#the bladework DAMN

[ppeuppeuppeu]

mackenyu's portrayal of enishi was phenomenal

this was honestly so HOT

[huiyi07]

hey so do you guys ever think about how often Diluc is referred to as the ‘uncrowned king of Mondstadt’ since he’s like the only male heir to the noble families and like it or not, where Jean is the authority of the nation, he’s pretty much the symbolic face of Mondstadt and the values the nation projects— and despite his temperament, Diluc has learned to embrace it wholeheartedly. He’s charismatic, extremely righteous, and he blazes bright and gives the people of Mondstadt a fire that guides them in the dark, quite literally. Like he’s literally Bruce Wayne lmao

But he doesn’t want this, no, and here’s the proof- maybe he did, once upon a time, before everything happened— but he doesn’t really care about wine, he only cares about the winery because of the people in it and his father. He’s righteous but doesn’t give a damn about the rules and the knights of favonius. After what happened to him, he’s clearly a rebel at heart now, not some charming superhero who does everything expected of him, unlike before. In summary, Diluc was someone who was quite literally ready to become an (uncrowned) prince, pretty much royalty in every way except title- and on surface level, he still is, but he throws that mantle away in secret whenever he can.

And then look at Kaeya, his brother who’s always lived in his shadow. It’s easy to see that now, people don’t really project Mondstadt’s values onto Kaeya the same way they do onto Diluc, since lots of people hardly even remember that they’re brothers. And yeah people still think kaeya is reliable and nice, but also because of how Kaeya built his image after Diluc left— an excessively over the top personality that pretends to be sadistic, mean, and at the same time dripping with false charm. So despite that people still find him approachable and nice as expected of a knight, hardly anyone would call him befitting of a prince.

But Kaeya is actually so painfully and authentically ‘princely’ and kind, deep down— the way he deals with children, his fierce loyalty and willingness to protect people at all costs, his self sacrificial tendencies that most often appear for Diluc’s sake. Even the tidbits of lore we get about him scream aristocracy- his ‘ceremonial’ bladework, Alberich family secrets that reveal just how central they are to the kingdom of khaenriah. This is kinda obvious to any player who’s bothered to learn anything about kaeya, but to the characters in game, there are very few that know that side of him.

And whereas Diluc is forcibly projected the title of royalty and secretly rejects it, Kaeya was actually born into it- his family is very important to Khaenriah, and much like how he does with anything related to his past and heritage, he loudly and outwardly rejects anything to do with ‘royalty’. Diluc outwardly rejects what Kaeya shows (a darker, more ‘means justify the end’ nature), and Kaeya tries to hide what Diluc projects (a sophisticated and aristocratic upbringing).

Honestly? It’s as if they were swapped at birth. Kaeya’s real hidden nature, even after everything that happened to him, remains to be so unwavering and people-oriented, while Diluc’s true personality changed drastically over time. Not that Diluc isn’t unwavering or whatever, but Diluc mostly actively rejects relationships and prefers to do everything alone, obsessed with the idea that he doesn’t want anyone to get hurt, whereas Kaeya always, always yearns for companionship and for people to be by his side- solidarity.

Diluc is the poster image of royalty, but his brother who hides in the shadows is a real king. They complete each other, balance each other out, represent the parts that the other hides. I don’t know if hoyoverse always meant them to be that way, but damn they basically represent each other’s parts of themselves that they lost. Yin and Yang, two halves of the same whole.

[villain-byteniwoha]

ships i like and why i ship them: a small, affectionate rant before bed

zhongchi: probably the first ship i ever interacted with. i may have started playing genshin for them. I specifically remember reading modern, non canon au fics on ao3 when i was still low AR and did not have liyue unlocked yet just to enjoy content of them without spoiling the story too much. those were good times

love the betrayal, the reciprocated manipulations, their individual bloody pasts and their juxtaposing love for humanity/family. the marriage chopsticks. god, the amount of threads I've read explaining those... and ofc you can't forget the official art with them by the harbor with the gingko leaves falling cinematically. i think that's the art that drew me to them lol

there's also something so deliciously tragic about a near-immortal being who's fated to succumb to erosion in due time, falling in love with a mortal man who's always within death's cold embrace. not to mention the subtext of their themes and principles. geo and hydro, stability and turbulence, land and sea, they crystallize when they meet in the middle, etc etc

kaeluc: another pairing I enjoyed the absolute shit out of, way back when I wasn't even playing the game yet. I remember learning about them while I was deep in my mxtx phase, specifically tgcf, and I'm pretty sure I dipped my toes in after I learned that they used to be sworn brothers. keywords here being used to. hook, line, and sinker. before I knew it, I was also reading fanfics about them, but only modern, non canon au ones because genshin terms made no sense to me and i didn't want spoilers. then I played the game. and then—we get Kaeya for free. I mained the shit out of that man for months.

