idk who needs to hear this but growing native plants is not hard at all, at all

What's In a Pocchiri? Part 17

On The First Day of Fun I present... a new pocchiri! Welcome everyone once again to The Twelve Days of Fun! This one's delayed by a day as I arrived home a bit late last night and didn't get a chance to post it, so please enjoy it now!

Image courtesy of Shigemori. Materials: Amethyst, Diamond, Peridot, Tanzanite, Quartz, and Silver Motif(s): Wisteria on a Trellis Owned By: Shigemori (しげ森) in Miyagawa Cho Okay okay, I know that last year I said that Ninben's goldfish pocchiri was one of my favorites, but THIS one is my all time favorite, hands down! I'm a sucker for wisteria and this one is practically my ultimate dream of jewelry and the titular flower combined. It is literally opulence incarnate and made only from the best of the best. The finest clarity amethysts are topped with peridot and quartz leaves and accented with diamonds connecting each flower strand. Diamonds also frame the flowers on the top and bottom while the trellis frame on either side is made up of a very rare stone: tanzanite! Native to the country of Tanzania, the only place in the world where it can be found, tanzanite can be distinguished by its unique blueish purple color. Stock of this stone is expected to run out by the 2040s, so the value of this pocchiri will only grow exponentially over time! Wisteria itself is a symbol of elegance and strength. Prior to hanami being synonymous with cherry blossoms, it was wisteria that used to be prized by the nobles for its spring time blooms. The lovely plant is actually a vine that can be trained to grow like a tree, but unlike a tree, it never stops growing and spreading, making it a potential menace to gardeners who are not prepared to deal with a plant whose strength has been known to crack the foundations of houses! It is a beauty that demands respect and it's clear to see why it's a popular motif for geimaiko ^^ Here you can see it being worn by Fukusono (ふく苑):

Image courtesy of Shigemori.

Leah’s College Roomate | Twilight headcanon

Link to my Twilight Masterlist

Being Leah Clearwaters college roommate would look like:

She was a little standoffish in the beginning. Literally whenever you tried to make conversation she wasn’t really interested and would give short answers or not speak at all. But you still were friendly and eventually Leah started to break down those walls of hers. “I’m..sorry. I-I don’t have many friends back home.”

Whether you two were the same major or studying different things, you two would have study nights either in the living room of y’all’s dorm/apartment or hang out in the school library. It was often the latter since you’d get distracted in your place. Luckily if one of y’all already had the class before you could lend each other notes or help with assignments. “I don’t understand this—it’s making my brain hurt.” “Here let me take a look”

It would be awhile before Leah would tell you about her life back home on the reservation. She’d tell you about her parents, her brother, her ex (which you wanted to beat up after she said he broke up with her and got with her cousin), and the few ‘friends’ she had. Of course Leah would never tell you her nature or the pack, that secret would remain forever.

When you two are not in class or doing schoolwork, you two like to have movie/tv show nights where you order take out, put on comfy Pjs, and chill in the living room watching whatever you two decide. Sometimes you guys will spend a whole weekend binge watching a show or movie franchise. Oh and much to Leah’s surprise, she enjoys tuning in every Monday night to watch the Bachelor/Bachelorette. “She better not choose him—he’s a walking red flag.” “Yeah, but who knows maybe red is her favorite color.”

While your room is very chaotic or straight from a Pinterest board, Leah’s is very simple and has a lot of her native heritage spread along the walls and keeps it clean. The living room/kitchen has elements that reflect the both of you so it is a nice blend. There’s a little plant area on the balcony if you have one or there’s fake ones inside.

If you end up going home for winter/spring break, you invite Leah to come with you back home if she is willing or has no plans. At first she was hesitant, but it turned out to be the best trip of her life. She enjoyed traveling and exploring since she never got to do it back home. The next break you have Leah ends up inviting you to come visit her, which you whole heartedly agree and she shows you everything there is about her culture.

You two love to share each other your favorite hobbies, books, movies, art, etc. It took a lot of convincing to get Leah to read your favorite book series, her excuse being she had a lot of schoolwork to get done first, but eventually she gives in and it becomes her whole personality. You two end up staying up a whole night just to talk about the series, its plot, the characters, and watch the adaptation if she hadn’t seen it.

Let’s remember, you two are college students so cooking can be a rare occurance. After a days long of classes, clubs, work if you have job, and any other thing in your daily life, cooking is brushed aside for Uber eats or the dining hall because lets be honest…your lazy to do dishes. However, on weekends you and Leah take turns cooking lunch/dinner. You will Friday nights, Leah Saturday and then both of you will work together on Sunday. “How’s paella sound for Friday?” “Fantastic. I’m thinking pasta or stir fry for Saturday.”

If either of you are in a relationship, you best believe the other is getting the tea. Even if its the ‘talking’ phase or casual dating, you guys will gather in ones room with a bottle of wine and chocolate to discuss the weeks events with whoever your boo thang is. Leah isn’t focused on a relationship and honestly neither are you, but that doesn’t stop you two from flirting or trying to get on someone’s tab when you go out for some fun. “Ugh I swear, Leah, if he just had a sense of rhythm in him when dancing, I would’ve folded.” “mmmh yeah don’t settle for less.”

VA Native Fish Hunting - 20

So apparently I started recording my fish hunts two years ago this month and it seems appropriate that I hit a neat milestone in entry number 20 (not counting interludes)! And as kind of a neat coincidence, I had an eventful hunt with a few new species to share! Hope you enjoy :)

The tide was high today and the beach was gone (frown!) so I was unclear what luck I'd actually have hunting fishes. I've been to this location before and had a good idea of what I was likely to find here. What I had not found before were Bluespotted Sunfish (Enneacanthus gloriosus) here! This little guy was dead and floating right at my start point - both a good sign and a bummer at the same time. What I thought was neat was this sunfish, unlike literally every other one I had found in VA, was in a basic pH river rather than an acidic bog. Makes me wonder what little offshoots I can explore with a kayak.

Another fish I haven't found here were Banded Killifish (Fundulus diaphanus) like this beautiful fellow above! Among my favorite NANFs for home keeping (or in general), this guy was iridescent gold and blue, bright breeding colors for this species. I let him go - hopefully the ladies will appreciate his "near death encounter" with a massive beast (i.e. me) and living to tell the tale!

Last time I came here, the most plentiful fish I caught, by far (like, 50-to-1) were Eastern Mosquitofish. This time? The most common catch were these Spottail Shiners (Notropis hudsonius), one of our small native minnows. Though they max out at 6 inches, 3 inches is much more common, and most of what I caught were about 1 to 1.5 inches. Probably only hatched earlier this year.

One net swipe here! A couple of fish, a couple of snails. Who can argue?

I caught maybe 3 or 4 of these Tesselated Darters (Etheostoma olmstedi) at this location - I love love LOVE the two I have in my tank at home and wouldn't mind more at some point, but I wasn't looking to keep any fish today, so they got to swim back home. But let me reiterate that anybody who keeps a North American biotope tank would do well to look into the Etheostoma genus of Darters!

It took me a few swipes to finally catch a female Banded Killifish, which as you can see do look significantly different from the breeding colored males. Still great aquarium fish for sure.

Though I only saw a handful of live ones, I saw a ton of shells for these Chinese Mystery Snails (Cipangopaludina chinensis), an invasive critter that has overpopulated in the area. How exactly one shell got wedged (very hard by the way!) into another shell is beyond me.

As I was swiping my net, I felt a crawling up my arm that gave me the willies (tick season does that to me) but very pleasantly it was NOT a tick and was instead this Blue Dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis). He was trying to dry his wings out it seemed - probably recently emerged - and was very happy to pose for some pictures. I set him on a tree stem and he went upon his way.

Another first for me was this Toebiter (Belostoma flumineum), carrying eggs on its back! Very cool animal, but given their terrible bite (they ARE called Toebiters after all), I wasn't willing to handle it for a photo op. So. Into the plastic container it went for a few quick snaps!

What I actually came here for today was some Hydrilla (Hydrilla verticillata), another invasive species local to the area. But I'm looking to add some variety to my 55 gallon plant selection, and I figured it was worth a try. If it doesn't work, well, then at least I removed some invasives from the area.

Lover Dearest

Nahoya Kawata x GN Reader

WARNINGS: literally none, very slight angst like very very very slight, fluff, sweetness, like tooth rotting fluff, reader and Nahoya r so in love I'm sick. Nahoya grown is such a sweet boy. Not beta’d we die like men, no physical describers (i think), no pronoun use

Summary: When his sadness hits, what better to do than surprise your loving boyfriend with flowers - which are named after him.

w/c:1k

A/N: Aster flowers are a symbol of love, baby’s breath means everlasting love, and white carnations mean innocence and pure/sweet love :)  (i love flower language)

Its 5am. I need sleep. this is from my last ask :)

Nahoya didn't often do things for himself you realized. Though you did adore the fact that Nahoya despite his abrasive personality he is very much a selfless person, you wished he would just do something for himself for once. 

Which is how you got here. At a flower shop. Your beloved had seemed down the last few weeks, and regardless of your semi-regular reminders that you're there for him as well, he didn't really open up to you. Nothing past a simple “I know precious, but I'm really just fine.” You, of course, understand that there are definitely some things he doesn't like talking about often, like his violent past or the less savory parts of his mind, but you think sometimes he doesn't realize that he isn't alone. 

