#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

[hobbysognodilibri]

Beneath the sands modern au

Jiahui braiding Cal's hair while reviewing for an exam

Maybe they're quizzing each other and she's bored and needs to do something with her hands so she starts braiding

It quickly becomes a habit

@unrealistic-ideas-for-writers

[hobbysognodilibri]

Dude's gonna do tons of math to make sure every single cat has EXACTLY everything it needs

I can imagine him having a whole meal plan written down

Like who cares about a highschool diploma, here's my cats' meal plan

Also he'll totally teach the others the how's and why's of everything

Sorry to barge in but

Headcanon that Valerian feeds the cats a raw diet-

I can’t get it out of my head that he probably gets the cats better food than himself :’)

oh boy have you unlocked my uberinstincts from my uberautisim

observe;

honestly valerian probably feeds them limited ingredient diets, as opposed to raw!

he also would feed a lot of wet food.

following reasons:

1. raw food risks of contamination/illness. as of real life events today, bird flu has affected a lot of poultry and is 60% fatal to cats - cooked meats ensures risk of illnesses is reduced significantly.

2. cats naturally are more likely to dehydrate themselves and are more at risk for kidney issues as a result. best way to introduce more water into a diet is through wet food!

3. cans are easier to store and keep infestations out of the area, and he can recycle them!

4. limited ingredient is expensive as fuck, especially higher quality and specific protiens

if he isnt making the meals himself, there's a good chance kitties are probably eating cooked fowl, rabbit, and fish. as a treat they probably get chopped up bits of bacon.

he's absolutely the type to make sure the cats eat better and are healthier than him cause sentinel be damned he's gonna make their lives the best it can be

he is definitely gonna take each cat's individual needs into consideration, such as gaining/losing weight, activity levels, allergies, how much water they do or dont consume .. whole nine yards and anything less he would rather die

[yupuffin]

We're currently discussing the silliness of an atla au with the beneath the sands group!

If Quay was in this au, what kind of bender would he be? Would his backstory change much?

I saw!! O:

Ooh, that's an excellent question... I'm going to start my answer with a disclaimer:

While I have watched ATLA from start to finish at least once, the last time I've seen it at all would have been... probably middle school at the latest, and I am now in my late twenties, so my memory of the series is far from the freshest; I only recall the most basic of concepts and premises 😅😆 (And I'm reasonably sure said viewing would have been well before LoK came out, so I'm not aware of what that part specifically encompasses.)

That said!

I think, given how I've said "ocean" is at least a solid 50% of Quay's personality, he would have to be a waterbender. I considered giving him the option of airbending, too, for creativity's sake, since when given the option I usually get assigned air as an element based on my personality/vibes, but I think water would make more sense just based on his living situation; in WuWa, he's originally from Rinascita, i.e. he's spent his whole life around the sea, and IIRC (though, like I said, it's been a hot minute, so I could certainly be wrong) that's much more likely to be characteristic of waterbenders than of airbenders.

And, assuming there's an occupation/career path in ATLA that's at least roughly equivalent to "marine ecologist," I'm having trouble envisioning anyone other than a waterbender specializing in such a field, especially since Quay is very into beachcombing and studying the dead animals he finds, for data collection purposes. 😆

Plus, then he gets to keep the personality trait of "this person is inexplicably psyched about water in any situation despite having lived near the ocean for his entire life and so you'd really think he was sick of it by now but you would be very wrong." 🤣

As for his backstory... I have yet to nail down the fine details in the WuWa universe, but I think you could certainly keep the general idea: he spends his entire young life in the same family group where lineage is highly valued, but nevertheless ends up moving out on his own after all of his family members "marry off." (Maybe Quay could move somewhere with more airbenders -- but that still has access to the sea -- and just be the odd one out who's just. really excited nd knowledgeable about water? I can't remember how much intermingling of groups is typical in the ATLA universe 😆😅)