and then. I fully entered the fandom, only to be immediately slapped in the face with the mistranslation issue.

and I get it, honestly, if you like ragbros good for you, I'm happy for you, but me personally, I will scorn hyv until the day I fucking die because had they not messed this up? kaeluc would've have been so powerful. KAELUC WOULD HAVE BEEN SO FUCKING POWERFUL

how could they not be? they're childhood friends but they're also forbidden romance coded, and rivals/enemies coded, but they're also soulmates. they don't just know each other, they're two halves of a whole, they know each other.

and the themes, don't even get me started on their themes. fire and ice, red and blue... paimon's line about them being similar (i.e. kaeya's a shady mf who fights in the day/diluc's a bright fire in the night) is one of the most romantic lines ever. they're sun and moon but only because they complete each other. also, lamp grass and calla lily? that's them as flowers, but they're the other person's ascension material like hello???????? fucking wild.

and ofc this kaeluc section can't end without me mentioning arundolyn and rostam. for those who don't know or have read/heard of those names but never really dug deep into it, arundolyn and rostam were knights of favonius around the same time as the cataclysm, and you can read about them in artifact sets such as brave heart, defender's will; and partially from the elegy bow

the reason they're here is because there are too many damn parallels between them and kaeluc to just be a coincidence.

arundolyn was a claymore user (see: ferrous shadow), he was the "lion of light,"; he was naturally gifted in strength but still trained hard and would later become the grand master of the knights; he'd push rostam to drink wine and tell him to have a little fun; he gives up his title and weapon after rostam dies

on the flip side, rostam was the swordsman who created the art of favonius bladework (see: favonius sword), his title was, "wolf pup,"; when he and arundolyn played as children, he was the stand-in for the champion knight of aristocracy; he "ruled the shadows," by protecting mond with ways the knights did not approve; rostam dies in an expedition to expunge the evils poured forth from the cataclysm...

I'll let you connect the dots there. I just also wanna point out, as a final note, that in the favonius sword's description, it says, "the childhood friend and spiritual counterpart of Arundolyn, the Lion of Light, whose name was Rostam, the Wolf Pup." ok. yeah. moving on

xiaoven: i very quickly realized after reading the genshin webtoon that venti was gonna be one of, if not my most favorite character. and i was curious as to who the people wanted to pair him with. keep in mind, this was around 2.0~2.2 I believe, so when I searched them up, the only canon backing I could find was the music scene

and boy, was that scene enough because holy shit, the brain rot these two gave me??? of a god who embodies freedom, and the last remaining yaksha chained to his duty????? they were so thematically opposed and beautiful, it wasn't hard to fall in love with them

by the time 3.0 came rolling in, I've already stopped playing, but that didn't mean i wasn't aware of how we were well fed by canon. from the trailer to venti full on attending the lantern rite and sitting down with the liyue gang; it was one of those interactions that transcended everything

and of course, OF COURSE, they also canonically addressed the fact that venti's music soothes xiao's soul. that's intimate. that's deep. that's so fucking romantic and nice and beautiful in the most tragic way...

also, we can't forget the depictions of god and servant here. the holy themes, the worship. the promise of immortality and foreverness, but also the threat of it. i just think xiao doomed with karmic debt and venti vowed to divine erosion is such a soulmate connection, and I'm also delusional

that's all for now but there's so much more...

[avoskorm]

[Fake Party Banter] [Combat Barks Edition] [Idea stolen borrowed from @chubritza lmao] [Also borrowed Inadas]

Enemies Spotted

(Sniffs) (Growls)

Eyes up.

Something's close.

Trouble ahead.

Ready up.

Start of Combat

Showtime!

[Not blighted or undead enemies] Great, I'm starving.

Let's get to work!

(Snarls)

Once more unto the breach!

Pick a god and pray. I'll give you a minute.

Void take you!

Break a leg!

Combat Over

Ah, the music of life.

And scene.

(Howls)

That's it. For now.

That's it, then.

That wasn't so bad.

Aw, is it over already?

Incoming Attacks

Move your ass!

Move it!

Move! You waiting for an invitation?!

Clear out!

Behind you!

Get to cover!

Close in!

Left/Right! Left/Right, damnit!

Left/Right side!

Left/Right flank!

You're in their sights!

Incoming!

They're on your ass!

Ability Ready

Ready! Let's go!

Whenever you're ready!

On your mark!

Where do you need me?

Ability Not Ready

Give a dog a chance to bark!

Patience is a virtue!

Hold on a second!

Nope!

Not now!

