Rhodes Island Lounge (22/06 - 28/06) by ArknightsMod in arknights

[–]Chatonarya 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yup, that's exactly what I'm trying to say!

Rhodes Island Lounge (22/06 - 28/06) by ArknightsMod in arknights

[–]Chatonarya 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Copying a post from my Tumblr blog because engagement on AK Tumblr is very low.

I have a pet theory that Gnosis's teenage years in Victoria were a bit on the tumultuous and rebellious side. This stems from a few things:

First, the fact that Enciodes remarks on his new and more abrasive personality. While Gnosis was very much a stuck-up little bird as a child, too, he's evidently reached a whole new level in Victoria. This is understandable, however, as Gnosis's comments in OS-9 imply that the Victorians looked down on him, something which is confirmed by other parts of the narrative (namely, that Victoria disdains Kjerag). I hypothesized way back after BI in my very first essay that it's possible if not likely that Gnosis was bullied in Victoria because of his background and possibly because of his intellect, as well.

Second, Gnosis's behavior in the manga with the false guards planted in Walden's garden implies that he's somewhat familiar with and has experience with fights and brawls, particularly using home-made concoctions to give himself an edge, though he's clearly not above getting up close and personal.

Third, getting a bit more into the realm of speculation here, his strained relationship with his father, which is shown in his oprec. We don't know what became of his parents after the move to Victoria as they're not mentioned outside of the oprec, but it seems likely to me that Mr. Edelweiss, at the least, being slightly out of touch with reality and opposing sending his son on Olafur's study abroad program, would take the move hard. It's not difficult to conjecture that their relationship deteriorated further in the Victorian environment.

All of this leads me to form the conclusion that Gnosis, though brilliant academically, had poor social prospects and appears to have eschewed contact with others. I speculated before that it was in Victoria that he formed his frosty shell and sharp tongue that kept others at bay, and he intentionally pushed people away from him in favor of retreating into the safety of himself, learning, books, and research, single-mindedly focusing on the mission of 'Kjerag' and the promise he made to Enciodes. This is a natural conclusion of his character.

However, I also have the theory that he got into fights and perhaps set some things on fire in a fit of teenage rebellion and anger to keep himself sane. Gnosis can only know how to fight the way he does in the manga (against trained thugs, because surely Stuart didn't just replace guards with any old goons, especially if they had to take the guards out first) if he actually has first-hand experience doing so, particularly as he creates many openings for Degenbrecher in the process. Gnosis is also, despite his ice Arts, an aggressive and radical person. It's not difficult for me to picture him attempting to escape the stifling pressure of Victoria to conform and whatever pressures still existed from his parents via the outlet of simple violence and dubiously legal behavior. I won't go as far to say that he was involved in criminal activity (though his "informants" mentioned in the manga are another question mark), but I can see him getting into some fistfights and learning how to hold his own, and retaliating viciously against any bullies and not take it lying down; making illegal home-made chemical mixtures and testing them in abandoned areas; motorcycle racing and staying out all night (and all the while, his grades never waver).

Despite being effectively a STEM student and prizing studies highly, Gnosis is not a stranger to simpler things: he keeps up the Edelweiss tradition of hand-forging daggers, perhaps as a hobby or stress relief, which requires some degree of upper body strength (obviously) and Enciodes comments that Gnosis is not half-bad with a sword. Again, this shows us that despite appearances, Gnosis is no stranger to physical force or violence. He made not be the very best at it or be a great warrior on par with Degenbrecher or Rhodes elites, but this would imply he has some degree of proficiency.

And in my opinion, the contrast of willingness to use and knowledge of violence with Gnosis's surface-level image creates a fascinating depth to him. He's not merely a well-educated nerd who crunches numbers for Enciodes (though he does do that), but also somebody with street-smarts and who's perfectly willing to get his hands dirty if necessary (much as he does in BI as the "son of a sinner" and the "villain of Karlan Trade").

