#Ploys R' Us

[runawaycarouselhorse]

They went too extreme in teaching the girls a lesson, oh my God.

Basically, the girls took advantage of the Professor's sleepwalking by suggesting to him to steal toys for them, since he's ~not culpable~ it's not reaaaaally a crime he can be convicted of...

So they faked this to scare the girls straight and scare them away from a life of crime. It's way too extreme, but I guess they felt it necessary since they were acting like little criminal masterminds and getting greedy... imagine they turned into manipulative little supervillains if nobody put a stop to this!

The Professor even paid for all those toys when he realized, so they could keep them, but they never confessed, so... a really scary lesson followed.

[links-in-time]

Fair Weather Fellows

@torpetavantas asked for a fic where Legend and Twilight' hair changes colour, due to their animal forms and cold weather.

This fic allowed me to explore their relationship a little bit more, as they're a pairing I don't see very often. So thanks for the suggestion, I hope you enjoy this little tail.

❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️

“Any luck?” Legend asked, trying to stop his teeth from chattering as he looked up. 

Twilight gave his head a forlorn shake as he came closer. Snow dusted his black pelt and had started to soak into his hair, which he tried to shake out. 

“None, this blizzard is too thick and after that mess of a battle the others could have spread out anywhere over this mountain,” Twilight sighed, hands on his hips. 

Legend's shoulders dropped and he held his fire rod that bit tighter. At the moment it was their only source of heat among the pine trees providing what little shelter they could. However, Legend could feel it drawing on his magic reserves and they wouldn't be able to rely on it for much longer. 

Twilight stared around at the sheet of white surrounding their little hollow. His keen eyes scanning for any sign of movement or shelter. But he was faced only by a wall of white. Even the mountain peak which had been visible earlier, had completely disappeared. 

“We can't stay here Lege, we need to find some shelter. I can survive the cold for a while, but I'm not sure you're so well equipped,” Twilight indicated Legend's bare legs. 

“If this is a ploy to get me to wear trousers, it's not going to work,” Legend grinned playfully. “But you're right, if we sit out in this storm much longer we'll both be in trouble. Don't suppose you have any idea which era we're in?”

“Not a clue. Those monsters were a mixed bag so no indicators there, we'll just have to hope we stumble across some civilisation at some point.” 

“So we just wander around in the snow hoping to find some shelter? Sounds like a good way to get us killed!” 

Twilight shot Legend an exasperated look as he pulled his fur cloak from his shoulders. He tossed it to Legend, who caught it with fumbling fingers. 

“Don't you need it?” Legend asked, already feeling the second hand warmth radiating from the dark fluff. 

“I've got another one,” Twilight replied with a crooked smile, before a shower of jet crystals surrounded the hero. 

Twilight shook out his coat and the aches of his transformation before padding towards Legend. The wolf gave a soft boof then turned to look over his shoulder. 

“You want me to get on?” Legend asked, uncertain about this arrangement. 

He was still a little uncomfortable about the fact that Wolfie was his brother Twilight. Legend had been less welcoming of Wild's wolf companion than the others in the first place. His borrowed instincts telling him to stay away from large predators. Then after the revelation that Twilight had been the wolf the whole time, Legend was dubious about the dark magic surrounding his crystal. 

Needless to say, Legend didn't find the idea of riding the wolf particularly appealing. However, the thought of trudging through deep snow with bare legs was even less so. With a sigh, Legend threw Twilight's cloak around his shoulders and put away his fire rod. In a few hops he managed to climb up onto the wolf’s back. 

Twilight only waited a moment to make sure Legend had a good enough grip on his fur before he was off. With his heightened senses the mountain came alive with scents and sights invisible to his Hylian eyes. There were deer trails and bear signs, but very few recent tracks. The constant snow having covered them up. 

Legend of course saw none of this. He decided to hold onto Wolfie for dear life and bury his face in Twi's fur. The rocking motion of Twilight's strides was uncomfortable and verging on nauseating. Legend was reminded of the feeling he got when he used the tornado rod, jostled about at something else's whim. He just hoped Twilight would find them some shelter sooner rather than later. 

***

“I think this is a good spot,” Legend shouted over the rushing wind. 

He emerged from the narrow cave to find Wolfie still on guard by the entrance, but he turned his head when Legend approached. 

“We can pack snow around the entrance to make it smaller and stop the wind getting in, but it will do for now to get us out of the elements. Are you going to…?” Legend's question trailed away as Twilight answered it. 

As he turned around, Legend watched the last shadow crystals fading away as Twilight stood up on two legs. 

“Why do you stare like that?” Twi asked. “You have an animal form too, is mine so odd to you?” 

“It's not that, look, don't worry about it. Let's just get inside and get a fire going.” Legend dodged Twilight's question and turned back towards the cave. 

Troubled by his companions' behavior, Twilight followed Legend at a distance, making sure not to crowd the smaller hero in the narrow cave. They quickly set about making a campfire and worked together to block up the entrance to the cave with hard packed snow. 

“My hands are freezing!” Legend shuddered, holding them close over the flickering flames. 

“You want some spare clothes?” Twilight offered. 

“I've got a blanket,” Legend replied stiffly. “We should probably take it in turns to sleep, make sure we aren't found by monsters or wolfos.”

“Agreed. Rock leaf blade to see who goes first?” 

Legend sighed, they often settled small decisions like this with the children's game. 

“Okay, on three, and no best of three like Wind plays it either.” 

“Alright, one, two, three.”

The two boys slapped their fists against their palms in time with the count until Twilight reached three. Legend kept his hand curled into a fist, while Twilight held out two fingers. 

“Rock beats sword, you're taking the first watch,” Legend announced, with a satisfied wiggle. 

“Fine, get some sleep, Lege, I'll wake you in a few hours.”

Legend was more than happy to oblige as he wrapped himself up in his thickest blanket, making sure to tuck in all his limbs. Laid down on his bedroll, as close to the fire as possible, Legend closed his eyes and willed for sleep to claim him quickly. Meanwhile, Twilight gently touched the crystal hanging from his neck and shifted back into wolf form. The now familiar ache and pain of his transformation exacerbated by the frigid cold. Shaking his shaggy fur to fluff himself up, Twilight padded over to the entrance to their little sanctuary and sat down to peer out at the cold world beyond. 

***

It had been mid afternoon when the Chain had been split up. Twilight gave Legend until what he deemed midnight before he decided to wake him for his turn on watch. Wrinkling his nose and letting out a long yawn, Twilight rose and walked back towards the fire. Though his thick fur kept him nice and warm in such conditions, the heat of the fire was extremely welcoming to his extremities. 

Twilight started to focus his thoughts into transforming back into his Hylian form, deciding Legend wouldn't appreciate being woken by a giant wolf in a strange cave. However, when he saw Legend shivering on the ground, he hesitated. 

The slender teen had done his best to wrap himself up snug and tight, but clearly one blanket and a dwindling fire wasn't enough. Legend's teeth chartered and his eyelids flickered every now and then. With his blanket pulled all the way up to his nose his boots stuck out at the other end. Clearly he was uncomfortable and cold, but Twilight wasn't sure what the best thing to do would be. 

He didn't want to wake Legend only for him to have to sit and shiver through the night on watch. The Captain would probably berate them both for not setting a watch, but the Captain wasn't there. Legend was cold and exhausted and Twilight could only do so much. 

Deciding to lend his own body heat to the problem, Twilight curled himself around Legend's back. He just prayed he wouldn't give the vet a heart attack when he woke up. 

***

“Mnn,” Legend moaned, as he drifted back into the realm of consciousness. 

As soon as he realised he was awake however, he decided he wanted to go back to sleep. His body tingled with warmth and comfort, something this adventure had been sorely lacking. The last time he remembered feeling this cosy, he had been sitting beside his fiancé in front of a roaring fire, a cup of his favorite tea warming his hands. 

Right now however, despite his desire to drift back to sleep, Legend was curious to know why he was so warm. And why Twilight had apparently neglected to wake him for his watch. Legend focused his eyes a little better and found the campfire was close to burning itself out. Only a few smoldering coals remained from the branches and sticks he had piled on before going to sleep. 

Alarmed that their heat source was about to go out, Legend rolled free of his blanket and quickly stacked some small sticks on top of the embers to bring the fire back to life. 

“What gives Rancher?! You almost let the fire go out!” Legend began to reprimand his companion, as he turned around. “What the…!” 

