#charac: yaoshi

[grislyintentions]

[grislyintentions]

[Sometimes I wonder if I've made my Yaoshi a little too nasty but then I remember this is Yaoshi and Trailblazer's 'first' interaction in the simulated universe and realise that they are even nastier. : D]

[grislyintentions]

[MERCY OF SANCTUS MEDICUS, THE ARBOR'S NEW GROWTH DISCIPLES SHALL ATTAIN THE WAY OF IMMORTALITY TOGETHER]

CW: Gore, Intense ableism experienced by Long-Life species, Religious Propaganda (worship of false god Yaoshi), long ass post

[grislyintentions]

|| Immolate ; (Yaoshi Excerpt) ||

[Listen]

Obsession is the common thread that binds love to hate. A thin layer of separation that fails and bleeds, intermingling in want for definition until they are one and the same.

Push and pull. Black and white. Fear and attraction. There is not one without the other. And to feel is to be alive.

The hate, apathy, anger, loathing and want. The adoration, the need, the fear of emptiness and grief. Flavours of life in Abundance. Cherished beyond belief without relief.

Suffocating, snuffing out all resistance. With patience, time and passion. The mind is strong but flesh is weak. Is yielding. Is want.

Coexisting Codependence Never alone Forever haunted but more so with the idea of being left

In time, love blossoms whole. No matter how much of you has to die to make it happen.

[grislyintentions]

|| HC- Scent (Yaoshi) ||

Yaoshi actually doesn’t have a natural smell of their own. What they instead secrete are pheromones that replicate fragrances people are drawn to, carnally or otherwise. The concept is quite similar to Tayzzyronth’s true stings and their propensity to spill certain hallucinatory properties targeting their desires- except instead of hallucinations, Yaoshi’s pheromones aim to sedate. 

Their scorpion tail possesses the same sedative component. But can also be used to inject a specific venom/blessing that causes mutation via the bloodstream and other biological aspects. 

In short: Yaoshi smells like what you need at the moment in time. What you crave, what you like, what you are drawn to.  They could smell like basking under the warm sun after a freezing day out to someone or like a field of someone else’s favourite flowers.

They could, also frighteningly, smell like home.

[grislyintentions]

Rot exists in the center of the lush environment; sticky sweet and sickly. The softest parts dissolve with the rain, blending in a viscous slurry and sinking beneath the embrace of soil.

Death does not exist in a place like this. Not when decay itself marks it's own form of life.

"I did not ask to be saved." Blue lips shaped soundless words. "Why have you done this?" Dull eyes closed when the scorpion's tail punctures formless skin. Hair peels from forehead under the gentlest of brushes.

There exists a thin line between what is medicine and what is poison. Their answer mystifies. It is up to you to determine which it is.

[grislyintentions]

[Each time I post yaoshi content, I get an ads like that....what is the grand cosmos trying to tell me I wonder :thinking:]

[grislyintentions]

Yaoshi be like: Sweet embrace of death? Lol! Nope!~

Birth, Old Age, Sickness & Death are all forms of inevitable decay and suffering to be endured within a cyclic existence.

Why must one exist simply to suffer? To live in fear of their own...limitations. Imprisoned by the shackles of their torment.

To know truth is to relinquish suffering. Shed the remnants of endless becoming. Embrace the Abundance.

Break the Cycle. Taste Nirvana. Know Peace.

[grislyintentions]

Interplay: Propagation & Abundance

[Inspired by @boomermania about Abundance + Swarm hybrids ^^ <;3]

Thrumming fills the air with vitality; An undercurrent of boundless life.

Gossamer wing shimmer in the light and the taste of citrus coats the teeth as voices beckon in melodious whispers. Red is all that is perceived when fervour grows. Hands - too many - cradle the newborn in a tenderness only a broodmother can carry.

A seed for every egg.

"Do you see? Tazzyronth's bloodline endures."

Thorns puncture inwards, filling what once was empty with roots ; Veins. An entire ecosystem within each one. Only a parasite can embrace another.

"Bearing fruit and multiplying. Your legacy. Our legacy."

Aren't they beautiful?

[grislyintentions]

Do you have any thoughts on what Yaoshi would sound like? A voice claim if you will 🤔

Soft, gentle and patient. Their voice tingles like scratching against someone's scalp, filling the cracks and crevices of the soul, slick as an oil spill or the first taste of water after an eternity burning in the sun.

Yaoshi has no 'singular' voice. They sound like what you, the receiver, want them to sound like. They carry the voices of everyone you have ever loved and loathed. And when you pass on, they will carry your voice too.

@wise-innocence

[grislyintentions]

|Personal Depiction: Yaoshi (HC)|

Romanticised Perspective

For all their love of life’s creations, Yaoshi is an Aeon that is far removed from humanity and their suffering.

They do love them and wish them a life free from the torment of death or pains of illness. Hence they are always drawn to those who fervently wish for another chance at life and those who are lost, lonely or struggling to offer assistance (and because these people are often desperate enough to view them as a symbol of hope, they accept most of the time).

