#Because Yikes

[turtlesandfrogs]

You can actually grow mint in the ground. It takes a bit of a trick, but you can definitely do it.

But first, a personal lesson on why people tell you not to plant mint in the ground (and yes, I knew better, but life happens and I didn't actually intentionally plant this):

This is my apple mint patch, which started by accidently dropping some minty debris and thinking, what's the worst that could happen? This. This is what can happen.

As you can see, it has engulfed potatoes, rhubarb, strawberries, and raspberries. It has received no care. It has out competed the invasive species that was there (bindweed), and replaced it. It's about 4 feet tall in the center, 5 feet wide, and 7 feet long. I really should do something about it this year.

And here's my other mint patch which is lest than 10 feet away, started at the same time, looking a little rough because I pulled some out to give a friend the other day (well, and it's shaded, and that corner of the yard is pretty weedy- but still! It gets the idea across!)

Take a closer look at the soil between the pots:

Notice something? Something like the mint not escaping? Yeah, there's bindweed that's gotten in, but ignore that for now*.

Mint.

In the ground.

Contained.

I also know someone who planted theirs in a chimney flue bricks, and it too, has not escaped- even after 5 years.

Why is this important? Well, because mint likes it moist and pots dry out quickly (which means that if i had to keep an eye on it, it would have died 4 years ago).

But if you half bury the pot, the roots (but not the runners!) go down and out and can use the moisture in the soil. I actually lifted these pots up a while ago to check, and they had sent roots down but not runners- and it has been multiple years.

Meaning I haven't had to water this mint. Not even during the 100+ weather days, and we have a summer dry period where we don't get any rain for months.

Now, truly, I was a bit concerned and not trusting of my own idea when I started this, so let me draw a picture of what this system actually is, for folks like me who think it's too good to be true and want some extra insurance:

So, as you can see, I didn't put the pot straight into the ground- I actually mostly buried a bin (that had holes in the bottom for drainage), and planted mint pots into that. I have not seen any mint escaping from the pots, but that's there, just in case.

*bindweed/perennial morning glory is awful. If you see it starting in your garden, remove it without hesitancy or mercy. Get every little bit of root. It's harder to get rid of than English ivy or Himalayan blackberry.

#adhd gardening #for folks who don't know mint is the glitter of the gardening world #gardenblr #gardening #my plants #grow your own #mint #did i make this whole post because someone told me not to plant mint in the ground even if it was in a pot? yes. yes i did #I'm probably going to redo this whole post in a couple weeks after I've cleaned up this area #because yikes

[khruschevshoe]

Just rewatched The Girl In the Fireplace for the first time in about nine years and Steven Moffat really read the Time Traveller's Wife one time and decided that every single woman companion he was going to write on the show (with the exception of Bill, and since she's a lesbian, she literally couldn't fall for the Doctor) was going to meet the Doctor as a child and then fall in love with him later on, didn't he? Reinette snogged him when she met him as an adult. Amy snogged him the day before she was getting married. River had, well, every single thing about her arc, birth to death. Even Clara, after being introduced as just friends, is revealed to have met the Doctor as a teenager and then is revealed to fancy him in the regeneration episode. Like, it's an absolutely bizarre and a little bit uncomfortable recurring plot point that these women met a man briefly as a child, imprinted on him, and fell in love/had a sexual interest in him/were obsessed with him as an adult, making large portions of their lives from childhood revolve around this man. Like...a bit of a yikes.

#doctor who #anti moffat #at least moffat critical #because yikes #river song #clara oswin oswald #clara oswald #amy pond #eleventh doctor #tenth doctor #the girl in the fireplace #criticism #meta

[wren-was-here]

listen i know gwen is definitely flawed but all the anti gwen fics i’ve read are like

“she rolled her eyes and scoffed then she talked way too loud and told everyone their feelings didn’t matter and then she punched ianto in the face and then accidentally blew up the hub”

like. bro.

