#and given the fact that it has abyssal ties

[moonlitbeth]

according to the old Chinese saying, "a single flower does not make spring, but one hundred flowers in full bloom bring spring to the garden."

there's smth quietly bittersweet abt how the theme of flowers, of blooming, withering, and life taking root in new soil, runs through Sylus' character and his dynamic with MC. it's a central and consistent motif that follows them both no matter the timeline, the world around them, or their relationship status. only the form changes.

we've gotten our fair share of angst with the recent update, but it's the ongoing event that really twists the knife with graceful precision. every piece and clue was already in front of us, we just didn't see the whole picture until now.

Sylus is someone we know everything and nothing abt. but one thing is constant – he's a soul born pure and untained. he's a being of consent by nature, dragons can't devour a soul given unwillingly. born into apocalyptic terror, he faces rejection from all sides. he fits in nowhere – too human for dragons, too dragon for humans. society sees him for what he appears to be, never for who he truly is. the soul that was once untouched by malice becomes a mirror for destruction, violence, and chaos – exactly what humans chose to see in him.

the floral symbolism in his dragon myth centers around datura, or devil's trumpet. in their shared dream, Sylus shows MC a valley full of blooming datura, a place where he also dies in reality. this flower, initially tied to death, hallucinations, dreams, and danger, blooms only at night (quite fitting for a nocturnal creature). in some Chinese interpretations, datura is also seen as a dream flower that symbolizes the boundary between life, death, and the spiritual unknown (see what i'm getting at? Abyssal Blossom and the myth's ending are deeply entwined here, too).

and yet, despite this flower's dark, ominous connotation, Sylus still places MC at the center of it all. her mere presence is the reason the flowers bloom. even in a place where life shouldn’t exist, somehow, with her, it does. and it does beautifully.

you know, Tarus City can have flowers bloom everywhere, as far as the eye can see. but only for one person.

his birthday is April 18. we don't know if it's truly when he was born, another significant date, or when he died. tho as for the latter, it doesn't match datura's bloom season (June-September), but who knows. still, spring fits him perfectly. the connection to flowers, blooming, and new life is obvious here. but spring also speaks of hope, change, emotional/spiritual/physical awakening, growth, and rebirth. every part of that is written into who Sylus is.

*a small fun fact: in Chinese culture, April 18 often falls within a solar term Guyu (谷雨), meaning "grain rain." Guyu is the last solar term of spring, associated with rain that nourishes the seeds, transition from planting to flourishing, and rituals of harvest and reverence for ancestors.

Sylus often mentions flowers in everyday life, it's a recurring theme. unfortunately, i can't gather every line, call, or text message, but there are a few that definitely deserve to be highlighted.

i thought we were like flowers. we were meant to grow together in the same soil. yet you were quietly moved to another garden in a foreign land… still, you managed to bloom beautifully.

man, if this isn't the most devastating one after the latest update. it hits different now. Sylus saw them, himself and MC, as two beings planted in the same soil, growing side by side. same roots, same future. their destiny was meant to be shared, but fate had other plans. MC was taken away, moved to a "foreign land" – likely Earth. and even though that place was harsh and cruel in his eyes, it didn't ruin or corrupt her. it made her stronger, it let her bloom.

because he also says this:

no matter how bad the soil is, we can always grow something beautiful.

as long as he has the will to grow and nurture, all she has to do is stay and be a part of his life. willingly. because to him, across nebulae and lifetimes, millennia of searching and longing, she is the life itself. she is the garden in his wasteland, bringing warmth to frozen ground, light into shadows, and hope into devastation.

and now, one of the latest chapters of the event.

he tried to grow flowers himself. with his bare hands that knew only destruction and death – before MC entered his life. he tried to create smth fragile, untouched, alive. step by step.

we know Sylus' Evol allows him to accelerate natural processes, including plant blooming. but i think back then, before MC's return, he either couldn't do it or wouldn't let himself. maybe the act of forcing life into existence felt like a betrayal of smth sacred. it demands more than power, it demands consent and trust. it's a choice freely made.

just like with MC. a flower that chooses to bloom. a soul that chooses to remember and return.

i smell a floral fragrance. is this the scent of his soul that carries a faint, scorching bitterness?

[slothcapsule]

a collection of things kaeya foreshadowed

(copy pasted directly from reddit) one of the main appeal points in Kaeya for me is just how much potential his character holds, and how that gets proven with every new main story-centric update. Everything Kaeya says holds a certain double meaning, and we only get to find them out when we know more, so I thought I'd compile all the things (that I know of) that Kaeya has foreshadowed or teased in one way or another because I feel like I never see anybody mention how many things he's said before started making more sense after we knew more things?

starting with his story quest (1.0) predicts a couple of things! the first one being the first three nations' plotlines. Dvalin being the 'wicked abyss dragon' and Osial being the 'hydra', then in Inazuma signora being the 'silver-haired banshee' (for those who don't know Signora's lore centres around her actions being motivated by grief over the loss of her husband I'm pretty sure, so she can vaguely check the banshee title off)

These connections were proven further in Sumeru! During the Aranyaka (3.0) quest, specifically in a section called 'The Children of Vimara Village' the traveller is asked to tell three kids stories. Paimon references Kaeya directly and they follow the template of telling the children stories about our feats by following what Kaeya has said.

I won't include the whole dialogue section because it would be too long. But essentially: they tell Iotham about Dvalin, Kavus about Osial, and Sudabeh about Ei and Yae Miko. I believe that might be because Signora's story and ending aren't exactly suitable for children, given that she got executed by one of the 'distinguished ladies' after losing a match to the death against the traveller.

Later in the Caribert quest we meet Kaeya at the start and find out he's the descendant of the Abyss Order's founder, Clothar. Now, stay with me please, I admit that this might be a stretch on my part but I do believe if you squint your eyes it makes sense, but what if I tell you that was also foreshadowed in his story quest?

In his story quest, he talks about his grandfather and the sword he had. at the end of the quest, Kaeya does give us the harbinger of dawn to make up for him tricking us. now, if we take into account the time loop theory (which has been proven to at least some extent with the Aranara and all) and the fact that since Kaeya is a descendant of Clothar and our sibling is the prince/princess of the abyss order which Clothar founded, you could kind of say they're vaguely related, and since all that happened like centuries ago and Kaeya is in his alleged 20's, heck, the abyss twin is basically their grandparent!

It's also worth mentioning that the sword harbinger of dawn could also be tied to Dainsleif, otherwise known as "The Twilight Sword." the description of the sword could be vaguely tied to him as well as one who "failed in his duty".

Of course, that piece of dialogue isn't the only thing that foreshadowed the reveal of Kaeya being related to the Abyss Order's founder or even him being some sort of vague royalty. (Regent, I know, but still they're regents that stepped up and took charge)(For the sake of having consistent sources of where I got info from, the regent thing was confirmed in the 2.7 Hidden Strife event). However, before we knew he was a regent, the Kaeya prince theory was by no means unpopular, and there's a collection of things that allude to it. He has a voice line about Fischl in which he teases how appropriate it'd be for him to be a descendant of a royal person. he's the only blade-carrying Knight of Favonius whose normal attacks start with 'Favonius Bladework'. Instead, his normal attacks are titled 'Ceremonial Bladework'.

I cannot find photos for these which saddens me, but I can swear that his second passive talent was named 'Heart of the Abyss' before it was changed to 'Glacial Heart', and his first constellation was 'Royal Blood' before it was changed to 'excellent blood' both of which were great contributors for the theory. I'd greatly appreciate it if anyone who has the photos could provide them I feel like I'm going crazy, I'm sure I saw photos before but I can only find people talking about it.

and personally, the craziest one in my opinion is his 'More About Kaeya IV' voice line, which actually teased the five sinners of Khaenri'ah that Dainsleif told us about in Bedtime Story (4.7 !!?)

there was some suspicion about the voice line back in 3.5 when we originally met one of the sinners through our sibling's memories, but I thought nothing could be proven by one guy who goes by sinner because well, maybe he called himself that because that's what they're viewed as! and kaya saying that could be coming from a similar place of talking about Khaenri'ahns as sinners because that's the view that led to their downfall or something. but no there's a kind of group actually titled the sinners that mess with things, that Kaeya seems to be fully aware of.

honorable mentions for things that I personally think will also gain relevance at some point:

possibly relating to a Khaenri'ahn tradition about their right eye? he isnt the first one we've seen with something covering his eye.

Owls are closely tied to the Ragnvindr family actually, and I'm pretty sure that the owl of Dragonspine is supposed to like either a fictional made-up thing or something that's never supposed to be seen, i cannot for the life of me remember where i got that from i might be lying but i remember something like that (maybe the dragonspine gliders?)

Not a screenshot because it's just my personal idea, but I will die on this hill: Kaeya's vision backstory states that after Crepus died, Kaeya was overwhelmed with guilt about it, so much so that he actually went to Diluc's doorstep and confessed everything. Diluc was enraged and the two of them fought. Seems straightforward, except it isn't like, at all actually.

