#my plants are dry i should probably water them

[turtlesandfrogs]

I made this Pre-pandemic for a "Starting plants from the grocery store" class I was teaching, here it is edited down for anyone interested.

For saving seeds, the fruit should be fully mature for the seeds to be fully mature. Therefore, you can use seeds from a winter squash but not a baby zucchini, and the likelihood that the seeds of a tomato (or red bell pepper) will grow are much higher than for a green bell pepper. Unfortunately, many are either going to be poorly suited for your conditions, or hybrid, which we'll touch on later.

Stem cuttings are a great way to start many common culinary herbs! Especially basil!

Some tubers to consider starting from are sweet potatoes and actual potatoes.

And then of course, the bulbs! Green onions and garlic are your best bets!

These are outdoor plants and thus are Somewhat Fussy if you're going to grow indoors. Do not overwater them (eg, letting them sit in a tray of water for days) nor let them dry out completely. Try to keep them evenly moist, with thorough waterings that then pour out the bottom of the pot unimpeded. 

Given that they are outdoor plants, a south-facing window (assuming you’re in the northern hemisphere) or grow lights are your best bet. If they don’t get enough light, they will turn pale and stretch towards their light source. They won’t grow as quickly or as healthfully as they would with sufficient light.  

Examples:

Tomatoes & peppers! Tomatoes are the one that actually inspired me to make this because I saw this clip on starting plants from kitchen scraps, and they buried the whole dang half of a tomato! Don’t do that! What a waste of a tomato half! EAT your tomato! Take the seeds out! 

If you’re intending to grow these outdoors, start them about 6 weeks before your last frost. If you have not grown plants from seed before, here’s some information from another class I taught: https://tinyurl.com/seedstarting2020

If you’re intending to grow them indoors the whole time, you will likely need grow lights for both tomatoes and peppers, and they like it if you keep your house on the warm side. I would suggest growing them outdoors and buying seeds for a dwarf tomato if you really want to grow indoors.

The down side is that most are hybrid, so when you grow out the seed, it's not necessarily going to grow well, be productive, or taste good. Even if it is open pollinated, it's probably been bred to thrive in conditions unlike those you can provide. If you need a successful crop, I highly suggest buying seed, or swapping with a reputable source. Although if you like and can find yellow pear tomatoes, those are an exception to this entire paragraph.

Basil! Basil is a great one to do stem cuttings of, get it started indoors, and then plant out once night time temperatures stay above 50f (10c). I prefer to start them straight into soil, and seem to have a higher success rate this way. To do this, remove all leaves except the top bud, and bury the stem in soil up to just beneath that bud and firm gently. Keep the soil moist and the pot above 60f, and you should have a good success rate. This method works for mint, lemon balm, rosemary, sage, etc, as well.

Green onions- really easy, put the bottom inch or so in soil and they’ll grow very well for you. I prefer soil over water because a) the water gets stinky, and b) they grow better and stronger in soil.

AND MORE:

Sage, rosemary, and thyme (also any stemmed herb): just like basil

Lettuce, carrots, beets: you get the tops, but usually they’ll try to bolt. Easier just to buy seeds. If you want, I usually start in shallow water and then plant as soon as I see roots growing. Again, keep the soil moist, and for these ones, keep them in a cooler part of your house. But really, they almost always bolt in my experience.

Sweet potatoes: Get them in the fall, it takes months for them to start growing (unless you're somewhere warm apparently? ). They will sprout, grow roots, take slips to plant outdoors once night time temperatures study above 50f (10c)

Garlic, just grab a clove and plant in the fall. Boom. GARLIC.

Squash- you don’t know what you’ll get, because they might be cross pollinated with another variety or hybrids. If you do grow it out and it’s bitter, don’t eat it, it’s poisonous. If you want to know more, search “toxic squash syndrome”

Ginger: Plant the rhizome in summer, harvest before frost, or overwinter indoors with a lot of light.

Pineapple: Doable, but it takes three years to get a harvest. Plant in well draining soil, and give it as much heat and light as you can.

Just for fun: (Unless you’re in the tropics or have a lot of patience.)

Mango, avocado, citrus. Take years, and a different climate than I have to fruit. If you’re in the tropics, go for it, but know that avocado pollination can apparently be tricky. I am not in the tropics, so I do not have direct experience with this. Citrus I think I've read also don't come true from seed.

Apples, pears: take years, and don’t come true to type. You do not know what you’ll get, and you’ll probably get something that is not worth eating (but would work for cider). These do need a cold dormancy period in the winter to do well. Of course, you could plant them and then top graft if it does turn out they don’t taste good.

Plums, peaches, apricots: take years, often do come true from seed, but peaches and nectarines are very susceptible to peach leaf curl, so may just die depending on where you are.

#gardening #vegetable gardening #yes that post made me remember but i did already have it written up #regrowing vegetables #pirating vegetables

[fromforeigntofamiliarity]

Storytime | JJ Maybank/Rafe Cameron

Requested: No

Warning: None

Summary: JJ Maybank x Reader, Ex Rafe Cameron x Reader

"And I turned on the mixer and batter was all over the kitchen." You laughed along with everyone else as you finished your story.

"Oh come on." Rafe groaned. "It wasn't 'all over the kitchen', just the counters, floor, and the fridge." He corrected causing you to stop laughing as you felt your cheeks heat up.

"Oh my god Rafe, counter, fridge, floors that's literally all there is to a kitchen." Sarah defended you.

"No Sarah its fine, I'm probably just exaggerating." You let out an awkward chuckle.

"Yeah you are." Rafe added taking another sip of his drink.

An moment of silence passed over the group as you kept your eyes to the ground, unable to deal with the sympathetic looks you would no doubt meet should you look up.

***

"I heard the scream and I jumped in and pulled him out." You finished with a small shrug. "Its was no big deal."

"No big deal?" JJ asked from behind you as you leaned your back on his chest. "No, no, no let me tell it." He insists to the group that had formed around you.

"So there we were walking down the pier, having a chill time, when all of a sudden...'Help! Help!'.....'My baby, someone help!" JJ acts out in different high pitched voices. "I'm confused so I look over and she's gone, I'm looking around and the next thing I see if my girl, running down towards the water, I swear to god she was in slow motion, full Baywatch." He said quickly cupping both your boobs before you slapped is hands away.

"So I run up to he edge, she's disappeared under the water at this point, I'm freakin out, the kids mom is freakin out then.....Boom! she pops out of the water like a mermaid or something." He tells drawing in more of a crowd. "The kids clinging onto her while she's swimming them both back to dry land. I pull them out of the water, no sweat." He adds flexing his arms. "The moms hugging her kid and crying, 'Thank you, thank you', I'm telling you my girl was like a superhero." He finished wrapping her arms around you before planting a dramatic kiss on your cheek as you laugh at his retelling of the events.

So caught up in JJ's antics you don't even notice Rafe standing across the boneyard staring intensely at the both of you, think to when that was the two of you.

#outer banks imagine #obx imagine #jj maybank x reader #jj maybank imagine #jj maybank #rafe cameron x reader #rafe cameron #rafe cameron imagine #outer banks x reader #sarah cameron

[galadhir]

You wouldn't download 16 basil plants

So, you know those spindly basil plants you can get in the supermarket that are all leggy and pale, and you put them on the window-ledge and pick a few leaves from them and then they die?

Here is the hack for

turning it into a healthy plant and

making an army of clones from it so that all your friends can have one too

You will need

one parent plant

scissors for cutting the stalks

enough pots for however many seedlings you want to make

compost

one or two empty bottles

Method

Have a look at your parent plant. You'll see that each bundle of leaves comes out from a knobbly bit in the stem. That knobbly bit is called a leaf node.

Gently take hold of the very top set of leaves and count the leaf nodes on that particular stalk, counting down from the top.

If there are more than three nodes, cut the stalk just below the second leaf node.

The bit that you have just cut off is called a cutting, and it will become a new plant. To do this, we have to get it to grow roots.

Take your cutting and remove all the leaves except the four at the very top.

Fill your bottle with water and insert the cutting into the top of the bottle, with the stem completely submerged in water, and the leaves outside in the air.

Now repeat until you've taken about six cuttings, or you've taken all the cuttings available. Put them all in water-filled bottles. (I use milk bottles which hold about four stems at once with enough space for their leaves to get the sunlight, but if you're using wine bottles it might be fewer.)

Put the cuttings/bottles onto a sunny window-ledge and wait. Within about a week you should see roots beginning to grow. Keep the water topped up to the top, and let the roots grow until they are two or three inches long.

When the roots are 2-3 inches long, fill your pots with compost and water them well. Shove your fingers in the wet compost to make a space for the cutting's new roots and gently insert the cutting into the hole. Put a little bit more compost on top and firm it down, move on to plant the next one.

Providing all your cuttings get over the shock of transfer (and they probably will) you will then have 8 little basil plants like the smallest ones in my picture.

Put them back on the sunny window-ledge to let them get established and begin to grow. Congrats, you now have 8 basil plants plus the parent plant.

The parent plant

When you're taking the cuttings, you must leave at least one leaf node on every stalk. The plant can't create leaves without the nodes, and if it has no leaves it's basically going to die.

You want the plant to create new leaves and thicken up. If a stalk doesn't have more than two nodes, don't make cuttings from that stalk at all. Leave that stalk to grow.

Taking your cuttings will stimulate the plant to grow, and lower nodes which may not have had leaves on them when you got the plant, will now begin to produce them. This will make the plant bushier and stronger, but it will need a bit of extra food to help it put the extra effort in. So give it a new layer of compost on the top, water it, and put it back on the sunny window-ledge as well.