Activate Ability

That's my cue!

You got it!

There it is!

Since you asked so nicely.

Haha! Yes!

Alright!

Rook Injured

Could someone see to Rook?

Rook is down, someone heal them!

Stand up, you idiot!

Rook's hurt!

Rook doesn't look so good.

I smell Rook's blood. [Warden Rook] It stinks.

Damnit! Rook!

Damnit, Rook, again?

Get up!

When I said "Break a leg," I didn't mean this!

Not your best performance!

Reviving Rook

Too soon for curtain call. Get moving!

Don't get used to this.

I've got you. Aren't you lucky?

You're not getting out of this that easily.

Can you stand? Then get moving.

There are easier ways to get my attention.

Please don't make a habit of this.

He's/She's/They're fine.

Enemy Staggered

They're dazed! Get 'em!

Finish them off!

Knock 'em dead!

The stage is yours!

Enemy Shoved off Ledge

Don't forget to write!

Goodbye!

No wires for you, my friend!

I feel sorry for whoever has to clean that up.

You need to work on your landing!

Ha! Like a stone!

What a dramatic exit. Bravo.

Counterattack

Not bad timing!

Return to sender!

Ouch.

Your footwork is impeccable.

You're an artist!

Slippery, aren't you?

Armor Break

Take care of the straps!

Their guard is down!

We're chipping away at them!

Keep up the momentum!

Their armour's in pieces!

It's scrap metal now!

Primer Applied

Now it's your turn!

All yours!

There! Have fun!

Any takers?

I've set 'em up, you knock 'em down!

Detonation

Time for your grand finale!

Round of applause for us!

It's so beautiful.

That's how it's done!

Excellent! Who's next?

Rook Gets a Kill

I couldn't have done that better myself, Rook!

Yes! Do that again, Rook!

Once more, with feeling!

You're stealing the spotlight, Rook!

[Warrior/Rogue Rook] Impeccable bladework.

[Mage Rook] A beautiful light show! I love it!

[Shadow Dragon Rook] You're doing the Shadows proud!

[Crow Rook] Rook sends his/her/their regards.

[Warden Rook] That's one for the Wardens!

[Lord of Fortune Rook] Fortune favours Rook!

[Mourn Watcher Rook] Rook knows how to lift our spirits!

[Veil Jumper Rook] Don't mess with the Veil Jumpers!

Companion Gets a Kill

Nice shot, Bellara!

That's some fancy footwork, Bellara!

Passable work, Davrin.

The Wardens take that one.

Great job, Assan!

Emmrich, you are a marvel!

Varla, that was beautiful!

Excellent work, love!

Bravissimo, Emmrich!

Great shot, Harding!

Another one for Lace!

Target down, eh, Lucanis?

Not bad, Lucanis.

Neve gave them the cold shoulder!

Better wrap up warm, or you'll catch your death! Ha!

Shall I play mood music when you tell Inadas about this?

Gods, Neve, even I'm cold.

Taash is really heating things up!

Damn, I felt that one, Taash!

Inadas! How many's that?

Great shot, Inadas!

Inadas, that ought to be memorialised in song!

Dragon Vulnerable

Now's our chance!

We've got a clear shot!

Now! Don't waste this chance!

Now! While it's weak!

Despair Demon

Tread carefully -- Despair is near.

(Sniffs) (Shivers)

Try not to startle it.

Why do they need so many teeth?

Leave it.

Isolation

(Frustrated growl)

I can still hear you!

Can anyone see that thing?

Damnit, I can't see a thing!

[freshwaterpassenger]

actually making something

so i recently found something i'm willing to write and not lorebookify. mike connabe and the crew part 1 - red coat. so uh shit here you go:

"little girl red coat is about to put a .75 caliber through your chest because you insulted her".

generally, her story is that up until recently, she's been lead, soulless. her entire life was study, eat, sleep, earn money, repeat.

due to this, she is incredibility rich. around a billion in her account because well, her daily spending is so low that she can survive on street coins, her only hobby is studying which is free because of the public library. i would say that her only notable purchase is her .75 cal musket and her clothes, which are both well kept because she was essentially a soulless lead doll until she suddenly started being a person on her daily commute to the library (the motive force said "damn this lass looks depressed, PERSONIFY!"). a bit after she became a person, she was told by the MOTIVE FORCE that mike connabe will be dehydrated and exhausted in the desert, the motive force specifically specified (bit redundant innit?) that all she needed to do was throw water on him and guide him to the desert city.

packed all the stuff she knew how to use like first aid and some morphine she just happened to have obtained (she's got no idea how it got there. it was just in her room), grabbing her musket and her munitions bag - she rushed off to save mike.

hence her arc began. the lead little girl, "red coat".

