#tree among shrubs

[too-much-imagination]

Another song that somehow opens a lost memory in my mind, unlocks a secret door, breaks the surface of grey fog and brings up long-forgotten melody.

[modernfaerietales]

i imagine this playlist to be the soundtrack of my time in Faerie

..been wanting to do this for so long. for now, i just wanna put this out.. will be updated in time⋆*

edit: now i think about this playlist as more of a story from my heart. my daydreams. which are quite literally modern faerie tales

[vibes0ntheleaves4gain]

Men I Trust - Tree Among Shrubs"

Eternal Sunshine Vibes ✨🍃🍃🍃

[dramatic-dolphin]

there is NOTHING better than seeing very small tree spalings growing. you know the ones that are still so small that you might mistake them for weeds but then you look at the leaves and it's just OH this fragile little plant will be a big tree one day if it succeeds!!

[cinnasnackz]

x

[sixteenseveredhands]

African Social Spiders: these spiders live in colonies that can contain up to 2,000 spiders, most of which are female; they hunt, forage, maintain their web, and raise their offspring as a group, without any dominance hierarchy or caste system

This communal behavior is extremely rare among spiders, which are normally solitary creatures. The African social spider (Stegodyphus dumicola) is one of the few species that has been identified as a true "social spider," forming colonies and living in communal nests where the spiders work together to hunt, forage, build webs, and care for their offspring.

Above: an African social spider feeding the young spiderlings of her colony by regurgitating food for them, exhibiting a level of maternal/allomaternal care that is relatively uncommon in both spiders and insects

African social spiders can be found in various parts of southwestern Africa, where they will often build a dense silk nest in the branches of a thorn tree and/or shrub. Most of the spiders in the colony are female (more than 85%, according to some studies) and the species itself also has a female-biased primary sex ratio, as researchers have found that female embryos develop in more than 80% of the eggs that the spiders produce.

Above: a group of African social spiders working together to subdue their prey, which will be taken back to the nest so that it can be shared with the rest of the colony

There is no evidence that any dominance hierarchy or caste system exists within S. dumicola colonies. The spiders all cooperate to complete a variety of tasks, such as hunting, repairing the web, foraging, defending the colony, caring for the colony's offspring, etc. While none of them are exclusively assigned to a single task, many have a primary role that they fill, often based on their physical size and condition.

Above: close-up photo of S. dumicola

This species also engages in extreme allomaternal care, meaning that many different spiders (including both mothers and "allomothers") all share the responsibility of caring for the colony's offspring; even the unmated females help out with brood care. The mothers/allomothers tend to the eggsacs, regurgitate food for the baby spiderlings, and even engage in matriphagy, which means that they will eventually be cannibalized by the babies.

From The Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior:

... some proportion of females do not reproduce – sometimes as much as 60% – but remain as helpers, contributing to foraging and brood care (allo-mothering). Both breeding females and virgin allo-mothers regurgitate food for colony offspring and eventually let the young consume their bodies. ...

Young that are raised with both mothers and allo-mothers show higher survival and growth than young raised by their mothers alone, suggesting a clear fitness benefit of cooperative breeding.

Spiders of this species generally measure about 2.5 - 3.5mm long; they can be found in Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Lesotho, and Eswatini.

Sources & More Info:

Science Direct: Social Spiders

Current Biology: Quick Guide to Social Spiders (PDF)

Phys.org: Untangling the Social Lives of Spiders

Proceedings of the Royal Society B: The Age & Evolution of Sociality in Stegodyphus Spiders

Entomology Today: Social Spiders Divide Labor According to Body Size & Condition

Animal Behaviour: Extreme Allomaternal Care by Unmated Females in a Cooperatively Breeding Spider

National Geographic: Baby Spiders Eat their Mothers

University of Portsmouth: Social Spiders Have Different Ways of Hunting in Groups

Behavioral Ecology: Spider Societies Mitigate Risk by Prioritizing Caution

Behavioral Processes: Warring Arthropod Societies

Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology: Does the African Social Spider Stegodyphus dumicola Control the Sex of Individual Offspring?

[terman]

1. The atypical and incomprehensible style to many villagers, has enough meaning for illagers. Illagers are closely connected with the Dark Forest - a creepy place where the bravest would be afraid to go. A place that has been the subject of many legends . For illagers, the Dark Forest is their cradle and at the same time their parent, who for many years watched how they grew and developed. For this reason, their banner symbolizes the view from the thickets of the Dark Forest - always watching for illagers and at the same time exploring the new world

2. According to villager's folklore, creepers are the souls of deceased ancestors, who are protected by Nature itself. Such thoughts began to appear since ancient times, when villagers began to come across creepers more often and see "faces" on their bark. Creepers can be completely different, depending on the climate and biome, but they all appear from dead trees and shrubs. If you do not disturb their peace, they do not show any danger. Otherwise , they explode with magic. This fact may indicate that it's magic that gives them new life, but it is not known how still living trees absorb it

3. The religion of the villagers may differ from biome to biome, but the basis is always unity and balance in the natural world, the interconnectedness of everything that exists. Nothing in the world happens without reason. Many villagers believe in reincarnation, the cyclicity of life and everyday life. The symbols often contain a triskelion, simply modified under the influence of the culture of a particular people