There was a side to Kaeya that he kept hidden from the world: In truth, he was an agent of Khaenri'ah, placed in to serve their interests. His father had abandoned him in this strange and unknown land to fulfill this mission, and it was Master Crepus and the city of Mondstadt that had welcomed him with open arms when they found him. If Khaenri'ah and Mondstadt went to war, which side should he support? To whom should he offer his assistance: his birth father, who had ruthlessly abandoned him? Or his adoptive father, who had loved him and raised him? For the longest time, Kaeya had agonized over these impossible questions, caught between the opposing demands of loyalty and duty, faced with an impossible choice between truth and happiness. But now, Crepus' death upset this delicate balance. He felt liberated, but also ashamed of how selfishly he was responding. As an adopted son, he should have saved Crepus, but he had arrived moments too late. As a brother, he should have shared in Diluc's grief, and yet as their father lay dying on the ground, he had hung back behind his brother, that ancient plot running through his mind.

I have two main points that don't make sense to me about this:

He felt guilty about not showing up on time to help Crepus and Diluc, and Crepus dying made him more conflicted than grief-filled because Crepus was one of the main things tying him to Mondstadt. He found himself deliberating 'that ancient plot' literally right there and then, not even as an afterthought. That guilt then made him confess all his secrets to Diluc, literally in the same day. What I think doesn't fully make sense is the fact that Crepus dying doesn't really feel like enough of a reason for him to go spelling all his secrets. I get that he felt guilty about not feeling all full of grief and instead thinking about a personal conflict, but imo that doesn't seem like enough of a reason to spill secrets of the gravity that Kaeya seems to be holding on to, especially on the same day that it happened in the first place. He spent almost no time mulling it over and thinking about whether or not he should tell Diluc or not, it's almost like not telling him right away would've made everything even worse somehow. Which brings me to my second point.

Why was Diluc so upset over what Kaeya had to say? Kaeya said he anticipated his anger, but what could he have possibly said to make Diluc in his state of grief be angry enough to immediately fight with full intent to harm and possibly even kill his brother, the closest person to him other than his father? Kaeya being an agent of Khaenri'ah doesn't seem like enough of a reason for all that I think. Maybe anger and being really upset, especially considering the timing of it all, but drawing their blades against each other? instantly? you could argue the response was that extreme because Diluc wasn't thinking clearly and was mourning, and the fact that Kaeya was lying about his whole identity ever since he stepped foot in the manor might've set him off, and I'd agree honestly. But I still think both of their reactions were incredibly extreme, even with their heightened emotions.

His vision! every faithful Kaeya enthusiast knows that his vision is slightly different from other Mondstadt vision holders, i don't buy that it was just an honest design mistake honestly, it's an easy fix and a weird mistake to make in the first place, and considering who the vision belongs to I think it was very intentional. maybe his vision is fake and his cryo is actually abyss powers or something ooo (also kind of a joke I have no clue)

I made a whole extensive post about Kaeya's design and all the little details in it (check it out you want to soooo bad it's pinned in my profile) but I think one of the things that could be a subtle foreshadowing and tying into the whole paragraph I made is that Kaeya has some vague fatui elements in his outfit! which is a crazy thing imo

This is all I can come up with at the moment. There might be more that I'm forgetting or unaware of, but I think all this is worth keeping in mind. I love Kaeya and he's been my main for three years, ever since I started playing, but I'd be lying if I told you I don't think he's lying to everyone about a whole bunch of things. I think he might be genuinely conflicted about whether he should stay loyal to his origins or the people who have actually raised and taken care of him, but that does not mean he's not privy to a lot more information than he lets on. Kaeya kind of seems like he knows how everything will turn out, everything he says and does is intentional and thought out. I need him dead, or a 5*.

I'd love to hear anything else you think is suspicious or might take on more meaning in the future from Kaeya! also please correct me if im wrong about anything, a lot of these are thoughts that have been circulating in my head for like years atp but i might've forgotten technicalities on some stuff.

[ogrepoppenangleaksofficial]

Do you guys like fan theory and speculation?

Because I'm wondering if you guys have been deliberately playing into the old connections between WoD and Exalted, and it keeps showing up. Big D specifically has a lot of Solar themes. A bit mad, and specifically mad in being passionate, bombastic, and larger than life. Grand in his ties. Ruled by the virtues of Compassion, Valor, and Conviction. Doesn't make him a Solar, even Big D is too low key for that, but notable given the ties between Solars and Hunters in the old lore. (Also a very, very fun crack theory to play with) All of the hunters, in fact, have a notable visual motif where — In their moment of need — things go their way and they just so happen to be framed by gold light like a very low key aura. Notable since a Solar's power is meant to come to them in their hour of greatest need and a blazing aura of sunlight. It's most frequent with Big D, but Kitten gets it upon finding the stilts, Remold when he takes his shot in Fatigue's name, and Marcus gets it when finding the eye, and Fatigue is outright haloed when coming to Spit's aid. Kitten's character sheet also pulls up a very Exalted sounding note with how "Will this [family bond] be our strength or our ultimate undoing?" pulls up one of Exalted's biggest themes. Boy's story... Do I even have to say anything? Probably, but I might run out of space if I went into detail. Picture Perfect Solar exaltation, on the nose Sidereal mentor, Not sure if Dragonblooded, 40k space marine reference, or both. Muddled maybe Infernal/ Maybe Abyssal exaltation. And I'll leave it at that. The mages of Norfolk Wizard Game are all dressed in thematically appropriate Sidereal colors. Blue, Green, Yellow, Red, and Purple. Too many to list, but the ones who get in fights wear red, (even just a red tie for a man in black) the ones who play into secrets wear green, the one who ushers in the ending via the transition to Awakening wears purple, blue serenity doesn't on the face of it match Samsons deal aside from dealing with Matter and what things are... (but does fit the Technocratic therapist) and the teleporting conspiracy theorist with the RV wears the yellow of Journeys. On which themes, Big D specifically invokes the morning star, Venus, to bring serenity to a vampire as she chooses to meet the sun's light. On the NWG clock I'm definitely off the deep end. Creation wasn't meant to be Pangaea... but if you flipped it upside down and Atlantised the Blessed Isle... I'm still probably reaching. (OTOH, deleting the heart of the Realm and the main empire of the Dragonblooded before whatever apocalypse came about would explain why the Kindred of the East aren't a thing in this take on WoD given the ties between the two splats) It feels like there's more I could dig for given how recently I came across the series, but that will do for now. So, yeah. It looks like there are a lot of Exalted nods and references in Hunter the Parenting, so to put this naked excuse for fan speculation in hopes of delighting the work's creators in the form of a question: What's up with that?

[everlastiingiimmortals]

About Mydeimos: State of Existence

ho boy. this.. this one has been a long time coming. my thoughts have changed so much with every new patch and trailer, but right now before at least some of the truth is revealed i'd like to get my thoughts down and my theories out. here, i will not only be addressing what mydeimos is, but also toy around with some ideas for his ties to other characters in amphoreus (specifically lygus and phainon). i would like to stress that no leaks from 3.4 are present in this post, however if you would like to avoid potential spoilers/confirmations for things in the very near future, i would very strongly recommend withholding from reading this until after 3.4 releases, given my usual track record. (Sorry Ventium sobs)

Future Willow here i feel insane this is very long, apologies,,, i started writing this like 2 hours ago and didn't stop except to briefly refresh my dash and have a tiny snack

So, I've already commented quite heavily on how odd Mydeimos'... well. everything. is in Amphoreus. His two backstories, his glitching, and with his, Hyacine's and now Cipher's trailer, we see more oddities about him and his existence. From just the game alone, there's already something strange with Mydeimos' entire character being based on contradiction, but also the fact that a single picture of him fills the memory card of March's camera. This specific instance is easy to brush off, and Dan Heng does brush it off as us taking just too many pictures. But then we see the way the screen glitches in his trailer, we see how he breaks the logo at the end, how his presence literally breaks Hyacine's livestream, only to resolve once he's out of view of the camera, and how his necklace ends up filling Cipher's entire inventory, allowing her to be caught by him in the end... on separate occasions, all of these instances can be chalked up to a funny coincidence, but it happens three times. Why does he have two backstories that directly contrast with one another? What does that have to do with him breaking digital media?

The answer lies in the heart of Amphoreus' reality, confirmed by the 3.3 epilogue in the Seclusion Zone, with the memory bubbles of Therta and Screwllum. This is where we learn of Amphoreus' existence as a world created by a scepter, and Lycurgus as its "administrator," of sorts. Understanding the scepters does require some reading of the Unknowable Domain, but it is established that the scepters of the Mechanical Emperor do, in fact, have the capability of creating worlds using specific parameters -- in effect, they create simulations. Thus, we can treat each and every character within Amphoreus as a digital entity established by certain parameters, too. I'd been agonizing over why Mydeimos' backstory was so conflicting since 3.1, but with this information, everything starts to make a lot of sense.

He's literally a glitch.