"aye still, this is a lot better then Birmingham".

"oh? my gun? well it isn't that hard to shoot. its just: Remove cartridge from pouch and tear open with teeth. Pour powder down barrel of rifle and drop in minie ball. Withdraw the ramrod from the gun. Jam ramrod down barrel to pack in powder and ball. Return ramrod to original position. Pick up rifle and pull hammer back halfway to half-cock position. Remove cap from cap box and place on rifle cone. Fully cock hammer. Aim and shoot!

about 40 seconds for one shot! well for me its closer to 20~ because i've had this one for years~"

good character for skits.

red coat drowning in a pit of hellspawn, "STILL BETTER THEN BIRMINGHAM".

red coat fiddling with a new piece of kit that mike sent her, its a black box with the "watchtower bladeworks" logo on it, a black market universal symbol, although oddly it has a "lighthouse esoterica" seal on it and legitimate confirmation papers between the box and the wax seal, this must be important if both the watchtower and lighthouse are working together. with her bayonet she cuts open the box. inside there is a mess of packing peanuts and… a four barrelled blunderbuss, "a-… i think i just fell in love", she's stunned for a moment, she's never seen such an unholy contraption in her life. mentally thanking mike, she recomposes herself. rapidly she tears open her powder keg and dumps in smokeless powder into the blunderbuss, grabbing whatever, she jams lead into the barrels, before she grabs the ramrod provided, and packs everything tight. running the numbers, should be roughly 3:1 powder to lead ratio, the barrel can't handle too much force. at this point she's reaching back into her lead doll days, 120 grams of powder and 20 OObuck pellets for a blunderbuss, this should be the same as 20 OO, maybe she was a little too rushed with the powder load but its not like she - the only person in the entire district who uses a muzzle loaded gun - would ever mess up that bad, Argh she's overthinking it, she's been loading guns like this since she walked out of the womb. she points the four barrelled monstrosity out the window, doing one final 30 second check, powder loaded, pellets loaded, powder and flint ready, ammunition packed in via ram rod, everything check. click, she slips and pulls all four triggers, whoops. its not like its going to explode, the recoil will be hell but- wait what powder did she load this with? smokeless powder. she didn't realize that in the rush, she loaded the wrong powder. the flint strikes the powder. the screams of a small Victorian women fill the air.

several days later.

red coat is in the hospital, being treated for her entire body being shattered in a firearms accident, bones? broken, body? burnt, concussion? hell yeah. will she leave the hospital completely uninjured and normal? of course, thus is the marvels of modern medicine.

she's able to mutter something in her destroyed state, "I... regret... nothing".

end scene.

mike connabe better known as MC, he's a good man, far from the straight man archetype even if he IS a normal straight man. his signature weapon is none, he's got an army of weird people he's befriended. either way, mike is no fighter, sure he's essentially the head of the district, but its de facto and not de jure. mike is a busy man, this is a given for someone of his status, he's also eccentric as can be, this is also a given because of the people he hangs around with, but he's rather good at hiding it.

"hey, reddie? how old are you?", mike asks, using the name reddie, he already got on her nerves, "17, turning 18, next month", red coat says, mike is rather surprised, until he starts analyzing her appearance, the stare is making red coat a tad uncomfortable, she hasn't seen mike like this in a while. it seemed nonsensical, that reddie was nearly 18. she looked quite young, well, that is how she got the name "little girl red coat". though the illusion started to fall apart once you start considering the fact that she's a bit over 160 cm in height, she is always armed, and she's wearing a military red coat. he looks closer, and he figures out why. she's bloody adorable, this soft squishy creature before him is well red coat, the "little girl red coat". hell even her mannerisms are cute. satisfied with his answer he snaps back to reality, and realize that he's been staring at her for almost an hour. muttering an apology, mike buggers off, hiding his face for whatever reason. "well that was bloody awkward" red coat exclaims.

end scene.

[dopplerdora]

People are talking about Heaven's Feel again.

Don't get me wrong, I likes the movies but... they could have been so much more.

Part of the problem is that as a story Heaven's Feel is ment to come after you do Fate and Bladeworks. The prior routes frame Heaven's Feel in a way that show the "point".

By the climax of Heaven's Feel Shirou's "team" has more power than in either other Route. Shirou has Archer Arm, Rin has the Jewel Sword and hasn't needed to use her Chrest to make a Pass for Shirou, Rider isn't Saber but she has Infinite Energy from Sakura, they even have Illya on their side. All this power, power and knowledge that could shake the world of Magi like never before honestly. All that power... and it doesn't mean a damn thing.

