#not Oskar lol

[wonderfull-star]

Many in the fandom be like:

Oh no, Oskar is being bullied. Poor boy 😢

Also Oskar with Stoker and others:

[ban--tam]

that one meme that's going around

[rann-poisoncage]

[sirenicornio]

We never got the chance to see The Heart Of Thomas animated in the 70s style, but this is the closest thing we'll get from Oskar:

Lady Georgie ~~ Lowell J. Grey

[streatfeild]

FINALLY endlich mal mail zur namensänderung abgeschickt bevor sie das sbg wieder kippen

[aceofstars16]

Enjoy! And yes, I came up with that title when I was still salty but...it fits so....xD

In case you can't read it on AO3, here it is below as well:

The REAL Epilogue

Burning. That was the first thing he felt. But as soon as he was aware of it, the pain dissolved into a pleasant warmth, radiating throughout his entire body.

Then he heard music. Sweet, beautiful music. A melody that increased the warmth in his body. For a moment, he couldn’t place why it sounded so familiar. Then it hit him. It was a whistleharp. Leeli’s whistle harp.

Everything that happened over the last few days - no, the last few months- came surging back. Every memory, both good and bad, hitting him like a sledgehammer.

Jolting upright, he gasped - a deep breath that he didn’t know his lungs needed until they had it. He looked around frantically. Had the stone worked? Was everyone okay? Where was he? It looked vaguely familiar but…

“Janner!”

A voice that Janner hadn’t heard in months filled his ears, but before he could fully grasp who he was looking at, arms flung around him, squeezing him tighter than they ever had before.

“Kal.” The name left Janner’s mouth before he even thought to say it as he found himself returning the hug. His brother was okay. He was human. Janner had protected him. But then…

“What-?”

His words were cut off as another pair of arms wrapped around him. Leeli had stopped playing and Janner moved one arm so he could hug her back. Both of his siblings were here. They were okay. But…where was here?

As he turned his attention to the forest around him, Janner caught sight of Nia looking at him, almost in disbelief. And next to her…

“Uncle Artham!”

Janner hadn’t seen his uncle in months, and just the sight of him brought a joy to his heart that he hadn’t been expecting. That joy grew when he saw Oskar and…

For a moment, Janner just stared at the girl standing there, her hand over her mouth. Could it really be? Then their eyes met and Janner knew. Only one girl had that light in her eyes, light that had carried him through some of the darkest moments of his life.

Sara Cobbler.

A moment after their eyes met, she let out a sob – but not one full of sorrow. It was a cry of joy. Which seemed to break a silent spell that had been holding the others back.

In a moment, Janner was surrounded by all those he loved. Being hugged – and kissed by Nia. A happy laughter filled the clearing, even as questions filled his head.

After everyone had sufficiently hugged him, Janner was finally able to ask the question that had entered his mind as soon as he woke.

“What happened? Where are we? How am I…?” His voiced trailed off. Had he just been asleep, or…had he died?

For a moment, the joy in the clearing faded as everyone traded looks.

Artham was the first to break the silence.

“The First Well.”

“What?” Janner looked around again and noticed for the first time, the sound of water.

“I remembered where it was.” Kalmar said, then laughed a little. “Though, it was a little harder to find as a human.”

“How…how long was I…?” Once again, Janner couldn’t make himself say the word.

“Three days.” Nia said softly, a shadow passing over her face, only to lift when Leeli spoke.

“But you’re okay now!”

“Right…” Janner nodded. “But what happened…I mean, is Anniera…is everyone…?”

“They’re all human again.” Kalmar said.

Relief washed over Janner. Then he caught Sara’s eye again.

“How did you…when did you-?”

Sara laughed. “It’s a long story.”

“Yes, and one better told around a fire, if I do say so myself.” Oskar piped in.

“Sounds good to me!” Kalmar said, which set everyone off laughing.

So, a fire was built, and Sara told Janner all about Dugtown. How she had rallied the orphans and escaped the Fork Factory – right at the same time Artham and Gammon had arrived to free them. And about the Fang’s attack and sudden disappearance from Skree. A shadow passed her face when she talked about her parents, how they hadn’t survived. But it lifted when she told him how her and the other orphans had decided that, if they were going to start a new life, they’d love for it to be in a place like Anniera.

