#spirit safety

[guildofscribes]

Humans are Weird: Caution and Lack Thereof.

Humans are not incredibly “tough” insofar as physical makeup goes in this universe, but humans ARE known for stubbornness/tenacity/whatever-you-want-to-call-it, and general acceptance of their bad decision-making abilities, which calls for measures to keep their unwieldy meat-sacks mostly alive and generally functioning.  When any of another species boards Human transports, they are always blown away by the safety precautions posted everywhere, the failsafes, the evacuation maps tucked everywhere, the plethora of escape pods and emergency buoys, life support systems and backup life support systems... not that the rest of the galaxies don't have safety measures and emergency failsafes, but they don't have as many as Humanity seems to have agreed on putting literally everywhere. Which is a bit odd when one takes into consideration that their vessels are literally pressurized vessels propelled by controlled explosions, the destruction of matter, or literal world-killing substances that are pressurized and used for fuel. Humans will hurl themselves into space using some of the most dangerous methods logged in the history of the universe, to the great endangerment of their lives and those in proximity of their craft if some system fails...

...but they have also planned for and created multiple options for continued survival should any thing indeed go wrong, along a wide variety of potential catastrophes.

To every science-oriented, non-Terran species in the galaxy, this “will to live” and “radiation of dumbass” is an ongoing study. Mainly because the humans keep spreading, and nobody knows just what to do with them. 

[alwaysbewoke]

AGAIN?!?!?

[commsroom]

mission launch for minkowski's crew was in march 2013. ostensibly, they were put through some mission training, though the extent and effectiveness of that is kinda dubious. pagliacci takes place in 2013, exact date unspecified. but it has to be early. let's say... mid-january.

eiffel thought he had ruined the rest of his life before he'd even turned thirty. he probably spent his thirtieth birthday in jail. and then... for some number of days, weeks, maybe even a couple of months, he exists in this state of, well. of limbo. cutter gets him released from prison, and flies him out to canaveral. he doesn't speak to his family, obviously. they don't want to hear from him, and don't even know. he's still a prisoner, but no one around him knows that, either. at some point in this time frame, goddard first exposes him to decima, before hilbert even knows who he is. and he lives wherever goddard is accommodating him, and he has to go about his day-to-day life in this transitory state between a 26-year sentence he'd just started really grappling with, and the very immediate reality he's now about to be sent into deep space instead.

they give him a certain amount of freedom; it's not like he can go anywhere. he doesn't do much, anyway, is not feeling appreciative for his momentary second chance at life, given the circumstances. he blows off most of his mission training, and they're surprisingly lax about that, which in retrospect probably should have been a sign. he sits around and smokes, mostly. gets takeout food. but he goes to see movies, as much as he can. as much as he wants to punish himself, he needs to do something, or he'll go crazy, and it's not like he'll get a chance to see a movie in a long time. he was already resigning himself to maybe never going to a movie theater again.

the film adaptation of les misérables was released in december 2012. it's entirely feasible it could've been one of the movies he saw in this time period. i think the idea adds some resonance to his shared reference with minkowski in the finale, at least, in the way it pulls things full circle. intentionally or otherwise. and, incidentally, the 2012 film adaptation of les misérables, a story that notably features an ex-convict protagonist seeking redemption, was released on december 25th. call that serendipity.

[hellishgayliath]

a bit in love with @cokowiii 's spirits reborn au *v* (cali belongs to them, he's so cute n smol)

[ambermotta]

How to not Kill your Crystals — Crystal Safety

How often have you looked up online and saw "to cleanse your crystals, use moonwater!", or "bury your crystals!"?

And how often did you hear of someone whose crystal ended up bleached, or entirely dissolved? (I'm looking at you, selenite)

Long post ahead but it's worth it, I promise

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Introduction

There are many methods of cleansing and charging crystals, but what beginner witches and pagans may not realize is that not every method is appropriate for every crystal.

While some methods are generally more harmless than others, if you don't know some of your crystal's basic properties, you might end up damaging them or even yourself!

So in this post I'll go through some general considerations and then list some cleansing & charging methods: the failproof, the ones you have to consider crystal safety, and the possibly harmful ones. Lastly, I'll list what you should NEVER do with your crystals.

