#celestia foundation

[36crypto]

Crypto News Digest: Key Headlines and Market Shifts Today

In our crypto news overview today, the official account of the artificial intelligence lab OpenAI was hacked to promote a fake token. Cryptocurrency online ticketing service Travala adds the Solana blockchain for seamless crypto payments. Read about this and much more in the cryptocurrency news digest. An Official OpenAI X was Maliciously Used to Spread the Scam On 23 September, the official…

[mangoshibi]

They told him not to go on this mission

He wanted to show off that he did it

…… he almost blew up

[laugtherhyena]

Just realized i never posted the dog sprites,, how rude of me, his name is Tadeo

[icefeather22]

Posted Day 7 for Celeshiro Week!

Prompt: Reunion

Relationships: Fujisaki Chihiro/Celestia Ludenberg

Fic Summary: Works for the Celeshiro Week from July 5 to July 11 + Free day.

Chapter Summary: After all the death and trials, the survivors from the Killing Game are finally allowed to leave.

Warnings: Implied/Non-explicit death, machine guns.

[danganronpasurvivoraskblog]

For every time Kanade thinks of Hibiki, a tengu dressed up as Hibiki appears in front of the guitarist herself.

Heeeuuehgheegheguheghhegghhhhg~

She's INTO it!?

I guess anything goes so long as it looks like Hibiki...

...

It freaks you out too huh?

I have never been one to...I can't believe I'm saying this... "kinkshame" another person...And god forbid, I have seen some estranged customers here at Zetsubou...

But yes...this is positively vulgar...

[dapper-lil-arts]

I'm invested now, why don't you like fluttercord?

Okay, here we go then, why don't I like one of the most famous and prolific ships on the fandom?

First of all, there's a major power imbalance at play, you know, chaos god that can reshape mind and reality with a snap of his fingers matched with a regular pegasus girl, and an drastic age difference (which could be discarded cause Fluttershy's an adult, just worth a mention.)

But the primary issue comes from the canon itself, especially with how they came together. Fluttershy was just shafted for her full responsibility to be to make sure Discord gets better; Something that already was a strange choice of Celestia (like girl why are you throwing a random mortal you dont know that well onto a godlike chaos being even you struggled with? It reeks of writers already having come up a solution and not wanting to build a foundation to lead there.) and canon proves again and again that if discord doesnt have fluttershy around, he will make bad choices and hurt people, something that gets proven again and again all the way to gen fucking five. That's textbook codependency and it makes it even more weird by the incredible, terrifying power imbalance. Discord isnt just an alicorn, hes the only one of his kind because of how powerful he is, and his powers are insanely dangerous to have on a relationship with a mortal. Like, you saw how he was when he was jealous of Fluttershy for having a diffrent friend. Can you imagine what he'd do if somebody flirted with her? (even if they weren't dating, if Fluttershy said she got a girlfriend or whatever, Discord would straight up throw rainbow dash on a labyrinth of infinite agony)

I think my primary issues come from the canon because he is always abusing his powers, never using them wisely, and always causing trouble (WHICH WAS THE ORIGINAL POINT OF EVEN BRINGING HIM BACK TOO)-- And the ratio of slaps on the wrist lower dramatically by the end (the final conflict is entirely his fault purely because he thought having a conflict would be cool)-- All of which just makes him untrustworthy to be on a relationship with a mortal hes obssesed with. He'd be like a yandere boyfriend exept a chaos god, which, yikes!

Srsly the fact that cozy glow the toddler gets sent to hell and turned to stone instead of the chaos god that sponsored her is just plain WEIRD. It's a writers problem.

There's a reasons why Alicorns have to ascend, earn their power-- And why they tend to abuse it less. Being born with power just begets a diffrent attitude towards it; Which is smth that the writers do interpret quite well, with how Discord acts. he has no empathy, he doesnt need to care, because reality is his to shape, and then boom, teaching someone to be better just became a lot harder. Good character! Very funny, very well designed and voiced-- But goddamn he's weirdly written as a ""Good"" guy.

Now lets finally turn to the woman in the relationship. because Fluttershy is a normal mortal gal with a normal mortal life with her own needs, which generally shouldn't have to involve her entire life or routine on making sure a godlike manbaby does the right thing with his powers. it doesn't feel like the kind of thing that has any consent to it, after all, discord doesnt need to ask for anything, he can just do. (THANKS FOR THE IDEA CELESTIA) It just reeks of a kind of misoginy-ass writing where the woman has to bend over backwards for the man.

Its like the shy pegasus was just. Set up for LIFE on this strange relationship. Its kind of creepy.

And Fluttershy just deserves better than him in my opinion; And she can do better, too. Also it doesnt help that you know-- 99% other ship with fluttershy dont have any of these issues lmao. Even canon Rainbow Dash would treat her better, so i dont bother with Fluttercord ever!

[screamingcrows]

The second winner of a Zandicktober poll >< Tags: Dottore x afab reader, nsft, oral f receiving, blood, noncon vibes but reader had in fact planned this, 1.5k Minors DNI

The Akademiya was a place of wonders, no matter how Zandik might feel about certain values making out the foundation, he could still appreciate the vast collection of concepts that were wholly unknown to him. And experiences.

Such as this particular scenario.

He'd called you careless many times, but this showed an astounding lack of awareness on your part, leaving the door unlocked while-

Something was thundering against his ribcage, a heart, most likely, the sound echoing in his ears. It was swiftly getting difficult to breathe, whether from fear of being discovered or something else, he couldn't exactly place.

It had him captivated, held by the throat and welded to the ground. The way your back arched, the trembling muscles in your thighs, the muscles stretched along your throat, all of it should be subjected to his careful inspection.

Despite himself, Zandik had always found your dormitory oddly pleasant. A little cluttered as a result of your habit of picking up anything that glittered, but also littered with inviting blankets and pillows.

One of which was currently propping up your hips, the soft curves of your thighs quivering with every shift of your wrist. Your breaths sounded strained, quick and airy in the same pattern as when you were on the verge of tears. It was unfortunate that your face was barely hidden behind the delicate fabric hanging from the bed's canopy.

A small step forward and he would be able to see.

His fingers gripped the doorframe a little tighter when the tantalizing sound of a whine brushed by.

