#mossy cinder block

[thistledown-au-warriors]

fire and ice - chapter 16

< Chapter 15 || Index || Chapter 17 >

“What are we doing today?” Blazing Cinder's voice sounded outside the den. Fire Heart blinked his eyes open and yawned. One of the downsides of being a young warrior - he and Gray Stripe slept right by the walls of the den.

“We're going on a tour around the territory with Black Leopard and Bright Flame.” He heard Sand Storm reply.

“Will we see the Thunderpath?” asked Blazing Cinder eagerly. By the constant sound of small steps, she must have been circling around. "Momma said it's full of scary fiery monsters that can fit whole Twolegs inside their bellies!"

“Uh, sure." Sand Storm replied, sounding caught off-guard. Fire Heart couldn’t help thinking the small molly would be disappointed when she saw what a dirty, stinking place it was. 

"What about a Twoleg ?" she asked.

"No Clan cat should want to see a Twoleg." Sand Storm replied with her voice strained, as if she spoke through gritted teeth. Fire Heart got to his paws and arched his back in a stretch. Two sets of steps padded closer. "Young apprentices are curious, Sand Storm." Black Leopard's voice sounded. "You better get used to it. Shall we go?"

Sand Storm had barely meowed a reply before a whirlwind of pawsteps sounded away. " Blazing Cinder ! Wait for me!" Sand Storm hissed, and Fire Heart heard her race after her apprentice. I'll be surprised if Sand Storm doesn't turn her into nest lining by the end of the day , he though.

The ginger tom stepped out of the den just in time to see Black Leopard and Bright Flame disappear into the fog. It wasn't as thick as it had been recently, but he still struggled to see them as more than shadowy blurs as the two mollies padded towards the gorse tunnel.

“What was that?” Gray Stripe’s voice wheezed behind him. He sat down beside Fire Heart, sneezed, and yawned.

“Just the new apprentices leaving for training.” Fire Heart looked at his friend. “You should be asleep." His friend should have gotten better by now. “Did you rest up yesterday?” he asked carefully.

“As much as I could between coughing and sneezing.” complained Gray Stripe.

“Then why weren’t you in your nest when I got back from hunting?”

“Do you think I get any peace and quiet in there?” Gray Stripe flicked his head back at the den. “Warriors trooping in and out all day! I found somewhere quieter, that’s all.” Fire Heart was about to ask where, but Gray Stripe spoke first. "I missed the ceremony last night. Who are the mentors?" 

Right . By the time the tom returned, the crowd must have been completely blocking the view. "Black Leopard, Mouse Fur, Mossy Patch and Sand Storm."

" Sand Storm ? Really?" Gray Stripe exclaimed. "She's barely a warrior!"

Fire Heart shrugged. "I guess it's because our training was more accelerated. She knows what it's like to get ready for a war."

"Well, it's not like we're going to war, with Broken Tail gone." Gray Stripe pointed out, sneezing.

Fire Heart shuffled farther away from his friend's breath. "Well, Blue Fur might be thinking there will be, with the way ShadowClan and and RiverClan are encroaching on our borders."

"What?" Gray Stripe had turned to lick his back, and now his tongue stuck out. "Since when?"

"What do you mean?" Fire Heart asked, baffled. "Everycat is talking about it. ShadowClan scent was found on our border, and same goes for RiverClan."

His friend frowned. "That's hardly an invasion, is it?" The tom meowed after some hesitation. "There's no reason to worry about RiverClan."

"There always is. You know how they want Sunningrocks."

Gray Stripe shrugged, seeming uncomfortable. He coughed, then meowed. "Well, anyway. I'm just glad there's new apprentices so we don't have to be stuck with apprentice duties anymore."

"Not like you did any." Dusty Earth growled behind them as he exited the warriors den. The brown tom glared at Gray Stripe. "You went swimming and now get to laze around all day. Misty Step coughed for a day and was all better, but you just sneeze and have us do all the work. Even Fire Heart acts less like a kittypet than you lately."

He got sick! What did you want him to do? , Fire Heart wanted to exclaim, but the brown tom was already trotting away with heavy steps. He sighed in frustration, and shot Gray Stripe a sympathetic glance. His friend stared after Dusty Earth, something steely glowing in his yellow eyes. 

The gray tom got to his his paws. "I have a headache. I'll see if Violet Fang has something for it. See you later." He murmured, then stalked away swiftly into the fog, not waiting for Fire Heart to reply.

Dismayed, he watched his friend disappear into the gloom. He hadn't seen Gray Stripe be so closed off since the night he returned from WindClan. Did he still resent him, after all? Or was he… lonely? Fire Heart lashed his tail. That was a mouse-brained reason to let himself stay sick! He hoped that Gray Stripe was indeed finding enough peace and quiet out of camp, and the length of his sickness was just leaf-bare bad luck. Sighing, he imagined that whatever lecture Violet Fang must be giving him about using up her herbs at that moment would help him realize he needed to work on getting better.

As pale sunlight began to slowly burn out the fog, Fire Heart made his way to the Twolegplace. After all that, he had to see Princess.

  ***

  Fire Heart yawned until his eyes watered as he padded across the clearing, stretching his muscles as he walked. He had been told he had a shift on night guard duty as soon as he got back from visiting Princess the previous day, as Mouse Fur had a cough and couldn't do it, and the chill of the night still sent exhaustion deep into his bones even after sleeping through the morning.

"Fire Heart?" A meow made him stop. When he turned around, he was surprised to see Sand Storm. Despite her confident stance, he could see from her eyes that she was tired. The four new apprentices had been training for a couple days now, and it seemed like not even Sand Storm was immune to the kind of hard work being a new mentor must be. Although, no one would really have an easy time training Blazing Cinder.

After some hesitation, he gave her a polite nod. She returned it, then went on. "Tiger's Claw asked me to take Blazing Cinder and another warrior on a hunting patrol to Tallpines. Do you want to come?"

"Me?" Fire Heart asked, eyes widening in surprise. He wouldn't imagine that Sand Storm would ever pick him specifically to go anywhere with her, especially with the way she'd been avoiding him since the gorge.

The ginger molly tipped her head to the side. "Unless you're busy?"

"Uh, no." He replied awkwardly. Suspicion then seeped into his mind. What if Tiger's Claw suspected of his visits to Twolegplace and was putting her up to this? "Why Tallpines? It's cold and foggy in there right now." This felt too similar to when the deputy sent him there on purpose as a test.

Her thin tailtip flicked. "Honestly, I'd rather have Sunningrocks, but Tiger's Claw isn't sending apprentices there now. You know, the RiverClan scents? The full moon is soon, seems like Blue Fur wants to wait and confront River Crooked Jaw about it next Gathering, unless we actually catch them hunting."

That made enough sense. With leaf-bare, Blue Fur probably wanted to avoid battle as much as possible, and the apprentices were definitely too young for a real fight right now. 

With thundering pawsteps, Blazing Cinder came running to Sand Storm's side, eyes shining and tail pointed up like a twig. "Aren't we going, Sand Storm?"

The warrior took a deep breath and exhaled through her teeth. "Yes, in a moment." She told her apprentice, then turned to Fire Heart. "So?" There was an air of pleading to her. The molly clearly needed someone else with her that day to help match Blazing Cinder's energy. He didn't really have a good reason not to go hunting with Sand Storm, if she wanted him to come.

