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inkskinned · 5 months

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the problem is that being single is seen as the consolidation prize, and not the natural neutral state of being-a-person. at the end of the movie or the book or the poetry, there is a person waiting for you at the altar, and they love you. if the play is a comedy, everyone gets married. the metaphor is about how you are not-whole. the metaphor is about how everyone is going to be happily-ever-after. the metaphor is that romantic love is the most important resource on the planet, not just all-love. all-love is not a thing, that is a disappointment. the treasure is not the friends we made along the way. the treasure is the girl you landed.

the metaphor is that you cannot be alone, that means you are broken. are you getting over someone? that is acceptable, you can be getting over someone, but not for long. you must be single because you would rather not be single. you must be single and looking to not-be-single. you must want to date, eventually.

friendship and community are never seen as being equal-to or even-better than romantic connection. that person is your one! you need to find them. you need to hunt through the sand particles until you can shift out some kind of gem. this is regardless to your own experience of the beach and the sun. you need to be somewhere with someone.

if you are taking this time alone to heal, that is so sad. everyone gives you this little pitying look. the understanding is that you are not actually happier than you were before you were single. it is seen as a sort of pity - oh, you are choosing yourself, making yourself the priority? - that isn't quite right. you must mean that you are making yourself ready for the right person. you are just laying the bed better this time. open up your heart. you'll find them, we promise!

what do you mean you're really-truly genuinely-very happy? you are probably misremembering what it was like to be in a relationship. and besides, once you meet your person, that time will look grey and bland and wasted. your person is the only way for you to see in color. so what if you have taken this time - for the first time in your entire life - to actually-for-real do the fucking work. you can be proud of yourself, sure. but the way we need to know that you got better is that you get a partner. you're healed enough for the next bad part!

people don't choose to be single, they just say they're choosing to be single - they actually mean "nobody wants to date me." it doesn't matter how many people you have gently rejected or how many times you've talked it over carefully in therapy. what matters is that you are single, and by all accounts - that means you are something worth our pity. your successes and life all seem pale in the sunlight. sure, you have done amazing things and finally found your way in life. what matters is that there wasn't a person in the room with you while you did it.

you want to tell them - that's the whole thing. i didn't know how to be alone in the room. i didn't know how to handle the silence. every moment was so sharp, and i kept choosing the wrong way to close the door. i have spent my entire life in the empty well, living in the ricochet of someone else's cruelty. for once i have built myself a ladder. for once everything i taste is all mine, every bite of sunshine and laughter. i have learned how to sleep out in the open with my memories. recently, they have started to purr.

your father rolls his eyes. listen. this isn't about you. i just want a grandchild in my future.

#writeblr #i actually didn't want a girlfriend before nat #and my dad recently said to me - raquel. i don't approve of the promiscuity #1. i am 30.#2. i had casually dated about 4 people over 18 months.#3. i do believe he was just mad that i get more girls than he ever did #i had to look this 60 yr old deacon in the eye and say. okay so i have a girlfriend first of all im just not tellin yall about her #and secondly.#OKAY???? OLD MAN I DONT EVEN LIVE HERE WHAT ARE U GONNA DO ABOUT IT #briefly considered asking nat if i could pretend we were a one night stand kind of a thing

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frenchublog · 3 months

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🏹💘...!

#spuffy #btvs fanart #spike #spike btvs #buffy the vampire slayer #btvs #spike x buffy #my art #please don't repost #happy valentines day now time for me to disappear for 2 months #screaming at them : stop it #screenshot studies bc why not #proportions ? i don't know her #drawing these while listening to the patapon ost #buffy crying and being sad immediately after being brought back to life can yall please hear me out i have a vision #number one is i wanted to draw the fat ghibli tears #sarah michelle gellar #james marsters

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trans-pilled · 16 days

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genuinely cannot imagine dickriding the watcher guys the way some of you have been. like they made a bad business decision! they alienated their audience! they made jokes about "eating the rich" and then one of their owners turned around and bought a tesla! they said they'd pull all their old content off youtube and then immediately backpedaled and started gaslighting the people who noticed it! they're just guys on the internet, they're not your friends and they are not anti-capitalists. they just want money and they don't care about their primarily young/international/non-wealthy audience.

#yall are parasocial as hell #they don't deserve your $60 annually when they're putting out one thing per week!! you don't have to defend them!!#yes i understand that this is a business and they need to make money #but this is a slap in the fucking face #watcher #watcher entertainment #steven lim #ryan bergara #shane madej #watcher tv #1k #2k

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cococaffeinated · 7 months

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🎪A lil continuation of sorts!🎪

Thus, started Jax's "if the gods allowed me to live one more day, I'm gonna make it everyone's problem" coping mechanism! /hj This is just a silly lil headcanon, by the way, in case that needs to be restated~

I drew a lil cameo of the other already-abstracted-folk to put a vague stamp to this period in time, which explains why Kinger here is a lil more "put together".

I just wanted to play around with the silly idea that maybe Kinger and Gangle were the first two people to ground Jax into his new normal. There's no real theory/justification behind this hc, I just love this trio so much and I noticed that a lot of Jax's frames have him between the two and thought that was pretty sweet~!

