#wooden golem

[thewoodengambler]

. . .

He stands there silently, hugging a tree, ignoring the bypassers.

"O_O"

[musings-from-an-elder-goth]

Oddity Filming Locations

"The golem is brought to life with the word emet (אמת), or 'truth,' consisting of the three Hebrew letters aleph, mem, and tav. Without the letter aleph, the word met (מת), meaning 'death,' is formed, and the golem reverts to a lifeless clod." - Wikipedia

Damian Mc Carthy's Oddity is my favorite kind of horror film - the kind with few filming locations. For this film, three primary locations are all it needs, which makes it all the simpler for a scene stalker like me to find them. It only took about an hour to find all three. So without further ado, here are the locations of The House, The Asylum, & The Shop/Flat.

The House

The House in this film is, in itself, an oddity, with it's large courtyard, multiple doors, & Grecian style cupola.

Whenever I scene stalk, I always start by doing a bit of research to get an idea of which general area the film was shot. In this case, online articles stated the film was mostly shot in West Cork, Ireland. While this is technically true based on amount of screen time, only The House is in West Cork.

And when I begin searching for a location, I always let Google's reverse image search take a shot at it. It only finds about 5% of the locations I try, but whenever it does that's a huge time saver. In this case, not only did Google find the location, it was the first hit.

Damn Google - you scary!

If you'd like to visit The House, you're in luck! You'll find it at Bantry House located at Seafield, Bantry, Co. Cork, Ireland - no street address, strangely enough.

Bantry House is a bed & breakfast, so if you happen to be passing through West Cork, you can stay there - although it is a bit pricey. However, The House isn't Bantry House itself - it's the mansion's old barn / stable!

From my research, I learned that they didn't just use this barn as the exterior, but built the interior sets for it inside the actual building - a rare case of the interior/exterior being the same place (another example: The Bronze from the Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV show). I suspect this was the case for the other two locations as well, since this was a very low budget film.

Google street view has several photo spheres around the Bantry House grounds, which I highly recommend you check out as they are quite stunning.

And with that out of the way, let's move on to the Asylum!

The Asylum is a real hospital which is in the process of shutting down, if it hasn't shuttered already, so it makes the perfect place to film, both inside & out.

In reality, it is St. Bricin's Military Hospital located at Infirmary Rd, Stoneybatter, Dublin 7, D07 DC84, Ireland.

I lined up Google's street view as best I could to match the two screen captures above.

This was another case where Google's reverse image search found the location for me, but it was something like the 50th hit, with several frustratingly similar matches before the right one. It must have taken about 30 minutes to sift through them all before I found the correct match. Still, not too shabby, Google.

No such luck with The Shop/Flat, though. Had to find this one the hard way - by thinking.

I could tell straight away the location wasn't anywhere in West Cork, as the building's there are colorful & cheerful instead of somber & bleak. I suspected this location was also in Dublin, & I was right.

I searched for the headquarters of one of the film's production companies, Keeper Pictures, which is at 15 Peter Row, Aungier St, Dublin, & not too far from St. Bricin's Military Hospital. So I started sweeping the neighborhoods near the hospital & the production company - Dublin isn't all that large, as far as cities go, so this wasn't the grind you might think it would be. I quickly started finding buildings remarkably similar to The Shop/Flat, so I knew I was on the right track, & after about 20 minutes, Yahtzee!

Not even a mile from the hospital, you'll find the building that served as both The Shop & Darcy's flat above, located at 12 Henrietta St, Dublin 1, D01 XR59, Ireland. It's not as bleak as it appears in the film, no doubt thanks to some scene dressing & distressing. I don't know if it's a real apartment building, a private residence, or what, but you can certainly stand on the sidewalk and admire it, should you happen to be passing through that part of town.

As it is located on a dead end street, it makes for a great filming location as getting a permit to shut down a dead end street, say on the weekend, would be much easier than any day on a busy main thoroughfare.

Now, if the location is a private residence, please don't harass the folks living there while taking your selfies, or you might receive a visit from this guy:

I guess having a personal, nightmare-fuel, wooden murder golem is one of those quaint Irish customs they keep mostly to themselves.

Knock on wood.

creaturesfromelsewhere 7/29/2024

[bigsillyclown]

A wooden friend ! Custom character commissions for KingofHeartwood on bluesky!

