#long saga short:

[siobhanromee]

this is like the exigence for Sigurd's quest

[anipgarden]

Things to Do that Aren't Related to Growing Plants

This is my second post in a series I’ll be making on how to increase biodiversity on a budget! I’m not an expert--just an enthusiast--but I hope something you find here helps! 

Some of us just don’t have much luck when it comes to growing plants. Some of us simply want to aim for other ways to help that don’t involve putting on gardening gloves. Maybe you've already got a garden, but you want to do more. No problem! There’s a couple of options you can look into that’ll help attract wildlife in your area without even having to bring out any shovels!

Provide a Water Source

Oftentimes when I see ‘add a water source’ in informational articles about improving your backyard for wildlife, it’s almost always followed by an image of a gorgeous backyard pond with a waterfall and rock lining that looks expensive to set up, difficult to maintain, and overall just… not feasible for me. Arguably, not feasible for a lot of people. And that’s okay! There’s still ways to add water in your garden for all kinds of creatures to enjoy!

There’s tons of ways to create watering stations for insects like bees and butterflies. A self refilling dog bowl can work wonders! Add some stones into the receiving tray for insects to land on or use to climb out, and you’ve got a wonderful drinking spot for all kinds of insects! You can also fill a saucer or other dish with small stones and fill it, though it’ll likely need refilling daily or even several times a day during hot times. 

I've seen people online use all kinds of things to make water features. Some go with terra-cotta pots, pebbles, and a cheap pump to get a small and simple fountain. Others use old tires, clay, and a hole in the ground to create an in-ground mini pond system. If all else fails, even a bucket or watertight box with a few plants in it can do the trick--though do be wary of mosquitoes if the water isn’t moving. In situations like these, a solar-powered fountain pump or bubbler are great for keeping the water moving while still making it a drinking option for wildlife (it not even more appealing for some)--and these items can be obtained fairly cheap online!

Bird baths are an option as well--a classic way to provide for birds in your area, they can be easy to find online or in a gardening store! The only downside is that a good, quality bird bath can be pricey up-front. However, a nice stone bird bath should last a long time, be easy to clean and refill, and be enjoyed by many birds! I’ve also seen tutorials on how to make your own with quickcrete! Bird baths will be a welcome sight to birds, as they provide a space for them to drink and bathe to regulate the oils in their feathers for flight and insulation. Putting a stone in the middle will also help insects to escape if they fall in, and provide a place to perch so they can get their own drink. You’ll want to change the water and clean the baths regularly--as often as once a week, if you can manage it.

If possible, it’s highly encouraged to fill and refill water features with rainwater instead of tap water. Tap water is often treated, so instead of using hoses or indoor kitchen water, collecting some rainwater is a great alternative. Collecting rainwater can be as simple as leaving cups, bins, or pots outside for awhile.

Butterflies and other creatures will also drink from mud puddles. If you can maintain an area of damp soil mixed with a small amount of salt or wood ash, this can be fantastic for them! Some plants also excel at storing water within their leaves and flowers (bromeliads come to mind), making them an excellent habitat for amphibians as well as a drinking spot for insects and birds.

Bird Feeders and Bird Houses

Some of the fancy, decorated bird feeders are expensive, but others can be pretty low-cost--I got my bird feeder from Lowe’s for around 10 dollars, and a big bag of birdseed was around another 10 dollars and has lasted several refills! If you don’t mind occasionally buying more birdseed, a single birdfeeder can do a lot to attract and support local birds! If you’re handy, have some spare wood, and have or can borrow some tools, you may even be able to find instructions online to make your own feeder. You may not even need wood to do so! Even hummingbird feeders, I’ve found, are quick to attract them, as long as you keep them stocked up on fresh sugar water in the spring and summer!

An important note with bird feeders is that you have to make sure you can clean them regularly. Otherwise, they may become a vector for disease, and we want to avoid causing harm whenever possible. Also keep an ear out and track if there’s known outbreaks of bird diseases in your area. If local birding societies and scientists are advising you take your birdfeeders down for awhile, by all means, do it!

Bird houses are naturally paired with bird feeders as biodiversity promoters for backyard spaces, and it makes sense. Having bird houses suited to birds in your area promotes them to breed, raise their young, disperse seeds, and generally engage in your surrounding environment. Setting them up takes careful selection or construction, preparation, and some patience, but sooner or later you might get some little homemakers! Keep in mind, you will need to clean your birdhouses at least once a year (if not once per brood) to make sure they’re ready and safe for birds year after year--you wouldn’t want to promote disease and parasites, after all. But they could be a valuable option for your landscape, whether you purchase one or construct your own! 

