#lore exploration thing

[therosefrontier]

No. 8: “I’ve got soul, but I’m not a soldier.”

Overcrowded ER | Outnumbered | “It’s all for nothing.”

+++

Fandom: Genshin Impact

Characters: Bosacius, Boyang, plus mentioned Alatus (Xiao), Menogias, Indarius, Bonanus

Placement?: canon lore backstory, the Cataclysm

Word Count: 1538

+++

He did not remember much, but he knew enough to know that what he was doing was right.

He had been wandering the land without aim—he was not sure where he had been, only that he had no purpose for being there. He was drawn to this place by the sound and smell of battle. It pulled him, invigorated him. He saw a great Chasm in the earth, monsters spewing from it like a flood. An army stood before the gap and fought the monsters, held the line. He thought that he would join this army of humans, or perhaps, he thought nothing at all. He only did. He came down, and he fought. Fighting was right; fighting was what he was meant to do. With the battle, came bits of clarity. He had been a warrior, once. He was sure of this. He knew that it had been a long time ago, and that many years of Nothing lay in between, but he knew that these humans were his allies. It was right that he should fight with them.

He was a yaksha, and he had no name. He knew that he had one, once, but not anymore. No, no, that wasn’t right—he did not lose his name, he only forgot it. Those two things were not the same. He was a yaksha with a name, who was once called a name by others. No one could take his name from him. No one.

Many ages ago, a four-armed yaksha lay on a battlefield, covered in blood. He was a warrior, but he was not free. A god found him. Forced him to a purpose. Chains hung from every wrist. He was destined to be a sacrifice today, but he did not die. What should he do, since he did not die?

“Do you have a name?” a hooded figure, clad in Geo from neck to fingertips, reached out his hand.

To give a name was a dangerous thing. However, he did not have one. If he did, it was taken from him.

They called him “yaksha,” or the “four-armed yaksha,” or the “purple yaksha,” or the “nameless yaksha.” He was fine with this. He had no memories to share with them, only instinct. He would drive off these hoards, and he would protect this land.

Much of this army of humans would die, however. The hoards were unrelenting, just like the gods and their armies of many years before. He knew that he had fought gods before, although he didn’t remember when. He knew this must be a lot like those days, an army against an army, except that their enemies had no god to lead them, no direction, no purpose except to kill. That made them easier to kill, in turn. They were disorganized. However, they were also strong. Many humans were killed. The monsters outnumbered them, and with every human that died, they would outnumber them even more, screaming cries of bloodlust into the dark cavern and pushing relentlessly to the sky above. The monsters kept coming. So, he would stay. As long as this tired army was here, so would he. No, even if they weren’t here, he would be. This was what he should do.

“They keep coming…” a soldier spoke to his comrades, his eyes wide with horror even while they sat by the campfire in between waves, polearms close by their sides as they waited for the call that would tell them to get up and fight again, because the enemy was upon them. “What if we can’t make it? This could all be for nothing…they won’t stop until every one of us is dead…”

“What!? Don’t talk like that!” his comrade grew angry with him quickly.

“I don’t want that to happen! But we…we have to do something. Something different. If we just keep going like this…we won’t stop them. It’ll just be a waste.”

“We should follow orders,” another one said calmly. “Trust that they will know what to do.”

“But we need so much more… where’s Rex Lapis? He called us here, but shouldn’t he be here? He always fought by the Milleleth’s side in the past, hasn’t he? I wonder why he isn’t here now. Surely, this disaster is just as great as the Archon War…”

“We should trust Rex Lapis. I am sure that, wherever he is, he is fighting too. We’ve seen no enemy gods commanding this hoard, haven’t we? Perhaps, there is a reason for that. We should trust.”

The yaksha stood behind the group, and he listened. Rex Lapis…he knew this name. Yes, he knew it very well, he thinks. Rex Lapis was…someone very good. Yes, someone very good indeed.

The horn was sounded when the next wave came. The men put down their food and extinguished their fires, and they took to arms. The three men who he watched discuss their fears all similarly ran into the fray without restraint. Every one of them died, that day. It was a terrible battle. But, the line still stood.

