so it turns out that skirk's banner weapon is a prophet trying to talk her peers ("brothers and sisters" as in comrades-in-arms) into rebelling against the government celestia.
more precisely, the prophet encourages her audience of four (i'll speculate on who they could be & thus identify a likely speaker) to do the following things:
"Cast it all aside, set it at naught, drench your wings in filth — let the love that blazes in our breasts burst forth." (QUIT YOUR JOB)
"Hunger, thirst, yearn, desire! Entrust the world to those who live in it — let the nations' glory exceed that of the heavens." (FIND A HOBBY/MAKE MORTAL FRIENDS)
"Sing and rejoice! Bestow upon humanity authority — let the lances of lunar light pierce the creator's delusions." (GIVE THE HUMANS INDEPEDENCE)
"Reach for that daybreak pristine, where the nations need beg for leave to live no longer!" (STOP LETTING GOD PUSH YOU AROUND)
"Lift up your eyes to the radiant daystars, let me guide us unto new skies." (HELP ME OVERTHROW GOD + more traveler-is-lucifer foreshadowing for the collection)
this is a god (the speaker) telling other gods (their audience) to rebel against God but, since this is genshin impact, this... doesn't actually narrow things down much.
what does narrow things are the lines immediately before the prophecies ("you who have submitted to the primordial master") and the line after the prophecies ("beg, plead, and sacrifice — not one of these shall loosen the bonds about your necks"): the gifting of the gnoses by celestia and venti's view of his own gnosis (which seems shared by the speaker, the tsaritsa, and by zhongli).
THE PROPHECIES
"One of us shall wander beneath moonless night, drinking a sea of tears in futility for kin who will not return." MORAX (guizhong, marchoscius, 3/5 and soon 4/5 of the vigilant yaksha, azhdaha, seagazer, skybracer, etc)
"Another shall trudge across gilded sands, never to comprehend scarlet sincerity or ardent admiration." RUKKHADEVATA (al-ahmar, nabu malikata)
"Still another shall shrink into the dark, into bone-piercing hostility, until the promised tides arise to play out one final melody." EGERIA, through Focalor (focalor was to egeria what nahida is to rukkhadevata: a segment created during the cataclysm 500yrs ago, to act as a successor in the event of their death)
"And still another shall wander ever, in dreams solely to journey, awaiting an encounter in a stagnant, foreign land." BARBATOS? (he fell asleep to heal his injuries, some of his dialogue with traveler implies that traveler has forgotten him & the 5.8 trailer places him in proximity to the mare jivari: did venti meet the traveler or their twin 500yrs ago? did venti locate & move the traveler's stasis cube from, say, the mare jivari to that cove in mondstadt?)
BA'AL isn't mentioned: this places the speech after her death but before the archons left khaenri'ah.
(no bearer of the name HARBORYM was able to leave natlan prior to mavuika's archon quest)
Was thinking about Maka’s pupils becoming visible when she sees souls and was like what if a third eyelid was what made people able to see souls(the actual mechanics I’m still working on but probably something like heat pits or how sharks can sense electromagnetic pulses)
It’s not really a sight, it’s just interpreted by the brain as that, it’s most likely some other sense that allows them to ‘see’ the soul
(For more on weapon development in relation to humans see this post https://www.tumblr.com/crowsyart/723152190234034176/me-and-my-friend-saintgabehave-been-thinking)
Me and my friend (@saintgabe)have been thinking about the differences between humans and weapons and you guys know me I overthink so now we’
So, as anyone who has followed me here for a bit and saw one of my rant posts a while back knows, one of my special interests (not calling it a hyperfixation because I have been at least mildly obsessed with this series since I was a kid) is the Halo franchise. I've been reading up on the lore again for fun, and since I've kinda also been getting interested in gun stuff from the specific angle of the visual design, functionality, and the in-universe lore of fictional weapons, I was reading up on the UNSC weaponry featured in the franchise. This lead to me reading something that hurt my soul.
