#and possibly the redwood forest

[rattkinng]

Terrified because I'll be in LA alone for the summer, excited because after I get go to the Monterey bay aquarium with my dad!

[foldingfittedsheets]

We’re having a great time on our impromptu honeymoon. We went and hung out on the beach this morning, got lunch, had the afternoon delight, then saw some of the redwoods. It was a wonderful day.

Then while driving back to our Airbnb, still way out into the boonies, we saw a dog.

I’ve seldom seen an animal closer to death. It had severe arthritis in its back legs and tail, looked overgrown and unkempt with bits of leaf matter clinging to its fur, eyes almost completely covered by hair. It was walking on the side of the road.

As we came up behind it I genuinely thought, “I really hope that’s a fucked up tiny bear,” but it was not, it was a dog.

My policy is always: stop and help lost dogs. But this animal… it had no collar, no sign of any kind of human attention, and was clearly nearing the end of its life. It was big enough to be a problem if it didn’t want to be handled, and our car is full of stuff from the road trip.

It seemed possible this animal had been dumped out in the forest to die. My betrothed and I were just stopped, staring at it. We were not in a position to offer help but this animal clearly needed it. There was no cell service to call and report.

We pulled over and watched the dog totter into the underbrush, sniffing and ambling as if for food. Both of us were frozen with indecision, unable to just leave but equally unable to help.

“Should we… we could knock on a door? And see if it belongs to someone?” my betrothed offered.

We heard a bark and saw someone walking their corgi. I immediately hopped out and called, “Excuse me! Do you live around here?”

“Is it about that dog?”

“Yes! Is it local?”

She sighed and said, “That’s my grandmas dog, she just goes wandering sometimes. It’s okay, I’ll make sure she gets home.”

I thanked her and we both breathed a sigh of relief, driving along our way, content to know that the dog was under someone’s care.

“That dog was a cryptid.”

“I thought that dog was a fucked up coyote at first.”

[gravitycavity]

Sunshine (Pomni x Ragatha) Chapter 4: Spellbound

[Click here to read from the beginning on AO3!]

Cover art by @blukiar

“...and I’m sorry.” Pomni wiped at her eyes, dragging her drooping gaze up from Ragatha’s torn, tear-soaked dress. “The other day, when I was yelling at you — and everyone else? I was being a jerk.”

Ragatha laughed. “A little. But you’re not a bad person, Pomni — if you were, you wouldn’t have apologized. That takes maturity.”

Pomni sniffed. And sniveled. And sniffed again. “What does it matter? Everyone still hates me…”

“Nobody hates you. Especially not me.” Ragatha sighed. “You’re going through so much, Pomni — we understand.”

Pomni shook her head with a shaky sigh. “I just…” Her voice warbled. Another tear dropped from her shimmering eyes, “...I just want to go home...”

“Oh, Sweetheart. Come here…” Ragatha pulled Pomni closer. She rubbed circles around the little jester’s shuddering back, patiently comforting her until her tears ran dry again — however long it would take. 

“...I don’t understand. How do you do it?” Pomni’s voice, still shriveled and small, eventually found the strength to speak again. “You’ve been trapped in this horrible place for years now. How do you stay sane? How do you just…accept it?”

Ragatha stirred her head. Had it really been that long? 

“...I try not to dwell on things that are out of my control. To focus on the little things that make life worth living.” she said. “It’s easy to be miserable — cathartic, even — but to focus on the silver lining, even if you have to squint to see it? It’s not easy, but I think it’s worth the trouble. Because it’s always, always, always there.”

Pomni was perfectly still for the longest time, quietly breathing, silently squeezing tear after tear from her weepy eyes. When at last she met Ragatha’s gaze, she opened her mouth to speak — but no words spilled forth. Instead, Pomni simply pressed her cheek against Ragatha’s chest, holding the doll tighter than she ever had before.

And Ragatha smiled. “Yeah…?” 

Pomni nodded. 

Ragatha hummed softly, brushing her finger through Pomni’s hair. “I’m glad I met you, too.”

🎪  

The memory was still fresh. 

Ragatha groaned, stirred from her sleep by the court of wild ravens clicking and cawing in the stony branches above. Just like every other morning, her drowsy eyes remained stubbornly shut, but the persistent tap-tap-tapping of woodpeckers kept her mind from sneaking back into slumber. 

Propped against the pruned, petrified redwood, Ragatha shifted her head and took in a long, soothing breath. The forest air had thickened overnight, for better and for worse; the aroma of dewy wildflowers just barely masked the foul musk of rotting wood. 

She grit her teeth, exhaling through her nose. Ow — Ragatha had forgotten how much it hurt just to breathe. The countless rips and tears carved into her fragile form worked in synergy to maximize her suffering; any slight movement was immediately punished with a cacophonous chorus of pain, pain, and more pain. 

Reluctant to even open her eyes, Ragatha remained perfectly still, spacing out her shallow breaths as far apart as she possibly could. Slowly, the roaring in her chest faded into a rumble, the screaming pain in her legs hushed to whispers, and the boiling discomfort in her right arm cooled to a bubbling simmer. 

Even as the choir’s shrill song faded into silence, however, a single voice continued its grating chant. 

It was odd — Ragatha’s left arm laid just as still as its opposite, yet a bothersome, prickling pain still coiled around the appendage. Even stranger, it was a far different sensation than the rest: instead of a blunt, radiant agony that flared up whenever she tried to move, the pain was…precise. Targeted. And dreadfully persistent. 

Every few seconds, something sharp would harass a certain spot on her arm — poking, prodding, stabbing — until her soft skin finally broke. The point would burrow deep into the fresh puncture, dragging something long, dry, and frayed behind it; it tickled as it passed through.

It was an uncomfortable sensation, to say the least, but Ragatha was hardly phased. After all, she’d been living in a body fashioned from cotton and fabric for years at this point —  she was rather accustomed to the unique body horror of being stitched back together. The procedure was just a fact of life now, no different than the uncomfortable routines she’d followed to maintain her old, human body—

Wait. Did that mean…?

Where was she? Had she and Pomni failed the adventure? Had they been teleported back to the tent? No, no — of course not. There’d be no need for anyone to stitch her back together if that were the case; Caine could simply snap his fingers and repair her in the blink of an eye. 

Not wanting to give herself away, Ragatha sat forward — slightly and slowly. Her good eye was closed, but the periwinkle button that served as its twin would be her secret spyglass. 

She concentrated, and the gloomy woods slowly came into focus — as much focus as her barely-functional button eye could handle, at least. She glanced down at her chest, and for a moment, a profound melancholy overcame her: her dear friend Pomni, who had been snuggled so tightly against her the night before, was nowhere to be found. 

Her eye scrambled to find her — she didn’t have to look very far. 

A blurry blob, roughly the shape of a certain anxious jester, kneeled on the ground beside her. One of the woman’s little hands held Ragatha’s arm in place; the other held some sort of needle. Where had she found a needle!? It trembled, stumbling around the wounded limb with whatever the exact opposite of ‘surgical precision’ was. 

Prick, pull. 

Prick, pull. 

Prick, pull. 

Ragatha ground her teeth together as the needle passed over, under, and through her fabric skin, slowly but surely mending the tear in her arm. It took everything she had to keep up the act, to not flinch and squirm with every pointed bite — but some outside force compelled her to hold in the urge. 

In fact, in some strange, backward way, the pain almost felt pleasant — and Ragatha found herself fighting the slight smirk twitching her cheek. She just couldn’t help it, just like she couldn't help how hard her heart was beating, or the brilliant warmth spreading out from her core. 

Each jab was a reminder. Proof positive that even Pomni  — the anxious, angry shut-in who hated everything and couldn’t care less if everyone around her died in a horrible accident — had a kind heart underneath all of that harsh, prickly angst. 

Ragatha surrendered, letting her smirk blossom into a full smile. She knew it. 

Prick, pull. 

Prick, pull.

Stab—

“Oh, go #!$% yourself!” Ragatha yelped. She sat up in a snap, roughly snatching her stinging arm away. 

Pomni quailed in fright. “O-O-Oh my gosh! Ragatha! I’m so sorry, are you—” 

There was a pause. And then a longer one after that. 

The jester blinked. “What did you just say?”

“Nothing! I—” Ragatha was as white as a ghost. “I didn’t mean that!”

“Did you just say the F-word?” 

Ragatha cringed. The pain of her injuries was nothing compared to this mental torment. “I’m so, so, sorry! That just slipped out! You have to believe me — I would never!”

“Ragatha, it’s okay! Really! Think about who you’re talking to right now.” Pomni giggled. She was smiling now. “Honestly, I didn’t think you had it in you.”

Ragatha struggled to swallow the embarrassment sizzling in the back of her throat. With her mind too scrambled to think anywhere close to straight, her gaze bounced around the darkness, desperately searching for something she could latch onto to change the subject. It took several moments of hemming and hawing before the obvious pivot she was searching for popped into her head.

Her face still hot, Ragatha looked over herself. Just like she had suspected, Pomni had been hard at work mending her wounds — but it was clear that the younger woman didn’t have much experience with sewing. And by ‘not much’, of course, she meant ‘none whatsoever’.

Frayed threads stuck out from hundreds of jagged stitches. Fluffy chunks of cotton bulged out of hastily-sewn seams that were already starting to come apart. Parts of Ragatha’s delicate fabric skin, stretched and compressed at seemingly random points, were far tighter or looser than they were supposed to be, which made movement even more of a struggle than it already was.

Pomni had done a laughably-poor job; nevertheless, her earnest efforts drove an arrow straight through Ragatha’s soft heart. “I…You…” Ragatha could barely get a word out, “How…?”

“Kind of a long story, actually.” Pomni stared at the gound, rubbing the back of her neck. “So, basically…”

Pomni’s flustered explanation was long, rambling, and hard to parse through all the stuttering. Suffice it to say: over the past several hours, she had gathered the pieces of Ragatha’s torn dress, painstakingly de-threaded them, and twisted them up into thin ropes. Her ‘needle’ was actually the feather from her cap — she’d cut off the end, poked a hole through it using one of the redwood’s thorns, then sharpened its pointed tip.

“...and…yeah.” Pomni tugged on her collar. “I woke up early, so I figured I might as well keep myself busy...”

Unconsciously, Ragatha parted her lips. “You did all that?” she said, “For me?”

“I mean, we’re friends now, right?” Pomni shrugged the most awkward shrug in the history of shrugs. “I wanted you to get better.”

Ragatha was enchanted — and the nagging doubt that had strangled her heart since Pomni’s chaotic debut at last loosened its vice grip. That sealed it. Of course she had been right not to trust her first impression. Of course Pomni cared. To the jester, at least, this unremarkable ragdoll was someone worth protecting. Someone she considered a friend. Someone…beautiful.

Recalling the memory did to Ragatha’s heart as sunbeams did to April blossoms. Beautiful — when had she last heard that word? Since when had she felt so wanted? So cherished and valued? Had she ever?

The raggedy doll cast a yearning look toward the jester. “I don’t know what to say. This is…” she hesitated softly, “...Thank you, Pomni.”

“Don’t thank me yet. I still need to finish your arm.” Pomni’s tone was the same she might use to describe the weather. She pointed at the limb still held tightly against Ragatha’s chest. “So, um, if you wouldn’t mind…?”

“...Oh.” Ragatha touched her face. “Oh! Of course — yeah!” she nodded, cautiously surrendering her arm. She wore an anxious smile, and wore it poorly. “Just try to be a bit more delicate this time…?”

“I dunno. Now that I know what happens when I poke you the wrong way, a small part of me wants to know what you’re gonna say next—”

“Try it. I dare you.” 

Pomni chuckled, sinking her makeshift needle into Ragatha’s arm yet again. “Okay, okay. I’ll be careful.” she said. Gently, she pulled the tool through. The doll’s pliable skin tightened, and the deep gash stretching across her arm shrank in turn. 

Ragatha watched Pomni work in silence. The woman, normally a twitching little bundle of nerves, was so…calm. Controlled. Confident, even. It was as if the pitiful, sobbing mess that Ragatha had soothed to sleep the previous night had transformed into an entirely different person overnight. 

Once Pomni had stopped her crying, she and Ragatha had just…talked. And talked. And talked. They vented about the things that annoyed them, chatted about their common interests, and listened to each other’s infodumping about their particular hyperfixations. 

In the midst of it, Ragatha’s troubles had melted away. She and Pomni, holding each other close, were lost in their own little world — but now that Ragatha was back in reality, a nagging worry snuck its way into her mind, and no matter what, it refused to give her peace: 

Exactly what had Pomni been trying to say before her meltdown? 

