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Potential spoilers for everything in Genshin up to this point including promotional materials. Throwing out some crack predictions for things that might happen in 5.4.

Prediction: Traveler getting an ancient name at least partially adds them to Teyvat's leyline system, revoking at least a part of their Descender status and causing Issues(tm) in the future.

Reasoning: the lines at the end of the 5.4 trailer talking about how someone has no clue about the value of a descender. Natlan's Night Kingdom is a replacement for the connection to the leylines that most nations have but 'belonging' to that network may still be similar enough to leylines+Irminsul to thwart the ability to surpass and change fate. If that happens, Mavuika story quest 2 might involve us trying to deliberately discard our ancient name to thwart the fuckup.

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Prediction: Capitano becomes the pyro archon briefly, then sacrifices himself to fulfill the pyro archons' debt to/contract with Ronova and save Mavuika's life as well as allowing himself to finally die after 500 years. As a sign of respect for his sacrifice and assistance to Natlan, Mavuika gives Snezhnaya the gnosis.

Reasoning: somebody's gotta die, and this particular arrangement of events ticks boxes for a heroic and satisfying death that tugs at heartstrings, allows Mavuika to be around for quests and events, and gives a reason for the gnosis to make it to Snezhnaya, because we all know it's gonna. Also allows Capitano a cathartic "fuck you" to Ronova, which I thoroughly think he deserves even if I would love for him to be playable. I'm always ride or die for a homie that flips the bird to Celestia.

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Prediction: Mavuika's sister Hine is alive somehow and will become the new Lord of the Night, likely with Istaroth's help.

Reasoning: This one is out there, but several things make me suspect this. They are focusing on Mavuika and Hine's relationship a lot in the promo materials including Hine saying "I'll come find you one day! I know I can't live that long, but there has to be a way for us to meet again one day!" as the screen shatters into mirrorlike fragments similar to the way it did as we traveled through time and consciousness to reach the fight between Ei and the Shogun in Ei's second story quest. This quest mentioned Istaroth, Shade of Time, for the first time in mainline content. And we already have Shade involvement in the Natlan plot with Ronova in the picture, so it's not beyond belief to think that a second Shade could become relevant to the main story at this point.

Citlali also mentioned not being able to find information on Hine, which could mean nothing beyond 'she led a quiet life' but put me in mind of wiping someone from Irminsul (which is not what I think happened here exactly, but it's enough to make me think shenanigans are afoot).

In Māori legend, Mahuika has a sister named Hine(-nui-te-pō) who is a goddess associated with night and death that receives spirits when they die. Night, death, a home for spirits - that's the Night Kingdom in a nutshell, yeah? And the Lord of the Night Yohualtecuhtin is dying (and may thus need to be replaced).

So if we put all of these threads together, Hoyo may have Hine be in cahoots with Istaroth to allow her to travel into the future to be with Mavuika again, where she somehow ends up replacing the Lord of the Night. One sister the goddess of fire and the other the goddess of the underworld, as in the legend.

(It's not a one-to-one recreation of the story by any means - in the legend Hine-nui-te-pō is the older sister, and there are aspects of Hine-nui-te-pō's story that I don't think Hoyo would include in Genshin. But there's enough connective tissue for me to think that some of it might parallel.)

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Dw guys his tummy hurt just a tiny bit 🤞

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We’re nearly to the end of another creative year! Tell us about some of the favourite fics you’ve written this year and why :3 likewise, do you have any fics you really enjoyed reading and following this year? 🐾

Favorite fics I wrote in 2024

I didn't write a ton this year, but I'll pick my favorite I did for each fandom! (And that's a highlightable factoid while we're here - my first two Star Rail fics were published this year! Thank you Sunday for the inspiration, even if you bled me dry for E2S1. You were worth it, king.)

Fave Genshin fic I wrote this year was One Size Fits All - Wriothesley/Clorinde/Neuvillette kink exploration and friends with benefits (the benefits are fisting). I was happy with the laid-back, casual voice I developed for Wrio and I really love the visual of Clorinde methodically wrecking him while he clutches desperately onto Neuvillette, half-incoherent with overstimulation. (Which was the thought that inspired the fic in the first place.)

