#after what happened in Requiem of the Echoing Depth | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

alatus-imperatrix · 2 years

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you're the star i look for every night.

pairing: dainsleif x gn!reader

genre: fluff, angst, hurt/comfort

warnings: !spoiler warning for requiem of the echoing depths archon quest! other than that, kissing, stargazing, sleeping together (non-sexually), crying

word count: 1,026

a/n: omg it's been a hot minute since i've been on here anyways i love dainsleif enjoy <33

art credit: mybloodynails on twitter

The cool breeze caused tufts of hair to tickle your cheeks; dark green grass prodding at your feet. Here you were, near the edge of Starsnatch Cliff, stargazing with the man you had fallen in love with. As he explained in intricate detail the stories regarding certain constellations, you found yourself to be quite enraptured by his beauty. His blonde hair was swaying gently in the breeze, moonlight reflecting upon his teal irises. He spoke while looking intently at the stars, and though you had been listening earlier, right now you felt an immense urge to kiss him. And so you did.

Dainsleif's eyes widened initially, but you felt him smile in the kiss once he got used to the feeling. It was a soft kiss, once that you cherished greatly and wished for to never end. You felt an arm snake around your waist to keep you steady as you deepened the kiss, tangling your fingers in your lover's oh-so-silky hair. Disappointingly, he pulled away after a few moments, but not before planting one last peck on your lips.

After your short interruption, Dainsleif continued explaining the tale behind a certain constellation, while you listened keenly. Curious about a certain pattern you observed in the dark sky, you asked Dain if it was another constellation. A pained look flickered across his features, but it was gone as quickly as it appeared.

“That constellation depicts an octagram: an eight-angled star that represents Khaenri'ah's royal Eclipse Dynasty. Would...you like to know more about it?”

You shook your head, not wanting to bring up bad memories for the knight. Though it seems the damage had already been done, judging by the way he wistfully continued staring at it, as if caught in past memories. You looked away, focusing on a Cecilia nearby, when unexpectedly you heard a soft sniff from your right. Glancing at Dain, you noticed a single tear flow down his cheek.

“Hey, what happened?” You said, alarmed at the sudden display of emotion, immediately rushing over in front of him to wipe away the tear. “I'm sorry for asking about the constellation. I won't bring it up again.”

“No, it's not your fault,” said he, voice becoming somewhat deeper as a result of emotion. “I'm fine. It's nothing, i-it's probably just the breeze. Shall we return now?”

Not convinced with his explanation, you reassured him, “You can talk to me about anything. I won't judge, of course. I'll try my best to comfort you, Dain.”

At this, the male seemed conflicted. He knew you'd never be able to understand the pain he went through. Seeing his homeland be completely destroyed in front of his very eyes. Seeing the people he tried so hard to protect ultimately turn into monsters of the Abyss. Spending each day knowing that what you did simply wasn't enough to save his people. He had failed. And his failure had affected all the people he once knew and loved.

Unbeknownst to Dainsleif who was lost in his thoughts, more tears fell from his eyes as those painful thoughts swirled around his mind. You didn't know exactly what was going through his mind—you just assumed it was about the cataclysm that happened half a millennium ago, and so you brought his head to your chest, rubbing his back gently to try and console him, whispering words of comfort into his ear.

Upon your embrace, he grounded himself, wrapping his arms tight around your body. Allowing himself to freely cry after centuries-long of bottling up all his guilt and remorse. What had occurred just a week prior with his old comrade, Halfdan, just increased the burden in his heart. Right now, in your arms, he finally felt free, even through all the tears that didn't seem like they were about to stop anytime soon. You rested your own head atop his shoulder, still rubbing circles on his back to try and give him some sort of comfort from the pain he was likely reliving.

Once the sniffling became less frequent, Dainsleif, still holding onto you, said quietly, “What have I ever done to deserve you? Me, a cursed knight, who couldn't even protect his people. I don't deserve y—“

“Stop right there.” You said firmly, letting go of Dain and looking him straight in the eye.

Poking a finger square in his chest, you continued. “Look at me.”

Hesitantly, Dainsleif did as you asked (or rather commanded) of him.

“You did your very best to save your people. But unfortunately the gods had other plans. How could a single mortal be able to counter countless gods? It's not possible,” you said, though your voice started to waver a little. “And it was unfair. Extremely unfair. And I know it hurts feeling like you were responsible for its destruction, but you weren't. It was the gods. So don't you dare think you don't deserve anyone like me. Hell, I should be wondering what I did to have an all-round amazing man like you love me.”

“Dain, you deserve me and more,” you ended quietly.

At this, his gaze flickered towards the ground, more tears threatening to spill as his hands balled into fists beside him to try and compose himself. You cupped a hand around his cheek, pressing a light kiss on the tip of his nose while you told him: “I love you more than anything, Dain.”

