#feeling watered moisturized and flourishing

[purinflora]

school girl schedules 👧🏻

how to upkeep academia

𐙚 iNTRODUCTiON

with the new school year starting, a lot of new challenges pose themselves. keeping track of assignments, flourishing both socially and academically, as well as keeping organized. making time for ourselves outside of school can also be a little complicated. i've made some pretty big upgrades, since last year, and i wanted to share what i've been doing! these are my personal routines, feel free to alter anything as you see fit for your benefit. starting with:

— ✦ O1. : morning routine

wake up at 5:OO-5:3O a.m

brush teeth

moisturize, apply sunscreen, put on miracle balm / color corrector

make bed, pick up room

change into uniform, put on perfume and jewelry

make sure my bag is packed

have breakfast

apply chapstick, lipgloss, and mascara

— ✦ O2. : afternoon routine

unpack extra items, charge ipad

shower / take a bath

do homework

check e-mail and school page for updates

set out uniform

𐙚 TiPS & TRiCKS

organize & decorate your locker

try to get involved in clubs and other school activities

budget your lunch money for the week

memorize your schedule, get to know your teachers

make friends / acquaintances in every class, it really does help make you feel more at ease and if there's group work you have potential partners!

keep track of your class averages at all time

𐙚 STUFF 2 PACK

— ✦ O1. : self care bag

pocket deodorant

pocket hairbush

spare hair tie

chapstick

nail file

hand lotion

— ✦ O2. : emergency bag

pocket mouthwash / breath freshening brushes

bandaids

pocket lint roller

cough drops

blotting paper

if needed: pads, tampons, and a spare pair of underwear

— ✦ O3. : miscellaneous

a water bottle

pocket pack of tissues

a pack of gum / breath mints

✷ heαder creds @ unknown

[rottenpumpkin13]

How do ASGZC react to rain? Like, gtting caught in it etc. Or thunder? Do they like its sound? To watch the lightning? Are they scared of it? (Do they comfort each other if the other is scared)

Angeal, the "I LOVE EVERYONE AND EVERYTHING" type: He thrives in the rain. He's moisturized, happy and flourishing. You will catch him enjoying what mother nature has offered by standing out in the rain, feeling it on his skin, washing his face, and enjoying the weather.

Genesis, the "I HATE EVERYONE AND EVERYTHING" type: The man is not opposed to the comfort of reading indoors while it's raining and thundering outside. But getting caught in it? A nightmare. He didn't bring an umbrella, so now his coat is wet, and his hair is ruined, and he won't photograph well, and HE'S COLD. An utter nightmare.

Zack, the "PUDDLES ARE MEANT TO BE JUMPED IN" type: The only thing he hates about being caught in the rain is the damage done to his hair, because other than that, he loves it. You'll catch him jumping in muddy puddles, kicking water at his friends, and trying to get everyone to play rain tag. The downside is that if it rains for longer than a day, Zack's mood starts to spiral.

Cloud, the "Eh, could be worse" type: Unbothered by the rain. It's just some wet weather, and he's already used to the cold, though he prefers staying inside. Nothing against getting caught in the rain, it's just that he hates how his hair looks when it's wet. That being said, he will slap Zack's hand if he tries to pull his hood off.

Sephiroth, the " :) This is fine" type: Loves the rain and actually enjoys being caught in it. Feeling the droplets on his skin reminds him that there’s so much more to the planet than Midgar’s dreadful, dry weather. When it does rain in Midgar, he likes to go on walks, but he’s very cautious about lightning and ensures his friends are being safe during storms, like forcing Genesis out of the shower and having Zack unplug all his devices. He’s just not a fan of thunder. While all of them have sharp ears, Sephiroth is particularly sensitive to it, which makes him uneasy. He prefers to stay indoors during thunderstorms, using headphones to block out the noise or finding other distractions to keep his mind off it.

★ Genesis already knows the drill. He's curled up in his own apartment when it's raining and thundering outside—a book in one hand and fingers gently carding through Sephiroth's hair with the other. Sephiroth is wearing headphones because Genesis makes him listen to his entire playlist just to keep his mind occupied.

Sephiroth also has a notepad with songs written down next to the amount of starts he gives them.

Genesis looks up from his book briefly as Sephiroth furiously jots something down.

Genesis: You gave the opening song of the latest Loveless musical three stars?

*Sephiroth nods*

Genesis: You do know I helped compose that one, right?

Sephiroth: Forgive me.

*Sephiroth writes something down*

Genesis: TWO STARS?

[gasolinerainbowpuddles]

ezra + bath oil + titties

GO

You absolute menace ily hahaha. Initially I was just going to do a short lil drabble that was a continuation of our disgusting musings about this man, but then I said why not make this into an entire feature in honor of @swiftiscruff's Friendship Exchange? You know, give our boy Ezra some real time to shine, and all in the name of celebrating friendships formed over that little verbose slut?

So, here is my Ezra oil shower titty fic dedicated to the lovely Kelli in celebration of the Friendship Exchange.

𝗔𝘄𝗮𝘀𝗵 𝗶𝗻 𝗬𝗼𝘂

PAIRING(s): Ezra x fem!reader RATING: explicit material | 18+ WORD COUNT: 3k CONTENT: AU where Cee doesn't exist sorry lmao, established relationship, titty fixation, edible/food safe bathing oils, Ezra comes with his own warning, egalitarian assplay, cumplay, fabric washcloth used as gripping agent

Your nose for the most part had become blind to Ezra’s signature, tangy musk that edged into a ripe stench on hotter days. Even though you’d settled into the outskirts of a modest trading town and begun taking on the doldrums of keeping house, Ezra hadn’t fallen from his habit of going a little too long in between bath days. In times past he would go unshowered due to lack of amenities – the worlds you’d traveled and harvested from had hardly offered much in the way of hygienic routine – but now there was no such obstacle. He could bathe any time he wished and take as long as he pleased. You had your own home together now, one you were building upon each and every day, but the transient, unpredictable life that had become so ingrained into him was hard to shake. The notion of permanence was fleeting no matter how many days passed under your roof.

You, on the other hand, had become part fish since putting down roots here. There was a bathtub and a separate shower, and you craved the warm pool of water to soak in after a long day. Ezra liked to give you grief for wasting such a precious resource as water even though this planet was abundant in it. And yet, his admonishing never kept him from slipping into the wash room to ogle your bare form in the bath. You just wish every now and then he’d partake himself.

“The suns in all their unwavering glory has me feeling wrung of every bit of moisture,” he huffs as he fills a glass with something to wet his tongue and flood his scratchy, dry throat. “It’s good fortune that we needn’t adorn ourselves in protective suits here. I can only imagine the sort of foul fog that would cling to me then.”

You’re well aware of the second sun’s habit of becoming unbearable in these few weeks that your now home planet rotates closer to it. Your skin is sticky and wet with exertion, but at least all the growth pods you and Ezra have worked so tirelessly to establish are flourishing. They needed as much extra attention as any human on this planet did during these hotter spells. Soon enough you will forget all about the vehement heat when you and Ezra take your yields to the market during The Great Exchange and come home with lighter wagons and heavier pockets.