Legend fell back onto his hand as Wolfie’s sleeping form met his gaze. The dark creature opened its jaws unnaturally wide as it yawned and clicked its tongue. Twilight looked around bleerily at the sudden exclamation, his eyes quickly finding Legend staring back at him. Though the Vet was alarmingly close to the fire and Twi was concerned he might fall backwards and hurt himself. 

“Woo,” Twilight mewled softly, nodding at the fire then Legend. 

“You nearly scared me half to death!” Legend replied. “Why are you Wolfie?”

In his current form Twilight could understand his brothers well enough, but was unable to speak back to them. After considering for a moment, he shifted, instantly feeling the chill of the cave as his fur disappeared. 

“Sorry Lege, I was going to wake you in the night, but you were so cold I was afraid you might freeze to death if I didn't keep us both warm. I'm sorry I frightened you.”

“You should have woken me up Rancher, I would have been just fine. I've dealt with the cold plenty of times. You don't have to fuss over me like I'm a child.”

“I wasn't fussing, I was just worried,” Twilight insisted, pushing himself to his feet. 

“Well you can save your worry for someone who needs it. I need to go take a leak.” Legend brushed himself off as he stood and walked towards the mouth of the cave. 

Twilight was about to warn Legend that it was still frigid and dangerous outside, but given the Vet’s prickly nature this morning, he decided against it. 

***

“No sign of anyone?” Legend asked, as Twilight squeezed himself back through the cave mouth. 

“None. Wherever we are it's not a well trodden area. There's no sign of the rest of the boys either. Looks like we're stuck up here until the weather clears up,” Twilight sighed, shrugging snow from his shoulders and shaking it from his hair. 

“Hmm, the news just keeps getting better!” Legend scoffed. “You've still got snow in your hair by the way.”

Twilight ran his hands through his hair once more, but he couldn't feel any more snowflakes clinging to his locks. Maybe Legend was just messing with him. After being trapped on the icy mountain for over a week, they were both beginning to get cabin fever. 

“What's for supper?” Twilight asked, pulling off his wet cloak and picking up a blanket instead. 

“I'll give you three guesses!” Legend said in a tired voice, as he poked at the pot over the fire. 

“Mmm, ration stew, my favorite!” Twilight replied in an exaggerated faux excitement. 

Rations had been Warriors’ idea. Each time they were able to stock up on supplies, each of the boys took enough to last them a few days on their own in the wilderness, in case they got separated. Legend and Twilight had estimated their joint supplies would last them another week or so at their current rate. After that, they would either have to hope the seemingly endless storm would finally blow over, or they could at least hunt some food. 

As Twilight plonked himself on the ground beside the fire and rubbed his hands over the flames, Legend's hair caught his eye. 

“You been outside while I was gone?” He asked. 

“Huh?” Legend looked up from the stew. 

“Your hair,” Twilight said, pointing at Legend's lop-sided fringe. “The pink bits are all white, like it's got frost on it or something.”

“What are you talking about? I haven't been out…” Legend frowned, putting down his spoon to examine his hair. 

As he lifted the lock to his face however, he stopped short. Twilight wasn't exaggerating. At least six inches of Legend's hair had turned a brilliant white. Definitely the hair itself, not frost touched as Twilight had suggested. 

“Huh, that's probably concerning, right?” 

“I don't know, I always thought the pink was pretty strange to be fair,” Twilight shrugged unhelpfully. Not that he could think of anything else to say. 

“Well whatever it is, you've got it too. And weren't the marks on your face black before?” 

“What?!”

Legend rummaged in his pack and pulled out a small hand mirror which he tossed towards Twilight. Catching the small disk and holding it up to his face, Twilight's brow creased as his eyes widened. Large strands of his dark blond hair had turned white, just as Legend's had. Alarmingly the Vet was right about the mark on his forehead and cheek bones too. The Twili eye, a mark of his cursed form, had changed from charcoal gray to brightest white. 

“Fuck!” Twilight exclaimed, holding the mirror closer to his face to get a better look. 

“Something in this area must be affecting us somehow,” Legend said sagely. 

“D’you think…” Twilight trailed off, his mind racing. “Hang on a second.”

Before Legend could object, Twilight grabbed his crystal and shifted. As the shards of twilight faded around the wolf, Legend raised an eyebrow. 

“Well, that's interesting. Um, Twilight, you're going white.” Legend said tentatively. 

Twilight frowned and lifted a paw to inspect his fur. Just as Legend said, the dark gray colour had faded away to an almost pure white. Though there were still dark patches, Twilight's pelt was definitely in the process of changing colour. Concerned eyes met Legend's as Twilight lifted his head and let out a soft whine. 

“I don't think it's something we need to worry about. Unless it's permanent of course,” Legend sighed, still fiddling with his own hair. 

As his gaze drifted from Twilight back to himself a thought began to form. A possible explanation to what was happening to them. Legend sighed deeply. 

“Can… can you transform me while you're like that? Or do I have to touch the crystal?”

Twilight did his best approximation of a shrug while he tilted his head to one side. 

“I'm gonna take that as an ‘I have no idea’!” Legend chuckled, uncrossing his legs as he pushed himself up. “Let me try something.”

Twilight padded forwards and Legend held out a hand, which he softly placed on Twilight's forehead. Right over the now black mark on his head. Twi's fur was warm beneath Legend's fingers, and though instinct tugged at his insides that this was a predator, Legend fought to keep his focus. 

Legend wasn't sure what he was doing, but he had an idea. Reaching out with his own magical awareness, he searched for the Twili magic that had transformed his brother. It was difficult to distinguish between Twilight's own innate magic and the power of the Twili crystal. They seemed so intertwined and integral to one another. 

In that moment of connection, Legend finally understood why Twilight coveted the crystal and the power it bestowed upon him. Their ranch hand often spoke of the Twilight Princess he had fallen for, without being able to declare his love. Since the crystal was his only remaining connection to the Twilight Realm, there was no wonder he enjoyed being in his wolf form so much. 

When Legend opened his eyes Twilight loomed over him as though he had grown twice his size. Looking down of course it wasn't Twilight who had grown, but Legend who had shrunk. 

“Huh, he looks a bit like candy floss!” Twilight thought to himself. 

Legend suddenly froze, an action which had nothing to do with instincts or the cold. Slowly, he turned his head to stare at the wolf standing beside him. 

“Did you just…? Did I just… hear you speak?” He uttered, voice almost stuck in his throat. 

“Wait? You can understand me like this?!” Twilight exclaimed, excitement evident in his voice as he lowered his head. 

“Um, yeah, I can understand you perfectly. Your voice is a bit deeper like this, but you still sound like yourself Twi.” Legend replied 

“Wow, the only person I've ever been able to talk to in this form was, Midna,” Twilight still sounded thrilled, but his tone changed as he said Midna’s name. 

“No one else understands you like this?” Legend frowned, which in his current form Twilight thought was adorable. 

“Well I've always been able to talk to other animals, maybe that's why you can hear me? Maybe it's an animal thing more than a crystal thing?”

“Perhaps. Wait, did you say I looked like cotton candy?!” Legend suddenly exclaimed, crossing his tiny forelegs.

“Yes, sorry. I didn't know you would hear that.” Twilight replied sheepishly. 

Feeling a little more relaxed, Twilight sat back on his hind legs, his tail wagging softly behind him. 

“Right. So, your markings have almost completely reversed,” Legend mused, taking a few steps forwards. “The bits that were dark are now going white and the white bits are sort of gray.”

“Really?” 

Twilight tried to look back on himself to get a look at his coat, but one thing he had always found as a wolf was that he could hardly see his own form. Realising Twilight's struggle, Legend picked up the mirror off the ground and held it up. In his tiny fury paws the mirror felt huge, covering his entire head. 

“Wow, I look… Really different,” Twilight uttered, as he observed what he could see of himself in the tiny mirror. “I hardly recognise myself!”

“You still look like a big dumb beast to me!” Legend scoffed. 

“And you really do look like candy floss! Especially that fluffy little tail of yours, all pink and white swirls.” Twilight teased, baring his teeth. “I could just eat you all up, probably wouldn't take more than a few bites.”

Enjoying his game, Twilight began to stalk towards the pale rabbit. Mischief and hunger in his eyes. He lowered his body to the ground as though about to pounce. 

“Perhaps I'll have a candy rabbit for supper instead of rations tonight?”

Legend's heart beat was racing. He could feel it pounding against his small rib cage. His nose twitched, taking in every scent emanating from Twilight. But curse his rabbit's heart for making it impossible to figure out what to do. His eyes darted left and right, searching for escape. 

Twilight shifted in his peripheral vision and Legend panicked. He turned on the spot and dove beneath the blankets in an attempt at hiding. Burying himself so completely that Twilight lost sight of him. 

