#art is to be perceived

[nem0-kn0ws-n0t]

I know the kindest thing (Is to leave you alone)

Maybe that's why he's sitting on his dock, barefeet in cold water, fishing for something he's not even sure he needs in the middle of the night.

He feels a sigh coming up his throat. If only this would help.

OR

Insomnia vs hermits caring for each other, fight On AO3!

The moonlight reflects off of the water, giving it an impression of stillness. The waves lap lazily against the shore and against his legs, but he can barely feel them anymore. The stillness of the scene seems as if in direct contrast with the discordant thoughts in his head. Maybe that's why he's sitting on his dock, bare feet in cold water, fishing for something he's not even sure he really needs in the middle of the night.

He feels a sigh coming up his throat. If only this would help.

"Is anything biting?"

He doesn't jump, thank you very much, but he does flinch at Gem's voice. A glance back over his shoulder reveals her to be in her pajamas, a bathrobe thrown over for modesty and her hair in loose braids falling over her shoulders. He turns back to the water and shrugs his shoulder.

"I think they're asleep."

Gem hums noncommittally and comes closer, to where Grian can almost feel her behind his back.

"Probably tired from all that swimming, makes sense."

Grian doesn't deign to answer, calloused hands clutching the fishing road tighter, his eyes never straying from the bobbin.

Time passes. Perhaps minutes, perhaps hours, hard to tell this early.

He feels her shift slightly and the next second, a heavy woollen blanket is dropped over his shoulders. He startles, already turning back to her, only to be greeted by a flask held out to him. He meets her green eyes above the steam, confusion meeting amusement.

"Take it" She pushes the flask closer to him, forcing him to grab onto it to prevent a spill. "It's cold out here."

He's about to question it before the smell reaches him- and Gem just handed him hot chocolate. The good kind too, probably nicked or bartered from Doc (probably nicked, that man is possessive over his cocoa mix). He blinks stupendously.

"I'm not a child." Tumbles out of his mouth before realizing what he's saying. He winces inwardly at the words- being tired has always made him more snappish than usual. Before he can apologize, Gem cuts him off with a giggle.

"Course not." She pats him comfortingly on his shoulder, over the warm orange blanket that is indeed keeping him warm. He hadn't even noticed how cold it'd gotten before being covered. "That's why it's the *good* kind."

A second whiff at the flask reveals a familiar fermented note to the sweet aroma of cocoa. Ah, some of Keralis's flair as well. How...sweet.

"Thank you." He bites out, now cradling the flask against his chest. Gem simply smiles at him and straightens back up.

"Of course." She brushes off her robe. "Have a good night, Grian." She remarks over her shoulder as she turns back towards her boat.

He watches her until she climbs back into her boat, until the lights dim once again in her bedroom before taking a sip of the cocoa. The warmth seeps into his body, into his soul, dulling some of the harshest thoughts. He feels a smile tug at the corner of his lips.

