#pathside

[richs-pics]

Paths-side fungi

[robthepensioner]

Weeds, or wildflowers, alongside the path next to the River Wyre at Thornton, Lancashire.

[antonymziie]

double-sided — bill cipher & reader

prologue :: d is for demon denial - 1765 words

(still debating on continuing this, if enough people want it i'll start writing the full fic on ao3)

You didn’t think summer break would lead you to where you currently were standing, most of your friends were sipping mixed drinks on white sand beaches or, at the very least, spending time with their family. After the semester you just had, you couldn’t bear to look your parents in the face for a while; but hell, D is for diploma. 

Now, with the little money you had saved up from working, you decided to spend your summer road-tripping through the woods, which is how you ended up here: following a tour group through a smelly house full of bad taxidermy. 

Your group was led by the tour guide; who introduced himself as “Soos”? and also happens to be the owner and “illegitimate son of the founder” so he says. In the dimly lit room, you observe many...curious things inside; which include random body parts of varying grotesqueness, a photo of a horse riding another horse, and plenty more poorly done taxidermies.

The group stopped in front of a wall that contained nothing but a large chest. 

“Now- this may just look like some old chest or something,” Soos said, matter-a-factly, “but I’m pretty sure it’s cursed; like if you stick a sandwich in it, the sandwich will turn evil and try to eat you. “

Perplexed by his reasoning behind why he thinks this chest is cursed, you snapped a picture because it did look pretty cool and the group moved on. The next stop in the show-room was a corner, that was it, just a corner

“Take a close look at this corner...don’t see anything? That’s because this is the invisible dude, dudes! He isn’t wearing any clothes right now…kinda weird actually.”

The majority of the tour group murmured in amusement and snapped pictures of the empty corner, you almost couldn’t believe that people were believing this stuff. Soos continued, showing the group a few more things in the showroom before exiting to the outside where a golf cart was parked.

“Since we have a small enough group, I thought I’d take you dudes to see some of our outdoor attractions!” He outstretched an arm, inviting our group to hop aboard. 

Your group of about four piled into the golf cart and rode off to the first stop, a gaping hole in the ground. You looked inside and it seemed to have no visible bottom.

“This is the bottomless pit, which is bottomless,” Soos looked down into the pit, “I actually fell in there once.”

You could see a small child inch closer to the edge of the pit, and a worried mother snatching them up before they got too close. Soos directed everyone back to the golf cart and drove out of the Shack’s lot onto a dirt path. The golf cart jerked and jumped as it hit tree roots and divots on the forest floor, and the trees became surprisingly denser only a little way into the journey. 

Little glowing spots started to appear along the pathside and scattered among the trees, you couldn’t quite tell what was glowing but the blue-green radiance was soothing. 

The cart eventually stopped in a clearing, you could now observe the hundreds of bioluminescent mushrooms clinging to the massive redwoods looming above you like a blanket from the outside world.

“Not many tour groups get to see this,” Soos said, “Sometimes nature is Gravity Falls’ most alluring attraction.” You were awestruck by the sheer magnificence of the forest, you knew this place was strange, but this was just...magical.

“But this is as far as we’ll go into the forest, dudes. Wouldn’t want to run up on,” He hesitated, the first time his friendly demeanor waned from his face, “Never mind! Let’s head back!”

What was farther in the forest? Curiosity got the best of you, and while the group was distracted trying to get the golf cart to start, you disappeared behind the tree line. You could find your way back after you looked around a little longer. 

The pine needles and greenery crunched underfoot, and the farther you went, the denser the forest became. Sounds of undetermined origin make you briefly question your choices…

A few rustles in the trees were common forest sounds. If something sinister was actually lurking about, it would have eaten you by now, you thought to yourself as you continued through the trees. The dense wood eventually opened up and light filtered through the treetops, bathing the forest floor in golden sunlight. A few more paces and the trees had given way to a clearing, a calm, quaint, almost enchanting clearing in the forest. 

That's when you saw it. At first, you thought it was a mossy boulder, but upon closer inspection, it seemed to have arms (and possibly legs that were buried in the dirt). What was something like this doing in the middle of nowhere? You moved away a piece of moss and were a bit frightened when an eye peaked from underneath. 

