#kernel lore | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

turtles-invoked · 8 months ago

Text

What if Dean sleeps better when Cas is around?

I know, I know. All he needs is his four hours. And that’s all he “needs” because he’s trained himself to be a light sleeper. To be on constant look out for danger, to protect Sam. And maybe that’s why he’s irritable most of the time, because that’s not rest. He’s exhausted.

But with Castiel around, an angel, who doesn’t sleep, Dean finds himself napping when he usually wouldn’t.

Like at the bunkers dining table, Cas and Sam are going over the lore. Dean’s eyes start to ache so he leans back, crosses his feet at his ankles, his arms over his chest, and allows himself to doze off.

When he wakes what feels like a couple minutes later, Sam is no where around but Cas is still there, in the same spot, just sitting there. Not reading, not watching Dean, but just sitting, just being.

“Hello, Dean,” he’ll greet as Dean sits up, rubs his face, and checks the time to realise he’s been asleep for half an hour.

“Where’s Sam?” He asks sitting up straight and looking around.

“Burrito run.”

Dean breathes and relaxes and when Sam returns, they eat and continue research

Or when…

Between cases Sam and Dean would do movie nights. They’d sit on the couch in front of the TV, Sam’s Netflix loaded, and a big bowl of popcorn between them. Sometimes Cas would join, and everytime he did, Dean would nod off towards the end of the movie.

Like tonight. Cas picked a sappy Disney movie, Dean’s not even sure he knows what it’s about but his eyes have been closed for most of the movie. Cas is into it, and Sam hasn’t complained.

There’s been a few times now Dean has jolted himself awake, his head lulling then his eyes closing heavier, and heavier, until his jolts himself up again, this time bumping Cas, knocking the bowl of popcorn slightly, a few kernels littering his lap.

He mumbles a sheepish, “sorry,” and sits back upright. But he feels it happening again. He leans his head back, but that hurts his neck so he repositions himself slightly hunched and arms crossed.

He feels Cas lean into his side a bit, their shoulders touching now. Dean swallows the butterflies and sinks into the couch a little further, his head now in line with Cas’ shoulder. He leans to his right and ever so slowly, sinks his head onto the support next to him. He closes his eyes and within seconds he’s asleep, and drooling slightly, on Cas’ shoulder.

He doesn’t wake until the movies down and Cas taps a hand on his thigh, gently stirring him out of his slumber.

Or how about…

During a hunt they go back to their motel to get some rest. Sam falls asleep very quickly, his big brother watching over him. Dean tosses and turns for an hour and a half before he walks to the bathroom to splash some water on his face.

He stares at his exhausted face in the mirror, bags under his eyes, hair a mess and sighs. He runs his damp hands through his hair and walks back out. Sitting at the edge of his bed is none other than Cas, examining the gold knife on Dean’s bedside table.

“Hello Dean,” he greets quietly, placing the knife down and looking his way.

Dean huffs out a sigh and gives him a weak smile, walking over and sitting next to him.

“No progress?” He asks probably already knowing the answer.

“No,” Dean replies.

“Trouble sleeping?”

“Most nights,” Dean admits truthfully, his cheeks warming at the admission.

Cas nods, “I’ll watch over you,” he says matter of factly.

“That’s not necessary,” Dean chuckles scratching the back of his neck nervously, but Cas had already risen off of Dean’s bed and towards the kitchen.

Dean sat still and listened to the sound of the angel making himself comfy at the little round table before he allowed himself to get comfy in the bed.

Dean tucked himself in, shut his eyes, and listened as Cas read through one of Sam’s books they he had left out, the pages turning every couple of minutes until he fell asleep.

Or even when….

They were driving back to the bunker, a 13 hour trip. Dean can feel himself having to squint every couple of blinks to keep the tired out of his eyes. They’re only half way through but they didn’t sleep the night before.

“Dean?” Cas asks from the passenger seat, worry tracing his voice.

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” he says pulling the car over when the bank opens up wide enough.

Sam stirs in the back and sits up, “my turn?” He asks sleepily.

“Yeah,” Dean sighs and gets out of the car, stretching wide. He wipes his face and waits for Sam to peel himself out of the back seat.

Cas gets out too and Dean shoots him a questioning stare, “I would like to sit with you.” Is all he says.

Dean feels his face flush, “dude, the whole point is so I can lay down and sleep.” He says as Sam stretches, and downs a bottle of water. He hands another to Dean who takes a few sips before lidding it.

“Okay,” Cas says as if the situation was obvious to him and still gets into the back.

Sam looks at Dean, eyebrows high and a smirk plastered on his face as he chuckles and takes his seat behind the wheel.

Dean rolls his eyes, sighs, then wipes his hands down his face before climbing into the back.

They take off and Dean leans his head against the window closing his eyes, but every now and then a bump in the road knocks his head off and it’s starting to become uncomfortable. He lifts his head up and leans back. It’s not as uncomfortable but his neck hurts in this position. He sits back up and rubs his eyes.

“Dean,” Cas whispers.

He looks over to him, his left arm is resting along the back of the bench, his right beside him in his lap, his hand taps his thigh twice gently.

Dean swallows and looks out his window, his heart suddenly pounding but the need for sleep is so strong. He looks at Sam who doesn’t seem to be paying any attention to them then back to Cas who looks out his own window as Dean turns to him. He sighs a little, feeling less pressured without Cas’s intense gaze on him.

He licks his lips and glances at Sam one last time and, yep, he’s definitely not paying them any attention. So Dean scoots closer to his door before he lays down, his head rested on Cas’s thigh. He lays as still as possible, waiting for any mocking, or laughing, but it doesn’t come.

He allows himself to breathe more deeply before he shuffles around, getting more comfortable. He scooches his head up a little further so his neck is supported by Cas’s leg and tucks his arms under his chin. He breaths out and immediately feels himself relax.

He’s almost asleep when he feels Cas’s fingers on his head, gently massaging the scalp then running his fingers through his hair. It’s heavenly, and makes the weight in Dean’s eyes feel heavier and without any effort, he falls asleep to Cas playing with his hair.

When he wakes it’s light out, and there’s a weight along his side. He blinks and sits up before he realises Cas had his arm resting on him. He feels the blush rush to his cheeks and down his neck as Sam greets him, “good morning, sleep well?” With amusement tinged in his voice.

Dean doesn’t reply to him but damn he feels well rested despite the ache in his hips. He looks around him and notices the familiar sights of Kansas. They’re probably 40 minutes away from being home. “Breakfast?” Sam asks as they pull into a parking lot of a locally owned diner.

They pop in and order the special: bacon, eggs, avocado, sausages, with sourdough, and coffee of course Cas sat there patiently sipping his coffee, not that he needs it but he knew Dean would finish it after his own (which he does). And before they know it they’re on the road again, Dean driving, Sam in the passenger, and Cas in the back behind Dean, one hand braced on the back of the chair and if every now and then a finger brushed through the hairs on the back of his neck, they didn’t talk about it.

The rest of that day was spent showering, and scrubbing the dirt and blood off of themselves followed by some lounging around. They watched movies, ate too much, and knocked off early. But Dean couldn’t sleep. He laid staring at the ceiling for quite some time, tossed and turned for hours before the early hours of dawn crept up on him.

He got up, put his robe on and pattered out to the kitchen to start a fresh pot. Cas following moments after, “why are you up so early?”

Dean turned around and leaned against the counter, arms folded, “couldn’t sleep.”

Cas tilted his head and squinted at him slightly, “at all?”

Dean shook his head.

“You could have told me,” he says with a frown.

Dean shrugged. And filled his cup with fresh coffee and sat at the table sipping it, Cas across him. They sat in comfortable silence while Dean caffeinated himself.

The next couple of nights follow much the same. Dean tosses and turns, and only sleeps when exhaustion renders him unconscious in the early hours of the morning. Even then he only gets an hour or two, three max. He’ll wake up before the sun, then shuffle into the kitchen for coffee and sit in silence with Cas until Sam wakes.

“What is going on with you?” Sam asks him one afternoon after he’s tried to clean the dishes and stack them in the microwave. This isn’t the first mishap either. A book was found in the freezer this morning, and yesterday a mug shattered in the oven as Sam started to pre-heat it for dinner.

“Nothing, nothing I’m fine-”

“You’re not fine,” Sam says wiping the plates and putting them in the cupboard where they belong.

