#Rhine in Flames

[kurozu501]

do you ever just remember how one of the most effective things parvis said to get silence to lose faith in saria was essentially "do you really think she would ever choose YOU over everything?" and silence with her low self esteem really didn't believe saria would.

Then in the end saria really did choose them over everything, left her defense director job and her whole life up to that point behind for the sake of silence and ifrit. and silence still doesnt even know. do you ever think about that and lose your mind a little bit.

#turns out my pre lone trail jitters translate to reread the rhine lab manhua and lose my mind over it all over again #its one of those stories i could write multiple essays on #like silence's lack of self love #do you ever notice how in the final scene when she makes her big declaration about curing ifrit joyce and 'the many many infected' #she never mentions curing herself #how she runs into the flames looking for ifrit with no regard for her own safety during the diabolic crisis #even the funny gag moment with joyce is based on silence overworking herself and joyce pushing her to take care of herself #and here where parvis basically says saria would never choose you and silence instantly just accepts that as true #of course saria wouldn't choose her #even her big grudge against saria is anger on behalf of ifrit not for herself #this owl has such a big heart and so much love for everyone but herself #arknights #olivia silence #saria

[the-fallen-aesthetics]

Smolframes Part 2 - lokkkiiieee, rhine and ah

-------

Part 1 (E, Maggie and Bolt) || Part 2 (You're Here!) || || Part 3 (Lil' flame, trin, Frostee) || Part 4 (Nyxxie, SheEEe, Sar)

#warframe #warframe fanart #my art #smolframes project

[shuttershocky]

Top 3 Arknights character themes

1) Martyr (Andoain's theme) — To this day my favorite bossfight theme. Not much to say here I just like it

2) Control's Wishes (Control's theme) — Kirsten Wright is my favorite villain in AK and I really appreciated that LT-8 has Kirsten timed to appear in the stage as soon as the countdown ends when playing in 1x speed.

I still hope we get an animated adaptation of the Rhine storyline. It remains my favorite arc and I think an anime or a movie of it has the capability of really grabbing new audiences in a way the rest of the game can't. I'm telling you, Saria, Kirsten, and Silence's drama would find so many more fans if it was in any format other than a manhua tie-in to a gacha game event.

3) Wrathful Cerulean Flame — AND WE'LL BURN THE CLOUDS AWAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

#arknights

[orangecatty-shiningnikki]

【 Shining Nikki TW+CN 】

Main Story “Myerson”

Volume 2 Chapter 15 “The pending resolution”

【 Shining Nikki TW+CN 】

Main Story “Myerson”

Volume 2 Chapter 15 “The pending resolution”

"Dangling Resolution"

Negotiation is a battlefield without gunpowder,

When the smell of gunpowder is strongest,

It only takes one small flame to make a bigger mess,

The door of the Myerson Federal Conference Room suddenly flung open,

The voices of the debate between the important officials of the Apple Federation and the Northland Kingdom were cut off immediately.

The calm and calm footsteps are very different in the silent and tense meeting,

Who is the uninvited guest who stepped into the council hall?

"Nice to meet you, I'm Rhine Mercury."

The dark fog filled the venue at some point,

Entrenched in the dome of the hall, like eyes looking down indifferently.

The faces of the noisy people were distorted, and the peaceful appearance was torn apart abruptly.

The strong malicious fission created countless gullies, blocking all channels of communication and reconciliation.

Is the mist created by the human heart, or does the mist distort the human heart?

Suit Display ::

Original :: Beautiful Night Fashion (旖夜风尚)

Recolor :: Beautiful Night Wind (旖夜風尙)

Collection :: Federal Style

Designer :: Ryan or Rien (瑞因)

Rarity :: SR

Attribute :: Sweet

Date :: 11/05/2023…..

Type ::

Main Story • Vol.2 Ch.15

(Workshop Design) (Journey Suit) (Chapter Sets)

#Federal Style #Main Story #Main Story Vol.2 #Workshop Design #Journey Suit #Chapter Sets #Ryan #Rien #SR #Sweet #閃耀暖暖 #闪耀暖暖 #Shining Nikki #Nikki ​3D #Nikki Up2U 4 #Nikki 4 #Orangecatty #3D Dress-Up Game #Nikki Diary Thailand #2023

[aftokrator-official]

hi I can't remember if I asked you this before (I don't think I did but maybe?), is there any good way that you know of to get into the arknights story & characters without having to play the actual games?? like is there an organized database of all the little cutscenes and whatever that I can page through or something..... I like a lot of the character designs and would love to have enough baseline knowledge to potentially get into shipping some girls together (I tend to need a lot of canon familiarity before I can get invested 😔) but I hate phone games and I hate gacha and I don't want to actually play the game >_>

Yes there is! This site has all of the story content archived, including all the images and bgm/sfx, I highly recommend it (and use it a lot myself, because sometimes I just want to read a storyline all at once without playing tower defense stages in between, or vice versa.) The cutscenes aren't voiced and are presented in visual novel format, so there's not really any downside to reading them this way. And the wiki has all the operator files and a lot of nice writeups on lore and background info.