You accept the glass from Ezra and drink down whatever he’d poured. The cool creep of it down your throat already feels one step closer to equilibrium. “I guess we should wash up before we get the entire house dirty,” you reason.

“Hm, I suppose we should.”

You trod upstairs to the bathroom and bite back a scream when you see Ezra procure one entirely too small washcloth from the cabinet.

“You’re only washing at the sink?” you ask in what you pray isn’t a too panicked timbre.

“You don’t think the sink is robust enough to address my filth?”

You scrunch your nose, and that’s all the answer he needs. He chuckles a little and sets the singular washcloth aside. It already has smudges of who knows what just from him handling it.

“Tell me what you propose, my Little Gem.” He has an easy smile and those dangerous, glittery eyes fixed onto you.

“I mean, if you’re too tired I could, you know, I wouldn’t mind getting you washed up.” You shrug as though it’s enough to offset your way too eager proposition.

“You believe my own efforts are inferior?” he teases. “My Little Gem needs to take matters into her own hands and not rely on the fates?”

“Well, you’re always talking about wasting water. Wouldn’t it be saving water if we showered together?”

He cocks an eyebrow. “You would forgo your hallowed soak just to bathe with me, Little Gem?”

“I’m way too gross to just get into a bath. It’d just be sitting in a pool of my own funk. This level of gross calls for a full on shower, I think.”

“And you’ll tend to me in there?” he purrs as he steps closer to you and curves his hands over your hips. The pungent tang of his body makes your nose scrunch again.

“Much to tend to, it seems,” he remarks in response to your overt repulsion.

You need to take Ezra up on his noncommittal commitment of getting into the shower with you before he changes his mind. You quickly concoct a plan to hold his attention and agreeability in the small shower. You grab the soaking oil you drizzle into your baths on especially achy days and prop it on the shower ledge. You start peeling off grimy, damp layers of clothing and nod to Ezra, who begins doing the same.

You cross the room to where you stow your accessories and extras and grab a few items to pin your hair back. The last thing you need is something getting in the way of you giving him a thorough scrub down. Ezra saunters after you like a cat on the prowl, eyes roaming greedily up and down. Before he can derail the entire enterprise, you slink into the shower and start the water.

The initially cool spray is a contrary sensation to the heat emanating from your skin, but it quickly warms to a soothing slip. The stall darkens as he steps inside, broad shoulders blocking out the light struggling to filter in through the expanse of him. His frame was a thickened amalgamation of corded musculature padded in the softened flesh of a satiating supper every evening. The work here kept him lean for the most part, but you much preferred this iteration of him – all brawn and lithe but with the markers of an untroubled life.

“It seems all displeasure with my hygiene is forgotten once I’m naked as the day I was born,” he murmurs low and self-satisfied.

You roll your eyes but know he’s correct. A lover as competent and enthusiastic as Ezra meant overlooking other personal drawbacks wasn’t too difficult. “I’m sizing up my work,” you protest.

“And what do you make of its sizing?” he purrs with a gentle roll of his hips against you.

You knew this was where things would go almost immediately, and yet you still had the nerve to be caught off guard. “Ezra,” you grit out. You guide him under the stream and tell him to stay put while you grab the stack of washcloths you’ll need.

Upon your return you note the ashen brown water falling from him and circling the drain. “I must admit–” he says through the water rushing over him. Your eyes catch the flex of his biceps as he raises his arms up to work the water through his hair and scalp. “–There is something quite divine about the ritual. All sins washed away. A clean slate. A pure soul ready to be defiled once again. Isn’t that right, Little Gem?”

“What?” you mumble absentmindedly, too preoccupied on ogling the trail of water snaking down his torso and into the thicket of brown coarse hairs below his waist.

He only grins with a devious slant to his mouth and pulls you under the spray with him. His hands wander across your body in a lazy exploration. The only thing keeping you from abandoning your task altogether and just letting him take you right there in the shower is the persistent odor still clinging to him, now taking on a damp quality that only heightens the earthy grub and grit components within.

“Take a seat on the ledge, Ezra.”

He gropes the curve of your ass and presses a few kisses to the column of your neck before complying. “I’m at your disposal.” He spreads his arms open, inviting the work and focus of your hands on him.

You avoid looking at his half hard cock bobbing gently with every movement and soap up the first cloth. You try to avoid the snare of his gaze as you begin scrubbing his face, but he catches you with it as you lather through his beard. The corner of his mouth pulls up, an instant reassurance that he knows exactly the effect he has on you.

His face is a brighter, pinker vision once you rinse it, and it solidifies your resolve to scrub every inch of this man while he’s indulging your whim. His hands roam up and down your legs as you scratch and scour his hair. The fragrance of the soap combined with the purged dirt fills the space. You move to your hands and knees and start scrubbing from toe to knee then thigh to groin. He surprisingly doesn’t make too much of a fuss, which is good considering it takes three separate washcloths to get that section entirely cleaned.

“Surely I’ve indulged your caretaking long enough to have earned a different kind of corporeal attention?” He leans forward and noses at your neck and earlobe, and your body shivers despite the warm rush of water trailing down your back.

“Grab that bottle to your left,” you order as you start scrubbing down his torso. Your breath catches when your wrist bumps into his fully hardened, weeping cock, and you catch the curve of a smirk playing on his mouth. He holds up the unlabeled bottle and gives it a questioning shake. 

“An aphrodisiac?” His eyebrow cocks in devilish curiosity.

“Bath oil,” you snort. “You can, um, put some on me while I’m working on you. You know, just so it has time to soak in before I wash up, too. If you don’t mind.”

His eyes narrow and pull the edge of his mouth upward. He sees right through you, just like he always does. “Here I was thinking my purest Little Gem wouldn’t resort to such lowly deceit and bribery.” He pops the cap of the bath oil open and drizzles a moderate amount into his hand before setting the bottle aside again. He’s clearly amused with the ruse you’ve concocted, but unfettered exploration of your body is apparently a bribe he’s willing to accept.

“Resume your venture to free me from all the remnants of my labors,” he obliges.

“You know, you could just say ‘keep scrubbing me because I know I still smell’, Ez.”

He grins and raises his hands until they hover above your chest, little trickling lines of oil falling onto the slope of your breasts and dripping down slowly. You push your tongue against the back of your teeth to keep yourself grounded. If Ezra decided to start toying with you, you didn’t stand a chance at resisting his efforts.

You slather his arms from wrist to shoulder and work your way to his torso. Meanwhile he grazes a slick finger against your nipples in a ghost of a touch that has you subconsciously chasing his hand. You finish underneath each of his armpits, and, just when he’s behaved himself long enough to catch you off guard, he flicks one of your nipples hard with the edge of a fingernail. A shaky gasp of sharp pleasure flies from your throat quickly followed by a second one when he does it to the other side.

“See to my hindparts, won’t you?” he solicits with a deceptively innocent expression.

You clench your teeth together and take a step forward so you can reach over his shoulders and wash his back. He dips his head and takes as much of your breast into his mouth as he can and suctions with as much strength as he can exert. You yelp and attempt to release the clutch of his mouth from your sensitive bud, but he only sucks harder with a satisfied groan. His arms circle around each of your legs and cause you to lose your footing, which he uses as a distraction to switch sides.

