#xi ro

[eiramew]

Dreaming in Hive

[flowers-of-io]

Destiny + text posts 18/?

[sun-singer]

Inktober day 5: cut, featuring Xi Ro

A STORMJOY. A stormjoy is a living cloud. When it passes over our continent, it lowers its feeding tentacles. On each tentacle are the BAIT STARS. Although light makes you happy, you must avoid it. You will be eaten.

[jadevalentine-writes]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Destiny (Video Games) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Oryx & Savathûn & Xivu Arath (Destiny) Characters: Xivu Arath (Destiny), Oryx (Destiny), Savathûn (Destiny) Additional Tags: Xivu Arath-centric, Xivu Arath POV Summary:

Xi Ro was born the youngest child in the Osmium Court. According to the way of the world, that made her the weakest.

She was the only one left now, so perhaps there was usefulness in weakness.

[lillian-1st-maskarran-insol]

It’s so funny to me the big hive gods started out as little fragile things, with mortal emotions and whims.

Xi’Ro: You ever cracked open someone’s head?

Sathona: Have you ever even cracked open a book???

Aurash, on the other side of the ship: Y’all ever done crack?

[uc1wa]

wyd if you wake up in bed next to jason

slutting him out

[xivu-arath]

bah my mood is definitely more fragile today

it's what I expected. still, I resent it

[pinkpoodlewoof]

Solusek Ro didn't ask for this.

[xivu-arath]

the hive are my niche so I might as well chime in!

I've never really gotten the "it's unrealistic for a three year old to be an experienced warrior/navigator/etc" argument for the same reasons cassiefisherdrake provides, that... many species don't age and mature at the rate that humans do! additionally, given what little information we're handed about young, motherhood and ageing as krill, we can infer a few things

the krill had large broods of children, guarded for a certain amount of time by mothers (and at this time they're referred to as spawn, not children). the helium drinkers had ten of xi ro's sisters to eat as tribute, but she doesn't make note of this being an enormous number, or the entirety of her living relatives, and while she's upset by it, the eating of children is considered normal. these are also surviving children (this is how aurash refers to herself in her letter to sathona), so there's some dwindling of numbers between krill that are spawned and krill that survive to leave a mother's protection

what I took from all of this was that from spawn, krill quickly reach an adult stage of growth and consciousness - probably with some wiggle room in the first few months where they're still very likely to die, and are thus more disposable

that they had ships, societies, the capability to make histories and war on each other came not from living a human-length amount of time, but being able to start functioning as an adult (if you made it that far!) much, much sooner. this meshes well with the implication that they have lots of kids (something you can also make assumptions about by how hive thralls vastly outnumber any other caste of hive). plus, there isn't a total loss of knowledge and skill, as krill society has the fertile members of the species also being able to live far beyond the usual lifespan, and thus connect the generations

but to step away from the in-universe reasoning for a second... taking the krill lifespan to be short regardless of how long a year is on fundament makes sense because that is what makes the tragedy work!! the siblings have to feel as if they are just seeing the world and are already losing it. sathona has to have the clock running out on her dream of a longer life. the desperation, the futility, the fear that they will be too late to do anything at all - those are the thematic cores of why they must dive, and why aurash makes the pact

to me, having a 30 year old argue against the leviathan or stand on the needleship's hull just detracts from the overall tone - but of course, this will differ from person to person. but to me, the poignancy of being both still very young and already doomed - that's why they must truly be short-lived

i wonder how many earth years fundament's year counts

cuz we are told that krill are naturally shortlived and live only 10 years at best but... 10 years of fundament. how long is one fundament year though?

like, considering some eliksni are pre-golden age and still kicking, avarge 300 years golden age human lifespan is laughable. if one fundament year is, idk, 6 earth years? 10 fundament years would be 60. not ideal and pathetic among many species but also not that bad honestly. also more plausible than "they were literally 3 earth years old and already were navigators, engeneers, martial artists ect."

[synnthamonsugar]

Merry Krillmas Written for @wonderwafles as a part of a small yearly exchange. Also on AO3

"If we can survive this, we can survive anything," said young Xi Ro as she and her siblings strolled dark passages illuminated in blue glow lamplight. They'd ventured deep enough that the architecture of the Osmium Palace had given way to untouched stone, heavy carved columns replaced with stalagmites, the decorative vaulted ceilings replaced with sharp outlines of stalactites. "At least that's what Father says."

