Blue lanterns

Blue lanterns are a type of toolspawn born from lanterns hence the name. However, blue lanterns can also be born from candles, chandeliers, and torches.

## Appearance and anatomy

Corporeal blue lanterns can either use the lantern as a body, sprouting a mouth with a tongue of flame, or use the flame as its body, giving itself a form resembling a human shape.

Incorporeal blue lanterns have a humanoid form separate from the mother object that has blue hair and blue eyes, both of which glow in the dark with an eerie blue light. They also hold their mother object that has a blue flame burning in it.

The mother object consists of three key parts: the flame, the fuel, and the holder.

The blue flame giving the blue lantern its signature hue acts as its source of life akin to a heart. It can burn hotter and can resist winds and water better than most conventional fires. The fuel that fuels this flame acts as the blue lantern's blood, supplying its flame with vigor. This fuel can last longer than usual allowing blue lanterns to not constantly add fuel to themselves. The holder acts as the blue lantern's skeleton and skin, keeping the fuel and flame contained. In certain cases, it could protect the flame from being put out.

## Abilities

### Manipulation of fire and light

Blue lanterns can create fire out of nowhere and create destructive explosions without damaging themselves. Their manipulation of light allows them to become invisible to the naked eye making surprise attacks more efficient for them. Their manipulation of fire also allows them to control its varying factors like its warmth, brightness, and consumption. This makes them one of the only beings in Utopia to use fire as a means to burn something non-physical (the soul).

### Seeing, unleashing, and eating emotions

Blue lanterns feed on emotions and will nourish themselves through the consumption of them. They can let someone's emotions out through intense trauma like scaring them with surprise attacks; however, they make do by burning away their soul.

### Manipulation of mind and sense of direction

There are certain cases of blue lanterns manipulating someone into mindlessly following them and the lights they make. The Youkai Coda written by Shirotake no Kyoui writes an account of this rare instance reported by a survivor lost in the meadows bordering Shirogane and Kurokau:

> *"[The man] was following a trail of cold fire: for what reason, he didn't know and didn't remember. When he followed the trail into a dirty abandoned house and saw the monstrous face of the dreaded blue lantern, he returned to his senses and ran. I am glad he has lived to tell the tale; had he not survived the encounter with the monster of fire, I would not have known the capabilities of the fire the blue lantern bears. I am certain [the man] knew not of the reason of his aimless following not because of his volition but by the hands of that cursed creature." - Shirotake no Kyoui on blue lanterns, Youkai Coda, 1860 TE*
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## Method of birth

Blue lanterns are born when a lantern is exposed to strong emotions that leach out a sentient being's soul. This is the reason why blue lanterns are a huge concern in traditional funerals. The first recorded instance of a blue lantern is 1250 TE as listed by a deceased prince's consort:

> *"On the fourth night of our mourning, a bright blue flash appeared while preparing his body for burial. It momentarily revealed a shimmering blue figure. As the blinding light burned, I smelled the most horrid smell of burning flesh and I hastily stepped back and desperately found a place to hide. When I finally had courage to get out from where I hid, I saw the most gruesome sight yet. The prince, my fellow consorts, and the people... have been reduced to mere ashes as flames scattered about. The blue figure was gone." - Autobiography of the Eimbusi scribe Jorgen Vargos*
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This method of birth for blue lanterns was also the reason why a "test of courage" called the Hundred Horror Tales that was widespread among youths in the eastern part of the Utopian continent is considered taboo in current times. This "test" has children telling horror stories and instilling fear to one another with only a single lantern lighting them. This ritual can cause the birth of a blue lantern thanks to the emotion of fear leaching out from the children and latching onto the lantern. This caused the population of blue lanterns to skyrocket and many people's lives ruined or taken away by their flames.

## Nourishment

Blue lanterns "consume" flammable materials, strong emotions, and souls. They much prefer to consume non-physical items like emotions and souls as this allows their flames to burn brighter and longer without relying on their fuel too much, and so, they will try and lure unsuspecting or lost beings in with their light. Through their manipulation of light, they can lure in animals--and possibly humans--with wisp trails, an alluring trail of blue lights resembling fireflies that can entice beings into following it. The trail often leads to their hideout where they summon a massive inferno that burns their victim's body and soul away.

## Death and prevention

The most well-known way to kill a blue lantern is to snuff out its flame which is easier said than done. The best way to deal against blue lanterns is to prevent them from being born in the first place. Ways to prevent a blue lantern from being born all of a sudden include:

* purify the lanterns, candles, or other lightbearers before and after using them.
* destroying the lanterns if in fear of them being marred with emotion.
* purify a blue lantern's fuel and holder after extinguishing its flame.

## Interactions

### Toolspawns of flammable make and dryads

Many toolspawns come from objects made entirely of easily flammable materials like linen constrictors and living wooden puppets. These beings stay away from blue lanterns due to their mother objects as being easily destroyed through fire. Dryads, whose bodies are made entirely of wood, also despise blue lanterns and their fire capabilities.

### Manormonsters

Manormonsters provide blue lanterns with protection from harsh winds and rains. In turn, blue lanterns provide wisp trails that lead to the manormonster inviting unsuspecting victims to their demise giving the manormonster and the blue lantern a meal. In fact, this mutualistic relationship between the two makes it so that the two menacing toolspawns are near inseparable.

### Blue bonfires

An ongoing speculation about blue lanterns is on their connection towards a more monstrous variant of blue lanterns called blue bonfires. Their existence has been recorded in several accounts all throughout ancient Utopia even before the Draconic War. Consistent descriptions of these creatures depict them as tall behemoths of flame towering over forests and burning everything they see. A recent theory proposed said that:

> *"Blue lanterns, with their explosive tendencies and incendiary capabilities, could be children of these flaming abominations. Perhaps, these blue bonfires are the progenitors of the blue lantern and, with the aid of humanity and their attempts to control fire, have gained a human form but retained their base passions: to burn and let others burn with them." - On the Investigation of the Tool Spawns, Blue Lanterns*
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To this day, the connection between blue bonfires and blue lanterns is still uncertain.

## Trivia

* Though both considered dangerous, a blue lantern's wisp trail is often confused with the similar-looking wisp aggregation.
* Despite its function as a light source, the Literoan glass bulb cannot be used to birth a blue lantern. Any variation from this that doesn't induce a fire cannot birth a blue lantern.
* Blue lanterns are primarily based off of the Japanese youkai ao andon, a fear-consuming youkai with the form of a woman and the face of a demon, though this idea has branched off into other ideas such as the jack-o-lantern, will-o-wisps, and candles as well their connection to spiritual beliefs.

## See also

* Blue Inferno Incident
* The Kokkou house
* Blaubel Leuchter
* Jack Hoberdy, Invoker of Frights