#like i said criticism is valid but i have two points #a. ALL OF THEM ARE DEEPLY FLAWED #that is the WHOLE THING #that’s like what it show IS #AND THEY CHANGE AS IT GOES ON #gwen is awkward and annoying as fuck at the beginning of the show because SHE IS SUPPOSED TO BE #ITS THE POINT #b. idk maybe i’m wrong and i’m not saying that everyone who doesn’t like her is misogynistic #HOWEVER #whenever people like #REALLY hate a character because she’s like annoying or too obsessed with her children or her boyfriend or she’s too empathetic or emotional #i do raise an eyebrow #because i don’t see people hating any characters who are men like this #i’m sure it’s happened somewhere #and everyone is entitled to their opinion #but like #something to consider #i feel the same about everyone hating jj #that one is worse i think but that needs its own post #because YIKES #torchwood #gwen cooper

[haldenlith]

*stares wearily into the void*

I don't see it super often, but I see it enough to be very tired of "Well actually Astarion doesn't like polyamory, and you should feel bad for forcing him into a polyamorous relationship."

He is literally incredibly supportive in the dialogue to initiate a polyamorous relationship with Halsin. It is right there in the game. In fact, even Astarion's "break-up" dialogues when you initiate a romance with another origin character admit that he's normally okay with polyamorous relationships, his sticking point is the particular person he'd be sharing Tav with. This also further goes against the argument I've seen of "Well actually when he says he's okay with Halsin he's pretending because he's afraid of losing Tav". Astarion is more than willing to break up with Tav if he's not okay with what's going on with the relationship. Stop taking away this man's agency.

I shouldn't be surprised, though. Fandoms love to infantilize their "favorite little meow meow".

Seriously, just say you don't like polyamory. Just say it. It's fine. You're allowed to not like things. You really don't need to create some moral high ground.

I just wish people would just, you know, stop stripping characters of certain traits to fit that. If you don't like the idea of a polyamorous character, Gale, Lae'zel, and Wyll are all right there. Karlach's pretty much the only grey area, given that her response could definitely be taken in a "I'm not super comfortable with the arrangement, but I'm also not comfortable denying you either" way, which is honestly an interesting and nice little show of how messy polyamory can be.

But seriously, I swear, I am so tired of the "you're ucky wucky for doing the poly with Astarion and Halsin" take.

#haldie rants #I've seen a lot of yikes vibes in the Astarion fandom honestly #I've never felt the need to use the block button so much #until now #because YIKES #also honorable mention goes to the continuing pan/biphobic “discourse” #of “Astarion isn't for the women” or “women don't deserve him” #getting real tired of seeing various permutations of that take pop up too

[dawnlitbouquet]

BDS is a targeted boycott for a reason. Do not spread other lists.

Source: The Palestinian BDS National Commitee, at <https://bdsmovement.net/Act-Now-Against-These-Companies-Profiting-From-Genocide>

The organisers specifically chose the companies it did to make the most impact on Israel. In addition, there are too many companies putting their fingers in too many pies; with the fabric of the economy being the way it is, it is impossible to go after every single complicit company and every single product when too many people rely on them now.

As the website states, individual efforts are welcome, but you have to prioritise avoiding the companies on this list specifically. If you spread the other, more extensive lists going around without context on how it's complicit, it loses focus, fails to push BDS's demands for these companies to dissociate from Israel and risks losing legitimacy due to unsubstantiated claims.

I understand other people have already been stating this, and that I personally do not have that wide a reach. But I feel this is important for me to state aloud, because even though my family is more sympathetic to Palestine I found out a good deal of them have become dismissive of boycotting.

The reason for this? The list that they'd seen was one of the extensive ones, the ones that state 'these companies are complicit without clarification'; and one of my relatives noticed that some of the companies listed had no relation to Israel at all. That, plus the sheer length of the list suggesting a complete upheaval of required grocery items is needed, meant they dismissed it as not only impossible, but pointless.

This is why the BDS organisers have been saying not to spread other lists. It isn't targeted, isn't organised, and lacks pressure on the specific issue of association towards Israel. Spread the chart they organised for maximum impact on the Zionist colony. Don't undermine their focus towards the primary targets by spreading other lists that lack context and evidence.