The statue wasn't anything you had ever seen before. A triangular body with one eye, dressed up in a little tophat and bowtie, and one outstretched arm like it was ready to shake your hand. It was a peculiar sight, really, but it made you curious why it was out here. What does it mean? And, more importantly, should I shake its hand?

What the hell did you have to lose? This was, by far, the coolest thing you had seen all day, and after snapping a few pictures, you shook its hand for the fun of it. 

Without warning, you were overcome with a wave of nausea that brought you to your knees. It was so unexpected and shocking that you didn’t even think to call for help, and within the same minute it appeared, it was gone. You rubbed your eyes and gathered yourself.

You looked at the statue, unchanged, still outreaching for a hand and scoff, “Fucking freaky triangle.” You decided it was best to turn back now, while you were still in one piece.

You were actually hoping the tour group forgot about you, but to your misfortune, the group was waiting for you, very impatiently. Soos rushed over to you, giving you a thorough look over 

“What happened, dude!?” He asked, “I thought I told you not to…”

He seemed pretty upset, and now you felt bad.

“I'm just glad you're okay. You didn't run into anything weird or anything, right?” You shook your head, he sighed a breath of what seemed like relief, and with nothing else said, Soos gestures for everyone to get into the cart. The ride back was one in silence.

He didn’t even say anything after shutting off the golf cart when you all arrived at the Shack, he just gave a tired look to you before disappearing inside the gift shop. 

There was obviously something he wasn’t letting in about the woods, and you had a bad feeling that the statue you had found there had something to do with that. It wasn’t any of your business, though, so you let it go. In a few days, you’d leave and forget this place entirely. 

For tonight, you parked your car in an overnight RV lot at the edge of town and you nodded off after you realized your phone would never get enough cell service to check any media, social or not.

You jerked upwards in your seat when you heard a tap on your window. A quick glancs confirmed no one was outside of your car, you reached for your phone to check the time, only to realize it wasn’t where you had left it. 

“Oh, were you looking for this?” You whipped around in the direction of the voice to see…the triangle. 

“Let me tell ya, you had a death grip on this thing,” the triangle snorted, their voice echoing in the car, “I just had to know what kind of humiliating stuff you got in here.”

You had to be dreaming, there was no way you weren’t dreaming right now. You scramble over the seat to swipe your phone from the dreamworld intruder. 

They pull the phone out of reach and snap a few flash photos of your desperate attempts to grab your phone from their grasp.

“HA! You wouldn’t believe how stupid you look in these,” The triangle vanished from view and appeared in the passenger seat beside you. They sat the phone down on the dash and gave you a playful smile, well, look…

“What’s your deal?” You snatched your phone up before they could grab it again, “Why are you here?”

“To be your new best friend, kid! You’re bold and I like that in a human. You got the potential to do something great with your life.”

The very statement “do something great with your life” made your eyes roll so far back in your sockets that you were sure you saw your brain.

“Ok, you’re not into schmoozing, I can accept that, doesn't mean I can’t make your life the most fun it’s ever been. The name’s Bill!” He extended a hand out to you, offering a handshake.

You glare at him, “Nothing good came from doing that last time.”

His eye narrows and he pulls his hand away, “Tch, fine then, your loss. I thought we had something special.”

“Yeah. Something special, alright. Could you maybe…leave and never come back? I’ve had enough weirdness for today.”

“I wish it was that simple,” Bill stroked under his eye where his metaphorical chin would be, “but I’m one of those things that’s real easy to get, hard to get rid of… like a fun case of head lice!”

“What?”

“That’s how it goes, you shake my hand and I’m your new brain pal until your corporeal meat-suit gives up, only one way to free me from your neurons and it ain’t easy.”

“So I’m stuck with you…forever?”

“If by forever you mean the pathetic amount of time you’ll spend on this mortal coil wallowing about trivial matters pertaining to your sad flesh…then yeah!”

It’s just a dream. Is it just a dream?

“If you really don’t want to hang out with me,” Bill glanced away from you with a big, sad eye, “I can tell you how to get me unstuck from your brain, it’s a process but it can be done.”

How could you even respond to that? You just stared back at him.

Bill sighed, “WOW. You’re really starting to bum me out.”

