#(specifically fatui verse)

[dutybcrne]

Thinking abt Kae’s Fatui verse,,,,

[glacialswordsman-a]

Making his rounds on the city for the day, Kaeya hummed lightly to himself as his steps took him up towards the Cathedral. Something about today felt…strange. As though there’s tension, something charged in the air, waiting to crackle and explode. As far as he could tell, the people of Mondstadt were going about their day just fine.

However, Vile was not.

The moment she caught sight of Kaeya, she immediately rushed to meet him. She tried not to run, but her steps were hurried, and that alone already began to concern him. Something happened yesterday.

“Kaeya—there’s a lot of things going on right now, and it’s involving the Fatui and Master Diluc,” she muttered to him after pulling him somewhere slightly more discreet. That alone immediately blared cacophonous alarms in his head as his easy-going persona accidentally slipped into something more primal: fear. However, it was only there for a moment before it shifted into urgency.

“What happened, Vile?”

“Yesterday, a Fatui delegate approached your brother. I managed to somewhat catch sight of it, but I heard their conversation most. One of them knows who Master Diluc is, Kaeya—and while she didn’t do a thing to him, it wasn’t long for unrest to stir amongst the Fatui. She didn’t tell anyone directly, not that I’m aware of, but just as I was there to listen, so was someone else.”

This was…quite literally everything that Kaeya had been hoping, praying to someone, to avoid. The stress radiating off of him was palpable, and his teeth grit as his brows furrowed. There’s really not much that he can do himself about this situation, as it seems too many people within the Snezhnayan organization based in Mondstadt knows now. However, if they know, then they’ve surely sent out letters up the chain.

Whether those letters would be taken seriously or not was up in the air, but the fact that there is knowledge of Diluc residing here is enough for Kaeya to begin acting a little irrationally. Because if they know he's here, then eventually someone outside of Mondstadt will know too. In the chance that Diluc leaves the Nation of Freedom at any point, even if not to Snezhnaya, he can be in a lot more danger than he was before.

Fuck.

“Thank you, Vile,” he stated, curt, before shifting to head back down the stairs and towards the town square. His stride was full of purpose, and his expression no longer holding that cheery smile, but instead held a very grave expression. He knows he probably shouldn’t do anything, nor even make an announcement, without the approval of Jean. However, he knew she’d understand.

She had to.

As her second-in-command, he was willing to bet money on it. If not, then he’ll handle whatever disciplinary action she doles out to him later. For now, he was a man on a mission.

Taking his place before the fountain, facing the Goth Grand Hotel, Kaeya grit his teeth and narrowed his gaze towards the building before settling on some of the organization’s members that were already standing outside.

“If I may have the attention of all delegates and diplomats, as well as our citizens, I would like to make something very clear so there is no room for misunderstandings,” Kaeya began, his voice projecting loudly, resounding through the city’s paths.

“This is a formal reminder that none of the Fatui stationed in our city have any jurisdiction to enact any sort of protocol, make any arrests, or even dare to harm a hair on this Nation’s inhabitants. Should I, and for that matter any of the Knights, come to the knowledge that any foreign entity decided to take legal matters into their own hands, or act in vigilantism for any reason, they will be immediately expelled from Mondstadt without hesitation.

The Fatui must remember their place as they remain here if they intend on keeping relations between our Nations and commonwealth peaceful. There are no second chances when it comes to the safety of our people, and if you find issue with that, then I highly encourage you to leave the city proper, for good.

As mentioned, this is my formal reminder towards the Fatui as Mond’s Cavalry Captain, as well as your first and only warning that you will ever get.”

All while making his declaration, Fatui members began to peek out of their windows as well as flood out of the Hotel in order to hear the Ordo’s Quartermaster. He saw many expressions; irritation, anger, concern, disinterest, apathy, indignance and petulance. That’s fine. That’s exactly what he expected.

With his brows furrowed and a scowl upon his face, Kaeya made one final statement, “Prepare for the consequences should I ever catch wind of any of you harming, or even threatening, our citizens. That is all.”

With one last glower towards the Fatui delegates as the people of Mond began whispering and muttering to themselves, their expressions clearly nervous (whether regarding the announcement or towards the Fatui), Kaeya turned heel and began to make his way out of the city. He knew that there will probably be an assembly or meeting later over his insubordination, for stirring more tension and anxiety within the citizens of Mondstadt too, but right now he had his priorities and will deal with that later.

He needs to find Diluc.

[oc-menagerie-archived]

~ || Sleep Habits. ||

NAME:  Iyumi Akuma

RESIDENCE: In her cushy room back home or if on the road, the most expensive inn she can find as she won't settle for less.

TYPE OF BED: Queen size (she just likes it being called queen), mahogany wood, canopy bed with long flowing curtains

NUMBER OF BLANKETS: Two big comforters and a silky blanket underneath that she can dramatically cover herself in.

NUMBER OF PILLOWS:  Four to look fancy but only uses two of them.

TYPE OF CLOTHING: Either a silky short nightgown or puffy pajama shorts and a spaghetti top.