4. A hundred warriors and sorcerers who once volunteered to join the Wither. In the Nether, they did not remain without the attention of their ruler, therefore they became the strongest undead among the subject forces of the dark magician. When they get out of the Nether, they will lead the armies, inspiring them with their power and greatness. Their armor and weapons are enchanted by ancient spells, and their withered faces are hidden by a mask expressing a lack of compassion for the enemy and everything that is dear to them

[feiandart]

Anthony moves with inertia and reaches the terrace. He decides not to think, drowning everything in the verdant lust of the plants, and concentrates on what he does best: growing something real, healthy and wonderful. Something that acquires substance without promises, words or lies, but only with water, care and a lot of attention. Kneeling among dozens of pots of all shapes, colours and sizes, he touches thin and thick, large or tiny leaves, and with a small shear in his hands he removes the bad spots, the dry branches, the small unwanted shoots that risk choking roots and trunks, preventing his creatures from growing in the best way. He does not insult them, because he does not want to spill the residue of his anger onto them, and because perhaps in life one achieves more with love than with violence. And he has so much of it in his heart that he needs to let it flow elsewhere. He lets his fingertips devote playful caresses and strokes to those small, slender brown trunks and their beautiful, green leaves. He moves the pots, reassigning each plant to a better position and whispers to each one: "grow better". But he does so with gentleness and the effort of a smile on his lips. Then, when his eyes inevitably fall on the almond tree shrub standing proudly a short distance away, Anthony stands still and hears in the back of his mind the sweetest voice of all, an indication he had forgotten. You'll have to replant it in a few weeks. They told me that it grows fast at this stage.

(Dunno why AO3 preview is not working, but if you click on it it will still lead you to the chapter!)

You don't have an AO3 account? You can access the whole story from here! It's a Google Drive folder I made on purpose for anyone who might want to read it even after I had to lock my story to protect it from AI. ♥

[yourfellowhuman07]

A Map of Etheria (and other details)

Hi everyone! If you've been following me for a while you would know I was working on a map of Etheria, but I never ended up finishing it.

Then, I noticed I was nearing 1,000 hits on my fic Alliance of the Heart, so I decided I would remake it and type up some things about each country.

Also, thank you to everyone who created the She-Ra Fan Wiki because it came in clutch for this map.

Anyway, here's my info dumping about my head cannons regarding the geographical features of each land.

Etheria

Etheria is a planet about the size of Venus located on the outskirts of the Eternian Solar System. Since it is so far away from the Ethernian sun, the planet is sustained by its moons and the magically created heat they give off.

Each moon gives off a certain temperature, so the different climates are based on what moons travel over the most.

Bright Moon

Bright Moon is the third largest kingdom in Etheria, but they are the richest. They are located in the middle of all the major countries, meaning they are a crossroad for trade among the kingdoms. They also possess the territories of Mystacor and the Whispering Woods.

The climate is temperate and is akin to a cool spring season. The country has mostly different types of forests and meadows with some rivers and lakes scattered around.

Salineas

Salineas is the second largest kingdom in the form of an archipelago. The northern part is cooler with more rocky beaches, and as you head south the area becomes progressively more tropical with sandy beaches. The country has some mountains in the valleys when you get inland, but the country is mostly flat.

The country is also located on a tectonic plate line, so whenever the weapon inside Etheria is fired, more islands are created.

The Kingdom of Snows

TKOS is the largest kingdom of Etheria and is almost completely covered in snow. Despite being the largest country, it has a population that is close to Scorponi. The people live mostly on the coast and in large cities.

Dryl

Dryl is a country that spans the largest mountain range on Etheria with a couple of clearings. Its population lives under the mountains in one of the Six "Systems" of Dryl, which are large, carved-out areas within and under the mountains, containing the homes and mines of Dryl. As of the beginning of the series, the Crypto Castle is the only structure on the surface.

The climate is relatively cool, with more snow as you travel further north. The area also has large patches of pine forests and other small shrubs and flowers.

Scorponi

Outside of the Fright Zone, which was the site of an ancient meteor crash, the kingdom of Scorponi is relatively dry. It's relatively flat with expansive planes, sparse forests, and a couple of canyons.

The Crimson Waste

The Crimson Waste is a desert area with large patches of cacti, rocky areas, and large canyons.

Plumeria

Plumaris is one of the small countries with the smallest population with most of the area consisting of agriculture, forests, and flower fields.

Another aspect is the territory they technically have a claim over is an area I created called The Out Fields, which is where the Watch Tower is located and where Hordak found Adora. It's a large, expansive area of tall grass.

The Unnamed Kingdom

The Unnamed Kingdom belongs to Spinnerella and Netossa, which used to be two before the girls got married. The kingdom has a climate similar to Dryl with its own Mountains and forests.

Sweet Bee and Peekablue's Islands

These are tropical islands out of the way of the other kingdoms, helping them stay out of the way of the war. They are considered humid by Etherian standards and are densely forested with many flowers and fruit trees.

