#Garrett Cave

[targetslovelyworld]

Kye “Sqaishey” Garrett has privated their channel.

Images provided state reasoning, text ID below cut.

❤️a message to you ❤️

hi @ everyone i have been putting off writing this statement as i wanted to know 100% if i was making the right choice & to find the right words (very sorry that i’ve been not communicating properly recently)

after 10 incredible years on youtube, i’ve decided it’s time for me to step back and start something new. this journey has been filled with sooooo much joy, laughter, and connection, and I can’t begin to express how much your support has meant to me over the years.

when i first started, i never imagined how special this community would become… you’ve been with me not just through every video but every huge milestone in my early adulthood. although you didn’t see everything, 17-27 is a transformative time for anyone so it was hard for me to shy away from those changes while having a career online that prioritised honesty. i am deeply grateful for the support in all of these moments, especially the harder times.

i hope you can all respect my decision to hide my channel… at least for now. i’m still processing my feelings & going through personal changes in my life. i’m sorry it’s vague & may even seem sudden but i would appreciate privacy on my reasons “why?”

this decision wasn’t easy, it’s been sneaking up on me for a couple of years now, but i feel ready to explore new paths and new adventures outside of Sqaishey. PLEASE know that everything we’ve built here together will always have a huge place in my heart 💛

i want to say a massive THANK YOU to each and every one of you… your kindness, positivity, and love have made this journey one i will never forget. although i’m moving on, the memories we’ve shared will stay with me forever.

wishing you all so much love and happiness as you continue your own amazing journeys. stay joyful, and keep spreading that wonderful positivity!

keep quacking & keep being kind to yourself & others, Sqaishey Quack 🐥

[soyouwinagain]

phillies feat. overalls

[angry-moon-delusion]

Ay, Make an assumption bout me based off Some of my comfort characters (or something)

( I wanna thank @rhodeybugg for giving me the ida with their own comfort character post) :)

[perlen-gold]

Just in case ...

Just in case anybody out there needs a super angsty m!fenhawke fiction... 

... oh, and just in case you don’t: Start running RIGHT NOW!

Yes, please, make me cry! I forgot to run! Well shit, I ran but wasn’t quick enough!

[attaboyharper]

@̲phillies: We're baaaaack!!!!

[dreadfutures]

The Brave Guide, Ch 84 - Brothers in Arms

Ixchel and Valor present her companions with competing visions of courage: that which was and must be lived with, and that which could be in visions of regret. Ixchel knows how tempting (and troublesome) revising history can be.

In Garrett’s voice, she heared Valor. “I really did kill my brother that day,” it said with dark fury. “I should have just let you die.” “Merrill’s working on a cure,” Carver said. “How many times do I have to tell you, you’re not getting rid of me that easy?” “What will the other Wardens think of that?” Valor retorted. “Isn’t that a coward’s way out?” “Are you accusing me?” Carver demanded. “You haven’t done anything to be accused of. Except running from every responsibility you’ve ever had.” “Me?!” Carver barked. “That’s rich coming from you, go-fuck-off-to-a-cave Garrett Hawke.”

The Brave Guide is a canon-divergent Dragon Age longfic. It continues the story of Dead Pasts and Dread Futures, in which Lavellan was sent back in time against her will after the Dread Wolf’s plans destroyed the world.

The series follows Inquisitor Ixchel Lavellan and her battle to find hope for herself, and hope for Thedas. As the world ends, Ixchel is resurrected under mysterious circumstances and is sent back in time to the Conclave. Ixchel is furious, convinced of her own futility, and yet she cannot give up again. These are the stories of how she gets better.

[Read from the Beginning] | [Current Chapter] | [TLDR] | [Other Fics]

[soursherbat]

hiiiii im garrett (but you can also call me sterling, lamb, or sour!) this is my main blog 💕

🔞my bsky is here- NO MINORS! some tags:

🎨#g.png (art tag) / 🙏 #they of salvation au (mainline COTL au) / ☠ #divine parasite au ('bad end'/evil lamb au)

🌟i have a billion sideblogs but i never use them- as a result this blog is a big melting pot of interests and other posts! if you want only fandom content you may want to look elsewhere

🌟my current hyperfixation is cult of the lamb but i have many other interests! namely pokemon, d&d, fnaf, alien, sanrio, animal crossing, etc etc if i listed all of them this post would take a thousand years to read

🌟feel free to spam me!!!! i mean it. i love getting my notification box full of likes, reblogs, asks, mentions, anything! mutuals can also dm me if they'd like

🌟i don't give out my discord to non-mutuals sorry

🌟i self reblog a LOT!!! i like to bump my art in the timeline so everyone can see it! if you're wondering if ive posted sometimes this pin will be replaced with art im proud of 💗

🌟if you want to make fanart of my ocs or designs i would love to see it!!!!