“Vet?!” Twilight huffed a laugh. “Legend? Hey, are you okay? I'm sorry if I scared you. I just wanted to have some fun.” 

No response came from the pile of blankets, save for a faint shivering. Twilight let out a deflated sigh, perhaps he had taken his joke too far. After all, Legend had been cautious of Twilight in his wolf form when he was a Hylian. Only Spirits knew how he felt about Twi in his rabbit shape. 

Twilight dropped down to the ground, pressing his chin against the floor of the cave. He puffed out a breath through his nose before nudging the lump under the blankets. 

“Legend,” said Twilight in his softest voice. “I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. Well, maybe I did a little bit. I guess my instincts in this form are pretty strong. But I really don't want you to be scared of me. You're my brother and I only want you to be happy, I don't want you to think of me as a big scary monster. So please come out and talk to me.”

It took several minutes for the blankets to stir. Twilight waited patiently as two white ears appeared on the other side of the bed roll, followed by a pair of violet eyes and a tiny black nose. Legend's eyes were still wide and wary, and they never left Twilight as he emerged from the safety of his cover. 

“For a minute there, I really thought you were going to hurt me,” Legend breathed. His heart still racing as he struggled to calm his breath. 

“I would never hurt you, Legend, I was being stupid. I'm so sorry I scared you. Please believe I would never wish you harm, no matter how I look.” Twilight insisted, a shard of ice forming in his heart at the stare which Legend fixed on him. 

“I… I know you wouldn't hurt me. I do. It's just, when I'm in this form, it's like I can't control my instincts. I hate being a rabbit. It makes me feel weak and vulnerable. Can't believe you got turned into a wolf.”

Legend crossed his forelegs again and turned away. His left ear twitched in frustration and Twilight could sense Legend's emotions coming off of him in waves. 

Great, as if he didn't feel guilty already. 

“Lege, I… I don't know why our forms are so different. But you are definitely selling yourself short. You should see just how fast you can run, it's impressive. I can only run fast for a short time before I get exhausted. And it's clear your senses are far stronger than mine. You keep twitching your ear like you're listening to something. I'm guessing you're listening to the storm outside?”

“It's loud and annoying, kinda like you,” Legend scoffed. 

“In any case, you shouldn't compare yourself to me. You've done and seen so much Lege, I had one adventure and I had so much help doing everything. Without Midna I never would have succeeded in saving Zelda and the Twilight Realm. Without this form and her power, I never would have made it. 

         But you, you've been on so many quests I've lost count of all the stories you've told us. Even if you were weak and vulnerable, which you are not, surely being a hero of courage means overcoming those obstacles. Which you have done ten times more than the rest of us.”

“Hmm, I guess you have a point. Courage not being the absence of fear and all that.”

Legend paused and sighed. The fire was dying again. During their shenanigans they had both neglected to keep it going. Even through his fur Legend could feel the air in the cave steadily growing cooler. 

“We should change back and get the fire going again.”

“Um, about changing back.” Twilight said slowly. 

“Urgh, I totally forgot about that. Don't suppose you've come across any moon pearls since the last time I was like this?” Legend groaned, squeezing his eyes shut as he tapped his foot on the floor. 

“No, sorry. I should have said something earlier, but I forgot you can't change back on your own. But since we're kind of warmer like this anyway, I'll stay like this until we can get out of here.” Twilight insisted, sitting up again and giving his head a firm nod. 

“You sure?” 

“Positive, I like being Wolfie. And I have no idea if this colour change thing will ever happen again. I kinda like it.”

“Its probably because of the weather,” Legend sighed. 

As he spoke he began pulling the blankets into more of a pile together. Twilight stood up and joined him, lending his teeth to the effort. Teeth which Legend found he no longer flinched at the sight of. 

“Wha do ou mean t wever?” Twilight asked with a mouthful of blankets. 

“In my time there are hares that live on the snowy peaks. During the summer when there's less snow on the ground, their coats are brown to disguise themselves. But in the winter when it gets colder, their fur changes to white so they can blend in with the snow cover.”

“Thats really clever. Goats do something similar by shedding their thicker wool during the summer. But I've never known of a colour changing creature before. That's so cool.”

“Yeah, well, looks like we are now thanks to these forms,” Legend sighed un-enthusiatically. 

He plonked himself down on the edge of the blankets beside the fire and picked up a few sticks to throw onto the pile. A few sparks flew up but the fire barely changed. Twilight decided to help and picked up a larger branch in his teeth, adding it carefully to the fire. With the extra fuel the flames began to grow once more, adding a little more warmth to their little haven. 

“I know I've said your rabbit form is cute, but it's also pretty cool. You know I like animals, and having a brother who can turn into one is pretty great.”

Twilight stared at the fire for a moment, the orange light dancing in his dark blue eyes. Legend watched Twilight. No longer petrified of the blue eyed beast, instead finding his presence comforting. 

“I always saw it as more of a curse. But seeing how you use yours to your advantage, how you thrive in your wolf form, makes me think maybe I was wrong.”

“How long do you think we'll be stuck on this mountain?” Twi asked, shifting the conversation in a new direction. 

“Who knows? Nayru can be a stubborn bitch, maybe she'll keep this storm up for another month!” Legend exclaimed, tucking his legs under his body as he tried to stay warm. 

“Well, if we are stuck up here for another month, we'll work together to survive. Right?” 

“Yeah Twi, a white rabbit and a white wolf, alone in the wilderness!” Legend chucked, though the idea warmed his heart. 

Perhaps being stuck in his rabbit body wouldn't be so terrible this time. 

***

“Guys! I think I found them!” Wild's voice echoed off the surrounding trees. 

Twilight quickly shook off the drowsiness of sleep and was instantly alert. Legend, who was snuggled up between Twilight's legs, was slower to react. 

“Hey guys, we found you at last. Are you both okay?” Wild continued to talk as he forced his way into the small cave. 

“Ah shit!” Legend exclaimed when he realised who was talking, and what he looked like. 

“It's alright, they'll be fine about it, I'll make sure of it,” Twilight assured him, as he slowly pushed himself up onto four legs, careful not to jostle Legend too much. 

Twilight shifted back into Hylian form and asked Wild if Sky was with him. Unfortunately Sky was with another search party and Wild only had Four and Time with him. With a sigh, Legend allowed Twilight to pick him up and carry him from the cave. 

“Whoa Twi, what happened to your hair?!” Four remarked, unable to keep himself from pointing. 

Twilight could guess what he looked like, his usually shaggy hair as white as the surrounding snow. It had been a boon for him while he'd been out hunting for boar. Now however, it seemed to make him stand out. 

“Wait, where's Legend, and why do you have a rab…” Time began, however while he spoke his brain worked quicker than his mouth. 

He stared open mouthed at the creature cradled in Twilight's arms. Its fur was as starkly white as Twi's hair, but the little tunic it wore was still bright red. 

“Is that? How is that…? What happened to him?” Time fumbled. 

“Calm down Old Man, there's plenty of time to explain. Yes I'm a rabbit, no it's not a bad thing, yes our hair is white, it's probably because the climate is so cold and our bodies reacted to it. Any more questions?” 

Legend stared around at the small circle of boys surrounding him and Twilight. All of them seemed just as dumbfounded, and unable to stop gawping at him. 

“Right, good. Now can we please get off this damn mountain and find Sky, so I can change back!” 

[hopelesslygaysstuff]

Thinking of R being the goodest girl ever (uncharacteristically) for mean mommy Wanda since she knows that Wanda likes to punish her and wants to toy with her by not giving her a reason to. But obviously Wanda’s not stupid and it’s an insult in itself to think that her little ploy would work, she basically says as R is pinned to a wall and choking on her fingers. It was very silly of R to think Wanda needed a specific reason to punish her. Then aftercare all around as Wanda warns R not to be silly again 😪🤭

What a good thought!!! Lemme expand on it...

Wanda knows something is up the second you smile sweetly at her. She's used to your bratty mouth and eyes rolling, not this... angel in front of her. She thinks back to the packages she'd received earlier this week, a few interesting painful toys she was wanting to try out with you.

Your hand brushes hers as you clear the table, your helpfulness and extra attentiveness not going unnoticed by your very confused girlfriend. For a moment, Wanda's eyes glow scarlet, her mind brushing yours and instantly releasing what your ploy was.

"So you think you can get out of a punishment by being sweet, huh?"

You're well aware of what she's referring to, but choose to simply look confused. It irks Wanda, and before either of you realize, she's pressing you against the wall with a hand wrapped around your throat.