Sighing, Dainsleif leaned his forehead against yours, whispering hoarsely, “I love you too.”

The rest of the night was spent in each other's arms, laying flat on the grass while watching stars pass by until slumber took over the two of you.

Even though he still felt guilt for the events that happened five hundred years ago, Dainsleif was confident that he had never felt so happy and content, cherished and loved as he did just before he fell asleep, with you huddled up close to him for warmth, his cape acting as a blanket of sorts.

Your hair tickled his neck as you snuggled closer to him in sleep, wanting to be nearer. The action caused him to crack a smile.

He was absolutely smitten.

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aeoki · 1 year

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Grand Slam - Blue Requiem: Chapter 9

Location: Yumenosaki Grounds (Sports Festival) Characters: Tomoya, Sora, Aira & Hitsugi

Hitsugi: Actually, this is related to the other Seven Mysteries but…

There is a fabled civilisation that we don’t know of who lives underground in Yumenosaki.

Tomoya: Say what? You’re starting to sound fishy again.

Aira: It’s a pretty popular conspiracy theory and urban legend, though? Like a fabled ancient civilisation or an underground civilisation.

Hisugi: Yes! It’s that sort of suspicious thing! I love those!

Ancient – In other words, in the past, underground, they lead normal lives in the darkness that we’re unable to see.

Strange happenings are born from the sort of darkness that we cannot perceive.

We can’t see them so our imaginations grow. Then, we start hallucinating and seeing the impossible – Ohh, don’t you just find that romantic? ♪

Putting that aside, there are two of the Seven Mysteries that are related to the “underground civilisation”: The third mystery, “The Earth’s Requiem” and the sixth, “Aku Yumenosaki”.

“Aku Yumenosaki” is a little bit different from the situation this time around, but we might be able to experience “The Earth’s Requiem”.

Tomoya: What’s “The Earth’s Requiem”?

It sounds different from the Seven Mystery Hinata and the others were trying to look into, so even if I heard something that sounds like the real name of the Seven Mystery, I wouldn’t know what it’s about.

Aira: “The Odd Cenotaph” and “The Blood-Vomiting Beast” were easy to understand, though.

Hitsugi: Fufu. People usually tend to link “The Earth’s Requiem” as a supernatural phenomenon related to “The Blood-Vomiting Beast”.

Immediately after “The Blood-Vomiting Beast” is sighted above ground, you can hear the sounds of instruments being played and singing voices from under the ground.

Once you hear those sounds, you don’t have to worry. The strange phenomenon created by “The Blood-Vomiting Beast” or the “bad thing” will immediately stop.

We’re holding a ceremony to suppress the “bad thing” on the surface too, though.

It’s an established theory that the people living underground are also holding some sort of ceremony.

Tomoya: Who established that theory?

Hitsugi: It seems it’s been observed from a long time ago that there were strange sounds periodically echoing from the depths of the earth. The people from the past did their research and started calling it “The Earth’s Requiem”.

And they reached a conclusion: There were people we didn’t know of who had created their own civilisation and were living underground.

Those “people” had a melody that could suppress the “bad thing” in the ceremony. It’s highly likely the descendants of the “sea people” who were persecuted would know how to create it.

That’s what I suspect.

It’s also an established theory that Yumenosaki students merged together with the “sea people”, the people of this land from a long time ago who were submerged into the ground after it sunk in.

Tomoya: Another established theory, huh.

Hitsugi: It sounds very believable, doesn’t it? ♪

In reality, there’s no way humans can live underground without anyone discovering them. It’s an unlikely story – just an urban legend, you know?

Sora: …But, actually, in the underground space we went into for “Broadcasting Accidents”, there was a door and traces of someone living there~

Hitsugi: Yes. Well, if you were to think about it normally, it’s probably an old building that had sunk into the ground and ended up being buried, though.

The singing and performance meant to suppress the “bad thing” echoing from underground were probably just sounds from far away echoing into an underground cave.

Like the sound version of the Brocken Spectre. It might simply be a natural phenomenon that can be explained by science, though.

But it’s more fun when you think of it as something mysterious and strange.

…Perhaps it’s just covered by the membranes of an illusion and in it is a “truth” someone is wanting to hide.

I have to find out what that is, even if it costs me my life, so I cannot bring it to an end and say it’s just an illusion or a funny story.

I have a feeling things are getting pretty bad for me since I’ve gotten too close to the taboo, but I’ll still continue to pursue the Seven Mysteries in the future.

But, well, I suppose that has nothing to do with idols. No, it’s got nothing to do with Anzu-senpai in the “producer course”, either. It’s my own personal matter.

But it might be something that’s deeply connected to you guys. As long as you’re living on this land, it’s a story that wouldn’t hurt to know.

I’ve told you all that I know. The important parts are still hidden and controlled by the adults however they please. That just frustrates me, though.