[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: 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 ̷̨̧̣͓̙̮̀͗̊͂̓̃̈́̕͘ý̵̘̯̔̓̂̅̀͛̒̆ọ̴̡͚̪̤͙̟̰̊́̀͆̈́͝u̵̞̽́̀͌͑̒͝͝ ̵̨͕̯͓̬̓̌̈͝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 ̵͖̎͋̇̎̊̍̏ḧ̶̢͍͔̤̣͔̣͔́̒̂̉͆̊̑̈́̈̎͐̂̊̈́̓̓̕̚̕a̵̪̐͌̎̇͆̀̉̄̀̓̔̓̐̀̊̇̈́̀̚͝v̸̨̖͖̗̳͔̲͕̠͈̅̀̎̑̈́̆̊̈́͊́̈́̈́̿́̊́̇̂̐͛͘͘̚ͅi̶̡̧̡̡̢̛͕̖̰͎̮̫͉͖̼͉̭̜̻͔̺͙̣̙̙̬̗̪͍̖̬͗̓͐̈́̓̏͒̆͂̋̉̓̍́͂̾͐͐̊̾̓͂͑̽͗̿̂̄̚ͅn̷̡̧̛̥̞̘̱̮̫̞̝̝̺͍̬̩̦͔̙͗́̑̐̒̍̋͌͊̏̒̈̾́͋̌͗̃̎̚͜͠͝ͅg̷̛̠̹͚̹̲̉̈́̈́́̓͊̾̀͗̿͂̽͆̈́̆͘͠��̢̫̞ ̷̲͎̱͇̠̀̉̇͜͝f̶̨̨̡̛̺̳̠̣̱̬̳̬͓̤̱͇͚̱͇͍̣͕̪̘̐̔̓̾̐͛͒͑̀͛͆̾̍́̀͋̂͐́̊͒͆̈́͆͂́́̒̕͘͠ͅṵ̵̧̢̢̫͈̤̤̗͙̬̖̠̦̳̘̰͙̼̦̟͇̖̮̹̹͔͍̀̇̈͆͐̽̂̒̒̅̄̓̈́̐̕͜ͅn̶̨̨̧̡͙̝͕̬̞͚͇̤̬̯̖̪͍̭̗̯̤͎̼̞̤͙̞̻̙̣̳̉̍̑͐̔͆ͅ-̸̢̡̢̯̰̲̺̱̩͇͙̥̲̭̪̲̠͇͚̳͙̳̬̹̗̹͚̘̜͑͂̿̀̓͌̓̃͘͘̚͝

O̶͓̻̣̹̪̮̰̥͖̤͕̞̘͕̅́͆͑ņ̸̛̛͎͈̤̣̗̠̪̪̪͓͕͚̭͔̺̝͚͐͑͐̎͐̓̈́͜ͅ ̷̤͎̭̼̝͙̼͉̠͓͇̻͔̻̩͂̾͐̽̀͐͗̈́̐͆̾̄̋̄̎̃͒̀̒̔̚̚ͅţ̸̢̹͈͙͎͙̺̫̘̺̪̻̩̦͈̣̯̌̿͘͘ḧ̶͈͉̤̻̯̙́͊̽̈̅́̃͂͌̚ę̷̧̥̜̼͙̭̳̜͇̭̿̾̊̒̂͌́̍́̽͂̿͋̈́̀̇̍̆͊͂̕̕͜͠ͅ ̴̡̨̟̪̻͓̳̹̟̺̬͚͎̘̹͕̮̗̏̓̉̇́̿̈́̒̋̈́́̕͜͝͝͝s̴̨̯͕̝̥͉̫̼̗̖̳̲̼̼̙͚̱͚͉͗͋̀̎̒͑͛͐̃̊̚͜͝ț̸̖͋͊̈́̃̀̊̎̇̂̎͝ą̸̺͙̘͔͍͇̣͓̜̮͔͇͖͖̣̦͙̞͖̭͊̑́͋͊̌̃̕͘͜͝g̶͚͕̞͖̗̳̮͚̙̳̣̓̎̑̀́͛̅̅̂̌́̉̿̿́̉̀̊̚͘̕͠͝ȅ̶̬̍́͆͛͆͒̐̍̐̿̊̕̕̕ ̶̪̫̱̩̪̹̩̣̪̭̝̜̬̖͉̋͋̋̒̒͝ï̴͙͚̎̎̈̓̃͌͒̐̎̅̓̒̾̈́̂̚̕͠͝n̸̨̢̨̺̦̗̙͚̭̱̱̬͇͖̼̳̤̪̜͉̠̚̕ ̷̨̰͚̜̋́͑̅͐̊̒͜m̸̡͈͕̘͓͓̫̬̲̿̇̓̀̐̾͂͛͠ͅy̸͔̣̫̫̲͇̬̬̙̭̪̼̙͑̓̋́̄̔̈͂̄͒̈́̏̓̑̈́͊̋̇̋̚͜͝͠͠ͅͅ ̸̧̢̢̧̟͍̠̖̱̭̦̲̦͖̙͖̹͍͙̠̑̅̏̀̒̽̇̍͗͛́̽̚͘͜͠ͅḩ̷̧̧̨͓͔͓͉̣̠̼̥͔̺̟̲̤̋̑͒͂̒́͊͐̉̅̋̇̊͘̚͜ͅe̶̛̜̽̏̔͛̽́̾̈̄̂͆̎̓͊̑̒̔̀͊͌̕͝e̵̢̛̗̺̼͔͈̗̠͍͓̬̙̙̭̤̳̫̘̹͚̣̽̓͌̈́̒̈͆̌̆̚ḻ̸̡͘̕ş̶̡̨̦͔͎̖͚̖̘͈͇͍̦͈̟̘͈̥͔̘̝̋̓́̐͆͒̈́̐̍͂̔̈͗̊͋̿̆̕̕