The Star Sister's Island

This is a collection of islands similar to the Kingdom of Snows with a cold temperature and mountain terrain.

Beast Island

Beast Island is off the coast of Scorponi and used to be an information hub for the Eternians. As time went on, water damage corroded the tech, causing it to corrupt and branch out into the forest and create the virus affecting the island.

Conclusion

If anyone wants to use this map, please ask me (and maybe tag me because I want to see what you need it for). Also, you can adopt as many headcannons as you want, but I would like some sort of acknowledgment if you use my idea of the Outfields.

Also, if you made it this far, thank you for reading and your patience regarding me creating this.

[rjzimmerman]

This tree has lived for 13,000 years. California’s housing crisis could doom it. (Washington Post)

At first glance, one of the world’s oldest living organisms doesn’t look like much — a collection of shrubs nestled atop a hill in a rocky gully. But those shrubs are just the crown of a giant, spreading oak tree, 90 feet long and 30 feet wide. Most of the tree is underground.

Estimated to be 13,000 to 18,000 years old, the tree — known as the Jurupa Oak — is older than almost any other plant on Earth. It has survived an ice age and rapid climate warming. Its leaves may have brushed against saber-toothed cats and 500-pound ground sloths. But now, environmentalists and locals worry that the ancient tree is under threat from a more quotidian force in modern California: development.

The Planning Commission of Jurupa Valley, a city of 100,000 an hour east of Los Angeles, is poised to approve a 1.4-square-mile development that includes a business park, 1,700 homes and an elementary school. Light-industry buildings would stand just a few hundred feet from the ancient tree.

The city believes that the project will boost the local economy. The site’s developer has said it plans to protect the tree, but environmentalists believe that the construction and resulting development could be deadly to the Jurupa Oak.

“It’s unique among most things on the planet,” said Aaron Echols, conservation chair for the Riverside-San Bernardino chapter of the California Native Plant Society. “We need to be absolutely sure that we’re not going to cause harm to this plant.”

The tree has plunged the Jurupa Valley into an ongoing debate in California: How to balance the state’s growth and need for housing with protecting its rich biodiversity?

Think about the oldest tree on Earth and you may picture a bristlecone pine known as “Methuselah” and estimated to be close to 5,000 years old. The Jurupa Oak fits into a different category: It’s a Palmer’s oak, which is a species of “clonal tree,” a network of genetically identical shrubs connected through a shared root system. Unlike in normal trees, none of the original tissue is still present; instead, after a wildfire, the tree will spring out new, genetically identical shoots from burned stumps.

[tvickiesims]

Flora Default Replacement - Sims 4 Style

A certain someone desperately needed some trees in Sims 4 style for their game so I couldn’t leave it like that and made some defaults. For all the flora in game :D

This is a full mesh and texture default replacement for trees, shrubs and flowers in Sims 2. There’s also a replacement for orchard trees, crops (texture only), crops weeds and garden weeds. Only two umbrella water plants and water hyacinth weren’t replaced as I couldn’t find fitting meshes to convert. Ivy wasn’t replaced because @lordcrumps​ already has a nice replacement for it. I also replaced ocean algae/debris with various grass meshes, I use Phaenoh’s recategorizer so in my game it appears among shrubs, otherwise you will find them in deco-plants (these will conflict with Lord Crumps’ house plant replacements so you need to choose one).

Just like my original replacements, shrubs will keep their original state when overgrown and flowers won’t have fading animation. I still highly recommend using Perfect Plants mod with these.

These replacements were meant to go with @bstu More Sincere Tree Imposters because I implemented similar fixes for other trees that were missing in their mod. It’s not necessary per se, just know that if you don’t use the mod, you’ll get a mix of highly detailed new trees in hood view with original Maxis ones.

The decorated maple tree requires a modified CEP-Extra that is included, otherwise the tree will break. If you already had it – replace your old one with mine. If you didn’t have it – simply put it in your zCEP-Extra folder of your Documents.

Last thing – I’ve included a small mod that makes all flowers intersectable with other objects which makes them placeable near trees, shrubs and basically any other object without cheats.

A very special thank you goes to @episims who very kindly got rid of effects on decorated maple for me <3

All plants are separated so you can pick and choose. All conversions and edits are my own. I won’t make custom versions for these because pretty much all the plants here were already converted by other creators.

Trees:

Shrubs:

Flowers and misc:

Compressed, clearly labelled, picture included.

UPDATE 01/05/23 - I forgot to include the texture replacement for crops/vegetables. Please redownload if you want to have it!

UPDATE 07/12/2023 - Added a V2 version for the papaya tree (converted from the For Rent pack). Be sure to keep only one!

Download at lordcrumps.com (free)

UPDATE 09/12/2023 - Added replacements for Hydro Hyacinth, and 2 Umbrella Water Plants (previously not included), got rid of the unnecessary textures (the file size was reduced considerably) and replaced some textures with better made ones. Now also includes a Hydrangea CEP Extra and 3 recolors for it.

[iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia]

full hc request: mc and m6 celebrating holi ?

