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garden-of-omegas · 11 months

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⚜ FIRST MEETING [A3! - WINTER TROUPE] ⚜

┌── ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ ••✎•• ──────────

characters: tsumugi tsukioka | tasuku takato | hisoka mikage | homare arisugawa | azuma yukishiro | guy summary: the details of your first meeting with your future mate. warnings: pretty much what you'd expect with the winter troupe. rating: sfw a/n: i have no words for how difficult the winter troupe is, not really in terms of coming up with ideas but in terms of not making everything incredibly sad. they're all babies and i want to hug them. so i made most of the alphas want to do that too.

~🎕

└── ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ ••✎•• ──────────

≿━━━━༺❀ tsumugi tsukioka ❀༻━━━━≾

✿ you were an aspiring musical director, still looking for your permanent place in the industry. but for the time being, you were doing gigs at random theaters who wanted to try out musicals, and lots and lots of schools.

✿ you were 22, the same age as tsumugi. you'd graduated as a director a year prior, though you'd not had much luck finding actual work, much like tsumugi.

✿ you'd been at a performance of a local theatre group that you'd been helping with their first musical. it was the very first one, and you couldn't have been more proud of the kids. one of them had invited their tutor, tsumugi, to come see the performance. you happened to spot him in the audience, looking enraptured by the acting, and decided to go up to him to chat.

✿ tsumugi didn't initially realize that you were the director (you looked like a substitute teacher to him), so he felt pretty free to gush about the performance as much as possible. so when you invited him to see the next one you were directing, he almost had a heart attack.

✿ tsumugi, even before meeting you, could tell how passionate you were about your craft, just by how passionate the kids were about it. so, meeting you, actually meeting you, he felt some spark light up in him. he's always loved passionate people. tsumugi was just so cute, like a little flower who looked so lost in the midst of all those people. it all just made you want to nurture him, even if you didn't know in what way yet. but you truly felt that he was special, he was important.

≿━━━━༺❀ tasuku takato ❀༻━━━━≾

✿ you were an ambitious little theatre armorer, who'd just gotten your big break in the industry. you'd been completely sword crazy most of your life so when you were as a teenager informed that you could just make them professionally, you were all in.

✿ you were 23, a year older than tasuku. you'd been working as a theatre armorer for two years, but you'd not really been successful prior to getting your break at god-za.

✿ you'd just been hired at god-za, for their next play that involved a medieval setting, and thus they needed swords. you were extremely excited to make them some. and the first one you needed to take measurements for happened to be tasuku, who got a faceful of measuring tape the moment he stepped into your office.

✿ you became a rather familiar face to tasuku, as the main lead in most plays he needed to see you often. and while he wasn't the chattiest person, you loved to gush to him about his performances and the way he looked with a sword in his hand.

✿ tasuku did not take long to realize that you had a bit of a crush on him (and his arms), which initially made him a bit uncomfortable. but getting to know you, and your passion for theatre, he might've grown a crush on you too. not that he'd ever admit it. you fell in love with tasuku at first sight, he was your ideal omega. strong, excellent looking with a sword in his hand, what more could you want? and then you saw him on stage, and it was over for you, completely.

≿━━━━༺❀ hisoka mikage ❀༻━━━━≾

✿ you were a wellness counselor, you'd pretty much just started your practice. well, start was a strong word. you were still looking for a place to open up properly, but you were advertising to clients already for home appointments.

✿ you were 25. you'd just graduated as a counselor not even six months ago. hisoka was 25 too (?), having just arrived at the mankai company.

✿ you got a sudden call from someone by the name of izumi tachibana, who hired you to come by her company to help with a sudden emergency. though you didn't expect the emergency to be a homeless man with amnesia and a serious case of the sleeps. frankly, hisoka was barely awake when you arrived and introduced yourself.

✿ you ended up staying with the mankai company (and eventually became one of the winter troupe's actors), mostly just so you could keep an eye on hisoka. but also because you grew increasingly worried about everyone else in the house.

✿ hisoka did not think much about you at first. obviously, he was half-asleep when he first met you. but once he began to live with you (izumi put you as roommates once you joined the company) he started to like, a lot. you bought him marshmallows. you were mostly worried. hisoka was... a lot, and also nothing at the same time. it took three days until you managed to get a proper sentence out of him. and he also kept stealing your marshmallows, which you forgave once you looked at his cute face.

≿━━━━༺❀ homare arisugawa ❀༻━━━━≾

✿ you were a composer, working with the mankai company. while originally you'd joined just to compose music for their plays, you'd recently become interested in acting and wanted to join their new troupe.

✿ you were 30 years old, a whole three years older than homare. you'd been a composer for almost 15 years, though you'd been one professionally for ten of those.

✿ you actually met during one of your violin performances, one of the rare ones you were still doing independently. he'd been in the audience, and afterwards came to you to gush about your performance and the inspiration it gave him. and then he recited one of his... poems to you.

✿ you ended up seeing homare around a lot (he claimed you were his new muse) and when the company started looking for members you immediately dragged homare to the audition. he was perfect (and the only possible roommate who wouldn't mind your late night jam sessions).

✿ seeing you on stage, focused on your instrument and playing the most beautiful music ever, struck something very deep inside of homare. he'd never had so much inspiration before. he didn't know the word for the feeling, but would later realize that it was love. to you... well, homare was eccentric, but in a good way. you rather liked his weird habits, and his appreciation for your craft. it'd been a long time since anyone felt that way about your music. he made you feel warm again.

≿━━━━༺❀ azuma yukishiro ❀༻━━━━≾

✿ you were a bartender, you'd just started working at a local bar after... well, let's just say you'd led a very interesting life and hadn't had an actual job in forever. you'd just recently moved to japan to get away from that life.

✿ you were... you didn't remember how old you were actually. you'd lost a couple of years, so to speak, but that's a whole another story. and nobody knows how old azuma is, ever.

✿ how you met is simple really, azuma was a customer of yours. you'd literally just started working, and he was the first customer you ever had. he sat down in front of you, and asked you to make him your signature drink. obviously, you didn't have one, so you improvised. and that's how 'winter camellia'-cocktail was born.

✿ azuma became a regular of yours, showing up at least once a week to more or less flirt with you. you both became an essential part of each other's lives, even though you both lead completely separate lives outside of the bar.

✿ as most of your customers did, azuma found you calming, someone he could talk to about anything. not that he did, but he felt like he could. you were just what he needed in life after a hard day, just a smile from you could make his day. azuma was the prettiest person you'd ever met, and his flirting didn't help your immediate crush in anyway. but your... life choices kept you from ever thinking of yourself as proper mate material for someone like him.

≿━━━━༺❀ guy ❀༻━━━━≾

✿ you were a florist, you'd been one for as long as you could remember. you'd inherited the shop from your oma and appa, though you'd recently been recruited for the winter troupe as you'd been providing the company with flower arrangements previously and became interested in acting as well.

✿ you were somewhere in your thirties, at least as far as you were aware. but everyone really got the feeling that you and guy were around the same age, but neither of you really knew.

✿ you were delivering flowers to the company when guy arrived, and as the only member who could proficiently speak english and zahran you were forced to greet him. the only problem was that you were carrying several pots of flowers, which made for a bit of a situation. thankfully, guy helped you before you dropped the delicate ranunculus'.

✿ guy was assigned to room in your dorm, which you didn't mind as long as he didn't mind the numerous flowers in there. though to your surprised, he seemed to love them, even if it was hard to tell. and he was excellent help with all your plants.

✿ guy technically didn't think much of you. all your passions seemed to be towards plants, and nothing else. but he quickly came to realize that you were actually the one in the troupe who could pick up on his emotions the best and actually put words to them. guy was... difficult. not as a roommate, or as a person, just to communicate with. he was very different from the only other person you spoke zahran with, but you found him refreshing. and his love of plants made you love him just a bit.

#⚜ garden walks #omegaverse #a/b/o #alpha!reader #x reader #a3!#tsumugi tsukioka #omega!tsumugi #tasuku takato #omega!tasuku #hisoka mikage #omega!hisoka #homare arisugawa #omega!homare #azuma yukishiro #omega!azuma #guy #omega!guy #a3! - winter troupe

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marmarparadoxa · 5 months

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It's been a month since this peacock appeared in the garden behind our university. I don't know where he came from, and I surmised he must have escaped from some house with a courtyard in the vicinity. This garden is also connected to a wood north of the city, but nobody ever heard about wild peacocks in this area. So, me and my colleagues started leaving seeds on a plate and a cup of water outside. The peacock stayed, and my friend gave him the name "Vinicio". Now it's been a month, it has snowed a couple of times, and temperatures are dropping during the night, but Vinicio seems to be doing fine.

As soon as he spots us, he usually starts turning away, but the other day he finally approached us and looked at us with his dinosaur eyes.

#peacock #I really hope Vinicio will survive the winter #we won't be able to bring him food during the christmas holidays #anyway it's so surreal to have a peacock roaming around in the garden behind your office #it's like a baby dinosaur #we also saw him flying up to the branches of a pine tree #so I learned that A) peacocks can fly and B) they sleep in trees for protection against predators

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dykedragons · 1 year

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whats up fuckers i got a job lined up for when schools out lets fucking goooooooooo!!!!!!

#ramblies #babys first job lmfao. third ever application and first ever interview and i fucking got the position!!!! what in the hell!!! gods favourit #its full time and i get to be planting n watering gardens in da summer heat #which i would be shitting bricks abt the hours if this was a handful of months ago but considering ive done 12 hour days at school. often #im not that worried anymore. ill like. actually have free time and all my afternoons and weekends offff itll be so NIIICE #i can hang out with my FRANDS!!!! AAAAAAAHHA im so excited to have free time again #im gonna go on so many adventures and make so many savings and do so much ART!!!!!!!!!!!!!!#i mean its seasonal so ill have to look for somethin else when im done but thats ok ^_^ b HUGE confidence boost from this tbh #and who knows maybe over the winter i can just do freelance #but i know that i can commute to places in the winter too so thats not a problem.... ive been doin it for the last 6 months !!#AGGGHHG I LOVE HAVING. confidence and experience and being able to believe in myself.... so wonderful #i dont need to be so scared actually!! of everything!! i will simply adapt to the hardships and appreciate the good things #as i have always done.....#yes. it will be good. it will be good!!