Browsing through flowers you kept thinking about how these ones needed to be special. Something meaningful. Being versed in the old plant language was useful, but really only when the person receiving the flowers knows what they mean.. And bless your pretty boy's soul, he does not understand it at all. While you could give him a pretty bouquet of aster, baby’s breath, and white carnations, that is not special enough for your liking right now. And only you would understand what the meaning was..

While staring at the roses and tulips, you thought back to when you did a research paper on native plants in Japan. You got a sudden idea and grinned to yourself, thinking about how perfect your newly brewed plan is. All you had to do was talk to the clerk about something very special and then your plan will be in motion.

When you got home, you immediately started setting up your little surprise for ‘Hoya, placing the small pot full of the pretty greenery that you had picked up and then filling up a vase for the smaller bouquet of baby's breath and lavender that you had also gotten. Setting everything up on the counter of your shared apartment kitchen  so when Hoya came home from the ramen shop he would see them immediately. You had also managed to get a bag of his favorite chocolates that you know he's been craving for awhile and set them up in between the pot and the vase. 

Stepping back you looked at your work and nodded in approval. The potted plant had waxy leaves and pretty pale pink flowers that grow in clusters similar to hydrangeas. The flowers were simple but they were shaped like stars, which made you smile and cheekily think ‘cause he’s a Rockstar.’ 

After admiring your surprise you went to go change in your shared bedroom, throwing on one of his old hoodies and a pair of comfortable lounge shorts. Faintly, the sound of a key turning the lock on the front door can be heard, then the door opening, “Precious? I’m home!” your lover's voice calls out. You could hear him pause, then you decide to head out of the bedroom.

The sight you were greeted with was heartwarming. Your 5 '7 beloved was standing in the doorway, a bag of groceries fallen out of his hands as he stared at the flowers and chocolates in front of him. He had small crocodile tears starting to form in his eyes, which made you slightly worry.

“Do you not like them..?”, you asked quietly, inching closer to him.

“You got me flowers…?” His sweet voice croaked out, his breath caught in his throat. He liked it. 

You smiled then nodded, going over to move the bag of groceries onto the other counter, then giving him a reassuring hug, wrapping your arms around his frame and squeezing gently, one hand rubbing his back ever so slightly.  

“Mhm, got them for you baby, thought you deserved something nice. Been working yourself to the bone lately,” you said gently, studying his face for any other sort of reaction. A small smile took over his features and he looked genuinely happy for the first time in weeks. “You got me flowers..” he repeated, more a statement than his previous sentence, simply affirming it in his mind. He wrapped his arms around your frame and laughed softly, burying his nose into the crown of your hair. “You got me flowers!” he said one last time, full of joy and slight laughter, it warmed your belly seeing him this happy.

“Yup!” you giggled out, returning his affection, “and there's something special about these ones,” you said gesturing towards the potted plant. 

“What's special about them, pretty?” he said gently, smiling at you with a loving look lingering in his eyes. You turned and smiled at him, “They’re named after you, Hoya..”

He furrowed his brow and tilted his head at you, “What do you mean they’re named after me baby?” His tone was confused but soft. He always refused to use anything but a kind voice with his pretty baby. You smiled, “This is a Hoya Carnosa, it's a native to japan and its named after you. At Least to me it is, haven't I always told you that you were my pretty flower?” your smile turned teasing then you laughed, “thought they would look nice on the front counter of the shop.. A little plant named after the owner?” you suggested, smiling towards him. 

His face went through a range of emotions, love, joy, then something unreadable to you. He was looking at you like you were his sun, his moon, and all his stars. Staring at you like you were the only thing in existence, “I love you so much, pretty baby..” he said while collecting you into a hug, one of his hands coming up to the back of your hand, caressing gently like you were fragile and he might break you. 

“Truly, this made all the bad stuff go away, please never change or leave me..” he said into your shoulder, his tone was not remorseful but more gently broken. He wasn't upset or anything, just thankful. That was the only way you could describe it, he was thankful he had you.

“Never. I love you too, Hoya.”

“Thank you”

Folklore of Flowers: Wisterias in 'Be My Favorite' Episode 6

I've finally caught up with last week's episode on the eve of the next (better late than never) and it was one hell of a ride. This episode really upped the excitement for me about the series as a whole, so much of this episode provided exposition on why both Pisaeng and Kawi tick the way they do.

I'm always a proponent that flowers are utilized in background shots not only for the visual aesthetics that their natural beauty and colors bring to the table, but also a way to enhance story telling. Depending on the flowers used, they can set the tone for the scene and create a desired mood that the Director is looking for. They make not only the frame more visually dynamic but they also provide contextual clues to the emotions of the characters. And I find that Be My Favorite incorporated flowers, wisterias specifically, in a significant moment where Kawi is allowing himself to be emotionally vulnerable to Pisaeng.

Historical Background on Wisterias

Wisterias are native to East Asia, but soon became popularized across the globe for the delicate flowers that would bloom. Each country placing its own significance on the flowers, but across the board, when it comes to the language of flowers, Wisteria flowers typically symbolize an invitation of love and friendship while maintaining it reputation to overcome obstacles and bring prosperity.

In Japan, there's a Kabuki drama, "Fuji Musume", where a young maiden in a painting waits for her lover under a blue wisteria tree. Tired of waiting, she's the moves out of the painting to meet the young man that has been admiring the painting which she came from. She falls hopelessly in love with him, yet it's futile because he does not hold the same feelings towards her. Jilted she returns to the painting and waits for a lover that never arrives. As a resulted, pink wisterias are used to symbolize that you love them. In Shin Buddhism, wisterias are utilized to represent humility and an pen and welcoming mind and heard. The humility derives from the way the flowers hang upside down, as if it were heads hanging down.

In Korea, the flower represents a devotion that transcends death due to legend that comes from the Silla Period. According to the legend, there were two sisters that fell in love with the same man, not knowing that they loved the same man until he went to battle. Rumors flew that he had died in battle, so they in their despair they decided to drown themselves in a pond. Yet, the man that they had loved had actually survived and was overcome with grief about the story of the two sisters, that he also drowned himself in the pond. The two sisters were reunited in death, one the twisting stem while the other became the wisteria flowers. The man also joined them and became the nettle tree in which Wisteria vines grown on in Korea.

When the Wisterias spread into Victorian Europe, the Wisteria vines earned fame for the clinging growth pattern. Culturally, in Victorian Era, a cluster of delicate Wisteria Flowers were used to send a message of desire and passion. They were used to say "I cling to you", just as the Wisteria plant would cling onto the branches of other trees.

Kawi and Pisaeng positioned in front of Wisteria Flowers

Humility and humiliation are two sides of the same coin, literally deriving from the same Latin root word humus (meaning earth). Humility is often defined a simply a low view on one's personal importance, but a better definition for humility typically engages with the idea of acceptance of personal flaws and shortcomings. Humiliation deals more with the idea of shame about the possibility of shortcomings and failure. For the first time, in this episode, we're seeing the beginning of Kawi's shift from humiliation to humility.

It's important to understand the context of what occurred prior to Pisaeng and Kawi's confrontation in front of the wisteria flowers. Without Kawi's knowledge, Pisaeng spoke to Pear in preparation to help Kawi breach the topic of finding a second medical opinion for his father. He's angry and embarrassed because of his pride, it's not a secret that Kawi has a complex about getting help from others. He doesn't know how to accept help from others, much less ask for it, especially not from friends. So he lashes out, because Pisaeng went behind his back (even if it was with good intentions) to the girl he likes and has been rejected by. Now add in the conversation that Kawi has with Max at the bar, where Max directly asks about Kawi's feelings towards Pisaeng and Kawi practically gives a non-answer.

Before Kawi could even say anything, when they're in front of the Wisteria flowers, Pisaeng tells it to him straight. He won't apologize because he doesn't see anything wrong in attempting to help Kawi. And Kawi is aware of that, but when they first argued he was humiliated and angry, because he hates being dependent on people for things that are out of his control. So we see a shift in Kawi in the way he portrays himself to Pisaeng. He's apologetic and humble, he explicitly recognizes his fault and how his pride led to the shouting match that they had in the hallway of the café. Kawi is quite literally hanging his head down when he reaches for Pisaeng's arm. He's still dealing with his personal shame and his pride, but for the first time he's directly communicating the reasoning behind his reaction to Pisaeng. Kawi is self-aware and can barely make eye-contact with Pisaeng because of what he deems to be his shortcomings. The humiliation came with the anger, the humility is developing with the acknowledgement of his misplaced anger and will continue to develop when he fully accepts that sometimes people need help.

Pisaeng didn't get himself involved for Kawi expecting something in return. Pisaeng is interested in Kawi, yes, but he also cares for him as a friend. Pear has keyed us in that while Pisaeng might be surrounded by tons of people, barely any of them are people Pisaeng would deem to be more than mere acquaintances. He's a mirror of the maiden in the Kabuki painting, where he goes out of his way for the man that he's learned to care for. He's fallen for Kawi, but he's also intrigued by him as a friend and as a human, because he's different to the other people he has come across. Unlike the maiden from the painting, whose love goes unreciprocated, Kawi is developing some sort of feelings for Pisaeng, even if he doesn't fully comprehend what they are at the moment. It's telling that he was unable to come up with an answer for Max. Pisaeng said it himself, he's patient enough to wait for Kawi. He's not going to become a jilted lover, because Kawi will eventually realize that just maybe those conflicting feelings he's already having signifies that he reciprocates the same love that Pisaeng had once declared for him.