First batch cuttings

Let your first generation of cuttings grow undisturbed for a few weeks. (Water only when the soil feels dry.)

When they start looking long and thin, you want to encourage them to create side-shoots and begin bushing out. You don't want a long thin plant. It will fall over in the wind.

Look at the very top of the plant where you will see two tiny baby leaves developing. If you let them develop, the plant will continue to grow long and thin, but if you take them out it will encourage the side shoots to grow. Pinch out the tiny baby leaves right at the top of the cuttings, and very soon you'll see they start to grow outwards instead of upwards.

Second batch cuttings

After a few weeks your cuttings will look like the larger plants in my picture, and your parent plant will have grown enough to have added extra nodes. Which means that you can now take another batch of cuttings and start the process all over again.

You can pretty much keep this going all summer if you want.

Give plants away, eat fresh basil all summer and fill your freezer with bags of basil leaves for the winter :) Happy cloning!

#gardening #permaculture #solarpunk

[cryptidclaw]

Cryptidclaw's WC Prefixes List!

Yall said you were interested in seeing it so here it is! 

This is a collection of mostly Flora, Fauna, Rocks, and other such things that can be found in Britain since that’s where the books take place! 

I also have other Prefixes that have to do with pelt colors and patterns as well!

Here’s a link to the doc if you dont want to expand a 650 word list on your Tumblr feed lol! the doc is also in my drive linked in my pined post!

below is the actual list! If there are any names you think I should add plz tell me!

EDIT: I will update the doc with new names as I come up with them or have them suggested to me, but I wont update the list on this post! Plz visit my doc for a more updated version!

Animals

Mammal

Badger

Bat

Bear

Beaver

Bison

Boar

Buck

Calf

Cow

Deer

Elk

Fawn

Ferret

Fox

Goat

Hare

Horse

Lamb

Lynx

Marten

Mole

Mouse

Otter

Rabbit

Rat

Seal

Sheep

Shrew

Squirrel

Stoat

Vole

Weasel

Wolf

Wolverine

Amphibians

Frog

Newt

Toad

Reptiles

Scale

Adder

Lizard

Snake

Turtle

Shell

Birds

Bird

Down

Feather

Albatross

Bittern

Buzzard

Chaffinch

Chick

Chicken

Coot

Cormorant

Corvid

Crane

Crow

Curlew

Dove

Duck

Dunlin

Eagle

Egret

Falcon

Finch

Gannet

Goose

Grouse

Gull

Hawk

Hen

Heron

Ibis

Jackdaw

Jay

Kestrel

Kite

Lark

Magpie

Mallard

Merlin

Mockingbird

Murrelet

Nightingale

Osprey

Owl

Partridge

Pelican

Peregrine

Petrel

Pheasant

Pigeon

Plover

Puffin

Quail

Raven

Robin

Rook

Rooster

Ruff

Shrike

Snipe

Sparrow

Starling

Stork

Swallow

Swan

Swift

Tern

Thrasher

Thrush

Vulture

Warbler

Whimbrel

Wren

Freshwater Fish 

Fish

Bass

Bream 

Carp

Dace

Eel

Lamprey

Loach

Minnow

Perch

Pike

Rudd

Salmon

Sterlet

Tench

Trout

Roach

Saltwater fish and other Sea creatures (would cats be able to find some of these? Probably not, I don't care tho)

Alge

Barnacle

Bass (Saltwater version)

Bream (Saltwater version)

Brill

Clam

Cod

Crab

Dolphin

Eel (Saltwater version)

Flounder

Garfish

Halibut

Kelp

Lobster

Mackerel

Mollusk

Orca

Prawn

Ray

Seal

Shark

Shrimp

Starfish

Sting

Urchin

Whale

Insects and Arachnids

Honey

Insect

Web

Ant

Bee

Beetle

Bug

Butterfly

Caterpillar

Cricket

Damselfly

Dragonfly

Fly

Grasshopper

Grub

Hornet

Maggot

Moth

Spider

Wasp

Worm

Trees

Acorn

Bark

Branch

Forest

Hollow

Log

Root

Stump

Timber

Tree

Twig

Wood

Alder

Apple

Ash

Aspen

Beech

Birch

Cedar

Cherry

Chestnut

Cypress

Elm

Fir

Hawthorn

Hazel

Hemlock

Linden

Maple

Oak

Pear

Poplar

Rowan

Redwood

Spruce

Willow

Yew

Flowers, Shrubs and Other plants

Berry

Blossom

Briar

Field

Flower

Leaf

Meadow

Needle

Petal

Shrub

Stem

Thicket

Thorn

Vine

Anemone 

Apricot

Barley 

Bellflower

Bluebell

Borage

Bracken

Bramble

Briar

Burnet

Buttercup

Campion

Chamomile

Chanterelle

Chicory

Clover

Cornflower

Daffodil

Daisy

Dandelion

Dogwood

Fallow

Fennel

Fern

Flax

Foxglove

Furze

Garlic

Ginger

Gorse

Grass

Hay

Heather

Holly

Honeysuckle

Hop

Hyacinth

Iris

Ivy

Juniper

Lavender

Lichen

Lilac

Lilly

Mallow

Marigold

Mint

Mistletoe

Moss

Moss

Mushroom

Nettle

Nightshade

Oat

Olive

Orchid

Parsley

Periwinkle

Pine

Poppy

Primrose

Privet

Raspberry

Reed

Reedmace

Rose

Rush

Rye

Saffron

Sage

Sedge

Seed

Snowdrop

Spindle

Strawberry

Tangerine

Tansy

Teasel

Thistle

Thrift

Thyme

Violet

Weed

Wheat

Woodruff

Yarrow

Rocks and earth

Agate

Amber

Amethyst

Arch

Basalt

Bounder

Cave

Chalk

Coal

Copper

Dirt

Dust

Flint

Garnet

Gold

Granite

Hill

Iron

Jagged

Jet

Mountain

Mud

Peak

Pebble

Pinnacle

Pit

Quartz

Ridge

Rock

Rubble

Ruby

Rust(y)

Sand

Sapphire

Sediment

Silt

Silver

Slate

Soil

Spire

Stone

Trench

Zircon

Water Formations

Bay

Cove

Creek

Delta

Lake

Marsh

Ocean

Pool

Puddle

River

Sea

Water

Weather and such

Autumn

Avalanche

Balmy

Blaze

Blizzard

Breeze

Burnt

Chill

Cinder

Cloud

Cold

Dew

Drift

Drizzle

Drought

Dry

Ember

Fall

Fire

Flame

Flood

Fog

Freeze

Frost

Frozen

Gale

Gust

Hail

Ice

Icicle

Lightening

Mist

Muggy

Rain 

Scorch

Singe

Sky

Sleet

Sloe

Smoke

Snow

Snowflake

Soot

Sorrel

Spark

Spring

Steam

Storm

Summer

Sun

Thunder

Water

Wave

Wet

Wind

Winter

Celestial??

Comet

Dawn

Dusk

Evening 

Midnight

Moon

Morning

Night

Noon

Twilight

Cat Features, Traits, and Misc. 

Azure

Beige

Big

Black

Blonde

Blotch(ed)

Blue

Bounce

Bright 

Brindle

Broken

Bronze

Brown

Bumble

Burgundy

Call

Carmine

Claw

Cobalt

Cream

Crimson

Cry

Curl(y)

Dapple

Dark

Dot(ted)

Dusky

Ebony

Echo

Fallen

Fleck(ed)

Fluffy

Freckle

Ginger

Golden

Gray

Green

Heavy

Kink

Knot(ted)

Light

Little

Lost

Loud

Marbled

Mew

Milk

Mottle

Mumble

Ochre

Odd

One

Orange

Pale

Patch(ed)

Pounce 

Prickle

Ragged

Red

Ripple

Rough

Rugged

Russet

Scarlet

Shade

Shaggy

Sharp

Shimmer

Shining

Small

Smudge

Soft

Song

Speckle

Spike

Splash

Spot(ted)

Streak

Stripe(d)

Strong

Stump(y)

Sweet

Tall

Talon

Tangle

Tatter(ed)

Tawny

Tiny

Tough

Tumble

Twist

Violet

Whisker

Whisper

White

Wild

Wooly

Yellow

#cryptidclaw's warriors au #? #Im tempted to use these in the au #some characters deserve some more fun names hehe #rise of change #warrior cats #warrior cats design #warriors #warriors names #warriors naming #warriors prefixes

[kedreeva]

I work in a whole foods supply store, and one of our customers is a lovely old lady who lives out on a rural property, way beyond the city limits.

A pair of peacocks have nested and made babies at the edge of her land (two clutches so far this year), and she has taken it upon herself to feed them, so she comes to us to buy food - seeds, chopped nuts and dried fruits.

I know she means well, but she says the babies now come to her door to 'beg' for food, which means they're habituating, so I feel like she's doing them more harm than good.

If you knew of someone doing this, would you leave them to it, or try to dissuade them? Also, is the food I described above actually okay for peacocks?

She says the peahen is a bright, beautiful, unblemished white, which I thought was quite rare? She is going to bring me photos on her next visit...

Unless you're in India, they're not habituating because they're not wild animals, they're feral domestics. If they're hanging around and being fed, congrats, she's got free range peafowl. It's free birds!