“Bosacius! Ah, there you are!” Indarias ran up to him, a smile on her face in spite of her chiding words. “Menogias was looking for you. Also, why are you still walking around with open wounds like that? Tsk, tsk, tsk. I can hear Guizhong now. She’ll shove more of her healing herbs at you.”

“Oh, yes, I am fine. I was patrolling…”

“Nope! You’re taking a break!” She grabbed one of his hands, the bandages wrapped around her arm flexing as she did so. “Come on!”

As his wounds grew deeper, and as blood and miasma clouded his gaze, he heard laughter.

Bright words, full of vigor, would be heard from his friends. That’s right—he had friends once. Indarias, Menogias, Bonanus, Alatus… what were their names again? He was certain he could see them here. He would call out for them, because obviously, if he was fighting, then they would be fighting too. They were always together. But then, he would forget. He would forget who he was calling for. He would forget their names. He forgot his name, too.

He heard screams, and his heart would be saddened to hear the screams of his friends, too. They fought a long, bitter battle. It tore them little by little, killing them more and more every time, until it was the end. Yes, all things must end. Even them. The darkness was a great, swallowing thing, just like the Chasm.

He left someone behind. Soon, he became sure of it. But who?

They made a decision. The battle must be won, and to win, they must use the compass, and seal this place for good. Some would have to be trapped down there. It needed the power of a yaksha and a human, a thaumaturge…so of course, he would not hesitate to offer. They must win. They must make sure that the sacrifices were not all for nothing. They must fight, so their homeland may live.

(Or perhaps, he knew it was the end, anyways. He knew nothing but battle. Especially now, when he knew so little at all. He knew only blood, so how could he leave it?)

He remembered now. There was someone he left behind. Alatus. He was the youngest among them, the last to take Rex Lapis’s hand. He had suffered very much…but he remembered his laughter, too. His smile. It did not come often, but it was never unnoticed. Not to him. He was sorry to leave Alatus behind. But he had faith in him. He was still alive—he knew it. He would live. He would see Liyue when it was whole, and happy. This would not all be for nothing.

“Brother! Brother, please…don’t die before me.”

Boyang had family. The yaksha asked him about them. He missed them, and the yaksha understood. He had forgotten about Alatus and about the ones who died for a very, very long time, but it was clearer now, and he knew that he missed them.

His body was giving out. The pain hardly registered, simply because he was very used to this, or perhaps because his mind was too far gone to pay such a thing any mind. But right then, before the end…he remembered again.

Alatus, Indarias, Bonanus, Menogias. His friends…no, his family. He saw their shadows waiting for him, just on the other side. He remembered a million memories all at once, remembered that he was happiest with them by his side. Painful flashes struck his soul, making him think of their suffering and death, but mostly, he remembered how they lived. Talking and laughing by the fire, food cooked in the wilderness, seeing the mountains like he had never seen them before, lighthearted antics when the days were bright. He also remembered long days of recovery after a difficult fight, dark nights of mourning a comrade’s loss, difficult discussions when they or their nation had to deal with some trial ahead…but in that, too, they lived. Because they were together.

There was always going to be a tomorrow. And tomorrow was worth fighting for.

It would not all be for nothing.

“I am Bosacius!” he said out loud, vigor filling his lungs even as his form became weak. He could see them. Menogias, Indarias, Bonanus. They were waiting for him. “And my duty…is to make the ultimate sacrifice!”

[vngful]

im sorry this made me laugh so f*cking hard i had to share it here too

[canisalbus]

I heard a while ago that Machete was a nickname/codename, is this true? Will we know his "real" name?

Yeah! It's what some of his colleagues started to call him, initially behind his back. Something between a mean-spirited nickname and a backhanded compliment that stuck.

Machete is very competent at his job as the Holy See's Secretary of State, believe it or not. Even those that have something against him have to admit that he isn't a complete waste of space. He's hardworking and diligent to an obsessive degree, and has developed a sort of a cold, ruthlessly efficient no-nonsense work persona. He's known for getting results, and can come across kind of intimidating and impersonal while doing it. The less charitable parts of the Curia view him and his willingness to work himself to the bone for the benefit of the Church as a useful but ultimately replaceable tool. He doesn't come from a noble family so he isn't anyone's priced heirloom sword, but he's excellent for clearing out obstacles while he's here.