“I’m just a little tired, man, nothing a couple of hours won’t fix,” he waves off and sits at the table across from Cas, out of the way of Sam’s cooking.

“You have had a total of 5 hours and 43 minutes sleep in the last 4 days,” Castiel announces without lifting his head from his book.

“And who’s counting?” Dean asks a little creeped out.

“Seriously, Dean? You’re going to kill yourself if you don’t get a decent nights sleep,” Sam scolds coming over to stand next to Cas, scowling down at Dean.

“I’m not trying to not sleep, I can’t help it!” He yells back.

“Well how can we help you?” Sam asks taking a seat. Dean can’t look at the concern on his little brothers face. He looks to Cas who appears to be just as concerned, his deep blue eyes gazing at him so intently, Dean decides to look at the table and shrug.

“We could try some tea? De-caf, obviously, or see if Rowena has some minor spells?” Sam rattles

“No. No witches, no magic,” Dean objects immediately.

“Tea it is. And no screen time after dinner,” he says getting back up to attend to their meal.

“I could help?” Cas suggests quietly.

Dean feels his stomach flip. He leans back in his seat, arms crossed, “nah man, it’s nothing I can’t handle,” he says pointedly not looking at Cas.

Deans situation isn’t brought up again but after dinner, and clean up, Sam turns all of the overhead lighting off, leaving a few low light lamps and brews a camomile tea. Dean drinks is unwillingly and tries to stop the fuss from Sam.

Cas left while the boys ate, and come back with what appeared to be lavender scented…. Well everything. He got body wash, shampoo, candles, moisturiser, room spray, hell even a body oil.

“Jesus, Cas, what am I going to do with half of this stuff?” He says inspecting the body oil.

“Use it,” he replies simply, and Dean rolls his eyes, “I’ll smell like a chick,” he says lifting up the room spray.

“No, you will smell like lavender.”

Dean rolls his eyes and downs the last mouthful of his tea.

He rinses he cup and places it beside the sink before coming back and grabbing the bag of goods off of the table, “I guess I’ll… use these… now,” he says awkwardly and heads for the bathroom.

Sam bids his goodnight and thanks Cas for his help with Dean with a clap on the shoulder.

Dean will not admit it out loud, but the body wash and shampoo actually smells pretty good. Once he finishes, he rubs a little bit of the moisturiser on his chest and shoulders but he’s not using the body oil, god damnit.

He changes into his sweats and an old shirt and padders his way down the hall and into his room. He only startles a little when he sees Cas sitting at the end of his bed.

“Whatchya doing?” He asks placing his dirty cloths in the hamper in the corner.

“I will watch over you tonight,” he says simply.

“No. Thank you,” Dean says awkwardly standing in front of Cas.

Cas cocks his head to the side and stands, “I don’t understand. You tend to sleep better with my presence near, yet you are so adamant on me not being here.”

“Yeah well… you… I- I dunno, it’s creepy,” he deflects and walks past Cas to sit on the edge of his bed, hiding his burning face from Cas’s gaze.

“What if I stay only until you fall asleep?” Cas offers.

Dean wants bad to say yes, to admit that he has no trouble sleeping with Cas around. That he can’t stop thinking about Cas running his fingers through his hair, or massaging his scalp. But he can’t.

“Cas-” he starts to protest again.

“Why won’t you let me help you?” Cas asks again taking a step closer to Dean.

“Because I-” but he can’t continue.

“Please?” Cas pleads softly.

“Fine,” Dean says in a huff, “but no angel powers,” he says.

“Then how would I-” he stops suddenly and his gaze softens, “oh.”

Deans body is on fire now. This is so embarrassing, “you know what. No. I change my mind. I’m fine,” be says and lays in his bed and faces the other way.

He feels the bed dip beside him, the clunk of shoes being taken off, some shuffling, then a knee digging into his back. But then there’s a hand in his hair and another rested on his waist and he squints his eyes closed as hard as he can to stop the emotions spreading in his chest.

“Is this okay,” Cas asks softly.

Dean hums a “mhm,” not trusting his voice to come out even. Cas’s fingers apply firm pressure from the base of his skull all the way to the top, then he gently runs his nails back down. He does this a few times before changing directions, sometimes gently pulling at his hair as he runs his hand back down.

Dean fights sleep hard. Because he’s never had someone touch him like this, so gentle, and sweet, and without asking for anything in return. Without any ill intention, without any expectation of him. Cas touches him to simply help him drift off to sleep. And it hits Dean hard, how much this angel must care for him to sit here for as long as it takes for Dean to slip into slumber.

His eyes prick and sting and then there’s a warm trace from the corner of his eye, down his cheek that sinks into his pillow.

“Dean?” Cas whispers. But he doesn’t reply.

“Are you alright?” He asks again, his hand stilling.

“Yeah,” Dean whispers back.

“Are you sure,” Cas asks leaning forward a bit.

Dean nods and Cas continues again.

Dean fights sleep a little more before he feels himself start to drift off and Cas’s hands leave him.

“Don’t go,” he mumbles.

“Okay,” Cas says but gets up still.

“Please stay,” he whispers, not wanting to beg any louder.

“Of course,” Cas replies. There’s a ruffle of clothes and then the flick of the light switch. The room plunges into darkness and then there’s the weight in the bed again. Only this time, there isn’t a knee in his back, but a warmth of another body laying beside him. Cas pulls the blankets up over them, then he’s pressed up against his back, an arm snakes around his waist and dangles over his belly, tracing light swirls into the fabric.

Dean keeps his eyes shut and slows his breathing and after he calms down he drifts into a peaceful slumber.

#supernatural #dean winchester #castiel #sam winchester #destiel #deancas #fanfic

572 notes · View notes

nadas-dirthalen · 7 months ago

Text

I Saw Solas's Origin in an Achievement Icon and It Opened My Eyes on 15 Years of Lore

— PART FOUR: if you haven't read previous parts, do it now! —

[ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 3 ] [ 5 ] [ 6 ] [ 7 ] [ 8 ] [ 9 ] [ 10 ]

Welcome, friends and travelers! I wanted to get some thoughts recorded before Veilguard's release so I could see if I am right about an absolute BOATLOAD of theories I have.

In short: I saw the achievement list when it was released. I have seen the backstory hints for Solas included in said list. AND MY MIND WAS BLOWN.

You have been warned: THIS COLLECTION OF THEORIES INCLUDES SPOILERS FOR EVERY DRAGON AGE GAME AND ALL PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL UP TO AND INCLUDING OCTOBER 18, 2024.

Come sit down with me. Make a nice cup of tea (and hide it from Solas). We've got a lot of unpacking to do.

(this photo isn't the spoiler, I just like it.)

Today's Discussion: What the Chant of Light Confirms about Solas, Mythal, and the Evanuris at large.

Ohhhh boy. Here's where we're really getting into the, 'If you haven't read the previous parts, you NEED to go do that, otherwise what I'm about to say will make a lot less sense,' portion of this series. So seriously: the previous parts are linked above. Go look at those.

Caught up? Good.

Today, we're going to look at how closely the Chant of Light follows everything I just talked about with Titans, the Fade, spirits-as-thoughts, and Solas-as-lyrium-spirit. For this exercise, I'll mostly be drawing on material that I have access to (both volumes of World of Thedas, plus my knowledge from all three games) but supplementing with what the Dragon Age wiki has compiled, as well.

Rather than go through the Chant from beginning to end (as I simply lack the space here), I'm going to break it down into topics.

Our topics are as follows:

Who—and What—Is the Maker?

The Word "Forgotten" in the Chant

The Maker's First and Second Children

The Jealous First Children: Demons Seeking to Conquer the Earth

Archdemons and Titans

Yes, I Have to Talk About Shartan

Veilguard Predictions Based on the Chant of Light

Who—and What—Is the Maker?

For anyone who hasn't gone through the whole thing and read every verse, let me begin by saying: the Chant of Light is a story writ by many hands over the history of Thedas. Some of it is (allegedly) written or recorded from Andraste herself, but many verses are taken from outside sources—even adapted from other cultures' legends.

But overall, it is a story that the Andrastian faith believes in: one with approved verses that the Chantries teach all their faithful. The Chantry has been a brutal organization throughout Thedas's history, but I still find value in using the Chant to piece together different takes on Thedas's ancient lore. Whether the events happened as described is up for debate, but they are historically significant, and I would argue that they contain kernels of truth no matter if one believes in the prophecies from Andraste or not.