"Did you really think I need a reason to have some fun with you?"

And of course she uses all of the new toys she just got, and has a really fun time with them She especially loves the way you whimper when she attaches the nipple clamps to your collar, pulling them tightly. But she might like the personalized scarlet cane even more, it makes your flesh so sinfully red and swollen, and your pussy just can't stop leaking!

And then in this sweet voice as she's cuddling with you afterwards she just goes, "Don't be silly like that again, darling. You know mommy always gets what she wants."

[damagedcoda6669]

Hey Lucifer, i'm sorry I am telling you this since ik you and Al are close, but that's exactly why i'm telling you this...

As you know, Al used to be in birdie drama spaces, and he still is, but just under an alt.

Remember the borderline 12 drama? Al made that happen to see how the public would react since he is planning bigger things. He wants to see how fast your "fans" will turn on you, and he wanted to see how many would defend you. He knew doing the borderline 12 thing would get you in trouble, he even was surprised with how well it went considering YOU posted it when he actually wanted to post it on his account and mention you drew it.

I know this since i'm also in birder drama servers, but I just think Al is taking it too far...

He is truly playing the long game and trying to solidify your trust within him so that those leaks that are happening cannot be traced back to him. Al has truly formed an attachment to you, but not in a good way.

That borderline 12 drama was also to test your loyalty to him and it worked since you believed that he meant no harm when all he truly did mean was to harm you. You may think Al is genuine and would never, but just try to analyze a few of his messages pertaining to birder drama.... that's all i'm going to allude to because I don't want him to know who i am. I don't want him to doxx me.

I will say, Al does share a lot of interests with you and he does find you fun to be around, but that's because he sees you as a toy instead of a person.

Just- please be careful with Al, he is betraying you behind closed doors and PLEASE don't listen to him when he says all the anon's are lying, they are just scared of him finding out because right now he is really favored in birdie drama spaces since he infiltrated you so well.

Ik you might not believe me since i said I was in birdie drama spaces and i will admit, i do talk bad about you.... However, I never leaked anything nor have I been involved in what Al has been doing. I am mainly a lurker and to gain trust in the birder servers I just regurgitate the hate everyone else has for you. I feel really guilty, which is why i'm writing you this.

Other's have spoken out in anon asks on your moraltonz account, and Al was really upset with them and tried doxxing them to get them out of the birdie servers he's in so his plans don't get foiled by them, since he knows you get paranoid easily. Al is really worried about you finding out about him, so I'm hoping you get to this ask.

You may believe it's people trying to ruin you Lucifer, but other asks that pretty much imply it's birdie haters was just a tactic used to try to get the people truly coming forward to be discreditable.

Also, read my username and think back to all the birdie drama and all the people involved. I won't say too much, but I hope you can get what I am alluding to. If not, it's ok.

TLDR;

PLEASE BE CAREFUL WITH AL, LUCIFER. Please.

It's disheartening what Al is doing to you, with all the leaks, with the ploys, with how he talks about you, and just with everything he is doing.

Al has not stopped interacting in birdie drama spaces, he lied to you.

I truly think Synni is your only friend, because even though she used to be in birdie spaces, I don't think she has an alt.

I'm sorry i'm telling you all of this considering how close you and Al are, I really am sorry he is doing this to you. /gen

the lengths u guys go 2 2 try 2 induce my paranoia/delusions n turn me against ppl u dont know is crazy. if this is true, if u actually cared abt me, use ur main. say it 2 my face. give me evidence. ALSO ADMITTING U SHITTALK ME AND ACTIVELY PARTICIPATE IN BIRDIE DRAMA SERVERS IS CRAAAZY. I AM NOT GOING 2 LISTEN 2 A WORD U SAY, U R JUST ADMITTING 2 BEING A BAD PERSON. if u feel sooooo guilty, why r u still there? if al was rlly leaking shit in these spaces, scs and evidence wouldve gotten back 2 me by now. itd have spread online and id be able 2 see artwork n images that i havent sent 2 anyone besides them. also??? stop misgendering them??? weird ass

anyway yeah, good lie, u fabricated an interesting story, but gimme some proof. gimme gimme i want those discord scs that dont exist *rubs my hands 2gether nefariously*

heh u dont know this but.. jotaro is leaking everything

[purplesoulcollection]

Unnatural Love

Part 3 Synopsis : Name has being transmigrated into the world of I'm Not That Kind Of Talent without ever reading the novel. She's not being reincarnated as a human but as a devil as well. Hi There! I want to let you know that this fanfiction story isn't solely my creation. I borrowed the concept from @quqiwo2. I haven't actually read the novel either, just some spoiler to the end.

I hope you'll excuse my spelling and grammar mistake, because English not my first language.

"Adele, starting today you are assigned to be a servant of Mr Demon. Get to work today!" said the Head Servant of this demon palace.

He was an older man who seemed to have a lot of experience in workforce personalization.

"You mean I work for Mr Demon? Isn't there Mr. Ed, the deputy troop commander, ready to help him?" My curiosity getting better than me.

Wasn't he already has a deputy who ready to help him, why should me too?

"Adele, you have been given a name by Mr Demon, repay him for your beautiful name." This butler seems to be saying that I don't deserve this beautiful name given to me.

Because lowly background...

And that makes me really annoyed with him.

But in the end I could only agree with the butler's words, having no choice but to swallow my resentment.

Then I was curious, why did I become his servant Mr Demon. It's true that I was given a name after the first time they met and Mr Demon greeted me when we met a few more times.

But I don't think there's anything strange about it.

Did my job change like this because of a request from Mr Demon or was this actually a ploy by the demon king.

If it was the latter, I would most likely be used as a pawn as a spy.

Because after all Mr Demon still a human. Unless he completely sides with the devil.

I'm not stupid enough to don't know that he still holds on to his human side too.

The proof is that he just kept to himself in his room, not too involved with the zero troops he led due to illness.

Whatever the demon king's cunning plans, I will not remain silent if I am used as his temporary pawn. I still have my brain to think logically to subjugate him.

But for the time being I will remain obediently a virtuous servant.

"Mr Demon, I'm Adele. I brought your breakfast." I knocked his room door, letting him know that I'm here.

"Come in!" Although be muted, his voices are still heard from outside.

Then I went in and put the food Mr Demon on the table available in his room. Not letting my eyes wander to him when he wears his shirt on top of his turtleneck.

And Mr Demon who was already wearing formal clothes, finally sat down in his chair to eat his food.

I watched him eat until he finished before I finally started to tell him,

"Mr Demon, starting today I am assigned to be your servant."

Mr Demon was surprised. He seemed to choke on his own saliva before he finally drank the water.

"You?! I thought you were just delivering food as usual."

Indeed, before today I was assigned several times to deliver food Mr Demon too. We were quite friendly in chatting about things unrelated to our status and differences.

Honestly, talking to Mr Demon made me feel again what it feels to be a human again in the midst of interactions with demons that are very annoying and discouraging for me.

Here's my relationship with the demons is not healthy for my own body and soul. I always have to be hit by anger, belittled, blows, sarcasm, death threats. I'm tired to always nonchalant about that fact.

I always have to be patient so that there is no reason for me to just die.

So talking to him really made me think that he is more friendly than the rumors that say he will kill you if you bother him even the slightest bit.

The real demon isn't any better than the rumored Demon.

To answer the question Mr Demon earlier...

"I thought so too, but I only received orders from my superiors. So I don't know the reason. "

Then he fell silent with his face wrinkled and his red eyes turned into those of a scary predator. That looks is really scary though.

But from my experience, Mr Demon will only stare intently. didn't actually try to attack me.

When I first saw those eyes I was scared to death, but now I'm used to it.

'As long as I've done nothing wrong, why should I be afraid?'

So I remained calm even though I was being stared at like that.

But the effects of being stared at for a long time like that are also dangerous, so let's shift the focus...

"After eating, do you want to visit Troop 0? Troop 0 has been waiting for your presence among them for a long time."

"Team 0..." As usual, Mr Demon always reluctant to discuss his own troops. If someone really used their brain, they will know it.

"Mr Ed has also been waiting for your arrival for a long time."

"Mr. Ed?! Why do you call him so polite. Is he not being nice to you?"

Is Mr Demon is the actual crazy? Even if he's not like the strong one in Devil's troop, he's still be one of the strongest devil in this devil palace.

"You keep joking, Mr Demon. Mr. Ed also really hates lowly devils like me. Besides, Mr. Ed is good with you because he is loyal and admires you. There's no way I could get the same treatment as Mr Demon."