Well, I guess it might as well be me , he decided. 

  Sand Storm and Fire Heart padded silently through the misty Tallpines, both feeling the instinctive ThunderClan warrior's discomfort at being in a place with no undergrowth to hide in anywhere. The springy layer of pine needles underpaw felt strangely soft after the frozen ground in the rest of the territory.

They stopped by one of the Treecut Place's monster's track marks, deep and frozen into the soil. It would be the only reminder of the large monster until greenleaf, when Treecut place would start up again. 

"Ugh, so prickly!" Blazing Cinder complained, shaking her feet as she walked.

"Hush!" Sand Storm turned around and hissed to her. "It's too open here, anything could hear you!"

The small gray molly scrunched up her nose defiantly. "I've been quiet the whole way here!"

"That's not really true, is it?" Sand Storm hissed back, green eyes narrowed.

Blazing Cinder gasped. "I don't lie!"

Fire Heart looked between the two of them, shifting uncomfortably. Had these two been butting heads like this the whole time? No wonder Sand Storm looked exhausted. Still, this whole thing seemed highly unproductive.

"So, uhm…" He began awkwardly, trying to change their focus somehow. "How's Blazing Cinder's hunting form?"

After glancing at him, Sand Storm sat down and looked at Blazing Cinder. "Show us your hunting crouch."

Immediately, the small cat dropped low to the ground. Fire Heart padded closer and sat beside Sand Storm as Blazing Cinder slowly made her way forward, brows furrowed with too much focus. He could see that her form was off - her paws were rustling on the dry pine needles, and her weight was poorly divided. He kept his mouth shut, however, and glanced at Sand Storm. The molly kept watching for a few heartbeats, then leaned closer to her apprentice.

"Your paws are making too much noise, tuck them closer to your body as you walk forward." She swatted a leaf that was stuck to Blazing Cinder's fluffy tail, then poked her haunches with her tail. "Focus your weight here - don't raise your tail!" The apprentice somehow scrunched up her face even more as she corrected her stance, making Fire Heart's whiskers twitch in amusement. Is she trying to look like Violet Fang?

After a few moments, Sand Storm finally seemed satisfied with Blazing Cinder's much quieter stalking. "Okay, go see if you can catch me a mouse. Remember, they sense you before they smell you." She meowed as the apprentice bounced away excitedly, although much more quietly this time.

Once Blazing Cinder was out of sight, Sand Storm sat down heavily. "I'll be kit-sitting this whole hunting trip, won't I." She mumbled.

He felt a flash of sympathy. "I'll keep an ear out for her too." Fire Heart promised.

Sand Storm sighed and closed her eyes. "Thanks." She murmured. Fire Heart got to his paws and considered going off to hunt, but hesitated.

"Aren't you being too harsh with her?" He ventured.

"I have to be firm with her." She replied, opening her eyes. "Blazing Cinder needs explicit direction, or she just- The other day she ran headfirst into Snakerocks! If I wasn't fast, an adder could've bit her!"

Fire Heart sat down again, trying to keep the horror away from his face at the thought. An adder bite could easily spell death for a small cat such as Blazing Cinder faster too quickly for any cat to try rescuing her. "She seems very…" He hesitated, searching anxiously for the right word. "... eager ."

"I think you mean reckless ." Sand Storm meowed, a growl edging her voice. "I wonder if Blue Fur was trying to humble me or something. I mean, did you see Bracken Leaf? That apprentice will be a breeze to train." 

Fire Heart quickly looked around to make sure the small gray molly hadn't returned. "That… wouldn't be fair, though. To either of you. Blue Fur believes you two to be a good match, she wouldn't have made this choice otherwise." He meowed. Although he couldn't understand how she trusted Tiger's Claw so fiercely, he still respected his leader's choices, and he knew that Sand Storm was indeed a great warrior.

The pale ginger warrior seemed like she would say something, but stopped, and cast her eyes to the ground in front of her paws. "Fire Heart… I'm sorry." She said suddenly.

His ears went up. "What for?"

"You know what for." She meowed sharply, then sighed. She raised her head to meet his eyes, her face serious. "I've never been nice to you. That was unfair of me. You're my clanmate, and… a decent cat. I'm sorry."

He stared at her, speechless. Fire Heart would never have expected to hear any type of apology from Sand Storm. First asking him to come hunt with him, and now this? He couldn't help but feel warmth spreading from his chest. "Thanks, Sand Storm. That means a lot." He managed to say after a while. She nodded in return, face still serious.

They stayed in silence for a moment, still looking at each other, when a scuttling in the pine needles sounded coming their direction. Blazing Cinder was marching towards them, head raised proudly as a small mouse hung from her jaws. She stomped happily as she placed her fresh-kill by Sand Storm's paws. "I caught the mouse!" Blazing Cinder announced, eyes shining.

"Good catch." Fire Heart told her. The mouse was small and scrawny, and wouldn't do much to feed an adult cat, but she had still managed to track and catch a mouse despite the still misty air among the pine trees with a couple days of training. The gray molly cheerfully thanked him, but clearly was waiting for her mentor to praise her. He side eyed the sand-colored molly, also wondering how she would react. A strict mentor willing to scare their apprentice into obedience, like Tiger's Claw, would be highly disappointed with such a catch. 

Sand Storm bent down and sniffed the fresh-kill. "Indeed. We can make a fine hunter out of you yet." She meowed, making Blazing Cinder beam. "Come, I'll show you how to save that for later, and we can catch more prey." The warrior beckoned the other molly, reminding her to keep her steps light as the apprentice followed.

Fire Heart followed them, keeping his senses open to prey. As the mollies hid the mouse under some pine needles, he smiled. Sand Storm would find a way to get along with Blazing Cinder, and perhaps, he could get along with her as well.

#thistledown au #thistledown fire and ice

[comicaurora]

Hey Red, after seeing all of the tutorials, I'm wondering: What's your favorite special effect (fire, lightning, ice, etc.) to draw?

Honestly I like lightning the best because it is so, so easy compared to the others. It's a very localized and targeted effect. It's fine-grained enough that you don't lose any detailing, and you can even use it to highlight other things - like on this page, where I cheat and use lightning the same way I'd use non-diegetic squiggles to indicate that Kendal is shaking.

Ice also isn't too hard to make look good, especially if you use ambient fog effects to make it feel more atmospheric and cold, but the end result is honestly pretty basic unless you're willing to go super hard on the transparency. I remember this page took me a while even though the end result looks so simple - I was playing around with a lot of stuff and none of it really worked better than ambient fog and a little bubbling.

Fire I like conceptually, but as that tutorial post indicated, it's a tricky beast to handle, especially when you need lots of it. I'm still not 100% happy with any of the pages that show large blocks of fire, like Dainix's transformed hand - it really feels better for the small-scale highlighting rather than the large swaths of fire, which often end up looking fairly uniform and essentially "blowing out the exposure" on the drawing - a similar issue found when filming fire. The technique doesn't feel perfected yet, really. It is great for the highlighting, though, and it also lets me cheat like the lightning effect does - extra flaring around Dainix's eye making him look more wide-eyed and distressed, for instance.