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crabsandbeer · 1 year

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The Cylburn Arboretum Mansion in Baltimore by Kevin B. Moore

#arboretum #baltimore #cylburn #fisheye #garden #mansion #tree #wide angle #winter #vintage #sepia #B&W #monochtome #spooky #scary #ominus #architecture #gothic #flickr

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thethirdbear · 1 year

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#winter's wear #sled bound #aleksandrovsky garden #moscow #russia #b. trepetov #e. yevzerikhin #1962

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the-busy-ghost · 1 year

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Constantly forget that the ceiling and windows are lower in the upstairs room, and think I finally know what people over six feet feel like

#I'm like a giant #Everything is so far away? The windows are lower? The fireplace is lower? I can't visualise furniture in there because my proportions are of #Not that I could get the furniture up the stairs anyway #Ah well that's the least of my problems currently I have one wall that was almost soaking wet the other night due to condensation #Which considering that that's really the only major issue in a house which dates back 400 years I'm trying to be chill about #But I am not succeeding; I'm just wandering around feeling like an utter failure because *checks notes* there is slight damp #which I already knew about because it was on the home report over a year ago when I moved in #And I had people come out and look at it and they told me exactly why and how and when it would happen #I just haven't been able to try their suggestion of the damp-proofing paint because it's winter #But then I'm also concerned because it may be because of a lack of ventilation in the chimney #But I'm going to have reduce the ventilation further because a slug somehow got in #I'm pretty fine with bugs- thank god I'm not scared of spiders because this house has the biggest I have ever seen in my entire life #And I've been to Australia #And there's the odd case of the wasps that kept coming in JUST to die on my windowsill #But slugs are a huge no; I detest them with all my heart and am only slightly better with them now #Because after a few years of mild gardening I a) know they can't catch me (haha slowcoaches) and b) they are good for compost #But they have no place inside my house LEAST OF ALL in the tiny tiny study room on the fourth floor of the building #I'm very very worried about that chimney but I can't open it up to have a look without opening a gigantic can of worms #So we're just going to have to try some tape and some paint and try not to think about the slugs #That's a long way of saying it's an absolutely darling little room and actually the issues on the chimney wall #are basically the only issues in the entire flat #So I really should NOT be complaining but yeah I still feel like I've failed myself and the house and everyone I know #Because a slug got in #The rest of the house is largely bug-proof and the windows the heating the water all work and I have a cosy bed #The roof I'm panicking about a bit but that's because I need to grow a spine and tackle my neighbours like a grown-up not long-term damage #I'm only responsible for part of the building and almost all of it is in good nick and I intend to keep it that way #But I'm still worried and if that little room falls apart it will be my fault but on the other hand it's been there since 1589 so not all me #But everything has been a failure there- none of the furniture fits up the stairs; the floor took three tries to finish; and now wet wall #First world problems EXTREMELY but also hard not to take it personally and feel like I've failed the house #Earth & Stone

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rheya28 · 4 months

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The Crown [ Lounge + Bar] ♥ The Sims 4: Speed Build // CC

Welcome to The Crown, a haven of refined indulgence that seamlessly shifts from an upscale morning restaurant and lounge to a sophisticated evening gentlemen's club. In the daylight hours, experience culinary delights in an ambiance of polished dark wood accents, moody lights, and soft jazz.

As the sun sets, The Crown transforms into an intimate and stylish club, where discreet luxury meets thrilling entertainment. With an emphasis on sophistication, The Crown offers an unforgettable fusion of exquisite dining and sensual experiences in an atmosphere of opulence.

Additional Notes: ● In order for the adult club function to work, you must download the wicked whims mod [Download at your own risk]. ● This build does not have to be a club, it can be set as a restaurant, a lounge, or a bar. ● I am not 100% familiar with wicked whims so I will not be answering questions regarding the mod. However, I played around with it and did some playtesting as a club owner and everything is functioning correctly on my end. I advice that you look up tutorials if you're not sure to how this lot type works.

● Please make sure to turn bb.moveobjects on! ● Please DO NOT reupload or claim as your own. ● Feel free to tag me if you are using it, I love seeing my build in other peoples save file ● Feel free to edit/tweak my builds, but please make sure to credit me as the original creator! ● Thank you to all CC Creators ● Please let me know if there's any problem with the build

➽ SPEED BUILD VIDEO

00:00 Beginning 00:02 Intro 1:25 Speed Build 15:52 Photos Sim's Featured in the video are by the talented @rhdweauni0 <3

➽ LOT DETAILS

Lot Name: The Crown Lot type: Gentlemen's Club/Str*p Club [Can be set as a lounge, restaurant or bar] Lot size: 30x30 Location: Windenburg or San MyShuno

➽ MODS

● Tool Mod by Twisted Mexi ● Wicked Whims by Turbodriver [optional: This is only required if you want to set this lot as a club] ● Functional Pool Table by Utopya

➽ CC LIST:

Note: I reuse a lot of the same cc in all my builds, specifically cc's from felixandre, HeyHarrie, Tuds, and Pierisim so if you're interested in downloading past, present, future build from me i suggest getting all their cc sets to make downloading a little easier! other creators include Sooky, Charlypancakes, Sixam, Thecluttercat, Myshunosun, awingedllama, Peacemaker. This will also ensure that the lots are complete and are not missing any items upon downloading ! CharlyPancakes ● Miscellanea [books] ● Soak [ Floor pattern, wall lamp] Amelie ● Vintage Art print #3 Severinka ●Aura Bedroom - Ceiling lamp V01, V03 ● Ceiling lamp Alpha ●Industrial Light II Ceiling B, Ceiling D Sooky ● Dark Academia Victorian Oil Paintings 01 ● Horizontal Oil Painting - landscape ● Horizontal Oil Painting - Still Life ● Vertical Oil Painting - Landscape ● Vertical Oil Painting - Portrait ● Vertical Oil Painting - Still Life The Clutter Cat ● Dandy Diary pt 1, 2 ● Hello Horses FelixAndre ● Chateau [all ] ● Berlin pt 1 ● Colonial pt 2, 3 ● Florence pt 2 ● Gatsby ● Georgian ● Grove [ all ] ● London Interior ● Paris pt 2, 3 ● Soho pt 3 House of Harlix ● Harluxe ● Livin Rum ● Orjanic Harrie ● Brownstone [all] ● Baysic ● Brutalist ● Coastal pt 2, 3, 8 ● Klean pt 3 ● Kwatei ● Octave pt 2 ● Shop the look pt 1, 2 ● Spoons pt 3 ● Jardane Kiwisim4 ● Block house dining [dining chairs] Lilac Creative ● The classic Collection Little Dica ● The even Grander Piano Myshunosun ● Garden Stories [patio lights] ● Lottie [candle] ● Simmify pt 2 [book clutter] Pierisim ● Coldbrew pt 3 ● Combles [chair] ● David Apartment pt 1, 2 ● Domain du close pt 2, 3 ● MCM pt 1, 3 ● Oak House pt 4 ● Tilable ● Winter Garden pt 1, 2 ● Wood Land Ranch pt 3 Plush Pixels ● Parisian Apartment [coffee table only] Simcredible ● Bossa Nova Ceiling lamp Simplistic ● Rusticlife area rug Sixam ● Boho Bathroom [floor tiles] Taurus Design ● Lilith Chilling Areas MycupofCC ● The Modernist [wall lamp] Tuds ● Ind Syboulette ● Ratatouille [Sign ] Utopya ● Pool Table [mod]

● Tray File: Patreon Page ● Origin ID: Applez ● Twitter: Rheya28__ ● Tiktok: Rheya28__ ● Patreon: Rheya28 ● Youtube: Rheya28__

#ts4 #sims 4 #thesims4 #sims #thesims #showusyourbuilds #sims 4 cc #sims 4 screenshots #sims 4 builds #builds #sims 4 build #sims 4 interior #the sims 4 cc build #the sims 4 restaurant #simblr #sims 4 gentlemens club

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urgetocreate · 5 months

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Lucy Grossmith (British b.1972), Winter Garden, Acrylic on paper

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star-my · 12 days

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BTS Fic Recs ☆ Tumblr (ii)

These are all available on tumblr as of April 2024. Some are likely crossposted on ao3 as well.

~Ao3 RECS HERE~ ~Recs (i)~ ~Recs (iii)~

Almost all are complete works, those with “+” after WC are incomplete. Most are BTS x (F!)Reader.

Most of these are Mature or Explicit (usually because of smut) ~ mdni ~ italicized titles rated G or T ~ Please read responsibly

If any authors tagged here wish to be removed/untagged, please lmk!