A small step forward and his feet would've crossed several boundaries- not just to your room. Warm light peeked through the lone window, bathing you in gold and making the sheen of sweat glisten. Would it taste sweet? What a repulsive idea, even if your perspiration was affected by your excessive love of sugary treats, it was still sweat.

Zandik knew, in the back of his mind anyway, that he should have closed the door the moment your activities became clear. But how could he, when all his body wanted to obey was the command to stride forward and replace your hand with his?

And why should morality concern him when you were offering up this opportunity on a silver platter?

For once, luck favored the outcast as the creaking of floorboards was beautifully accompanied by a similar sound from your bed as you shifted around. A shaky breath was forced from his lungs, the sight of you, brows furrowed and your eyes squeezed shut, lips pursed in clear frustration as you writhed.

Biting down the groan that threatened to spill when he saw how your thighs glistened with your own essence proved too much of a challenge. A fatal error.

Cheeks the color of his eyes, Zandik watched as your body contorted, the look on your face one of horror and shame in equal measure. A startled rabbit, one his teeth longed to tear into, jaw practically aching for a taste.

Your desperate protests did nothing to stop what possessed his body, mind going blank the moment your legs had shut. That wouldn't do. He was far from done looking.

Prying your thighs apart was akin to tearing pastry, his fingers sinking in as anticipation churned in his stomach. A breathless chuckle left his lips, utterly entranced by the sight of your slick folds, so different from any anatomical drawing.

Celestia above, it looked as though a hydro slime had exploded.

It was easy enough to pull you closer, even as you flailed, going so far as tossing a silken pillow at him as he crawled properly onto the soft mattress.

"Zandik!" So loud, not that it mattered, "Zandik stop! Out!"

You were so warm, with closed eyes the feeling might even be mistaken for sinking his hands into sun-kissed fur. Heady and deep, the scent of your arousal washed over him as he advanced towards the object of his current fixation.

Separating his consciousness from how your body seemed to just give beneath his touch was harder, but equally important lest he truly tear through.

The scent was sweet enough that Zandik was certain he would've choked were he to take a deeper breath. It was fascinating, a curious wonder where the trail of hair ended and your body split.

His tongue caught the drool at the corner of his lips, barely resisting the urge to spit it out. Rid himself of the faint taste his mind had conjured up. He felt like a damned beast, drooling at the scent of a meal. Maybe retching would be better, something to completely override the circuitry of desire.

A warning pinch to your thigh was enough to have you remain still beneath his vice grip, at least enough that be could inspect you more closely. Having your hands restrained would've made it easier, although the occasional scratch of nails against his scalp was more of a pleasant tingle than a true annoyance.

As long as you didn't start ripping out hairs or dislodging the sore scabs left over from whenever he got lost in thought and needed something to do with his hands.

There was a slight variation in color between your sex and the surrounding skin, likely caused by an abundance of blood vessels right beneath the surface.

"Do you have to squirm?" The inquiry drew a flicker of his attention to how heavy his breathing had grown, speaking with the usual disinterest impossible, "trying to get a good look here…"

Having been blinded by your brief cooperation, a surprised yelp left Zandik's lips the moment your thighs pushed back against his hands. It quickly turned to a breathless chuckle, the squish not entirely unpleasant if a little overwhelming at first.

A shame it obstructed his view.

"You shouldn't even be looking in the first pla-" how easy it was to have you trail off into a whine, a little touch of his tongue to your thigh apparently enough.

Although you'd previously appeared quite tense while lost in your own pleasure, this moan was accompanied by a moment of weakness, allowing Zandik to properly restrain your legs, settling for throwing them over his shoulders. The chances of you attempting to choke him were minuscule at most anyway.

Curiosity was what drove him.

Curiosity had always been accompanied by a satisfying tingle when sated.

His hips jerking uselessly was unrelated to the sticky mess that coated the tip of his tongue. As was the ache in his cheeks that resulted from suppressing a smile at your gasp. At least you'd seemingly stopped fighting back.

Getting lost in you was easy, a wholly different experience from being absorbed by studies, but just as intense. There was no shortage to the delightful, wanton sounds you were making, every tentative movement of his lips and tongue drawing out a different variation. His skin was lit on fire by pride, or shame, at everything he could do, your body reduced to nothing but a doll having its strings pulled.

This world followed rules, everything acted accordingly, the ability to respond to stimuli creates the root of awareness. And yet, Zandik had never felt further removed from his body as it messily lapped at your sex, mapping out every curve and fold of skin before finally breaching your entrance and noting the differences.

Your whines and pleas had long since been pushed to background noise, the force with which his hair was being pulled taking up what scarce attention wasn't funneled into reaching as far along your walls as possible. The slick had his lips prickling, torn between wanting to devour and needing to wipe it away.

Just a little longer and his curiosity would be sated.

Judging by how you constricted both around his tongue and head, it wouldn't surprise him if the desired outcome was close. Laughter bubbled in his chest when you screamed, the jagged edges of his teeth finally grazing your bundle of nerves. It was nothing remarkable, barely any difference in texture, but certainly recognizable by your cries.

With a strangled sound, Zandik pressed forward and sucked, unfamiliar ecstasy flooding his system with a force speculated equal to that achieved plunging from the top of the Akademiya. Nothing was within his control, nails tearing into your hips in desperate search of an anchor while struggling to breathe through the flames searing every nerve.

It wasn't until something bony threatened to shatter his cheekbone that control resurfaced.

His fingers were slick with blood, the red crescents marring your skin making him shiver.

The lower half of his face was downright soaked, your horrified expression when he licked his lips almost keeping his own disgust at bay.

Certainly, you were a mess, a delicious one at that.

But himself?

Oh, he wanted to disintegrate on the spot, all too keenly aware of the wetness seeping through his clothes, wincing as he shuffled backwards and caught sight of the dark spot where he'd been. Every ounce of interest had spilled from his body alongside the unnecessary amounts of spend, keeping his head down to avoid your dopey smile.

"…I'm never taking you up on the offer of taking a break in your dorm again…"

[starlit-typewriter]

As a proud Fontainian citizen (lol), I love to see Fontaine's involvement in sagau. However, it's always only the ones with political power so basically Neuvillette, Furina when she's still acting as the Hydro Archon, Arlecchino (+the Fatui) and Wriothesley. I love them all dearly, but I wish to see more about Navia and Clorinde, they were both very present in the AQ and have both their own undeniable influence in Fontaine (one is THE Spina Di Rosula's boss and the other the #1 Champion Duelist in the whole country +Furina's bodyguard) (+they're both my pookies) Idk, it always feels weird not to see them, like the Creator/Impostor is around and you don't even see two of the most important people of Fontaine get involved??