Please dm me if you’re interested in a commission

[renardiererin]

rintarou suna minecraft headcannons

scared of zombies & piglins

creepers make him audibly scream like a little girl when they start flashing

when they added the update that gave the game drowns he went fishing and one killed him once and now he won’t go by the water in mc

can build like hell (mansions and shit you see on youtube)when he is in creative but if you put him in survival he is making a square of dirt and calling it good

makes you do most of the work in survival and he likes to sit and home and put YOUR food in the furnace and js sit and watch it cook (claims he’s a househusband)

doesn’t know how to download mods so he asks for your help and always wants something spiderman themed

wants to put your beds together but he always accidentally sleeps in the side for you cause he forgets so you have to get two different colored beds (he always wants the red one even if you call him boring for it)

doesn’t know that you need a certain level pickaxe to get diamonds so he used a wooden sword and then cried so hard he almost threw up when he lost the diamond

makes you turn on keep inventory bc he can’t stay alive for shit

does not help when you kill the wonder dragon (hides and then steals all the xp)

likes to go to villages and steal all the stuff and kill the villagers but cries when the iron golems come after him

thinks the pumpkin snowmen are terrifying

only likes the standard grassy oak biome and freaks out if he gets lost and ends up somewhere unknown

eventually learns to love the cherry blossom biome but never knows how to get there once he finds one so you have to make him a map

@itsdragonius @satoruzlove @empathum how do we feel pookies, do we agree?

[lightsandsoundgo]

Photos of the three-story set I designed and built for my D&D Curse of Strahd finale session last weekend! At 1" scale, it's just over 18" tall and about 2 feet wide, and features a grid of ~130 WS2812B LEDs under the floor which I used to indicate various environmental effects over the course of the battle.

Props such as the pews and statues as well as the minis were either purchased or downloaded from shapeways or thingiverse, though I did construct the wooden golem made of pews myself and all but a few minis were hand-painted by myself or my partner.

[huntthemouse]

Mirror Mickey

41/365 #hunt the mouse

This one was a very interesting idea/challenge. I think I might do a proper glass Mickey at some point but I wanted to do a mirror Mickey similar to Mirror Kirby/the magic Mirror from Snow White but it ultimately got pared down to this simpler, straightforward take on it.

Which is still fairly strange- I mean, is the dresser thing it's own being? I kind of think so. I think it's like a wooden golem and it's carrying around this Mirror Mickey. That's my own headcanon though.

I am making 365 new versions of Mickey Mouse for the public domain and releasing them under public domain all year long.

You can join the initiative to #hunt the mouse or suggest a theme yourself via my ask box.

[lovelyyandereaddictionpoint]

Trap of Sisters | Yandere Medusa, Arachne, and Shaula Gorgon

The smell of the night forest was sickening as it wafted through your lungs, rapidly pushed in and out as you forced your tired body to its limits. Dashing through the thicket, scrambling to dodge past wooden obstacles in hopes of maintaining your momentum. Speed would be your only ally. You cursed the burning in your lungs and the ache in your muscles as you forged on. 

“A little out of shape are you, (Y/n)?”

You glared below you through the branches of the trees at the weapon, cursing at Giriko who gained on you from the ground. He was on the ground and you were grazing the tree line, it shouldn’t have mattered to you. Just reach the water! Just reach the water! Just– Your thoughts were interrupted when you spotted two golems with Mosquito standing dutifully on one of its shoulders. You noted he hadn’t transformed, hence it would behoove you to immobilize him quickly. 

From behind your ears, the yellow tattoo of the salamander began to move climbing to the front of your face. Flashing bright, as you collected a bubble of purple acid you aimed it in the direction of the golems. They immediately buckled and broke at the touch of it causing Mosquito to stumble and hop in hopes of escape. You smiled victoriously switching your sights to Giriko who narrowly avoided the acid-made salamanders chasing him. 

“Aaaaah!” 

He turned about face frantically carting away from your direction as you continued to traipse among the treetops. Stifling your laughter you focused on the running river just a couple of meters ahead. Without any more distractions, you could make it! Make it to the river. In your excitement you almost missed the gleaming string of silk, narrowly avoiding grazing it as you ducked below. In your haste your landing faltered, forcing yourself to continue your run on the ground. With little effort, you activated your sight, letting your sclera change to a sickly purple you pinpointed the majority of webs strewn across your path.

She knows! 

Adrenaline made your heartbeat and your legs run faster. Hyper vigilantly flipping and jerking yourself in order to avoid touching the sharp intrusive lines of silk. Barely able to breathe a sigh of relief when you reached a clearing; that under a glance of your vision proved web-free. 

“Well aren’t you out of your element? What happened to staying put?”

Racing by you almost missed the hidden soul presence of the scorpion. Smirking without a hint of glee as her scorpion stinger irritated, waved behind her head.

“S-shaula?” 

You darted on, expecting her to give chase. She did not. As suspicious as you found that you paid no heed to her shenanigans. You were so close. You ran some more once again entering a smaller stretch of woods once again avoiding various stretches of silk. All the while hearing her laughter and seeing glimpses of her between the trees. 