To properly discuss whether the Chant follows my theories, we first have to ask ourselves: what does the Chant suggest that the Maker is? To do this, we have to look closely at its creation story, and from the eyes of the one who supposedly witnessed him: the Canticle of Threnodies, and the Canticle of Andraste.

Right in Threnodies 1, it says this:

(4) From the waters of the Fade you made the world. As the Fade had been fluid, so was the world fixed.

Immediately, we can see that lyrium plays a major role in the Chant's creation story. If that's true, then the possibility exists that the Chant aligns at all with any of my prior theories. If that is the case, then the Chant of Light might aid us in predicting what's to come in Veilguard—especially with characters like Solas, so intertwined with Titan lore and lyrium.

From here, I went looking for additional references to the Maker, namely in Andraste 1.

(8) Lo! My eyes open'd, shining before me Greater than mountains, towering mighty, Hand all outstretch'd, stars glist'ning as jewels From rings 'pon His fingers and crown 'pon His brow.

The Wellspring of All said, "None now remember. Long have they turned to idols and tales Away from My Light, in darkness unbroken The last of My children, shrouded in night."

"World-making Glory," I cried out in sorrow, "How shall your children apology make?

Of course, we cannot forget one of the Chant quotes that Inquisition made famous!

(11) Here lies the abyss, the well of all souls. From these emerald waters doth life begin anew. Come to me, child, and I shall embrace you. In my arms lies Eternity.

Through all of these examples (and more that I simply do not have time or space to cite, with Veilguard so close), I can tentatively conclude: the Chant of Light is likely hinting to us that the Maker is a Titan.

But to test this theory, I wanted to go one step further. I wanted to see if the Chant of Light would suggest that the Maker is one of the Forgotten Ones.

The Word "Forgotten" in the Chant

To accomplish this next piece to the best degree possible, I actually moved the entire known Chant of Light into a google doc. Here's what I found when I looked for applicable mentions of forgot/forgotten.

(4) From the waters of the Fade you made the world. As the Fade had been fluid, so was the world fixed. (8) And so we burned. We raised nations, we waged wars, We dreamed up false gods, great demons Who could cross the Veil into the waking world, Turned our devotion upon them, and forgot you. —Threnodies 4.

We'll get to those "great demons" in a moment, but for now I want to draw attention to: "Turned our devotion upon them, and forgot you." That's one mention of the Maker being forgotten, in the first stanza we know from the Chant.

The Maker appears to Andraste (7) Eyes sorrow-blinded, in darkness unbroken There 'pon the mountain, a voice answered my call. "Heart that is broken, beats still unceasing, An ocean of sorrow does nobody drown. You have forgotten, spear-maid of Alamarr. Within My creation, none are alone." — Andraste 1

This comes from the first stanza of the Canticle of Andraste, and describes the first time the Maker appeared to her. She is describing what she is seeing: "There 'pon the mountain, a voice answered my call." She is evoking mountain imagery here, and even though she doesn't mention an abyss in this verse, it does come up elsewhere in the Chant (as we have seen).

That, and the Maker speaks to her: "You have forgotten, spear-maid of Alamarr. Within My creation, none are alone."

For one, we have a mention of forgotten, again. But perhaps even more crucially, we have this concept of "none are alone" within the Maker's creation. With everything I know now, I'm thinking of the concept of Isatunoll: the hive-mind feeling experienced by Dagna, Valta, and Harding.

(13) "World-making Glory," I cried out in sorrow, "How shall your children apology make? We have forgotten, in ignorance stumbling, Only a Light in this darken'd time breaks. Call to Your children, teach us Your greatness. What has been forgotten has not yet been lost." (14) Long was his silence, 'fore it was broken. "For you, song-weaver, once more I will try. To My children venture, carrying wisdom, If they but listen, I shall return." — Andraste 1

Another mention: Andraste addresses the Maker as "World-making Glory," which references the saying that Titans were the first Shapers of the world. Then, she says: "We have forgotten [...] Call to Your children [...] What has been forgotten has not yet been lost."

Again: references to the Maker as a being that was forgotten. Another reference to lyrium, in asking the Maker to call out to people. This reference is further enhanced with the Maker referring to Andraste as "song-weaver," suggesting that these songs are how she can speak to the Maker.

And to top it all off: "What has been forgotten has not yet been lost" is answered with, "If they but listen, I shall return."

Listen, for so long, made me think of commandments. Listening to the Maker's will. But now? Now I think we're supposed to think of listening to the Maker's song.

(3) I have heard the sound A song in the stillness, The echo of Your voice, Calling creation to wake from its slumber. (4) How can we know You? In the turning of the seasons, in life and death, In the empty space where our hearts Hunger for a forgotten face? — Trials 1

Just like Andraste has heard the song, the echo of the Maker's voice, calling creation to "wake from its slumber." It could not be more deliberate than that!

Another mention, also, of a "forgotten face."

To me, these mentions of forgotten affirm that the Maker is one of the Forgotten Ones, and is definitely a Titan. That tells me that, until I am proven otherwise, I can read the rest of the Chant of Light as though Maker-as-Titan is true, and can see what other developments stem from that initial truth.

Namely: What does the Chant say about spirits and people, in relation to the Titans?

The Maker's First and Second Children

To understand the (possible) creation of the spirits and the elvhen, we are back to the Canticle of Threnodies, stanza 5. The first of the Chant's Canticles, it's an introduction not just to the text, but to the world of Thedas as understood by Andrastians.

Again: it may not be a precise literal description of events, but I maintain that if the Chant of Light truly didn't matter, BioWare wouldn't have made it that long, or paid as much attention to cadence/meter as they did.

The crux of the earlier portion of this Canticle is that the Maker produced two sets of children, and the first eventually grew envious of the second (more on that later). For now, let's examine what is said of the creation of the Maker's first children.

(1) There was no word For heaven or for earth, for sea or sky. All that existed was silence.

I am going to interpret this one very liberally. It is not said that there were no heaven, earth, sea, or sky—but that there was no word for those things. That, I interpret to mean that there was no distinction between heaven and earth. Remember that, throughout codices from ancient elvhenan, "sky" often refers to the Fade, and "earth" often refers to the Titans' domain, the Abyss, or the waking world.

Either way: there was no Veil, and so there was no distinction between the Titans' domain and the Fade.

Then the Voice of the Maker rang out, The first Word, And His Word became all that might be: Dream and idea, hope and fear, Endless possibilities. And from it made his firstborn.

There are two things worth noting here:

the "Voice of the Maker" is something I interpret to mean the song of lyrium: the song of the Titan that the Maker is.

"Dream and idea, hope and fear/Endless possibilities" sounds a lot to me like the Maker is creating his first children with thoughts. Thoughts conveyed through the song of lyrium, maybe?

Originally, these "first children" famously showed no sense of ambition. They were given the Fade, but did not do anything with it. They only reflected what already existed. (Though I do want to note that this city apparently had lyrium for cobblestones.)

He called forth A city with towers of gold, streets with music for cobblestones, And banners which flew without wind. [...] But their songs Were the songs of the cobblestones. They shone with the golden light Reflected from the Maker's throne.

The Maker apparently realizes his mistake: only giving the spirits the Fade.

The realm I have given you Is formless, ever-changing.

But the solution to that mistake?

So the Maker turned from his firstborn And took from the Fade A measure of its living flesh And placed it apart from the Spirits, and spoke to it, saying: Here, I decree Opposition in all things: For earth, sky For winter, summer For darkness, Light. By My Will alone is Balance sundered And the world given new life.

The Maker took living flesh from the Fade. That's not the thoughts existing in the Fade; that's the lyrium from the Fade. To that living, now sentient lyrium, the Maker spoke, and declared opposition in all things.

Now sky and earth are separate things. The Veil is not yet created (we'll get there), but we have this concept of two opposing schools of magic, like earthbending and airbending (to forever keep with the A:tLA examples through this series).

So far, this is lining up with my previous theories. But, what, exactly, are the Maker's second children made of?

(5) And no longer was it formless, ever-changing, But held fast, immutable, With Words for heaven and for earth, sea and sky. At last did the Maker From the living world Make men. Immutable, as the substance of the earth, With souls made of dream and idea, hope and fear, Endless possibilities.

Now, the waking world is immutable, and there is opposition in magic. And from that opposition, the people are created. Not humans, but people. Their bodies are "immutable, as the substance of the earth" (meaning lyrium, I believe), "with souls made of dream and idea, hope and fear/Endless possibilities."