Why did Ragatha…what? Why did she what? 

The question sat like a boulder in Ragatha’s stomach. She hadn’t done something wrong…had she?

Ragatha looked at Pomni. She shifted her posture, then shifted again. The question, harassing her psyche like a bothersome itch, needed an answer — and yet, Ragatha stayed silent, drowsy eyes admiring the calm smile on Pomni’s face. 

Why would she say anything that might make it disappear?

🎪  🎪  🎪 

Pomni squinted. Her tongue peeked out from between her lips as she carefully — very, very carefully — triple-knotted the thick thread in her hands. With one final tug, the stitches were taut, sealing shut the long gash carved into Ragatha’s arm. “...voilà! Okay, you can open your eyes now!”

Ragatha still leaned against the petrified redwood. Her hand covered her eyes, and, despite her darling companion’s command, didn’t budge an inch. “Again, Pomni, what exactly is the point of this…?”

“What do you mean? This is it — the big reveal!”

“Well, I get that…” Ragatha said, “but I’ve already seen everything. Five minutes ago.”

“But you haven’t seen the whole picture!”

Ragatha breathed in the world’s most angelically-patient breath. “Sweetheart—”

“Ugh, come on! You’re ruining the moment!” Pomni pulled Ragatha’s hand away from her face. Practically bouncing, the jester stepped back, gesturing at Ragatha as if the doll had just been revealed from underneath a sheet. “Ta-da!”

Ragatha shook her head; a relaxed smile brightened her face. She was tickled pink to see that Pomni was finally comfortable enough to show off her goofier side — especially after seeing her at such a low point last night. 

Pomni’s expectant grin didn’t flinch. “So? What do you think?”

Ragatha tilted her head downward. A familiar warmth spread across her face as her eyes retreaded the sloppily-mended tears scattered across her body. Ragatha knew she could have done a much better job herself — but she didn’t care. If it were up to her, she would choose Pomni’s subpar stitching every time. 

She swayed, crossing her hands over her thumping heart. “Gosh, who would’ve guessed you were so talented with a needle and thread, Pomni?” Ragatha batted her hand, “One pales to imagine what this helpless princess would have done without her dashing knight at her side~”

“It’s…It’s not that big a deal.” Pomni swallowed, hands curling around her middle. Her bubbly affect popped just like that. “Really. I-It’s the least I could do…”

“And so modest! Mercy me. Are you just getting into character, or are you always this chivalrous?”

“Um…!” Pomni, wearing an apocalyptic blush, quickly averted her gaze. She awkwardly offered her hand. “S-So, a-anyway, we should probably get going, right…?”

Pomni already looked like a tomato just offering her clammy hand — words could hardly describe the look on her face when, at last, Ragatha grabbed hold.

Sweating, Pomni wrapped her other arm around Ragatha’s back and carefully helped the injured doll to her feet. “You look like you’re in pain.” She frowned, watching Ragatha struggle to stand even with her assistance. “Are you sure you’re ready?”

“I’m a big girl. I think I can handle it.” Ragatha winked. Steadying herself against Pomni, she broke away from the jester’s support. She carefully shifted her weight onto her feet, and— 

An agonized shout, paired with the sickening sound of tearing fabric, echoed beneath the canopy. Ragatha collapsed, clutching her stomach. 

Pomni just barely caught her. 

“Ragatha!” Pomni shrieked. Cotton spilled freely from the reopened wound slashed across the older woman’s chest — now twice as long as it had been before. 

Pain was spelled in bold all across Ragatha’s face, no matter how hard she tried to hide it. “Th-Thanks…” she trembled; a loose tear traveled between the twisted creases that wound across her face. “...for catching me...”

Pomni plummeted to her knees; Ragatha was draped across her lap. “No…no, NO!” she clawed her face, each panicked breath ringing louder than the last. Her pupils quivered in a sea of bloodshot white, beholding the sum of all of her hard work: absolutely nothing.

“Why did I— Why did I think—” Cackling, she bared her teeth — sharp and pointed. “Of course! Why did I think I could do anything right?!”

“Woah, woah!” Ragatha forced herself to speak through the pain. A throaty grunt punctuated her next words, “Calm down — It’s going to be okay!”

“Okay?! How is any of this okay?! What could someone like you ever do to deserve this?!” Pomni seethed. “Is this Caine’s idea of a sick joke? Is that why that psychopath paired us together? So I could lose my mind watching you suffer?” 

“Pomni! Please—”

“What now? Are we just stuck here forever?! Are we both going to die here because of me?!” Pomni’s voice cracked at the realization. “Oh, God. Oh my GOD! Please, please, please—”

“POMNI!” To the tune of another gut-wrenching tear, Ragatha sat up to grab Pomni’s trembling hand. “Listen to me! We’re not out of options, okay?!” Her thumb drew tight, soothing circles on the back of the jester’s palm. “I know you don’t want to hear this, but…why don’t you just go on by yourself? I can just stay behind and—”

“NO!” 

Ragatha dropped Pomni’s hand like hot iron. 

Pomni flinched — the hurt on Ragatha’s face finally snapped her out of her insanity spiral. “I…I didn’t mean to—” she shivered. Her mouth twisted into a hundred different shapes until, at last, she managed to say: “I’m sorry...” 

“Just take a deep breath for me. Please.” Ragatha soothed, reaching for Pomni’s hand again. “It’s going to be okay. I promise.”

Pomni didn’t hesitate, sandwiching Ragatha’s trembling hand between both of hers. She nodded, filling her chest with a trio of long, shaky breaths. Her racing pulse began to lag. 

“I’m not leaving you all alone.” Pomni said after a beat of silence, peering straight into Ragatha’s eyes. “I already…” she hesitated, shaking her head. “What if something happens, and I’m not there to save you?”

Ragatha couldn’t help but perk up at the look on Pomni’s face. The jester looked just like a guard dog, determined to protect her at all costs. “How about we just wait here together, then?” she said, “The others probably finished this adventure hours ago — and adventures don’t go on forever. If we take long enough, Caine will eventually just force us out and say we failed.”

“Eventually isn’t good enough! You need help now!” 

“I’m sorry, Sweetheart. I wish I could tell you otherwise, but I just…” she sighed, “…can’t.”

Pomni furrowed her brow, gently turning over Ragatha’s arm. She inched her face closer to the doll’s roughly-sutured wounds, squinting as if the answer to their predicament were spelled out somewhere in the frayed silk stitches. Her voice broke the silence. “What are you stuffed with, anyway? Cotton?”

Ragatha raised an eyebrow at that. It was Pomni’s turn, apparently, to ask a question totally out of left field. 

“More or less…?” Ragatha’s hand rapped on her chest, “But if you really want to know, I’m pretty sure I’ve got a heart crammed in here, too. Something that beats, at least.” she shrugged. She’d probably never know what the organ really looked like, but she'd always imagined a cartoon heart fashioned from the same patchy felt as the rest of her body. 

“So you really are just a walking, talking doll…?” Pomni let out a huge breath — one she’d apparently been holding in for quite a while. “Oh, perfect! This is perfect!”

Ragatha rubbed her face — how hard had Pomni’s head hit the ground yesterday? “Perfect…?” she spoke slowly, “How do you figure?"

“Well…” Pomni’s forced laugh was painful to listen to. “D-Do you think you’d be light enough to, uh…” she glanced away, stroking her hair. “W-Would it be okay if I…”

Ragatha wondered if her plush body came with a stomach as well; she definitely felt something fluttering around in the place she’d expect one to be. She just couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Was pint-sized Pomni really about to suggest using her frail little arms to —

“Let me carry you!” Pomni exhaled sharply. Her stammer was gone, burned away by the heat of her passionate glare.  “There’s no way I’m gonna let you just sit here and suffer! We’re finishing this stupid adventure and getting you fixed up — today!”

Spellbound. Ragatha was utterly, completely, hopelessly spellbound — but the sly smirk spreading across her face hid her true sentiments well. “Oh, nooo! You’re just too kind…” she closed her good eye and swooned just like a debutante. Her button spied on Pomni’s reaction — watching the new girl get all hot and bothered over her, of all people, was Ragatha’s special form of self-care. “I suppose you could, but, gosh, I wouldn't want to be a burden~”

Wearing a determined look, Pomni stood up, scooping the lightweight doll into her arms. The way Ragatha’s big, bulky limbs spilled beyond the edges of Pomni’s puny frame, even when curled up, was almost comedic — but Pomni was hardly laughing. “Burden. Give me a break. You weigh fifteen pounds soaking wet.”

Ragatha sighed, leaning her head against Pomni’s chest. “My hero…”

“I-I…” Pomni glanced away, “...Don’t make it weird. You’re not even heavy.”

“Oh, but you would still carry me even if I were stuffed with sand, wouldn’t you?”

Pomni looked down with a nervous smile; her glowing cheeks did all the talking for her. Holding her damsel a little more snugly now, she launched down the path, eyeing the distant, window-studded spires peeking through the trees.

“Woah! Pomni! Take it easy!”

🎪  🎪  🎪 

The moon slept soundly in the sky, silvery light outlining the decrepit mansion’s twisted silhouette. A stark shadow stretched to the bottom of the steep hill on which the manor was perched; from all the way up there, one could see for themselves how truly endless the surrounding sea of trees really was. 

“Almost there! C’mon!” Ragatha whooped, arms curled tightly around Pomni’s waist. “You’ve got this, Girlie!”

Girlie did not, in fact, have this. Pomni huffed and puffed, puny legs wobbling for their lives as they crested the hill — and the obnoxiously-long staircase that wound all the way around it.

“What, so now you’re—” Pomni paused to suck down a breath, “— now you’re cheering me on?”

“What do you expect? Nagging you to slow down wasn’t working. If you’re determined to faint from exhaustion, you might as well do it past the finish line.”

“As if. You’re just mad—” Pomni huffed, “— You’re just mad that I was right.”

“Don’t count your chickens just yet, Sweetheart. You’ve still got a few more steps to go.”

Pomni grumbled, pressing on.

A baroque fence, punctuated by gargoyle-topped columns, hugged the perimeter of the dilapidated estate — as if the manor’s remoteness weren’t already enough to keep out the riff-raff. Pomni stumbled through the iron gate, and the very second she was through, an ethereal presence slammed the egress shut with a startling clang. 

“See?” Gasping for air, Pomni slumped over. Ragatha nearly rolled out of her arms and onto the manor’s overgrown lawn. “I…told you…” she gasped again, “...we would finish the adventure…today…” another gasp, “...and I meant it!”

Ragatha huffed. Again and again, she had begged Pomni to slow down, to stop and rest, to take a break, for the love of God. But Pomni, obstinate as usual, had refused to listen every time.

Shame weighed heavily on Ragatha’s soul as she stared up at Pomni’s pale, exhausted face. The poor woman looked absolutely awful — as if she were ready to faint at any second. 

“Ugh! You could have hurt yourself! Then what would we have done?!” Ragatha huffed, “God. Why do you have to be so stubborn?!”

Pomni’s breathing was finally beginning to slow down. “That’s not a serious question is it?.” 

“Wh-What…?” Ragatha blinked. “Of course it is!”

“Come on.” Pomni, stared straight ahead into one of the mansion’s myriad windows; the flickering candle behind the dusty glass reflected in her eyes. “After all you’ve done for me, don’t you think I owe you at least this much?”

Ragatha exhaled.

A swift tide of emotion washed away her anger, leaving behind…something else. She wasn’t quite sure what to make of it, or what it really was — but she knew it was a good feeling. Better than good. Much, much better.

Just like Pomni, Ragatha yearned for freedom. She dreamed of wrapping her arms around Mom and Dad just one more time, even if she could hardly remember their voices anymore. She couldn’t recall the distinctive fur patterns on her pet cat’s paws, yet she still worried herself sick about who was feeding him — if at all. By her third year of captivity, the names and faces of her two-dozen kindergarten students had all melded together, and Ragatha couldn’t help but wonder: had her little bundles of joy forgotten their teacher’s name, too? How old were they now? Ten? Eleven? Even older?

For so very long, Ragatha had believed that the only cure to her heartache was to find a way out, to return to the life she had left behind. Yet, if an exit door were to appear in front of her right this second — as the wind nipped her skin, as her entire being roared with pain, as the knowledge that another leg of this adventure still stood between herself and her soft, warm bed — she would hesitate to walk through. 