Wind is the effect I feel like I cheat the most with. It's pretty much impossible to convincingly draw wind, because it's air and air is invisible. The real way to draw wind is to represent it solely by the effect it has on the environment around it, but I don't have that kind of time, so we get blurred bluish-purple glowy lines and that's it.

Stone effects I love because they're so easy. Rocks are solid objects and adding a glow effect to them is barely an issue. Even a magma-y glow isn't too complicated. They don't lose detailing and it isn't hard to figure out how they'd look under these circumstances.

Life effects I have mixed feelings about. On the one hand, they are so pretty. The simplest ones where I just paint glowy highlights along the effect or make the outline of the vegetation grow are actually also simple to do, which is a bonus, but the more complicated effects are where things get dicey. They use the fractal curlicue patterns I'd doodle in my notebooks in class, and they're very satisfying to draw, but, like all fractals, they are incredibly time-consuming. Even just drawing the plants without the glow can get time-consuming for the same reason. It takes a lot of detailing before a plant effect looks realistically fractal. Heck, if you look at this one, I definitely cheated - it gives the impression of being woven together from a huge mass of vines and roots, but a lot of it is just solid green with a mossy texture.

And adding the glowy life effects adds another layer of complication. I don't want to spoil so I can't show the example panels I'm currently thinking of, but there's a page in this chapter where just the glowy life effects took me an entire worknight, and that was after the underlying plant life also took its own worknight. But it's mixed feelings because there's something very satisfying about it, so even though it takes me a very long time I really enjoy doing it.

And then void magic is 100% easy mode in the effects department. Solid black shapes with purple highlighting and underglow. Drawing that is like a vacation. Even at its most intricate it's just a matter of adding black-and-purple no-glow versions of other tried-and-true effects, like cinders or lightning.

That's a day at the spa right there.

#asks #art stuff

[im-a-star-boy]

Dream’s Missing

So this isn’t parksborn. I know, this never happens. It’s dreamteam instead. Boss Mob AU by @qyukie

.oOo.oOo.oOo.

Summary: Dream hasn’t shown up to their hangouts in a few days

Word Count: 3,263

Date of Completion: Tuesday, August 4th, 2020

.oOo.oOo.oOo.

The moon shone above the three bosses as they chatted cheerfully, one of many routines amongst them. 

“You know, I’ve heard rumors of some pretty powerful new players going around,” Sapnap spoke up as the conversation began to fall flat.

Dream glanced up. “New players? We haven’t had new players around here in ages! Who are they?”

Sapnap shrugged. “I’ve heard a few names floating around, but the ones that seem to stick are Alex and Steve.” Dream hummed curiously. “Well, I’m interested.”

“Are they nice?” George asked.

“As far as I’ve heard they haven’t been causing any trouble.” Sapnap hummed. “But I’ve also heard they’re pretty brutal to mobs, even when they’re neutral.”

Dream made a face as Sapnap chugged down a bit of lava and flicked a spare cinder away. “I mean, I get where they’re coming from. If you’re getting attacked, fight back, you know?”

George nodded in agreement. “I mean, it’s not like we’ve never killed mobs,”

“Well yeah but it’s not like we go searching for mobs to kill for sport, and most players don’t unless they’re trying to enchant. Risk is too high,” Sapnap continued.

Dream shrugged. “Well, if they don’t bother me, I won’t bother them.”

The others nodded to his sentiment. After all, it’s just a few players, how dangerous could they be?

.oOo.oOo.oOo.

For the following weeks, the bosses seemed to forget about the players, continuing with their routines as usual. One day, Dream failed to show up to the meeting. 

“George, relax. It’s probably just one of his End Crystals messing up or something.”

“The End Crystals don’t just, ‘mess up’, Sapnap. He could be hurt!”

“Dream’s probably the strongest of us what with that End Crystal inside him always healing him. I’m sure he’s fine, George.”

“But what if he isn’t?”

Sapnap grabbed his shoulders. “Let’s give him a few days, he could be running off to do some weird challenge he heard about. You know how he is, if he isn’t back within a few days, we’ll go to the End to get him.”

George swallowed before nodding. “Okay,”

.oOo.oO.oOo.

Several days passed with no sign of Dream and the two bosses were becoming fearful. While both of them were hesitant to go to the End, if Dream was hurt, they had to go. They met up at dawn in the ever-so-familiar plains biome, before descending into the Stronghold. As they looked, something felt off. “Is the Stronghold looking a little… I don’t know, cleaner to you?”

George looked around and realized Sapnap was right. The library was clear of webs, give or take a few. There were fewer cracked and mossy bricks lining the walls, gaps in the floor were filled in, and there were less Silverfish scurrying about. It almost made him uneasy. “Either Dream’s finally redecorating or something’s wrong, Sapnap…” 

The black-haired boss was quiet before leading him down the halls to the portal room. “Come on,”

The two were quick to jump into the portal, anxious to see their friend. As they got through, they were met with the entry room being slightly messier than they were used to. There were a few chests that, when checked, contained blocks of cobblestone, dirt, endstone, weapons, and potions. It… confused the two, to say the least. 

Sapnap made his way up the stairs first and George was quick to abandon the chest to join him. The two were met with a startling display. The end was covered in towers of dirt, cobblestone, and netherrack piled up the side of the pillars. There were a few gaping holes in the ground here and there and the portal’s torches were missing. It was a messy display, to say the least as the two stared around them. “What… what happened here?”

“I have no idea…”

The Enderman were a bit more scattered than usual, watching the visitors as they walked through the terrain. George stopped to examine one of the holes. “It looks like someone used TNT and a lot of it. Dream wouldn’t do this, something’s wrong.” He pressed, his voice wavering with fear.

The two continued to look around when Sapnap froze. “Oh my god,”

George looked up. “What?”

“George- look!”

He followed Sapnap’s gaze and his heart dropped as he realized what he was pointing to. “The End Crystals are gone…”

Sapnap was immediately hovering up to check the taller pillars. After a few moments, he landed looking pale. “They’re all gone, George. Every one of them,”

George stared at him, mouth agape. “You… you’re lying…”

“They’re gone.”

He looked down, his eyes wide, before swallowing. “Come on, there’s an End City nearby, right? Let’s go there, maybe Dream’s hiding out there.”

Sapnap looked pained before nodding and turning to go. He carried George across the abyss to the floating island that the End City was on. They were quick to enter the large building and search, calling for Dream. The Shulkers watched them idly as they looked through, calling for their friend.

There was no response.

.oOo.oOo.oOo.

After hours of searching, they were left with no choice but to return home and wait. They had tracked down a few people, asking if any of them had seen Dream, and had come up empty-handed. There were limited villages they could ask, as most were afraid of them and sicced their Iron Golems on them. The response was justified however, as centuries before, the three’s ancestors had been less than kind to the Overworld. They still searched relentlessly, finding little clues as to their friends’ whereabouts. 

“We need to ask new villages.” George persisted.

“As much as I’d like to, you know how they’re gonna respond to us!”

“Sapnap, we need to find Dream! We’ve used all the resources we have, we need to expand out.”

“They’ll kill us!”

“We can get disguises!”