"Are you... are you still experiencing hate treatment like this all the time?" His face looks not very good one. He looks very annoyed but still care for me... and that's makes me give a sorrowful smile.

"There won't be any significant changes, Mr Demon. But if I could hide behind a name Mr Demon maybe I could even scare them." I joked around to Mr Demon.

I need to change the sad topic, maybe he'll say no and i move on.

"Do it!" a spontaneous voice Mr Demon making me open my eyes to stare Mr Demon that had been speaking nonsense.

"I was just joking, Mr Demon. Please don't take my joke seriously." I tried to persuade him Mr Demon he just shook his head.

"You have to fight, Adele. Even if you consider yourself a worthless devil, you still have to fight for yourself." His face shows the fighting spirit that i should have, but i lacked that spirit.

'Maybe i don't really cut out with this world.'

"But, aren't you injured because of the effects of fighting a hero. If I involve you who are still sick in my problem..."

"I'll take care of it in time."

My mouth opened with reflexes, I found my savior in the midst of the complexity of this devil's world...

So I leaned a little closer and smiled broadly at Mr Demon and said "You said that yourself, I would like to thank you first, Mr Demon. For the inconvenience i'll brought"

I was busy thinking about the best way to use a name of Mr. Demon to get revenge on my bully until I didn't see his red face while looking at me.

To Be Continued

[jjungkookislife]

Mother Dearest

pairing: jungkook x f. reader

genre: fake dating au, fluff, college au, Christmas au, [18+]

summary: Jungkook makes an important phone call regarding his plans for the holidays.

wc: 766

warnings: allusions to anxiety, mention of condoms, and allusions to sex

a/n: this takes place before Jungkook goes home for the holidays.

date: January 13, 2024

part one part two

“Jungkook!” His mother’s voice greets him after he waits for her to answer his phone call. 

“Hi, mom. How are you?” He asks as he sits on his desk chair, eyeing the quiz he had taken with Jimin just thirty minutes before. Jungkook tapped his pen as he reviewed the answers he got wrong and wondered if he was in over his head. 

Would this plan even work? 

“Good, your father is making dinner tonight, and Seojun made dessert. You just missed him,” his mom informs him. Jungkook chuckles. He texted his brother almost every day, so he was up to date on all things concerning his brother. 

“That’s great,” Jungkook smiles and he is genuine with his words. He ignores the bubbling guilt in his stomach as the tapping of his pen grows more frantic and he starts bouncing his knee. He was grateful his mother wasn’t in front of him to notice. 

Aera doesn’t notice his silence as she rattles on about everything he’s missed since Thanksgiving. The Christmas parade was just this past weekend and she’s hopeful Jungkook will eventually be able to join the family when he graduates. 

Jungkook loved the parade. The floats were always magical, and his parents would help out whenever possible. Even his grandmother had been a participant for decades before his parents ever joined in. Jungkook has several photographs of himself and Seojun aboard a float every year until his Senior year of high school. 

After the parade, the town has a festival with food vendors, rides, and musical performances. If finals weren’t around the same time, he’d make the two-hour drive home every year but he needs to focus on his studies for now. 

“Jungkook?” His mother’s voice brings him out of his thoughts. 

“Hm?” He hums in response.

“Is your partner coming for Christmas?” Aera asks a second time. 

“Uh, my girlfriend? Yeah, totally. Yes, they are,” Jungkook clears his throat. 

“Wonderful! We’ll get Seojun’s old room ready for you and she can sleep in yours. Is that okay?” 

“Yeah,” Jungkook sighs in relief. “That’ll be perfect.”

“I know you probably sleep together,” Aera laughs. “But we’d prefer it this way.”

“No, I understand,” Jungkook affirms. “Whatever you guys want.”

“Make sure you’re using condoms, Jungkook,” Aera states as she takes a seat at the kitchen table. “I’m too young to be a grandmother.”

“Mom!” Jungkook exclaims, his cheeks already turning pink from embarrassment. 

“I’m just saying,” Aera laughs again. “I remember those college years with your father.”

“Mom!” 

“Tell me about your girlfriend, Kook. What does she like? Do you think she’d like a pair of pajamas? Is she allergic to anything?” 

Jungkook answers all his mother’s questions as best as he can. She takes notes as she listens attentively. Seojun had shown him a few pictures when he arrived, not wanting to go through every post his little brother made on his Instagram when he was only stopping by to drop off dessert. 

“She seems like such a lovely girl from what I’ve seen. I can’t wait to meet her, son,” Aera smiles as she looks over the notes in her little notebook. She has a habit of doodling on the corners of her page while she talks on the phone, and Jungkook seems to do the same thing.

“Yeah, she’s great,” Jungkook said as he chewed his bottom lip nervously. “I think you’ll like her.”

“We can’t wait to meet her! Oh, your father and I are so excited! Do you love her?” his mother asks, and Jungkook ignores the flutters of his heart.

Sheepishly, Jungkook smiles to himself as he taps the pen on his desk a little slower. I think I’m falling for her, is what he’d like to say but it’s just a ploy. Nothing will come of this once they return to campus, so why get his mother’s hopes up?

“It’s still too early to tell, Mom,” he lies as he turns in his chair, chewing on the end of his pen. “But she’s wonderful.”

Aera hums in acknowledgment. “As long as you’re happy, honey. We can’t wait to see you.”

“I’ll call you soon, Mom. Bye. Love you.”

“Love you, Kook. Bye,” his mother hangs up first like always, and Jungkook hits ‘end call’ on his phone. He sets it down on the desk as he spins around to set the pen on it as well. His elbows rest on the mahogany surface, his hands covering his face as he lets out a somewhat muffled scream.

“I’m so fucked,” he grumbles into the palms of his hands.

© jjungkookislife - I do not allow reposts or translations of my work on any platforms, this includes Youtube.

[hina-has-no-life]

Mori’s big plan [Theory]

So my theory is relatively simple:

Mori wants Dazai and Chuuya to take over the Port Mafia after he retires from the Job as PM Boss.

But how did I come to this conclusion?

Well I got a bit suspicious of the way Mori differentiates in his treatment of the people in his life.

In fifteen it's clear that Mori realizes that Dazai is not just a pawn he can use when Dazai explained to him how keeping him alive is a mistake on Moris part.

It's at that moment Mori truly realizes how smart Dazai is and how dangerous this child could be to him.

Objectively it would be the smart move to dispose of Dazai then. But he doesn't and that makes no sense if you look at the situation from an outside perspective.

And here comes the first thing that I realized.

Just as we learn through the Beast universe, the different universes are largely differential because of decisions Dazai makes. But since Beast is a mirror image of the Canon universe we know that until Dazai makes a different decision the universes are the same.

So we know that Mori actually cares for Dazai.

He wants to save Dazai from himself, wants to give him a reason to live.

But he underestimated just how much of a danger Dazai actually can be before they made the plan to kill the old Boss.

Here we learn that Mori not only was the PM Boss like in canon, but that he cares for Dazai and regrets not being able to help him.

In the events of fifteen we actually see him trying to give Dazai a reason to live, if we look at it through the eyes of Mori.

Mori actually knows how Dazai thinks and wants Dazai to grow attached to the PM, that is why he gives him the silver oracle and let's Dazai choose who he works with, until he meets Chuuya that is.

Mori sees Chuuyas potential, just as he sees Dazais and that is why he wants to partner them up.

He wants chuuya to become a member of the PM and he wants Dazai to find an attachment in the PM.

And this ploy does work to a certain extend.

Chuuya becomes part of the PM through his and Dazais scheme.

And Dazai becomes attached to Chuuya.

But from this point onward we see something happening in the official art.

Since Asagiri confirmed to be working closely with the different productions of BSD we know he has a hand in how it's presented to the audience

And while we get shown in fifteen that Mori mentors Dazai, we get shown Dazai with Chuuya after they are both part of the Mafia.

And here comes an interesting part I noticed as an artist:

The official art, be it Bones, Harukawa or Hoshikawa always shows Dazai and Chuuya as equals.

Despite reaching the same level in the PM at different times they always get depicted as the same rank

And then bones started dropping PM art where Dazai and Chuuya are shown as equals, on thrown like chairs.

Hoshikawa gives us art where both of them wear crowns and Chuuya seems to wear a crown more similar to Dazai’s at one point.

It gets subtly shown in the cannibalism stage play that Mori also starts to mentor chuuya at one point

We also learn that chuuya is supposed to take over the PM one day

But Chuuya lacks something that made Mori want to have dazai as the PM boss, a certain ruthlessness. He deeply cares for people, wether he knows them super well or not. 