Again, do make sure you're putting up the right kind of boxes for the right kinds of birds. Bluebird boxes are some I see sold most commonly, but in my area I believe they're not even all that common--a nesting box for cardinals or chickadees would be far more likely to see success here! And some birds don't even nest in boxes--robins and some other birds are more likely to use a nesting shelf, instead! Research what birds live in your area, take note of any you see around already, and pick a few target species to make homes for!

Solitary Bee Houses

A bee house or bee hotel is a fantastic way to support the solitary bees in your area! For a few dollars and some annual cleaning, you can buy a solitary bee house from most big box nurseries. Alternatively, you can make one at home, with an array of materials you may already have lying around! You can even make them so that they’ll benefit all kinds of insects, and not necessarily just bees.

Though you don’t even necessarily have to break out the hammer and nails, buy a ton of bricks, or borrow a staple gun. Making homes for tunneling bees can be as simple as drilling holes in a log and erecting it, or drilling holes in stumps and dead trees on your property. You might even attract some woodpeckers by doing this!

Providing Nesting Area

There are tons of different kinds of bees, and they all make different kinds of homes for themselves. Not all of them make big cavity hives like honey bees, or will utilize a solitary bee house. Bumblebees live in social hives underground, particularly in abandoned holes made by rodents--some others nest in abandoned bird nests, or cavities like hollow logs, spaces between rocks, compost piles, or unoccupied birdhouses. Borer, Ground, and Miner bees dig into bare, dry soil to create their nests. Sparsely-vegetated patches of soil in well-drained areas are great places to find them making their nests, so providing a similar habitat somewhere in the garden can encourage them to come! I do talk later in this document about mulching bare soil in a garden--however, leaving soil in sunny areas and south-facing slopes bare provides optimal ground nesting habitat. Some species prefer to nest at the base of plants, or loose sandy soil, or smooth-packed and flat bare ground. They’ve also been known to take advantage of soil piles, knocked over tree roots, wheel ruts in farm roads, baseball diamonds and golf course sand traps. You can create nesting ground by digging ditches or creating nesting mounds in well-drained, open, sunny areas with sandy or silty soil. However, artificially constructed ground nests may only have limited success. 

Providing Alternative Pollinator Foods

Nectar and pollen aren’t the only foods sought out by some pollinators! Some species of butterflies are known to flock to overripe fruit or honey water, so setting these out can be an excellent way to provide food to wildlife. You may want to be cautious about how you set these out, otherwise it can help other wildlife, like ants or raccoons. Butterflies may also drop by to visit a sponge in a dish of lightly salted water. 

Bat Houses and Boxes

Big or small, whether they support five bats or five hundred, making bat boxes and supporting local bats is a great way to boost biodiversity! Not only will they eat mosquitoes and other pest species, but you may also be able to use the guano (bat droppings) as fertilizer! Do be careful if you choose to do that though--I’ve never had the opportunity to, so do some research into how strong it is and use it accordingly.

Provide Passageway Points

If you want your area to be more accessible for creatures that can’t fly or climb fences, allowing or creating access points can be an excellent way to give them a way in and out. Holes in the bottom of walls or fences can be sheltered with plants to allow animals through. 

In a somewhat similar manner, if you’re adding a water fixture, it’s important to provide animals a way to get into and out of the pond--no way in, and they can’t use the water. No way out, and they may drown. Creating a naturalistic ramp out of wood beams or sticks, or stepped platforms out of bricks, stones, or logs can do the trick. 

Get or Keep Logs and Brush Piles

I’ve already mentioned logs a good handful of times so far in this post. To be used as access ramps, or as nesting areas for solitary bees. But they have value as much more than that! Logs on the ground provide shelter for all kinds of animals, especially depending on size--anything from mice, reptiles, and amphibians to things like turkey vultures and bears will use fallen logs as shelter. Inside of a decaying log, there’s a lot of humidity, so amphibians are big fans of them--meanwhile, the upper sides of them can be used as sunning platforms by things like lizards. Other animals can also use the insides of logs as nest sites and hiding places from predators too big to fit inside. Fungi, spiders, beetles, termites, ants, grubs, worms, snails, slugs, and likely much more can be found inside rotting logs, using the rotting wood as food sources or nesting places. They can then provide food for mammals, amphibians, reptiles, and birds. They can also be regarded as a landmark or territory marker as wildlife get more familiar with your space.