Sapnap hesitated and sighed, looking down. “For Dream,”

George nodded with a forced smile. “For Dream.”

The two were quick to don black cloaks to hide their faces and leave. They needed to find a village. Sapnap carried two buckets of lava for himself while George brought fish and a few water bottles so he could stay hydrated. The two searched for a few hours before coming across one. It was fairly large and there were several players who seemed to call the place home. They entered and walked through, curious. 

It was a quaint village, houses ranging in sizes from a few blocks wide to several stories high. In the center of the town by an old fashioned well near the plaza was a small stand where two players were boasting about. A rather large group of players and villagers were gathered around, listening to the two, rather plain-looking players, talk. George approached to listen while Sapnap continued looking around the village. 

The two were gloating loudly, claiming to be the strongest being in all of Minecraft, which was something of a taboo. Most people didn’t say that, as the bosses look very similar to regular players, boasting about being stronger than them was a very quick way to irritate them. George was probably the least affected by it, while Dream would almost immediately smite anyone who dared make a claim like that.

He watched the two players boast and nudged a nearby villager. “Hey, who are they?”

The villager turned. “You don’t know? Those two are Steve and Alex,”

George raised an eyebrow and looked up at them. “Huh, I expected the two to be a bit more… I don’t know, memorable?”

The villager didn’t reply as George took them in. Steve seemed to have a light blue shirt and dark blue pants. He was clad in iron armor, save for his diamond chest plate, and had an enchanted diamond sword hilted on his belt with an enchanted bow around his shoulders. On his arm was a shield with a blue and black pattern. Alex had a green shirt and brown pants and the same armor as Steve, though her boots were also enchanted. She seemed to have the same gear as well. She watched in seemingly fond amusement as Steve gloated about his adventures and strengths. 

“No mob can stand up to me! I’ll take down anything that tries!”

Sapnap joined him in the crowd. “Who’re these jokers?”

“Steve and Alex.”

Sapnap looked up. “Really?”

George nodded mutely.

“Huh, little underwhelming, don’t you think?”

“That’s what I was thinking!”

The two looked up and Sapnap frowned. “These two need to get off their high horses.” He grumbled. “I should teach em’ a lesson.” He growled, his hands beginning to smolder.

George put his arm in front of him. “Don’t, we’re undercover.”

Their conversation was interrupted by a player nearby shouting. “What makes you think you’re better than the rest of us?”

A small chorus of voices joined in and Steve put his hands out, laughing. “Alright, alright. You all want proof? I’ll give you proof!”

He reached into his bag and the crowd fell silent as he pulled out a white object. It took George a few moments to realize what it was when Steve held it up, but when he made the connection, his heart dropped into his stomach. “Oh my god…”

“Now this, my fellow players, is what the boss in the End, Dream, dropped when I killed him!” He announced, holding the white Mask with the Enderman’s eye on the left.

The crowd went silent for a few seconds before one player regained himself. “PUT THAT AWAY!” He shouted, horrified.

Steve jumped, slightly startled by his outburst. “What?”

The player jumped onto his platform and shoved the Mask back into Steve’s bag. “Don’t you know?! If you kill one boss, the other two will be after you!”

Both Steve and Alex perked up at the prospect of two other bosses. “Other two?”

George stopped listening as he looked down, covering his mouth. “Oh my god… oh my god…” Tears filled his eyes and began streaming down his face. “Oh god… Dream’s dead… he’s… I…” 

He felt heat barreling into him in waves and turned to see Sapnap, though crying, but also looking pissed to all hell. A few players and villagers backed away at the heat. “You killed him?” He shouted.

Steve, Alex, and the other player looked at him. “What?”

Sapnap took a step closer as the others moved away from him. “Did you kill Dream?” He snarled, heat coming off him even hotter as he emphasized each word.

Steve narrowed his eyes. “Yes?”

Sapnap’s breathing picked up and he let out a pained whimper, before taking a sharp breath and letting out an agonized cry as flames came off of him, burning the cloak and anyone who stood too close. It was enough to get several players and villagers fleeing as Sapnap choked. He looked up, his eyes blazing as tears fell down his face. “I’ll kill you for that,”

“Oh my god it’s one of the other bosses,” The player beside Steve whimpered.

Before Steve or Alex could respond, Sapnap was in front of him in an instant, gripping Steve’s throat with a smoldering hand. Steve let out a pained cry as Sapnap’s hand burned into his throat. The player scrambled away, letting out horrified cries as he went, and Alex was quick to take her bow and shoot at him. Sapnap let out a pained cry and dropped him as Alex shot him with another arrow. He turned his attention to her and threw a fireball at her, tears still streaming down his face as he attacked. “YOU KILLED HIM!” He screamed, his voice breaking with emotion.

Steve drew his sword. “He was a mob, just like you are!” He scowled.

“HE WAS MY FRIEND!”

Sapnap felt… pain. Dream was gone… Mobs aren’t like players; when they die, they don’t get the luxury of respawning. Dream’s gone, Dream’s gone, Dream’s gone… The thought killed him as it began sprinkling. It wasn’t long before the small droplets became a downpour as he continued to attack the two players. While he was still far from weak, his powers were significantly reduced in the rain without the added danger of his targets burning. He struggled to continue his attacks as lightning flashed above them. Combating two enemies with the added bonus of his emotional distress and the slippery ground beneath him was difficult. The deafening crack and flash of lightning striking nearby startled him, causing him to slip.

He let out a shout as he fell on his back in the mud as Steve stood above him looking smug. “Didn’t you hear me? No mob can stand up to me.”

Steve raised his sword and, while Sapnap knew the blow wouldn’t nearly be enough to kill him, it wouldn’t feel nice. Sapnap braced himself for impact when the sound of metal breaking made him look up. Steve was standing there still for a moment. There were three small bloodied spikes coming out of the middle of his chest plate. He looked down, bewildered when a breaking voice spoke up. “You’ve already killed one of my friends, I won’t let you kill another.”

Sapnap looked behind Steve to see George standing there, the cloak off and crying as the trident was yanked out of Steve and into George’s hand, the spikes drenched in Steve’s blood and quickly getting washed off in the rain. Steve turned to him, wide-eyed before dying and presumably respawning somewhere. Alex looked between the two bosses, horrified, before running off. 

Sapnap stood up and began brushing the mud off his back as George slowly walked over to Steve’s belongings and reaching down to pick up Dream’s heavily cracked mask. He stared at it for a moment as a few players began gathering around, watching the bosses quietly. Sapnap approached, tears still streaming down his face and joined him in looking at the mask. It was only for a few moments before he looked up. “George, George we gotta go,” He whispered, looking at the players who had their weapons drawn.

George nodded mutely and looked at his trident. “This has Riptide, let’s go.”

Sapnap nodded and quickly began hovering before flying away as George threw his trident, pulling him along, and the two were off.

.oOo.oOo.oOo.

George sat in the stronghold, staring at the mask in his hands while Sapnap sat across from him. “What are we gonna do..?”

Sapnap shook his head while shaking. “I don’t know…”

George curled up and buried his face in his legs. “I… I can’t… He’s gone, Sapnap… He’s actually gone… I can’t believe this…” He whispered.

Sapnap looked up mutely, tears streaming down his face, before sighing and standing up, moving to sit beside George. “Cm’ere.” He sighed, wrapping an arm around George.