Little pinpricks of purple have cropped up in a bloom of red from where he already sucked, and the force of his pull now promises no different for the other side. He loved to do this to you – get you off kilter, overstimulated, and seeking out more, often all at once. Your breaths come out whiny as he latches and pulls on your nipples and tissue.

“Ez,” you gasp. “I’m–I have to–to finish.”

He grips the flesh of your ass and pulls one cheek aside so that he can deftly push a thick fingertip into your puckering rim. It glides in with no resistance, and you almost think the oil wasn’t even necessary with how much you ached for him to fill you there. He pulls away just enough to disorient you with his intoxicating diction.

“Perhaps before our wash is complete, you’ll be beseeching me just to feel the breadth of me cleaving you apart,” he husks. “Nearly weeping for me to bury my cock in this hole just as you did only two nights ago.”

 “It feels good,” you mewl weakly. 

He hums low and gravelly in agreement as he resumes his ministrations on your breasts. The tip of his finger plunges shallow, a slow in and out, and you know it’s just to tease you for what you won’t get until you are begging him for it. You think that he must revel in the sway he has over you when he so fervently succumbs to you. There’s something so raw and vulnerable in the way he cannot deny his devotion and attachment to you, and so he must have some part of you in the same way as to not feel entirely powerless.

You’re panting despite exerting very little energy at the moment. “I-I really need to finish washing you u—”

He pops off with a loud smack and abruptly stands. He crowds you against the corner and props a foot up on the ledge, caging you in with his cock right at your eye level. Your hands rush with a washcloth and soap, now more greedy to feel him than cleanse him. You lather his entire groin area and resist the urge to lick up the beads of precum dribbling from his ruddy tip. Your eyes keep traveling up to meet his where he watches down on you with an almost omnipotent, divine consideration.

The last washcloth falls to the shower floor, and Ezra slowly walks backward into the water to rinse himself. It’s probably just a trick of the mind, but you swear he appears less hazy than usual with all the grime cleared from him. Your mouth is slack as you watch from your hands and knees on the shower floor, impossibly cramped into the corner of the small space. He smiles down at you. You know how much he loves seeing you on your knees in front of him.

Without a word, he moves the shower head to the side so that it pelts against the tile instead of spraying down on you both before turning around and hitching his other leg up on the ledge. He braces himself on the wall and the wobbly metal and glass door on the other side.

“Reap the benefits of your work, Little Gem,” he says over his shoulder.

You frantically douse your hand with a generous dab of the bath oil and walk on your knees until your mouth is flush against the cleft of his ass. A strangled whimper ekes out of him as you reach a hand between his legs and stroke his neglected cock with the slippery pull of the oil. You entrench your face into him until your flicking tongue delves into his asshole. You massage and prod into it, eyes rolling back when you feel how it clenches in delight at your motions.

Ezra turns again to face you now with what can only be described as a wild, hungry look in his eye. He takes the neatly stacked pile of used washcloths and tosses them onto the floor. You have no time to question his motives because he’s grabbing the bottle of oil and squeezing globs of it onto your breasts, barely returning the bottle to its place on the shelf before he’s massaging them and awkwardly shoving his cock between them and rutting against their pillowy, fleshy tightness.

“Shit,” he hisses. “That ass. That asshole of yours. These tits.” He sounds pained just trying to speak. His face screws up as he fucks between them, moaning appreciatively when you use your hands to press them closer together for him to fuck.

“You like my tits?” you ask a little breathlessly.

He makes a noise of great effort, eyes pinching shut at your goading question. He frees his cock and takes the flat of his hand to slap against your peaked buds. You cry out in pleasure at the sharp, blissful sting. “Bet I could make you come for me just like this. Couldn’t I, Little Gem?” he grits.

“Y-Yes,” you moan.

He makes some unhinged noise and slaps against your breasts in quick succession, barking out an order for you to touch yourself, and teeth glinting in the light with a manic grin as you climax. He starts fisting his length over your face, breaths coming fast and heavy.

“Open wide now,” he pants as he tugs his cock faster. The tip of it knocks against your lip, and you open wider with your tongue jutting flat and spread out for him to cover.

“Just like that Little Gem,” he rasps. “Hold it open and drink me.”

A few short strokes is all it takes before he’s moaning and erupting all over your face and mouth, the hot, thick bands of his spend sticking to your skin wherever they land. He doesn’t stop jerking himself until every last drop is spent. When he’s finally done, he smears his softening cock against your face, collecting his cum in sloppy swipes.

“Now look who is soiled, Little Gem,” he hums. “Clean up the mess you’ve made.” He watches you with half-lidded eyes and a heaving chest. “Wouldn’t want to leave things filthy, would you?”

You oblige and take him into your mouth, sucking and licking until every trace of his spend has been swallowed.

[sleepy-aletheas]

Kaveh will get swept up by the tide of emotions, tumbling through waves and currents of highs and lows. He will be proud of what he accomplishes, only to dip beneath the waves because of guilt (not just because of his family issues, but maybe the guilt of not "doing enough" for everyone, not changing Sumeru to a point where he thinks his ideals could meet reality). He is stuck in this eternal limbo of feelings and I think at this point he is so deep in it, he doesn't really think there is anything else. The world is the merciless water, and any solid land is a dreary dream that won't save him, because he still needs to brave the ocean.

Alhaitham on the other hand, stood firmly on the ground for most of his life. He would observe the ocean from a distance, feel the moisture, smell the salt in the air, hear the waves crashing on the shore, but he himself wouldn't partake in this song and dance personally. I think through Kaveh he realized that to actually understand the ocean and how the earth needs water to flourish, he needs to touch the waves. Especially when he once got the taste of rain that nourished the garden of thought, only for drought to wreck it for years, leaving a limited, dull hollow behind.

I think we're currently at the point in their lives where Kaveh is still struggling, salt in his eyes and water in his lungs, trying to keep his world afloat as he drowns. Alhaitham on the other hand learned to sit by the waves, and let them crash against his feet, soaking the emotions and observing them, one tide after another, never letting himself get overwhelmed by diving in headfirst.

Kaveh is blinded by it, and still doesn't realize, that Alhaitham is waiting for him just out of reach. He tossed him a lifeline so he could pull him out the ocean and take him back to solid land, where a home waits for him. But he can only stay there and wait for Kaveh himself to actually grip it and let himself be helped out.

Kaveh thinks the only way to experience feelings is by being drown by them, Alhaitham figured out you can live on solid ground, and just run a tap or bath if you want to feel, still in the safety of home.

[sapphire-to-the-rain]

planymphia hockey au is back. my crops are watered. i feel moisturized. flourishing. climbing walls with the magnitude of my feral excitement

[classyblen]

Helloww!

💋 𝙷𝚎𝚢 𝙱𝚎𝚊𝚞𝚝𝚒𝚏𝚞𝚕 𝚂𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚜! 💋

✨ Welcome to my brand-new blog! My name is Classy, and I’m on an exciting self-growth journey, ready to become the best version of myself! ❤️

I believe that sharing my experiences and holding myself accountable is the key to flourishing, so I’m here to inspire, uplift, and empower you along the way! If you’re down for some realness and growth, let’s be besties on this beautiful adventure! 🌟✨

✨ Goals for Self-Improvement ✨

❤️ MENTAL HEALTH:

Goal: Reduce reliance on pornography (including smut books, comics, videos, even porno music) ⛔

Action Step: Identify triggers and create a plan to avoid them.