✖ some boundaries;

do not ask for art requests unless ive made a post asking for them, please! this is just to prevent me from feeling overwhelmed

no asks about pregnancy or anything related please. asking for pairing babies is a different story though!

do not use they/them for me. my pronouns are it/its, friends and mutuals can also use he/him but i GREATLY prefer it/its

minors ignoring my many 18+ warnings are getting hard blocked sorry, it's to keep everyone safe!

my fandom art can be used elsewhere but PLEEEASE credit me with a link back to this blog!

i dont have other social media and i dont plan on making any, tumblr is the only place you'll be able to find me (aside from archive profiles) i caved and now i have a bsky for my nsft stuff-

do not use any feminine terms or pet names for me At All ever please-

putting some of my refs ive made under the cut for ease of access! [only my lambs and my main fursona atm-]

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from the New York Times:

Here is an inconvenient truth. For all the noise made by activists, journalists, politicians and even celebrities about the clothing industry destroying the planet, shoppers aren’t listening.

The information is out there if they want it. Google can produce more than 88 million search results on why fashion is bad for the environment, but the world remains in a state of cognitive dissonance, fueled by its voracious appetite for disposable trends. Global apparel consumption, currently at 62 million tons per year, is by some estimates projected to reach 102 million tons annually by 2030.

One problem, say many industry observers, is that much of the messaging about fashion and sustainability can be too boring, too preachy and too easy to ignore. So is it possible to change the way we talk about it?

This week, the outdoor apparel brand Patagonia released a quirky new film that reflects the company’s efforts to reset the conversation. “The Shitthropocene,” a 45-minute documentary directed by David Garrett Byars, is a trippy mock anthropological view of humanity’s consumption habits from our cave-dwelling ancestors through the trendsetting aristocratic court of Louis XIV, creepy fairgrounds, fishing waders with leaky crotches, mindless digital advertising and pretty much everything in between. It will be shown in Patagonia stores across the United States in coming months.

Here's the link to The Shitthropocene. It's about 45 minutes long. Or if you want to watch it now, here you go:

[hopefulstarfire]

Update on Rook um now all 3 of the Rooks on mine and my husband's game are connected. They're all cousins. We've decided Hawke was actually triplets (Garrett, Marian and we've decided the name Arianna for the third) and each one had their own romance and had sent their kids away in order to protect them. All 3 Hawkes are currently deceased I think is what we've decided on and Varric had to go find them all.

We are going in and planning our world state to our own canon and we've fucked with the timeline just a bit so by Veilguard it's been 21 years since the Deep Roads. Give or take. Because fuck it we ball and also trying to figure out years is confusing to me anyway with how it's done so.

There'd three Rooks - Rook (Bethany), Bishop (Rhendon) and Rider (still debating on a name between Averyl or Valen). Rook is a Dwarf (half-human, looks more like a tall Dwarf that can dream but isn't yknow a mage), Bishop is a human and Rider did actually take on an elvish appearance much to the bafflement of everybody since they typically just look human. They have no idea they're half human.

Rook was with the Lords of Fortune, Bishop the Grey Wardens and Rider ended up with the Crows. Rook had run away when they were a young teen and joined up with them, Bishop was with his uncle Carver in the Wardens and Rider's caretakers got axed or something and the Croes found this tiny toddler flipping them off and decided yknow what you're coming with us kid. Rook is a warrior, Bishop is a mage and Rider is a rogue.

Rook -> Varric/Marian's daughter.

Bishop -> Garrett/Isabela's son.

Rider -> Arianna/Fenris's kid.

The mom's all kinda had to hide their own pregnancies from the world and Marian damn well hid the entire pregnancy from everyone except Aveline and maybe Isabela. Not even her own siblings knew. Varric found out about Bethany on that mission to the fade because Marian knew that it was coming to a point she knew she had to go back for her daughter, despite how crazy everything had been and seeing she was gonna have to stay back finally caved. So Varric went to find his daughter and that's also when Isabela asked him to get Bishop and to find Rider, and he got a tip off either from her or Fenris when they confirmed they found them.

Yet another great story Varric won't tell anyone. Though they will find out.

I'll update with the world state later.

[theivorybilledwoodpecker]

I finally watched Wednesday, and I really love Larissa Weems' charcter.

They kept me guessing with the little crumbs about how she'd had a crush on Gomez, she was obviously still bitter toward Morticia, and she had been the one to point at Gomez as Garrett's murderer. It made me wonder if it would turn out she had framed him or was behind some of the attacks out of jealousy.

But they didn't turn her into a Snape-like character, taking out her grudge against Morticia on Wednesday.

Nor did they do what so many movies do with women; she wasn't driven to become some evil villain out of jealousy.

Instead, while she was clearly a bit resentful of Morticia, she treated Wednesday incredibly fairly. Some of her actions were questionable, but they were done with the best possible motives. And she died giving Wednesday the benefit of the doubt when she really had no reason to.

Think about it. First Wednesday said Wyatt was the Hyde and Dr. Kinbott was Laurel Gates. Then, Wednesday kidnapped and tortured Tyler, who didn't change despite it, and claimed it was actually Tyler who was the Hyde. Then Wednesday said Mrs. Thornhill was Laurel after all? Because Eugene saw someone with red boots at the cave? No one could have blamed Weems for not taking Wednesday's word for it. But Weems was at least willing to hear her out and test Wednesday's theory.

I'm just really sad they killed her character off. It makes sense sort of, but I still would have liked to see her in future seasons.

[bookmaven]

THE NAKED SUN by Isaac Asimov (New York: Doubleday, 1957) Cover art by Ruth Ray. // (London: Michael Joseph, 1958) Dust wrapper by Kenneth Farnwell.