┏━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━┓ The first part's here 🎪 ┗━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━┛

#the amazing digital circus #Jax #tadc jax #Kinger #tadc kinger #Gangle #tadc gangle #Caine #tadc caine #tadc queenie #tadc kaufmo #cococaffeinatedarts #silly headcanons #I added a 'keep reading' partition so yall don't have to scroll for eternity to get passed it <3

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sygneth · 6 months

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"The Fall of the Starmaker"

#I have been painting this for way too long #fuckin. rocks #anyway i was thinking whether i want to name this “the fall” or “the death” because y'know #the angel you knew is not me #but i decided to stick to the original idea #also the other title could be “the birth of crowley”#also i'm a very big fan of the concept that angels' wings burn during the fall and then grow back black #yall seem to like renaissance-like paintings don't ya?#i hope you will like this one #good omens #good omens fanart #fanart #good omens crowley #crowley #anthony j crowley #the starmaker #ineffable husbands #my art #snek blorbo

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morgana-ren · 8 months

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i love angst, and i love your writing, but please, PLEASE, i beg you, could you write some hope of tav ever returning now that the imbecile, has realised the error of his ways 🥺😭 (either way, thank you so much, for all your astarion writtings, it has made me feel things, the angst is real and my masochistic heart loves it🥲)

First part of the story HERE

Common complaint I got on that one! So I fixed it just for y'all. This ending is much less sad and much more sappy, so here is the comfort you need after all that angst!

"Darling, will you smile for me? Just once more. Please--"

He feels her cheeks in his palms, the soft skin against his battle-hardened callouses. Desperation cradles his unbeating heart, and for a moment, the emotion is far too much. A searing flame after centuries of frost. A bonfire in a blizzard. It hurts-- it burns--

"My love, I just need you to--"

"Anything my lord, anything at all for you. Simply command me and I will do anything you ask."

"No, I can't-- I-- I won't do it. I won't. I won't!"

"My lord?"

Her head cocks, turning slowly to look upon him, but her eyes-- they are empty; beetle-black and hollow. Her smile is uncanny as a painted doll, her movements disjointed and inhuman. Her teeth are stained crimson with blood, dripping, dripping, ever dripping down, never swallowed, only pooling.

She is light as a feather as she slips away from him, her skin marbling into a sickly gray before ash spreads across her body as a disease, smearing her form into nothingness. Only her face is left untouched, pretty as porcelain, unflinching and unfalling save a small crack that splinters down from her forehead down to her eyes, revealing inky black abyss beneath.

"My lord-- Oh, my tender, vicious lord. I can feel your anguish-- your hunger. Devour me to be whole once more--"

Her blood smells of rot and she--

She is too far gone to save. Too far gone to ever be saved.

"I won't!"

Whirlwind. Pain. Confusion and dread and seeping anguish. A maelstrom of rage and all-consuming despair swelling from within his soul—

—his soul?

The world around him falls away, a wicked tornado thrashing him about, his mind howling in the eternal winds--

And suddenly he is in a chair.

Not a throne. A chair— and a rather uncomfortable one at that.

"What in the hells—"

His vision spins, nausea curling his gut into a wicked tide of sickness barely restrained by his teeth. He tastes stale blood crawling up his throat, threatening to overturn onto the faded rug beneath him.

"Did you see what you wished for, little spawn?"

The voice takes him by surprise. It is not hers, but another, less familiar voice. The wailing animal in his head retreats to a dull roar as his memory creeps back. A brightly colored tent assaults his vision, piecemeal rugs and odd, foreign trinkets abound on makeshift shelves, and before him sits a strange old woman, hood pulled heavy over her straggling gray hair.

"I-- What was that?"

He sees her cracked, aging lips upturn, gnarled hands placed protectively over a strange orb on the table touching his knees. "I have shown you your future, vampling. Was it to your liking?" Panic rises within his stomach again, and though he does not breathe, he clutches his chest. The smell of incense clogs his nostrils and again, the wave of sick threatens to spill forth. Wretched taste of metallic, aged blood sits heavy on his tongue, all sensation too much-- all of it too much.

"No-- No, that cannot be it!"

"This is your path, Pale Elf. The road you walk. The power you seek is well within your grasp, but as I told you before, it will cost you everything."

He vehemently shakes his head, denying it. Denying it before her and all the Gods.

"You told me upon entry that no price was too great for your reward. Do you still agree with this sentiment?"

"No! Not-- not her. Not her. Not that! I couldn't--"

"You can and you shall, sure as the moon follows the sun. You will have everything you ever wanted, but cost of this ritual is plain before you. You cared not for the many souls left to your mercy that are crushed beneath your tyrannical fist in your ascension, but what of the sole one that resides in your heart?"

Her. The light of his life. The air he breathes. The sun on his frigid flesh, the warmth that melts his icy heart.

"No," He hisses, trying to stand, but ultimately unable to muster the strength. "I won't! There-- There must be another way. Show me!"

"There is no other way," She says, solemnly. "It is inevitable."