There's also some official manga that's online - I highly recommend the Rhine Lab manga in particular, it's fantastic, and shouldn't be missed especially if you're here for the yuri. Honestly if you read nothing else, read the Rhine Lab storylines, they're that good.

Oh, there's also an anime adaptation that covers the first few chapters of the main story, I thought it was pretty good. I watched it with my best friend who hasn't played the game and she thought it was great, so should be accessible even if you don't know the story. Personally I think the early main story chapters have some of the weakest writing in the game, so I think the anime makes a good alternative, but ymmv.

Aside from the main story, the event stories (Vignette and Side Story in the story reader site) can be grouped into several different story arcs that work best chronologically, but you can read them in any order really and there's no harm in skipping ones you're not feeling.

vague suggested reading order for the different story arcs below the cut cause this is getting too long lmao

anything not mentioned here is standalone. that, or I just forgot about it lol.

Main story: ch0-3/anime season 1 -> ch4-6/anime season 2 -> ch7-8 -> ch9-12 - A Walk in Dust, Darknights Memoir, and Vigilo are good to read before chapter 9 - What the Firelight Casts is best read after chapter 9

Rhine Lab: Rhine Lab manga -> Mansfield Break -> Dorothy's Vision -> Lone Trail

Kazimierz: Maria Nearl -> Pinus Silvestris -> Near Light -> Obscure Wanderer

Abyssal Hunters: Grani and the Knights' Treasure -> Under Tides -> Stultifera Navis

Laterano: Guide Ahead -> Hortus de Escapismo

Acahualla: The Great Chief Returns -> Ideal City: Endless Carnival

Yan/Sui siblings: Ancient Forge -> Who is Real -> Invitation to Wine -> Where Vernal Winds Will Never Blow -> A Death in Chunfen

Siesta: Heart of Surging Flame -> So Long, Adele

#omfg this got really long i'm sorry #arknights lore is complicated and hard to get into but i love it a lot

[princealberich]

THE HEXENZIRKEL

Trying to deduce which member in the Hexenzirkel each of these insignias belong to!

There are the ones that I think are actually backed up by decent proof.

J: Her cup has a red colour scheme! Considering the next red themed one is A’s, that leaves this.

A: Alice’s cup has the same insignia on it- Plus, it’s red, and Alice is likely associated with red.

?: I’m not sure who this could be. Magenta, with a shining light like J...

?: Again, no evidence. Purple with a flame. Pyro affiliated??

?: Still unsure. Aqua-ish, reading a book- I’d say it could be M, but the colours don’t match.

B: Mona’s master has a blueish theme, and is heavily associated with Hydro. The insignia reflects both of these.

?: Unsure... Someone facing away.

M: The author of the boar princess. Her colour scheme matches this insignia, and she’s also carrying a book. The inkwell featured in M’s scene admittedly has what I believe to be Alice’s insignia on it, but... It could be a gift?

This leaves N and R with no placements. If I were to hazard a guess, though-

R: This is the only insignia facing away and hiding. This could be representative of Rhine’s identity as the ‘Great Sinner’.

I don’t know where N could be placed. She studies the order of the world, but none of the remaining insignias really convey that. Apart from her, there’s two other unknown members/placements!

#zchat #genshin impact #genshin #genshin impact theory #genshin theory #hexenzirkel #rhinedottir

[wanderer-moonchild]

As usual, when endgame lore drops, Kaeya’s stans go crazy with their theories bc our boy’s lore is pretty complicated and could fill an entire book. So, here’s my very long essay on it.

As much as Pierro’s design has similarities to Kaeya’s, I don’t think he is his father. At least, not with the amount of information we have about them.

According to the pale flame artifact, he was a sage who failed to earn the favor of the previous ruler and, somehow, he and Tsaritsa connected. “Then I shall become instead a fool, a Fatuus, and devote myself to Her Majesty, who understands my pain...”

Pierro’s main goal seems to be to challenge the divine principles in order to create a new world order. “Let us don our masks in mockery of the world as we go forth and rewrite the rules of destiny.”

He also wants to cleanse the abyss, where the cursed Khaenri’ahns live, and the Abyss Order carry their own plans. As we know so far, they are: create a mechanical god to match the god’s powers, revive the homeland and break Celestia’s curse. "Let the darkness of corruption, the pain of the world, and the humans, beasts, and the sin they carry all be purified by silent ice."