Yet more often than not, the cost & consequence of Yaoshi’s blessings often result in subjecting people to fates worse than death even if they themselves have never physically taken a life with their own hands.

In this regard, their disconnect with humanity is comparable to someone over-watering their plants (resulting in rot), a child roughly handling others, feeding animals human food, drowning insects with an overflow of honey and spoiling to a lethal extent. For an Aeon like them, the lines between kindness and cruelty are often blurred; Arguably, they are one and the same.

Even if they were to be confronted with the devastation/aftermath of their blessings someday, the Aeon would only further weep at their pain, and further romanticise their suffering and breathe their forms into ‘new life’. They care, they really do, just not in the way one could comprehend (or accept).

Ancient Beliefs

When it comes to the subject of medicine, ancient chinese beliefs center heavily around the nature of its uses and applications. According to the belief 《是药三分毒》, the correct usage/application of medicine will aid in recovery and healing from sickness. However, take it where it’s not needed and it very well becomes a form of poison to the body.

This is in part why there is a common theme of 《以毒攻毒》(combating poison with poison) depicted in Wuxia literary works and chinese drama centered around the olden times, especially when the character sustained a mortal injury.

The simplest explanation of ‘traditional chinese medicine’ is the belief that the human body can recover/heal itself through the aid of herbal remedies and adjustments (anything apart from that which requires surgery). Most practitioners are required to have an intimate knowledge on herbs, brewing/concocting methods and what functions they all have along with what can and cannot be mixed. The base idea of it all is to prepare ingredients to brew medicinal soup, however in later ages, they can come in the form of a ‘pill’ as well.

In Yaoshi, these elements are present in their form closely representing nature as well as the adverse effects of their ‘blessings’ that come to be. There is always a risk when one craves something badly enough to take ‘poison’. There is always a cost to be paid. That is why people continue to try and seek Yaoshi’s Elixirs out despite there being countless tragedies born from the Aeon’s enlightenment of their world.

Yaoshi, in their own essence, is simply not an Aeon that can be classed as good or evil. They simply exist as them: it is up to humanity to make that opinion for themselves. And just as well, it is humanity’s own desire that would shape their interactions.

Longevity & Emanators

While it is commonly agreed that Yaoshi’s form consists of multiple red slitted eyes with black sclera, they serve another purpose. Borrowing the above example of a ‘pill’, these ‘eyes’ contain the Aeon’s essence. By ingesting them, one will gain knowledge from the path of Abundance and forever bind themselves to the Aeon.

Through their Emanators, Yaoshi’s eternal gaze spreads across the universe. Nature finds a way to survive and even thrive in the unlikeliest of places, much like fungi or dandelions growing from cracks in concrete. As long as their Emanators live, so will Yaoshi.

Thanks to this, Yaoshi remains currently one of the hardest Aeons to kill/replace. Should another Aeon think to join forces with the Plagues Author, they could very well possess the capabilities to decimate part of the vast universe unless they are stopped.

Another point to note:

The forbidden secrets behind the undefinable and remote connection between those of the Hunt and Yaoshi has been described as a ‘connection that cannot be explained by physics’. Attempts at divining the fate of Aeons have been said to be forbidden, though they can be forgiven. But it is the predicting/divining of Yaoshi’s fate that is specifically banned by the Ten-Lords Commission, with the crime being tantamount to the Ten Unpardonable Sins.

It is implied that diviners who have attempted to divine Yaoshi’s fate have all met a tragic demise before punishment could even be sentenced and truly it is up to us to imagine the horrors they must have witnessed.

[grislyintentions]

||I feel like I know the answer to this but has there ever been a case where Yaoshi absolutely hates/despises anything/anyone enough to want them to suffer?

Also, does Yaoshi have favorites- favor them enough to give them their blessings and endless love? kek or are they accepting of everything/everyone?

Meme || Accepting || @shining-gem34

Yaoshi is in fact for the streets/j uNLESS

Let's put it this way: In comparison to the vastness of the universe and the miraculous feats of Aeons, how insignificant, limited and tiny we must seem. Given that perspective, why would anyone matter enough to any Aeon to warrant hate?

A god can neither love nor hate you in ways that humans can comprehend. And that is why so many people yearn in some way to be that exception. To be special and chosen. Yaoshi does not experience or comprehend love the way people can but they comprehend that humanity desires to be wanted.

And they are VERY good at feeding into that.

Yaoshi mirrors what people most want to see/feel. The more someone "loves" them, the more they seem to "love" them back. The more someone "hates" them, the more they express sorrow and sympathy to feed them the emotional desire to feel powerful/in control/they matter/loved regardless.

That is why any attachment to Yaoshi is a trauma bond (codependent relationship between the abuser and the abused). And why I liken Yaoshi to themes of parasitism.

[grislyintentions]

We know Yaoshi can inflict Mara on Long life species, but what can they do to other species?

It depends on what the species values, how they receive their blessings and the cost they are willing to undertake.

For example: Borisins calling upon Yaoshi to offer them blessings related to strength and ingesting sap from their trees will be imbued with it. However, the 'strength' they asked for comes at the price of mutilation/mutating their physical forms

Based on an observation on the instances we are provided with in the simulated universe as well as lore of the long life species, it is probably safe to assume Yaoshi is capable of rewriting genetic codes, fundamentally changing them on a molecular basis and altering life spans.