She must have been going crazy. The idea of remaining in the circus forever was horrifying, yet if she were to make the choice right this instant, she just might choose to stay here in Pomni’s arms forever.

Ragatha’s heart hammered away in her chest; she just couldn’t stay upset at her knight in shining armor. “You’re right.” she spoke softly on purpose, toying with the cute little pompoms that dangled from her protector’s handsome tunic, “Maybe I’m overreacting…”

Struggling to make out the doll’s words, Pomni leaned in closer. Closer than she’d ever been before. Close enough for Ragatha to catch the mild aroma swimming in Pomni’s auburn hair. It smelled sweet. Complex. A patchwork potpourri with notes of vanilla and dried leaves and crisp morning air.  

“You’re a good person, Pomni.” Ragatha lifted her neck, even though it pained her terribly. She closed her eyes and planted a dainty little peck on Pomni’s dainty little cheek. 

Pomni’s breathing turned shallow. She stared at the woman in her arms, mouth slack, then snapping shut, and finally falling open again. 

Ragatha, feeling herself slowly slipping out of Pomni’s loosening grip, wrapped her arms snugly around the jester’s neck. She moved her face closer, gazing up with a dreamy, expectant look — but the longer Pomni just stared down, unblinking, the more Ragatha’s smile faded. She… didn’t break the poor thing, did she?

Another well-placed smooch would snap her out of it, Ragatha thought, but even she knew that was just a sorry excuse to indulge herself further. “Goodness gracious. You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” she said with a playful chuckle, placing two more kisses near the corner of Pomni’s mouth. “I’m just showing my appreciation, Sunshine. No need to overthink it.”

It happened so fast. 

Knees buckled, Pomni fainted, plummeting backwards onto the manor’s lawn like a felled tree. Ragatha went right down with her, landing roughly on top of her smaller friend — and another handful of amateur stitches burst open.

Ragatha’s everything roared with horrible, splitting pain. She would have screamed, but she was too busy cackling harder than she ever had in her life. 

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HUGE thank you to @spitinsideme and @blukiar, who were kind enough to illustrate a scenes from this chapter! Go check them out!

@spitinsideme: https://www.tumblr.com/spitinsideme/744502650373062656/read-a-really-good-ragapom-fanfiction?source=share

@BlukiaR: https://www.tumblr.com/blukiar/748666035752812544/long-time-no-ragapom-did-this-one-based-on

[auroracalisto]

oh god, i want to feel again

xavier plympton x reader, 3.3k words summary: the reader is the one of the two survivors from their little friend group along with brooke. all alone with a set of friends who are only around her for "status," she finds herself back at camp redwood. a/n: a complete rewrite of this fic from 2021. the fandom may be dead but I adored this fic when I initially wrote it. it deserves 23-year-old aurora's edits. some elements are the same but... it's clear that I have either grown as a writer or something has happened to the original writer within me (perhaps too many bouts of bridgerton and romance-esque things but let's not get into that) tw: death, mentions of dead bodies, suicidal thoughts, implied depression and anxiety, mentions of god and jesus christ but like not positively used (ones in an instance of finding a dead body YAY).

For someone who claimed they were terrified of the very place your old friend group died, you sure as hell didn't seem like it. At least, not on the outside. Brooke would have been trembling on the spot, but not you. No, you felt almost... well, not terrified, but worried.

You should have never let them talk you into coming back to Camp Redwood. How utterly foolish. Things always went wrong in this godforsaken camp, and it was nothing new to you. You knew it. Just the essence of the forest around it sent shivers down your spine.

And yet, here you were. The three you stood near fawned over the scenery. It was beautiful, yes, and it was just as beautiful as it had been when you had last been there. It hadn't changed a bit. But there was something gnawing inside of you. This place made you more nervous than you would like to admit.

Just thinking about it—about everything that had happened. It made you want to cry.

But the trio you had become a fourth wheel for said that they would be quick. They just wanted to take a look around, maybe check out the cabins.

You knew better. Coming back to Camp Redwood would lead to disaster. Coming back to the damned place was a death wish—and your past self, the one from just a few years ago, even, would have hit you for being so stupid to come back.

There was something about the camp that drew you in. As if there was something within your soul that knew it needed to be there. How foolish.

It had only taken an hour for your "friends" to leave your side, but you weren't surprised. They had never been truly good friends. In fact, the closest one to you, Nellie, had said that the other two were only friends with you for publicity. Sheryl and Junie didn't really care about you other than for some popularity points in LA's scene.

Being the only other survivor besides Brooke, you were like a little legend in your town.

It hadn't been Brooke. But it was your word against everything.

God, you missed her. She had been a good friend for the short time you knew her. All of your friends had been, in one way or another.

Chet knew how to get you fired up when it mattered most. Ray was earnest and always lended a helping hand. Montana knew exactly how to dress for any kind of scenario, and all of the little beauty tips she had given you made you feel like she truly cared about you. And Xavier. Oh, God, did you miss Xavier.

There wasn't a day that went by that you didn't think of the blonde jazzercise instructor.

It hurt your heart to know that he was gone. Forever. There was no coming back from what took him so long ago. And for what? For your "friends" to get excited over? For the crime fanatics to fantasize over? It was despicable. Deplorable, even.

On your way up to the camp, despite the urge within you to make them drop you off and you'd just walk home, you heard Sheryl talk about the Night Stalker. How handsome and ridiculously attractive he was. How she would let him have her in whatever way possible.

It made you sick to even think about it. Perhaps you should have made them drop you off and pick you up later. It would have been so much easier that way.

Maybe then you wouldn't have felt so sick to your stomach.

But here you were. It was 1987—three years after the massacre of your friends, and three years after you barely made it out alive. Half-alive, anyway. You were barely living, just going through the motions of what it meant to eat, breathe, and sleep. Even then you hardly did well at it.

You found yourself sitting on the edge of that oh-so-familiar dock, staring out at the lake. The water was dark and murky—not how you remembered. It had been so beautiful before, but perhaps that was how the world worked. As the years grew long and the soil grew spoiled, things changed. It had been quite some time since you last looked out to the water.

What else happened here?

You took in a deep breath, squeezing your eyes shut.

You just wanted to leave. That was the first thing that came to mind. The second was, What the actual fuck was that?

Something brushed against your foot.

Your heart leapt to your throat and you quickly scrambled to your feet, suppressing a scream. You looked down at the water and saw a bloated body. A human body.

"Oh, Jesus Christ," left your chapped lips. The body had obviously been in the water for some time.

You took a couple steps back, your hands gripping at the edge of your shirt as you tried to ground yourself.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck," you breathed out, burying your face in your hands for just a moment.

As you looked up, you saw it—a flash of two blonde heads in the corner of your eye, standing by one of the decaying cabins.

The girls weren't blonde. Nellie was a brunette, Sheryl had unnaturally red hair that she claimed was natural, and Junie's hair was black.

You blinked slowly and almost thought, for just a moment, that perhaps you had truly lost it. Perhaps you were truly crazy and the fumes of the decaying body were getting to you—but then, you saw it.

That outfit.

The blues and whites and that signature coat.

Were you dreaming?

You didn't know. Even so, you found your feet moving before you could even think to stop them. In a matter of seconds, you were running. Through the mud, through the roots that sprung up from the cold ground. You nearly tripped a time or two as the cold air burned your lungs. You ran through the tree limbs that continued to snag your shirt and skin. However, you didn't stop. You didn't care. If that was who you thought it was, it didn't matter if you hurt yourself or scratched up your outfit.

It was okay.

It would be worth it.

You reached the area you had thought you saw him—the girls' cabin. It had to have been. That's where you had hung out during the short time you were at the camp.

The sight of the log building made you sick to your stomach. This whole thing made you sick.

If only you had listened to your gut feeling and passed up on the invite, then you wouldn't be standing here, questioning your sanity.

This was stupid. This was freakish, and your therapist would give you an earful when you returned to your sessions. You knew it.

But then, you heard a voice.

"Y/n?"

You didn't move for a moment, just registering the voice. It wasn't just any voice—it was Xavier's voice.

He's dead. It's not him. You're going insane, you thought, but you spun around anyway. Your eyes were wide.

You saw him standing there, all alone. He gave you an incredulous look before he rushed forward, his arms wrapping tightly around you. One of his hands rested on the back of your head as he buried his face in the crook of your neck, breathing in the scent of you—one he hadn't had for some time.

"What—what is—" you breathed out, your arms quickly wrapping around his body. "What the hell? You're dead," you said, tears forming in your eyes almost immediately. You buried your face in his chest. He's dead. He has to be. But he feels so very real, and it confuses you to no avail. "Xavier, you're supposed to be dead. Why are you here?"

Xavier chuckled softly, his hand gently brushing some of your hair away from your face so he could get a good look at you.

"You're smart, Y/n," he softly said. "Tell me why I'm still here."

"Ghost?" was the only thing you said.

He smiled at you. "God, I never thought I'd see you again. Why are you here?"

"My... my friends—"

You were interrupted, a scream erupting through the trees. Birds flew into the blue sky, spooked by the shrill noise.

You slightly pulled back, hands gripping onto Xavier. You didn't want to let go of him.

"My friends brought me here," you said, looking over your shoulder.

Xavier rose an eyebrow.

"What's going on?" you asked, looking up at him once more. You paid no mind to the scream—a part of you didn't care what happened, as awful as that sounded. The other part of you ached to go and help them, but you couldn't. Xavier was standing in front of you.

He was here. You couldn't let that go.

"What do you mean?" he asked, a playful smile on his lips.

"How are you—how are you here? You're a ghost, sure, but..."

He continued to smile, watching you with an unreadable expression. "Yes."

"That's... that doesn't help me," you huffed, noticing a smear of blood on his cheek. You reached forward, your thumb rubbing it off. You frowned up at him. "How the hell are you still here?"

"I don't know," he finally admitted. "None of us know. We're all here. Well... save for you and Brooke."

You blinked, furrowing your eyebrows. "You... what? You're all still here?"

The question chokes you up, and your tears are instant. "Xavier, I—I never thought I'd see you again. and you're—everyone is still here? Really?"

"You're taking this pretty well," Xavier said, snorting softly. He leaned forward, unable to keep his lips off of your skin. He presses a soft kiss to your lips. He'd missed you dearly, if you'd bother to ask.

"I watched all of you die," you breathed out. "I thought you were all gone. But you—you're not gone. You're still here."

Xavier watched you with his pretty blue eyes. "I really never expected to see you again," he said, giving you another tight hug. "Why did you come with them?"

"Um," you said, frowning a bit. "Closure?" You posed your answer as a question. "A chance to... to come to peace with what happened?"

"You sure as hell aren't getting that," he said, letting out a laugh. His lips found their way to your forehead.

You let your eyes shut. "It's only been three years, X," you said. "I've lived... three hell-filled years without you guys. I miss you so much."

You swallowed thickly, completely pulling away from him. You shakily wiped your tears away. "I... Brooke was sentenced. They are convinced she did it. Said there was plenty of evidence pointing to her, but I—I was there too. I don't understand why I didn't—why they didn't blame me," you rambled.

Xavier pursed his lips and he gently took your hands into his. "It's okay. It's not your fault. You know how the justice system is," he said, snorting softly. "It's not like it's a diamond in the rough. It's tough out there."

Your bottom lip quivered as you looked up at him. "Xavier..."

He smiled softly at you. He pressed a soft kiss to your knuckles.

"I... I missed you. I miss you. I miss you guys so much, Xavier. You have no idea."

"Do you think that's why you came?" he asked, looking down at you. "To... be closer?"

Your eyes widened a bit. You hadn't thought of it like that. But maybe, subconsciously, that's what was happening. Your mind knew that it was a way to be closer to your friends. You never expected that you would literally get closer to them, in every way possible.

"You make a good point," you said, sniffling softly.

Xavier grinned, leaning forward to cup your cheeks. "You look hot for a twenty-six-year-old," he said.

You slapped his hand away, and warmth flooded to your cheeks. "It's been three years, not a fucking decade!"

His smile only grew. "You do, though."

You rubbed your nose with the back of your hand, sniffling softly. "You... Xav, it's only been three years," you repeated. "I never thought I'd see you again. I can't believe you're here. I... it's so hard to live without you. I never imagined I'd have to do it."

His smile vanished, replaced with a frown. He leaned forward and kissed your forehead again. You closed your eyes as his lips lingered.

"I know," he said. "But you can't stay here. There's nothing here that would support someone who's alive. You need to go back home, get back to your life."