(tbh I really want to see the others too, even if I have no idea what they could bring to the plot but Charlotte trying to uncover the truth and unexpectedly bumping into the Creator or finding out about Neuvillette & cie's plan and either joining in or info-dumping everything in the Steambird???? Why is nobody talking about Charlotte????)

Oooooh that is a very good point.

Honestly considering how new they are as characters I’m not surprised at the lack of content regarding them.

The arc on Fontaine is an interesting one to be sure.

I’ll see what I can do to include these ladies into the story.

I have plans for Navia and Clorinde, I’m unsure whether or not they’d end up as POV characters, but they will be there.

The most interesting thing about Fontaine is that it is very much a land of humans, or more precisely a land without “gods”.

Even during the rule of Furina, she was less of a figure of authority and worship in the same way the other Archons are.

No churches or shrines in her honor unlike Barbados and Raiden Shogun.

No festivals or events like with Kusanali and Rex Lapis.

While there is the Furina film festival, that’s named after her skill as an actress rather than her position as their Archon.

It is so very human.

Of course there are Melusines, but they’re not creatures of legends such as the Adepti, the Youkai, four winds of Mondstadt or the Aranara.

It is truly removed from The Seven.

Which makes sense as it is ruled by the Hydro Sovereign.

But that also means it’s humans are much more removed from the Archons and as a result, Celestia.

What that will mean for this story you’ll just have to wait and see.

There is a theme for who gets blessed. It’s not based off of what characters I have, at least not completely.

Clorinde and Navia are both so intrinsically human and have such vital roles in the community that, well. . .

It will be a very interesting dynamic for character development.

Because there will be character development, believe me.

My only concern is with Charlotte. Since she’s such an Ace reporter, should our lovely Creator bump into them, well I mean it’s a scoop but it will also rock the foundations of Teyvat and might lead to ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ .

But I do have a couple of ideas for an extra featuring her. No promises though!

However since you are a fontainian I do feel the need to warn you of the oncoming weather.

I fear once the Fontaine arc begins you’d best shut your doors and prepare for rain.

[trashcanlore]

Kabbalah in the Worldbuilding of Genshin Impact; Part 1: The Tree of Life, the Universe, and Everything

Edited for clarity, 12/6/23

Written by Schwan (@abyssalschwan on twitter) and Sabre (trashcanlore, @paimoff on twitter)

During the Sumeru Archon Quests, we learned that the Irminsul is a (real! (ish)) tree that grows upside down, seemingly underground, and that the roots of the tree are the Ley Lines, which extend throughout Teyvat and the Abyss. Irminsul stores all knowledge and memories in the world, and the Ley Lines are the mechanism by which the tree acquires this information. Ley Lines move elemental energy through Teyvat, and this energy acts as both a storage medium for information but also a resource that can be utilized for combat, alchemy, an energy source (Azosite), etc. 

The origin of the name Irminsul (unique to the Western localizations) in combination with the many names from Norse mythology associated with Khaenri'ah, suggest that the inspiration for Irminsul is Yggdrasil, the world tree and central axis of the cosmos in Norse mythology. Here we propose an additional inspiration for Irminsul and the associated worldbuilding and elemental system of Teyvat: The Kabbalistic Tree of Life. In this model, Teyvat’s elemental energy is comparable to the creative energy described by Kabbalah as the foundation for the creation of reality and the spiritual world. Specific attributes of elemental energy can be channeled by unique individuals in Teyvat and these attributes manifest as distinct elements, which can be directly compared to the 10 sefirot, or emanations, described in Kabbalistic literature.

What is Kabbalah?

Kabbalah (lit. received, tradition) is a school of thought originating in Jewish mysticism. In general, Kabbalah focuses on the relationship between the infinite (God) and the finite universe and how it was created. The goal of studying this mysticism can vary depending on the school of thought and their motivations. Many of the esoteric and religious influences on Genshin lore and worldbuilding were influenced by Kabbalah, or vice versa. These include Gnosticism, Hermeticism, alchemy, Freemasonry, the occultist branches of Theosophy and Thelema (Golden Dawn), astrology, symbolic interpretation of the tarot (also specific to the Golden Dawn) and more [2]. In short, Kabbalah is everywhere. Additionally, its concepts are used as symbolism in several pieces of media that directly or indirectly inspired Genshin and other games in the Hoyoverse.

If you have frequented Genshin lore topics, you might have heard that one of the main sources of inspiration for its worldbuilding is Gnosticism. The problem is, Gnosticism is a bit vague or contradictory when it comes to how the world was created and how the whole existence thing works. At this current moment in the storyline of Genshin, we have very little information on the very beginning of existence in Teyvat. This information seems to be a crucial part of the “truth of the world” and appears to be purposefully hidden by powerful factions like Celestia. This entire theory was born out of trying to make sense of what little we know about the creation of Teyvat and comparing it to esoteric commentaries on the well known creation myth of the Torah (Old Testament). The “Biblical world structure” interpretation of Teyvat has been around since the early days of Genshin lore and with good reason; there are frequent mentions of the firmament, as well as the name Teyvat sounding very similar to the Biblical Hebrew word for ‘ark’ (although the grammar is a bit mangled). There are also several references to stories from the Bible in in-game texts, including Before Sun and Moon.  

Kabbalah literature spends a lot of time trying to understand and describe the process of how the world was created and the underlying principles of reality, as well as how spiritual practice can change that reality (either metaphorically or literally). Kabbalah intends to describe the “true nature of God,” which is equal to the entirety of existence, as something very vast and completely impossible to grasp. This incomprehensible infinity emits an ��limitless light” that is the origin of all creation. Elemental energy (the ubiquitous source of everything in Teyvat) is often found compared to light, something we’ll discuss in more detail later. The “limitless light” of Kabbalah is way too powerful for existence to bear, much like how elemental energy is to normal, non-Vision having humans. That’s why this light needed to be “filtered” down. This happens through the process of creation, which passes the light through the spiritual attributes that form the Tree of Life, which is like a sort of diagram for how the universe came into being [3].