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So what's wrong with Moonwater?

There is nothing wrong with moon or sun energy itself. What can be dangerous is Water and Sunlight. It's all about physics and chemistry.

Water

Some crystals dissolve or release toxic chemicals in water. Some examples are Selenite & and Desert Rose (which is a type of Selenite), and Hematite. That means you should never leave them near water, humidity, wash them, or put them inside any elixirs.

Sidenote on elixirs: if you are going to ingest any type of water that has been in contact with crystals, you MUST do a through research to make sure they don't release ANY chemicals in the water.

Plus you can infuse water with crystal energy without them touching the water.

by celestialearthminerals

The Sun

As for Sunlight, it can bleach your crystals and alter the coloration over time. The heat can also greatly damage them! An example of crystals that shouldn't be exposed to the sun is quartz. Pretty much all kinds, including amethyst and citrine.

Fun fact: burned amethyst clusters are very often sold as citrine. They have a burned yellow/brown/orange aspect to them, like in this image.

Real citrine has lighter yellow and orange tones.

burned amethyst – fake citrine

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Fail proof Cleansing & Charging

Nothing can go wrong with them when it comes to crystal safety. The worst that can happen is performing them poorly, which could affect cleansing and charging effectiveness.

Smoke

There's no way to go wrong here. You can light an incense or burn herbs of your choosing, pick up a crystal, and cleanse them with the smoke. You can use energetic herbs such as rosemary to charge them.

Tip: You can choose the herbs and incense based on your stones properties! (For example, use a fiery herb to charge a fiery crystal)

Sound

There are many ways to go about this. Singing bowls, affirmations, vocal singing, bells, prayer, chanting, galdr (rune chanting), calming and uplifting music...

Choose your sound, cleanse your space, set your intention, and let Sound do its job. If you are going to charge the crystals yourself using a method such as chanting to your stones, cleansing yourself first and having a ritualistic setup would be nice. It can help you focus and make sure you will only send positive energies to your crystals.

Reiki and Energy work

Absolutely no way to go wrong. Reiki is a wonderful cleasing/charging method.

You would have to be initiated in order to do Reiki, but if you can't afford that, any kind of energy work and energy manipulation will do. Just make sure to prepare yourself beforehand and focus on what you are doing.

You can use tools to help in energy manipulation, such as an athame or wand.

Water Glass Cleansing

You are NOT going to put your crystals INSIDE the water glass. That's why this is a safe cleansing method.

Fill a glass of water and set your intentions for the water to absorb all negativity from your crystals, then leave your stones & crystals near your glass of water for a few hours.

It is preferable to use a transparent glass. It doesn't have to be, but it is better. I also wouldn't recommend plastic of any kind.

Once you are done, dispose of the water, thanking it for its help, and wash the glass before using it again.

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Consider Crystal Safety with These

They are commonly believed to be harmless (and that's mostly true), but give them some thought anyway. I will explain why.

Immersing in Salt

Salt has strong cleansing properties. You can fill a small bowl with enough salt to bury your crystals and leave them there for a few hours to a day. You could also use salt water the same way.

Why be careful?

Salt can trigger chemical reactions in some crystals. I'm mainly talking about salt water, but just to be safe, it might be best to have caution with solid salt as well.

Burying in Earth

Burying crystals (especially if close to a plant or tree) is a popular cleansing/charging method. After all, they came from the earth! Who else could take better care of them?

You can leave your crystals buried outside for a few hours to a day and let the planet do its job.

Why be careful?

If you are going to leave crystals outside beneath the earth, you shouldn't have to worry about the Sun. It is WATER that you should worry about.

If it rains, the water will reach your crystals. If want to bury non water-safe crystals, make sure rain won't get to them.

Tip #1: Don't forget where you buried them

Tip #2: An alternative to burying outside is to bury crystals on your household plant's pot. You can even match the plant's own properties to the energy you want to work on your crystal.

Moonlight Bath

Not moon water, just moonlight. Just let your crystals bask in moonlight... It is almost failproof.

Why be careful?

I say it's almost failproof because it can only fail if you forget your crystals outside until the sun is out, or until it rains.

