treemaidengeek
Assorted Geekeries
she/her. queer Pagan with a penchant for tree-climbing, writing, & getting overly excited about esoterica. I post stuff on AO3. Formerly a CQL/Untamed blog, now multifandom plus landscapes, cats, bugs, & whatever strikes my fancy.
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NO! I'm not ok!!!
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A horseshoe crab being a home to other sea creatures!
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As Nie Huaisang poured their tea, Jiang Cheng rubbed his thumb against the carved wooden box in his lap and tried not to fret over what the other man was thinking. He knew what he looked like: the white streak at his temple announced it all. Jiang Cheng's cultivation was failing, and with the discussion conference tomorrow, it would be impossible to hide. Not even the reputation of Sandu Shengshou could shield him from being known now.
"Jiang-xiong, if you brought me a present, you have to give it to me," Nie Huaisang said behind his fan. His eyes seemed amused, at least, maybe.
"I know that," Jiang Cheng said, flustered and annoyed for being so. He placed it on the table between them.
Nie Huaisang tapped his hand with the closed fan where he hadn't yet pulled it away, and Jiang Cheng snatched it back to his lap. "It's a beautiful box, Jiang-xiong, but you can't keep it, either!"
"We're supposed to drink tea first," Jiang Cheng groused as Nie Huaisang's dainty fingers opened the lid.
"No, I distinctly recall the Gusu edict that states gifts are more important than anything," Nie Huaisang said. "If it's on their wall, you know it's orthodoxy itself. Oh, what are these?"
In his hands, the brilliant pressed ink cakes were even more beautiful. He was holding the azure bird, and his skin glowed against it. "One of the painters in Lotus Cove has... eccentric ideas. She's been experimenting with pigment and ash combinations. These are her more stable creations, but even then, they're not as permanent as standard ink. But, well." Jiang Cheng pulled a small book out of his sleeve and handed it over. "Here."
Nie Huaisang pulled his bottom lip into his mouth, darted a glance at Jiang Cheng's face, and then set the ink cake back into the box. "I don't have enough hands," he whined, but he took the book graciously. Page by page, his expression grew sharper; a slight flush brightened his cheeks. "A generous gift, Jiang-xiong."
Jiang Cheng swallowed. "She said the pink is especially fleeting, so you shouldn't hang anything with it in direct sunlight," he said gruffly. "Some of them have inclusions that make them act unpredictably in water. It's... You'll have to work with them a lot. To know how they'll perform."
"This kingfisher shimmers with true to life colors," Nie Huaisang murmured. After a moment of silence, he said, "I haven't painted in a long time."
"I know," Jiang Cheng said miserably. At the other's look, he added, "The fans from the last few years weren't your style."
Instantly, Nie Huaisang's fan was between them again. Jiang Cheng looked away, neck hot.
After a tense silence, Nie Huaisang said, "Jiang-xiong, would you tell me if something was wrong?"
"You know something is."
"Can something be done?" Nie Huaisang paused. "Gusu healers, perhaps?"
Jiang Cheng scoffed. "What Lan would help me? Hanguang-jun has never hidden his disdain for me, and Zewu-jun seems determined to live on darkness and silence forever. The Lans who would graciously ignore the feelings of one can't forgive me for being associated with Jin Guangyao and Guanyin Temple, for not noticing a-Ling's xiao-shushu was a treacherous minx who had beguiled the First Jade and would hurt his precious feelings later. As if I've ever picked up on anything like that before."
"How is Jin-zongzhu?" It was hard to read Nie Huaisang's tone, but that wasn't new.
Jiang Cheng fiddled with Zidian, tugging the chain. "He has his friends, his duties, and his shibo."
"Not his jiujiu?"
"You know how Wei Wuxian is," Jiang Cheng said.
Another pause. "I suppose I do." Nie Huaisang picked up and repositioned ink cakes for a moment before asking, "Does he know?"
"Unless the Jin spies defected, yes."
Nie Huaisang rapped his knuckles with the fan, and Jiang Cheng looked up at him. "He should have heard it from you."
"You don't get to tell me how to die," Jiang Cheng snapped.
Nie Huaisang looked bored. "Oh? Then why are you here?"
"This is why tea is supposed to be drunk first," Jiang Cheng said peevishly. "The entire pot is cold now."
Nie Huaisang draped himself over the couch and fanned himself. "You're a thorough person, Jiang-xiong. You must have an heir to announce tomorrow; likely, one of your usual retinue to these things. Not your head disciple, for as dear as that boy is, he doesn't have the head for politics, and politics and reputation have kept YunmengJiang safe. Chen Helin?" At Jiang Cheng's sharp look, he added, "I pay attention to you, too, Jiang-xiong."
"If you know everything, why ask?"
"No one can know everything," Nie Huaisang said gently. "I very often know nothing and must hope for the best. QingheNie hasn't fallen yet, which suggests even caged birds in pavilions aren't always prey." He looked at the box. "You want me to paint again. Why now?"
"After," Jiang Cheng started. He wasn't used to seeing Nie Huaisang's entire face. He wasn't used to seeing Nie Huaisang in soft, unembroidered robes. He wasn't used to seeing Nie Huaisang's hair down from its braids. "After," he repeated, "I didn't ask about your leg."
Nie Huaisang waited, but then murmured, "It healed."
