#real topiary trees

[twigoftetbury]

Contact Twig for a wonderful collection of cast iron urns and pedestals, real topiary trees, antique garden statues, turquoise canvas art, antique lacquer & inlaid furniture, antique decorative objects, garden antiques, antique garden furniture, etc. A local antiques and interiors shop in Tetbury with a broad reach to areas like London, the Cotswolds, Cheshire, Bath, bristol. Cheltenham, Gucester, Cirencester, Newbury, Oxford and America.

[dailycharacteroption]

Leafshifter (Shifter Archetype)

(art by BangBooDoragon on DeviantArt)

Mimicry is a common adaptation among life across the planet. If you’re soft and vulnerable, mimic something that your predators fear. If you’re fearsome and scary, mimic something harmless to draw other creatures in, and so on.

This extends even to plant life, with many plants finding way to mimic animals or other plant species. Many flowers have parts that mimic pollinating insects to draw the real deal in, or mimicking other plants to avoid being eaten by those that fear the toxins of others, and so on.

With that in mind, the ghorans, a plant species that hyper-evolved a humanoid form and behaviors to convince humans to stop exploiting them as a food source, have a conceptual link to not just this concept, but the shifter class as well.

Today’s subject, the leafshifter, is one of two archetypes that cause the shifter to take on plant forms instead of animals. The other, the verdant shifter, we have already covered, but while the verdant shifter specializes in actually shapeshifting into plant monsters, the leafshifter instead shapeshifters into forms that blur the lines between animal and plant. Like living topiaries, their animal forms are composed of plant matter, gaining the benefits of the form on a macro scale, and the benefits of plant physiology on the micro scale.

Now, this archetype naturally meant for ghorans first, but as always, I’m of the opinion that unless a so-called “racial archetype” (or perhaps ancestral archetype is more appropriate now) specifically requires a certain trait to function, there isn’t any reason why other ancestries can’t take part too.

Regardless of how you handle it, however, these shifters present an interesting way to blend mimicry with the true nature of the plant beneath for surprising customizability.

Rather than grow claws, the basic weapon morph of these shapeshifting warriors is to harden their limbs like bramble-covered tree branches.

While they gain aspects like any shifter, they do not gain the normal minor form associated with that aspect. Instead, they gain a planty aspect of their choice, representing the base plant species that they take on the form of, which is later reshaped into an animal-like form when they invoke the major form. These minor forms can include an assassin vine’s grappling, the punishing thorns of brambles, the climbing skill of a creeper vine, the camouflage of a giant flytrap, the toxin resilience of a mushroom, the immovability of the oak, the senses of the giant shrieker mushroom, the lightweight airy nature of the spore, and even the buoyant aquatic mobility of the water lily.

Essentially, as these shifters grow in power, they get to pick and choose their minor aspects to go with their more familiar animal forms. You might recognize the names of those minor aspects as being the same as the plant focus abilities of the plant master archetype for hunters, which makes sense with how the core shifter aspects of the base shifter work. Regardless, these aspects provide lots of mobility options as well as close combat options, so this archetype might be useful indeed for the shifter as a whole. Beyond that, you can pretty much build them however you like.

Even though they don’t necessarily HAVE to be ghorans, the angle of mimicry is a very strong tie for that people, especially since in the Lost Omens setting, they hail from a land where their species was once engineered as a food source, and those of the mystic arts already hold so much political and social power over those that do not. If you can’t beat them directly, fool them. Of course, not every mage requires such deception, and not every ghoran lives in such a situation, but the concept is there, especially since ghorans live with the constant shadow of knowing that some may view them as nothing but chattel.

The iron mining and smelting town of Jusso has had it’s fair share of troubles with the local ghoran population, who take offense at the pollution wrought by their industry. However, when a scanderig wanders out of a pocket of elemental earth deep in the mine, the two forces must set aside their differences to bring down this forgefiend, with combined might of steel and bestial plantlike forms.

It is impossible to say for certain, but some have speculated that the leafshifter technique has a connection with the curious plant monsters known as living topiaries. The ghoran inventors of the technique are quick to dismiss such suggestions, though some would say they are hiding something.

The Jinoge clan of adaro have developed a fascination for the kelp forests surrounding their territory. Such places are prefect for setting up ambushes, especially during their sacred thunderstorm hunts. Some have even learned to tap into the sargassum and take on predatory aquatic shapes composed of kelp and sea grasses.

[exhausted-archivist]

ALT

Flora of Thedas Master List

Master list of all the flora in Thedas, mentioned or seen.

Additional notes on certain items will be listed at the bottom, for items marked with asterisks, see the key below for a brief explanation and the Game assets and Additional Notes and Trivia section at the bottom. Sources are listed at the very end and this time linked.

For other lists here are posts for: Real Plants in Thedas

Key: * - Name comes from the asset file name ** - Name not provided but identified based on the textures used on the asset. *** - See Additional Notes and Trivia.

General Flora: Flowers and Foliage

Acacia*: Black Wood*

Andraste's Grace

Ardent Blossom

Ash

Aspen

Banyan Tree*

Barbwood

Beech Tree

Belladonna

Birch: White Birch*

Blackthorn

Bluebell

Borage

Boswellia

Boxwood*

Buttercup

Cactus: Pear Cactus*

Cattail*

Cedar: Red Cedar

Chicory

Clover: Forest Clover*

Coleus**

Cosmos

Cotton

Crape Myrtle

Cypress: Italian Cypress*, Topiary Cypress*

Daffodil

Daisy: Marguerite

Dandelion

Dog-rose

Dogwood*

Elephant Ear*

Elm

Fade Berry*

Felicidus Aria

Fern: Red Fern*, Sword Fern*

Fir

Flax

Foxleaf*

Frangipani

Gorse

Harlot's Blush

Hawthorn

Hay

Hemp

Hensbane

Hero Tree*

Hollyhock

Honeysuckle

Iris

Ironbark

Ironwood***

Itchweed

Ivy

Jasmin

Larch

Lichen: Glowing Lichen

Lilac

Lily: Calla Lily**, Water Lily

Lotus

Maple

Marigold

Moss: Oakmoss, Redmoss, Tree-Moss

Nightshade

Northern Prickleweed

Oak: Serault Oak

Orchid

Palm Tree: Curly Palm*, Fan Palm*

Pansy

Peony

Pine: Chir Pine*, Stone Pine

Ponga Tree*

Poppy

Prickle-burrs

Redwood*

Rose: Climbing Rose

Rowan

Sandalwood

Seaweed

Snapdragon

Spruce

Sugar Cane

Sundew

Sunflower

Sylvanwood

Tahanis

Thistle

Trex*

Trullium

Vasanthum

Violet

Walnut: Black Walnut

Waterweed*

Wilds Flower

Willow

Witchhazel*

Wysteria

Yew

Fruits

Apple: Applewood Apple, Green Apple, Golden Apple, Red Apple

Apricot

Banana

Berries: Blackberry, Blueberry, Bramble Berry, Cranberry, Elderberry, Raspberry, Strawberry

Cherry

Citron

Coco, Chocolate

Coconut

Coffee

Currants: Black Currant

Fig

Grape

Lemon

Lime

Melon

Nuts: Almonds, Chestnut, Hognut, Peanuts

Olives

Orange: Sweet Orange

Palm Fruit: Date

Passion Fruit

Peach

Pear: Bradford Pear*

Plum

Pomegranate

Grains

Barley

Oats

Rice

Ryott

Wheat

Vegetables

Artichoke

Beans: Bush Bean, Green Bean, Pale Bean, White Bean

Beets

Bell Peppers: Red Bell Peppers

Cabbage

Capers

Carrot

Celery

Chive

Corn

Cucumber

Daikon Radish*

Eggplant

Fennel

Onion: Red Onion, Sweet Onion, White Onion

Pea

Peppers: Antivan Pepper, Green Pepper, Hot Pepper, Hot Red Pepper, Sweet Pepper

Potato

Radish

Spinach

Squash: Baby Pumpkin, Marrow Squash, Pumpkin, String Squash

Tomato

Turnip

Fungus of Thedas

Deep Mushrooms

Bleeding Russula

Blightcap

Blighted Morel

Brimstone Mushroom

Deep Mushroom

Destroying Spirit

Ghoul's Mushroom

Unnamed Mushroom Ortan Thaig

Surface Mushrooms

Beetle Spore

Drakevein

Field Mushroom

Gasbloom*

Sponge Root***

Toadstool

Truffle

Morel***

Unnamed Glowing Mushroom***

Unnamed Mushroom***

Spices

Allspice

Antivan Cord-Seed

Cardamom

Cinnamon

Clove

Cumin, Cumin Seed

Dill, Dill Seed

Juniper

Licorice

Mace

Mustard

Nutmeg

Pepper: Black Pepper

Peppercorn: Black Peppercorn

Saffron

Vanilla

ALT

Herbs of Thedas

Herbs count as anything that Dragon Age has classified as an herb (whether technically correct or not), plants that are used as herbs in real life. These do not include mushrooms, fungi, or deep mushrooms simply for ease of organization.

