#beneath the sands wuwa

[unrealistic-ideas-for-writers]

Of Trashcans, Alley Cats, and begrudgingly touch starved Crocodiles.

Aka Cat!Beneath the Sands AU.

-

The fluffy thing was weird. It felt soft beneath his paws but not quite like fur and it smelled like too many things at once. It made his nose itch.

(Caladin would later learn this is called a "rug.")

He had been picked up by the odd green Twoleg and had been staying in their Den for a few days now. He was certainly still wary of them- them and the other brightly colored Twolegs that came around sometimes. But they had been gentle with him.

He would admit that this soft den was much better than the wet box he'd been sleeping in, and the food was very tasty. There were other cats, but Caladin was only familiar with the one who'd "picked him up" with the Twoleg, Valerian. He was relatively respectful- allowing Caladin space to adjust and answering questions. There were apparently at least two other cats- Sobeknesef, grumpy but quiet, and Jiahui, who was recovering from losing part of her leg.

Caladin felt sorry for her. She slept a lot. He'd tried bringing her a squirrel once. The green Twoleg had taken it away and replaced it with one of the tasty things that didn't look like food.

Well. He tried.

Now he was sitting next to Valerian on the smelly, fluffy thing. Sun high made them all sleepy. The bengal was all splayed out in a sunny spot while Cal sat up straight, watching. And waiting.

-

"Hey- Val...? What the fuck, dude. When did you get so many cats- and-" Caladin paused, squinting at the collars around the necks of the bengal and mau.

"Did you name your cats after us????" The blonde snorted, expression both amused and mildly bewildered as he glanced over at his friend.

-

Feel free to add onto this with your OCs. I was just thinking of a little silly modern AU in which Valerian adopts Cats and names them after his friends :3

taglist:

@uncreative-cryptid

@hobbysognodilibri

@yupuffin

@captainsounddisaster

@crypticrainbowmoss

[yupuffin]

So uhhh I got just a tad bit excited that my boy Quay appeared in a flashback in the Beneath the Sands campaign (written and hosted by @unrealistic-ideas-for-writers, who also made the adapted version of the Huanglong map) in which the crew consults him about how best to travel to the desert, sooo.... I voice acted and animated his dialogue. 🤣 I just made a couple of tiny changes to match my IRL speech patterns KGHDK 😂

Featuring appearances from Valerian (@uncreative-cryptid), Rover, and Jiahui (@hobbysognodilibri)

I hope you enjoy it! It was a fun little project to work on in between other tasks for a couple of days 😆

Original post for Act I Part II of the quest here! Everyone get excited for the continuation of the campaign wheeee 🕺✨

[hobbysognodilibri]

I just needed a like on my previous post to start so dude you brought this on yourself I have ✨questions✨

Whose house was it first? I don't remember if we ever decided. And in which order do they move in? Like do we go by canon or mix stuff up?

Do we have an idea for what the apartment is like? Aesthetically? And what does each room look like. I wanna know the ✨vibes✨ each character brings to their room

Do they have other animals (any of them) other than the cats?

Get together/party. Do they drink? If yes how silly are they? And in general. What's their behavior in a party (answers like "they wouldn't go" are totally accepted)

Do they study in the house? In a library? Cafe? Outside somewhere else? And how do they deal with exam season?

Who does the cooking? (As in who's actually able to cook without setting water on fire)

Just random questions, then I have others but class is almost over so yeah kinda gotta stop typing here

Tags:

@unrealistic-ideas-for-writers @uncreative-cryptid @crypticrainbowmoss

[uncreative-cryptid]

writing my reply for valerian and i forgor his whole kit lmao

[unrealistic-ideas-for-writers]

I WAS HAVING CUTE LITTLE THOUGHTS ABOUT THE BENEATH THE SANDS QUAD (Caladin, Jiahui, Sobeknesef, and Valerian)

AND IT WAS SO CUTE- (modern AU or not? Will post blurb later-)

AND THE. MY BRAIN DECIDED TO BE EVIL AND MAKE THE PRELUDE WAY WORSE WITH CONTEXT.

Because the desert nation’s Sentinel is a Sand worm now.

[unrealistic-ideas-for-writers]

Beneath the Sands. Act I. When Midday Dust Settles

Narration Post I

(The Narrator will interject as needed to keep the flow. Please see the end for more details.)

Checking the signboards in Jinzhou had quickly become a habit of theirs. Someone always needed help, putting out commissions, and leading them to intriguing discovery. If the Black Shores were to be believed- if They were to be believed, then they needed to explore on their own as much as possible- to absorb everything the world had to offer.

They hummed softly to themselves as they approached another signboard in the middle of town. Their golden gaze scanned the various commissions, spotting one of interest.

Huaxu Academy?

Rover! Rover! That one's weird! Smells like a snack!

They blinked, hearing Abby's sudden interest as the little echo appeared, "The one from the Academy? Yeah- I was planning on checking it out-" Abby floated next to them as they read, sniffing the air.

Huaxu Academy is currently seeking swords for hire and those interested archeological research to accompany Head Researcher Jiahui to the Gilded Wastes. Recently, a Court of Savantae Ruin has been discovered and with the recent defeat of the Threnodian, there has been a lull in Tacet Discords in the Thorns.

Below was only one name signed, and it seemed to be the main source of the lingering frequencies.

Valerian Kincaid

"This person smells funny. Like- kinda like the grey hounds guy!"

Like Calcharo? Interesting. Slightly worrisome, but interesting.

They let Abby ramble about all of the potential "food" they'd find near the Threnodian for a moment, thinking to themself and zoning out a bit. The Court of Savantae... both in mainland Huanglong and on Mt. Firmament, the CSC ruins had been incredibly insightful to the inner workings of Solaris- sometimes in ways they doubted their past self had known.

