#and don't mind my whiplash

[reginrokkr]

→ Study 𝐗𝐕𝐈𝐈𝐈: Opposing sentient forces of death and life —Abyss and Irminsul—. The Sinner, Caribert and the Loom of Fate at fate's end.

The recent Caribert AQ offered us a new —albeit expected if joining the scattered pieces of old and new lore alike— view about what the Abyss exactly is, represents and the way it affects other beings in more detail now that we were introduced for the first time to a sentient entity of the Abyss, albeit lacking a physical form. Before anything, let's have a brief reminder of what its energy supposed from the very beginning up to this point:

1) it can warp the perception of those affected by it (see Dvalin as an example)— this point will be touched briefly. 2) it can drive escapee gods from the rule of the Seven to madness in the Dark Sea. 3) it consumes everything that contains the seven elements. 4) it’s the potential reason of why some humans become Abyss Mages / Lectors / Heralds / Husks / Black Serpent Knights. 5) it makes people ill to the point of reaching death if left unchecked and in a similar vein to the escapee gods, it can drive them to madness. 6) it’s the source of energy that Khaenri’ah has been using to power the ruin machines up.

Sumeru's additions under the name of Marana confirm some of these and dive deeper in details about these, as per the Aranara's wisdom:

1) Marana urges everything towards death. The realization that all things meet their end makes the Marana fester further to the point that it becomes part of the memories. Said memories go as far as to engrave themselves in the Ley Lines, and into Irminsul by extension.

2) The essence of memories is one of the things that can defeat Marana, but at the same time Marana not only can make others forget. It enters the consciousness and dreams too. Furthermore, this contributes to the Black Serpent Knights and Husks’ loss of intelligence and memories as an independent element to the curse.

3) Ruin Machines are powered by Marana and it’s said that Abyss Wolves and Marana are one and the same. They are not natural. They do not belong to the cycle of heaven or earth.

And lastly but not least, the origin of this poisonous energy as told by Nabu Malikata (Goddess of Flowers, initially a dweller of the kingdom of the sky before the Second Who Came arrived):

But, in time, invaders descended from beyond the firmament, bringing with them destruction, overturning rivers, spreading plagues… And though the invaders brought war to my former kin, they also brought about illusions that could break through shackles to the land. But the master of the heavens, consumed by fear for the rising tide of delusion and breakthroughs, sent down the divine nails to mend the land, laying waste to the mortal realm… We then suffered the torment of exile. Stripped was our connection to heaven, to our powers of enlightenment…

All of this information is a lead towards how destructive what we know as Abyss can be and how nothing good can ever come from it, however, this AQ showed us a side never seen before that could come across even as miraculous, which is in being able to change fate of two individuals thus far: Caribert first and then Clothar. However, can we truly talk about a miracle when it seems that this change of fate doesn't come without a price? Is it truly the "Abyss" able of change fate, or is it the sentience of a still mysterious identity merged with the Abyss that is able to change the course of someone's fate?

In this description of the Caribert AQ, there is a count of 4 groups of people / individuals that it's referring to: Those who would oppose fate (Khaenri'ahns), the one who understands fate (the Sinner) [in Chinese, 'the one who understands fate' appears in an earlier appearance translated in English as 'a self-proclaimed prophet' also— as for what he says, it's the official announcement of Dainsleif which suggests that Dain not only may have suspicions of whose identity this is, but that he must've heard the Sinner's voice too], the one who weaves fate (Caribert) and lastly, the one who witnesses fate (Traveler). Looking in retrospective, it makes sense that Clothar refers to his son as the "Loom of Fate" if he's the one who was made to weave fate. As the title suggests, loom of fate is a tool to weave threads of fate and this is a topic that has been addressed before in the Travail trailer:

Your journey has reached its end, but one final doorway remains. Step forth, if you have understood the meaning of your journey. Defeat me, command me to step aside, show me that you are worthier than I to rescue her. Then, the threads of all fate shall be yours to re-weave.

Interestingly, the talk about this door is also teased in one of the Abyss Lector: Violet Lightning's defeat quotes: The door... is... opened unto you...

As the sentience of the Abyss is stated to have an understanding of fate and even be capable of changing it via means yet to be disclosed, there is one more individual that is said to have knowledge of fate itself: Dain.

Judging by the way Clothar didn't wish his son to live a miserable life were he regain his mind again, it's crystal clear that his wish to make him have clarity of mind came with the price of making out of him the Loom of Fate, alongside the loss of sanity that Caribert himself began to experience as his change of voice suggests— which eventually would lead to this complete madness in 100 years. Though his wish had a side effect, this seemed to be a desirable one (be it due to his madness or because it is genuine it's up to debate) as it's the potential reason why it led to his desirable death also and the continuation of his legacy up to this day with Kaeya.

But the truth is that this isn't the first time that the Sinner's voice makes itself manifest, be it in a chronological way or not. A similar pattern if not the same can be noticed in the Black Sword description:

And like other hilichurls and Clothar bowed to the Sinner, so, the Bloodstained Knight who descended to Khaenri'ah to kill the monsters that spawned from there pledged his loyalty to who seems to be the Sinner as well as per the Bloodstained Chivalry set:

In a similar manner as Clothar's wish in regards of Caribert and how he would even give his life for his son to regain clarity of mind if he was allowed, the Bloodstained Knight had his wish potentially at the price of his willing loyalty to the Abyss upon finding out about the truth of the curse of wilderness in Khaenri'ah.