F2L = friends to lovers ; E2L = enemies to lovers ; FE2L = frenemies to lovers ; R2L = rivals to lovers ; BFB = best friend's brother ; BBF = brother's best friend etc

OT7/Multi

☆ Crescent Bound series by @parkhabits | Werewolf AU | 32k+

☆ Tainted Souls series by @mininky | ?2l Vampire au, Canon Idol-verse | ?k

Kim Namjoon

☆ He Loves Me series by @bratzkoo | Sugar Daddy AU | 11k +epilogue to come

Kim Seokjin

☆ How to Fake A Boyfriend series by @bts-reveries | F2L Fake Dating AU, Youtuber AU, SMAU | ?k

☆ the taming of the bridezilla by @cinnaminsvga | F2L Fake Dating AU | 7k

☆ Arrogant by @dreamyjoons | FWB2L Uni AU | 7k

Min Yoongi

☆ bloom by @aquagustd | BBF AU | 15k

☆ want a taste by @suga-kookiemonster | S2F2L Mall AU, Rapper AU | 18k

☆ Private Lesson by @dntaewithluv | FWB2L Pianist AU | 6k

☆ what's poppin' by @joonberriess | Sugar Daddy AU, Canon Idol-verse | 2k

☆ angel by @joonberriess | Established Relationship, Canon Idol-verse | 7k

☆ honey bunny by @lonelyhobi | Established Relationship AU | 6k

☆ boseong breakfast by @honeymoonjin | S2F2L B&B AU | 24k

☆ subscribed by @aquagustd | S2L Uni AU, Camboy AU | 15k

☆ eargasm + eargasm, pt 2 by @lavishedinjimin | S2L Phone Sex AU, kind of Uni AU | 24k

☆ first love series by @clouditae | F2L Uni AU, Tattoo Artist AU | ?k

☆ skin deep series by @aquaminwrites | S2F2L Tattoo Artist AU | 47k

☆ ink petals by @yminie | S2F2L Florist AU, Tattoo Artist AU | 11k

☆ love is for the birds, baby by @mininky | (F)E2L Tattoo Artist AU, Author AU | 13k

☆ Arranged series by @minyoongijjangjjangmanboongboong | ?2L Arranged Marriage AU, Chaebol AU | 111k

☆ punch drunk by @joonbird | R2L Boxer AU, Rival's Sister AU | 33k

☆ Sweet like Candy series by @lysjeon | E2L SMAU | ?k

☆ loser baby series by @dejayoonw | R2L SMAU, Witch AU, Uni AU, kind of Hogwarts AU | ?k

☆ heaven's winter by @jksangelic | Supernatural AU, Angel AU, Historical AU | 19k

☆ under the sun by @mirahuyooo | Greek Mythology AU, Greek Gods AU, Historical AU | 25k

Jung Hoseok

☆ baseline by @jiminrings | R2L Teacher AU | 3k

☆ Hot & Bothered by @sahmfanficbts | Gardener AU | 3k

☆ the art of war by @wwilloww | F2E2L Historical AU, Arranged Marriage AU, Royal AU | 5k

Park Jimin

☆ kiss the girl by @sketchguk | F2L Disneyland AU, Coworkers AU | 5k

☆ the happiest place on earth by @dovechim | F2L Disneyland AU, Coworkers AU | 24k

☆ florezco by @honeymoonjin | S2F2L Roommate AU | 24k

☆ Midnight Munchies by @yoongihime | Deliveryboy AU, Uni AU | 2k

Kim Taehyung

☆ good girls go bad series by @jkstompers | S2F2L Uni AU | 46k

☆ paper cranes by @aquaminwrites | F2L AU | 18k

☆ rubies and roses by @min-youngis | S2?2L Fake Dating AU, Chaebol AU | 40k

Jeon Jungkook

☆ Part-Time Lover by @sketchguk | Fake Marriage AU, Agent AU, Journalist AU, Spy x Family AU | 31k

☆ the art of series by @venusianguk | S2F2FWB2L Grocery Store AU, Single Parent AU | 95k+

☆ Heartbreak Trials by @dreamyjoons | R2L Roommate AU | 14k

☆ Stress Relief by @strawbkoo | F2L Roommate AU, Uni AU | 5k

☆ ego series by @suga-kookiemonster | F2L Uni AU, Fboy AU | 97k

☆ Confident series by @h0neypjm | FWB2L Uni AU, Fboy AU | 23k

☆ what money can buy by @jeonstudios | Sugar Baby AU | 18k

☆ rich people shit by @nochueso | S2L Uni AU, Chaebol AU, Sugar Daddy AU but you're the same age? idk | 11k

☆ Diamond in the Rough series by @kimvtae | S2F2L Chaebol AU | 25k

☆ glitter & disquiet series by @joheunsaram | Youtuber AU, Chaebol AU, CEO AU | 36k + drabble

☆ oxytocin by @chemicalpink | FE2L Chaebol AU, Arranged Marriage AU | 6k

☆ the lottery offering by @skswriting | S2L Werewolf AU, kind of Arranged Marriage AU | 22k

☆ to tame a god series by @jeonstudios | S2L Werewolf AU, Supernatural AU | 50k

☆ This Mortal Coil by @jinfizz | BFF2L Werewolf AU | 40k

☆ Temptation series by @aiimaginesbts | Werewolf AU | 25k

☆ Law of Nature by @ausblack | F2L Hybrid AU | ?k

☆ deal by @jeonstudios | S2L Demon AU | 20k

☆ calling you cool by @kithtaehyung | S2L Rock Band AU | 12k

☆ his by @thvhoe | R2L BBF AU, Band AU | 6k

☆ most undesirable by @kinktae | S2L Regency/Bridgerton AU | 5k

☆ bad delivery by @jeonstudios | Deliveryboy AU | 5k

☆ Accelerate series by @dreamscript | S2L Racer AU | 8k

Overall Favourite Authors (If I recc'd all their works like I want to/more than I have, I'd have to make this series even longer >.<)

☆ @eoieopda's masterlist

☆ @gimmethatagustd's masterlist

☆ @helenazbmrskai's masterlist

☆ @jeonstudios's masterlist

☆ @jjungkookislife's masterlist

☆ @jkstompers's masterlist

☆ @lovesickjoon's masterlist

☆ @sketchguk's masterlist

happy reading!

#group: bts #type: fic #member: ot7 #bts fic recs

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dailyadventureprompts · 2 months

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Villain: Jysh'parun, Outergod of Unwelcoming Earth

As distant and ancient as a mountain, as scornful as an axebitten tree

Many philosophies debate and negotiate the relation of mortals to their environment. Some see nature as a thing to be tamed in the name of survival, domesticated, exploited. Others proffer a more symbiotic path, a holistic system to be protected and stewarded.

Beyond these there are the ravings of those claimed by Jysh'parun, who claim that mortals have no right to exist at all, and survive merely by the beneficence of the trees and stones. While all but the most foolish agree that heed must be paid to nature, none but those under the unwelcoming earths dominion would think that there is some geological-feudal hierarchy to which we must all submit.

This then is the paradox of the Unbowing Mountain: a god that claims the worship of things that do not traditionally think, but views nature through a distinctly mortal lens of domination and hierarchy. It's an absurdity bordering on being a joke, atleast until Jysh'parun's influence washes over the land and the forest marches off to war while the rivers start demanding tribute.

Adventure Hooks:

Having come into possession of a disused tract of land, a young farming couple were picking the stones from their new field in preparation for planting when they came across the petrified remains of some indescribable horror. Resembling nothing so much as a horse sized mandrake-root with teeth, they've reached out to neighbours, the sheriff, even the local wizard looking for advice about what to do... only to wake up one morning and find the thing gone. Theft or reanimation are both equally alarming possibilities, and the whole region has been on edge since.

Having been thought dead for years after being lost in a winter storm, a dwarven cartographer descends from the mountains claiming to be their mouthpiece and demanding sacrifices in their name. Her words at first go unheeded, at least until the glacial rivers begin to run with noxious acid, transforming back only when something living is thrown in. Farms and villages are drying out and grisly offerings of livestock now fail to meet her standards she claims the mountains will only be satisfied when the people of the realm throw their rulers in and swear fealty to the peaks on high.

The king's palace is in chaos after a coup took place in the royal gardens, specifically when the great tree that shaded his majesty's favourite thinking bench stabbed him in the back with one of it's branches and then skampered off to replant itself on the throne with the crown in tow. Before Anyone knew what was happening, greenery had overtaken the palace locking most outside while trapping certain vital hostages inside.

Inspirations: Something that's all too often lost in the "madness and tentacles" misinterpretation of eldritch horror is that much of the genre is spun off from the particular phobias of HP lovecraft. When we use the iconography without understanding the anxieties behind it, we risk creating a shallow B movie version of the horror we want our audience to feel.

To write good horror then, we need to draw off fears we understand, and with Jysh'parun I wanted to tap into climate anxiety in a way I don't think I've seen before. We've all resigned ourselves to the fact that climate change is happening, with the understanding that its being driven by the bullheaded egos and greed of people who are so powerful their perspective on life bears no resemblance to anything we could possibly conceive of. Translate their willingness to let us suffer for the sake of profit into a psudo historical fantasy context and you get the Unwelcoming Earth: widening sinkholes that demand tolls from passersby while an approaching tsunami proclaims the divine right of kings. It's not only absurd it's fundamentally idiotic but that it doesn't mean it won't destroy you and everyone you know.

Worshippers: Delusional druids and geomancers. Goliaths and dwarvenkind who get too into being "children of the mountain". Sentient trees, Living crystals, and other elemental entities who seek to put themselves "above" other forms of life. Corrupted primoridals.

Signs: Aberrations that resemble roots or stone spontaneously emerging from nature, acid flowing from normally clear running springs, statues of lordly alien figures carved from erosion, not tools. Proclimations in an unknowable script engraved deep under the earth or on monumental scale.

Symbols: A glyph resembling a mountain range or branches of a tree in the shape of a crown.

Titles: The Unbowing Mountain, The Insuperable, King of all Corners,

Artsource

#outergod #lovecraftian #deity #divinity: earth #divinity: disaster #disaster #field #mountain #highlands #encounter mountain #encounter highlands #Jysh'parun

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felinefractious · 2 months

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🐱 Somali

📸 Ademi Turdieva [Winter Garden]

🎨 Fawn Agouti

#photo #somali #SOM #SOL #fawn #agouti #ticked tabby #p 25 #age progression #b: winter garden

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daichiduskdrop · 10 months

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˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚⋆·˚ ༘ *𝙎𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙡 ⋆·˚ ༘ *ੈ✩‧₊˚

Chapter 03

Pairing: BTS Ot7 X fem! reader

Genre: A/B/O AU, Fluff, Angst, Strangers to lovers,

Warnings: none for this chapter

Words: 3307

Taglist: @thelilbutifulthings @ilovemoneymorethenmen @singukieee @cherrysainttt @felicityroth

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„I want to come too!” Whipping his head around, Jimin was suddenly wide awake. The chance of seeing the sleepy state the girl was most likely in sounded just too good to pass up.