Rumors play a role in Pisaeng's journey of self-discovery thanks to his mother. For Pisaeng, he's not all of a sudde n learning about the fluidity of his sexuality thanks to Kawi, here the kicker is that he already knew. His mother was well aware and forced him back in the closet. While she may utilize queer issues to push forward her political career, she manipulatively convinced her own son to keep his sexuality a secret. She silently surveils and controls Pisaeng through the usage of her employees to report to her when he appears in queer locations or any potential moment that he interacts with the queer community. She's weaponized what otherwise should be safe spaces for Pisaeng and forced him back into the closet. She utilizes these rumors behind false pretenses of worry for him while not realizing how detrimental it is to him as a person.

When it comes to Kawi, we were able to see the rumors that were surrounding him thanks to Not and Pear's conversation. Not easily speculates about Kawi's sexuality, which is bad enough, but the crux of his reasoning stems from that he's not like other straight men. When the people are confront­ed with what they don't understand, people immediately improvise reasonings, so that they are able to give the confusing situation an explanation. Some rumors turn out to be true. Other rumors turn out to be totally false. There are rumors which are sometimes partially true. The thing about rumors is that no matter the degree of truth or falsity behind them, they still leave behind casualties in their wake.

And the most obvious parallel of all, Kawi (for the first time) clings onto Pisaeng both consciously and subconsciously in this scene. The moment that Pisaeng moves to leave him, Kawi swiftly moves to hold his arm, keeping him from moving further away. Kawi wants Pisaeng to hear his apology and he doesn't want to alienate him due to his lack of a filter and the arguments he picks with him. Pisaeng is angry and hurt, Kawi is more than aware of that, he holds onto him so that he has a chance to explain himself. He knows that he's starting to lean on Pisaeng more (he says it himself, "Because what you do for me means the world to me") and I think that level of dependency scares him. He's a man that had been isolated for more than 10 years, he's still learning how to depend on people and he knows that he unfairly blew up on Pisaeng, but that doesn't negate that he's still learning to really socialize. He's scared that he might have pushed Pisaeng away past the point of no return, like he had done with Max the first time around. Like they say, a drunk mind speaks a sober heart.

Then he subconsciously allows for Pisaeng to hold onto him the moment that he feels unwell. He lets himself fall onto Pisaeng, knowing that Pisaeng would be the one to care for him, just like he has before. In return, Pisaeng holds onto him and holds onto his head, as if protecting him. It's a protective stance that Pisaeng has taken in response to Kawi fainting on him, not only protecting him from his fall but also as protecting Kawi from his own thoughts. A shield where Kawi could feel secure. By both allowing one another to cling onto each other, they're establishing a new level of tenderness, closeness, and vulnerability within their relationship. Kawi's subconsciously learning to seek comfort and Pisaeng is more than willing to provide a safe and nurturing space for him to find solace.

Final Thoughts

If I'm not mistaken, Krist mentioned before in the interview that P'Waa was very particular and intentional in every shot that he directed when they were working on 'The Gifted'. It's not far-fetched to think that he's just as intentional when directing 'Be My Favorite'. While the wisterias were solely in the background, the bright pink color and the hanging flowers kept drawing my eyes to them. Wisterias are often used in films due to their elegant and aesthetic beauty, specifically because of how they are able to drape and cascade down, creating a dreamy and romantic atmosphere. Here, in my opinion, I think the wisterias are also being used as a way to provide more exposition for the journey that Kawi and Pisaeng are taking both together and as individuals.

Neither or Both

How many flower analogies can I make before it’s obvious that I know nothing about flowers? Angsty but not really? Wholesome Huntlow in the garden. Don’t make fun of any spelling or grammar stuff k thanks

———

The garden was Willow’s sanctuary.

It was really the only place where she could freely do magic, though she still had to keep it relatively small. Before, Mrs. Noceda’s garden was composed of a few flowers here and there that desperately needed to be weeded but now,thanks to Willow, it was the envy of the neighborhood. There were flowers and plants of every color and size, bright and vibrant and thriving.

In her garden she could escape everything for awhile; any stress, any sadness, any pressure could wait while she was tending to her plants. She turned her worries into life and it helped her stay hopeful. So Hunter took her invitation to join her here very seriously. He knew she took pride in her work and wanted to show off the product of her efforts and he was more than happy to allow her to do that. He loved listening to her talk and when it came to plants she could talk for literal hours, so when she asked if anyone could help her carry out some new potted plants she had bought he literally jumped at the chance.

“You sure it’s not too heavy?” Willow asked, carrying the same plant he was with ease.

“No, it’s fine,” he lied. He marveled how gracefully and skilled she carried the large plant, meanwhile he was struggling to find balance and struggling even more to hide his struggling from her.

“I’m so glad I found these trees, they’re gonna look so nice in the backyard!” Willow squealed, practically skipping in front of Hunter as if the tree weighed nothing at at all to her.

“Yeah,” he said trying not to expose the labor in his breath as he readjusted his grip. “You’ve got your own personal forest back here, huh?”

Willow giggled. “That’s the goal,” she replied. “Let’s set these down over here so I can give you the grand tour!”

Hunter happily obliged, feeling infinitely lighter the second he set the pot down. Willow pulled him to the ground so they were both kneeling in the dirt as she pointed out each carefully chosen flower in her collection. He didn’t mind getting dirty, he was happy to see her so happy.

“I’ve discovered that while there are many plants that are native to both here and the Boiling Isles, there are some that we can only find back home,” explained Willow. “And the ones that are only in Boiling Isles can grow here with my magic but they require extra care if they’re going to survive in a foreign environment. This one is my favorite,” she went on, summoning the flower into her hand. “It’s golden and its petals kind of spring down in a curl. Like you!” She smiled and gestured to his famous loose strand of hair above his forehead that he hated but she adored.

Hunter smiled as her gesture, his eyes darted between her smile and the flower but as her words sank in, his smile faded. “So you’re saying I’m an invasive species?” Hunter mumbled, looking away from her.

“What?” Willow asked, confused at the sudden shift in demeanor.

“‘An invasive species of plant refers to a plant whose introduction causes or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm the health of surrounding species.’” recited Hunter effortlessly.

“Wow, h-how did you know that?” Willow asked with a chuckle, surprised and impressed.

“I made a bunch of flash cards,” said Hunter casually. “In case you wanted to talk about plants with someone.”

“You made flash cards... for me?”

“No, I made them for me,” he explained, looking back up at her. “You already know more about this stuff than I could ever hope to. But you’re so passionate about them I wanted to understand them better, so I could understand... you... better.” Her eyes got wider as he continued so he trailed off, unsure if he has said something wrong.

“Well, I’m flattered you learned about invasive species for me,” said Willow, brushing something out of her hair before looking at him sternly. “But I would never say that about you, and I don’t take my plant comparisons lightly; ask anyone.”

“I know,” he chuckled at her menacing look, staring him down to ensure he really did know. “I’ll add that to my flash cards to make sure I remember.”

“Good,” said Willow. “So, what else have you made flash cards for?”

“Mostly human customs,” said Hunter, laying on the ground to look at the sky. The grass Willow had grown in the yard was so soft and inviting it felt more like a blanket. “Things that are different, things that are the same. Gus was really helpful with everything. It’s mostly charts, actually.”

“Looks like you’ve been keeping yourself busy,” smiled Willow, adjusting her position so she could lay on the ground beside him in the opposite direction, her head beside his. “Tell me something you learned.”

“Did you know that humans have never waged war against the giraffes?” Hunter asked, picking the fact that perplexed him the most. “They fight each other but not once have they ever had a significant recorded issue with giraffes. They have more issues with sea creature and its like, hello!? The sea is optional! You’re entering their home and are confused when they attack you, but they just let giraffes walk around like it’s nothing-.”

He turned to face her and stopped when he saw how close their faces were. Willow had removed her glasses to lay on her side more comfortably and with the glare of their lens, her eyes looked even greener. He hoped her vision was blurry enough that she couldn’t see the blush splashed across his face.

“Keep going,” she encouraged softly. “I like hearing you talk.”

“Yeah?” He said, his voice cracking and he mentally cursed himself. “Well, you’re probably the only one; Kikimora always said I had an annoying voice.”

“Really?”

“Not to my face, but I know no one in the castle was very fond of me,” admitted Hunter. “I mean, I was pretty smug. And loud. I get it, my voice is pretty annoying-.”

“I don’t think so,” interjected Willow genuinely. “I think it’s unique. It suits you.”

“Yeah, well, you didn’t know me before,” he sighed.

“I wish I did,”

“No you don’t, trust me,” he forced a laugh. “Luz can tell you, I’m sure. I was mean and arrogant, there’s no way we would’ve been friends...” He shuddered. “I-I don’t like to think about that.”

“Ya never know,” shrugged Willow, putting her glasses back on as she sat up. “But I get it; I used to be shy and timid. I like the version of me that you met, but who knows? Us half witches gotta stick together, right? I bet we could’ve been friends still. We’d find a way eventually, like this little guy.” She held up a small flower she had grown, and Hunter took it from her with a small smile. It was a light purple, with white lines swirling on the edges of the wide petals like tiger stripes. The center was a deep maroon that looked like a crescent moon.

“What species is this?” He said, sitting up to examine it closer. “I don’t recognize it. Is it from here or the Boiling Isles?”

“Both,” said Willow, excitedly. “I made it, like actually made it. It’s a hybrid flower! I combined the version of an orchid that we know back home with the version they have here and poof! Something totally new! Isn’t it cool?”