Because Power can't help Sakura, no amount of Power can help the one person they want to help. This isn't Fate; Shirou can't just project Caliburn, make a promise, and go be a hero. This isn't Bladeworks; Shirou can't just keep moving with his ideal, show his resolve through combat, and learn how to move forward. Rin can't just Blast the threat away with raw power. This is Heaven's Feel; Shirou's idea is worse than nothing because the "enemy" is his Family. Rin has the ultimate weapon for blasting away her problems... but the problem is her little sister. The world will end, to end thing Somebody Has To Die. Gilgamesh dies but that makes things worse, Zouken dies but that doesn't fix anything, and deleting Saber doesn't actually fix the problem. Because ether problem is years of torture and abuse, you can't fix something like that by punching the monster after the fact.

Heaven's Feel isn't about power, this is problematic because the movie didn't get that memo when animating it. The fights are beautiful, this doesn't in any way help the story telling outside of Rin's fight with Sakura which is more about Rin's internal conflict anyway. It hurts the story because the fighting takes up so much time that some of the characters don't get to show their parts properly... Also its way more Shirou than anybody else, this is a problem because Heaven's Feel has somewhere between Three and Five protagonists and Shirou is only one of them. That said if I go into how sombody in charge seems to hate woman as characters and seems to... think badly of sexual abuse survivors I would probably be here all day and also fail because it would start going into misogyny in Japanese culture and a bunch of other things.

To digress Heaven's Feel is a beautiful, painful, amazing story. The Heaven's Feel movie isn't bad but I feel like is didn't really read the assignment and tried to make an action flick.

[eriserinyes]

royal approved anime?

*cracks knuckles* Oh this ones gonna take a bit.

Oddtaxi: Watch oddtaxi, just do it, enhance your life.

86: Oh my god 86 might be my favorite mecha anime...ever? Lena is babygirl and I love watching an anime that actively tries to hurt me, Sawano soundtrack too

Re:creators: SPEAKING OF SAWANO DROPS, what if the most popular characters from fake shonen jump like, appeared in the real world, what if guts showed up in japan and hunted down his author for all the suffering he caused people. Damn dating sim protagonists are op and so many other amazing plot points that I can't even tell you about because it'll ruin things, watch recreators

Fate zero, unlimited bladeworks, heavens feel: Yes they really are that good, fuck FGO

Re:zero: if you're here you know about re:zero, it's art, one of the best isekai on the market (positive) crusch karsten stan account

Reincarnated as a slime!: I started this as a joke but it ended up shaping me as a person, it's so fucking good and fun and I love rimuru and all of his friends.

Jujutsu kaisen: dude

spy x family: dude (but lighter this time)

CHIVALRY OF A FAILED KNIGHT: VERY IMPORTANT, no one fucking watched this show but me, you have to watch this show, you have to join me, it's cinema, it's actually so good, it has one of my favorite written romances in anything its characters are so fun I love chivalry of a failed knight it only got one season

noragami: I feel bad reccing this one, I love it to death but it's just, it's not finished and studio bones is trapped in the mid hero academia mines now

The first two seasons of my hero: I know what i just said, it's got a really good start though

Utena: (utena)

Mob psycho: FUCK I STILL NEED TO WATCH S3

Everything by ryohgo narita

[astrxlfinale]

Once again did the vision of that agonizing experience filter in his mind, no different than a once grainy film quickly drawing to a high scale; her tear streaked eyes utterly shocked, agonized, only to fade from a growing scale from the hope devoured by the abyss.

Sparkle loves to be a mirror to the most corrosive paths seething through him.

And yet...

Somehow it's her very words that pierces an abrupt realization in the depths of combat. His agony was the price, but what she mentioned upon these grounds etched away from the golden dream's reality. Just skirts close by her side, serving as the protective cover that arms his blade defensively in order to erase the opportunity of that dinosaur from claiming a lovely morsel, it throbs within his mind; a touch of his original goal.

'She.. Actually knows! Insufferable to the damn T, but in that same vein, she actually had an eye on that too!?' Just how far does this maiden's 'fair' hands reach? Just as those dopey grins reflected upon the televisions shine their glories upon them, by a few snaps of their fingers would an array of spotlights shine vivaciously upon the Flowery Fool and her Tin Knight. Invisible applause echoes throughout as within an instant, an abrupt surge of enriched Path energy flourishes through their veins.

Back to back they'd remain, the duality of wanting to strangle Sparkle and deciding to take her venomous path, Caelus would simply have to accept that he'd go nuts before any semblance of genuine peace can be embraced with her.

"Remember your place, captive." The words were spoken with the grit of a dangerous smile, a twist being given to his blade's hilt as it roars with Amber enriched life. "Now we're talking my territory, your punishment can wait after this exercise!"