Then Kalmar and the others filled him in on what happened after he had taken the stone, at least, for the most part. Janner had the feeling they were dancing around the word he himself had a hard time saying. But Kalmar told him all about giving everyone new names – which he admitted was kind of strange, as the names seemed to just come to him.

After that, came the story of how they found The First Well again. The sea dragons had taken them as far as the Blackwood, but they had to travel into the forest on foot. Kalmar told him how he retraced their steps from Clovenfast, and eventually found the water that he had given Oood only a week ago.

By the time the stories had been told, it was dark out. Nia insisted everyone get some sleep, which Janner was happy to do. Until he couldn’t fall asleep. He didn’t know why. He was tired. But something kept him up.

Eventually, he sat up, sighing as he quietly stood and walked a little closer to look at the water. The First Well water. It didn’t look different than any other water. But he knew better. Besides, the clearing itself had a calming presence, as if everything around it knew the water was special.

“I’m glad I found it again.”

Janner quickly looked over to see Kalmar, sitting against a rock, looking straight ahead. He didn’t look up, even as Janner sat down next to him.

“Me too.” Janner said quietly.

For a moment, they just sat in silence. Then Janner found that he couldn’t keep wondering any more. “Kal? Did…did I die?”

Kalmar stiffened, but didn’t answer right away.

“Kal?”

“Yes.”

It was a whisper, barely audible. But it sent a shiver down Janner’s spine.

“You took the stone from me.” Kalmar added, a heaviness in his voice.

“I know.”

“It was supposed to be me! Not you!” The force of the words broke through the silence of the clearing. Through the light of the moon, Janner could see tears in Kalmar’s eyes. And it was then that Janner realized there were already tear streaks on his brother’s face. As if he had already been crying.

“No, Kal. It wasn’t.”  Janner placed a hand on his brother’s shoulder, willing him to look at him. But he didn’t. “It’s my job to protect you. Anniera needs its king.”

“And I need you!” Kalmar shot back, looking at Janner for the first time. Then he seemed to realize what he said and shrunk back. If he was still fanged, his ears would’ve flattened on his head.

“Kal…” Janner didn’t know what to say. It was his job to keep Kalmar safe. And he didn’t regret what he’d done. But he couldn’t imagine what he would feel like if Kalmar had died protecting him.

Silence grew between them once again, only the sound of the water running filled the air.

“I don’t want to be king if it means you’ll die protecting me.” Kalmar said quietly. “I knew what I was doing…what…what I was supposed to do. I was ready.”

Even as he said it, Janner couldn’t believe it. He remembered the sadness in Kalmar’s eyes that morning on Anniera. Could anyone really be ready for their own death? Especially a kid?

“But I wasn’t ready to see you-” Kalmar’s voice cracked and he hugged his legs, shutting his eyes tight.

If anyone else had been around, Janner might’ve hesitated to hug his brother, but not tonight. He wrapped his arms around Kalmar and hugged him tight, wishing he could say something to help him. But what could be said?

Minutes passed before Janner spoke again. It might not make anything easier for Kalmar, but he had to try.

“I’m sorry, Kal. I…when I saw you with the stone, and realized what you were going to do, I knew I couldn’t let you. It needed to be me. And I don’t regret it.”

The only response was a shaky breath.

“But…Kal, I didn’t do it to hurt you, and I’m sorry it did.”

There was a quiet sniffle. “I can’t just tell you not to do anything like that again, can I?”

Janner swallowed. Because he knew that answer, and Kalmar did too. “I’ll always do whatever I can to protect you, Kal. And maybe one day it will happen again. But…I’m here now, okay?”

Kalmar opened his eyes and looked at Janner, really looked at him. The conflicting emotions swirling in the blue matched Janner’s own. For a moment, they just looked at each other, then Kal nodded. “Okay.”

His voice was still quiet, but it was stronger than it had been. The voice of a king accepting the responsibility of his life.

“Besides,” Janner lightly hit Kalmar’s arm. “You need someone to keep an eye on you for a while. You’re only eleven.”

The smallest smile grew on Kal’s face. “And you need someone to beat you in zibzy and keep your from sitting around reading all day.”

At that, Janner couldn’t hold back a laugh. “Maybe I’ll stand a chance now that you aren’t a wolf.”

“In your dreams.” Kalmar said, joining in the laughter.

The rest of the night was filled with reminiscing and dreaming of possibilities, until both of them fell asleep, imagining a future without the threat of Gnag or Fangs.