If you think you are prone to forgetting to collect your crystals before the sun shines, do this early in the night and set an alarm to collect your crystals in a few hours.

Tip: you can still cleanse and charge with Moon energy even if the weather is not favorable. Just be careful with rain.

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Possibly Harmful Methods

For these, you NEED to know your crystals before you do them. Especially the ones involving water and heat, you should take into consideration your own health due to possible chemical releases!

Sun charging

While it can be great to have sun energy on some of your crystals, this is one of the unsafest methods for the crystals. A lot of them will bleach, change color and even crack after prolonged sunlight exposure. If you're leaving crystals in the Sun, I suggest you leave them out for no more than an hour.

Also, watch out for weather changes if you have a crystal that is not waterproof.

Sidenote: if you have crystal necklaces, remember you might also accidentally expose them to sunlight and rain when you wear them outdoors.

Sun water

Can't have your crystals in the Sun, but it's a fire crystal so you would like it to be charged with sun energy?

If they are water safe, make some sun water, fill a bowl with it, and let your crystals sit in it for a few hours.

Moon water

As long as your crystal is waterproof, it should be fine. Just fill a bowl with moon water and let your crystals be for a few hours.

If you don't know if your crystals are water safe, it's best not to risk it.

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Never Ever...

... Expose your crystals to intense heat

No candles, no hot water, no intense sunlight. Not only you will very likely damage your crystal, intense heat and burning of crystals can release toxic fumes.

... Use chemicals to clean crystals

No soaps, alcohol, detergents, salts, etc. They might trigger chemical reactions when in contact with some crystals. So unless you know exactly what you're doing, keep these away from them.

... Touch dissolved crystal water

If you put your crystal in water and a chemical reaction happened, it's best to not touch the water. It could cause skin irritation and intoxication.

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Conclusion

Sometimes we leave crystals outside so that they can be bestowed Nature's blessings, and we forget about them. It happens, as do all accidents.

But you can avoid a lot of damage (yours and theirs) by simply studying about them before submitting them to anything that could be potentially harmful.

Remember your crystals need a lot of love and care, and that goes for their physical care, too. They are unique because of their physical and chemical properties as well, not just spiritual ones.

Thank you for reading and love your crystals!

[triflesandparsnips]

For those wondering

if this is HBO Max's petty way

of trying to prevent the world from experiencing my Stede Bonnet-flavored apothecary nonsense

by removing future canon references to other household goods and self-care extravagances

then have I got bad news for them

involving certain words

on my eBay watch list

[ominous-feychild]

✦ Character Voice Tag 2 ✦

Thanks for the tag, @honeybewrites ! Sorry this took so long! I've been busy and there's a long list of things for me to do here and irl, haha. I kinda turned this into something more like scenes rather than just lines? But the "line" tends to be the first thing the character says in the scene, haha.

Line used: ✦ "Okay, clearly you can't be trusted with a knife.”

Your lines: ✦ "Why, I oughtta!" ✦ "I have a terrible feeling about this..." ✦ "Everything's great, nothing wrong at all!"

Characters from Sun and Shadow: Freya, Crow, Daleira, Maritza, Soren, Valyarus, Ponderosa, Marlon

"Okay, clearly you can't be trusted with a knife.”

Freya: In the name of the Nine… (*grabs Crow's wrist with one hand, tries getting the knife with the other*) what are you doing with that??? Crow: HEY! (*shifts to turn their arm--and the knife--into shadow, phasing through her and dodging out of the way*) Hands off the goods, lady! Freya: that's--THAT'S NOT WHAT THAT MEANS??? Crow: (*smirks and twirls the knife in one hand*) It is now. 😘 Freya: (*screaming internally, grasps at the air like a lifeline--*) Freya: HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF "KNIFE SAFETY"!?!?! Crow: yep! It's known as "I can do whatever I want with them" 😉 Freya: (*brb 'boutta murder a bird*)

(completely separate scene--)