More specifically, he's a virus. Every odd thing that he has affected, from March's camera, to Hyacine's livestream, to Cipher's inventory, have been errors due to "full memory". Or in other terms, an overloaded RAM. Mydeimos' existence seems to quite literally clog the memory of Amphoreus -- more evidence on this later -- and suddenly, his two backstories make sense. They're both valid, and also the reason why he fucks up memory storage, because two backstories is one too many. Characters should only have one. So where did the first one come from? Well, that's... not really relevant right now. Nor is the question of which belongs to our Mydeimos, the one we know and interact with the most. Truthfully, I can't even really say for sure, but it does seem that the backstory from 3.1 is his 'real' one, though every piece of lore surrounding him, from Castrum Kremnos itself, seems to lean on his first backstory from 3.0, where he was exiled from the fortress as a teen/young adult and is maybe closer to several hundred years old, rather than cast into the Abyss at birth and currently Phainon's age in his early-mid 20s (I am glaring specifically at all of the books written by Ptolemy, because if he is really supposed to be the same age as Mydeimos then that means he should have died around 14-15 and there ain't no fucking way a teenager WANDERING IN THE WILDERNESS WHILE WARRING WITH OTHER CITY STATES wrote THREE FUCKING FULL LENGTH HISTORICAL BOOKS). Even the memory fragments and Gorgo's letter from Kremnos seem... odd, in continuity, if we're looking at Mydeimos through the lens of 3.1 and not 3.0. This makes sense given that they were released in 3.0, but I digress. Schrodinger's Mydeimos. Frankly, I don't have enough information to really parse out why the backstories suddenly switched, or which belongs where, so I'm not going to try to waste my energy there.

The reason why "memory" or RAM is so important here goes back to what Amphoreus is, and the fact that it is cyclical in nature -- the release of Phainon's official preview and his LC's description indicates he's been here before -- maybe not him, our Phainon specifically, but iterations of him have gone through the Flame Chase and presumably failed right at the end. So... somewhere along the line, something went wrong with an iteration of Mydeimos, causing his data to become persistent throughout cycles. This actually also explains his curse incredibly well. It's not that he can't die, there's nothing physically or spiritually barring him from death, it's that he won't. He refuses to, willfully, defiantly, and intentionally. To put it crudely, he can't be deleted normally. That, too, should naturally add to the "memory" problem he carries, as a life is not intended to persist after being killed. (Remember how he also very loudly declares that he will continue to defy fate even after being told what he and Castorice will become in Era Nova? Yeah. That's important.)

Isn't it funny, then, that he can get deleted killed, but it's specifically through his back? Isn't it funny, then, that his weak point is at the center of where his flaming tattoos converge? Isn't it really fucking weird that it looks like a goat head? Specifically the Golden Remains?

Those who have completed enough of the Golden Scapegoat puzzles and have read the myths from the heads' mutterings will know that the myths they speak of are in fact the story of Phainon's cycle, or more specifically they reveal the relationship between him and the Flame Reaver (which, by this point, really shouldn't be any secret to anyone). Phainon is consistently referred to as a lamb or goat in this scope or as an oryx if you're Kremnoan, while Mydeimos is a lion. There's also this funky little prophecy from the nymphs in Styxia, telling of a man that sacrifices himself to an "eyeless lion", yet his head remains.

What remains to mutter tales of past cycles but the scapegoat's head? It's also particularly noteworthy that in Fallen Okhema, every single memory fragment containing Mydeimos within it, especially the one on the rooftop, gets replaced with a Golden Scapegoat puzzle, established by the missions associated with them to encrypt data -- to encrypt memory.

Why am I talking about Phainon now, when this is about Mydeimos? Because no matter how you slice it, Mydeimos' existence seems to be inextricably tied to Phainon's, whether Phainon is preserving his memory somehow (plausible, given the role that Kephale has in creating the world) or Mydeimos attaching himself to Phainon's data (also plausible, given his refusal to die/be removed from the mortal realm up until the very end). Phainon constantly mentioning and thinking of him is not something to be taken lightly, I think. Every example of their relationship with each other has proven them to be equal and opposite in every way, down to having more or less inverted color schemes. Mydeimos is this perfect example of what Strife should be, and Strife -- as per Divergent Universe lore -- is strongly associated with both the Hunt and Destruction. We know now from that Myriad Celestia (and also the KUWSR bc jfc he's so creepy) that Lygus intends to create or unleash a Lord Ravager, and Phainon is his subject of interest. Should it not also follow that Mydeimos is, somehow, relevant too, whether intended by Lygus as an ideal for Phainon to chase or as a deviant, really annoying bit of code that will inspire Phainon to push back against his fate (remember when I pointed out Mydeimos declaring that he will fight against his fate of becoming the next Titan of Strife? Yeah. That is his entire existence. His entire life has been defiance.)?

(This goes a step further, too, as both Phainon and Mydeimos have ties to/allude to Sisyphus: Phainon in his dreams, and Mydeimos from official commissioned art and one of the nymphs in Kremnos, rolling a ball up a staircase (I think there are two Kremnoan nymphs actually, one in the past and one in the present, but my memory is foggy on that). While I do know that commissioned art is not official official as far as lore goes, HYV is also known to be particular and deliberate about what details are portrayed in their commissioned works. Still, this is a weaker tie and I fully acknowledge that.)

On that note, I really do wonder if Mydeimos is intended by Lygus to be what he is, or if this deviance is a problem to him. Despite Lygus' role as an observer, he's still Amphoreus' administrator, with a very distinct experiment and goal of his own. And regardless of intent or not, Mydeimos' existence is no doubt significantly abnormal within the scope of Amphoreus. I guess only time (specifically, a week) will tell what the truth of the matter is.

TLDR: Mydeimos is a fucking bug. Crrk.

If you've managed to read all this, thank you! Do let me know what your thoughts are if you're reading before 3.4, and if you're reading after 3.4, feel free to pelt me with as many dodgeballs as points as I've gotten correct. Or just to pelt me for the sake of it.

Small addendum: I had another thought while looking over that prophecy from Styxia's nymphs that I couldn't fit into the flow of this post, but it is established in HSR's universal lore that memory, organic or inorganic, is incredibly powerful and also is synonymous with the soul. We get this not just from the Memokeepers, or Penacony, but also the Xianzhou and how memory affects one's humanity/the onset of Mara. If the limit of everything in the world = the limit of Amphoreus' memory banks, then it serves to connect Mydeimos' existence with Phainon's cyclical nature as well. I don't know how the 'sacrificing to the eyeless lion' part specifically plays into any sort of relevance, if it means that Mydeimos/Strife/Destruction(?) is a catalyst for not just resetting but retaining the memory of past cycles through the Scapegoats (which, according to the missions, did appear with the Black Tide) or nothing at all, but it is something to think about.

[dear--mars]

His fallacy.

── Synopsis: Childe was never one to dream nor was he someone to ask for more than he already had. The world always took and took from him, but never gave. So when Childe had but one wish, to keep you in the dark, the world flashed you with the ugly truth that Childe so desperately wanted to hide. Not even in death would the archons pity him.

── Character: Childe/Tartagliaa/Ajax

── CW: Mentions of violence and death.

── Notes: Fallacy. A noun meaning a mistaken belief, especially one based on an unsound argument. This is my 1st birthday post. Enjoy the angst. [angst/no comfort]

── Word count: 900+ words

A monster. That’s what Childe was and he knew that. But he couldn’t care less. For him, family ties and the thrill of combat were the essence of his existence. Joining the Fatui only presented with a win-win scenario; he’d elevated his family status within Snezhnaya and was able to fight to his heart’s content.

But then, something happened. 

On an unusually cold day, even by Snezhnayan standards, Childe found himself ambushed by a group from an Anti-Fatui organization. He made quick work of them but had gotten himself accidentally poisoned by one of the assailant's blades.

His head throbbed as his knees hit the freshly laid-out snow. He was on the verge of passing out but before his vision turned black, he saw a figure walking out of the forest.

“...fuck.” He cursed out, assuming the figure was with the assassins. He could do nothing but lose consciousness, waiting to die. Even if the figure wasn’t there to kill him, he’d freeze to death in no time.

So imagine his surprise when he wakes up and sees an unfamiliar ceiling. At first, Childe thought he had gotten captured by the enemy but soon realized he wasn’t chained up nor in a basement of any kind.

Childe hears footsteps and his guard immediately raises. But it drops just as quickly when he sees you peek your head in. “Oh! You’re awake.” You said happily, your eyes lighting up as you walked in with a tray of food.

“You were lying unconscious in the middle of the forest. Not to mention, you were bleeding out and the poison running through your veins.” You said with a sigh as you placed the food on the bedside table.

“You were passed out cold for almost 3 days.” You said exasperated as you raised your hand to take his temperature. “Thankfully, your fever has gone down. The poison should also have been detoxified from your body.” You pulled your hand back and sat down next to the bed.

Childe was speechless, he didn't know what to do. “I-... Thank you…” He mumbled, looking down at his hands, unsure of how to deal with the kindness given to him. 