So, for reference, in terms of visual design and the in-lore effectiveness and usefulness of the weapon, my favorite UNSC weapon is the MA-series assault rifles, with my favored designs being the ones used in Halo: Combat Evolved, 3, 3: ODST, 4, and 5, with that general design (though there are some minor differences between the games mentioned) shown here:
So, visually, you can kinda tell why I like it. It's just a clean-looking sci-fi weapon that looks like something that would actually function without issue if you took away the crutch of gameplay / lore necessity making it work, unlike a few other weapon designs I could mention in various sci-fi and fantasy works. However, you've probably noticed that I specifically said that it's my favorite in terms of the design and its function in the lore of the franchise, but not in gameplay. You may be wondering the reason for that. It's simple - due to the Halo series being arena shooters, where you (usually) don't have the luxury of player-made loadouts, a lot of work must be done to keep the gameplay balance. One of these is making it so your main starter weapons aren't too good compared to what you can pick up on the map in a multiplayer game, to incentivize players to actually try and use weapons that aren't just their starter weapons or a power weapon. The problem comes in when you realize that, for most of the games the MA-series rifles are in, this AR is your usual multiplayer starter weapon that tends to fill a specific role in the sandbox of a reliable, but not too good, weapon that you can use at short-to-medium range to take down your opponent's shield before killing them with a quick melee or precision headshot from your other weapon, provided your other weapon is capable of doing so. This generally means that these ARs are fully automatic, best fired in bursts to maintain any level of accuracy when your enemy is more than 10 feet away from you, and tends to have the fastest melee animations in the game to facilitate the "wear down shields, finish off with a melee" gameplay for when your second weapon isn't the best option for finishing off your opponent.
This leads to my problem, a problem I understand is based in a necessary lore/gameplay mismatch to keep up the quality of the series' gameplay. In game, this AR platform is known as the "kinda shit, fairly inaccurate short-to-medium range starter weapons." This is to the degree that its effective range is only about 40 meters. In the lore, however, it is exactly what I wish it could be in gameplay - the default service rifle for the UNSC, with automatic, burst fire, and semi-automatic firing modes, accurate and effective at a range of 500 meters. It just hurts me that a weapon known for its effectiveness and accuracy at basically any range an infantry member will be engaging in has to be nerfed so hard for the gameplay, even though I understand and accept the reasons why.
Ok, this may be a far-fetched theory, and I'm not good at this, but hear me out, I promise it’s more than just both having black hair with white strands.
Thanks to Cashflow Supervision’s lore, we have been graced with Pantalone crumbs, including direct speech. I suggest you check that out if you haven’t already. It seemed very odd to me that Wriothesley’s weapon speaks only of another character at first, but it obviously makes sense, since it explains the background of the credit coupons. Apparently, Pantalone invented them as his experiment for a non-god-created-currency, using Meropide as a trial micro-economy.
It might just be that ... but I feel like that would be too simple for Hoyo standards. So here we go.
Was it all planned?
What first inspired me to think more about this was Pantalone saying he was “not really a fan of naming things” which seemed like an unnecessary lore information to me at that point. Unless … it’s relevant in a way? Like relevant when naming your child? Your child who had no name and grew up in a foster home? (The child who made it a whole big topic to explain to us why he gave himself the name he now has?)
Yes, yes, far stretch right here, but I just wonder why these two characters would have such an odd similarity that doesn’t seem of high relevance in the bigger picture but is being overinflated like that.
Nonsense? Okay, here is something else:
The Harbingers are insanely skilled when it comes to pulling strings, organising troops and in general … planning the future. I personally believe all the Harbingers are dead and therefore not comparable to humans, which makes it easy for Pantalone to have lived for a loooong time already. Now, I would not be surprised, should we learn that everything following Wrio’s birth had been planned out. The calculation of him murdering his foster parents, his virtues winning, but also him getting locked up and working himself to the top.
Maybe his father/creator/whatever simply stationed him there for the time after his experiment was over, trusting that he would be someone who could handle the role. I believe the way he managed to step up and take over without any big announcement or hassle only worked that smoothly because A) Meropide means surivial of the fittest, just like the Harbinger intended, B) "someone" might have pulled certain strings behind the scenes to make this happen.
Resistance to Primordial Water
You can find theories that Pantalone is a vishap which I can definitely see. Style-wise there are some clear hints towards that; also we cannot forget his similarity to Baizhu, who is at least in some way snake-like (I still don’t believe that we know his full story tbh). Being somewhat vishap- or abyss-related AND possibly not from Fontaine or of Fontainian blood, it would explain why Wriothesley was not harmed much by primordial water. In one voice line he jokes around saying he should take a dip in the waters just to see if he is Fontainian or not, and I believe at some point he mentioned actually having been out in the sea while the primordial water was still out there and only felt a bit of itching or redness …? I can’t find the source anymore and it’s PISSING ME OFF. Anyway, those symptoms sound very much like any other person’s contact with PW. Obviously, this leaves it open whether he is simply not from Fontaine or not entirely human.