"Alright. Let's go then. Maybe you'll find something tasty after all," They teased, causing the little Echo to twirl in excitement before disappearing back into their tacet mark.

-

The walk to the academy was quick and the breeze light and cool. They entered the building, unsure of exactly where to go or who "Head Researcher Jiahui" was.

Thankfully, they were able to spot a familiarly grumpy face. Mortefi was speaking with an unfamiliar researcher with vibrant blue hair. The dragon's expression was surprisingly soft as he listened to whatever his colleague was saying.

Rover smiled slightly to themself. It was cute seeing Mortefi so... smitten? They weren't sure if that was quite the right word, but there was something there. They almost didn't want to interrupt to ask their question.

Fortunately for them, the other researcher said their goodbyes, giving Rover a window.

"Long time no see, Mortefi. I'll try not to keep you long, but do you know where I'd find the Gilded Wastes expedition?" They asked, unable to suppress their slight amusement at how the redhead's gaze seemed to occasionally flick back to where the other researcher had went.

However, their question seemed to get his attention because his pupils dilated, "The Gilded Wastes expedition? Ha. Of course you're interested. They're down the hall-"

The dragon gestured to the room just a few feet away, "Do tell Jiahui I expect to see her both prior to and after the expedition. That woman bangs up her prosthetic enough without suicide expeditions."

They blinked at the clear worry and agitation in his tone, but nodded their head in promise. They gave Mortefi a quick wave goodbye, noting how he continued to grumble his worries as he stalked after the blue-haired researcher from earlier.

The door to their designated room was open, revealing a man with soft green hair and that familiar, but strange Spectro resonance about him. He was lounging on a couch, feet propped up and zoned out- like he was waiting for someone.

"Hello? This is the meeting place for the Gilded Wastes expedition...?" They asked, startling the poor man into awareness. They winced a bit, feeling bad. But they had questions.

Like why everyone seemed to perceive this mission as suicidal.

-

Yay! First post is done!

I think all of the details of why the "Gilded Wastes" or Alkhulud is geographically dangerous were discussed in this post

The Thorns is the area between Desorock Highlands and the Gilded Wastes.

If there are any other lore questions needed to be answered before your response, just shoot me an ask or message me! I tried to keep it vague while still giving details based on what we've all discussed outside of the actual Quest-line.

Valerian is up first with his response! I'll periodically respond as Rover to keep a nice, smooth transition and stay on plot.

Also, Quay mentions :3

As we progress, more OCs will appear! Let me know if you'd like to see any other OC cameos.

Taglist:

@uncreative-cryptid

@hobbysognodilibri

@crypticrainbowmoss

@captainsounddisaster

@yupuffin

@marmartheyarn

[unrealistic-ideas-for-writers]

Beneath the Sands. Act I. When Midday Dust Settles

Narration Post II

“It’s salty.”

"Really salty. Quay wasn't kidding."

It was night by the time the Bloom Bearers of the Black Shores dropped them off at the border. The desert was colder than expected. Quieter too.

They could hear the soft crashing of waves and the smell of the Dead sea.

Rover heard Valerian curse under his breath- something about nausea. Which was understandable. Since they had first come into contact with the recording device, they'd all felt nauseous. And then they'd started the expedition. Traversing Jinzhou and even Norfall Barrens was relatively easy for a group of three resonators.

The moment they stepped down the cliffs and into the beginnings of the sands though, the Nausea returned for the worse.

Of their group, Valerian was taking it almost as badly as Abby. Jiahui seemed fine...? They couldn't really tell with how she periodically zoned out and started walking off.

Really. Why were they the responsible one of this group?

"Well. Glad we listened to Quay," Jiahui commented, passing a water canteen to Valerian, who took it gratefully.

"Mhmm. I wouldn't have survived the boat ride," the man grumbled, chugging water.

"Hey! You'll make yourself sick, you dumb ass!"

Rover watched, amused as they bantered. But yes. It was good they didn't take the boat.

--

"Oh? Jiahui! Hey! What did you need?"

Rover watched Ms. Xu speak with a hybrid....? They'd met only a few others here in Jinzhou and they weren't quite sure what exactly Mr. Quay was.

The blue-haired researcher cheerily gestured for them all to sit down.

"Alrighty! Pay really close attention. If you want to get to the Gilded Wastes, please, for the love of Jue, go by land."

Rover raised a brow, a curious little expression on their face. Quay continued. "The waters around the Wastes are a Dead Sea. It's saline levels are roughly 9.6 times higher than the normal ocean currents around it? The environment is too harsh for animals and plants to live comfortably- even the Tidebreaker won't go there." Tidebreaker? Curious. They'd ask about it next time.

The researcher grew solemn, tone and expression serious, "And still, we haven't successfully sent any probes or boats to the Wastes coasts. Something always goes wrong. And of the minimal Data we've gotten back? It wasn't always a Dead Sea."

Well. That's totally not a red flag.

--

So yes. Based off of how suffocating the air was, listening to Quay had been smart.

They gently patted Valerian on the shoulder, urging their group forward.

"Come on, we should keep moving."

-

The desert was still. There was no wind as they walked out of the arching, sniped canyons into the open space. Golden sands bled into grey and ash as the Thorns drew ever closer.

And so did the sickness.

"Be on guard," Valerian warned, hand instinctively resting on his holster. Jiahui had taken out her sword, stance tense but gaze curious as she scanned their surroundings.

This place is bad news, Abby whispered in their mind.

Beyond bad news.

-

They slowly entered the giant, seemingly dormant Tacet Field that made up the thorns. All of quiet.

Until a sword came flying at Valerian.