And a future they had. The Jewels of Anniera grew, married, and had children of their own. Thorn of course, married Leeli, and Janner’s heart only ever belonged to Sara. And Kalmar found a queen that rivaled even Nia in strength and courage. The stories of their childhood were told near and far, becoming legends that children from all corners of the world listened to with rapt attention. And under King Kalmar’s rule, all of Aerwiar prospered, and Aneira once again became the place of beauty and love that it had once been.

[aleielle-of-roshar]

Snow Day!!!!

Me and Oskar went playing in the snow again, but I got pictures this time >:D (some are cropped due to like, the shop being visible faintly through the trees, and my thumb taking up one of the frames lol, I was looking at him more then the camera). We hit snow at each other, and he chased snowballs- oh and he wrecked my snow-fort smh 😔 (Yes I still play in the snow at my age shut up its fun)

And bonus…

✨THE POUNCERRRR✨

(Rip frozen pinecone)

[that-one-fandom-girl]

Re-watching the trailer again, and noticed that when the blonde girl is telling Nancy about the suspects and that she should reach out and find out who stole the gems, the only suspects who smile/make any reaction to Nancy other than a blank expression is Radek and Oskar. HMMMMMMMM, these two be lookin' a little sus, dude.

[totentnz]

anyway i need a new oc who is just sad, a sopping wet dog, so miserable

[prisoned-bear]

i have so many unposted leechy fics but i feel like they would give y'all a heart attack

[stormflowyr]

i named my guy ren highwind because my name is ren and i like the lancer naming tradition in ff games lol.

eventually i did learn about actual xaela naming conventions and decided "ren highwind" was a sort of adventuring name he took on half for fun and half because he was tired of eorzeans butchering his real name lmao, that being yerentai kha!

in the characters i've made since i do usually try to keep everything lore compliant from the start, with occasional deviations like nicknames, sometimes titles like NPCs have in place of surnames (e.g. "yugiri mistwalker"), and the whole viera lore thing where they take new names when they leave the forest lol. mostly i pick names based on what sounds nice with maybe a bit of the meaning taken in mind.

WoL QotD: What made you choose your WoL's name? Does it have any important meaning or did it just sound nice?

Follow up: Is it lore accurate? If it isn't, why not?

[princesspeachel]

i bitch and complain a lot about arizona but at least we don’t observe daylight savings none of that move your clock an hour bull shit here because some arizona official at some point decided we’re not doing all that and that’s literally not how time works

honestly iconic of us

[honigsenfsymbiont]

Oooooo Nürnberger Altstadt?? Fuck yea! Ich hab n Projekt fürn Videospiel wo das der backdrop ist. Liegt momentan auf Eis aber wenn ichs auftaue und Fragen hab, darf ich dann zu dir kommen?

Sure! Hab ich kein Problem mit. Weiß nicht wieso du damit zu nem tumblr user kommst anstatt dahin zu fahren und 80 Führungen zu machen weil das empfehle ich. Auch einfach so, es ist sehr schön da :D (Schön hier. Aber waren Sie schonmal in der Nürnberger Altstadt?) Gibt auch zig milliarden Dokus und Videos.

Aber Fragen kannste zu mir kommen ich bin zwar kein Profi aber ich bin seh das ganze sehr oft und hab selber schon ein paar Stadtführungen mitgemacht also vlt hab ich wenigstens Ideen wo du hinkannst :-)

[sethjarvy]

[honeyflashbang]

My theory on Sampo's true identity...

(Minor Spoilers for 2.4) (also, I’m no expert in… anything, really, but these are just my ramblings).

So, this has probably been mentioned before, but I have a teeny-tiny theory about Sampo’s true identity, and it relates to Finnish mythology.

So, “Sampo” in and of itself doesn’t have a set meaning, but it has its roots in Finnish mythology, particularly the “Kalevala” which is a 19th-century compilation of epic poetry. In it, a blacksmith god by the name of Seppo Ilmari(nen) forges the mythical device known as “The Sampo”. It’s never quite explained what The Sampo really is; some versions depict it as a mill, others as a cornucopia from which bountiful creations flow from, and some even have it as being a world tree/world pillar, so what The Sampo really is, isn’t entirely known. But, what is known, is that it brought riches and good fortune to its holder (again, the same as the cornucopia from Greek mythology).