I̶̧̢̞̞̜̦̻̯̮̱̪͐́͋̊̅̀ț̸̨̻͖͖̫̜̃̈̒ͅ'̷̡̫͙̜͇̱̪̞̰̺́̔͌̕s̸̳̖̤̀̍̋͗̐͒͆̽̅̄ ̶̣̯̪̲̖̘̥̗͙̦̎͒̅͘̕̕͜w̸̰̯̐̓͌̔h̴̜̬̎̃̉͑͒̀̌̽͆͜ê̸̢̡̨̛͙͙͚̝̟̎̃͑͘ȑ̴̨̥͍̞͎̲̻̓̓e̴̘͈̳̠̒ ̴̻̤͐̋̒̄͆̏̓͝I̵̙͉͑̍͗͜ ̶̖͎͉͍͚̂̓͗̿͌̈͑̀͑b̷̼̬̬̻̦͛͒̎̄́͂̽͘ę̵̧̡̛̺̦̖̠̬̱̣̐͆̃̚͝͝ļ̵͈̟̟̲̤͛̇̅̆̈́̌̀̚̚̚o̶̘͚͐̈́̈́̍n̸͎̱̼͕̗̿̽̒̾͑̌̚͠ͅg̴̢̩͓͇̭͇̦͇̮̀͐̆̀̈́̃��̭ ̸̢̮̻̱̜̞̂̑̓͆͗̈́̽̿̆̒͠ͅ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.

[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

World Quest/Caladin Story Quest

Hi! Feel free to ignore :3

For anyone interested in my upcoming little project of writing out a story/world quest, feel free to tune in and I can tag you on future updates!

This will also be tagged with #beneath the sands wuwa on my blog :3

For those interested in reading or potentially including their OCs, I’m beginning to outline the basic concepts and I’m gathering ideas!

Below will contain spoilers for the Quest plot and contain my thoughts along with a poll probably? Feel free to pause and just ask for a tag if you want to remain spoiler free :3

Alrighty!

This is primarily for those who wish to suggest ideas or participate in the project:

What we know so far

Caladin and (x) giant Tacet Discord we’re frozen in time by a unique, fairly ancient type of waveform phenomena

Said phenomenon is currently unnamed, but I feel like it’s something that hasn’t been seen in a while and there’s few records of its existence

A Court of Savantae research facility was built around the site where Caladin was initially discovered

Per usual, it fell into ruin for “unknown reasons” (they got a little too curious me thinks)

In some way or another, Rover finds themself exploring the area with a potential cast of NPCs or OCs :3

I’m unsure if I want to wait for Rinacita or another new region to write this, mainly because I suspect Caladin was frozen in the remnants of his homeland which is based of Middle Eastern nations.

So quick poll I suppose?

And finally, here’s the ideas I have so far on how some OCs could easily be inserted into the quest line:

- Jiahui by @hobbysognodilibri is a field researcher- maybe she heard about the ruins and planned an expedition???