Sequel to THE CAVES OF STEEL. Science fiction mystery.

Astounding Science Fiction, October 1956. Edited by John W. Campbell. Cover by H.R. Van Dongen.

THE NAKED SUN [Part 1 of 3; Elijah (Lije) Baley; Robots] by Isaac Asimov. Illustrated by H.R. Van Dongen. [Part 1 of 3]

“What They’re Up Against” by John Hunton. llustrated by Frank Kelly Freas

“Death March by Algis Budrys. Illustrated by H.R. Van Dongen

“Sound Decision” by Randall Garrett & Robert Silverberg. Illustrated by H.R. Van Dongen

“Ceramic Incident” by Theodore L. Thomas. Illustrated by Frank Kelly Freas

(New York: Bantam, 1958) Cover by Richard Powers. //(London: Corgi, 1960) Cover design by Richard Powers.

[thewarmestplacetohide]

Dread by the Decade: The Vampire Bat

👻 You can support me on Ko-Fi! ❤️

★★

Plot: When people begin dying of blood loss, a town's residents become convinced a vampire is in their midst.

Review: While its attempt to subvert the genre is commendable, this film is brought down by bad comedic relief and muddled storytelling.

Year: 1933 Genre: Sci-Fi Horror Country: United States Language: English Runtime: 1 hour 3 minutes

Director: Frank R. Strayer Writer: Edward T. Lowe, Jr. Cinematographer: Ira H. Morgan Editor: Otis Garrett Composer: Charles Dunworth Cast: Lionel Atwill, Fay Wray, Melvyn Douglas, Dwight Frye, Maude Eburne

------

Story: 2/5 - The shrill, unfunny comedic relief ruins the film's tone and takes up a shocking amount of screen time. As a result, the characters are unexplored and the story doesn't get the attention it needs to make sense.

Performances: 3/5 - Atwill is solid enough, but Frye's portrayal of a disabled man is hard to watch, Eburne is painfully unfunny, and Wray is as generic as ever.

Cinematography: 3.5/5 - Some creative framing.

Editing: 3.5/5 - Interesting use of wipes.

Music: 2.5/5

Effects: 3/5 - Fun lab effects but the "monster" is odd.

Sets: 3.5/5 - The lab and cave are the stand outs.

Costumes, Hair, & Make-Up: 3.5/5

Trigger Warnings:

Ableist depiction of a disabled man

Mild violence

[goalhofer]

Top 10 MLB Triple Leaders: Week 2

10: Garrett Cooper, Chicago Cubs (1) 9: Alexander Williams, Pittsburgh (1) 8: Esteury Ruiz, Oakland (1) 7: Andrew Cave, Colorado (1) 6: Estevan Florial, Cleveland (1) 5: Parker Meadows, Detroit (1) 4: Jordon Adell, Los Angeles Angels (1) 3: Michael Siani, Cincinnati (1) 2: Ceddanne Rafaela, Boston (2) 1: Alex Kirilloff, Minnesota (3)

[diamond-dangeresque]

for what i do love about this game—and i love a lot!!!—there are certain things about the story i wish we had either the opportunity to do or otherwise capitalize on

and i'll throw dat shit under a readmore for spoilers. you know. for a 13 year old game lmao

(also i will be using he/him/his pronouns when referring to Hawke simply because my first playthru was Garrett Hawke and therefore i think of Hawke in those terms)

so from the second we deal with Quentin and find his stash of books and letters during All That Remains, including one signed from his "very good friend “O”" i knew two things:

Orsino is behind this, and

i want to cave his smarmy little skull in for being an accessory to Quentin's atrocities, including MY MOTHER'S MURDER

and while i am aware that this can be kinda-sorta dealt with on a Templar playthrough, what bothers me is that i have no way to Deal With This Information until basically the end of the game, which feels...i dunno, like maybe there should have been a side quest of investigating these documents either solo or with the help of Aveline, Templar!Carver/Circle!Bethany, maybe even Anders or Varric, but it feels really weird that you find a letter that definitively proves Quentin was 100% not alone in what he was doing, and Hawke's response is 🦗🦗🦗

now yes, in the immediate aftermath he's mourning or grieving or drinking himself into a stupor or whatever Hawke (yours, mine, otherwise) does to live with not being able to save his mother in time, but it's still then Very Odd that he never just...follows up on this. like "welp, mom's dead and i killed her killer, who was definitely and apparently working alone. somehow. yep."

i would love a sidequest like that works like this, slowly piecing together who could have been assisting this madman by finding additional clues, locating “O”'s dead drop point, finding out it's the Gallows's First Enchanter being this serial killer's accomplice much to [Anders's horror//Aveline's disgust//Fenris's "well I can't say this wasn't unexpected but what the fuck"//etc etc], and then like

idk

maybe you can have a chat with Meredith abt it, convince her that No The Mage Circle Isn't All Bad, It's Just Orsino, starting an investigation and then gathering the evidence needed to convict him (and maybe optionally getting him in a room and beating the unholy piss out of him, real "Smash A to Break Orsino's Nose" kinda stuff) , and thennnnnn. idk, have him hung from the Gallows!!!! good shit, justice for Leandra and all the other women murdered by Quentin, closure for you and your sibling,

or you can take vigilante justice on him and. "hey Meredith, so Orsino died. yeah, he fell down the stairs. tripped on his robes, broke his neck on the way down. terrible shame. tut, tut. (please ignore the bruises and broken bones.)"

