#MY COPIUM SHALL NEVER DIE

[radaedan]

Okay. Thanks a lot for @antea21 🫡 because man, I found out something really interesting.

MILD SPOILER FOR 5.5 SAURIAN WORLD QUEST AND OTHER SAURIAN WORLD QUESTS CHAIN, ESPECIALLY: "Shadows of the Mountains", "For the Night, What is the Night", and "Moment of Awakening"!!!

After we finished the 5.5 World Quest, Titu (the guy from the Khaenri'ahn soldiers quest, "Shadows of the Mountains),

and also one of the humans Kukulkan used as disguise, said this:

To be honest, to me, it sounds like what Chiyo said in the 5.4 Mikawa Flower Festival after she was freed by Raiden Ei... waking up from a long dream...

But what's gobsmacked me though, was not Titu, but another human we suspect to be a disguise of Kukulkan.

Legba. The guy from the Wayob in the Scion of the Canopy's old temple quest, "For the Night, What is the Night". His dialogues haven't changed.

His dialogues:

This is so disturbing for me. Why Titu was changed but not him? Shouldn't also be freed from Kukulkan's grip, right?

But this got me thinking... perhaps Legba isn't Kukulkan's puppet.

He's Xiuhcoatl.

"Radaedan what the fuck are you saying bro😭 get a grip. Stop overdosing on copium-" HEAR ME OUT FIRST BRO😭

• In his quest, Legba said this:

"Brilliant children"? If he was Kukulkan, this doesn't make sense. Och-Kan was his only son, and as far as I know, the new lore doesn't contradict this.

Also, I take a liberty to see of the name which Legba was inspired of:

Papa Legba is a lwa [Voodo Spirit], or loa, in West African Vodun and its diasporic deritatives... Legba is a favorite lwa of children due to his jolly, grandpa-like image. He is often tasked with babysitting and distracting children (a typical male role in the matrilineal religion) while more serious rituals are being performed by the adults.

"Papa Legba" - Wikipedia

Beside Hoyo's interesting decision to use the name of an African spirit for a white NPC😀, I just couldn't wrap my head of Kukulkan being described like this. Compare this to Titu and Manqu's historical counterparts:

Don Diego de Castro Titu Kusi Yupanki was an Inca ruler of Vilcabamba and the penultimate leader of the Neo-Inca State. He was a son of Manco[Manqu] Inca Yupanqui, He was crowned in 1563, after the death of his half brother, Sayri Tupac.

...Cusi is the "narrator" and source of An Inca Account of the Conquest of Peru, a firsthand account of the Spanish invasion, narrated by him in 1570 to Spanish missionary Fray Marcos García and transcribed by Martín de Pando, his mestizo assistant.

"Titu Cusi" - Wikipedia

Titu Cusi became the ruler after his half-brother's death. Kind of like Kukulkan acting as the regent during Xiuhcoatl's absence. Cusi being a "narrator" and source of a historical account also fits the in-game Titu's role as storyteller.

Manco Cápac (before c. 1200 – c. 1230; Quechua: Manqu Qhapaq, "the royal founder"), also known as Manco Inca and Ayar Manco, was, according to some historians, the first governor and founder of the Inca civilization in Cusco, possibly in the early 13th century. He is also a main figure of Inca mythology, being the protagonist of the two best known legends about the origin of the Inca, both of them connecting him to the foundation of Cusco. His main wife was his older sister, Mama Uqllu, also the mother of his son and successor Sinchi Ruq'a. Even though his figure is mentioned in several chronicles, his actual existence remains uncertain.

"Manco Cápac" - Wikipedia

Founder and ruler are still within Kukulkan's range. Incest aside, being co-ruler with your siblings also fit Kukulkan and Xiuhcoatl's dynamic.

But, the name Manqu wasn't had only been held by one person.

Manqu Inka Yupanki (Quechua) (around 1515 – 1544) (Manco Inca Yupanqui in Spanish) was the founder and monarch (Sapa Inca) of the independent Neo-Inca State in Vilcabamba, although he was originally a puppet Inca Emperor installed by the Spaniards. He was also known as "Manco II" and "Manco Cápac II". He was one of the sons of Huayna Capac and a younger brother of Huascar.

...Manco Inca, one of the more than 50 sons of Huayna Capac, was born in Cuzco. When Atahualpa's troops took the city under the command of General Quizquiz, they killed the descendants of Huayna Capac, the Huascar supporters, and anyone who could try to take the place of the Inca. Because of this, Manco Inca was forced to flee, avoiding any contact with the atahualpists.