“It’s beautiful,” breathed Hunter. “Everything you make is beautiful. But, will it be able to grow okay here? Or back home? It doesn’t really belong in either place does it?”

“Or it belongs in both,” countered Willow. “Like Luz.”

“Or neither, like me,” said Hunter.

“Hunter-,” began Willow sternly.

“Sorry! Sorry, I know you don’t like when I talk like that,” he said quickly. He took a deep breath and looked down at his thumbs, fidgeting. “But I know you also don’t like when I keep things inside so I don’t know what you want from me, but it’s true isn’t it? Back on the Isles, I never belonged, not really. I couldn’t do magic, no one in the castle wanted me around, and then when I left the castle I didn’t know how to talk to anyone my age. And then we got and here... no one can do magic, and it’s a fresh start but it’s still so... similar. But so different at the same time. No matter where I go, I feel like I’m struggling to keep up. I don’t know where I’m supposed to grow.”

“Did you know I used to be on the abomination track?” Willow asked him after a moment, hugging her legs.

“Really? You?” Hunter said, surprised. “Not that there’s anything wrong with the abomination track, it’s just that plants love you. I mean, you’re so drawn to plants; I just assumed you had always known it was the right track for you. I mean, I’m sure you were great at abominations-.”

“No, I was pretty awful,” said Willow with a smile. “I was awful and I hated it. I was never sure it if I hated it because I was awful or if I was awful because I hated it. But regardless, I was a late bloomer. It took me awhile to figure out what I liked and what I was good at and then even longer to have the confidence to speak up about it.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Because, just because I didn’t fit in right away didn’t mean I wasn’t meant to be at Hexside,” she explained. “Just because I wasn’t confident when I started didn’t mean I couldn’t become confident. Sometimes, you need a little time and help to find where you fit in.”

“But what if you’re not meant to fit it?” He whispered. “What if you don’t belong anywhere?”

She furrowed her brow in determination and summonsed the golden flower that reminded her of him again and held it in front of his face. “This flower is unique even in the Boiling Isles, where I found it. It typically doesn’t grow in gardens because it has a hard time spreading its roots around other flowers. But it’s determined. Just because it’s not from here doesn’t mean it can’t thrive here. It produces a chemical that helps eliminate common toxins in the air, something no other plant I’ve seen native to this realm can do. If I plant it, it’ll help all the bees and bugs that interact with it and even the other plants around it. It’ll be an adjustment, some trial and error and sure he’s not here under the most ideal circumstances, but I’m happy he is.”

“But some plants do make things worse,” he reminded her. “No matter where they are. Some plants have poison and thorns that only serve to protect themselves, they’re better off alone.”

“Those things don’t make them bad ha know,” said Willow. She may not know everything Hunter was feeling, but gosh darn it she knew plants. “Every single thing helps it’s ecosystem, even it’s not obvious right away. Maybe you’re a late bloomer too. Some people say those are the most beautiful kinds of flowers.”

“Are you someone who says that?”

“What do you think?” She teased with a chuckle. “Some seeds are so strong they can grow wherever they fall, I like to think you’re like that. Like a dandelion pushing through a sidewalk crack against all odds. You may not always get the sunlight and care you deserve, but that doesn’t make you any less deserving.”

“Why does it sound like you’re gonna put me in a flower pot on the windowsill and water me twice a day?”

“I would if I could,” she said with a playful sigh. “But do you know what I mean? You don’t have to have it all figured out right away, it’s okay to feel torn. Look at Gus: he loves it here! He loves learning about human stuff and exploring but I know he also misses his dad and getting to practice magic. His heart feels like it’s in two places, like there’s a half in each realm.”

“I head Luz tell her mom that’s kind of how she feels,” said Hunter, who didn’t know how to describe the divide in his heart.

“But we’re all figuring out these feelings together,” said Willow, placing her hand on his. His divided heart jumped.

“And how are you feeling?” Hunter asked. The Captain was always looking out for everyone, he often worried she didn’t know how truly appreciated she was.

She thought for a moment. He could see his question dance around in her eyes, spinning around in a marsh of potential.

“Hopeful,” she said at last. “I’m hopeful there’s a way we can figure out how to help everyone back home, hopeful we can come back here under better circumstances, and hopeful that you’ll come to the garden with me more often.”

“I don’t exactly have your green thumb,” he said, not hating the idea. He knew this was her space, he didn’t want to intrude. “Which is another plant term I learned.”

Willow giggled. “Well, if you ever want to try and change that or just sit nearby and make your flash cards, you can,” offered Willow. “Both or neither, or whatever you feel like.”

Then she knelt forward and gently placed something on his head. Hunter didn’t notice that while was talking, Willow had been twisting and moving something to create the item her now wore. He saw the product of her work now as he looked up: a flower crown, composed of the golden flowers that reminded her so much of him.

“I think it suits you,” smiled Willow, admiring his surprised expression.

“Well, now I have to come back,” smiled Hunter, gently touching his gift in a mixture of honor and disbelief. “I need to learn how to make a matching one of these for you.”

this Phyla/Lippia stoechadifolia, southern f(r)ogfruit, was mislabelled as Phyla nodiflora, turkey-tangle f(r)ogfruit.

Phyla nodiflora is THE native groundcover lawngrass replacement. all-star. you gotta have it.

this kind, though..... it spreads just as much as everyone's favorite groundcover, which is a lot, but as you can see by the one in the pot, it maybe doesnt like to stay crawling on the ground like it. its a BEAST. in no time that little potted plant will be a sprawling monster 2-3 feet tall and as wide as it can manage, and even taller if it can climb on something. and it WILL climb. its also got way thicker stronger stems!

i love my beast but i would love it a whole lot less if i planted it thinking it was the dainty little groundcover. i hope its posture makes it obvious to buyers that its not actually that one. i have to say im a little disappointed that the tropical audobon plant sale made such a mistake

the consolation if you bought that hoping for the little one is that you can find the little groundcover one literally anywhere and everywhere. its probably impossible for you to look on the ground and not see any. but this big beast is rare and endangered! another reason i wish it was properly labelled......

Howdy, not sure if this is the right kinda question, but...

Do you have favorite zoological scientific name? If so, which one and why?

this is such a fun question!!!! I love learning about scientific names and where they came from I wish I took Latin in school so I could just like know but when scientific names are based around a scientist for example it's really funny like I know there's a type of arachnid who's genus is literally called "oops" because another scientist already used the genera "oops" for another type of arachnid

it's not zoological but my favorite scientific name overall is Lonicera maackii which is Amur honeysuckle an invasive plant in the United States it's a HORRIBLE plant overtaking tons of natural areas disrupting habitats and even local fauna- because it's invasive it buds and fruits earlier than most native plants and as a result deer and birds will eat them and spread the seeds more which is great for them but makes deer populations skyrocket due to the overabundance of food (and lack of natural predators in most areas because of humans)

as for why? its... ok don't laugh.

so this was one of the first plants I learned about in my first Horticulture class and I had to memorize and know some facts about around 80ish plants for that first class so I made a lot of like memory games to keep it in my head

and for honeysuckle I made a jingle for the scientific name and the family name I remembered because it's the caprifoliaceae family capri- like Capri sun and folia sounded like fellatio to me (blowjobs) and it's honeySUCKLE you suck a caprisun and... you get the idea lmao

As for my favorite zoological name? it's a little tougher because I worked so long in animal education it was easier to learn common names to teach my kiddos so scientific name memorization was never something I put a lot of effort into for those classes (it was more about family names less genera/species names) but I'd have to say Rattus rattus the black or ship rat

I think it's funny when the genera and species name is the same and having a rat called Rattus rattus is so silly

like look at this little guy! that's a rattus!

also while I was looking for a picture of a ship rat I found out there's a character called rattus rattus? apparently from horrible histories or something that's so silly

Trying to be more positive, and I don't like people associating me with things I hate irl, so here are some things I love. Reblog this with things you love!

-Art. Pretty much any art. Paintings, sculptures, digital art, traditional art, etc

-Cartoons. I really like shows like Pokemon, Helluva boss, Hazbin hotel, Lego monkie kid, Bluey, and my favorite cartoon movie is The Lego Batman Movie

-Drawing. Definitely one of my favorite things, and I do it all the time. My entire account is a drawing blog, lol

-Video games. I'm not really a "gamer" in the traditional sense, but I love video games like Pokemon, Hollow Knight, Minecraft, and I'm trying out Cookie Run Kingdom

-Pokemon is going in its own little section. I literally have about 5 roleplay blogs for it, lol. I also really love drawing Pokemon and studying the lore of the games

-Birds. I really love birds! I have bird feeders which I haven't filled in a awhile, but I loved watching the birds come down and eat. I hear a crow and a Bluejay every morning, but I've only seen the Bluejay once, and I really want to see them again! And there's a Robin, a Sparrow, and a dove couple that live in my tree and I really love them

-Plush toys. Most of them are in the basement as I redecorate my room, but there are some that I still sleep with. My favorite one is this teddy bear named Bosco

-Plants and herbs. I find that stuff very interesting, and I love learning about plant life and the different uses and symbolism of flowers and herbs

-Mythology and fairytale. I love going around and reading books and fairytales from different cultures. I'm currently reading 2 books called Journey to the West, an old 1600s Chinese book, and the Red Swan, which is a book containing a bunch of Native American myths

-Crystals. I have a Crystal's collection, and I really enjoy learning about them

-Demonology and whatever the study of angels is called. I have like 30 page papers on different demons and angels in Abraham's religions because I find that stuff so interesting! Thank my sister for letting me rant to her for 30 minutes about it, lol

-Moths. Moths are very cute. My favorite moth is the Luna Moth (even if they only live for a week in their moth form, lol)

-Possums. Opossums are one of my favorite animals, but Australian Possums are cute too

-Fashion. I like a bunch of different fashion senses, especially androgynous and alternative fashion

-Weirdcore, dreamcore, and traumacore. It teaches us not to be afraid of the unknown, and can help people cope with their trauma

-Music. Music is my entire life. My favorite genres are classical, rock, screamo, whatever fantasy music is called, pop, and showtoons, and whatever the genre for video game music is called

-Stickers, pins, figurines, etc. They're all very cute

-The cafe aesthetic. I don't go to many cafes because I don't live near many where you can sit down, but I still really like them.