[agentc0rn]

Happy 3rd year Pokemon Legends Arceus!

[girlbob-boypants]

Merrill using blood magic to cleanse the blight is insane given the lore that the blight is a manifestation of the Titan's torment nexus dreams. Lyrium is the blood of titans. It's a source of magic. Elves originate from the flesh of Titans. Blood magic can manipulate minds.

Something something the shared blood of two beings is used to soothe their anger. The Dalish fixing what their oppressors did to others.

[the-artist-grimm]

one thing im very complexed about is what were baal and ayms rection to narinder after getting resurected. surely they would feel a lot of anger towards him because of what he did.

When Aym and Baal are revived they’re more concerned for Narinder than anything else. Like how can their master, their father go from agonizing for MONTHS over ways to spare the lamb, to in the span of a single week telling them he’s found a way but not elaborating, looking completely heartbroken the next few days after, then when the day of reckoning finally comes telling the lamb in this muted, emotionless tone to sacrifice themselves out of the blue? It didn’t make sense. 

While Aym and Baal are 11 year old kids but they’re not stupid-they know this isn’t how their father usually acts, and something’s wrong. It's why they intentionally get hurt (and accidentally) die fighting Anthea, they're trying to snap him out of it since they didn't know what else to do since he didn't want to talk.

From there it takes 4 months to revive the twins-during that time their souls are trapped inside the gateway by the remains of Narinder's metaphysical chain. Not quite awake, but not quite asleep either-only able to tell they were alone until the voices of their parents wake them up before being yanked into the mortal realm. They’re scared, they’re shaken, they put brave faces on while dying yeah but they can feel the phantom of blade and mana caught in their flesh all over again, but their twin is beside them, and before they know it their Baba has them in their embrace wailing, yet their father is nowhere to be seen. 

Cue them being seemingly ok-ish (read: in shock) while being fussed over by Anthea for the rest of the day (given warm meals, constant hugs and kisses to the head, warm bubbly baths then a long brushing, soft nightgowns that smell like lanolin, all while their comfort kitten plushies they'd given the lamb a day prior to the betrayal in preparation for the 'move' have been returned to their arms), and while they keep asking what happened, the Lamb doesn’t know how to answer them anymore. A month before they would've said Narinder betrayed them all, but they're no longer sure anymore.

(Narinder betrayed them. He betrayed them, but then why did he help them with the resurrection? Why did he stabilize them as they struggled to break the chain, why did he lose sleep the whole week leading up just to help? Following their every word, their every order perfectly, never getting upset when they got snappy?  Why did he the leave the chapel without greeting the boys he mourned over. Why hasn't he tried to take back the crown since his arrival? Why isn’t he fighting them, angry, bitter, anything? Why is he making it so hard to hate and ignore him?)

Anthea eventually has to take the twins over to Narinder later that night since the nightmares are setting in now that the shock's worn off and they both wake up crying for him (they can’t remember the 4 months but that isolation left both with intense separation anxiety from both each other and their parents, and not having seen Narinder was really messing with them), and while that first reunion is them just launching themselves at him to cling to his nightshirt crying, followed by them then refusing to let Anthea leave either and thus both parents are stuck trying to get the boys to fall asleep in Narinder’s room, come morning they’ve calmed down enough that Anthea can leave to do cult things and they can question their father.

They just want to know what happened, and is he ok-he scared them by acting so strange and they're worried. Which kinda breaks Narinder a little because he left the chapel expecting that they hated him. That they wouldn’t want to see him since he betrayed Anthea, is the reason they died, and that their Baba deserved them more than him but here they are worried for him, and it’s the first time in months someone’s said they’re worried about him and he actually believes it. So he tells them everything.

He heard something he wasn't meant to hear, took it out of context, and in his fear over being betrayed again made a mistake. A mistake he thinks he can NEVER fix, and was a mistake he thinks he should NEVER be forgiven for. 