----

Wheeeee! The Map took the longest to do and I still need to add major sites of interest. Took longer than expected and I actually cut this a bit short? Didn't want to write everyone's combat for them. I have a fun method of handling combat so it doesn't feel too clunky turn wise!

Spin the Wheel

So obviously, up first is Valerian. At the end of your turn, you spin the wheel to see who would go next! There is a small chance for Sobeknesef to intervene prematurely, and as each roll is done and a name removed, the higher the chance of his introduction!

Good luck everyone! I hope you all enjoy the Quay cameo :3

Taglist:

@uncreative-cryptid

@hobbysognodilibri

@captainsounddisaster

@rainbowprisimatic

@yupuffin

@marmartheyarn

[unrealistic-ideas-for-writers]

Another map update for Beneath the Sands!

[unrealistic-ideas-for-writers]

Beneath the Sands: A Trial across Time.

[The following media is a test piece on how I want to host the beneath the sands project as a whole. Please enjoy and let me know what you think. More instructions on how to interact will be at the end beside the Tag-list. If you wish to join said Tag-list, please interact with the Tag-list post.]

Does this music match? Not really. That's fine though. Below may contain spoilers for the Beneath the Sands OC project. Currently, this is not a canon piece, but that *may* change in the future. OH!!! And this is actually a crossover piece. More on that at the bottom. Good luck :3

W̶͈̮̐h̶̛̬̣̼̮ơ̸̗͓̣̙̺̈ ̶̡̙̀͆̈ă̶̛͚̮͒r̷̛̦͈̭̜̃̏e̵̢̳̔́̄̂͊ͅ ̵̧̬̼͇̕y̶̞̜̲̾͐́͝o̵͎̓̋̅ư̴̗̠̳̈́?̵͉͉̱̺̖͗

Caladin's eyes snapped open. He was floating.

The water was body temperature, to the point he only knew he was wet because of the feeling of thicker-than air sensations along his back. He stared up at the vast expanse of space, watching violets and blues swirl between stars. That's all there was here.

An empty expanse of astral projections.

It was odd, but peaceful.

He figured he must be dreaming.

Slowly, the blond found himself sitting up, arms braced lazily on his knees as he looked around. There wasn't anything else in here- not unless he counted the vaguely sparkly thing in the distance.

Golden eyes sparked with curiosity and well? It was just a dream after all- a little exploration wouldn't kill him.

It was only after standing did he notice he was barefoot. Barefoot and wearing clothes he would personally never put on. Ever.

Caladin's cheeks flushed slightly as he searched for buttons on whatever blouse he was wearing, the deep v-cut making him feel exposed.

Unfortunately or not, Caladin was impatient. And this *was* technically just a dream.

So he moved on.

The waters felt odd under his bare feet, reflecting the rest of the astral space perfectly, only ever disturbed by ripples he made.

And so he watched. And walked.

The sparkles in the distance seemed to slowly *render* in.

Fractals of something-

or broken mirror shards?

Whatever they were- they floated, suspended in the air. It became humid- and Caladin was no longer sure if it was air or water he breathed.

I̴̛̠͑ ̵̣͗͂k̸̟̹̏̆ͅń̷̙̝͚̤͆͘͝o̸̹̼̦͘w̷͙̼̎̽͌,̵̲̩̮͇͌ ̶̬͙͍͐͒y̵̛͔̟͚̺̦̆̊̅ó̸̰̟̏͊̎ũ̵̖͙̘̘̓ ̸͍̜̎̃w̴̬͒͘a̸̖̎̅͝ñ̸͕̬̞̫̆͘t̷̺͑ĕ̷̢͔̩̊͘̚d̴̫̈́̈́ ̴̡̩͖̝̈́̈́͠m̸͍̳̗͐͊̇̊̈́e̴̦̩̤̰̰͋ ̶̘̔̑̑t̷͓͚̍̓͊o̷̹̰̹͐́͛ ̶̧̝̬́s̴͍͕̪͖̽ṯ̴̞̟̐ͅa̷̖̰̎̇̆̚y̶̧̳̤͑̒́̌.̷̺̫̞̣̬̾͌̉

He paused, steps faltering. Was that music?

Before him stood a massive, shattered structure, floating and reflective like a mirror. Yet it didn't look dissimilar to an iceberg. In front of it was a solid white, marble tea table. The style was something that looked like it'd come straight from Ragunna.

But-

The marble had a strange, iridescent sheen- softening the edges of the table and giving it the illusion of being wrong.

Of being not there.

G̴͕̤̣̟̐o̸̧̭̺͎͔͗̄̎d̸͔̦͓͉̤̳̗̻̯̉̆̾̋,̵̱̯͓̽̌̓̍̍̍̅̚͜ ̵̡͉͍̼̜̘̠̅̎̃͝w̴̠͒̓͘̕͘ȟ̵̛̜̫͈̠̲͉̄̇̋̏̐̃̂͜͜a̶̢̛̘̲̩̜̩̎͊t̵̳͚̗͚͔͔̒̅̈͗͐ ̷̧͚̲̟̾̽͌̈̈́h̵̢̧̝͔̱̓͗́̓̊̕͘͠ȃ̸̛͕̦̫̈́͒͊̏͌̆v̴̮͎̝̭̹̱͊̾͊̿͠ͅe̸̤̩̓̈̃͒̍͋̍͗͝ ̷̨̧̣͓̙̮̀͗̊͂̓̃̈́̕͘ý̵��̘̯̓̂̅̀͛̒̆ọ̴̡͚̪̤͙̟̰̊́̀͆̈́͝u̵̞̽́̀͌͑̒͝͝ ̵̨͕̯͓̬̓̌̈͝d̸̢̮͍̫̝̮̍̂͊͗͋̏o̴̳̓͑̈́̈́̐̐͒̅ͅn̵̳̪̻̋̀̃͗̿͝͝é̶̗̩̪̞̣̬͈̊?̴̣̤̭̣͚̈́̇̍̒͑̏

Caladin flinched at the sudden, distorted song, glancing around cautiously. It was beginning to feel less and less like a dream- more...

familiar?