“So small…so weak…Hahaha!”

Her condescending remarks grated your ears only spurring you to keep doing. Once again seeing the river in sight. You figured your face reflected this considering Shaula’s telson shooting from the treeline just narrowly piercing your skin; instead slicing your already scraped-up suit. You threw an acid salamander, only hearing a disgruntled moan from her before you sped up again. If was only a clearing away. The river! You once again left the woods going into the small clearing fully prepared to dive into the river. You took one step—

Hovering a second more than you should’ve. Already knowing the truth you let your eyes fall to where your foot was placed. Within the grass was a black vector arrow shining with use as you stilled.

“Oh, crud.”

In seconds you were shot back. Delirious with whiplash you barely registered the same attack shooting you right back into a gathering of vector capture arrows.  That closed in around you as you relentlessly reached for the river just inches away. 

“Well well if it isn’t the little Salamander! I’ve missed you dearly little one!” 

You didn’t want to look up, already feeling the water gathering in your eyes as you recognized her voice. But you knew you had to…otherwise you’d regret it. 

“Medusa…”

“(Y/n). I guess you must’ve been impatient. After all, we all were meeting today.”

She played with her hair, suspiciously squinting her eyes from her perch in the sky. You turned behind you to see a more than peeved Shaula exits the forest. Lightly battered and hair whipping angrily behind her you felt an inch of pride from within you to be able to do at least that much to her. It would be your small victory. 

You smirked in her direction, relishing in her anger as she clenched her fists at you. In retaliation the arrows trapping you curled tighter around you only stopping when you turned to look at the sister responsible. Medusa went from glaring at your interaction to smiling widely when you looked at her. 

“If you were worried about being left out, (Y/n). We would have visited your grotto before we parted.”

Arachne materialized from an accumulation of spiders that place her in a nearby tree with the seating of her web. All to look sympathetic at you within Medusa's trap. Even though her words weren’t accusatory her eyes from behind her fan were; you felt the smallest hint of guilt. You looked away from her. Only Arachne could make you feel bad for attempting to leave your home entrapment. 

Shaula spoke with a newfound glee, “Well in the end it certainly made for a fun reunion.” 

She brandished her telson as she walked to the vector cage. You backed away already prepared to be stung like so many times before. She reached for the makeshift bars of your cage she shook with pain finally releasing in a surprised stupor. Medusa laughed leaning on her back as she hovered in the sky. Arachne too started chuckling from behind her fan and you almost felt compelled to laugh along with them. But if anyone was coherent of the pecking order in this family it was Shaula.

“But yes, (Y/n) aren’t you pleased to be with all your sisters again?”

“We do have to discuss the topic of rotation. It’s been far too long since we’ve kept seen you.”

“Yes, can you believe it's been years since you’ve visited my cave?”

[one-time-i-dreamt]

A ghost was my chiropractor and there was an iron golem dimension with wooden trains that didn’t work because there weren’t any train tracks.

[fox-teeth]

PSA: I currently have really low stock on both the Yiddish Fish Patch and Wooden Golem Keychains in my Ko-fi shop. This is because most of my current stock is reserved for MICE (9/30-10/1/23 in Boston). After MICE, any remaining stock will return to my online store and I'll start planning to get more made, but depending on how things go they might be temporarily out of stock in the near future.

Just wanted to give everyone a head's up because I've gotten few orders for these recently and I figure some of you are looking to bring home a little offbeat Jewish buddy for the High Holy Days.

[storlingsilver]

The Princess Nephis, the 13th heir to her father's throne, on an adventure with her wooden golem, Moss.

[wjbminecraft]

*bangs head on desk* Minecraft fishing/ocean update/mod concept again like what I did here but more in-depth (pun not intended) because I got up at like 3am and it's like 4 when I'm writing this title thing and I have nothing to do for several hours.

Anyone who makes "lol Mojang are too lazy to implement this stuff" comments will be thrown into The Machine™ for a week and forced to watch a video about the reality of multiplatform game development. Also like this is a pure hypothetical and more of a "what I would do if I still made Minecraft mods and could do something this ambitious.

The basics:

Cooked fish are now called Smoked [type of fish].

Some fish species can only be caught based on what biome you're in.

There are new aquatic mobs that can't be caught, but some can drop items that can be eaten. This includes Squid, which have a chance of dropping Squid Rings or a Raw Tentacle.

The ocean is now stratified, and also a lot deeper than it already is. It's separated into the Surface (basically just how Minecraft's oceans currently are, complete with more biome diversity), Abyss (much darker and filled with bioluminescent mobs, as well as only containing one biome), and the Darkest Depths (rarely generates and is extremely deep; contains a new boss and lots of hostile aquatic mobs).