DO THEY SLEEP WITH COMPANY?: Not usually.

DO THEY SLEEP BETTER WITH COMPANY?:  Potentially.

DOES IT MATTER WHERE THEY SLEEP?:  She needs a bed and fusses if she can't sleep on one.

WHAT DO THEY DO IF THEY CANNOT FALL ASLEEP?:  Read, stare at the ceiling, drink some tea.

FREQUENT DREAMS, NIGHTMARES:  Dreams of hot guys pampering her in different ways. Nightmares are usually her getting killed by someone or her losing any friends she has.

DEEP SLUMBER OR NAPS:  Deep Slumber

WHEN DO THEY SLEEP:  When it's dark out.

WHAT COULD WAKE THEM UP:  Any loud noises, loud footsteps, door slamming, window creaking.

EARLY OR LATE RISER:  Late Riser

Tagged by: @dragon-clan-and-company

Tagging: Whoever wants to steal this from me!

[abyssin]

          “apologies, my friend! it seems that my fellow colleagues made a foolhardy decision to hinder your travels. forgive them, they’re boys who mistake the battlefield as a playground.” not that childe was much different. he was different from them, for he picked battles only worth fighting rather than bully the weak. ( a waste of his leisure time rather than morality, really. ) 

          he knew what a worthy adversary would look like from a glance. but childe couldn’t deny there was something strange about the vagabond. not only did it seem like he radiated power. the young man seemed familiar. an old foe, perhaps? no. he has a memory for the faces of his enemies, knows with a twisted intimacy where he would inflict the worst of his injuries on another. the wanderer’s complexion is inhumanly clear of even the slightest blemishes for him to be a warrior. & yet, childe does not miss the weapon he keeps hidden by his side.

          “——oh! and i’m being rude as well.” childe laughs, a slight bow to his head in offering his sincerity. “as a show of peace, will you be needing an escort to the city? the fatui will be willing to provide this—once.” while his tone remains cordial, childe ensures the bumbling fools behind him can hear the hidden threat to his voice.          // @erabundus.

[crownshattered-moved]

A rare moment of the Fatuus between missions, Kira observed the mask in her hand. She appeared to be lost in thought... Well, it’s a moment to relax before the Harbingers sent her on another journey, so she would take it.

[erabundus]

❝  an  appeal  to  common  sense.  ❞  relief  colors  the  wanderer's  tone.  a  touch  artificial  —  for  it  is  truly  just  a  calculated  attempt  to  force  a  bit  of  LEVITY  into  circumstances  that  would  otherwise  be  insufferably  grim.  (  even  by  ren's  standards.  )  ❝  you  got  me  there.  ❞

it's  silent  as  they  walk,  only  their  steady  footsteps  and  the  inconsistent  drip,  drip,  drip  of  liquid  from  some  indecipherable  place  further  in  the  cave.  a  wave  of  pins  and  needles  sweep  over  the  wanderer's  back,  and  he  glances  over  his  shoulder  —  glancing  at  the  ball  of  ELECTRO  that  dances  around  the  general  mahamatra's  fingertips  with  something  akin  to  ENVY.  there  are  times  where  he  still  wishes  the  element  flowed  at  his  beck  and  call  —  though  such  indignant  feelings  are  always  tempered  by  the  knowledge  it  was  never  fully  his  own.  a  strength  bestowed  upon  him  by  his  mother  and  forged  into  a  sharpened  blade  by  the  fatui.  not  a  gift,  but  rather  something  to  make  him  more  USEFUL  to  other  people.  it  comes  as  little  surprise  that  anemo  feels  so  much  easier  to  use  by  comparison.  ❝  is  now  a  bad  time  to  tell  you  i'm  claustrophobic?  ❞  the  wanderer  quips,  turning  back  around.  his  kasa  dissolves,  ring  of  light  behind  his  head  shifting  fluidly  as  their  surroundings  grow  increasingly  cramped.  it's  a  joke  —  mostly.  the  best  ones  always  do  carry  a  grain  of  truth.

❝  you're  not  wrong.  ❞  ren  continues.  the  glow  of  his  catalyst  combined  with  the  markings  scattered  about  his  body  illuminate  the  path  ahead  to  a  degree  —  though  it  still  leaves  much  to  be  desired.  ❝  plant  false  information  on  a  sacrificial  pawn ...  send  us  into  the  lion's  den  and  detonate  the  whole  thing  right  on  top  of  us.  wouldn't  even  be  hard.  ❞  he  clicks  his  tongue.  ❝  they  won't.  ❞   they  won't.  the  CONFIDENCE  on  display  is  jarring,  to  a  degree  that  verges  on  hubristic.  ❝  they  could  dig  me  out  of  the  rubble,  but  you  would  surely  be  crushed ...  and  i  have  a  sneaking  suspicion  he  wouldn't  want  to  waste  such  a  unique  prospective  test  subject.  ❞   it's  not  something  to  take  comfort  in,  but  it  can  be  used  to  their  advantage  —  assuming  he's  correct  and  not  merely  filling  both  of  their  heads  with  arrogant  assumptions.