When he glanced back at the table, he froze.

There was a chair now- the same material and style- the same off sheen.

He took a step back, attempting to call on his forte.

Yet.

The usual, ever present humming that lingered under his skin, burning with heat and purity in ways all Spectro was and yet could never quite be like his-

It wasn't there.

Even his tainted resonance was completely out of reach.

His heart dropped.

Something was very, very wrong with this place.

It was achingly familiar.

His eyes darted around for a moment, frantic gold trying to take in all the details of the mirrored pocket of space-

And then he caught his own reflection in on of the floating fragments.

His tacet mark was gone. And now there was a three-pronged swirl nestled in the crook of his neck, on the right side.

His eyes rapidly flickered back to the table, freezing.

He could barely breathe.

Why had he even looked away?

A woman...?

A woman sat at the table, perched gracefully in the marbled seat, rippling in the same "unreal" way the table and chair did.

She was glowing white, faint swirls of colors dancing from the astral space across her dress and up her solid white arms. He thought she was sipping from a tea cup-

But when his eyes moved to meet her gaze-

There was nothing.

Where a head should be was instead a swirling ball of light and mirror shards.

O̸̡͍̞̞͙̖̣̫̗̼̭͖̿͗͒̋̓͐́̽̑̀̇̀̇̐̈́̚͝͠ḩ̶̧̨̙̳̝͍͕̠̯̬͓̤̖̮̼̘͍̦̗̭̦̻͚͚̠̘̙̜͎́̊̐͆̋̑͗͐͜͜͝ ̸̨̛̟͖͈̼̭͔̻̠̹̉́̎̅̀̌͂̂͋̈́̐̃̑́͋͑͘m̵̨̢̙͍̱͈̖̱̞̭̻̙͇̲̊̄͑͐̐́̓͌̾̌͌̉̅̀̂͐̔͊͑̑̊̋͜͝ͅa̷͓̹̎̑̽̓͂̂̔̽͊̕͠ͅm̴͓̗̒̂̔̑̀̽̑̈̃̉̈́̅̂̄̑̑̋͝a̶̡̤̰̗̜̬̪̞͉̺͇̺͖̮͕͔̘͇̥͉̪̋̆͛͌͑̈̽͘͜͜,̷̢̢̨͍͇̳̦͇̹̟̟̲̤̣̙̲̩̬̰̠͕̩̮̑̀́̀͜͠͝ ̷̡̡̧͚͚̤̟̠͈̮̤̤̖͓̯̹̭̩̙͚̠̺̺͕̅̆̍̽͐̀͛́̋̚̕͝I̷̛̼͔̳̙͉̲͓͖̹̲͚̤̟̮͎̭̦̭̪͍͇͔̘͚͉̻͚̦̝͆̓̎̇̅̅̀̂̄̇͌̀̀̂̈́͌͆̇̉͊̈́́̂̈́͑̚̕͝'̵̨̢̺̰̮͚̺̙͋m̶̧̧͚̼̖̳̮̲̠̙̪͚̹̠̺̋̊̏̈́̈̋̍̽͗̋̉̀̐̏̓̿́̿̿̀͌̕̚̚̕͝ͅͅͅ ̶̧̲͕͓̦̩̗̥̳͙̩̬̝̫̗͎̪̥̼̳̞̳̺̺̂͑̎̽̂̌̾̐͂́́͒̆̏̑͒͘̚͘͜͠͝ǰ̴̢̙̠̦͕̘̺̳̍̄̃̾̋́́̌͝ȕ̴̝͔̭͕̦̃̓̑ş̸̧̨͓͚̼̖͓̹͇͕̦̰͓̥̗͕̲͎͐͘ţ̷̛̛̱̺̭̹̬̺̩̞͎̦̗̼͎̜̼͒̈́̑̅̏̈́́̽̋̓̆͛̄͑̈́̌̐̋̍̒̈̅̃̾̀̕͘͜͝ ̵͖̎͋̇̎̊̍̏ḧ̶̢͍͔̤̣͔̣͔́̒̂̉͆̊̑̈́̈̎͐̂̊̈́̓̓̕̚̕a̵̪̐͌̎̇͆̀̉̄̀̓̔̓̐̀̊̇̈́̀̚͝v̸̨̖͖̗̳͔̲͕̠͈̅̀̎̑̈́̆̊̈́͊́̈́̈́̿́̊́̇̂̐͛͘͘̚ͅi̶̡̧̡̡̢̛͕̖̰͎̮̫͉͖̼͉̭̜̻͔̺͙̣̙̙̬̗̪͍̖̬͗̓͐̈́̓̏͒̆͂̋̉̓̍́͂̾͐͐̊̾̓͂͑̽͗̿̂̄̚ͅn̷̡̧̛̥̞̘̱̮̫̞̝̝̺͍̬̩̦͔̙͗́̑̐̒̍̋͌͊̏̒̈̾́͋̌͗̃̎̚͜͠͝ͅg̷̢̛̠̹͚̹̲̫̞̉̈́̈́́̓͊̾̀͗̿͂̽͆̈́̆͘͜͠ ̷̲͎̱͇̠̀̉̇͜͝f̶̨̨̡̛̺̳̠̣̱̬̳̬͓̤̱͇͚̱͇͍̣͕̪̘̐̔̓̾̐͛͒͑̀͛͆̾̍́̀͋̂͐́̊͒͆̈́͆͂́́̒̕͘͠ͅṵ̵̧̢̢̫͈̤̤̗͙̬̖̠̦̳̘̰͙̼̦̟͇̖̮̹̹͔͍̀̇̈͆͐̽̂̒̒̅̄̓̈́̐̕͜ͅn̶̨̨̧̡͙̝͕̬̞͚͇̤̬̯̖̪͍̭̗̯̤͎̼̞̤͙̞̻̙̣̳̉̍̑͐̔͆ͅ-̸̢̡̢̯̰̲̺̱̩͇͙̥̲̭̪̲̠͇͚̳͙̳̬̹̗̹͚̘̜͑͂̿̀̓͌̓̃͘͘̚͝

