kiiblade

A Land of Wonder and Nightmare

Whew. For some reason, that post did not want to be written. I haven't had writers block this bad in ages. Again, that twist at the end was brilliant. I never expected for this to happen! *^*

And...noted! Thank you for elaborating on that. Hm...are you telling me that Ghent's nicknames actually serve a purpose now? XD

Heck yes. I can't decide if I want to be Funshine Bear or Grumpy Bear. I am a mixture of both. Or...maybe a made up bear. A Scare Bear? Is that a thing yet? If not...it will be.

Could cut off a leg of the CB and hop around with both legs in the remaining leg hole.

YES.

Wasn't it? Everything about it was great. I often find myself thinking back on that game with fond memories. I never did buy the full demo...I had to get a new phone, so I lost my data. I don't mind, though...gives me a chance to replay it. I'm downloading it now.

A robe! Why couldn't I think of that word?! Thank you! That makes total sense. In that case, you should get matching robes. And that gif is a little too perfect. xD

A Land of Wonder and Nightmare

The magic answered Ghent's panic-stricken call immediately.
The rush of power was far stronger than any of his previous attempts. The magic felt wild, untamed. Ghent could feel the fabric of his hoodie ripple, his sneakers planted firmly into the ground as he heard the shout of Elayra and the strange, hollow sound the energy made before the mini hurricane was over.
Hood clinging to the side of his face, Ghent dropped his arms and opened his eyes. The ghost was gone, but so were his companions.
“Oh no…no, no…” Gripping his head with both hands, Ghent looked from the knight to the princess. The two had been thrown a considerable distance away from him, each unmoving.
“Guys?!” Neither answered. Ghent’s mouth went dry as more fear clawed its way into his frantically beating heart. Dozens of unwelcome thoughts invaded his mind, every scenario ending in death.
While Ghent's brain decided to freeze along with his body, the spirits gathered to identify him. Their jumbled commotion would have been impossible for him to decipher, if not for the same thing being said over and over again.
Vinifcium. Ghent swallowed. He was beginning to hate that word.
The voices varied in pitch and volume. Ghent turned around and tilted his head back to see where they were coming from, but his efforts to see them were in vain. He covered his ears to block them out, but they sounded closer. Louder. Finally, could no longer bear the comments of his invisible audience.
“SHUT UP!” Amazingly, the world went quiet after his latest outburst. The soul crushing silence was filled only by the sound of Ghent’s quick breaths, and some light scuffling from behind him.
Sensitive to the smallest hint of sound, Ghent spun around and jumped into a rather ridiculous fighting stance, which he quickly abandoned when he saw the source of the noise was Elayra.
“Blondie!” The relief was short lived. Ghent intended to help her up, but he considered running in the opposite direction after he saw the dangerous, intense flash of anger in her eyes.
"I..." Ghent opened his mouth and closed it again. Rather than defend himself against her insults, he stared, wide eyed at the sight of her. He mentally counted six leaves and half a twig tangled within her blonde locks, and that was just from the front.
“I’m sorry, okay?” Their voices carried across the clearing with little effort, something Ghent was no longer concerned with. The ghosts were already well aware of their location, he saw no point in whispering. “That thing was about to take my head off! What else was I supposed to do?!”
No reply. Baffled by her lack of response, he followed Elayra's gaze. The girl was focused on the bigger issue at hand. Drust.
"Oh no..." Ghent was so caught up in the moment he forgot about their guardian. The knight wasn’t dead, but he was down for the count. This was a big, big problem.
Equally as pale, Ghent's gaze shifted to Elayra. The only thing scarier than seeing her angry was seeing her worried.
“Blondie, whatever you do..." Ghent raised his hands halfway as if she were on the verge of hysterics. "Do. Not. Panic."

A Land of Wonder and Nightmare

That has stumped me once or twice. For example: when Elayra scolded Ghent for using Drust's name, I made it so that Ghent didn't quite catch on. If she did explain, I guess it didn't click or he forgot. x'D I may start jotting down the specifics, so I don't get his knowledge confused with my own.