Iron now rusts (over four stages, similar to Copper oxidising but a lot slower) if submerged for long periods of time; Rusted Iron is easier to break, but otherwise the same. Iron Golems can also rust, which makes them slower, weaker and less durable. Rust can be removed by using a Brush.

There is now a designated "ocean" village type, which uses wooden walkways (similar to how regular villages look when they generate on water), and has buildings made out of modified boats. The Villager textures look somewhat piratey, with eyepatches and stripey bandannas and stuff. There are also aquatic Illagers that use a more cetacean-like Ravager variety, live in towers that are connected to the seafloor by an underwater mountain. Also there's a new Illager variety, the Drillager (which wears a bulky diving suit with a giant drill attached, which it uses to break through blocks and to charge at its targets yes, this is a Bioshock reference).

Fishing has been slightly overhauled; while you still just stick your rod in the water and wait, there's now a Fishing Table that can be used to change what bait you're using, which increase the chances of finding rarer biome-restricted fish (more on that further down), as well as a "salvage hook" item that vastly decreases the chance of catching a fish, but increases the chance of finding treasure like Saddles, Name Tags and Nautilus Shells.

There are now Diving Helmets, which offer almost no protection (being a glass bubble-helmet) and require 8 Glass Panes to craft, but allow the wearer to stay underwater forever. If they're crafted with Stained Glass, then the player's view will be tinted the appropriate colour.

More in-depth stuff:

Sharks exist now; they're based specifically on the mostly-harmless Nurse Shark, and - being based on an endangered species - drop no items on death. They also attack small fish mobs.

Underground lakes now contain Cavefish (not based on any specific species), which are blind and swim away from (most) noises, effectively working like a sneaky "tutorial" for the Deep Dark's mechanics.

The Darkest Depths contain the ruins of an unknown civilisation, and are protected by the Ancient Guardian, based on the boss of the same name from Minecraft Dungeons (but without the shard in the top of its head). Also a variant of the Biomine spawns near Ocean Monuments.

Skeleton Sharks spawn in all ocean biomes at night; they're hostile, and move relatively fast. When on land, they don't drown, but being undead mobs they do eventually burn in sunlight. They can also spawn being ridden by baby Drowned.

There are three new types of Coral: Elegance, which is cyan and glows; Pillar, which is green and has Log/Pillar/Basalt-style rotation; and Maze, which is orange and can form Chorus Plant-like "trees" that are topped with blocks of other Coral varieties.

Biome-specific mobs (note that there would probably be more but these are just the ones I could come up with)

Icy biomes contain Seals (neutral to players, but hostile to fish; drop nothing on death have a unique baby design), Snailfish (basic ambient fish), and a new mob called the Iceshell (hostile; a creature resembling a giant Portugese Man O' War, with the "sail" being a giant chunk of ice, and the tendrils replaced by several dangling crustacean-like limbs).

Swamps contain Piranhas (hostile to any mob with 25% health or less remaining) and Electric Eels (electrify the water in a 3x3 area around them when attacked).

Beaches contain Giant Crabs (passive; can be tamed with Seagrass or raw fish, and ridden as a semiaquatic mount yes this is a Bionicle reference; their colours vary depending on the specific Beach subtype, with regular Beaches having red crabs, Stony Shores having blue, and Snowy Beaches having white).

Warm Oceans contain Frogfish (passive; come in eight colours that match up with the five vanilla Coral varieties and the new ones. They don't swim, instead walking on the seafloor; when standing on the Coral variety that corresponds with their texture, they turn invisible), Sea Slugs (passive; inflict Poison on contact) and Eels (neutral; spawn at night and attack smaller fish).

In the Nether, there are now Firefish (passive; instead of being cooked, the player has to right click on a water-filled cauldron while holding one in order to make it safe to eat), Basalt Floats (passive, but dangerous; function like floating platforms the player can stand on to get across lava, but can descend unexpectedly), and Magmateeth (hostile; giant lava-sharks that can set the player on fire just by biting them).

Abyss mobs include Anglerfish (passive), Octopi (neutral; much larger than Squid), Glowmouths (hostile; pale, shark-like creatures with no eyes and glowing mouths), Comb Jellies (passive; deal damage on contact) and Giant Isopods (passive; run away from the player).

There is probably more I could write but I have very few ideas.

[iamamazingmason]

REALLY down to the wire with this one. But (as of posting) it’s not midnight in Hawaii yet!

Prompt was “Golem” (so my mind went GOLEM> STATUE> TIKI> WOOD CARVINGS >WOODEN CARVED MASKS > OGREPON)

Which is perfect because this is an Ogrepon Divergent Evo.