The exact same phrase: the Maker's thoughts are the souls of his second children, just as they were the first children's entire being. This proves that the people of Thedas have spirits for souls, but also that all spirits come from the Maker's thoughts.

When I tell you I almost choked, realizing that.

But I still want to ask the Chant of Light: in all this story, where do we find the Evanuris?

And the Chant has answered in full.

The Jealous First Children: Demons Seeking to Conquer the Earth

When I first read the Chant of Light, I had not pieced together that heaven and earth were synonymous with Fade and Abyss. Now that I have, I see the Evanuris plain as day in Threnodies 5.

(7) Now, with their Father's eye elsewhere, the firstborn At last created something new: Envy. They looked upon the living world and the favored Sons and daughters there, covetous of all they were. Within their hearts grew An intolerable hunger. Until, at last, some of the firstborn said: "Our Father has abandoned us for these lesser things. We have power over heaven. Let us rule over earth as well And become greater gods than our Father."

In the codices of the Trespasser DLC and the Temple of Mythal, there are constant references to the Evanuris wanting to tame or dominate the Titans, the "Void," or the "land." The ancient elves ask Elgar'nan to help them "tame the land." Mythal is praised for "striking down the pillars of the earth." The Evanuris, namely Mythal and Elgar'nan, carried on an endless war with the Forgotten Ones.

The Chant goes on.

(8) The demons appeared to the children of earth in dreams And named themselves gods, demanding fealty.

Remember part 2 of this series? Remember the Mythal lullaby from the Deep Roads portion of Trespasser? (I was lovingly informed about a small mistranslation, which I shall correct here.)

Ir sa tel'nal Mythal las ma theneras Ir san'a emma Him solas evanuris Da'durgen'lin Banal malas elgara Bellanaris, bellanaris. Isatunoll Mythal grants you dreams Lyrium within Becomes Solas evanuris Little stone boy Never granted (connection to many spirits) Forever, forever

Cole says, "He didn't want a body, but she asked him to come. He left a scar when he burned her off his face."

It sounds exactly like the Chant describes: Mythal feeding dreams to Solas, only to bring him into a body he did not want, and apply vallaslin (a geas?) that he did not ask for.

Therefore? The Evanuris are the Maker's first children, as far as the Chant of Light is concerned.

But I've still got questions. Namely: What came next?

Archdemons and Titans

As for the Evanuris's eventual fate—being imprisoned at the same time as the Veil was created? They've employed interesting wording.

And a mighty voice cried out, Shaking the very foundations of heaven: "Ungrateful children! I gave you power To shape heaven itself, And you have made only poison. As you crave the earth, the earth shall be Your domain! Into the darkness I cast you! In tombs of immutable rock Shall you dwell for all time."

I question who this "mighty voice" belonged to. I do not believe Solas is the maker, but I do wonder: was Solas acting in conjunction with his Titan here? During the exact moment of the creation of the Veil, he still would have had access to his non-sundered Titan. Would he still have heard the song/call, and made the Veil at the Titan's behest?

Regardless: this piece of the Chant speaks about the imprisonment of the archdemons in the Abyss, the same domain as the Titans.

It goes on to specify what happened next:

(11) Those who had been cast down, The demons who would be gods, Began to whisper to men from their tombs within the earth. And the men of Tevinter heard and raised altars To the pretender-gods once more, And in return were given, in hushed whispers, The secrets of darkest magic.

This serves to confirm a theory that I'd held for a long time: that the Evanuris whispered to the priests of old Tevinter through their archdemons. Trapped in their fade-jail, they could not act themselves, but may have used their archdemons as puppets in order to convince the Magisters to come open the door to the Golden/Black City, that they might be released.

Overall? It sounds like the Chant of Light exactly confirms every one of my theories on the Titans, the Forgotten Ones, spirits-as-thoughts, the Evanuris, and the Archdemons. I may not have been able to examine the entire Chant here (can you imagine how long this post would be if I did?) but what I have presented so far exactly aligns with my theories from the last instalment.

Now, the question you're all here for...

Yes, I Have to Talk About Shartan

I know, I know. Shartan is one of the most widely debated figures in the Chant. And I'm sorry to say, I'm no more sure than the rest of you.

But I've never quite believed that Solas himself is Shartan. He says he slept for millennia after the creation of the Veil, after all. But I cannot deny all that we know of Shartan: that he freed elven slaves, that he held fast in his convictions, and that he is rumoured to have been Andraste's lover.

It seems damning, doesn't it? Surely someone so invested in freedom must be Solas, especially an ancient elf who looks so much like Solas himself.

But what if Shartan wasn't one person?

(3) My Maker, know my heart: Take from me a life of sorrow. Lift me from a world of pain. Judge me worthy of Your endless pride. — Transfigurations 12

We can guess that the Maker is a Titan. We know Solas came from a Titan. We can guess that Solas was still able to hear his Titan when the Veil was created. We also know that there were many lyrium coffins in the Deep Roads during the Descent DLC. The Maker's first children whispered to many stone-spirits just like Solas.

We also know the Forgotten Ones are named by their qualities, just like spirits and demons.

The Maker instructs Andraste to carry wisdom to the people, that he might return. Who is to say that the Maker is not the ultimate Wisdom/Pride aspect, and we just haven't seen it confirmed yet?

And if there are many wisdoms and prides that are tied to the Maker-Titan, then there is absolutely reason to believe that any of those lyrium-spirits-turned-corporeal elvhen could strongly resemble Solas not just in appearance, but in convictions.

Two elven translations point me to this conclusion, as well:

Ar-melana dirthavaren. Revas vir-anaris: this is Fen'Harel's secret password for the spirits in Trespasser. I believe it loosely translates to, "I now promise knowledge. Freedom for we-Anaris." • This translation GREATLY interests me, because Anaris is the name of one of the Forgotten Ones. "We-Anaris" implies that there are many elvhen that come from Anaris, and these specifically may be the slaves Solas was trying to free.

Shar•tan: I believe, as with all the Evanuris, this name is actually a title. While I could not guess the meaning of the word "Shar," I do know that the word "tan" means "three." • I wonder if Shartan, therefore, is a collection of three people, potentially all from the same Titan as Solas. Anaris, maybe?

Veilguard Predictions Based on the Chant of Light

Whew! I have a lot of Veilguard predictions, but to keep this post from being tumblr-breakingly long, I'll keep this list to the ones that come strictly from the Chant of Light.

I believe we will find out more about the Chant of Light by not only being in Minrathous and knowing Neve, but by seeing the Chant's events referenced by the ancient elves and even in Solas's memories.

I believe we'll get, if not confirmation, at least a hint on whether Solas's Titan is the Maker.

I believe that, since Veilguard is all about prophecies coming true, that we will hear the "Voice of the Maker" ring out to us in Veilguard—likely through a Titan waking. • I'm going to bet that this is in or near Kal'Hirol, the thaig closest to Kirkwall, which is near where the red lyrium idol was found in DA2.

I believe we're going to find out more about the potential link between Andraste and Mythal (there are bajillions of theory posts out there about them; I didn't have time here!)

I believe we'll see an Archdemon's old prison and see how that (potentially) affected Titans and/or their hearts.

I believe we'll see someone who remembers being made out of lyrium—even if that someone is Solas.

---

As ever, if you got this far, thank you!! All your engagements on these continue to make my week.

Also: I am trying my hardest not to consume full-game-review spoilers! As these reviews go live tomorrow (10/28), you may see me not reading my notifications/replies, and appearing here only to continue posting my theories.

But if you feel like sticking around anyway, stay tuned for: The Evanuris Story So Far, As Best As I Can Guess It.

#dragon age #dragon age: the veilguard #veilguard spoilers #dragon age the veilguard #dragon age: the veilguard spoilers #datv spoilers #da:tv #da:v #da4 #da4 spoilers #dragon age theory #dragon age meta #da theory #da meta #solas #the chant of light #evanuris #mythal

76 notes · View notes

theresattrpgforthat · 8 months ago

Note

Alright, I have a weird one. Are there any TTRPGS that revolve around Coral? That, or have coral as an important element of the game?

Oh my gosh my ask box apparently ate this for MONTHS and finally decided to spit this back. Let's see what we've got!

THEME: Coral

Descent into Midnight, by Rich Howard, Taylor LaBresh, and Richard Kreutz-Landry.