Amrita Vein

Andraste's Mantle

Arbor Blessing

Basil

Bay

Catsbane

Crystal Grace

Deathroot: Arcanist Deathroot, Lunatic's Deathroot

Dragonthorn

Elfroot/Canavaris: Bitter Elfroot, Gossamer Elfroot, Royal Elfroot

Embrium: Dark Embrium, Salubrious Embrium

Felandaris

Foxite

Garlic

Ghoul's Beard

Ginger

Heatherum

Lavender

Lotus: Black Lotus, Blood Lotus, Dawn Lotus

Madcap

Mint: Anderfel's Mint, Foxmint, Peppermint

Mintroot - Not a true mint based on its description and the fact that it grows on trees.

Oregano

Parsley

Prophet's Laurel

Rashvine

Rashvine Nettle

Redleaf

Rosemary

Sage

Spindleweed: Verdant Spindleweed

Stripweed

Thyme

Vandal Aria

Winterberry***

Witherstalk

Star Anise

Wormwood

Wormroot***

Game Assets Notes

These are plants shown in Dragon Age but aren't named in universe, just in their model files or through identification of the textures. Since most filler plant textures are just that of real world plants.

**NOTE:** When I mention they are not the known name of any plant, this comes with the caveat of being popular common names. Common names are highly variable and inconsistent. They depend on regional knowledge and association. Some travel farther than others. Common names are also not reliable identifiers.

Acacia: Black Wood ~ Note: Black Wood is a type of acacia. Both acacia and black wood are named assets.

Artichoke ~ Note: Identification comes from asset name, the artichoke flower is used as ornamentation of a box.

Banyan Tree

Boxwood ~ A type of shrub, identification comes from asset name.

Bradford Pear ~ Their fruits are edible, however their flowers are known to emit a smell akin to rotting meat. Identification comes from asset name.

Calla Lily ~ Note: Not named but identified by the texture used. It is seen in Val Royeaux planters.

Cattail ~ Note: Seen through out DAO and DAI, identification comes from asset name.

Coleus ~ Note: Not named but identified by the texture used. It is seen in Val Royeaux planters and in the Frostback Basin.

Crape Myrtle

Cypress: Italian Cypress, Topiary Cypress ~ Note: In terms of the Italian Cypress, in world it wouldl likely be called the "Antivan Cypress" given that Antiva is pulling from Italian culture, food, environments, and other inspirational elements. Cypress is a plant that is named in canon.

Daikon Radish ~ Note: Found on Dennet's farm, identification comes from asset name.

Dogwood

Elephant Ear ~ Note: Foliage found in the Frostback Basin, identification comes from asset name.

Fade Berry

Fern: Red Fern, Sword Fern ~ Note: The red fern isn't a real plant and therefore can be considered unique to Thedas. In contrast the sword fern is a real plant. Identification comes from the asset name for both of these ferns.

Forest Clover

Foxleaf ~ Note: This is another plant that is not real, no plant has this common name as far as I could find.

Gasbloom ~ Note: Seen in the Arbor Wilds, the Frostback Basin some elven ruins, and the elven ruins of multiplayer levels. Their identification comes from the asset name. There are two versions of the texture the "fixed" version is used in JoH dlc and thus explains the difference in appearance. This is not the name of a known mushroom.

Hero Tree

Palm: Curly Palm, Fan Palm ~ Note: Both palms are seen in the Frostback Basin, both are identified by their named assets.

Pear Cactus ~ Note: Found in the Frostback Basin, identification comes from the asset name.

Pine: Chir Pine

Ponga Tree ~ Note: Also known as the 'Tree Fern'. This is the tree you see in Val Royeaux garden as coming from Par Vollen, and throughout the Arbor Wilds.

Redwood ~ Note: Identified by the name of the file asset. Found in the Winter Palace, Exalted Plains, and on multiplayer maps.

Snapdragon

Trex

Waterweed ~ Note: In real life this is an entire genus not one particular plant. Though the six plants in this genus do share the common name of waterweed.

White Birch

Witchhazel

Additional Notes and Trivia

Ironwood - Unclear if this is an alternative name, the actual name of the plant, or both.

Morel - This mushroom is inferred due to the existence of Blighted Morel. However it is not explicitly specified there is a non-blighted morel.

Sponge Root - Though canonical as it is mentioned and shown in World of Thedas vol. 2 on pg. 138 with a collection of deep mushroom and surface mushroom illustrations. This mushroom was cut twice from Inquisition. It was cut from the base game as a craftable, it had a much different appearance from its final design, and then it was cut again from Trespasser. It does however still make an appearance in Inquisition as the inventory icon for Crystal Grace.

Unnamed Glowing Mushroom Is mentioned in multiplayer when there are two Lukas playing.

Unnamed Mushroom These brown mushrooms are seen in the Fallow Mire and the Frostback Basin. They are shown in two different sizes ranging from shorter than a dwarf to taller than one.

There is one unlisted mushroom, its assets is named "red mushroom" and thus is identified by textures. These is not a canon name but is included for completeness. Amanita Muscaria: More commonly know as fly agaric or fly amanita, the red top with white spots is an iconic in its imagery. You will find large swaths of these mushrooms in the Frostback Basin. Their assets is named "Red Mushroom".

Winterberry is a real plant. However, from what we see in DA2, it does not the same as the plant we have in the real world, just a shared common name.

Wormroot is another real plant name. However, due to the description in The Calling, it does not seem to be the same plant. In The Calling it is used to treat the venom of a giant spider. The real world plant is used to treat parasites in the gut and does not seem to hold any shared uses in folk lore, folk medicine, or western medicine practices.

Sources

Dragon Age Origins + DLCs Dragon Age 2 Dragon Age Last Court Dragon Age Inquisition + DLCs Dragon Age TTRPG Core Rulebook Dragon Age TTRPG Blood of Ferelden Dragon Age TTRPG: Creatures of Thedas: Wyvern

World of Thedas Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne Dragon Age: The Calling Dragon Age: The Masked Empire Dragon Age: Last Flight Dragon Age: Tevinter Nights Short Story: Paying the Ferryman Short Story: Riddle in the Truth Short Story: The Wake

Origins Andraste's Grace Codex: The Bercillian Forest Codex: Falon'Din: Friend of the Dead, the Guide Codex: Feast Day Fish Codex: The History of Soldier's Peak: Chapter 3 Codex: Ironbark Codex: A Note from the Honnleath Village Council Codex: Sylaise: The Hearthkeeper Codex: Sylvan Codex: A Tattered Shopping List Item: Concentrator Agent Item: Deep Mushroom Item: Figurine Item: Madcap Bulb Item: Rare Antivan Brandy Item: Rashvine Nettle Item: Spirit Charm Item: Spirit Cord Item: Sugar Cake Item: Swift Salve Item: West Hill Brandy Item: Wilds Flower

DA 2 Ambrosia Bianca (Crossbow) Ironwood Clearing Codex: Deathroot Codex: Deep Mushroom Codex: Embrium Codex: Felandaris Codex: The Hedge Witch Codex: Spindleweed Item: Carved Ironwood Buttons Item: Harlot's Blush Quest: Hard to Stomach Quest: The Long Road Quest: Tranquility Weapon: The Celebrant Weapon: Ironwood Shield Weapon: Ironwood Warblade