On 14 November 1533, he met the conquistador Francisco Pizarro and his contingent, both Inca and Spanish. This and other events such as the massacre of Atahualpa led Manco Inca to believe that the Spaniards were "saviors" sent by the gods.

"Manco Inca Yupanqui" - Wikipedia

He was also the father of the aforementioned Titu Cusi btw. I have to admit, this is a gross comparison and a strech, but Manco Inca's initial belief that the Spaniards were "saviours" sent by the gods could be like how Kukulkan viewed humans as the "saviours" of the dragon race. Both became disillusioned in the end.

Now let's compare Titu and Manqu's historical counterparts with Legba's. That's right, they're worlds apart. The formers were emperors caught in family feuds and colonization, while the later is a Spirit best described as paternal.

But do you know who could be described as having many children?

Okay... I have to admit, this one is a bit of a stretch, especially since we don't know how Xiuhcoatl and the Dragonlords viewed each others, and how their relationships were like. But I want to point out Kukulkan's commentary left in the Secret Source Servant:

"Your descendants"... at the very least, Kukulkan acknowledged that the Dragonlords were Xiuhcoatl's descendants. (Btw, a little off-topic, but I NEED to talk about how Xiuhcoatl intentionally made the Secret Source Servants looks adorable. He could have just choose any other form that's more energy-efficient, but he insisted to use the adorable form??? My King...😭 born to make kawaii, forced to fight the Abyss, Celestia, and humans😔.)

• Let's retrace the mechanism of draconic shape-shifting a bit. Kukulkan explained that it was through the power of the Phlogiston of rewriting their physical form by borrowing the existing human ones' 'codes'.

Kukulkan: Phlogiston is an atom upon which information may be transcribed, and is itself a form of "computronium" — an element that can be used to imitate the essence of any and all things through the weaving of languageIridescent Inscriptions... This is why phlogiston can take on different forms and even switch between them, and this is also why you could see phantoms at the repair mechanisms in the Chamber of Deliberation.

- "An Omen of Annihilation and the Final Entreaty" Quest

So basically, shape-shifting is a bit like copying a code source. If someone knows the code source, they could copy the program. In this case, human soul acted as the code source, and Kukulkan stole them to copy their forms.

But this means that theoritically, this ability isn't just special to him. If someone knows programming, they could do a similar feat as him, right?

Well, well, well, who's the one who diddled with the power of Phlogiston first? Xiuhcoatl.

Kukulkan: Xiuhcoatl was the master of the first flame, wielder of all light, heat, and wisdom. He controlled the primal flame, and could even plunge his entire body into it.

And he also was the first dragon who emerged from the Primal Flame (unfortunately I didn't screenshot the text where Kukulkan said it😭 so correct me if I'm wrong.)

If he was the first master of the Primal Flame, and the one who came out with all the phlogistonization in the first place, is it too far-fetched to assume that he could also shape-shift?

But well... these are all my conjectures😅 I don't expect this to be true. I don't even know how or why he used Legba's form, and how he wasn't detected by Kukulkan all of those years. It could've been my account is kinda fucked, I haven't played certain quests, or I just dug too deep into it. And possibly because I just want my king to be alive okay😔

I also really, really, really want to dissect the Secret Source Servant's records, because damn some of those have very interesting implications😈

How about you? Does Legba in your account have changes in his dialogues? Or do you have your own theories?

[fancy-plans]

I know that no one follows me for final fantasy stuff, but I need to write out my thoughts/interpretation the Final Fantasy XVI ending, and tumblr allows for good spoiler protection, so forgive my indulgence.

SPOILERS AHEAD, DO NOT READ UNLESS YOU'VE BEAT FFXVI

Okay. Now, as much as I hate it, I think Dion is definitely dead, or meant to have died. While there's no question in my mind that this is the game's intent, the fate of any of the three who faced Ultima can be easily amended with enough will (hehe) or copium. We only see Dion falling, we don't see him actually die, so why can't Dion be to FFXVI what Shepard is to Mass Effect 3? Joshua (if he lived), or Terence, or Medicine Girl, can be there searching for him in the rubble, find him, heal him. But yes, for me personally this is a pure copium interpretation none-the-less.