(i am friendless this holi and i will cry over it)

-🫧 anon

The Arcana HCs: Celebrating Holi

~ most of this is based off of childhood experience celebrating in South Asia, thank you for resurrecting all the fun memories anon! ~

Julian

He loves the concept of it

A community event, full of color and celebration? Heck yeah! This extrovert is pumped and ready to spread the joy!

This extrovert is also a doctor

And this doctor is already gearing up for the aftermath - for all the people who caught cold running around in wet clothes, the injuries from hopping around on wet cobblestones and twisting ankles ...

... the overenthusiastic celebrants falling into the canals and bumping their heads, the kids who always end up licking the color powder and find out the hard way what they're allergic to ...

And of course, the mild panic he experiences for the next week seeing faded stains on his patient's skin and faces and briefly mistaking them for bruising

Seriously, why do bruises turn every color of the rainbow??

But all that aside, he's excited to celebrate with you and will even bend down so you can smear some color on his face and eyepatch

Asra

Oh, they are thriving

This is easily one of his favorite events of the year. This gets more planning and preparation time than ... most things, really

They insist on making (or at least, modifying) all of their own colors and stock up on everything from powder to paste to dyes they can mix with water and spray at passersby with a water gun

Some of them he enchants to be holographic. Others, to hover menacingly in the air and then engulf whoever walks close enough

It's one of the few times when all the kids in the neighborhood flock to them because they know that nobody will kit them out for a proper water fight like they will. It's on

His hair is going to have colors lingering in it for over a month

The magic use does get just a little bit out of control, sometimes - they've been politely asked to stay away from the town square, since the statues still occasionally puke neon rainbows

Will put a spell on you that morning so nothing can stain you

Nadia

Does she enjoy and look forward to this festival? Yes. Is she stressed beyond words? Also yes. She needs a break

The sheer logistics of organizing a national holiday aside, Holi is messy. The streets are full of people, traffic is impossible for the day, injuries are spiking from partying too hard, and the cleanup

Don't get her started on the cleanup

Vesuvia has plenty of white marble statues and fountains that end up coated in the rainbow every year (though it's gotten easier since a certain magician was banned from the town square)

Not to mention the series of legal cases afterwards when some merchant passing through sells a load of poor quality colors

That won't stop her from enjoying it with you. She'll set up the garden and spend an afternoon chasing you around with her palms covered in color, darting out to leave smudges on your cheeks

If she moves a little more slowly to ensure that she gets covered in your colors as well, then. That's for only her and the shrubs to know

Muriel

A festival so exciting and intense that crowds of people flood the streets and smear colors all over each other with abandon?

Yeah, you can count him out

The concept of celebrating color and the triumph of good over evil is delightful, but you both know that if he joins he'll suffer at best and have a full-blown panic attack at worst. Better not

He'll celebrate with you in his own way

You'll find a forest clearing, pull out all the environmentally friendly colors you've stocked up on, and goad him with rainbow fingerprints into a playful game of tag among the trees

His artistic side will make itself known, waiting for you to tire yourself out before he sits next to you and traces swirls and runes all over your arms and face with featherlight touches

Of course, this only works if you're distracted with something while he does, or else your eyes on him will make him freeze up and blush. (the shaky little smudges those cause are the best)

Portia

She adores Holi and she is Prepared

She knows all the tips and tricks to get through the day with as little misfortune as possible. Old, cheap clothes that you don't mind getting stained. Oil on your skin and hair before you go out

And of course, a mom bag stuffed to the brim, half with celebration essentials and half with mischief implements

You look tired and a little overstimulated. Here, wipe your face and hands with this damp towel and drink some water. She packed snacks - do you want a cookie or a sandwich?

You look like you could use an advantage. Here, take this dye filled water balloon and throw it at the nearest street sign - the partygoers underneath will have it in their hair for weeks

Her favorite celebration spots are right in the middle of wherever the kids are having their massive water fight. Nobody can amp up mediate one of those like she can

Will shamelessly cover your clothes in her handprints

Lucio

He loves it for the first fifteen minutes or so

A town-wide celebration that fills the streets? Heck yeah, he is all in and having the time of his life! He has permission to splash color all over random strangers? Awesome! He's going all out -

... until he starts to receive the same treatment, which means his hair is getting messy and his clothes are going to stain and there's dye all over his face and absolutely ruining his eyeliner

Yeah, he's done, and he's going to start sulking if he doesn't get a hot bath nice and soon

Mercedes and Melchior, on the other hand, are having the times of their lives. It's chaos dialed to the max and they love the chance to weave between people's legs and splash colors everywhere

Of course, they also have gorgeous long silky white fur, which gets absolutely saturated with pigments and dyes as they run wild

Bathing them afterwards is a legendary nightmare and the pastel hues linger on their backs for quite a while

[tribbetherium]

The Early Temperocene: 135 million years post-establishment

Guinea Mimics: The Gwinnies

The Cavioidecricetidae, also known as the gwinnies, are a group of duskmice belonging to the same clade as the hammibals and the pondrats, though of closer relation to the pondrats than the hammibals: having diverged sometime in the Middle to Late Rodentocene. The gwinnies are primarily small herbivores, in essence having taken over the niches occupied by the basal gouties and the broadheads during the Early Rodentocene, and adapted to feed on a wide array of foliage, such as roots, leaves, stems and flowers of the various grasses and cloverferns that grow across the world. They process these plant material with the help of hindgut fermentation, allowing them to extract nutrition from even the hardest-to-digest vegetation: however, a consequence of this is that they are required to ingest their droppings a second time in order to absorb their full nutritive content. Mother gwinnies thus produce these special pellets in greater amounts in the few weeks after weaning, as these processed, nutritious pellets are usually her offsprings' introduction to consuming solid food.