My favorite Star Rail fic of the two I've written is don't tell me it's wrong - Sunrobin with heavy religious imagery, Sunday smothering under his guilt, and Robin as his light in the dark, keeping him off the misguided path he takes in canon. It's not for everybody but it's certainly for me, and I think people can tell when you write something self-indulgent with your whole pussy, because I've gotten a surprising amount of love for it despite the darker topics and taboo nature. I've thought about and analyzed Sunday enough that I sink into his headspace terrifyingly easily at this point, and I feel like that translated into a very good Sunday voice and characterization. I was happier with this fic than I've been with a fic in years, probably, because despite the fact that it has so much porn in it I feel like it's also one hell of a character study.

2024 Fic Recs!

I'd be remiss not to include some of your fics and I think my faves this year were late night snack (Azhdaha/Xiao/Zhongli) which was itself a delightful sweet new year's snack of its own involving three characters I love and had never seen as a trio, and but first, coffee, which is a feast of delightful Kaveh and Alhaitham interaction. Alhaitham is such an asshole sometimes and Kaveh is so stubborn and such a good man and you write that so well ♥️

Lately I'm really enjoying the WIP (falling) feels like flying by notavodkashot, featuring ballet instructor Zhongli and caretaker-of-many-siblings Childe growing closer and entering a very sexy D/s relationship. Guizhong is also there with her very delightful polycule, forming a delightfully snarky peanut gallery.

A rare completely SFW pick is A Snail is "A Foot" by Lee_Outis, which is about Kaveh being chased by a very slow snail that can kill instantly on contact. It is very much worth the read even if you usually go for spicy fic.

An ongoing longer fic that I'm still reading and enjoying as it comes out is testing, testing by Lithopus. Kaveh finds Alhaitham reading a book about kinks and, in a fluster, Kaveh offers to help Alhaitham try various kinks. It's at 4/12 planned chapters and over 100k already, and absolutely packed with delightful dynamics, snark, relationship development, and blisteringly hot sex already.

Eggs? Eggs. I know everybody expects me to put an egg fic on the rec list. And this one doesn't technically have eggs, but it is heavily egg-centered regardless: a good servant shall lay eggs by cutieterrarium, featuring Ajaw fattening Kinich up in order to lay eggs in him (wait don't go! *drags you back*) Ajaw doesn't get to use his pixel dick and there are no actual eggs in the fic, but it did the impossible and made me view Ajaw as sexy which. Good fucking job. Plus I'm not usually into feederism but the way it was pulled off here as dragon courtship behavior was really fun and, dare I say it, even a bit cute.

The other Star Rail standouts that I can recall off the top of my head this year were all by DFP: - trick of the light, a Feixiao/Moze/Jiaoqiu OT3 fic where Feiqiu are established and they're feeling their way through adding Moze into the relationship in a way that keeps him comfortable. Fantastic Moze PoV. - All three Argenti/Boothill fics, which are absolute must-reads if you enjoy robofucking, wireplay, and miscellaneous other mechanical shenanigans. - The winner of my 'still re-reading' award, old fashioned lover boy, which was published last year but won't leave my mind. Caelus tries to seduce Welt, and poor Welt wallows in guilt, feeling like a dirty old man about it, before Himeko takes mercy on him and tells him he's allowed to just go for it if he wants to since they're both consenting adults. Caelus is the epitome of being horny about that old man, and grandpa gets ridden into the mattress as he deserves. Absolute peak.

There were lots of other fantastic fics I've read this year of course, but these are the first that came to mind.

TY for sending in the ask!

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| Dain asked a question in the wrong place

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🕯🕯🕯

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Welcome to the express

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a boyfriend is just a guy you can sink your teeth into for recreational purposes

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Old stories

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sundaycest

...

well, wonweek/sunday dynamic is just sooo... idk.

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the new quest is good but it would have been better if they [REST OF MESSAGE REMOVED FOR FOUL LANGUAGE]

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"I mean, look — I already know how to play an instrument."

find me on twitter @/driftwoodwoof

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✨ markings

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[DAZED FROM BLOOD LOSS] hey not to kill the vibe completely but i think i am in love with you

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Let the tournament begin...

Started the story quests and have been having my friend watch me play. We both were highly amused by the scenes of a preschooler on the arena

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Gorgeous outfit for a gorgeous man

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Forgot to post this one here

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The fallen pudding tart