Knowledge will always be a strength for survival. Of course, on the opposite hand, you can end up in danger by knowing things as well.

Especially for you guys, there are a lot of people in the higher-ups in the industry who you cannot ignore that believe and act based on these superstitions.

It should be a good thing to know what their land mine is – the things they call taboo.

If you didn’t know, you might end up coming in contact with it accidentally like before.

You two work so hard you collapse from overworking, so it would be awful for you two – for idols to be erased from the industry because of a stupid thing like this.

I’m sure Anzu-senpai, your fans and everyone else wouldn’t want that.

Tomoya & Aira: …………

Hitsugi: Please remember what I’ve said. But please don’t tell anyone else as much as you possibly can.

It’s something taboo the adults are desperately trying to hide. If you come into contact with it carelessly, then you won’t be let off the hook with just a sick day or two.

The reason I told you two this is to let you know the location of the land mine. Because I want you two to avoid it and pass through.

I learnt my lesson after “Broadcasting Accidents” got rejected. …I realised that this is something I should be doing on my own.

Sora: …………

← Previous Chapter ᠂ ⚘ ˚⊹˚ ⚘ ᠂ Next Chapter →

#grand slam

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niteshade925 · 2 years

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v2.6 Chasm Lore Thoughts Pt.1: Misc and Ancient Lore

(Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4)

Well that was quite a loaded map and story. Also broke the record for the Genshin map that triggered my migraine the fastest lol (the previous record holder was Enkanomiya, predictably).

Alright now for my spoiler-filled thoughts, y’all have been warned.

Miscellaneous Thoughts and Introduction:

Well, I guess MHY is pretty straightforward with the hilichurls’ back story. They are indeed Khaenri’ans. Seriously though, after that reveal with the curse and all that, how does MHY expect me to just go out and murder hilichurls for dailies now? What am I, a fucking villain? Actually I guess I already am huh. :P Goddammit MHY.

Putting in my bets now, Yelan is a special agent for the Qixing, a little bit like Shuumatsuban in Inazuma, except whereas Shuumatsuban serves a particular commission in Inazuman government, Yelan seems to serve the highest level of the government of Liyue (the Qixing) directly.

A little detail about her name: Yelan/夜兰 literally means “night orchid”, the “night” part is probably a little hint about the covert nature of her occupation.

I’m guessing there’s probably going to be more about the Chasm’s story in a later update, since right now there's just way too many things that were mentioned but unexplained, like how Xamaran came to be deep in the Chasm or what exactly the ancient civilization did to deserve a nail from the sky.

There are 3 major parts to the story of the Chasm so far as I can see, and that’s 1) the ancient upside-down city and the nail, or the ancient history of the Chasm, 2) Liyue’s fight against the darkness 500 years ago, or the Cataclysm, and 3) whatever the Abyss Order was up to in the present. So these are also going to be how I will divide up the posts in this series. I will conclude the series with an analysis of the MC Twins and one of the major overall themes of the story, which is perspective on history.

Chasm, Ancient Times:

There was an ancient underground civilization that was visually very similar to the one in Enkanomiya (the angled doors and the weird stone bookshelves are the same, and the statues are also the same) and the one in Dragonspine. (Pictures below; left side taken in Enkanomiya, right side taken in Chasm)

This yet unnamed ancient civilization did something that provoked the gods of Celestia, we don’t know what it was, and the gods threw down the giant nail, the same kind as the one on top of Dragonspine, to destroy this civilization.

If what Paimon’s comments and Dainsleif implied in Requiem of the Echoing Depths is true, then at the time of this civilization’s destruction and for a long time afterwards, the towers at the Nameless Ruins were not inverted. The inversion likely happened in the present time, as a result of the Abyss Order’s actions.

A lot of things are still unexplained about this ancient civilization, what technologies these ancient people have developed, what were their beliefs, what their culture was like, and exactly what it did to provoke Celestia.

Another rather important detail is exactly how the round fragment of the nail broke off and traveled from the westmost and deepest place in the Chasm, all the way to the Eastmost top level of the Chasm. If the nail fragmented as a result of its impact with the city, one would expect it to sit somewhere near the nail, but it isn’t. I have a small theory on why that is, and I will say more about it in part 3.

The round fragment of the nail clearly bear the triple spiral symbol from Celtic culture (can be called Celtic triskelion, though triskeles apparently refer more to the 3-legs Greek version of the symbol). According to the internet, the Celtic triskelion represent three worlds: the celestial, the physical, and the spiritual.

We do have a Celestia in Genshin, but of Teyvat and the Abyss, which is the “physical” and which is the “spiritual“?

This ancient civilization and the other two known ancient civilizations seem to be connected to Khaenri’ah somehow, since the magical glowing pool in the central tower of the Nameless Ruins offer the hilichurls and other former residents of Khaenri’ah some sort of comfort despite their curse.