- Valerian by @uncreative-cryptid could’ve been commissioned to help her since CSC ruins are infamously dangerous and they’ve interacted before

- Chiefly by @crypticrainbowmoss I *vaguely* remember reading something about his people originating from the desert, but I may be thinking of their other OC Sobeknesef (hope I spelled that right :’)

These are currently the three OCs I’ve interacted the most with, but anyone is welcome to join and obviously these people aren’t obligated to interact either^^

This is more so a silly little project idea of mind, but I think it’d be fun to do! I’d be happy to work on similar projects focused more on other people’s OCs as well :3

[unrealistic-ideas-for-writers]

Incorrect Quotes: Beneath the Sands Squad

Sobeknesef: Cal. Caladin. Buddy. Please stop using my prosthetic as a chew toy-

Caladin, slowly releasing the fingers of the prosthetic from his teeth, pouting: I can’t purr with your arm in my mouth-

Sobeknesef:

Caladin:

Sobeknesef: ??????

-

[Caladin and Jiahui are sitting in the kitchen, sharing a plate of what looks like badly burnt Arayes. The kitchen is smoking. Valerian’s yells can be heard from the kitchen.]

Caladin:

Jiahui:

Sobeknesef, having just walked in: what the fuck-

Jiahui, deadpanned: Shhhh. All is good. All is fine.

Caladin, nodding: The pirate-core is strong in this one.

-

Caladin, gently holding the thumb joint of Sobeknesef’s prosthetic hand: ‘ur -and ‘astes Ike wahfles.

Sobeknesef, deadpanned: What?

Caladin, releasing the prosthetic: Your hand tastes like waffles

-

[Valerian and Caladin are situated in the living room of their dorm.]

Valerian: I like how I’m stabbing a child-

Caladin, nodding: Murder and human trafficking.

[They made a villager volcano in minecraft.]

-

More to come later :3

@uncreative-cryptid I know you wanted to see these :3

[unrealistic-ideas-for-writers]

Some Beneath the Sands Quest Rambles!

Featuring my wife being the biggest brain :3

Below the cut will be spoilers for potential plot points for the Beneath the Sands project, so if you’re a reader and not actively participating, you may want to scroll :3

AIGHT!

So my wife and I were being silly goofy and having a lil picnic for my birthday Saturday night (wheee)

And she read through the Beneath the Sands prelude for the first time and had so many great questions???

What’s the Alliance? What’s the Citadel?

Where was Dahlia during the entire prelude? Who is her husband??? Is Caladin’s Clan usually present in the Citadel? Is the clan compound there?

Did Dahlia die?

And so this very quickly segwayed into some very fucked up and also mellow lore???

So here’s some technical-ish terms I’ll probably use in the future and some loose answers to the Qs above^^

The Alliance and Citadels

Within this desert nation, multiple Clans came together to form a series of strongholds in the face of the Lament, often referred to as Citadels. While most people reside within small villages outside Clan compounds, Citadels are centers of trade and military power.

For instance, the Sunstrider Knight Order that Caladin leads. They are stationed at a Citadel and live 24/7 in the barracks there.

(Also, really in need of some Clan name ideas because it is driving me insane.)

Where was Dahlia?

If everyone remembers (or not) Dahlia is matriarch of their Clan, and due to being blinded during an “accident”, she often remains in the Clan compound and away from the frontlines

Both she and Cal are in the direct line of succession, but the Clan is Matriarchal.

Who is her husband??

Not sure yet :3

He’s going to be an odd man, me thinks

Very wiry and mischievous??? He gives fox vibes and I don’t even know what he looks like yet

I do know he’s an enabler and that fact will be important later

Is Caladin’s Clan usually present in the Citadel? Is their Clan compound there?

Nope! As stated above, most clansmen that aren’t scientists, merchants, or active duty military rarely venture to the Citadels!

Did Dahlia die?

Definitely not. She did not die during the prelude. In fact, my wife came up with some very cool and fucked up ideas on what to do with her and her husband as characters!

I’ll put a poll below with a few options on what we were thinking :3

Alrighty! Poll will have a few options with their respective explanations below, if it all fits :3

Please keep in mind that I have not fully flushed out Dahlia’s character, so it will not match up with what I’ve written so far. In fact I’d say all options are a complete 180 for her based off what’s been written.