The Tree of Life

The tree of life and its 10+ nodes, known as sefirot, is one of the most well-known concepts from Kabbalah to make its way into popular culture. As mentioned previously, the tree has been used as rule-of-cool symbolism in anime such as Neon Genesis Evangelion and Fullmetal Alchemist, two pieces of media that likely are significant influences on Genshin (If you doubt that HYV loves NGE, play some Honkai). The sefirot are also depicted on the floor of the Schicksal HQ map in Honkai Impact 3rd, for some reason.

The sefirot and their organization and interactions with each other can be found depicted in many ways, such as the tree format that is the most popular, or a spiraling nested scheme that is really cool, or even very stylized, like the work of Robert Fludd.

Sefirot

Sefirot comes from the root word in Hebrew meaning “to count,” but you can also find it translated as “sphere” in some texts. The term originated in a book on Jewish mysticism called the Sefer Yetzirah, or “Book of Formation/Creation.” which describes the combination of the “sefirot of nothingness” and the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet as the foundation of reality (remember the hypostasis codenames?). 

The Sefer HaBahir (lit. the book of brightness, 13th century France) introduces the idea that the sefirot are emanations of the divine. Interestingly, this book refers to the sefirot as ma’amarot (sayings), which builds on an important concept in classical Jewish philosophy – the idea that God spoke the world into existence. [We’ll get back to the Sefer Yetzirah and the role of language in creating the world in a subsequent part of this theory]. Fontaine 4.2 era edit: HELL YEAH stay tuned for more about Oceanids!!

Historically, Kabbalah might have taken this rough concept from a very different school of thought: Pythagoreans or neo-Platonists. Briefly, the connection between the Pythagoreans and the Kabbalistic sefirot is that both groups considered the world as being made of numbers. This ties back into Genshin worldbuilding because of how much Platonism is related to Gnosticism. Something else to keep in mind is that Pythagoreans (who had a cool history that connected Egypt and Greece to the magic of ✨math✨ but also hey Genshin lore hello Deshret) were known to use lyres as their instrument of choice while making mathematical studies of music. More sus Venti lore for the collection? This is also interesting to consider in the context of Nahida, who is deeply connected to the Irminsul, and has animations that are reminiscent of computers.

Later in the 13th century, the Kabbalist Isaac the Blind would 'canonize' the list of sefirot (there’s still some variation to this day) and organize them into a sequence that would become the basis for the famous Tree of Life structure. His writings described the sefirot as attributes of the divine and their role in the creation of the world. In his model, the sefirot originated from lights that emerged from a primordial soup of potential, and these sefirot/lights would then ‘flow’ and emanate into each other. His student, Azriel of Gerona, expanded on this with a neo-Platonic lens and introduced the concept of the Ein Sof, the infinite nothingness that cannot be comprehended and is the origin of everything. In this model, being flows from an infinite resource of potential, which the divine can utilize through the framework of the sefirot, eventually creating the world [4]. In simple terms, the Ein Sof, which contains everything, emits a primordial light that then differentiates into the sefirot. In our Genshin analogy, this primordial light would be like extremely pure elemental energy that differentiates into elements, like light passing through a prism.

Moses Cordovero, an important figure in the development of Kabbalah, described the process of the sefirot differentiating with the analogy of light shining through a stained glass window: 

Imagine a ray of sunlight shining through a stained-glass window of ten different colors. The sunlight possesses no color at all but appears to change hue as it passes through the window. The light has not essentially changed though it seems so to the viewer. Just so with the sephirot. The light that clothes itself in the vessels of the sephirot is the essence, like the ray of sunlight. That essence does not change color at all, neither judgment nor compassion, neither right nor left. Yet by emanating through the sephirot -- the variegated stained glass -- judgment or compassion prevails. (Pardes Rimmonim by Moses Cordovero, translated in Essential Kabbalah by Daniel Matt)

Cordovero considered the sefirot to be completely independent of each other, but the later Lurianic school of Kabbalah (we’ll get into them more in later parts) considered the sefirot to be constantly dynamically interacting with each other and also assigned them personas. 

Achievement grinders amongst us may recall the descriptions of the namecards you get upon completing the Elemental Specialist achievement series:

Achievement: Colors of the Rainbow: Light can refract into countless colors, but people stop at seven because they're too lazy to count. Perhaps the elements are like that, too. Achievement: Seven Lights: Anyone can play a tune that belongs just to them, and like the dew under grass, can reflect the seven lights of heaven. 

Another example of the elements being compared to light is the Latin text found on the magic circles on the door of Mona’s future house in Mondstadt and generated by the hypostases during their missile attacks. The text reads:

Ex culmine lucis in magno elementorum, which translates to "From the peak of light, to greatness of the elements."

It’s interesting to see this text appearing in association with the hypostases since they are described as “life forms which have completely abandoned their former appearance and biological structure, making them able to reach the highest level of elemental purity. They are ultra-compact structures with a high mass, and are the highest forms of elemental structures.” The hypostasis code names are also all Hebrew letters, as mentioned earlier.

Mona’s astrolabe during the Unreconciled Stars event features a similar text:

Ex culmine locis in magno elementorum; Lux se effundat in mentes dei, which translates to "From the peak of light, to the greatness of the elements; May light pour out, into the minds of god."

The Abyss Lector catalysts contain a text that mirrors these two examples:

Ex culmine lucis in mango obscuritas. Lux se effundat in mentes abysso, or “From the peak of light, to the greatness of darkness. May light pour out into the minds of the abyss.”  

The Genshin elements are also described as flowing. For example, a loading screen tip specifically describes the Ley Lines as “A mysterious network that links the whole world together, within which flow the elements.”  The Silver Twig description states: "All knowledge, memory, and experience flow through this giant tree, just like a stream flows into a river, the river joins a sea, the sea turns into clouds, and the clouds rain onto the ground — just like life itself."

Sefirot and the Genshin Elemental System

The 10 (sometimes 11) sefirot are: 

Keter: Crown (this one is even more symbolic that the rest, is described as “the most hidden of all hidden things" in the Zohar, represent things that are above the mind’s comprehension and the very beginning of the process of turning potential into reality)

Chokhmah: Wisdom

Binah: Understanding/Reasoning

(Da’at: Knowledge, as a fusion of Chokhmah and Binah)

Chesed: Loving Kindness or Mercy

Gevurah: Strength/Severity, (sometimes Din, Judgement, or Pachad, Fear)

Tiferet: Beauty/Harmony, is associated with balance of the Tree of Life

Netzach: Eternity/Endurance

Hod: Splendor/Glory

Yesod: Foundation (as in, foundation of reality)

Malkhut: Kingdom/Sovereignty

You’ve probably noticed by now that while we are claiming that the concept of the sefirot applies to the elemental system in Genshin, there are 10 sefirot and only 7 elements (for now). Fortunately for us, the Kabbalists love metaphors and categories. In addition to the sefirot representing the procedure used to ‘emanate’ and create the world, there are other methods of interpretation that further subdivide and rank the sefirot. For example, one metaphorical interpretation of the Tree of Life assigns each of the sefirot to a part of the human body.