At its heart, Descent into Midnight (DiM) is a game about community, family, and hope. It's a tabletop roleplaying game that takes place in a technologically advanced aquatic civilization whose culture has never been touched by humanity. Bioengineering and psionic, or mental, powers allow the strange and varied species to communicate and interact with their surroundings no matter their physiology.

In the game, players take on the roles of guardians, defending their community from a physical, emotional, and even existential threat. The game focuses on the relationships between the guardians, the inhabitants they protect, and their internal struggles and dreams in the face of a corruption that threatens to change their world.

You can play as whatever you like in Descent in to Midnight, including fish, plants, even abstract concepts - so a shelf of coral isn’t really that much of a stretch. The playbooks (yes, playbooks, this is a PbtA game) are centred more about your personality, and what you look like is secondary. The game is designed to take a turn for the darker before it pushes towards hope, so I think your game experience will be different depending on whether this is a one-shot or a long-form campaign.

Delve Deeper, by Maik.

A complete new game of under-oceanic adventuring and exploration.

Play as intelligent oceanic folks such as the cephaliin octopoids, the crustaciin crab-folk and the fish-like merfolk and explore the coral reefs, open seas and abyssal trenches in search for adventure, pearls and treasure.

You don’t play as coral in this game, but you’re certainly exploring it! Taking nods from games such as Troika!, Electric Bastionland, and Brave Zenith, this game feels solidly inside the OSR camp, but with a special love for the wacky and weird. If you want to have a particular connection to the coral reefs, you’ll likely want to play as a Merfolk, who build cities from the coral and rule as a matriarchal society. This game is full of lore, but not extensively so - it’s only 33 pages long in total. But I think you’ll probably come away from reading Delve Deeper with a pretty strong sense of what this underwater kingdom is like.

Reefs of Despair, by Zaftikat

You are a sea anemone, stuck firm in an ocean that will soon be inhospitable to you. Grapple with climate change as you explore fatalism and ennui.

Sea anemones aren’t coral but they’re kind of close right?

Now this game is neat. It uses popcorn as a resolution mechanic - how cool is that? You have to pop the popcorn in a stove-top vessel, rather than a microwave, because you have to count how many popcorn kernels pop at first pop - the more there are, the better your outcome. Apart from that, your character has two stats: Ennui and Fatalism. These stats rise and fall similar to the way stats raise and fall in Honey Heist - with a similar outcome if you get too high or too low, by ending the game. There’s also a third end state for what happens once you’ve popped all the kernels, but I’ll leave that one for folks who decide to download this game and read it.

The game also is donating proceeds to the Coral Restoration Foundation, so in a roundabout way, I guess it was about coral all along.

Other Games You Should Check Out

Bones Deep, by Technical Grimoire. (You should really check this one out.)

#coral #ocean #underwater #tabletop games #indie ttrpgs #game recommendations #indie ttrpg #y'know I often worry that I won't be able to find a game that fits what the person is looking for #and yet #I just found THREE games that work for this prompt #do you know how fucking proud of myself I am right now

62 notes · View notes

notyourmamasdeerbat · 25 days ago

Text

WIP Weekday!

Thank you, @spinfins for the tag. Lovely to hear from you, as always, I'm afraid I have very little to show except some of the ending of Chapter 5 of Carry the Dagger! It's almost there. I swear it. I'm coughing blood and it's punching my lights out but by the Maker if I don't crank this fucker out by the end of the week. Rook lore, mild angst and messy handwriting under the cut!

“A message for you, dweller.” The Caretaker appeared in a flurry of blue light, disappearing as quickly as it had come as it handed Rook a thin stack of folded vellum.

Neve took one look at the correspondence and its traces of leaf rot and colorful ink and turned on her heel. “Goodnight, Rook. Try to get some rest.”

“You too,” the Veil Jumper murmured absently, frowning as they fanned out the missives in their hands as if to sort their unmarked exteriors.

Lucanis lingered for a moment in the shadow of the sanctum's stairwell, frowning. Rook cast him a slight smile. “Go. Rest. I appreciate your help today. If it is good news, you'll be the first to know.”

The assassin nodded once, gaze stalling hopefully first on the papers, then on Rook’s face, before his shoulders unwound and he flitted out the double doors into the courtyard.

Rook slumped into the tattered armchair by the shelf, the ruined artifact above casting shards of too bright light through the shadows around. They exhaled roughly, bracing themself, and began to read.

Rook-

I am sorry. Never before have I encountered possession as you have described. I do not know how to help your assassin. Keep vigilant. These things so seldom last long, and even rarer still do they end happily.

It is however gratifying to hold your words in hand. I can only wish you luck, and beg for your unerring support as it has been given us many times before. I will continue my studies when I have the time. I will consult with the spirits, the sylvans and the Lady Morrigan. Perhaps some kernel of knowledge remains unearthed.

Yours in hope, health, and deepest condolences,

Irelin

Rook’s heart clenched itself in a giant, nauseous fist. Bad news all around. Condolences. Rook didn't want condolences.

They turned the letter over. In a rough, sharp hand, there was more in paler ink. Like it had been left out in the sun for a time before being sent. The parchment rustled.

Rook. Don't do anything stupid.

-Strife

The Veil Jumper smiled grimly. It was unlike Strife to be so emotional. Affectionate, even. Rolling their eyes, they set aside the sheet of vellum to reveal the hastily sealed paper underneath. They pulled its edges upward until the thin layer of beeswax cracked, revealing the familiar flowing scrawl of red ink that made their stomach churn and their heart soar in tandem.

Hey Rook (I like the name. Suits you. Old dwarf had taste),

Thanks for checking in. Don't worry about me, I keep busy. Please for the love of the Maker, Andraste and whatever gods aren't actively trying to fuck us all collectively in the ass– be safe. Don't take risks for your possessed friend. (Don't be prickly, Irelin told me) Be cautious. Be careful, or I swear on the void I'll hop the next fucking ship to the Fade and beat your ass myself. Watch the skies for whatever dragon nonsense is happening. The world is not ready for another archdemon, but shit if we won't have to be. I'm ready. I think. For whatever's coming, my bow is drawn. I'm tired of waiting.

You seem to be running with the right crowd (still not sure. A possessed Antivan Crow? Really? Mythal'enaste, why can't you be normal?) Your detective sounds lovely, like she's got a good head on her shoulders. Listen to her.

Again, DON'T TAKE ANY STUPID RISKS.

Yes, I can hear you say it. “you're one to talk, lethallin”. Living Gods, shut up, would you?

And now you'll laugh.

And Rook did, just a little.

I'm safe here. Don't worry about me. I know I said it twice, but I want to drill it into your brain. Do not. Come looking. For me. It's just trouble, and I'm never working with Strife anymore anyway. They need your help more than I do. You were never great at transcribing. I've got Damari here. I know what we're both feeling, but in a pinch he'll have my back. He's an asshole, but he doesn't want me dead. Or you. Teresa says hello. Kassa misses you, even if she won't admit it.

Just don't I love you. Don't forget it. Be as strong as I know you can be. DON'T FORGET TO CALIBRATE ANY REFRACTION LENSES YOU FIND. You still suck at that. Ask Lutare for help. Tell her she's my hero. And tell Harding I said hello, and if she dies I'll fucking kill her. If you die I'll fucking kill her. I don't know, I'm doing a lot of killing lately. It helps.

Compassion keeps wandering where your tent used to be. It's been upset for days. Damari is working on it (ironic, I know. Prick.)

Keep me updated. You're in my prayers. The ones that work, anyway. Dareth shiral.

Your brother, until the end of days,

Revas.

Rook blinked away the tears gathering like molten glass in the corners of their eyes and cleared their throat, that familiar wound in their chest scraped raw and bloody. They set down the letters in their lap, taking a deep breath and closing their eyes to keep the tears from falling.

Ahahahaa it's fiiine. Don't ask questions! I won't give you any answers! :D (Genuinely your guess is as good as mine at this point) Soft tags for beloveds! Whatcha guys up to?

@draco-illius-noctis @andthekitchensinkao3 @fenrelmercar @nananarc @nevarrantorte @blackwall-my-tiny-husband @davrinsleftpectoral @hedwigoprah @jenn2d2 @sunny374940 🫶

#wip whenever #wip weekday #dragon age rook #coadi aldwir #carry the dagger #ao3fic #da veilguard fanfic

20 notes · View notes

turnandface · 1 year ago

Text

"The Committee of Responsibility of Revachol is considered the key moralist authority regarding Revacholian matters, utilizing the various Coalition Warships stationed over Revachol, including Coalition Warship Archer, as a means of surveying and keeping tabs on the city."