❝  is  it  just  me,  or  does  this  path  feel  like  it's  going  down?  ❞  he  wrinkles  his  nose;  it's  hard  to  tell.   ❝  what  are  the  chances  it's  below  us?  ❞

"If you can't stomach the idea of sentiment, then consider that RECKLESSNESS on your part would endanger me." Cyno offered a thin-lipped, mirthless smile. He knew Ren well enough by now to understand his intolerance for bloated sympathy. It was hardly ever a problem, given how Cyno held no proclivity to expressing it.

"I should only hope that we won't get to that point." He grimaced, the picture of such an outcome flitted through his mind, unduly messy and far from desirable. "In the grand scheme of things, it'll be unlikely that I'll be able to outlast anything that might incapacitate YOU to such an extent. But... if the intel should prove SOUND, this will prove to be far less eventful."

Unhesitatingly, he followed behind him without further ado. The rock of the cave floor was damp and cool beneath his soles, the heat of the desert and thick forest fading precipitously into a chill that crept BITINGLY along uncovered skin. The air was moist and cloying; earthy, with the faintest hint of brine, infusing the impenetrable darkness of the chasm that gaped before them.

Cyno lifted a hand, bringing to bear a swirling accumulation of electro to light his immediate vicinity. Even so, the light was wan with the encompassing dark, accentuating the rising sensation of CLAUSTROPHOBIA as they ventured further with the walls closing in.

In truth, it bore marked similarity to the descent into any of Deshret's ruins. Perhaps it was the lack of any distinguishable lifeform - mechanical or otherwise - that so conveyed this uniquely foreboding air.

"This would make for a perfectly convenient TRAP. There's barely enough space for us to retaliate as is, and neither of us are particularly familiar with the way these tunnels run."

[teyvats-worst-hero]

Diluc Ragnvindr is a Fucking Menace

(A fight style analysis for @moonilit )

Do you see this man? Do you SEE him???? THIS MAN HAS 3 FUCKING FIGHT SCENES IN THE PROLOGUE ALONE.

And you know what I’ve gathered from this?

1. He’s a menace to society and needs to remember that fire kills people

His burst is a giant fuck-you phoenix flying directly across the battlefield. Diluc. Diluc do you THINK???? That is SO much collateral damage! That’s SO FUCKING DANGEROUS!

This supports my own personal theory that he’s totally not used to fighting near… Well, people. And residential buildings. And… Things in general.

He’s used to being hunted through the snowy wastes of Snezhnaya by the Fatui and their harbingers. That is not a place where you’re thinking of collateral damage! That’s just survival!

Even though there are other characters with huge bursts, they usually don’t share the intent of clearing a battlefield. Diluc’s burst pushes you back. It’s unusual! It’s utilitarian! It’s specifically meant to compensate for being outnumbered or overpowered.

This whole “utilitarian use of elements to push mobs of enemies away from you” thing reminds me of a certain…. Someone.

(Which is incredibly fitting for an early game player. You’re likely to get these two characters during the part of the game where you’re constantly overwhelmed by even basic enemies.)

2. Sick hops

Speaking of being outnumbered and overpowered, this guy can hop 20 feet in the air, do a sick flip, and land in running form approximately 4 times per fight. Incredibly anime of him I must say.

Usually a guy relying on pure firepower and brute strength wouldn’t be so acrobatic. But yet again, I look at his coming-of-age murder crusade and I go “yeah that checks out.” He was running away and trying not to get skewered for like two years.

He seems especially well versed in ice, because in the next scene, he’s encased in ice and melts himself out in seconds.

Isn’t that adorable? Kaeya gets the fire trauma and Diluc gets the ice trauma!

3. Former Cavalry(?) Captain

His normal, charged, and skill attacks seem to be closer to what he just learned. He swings are heavy and brutal. Exactly when you’d expect from a local anime vigilante.

IF HE WASN’T SUPPOSED TO BE THE FORMER CAVALRY CAPTAIN!

You can’t use a fucking GREATSWORD on a fucking HORSE. It makes even less sense than Kaeya. I cannot see Diluc “You killed my father, prepare to die” Ragnvindr learning to use a bow or a polearm as a kid either. He would fucking break them. Like Noelle.

I wanna see that interaction

But this leads into my theory that “Cavalry Captain” is legitimately just a front for the position of “Spymaster.” It would make a lot of sense actually. Only deeply trusted individuals, highly skilled in intelligence work with significant connections, seem to get the title. And why is it that two Cavalry Captains were chosen, or at least, were likely to be chosen, as the third in command? That’s so specific and weird.

Diluc likely never needed to learn in-depth cavalry techniques to become Cavalry Captain. That wasn’t his job. Therefore, he is not a bow or polearm user, and he appears to work best in melee combat.

In Conclusion:

Diluc Ragnvindr is used to fighting for his own life in the snowy wasteland, not working around collateral damage and moral quandaries about vigilantism.

[abyssmalice]

so, hmmmmm.

i caved and wrote up a rough overview of the snezhnaya princess tonitoni AU :)

.