In the Wise Doctor's Pinion from the Pale Flame set, which has to do with Dottore and Pierro's relationship, it says that Pierro asked Dottore to create "improved humans" (experiments with god residue  as we’ve seen in the webtoon) and he even alluded to the possibility of creating a god-like being.

Fundamentally, the goals of the Fatui and the Abyss Order are the same and will have a similar outcome. Whoever succeeds in destroying the gods will create a completely different world. Perhaps these events will be similar to the Archon War.

The abyss sibling has emotional ties to Khaenri’ah and not only wants to overthrow the gods, but also to bring back their homeland so they can live a dignified life again.

Pierro, on the other hand, has apparently cut ties with his people who “ushered in a tide of wrath, destruction and foolishness” and devoted himself to Tsaritsa because she understood his pain. The fact that Pierro quickly turned to serve another royal leads me to believe that he fits the role of an advisor rather than a ruler.

What about Kaeya, then?

He was placed in Mondstadt as an agent of Khaenri’ah – not of the Abyss Order, not of the fatui. Plus, his lore seems to have more to do with the abyss than with the fatui:

The dwarf Alberich, which is Kaeya’s surname, is known as the ‘ruler of supernatural beings’. He appears in several epic German tales and, in the 'Der Ring des Nibelungen', he steals gold from the Rhine maidens to forge a ring that grants him this power. You know, Rhinedottir, Albedo’s creator who also goes by Gold???

Kaeya’s second constellation ‘Never-Ending Performance’ has the same name as Childe’s boss battle theme (chaeya confirmed).

Kaeya’s attacks are similar to those of Abyss Mages and Abyss Lectors.

Kaeya was the first person to tell the traveler about the Abyss Order’s leader, which I think is VERY SUS. The traveler and the anemo archon went off to deal with the Stormterror, leaving Kaeya to deal with a supposed attack by the Abyss Order that no one but him witnessed?? Even Amber was like “Kaeya is lazy and left me and the Knights alone to defend Mondstadt >:(“. The way Kaeya talks about this it’s also incredibly sus. He says he is blessed with “linguistic powers”, and later we learn that he can speak hilichurlian????

 ALSO, why would he tell the traveler, someone he barely knows, this important information? Sure, the traveler helped them and is the honorary knight, but… I don’t know, Kaeya certainly didn’t entirely trust them as we saw in his story quest, so that seems a little too convenient to me. Maybe he met the abyss sibling and was instructed to tell the traveler about it?

And that’s all I can think of right now.

I don’t think Kaeya works for the Abyss Order, though. It could be that there’s a 3rd group of Khaenri’ahns hanging around somewhere and they have closer ties to the abyss than to the surface, but they aren’t part of the Abyss Order.

A)

Dainsleif is one of the reasons I think that. He was the captain of the royal knights, and, in the chasm quest, he says that he went back to the castle after telling the knights to protect the people of Khaenri’ah. 

However, Dainsleif seems to not be aware of Kaeya’s existence and, somehow, he became closer to the abyss sibling rather than to the royal family, who he was supposed to serve.

Perhaps the royal family had already fled when he arrived at the castle, so he doesn’t know anything about their whereabouts? Perhaps that was the time when he and the abyssal sibling became closer? IDK, something must've happened in that short period of time.

B)

The other reason is the Abyss Corridor in the Spiral Abyss, which is known to connect worlds and was built by an ancient civilization long gone. What if the royal family fled to the Abyss Corridor when the gods attacked Khaenri’ah? Or they moved to the Abyss Corridor after Khaenri’ah fell into the abyss bc living there became impossible?

In his story, it says: “Kaeya's father squeezed his son's lean shoulders as he spoke, seemingly looking right through Kaeya to some place far beyond. On the other side of the horizon sat their distant homeland of Khaenri'ah.”

Hoyoverse could’ve said ‘ruins of Khaenri’ah’, or even mention something about Khaenri’ah being underground, but they didn’t. So, Khaenri’ah is still definitely a place somewhere and people who've received a curse similar to Kaeya probably live there.

SO…

In short, the characters from Khaenri'ah are all connected and have similar goals, but we lack information about how they relate to each other. Personally, I don't think Pierro and Kaeya are directly related because much of Kaeya's lore points to the abyss (not necessarily the Abyss Order) instead of the fatui, but perhaps Hoyoverse has an interesting way to connect them.

#genshin impact #genshin #kaeya #pierro #genshin theories #genshin thoughts #abyss order #dainsleif #why is kaeya always connected to something important and hoyoverse never gives him screen time #genshin makes me practice my english skills at least lol

[zeravmeta]

Arknights CH11 spoilers + theory speculation about Surtr (long)

So in CH11 it was confirmed that Nightingale is indeed a biological experiment that Theresis made in an attempt to recreate Theresa, with the goal being that they’re trying to pull Theresa out of the Sarkaz Collective Consciousnesses afterlife and modify her in order to control her public image and unify the scattered Sarkaz across Terra, unaware that Theresa is still alive inside Amiya. They finally managed to make a doppelganger of Theresa, but all she can do is follow orders, she doesn’t really have any of Theresa’s knowledge or experiences.