Use apps like StayFocusd or Cold Turkey to block access.

Daily Affirmations ✨: Start each day with positive affirmations to boost self-esteem and redirect your focus.

💪 PHYSICAL HEALTH:

Workout Routine:

Goal: Exercise 5 times a week.

Action Step: Choose specific workouts 🏋️‍♀️.

Tip: Mix it up with fun classes like Zumba or yoga to keep it exciting!

Skincare Routine:

Goal: Follow a morning and night routine.

Morning: Cleanser + moisturizer + sunscreen ☀️.

Night: Cleanser + moisturizer + acne treatments + 5-minute self-massage for relaxation. 🧖‍♀️

🙏 Daily Prayer & Bible Reading:

Goal: 10-15 minutes of prayer in the morning and reading the Bible before bed.

Action Step: Use Bible apps and set an alarm/reminder.

Reflection Journal: After reading, jot down thoughts or verses that stood out to you.

📚 PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT:

Reading Books:

Goal: Read at least 2 books per month—1 for me and another for our future book club. 📖

Action Step: Keep a list of books I want to read and start a book club!

Monthly Theme: Each month, focus on a theme such as “self-care”, “growth mindset”, or “creativity”.

🌼 Daily Routine 🌼

Morning Routine 🎀

4:30 AM - Wake up

4:35 AM - Make bed

4:40 AM - Pray

5:00 AM - Workout

5:50 AM - Shower/skincare

6:30 AM - Read a few chapters of the current book

7:00 AM - Simple + healthy breakfast 🍳

DAYTIME (Post-graduation vibes 🌟):

Focus on school, work, or personal projects.

Explore a hobby or learn a new skill! 🎨

6:00 PM - Dinner + family time 🍽️

7:00 PM - YouTube + tea (me time) ☕

8:00 PM - Read or journal (here on Tumblr!)

9:00 PM - Bedtime 🌙

🌹 Tracking Addiction 🌹

Identify Triggers: List specific situations or feelings that lead to urges.

Accountability Partner: Share this goal with a trusted friend who can check in weekly 📞.

Alternative Activities: When urges arise, have a list of alternatives ready (like walking or reading the Bible).

Reflect Weekly: Journal about successes and setbacks related to these goals each week.

💪 Physical & Mental Wellness ❤️

Weekly Workout Plan:

Mon-Fri: Shoulder stretch (10 min) + arm fat workout (10 min) + Daisy Keech ab workout (10 min).

Sat-Sun: Light stretches 🧘‍♀️.

Weekly Skincare Plan:

Sun & Wed: Weekly mask + exfoliation.

Balanced Eating:

Aim for 3 meals a day plus healthy snacks. 🍎

Meal prep on weekends to save time!

Hydration Challenge: Aim to drink at least 8 glasses of water per day!

🌟 Community & Accountability ❤️

Find a Group: Join a local church group, Tumblr communities, or a study group for shared growth.

Weekly Check-ins: Schedule meet-ups with a friend for mutual encouragement on goals.

Social Media Detox: Plan regular breaks from social media to refocus your mind. 📵

Weekly Review Questions:

What went well?

What were the challenges?

How can I adjust my goals for the next week?

Gratitude List: Each week, write down three things you are grateful for! 🎀

✨ Final Thoughts ✨

✨ Remember, change is a gradual process. Celebrate the small victories, and be patient with yourself as you embark on this journey. Consistency and discipline are key, so keep the faith in yourself and your path. You’ve got this, Classy! ❤️✨

[tadpole-apocalypse]

Kinda falling in love with Ascended Gale being in Morgan’s canon. I won’t decide until I see his standard nice boy ending. But it’s very appealing to me the more I think about it. 👀 It would nicely complement their rivalry and validate her reasons for not engaging with his overt attempts to court her, mostly because if you roleplay someone who's not going along with his flirtations it does come cross a bit one sided. Up until the point he got sad that she locked into Astarion's romance, all they had done was her imagining kissing him in the weave (which was an intimate moment of magic and completely natural) and then he came onto her in the shadowlands. There's bitterness there about the relationship that only existed in his head; and now he's got an unchecked divine arrogance clouding his mind. I feel like God Gale tries to provoke Astarion, but Astarion's crops are watered, his skin is moisturized and he is flourishing so it does not needle him the way Gale hopes. Like a “wow too bad she stopped you from reaching your true potential, glad that wasn’t me, right buddy?” And Astarion's like “it’s funny you think that would change my feelings after what she's sacrificed for us to be together, cope harder." And they’re just happy and affectionate and god gale just mopes and seethes from his god tower while Morgan goes and and comforts his mom over the loss of the kind man they knew.

[tasteless-tea]

I had to do the redraw. He looks so slippery..

(Pebblefoot belongs to @borkwolf, Ask blog: @pebblefoot-is-such-a-moist)

[ID: Digital redraw of a twitter screenshot. Pebblefoot, a fluffy blue cat, is lying in a large planter filled with water and floating plants. The caption on the image says “unbothered. moisturized. happy in my lane. focused. flourishing.” and the profile picture is a doodle of Pebblefoot with the username “Not a fish” and the handle “@Pebblefoot_is_moist” The reply to the tweet states “i want to feel this type of peace.” The profile picture is a doodle of Blubberspine, a cat with hair over one eye. The username is “Spineless” and the handle is “@cetaceanwatch” End ID]

[freshfaced-facts]

Glowing From Within: Why Consistent Skincare is Your Secret Weapon

Let's face it, everyone wants healthy, radiant skin. But with all the hype and countless products out there, it's easy to get overwhelmed. The truth is, achieving that coveted glow comes down to one key factor: consistency.

Here's why a consistent skincare routine is a game-changer, and how to make it stick:

The Power of Consistency

Think of your skin like a garden. To flourish, it needs regular care. A good skincare routine cleanses, nourishes, and protects your skin, allowing it to function at its best. But just like sporadic watering won't produce vibrant blooms, occasional cleansing won't give you lasting results.

Here's what consistent skincare can do for you:

Prevention is Key: Consistent cleansing and exfoliation prevent clogged pores and breakouts, saving you from future frustration (and money!).

Long-Term Benefits: Whether you want to tackle wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, or dryness, consistent use of targeted products is essential for visible improvement.

Confidence Boost: When your skin feels healthy, you radiate confidence. It's a simple truth!

Making Consistency Your BFF

We all lead busy lives, and sticking to a routine can feel challenging. Here are some tips to make your skincare routine consistent and enjoyable:

Keep it Simple: Don't overwhelm yourself with a 10-step process. Start with a basic cleanse, moisturize, and sunscreen routine, and add targeted products as needed.

Find Your Groove: Do you prefer a morning or nighttime routine? Once you establish a rhythm, it becomes second nature.

Make it a Ritual: Turn your routine into a mini spa moment. Light a candle, put on calming music, and focus on self-care.

Travel-Friendly Minis: Pack mini versions of your essentials for those on-the-go days. Consistency is key, even when you're out and about.