To start - while I have specific ideas for this AU, I still intend to write this verse very loosely. Which is to say, while there are some core details that will be prevalent no matter what, everything else remains up for negotiation/discussion when writing together.

This verse is super duper suuuuuper non-canonical as is and for pure indulgence - I'm not going to be very stringent in how this verse plays itself out, essentially.

Core Details:

As this AU implies - in this verse, Tonia is officially recognized as the Tsaritsa's daughter.

However, she is NOT her biological daughter - even publicly, she is understood to have been adopted, though her exact origins are a mystery to everyone besides the Tsartisa's closest and most trusted.

Additionally, while Tonia is considered a princess as part of the Tsaritsa's lineage, she is NOT recognized as her successor - which is to say, she is not expected to become the next Cryo Archon nor even a human Tsaritsa to rule over Snezhnaya.

Semi-Core Details (aka how I personally justify this AU existing, and will primarily run by this premise unless discussed otherwise):

Tonia's origins still align with canon - she was born to a large middle class family in Morepesok.

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However, like the primary Harbinger AU, she had followed her brother into the Abyss, died and was resurrected by the Irminsul, and returned to Teyvat as the sole survivor - similarly, her traumas unconsciously influenced the local leylines, causing inexplicable natural disasters in the region.

.

But here is where it diverges - one of these natural disasters ended up being a rare earthquake-caused tsunami, which due to the already chaotic nature of the leylines at this time, was amplified to the point of having a very devastating impact on the port town of Morepesok.

Even more unfortunately, this tsunami wiped out the rest of Tonia's family from how extremely abrupt and immensely dangerous it was. Tonia herself survived only due to her Irminsul biology forcing her into a hibernating, preserved state akin to the Petrified Trees in domains.

Due to the sheer scale of damage, Dottore was not the only Harbinger dispatched to the area. As such, when Tonia was eventually located in the submerged ruins of the town, the doctor was not able to freely spirit her away in secret for closer study in his labs.

Instead, with the permission of the surviving residents of Morepesok, she was taken to the capitol by the Fatui as a special but proper patient - with her case eventually presented to the Tsaritsa, once a diagnosis of her clearly inhuman condition was determined and Resin was used to wake her up.

Of course, Tonia wasn't happy to learn what happened while she was essentially comatose - hearing that her hometown was nearly wiped off the map and her whole family's passing, on top of her other traumatic experiences with her brother and the Abyss... she nearly evoked every possible natural disaster at the same time from the sheer devastation of the news.

.

In light of this entire situation, the Tsaritsa thus took Tonia in as her own child - promising and reassuring Tonia that as an Archon, she would not be defeated or killed so easily, and thus never leave the girl alone.

That said, adopting Tonia does serve multiple purposes for the Tsaritsa. For example, this allows the Archon to keep a cautious eye on a girl with strange but immense powers. Additionally, Tonia will receive protection against other forces who may want to misuse and weaponize her, such as the Abyss Order. And - most importantly, it grants a new, loving family to a child in tragic need of it.

.

As a result of all of the above - Tonia is very emotionally dependent on the Tsaritsa, who she calls her Mother. Tonia also suffers from PTSD, anxiety, abandonment issues, and a mild fear of drowning.

In terms of personality - she is a quiet and soft-spoken girl with a rather caring heart. So caring in fact, that she may become a little to extremely willful and stubborn, if only in wanting the best for others, and especially those she loves.

Altogether, this makes her carry a faint air of naivety, but not innocence; her eyes remain a very dull blue even years later, as her memories of the Abyss and the traumatic experiences that followed will never leave her, and she's still more than capable in a fight - even if she's not on par to stronger people like her mother.

Due to having been raised as literal royalty with the consequent quality of education and tutoring, Tonia is fairly learned in multiple aspects. She has elegant etiquette, cultured knowledge of Snezhnaya and the world at large, and can handle the average conversation with diplomats and politicians. She's much more average with mathematics and the sciences however.

After the experience of being forced into a "petrified" state as a child, her hair is now wired to be a permanent gradient of brown to silvery-white, with the ends of her hair always being the latter. That said, if using her abilities to the fullest, all of her hair will turn white, and can still grow out into branches of Irminsul in extreme cases.

"Not as crucial and can be ignored if you want" Details:

Tonia carries around a plush toy gifted to her at all times. All. Times.

Her moniker/nickname is "Snowflower" - or "The Pure Flower of the First Snow" among the more flamboyant (and hobby-less) tabloids, as she is likened to a flower sprouting and blooming after overnight snowfall; lovely and kind, with no noticeable flaws or obvious complaints surrounding her, though her general quietness ensures she tends to be overlooked, much like any white flower would be against a backdrop of white snow.

.

There is a notable fraction of nobles in Snezhnaya's politics that tend to debate and encourage for Tonia to be acknowledged as the Tsaritsa's official heir - either for the throne of Snezhnaya or Archonhood or both. Of course, the reasoning is often not benign; there is a hope for political or financial benefit that may be reaped by associating and/or currying favor with Tonia on some level.