This isn’t real, It’s not real.

And then you woke up.

[engagemythrusters]

white kittey in a little straw hat tied with a dark ribbon, selling you blackberries in a little homemade pathside stand

[comfort-questing]

24. goodbye note

he'd made it more or less halfway down the mountainside, trudging along with his head down and the rain dripping off the edge of his hood, when the sound of a hard-ridden hill pony on the trail behind him startled him out of his dreary haze.

he hadn't expected anyone there, so he had his hand on his sword as he turned and squinted into the half-darkness of the woods, the switchbacks criss-crossing up towards the fortress on the hilltop. no enemies this close, he suspected. a messenger, going out to the valley farms for some reason or other, perhaps? but at this hour of the not-quite-morning? it seemed an unusual amount of efficiency from what he'd learned of them during his stay.

but it wasn't even a proper messenger horse. just one of the unshod shaggy ponies, taking its quick clumsy way down the rough trail, with a rain-soaked figure on its back bundled in a cloak. no lantern, no pack, nothing.

"stop right there, mister."

oh, blast. it was the kid.

"and why would I do that?"

they were close enough upon him that he could see their face now, pallid and tear-streaked in the half-light. they slowed their pony, tugging back both handfuls of its mane, and glared down at him.

"why are you running off without saying goodbye even?"

"I left you a note, didn't I?" he sighed, taking the moment's opportunity to lean against a tree at the pathside, his sore leg throbbing ever so slightly. "this isn't some kind of fun adventure, you know. you should know, you saw what kind of state I was in, back when your folk found me."

they dropped off the pony's back in a single graceless motion, boots splashing in the muddy runnel at the center of the path. "yeah, I saw your dumb note," they said. "it was very nice, and very noble, like something in Caed's ballads, y'know? but when we said we'd help you take your lands back, we weren't just joking. I certainly wasn't, and I don't think Father and the knights were either."

"my troubles are my own." his knuckles hurt as he clenched his hand around the hilt of his sword. "I - I don't want to get you and your folk mixed up in the whole filthy business. there's been enough death already, and enough pain."

"so you're going to go back there on your own, and challenge the others, and get beat up again and end up lying somewhere out in the woods again like last time, yeah?"

he had had his mouth open to say yes halfway through but shut it instead, shivering suddenly in the dawn chill.

"that - wasn't really the idea."

"guess not." they smiled suddenly, putting an open hand out, rainwater plastering their scraggly hair to their forehead. "so c'mon back up with me and we'll talk to Father and Orn about everything, and you can get some breakfast anyway before you run away, because Cook really would never forgive you for missing breakfast."

he hesitated, wavering, glancing between the high fortress and the sweep of the valley now coming clear in the early rain-washed light below. somewhere there lay home, so far away now it seemed. so very far away, and separated from him by false report and slander and betrayal.

if he was ever to return there, he knew he would need help, like it or not. even though the idea of bringing this bright brave youngster and their crew with him was as starkly terrifying as it was exciting.

"anyway," they said, behind him, "I fed your note to the chickens, so if you want to say thanks to everyone you're going to have to say it yourself."

"you," he said, "are an incorrigible brat" - and straightened up with a sigh, reaching for their hand. "I call the pony for the ride up, then."

their grin widened.

"deal."

[unkn0wnvariable]

Pathside Bluebells

Up close with the bluebells alongside the path, in Short Wood.

[freshfrenchangel]

an evasion moment by bicycles, in the fresh spring nature of a pale sun, along the pathside.

New post on my Flickr(credits).

[aisphotostuff]

Oare Village Kent Coastal Path.. by Adam Swaine Via Flickr: The June sunshine is uncomfortably warm. The air is clear, the light bright and wind dead. The boats that line the narrow creek are a picture, most wrapped up for the winter. Redshanks and egrets forage on the mudflats; house sparrows in the pathside hips and haws along with blackbirds and reed buntings.

[harrison-abbott]

The dog had gone.

The other person in the house was watching TV in their room. Didn’t matter what was on.

It’d been hot in the house all day because the heating was on, despite it being fifteen degrees outside.

There was a cat yowling in mad sagging intervals out in the garden.

The news on the radio bulletin focused on some berserk random crazy story from the capital 800 miles away.