-Borzois. They're so freaking goofy

-Goijg on walks. Mostly at the evening, because that's my favorite time of day

-Room decorating. Currently decorating my room right now, and planning on how to do it is very fun

-Shipping. As someone who doesn't really care for dating, I really like shipping characters in fiction

-Cryptids. I love cryptids a lot! And I p9ve studying them as well

-Mythical creatures. I love them a lot. Fairies, dragons, sirens, etc

-Cottagecore. Nature also works, bit cottagecore has a nice feeling to it. The scenery is very comforting to me

-Mushrooms. Mushrooms are very interesting, and I like the names and visuals of them. The food is okay

That's all I can think of right now, lol. Thanks for reading if you got this far!

It’s butterfly season again here! You know what that means! Here are some of the ways YOU can help the monarch butterfly’s! (And also just pollinators in general)Also please make sure to do your own fact checking, I try my best.

Don't Use Pesticides in Your Own Garden! If you still want to protect some of your plants try spraying neem oil in a spray bottle with water around your garden. If you do get neem oil make sure its 100% natural, and remember nothing (including helpful pollinators) are going to touch this plant, if not the chemicals that are added can actually hurt you, especially if you are going to eat this plant! Another natural pesticide that actually helps pollinators is peppermint, thyme, and rosemary! But most of all plant wildflowers! These flowers have evolved to handle the climate and feed the native species EFFECTIVELY! It’s actually a problem people aren’t planting native species of flowers/plants.

PLANT NATIVE MILKWEED. Milkweed is essential to the monarch’s life cycle and when butterfly season is over or the milkweed gets too big, guess what? YOU CAN EAT IT. I left the link at the bottom if you want to check it out! There are also some “pollinator” or “bee/butterfly/hummingbird” seed packets you can buy that have a mix of all types of seeds. I know some people cant have outdoor plants/garden so see where places are asking for volunteers for “seed stomps” or just general help with pollinators.

Side note if you don’t know what a seed stomp is, you know when you see a really crunchy leaf and to go and stomp on it? It’s like that but with “seed balls” aka a glob of (dried) mud with seeds in it. You can also help make theses by just getting mud and mixing it with seeds (pollinator friendly or wildflower) and letting them dry in the sun for a day and just throwing them into the forest or any place they wont be messed with too much. Bonus points if you put a little water on them or even cover them a little bit with dirt!

Create a Monarch Way-Station! A Monarch way station is basically a butterfly’s all in one hotel with breakfast stop. Monarchs travel 2,500 miles on their long journey, thats roughly 20-30 miles each day! This is why its so important to have little rest and fuel up stations along the way. There are many different ways to make a way-station so make sure to check them out! You can also just half a orange and place it a bit up high so the ants don’t get it. You can also make or buy sugar water but please for the love of my sanity DON’T BUY THE ONE WITH RED DYE!!! There are many recipes online for how to make butterfly or humming bird sugar water.

Join the Fight to Stop Climate Change. Not only does this save quite literally everyone on earth but many animals. Many of the reasons climate change is happening is because people are deforesting large areas of forest. “But how do i help stop this?” I hear you ask, and ill tell you. It can be in the little things. Now don’t get me wrong, doing small things might not solve the ever growing climate crisis but it does help. For example a project i did involved me learning about deforestation for coffee. Before you stop drinking coffee and throw out all of those precious beans there are still ways to enjoy things AND help the environment! Shade grown coffee is coffee that is grown under the canopy of large forest and does not require deforestation and STILL TASTES THE SAME. Another way is reusable coffee filters. All the trash from the plastic rings on the tiny coffee cups, ends up in the ocean or a landfill. Also biodegradable things will be your new best friend. Also if you don’t already RECYCLE! DID YOU NOT LEARN ANYTHING FROM SCHOOL???? My favorite way to help is to actually use soon to be trash and make little trinkets out of them! You don’t have to go dumpster diving either, just save some things you would normally throw away and make stuff to satisfy the crow brain!

Use FSC Certified Wood. If any of my crafting and building folk out there use wood make sure its FSC certified! What FSC certified wood means is that it has been ethically produced and harvested from forest that are properly managed. It should have a label or a spray painted sign on it thats says “FSC certified”.

Learn More. Always make sure that when people talk about really anything you fact check it! This includes me! The best way to help out a cause is to learn about it and all the ways you can help! The things i listed here are just the surface of what you can do to help. There is also many routes to go like hands on or remote support.

Lastly make sure to spread the Word. Sadly most of the time in order to help the world or even these small little butterfly’s it takes money and space, not everyone has that. The best way to help if you cant donate to a “fighting the climate crisis” fundraiser or plant a huge garden filled with everything any animal will ever need, is to spread the word. You don’t have to stand at the side of the road or have a ted talk in the subway, you can use this very website or other social medias. Use your platform to spread the word and save some monarchs!

Okay so I watched season 3 of Two Sentence Horror Stories (because that was the season netflix started me with? weird but okay). Mixed quality as one might expect from an anthology show, but I took some notes in case anybody wants to know which ones are worth watching (content warnings under the cut):

Crush: meh, I don't know if I'd call this horror exactly. twenty minutes of two aging sisters being cruel to each other, bit of a twist at the end but not really worth watching for it, imo.

Plant Life: okay I loved this one. maybe if you didn't want to be [spoiler] by a houseplant you should have been a more attentive boyfriend! black mirror vibes. 🌈

Toxic: not bad. starts off being about teenage boys who are too into pranks and being mean to each other, which does not interest me, but it gets better when very bad things start happening. Better in the sense of more fun to watch, not better for the boys lmao.

Teatime: creepy child, creepy dolls, 10/10 very good take on a classic (also includes one of my favorite horror tropes but shh spoilers)

Teeth: 🌈

The Killer Inside: more of a thriller with some supernatural flavor. pretty good if you enjoy the whole "people doing horrific things out of love" trope, otherwise skippable.

Patel Motel Cartel: this entire episode happens because of Families Keeping Secrets For No Good Reason, which is one of my least favorite tropes. it also feels kind of like a clunky pilot for a kids/young teens show, which sucks because the worldbuilding concept it sets up toward the end is pretty fun.

Erased: this one has a really great premise (the erasure of native Hawaiians by white colonists/developers as a literal supernatural threat), but the execution of the supernatural elements is pretty rough. I feel like the concept could be a whole movie on its own with tighter writing.

Heirloom: Get Out meets Haunting in Connecticut 2, ie. the real horror is racism and the ghosts are a reminder that it's not over. good concept, a bit predictable, but this was DEFINITELY a movie pitch that got cut down to just the most dramatic moments to fit the 20 min format. I love that it takes place in the northwest and references racial history outside of the south, it's just a shame it didn't have time to deal with uh. any of it, really.

Homecoming: Mmm love some horror about families and generational trauma, especially with themes of storytelling and truth/memory. *chef kiss* delicious.

Content warnings (aside from general "this is horror, there is violence and there are creepy things and jump scares and stuff"):

Crush: violent animal death and remains, cancer mention, elder abuse

Plant Life: body horror (being turned into a plant)

Toxic: typical zombie horror

Teatime: body horror (being turned into a doll)

Teeth: brief flash of an animal getting hit by a car, intimate partner violence (woman puts a chokehold on her gf so she'll be unconscious and not see the fighting that happens next), blood/gore, mostly after-the-fact due to the aforementioned gf being unconscious for most of the action. Honestly the choking thing feels weirdly extreme and gets glossed over a bit too easily for my taste.

The Killer Inside: terminal illness, kidnapping/imprisonment, medical abuse/malpractice, nonconsensual surgery, blood

Patel Motel Cartel: none really. general jumpscares, bad guy that cocoons victims if that freaks you out.

Erased: body horror (disappearing limbs/features), family members vanishing, predatory developers trying to coerce native Hawaiians into selling their land.

Heirloom: a missing child, ghosts, a little gore, racism.

Homecoming: adult sons come home because their father is dying, and one of them remembers him as abusive while the others don't, so there's some gaslighty stuff here plus parent death. monster horror, references to drug addiction.

Babylon 5 rewatch Episode 2.22: The Fall of Night

Babylon 5 is at the center of not one but three conflicts as John Sheridan agrees to shelter a wounded Narn cruiser. The Centauri don’t like this. Earth doesn’t like this. The Shadows don’t like this. But Sheridan has a strong moral compass and what he doesn’t like is how much the institutions around him are willing to sacrifice in the name of forging some kind of cursory peace.