Shooting up from his seat, he rushed after his eldest hyung, taking the stairs two at a time. Hearing light snickers in the background. Meanwhile, Yoongi went back to the kitchen.

While waking up the omega did sound pleasing to his ears just as much as anyone else's, he knew that the girl could potentially be very grumpy and just want to go back to bed right away. A sure way to keep her up was a nice, filling meal that would warm her right back up.

He knew how annoying it was to leave the warm sheets on in the cold winter mornings. So he turned on the stove and started heating up the vegetable broth, stirring it occasionally while he prepared her a bit of kimchi fried rice.

He wasn't sure just how sensitive her belly was, and he hoped that the spice wouldn't be too much and wouldn't upset it. Listening to the TV play a documentary about the history of Egypt, he hummed softly to himself.

„I didn't know anyone sleeping for longer than hyung existed.” Teased the youngest, making Hobi burst out in loud laughter. The others chuckled too, agreeing.

„It's normal for omegas to sleep in if they feel safe. It's like a compliment; she feels settled here. That's a really good thing.” answered Namjoon, still typing on his MacBook, smiling at the thought, happy that they finally managed to calm you down a bit.

Standing near the guest room door, the two alphas quieted down. Slowly opening it, they calmly stepped into the dark room. The heater was on, so it felt cosy and warm inside. The guest room was pretty plain but still nicely put together.

The big window has rectangular glass panes with a black metal grid in between with long, heavy fabric curtains that stopped just about five centimetres above the parquet floors. There was a wooden dresser with dark knobs in the left corner of the room, and a big, spacy bed pushed up against the wall with the window. A bedside table had a cream-coloured lamp on it and a glass of water Hobi carried there yesterday evening.

A few plants were littered across the room too, some placed on the ground and others hung up above the window. The pack alpha loved gardening, even if he didn't get around to it too much with how hectic their idol's life often got.

They had a large garden behind the house with a terrace facing it, so they sometimes had a barbecue there too, when the weather allowed it. Namjoon took good care of all the plants there. During the spring to early autumn, he made sure to water them all, and once it got colder, he covered all the plants that were too fragile for the first frost bite.

A short flower placed next to the lamp that grew only to about 11 cm tall, with solid azure petals decorated with azure dots and a light grey central disc. Five small flower blooms grew on alternate sides along the length of the stem. It carried a faint scent that smells like rainy days, cleverly placed to bring peaceful sleep.

It must have worked at least slightly, given that the girl was still long asleep and breathing calmly and slowly. Cuddled up in the heavy duvet,covered with dark grey sheets that Jungkook recently bought, Your face was facing their way, your cheeks rosy with sleep, and your long lashes casting shadows.

Cooing softly, Jin stepped closer to your curled-up body. Just next to your face was the soft, brown hoodie, held close by you. Lightly shaking your shoulder, the older alpha started waking you up, not wanting to startle you.

„Cub.., baby, wake up, come on..” mumbling the words softly, he squatted down so he didn't have to bend so much anymore. Pretty much face-to-face with you, he watched carefully how your eyes fluttered open before closing back up again. Light shone in the room suddenly, the curtains pulled wide apart by Jimin, who stood looking outside for a minute. It was still snowing heavily, and the garden in view was completely covered in the soft, pattering snowflakes that had fallen long before.

Turning to also gaze at the small omega, he smiled, his eyes almost closing up. Giggling softly at how you whined at the sunlight, you curled up into yourself more. Walking back around the bed, he took a seat at the bottom of the mattress, caressing your legs.

When you made no move to wake up fully, the eldest once again softly rubbed your shoulder, cooing at how you hid your face in the jumper instead, softly protesting. You weren't ready to get up yet; why did they keep on bothering you? After so many years of not resting properly, you decided to take back all the time you could have rested but lost due to insomnia.

Pulling the sheets off of your shoulders, you weren't quick enough to roll out of the way before strong hands took a hold of your underarms, pulling you up against wide shoulders. Whining about the lost comfort, your fingers hung up on the shirt the alpha was wearing, your bleary eyes hardly even open. Too tired to kick up a bigger fuss, you just lightly kicked at your legs, earning a soft chuckle in return.

Brushing your fluffy bed hair, the younger alpha sighed out in relief. They were slightly worried that you would start to cry at the loss of the warmth, but you seemed to be just mildly annoyed. Your chin rested up against Jin's collarbone, and you gazed at Jimin while the eldest stood back up with you in his arms. Softly holding your tired body up, he walked with you out of the room, the other alpha following closely, keeping his eyes set on you. He knew the man holding you up would never allow you to drop, so he wasn't too worried, but with how cute and sleepy you looked, he couldn't help but stare.

The calm morning carried on after you were placed on the chair at the kitchen table. Rubbing your eyes with a fist, only to have it pulled away suddenly, you looked up just to meet Yoongi's cat-like eyes.

„Don't do that, kitty; it's not good for you. Here, I've warmed up some soup for you; come on, have some. It's hot still; you need to blow lots and lots, okay? Don't burn yourself, kitten.” handing you a large wooden spoon and a steaming bowl, you nodded slightly before slurping up a bit. Being careful with the heat, you made sure to blow before taking another spoonful.

With the warm broth in your belly and Yoongi watching closely over you, you were soon handed another glass of juice, this time made with oranges. Taking your bowl away for you, your feet brushed up against the floors, only now realising you didn't have any socks on. The rest of your clothes were the same as yesterday; you were glad they didn't change you, letting you be. It would definitely be more uncomfortable.

While you felt a bit awkward, suddenly realising your situation, it felt easy to let up and go with how the pack reacted to you, fully slipping into the dominant second gender they were assigned. Your soft nature just easily fitted right in.

Even though the pack was formed a few years ago and the boys did have a strong bond, that didn't mean they didn't sometimes argue here and there. It was mostly small stuff that resulted in them making up quickly. Still, with how touch starved they were and with how few occasions they actually had to talk with lower-ranking second genders, it was a relief to finally have someone to take care of and be responsible for.

Namjoon was used to taking on all their worries and troubles, but this still felt a lot different, like filling up a hole in their body they didn't know really existed until it was gone.

Omegas were highly appreciated and precious in most packs, with the rarity they brought making them considered even more special. Not all packs could have an omega, and it was common that even when a possible one was found, they just didn't settle in well with the packmates and had to leave.

Placing a small plate before you, the kimchi fried rice smelled delicious. A fried egg placed on top that was already cut up in bite-sized pieces for you, you dug right in. You weren't too hungry anymore, but you still wanted to eat it because of how delicious it seemed.

„Be careful, pup, it could be a bit too spicy for you. Slow down, don't choke." Said Taehyung, who just passed by to fill himself a cup of water. Your eyes didn't stay on him for too long. You were occupied with the food before you, and you intended to keep your focus fully.

The enoki mushrooms made a soft, crunchy sound, and while the food was made with only a small amount of spices, it really did feel just a little too hot for you. Biting into the egg that was salted just enough, you nodded with satisfaction. You only had a few bites before you pushed the plate away from yourself; not only were you full, but it really did burn your tongue quite a bit.

„Are you full already?” Looking at the alpha's face while he crouched down next to you, rubbing your knee in light circles. Meekly nodding, you felt a bit bad leaving so much of leftovers.

„That's okay. You can say anything anytime if anything isn't okay, yea? Do you understand my kitty?" Softly voicing his concerns, you looked into his eyes shortly before you mumbled a yes.

Being met with a gummy smile wasn't really what you were expecting for not finishing a meal, but it felt nice. You never met a pack that was so compliant with your needs and wants and patient like they were.

Pulling the chair out next to you, he slid the plate to himself, starting to eat your leftovers. He didn't bother to change the cutlery either; already used to sharing pretty much everything with his packmates.

You sat next to him still, your eyes occasionally closing in tiredness. The kitchen was to your left; your back turned to the living room, where some of the alphas were. Sometimes when they walked by, they left an occasional rub and pat on your head, greeting you sweetly and asking about your sleep.

Yoongi picked up a piece of egg, the part he considered the tastiest—the fried-up corners dipped in the still runny egg yolk—and with a hand underneath, careful not to burn you, he blew on it softly before encouraging you to eat it yourself. Quickly convinced, you chewed calmly.

„There you go, baby, it's tasty right? You want some more?” Cooing at how your eyes watched him closely, he took another bite-sized piece and held it up for you. „Of course you can, here kitty, slowly."

Watching your reaction, the alpha in him felt good about providing for you. It was something greatly satisfying for him—for all of them, to see you trust them enough to let them feed you, hold you, and keep you around. They valued the trust you allowed them greatly, keeping you close and safe at all times.

Once he finished your leftovers and fed you the last bite, he stood up to clean up, taking your now empty juice glass to put in the dishwasher for you. Getting up, you pattered towards the others, hesitating a little, not sure where to sit or even if you should sit with them. You had no idea what was going to happen in the future.

It was the pack alpha who noticed you the earliest, turning in his seat and smiling widely with his dimples showing. He had a pair of glasses on that were yellow-tinted with black top framing and bare wires at the bottom. His longer black hair styled into a shorter mullet-like hairstyle, with a few hair strands touching his forehead, made him look put together. The pyjamas he kept on earlier in the day were also exchanged for an earth-green crew neck and baggy jeans.

„Come here, pup, sit here. Come on, the movie is starting soon; hurry!” lightly ushering you along, your feet moved before you knew it, and soon you were resting on the couch between him and Jin.

The eldest ran his fingers through your hair, taming it down further. Sitting with your knees pulled up to your chest, you watched the screen before you. Some of the alphas weren't there at the moment, but they did walk by from time to time. When Jimin took a seat next to the eldest man, he gave you the brown jumper again; you must have left it back upstairs in your room, and he came to carry it downstairs for you.

Understanding that you still weren't truly out of your anxious and worried headspace, they were still trying to keep you as calm as possible. Having you cry like you did yesterday felt like torture to them, making them want to prevent it from ever happening again.