In some Kabbalistic traditions of interpreting the tree, the 10 sefirot are divided into two categories: Intellect (Keter, Binah, Chokhmah) and Emotions (they’re actually more like character traits), which contains the remaining seven. These categories are meant to parallel how the soul is also divided into the intellect and emotional components. The first three sefirot are also referred to as the “three mothers,” because they are the source of the lower seven [5].

Having a group of seven sefirot is very convenient for comparing their traits to the elements and their ideals, but what about the role of the higher three in Genshin worldbuilding? This next section requires a bit more conjecture than some other comparisons here.

The source of all elemental energy in Teyvat, whatever that actually is, could be compared to Keter (crown), the most hidden and incomprehensible of the sefirot. (Big stretch, but think of the crowns over the Irminsul trees in domains.)

Next, we have the Ley Lines, which contain dreams and memories (these are basically the same in Teyvat, see Dream Solvent description), and these can be compared to Binah (understanding/reasoning) and Chokhmah (wisdom). During the Sumeru Archon Quest, Rukkhadevata says that dreams are the source of the wisdom she upheld as her ideal. Memories play an important role in discerning the truth of the world, as the traveler has now found themselves to be the only person to remember certain people/events, and has been told to trust their memories rather than what they can see.

Comparison of the 'Lower' Sefirot to the Genshin Elements and Their Ideals

Chesed (loving-kindness); Cryo (unknown, theorized to be love)

The Cryo Archon’s ideal is theorized to be love, as it’s the only characteristic mentioned in relation to her in the Travail trailer. Wanderer’s voiceline about her directly mentions love and describes her as being kind and benevolent, while Childe describes her as extremely gentle. These are the characteristics of Chesed, which represents the trait of completely selfless love: the all forgiving, all giving love of a god towards their creations. When it comes to the Cryo element itself, two things are worth mentioning: one is the way that all of Snezhnaya is perpetually covered in snow, as if this were the (ironic) physical expression of the Tsaritsa’s love blanketing them. The second is the promise of a world-encompassing snowstorm that will envelop everything as the Fatui advance on their war against Celestia. Although it’s hard to find one absolute constant in Vision granting stories, it’s notable that most Cryo users got their Vision at a moment when they had to selflessly be there for others (Diona, Chongyun, Mika), or after a decisive moment where they put aside their personal comfort for an ideal that would result in benefit for others (Kaeya, Eula, Layla).

Gevurah (Severity); Hydro (Justice)

Gevurah is associated with divine judgment, the kind that punishes humanity and causes world-altering catastrophes like the flood or the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden. The Hydro Archon organizing her nation around a Court that attempts to judge both deities and humans parallels this. In a more positive sense, Gevurah is also related to moral judgment that allows one to tell good from evil. Likewise, Hydro in-game is often associated with purity and separation of clean and unclean matter. When it comes to Hydro Vision wielders, one common characteristic is that they all live by a personal ethical code, and their commitment to it is what granted them their Vision.

Tiferet (Beauty/Harmony); Anemo (Freedom)

Tiferet balances the other sefirot on the tree and has direct connections to almost all of them (except for Malkut). Similarly, Anemo can facilitate many elemental reactions via its Swirl reaction. In our opinion, something almost all the Anemo characters share is that their moment of receiving a Vision coincides with a moment of balance and harmony with themselves or their environment. See Jean and Kazuha’s Vision stories and the cutscene where Scaramouche/Wanderer gets his Vision. As an aside, comparing harmony to Anemo is funny because Venti is a bard and harmony is also a musical term: in music theory, harmony is the way we analyze the interactions between different voices that can be heard at the same time.  

Netzach (Eternity); Electro (Eternity)

The quality of “Eternity” in Netzach is related to victory against enemies, referring to eternity as being the most powerful combatant remaining among defeated adversaries. Likewise, in Genshin the story of the Electro Archon features many battles during the Archon War where Ei and Makoto ended up victorious. As for Electro users tend to have their Vision granted at a moment when their ambition “defeated” the obstacles of reality, as was the case with Fischl, Kuki and Lisa. Cyno’s Vision story makes sense when you compare it to the illumination of Buddha during meditation, and how this was victory over the temptation of the demon Mara.

Hod (Glory); Pyro (War)

Natlan and its Pyro Archon are possibly the most mysterious of all the regions, so we can only speculate. We know that the Pyro Archon is called the God of War, and that the Pyro Gemstone mentions battles, pilgrimages and truth. The sefira of Hod, translated as Glory or Splendor, is linked to being able to connect with God and therefore also associated with prophecy (as in the way a human can carry a message from God). In the Travail trailer, the Pyro Archon tells the traveler that “the rules of war are woven in the womb.” It's also theorized Natlan will be based on Mexica culture (where sacrifice of both enemies and self sacrifice was a way to connect with the gods) and via Iansan's name, the Caribbean diaspora version of Yoruba religion (where many rites involve the gods making themselves present in the material world). 

Yesod (Foundation); Dendro (Wisdom)

Back when we started to think about this theory during version 2.8, we decided on Yesod largely via process of elimination. One piece of our rationale was that in the Jewish tradition, each of the lower seven sefirot are used to represent a primary personality trait of seven archetypal figures in the Torah. The person related to Yesod is Joseph, who is well known for his prophetic dreams, and because of the events of the Golden Apple Archipelago, we decided that was close enough. However, the 3.x version confirmed that a) Irminsul did actually exist, b) Dendro as an element has a deep relationship with the tree, with the Dendro Archon acting as its avatar, c) the ideal of wisdom as both Dendro Archons interpreted it has a lot to do with dreams, and d) Irminsul and the Ley Lines act as the foundation for how reality is perceived in Teyvat. Yesod is also associated with biological life, as it represents the reproductive organs in the human body scheme of the sefirot.