No one had ever truly taken care of him ever since the day he fell into the abyss. Not even his parents. As much as he loved his family, they were also the reason he was forced to become who he was now. 

“It’s alright, most people would do the same. Anyways, you should eat. I made some calla lily seafood soup. I added some octopus for some added vitamins and minerals.” You said as you handed him the tray.

Childe, unlike most, doesn’t have a favorite nor a least favorite dish. He was never too concerned with taste. This was due to the fact that Childe was often on the road and grew up in the harsh environment of Snezhnaya.

But when he took a bite of your food, he felt his heart start to beat faster, and his eyes, even if it was only for a moment, regained a small light. He ate the food like a starved man, subtle tears rolling down his face.

You had provided him warmth like no other and he was determined not to let you go. With you, Childe felt like he was nothing more than himself. With you, he wasn’t Childe or Tartaglia, he was Ajax.

Over the months you two developed a strong bond. He would share stories of what it was like being in the Fatui, most of the stories were altered though. He would also tell you about the different nations, And what it was like to go out and explore the world. He even shared more personal troubles with you. Mostly about his family.

You knew he was in the Fatui, most people living in Snezhnaya were affiliated one way or another, but you had no idea that he was the 11th harbinger and he planned on keeping it that way.

But things never really go Childe’s way. Running away from home, getting chased by wolves, and even falling into the abyss were nothing compared to the heartache he felt when he saw the pure unadulterated disgust on your face when you found him in his Foul Legacy transformation. 

It ended up turning into a big argument. Childe trying to justify himself and you, completely shutting down his excuses. Amid the argument, when emotions were riding high he couldn't help but ask, “Did you even love me?”

You glared at him in disgust. “Your own mother couldn't even love you, what makes you think I could?” You spat out and Ajax felt his world crashing down. 

You were right. His mother, the one who brought him into this world wasn’t able to handle his temper and violent tendencies. She wasn’t able to push past those obstacles and love her own son.

So why would you? Why would he delude himself into thinking you even could? Yet in the final moments of his life, as he slowly closes his eyes, waiting for death to take him, he can’t help but see a figure standing in front of him. 

He didn't have the strength to open his eyes to confirm if it was you or not, He died alone in the snow with a smile on his face, hoping that you’d come to save him once again.

Childe died a fool, hoping for something that could never happen. After all, you were in Sumeru at the time of his death. And the figure he saw was nothing more than a figment of his imagination.

- Navigation -   - Prismarine -

[daybreakrising]

HEADCANONS - IFA & BOOTHILL

this has been an established connection i've put into place on this blog for a while, but i wanted to make a proper post so it's easy to refer back to. obviously, this should go without saying that this pertains only to boothill's genshin verse (unless such a time comes that i make ifa a hsr verse-).

BOOTHILL VERSE RECAP

before i get into the details of their connection, i just want to do a quick recap on his genshin verse. the bare bones information can also be found here but i'll just recap the key info below, especially as some things have been decided since the initial concept.

boothill is originally from natlan, though he has mixed heritage. one half of his parentage is natlanese, the other is as yet unknown (possibly snezhnayan, possibly linked to a group in nod krai, that's still yet to be determined).

he was found abandoned/lost as a baby, adopted by nick (merchant/sailor originally from fontaine but living in natlan) and graey (qucusaur rider) and raised alongside several siblings. at some point before the events of the game, his entire family was lost to an abyss attack. he then briefly moves to fontaine (his mixed heritage permits him to leave natlan without/with minimal consequence) before he begins travelling all over teyvat.

his father nick was descended from the marechaussee hunters & passed on many of their skills and techniques to boothill. this is one reason why his main weapon of choice is a gun (another reason is simply tied to his tribe, as both ifa and chasca use guns).

not long after he took up residence in fontaine, he sought out the fatui harbinger sandrone and somehow convinced her to perform experiments on him to turn him into a living weapon. boothill is now considered half human, half automaton (so he is slightly more human than his hsr canon).

he has connections to the fatui, owes a debt to sandrone, but isn't one of their members nor considers himself to be on 'their' side. he also has connections to the spina di rosula as he's worked alongside them in the past.

a travelling mercenary with a cryo vision. his cryo vision appeared to him after he woke from sandrone's experiments.

FAMILY CONNECTION

and now onto the actual purpose of this post. yes, boothill and ifa are related.

so we know that ifa is a direct descendant of nampole, the flower-feather clan chief's younger(?) brother from over 500 years ago. ifa's ancestors have been vets 'going back generations', which began with nampole after the death of his saurian companion antu.

boothill, through his original natlanese parent, is also a direct descendant of nampole. a dozen or so generations down the line, there existed a set of twins - one twin took on the family tradition of becoming a vet, the other chose a different path. ifa and boothill are descendants of those twins, respectively.

boothill is, of course, completely unaware of this fact, as he still - to this day - does not know who his original parents were. he was given to the flower-feather clan after he was found because he was wrapped in blankets in the clan's colours and bearing motifs and patterns typical of their tribe's style and culture. it is likely that the chief at the time knew who the child's parents were (or at least suspected) and might have told nick and graey when they adopted him (i will expand on this in another post).

this, of course, makes ifa and boothill distant cousins. if ever placed side by side, there would be a noticeable (though perhaps not immediately obvious) likeness in their facial features. anyone who knows either of them well would be more likely to notice something familiar if they crossed paths with the other. neither of them will be aware of this connection until such a time that someone pieces it together.

ifa would probably have crossed paths with a pre-automaton boothill, which means there's a high chance that ifa also knows boothill's real name, which he abandoned following his transformation into part-automaton. as boothill has likely returned to natlan at some point during his travels, ifa is therefore going to be aware that he now goes by boothill. and since ifa is a decent guy, he's obviously going to use someone's preferred name.

[blinkbones]

Title: Atlas des abysses / Atlas of the Abyss (?) Authors: Jozée Sarrazin, Stéphanie Brabant Art: Julie Terrazoni

Despite the name, "atlas", this is more about creatures than it is about the geography of the deep, although it does broach the topic. And despite the name again, it isn't a particularly heavy book. In fact, it's more of a discovery book for adults, you know what I mean? You've been a child? You've read magazines or books about, like, nature or the world or the countries? This feels like it.

It has both its advantages and flaws. Let's start with the latter: it doesn't go in depth too much. The format is: each double-page display contains one page of text and one page of illustration. The text introduces the creature. Then we move on. Overall I suppose it makes sense given the topic -- study of deep marine life is still full of unknown, right? It's kind of the current front of big discovery. There's much to find out still. You could feel it in some of the descriptions.

Broadly related was the organization of text on the page. Each creature description contained a quote in big letters interrupting the paragraphs, newspaper style, and can I just say I hate that shit? Especially when the big quote was pulled from the very same text you're already reading. Please. Similarly, chapters were often introduced by a white page with a single big quote about how cool the deep is, and most of those were forgettable lol. Looks nice, I guess.

Okay, so one minor flaw and a petty nitpick. Overall, it's a good book. Like I said, it's like a discovery book for adults, and that really brought me back to that sense of wonder, of shameless curiosity for anything and everything... and what a delight that is.

The art is doing A LOT for this reading experience. It's clean and somewhat gothic in vibes, always a full page save for the double-page displays. You get the dark, dark water and the artificially lit denizens of the deep... Loved it so much, gosh. There's a real cute ghost shark in there. It's so adorable, like a sleek, wet, puppy-shaped fish. Then there's plenty of weird sea life. Tubular worms. Furry crabs. Weird tiny beasts that live who-knows-how in the deepest sediment pools. big squids with scary sexual habits. As someone who already knew a bunch of species from too much youtubing, I was glad to see a mix of classics (tardigrades, vampire squids...) and things I had no idea existed.

The text manages to balance "informative" and "compelling" rather well, I thought. It tied many entries with deep sea exploration and what it entails, which made it immersive, in a way. Sometimes, it referenced videos. I never had trouble finding them and seeing it for myself, and I thought it was a nice addition.

A nice read in general :)

[candy-cottage]

@what-th3fucc @badgestxr @angryxxsigh

These aren't necessarily toy story human au ideas but here are some au or character ideas I've been having-

Mrs nesbitt or I wanna also tie into the fact she could also be Nana lightyear (reference to BLOSC):

She would either be a wooden puppet doll or a cloth doll like Jessie, I would like it to be funny that Mrs nesbitt and buzz would have like a grandma/grandson or son relationship. I could imagine her being into the zodiac or astrology and that's also where buzz got his interest in space along with wanting to join space command.

Another idea that I had was that maybe Bonnie could have like a cousin or relative that is into robotics and coding because this ties into another idea that I have, I'm imagining the relative would make like a small robot that looks like buzz but would have like a screen for a face (I haven't given any names to this character so I would appreciate the help). One thing I wanna make cannon is that this character doesn't speak words but uses morse code or speaks in beeping chirps like a droid from Star wars and I would also find it funny if buzz and this little robot would argue over stupid little topics, like he would be the "what do you mean you don't know?! You're a robot!" and all you hear is "Beep beep beep beep!"