„Here sweetheart. Keep it close now.” He muttered while you held it to your nose, breathing in. It still smelled really clean, with only the slightest hint of vanilla and citrus. It felt calming.

The movie captivated your attention eventually, only slightly boring in the beginning. Whenever you started to fidget and move around more, they were quick to soothe you. Joon always easily pointed out something interesting in the movie, like the cleverly done product placement, a book he knew the author of, or the paintings hung up in the background of the shot.

„It's Cézanne; he painted that one.” You pointed your finger at the screen where a main character was currently talking about the prodigy he held. There, behind him in a simple brown frame, was a painting of tulips on a vase, their bright red blossoms contrasting with the forest green of the glass jar. While the movie had an interesting story, you were more focused on the small details regarding his so-called prodigy.

„Really? Wah,” said Jin from next to you. The four alphas sitting with you focused on the screen just until the painting was cut off from the screen.

„What a smart cub you are, baby. It is his; you are right.” I approved the pack alpha, smiling proudly at you. You felt your cheeks heating up slightly, so you were quick to look away. Mumbling about how it's not that big of a deal, you squeezed your palms around the fabric you held.

In the corner of your eye, Taehyung typed the artist's name into Google, quickly finding the tulip painting he made.

„Oh, he was good; look, Hyung." Showing the screen to the alpha next to him, Jimin leaned in as the other man scrolled through the photos of his other art.

„He was a French, a postimpressionist artist, so the photos don't really show what he made well. The brush strokes are what you are meant to focus on, and with how flat it looks on the screen, it doesn't really work. He was a big inspiration for the cubism movement later on too,” you said, while looking over Jin at Tae's phone.

„You know a lot; do you like art?” asks Jin while softly petting your hair. You smiled, almost laughing at the question; it felt a bit silly to you.

„Yea, I study at an art school. I've been making art since I was really young.”

That caught their attention for sure, with how quickly their eyes turned to your face. In the morning, they collectively decided that it would be best for them not to ask why there was no pack alpha huffing at their entrance doors yet; after all, if you had a pack and didn't spend the night there, especially without discussing it before hand, it was going to make them worry for sure.

At least they knew that they would worry for sure.

But still, nobody knocked. They didn't see you pull out your phone even once, and they weren't sure if you even had it on you. You didn't smell like any other alpha or beta thought, so they were left in questions.

Whatever caused you to get so unsettled yesterday concerned them, but they didn't want to push you to tell them. If you wanted to open up to them, you would.

„Really? Which college?”

„Korea National University of Arts.” You answered the pack alpha quietly.

„Oh, I heard of that one; do you like it there, cub?” Tae shot up, looking at your face closely. Nodding hesitantly, you thought about your answer for a few seconds.

„Yea, it's okay.” You smiled softly. You were glad you could pursue the arts, and while not all your classmates were nice and some teachers gave you a hard time sometimes, you were able to learn a lot. And that was what mattered.

„What's your major?”

„I study fine arts.” You said, looking up at Jimin. Holding the jumper closer, they sensed you had enough questions for now and focused back on the movie. Even when it finished, the five of you stayed huddled close together on the couch, only getting up a few times and coming back again soon.

With a nagging question on your mind, it was complicated for you to focus on the cooking competition, and so you carefully leaned closer to Namjoon, lightly touching his forearm. Looking over at you quickly, he didn't take long to notice something was on your mind that made you anxious, and so without little to no hesitance, he pulled you to his side.

Leaning over slightly so he was face-to-face with you, the soft smell of flowers blooming covered the air around you. Calming you just the slightest bit, his hands held your shoulder and side, rubbing faint circles with his palm.

„What is it, pup? You can tell Alpha; don't worry, okay? What's wrong, little baby?” With the sweet words, you almost burst into tears once again, surprised at how sensitive you still were after yesterday. You felt startled.

Looking down, and when you didn't answer for a few seconds, the pack alpha pulled you to his chest once again. With your hip resting against his thigh, he held your other one, softly patting it in a rhythmic pattern. His other hand pulled your face close to his chest, where it was easy to listen to his heartbeat.

„Hm? Poor cub, you keep on getting stressed out over and over again; there isn't much time to rest up, is there? It's okay, I got you now." Cradling you up against his chest, he allowed you to sniffle for a few minutes and didn't push you to talk. With your legs getting carresed and placed over the eldest's lap, you eventually asked the thing that had worried you since yesterday dinner.

„When do I have to leave?” You mumbled, a whimper leaving your throat. It was quiet for a beat or two, the pack alpha just holding you close.

„That's up to you, cub. You are free to leave whenever you feel like it. You can stay too if that's what you want; we wouldn't mind.” answered Namjoon calmly, but you weren't fooled. His heartbeat fastened up for a bit there, and you noticed.

„I would like to stay please..”

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trashcanlore · 4 months

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Kabbalah in the Worldbuilding of Genshin Impact; Part 2: Descending to the Garden

Written by Sabre (@paimoff on twitter) and Schwan (@abyssalschwan on twitter)

This theory assumes you’ve completed the Fontaine Archon Quests, as well the Narzissenkreuz questlines. If you haven’t, you will be a) very confused and b) very spoiled.

A Tale of Four Descenders

Four entered the pardes (orchard/garden)...one looked and died, one looked and went mad, one looked and cut down the saplings (apostatized), and one came in peace and left in peace [1].

This Jewish legend appears in multiple locations throughout the Talmud and its commentaries, and is associated with two pre-Kabbalah schools of Jewish mysticism known as Merkabah (chariot) and Hekhalot (palaces) mysticism. Both depicted visions of the throne of God (chariot) and the heavenly palaces, and provided instructions for how one might ascend to heaven to receive some kind of revelation or knowledge. The orchard/garden represents esoteric Torah (Jewish law) knowledge; this is why the euphemism for apostatizing is to “cut down the saplings.” (I know he says “blasphemy” (which is different), but this is reminiscent of what Dottore says at the end of Winter Night's Lazzo.)

The pardes legend first appears as a warning to scholars about the consequences of teaching about the “chariot” to disciples who are not ready. Though it's not mentioned in this specific text, this process of meditating to ascend to the palaces of God is referred to as “descending” in the writings of the Merkabah mystics [2]. In other words, this legend tells the story of four descenders.

In the conclusion of the Sumeru Archon Quests, Nahida tells the Traveler about the existence of the “Descenders." Based on the information she got from Dottore in exchange for her Gnosis, she shares that:

Descenders are “external beings, ones that don’t belong to this world”

There are at least four of them, and the Traveler is the fourth

According to the Fatui, the Traveler's twin is not a Descender

The Traveler is not recorded in Irminsul, but their twin is

Nahida speculates that the First Descender is the Heavenly Principles, but the identity of the second and third are unknown to her. At that point though, we still didn’t know what it was that Descenders do, or what the exact criteria for being one is, only that it couldn’t be as simple as just being from outside Teyvat.

The Fontaine World Quest series about the Narzissenkreuz Ordo fills in some pieces of the puzzle; specifically an additional criterion to be a Descender: they must be someone with a will “that can rival an entire world.”

In retrospect, Inversion of Genesis also hinted at the role of a Descender; The Traveler witnesses the results of someone attempting to change fate and/or the world and failing.

Nahida: Changing the world, changing the past, changing the fates of other people... These are not simple things to accomplish. Nahida: What you were looking for is complete annihilation... But this is just a fantasy. Even if The Balladeer is removed from existence, the world will not heed your will. (Inversion of Genesis)

For most people, actually “changing the world” is impossible. But for a Descender, it might be different.

Will

...Though the results are nothing impressive, this is because the object they chose was pure elemental force, which lacks any will whatsoever. Like the difference between the Director (Lyris) and a Hydro Slime, perhaps? ...Actually thought of a possible breakthrough during the process... Even though the calculated result is unchanged, but if the refinement method is reflected... If the power of... then maybe we can extract the "will" within. Using this method... resist the impact… (Excerpts from Rene's Investigation Notes)

...The true source of the mysterious power unique to this place that the locals call Khvarena is unknown. But based on its ability to eliminate or reverse the influence of the Abyss (in fact, it is a type of annihilation reaction), the two powers are of the same level, that is to say, they are of the same order in terms of rules... ...In other words, both possess the power to "re-write the rules"... ...Regrettably, be it Abyss or Khvarena, all current users are stuck in an "unconscious" stage of being influenced and overwritten by their power… (Bizarre Transcript)

The Gavireh Lajavard region of the Sumeru desert introduced us to the writings of Rene, a precocious researcher with world-saving ambitions and not nearly enough adult supervision, as well as his only slightly Abyss-corrupted bestie Jakob. Like the Khaenri'ahns before him, Rene was searching for a power that had a “will,” believing it necessary to save Fontaine from an unspecified disaster that we would later learn is The ProphecyTM. During their time in the desert (which was right after the cataclysm), Rene determined that both Abyssal and Khvarena power have a will, but pure elemental energy did not.

Some time after their trip to Sumeru, Rene and Jakob would found the Narzissenkreuz Ordo, with the goal of finding a way to save Fontainians from being dissolved in the primordial sea-laced floodwaters. They would do this by dissolving all humans in Fontaine with primordial seawater in a controlled manner, melding everyone together into one Oceanid-like being to survive the apocalypse (think Human Instrumentality Project from Evangelion). Rene had predicted the coming apocalypse with something he called his “world-formula,” and in addition to predicting the doom of Fontaine, it also informed him that “unlike the world depicted in these ancient texts, there will be no more new civilizations born.” The only way this could be changed would be by introducing a new “‘variable’ from outside the system” into the formula (Enigmatic Page 1). Rene’s goal was to become this variable, i.e., a Descender.