Malkut (Kingship); Geo (Contracts)

Malkut is associated with the connection between the spiritual "above" of the Tree of Life and the concepts it contains, and the "below" of the material world, where these concepts manifest into material reality. For this reason, Malkut is associated with the earth [6]. In many Geo item descriptions, like the Geo Hypostasis drop or Albedo's elemental skill, the motif of geo trying to reach the sky is a constant. From a religious POV, the relationship between the divine and humans living in the material world has also been one of "covenants," or "pacts", in a similar way to how the Geo Archon is the God of Contracts. Furthermore, contracts are the basis to have a working state (government), and a kingdom is one of the first forms of a state. Malkut also being related to earth and everything material parallels how Geo is an element that works in making constructs. Geo Vision users are likewise involved in making or maintaining structures, like the Knights of Favonius is for Noelle, or the tradition of alchemy is to Albedo, as well as opera to Yunjin and in a way, even the Oni identity for Itto.

The Origin of Evil and Why Irminsul is Upside Down

Tighnari tells us that Irminsul is a tree that “grows downward rather than upwards,” or in other words, it’s upside down. This isn’t the only time that we’ve encountered things in Teyvat being described as upside-down or mirrored, and as it turns out, there is a similar scenario described in Kabbalah. Throughout Kabbalistic discussions on the origin of evil in the world (both material and spiritual), a central idea developed is the existence of a mirrored or inverse Tree of Life that forms the demonic realm of evil. The Zohar, a foundational work of Kabbalistic literature, spends a considerable time discussing the origins of evil - there are more than 5 creation myths for the concept of evil! Two of these myths describe the formation of an inverse Tree of Life, called the Sitra Achra (literally “other side”). This tree is constructed out of corrupted fragments of divinity that did not make it through the creation process, and therefore became evil forces [7]. Evil is typically represented as either a shard (like of broken pottery) or as a husk/shell (Qlippoth in Hebrew). Sound familiar? We actually have an enemy with this name in-game; the "shadowy husks" (the CN name for these enemies literally translates to "empty shell"). 

Unlike the very well defined 10 sefirot of the Tree of Life, Kabbalists don't agree about the identities or number of the demons that form the Sitra Achra. Some names for these demons are consistent; such as  Lilith, Samael, and Asmodeus, who make a sort of "mother, father, son" trio. As for the rest, scholars generally agree that Kabbalists blended traditions from nearby cultures depending on where they lived, leading to Arabic, Spanish and Germanic legends mixing into the Jewish tradition [8]. There's a strong possibility Hoyoverse did something similar and filled in the missing names with the names of the demons of the Ars Goetia, creating a system where the mirrored sefirot are “ruled” by demon gods, aka, the Archons. This implies that the reason Teyvat is upside down is because it is actually on the “other side.”

Neuvillette, About Us: Witness: Since you hail from beyond the stars, I invite you to be my witness as I judge this upended world…”Though we live in a world of disarray, I shall undertake to restore all that has been broken”. 

[Fun Fact: The Zohar describes the construction of the Sitra Achra as a series of knots that arrange the demonic equivalent of sefirot, called either crowns or “breaths,” into a mirrored Tree of Life configuration [7]. ]

The primary goal of the Sitra Achra is to steal and absorb the divine energy of the Tree of Life to maintain its existence, in the hopes of gaining enough energy to destabilize the system [9]. The way Genshin's Archons use their Gnoses is similar to this system. In the Flower of Paradise Lost artifact lore, the Goddess of Flowers explains to Deshret and Rukkhadevata that when the Seelie race was disgraced, they lost their connection to Heaven and their power of "enlightenment". Later, Celestia would facilitate the Archon War with the promise that each winning god would be granted a Gnosis that would give them exceptional power. Both Nahida and Venti have described the Gnoses as being a very advanced tool that concentrates elemental energy. So far, Archons have had inherent elemental powers related to their nature, but when it comes to using large amounts of elemental energy through their Gnoses, they aren't creators but channelers of it, just at a much larger scale than humans who have Visions. Edit: and yes, there is the most recent revelation about the origin of the Gnoses that is extremely relevant to this comparison, but deserves its own space to be properly expanded on.

However, this doesn't mean Teyvat is condemned. Just as the Traveler has slowly been setting the chaos of elemental energy back into order (by, for example, returning the elemental Oculi to the Statue of the Seven, among many other things), so too is there a concept in Kabbalah describing the importance of righting the wrongs of the universe so that the sefirot are stable and creation is in harmony with the divine. This is called Tikkun Olam, or the repairing of the world.

Stay tuned for part 2 where we go into wayyyyy more detail about what this means for the Traveler's journey through Teyvat! 4.2 Edit: and of course will we will be talking about the most recent Gnosis revelation, as well as the Narzissenkreuz Ordo antics :D

References:

https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/170308/jewish/What-is-Kabbalah.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermetic_Qabalah

Kabbalah - Origins of the Sefirot and Tree of Life - Isaac the Blind Saggi Nehor & Azriel of Gerona

Mystical Concepts in Chassidism - Schochct, Jacob Immanuel, chapter 2

  Mystical Concepts in Chassidism - Schochct, Jacob Immanuel pg 66-67, Tanya ch. 3

Rebbe Nachman of Breslov, Likutey Moharan I, 12:1 via Wikipedia

The Origins of the Klippot / Qliphoth & Sitra Achra in the Zohar - Kabbalah on the Problem of Evil

https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/demons-and-demonology

9. Evil in Early Kabbalah - Emanations of the Left Hand Side - Origins of the Qliphoth / Klippot

[ymechi]

Yandere creator reader

I did not think I would write anything for this blorbo I had but so many people liked and I got inspiration from the comments! Thank you everyone for the support!

-TW: Death, Gore, Dying in various ways, Torture

-Gn reader (I tried my best I hope it turned out gender neutral, please tell me if I did it wrong)

-English is not my first language and I have no beta/editor please tell me if I make any mistakes

You knew this was unhealthy, that this would make your issues worse but the loneliness was gnawing at you. It started small, just a mere speck but the spore grew more and more rotting your foundation. You found yourself often alone while your peers had connections, bonds, and kinship. 

You had no one.

You tried so hard to make connections, yet you could not make that chain connect to the other person click. You wallowed in your own misery for a while, instead you filled your whole with fiction and fantasies. There at least in your mind you could construct those bonds and wouldn’t those made in your mind be stronger than those in reality?