So how do you get logs for cheap? Try Chip Drop! I talk about them more in a future post, but you can mark saying that you’d like logs in your drop, so they’ll give you any they have! In fact, you may even get a drop faster if you're willing to accept some logs. You may also be able to approach arborists you see working in your area and ask for logs. There may also be local online listings for people selling logs for cheap, or just trying to get rid of them. If there’s land development going on near you, you may be able to snag logs from trees they cut down to make space. Do keep in mind, you don’t need to have huge gigantic logs laying around your property to make an impact--even small logs can help a lot.

If possible, creating and leaving brush piles on the edge of your property can be a great boost to biodiversity--even if you may not see the wildlife using it. They’ll provide shelter from weather and predators, and lower portions are cool and shady for creatures to avoid the hot sun. The upper layers can be used as perch sites and nest sites for song birds, while lower layers are resting sites for amphibians and reptiles, and escape sites for many mammals. As the material decays, they also attract insects, and as such they’ll attract insect-eating animals too. As more small animals find refuse in your brush pile, their predators will be attracted to them as well. Owls, hawks, foxes, and coyotes are known to visit brush piles to hunt. Making a brush pile can be as simple as piling branches and leaves into a mound, as big or as small as you want. You can even use tree stumps or old fence posts near the base, and keep stacking on plant trimmings and fallen branches. Do note that you don’t want to do this near anything like a fire pit.

Don't forget, with all of these, your mileage may vary for any variation of reasons, so don't worry if you can't take all of even any of these actions! Even just talking about them with other people may inspire someone else to put out a bat box, or leave a few logs out for wildlife!

That's the end of this post! My next post is gonna be about ways to get seeds and plants as cheaply as possible. For now, I hope this advice helps! Feel free to reply with any questions, success stories, or anything you think I may have forgotten to add in!

[peaches2217]

Perhaps some 🤒 for Luisley?