But why am I mentioning all of this? Why bring up the Kalevala? It could be that Hoyo just chose the name “Sampo” for some flavour—befitting of a character who magics up relics from seemingly thin air and is trying to create riches—and yeah, it’s a possibility…

Until I saw these two screenshots from the 2.4 story:

You know what this means, right? 

Kalevala is a real planet in Hoyo’s Star Rail universe, and I find it awfully coincidental that they would use this name for a planet and not have it related to a certain blue haired conman, especially since The Sampo is such a pivotal element in the plot of the Kalevala—there is no way this is a coincidence (I refuse to believe it).

This leads me to believe that Kalevala is Sampo’s real home world, and is where he originates from.

Now, this is all well and good, knowing where “The Sampo” hails from, but I want to focus on its creator—Seppo Ilmari(nen)—and his parallels to a certain blue haired conman. For one, Ilmari(nen)’s name is quite interesting as the ‘Ilma’ part is Finnish for ‘air’ or ‘weather’, and as we know, Sampo’s element is that of ‘wind’ (And also the fact that Ilmari(nen) is credited as “Godlike smith-hero and creator of the sky”. I could go into a whole spiel about Ilmari(nen) and Qlipoth swinging their giant hammers in tandem together for all eternity (Go Sampard! Geppie is Qlipoth's true heir, you can't convince me otherwise!), but that’s for another conspiracy theory lol).

So, ‘Ilma’ means ‘air’, and Sampo wields ‘wind’.

Cool.

If the parallels ended there, I’d just say I was being crazy… but there’s more.

Sampo’s 4th (and arguably best) eidolon is called “The Deeper the Love, the Stronger the Hate”. Two out of his six eidolons refer to 'love', whilst the other 4 are to do with wealth and riches. The wealth and richest aspect leans towards The Sampo of mythology, whilst the ‘love’ aspect, well…

According to the story, Seppo Ilmari(nen) is the unluckiest bastard alive when it comes to love. Like, seriously. His whole storyline is that he can’t find a woman. For one, Seppo Ilmari(nen) is double crossed by his so called buddy, Väinämöinen, into creating The Sampo for the evil witch Louhi of Pohjola in exchange for her daughter’s hand in marriage (which, Ilmari didn’t even want in the beginning), but when the poor guy actually sees the daughter and falls in love with her (and subsequently creates the Sampo—after failing miserably a number of times, mind you—he creates a crossbow, a boat, a cow(wtf?) and a plough, all which are somehow either evil or flawed), she ups and just leaves him hanging! (in the original runes, however, he is successful in gaining a wife, as his ‘unlucky in love’ spiel was later added by Lönnrot in compiling the Kalevala).

As with any mythology and re-telling of it, there’s so many different versions of the same event. In “The Maiden of the North”, a 1898 opera written by Oskar Merikanto, both Ilmarinen and Väinämöinen compete for the chance to marry Louhi’s daughter, who is then mentioned as being “Ilmari(nen)’s first wife” and who later dies to Kullervo’s curse (apparently she was a bit of a bitch to Kullervo by taunting and tormenting the poor boy—who was a child slave mind you!). Distraught, Ilmari(nen) forges himself a wife of gold and silver, but he finds her to be too cold and callous—he forges her out of love but only finds hate—so he tries to gift her to Väinämöinen (who doesn’t want her either, lol), and suggests he cast her back into the furnace and to “forge from her a thousand trinkets”.

Here’s the accompanying poem:

Never, youths, however wretched,

Nor in future, upgrown heroes,

Whether you have large possessions,

Or are poor in your possessions,

In the course of all your lifetime,

While the golden moon is shining,

May you woo a golden woman,

Or distress yourselves for silver,

For the gleam of gold is freezing,

Only frost is breathed by silver.

It is apparently your standard Aesop’s fable of “money can’t buy happiness”, which is something else I see in our dear old Sampo Koski. During our time in Belobog, we see how different he acts with the Underworld and Overworlders. To the poor, he actually seems approachable (albeit a bit of a nuisance), going so far as to help the Underworlders (an example being the questline “Survival Wisdom” in which he and Peak set up a business together renting out his tools to help the miners make a decent wage to support their families). In contrast, we actively see Sampo being very hostile towards the Overworlders, scamming them and putting the nobles in their place or setting them up to be caught by the Silvermane Guards (an example being during the museum questline where you discover his identity as “Mr Cold Feet”. Sampo clearly states to who he thinks is his mark that ‘we are not friends’ in a very hostile manner, something which we’ve not seen from Sampo before as he is usually quite amicable). 