I think 'ghosts' will be officially added to Ghent's list of fears.
I keep laughing over the fact that Elayra was sorely tempted to knock him out.

YES. All of that is spectacular. If we make the garden large enough, we could charge an admission fee. With the funds, we can expand. I've heard of haunted houses, haunted ships...but never a haunted garden.

That's got to be one of the most interesting dreams I've heard of in a long time! Any dream inspired by Wonderland is bound to be wild. The squire is actually very frightening to imagine...what on earth could have inspired that?! xD

So...I just looked into 3 Below, and I now see it's sci-fi based. I went by the name alone, and thought it would be based off of a yeti or something...because I thought it meant 3 degrees below zero. *facepalm*

You actually ate bread and grinned during that?! Why am I not surprised?! I was staring at the screen, mouth agape in shock. The whole concept...it's wonderful, but it got me spooked. I guess because I didn't see that coming. AT ALL. xD
Hah! You would totally make a good apprentice for their version of the Cheshire Cat. That should be added to your future costumes list. He's got a cool cloak/coat looking outfit going on...and I know how much you like cloaks.

A Land of Wonder and Nightmare

Ghent lost the ability to think or behave rationally. Covering his head with his arms, he yelled out in terror and ducked when the disembodied laughter became too much for him to handle. The emotions in the air were overpowering, suffocating him until he yielded to the emotional chaos the war left behind.
After the leaves settled down to their rightful place on the ground, he rose cautiously, dropping his hands down to his sides.
"B-but I-I felt a hand," he stammered, voice weak. How Drust and Elayra managed to remain calm, he did not know, nor did he want to. If this was normal to them, he didn't want to know what was abnormal.
"Okay, fine!" Although Ghent was irrational, he knew Drust was right. Choosing to follow Elayra's example, he took a few deep, shaky breaths. His poor attempt at meditation was cut short when the shadowy figure revealed itself.
While Drust alerted Elayra, Ghent clasped a hand over his own mouth to stifle the cry he felt coming. He made a rather pathetic muffled noise, but managed to keep himself better composed this time.
In the blink of an eye, the ghost was gone. The inhabitants of Hollow Forest were taunting them.
Exhaling through his nose, Ghent shuddered and began to follow Elayra when she snapped at him.
"Do you honestly think I'm going anywhere?!" Lowering his hand from his mouth, Ghent kept his voice down to a harsh, irritable whisper. Even when they were being assaulted by the dead, Elayra still found time to use her horrible name for him. "In case you haven't noticed, we're surrounded by ghosts!"
They forged ahead, and Ghent continued to act as their lookout. Paranoid as he was, it wasn't long until something new caught his eye.
"Hey, guys? W-what is that?" he pointed to the collection of dust motes, disturbed by the hypnotizing way they began to combine. Despite looking quite harmless, the fragments of dust frightened him. Just about anything did at this point.
Before an explanation could be offered, the apparition took form and shot upward, creating an image so horrifying, Ghent was robbed of the ability to scream.
Thrusting both hands out in front of himself, Ghent squeezed his eyes shut and turned his head to avoid meeting the ghostly creature face-to-face. The scream from it echoed all around him, the image of its soulless face burned into memory.
"INEXUS!" Ghent shouted the focus word at the top of his lungs. A panicked, frantic shout that sounded more like a plea for help rather than a command.

Sarah, Prompto and the Chocobos |EasilyAmused & Polarize|

After returning to the trailer, Prompto put his camera away, climbed up to his top bunk, and fell asleep within a matter of minutes. The day had been a long one, and the following would only be longer. They had Deadeye to take care of.

Morning came sooner than expected. Prompto lie on his back, snoring lightly with his forearm across his eyes. After a few taps on the shoulder, Ignis woke him, eyed him curiously, then moved to wake up Noctis.