A snort escaped you. "I don't have a life," you said. "I work. I go home. I sometimes have therapy which doesn't fucking work. I try to ignore the people who brought me here but they leave so many messages on my answering machine sometimes that I want to actually—"

A voice interrupts you, and it's obvious that the speaker is relieved.

"Oh, thank god. They're not your friends?"

Your eyes widened and you quickly spun around, seeing the blood-covered Montana. You could hardly breathe as you let go of Xavier, rushing over to the woman. You wrapped your arms around Montana as tightly as you possibly could.

"Oh my god," you breathed, tears forming in your eyes once more. You silently cursed yourself for the constant waterworks, but the camp seemed to just... draw it out of you. This entire situation was nuts.

"Uh, definitely not God," Montana laughed, hugging you back. "God, Y/n, why the hell are you here? You look hot."

"Hey, back off!" Xavier scoffed. "I already told her that."

Montana just smiled, pulling back. Your clothes were now bloody, but you didn't even look. You shakily wiped your tears away.

"I just... I can't believe you are actually here. Are you sure I'm not crazy? Am I dreaming? Pinch me," you said, holding your arm out to Montana.

She snorted and pinched you, hard. It left a mark.

Xavier smiled and reached forward, grabbing your bicep. "We're here, Y/n. No dreaming for you."

You lost track of time.

When you finally looked out of the dusty cabin window, the moon was peaked high in the sky.

With a slow blink, you looked over at your friends, not really knowing what to say. You didn't want to leave them, again. You couldn't. Not when you now know that they've been here this whole time while you've been grieving their deaths. Not when Xavier has been here.

You reached forward and took Xavier's hand, dragging him out of his conversation with Chet. Chet didn't seem too mad about it, though, and he just grinned at you before going to talk to Ray.

"Can we talk? Outside?"

Xavier smiled at you and simply nodded. He stood up and pulled you to your feet, leading you outside of the cabin. You stood on the edge of the cabin steps. Xavier leaned against the railing and you slowly sat down on the steps.

"Xavier... I can't... leave. I can't leave you guys. Not again."

"What?"

"I've got nothing out there for me, Xavier. I can't leave—"

"—absolutely not. I know what you want. You're not doing that. No way in hell. You're the only one of us who survived, and you need to keep on living, Y/n."

"I only survived because you guys all died before I escaped," you said, your bottom lip quivering. "Final girl trope my ass. Xavier, I can't function without you guys. I can't—I can't do anything without thinking about all of you."

"You will, eventually," Xavier said, sending you a soft smile. He leaned forward and took your hands in his again. "You're strong. You'll be able to."

"When, X?" you questioned. "When I've reached my eightieth birthday?"

He snickered softly and kissed your cheek. "That's bullshit and you know it. You'll be okay. You need to go home, Y/n. You know that we're here. You can visit any time you want to. Stay alive, for me."

"But I—I'll continue to age," you said. "And you'll stay here, exactly the same."

Xavier grinned. "Well, you continue to age for the fuckers who can't. Get a pretty spouse. Make some pretty babies. Come and see us when you have the time."

He was trying to talk you out of it. He didn't want you dead. Hell, if you had died when everything first happened, it would be different. But you were alive. You had so much to live for. He had protected you until his last breath, and he would do it again if he could. Even if it meant sending you away, no matter how much he would have rather had you there.

"I'll continue to age, X. But I'm not ever gonna marry. And I won't ever have kids. Don't lie to yourself."

"Why not?" Xavier asked, raising an eyebrow as he watched you.

"Because the one person I wanted that with is here. Not aging. Dead. A ghost. For fucks sake, Xavier."

He stopped for just a moment, letting go of your hands. "What?" he asked, tilting his head. "Who?"

"What?" you repeated. "You, Xavier," you said. "I didn't want to come back here because I was afraid I'd find your things. Your jacket. Your—your clothes you left in your duffle bag. I didn't want to come back and see the things that you had. I didn't expect—I didn't expect your whole damn ghost. I don't—I don't want to age. I don't want to go and get married and have pretty babies. I wanted to marry you," you said, choking back a sob. "I wanted to date you more. I wanted to fall in love with you even more than I already loved you. You dying made me realize that I would never have that. That I would never love anyone as much as I loved you, Xavier. As much as I still love you."

Xavier didn't say a word, watching you intently.

"I've mourned you every damn day. I—I've wondered, why in the hell did this happen? Why couldn't I have just died with you? And I nearly did it. Several times, Xavier. I would have done it again. After today. If I came here and saw that you... you still had things here. If I saw something that seemed like you or your blood or that damned oven, I—I would have done it."

Xavier quickly took your hands again. "Stop it. Stop talking like that."

"And see? You can't even say it! I've loved—I've mourned you for so long," you said, letting out a soft sob. "You've stared a tee this whole time and said noth—"

You were cut off by cold lips pressing against yours. But just as soon as you had been interrupted, you started kissing him back. You were still crying, tears threatening to spill down your cheeks—all of your pent-up exhaustion and rage releasing with your tears.

Xavier slightly pulled back and let his head press against yours. "I love you, too, Y/n. More than anything."

You squeezed your eyes shut. Xavier leaned forward and wiped your falling tears away.

"The... the only way you can stay here is if... if you die."

You took in a deep breath, looking up at him. You locked eyes with his, not wanting to look away. "I'll do anything I have to. I just can't leave you. Not again. I won't do it."

Xavier sadly smiled, and the ghost felt his own tears begin to form. "Alright, then," he softly said. "I won't stop you." He pressed a soft kiss to your knuckles. He was getting what he wanted, even it it felt pretty bittersweet. "How do you... how do you wanna go, baby? It's your choice."

You thought for just a moment. You had thought this out many times before. You looked up at him, and your answer fell from your lips.

"I..."

[justsomevoltronstuff]

Hey if your still doing matchups could you possibly do on for me?

I am 5’7/5’8

I like to draw, cook/bake when I can, listen to music, write, the colors blue and yellow, i also like hiking around forests cause forests are cool as hell

My favorite trees are the redwoods you find in Cali and my favorite flowers are forget me nots and sunflowers

I’ve heard from people I’m pretty stubborn at times but that I’m also really smart (though I don’t really believe that cause I’m pretty sure I’m as dumb as a box o rocks)

Again no pressure to do it but I would appreciate it a lot

okay soooooo, this might be a hot take but since it’s my opinion you seek, I think I’d match you with

Keith!

while I am a sucker for a height difference, I’m also around 5’7/5’8 and guys that are just around my height or slightly shorter even are just, dreamy sigh😌 he just seems like the perfect height for cuddles and hugs and easy kisses🤭

so while Keith himself isn’t much of an artist nor does he cook or bake much, I have a headcanon that he’s supportive and smitten when his S/O is into that kind of stuff and he will most definitely be the BEST hiking buddy and would probably find your love of nature so endearing.

the two of you would definitely butt heads, both of you too stubborn not to at times, but I also think that would make you an unbeatable duo when you’re on the same side of something.

all in all I think you would keep each other on your toes while simultaneously keeping one another content and that is so great

(also the jokes Lance would make about how you actually love him and Hunk more obviously bc they’re the paladins of your favorite colors just to see Keith grump)

-Admin Rori💜

[robobirdie]

Clan of the Lost update

It's been a while since I did an update. I never intended for such a long hiatus but this year has not been a good year. At the end of May my grandmother on my mothers side died of sepsis and most of her side of the family are pretty awful people, let's just say they are into drugs and my one half uncle has a criminal record involving drugs and some not good things with kids (explains why my parents never let him come over nor leave I and my sisters alone when he was around during family gatherings) so there was a great deal of work and drama too deal with plus we had to clean her apartment as she had lay for three days after she passed before anyone found her then my father broke his one leg into three pieces in September while Roller Skating and I've been helping him with daily tasks since then cause he can't do a good deal of stuff while using crutches. I never stopped working on my story but things took longer as I was busy.

Anyway I've finally got finished a good portion of the story completed and have posted them here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/34894561/chapters/86888878

There are now three chapters to the prequel story.

In this next section the ninja get a hint of where the Lost Clan came from however things don't go as planned when they go to investigate the site. They stumble upon some strange lands and some dark secrets to the clan. Then upon their return home the Clan unleashes their biggest attack yet to the capital of Ninjago (Skylor makes a major appearance here). Here's some samples from what I have posted so far:

A very interesting dragon they encounter:

Some of the artifacts from the story:

Two of the strange environments they come across:

After the battle in the capital the ninja find themselves hunted by entities that call themselves the riders of doom one of which is the Rider of Pestilence:

Some creatures and flora from the strange place they find themselves in:

Some snippets from the story:

At one spot almost two thirds the way across the lake they came onto a small rocky island in the lake and decided to take a break so Kai could relax before they continued over open water. The isle was not too small as it was big enough to have a decent sized cabin with a couple meters around it on all sides having land before they reached the shore and even then there was a bit of this flooded forest which Zane and Pixal had started referring to as a dock forest around the isle. The cabin looked up kept and still in use however no one was there and it was locked. Looking into the windows they could see no signs of anyone currently living there. They guessed this might be someone’s summer or vacation home and they weren’t currently there. They sat down outside this cabin where the path went rate past it. The isle was dominated by conifer trees mainly what looked to be a species of redwood possibly some form of metasequoia which had the ground of the isle colored reddish from its shed leaves along with some ferns and other flora including a tree looking fungi. The flora on the isle was fairly dense creating a secluded and sheltered site on the isle; they were guessing that was why the cabin had been built there in the first place. Someone had wanted a nice secluded and quite place to get away from it all.

“So what if we don’t find a settlement here?” Jay asked while they sat there picking up small stones and pinecones every now and then to then toss them at a wall of the cabin.

“Well we’ll defiantly have to find Cole something to eat before he tries to eat one of us,” Kai joked irritating Cole who wasn’t amused by the comment and getting hangry. Kai as well was tossing small objects at the building. Zane was not happy about the two throwing stuff at the building steadily getting more annoyed at the two.

“Can you please not do that,” he commented. Not sure what Zane was talking about Kai expressed as he tossed a pinecone at the building, “not do what?”

“That,” Zane stated. Picking up what was agitating Zane Jay quietly told Kai to film before teasing Zane as he tossed a pinecone with, “you mean this?”

“Yes. This structure is someone else’s property and you could end up causing damages to it,” Zane explained. Kai asked while filming, “how could pinecones damage a building?” Zane didn’t seem to realise he was being filmed.

“You could break a window and we have nothing to fix it nor do we know when the owner will return so it could be left open for days or even months leaving access for creatures and weather to get into the structure causing much more damage which could cost the owner a great deal in funds, time and even their health should mold or dangerous animals take inhabitance in the structure,” Zane explained. Jay expressed, “that’s why you aim for an area of the wall without a window on it.” Pixal questioned confused, “why are you committing such an action? There is no logical reason to throw random objects against a wall.”

“It’s just a chill thing to do to alleviate boredom,” Jay commented. After a moment’s pause Zane commented, “can’t you just use your brain for stimulation like visualizing your thoughts or you could use your time to analyze and study the world around you.”

“We’re not nindroids; our brains can’t so nicely visualize things like yours can plus we don’t share your twos curious and analytical minds,” Kai commented. Jay then stated, “because it gives your hands something to do. Haven’t you every just picked things up and tossed them for the fun of it? There’s no harm in it plus you can turn it into a game. You know see how good your aim is and how close you can get to a target.” Zane and Pixal looked at each other for a moment confused before Pix commented, “no.”

“Why don’t you give it a go; just pick up something and give it a toss at something,” Jay proposed. Again Zane and Pixal looked at each other a bit confused before Zane looked around himself for a small object. He picked up a small stone and looked it over.

“Okay now give it a throw at something,” Jay encouraged. To Jays shock but everyone else’s amusement instead of throwing the stone at the building or tree like he expected Zane tossed the stone at him with considerable force. It smacked Jay pretty hard in the chest knocking him back and momentarily taking his breath away.

“I guess I can see some of the attraction to this,” Zane commented as Jay sat back up to angrily proclaim, “you don’t throw it at living things!”

“You did not say that was not an option,” Pixal noted and Cole commented, “to be fair you sometimes deserve to be hit by stones. If words don’t get through to you then stones sure will.” Jay was not amused.

“I haven’t done anything wrong,” Jay commented and Zane noted, “you kept up an action I told you to stop.”

“It’s just a building!” Jay stated and Pixal commented, “yes but it does not belong to you. How would you feel having someone throwing stones at your home?” Jay was silent for a moment before commenting a bit defeated, “I wouldn’t like it.”