I'm 💀💀💀 my first thought for Miles' disco elysium verse was 'maybe he's a Kernel Merc' I think he would either be a military member of the moralist international or maybe(?) A member of the ICP?

#so #does the coalition carry the military force?#the more I read the more I think they just outsource their military needs to military contractors LIKE Kernel #mini lore dump #just talking my way through understand #ing #tbd?

4 notes · View notes

kokinu09 · 1 month ago

Text

Let Go of the Reins || CHAPTER 14

~*~

pairing seungmin x fem!reader

genre strangers to lovers, romance, fluff, slight angst later, happy ending, social media, not meant to be, someday

summary Australia is considered home for two of the eight members. When two tour dates are scheduled for the land down under, the boys can’t help but want to spend a bit more time there to visit family and do a little sightseeing. So how do they convince the company that they need to stay a couple weeks? Filming some SKZ Code episodes.

A local riding school just outside the city with amazing reviews for their skilled instructors and beautiful horses is hosting a very popular kpop group to film their experiences. Y/N knows the group well and she just so happens to be their star working student.

status ongoing

taglist OPEN

previous | masterlist | next

~*~

It’s so easy to fall into the flow; a lighthearted k-drama playing on the tv that neither of you are fully paying attention to, arms wrapped around you with one of your biggest fluffy blankets thrown over both your laps, and a bowl of popcorn resting in the middle while an assortment of candies litter your coffee table. He makes a cheesy joke, you toss a kernel of popcorn at his face. Both of you laugh hysterically at how unserious you guys have made this.

When you settle back into watching the show, you enjoy the feeling of his warmth at your side. A smile plays on your lips as you rest your head on his shoulder. “This is really nice,” you comment, getting a hum of agreement as he turns his head to kiss your scalp.

“I wouldn’t be mad if I could stay like this forever,” he adds.

That sends your thoughts running away with imagined ideas of having him all to yourself; having weekly movie nights like this, sitting on a porch swing watching the horses graze on a hot February afternoon with your head on his shoulder, or even listening to him hum and sing while you cook dinner together. It’s all so domestic and dreamy, that you know it would be too good to be true. But you allow yourself this moment of delusion.

“So what did my hyungs say on your ride? I’m sure they were either spreading gossip or looking for it,” he chuckles.

“I wouldn’t say it was gossip really,” you try to defend but he tips his face forward to look at you with a raised brow and you crack. “Ok maybe just a little bit,” you laugh.

“Felix talked about Jeongin’s shopping habits and how he thinks he has a problem, but I suspect neither of them probably have any room to talk. Then, Hyunjin complained that Chan wasn’t using this vacation time like he should be, which reminds me, you should really try to pry him away from that computer every now and then.”

“Trust me, we try but it’s easier said than done,” he says with a shake of his head.

“Hyunjin was also complaining about Minho being in a sour mood because the hotel breakfast was out of puddings, then Felix told me that Jisung had ordered some to be delivered so it wouldn’t ruin his whole day.”

“Oh yeah, I heard about that. And it was only enough for the two of them so Channie-hyung whined that he wanted some too,” Seungmin said, adding to your lore of their morning meal debacle. “They all make me sick.”

“You wouldn’t trade them for the world,” you tease with an eye roll.

“The world? No. For you? In a heartbeat.”

Your breath hitches but she try not to let it show, blush darkening your cheeks as you shy away from looking at him. “Don’t say that. I’d be devastated if I was the cause of the group breaking up,” you scold him, a genuine frown tugging the corners of your lips.

“I’m just saying. But I don’t plan on having to pick,” he assures, giving you a squeeze. “What else did they say? Talk any smack about me?” He asks, purposefully changing the subject.

“They were curious about us,” you start, catching his attention. “Wondering if you’re treating me right.”

“Yeah? And how did you tell them I’m doing?” He asks with a knowing smile.

“I said you needed some work,” you joke, earning a howl from him as he throws his head back. And you can’t help the giggle that bubbles up in your chest. “No, but you’re lucky. It sounded like they would’ve taught you a lesson if I had said anything less than excellence.”

“They talk a big game but they couldn’t lay a finger on me,” he says between breathy laughs.

“Hyunjin did claim he taught you everything you know. Then Felix claimed it was all Chan,” you muse.

“Yeah right!” He scoffs. “If anything, Channie-hyung knows how to flirt but I don’t think any of them would know romance if it smacked them in the face.”

“Now who’s being dramatic!” You laugh, which he joins you. Wrapping both arms around you for a tight hug.

The credits were rolling, you’re not sure how long they have been going at this point but it was also late enough that a yawn escapes you. “Why don’t we get ready for bed if you’re tired,” he suggests and you agree.

The two of you untangle to quickly go through your nighttime routines while also occasionally intertwining them. Like how he playfully bumps your elbow as you’re brushing your teeth together. It’s so domestic and sickeningly sweet that you wonder if your delusional thoughts earlier are really that far out of reach.

You manage to check your phone when you plop onto the bed while he finishes his skincare. No wonder these men are so beautiful. They take an eternity taking care of their faces. Chuckling at your own internal joke, you pull up your missed texts from Liv.

You frown at that last message. ‘Too busy’? Aren’t the boys basically on vacation the rest of their time in Australia? But then again, 3RACHA isn’t exactly known for taking breaks.

Seungmin finally comes out of the bathroom with a fresh face and damp hair around the edges. A smile spreads across your face and you toss your phone on the nightstand. He walks over and drops his phone next to yours before plopping down beside you on the edge of the bed.

His hand finds purchase on your knee, giving it an assuring squeeze when he asks, “Are you sure you’re ok with me staying the night?”

It almost makes you giggle, as if you’d send him packing just when you’re about to get what you’ve looked forward to all day. “Very sure,” you say with certainty. Your grin widens as you scoot back to slip under the covers, patting the bed for him to come join.

He climbs over and slides in next to you, immediately pulling you back into his arms even before you found a comfy position. You burst into a fit of giggles but also don’t put up much of a fight, snuggling into his warmth when the two of you settle down.

“Ah, this is the life,” he blissfully sighs in a dramatic manner. Since you can’t really disagree with that, you opt for a hum in agreement.

The minutes tick by, the two of you tangled in each other’s arms, and you can’t find it in yourself to fall asleep. Though you think Seungmin has started to. His breathing by your ear is soft and steady, a sure sign that sleep is approaching. But there’s a curiosity swirling in your brain that won’t allow you to settle until you ask.

“Minnie? Are you asleep?” You whisper. He grunts in sleepy acknowledgment that he hears you.

“Not yet,” he says with a big yawn. “What is it baby?” He cuddles up closer (which you didn’t even think was possible) and buries his nose in your hair.

“I was just thinking about, the future…” your words trail off as that little fear in the back of your mind rears its ugly head.

“Oh yeah?” He sounds a little more awake and a lot more curious as he frees you for a moment to rub the sleep from his eyes. “About what, exactly, were you thinking about for the future?”

“Just,” you pause again, afraid to say your hopes and dreams out loud in case they might be too big for how new your relationship is. In case they don’t align with his. But you’ve gone too far to turn back now. “Just think about us. Our future.”

With the words finally leaving your lips, it’s like a weight is lifted off your chest. Your mind finally quieting down to hear what he thinks. He is quiet for a moment behind you, you can’t even hear him breathing.

“Are they good thoughts? …Or…?” He asks hesitantly.

“They’re hopeful thoughts.”

Suddenly, you feel his hand on your hip, tugging you to roll over and face him. You stubbornly refuse at his first attempt but quickly lose that battle. A little reluctantly, you roll over onto your other side, face to face with the one man that throws your brain into inner turmoil.

His eyes look at you with a fondness in them but there is also a cute little furrow to his brow, mild concern etched onto his features. “Tell me what’s on your mind, Baby,” he almost pleads with his tone.

“I feel a connection with you, and I want to believe that we can withstand the test of time,” you start. “But I also understand that long distance relationships are hard on couples.”

“And you’re worried that we won’t be able to handle it,” he nods along.

“No! …Well, yes…” You quickly deny but just as quickly realize that’s exactly what you’ve been worried about. His features soften from concern to utter fondness.