Things I liked about The Fall of Nighit

1, Lennier and Vir’s friendship. If you ask me Vir, could be friends with literally anyone. He’s such an understanding soul. Lennier is by nature a little judgey. More closed off. So when they sit down next to each other and discover how much they have in common both of them look at each other like “hello what” and automatically agree to meet again. But even this exchange is done almost like spies meeting and I don’t think we stop to think about that very often. These are the attaches of two ambassadors for two of the most powerful races in the galaxy… they could very well be exchanging state secrets instead of expressing solidarity for their equally frustrating jobs.

2,  The Centauri are apparently willing to put their ships on autopilot and black out from g forces if it means when they come to they’ll be in a better firing position. This seems extremely reckless and VERY Centauri. It is the spacebattle equivalent of the hair. Big. Flashy. Not well thought through.

3, In the wake of the mass driver bombing, Sheridan gives Londo an opportunity to speak and Londo is like “NOPE” and jets before he says something that’s going to get him and his whole race in more trouble than they already are. Garibaldi then reads Londo like a literal book, delivering one of my favorite analyses of the character. Everyone thought Londo was a clown, indulging in opulence, going into debt at the casino, drinking himself to a stupor in public, but Garibaldi was his friend and knows that Londo’s not dumb, he’s actually very smart and his mind moves really fast. His error is in his judgment and priorities and he’s currently in waters he did not expect to tread. He’s scared, and he’s going to keep darting in and out of cover until he feels like he has a handle on things or he gets picked off by a hunter, whichever comes first. Also a very classic JMS line “He’s a pain in the butt, but he’s our pain in the butt.” Hunt for that or similar lines in other JMS stuff, he loves that line.

4, The ache of watching McCarthysim at work is very effective. Zach knows the guys he’s ratting on don’t deserve to be ratted on and even says so. “They’re just fooling around” but we can tell by the level of interest and tone of the Nightwatch captian’s voice that they’re gonna get blackballed. Zach can’t deny that they said what they said, but can tell that ratting them out is the wrong thing to do. In the end he relents with a bunch of qualifications but the Nightwatch doesn’t want qualifications. They want names. Thank you for your service.

5, I love that the guy there to ally with the Centauri is from the Ministry of Peace. So poignant. They’ll get peace all right, by paying off the aggressors.  

6, When the Narn ship was coming under threat by the Centauri warship, Sheridan opened a line to Londo just to spit in his face and hang up. It was amazing. Also during this crisis, Sheridan whips out a law book to smack the Nightwatch guy back in his hole. Sinclair would be proud.

7, Watching B5 come under attack is so emotionally stirring. Even on a rewatch, I don’t want to see it hurt.

8, We have arrived! The scene where Kosh reveals himself. I love that G’Kar is hiding in the plants – like he’s not a huge gecko man who people are going to notice. I also love how plaintiff his voice is, thinking if he speaks on Sheridan’s behalf it’ll help him in the political shitshow he’s currently in. I mean he’s issuing this apology for helping a Narn ship and G’Kar is very very very grateful for that. Also B5 blew up a Centauri warship so he’s pretty grateful for that too, I mean come on… I like that B5 has like a standard subway system in the middle of it and that they let the Puppet Friends ride. I miss the puppet friends. I love that the rotational gravity system means there’s a weightless portion in the center of hydroponics and that we used that to our advantage in this story. Also the vorlons in their native form play on the perception of the lesser races. They are light beings, and humans see them as angels. The rest of the races see them as prophets or gods, but none of these perceptions are perfect. We see wings and white robes and think Angel, but Kosh didn’t appear like a rennaissance painting. He’s got a butterfly look to him, too. The face he wears is a facsimile of a human not an exact human. He’s not perfect, we’re just in awe. Love that.

9 And finally a lot has been said about why Londo doesn’t see anything when Kosh appears. He’s been touched by the Shadows, so he can’t be converted by the Vorlons b/c we’re playing a game of Othello today I guess. Maybe because he doesn’t actually believe in his pantheon of gods so he doesn’t have any deities to witness. Maybe he’s lying because what he saw was his own greed and vanity. The general consensus is the first – that he’s incapable of seeing the light because he’s in the dark. For a fresh take on it, let’s look at the Vorlons through this lens. Kosh said before that if he revealed himself everyone would know him… I take this as being a side effect of being Vorlon. Vorlons are a feeling not an image. Like Magenta. Magenta’s not a real color, it exists on the color wheel because something has to connect red and purple on the color spectrum… but the spectrum of visible light is actually a straight line. The wavelengths for red and purple are far from touching, but our brains can perceive when they’re both present, so Magenta occurs. It’s imaginary, but we see it for real with our eyes. That’s Vorlons. Perhaps Londo saw a shapeless light thing in the sky, perhaps that’s what Vorlons really are… or perhaps they have no visible representation at all until they hit our brains. Our eyeballs behold something, but our brains have to construct it out of pieces. When the rest of the galaxy looked at Kosh they used the color wheel to construct him, but Londo was only given the wavelengths. He saw nothing, because nothing was there to see. I really wish there was another Centauri there to be like “I saw the goddess Li welcoming me to her arms!” and Londo’s over there like “I’m the problem” instead of not really answering that question. Maybe it’s answered in season 3, I don’t know. Did Vir see anyone up there? He must have been on break.

What I like Less about 22

1, So here’s where I’m going to talk about Keffer. I know the origin story…. that he was an unwelcome addition to the cast added per network request, but who the hell is he other than that? I think its remarkable how he slips right out of my head the minute he is off camera. We know he’s a pilot, that he was close to Carlos (whose story/death you may recall I was laughing at in a previous episode because its significance ALSO came out of nowhere), and that he made friends with the GROPOS grunts (who we incidentally learned to care about enough in that one episode that we were sad when they died…. Awkward considering Keffer’s contribution to this episode…) Honestly the most interesting thing about him is that he’s got an old-timey fighter pilot scarf he wears and he believes in ghosts and I bet you all forgot about the ghosts. Honestly, the most interesting thing about Keffer is how he’s a lesson in how not to write an interesting character – and no shade on JMS for that, I know he did it on purpose. Significant things happening to a character does not automatically make them a strong character. Keffer experienced loss, came face to face with the shadows, got in fights… a lot of stuff happened to him, but he was almost always the only named character in those scenes. We cared about the GROPOS because they cared about each other and we responded to that. Keffer was there to play cabbage head and ask questions. He’s not tight with any of our main cast who we’ve had tons more time to grow attached to, and dies for plot reasons without leaving an impact with his loss. Heck, you can see the value of interpersonal relationships on character development in action when the show used a shoehorn to try and force some in in context to Carlos a second and a half before he died. We had him drinking at the bar with command staff suddenly, we had him die as a result of a flight mission Sheridan was part of to make Sheridan feel guilty about it. Everyone was standing around going like “No, Not Ramirez” and if you recall on my previous episode writeup I was LAUGHING at how tortured this sudden human connection was. Keffer could have been made interesting. Follow me on this.

My treatment on how to make Keffer interesting:

Let’s say Keffer was introduced as an old friend of one of our characters – Fraknlin let’s say. He was a friend from the Minbari War days that helped him sneak behind enemy lines. Perhaps he was complicit in the covering up and destruction of Franklin’s notes on Minbari anatomy. As a result, the two hang out in medbay sometimes, talking about old times and comparing the current war to the one they fought together. We learn that Keffer has a fire for justice. Hates bullies. Sees the strong as absolute defenders of the weak and that any stronger race picking on a weaker one is a bigger coward than the unvierse can hold. Then when Carlos gets killed by the ghost he starts researching what it could be. Kosh and Delenn tell him to stay out of it. The audience assumes he’s going to uncover something and bring Franklin and other characters into Delenn and Sheridan’s confidence about the shadows through curiosity and honor, but we’re learning through the episodes that the Shadows are IMMENSELY powerful and have no patience for flies. When he breaks off from his squad to go have a looksee at what he suspects led to his personal friend Carlos’s death, we know this is going to kill him. He ignores the warnings of those who have more awareness and dies to bring back evidence of the Shadows to the station. Sheridan recognizes how Keffer’s curiosity and sense of judgment led to recklessness, something Sheridan himself is prone to. He vows not to let Keffer die in vain, but also states that the proof he got has changed everything… and that Sheridan would have done the same. Killing your men in the name of a mission is never the goal but there’s a line everyone crosses when the safety of the universe is at stake and sometimes things are worth dying for. Franklin walks into medbay, casts a look to the counter where Keffer used to sit all those nights, and turns away.

But that’s not what happen. Keffer’s dead now and I don’t miss him. Glad he emailed the Shadows to ISN five nanoseconds before he died.

Babylon 5 is now the last best hope for victory because sometimes peace is another word for surrender and because secrets have a way of getting out. On to season 3!

Animal Crossed Lovers (Tamaki Amajiki)

Alrighty so I haven't put any finished work on here in a hot minute, that’s my bad. ANYWHO my mom got me ACNH as an early birthday gift since my birthday (April 5th) just missed the supposed quarantine cutoff date for our area (7th). I may be be stuck inside while everything’s closed, but hey- at least the island of Escapism hardly rests 😉

(SW-3129-0651-5422)

Tamaki Amajiki x GN! Reader

Tamaki was never one to play video games, but he had to admit there was just something...soothing about Animal Crossing that melted much of his anxiety away. Nejire had initially preordered a copy for his birthday weeks ago, but her friend who worked at the local (s/n) (who he may or may not have been crushing on since their second year after they joined them at lunch one day) was able to pull a couple strings and get it on the fourth of March instead of the twentieth. Of course he had no idea, but he was so stunned when he opened it that it didn’t even occur to him that the game wasn’t even out yet until Mirio had reminded him. He didn’t question it though- his friend group was one wild card after another, so he guessed he shouldn’t have been too surprised.

