my post from this spring, written in an angry and tired state.

[babyzzai]

HI HI HI HI I LOVE ASK GAMES THEY’RE THE BEST

🩹🧩🍭💜🖤

YIPPEE MY FIRST ASK!!!

🩹 What do you experience when you regress? (i.e fuzzy feelings, motor skill or speech struggle, etc.)

when i regress i tend to talk less/less complex than i would when not regressed, usually just saying a couple of words and making a few simple noises. i also experience the classic "fuzzy feeling" haha, it kind of feels like my brain is all fuzzy and mushy and i cant think straight. if i regress really young (younger than usual), i have trouble walking as well so i usually just sit in bed with my stuffies and cuddle (ideal regression activities!) id say also im usually sleepy when regressed because a, regressing makes me sleepy, and b, being sleepy causes me to regress, so its pretty much an every night occurence lol (me fr- ive never seen a flag that described me so perfectly to the tee lol)

🧩 What was your first piece of agere gear or what would you want as your first?

my first piece of agere gear was my bluey sippy cup!! i got it about a year ago for literally a dollar at the dollar general, but i actually had to get rid of it because i put milk in it and then didnt clean it for a few days and couldnt get the lingering smell or taste of rotting milk away lol, so i invested in a different 5 dollar bluey sippy cup haha

🍭 How long have you been apart of agere tumblr?

this is a good question... i made my blog in november of 2024, so 5 months ago! however ive been lurking without an agere blog since like, last spring id say? so maybe april/may of 2024?

💜 What are you obsessed with right now in your headspace? (sanrio, sharks, bluey, etc)

definately bluey, my all time favorite show when regressed :3 i also am really into baby milk, cinamorolls friend! i feel like cinamoroll is me when im big and milk is me when im small haha.

🖤 Have you met any other regressors/caregivers in real life?

technically i have, one of my friends vaguely mentioned regressing in the past, but weve never talking in depth about it and its rarely mentioned. i wish to have agere friends and/or caregiver friends someday though where we actively engage in agere activities together 🙏🏻 someday...

[pixeldistractions]

These coastal mornings were a crisp fifty-five degrees in late November, but the heated pool water felt almost bath-like in contrast. Jordan loved his nomad life, and there wasn’t much about a sticks-and-bricks home that piqued Jordan’s interest…

But this pool.

Honestly, damn. What a way to wake up in the morning.

Nessa went off to work again. She would take Thanksgiving Day off, but not today. Jack’s work afforded him a little more leniency in his schedule, and that worked out well for their family. So Jack took them all out to show off the town. They toured gardens that would be lovely in another season, but now were dried husks of a brighter time. “It’s a few days until December,” he explained with a shrug.

They understood.

But were Jordan and Maria both aware of their growing permanency here? They had been settled down in the same campground for four weeks now. That wasn’t very long, honestly, but it was comfortable. It was nice. And maybe they had stayed in Sierra Nova long enough that their friends thought they had made a home there? Would they be here in the spring, still close enough to pop over for a weekend and see the gardens in full bloom and the splash park alive for the summer heat? They hadn’t decided that, exactly. But Jordan was mindful of the way life could manifest a decision for you if you didn’t make up your own mind.

Next, they enjoyed one of the many playgrounds. Aaron showed a growing interest in soccer, so Jordan helped him practice. And Maria put her all into playing a very passionate space monster.

After the playgrounds, they visited the rec center for activities and lunch. Jack’s boys were already signed up for scouts. Jack, of course, was the proud leader of Griffon Scouts Troop 101 in the Pacific District. “She’d love it,” Jack said of starry-eyed Johanna who was already sizing up a uniform of her own.

The scouts were a nation-wide network, so JoJo could pop in with a group in whichever state they happened to be visiting. She would have access to structured activities and socialization with her peers. And Maria made a mental note to mention all of this to her parents, who still had concerns about the whole homeschooling thing. 

JoJo couldn’t stop talking about her first meetup, and who would take her? Maria shrugged at her outdoorsy boyfriend and said, “I think that’s definitely more your thing.”

Gladly, he would. He tried not to let it feel bittersweet that he always wanted to be a scouts dad when his own boys were little. They would have loved it, if Colette had let them.

So they all sat down to lunch, and by midday, little Harper was finished and crying for her nap. The big kids were spent, too, and they would also crash on the couches to rest up for their big sleepover tonight. And Maria and Jordan needed to freshen up for their date.

They headed back to the house.

She wouldn’t tell Jordan this, but one thing Maria really missed since living in the camper was really long, really hot showers. The kind you stand under while your skin blooms pink and you reflect on your whole life and plan out your entire future for the next twenty years, give or take. That, and to have a sink in the bathroom where she could brush her teeth and not have to spit where she also washed her dishes. The camper was great, but its water tank held about 10 minutes at 100 degrees, then it promptly went cold. And sometimes she just wanted to stand under the steaming water and get clean all the way to her bones. 

Lou’s voice lectured in her head, You’re gonna dry out your skin. 

And Maria thought, Don’t tell me what to do, Lou, because this is heavenly. 

She should probably pay the Phoenixes back for the water bill, but somehow she figured they could probably afford it.

— boxes and squares #5.3: hindsight is a bitch, part 6.3/10

next -> // 5.3 start // index

[lavendershowcase]

The Queer Winter Writing Challenge November 1-January 31

Lavender Showcase would like to add one more writing challenge in the mix for NaNoWriMo alternatives.

Mark five boxes in a row either diagonally, horizontally, or vertically! Send in your finished cards (maybe with a description of your wip if you want), and I will post them here!

This is intended to be worked on between the beginning of November and the end of January and be complementary to other writing challenges that you may be participating in (or done on it's own!) It is also aimed at LGBT writers as that is who this blog is for, but anyone can participate!

Each box serves as a task or goal for healthy writing habits. As you write through these upcoming months, mark your accomplishments on this card and try completing a box here and there as an exercise.

One of the goals of this challenge is to learn what helps your long-term writing habits and health: does exercise help you think better? Does a clean room ease anxiety? Are you keeping up with your needs?

There are also opportunities for you to read or watch LGBT books and movies. If you need any help finding recommendations on what to read or watch, please send in an ask! If I can't find something for you--maybe someone else can!

Feedback through September and October is welcome!

And needless to say: absolutely no AI is permitted in this challenge!

(And if you're not in the northern hemisphere and it's about to be spring and summer--you can cross off "winter" and write "spring/summer.")

Full text of the boxes under this cut:

Read a classic LGBT novel

Make yourself a warm drink

Write in a new location than you normally do

Write with pen and paper for an entire day

Hit 100% of your writing goal

Reach out to a writer friend and ask about their project

Hit 25% of your writing goal

Read a contemporary LGBT novel

Outline your entire project

Journal about writing for a week straight

Write 3,000 words in one day

Journal about the day’s weather

Send your wip to a friend

Write for 10 minutes with no distractions

Read a LGBT biography/memoir

Read a wip on Lavender Showcase

Write character outlines for your main characters

Write for an hour with no distractions

Watch a classic LGBT film

Write 500 words in one day

Write for 30 minutes with no distractions

Clean your bedroom

Hit 50% of your writing goal

Write 1,000 words in one day

Work out for 30 minutes