🤒 - Needing to be looked after

Overstimulated

~~~

The click of the front door opening, muffled though it was through the walls of his bedroom, brought Luigi out of his self-induced trance. That would be Mario. Back so soon?

When there was no call of “Weegee, sono tornato!”, the dread fluttering within Luigi’s stomach beat its wings even harder, exacerbated by the perpetual overstimulation that buzzed throughout his limbs and core. A silent Mario was rarely a good thing. That usually meant he was angry or deeply saddened or so thoroughly baffled that he had to retreat into his thoughts to make any sense of his own feelings, and given the context under which he had left the house…

What did he say? Was he upset? Those thoughts tumbled through Luigi’s head in a maddening rush, and as terrified as he was of the answer, he needed to know. As unusually light footsteps padded towards his room, he cocooned himself beneath his blankets, as if their soft fabric could cushion the blow of whatever he was about to hear, and steeled himself.

“Ch-che ha detto?” he called out to his brother. “Era… arrabbiato?”

The voice that responded was not Mario’s.

“Ah! There you are!”

Luigi’s blood froze within his veins.

He tossed the blankets aside and sat up just as the door was thrown open, and the sudden slam of wood against wood sent a jolt through his body that made him clap his hands over his ears. The all too familiar figure in the doorway, his bold chartreuse and white and gold standing in stark contrast to the cottage’s cozy interior, jolted as well.

“Commoners’ abodes,” Peasley muttered beneath his breath, eyeing the door with a mix of contempt and bemusement. “Why must your doors be so ludicrously lightweight?”

The disdain in his eyes might normally draw a chuckle from Luigi — he could practically see Peasley storming into the office of Toad Town’s primary contractor and causing a scene, because how dare the great heroes of the Mushroom Kingdom be given a home constructed of anything less than marble and solid gold — but today he flinched away from it. 

This wasn’t happening. Surely this wasn’t happening.

Remembering all too suddenly the state that he was in, Luigi dove beneath the covers once more. Maybe he hadn’t been seen. Maybe he could still save face. Maybe the fabric could swallow him whole and put an end to this nightmare before it began. “Wh-what are you doing here?”

“What am I doing?” Peasley repeated, his tone thick with mock-offense. “My love, what wouldn’t I be doing here? Is it not one’s most sacred duty to tend to their loved ones in times of need?”

His voice came nearer as he spoke, and beneath his shroud of cotton and down, Luigi gulped. His pulse throbbed in his ears, his heart threatening to rip through bone and sinew right out of his chest. “Please don’t worry,” he said, though his voice shook far more than he would’ve liked. “I— I’m sorry I couldn’t make it today! It’s just, y’know—”

“‘Shroom fever’, correct?” Peasley drew the question out, his voice calm, but laced with something that sounded like amusement.

He didn’t buy it. Immediately Luigi’s throat tightened, and he inhaled sharply, willing himself not to start tearing up.

He expected his blankets to be pried away any moment now, for Peasley to expose his unkempt, lying face and see him for the great big mess that he truly was. The mattress dipped beside where he was curled into a pathetic heap, and his muscles tensed, preparing for the worst.

But it never came.

“Yes, that’s what the red one told me.” The amusement was still there, but now it sounded softer, more affectionate than accusatory. “I must say, he’s not too terribly convincing a liar. He would have held no qualms in seeing me to your bedside if you were ill, but he couldn’t give me a good answer for why this time was different.”

Luigi winced. He hasn’t considered that.

“You can’t tell him what’s going on,” he’d pleaded to his brother half an hour earlier, arms hugging his chest tightly in a futile attempt to stave off the effects of sensory overload. “Just, like… tell him I’m sick. Tell him I’ve got shroom fever or something!”

Mario, though sympathetic, had been disapproving. “He’s gonna have to know eventually. Come on, you know as well as I do that it won’t change anything.”

“But what if it does? What if he thinks I’m pathetic?” 

“Then he never deserved you in the first place,” was Mario’s response. 

Of course, that answer brought Luigi very little comfort. He felt bad enough when this happened, when his oddly-wired brain decided for no good reason that all sensory input was suddenly a thousand times more overwhelming than what he was used to, that getting out of bed was just too great a struggle as a result. For it to happen on a day he was supposed to meet up with the love of his life? The thought that he might lose said love for something so pathetic as this? Luigi couldn’t even begin to comprehend the ease with which Mario suggested that might be okay.

Peasley chuckled now, the sound resonating from deep within his chest. “Your fraternal devotion to one another will never cease to amaze me. No matter my insistence, I couldn’t drag an answer from him. He merely said that my right to know was entirely up to you.”

Frustration and gratitude grappled for superiority in Luigi’s mind. Of course Mario would never go spilling Luigi’s business. But he would have allowed it just this once, just to save himself some heartache.

If he was going to lose Peasley’s respect, he would have preferred it to happen from a distance. He didn’t want this front-row seat to his own undoing. The air beneath his flimsy fortress was hot and stale, and he felt sweat beading at his hairline.

“…It’s nothing,” he finally attempted, meekly.

“Hmm. Well, it’s something to you, and thus it’s something to me.” A rustling of fabric, and then the lightest of indents in the mattress next to his head. Peasley’s hand. “Do you mourn, my love? Might this be the anniversary of some tragedy? Or perhaps you’ve lost something dear to you?”

Not yet. Even thinking as much constricted Luigi’s airway once more, so he shook his head in response.

Peasley hummed again. “Might this have to do with your condition, then? Your anxiety, or your… awe-tee-sum, was it called?”

“Autism,” Luigi corrected automatically, and instantly he flinched at his own haste. “It’s… it’s nothing, I promise. It’s dumb.”

“Ah. So that’s a yes.”

Peasley still didn’t move. He sat perfectly still, his hand never once inching closer, an invitation that Luigi was welcome to accept or decline as he saw fit. He wanted nothing more than to reach out into the still air and take that hand, hold onto it with all his might, have some sort of solid proof that he wouldn’t be abandoned in spite of his brain telling him such an outcome was inevitable.

“…What else did Mario say?” he ventured instead, because Peasley had never been the sort to keep his hands to himself, and he had a sneaking suspicion his elder twin had something to do with that, too.

“He said I would do well to speak quietly and refrain from touching you without your permission,” Peasley confessed, “lest I would have scooped you into my arms the moment I heard your voice.” Another chuckle, and this time Luigi almost had the heart to join in. “I confess, I still don’t quite understand. But I would like to help. Will you acquaint me with your struggles, my dear?” 