I think Surtr might also be one of these experiments, but in a different sense.

Now, obviously it’d be easy to say “oh yeah they share amnesia” but it’s the actual details surrounding their circumstances that make me wonder. Both Nightingale and Surtr share a very similar type of memory issue, where it’s not just that they don’t have memories, but in fact have memories they shouldn’t have: Nightingale, despite scoring averagely on the operator written exams, has an incredible grasp on medicine and biology as well as healing arts that are supposedly outside her range. In her profile, Amiya is unable to distinguish what Nightingales personality is because Nightingale herself is wearing a persona where she isn’t able to properly distinguish who she is. In the same vein, Surtr herself has no recollection of who she is or even how long or far shes been traveling, with the only thing in her head being scattered amounts of random imagery, locations, and people she’s never met. There’s also how their stats are listed in their profiles

Both Nightingale and Surtr have mostly average/below average ratings on their profiles for their competency as operators, with a single excellent/outstanding trait. There’s also the different in their competencies: Nightingale excels at healing Arts and can literally take away peoples pains, while Surtr is an incredibly powerful fighter despite having basically no Originum Arts.

This type of issue seems oddly specific but it makes sense when you consider what Theresa is: the King of Sarkaz, not just in title but in blood and weapon. Being the King of Sarkaz isn’t just in being recognized, but actually inheriting the Arts that denote someone as a worthy successor, the Arts that Amiya has. The Arts that work on empathy and accessing the memories of previously alive Sarkaz by connecting to the Sarkaz Collective Consciousness.

I go into more detail on Sarkaz modification and the empathy power here, but basically in trying to recreate Theresa, Theresis was also trying to recreate her Arts that work via memory and empathy, and the reason why both Nightingale and Surtr have so many scattered memories and have trouble distinguishing their senses of self is because the Arts weren’t properly recreated.

All that said, I think that Surtr specifically, despite having been an attempt at recreating Theresa, was for another goal: The recreation of long dead Sarkaz subraces.

CH11 starts with Theresis calling the various kings of the different Sarkaz races with the goal of forcefully occupying Victoria while it’s unstable in order to conquer it and then declare to the world that he’s going to take over Terra in a giant unification war. The different types of Sarkaz have been alluded to and mentioned throughout the overarching lore (you can view the list of them here), but I want to mention a specific one: the Diaboli.

The Diaboli are the eponymous “Flame Demons”, and you’ll notice that Ifrit is listed as one of them, however it’s also known that Ifrit is an experiment by Rhine Labs, where Ifrit herself was originally a Savra who was modified with remnant shards of Diaboli. You’ll notice in Surtr’s profile that, despite her game play mechanic being that of a powerful Arts nuke, her in game lore actually lists her Originum Adaptability as flawed. Comparatively, Originum Adaptability is Ifrit’s one outstanding trait, so what explains this discrepancy if they’re both supposed to be Diaboli?

Well, Ifrit is a Savra that was modified with Sarkaz DNA, while Surtr is a full-blooded Sarkaz. Ifrit’s Arts are likely what made Rhine Labs want to infuse her with Diaboli shards in the first place to make a powerful Flame Demon because the powers would be complementary. But Surtr? Well, it wouldn’t really matter how powerful her Originum Arts are if she’s just using an ability inherent to her type of Sarkaz. That’s why no one can explain why her sword becomes super heated and can shred through anything: because Surtr is just using powers inherent to that of Diaboli Sarkaz, the sword itself isn’t special. Even if her Originum Adaptability is weak, all she’s really doing is a basic infusion of Arts into her weapon, something that nearly everyone on Terra can do if they even have an inkling of how to use Arts. I do want to note that Sarkaz Arts are constantly exemplified and detailed as their own special type compared to other Originum Arts, so it’s not a stretch to say that certain Sarkaz gained their denotation because they have specific types of arts to their names. Mudrock, for example, is a Gargoyle type Sarkaz and can thus use Arts that are about controlling the earth, but even a Gargoyle whose Originum Arts are weak would likely be able to control earth in some way.

But all this then begs the question: If Theresis was just trying to make a clone of Theresa, why does Nightingale look so distinct? Why bother with other types of Sarkaz and not just use his own blood to try and recreate his sister?

It’s because of Kazdel itself.