He was thrilled, and just the fact that no one else had a copy yet made it feel all the more personal. Of course he knew in sixteen days it would be all anybody ever talked about, but for the time being it felt like the game, the little world he had created in the past few days with its gentle music and soft, wholesome theme, was his and his alone. The fact that it was a gift from his friends made it all the more special, and even if he had a hectic day at school he could turn on the console and water pretend flowers on a pretend island, and for those few moments, all was right with the world.

He was pulling weeds to sell to Timmy for bells when his screen pinged in the corner that made his blood run cold.

(Gamertag) is online

Playing: Animal Crossing New Horizons

That’s right, you had friended him on the switch after realizing all his friends had one, and now with a fourth person they could have a full team online. Mirio has suggested everyone exchange codes, and you had taken the liberty of showing him how to punch in the code and adding yourself while he sat there trying not to melt into his seat at how excited you got, or how nice you smelled up close. You had passed it back with a beaming grin, telling him you couldn’t wait to do co-ops. At the time he could only nod, speechless as the rest of his friends made idle chatter until the bell rung, and everyone scurried back to class.

He quickly realized he had left the terminal gate open when he was poking around the various features, learning about what each thing does in game. He tried sprinting to the airport to close the gates, and he made it to the dock before a big green banner flashed across his screen reading “you have a visitor!”

Out of the threshold popped your avatar, and for a moment he was grateful he could hide behind a screen. He wanted to be mad, upset even, that you had wandered onto his digital sanctuary, but couldn’t find it in himself because, then again, it was you.

The Nookphone in the top left corner buzzed to life, and he opened up the chat log with shaky hands. In a cutesy, pastel speech bubble was your message, and he wondered how something that was once so therapeutic to him could do a 180 and suddenly become the source of his anxiety.

G/T: Hello! Sorry to pop in unannounced, I hope you don’t mind^^

Tamaki felt his mouth go dry, reading it in your voice and after steadying his breathing, he painstakingly typed out a response.

Suneater: its ok.

G/T: It’s kinda hard to find others to play with when the game isn’t even released yet >~<

Suneater: Oh?

He should have known it was too good to be true. You were only visiting him because no one else was on yet. He sighed, trying to keep the dread from crawling back in before another note popped up.

G/T: The game doesn’t actually release until the first day of spring, but working at (s/n) has its perks. I saw the trailers and the hype and figured it would be the perfect game for you.

He felt a wave of relief wash over him upon reading that. So he wasn’t the last choice- rather, the game simply wasn’t out to the general public yet. But if that was the case, how did you also get a copy?

Suneater: thats nice of you

G/T: And then a little birdy told me you had a birthday coming up, so since I have a couple connections after I got my copy, I asked my manager if they’d set aside one more.

Suneater: you

Suneater: you were the one who helped get it early?

Boy did he feel stupid now. You worked at (s/n), (as you had literally just mentioned in your previous notes), Nejire got him a game that wasn’t out yet, you guys were all mutual friends- how did he not put two and two together?!

G/T: Yes lol that would be me^ you liking it so far? You picked a good name for the island too.

“Sunshine Island” may have seemed a little cliche to most people, but Tamaki had so many things in his life linked to it that by this point, it was just routine. Mirio was his sun in dark times. His nickname Suneater, even the sunflowers he had received from his parents for his birthday each year was tradition. He knew not everyone would see it the way he did, but to him, it was perfect, and he was definitely chuffed when he thought it up and punched it in for the first time.

To hear you loved it too sent a swell of pride through him, and he wondered if it was possible to love someone as much as he did just then.

Suneater: you really think so?

G/T: Absolutely

And with that, the two of you explored Sunshine Island together, he showed you his tent, the shops, and the little orchard of peaches he had arranged. You were impressed by the amount of detail and care that went into arranging everything, and asked if he’d be willing to help you with your island sometime, to which he obliged. 

You guys did some more walking, and he told you to feel free to shake theres and take a couple fruits with you. His native fruit was peaches, and in exchange you dropped a couple of your own fruits from your island on the ground for him to pick up so he could have more variety in his world.

G/T: There’s six different kinds, and each island is assigned one main type of fruit. the more you visit with friends, the more biodiversity you’ll get. Pretty cool right? I have some spare (F/N), and if you take and plant those, they'll grow and multiply!

His avatar hesitantly wandered over to the offering after yours stepped back a little to let him take them. Your generousity was surely appreciated, and even though you couldn't see it, he smiled softly before typing out a new message.

Suneater: Thank you. I’ll go plant those.

The game might have been synced up with real time, even getting darker after a certain hour- yet despite it being outside, neither one of you noticed just how much time had passed between all the bug catching, fishing, exploring and talking. When your screen loaded up a clock that read 2:54 AM, you blinked a few times, as if that would change the reading. But lo and behold, it was going for 3am on a school night, and you knew you both had to get to bed.

G/T: Ah beans its 3am, I gotta get to bed soon. Thanks for letting me hang out on your island, and sorry for keeping you awake >~<

Suneater: don't be sorry, i had a lot of fun. can we play together again sometime?

G/T: Of course! I can't wait to meet up again. Maybe we can visit my island next time? I should have those peaches planted by then, and you can teach me your ways, oh master landscaper.

Tamaki chuckled out loud at that, blushing, as he suddenly had a brilliant idea.

Suneater: That would be nice. Wait here a second.

He scurried off to a patch of flowers he had blooming, and with a shovel, picked up a few in your favorite color before making his way back over and dropping them in front of you.

Suneater: You can start by planting a few of these around your island. It is your favorite color, right?

Now it was your turn to blush as you picked up the (f/c) flowers he dropped in front of you, smiling like a goon at his burst of confidence. How he remembered your favorite color is beyond you, but hey- you weren’t complaining.

G/T: They’re perfect, thank you Tama!

Suneater: You're welcome. I’ll see you tomorrow?

G/N: You know it! Goodnight <3

And on that note you walked down to the airport, his avatar following close behind as if to see you off. It was a simple gesture, but appreciated nonetheless. Both of you powered down your switches for the night before plugging them in, and promptly hopping into your respective beds with racing hearts. It was the perfect end to your digital “date” and you couldn’t wait to log in again.

Thank you for reading! Feedback and reblogs are appreciated. Hope you guys enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed writing it. The inbox is always open for future ideas, so don’t be afraid to drop in. 

Also gonna tag @katsukisprincess​ cause I mean...Animal Crossing and wholesome Tamaki fluff. ‘Nuff said.

thoughts on new mutants:

I know critics are tearing it apart but I actually liked it. Was it amazing? No. But I enjoyed it for what it was worth.

As a mental health provider, I really liked the whole trauma/fear angle. Seeing the traumas of the individual characters gave the opportunity for some character-building. I just wish they’d done more with it.

Previous point really sums up my biggest issue with the movie...lots of seeds planted, not a lot of flowers grown. There were plenty of interesting ideas that were never fully realized. I know Josh Boone wants to do a trilogy, but this movie should really be able to stand on its own even after the fact.

This is a solid first movie for Blu Hunt. You could definitely tell she was inexperienced, but I believe once she gains her confidence as an actress she has some good things on the horizon.

ANYA. TAYLOR. FREAKIN. JOY. Far and away the best thing about this movie. She took the material and elevated it well beyond what she was given. Even having a portion of the script where she just throws stupid Native American slurs at Dani for the first act, she never falters in the character. She commits fully, and clearly has a lot of fun with it. I remember seeing the trailer and thinking that she was going to act circles around the rest of the cast. I was right.

Maisie Williams turned in a great performance as well, though. She was able to convey some of the nuances of this sweet, shy character’s journey, and if it had been anyone else in the role it would have been easy for that person to allow Rahne to become one-dimensional.

Speaking of Rahne, I found the Dani/Rahne relationship to be incredibly sweet and well done. “Organic” was the word Josh Boone used to describe their relationship and I wholeheartedly agree. Blu and Maisie have undeniable chemistry, and it definitely shows. They both should be recognized for their acting here. The relationship was sweet and soft. And I could not get enough of it. A particular favorite scene of mine (besides the 2 kiss scenes, obviously) involves Rahne in the confessional of the chapel, holding an unconscious Dani close to her while praying over them. So lovely. Their scenes are incredibly important for LGBTQIA+ representation in that nobody ever really makes a big deal about it, and it just happens very naturally. That was refreshing and I wanted more.

I will say, though, Rahne and Dani do talk a little too casually about death, which sets off my mental health alarm bells. Rahne talks Dani off of a (literal) ledge and then when they talk about it later she says “what do I know? Maybe we both should have jumped.” And then they smile as if this statement is flirty. That was weird for me. Another example is before their kiss scene, when Dani talks about the body being a cage, and death is the thing that frees the soul. It’s like, you okay there Dani??

That’s the other thing that I think would have added some more authenticity. Having worked in a psychiatric hospital, there were definitely things that were off. I get that it was an old facility and perhaps they didn’t want to make unnecessary changes, but if they were going to pretend it was a psych hospital (or at least some warped version of it) then they needed to have done more to make it authentic. Considering Dani contemplates suicide within the first ten minutes of the movie, it’s weird that there was no watch placed on her or anything. If she had truly wanted to die she would not have had much standing in her way besides Rahne. The idea that they push about it being a restrictive environment just isn’t that believable as the kids can pretty much go anywhere and do whatever within the confines of the hospital. They needed to have tightened up a few more things, maybe given Dr. Reyes a few members of staff to work with. It’s a shame, because the comraderie between the kids would have been strengthened that much more in that light. I’ve watched how people bond in that environment and it’s poignant and special. You get little glimpses of that, but like so many other things in the movie, it’s never fully realized. It’s there, but it’s not fully formed.