#politics #bds movement #palestine #israel #islea’s words #how helpful would this post be? not very #but i'm a bit frustrated and angry to boot #it took me a lot of arguing to find out exactly which list they had seen after hearing WHY #and now i have no idea if they'll listen even after i showed this chart specifically #so yes i need to throw this out there #because yikes

[radiantbuddie]

the show continuing to employ marisol's actress during buck's current storyline is certainly a choice

#this is me hoping it's a contract thing #and that the execs aren't being purposefully ignorant of the issue #because yikes

[whumpcereal]

behavior modification, part seventeen

<previous, Masterlist here! This chapter has a little bit of everything--all our characters (even Mama Prescott and Carl), lots of hurt, some comfort--so enjoy!

Content warnings for intense sensory deprivation, noncon stimulation, suffocation, emotional distress, dissociation, and adult language

part seventeen, deprivation

Hi. You’ve almost reached Jack. Leave a message, and we’ll see if you make it. 

Joe is ashamed of his own relief when the beep sounds and the call rolls to voicemail. He knows that Jack’s mailbox must be getting full; he dreads the day when he calls and won’t be able to leave a message. Not that Jack has heard any of them. Not that he knows that Joe calls every day, just to hear Jack’s voice. 

“Hi, baby. It’s me again. I–I just wanted you to know that I miss you. I mean, of course you know that. Don’t you? I hope you do. Mama’s on her way. We’re going to–we’ll do everything we can to find you. I love you, okay? I love you so fucking much.” 

He holds the phone to his ear for a few unnecessary seconds, but there’s no answer, no voice on the other end of the line. There never is. He ends the call and slips the phone back into his pocket. His toes dig into the carpet, and he drags them aimlessly back and forth. 

He takes out his phone again.

Hi. You’ve almost reached Jack. Leave a message, and we’ll see if you make it. 

“Sorry, I know I just–just–wait for me, baby, okay? Don’t go anywhere I can’t follow. I love you.” 

-/-/-

Jack doesn’t know how long it’s been. Maybe ten seconds, maybe ten hours; it can’t be ten days; it feels like ten years. But he couldn’t track the time, even if he wanted to. The blackness has seeped into the fissures of his brain. It’s in his mouth, his eyes, his throat. It fills him and still, somehow, leaves him empty. 

At first, he fought. He screamed beneath the duct tape gag and thrashed inside his leather prison. But it didn’t make a difference. The restraints are so heavy that he barely moved. Ivan didn’t come. The hood stayed on. His tears and sweat dried up. And then, he couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe. Like a fucking prehistoric insect in amber. 

The panic does not recede. It’s tidal: the sensations he’s given–Joe’s voice, the throb of the beads–draw away, leaving Jack in stasis, in some kind of impenetrable void where he isn’t sure that he even exists; and then, they crash against him at once, sneaker waves that drag him into the undertow of feelings he doesn’t want and can’t escape. Tiny bursts of energy that cannot be expended explode inside his skull. He’s lost track of his body, feels like his limbs may have disappeared into space, and still, he aches to move. But he can’t.

He’s gone. So fucking gone. 

Until he isn’t. Until Joe’s voice fills his head and yanks him back to the shallows. 

“Jackie, I love you. If you can hear me–” 

The beads whine, and Jack’s body burns. His muscles light up under their leather casing, but the movement is small, just a twitch. 

“Please, baby–I just want to know you’re alright.” 

Joe. Jack’s tongue, dry and heavy in the cavity of his mouth, twitches to answer, but his lips stay frozen beneath the tape. The vibration inside of him speeds up, and he curls inside the leather bag. He can’t, he can’t–

Joe’s voice is angry then, strained. “Jack, this isn’t funny.” Jack thinks he’s heard Joe say this before. He must have really fucked up. But the sound cuts off short, like somebody’s snaked their hand over Joe’s mouth and pulled him backward. 

Half-formed thoughts pool in Jack’s darkness. Was Joe here? How could he be? Why–

A sob. “Jackie, please!”

The buzz inside drops off suddenly and then builds again, slowly, until the beads are humming against him, faster than before. If Jack has a voice, it shreds in his throat.  

Colors flare beneath his eyelids, hot and dark, and Joe’s voice catches like a broken record. 

“Please...please...please...” 

Please, Jack thinks, if he can think at all. He swells against the metal between his legs, but there’s no release, nothing to move against, no body to move with. If Joe is here, it isn’t to help him.

“This isn’t funny,” Joe says again. 