Throughout their long history, the gwinnies have not become as diverse as most other duskmice clades, but have persisted nearly across the globe in various niches of "small herbivorous rodent" in many different biomes. Breeding all year round, and producing relatively well-developed young per litter that are born fully-furred and open their eyes in a week or two, they, like most other duskmice, are rather low in most food chains and fear many predators, and thus defend themselves by digging burrows, hiding in crevices, and generally reproducing in large numbers to ensure the survival of a few.

One of the most abundant species in the Temperocene is the common grey rockcavy (Griseocavicricetus vulgaris) which is found throughout temperate regions, primarily in mountainous areas with plentiful small gaps among cliffs and ledges for it to seek shelter in. A nocturnal species with small eyes, it prefers to emerge under cover of dark, finding food with the aid of its powerful sense of smell and sensitive whiskers, and gorging itself all evening before retreating to its den by morning, with a stash of additional food it carries in its cheek pouches in order to feed on while seeking shelter during the day when predators abound.

In tropical forests, meanwhile, one may find a similar yet quite different relative: the forest polka (Punctocavicricetus pardus). This species, in contrast, is active during the day, and scampers about the forest floors of tropical jungle on its relatively-long legs, foraging for the low-growing shrubs and cloverferns found in the ground level and the understory. Here, there is abundant cover among the plants, tree roots and fallen logs, and its primary camouflage comes in the form of pale blotches on its body that mimic the speckled, dappled light on the forest floor, breaking up its outline and making it more difficult to see when it freezes in place to hide from threats. In addition to leaves and stems, the polka also relishes fallen fruit dropped from the canopy: making it an important seed-disperser that scatters tree seeds far and wide in places that are favorable for them to sprout.

In open deserts and arid semidesert, in the meantime, during the times when Beta alone in the sky casts the landscape in a brilliant red, the red sandscur (Erythrocavicricetus rubrus) emerges from its den to search for food. Like many animals in the desert, it avoids the searing rays of Alpha by emerging at a period of time when its dimmer, cooler twin instead reigns the sky. As the presence of a red secondary sun has favored the evolution of trichromat vision in many lineages, including predators, so too have prey evolved to hide under these conditions, with red-colored fur originating from erythrism: an unusual increase of red pigment in an animal's pelage that with Beta-twilight as a regular phenomenon became an unexpected survival advantage and thus became the normal state of many species. Well-concealed in the crimson light, the red sandscur is hardly conspicuous as it searches out desert succulents both as a source of food and water.

Most gwinnies of the Temperocene are quite conservative in build, having changed little from their early ancestors, but one significant exception dwells on a small chain of islands between the continents of South Ecatoria and Arcuterra: the Bridge Isles rabbibara (Lepocavicricetus albacauda). The largest of the gwinnies, at roughly twelve kilograms, it grew to such large sizes due to the isolation of its habitat from the mainland, and in the absence of competition grew to an enormous size, comparatively speaking. With its only threats being aerial ones from opportunistic predatory ratbats, it simply grew too large to be carried away by them, and while young may be occasionally vulnerable, adults face little threat and are generally unfazed as they graze on the abundant grasses in the Bridge Isles. The rabbibara, while continuing to survive well into the Middle Temperocene, would find its range restricted to the two northmost islands as its populations disappeared in the southernmost ones due to a period of unstable fluctuations in local food availability. Its absence in those areas, however, would favor a far stranger creature to take its place and become the dominant herbivore of the isles: the zeebeedee (Megalornithomys spp.), a grazing pterodent that, in the absence of predators, also grew to enormous proportions and abandoned its flight entirely.

--------------

[reasonsforhope]

"Around the capital beltway or Washington’s famous Rock Creek Park, you may see a group of people ripping up vines along the treeline beside the roads.

If you have then you’ve glimpsed superheroes who traded in their capes for gardening gloves and their time for the satisfaction of terminating an invasive species and saving a native tree.

Washington D.C’s “Weed Warriors” are a group of volunteers going back to 1999 that work for free to keep hundreds of species of invasive shrubs, vines, and climbers from taking over native ecosystems.

Among the 600 or so non-native invasive plant species found in and around our nation’s capital, some like Polygonum perfoliatum, also known as “mile-a-minute” vine, can be devastating. Suffocating trees by overgrowing the leaves in their canopy branches, mile-a-minute can kill thousands of trees every year.

Since 1999, Weed Warrior volunteers have logged over 135,000 hours of time weed whacking in Montgomery County alone. Anyone can become a Weed Warrior; the group works in units for two-hour spaces removing weeds or planting native species in their place.