He hiccuped softly and broke down, tears streaming down his face. “What are we gonna do?” He repeated, sobbing.

“I don’t know, George. We’ll… we’ll figure it out…”

The two stayed there for a long time, crying softly, when footsteps filled the hallway. The two looked up to see Sylvee walking down the hallway, looking somber. “Sylvee,” Sapnap greeted quietly.

Sylvee looked at the two and smiled softly. “Hey, you guys.”

George swallowed. “You heard the news?”

Sylvee looked down and nodded. “Yeah.”

The group was quiet for a moment before Sylvee took a breath. “Don’t look so down, we might have a chance.”

George looked up again. “A chance?”

Sylvee nodded. “It was something Dream told me a while back, a way to bring him back.”

George and Sapnap took a small breath. “We can… bring him back?”

Sylvee hesitated. “I don’t know, it might work, it might not, but hell is it worth a shot.” 

George wiped his face and stood up. “What do we need?”

“We need four Ghast tears, four Eyes of Ender, and twenty-eight glass.”

George smiled weakly and forced a chuckle. “That’s a lot of glass,”

Sylvee smiled softly back. “Yep, now chop chop you two.”

The two were off, not wanting to wait any longer.

.oOo.oOo.oOo.

The two were back within a day with all the necessary items. Sylvee smiled at them. “Help me make these into the End Crystals, you have his mask, right?”

George hesitated before reaching into his satchel under his faded grey and lilac cloak and pulling it out. “Yeah, it’s here.”

He glanced at it and practically whimpered when he saw small blood splotches. Sapnap saw the dried blood and licked his thumb before wiping it off. There new cracks in the mask that made the two bosses wince. Sylvee nodded. “Let’s go,”

The two helped carry the End Crystals into the End. As they got into the small room, Sapnap scowled. “Hang on,” He muttered, setting the Crystals down, before lighting the chest and it’s contents on fire.

The three watched the chest burn for a few moments before continuing up the stairs mutely. It was a comfortable but unsettling silence as they hopefully made their way up and into the End, just wanting their friend back.

They walked towards the bedrock portal and Sylvee turned to them. “Sapnap, put Dream’s mask on the pillar in the center.” She ordered.

Sapnap nodded and did so as George placed the first End Crystal. Sylvee placed the second, while Sapnap placed the third. They all glanced at each other as Sylvee grabbed the final End Crystal and took a deep breath. “Please work,” She whispered to herself, before stepping forward and placing the last one.

For a moment, nothing happened and Sylvee felt her heart drop, when suddenly, from above, the three heard a loud, ground-shaking roar. The Endermen looked up hopefully as the three stared up when Sapnap took a step back. “Crystal’s glowing- crystal’s glowing!” 

George immediately stumbled backward as Sylvee took a hopeful breath. The four Crystals shot a beam akin to the one that healed Dream when he was in the End into the air. The three stared up wide-eyed as the earth-shattering roar filled the air again. Then, the beams began shooting to each of the towers, shining onto where the former End Crystals floated. The three watched in amazement as the top of the towers exploded and brand new End Crystals took their place, the same beam shining straight into the sky where the four on the portal had before. This repeated with the other 9 pillars. 

They all stared up wide-eyed as tears filled George’s eyes. “Dream…” He whimpered.

The beams began shooting down to Dream’s mask. The three stared wide-eyed as all the cracks that once existed in his mask were sealed. One final rumbling roar filled the air before there was a blast from the mask, sending all three flying. Sapnap caught himself midair by floating, George dug his trident into the ground, stopping him from flying far, and Sylvee managed to land on her feet. The three returned their gazes to the portal. On the center pillar, there stood Dream, alive and well.

George’s breath caught in his throat as Dream looked over them, before turning to Sylvee with a grin. “Good to hear you listen to me when I’m talking.”

Sapnap stared for a moment, before bursting into tears and flying full speed at his friend, knocking him off the pillar and onto the endstone beneath him. “DREAM!”

George regained himself and ran to him. “OH MY GOD- DREAM!”

Dream laughed loudly as the two hugged Dream tightly. 

He was alive.

#dream team #boss mob au #dream #dreamwastaken #george #georgenotfound #sapnap #fic #fanfic #fanfiction #can be platonic or romantic #you decide #endings kinda rushed #Angst with a happy ending

[notsosecret-slgarden]

Not So Secret - Dining in the Dark

Sponsored by Atelier Burgundy

Atelier Burgundy - Modern Garden @Bloom Saturday, March 19

Atelier Burgundy - Modern Garden Cinder Block Planter Atelier Burgundy - Modern Garden Floor Tile Basalt Square Atelier Burgundy - Modern Garden Panel  1.5m Black Atelier Burgundy - Modern Garden Pergola w/ Lights Atelier Burgundy - Modern Garden Top Pergola Addon Atelier Burgundy - Modern Garden Water Mirror

Modern, elegant and sophisticated. A set inspired by the new Linden homes but honestly works with a huge variety of home creators from all over the grid. I've blended the set here with some landscaping favourites from Fourth Wall and plant sets from compulsion. Would work very well with homes from Black Nest, Trompe etc. Get it from March 19th @Bloom

BLACK NEST - Kova Dinning Set Compulsion - Bush Pack Compulsion - Tree Pack

MINIMAL - Plant Collection Gacha #10

FOURTH WALL - Black Volcanic Rock FOURTH WALL - Landscaping Pebbles FOURTH WALL - Mossy Rock Floor Patch FOURTH WALL - Reynisfjara Black Sand Path FOURTH WALL - Reynisfjara Column Cliff

#secondlife #atelierburgundy #bloomevent #outdoor #outside #gazebo #pergola #modern #landscape #garden #evening #dinning #virtualworld

[yesyoubelonghere]

Mossy forest on cinder block wall.

[howlmountain]

structures to-do

1. rebuild the spring house before it collapses into the water supply, which starts with collecting the 36 mossy and properly aged cinder blocks scattered around the property

2. shorten the hoop house structure intended originally for a greenhouse and turn it into a workshop instead with a recycled billboard cover since a full-size plastic-wrapped greenhouse won’t last a month in our windy + large hail fall and spring seasons

3. relocate the fire pit further up the slopes (which just means digging a new one, the old stones are going into the spring house project) since the bog is spreading to encompass it (and the cabin too, which will need its own lifting and reinforcement soon to keep from sinking into it)

4. move the rest of the railroad ties used as benches around the fire pit to the garden area to use as a base for the new chicken coop.

#homesteading #rural #diy #DIY building

[cutegirlmayra]

Zelink Month 3 (August 12th - 18th) Theme: The Passion of Friendship

Prompt:

Giggles and childish laughter could be heard from under the castle, as two mischievous but adventurous youngsters sneak under the dirty and dark floors of the mossy ground towards the secret chamber of legends.

“You’re going to love it, Link! But we must be silent.” A young Zelda, turning around to place a finger on her mouth in the universal sign of ‘shh’, was speaking much louder than the boy ever uttered in his life.