(He didn't trust them. Why didn't he trust them? The Lamb was his friend why would they ever betray him he's terrible Shamura was right to 'hate' him why can't everyone just abandon him already he doesn't understand-)

He thinks that’ll do it, but rather than the twins getting mad, it just clears up what they had already assumed-that something went wrong, and their dad thought he had no choice. They're not angry because he made a mistake since why should they? That just means he has to apologize.

It's that childishly innocent idea that all mistakes can be fixed by talking things out, and while it's more complicated than that, it does hold weight. Aym and Baal are the breaking of the cycle of hiding your emotions, hiding your pain, assuming the worst and self-loathing and destroying yourself as a result. The cycle of not talking to the people in your life and just letting things boil over. Narinder may have held back in some ways when raising them by not telling them to call him ‘dad’, but he raised them as he wished he’d been-teaching the twins that it’s ok to be hurt, scared, to make mistakes, and that they can go to him for anything and he won’t get mad. Anthea’s presence reinforced that-that you gotta talk to people when something’s wrong or else they can’t help. 

The boys are very empathetic and emotionally aware, and thus if they can make mistakes and fix things, why can’t the adults? So no they're not mad at Narinder, they just don't understand why he thinks it's not worth trying to make amends.

[venom-scythe]

jess unironically adding a few lore (?) tidbits things to that anniversary video is doing crazy things to my brain right now. irene's soul shards and the fact she can create angel clone versions of herself. shadow knights are unaffected by witchcraft. lucinda can read auras. aphmau can wield a flamethrower.

[twentyfivemiceinatrenchcoat]

”i don’t know what you want from me, sometimes.”

oliver turns his face, angles it to look at you; a streak of olive-green drinking you in. you’re crouched down, knees against your chest, staring vacantly at the field below you. playing with a piece of lint on your sleeve.

there’s an easy smile playing at his lips— but isn’t there always?

(it’s part of the problem, you think. you never know what he’s thinking when he looks at you like that.)

”what i want…” he echoes, soft, tapping his fingers against the lighter in his palm— the air still smells of tobacco. ”what do you think i want from you?”

an exhale through your nose, almost amused, but it lacks its usual luster. there’s something weary in your gaze. ”that’s exactly what i’m talking about,” you sigh, though it sounds a little seething. ”you never say what you mean. never clearly. it’s…”

a moment passes. the words dangle somewhere down your throat but it’s hard to reach for them, feels a little like plucking rocks from the sea. your teeth sink into your bottom lip, dig a grave there.

the bleachers are empty. you’re all alone. it makes you feel ill at ease— something in your stomach squirming like a bug, eating through your innards.

you part your lips with no vigour, no real desire to be heard. in that sense you are the same, empty. you’re surprised anything other than air leaves your lungs.

”it’s scary.”

…

a flicker, in a sea of chartreuse. he’s looking at you, out of the corner of his eye, you can sense it. his gaze is hard to keep, it’s like he can see through you.

(you wonder if he knows.)

he only hums. ”are you scared of me?” he asks.

lighthearted. casual. his tone doesn’t waver, it’s airy like he always is, a cloudy sky. but the question is heavier than he thinks, than he could possibly know.

(no, a part of you want to claim— no, i’m not scared of you. i’m scared of what you could do, what you make me feel. or — yes, i am. i’m always scared.

what would he know about fear, anyway?)

when you don’t answer, he continues. an inhale, the smell of sweat and freshly cut grass. summer.

”maybe i just want you to give me a chance.”

…

”… well,” you exhale, the fading taste of apricots on your tongue, sticky gum stuck between your teeth. ”maybe i can’t do that.” it sounds more bitter than you’d meant it to; like whiskey on your breath. given everything, you think you’ve earned the right to tire.

”maybe i just don’t trust you enough, aiku.”

[anxiousapplepie]

Since eye colors [presumably] can't change the way hair colors do, do they represent a more fundamental, core aspect of a rose's identity/personality, or are eyes related to something else entirely? Because you've hinted a couple times that they mean SOMETHING. Also, would a rose reject colored eye contacts the same way they reject hair dye?

