#WE LOVE LORE ESSAYS IN THE INBOX YES WE DO

[enderwalking]

re: endersmile, i'm very much in the belief that things like the community house, handing over of the book, and keeping of the disc were trust exercises in a way, both ways. they're both very guarded people, so it'd make sense that they'd need to test each other out before committing to the larger portion of the plan. if enderboo was the one to suggest the community house like you pointed out, then that'd be dream risking something dear to him, the largest symbol of the server's past 1/7

His past, the symbolic Commitment to the plan, lose the past for their shared ideal future. meanwhile enderboo handing over his book is like him baring his neck in exchange, back then the book was the only lifeline ranboo rly had w the everchanging politics/relations/events, to lose it would be losing himself. and i think the traitor reveal was planned, a way to distance them in the server's minds, fully knowing the risk of execution (one that dream and punz could easily stop like hog hunt, and we know ranboo's opinions on dying for a cause he believes in, especially if petty bc jfc he hated how nlm was). the supplying of tnt was likely as simple as "i want this place Gone, let me help" from enderboo, bc we hear from ranboo how he was onboard w its destrunction, that it was inevitable and was likely for the best. the disc holding is described by the voice as a secret exchange in the nether, one of them having gotten the disc from skeppy beforehand(happyduo is very involved in their shit at key points, its interesting), and this one For Sure is a trust exercise since dream could've easily hidden it elsewhere or had it in his e-chest but instead he gave it to enderboo to hide until he needed it back, and after retreiving it he even left a lil thank you note. ranboo's main concern when finding it was the horror of doing so unknowingly and not wanting to believe it, but then it was feeling in danger from Others finding out, not dream, he was worried for his, phil, and techno's safety bc he knows the lengths people(tommy, namely) will go to for the discs, for the power they hold on some people. i think from then on they had their bond Solid, dream letting enderboo into the disc finale rehearsals and all, enderboo quickly visiting prison over and over, dream and his clock tantrum arc and wanting to send a message to ranboo above even george, enderboo's eager response to the message in a way that seemed to mock his forgetful self. not to mention how i think that enderboo was expecting to have a big reveal in disc finale(-points at Mask of My Own Face-), but dream being dream chose to protect him instead(an ongoing trend of his that i hold dearly) by taking the community house blame, which confused enderboo as shown by the staring and his notes from the finale. i care they and their fucked up plans that they Somehow keep getting away w -Soul (apologizes for the sudden ask essay lmao, i have terminal endersmile brainrot its a problem -Soul)

DO NOT APOLOGIZE THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS IN FACT terminal endersmile brainrot is a constant on the lei enderwalking blog and i am delighted to share it

i completely agree wrt the whole trust exercises thing, and that is such a fantastic take on my mostly-silly theory/headcanon about the community house explosion that i'm adopting it immediately omg. i think the only thing i don't fully agree with in this is that i really don't think that ranboo was ever meant to be revealed in the finale? i've talked before about how ranboo's alliance with dream is one that is played extremely close to the chest, like i don't think there was any way that he would've exposed that in front of 90% of the server. in my mind, the eye contact was something very different, it was more about an unspoken signal like, "this is all according to plan, you know this. we both know what needs to happen next."

only semi-related tangent, but it's interesting the context in which dream does finally reveal information connecting himself to ranboo, i.e. to sam in the prison. dream told sam about ranboo in the midst of attempting to destroy sam's entire worldview, and it was a very spiteful, targeted reveal of information, like he was saying, "this is the person you wrote off as just a meek hostage, as just collateral damage, and yet this is the person who shook the control you so desperately grasped for. what does that say about people? what does that say about you?" and yet even in revealing ranboo's actions, he still holds back. he doesn't give any details as to why or how the prison tnt happened, he doesn't give any context to why or how ranboo is working with him, it's just an isolated bit of information, given only after dream has already made sure of the limits of sam's knowledge on ranboo overall. and this is speculation, but just based on how dream is and on the nature of his and ranboo's relationship, i don't think dream would have revealed anything if he wasn't fully confident that there would be no chance of sam retaliating against ranboo in the future. obviously at this point ranboo is already dead so he was less at risk, but more than that, i think it shows that dream was absolutely Determined to intimidate and break sam down to the point where he wouldn't dare.

[hivemindscape]

Hello boys!!

I've been getting messages from the kindest people in my inbox, it was killing me to see you upset, so i decided to respond in this way.

I want to hug the crimeboys community. I want to hug you so tightly.

I am genuinely happy for those of you who enjoyed the finale. I envy you, because I did not.