His voice was immediately eclipsed by the flame spouting roar of this tyrannosaur butcher as that immediately gets some more follow up soldiers in life. Their burly body would leap from the shadows, embodied in gold and clanking with bottles of Soulglad as two of them would leap towards them in haste! Only to meet ill fates as Caelus ducked down, ensuring that the holy lance is directed to the heavens, brutally skewering through the metallic, near human insides as another one of the apes is gripped by the face. His physical might being showcased as one of those hands were driven deep into newly cratered earth.

As for the other? Qlipoth's blade would simply be charged with path power, causing the body it hosts to be blown sky high through a torrent of flame, leaving it crucified to the ceiling above as errant sparks from the both of them.

He's diligent in his duty, this state of the Trailblazer was worth it in the gamble of protection.

From the shadows would be a more obscure attack intending to find purchase in their necks, it was a volley of playing cards being shot their way at bullet speeds, dangerously glinting amidst the chaos of a good fight as the TV soldiers mindlessly danced in joy for the reverie!

All too blind that it was simply a fine battle to the death.

"Cover those!" He comes to announce just as those stubbornly persistent fangs slammed towards them again, Caelus's bladework would provide it's a punished advance, a decisive diagonal swipe this time breaking that greedy maw as it's knocked awkward from it's mechanical hinges, issuing a roar of distaste as it's sent skidding off to the side with a brutal hilt strike, denting that face even further beyond recognition.

He couldn't lie, being able to exhaust a fraction of these Sparkle-adjacent emotions felt glorious.

"About time you showed me a few more of your tricks, give them as 'good' of a time as you've been giving me!"

And it looks like they've attracted an audience.

It wasn't hard to figure out that their heated exchange have attracted the denizens of the Deep Dreamscape, Dreamjolt Troupe and Memory Zone Memes alike. After all, she had been stirring Caelus up for the past few minutes, mocked him, pushed his buttons, made him feed her the necessary ammunition needed to slowly, systematically wear him down, all for her own amusement. As such, it was obvious that there would be vultures that would start swarming around to pick on the excess from their exchange.

And as much as she wants to continue pushing that envelop further, the presence of a rowdy, overly enthusiastic audience that want to be part of their 'play' would make it somewhat difficult to do so.

"Hmm... Why not?" She simply graced his inquiry with such an answer and refused to elaborate further. Maybe she would elaborate on that a bit more later? Maybe not? Maybe she'd obfuscate it with several red herrings? Or maybe she'd fragment the truth, and splay it out in puzzle pieces for him to solve on his own, and would be entirely up to his deductive skills to piece them out properly? So many decisions~.

Alas, the heated exchange can wait, so she'd leave that figurative steaming pot unattended for the meantime. The current main priority is to pacify these unruly 'children' that decided to interrupt her and Caelus' heated moment.

"But of course I can put my legs to good use! After all, unlike your silver haired damsel, I won't let myself be gutted like a fish, y'know~?" Just how much reach does she have exactly to know of things that had transpired? After all, she did exactly something similar to this to taunt that 'Chicken Wing Boy' from the Family the moment his sister was killed, too. To push his buttons, and get a rise out of him just for the sake of deriving joy from something so piercing that had happened just recently for him.

Just how much hold does Sparkle have in the events that's currently transpiring?

"Alas, my dear trash armor adorned tin soldier, let's break through the enemy lines together, shall we~?"

Hence, Sparkle had already made her move, an expression of glee in her face, displaying agility and acrobatic skill, weaving through some strikes from the reptilian Dreamjolt Troupe automaton as she went straight for the TV soldiers, sending a series of roundhouse kicks at them powerful enough to make them switch 'faces'. She's been on this Dreamscape long enough to figure out the TV heads' duplicitous, two-faced nature, after all. Their faces of anger would be a detriment, while faces of joy would end up with them turning against their own allies instead.

"Do make sure to keep up, trash panda~. I know your legs sure can work doing so, right~?" That she said, even teasing him by using his own words against him.

[the-pretty-good-papyru]

I feel like a character archetype I don't see often enough is spellswords.

And I don't mean like a wizard with a sword, or a swordfighter who knows a few spells, I mean an honest to goodness Spellsword. Someone who's mastered both bladework and spell craft, and is able to masterfully weave the two together into a fighting style that takes the core tenants of each and creates something greater than the sum of its parts. Someone who uses their blade to channel arcane energy, be it via elemental attacks, or even just simply "the sword glows and that lets it hit harder."