Inquisition Codex: Amrita Vein Codex: Arbor Blessing Codex: Avvar Cuisine Codex: Black Lotus Codex: Blood Lotus Codex: Bottles of Thedas Codex: Crystal Grace Codex: Elfroot Codex: Ghoul's Beard Codex: The Girl in Red Crossing Codex: Hard in Hightown Chapter 7 Codex: Hard in Hightown Chapter 10 Codex: Mediations and Odes to Bees Codex: Notes on Palace Guests Codex: The Orlesian Civil War Codex: Prophet's Laurel Codex: Rashvine Codex: Rashvine Nettle Codex: Vandal Aria Codex: Vivienne's Alchemy Notes Codex: Waterlogged Diary Codex: Witherstalk Note: Betta's Traveling Journal Note: Carta Note on Security Note: Field Notes Note: The Gilded Horn's Drink List Note: Knight-Captain's Orders Note: Love Letter Note: A Note from Skyhold's Kitchens Note: A Note from Skyhold's Kitchens, Again War Table: The Dance with the Dowager: The Allemande Item: Ardent Blossom

Last Court The Abbess' Road The Anchoress Arrival of the Divine The Feast is Ending Fires Flames of Freedom Good Neighbors Heartwood Feast The Hounds The Lord of the Wood Comes a-Calling The Purveyor of Teas Road and River A Swift Stream Thieves! Unofficial Meeting

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[lauronk]

what if you write a ficlet where Joel & Ellie meet a leprechaun 🥹

here you go "anon" (cough @stillboldlygoing cough)

getting that tilted feeling out here

length: ~2k words tags: joel & ellie; slight magical realism; magic; a vague description of a leprechaun; wish-granting; a dash of feelings and a pinch of emotions; nebraska; a sprinkle of amnesia

“Joel, come on!”

“Ellie, I swear to Christ –” Joel muffles another swear as a rock comes up almost out of nowhere and rams into his toe. “Slow down!”

She either doesn’t hear or doesn’t care - and Joel’d bet on the latter - and she keeps tearing through the woods, bent on a path only she seems to be able to see. It’s all he can do to keep her in eyesight, dodging swinging branches and tree roots and rocks.

“It’s gotta be right up here!” Ellie calls back to him, pointing ahead through the trees. “We’re so close!”

So close. Joel rolls his eyes. Yeah, so close to getting lost in the goddamn woods in Nebraska of all places, probably a mile from the road they’d been following at this point. But Ellie had spotted the rainbow over the trees, fresh and glimmering bright from the rainstorm they’d just weathered, and she’d been off like a shot. Determined to find the end of it, the same nonsense he’d heard since he was a kid about a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Thank God Sarah had never –

Joel’s grateful for the next rock he stubs his toe on - the sharp pain radiating through his foot is enough to distract him from the way it feels like his chest is caving in.

That had been happening more and more these last few weeks - thoughts of what he had lost creeping up on him, her face appearing in his dreams, her name reaching the tip of his tongue only to be swallowed back. And Joel didn’t really wanna think about what might be causing it.

He finally catches up to Ellie, hanging back and watching with a barely-smothered grin as she yanks at a particularly thick clump of bushes, entangled with vines hanging from the trees above. Not exactly your typical Nebraska topiary, Joel thinks as he watches the kid. “Well, don’t just stand there,” she huffs when she notices him. “Fucking help me.”

Joel amuses himself by watching her tug a little harder. “Help you do what?”

There’s strands of hair coming loose from her ponytail, cheeks tinted pink with the exertion. “Help me…get us through…this bush!” She pulls and tugs and digs and yet the bush remains impenetrable. “Look, Joel, the rainbow is right there!” A finger jabs in the air, and to humor her, Joel follows it up to the sky.

Well it…Joel frowns. It is really close, actually. Each line of color crisp and practically vibrating in the air barely twenty or thirty feet over his head. He’s never seen a rainbow so close, not in all his years, and it’s real goddamn weird.

“Joel!” Ellie’s voice is one octave shy of petulant. “Help. Me.”

She’s still got her hands wrapped around some of the branches, pulling for all she’s worth, which ain’t much. She’s a tiny thing, Ellie is, and walking clear across the country hasn’t been helping with that.

“Alright, alright,” Joel mutters when she opens her mouth again. “Move out the way.” He’s got a machete strapped to his backpack - it’s dull as hell but it’ll work a bit better than her small hands pulling will.

A few clean hacks - Ellie helpfully pulling some of the detritus out of the way - and they’re through, and…

Standing in a meadow?

“Holy shit!” Ellie shrieks, and she’s sprinting away again, down the field to where…

Joel rubs his eyes, pinches the skin of his inner arm, and then sets off after her at a much slower pace. She’s come to a stop now, eyes round and amazed as she stands in front of the end of the rainbow where it disappears into the earth.

“I fucking told you!” She crows.

Yeah, yeah she did. And yet Joel still can’t quite believe what’s right before his eyes. A rainbow, so bright it damn near hurts to look at, the end of it vanishing into grass more lush and green than anything in the middle of Nebraska ought to be this late in the year.

“Hang on.” Joel snags Ellie’s arm when she starts towards it. “You don’t know that’s safe.”

Ellie just rolls her eyes at him. “Looks fine to me. Although,” her head tilts, “I thought there’d be a pot of gold.”

“Fresh out,” a new voice says from their left, and Joel hauls Ellie behind him automatically, hand reaching for his revolver. “Oh you won’t need that.” A snap, and his revolver is returned to its holster.

“What the hell –”

“Yeah.” The man standing in the trees shrugs. “I get that a lot. Well,” his brows tug together, “maybe a lot is overstating it. Don’t get to socialize much now with the whole…” a pale hand twirls through the air aimlessly, “fungus apocalypse end-of-the-world situation.”

There’s a faint lilt to his voice that Joel almost wants to place as Irish, but it’s been so long since he’s heard that accent he doesn’t even know if he’s remembering it right. He’s pale, a thick shock of red hair covering his head, and his loose shirt and pants are a dark green that almost blends into the nature behind him.

“Are you…a leprechaun?” Ellie asks wonderingly, peering out from behind Joel. The man bows ever so slightly, and a “Whoa” escapes her.

It’s on the tip of Joel’s tongue to remind everyone that leprechauns ain’t real, but then again…it’s not like he’s got another explanation for whatever the fuck is going on here. Unless he and Ellie ate something really off that’s put them into some sort of shared hallucinatory coma, and honestly he doesn’t know if that’s more or less believable than a rainbow ten feet from him and a leprechaun.

“So where’s the gold?” Ellie asks, and the man arches a brow. “And why are you like…regular sized?”

“You’re a rude one, aren’t you?” There’s no anger in the question, only a curious delight. “I’m regular sized, as you put it, because the whole short thing was a…marketing campaign, if you will. Help us get by unnoticed. And as for the gold…no use for it in this world anymore. So instead,” he rocks back and forth on his heels for a moment, hands clasping in front of them, “I can grant you one wish, one desire. Each.”

“I wish –” Ellie starts, but the man holds his hand up to halt her.

“It is the same kind of thing you probably heard about wishes from whatever books or movies are still around,” he says smoothly. “No extra wishes, no love spells, no bringing anyone back to life.”

Ellie deflates a little at that, chin tucking to her chest. “Then I need a moment to think.”

The man inclines his head, sweeping his hand through the air before turning to face Joel. “And you, sir?”

Joel eyes him suspiciously. “Ain’t no way you can grant wishes, or whatever it is you’re tryin’ to pull here.”

The smile he gets in answer is knowing, almost patronizing, and the man clasps his hands behind his back. “You are under no obligation to use it, of course. And maybe it’ll make you feel better to know that after you’re done here, I’ll return you to the road you were on and you’ll have no idea this even happened.”

Joel scoffs. “None of that sounds the least bit believable either.”

A dismissive shrug. “Suit yourself.”

“Alright,” Joel says with a challenge in his voice, halting the man as he starts to turn back to face Ellie. “I wanna find my brother. ‘S why we’re out here, walkin’ all this way. Tryin’ to track him down.”

The man nods briskly, clapping his hands together in a shower of golden sparks that have Joel flinching back a step, startled. “And find Tommy you shall.”