.

While Tonia isn't being trained as a successor, she is nonetheless assisting the Tsaritsa in a secretarial fashion (or rather, forced her way into the role, because she really really really wants to help :( and spend more time with her mother). Her primarily duties are clerical work and managing the palace staff - nothing more, because the Tsaritsa wants to keep her out of the political and militaristic side of things.

However, Tonia's affinity for the leylines allows her to gain information wherever - as a result, she's become her own one-man intelligence network independent of the Fatui, and has been sneakily adding her findings to her mother's reports where possible. Though she has to be inconspicuous about it, lest someone start questioning the source of said additional info.

That said, because of said intelligence work + occasionally sneaking looks at more confidential documents that Tonia isn't supposed to be reading, only organizing for her mother - she's gradually noticed the more morally grey to black activities that the Fatui commits and that the Tsaritsa technically stamps her approval on. Tonia has yet to raise the subject, since she dearly cares for her mother and understands what kind of person she is, but she is also a little uneasy and concerned because of it all.

[windsfavored]

MODERN  AU:  A  SUMMARY.  ... otherwise  known  as  the  verse  currently  taking  up  massive  amounts  of  my  brain  real  estate.

i've  always  liked  to  use  the  metaphor  that  irminsul  is  a  computer  —  or  really,  an  equivalent  of  wikipedia  where  the  information  currently  recorded  on  it  is  pages  is  reflected  in  the  memories  of  the  people  of  teyvat.  that  by  erasing  himself,  scaramouche  effectively  hacked  into  irminsul  and  deleted  his  page.  my  favorite  thing  about  coming  up  with  alternate  universes  for  muses  is  taking  what  foundation  canon  provides  us  and  seeing  how  i  can  translate  it  into  a  different  setting  —  so  for  the  purposes  of  modernverse,  ren  is  a  hacker.  specifically,  the  criminal  sort  (  black  hat,  no  pun  intended  )  specializing  in  identity  theft,  blackmail  and  so  on.  stealing  your  personal  information  and  selling  it  to  the  highest  bidder  —  and  that's  assuming  he  doesn't  have  an  ulterior  motive  to  extort  you  himself.  in  his  spare  time,  he  likes  to  code  ransomware,  make  programs  to  automate  sending  and  responding  to  spam  emails, etc etc.  (  passive  income.  )

his  upbringing  was  generally  quite  lonely.  his  mother  and  aunt  were  close  —  and  he  grew  up  close  with  his  cousin  in  turn,  but  the  majority  of  his  time  was  spent  being  left  largely  to  his  own  devices.  i  think  he  was  one  of  those  kids  who  were  raised  by  the  internet,  and  that's  generally  where  his  fascination  with  technology  first  began  to  take  root.  he  was  probably  the  sort  of  brat  who  would  hack  into  your  neopets  account  to  steal  all  of  your  neopoints  and  valuable  items.  relatively  innocent  crimes  in  the  grand  scheme  of  things,  but  it  certainly  compelled  him  to  begin  thinking  of  cybersecurity  in  a  very  particular  way  —  like  a  puzzle  he  could  solve  if  he  was  up  to  the  CHALLENGE.

around  the  same  time,  he  was  still  preoccupied  with  chasing  his  mother's  approval.  he  would  try  his  best  to  mold  himself  after  makoto  (  consciously  and  subconsciously  )  in  the  hopes  that  resembling  someone  he  knew  she  loved  would  compel  his  mother  to  love  him  as  a  result.  diligently  studying  dance,  growing  out  his  hair.  anything,  anything  to  win  her  validation.  it  didn't  work  —  ei  remained  as  distant  as  ever.  he never  understood  why  his  mother  always  kept  him  at  arm's  length,  but  the  older  he  grew,  the  less  he  could  stomach  it.

and  eventually,  he  reached  his  breaking  point.  dropping  dance,  cutting  his  hair  —  oh,  and  did  he  mention  he's  a  boy?  (  his  name  is  kunikuzushi.  )  shedding  the  proverbial  shackles  keeping  him  tethered  to  his  desperate  pursuit  of  ei's  approval,  kuni  delved  wholeheartedly  into  his  own  interests.  as  it  turned  out,  he  was  something  of  a  prodigy.  a  natural.  a  threat.  he  clung  to  his  talents  for  the  validation  he  wasn't  getting  at  home  —  they  made  him  feel  powerful,  important,  worth  something.  even  if  it  came  at  the  cost  of  taking  advantage  of  other  people.  that  was  just  the  way  this  world  worked,  wasn't  it?

he's  in  his  late  teens  when  aunt  makoto  dies  under  MYSTERIOUS  CIRCUMSTANCES.  his  entire  family  falls  apart,  unraveling  like  a  poorly  knit  sweater.  it's  not  too  long  after  that  kunikuzushi  receives  a  very  peculiar ...  job  offer,  so  to  speak.