I have a feeling that we would also find a giant blue crystal nail in Enkanomiya, if it wasn’t for Orobashi’s plan to bring the people of Enkanomiya above the ground, then assimilating them into Inazuma.

Also it’s confirmed that someone from Liyue obtained a part of the blue crystal nail in the deepest part of the Chasm, then forged it into what became known as the weapon Calamity Queller:

The forging of Calamity Queller happened pre-Cataclysm. More on the Calamity Queller later.

The stone pillars surrounding the nail in the Chasm also looked peculiar. They seem to be formed by square-ish large chunks of rock, and remind me of the powers of the Unknown God:

The book Records of Jueyun: Hidden Jade indicates the the giant crater above ground is formed by a “meteor”. However, this “meteor” is somehow “sentient”, “had a proud and agitated temper”, and flew back to the sky during the Archon War because it “could bear this no longer” (weird lol).

Note that Zhongli’s burst is a meteor and is also called “天星” (lit: heavenly star”) in Chinese, same as the word used for the meteor that fell in the Chasm in Records of Jueyun: Hidden Jade. I’m not saying Morax/Zhongli is the one who made that meteor crash into the Chasm--I don’t think there’s any evidence he can create sentient rocks--but perhaps there is a connection of sorts.

I have a vague feeling that this “meteor” wasn’t a real meteor, but a being who fell from the sky. Remember who else “fell from the sky”? Lol.

Another thing to note is the curious shape of the crater in the Chasm. The center of the crater where the rock formation radiated out from the center is what a normal meteor crater should look like. The spiral rock formations on the outside are quite weird and don’t look like they belong there. I don’t know if those were simply added to make the above ground map more interesting, or if they actually indicate anything in the story.

The lore of the ancient civilization in the Chasm is still fairly fragmented still, so we’ll move on to the Cataclysm next.

#genshin impact #genshin lore #liyue chasm #genshin spoilers

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animationadventures · 3 years

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Since we’re at week nine, I figured I would rank the nine main covens (not counting the Emperor’s Coven).

9th Place - Healing. So far we haven’t really seen much from that coven. The most I’ve seen that I can remember is Viney healing the scratch Puddles got from the basilisk and Amity having a healing patch on her foot cast after Wing It Like Witches. The head witch of that coven is equally mysterious.

8th Place - Oracle. We’ve seen a bit more from the Oracle coven than Healing. We know that spirits can be summoned from crystal balls, and that oracles can not only predict the future of someone’s life, but can gauge stuff like business investments. The head witch seems ancient, and I’m convinced he’s the same species as Kikimora given the presence of fists in place of hair.

7th Place - Potions. Even though Eda and Lilith studied the track in school, we don’t see much variety of potions. I know there’s the elixir Eda takes for her curse, the fog brew from Luz’s first class, and the explosive ones used in Echoes of the Past. I’m actually pretty curious about the head witch since there’s something unsettling about his appearance, and I want to know if the box we briefly saw on his back during his cameo in Eda’s Requiem is a mobile potions lab.

6th Place - Construction. Prior to Matt and Bria showing their stuff in Through the Looking Glass, the Construction Coven had zero representation. Now we know it’s very versatile like the Plant and Illusion covens. However, its color scheme is the most boring of the nine, and the head witch looks the most average of them all.

5th Place - Beast-keeping. While this one has not had the most action, it has appealed to me a bit., and is the one I would love to see more in-depth. Viney and Gwen show how powerful this coven is when utilized right. Also, we all know that if Edric or Alador had to pick a secondary coven, they would join this one. Eberwolf has not really said anything, but I am all here for her feral energy.

4th Place - Abominations. Apparently the witch equivalent to robotics in our world, I can see how that would translate with stuff like home security and assistance. I applaud Dana for coming up with this one because it’s not something I have seen in fantasy settings before. As the series goes on, Amity and other users show its versatility much like Gus and Willow have shown for their covens. It’s the messiest of the bunch, and I get a laugh out of the irony with Darius (who I theorize is Gavin’s dad) being a neat freak.

3rd Place - Illusions. One of the most commonly seen covens in the show, we see all the uses this coven offers. From appearance modification, to distraction purposes, to showmanship, it has everything. Gus and the twins are the perfect examples of someone who represents the coven’s personality type. I am a bit bummed with how easily illusions can be broken though. Of all the head witches, the illusions one seems to have a lot of flair and I’m interested in learning about him.

2nd Place - Plants. I am not much of an outdoorsy person, but I can appreciate how versatile the Plants coven seems to be. I don’t know why Willow’s dads thought the Abominations coven would offer her more opportunities when it seems like she could do a lot with Plants. I’ve seen it theorized elsewhere that Willow and the Plants coven might be the keys to keeping the palistrom wood from going extinct, and I hope that’s what happens because I would love a little life buddy like a palisman. The head witch seems like an interesting lady, leaning into that gardener appearance but with a bunch of thorns.