As for Clive, I also think he is definitely dead. He states that Ultima's power was too much for his vessel body in the end, and we see the curse taking him on the beach, spreading from his fingertips to his entire hand within seconds. We also see Metia fading, which indicates Clive's death.

The main argument I see for Clive's survival is that in the final Jill quest, she says that no matter how bad the night is, the dawn will always come, as will Clive. And then when Jill is crying, she sees the dawn come, and stops crying. However, I think that's just her finding hope in the darkness, and through her grief, taking comfort in the knowledge that Clive did indeed save the world so that a new dawn would always come.

This also fits with the lyrics of the song that play at the end, My Star, which go:

For your flame still burns inside me deep within my heart Showing me, a new tomorrow, never too far And when I cannot bear the pain, I look up to the sky and pray And though our night is over you shall always remain, forever, my treasure, my star

Yeah, those lyrics definitely say "Clive is dead" to me, sadly. I think Clive's fate is of course debatable, and I see a lot of people convinced that he survived. But, for me, as much as I wish he did, I just don't think he lived.

Now, finally, to Joshua, the most complicated one. The biggest piece of evidence for Joshua's survival is THE BOOK. Final Fantasy, written by Joshua Rosfield. A lot of people think that Clive wrote the book under Joshua's name due to the quill that Harpocrates gave to him, but... why? That makes no sense to me. If they wanted to show that Clive survived and wrote the book, the book would have just had Clive's byline. Let's not forget that Harpocrates also said that Joshua is a gifted writer, so Harpocrates' crumbs don't lead only to Clive as the author.

There's also the interpretation that Clive/Jill had a son named Joshua who wrote the book. While more plausible to me and also a sweet interpretation, it still seems like quite a big reach. Or, perhaps Joshua had already been writing the book while he was alive, and Clive finished/published it? But when Harpocrates tells Clive that Joshua would be a good writer (which he also says to Clive to keep us all confused, lulz), it's implied that there really isn't time for anyone to be writing, but maybe after Ultima's defeat it's the pen they could turn to.

So, of all the explanations for the book, I think that Joshua surviving and writing it is the most likely, and the reason for that being shown at the end when it easily didn't have to be shown at all. And let's also not forget that the name Joshua derives from Yeshua, the Hebrew name for Jesus. Jesus and the Phoenix, these are both figures who rise again.

But, that of course begets the problem of how, actually, did he survive when he was most definitely dead? Joshua even explicitly says in an earlier scene that the Phoenix can mend flesh, but not restore a spirit. Yet, the difference from then and the end is that when Clive healed Joshua, he was using the power he absorbed from Ultima, the power of a God. We know this because after Clive heals Joshua, he states that his body wasn't enough to be able to handle Ultima's power after all. And if Ultima's power wasn't important narratively, then Clive could have healed Joshua's flesh once he absorbed the Phoenix's power, rather than this act occurring after. Besides, whatever he did to Joshua must have utilized a great deal of power, not just the power of simple healing/mending flesh, to have been too much for his vessel body. And while the powers of the Phoenix can't restore a spirit on their own, we really don't know what they would be capable of in conjunction with Ultima's power.

Even before this, we know that Joshua's power earlier went to bounds that it should not have been able to when he reached Clive, who was trapped in Ultima's nightmare realm. Ultima says something like, "You shouldn't have the power to do this. How is this possible? This is the power of creation," (paraphrase). I think that Joshua and Clive's powers, when fueled by their will, determination, and brotherly love, are capable of stretching beyond any normal bounds. There's no telling what they'd be capable of when combined with Ultima's power. Therefore, as Clive cycles through the memories of his brother and burns with the will for the power to heal him, Clive was able to actually revive Joshua at the end.

My last though on Joshua surviving is not based on any actual game events/lore/evidence, so might perhaps be more copium fueled, but I think it also makes more sense for Clive's story arc. The game begins with him (nearly) killing his brother, and a full loop would end with him saving him. Final Fantasy XVI is after all, more than anything, a story of brotherly love. For Clive's final act to be to save his brother and fulfill his duty as Joshua's shield, is a much more satisfying and complete story and character arc imo.

Anyway, those are just my thoughts. Like I said, it's really up to interpretation which, if any of those three, might have survived. The only thing that would change that would be if we got a post-game DLC that confirmed things one way or another. But, for now, this is what makes the most sense to me, for better or worse.

[bard-twins]

Ohhhh~

What romance trope do you think fits Himmel, Venti and Heizou?