Four Worlds

The Tower of Ipsissimus comes from an old concept from the ancient Fontainian kingdom of Remuria, and was used to describe a powerful will that could rule, sustain, and destroy the world. This tower was designed by the Narzissenkreuz Ordo, and it represents the evolution of the human soul and the infinite mysteries of the world. The Narzissenkreuz Ordo believes that people continuously refine themselves through samsara cycles. These include Hyperborea, Natlantean, Remuria, and the first half of the fourth samsara (Khraun-Arya), which we are presently experiencing. Please take note that these are just names given to these eras by the Ordo based on ancient texts, and this evolution refers to spiritual evolution. There is no intent here to antagonize any research results obtained by the Akademiya. The human spirit undergoes the loss of paradise, the defeat of evil dragons, the original sin and baptism, and finally, freedom from the gods.

The term samsara is typically used to refer to the cyclic nature of reality, and can be used to describe concepts like reincarnation. It is not, however, referring to time loops. There is A Lot to unpack about this note, but for the purposes of this theory we will be focusing on the concept of these “four samsaras” and their relationship with the concept of a Descender, specifically that there seems to be the same number of samsaras as Descenders.

You may be wondering - this is Kabbalah world structure theory and we’ve yet to discuss Kabbalah. Well, it’s time now! But before we can get into specifics, we first need to review some terms discussed in Part 1 and then go through some basics of Lurianic Kabbalah. Ah, the irony of calling anything about Lurianic Kabbalah “basics.” Caveat that what follows will be a simplification of concepts that are very difficult to grasp (I definitely don’t know what’s going on).

Creation of the World, Kabbalah Edition Previously, we compared the “limitless light” emanated by God to create the world to the power of elemental energy, and compared the sefirot of the Tree of Life to the seven elements. The sefirot are components of this divine light (like light passing through a prism and refracting) and represent attributes of God that are used to create the world. The sefirot are traditionally depicted together in the form of a tree, which maps out their relationships with each other. For more details on the similarities between Kabbalah and Genshin worldbuilding, consult Part 1 (link) if you haven't read it yet.

Kabbalah focuses on describing the relationship between the infinite God and the finite universe and how it was created, with variations between different schools of thought. In this theory, we’ll be primarily focusing on the ideas of the Kabbalist Isaac Luria. The central idea of Luria’s philosophy was a concept he called Seder Hishtalshelut, or “Order of Evolution,” which refers to the cycles of “exile” and “redemption” (creation and destruction) the world is eternally experiencing. In the Lurianic system, time isn’t linear; the world was created in the past, but it’s also being created now.

The beginning of this Order of Evolution is referred to as the Tzimtzum, or Contraction. This refers to the contracting of the infinite God to make a space where reality could be created. Once this is created, a ray of divine light enters the void and begins to emanate reality. This is similar to the concept of the Pleroma in Gnosticism. The further the divine light gets from the source, the more it starts to break down into separate parts. More specifically, it breaks down into the Four Worlds, which represent stages of the evolution of reality, but also stages of the spiritual evolution of the human consciousness.

The Four Worlds are: 0. Adam Kadmon - Primordial (Original) Man 1. Atziluth - Emanation 2. Beriah - Creation 3. Yetzirah - Formation 4. Assiah - Action Material reality is distinct from these four worlds; the ‘real’ world emanates out of the fourth world, Assiah. Each of these four worlds have their own sefirot structure, which in themselves contain additional sefirot, on and on, like a fractal. Luria called these recursive structures “tree systems” [3]. In Genshin terms, this is like how we have Irminsul, the world tree, but also the other smaller Irminsul trees in domains.

(Fun Fact: this schematic is sometimes called Jacob's ladder) The system of the Four Worlds and their nuances are very interesting in themselves, but for the purpose of this theory, we’ll be focusing on the 0th world, Adam Kadmon, and the symbolism associated with this concept in both Kabbalah and general Jewish philosophy.

Primordial (Hu)Man

The concept of an ‘original man’ is discussed in Philo’s commentary of Genesis, where he describes this being as androgynous, connected to the concept of Logos, and the Idea/Form of humanity in contrast to the ‘earthly man.’ Philo’s definition of the Logos was something closer to the concept of a demiurge-a being responsible for creation of the world. Logos literally means ‘word’ or ‘reason’, and otherwise typically refers to divine reason, or the word of God. It’s important to note that here the use of the word ‘man’ refers to a human being, not specifically a male person. Though often described as a man, the Primordial Man of Kabbalah is considered androgynous (like the Primordial One of Genshin).

The Zohar (a foundational work of Kabbalah) describes the Primordial Man as the “image of everything that is above [in heaven] and below [upon earth]; therefore did the Holy Ancient [God] select it for His own form.” The Primordial Man is the personification of the 10 sefirot together and represents a microcosm of the universe (macrocosm) [4].

Narzissenkreuz: I... I sense "reason." Visitors, are you the successors to Narzissenkreuz, or are you a threat? Narzissenkreuz: Is "Reason" that which grants you such strength? Narzissenkreuz: No, I have noticed. Have you always been in that realm that I pursue? O, you who are equal to a world! (Waking From the Great Dream) Man, as he was before his fall [first sin], is conceived as a cosmic being which contains the whole world in itself (Trends in Jewish Mysticism, pg. 215)

Lurianic Kabbalah considers the Primordial Man to be the highest level manifestation of God that can be conceptualized by humans. The world of Adam Kadmon precedes the emanation of the lower Four Worlds, but each of these worlds have their own corresponding anthropomorphic figure as well [5]. In contrast to the worlds that follow Adam Kadmon, the sefirot of Adam Kadmon are not in a Tree of Life configuration, but rather in the configuration known as “upright,’ arranged in the shape of the human body.

The concept of a Primordial Man exists in other religions and mythologies as well. There’s the Gnostic Anthropos, Adam Kasia of Mandaeism, the ‘Universal Man’ (al-Insān al-Kāmil) of Sufism who functions as an Axis Mundi, the world-soul of Platonism, Gayomart of Zoroastrianism, and more. The symbolism of the human body as mediator between the divine and the material world is not unique to Kabbalah. Kabbalah’s version of the World Tree and Primordial Man both function similarly to the Axis Mundi; they are the same emanations of the divine, just arranged in different configurations.

Will and the Primordial Man In Kabbalah, Adam Kadmon represents the will of God, specifically the will to create. The blueprint for the creation of the world is contained within this being/world, all superimposed together into a “primordial thought.” Within Adam Kadmon, there is no distinction between the individual sefirot, or rather, between anything at all. Everything is contained with this world/thought, but there is no time, no space, and no limitations. WIthout limitations, individual beings and concepts cannot be created. Therefore, the unity of Adam Kadmon had to be broken; specifically into the 10 sefirot, which could then assemble themselves into new configurations and continue the process of creation [6].

Narzissenkreuz: The witness of all, the recorder of all, the designer of all. Narzissenkreuz: Only one who is worth a world can bear that title. (Waking From the Great Dream) If the righteous wish to do so, they can create a world. (Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 65b)

Back in Part 1, we compared pure elemental energy to Kabbalah’s divine light of creation and the ten sefirot to the seven elements. If we apply this analogy to Adam Kadmon, doesn’t a being that could (theoretically) resonate with all elements and would eventually meet their end by being broken up into many pieces sound familiar?

At the end of Act V of the Fontaine Archon Quest, Skirk tells Neuvillette that the Gnoses are actually the “remains of the Third Descender.” Neuvillette, the Traveler, and Paimon speculate that this is possible because as a Descender, they would have also had the same unique compatibility with the elements as the Traveler. Neuvillette’s character stories refer to the remains of the Third Descender as the “seven remembrances,” which were used to create a new “order” for the world, with “all fragments of the primordial…driven to devour each other.”

Rene’s notes in the Tower of Ipsissimus directly tell us that there is a connection between the concept of the Primordial Man and Descenders:

"Lies beneath the great sea" is, itself, an interesting phrase. It comes from ancient Sumeru texts, and should be read as "Narayana*," which also means "primordial human." This, too, is my goal, for not all that comes from beyond may be as one that "descends." That title belongs only to wills that can rival an entire world. That is what I seek, the way to become just such a will, one that can protect the world, sustain the world, destroy the world, and create the world.

[*Narayana (Sanskrit: नारायण, romanized: Nārāyaṇa) is one of the forms and names of Vishnu, depicted as sleeping under the celestial waters, and is associated with creation. This reference aligns with Rene’s goal of using the power of the Primordial Sea to make himself a Descender. ]

In summary, we have four Descenders, we have four samsaras, and we have four symbolic worlds that are only able to exist due to the destruction of a 0th world known as the Primordial Man, who represents the totality of the divine Will to create the world and the Idea of humanity.

Keep all this information in mind, because before we can discuss the connections between samsaras, Descenders, and the Primordial Man, we must take a detour into alchemy and psychology.

Primordial God Impact

Genshin Impact has always been about the primordial - it’s literally in the name: 原神, or yuan shen, which means ‘original god.’ Many other in-game items share this descriptor, including primogems (原石), Primordial Seawater (原始胎海之水), and the Primordial One (原初的那一位). The same characters are also used in the note from the Tower of Ipsissimus when referring to the ‘primordial human’: 原初之人, which as it turns out, is exactly the same word used for the Primordial Human Project.

The Primordial Human Project has been mentioned exactly once, in a cutscene from the Shadows Amidst Snowstorms event in version 2.3. There, Albedo refered to his doppelganger who had been wreaking havoc on Dragonspine as the “failure of the Primordial Human Project.” Albedo implied that he is the “survivor” of an experiment associated with the Primordial Human Project and considers it to be related to his origins as a creation of Rhinedottir, aka the alchemist Gold.

We know very little about Rhinedottir and her motivations. She’s a practitioner of the Art of Khemia, a member of the Hexenzirkel, is labeled a sinner and blamed for the appearance of monsters during the Cataclysm, made a dragon named Durin and sent him to Teyvat during said Cataclysm, where he caused destruction everywhere he went while thinking he was playing, and might have also made Elynas, who had a similar fate. According to Skirk, she, like Skirk’s master, is “pursuing some form of perfection.”

