#the downfall of us all

[taleeagrace]

stumbling.

the light goes out.

a dog barks.

a door slams.

kiss me goodnight.

(a parent's love)

accepted anger.

volatile cynicism.

voluntary amnesia.

pretend.

- t.g

[goop-corporate]

[screamingtrashbird]

[lastxprophecy]

A Day To Remember - The Downfall Of Us All

[do-rey-me]

the flight from avalir (colorized, 843 PD)

[binomech]

In Viktor's S2A1 design, I noticed the parts of his back brace and leg brace that survived the Hexcore-induced assimilation were inorganic, all the leather had seemed to fuse into his musculature. I think the Hexcore as a learning matrix, having been primarily exposed to organic subjects that it was supposed to heal, is familiar with organic cells of plants and animals (including humans in the latter) but is at loss when encountering metal. It can't perform the same changes on inorganic materials, such as the screws attached to Viktor's spine which are part of the "mechanism" but aren't animal cells.

I've been wondering if it was a specific metal that was affected and not others. It turns out that in Jayce's journal from the Council Archives minigame (thanks for the tip, @hexhomos), he mentions that copper is one the materials he is taking into consideration to build the prismatic platform for the crystal. It is, in fact, the one that is used in the final experiment in Heimerdinger's office. But it seems part of the appeal is that its cheap extraction makes it a popular material in the Undercity.

Assuming most of Viktor's surgeries took place there and not in his adulthood in Piltover, it's likely that copper or an alloy of it has been used in his prosthetics that are osseointegrated (see: his spine). Copper has antifungal and antibacterial properties that make it suitable for various surgical procedures. And copper's oxidation process is generally quite useful because it protects the integrity of the very structure.

I've mentioned before as well that I believe the point of this season is to understand science as a human endeavor with the mistakes that inevitably spring from humans and not mediated by the arcane as something transcendental (in the philosophical sense of something extrinsic from the conditions that produce it, not immanent) and how I am hoping that Viktor's machine-herald-ification comes from a place of reclaiming agency through removing the hexcore's presence on his organic body, using metal to stave off its takeover.

Copper was the first metallurgical boom in the history of humanity that was possible only because we had harnessed fire with enough precisions to build forges, to smelt it. It's also a highly malleable metal (easy to shape) also that makes it a very easily recyclable scrap (easy to melt it and use it to make something else without damaging it).

Assuming all hextech devices use the same copper frame as that original experiment to amplify the gem's power, I am considering the possibility that they could be used as scrap metal should anyone want to build prosthetics out of them to protect them from the Hexcore's presence. And I have previously theorized about a certain something being the base for Arcane's machine herald's staff.

Anyway. Some food for thought about how human problems require human solutions.

[nellasbookplanet]

Downfall has only just started, but already I'm deeply curious what Bells Hells reaction will be to seeing it play out. I've mentioned before that I suspect the dislike or outright disdain some of the party feels for the gods - most notably Ashton and Laudna, but also Imogen at times - is in part a product of the gods being so distant as to not feel like real people to them, and therefore being easy scapegoats.

It’s easy to see the mortal victims of Ludinus and the Vanguard as just that: victims. The Hells have met them, have been them. They have not seen or felt the gods suffer in the same way. Laudna even went so far as to blame the gods for mortal deaths and suffering after the solstice, even as the gods are the ones under attack. They feel uniquely abandoned by the world, and it's easy to blame these distant, powerful figures for their hardship. Certainly much easier than to see the mortal systems that enabled their harm, or to actively seek improvement on their own.

But to see the gods now, not just as people but as mortals, with all the flaws and vulnerabilities and fears of any of the Hells, with loved ones of their own and the same desperate sense of self-preservation as any living thing, will they be able to hold onto the disdain that they’ve clung to for so long?

[quipxotic]

Taliesin being Asha in Downfall = Ashton having watched the film of Downfall closer and with greater attention to detail than anyone else in the party.

"It's a good thing you didn't make us good" is a reference to a quote ("You shouldn't have made us good.") from Downfall, folks. He/They wasn't pulling it out of his/their ass, it's what was said (by the angel I think) as an indictment against the gods' actions in the Calamity and the truce.

[thatfaerieprincess]

WATCHED C3e99 DOWNFALL PART 1 AND UHHH I HAVENT DRAWN FAN ART IN YEARS BUT THE MUSE REALLY SPOKE TO ME THIS TIME

Step 2 figure out how the Emissary actually looks

[taleeagrace]

your blatant bloodthirst seeps amongst veins,

supporting visceral atrophies,

and an atrocious desire for gain.

your envy lies green,

paling and sickening to your core,

for this discomfort, you are keen,

there is nothing more that you adore.

the bodies in the river sink densely,

unaware of the presence of brothers long lost and cold,

lips turning ghastly blue so intensely,

above the ripples, it is felt, so callous and bold.

these bodies are burning,

a mutilated carcass left blackened with ash,

a fire fed solely by your desires left churning,

a sword drawn from your hip, ready to thrash.

you bare witness to your empire,

a world filled wholly with fallen men,

who drew their weapons to build you higher,

only for your rage to reign again.

so now as you lay here with nothing,

bar a hint of apathy and of terror,

you are left with the craving for crushing,

amongst the rubble and the burning carcass of misjudgement, resulting in grave, grave error.

- t.g

[powderpinkwitch]

Happy(wiv u)

i have absolutely naur idea when it comes to drawing backgrounds n lighting :( but I didn't want to just draw them doing the same pose like i always do

[thatonegeekygirl]

hey, you there! fellow watcherina!

reblog this if you love ryan, steven and shane, and their art. if you appreciate all the effort and care they've put into their creations over the years. if you are rooting for them. if you see them for the human beings they are. if you remain a fan, and will continue to support watcher!

[essektheylyss]

I wanted to speculate on how long the Downfall episodes will be by the third, but honestly, at this point I just presume that if Brennan's showing up to a miniseries on the Critical Role channel, it's a bygone that by the end of the run there will be countless injured and dead and any remnant of fandom healthy sleeping habits will be among the fallen.

[kaleidoscopicbullettrain]

theres something incredible in terms of symbiotic symbolism for the betrayer gods and the primes. notably between asmodeus and serenrae is like. "your existence fuels mine. without you there is no meaningful victory for my domain."

in the face of despair, hope must be the strongest its ever been

the stronger the hope, the harder the betrayal sticks the landing