#anyways ill go rewatch ruan mei's vid again

[elegyofthemoon]

idk if anyone's interested, but the section "A Shot from the Sky" from "Investigation of Ancient Pattern Rubbings from the Luofu":

One of the most common literature themes in Xianzhou is fire deification. In the era of the Flaming Catastrophe, a hero was sabotaged by the nobles and imprisoned. The hero later worked with Flint Emperor — the leader of the heliobi — and destroyed the Muldrasil, the wingweavers' lair, with a divine arrow. The hero's body dissipated, but it was not the end of his life. Instead, he ascended to become The Hunt, also known as the Reignbow Arbiter by the Xianzhou people. However, there is no factual evidence to show that the hero is Lan. Almost all theories that support this assertion are less-than-credible, given that they can all be traced back to a single origin, which is the "Ode to Reignbow Path." This is why the Alliance has not made its stance clear about this assertion, although it is widely circulated among the folks. Well... Although the Alliance has never denied the authenticity of the fire deification myth, we all know it is equal to a denial from the Alliance's standpoint.

The section (IV) in question from "Annotations from 'Ode to Reignbow Path'":

Brilliant stratagem needed for dire plight, the Reignbow roused out of necessity. [†2] Tell not the glorious to rest with their wine, but prays for the Heliobus to encase their entity. Tell not the warrior to rest in slumber, but with the Flint Emperor to assault our nemesis, without charity. [†3] Human lives are but a transient lightning. The fate of heroes never lies in their own hands, never with certainty. All the people rose to follow the Reignbow's example, daring to guard the sky and protect home and company.[†4]

Related editor's notes in the section:

[Editor's Notes] [†2] To repulse the invasion, the Xianzhou people decided to raise Reignbow from their slumber. Once awakened, the Reignbow analyzed the situation and concocted a strategy to break the deadlock. [†3] Reignbow ignored common advice, heading into the prison deep within the Xianzhou Zhuming and persuaded the imprisoned Heliobi leader, the Flint Emperor, to help the Xianzhou fight off the Denizens of Abundance. They made a deal and the Reignbow allowed the Flint Emperor to possess their physical body, in exchange for the power of the Heliobi. [†4] Inspired by the hero's sacrifice, many Xianzhou residents made the same heroic deal. They formed suicide squads and marched alongside the Heliobi. As clouds that cover the heavens, will the warriors protect the Xianzhou and soar eternal. This is the origin story of the name "Cloud Knights."

Is this important for Ruan Mei? mmm probably not lmao but I just thought the idea is interesting if you think about how these play now into folk tales and the idea of Ruan Mei getting raised on such stories before deciding to take godhood by the hand and learn to play god herself

wait actually ruan mei wanting to become an aeon brings back that questionable legend about how someone on the luofu became lan i need to go back amd look for it but its a thought.