Don't get me wrong, Chuuya can be ruthless when he needs to be but he can't sacrifice PM members as easily as Mori and Dazai if it’s necessary. 

Dazai on the other hand thinks a lot like Mori and even acknowledges that certain sacrifices need to be made sometimes. He certainly has the guts and stomach to sacrifice people if they don't have any other option.

Together they would be the perfect team to lead the PM. Dazai the mind of the PM and Chuuya the heart.

It’s made clear time and time again that Soukoku, Double Black, is the perfect partnership.

Dazai doesn't have a steadfast moral code of his own, but he has no problem to follow the moral code of other people. While dazai would keep the PM successful Chuuya would make sure they never ever reverse to the way of the old Boss.

But there was one thing that gets clear in Dark Ear to the readers and Mori.

Dazai may have attachments to members of the PM but he is slowly walking down the path of the old PM boss in the way he handles things.

The members of the PM fear Dazai, a teenager. He rules with fear like the old Boss and Mori can't have that.

“We have a saying in the Port Mafia. The greatest misfortune of Dazai’s enemys is that they are Dazai’s enemys.”

So Mori, who first cultivated relationships between Dazai and Mafia members , not needs to get Dazai out of the Mafia and into the light until he learns to be more gentle, to empathize with people and to lead with loyalty instead of fear.

To form attachments Mori let Dazai collect people:

Chuuya

Oda

 Akutagawa

While Chuuya and Akutagawa were clearly beneficial to the Mafia, they also formed a connection to the Mafia for Dazai. Chuuya as his partner and Akutagawa as his student. (as fucked up as the latter relationship turned out to be)

Oda was another story. He doesn’t bring something beneficial to the Mafia because he refuses to kill. The only use Oda had to Mori was his connection as Dazais best friend.

Dazai’s attachments come in handy in the fact that he won't attack the Port Mafia because it would hurt the people he cares about.

In his own fucked up way Dazai did care about Akutagawa from the start but the way he mentored him did show Mori (and the reader) that he isn't gonna be a good leader if he doesn't change

So Mori looked at his options on how to get Dazai out of the Mafia but not hating the Mafia and the solution was Oda. Getting rid of Oda had only positives for Mori.

He got the permit.

He freed resources that went to a grunt that didn't have much use.

He got dazai to leave the Mafia but not hate the Mafia.

And he made it nigh impossible for the government to stop the PM without catching them red handed in illegal activities while cementing their international standing by getting rid of the internationally known Mimic.

So Mori let’s Dazai go.

Fast forward to 4 years later:

And now that he has seen that Dazai in fact did change for the better, as shown with Atsushi and Kyouka, he actively tries to get him back.

He openly invited him back into the Mafia, he made sure Double Black was still working together and trusted each other.

And then he made the deal with Fukuzawa.

With the Guild Arc we not only learned from Mori that he wants Dazai back as his right hand man, the defacto shadow leader of the PM, we (and Mori) also learn that while Dazai has changed, he isn't above using his old tactic if the situation calls for it.

While Dazai doesn't hold and loyalty to the Mafia, he is loyal to certain members.

And his position with the Agency and Government puts him in the perfect position, if he were to come back to the Mafia. 

He has positive ties to both organisation's that would actually make the Tripartite Framework work.

I'm pretty sure Mori wants Chuuya to be the official leader of the PM and Dazai to be lead with Chuuya from the shadows. 

And a big THANK YOU to @severaltuesdays for helping me get all the pictures I needed!! You are the best!!

[queen-haq]

Fic: Grudgingly Yours (Part 6)

Fic: Grudgingly Yours (Part 6)

Summary: You are a general surgeon, working in a hospital that’s slowly sucking the life out of you when one day you’re given the offer of a lifetime.

A.K.A  - An arranged marriage fic :)

Pairing: Billy Russo x You

Rating: R

Masterlist (contains links to my other stories and this one)

PART 6

You were sitting at your desk in the home office you made for yourself, focused on projections for the urgent care when a knock on the door interrupted your focus. Billy walked in with his usual arrogant gait, his gaze locked on you.

“You look busy,” he drawled, coming over to where you were sitting. Standing beside you, he leaned back on the desk, casually flipping through the excel printouts you’d been reviewing.

“I am busy.” You grabbed the sheets from his hand and placed them back on the desk. “What do you want?”

“What’s all this stuff?”

“Work.”

“Didn’t you cash me in as a golden ticket? Thought that meant you never had to work again.”

“I used you to quit the hospital, not my entire career.”

“Could’ve just switched jobs instead of dragging me into your mess.”

“Then I’d be working for another soul-sucking board of assholes.” You sighed with resignation. There was so much to be done and it felt like time was running out. Part of the reason you’d agreed to Alistair’s plans wasn’t just for financial gain, but also to have access to his wealthy contacts who could be of use when it came to permits and donations. Unfortunately Alistair was still mad and you were drowning in bureaucratic red tape. “At this rate, that’ll happen anyway.”

“What are you trying to get done?”

“Like you give a shit.”

“I don’t. I’m just killing time.” He cocked his eyebrow. “So tell me.”

Sitting back in your chair, you cast a wary glance at the task list on your laptop screen. “Build a clinic in my old neighbourhood.” Dejected, you bit the inside of your cheek. “But that’s gonna be a lot tougher than I thought.”

“Why? Not enough funding?”

“Permit issues. I was hoping Alistair would help with that-

“But he’s pissed.” Billy tipped his head to the side. “And he’s a vengeful old prick.”

“Now you tell me.”

“I know people who can help.”

Surprised, you returned your attention back to him. “Really?”

“Yeah. Same family friends, remember?”

“How could I forget,” you muttered, angling forward. “But why would you help me? What’s in it for you?”

A small smile played across his lips. “Maybe I’m doing it out of the goodness of my heart.”

“You don’t have one. So what do you want?”

The smile transitioned into a fully amused smirk. “There’ s a wedding I have to attend. A good friend of mine. As much as I want to keep this shit between us a secret, he found out about you.”

“Aw, he wants to meet your wife.”

“Something like that.”

Laughing, you stood up. “Will we need to hold hands? Kiss? Pretend we’re newlyweds madly in love?” Looping your arms around his neck, you taunted in a sing-song voice. “Is this a ploy to get me to fall in love with you?”

“You’ve watched too many romcoms.” Despite his grumbling tone, his eyes twinkled with delight. “None of that shit is gonna happen, no matter how badly you want it.” He unlocked your arms from around him but didn’t let go of your hands. “You help me out, I’ll help you out. We have a deal?”

“How do I know you’ll hold up your end?”

There was that perfectly arched eyebrow again, questioning you. “You don’t trust me?”

“Not even a little bit.”

He squeezed your hands, the heat from his touch pulsing through you. “I should be the one doubting you. You tried to seduce me in my sleep.”

“Still telling yourself that lie? You know it’s bullshit.”You tried to back away but his grasp on you remained firm, pulling you closer. You wanted to kick yourself. Yeah you liked toying with him, it was fun seeing him get all worked up, but recently he stopped responding in anger and started pushing your buttons instead, and you didn’t like it. Not when the deep, dark pools of his eyes fixated on you, as if he was trying to absorb all your thoughts and feelings and secrets, and his proximity played havoc with your thoughts.

“Hate to ruin your fantasies, sweetheart, but we’ll be getting separate rooms at the hotel. I don’t want you attacking me again.”

You gave him a forced smile. “Fuck off, Billy.”

He laughed, finally releasing his hold on you. “And when we come back, I’ll introduce you to my contacts.”

“You better.” Needing distance from him, you exited the office and headed to the kitchen to grab a drink. Unfortunately, he followed suit. You did your best to ignore him but it was hard to do that when his gaze followed your every move. “Your friends know the real reason we got married?”

“You mean did I tell them you’re a golddigger?” he remarked dryly, grabbing some pretzels from a jar, and throwing them back in his mouth one by one. “Obviously not. Don’t want to look like a chump.”

“Great,” you groused. “That means I have to be nice to you.”

“Yes, sweetheart. It does.”

“Your friends are gonna be assholes too, aren’t they?”

“Curtis and I served together.”

Shit. Now you felt like an asshole since you’d assumed they were his high society friends.

“He’s saved my ass a few times over the years. I’ve saved his. Now he’s getting married and wants me to be his groomsmen.”

“When’s the wedding?”

“This weekend. In California.”

“Why so soon?”

“I didn’t ask.”

You scowled at him. “I thought you guys were friends?”