OGREPOM (like palm) is only currently found in Alola. Her mask bares markings on the forehead, which match the colors of the 4 Tapus. Perhaps they are linked somehow? 🤔

(TBH this one was really special for me, having grown up on Oahu for 13 yrs. I love the Alola region games, since they remind me so much of home. And I can’t wait until Gamefreak revisits them one day)

Keen eyes will spot a lot of the things that went into this design. From striking a hula dance pose, to her hair/arms being the leaves of a taro plant. In her hair is a flower from Comfey’s lei. She has orbs resembling a kukui nut lei. She not only has grass skirt, but even has Kupe’e (ankle leis) incorporated into her design.

Her guardian mask is based around tiki statues. With a Mahiole (Hawaiian feather helmet) and Ikaika warrior helmet, inspired looks towards the upper half.

Hope y’all like her. Mahalo. Back tomorrow with another one.

[lady--lethal]

The Heart's Way Home

Can also read here on AO3.

Summary: In a kingdom fraught with whispers of danger and deceit, you, an unsuspecting traveler, are mistaken for the realm’s beloved princess and kidnapped by a band of ruthless bandits. Fearing for your life, you feign the royal role, enduring weeks of captivity as you’re whisked through distant lands. But fate has plans of its own when a shimmering, mysterious figure appears: an enchanted golem named Sun, crafted to protect and serve the pure of heart. With glowing eyes and an aura of ancient magic, Sun promises to guide you back home.

As the two of you journey through wild forests and strange villages, you’re faced with trials and hidden dangers—and a growing bond that neither of you anticipated. Will you safely return to your kingdom? Or will your heart find its home with your enchanted hero, leaving the life you once knew behind?

_____

I don't know how to write summaries. This is a Sun/Moon/Reader fanfic. Please enjoy.

QUICK NOTE:

Hi there! I have no idea what I'm doing with this story and I'm writing as I go along. I also have no beta reader so I apologize for any/all mistakes.

Anyways, I'm going to try and release a chapter a day for this. (I already have a head start on a few.)

Be warned - this is a slow build story with a slow, eventual romance. Again, I have no plot in mind and am just going with the flow of what comes to mind. Sorry if it becomes a train wreck but hopefully I'm form some kind of direction soon. (THERE WILL BE EVENTUAL SMUT! Maybe. We'll see.)

Oh yeah, I'm also trying to keep all chapters within 1500 words but some may go over it. Idk yet.

Enjoy!

___________

Chapter 1:

You jolt awake as the carriage lurches over a rugged path, your body bouncing against the hard wooden bench. Panic floods your senses as you try to move, only to find your wrists tightly bound. The coarse rope digs into your skin, a painful reminder of your predicament. You strain against the bonds, the dim light from the a crack in the wooden door barely illuminating your surroundings.

As the muffled sounds of laughter and raucous chatter filter through the gaps, you swallow hard, your heart racing. How did it come to this?

You close your eyes and let the memory wash over you like a tide, pulling  you back to that fateful day.

Flashback.

It had started so innocently. You had risen early that morning, the sun casting a warm glow over your small village. Excitement bubbled within you as you prepared for your trip to the market in the nearby town. The air was crisp, and the scent of blooming wildflowers filled your lungs. It was just another day, or so you thought.

As you wandered through the bustling marketplace, you marveled at the colorful stalls brimming with fresh produce, woven baskets, and hand-crafted trinkets. The chatter of townsfolk surrounded you, and the laughter echoed as children chased each other between the stalls.

Then came the procession - a sight fit for royalty.

You turned just in time to see a grand carriage adorned with gold and jewels, surrounded by guards in polished armor. You couldn't help but stare, entranced by the elegance of the scene. But it was a fleeting moment of distraction that would change everything.

Before you could blink, chaos erupted. A group of bandits, cloaked in shadows, surged through the crowd. You felt a rough hand grab your arm, yanking you away from the throng. "The princess!" one of them shouted, and in that instant, your world flipped upside down.

End flashback.

As the memory fades, you are yanked back to the present by another jolt of the carriage. The reality of your situation hits you like a cold wave. Kidnapped. Mistaken for a princess. The thought sends shivers down your spine. You're not royalty; you're just an ordinary person caught in an extraordinary mess.

You shake your head in disbelief, frustration boiling beneath the surface. How stupid can they be? To mistake you for the kingdom's princess is nothing short of absurd. Sure, you share a passing resemblance, but you're no noblewoman adorned with fine silks and jewels. You glance down at your travel-worn clothes, dirt smudged on your sleeves and the hem frayed from wear. You almost laugh at the irony.

But as you try to piece together everything, your thoughts drift. Where exactly are they taking you? The road has been bumpy and winding, and every jolt of the carriage leaves you more disoriented than before. How long have you been traveling? It feels like an eternity, yet your sense of time has blurred into an indistinguishable fog.