O̶͓̻̣̹̪̮̰̥͖̤͕̞̘͕̅́͆͑ņ̸̛̛͎͈̤̣̗̠̪̪̪͓͕͚̭͔̺̝͚͐͑͐̎͐̓̈́͜ͅ ̷̤͎̭̼̝͙̼͉̠͓͇̻͔̻̩͂̾͐̽̀͐͗̈́̐͆̾̄̋̄̎̃͒̀̒̔̚̚ͅţ̸̢̹͈͙͎͙̺̫̘̺̪̻̩̦͈̣̯̌̿͘͘ḧ̶͈͉̤̻̯̙́͊̽̈̅́̃͂͌̚ę̷̧̥̜̼͙̭̳̜͇̭̿̾̊̒̂͌́̍́̽͂̿͋̈́̀̇̍̆͊͂̕̕͜͠ͅ ̴̡̨̟̪̻͓̳̹̟̺̬͚͎̘̹͕̮̗̏̓̉̇́̿̈́̒̋̈́́̕͜͝͝͝s̴̨̯͕̝̥͉̫̼̗̖̳̲̼̼̙͚̱͚͉͗͋̀̎̒͑͛͐̃̊̚͜͝ț̸̖͋͊̈́̃̀̊̎̇̂̎͝ą̸̺͙̘͔͍͇̣͓̜̮͔͇͖͖̣̦͙̞͖̭͊̑́͋͊̌̃̕͘͜͝g̶͚͕̞͖̗̳̮͚̙̳̣̓̎̑̀́͛̅̅̂̌́̉̿̿́̉̀̊̚͘̕͠͝ȅ̶̬̍́͆͛͆͒̐̍̐̿̊̕̕̕ ̶̪̫̱̩̪̹̩̣̪̭̝̜̬̖͉̋͋̋̒̒͝ï̴͙͚̎̎̈̓̃͌͒̐̎̅̓̒̾̈́̂̚̕͠͝n̸̨̢̨̺̦̗̙͚̭̱̱̬͇͖̼̳̤̪̜͉̠̚̕ ̷̨̰͚̜̋́͑̅͐̊̒͜m̸̡͈͕̘͓͓̫̬̲̿̇̓̀̐̾͂͛͠ͅy̸͔̣̫̫͑̓̋́̄̔̈͂̄͒̈́̏̓̑̈́͊̋̇̋̚͝͠͠ͅͅ��̲͇̬̬̙̭̪̼̙ ̸̧̢̢̧̟͍̠̖̱̭̦̲̦͖̙͖̹͍͙̠̑̅̏̀̒̽̇̍͗͛́̽̚͘͜͠ͅḩ̷̧̧̨͓͔͓͉̣̠̼̥͔̺̟̲̤̋̑͒͂̒́͊͐̉̅̋̇̊͘̚͜ͅe̶̛̜̽̏̔͛̽́̾̈̄̂͆̎̓͊̑̒̔̀͊͌̕͝e̵̢̛̗̺̼͔͈̗̠͍͓̬̙̙̭̤̳̫̘̹͚̣̽̓͌̈́̒̈͆̌̆̚ḻ̸̡͘̕ş̶̡̨̦͔͎̖͚̖̘͈͇͍̦͈̟̘͈̥͔̘̝̋̓́̐͆͒̈́̐̍͂̔̈͗̊͋̿̆̕̕

I̶̧̢̞̞̜̦̻̯̮̱̪͐́͋̊̅̀ț̸̨̻͖͖̫̜̃̈̒ͅ'̷̡̫͙̜͇̱̪̞̰̺́̔͌̕s̸̳̖̤̀̍̋͗̐͒͆̽̅̄ ̶̣̯̪̲̖̘̥̗͙̦̎͒̅͘̕̕͜w̸̰̯̐̓͌̔h̴̜̬̎̃̉͑͒̀̌̽͆͜ê̸̢̡̨̛͙͙͚̝̟̎̃͑͘ȑ̴̨̥͍̞͎̲̻̓̓e̴̘͈̳̠̒ ̴̻̤͐̋̒̄͆̏̓͝I̵̙͉͑̍͗͜ ̶̖͎͉͍͚̂̓͗̿͌̈͑̀͑b̷̼̬̬̻̦͛͒̎̄́͂̽͘ę̵̧̡̛̺̦̖̠̬̱̣̐͆̃̚͝͝ļ̵͈̟̟̲̤͛̇̅̆̈́̌̀̚̚̚o̶̘͚͐̈́̈́̍n̸͎̱̼͕̗̿̽̒̾͑̌̚͠ͅg̴̢̩͓͇̭͇̦͇̮͈̭̀͐̆̀̈́̃ ̸̢̮̻̱̜̞̂̑̓͆͗̈́̽̿̆̒͠ͅd̵̨̨̻̳͎̻͔̭͖͖͐̄̇ͅǫ̷͙̟̜͈̪̜͓̉̈́̆͑̈́̏̀͂̀̚ͅw̷̡͚̖̹̫̥͍͎̤͋͆̔̚n̸̦̖̪͎̉͒͘ ̷̢̙͔̤̼̥̑̈́̽͐̊͑̄͜á̴̗̠̾͑̓̌͋̈́̀͊̚͝t̶̛͉̪́̈́̕ ̵̖̳̺̗͎͙̗̟͊͌͛͘̕͝͠t̸̨̠̘͎̝͚̬̪͇͈̀̌h̵̞̖̝̞̓̀̈́̀͂̊͝e̸̘̰̭͖̭͂̉̿͌͘̕͝͝͝-̶̈́̒̚͜

Caladin's ears rang painfully, and the three-pronged swirl on his neck burned.