and then we're like "welp. so the Circle needs a new First Enchanter, aaaaaand 1. Orsino had like no protege lined up for this, and 2. no one here wants to be First Enchanter anyways" so you could potentially set up smth like

Hawke can become First Enchanter if he's a Mage

Bethany can become First Enchanter (probably easier to convince her on a high Friendship rating)

One of the mages you spared (and still lives) from Acts 1 and 2 could be trained to become First Enchanter; personally I think Alain's got gumption, but to each their own, yeah?

of course i know the problem with this story is that it kiiiiiiinda pulls away from the whole "Mages vs Templars butting heads and also the Chantry blows up" story point that 2 wants to get to, though tbh I don't think these have to be mutually exclusive?

Meredith can accuse Hawke of conspiring to lead the rebellion himself and doing so by taking Orsino's place, taking advantage of Meredith's "trust" (whether or not that's true is up to you) and thus being both the more dangerous mage of the two and proving—to herself, ofc—the inherently duplicitous nature of mages as a whole

Meredith can accuse Bethany of being a tool for Hawke's conspiracy against her, effectively using nepotism to undermine her authority and maybe even fearing being replaced herself by another of Hawke's buddies (which is absolutely not true, but red lyrium is a hell of a drug, so 🤷); this can even tie back to a choice you can have on Meredith's side where you can execute your sister or not to prove your loyalty (which obv doesn't work, but y'know 🤷)

Meredith can distrust any of your First Enchanter choices due to a wide variety of reasons: lack of experience, lack of talent, your sympathy being used against you for a position they do not deserve, I Just Don't Fucking Like Them, etc etc

it also creates this cool throughline of Quentin's fuckery being a consistent B- or C-story for Dragon Age 2, underneath Mages Vs Templars and The Qunari Are Vibing (Until They Aren't).

like. if Meredith is gonna be The Big Bad Evil Person no matter what route you take, that means you do have some flexibility on the story along the way.

but the story was also cranked out in 18 months under EA's infamous pressure cooker system, so i don't blame any of the writers for Not Thinking Of These Things, i get it, i do

and if you just want to Skip That For Whatever Reason and go through with what's already there then you can also do that. i guess. (you monster.)

the only other major grievance i have with the game is that Blood Magic Hawke isn't as story-polarizing as it could be. yes i know Blood Magic wasn't as big of a deal even in Origins/Awakening as the lore and story make it out to be; as a Grey Warden you at least get the excuse of "whatever it takes to kill the archdemon, ya feel me?", but Hawke has no such excuse and if anything having Blood Magic should both 1. be a major story beat changer, and 2. be non-reversible (mostly due to the first reason; would be kinda weird if you went Blood Mage for the story stuff, then headed over to the Black Emporeum, chugged a weird potion you got from a dusty-ass shopkeep, and went "nah i change my mind")

and yes, i am also aware that Blood Magic wasn't even going to really be a thing (PC) Hawke could have, and it was basically shoved in last-minute with not much to the story to supplement that. but there is still something to be said about a lot of missed story opportunities involving this. there was also apparently a cut storyline about Mage!Hawke dealing with a near possession attempt, and that both could have unlocked Blood Magic permanently and be yet another cool way to integrate the innate Weirdness of mages into your story

........but i digress, because after that it's mostly very minor grievances about Things I Want But Do Not Have that could probably be fixed with mods if i searched hard enough.

also: no post-game cards about my friends or my lover. come onnnnn. it's literally static text on a background. this isn't hard to implement!!!

ok rant over i'm gonna crawl into a hole now and cry about anders

[fantasies-fairytales-n-fics]

Thranduil and Josie Pt. 136- Rival Within

Summary: Legolas and company make their way inside Jareth's lair where the dead awaits them. Legolas tells a tale of horror. Thranduil warns Legolas of something far more sinister than Jareth... A King arises. Charles powers up. Narcisse scolds the curious young warlock. Evidence is collected. Garrett and Jo hash it out. A kiss is witnessed. Legolas, Aragorn and Gimli have a close call with death. A voice leads them to safety. Legolas and Josie connect. A prophetic dream occurs.

*Warnings* poisoning, death, angst, language

Stories Stories Stories Masterlist

After an hour of heeding through the dark forest, Legolas, Aragorn and Gimli arrived at one of the many doors of the dead leading to Jareth's kingdom of caverns inside the Misty Mountains.

They dismounted their horses and slowly walked up to the dark entrance with vigilance. Legolas eyed the markings that surrounded the stone doorway and then read the eerie translation aloud.

"The way is shut. It was made by those who are dead."

"Legolas, Jareth's kingdom is miles long. Did Thranduil reveal his location?" Aragon quietly asked.

"No...but this is the right way. I can feel him."

Just then, a low deathly howl arose from within the blackness and a foul gust of smokey wind rushed at them, startling their horses off into the forest.

"Percy!" Legolas called.