“Do you want to know what I think?” He asks, a bit of teasing seeping into his tone.

“That is the whole reason we are having this conversation,” you can’t completely keep the sarcasm out of your voice either. It makes him chuckle as he slides his knuckles along your jawline.

“I think you worry too much,” he says, even going as far as to tap the tip of your nose affectionately. You gape at him in exasperation but he goes on before you can rebuttal. “We have something special, Y/N. No matter how far we may be, it won’t change the way I feel about you.”

“The thing is, I don’t doubt our feelings for one another. I question how hard it’s going to be to be away from you. And…how we’ll manage it…” you admit carefully, unsure of how he might take your uncertainty.

“It will be excruciating not to be able to drive across town just to hold you in my arms like this,” he says, pulling you into an embrace again for added effect. “But knowing that you’ll be waiting for me, will be enough to get me by.” Then his face morphs slightly with another thought. “That is, as long as you’re…willing to wait for me.”

“Of course I will! And, lucky for you, I’m a very patient woman,” you joke proudly.

It has both of you laughing softly in the small space between you. It fills your heart with affection knowing that the two of you can find a way to laugh and joke no matter the situation. It’s one of the things you love most about him.

“Then we have nothing to worry about,” he whispers, pressing his forehead to yours. “It’s easy to overthink it but we’ll be fine.”

It’s not easy to just ignore but you want to believe in him, believe in your relationship. So you do. “Ok,” you simply agree.

He smiles, leaning in to connect your lips for the first time since you laid down. It’s sweet and soft. Like a promise to keep his word.

Your muscles relax into the mattress and your fingers find their way into his hair. It wouldn’t hurt to enjoy this a little bit longer, right?

The two of you are content to stay like this, tender kisses and gentle touches. That is until one of your giggles turns into a yawn. He chuckles and kisses your cheek.

“We should get some sleep,” he suggests.

“But I’m not tired yet,” you argue weakly, eyes betraying you as they flutter closed.

“Of course you’re not, Pretty Girl.” He gently coaxes you to roll back over onto your side again, easily slotting in behind you and pulling you into his chest.

Then you hear a blissful sigh as he gets comfortable; arms squeezing you, nose brushing your shoulder. If you weren’t so tired, you might have teased him about it. But on the other hand, this really is nice. You can’t remember the last time you’ve been able to fall asleep this easily.

He presses a kiss into the skin of your neck then whispers, “Sweet dreams, Y/N. I love you.”

“Love you, Seungminnie,” you mumble in return. You think he chuckles again but the fogs of sleep are starting to cloud your thoughts. It’s easier just to sink into it, let yourself drift off as you’re held safe and sound.

~*~

An incessant buzzing pulls you out of your slumber, a pleasant heat radiates against your back with an arm draped over your waist. You sigh happily and close your eyes to try getting just a few more minutes of peaceful rest, only for your phone to buzz on the nightstand four times in a row.

A quiet groan stays trapped between your tightly closed lips in an attempt not to wake the sleeping boy next to you. Reluctantly, you reach an arm out from under the covers to grab your phone.

Without thinking, you let out a deep (almost frustrated) sigh. The sound seems to stir Seungmin partially awake. His arm, still laying across your waist, tightens as he stretches and yawns. Your soft giggle in response has his eyes blinking up at you, a lazy, tired smile gracing his features.

“Good morning Beautiful,” he greets you with a gruff voice you’ve never heard from him before.

“Good morning, did you sleep well?” You ask, reaching a hand up to comb through his messy hair. He leans into your touch, basking in your attention.

“Best sleep of my life,” he tells you.

“You’re being dramatic again,” you accuse fondly, turning in his hold to face him fully and propping your chin up with your elbow.

“I am being overly honest, actually,” he chuckles.

“Unfortunately, it’s time to get up,” you reply, petting his head affectionately.

Then he drops his head into the crook of your neck, snuggling close and hiding his eyes from the light of morning leaking in through the cracks in the curtains. “It’s too early to be getting up,” he groans.

“You know, I agree with you. But to keep our jobs, we have to follow their rules.” This earns a louder groan and a stronger squeeze. You don’t fight against his hold, in fact you wrap your arm around him to hold him, too.

“What if I said screw our jobs,” he asks rhetorically.

“I would have lots of things to say,” you reply playfully. He leans back to look at you, his smile turned amused.

“Oh yeah? Like what?”

“First off, I told you before that I would never let you make me the cause of Stray Kids breaking up,” he hums as he remembers and you go on. “And I would say screw my job, I don’t care, but then I’d have to find a new home for Storm and I don’t have that kind of money, honey.”

Your little rhyme makes him laugh. When he settles, his brows knit with curiosity. “What would happen to the other horses? If you left, I mean.”

“They aren’t mine, technically all the horses that are used for group riding don’t have individual owners. If someone decided they wanted one, they could make an offer to the ranch and they’d probably get it.” You explain. “The ranch would just look for a replacement at some point.”

The look on Seungmin’s face tells you he’s deep in thought, a little wrinkle to his brow. You lift your fingers to gently smooth his forehead. “Don’t worry about it. It’s been a while since any of the horses were sold anyways,” you assure him.

His features soften under your touch, he looks at you with trust in his eyes. “Wouldn’t it be cool if all our horses could just stay together forever? Just like us?”

It’s your turn to soften at his posed question. “That’s a long time.”

“I plan to make it a long time. With Stray Kids and with you.” His words send butterflies fluttering in your belly.

“I hope you’re right,” you whisper. Dreams of forever planting like a seed in your heart that you’re ready to nurture over time until it comes true.

“But for now, I think it’d be in our best interests if we get up,” he says with a sigh. You giggle when he flops onto his back dramatically.

“You’re right. I need to keep a roof over Storm’s head.”

With a big flourish, you throw the blankets off of both of you, earning a yelp of surprise before he jumps out of bed to chase you around the house. It’s the most fun you’ve ever had getting ready in the morning, playing a game of cat and mouse, or fetch per say, in random spurts like the two of you are still in grade school.

It’s not so fun when you finally have to separate. He gives you a long hug and a briefer kiss when he gets the text that his ride has arrived. You watch him leave, offering a wave to his tinted window, even if you can’t see him through it.

A deep sigh escaping now that you’re officially alone. Back to a normal day, the only saving grace being your best friend working right alongside you.

~*~

taglist

@kangaracha @rainfallingfromthesky @puppysmileseungmin @defnotfertilizedtoesw @teenyfinds

@bbokari711 @lakoya @chlodavids @rylea08 @chanshugsaretherapy

@palindrome969 @here-to-read-and-read-fics @imagine-all-the-imagines @txnwvc @keepswingin

24 notes · View notes

stoppingo1k · 9 months ago

Text

operation veggie villain. herbert's summit lair was the very first room i made for cpj. everything except for the trees, rock, and some corn assets were drawn from scratch. i took special care to ensure this room was as accurate to the lair from the mission as possible, down to the exact placement and number of every corn cob and kernel. the ski villages are room edits i made, with the projector asset being stolen from the psa missions.

the psa hq rebuild phase 2 is an edit that required a good bit of drawing for the fixed screen structures and such. the deadline for this room was a single day because the team realized only last second they needed it iirc, so i really should've rushed the job, but i put so many little details in it because i kept being like, wait this would be so fun! i left the cracks in the wall where the desk initially broke through, patched up the broken wires with electrical tape, there's the closet half open to tease the epf of course, and i realize this was blocked by the ui in the end, but the crate in the corner holds various electronics, including parts of the popcorn bomb. lore-wise, in my head they were going to salvage the good parts of the machines. and of course we can't forget the little trashcan in the corner :] it holds the stuffing from the gift shop salon chair. i loved the idea that despite all of the popcorn and mess still around, they bothered to use the tiny trashcan

#club penguin #club penguin journey #stoppy.png #i dont think it was like this in og but the psa hq file i was given to work with #had over 2000 layers. like 2600 actually #not exaggerating in the slightest. for some reason every line and dot exported as separated layers...#not to mention every screen showing a different image means a lot of different assets #a nightmare to work with!! but my sappy secret agent loving heart means im so glad to have been able to

58 notes · View notes

sunny-days-and-warm-mournings · 2 years ago

Text

It is finally finished!! I am done and is so happy!!!

