the symbol before writing

when you grow food crops, you appreciate the time, effort, and planning that precedes every vegetable you eat, and are rewarded with spending time in nature, connecting to your food, trying what you may not normally pick up in a store, and discovering how tasty food is before it must be picked early to be shipped great distances

when you write, you appreciate the sheer breadth of knowledge that must act as scaffolding to understand character and the movement of a storyline, and are rewarded with connecting to your inner self and humanity as a whole

my cats had the best time while I was packaging it. this is just ONE section I hung up to dry, like five or six (fully mature) stalks

bonus kitty pic:

Cassian - words of affirmation; this is why Nesta is able to cut him down so easily, because she uses words as a weapon. he needs reassurance that what he's doing is right and speaks to Feyre especially in a way that provides support and demonstrates loyalty. its also why Nesta doesn't respect his words because he doesn't back it up with action

Nesta - acts of service; its why she did "nothing" during the cabin years, as her father did nothing and she retaliated in kind; its why she's able to do what she does to spare others (such as scrying instead of elain, searching for the trove) and why she refuses to act when no one has shown her love or care (sitting on the rock in windhaven)

Feyre - gift-giving; its why Solstice/her birthday is so important to her and why she was so easily able to switch over from "rhysand/the High Lords have insane wealth and what are they even doing with it while I nearly starved to death" to wearing a crown and jewelry without a thought. Feyre interprets acts of service as gift giving, which is why she viewed hunting for her family as a gift to them rather than being in service to them. Its why she goes along with Rhysand's plan to steal the book of Breathings after it becomes apparent that tarquin won't gift it, because in her mind he has committed a serious faux pas against her/the court/the war effort

Rhysand - physical touch - see you would think this is Cassian but no! its why Rhysand is all up in everybody's business all the time while deliberating holding himself (physically) at a distance; its why sex is what he used to convince amarantha that he was on her side; its why he gives off the aura of a slick smooth polished refined and cruel high lord but is far more relaxed with his family, whom he trusts and loves. physical affection can mean more than active touch--you're also looking at someone with a deep sense of sensuality and tactility, and rhysand has been shown to favor the luxurious and homey in all things. Its why he allows his mate to touch him so easily after being abused/manipulated (doing it in turn) for so long, why he's soothed by it, and why he made it so she wasn't touched by anyone Under the Mountain but him

Azriel - quality time - you would think acts of service but alas! Azriel spends so much time away doing work for the court that his free time is so precious to him. its why he's so reluctant to spend time with the people who care for him but he does anyway, forces himself to really, because its a way to test their commitment to him - if they love him they will pressure him to spend time with them, they will seek him out, they'll make sure he comes to dinners and events; he needs to feel wanted and does that by making others chase after him. even though he tends to be passive at the actual events, doing his best to slip into the wallpaper, he is still acutely present, aware, and watchful. its why his push and pull with mor is so painful to him but he can't seem to stop, as he sees how she is with everyone else and wants to be a part of that too, but he makes her uncomfortable so she pushes him away; its a form of self-harm that keeps him in a comfortable, familiar position, the most similar to his family dynamic with his mother growing up (for a child doesn't have the capacity to understand that mommy wants to see him very badly but because of circumstances beyond her control isn't able to make the time to see him more than one hour a week)