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Since Sankta halos are canonically used for personality tests, do you think Arturia's parents saw her get one that resembles a black shattered crown and went "surely there's nothing wrong her"

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fun things about the IS6 trailer for "Jie Garden"

near the tail end of yesterday's 6th anniversary stream arknights dropped an IS6 promo trailer in the form of a retro promo ad for some place called the "jie garden" that turns out to be analog horror. it's pretty cool

watch it here (bilibili)

there's a number of funky (creepy) things that happen that are easy to miss - and i missed a bunch myself, so I decided to watch it again now and write down all the things i spotted/the bilibili comments pointed out

(first things first: the 'jie' in 'jie garden' isn't the same 'jie' as the dead sui sibling, but it's definitely punning on it. there is literally no way they're not referencing her.)

the video subtitle: "A thousand years ago a tianshi sought to live in seclusion, and therefore built this garden as a place to retreat from society."

however, the audio says 'coffin chamber' (mu4shi4 - 墓室) instead of retreat from society (bi4shi4 - 避世)

much more under the cut, bc this is a LONG post:

the sign in the pond is probably supposed to be something like "this pond is dangerous, please keep away" but with the censored text it reads "pond please come close" :)

"About three hundred years ago, after consultation with the tianshi's descendants, a section of Jie Garden was opened to the public, and over time, it has become a good place for the residents of Baizao to visit on their days off."

after the text gets censored, the last section becomes, simply: "a place for the residents of Baizao."

white (bunny?) silhouette appears here after a flash of white. hello!

this text - "do not touch" is mirrored. in other words, it's you, the viewer, behind the glass!

the chinese comments here remark on how the tickets to the garden (pictured) look awfully like the kind of paper money you burn as offerings to the dead

(also, when they read out that phone number, the text briefly changes to 80808-88808. no idea what this is supposed to imply though)

the video then changes to talking about 8 "do not do this" warnings that guests to the garden should avoid

spot the difference! on the sign on the bottom right, the text changes from "Deep water, keep a safe distance" to "Water, keep a safe distance" as a character vanishes

by "do not" number 3, the news byron on the bottom now just says "Today's weather " without talking about the weather at all (at the beginning of the video, it said "Today's weather: cloudy") people of baizao, you good?

6: "do not make a racket". screen goes black, and then it comes back weird

7: "don't damage the articles" (articles as in items/objects etc. - 器物) . except the character 器 is briefly replaced by 祭 before disappearing:

note that 祭物 means sacrifices. rip to this guy and his now mysteriously blacked out face

8: "do not trespass into restricted areas". only, some freak shit starts happening with the video - there's a quick blink-and-you-miss-it frame of a cemetery:

and, among other things, "do not trespass into restricted areas" transforms into " want town":

and then rapidly becomes "sui area":

love whatever's going on in the background here.

then a bunch of "sui" characters appears on screen:

and finally. jie. as in jie's name. it's her.

jie garden is jie's grave.

the end :)

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This ending was really good because it really seems to ask you what kind of sacrifices are worth it. Kazdel gets a happy future where Babel's dream is realized and Sarkaz live in harmony with the other races. But, even aside from Amiya, there's still the problem of Oripathy. And according to the end books, it's clear that the twins didn't achieve this ending through entirely peaceful means either. Kal'tsit is in jail presumably for leading the assault on Kazdel 200 years ago, which means they're also in no way prepared for whatever crisis is going to be triggered once they break open the starpod. It's the world that Doctor once described as "a beautiful but fleeting dream".

I like that in an alternate timeline where Theresa and Theresis ruled as twin kings of Kazdel and Doctor and Kal'tsit weren't in the picture, they still end up adopting Amiya anyway and raising her. However without the technology to extend her life, Amiya dies of oripathy and their powerlessness to save her becomes their greatest regret.

It's interesting how the text describes Civilight Eterna as being able to commune with alternate versions of itself to pass information along, so this Theresa and Theresis — who never went to war with each other and now rule a powerful, independent Kazdel — see the alternate reality where the civil war happened and Amiya became king. Unthinkable to them to burden a child, and yet now that they see it... Maybe they would do that.

I wonder if one of the two saw the horrible canon timeline where Kazdel's suffering is tenfold and briefly considered its worth if only because it's the one where their child lives.

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The fact that Wis'adel isn't making it into the top risk week 1 rosters for this CC but Chilchuck Dungeonmeshi is, is extremely funny. You're torturing this poor man by sending him into combat over experienced Sarkaz mercenaries. He's not even from here.

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when the boss stage bgm has the wrathful cerulean flame leitmotif

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Skadi: “Captain, can I ask you something weird?”

Ulpianus:

Skadi: “I feel like I don’t really get along with Gladiia, and it can affect our teamwork adversely. What do you recommend, Captain?”

Ulpianus:

Skadi: “True, annoying as it may be, it’s probably better to just talk to her. On the other side of things, I feel like Laurentina… She’s not avoiding me, per se, but she does make sure to spend time with a lot of people, and I worry she’s annoyed by me.”

Ulpianus:

Skadi: “Well, yes… It’s true she’s not fragile anymore, she’s improved a lot since she was stuck in bed, I cannot help but worry, but she likely doesn’t want me to worry as much now that her body is, well, hers again. All this introspection got me hungry, though. I could go for some pizza now, but the line at the pizzeria is so long…”

Ulpianus:

Skadi: “You know? You’re right, you always know what to say, Captain!” *crashes right through three dozen people while sending them flying like bowling pins*

Laurentina, who just arrived, witnessing Skadi’s Orca Bowling Technique: “…And you just… Let her do that?”