---------------------------------------------------------------

Weirdcore/dreamcore au ideas: (I haven't done all the characters but I've done Jessie and buzz a bit)

Jessie: for her design it would be cool if she had multiple eyes but each one would look like a different animal eye, and her hair would reach the back of her knees and the end would be the head of a snake, due to the length of her hair, it could come in handy and act like a lasso since the snake end of her hair has a mind of its own but thinks along with her, I would also imagine she has more heighten senses like animals and is more aware of her surroundings and is always alert

Buzz: his eyes would be covered by like a mini galaxy and one thing I do wanna have personality wise is that he's a bit the same like in the movies but he has more of his moments of questioning his existence and purpose more frequently and when he does, he floats or phases right through walls, roofs or floors (like loosing control out in space and floating into the abyss) and gets stuck, that's where Jessie comes in, the end of her hair would wrap around his arm or ankle and prevent him from floating away

Anywho, these are just some silly ideas I've had, lemme know what you think!

(also sorry for the yapping, just had these ideas stuck in my head for a while)

[coetuselementorum]

The Kindest Star [A character Bio]

Name: Jayden DeAmore Starcaller Age: Unknown. Seems to be able to adjust own age. Race: Celestial being. Born Lycan (wolf), recently centered self as Vulpine (fox/kitsune). Can transform at will. Alignment: Good Boi Role in Writing: "Limitless potential, and the warmest heart."

Appearance: Jay's physique has shifted a lot over the years, and his ability to transform into a multitude of things means there's a lot that can be put here. But we'll start with his most common form and go from there.

Usual Form: Jayden is a anthropomorphic celestial fox. That is to say, bipedal furry with a starry theme. His fur colors are a lovely mix of blue and violet in a pattern that almost gives him the appearance of stockings and gloves on his limbs. There's also the presence of silver star-spots over his body, with lines connecting them in the form of constellations. The most noticeable of these is one that goes from a large star on his right cheek just under his eye, to above his left brow and across his muzzle between his eyes. His hair is often seen as fairly long and slightly messy mane; going to his neck in length around the bangs and sides, while the back is tied in a loose tail reaching to his actual tail. He often 'swishes' it to the left side.

Back to the subject of his face, his eyes lack any central pupil, instead seeming to be 'mirrors into the vastness of space' as they contain a dark blue abyss littered with shining golden stars. Depending on his mood, his eyes can shift; less stars can be seen in moments of sadness, leaving a blank look. While fury will have his eyes consumed almost entirely by a star, making a pupil analog that's a multi pointed star. These star, and many of his stars on his form, have between 4 and 7 points. All this detailing in the eyes is kind of important because regardless of what form Jayden takes, the eyes never change. It's one of the few giveaways of who he really is.

Forms: As hinted earlier, Jayden has a lot of alternative forms. We won't deep-dive into a lot of them, but we can make a general list and a bullet point or two for the ones that exist.

Merfolk: One of the first forms Jayden grew to have thanks to some… harsh training from his mother. His bottom half becomes that of a leviathan-esque sea serpent, complete with matching his fur color and starry disposition. He also grows fins along the backs of his arms and his spine, while his ears take a more finny appearance as well. If things go dark, his stars and constellations light up as bioluminescent markings.

King Arachne: A form best described as "what if a centaur but a spider". While the how's he acquired this are shaky, and on top of that the fact it's rather frightening means he doesn't use it often. The raw size of a "King" rank makes it somewhat unyieldy, but it's exceptionally durable and surprisingly agile.

Wolf: A given, with what he was born with. Jay is capable of becoming a full-on wolf rather than an anthro. Taking notes from Okami, however, Jayden is capable of much in this form that one wouldn't think otherwise; including casting.

Kitsune: While not explicitly having taken the form quite yet, the fact that Jay's current super-mode is a anthro kitsune opens the door for him to become a fully animalistic one if he wished.

Hellhound: More than once, Jayden has ventured into the realm of Hell itself. During these journeys, he tries to take the appearance of their local canines. How effective it is is a little in the air, but it works well enough to keep him out of trouble and meet with one of his teachers on a semi-frequent basis.

Phoenix: A form granted to him by another mother figure he would spend a long time with on his journey, the power of a Phoenix would surge through him and give him healing strength never quite seen before. While not quite one to become a full on bird of starfire, there were times where he would have some feathers off him or grow wings that looked more like fire than feathers. The flames of this form were often an ethereal blue, rather than the common crimson.

Super Mode: When the chips are down, Jayden is willing to break from his usual confinement of his own skills and show off a grander power level. In his latest incarnation, this takes the form of a 7-tailed kitsune anthro. While his fur pattern is roughly unchanged, the colors vibrancy is greatly expanded, and the stars and constellations are openly glowing with cosmic power over his person. Each of his tails in this state has a halo-like ring near its end, and past that ring the end of the tail is changed into a raw element. Generally the order is: Light, Wind, Water, Astral, Fire, Earth, Shadow. Though this can also appear in reverse, the general idea is to have Astral in the center, and opposing elements on equal side one way or the other when the tails are spread evenly (light and dark at the ends for example). Another note is that over his head, a pair of halo's spawn in; one of them having four phases of the moon in each compass direction, while the other is simply littered with stars of various points.

Abilities: Lords have mercy this would take up so much on its own if I let it… So let's try to not let that happen, and start from the top. The single most important skill Jayden has is Ultipotence. Ultipotence can be described as "Omnipotence without Omniscience", or a little more simply; The potential to do Literally Anything, but needing to obtain the knowledge on how to do it. Thankfully with his capacity to learn and very active imagination, it doesn't take long for him to figure out how to make certain things happen. Depending on the setting he finds himself in, His raw imagination is enough to will things to happen with his magic. Another skill, though more biological this time, is his anatomy underneath being a furry: Being a Celestial. A Celestial Being is basically a combination of raw magical energy and astral energy. This gives him a near-limitless pool of arcane power to work from since space is everywhere all the time, and by extension meaning he can try and do as much as he wants with little regard for fatigue… if he bothered to learn how to flow energy through himself, rather than burn his own personal energy to do things. Alas, he often finds himself using his personal mana instead of pulling from the mana of the space around him. This wouldn't be as much of a problem if not for the fact that his personal mana is his life force, so when he's burning his own "MP" he's damaging his "HP" as well… This also makes him unnaturally vulnerable to things that dampen or fully cut off things like mana and ether, essentially putting him in a vacuum that makes him sick. Another key note to go along with his celestial heritage is Space Manipulation. But due to how Jayden is and works, this means Both kinds of Space: The one with all the stars, and the one seen duo-ing with Time. Combining the Astral (or Cosmic) Space with Physical Space manipulating and editing gives Jayden a lot of interesting potential powers ranging from shooting star-based energy beams and throwing actual moons at people to teleporting or forcing the space between himself and others to grow or shrink at a whim. At one point, he discovered that by making a special barrier that "folds space the closer something gets to him", he becomes Basically untouchable, as the space necessary to get close to him becomes so vast he can't be physically touched. Really it's a good thing that Jay is more of a pacifistic character than anything else, as his ever-growing and ceiling-lacking skillset with already reality-twisting powers can only become more dangerous with time and effort. Alas, Jay is only one to fight if fight comes to him or someone Really fucked up. Otherwise, he sticks to his favorite skill: Baking. Jay LOVES making food, and making people happy through food. Almost everything he makes is for those with a sweet tooth, ranging from fudge to cookies to cupcakes and beyond. Further, they all have exceptional healing qualities, so not only are you feeling better on the inside for having one of these delicious snacks, it helps fix your outsides too.

HIstory: Jayden's history begins a short time before he is born. At one point, a mortal man had fallen into favor with a woman, and the two formed a bond of friendship that came off more as a familial relationship. He would do his best for her and defend her from harm when he could, and she would tend to him as a mother would to a child playing too rough. But one day, the 'play' had overextended. The woman was attacked by a demon hunting "her kind", and when the man tried to defend her once again, he quickly found himself felled. Soul quite literally torn away from his body and leaving his corpse to drop. The woman, however, was having none of this. She unveiled her true form, bursting forth with celestial power and vanquished the beast in her fury as her only friend had died before her. She took the man's soul and fled to parts unknown, refusing to let it be claimed by the afterlives and thinking of a way to bring the closest thing she had to a son back to this life. Years of searching and evading the powers that be, she eventually thought of a solution and pulled herself before the throne of Law. The dragon was not amused by having company, but curiosity got the better of it and it listened all the same. The celestial had spoken, begged in fact, that she be allowed to recycle the soul she'd been protecting. Law knew that this wouldn't work, the very rules they set into motion would not allow for such a thing in the way she was explaining it. In fact, the only way it WOULD work is if it turned a blind eye to her and her plan, putting her outside of the eyes of Law for just a moment. At first, they refused. After all, who was Law to bend for a single person even if that person was a celestial? But with approval from Creation, well… In those few moments where Law turned away, the celestial woman did her part. She took the soul within her own body, and used it as a catalyst to give the man a second chance; having him be reborn as her child. This child, would become Jayden. This moment of his creation would lead to breaking so many rules that Law would dismiss the boy entirely, and set Jayden on a path without guide or rails. A true infinity, of which Creation was gleefully curious how this would go.