You stumbled upon the game on chance. It was a coincidence but soon it became an addiction. Everything about the game captivated you. You loved the art, the gameplay the lore and of course the characters. You just adored these pixels on the screen, each and every one of them. You had none that you disliked. You cried and laughed at their stories and tried to get through every quest for their sake, you even got a part-time job so you could spend and *own* them all.

As you get more and more characters you are determined to build everyone, no one will be left behind. 

You knew this was unhealthy and that this would contribute to your already waning social life and loneliness but you had no other outlet, no other hobbies. 

You were still a respectable functioning member of society gacha game addiction aside, so no one bothered you or questioned you. 

Then one day you woke up in Teyvat. 

You thought it was a hallucination, it should be a hallucination perhaps this was your cue to finally go to a therapist and talk about your problems. You were beginning to see delusions-

Except it all felt so real, the leaves between your fingers, the wind softly caressing your face, and the ground beneath you was steady holding your weight. 

You could feel a chain connecting you to Teyvat with a click.

This was your first real connection to someone, you could feel your face aching from your pleased smile.

You thought hopefully, perhaps, just perhaps you would be able to meet the characters. You know you were not some main character protagonist but just maybe you could become acquaintances and maybe friends? Hope blossomed inside of your chest and your heart beat faster.

If this was a dream you did not want to wake up.

This was a nightmare and you wanted to wake up.

That was your thoughts as an arrow hit you right in the throat, you wanted to scream but all you could muster was a gurgle. You know who shot this it was Venti - Barbatos- the anemo archon, with the same bow you had given him. You did not understand why he did that. 

Was it you? Did you offend him? Why did he kill you when all you wanted to say was that you loved him.

You love love love love-

It was your last thought before you died.

Yet you woke up again.

Once again you died though this time a spear right through your heart, it was vortex vanquisher. You could not even utter a word shock seeping right through your body. 

I love you, love you, love you, so why?

Your next death happened in a fury of storms, your body electrocuted and charred. 

I still love you, love you, love you.

It went on and on, revival and rebirth. Deconstruction and reconstruction. You could not think clearly anymore, days bleeding together, helplessly wandering. You wondered if there was an end to this.

The same people who killed you were the ones you helped build once upon a time through a glass screen. They spoke of a creator up in Celestia whom they loved and who loved them. Who built them and made them stronger, that you were an impostor wearing their skin.

You did not think yourself capable of stealing a god's face. You were born this way. You wondered if you had hallucinated your previous life. It all sounds and feels so surreal. Yet the love you had for them as pixels on a screen lingered and remained even as you died again and again.

The only link, your only chain, your bond to Teyvat was your only solace. 

Then one day the blood that splattered the ground turned golden and your murderers dear characters' faces turned shocked and horrified. 

You yourself did not comprehend what was happening one day you were wearing rags, tired and cold the next you were sitting on a throne, cleaned and adorned in jewels. 

Some tried talking to you but you were far out of your mind.

Then one day you heard someone crying. You curiously asked them why. Through their sobs you heard them asking for forgiveness.

Why?

They looked at you in sadness when you asked why. You approached them and softly whispered in their ear. 

”I love you so much, there is no need to ask for forgiveness.”

Through everything your love still remained. It was the only thing that still remained from the old you. Yet the chain still would not click to link you together. 

You went and grabbed a fruit knife near the table and looked at the person, your acolyte.

”Yet I would hate it if you looked at anyone other than me.”

They screamed as you stabbed their eyes, tears and blood flowing down their beautiful face. 

Now finally the chain clicked and linked them to you.

You were overflowing with happiness and love and you wanted to share that with the rest. 

Taglist: @eccedentesiast-sapphic @d0rmiens-fact0rem (sorry i thought you might be interested in this, if not i apologize)

[danganronpadedication]

DAY 3: DANGANTOBER

Day 3: Favorite THH Character Makoto Naegi is a cutie patootie. End post.

No, but in all seriousness, I love Makoto. I know I spent the majority of last post ranting about how much I love Hajime, but that doesn't mean I love Makoto any less.

I'll be real, I love the THH cast, so it was very difficult to pick a favorite from that group. I was between Celestia, Junko, Byakuya, and Makoto, but Makoto's who I went with. Like with Hajime, I was worried that Makoto would just be an self-insert character, and in-game, he kind of is? But people also misremember him in game. People characterize him all the time as non-confrontational, and just a hopeful, positive person, but he's a lot more nuanced than that.

Let's not forget that Makoto tried to throw hands with Monokuma more than once, that's pretty confrontational to me. While he puts up a front of a positive, hopeful person, he also has his moments of being affected by everything that's happened to him. Seriously, replay the game, he's got a lot more bite to him.

He's the kind of person I'd want to be friends with, he's a very sweet person, who's not afraid to throw down for the people he cares about.

I also really like his sibling relationship with Komaru. If you skipped UDG, I don't blame you, but aside from the obviously weird things happening in that game, there's also a lot of world building and substance. Maybe watch a playthrough, cringe with whoever's playing it, and get that good lore.

You can see it in the anime too, he just lights up when he sees Komaru's transmission go through, because it's confirmation that he still has her around. Up until that point, he wasn't sure if his family was still around, and now he knows he still has his sister. It's very sweet, and the way he has so much faith in her, and knows she's capable to do whatever it is she needs to do.

But it's The End of Hope's Peak anime that really does it in for me, and cements him as one of my favorite characters. I get it, I'm basic. But one of the bigger points I see get brought up about Makoto, is that they don't really explore the trauma that would go along with being in a game like that. Which is false, but it's definitely something the game doesn't really focus on for the sake of plot.

But in the anime, you can really see how much that affects him. Makoto Naegi suffers from survivor's guilt, and it's so incredibly potent. That moment made me so sad, I had to close my computer and actually GO TO SLEEP? That can't be right. Granted, I watched that episode at like, 2AM, but rewatching it in the morning hit just as hard.

Like with Nagito, Bryce Papenbrook really gives his all for Makoto, including in the anime. You hear it all the time, whether he's just giving someone a pep talk, or reacting to the newest death in the game. He's smarter than people give him credit for, like in the fight with Munakata, he figures out his forbidden action and traps him in a situation where he needs to sit down and talk with him, all on his own. I'd say he's more emotionally intelligent, but he's definitely got brains in his little noggin.