"Let them go. They will stay near and wait." Aragorn claimed. "The dead know we are here and I do not fear death."

Aragorn marched off through the black hole in the mountainside and then Legolas quickly followed as Gimli stood frozen for a moment, staring at the gateway to hell.

"Speak for yourself." Gimli muttered as he then reluctantly went in after them.

Once inside, Aragorn lit a torch and studied the narrow cave like passageways, in which one was filled with mounds of skulls.

"I knew it to be true, but have not witnessed it with my own eyes." Legolas softly spoke as he gazed around with a ghastly expression.

'What is it Legolas?" Gimli inquired from behind him, readily holding his axe.

Legolas then began the tale of Jareth's rise to the goblin King as they crept along.

"Jareth. He executed them all. Armies of men, his two older brothers and father included, King Jasper. The mountain was his and he was ruthless just like Jareth, but Jareth was by far more cruel and wanted this kingdom for himself. He barricaded them all inside and released a deadly poison that filled and burned their lungs. Their cries could be heard from Rivendell, carried in the wind as far as Mirkwood and this mountain soon became their tomb. Jareth then took his unrightful place as King and created the Goblin city. Jasper was an extremely powerful warlock, as were his army, but even they could not fight the air they breathed, for they only had moments of it left."

"They are still here." Legolas continued as his eyes locked on to something in the distance. "Full of vengeance and hate, and they do not want us here."

"Legolas, what do you see?" Gimli whispered.

"I see shapes of men and I hear their wailing voices. The dead are following, and they have been summoned."

"Keep moving. We have a long ways to go...and don't look down." Aragorn commanded...but of course, Gimli halted and looked down after he heard the crunching beneath his feet.

As the fog like smoke on the ground cleared in random spots, he could see that they were walking over the dead.

"Gimli, keep going. We have no choice." Legolas ordered.

"Yes we do. We can leave."

Legolas side eyed the dwarf and trekked on. Gimli huffed and swiftly tailed the Prince, for he would never leave his great elven friend, or even the King of Mirkwood.

Legolas called to his father as they carried on through the path of dismantled skeletons.

"Adar...are you there?"

"Legolas! I am here. Where are you now?"

"We are inside the mountain, on the South end, West side near the high pass. It may be some time before we can get to you. Are you safe? Where are you?"

"I am working my way through the old deserted dungeons which places me further North. Jareth has alerted his goblin guard of my escape and it will not be long before they trace my scent."

"Yes, the mountain is aware of our presence as well which is delaying us. Keep moving quickly. We will locate you."

"Legolas...beware of King Jasper, for you are in the deathly hollows. He will show himself and will not let you pass. He is more deadly now than he ever was for he loathes the living."

"Legolas?" Aragorn curiously asked.

"Father is a mile North in the dungeon tunnels. He also warns of Jasper's deadly wrath of the living. It will not be easy to pass through into the black heart of Goblin Town."

"I could not agree more." Gimli quipped as he stared behind the Prince.

Ghostly hands rose up out of the foggy layer beneath the three warriors and began circling around all of them in a taunting manner. Legolas respectfully tried not to touch them while Aragorn calmly moved about, watching the hands creepily caress his body as Gimli tried blowing them away with an annoyed attitude.

"Over here!" Aragorn shouted as he found a clear exit, which unknowingly led them right up to Jasper's front porch.

"Uhh, I think we took a wrong turn." Gimli announced with a fretful tone as their eyes all wandered around the massive ruins.

"There is no other way at this point." Aragorn explained.

"The way is shut remember? And I don't see a welcome mat beneath those steps. I have a really bad feeling about this." Gimli concluded.

"You and me both." Legolas concurred.

An eerie howl made it's way up the mammoth sized abyss in the ground that most likely led straight to hell. An ominous green fog began to arise from it and then Aragorn sensed a presence. As he whipped around, there, at the foot of the way, stood the apparition of King Jasper....

Charles headed to Claude's room after learning she had given birth, but as he arrived, the halls were occupied with his father's men, coming and going from the room. He then rushed off in worry to see what was happening. Upon his arrival, he was immediately stopped by the guards.

"What is going on?? Where is my sister??"

"She has been moved to another room. This room has been ceased by the orders of Lord Narcisse to be searched."

"Searched?? Searched for what??"

"I am not with authority to relay that information."

"But I am his son!"

"That you may be, but I was given orders of strict confidentiality with no exceptions."

"Well, I am an exception. Isn't that right??" Charles deviously smiled as he magically forced the powerless guard to allow him entry. He had to see what all the fuss was about.

"Yes my Lord Charles. You may enter."

Charles entered the room and began to look around at the disarray left behind from the rummaging. Something caught his eye on the desk. A doll like object made out of hay from the stables which gave off the distinct scent of Arion, Narcisse's now dead horse. The other was a black leather book, bound by simple twine. Charles was just about to open it out of sheer curiosity.

"I'll take that!" Narcisse snapped as he yanked the book from his son's hands. "What are you doing in here? Better yet, how did you get in here?"

Charles tried to speak but all that came out was a bunch of stuttering.

"As I suspected. You used your magic on my men, didn't you?"

"Y..yes but.."

"But nothing. You know of my rules. Your magic is only to be used when necessary and being a stickybeak is of no necessity. What happened to your charm? Did I not teach you well?"