Ulpianus, a single tear of joyous pride rolling down his rugged face:

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The scene in 14-19 where You-Know-Who appears on "Rhodes Island" is Hypergryph twisting the knife in such a specific way that it calls to mind a different scene from a long time ago.

Another scene where someone is about to cross the threshold into the world of the afterlife, who upon being shown visions of their dead loved ones, reacts with such visceral anger that it snaps them out of those visions entirely:

The vision of Ace, and Scout, and Outcast and Frostnova and Talulah and others all going about peacefully on Rhodes Island is such a significant refrain because it's literally what Amiya tried to do to Patriot! Amiya on some level believed that the possibility of being reunited with lost loved ones in death could be a comforting thing. But Patriot instead sees it as almost an insult, trivializing his experiences. As does the Doctor, in the end, the one who we now know had a hand in creating the universe inside originium that's responsible for Amiya's memory powers in the first place. We're seeing them walk the same path as Amiya not just in ideals but in practice.

At the same time, it also adds a lot of characterization to Priestess, where in the scene before this, she tries to pretend to Doctor that all of Terra was a dream that they had woken up from when they entered originium. It's the same way that Doctor describes Terra in Babel, that it might as well be a fleeting dream compared to what they went through in the precursor period and what they're still trying to accomplish.

The precursors created originium in their despair as they realized nothing could be saved. All is doomed, so we might as well wait for the end inside long and comforting dreams together with friends. Let originium swallow the universe so that these dreams might as well become reality.

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I need Laios to become the n.1 most hated person for the Church of the Deep. I want Laios to be super friendly with them thinking "oh they give out meat that might turn me into a monster!!!!!" and being annoying about the specifics of how to cook the seaborn and how they work while they stand there all serious and solemn trying their hardest to remind themselves that they should accept their new kin no matter how weird he is. then when he finds out about their plans after a comically long time he gives the dumbfounded bishops the speech about no matter how much they like the seaborn they can't force everyone to eat their favorite food or be interested in the same things as them and that it's a hard lesson he had to learn as well. in the end he walks away like nothing happened lamenting how he couldn't turn into a seaborn after all while they're standing there trembling with rage

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I can't believe it... Warmy has been putting rocks in the fowlbeast roast... "For flavor" she says.

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Degenbrecher might be the strongest fighter on Terra not just because of her physical capabilities and martial prowess, but also because living in Kjerag has made her impervious to any cartoon slapstick moves that an opponent might try to pull on her.

Try to get her involved in a Scooby Doo chase scene and she'll catch up even while stopping to give a complimentary tour pitch for the various sights of Kjerag. If someone tries to drop a grand piano on her head she'll deftly parry it by playing a folk tune on it in midair before setting it down gently on the ground. Degenbrecher will run into a fake tunnel painted on a wall but doing so will break open a hole leading directly to the person hiding on the other side.

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Arturia's favorite move is to hover right up close next to someone's face like a big unsettling shoulder angel.

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Arturia's favorite move is to hover right up close next to someone's face like a big unsettling shoulder angel.

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Yo poll time, please RB for sample size

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This ability is so fucking funny because we’re told the Witch King would outright kill his Casters if they beefed their parts during his compositions during an early cutscene in the event. Come the boss fight, he does exactly that.

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Enough of the hero's journey. Here's four things that every good lead character should do:

- As move unsheathing blade, cleave now as cleft.

- As move at teardrop's point, once known be deft.

- As sword ere shadow's trace, cast off as cast.

- As sword of stratus rent, once stood stand fast.

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Hi! As someone newer to ak, I would actually really love a “rawest Ak lines” list if u don’t mind sharing!

Okay so if I *did* run this, I would have to crowdsource some, because I haven't read everything, and I don't always remember to update my document when I do read shit. So my list is extremely biased, extremely incomplete, and very all over the fucking place. Do not take this as a comprehensive list, but rather just some of my favorites:

Patriot: "Rhodes Island. I will advance." A classic. A legend. A salsa that everyone at the table can enjoy.

Rosmontis: "You didn't want to die alone. You want to be remembered by me, and live on within me. But no. I came here just to watch you die. And now, I've forgotten you."

Eblana: "You'll remember me, shapeshifter. Your long and refractory memory will have chapters that belong to me." (not the official translation but I'm using this one because it goes SOOOO much harder)

Andoain: "I would rather be the torch that burns by the feet of those who are freezing to death. Even if its flame will soon be extinguished."

In game boss description text for Kristen Wright: Egotist. Betrayer. Seeker. Loner. Pioneer. Goodnight, Terra.

and of course, Woodrow: "May this bullet forgive what my heart cannot."

and then of course, Stultifera Navis, which has so many it was basically a contest to see who got the coolest line before the event ended. I have literally 8 lines in my notes document, my favorites being:

Irene: "You have not sinned in any way. The Holy Scriptures do not even mention your existence. Right now it is only I, as an Iberian, who is handing down this verdict. The scourge of the seas must be wiped out. You have no right to live. In the name of Iberia."

Carmen: “You, and your pathetic ideas, will be buried in Iberia. Before your last breath, be sure to pass on our thunderous roar to your kin. ‘The sea faces an ancient enemy called civilization, one you stand no chance of overcoming.'”

Captain Alfonso: “Remember this well, Irene! Return to land and sing the praises of Alfonso's feats! The last monster that Alfonso slew... was himself!”

Ulpianus: “If you care about the word of God, then so be it. The Seaborn are not gods, nor are their forefathers. I have seen how your gods die, their screams coursing through the currents, their flesh and blood smeared across abyssal ravines.”

I think for the sake of the hypothetical bracket, I'd probably want to limit it to one line per event before the entire thing is consumed entirely by just Stultifera Navis