Track Your Progress: Take photos to monitor your skin's improvement. Seeing the results can be a great motivator.

Remember, consistency is key, but so is finding a routine that works for you. Don't be afraid to experiment and personalize your approach. With a little dedication, you'll be on your way to healthy, glowing skin that radiates confidence from within.

[tribbetherium]

This is a bit random but I wonder how the Carnohams are doing (and how much further they diversified) since the last time we saw them fifteen million years prior to now. It feels inevitable that the Northhounds/Southhounds are gonna leave South Ecatoria sooner or later and perhaps they are gonna encounter them in Arcuterra which they will probably even compare them to the Tigerillas due to both of them being pretty cat like in appearance (only difference is their body shapes and stance).

The carnohams, originally the Therocene's apex predators, were severely felled by the Glaciocene with many of its larger species, the leonine panthsters and ursine tibears among them, eradicated by the impending cold. But as one lone clade, the tiny and humble meowse, managed to endure, the carnohams have since returned to their former glory on the continent of Arcuterra: radiating out into a wide, diverse array of forms to fill the continent's vacated predator roles left empty by the mass extinction that concluded the Glaciocene.

In the Middle Temperocene, the carnohams diverged from their original forms as they vied for niches in a confusing ecosystem still feeling the aftershocks of the Glaciocene die-off. As such many would break off from the typical roles this predator clade occupied on Arcuterra at the dawn of the epoch: losing their vague, convergently-feline-esque builds in favor of other carnivore niches.

The toraegers (Barofelimys spp.) are descended from the earlier kogars and have specialized in more of bulk and strength than agility, developing a far thicker build, with shorter, stocky limbs and short tails not built for stalking but for pouncing and ambushing, then inflicting a lethal bite directly to the back of the neck, aiming for the spine for an instant kill. Their prey are primarily grimhogs and piggalo, slower but tougher prey that require not speed or agility, but strength, force and an efficient instant kill.

Conversely, the dumas (Velociailurumys spp.), descended from the kogars' main competitor the pawma, have further specialized into speed than strength--thus meaning they are more specialized to smaller, faster prey as opposed to slow, heavy ones. With long limbs, flexible tails for balance, and large nostrils and nasal cavities to vent excess heat, the dumas have two main modes of hunting: typically, they maintain a slower, sustained chase of 25-30 km/h when tiring out prey, such as small quarry like podotheres and ungulopes. But for evasive prey, they can accelerate to as much as 60 km/h in short bursts--they cannot, however, sustain such exertion for more than ten to fifteen seconds at most and they are left very exhausted from the effort afterward.

Large carnohams fill megafaunal apex predator niches, but smaller ones are also flourishing. And indeed, it may be these smaller forms that may be the most remarkable of all. The catrats (Gymnocaudailurus spp.) are small desert specialists, with large ears and naked tails to vent excess heat and thick fur on the soles of its paws to protect them from the hot sand. The deserts of central Arcuterra are also home to small, fox-sized zingos that are specialized to desert life: yet those are nocturnal to avoid the heat, and the catrats minimize confrontations with them by adapting to the heat and becoming diurnal. Adapted for trudging over lose sand and able to survive without water for up to more than a week, thanks to very dry excreta and concentrated urine to conserve moisture, the catrats hunt a wide array of small prey in the desert: while insects, rattiles and occasionally ratbats can find themselves on its menu, the primary diet of the catrats are desert jerryboas--tiny, basal, ancestral relatives of the boingos and podotheres-- that are quite abundant in the Arcuterran desert and take much agility to catch.

But perhaps the most unusual of the carnohams are the feesels (Mustelailurumys spp.). Small, slender, with short limbs and long bodies and tails, they quite resemble the fearrets, basal ancestral relatives of the carnohams that are still extant and indeed do coexist in similar environments. They are, however, able to live side-by-side, as the feesels are specialized for prey no basal fearret can tackle: stinging burrowurms. Early on in carnoham evolution, a small mutation of a gene substitution blocked certain immune receptors that correspond to the allergenic compounds found in the burrowurms para-venom--a coincidence that proved useful for their ancestor the meowse as it lived in regions were these para-venomous rattiles were common. As such, while carnohams as a whole tend to have a greater resistance to their stings, causing milder pain and less-severe immune responses, the feesels have essentially specialized to hunt primarily stinging burrowurms, following them down their tunnels with the aid of their long bodies and exploiting their resistance to score a meal no other creatures on Arcuterra dare bother with. Along with the serpentine burrowurms, the feesel also tackles other, digging prey, such as social molrocks, sneaking into their burrow, grabbing one target, and immediately retreating before the rest of the colony has time to retaliate.

[adamrosner]

Herbs for Beginners: Growing and Using Fresh Herbs

Growing herbs is a rewarding and practical hobby that can enhance your cooking, improve your health, and add beauty to your home. Whether you have a sprawling garden or just a windowsill, herbs are relatively easy to grow and maintain. This guide is designed for beginners who want to explore the world of fresh herbs, offering tips on developing and creative ways to use them in your daily life.

Choosing the Right Herbs for Your Garden

If you're new to gardening, it's wise to start with hardy herbs that require minimal care. Some of the easiest herbs to grow include basil, mint, Parsley, chives, and oregano. These herbs thrive in various conditions and are forgiving if you occasionally forget to water them.

Basil is a versatile herb that grows well in warm, sunny conditions. It's a staple in many cuisines and can be used in everything from pesto to salads. Mint is another beginner-friendly herb that grows quickly and can even become invasive. Its refreshing flavor is perfect for teas, desserts, and garnishing dishes.

Whether curly or flat-leaf, Parsley is a biennial herb that can add a fresh, clean flavor to soups, sauces, and salads. With their mild onion flavor, chives are ideal for adding a subtle kick to dishes, while oregano is a robust herb that adds depth to Mediterranean and Mexican cuisine.

Understanding Sunlight and Soil Needs

To thrive, most herbs require at least 6-8 hours of sunlight daily. If you plan to grow herbs indoors, place them in a sunny spot, such as a south-facing window. Choose a location that receives ample sunlight throughout the day for outdoor gardening.

Soil quality is also crucial for growing healthy herbs. Well-drained soil is essential to prevent root rot and other moisture-related issues. A good potting mix or garden soil enriched with organic matter, such as compost, will provide the necessary nutrients for your herbs to flourish.

Planting and Caring for Your Herbs

Herbs can be grown from seeds or purchased as seedlings from a garden center. Starting from seeds is more economical and offers a wider variety of herbs, but it requires patience and careful attention during germination.

To start seeds, fill small pots or seed trays with a quality potting mix, plant them according to the packet instructions, and keep them moist. Once the seedlings are large enough to handle, they can be transplanted into larger pots or directly into the garden.

If you prefer a quicker start, purchasing seedlings is a convenient option. These young plants are ready to be placed in your garden or containers and will establish themselves more quickly than seeds.

Watering and Pruning Your Herbs

Herbs need consistent watering, but it's essential not to overwater them, which can lead to root rot. A good rule of thumb is to water when the top inch of soil feels dry. Herbs grown in containers may need more frequent watering than those planted in the ground, especially during hot weather.