the  fatui  are  a  dangerous  bunch.  though  they  maintain  a  relatively  cordial  public  image,  behind  the  scenes  they  are  downright  vicious  in  their  bids  for  power.  it's  a  very  poorly  kept  secret;  everyone  knows  they  have  ill  intentions  —  yet  no  one  can  seem  to  pin  their  criminal  activities  on  them  in  such  a  way  that  they  might  be  held  accountable.  kunikuzushi  quicky  becomes  an  invaluable  asset.  his  particular  skillset  allows  them  to  point  him  in  the  direction  of  any  prospective  threats  and  dig  up  any  information  that  could  potentially  be  used  as  blackmail.  sometimes  it's  simple;  evidence  of  infidelity,  skeletons  in  the  closet.  however,  not  everyone  kuni  targets  dabbles  in  sordid  affairs  behind  closed  doors  —  and  for  those  unfortunate  souls,  he  needs  to  get  a  little  more  creative.  cracking  into  bank  accounts,  collecting  social  security  numbers  and  other  pieces  of  personal  information.  if  all  else  fails,  he  isn't  opposed  to  deliberately  planting  evidence  the  fatui  can  threaten  to  leak.  he  viciously  ruins  countless  lives  over  the  next  few  years  —  but  he  doesn't  care,  because  he  feels  useful  and  powerful.  more  than  he  ever  has  before.

it  all  comes  crumbling  down  when  an  anonymous  message  nudges  him  to  look  into  his  employers.  that  they  aren't  being  entirely  HONEST  with  him.  kuni  regards  it  with  skepticism  at  first,  but  eventually  decides  to  humor  it  —  and  what  he  does  discover  changes  everything.

the  fatui  are  responsible  for  makoto's  death.

the  fatui  are  responsible  for  makoto's  death ...  and  they've  been  playing  him  for  a  FOOL  this  entire  time.

considering  the  hole  he's  dug  himself  into,  kunikuzushi  knows  he  can't  simply  quit.  even  if  he  were  to  run  away,  the  fatui  could  simply  target  his  family  members  out  of  spite  —  and  though  his  relationship  with  his  mother  is  rocky,  kaminari  is  someone  he  genuinely  cares  about  who  doesn't  deserve  to  be  dragged  down  by  his  stupid  mistakes.

so  kuni  decides  to  erase  himself.  he  fakes  his  own  death  —  an  electrical  fire  in  his  wire-filled  apartment.  a  corpse  too  burnt  to  retain  any  recognizable  details.  fortunately,  an  anonymous  tip  stops  the  flame  from  spreading  before  any  other  lives  are  claimed  by  the  blaze  —  but  kunikuzushi  is  declared  dead,  and  life  goes  on.

until  six  months  later,  when  a  familiar  face  shows  up  on  kaminari's  doorstep ...  calling  himself  ren.

[kaehdeh]

tonight and tomorrow i'm going to working on a fatui specific icon border. i have added the fatui info to the verses page on the carrd.

[mmriesoftvat]

Verses I had for Chongyun before I moved him here. bonus: characters who also fall under these verses + more.

YAKSHA: chongyun is actually binarius, the missing cryo yaksha. sealed away by rex lapis in a moment of terror when all the other yaksha were falling apart/dying. the seals in place kept binarius alive, his power dormant. but it removed all his memories of being a yaksha. thousands of years later, the seals are breaking, and chongyun, is remembering his life as a yaksha. and doesn't know if he's chongyun or binarius anymore, or some mix of both. bonus: illuminated form is a huli jing, or a nine tailed fox.

ADEPTUS: chongyun took the trials to become an adeptus, a feet that hadn't happened in a long long time. with his own abode underneath mt aocang, chongyun's able to become an arctic fox. this verse is a little character specific. adopted officially by lapidex's rex lapis.

FATUI: chongyun went poking their nose into trouble because they thought the fatui would have some mystical magical cure for their yang energy. chongyun fell down a rabbit hole of lies and conspiracy and became one of them himself. now he's a fatuus with a code name (caesor) and takes orders from the harbingers. angsty verse, because chongyun is so completely dead inside and has lost all hope.

ABYSS: you thought chongyun is human? guess again. chongyun is actually a reincarnated bathysmal vishap who wants to go home. liyue is not home, they don't actually know where home is, aside from a strong desire to go back to inazuma. there's also that weird, bizarre sensation that the abyss order has things right, why are we fighting them?

SUMERU: nothing crazy, but chongyun moved to sumeru to pester their favorite people. cyno, tighnari, and more! lighthearted shenanigans afoot, including mysterious prank billboard notices. who'd ever suspect the innocent looking claymore user with the popsicle?

POPSTAR: chongyun is a heavily famous solo cpop artist. while chongyun loves the stage, loves to dance and sing, they also love their downtime, which includes lots of snacks and naps. wild on the stage, quiet in person. also, chongyun loves to collab with other artists. inspired by chongyun's drummer skin.

YANG DRUNK: just when the yang energy takes control, and chongyun is more unhinged/wild. chongyun tends to be more blunt and wild, gives zero shits about anything. though doesn't attack his friends, he's still slightly more ruthless. and he does remember his episodes when he comes out of it later on. much remorse is to be had.