In the time after his birth, Jayden was raised by his mother in a quiet but loving home. He had many family members he saw come and go, he was trained by his mother to begin the exponential growth he would eventually bloom into, and it was very early on that he decided that he would try to make as many people as he could smile. His powers at first were fairly limited; a mer-form for swimming, the ability to bend light around and through himself to become invisible, and the first dabblings of using magic to poof little cupcakes into existence. Fun Fact, even magical cooking can still burn. It was not to last however, as the day came where Jayden would be told he needs to adventure out into the world on his own and that his mother had things she needed to take care of without him. He was, understandably, extremely hesitant to go. But with some gentle nudging and the understanding he was always to be loved, he eventually went. He turned himself into a shooting star, and was thrown across the cosmos. And so Jayden's solo journey began; traveling world by world across the cosmos. Every new world was a place and time he would learn more about himself, about people, about magic, and about life and what it meant to live it. No matter what dangers he came across, he would manage to come out on top. No matter how bad things seemed to get, he'd lift people's spirits with smiles and snacks. A constant cycle of learning and evolving and smiling. All until he met one of the grandchildren of Law. A massive, angry dragon who glared down this "mutt" with a seething fury of a thousand thousand stars. Jay would cross paths with this figure multiple times, and not a single crossing was pleasant. There were times he wished it would stop, but fate seemed to have different ideas and continue to throw the two at one another over and over again…

[andro-dino]

for the ask game,

23.Has your favourite character/ship changed over time?

7.Is there a piece of clothing you think Sakyo is particularly fond of/that you imagine them wearing a lot or like to draw them in? (also maybe same question with hyoma or any of your faves really, go wild)

23. Has your favourite character/ship changed over time?

This is really funny bc yes to both and literally in the same order 😭 Kyoya was my favorite when I had only watched fusion and that didn’t change getting back into mfb, but his character regression across the rest of the series definitely made him drop in my ranks a bit. When I was masters-ing really hard, I was going insane about Zeo and I was The Zeo Abyss Guy for a while, and I thought that’s how that’d stay. The first shogun steel watch through or two didn’t change my ranks (and actually Shinobu was originally my shogun steel fav), but then, at some point along the way, The Takanosuke Disease took over. And I would still consider him my #1 favorite, but with all the Sakyo insanity ive been having, I would say those two are both firmly tied for my #1 spot.

As for the ships, I guess if you wanna start way back, when I was little when I watched the show, I was obsessed with kyomado, and I do still adore them, but kyohyotsu quickly became my #1 upon getting back into it (technically I think it started with kyotsu and expanded but eh technicalities). Then with becoming The Zeo Abyss Guy, big into zeotoby for a while, and similarly to before, there was a period of time where takasakyo did not change my rankings at all (and they were in fact 2nd to zyronobu for a time) but now I am Insane about them (this is also omitting the fact that I actually was really hesitant to ship takasakyo romantically for a while bc most of the posts I had seen about them compared them and their dynamic really directly to kenta and ryuga and it made me uncomfortable ahshshs). So yeah <3 although I will add on that I don’t think kyohyotsu ever lowered in my ranks, it’s always also been #1 or at the very least a very close runner up, it just goes on the backburner most of the time now.

7. Is there a piece of clothing you think Sakyo/Hyoma is particularly fond of/that you imagine them wearing a lot or like to draw them in?

This is interesting bc I actually haven’t really thought abt this, surprisingly enough.

For Sakyo, I guess him wearing the item itself isn’t really a hc since it’s a part of his actual design, but part of my kurayami lore is that his belt was originally Ryoma’s and it brings him a level of comfort by being a physical tether he has to his father and his dragon side. Most of what I draw him in is like, form fitting sleeveless stuff based on his actual outfit and I imagine that’d be most comfortable and convenient for him given how active and flexible he is, though I do also enjoy putting him in a good hoodie bc I want him to be a silly comfy teenager <3

For Hyoma, my biggest thing is I imagine he is a big clothes stealer, especially from his partners. I like to think he takes a lot of stuff from Kyoya especially. There’s an idea I’ve had for 5ever that I don’t think I’ll ever get around to drawing but is basically just Hyoma with Kyoya’s necklace from his fusion/masters design asking him “hey do you ever wear this anymore?” and Kyoya responds “not really, no” and Hyoma just gives him The Look and after a beat of silence Kyoya’s like “OKAY FINE YOU CAN HAVE IT!” I think in general he likes having stuff from other people bc it makes him feel more connected to them and also helps when he’s lonely in koma

[monstersdownthepath]

Lord of Vengeance and Cold: Kostchtchie, the Deathless Frost

CR 26

Chaotic Evil Huge Outsider

Bestiary 4, pg. 48-49

Let's clear up the most important bit first: There's actually two official pronunciations for this repugnant Demon Lord's name, so use whichever one you see fit: KOSH-chuh-chai, or kosh-TIK-ti-kai. I prefer the first, as it's closer to his real-world folkloric inspiration in Koschei the Deathless, with whom he shares far more than just a name. Unlike his real-world inspiration, though, Kostchtchie (which I'll be shortening to Kostch from now on) actually DID eventually run afoul of Baba Yaga, and what happened is likely to surprise no one. Already a powerful and feared warlord, Kostch had conquered every enemy he had ever faced except the looming specter of death, and demanded that Baba Yaga make him immortal. Rather than slaying him outright for his impolite request, refusing him service, or transforming him into an unliving yet unaging material, the Queen of Witches was for some reason moved to grant him his request... but, as these stories go, not in the way he wanted.

She tore apart his soul, twisted his body, and broke his mind. Being turned into a statue would have, perhaps, been more merciful.

Portions of his soul were sealed inside of a torc which, while sustaining him like a lich's reliquary, could also be used to command him. The body he was proud of became infused with the essence of the Abyss to turn him into the demonic brute Baba Yaga saw him as. When these torments concluded, she left him to pick up the shattered remains of his ego. Given that she immediately discarded the Torc for someone else to find, granted him demonic resilience and might, and fermented his hatred for giants into a hatred for humanity and turned him from a warlord into a force of nature, it's difficult to say if Baba Yaga did any of this to punish him, or as part of a plan to punish everyone else for allowing such a man to exist. Perhaps, like many of her more eccentric actions, she did it on a whim, or perhaps she did it as part of a plan for the future. Kostch doesn't care one way or another; all he desires now is vengeance, and achieving this vengeance requires nothing less than the destruction of Baba Yaga and everything she's ever created... along with every single other powerful woman in existence out of pure misogynistic spite.

Fun fact: Kostch is such a raging woman-hater that it actually grants him mechanical benefit. He has Favored Enemy, granting him +4 to a suite of checks and rolls against humans (not Humanoids! specifically humans) and Giants, but this bonus is doubled to +8 against women. It's more than a little funny (in a miserable sort of way) to me that he's so pathetically hate-filled because a woman 'dared to best him,' and I have much more to say on the subject--some of which involves pointing out the size of his arms and the jokes I could make on it--but to go further with the joke would take away from Kostch's legitimately threatening kit. So, let's take a look...

Kostch calling himself "Deathless" is not an empty boast. Unlike pretty much every other Outsider in existence, Kostch did not actually die, nor has he once been slain during his ascension to the rank of Demon Lord. He was transformed into a demonic shape by Baba Yaga, and fled to the Abyss willingly to fill the cracks in his body and mind with its essence, going from human to mutant to demon without his soul fleeing its corporeal vessel even once. He retains his (heavily twisted) human appearance, a perfect memory of his life from before, and all the skills he once had, and all of these worry other demons, because if he could do it, maybe more people could. While he's incredibly young for a Demon Lord at only 2500 years old, others are nonetheless wary of him because he ascended to his Lord rank so quickly, and because of his relatively short tenure, very few are aware of the full extents of his power or what tricks he may yet be hiding from them.

"Frost" isn't an exaggeration of his talents either (please keep all 'best served cold' jokes to yourself). Though he has no means to penetrate Cold Resistance or Immunity, he has no real need due to the quality of his frost spells: At-will Cone of Cold to blast a 60ft area with 15d6 Cold damage whenever he wishes, a 3/day Polar Ray to shoot a single target for 25d6 Cold damage and some paltry Dex drain, and most dangerously Polar Midnight 1/day to engulf an area in freezing, murderous darkness. That last one is why he has no reason or need to pierce Cold resistance; if he did, he couldn't drop that spell into his own space and punish anyone who tried to stand and Full-Attack him while safe from the majority of the spell's effects. Anyone who doesn't move at all on their turn while they're inside Polar Midnight is instantly, unavoidably frozen over, trapped in a layer of ice until someone frees them (as they're rendered helpless). Since Kostch has a permanent Freedom of Movement and can Greater Teleport at will as a spell-like ability, he has no issue freeing himself if he ends up hoist by his own petard in the spell's area... or he can avoid it entirely and just take a move action each round while keeping up his DPS via Greater Vital Strike.