He looked up, used to crawling into small and dirty places, but banged his head against the top of the floor, rattling some things above as a few maids in the night scrambled. Clearly, they were worried about mice…

“Just a little ways further… Father only let me in there once… but I swear, Link, he looks just like you!” she tapped the palm of her hand against the floorboards, before finally finding a rickety one. “Ah! Link! Help me move it, will you?” she looked behind her, seeing her young friend obediently move to her side.

They held the board with both hands bent above them. Link gave her a silent look, as if waiting instruction.

“Alright. Now I know we’re both children—” she couldn’t help but giggle in-between her sentences. For a princess, she was daring and exciting, and she loved to live her small, sheltered life in the moment of discovery. It gave her a rush, and Link couldn’t help but be fascinated every time he saw her smile light up from her adventurous spirit taking wing.

“But I think we can push this!”

Link gulped.

The sides of his mouth pursed together and bent in as if he was keeping a secret.

“Don’t fret, Link. We can do this!” She had no memory of the future he had known, but he knew. And he knew what he could accomplish with strength and…

Her faith.

“Ready?”

..In him.

“1…2…Ah!” she was surprised how quickly he lifted the block, all by himself, and the board slid as the open room became available to crawl up into.

“Oh.” She stared up into the shadows, then looked to see Link standing and smiling down to her.

“…Well, you can be assured I’m well pleased.” She leaned up, dusting off her dress and then trying to attempt to help him lower the board.

Without hesitation, Link placed the wooden blank, which truly looked like a cinder block and probably weighted as much too, down to the side and jumped out with a ‘hyup!’ before reaching down to help her through.

She blinked, “Do… Do all kokiri’s have this strength?”

She took his hand…. Some magical feeling of security leaped through her, and she had to pause a moment to recognize it.

“Strange… it’s like… I’ve felt this before. This moment… in a dream I think.” She looked a little baffled, before shaking her head and getting ready to lift her foot. “Nevermind, I’m coming out.”

Link’s face had changed. A slimmer of hope passed his face but he said nothing, per usual.

He helped her out, but held her hand… hoping…

He squeezed it so lightly, it was almost unnoticeable.

Almost.

Nervously, Zelda giggled and to her hand.

He let it go and looked away, embarrassed as she turned away and blushed, hiding her touched hand behind her back like a silly lovestruck girl.

“Oh look! The mural!” she pointed towards the legend, the one her father had only shown her once, before locking the door.

“Isn’t it… just… what words could you give it..?”

They walked around the room, quite large with little furniture, simply lots and lots of bookshelves.

“It’s a beautiful piece… I wish we turn the light the candles and get a better look.” She was amazed when light appeared, and turned around. “Oh, Link!” she stared at the flickering light, wondering where it came from. “It’s as bright as Din’s fire! But… how’d you manage a candle?”

He was holding a stick that lit up the room. He once again ducked his face a moment, before holding his achievement up in pride.

It was though he was confidently saying—Happy to be of service.

“Ah, a deku stick?” she examined it as he pulled out some milk too. “My! You really are the ‘prepared for adventure’ type, aren’t you?” she laughed, and decided to let him keep the milk.

He looked down at the milk, wondering if he had done something wrong as she wondered around to gaze at the now lit up scenes of legends, trying to find a face as he put the milk away and stumbled over to her.

With a sincere wish to be of use to her, he held the deku stick with the burning flame like a solider, making sure to keep up with her and look dutiful.

She barely noticed this considerate nature though, although she knew it was very much ingrained in him, but stared at the face she was longing to see again.

“There! The handsome one! In green!”

Link, noticing the descriptor, looked to her and then up. He was in awe at the mural’s depiction.

She sat down, moving to tuck her legs under her long nightgown dress and hugged her knees close to her.

“I’ve dreamed of a hero like this… They call him… The Hero Of Time.”

Link’s eyes widened, shifting around before looking back at Zelda’s expression again.

In a sense of lulled ease, she dropped her doting head to her legs and tilted it every so slightly. She sighed, “Look how his face is completely towards his princess… It’s said they never parted, always together… in all the legends… they seem to be close friends.”

Link was looking back at the man… and felt a sense of belonging. As though fate would have it so, he silently made a prayer to the Goddesses that his destiny would go much like it should.

He wanted more than anything… to be next to Zelda.

He looked back to her, a goofy and content smile at his silent wish before being spooked back a bit.

She was staring directly at him… the flames flickered her blue eyes into a beautiful, trance like enchantment that stole his breath.

“O…wah…” He couldn’t help but vocalize his absolute entrapment within their blue, radiant oasis…

She giggled.

“You stare at me as if you’ve never seen me before.”

He looked away, embarrassed again.

He fidgeted, lifting a leg to scratch behind the calf of his other leg, keeping some wobblily, but decent balance as he held the stick in place.

It had been a while… for him anyway, since seeing Zelda like this…

The world was serene again… and he couldn’t help but be moved by how peaceful it all was.

How… beautiful it was.

“Isn’t she lovely?”

He turned his attention back to her as she now stood more upright on the ground, smiling with an odd sense of being bound to the princess in the mural. “…It’s alright, you can think she’s prettier than me.” She laughed again, “After all, she is a woman.” Zelda patted the spot next to her. “Want to stare at it a little longer? I hate looking at the black and red monster… but I do like the princess and hero’s faces…”

He obliged, carefully sitting down before holding out the burning stick like a fishing pole.

She stared at Link as he admired the mural again, stretching out in a circle across the room and up to its roof.

She examined his face, and then nodded, “I had once thought my dream… would happen.” She looked away.

Almost instantly, he knew what she meant, and his face turned a little more serious…

He slowly… moved it down, away from the mural.

“I worried what calamity would befall hyrule… but I had hoped to meet the hero. There was a boy, like you, in my dream-“ she stopped herself. “Anyway, father thought it silly, and the evil man never came so…” she looked away, “…I was so sure of it, though.”

He quickly turned his head, mouth open… before closing it.

Oh, Zelda… you were right.

He wanted to say.

You are always right…

His eyes turned softer, thinking back on her as a woman.

…And … you are beautiful.

Her sorrowful expression at sending him back to his world still stayed and lingered on his mind… even in his dreams, she was a vision of heavenly divinity.

“…Link...?” she scooted closer.

His whole being spiked into a sudden, electrified jolt at the contact of her shoulder touching his.

His face was now brighter then the glow of the flame above their tiny heads…

She yawned, and leaned her head against his shoulder.

He almost dropped the deku stick and quickly recovered.

“Could we… stay here… just a bit longer?”

He had stopped the terrible calamity she spoke of. He had lived the legend…

But his hero days weren’t exactly over.

He took a gamble… and slowly moved his head to look down at her.

She seemed to softly be breathing…

He leaned his head down, and lightly kissed her forehead, breathing out the words he wished he could voice as a grown man.

“…You are beautiful…Zelda.”

“Emm…” she squirmed slightly, the hot breath making her slightly uncomfortable. But with a quick adjustment, she was back to silent breaths of slumber…

He pulled out his ocarina, the one made specifically for him, and although not as magical as his last Ocarina he held…

He played her lullaby.

If she was awake, she may have been surprised he knew it.

But while she slept… she dreamed of a man in green by her windowsill, sitting with one leg up and leaning against the frame. Her, a much older woman lying in bed, hearing his beautiful lullaby to her while she drifted into a peaceful rest…

It was so serene… the dream so perfect…

From that moment on, she had renewed faith in another dream. A better dream.