Joel opens his mouth, prepared to demand that he explain how he knew his brother’s name, but his back is already turned, his focus on Ellie. “And you?”

Ellie’s eyes flick between Joel and the man, and she shuffles a few steps away, a little closer to the rainbow. “Yeah, I just…can you come over here for me to tell you?”

Another one of those fancy little bows. “But of course.” He turns back to Joel, makes a shooing gesture with his hand until Joel backs away to the edge of the meadow, tree branches arcing over his head in a ripple of bright green and tints of yellow.

Their voices still carry to him, even as he turns to face away - aiming his right ear to them - and they step closer to the rainbow. Ellie’s in particular, lands directly in his ear as though he was standing right next to her.

“I want to…belong somewhere. Have someone I matter to, somewhere I fit in and am supposed to be.”

Joel’s eyes slip shut, head tilting back, and he deeply, deeply hopes that what the man said turns out to be true. That they won’t remember this in a few minutes, because those words had not been meant for him to hear, and now they wouldn’t stop reverberating in his head.

The man chuckles softly. “That would be a waste of a wish, my dear. You already have that.”

Joel doesn’t open his eyes, even as he feels Ellie turn to look at him. Makes himself stand still, like he’s just waiting on them to be done, not paying them the slightest bit of attention, not feeling at all like part of his chest has just been split open.

“Oh,” Ellie says quietly, her voice still crystal clear in his ear, and Joel wonders if it’s something about this meadow. Or the rainbow, or the man, one of those things carrying her words to him when they shouldn’t be. “Well then…I want to find the Fireflies, and have them make the cure.”

The man doesn’t answer immediately, doesn’t loudly proclaim that she’ll find them and make the cure like he had for Joel about finding Tommy. Instead, as a breeze rustles through the clearing and curls its fingers in the neck of Joel’s jacket, he tells her, “That’s technically two different wants. I can do one, I can make sure you find them.”

“Okay,” Ellie says decisively. “Yeah, then I want to find them.” Joel knows what she’s thinking - them finding the Fireflies already means they’ll make their cure, so as long as she makes sure they’re found, everything else will work itself out.

A clap of his hands - Joel turns to look and sees the same shower of gold in the air - and the man nods again. “And find the Fireflies you shall.” He rubs his hands together briskly, waving Joel over to rejoin them. “Now, before I send you on your way, I really must thank you for stopping by. It was quite nice to interact with someone other than myself for once, and I wish you a safe journey.”

Then, without warning, he plants a hand on each of their shoulders and shoves them backwards into the rainbow. There’s a brief sensation of falling, dropping, stomach swooping, and then –

Joel blinks in the sunlight, a breeze setting the tall grass around them to swaying. He’s stopped - they’re stopped - off the side of the cracked pavement they’d been following for miles, sun beaming down. It’s shifted now to be nearly in front of them, and Joel turns back to find Ellie. She’s to his left, blinking confusedly up at him. “Why are we stopped?”

“We –” Joel cuts himself off, brow furrowing. He doesn’t know, actually. They were walking, like they do every day, and now they’re not. “Dunno, but let’s keep movin’. Too exposed out here.”

Ellie gives him a mock salute, marching forward with exaggerated steps. Joel swats at her ponytail as she passes, ignoring the small flare of affection that crops up when she turns back and wrinkles her nose at him. That’s been happening too much lately, refusing to be brushed aside every time, but there’s nothing he can do about it right now.

Only option is to keep moving forward.

this one was a fun little challenge, nice stretch of my writing muscles, so thanks "anon" lol

full collection of ficlets also on ao3

[ambiguouspuzuma]

The Secret Garden

There had always been a walled garden on the Dytham estate. In fact, there were those who claimed that it had been there first; predating the house and the rest of the grounds, in the way that a castle might be built aside a river, or a city founded on the crest of a hillock - like a bird's nest in the crook of a tree.

Beyond the matter of its provenance, the presence of a garden was not so unusual. There was scarcely an estate of comparable size that did not boast an equivalent construction, an artificial lake or mound, a pagoda or some other folly. The garden was not of an unusual size, and its white walls formed a pleasing symmetry with the marble fountains elsewhere on the grounds.

Indeed, its scale and composition were unsurprising in all but one respect - being that it lacked for a gate, a door, or other entry-way of any kind. As such, it was the sort of construction to feature in fables and fairy-tales, the home to some warlock or trickster sprite - a myth in brick and mortar, if the pale, irregular stones could be taken for bricks. Except that it was real: four towering walls, with not an arch or sally-port between them.

It formed almost a closed system, a colossal terrarium, were it not for the absence of cover overhead: it might otherwise have been completely enclosed from the world beyond those walls, but rain and hail were permitted to fall upon the garden's plants, and they were visited by bluebottles and dragonflies that came and vanished with the breeze. It had even been observed that jewelled birds would sometimes land within the walls - though those who watched such things noted that fewer always left than had arrived.

There had been attempts to learn more, expeditions to chart this hortus incognita, but with limited success. When the third Lord Dytham had sent men to scale the bone-pale walls with the aid of sturdy ropes, they reported an impenetrable canopy beneath - a seething mass of overgrown vines and brambles, which seemed, like a noxious gas released into a room, to have expanded to fill all of the available space.

A little knowledge only led to further speculation: what was underneath that surface, between the garden's walls? Was it merely overgrown, or hiding something? The men could only ponder, and debate, and guess as to the original design. A hedge maze, equally bereft of way in or out, leading nowhere; topiary shrubs contorted in horrific countenances, locked away from gentle eyes; a particularly virulent strand of knotweed, that could only be kept within the strictest containment.

Eventually, the mystery became too much. `A few hardy souls had scaled the walls again, and this time ventured down the other side. If the garden would not provide a point of ingress or egress, they vowed to make their own, bearing the fourth Lord Dytham's blessing, laden with crampons and grappling hooks, and armed with machetes for the vines, the weeds, and whatever else lurked in the depths below.

But none returned. Whether the ascent on the reverse face was more challenging, or they had slipped and fallen on that first descent, or some other fate had befallen them once they dipped beneath the branches, it was impossible to say. The other men could only ponder, and debate, and guess as to their doom. But they pulled the rope down, after a while, once it was clear that they wouldn't return. Just in case.

The men did not believe in monsters. but they knew about walls, and that they were just as often built to keep something in. A treasure trove was just as easily a gaol. Over time, they came to the opinion that the garden was best left well alone: if it had not been furnished with a door, its builders would have had their reasons, following a careful, purposeful design. Lord Dytham agreed to trust in his forebears. He also disbelieved in monsters, but perhaps his ancestors had. Perhaps the walls had been built so that he didn't have to.

[therealityhelix]

Shards of the Nexus: Distortion Mirror

Multiversal coincidence can be a real bitch.

Song: This Ain’a a Scene, it’s an Arms Race-Fall Out Boy

@cardwrecks​ @captainbaddecisions​

This could not be happening.

Gods, gods in the sky. Prismatic fire blossoming in the air, devouring everything. Hot cast iron, burnt sugar, sizzling sausage.

Lively emerald eyes staring down in last, agonized moments-

Lively emerald eyes staring down in callous bemusement.

Kiwi tang, antifreeze, and all her love condensed into a convoluted walnut shell maze of anguish, grinding away her spiritual scaffolding like a rasp.

Emerald eyes and coffee-dark hair, shorter than she remembered, but his. The beauty of his sculpted face, carved ivory, harsher than she remembered, but his. The wire twist of his mouth, not smiling as she remembered, but his. Undeniably his. Undeniably him.

Her husband had been dead these past eleven years, but this was undeniably him. Him, in all his radiant, arrogant perfection, like he hadn't aged a day. He was looking at her for the first time in a lifetime, the most beautiful thing in existence.

And she couldn't breathe. She couldn't breathe, the duplicitous orm of hope coiling inside her ribs, and she reached out one trembling hand. If she could touch him, if she could touch him, she could make him real, make him live again, and everything she had ever done to survive would be worth it.

If she could just touch him...

He stepped away from her outstretched fingers, a disdainful expression crossing his face.

“Hey, are you dying? If you're going to die, could you do it somewhere else? I don't intend to murder anyone today, so if any death gets pinned on me, I'd like it to be on purpose.”