Prompto groaned lightly, rubbing at his bloodshot eyes with his fists. "Morning already?"

Ignis nodded, shaking Noctis by the shoulder lightly. Noctis was ten times more difficult to waken. "We have have quite a bit of travel ahead of us," he informed the younger two, straightening once Noctis started to groggily sit up. "If we wish to reach Deadeye, I suggest we leave as soon as possible."

After a quick, yet expertly prepared breakfast, the four were ready to face the day. All except for Noctis.

Jumping down from the doorway of the trailer, Prompto skipped the stairs, landed lightly on his feet and smiled brightly upon seeing Sarah. "Heya," he greeted cheerily, fully awake despite the early hour. "I slept great! You?"

Noctis ran a hand over his face, inwardly cursing his best friend for being a morning person. "Any chance we can drive to Deadeye's location?" He questioned, failing to suppress a yawn. "Or do we have to...walk." The reasoning behind his asking, was because he wished to sleep in the car on the way there. The more sleep he could get, the better, and even then it was never enough.

"Aw, come on, Noct! It's a beautiful day!" Prompto elbowed him lightly. "The walk will help you wake up!"
Being the conscious soul that he was, he glanced behind Sarah's shoulder, viewing the buildings and chocobos in the distance. Sarah offered to help them, but he knew she had plenty of work with the ranch. "Need any help with anything before we set out?"

A Land of Wonder and Nightmare

Ooh, nice! Very informative, helpful, and a delight to read. I'm amazed by how well thought out the rules are. They make perfect sense to me...for Ghent? We'll see. While I was there, I re-read the Wonderland terms and brushed up on the names of spells again. Having everything in one place is super helpful. I'd like to thank you again for having written all of this! It's so handy to have all in one place, and sure beats having to hunt the information down.

xD I didn't even think to, but I just added it to the quotable moments. It's too true!

Wow...that reply. *^* The forest is even cooler than I originally thought, all thanks to Elayra covering the lore behind it. I realllyyy love Absolem, Edelia, and Zandon, by the way. If this was a movie, or a TV show, I would want them to have their own spin-off series. Super well done, and creative. I love everything about it!

While I'm in awe by Hollow Forest, I think Ghent is a little scared.



THAT GIF. Now I want to watch Toy Story. The more I think of it, the more I think that'd be a cool Halloween idea. Bury Troll dolls in the yard, some half sticking out of the dirt...heck, we could put together an entire haunted guardian! Cabbage Patch dolls, but only the heads, and we paint them green to represent cabbage...ah, maybe some white roses with painted blood too...*blinks* Am I getting carried away, or are you with me on this?

What?! December can't come fast enough! After scouring their FB page, I see that they're making two other series too, but they're all in the same universe? Something called Wizards (this sounds wonderful already!) and 3 Below. If they're anything like Trollhunters, we're in for a treat!

Nice! This game has more to it than I realized. I still haven't gotten a chance to play yet (things are still in the post-vacation phase where things are hectic) but I plan to soon. Can we just talk about how the Mad Hatter was 80% hat? Judging by his height...he was, what, seven? xD What has scared me the most so far is the jail of those creepy bread boys. I am still greatly disturbed and I can't look at jelly donuts the same way.

