#asksolveig

[loominggaia]

razzek Hahaha the meme pic is killing me! XD I'm 'such a big gross fan of your work and Mr. Ocean's story has always been a fave. Poor guy still carrying on a thousand years later, trying to hide from a loss that will always be part of him. I hope they reunite somehow someday, if it's even possible.

You're a treasure, Razz! You're one of the OG Looming Gaia fans, not to mention an amazingly talented artist, and I'm so proud to have you on board. B)

I've always used Mr. Ocean to express the concept of long-term grief and how it can lead someone down a path of self destruction, even ages after the trauma occurred.

For most people, grief fades with time and they move on. But there are also people who, for whatever reason, struggle to move past their grief and it ends up consuming them, completely changing who they are well into old age.

Mr. Ocean is over a thousand years old; he's outlived many, many friends and loved ones. But his relationship with Solveig made such a deep impression on him that he can't seem to function without her, even centuries after her death. He yearns for a time, a place, and a life with her that is never coming back, and he just can't stop fixating on it.

Since the events of "Troubled Tides", he's made some progress building a new life for himself that he can enjoy, one that he doesn't try to escape with drugs. It may not be exactly like his life with Solveig, but he does have love and true friendship once more, and that's all he's ever really wanted.

In a world like Looming Gaia, anything is possible. I think he could very well reunite with Solveig someday, in some form. In the meantime, he's adjusting to a new chapter in his life and trying to make it one worth remembering.

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[ UNLOCKED: CHILDHOOD MEMORIES ]

@askasneaselandskarmory

[loominggaia]

What if somehow, by some way Ocean got to introduce Solveig to his parents? How awkward would this introduction be and what would they think of their sons terrian girlfriend? Would they beable to recognize their sons genuine love for her and vis versa? Or would they pitch a fit and try to forcefully break them up?

Hooooo boy, that would be a hell of an awkward scenario...

I really can't see it ending well. Mr. Ocean's parents weren't cruel or malicious people, but they suffered from extreme ignorance and arrogance. They assumed they were the smartest creatures and the most advanced culture in the region, and so they regarded humans as nothing more than stupid apes despite never really meeting one.

Mr. Ocean's mother always warned him that humans weren't capable of logic and reason, that they were violent by nature, and the best thing to do was leave them alone like wild animals. They regarded humans the way humans regard chimpanzees.

Unfortunately for her, there was nothing she could say to break Mr. Ocean's fixation on humankind. He was so smitten with humans, he would sneak away from Tekee and risk his life just to stand on the fringes of their world for a while.

So, let's say he brought one of these "stupid, violent apes" back home with him and said "Mom, Dad, this is my future wife!"...yeah, that wedding ain't happening lol.

His dad would flip out and get pissed, and maybe call to have Solveig executed. He would accuse her of being a spy, and taking advantage of his "mentally deficient" son to worm her way into Tekee.

But I could see Mr. Ocean's mother being a little more forgiving. She always coddled him because of his perceived disabilities, to the point of smothering him and denying him normal experiences.

If it were up to her, Mr. Ocean would be locked up in the palace for the rest of his life, never allowed to date or make friends or have adventures. She treated him like this because she knew the world would be cruel to him, and she only wanted to protect him from reality, not really understanding that she was denying him a life worth living. She just assumed he couldn't learn or socialize or do "normal" things, so she just wrote him off as an invalid and never even let him try...much like she assumed that humans couldn't act civilized.

She would gently explain to him (again, for the millionth time...) why cecaelia and humans can't be together, and then she would order the Tekeetian Guard to take Solveig back to her island. To kill her would be an act of war, and unlike her husband, she would rather stay neutral with the humans than make enemies of them. I think she would also order the guard to keep a closer watch on Ocean going forward, just to make sure he wasn't messing around with humans again.

The scenario ends with both Solveig and Mr. Ocean being punished and locked down further by their respective tribes...not exactly a fairytale ending.

Although they faced a lot of difficulties, I think the current timeline was still the best outcome they could have hoped for.

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[loominggaia]

Also as an extra funny idea I can’t get over. Elderly Solveig and Mr.Ocean in a nursing home together, and all the old people shenanigans that may happen. Like solveig being that snappy kinda old lady keeping both the nurses and her husband in line. And ocean playing bingo and just being so confused the whole time.

That's so cute, I love it lol. There probably is a timeline where this is happening, and you can bet Mr. Ocean is taking every random pill he finds on the floor while Solveig tells the nurses how to do their jobs.

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[loominggaia]

Let’s say that the crew got to meet solveig? That due to some magical shenanigans solveig is temporarily brought back to life and gets to meet the fgg and see what has become of ocean since her passing? What would she think of his friends and her lovers many, MANY mistakes?

Aww I love this scenario! First of all, I think Solveig would be disappointed to hear about Mr. Ocean's actions during his time with the Resistance, but she would not be the least bit surprised. She always figured he'd get himself into trouble eventually. She's just glad Alaine helped him get his head on straight...literally.