The voice. Cicada screech at sundown, too-tart lemonade. The song of a hornet just above the head, fine if friendly, devastating if not.

The voice was wrong.

The hope shattered, it's scornful shards pinning her to this time, this place, this reality, this man.

Her love remained in the one place she could not reach. This man was a stranger. A stranger that looked down on her without a shred of warmth or recognition.

She collapsed against the brick wall of the building behind them, trying to catch her breath. What cruelty could allow this? What mocking, multiversal coincidence?

It was some kind of bank, in a quiet, affluent area, employee parking in the back, carefully manicured topiaries stabbing up from the freshly piled wood chips, a fence of almost artificial greenery.

He'd been fiddling with the dials of some kind of handheld device, very much like a repurposed old-fashioned video game controller when she'd popped out from a space between those little trees, and she saw the security cameras power down and back up again.

“Aaand there we go!” He exclaimed. “Security system's mine! Now, you're gonna want to scoot over a bit for this next part. Go on, scootch.”

He shooed her as if she were a dog, still working the controls. From between the rows of cars, a strange machine rolled, a junkyard mishmash of pallets and scrap slapped together in a way that seemed messy, but began unfolding smoothly into a work of upcycled art.

Fascinated by the scene, she didn't move fast enough for this young, ill-tempered Ridder. He planted his shoe on her shoulder and shoved her over.

“I said move, you waste of a skull! Why are you even here? Did you just want to sightsee while you were on your meth bender? No...you're too chubby for meth. So what the hell is it? Too dull to speak? Or is it this?”

He plucked at his suit, a garish green, covered in question marks, a clearly bespoke piece whose ridiculousness was offset by its perfect tailoring and bold purple accessories. Violets popping from the mossy forest floor. Nori sheets and moly grease.

“Ugh, I swear, the smooth brained rabble sees one mask and thinks they're going to die. I'm not going to kill you just for existing. I'm not the Joker. So have your panic attack over there, would you? I'm trying to get something done.”

Derision. Lime juice sizzling on hot pavement. Bitter rue woven into a shield against the world. She could have become like that, had her heart sprouted in more barren ground.

Dragging herself to her feet, she stepped aside, trying to squeeze the last dregs of flashback disorientation out like water from her hair. This was no ghost from her past. This was the future, wherever its winding path led.

And this contemptuous hotshot might become part of it, if either allowed it to happen.

She watched the machine unfold and reconfigure itself, a composite creation of balanced base, long, segmented arm, and spinning head. A drill? No. Something else.

“What is this thing?” she ventured.

“Oh you can talk? Someone taught the monkey a trick! Good for you. Why should I tell you anything?”

She watched the machine, still unsure of it's function. Was it a weapon? Could she knock it over? Probably not.

“What am I gonna do about it?”

“Nothing, that's what. Unless you're some kind of plainclothes cop or civvie vigilante...” He squinted through his domino mask. “Nah. Again, too chubby.”

“You always this charming?” Maybe it was the bitterness of disappointment, maybe it was the flagrant rudeness. Whatever it was, her hackles were up.

“Your ego is meaningless. It's your health, after all. Would you prefer I speak truth, or lie about it?”

“There's this secret third option. It's called Not Saying Anything. I mean, I haven't said anything about your height.”

“What about my height? I'm taller than you!”

“You're wearing lifts!”

“And I'd still be taller than you without them!”

The machine had attached itself to the thick brick wall of the bank while they argued, lights flaring to life on its spinning head. Lasers. It might be made out of junk, but its was a sophisticated construction nonetheless. It burned through the wall, heat blowing from the bricks like a desert sunset.

“What are you after in there?”

He picked at his purple gloves, not looking at her.

“Notably, you have yet to give me a reason to tell you anything.”

Should she leave? This was an unpleasant creature, and the ache he awakened in her was deep as the root of a mountain. But...she was curious. She was always curious.

“Old fashioned bank heist?”

“Are you always this obtuse? What else would it be? Move!”

He shoved her again, as the machine finished cutting, the circle of wall falling outward and crushing it, rather than her. He stared at the mangled scrap for a moment, then shrugged, reaching into the hole and retrieving a small strongbox, labeled with the name Wayne.

“Perfect. Flawless. Exactly according to-oh, damnit.”

Security had finally noticed their lost systems control and come to investigate. Two guns trained on the Riddler, who held his nonchalant demeanor.

“I'm not involved.” Helix said, trying to step away.

“Here, hold this.” he dropped the box into her hands. Startled, she clutched it to her chest. Then he yanked her close and pressed a firearm of his own to her temple. “Okay gentlemen. You know the drill. Drop the weapons, or I blow the hamster wheel she calls a brain all over the pavement.”

The fear diminished into a base note, overwhelmed by cloying irritation. It wasn't just the inevitable betrayal, so much as the belief that he could do better than that.

“Didn't you say you weren't going to murder anyone today?” she griped.

“I said I didn't intend to, not that I wouldn't if the need arose.”

“Ugh, Arkham said you were a pill. And yet, I came anyway.”

“Sounds like you should have listened to your betters. Funny though, how a single sentence can influence the outcome of a situation. Do try to keep up. No really. Keep up. It's time to run!”

Gripping her by the yoke of her blouse, he darted into the parking lot, dragging her along. Neither security guard had dropped their gun-this was Gotham after all, the lives of hostages held little value. Bullets zipped past, embedding into cars, pinging off pavement. He shot back over his shoulder, apparently not caring where he was aiming.

Leading her to a surprisingly gray car, he tossed her in, still clutching the strongbox. More bullets barely missed the vehicle as they peeled away.

“Alright. So. How do you know Arkham?” he demanded. “ And if you met him, how are you still alive to pester me?”

“Notably, you haven't given me reason to tell you anything.”

He turned his incredulous face, and his gun, back to her. She placed her hand over the muzzle. The two of them simply stared, demanding, denying. A game of chicken in which both participants were a touch off-kilter.

“Fine, then who are you?”

“Helix. And I'll tell you right now Puzzles, if you don't stop pointing that gun at me, I'll chuck this box out the window!”

He lowered the weapon reluctantly.

“I see my reputation precedes me. Heard about you too. I must say, I expected you to be less pathetic.”

“You didn't need to 'must say' that. But if it makes any difference...you reminded me of someone I never thought I'd see again, and I wasn't prepared  for it.”

“Sounds like a you problem.” he took the strongbox from her lap and tossed it into the backseat. “But why didn't you lead with any of this? That you knew who I am, that you presumably knew others? Why tergiversate to your own detriment like that?”

“Notably-”

Puzzles pulled over and shoved her out of the car.

Artist: Me

Artist: Verticalthoughts (deactivated)

Artist: @cardwrecks​

[theflorist1]

Transform Your Space with Artificial Plants in Saudi Arabia

In the vibrant and diverse landscape of Saudi Arabia, creating a green oasis can be a challenge. However, with the rising popularity of artificial plants, transforming your home or office into a lush, verdant space has never been easier. Buy Artificial Plants in Saudi Arabia If you’re looking to buy artificial plants in Saudi Arabia, The Florist Co. is your go-to destination.

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The Florist Co.: Your Source for Artificial Plants

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Decorating Tips with Artificial Plants

Incorporating artificial plants into your decor can be both fun and rewarding. Here are a few tips to help you get started:

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For a wide selection of high-quality artificial plants, visit The Florist Co.. With their extensive range and commitment to quality, Buy Artificial Plants in Saudi Arabia you’re sure to find the perfect plants to enhance your space. Plus, shopping online offers the convenience of browsing from the comfort of your home and having your selections delivered directly to your door.

Transform your environment effortlessly with the beauty and convenience of artificial plants. Explore the collection at The Florist Co. today and bring a touch of greenery into your life, no matter where you are in Saudi Arabia.