MODERN: chongyun is a popular ghost hunter youtuber/streamer. ghosts are real, and he enjoys the spooks and delivering them to eager fans.

KAMI VERSION: kaminari works at a library and loves his job. he's a huge bookworm, and has recently started his own online career where he reviews books. turns out, people love that.

HSR: part of the xianzhou Alliance, divination section, chongyun prefers to stay behind the scenes and play video games. They take their job seriously of course, and help out if/when needed.

KAMI VERSION: kami is a hacker who's just as good as silver wolf. he found himself leaning toward kafka's ideals and sees her as the closest thing to an ally there is. there aren't many other options for a puppet on the run, especially when he's got encryptic information inside of him. at least the members of the express crew aren't bad.

SCI FI: part of a mysterious group known as ‘the exorcists’, codename demonbane is exceptionally skilled at tracking ‘ghosts’ or anyone who tries to hack/cause mayhem online. chongyun is the best there is and everyone knows his codename, but no one knows him. he likes it that way. to be changed with plotting.

TWINS: any verse where there are twins. chongyun/jiyu, kami/ren, kami/uzumaki, etc. if they are twins aus, they will be tagged here.

OTHER VERSES:

KHAENRI'AH: albedo centric. takes place back in khaenri'ah days. can also include events and characters that also happened around that time period, give or take a couple hundred years.

[stxrsfxte]

I'm having Alya thoughts (again) but. I think I might just merge their Of Mavuika AU with their main verse cause honestly, it would really change much aside from the inciting incident when they get rescued by the Fatui happened a few years earlier (probably at age like, 8, instead of 12), and either their delusion being a cryo one OR they'd have two delusions, 1 cryo and 1 electro.

The main difference that I think could happen would be; if they are Mavuika's child, then their "parents" who burned to death would probably be more like guardians or adoptive parents, due to Mavuika potentially wanting to keep Alya out of the spotlight cause of their bloodline.

Which ... I think could honestly be really fun (haunting) and neat (painful) for Alya specifically

[abysshearted]

there's the urge to write my abyss and fatui verses but they're so specific, not as specific as the god damn khaenri'ah verse but it's still specific

[daybreakrising]

MENOGIAS - CURRENT TIMELINE VERSE

I AM THE ONE WHO LOST CONTROL

Menogias wakes at the base of Mt. Hulao, unaware of the time that has passed since his demise at the hands of Bonanus. He doesn't remember falling to karmic debt; doesn't recall turning against his sibling and subsequently perishing for it. He has but a few snatches of memory that make no sense to him: screams of agony; Bonanus' face twisted with rage.

Through his connection with the earth, he learns that thousands of years have now passed since the Archon War. Understandably shaken by this, he lingers within Mt. Hulao for a time whilst he adjusts to this revelation - and then, strengthened and curious, he ventures out into the rest of Liyue. He wishes to learn of this new world he has found himself in, but more importantly, he seeks to know why he has been gone for so long, and what brought him back (though he is still unaware he died).

Important notes:

The exact means of his revival are as yet unclear. After his death, Morax buried Menogias' "crystal heart" beneath Mt. Hulao, the mountain becoming his tomb. At some point, this crystal heart was recovered and, presumably, somehow used to bring him back. Whilst this bears the mark of a Fatui operation, who knows for sure?***

Timeline wise, Menogias is revived sometime between the Perilous Trail interlude & the midpoint of the Sumeru AQ. He doesn't leave Mt. Hulao until after the start of the Fontaine AQ, where he first settles himself in Huaguang Stone Forest.

In this verse, Menogias is not aware that any of his yaksha siblings are dead. As far as he knows, he has simply been asleep under a mountain for an undetermined amount of time. He cannot sense them nearby (except, perhaps, for Xiao), and presumes they, too, are in some sort of sleep state.

Menogias can sense emotion and memory from the earth, similar to how Neuvillette can feel everything through Fontaine's water. It is not so easy to sift through mountains (pun intended) of memory and emotion, however, so he has only bare bones knowledge of the world since his death.

As per this theory, and links to the etymology of his name / title, some elements of Menogias will be based on the mythological figure of Sun Wukong (buried beneath a mountain, for example). Menogias is also a polearm user for this same reason.

In connection with the expanded theory talked about in the above link, I do have a specific verse exploring a connection between Menogias and Il Capitano - as the theory is a bit of a stretch at present, this verse will be considered purely AU unless it is somehow confirmed one day. In his main verse, Menogias' only connection to the Fatui is the possibility that they were behind his revival.

***By default, details of his revival will remain a mystery. In any specific threads with Fatui aligned characters, this can be explored and confirmed/denied as required.

[amemoire]

Vale Can't Shut Up About Scara Pt. 1

I just want to talk about my boy and you all are the unfortunate bystanders.

Whether its in main verse or aus, I think Scara has a lot of skills and talents. It comes as no surprise in main seeing as he's had centuries to pick up and perfect any number of skills, so naturally he'll have the most there. But a lot of things will end up carrying over, so I'll try to talk about these across however many posts I make on the matter. This one is mostly going to address things related to COMBAT.