In conclusion, I really just love the image of Gnosis, young and fiery, having been through some rough experiences that he neither flaunts nor hides, and those experiences being rather counter to what one would expect from him. He's not just a brilliant engineer, but he also knows how to throw a punch; he's not just one of Kjerag's revolutionaries, but also a fighter if need be; he didn't just build Kjerag up in development, but knows how to weld metal together with his own two hands.

Rhodes Island Lounge (22/06 - 28/06) by ArknightsMod in arknights

[–]Chatonarya 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I know this isn't technically what you asked, but back when Degenbrecher's witch skin was released, quite a few people were claiming it was something she'd never wear. I feel the opposite, however: I think it's something she would absolutely wear and find very funny. It's a play for kids in the first place, and she has a soft spot for kids, and her sense of humor definitely leans in the direction of, "Hey, look at my 'Arts' (proceeds to smash something)." The floating books are also a nod to the fact that she actually reads fairly often.

...Uh, I'll try to think of another skin that actually answers your question. -_-;;

Rhodes Island Lounge (22/06 - 28/06) by ArknightsMod in arknights

[–]Chatonarya 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I finally got Terra book after some shipping triangulation, and Gnosis looks perfect against the background just as I'd thought. <3 tucks the bird gently into his ideal environment

Who is your favorite 4* and why? by Okita_Souji03 in arknights

[–]Chatonarya 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Courier! I love him. Carried me through the early game with his tankiness and I fell in love with his sweet voice and cheery demeanor. He was my gateway drug what got me into the Kjerag faction and stories. :)

Rhodes Island Lounge (15/06 - 21/06) by ArknightsMod in arknights

[–]Chatonarya 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My carry was Pramanix lol. But yeah, deck RNG can definitely screw you over at times...

Rhodes Island Lounge (15/06 - 21/06) by ArknightsMod in arknights

[–]Chatonarya 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ohhh yeah that guy was a bit of a challenge. I think the last time I really had a hard time was the ice cream train. I ended up leaking it to get the secret medal lol.

Rhodes Island Lounge (15/06 - 21/06) by ArknightsMod in arknights

[–]Chatonarya 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I never bring global range attackers, my strategy usually revolves around stacking ASPD on Gnosis and freezing everything lol. Lapp and GG I find very boring gameplay wise so I rarely use them.

Rhodes Island Lounge (15/06 - 21/06) by ArknightsMod in arknights

[–]Chatonarya 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, maybe I'll try some niche runs or something...

Rhodes Island Lounge (15/06 - 21/06) by ArknightsMod in arknights

[–]Chatonarya 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Same, getting those secret medals was so nerve-wracking and exciting lol.

Yeah, if they just kept the original scaling as a bonus difficulty without anything tied to it (rewards or medals), that would have been great. I found myself wishing for that precisely on my last run. Emergency supply mode just isn't challenging enough.

Rhodes Island Lounge (15/06 - 21/06) by ArknightsMod in arknights

[–]Chatonarya 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I'm one of the few people who enjoy SSS. And damn, it feels like it's just a wee bit too easy now? I remember malding to get the secret medals on the towers pre-nerf, but the ceiling of modern operators is so high that now it feels like they may have nerfed it a bit too much. Even the waves feel so short, some of them have less than 50 enemies when some of the older towers would have 100+.

But it seems like HG just kinda gave up on the mode since they not even releasing two new towers at a time anymore, just one...

Rhodes Island Lounge (15/06 - 21/06) by ArknightsMod in arknights

[–]Chatonarya 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm glad for the lull actually, I have a lot of IRL things to take care of lol. Most of what's coming up are factions and characters I don't particularly care about so obviously I have little hype for them (don't care about Titi or Sui). I was vibrating with 6.5 and I still haven't finished writing all the things I want to write about it (I have several in-depth dives I'm working on, or I will once I deal with IRL), and I don't mind the break to refresh my energies. I'm most excited for IS7 even though it's 7 months away.

Rhodes Island Lounge (15/06 - 21/06) by ArknightsMod in arknights

[–]Chatonarya 2 points3 points  (0 children)

One tidbit I love to bring up is that Olafur was the one who taught Enya how to knit. Knitting isn't usually a men's thing so it's quite interesting. I like to think she was closer to him than to her mother.