Crow: what... what are you doing? Freya: uh, cutting vegetables? Crow, horrified: that's... not how you hold a knife. Freya: Freya: does it look like I care. 🤨 Crow: Crow: (*quickly steps forward and snatches the knife from her hands before she can even react*) Freya: what!? Give that back! Crow: nuh-uh! (*holding it above her head and out of her reach*) Freya: (*struggling to take it from them*) I SWEAR TO THE NINE, IF YOU DON'T GIVE IT BACK-- Crow: listen, I'll cut them! I can't clear your name if you're dead! Freya: I'M NOT GOING TO DIE FROM CUTTING VEGETABLES?? Crow: (*under their breath*) but I might from watching that handwork. Freya: (*brb 'boutta murder a bird 2.0*)

Daleira: Um… what are you doing? Faer: (*looks up at her in surprise*) Oh! Um... (*looks back down at the mess he's gotten himself in*) Faer: (*shamefully, well aware he's doing something wrong*) ... trying to cut these things apart? Daleira: (*struggles to smile reassuringly, but steps forward*) Okay, look, um... have you ever actually held a knife before? Faer: (*awkwardly*) Is it that obvious? Daleira: (*clicks her tongue and sucks in air through her teeth*) Juuuuust... a little. Faer: (*whines in his throat, dropping the knife on the table*) Daleira: (*helpfully*) Look, here, hand it over and I'll do it, alright? Just watch and then we can practice it together!

Maritza: What-- Frey: (*jumps slightly, spinning on her heel*) Maritza: (*silent heart attack!!! Voice weaker--*) ... are you doing? Frey: (*looks between the knife in her hand and Maritza*) Um... cooking? Maritza: (*weakly, forcing a smile*) Could... you put down the knife? Frey: Huh? (*looks down at the knife again. Loading.gif*) Frey: Frey: (*suddenly*) Oh! Yeah, of course-- (*and puts it down*) Maritza: (*visibly relaxes*) Frey: (*hesitantly*) Are you okay? Maritza: (*forces a smile*) Yeah, of course. I just-- Frey: (*starting toward her*) Are you s-- Maritza: (*closes her eyes, puts her hands up, and turns her head away slightly*) Yes, I'm sure. I just-- (*sighs, drops her hands, and looks back to Frey*) --what are you doing here so late? Are you sure you should be using a knife in the dark? I know you haven't been feeling well lately-- Frey: (*scowls, crossing her arms and looking away herself*) Yeah, but I feel better in the dark, okay? Maritza: (*sighs, anxiously hesitantly taking a look around the room*) ... sure. If you say so. Just... don't get yourself hurt. (*turns to leave*)

Soren: (*for once being a dad; possessing his magic puppet to take care of his daughter while he doesn't have anything else to do on his ship*) Soren: What are you doing? Frey: (*small child caught doing something she shouldn't be.png*) Frey: Um... cutting potatoes? Frey: (*tries smiling sweetly and gives a hands-up-surrender shrug, but her hands going up brings the knife way too close to her face*) Soren: (*nope! Magically freezes it in place, then swiftly pulls it to "his" hand and snatches it out of the air*) Frey: (*"haha, I'm in danger!!".gif*) Soren: (*slow, heavy sigh*) What did I say about messing with dangerous things when I'm not around? Frey: (*stomps her foot and pouts*) But I never know when you'll be back! Soren: So you do this a lot when I'm not around, then? Frey: (*"uh oh, caught" face--*)

Valyarus: (*casually, stepping into the room*) What exactly is going on here? ??? {REDACTED}: I'm just trying to practice with this knife, sir! Valyarus: I can see that. The problem is your handwork. Who taught you to hold it like that? ???: (*helpfully supplies him with the name!*) Valyarus: (*chuckles slightly, striding toward ???*) ???: (*nervous, but doesn't move!*) Valyarus: (*without pause*) Of course. I'll be having a talk with him. Now, can you tell me what exactly is the issue with how you're holding it? ???: (*looks between Valyarus and their hand holding the knife*) I... don't know, sir. Valyarus: (*stopping in front of ???, condescendingly*) Of course not. See-- Valyarus: (*suddenly snaps forward, grabbing their wrist with one hand, yanking them by their arm, and twisting the knife out of their hand with the other*) ???: (*winces, but didn't have the time to react. Massages their wrist and looks up at Valyarus as--*) Valyarus: (*continuing without pause*) --the way you were holding this made it incredibly easy to disarm you. Listen, ???, you need to do better than this. It's important to know how to fight without magic--especially for you. Understand? ???: Yessir... Valyarus: Good. Here, since nobody I pay to teach you is capable of it, how about I show you a few things?