Preserves herself in time

This idea is very loosely based because we very quickly thought up other things :3

We know whatever the fuck that stone was is borderline lethal when resonators come in contact with it

And we know that it fucks with time

I’m not sure where I was going with this, but Mayhaps Dahlia starts research that would predate and eventually lead the Court of Savantae

Human Experimentation

Something my wife thought up :3

I love her brain

Anyways, this idea comes from the weird dynamic her and her husband could have?

Let’s say the stress of losing Caladin, someone she views as her own child, was enough to cause a mutant resonator awakening

I’d say Havoc or Glacio in this case

She already has severe burns over her eyes, what’s a Tacet mark atop that??

Anyways, the grief drives her kind of insane in this one. Her husband, even the enabler, gives her a few ideas

Something something fucking around with her forte and cloning

And now we have a mini Orochimaru kind of body stealer roaming about

Tdlr: Dahlia and her husband clone themselves and transfer their consciousness over using her forte for the next hundred something thousand years to find Caladin again

Fractsidus Founder Dahlia!

Honestly, this idea works especially well with the one above^^

I could see her doing it too- the idea that she loses her brother to a seemingly one-sided war only to awaken just like he did

To feel the difference and wonder if this was the natural course of humanity all along? To evolve faster and better

Still think the cloning thing could work

Especially if during or after the Beneath the Sands quest we get a Fractsidus encounter with Dahlia and her husband and Cal just stared at two people he’d thought of his parents and just

“What the *fuck* did you do to my sister’s body?”

He’d be enraged, obviously, especially if she tried to justify everything, her madness showing and all

I think he’d be pissed, and probably convince himself that something just stole his sister’s body

Talking with Rover about the Fractsidus’ goals after would probably send him spiraling tbh

I’m sure this barely makes sense, but also- I had to get it out there. Feel free to leave ideas for me. This is more of a Caladin thing so it’ll probably be a post-quest prompt. Anyways! I love wife time. She gives me amazing ideas :3

[unrealistic-ideas-for-writers]

Thinking about “Just a Man” from Epic the Musical and Caladin’s Prelude in Beneath the Sands again :’)

[unrealistic-ideas-for-writers]

“What is a man to a king?”

“What is a king to a god?”

“Or a god to a nonbeliever?”

-

“Do you know who you are, ᓵᔑꖎᔑ↸╎リ?”

“Or did you give it up again? Did you forget to protect?”

-

They awoke.

They stared up at the astral space, eyes of Ocean and Sky and flecks of gold.

They were tired.

Memory was a fickle thing. How many lives had they lived? Grieved?

Did anyone else know?

Were they alone?

Their brain was still a bit jumbled.

77 billion years worth of memory would do that to you.

But they- *he* didn’t have time.

He could only ruminate a bit- before the memories left him again.

It was for the better.

Safer this way.

Caladin was running out of time.

Soon, he would be *just* Caladin again.

Because that’s what Solaris-3, what the Lord Arbiter needed.

Even if it meant that Dahlia- Daniyal- everyone.

Even if that meant he had to leave them early.

Because he was here for a reason. And once that reason was gone, the world would reject his presence.

[unrealistic-ideas-for-writers]

Wuthering Waves Interlude: Beneath the Sands

Prelude. Midnight on the Dunes

Quick A/N: This is a test run for this project with some world building, some practice for me writing Caladin, and for others! If you’d like your OC to participate, feel free to tack on their thoughts and what they may be doing prior to the quest. Another Author’s note will be at the bottom with specifics to help maintain a good flow.

Ether. Noun. The regions of space beyond the earth's atmosphere; the heavens.

Etheric. Adjective. Of or pertaining to the ether (an all-pervading medium.)

Caladin thumbed over the worn and yellowed cards. A remnant. Of what was, what has been, and what will be. He didn’t know how many days he’d been here. It should’ve been at least a month- that was according the Squad’s day keeping at least. It was hard to tell. Caladin had been charged with leading his squad to handle a strange occurrence just South of the frontlines- a site of worship for the Dusk Father. The desert had been welcoming, clouds casting shadows over her sands for once.

Though perhaps that’d been a warning.

The Etheric Sea had appeared shortly after, an odd barrier had fallen. It ripples like water, but too dense to pass through. It stretched for miles- they had walked to try and find a work around.

Eventually, exhaustion caught up to them, leading them to take refuge in the Dusk Father’s embrace. For a bit, everything was alright.