The relationships of the kids were nice. I appreciated watching them bond, though, again, I think more could have been done with it. But the actors clearly work very well together and it shows.

The whole demon bear thing was confusing in my opinion. Granted, I’ve not read the comics, but the demon bear was real and then he wasn’t real? Dani literally comes out of unconsciousness and tells the bear to stop. And it does. What was the point of all the fighting then?

We never really find out Dr. Reyes’ motives for doing what she was doing and I wish we’d delved into that a little more.

Overall it wasn’t terrible. I went in with reasonable expectations and I had fun with it.

Survey #479

“war sends our sons to slaughter  /  another failed attack; there is no turning back”

Have you ever boycotted something? Yes: Chick-fil-A. Homophobic, transphobic pieces of shit. Has anyone ever borrowed something from you, and not returned it? Yes, a video game when I was little. I was so mad, lol. Do you vent a lot on social media? No. I don't want people to get annoyed with me. What was your first bill you started paying on your own? I haven't been responsible for any bills yet. What is your favorite charitable cause to donate to or volunteer for? I can't/don't do either really, but if I could, I'd probably donate to uhhhh... suicide prevention organizations. As for volunteering, definitely something with animals. Have you ever dated someone who wasn’t at all your usual type? No. What is something you have no patience for? Waiting at the doctor's office. Have you ever received a misdiagnosis? Yes. What’s that you’re listening to? I'm watching Gab play The Evil Within 2. What kind of relationship do you have with the last person you kissed? We're a couple. What is your biggest accomplishment in life? Still being alive. What is one thing that you really wish you could understand, but don’t? Political stuff. Economics. Have you ever been tutored or tutored someone yourself? I had an Algebra tutor the last time I was in college, and I had to strangle an anxiety attack down because I wasn't understanding the material AT ALL and felt so dumb and annoying. I never did it again. What was the last thing you said out loud (singing doesn’t count)? "It's really embarrassing," to Mom. It really is fucking humiliating that my ankles are swollen from walking/standing more and pushing my desk chair back against the resistance of the carpet. That's pathetic. I'm trying to focus on the fact it's good my body is even reacting to moving more, though. Is everything you have on actually yours? Yep. Do you ever just randomly drive around when you’re upset about something? I don't drive, but if I did, that would NOT be my method of de-stressing. What was the last act of creativity you displayed? Writing an RP post. What’s your favorite department in Wal-Mart? Uh, I guess where you can go see the plants and flowers. Do you find kite flying boring? I LOVED it as a kid. I'd still probably find it kinda fun. Do you have any interest in visiting Japan? Yes, but it's not a massive interest. I've heard the humidity can kill a bitch, and I am NOT into that. Have you ever run a cash register? Yes. I sucked. Have you ever worked as a server? No. Have you ever done the Bratz challenge on YouTube? No, but I saw James Charles do it and it was v unnerving, holy shit. Would you rather paint or carve a pumpkin? Carve. What was your worst experience in high school? My depression as a whole. How much did your senior prom dress cost you? I don't remember. Have you ever been in a serious romantic relationship? Three, if you include my current one. Which part of your body is the most muscular? Uh, nothing? What is the first site you check when you get online, generally? KM. Are you good at creative writing assignments? That's my forte. In elementary school, I actually won a I think county-wide creative writing short story assignment. Not to brag, but I've always been very proud of that, ha ha. Or would you rather just do an informative essay? That's easy for me too, but I prefer writing creatively. Are you more attracted to the badasses, or the goody-goody types? Definitely the goody-goodies. The "bad guys" have never appealed to me romantically. Do you raise your hand or participate in class? I did if I really wanted to ask something or was confident in an answer. What is something BIG you want to do with your life? Make a difference, somehow. What do you think of people who own wild animals? Do NOT just casually take in animals from the wild. That's selfish and just generally disgusting. If you're going to keep an animal generally described as wild and undomesticated, you'd better have a license and deserve that license. Know what you're doing and be certain that keeping the animal in captivity is in the animal's best interest for its unique case. Are you good at explaining things, in general? NOOOOOOOOO, I suck at that. Do you like visiting the mall? Why or why not? Not our mall, no. Its stores suck/are extremely limited, and SO much crime has happened there. Do you like window shopping? Why or why not? YESSSSSSS, mostly on Morph Market, a mostly reptile selling hub online. You can browse TONS of breeders and literally thousands of reptiles, especially ball pythons. They even have a tarantula section I like to look at sometimes. If you lost your job/home/etc., who would likely help you? If I'm losing my home, I'm assuming my mom is gone, so my dad. Why did you first kiss the last person you kissed? We were a couple and I felt like I was supposed to. At that time I didn't see him romantically, but I desperately wanted to. Funny how we're back together and I've no reservations against kissing him now. Feelings change, for sure. Plans for tonight? Girt and I will probably play some WoW Classic together. We've started playing that together, and it's lots of fun with him. :') Has anyone seen you kiss the last person you kissed? Actually, no. Have you ever been kissed in a car? Yeah. Do you think anyone has feelings for you? I know Girt does. Is there anyone in your life that knows right away something’s wrong with you? My mom. Who last made you smile? Girt, 'cuz he's a sweetheart. Where is your mother? She's in bed in her room. She feels like shit. Like, you would think she WASN'T vaccinated, though her long-time doctor has said she'd probably be dead without it while having Covid. Would you rather look at clouds or stars? Stars. Think about your biggest mistake, would you go back and change it? I absolutely would. Are you dating the person you last kissed? Yeup. What is the most immature item you own and actually use? Um. Idk. Do you always take a shower after you have sex? I... didn't know people did this? Like I know women are advised to pee after sex, but full-on showering? No. Do you like chocolate popsicles? Oh hell yeah. Are your parents proud of you? They claim to be. I don't see how. Are you interested in the ocean? Yeah; it's inarguably so fascinating. Hot dogs or hamburgers? I prefer burgers. Have you ever been to a Chinatown in any of the cities you’ve been to? No. Have you ever been to couple’s counseling? No. Do you have any dietary restrictions? No. Have you ever turned down a job offer? No. What’s the largest animal you’ve ever had as a pet? A dog named Cali that was a boxer mix. Do you ever pray, even if you don't believe in God? What exactly is the point if you don't believe in God...? Anyway, I don't. Have you ever been to Mexico? No. Have you ever gotten stuck in quicksand before? No. What's the shortest or longest length you've ever had your hair grow? To around the small of my back. The last nest you saw - was it a bird nest or a hornet's nest? I think a bird's? Do you enjoy Jeff Dunham? I don't know if I'd like him as a person, but I do think he's a funny comedian. Who is your favorite character from Frozen? I was never into the movies. I do think Elsa is kinda cool (no pun intended, lol), though. I like that she has her flaws. Did you finish high school? If not, do you plan on doing so? I did. Have you been in a simulator that mimicked a submarine or rollercoaster? A rollercoaster, yes. How often do you go out to eat instead of cooking for yourself? Mom and I try to avoid fast food for our health. We do a pretty good job at it, but sometimes for convenience's sake, we do eat it. What is the largest family of siblings that you know of? This is probably gonna come across as very judgmental, but... it really bothers me. I don't know how many kids she has now, but one of the dance moms from the studio has SO many children; I've completely lost count. Now if you want that many kids and can provide for them, that's cool. But that's not the case. She uses the "if God wants me to have a baby, then it will happen" mentality, and I'm just like... um, no hunny. Poor choices are leading to kids you're not adequately providing for. She uses no methods of protection and literally has twins whose room is a fucking closet. Ugh it just really bothers me. What foreign languages were offered to you at school? A whole lot. Only Spanish and I believe French were offered as in-school courses, but there were lots of online classes. If you were required to take a course right now, what would you choose? Photography. Team Biden or Team Trump? Over my dead body would I have voted for Trump. My vote went with Biden. What is an animal native to your country that may not exist in others? Bison are factually exclusive to North America. Note that bison and buffalo are different. What are some of your favorite autumn activities? Taking pictures of fall scenery. <3 What are some of your favorite winter activities? Going out in the snow. :') Especially with a camera. Do you eat a shit-ton the week before your period? uuugggghhHHHHHH yes Wendy's, McDonalds, or Burger King? Wendy's. What's the weirdest question you've ever asked Alexa? I've never asked Alexa anything. Do you prefer your apple cider to be warm or cold? I've actually never had it. Do you prefer your coffee hot or iced? Y'all know the story of me and coffee. Can you sing the alphabet backwards? I can't. Have you ever sent flowers or chocolates to yourself before? Ha ha, no. Is there any meat that you won't eat? Yeah, fish and ANYTHING that comes from a wild animal. Does your cat use anything other than it's scratching post as a scratcher? When we got him a scratcher WITH CATNIP, the lil butthead ignored it. -_- He scratches the carpet instead. Did you go through a vampire craze before? Are you still going through it? Nah. Have you ever forged your parents' signature on a poor test paper, etc? No. Has a bird ever pooped on you before? Omg, no. I'd die. Have you ever been sprayed by a skunk before? No. Are black jellybeans delicious or disgusting? I HATE them. Have you ever rolled down a grassy hill before? I have! I miss that.