“Doesn’t mean we share every fucking detail about our lives. He asked me to be there, so I’m going. Not gonna fucking interrogate the man about it.”

Men, you huffed to yourself. Taking a sip of your drink, you watched as he languidly munched on the pretzels. By now you should have gotten used to his lingering stare but it still caught you by surprise when you found yourself scrutinized by him. These days he was checking you out more and more, and each time it left you unsettled. You contemplated calling him out on it, but with Billy being Billy, he’d probably claim you were being delusional.

Billy slid the pretzel jar back on the island before moving to the sink to wash his hands. Drying them, he sauntered over to where you stood, smoothly reaching over to grab the drink from your hand.

“Hey!”

A mischievous smile curved his lips as he took a sip of your drink. “Whole event’s gonna take place over a few days. Bachelor party on Thursday-”

“-Guessing I’m not invited to that?”

“Rehearsal dinner on Friday. Wedding on Saturday.”

“I have an important meeting this Friday.”

“Fly out after. We can meet up there.”

“Hope your friends are not boring, Billy.”

“You can always get them drunk and get ammunition on me.”

You rubbed your hands together with glee. “Oooh, there’s an idea.”

“And I’ll do the same with your friends next time I see them.”

“Absolutely not. Never gonna happen.”

He booped your nose, moving closer. “It’s only fair, don’t you think? You meet mine, I meet yours.”

It dawned on you how intimate the whole encounter was. The two of you teasing each other, being flirty, like an actual couple. And you liked it. You liked this side of him. The realization was unnerving, leaving you feeling suddenly awkward. “I have to get back to work,” you said, feigning a relaxed pose as you quickly put some distance between the two you.

“You alright?” he asked from behind.

You didn’t answer.

***

You swiped the card and entered the hotel room. Immediately the stunning view of the lush green rolling hills caught your attention. The room wasn’t big; however it was exquisitely designed with bespoke furniture and a Bohemian aesthetic. After unpacking your luggage, you hopped into the shower and got ready for the rehearsal dinner. Your outfit for the night was a chocolate brown cocktail dress that fit you well, with simple jewelry, latte makeup and red lipstick. Gold sandals with midsized heels provided the finishing touches for the look that left you feeling sexy and beautiful. No doubt Billy wouldn’t appreciate the effort but maybe there’d be other hotties in attendance. Hooking up was out of the question but that didn’t mean you couldn’t enjoy the view.

You followed the signs to the restaurant venue, drawing closer to sounds of laughter. Nervousness flitted through you as you walked in, taking in the group of strangers mulling around. You didn’t know these people, and they were bound to judge you as soon as they found out you were married to Billy – it was painfully obvious you weren’t the type of woman he would ever choose.

Taking a deep breath, you gave yourself a mental shake and a pep talk.

So what if others thought Billy was too good for you? It didn’t matter. It’s not like you had feelings for him or anything, so their opinion didn’t matter. You were here just to put on a show so he’d do you a favour. That’s all. Your eyes scanned the room, searching for Billy, when you were approached by a tall, black hottie.

“Hey.”

You flashed him a smile. “Hi.”

“You looking for someone?”

“I’m here for Curtis and Jessica’s rehearsal dinner?”

“You’re in the right place. I’m Omar, Curtis’s cousin. You must be one of Jessica’s friends?” He asked, reaching out to grasp your hand.

Oh, the man had game, with his gorgeous smile and the subtle way his eyes trailed down your body. “I’m married to one of the groomsmen.”

“Too bad. Who’s the lucky guy?”

“Me.” Billy seemed to come out of nowhere, sauntering past Omar to stand beside you.

He may have worn jeans for his own wedding but Billy had put in effort tonight, wearing a perfectly tailored maroon collared dress shirt and trousers. His hair was slicked back, his facial hair perfectly groomed. Everything about him screamed gorgeous.

“Omar, why you still holding my wife’s hand?” Billy demanded.

Immediately Omer eased his grip on you, pressing his palms together in an exaggerated show of apology. “Sorry brother, didn’t know she was yours. Just saw a beautiful woman, and I had to introduce myself.”

“I’m not his,” you emphasized. “I’m just married to him.”

Billy turned toward you. “So you do remember you’re married?”

“Kinda,” you smirked, centering your attention back on Omer. “Billy won’t introduce us, so I guess I’ll have to. I’m Y/N.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Y/N.” Omer winked, casting Billy a mischievous look.

Immediately you stiffened, taking in his expression. Maybe to everyone else the smile on Billy’s face was teasing but you sensed his agitation right away. Something was wrong. You could practically see him crawling out of his skin. And he was no longer looking at you, instead his focus was directed at another woman across the restaurant. You felt an unexpected wave of jealousy hit you. He appeared to be completely enthralled by the attractive brunette, he couldn’t stop staring. And the spark of envy you felt turned into something much more fierce. “Who is she? An ex-girlfriend?”

Omer raised his eyebrow. “Dinah’s here already? Thought she was coming tomorrow.” His gaze followed both yours and Billy’s. “Oh, Maria.”

“Yeah, Maria.” Billy’s voice was brittle, a stony expression on his face.

You didn’t know what the hell was going on but you absolutely hated the seething rage that flooded over you. It was crazy and made no sense. You ran into many of the women he slept with over the past few months, but they didn’t arouse such strong emotions in you. Probably because he never looked at them the way he was looking at this one. “Gonna introduce me or what?”

Finally Billy shifted his gaze from her to you. Eyebrow furrowed, he stared at you blankly. “Fine. Let’s go.”

It’s like you no longer existed, you were simply baggage he had to carry around. He walked ahead of you, only stopping when he finally reached the brunette. Next to her was another man who bore a striking resemblance to Omar. Based on that similarity, you deduced it was Curtis.

Curtis and Maria both looked up at Billy, flashing him a smile. You observed the trio quietly, noting the absence of intensity on Maria’s face. Whatever Billy felt for that woman, she didn’t reciprocate.

“Billy,” Maria greeted him with a smile.

“How are you, Maria? You look great.”

You noted how deliberately he masked his reaction with the woman. Carefree, jovial, he was all smiles while he hugged her – yet you saw through the ruse. It was all an act; he was more tense than before.

“And this must be the woman who finally nailed down Billy Russo.” Curtis wrapped his arms around you in a big bear hug, surprising you. Unlike his cousin Omer, there was nothing flirtatious in his smile as he greeted you warmly. “Never thought the day would come.”

You returned his smile. “Me neither.”

“Should we be offended we weren’t invited?” Curtis asked.

“Curtis, stop teasing her.” Maria sent her a friendly glance, seemingly oblivious to the way Billy was still watching her. “Congratulations, Y/N. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

You offered a small smile, casting Billy a quick glance. Did no one else notice how on edge he was? His anxiety was through the roof yet Curtis and Maria appeared oblivious to it. It was ridiculous that the false smile on Billy’s face had actually fooled them.

“How did you and Billy meet?” Curtis asked, poking Billy in the chest. “He won’t give us any details.”

“Same old story. His grandfather came to the hospital, I operated on him, and while Billy helped him recuperate the two of us fell in love.” It was the story they had both agreed on and seemed to do the trick.

Maria shot Billy a quizzical glance. “I thought you didn’t get along with him.”

“I don’t.”

“But now they’re best buddies,” you piped up.

“Really?” Curtis asked, taken aback.

“She’s just pulling your leg,” Billy replied dryly. “She does that a lot.”

Curtis laughed. “I can see why he likes you.”

For the first time since you walked in the veil of tension lifted from Billy’s face. An amused smile marked his lips. “May need you to remind me, brother. Sometimes she gets a little too mouthy.”

“Yeah, but you like that,” you retorted.

Curtis chuckled while Maria simply smiled. There was a sadness to her you hadn’t noticed before, and you wondered what she was thinking of. A quick peek at Billy’s uneasy face revealed he noticed it too.

“Maria, can we talk for a minute?” Billy asked. He glanced at you. “In private?”

Th jealousy from earlier returned with a swift vengeance but you kept your face devoid of any emotion as you turned your attention back to Curtis. “Why don’t we get a drink while these two talk?”

“Sounds like a great idea.”

You walked away with Curtis, trying not to let Billy’s close exchange with Maria bother you.

***

Later that night you were dressed in silk camisole and shorts, braiding your hair, when there was a knock on the hotel room door. You glanced at the clock. It was past midnight. You walked to the door and opened it a crack to see who was on the other side. Billy stood there, hair ruffled, eyes red, the first couple of buttons on his maroon shirt undone.

“Let me in?” he asked.