“See now will you not throw stones at it. Why don’t you analyze these strange cones instead,” Zane commented tossing a cone from the forest floor at Jay. Jay caught it and looked at it not too amused. Cole quickly commented picking one up that sat by him to ask, “can we eat these?”

“Possibly; they might need to be cooked to render them safe for human consumption but that is not a guarantee so best not to test it out at this time,” Pixal noted while Jay worked on trying to open up the cone. He had to use a pocket knife he had in a pocket of his attire to cut it open. When he got it open he remarked looking at the inside, “this is weird. It’s like someone shoved dried beans into that stuff in a dragon fruit and it smells funny like fishy funny. I don’t want to risk eating this.”

“What do those cones come from?” Kai asked reaching for one of the cones near him which looked to be buried a bit in the leaf litter and Zane noted, “most likely the strange trees forming this dock forest. We’re calling the trees Dock Cypresses.” As Kai picked up the supposed cone he was startled to find this ‘cone’ was some strange hedgehog like mammal with armoured plates on its back that made it look like a pine cone. The creature was not too pleased with being picked up and yelled at him displaying the massive almost tusk like fangs in its more wolfish snout at Kai who quickly tossed the creature away from himself worried of getting bit by it. The creature ploughed about a foot on the ground as it landed before getting up to rush off into the undergrowth Cole commenting as it ran, “do you think we could eat that?”

“Possibly but you would have to find and catch it first,” Zane commented. Cole was not up to trying to find the creature.

“You know maybe we should continue on before Cole gets hungry enough to try and eat one of our arms,” Kai commented. Cole was not happy with them joking about him but they all agreed they should continue on their way...

Snippet 2:

“I don’t care the reason. We need to focus on the now and keep them from taking the capitol. If they take this spot the rest of the continent will descend into turmoil and we could lose everything to these monsters,” the chief declared and Skylor expressed checking her phone, “they haven’t messed with local cell towers have they?”

“The police are on the way just stay there and don’t throw potato salad at the monsters. Just like wild animals don’t feed them they’ll come back for more… No the local cell signals are fine but so many people are calling the systems are overwhelmed and signals poor… Hello Ninjago PD what can I do for you, what do you mean mini Grundles have invaded the museum? No they look a bit like mini Grundles but they’re not…Feardrakes… lock them in the cafeteria with food tossed around if you can till help arrives that should distract them,” a dispatcher commented between answering calls. Skylor wondered, “if I got closer to a tower would I have a better signal?” One of the tacticians stated, “possibly.”

“Where’s the closest one?” Skylor asked and one of the dispatcher stated, “I think one of the skyscrapers nearby has a cell tower atop it.” Skylor went over to the glass doorway and looked up at the top of the nearby buildings. Due to their large height it was hard to see the tops but she was pretty sure one of them did have a cell tower on top. After a few minutes searching one of the tacticians came over to her to show her on his tablet a map with regional cell towers. He pointed to the nearest one. It was only a block away on a mixed commercial residential building. The lower floors had some shops while the upper floors were residential. She was going to make for that building. She headed out the door. She had to help the force members and cops fight back some of the enemy forces that were trying to break into their base in order to get out. To get over the barricade the clan had brought over one of their siege towers to climb over the barricade while one of the mammoths was bashing at the one section of the barricade trying to either smash through it or knock it over. It already had several holes in the barricade. As the forces started to enter the secure area those out there began retreating into the building as those inside began shutting the defence shutters for the lower levels to keep the forces out of the building.

Using the lightening power she had siphoned from the crow monster she struck the siege tower lighting it on fire which as it was butted up to the largely wooden barricade walls the cops had built started parts of that on fire. The erupting fire startled the mammoth who knocked off its rider as it reared up in fright. Knowing she’d have trouble fighting her way a block on her own as the forces and cops were occupied and overwhelmed by clan forces while trying to get people to safety she came up with an idea. To control the mammoth the rider was using chains that were anchored into bracers attached at the base of the tusks which wound up onto its neck. She rushed over getting into a fight with the mammoths rider while the mammoth tried to defend them by attacking her. The rider was a Gnollsvic who wore fur armour like some kind of hunter and could wield a warhammer with one hand. Considering they were heavy built she didn’t find that too surprising; he was fitting the stereotype of pets looking like their owners.

Fighting the rider and his pet was tough but she managed to take out the rider by giving him a shock then slashing at the back of his legs dropping him to his legs before stabbing him through the chest. Even after its rider exploded into a mist that disappeared the mammoth continued to fight her. She dodged its attacks getting to its one hind leg where she proceeded to climb up onto its back where she then crawled to the base of its neck where the chain rested. It went to reach up with its trunk at her but she slashed at its trunk with her sword making it pull its trunk away. She sat herself at the base of its neck and grabbed the chain. It tried reaching her a few more times but each time she struck its trunk away. It then tried to shake her off but she held onto its shaggy fur keeping from getting knocked off.

“Okay you’re clearly not on our side but I’m not going to give up so easily. Just co-operate with me for a couple minutes and then you can go back to trashing the city,” she told the beast which made a low grumbling noise. She was guessing it wasn’t happy but that didn’t matter. One way or the other she was going to get it to co-operate. She pulled on the one side of the chain tugging its head to the side to face where she needed to go. It was not happy but turned in the direction. Now she needed to get it to move. Using the power she had siphoned she gave it a mild shock to the back of the neck. It threw its head back and reared up in protest but Skylor held on keeping from getting thrown off. When it landed again she gave it another shock. This time it moved forward.

“There was that hard,” she proclaimed. As the mammoth moved forward she would pull on one side or the other of its chain to keep it in the right trajectory. The mammoth would move slightly to that side swinging its head in anger in the process. She quickly learned that by doing this she was able to get the mammoth to knock over some opponents mainly large monsters in the process. The opponents were quick to take note that she was controlling the mammoth and a few tried to intervene crawling up onto the mammoth to get her. The Huntsmen and Gnollsvic were easy to knock off but the Gorgayhurra (gorg-ay-yur-a), a strange parrot headed and armed serpentine, wasn’t easy.

It climbed up secretly onto the mammoth and slunk to behind her to launch atop and coil around her just as she reached the building she needed to get into. To her misfortune the ground level already had the disaster shutters put down. She didn’t have time though to work around that as she had to find a way to break free of the Gorgayhurra which was trying to bite her with its powerful beak. She’d managed to get her sword arm up as it wrapped around her so she was able to shove her hand with the sword into the back of its moth hindering its ability to close its beak. She had her other hand on the chains for the mammoth however she could barely move it with the constriction from the Gorgayhurra which was tightening its coils to constrict around her as tight as it could to take her out of the struggle. Unable to break the Gorgayhurra’s hold she gave off a shock from the powers she had siphoned. This stunned the serpentine creature who loosened itself before falling off her and the mammoth which reared up in pain from the shock.

“Sorry about that but if your parrot faced snake friend had held off its attack I wouldn’t have had to do that now just co-operate a little longer and you’re free to go,” she told the mammoth as she urged it with the chains to stand next to the building so she could climb onto a window ledge of the second story. Once on the ledge she knocked on the window while clinging to the frame and slim ledge of the window to see if anyone was inside that could let her in. While everything from the second story up was residential that didn’t necessarily mean anyone was home then and it didn’t seem like anyone was. She’d have to break the window to get in. Before she could make a move though she was sent smashing through the window as the Gorgayhurra launched off the mammoth as it slowly moved off to plough into her from behind.

They smashed through the window landing in some ones apartment. As they landed the Gorgayhurra quickly coiled around her and began squeezing tight. As she had been unprepared for the ambush she was unable to react in time to hinder the serpentines coil. It got tighter with each of her breaths making it harder and harder to breathe. She was struggling to breathe and her vision starting to blur when the creature let out a startled cry and loosened on her. It didn’t let her go but loosened up enough that she was able to breathe and regain her senses. She could see she was in the apartment of a family with three kids, two daughters and a son, who were huddled hiding against the wall in the kitchen of their open floor plan apartment.

The father had smacked the creature in the back of the head with a frying pan when they had realised this creature had someone in its coils. This had distracted it with new targets making it loose interest in her. The father was still using the frying pan to smack the creature whenever it got close to them while the mother was hitting it with a baking sheet. Those weren’t hurting the creature but were irritating it making it let her go more so it could better attack them. Back to her senses and with the creatures grip loosened she manoeuvred her way out of the few coils it still had on her. The creature looked back at her as she got up clearly mad she’d got free. She hit it with a shock momentarily stunning it. While it was stunned she positioned herself between it and the family. The creature clawed and bit at them in attack and she slashed at the creature with each of the attacks to keep it back.

“Where’s the front door?” she asked them and the mother asked, “why?” Skylor explained hitting the Gorgayhurra back from one of its attacks, “I may need you all to make a run for it.”

“Over there,” the mother expressed pointing in the direction of the doorway as one of the kids through a glass jar of what looked to be a jam at the creature. The jar smashed against the Gorgayhurra’s beak breaking open and leaving some jam to drip off its beak while the rest fell to the floor. The Gorgayhurra was unharmed just annoyed so yelled at them showing off its hand claws scaring them all back into the counters Skylor holding her sword at the creature in case it made a sudden move. Before it could attack however it got distracted after licking some of the jam that was dripping on the tip of its beak off. It looked to like it. It licked the jam off its beak then began picking up the pieces of glass from the jar to lick them clean before throwing them away to then lick up the jam that had gotten onto the floor.

“What did you hit it with?” Skylor asked the kid who had thrown the jam who responded with, “peach jam.” Looking around the kitchen she noted an open picnic basket on the counter with some fruits, sandwiches, lidded bowls and containers. While monsters Gorgayhurra’s were very animal like so could be distracted by things they viewed as food.

“We’d been packing to have a picnic before the chaos,” the father stated as she went over to inspect the basket making sure to keep the creature in her field of view. The Gorgayhurra took note of her movement before noticing the basket.

“You want this?” she asked tilting the basket up to give the creature a better look at it. It moved closer to the basket so she picked it up. The Gorgayhurra watched the basket as she slowly moved back to the window they had smashed through. The Gorgayhurra moved away from them to follow the basket. Once at the window she waited a moment for the creature to get closer before tossing the basket out of the window. The Gorgayhurra wasted no time in lunging out of the window to wrap around the basket to land with it on the street below where it proceeded to dig into everything there getting into fights with other monsters looking to come and see what it had and see if they could get some.

“Sorry about the mess and the basket. You should probably sweep up the glass and find something to cover the window for the time being,” she expressed after a moment’s pause after turning to the family. They were scared and a little too stunned to reply. Only the father was able to express still shaken with, “that’s okay better it has that instead of us.” She quickly continued on her mission. She went into the hall where a small group of the apartments inhabitants had gathered to see what was going on in that unit.

She rushed to the elevator managing to catch one from people from another floor that had come to see what was causing the commotion on that floor. She rode the elevator to the highest floor it could go, the twentieth floor; she then found the stairs for access to the rooftop. Unfortunately the roof access door was locked; fortunately though she’d seen in the hall an axe in a fire emergency box hung on the wall. She went and retrieved it breaking it out of the glass front panel and took it to the door. She used the axe the smash at the door handle damaging the lock and making it easy for her to break the door open.

There was some of the Glowback and Corpse Bird creatures roosted up there just watching the chaos below. She hit them with a shock and they clearly were not up for a fight as that was all that it took to get them to fly off and leave her alone there. Once on the rooftop she went over to the cell tower anchored to the center of the roof. She pulled out her phone to get a look. The signal wasn’t at full bars but it was much better than it had been below. She quickly dialed up Kais number. The first time it didn’t go through. She tried again. To her joy it made it through…

Snippet 3:

If this fog wasn’t unsettling enough the song he could hear coming through it had him unsettled. While it was muffled a bit by the fog he could still hear it quite well. He hadn’t been able to figure out where Rosic had sent him before the fog had rolled in but he was pretty sure it was still somewhere in Ninjago City. She had thrown him into an alley way where he’d landed in a dumpster when she had tossed him through the portal. He believed he was by one of the market districts as he’d come across several shops as he searched around the area but apart from that he had not been able to figure it out before the strange fog had rolled in like a wave the enemies disappearing as it swept through the area.

The only good thing this fog did was put out all the fires that had developed in the city. To his misfortune all the buildings in the area had their disaster shutters down leaving him stuck out on the street; in the open and alone. Not good circumstances he felt especially with the unknown of where and what the clan was up to. After the fog had rolled in he had been trying to contact the others before getting distracted by the song. He’d at first mistook the music as a possible commotion from fighting before realising it was music.