1st Place - Bard. As a former drama club member, I am a bit biased when it comes to this one. Prior to Raine’s appearance in the show, we had not seen how exactly Bard magic works, but now that we have, I am in love with it. While it mostly seems musical, I feel it also leans into stuff like writing and literature. Without Eda and Raine’s showcase in Eda’s Requiem, this would have probably been in the middle of the rankings for me. I absolutely love Raine, and am praying that they will be okay in the end.

There is so much magic we have yet to see from The Owl House, but the opportunity to see it all is at risk.

Here’s how you can help save an important cartoon such as The Owl House:

Write a letter to Disney, not an email, asking them for more The Owl House, and tell them what you love about the show and how much it means to you. Here’s the address:

DisneyTVA

811 Sonora Avenue

Glendale, CA

91201, USA

The USA part is only for international fans, so if you live in the States, you don’t need that part for the address. When writing your letter, remember to be polite and not accusatory or rude, because they will perceive anything sounding accusatory or rude as hate mail and throw it out without consideration. Also make sure to watch The Owl House on Disney + if you have it because they are watching the viewership numbers on there too. Stream it again and again if you can.

Additionally, Rebecca Rose on Youtube found some addresses for some executives that might have the power to greenlight the renewal. Check out my post discussing Yesterday’s Lie for those.

On social media like Twitter, use #MoreTheOwlHouse and #SaveTheOwlHouse as often as you can without being obnoxious about it.

Go Hexside!

#the owl house #toh #willow park #gus porter #raine whispers #amity blight #save the owl house #more the owl house

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reginrokkr · 4 months

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𝐂𝐋𝐈. Coming up next is the last part of the trilogy of posts of Requiem of the Echoing Depths, a very emotional quest in too many levels to describe. To check the previous parts, you can go here: ✦ ✧

✦ After their brief encounters, there is no doubt that Halfdan, within what little self-awareness he must've left (and even with that little Dain would say it's a miracle), recognized Dain and wanted to help with his investigation to have a clearer understanding of what's been boiling down in the Nameless City by showing him a bigger hilichurl campo. However, since yesterday when I paused at this point of the quest it occurred to me that there could be another option —which isn't inconciliable with the former and can coexist with it perfectly fine— and it is the fact that he wanted to seize this opportunity he had of seeing his captain once again after so much time to show him the result of his work.

Thinking about what will come to pass later when Halfdan chastizes himself for failing to follow Dain's words and the latter telling him that he's proud of what he and the other men did, I think it carries another layer of meaning that even if some hilichurls have already passed and Halfdan wanted to honor their death by bringing something to them that is reminiscent of home (a bouquet of Inteyvats), he did everything he could and in seeing this alongside understanding that the Black Serpent Knights were protecting the hilichurls all this time, Dain was prompted to give recognition for his hard work so he could pass away in peace.

✧ ◜Trying to remove it [the curse] by force will achieve nothing but inflict further suffering. So you are clear in your mind. You have to tell yourself: They are no longer human. If you cling to false hope and allow yourself to become too emotionally invested, the only way is down... You will end up just like them, mired in hypocrisy. Save your strength for something worth saving.◞

For some reason, similarly as when he talked about the curse and said that no one understands it like he does, this once again feels like out of experience. Firstly as if he had to convince himself that neither the hilichurls or those who are part of the Abyss Order are no longer humans and that this could be easily a reason to lose sight of what's important, which for one is that the Abyss Order seeks to destroy all the nations under the Seven and the people with it. This alongside another matter I'll touch later is a clear expression of hypocrisy in bringing ruin to other innocent ones like many of Khaenri'ah were. And secondly, about Lumine as the one who went down this path out of her sense of guilt for being unable to do anything when the destruction at the hands of the gods happened (I won't expand more on this as it'll have its moment in Caribert).

Lastly, while his last line may sound harsh and as if implying that for example the hilichurls aren't worth saving, I don't think he says it out of malice. But because 500 years after, they have already established their lives, got used to this new way of living in their own tribes down to choosing how they want to meet their end. It's not that they aren't worth saving as much as choosing for them when most likely they have already chosen. And this can apply to the Black Serpent Knights too, who still choose to protect the hilichurls as is, no matter the form they take— they're still the people they once protected in Khaenri'ah (looking at it in retrospective, it reminds me a bit of Nahida's second story quest and the lack of importance the shape one takes has). This will be touched again a bit later.

✦ One of the things I adore about Dain and that it's seen so rarely is that he doesn't mind following his own path without Aether and that actually, he could do all these things he does on his own. As painful as it might be, because as he states in Shenhe's miscellany, he doesn't relish the solitary life he has and even he knows the heartache of the Adepti which includes the poison of solitude.