Acquaint me with your struggles. Now this was the phrase that bounced about Luigi’s skull, because it made no sense whatsoever. They were supposed to be on a date together. They were supposed to be out and about, enjoying food and nature and being a normal couple (as normal a couple as a human nobody and a Beanish prince could be, anyway). But instead Luigi was cooped up at home, too overstimulated to function like a regular personal, and Peasley had every right to be upset with him for balking on their plans and being a waste of oxygen and organic matter.

And for some reason only the Star Spirits could attest to, he wasn’t. Literal royalty sat at Luigi’s side, addressing him with fondness and requesting understanding of his inadequacies. 

That was reason enough for Luigi to untangle himself from his blankets and pull them down, just enough to peek up and ensure the creature beside him was, in fact, not some fantastical fabrication from deep within his own fantasies.

“There you are.” Deep brown eyes beamed at him, revered him as a god among men, and for a moment Luigi felt that maybe he really was. “I feared I might not get to see that beautiful visage at all today.”

A swirl of conflicting emotions bubbled up within Luigi: confusion, joy, sadness, shame, filling every crevice of his body and compelling him to act. Hesitantly, he pulled the covers all the way down; the shedding of those protective layers made the buzzing in his limbs intensify, and the fresh air sent a chill through him, but breathing it in felt refreshing, even renewing. He filled his lungs, reached out, and accepted Peasley’s invitation at last.

The prince’s hand was pleasantly cool to the touch, and just as he had hoped, its stable presence calmed his racing heart. He tightened his grasp and tugged in order to pull himself up and scoot into an upright position. His head spun and his mouth was dry, but Peasley was here, and he would at least hear him out, and the loving gaze he fixed Luigi with gave him the courage to explain.

“Sometimes,” he began, “I… I mean, half the time, n-nothing’s wrong, everything’s fine, but for some reason the world is too loud and too bright a-and everything… hurts. It’s all just…” He balled his free hand into a fist and clenched as tightly as he could, and that at least lessened the buzz in the corresponding arm. “...too much.”

“Is that so?” Peasley said. There was genuine curiosity in his tone, sympathy in his eyes. “And today is such a day?”

Luigi nodded. “And I-I promise I tried fighting past it today. I didn’t wanna let you down, but…”

“Let me down? Luigi, I would never ask you to exceed your limitations for my sake.”

“But my limitations are—” He swallowed as well as he could, given his tongue felt woolen in his mouth. “Don’t you think it’s… don’t you think I’m kinda… kinda pathetic?”

The question gave Peasley pause, and where Luigi half-expected a denial, he was given only silence. But this silence wasn’t tense or uncertain; Peasley touched his index finger to his chin and cast his eyes aside, lips puckering and brows furrowing, the charmingly goofy expression of a Bean deep in thought.

He was… he was actually giving it serious consideration. And somehow that made his answer mean so much more than an immediate reassurance would have.

“…Not particularly, no,” he ultimately decided. “There are days where even I, skillful as I am, don’t feel quite up to par, and oftentimes there’s no good reason for it. Would you think less of me for such a thing?”

“Wha—? O-of course not!”

“And I think no less of you in turn.” Drawing Luigi’s hand to his lips, he pressed a tender kiss to his knuckles, his well-moisturized lips soft against the tight and dry skin.  “Thank you for teaching me more about yourself, Greenie. I loathe to see you struggle, but I’m grateful that you would share those struggles with me.”

Once more Luigi’s heart raced, but no longer with fearful anxiety. Was this really possible? He was so certain he’d ruined Peasley’s day, so certain the repercussions would haunt him for years to come, and yet here he was, showering him with love and accepting him at one of his lower lows.

This wasn’t happening. Surely it wasn’t happening. 

But it was, and the relief and gratitude and affection that flowed through his perpetually overstimulated body made Luigi want to slump forward, fall into Peasley’s arms, wait out the unpleasantness in the safety of his embrace.

At the same time, the thought of so much physical contact… he shuddered and relaxed his balled fist. Maybe holding hands was as much as he could manage today. But suddenly the thought of being alone again terrified him. “Will— will you stay? I-I don’t know where Mario’s at but I’m sure he wouldn’t mind—”

The smile Peasley flashed was both pleased and knowing. “Oh, rest assured, he’s not too far. He said he’d remain in the living room while we spoke.” Leaning in, he added beneath his breath: “Though I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s been listening in all this time. You know you have an excellent brother, do you not?”

At that, Luigi laughed, a mousey but authentic laugh. “You have an excellent brother” was Peasley Code for “Your brother has implicitly made threats against me that could have him declared a war criminal in the Beanbean Kingdom because he cares far more for your well being than his own.”  Mario trusted Peasley and the two were good friends, sure, but he could get… rather intense when it came to his beloved little brother’s heart.

“Sorry about him,” Luigi whispered back.

“Rest assured, I’m happy for it! The more people looking after you, the better.” Peasley leaned back once more and stood, but he didn’t let go of Luigi’s hand. “Would you like some water?” he asked at his original volume. “And perhaps some lip balm? You’ve been licking and smacking your lips this entire time, you know.”

Luigi’s tongue darted between his lips automatically at that statement, and he realized Peasley was correct; not only were his throat and mouth still dry, but his lips were cracked. A bad habit of his, admittedly, and one he was never conscious of until someone else pointed it out. “Please. But—” He paused then, because making requests of a prince still didn’t feel quite right.

Thankfully, he didn’t need to make the request. Peasley gave his hand one more tight squeeze before dropping it and answering the silent question aloud.

“I’ll be only a moment,” he promised as he backed out of the room. “Nothing in all the world could convince me to leave your side, my love. You have my word.”

And though he still trembled in discomfort as his boyfriend took his leave, Luigi relaxed against the headboard, closing his eyes and sighing softly, because he knew it was the truth. Come hell or high water, full-functioning days or overload days, he knew now more certainly than ever that Peasley had no intention of abandoning him.

And he had to admit, that was a nice feeling.

[fanfic-lover-girl]

Future Trunks' Appearances

Future Trunks to me is one of the hottest male characters in DBZ! Also he has been shown to have long and short hair. So I wanted to do my own personal ranking of Trunks' outfits (excluding his looks in the History of Trunks special).

Number 5: Short hair, battle armor