The carpets were still fucked up from the party from last weekend.

But the birthday stat hadn’t changed anything else in the household.

The garden was abrim with real proper colours that seemed to dissuade matters like global heating; the blueness of the pretty lil flowers in the garden under the kitchen windowsill, blue as comicbook blue skies, blue as the Pacific Ocean in classic movies … perfect in hue.

And up along the supermarket path there already seemed that gaudy breath of summer, with the mix of pollen and the rash bold greenery of the weeds mixed untamed by the pathside.

The supermarket car park was only an eight full.

Kids from the local estates clung to the metal bars that hosted the trolleys.

And the bins were all stuffed up with dog shit bags and bottles and plastic.

On the skyline the sad giant skyrises that were built in the 1960s.

They were ugly beauties indeed, with their orange caps and their overweight sucking

Of the twilight sunshine.

The supermarket was filled with young folks who tended to remind him how old he

Was getting every time he looked at them; the boys as well as the odd pretty girl.

There was a hazy delirium about the supermarket.

Had been here a hundred times and it seemed like a woozy dream coming here at

This time of the evening.

Even the security guard seemed sleepy.

Everything was cheap, the items he bought, except the beer, and only the beer

For being in crates, and poorly beer at that. Meh, shrug, whatever, hey ho.

The girl who had to approve him being over 18 years had these fake painted

Fingernails. Multicoloured nails. And she had a nice body even though her face

Was okay. And she went and spoke to one of her colleagues after serving you.

Again – there was that jealousy of youth as you packed your things into your

Bag and headed off home.

Back in the world there was a wide sense of forgetfulness. Perhaps a sense of

Surprise, also, that you had been here for so long – for most of your life – and

That you often were a waif walking about these parts of the suburb.

The ugly/pretty giants in the background didn’t matter so much in the modern

Age. All you remember of them was playing football when you were a kid nearby

Them. Or, heading along to that library, and the man glaring at you from his car

Because he didn’t recognise you as part of this neighbourhood. Or, you went a

Few times to your brother’s mate’s house who lived near there and the mate loved

Your brother but hated you because you were so different. And they would eat

Chicken pizza and you nothing because you didn’t eat chicken, and they would

Watch zombie movies upstairs and you sat downstairs because you were too

Afraid of the gore and didn’t want to watch. …

All these kinds of memories in a simple stretch of a city, the back gardens of a city.

And you did indeed walk back home. Earlier on you had seen the mysterious neighbour

Who had to walk on a zimmer frame these days because of his history of alcohol.

Presumably he was back home now. And then there were the other family who

Lived next door who were selling their home because their only son had committed

Suicide last year; they wanted to move up north to the city where they were

Originally from in order to try and cope with the grief of it all.

And then there was the boisterous man from across the street who had

Failed to sell his own house around ten years back and he was still here.

Still here in this weird little island of a community which did not belong

To a cathedral or politics or district of even a commune.

It was just what is was; pulsing in actuality, with the coming season of Summer.

[syringavulgaris]

Jane Hirshfield, Like the Small Hole by the Path-Side Something Lives In

[polymathemadraws]

Down in the dirt searching for my eyeballs

Hoping they’re there somewhere with my morals

Aim through with the cross hair when you’re blindfold

But you hit it right every time - god said so

[apoemaday]

“Your children cut their hands...”

by Margaret Atwood

Your children cut their hands on glass by reaching through the mirror where the beloved one was hiding. You weren’t expecting this: you thought they wanted happiness, not laceration. You thought the happiness would appear simply, without effort or any kind of work, like a bird call or a pathside flower or a school of silvery fish but now they’ve cut themselves on love, and cry in secret, and your own hands go numb because there’s nothing you can do, because you didn’t tell them not to because you didn’t think you needed to and now there’s all this broken glass and your children stand red-handed still clutching at moons and echoes and emptiness and shadow, the way you did.

[antonymziie]

bill cipher & reader fic writing sample???

trying my hand at fanfic again. if y’all like this then i might actually write the whole thing

d is for demon denial

You didn’t think summer break would lead you to where you currently were standing, most of your friends were sipping mixed drinks on white sand beaches or, at the very least, spending time with their family. After the semester you just had, you couldn’t bear to look them in the face for a long while, but hell, D is for diploma. 