[lifeinthegladhouse]

im thinking about the few brief moments we spent in los angeles, how scintillating they were, all the grime, and the dirt, the danger, the promises. i never had such big, painful dreams in my life, until i walked around hollywood and wanted to be poor there too because it was better than being poor here, except it wasn't. it was worse than anywhere, and it was heartless. but i have the memories of how every day it's bright, and every night it's never quite dark, because the port lights everything up in LB, and los angeles is like cocaine and a bad abusive lover you can't stop going back to. it always felt that way for me. all the years of 'why dont you just try it?' 'why dont you live here' 'we're your new family now' and then nothing, just, absofuckinglutely nothing, i had never been made to feel so worthless until living there, but in a different way than seattle. everyone in los angeles is in a DEEP state of denial. i dont believe most people there are happy. all the industry people are so depressing, the name drops, the photo ops, the jealousy, the money, the nepotism, the everything it's everywhere. and beneath all the beautiful veneer of money and glamour and rock n roll is the stupid freeway being shut down because of wood pallets catching on fire, or the rats and the roaches and the sycophant fucking landlords and the class traitors of every race and the freakshow of the tourism industry and the heroin and the missing teeth and the netflix building looming red in the distance neon through the marine layer fog and yet somehow despite the grime and the fags throwing up in west hollywood and the fancy horribly opulent topiaries in beverly hills, it was still beautiful. and it broke my heart over and over and over like a horrible drug, bad lover, cocaine. my only friends the dirty ocean and the silent heavy blue sky and the palm trees and the ravens distracting me from rent and my slumlord and my slumboss and my only friends really being the homeless aids community and a handful of fellow fags i sometimes saw and even though everything seems to be collapsing beneath us there infrastructurally, we couldn't deny the full moon on a night driving into town after dodging and ducking and swerving through so many fucking freeways and then stepping free onto the sidewalk onto the street before a show with stories and actors and weirdos and players and all the memories the brief flash in a pan, it breaks my heart because it could never be mine, and for some reason, the only delusional tale i ever believed in as a poor transsexual from texas, was that i could be somebody too, a small somebody, because if i could be a small somebody in seattle, i could be a small somebody in LA, i could have friends again, or smile into the sun, but without seasons and with all the glad handing and lying, time stood still and all the cheap vinyl and battered leather jackets and fishnets and whiskey could never be alluring again because it wasn't real. just a cheap fake attraction. a disaster. not even a crisis anymore just a dying hopeless crushed bug gasping beneath the boot of corporate lipgloss kits. and for someone so rational, so rigid, so moral, i thought somehow, there was a place for me, because everyone that ever knew me, they knew one thing, and they knew that i was meant for and could live in a place like los angeles, but los angeles didn't want me, and i learned to give up the ghost.

[professorlizzard]

Week #45

309. The Scales Of Balance: A statue shaped like snake covered scales. It depicts the truce between the two moons of desolation. Being made by the oil snakes, it also functions as a spinning ride, which they got away with because they said having fun together leads to peace.

310. The Rigged Party: A steampunk night club. Splithalves, velventis, and canopy wolves, accostumed to the frightening forests, frolick among the Steam Sniffer DJs. These robots built by Shrewnies clink and clank, which somehow adds a great backbeat to the music they play.

311. The Sixth Spice: An avantgarde spice exhibit. Researchers are trying to breed a new kind of plant they can season their food with. The ambient strange energy of Hexaspace could be potentially harnessed to grow plants with the VOID spice element.

312. Dried Cargo Shorts: A pocket laden trouser shop. The Notostracan think you should fill your pockets with all kind of fun and useful things. Like cooking implements and many kind of sauces, exchanging the power of stealth for the power of instant grill party.

313. Ice Maze: An ice sculpting gallery. The glacees really enjoy sanding and cutting ice into shapes of trees and bushes, making the area look like a real topiary maze. They also enjoy putting terrifying snowmen into surprising places to startle the gallery visitors.

314. Roaring Row: A series of drab apartment buildings. However, if you look closely, there are flashes of colours, as their is always a Planet Vier style party in one of them. The neighbours here would never report your loud houseparty, as they are too busy planning their own.

315. The Aurora: A park with a constant aurora borealis halo. People suspect this is caused by Yargling's hidden magical powers, or perhaps its a gift by the Azure Court. Crocodilian scientists can't find an answer because they keep just staring it in wonder.

[hawkinswoodshopblog]

Designer’s Corner: A Touch of Greenery

Bringing a sense of well-being and life into your home—that’s why we need greenery. Plants represent life and nature. Studies show that live plants reduce harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and carbon monoxide which improves overall health. Plants diffuse sound and echo in the room, and our surroundings would look pretty dull and lifeless without them. Here are some examples of how greenery can be an important and useful element in your home.

Plants go hand in hand with furniture to fill and balance the room. Add a potted tree in between a sofa and a chair to bring balance and softness to the hard angles in the room. Tall, willowy trees fit empty corners perfectly as well as adding a sense of style. Create different areas in a large room by lining up a few small trees to define the space. Warm up the cold feel of glass and metal furniture by using fluffy trees and plants to add organic lines to an often rigid, contemporary style.

Small pots and sprigs are actually accessories in disguise. Style an end table with a group of interesting items: a lamp, a small topiary, a couple of books and a picture frame will make a great look. Put one in a small vase or freeform bunches of green in baskets on the floor. Small to medium-sized trees look amazing right in the middle of a big farmhouse table. Use topiaries in small pots or vases on night stands and occasional tables.

Find some trendy types of greenery and containers to add life to your environment. If you have a green thumb, go for the real thing. If you want no-maintenance, fabulous fakes can be found at your local craft store. We won’t judge. Lambs ear, maidenhair fern, dusty miller, olive trees, mini topiaries and long willowy stems are all current options. Mix it up! And don’t forget—your choice of containers make a big difference! Try some distressed pots for a rustic vibe, or use metallic or white ceramic pots for a clean, modern look.

Cultivate a sense of well-being and bring your room to life by adding a touch of greenery to every space!

For More Info: -

Wood Dog Crates

Wood Dog Kennel Furniture

[pacific-silkscapes]

Artificial Topiary Trees

ARTIFICIAL TOPIARY TREES

PACIFIC SILKSCAPES CARRIES A VARIETY OF FAUX TOPIARY TREES

Check out Pacific Silkscape's variety of faux trees: Pacific Silkscapes can assist you in finding the perfect fake topiary tree for your decor.   You don’t need to practice the ancient art of Hako Zukuri to have the perfect boxwood tree or artificial topiary tree for your home.  Our fake topiary trees can be small enough for desktop décor or large enough to act as the main focus of a room.  Achieve the look you want with today’s wide variety of options.   Just visit Pacific Silkscapes and pick out the perfect faux topiary from our showroom or catalogs. Topiary Trees are admired Topiary trees are often admired for their artistic and decorative qualities. These trees are typically trimmed and trained into a variety of shapes, such as animals, geometric shapes, or abstract forms, which can create a striking visual effect. In addition to their aesthetic appeal, topiary trees can also be used to define and accentuate various spaces in a garden or landscape. For example, topiary trees can be used to highlight entryways or create a formal garden design. Topiary trees are also popular because they are often associated with traditional European garden design, which is known for its elegance and sophistication. Many people enjoy the timeless beauty and refined style of these trees, which can add a touch of class to any outdoor space. Overall, topiary trees are admired for their unique beauty, versatility, and ability to enhance a wide range of landscape designs. Our topiary trees add an element of class to any outdoor or indoor space, and without the need to keep a landscaper on staff.  Adore our stately aesthetic topiary trees.  If you’re not looking for an overhaul, get that same brilliant manicured look by installing a selection of faux topiary trees with an excellent variety of shapes and styles to choose from. Don't forget the planter! Don’t forget to purchase the ideal planter.  Nothing beats a well-made handcrafted planter for enhancing the beauty of any room. Choosing the right planter will enhance your custom tree while also complementing your décor. Check out our BLOG post on why planters are important. Also, review some of the planters offered by Pacific Silkscapes. Artificial Topiary Trees that Pacific Silkscapes sells:

Artificial Spiral Topiary

Boxwood Cylinder Topiary

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Spiral Moss Topiary

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Triple Ball Boxwood Artificial Topiary Trees What are the benefits of artificial topiary trees? There are quite a few benefits of having artificial topiary trees and plants in your home or office. No watering means not having to worry about drainage issues and getting water all over the place in the process. Replica topiary plants are more likely to retain a constant color and liveliness as long as they are kept out of direct sunlight. Cleaning and care of fake topiary trees are fairly simple. Keep the leaves and stems dusted; wipe down the base with a damp cloth. Leaves can be sprayed with a homemade mild soap solution. Keeping the plant away from direct sunlight will delay fading. Are fake plants tacky? If you’re new to the world of interior décor, a faux plant creates interest without making a statement. They’re a safe way to inject a space with some liveliness. You can still enjoy the advantages of having greenery around you without any commitment. Fake plants also aren’t seen as the insincere statement they once were. Some of the best faux plants today cost $100s. There’s a real art to their design and crafting. The realism brought to artificial plants comes from the hand of the designers and a market has opened up among collectors and enthusiastic gardeners who also have an eye for the not-so-real counterpart. So all in all, are fake plants tacky – not so much anymore. They’re quality-made, realistic, impressive, and an interior design must-have.  Topiary trees are among the most realistic faux plants. Many inside experts continue to note the rise in faux plant interest particularly from the younger generation. It’s unlikely to stop anytime soon. Read the full article

[exhausted-archivist]

ALT

Flora of Thedas: Real Plants

List of all the real plants in Thedas, mentioned or seen.