He couldn't move. He could barely breathe.

And for some reason, he knew what she'd sing next.

"Pink pony club...?" He muttered, almost unaware he'd said it.

The... woman didn't respond, and the burning lessened.

Caladin shuddered involuntarily as hum rang out through the space, a varied mix of harmonies. He got the vague feeling this... woman was pleased with his response.

The swirling fractals near her face began to dim slightly, and images began appearing- appearing everywhere there were mirror shards.

[A teen girl, maybe sixteen if he had to guess. She had shoulder length curls the color of blood and eyes of Ocean and Sky.]

Caladin watched as she danced and laughed, twirling with the aide of another out of frame. She had a greyed scar from her left cheek bone to jaw, and as she twirled, Caladin noticed the three-pronged swirl mark in the crook of her neck on the left side.

Something oddly heavy and anxious settled in his chest.

She laughed, the sound bright and full of life. Then the mirror glowed and changed again.

[The same teen girl stood atop a pile of... bodies and rubble, clutching her right arm. Exhaustion colored her features and she seemed to be staring out a blurred battle field, the sounds of screams and roars of creatures echoed aloud. He couldn't tell if the wound on her forehead was still bleeding. It matched her hair]

Caladin stood frozen, watching her inhale shakily, her blue eyes burning gold- *his* gold.

The arm she was holding had a thing circle of paper scrawled with runes wrapped around her bicep. He watched her climb and stumble across the mirrors.

[This time, he could clearly see her celebrating, slouched with a tired but easy smile against another blurred figure. She chatted happily with those around her, smile exhausted but relieved. Her eyes were blue once more.]

He was tense. Something wasn't right with this scene. And she seemed to notice that too, because her eyes burned gold once more and she lurched to stand.

The scene rapidly changed, blurred figures darting around. Her voice raised, a foreign tongue spilling from her lips and full of authority, panic in her eyes.

He knew that feeling. He knew and his heart ached for her.

Because she was about to loose everything.

He could only see the panic on her face as she stared up at whatever was looking down at her from his viewpoint.

And then an arrow of light shot straight through her forehead.

Caladin felt it- the visceral response of terror- the feeling that he couldn't die yet- he had too many depending on him- on them- on her-

The scene changed before he got the chance to recover.

[A young man, likely in his early twenties was lying in bed. He looked tired- like he was grieving. He had soft black hair and charcoal eyes. Yet for a moment, they flickered of Ocean and Sky and *his* gold- and then the man sat up. He had a scar, tracing from his left cheek bone to jaw. A three-pronged swirl was visible from the collar of his shirt, nestled in the crook of his neck on the right side.]

Caladin didn't have time to process as hundreds of people began to flicker across the mirror shards, all sharing these qualities- these characteristics with him.

Then it stopped.

The mirrors dimmed, and the woman in the chair turned to him, as though she could see right through him.

-

Hi everyone!

This was super fun for me, even if I'm sure this doesn't make much sense. This is actually a crossover with one of my original works.

I wanted to try this style of story telling, and if everyone likes it, I think using polls to help decide the outcomes of the Beneath the Sands quest during role play is a really neat idea????

Anyways, please pick an answer at your leisure. In a real usage of this method, choices and who voted for what would decide how the narration of the Quest continues. After meeting Caladin, he'd also become an active particpant in the polling decisions.

In theory, it'd work like this:

I'd make a post detailing the scene and story as a Narrator, with a poll(s) at the end containing options for the interracting OCs to respond based on. Once the poll duration runs out, the majorities choice would dictate the next scene??

It probably wouldn't be nearly ac structured as this, but I thought it'd be a neat idea on incorporating "dialogue" choices like in game.

Anyways, let me know what you think!

Taglist:

@uncreative-cryptid

@hobbysognodilibri

@crypticrainbowmoss

@captainsounddisaster

@yupuffin

[unrealistic-ideas-for-writers]

Beneath the Sands start and format update!!

Yay!!! Finally going to start this whole thing.

For those participating, reading, or wanting to join in, here’s how I plan to format the Quest!

Step I

I will make a post containing setting, plot starter, yada yada.

This may contain specific choices for each Oc to make (in the case of the party being split) or a poll for group decisions!

I’ll try and include as much information as possible so the plot flows relatively smoothly??? I’m going to treat this a bit like D&D tbh.

Step 2

Everyone should try and keep their initial response to 1 post per OC??? Unless we run out of words. Hate when that happens. Just tag your secondary reblog as part 2!

Your response may include dialogue, photos, music, whatever you’d like! The goal is to have fun and create responses that keep building off each other

Step 3

After everyone has responded, I’ll curate the next plot post based on the results!

There will probably be a solid week or so before this in which OCs can interact with dialogue??? The first initial post is just to get out what your OC is doing in response to scenario

All responses after are for group interaction!!!

Step 4

This process will be repeated until the end of the Quest!

When the OCs meet Caladin, he’ll also become an active part of the “plot posts”

Not sure how well this is going to work, so feel free to offer up ideas and critiques for this method. I might also post an outline of the plot points so we don’t derail too badly?