A Land of Wonder and Nightmare

There it was. The order to keep moving. Ghent grit his teeth and closed his eyes, inwardly cursing the knight for his diligence.
"Does anything get past this guy?" Grumbling about the injustice of it all, Ghent resumed walking when he felt Elayra grab his wrist again. He glanced at the blonde skeptically, but didn't object. As much as he hated to admit it, he felt safer with her nearby.
Frowning in discontentment, Ghent decided Drust was to blame for all of this. It was because of him that they were in such horrible place, their guardian should have listened to Elayra. To make matters worse, the knight became tight-lipped, offering no insight for the forest he insist they travel through.
Thankfully, Elayra was willing to fill in the role of storyteller. Ghent followed her with more willingness than before, desperate to have the haunted forest explained to him.
The story started interestingly, but it didn't get far. When Elayra paused to look around, goosebumps rose up and down Ghent’s arms. He kept silent, but the look on his face spoke volumes for what went through his mind. Slowly but surely, he was succumbing to the fear the forest fed them.
“Kind of like us.” Ghent perked up more at the mention of the three joining forces. It excited him to imagine they were newest trio of heroes. The trees rustled ominously, silencing his foolishness. This was not something to celebrate.
"Whoa." Amazed to hear Hatter had competition, Ghent had half a dozen questions to ask about Edelia in particular. He sensed Elayra's reluctance when Zandon was mentioned, but he couldn't figure out where her hesitance stemmed from. Just as he started to ask for more details regarding the trio, Elayra leapt into action.
Believing their first ghost had been spotted, Ghent yelped and got into a defensive stance. He tried to mentally prepare himself for a ghastly sight, but nothing was there.
Exhaling shakily, he straightened after Elayra relaxed her sword hand. Hollow Forest was about the worst place possible for someone with a wild imagination.
When they started moving again, Ghent tagged along beside her, privately relieved when she brought up the negative emotions that came with the war. At least he wasn't the only one who felt the disturbance in the air.
“You feel it too, right?” Ghent spoke softly, disturbed to think the earth beneath their feet was once host to a brutal war. Elayra didn’t give an estimated number to the lives lost, but he could feel the list of causalities was immense.
Ghent wasn't sure how to respond when Elayra brought up the helpful spirits. Friendly or not, he didn't want to be in a situation where he needed to accept help from the dead. Instead of commenting, he eyed her curiously, confused by her trailing off before the sentence was completed.
"While others...what?" In order to see Elayra's expression, Ghent matched her pace and leaned in closer, watching her intently. "If they're ghosts...they shouldn't be able to touch us, right?"
As if to answer the question, a light breeze passed over them, a feeling Ghent mistook for a set of ghostly fingers combing through their hair. The sensation was sudden, cold, and completely unwelcome. A combination that sent him over the edge.
"THEY CAN TOUCH US!" In his attempt to dodge what he believed was a hand, Ghent bumped into Elayra and swiped his arm through the air in order to knock away their invisible assailant. When his poor excuse of an attack didn't work, he froze in his tracks, unsure which action or direction to take.
Biting his lower lip, Ghent looked around wildly as he felt Elayra grip his arm, an action which gave him reason to believe she was frightened too.
"Elayra, I don't want you to panic, but I definitely felt something." Ghent was doing all of the panicking, but he liked to believe Elayra was more afraid than he was. "And I heard a voice!" He flexed his fingers before balling his hands into fists, seconds away from blurting out the first focus word that came to mind.

A Land of Wonder and Nightmare

Aw, so glad you liked it! I imagine the magic will bring bouts of temptation and influence, especially since it seems to have a mind of its own. Can't trust it! Well, not yet, anyway. Ghent's still a magic newbie.

I LOVE the concept of Hollow Forest! They've only just set foot into it, and already I see so many things going wrong. Excellent.



Agreed. I think the one retro revival thing that baffles me the most is the Trolls dolls. They've brought those things back twice. I've hated all three versions. I want to bury them in the dirt, leaving only their hair visible... *cough* sorry. I'm feeling evil today.

I did find that out, about the demo version. I found out at 4am. I was hunched over my phone, excitedly tapping the screen when I was given the notification. As much as I hate to spend money on apps, I do enjoy this one a lot. When I get home, I'll buy the rest of the story. I'm excited to finish one of the endings!

Ah, good point! Hm...what am I rooting for...that's difficult to say. I've thought about it a lot, and can't decide for the life of me. On one hand, it would be interesting and a neat addition to who (or what? xD) he is. Especially since Drust ages differently too. But then I wonder if Elayra ages differently, because I imagine them being around the same...ahhh...I can't decide!