Additional notes on certain items will be listed at the bottom, for items marked with asterisks, see the Game assets and Additional Notes and Trivia sections at the bottom. Sources are listed at the very end and this time linked.

For others lists here are posts for: Flora of Thedas Master List

Key: * - Name comes from the asset file name ** - Name not provided but identified based on the textures used on the asset. *** - See Additional Notes and Trivia.

General Flora: Flowers and Foliage

Acacia*: Black Wood*

Ash Tree

Aspen Tree

Banyan Tree*

Beech Tree

Belladonna

Birch: White Birch*

Blackthorn

Bluebell

Borage

Boswellia

Boxwood*

Buttercup

Cactus: Pear Cactus*

Cattail*

Cedar: Red Cedar

Chicory

Clover: Forest Clover*

Coleus**

Cosmos

Cotton

Crape Myrtle

Cypress: Italian Cypress*, Topiary Cypress*

Daffodil

Daisy: Marguerite

Dandelion

Dog-rose

Dogwood*

Elephant Ear*

Elm

Fern: Sword Fern*

Fir

Flax

Frangipani

Gorse

Hawthorn

Hay

Hemp

Hensbane

Hero Tree*

Hollyhock

Honeysuckle

Iris

Ivy

Jasmin

Larch

Lichen

Lilac

Lily: Calla Lily**, Water Lily

Lotus

Maple

Marigold

Moss: Oakmoss, Tree-Moss

Nightshade

Oak

Orchid

Palm Tree: Curly Palm*, Fan Palm*

Pansy

Peony

Pine: Chir Pine*, Stone Pine

Ponga Tree*

Poppy

Redwood*

Rose: Climbing Rose

Rowan

Sandalwood

Seaweed

Snapdragon

Spruce

Sugar Cane

Sundew

Sunflower

Tahanis

Thistle

Trex*

Trullium

Violet

Walnut: Black Walnut

Waterweed*

Willow

Witchhazel*

Wysteria

Yew

Fruits

Apple: Green Apple, Golden Apple, Red Apple

Apricot

Banana

Berries: Blackberry, Blueberry, Bramble Berry, Cranberry, Elderberry, Raspberry, Strawberry

Cherry

Citron

Coco, Chocolate

Coconut

Coffee

Currants: Black Currant

Fig

Grape

Lemon

Lime

Melon

Nuts: Almonds, Chestnut, Peanuts

Olives

Orange: Sweet Orange

Palm Fruit: Date

Passion Fruit

Peach

Pear: Bradford Pear*

Plum

Pomegranate

Grains

Barley

Oats

Rice

Wheat

Vegetables

Artichoke

Beans: Bush Bean, Green Bean, Pale Bean, White Bean

Beets

Bell Peppers: Red Bell Peppers

Cabbage

Capers

Carrot

Celery

Chive

Corn

Cucumber

Eggplant

Fennel

Onion: Red Onion, Sweet Onion, White Onion

Pea

Peppers: Green Pepper, Hot Pepper, Hot Red Pepper, Sweet Pepper

Potato

Radish: Daikon Radish*

Spinach

Squash: Baby Pumpkin, Marrow Squash, Pumpkin, String Squash

Tomato

Turnip

Fungus of Thedas

Surface Mushrooms

Field Mushroom

Toadstool

Truffle

Morel***

Spices

Allspice

Cardamom

Cinnamon

Clove

Cumin, Cumin Seed

Dill, Dill Seed

Juniper

Licorice

Mace

Mustard

Nutmeg

Pepper: Black Pepper

Peppercorn: Black Peppercorn

Saffron

Vanilla

Herbs of Thedas

Basil

Bay

Garlic

Ginger

Lavender

Mint: Peppermint

Oregano

Parsley

Rosemary

Sage

Star Anise

Thyme

Wormwood

Game Assets Notes

These are plants shown in Dragon Age but aren't named in universe, just in their model files or through identification of the textures. Since most filler plant textures are just that of real world plants.

**NOTE:** When I mention they are not the known name of any plant, this comes with the caveat of being popular common names. Common names are highly variable and inconsistent. They depend on regional knowledge and association. Some travel farther than others. Common names are also not reliable identifiers.

Acacia: Black Wood ~ Note: Black Wood is a type of acacia. Both acacia and black wood are named assets.

Artichoke ~ Note: Identification comes from asset name, the artichoke flower is used as ornamentation of a box.

Banyan Tree

Boxwood ~ A type of shrub, identification comes from asset name.

Bradford Pear ~ Their fruits are edible, however their flowers are known to emit a smell akin to rotting meat. Identification comes from asset name.

Calla Lily ~ Note: Not named but identified by the texture used. It is seen in Val Royeaux planters.

Cattail ~ Note: Seen through out DAO and DAI, identification comes from asset name.

Coleus ~ Note: Not named but identified by the texture used. It is seen in Val Royeaux planters and in the Frostback Basin.

Crape Myrtle

Cypress: Italian Cypress, Topiary Cypress ~ Note: In terms of the Italian Cypress, in world it wouldl likely be called the "Antivan Cypress" given that Antiva is pulling from Italian culture, food, environments, and other inspirational elements. Cypress is a plant that is named in canon.

Daikon Radish ~ Note: Found on Dennet's farm, identification comes from asset name.

Dogwood

Elephant Ear ~ Note: Foliage found in the Frostback Basin, identification comes from asset name.

Forest Clover

Hero Tree

Palm: Curly Palm, Fan Palm ~ Note: Both palms are seen in the Frostback Basin, both are identified by their named assets.

Pear Cactus ~ Note: Found in the Frostback Basin, identification comes from the asset name.

Pine: Chir Pine

Ponga Tree ~ Note: Also known as the 'Tree Fern'. This is the tree you see in Val Royeaux garden as coming from Par Vollen, and throughout the Arbor Wilds.

Redwood ~ Note: Identified by the name of the file asset. Found in the Winter Palace, Exalted Plains, and on multiplayer maps.

Snapdragon

Sword Fern ~ Note: The identification comes from the asset name. It is found in the JoH DLC.

Trex

Waterweed ~ Note: In real life this is an entire genus not one particular plant. Though the six plants in this genus do share the common name of waterweed.

White Birch

Witchhazel

Additional Notes and Trivia

Morel - This mushroom is inferred due to the existence of Blighted Morel. However it is not explicitly specified there is a non-blighted morel.

There is one unlisted mushroom, its assets is named "red mushroom" and thus is identified by textures. These is not a canon name but is included for completeness. Amanita Muscaria: More commonly know as fly agaric or fly amanita, the red top with white spots is an iconic in its imagery. You will find large swaths of these mushrooms in the Frostback Basin. Their assets is named "Red Mushroom".