He swallows down the information like a boulder lodged in his gullet. Her words echo endlessly in his mind, bouncing off the walls and lodging shards of ice directly in his soul.

"What if I-- What if I don't ascend? Tell me, what if I don't?"

She smiles again, teeth flashing through her thin lips. "That is another path, little elf." "I need to know. I-- I need certainty. I won't do this to her, but I--" He pauses, grappling with everything in his mind, desperately flitting about to absorb it all. "If I am going to forgo this, I need to be certain. I need to know that I can protect her, that she will be safe--"

But the woman simply shakes her head.

"Everyone must choose. For some, the path is dark, but for you, you see more than most will ever have the comfort of knowing. I can offer you nothing more. Should you initiate the Rite, you know this will come to pass. I can tell you nothing more if you choose to not. The future is yet unwritten, and the quill resides in your hands." "Then why can I not have both!" He slams a fist on the table, clawing at the soft wood. For the first time in ages, tears prick at his pale lashes and frustration wells a knot in his throat. "Why--" "Because one path is wholly your own, while the other is a tangled web, such is the nature of deals with the Hells. You will get everything you ever wanted and lose everything that made it worth having."

His head slumps, defeated and miserable. Silvery tears slide down the curves of his cheeks, even as he attempts to bite them back. He thought he would find comfort in knowing the future, but all it has given him is utter horror.

"Despair not," She continues. "Yes, you will wither under the sun, an eternally cursed dweller of the night, but all is not lost, is it? The one you love, will she stray from your side?" "I wanted her to have better than that," He sniffles, needling his lip with a fang. "I cannot brave the sun, but her-- She deserves better than that-- better than me."

"And what of what she feels?"

His brows furrow, and he peers up at the woman from tear-beaded lashes.

"You are a night walker; it is in your nature to be selfish. But love is not selfish, little vampling. You must fight your nature, your inherent self-loathing, or your love will always find the fire. What of what she desires?"

"She loves me," He says with absolute certainty. "And I--" "Do you love her?"

"Yes," He hisses, almost insulted that she would ask. "More than anything. I'm here, aren't I?"

"Then the rest matters naught. If you love her, you will allow her the agency to choose-- something you deny her as an ascendent. You must grow past your own follies. To love is to be vulnerable, and you must allow both yourself and her this freedom."

They are hard words to swallow, and yet, he feels the truth resound in them. She would not leave his side, even as he tried to force her to understand. Even as an instrument of his manipulation and schemes came to light, she stood steadfast with him, hand entwined in his, ready to face the fire together.

"I-- I need to know she will be safe."

Again, the woman shakes her head. "You cannot. You must fight fate if you wish to overturn it. You face dire odds, though throwing the dice in your favor now will doom you later should this outcome be the confirmation of your fears."

He sighs, face crinkling as he sniffs once more, summoning the willpower to swallow down the agony of his choice. He finds the strength in his legs to push himself upward from the chair, weak and shaking as a newborn fawn as he does so. "I will do whatever I need to. Anything."

"Then you may yet see this through."

He can hear the fanfare of the circus outside, the bawdy bards strumming away on their lutes and banging on drums, the elated screams of the children and their parents. Facing the light now seems impossible, but he must find his way home to her-- he has to be with her now now now--

"The coin first, boy."

He snaps out of his delirium only long enough to fish his hands into one of his pockets, bringing out a coin. Aged and neglected, the sinister engraving of a skull peers up at him from his palm, ruby eyes gleaming in the light as he tosses it into the woman's knobbily-jointed hands.

"Best of luck to you, night-child," She tucks it away. "We may yet meet again." "No offense, but I hope not."

"Me too, Little Star."

He pays little mind to the bustling streets and bursting taverns of Baldur's Gate, his feet carrying him back to camp as swiftly as his body will allow. It takes him until sundown even as he damn near jobs, ripping through the tree line and into the ruins with the intensity of a man starved.

"Astarion!" Karlach greets him, trying to wave him over. "I've got a bet with Gale about--" "Where is she?" Astarion immediately cuts her off, looking around frantically.

"Who?" Karlach raises a brow.

"Who else?" Wyll crosses his arms, looking intrigued at Astarion's intensity.

"Oh! In her tent, I think. Why? Gotcha a special something' in town for her, eh?" Karlach tries to rib at him, but he pushes past her without a second glance.

"Bet it's a fancy new dress he needs to tear off of her immediately," Karlach rolls her eyes before returning to her business.

He bursts into her tent to find her hunched over a book, tongue poking from between her teeth, as she scans over the page. This only lasts a few seconds before he scrambles onto the bed, squeezing her as tightly as he can manage, burying his nose into her hair, tears brimming in his eyes once more.

"Woah, hey!" She laughs, carefully setting her book aside, trying to discern what in the hells he is mumbling endlessly into her neck.

Need you-- need you-- love you-- can't lose you-- don't ever--

She hushes him, realizing something has gone terribly, terribly wrong, kissing his head and tugging him close. "Hey, what's wrong?"