A wizard can cast all the fireballs they want, spend decades mastering their arcana, at the end of the day, unless they're damn good at what they do, they're still gonna need to make sure they or their allies aren't in their area of effect. For all the power magic provides, it can also be dangerous and volatile, uncontrolled in the wrong hands. But with a spellsword, their mastery of bladework makes their weapon an extension of themselves, and so by proxy, magic channeled through it becomes a further extension. Not a spell to be cast and then done with, but a part of them, an extra limb to be commanded as freely as the rest. imagine if you will the ferocity of a burning wildfire commanded with elegance and precision, every ember turned towards a single point.

Its about taking the grace, elegance, and precision of swordcraft, and giving it the raw destructive force of a fully fledged mage, backed up by someone who's clever enough to know how to use both in tandem. A single duelist able to dispatch a great many foes at once by the virtue of their craft, something so rare and unique that none know how to counter it. A combatant able to be a threat both at a range and up close, arguably more so up close.

A rapier wielding duelist who knows how to surround their sword in mana to increse the potency of their actions. A massive, great sword wielding brute who you don't expect to have many tricks suddenly imbuing their sword with mana, calling ice or fire or thunder or wind to augment their techniques. A dagger wielding rogue who you expect to outrange summoning a massive blade of pure light and wielding with the same ease. A close quarters fighter using lashes of energy or bursts of flame called from a simple sword swing to close the distance against a ranged opponent. Using magic sourced from a blade, using magic to coat a blade, using magic not just to complement a melee fighting style, but as the melee fighting style in and of itself.

I just really like spellswords man.

[awlumii]

ooh id love to hear ur tangent on why he keeps his hand and wrist bandaged! someone said its prevision. hunt decree and hes dressed up for 😐 PLEASE BRO PLE

anyways. that image kind of reminds me of when albedo had a cafe art crossover and it showed his bare arms and we all went feral over it. NOW WE HAVE MORE KAZUHA SKIN SHOWING HAURGGHHHHHEG

oh! well i mean my ideas aren't original in any way, i just like talking about it, but

the first reason was brought up by the anon who mentioned it earlier; he probably wraps his hand for support. i believe kazuha invented his own bladework and because of the immense amount of practice and time it would take to perfect something like that, he likely has the bandages to ease any strain

the second reason is that one theory about his friend's vision burning his hand. cause in his cutscene during the archon quest, when he took the dying vision, he wasn't wearing any such bandages... but in the present, he is. personally i like this one for drama reasons because he either: a) doesn't want anyone to see the ugly scars or b) is still in excruciating pain from time to time

and on that note, i just wanna say that i am a dramatic bitch and would like to write something about kazuha hiding his hand from you as the pain progressively worsens because of how often he's using it... and he'll be damned if he lets you take the bandages off to see how bad his hand looks

[starcrossed-sky]

everyone is slightly more competent than canon...

including the villains

[fleetingfigures]

Day 14: Commend

I do not claim to be the paramount duelist within the Holy See, nor do I seek to prove to any such rabble about that I am. You see, I let my bladework speak in lieu of my word, and 'tis just a fact that steel carries more weight than flesh. For it is my handiwork that drew Ser Eadbert out to challenge me today, and it is the selfsame thing that brings him to but a knee. He and his second, that is.

Since when did the Fury introduce such cowardice in her people?

I digress, though. It matters not if Ser Eadbert had brought a second, or even a third, for they are simply not I, Ser Alfonse of House Peltier. They wagered against me their very honor, a promise more so to themselves that they, contrary to those that came before, could finally lay me low, and wrench from me my pride. Courageous, truly, but quite gauche; do they not see how unbecoming of them such behavior is? To think such brutes are my contemporaries. Pacing 'round the forum, I allow myself a spot of indulgence, and offer my audience the second act. I halt, turn upon my heel, and place a rapier's tip underneath the fallen Hyur's chin.

"I offer you my warmest felicitations, Ser Eadbert, for allowing me a continuation of my undisturbed record." Hushed whispers erupt amongst the crowd, but none from the man himself. That, I simply cannot entertain. With a flick of my wrist, I force House Clark's scion not only to look up, but to bleed for me once again. Twelve know that this dolt needed some color in his attire.

"...Ha! As if besting me in such an archaic custom will even bring you or your House any modicum of honor."

"Deflection and perceived wit will get you nowhere, my dear Ser, remember where you are in this moment."

"I know fully well, my dear ser, that I am currently at the end of a backwater noble's blade."

The whispers only grow more intense, but I relish in them - I cannot stop the sneer and the laugh that rises soon after. "And yet Two Clarks are left 'neath the boot of a Peltier at this very moment." I can see the ire flash to life in both their eyes, and I wish to bring it out in full. "To think that the meritocracy that drove our land for eons would mold such unworthy heirs."

"What would you or yours even know of the concept of worth?! Peltier grew fat upon trade, not by any meaningful contribution to the Holy See."