This has to be Trunks' worst look. It's not ugly but it just looks a bit ridiculous to me. He looks a bit dorky, to be honest like he's playing dress up. Especially since he looks so boyish.

Number 4: Long hair, battle armor

I think Trunks looks way better in his armour when he has longer hair. All those shots in the Cell games where Trunks' hair is waving in the wind are so gorgeous. Made him look pretty. Maybe the longer hair complements his muscles better by not making his head seem so small. I love this look but I hate how Trunks is so freakishly huge for a good part of his time wearing it. The armour does not really feel like Trunks either. I think his Earthling clothes fit him better.

Number 3: Long hair, casual clothes (Pre cell games)

I had to add this because Trunks just looks so cute in this simple outfit. His face is these shots is super soft, making him look a bit innocent. Love it!

Number 2: Long jacket sleeves (Cell saga, Broly movie)

I can't decide between long hair and short hair Trunks for this look. Sometimes the animation makes short hair Trunks look a bit dorky though. But this is Future Trunks' iconic look. No one else can pull off this fashion disaster (coming from someone who knows squat about clothes lol).

Number 1: Long hair, short jacket sleeves (Bojack movie)

Just look at him!!! Talk about leaving the franchise in style! The dude's muscles are so huge at this point that Trunks ditches sleeves altogether. Gosh he's hot :''). From what I have seen, many people agree this is Trunks' best look.

[adaricruz]

the swans

[mozart-the-meerkitten]

me when I post a chapter in an established fanfic crossing over two massive, active fandoms that I thought had amassed a following considering it has 35 bookmarks on ao3: *crickets* *nothing for days*

me when I post a new Wingfeather short story: *immediately gets 3 kudos from guests* *has three comments within a week* *gets ten more kudos in that time*

Little fandoms are more grateful, I guess. Anyway if you've ever left me a comment or kudos on my Wingfeather fanfics just know that I love you 💜

[risingsouls]

//Perhaps you are blind, but I did explain to you how my OC spent her entire life training to get to where she is today, and I even showed you her profile!

[You're not helping your case by being rude. But you've never shown me your profile. The only thing I know is you were shadowbanned from what you told me.

And once again, telling me she's had a lifetime of training doesn't help her against Vegeta. You won't give me a basis to go on for how strong she is, and tossing in "she suddenly did x!" doesn't cut it when I've asked you for some kind of comparison a thousand times.

This is your last warning: drop the obsession with fighting Vegeta or any of my muses at this point. If you come off of anon and have a written out bio, I'll consider it. But I'm not fighting you on anon. Get over it, move on, and stop sending these whiny anons. Keep going and I'll just block you altogether.]

[evebestt]

I LOVE Eve's new hair and I think the style really suits her 😍 ... but like, as soon as I saw how short it was, I immediately felt like there was a fic-idea in this change of hair. Seeing how immaculate Farah's hair always looks, I'm sure she puts a lot of effort and love in her haircare and style and she probably prides herself on it, or like values it as one of her favourite features (I mean, who wouldn't with hair like that). So what if she had to/ someone made her cut it off, or, for even more angst, someone just cut it off against her will? I imagine she'd feel completely insecure afterwards and maybe would even try to hide it, and it would take a good deal of reassurance to make her feel better about it and let her know she still looks breathtakingly beautiful, even with shorter hair ❤️

Hi hon! Thank you for the prompt!! I love Eve’s new short hair too, but I have to admit I do miss her long hair, styled like Farah’s (some of the most gorgeous hair I’ve seen). So I was very intrigued to think about how she would react to it being cut.

Is this incredibly vague as to why there’s a battle? Yeah absolutely. Do I care? No I wanted to get to the good hurt/comfort part 😂 I hope you all enjoy

Read here on AO3 or below. As always, send me an ask or a message to submit a prompt.

Mild warning for descriptions of violence in the beginning.

The Shooting Stars

The battle raged around you, Alfean Specialists and fairies spread across the lawn, trying to force the opposing forces back into the forest from which they came. But it seemed as though everywhere you looked there was another skirmish, another fight, and you were beginning to lose hope as to how the small Alfean forces were going to drive back so many.

You held out your hand as a tall, muscular man ran towards you, willing the earth to swallow his feet before he reached you. Slowed by your magic, you slashed him with your dagger, and when he fell you turned to meet the next opponent.

It was another man, more burly to the other one’s muscular, but still he moved nimbly for his size. You summoned earth again, but he managed to step through it as though it were nothing, leaving you stunned as you stepped back away from his reach. You summoned water and let it mix with the earth to form a pit of mud, the man sinking in up to his chest, and pulling the water away until the earth hardened again, you left him to his fate.

Panting, you turned not to find another opponent, but Farah standing across the lawn, hand outstretched as she threw power out at her opponent, but too late to do anything about the man who grabbed her from behind, one hand gripping her ponytail and the other wrapped around her waist. You tried to run, legs lurching forward, but then you saw the glint of a dagger in her hand only a second before she plunged it into the man’s thigh. He grunted, his knee buckling slightly, but he regained his balance quickly, seeming to just tighten his hold on Farah.

They’re so strong, you thought in dismay, terror seizing your body as you watched Farah struggle. How are we going to win if a dagger to the thigh can’t even loosen their grip?

You lurched forward again, trying to move quick even as your legs were unsteady – you had to get to Farah, had to try, had to save her – but then the man reached for his hip and pulled out a dagger from a hidden sheath, his hand still twisted in her hair. There was a scream, and only belatedly did you realize it was your own, watching powerless as he palmed the hilt.

Then there was the glint of a second dagger – Farah’s this time, but instead of reaching back to stab the man, she blocked his arm before he could slice her throat. They struggled, the man trying to force her arm down with sheer brute strength. She resisted, but you could see her arm quivering, and you knew she wouldn’t be able to hold him for long.

She twisted her arm, so quick that you almost missed it, and then with one quick move, she forced her arm back and drew the blade through her own hair.

The man stumbled back as he lost his grip, and before he could charge forward again Farah had turned and plunged the dagger into his chest.

He stumbled back again, his mouth open in pain and surprise for a long moment, before his knees buckled and he fell to the ground dead, his hand still gripping the long, blonde lock of Farah’s hair.