She tries to cup his cheeks and bring his face up but he adamantly refuses, hard-swallowing the urge to bawl into her shoulder with every ounce of willpower he has. All he can manage is to cling to her, half sobbing, visions of that terrible future swimming in his head. He cannot let it come to pass, he will not--

And she holds him, cradling him in her arms, hushing him gently. Her face creases with worry, running her hands through his silvery hair as he pulls him into her lap.

"Little Star, what's wrong? You seem so upset. What can I do to make you happy, my love?"

"Is it done?" Ulma leans down as she enters the tent, carefully dodging the intricate tassels of the blanket strewn over the entryway.

"It is," The strange old woman replies, still rubbing the coin with her worn thumb.

"And?"

"I showed him nothing but truth," She says quietly. "I did not manipulate his vision. Only channeled it."

"That tells me nothing. I need to know if our children are safe."

"I cannot tell you this, Ulma. You know of the ways of our tribe; our relationship with these magics." Ulma's lips purse, her exasperation evident in her humorless expression. "I need to know--"

"His reaction was genuine. That was not my doing. He knows the price of power. I cannot tell you if he will pay it regardless," The old woman's head lifts, a slight mischievous smile playing on her lips. "But I can tell you what I think."

"And what do you think?"

"I have seen his soul-- the heart of it. I believe you will see our children yet. He will spare our heart to spare his own in kind. It beats in that woman," Her eyes twinkle in the low candlelight, a genuine smile widening across her cheeks. "I believe he can find redemption yet."

#morgana and friends #astarion #astarion spoilers #astarion x reader #astarion x tav #heh that last one messed yall up huh #heres a fix for it #SUPER sappy FYI #SO ENJOY!#I don't usually write sap (or angst) so I am bad at this #sorry its bad fellas #I GENUINELY could not think of a way for him to fix him becoming her cazador so uh #have a retconn #call this a fast fixer upper lmao

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gojosbf · 5 months

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gojo satoru is the strongest because if my handsome depressed boyfriend with long lucious hair and sweet voice told me he wanted to kill everyone i would've simply kissed him and said okay what else

#just saying yall don't get him like i do #what's the world to me when i have everything in form of a human beside me #jujutsu kaisen #jjk #gojo satoru #geto suguru #satosugu #stsg #gojogeto #gojo x geto #satoru gojo #getou suguru #jjk gojo #jjk satoru #jjk geto #jjk suguru #jjk spoilers #1k

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chuuya-fan-page · 7 months

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dead apple brainrot

its the way that dazai's hand is always on chuuya's head post corruption when he's passed out on his lap, almost as a way to protect him. i seriously hate them.

bro did this when they were 16 too.

kill me.

-A

#anyone who says they don't at least have smth platonic or emotional there yall don't have eyes cuz i would never be this soft towards #someone i supposedly hate #bsd #i love nakahara chuuya #chuuya nakahara #bsd chuuya #bungou stray dogs #chuuya fan page #bungou stray dogs chuuya #chuuya bsd #skk #soukoku #bsd dazai #dazai osamu #bsd dead apple #dead apple #dragon head conflict

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sophsicle · 10 months

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no but, remus actually will not accept sirius at his worst and that's why it's wolfstar for me babe. like he won't. you want someone to pat you on the head and tell you what a good boy you are you go to james for that shit. because i have been hurt too and i have been broken too and im not interested in your fucking bullshit. you pick yourself up and you deal with it. the same way i pick myself up after every full moon. i will love you deeply but i will not love you blindly. that's why it's wolfstar for me.

#wolfstar #if you're gonna act like a dick i don't care if you've got a tragic backstory i have shit to do #i just don't think remus is playing those games yall #soph rambles #sirius black #remus lupin

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meownotgood · 17 days

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haha hey so apparently someone stole my whole fic... copy and pasted except for tiny things changed... here is the link to their """fic""" (sorry random person I had to steal the reblog from). they've since deleted the fic off their blog + deleted their ao3 + gone on a hiatus so..... that's cool and whatever....... but they have written a lot of other shit so... don't be a dick but maybe check that for funny business too...

#yall I am literally #I don't even know what to say LMFAO #their fic before they deleted it had more notes than mine....... like what.....#I've never had this happen before so I'm just.... in awe........#is leon similar to aki or something I don't know this man. who are you #it sucks so much too because that fic of mine #is probably my favorite fic I ever wrote #I poured so much love into it #so many little aspects of aki's character that I enjoyed fleshing out #and to just have it stolen #like if you stole a shitty drabble I wouldn't be as wounded but to steal 20k words of love.....#that's messed up man........#I'm laughing at this but also. crying inside a little #thank you to the person who told me about this because since they deleted it it would be really hard to know otherwise #yeah........... yeah.....