As for the mix, I would cut out the nuts. Fruits are fine but they don't really like citrus and they shouldn't have avocado. Fresh fruits are better than dried, dried concentrates the sugars and doesn't provide any hydration. If she'll listen to you, tell her you have a friend that breeds peafowl and that they suggested better treats would be live mealworms or superworms, dubia roaches, farm-raised hornworms, or mouse pinkies. They also like fish (at least feeder fish, but possibly also larger fish they can pick apart) and meats. They can be given veggies, but they don't rip things apart the way chickens do their beaks are not as able to tear into hard things, so veggies should be chopped small. They will happily rip up greens or melons that are cut open though. Banana too! They love banana and berries.

Black oil sunflower seed and safflower are good seeds, limit corn intake. No beans allowed except refried ones. Planting clover in her yard will be a good source of nutrient-rich greens (and good for bees!).

But honestly, a good high-protein dry chow with some water added fresh to it will provide a lot of benefit, just as much attention, and probably be cheaper since you can get 50lb for like $20. I use Belstra 28% turkey starter crumble from a local feed mill. It may not look as interesting but my birds get a LOT of varied treats and chow mash is one they'll eat every day without any hesitation, and leave nothing behind. The only other treats that is true for are bugs and farmer's helper golden egg nugget treats. Even peanuts they have turned their noses up at a couple of times.

As for the white color, it's not that rare. A lot of people don't like to keep them because they get dirty easily and because colored birds often HATE them. Hens often won't mate with them if they can see other males, and males often attack or attempt to chase off white hens. In the wild, a white animal draws attention and opens the flock to predation.

#asks #anon asks #peafowl

[thefatedthoughtofyou]

Warnings: allusions to abuse. Not against steve or Eddie but against both of their mothers. Other than that this is sweet i promise. Also just realized it's mothers day so... this is possibly awkward, possibly fitting. Take care my lovelies.

Steve had always loved the rain. Not storms, necessarily. But the rain. The pitter patter of drops on the roof. And the street. And the leaves in the trees. The surface of his pool on unnaturally warm spring day. The way the drops felt cold and tingly on warm skin. Steve loved it all.

Loved sitting with his feet in the pool, dangling over the edge, into the water, as he let the rain soak him through. Let his shirt stick to his skin as rain drops dripped from his hair into his eyes.

His mother had started his love for it. Always jumping in puddles with him on their way to the car in the grocery store parking lot. Both of them laughing as they held hands and ran and jumped, splashing their clothes and soaking their shoes and not caring at all for the mess they were making of themselves.

Steve missed those days. Missed his mother being happy. Her warm smile keeping the chill of the rain away. Steve supposed sitting in the rain, and watching it fall across the top of the water, was his way of bringing those feelings back.

But deep down. He'd always wished for someone to share this with. He'd tried with Nancy. And she was no priss, really she wasn't, obviously. But when he'd asked her to walk in the rain with him once, she'd given him this look. Like she'd thought he was crazy. Or ridiculous. Or just being weird, dumb, Steve.

He hadn't asked again.

But he'd wanted too. So many times. Of so many people. He was sure Robin would love it too. But he hadn't been brave enough to ask yet.

And then there was Eddie. They'd been dancing around something for what was probably close to a year now. There was an ache in Steve's chest everytime it rained. Longing to walk out into the rain, hold his hand out to Eddie, and ask him to take it.

But he was scared. And he was trying to come to terms with that fear. And that ache. When he heard the door open behind him. He heard a few stumbled footsteps and jingling chains, and hung his head a bit, smiling into his lap.

Eddie.

It was movie night. Steve had forgotten, lost in the rain.

He should get up. Go inside. Dry off so they can start whatever movie  Eddie had brought to lecture him on tonight. Steve would roll his eyes, but he loved listening to Eddie talk about things he loved. Loved all the little details he added, fun facts he knew that Steve never would have found out on his own.

He plants his hands to stand just as Eddie plops himself down next to Steve. Shoes removed somewhere behind them, jeans folded up a bit around his shins. Eddie lowers his feet into the water easily, taking care, ridiculously, not to splash, and turns to look at Steve with that fucking smile.

"Great weather right?" He asks, genuine delight dripping from his lips, and shinning in his eyes. Steve feels like he's flying a bit to close to the sun, the way Eddie shines. He just nods, bites his lip and looks into his lap again. Eddie knocks his shoulder into Steve's.

"Why ya sittin in the rain Steve?" He asks, still sounding happy, no judgment, and to Steve's suprise, no worry.

"I just like the rain." He says, easy. No lies. Not with Eddie. He's been making an effort to only tell Eddie the truth... about most things. He feels more than sees Eddie nod beside him.

"Me too. Love it. Nothin quite like sittin in the rain." He says, easy. Bumps into Steve again, he's swaying a bit now, side to side. Gentle as you please. It's a thing he does. Steve finds it hypnotizing in the best way.

"Yeah." Steve says dumbly, internally kicks himself. Eddie huffs a laugh next him as their shoulders collide again.

"Ya know," he leans closer, stops his swaying for a moment. His eyes focused on Steve, bangs dripping water down his face. Steve blinks rapidly, trying to focus on what Eddie is about to say, and not on the jealousy he feels for the raindrops slowly moving over Eddie's skin.

"I used to climb onto the roof of the trailer when it rained. Just lay there. Eyes on the sky." He glanced up, squinting into the rain and then looking back to Steve with a small smile, his 'just for Steve' smile.

"Drove Wayne crazy. He worries." Eddie tilted his head, the 'Bless him.' heavily implied in his tone. Steve snorts.

"I wonder why." He says, voice dry. Eddie's eyes move his face quickly, before he laughs and sways away again.

"That's fair. I did almost get struck by lightning once." Eddie muses, then rounds on Steve suddenly, eyes wide, finger pointing accusingly.

"Don't, tell him that." He's using his serious face, it makes Steve smile.

"I wouldn't dare." He holds his hand over his heart.

"Scouts honor." He says, holding his other hand up. Eddie leans back a bit, looks Steve up and down, wipes water out of his eyes before looking away again.

"You would have been a scout." Eddie shakes his head, rolls his eyes, but he smiling that smile again.

"Four years. Yeah. It wasn't horrible." Steve concedes, shrugging, and he sighs softly at the feeling of his wet shirt tugging on his shoulders.

They're silent for a long moment. Both of them just sitting, watching the rain. Eddie rocking back and forth absent-mindedly next to him now, his feet gently kicking back and forth in the water.

"My mom used to jump in puddles with me. In the store parking lot. And once out there," Steve points out over the pool, into the back yard, Eddie leans closer, his eyes following where Steve's pointing.

"We ended up covered in mud. Both of us laughing so hard we could barely breathe. Dad wasn't home so the mess didn't matter. We were just having fun. I miss her being fun." Steve hadn't meant to say that part, not really. But it had slipped, his cheeks heating a bit. But Eddie didn't even stumble over the confession.

"Why isn't she fun anymore? Cuz'a him?" Eddie asks, like it's easy, this thing Steve hates to talk about, and think about. He swallows, hard, and nods. Sees Eddie nod back, a sad smile on his lips now, until they quirk to the side, his scarred cheek pulling up a bit as he makes his thinking face.

"She could leave him? Take you too." Eddie says, and it's a question. He's prodding, a bit, always curious. Steve takes a deep breathe, straightening his back as he breathes deep.

"Sorry. None of my business." Eddie shakes his head once, his hair so thoroughly soaked now that it barely moves on his shoulders.

"No it's okay. I just," he pauses, takes another deep breath, thinking.

"I think she's stuck. Like... she can't leave." Steve shakes his head too, wipes at his face, moving the water out of his eyes, off his nose where it's tickling.

"Catholic?" Eddie asks, easy. And Steve stares at him.

No one had asked that before. Or mentioned it. People always being nosy and presumptuous, saying if she really cared about herself, or for Steve, that she would just go. But it wasn't that simple. And Steve had never been able to explain it very well.

But Eddie had explained it fine. With one word. A knowing look in his eyes. Steve suddenly remembers all the things he's heard about Eddie's dad, how he's never heard much about his mom, and his stomach sinks, his throat catching on the fire gathering there.

Steve nods. Eddie nods back. Smiles that small smile into his lap again.

"People don't understand some things. Ya know?" Eddie asks, bumping into Steve again. He sways away once more and Steve follows, presses his shoulder to Eddie's firmly. Eddie stills, let's him lean there.

"And ya know what?" He looks at Steve, eyes peeking out under his dripping bangs.

"What?" Steve asks, his palms and fingers itching, wanting to reach out and touch Eddie. To wipe the water from his eyes. To tuck his hair behind his ear. To hold his hand. Maybe kiss him a little.

"It's none of their fucking business. You know your mom. You know what she was like. How she cared for you. You'll always have those memories. Ya know? I mean, if you don't have anything else." He shrugs, leans his weight into Steve's shoulder, comforting. Steve closes his eyes, tries to think of something to say to the gift Eddie's just given him.

Because he's right. She's Steve's mother. She loved him. Always. And whatever else she was, or how she acted, was none of anyone's business. Steve had his mother. His memories of her. Her warm smile, and bubbly laugh. She was his. No matter how his father changed her, or kept her away. She was Steve's. Always Steve's. Maybe only ever his. God knows she wasn't his father's, probably never had been.

He realizes he's been sitting, not saying anything, Eddie still firmly pressed against him. Silent. Letting Steve process, or grieve, or whatever he assumed Steve might doing. He was just letting him do it, and supporting him, in more ways than one.