Sources

Dragon Age Origins + DLCs Dragon Age 2 Dragon Age Last Court Dragon Age Inquisition + DLCs Dragon Age TTRPG Core Rulebook Dragon Age TTRPG Blood of Ferelden

World of Thedas Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 Dragon Age: The Calling Dragon Age: The Masked Empire Dragon Age: Last Flight Dragon Age: Tevinter Nights Short Story: Paying the Ferryman Short Story: Riddle in the Truth Short Story: The Wake

Origins Codex: The Bercillian Forest Codex: Falon'Din: Friend of the Dead, the Guide Codex: Feast Day Fish Codex: The History of Soldier's Peak: Chapter 3 Codex: A Note from the Honnleath Village Council Codex: Sylaise: The Hearthkeeper Codex: A Tattered Shopping List Item: Figurine Item: Rare Antivan Brandy Item: Spirit Charm Item: Spirit Cord Item: Sugar Cake Item: Swift Salve Item: West Hill Brandy

DA 2 Bianca (Crossbow) Codex: Embrium Codex: The Hedge Witch Quest: Hard to Stomach Quest: The Long Road Quest: Tranquility Weapon: The Celebrant

Inquisition Codex: Avvar Cuisine Codex: Bottles of Thedas Codex: The Girl in Red Crossing Codex: Hard in Hightown Chapter 7 Codex: Hard in Hightown Chapter 10 Codex: Mediations and Odes to Bees Codex: Notes on Palace Guests Codex: The Orlesian Civil War Note: A Baffled Note Note: Betta's Traveling Journal Note: Carta Note on Security Note: Field Notes Note: The Gilded Horn's Drink List Note: Knight-Captain's Orders Note: Love Letter Note: A Note from Skyhold's Kitchens Note: A Note from Skyhold's Kitchens, Again War Table: The Dance with the Dowager: The Allemand

Last Court The Abbess' Road The Anchoress Arrival of the Divine The Dashing Outlaw Strikes Again The Feast is Ending Fires Flames of Freedom Good Neighbors Heartwood Feast The Hounds The Lord of the Wood Comes a-Calling The Next Course The Purveyor of Teas Road and River A Swift Stream Thieves! Unofficial Meeting The Wyvern is Cornered You Can Hear the Bard

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[birchcityflowers]

Artificial plants are not only better for your budget.

All artificial trees are made of fire-resistant materials and are not prone to spontaneous combustion like real trees that quickly start to dry out. Branches on real trees lose strength and begin to fall off. You can opt for the silk plants for sale option in the market.

[icarus-suraki]

Real quick, here's a view of that Sitting Room #9:

(Turn me on dead man) That TV is maybe even more stealable than the first one. That's the only reason I'm posting this picture. Nothing much to see here. Another fireplace, an outdoor hangout, possibly fake stone.

But there is an outdoor shower:

With built-in bottles for your shower fluids. Okay.

Carholes for your cars:

Drr...drr...drr...

Fewer carholes than anticipated somehow. I'm not sure what room those windows are in but it may be, like I said, the fabled "bonus room."

I'm only going to complain about the yard/garden a little:

Because this gate and landscaping is actually cute in a fake French way.

Yes the lawn is basically a soul patch but I hate lawns anyway. I'd use those three stone planters for raised bed gardens. And those hedges are sharp so shoutout to the landscapers. I also like a nice trellis and they have one here.

Trellis, roses, classic French Provincial herbs, hedges, Sitting Room #10 (we hit double digits!). Outdoor shower, if you were curious about the location. But seriously: you could have a cute herb garden here or a few vegetable plants (if the HOA would allow it).

From this angle, it's actually kind of cute. You just have to pretend that this is all the house there is and the outdoor shower is a garden shed.

That gate leads to the family cemetery, I'm quite sure.

Okay. Let's chill poolside:

Jesus Christ the photoshopped sky.

I added some labels for orientation. Pretty sure it's a hot tub in between the sets of lounge chairs. This is another view that makes this place look more like a hotel than a house.

And the grill there is big enough for a pig pickin. If you're from the South, you probably know what I mean. Rarely a summer weekend goes by without seeing someone pulling one of these whole hog smokers behind their pickup:

And you know it's gonna be a good time when he gets where he's going. (I haven't been to a pig pickin in years.)

Love the mood lighting on the little Japanese maple too.

Pool, embiggened:

The land definitely slopes away and it looks like there's just some wooded area they're not using, which is a shame.

Those fountains are either self-circulating or they're aerating the pool. Either way, the sound would make anyone have to pee. (That's what the outdoor shower is for.)

A little further out:

See, it's horrible but the landscaping gets some stuff right. The olive trees, the ivy, the topiaries--like, yeah, that tracks. It's just all Too Much. Also who's sitting on the bench and why? It'd be a great place for prom photos but otherwise...?

Okay, last two photos, now with all spoilers revealed:

Look at this beast of a construction:

Revel in it. Wallow in it. Look there's little stepping stones out from the cemetery gate!

I hate this fucking house. We're done now. Me and this house, we're fucking done professionally. Fucking hell, man.

So here we are at 2029 Giovanni Ct, looking at this beast of a construction with 6 bedrooms, 9 bathrooms, more dining rooms than one would expect, so much space they literally don't know what to do with it, all coming in at a whopping 12,846 sqft (~1193 sqm). Let's go inside!!

Keep reading

[ambiguouspuzuma]

Character study

The man's beard was like a thicket of gorse, more sprawl than volume, less middle than edge. That was its natural state, of course - the writer knew that as well as anyone - but it struck him as distinctive for precisely that reason. In a world of increasingly curated appearances, he didn't see much in the way of nature anymore.

For today's men, facial hair was often a tamed creature: a carefully coiffured look, trimmed within an inch of its life, like one of those topiary boxwoods pruned into a perfect shape. By contrast, this was a garden surrendered to weeds, or the rough heather strewn across an empty highland moor.

The auburn brush ranged from the man's pale cheeks to the crest of his defined jawline, and then poured onwards like a cascade down his neck, making it halfway before it faded into skin. The neck itself might have been unusually long, although the writer suspected that the man's face may also have been stunted - his jaw abruptly jutting out where others would continue on - and it was too hard to determine which was which.

"Can I help you?" The man's tone, on looking up to find himself the subject of such a study, was equally short.

"Not at all," the writer said, a smile on his own thin lips. "I'm just people watching."

"People watching?" He looked around. They'd taken opposite seats in the carriage, one of those banks of four where two passengers could each take a corner and preserve their leg-room and personal space. In theory. "It's only me here. It's going to be a long journey, and I'd rather not be watched the whole time. You'd be better off looking out there."

He gestured through the window to his left, where the horizon rippled into hills and valleys beneath a gloomy sky. Their foreground was forest, and trees raced each other in fleeing their approach, hurtling along the tracks in their wake. It would be the same for the rest of their trip. A suitable backdrop for this scene, but nothing entertaining in itself.

"I'm all good for scenery," the writer replied. "At the moment, I'm casting. More portrait than landscape, if you catch my drift."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm a writer. People watching is more than a hobby, you see; it's research. I observe all the little details, our patterns of speech and action, every imperfection and idiosyncrasy, and use them to make my characters feel real. I like to travel, to see how people react to different situations."

"Is that why you're here?" The man didn't seem keen to have his imperfections studied, but he was otherwise intrigued. Most people secretly longed for their fifteen minutes of fame, and winding up in a novel was an interesting prospect. "A research trip? Are you writing anything at the moment?"

"I'm hunting my muse. Looking for inspiration. I always am, really. Such is the author's lot. Once you become a writer, you cease to become a man. The storyteller cannot be a character. The photographer is always out of frame."

"Actually, they're often in them now," the man said. "They're called selfies."

"Instead, he must become a sieve," the writer continued, ignoring him. "Distilling life into the tales worth telling, panning for gold amongst the dust. In moments of great beauty, or great sadness, the writer will be there, taking notes: observing the emotions from outside, to pin them down like butterflies, stolen flowers pressed between the pages of his book."

"Right..."

"He is the filter, the place where blood congeals to ink, the screen on which the shadows play. The whole world flows through him, and the stories flow out. He is the voyeur, the watcher on his reader's behalf. The man who must transcribe the script of life. The man who puts the lyrics to the melody. The man who translates wonders into words."

"I see." The soliloquy was wasted on its audience of one. Whatever strange creatures a writer had to be, this man was far more interested in whether he might make the cut. "So... have I inspired you at all?"

"You're still just a character," the writer said. He reached into his bag, and pulled out a gun. "Now, let's give you a plot."