These invasive species management events are led by specially-trained volunteer Weed Warrior Supervisors and/or staff from the Montgomery Parks Dept. Warriors can get certified to de-weed in their spare time, or lead events on their own. They can even have their own unique patch of ground in the D.C.-Metro area to control.

Why would anyone want to trade their free time or laboring hours away for free doing something our tax dollars are supposed to do for us? The answer is simple: it’s addicting.

“If I have any good mental health, it’s due to Weed Warrioring,” said 74-year-old area resident Barbara Francisco. “You have a sense of accomplishment.” ...

The Weed Warriors website states that non-native, invasive plant species (NNIs) can alter the complex webs of plant-animal associations that have evolved over thousands of years to such a degree that plants and animals once familiar to us are eliminated...

Anyone who feels this is something they want to contribute their time to can go to the Montgomery County Parks website here and look at the upcoming Weed Warrior events—the next one is October 21st."

-via Good News Network, October 12, 2023

[french-unknown]

𝖍𝖆𝖑𝖑𝖔𝖜𝖊𝖊𝖓 𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖒𝖊

𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖗𝖆𝖈𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖘: luffy, zoro, nami, usopp, sanji, robin 𝖈/𝖜: fluff, domestic 𝖜/𝖈: 2.6k +

| m a s t e r l i s t | - | p t . 2 | - | p t . 3 | | e v e n t . s u m m a r y |

𝖑𝖚𝖋𝖋𝖞

trick and treat

Attracted by all the lights on in the residential area of the island, you approached them with Luffy.

To your great astonishment, there were a large number of children wandering between the different houses in different costumes, more or less frightening. You were confused to see so many children outside at that hour. And above all, without supervision. However, after all the islands you had visited, the costumes didn't surprise you that much.

You then fixed your gaze on a particular group who went up to the steps of the house to your right.

They knocked on the door, and when a woman opened the door, they said "trick or treat" as they handed out each of the containers. Then, much to your confusion, the woman laughed before taking out a bag of candy which she shared among the children. As if it were perfectly normal to give candy to a group of costumed children who ring the doorbell after dark. You stayed where you were while the woman closed the door and the children left for the next house.

The same process began again.

On every street corner, with all the groups of children, everything happened the same way. Always with the same sentence.

Trick or treat?

As you glanced next to you to talk to Luffy about it, you noticed that he had also disappeared. You looked around in panic and ended up finding him alone at the entrance to a house a few meters from you.

You could only run toward him at the same moment he knocked on the door.

A woman came out as you reached him. She looked at you strangely and looked you up and down.

"Trick or Treat?" the black-haired boy almost yelled.

"Aren’t you too old for candy hunting?" She asked, perplexed.

"We’re never too old for candy!" Luffy declared with a laugh.

Faced with the innocence of the response, as well as the relaxed behavior of your partner, the woman also relaxed and laughed in turn. She seemed to be more comfortable.

"And what are you dressed in?" she questioned happily as she pulled out a bag of sweets from her back.

Immediately, Luffy took his straw hat off his head in order to turn it upside down and hold it out towards the woman as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"As pirates, ma’am!" He responded with good humor.

"You should improve your disguise, then." She laughed. "You two don't really look like them. You're not scary enough!"

"We're not this kind of pirates." He retorted.

The woman then stepped back before closing her door, not without greeting. Luffy then took your hand and walked away as well, waving.

You spent the rest of your evening being pulled from house to house by an excited Luffy who couldn't hold still at the thought of having more candy. He wasn't your lover anymore, just a little boy.

𝖟𝖔𝖗𝖔

haunted castle

It was evening, and night would soon fall.

However, thanks to a certain swordsman whose sense of direction equated with his abstinence, you found yourself at the exit of a dark and foreboding forest, looking at a gothic castle that seemed anything but welcoming. Nervously, you passed the large black wrought iron gates that demarcated the land and thus entered the gardens that surrounded the fortress.

Everything was fallow and unmaintained. The shrubs and bushes were in random shapes while the grass was tall and lush. The trees were so gnarled that you wondered if it was really normal. The winding sandy walking paths didn't make you want to venture into the plots either.

However, what terrified you the most was the feeling of being observed from the moment you went through the gates.

Unfortunately, the boot prints you saw in the sand—made obvious by the lack of other marks—forced you to move forward into the green space of the property. At first, you huffed loudly but you still went anyway.

You followed the footprints, eyes glued to the ground because of the fear, praying to find Zoro as quickly as possible.

Around you, you heard the vegetation rustling with its branches, leaves and thorns clashing. And this even if there was no wind. Furthermore, despite the abundance of shelter for animals, you heard no birdsong or rabbit footsteps. You understood that an October evening was not the most favorable but you still found it quite suspicious in such a lush environment for animals.

Something cold then touched your hand.

You jumped so hard that you felt the tension in your neck go down to your shoulders. A shiver of fear ran through your entire body and goosebumps immediately covered your arms without you being able to do anything.

Yet, when you looked at where the contact was coming from, there was nothing.

You wanted to leave.