Pruning your herbs regularly encourages bushier growth and prevents them from becoming leggy. For leafy herbs like basil and mint, pinch back the tops of the plants to promote fuller growth. Flowering should be discouraged for most herbs, as it can cause the leaves to lose flavor. Pinch off any flower buds that appear to keep your herbs productive.

Harvesting and Storing Fresh Herbs

The best time to harvest herbs is in the morning after the dew has dried but before the sun is too intense. This is when the essential oils in the leaves are at their peak, providing the most flavor and aroma.

You can begin harvesting for most herbs once the plant has enough foliage to support growth. Regularly harvesting your herbs not only provides you with fresh ingredients but also encourages the plants to produce more leaves.

Storing Herbs for Future Use

Fresh herbs are best used immediately, but if you have more than you can use, there are several ways to preserve them. One of the simplest methods is to air-dry your herbs. Gather small bunches, tie the stems together, and hang them upside down in a cool, dry place. Once dried, store the herbs in airtight containers away from direct sunlight.

Freezing is another effective method of preserving herbs. Chop the herbs and place them in ice cube trays, covering them with water or olive oil before freezing. These herb cubes can be added directly to soups, stews, or sauces.

Cooking with Fresh Herbs

Herbs are incredibly versatile and can be used in various dishes. Fresh basil, for example, is perfect for making pesto, adding to salads, or garnishing pizzas. Mint can be used in sweet and savory dishes, from adding freshness to a fruit salad to enhancing the flavor of lamb.

Chives are excellent for sprinkling on baked potatoes, adding scrambled eggs, or mixing into cream cheese. Oregano pairs beautifully with tomatoes and is a key ingredient in many Italian dishes, such as marinara sauce and pizza.

Environmental and Aesthetic Benefits

Growing and using fresh herbs is a fulfilling and accessible way to enrich your culinary experiences and improve your overall well-being. Whether you're just starting or looking to expand your gardening skills, herbs offer endless possibilities for creativity and enjoyment. With a little care and attention, you can enjoy the benefits of fresh, homegrown herbs all year round.

[ask-the-crimson-king]

⏰️🌑🏥

[Time asks]

⏰ or “future” for a glimpse into a potential future memory and to see my muse in the future

The surface of the world had long been desolate. Destroyed, scoured, and left behind as nothing more than an empty rock where once it flourished with all manner of wildlife.

Alone, a solitary figure walked alongside what had once been a riverbed, countless centuries ago. Memories of watching the various amphibious life swimming through its currents and the various avian species trying to catch them sprung to his mind. Subconsciously, echoes and phantasmal images of what had been were overlaid over what now was.

He came to a stop next to where the river split into several smaller tributaries. One of them would have ran to the edge of an ocean; another would feed a small pond not too far from here. That tributary had been split by the native Prosperine people long before even his coming to this world as an aqueduct. The river itself sourced from the mountains that, once resplendent and mighty, were half-destroyed to his back.

From here sprang so much life. All of the life upon this world ultimately depended on this river being able to flow, and flow freely. It was the fundamental bedrock of an entire ecosystem. And here it was, dry and barren.

Never had the moniker of Desolation been made more true. But that was all going to change.

The visitor crouched. Two fingers touched to the riverbed, their clawed tips digging into the dry, thirsty earth beneath. He could tell it could be cultivated again; it had spent many long millennia without something living nearby, but it could be brought back to that state again. It could be changed. There was still silt left behind. There were still minerals here that would be able to support new growth and new life.

He reached to a small crystalline ball that had been hanging around his waist. Within it was a tiny seedling from a fern, along with some minor growth of mosses and lichens. He dug next to the riverside, then carefully removed the seedling and transplanted it next to the riverbed. It felt good to feel the dirt of his home upon his hands again.

Somewhere he knew it was unlikely the seedling would survive. That, perhaps, him occasionally coming to his old home and trying to plant these small specimens was all going to be for naught. After all, the river was dry. There was no water within it to flow. But that would change. He would enact that change, drawing upon the power he had been "gifted" with to restore this place. It would be a long, arduous task ahead, but he did not care.

Once the seedling and mosses were planted, he rose to his full height, looking at the similar seedlings and saplings he had been carefully cultivating alongside the bed. They endured. They clung to life. They would die without the rest of the ecosystem they had been drawn from, but he would ensure they would not. He would become pollinator, cultivator, whatever it took.

Bit by bit by bit, he would restore this world. He would make it a home again. But this time, no one would be allowed to destroy it. He would defend it until his very being was undone.

With a look of grim determination, the visitor disappeared. In his wake, everywhere he had stepped, the earth had become damp and moist. It was as though there was still moisture, impossibly locked beneath the surface. The tiny plants he had brought here began to drink it, and some had even begun to flourish.

The next time he came back to this spot, there would be the smallest of flowers awaiting him.

🌑 or “dark” for one of my muse’s darker memories and/or secret memories

Lightning split the skies above. Magnus paced ceaselessly, his mind racing with possibility of what to do next. His wings were left slightly opened, their edges catching the light of the new star that hung above him. Here, at the tallest point of the Obsidian Tower, it was open and exposed to the world around him.

Sortiarius had been brought into realspace. His home, his true home, was now close by for the first time in millennia. Fenris had been all but decimated. The Wolves would need time to recover, and unfortunately, they had been granted it.

His brother had returned. Somehow, Guilliman walked the stars once more.

And now Magnus needed to act. Ahriman had been useful ever since he was invited back after his exile; a fragment of a map depicting the ways through the Aeldari Webway had been brought to his attention. The Legion would need to mobilize and fast. Guilliman would need to be dealt with. If he was not, it would mean all that he had hoped for and planned would be thrown away.

He would not allow that to happen again. He would see his visions to their fruition, Imperium be damned. He would see his Legion reborn and reforged. He was not about to let his Macraggian brother stop any of that, and he knew with grim certainty that he would.

A pause. His pacing slowed to a stop as a part of his memory was dragged before him; him and Lorgar, together upon the Fidelitas Lex.

"Do you hate Guilliman that much?" his own words echoed. The feeling of death consuming the tides around him, the untold suffering... a chill ran down his spine then. How hypocritical of him, he mused. But this was not a vengeance ploy -- nor, he had to fully admit, was Lorgar's entire Shadow Crusade -- this was done out of necessity. If Roboute was allowed to influence and stabilize the Imperium, he could see himself and his Sons potentially routed from this world again.

And he would never let that happen again.

And so, he looked skyward at the swirling clouds above, and he began to speak his will and plans into existence. Far below, the Thousand Sons would begin to march.

🏥 or “injury” for a memory of when my muse was injured

The blow had hurt.

It had cloven right through all of his aetheric wards, right into the meat of his breast. His mutagenic blood had spilled into the ice and snow beneath him, conjuring brightly colored fungi and spawning strange, tiny creatures that would die in the coming minutes. The blow had bit deep, and bit hard. Harder than he had expected.

It had blown him all the way back to his tower on Sortiarius. Pain, the first true pain he had felt in millennia, had rippled through his entire being. He knew why. The weapon used against him was anathema to his very being; it was a weapon of the Blood God, of course. How the Wolves had come to possess such an item, Magnus could only guess.