Ponderosa: That's hilarious! Grunt: (*was literally in the middle of threatening a hostage--*) Grunt: (*sweating profusely, looks at them*) Uh... what? Hostage: (*nervously looking around*) Ponderosa: (*grinning, drifts around as they float over Grunt's head, ignoring or unaware of Hostage*) Ponderosa (*joyfully*) You heard me! You're pathetic! Grunt: Err... why do you s-- Ponderosa: (*scoffs, zipping through the air and into their face*) Grunt: (*tries to step backwards, but their back hits a swell of pressurized, near-solid hot air*) Grunt: (*winces in pain, but instead just watches as--*) Ponderosa: (*sneering*) I'm insulting you, you twit! Have a spine! Grunt: R-right, sir--er, ma'am?-- Hostage: (*seeecretly inches away... and hurries off, unnoticed?*) Ponderosa: (*flies backwards in the air, throwing their hands up*) what's with you bunch of sniveling clowns!? Can't I have any fun with around here? Saifel, Marlon would be pissed with me if I punished you for this! Grunt: (*profuse sweating intensifies--*) Ponderosa: (*smirks, floating higher as they literally perk up*) Actually... Hostage: (*zips through the air, slamming to a stop in front of Ponderosa. Panicking--*) Ponderosa: (*grinning widely*) --I have a better idea. Where did you think you were going, hmmm?

(btw, Ponderosa's pronouns are they/it! They're a storm spirit! What do you think of them, haha?)

Marlon: (*amusedly*) Is that how you think you're supposed to hold a knife? But that's in general! Alternatively: Marlon: What in the seas are you doing, Ponder? Ponderosa: (*oops, caught. But magically zips the knife behind their back as they turn to him and grin innocently at him!*) Nothing? What do you think I'm doing, hm? Ponderosa: (*floats toward him, "secretly" shooting the knife behind a bookcase*) Marlon: (*quirks an eyebrow, vaguely amused*) It sounded like you were talking to someone. What were you doing with that knife? Ponderosa: Knife? What knife? I've never seen a knife in my life!(*smiles sweetly as though it'll change Marlon's mind*) Marlon: (*humoring them*) Mhm... so, on another note, have you reconsidered trying to learn to defend yourself without magic? Ponderosa: (*groans, dropping toward the ground before twisting in the air to hover in front of him*) No! I don't care to be like those stupid--stupid... (*struggling for words*) fucking--landers! Marlon: (*runs his hand back through his hair stressfully*) Yeah, I don't like it either, Ponder, but what if you get caught in some kind of anti-magic zone? I don't want-- Ponderosa: (*pouting, crosses their arms and legs. Drops closer to the ground, but still floating*) I don't care! I won't! Marlon: (*sighs heavily and rubs his face worriedly*)

I know everybody is either going to absolutely love or hate Ponder, haha. They're a little brat of a (basically) demigod. I came up with their character before I watched tOH, but the Collector is basically the exact kinda thing I'm going for with them! (If that wasn't clear already to my fellow Owl House fans!)

Just... they're a little different and knowingly "evil" sometimes!

Also, I'm debating things with Crow's character color. I worry that the dark blue I was using made it too difficult to read on some themes and devices. Then, idk about the alternate purple? What do you guys think?

Tagging (gently, and those just interested!): @the-letterbox-archives @yourpenpaldee @paeliae-occasionally @mysticstarlightduck @illarian-rambling

@darkandstormydolls @the-golden-comet @ath3alin @wyked-ao3 @urnumber1star @the-golden-comet + open tags!

Dividers by @cafekitsune !

