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Description
Next Chapter: www.deviantart.com/waapfu/art/…
Introduction: www.deviantart.com/waapfu/art/…

Nicolai continued onwards with their new company. Before them was a cold expanse, so far removed from the surface world that not even light could reach them. Rendered entirely blind, they focused their mind on the faint pull of the bone's will as guidance.

Their company was nought but the specks of settling sand and falling phytodetritus that pricked at their skin. It was rare that their antennae would feel the current warp around a rocky pillar or outcrop, and rarer still that they would have to alter course to avoid one. The space between these sparse checkpoints was hollow and flat. Even in a space so barren and bereft as this, faint disturbances in the water marked the presence of distant life forms.

In all truth, Nicolai lavished in the deathlike abyss. They were powerless; incapable of harm. Their duty too was without risk, as the escortee was already dead. They felt the familiar instinct to suppress such lazy, irresponsible feelings, to remain dutiful and honorable, but found themself unable- or perhaps unwilling- to do so.

And so, they drifted. Slowly.

It was not long before they had ceased paddling altogether, instead snaking their body and tail back and forth with telekinetic aid. They were not yet elegant in their methods, but it did not matter. Not down there.

More time passed, until eventually, the spirit of the fish bone fell still. Nicolai lowered themself to the sea bed and pawed at the sand and stone.

A hefty, gnarled rock stood before them; the first landmark in some time. Its body was smoothed yet still gritty, and it had deep crevaces carved into it by the current. At its foot lay something else, though: a complex structure of delicate, needle-like forms, much like the one Nicolai held. They ran their velvet toes along the length of it like the keys of a piano. At the tip was a pair of intricate fan-like structures. They then felt their way up the central column, a path built from lumpy little segments, until they reached a dome-like structure with an array of large and small orifices carved into it.

One space was lined with tiny sharp teeth, like those of a saw. Whatever these bones once supported could have been a terrifying and ruthless predator to certain fishes--and yet, no amount of violent power could stave off the inevitability of death. Except...

There's nothing natural in eternity. In stasis. Nature is as much death and decay as it is the new growth that arises from it. This, Nicolai felt certain of. The silken hair of their tail curled tightly in on itself with each gust of oceanic breeze, then slowly fanned out once more in the moments of still.

How many humans had entered the university, fulfilled their purposes, and then moved on since they had come into being? How many had gone on to rear children? How many had died? How long had Nicolai remained in stasis for?

The ocean current sighed a cloud of sand over them. The bone.

Once more they touched over the array, selecting an oddly empty space to deposit it. It was difficult to tell if this was the correct location, as the skeleton had begun to pull apart in places, but it felt as though the bone had found its peace.

In their contemplation, Nicolai did not detect that a disturbance in the current had increased.

------

I'm going back on what I said in the introduction because I can more efficiently get the story across in text, so the shallows and shoreline are probs both gonna be written entries, maybe paired with quick pictures if I have it in me because I like having pictures.

I haven't done creative writing in forever so I'm hoping this is still decent quality.

Really stoked with how the fish bones turned out in this, which continues the trend for me of the easiest part of the picture turning out the best.

For this picture and the previous one I've been painting in greyscale and using the gradient map tool for the colour palette challenge after hearing people on the TWWM Discord talking about doing it that way. It comes out really nicely once you get the levels balanced right, but it kinda feels like cheating. With the amount of effort going into these pictures and how exhausted I am I don't think I'm concerned enough to do things the hard way, also I very well might not be doing another palette challenge this event as I've already completed my third depths entry, it just needs some writing to go with it.

------

Uses palette XIV

Nicolai Gets:
Image: 4 (shaded) 2 (full body) 10 (scenic bg) 12 (event) || TOTAL GP: 28
Writing: 5.5 (writing, wc: 571) 2 (event) || TOTAL GP: 7.5
Combined Total: 35.5gp

I Get:
Image: 10 (shaded) 5 (full body) 30 (scenic bg) 5 (personal) 25 (event) || TOTAL AP: 75
Writing: 11 (writing, wc: 571) 5 (personal) 5 (event) || TOTAL AP: 21
Combined Total: 96ap

Description
Next Chapter: www.deviantart.com/waapfu/art/…
Introduction: www.deviantart.com/waapfu/art/…

Nicolai continued onwards with their new company. Before them was a cold expanse, so far removed from the surface world that not even light could reach them. Rendered entirely blind, they focused their mind on the faint pull of the bone's will as guidance.