Now, with the little money you had saved up from working, you decided to spend your summer roadtripping through the woods. Which is how you ended up here: following a tour group through a smelly house full of bad taxidermy. 

Your group was led by the tour guide; who introduced himself as “Soos”? and also happens to be the owner and “illegitimate son of the founder” so he says. In the dimly lit room, you observe many...curious things inside; which include random body parts of varying grotesqueness, a photo of a horse riding another horse, and plenty more poorly done taxidermies.

The group stopped in front of a wall that contains nothing else except a large chest. 

“Now- this may just look like some old chest or something,” Soos said, matter-a-factly, “but I’m pretty sure it’s cursed; like if you stick a sandwich in it, the sandwich will turn evil and try to eat you. “

Perplexed by his reasoning behind why he thinks this chest is cursed, you snapped a picture because it did look pretty cool and the group moved on. The next stop in the show room was a corner, that was it, just a corner

“Take a close look at this corner...don’t see anything? That’s because this is the invisible dude, dudes! He isn’t wearing any clothes right now…kinda weird actually.”

A majority of the tour group murmured in amusement and snapped pictures of the empty corner, you almost couldn’t believe that people were actually believing this stuff. Soos continued on, showing the group a few more things in the showroom before exiting to the outside where a golf cart is parked outside.

“Since we have a small enough group, I thought I’d take you dudes to see some of our outdoor attractions!” He outstretched an arm, inviting our group to enter the golf cart. 

Your group of about four pile into the golf cart and ride off to the first stop, a gaping hole in the ground. You look inside and it seems to have no visible bottom.

“This is the bottomless pit, which looks bottomless,” Soos looked down into the pit, “I actually fell in there once.”

You could see a small child inch closer to the edge of the pit, a worried mother snatching them up before they got too close. Soos directed everyone back to the golf cart and drove out of the Shack’s lot onto a dirt path. The golf cart jerked and jumped as it hit tree roots and divots on the forest floor, and the trees became surprisingly denser only a little way into the journey. 

Little glowing spots started to appear along the pathside and scattered among the trees, you can’t quite tell what was glowing but the blue-green radiance was soothing. The cart stopped in a clearing and you could now observe the hundreds of bioluminescent mushrooms clinging to the massive redwoods looming above you like a blanket from the outside world.

“Not many tour groups get to see this,” Soos said, “Sometimes nature is Gravity Falls’ most alluring attraction.”

You were awestruck by the sheer magnificence of the forest, you knew this place was strange, but this was just...magical.

“But this is as far as we’ll go into the forest, dudes. Wouldn’t want to run up on,” He hesitated, the first time his friendly demeanor waned from his face, “Nevermind! Let’s head back!”

What was farther in the forest? Curiosity got the best of you, and while the group was distracted trying to get the golf cart to start, you disappeared behind the tree line. You could find your way back after you looked around a little longer. 

The pine needles and greenery crunched underfoot, and the farther you went, the denser the forest became. Sounds of undetermined origin make you briefly question your choices…

A few rustles in the trees were common forest sounds. If something sinister was actually lurking about, it would have eaten you by now, you thought to yourself as you continued through the trees. The dense wood eventually opened up and light began to filter through the treetops, bathing the forest floor in golden sunlight. A few more paces and the trees had given way to a clearing, a calm, quaint, almost enchanting clearing in the forest. 

That's when you saw it. At first you thought it was a mossy boulder, but upon closer inspection, it seemed to have arms (and possibly legs that were buried in the dirt). What was something like this doing in the middle of nowhere? You moved away a piece of moss and were a bit frightened when an eye peaked from underneath. 

The statue wasn't anything you had ever seen before. A triangular body with one eye, dressed up in a little tophat and bowtie, and one outstretched arm like it was ready to shake your hand. It was a peculiar sight, really, but it made you curious why it was out here. What does it mean? And, more importantly, should I shake its hand?

What the hell did you have to lose? This was, by far, the coolest thing you had seen all day, and after snapping a few pictures, you shook its hand for the fun of it. 

Without warning, you were overcome with a wave of nausea that brought you to your knees. It was so unexpected and shocking that you didn’t even think to call for help, and within the same minute it appeared, it was gone. You rubbed your eyes and gathered yourself.