Relationship with the Fatui
Whatever he did, Wriothesley appeared like this "whatever the means" kind of guy with his own set of rules. I could see him cooperating with a Harbinger while still trying to keep the Fatui out of his zone. This aspect actually makes me doubt he knows what has been going on behind the scenes, even though he somehow always knows everything. But maybe he is only informed about things he should know ...
Wriothesley also stresses that he is just a man with two eyes and ears who happens to hear things. He does know an awful lot about everything, though, does he not? I wonder who is part of his network and what his deal with Pantalone might be. Has Meropide really lost its meaning as a testing site? The drone is not reporting the cashflow anymore and someone other than the old warden is in charge now. Maybe the Harbinger relies on occasional reports how the system is developing, now that the coupon flow is able to stand on its own. I believe that ideology- and personality-wise, these two men would get along well. I can see how Pantalone would be able to keep a calm mind, knowing that someone as capable and rational as Wrio is the one in charge of his former experiment.
I may have overlooked many aspects and it has a 80 % chance of being total bullshit! But we die like hilichurls in this household, so let’s go.
Hello MCYT fans, here I am again, with a new ‘complete’ lore post about the weapin designs above!
all the lore bellow the cut and thank ya’ll for the support over the last few months:
Techno:
Sword:
So for techno it was about lightness, it's a thin sword made out of diamond with gold designs and a neatly wrapped leather and pearl handle. It's a very long sword that hangs on his waist. He doesn't use it much as a king has other people to do the dirty work for him. But when he does need to use it it's all about swiftness, it has to be light but incredibly sharp to work quick and efficiently. No need to get his hands dirty, he has potatoes to farm.
Trident:
a beautifully used trident, one found by the legendary warrior philza, a saying carved in it for protection a meaningful gold plate placed on it before it was given to techno as a gift of thanks for always protecting those two need it. the red wrapping a gift from tommy. a red piece of cloth from an old jacket to always remember him and the gold chain made by wilbur as a token of kindness.
Axe:
the axe of peace, many that have heard of it think the weapon was forged by the famed awesamdude, they hear of the strong, powerful and scrap weapon that can take down army’s and think only a man of his skill could have forged it but in reality it’s a broken ace, used, worn made by the pig king himself on an adventure long ago, it is forged badly, pieces taken from different weapons he had found. stil stong but not because of the weapon but because of the man that wields it.
Wilbur:
Dagger:
A dagger made from iron with gold lettering a messily wrapped leather handle and a delicate music note hanger. Wilbur isn't one for fighting he's a talker he doesn't need a big sword to intimidate his enemies so it's not used much but it's always by his side. The dagger itself was given to him by techno as a gift when he noticed his friend didn't have anything to defend himself. Wilbur uses it mostly for cutting food or to look at his reflection but he treasures the dagger and uses it when necessary.
Philza:
Sword:
A netherite sword with an obsidian handle and a diamond for detailing which techno gave to him long ago. His sword is incredibly heavy but one of the strongest swords ever made. Not everyone can carry it let alone use it but Phil uses it a lot. it's his main weapon and he carries it on his back. The sword is one of the most admired weapons there is as it was made expertly and given to philza as a gift of thanks, he treasures the sword but knows it was made to be used and does to beautifully
Tubbo:
Dagger:
So tubbo has two small and used netherite daggers, engraved with little bees. He made them with help from philza himself when he was young, they arn't perfect, the handle on the left dagger is a little loose and the leather on the handles themselves are worn out but they are sharp and loved. created with attention and always by tubbos side
Tommy:
Sword:
His sword is a small but strong sword, thin and easy to conceal, the handle wrapped in a piece of Techno's cloak. It isn't used much but it's always carried, not many know of it.
Calvin:
Sword:
a big and incredibly powerful diamond sword with a heavy iron handle and a piece of old leather wrapped around the handle. a sword with many scars and bumps, taped together in places. for a fighter like calvin the sword doesn't matter, as long as it's sharp. it's not like you'll feel that bump on the left side as it punctures your heart.
Tapl:
Sword:
a golden sword, oddly shaped with an unusual wrapping around the handle. most people are to distracted by the sword to watch the man, which might just be the reason the fighter once bought it at a market. he was still young but he seemed to understand why he wanted that sword so specifically, now, so many years later the sword is worn with pride and whenever someone asks it's origins or the reason for the odd shape a different story is told.
xNestorio:
Bow:
an extraordinarily beautiful iron bow with netherite tips for the arrows, not one crack, not one bump all you can see when you inspect the bow is the intricate drawings carved into the iron, nestor will only react with a small smile if you ask what they mean the bow itself is so silent it's almost useless, why would you ever need a bow so silent, he uses it all the time, how is it in such pristine condition, so many questions but the mysterious archer won't answer any of them.