I'm just over here, working on SaS because of the upcoming contest... 🥰

[devildevotee]

people who approach demon work as inherently more dangerous and immensely more advanced than any other kind of spirit work are my favourite

because something they tend to forget is if you get a book about the demonic, the most imminent, obvious danger is if someone picks it up and tosses it at your head

[nerdy-nonbinary]

Thinking about Inu-Oh… thinking about how Inu-Oh was ostracized from society from the moment he was born and made a game out of his ostracization but was at his happiest when he found acceptance in Tomoari…thinking about how Tomoari had a system in society which accepted him as a blind person but had no desire to remain in that system…thinking about how Inu-Oh only received “full” acceptance (safety from the emperor) when he disowned Tomoari and their work, and made that choice not because he cared about acceptance but because he wanted to save Tomoari’s life…thinking about how Tomoari refused to give up his creativity and was killed for it… thinking about how institutions in power don’t care whether marginalized people fight the system or succumb to it, we are all torn apart and our works forgotten in the end…

[lgbtlunaverse]

Chapters: 5/9

Fandom: 魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù, 陈情令 | The Untamed (TV)

Rating: Explicit 

Relationships: Lan Huan | Lan Xichen/Meng Yao | Jin Guangyao/Nie Mingjue, Lan Huan | Lan Xichen/Nie Mingjue, Meng Yao | Jin Guangyao/Nie Mingjue, Lan Huan | Lan Xichen/Meng Yao | Jin Guangyao, Minor or Background Relationship(s) 

Characters: Wen Qing (Modao Zushi), Nie Mingjue, Lan Huan | Lan Xichen, Meng Yao | Jin Guangyao, Nie Huaisang, Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Original Characters

Series: Part 1 of triple cultivation 

Work Summary:

"And what is this treatment?"

"Dual cultivation, with another male cultivator. As the non-penetrating partner."

Wen Qing mostly expects Nie Mingjue to dismiss the idea out of hand. From what she's heard, he's largely uninterested in sexual manners altogether. She just hopes he can be calm about it.

Instead, Nie Mingjue chokes on his tea and turns bright red.

Wen Qing carefully re-evaluates her earlier observations about lack of interest.

Or: Nie Mingjue needs to bottom to prevent a qi deviation.

How convenient, then, that he has two sworn brothers to help him!

Chapter Summary:

Nieyao hunt some corpses, fight a monster, and have a totally normal, heterosexual, emotionally insignificant rest in a tower.

[partywithponies]

Every time I see a cybertruck I just think that Elon Musk wants to be John DeLorean so bad.

Wacky futuristic sci-fi looking car that only comes in shiny steel-grey? Be so incredibly for real. You will never be the delorean.

[atempause-art]

little slavic man..

personal design for friend's closed species which i became mod/guest artist for. if there's a little creatureguy whos carrying spirits in a little pouch did i really had a chance to make it anything but vodník themed?

[july-19th-club]

tonight we watched episodes 5 and 6: she has changed her tune on silver, instead repeatedly saying "he is such a character" from various angles whenever he is on screen. loves how fake he behaves and the fact that there's nothing behind it but the ability to be really good at being fake. INCREDIBLY busted up over billy but also said 'you wouldn't talk about how much you love these episodes if he had actually died' . prescient of her. for the first time i noticed a part of the bryson/guthrie betrayal that i never had before, which makes mr scott's presence in the hold make more sense. ella very stymied and upset over scott's tangled web of loyalties, and all i could tell her was that he has more interests on the islands than eleanor and that all would become clear in time. watching this time i thought about his cold-blooded arithmetic in refusing so many times to help emi and the other captives, weighing the lessened chance of his family's discovery against his potentially lifelong enslavement. and then helping her anyway because she reminds him, probably, too much of his daughter.

[circle-around-again]

"'I didn't have to tell him,' TD-D9 said. 'You should know by now, child... Sidious knows everything.'" (Windham, 62).

Another cult tactic! Sidious is presented as an almost god-like omniscient authority.

You can tie a lot of religious (Christian) trauma, really, into Sidious and Maul's apprenticeship.

Sidious is a harsh God watching Maul voyeuristically for any mistake made. If he sins, despite not knowing why, he must grovel. No answers are ever given. Love and fear are one and the same.

He must submit to The Lord.

[sofiaspeaksart]

ceasefire now

praying for peace and healing

let there be an end to the violence

mountain gazelle, Palestinian sunbirds, and twigs from an olive tree