No surprise he's good a fighting— he was a Harbinger. But more than that, he was specifically given the title of Scaramouche, " little skirmisher ". We know that these titles are only given to those found suitable of them. When there is no one alive that fits the title, the seat will be left empty indefinitely. As the one found worthy of essentially being called THE skirmisher, Scara is highly skilled when it comes to combat. This is something that would have been widespread knowledge pre-Irminsul erasure. It struck immense fear into other Fatui operatives as well as the general public of Snezhnaya. People knew of the Balladeer— they knew him as someone you didn't want to cross paths with, but more on his previous reputation another time. He excels in hand-to-hand combat and actually prefers when things are PERSONAL this way. He doesn't mind using a weapon, but there's a special delight to be had when his body itself is the weapon. There's also a twisted satisfaction in dealing both death and injury with his own hands.

Apart from this, he is well-trained with just about anything under the sun, but does have his preference of the sword and polearm over all the rest. ( Totally didn't mean to match him with Ei like that ). The sword was the first weapon he received any training with and he's honed this skill his whole life, largely practicing iaido but familiar with other forms as well. Meanwhile the polearm is the next option that allows him to maintain both SPEED and MOBILITY. These two things are essential to his fighting style as he doesn't like to drag matters out for too long— centering his techniques around a quick and clean defeat. The bow is likely his least used weapon given how impersonal it is as a primarily long-ranged weapon.

As far as catalysts go, he doesn't actually use one. Similar to how realistically both Heizou and Wriothesley also wouldn't have one. ( Honestly, I feel like this could be the case for many if not all catalyst users because they appear to wield elements in raw form rather than infusing it into something else ). Apart from how we don't see a catalyst in cutscenes compared to other characters that wield swords, bows, polearms, etc. it just doesn't suit the way he fights. He harnesses the wind to literally tear his opponents apart and throws his whole body into it. It's violent and fast and outside of gameplay, we see that he is still very much getting physical throughout. He's utilizing his surroundings, using his own body for a shield, getting in close, taking the weapons of his opponents, and even grabbing and throwing them from high altitudes. Simply put, there's NO ROOM for a catalyst to actually be there.

He doesn't typically ' play with his food ' and is more about packing a lot of strength into a few exchanges or finding an opening for a single decisive strike. As I stated earlier, he aims for the quick and clean. The only time he'll make things messy and wicked is when he's in a particular mood. ( And THOSE are the fights that he was known for in the Fatui ). These instances were known to be bloody with death coming before one could even blink. All hands and uncontrolled electricity ripping through those unfortunate enough to be labelled an enemy.

Another important thing of note is how he's also one of the few characters we know to have journeyed into and returned from the Abyss. And he didn't go just once or twice, it was several times over the span of an undisclosed amount of time. All that we know at present is that he was gone for a LONG while. So putting that into perspective— this means he went up against monsters that were strong enough to render him in need of repairs and enhancements, came back for that, then went back to the Abyss only to encounter even stronger opponents, thus falling into this loop until he completed the expedition. We can infer that he was able to improve and refine his skill rather quickly this way. It may not be Ei's 500 year long battle against herself, but by no means was it any less dire. If he couldn't continually improve then he would've been destroyed. And I do headcanon that the time he spent in the Abyss was equivalent to SEVERAL years.

I do think he has fun when he's fighting. Not in the same way that Childe does, but I do think they have a few things in common. He's just about always needing to hold back but finds that fighting is a good way to let off a little steam. He'll indulge in some of his violent tendencies and laugh at those who actually thought they stood a chance against him— because they NEVER did.

[voidfragments]

been tossing around thoughts about owl's genshin verse for a while, specifically re: his prosthetics bc they're different there than in all his other verses

the main thing i'm thinking about is like.. okay. hi3 is very scifi. his hsr and fate verses are just extensions of that. so he's almost 3/4ths cybernetic. cool! but that doesn't translate 1:1 to genshin--while genshin certainly doesn't shy away from magitech, it's just not really the same, y'know? from a functional and aesthetic standpoint. in particular, as far as i know/remember, there hasn't... been any canon examples of prosthetics period in genshin yet? (correct me if i'm wrong)

genshin!tianwu's prosthetics come from experimentation within the fatui, meaning they're likely either dottore's work directly or, at the very least, strongly influenced by him. and we know dottore takes a lot of inspiration from scaramouche's construction... but he's also really into khaenri'an tech...

basically, i've got two directions i could take here:

puppet style: mostly natural-looking, except for visible ball joints in certain places. powered by & good at channeling elemental energy. could do some fun details with light placement a la kuni's leds.

ruin style: robotic appearance, possibly incorporating white branches like you see sticking out of ruin guards? not elementally aligned, probably incorporates some physical weaponry. tbh suits owl's original aesthetics better.

in either case his prosthetics are a lot less extensive than in canon--maybe around 50% tops, mostly centered around extremities & generally avoiding internal organs.