let's have a face reveal and not tell barbie pt 2: FEATURING THE ENTIRE HEXENZIRKEL
seen from China
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seen from Germany
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seen from Malaysia
seen from T1
seen from France
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seen from Russia
seen from Malaysia
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let's have a face reveal and not tell barbie pt 2: FEATURING THE ENTIRE HEXENZIRKEL
Come on, guys. We are so close to the funny number.
I'd say suggestive or nsfw art as a milestone drawing but this is Tumblr. Um.....I'll draw something for it. Not sure what yet. Feel free to make suggestions :v
ASTROMANCER BARBELOTH TRISMEGISTUS GOT HER FACE REVEAL !!
lorddddd i used to pray for this day
LET ME GO ON PUBLIC RECORD AGAIN RIGHT NOW WHILE WE'RE ALL EXCITED:
Istaroth is the Worst of the Shades, especially as we continuously see Ronova and Rhinedottir be shown for their humanity, for their empathy, and for their genuine desire for things to go accordingly. For their humane nature.
We were introduced to Istaroth in Enkanomiya, as a terrifying and Eldritch deity. She is the only one to grant them mercy, and the way she does so is selfish. By splitting the realms into Evernight and Whitenight, giving humanity a way to avoid the Vishaps, she also introduced a means to measure time.
Istaroth's greatest act of mercy was granting herself a reason to be individually worshiped in a time where forbidden knowledge was ravenous and Teyvat was shaken. Because Enkanomiya fell after the war with the Second Throne That Came After.
Istaroth is not kind, or regarded kindly. She is respected, feared, and sacred beyond understanding.
Sacrificial Fragments, a second book from when Istaroth was worshipped reaffirms this perception of her holy nature.
Enkanomiya calls her Joy, Rage, Longing, Obsession. Mondstadt calls her Merciless. Ravenous. The Godkillers... call her Unrelenting. You understand ?
How does this compare to the other known Shades, Ronova and Rhinedottir ??
Ronova is... compassionate, for one thing. She is introduced to us in Natlan. During which it is revealed that she agreed to work with Natlan against the Abyss via creating the Night Kingdom.
When Mavuika's plan came to pass, Rovona was focused SOLELY on maintaining order. Mavuika will die because that was agreed upon > The Captain will die because it will uphold her curse and because it's mutually beneficial. She allows them to argue about it, she allows them to speak very informally and casually about the might of Celestial Shades without consequence. "Mavuika: After all, leadership is built on the trust of ordinary people. Without them, there is no Archon." "Yohualtecuhtin, Lord of the Night: The Captain envisions a kinder and fairer set of rules for humanity. In addition, he aims to challenge the authority of the Ruler of Death... In a word, his goal is revenge." "Ronova: I now understand that which you seek..." Of the two above lines, Ronova is remarkably silent about the way that these people under her ranking criticize Celestia decisions. We cannot presume the same from the Merciless March of Time, she who ... had the sunchildren and sacrificial dance ceremonies. As for Rhinedottir... she is the most human character in the game. I don't know how else to describe it. Everything that Rhinedottir has ever done has been for her passions and interest in the nature of life and limits of humanity, in knowing and achieving every thing that she is possibly capable of. Go talk to @monards about it, because the point of this post is not about her humanity, but about how Rhinedottir is kinder than Istaroth is. We see this in the way that Durin's recounting of his life was her encouraging him to go and show off his beauty, in Albedo being sent to live in Mondstadt under Alice's watch so that he might know what it means - for him - to be alive, and the way that she interacts with the Hexenzirkel who love her in turn. You learn a lot about a person given who their friends are, and Rhinedottir Gold turns to Alice (Friend of Adults who Still Harbors Hope), Nicole Reeyn (the Guide who Will Never Get Lost), and Andersdotter, she who taught the Hexenzirkel who wanted to share her stories of love and friendship and unending adoration with them for generations. When we compare Istaroth to Ronova and Rhinedottir like this, we do not have stories of her even remotely expressing these same sentiments, because Istaroth is not motivated by them. She is Time, she is curious, and the kindest thing about her is that she loves a good story. And well, she is responsible for the two largest killing forces in the game. Forbidden Knowledge and Erosion. It is by her hand that the Forest (the Withering) dies, and it is by her words that the gods fade. She may not have killed them herself, may not have been the one to damn the ambitious to the skies, may not have been the one who separated the twins... but she certainly is not against indulging, worsening, and Keeping Record of such happenings.
this is exactly the predator/prey dynamic I was hoping for from arlebina 🙏
pretty little birdie in the crosshairs of my eyes and oh my god she's a horror holy shit --
this is the most important image to me ever right now. I hope I die
THE WAY SHE IS FRAMED AS ABOVE AND NEEDING TO STEP DOWN TO BE BESIDE THEM...
THE WAY BOTH LIFE AND DEATH DEFER TO TIME BC SHE IS WHAT MAKES THEM MEANINGFUL AND RELEVANT...
THE WAY SHE IS SO SO SO GORGEOUS AND !!!!
funny thing about Istaroth/Alice is the fucking first thing we are told about Alice ever is that she is responsible for writing the Teyvat Travel Guide. She's a great adventurer, known for her going across Teyvat and periodically writing updated volumes about the nature of the world as she sees it.
Her books are theatrical and dramatized, but you start to notice she keeps running into Specific People. The allogenes... and the immortals.
What does this have to do with Istaroth?
Lady Kairos is the master of Time, responsible for Irminsul and the leylines as they serve as physical records of every action, thought, and memory in Teyvat.
And she loves a good story.
What I'm saying is that Alice keeps writing, writing, writing and it’s too personal and too dramatic to be an effective travel guide... but it does serve as a perfectly good tale. The world may change, and the truth of her mind and the truth of the world may not align, but when she writes... Alice protects the things she cares about.
It's not foolproof, but it is safer than facing erosion unarmed.