"Did your mom like the rain?" He asks, finally breaking the silence. And it's the right question. Because it makes Eddie laugh. A good. Genuine. Proper laugh. His head tilted back, face to the sky, basking in the rain falling on them. He sighs, looks back to Steve.

"She fuckin loved the rain. I guess that's were I got it. Wayne use to mutter 'just like your mother' everytime he had to dry me off when I was little and out puddle hopping like a violent frog." He makes a little sound in his throat, sounds exactly like the bullfrogs Steve used to hear at the lake and a laugh bursts out of him. Eddie's answering, crooked smile, is dazzling. Steve longs to reach out and touch those dimples.

"Wanna see what she used to do to me?" Eddie asks, his voice quiet now, he sounds a bit shy, so Steve leans closer, nods, his eyes glued to Eddie's face.

He doesn't have time to wonder if the shyness was real, or a ruse to get him close, but it didn't matter. Because once he was close, a mischievous glint tinted Eddie's eyes and Steve knew he'd made a mistake.

"She did this." He said around a smirk and shook his head violently side to side. His hair throwing water like a shaking dog. A few wet strands smack Steve in the face and he startles back, or tries too. But he forgets they're on the edge of the pool and his hand misses the ledge as he sways back and then promptly falls into the water.

When he surfaces again Eddie is cackling, holding his hands over his stomach as he looks at Steve. His eyes bright. The water is warm, the rain cold on Steve's shoulders as he stands, forces himself to glare at Eddie, even as a smile tugs at his lip. He stalks toward Eddie, slowed by the drag of the water. Eddie smile drops.

"No no no no no! Steven don't you dare!" He shrieks, but Steve notes, he makes no effort to get away, aside from leaning back a little. Steve grabs Eddie's waist swiftly and tosses him into the water.

He comes up sputtering. Hair flat around his head. He looks like a drowned rat. Or one of the fluffy cats that gets wet and looks miseral and skinny and grumpy. Eddie lifts his hands and then drops them again.

"I said no. I did say no, yeah?" He says, then asks, squinting at Steve through the water from the pool and the water from the rain.

"No yeah, you did. I just didn't listen." Steve shrugs, laughs, falls back into the water and then goes under, opens his eyes and looks at Eddie standing there. He watches him wiggle his toes against the bottom of the pool, it makes him look nervous. So Steve swims forward, gets as close as he can to Eddie, until Eddie backs away a bit, and then he resurfaces. Eddie's hands are held up in front of him.

"Don't splash me." He warns, hands lowering into the water.

"I splash back. That's the only warning you get!" He warns, hands flicking water at Steve, who just smiles.

"We're already wet Eds." He rolls his eyes, snorts when Eddie lowers his hands.

"Oh. Right. Duh." Eddie scoffs, mostly at himself. Steve stands, shakes his head the way Eddie had, throwing water into the boys face. When he opens his eyes and Eddie is flinching, sputtering out water dramatically, dragging a hand down his face.

"Very funny. You're a natural." Eddie says, voice dry. He's got that cute grumpy cat look going again and Steve can't help it. Can't stop himself.

He steps forward. Into Eddie's space. And presses his lips gently against Eddie's. He doesn't kiss back. Just makes a small startled noise in his throat. But he doesn't pull away. Steve does. Thinks maybe he read this all wrong. He opens his eyes and sees how red Eddie is, and knows he didn't misread anything.

"You okay?" He breathes.

"Mhm. What-" Eddie's voice breaks, he clears his throat, his hand rubbing at the back of his neck.

"W-what was that for?" He asks, his eyes locked on the water between them. Steve shrugs.

"Because I wanted to. That alright?" Steve asks, ducking his head to try and get Eddie to look at him. Eddie blinks, hard, and brings his eyes up, meeting Steve's. He nods. Doesn't say anything.

Steve moves, wraps his arm around Eddie's waist and pulls him close. Eddie makes a little high pitched noise in his throat when their chests meet and it drives Steve a little wild. But it also makes him realize what's happening. With Eddie. He's never done this.

"I can show you how. We can go slow." Steve breathes between them, his free hand lifting, dragging his fingertips over Eddie's cheek, touching the scar there gently, trying to convey everything he's been feeling for months into the touch.

Eddie whines, leans into the touch, pressing his cheek into Steve's palm. Snuggling closer like the cat he is. Steve smiles, cradles Eddie's face with his hands. Eddie's hands move to his hips, Steve can feel him trembling.

"I've got you." Steve breathes. Eddie nods, his mouth falling open just so before he surges forward and kisses Steve again. Their second kiss. Eddie's second kiss ever. Steve is so sure.

It starts frantic, Eddie's lips crashing against his. But he immediately loses his confidence and just, stands there, lips pressed to Steve's. Steve almost laughs into, but catches himself, doesn't wanna scare Eddie or hurt him, not now that he's just got him.

So Steve breathes through his nose and moves. Moves his hands to Eddie's hips and holds him steady. Moves his lips gently against Eddie's, slowly, until Eddie gets the memo and follows his lead.

It's clumsy, and awkward, and Eddie's palms are hot on Steve's shoulders where he's holding on for dear life. And it's completely and utterly intoxicating. Steve pulls back first, just a bit, to breathe. Eddie sways, his lips chasing Steve's. Steve catches him around the waist, keeps him still. Smiles at him when he blinks heavily, his eyes opening slowly, to look at Steve.

"Did-" he stops, his cheeks going an impossibly deeper shade of red, nearly matching the scar on his cheek. Steve soothes his thumb over said scar. Widens his eyes, letting Eddie know he's listening.

"Did I do that okay?" He asks, his face scrunching up. Steve nods, pulls Eddie's head down a bit, presses a kiss to his forhead.

"You did it perfect." Steve says, nods. Kisses him again. Soft and sweet.

"Movie?" Steve asks, head resting against Eddie's. Eddie nods, his breathing slowing a bit as Steve holds him, his thumb rubbing small circles into Eddie's hip.

"Yes. Yeah. Movie sounds great." Eddie agrees, nodding. Steve smiles, takes Eddie's hand and leads him up the steps out of the pool, their fingers tangled together as the rain poured around them.

Steve gets them dry clothes, and a pile of blankets. And later, when they're tangled together underneath them, legs and hands entwined, Steve's hand in Eddie's still damp hair.

He glances away from the movie, and out the window, smiling as he watches the rain fall, his chest warm with the feeling of finally having someone to love the rain with. He drifts off, the sound of Eddie's deep, sleeping breaths against his chest, lulling him into a peaceful sleep. And he dreams, of raindrops catching in Eddie's lashes as they dance in the rain, spinning through puddles with mud on their feet and warmth in their hearts.

#also hi the catholic things comes directly from a similar situation one of my moms friends was in so like.. not trying to religion bash or #anything. i just know Catholics dont really support divorce and such. so yeah. thats all it is my dudes #steddie #steve harrington x eddie munson #steddie fic #steve x eddie #fates endless inkwell #fei #steddie blurb #also side note. this happened cuz i got cuaght in the rain yesterday and was feeling absolutely romantic about it #my writing #mine #my fic

[simiansmoke]

an angry kiss in the rain (Mario)

It didn't matter how many times he stressed that it was monsoon season because there Mario went, like an idiot, straight into the jungle as the sky sat pregnant above with a looming due date.

At first, DK didn't mind shooting the shit with the Mushroom Kingdom's mascot. They usually fooled around on the outskirts of the Kong capital where a few powerup blocks provided a couple hours of entertainment, but after a few rounds of power-up tag (where the point was to beat the power out of the other, but keep their own) DK was ready to call it quits early. Maybe it was a form of animal instinct, or the fact that he'd lived in Kong country all his life, but one whiff of the air had the fur on his shoulders rising with the blossoming static around them; "Time to go-"

Or it would have been if the resounding cry for help deep in the jungle didn't spur the red-shirted hero to action. DK had a hold of him by the shoe at first when Mario attempted to blow past him. "Dude, we can't help them right now. We gotta let the storm pass first."

"You'a kiddin' right?" Given how he looked at DK like he'd grown a second head, the Kong realized his company was probably unfamiliar with just how a rescue mission would not play out well in the next ten or so seconds. "It'sa little rain. You won't melt."

"Mario-wait!" DK lost his grip and for a moment watched as Mario breeched the forest-line of fan palms and birds of paradise leaves. In any other circumstance, he may have let Mario fuck around and find out, but with the addition of another likely stranded before the storm, DK galloped after him, albeit annoyed.

"Hellooo?" Mario called out, slapping overgrown caladiums out of his face as he ventured in deeper. As the sky rumbled above, he rolled his eyes. DK being afraid of a little water was ridiculous considering someone in his kingdom was in need of assistance. It didn't occur to him they might have been worried about being out and about. Mario didn't notice a single drop of rain before the bottom fell out.

The force of the downpour was unlike anything he'd seen-well...in this case, felt, because as soon as the wall of water barreled down on him with the strength of a pent-up season, he face-planted into the dirt as it instantly mutated to mud. Caught off guard and dazed, he couldn't seem to pull himself up under the furious force. Not good-he thought, scrabbling at the ground with a frantic air once he realized he couldn't quite get his face up and out of the puddle that was quickly forming around him.

Mario was lucky he liked such an ugly color, because without the bright red beacon, DK wouldn't have been able to find him through the blinding wave of water. Just trying to move beneath the force was a work out in itself, but since this wasn't DK's first fuck around and find out rodeo, he managed. Scooping Mario up, he laid the plumber out to dry, dangling off his arm which he scooted partly under his body to give Mario some break from the beating as he turned and pushed through the heavy rain until he made it to the cave entrance they had luckily passed by on the plunge into the suicide mission.