He’d followed it thinking someone might need aid but as he got closer to the source not only did he find no one but he’d come to realise it was just a radio he was hearing. He felt it likely was coming from the radio a merchant likely had on as they had worked prior to the attack. Considering how quiet everything had been and the fact the clan had released an EMP in the attack he found it both odd and rather unsettling to be hearing music. While not too loud he could hear fairly clearly the song whose lyrics and heavy rock tone he might have enjoyed if it wasn’t for the surroundings he was in. That just made the tune unsettling. He’d followed the sound of the radio to what appeared to be a market street with various shops quite a few selling foods like produce and baked goods. He was now just blindly navigating through the street sticking close to the buildings on the one side looking for anyone else. So far he’d seen no one; not even this Lost Clan or their beasts.

That was the most unsettling. The enemies had disappeared like ghosts when the fog first rolled in and was at its thickest which had really scared him. The area was dead; no one and no thing not even pigeons were out and about making the area feel like a ghost town. This was worsening his nerves which were already deeply on edge from the fog that now engulfed the city. It was thick and dark making it nearly impossible to see anything more than a couple meters away from himself and he got the unsettling feeling that not only was he not alone there but he was being watched by something in the fog. He was thankful this fog wasn’t like the usual one the Lost Clan used however it was much like that of the Oni though it didn’t seem to give off the physical draining and paralyzing effects of the Oni’s fog. It was still highly unsettling never the less and worsened his feelings of fear and dread.

‘It's hiding in the dark; It's teeth are razor sharp; There's no escape for me, it wants my soul, it wants my heart; No one can hear me scream’ he heard from the song causing him to comment, “great if things weren’t unsettling enough here that just made things creepier.” The radio then began to emit nothing but the sound of static with scatterings of was that just speaking or the song? He was having trouble identifying it as he became too distracted by the quickly overwhelming feeling of something terrible nearby. He couldn’t tell what or why he felt that he just knew he had the overwhelming feeling that he needed to hide from danger. He couldn’t be out in the open. ‘The nightmare's just begun’ was sung through the radio before it went back to static further worsening his feelings. What a time for that to play over the radio. Had that just been a coincidence or was something trying to tell him something? He was too scared to think of it.

The feeling that he needed to get off the street was too overwhelming. He quickly tried to open the doors to several shops but all were locked and barricaded from within. Even the windows to the structures were blocked by metal shutters to protect from attacks. Clearly the shop keeps had barricaded the stores to likely try and shelter during the attack. Maybe they were still in there. He knocked on a few of them before realizing if someone was in there they most likely wouldn’t respond too scared he could be one of these monsters. Where were the monsters? Ever since the fog had rolled in all the forces of the Lost Clan seemed to have disappeared. Or at least it seemed like it.

There was something on the street with him he could hear hard footsteps somewhere in the fog down the road ahead of him. There were a few steps then it stopped. Where those from hooves? Metal boots? Did it sound like something big? He didn’t wish to find out. He thought about using his powers to break through the barricades to get into a shop for safety however resisted. The sound of that could draw the attention of whatever was out there in the fog and he had a strong suspicion he did not want to see what it was. Whatever it was had stopped as if waiting for a sound to direct it towards something. He needed to be quite but he also needed a place to hide. He slowly moved back on the street away from the footsteps continuing to quietly check shop doors hoping one was unlocked.

None but he did find the entrance to an alley way. It wasn’t as secure as an indoor structure but it would get him off the main road. Hopefully that would be enough to protect him. He could hear the footsteps starting up again slowly coming towards him. He moved into the alley sticking close to a wall. He was shaking with fear. The footsteps stopped. They sounded not too far away now. He could start to smell something. It smelled horrible almost like rot; kind of like leftovers that had been sitting at the back of the fridge for several months he thought.

These monsters they fought defiantly weren’t the nicest smelling things but this smelled way worse than those they were frequently encountering. After a moment of silence he began to wonder if he should dare a peak to the street to see who or what could be out there. He looked out into the clouded street pondering over taking a peak so when something touched his shoulder it sent him into a panic. He screamed jumping and activating his lava arms preparing for an attack. He prepped to punch fighting to hold back from pummelling whatever had touched him in case it was just a person. While it wasn’t what he expected he was relieved to see it was just a serpentine from the constricti tribe who clearly hadn’t been expecting his reaction and was cowering from him pleading, “I’m sorry please don’t hurt me!”

“What are you doing here?” he inquired dropping his lava arms starting to calm down. The serpentine explained in a hurried tone clearly scared, “some of us came up here to see what is going on. This strange fog is seeping into our tunnels and there are these monsters and daemons starting to patrol within them.” Cole heard the footsteps again. He told the serpentine to be quiet as he heard the footsteps start up. They both hugged close to the wall listening as the steps got closer and stopped. The rot smell got even worse and was now sickening. Cole felt on the edge of getting sick.

“What is that?” the serpentine inquired equally disgusted. Cole stated, “I don’t know but I’m guessing it is probably real bad… how did you get up here? Do you have an entrance into your tunnels nearby?”

“Yha why?” the serpentine asked and he responded, “I think that will be our best bet of getting out of here. I have a strong feeling we don’t want to know what that is.” The serpentine offered, “we could do that if you’ll come back to our settlement and explain what is going on up here.” Cole agreed to those terms. They decided to head on their way to escape whatever was out there. Before they left however Cole couldn’t help but peak out into the road to just get a glimpse of what was out there. He was curious to know what it was. He slowly looked out and around the building.

He couldn’t see anything through the fog. Just the produce stand from the shop he was sheltering next to. Some of its produce had fallen off the wooden stand that stood out front the shop which had its metal shutters covering its windows and door. The sound of steps started up. Was there movement out there? Yes there was something moving towards them in the fog. It looked to be a rider of some sort on was that a horse? The smell got much worse as this rider slowly moved through the fog. Something drew his attention from the rider. A sickly green mist was creeping beneath the fog. When it made contact with any of the produce within seconds they went from fresh to a state of decay. Rot overtaking them blackening and moulding them in under a minute. The stand holding the produce even began to rot the wood crippling and falling apart as if decades of exposure to the elements and lack of care had overcome it in seconds spilling the steadily rotting produce over the road. Even more shocking the metal of the buildings shutters began to rust and even some of the bricks of the building started to crumble to dust. Cole was in a state of shock; what kind of monster had powers like this? Looking back up into the fog he could see more clearly the figure moving towards him.

A dusted black emaciated looking horse carrying an equally gaunt emaciated person whose skin was greyed was moving towards him. The rider was nearly skeletal in appearance and wore tattered clothes mainly just a pauper’s shirt and pants with crude cloth wraps on their feet. A band of cloth made a gag over his mouth and his glazed eyes still bore an unsettling yellowish glow; a glow his horse’s eyes shared. He was carrying a staff with some kind of t shaped structure on the top which as the rider rode closer Cole realised looked to be a representation of the old style scales used for weight measuring. The rider stopped a couple feet away from him the rider just staring at the ground in front of himself with a blank look.

“What is that?” the serpentine whispered to him and Cole replied, “I don’t know… I don’t think we should let that thing see us though.” The two were then struck with horror when the rider addressed them looking directly towards them, “you will find no feed for thee here. From wheat to meat shall your needs of the day rot and decay within my wake.” The entity had a deep unsettling and un-human voice. It turned towards them taking a few steps.

“Just as you would consume the fruits of the trees the swarm shall consume you,” the rider proclaimed pointing his staff at them. Highly unsettled the serpentine asked, “What does he mean by that… what’s that sound?” There was a buzzing sound slowly getting louder. Cole was a little distracted frozen in fear as his eyes looked into the riders eyes. He got a feeling of doom from this thing.

His attention was suddenly broken by a locust coming to land on his arm and bite him. He quickly smacked it looking away from the rider and coming to note a swarm of locusts emerge from the fog. They began to feed on the rotting food and wood in front of the store and began landing on Cole and the serpentine tearing at their clothing and biting them trying to tear chunks of flesh from them. These were no ordinary locusts. They were bigger almost the size of mice and even when hit or swatted didn’t squish instead just getting stunned before continuing the attack. Cole and the serpentine took a moment to try and swat the insects off them before deciding it best to flee for safety as they were being overwhelmed.

“Flee as you might but my swarm shall follow and strip all that is edible till nothing is left,” the rider expressed following them their horse trotting and showing a disturbing amount of energy for something that looked near dead from starvation.

“What is that thing?” the serpentine asked as they fled constantly swatting and fighting the locusts which followed them down the alley. The rider boasted trotting close behind them, “I am the Limos; rider of famine and decay one of the four great riders; the riders of doom who upon the foreboding and powers of apocalypse has been bestowed.” The two managed to reach the next block but the rider and his locusts was quick on their heels.

“Quick down here,” the serpentine proclaimed lifting the sewer grate and quickly heading down. Cole quickly followed pulling the grate back over managing to close it just as the rider reached them proclaiming as he did, “attempt to hide you may but we will find you and the swarm will feast upon you like they do upon the wheat.” They could hear the hooves of the rider upon the grate and the buzzing of the insects above as they lowered into the sewers.

“Well I think we’ll be stuck down here for a while. Might as well talk to your leaders; you’re going to have to help me out though as it’s a little too dark for me to see here,” Cole expressed as they took a moment to relax and assess themselves. They were both missing patches of attire and had bites and scratches from the locusts all over them. The serpentine took his hand and began leading him through the dark...

For the rest of the story you can visit here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/34894561/chapters/86888878

For more of the artwork you can visit here: https://www.deviantart.com/robo-birdie/gallery/72478681/story-project

[felassan]

EA's DA:TV launch Press Release

"Rise Up and Become the Leader in Dragon Age™: The Veilguard, Now Available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC October 31st New Single-Player RPG Invites Players on a Bold, Heroic Adventure Through the Fantasy World of Thedas"

---

"REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA) and BioWare announced today that Dragon Age: The Veilguard is now available for PlayStation®5 (also enhanced for PS5 Pro), Xbox Series X|S and PC via Steam (Steam Deck Verified), EA app and Epic Games Store. This bold, heroic adventure is built to deliver on what the series is best known for: rich storytelling, fantasy worldbuilding, companions & fellowship, and a world where you matter. The next installment in BioWare’s beloved franchise has captivated critics worldwide, with outlets such as IGN and GamesRadar+ proclaiming it “deserves its place in the RPG pantheon” and is “A true return to RPG form for BioWare” in their 9/10 and 4.5/5 reviews. In Dragon Age: The Veilguard , Solas, the Dread Wolf, wants to tear down the Veil that separates Thedas from the world of demons, restoring his people’s immortality and glory – even at the cost of countless lives. But his ritual goes awry, and his worst fears are realized, as two of his most ancient and powerful adversaries are released. Players will step into the role of Rook, a fully-customizable protagonist who must rise up and unite their companions to stop these two powerful deities on a journey that will span across Thedas’ bustling cities, lush tropics, boreal forests, fettered swamps and deepest depths. “On behalf of everyone at BioWare, I want to thank you for joining us on our latest adventure,” said Gary McKay, Vice President/General Manager, BioWare; Executive Producer, Dragon Age: The Veilguard . “After years of careful planning, countless hours of expert work, and innumerable design decisions, Dragon Age: The Veilguard is ready. We are so proud of this achievement and excited to see its impact on our worldwide community of fans, without whom none of this would be possible. We hope you have just as much fun in your own Rook adventure as we did creating it.” Dragon Age: The Veilguard offers 21:9 ultrawide aspect ratio support, uncapped PC frame rates and a suite of Ray Tracing features. Additionally, you’ll be able to accelerate performance with DLSS 3, make gameplay even more responsive with Reflex, and enhance image quality and immersion with ray-traced reflections and ambient occlusion. Dragon Age: The Veilguard will also be available to play in “Ultimate” quality via NVIDIA GeForce NOW, and specifically enhanced for PlayStation 5 Pro. Additionally, this will be the first EA title to offer HDR10+ GAMING functionality that delivers outstanding high dynamic range performance automatically when enabled on PCs with compatible NVIDIA graphic cards and HDR10+ GAMING certified displays. The title builds upon the pillars the iconic series is best known for, delivering a bold and heroic adventure guided by rich storytelling, fluid and strategic combat, companions and fellowship, and choices that matter. Key experiential elements include:"

"- Fellowship: Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s brand new companions come alive with some of the most compelling individual storylines in Dragon Age history. Expansive and dynamic stories navigate love, loss and complex choices that will affect your relationships and the fate of each member of the Veilguard. New companions like the Veil Jumper Bellara, the necromancer Emmrich, and the private detective Neve, come from iconic factions in Dragon Age lore, possessing individual skill trees and specialized gear for advanced team progression. You’ll see familiar faces, too, such as the archer Lace Harding who returns to the series as a full time companion. - Choice and Consequences: Dragon Age: The Veilguard builds on the series’ deep role-playing roots, providing extraordinary storytelling and worldbuilding, deep personalities for each companion, meaningful choices and impactful cinematic moments. The bonds you create and the relationships you forge will be affected by your choices made throughout your journey. - A Crafted Experience: As a character-driven RPG, Dragon Age: The Veilguard delivers a crafted experience that pays homage to BioWare’s history of storytelling. The Lighthouse provides a central place where you can rest, learn more about the world through conversations, while the Crossroads allows you to traverse to separate explorable regions of the world with your companions. You’ll experience more of Thedas than ever before as your story unfolds across meticulously crafted biomes and beautiful regions including Rivain, Weisshaupt, Arlathan, Minrathous, the Deep Roads and more, each inviting you to delve deeper into the narrative and uncover the mysteries of the land. - Fluid, Customizable Combat: Immersive combat blends fluid moment-to-moment controls with tactical decision-making. Players can fully customize their experience to fit their playstyle with diverse skill trees among three different classes - Warrior, Mage and Rogue - each with unique abilities and specializations. Choose two companions to join you on your quests and unleash powerful team combos that can change the tide of any battle. Make strategic choices and direct your allies to fight, heal or stay out of the fray with the newly-added ability wheel. - Be the Leader You Want To Be: Dragon Age: The Veilguard features a robust character creation system that allows you to be the leader you want to be with a vast range of customization. BioWare has created the most comprehensive character creator in Dragon Age yet to make this story truly your own."

