𝐂𝐗𝐕𝐈𝐈𝐈𝐋. Given that the post will get sufficiently long, this will be considered as the part two out of three to conclude the AQ: Requiem of the Echoing Depths. If you want to check the first part, see here!
✦ It's really telling of Halfdan that, in a situation where he's seeing other Black Serpent Knights being defeated by Dain and Aether, not only he wouldn't jump to fight as the first instinct to kick in might be that of helping those who he spent time the longest, but that he would remember Dain despite lacking self-awareness, nothing short of a miracle as per Dain's private musings wondering how he could retain that fragment of self-awareness without "it".
It does make me wonder if they had a very strong bond in the past, that he had a strong sense of duty towards Dain as his captain or both in order for those feelings, even if in memory just that of camaraderie, to transcend 500 years and later on show him around and basically sparing him the suffering of the amplification device. The implications of a strong trust in Dain and not in Abyss Order members of around, if some of those who were present in the Nameless City were Khaenri'ahns despite more than likely recognizing them as fellow citizens are really high and, once again, I'm touched at the thought that Dain was so dearly loved in Khaenri'ah before tragedy struck.
✧ Although very briefly, there is another display of strength Dain shows in dispelling the abyssal energy that surrounds the city with the power he possesses, clearly contrary to the abyssal energy. Given his words regarding a power from beyond and the highly possible chances that what he uses is equally a power from beyond, it's really curious to think that the power of the Abyss and Forbidden Knowledge are powers from beyond the world of Teyvat too.
✦ The more I watch again into the AQs he participates in, the more I'm convinced that at first the small drops of knowledge he shares that aren't as "bombastic" as others are just as important. For instance, that Dain would recognize the civilization ruins of the Nameless City as something even more ancient than Khaenri'ah is (I won't mention that he can tell they resemble to some extent because it's enough to be acquainted with Khaenri'ah to know, not necessarily the other too). And while the fact that he narrates the miscellanies can be treated as canon or not, I do firmly believe that it was deliberate and to say that he does, in fact, possess all of that knowledge.
✧ Another touching thing of importance in this quest is the will of the Black Serpent Knights to keep protecting the Khaenri'ahn civilians (now hilichurls) and, without a doubt, under Halfdan's orders. Even if one were to argue that they are doing what Halfdan is ordering them, there are those whose dialogue texts denote that they agree with the Abyss Order's ways, so those who have been protecting the hilichurls must also have some degree of self-awareness. The fact that Dain's last order too, besides the strong feelings not only Halfdan but potentially other people under his wing in terms of military may have, of protecting everyone no matter if poor or rich transcended for so long under miraculous descriptors as Dain would put it... it really touches my heartstrings.
✦ ◜I have lived with this curse for 500 years, and I have been fully conscious the entire time... Suffice to say, no one understands the curse like I do. It is a way of branding us at the level of the fate of the world itself. When a god applies a curse, it takes effect at a higher level of reality than the person themselves. Even now, I can feel the curse slowly permeating my entire being, becoming part of me, slowly but surely replacing me. Perhaps it may be possible to suppress the corrosive effect of the curse for a time, but cleansing it entirely... Consider it tantamount to burning away an integral part of your body. It is not a process that one could hope to survive.◞
Before jumping into more headcanon territory for this, which I keep in high regard as part of my Dain's background, I have to say that there is something about the small explanation he makes in the bolded quote that rises the question as to how... much he truly knows and if it's possible to get this solely from Irminsul or something else (I don't remove the possibility of his own experiences too, of course). Mainly because in order to enter into a topic of levels of fate and levels of reality and being aware that people are on a lower one than the curse doesn't seem like the easiest thing to learn about, even less to process and be this calm when talking about it.
Now, about what follows next: I'm a firm believer that in his moments of darkness, Dain did try to find ways to rid himself of the curse and when he did find some glimmers of hope that help him soothe the curse, that he reached to extreme levels which, of course, would lead to extreme pain (if we go even darker, I would say that if he wanted to test his limits and truly see for himself if he can die or not, that he'd attempt this for that reason too, once again, in a moment of uttermost darkness in his life) as seen later on by yours truly the amplification device. I'm inclined to believe that he's speaking out of pure experience here and, since he isn't any longer in such a frail state of mind as he must've been in the early moments of the Cataclysm and after Khaenri'ah's destruction, that he's able to talk about it so matter-of-factly.
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We're not appreciating the Weird Barbie enough. It's said in the movie that she helps everyone who need help while they always see her as someone who's not as good as them. She was friends with all dismissed Barbies and Kens, was there to offer support and safe shelter for everyone who needed it in Kendom, without her nothing in the movie would've been alright. When Stereotypical Barbie calls her "ugly and unwanted" she still helps her.
She was representing a woman in women's world who was pushed aside by other women because she didn't fit in but still had more wisdom and kindness than everyone who thought they're better than her.
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if yall ever want like serious advice from me about how to solve burnout as a creative it's like...
literally ignore it. stop pushing. go do something else, enjoy your life, fill it with other things, do what brings you joy in the moment if you can.
go to the gym, take a walk to touch grass and look at dogs and smell flowers, cook dinner, watch tv with your friends, talk about your feelings as needed with ppl you trust, take a drive and blast your music, do the chores you need to do, the job hunting slog you need to do, read books that aren't for research, stop cordoning off your brain for The Craft or The Draft or whatever the fuck
forget about the project, stop thinking about it for as long as it takes to be excited again.
fuckin rest, basically
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More Lamb n Leshy interactions (in no particular order): Jealousy, Fluff
Leshy is the ex-god of chaos, so it's no surprise he favors chaos and that it guides most of his actions, which also makes his motives pretty unpredictable, even to the other Bishops.
Hating the Lamb would be the logical thing to do, but approaching them in a friendly way will result in more confusion and a chance to annoy the hell out of Narinder as a bonus.
So far Lamb doesn't seem to mind, aside from the confusion the interactions cause them.
Based on Leshy interactions in my cotl game file
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