✧ [...] ◜The Abyss' actions here directly dishonor he final wishes of Halfdan and my other compatriots. I cannot allow this to proceed.◞

This here is one of the reasons of weight why I always differentiate between the deeds of those who are obsessed (Abyss Order-aligned even before the Cataclysm) and those who highly likely wouldn't want to take part in any of this, before and now. In what concerns this part of the story specifically, and the second reason why the Abyss Order has fallen into hypocrisy is for deciding on other's behalf in a similar fashion as the Heavenly Principles do with everyone that is under them (so far sans the sovereigns, as Neuvi claims that he's unaffected) through the fate system.

✦ ◜Am I too late...? Must they also be in agony as they meet their end?◞

I can't describe how heartbreaking it must've been to Dain to think that he's late to save his people... again, after being unable to do anything for anyone back when the destruction of Khaenri'ah happened. As for the second line as per in CN (thank you to the lovely @jueying for telling me about this), it has so much strength that he says that they're in agony because he can feel it— in that moment, he was in agony too. As he kept saying one time after another before this scene, cleansing the curse by force would only bring more suffering and this is where the Abyss Order fails x2: not only in deciding for the hilichurls and Black Serpent Knights, but for making them suffer (and who knows if they made plans to stay away from that place so that they wouldn't be affected by this if its influence is only in that area as I think it is, which would make it worse as it would seem like they're using those who are around as experiments to see if later they can use it on themselves or not).

✧ Lastly but not any less important, Halfdan's sacrifice to protect the hilichurls, his other compatriots Black Serpent Knights who he's been working hand in hand to protect them, Dain and his act of kindness to honor their deaths. It's touching to see that Dain's recognition and vocalized pride on him and the rest of the Black Serpent Knights made Halfdan happy, maybe a tad embarrassed too as Dain is still his superior.

And his question, if Khaenri'ah didn't fall since Dain is still there. I think that this has a double interpretation: in a literal sense or a more metaphysical one, alluding that since Dain is still there, the spirit of Khaenri'ah didn't fall into complete oblivion nor fell completely. Personally, I like the thought that Khaenri'ah lives through Dain as Halfdan would imply if this is exactly what he meant, which once again clashes with the Abyss Order's ways even though a significant part of them must be of Khaenri'ah, too. Whatever values Khaenri'ah had that have nothing to do with these obsessions, Irmin and Gold's deeds are carried by Dain.

There is also the notion that Dain lied to him if what Halfdan meant is the former interpretation to make him feel better, which might be questionably less or more noble of him to do and I'm keeping that in mind. However the case, I think that even if Halfdan meant the first interpretation, souls are said to still have sentience even in the "afterlife" as implied in Tsurumi Island. And that they have the capacity to visit people in their dreams. So whatever the interpretation of Halfdan's question may be, one way or another there are chances that he knew what was happening before his sacrifice or after, as it seems that his soul was released from the darkness of his physical body, corroded by the curse and the Abyss separately yet intimately connected with one another.

✦ Bonus: ◜More than one kind of strange power exists here. Souls are no strange sight under such circumstances. Still, if you intend to venture deeper in and continue your investigation, you ought to be careful.◞

Dain, mr. Sir. Just how is your sentience in order to feel the Abyss and the sapphire nail despite how much deeper underground and farther than the Nameless City's location was? And this comes from the perspective that he was never in the Chasm before.

✧ Bonus #2: ◜"Vacation"? Huh, the very notion. This word has no business being in my vocabulary.◞

#◟༺✦༻◞ events to be remembered in blue veins ┊addendum.┊#this quest was a ride #and the post turned out longer #than the other two of the same quest #I did well in splitting it because holy frick djfhjg #I'm really happy that I decided to revisit these #as largely they helped me reaffirm my take on Dain #coming up next will be Caribert and it'll be over #until Dain's next apparition!#hopefully soon #I can't wait to see him again 😔

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reginrokkr · 1 year

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𝐋𝐗𝐗𝐈𝐈. Motives behind Twilight Sword's predilection for murder.

In the last minicanon I wrote concerning Dain's kill count, I mentioned that it's composed mainly of Abyss Order members. I think that this should be pretty obvious by now (specially after Requiem of the Echoing Depths), but I didn't mention that he doesn't take pleasure for killing them— it's more a matter of I have no choice.

So to elaborate on this, let's go back to Khaenri'ah. As in all places, there are good people like Halfdan + the Schwanenritter (those who fought in Sumeru to defend it from the Black Cataclysm in Ruin Golems) and people who were obsessed with creating ruin machines via biomimesis so that one day they replace the creatures they were inspired by. We can also see this obsession in abyss woofies descriptions and another striking case is Susbedo and his drive to replace Albedo, but also the fact that he can create others like himself to replace others like it was implied with that kiddie's father who went missing and appeared in the last moment of the event.