"That, Ser Eadbert, is quite true! My father is a coward, and my mother is nothing but a stole to wrap 'round one's pride, but I, as you have just learned, am not them." I lower my blade's point from the heir's chin, and raise it to his ear with a flourish, chopping off a heap of his auburn locks. "I am Ser Alfonse de Peltier, and I have bested you both in honorable combat, the story and status of our houses be damned. Even in performing an act of duplicity in bringing a second to this duel, you have failed to perform anything of note. So pray tell, my good ser, who here is truly the one deserving of any worth, hm?"

Seeing as the men grow silent once more, I sheathe my rapier, and depart.

House Peltier and its sole scion, Ser Alfonse... I presume you have heard tales of at least one or both, yes? If not, then let this be the first of many to come. I seek to bring honor to a House with none, by nothing but my own merits. And thus far, none have been able to keep I and House Peltier in its place. Perhaps one day something will prove to be of a challenge.

[disgruntledspacedad]

I’m just sayin 😏😏

Okay, so here’s what I’m legit vibing with

(damn you all)

Post-special ops, serial killer Dave with some real intimacy issues meets you - an assassin who specializes in bladework.

You’re hired to hit Dave, but you slip up, and now he’s got you hostage, at his compete mercy.

Can you finish your assignment before Dave York finishes you?

[vanquishedvaliant]

Fate: okay yeah Fate and Unlimited Bladeworks are sketchy as fuck and have bad adaptations

Fate fans: but it’s all worth it for Heaven’s Feel, trust me

me, normal sensible person: yeah right lol doubt.jpg

me: how could the third route be so different to justify all of that meandering crap

HF Movies: come out

me: well might as well humour them

me, watching Presage Flower: hmm

Me, watching Lost Butterfly: oh no

Me, watching Spring Song: god damn it

Me, tearing up: god fucking damn it

Me: they were right the whole fucking time

[ever-searching]

Some thoughts about the job actions/adjustment from the Endwalker job action trailer and the latest live letter (LXVI):

Red Mages get a barrier. And a fancy magic laser beam. And apparently Verholy and Scorch will become AoEs and we can now do the melee combo with only 50 mana and I feel like Caps Locking because my beloved job gets new fancy toys and can do anything and everything aaaaa

I didn't understand a whole lot about the Summoner changed because I haven't played the class a whole lot, but it sure looked cool - including, but not limited to, the earthy hand clap and the fiery charge. Summoner mains seem to be happy, so I'm happy for them!

I need to play Astrologian more because hot damn, those skills look pretty. Meteor shower...

Ninjas get more thunder-based skills. Guess whose main has an affinity for lighting magic in RP. Guess what is my favourite melee class on him. *cackles gleefully*

I know Sages are supposed to be a Sharlayan thing, but somehow their aesthetic also reminds me of Allagans a little bit, possibly because of the geometric elements (or because imagine Merces as a Sage hhh why am I tempted)

Reaper looks edgy in a way that appeals to me a great deal. Besides, all that smooth scythe-twirling. Mmm.

Insert (Un)limited Bladeworks joke here for Paladins. In all honesty, though, I think the skills looked very nice, and I'm hoping that I'll have time to level Paladin at least on one of my characters before Endwalker.

I could have rambled more, but the bottom line is that I'm quite excited about most job actions and adjustments and hoping that Square-Enix will be able to balance everything adequately. Two more months before the early access, woo!

[dopplerdora]

An idea for a post Bladeworks time travel fic.

Tenish years post war Rin, Saber, and Shirou end up in Britain at the height of the round table.

Saber is afraid of being recognized but she's so so much different after 10 years of wedded bliss(also of not having to lead Jack or shit because Rin took charge because Saber and Shirou obviously can't lead shit just look at them) that the only people with a chance in hell of recognizing them are Kay and Merlin. Saber not knowing this leans into playing the part of a young maiden(because she also kind wants to wear the dresses from this time she never got too before) but because of the growth(well non physical growth) she's had over the past 10 years she goes way overboard due to her normal personality having changed and everybody in Camelot goes crazy over this amazing young maiden, the older generation thinking of how much she's like Igraine. People keeps saying it and Morgan gets passed and shows up to prove how she's nothing like her beloved mother and accidentally magically proves Saber is a CHILD OF IGRAINE. Everybody freaks out because this child is way too young to be Igrains child so how the hell...

Meanwhile while Saber is being a reality TV character and loving showing her love for her people without restrictions or responsibility. Shirou and Rin are busy saving Camelot and changing history no matter what bullshit the world throws at them because their giving Saber a happy ending this time damn it! (And if rin can make herself the middle of a Saver sandwich for saving the kingdom that fine too)