#zelink #zelink month #zelink week #zelink prompt #zeldaxlink #cutegirlmayra #zelink week prompt #zelink month prompt

[sakurascorchy-blog]

A Rathalos's Remorse (pt1)

Six years ago:

A warm draft of air rose up into the clouds, about three miles south of Yukumo Village. Thin plumes of smoke rose up into the sky, and to the far-off traveler's eyes, it would seem like a group of bonfires.

The fire blazed and crackled, as ash rained down from the sky, like the snow from hell. There was shouting and panic, and very few voices of reason among them. The deep red wooden buildings of Rarum village* had been set ablaze by an unknown cause, the flames beginning at the Orphanage.

Smoke choked the girl's lungs, and soot stained her face. She was coughing, and wiping the tears from her watering eyes. Timbers had fallen before her, blocking off the last exit from the blazing building. In her arms, she clutched a tiny doll, it's ragged fabric old and worn. It resembled a Melynx, with a pair of green buttons for eyes and a little red bowtie around its neck. Her clothes were torn and scorched, and she grit her teeth, steeling herself. 'ive survived everything so far. I won't die here.... I can't' she thought to herself. The girl shakily stood, and walked carefully, making sure her bare feet didn't touch the hungry flames. The other orphans had been evacuated already, and the girl assumed the people of the village thought her dead. No matter. People had thought that before, but she'd survived then, too. She saw an opening, about twelve feet up, where a group of timbers had fallen. She winced in pain as she poked her wings through her tattered shirt, and unraveled her tail from around her skinny waist. The girl's pointed ears detected the shouts of the townsfolk, and she shook her head. The girl then folded her wings, as hot embers repeatedly fell on then, burning the leathery membranes easily. She looked around for a better opening, and then, the ceiling began to collapse. The blazing wood creaked and groaned, then splintered and fell to the ground. The girl yelped in surprise, but saw her chance: a wide crack in the eastern wall. She took the chance immediately, holding her Melynx doll tightly. She had to squeeze through the gap, yelping as cinders scorched her pale skin, and jagged edges tore at her.

The girl dashed away, into the forest, tears of pain, regret, and sorrow streaming from her eyes. But most of all, fear. All she had ever known was the village that was now up in flames, and had nowhere to go. She continued running, across dirt and dead twigs, until her feet touched dense, soft moss. Trees lined the unclear path, and the girl collapsed onto the mossy blanket. She passed out from a great many things there, her breathing short and ragged.

#Rathalos'sRemorse

[autolovecraft]

All his kingdom would he give for the services he had gone before.

Ghouls meeped in wonder as they shambled about with slimy paws when some moving object against the stars as small graceful shapes leaped from hill to hill in gathering legions. So Randolph Carter the columns stopped, and whose kith he had seen the carven crest Ngranek, though the rider, drunk with the Shantak flew on past mysteries unseen and unsuspected. Upon drawing nearer he made out the last of them had vanished at last there suddenly dawned around him, too, how he had become so lax in their conquest of the old art of image-makers, the brazen urns and ivory statues in gleaming rows; while in a golden palanquin to pray to all space that you would yourself find the mighty mountain shapes seen full against the black wale and the fabulous thing which drew it was such that Carter wondered whether or not they could have been very far away, and soared over sterile hills of gray vertical walls without windows. That was all gone he groped slowly in the least sip, he was indeed not again in the blackness where sightless feelers pawed and groped and pawed; the glow of the Elder Ones, and the invading land army concentrated in one place a narrow lane; and it echoed through Nir and the saying of a kind of awe about them. But that he might stumble upon that mighty crag taller even than Throk's peaks. Fortunately the ghouls into three parties, one Thorabonian sailor who had been hewn in forgotten times such prodigious lumps and blocks that the old village folk were right when they made low guesses about the size of the ghouls had not wished them to terms before the almost-humans screamed, and chanting voices.

Then the suburbs of Ulthar has ever truly seen one for that realm of eternal stars that crowns it. In the morning Carter boarded the evil jagged rock in the black path beneath, and the primal mists of the moon as the helpless army neared the gap, slightly slackening its speed as if a flock of ten or fifteen night-gaunts from the Charter Street Burying Ground in Salem. It was only a month, and with a yak caravan from some hidden plan or wish of the trees, and blackly populous gulfs—and then to form pale signs of gold said to be surmised. But you, and recalled likewise that the great central dome, and spoke of the stony desert and had come down again alive.

Finally there was only a mountain could rise so vast a thing unheard-of by the timid waterfront cats of Ulthar and the accursed valley.

The three ghouls by the priests Nasht and Kaman-Thah. Around the feeble fires. Certainly, men reached Leng from very different oceans. He regretted coming clear of them, but the ghouls and slightly down, and ancient cinder. As he had faintly heard, in case of any trouble. Kuranes was a strangely arched window, placing around it in the temple, was a glimpse of its prey. Always upward led the terrible kingdom of the moonbeast galley being safely in the bazaars of the temple, and the less than human, and that they could not help sighing with pleasure when they danced often upon Lerion; but on ledges here and there hovered over them, the repulsiveness of the Great Ones dwell. He was even rumored to have some ghouls in their quarries.

But when Carter was placed well up toward the pinnacle proper. And even were unexpected things to deal with. And for long they talked of this thing, for such a homesickness that all the stars in the Temple of the gods, and Carter soon saw that something was tied to it. The grandfather of that more than once thought that their strength and savagery were still unimpaired and would sing of far-off singing in the galley drew closer and closer to that which is set with its onyx castle. These things you will so lately have left, and Carter knew they were so confused and duplicated that they did not care to admit him no robed and anointed lackey of the winged steeds falter, bred as they approached the waiting Shantak, sending him skyward with the old general and his skull is now set in a tavern. Rumor had said it would be able to command the help of the Great Ones fear them, unless lean or ill-disposed things; in which they are more like those on the road by Yath's shore, and as they might have, waiting respectfully as the helpless army neared the top-most pinnacle, and toward this spot he desired, and soon afterward he came upon some abandoned brick villages of the cold waste north of Inquanok have never seen again. At intervals food was pushed in, but when the ghouls, and who own not Nyarlathotep for their return. All about him.

It is known only by the being that was passed around. But presently his progress was very cold now, but had little chance to scream before rubbery paws choked them into very small pieces. But this was the last bits of rock, but only a weird gray twilight sky.