Venti

Sauce: @naeruns

Angst suits him the most. All those sufferings he had to go through to see his beloved die countless of times and reincarnate as he goes look for them is my cup of tea mhmm

psst read my “the day you vanished with the stars”—

•••

Himmel

Sauce: @scarletofspring

Yeah it’s obvious this would be my pick if you read all my previous himmel works lmao.

Aside from this recovering trope, we also have the classic childhood friends to lovers. One of my fave tropes <3 bcs the bond they have deepened and developed, mutual pining, and the tension is just mwah

Sauce: @dreadelion

•••

Heizou

Sauce: @crownjevvel

Heizou inviting reader over to the police station and piece all the clues together as reader gets excited and amazed how cool heizou is for solving the issue

Sauce: @mageyalook

It’d be fun to see this with how reader genuinely admires heizou’s skills and talents when it comes to solving complex cases

And of course this

Sauce: @retquits

Im not a big fan of enemies to lovers but i shall let this pass bcs of plot purposes on that one heizou fic im working on lmao

Heizou doesn’t necessarily raised his fist against them but he battles them through wits and smarts bcs he stands up to his principle of violence is a no-no unless it’s necessary. He enjoys poking fun of reader who easily gets pissed off LMAO

•••

Bonus:

Kosma + Senti + Venti

(base on this hc of mine about genshin counterpart of kosma and senti being part of celestia. Now shhh never question those who copium for playable kosma and senti in genshin u_u)

Sauce: @refrainbow

This trope but kosma + senti proteccs reader from venti cuz he bad and sussy

Since we know genshin is not 1:1 copy of some honkai characters imma start and say that kosma will be ooc from the kosma we know. Ehem he’s gonna be a “mastermind”. Cunning and decisive, but protective of reader because of a certain incident that occurred 500 years ago

Senti is still senti who’s loud, boastful, whiny, wants to be the center, and the scammer we know and love. Is clingy to reader and wants her for herself but she doesn’t mind sharing you with kosma lol. They have the same goal of protecting you from venti as well as from celestia

Now pls check all these artists’ profiles and give em the likes and follows they deserve

[gammasnippets]

IMPORANT ANNOUNCEMENT

So... Hey guys! How's it going? Gamma here. 👋

I never do this kind of post. And I believe that I have to do this because I need to tell you guys something about my plans for this year. You guys who have been following me and supporting me and bothered to read my stories are very important to me. You guys are the reason why I write and publish content to the best of my ability and I don't see a reason why I have to do things without you guys knowing.

Alright... Onto the announcement.

For several times, I have told you guys that I intend to write a story for each member of Girls' Generation before I could move on and write for other idols. This is because of my undying love for all 9 members that I want to devote myself into publishing stories starring each of them, and write about whatever the fuck my brain could think of afterwards.

Well, THAT'S GONNA CHANGE.

I will now try to write and publish stories starring various idols while I'm trying to complete my initial mission of writing something for each Girls' Generation member. That's right, folks! You read it right!

The reason for this is... To be honest? It's the lack of original ideas and concepts. Lately, my brain is able to think of different scenarios for idols other than Taeyeon, Sooyoung, Jessica (Yes. SNSD will always be 9. And no. I'm not high on copium.), and so on. As much as I hate to admit it, it's just what it is. So I thought about writing for other idols while I try to think, and write, and publish stories for the remaining 6 members. And for that, I sincerely apologize. I wasn't able to deliver what I have promised to you guys. 😔

So here's what I plan to do. Since I've already made stories for 3 members—namely Yoona, Tiffany, and Sunny—I intend to publish 3 stories starring 3 different idols. Yes. 3 other idols. Whoever they are and whatever the story is about, however, I have no idea yet... Or do I? 🤔 Then I shall publish 3 more stories starring Girls' Generation members, followed by 3 random idols, then the 3 remaining members. With the pace I currently have right now, COVID might disappear before I complete this journey. 😅 After that, I plan to (This'll sound ambitious. I swear.) A series starring ALL NINE MEMBERS. The final nail in the coffin before I die having what little ounce of imagination and creativity I have left inside my little brain completely sucked out. Wahoo! 🥳

So for those who are dying to read another Girls' Generation story from me, I apologize. My brain just isn't in the right condition to conjure up ideas for the remaining members and it annoys the absolute hell out of me. But please bear with me as I will surely pay your patience with stories I'm sure you will enjoy reading in the future.

Thank you. 🙇