The next morning, in Mother Dawn’s early light, they saw the barrier drop. Only for a moment. And then began the game of time.

For three days, they watched. And waited. And noted.

Food consumed would reappear everyday at Dawn. Water was the same. And the barrier would flicker.

The Etheric sea loomed above them.

Day Four.

Something changed. Moisture extracted itself from deep within the sand, rising up, and up, and up.

Retroact Rain.

The fighting began shortly after. Wave after wave of Tacet Discords until Dusk.

And when Dawn came? It would reset.

Caladin was loosing track of time. The Dead didn’t stay dead.

Aslan and Parshati had both recieved fatal wounds, and yet they were now running around camp, joking and laughing.

It felt like he was the only one still watching, waiting. It was concerning to see how quick his fellow knights fell comfortably into the pattern.

There was no comfort here.

None at all.

-

According to the camp calendar, it was still the very day they arrived. The day the barrier dropped. But the Squad had tallied otherwise.

They’d been in here for two weeks.

Caladin was fed up with their complacency. Their lack of concern at their undying state. The fact that the only changes had been negative.

And so he let them be, and delved deep into the temple on his own.

His Tacet mark burned white hot as he followed the tingling feeling in his veins. This grew to a searing pain and vibration strong enough to rattle his armor as he found a passage behind the Dusk Father’s statue leading down.

Down into the dark.

Caladin whispered a quiet prayer, asking the Dusk Father for a pinch more luck as he stepped in.

This was his mistake.

Deep with in the bowels of the temple lay an echo chamber, partially submerged in water.

Caladin paused from his place on the stairs, cautiously eyeing the moonlight streaming in from a skylight, perfectly on the center of the room.

It was eerie. The carvings on the walls, usually depicting the cycles of Dawn and Dusk had been sanded away, cleanly and purposefully. Even with his minimal knowledge of architecture, Caladin could say that much.

He hesitated, unwilling to step on the sand stone leading to the moonlit center. The water in here wasn’t still, but there was in clear entry point. The vibrations under his skin grew stronger and his own Spectro resonance burned.

Whatever was warping their time was in this room. Caladin let a flicking of Spectro energy disperse throughout the room, feeling it circle back to him with a bit of information. Light was neat that way, capable of being sent out and bouncing back off object to give him a mental picture of his surroundings. Like a sharper pair of eyes, finding things his mortal body could not.

There seemed to be a plaque buried under the sand in the moonlit circle. It was hollow as well.

The knight sighed quietly to himself, fighting back the instinct to flee as he stepped down into the sand. His boots, designed to leave no traces on desert ground where wind blew, sunk slightly into the grainy path. The man’s gold gaze flickered across the room, carefully measuring each step. As far he could tell, there were no traps- no obvious ones. But.

He stopped just outside the moonlit circle, staring at the faint outline of the plaque in the sand covered floor. It was slightly raised, and his Spectro had indicated the source of that nasty reverberation was coming from underneath.

Dusk Father forgive him.

Caladin kneeled, sand fluttering around him as he slowly slid the plaque to the side.

The moment the space below was revealed, there was a massive, borderline painful uptick in resonance energy.

It surged through the air, sending waves of varying frequencies through Caladin’s body. His guts churned with nausea and he could vaguely register blood dripping from his nose.

Inside, the source of the chaos, was a spherical stone, pulsing ominously.

It was vile.

-

Containing the damn thing was nearly impossible, but using their Tacetite based armor to pseudo-forge a box seemed to work. The high heat produced by Cal’s Spectro and sudden cooling of Aslan’s Glacio allowed for a shoddy job, but it was a job nonetheless. The weapons reappeared during daily reset anyways.

The main problem came after. Removing the Skies damned stone (even inside its tacetite prison), seemed to increase the Tacet discord activity. It also brought those vile frequencies closer to them.

Caladin was still mentally recovering from the wreck it’d done to his body on contact- even if that had also been repaired during daily reset.

The only plus side was the effect on the barrier. The damn thing flickered everytime they got close to it with the stone.

However, this meant attempting to fight through increasingly dangerous hoards of Tacet discords with the stone- the source of all of this.

Who even knows what would happen if they took this thing outside the barrier?

Could they even bring it back for research without bringing destruction home with them?