With the biological experiments, it’s not simply that they were trying to make a Theresa body double: they’re instituting a full on Kazdel repopulation program of all the various Sarkaz subraces that have slowly been eroded over the years due to the racism against them and the mercenary lifestyle they’re forced to adopt. It’s not just that Surtr was a clone experiment of Theresa, she was a recreation experiment to try and make Diaboli Sarkaz again. We know it’s possible, too, because Ifrit (who was originally a Savra) was able to be converted into a DIaboli Sarkaz by Rhine Labs with only mere fragments of these long dead Sarkaz, and Kazdel technology is far beyond what many people believe specifically because they’ve kept it hidden. If Rhine Labs was able to make Ifrit into a Sarkaz with only a few shards, I’d imagine that Kazdel would likely have access to more Sarkaz relics and ancient DNA to try and use.

And given that Theresis intends to forcefully occupy Victoria and declare war on the rest of Terra, this may also be a way to make tons of powerful, subservient soldiers.

Basically, Surtr is another one of the biological experiments by the Confessarius to try and recreate Theresa, likely a “newer” model that's far more stable and powerful physically compared to Nightingale, but she’s a “failure” in a similar way because she has a jumble of different memories and lifetimes since they couldn’t recreate the King of Sarkaz’ empathy powers correctly. Where Nightingale was likely a test run for the King of Sarkaz empathy power specifically (which is why her Arts are so powerful), Surtr’s base was that of the now functionally extinct Diaboli, because Theresis is also using these experiments to not only remake extinct Sarkaz subraces but also create an entire army of them by using the Confessarius to continually pull Sarkaz wills out of the Sarkaz Collective Consciousness. A true army of demons from hell.

#arknights #zerav meta #lotsa lotsa lotsa speculation given the ch11 tidbits we got #rotating the funny white woman in my head and i think i got this one pretty down #not only is this surtr speculation but also speculation for the plot going forward

[gold-rhine]

no no no, signora was never in hexenzirkel, thats v important. hexenzirkel is a bunch of uber powerful amoral assholes, they are basically a teyvat illuminati. alice is torturing hilichurls for funsies and is proud of this, rhine did more warcrimes science than dotorre, etc.

signora was a genially good person and she didn’t have power, she had nowhere to turn to, she prayed to venti and he failed to protect mond, that’s why she hates him, that’s why she immolated herself into a living flame. her whole point is that she was innocent and kind, like young diluc, and then her world was shattered by loss  of a loved one and she saw no way to avenge the injustice other than to turn herself into a monster, and even then she didn’t harm innocents.  

that said, diluc’s parent was in hexenzirkel, bc as we all know crepus is trans

#rhine talks #you should post diluc in dresses and blood tho #thats basically the only good look on him

[kiana-kaslana-423]

I am [BACK] again to show you more women! I think I have a grasp on your [TYPE] after that post, so I'll try to put all of the ones that I know plus a few others! Now introducing the playable characters by [FACTIONS], [NATIONS], or maybe [GENERAL] because I got lazy!

[Abyssal hunters]

> Gladiia (+ Return skin)

> Specter / Specter the unchained

> Skadi / Skadi the corrupting heart

> Andreana (+ Silent Arrow skin)

[Babel]

> Ines

> W

> Kal'tsit (check 'A Walk in the Dust' for outfits)

[Siracusa]

> Texas / Texas the Omertosa

> Lapland (+ Refined Horrormare skin)

> Penance

[Victoria]

> Heidi

> Horn (+ To Effloresce Whitely skin)

> Saileach

> Reed / Reed the Flame Shadow (Eblana's twin!)

[Rhine Lab]

> Saria (+ Stronghold, The Law skins)

> Mayer (she reminds me of Vill-V, sort of?)

> Dorothy (+ Hand of Destiny skin, she's so ♡)

> Silence / Silence the Paradigmatic

[General]

> Viruosa

> Schwarz

> Ceylon

> Blemishine (+ Moon Castrborn skin)

> Nearl / Nearl the Radiant Knight

> Shining

> Meteor (+ Bard's Holiday, Gwiazdcytron skins)

> Dobermann (+ Lieutenant skin)

> Meteorite (+ Graphite skin)

> Orchid (+ Twines of Time)

> Mudrock (+ Silent Night DN06, Obsidian skins)

> Blacknight (+ Summer Flower FA641 skin)

> Cantabile (+ Illumination That of Daylights skin)

> Yato / Kirin R Yato

> Lin

Thats [ALL FOR NOW] because this is getting too [LONG]! But I also forgot a few NPCs so I'm dropping them down!

[NPCs that I forgor]

> Degenbrecher (so mad that I forgot about her! She has a CG art of subduing someone, Gnosis, and like wow mam, me next)

> Monch

> Salus

> Touch

Hello!! Let's see the women you are showing me today!! I'll be picking my favor out of the bunch like usual!!