'My apologies Narcisse. I was looking for Claude and I just wanted to see why her room was being searched."

"It is being searched for the same reason your mother's is. The use of black magic is not permitted in my realm and yet it has been displayed on more than one occasion, with the intent to kill." Narcisse explained as he picked up the little hay figure, gazing at it with sad eyes.

"This...this is how you think my mother...killed Arion?"

"I do..and she's done much more with this book you almost stupidly opened. It is bound for a reason. Your mother stole it from Jo's room."

"The why, if I may ask, are these in my sister's room? and why would Jo have a book of black magic here if it is not permitted?"

"The book was Jo's mother's. She was trying to keep it out of the wrong hands. Mind you, that if in the right hands, it can be used for good, just as that other book.."

"What other book?"

"That's not of any importance to you. Now, as far as Claude, she is suspected of assisting your mother with these evil tasks, which explains why she has the objects among her possessions. I feel Catherine had her take them and continue what she could not after she had been imprisoned. Claude's diary was confiscated as well, so only time will tell."

"Narcisse...if Claude was involved...w..what are you going to..do? She..she just had a child..."

"Contrary to what Claude thinks of me, I am not a monster. If she is indeed guilty of these crimes, she will be banished from here when she is well enough."

"And my mother?"

Bash then swiftly interrupted, carrying something of importance.

"Lord Narcisse, this was found in the fireplace in Catherine's room."

He handed Stephane a half burnt similar doll. Narcisse's eyes darkened in fury as he smelled his own scent on it.

"Well, to answer your question Charles, Catherine deserves a far worse punishment than your sister. What that is, has yet to be determined. Bash, has Jo's previous chambers been searched as well for the items I described, specifically....a letter or...letters?"

"It has. Three of the four items were located and placed in your office for safe keeping for the Queen."

"Very well. Carry on with your duties. None of this is to be mentioned to Catherine when you look in on her."

"Narcisse...answer me. You're not going to hurt my mother are you?? I know she has done bad things and we certainly do not see eye to eye but..."

"It is not my intentions to harm the woman that gave me such a wonderful gift. If it were not for you, she would have been disposed of some time ago, but with that said, this investigation has only begun. Her future actions as well depend on her fate. No one, not even her, is immune to my wrath of harming those I love."

Narcisse then left with the spell book and dolls, leaving Charles in a worried state, and headed straight to his office to see what three objects were found...hoping one to be Thranduil's letter.

What he found were the exact three items you described to him. The dreamcatcher, a record and...a letter, but not the letter he was hoping to find. This was one you had written to Thranduil, which meant Thranduil's letter to you was a ticking time bomb waiting to be stepped on and so was Catherine with her knowledge of it. Charles was his only leverage in finding it and keeping her quiet instead of doing what he wanted to do... dispose of her in the black sea.

You sat with Lola, Leean and Haldir in the dining hall eating some lunch since you didn't eat in Narcisse's room that morning. Haldir rarely spoke and when he did, it was to Lola or Leean. He wouldn't even make eye contact with you. You couldn't believe how truly upset he was and worried you may have pushed him too far this time.

It was too much, Haldir ignoring you, so you called out to Garrett in your mind and told him you were coming early and he had better show up.

"Lola..I'm going out for a ride. I need some air and I haven't rode Stygian in awhile. He deserves my attention after he rode all the way back here to alert Narcisse of the trouble on Lestat's mountain."

Haldir stopped mid chew and his eyes raised to you.

"What?" you flatly asked.

He then swallowed and sat back. "You are going out by yourself after Harker was just here?"

"Yes...I am. I'm not going near the dark forest and I will not leave the grounds. I'm sick and freaking tired of living in fear. My powers are back and I am going to take control of my life. I am going to be the warrior Thranduil helped me to be. I'm done playing nice. I found out a long time ago that it's more fun to be the wicked witch than the helpless Queen. You have a problem with that?"

"N...no...I just..."

"Well then, I'll be back...when I get back."

You gave Leean a kiss, took your hair out of it's bun and shook it about, then swirled around and marched out.

Haldir had a bad feeling of where you were going, so he went to find Narcisse. He didn't care how tough you thought you were, Haldir didn't trust Garrett one single bit.

You got to the stables and stroked Stygian's long snout, who in turn bobbed his head and made a soft huff, telling you he was very happy to see you.

"Would you like to go for a ride my friend?"

The stallion swiftly bobbed his head multiple times and scuffed his foot in anticipation.

You saddled up the sleek and lustrous black beauty and climbed up, then off you went, trotting out to the open lands behind the castle. If Harker was still around, you would surely see him coming.

After about twenty minutes, you were near Narcisse's villa, so you stopped there and dismounted, giving the horse a drink of the water you brought.

A breeze of air rushed over you, filled of maple syrup. Your lips pursed in anger and you whirled around, giving Garrett a hefty shove.

"You!!!" you snapped.

'Whoa, hey, what the hell Josephine??? I came like you asked."

"Don't what the hell me Garrett Lee. You know what the hell!"

"This wouldn't have anything to do with...your steamy dream would it?" he grinned.

"Oh you son of a..."