They couldn’t even touch the thing without its frequencies shredding their organs- the tacetite box barely helping.

-

The fight to get out was rough. They’d made the most simplistic plan they could. Their fastest member, Parshati, would attempt to get the box to the barrier with the covering fire of Aslan from the temple roof, the squad on the ground, and with Caladin setting off his nukes of Spectro deep into centers of the hoards.

She had the best chance with her Aero abilities. But even then.

Caladin had been impaled twice in the past five minutes. How he had managed to miss vital organs was beyond him. A quick burst of Spectro caused enough heat to cauterize the wounds at least.

Another burst of Spectro stunned the hoard nearest to Parshati.

Burst of Glacio dotted the field from Aslan.

Nova, their havoc resonator, had succumbed to the madness hours ago. Caladin had put her down himself.

The nonresonators covering Parshati were dwindling and Caladin was too far to guard for her right now.

This…

Would they even get the daily reset if they won this, miraculously?

Caladin’s golden gaze burned a hole in Parshati- tracking her location, a mere hundred yards from the barrier.

And then she went down, Glacio piercing her head.

-

Aslan fell to the madness. The reset had still happened. But Caladin had learned something new. Resonators that fell to madness did not reset.

Both Aslan and Nova were gone.

Parshati shook violently where she was curled up by the fire.

They were back in the temple. All that was left of their squad was the handful of nonresonators and them. Two empty shells of Knights.

He could see it in her eyes, the fear. The dying light.

She would succumb next. And he did not have the words to help her.

He was close himself.

The pulsing of the stone in its tacetite prison aided him none.

But the quiet presence of his sister’s wedding photo, of Dahlia’s amulet around his throat…

Caladin would outlast.

Because he had made a promise.

Madness would not take him yet.

-

Their next attempt was immediately foiled by Parshati losing herself. Her body had dissolved into powerful winds, killing soldiers and Tacet discords alike.

In the chaos, Caladin made a decision.

-

Mission Report:

Survivors: Caladin, Knight Captain of the Sunstrider Order.

The order of Sunstrider was sent to investigate an old temple of the Dusk Father for strange frequencies. Caladin claims they were trapped there for almost a month. For Solaris, they were found three days after being dispatched.

No bodies were recovered.

Caladin returned with an amateur-forged box of tacetite containing what appears to be the source of the strange frequencies.

It’s incredibly volatile to resonators, though normal humans seem to be withable to withstand contact through tacetite material.

Further study is required.

Bless be the children felled to madness and strife. Of Dawn they fall into the embrace of Dusk.

-

One year later

Caladin’s mind ached. His nose was bleeding and his organs were steadily giving up on him.

He tore through the hordes of Tacet discords crowding the citadel’s streets.

Just up ahead, a large, worm like Tacet discord, easily large enough to swallow a windcatcher tower with ease, raged. The Skies damned thing burrowed into the ground only to pop out, gulping down groups of people, Tacet discords, and infrastructure indiscriminately.

And it radiates the same sickening, vile frequencies of that stone.

Caladin’s stomach lurched, wondering how badly the researchers of the Alliance had fucked up to produce this monstrosity.

-

The citadel fell in mere hours.

But Caladin did not.

The Etheric Sea converged above the battlefield, a highlight to his lone attempts at killing this thing.

This devil spawn.

Spectro warmed his palms.

But never made contact.

Time stilled, and that warmth stayed with him for the next hundred thousand years.

And it was all Caladin had. Both conscious and not of his frozen state.

Until a curious face came knocking.

-

WOOO THAT WAS A LOT.

I know I said I’ve been writing more of Cal being a little silly buttttt-

I hope everyone enjoyed!

For those participating in the project, feel free to add onto this!

My idea was to have a master post of the prelude to the Beneath the Sands quest. For instance, what drew your Oc to the disaster site? Are they a researcher? A local in this desert nation thousands of years later?

Please keep in mind that there was a Court of Savantae set up around Caladin’s ruins and it eventually fell into ruin itself. There’s a high chance your OCs are only aware of the CSC ruins unless they’re a local.:

Anyways, here’s the tag list. Anyone who’s interested in joining said tag list, please interact on the tag list post :3

@uncreative-cryptid

@hobbysognodilibri

@crypticrainbowmoss

@captainsounddisaster

@yupuffin

Good luck everyone!