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frenchublog · 6 months

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uwu

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teaboot · 6 months

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Theoretically I enjoy living with people but unfortunately when you tell people you're a neuroatypical raccoon with twelve ongoing hobbies, completely random work hours, and a series of admittedly unusual lifelong compulsions they tend to hear that and go "oh haha you're trying to be Quirky okay" and then save their ten million questions and concerns for when you can't run away

#Im venting #Sometimes I HAVE TO sleep on the floor #Sometimes I HAVE TO stand on the coffee table #I own a blowtorch because sometimes I NEED TO USE A BLOWTORCH #What kind of lives are yall leading that you just NEVER HAD AN OOPSIE AND SPILLED BEESWAX IN THE KITCHEN #Like what isn't clicking here #'Why do you have a trumpet if you can't play the trumpets because I'm an ADULT #'The leopard is creepy' your FACE is creepy #Objectively I am aware that the way I do things is Not Normal but it's Normal For Me #And so many people demanding REASONS and it's exhaustingggg #I'm autistic I'm bored and I have ten thousand hobbies and a zest for life #If you don't wanna make paper mache body armor at 3pm on a Wednesday just be open about that #But like #I did warn you #I warn EVERYONE so I KNOW I WARNED YOU #*screeching*

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ra-archives · 6 months

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Father Time? More like Fierce DADity

...What am I even doing anymore?

Lu-tober

Day 29 and a few other idk I cant be bothered to count

ANyways I keep finding audios I think would be funny with the chain so expect some more content like this even after Octobers over. We're just gonna see how long I can go drawing the Chain till I get tired of em ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Also this took wAY LONGER THAN IT WAS SUPPOSED TO

#lutober #lu wild #lu twilight #lu fierce deity #fierce dadity #I think fierce dadity fics and art is so funny #anyways I don't have extra tags for today so its short #EXCept the fact that I did another costume thing yesterday #went to a Halloween party dressed as Wild #got third in a costume contest + won two dollars lmao. Also got cake. Pretty good time :D #This post really did number huh #Glad yall liked it :D

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anipgarden · 11 months

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Adding To or Starting a Garden

AKA, the beginning of the Plants-Related section of this series.

This is my third post in a series I’ll be making on how to increase biodiversity on a budget! I’m not an expert--just an enthusiast--but I hope something you find here helps!

Got an area of lawn you’d like to convert to a wildlife haven? An area you can stick some hanging baskets in? Want to know how your garden of tomatoes and zucchinis is already putting in a lot of work? This is the section for you!

It would be dumb of me to not acknowledge that the act of gardening can come with a lot of costs. Buying seeds, buying plants, buying soil, raised bed materials, mulch, etc. … it can all get a bit daunting, let’s be honest! But there’s quite a few ways to get seeds and plants for free or extremely cheap, which I’ll be addressing in this section! The next section will be all about addressing the other Costs in gardening and how to mitigate or eliminate them entirely.

Also, do keep in mind; there’s no need to try and convert a whole area from lawn to garden or unused to garden at once. In fact, it could actually be extremely beneficial to do it a little at a time--maybe four or five square feet to start out.

Front Lawn (or Managing Principles)

If you live in a place where you’re required to have a grass turf lawn (HOA’s come to mind…), try replacing it with native grasses instead! You could even possibly use a low-growing ground cover plant like clover to a similar effect! Reseeding/replacing an entire lawn can be a big upfront cost, but even just letting the lawn be a little messy and tall helps. If the lawn gets patchy, leave the bare spots for a little while and something different will likely pop up! Pioneer species will fill the gaps and provide benefits to other plants around them, support animals, and more! If you want to take the guesswork out of it, you could always research what the pioneer species are in your area and plant the ones you like most.

Obtaining Seeds for Cheap or Free

The cheapest way to start a garden is by far via seeds. However, seeds can be a bit complicated to grow, and some sources make them… way overpriced. Fortunately there are ways to get seeds for little to no cost!

Some places sell seeds for as low as a dollar, 50 cents, or 25 cents! The packets may not have a lot of seeds, but it’s definitely a good start for a low budget! I’ve personally bought cheap seed packets at Walmart--the Ferry-Morse and Burpee brands are not what we’re looking for here. Typically the cheaper ones I’ve found are American Seed (which is owned by Green Garden Products, which also owns Ferry-Morse, Livingston Seed, McKenzie Seed, and Seeds of Change. Do with that information what you will), but they’re rarely stocked near the Ferry-Morse ones in the Formal Gardening Section. I’ve most often found them on end caps near the gardening section, so you may have to weave through a few aisles to find them, but once you do there’s an array of flower and vegetable seeds to select from! Alternatively, I’ve found seeds at Dollar Tree sold 2 or 4 for a dollar in Spring as part of their seasonal product; however, when they’re out of stock, they’re typically out of stock for the year. Try to check them out early in the year!

Otherwise, other seed companies like Urban Farmer or Botanical Interests will often have semi-frequent sales in spring and fall, when people are stocking up on seeds--joining their email lists can help you be the first to know when a good sale is going on!

Some foods from grocery stores will provide seeds that you can use in the garden as well. I’ve had the most luck with store-bought bagged beans, peppers, and tomatoes. Some people have had luck with watermelons, apples, citrus, squash, and more. Do keep in mind that you likely won’t get the same variety of fruit/vegetable as the one you bought--the resulting plant may look different and taste different.

Give it a shot! Pick some beans you like--if they don't grow well, at least you can eat the rest!