It isn’t. Jack keens beneath the hood, and the sound echoes inside his head. The colors pulse, but there are no shapes, nothing concrete. The beads drone, getting faster again. His body fights to move, to chase the sensation that’s gnawing at his insides, but the restraints pin him down. 

“Jackie,” Joe says in his head, voice trailing off like there’s something more to say. 

Something presses down, hard, on Jack’s face; leather butts against his skin, and it’s too much. Joe’s voice plays on repeat, and the beads scream, and there is no air. 

Jack falls into blackness again, and when he comes to, there is only the silent nothing to greet him. Joe is gone. He feels nothing. He drifts. If he could want anything, he would want this to end. But he can’t want, doesn’t think, is barely there. 

He’s gone. So fucking gone. 

-/-/-

Joe is still staring at his phone when Carl’s bark pulls him back into the room. Paws skitter against hardwood floors, and the front door creaks open. There’s a soft laugh, even if it’s not quite as warm or easy as it should be. 

“Well, hello, granddog.” 

Carl pants, and Marilyn laughs again. Joe doesn’t move. 

“Bear?” Marilyn calls. “Where are you, sweetheart?” 

“In–” Joe’s voice is a clot of tears; he clears his throat. “In here, Mama.” 

Marilyn walks in, the same care in her steps as when she used to come into his bedroom to soothe him after a nightmare. 

“Oh, baby,” she murmurs. She wastes no time in wrapping her arms around Joe. Joe tries to breathe her in. Soft powder and lavender; her scent never changes. “I’m sorry I couldn’t get here faster.” 

“Mama–” Joe tries, but the words dissolve. Marilyn only holds him closer. 

“I know, Bear, I know. It’s okay.” 

“It’s not,” Joe whispers. He should be embarrassed, a 34-year-old man coming apart in his mother’s arms, but he can’t bring himself to care. He rubs his face against her shoulder. 

“I know, but I’m here now, huh?” she says.

“Thank you.” 

“Always, baby. You know that.”

“Yeah.” 

Joe takes a shuddery breath, and Marilyn rubs tender circles across his back. 

“When was the last time you ate?” she asks. 

Joe shrugs. “I don’t know.” 

It hasn’t seemed important. And besides, the kitchen is Jack’s. Joe doesn’t want to mess it up. 

“Well, we’re going to fix that,” Marilyn says, brushing Joe’s curls from his forehead. Her hands are soft and cool. “And then, we’re going to take Carl for a long walk, and you’re going to tell me everything that’s happened.” 

“Okay,” Joe says softly. He rubs at his eyes. 

Marilyn sighs. “Bear, have you been sleeping?” 

“No.” 

He tries, but the bed doesn’t feel right without Jack in it. 

Marilyn purses her lips. “Then, we’ll take care of that too. You can’t run yourself down like this.” 

Joe laughs cheerlessly. “Sure I can.” 

She takes Joe’s face between her hands, smoothing the stubbled apples of his cheeks with her thumbs. “No, you can’t.” 

“Why not?” 

“Because I say so?” Marilyn raises an eyebrow, and then her face softens. “Because it isn’t good for you, Bear. And besides, don’t you think Jack needs you at your best?” 

Joe winces like he’s been burnt. He doesn’t quite look at his mother. “I guess.” 

“Well, I know,” Marilyn counters. “I’m here to take care of you. Both of you. We’ll bring him home, Joey. You’ll see.” 

“How can you be so sure?” Joe whispers. 

“Because this isn’t how it ends. Not for Jack, and not for you, Bear. I know it.” 

Joe blinks against the stinging in his eyes. “But I don’t even know where to start.” 

“Then we’ll figure that out together, sweetheart. Haven’t we always?” 

Joe nods. 

“Good,” Marilyn says. She presses a kiss to his forehead. “Now, food first. Then some vitamin D. And then, my love, you are sleeping, even if I have to ram an Ambien down your throat.” 

A weak smile plays at Joe’s lips. “And then?” 

“Then we start.” 

Marilyn moves, ready to head to the kitchen, but Joe can’t make himself get up. His phone is still clutched in his hand. 

“Mama?” 

“What is it, baby?” 

“I miss him. So much.” 

Marilyn’s face pinches for a moment, and Joe knows that she’s willing her own tears to stay put. “I know, Bear. And I know he misses you too.” Her smile is watery. “Now, get your butt into the kitchen and let me feed you.” 