Even creatures immune to Cold can still be trapped by Polar Midnight's freezing effect, or his 1/day Mass Icy Prison, a spell that can potentially paralyze or entangle an entire party at once. Even if one succeeds the save, they're still entangled and taking 26 Cold damage every round until something scrapes the ice from them. Once a victim is frozen over or, hell, even when they're perfectly fine and not really inconvenienced by his magic, Kostch enters the fray to do what he REALLY wants: Hit you over and over again with a really, really big hammer. Sorcery is fine and all, it can be convenient when someone won't hold still, and his endless supply of thrown boulders (2d8+13) are alright for buzzing annoyances at a range, but Kostch began his life as a warlord beating people to death with a hunk of iron on a stick, and by god has he gotten really good at it over the years.

This is no mere hunk of iron, though, this is a +5 Adamantine Icy Burst Warhammer sized for a Huge creature and wielded by a creature with a 15ft space and reach. It weighs well over a ton and appropriately hits like a car upwards to four times a round, every blow dealing 3d6+24 +1d6 Cold damage (+4 vs humans and Giants, +8 vs women)... Or, rather, 3d6+40, since Kostch's lore block states he more or less ALWAYS uses his Power Attack, taking a meager -8 penalty to his stacked attack rolls in favor of more damage, which works well with his warhammer's x3 damage if it critically strikes. If he can't Full-Attack, he can use Greater Vital Strike to throw out a single devastating swing for 12d6+40 +1d6 Cold damage! Given that he can wield that intimidating weapon in just one hand, his other hand is open to weave in a single slam each round for 1d8+19 damage, but we'll get to why that's much better than it looks in just a moment.

It should be said that Kostch has a particularly jarring ability: Vengeful Strike. Once per round, he can AoO any creature that hits him in melee. It's a very simple ability that nonetheless allows him to keep piling on damage even outside of his turn, akin to the Legendary Actions of 5e! Compared to most Demon Lords, Kostch's statblock is rather plain, but some of the abilities he DOES have are doozies with multiple moving parts. The first is Crushing Blow, something he can use once a round with his hammer. It's one of those abilities he must declare before he rolls his attack and is wasted if he misses, but given that he's got a +53 (usually +45 due to Power Attack) to the first attack roll he makes with it a round, he's unlikely to miss anything but the most ridiculously buffed Heavy Armor + Tower Shield Enjoyer. Upon hitting with the Crushing Blow, the attack ignores both hardness and DR AND he gets to make a free trip attempt (+52) versus the victim at no risk to himself and without any restrictions based on size. A victim crushed by the blow also has to make a DC 44 Fortitude save or be stunned for 1 round and staggered for 1d4 more, but even if they succeed they're staggered, which can severely cut down on their ability to fight back or escape him. A major problem, because like most Demon Lords he's only vulnerable to a scant handful of attacks (DR 20/Cold Iron, Epic, and Good, and 30 Regeneration only shut down by deific or Mythic sources), attacks you really want to be able to throw out multiple of every round. There's no per-day limit to his Crushing Blow and no immunity clause built in if you succeed your save, so he can just keep using it round after round to stun and stagger so long as he keeps hitting successfully.

The second and objectively the way funnier important ability in his kit is Clutch Foe, which he can use as part of the Grab attached to his slam attack. When he uses just one hand to grapple a Medium or smaller target, he can choose to lift that creature off their feet and hold them in his grip. This has the side-effect of making his grapple easier to escape, imposing a -20 penalty to his grapple checks... which means it goes from +56 to +36, giving him a decent chance to keep hold of most martial characters and almost certainly lets him clutch casters. Each round as a swift action, Kostch can then choose one of three options: Crush his foe, dealing his slam damage plus an extra 1d8+28 damage; throw his foe in any direction he wants (which is treated as a bull rush, a maneuver he gets +54 to); or the last and most hysterical option: wielding his victim as an improvised weapon. A Medium creature wielded in this manner deals 3d6+19 (weapon sized for a Huge creature + his Str mod) damage to anything it hits, and the victim themselves takes half that damage back, doubling the number of creatures being harmed every time Kostch swings around his new Club of Screaming Pain.

If you think it's unlikely he'll be able to hold onto someone long enough to use them as a bludgeon, remember that he has more than a few ways to render someone helpless via icy entanglement... And also Power Word Stun. Or he can just teleport or Time Stop and walk to the weakest person in the party and grab them like a squeaky toy. I appreciate that he has Catch Off-Guard to make sure he's not penalized for attacking with an improvised wizard, but if I were to improve his kit, I'd give him the Two-Weapon Fighting line to allow him iterative attacks with a grappled foe. I just think it'd be funny.

You can read more about him here.

[diot05]

Ok so i've seen a lotta people argue about whether or not Furina is the Hydro Archon, but what if (and bear with me here) she is ONE Hydro Archon. Like one of the currently standing Lords of Hydro.

Alright hear me out, Arlecchino mentions how Furina is under some kind of a curse, girl doesn't even have a gnosis, her playable self wields a vision and it doesn't seem to be a disguise like the tone deaf bard or geo daddy, so how does anyone believe she's a god?! Well below will be what i think is the power dynamic of the 4 (3.5 actually since one is a machine)

Furina. She is the one most would think of when 'Hydro Archon' pops up in their head, she holds the TITLE of Lord of Hydro, as well as the physical form since she shares the most physical traits with the other Archons (glowing hair and the like), and is thus responsible for representing Fontaine (people call her a mascot for a reason y'all).

Neuvillette. He holds the responsibilities of the Archon, as well as some of the power through being a Sovereign Dragon, that is what originally powered the gnoses after all, and being the only sovereign we've met so far that has been born in a human form AND was given a chance to live in his element's nation peacefully, of course he'd display his mastery over his element more obviously.

Egeria. Despite dying 500 years ago during the cataclysm, her spirit is still around in Teyvat thanks to Rukkhadevata, in fact she's the one responsible for launching that obvious giant green energy blast towards the sky, fighting The Abyss to this day (maybe that's where Neuvillette got it from), so she holds the majority of the Archons power, thus why Furina is so weak and vulnerable compared to the other Archons, 'her' power is still mostly held by her predecessor even after death.

The Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale. It would probably hold the Hydro Gnosis, similarly to how the Dendro Gnosis powered the Akasha Terminals prior to them being deactivated by Nahida, this is the point i'm shakiest on, but my reasoning is that we know very little about Indemnitium, we do know it is produced by the Oratrice but it's not stated to be what POWERS it, it is merely a byproduct of it's decisions in a trial, and if Lyney is right to suspect it ties back to the crisis, along with the strange voice he heard while investigating it, it would make sense the Oratrice is powered by the gnosis and that was Egeria (or Sandrone but that's another crackhead theory, Sandrone mention tho yippee).

With all that said i hope you all enjoyed this silly theory i came up with while rambling to a friend, please don't take it too seriously but if you have anything to add or anything that breaks this theory please let me know! This is very different from my usual shitposts here on Tumblr so i might make more theories in the future, who knows, anyway, byee!

[drjohannn]

Name: Martin Eden Weapon name: Nietzsche & Spencer. EGO: The will to live Details: Depression, Enormous Power Age: 26 Height: 191 cm Marital Status: Single Biography: Martin Eden has been an orphan of Backstreets since he was very young. The need to earn money and the lack of any ties make him try the most diverse jobs: from a simple errand boy to a sailor on various ships. However, life is not as simple as his trips to bars and a lot of admirers among the working class: one day he saves a guy from the Nest from the local bandits, for which he opens the way to the people and to a new love. Long and hard work for the sake of his beloved pays off with bright acquaintances, celebrity and wealth. However, what was it worth, if now the writer is considered to have perished in the abyss of the sea? Now his life is the secret of the whole team of the company Limbus. Character: On one hand Martin is a very kind and sympathetic dreamer. He will never get into a fight with someone who has not run into it himself, and he gets along with children as if they were his own. Along with this, he often goes into thought, making plans for the future and looking for ways to fulfill them. On the other hand - he is purposeful and rebellious, freedom-loving man of culture. Eden is always thirsty for knowledge, does not like lies and the imposition of another's worldview, and is an extraordinary writer and philosopher. In the middle of both of these sides is his desire for justice and his humble opinion of himself. No matter how great he is called, but this man is completely out of society and its opinion, considering himself inferior, but worthy of being recognized at least by his beloved. But this is not given to happen, and therefore all these traits are overshadowed by deep depression. Facts: -One of the Offices, headed by an old friend of Martin's, is named after Eden's work, "The Pearl of the Sea." -Lungs were replaced with artificial ones by the Syndicate who saved him. -Smoking has remained a habit, as it calms him down. -Sometimes tries sketching and writing short pieces, wanting to finally beat his depression and get back to the business of being a creator. -He collects various discarded items (figurines, jewelry, etc.), cleans them and often gives them to others. -Source: Jack London - "Martin Eden"