There isn't a chance that I'll ever like it, either, as I've been turning it over and over in my brain relentlessly, reading people's takes when i can make myself to, grappling for a buoy, something to make it okay. In brief moments of the "no thought brain empty" state, I'm fine, but mostly there's intense frustration and confusion. And Big Sad.

In my opinion, this was an awful ending for these two characters. I hate that I'm forced to accept it, so I probably won't.

That being said, I'd rather you didn't message me asking why I'm of this stance, or moreover writing me an essay on why I'm wrong, I dont have the energy or patience to compose a pretty reply to that.

Keep in mind, most importantly, that everyone is entitled to their opinion on this lore, and is free to critize the writing, providing they don't go insulting ccs in their faces. If you see someone making fun of those who are processing their grief in public spaces, understand that the former people are emotionally immature and had poor upbringing. Yes, I said grief. What I've been feeling for the past 3 days was heartbreak and grief, with its physical manifestations. So I'm here to say it's alright if you breathe around a boulder too.

What you have to be doing as part of the fandom is have empathy and respect for people you do not know on the internet. Recognise you have no high ground to dictate what's the right reaction. Introspect a bit if you have an urge to tell someone to "chill": what impact that comment would have, and recognize that there's none. You'd just come across as an asshole.

I was intending to not go on a rant about that, but it's an apparent problem currently which I couldn't not address, as it turned out. You might be thinking "Bro they're speaking so seriously as if someone died". If so, the following should explain it well enough:

Ability and desire to give your heart to something fictional is a valuable, bright, very telling character trait. This is empathy of the highest order. This means one's heart is immense, and strong. Sorry for speaking cliche, but I do want you to read into what I'm saying.

Have you ever felt enveloped in a hug by someone's mere text message, when they said they understand, relate, and support you? This is incredible. You read fics and cry, you look at art and feel warmth in your chest, you talk with other fans and feel connected. This is a gift that we have, to be connected through this fictional story. And the media format that it uses does not matter here, only makes it surprising and unique.

So. You're valid to be satisfied with the ending. You're valid to be unhappy with it. It's valid to be deeply unhappy because of it. These characters meant the world to me. The trust I put in the content creators not to ruin them was immense. I'm currently figuring out where to go from here creatively.

I want to promise hovewer, that I'll do my best to recover from this shit, and bring comfort to you guys with my crimeboys art again. Its largely because of you and your love for my work that I've decided that. But also this fandom is the place where Ive felt the happiest with myself in my whole life. It's insane, I don't want to lose this.

If you have anything you want to send me, any fic or any art, you can dm me on twitter or instagram of the same name as this blog. I'm currently trying to keep distance from dsmp content (key word trying), but if it's something you're passionate about sharing, I'll go and appreciate it as soon as i can. It means a lot to me when you guys share your thoughts and your work with me Q^Q 💜💜💜

Your messages and your tags under the last piece that's blown up, have been a huge comfort to me. A Huge comfort. Thank you so so much for letting me know. I create art cause its the meaning of me, to be influencing people's emotions, leaving a mark, so I'm incredibly happy I could help you feel better in this time, and any other time. 🫂

Thank you guys. And I'm sorry.

[mrpenguinpants]

I have,, a new Genshin oc 👀 hope u don't mind me sending in so many asks dsdjgjshd but I had to tell someone about her

Her name is Lilith (Lily) and she's a cryo catalyst user from Mondstadt and a senior member of the investigation team. She was childhood friends with Kaeya and Diluc but the Crepus incident pulled them apart. I don't have too many details of her backstory pinned down yet but I've already figured out all her skills and talents and her voicelines lmao so I guess I'll share those instead:

About Kaeya - Friendship: Captain Kaeya… he's an enigma alright. It took me years just to get under that mask of his, and even now I'm still not sure if what I'm seeing is the real him. That said, once you get to know him, he's a loyal and reliable friend. The best anyone can ask for.

About Kaeya - Eyepatch: Kaeya's eyepatch? Why are you asking me?…you think because I'm the closest to him that I would know what's under there? Haha, don't be ridiculous, I hardly know him well enough to pry into his secrets.

About Diluc: I knew him when I was still a knight in training. He was… different back then… happier. Now, after all that's happened… well, best if you go talk to him yourself if you want to know more.

About Albedo: He's brilliant! I admire him a lot—not just for his alchemical genius, but for his dedicated work ethic. Unlike a certain other captain whose name I won't mention, Captain Albedo would never drink on the job.