Speaking of Alaine, Mr. Ocean has said that she reminds him of Solveig, hence his crush on her. And these two women are very similar personality-wise, so I'm not sure if they'd become best friends or hate eachother. They're both headstrong, playful, and righteous-hearted, but they're also emotionally volatile. I think their relationship could go either way.

Since she's so much like Alaine, the rest of the crew would feel comfortable around Solveig. She'd blend right in. The main difference between her and Alaine is that Solveig is much smarter. Lukas butts heads with Alaine a lot because he thinks she's a bimbo, but I think he'd actually hit it off with Solveig. Glenvar would respect her closeness with nature and would probably have a big fat crush on her pretty quickly.

Solveig would fall in love with Drifter's Hollow because it's the kind of tribe she always wished hers could be. She would be so grateful to the villagers for taking care of Ocean. Her biggest concern before she died was that he would be lost without her, and she was right, so she always hoped someone would step in and take her place. She would be so pissed when she heard Roach took advantage of him for all those years.

I think she would spend as much time with Mr. Ocean as possible, reminding him to be good to himself and others. She'd be sad to see him in such an advanced state of disease, but she'd assure him that the body is only temporary, he won't suffer forever, and their souls will meet again in the afterlife. She wouldn't scold him too hard for his mistakes because she can tell he already knows. He already knows he fucked up real bad and it's weighing heavy on his conscience.

I'm not sure how Ocean would react after she disappeared again. He would either feel uplifted and inspired, or just kill himself immediately. Hard to say with him...

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[loominggaia]

Anonymous asked:

Been thinking of this prompt for awhile now so I thought I’d ask, how would Mr. Ocean respond if the Sovereign brought Solveig back to life as a hideous monster? Let’s say that sovereign figured out about his brothers love affair with a terrain women and where ocean was hiding, and decided to punish his brother for his “treason” in the most horrifying way possible!

Using her body and the foulest of dark magic, along with the aid of an evil divine, he brings Solveig back to life as a hideous, body horror abomination to attack Ocean with. It has her face, voice and soul, being completely consciousness but has no control over herself as she’s ordered to kill ocean alongside any and everyone he cares about! Sovereign, his solveig monster and aqurian forces launch a massive attack against the hollow. What would oceans response be to seeing solveig again in the

Worst possible way? Would he be able to kill monster her and set her soul free? And would this be enough to break the promise preventing him from directly attacking the sovereign?

What a deviously brilliant prompt, wow! I really had to think about this one. Mr. Ocean has made a few promises in this life that he’s bound to, so let’s look at those first.

He promised his parents that he would never kill another Tekeetian (meaning he can’t kill Sovereign)

He promised Solveig that he would always protect what he loves (meaning he must defend his friends and anyone else he cares about)

He also promised Alaine that he would never enthrall anyone again. (meaning no more dorikori soldiers to fight for him)

The promise that Mr. Ocean regrets most is the one he made to Solveig. It’s what compelled him to create the Oceanic Resistance and build an army to defend Terria, but after so many centuries of fighting for it, he saw Terria’s darkest sides and fell out of love, which finally broke him free of his promise to defend it. That’s why he’s living in Drifter’s Hollow currently, because he fell out of love with Terria and fell in love with Alaine (mostly because she reminds him of Solveig).

But as long as he still remembers Solveig and the promise he made to her, he is compelled to defend the other things he loves--including people. This becomes a tricky situation when one person he loves is trying to hurt another person he loves. This actually happened in the story “Supply and Demand”.

If Sovereign resurrected Solveig into some monstrous body, I think Mr. Ocean would mentally have to separate her soul from that body. Technically, the promise he made to her was to his memory of her. Check out this  excerpt from Ocean Returns to the Sea:

[...Solveig’s smile faded. She closed her eyes, voice creaking like a tree in the wind. “I will not be forever, my sweet Ocean. Soon I’ll join my ancestors in the stars. When I do, your promise…” She trailed off as a cough rattled her body.

    “My promise will be broken,” Ocean finished quietly, distantly.

“Yes.” Solveig’s smile returned again, strained as she rasped, “The memory of your mother and father nearly destroyed you. Please, don’t let mine do the same.”

    Ocean shook his head. “I won’t let it,” he told her.

Her gaze hardened towards his own, her gnarled fingers closing tighter on his hand. “Promise my memory, so that you will keep it forever.”

    The cecaelia leaned forward, planting a kiss on her lips. “I promise to the memory of my dear Solveig,” he began, “that I will not mourn her forever, and that I will never let grief be my undoing.”

    “And promise me this,” added Solveig, “that you will always protect what you love, just as you once protected me.”]

Mr. Ocean is bound to a promise he made to his memory of Solveig, not Solveig herself. That was pretty damn clever on behalf of Solveig, who probably suspected something like this might happen. This is why Mr. Ocean is always slamming drugs and trying to forget her, so he can break this burdensome promise. Unfortunately all he’s done is put holes in his brain and forgotten pretty much everything except her.