"Hey now! No need for name calling. I cannot help what you dream...and I can't help seeing it either...we share each other's blood remember? Not even your shield can keep me out...And you little one, by the way, invited me into your mind once upon a time. You know the saying, don't ever invite a vampire into your home....well in this case, mind...same thing."

"I'll show you little!"

You rushed at him again and he chuckled, grabbing your wrists and pulling you against him.

"Face it little one...you want me." he smugly said with a curled smirk.

'Aaarrgh!!! Let me go you big jerk or I'll...!" you huffed as you peered up into his dazzling blue eyes from the sunlight.

Garrett flung his fingers out and held them there. "Or you'll what?? Do to me what your eyes are screaming to do? Funny how your words don't match the desire I smell. You are turned the fuck on right now, and frankly, so am I. Little firecracker."

'God damn it Garrett, did you do it???? Don't lie to me. Did you enter my dreams like you did once before and make me do that??"

He folded his arms over his chest stared straight down at you.

"You did it. You pulled me into your dream. I had absolutely nothing to do with it...well I mean I did, after you sucked me in. I mean, it wasn't like I wasn't going to participate."

You began to tremble because you knew he was telling the truth. Tears began to burn your eyes as you looked away from him.

"This is bullshit..." you muttered.

"Why? because you acted out how you really feel? because you TOLD me how you really feel? I didn't make you do or say any of it Josephine. I'm not that monster anymore and you know it. In fact, you're the only one who believes that and I would never do anything to jeopardize the progress I have made with you. Not ever."

"Is that so? because correct me if I'm wrong, but you fucked Raven."

'And you told me you forgave me and yet here you are, throwing it in my face. I regret that with every ounce of my being and you know it. Fuck Josephine, what are you so afraid of???"

"You damn it. I didn't ask for this and I don't want it!! I am not supposed to feel this way. I can't feel this way!"

He walked up to you with a serious expression. "But you do. You felt it in the forest yesterday and you felt it when you tried to save me from Amara...and from Julian..and you felt in when you kissed me in Amara's little game....and you felt it in your dream...and you feel it right fucking now."

Your eyes slowly met his and fixated there as you stood in silence.

He then placed his cool hand on your cheek. "I know you will always love Thranduil. I'm not trying to take that away from you because I know that I never could...and even if I could, I would never do it. You and I have come so far Josephine and god help me, I fell in love with you...and I know that you're scared and you feel guilty, I get it. I really do...I'm fucking scared too. That's why I keep running away from you...because I know I'll never mean anything to you like he did. You're the only person that's ever given a shit about me. Even when I was alive, no one did."

He removed his hand from your face and folded his arms again, lowering his head and looking away.

"Garrett....you are alive. Your heart may not beat, but I still hear it...in your words, in your actions...in the way you look at me....in the way you're hurting right now. I'''I'm so sorry I lashed out at you. I mean, I knew it...I knew in my own heart that you didn't force that dream on me and it scared the hell out of me."

"You didn't seem scared. In fact, you didn't seem scared one single bit." he said with an almost grin and devious eyes.

"You're impossible, you know that! IMPOSSIBLE!" you sarcastically chuckled and threw your hands up, shaking your head. "You know, I used to never be able to get you to talk, about anything, especially your feelings and now you don't shut up about them."

"Do you want me to shut up?"

"I can't believe I'm going to say this but....Yes. I want you to shut the hell up ....and kiss me already."

"I'll shut up any day for that my little one."

He placed his hands on each side of your face and slowly lowered his mouth to yours, stopping just before he touched them.

"I don't want you to say anything. Just let me say something ok?"

"O..ok..."

"I love you Josephine, always." he whispered.

You swear your heart stopped for a moment, and then you just pushed up on your tippy toes and kissed him fully and deeply. Your tongues softly united in each kiss that began again after one ended.

"Jo???"

Haldir's voice questioned in a sour tone from behind you. You gasped as your feet snapped flat on the ground. There sat both the befuddled Marchwarden and Stephane on their horses. Narcisse stared at you while Haldir glowered at Garrett with his bow drawn at him. You never even heard them ride up and surprisingly, neither did Garrett.

"I...I...umm..."

You looked back up at Garrett and mouthed to him as you squeezed his hand..."Go..."

Your hair and dress blew back as he vanished in the air and then you turned to the elf and warlock with a look that could kill.

As King Jasper's ghost stood before Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli, he spoke.

"The dead do not suffer the living to pass."

"You will suffer me." Aragorn affirmed.

Jasper released a sinister laugh as his skeletal face formed through his decayed skin.

Out of the green gas like fog that crawled up from the black abyss in the ground, there arose an army of the dead that circled around the three warriors.

"The way is shut. Now you must die." the late warlock King attested as he walked towards them.

Legolas quickly drew his bow and shot an arrow straight between his eyes, which went clean through his skull as if it were dust.

Jasper continued walking, unphased and unthreatened by their presence as the dead began to close in on them.

Aragorn raised his sword as Jasper charged at him with his. The dead King's transparent sword clashed with Aragorn's, incredulously surprising Jasper.

"That blade was broken!" Jasper contested.

"It has been remade." the ranger confirmed as he held it to the dead man's throat and then shoved him back.

"Fight for us and regain your mountain. What say you?"