You strain to remember the details, but the days have melded into one another. You think back to the moment of your abduction, the screams of the townsfolk, the confusion that followed. It must be a week now, maybe more. Each passing hour has stretched into infinity, and now the sun has begun its descent, casting long shadows through the small crack in the carriage door.

You shift again, trying to find a comfortable position against the rough wood, but the bindings only tighten, chaffing the skin around your wrists. Every bump sends a fresh wave of discomfort through your body and you can't help but wonder how much further they plan to go.

Suddenly, the carriage lurches to a halt, sending you jolting forward against the rough wood. Your heart races as you hear the sounds of shuffling and muffled voices outside. You strain to listen, anxiety coiling tightly in your stomach.

Moments later, the door swings open, and a gust of cool evening air rushes in. Rough hands grab  you, pulling you from the cramped space and onto the hard ground. You stumble, your feet unsteady as you're dragged across the dirt. The bandits chuckle among themselves, the sound echoing in the twilight.

"Time to make camp, Princess!" one of them jeers, his grin wide and mocking. You grit your teeth, biting back a retort as they plop you down against a makeshift campfire, its flickering flames casting dancing shadows around you.

As the bandits move about, gathering firewood and setting up their cooking gear, you can't help but feel a mix of anger and embarrassment. You glance around at the crude campsite - barely more than a clearing in the woods - and wish you could curl up somewhere warm.

"Excuse me," you call out, your voice trembling slightly. "Do you have a blanket or something? It's cold out here."

They stop for a moment, laughter erupting from their ranks like the crackling fire. One of them, a burly man with a scruffy beard, shakes his head dismissively. "A blanket? For the Princess? Ha! You'll have to tough it out, sweetheart."

They ignore you as they continue their preparations, chatting and laughing while you sit in the dirt. You can only watch, frustration bubbling beneath the surface.

The smell of cooking meat wafts through the air, your stomach growling in response. You shift uncomfortably, longing for a meal but knowing it's unlikely they'll share. As they stir the pot over the flames, boasting about their upcoming fortune, your heart sinks further.

"Just think of the ransom money we'll get!" one of them crows, his eyes sparkling with greed. "The king will pay handsomely for his precious daughter!"

"Right? The old fool won't know what hit him!" another bandit laughs, slapping his knee as they all join in on the merriment. Their excitement makes your skin crawl. The thought of being used as a pawn in their scheme sends a shiver down your spine.

Feeling the weight of the harshness of your situation you scoot away from the campfire, searching for a moment of solace. You find a fallen tree, its trunk mossy and worn, and lean against it, grateful for the brief reprieve from their banter. The dim light of the fire flickers in the darkness, casing tong shadows that stretch across the ground like fingers reaching you.

From this distance, you can hear the bandits' plans for the morning. "We'll break camp at first light and keep moving," one of them says, voice low but eager. "The sooner we reach the hideout, the sooner we can collect our reward."

You curl your knees to your chest, feeling the chill seep into your bones. A wave of despair washes over you, and despite your best efforts to keep it at bay, tears prick at the corners of your eyes. How did it come to this?

You fight to suppress the sobs that threaten to escape, not wanting to give the bandits any satisfaction. They've turned your life upside down so quickly and the realization of your unfortunate fate feels suffocating. You press your back against the rough bark, hoping to find some comfort from it, but all you feel is the harsh reality of your captivity.

As the fire crackles and the bandits continue their idle chatter, you close your eyes, willing sleep to come. Maybe this is just a nightmare, you think, and soon you'll wake up in your own bed, safe and sound. But sleep eludes you, and instead, your mind races with thoughts of escape and desperation.

What if no one comes for you? The idea sends a fresh wave of panic through  you. After all, you're not the Princess. She's safe back in her castle, telling her father of the bandits that came out of nowhere; no one the wiser that you were taken from the crowd. No family to even think twice about you being gone for so long.

You suddenly feel so small and insignificant in the vastness of the dark woods surrounding you.

Eventually, exhaustion begins to take hold, and your thoughts start to blur. As sleep finally claims you, tears slip silently down your cheeks, a testament to the weight of  your fears and the uncertainty of what lies ahead.

In the darkness, you dream of freedom, a fleeting vision of sunlight breaking through the trees and guiding you home. But for now, all  you can do is hold onto hope and pray it will lead you to safety.