> Gladiia

> Specter the unchained

> W

> Saria

> Blemishine

> Shining

> Dobermann

> Touch

#omggg they are soo hotttt #☆ kiana's little talks ☽

[lizalfosrise]

New AK ask. What region (Columbia, Sargon, Kazdel, etc) do you want to learn more about the most? Who do you think we should be following in an event that explores it?

Ooh this is a neat one, yeah. Let's start with considering those 3 first as there's certainly things to say there.

Columbia - We still have Lonetrail yet to drop and any further storyline following that for the Rhine Lab arc, plus there's now the upcoming Blacksteel Worldwide event Come Catastrophes or Wakes of Vultures to give us further exploration.

I want them to free Domma from NPC jail but that might require a Mountain Alter-worthy event :/ Orchid, Frostleaf or Vigna might have more potential there.

Sargon - We have the Acahualla storyline that may get a third event, and now Reclamation Algorithm: Fire Within the Sand has provided an expansion of the Sand Soldier/Old Isin section of Walk in the Dust story. Manticore gets some story time from that one too, which was nice to see.

A look at Beeswax getting to do her own thing more confidently might be fun, but then personally I'd be more down for something following adorably-precious Estelle who has been given snippets so far of her getting through her anxieties and dealing with that 'being seen as a battle goddess' moment. That IS2 mapping with the Archosauria trio was perfect, we need more.

Kazdel - This would be interesting since they only ever showcased it as cold, snow-covered ruins until that one scene in Episode 11 of the capital that repeatedly got destroyed and rebuilt. Most of the related cast are major players of the main story Act 2, whether as NPCs unlikely to join or Operators resolving certain threads and fates.

(Playable Closure is so close yet just out of reach...) Hoederer might be a good solo event candidate as a What the F... style interlude if we regroup with him in Episode 13. Or hey, Meteorite Alter please? She needs something after the whole 'traumatised by autopilot!Specter fighting' gag and her story with Firewatch... W Alter could be an Episode-related moment if that has any possibility.

Sami is going to be covered by IS4 and its coinciding vignette event for Typhon, Skógrinn Svartr Vill Einn Draumr. Aegir will likely be explored through the next installment of the Abyssal Hunters storyline.

We need events for Durin, Higashi, Rim Billiton and Minos for further explorations/catching up to other locales.

Seeing Croque and Deculture again would be great but not anything new Durin-wise so maybe we could have sleepyhead Durin visiting elsewhere. We don't particularly need a Myrtle Alter unless she's gonna be the Ultra-Super Flagbearer to show up Saileach...

So far Higashi has effectively been vaguely explained as doing their own thing and one additional loadscreen lore tidbit established how they curbstomped Ursus trying to invade. The recent Leaves Chasing Fire/A Flurry to the Flame Monster Hunter collab featured a rather isolated mountain village, as MonHun is wont to do. My picks for a lead would be: Matoimaru, Tsukinogi and Utage. Overlooked launch unit, niche Supporter, and cute gyaru needs justice for that damn module 'Talent'.

For a Rim Billiton event it could center on April and/or Savage; Ansel; Asbestos on her solo travels. Getting to the bottom of either the incident in Kroos the Keen Glint's past or Popukar's Lumberyard would be neat too.

And Minos - Sideroca or Perfumer Lena, I'd like. They need some appreciation. Rather little to work with compared to others, so yeah we really need some kind of story there.

#arknights #arbellas-bakery

[warthog455]

Saria’s Stronghold Skin

Chapter 8 of the Rhine Lab Manhua actually showed Saria’s BoC skin, Stronghold.

The background text that comes with the skin, reads (via Gamepress):

Bloodline of Combat Collection/Stronghold. An outfit worn by Saria during the confrontation between the General Jurisdiction and the Research Branch. Though her surroundings crumbled under the onslaught of Arts colliding, her conviction never wavered, like the land itself.

If we actually look at the original CN text (via CN wiki):

斗争血脉系列/坚城。塞雷娅在总辖构件科与总辖对峙时的装束。周遭事物因法术相碰湮灭的余波陷入混乱，唯独她的意志似大地般永不动摇。

What’s interesting here is that the original translators likely didn’t know that 总辖 refers to a single individual with that codename (Control), so they read it as that Saria was confronting a “General Jurisdiction”, like an entire branch or division of people.

With the context of the Rhine Lab Manhua, the CN text is describing it as, Saria confronting Control at the Structural Section.

To be fair, I actually didn’t know 总辖 should be Control either when translating the manhua until later, I had earlier translated it as “the chief” or something like that. This is probably a similar situation with the localization of “Flame-demon” likely going to be changed to “Diabolic” etc. (Which I’m still translating as Flame Demon cause IDK if I should TL as diablo or something like that)

Another interesting thing is that the quote

What's the matter, Boss? You don't seem as sharp as before. Since you didn't manage to finish me off, I suppose it's my turn now. Don't blink.