"Two-time Academy Award® winner Hans Zimmer and GRAMMY® Award winner Lorne Balfe co-composed the Official Soundtrack (OST) for Dragon Age: The Veilguard , which officially releases on November 1st via Lakeshore Records. The album’s first single, Dragon Age: The Veilguard Main Theme, can be downloaded and streamed now on all major music services such as Spotify, iTunes and Deezer. Players can purchase the Standard Edition of Dragon Age: The Veilguard for the suggested retail price of $69.99 USD on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, or $59.99 USD on PC. Meanwhile, the Deluxe Edition is available for the suggested retail price of $89.99 USD on console or $79.99 USD on PC and will include the following cosmetics: three Rook armor sets, six Rook weapons, seven companion armor sets and seven companion weapons. EA Play Pro members on the EA app will enjoy unlimited access to the EA Play Pro Edition starting October 31st † . The BioWare Gear Store is outfitted with a variety of merchandise, including Rook’s Coffer. Available for the suggested retail price of $150 USD * , Rook’s Coffer features a variety of unique physical keepsakes including a light-up Lyrium Dagger, Rook’s deck of cards featuring in-game art, and more (game not included). For additional information and to stay up to date on Dragon Age: The Veilguard , visit the official website, like Dragon Age on Facebook, follow the franchise on Discord, TikTok, Tumblr, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter), and subscribe to its YouTube channel."

[source]

[lilghostiequinni]

Would You Choose Masterlist

Main Masterlist Avatar ML Jake Sully ML Neytiri ML Tsu'tey ML

Pairing: Avatar driver!female oc x Tsu'tey x Jake Sully x Neytiri

Warnings: violence, death, guns & weapons, mentions of death, polyamory, more to come...

Description: She always wanted to go to Pandora, she wanted to learn the ways of the native people first hand, she wanted to know how they healed. Her mom went to Pandora seven years ago, making her promise to come when the time was right, after she came back from her first ten year deployment. She took over the projects her mother worked and started her own. She took care of her mother's legacy on Earth. Trying to protect what little Earth had of its forests, that were once large and covered the planet and trying to restore the once breathable oxygen. The Amazon and Everglades being like her mom's other children, with the Redwoods following like the children's friend. But, she had watch as the things her mother loved and would be proud of we're cut down, burned, and died only have the Amazon left that's where she moved, throwing herself into her work. She focused on healing and medical studies, because while loving the forests and helping a dying planet, she realized that's all it is, a dying planet. A year later she was shipped off to Pandora with no real explanation. But there was no warm welcome, her family wasn't waiting for her, she was all alone with the mystery of herself to figure out.

It was over a year after the fall of Hell's Gate. Everything was peaceful, no more humans to come destroy the wonderous planet of Pandora. That is until a new star in the sky appeared for all of Pandora to see, what would this mean for the newly peaceful planet? Had the demons come back to Pandora? What more could they possibly want?

Part I: Wasn't Supposed To

Part II:

Part III:

Part IV:

Part V:

[futurebird]

The Worst Ant Video on the Internet

I did it. I found the worst ant video on youTube. I'm not going to link to it because it's *so* bad that I can't rule out the very real possibility that someone made it this bad just to bait people into watching it. But, let me give you a little taste of the horror.  The calamity starts with the title:

"Most Dangerous Ant Spices"

Yes. "Spices."

Dangerous ant spices? Are we talking tarragon and cumin? Are these spices dangerous to ants? Or is this a warning about the dangers of ant cooking?

The spelling error is bad enough, but also the whole concept of such a list is a little... gauche? Why is there this idea that the only thing that makes insects interesting is thinking about how much they could kill you?

But-- even this I could excuse. After all there are a few ants with dangerous stings. But, what do you think is on the list? Do you want to know? Too bad I'm telling you anyways:  

10. Harvester ant (This ant has a sting as bad as a bee. So, not a terrible entry for the bottom of this list...But the photo they used)

That is NOT a harvester ant. That is a weaver ant, genus Oecophylla. Weaver ants are tropical and use silk to make their nests in trees. Harvester ants are from the families Pogonomyrmecini and Stenammini, these are desert-dwelling ants who collect seeds and live underground. They don't even look alike at all. They do both have a sting, that's about as bad as a bee sting.

Maybe the next ant on the list will be better...? (of course not)

9. Redwood ant (What did wood ants do to deserve this??)

I don't even know what ant they meant by this. They showed an image of Formica rufa, the wood ant, and rufa do have a reddish color ... so maybe they are also called "redwood ants" But, why are these ants on a list of "Dangerous Ants" ?? They are a protected species that lives in the pine forests of Europe! They don't sting and can't even effectively bite a person. Their colonies are huge. They build mound nests of pine needles a meter in height and live in groups of 100s of thousands. They are gentle custodians of the forest enriching the soil and keeping the arthropod populations under-control. Beneficial ants that are so well loved they are protected from poaching since without them the forests would not thrive as well.

8. Odorous house ant (lol what?)

A few years back there was a recurring argument online about if ants have a smell. People who grew up in areas with the odorous house ant know that some ants, when crushed smell like coconut... or rotten face cream. The smell isn't exactly overwhelming and it's only around when the ants are crushed or injured. But it's very distinctive nothing is exactly like it. Most ants have no real smell. So people argued about this online.

But other than the smell there isn't much to say about these little ants. They are tiny, can't sting, can't bite. They can be house pests. So they are dangerous to your poptarts. Might smell a little odd for a few moments if you step on one. If this is "Dangerous" I don't even know.

7. Leafcutter ant

These ants are remarkable but they can't sting, they do have a powerful bite so I guess that's a little "dangerous" ... the majors could draw blood biting you. And they can defoliate a tree overnight ... so that's kinda ... "dangerous" ... at least they used the correct image.

6. Argentine ant

(is this a list of ants... most dangerous to other ants?)

Another ant that can't sting or bite. Linepithema humile is an invasive species and a huge threat to ant diversity in some parts of the world. This makes it even more unfortunate that the video, like many "resources" online used the incorrect photo for this ant. If you search for this ant with the common name "Argentine Ant" you will probably find a photo of another species incorrectly identified as an Argentine ant-- and, since it's invasive, incorrectly identifying one of your local beneficial species of ant as Argentine could lead to killing off the wrong ants. So. I edited this photo as it's not just misinformation... it is destructive misinformation.

Neither the ant in the photo, nor Linepithema humile are in any way "dangerous" except for the danger posed to native ants.

5. Carpenter ant (YES every single one!)

They did at least use a photo of one of the thousands of carpenter ants (Genus Camponotus) for this one. But that doesn't make up for labeling a harmless Campontus as an invasive in the last list item.

None of the Carpenter ants can sting or be dangerous. Some have a significant bite, but not as bad as the leafcutter ants lower on this list.

4. African ant (You aren't even trying anymore.)

I've decided making up something called an "African ant" putting it on a list of "dangerous ants" then using a photo of a trapjaw ant (Odontomachus speceis) that isn't even from Africa is probably racist ... somehow.

I think they meant to show the most famous ants from Africa, the driver ants. (Genus Dorylus) This is a genus of army ant that roves through the forests in columns of thousands. Their majors look vaguely like trap jaw ants. And they are a little "dangerous" ... though they are also well-loved since they will clean your home and land of pests.

3. Red fire ant (Guess what the photo showed. GUESS.)

Oh. NOW they show a harvester ant. I think that people don't think that real fire ants look as formidable as their reputation. So they use photos of the larger more beefy looking harvester ant instead. The common name "fire ant" refers to Solenopsis invicta, and invasive species with the ability to sting.

The sting of one fire ant isn't much... but they sting in great numbers and can be a problem. But this photo is a harvester ant, which is a much larger ant and beneficial. Harvester ants also sting. This may be why these ants are so often confused.

They had correct images for the last two items in their list. And both of these ants have significant stings and bites. That said neither is hunting humans for food or planning to take over your school board and ban books or anything.

2. Bulldog ant 1. Bullet ant

List is hot mess.

[differenteagletragedy]

I need more adult mc x Cliff in my life, like what about after learning about the fruit bouquet mc decides to surprise Cliff with one and just doing other lovey dovey stuff to fluster Cliff. This man needs and deserves more love!

I am here always for Cliff and his very own MC!

-- You are gonna hear about the fruit bouquet, because you are gonna hear about everything.

-- If you don't actively think being a good parent is an attractive quality in a partner then what are you even doing with Cliff

-- You are seriously going to have to woo the pants off this man. Put in the effort, it's going to be a lot in the beginning, but once you get to it you are going to have a magical magical man to love and cherish forever.

-- Just take one of his sweet silly stories about Cove, like the fruit bouquet, and give him a surprise! Bring him one at work and watch him melt into a puddle. Blushing, trying to play it cool but actually visibly falling in love.

-- Take him back to the redwood forest, he loved it there. Make sure a bird doesn't steal his lunch, and if it does, then share yours.

-- We always talk about Cove and the beach, you know he got that from his dad. Cliff is going to want to hit up the beach with you so much, because that's one of his happy places and he wants to share that with you. Do you know how to surf? If not, let him teach you! If so, surf together! If you're not interested, just splash around with him a little bit, he'll be so happy with whatever.

-- He loooooves cooking for you, so let him do this whenever possible. He can make a lunch for you to take to the beach!

-- Sunset walks on the beach, he is an angel.

-- Oh oh oh, you tell him you want to take him out for dinner, he shows up looking so fancy like at the anniversary party! And yeah, he's overdressed, but he's just used to wearing his little shark shirts or whatever, he wants to look so nice for you. Protect this man at all costs.

-- One day you're talking on the phone, you tell him something about how you miss him, he's smiling his head off but tells you that he can't see you tonight. You tell him you know, it's Cove's birthday, and just the fact that you remembered is unbelievably touching.

-- It's so funny because he used to be a bad boy, like a legitimate bad boy, not a Baxter bad boy, but he's actually the softest man in the universe. He used to hustle with cards and now he's trying not to cry when you ask him how his son is doing.

-- He's a guy that keeps to himself mostly. I feel like he doesn't want to presume he's important in anyone's life, like he doesn't want to impose. And he's actually pretty fine with this, with being alone, because he's got Cove and that's all he needs. But when he meets you and you make it clear that you are interested, and you stick around through the long adjustment period because you like him that much? It's just so nice to have that kind of attention again.

-- He does have that whole thing where he just wants so desperately to do good that he ends up doing something bad. By the time you start dating him, this has blown up in his face enough that he's learned to fight that urge, but this means that he's very very cautious. Give him encouragement. I promise he's going to blossom, but it's going to take him a little bit.