But the axe had done what it had needed to. He had become cut from the rest of his Legion, he had been exiled from that frozen, wasted world. It mattered little; he could recall his Sons back on a whim. The ritual had been completed. The Silver Towers burned with energy and potential.

Magnus had to take some time to recover. His own talents felt diminished in the lingering effects of the blow. Still his blood, glittering and terrible, ran from his cracked breastplate. It was beginning to heal, but it was slow. Where initially it had flown like a small river, now it only beaded upon his skin. The very edges of it felt as though they burned with acid. A grimace twisted his features.

He would not let it ruin his plans. For too long had he been planning this. For too long had his Sons made ready.

He could feel the power still roiling from the Silver Towers; he needed to act quickly if he was to be successful. So, he raised his arms, and he began to speak. He forced his will upon the entire world beneath him, and he fought desperately against the currents within the Great Ocean to do so. The wound in his chest burst anew, sending waves of fresh agony through his body as he conducted his sorcery. With a grunt, he pushed onwards, his entire body feeling as though he had begun to touch the surface of a star.

The Towers gleamed and began to flicker, as did the planet around him. His mind envisioned the final destination as he conducted the most demanding ritual of his entire existence. He dared not draw upon the power of the few sorcerers left behind, for fear of turning them into dust like their brothers. But it burned, oh how it burned. It felt worse than when he stopped the Lux Ferrem from crashing, from when he translated all of his Sons to this desolate and volatile world, from when he had made an attempt to break into the Sanctum Imperialis.

Every single part of him was alight. His form writhed with potential. In and out of this reality beyond the stars the world flickered. The Towers were burning, now, acting as conduits for this immense amount of power. With a thunderous roar, he spoke his will into the depths of unreality, and forced it to become reality.

A spark. A gleam amongst the empty space and starlight. And suddenly, a tear was opened, and forced through was not a starship, but an entire world.

Sortiarius breached into reality and tore the void asunder. Daemons gibbered and cackled with glee, some of them becoming snuffed out as the Immaterium became the Materium. The world shuddered as it came to a stop. The Silver Towers orbiting high above were damaged and tarnished; they would be restored in time. It did not matter now.

Magnus collapsed down to one knee, his wings drooping and brushing the ground beneath him. Ragged breaths and crystalline sweat rained from him, along with his blood from that damned wound. He barely found the strength to stand for many long, agonizing moments. He reached outwards and his glaive came to his hand, and he dragged himself to his feet. He needed to see if he had been successful. The world felt different, but he needed to see it.

Slowly, carefully, blood painting his footsteps behind him and becoming the foundation for strange flora and fauna to emerge, he walked out onto the balcony of his private sanctum. His eye looked outwards towards the horizon, his aethersight able to pierce even the strongest of Sortiarius' storms. Out in the distance, he saw a lone, rocky world, with the occasional whispy cloud covering its surface.

Slowly, his shoulders began to tremble and rise. Something welled within his chest at the sight of it.

And then, he began to laugh. He had been triumphant. He was exultant. His work had been a great success.

But most importantly of all, he was home.

[joowee-feftynn]

tld has so much organic matter inside her superstructure. she spent several cycles cultivating a whole new ecosystem inside her can. she made sure to install lights on her version of the underhang to allow for plants to grow there, uses her water absorption systems to maintain the moisture stable in the innards of her can so the plants can flourish, she installed large windows so they can absorb light, and makes sure the airflow remains constant. The air quality inside her can is amazing, and this brand new environment would feel so strangely homey. She allows for a selected amount of bugs to get in so they can help with pollination and her puppet chamber is decorated with many flowers, vines and fireflies.

Though her love for the local fauna and flora would harm her to a certain extent. She would be so invested in her little garden that she would end up neglecting her structure's actual needs. The bugs and plants would become hard to manage because they'd start damaging her systems, and her low water intake would cause a lot of slag to build up, making it all to collapse at some point.

[ginsengsmoothie]

i'm coming out

i'm a queer person living in california which means i must be vegetarian, which means i must love plants. it's like how that tiktok goes: 'i just feel like people should have known that i was a nonbinary pansexual when i came out as a vegan'. it's just that my only knowledge of love is suffocation, and that's why all my plants die.

first i had an air plant, but i got worried that it wasn't getting enough water with the feeble mistings once a week and i read online that you could soak them, so i soaked it until it rotted into mulch. then i had a cactus, but Momo got jealous of it and ripped it out of its home. after that, i got Lil Succ.

Lil Succ was my success (pun unintended) story, for a good...8 months? i kept her alive, i had her flourishing. i'm a changed person, i thought to myself, as i gazed at Lil Succ's auxiliary florets fondly. i guess i got complacent, like how humans get complacent once their offspring hit the double digit years, and start ramping up on the neglect.

call it postpartum depression, call it forgetfulness, call it buyer's regret. whatever it was, Lil Succ's existence slipped from my mind for a good month or two, and by then, she was dead.

'do you know how hard it is to kill a succulent?' Denise said, with a tone of (i like to think) awe.

well, not very hard if you're me, apparently, because i've successfully killed off several strain of cacti. i'd like to thank my mother for that.

with my first few air plants / cacti i projected on them heavily, worried that their tiny leaves couldn't subsist on such meagre moisture. i mean, i'm a thirsty bitch. have you ever seen me without my waterbottle? i get worried about not being adequately hydrated.

after i drowned them in love, i figured i should pull back. treat them like the desert plants they are. of course, with my ADHD lack of object permanence ass, once i forgot about Lil Succ i fully forgot about her.

you know, the difference between parenting when your kid's in their teens vs in their twenties. oh, they're off in another country, doing something. no, i don't know what they're studying. it's whatever. they're fine, i'm sure. it's none of my business.

well, plants aren't people and don't have arms and legs of their own to go obtain their own sustenance upon being deprived of such necessity by a parental figure, so here I am. a murderer.

that's my confession. that's my true self. this is the skin of a killer, bella.

[mlpdestinyverse]

“Pressure”

Feat: Nova Spark, Prince Amadeus

Related Chapters: Prince of Friendship (Art Dump), Rebuke, Ties ~Destinyverse Archive~

Crumpling under the pressure.

Description Under The Cut!

The night Nova finished his favorite game of all time, Hindsight, is a memory Nova cherishes. With his best friend at his side, cheering him on through the final battle, Nova experienced the greatest height of emotions to the RPG's beloved characters and uplifting ending. To experience a journey full of struggle, found family, and flourishing hope when all seemed lost... That brimming feeling of inspiration - a spark that radiated in his chest - was a feeling Nova knew he wanted to share with others. And so came the moment Nova chose to develop a game of his own.