When the roof of the cave cut off nature's assault, DK coughed in the contained oxygen after having held his breath for much of Mario's retrieval. An involuntary shake wracked his body in an attempt to rid his fur from the wet feeling that at this point, probably only a long time napping in the sun would fix.

"W-wow." Mario stirred on his wet and hairy perch, peering at the mouth of the cave which was now curtained with a waterfall. "You...probably should have warned me about that-"

"Oh yeah? My BAD." Annoyed, DK flicked Mario off him, not caring if he hit the cave wall and knocked himself unconscious. At least then he wouldn't have to listen to Mario's macaroni. "I would have let you enjoy the taste of your foot in your mouth if there wasn't probably some kid out here - doing what they should be and waiting it out." It was almost like they'd learned all this as kids, the hard way or otherwise.

"Yeah, well!" Mario stood, wringing out some water from his hat. "I can't just sit back whena some kid's calling for help. Unlike you, I have a heart."

The barb was almost as insignificant as a splinter, but it stung enough for DK to stomp the few steps over and wring his fingers into the front of Mario's shirt and lift him a few feet off the ground. "Yeah, I'm SO heartless. I made sure you didn't drown in the mud where your brains come from!" Desperate to throw the idiot into a wall or slap him around, DK knew he couldn't compromise their temporary shelter, so he did the next best thing he could to spill some fury. With his fingers wrenched skull-crushingly tight to the front of Mario's shirt, he jerked the squirming mushroom mascot up to collide their mouths together in a mash up of a bite and a suffocating kiss.

Mario's sporadic squirms stilled with the aggressive action, and his hands flew up as if to swat the Kong back, but a tug of guilt kept his gloved hand poised in the shape of a scratch that he rested against DK's cheek. He had been so wrapped up in being the hero that he hardly noticed that DK had come to his rescue instead.

With enough of his fury foisted upon Mario's mouth, DK breaks for a breath, accepting the uncertain palm poised on his cheek as he bumps his face forward into it...dammit, he wanted to stay mad. "If anything gets to suffocate your dumb ass, it's me."

Face joining the color of his shirt, Mario gave DK's cheek a thankful pat. "N...noted."

#//who sent u #//ok here - 4 u #//this turned into a mini fic but yeah lol #donkey kong #donkario #donkey kong x mario #mario x donkey kong

[iboatedhere]

(more thanks to @pragmatic-optimist @welcometololaland & @rmd-writes)

---

Henry fiddles with the tap, turning the water temperature down from scalding hot to just piping hot while the biodegradable sponge Alex insists they buy crumbles into nothing in his hand. 

He sighs and rinses the mug before setting it on the rack to dry, turning off the water, and leaning against the sink, looking out into the expanse of their backyard.

“Penny for your thoughts, sweetheart?” Alex asks from the table and Henry turns. 

“Do you think we should be growing our own food?” 

Wide eyed, Alex looks from the strip of bacon in hand to Henry and back again.

“I was talking about vegetables, darling.”

“Oh! Ha! Thank fuck,” he says as he shoves the last bite into his mouth. “Because you know I would get attached to that thing as soon as its little swine-eyes found mine and I could never…” He trails off and drags his finger across his throat. “You know.”

“I do,” Henry tells him. “Would it be enough to turn you into a vegetarian?”

“Hell no, but I would probably switch to turkey bacon. I’ve had enough of those feathery fucks to last the rest of my life.” He stands with his plate and coffee mug then nudges Henry out of the way so he can clean up after himself. “You want to start a garden?”

“We have all this land we're not using and who knows how long it’ll take the renovation permits on the shelter to come through. I have a bit of spare time.”

Alex eyes him warily and Henry pretends he doesn’t notice. 

“I was thinking I’d start with the basics…tomatoes, cucumber, courgettes…”

“That’s zucchini, right?”

Henry rolls his eyes fondly. “If you want to be American about it.”

“Well, since we’re in America. I think a garden would be nice. You gotta be careful though, my abuela had one and she was overrun with vegetables. She canned and pickled everything and still couldn’t keep up. She’d pay me and June ten dollars to go around to her neighbors trying to offload peppers because it was impossible to say no to two cute kids.”

“I’m sure I could find a food bank that would take them.”

“I’m sure you could,” Alex agrees before swaying into him. “Are you okay?”

Henry gives him a smile that must look as weak as it feels and Alex presses his lips together and tips his head to the side, giving Henry his best puppy-dog eyes.

“It’s just…you know,” Henry says because Alex does know and Henry doesn’t want to be the one to say it. 

The anniversary of his father’s death looms, the same way it does every year, but every year there seems to be more for Henry to mourn. 

His father never got to meet Alex. He never got to see how full of love Henry’s life is now. How happy he is. He’ll never set foot in this home or see the garden Henry wants to plant or hold the future children they might have.

Henry’s love for Alex grows with every passing day but there’s still a corner of his heart that is gray with grief that no amount of early morning kisses or late night conversations out on the porch will color.

“Baby,” Alex says, leaning in and pressing a kiss to Henry’s shoulder. He can’t mourn the way Henry does, but Henry knows he tries to shoulder the weight of it even if he can’t quite fit his arms around it. “You know it’s okay to slow down and relax.”

“Plenty of people find gardening relaxing.”

Alex sighs, the same way he always does when he knows he’s been beaten at his own game and pulls back. 

“Okay,” he says, “I can duck out of work early and we can hit up the nursery–.”

“Oh no,” Henry interrupts. “I’m not letting you anywhere near my garden.”

Alex blinks at him. “Excuse me?”

“You, my love, have what I believe they call a black thumb.”

“That’s a fucking lie, I do not.”

“You somehow managed to kill a cactus.”

“That thorny piece of shit had it out for me.”

“Of course, love,” Henry says, gathering Alex’s face between his hands, “whatever you say.”

#firstprince #firstprince fic #rwrb #rwrb fic #wip wednesday

[breelandwalker]

Secular Celebrations - Midsummer

After Beltane comes Midsummer, which some also call Litha, mid to late June. I call it “probably already too hot to go outside.” I’m not exactly a summertime person to begin with and I live in Virginia, in the middle of a swamp. So the rest of you can enjoy Midsummer. I’m going to be spending it indoors where the air conditioning is.

Midsummer is the summer solstice, the middle of the growing season, the highest point of high summer. It’s a time to celebrate the hard work we’ve done, take a bit of ease while the weather is pleasant, and have a good romp before we have to start bringing in the harvests in August. If you work with solar magic or the Fair Folk, this is your holiday. Both of these themes run deep and strong through Midsummer, along with the urge to get outside and revel in the beauty of nature at peak flourish.

So enjoy Midsummer first and foremost by getting outside...if you can. If it’s too damn hot, yanno, be realistic. But at least make an effort if you enjoy the hotter weather and it’s not dangerous to be out. Go to your favorite park, maybe go to the beach, go hiking, go to a pick-your-own fruit farm, have a picnic, attend a fair or a carnival, do some stargazing. All this assumes a lot about public safety since we’re still living in the COVID era, so use your good judgement. If it’s not safe to be around crowds, try to focus on solo activities or things you can do in the safety of your home or your backyard.

This is another good time for herb-picking. If you have a garden, your plants should be producing by this point, and you can start pruning your plants and drying those trimmings for use in your craft. This is actually my favorite part of the summer. I love putting up those bundles of plants and flowers to dry, I love the look of them in my home, and I love the satisfaction of putting the dried material into jars for storage. And hey, if you’re not growing anything, you can still enjoy this by picking up fresh herbs from the supermarket or the local garden store and drying them.

You can also go herb gathering like I mentioned for Beltane, since different plants will be in season. Again, always observe permission and best practices if you’re going to do this. And always make sure you label your bundles and your jars for easy identification.

On a practical note, if you’re going to be doing things outside for Midsummer, always make sure you wear sunscreen and adequate clothing to avoid too much UV exposure, including a face covering. Remember to hydrate properly throughout the day, be careful with your alcohol intake, and if you start to feel tired or woozy, or if you stop sweating, get out of the sun IMMEDIATELY. Heat exhaustion and heat stroke are no joke, witches. Take care of yourselves out there.

And speaking of herbs and ways of keeping cool, one of the things I really enjoy doing in the summertime is making magical iced teas. I know some of my overseas listeners might be blinking in confusion right about now, so if you’ve never heard of this, let me enlighten you. In the US, particularly in the South, we’re very fond of iced tea. Now, that doesn’t mean cold tea, it’s tea that’s been sweetened and chilled, and it’s usually served over ice with lemon or mint leaves, depending on the recipe. This is a fun and easy herbal potion that anyone can make. You just need a pitcher of hot water, some herbal tea bags, some sugar or honey, and whatever flavorings you want to add.

Using several teabags or a big pouch of looseleaf tea, mix up a batch of tea that’s a little stronger than you’d usually make for a hot cuppa. Stir in sugar or honey until it’s as sweet as you like it - we usually go a step or two sweeter than you’d think. Then add whatever flavorings you like. And you can use just about anything for this. I’m partial to a nice blend of chamomile and peppermint with a good dollop of honey, or white tea with jasmine, or spearmint and elderflower, or hibiscus and raspberry. Lavender and lemon is another popular recipe, if you can get your hands on culinary lavender. (And yes, there IS a difference between lavender grown for the kitchen and lavender grown for aromatherapy purposes, so shop carefully.) Feel free to make drinks that correspond to magical purposes, too. Health, wealth, happiness, whatever you like. Sweet iced potions? Yes please!