I think he would kill the monster, reasoning in his mind that it’s just a cursed vessel and he is freeing her soul from it. He would have to use spells to subdue Sovereign and his Tekeetian forces because he would be unable to kill them. But you know who could kill them? The other Freelance Good Guys. As long as his crew backed him up, they could fight off the Sovereign together.

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[loominggaia]

What was the blackock tribe like?

Congratulations Anon, YOU have won 2022's Funniest Typo Award!

Anyway, the Blackoak tribe was a primitive village of humans who lived on a tiny island off the coast of Noalen. They went largely uncontacted by the Great Kingdoms and were not really acknowledged until well after their demise. Their civilization collapsed around the year 5400. What little is known about them was pieced together from a few scant artifacts.

So, what happened to them? Long story short, the Sovereign happened. I recommend reading "Ocean Returns to the Sea" for the full story.

One of the main protagonists of that story is a Blackoak woman named Solveig. We never get a detailed look at life in her village, but we do get to hear about it from her perspective. Here's what we know, according to Solveig:

-The Blackoak tribe made crude iron tools, meaning they had some basic knowledge of metalworking.

-Women were forced to marry shortly after puberty, usually to a man much older than themselves.

-They spoke a unique language, though Solveig claims the language people spoke in her day was very different from the language her ancient ancestors spoke, meaning their language had changed drastically over time. This was likely due to some kind of migration--more on that in a bit.

-They revered dolphins, believing them to be the spirits of their ancestors.

-The Blackoak people were once known as voyagers who travelled the seas by boat. But Solveig claims they suffered many terrible attacks by "sea devils" (cecaelia) and after so many losses, the Blackoak elders demanded that all boats be destroyed. They developed a cultural fear of the water and the cecaelia dwelling in it.

Now, about that migration I mentioned...

Athenaeum researchers have pieced together some history about the Blackoak tribe using artifacts and DNA tracing. They believe that the Blackoak people descended from the first Grisa humans, who originated in Southriver Wood. A band of Grisa likely took to the seas and ended up on Blackoak Island, where they remained isolated and uncontacted for thousands of years.

Interestingly, Blackoak Island is not the only place colonized by the early Grisa. Their remains have also been found on a larger nearby island called Oaken, another island to the west called Cobalt Island, and even along the northern coast of Serkel. All of these early Grisa colonies shared similar technology, clothing, art, and other cultural aspects to the Blackoak tribe.

Basically what I'm saying is...the village on Blackoak Island may have been destroyed, but its culture still lives on in other lands. Nice try, Sovereign, but you couldn't squash 'em all!

Today their culture has evolved into something more modern. It doesn't exactly resemble what it used to, as their descendants have assimilated with other peoples and adopted new ways of life. However, they have also shared their culture with these peoples, and pieces of it still linger, especially around Southriver Wood, northern Serkel, and the islands around Noalen.

And of course, bits of it still live on through Mr. Ocean as well. Solveig taught him how to dance like a Blackoak villager, and to this day he still uses these traditional dances to cast spells. He's also semi-fluent in their old forgotten language, and is probably the last person on Gaia who speaks it.

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[loominggaia]

What if Mr.Ocean did get Solvig pregnant somehow like with magic? What would their kids look like and what kimd of parents would they be?

Now that's a hell of a question...I don't think there's any hard answer for what these kids would look like, because when magic is involved, you just never know what you're going to get. But I imagine at the very least, they would have some amphibious features.

As for what kind of parents they'd be: Solveig never wanted children, so I can't imagine she'd be super stoked by this development. But she did love Ocean a lot and I'm sure she'd find love for anything that was part of him, so she'd do her best to be a good mom. She'd be diligent about teaching them how to be independent and stick up for themselves. She would make them into little badasses who could badass their way out of any situation, but she'd be super strict and no-nonsense.

I could see Mr. Ocean going the opposite direction. He would love them dearly and probably spoil them, but he would become more like a friend to them than a parent. Though he means well, they wouldn't learn much from him because he'd just want to do everything for them. He wouldn't want to put them in danger by taking them hunting, he doesn't want to upset them by making them do chores, etc. so he just babies them their whole lives.

Now that I think of it, it's a good thing Solveig and Ocean never had kids, because I could see this causing a major conflict in their relationship...Mr. Ocean is the type of dad who catches his kid smoking weed and goes "dude, can I have some?" while Solveig is the type of mom who catches her kid smoking cigarettes and makes them smoke the whole carton as punishment.

Of course, this is Mr. Ocean way back in his younger, less fungus-addled days. At this point, the dude is so demented that he can barely take care of himself, so kids really shouldn't be left alone with him. The story "A Mage in the Making" shows this in action...He completely forgot he was babysitting, did some drugs, and lost track of a toddler in the span of like 5 minutes.

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