“I’ll be right there,” Joe says. 

“Okay, sweetheart.”

She leaves him. Carl saunters into the living room, settling himself on top of Joe’s feet. He makes a grunt low in his throat, his brown eyes searching Joe’s. Joe’s thumb presses against his phone screen. 

Hi. You’ve almost reached Jack. Leave a message, and we’ll see if you make it. 

“It’s me again. We’re going to find you, Jackie. We’re going to bring you home. Just hang on. I–I love you. You know that, right? I love you so much.” 

And even if there isn’t any answer, Joe tries to find it in himself to believe. 

-/-/-

“It’s me again. We’re going to find you, Jackie. We’re going to bring you home. Just hang on. I–I love you. You know that, right? I love you so much.” 

Ivan rolls his eyes. Joe’s voicemails are getting more and more desperate. On the one hand, he calls often enough that Ivan has plenty of material to mine for his little sensory experiment with sweet Jackie. 

On the other, Joe should be embarrassed.

There are sometimes eleven or twelve messages in one day. If Jack had really run off–which, unfortunately, Joe doesn’t seem to believe he would–Joe would do better just to send the kid his balls in an envelope. It isn’t dignified, this level of devotion. 

However, Ivan supposes he doesn’t mind. He has eyes on Jackie’s disintegration, and ears on Joe’s. 

Jack’s first twenty-four hours are nearly up. Ivan mostly lets the treatment work its magic unaided; he watches Jack from the video feed on his laptop in between clients and case notes. 

The first few hours were the most eventful. Jack wriggled in the mummy bag like the captive worm he’s meant to be, but the restraints did their work; eventually, he stopped moving altogether. 

Now, Ivan plays Joe’s little soundtrack when the mood strikes him, and he cycles through the beads’ settings until he can see some life. A few times, he’s gone to the basement to watch. When he thinks Jack is at his edge, when that delicious lean body twitches and jolts in its leather prison, Ivan covers the airhole in the hood to give the poor thing some relief. Better to be unconscious than to dwell on the fact that he won’t be granted release. 

Ivan checks the window on his screen. Sweet Jackie is still just now, a black cocoon on the steel table. He’ll need food and water; he’ll probably need sedation to get some real rest before they try this again. It’s time. 

Ivan goes to the basement.

Jack is barely conscious when Ivan removes the hood. His dark head lolls against the table, and when Ivan peels the tape from his mouth, his lips are already whitish and cracked. Ivan slowly unzips the sack. Jack’s limbs are pliant as a doll’s, and even though his skin is hot to the touch, he trembles when the basement air hits him. 

“Jackie?” Ivan says gently. 

Jack rasps out a moan, shaking his head listlessly back and forth. His eyes crack open, and the sliver of blue Ivan can see is brilliant against their bloodshot whites. 

“Jackie,” he says again. It’s important that he use Joe’s words. “Baby, are you alright?” 

He caresses Jack’s cheek, and Jack flinches away like a frightened animal. But there’s nowhere for him to go. 

“P-please,” Jack whispers. He closes his eyes again; even the dim overhead light must feel like torture just now. “Please.” 

Ivan moves his thumb in a rhythmic circle over Jack’s skin. He knows it’s too much, but Jack can’t pull away. “Please what, baby?”

“Please, Joe.” 

Ivan smiles. “What is it, Jackie? Tell Joe what you need.” 

“Sorry. S-so sorry.”

“I know you are, baby,” Ivan murmurs. “That’s why you’re here. That’s why you’re going to work to get better, isn’t it?” 

Jack cries, but there aren’t any tears. His pretty little face twists into a grimace of pain, and he nods.  

“You’re so good for me, Jackie. You did so good.” Ivan lifts Jack out of the leather sack and cradles him against his chest. “But I know you can do better, huh?” 

Jack doesn’t respond. He’s limp in Ivan’s arms. 