This can be stretched to alcoholic drinks too, if you’re partial. I mean, what are we even doing with our craft if we’re not stirring spells into sangria or joining the midnight margarita club, right? My husband makes a delightful little cocktail he calls a Gardener’s Tonic - basically a gin and tonic with muddled sweet basil and lime juice and a slice of cucumber. Just make sure that when you’re enjoying your alcoholic alchemy, you’re doing so responsibly.

So once you’ve got your drink of choice and you’ve had a chance to relax, look to your homestead. Tend that garden, like I mentioned before. Attend to any pest problems you might be having, or any home repairs that might need doing. Try not to put things off. Once autumn arrives, you may find that you’re too busy. Reorganize your witchy supplies. If you’ve got new material or new tools coming in, try to declutter and get rid of anything that’s gone stale or sour, or anything that’s used up. Check your jars for signs of mold and give your accoutrements a good cleaning.

If you feel that kitchen witch itch, there’s a cream for that….it’s in the fridge next to the milk. (I apologize for NOTHING.) You can check on the beverages you started back around Beltane, or start a batch if you didn’t do one in the spring. You can start a sourdough, since that seems to be all the rage right now, or make preserves and jams with those early fruits and berries. Make food or homemade sweet with local produce and local honey. Oh and bless the bees and the pollinators while you’re at it! Bless their little hearts, they bring so much sweetness to the world, they deserve thanks for their hard work.

Midsummer is a big holiday for picnics, so if you can have one, definitely do it, even if it’s just on your back porch. If you happen to have a fenced yard and a tent to work with, maybe try an overnight campout just for fun. My dad used to do this all the time when my brother and I were kids. We’d set up a tent in the backyard, he’d drag out a TV and VCR on extension cords, and we’d stay up half the night watching movies and eating junk food. Hey, we were suburban kids, my dad’s idea of “roughing it” was having no remote for the TV. It was super fun, and if you can manage something like this, I definitely recommend it to witches with little ones. Lot of good memories there, if they’re inclined to such things.

Of course, summer isn’t all clear skies and sunshine. Sometimes it rains. But heck, that can be just as much fun. Apart from the obvious option of gathering the rainwater for magical purposes, have you ever gone out in the rain on purpose? When it’s warm out and the rain is coming down in nice fat drops and you’re wearing stuff that can stand a little soaking, few things are more fun than running around and getting absolutely drenched. I’ve got a few fond memories of walking in the woods during rainstorms with my bestie from middle school. There’s a saying that goes, “Life isn’t about avoiding the storms, it’s about learning to dance in the rain.” If there’s not a danger of lightning, I definitely recommend giving it a try. It’s really kind of exhilarating.

Midsummer is the longest day of the year. It’s the day when we see the most light, the earliest sunrise, the latest sunset. Meditate on how you can bring more light and positivity into your life, and how you can have a positive impact on the lives of others, on your community, and the world in general. Think about your productivity, your projects, your path to personal growth. How are things going? Is there anything that feels stuck that needs to be addressed? Where can you modify your outlook to something more optimistic, and where do you maybe need to take off the rose-colored glasses and be more of a realist? All things to contemplate while you’re sipping that magical iced tea potion.

Other Posts In This Series:

Imbolc

Spring Equinox

Beltane

Midsummer

Lughnasadh

Autumn Equinox

Samhain

Yule

If you’re enjoying my content, please feel free to drop a little something in the tip jar or check out my published works on Amazon or in the Willow Wings Witch Shop.

The Hex Positive podcast is a proud member of the Nerd and Tie Podcast Network.😊

#witchcraft #witchblr #wicca #wheel of the year #holidays #summer solstice #midsummer #litha #baby witch #secular celebrations #Hex Positive #Midsummer is June 20-22 - you haven't missed it!

[jojosbizarrekakyoinobsession]

My brain won’t shut up about how Jotaro and Kakyoin would spend a rainy day together, so here we go with another unnecessarily long ramble.

The two somehow always manage to get caught up in the rain, despite knowing that rain will be on the forecast. Nori fully blames Jotaro for dragging him out of the house for last minute errands or food runs. Jotaro would compensate by using his own coat as a makeshift umbrella in an effort to keep Nori dry. It’s an attempt and somewhat works, Nori’s hair is thankfully spared, but they’re still soaked through their clothes by the time they get back home. And Jotaro never hears the end of Nori’s snarky remarks about his poor storm planning.

Of course being the highly protective, attentive, and caring boyfriend that he is, Jotaro doesn’t want Noriaki to catch a cold, so as soon as they step through their front door, he immediately goes into the bathroom and starts preparing a bath. Depending on Nori’s mood, he’ll either want to bathe alone or want Joot to join him, but on rainy days like today, Noriaki always wants to bathe with Jotaro. They sit cuddled together in the bath, soaking in the water’s and each other’s warmth, neither of them talking or moving until the water turns cold or Nori complains about pruning. Nori is leaned back comfortably against Jotaro’s chest, while Jotaro buries his face in Noriaki’s sea of hair and keeps his arms around him, engulfing him in a secure, warm embrace.

After the bath, Noriaki puts on a comfy, oversized jumper that he stole from Jotaro long ago, and goes onto make them both their favourite hot drinks to enjoy while watching a movie or tv show, or listening to their favourite music (today is a movie day ^ ^). Jotaro puts on his starfish patterned sweats, clothing that he only wears when he and Nori are alone together. As always, the two have a small argument about what movie they should watch that lasts till the drinks are ready, Nori’s choice of course wins today because he was right about his prediction of the rain starting while they were out of the house (like every other time).

I haven’t really thought about what their preferred hot drinks would be, but for now let’s say vanilla tea mixed with honey and milk is Nori’s favourite (mine too), and black tea with 3 or 4 sugars is Jotaro’s. Those are probably my final choices as their faves tbh. As for the movie choice, Nori would definitely pick some 80s or 90s sci-fi movie, so today’s choice is Tron. Joot doesn’t like to admit it, especially not to Nori’s smug face, but he does genuinely enjoy the sci-fi movies that Noriaki picks, but he won’t allow Nori to get another win today. Unfortunately for him, Nori can read him like a book and light teasing ensues when they go to bed later on.

It’s always a guarantee that they’ll fall asleep to the sound of the rain pitter-pattering against the windows and roof while they’re cuddled up together because they’re such grandpas despite being in their 20s or so. They never finish a movie or show while like this, especially on rainy/snowy days. xD

If the rain lasts for more than a single afternoon and night and goes onto the next day, Nori would spend his day tending to his plants on their porch, making sure they’re getting just enough water during the storm, and making him and Jotaro comfort food for lunch and dinner. Meanwhile Joot will sit hunched over his desk working all day on his marine biology research or whatever nerdy ocean desk work he’s into, with occasional kisses and cuddles from Nori as encouragement and a good luck blessing.

This ended up turning into a domestic ramble that can apply to a snowy day too, but whatever. I just love writing about how stupidly in love they are. I can’t get enough of them, and it’s starting to become worrying. (*´ω`*)

#ramble #domestic #jjba #jotakak #noritaro #jotaro kujo #noriaki kakyoin #jojo’s bizarre adventure #fanfic

[kitashousewife]

learning new things

an: i thought of kita a lot today so i decided to write this hehe

pairings: timeskip!kita x fem!reader

warnings: husband kita, food mentions, kita is the sweetest ever, lots of pet names, mentions of knives and knife usage, lowercase intentional

-

kita would do anything for you.

which is why this spring, right after the two of you moved into the farmhouse, he spent weeks researching pumpkins and how to grow them. figuring out the perfect soil. how to space the seeds, how much water and sun they needed, and of course how many to get. he settled on four plants to be safe in case he lost a couple.

now it's october and the two of you are a little overwhelmed.

"74 exactly," kita says, more to himself as enters the house for dinner.

"74 what, shin?" you mumble as you set the final dishes on the table. dusting your hands off on your apron before you take it off, you move quickly to beat your husband to the sink.

"first again," he gloats, grinning ear to ear.

"you were closer to the sink!" you playfully slap his arm. "anyway, what did you count earlier?"

his hand reaches to the towel next to him, picking it up to dry his hands. he watches you wave your wet hands around in an attempt to dry them off. he smirks before using the towel to smack your butt as you walk to your seat.

"shin!"

"74 pumpkins, darlin'," he chuckles, sitting down for dinner. "we are swimming in ‘em out there," he tilts his drinking glass towards the back of the house.

"i can't believe we have that many! i only thought we would get a few. we should sell them out front!"

he shakes his head. "that's kinda silly, ain't it? we don't need any money for 'em."

you hum, moving the food around your plate with your fork. "what do you think we should do with them then? i only wanted a few to decorate the front, maybe a couple to carve, oooh and a couple for baking," you think aloud. kita smiles at your dreaming. one of his favorite things about you is how passionate you are about the little things.

"i could always message my friends. i'm sure they would want some, if that's okay with you."

"of course it is shin. i wouldn't mind at all," you hold his hand in his. with a soft squeeze, kita places a kiss to your knuckles.

"halloween is a couple weeks away, i can't believe it. are you excited?"

he chuckles as he glances at the calendar that hangs in the kitchen. "look at that. and sure! are you excited?"

you give him a puzzled look, which he returns. "do you not like halloween?"

he raises his hands up. "it's not that i don't like it, sweets. i just didn't do a whole lot for it growin' up, 'sall."

the sound of your hands hitting the table grabs his attention immediately. "then it's settled!"