They can reshape entire bloodlines and civilisations.

[grislyintentions]

hcs on yaoshi's current goals? do they take any notice of blade?

Yaoshi holds great sympathy for those who must undergo endless cycles of 'being' (samsara cycle and hatching rebirth). As an Aeon whose existence transcends said cycles, they wish to help others dispel their suffering (fear, inevitability and limitations present in Death).

Blade, who has gained an undying cursed body after attempting to use the flesh of Shuhu the Abundance Emanator, is a fascinating specimen. He has largely remained unnoticed due to Yaoshi never truly staying in one place since they traverse the stars to spread their blessings.

But that doesn't mean he can't be noticed either. Especially with how the stellaron hunters are harvesting the stellarons.

[If you write a Blade or want ideas as to what Yaoshi can do to/for him, let me know :3c]

[grislyintentions]

|| HC- Diviner's Fate ||

In reference to the Glimpses into the Beyond manuscript penned by Fuxuan herself, she spares little effort in reminding/warning other diviners that any actions that imply attempts to predict Yaoshi's fate will be treated as an unforgivable felony.

Despite the considerable leniency that is offered to those who attempt to predict the fates of other Aeons (still illegal), the Ten-Lords Commission equates acts of trying to predict Yaoshi's as a crime equal to the Ten Unpardonable Sins. Diviners found guilty of said transgression will be punished strictly- provided they are still alive after committing said crime as those who have tried have all met tragic fates of their own.

Given these factors, there are two possible outcomes that befall Diviners who attempt to predict Yaoshi's fate:

Mental Collapse (Subsequent development of Acute Megalophobia)

Divination is by no means true omniscience. It is a practise of making calculations based on recorded instances of data and the Diviner's ability to map out multiple possibilities based on the movements, logic as well as thought processes from it.

As witnessed in March's story quest, the Matrix of Prescience is used by diviners to draw information from the past to predict the future by literally placing the observing person in said variable scenarios to derive accurate outcomes, albeit heightened by Fuxuan's third eye.

The Matrix actively draws the future it observes from Chaos.

So how does one even begin to calculate and predict the fate of Aeons who fill the skies like celestial bodies? A being that is incomparably huge, move according to their own Path with a transcendent mind? How does one even define chaos of such magnitude?

Both devices as well as the living mind has their limits. To withstand, hold and interpret something of this magnitude is realistically impossible to accomplish without breaking something in the process either by fragmenting of memory or mental collapse in efforts to preserve one's well being ie: amnesia, memory repressing etc.

In such a scenario, it is likely that diviners may experience a similar phenomenon. Their added ability to literally "visualise" observations may also cause the Matrix of Prescience to backfire and create a massive toll mentally. And they could thus develop an accute fear of vastness when bombarded with everything at once (fear of outer space, bodies of water, atmosphere so on so forth). TLDR: A living hellscape they cannot avoid. Resuming divination duties would be impossible with the emotional association, PTSD and trauma. ON TOP of having to be punished for committing what is essentially a crime.

Victim of Parasitism (Eventual Brain Death)

To essentially divine an Aeon's fate is to quite literally observe and visualise oneself walking down their path. While it might seem achievable at first, this places the human psyche in a very tenuous position.

They have to possess a certain level of emotional understanding in order to navigate the accurate steps. When tied with their own cultural complicated feelings towards Yaoshi, it can all form a level of cognitive dissonance and dissociation in order to process things.

With reference to how the "Aeons" in Herta's simulated universe could capture notice of the Trailblazer from his actions, why would this then be a stretch? Especially when the Luofu is a place already filled with Yaoshi's blessings, along with those who actively pay homage to their practises, it is all too easy for the Aeon to take notice of repeated engagement from a certain device.

Diviners who try to place themselves in the mindset of an all too generous Aeon will likely be further poisoning themselves with not only knowledge but also a stronger unfiltered emotional connection with Yaoshi.

With parasitic comparisons of my Yaoshi portrayal, I like to think that the diviners may suffer a similar fate to the ants who have the unfortunate displeasure of crossing the path of the Ophiocordyceps unilateralis.

Once infected by the fungi, ants would often alter their behavioural patterns by searching for areas best suited for fungal growth. They then attach themselves to leaves, remaining there to their deaths from which the fungi spores grow and release from the spores in their head. This is something that has devastated multiple ant colonies.

Similarly for diviners, they will remain unawares to the facts that mara symptoms have begun to develop at an erratic rate within them. In the ensuing days to come, they may experience a radical change in ideology, compelling them to follow down Yaoshi's path or join up with the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus.

Those who fight to retain their own lucidity may experience the soul crushing endeavor of losing their mental faculties periodically, feeling their bodies and mind revolt against them. It is a slow, terrifying and debilitating experience that may cause them to take the only means out rather than give in to Yaoshi. Thus, also succeeding temporarily in accomplishing the Aeon's goal of relieving them from 'suffering'. They cannot escape not even in the end.