From there, you started trotting to find Zoro and you finally found him walking between two bushes. Hands in his pockets, he walked quietly. You immediately jumped on him to ask him how he ended up there.

"I wanted to see if there was anyone in the castle to offer me a drink but I can’t get out of the garden." he explained naturally.

Suddenly, a child's laughter was heard behind you and when you turned around, there was nothing.

You immediately grabbed the swordsman's hand and towed him towards the exit. You ran as fast as you could with fear coursing through your veins as well. You were so scared that you were convinced that, if he put up the slightest resistance, you would have been ready to knock him out so you could drag his unconscious carcass out of there.

When you passed the gates, you didn't stop and continued to rush towards the boat.

𝖓𝖆𝖒𝖎

horror movie night

You and Nami were the only two who were assigned to guard the Sunny during this stopover. And the navigator wanted to spend the evening watching a movie.

What Nami wanted, Nami got!

So she convinced Sanji to keep the ship for a few more hours and took you to the nearest town to find a movie rental store. As soon as you entered the shop, you were immediately intrigued by the simplicity of the store. There was a desk, where a paunchy man was reading, as well as two shelves full of binders whose spines were annotated with words such as "romance", "detective" and "autobiography".

To your greatest amazement, Nami went straight to the one marked "horror".

You tried to hold her back at first but she avoided your hold and opened the binder. She flipped through the pages. You then noticed that, on each page, there was the title of a film with its summary and its official poster. But all these images of blood, killers and weapons made you a little uncomfortable.

"Um...Nami?" you called her.

She muttered in response, too busy reading the synopses.

"I’m not sure about the horror movie?" You continued, unsure.

"Come on!" She said, looking up at you. "I really want to see one. And then, if you're afraid, you can just snuggle up against me!"

The idea of being able to cuddle up to the girl you've been crushing on for a while made you shut up for good. You had been looking around for a few months but nothing had come of it yet. Still on cloud nine, you didn't follow when she retrieved one of the papers that interested her before bringing it to the man behind the counter.

When you reconnected with the outside world, the man came back from the back room with a Den Den Mushi who had probably already recorded the desired film.

"It’s 1,000 Berry to rent the Cameko. Do you have anything to project?" he asked then, facing Nami who shook her head, and he returned with another snail even bigger. "It's 1,000 more for the Proko that goes with it. That will, therefore, be 2,000 Berry. They must be returned in good condition and their care is your responsibility for the entire duration of the rental."

Nami tried to bargain, and when she reached a price she thought was fair, she paid the man so that you could finally leave with your two Den Den Mushi.

Arriving on the ship, you found Sanji waiting for you to leave and he had prepared hot chocolates for you as well as snacks. So you both settled into the beds in the women's quarters, warm under the covers, with your hot chocolates and snacks.

Nami started the movie and you spent the night pressed together, shaking in fear.

𝖎𝖓𝖋𝖔𝖗𝖒𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓𝖘 SOURCE | onepiece.fandom.com - Den Den Mushi - The Cameko (カメコ, Kameko, VIZ: "Cam-snail") are baby Visual Den Den Mushi who have yet to gain the ability to display signals from other Visual Den Den Mushi. They are able to store images and videos, as well as transmit them as signals to their adult form, the Proko. - The Proko (プロコ, Puroko, VIZ: "Pro-snail") are an older Visual Den Den Mushi that have gained the ability to receive signals emanating from the Cameko, while simultaneously projecting and disseminating the visual content captured by the Cameko onto larger video displays either via wires connected to a display or by using their eye to project the light.

You just found my 1st Easter Egg!

𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞'𝐬 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐞! (ﾉ^ヮ^)ﾉ (・º. • )

𝖚𝖘𝖔𝖕𝖕

pumpkins carving

"Mine is better." Usopp declared confidently as he wielded his scraping tool.

The two of you were sitting face-to-face, cross-legged, on the floor of his workshop. An old blanket was under your buttocks to protect the floor. Between you stood a dozen tools of all kinds, ranging from knives to scrapers to markers as well as, most importantly, two large pumpkins.

It had been at least an hour since Usopp came back with a pumpkin under each arm and asked you to dig one with him. You immediately jumped at the opportunity and, very quickly, this whole experience had turned into a competition.

Who would make the best Jack-o'lantern?

As soon as you had started gutting them—keeping the parts removed so Sanji could cook them, obviously—the sniper was already taunting you. He talked to you about ratios and measurements so that the eyes and mouth were perfectly proportioned to the size of the food.

But you preferred to go by instinct with your marker and your imagination.

Throughout the process, you saw him trying to cheat to see what your Jack-o'lantern looked like from trying to kiss you to peeking into or waiting for you to go to the toilet to go to your side of the blanket. Even after a few strokes with the spatula, he was still trying approaches.

Finally, after two intensive hours of pumpkin carving and with a sticky floor and hands, the Jack-o'lanterns were finished.

Then came the time to decide between you.

Obviously, you each voted for your creations so, to find out the winner, you asked the entire crew to vote for their favorite pumpkin. Unfortunately, the votes didn't help because, after four more votes from each side, you were still tied.