Please, I want his Nendoroid so badly. I own a plushie of him in Future Arc, I bought it at a local fair, and he's my prized possession.

On the topic of emotional intelligence, he's very forgiving and compassionate too. One thing you should know about me, is that I love the SDR2 cast, including when they're the Remnants of Despair. They're cool, their designs are cool, and they're CRIMINALLY underused. Makoto is the one who was able to see past the people they had become, and see the hurt people underneath. Most of the world had written them off as despair-laden monsters, but Makoto actually went against the wants of the Future Foundation in order to rehabilitate them.

Even if it causes him issues, Makoto is very caring and will do what's right. His sense of morality is one that is evidently difficult to skew.

And finally, he's a cutie patootie. The rest of this post will be GIFs of him looking adorable.

Lord, let me pinch his cheeks.

-Mod Tsumugi

[roxyandtheroxies]

I’m obsessed with the idea of Rainbow Dash accidentally discovering and reading The Ego and Its Own and becoming a Stirnerite:

Rainbow Dash: "Everypony always tells me I have a big ego... sweet!"

A week later

Rainbow Dash, now wearing Stirner’s glasses, calmly trots through the park until Scootaloo runs into her.

Scootaloo: "Hey, Rainbow Dash! I haven’t seen you in a while. How’ve you been? :D"

Rainbow Dash: stares intently "Are you still trapped under the dogmatic spell of your cutie mark? Don’t you feel like the social conditioning tied to it forces you to follow its commands, instead of listening to your true self?"

Scootaloo: "I-i… Dash… WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?! D:"

Rainbow Dash: "Ah, you react with confusion. You don’t see how your short life has been controlled by spooks! Ghosts of the mind! Forces born from the decayed corpse of the Church, tricking you with promises of fulfilling your deepest desires, when instead you should become an idol unto yourself! Every time Celestia delivers a decree, it’s only clearer that her greatest conviction is not the boundless freedom of ourselves, but the belief that nopony can manage their own affairs! That if we did, it would tear apart the 'foundation of civilized society!' This so-called foundation is nothing more than the self-loathing of the working masses—the true producers and most capable organizers of Equestria—"

Scootaloo starts backing away slowly.

Rainbow Dash: "-but instead we’re taught to idolize her rule! It’s obvious, Scootaloo! Her power is a-"

Scootaloo runs for her life

Rainbow Dash: waves "Goodbye, Scoot! I just love that little crusader :)"

cinematic credits roll

Note: i need to take this version of the character further.

[mangoshibi]

The mastermind Hiro Au is never far from my mind and I've always wanted to take a crack at drawing survivors after high school and working at the future foundation. So here's Leon and Celestia. Leon works on the field using his skills to rescue other survivors, only ever taking a break for a fun baseball game to relax and boost the morale of others. Celestia's work involves calculating where to push the monokuma army back and attack. Her tactics involve high risk, but we all know she doesn't step down from a gamble. She also owns a castle used as a refugee camp/hospital for those rescued before they can be rehoused into a more comfortable community ( that is being built by Mondo, head of construction)

[shows-i-like]

Ugh, why does nobody talk about class 78 as the remnants like they would be so strong. Like you have people like chihiro, sayaka, mondo, kiyotaka, byakuya, and Sakura there who will carry everyone, and still everyone else could still be crazy good. Heck, even some like kyoko. Personally, I have trouble finding what she would do, but still, she could lead on fake cases. Makoto could do what monoka did when giving her speech to the monokumas, ect, like omg. Like, I always see an AU with V3, but THH would be wayyyyyy too overpowered. Like in the show I'd say 1. Have chihiro and Makoto be the first ones brainwashed into despair. Chihiro could easily make the despair video with ai and I say Makoto because he's the most hopeful of the class and like the glue for them so have the one person who keeps the class together fall into despair and rub onto everyone else will make everyone fall under it (plus taunting them with past trauma/insecurities and the despair ai video). Like Sakura and mondo are terrifying they're so physically strong same with aoi like she could make a swimming league to guard the coast of the seas. Like celestia could use the money she gets from gambling to fund those crazy executions like in the games to creativity execute people. Makoto knows how to put up a debate and convince people and add that with despair could easily get followers and his luck could turn good for him (i.e like he does something then something desaterious happened around him) so good for him because despair but bad for eveyone else. Toko and hifumi i saw someone say that they could make fake news so nobody would trust the news. kiyotaka could take over and then a whole ahhh dictatorship going on. Chihiro could hack into the future foundation AND governments. sayaka is soooo popular she's the Beyonce and Taylor swift of danganronpa. Like yes class 77 was crazy but the fact that basically all of class 78 is so famous and they all have talents/abilities/power to do all that is insane.

[icefeather22]

Posted Day 7 for Celeshiro Week!

Prompt: Reunion

Relationships: Fujisaki Chihiro/Celestia Ludenberg

Fic Summary: Works for the Celeshiro Week from July 5 to July 11 + Free day.

Chapter Summary: Working with the Future Foundation, Chihiro is reunited with the one he expected the least; Celestia Ludenberg.

Warnings: Implied/Non-explicit murder.

Stay tuned for Free Day!!

[doctordeathawaits]

Dear Death,

I have seen the tips you have given others and have used a few of the myself, but I was wondering if you have tips for transblack transitioning? I would greatly appreciate whatever you can gather, especially when you're doing such a big service for so many in just a span of days!

Sincerely, with love, Princess Celestia☀️

gasp a real honour !

TRANS - BLACK ...

I feel like this is highly important - learn about the culture - Black people have a beautiful culture and long history that's worth looking into .

Appearance wise - try getting a perm , black people have beautiful curly hair , getting a little bit of a perm can help with euphoria .

You can also get wigs that are type 4 hair , there are many ranges - from 4a to 4c , ranging in length and style < 3 Although you do not need curly hair , as straightening is quite popular , there are many tutorials of how to style edges < 3

Regarding skin , fake tans are a very good options ! There are tinted ones that really last long that I suggest . As time goes on you can try tanning in the sun , especially since summer is near - remember to stay safe and use sunscreen < 3

Using makeup ! Using a foundation that's a little darker and using it on your face and neck can help appear darker ! Bronzer can also help while using highlighter to exaggerate your wanted features .

Hope these have helped even just a little bit < 3 Happy transitioning < 3