Not sure :3

Taglist:

@uncreative-cryptid

@hobbysognodilibri

@crypticrainbowmoss

@captainsounddisaster

@yupuffin

[unrealistic-ideas-for-writers]

Beneath the Sands music rambles

I remembered while I was hunting that Valerian’s theme is “Forgive Me, Friend” by Smith & Thell and the Swedish Jam factory

So now I have to assign all the currently available OCs a Smith & Thell theme because????

Valerian

Caladin and Dahlia

Jiahui

Sobeknesef

Caladin & Dahlia

RAHHH 7th TIMES THE CHARM HERE WE GO

This songggg- it’s so good-

But really it’s the dichotomy between Caladin only knowing how to live for avenging his fallen family, to be left with people who he can call tentative friends and he grows as a person, as he slowly, hesitantly allows himself to rebuild a family and to let go so he can live on-

Versus Dahlia. Who had everything- who is falling into insanity- who is rage in a way Cal will never be. It’s how she’s frantically clinging to the past of what will never be again-

How she’s angry and desperately trying to claw herself from the jaws of death just to destroy herself on the process

Healing versus Destruction

I love themmmmmm

“I rent the earth where I stand, and the air I breathe.”

“Did you forget that deal you made with God?”

“Never once has it crossed your mind that lifes’ too short.”

Dahlia learning painfully that life is short and fighting it ⬆️ versus Caladin always knowing and accepting it ⬇️

“Life is a blink of an eye til we are no more.”

But is it really?

Again. Healing and moving on versus Destruction and tearing yourself and all you love apart

“The body you borrowed is starting to look kind of worn-“ Dahlia 👀

Anyways. I just love them.

“We’re just grains in the universe, I let that comfort me when I’m anxious.”

“This life, is beautifully ugly at times.”

Jiahui

Okay, so this might be a stretchhhhh

But this song mainly reminds me of little Jiahui? Specifically thinking about the blurb for her scarf cherished item

She’s such a gremlin honestly

But also it always feels like she has something to prove, even if it’s just to herself?

I’m not even sure what it is, but that’s the vibe I get everytime I read about her.

“Here’s a story about the ears that never listened- here’s the riddle of a fire in a heart-“

“Here’s a song about the hands that took Goliath for a dance, about being brave enough to stand up to the man.”

“But they’re shouting to the monsters in the dark-“

“About a girl with little braids who turned the world to a parade.”

“Though I tremble in the cold blue night, knowing I’m alone this time-“

“And then I looked up, into the giant’s eyes and I found my strength inside-“

“Now I’m Goliath.”

“And I won’t be silent, until you hear me.”

I’m not sure if she’s found what she’s looking for, in herself or otherwise. But I think she’ll get there. She feels very vibrant to me in ways I can’t really explain, but this song seems to get it?

Sobeknesef

AHHH THIS SONG MAKES ME SO SAD

Need I even explain?

It suits his back story so well and there’s a few lines that make me choke up when thinking about him :’)

“You said, No don’t you stand by my grave, no don’t you stand there and cry.”

“Cause I’m not dead, I did not die- No I’m not dead, I did not die.”

The repetitionnnn^^^

Reminds me of a mantra, perhaps to calm himself from nightmares???

“This year, we lost more than we can count. The ashes we laid in the ground. Oh this was the year of the young.”

“This year, we looked up towards the sun. And wonder where everyone’s gone. Oh this was the year of the young.”

I love them all so muchhhh

Anyways, I’m sure this makes *no* sense. My thoughts are very incoherent and I’ve tried to get it down 5 times since 5am this morning when I thought it up in the deer blind-

Feel free to share your thoughts! This is just my general interpretation of everyone’s OCS for now, and I plan to interact more now that I’m heading home.

Taglist:

@uncreative-cryptid

@hobbysognodilibri

@crypticrainbowmoss

@captainsounddisaster

@yupuffin

If anyone else wants to join the Taglist, or the project with an OC, interact with the original Taglist post and I’ll start reading up on your OC so we can interact more, create Voicelines, etc.

[hobbysognodilibri]

Truth or dare with the beneath the sands squad's gotta be chaotic af

Both modern au and canon timeline

(can't think of any specific scenario but none of those four has any kind of self preservation instinct or impulse control, they'd be deranged af)

@unrealistic-ideas-for-writers @uncreative-cryptid @rainbowprisimatic

[unrealistic-ideas-for-writers]

So, when you mentioned not having a name for the desert nation in your inital post, i left a few ideas in my reblog, but also It also got me thinking...

Considering how untrusting of outsiders the desert dwellers tend to be (since you have it set up to where the desert peoples refuse assistance to the research team and are standoffish to them, & considering how the harsh enviorment they live in easily isolates them from the rest of solari --- perhaps the name that the desert peoples have for their own nation is different then the one the rest of solaris agreed to call the place? Like if other nations can't easily communicate or traverse the desert land, learning anything about it and it's people would be difficult. And this they'd have to use placeholder titles and whatnot to fill in the gaps in their nation knowledge.

This could give some more flexibility with the nation name issue, and if wuwa ever does give us a desert nation in the future - the beneath the sands project wont defy the possible canon lore

!!!!!

This is a good point. I already based their ancient Sentinel, The Worm, a bit off Shai Halud from Dune. I could absolutely see the modern settlers being both very wary of their predecessors in this land, but also reverent.

kinda like:

"You were here once. You were here before us. We see you. and we see what you left behind. We will not forget you, and we will learn the lesson you left in your ashes-"

By extension, I could see them highly mistrusting outsiders who do not have this same wariness. (I also love sand worms in general, so giant beasts that live in the sand away from settlements are probably pretty common-)

And actually^^^

In Caladin's time, they probably had some kind of energy or barrier that drove the beasts away, and now the modern desert peoples are forced to settle close to ruins in order to stay safe. More discomfort and reverence there.