To jump to the next point about the Abyss, looking into what happened to Dvalin and other details like Childe or even other fallen gods inside or outside the Seven's domain, it was safe to assume that the Abyss heightened one's negative traits or emotions by magnifying them in such way that it's hard to escape from the Abyss' grasp. This quest shed more light in the alluring way that the Abyss has to attract creatures in, to make them feel better or even give them a sense of release somehow. Looking into this, Enjou's quote about how the Abyss is "intoxicating" makes all the more sense, as feeling better in a moment that one isn't at their best could be perfectly a feeling that one would want to seek and repeat. It's all the more interesting to see how easily someone can fall into the abyssal corruption like this and how it would take a very strong will to not give in to those urges (Dain, I'm looking at you, sir).

To conclude the matter of the Abyss, I wanted to point out the dichotomy of death vs life that is evident through the Abyss' existence but also Irminsul's and how one parallels the other in the sense that both have a sentience and a voice. In the Abyss' case through the undisclosed individual (I'll touch this later briefly) that claims to be a Sinner, and Irminsul. But not through Rhukkadevata or Nahida as per their connections to the tree nor the fact that Rhukkadevata was Irminsul's avatar, but as Irminsul with its own voice and sentience as per the Frostbearer:

And just like the Abyss has its form of "blessing", so does Irminsul in giving life not only to the whole world by spreading what it needs to be sustained, but also to select individuals as per the Doors of Resurrection mechanic:

In regards of the Sinner, there is not much more to say that I already didn't besides a small hypothesis of his identity as King Irmin based on the similarities between that warmth the Sinner seemed to exude while he had that feeling that something is wrong with him as King Irmin seemed to have according to the statuettes. Moreover, according to one of the writings that Kaeya had saved in secret of his father, Khaenri'ah wasn't in the best shape at least during King Irmin's final moments on the throne:

Remember always that it was the Alberich clan, who did not have royal blood, who stepped in as regents when the strength of the one-eyed king Irmin failed. Though we could not restore Khaenri'ah to life, we of the Alberich Clan should lead lives as those who blaze life fire, rather than those who wallow in the embers.

The last thing I want to mention is how interesting it is the prospect that strong abyssal creatures like the Abyss Herald: Frost Fall, Fortune Lector already existed before the foundation of the Abyss Order. Which suggests that there were more creatures as part of the Abyss (not the Abyss Order yet, although we do see the Hydro Herald Dain defeated, Enjou and other Lectors as part of the Abyss Order) and that they were at the Sinner's command. Perhaps they were humans before during King Irmin's reign and he had a small group of people that later on would follow after his steps.

[welcometogrouchland]

I've been binging Batman Beyond recently (Terry ily so much) and thought about how- bc of the JLU twist which I think isn't even canon to the comics BB verse but shhh bare with me- he'd technically be Damian's half brother??? Which is just so ridiculously soap opera to me. I need them to interact in a silly time travel adventure so bad you don't even understand (ID in alt)

[trashcanwithsprinkles]

I'm back at it again with another question.

Feel free to tell me to stop sending questions 👍

In spirit of spotify wrapped coming out recently.

Favorite music genre/songs?

i'm afraid i'm the kind of fucker whose music taste is literally anything except what i dislike. y'know like- i can't tell you a specific genre or song bc i like a wide range of stuff, even from genres were the songs i do dislike are from. so uh- yeah lmao

if it counts for anything, i'm very partial to listening to game soundtracks, even when not as background music. like i have stuff from genshin in my music player, that's how bad it gets. i also did have my vocaloid phase but i don't think that's all that surprising. i never did have an emo/punk/alt/scene phase though. i don't think i've ever listened to a single thing by mitski and all the things i've heard from lana del rey have been against my will (like- someone else had the aux). same thing with mcr.

i was a 'the music we played in the car were my parent's cds and or prefered radio stations, which were stuff from the 80s' kind of kid, so

yeah, sorry i can't provide a definitive answer LMAO

[kurokoros]

first of all, the duffers absolutely didn't have the full series planned out from the start because Stranger Things was originally pitched as a limited series with 1) the potential for a direct "sequel" that would follow the younger kids as adults (basically, they pitched "It") or 2) an outright sci-fi horror anthology. second of all, even if the duffers did have everything mapped out from the start that doesn't mean that plan isn't garbage.

[aro-aizawa]

me, whenever i figure a plot twist in a 20 year old anime: oh wow i am SO big brained rn i am such a genius

me, two minutes later, conpletely blindsided by a major plot twist:

[andessence]

so cruel to be stricken with blorbotions for a character in a mediocre source material. i love u ma'am but ur covered in bad writing grime!! idk if there's anything i can do for u....