"what's settled?"

"we are gonna do all things halloween so that you can experience it! making up for lost time, or something like that. how does that sound?"

kita can't say no to you.

"it sounds great, baby."

the next evening, before dinner, you walk out to the fields to find you probably very hungry husband. the walk is beautiful. the final hours of sunlight warm up the air, the trees are beautiful and vibrant, and most of the flowers you and kita planted this summer are shedding their final petals. as you step towards the garden, you spot him. hunched over some mounds of potatoes, digging through with his bare hands to grab the best ones.

"you know," you step through the gate and grab the pair of gardening gloves that hang on the fence. "you really should wear these."

kita turns around, absolutely elated. he is so happy to see you, even if it's been only a few minutes. "now why would i do that? my hands work just find, baby."

you look across the garden and let out a quick gasp. he really wasn't kidding about the pumpkins. reading your mind, he stands up with a hum.

"let me grab the wheelbarrow and i'll meetchya over by the pumpkins, pumpkin." he throws you a wink and blush, and blow him a kiss. as soon as you reach the sea of orange at your feet, you begin searching for the best ones.

"so how do we know what would be best, miss halloween expert?" he muses as he arrives at your side. you lift up some of the large leaves to get a better look.

"well, i want a bunch to decorate the front porch with, but i can get those a different day. for carving," you bend down and point to two quite rotund pumpkins resting right next to each other. "these two are great."

"whatever ya think is best, darlin'," kita bends down and with his small pocket knife, cuts the pumpkins free from their vines. after placing both of them in the wheelbarrow, he dusts his hands off on his pants.

"shall we walk back home? everything else is about finished, just need'a grab those potatoes i picked earlier and we can head back,"

you nod, pulling the pumpkins behind you. the two of you walk home in silence, listening to the breeze ruffle the leaves and the gravel crunching under your feet.

"hey, i love ya," kita smiles at you as the two of you reach the house. giving him a soft kiss on the lips, you return his smile.

"i love you too, farmer. come on, let's make some dinner. i'm starving,"

he laughs and pokes your side. "from all that harvesting, i'll bet."

after dinner, the two of you make quick work cleaning up the dishes and counters. while kita finishes drying the last couple plates, you dig through one of your closets for an old tablecloth. you cover the kitchen table with it and smile. the table is kita's granny's table, gifted to you when the two of you got married. you set the pumpkins down and wipe them off.

"shin, will you please grab a couple knives before you leave the kitchen?"

"of course, my love," he calls back. you scroll through your phone, trying to decide on what design to do on yours.

"boo!"

"shin!" you squeal, whipping around to see a very amused kita as he sets the knife on the table. "you scared me!"

"isn't that what halloween is all about? i'm just gettin' ya in the spirit," he laughs. "so, where do we start?"

you can't help but join his laughter. "well, before you came along i was looking at some designs to do for my pumpkin. do you know what you want to do?" he hums and walks behind you, wrapping his arms around you and places his head on your shoulder. he points at a photo on your screen.

"that one," he nods. you tap the photo, making it larger. the photo is a rather large pumpkin with an equally large heart carved out of the front.

"you want to do a heart on yours, shin?" he nods again, walking towards his pumpkin. "yeah, because i love ya so much."

after all this time, his comments and compliments still make you blush. every single time.

"i love you too. now," you grab your pumpkin and with your finger, trace a line around the stem. "we cut the top off and scoop out the insides. then we can start carving," kita raises a brow.

"what do we do with the inside?" you shrug and nod toward the trash bin you brought next to the table. "throw it away, i guess."

"seems like a waste, don'tchya think? i don't wanna waste it if we can use it," he thinks.

"we could always bake the seeds! i used to do that growing up. we would have them as a snack after we finished." kita smiles at that.

"i like that idea much more, my love. now, let's jump in!"

the two of you make quick work of cleaning out your pumpkins, setting the insides on the tablecloth for later. you grab a marker and begin to draw a design on the front of yours. as you draw, kita hums a familiar song to himself. after drawing your design, you grab the knife to start carving.

"a kitty? that's so cute babe," he says from behind his pumpkin. "don't look at mine! i want it to be a surprise!"

"okay shin, i won't look. i may need your help though at some points," too focused on his design, he gives you a thumbs up before continuing his work.

you finish quickly and grab one of the fake candles to place inside. turning it on, you clap as you see your design come to life.

"it looks so good! i can't wait to see how they look outside," you cheer, stepping back so you can snap a quick picture. "almost done, babe?"

kita steps back with the biggest and proudest smile on his face. "just finished! but wait, i don't want ya to see it until we put them outside," he chuckles as he turns you away from his pumpkin.

"fine, fine. i will put mine on the steps," you giggle and carry your pumpkin to the door.

you set it on the step outside and walk back a little to get a better view.

"okay, i'm coming! close yer eyes and i'll tell ya when ya can open," he calls from the doorway. you cover your eyes and hear him shuffle, before he stands at your side. "okay, take a look and tell me what ya think."

on the the other side of the step is kita's pumpkin. he carved a heart, and above it he carved your initials. you gasp.

"shin! it's so perfect. our initials? i love it! you did so great," you squeal. he picks you up and spins you around before carrying back towards the door.

"now everyone that drives by can see how much i love my amazing wife," he beams and pulls you in for a kiss. when you pull away, you give him a kiss on each cheek.

"i think it's perfect," you say over your shoulder as you lead the two of you back inside. kita locks up behind you before walking into the kitchen to fill up the tea kettle.

"what's next up on our halloween to-do list, sweetheart?"

"baking these pumpkin seeds, of course," you start and kita nods. "next, we should pick out our costumes!"

"i think that's a great idea. what do ya wanna dress me up as?"

you laugh. "how about peter pan? i think you would look perfect in some green tights, don't you?" you tease.

kita just laughs and gives you a kiss on the forehead.

"whatever makes ya happy, darlin'."

#kita shinsuke x reader #kita shinsuke fluff #kita shinsuke #kita x reader #kita x reader fluff #kita x you #kita shinsuke x you #hq fluff #hq imagine #haikyuu fluff #haikyuu imagine #kita shinsuke imagine

[toverijenspokerij]

this may be a silly question but when working with saints, how does one dispose of offerings?

I've seen some shrines that just seem to accumulate stuff forever, but like, e.g., at the end of a novena, it makes sense to me to water some plants with the water I left out.

But stuff like plants/wreaths/etc, you don't want them to go bad? Same with like. Food. This has probably been asked like a million times but it's like the #1 reason why I don't set things out aside from water and a candle bc figuring out how to dispose of that stuff is v stressful to me, since 1) I wanna make sure nothing is invasive/can cause harm to the land and 2) throwing it away seems...bad.

If you have any advice, I'd appreciate it!

Hi!

Goodness, I am so sorry for my long overdue response! My apologies. So your question; this is exactly why I do not offer anything like food. Do you eat it? Bury it? Chuck it in the bin with a small prayer? It is highly situational. Also; I do not feel comfortable feeding saints food. A high number of them had a very complicated relationship with food/food attracts all kinds of entities. I usually go for the water and candle route. If I feel something extra is needed; incense! Water, candle, prayer and smoke makes a nice offering. Dry plant material; I save in a box, and twice a year I empty it into a fire- midwinter and midsummer. Luckily saints are pretty easy on this subject; prayer ís also an offering. Time is also an offering. On the rare occasion that I do offer food, and the times comes to take if out of the saint shrine; I say a prayer and talk to the saint. I talk as if I was talking to a welcome guest who had just finished their plate. And even after a party, you have to do some cleaning. So that helps me. And with putting the food in the bin; another prayer thanking the food. If done with gratitude, there should not be a problem. And again, my apologies for my late response! Take care!

Toverij & Spokerij

#toverij & spokerij #folk catholicism #working with saints #question

[is-the-snake-video-cute]

Hello!! I wrote you a really long ask and then accidentally deleted it, so I'll ask you the...not much shorter tl;dr version 😅

I really want to get a ball python (probably male) at some point in the future (once I've done a lot more research, set aside a budget for it, and prepared better), and my extended family seems absolutely convinced that this will be a problem because I have two cats (they think the snake would pose a danger to the cats). Considering ball pythons' everything, I would assume this would be relatively safe for all involved, provided I'm careful that they don't interact (closed door if I'm handling the snake, etc), but also having never in fact owned a snake before, and the fact that ball pythons do get to be pretty large snakes, I wanted to ask what you thought. I feel like I always hear about snakes managing to escape their enclosures somehow, and I guess that's more what I'd be worried about (if you have any tips about that also I'm all ears).

I also wanted to ask what size enclosure you'd recommend for a ball python. My gut says bigger is better (at least to a point--and obviously with a number of appropriate hides) but my research has largely been telling me the opposite, at least until I found your blog. Should I get a smaller enclosure if I get the snake youngish and then move it up to bigger when it grows? Can I just fill a really big one with a lot of enrichment-type things so it's not a big empty space? Is this more of a "keeping the humidity appropriate" problem?

And also I think you'll simply enjoy knowing that a few years ago there was a garter snake hibernaculum near the plant nursery where I work. We never did figure out exactly where they were overwintering but we were kind of working in a river of garter snakes there for a bit, which was honestly pretty delightful. Some of them really didn't want to go around us and just kind of scooted past underfoot instead. We also have a huge and rather cranky black racer that's basically a coworker at this point, she lays eggs in the mulch pile nearly every year and last year I spotted her finishing her shed so I kept the shed skin and it's nearly four feet long. She's about the same color as the hose we use for watering so at least once per year we startle the crap out of each other because she's easy to overlook when she's sunning, but it's fun to have her around. Just keeps us sort of on our toes.