[luverofralts]

Arkhelios Adventures

Dear Adam,

I snuck out with Brion yesterday. No, not how we sneak out after class, don't worry. I just had to get out of there or I'd lose control of my powers again, despite how good my control has gotten. Oh shit, you don't want to hear about that, it's just going to make you worry. Dammit! I swore I had white out here. Well, forget I said that. I'm never going to hurt you again, but this place is another story. I'd destroy it in an instant if I could. There's just so much pressure on me. I'm getting closer to the end of the curriculum they gave me, which is great, but the tests I have to do are exhausting.

I think they can sense how stressed I've been, which is the only reason I was able to sneak out in the first place. The usual magic circle on the floor had the edges smudged in a very noticeable pattern. I don't care if this wasn't the school's actual plan. I need some small piece of sanity to hold onto.

Brion makes escaping at night a habit too, though for much different reasons. With the magic circle broken, I could send him a message via spell to meet up with me. I tried sending you one too, and the message turned to ash in my hand in an instant. Either the magical barrier between us is that thick, or whatever spell your mother cast against me is incredibly strong. You get these messages, so I'm not too worried. All it said was that I missed you (with a hint about what I especially missed about you 😉).

There's this weird abandoned house outside of town that Brion likes to visit. Pleasantview was founded on Old Tredony, and this strange country is just as old. The people who used to live in the house were from Ticktop. We had a quiz about them I think in second year. They were the ones with wooden golems and spells that messed with time. I wonder if my stalker, Reogus, knew anything about them. If he suddenly shows up to kidnap me again, I'll have to ask.

There were all these cool pictures on the wall, like a memorial to three different ladies who must have lived here ages ago. They were pretty cool to look at. I think I've seen at least one of those women in a textbook somewhere at school. Maybe they went to school here when they were my age.

Of course, in a weird memorial in the middle of nowhere in the strangest place I've ever been, there was a familiar face in one of the photos. How the hell did Lukas end up here and when? I'm probably better off not knowing. Seeing them pop up here at least reminded me of you and the life I've left behind. I hope I can come home to bad talk deities with you soon.

Brion likes coming here because it's out of the way of most people. Every one else thinks it's haunted. There's way too many creepy buildings that you don't want to mess with here and this is no exception. No one is alive to maintain the property, but the grass is cut and the memorial is well maintained by something. Probably a vengeful ghost, I think. If I had a creepy memorial, I'd make sure it was able to stand the centuries. The words "the question" are carved all over the wood door like it's some kind of horror movie. There might even be blood caked in the carvings. 👻 it would be a great place to make out at on Halloween.

Anyway, Brion took me there to tell me a secret. He looked really nervous, but he said that he could tell that I was different like him. (That's when I told him that my hot girlfriend, Remy, was really my hot boyfriend, Adam. He looked at me funny and said, "No, not like that." Well, at least someone knows about you here)

He was kinda creeping me out with how intense he looked. Then I thought about how a guy with a secret had lured me out of school to the middle of nowhere in a haunted house. I should really think things through better in the future. I would obviously win if he tried to murder me, but still. I don't need more trouble in this place.

Anyway, Brion didn't try to murder me. Instead, he began shaking and glowing with this intense light. It was sort of like watching a demon form emerge.

Except he wasn't a demon.

I've never seen a werewolf before, Adam. Have you? I've never heard of them in Arkhelios or seen them in Pleasantview. They're really rare. It turns out Brion was born a werewolf. He's adopted and his adoptive parents don't know about it. He comes out to the middle of nowhere to transform when he has to.

It only seemed fair to tell him my secret (I personally think it's more interesting that I have a boyfriend, but I guess being a demon with a dark form is interesting too)

I told him a bit about my family and all the people who have tried to kill me or my dad. He'd never heard of the Great Demons before. Well, he's heard stories of the unholy, evil daemons of old, but they're not allowed to study them or their history. I think anything relevant would be stored in my school, because there are definitely demons here. They're my teachers. It's what I study. I for sure have proof there are demons here.

He didn't scream or anything at my dark form like I thought he might. He thought it was cool.

We swore to keep each other's secrets. His fur looked really soft and he could smell things from miles away. Werewolves are kind of awesome. We've got to find some at home to hang out with.

Maybe Brion wasn't surprised by my relevation about having a boyfriend because his sister seemed to be sneaking out to meet with a werewolf of her own. Security outside of the schools must be pretty lax. Lucky for them.

It was nice to sit outside and watch the stars again. I have no idea where I am, but I like to imagine that somewhere, you're sitting under the same stars, thinking about me.

I can't wait until I'm back in Pleasantview again and seeing you face to face. My dads are coming to see me soon. They're asking me to perform a demonic wedding ceremony for them, just like the Sovereign asked of them years ago. She doesn't care anymore about it, but apparently, they do. I asked them to sneak you along with them, but they said no and that I wasn't taking my studies here seriously. If I can use this to prove to the school that I'm in control of myself, maybe I can go home even sooner.