Didn’t show up in the manhua too. Probably a minor retcon, or Saria would confront Kirsten a separate time with the same Stronghold outfit.

#arknights #saria

[the-fallen-aesthetics]

Smolframes Project Weekly Post - E, Maggie, Bolt

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Part 1 (You're Here!) || Part 2 (lokiiiieeeeee, rhine and ah) || || Part 3 (Lil' flame, trin, Frostee) || Part 4 (Nyxxie, SheEEe, Sar)

#warframe #warframe fanart #warframe excalibur #warframe mag #warframe volt #my art #smolframes project

[shuttershocky]

Now that the Records of Rhine Lab manhua is done I can say it's pretty funny how this is simultaneously the least Arknights-flavored (only PASSING anti-government and anti-corporation sentiment, only one mention of the Sarkaz, very focused on interpersonal relationships rather than a person's relationship with the society they live in) and yet most Arknights-themed (highly-educated and extremely competent gay women who are divorced and having a bad, tragic time) story that Hypergryph has done so far, and it's also one of their best.

It's actually crazy how good it is. There is so much depth to Saria and Silence's narratives, so much to read in the space between the panels and in the hurt in their incredibly expressive eyes.

I and many others have rambled on and on about how much there is to take in, how Parvis and Kirsten contrast what Saria and Silence meant to each other, how the dialogue reflects small changes in the relationships over time, how even the art style subtly changes with a character's development (Silence going from being drawn with rounded shapes to gaining sharper features to denote her personality becoming more closed off was amazing). There is just SO much to like.

But what I really liked best was that the Rhine Labs manhua is the perfect example of how storytelling is about the journey, not the destination. Anyone who actually knew these characters before the manhua knew EXACTLY how this was going to end—Saria, Silence, and Ifrit were part of the original cast of Arknights when it first came out in 2020 for Global. We've known that the two used to be close with each other and Ifrit before the Diabolic Crisis (translated back then as the Flame Demon incident) for years, but the only thing that did was make it even more intriguing to see how the story would reach that point.

And it delivers. What was once merely interesting background lore on several character profiles became an intensely tragic story about two good women taking in an orphan child and finding a semblance of family in each other, only to be torn apart despite their best efforts by manipulation, deceit, and distrust in the service of forces far larger than they could ever think about (the fucking Department of Defense). Saria and Silence weren't perfect, but they tried so hard for Ifrit that it feels undeserved and /wrong/ that things happened the way they did.

But this is an Arknights story, and the little guy just... Doesn't always win in Terra. They just have to keep on living with what hope they can glean from the experience, keep going because they have to live for more than just themselves.

In Saria and Silence's case, that hope is Ifrit. Even if their dreams (taking Kirsten to the stars, saving Joyce and the Infected from oripathy with Parvis' guidance) end up as mere fairy tales, their mutual promise to protect and care for Ifrit still stands, and always will. She's what keeps them going.

It's gooooood shit

#arknights

[yuki-kazami]

While you all are here because I'm being spicy and mad about gay animals, I guess I should also post this bc I forgor:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/45889033

More spicy gay animals (Saria/Silence one-take prompt fic)

((Is this how you link fics on tumblr?? I don't use this shit I just like the art help am I supposed to post the whole text or something))

(((I guess you do post the text I don't know what's happening help im just smol)))

Closure:

Silence took a deep breath, steadying herself.

She could do this.

She needed to do this.

No more ambiguity, no more questions, no more secondhand info from Parvis of all people, that amoral old goat.

The fire with which she had defended her convictions towards Saria had long since burned low. It had been years since the incident at Rhine Labs. She’d married Joyce, Ifrit had grown into a capable young woman. Still, old wounds left scars, and she couldn’t just move on without closure.

Gathering up her resolve, she slid the door open to the observation deck. Harsh sunlight caused her to squint, but as her vision cleared, there she was. Saria stood alone, her back to the doorway, staring out into the vast expanses of rock. Her stance was firm. To most, it would be captivating, inspiring. It looked as if she was prepared to carry the world on her shoulders. And yet, Silence couldn’t stop herself from seeing it as lonely.

She shook her head, stepping forward.

“Saria.”

“Silence.”

Saria turned around as the door closed with a quiet whoosh. For some time, the pair simply stood there, eyes locked. Each passing moment brought more uncertainty into Silence’s gut. Even if the Saria of now was different to the one back then, even if she had grown and learned since her time as director, could she really handle being told that Parvis had been right? That Ifrit had been little more than an experiment Saria had a fondness for?

Or worse still, what if she had been-

She couldn’t bring herself to finish that thought, digging her nails into her palms to bring her focus back to reality.