"Good night Gem."

~~~

Somehow, being rocked to sleep by the sea is not nearly as soothing as it should be. The waves lapping against the deck and the slow consistent creaking of the wood tangle to create a haunting type of lullaby, one that simply can’t lull Gem to sleep.

She feels herself shifting again and again, trying desperately to lean into the day’s exhaustion but nothing works. Sighing, she gives up and sits up, digging her palms into her eye socket and letting out a groan.

She cannot afford to be this picky about sleep this early in the season. Not when she needs to be up at the crack of dawn to keep grinding away at her projects.

With a huff she gets up, dragging her blankets over her shoulders and picking up the lantern. Maybe some fresh air will do her some good.

Slowly, groggily, she makes her way to the bow and drapes herself half haphazardly over the railing. Here, staring out into the open waters, she feels almost at peace. There’s something almost hypnotic about the repeated movements, the ups and downs of the boat as it bobs on the river. Here, under the dark sky and the silver of the moon, adrift on the ship, time seems to slip away from her. No responsibilities, no projects, nothing important. Just back and forth and back and forth and-

“Maybe you should get away from the edge” an amused voice calls from behind her “before you fall overboard.”

If Gem wasn’t as drop-dead exhausted, she probably would have jumped. But she did startle, jerking back a bit too hard, momentarily losing her balance.

“Woah!” The voice calls out before warm hands settle on her back, steadying her. She blinks a few times, before shooting a glance backwards only to be met by familiar blond curls. She takes a moment to place them.

“...Grian?” The answering chuckle confirms his identity.

“How out of it are you?”

Gem hums noncommital, slumping forward to lean her arms on the edge, chin resting on her forearms.

“Can’t sleep.” She mumbles, eyes trained on the horizon. His hands shifted until he was rubbing comforting circles on her back.

“And so you decide to fall asleep on the edge of the boat instead.” The smile is clear in his voice “Makes sense.”

Gem shrugs “It’s soothing” Grian chuckles again, hand coming up to massage the back of her neck. A noise builds up at the back of her throat in contentment and she lets her eyes drift shut, just for a second.

Grian hmms, non committedly.

“Alright, scooch over.” The gentle hands turn back to her shoulder and ever so softly, she feels herself shifting around until she’s curled against a warm shoulder, a heavy woollen blanket draped over her shoulders once again. Blearingly, she opens her eyes, only to be met by twinkling eyes and an easy smile.

“What are you…” She mumbles out, curling slightly more into the warmth, a yawn cutting her off.

“Making sure you don’t fall overboard.” Comes the hushed answer, an arm snaking around her waist. Gem hums, eyes already slipping back closed. She does manage to shimmy her blanket over his shoulders as well, enveloping the both of them into a warm cocoon. This close, she can smell the sea salt and fresh wood smells clinging to his fabric, a smell somehow comforting. Somehow soothing.

Somehow, all her earlier reluctance to sleep evades her and she feels herself slowly drift off.

The chest under her rumbles one last time.

“Good night, Gem.”

[canisalbus]

✦ Sanctuary ✦

[linktoo-doodles]

still not gonna hit you though

[mstrchu]

girl help my friends keep trying to do things that will definitely make them insane

[perplexingly]

Spirit companions

[kitamars]

various trad doodles i made while i was supposed to be paying attention in class

[courtmartialme]

(transmasc riza) a comic about stubbles. and also about falling in love again with someone you thought you already knew everything about

[datcravat]

what are you scared of?

[mohntilyet]

caterina's datamined character description calling her korean-italian and early lucanis designs having him look east asian . i'll just do everything myself i guess

assorted thoughts: caterina is fully 'korean' or whatever the thedas equivalent would be in this design, and clawed her way to the top of the crow food chain after years of work. their armor is something caterina forcibly incorporated to distinguish house dellamorte from the other crows, and a symbol of their status because they get it custom made or imported. of course race-equivalents do not really exist in thedas or this world but i also will never forget how gaider just implied (east) asian people don't exist in thedas because it just so happens that there are no asians on the continent of thedas (guy who forgot about boats) . explode and die. there's not the same kind of discrimination as exists irl ofc (and the dellamortes are actually treated fine, much better than a mage or elf) but a level of xenophobia against foreigners from a different continent. illario looks the least like her, and passes for being fully antivan, which changes how he is recieved by the other crows.

and sorry if the korean is bad please actually let me know if it's horribly translated i relied on google translate . if you are one of ten asian dragon age fans feel free to talk to me at any given moment.

[shigeoreum]

hiiii.... been a while since i uploaded anythin... have some daforge ^_^ watching TNG so far has been an Experience for sure

(was gonna color but ive been too lazy nowadays. or i guess busy is the better word. w some personal projects 😏 and work 🙄)

[erebus0dora]

something something a chat i am in discussing the loneliness of Armand who needs someone to define him and see him, so

"...it was ghastly and awful and loathsome, and beautiful all at the same time."

and yeah i kinda just want to give ppl hugs with anything i do and talk to them in hushed tones, so there you go

[raviollies]

Just who are you, Councilor Medarda?

[tubbytarchia]

Hanging with the homies...

[probably-not-a-rutabaga]

guys this was supposed to be a small gift for a handful of mutuals

listen, i started adding shit bc i was like, "wait i can't just do these aus, bc i also really like THESE AUS <3" BUT. I FORCED MYSELF TO HAVE A LIMIT ON THE MAIN DRAWING. and then went wild with random references to aus i generally really enjoy-

anyways, here are all the lovely creators whose goobers i stole for the main drawing:

tmnt 04 leo - @koolaidashley

childhood dreams timothy- @chaos-potat

tmnt omniverse donnie - @glitter-alienz

kid leo - @angelpuns

ttnm raph - @idiot-mushroom

fear's embrace marco - @karonkar

little brother au spot - @sharkfiinn

golden boy au ronin - @bluesgras

happily ever after angelo - @phykoha

year of the rabbit raph - @pasteilian

tmnt crocpot raph and casey - @less-depresso-more-espresso

the gemini twins - @tangledinink

true colors cerulean - @v-albion

one and two - @evenmoreofadisaster

ghost in a shell ghost - @amevello-blue

OKAY. THAT SHOULD BE EVERYONE.

choosing not to tag all the aus that i only referenced bc i think it's more fun for people to try and guess.... some of them are probably harder to guess bc i struggled to find smth to use a reference,, BUT IT'S FINE.

anyways there are so many other aus i would've loved to include,, or i just couldn't manage to fit in/figure a reference for.... unfortunately, i am only one man..... not powerful enough......

mwah mwah mwah to all my beloved moots (even those not included!!) and this delightful fandom,, i'd love to try to get over my fear of literally just talking and existing around people bc you all are so cool and have lovely silly guys <33

[eggcromancer]

(in tears) the year is still new....

Hi hi hello dca fandom! I just wanna say thank you for being the most amazing community! i can't believe i made so many new friends and drew in so many fun magmas last year, everyone here is so nice,, and cool, and talented,,, y'all are genuinely the highlight of my 2024 🥹🫶💖

May your 2025 be filled with joy and whimsy (and silly jesters)!!

[aviancali]

its lesbian visibility week 🫡🌈❤️🧡🤍🩷💗