Been biting my tongue a little about this, but since I've now shared some basic facts about Rose biology, I think I can now share this without sounding completely insane! Eye color has nothing to do with your personal magic or identity...

But it DOES relate to your family's color and identity >:3 Also no, eye contacts function perfectly normally. There's no magic in your eyes that want to fight and be seen. But you need special connections to get contacts in the first place, so a Rose wearing them is not very common or likely.

[yoroshiu]

Isn't it funny that most of the games in Kingdom Hearts end in tragedies, or very bittersweetly, AT BEST. And even the handful that are technically happy endings have the underlying pressure of the upcoming battle, so nothing is ever truly "outright happy."

[choppyama]

I still think the lack of aus for kghn is bc volleyball is such a core part of their relationship, writers and artists don’t want to take it away from them. and since they already have such peak canon storyline it’s very easy to just expand on it.

Anyways Even it’s in a fantasy setting Kageyama just gotta be really good at something, he’s gotta be hyper focusing on it and work really hard to be his best at it. I feel like it’s a core personality trait atp, it doesn’t have to be vb necessarily he just needs to have his ‘thing’

[caramelclover]

made a mouthwashing oc because i love the game a little too much

hopefully i'll either write a fic or draw more of winnie so you can see what she's about

also she's an ex-nurse cos she was doing a trip on the freighter and got into an accident leading to her developing sepsis despite her best efforts. she lost the arm and had her nurse title stripped from her sub sequentially cos pony express is run by greedy assholes looking for reasons to pay someone less [especially if they get injured on the job]

[potato-lord-but-not]

Under discussed thing that means something to me: John said Oscar made a tourniquet that stopped most of the bleeding when he lost his aem. Yes anyone can do it but you typically have to be taught to make a good one. Oscar is a clergyman WHERE DID HE LEARN TO MAKE ONE?

no literally- I feel like there’s a lot of unexplained stuff surrounding Oscar, like sureee that could be explained in his note but also it’s feeding the delusion that’ll he’ll be back. like hey Oscar care to explain how you make a tourniquet so well? or how Arthur makes it a thing to point out how you knew to cut off your arm instead of cut it out but that literally never gets answered?? or how you’re just OKAY with the fact that strange eldritch beasts exist??? WHAT IS WITH HIM

[moonxq]

why did shin only learn he had a sibling from overhearing his parents and why did he feel the need to get out of there right away like he didn't feel comfortable confronting them about it and why was kanna's existence kept a secret in the first place and how did shin not know that she existed at all until finding out by accident and why was kanna given up for adoption and how long did shin sit stewing in the fact that he could have been growing up alongside a sibling but he didn't. did he blame himself for that. he already thought himself too disappointing to even meet with his lost sibling. what happened there!! please give me the secret tsukimi family lore please please please

[completeoveranalysis]

[2]

The haunting visuals are really kicking off here. Yuuko has her butterfly wings but even without that she’s kind of posed like one frozen in the air. Almost like an abstract representation of the time prison she’s been in, she's unmoving, suspended in the air as if mid-flight, wings frozen in place, as she slowly gets pulled apart piece by piece. 

Yuuko fading away was more gentle and dignified in Tsubasa - where she traded her life away willingly and so the visuals were peaceful to match. It was a gift, and so it was graceful.

But here we see the Horror version of the event, seen through the eyes of Watanuki suddenly having to watch one of the people he cares most about in the world unraveling without any warning and unable to do anything about it. 

Clamp what is your damage

"A certain someone."

It's low key hilarious that she doesn’t name Clow here, since Watanuki is one of the few people not primed to instantly recognise the name. (Lucky him!)

But that aside the horror continues, with Yuuko’s face in the middle panel in a stark grey as she describes the sadness of her existence.  It’s Haunting.

[nopanamaman]

Hello everynyan how are you fine thank you

I'm thinking of making a Patreon in the near future, and while I do have some ideas for the content I'd post there (WIP stuff, more behind the scenes, detailed extra lore, early access to prequel comic pages, monthly illustration votes, etc.), I think getting some input would be good.

What would you like to see on there?

(video sneak peek tax)