Nihachu:
Sword:
a beautifully crafted diamond sword with a gold handle. the detailing on the sword is matched by no other, the swiftness beautiful. most see a pretty young girl carry a pretty shiny sword and think nothing of her. before they know it the sword is at their neck big and strong and they blurt all their secrets out or they don't even see the sword before they leave the mortal world. no one even dares to say a bad word against her friends in fear of the sword and the woman that wields it
Eret:
Sword:
a golden sword, light, swift, unused. he is not a man to use brute strength to accomplish his goals but even the sight of the sword fears enough men to stop their insults. the ruby on the hilt was once found by tubbo on one of his adventures, he came back smiling and offered it to eret. not a day later did the ruby adorn the beautiful sword. the ruby is never dirty, the sword might have stains and might break but the ruby itself will never show ago.
Fundy:
Axe:
a basic iron axe in almost every way, not specifically sharp, a little to heavy for the young fox and maybe a bit to blunt but this axe doesn't need to be sharp to hurt. touch it even slight by any part but the rubber handle and a surge of electricity will end any hopes of a long life. fundy doesn't always carry it, why should he but when it's needed its carried on his back, proud and strong
Skeppy:
Sword:
a smaller diamond sword, one shinier then maybe needed. a sword with a history, given to skeppy when he was young by is kind father, one with a family history longer then most countries. during all those years only two things have changed. the leather wrap around the handle and the netherite scrap the wrap a piece of the badboyhalo's famous cloak given to skeppy when they first met and the scrap given by technoblade as thanks. the sword is loved and always by skeppy's side, both the additions loved by the fighter.
Badboyhalo:
Sword:
a delicate netherite sword made for the fighter by a legendary sword smith, when it was made for bad he insisted on the diamond in the handle, a diamond given by skeppy and the muffin at the base of the sword. when the sword was given to the fighter something happened that has never been seen before or after, a dark mist appeared when it was touched, it took over the sword like a cloak. when bad leaves it its normal, when he takes it the mist takes over. it seems to have a strange power that has never been explained, when an enemy get touched by the mist their skin burns like a coal touched it. bad doesn't use the sword much but its always polished and sharp ready when needed.
Sapnap:
Sword:
a basic iron sword, not one that is very special when sapnap first bought it. no one knows what exactly he did with the sword that day but when the people saw the sword again it had a permanent smokey stain on it as if it's constantly burning from the inside.
Dream:
Axe:
a heavy and incredibly powerful netherite axe, in itself so powerful it couldnt be used by any man, the power needed just to hold it enough to scare any man but the eye on the top of the axe is what makes most run away at the sight the eye held at the top by a gold handle. the eye taken from a legendary ender man. not many have seen one let alone slain it and taken its eye not for the potions but just for decoration, just to show off you can.
George:
Sword:
A delicate diamond sword with gold and silver handle. the sword known to be from a historic house, a sword that every one of that family has with them at all time, only small details able to keep them apart. the power of just holding the sword is enough to frighten most.
Fruitberries:
Sword:
a beautiful sword, one of the most elegant and smoothest swords in the land, light like a feather, made out of pure emeralds so sharp you could cut yourself by just looking at it. It's always in pristine condition worn at fruit's side with pride but don't underestimate it's beauty, don't get distracted by the way the sun reflects onto it as it swings your way
Quig:
Axe:
a long axe, smooth and weightless, beaten and used, over time engraved with the gold he was given for his jobs. a purple stained piece of cloth wrapped for a handle. the axe recognized by all, worn at the fighters back, always in reach.
Illumina:
Daggers:
two netherite daggers, simple at first sight but when you look closer enchanted but...not intentional, it has some glow, like it ate the magic. was it because of all the dragons he had slaughtered, had the magic been sucked up or maybe it was just a trick of the light
Captain Sparklez:
Dagger:
a basic iron dagger, old used prepared to many times to count. a red wrap around the handle and part of the blade. on a part of the wrap a white checkers design was painted most think the design strangly resembles the cloak an old king from a time long past wore
DanTDM:
Sword:
a beautifully intricate diamond sword, every once in a while it changed, little changes, big changes, doesn’t matter it’s always changing, evolving no one really knows how he does it but it doesn’t matter, the kids on the square always get exited when the travelling scientist from far off lands wanders into town again, they want to see what he did to the sword this time!