Fundament had entered its Long Winter, a time when axial tilt combined with orbital irregularities plunged the world into a particularly bitter period of cold and darkness. The conjugation occurred infrequently enough that many krill lived without experiencing it.

It was a time when the Osmium Court battened hatches and external life waned, thoughts turned from external threats inward to stockpiles and crops that flourished in fertile cavern soil. The castle was permeable, built into the porous rock of the alien continental shelf. Instead of fishermen braving ice encrusted seas, they dove into twisting natural tunnels to the deep unfrozen ocean to cast their nets on the schools of arthropods who flocked around the light of their eyes, and fish lured away from rough seas into the safety of the crags beneath the castle.

With the cold and the dark came celebration too. Each new moon, a feast marked the passage of time, the largest happening on the nadir of their journey. It was this celebration the princesses had snuck away from — while the court was lost in the revelries of good food, strong drink, and conviviality, the workers drawn from the tunnels to the celebration and the guards consolidated to the main hall, they disappeared out a utility hallway into the undercroft. Royal finery had been cast off for waterproof skins and insulating furs, a stolen hand torch — and the traverse-line planted by navigators — guided them through the darkness.

Aurash was thrilled to explore parts of the castle that children were banned from, while Xi Ro was excited to see what monsters lurked below. Sathona felt a pang of annoyance missing the party, but the opportunity for mischief compelled her to join. Besides, three was the luckiest number, forming an indivisible whole. To split would invite disaster.

"Taox says living through it is auspicious," Aurash added, looking back at her sisters from the lead. "Anyone who does is destined for greatness."

"It's a trial," Sathona offered. "A time when new champions for krillkind are chosen by the old . . .”

Xi Ro tilted her head, urging her sister to continue.

Sathona's eyes narrowed in a mischievous smile. "I can't tell you. You will be frightened by the stories."

Xi Ro flared with indignity. "I will not! Tell me, sister!"

"You know she's winding you up," sighed Aurash. "Don't give her what she wants."

"Tell me!" Xi Ro scuttled for her older sister's back, throwing her off balance for a step until she adjusted to the new equilibrium. She clung tight to Sathona's neck, face against the hood of her cloak. "I'll make you carry me until you do!"

"That sounds good to me," Sathona played along, locking her forearms under Xi Ro's legs for support. "You overestimate your might, little sister. I could carry you to the end of the tunnels and back without getting winded."

Xi Ro made a frustrated noise, legs kicking to and fro in agitation. "You're so mean!"

"Mean? Me?" She intoned in mock hurt, "I'm giving you a sedan ride worthy of the King’s procession. We only lack the servants to carry your parasols and fans, not that we need them down here . . ."

Xi Ro slid petulantly down her elder sister's back, making herself as inconvenient as possible to carry.

"Fine, I'll tell you." Sathona dropped her, Xi Ro scrambling to her feet effortlessly. "But you can't blame me if you get nightmares."

The trio came to rest next to one of the openings in the cave floor, the kind that would be bustling with divers during work hours. Atmospheric pressure kept the water from flooding in, forming a perfectly still, dark mirror.

“The fall of the Osmium homeworld into the seas of Fundament marked the first of the Long Winters. The krill who survived found themselves beset not only by an inhospitable environment, but the slavering jaws of every creature on this world. Emboldened by darkness and frenzied by scarcity, beast and barbarian alike crept forth from the far north, throats parched for the ichor of the krill."

Xi Ro watched, transfixed, hanging off her sister’s every word. Aurash looked less impressed, but nonetheless held her tongue for her little sister's sake.

“It was a time of complete darkness,” she continued, extinguishing the torch so that they were plunged instantly into pitch black. Xi Ro jumped and Sathona chuckled low to herself. “Of despair. But not total hopelessness, for a champion arose.”

Slowly their eyes acclimated. As they did, detail emerged around them. The gentle bioluminescence of the lichens that covered the slick cave walls, and the mats of moss crowned with glistening dew. In the moon pool, the outlines of schools of fish — as delicately frilled as the lepidoptera who fluttered around the hanging gardens under hazy summer skies, surfacing to pick at the algae growing on the smooth stone. Sathona thought it more beautiful than the phosphor chandeliers of the palace or the auroras that hung perpetual in the dark skies, the gentle lapping of water and rock settling more enchanting than all the song and revelry of the great hall.