Honestly though, with names?? I loved the names you suggested entirely-

Though I think Alkhulud would suit the nation best in this case. Plus it kind of reinforces these themes of "We were not the first. We will not be the last."

I also love the idea that majority of the nation's populous are probably animal hybrid based??? We never really see stuff like that in game where there's a known settlement of mostly hybrids.

As for being cut off from the rest of the world, I don't think it would be a stretch to say only the Black Shores really has direct contact with the area. Based on maps so far, I think I can safely say the nation would be located very, very West of the Desorock Highlands, perhaps with some kind of natural or unnatural barrier between them.

[unrealistic-ideas-for-writers]

Beneath the Sands: Plot Overview and play guide

Hi Hi!

As I said, I wanted to make a plot post for the participating OCs so the plot flows smoothly and we don't all get lost. This is also to double check who's actively participating and who wants to, versus those who are just along for the ride. Feel free to reiterate what you'd like to do!

The current taglist and what they're here for are as follows:

@uncreative-cryptid ---> Valerian, takes odd jobs and a mineral specialist, escorting the Huaxu Academy research group

@hobbysognodilibri ---> Jiahui, a field specialist from Huaxu Academy, interested in the recently resurface Court of Savantae Ruins

@crypticrainbowmoss ---> Sobeknesef, a local Blacksmith and retired soldier, who winds up guiding the group

@yupuffin (Quay exists, but I wasn't sure if you wanted him to join this expedition, or spark a new Quest Line with Raziel, Demona, Asaro, and the Convent in Rinacita)

@captainsounddisaster ---> Here for the ride, been here since the beginning. I hope you enjoy reading!

@marmartheyarn ---> Also a reader! Hope you enjoy :3

I don't think I forgot anyone, but if this needs to be updated in anyway, just let me know!

Now that that has been established, the below will contain a loose overview of the plot, so if you're interested in reading and remaining spoiler free, stop here ;3

A "play guide" will also been included, and I will officially be setting up a masterlist for this Project with this post and the Prelude as the starting posts.

Plot overview (so we don't confuse each other too much!)

Act I: When Midday Dust Settles

The act opens with the Rover discovering a flier searching for bodyguards for a research group in Jinzhou. The payment is reasonable, but the expedition is far outside Huanglong, so it's attracted minimal attention, with only 1 name present on the contact sheet.

Valerian

Abby, who gets curious about Valerian's linger frequencies, pesters (affectionately) the Rover into checking out the job.

Enter Jiahui!!!!

The Rover chats with her for a bit and meets Valerian, agreeing to join them on the research expedition. (The last CSC ruins were pretty neat after all)

Mini little teleport skip

Its SAND

So much Sand

(Desert nation temporarily undecided unless someone else already has a name???)

The group decides to check out the local village

Chat with a few NPCs- they're very curt and standoffish

Wind up on the path to the ruins on their own

Ambush!

Sobeknesef!!!

cue "The fuck are you doing without a guide???"

Regrouping at the forge on the settlement outskirts

Sobeknesef warily agrees to be there guide

Act II: Ruined by Evening Light

Exploring the ruins!

Various paths and traps

Group gets split

More exploration, combat, and clues

Fractsidus are prowling around

Meet back up in a large room

Share clues

Fractsidus ambush

Someone bleeds on the wrong thing

Floor seal glows

Everyone falls in

CALADIN

babi

Everyone is extremely nauseous because weird time warp

Puzzle time

Caladin is clearly frozen in time

Those sensitive to frequencies + Abby can tell he's still alive

Occasional Fractsidus and Tacet Discord ambush

Puzzle solved!

the nausea goes away!

Entire party is *magically* healed of their injuries

A floating Caladin drops to the ground and the Spectro that had been burning in his hands for almost 100,000 years finally burns out

(His poor hands are probably super dry and cracked)

Introductions but only briefly

Boss Fight!!!!!!

Act III: Dusk steals Life from the Dunes

Frantic escape from the collapsing ruins

Make it out

Here screeches from behind the party

Fractsidus!

More Fractsidus

The Founders make their first appearance!

Fighting, Negotiation, much irritation, and grief

The Boss is back from earlier

Abby saves the day

It's rock licking adjacent, but does the job

Act IV: Dawning of a New Day

Regrouping at the Forge

Caladin is very awkward

Deciding what to do or where he should go

Lending some insight on the Founders and offering aid

Party conversations

We cut to The Founders and their discussions

Ends with quiet morning and tea of choice

Okey dokey!!!

I hope this doesn't feel too restrictive?? I really wanted to give the participating writers some boning for the story so we didn't all flounder about!

I'll happily take other ideas and scenes as well.

Running out words, so pt. 2 will include play guide on how to make this more free form for everyone and more open for interpretation!

[unrealistic-ideas-for-writers]

Beneath the Sands Maps Update!!!

[aka I got to class 30 mins early on accident, so you all get to see my doodling process while I try and figure out how to make this work lore wise and geographically]

I’ll need to canonically adjust where “The Thorns” are and probably expand the desert into Huanglong’s coastline a bit more???

Drawing hard. Why is it hard to create lore accurate, almost inaccessible desert :(

[unrealistic-ideas-for-writers]

Jiahui: My Bi awakening was The Mummy 1998, what about you Val?

Valerian: Lady gaga in drag. Also when I saw Caladin braid hair back for the first time - but I'm not going down that rabbit hole.

Jiahui: Alright. What about you, Sobeknesef?

Sobeknesef: I was in the army.

Valerian: Understandable✌️

________

This could fit the quad in so many of the aus xD

(This meme is based on one that i saw in a much different fandom a while ago, it's ingrained into my mind lmao)

OH MY GOD- BAHAHAHA-

This is great. Very, very accurate. And I think I’ve officially established Cal as asexual in my brain now???

So were he to be included, it would just be: “?????”