This is an AU exploring the concept of Sūn Wùkōng/Dàshèng as a Yaksha and Tu Di Gong, rather than being a Yaoguai Warlord during his later years reigning as the Monkey King.

This AU follows the beginning (with some changes here and there) up until Wùkōng's shenanigans with Ao Guang, then he went on a separate path from Wu Cheng'en's novel.

In this iteration our favourite Monkey explored the realms as he burned up time, but then he took a particular interest in the humans' ways of producing food. Since Dàshèng was so used to the grandeur and bounties of Huagoushan (being surrounded by such lush forests and mountains that never withered nor died) he sort of took pity on them before deciding to help them grow their crops much better.

But this is just the very much shortened summary of the beginning of this AU, and I have compiled some research and even more lore in my Google Documents just to expand on this idea more.

This— Westward To Tathāgatagarbha Lore Google Documents

This is the Google Document of my AU, which I highly recommend for you to read! It explains all the other details and such on this story! I did my best on making them but there would be still mistakes that I have yet to find, but it should be decent!!

This is a more casual look for Dàshèng/Wùkōng for this AU as well as some brief pointers! I made this before the portrait so some things might have changed.

(Don't mind him holding a cup of beer it's fine.)

Taken from the server (with some hints for the next half of the archives/docs) which instantly kickstarted this whole thing haahahjjjss, but it really was so fun talking about it to others! They gave me more inspiration that I can handle.

And what is Tathāgatagarbha you ask? (Brief)

In Buddhist philosophy, Buddha-nature is the potential for all sentient beings to become a Buddha or the fact that all beings already have a pure buddha-essence within. "Buddha-nature" is the common English translation for several related Mahayana Buddhist terms, most notably tathāgatagarbha and buddhadhātu, but also sugatagarbha, and buddhagarbha. Tathāgatagarbha can mean "the womb" or "embryo" (garbha) of the "thus-gone one" (tathāgata), and can also mean "containing a tathāgata". Buddhadhātu can mean "buddha-element," "buddha-realm" or "buddha-substrate"

The Chinese translated the term tathāgatagarbha as rúláizàng (如来藏), or "Tathāgata's (rúlái) storehouse" (zàng). According to Brown, "storehouse" may indicate both "that which enfolds or contains something", or "that which is itself enfolded, hidden or contained by another." The Tibetan translation is de bzhin gshegs pa'i snying po, which cannot be translated as "womb" (mngal or lhums), but as "embryonic essence", "kernel" or "heart".

The term tathagatagarbha first appears in the Tathāgatagarbha sūtras, which date to the 2nd and third centuries CE.

There will be more to this in the future when I'm finished researching more about it.

Also, speaking of people that inspire me, I'm calling my dear friends here who I think might like this: @digitalagepulao @kaijufluffs @sketching-shark @lavaflowe @sixteenthchapel @jttw-monkeybusiness and @hcdragoncat !!

Special thanks to Pardal and Grandpa Sun for getting me to write more of this too :D I had such great fun!

I have so much more to add to the docs and here but this is all for now :) and honestly this is one of the greatest projects I've started aside from the older ones. I'll come back again soon with more additions and art! And lore (And maybe some interactions with a few West Heaven occupants??)!!!

268 notes · View notes

forestlingincorporated · 1 month ago

Text

I've been reading the Covenant of Primus, and I'm actually surprised how much Transformers One seems to have borrowed broad concepts from it. Do not get me wrong, the Aligned continuity lore is VERY different from Transformer One's continuity, but I found a few kernels of similarity I thought was really interesting.

For instance, I thought the name "D-16" was invented for TFO, but no - Megatron was originally a mining bot named D-16 in CoP. He changes his name to Megatronus when he joins the gladiators, and it's shortened to Megatron to be easier for his fans to chant. "Megatron" is basically a nickname of his chosen name.

One major difference is that Orion Pax wasn't a miner. He's actually much, much older than Megatron - one of the original 13 Primes reborn as a normal bot, how very Jesus of him, and thus was part of the original wave of Cybertronians born from the Well. Orion, Bulkhead, Wheeljack, and Ratchet at all stated to be old enough to have belonged to pre-laconian "barbarian" groups. Wheeljack and Bulkhead belonged to the Wreckers as a warrior group of sorts protecting peaceful "barbarian" communities. Ratchet is stated to also be from a "primitive village" and walked all the way to the newly built Iacon to learn medicine.

But enough about that, it's really interesting, but I wanted to talk about parallels between the Aligned continuity in CoP and TFO - like Sentinel Prime not being a "true" Prime. The major difference being Aligned Sentinel was simply an elected official using "Prime" as a title, where TFO Sentinel, uh, killed all the actual Primes in an attempt to steal the Matrix of Leadership.

Like in TFO, Aligned Sentinel worked for the Quintessons, but a major difference between the continuities is that the Quintessons were deeply ingrained in Cybertronian society already under the guise of generous benefactors - which I will get to, much of what the Quintessons did in Aligned has a parallel in Sentinel in TFO - so this was openly understood to the public and their detractors. Sentinel himself would immediately betray the Quintessons when they did not bring him into the loop of things they were keeping from the public, starting an intelligence agency to discover what the Quintessons were hiding from them - persons involved including Ultra Magnus (whom Sentinel talked away from the Wreckers), Orion Pax himself (who was involved in a research capacity), and Soundwave (who was part of Sentinel's counsel at the time).

Aligned Sentinel is clearly still a self-serving jackass, who upheld Functionalist beliefs even after the Quinessons were expunged from their society, but he's a more complicated character than TFO Sentinel and for good reason. You can get into the nitty gritty socio-politico-economic complexities in a book like CoP, but a 1 hour and 44 minute movie just doesn't have the time. Hell, Aligned didn't even put most of these details in the cartoons themselves because this type of lore just isn't suited for kids tv.

Now, the parallels to the TFO movie are like so -

In TFO, the Quintessons demand Energon from Sentinel as part of their bargain. To obtain more Energon for the Quintessons, Sentinel creates a "lesser than" working class of mining bots by stealing their T-cogs from their newborn bodies and putting them to work in the mines because, well, that's where he's decided "cogless" bots go. The cogless bots mine Energon, which Sentinel secretly steals from the community to give to the Quintessons.

In the Aligned continuity, the early cybertronians were unaware that they had the ability to transform. The Quintessons were. In a sort of reverse of what TFO does, the Quintessons used their knowledge of the T-cogs to convince the Cybertronians that they - the Quintessons - were able to "bless" them with the power of transformation. They convinced the cybertronians they were a higher level of being who would graciously help their society advance... which they did at the cost of colonization. Cybertronian labor was used to extract and build goods and resources which were taken away to be sold to others by the quintessons, alongside building space bridges that would require massive amounts of Energon to operate.

The creation of a "lesser" class of cybertronian is less intentional as it was exploitative. Originally, the Well spit out fully realized cybertronians with names, hopes, dreams. Due to how the Well works, as Cybertronian culture became enslaved under the Quintessons rigid caste system, bots began emerging from the Well without real names, instead with designations relating to places and types of work they believed they could fill while in the Well. The Quintessons used this sign of the Cybertronians' mass oppression to push a Functionalist narrative. D-16 was one of these "nameless" bots, who pretty much immediately rejected the designation and planned role he was born with, though he would spend some time working in the mines anyway.

Basically, TFO's "cogless" are equivalent to Aligned's "nameless."

In TFO, Orion's plan to overthrow Sentinel was to show the people he was working with the Quintessons and his confession to having stolen the cogs from their newborn chests.

In the Aligned continuity, the start of the mass revolt against the Quintessons starts the same, except Sentinel was on the side of overthrowing the quintessons. A group attacks the Quintessons guarding the Well to broadcast the emergence of a bot free from Quintesson influence to demonstrate that transformation is NOT a blessing from superior beings but something innate to all cybertronians that was always there and simply has to be taught.

Also, RATCHET does this with his very cool spider robot doctor co-worker.

And if I really think about it, the High Guard's "might makes right" mentality in TFO might be inspired by the widespread believe in "might makes right" in early cybetronian society from Aligned. It may even imply a similarly widespread belief that was phased out after the High Guard went into hiding, and not simply something unique to the High Guard alone.

Anyway, I have more thoughts about the stories in CoP, I'm not done reading it, but I thought those were some interesting parallels the TFO writers may have taken some light inspiration from and I wanted to share, this world building is very neat.

#transformers aligned #transformers one #covenant of primus

15 notes · View notes