You looked at the statue, unchanged, still outreaching for a hand and scoff, “Fucking freaky triangle.”

You were actually hoping the tour group forgot about you, but to your misfortune, the group was waiting for you, very impatiently. Soos rushed over to you, giving you a thorough look over 

“What happened, dude!?” He asked, “I thought I told you not to…”

He seemed pretty upset, and now you felt bad.

“I'm just glad you're okay. You didn't run into anything weird or anything, right?” You shook your head, he sighed a breath of what seemed like relief, and with nothing else said, Soos gestures for everyone to get into the cart and you return to the Shack. 

He doesn't even say anything after shutting off the golf cart, just gives a tired look to you before disappearing to the inside of the gift shop. 

There was obviously something he wasn’t letting in about the woods, and you had a bad feeling that the statue you had found in the woods had something to do with that.

It wasn’t any of your business, though, so you let it go. In a few days, you’d leave and forget this place entirely. For tonight, you parked your car in an overnight RV lot at the edge of town and drifted off after you realized your phone would never get enough cell service to check any media, social or not.

You jerked upwards in your seat when you heard a tap on your window. No one was outside of your car as far as you could tell, you went to check the time on your phone, only to realize it wasn’t where you had left it. 

“Oh, were you looking for this?” You whipped around in the direction of the voice to see…the triangle. 

“Let me tell ya, you had a death grip on this thing,” the triangle snorted, their voice echoing in the car, “I just had to know what kind of humiliating stuff you got in here.”

You had to be dreaming, there was no way you weren’t dreaming right now. You scramble over the seat to swipe your phone from the dreamworld intruder. 

They pull the phone out of reach and snap a few flash photos of your desperate attempts to grab your phone from their grasp.

“HA! You wouldn’t believe how stupid you look in these,” The triangle vanished from view and appeared in the passenger seat beside you. They sat the phone down on the dash and gave you a playful smile, well, look…

“What’s your deal?” You snatched your phone up before they could grab it again, “Why are you here?”

“To be your new best friend, kid! You’re bold and I like that in a human. You got potential to do something great with your life.”

The whole situation reeked of false flattery, and the triangle didn’t try to keep the facade alive for long after you replied with the most dramatic eye roll you could possibly muster.

“Ok, you’re too smart for schmoozing, I can admit when I’m wrong, but that doesn't mean I can’t make your life the most fun it’s ever been. The name’s Bill!” He extended a hand out to you, offering a handshake.

You glare at him, “Nothing good came from doing that last time.”

His eye narrows and he pulls his hand away, “Fine then, your loss. I thought we had something special.”

“Yeah. Something special, alright. The only thing I want right now is for you to leave my head.”

“I wish it was that simple,” Bill stroked under his eye where his metaphorical chin would be, “but I’m one of those things that’s real easy to get, hard to get rid of… like a fun case of head lice!”

“What?”

“That’s how it goes, you shake my hand and I’m your new brain pal until your corporeal meat-suit gives up, only one way to get rid of me and it ain’t easy.”

“So I’m stuck with you…forever?”

“If by forever you mean the pathetic amount of time you’ll spend on this mortal coil wallowing about trivial matters pertaining to your sad flesh…then yeah!”

It’s just a dream. It’s just a dream

“I can tell you how to get me unstuck from your brain, it’s a process but it can be done,” Bill reassured, “Besides you’re starting to bum me out.”

This isn’t real, It’s not real.

And then you woke up.

[clatterbane]

Pathside Geranium sanguineum, 11 June 2022.

[crazyfox-archives]

Looking into a small pathside sanctum dedicated to Kōshin faith (庚申信仰) involving all-night festivities & rites held every 60 days to prevent one’s three internal supernatural parasites from snitching on one’s misdeeds to the heavenly bureaucracy, situated along the steps up to Hachiman Jinja Shrine (八幡神社) in Owase, Mie Prefecture

Photo by ToM, April 2019

[coffeebirbsdarkacademia]

You thought the happiness would appear simply, without effort or any kind of work, like a bird call or a pathside flower

Margaret Atwood, from Your Children Cut Their Hands...... in, “The Door”