Love,

Theo ❤️

[kinopioa]

Various Echidna tribes/civilizations (Part 2)

This part focuses on the other half of Echidna locales. Part 1: https://www.tumblr.com/kinopioa/752652998715572224/various-echidna-tribes?source=share

Mushroom Hill

This area doesn't seem to have much evidence of an existing civilization, but don't be fooled!

For one, these passageways are not natural, blatantly supported by wooden columns

Incidentally, one leading to the giant ring that warps to Hidden Palace

Other smaller evidence of a tribe here include...

Rope swings, metal bars. It's fairly little, possibly because the trees offered more than the valley/hill

Though this pulley machine might be Eggman's to extract resources. The site already was decaying from it's lush greenness due to the environment machine (it is NOT a weather machine)

It's unknown if these gliders are intentional, but the area has pits with updrafts

Sandopolis/Desert

A heavily decorated site, we see many pyramids in the horizon, along with fancy brickwork and heiroglyphics. Sandopolis in particular also rests ontop of a volcanic vent

The residents have many ways to traverse this scorched area, including arranged platforms, sand slides, floating conveyers, and a controlled climber's pulley. But the residents seem to be aware of another ancient entity, and I suspect the boss golem situated was to ensure no one goes in there to disturb them

The Hyudoro (literal translation as whooshing creeps) exist as morphing ghosts in the pyramid, growing stronger in the darkness. There are a series of timer based locks and light switches to scare them off, but if one fails to activate them, they grow into a horned appearance and swarm visciously

As mentioned previously, this site exists on top of a volcanic vent in the lower chambers. Maybe it's a way to punish wrongdoers?

Lava Reef/Red Mountain/Hidden Palace

Even more hellish than the desert, this next site plunges directly into the lava

Despite this, it seems the residents here were not only able to survive, but flat out embrace ways to control the lava. Pipes and channels can control the flow of lava directly, along with huge metal borders and crystalline structures deeper in passages. There are numerous tools and platforms to get around

There are also a significant amount of traps and spikes in the area, especially deeper in. This is likely to protect Hidden Palace

Unfortunately, Eggman's environment machine and the Death Egg crashing has dusturbed the area, causing the lava flow to be irregular. If Adventure is any indication, it's still got a ways to stabilize

Red Mountain focuses more on the outside of the volcano, again having systems to move across the site. Though Eggman's industrialism overtakes most of it during the events of Adventure

Still, there are some things not by him that were there originally, such as this prison holding these ghosts, along with skull shaped grave markers

Wonder what they did...

Going back deeper, Hidden palace, the intricately decorated and protected haven of several on the island for the Master Emerald

It's a lot less heavily littered with traps contained in prior areas, focusing more on symbolic imagery and beautiful interior architecture. We have the famous mural that predicts the events of this game

It does get me people are annoyed Knuckles no longer stores the Master Emerald here, but it isn't really "Hidden" anymore

It is pretty though

There's a direct connection with ancient tech to...Sky Sanctuary!

Image limit reached, see you in part 3!

[areeis]

New game, who this?

After leaving Dragon's Dogma 2 with an ending I was happy with I started 1. I've been enjoying this different take on a world with a Dragon's dogma so far and it really feels like a different world entirely. It's only my first playthrough, I still have to confront the Big D and I'm at hour 100 rn (1st playthrough of DD2 took me 143h including closure). There's already things I appreciate like filling in more pawn lore, more hybrid vocations, magic and debilitations. Fights are more fun, especially against drakes. Saurians and goblins are funnier and I like some designs like chimeras and golems more. Due to its smaller size it doesn't reward free exploration as much and most locations are quest locations. I still really like the environments and variety they got. I'm missing the number of convenient campsites for farming and owning a house in the capital, though.

Yes :) I really like the Arisen sitting down on a silly wooden curule chair and instructing their pawn. It's more adaptable than choosing an inclination at the beginning and then manually adding a specialisation and plays more into the pawn lore of 1, too.

I like this nod.

Yeah, good game actually.

Sure, let's just visit the Bluemoon Market real quick...

Pawns are really clear when it comes to combat, but when it comes to quests even pawns with quest knowledge were rarely a help so far. I like a sense of vagueness when it comes to figuring out quests, but in some cases I couldn't figure out if I still had to do something or if a quest was bugged. Escort quests sometimes decide not to resolve right away, which can be annoying, just like figuring out how/where to reliably find certain items for notice board quests. Once quests do resolve pawns not commenting on the quest itself, but on them gaining quest knowledge really takes me out each time. That whiplash is also really funny, though, so I can't take it too seriously either way. Those are my thoughts so far. For now I'll unlock more augments and then eventually head to the Big D.