If you live in the US, food-producing live plants, bare roots, and seeds can often be purchased with SNAP benefits. But what does growing fruits, veggies, and herbs have to do with boosting biodiversity? While food crops aren’t typically native, they still provide valuable shelter for native insects. Some plants even have intricate relationships with native fauna--like the squash bee, a solitary bee which exclusively pollinates cucurbits like pumpkins, squash, and zucchini. And we get to benefit more directly as well! If you’re planting a diverse range of foods in your garden (as opposed to the swaths of single-plant farms that typically produce what’s sent to grocery stores), you’re supporting high levels of biodiversity by providing a variety of plants for creatures to live and hunt around.

Most of the time, when we think of boosting biodiversity with a garden, we think of a colorful flower garden teeming with pollinator species. However, if we’re striving to use native species, it can be a bit difficult to find some species in stores. I can say from experience that trying to find any wildflower seeds other than butterfly weed, purple coneflowers, and black-eyed-susans is… challenging, if you limit yourself to stores like Walmart, Home Depot, and Lowe’s. You might occasionally get lucky with an ACE Hardware or a local nursery, but even then sometimes it can be hard to track down who in your area is selling what--let alone if you live in an area where no one really is selling native plants or their seeds. Not to mention, even once you find a local or online store selling the seeds you want, they can sometimes cost a pretty penny. So what do you do?

If you have the option to, consider gathering native seeds yourself! Get good at identifying the native flora and fauna--or at least, a few target plants and their lookalikes--and get ready to go! Learn where they tend to grow, when they’ll be seeding, etc. Try to identify the plant before it goes to seed (for most plants, it's easiest to identify when flowering), then check back regularly to gather seeds. Typically, if I want to learn how to collect seed from a specific plant, I just search it on Google or YouTube--oftentimes, I'm lead to the GrowItBuildIt Youtube page, so it may be a helpful resource for you as well! Of course, make sure to leave plenty of seed behind so the wild population can repopulate, and seed can feed other creatures in the area. A good rule of thumb is to take no more than 1/3rd of what's available.

Buying seed in bulk is an option if you can afford the upfront cost. Try teaming up with a few friends to buy some bulk seeds and split them amongst yourselves--you’ll get tons of seed! Prairie Moon is a popular site that'll sell seeds by the pound if you can afford the price--though they're in the US, and I believe they focus on Midwest and East Coast natives.

If you want to cheat the system, don’t buy bulk sunflower seeds--buy bags of sunflower seeds being sold as birdseed. They’re typically all black oil sunflower seeds, but they’ll sprout, and they’re fairly cheap for the amount you get!

However, beware generic wildflower seed mixes! Many brands like to sell wildflower seed mixes in big box stores like Home Depot, Target, or even Dollar Tree, but they’ll often include flowers that aren’t native or possibly even invasive in your region! Before you make any purchases, double check to make sure the contained seeds won’t do more harm than good! A quality source of native seeds will provide English and Latin names for all seeds included, and will be native to the region or at least non-invasive.

See this? I don't trust this.

There’s a good handful of programs online that’ll send you free seeds if you’re planning to start a native habitat project! Poke around online and see what you can find; you might get lucky! The best time to start looking for these is fall and winter, I find--by early spring, many of them are either done or beginning to wind down... though some also start up in spring. Ultimately--just check regularly! You never know what you can find!

Other Ways to Get Plants

Don’t want to start from seed? That’s fair! You can try cuttings! Just be sure not to take too much of the plant while you do so. Make sure you’ve gotten a few leaf nodes on your cutting, and cut any flowers you may have gotten. Make sure to leave some blooms and foliage on the original plant for the creatures in the current habitat--you don’t want to destroy one habitat to make another in your garden. There’s tons of methods of rooting cuttings, many of which have different efficacy rates for different plants, but that’s a topic for another post.

If you find seedlings growing in a place where they won’t be able to sustain themselves long-term, or are in danger of being destroyed, consider relocating them! You may be able to gently dig up and transplant the seedling to your garden. Don’t do this if they’re in a place where they can easily survive--ideally, you’ll be taking plants from sidewalk cracks, heavily maintained public gardens, roadsides, etc. Do be careful while doing this--ensure your safety first!

You’re totally allowed to join gardening communities like clubs, facebook groups, and more before you’ve even put a trowel to the dirt. These are great places to learn information and advice! Many gardeners are more than happy to help out a new gardener, and will eagerly provide seeds, cuttings, or even baby plants! Talk to some people about your gardening journey and what you’re hoping to do, and you just might find some kindred spirits--or at least get more people interested in the topic!

Seed and plant giveaways and trades happen all the time in gardening clubs, as well as online! Just poke around and see what you can find! Some are explicitly trades, meaning you’re expected to send something in return, but once you get your feet on the ground with some plant knowledge you’ll be stellar! You may be able to explain you’re just starting out, and someone may send you seeds without expecting a trade, but I’d suggest trying giveaways first.