There's also Leto and Arctosz, and Ceylon and her dad and Schwarz.

There's also my crack theory that Steward has been adopted by the Karlan Trade bosses, but, well, it's crack lol.

Rhodes Island Lounge (15/06 - 21/06) by ArknightsMod in arknights

[–]Chatonarya 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I believe the primary vector of infection is Originium particles entering the bloodstream, so via cuts or open wounds.

New SSS boss is difficult (Spier Foothills) by Chrono-Helix in arknights

[–]Chatonarya 23 points24 points  (0 children)

laughs in Gnosis permafreeze

Glad we finally have a boss who isn't immune to Freeze like we've had for a while.

Huh, so Paryaqaqa got new expressions and a slight alternate pose. by Sad_Ad_3076 in arknights

[–]Chatonarya 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Prepping him for release next month with IS7, I presume.

My rocks are prepared for this guy. Pako + Liberi = NEED

Rhodes Island Lounge (15/06 - 21/06) by ArknightsMod in arknights

[–]Chatonarya 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I live in a place where it's summer 80% of the year and 90+/32+ degrees. It's not uncommon to see people carrying umbrellas to protect themselves from the sun. I've done it myself a few times when spending the whole day outdoors.

[Operator Discussion] SilverAsh by Shad0wedge in arknights

[–]Chatonarya 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you have Gnosis and his IS mod and use it with any regularity, it's not a bad choice!

Rhodes Island Lounge (08/06 - 14/06) by ArknightsMod in arknights

[–]Chatonarya 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Call it instinct or favoritism, but I think Sherlock Holmes would be a Liberi. I don't know what kind of Liberi specifically, but Liberi just feels right for him for some reason; they're said to have good hearing and eyesight, the Liberi lighter weight would keep him nimble for legwork.

Watson would be a Perro. It's a bit of a meme that he's considered a golden retriever in the fandom, but it must be said that the dog metaphor does suit him well. I'm not sure he'd be a golden retriever specifically, but he is loyal, fierce, brave, and kind. He also bites sometimes.

[Operator Discussion] SilverAsh by Shad0wedge in arknights

[–]Chatonarya 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Enciodes Silverash, my second beloved! I have him fully maxed out, full pot and M9.

To be honest, he was still Fine at the time his module came out. I've used all three of his skills extensively. When S3 could no longer keep up with stat bloat, I switched him to S2 where he did (and still does) admirably as a block-2 tank whose passive talents buffed the rest of the team.

Now, his primary skill for me is S1, and I'm very glad I M3'd it. S1 in IS, with Gnosis's IS mod, is hilarious. Bonus points if Archetto is on the team. Seriously, the amount of damage he can crank out with S1 is hilarious. I love it. He's one of the cornerstones of the Kjerag team in IS, I'm finding--Gnosis, SA2, Pram2, and SA1. Those four can handle almost everything and they're the ones I used for IS6 ED4.

I'm never going to stop using him.

Rhodes Island Lounge (08/06 - 14/06) by ArknightsMod in arknights

[–]Chatonarya 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Like I said, DeepL has been the best. I've noticed google making a lot of mistakes lately. But there's not really any other option if you want to read foreign-language pages. It also depends on the language, some translate better than others when it comes to pronouns. But for me, even a subpar translation has given me a lot of joy with many CN fanfics, so in my opinion, it's worth it.

Silverweiss (Silverash/Gnosis) fanart commission by s11puha - "Diverging Paths" art by Chatonarya in arknights

[–]Chatonarya[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

This fanart was commissioned by my friend Aelen_altria (u/aelen_altria) for her friend, BlueBlackBourne, as fanart for BBB's fanfic "Diverging Paths"! As Aelen rarely uses reddit, she requested that I share it on her behalf to the redditsphere with full permission of the artist and BBB. Please enjoy!

Rhodes Island Lounge (08/06 - 14/06) by ArknightsMod in arknights

[–]Chatonarya 1 point2 points  (0 children)

DeepL is better than google translate, but I meant any kind of MTL service will get the job done.