“Silence, are you alright? We can speak another time if you need-“

“NO! No, I’m sorry, I just…” She grit her teeth, knowing that even with Joyce’s prodding, she wouldn’t be able to muster this courage up again. The cold shine of Parvis’s glasses in that darkened observation room haunted her mind, the moment her reality had cracked, that her heart had been torn to pieces.

“I need to know. I need you to be honest with me, Saria. Why did you leave Rhine Labs?”

It wasn’t what she wanted to ask. It wasn’t what she wanted to know. But she… she just couldn’t bring herself to say more, to risk what little trust she had left in the person she used to rely on shattering.

Saria’s face hardened as her eyes grew distant. “I grew disgusted with Control. Human experimentation is far from the ideals that we established Rhine Labs under. She lost sight of why what we were doing mattered.”

“Oh, is that so!?” A sudden, violent explosion that caught even Saria off-guard. “Really now, Saria? That’s what you have to say? You had a supposed ideological conflict? What about Ifrit? If you care so much about human experimentation, why did you leave her to suffer in their hands?” New fuel brought roaring flames back into her heart.

Saria’s voice remained comparatively calm, if a bit strained. “Silence. I trusted you with her. The paths I’ve walked were not those safe for a child.”

“Oh, her safety! That’s right, you had to make sure that your specimen wasn’t damaged! Silly me, I forgot that you needed Project Diabolus to complete successfully! After all, it must have been a costly cover-up making sure that the old experiment site didn’t hit Columbian news! Parvis showed me that you even made sure to sign off on the flamethrower they developed for the experiment! Very diligent, Director.” Silence was heaving at this point, half a decade of emotion echoing in the still air around the landship. Tears threatened at the corner of her eyes as she aired her grievances.

Saria’s voice rose in kind, confused and frustrated at the sudden vitriol. “Olivia, what kind of person do you think I am!? What the hell did Parvis tell you that made you believe him over me!? That very day, I went to Control and demanded that we go public with the news of Haydn Labs, only to be entirely shut down as being out of line!”

“DON’T YOU CALL ME THAT! Was that the same meeting where you agreed that the experiment should proceed as long as Ifrit’s life wasn’t in danger, and where you agreed to kill her if she had another episode!? And don’t play dumb with me, I saw you just about to until I showed up that night!” Tears flowed freely down Silence’s cheeks, her fists flailing in the air as she stormed up towards Saria, puffing up her feathers to be as intimidating a foe as her small stature could be.

Surprising even to Silence, it was Saria who ran out of gas first. She took a step back, face in her hands, shaking slightly. “Olivia.” Somehow, said with such a grave tone, Silence couldn’t bring herself to chastise Saria again for using her name. “Every night. Every night, for years, I’ve seen that blank gaze, the demon we forced inside that poor girl. I tried everything I could. Words, gestures, violence when I was forced to. All I wanted was for her to wake up, to see us again.”

Silence stepped back, her limbs suddenly leaden against her side. “Saria…” Things were beginning to click together, her worst fears come to life.

“The fire shields failed. The entire block of the landship was about to go up in flames. Potentially thousands of innocent people. And still, for one of the only times in my life, I had a moment of hesitation before I leapt into battle. Every time I hit her, I felt a part of myself die. She didn’t know what she was doing. She was an innocent kid forced to live out the whims of scientists playing God.”

The last of Silence’s coals burned out, leaving nothing but ash in the face of the truth. She wobbled, barely remaining standing as Saria continued on.

“How could I stop, Olivia? I couldn’t win. I had to keep fighting, even though it hurt. And at the end, when she woke up just before… just before I could make my final mistake? She gave me the candy she had saved the other portion of. Lying on the ground, bruised and battered nearly beyond recognition from my own Arts, she grinned because she was so happy I came to visit her. There is a part of me that still wonders why I didn’t kill both Parvis and Control that very night.”

Silence fell to her knees in front of Saria, shaking from the depth of her revelation. “Why… Why didn’t you… say anything…? All these years…”

Saria knelt down next to her, a concerned look on her face. “Because I knew you were right. If I had stepped in sooner, if I had fought Control harder, if I had taken over on the “treatment” to monitor it, none of this would have happened. Her blood has always been on my hands, and I nearly took her life. I don’t deserve her, or you, Olivia.”

A crisp smack echoed out across the plateau, new fire in Silence’s eyes.

“Shut up, you rock brained idiot.”

Silence grabbed the back of Saria’s horns and pulled her into an aggressive kiss.

#arknights #saria (arknights) #silence (arknights) #saria silence #fanfic

[aresmarked]

arknights rhine fam fans on realising it probably wasn't just translation issues and the diabolic crisis and flame demon incident are separate events:

#arknights #arknights spoilers #now ive gotten the emotional distress out of my system #mostly anyway