For all Sampo’s showboating and flashing his money around, he helps where it counts. He wants to make money, sure, but not at the detriment of the people who need it the most, only to those with excess.

Anyway, back to him being unlucky in love…

In another rune entitled “Kosinta”, Ilmari(nen) goes on a journey to compete for Hiisi’s daughter, and wins by completing various feats, one of them being “ploughing a field full of snakes”:

And as we know, Sampo is very heavy on the snake motifs (the head of the snake on his shoulders, the spine wrapped around him, the daggers are its fangs…etc.)

So that’s another interesting link between Seppo Ilmari(nen) and Sampo Koski.

So, why have I gone on this long winded tangent about Seppo Ilmari(nen) when I’m supposed to be talking about Sampo Koski?

Well, that’s because I think Sampo Koski’s real name is (or a variant of) Ilmarinen.

In the Hoyo universe, I believe Ilmarinen came from the planet Kalevala and ‘created’ the persona of Sampo Koski, much like how in the Kalevala, Seppo Ilmari(nen) forged The Sampo.

As I’ve listed above, there’s so many links between the two:

“Air” as a name and “Wind” as an element.

Seppo Ilmari(nen) ploughed a field of snakes to win Hiisi’s daughter’s hand in marriage, whilst Sampo Koski relies heavily on snake motifs for his attire.

Sampo’s two eidolon names that relate to love (which are completely different from the other 4 eidolon names), whilst Seppo Ilmari(nen) is known to be unlucky in love.

I’m pretty damn sure Sampo creates his own bombs and tinkers with the old relics to bring them back to life, whereas Seppo Ilmari(nen) is a smith who created the dome of the sky! They’re both artificers!

And now the revelation that a planet by the name of “Kalevala” exists is no mere coincidence.

So, either Sampo is Ilmari(nen) - or! - Sampo is a puppet (like Herta) created by someone called Ilmari(nen). 

(I would love if his 5* version is him with this name).

Right, I’m finished rambling. Gonna go huff some copium...

[ofwrxth]

Thea gives his sarcasm an unamused expression, glancing around at the various persons milling about. "It's just convenient I'm here tonight is all." She shrugs, knowing that even if she hadn't been here, he'd have found a way to put it on her. The witch returns her gaze to his and gives him a smile that doesn't quiet reach blue eyes. "Well, if it's no problem, then perhaps you go and when I'm done here, I'll stop by." Thea suggests, setting her drink down now at his tone. She extends her hand. "Show me." She says, not believing him. Though, knowing Oskar, he'll probably spin it as a reflection of her that she doesn't trust his word. But she knows when it comes to their professional lives, hers was never valued or seen with as much respect as his own was. Still, there's a slight twitch of her lip, threatening a frown, as she thinks of her son, sick in any sense. Even if he hadn't been asking for her...no. That's how Oskar wins. Does it matter? Thea's not sure. "I need to talk to Rachel," the witch sighs, "so I'll head over after." She relents, the maternal part of her, however slight, winning out in the end. She picks up her drink once more, giving him a pointed look. "But, for the record, I don't believe you." That Henrik was asking for her.

★・・・・・・★

Oskar blinks, his gaze traveling over Thea's features and the obvious annoyance that settles in her expression. "No, she texted me two hours ago and I only thought to say something right now." he remarked, his head tilting ever so slightly to her with his dry tone before his attention moves back to his phone. "All she said was how he's been sick a few times and that he's asking for you." Oskar repeats, returning his attention to Thea with a small shrug. The quick comment the other witch manages to get in at his expense isn't appreciated, but Oskar is just as quick with the return. "Oh? Well, I'll keep taking time off work then, no problem." he quips until something that's a laugh leaves him to Thea's stubborn quirk of brows...and accusation. "Thea." Oskar scoffs, tone indicating that her demand is rediculous and he takes another glance to his phone. "Henrik has been sick, twice now and is asking for mom." he clears his throat, reading the text instead of passing over his phone to the other witch. "It's fine. Only twice. I'll just tell her to put on a movie for him, neither of us can leave." Oskar decides, whether it's to call Thea's bluff or not is another question as he begins typing out the reply.