It was only when Sanji called a truce for the meal that you stopped bickering.

Despite this, when evening came, the little arguments were back. So you were still bickering when you were getting ready for bed and then when you were in the bed itself. When you were both exhausted, you decided to declare both winners as well.

Satisfied, you lay down comfortably to sleep. And there, in the crook of his arms, with the warm blanket covering you and his smell of gunpowder surrounding you, he kissed you on the forehead before whispering to you in the dark.

"Mine was better."

𝖘𝖆𝖓𝖏𝖎

winter dessert cooking

The kitchen of the Thousand Sunny was exceptionally mess-like.

Ingredients and dishes were lying all over the counter and it was mainly your fault. Whether it was the pot of honey that wasn't put away, the flour that you had unintentionally sprinkled outside of the bowl or the whisks and spatulas that were lying here and there, it didn't at all resemble Sanji's clean habits.

However, for the moment, he didn't really care.

For him, cooking deliciously smelled of honey and spices. His discerning nose even detected slight traces of citrus and vanilla. Besides, what mainly occupied him was you, in an adorable apron—at his request—who was stirring the dry ingredients in the bowl while keeping a nervous eye on the pan on the stove.

"It’s boiling!" You exclaimed hastily. "Sanji! It's boiling!"

"Pour the liquid into the bowl, then." He laughed at your disheveled but still adorable appearance.

You then rushed to the pan to put out the fire before carefully lifting it to pour its contents into your first container. Then you put the pan down and started stirring again.

"Sanji!" you called him. "There are lumps."

"Stir more." he replied, still leaning on the counter next to you to admire you.

But, instead of stirring more, you suddenly let go of the whip before turning towards him. In passing, you collected a small handful of flour which you threw at him meanly on his own apron. You rested your hip on the counter and crossed your arms before looking into his eyes.

"If I asked to cook this with you," you began."it was to cook WITH you. Not for you to stand and watch me."

At your sulking tone, Sanji just laughed lightly, even though inside he was exultant to see you pouting. So he approached you, smiling, and took your place in front of the bowl to start mixing again for you. Satisfied to finally see him working, you stayed by his side to watch him whip skillfully.

"Amour, can you get me the melted butter, please?" He asked, looking at you. When you returned with the requested ingredient, he temporarily stopped his task to lean towards you and kiss you gently. He finally pulls away from your lips after a short while. "Thank you."

And he mixed the butter with the preparation and poured everything into a dish that he handed to you. He then opened the oven and watched you put the gingerbread in the oven. Once he closed the door, he came up behind you to place kisses on your neck.

"We have 20 minutes of cooking time," he explained to you. "Any ideas for what to do until then?"

𝖗𝖔𝖇𝖎𝖓

exploring graveyards

When Robin had asked you earlier in the evening to get ready because she was taking you on a date, you had been ecstatic. You had imagined a walk in a romantic place, a meeting at the library or even, let's be crazy, a restaurant.

Yet, now that you found yourself walking with her through a cemetery, you were starting to regret it a little.

"I'm not sure we're allowed to just wander around here, Robin." You tried, hoping it would get you out of there.

She looked at you.

"It’s not like they’re going to come and complain to anyone." She answered you, smiling.

You smiled back at her even if yours was somewhat shaky. While you were uncomfortable walking around in the middle of the night, with no one around except your partner, among the graves of people you didn't even know, Robin seemed to be peaceful.

Happy even.

So you didn't dare say anything more and you simply took her hand before moving closer to her. But, while her discreet smile on her lips and her almost sparkling eyes told you that she was happy to be there, she said nothing. Not a single word to distract you from the unromantic or even terrifying setting.

The hooting of an owl above you made you jump.

As Robin chuckled at your leap, you asked her why she wanted to come here.

At first, you had simply asked the question to break the silence—and to make her forget your startle—but, as soon as she started to answer you, you were glad you had asked.

In fact, she then began to tell you that she was looking for the tomb of a very well-known researcher in the world of archaeology. Since she started, she continued by telling you what research he had carried out and how it had advanced her study circle. A soft, enjoying smile curled her lips as she spoke quietly and her eyes shone with her passion for history.

You then drank in her words as she focused on her interest in studying skeletons and what it could teach her about the person's life as well as the society that surrounded them before their death. She continued her speech throughout your visit to the cemetery to the point where, when she finally wanted to leave a few hours later, you had not noticed the time had passed.

You had been captivated.

𝖘𝖊𝖊 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖙𝖔𝖒𝖔𝖗𝖗𝖔𝖜!

𝖏𝖔𝖎𝖓 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖙𝖆𝖌𝖑𝖎𝖘𝖙 𝖎𝖋 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖉𝖔𝖓'𝖙 𝖜𝖆𝖓𝖙 𝖙𝖔 𝖒𝖎𝖘𝖘 𝖆𝖓𝖞 𝖚𝖕𝖉𝖆𝖙𝖊

𝖙𝖆𝖌𝖑𝖎𝖘𝖙: @iheartamora @bontensh0e @opchara @idsmash717 @lys-ada @xomingyu @parkyrr @yasmiinberkaa @dozcan123 @anotherproblemsos