Moreover, among these people that are obsessed there are those who are following King Irmin's madness and dreams to engulf everything in darkness which is later on reflected on the Abyss Order we know (I'll return to this later). And finally, we don't know about other nations but Enkanomiya saw Khaenri'ah with bad eyes and the latter was being pretty hostile in the envoys' attempt to retrieve the Before Sun and Moon book. This last thing happened 500 + at least 2,000 years ago, which is pretty telling of how long this obsession for knowledge of the past and the creation of ruin machines lasted, if not more.

In a kind of secret Aranara-related quest, we're told by one of them that the Abyss Order wants Marana to return. There is also known through various of its members' descriptions that they dislike those who don't know the truth (aka what happened / what's happening mainly with Celestia). By seeking this poisonous Marana and by wishing to engulf everything in darkness as King Irmin wanted, these are people turned into monsters that would destroy the whole world and damn innocent people whose only sins in the eyes of these "people" are 1) not knowing the truth (how would they when Celestia is out there after people's heads if you let the cat out of the bag) and 2) for being born and living in a nation ruled / protected by an Archon.

Some of these obsessions were already seen back in the day when Khaenri'ah had yet to be destroyed and the last Regent wanted to do something about it to fix the kingdom (which unfortunately he couldn't), Dain as the Twilight Sword most likely knew about this too. He isn't going against the Abyss Order for nothing and sadly for him, he doesn't have any other choice than putting an end to each one of them in order to stop them. Perhaps there is an underlying personal reasoning for this, which may be to not see other innocent people end up like that at the hand of the Abyss Order this time. But one thing remains true and it's the fact that Dain is looking for the good of others who may suffer the consequences of the Abyss Order's actions if someone doesn't put a stop to them.

#◟༺✦༻◞ events to be remembered in blue veins ┊addendum.┊#I hope this makes sense #there is one more reason #why I think Dain is killing these creatures #but that is more on headcanon territory #which is this saying by one of the Black Serpent Knights #when they say that there is release in death #and I think that this release is from the clutches of corruption #and this overall dark void that adds to corruption of mind #but yis this was stuck in my mind #I hope I didn't make it sound like he's enjoying every bit of it #because no he isn't #I wouldn't put it past him to try a different way to stop them #if there was #and this is a man who had to convince himself #that they're no longer human #so I'm sure he struggled a /lot/ to come to terms with this #before solidifying his resolve to do it #despite the consequences it can have on him too #mostly mentally

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reginrokkr · 11 months

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𝐂𝐕𝐈𝐈. Dáinsleif's resilience in the face of not losing his sense of self.

The previous rant in the tags made me think once again about the insane level of resilience Dain has to not lose himself or fall into madness. Because there are too many factors against him that would make it so easy for him to lose his mind: a curse that inflicts him chronic pain and that is slowly replacing his mind and soul with the putrefaction of the all-too-tempting Void. A genuine grocery list of traumas and other emotional damage that I'm sure that the Abyss Order exploits to try to get to him, because what other choice do they have when nothing works against him and all they do is run away from him? Without mentioning that it's canon that he still struggles with nightmares of bloodshed and it wouldn't be odd to presume that he self-chastizes himself for what happened even if he couldn't have done anything to amend for other Khaenri'ahns mistakes or fight against who knows how many gods descended to Khaenri'ah. Knowledge factor is also one that could be very detrimental even if it's widely considered a gift to be this wise and have all knowledge at the reach of his fingertips, because sometimes knowing too much is enough to drive one mad. Others could've lost it for being unable to accept the reality the world at large is facing— it's one of the reasons Nahida seems to spread knowledge in riddles so it's up to the knowledge seekers to unearth the true meaning of them as opposed to give it all at once on a tray due to the consequences it might have.

Considering that Irminsul seems to oppose however it can the Void until it's too much for it to handle it anymore, I have no doubt that it plays a large role in keeping Dain's sanity intact even after 500 years when others wouldn't have succeeded. But I'm also a firm believer that no matter if you give someone the tools to fend for themselves, if the person in question doesn't do the work they won't go anywhere even if they have everything they need to do just that. We only see in small glimpses how tired Dain is and that after all this time, very specific events can shake him to the core (like in Requiem of the Echoing Depths when he was lamenting that he was late to save those poor Hilichurls, the BSK and Halfdan) and while it's a common thing in the fandom to see him siding with the Abyss Order because of the Abyss Twin (in this blog we don't talk about that :|), I think that it's disregarded a lot how strong he is for still holding true to who he is and do what's right for the majority of the population in Teyvat, even if that means going against the people he once protected in Khaenri'ah.