~~~~~~~~~

It felt like a miracle when Alfea finally fell silent – the enemy driven away and the campus and the students safe.

And then came the aftermath.

Medics rushed, treating everything from shock to serious wounds (though you felt it another miracle that the medics assured you no one would die). A unit from the Solarian army came in helping to secure the boundaries of the school – and then the questioning came. Captains, generals, bureaucrats, all asking the same questions over and over, well into the early morning as you and the other faculty of Alfea did your best to explain to them just what had happened that night.

But after every question had been answered and re-answered, after the infirmary had been emptied except for the few who needed to stay overnight, and after the quiet fell over the grounds again, you finally got to go home.

You found Farah in the main hall of Alfea, , her back straight and stiff as she stared out at the battle-scarred grounds. You touched her arm, and she turned to look at you, blinking as though coming out of a vision, before she slowly nodded at you, and then together you slowly stumbled back to your quarters, the glow of pre-dawn giving you just enough light to make your way.

You moved straight to the bedroom you shared, shedding shoes and jackets along the way, not bothering to put them away. In the room you flopped down on the bed, groaning as you sat for what felt like the first time in days.

“Gods,” you murmured, not knowing what else there was to say. “It’s been a long night.”

Farah was quiet, and confused, you looked over to see her still standing stock still in the doorframe, staring into the vanity’s mirror on the opposite wall.

“Farah?” you asked slowly, suddenly worried she’d been more hurt in the battle than she let on.

“I…” she trailed off, and then reached up with a trembling hand, touching the ends of her hair that fell around her neck. “In all the chaos, I forgot…”

She trailed off again. And then when her lip trembled, you felt your heart crack.

Standing, you padded over to her, guiding her to the vanity and coaxing her to sit. You let out a soft murmur, and gentle enough as though not to startle her, you ran your hand through her hair, scratching her scalp to try and comfort.

Her eyes filled with tears, and she shook her head before they could fall, letting out a wry laugh.

“It’s just silly, isn’t it? Crying over hair.” She ran her hand through it again, and her lower lip trembled again when it stopped so short. “It will grow back, and what’s more important is that everyone is alive and well.”

But there was such sadness in her eyes, a grief you could see she was desperately trying to hide and push away, so much that it made your heart clench. You ran your fingers along her scalp again, your other hand coming to squeeze her shoulder gently, trying to soothe. “It will grow back, yes, but you’re allowed to mourn, too. Just because this is fixable doesn’t mean you can’t be upset.”