The Great Work

Rhinedottir’s alchemical research was focused on the creation of new life and she was familiar with an alchemical text called the Opus Magnum, which she left behind for Albedo to study. The Opus Magnum is a reference to the real life Magnum Opus, or Great Work, which refers to the alchemical process of creating the philosopher’s stone from the prima materia (original matter). The process typically goes as follows: nigredo (blackness), albedo (whiteness), citrinitas (yellowing) and rubedo (redness). Later Western alchemy would merge the citrinitas and rubedo steps into just rubedo, or include additional steps, such as the peacock’s tail stage between nigredo and albedo. Notably, the order of the last two steps in this process is reversed in the version of the process Albedo learned from Rhinedottir: rubedo is third, with citrinitas last.

This reordering isn’t universal in Teyvat: Rene’s notes disparage this choice, saying that Khaenri’ah is distracted from the true goal of the process:

..."Red" is the foundational principle, the philosopher's stone*, while "yellow" represents gold and mortal temptation. Yellow is simply bait. Red is the final goal. However, Khaenri'ah would likely seek the truth for gold's sake before turning that truth into a bread production pipeline…

[*This is the first and so far, only, time the phrase “philosopher’s stone” has been directly mentioned in-game.]

Rene has a somewhat ironic take on the Khaenri’ahn alchemical philosophy, given that Albedo’s character stories specifically say “Khaenri'ah was an underground realm, with precious few natural fauna. As such, its alchemy focused more heavily on the creation of life.” Rene often has strong opinions - but why would he care about the order of the Magnum Opus?

The Chymical Wedding of Rene de Petrichor

A recurring motif of the Great Work is the ‘chemical wedding.’ This refers to a union of opposites; male and female, sun and moon, fire and water, sulfur (Red King) and mercury (White Queen), etc, and is often depicted as taking place in a fountain. Here, in this drawing from a copy of the Ripley Scroll, sulfur and mercury wed and form the androgynous (like the primordial man) ‘philosophical child,’ which is philosophical mercury.

Philosophical mercury is the underlying principle or “divine flow” that makes alchemy and transmutation possible. Therefore, the goal of the Great Work was to pin down this mercury into matter through the four (or more) stages of the Great Work and make the philosopher’s stone [7,8].

"The Stone that is Mercury, is cast upon the Earth, exalted on Mountains, resides in the Air, and is nourished in the Waters." (Michael Maier's Atalanta Fugiens. 1617.) The cubes represent prima materia. ;)

The chemical wedding is also used as a motif throughout the story of the Narzissenkreuz Ordo. The Book of Revealing includes a schematic of the “Seal of Chymical Marriage,” which consists of a “Tree of Emanation'' and the “Four Orthants,” and was used to seal the Primordial Sea. The Tree of Emanation component is, of course, a version of the Kabbalistic Tree of Life - for more ramblings, feel free to check out my twitter thread here.

The Narzissenkreuz Ordo is likely intended to be a reference to the real life Rosicrucian Order, and the name of the seal a reference to an important text for this order called the “Chymical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreutz.” Other possible references to chemical weddings include Lyris being referred to as the ‘Red Empress,’ Rene using her power to dissolve himself and be reborn through the water, and Mary-Ann and Lyris fusing and eventually producing “pure water” aka Ann. Actually, when you dig into it, there are many suspicious interactions between sun and moon-coded gods in Genshin lore, as well as the doomed wedding of the Seelie and the traveler from afar. My Name For Now made a really interesting video about this, so if you would like more information and speculation, check it out here.

The Philosopher’s Stone and the Self

The philosopher’s stone is the Holy Grail of alchemy: an alchemical substance that can transmute base metals into silver or gold, make someone immortal, cure all illness, make a homunculus, and more. The stone represents perfection and spiritual refinement, either of nature through alchemy, or of the self (the alchemist) [8].

Carl Jung, the founder of analytical psychology, considered the steps of the Magnum Opus to represent the process of the individuation of the self from the collective unconscious. The similarities between his interpretation of alchemical symbolism and the ideals of the Narzissenkreuz Ordo deserve their own separate analysis, but in brief: Jung defined the collective unconscious to be the shared unconscious mind between humans, full of basic instincts and archetypes, which are primordial symbols that exist in many mythologies throughout the world. Jung compared the collective unconscious to the alchemical symbolism of water, which he describes as “wisdom and knowledge, truth and spirit, and its source was in the inner man [9].” The process of individuation separates aspects of the personality from the unconscious (the water) and then eventually integrates all components together, to form the individual self, which can now bring “order” to the unconscious (at least on a personal level)[10]. In other words, the Jungian interpretation of the Magnum Opus is that the final product, the philosopher's stone, is the Self.

If we apply this symbolism to Rene’s journey, it appears he was attempting to refine himself into a philosopher’s stone, which would explain why he was so interested in the work of the Khaenri’ahn alchemists. As he stated multiple times, his goal was to become a “primordial human,” whose will “can rival an entire world.” Rene’s philosopher’s stone is a Descender.

The Primordial Human Project

After Rene’s failed attempt to dissolve himself in Primordial Water and be reborn using Lyris’s power, Jakob turned to his own research to try to save Rene and complete his rebirth. In his log of this time period, Jakob wrote:

...I've been interpreting the data in search of a solution and sharing the results with Rene. There has still been no response, but I can already envision his response with perfect clarity: criticizing the Universitas Magistrorum for putting the cart before the horse, neglecting the fundamental principles underlying everything, and diving straight into the details of how to put those techniques to use... How they inverted even the alchemical stages for other purposes… ...It seems that there was an alchemist from Khaenri'ah named "R" who joined a secret order. From what fragmentary records exist, it appears that they made significant headway.

There are two items of note here; the first is the mention of Universitas Magistrorum, which previously had only been mentioned in a namecard description. The card description reads "O Almighty Sovereign, the Universitas Magistrorum has provided the predictions you requested: The two stars have been captured by the world's gravity…” which may be referencing Khaenri’ah’s summoning of the twins (Inversion of Genesis). From the context of Jakob’s notes, we can infer that this organization was also utilizing some form of the Magnum Opus for an unknown purpose.

The second item of note is the mention of the alchemist “R,” who is almost definitely Rhinedottir, and the “significant headway” that she and this mysterious “secret order” made. It’s very likely that Jakob is interested in Rhinedottir’s work simply because he wants to make a new body for Rene; the log also mentions Remurian golems and experiments with prosthetic limbs. However, the mention of her and the Universitas Magistrorum in the same context, with Jakob’s commentary on the reversed order of the Magnum Opus, gave me the idea that sparked this whole theory (descent into madness): Is it possible that Rhinedottir’s Primordial Human Project was intended to make a Descender?

Sometimes, very important lore gets buried in character stories. For example, the first time the term “primordial (hu)man” shows up - which is in Albedo’s fifth character story.

This art of creation was known as "The Art of Khemia." Albedo had learned of this in his youth from reading his master's notes. The next stage after "soil" is "chalk," which was also something his master had mentioned. "Chalk is the spotless soil, and was used to make primordial man." Now, Albedo understands alchemy in far greater depth than he did in the beginning, and his knowledge on the subject is far more comprehensive. "From soil was birthed chalk." The profundity of this statement is well understood by Albedo now.

Albedo is also the “chalk”; Rhinedottir gave him the title of Kreideprinz, or Chalk Prince. She seems to have a habit of naming her creations after types of soil. Durin was ‘humus,’ the Riftwolves are ‘alfisol,’ and Albedo is ‘cretaceus’. According to her, earth is “the basis of all life” and the “accumulated memories of time and lives,” so it makes sense she’d use soil as the starting material for her alchemical creations.

Albedo seems to be aware of the Traveler’s unique status, although he never names them as a Descender. During his Story Quest, Albedo studies the Traveler to get insight on how to help an alien flower bloom.

Albedo: The only other life form that, like you, has come here from afar, is the seed that I mentioned. Under the effects of Teyvat's natural laws, it isn't even able to sprout, let alone bloom. Albedo: But after I observed you, I had another idea. Albedo: Imitating you helped to inspire my alchemy, and so... Albedo: Is not nurturing otherworldly life also nurturing the world itself?

Following the experiments he performs on them, he reveals to the player that he lied about some of their test results, and even compares himself to the Traveler.

Albedo: I made a point throughout of telling them how ordinary the results were... Albedo: But what was that sediment I saw forming at the bottom of the vial? It should not have been there... What could it mean? Albedo: Those born of earth are bound by its imperfections, but those born of chalk are free of impurities... You and I are alike, both composed of a substance that has yet to be fully defined...

This leaves us with questions. Assuming Albedo is similar to the ‘primordial human’, what is his role? Is he a Descender, or is he meant to work to become one eventually, like Rene tried to do?

Let’s return for a moment to the Primordial Man and Adam Kadmon. Earlier, we discussed the symbolism of Adam Kadmon; this being represents the divine will to create, also known as the “primordial thought,” as well as the Idea of humanity. Adam Kadmon is the potential for creation unified together, with no distinctions between any concepts. Hermeticism and alchemy have a similar concept, succinctly summed up in the phrase “the all is one,” which can be found written on one of the earlier alchemical drawings of an ouroboros by Cleopatra the Alchemist [11].

In Gnosticism and alchemy, this symbol refers to unity of all material and spiritual things, as well the eternal cycle of destruction and re-creation as things change form [12].

Rhinedottir shared this philosophy, as evidenced by the description for Cinnabar Spindle, Albedo’s sword.

Separate the dust in the flames with joy, and extract the exquisite from the crude. For all in the universe comes from a single source, and all things may be derived from a single thought.

The weapon description also contains instructions for Albedo that likely tie into his expected role as a success of the Primordial Human Project.