[alonelystargazer]

fave ships and why???

hi thank you for sending an ask! hopefully you had or will have a great day! :)

so I'm guessing you mean my fave ships from jjk? I'll answer for that with ItaFushi, HaiNana, and InuOkko! I know this is gonna be a long response, so I put it all under a read more

itafushi

From the first day they met, they showed that they cared about a stranger and wanted to make sure they would be safe, and from then on have shown their devotion to each other, even if it meant risking their own lives. Yuji being tied up and interrogated by Gojo but asking about 'Fushiguro', and Megumi asking Gojo to spare Yuji from his execution and saying his feelings were personal. On that note, I would like to say that while fans like to clown on him for this, like haha gay boy or whatever, I also think this is a good example of Megumi's philoosphy of "I save people unequally". He saw a good person who he believed didn't deserve his punishment and wanted to spare him, and that's not something he would do for everyone. Yuji is kinda the opposite in that way because he's empathetic and wants to save everyone, but at the same time, he has learned that it's not possible, and not everyone will get the death they deserve. BUT he still hasn't given up on Megumi, and he's literally doing everything he can to save him from falling further into the abyss. I guess in that respect, it's a selfish act on Yuji's part because so many lives have been lost already, or are close to the edge, but Yuji won't stop until he can reach out to Megumi. Basically, what I like most about their dynamic is that they are both self-sacrificing and devoted to each other.

HaiNana

I don't know how popular this ship is in this fandom, but I adore it so much! (not that a ship needs to be popular for me to like it) I like to think of them as the "right person, not enough time" ship. Since we don't get to see much of them together in Hidden Inventory, most of what I like about them is based on speculation and headcanons, but that doesn't mean it makes a ship bad. Anyway, I like to think Nanami felt like an outcast when he first joined Jujutsu High since he didn't come from an elite sorcerer family, and growing up, he had no one to guide him. Then he meets Haibara, and at first, he just wants to keep to himself, but Haibara is persistent and wants to be friends with him, and they both share a love of food and bond over it and that's how their friendship develops. We know that Nanami has a more reserved personality, but something about Haibara's optimism and cheerfulness gets him to open up to him, and by extension, with their classmates. And well, I guess I like tragic ships, not that I specifically look out for them, but most of my ships always end in tragedy lol, and this one is no exception. Hence, the biggest reason why I like this ship so much is that Nanami never got over the loss of Haibara, his closest friend, his classmate, his colleauge. It's what made him run away from the world of sorcery, it's the reason why he's so protective of student sorcerers, and the fact that he had a vision of Haibara just before accepting his death is wild to me oughhh!!

InuOkko

To be honest, I didn't get the vision for this ship until I read/watched JJK 0, that's what changed it for me. Yuta being this shy, awkward kid who tends to speak too much as a countermeasure, in contrast to Toge who's perceived as an intimidating and mysterious person because he can't speak. They both have issues with communication but they somehow find a way to understand each other, which is something they don't really have with their other classmates. Plus, they make a good team in battle. And not to mention that one instance where Toge speaks Yuta's name to tell him to run away, even though he was exhausted and on the brink of passing out. Also also, the only reason Yuta gave the higher ups as to why he wanted to kill Yuji being that he cut off Toge's arm, and not for something on a grander scale like the destruction of Shibuya or the hundreds of deaths. They are very defensive of the other.

[discordiansamba]

For the fic asks-

1. Tied between flicker, desert born, the stars shine a different shine, and who you are in the dark

2. All of it. There is so much care put into every single chapter!!!!!

3. Keith. And Pidge. And Hunk, and Allura, Coran, Shiro....

4. Yes. You make them all seem so natural, no matter who you pair up!!

5. Burgundy and Abyss of Memory!!! They look Super Uber exciting!!!!!!

6. I have NEVER forgotten the Oops We Left The Keith We Never Knew We Needed Back On Earth fic. I know it was a side fic to flicker, but it REALLY set the mood and tone for the main story!!!!

7. The absolute TRAGEDY of who you are in the dark. I was tearing up in some parts; it is written SO WELL.

8. I LOVE that your stories are so INTRICATE! When I read them I feel like I could Actually be Watching The Show. EVERY PLOT has stakes!!! Everyone has a Distinct Personality!!!! You give these characters LIFE!!!!!!!

9. I am excited for flicker's update, but I'm Really Excited for some of your new Tumblr ideas!!! I love reading the drabbles of AUs you post!!!!

10. I had never really given much thought about Romelle as a character before finding your Tumblr, you made her really interesting and fun!!

11. ANY of your Tumblr AUs!!! I LOVE the concepts and how your brain works!!!!!

12. I think the one I've reread the most is desert born. If only because I found that one first. :)

13. I'm sad to say I haven't, but I think I drew fanart once?

14. I didn't expect to like the stars shine a different shine so much!! I was Completely Unprepared for Mercenary Keith and Tiny Shiro!!!!!!!!! They are Precious!!!!!!!

15. For the stars shine a different shine, will Keith get more chances to utilize his Mercenary Background?

<3<3<3<3

ahhhhhhh you filled out all the questions! That makes my heart so very happy!!!! That truly is the perfect description for that particular flicker oneshot. Y'all forgot the guy you didn't even even know you needed. How could you do that!!

As for the question, I'm delighted to answer yes! In fact, it's going to come directly into play in the next update which will revolve around the castle invasion. It'll definitely get time to shine in other places as well, since it really changes how he approaches certain situations since he's been in war before and recognizes that the Galra are the sort to use dirty tactics if it'll get them what they want.

[twilightichor]

𝐂𝐋𝐗𝐈𝐈𝐈. Today I woke up earlier than usual and chose violence upon seeing yet another couple of details missed in translation that make me salty, specially because they're related with Travail and, once again, with the subtlety play Dain is known for in many miscellanies.

So apparently, the first detail that I read up is that the use of thrones or divine thrones of Celestia doesn't necessarily allude to a throne of power, given that gods in Teyvat are pretty much rulers. But instead, it's more so related with the concept of "throne of destiny" given that the Chinese term used for both thrones and constellations are one and the same. This could give some room for speculation and wonder if, when there is mention in Before Sun and Moon that the second throne came and warred against the Primordial One and 3/4 shades, a new vision of the future was also brought. Which, for better or for worse, could fall in place with Phanes' concerns about the rise of delusions and more that comes with Forbidden Knowledge. But knowing what's happening and the premise that at least to some extent he's responsible for the mess we're witnessing by the hands of the gods: even though the Second Who Came brought Forbidden Knowledge, in terms of raw knowledge is it actually negative or positive? And my reasoning to wonder this is that the Abyss is known for delivering knowledge and it's also known that the Abyss acts like some kind of gateway to influences outside Teyvat, and the potential that some of these tried to enter or are even aware of what's happening but their way to Teyvat is blocked. It would make further sense if we think that its skies are fake as yet another layer of "protection" from the outside.

And now what concerns Dain, he's always tied with destiny in some shape or form. Starting from the fact that he was searching his own destiny when he lost everything with Khaenri'ah's destruction, to his title as the confluence between the past and the future (future isn't exactly a 1:1 of destiny, but they are related), the fact that he has something to do with reweaving all threads of destiny and rejecting this world, which to my interpretation what he's rebelling against is the fate / Heavenly Principles as he keeps saying time and time again that he's an advocate that everyone is masters of their own destiny, as in saying that it's not being the case as things currently stand. To wrap this point up, it's curious that the Heavenly Principles (sometimes interchangeable with destiny / fate) started with Phanes and that, if the Second Who Came is meant to represent a new destiny, the Heavenly Principles continue to predominate.

◜That (divine) throne (of destiny) in the high heavens was never a seat reserved for you from the start.◞

Reading this brings something new in question: what isn't reserved for someone is that they can't achieve godhood despite that's what it's said to be the case (perhaps godhood but with a shit ton of small letters that no one reads) or that it is their destiny that they aren't allowed to choose? We have a "Loom of Fate" operation undergoing, and a new interpretation of Lumine's quote of "I won't rest until the Abyss has engulfed the thrones" is added if we re-shape the quote as "I won't rest until the Abyss has engulfed the constellations".

◜But oh, you who oversteps your bounds, do not stop walking here. For none can watch the fire burn from the other side of the river. Watch...◞

This here is what makes me salty the most, and it's because apparently the Chinese wording of "overstep" can also mean "to usurp". While for now I don't have anything major to say about this, it's the subtlety play that I talked about earlier that makes me raise an eyebrow because in the past (recent and distant) Dain proved to have a way with his words that at first glance and given the timing, it's hard to pay attention to as something relevant but once more information comes that is related to that, it makes you realize that his word choices aren't coincidental and this is one more detail that sheds some light with that. If anything because any knowledge about usurpers seems to be among the highest most classified knowledge of this world (there is an interesting ranking of that, but the lore is too extensive to make one of those) and as always, even though he doesn't state it openly, he once again says something that only those who know about it would understand.