Their company was nought but the specks of settling sand and falling phytodetritus that pricked at their skin. It was rare that their antennae would feel the current warp around a rocky pillar or outcrop, and rarer still that they would have to alter course to avoid one. The space between these sparse checkpoints was hollow and flat. Even in a space so barren and bereft as this, faint disturbances in the water marked the presence of distant life forms.

In all truth, Nicolai lavished in the deathlike abyss. They were powerless; incapable of harm. Their duty too was without risk, as the escortee was already dead. They felt the familiar instinct to suppress such lazy, irresponsible feelings, to remain dutiful and honorable, but found themself unable- or perhaps unwilling- to do so.

And so, they drifted. Slowly.

It was not long before they had ceased paddling altogether, instead snaking their body and tail back and forth with telekinetic aid. They were not yet elegant in their methods, but it did not matter. Not down there.

More time passed, until eventually, the spirit of the fish bone fell still. Nicolai lowered themself to the sea bed and pawed at the sand and stone.

A hefty, gnarled rock stood before them; the first landmark in some time. Its body was smoothed yet still gritty, and it had deep crevaces carved into it by the current. At its foot lay something else, though: a complex structure of delicate, needle-like forms, much like the one Nicolai held. They ran their velvet toes along the length of it like the keys of a piano. At the tip was a pair of intricate fan-like structures. They then felt their way up the central column, a path built from lumpy little segments, until they reached a dome-like structure with an array of large and small orifices carved into it.

One space was lined with tiny sharp teeth, like those of a saw. Whatever these bones once supported could have been a terrifying and ruthless predator to certain fishes--and yet, no amount of violent power could stave off the inevitability of death. Except...

There's nothing natural in eternity. In stasis. Nature is as much death and decay as it is the new growth that arises from it. This, Nicolai felt certain of. The silken hair of their tail curled tightly in on itself with each gust of oceanic breeze, then slowly fanned out once more in the moments of still.

How many humans had entered the university, fulfilled their purposes, and then moved on since they had come into being? How many had gone on to rear children? How many had died? How long had Nicolai remained in stasis for?

The ocean current sighed a cloud of sand over them. The bone.

Once more they touched over the array, selecting an oddly empty space to deposit it. It was difficult to tell if this was the correct location, as the skeleton had begun to pull apart in places, but it felt as though the bone had found its peace.

In their contemplation, Nicolai did not detect that a disturbance in the current had increased.

------

I'm going back on what I said in the introduction because I can more efficiently get the story across in text, so the shallows and shoreline are probs both gonna be written entries, maybe paired with quick pictures if I have it in me because I like having pictures.

I haven't done creative writing in forever so I'm hoping this is still decent quality.

Really stoked with how the fish bones turned out in this, which continues the trend for me of the easiest part of the picture turning out the best.

For this picture and the previous one I've been painting in greyscale and using the gradient map tool for the colour palette challenge after hearing people on the TWWM Discord talking about doing it that way. It comes out really nicely once you get the levels balanced right, but it kinda feels like cheating. With the amount of effort going into these pictures and how exhausted I am I don't think I'm concerned enough to do things the hard way, also I very well might not be doing another palette challenge this event as I've already completed my third depths entry, it just needs some writing to go with it.

------

Uses palette XIV

Nicolai Gets:
Image: 4 (shaded) 2 (full body) 10 (scenic bg) 12 (event) || TOTAL GP: 28
Writing: 5.5 (writing, wc: 571) 2 (event) || TOTAL GP: 7.5
Combined Total: 35.5gp

I Get:
Image: 10 (shaded) 5 (full body) 30 (scenic bg) 5 (personal) 25 (event) || TOTAL AP: 75
Writing: 11 (writing, wc: 571) 5 (personal) 5 (event) || TOTAL AP: 21
Combined Total: 96ap