You must pursue that which your elder brother, the one-horned white horse, could not accomplish. Reach the far side of philosophy, and create a new destiny for myself and your brothers…

Albedo’s final assignment from Rhinedottir is to learn the “truth and the meaning of this world,” a phrase echoed by the Abyss Twin in We Will Be Reunited. Knowledge is literally power in Teyvat: both Nibelung the Dragon King and later, Deshret, utilized Forbidden Knowledge, also referred to as a “power of darkness from outside of this world”, believing it to be the only effective power to defeat the Heavenly Principles. In fact, it’s even possible that the Dragon King was one of the Descenders despite presumably being native to Teyvat. The process of acquiring the Forbidden Knowledge could have evolved him to true Descender status, although this power appears to be incompatible with Teyvat, especially in the wrong hands. The power of the Forbidden Knowledge is similar to the metaphorical garden of the pardes myth, where out of four “descenders,” only one was able to safely leave, with the esoteric knowledge gained. The philosopher's stone also represents knowledge-it is the lapis philosophorum; literally the 'stone of wisdom'. Knowledge is also how one ascends in Gnosticism, i.e, achieving gnosis.

Perhaps this is the true method to create a Descender and Albedo’s future role: once he reaches the far side of philosophy (learns the truth and meaning of the world) and ‘evolves’ and ‘refines’ himself from albedo through rubedo and citrinitas to the philosopher’s stone, he can change destiny.

This sounds familiar…

Fortuna and Evolution

Rene’s calculations of the world-formula predicted that following the fulfillment of Fontaine’s prophecy, there would be no new civilizations formed from the ruins, as there presumably had been in the past following similar disasters. Rene believed the only way around this was for him to become a Descender, and save Fontaine from the disaster, beginning a new age. It’s implied in the text of the Book of Revealing (the version in the WQ) that the fulfillment of the prophecy would spell disaster for all of Teyvat, not just Fontaine, but even if that were not the intent of Celestia, we can use this example as an analogy for the world-formula of Teyvat.

Rene directly compared the world-formula to the Remurian concept of Fortuna:

Kingdoms rise and fall, and when a civilization is annihilated, a new one will be born after from the ashes, which these books refer to as "Fortuna"... It's somewhat rudimentary, but theoretically at least, it bears striking resemblance to the computational scheme I have formulated and termed "world-formula"...

Let’s spin the wheel of Fortuna and return to the beginning, where we first discussed the four samsara cycles of spiritual evolution and the Four Worlds. Although the samsara cycles don’t refer directly to actual historical events, their names are based on ancient texts. It’s not a large leap in logic to suggest that each of the four samsaras refers to eras in Teyvat’s history- what others in the lore community have been referring to as ‘root-cycles.’ For example, the defeat of evil dragons associated with the Natlantean samsara could refer to the war between the Primordial One and the vishaps described in Before Sun and Moon, or the war between the Heavenly Principles and the Dragon King (which might be the same thing!). The events associated with each samsara must be what ends the samsara, since the fourth, Khraun-Arya, is the current, and represents freedom from the gods, which has not happened yet.

Given that the Descenders can (theoretically) change the result of the world-formula/Fortuna, it can’t be a coincidence that there are the same number of Descenders as there are known samsaras. In addition, if the four samsaras of Teyvat function like the Four Worlds of Kabbalah, that means that a samsara-ending event would be something that results in the evolution of the world. Apep says that during the war between the Dragon King and the Heavenly Principles, Teyvat was in danger of collapsing, and that the victor of the war would “inherit the right to shape the world”. This sounds a lot like Rene’s definition of a Descender: one that can protect the world, sustain the world, destroy the world, and create the world. The death and disassembly of the Third Descender led to a significant change in the “order” of Teyvat when the Gnoses were created to replace the “ruined” functions of the Heavenly Principles. Put another way, Descenders are able to evolve Teyvat into its next stage of evolution.

The fate of the Third Descender and ruined functions of the Heavenly Principles suggest another, alarming component to the relationship between samsaras and Descenders. It could be that as part of the process, a Descender must replace or repair an aspect of the mechanisms that maintain Teyvat. Don’t worry about the Traveler though; the fourth descender of the pardes legend gets to leave the garden in peace.

On the other hand, the first Descender in the legend is the one who dies, and in Genshin it’s the third, so maybe the list isn’t exactly in order. Of course, this comparison to the legend is partly a joke, but it is very interesting that the metaphor for apostatizing is uprooting trees….

Khaenri’ah’s World-Formula

We know from Rene’s notes that Khaenri’ah had their own version of a world-formula, or at least, their records contained information Rene could use to reverse engineer their predictions. We don’t actually know what he found there, but based on the name he gave the fourth samsara and the whole “freedom from the gods” thing, it seems they were trying to evolve Teyvat into the next samsara and make this freedom a reality. We also know that the Khaenri’ahns were searching for a specific kind of power, a power they referred to as both a “perpetual” energy source and a “secret from beyond the skies” that could “throw off the shackles imposed by this world's laws.” This power from “beyond the skies” is thought to be some form of Abyssal power, and the Khaenri’ahns who used it seem aware of a will contained in that power, a “dogma from beyond the heavens.” In fact, it’s possible that this power is the same as the Forbidden Knowledge brought in by Nibelung, which also had an influence on Apep’s behavior when they were infected with it after eating Deshret.

It appears that Khaenri’ah was familiar with something similar to the concept of a Descender, which makes Chlothar’s words to the Traveler in Caribert all the more impactful.

Chlothar: I never imagined that you, of all people, would deny the Abyss... How ridiculous! Chlothar: We once believed that you would bring new strength and hope to Khaenri'ah. Chlothar: To us, you were the Abyss... A wondrous mystery far beyond our imagination and comprehension... Chlothar: ...And the one who controls the Abyss can control everything! Chlothar: We yearned for that future. We looked to you to take us there.

The Future

As mentioned previously, the Four Worlds of Kabbalah are all precursors to the actual material reality, which will be emanated (created) from the fourth world. Luria believed that our world was not yet completely realized and needed another spiritual push from humanity to be actualized. (The mechanics of this won’t be discussed here - so consider this a teaser for Part 3 of Kabbalah theory.) Therefore in Kabbalistic terms, this fifth samara, this fifth world, would be the final and true reality for Teyvat.

This would be why Khaenri’ah needed a Descender or even merely a power that could defy the Heavenly Principles. That was why they summoned the twins, and why projects like the Primordial Human Project existed. It’s ironic that in their desire to remake the world in the image of their dreams, where they were free from the gods and the Heavenly Principles, they chose in the end to bind themselves to a will from beyond the sky, which ended up in catastrophe.

As the letter in the Khaenri’ahn ruins of Gavireh Lajavard says: “The gods are untrustworthy and the demons, ineffable. If there is one thing that can pry open the corners of this hollow world, then it can only be human will.”

Congrats on making it to the end! As you can see, this was already reaching a ridiculous word count, so there were some things I had to leave out, or only briefly touch on. So here are some people and concepts I pretended didn't exist so this didn't get (more) convoluted, but you should read about them: Crowley and True Will, Nietzsche and the overman, Zoroastrianism as a whole, but particularly their version of the Primordial Man, William Blake's prophecies (his Auguries of Innocence is a big inspiration for the artifact lore), Schopenhauer and Will, Atman and Brahman, Plato's concept of the world-soul, SWORDS (in Genshin lore), the Holy Grail legend, and shoutout to Otto Apocalypse the real First Descender. I do want to point out that some of the (real) people on this list, like Crowley, either were terrible people who believed terrible things, or had their philosophy used for terrible things. This also applies to other inspirations for the Narzissenkreuz Ordo. Please keep that in mind when engaging with these people's work.

On a lighter note:

Sabre’s Fun Fact Science Corner aka Miscellaneous Stuff I Need to Put Somewhere

I didn't want to have to get into explaining the lore of another piece of media but yes, this theory was inspired by a binge watch of the last arc of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, transmutation circles and philosopher’s stone and all

On the topic of FMAB, the The Black Serpent Knights archive description states: “The long years and a curse seems to have robbed them of their reason and memory. Now, all that remains within that armor is the will to ‘fight for something, someone, and some matter.’” Funnily enough, the subtitle of the Knights is ‘Aldric’ - Alphonse Elric, anyone?

Caribert becomes the Loom of Fate to “weave his own destiny anew”, Albedo has the Cinnabar Spindle and instructions to create a new destiny - I’m sensing a theme here

Rene believed that getting a Vision was a bad thing in the process of actualizing your Will, and resulted in you selling your fate to the world. So he developed a ritual to remove a Vision from an allogene (this is only mentioned in passing by Caterpillar). So even though Albedo has a Vision, he’s not out of the running to become a Descender. But also Rene was wrong about stuff so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The anthropomorphic imagery in Lurianic Kabbalah can get pretty bizarre, but in a fun way if you're into Genshin lore. Adam Kadmon is described as emanating divine light out of his face, specifically his eyes, to create the next world. Genshin eyeball lore is my roman empire.

As a full elemental dragon, Apep had a “world” inside their body. Rhinedottir seems to like dragons a lot; I wonder if she considers them to be similar to the primordial human. Also, there's evidence that the Traveler's elemental abilities mimic those of the elemental dragons, rather than the archons.

References:

Toseftah Hagigah 2:2 Babylonian Talmud Hagigah 14b, Jerusalem Talmud Hagigah 9:1.

Introduction to Kabbalah and Jewish Mysticism - Part 3/14 - Merkabah Shi'ur Komah & Sar Torah

Introduction to Kabbalah and Jewish Mysticism - Part 10/14 - Christian and Lurianic Kabbalah

https://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/761-adam-kadmon#anchor10

https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/adam-kadmon

https://www.chabad.org/kabbalah/article_cdo/aid/380321/jewish/Chaos-and-the-Primordial.htm

https://dpul.princeton.edu/alchemy/feature/the-chemical-wedding

https://www.scribd.com/doc/11441835/The-Four-Stages-of-Alchemical-Work

Jung, Collected Works vol. 14 (1970), Mysterium Coniunctionis (1956), ¶372 (p. 278) via Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analytical_psychology#Individuation

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysopoeia

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Ouroboros

https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/library/files/special/exhibns/month/april2009.html

https://alchemywebsite.com/rosary0.html

https://www.alchemywebsite.com/rscroll.html

#geshin impact #genshin lore #albedo #narzissenkreuz ordo #rene is my poor little meow meow #tfw you write a 6000 word theory because you miss albedo so much

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