"Her name is lost to time. She is called Ûtun — The Indomitable, in the old language. The exception that proves the Timid Truth. It's not unusual to find a krill who is formidable, or courageous," she looked first to Aurash, then Xi Ro, whose eyes brightened, ". . . or smart. We live and die by these traits. But no one who has lived since has exemplified all three to such great degree . . . "

Sathona went on to describe (with a child's fancifully gorey embellishment) how in the first of the Long Winters, Ûtun single-handedly fought a rampaging icewyrm who threatened the nascent settlement that grew into the Osmium Court. She recounted the legend of her second Winter, a thrilling war caper involving a months-long siege of the Osmium Palace against the cannibal Helium Drinkers, and her army's eventual triumph against the invaders. Sathona especially brightened when she recounted the third story — Ûtun using her wisdom, wits and charm to survive the inhospitable wilderness, delivering supplies to a distant outpost cut off by endless blizzard.

"What happened to her?" Xi Ro asked, when Sathona got to the end of the third tale, and paused for a long while.

"Well, she lived longer than a krill ought to, much longer. Rumors swirled that she was deathless. Others said she was mortal, but bound to this world by her mission. Whatever the case, one day she was gone. Disappeared without a trace. Everyone feared for the next time of darkness, without her strength, her courage, her intelligence.

"But when the sun set on the last day, and krill retreated to these very tunnels, three loyal disciples beseeched her for protection. For guidance. They looked into the dark waters, and called out to her."

Sathona rested on her belly, gazing into the moon pool. Xi Ro excitedly followed, while Aurash paused before rearranging herself to mimic her sisters.

"It's true that no one will ever match her. This is why she chooses a trio to carry her mantle. One for strength. One for courage. One for wits."

"I wish she would choose faster," Aurash groused, out of patience for Sathona's antics. "We came here to explore."

"You can't hurry Ûtun," Sathona sighed matter-of-factly. "She appears when she's needed, and only then."

"What happened next?" pleaded Xi Ro.

"From the water she came to them. She deemed them worthy, and commanded them to prove themselves as her champions. And with their combined powers they were able to keep the krill safe for another cycle. When they met their end, she chose a new set of exemplars. And this is why the krill will always survive the Long Winter, no matter how harsh."

Xi Ro leaned so close that the tips of her mandibles almost broke the still water. Aurash fidgeted. Sathona smiled.

". . . can we leave now?" Aurash asked.

"No!" Xi Ro objected. "We have to wait for Ûtun."

Aurash groaned. "We're going to be here for a long time, then. Little sister . . . do you really believe all this?"

"There's no need to 'believe'," Sathona lied, "it's all true."

"It is not —"

" — It is! I swear on my third eye!"

"It's another of your stories —"

Xi Ro screeched, scrabbling for both her sisters' arms. At once, the elder siblings looked down and jumped nearly out of their shells at the sight of a fourth set of eyes set in the dark outline of a crested head. Aurash startled so violently that she slipped face-first into the pool before recovering her balance, while a split-second roil of panic welled in Sathona —

"Princesses."

Taox's voice was as cool and hard as the stone below. All three scrambled to their feet, facing their tutor — still wearing a partygoer's ceremonial mantle and sashes and jewels upon her horns and neck — with stiff backs and guilty consciences.

"This area is not safe, no matter how good you are at escaping the consequences of your mischief. Come along now, children, before your Father sobers enough to notice your absence."

All three knew better than to argue with the Taox, especially when she was saving them from the ire of the King. They fell in line behind her like three hatchlings following a mother bird, setting forth to the surface.

[eiramew]

some xivu concept experiments, about embracing the pain

[flowers-of-io]

“The Deep”

A redraw of one of my favourite pieces by Salvador Dalí, “The Sleep”, and my part of a collab with @synnthamonsugar for this year’s Spring Media Zine organised by @d2artevents! You can check the whole work and Otter’s pieces here, and the full zine here <3

[sun-singer]

Inktober day 15: dream, featuring Oryx, Xivu Arath, Savathun, and the Osmium King

“So I start eating my dad. I bite huge pieces out of him and I claw him up. I eat his legs and I eat his arms and I eat his goggles and his eyes and he says, good, good, this is majestic and true.

But my sisters are still tearing up the road so I don’t know how to get back.”

[jadevalentine-writes]

A thought I had while doing dishes, but who would be interested in a fic from Xivu Arath's POV? I think the little sibling potential would be fun to play with.

[uc1wa]

white man lover (derogatory)

why am i being called a white man lover when i’m the only person in the world that hasn’t joined the jacob elordi cult??? like it’s feeling like projection hmmm

[uc1wa]

COME BACK. OH MY GOD.

I literally can’t come back until I have another crush so I can fantasize over them don’t you realize this😩