Jasper began to wickedly laugh again as he and his legion began to back away, obviously intimidated by the powerful ranger of the North who held the only sword that could destroy him.

"What say you?!!! You have my word. I will release you from your living deaths!!"

The vast army and the nefarious warlock lord all dissolved into thin air and merely moments later, the ground began to atrociously shake. Within seconds, the walls began to crumble and millions of skulls came gushing out almost faster than Aragorn could shout..."RUN!! NOW!!"

The skeletal remains began to consume the three combatants and Legolas was sucked under the raging skull pit.

"Legolas!!" Aragorn shouted as he frantically fought against what felt like falling bricks...and then he found the Elvenprince's hand and pulled him up.

"Hi té!!!" (Over here) a woman's voice shouted. There stood Tauriel in an opening to the outside that would soon be caved in.

Aragorn led the way with Legolas in fast pursuit, making sure that Gimli was pushed out before the falling boulders could crush them.

The trio bolted out the exit, smothered in a cloud of smoke to see Tauriel awaiting them with their horses.

"Tauriel! You should not have come!" Legolas scolded her.

"Yes she should have." Gimli quipped. "Or we would be buried in a pile of rubble, eventually becoming one of the skull family....and she found our horses."

Tauriel grinned at Legolas. "You are welcome."

"I did not thank you. I ordered you not to follow."

"Legolas Greenleaf, you do not order me to do anything. Gimli is right. I showed you the way out or all of you would be trapped inside right now."

"Thank you Tauriel." Gimli smiled, giving her a wink.

"Yes, thank you Tauriel. Legolas is just a bit discombobulated right now." Aragorn said as he gave the Prince a look of disbelief to his attitude.

"I have the phial of starlight. We would have gotten out." Legolas scowled and marched off to his horse.

As he stood there drinking from his canteen, for some reason he heard your voice inside his head calling his name.

"Josie??" he whispered as his eyes darted all around.

You rode back to the castle with Narcisse and Haldir trailing behind you, for you wanted to get away from them both. You couldn't believe Haldir tattled on you and brought Stephane to find you like you were some child.

A strange feeling came over you, something you couldn't place. Yoour intuition maybe? but you felt...afraid....for...Legolas.

"Legolas?" you said in your head with confusion, wondering why you suddenly thought of him. Was he in trouble?

"Josie??" you then heard inside your head.

You were startled so bad that you gasped and fell from your horse, landing with a thud right on your back.

"Jo!!" Haldir shouted and leaped from his horse, rushing to your side.

Narcisse raced to your side as well.

"Jo! Speak to me. Are you alright??"

You laid there in shock for a moment, trying to take in the air that was knocked clean from your lungs, then you found it.

"Legolas???!" you belted out in a heavy breath as you sat up.

Haldir's eyes widened and he began to look all around for his godson.

"Jo...why are you calling to Legolas?? He is not here. Did you hit your head my lady?" Haldir asked in great concern.

"I....I heard him!! In my head...he...he said my name..."

You sprung up to your feet and spun all around, looking for him. "Legolas??? Where are you??"

There was nothing but silence now. "Legolas!!" you called again, and again... all was silent.

"This...makes no sense! I know what I heard!"

"Jo, come on, let's get you back to the castle. Haldir is right, you may have hit your head."

"Do not handle me Narcisse!" you snapped and pushed his hand away from your arm. "I did not hit my head. I heard him!"

You climbed back on your horse and galloped off with the two of them chasing after you.

All the way back to the castle, you kept saying his name in your head, but you never heard him again.

Once inside, you went and got Leean, then headed off with Lola to her room, for you didn't want to talk to anyone for at least a few hours, especially Haldir and Stephane.

You laid on the sofa with her, just staring at the ceiling, wondering what the hell just happened. How was it possible? To hear him in that way? You knew you were not imagining it because you felt him before you fell. This was only ever possible with Thranduil.

"Josie...would you like a cup of hot chamomile tea to relax you?"

You sat up and laid your sleeping bay girl in her crib and then teared up. Chamomile tea made you think of your dad and you needed him so bad right now, but he was god knows where and not in his right mind.

Lola handed you the tea. "Here...drink this. Be careful, it's ho...."

You already sipped it and surely burnt your tongue. In anger, you lashed out.

"Vampires, warlocks and elves, oh my fucking god!"

You then began to sob and curled up on the couch. Lola got a blanket and covered you. "Rest my lady. I will be here when you wake."

Lola sat down beside you and stroked your hair as you cried yourself to sleep.

"Thranduil...." you whimpered before everything went black.

The fucked up random dreams came again. You saw Matthew once more. This time he was holding Leean as a baby, at least you believed it was her. If it wasn't, who was it? Were you seeing the future of his and Leean's child? Could an elf carry a vampire's baby??

He was lightly bouncing her, singing a song...and then he saw you.

"Josephine. There's something you should know. You will walk among us one day. I've seen it...."

The next thing you knew, Garrett walked in and stood beside you, smiling as he took your hand......

@redeemer46

[recents]

i love lying to those templars in act of mercy. “those freaks were using blood magic, i killed them all.” meanwhile my garrett hawke is a blood mage. meanwhile those desperate blood mages escaped out the back of the damn cave. scot fucking free. run motherfucker run