A Land of Wonder and Nightmare

Ghent didn't expect Elayra to be cordial toward him, but he was still taken aback by the hostility in her tone. Sneakers scraping against a few larger vines littering the ground, he kept up with her until she released him from her grasp. Instead of continuing to follow, he stopped and absentmindedly rubbed his forearm, reluctant to venture deeper.
"I don't know," he mumbled underneath his breath, "would you?" Due to Elayra's stubbornness, he had a feeling it would take more than Drust to keep her from walking. She was wounded in multiple places and was able to hold her own relatively well, as Ghent witnessed several times over the course of the morning and evening prior to it.
"What the heck are you talking about?" Ghent didn't bother to hide his confusion when she spoke about him calling attention to a weakness. He inadvertently flinched upon receiving the glare, baffled as to why she was so furious with him. His intention was to help, not to give her more of a reason to dislike him.
"You know what? Forget it." Waving off the conversation, Ghent gave up on trying to figure out what he did wrong and began to walk again in fear of being chewed out by Drust. "Look, I get that you're mad at me, but I..."
A single step into Hollow Forest repainted the world around them. The colors were so fantastic, Ghent's mind had difficulty accepting the foliage as real. The beauty of the area was unlike anything he'd ever seen.
"...Was trying to help." The words were amplified because of the silence. So much, that Ghent cringed, expecting Elayra to scold him for speaking too loudly.
Mumbling an apology, he hugged himself through his cold, damp hoodie and walked deeper into the forest, dust motes floating to and fro with each step he took. The newest look into Wonderland should have filled him with awe, but he could only feel dread.
And I thought Walmart was depressing. Ghent moved forth slowly, turning his head in every direction to get a full visual of their surroundings. He couldn't help but feel hopeless about their journey; the cruel thoughts seeping into his mind saw to that.
Disturbed by the influence the forest had over his emotions, Ghent stopped somewhere between Drust and Elayra. Brows furrowed, he faced them, daring to hope that he wasn't alone in what he was experiencing. "What is this place?"

A Land of Wonder and Nightmare

Exactly!
O.O That's only part of it...? Should I be excited, or concerned? Knowing you, both.

I'm glad you smiled, it's one of my fondest memories! ^_^ Oh my gosh, it's not bad at all that you thought of that!

Care Bears! I still have my first one...Wish Bear, I believe her name is. You poor thing, I bet the movies came as a cruel shock. I remember the voices were rather jarring...yeah, the toys and plushies are much cuter. I was at Hot Topic the other day, and it looks like they're bringing Care Bears back, but in a new, chibi-fied style.

Ah, sorry. The "same goes for you!" was in response to you calling me awesome. Heh.

Right? The drunken dormouse could barely keep his head up. The Jack Sparrow gif works too well. Annnnd now I'm imagining them serving rum around the tea table. xD

I wonder, too! There are so many versions. I just downloaded Alice's Warped Wonderland and I'm hooked big time. It's so fun! I got to chapter 3, and I never want it to end! I really like their version of the Cheshire Cat. I never considered him being anything other than a cat, so it's interesting to see him this way. The game is so creative and so creepy! Did you end up winning it, if winning is an option?

Don't feel like a jerk! Awh, blessed is the perfect word for how I feel, too! <3



*runs, nearly trips over own feet to see*
I couldn't wait, my curiosity got the better of me. And, after reading, I love the ages you decided on! Funny that Ghent has referred to Hatter as his 'old man' when in reality, he must look quite young. (Well, if the Curse hasn't aged him too much, that is.) I really like that! Now I'm wondering if the same happens to Ghent.
Drust sounds perfectly right, for how I've been imagining him. Is it weird that to me, the thought of a 17yr old Drust is totally adorable? xD Another nice addition with Elayra's father's death! I've wondered about him... *sighs* It's all so wonderfully tragic.