#◟༺✦༻◞ events to be remembered in blue veins ┊addendum.┊#if you see me having feels for Dain #no you aren't #I love this old man so much #I do really hope for him #that in the end-game there is a choice for him #to be able to pass away in peace #by this I don't mean right then of course #but on his own terms #and not without being restricted by this awful curse #and commenting on a thread I have with a friend now #this reminds me in a way to the mara #and how understandingly #those who see in this a curse #rather than a blessing #would prefer to pass away than suffering more like that #Xianzhou would hit home for Dain in so many ways #that it's indescribable

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reginrokkr · 1 year

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What truly spooks Dain, to the point he'd be truly terrified for his own safety?

I'll start on by saying that Dain doesn't care about his safety because after a lot of trial and error during the first years after Khaenri'ah's fall, he has the certainty that he can't die. So that rules out a lot of possibilities for him to fear for his safety. Another big factor that plays in Dain not caring about his safety is the plethora of negative feelings he has about himself for what happened in Khaenri'ah and for what kept happening. Guilt, self-hatred, you name it. These run deep in him and there is a likely chance that they contribute to the corruption he has, considering that negative feelings feed onto that. Thankfully, he's strong enough despite all of these to keep himself sane also keeping into account that the Abyss Order must've tried to use these against him to no avail.

Which is where I'm going to enter as the topic of importance for this question: sanity. In view that he can't virtually die because of the curse and that there might be little to nothing to worry about given that he himself is strong to protect himself (we saw a glimpse of this in Requiem of the Echoing Depths that, despite getting a big grunt of the experiment the Abyss Order was having on pretty much everyone bearing the curse, he still accompanied the Traveler to get rid of those nuisances to finish the business Halfdan started), mental sanity is the only thing he has left.

Mental sanity is his major strength as it is his major vulnerability. There are many negative feelings about himself that he keeps at bay, the Abyss Order tries time and time again to manipulate him to no avail (and we know that they have great influence of this if they manage to manipulate the likes of Dvalin), and there is a nasty curse that he claimed that it steals people's self-awareness and intelligence, but most importantly of all, it's slowly replacing him. That is his biggest fear in all of this, to lose control over himself with everything that would imply if we think of him as having a close tie to Irminsul alone or what he could potentially cause if some force were to have a hand on his actions against his will, it would be no exaggeration to say that he'd pose a danger to the world at large.

@lesserden ✦

#◟༺✦༻◞ what use has the veil of falsehood? ┊ask.┊#this is so late #thank you for sending this nonetheless!#it was a really interesting question #and I don't think I ever talked about this before #so it was a nice exercise to get it out there

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reginrokkr · 1 year

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hands for the ask meme?

Hands : Is your muse good at controlling their emotions, do they repress them, or act before they have a time to think? Has your muse ever done something bad because they failed at controlling their emotions, and in that case how does your muse feel about it now?

As Dain currently stands, rather than repressing his own emotions he's just good at controlling them as it goes with his character to be more on the unperceived side for multiple reasons. To this expertise in controlling his emotions would be fair to add the fact that he lived for 500 years for now and over time, not only he has weathered but he also had to learn to repress them because 1) if the Abyss Order is good at anything, it's to play with one's emotions and turn the tides in their favor to manipulate whoever they want and 2) because after everything that happened, he had many negative emotions aimed at himself and in order to not giving in to the corruption (as it's presumed that the abyssal presence heightens one's emotions, one prime example is Childe who initially was just a troublemaker but after emerging from the Abyss he got significantly worse, that trait of his was magnified in such a way that it became really negative). One thing that helps him remain in control of his emotions is the realistic approach in life he has (having all the knowledge at his fingertips and being able to foresee must add to that too).

However, this is not to say that he can't display emotions. As seen in Requiem of the Echoing Depths, by the time he and the Traveler return to where that device was and the Abyss Lector activated it, he was really affected. One of the things he says is am I too late? but another line that hits hard in CN is when he asks must they also be in agony as they meet their end? which is really telling of how much he cares about Hilichurls and the remaining Black Knight Serpents. Another telling sign of hitting an emotional truck is the way his eyes tremble even though he's visibly in control of his emotions.

About the last question, I am tempted to say that what he did bad due to having an outburst of emotions was aimed at himself rather than failing in doing something for others or that would cause harm to others. As I mentioned earlier, everything that happened in Khaenri'ah must've risen negative emotions towards himself and I headcanon that this led him to... several attempts, so to speak. To try to see if indeed he's immortal, and when he realized he really can't pass away to experiment with the curse and see if there is any way to release himself from it to no avail. All of these deeds were aimed against himself in a dark phase of his life that is in the past now. Were he to reflect in what he did at the time, most likely he would berate himself from being so vulnerable and frail at the time more than what he did to himself. At the end of the day, it was reasonable to see for himself the limits of the curse.

#alatusatlas #◟༺✦༻◞ what use has the veil of falsehood? ┊ask.┊#thank you for sending in!#I hope that my own limitations to describe #the darkest theme of this aren't too much of an obstacle #for the rest to make sense #I don't tend to talk about this that much #and express it via writing #although I do warn that dark topics are meant to be present

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