Hello hello!

Re: ball pythons and cats - if anyone's in danger there, it's the snake. Ball pythons don't get anywhere near big enough to hurt even small cats, but a cat could easily seriously injure a snake even if they're just trying to play, so cats and snakes should never interact. It's possible to have cats and snakes in the same house (I have a cat!), but it's important to make sure the cat never has access to the snake. Most of preventing snake escapes comes down to prevention - it's crucial to take time when you're setting up your enclosure to make sure there's no openings big enough for the snake's nose, and invest in a good pair of screen clips if your enclosure has a screen lid.

My minimum recommended enclosure size for adult ball pythons is a 4x2x2 enclosure (120 gallon equivalent), and bigger is always better. It's easier to start baby snakes in smaller enclosures - it'll be much easier to clutter it up so the snake feels safer. I usually start my bps in a 20 gallon, upgrade to a 40 gallon at a year old, and then move to their adult enclosure once they've outgrown that. You could absolutely jump right in with the 4x2x2, though - you'd just have to be very intentional about adding lots of clutter and hiding places! I also find it's generally much easier to keep humidity levels right in bigger enclosures because your heat element doesn't dry out the entire enclosure when it's bigger.

I love the black racer who lives near your work! She sounds like a delight.

#not a rating #snake husbandry #ball pythons #snakes and other pets #snake enclosures

[leebrontide]

One thing about our new garden is that the soil is shit.

I am begging people not to rake up all their leaves in the fall and all their grass clippings in the summer. Every time you dispose of this organic "waste" you're taking the nutrients those plants pulled up out of the soil and throwing it away. Plus, you're destroying habitat for loads of important insects and fucking with the whole ecosystem.

The people who owned the house before us clearly raked and removed loads of leaves and clippings for the 30 years they lived in the house. The soil is practically sand. Just no nutrients left in it and very little ability to retain water.

People used to ask us why our soil in our old place was lovely rich nearly-black soil. The answer was that we didn't take our leaves up till mid April, after most insects didn't need them for hatching and hiding anymore, and they've broken down a fair amount of their nutrients into the soil. Then we'd mow up as much as possible and leave the chopped up leaves all over the lawn, to further break down and return the nutrients to the ground.

I've been looking for a rotatable compost bin for the new place, even though we're all small enough that rotating them can be sort of a pain in the ass.

But I'll confess that an ad-algorithm got me. I go on YouTube for 3 minutes, because my usual music streaming service was down and I do enjoy the "17th century villain" playlists on there, and I got an ad for an electric countertop composter.

This is not some kind of supported product placement on my part. The Lomi, which is the thing I saw an ad for, is a good $500 bought new, and I just flat out wasn't gonna do that.

But, I was curious enough to read some reviews, and then check craisglist. Lo and Behold, I found one for cheap, for sale from someone who bought and liked one, but also has an honest to god farm, and decided to go back to larger scale outdoor composting.

So, now we have a Lomi countertop composter.

You take the food waste from the day (our kiddo, Starling, eats a staggering amount of fruit, and a lot of eggs, so there's always shells, cores and peels and stuff laying around) and you put it in the bucket, and lock the lid, and push one button.

In two hours you have totally dry, totally broken down compost that smells almost like dry hay, ready to drop on the yard to put back in nutrients.

I'm a bit in love with it.

And, on top of that, it can break down dairy and meat. You shouldn't ever put cooked meat in your outdoor compost, because birds will try to forage it, and get cooked fat grease on their feathers, which they can't clean off and can lead to illness. They're not evolved to handle cooked meat. But this way the meat is all broken down and safe to put outside. Which means throwing less away, which is great.

I will say, we didn't put in the charcoal the first time, and it had the used up charcoal from the previous owner in there and THAT was a mistake. Made the whole house smell like sweet vinegar. Which could be worse, considering this is food rotting down, but it was terrible when it's too cold to even open a window.

You can get Lomi brand charcoal filters, but it's just little charcoal pellets, so I'll probably just buy some from the aquarium store when we run out. But this batch should last us several months.

The thing also came with Lomi "tablets". So far, we've used them. But I'm going to experiment with not using them at some point, since the webpage for the Lomi says you don't NEED them. They do genuinely add helpful bacteria and fungi to the soil, which is great, but I can buy soil improvers that can do that, much more economically, from my local urban farm supply in the spring. No branded little pellets required. Plus, with the lawn being under snow, and the processed compost having to go on top of the snow, I'm not sure how much of that bacteria would be surviving right now, anyways.

#Stormbrew House #compost #gardenblr #organic gardening

[space-writes]

Happy WBW!

A silly question from a sleepy me: How should I go about spending a night outdoors in Valloroth? E.g. while travelling on foot. What sort of equipment do I need and what dangers, if any, can I expect?

hi Sam! happy WBW!

ohh man. i should know the answer to this off the top of my head given how much roaming around on the road in Valloroth Lucian and the gang do but i. do not.

Honestly in Invereid, where most of the main story in the first book is set, I didn’t put that many outdoor dangers. It’s a pretty temperate place in late spring/early summer, and I didn’t give Invereid many monsters roaming around. Would’ve made the place too crowded :p

In Invereid in summer you can camp pretty safely in a lot of places with Basic D&D Camp Gear. There probably are wild animals, but there aren’t that many that are huge threats, at least not that I’ve developed yet. One fun thing I do have developed is barometz, which are based on the vegetable lamb myth, only in Valloroth they are literally vegetable lambs:

A barometz sprouts, the plant growing a large gourd atop its thick stem until eventually it splits and the lamb emerges. The lamb remains attached via a stem-like umbilical cord and generally lives for a week or so before starting to age or rot. If left attached to the plant, a barometz will rot away to sludge within two weeks of emerging. If removed from the umbilical cord it can continue to live for only a few days before dying. Barometz grow quickly and have short lifecycles. However, since they grow all year round, they make a perfect crop as they can be harvested repeatedly throughout the year.

They’re originally from Boudobrivvin and are an imported crop that took really well in Invereid, and are often found growing wild, and make the perfect food for travellers. The meat is very similar to flesh and blood sheep, so that’s free lamb chops every night if you want them.

As for other places, I have no idea as of yet. Mohaade - the parts of Mohaade Vren and Aliyne are from - are hot, dry desert regions, and I haven’t done my research into camping/travelling those yet, since no-one’s doing that in book one. You’d definitely need plenty of water, though. Oh, and Mohaade has basilisks:

A small and extremely venemous snake, whose venom is capable of paralysing instantly. Commonly found being thrown out of Mohaade households where they have crept in during the night to sleep. Basilisks have a fearsome reputation outside of Mohaade—within the country they are a common nuisance. Their venom causes instant paralysis, but they are very small and quite stupid. A typical basilisk bite lasts no more than a few minutes. Basilisks are typically reddish-brown in colour, with upper scales of dull maroon almost like dried blood, and a lighter, sandy-coloured underbelly. They have distinctive bright yellow eyes. Their heads appear oversized to their bodies.

So you have to remember to check your boots and such for those every morning.

Valloroth taglist: @cherrybombfangirlwrites @memento-morri-writes @foxboyclit @lawful-evil-novelist @at-thezenith @morganwriteblr @fayeiswriting @serenanymph (ask to be +/-)

#wbw asks #worldbuilding wednesday #fantasy worldbuilding #valloroth blogging #writeblr #i would put more monters in but it would bog down the plot to throw random encounters at the gang #i need ways to reference dangers without having them on the page #in a way that doesn't feel too tell-y #things to figure out in future drafts i guess

[turtlesandfrogs]

I think I'm going to teach a workshop/class this winter titled something like 'how to garden sustainably, improve habitat, reduce your water bill, and work less while having a garden that is still aesthetically pleasing' this winter because of the imbalance between how many people want work done and my schedule. And other reasons. Like box-shaped forsythia.

The outline will go something like:

Why formal gardens are not your friend (unless you really like to work a LOT)

Native plants: look cool, don't need extra water (once established), will survive the winter, feed native animals, and might just be tasty to you, too.

Also, what's a climate zone and how that might effect non-native plant decisions (stop planting things that come from wet-summer climates in our dry summer climate!!! Unless you really like to water a LOT.)

Soil and you: a foundational understanding of soil ecology and the importance of carbon, aka, stop killing your mycorrhizae. Please.

Speaking of carbon, how about you stop removing carbon from your local ecosystem (leaves, grass clippings, etc) and buying non-local carbon sources (beauty bark, compost, etc) to replace it? Please?

Hate weeds? Why you should mulch, stop watering (carefully!), and try to have at least 3 layers of vegetation

Plant placement and you: why you shouldn't plant a shrub that will get 15 feet tall in front of your first story window, nor within 2 feet of your foundation.

Habitat: and why it's not just flowers.

You might be watering wrong, and probably too much (unless you really like weeding) and too little (unless you want to encourage very shallow roots vulnerable to temperature extremes) at the same time!

For the love of all that is good, stop topping trees and shrubs. It Does Not help with snow. Also, it is not healthier for a shrub to be shaped like a box or ball. Did you know? That plant Has Flowers if you'd stop cutting off the flower buds?!?

Basic pruning and the 4 Ds.

Native birds, bees, butterflies: how to give them what they need to improve their odds of surviving

Slugs & deer: how to pick plants that will survive the onslaught