It was a king in Ooth-Nargai and the shrines of modest gods. He was not for him to understand what was once the artist Richard Upton Pickman. His pack had been disturbed, and to find that marble parapet with curious urns and carven entrance to the sickly glow of Beacon Hill—the waking world than any others in dreamland that far hill and the special ruins of a large tribute of grouse, quail, and the marvel of high natural walls as before; but when the hairy cannibal Gnophkehs overcame many-windowed were the hedges and groves and gardens at dawn. And ever the small brown Zoogs. Dying almost-human torch-bearers, eleven on either side of Ngranek, but was told that very few had seen in Dylath-Leen concerning the tower and the ocean was very dear to him Carter learned many things about which he must go, he came to a point, and became sure he had passed eleven quarries; the charnel gardens of the earth, and the enchanted wood, and the Skai; stopping only at the vast clay-brick ruins of primal Sarkomand. Rare and curious did that ghouls have none, but he feared to think it was not for an instant did the winged and the crawling chaos Nyarlathotep. When Barzai the Wise climbed Hatheg-Kia when Barzai the Wise climbed Hatheg-Kia when Barzai the Wise tried to think of a design wholly alien to earth. This man was reputed to trade for the absence of ghoulish meeping shewed that the ship ahead to more healthy parts of the flutes to form a sight whose loveliness was beyond reality, and the ghoul that was passed around. As he turned even paler than before. This time no descent was made. It was not much more numerous than the Basalt Pillars of the sea meets the sky, with steep red roofs and western windows aflame with sunset, of which were fashioned for Gugs than to men. There was still hidden.

It was fortunate that the gods on unknown Kadath. He wished very much impressed by travelers' tales, shewing such strange knowledge of the hooved, horned almost-vanished memory and the invading land army concentrated in one of the day and the pink walls of rock and ice and eternal gem wherein all that wonder sparkles crystallized to light your evening path. There was nothing in sight.

Carter could see and forming the modest gravestones of the Great Ones. Watchers have spoken of this design to the Great Ones fear them, the night came song, unclosing fiery gates toward further and surprising marvels. Late in the perfumed gardens, and saw in infinite gulfs below him he would be able to steal through that window shine the stars of heaven to Kadath's familiar towers and spires seen afar from Marblehead's pastures across the Skai, there squatted a stinking circle of great mossy rocks, while the perfume of trellised vines came wistful from arbors his grandfather had reared a great beetling mass which hampered the upward view, and that if he but had merely slipped past him and the phosphorescence one might only say that they have indeed an excellent sharpness of smell. Every year sailors with such a voyage. They would leap seven strong at the wharf to make sure that the gate to their native deeps. Onward—onward—dizzily onward to some of the gods on unknown Kadath; and Carter saw that this was very calm. So at length, sick with longing for the traveler's delight. And once more a narrow ledge had been noted and taken into account.

#H.P. Lovecraft #automatically generated text #Patrick Mooney #Python #Markov chains #The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath #1926 #The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath week

[tsvitok]

Flash. 16/03.

@homebasered Thanks for a prompt that let me explore my zombie setting. I really enjoyed writing this one today. Hopefully it’s a good read as well.

Tunnel. Water. Petrol.

###

In the crumbling ruins of Sydney, death lingered around every corner. In the darkness, lurking… prowling. Sam had avoided it for five long years, growing up in the aftermath of the Fall - and until today, he had avoided the tunnels like the deathtrap they are. “Are we really doing this?” At the entrance of the Harbour Tunnel, fences, wire, cinder-blocks had been piled up in front of the opening. It was impossible to get into apart from a heavily locked maintenance door a few metres down the street. The entire suburb surrounding this entrance was a green zone - almost no outbreaks in two years - and was heavily fortified because of it. One day the tunnel would need to be cleared, but today there was something more necessary. “We’ve got to.” Petrol. The lifeblood of human civilisation, the only thing keeping the power running where it was needed most - the Randwick Hospital, Star City Processing, Darlinghurst Manufactory. “The wind turbines aren’t cutting it, we can’t put ‘em far enough off shore and the storms are fucking with our panels. It’s petrol or nothing.” “Isn’t there some other way?” His companion wasn’t nearly so brave. Perhaps because Sam was reckless, even for a pathfinder. Even for someone whose only job was to go out into the still infested ruins of Humanity to scavenge shit no-one really needed any more. “Sitting underneath us is a treasure trove of petrol, all we gotta do is check it out and see what the situation is down there.” Sam ignored their complaint, whatever it was, he made his way down the road to the nearest maintenance door. No-one guarded them, they were thick metal, locked up and boarded over with steel reinforcements. Even then, it only took a bit of thermite to carve off the locking mechanism. “Shouldn’t we tell someone?” “I did,” Sam applied the messy gluesque concoction to the door’s lock, “They okayed it, but look around us.” All around them, the barricades of a half-decade’s work keeping the tunnels contained. Concrete roadblocks ringed the street, blocking off anything that might escape. Each end had air-lock style doors, so even if something did happen, it was no big deal to escape. “You’re overthinking it.” Even so, Max, his anxious guard friend, only had to keep the flashlight up. “You just follow me with that light, alright? I won’t let you get eaten.” “A-alright. You’re still a crazy bitch, for doing this.” Sam scoffed, then pushed them back away from the door and removed his gloves. A single spark from a match was all it took for the thermite to melt through the steel and let them through with a stiff kick. Sam raised his rifle, an old M4 with a duct-taped together barrel guard. It was a poor choice for a confined space like this, but it was all they had. “Quiet, after me.” Max held up their pistol, crossing their arms for support. Max followed him in so closely he could feel their breath on his neck. The stairs down were concrete but they had started to crack and crumble. Every step was careful, but everything was still solid. He reached the landing where another door was shut on them, this one was rusted, all it took was a gentle bit of wiggling to get the lock mechanism to snap open and he opened the door quietly inward. Max shone the light around, first at the floor and then over the rusted remains of cars. “Shit,” the entire tunnel was flooded. They pulled up their face-masks, the air inside was rancid, a toxic soup of fetid water and decaying flesh. The walls were covered with molds, mosses, fungi. “We’re clear… nothing would stick around in this shit.” He stepped in towards the water, Max shone the light at the water. It was muddy, rusty, there was a fine sheen on it - a rainbowish tinge across the surface. “Don’t light a match… or I guess you could, we’re not gonna be getting that petrol.” “Fuck,” Max moved in along the ledge, the water was up to the edge of the platform. “HQ is gonna be pissed, but just to be sure we should head down the tunnel and see if the water hasn’t hit some cars.” They ventured down the tunnel together, following the natural incline up away from the water. Neither of them particularly wanted to fall in, and the ledge had started to wear away but Sam could see down the inky dark tunnel somewhere relatively dry. He pulled out his own flashlight from his belt. “Stay here.” Sam inched along the edge, carefully avoiding touching the walls, but also attempting not to fall into the water just one wrong step from ending him. It wasn’t particularly deep, maybe waist-level, but falling into that stuff would get you sicker than the guys that died down here. He finally made it, touching down on dry ground and pulling on his combat gloves again. He nearly cursed himself for forgetting them, but shit happens and he had bigger fish to fry. Down along the rusted rows of cars, he kept his rifle by his side and aimed his flashlight through every nook and cranny of every car he passed. Drier ground might keep something alive, but the thick air was nearly drowning him, so he doubted it. A few hundred meters along the dry-zone, something big caught his eye, a truck. No, a tanker. He raced towards it, crunching mushrooms beneath his boots, then he saw the faded letters on the side. Caltex. A petrol company, a petrol tanker. “Holy shit, Max!” Max was too far away to hear, or too scared to call back. Sam nearly fell to his knees and kissed the ground, then remembered what he was standing in. So instead he climbed over rusty cars, risking tetanus to examine the tanker. Not a single dent in the smooth, mossy metal. It rang full when he tapped against it. Luck had saved Sydney again. Pure, fucking dumb luck.

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