[bitchyblkqueer]

talk to him jay........ (from the flash annual 2024)

[hannibalismos-jaaneman]

the fact that barbie's rotten tomatoes score is 90% and oppenheimer's is 94% says a lot about us as a society.

[ghostly-squid]

I am. Begging. People to stop tagging pairings that don't exist in stories. If you have a relationship tag and then, 20 tags later, a separate tag going "no, that's not what's happening here," just know I am manifesting sand appearing in your socks

[goldenpinof]

Selena's documentary reminded me of her early discography and my girl, were there bangers

[mr-moonman-man-me-a-moon]

🌹 <3

<3 <3 <3

This is worded a bit clumsy and is way longer than a sentence, but I am amused by a couple of the bits here and couldn't pick which one to use.

The night had gone on for weeks now. The moon still smiled mysteriously the exact same way it had when it had first appeared, unnaturally perfect and far closer than it should have been.

Many theories had been tossed about by the people of the forest – some unknowable Spirit happening (or prank); another strange thing the forest just did; or 'something that is kind of similar to something that happened somewhere else according to my wife's boyfriend's ex-roommate's cousin' – but the two fine people of station in the coach on the road out of Subcon knew why the forest had gone dark. Many of the ruling class of Subcon knew; and word had been spreading.

Gossip had a way of igniting once faces stopped being seen and bodies began turning up.

This is from my 'Royal Magician' AU, which is more on the YA fantasy side and involves plenty of pretty nasty fantasy murder.

for every "🌹" received in my inbox i'll post one random sentence of a random WIP i'm currently writing

[catgrassplantdad]

?!?!?!?WHAT IS THIS!?!?!?!?

jessie.... you know i have another chocking art in my wip folder. YOU KNOW! DON'T MAKE ME!

I'M MAKING YOU

Listen. When Ian chokes Mickey he gets allll up in there, like he's all over him, his hands are so big! Just look! I mean this is just. Oh my god. Also I never noticed this before, but I'm watching that first gif on a loop, and seeing Ian's fingers curl and close that little bit tighter is making me hfhfhfrhshrhssrsf ohhhhh man. He's got his dick in him and his hand around his throat and his hands are so big that Mickey gets to feel that warmth over such a huge surface area! And that must feel so good to him! That all-encompassing warmth and comfort! And Ian's closing his fingers around him and holding him in place while he fucks him, and he's got his other hand in there being that gentle counterpoint and covering him even more and I am melting. The swoop was too powerful, please call an ambulance.

[daz4i]

you ever read the most popular fic in a fandom and finally understand why the common fanon characterization of your favorite character is Like That

[abysskeeper]

Trick and her guy. 8, 26

Hey! Thanks for letting me rant again. Come back soon so I can return the favor :p

From here

8. What do they love most about the other? Why?

Trick: The only thing hotter than someone willing to kill for you, is someone willing to stay their hand on your request. For real though, it's Tavon's loyalty that does it for her. She knows it's burned him before, but the fact that he still has unwavering loyalty to the ideals and people he believes in is a very admirable trait to her. It's also proof to her that underneath everything of the super-spy/Cipher Nine persona is a good man. That she eventually earns his trust and loyalty in a way not quite anyone else has is one of her greatest treasures.

Secondary shout-out to his confidence. Trick's always found confidence an attractive trait, especially when backed by competence, so that he has both in abundance is uh...both very good and very bad for her.

For Tav (to paraphrase @gothamcityneedsme) I think it's the fact he attracts and respects viewpoints different from his own. Trick is steadfast in her convictions, but not so much so that she is close-minded or unapproachable. It's that flexibility on the details with that stalwart belief in the morals coupled with her ability to actually understand and challenge him that ultimately facilitates him changing for the better.

Also secondary shout-out to her confidence. She may not know what she's doing in a relationship, but he's seen her on the battlefield and duking out politics more than enough to know she knows her worth and power.

26. What sacrifices do they make for the other?

Neither one would say it, but I think each of them gives up their major dreams in a way. This is a good thing, as Tav is either under heavy propaganda or an active timebomb, and Trick is a self-sacrificing idiot convinced she needs to martyr herself. Having someone on the other side to come home to calms them both the hell down.

Aside from that, Trick I think gives up conventionality. Not that it was something she ever expected, but falling in love with a spy (and often one of an opposite faction) does not provide for the most normal of relationships. Long periods of time away from each other and often having to meet in secret wasn't quite what she had in mind for a relationship, but she wouldn't trade it for anything else.

Tav...well...treason is his love language. 9 times out of 10 that boy is leaving his faction for her, and he's always right to do so. Ironically, it's the one thing she could never do for him, and the one thing he would never ask of her.

[fazbearsecuritycrew]

I'm curious to know if the remnants and William Afton's use of them are canon in your AU?

nope! that was actually around the time i stopped keeping up with the canon timeline as much, and even then i think it would've made the au stray a bit tooo much from the paranormal elements. i like sci-fi but it was definitely a bit of genre whiplash when remnant was introduced, so i figured it'd be better to leave it alone instead of incorporating it into the au! 😅

[yournowheregirl]

thinking of maybe writing a steddie x the last five years AU but i’m not sure if i’m emotionally ready for the angst that comes with it