“Let’s take a little rest, baby. And then we’ll try again.” 

next >

taglist: @oddsconvert, @darkthingshappen, @whump-for-all-and-all-for-whump, @sparrowsage, @aut0psy-s, @mylifeisonthebookshelf, @no-terms-and-conditions-apply, @goldywhump, @reflected-pain, @darlingwhump, @squishablesunbeam, @dont-be-gentle-please, @deltaxxk, @irishwhiskeygrl, @keep-beach-city-werid, @keeper-of-all-the-random-things (send a message to be added)

#behavior modification #joe prescott oc #marilyn prescott oc #jack kenyon oc #ivan peters oc #lots of hurt #a little bit of comfort #tw sensory deprivation #pray for jackie #because yikes

[solitariusdeluna]

hm. good job, tesla.

#dash com #we love how tesla takes care of him #such a devoted subordinate he is #good thing he's smarter too #because yikes

[queenlucythevaliant]

So I just moved into my new apartment today. Pros:

Living with a roommate for the first time in my life! (somehow). She's a wonderful, intelligent Christian friend who I respect like crazy and can't wait to get to know better.

Moving out of my COVID Apartment (tm), which was horrendously expensive.

It's in a much quieter area with walking and bike trails and a pretty little park.

Cons:

No air conditioning

The kitchen is TINY! No pantry, just cupboards. I moved into the kitchen first (all my other stuff is still in boxes) and oh my word

#no idea how riveting this life update kind of thing even is to your guys but whatever #i mostly just really wanted to post that picture #because yikes #pontifications and creations

[myfootyrthroat]

When a political hero du jour used to be your local hot mess, but you're keeping it to yourself because the big picture is obviously more important.

#i hope they got help #because yikes

[thnks-pt]

As someone who agrees that Mania is not Fall Out Boy's best album, I will continue to defend that album forever. I can not explain in words what Last of the Real Ones does to me.

#fall out boy #fob #mania #mania album #their discography has zero skips #except make America psycho again #because yikes

[fraddit]

Hey, how do you read stuff you wrote earlier this week and not hate it? Asking for a friend.

#because yikes #shut up fraddit #Should probably make use of the nice weather outside and go for a walk... #For my health and mood 🙄

[spiraledfaun]

When you're so horny that you drop to K*a's song in The J*ngle B*ok 👀

I'm not joking

It was... embarrassingly fast.

#hypnokink #hypnosub #brainwashing #conditioning #i do not want this to show up in the tags for the franchise or character #because yikes

[thebraxiatelcollection]

You know what, I’m so glad I don’t have twitter. Especially when you’re a Doctor Who fan.

#because YIKES #my friend sent me screen shots of all these comments on the twitter section and through the facebook main page #its not just twitter sadly it is everywhere #doctor who #there are some horrible comments out there #do people not sit and think about what they are typing? #if you dont have anything nice to say dont say it! #especially on a large platform #and its not freedom of speech if its hate speech #sometimes being a doctor who fan is like being a spy and trying to rob a bank without stepping on any alarm systems

[spoonyruncible]

So, I’ve been listening to a fan reading of Animorphs that I stumbled on by accident. It’s delightful. It’s been specifically endorsed by Michael Grant, so that was lovely to see.

I hadn’t realized, though, how sad the first book would be read aloud when you know about the coming horrors. Admittedly, the book opens with a war crime (recruiting child soldiers) but that’s standard fare for kid’s adventure stories while the stuff that happens later is not. They do recognize some of the gravity of their situation and, ya know Tobias, but it’s still hopeful and innocent. The Andalites will come soon and they’ll know what to do, they’ll save the Earth.

#two books later tobias would attempt suicide #so you know it gets to the fucked up parts fast #technically some super fucked up stuff does happen #like the first incidence of cannibalism #forced cannibalism no less #because yikes #obviously much more terrible things had happened to alloran by then #and none of the kids realize the specifics of what went down #but with later context it is pretty horrifying #there is kind of a lot of cannibalism in these books #like more than you would expect #body horror and cannibalism #yeah pretty obvious in retrospect these books shaped me

[marchharesteatable]

Did I tell you all I found Trekcrackers?

D and I went out of town and found a nutcracker museum.

#Keeping all identifiable info out #because yikes #But #star trek original series #star trek tos #st tos #james t kirk #jim kirk #tos spock #commander spock #spock #star trek #D and I went out of town and found a nutcracker museum #42/10 would not recommend if you don't think that 16th - 18th centeruly racist and anti-Semitic nutcrackers are horrifying humorous #But at least they have Trek #nutcracker #Look at them hands