AntVenom:
Sword:
a solid golden sword, heavy, shiny, beautiful. adorned with the recognizable purple stone in the knife itself. the sword itself isn’t to interesting, not to beautiful, not to strong, not to sharp, not to broken but when the man wears it it becomes beautiful, strong, powerful, next to the black jacket the adventurer always wears it shines, no one knows how that exactly works maybe it’s just a trick of the light.
Schlatt:
Sword:
a sword stone longer then anyone would need, thicker then is usefull and blunter than your butter knife. every enchantment has been trown on it, it is never used, it just hangs above schlatt’s desk in his office, never taken care of, dusty and broken. it hangs there as intimidation, no one who has seen it has been intimidated by it’s presence.
Punz:
Dagger:
a delicately beautiful gold and iron dagger, bigger then most, maybe a bit weird to have that size of a sword with you but punz is not one to fight all the time, he does not care for your boring squabbling he does what he wants and if he needs to use violence sure...he will and he will be proficient in it too.
Seapeekay:
Gun:
a....what do they call it again? a strong weapon, something most don’t recognize, brought from far away lands, not many have seen how it works but it hangs on cpk’s side at all times, cleaning in the sunlight either because if the golden engraved barrel or the golden chain that adores it at all times.
HBomb:
Handaxes
two small netherite daggers, can be worn on his back, can be worn on a belt. easy to handle, incredibly strong and useful which is something a man like hbomb finds most important. three gold coins that were won during the most prestigious tournament in the land are pressed into the iron axe handle that holds the netherite blades and wood holds that, that way it can always be exchanged for either a stronger handle or possibly another coin.
Quackity:
Handaxes:
handmade handaxes, small usefull but not to well made but that doesn’t matter to quackity they work, he can trow them, he canslice them and most importantly they aren’t annoying to carry, small golden Q’s adorn the blades themselves and pieces of cloth are wrapped around the handles both pieces of cloth he has had forever
Captain Puffy:
Sword:
a beautifully taken care of cutlass made out of diamond and gold with wool wrapped around the handle. proudly worn around her side, the cutlass itself found in a big buried treasure she found years ago, over the years the wool was added and the small cp engraved
Antfrost:
Dagger:
a rare knife, when seen in gold like this one it has historically only been used as a ceremonial dagger given to kings out of respect. this one was given to ant by dream engraved with a small paw and an A to represent the loyal warrior. the knife is only useful in close combat and is used like an extension of an arm, the way of this knife is not taken up easily and ant is one of the few to truly understand it’s usefulness.
Awesamdude
Dagger:
half a wrench and half a dagger, used for simplicity’s sake, strong, usefull, always by sam’s side, you never know when either side is needed
Hammer:
one of the strongest and biggest weapons in the realm, ofcourse the blacksmith would put so much craftmanship into his own weapon, a beauty with gold and enchantment engravings, heavy, so heavy not many can carry it but awesamdude always has it with him, carries it as if it weighs nothing
Krinios
Axe:
a broken decorated axe that the cyclops found many years ago, it’s not clear if the axe was broken when it was found and he has never been clear about the origins of the many to fitting decorations, most think it was given to him decorated and whole but it somehow broke in the cyclop’s posession many many years ago
ScottSmajor
Dagger:
a beautifully decorated dagger with a flamingo head. the man never uses it, it’s with him as a decoration, used for ceremonies and maybe to cut off a loose thread or two as scott is not known for his violence but his advisory role at the court and so, does not need violence to achieve his goals
Shubble:
Dagger:
a netherite and iron dagger, strong, decorative, beautiful, delecate and powerful just like the woman that wields it, she is not one to use it often, she has other ways to get what she wants
Hades EX weapons got me thinking about how I can "canonically" explain the new rapier Era's going to have since the EX Trials are just songs.
The rapier Era uses is the Pyros Tuck, made for her by Gerolt. I headcannon that it has exceptionally balanced dark and light aspects when casting (hence the black and white/blue flames).
When fighting Hades, the final phaze where he consumes the whole arena in darkness basically over-aspects the blade toward dark, causing the focus to burst and both the focus and blade to erupt into that purple crystal. Kinda like what happens when someone becomes a voidsent/sin eater.
The end result is a blade that drastically increases the power of her spells, but leans really heavily toward dark and umbral aspects. She has to overcompensate with light and astral aspects in her aether to cast white magic properly.
*whenever she meets Elidibus again he's going to side eye that thing so hard.