Poke around online and see if there’s a local chapter of your state’s native plant society. From there, you’ll likely be able to find a calendar of events--many of them will host plant sales in the spring, with a bunch of native plant seedlings ripe for the pickings if you can make it out and have some money to spare! Fair warning, though, you’ll want to get there early if you can. If they say they’re starting at 10, try to get there by 9:45. Year after year, there’s always record turnout, and they sell out of plants faster than ever. Just trust me on this. I’ve been let down; hopefully you won’t have to be.

Some libraries are beginning to host seed libraries! Check around and see if your library has one! Ideally, the system works best if you also have seeds to contribute in return, but if you’re just starting out I’m sure they won’t mind you taking some seeds! Just consider saving some seeds to contribute in the future and pay it forward. If your library doesn’t have a seed library? Consider asking if they’d be willing to start one! Community interest is a great way to get the ball rolling on projects like these, but they’ll only know the community is interested if the community tells them they’re interested!

Volunteer to Garden for/with Someone Else

Maybe someone in your area wants to garden, but is struggling to find the time/energy. Many elderly people who used to garden simply can’t anymore but still would like a garden. Other people may love to have a helping hand in their garden. You might even find a few people in your area interested in renting and sharing a community garden plot with others, so they don't have to handle it all on their own! They may be interested in increasing biodiversity right now, or may be willing to if it’s brought up to them. You might be just the kind of person someone needs! Since it won't be your garden, you’ll likely need a bit of permission and collaboration to get anything in particular going, but it’s worth a shot and a way to maybe even make friends!

Again, your mileage may vary with some of these. You may not know where there's a bunch of wildflowers growing in your area, or maybe your local library doesn't have a free seed library. That's okay! Do what you're able to, find what you can find, get what you can get! And there's never any shame with starting small--in fact, starting small can make the project easier to manage and expand when you're able!

That's the end of this post! My next post is gonna be about ways to start growing plants cheaply--low cost seed starting set ups, essentially. There's a lot of good options, many of which I've used myself even! Until then, I hope this advice is helpful! Feel free to reply with any questions, success stories, or anything you think I may have forgotten to add in!

#biodiversity #solarpunk #gardening #outdoor gardening #growing from seed #ani rambles #out of queue #the biodiversity saga #i will be honest I have never flat out approached people to offer to help them garden #HOWEVER. People HAVE approached ME asking ME to help THEM with/plan THEIR garden #granted it was after I'd been gardening for a good few years. and its mostly family or family friends but yknow #people would be like 'oh wanna help me with my veggie garden?' even before I tried growing vegetables #i don't think the library near me has a seed library but you just wait until i. get the courage. to go to the library regularly.#i've seen people also make their own little seed library structures kinda like a little free library but like #i dont think my neighborhood is about that life.#if any of yall have those though it could be a great resource! also send pics because I love seeing them #not to say that this post should become a giant seed trade but if it did become that i would be the opposite of mad #if there's any typos blame my sister shes got the hotel room at like 60-something degrees and I am FREEZING #welp time to shut up now bye

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theogonies · 1 year

Text

SWEET DESIRE: genshin boys & their kinks

characters: childe, xiao, diluc, & ayato

word count: 1.4k

content warnings: feminine pet names and references to female genitalia; they’re all possessive, just in different ways; breeding kink, corruption kink, mindbreaking/dumbification, overstimulation, semi-public sex, implied dacryphilia (childe); voyeurism and general perviness, somnophilia, implied corruption kink (xiao); overstimulation, restraints, marking, spanking, yandere behavior (diluc); dom/sub relationship, brat taming, dacryphilia, degradation, humiliation, edging, painplay/spanking (ayato); 18+; minors and ageless blogs do not interact

CHILDE

“What’s wrong, ptichka?” He leans down to lap the tears from your cheeks with a smile as condescending as it is kind. “I thought you were ready for this, but we’re only getting started.”

Is it really any wonder that this man has a breeding kink? He’s a family man, after all, and beneath all his bluster, there’s really nothing he wants more than a happy little family of his own to come home to. While he rationally knows that may be out of the picture for as long as he’s a Harbinger, he still can’t help but lose his mind a little at the sight of his come overflowing from your hole. Even better if he gets to fuck it back into you with his fingers to make sure you don’t lose a single drop, humming sweet praises all the while: you're being so good for me, babygirl. Gonna make you a mommy.

Speaking of fingers–Childe is good with his hands. When he really wants to tease you he’ll watch you struggle to drag his gloves off with nothing but your teeth, just so he can use those very hands to fuck into your mouth until you’re a drooling mess, begging for his fingers in your pussy instead. Maybe if he’s feeling nice, he’ll even reward you for your efforts.

He loooooves corrupting good girls. Girls who follow the rules, girls who put responsibility first, girls who take care of everyone else before themselves. He’ll tease you, give you just enough to get your hopes up before backing off and making you plead for his attention. Don’t worry; he won’t break you, at least not on purpose. He just wants to teach you how good it feels to allow yourself to let go and relish in all those dirty, greedy little impulses, the desires that only he can fulfill.

Childe likes it when his partners are vocal during sex, and he’s willing to put in the work to make that happen. He’s a bit of an exhibitionist in general–just another way of making sure there are no doubts in anyone’s minds who you belong to–but it doesn’t matter if you’re in the middle of the Fatui headquarters or some isolated cabin in the mountains, he makes a game out of overstimulating you until you’re a broken, whimpering mess crying his name.