She nodded, eyes still filled with tears, and your heart clenched again. She’d never said it aloud, but you knew how much pride she took in her hair — the time she spent caring for it, morning and evening, the elegant styles she put it in every day that were almost as central to her as her personality. She’d had long hair for as long as you could remember — as long as she could remember, she told you, and you couldn’t imagine how exposed she must feel without the armor her carefully composed appearance provided.

But then again, there was no reason her short hair couldn’t become a part of that appearance.

“Can I try something?” you blurted, Farah looking at you curiously in the mirror, blinking away the tears.

She nodded, and reaching for her brush, you slowly worked it through her hair, removing the remaining pins. Then picking up the bottle of mousse, you squeezed a bit onto your palm and worked it through, then carefully parted it to one side. It took a few tries to get it to stay, but finally it did, and it had the volume you’d hoped it would. Then you gathered the hair at her neck up into a sweep and pinned it with an elegant comb she had on the vanity, pulling out a few curls to frame her face.

“It’s not perfect,” you said as you toyed with her hair, pushing it to lay a bit more neatly. “We’d probably have to trim it to give it a little better shape, but what do you think?”

You couldn’t read her expression for a long moment, but then she met your eyes in the mirror, and a small smile slowly spread across her mouth. “I… feel more like myself than I have since this dreadful day started.”

You let out the breath you didn’t know you’d been holding, relief coursing through you now that Farah’s eyes didn’t hold such grief.

She turned in her chair to face you, bringing her hand up to cup your cheek. “I had been through many battles before I met you. But how I survived the aftermath without you, I do not know.”

You smiled, then turned your head to kiss her palm. “You survived because you’re strong, and determined to continue on despite it all.” You leaned down to press a kiss to the top of her head then, linking your arms around her neck as you straightened. “But you don’t have to do it alone anymore.”

“No,” she agreed, leaning in to rest her head on your chest. “Thank the gods I don’t.”

It was a long time before you could let go of her, the solid, warm feel of her a comfort to the visions of her grabbed by that man still flashing through your mind. But eventually the adrenaline of the night began to wear off, leaving you nearly shaking with exhaustion, and you had to step back, pulling her towards the bed.

“Come on.”

She followed you, and uncaring of your dirty clothing or the mousse in her hair, you both collapsed, sighing as you finally lay vertical.

“You know,” you murmured, almost too tired to know what you were saying, “you’re quite rakish with the short hair.”

She snorted, a noise you rarely heard from her until she was over exhausted. “The rakish Headmistress?”

You hummed, eyes closed and half asleep already. “To me. But I’m allowed to think that.”

She chuckled and snuggled closer to you, her nose bumping yours as she settled in. "Thank you."

You opened your eyes a little, seeing the gratitude in hers, and you smiled, reaching up and brushing back a lock of her hair. "If there's anyone who looks good with long and short hair, it's you. You'll always be one of the most gorgeous women I've ever seen."

She smiled sweetly, a light blush on her cheeks, and with that in mind you finally drifted off, the worries of what tomorrow would bring far away from the warmth of your bed and Farah besides you.

[carnageacorn]

if the barber is mean to me i will cry at him

[callilouv]

NOOO THE DETAILS OF MY DREAM R FADING FROM MY MIND IT WAS LITERALLY A WHOLE ASS STORY

[that--unusual-person]

ive come to accept the fact that whenever i try to do a serious piece of art i try too hard and it looks bad. but when im shitposting i let loose and have a fuckall good time and it will always worth every second of my life because i enjoy it while it makes people laugh

[vyla-and-the-pods]

if you want more from the creators of w359, there's time:bombs (short, 3 ep mini-series about a bomb disposal squad), zero hours (7 ep anthology about the end(s) of the world, each episode is set 99 years after the previous one), and unseen (10 ep (+ a few specials) urban fantasy anthology) :D

Ah thank you so much for the recs anon!! I've listened to a little bit of zero hours and I stared listening to time:bombs on my commute today and I love it!! I haven't heard of unseen before I'll def have to check it out!!

[scalproie]

I have a whole essay about vegeta in me but my phone is at 9% so youre all spared right now

[zscribez]

okay i managed to draft a small little fic vignette that is almost 2000 words and i don't feel completely terrible about what I have so far

[brainrot-stitch]

Important question

:3

[cuppatealove]

Well, if 2022 was the year of me not quite achieving anything, 2023 is going to be the year of ticking off all the projects I started which got interrupted by life being lame. Starting with this quilt.