Jiang Cheng swallowed. "I was selfish. I didn't want to think about it. I didn't want to think about Chifeng-zun's body or what seeing it in pieces would do to you, because I can't—things are better when you don't think about them. But you stopped painting when he died, Nie-xiong, and all I did back then was scold you for not knowing how to triage your sect in its grief. In your grief." Here, the traitor that used to be his body swelled, and the foreign wave of mourning filled him once again. "You should paint," Jiang Cheng said through tears.
"Oh." Nie Huaisang opened his mouth, and then he closed it, simply looking at Jiang Cheng. "Come here," he said, patting the couch.
Obediently, Jiang Cheng moved to sit next to him.
"Good, good. Put your face here, please."
Jiang Cheng hesitated, but was it wrong to seek comfort when invited? He hadn't asked for it. Nie Huaisang probably didn't know how much he needed it, so it wasn't like he pressured him into it. He fell forward and pressed his face into Nie Huaisang's neck. Engulfed by the complex herbal and spice blend preferred in Qinghe incense and Nie Huaisang's sweet, peppery chrysanthemum, he simply breathed.
"You helped me a lot back then, Jiang-xiong." Nie Huaisang was a little cooler than him, since their cultivation levels were so different, but it was refreshing on his heated cheeks. "Maybe you were stringent, but someone fussing at me to take care of my duties was comforting." His hand moved to the back of Jiang Cheng's head. "I'm sorry I didn't go to Lotus Pier and make a complete nuisance of myself when you needed one."
"I didn't expect you to."
"Why?"
"They said I killed your friend."
Nie Huaisang's hand tightened in his hair. "Weren't you my friend?"
Jiang Cheng didn't want to say that he didn't know, so he said nothing.
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@woodsywizard have some aquatic macroinvertebrates for your sideblog! (I need to know its name so I can follow ^_^)
First, some aquatic macroinvertebrates in general & caddisfly propaganda in particular from the Laws Field Guide to the Sierra Nevada:
Look at how many shapes of cases they make! They're so cool!
Have some stonefly naiad shed skins I saw in the Sierra Nevada:
Watch this lil dude I met in the Sierra Nevadas! Dragonfly nymph just cruisin'
Finally, if you haven't seen Hubert Duprat's artistic collaborations with caddisfly larvae, you need to:
youtube
look at these blinged out artistes!
I kinda wanna make a pointless side blog that just identifies aquatic insects for fun but why would I do that (^for fun)… hmm…
#cool bug cool bug#insects#aquatic macroinvertebrates#caddisflies#stoneflies#dragonflies#Sierra Nevada#Hubert Duprat
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my cat is incredibly sweet and wants nothing more than to be within a 5 ft radius of a person at all times, gently chilling in your orbit.
he is also VERY, VERY DUMB
it’s a slow morning so husband and I are reading, not making much noise. meanwhile, Barold goes downstairs to use his box and when he comes out, he starts yowling like his lil heart done broke. husband goes to to the top of the stairs all worried like, “Barold, what’s wrong?”
kitty zips back up the stairs and just oozes onto husband’s feet, purring high-powered lawnmower style. the realization hit us both at the same time…
this. boy. this itty bitty kitty boy.
he couldn’t see or hear us for ten continuous seconds, forgot. we. were. home. and immediately burst into tears !!!!
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All of this and more. It's a guy on the lam having a great time. It's a spark of natural beauty thumbing its nose at human industry, reminding us that its descendants will still be there long after we're gone.
And. Plants like this - mustard, dock, dandelion, bristly oxtongue, the infamous all-devouring kudzu - they're pioneer species, and they occupy a critical ecological niche. They thrive in barren places: disturbed ground, nutrient-poor soil, recent wildfire or volcanic sites. Their muscly roots break up compacted soil. They cling to every shred of organic matter between layers of gravel or ash, create little nets around themselves to collect more of the good stuff, die and decompose into richer soil for the next generation.
They laugh in the face of grazing and extreme temperatures and herbicide. They're perpetually giving Death the finger.
And because of everything that they are, a rich tapestry of other species slowly succeeds them. The next generation thrives because of the tenacity of their predecessors.
someone with a major in literature and/or poetry tell me what's so poetic about this that it captivated me because i have no idea honestly
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What’s your favourite line from good omens?
The invisible and unbreakable one that joins Crowley and Aziraphale.
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#fiber arts#sewing#nature#cool bug cool bug#butterflies and moths#this kid is freakin adorable and very talented
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I just heard my mom tell my brother, “when you die, you will go outside and garden until your father says you’re done” and it took me a second to realize that my brother was playing a videogame and this was not a theological discussion.
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Eliot: I stay close to protect Hardison and Parker. I suppose I’m third wheeling but if that’s what it takes to keep them safe then so be it
Hardison: Eliot is our boyfriend. We take him on dates all the time
Parker: he hasn’t figured it out yet
Hardison: I suggested we tell him
Parker: but this is more fun
Hardison: yeah it is
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WONDER BAR (1934) | dir. Lloyd Bacon
“The other [scene that stands out above the rest] involved a handsome man, asking a dancing couple if he could cut in. The female partner, expecting his attention, agrees, only to see him dance with her male partner. Jolson then flaps his wrist and says, “Boys will be boys. Woo!”. This scene almost caused the Production Code to reject the film, and was featured in the opening scenes of the documentary film The Celluloid Closet (1996).”
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