XIAO

“Please–” You can always tell when he’s about to break. He begs so sweetly, his stubborn scowl fading into something soft and needy. “Say it again. Tell me I’m good.”

It shouldn’t come as any kind of surprise that Xiao is a virgin. He’s so afraid of becoming close to others, yet more and more he finds his mind drifting to all those lewd, forbidden places when he’s around you. It’s obvious, too, the way he stares when you bend over to pick something up or the neckline of your shirt dips a little too low; but all the embarrassment and guilt in the world aren’t enough to make him hold back his voyeuristic impulses.

And oh, the moment you realize what’s going on and decide to indulge him, it’s over for Xiao. He’s obsessed with the way you tease him, your hands brushing against his thigh, or lightly steering him by the small of his back, all while you give him that same, trusting smile as always. This is just what friends do, isn’t it?

It takes a long time before he’s able to build up enough trust to let you touch him, but he loves watching you touch yourself. The way your hands, the same ones that have touched him so innocently so many times before, flick at your puffy clit; all those dirty sounds that fill the air; the blissed-out look on your pretty little face when you finally unravel. Witnessing you, being wanted by you–it’s already so much more than Xiao thinks he deserves.

The only think he loves more than feeling like your loyal guardian as you slumber is fucking you when you’re asleep. Sometimes because you’re having a bad dream; sometimes because he just can’t help himself, not when you’re lying so innocently beside him, filling his mind with impure thoughts.

Even at his brattiest, he always, always, always asks permission before coming. Inside of you, on you, even into his own hand. It’s as much about consent for him as it is getting confirmation from you that he’s earned this.

DILUC

“That’s right, precious,” he murmurs, his sonorous voice so unusually soft that you can’t help but shiver from words alone. “Just sit still and let me take care of you.”

Diluc loves giving oral, and he’s a messy eater, too. It’s like your sweet pussy is an aphrodisiac to him; he loses track of time, swirling his tongue around your tender bud and drinking in your taste until he’s left you overstimulated without even trying. He feels genuinely bad about it, too, every time he realizes just how greedy he’s been, how long he’s made you beg and cry for relief–but it’s not enough to keep him from forgetting himself again the next time he goes down on you.

He’s a very giving lover in general; really, he just wants to make you feel good. And, well, the beautiful sight of your tight little pussy creaming around his cock–that’s just a sweet side effect.

It takes a long time to get him to admit to his more taboo desires, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have them. Most of all, he dreams of seeing you strung up; from the frame of his bed in the winery, or even more shamefully, from the rafters of his tavern (long after close, of course–no one else deserves to see something so beautiful). As much as he consciously respects your freedom and independence, there’s a dark part of him that wants to keep you safe and protected, somewhere only he can reach you.

He likes seeing his marks on your skin, too. Hickeys, mostly, but he’s not entirely above punishing you more thoroughly if he decides you’ve been a little too flirty with his patrons or too risky in your adventures. He apologizes every time his hand comes down on your ass, and yet he can’t hide how hard the sight of your soft and rippling skin makes him when it flushes and begins to bruise.

AYATO

“I’m sorry, doll, but you know the rules.” His lip trail gently across the marks left by his own hand only moments ago, reminding you that your master is just as forgiving as he is merciless. “Now, are you ready to be a good girl and do as you’re told?”

Do I even need to say that Ayato is a mean dom? He loves the thrill of the chase, learning exactly what makes his partner tick just so he can break them down. The worst part is how composed he remains through it all, like his twisted desire to see you squirm is just another of his odd little jokes.

His technique in bed is no less refined than his skill with a sword, either; he’s mastered the delicate art of pushing your limits without breaking them, testing your devotion to him with every slap and caress until you’re putty in his hands.

While Ayato demands absolute loyalty from his partners from the start, he doesn’t mind putting in the work to tame bratty subs; in fact, he likes it better that way. The more headstrong and stubborn you are, the easier it is for him to ensure that you’re all his by the time he’s finished molding you into the perfect toy.

He isn’t opposed to using pain as a punishment, but in most cases, he prefers withholding what he knows you want. He’ll edge you until you’re a sobbing wreck, begging for his cock; and as much as he knows he should hate to see you suffer like this, nothing makes him as hard as the sight of your pretty little face streaming with tears. Before he gives you your sweet release, he makes you beg for it, promising him you’ll be good from now on, that you’ve learned your place as his dumb little whore.

Ayato loves putting you in all kinds of degrading positions: cockwarming him in his office, touching yourself while he watches, humping the smooth leather of his shoes as you beg him to touch you properly. He likes knowing he’s the only one with the privilege of seeing you this way: flushed, humiliated, needy. His.

#don't worry fluff wanters i have something for yall coming soon <3 #ronan writes #genshin impact x reader #genshin x reader #diluc x reader #ayato x reader #childe x reader #tartaglia x reader #ajax x reader #xiao x reader #genshin headcanons #genshin smut

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