A lesson Princess Twilight would insist on being one of the most vital: "The Friendship Prince is everyone's friend!" Nova put these lessons into play and forced himself to get along with literally everypony he met. But as he did, the young stallion found himself developing superficial connections: relationships with no actual substance. He rarely found the "one thing in common" Twilight claimed he should always search for in others. He couldn't relax and "be himself" the way he could around Amadeus. The encounters wore him out. It was ten times worse when Nova had to socialize with Equestria's uppercrust and its aristocratic youths. Nova never experienced the same emotional disconnect he did with such entitled ponies anywhere else. It didn't help that their social mannerisms didn't come naturally to him. Even Twilight's list of "Helpful Responses and Phrases for Pleasant Conversation!" that she gifted him just barely got him by. But he got by nonetheless. All it took was suppressing his forthright nature in favor of his go-to plastered smile and some fake laughs. Nova would bring his concerns up to his mother. He tried. But Twilight, with her misguided optimism, had a way of dismissing his worries: "Mom, why am I setting aside my free time for ponies I barely know?" "Strangers are just friends you haven't made yet! And as the Prince of Friendship, befriending your subjects is very important!" "I don't enjoy talking to them..." "You just haven't found your common ground yet! Anyone can be a friend so long as you both put in the effort!" He could never win. If only she'd listen.

Until recent decades, Equestria had only ever been familiar with its princesses. The concept of a "prince" only existed in storybooks, where they were commonly depicted as large and muscular knights or elegant and dainty rulers. Nova grew up reading these books, never thinking twice about any differences he harbored to ponykind's ideal image of a prince. But then came the day Nova was forced to see the differences. He was born small, with a naturally round and chubby body type. Nova, who was once at least comfortable in his own body, began developing body image issues. He's kept this hit to his self-esteem to himself since then, too embarrassed to confide in his mothers or even his best friend. Note: Prince Blueblood's existence makes little sense to me. At least in Destinyverse, he is a noble, not a prince.

Nova's mother, Tempest Shadow, used to experience a dilemma whenever it rained or so much as drizzled. Any moisture that got into her broken, sparking horn would cause her to shock herself. This was incredibly inconvenient for training her royal guard or using magic outdoors. Nova became aware of this issue, and brimming with determination, ideas filled his mind. With his skills in magi-tech and runework, Nova developed a special horn ring for his mother that generated a horn-shaped energy field. The field deflected water while allowing Tempest's magic to phase through. The ring easily charged itself on Tempest's powerful magic, but to prevent overcharging, Nova carved in a limitation on the ring's energy capacity- Realizing that the idea could be applied at a greater scale, Nova later worked with Sunset Shimmer and her company Uni-Tech to manufacture the first Magic-brella; lightweight, compact, with a canopy of arcane energy and multiple settings to comfortably shield one to three ponies. Like past ideas Nova helped invent, Ponyville was more than impressed by their prince's newest contribution. Newspaper reporters held interviews with him. Ponyville citizens happily gathered in the rain just to listen in awe. Nova knows they're always at the edge of their seats. Watching. Waiting for his next creation with bated breaths, expecting something even more impressive than the last. And that expectation makes his stomach sink.

A callback. Nova earned his cutie mark because of magic - a story to be told another day. But his talent is unique in its workings; he can only create and innovate when he is inspired. And sources of inspiration are unpredictable at best. But he's Ponyville's prince and magic prodigy. Now that he's convinced his people that he's a genius, that he's gifted, he has to meet their expectations. He has to apply his magic, he has to keep creating, he has to be a proper prince. He can't fail he can't fail he can't fail. And he can't fail Twilight. The Princess of Friendship, an admired sorceress, and renowned hero of Equestria. He's her son. He can't afford to.

[alligatorjesie]

So today I thought I would do something different than my normal posts that consist of furry reylo porn or yelling at antis to get the fuck out of the tags to show off some of my plants.

Because there are fewer things I love more than reylo or being furry trash and that’s plants.

This is a terrarium I put together about a month ago after finding this wonderful glass jar at an antique market. I think they were asking 15ish bucks for it and the only work I had to do was apply a few coats of polyurethane to the bottom of the lid so moisture wouldn��t fuck up the wood.

They’re incredibly simple to put together. Everything you’d need to make one is generally laying around your house already. The biggest concern is the dirt itself since it could be harboring bacteria or pests that can be a headache at best or completely destroy all your hard work at worst. It’s a good idea to sterilize it but that shit is as simple as putting it into bakeware and cooking it. I use the baking method in an oven but you can also use a microwave so I’ve been told.

Both processes require you add enough water to make sure the materials are damp but not soaking wet since the steaming is a huge part of the sterilization process.

Originally I had some wood features inside the terrarium along with a nice little mushroom shelf for the air plant to sit on but my sterilization process for wood needs some work. The dirt sterilized fine but whatever fungus is in the wood I collected couldn’t be stopped with boiling or baking since a week after installing it they started to grow a fine hairlike fungus that aggressively coated everything it touched. Currently the air plant is just sitting on some rocks I put in there while I troubleshoot that issue.

The elf thyme and strawberry begonia are both plants I have in regular pots up in the attic so I just took cuttings and planted them.

All of my moss is collected locally, some of it from my own yard and I encourage it’s growth anywhere I feel it might flourish. Maybe one day with enough love and care my yard will consist entirely of violets, clover, and thick luxurious moss.

My partner feeds into my plant lust far too often and bought me the jewel orchid as a gift which I am forever grateful for. Photos do not do this plant justice. It almost looks like someone brushed gold sparkle mica powder delicately into the veins and the sunlight makes it glimmer like the skin of a killer Bella.

The long plant that I may or may not have correctly identified as an inch plant/wandering jew was gifted to me as a very small cutting so I had no idea how tall it would get so quickly. Like I said I only put this terrarium together a few weeks ago and the cuttings were level to the dirt layer. It’s probably not going to stay in here as it’s trying desperately to crawl out of the terrarium and honestly would probably look nicer in a hanging pot.

Neat textures on the leaves though.

Now the smaller glass terrarium was put together about a year ago and is very well established. I call it my baby terrarium because it’s filled with babies from some of my other plants.

The air plant in this terrarium is around 5 years old now, so hardly a baby anymore but she’s still a baby to me. That reddish color she’s getting on the tips of her leaves means she’s reaching maturity and will soon flower and make pups of her own. Air plants don’t require pollination to make pups so if your patient enough your air plants will give you babies.

This terrarium is made up of my orchid’s baby that took quite the effort to produce, which is a fun story for another day.

And a baby from one of the air plants.

Originally when I pulled this baby off the momma I paired it with a small chunk of wood I had collected from a morel mushroom hunt that had a neat moss growing on it in a open jar. Besides general maintenance and care I didn’t separate the two from each other for weeks at a time and in good bromeliad fashion the pup grew aerial roots she immediately used to anchor herself to the bark chunk. I cannot separate them without damaging the anchors not that I would ever have a reason to.

The roots on these plants don’t serve a parasitical purpose. They are legit just there to allow them to anchor into the tree crotches (lol crotch) so they don’t get blown to the ground during storms. Most air plants grow on host trees in the wild without the need for dirt. If you ever find yourself in the southern parts of North America/northern parts of South America look for them hanging out on tree branches and you may find a few growing wild in their natural habitats.

It does make the watering process quite comical since I can’t remove the wood and moss bit I have to chuck the whole thing into a jug of water for a few minutes. The moss doesn’t seem to mind.

We do this once a week, with spritzing from a spray bottle in between those waterings. Along with my gentle affirmation that they are both good babies are they’re growing so well.

And that concludes this long post about some of my plants. For now.

Meow if you’ll excuse me I must return to my other passions which is reylo and furry dongs.