About Jean: Ah, Acting Grandmaster Jean… though, she's been doing this for so long I feel like she should just take the title of Grandmaster. She seems to be good at everything except taking care of herself. Maybe I should bring her some lunch again today…

About Rosaria: Would it be sacrilege to say I agree with her views on the church? In fact, I have never been a fan of the Church of Favonius. If Mondstadt is the City of Freedom, should not its citizens have the freedom to choose how they worship their Archon?

About Lisa: Is she still calling me her "little helper"? Ugh, when will I be rid of that nickname…

About Venti: Ah, that bard who has recently become Kaeya's drinking buddy? I… admit I may have a distorted judgment of him, as I have yet to see the lad completely sober.

About the Vision: Ah, this is my proudest achievement… though, I'm not sure if I can call it that. I was just in the right place at the right time. Anyone else would've done the same.

Favorite food: Nothing warms the heart and soul like a nice bowl of soup! What, you think just because I wield cryo that I can never get cold?

Least favorite food: I will never understand this city's love for alcohol. Not only is the taste repulsive, it clouds the mind and impairs judgement. …How can Kaeya drink so much of the stuff?

Lilith's Hobbies: Did you know that there's a grand piano in the Knights' headquarters that no one uses? Such a shame that this beautiful instrument goes unappreciated. Say… when you next have time, would you like to come in for a private concert?

Lilith's Troubles: There's just not enough time to do all the things I want to do. If only Captain Albedo's alchemy could add more hours to the day… hmm…

More about Lilith - I: My research? Oh, you misunderstand. I'm merely a member of the investigation team, not an alchemist. However, I have helped Captain Albedo with various experiments, so I've picked up a few things.

Kaeya's About Lilith: Lilith? Heh, I've known her for quite some time now. Yes, we're friends. Are we close? Hmm… let's just say that she understands me in a way that most people in Mondstadt cannot.

Fun facts/backstory?:

Kaeya calls her his little lily (only in private or when he's trying to tease her)

She and Kaeya drifted apart after Crepus' death, but once Diluc returned to Mondstadt Kaeya began approaching her once again. They rekindled their friendship but Lilith knows Kaeya's keeping secrets from her. She just hopes he can one day trust her enough to reveal the truth.

Kaeya hasn't told her about Khaenri'ah or his past, but just the fact that she was one of the few people who were actually friends with him before the Crepus incident puts her in his circle of trust

She's shorter than Kaeya and he will not stop teasing her for it

They're not dating (yet)

Lilith got her Vision when the library of Mondstadt caught fire (this is canon but it happened like way back in the day so I'm bending the timeline a little lol) and she rushed in to save the books. This was before she became a knight and was just working as a helper around the library (hence her voiceline about Lisa). She was able to save several rare manuscripts thanks to her newfound power keeping the flames at bay. Afterward she was awarded a medal by the Grandmaster but she always considered the Vision her true reward. This event is also what pushed her to become a knight in earnest so she can use her powers to protect Mondstadt

I just realized that both of my Genshin OCs' visions match the characters I paired them with lmao

As a playable character she'd likely be a main/sub DPS whose focus is critting the hell out of your enemies. She'd synergize well w cryo resonance. You'd want her on a freeze team bc her charged attack summons an icicle and counts as a heavy attack so it can deal shattered damage

Haha whoops this became really long dskfjdjd but uhh hope you enjoyed reading about Lilith!! I'm still trying to figure out what she looks like so there may be art on the way soon 👀

Blinking at this 20 page essay in front of me haha but please don't worry about sending me too many asks. If you're okay with my shit reply times then spam my inbox with anything.

Is there a cyro catalyst in genshin yet? I don't think so (maybe signora but she's not playable yet) but it's such a good fucking concept and I want it. It would look so pretty or elegant or we could be throwing snowballs goddammit. But can I say how much I love voice lines??? As much of a lore junkie that I am, there's something about voice lines that send me. If you have any more voice lines. please feed me.

Side note: "…How can Kaeya drink so much of the stuff?"

I'm pretty sure it's borderline confirmed since Venti drinks to forget his ptsd...I'm hard eyeballing Kaeya for the same reasons.

Can I say how fucking hot it is when characters don't pry into each other's business? Just having that mutual trust that you can take care of whatever you're dealing with, and if you can't, you can come to me for help without feeling ashamed. I'm not self-reflecting at all, what do you mean? But I'm enjoying this dynamic a lot. Feels very healthy and I support that. But hey, double cryo has a pretty good element synergy bonus haha. Speaking of criting, my Eula has a 15% crit chance....

But if you do create art or more lore, please share with me! Unless you already have and I haven't seen the ask yet haha.