-- I haven't thought about it or anything, but WHAT IF Cliff's MC is also a single parent who also moved to the area for a fresh start? Their kid/kids are a bit younger than Cove, but Cliff definitely doesn't have a problem developing a relationship for a parent. So Stepdad Cliff. That's it, that's what we were getting at. Stepdad Cliff, Stepbrother Cove, it's this whole thing and it's really sweet.

[blufox234isadumbname]

Wilbur doesn't know why he knows the steps. It feels like a dance you remember only in a hazy state. Walking beside a small kid, careful not to trip into her stride feels right. He feels like something overtakes him to speak in a gentler voice of reassurance. To sing her a song goodnight is instinct, not just as a musician but as something else. It feels so strange all of a sudden that he of all people is so careful with a child he's never met until that day. When he heard he was possibly a dad, he simply dismissed it like minor news. Akin to hearing you have a spider in your home or it's raining in 4 days, he'll get to it but it's nothing really.

But now he cares so much, he'd wreak havoc if anything happened to Tallulah. It feels like deja vu, like looking through a mirror to another world. A world where he has a special place surrounded by redwood trees and by the riverside. That other guy he's looking at, he's building everything up just for his own kid, with the same face of care and concerns as his own. He's singing some lullabies as him, matching the cadences and lyrics even if hushed and mumbled. He's teaching how to shoot a bow and arrow to his kid just like him, explaining the steps the same as him. He's leaving the kid soon just like the other, but at least he's trusting someone else to take care in his stead.

There's another kid, he realises. And that kid looks sad, in spite of the beautiful scenery. That kid is looking at walls, just like Tallulah. He's not living in much comfort or glamour, just like Tallulah. He's learning how to fend for himself with a bow and arrow, Tallulah will be like that soon. He's seen the dance, the rhythm of a deadbeat. And now its up to him to change the paces.

Will doesn't know why he pauses in faint recollection when a memory doesn't exist. It's merely a dream from a bygone night, but what's a memory but not a dream you've seen before. Yet when remembers walking through the forest and a flash of red fur snickering, he doesn't understand why a pang of burrowing feelings hits him.

And that feeling turns to drive, a desire to be at least the best dad he can be for now. For Tallulah and for that lonely kid he doesn't remember.

[lostwords-found]

So ep 224 of wtnv got me thinking about--well, lots of things, but one of the them was something I hadn't considered until now, which was parallels between University of What It Is and Cecil. Specifically, between how the UoWII is treating Night Vale, and how Cecil is treating his own past, or his own nature, or--himself, on some level.

At first glimpse they look like opposites. The UoWII wants to "explain everything" about this weird town. Cecil isn't interested in explanations for any of the shit that haunts him; he just wants it to Go Away. Cover the mirror, trash the cassette, forget you were ever in the redwood forest, get Rid Of That Mural We Do Not Like It, and great! Everything's fine here. He's gotten a lot of mileage out of "everything's fine here."

But this forcible shutting out of knowledge he doesn't want seems increasingly to be failing him, and more and more we're hearing him turn desperately towards rationalization, however weak. "Oh, that must have been the director's cut of Cat Ballou." "Honestly I don't really believe in tarot, and I don't think this guy's all there, anyway." "This video won't stop--it must be something I'm doing, I'm so bad at technology." When he's pushed to look past that, as we saw in the latest episode, he slams back into outright denial: Nope, he doesn't want to, he's not going to, he refuses. Cecil's all about spinning a narrative--(narrative is everything, right?)--and when the world starts contradicting the narrative he's spun about his own life, then it's the world that's wrong and needs to change.

And isn't this basically what the University of What It Is is trying to do to Night Vale? They say they want to explain it all, but what they're actually doing is trying to force Night Vale into a form that fits their narrative about how the world works. They're not interested in understanding--or even seeing--the weirdness of Night Vale as it actually is to the people who live there; they just want that weirdness to Go Away and stop messing up their nice neat narrative. The entire town calls them murderers for it? Then the entire town's delusional and needs to change. Certainly the UoWII isn't going to take a second look at any of their own conclusions, that would be ridiculous.

So I have to wonder: Is it coincidence that just when Cecil seems to be losing his control over the narrative of his own existence, the UoWII has swooped in to try to gain control over the narrative of Night Vale's existence? And will it be possible for Night Vale to stop the UoWII from denying and rationalizing away the pieces of the town it doesn't want to know, as long as Cecil carries on trying to do the same thing to himself?

[transgenderer]

how do you like the chaparral? how do you like the wonderful, peaceful dry heat? you mentioned the vegetation. you've seen the california poppy but have you seen any

manzanita?

california live oak (probably not too many within LA but whatever)?

prickly pear cactus (nopales)?

desert agave?

milkweed?

how do you like our ecosystem? if you go to the beach look for also

the famed and adorable snowy plover

the sea otter

the red urchin

the kelp! norcal has its old growth redwoods and those are nice but in socal we have (well, had) vast forests of giant kelp, Macrocystis pyrifera, the most mighty and glorious of all brown algae. the kelp forests are disappearing but they are still present and if you go to just about any beach (well, any beach that's not actively cleaned, which most touristy beaches are) there will be a lot of kelp washed up on it. it will be full of flies and smells like rotting kelp (no joke this is the smell of my childhood and supremely nostalgic to me) but you can pick up a piece of it and pop the bladders. the bladders are fun to pop.

also if you are in LA you should eat mexican food. it will reveal the bullshit mexican food they have on the east coast for the bullshit it is.

I have had lots of Mexican food :) it seems pretty similar to the east coast Mexican food. I mean. We have real Mexicans on the east coast.

I've seen the live oak and possibly the manzanita. Definitely some chaparall type plants. Agave and such. I haven't been to the beach tho I'm not really in the city proper. More of a greater LA situation. I may trek to the beach on my one free day but getting around is so slow and expensive. And I'm not really a beach person. Sand

[shamanfox]

In sacrosanct meadows on lush green hillside

courtyards of

evergreen and lily white snow, sits

The Jester

holding cards

She waits there with a sheepish grin. Her wild eyes staring from lunacy beyond the grave of his long dead burned out mind.

Nothing

was there

rattling through his skull like a rats cage

set on fire

fleeing rodents wrapped up in disguise of "Ideas"

That thunk himself brilliant and yet

SAID he was humble which meant borrowing his neighbors coat to drape over mud holes waiting for the first fool to partake of the plastic.

The slipknot goat-head wheel turner

could have been but a single shot

transfixed into a photograph hung center in

The Museum Of Cretin.

Oh …shake the haze from the glare. There are no cards to read here, realize now as they are

just four blank mirrors void of a decent worthy expression.

Only an echo from years previous this short track roller coaster is out to lunch.

Permanently imitating chatty Kathy in a make-believe world.

….

Whilst the Thief laughed, merriment began to rise and bloom in iridescent array that "smoke screened eyelids"*

from ever knowing the secret

of unlocking beauty’s door…

When the moon made an appearance from the dusk of a cloud

barren soldiers were fighting in the cosmic dust

of infinite spiral layers

of possibilities. Love was

at the door step

opening gates

so inviting. This is the part of the story

Wise fear to tread…

Lets "talk" about love shall we?

Here, take my hand I will guide you now through the hallways of truth.

Love is always an open door speaking songs of forlorn angels and battle scars of internal injustice. It screams out as though it was not a biological drug life induced

that heart of being…

not just this falsely believing.

I myself am Wrapped up in nothing

short of insanity, sleepless, penny brained, every word:

"Yes" as in "Yes my Love Yes!"

mind babbling beggar... using only first dimensional communication.

A day spent in concrete stoic

Are now failing words

spilled in marbles

at loves door.

No now now baby,

you will never shake

this off.

No not the

real deal.

Your going to change

rid anything left insulting your

soul

your gonna wash your face

and look square

in the eyes. Your gonna smile now

"goddamit"

Smile.

Show me baby what loves all about.

Did you think it was a white picket?

Now.

holy un-roll all the fears your momma and your poppa force fed.

Stop gagging on the stew passed around this old cross for generations

You really think you know what loves all about?

Is it about jealousy

for the testosterone forgiven

from lily white to crimson dilate

clothes from every other sister

as she passed by.

Do you love em honey when every drool felt like nails into the coffin of self esteem.

Love feel safe like the choking flavor of chapstick

and gum

strangle-holding

dignity on a silver plated fork three-prongs that I swear looks just like a bird.

A fuck you

flip

this

switch bird.

a book now …

Like chapter one "first verse same as the first"

where slave driver poet lords bang minds door with words hung across arms

whilst fur is trading in dark caves of fog

Where old gathers together hand and hand to die.

or Bleed

sometimes you take a break to let it bleed.

Love is ruthless a two edged sword

for polarities balances a spinning pirouette effortlessly.

Love has a few freckles

sunspots on oceans of sea green, evergreen in redwood forests

where it flourishes a dream within this dream.

A voice always a little above or below the wave

where a dance-floor joyously

announces

heart & soul

though the train finally came home to stay…

Love walks with

or a step ahead for it is always there

freely

When you finally come home stay

love walked with you all the way

[thedevillionaire]

So I haven't re-read everything but I was thinking about Cerberus and Lilith vs Cerberus and Kia. And I think Cerberus and Lilith were equal and opposite, constantly tussling and competing for dominance and power in their relationship. She's the ice to his fire, she brings out his power through conflict and it's stressful and tense but passionate and thrilling.

Now Kia and Cerberus are like fire and a redwood forest. The forest is fire’s natural home, feeding and renewing in a cycle that benefits both. She helps him grow in true strength rather than just power. They are still passionate, but Kia sates him in body and soul and Lilith leaves him hungry for something more.

Lilith is the cunning paramor of Cerberus the Conqueror and Kia is the steady partner of Cerberus the King.

Firstly, I am sending a novelty oversize amount of extra-warm fuzzies your way for not only thinking in depth about my OCs in the first place, but for then taking the time to write out and send your thoughts about them to me. 🥹💗💗🥹 A total honour.

Secondly, I love the forest/fire analogy. I may have fixated on it...kind of a lot. And now to the main point! Which I will put under the cut because blah blah blah, talky talky, all that. 😅

You're not far off the mark with Cerberus and Lilith, although one of the main reasons their coupleship lasted as long as it did (slightly over a decade, which is notably longer than most of my various Underworldian pairings tend to last) is that they were both very independent, and Lilith already established as a powerful entity in her own right. But oh, yeah, there were certainly a LOT of ups and downs. Also, back in the early days, Cerberus was somewhere between completely disinterested in and actively against the idea of love or a significant other for most of his life - it was a distraction, a pointlessness, an unnecessary responsibility he had no desire towards - and he just flat-out wasn't interested in anyone. Not long-term, anyway, not as anything...important. He's never been short of hopeful suitors - to put it mildly - but his usual reaction to that sort of thing mostly tended to be somewhere between boredom or irritation about it. Presuming he even noticed, lol. Lilith's independence and (very strong, some would say perhaps a little too strong, heh) self-esteem, her own achievements and intellect, plus the fact she's absolutely stunning, broke this antipathy in him, and in more than a few ways they were a great match. BUT. He was always more detached than she was, and Lilith loves to be openly admired, whereas Cerberus...well, it was never much of a priority for him. In lots of areas they both took a lot for granted, though differently, and you're dead on the money in terms of the balance of power, and where it fell...or appeared to. They exasperated each other regularly. Be that as it may, though, by any measure Lilith was the first person Cerberus ever loved. To the best of his ability at the time, that is. Kia was a revelation for him. He fell for her in a way he did not think was possible. Hell, I didn't think it was possible. You think you know someone, and, uh, well...🤣🤣 Nope. Apparently not. Turns out I can be, in fact, AMAZINGLY way off the mark about my own damn people. Cerberus and Kia's ongoing fascination with one another, both of them genuinely thinking the other is the Best Thing Ever (including the negatives; they're not perfect but they are perfect together), is something truly lasting and complementary, and regenerative - that forest/fire comparison indeed. Exactly. ❤️‍🔥

[solradguy]

12 and 36 for the question thing?

36. Favorite food(s)?

12 Where is somewhere you'd like to visit?

Basic weeaboo answer but I'd love to go to Japan or possibly China and visit some of their national parks some day. Japan would probably be easier because I could stumble my way through the language if I needed to, but China has some really beautiful nature too. The redwood forest out west in the USA would also be pretty cool to go visit.

36. Free pass!! - Favorite food(s)?

I LOVE SUPER SPICY GOAT ROGAN JOSH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! One of the local burrito places has a sweet potato and chicken burrito that I really like too. They used to have a habanero salsa that went well with it, but they discontinued it 😔