There was hesitancy in his voice, like he recognized this was an imposition. You contemplated telling him to get lost but couldn’t ignore the wild desperation in his eyes. You swung the door wider, allowing him to swagger past you, watching silently as he strode over to the mini-fridge and pulled out a few small bottles of liquor. “You’re paying for that, Billy.”

“Paying for the whole trip, sweetheart.”

You shrugged your shoulders, and sauntered over to the bed. Sitting down with your back against the headboard, you stretched out your legs and studied him as he finished a bottle. “What’s wrong? You’ve been acting weird the entire night.”

He turned around to meet your gaze, watching you for the longest time. Finally he approached you, taking a seat on the mattress, next to your feet. “No one else noticed.”

“They don’t know your bitchy moods like I do.”

“Guess I can’t hide shit from you.”

You shrugged your shoulders. “You’ve hidden plenty of things, Billy.”

He glanced down at your feet, making you feel self-conscious all of a sudden. “Your chubby toes are weird.”

“So are your demonic eyes,” you snapped.

This time a genuine smile curved his lips. “Weird but cute.”

His fingers pulled at your toes gently, and you started giggling at how ticklish his touch was. “Stop, Billy!” You smacked his hand lightly.

The smile on his face faded away, his eyes glued to your feet. He seemed to be caught in deep thought again, his mind somewhere else.

“The way you were looking at her, I thought Maria was an ex-girlfriend,” you said quietly.

Billy looked up to meet your eyes. “No, definitely not an ex.” Before he spoke again, he scooted forward, drawing closer to you. “She’s… was my best friend’s wife.”

“Curtis told me. Said you, him and Frank did multiple tours together.”

“He tell you Frank’s dead?”

You nodded your head. “What happened?”

“Frank and I got caught in enemy territory.”

Heavy silence followed, the air thick with tension.

“Held hostage for days.”

You didn’t know what to say, feeling queasy at the unimaginable horror he must have suffered. The cars and burn marks on his body flashed through your mind; you flinched instinctively.

“What?” he asked, meeting your eyes.

“Did they kill him?”

“Something like that.”

The darkness in his eyes made your heart ache. Whatever he lived through had been pure hell, but it was apparent from his lack of explanation he didn’t want to talk about it with you.  Unsure of what to do, you started braiding the wavy strands that had come undone back into a braid again when Billy’s hand clamped over yours.

“Don’t,” he commanded, his fingers curling around your hair. “I like it down.”

He stared at your hair as if he was spellbound, his eyes vacillating between your face and strands, leaving you completely unsettled. The air rushed out of your lungs when he moved closer, his breath humming against your skin as he began to pull apart the braid and run his fingers through your hair.

“Don’t flirt with Omar tomorrow.”

The abrupt change in topic caught you by surprise. “I was being nice, not flirting.”

“That’s not what it looked like,” Billy murmured.  

Despite the softness in his voice, you could hear the warning behind his words and it pissed you off. “So what? Who cares?” you fired back.

His eyes locked with yours, the intensity in them so potent you felt trapped. “I care.”

“Why?” You regarded him closely. “Jealous?”

“Don’t flatter yourself, babe. I just don’t want my friends to think my wife is a cheater.”

His refusal to admit the truth irritated you, especially considering how he reacted around Omer. “That’s all it is?”

“Yeah.” Billy’s hand wrapped around the back of your neck, his eyes affixed on your lips. He tugged you towards him, his pull gentle. The invisible connection between you and him was palpable, making your heart race in your chest, electricity jolting through you. Everything was moving at lightning speed yet time had slowed down. It didn’t make any sense. Nothing did.

“So if I told you he walked me to my room tonight and gave me his number, it wouldn’t bother you?” you prodded.

The glint in his eyes hardened, his jaw clenched. “Of course it would. I don’t want him to start asking why we’re not staying in the same room.”

“So nothing to do with you being jealous?”

“Nothing at all,” he drawled.

The magnetic hold he had over you dissipated instantly. You grew up under the stigma of rejection, your own father choosing to abandon you than claim you. And here was Billy, doing the same. There was no way in hell you were going to settle for someone treating you like that. Using every bit of resolve you possessed, you pulled away. “I want you to leave.”

“And risk having Omar find out the truth about us? I don’t think so.”

“Fine. Stay here but keep your distance.”

“You’re the one who crawled into my bed.”

“And you’re the one who almost kissed me just now.”

A cocky smile covered his face. “Wishful thinking on your part, sweetheart?” Like the arrogant jackass that he was, he moved away from the bed and strolled over to the bar. Pouring himself another drink, he leaned back against the furniture to face you. “Any other fantasies you have in mind?”

“This is so fucking pathetic. You don’t even have the guts to own up to what you want. Instead you hide behind mixed signals so you don’t have to risk anything. You’re a fucking coward, Billy.”

His eyes turned cold as ice.

[traegorn]

Tangential bit that has me headscratching WRT this 'pointing out IRA psyopping US voters=anti-Asian bigotry' thing: so far as I've read, 'whitebread' Russians don't treat Asian Russians any better than the US treats Asian-Americans. Putin's regime flat out uses Russian minorities as cannon fodder for invading Ukraine, and is now apparently accepting North Korean troops to that end. Blowing wind like defending Russian trollfarms' honor is somehow pan-Asian solidarity just seems fucking deranged.

(Quick clarification for those not deep in this: IRA refers to Internet Research Agency -- the company Russia used in 2016 for their psyops)

You're thinking to hard about this. H-R was trying to put me on the defensive. They were dragging in other people who weren't even involved. It was either a disingenuous ploy or there's something seriously wrong with them. If you're looking for a rational explanation, it does not exist.

[prismatica-the-strange]

All I Am Belongs to You | As Long As I Know Who I Am

Warnings: 18+, show typical violence, attempted sexual assault, mentions of sex but no details

A covert mission in London goes awry when Amélia is recognized by a ghost from her past. The boys fight amongst themselves for who gets to play her husband.

Pairing: Aramis x Amélia with anAthos x Amélia subplot

Word Count: 6.4k

I'm Still Here by Colm R. McGuinness (Amélia) | Follow On by Celtic Woman (Aramis) | Slow by Chris Mann (Athos) | Dividers by @steddiecameraroll-graphics | Reblog banner by @cafekitsune

"Dear Amélia, you look gorgeous."

"Is Her Majesty sure it's not too much?"

She feels ridiculous and refuses to see herself in the mirror. She'd run to Paris to get away from this, but here she is at her final fitting for a dress she surely can't afford.

"The whole point of this little ruse is for you to take the room's attention," Anne explains, " I don't think you'll have any trouble in that area, no matter which Musketeer is on your arm."

She dares a small glance at her reflection and her eyes go soft as she reminisces the life she gave up.

She hadn't exactly volunteered to help with this ploy, but Constance's husband forbade her from taking part, and Amélia is the only other woman the musketeers trust for their mission. She had a choice, but she couldn't bring herself to say no when they sent D'Artagnan to plead their case with those soft brown eyes of his after she'd laughed in Aramis's face.

"Whichever draws the shortest straw, you mean?" The question is meant to be rhetorical, but the queen scoffs, adjusting her skirt.

"I'm sure they're each begging Captain Treville to pick them to play your beloved as we speak."

Athos rolls his eyes at his friends, "This is ridiculous, you are aware of that, yes?"

"Treville told us to work it out amongst ourselves," Porthos grins, "That's all we're doing."

"Unless you'd both like to bow out like dear D'Artagnan, and let me enjoy the lady for a night or two?," Aramis suggests, flourishing his rapier when neither move to do so, "No? Alright then, draw your swords."

"I won't maim you just to play pretend for a night," Athos sighs.

"I will," Porthos pushes past him, sword in hand, "You always whisk Amélia away when she visits, and anyway, I'm sure she'd prefer to be on the arm of a real man."

"Perhaps," D'Artagnan cuts in, gripping the shoulder of each of his friends, "We should wait and let her choose who she prefers. She is the one who will be in the most danger, after all. Shouldn't she be with whoever she's most comfortable with?"

"I agree."

"Well, that just means Aramis gets to be the duke!" Porthos argues, "Where's the fun in that?"

Unfortunately for both Porthos and Aramis, Amélia chooses Athos to be her escort for the mission, and he fails to hide his small, snarky smile when she does.

The ride to England is long and incredibly dull, longer still since the Queen insisted she take a carriage instead of riding.

"Would one of you please ride in here with me? I'm unbelievably bored," She laments through the open window of the coach, "Or let me ride with one of you? Please? Just for a short while at least?"

"I'm not sure that's the best idea," Athos says, but she won't take no for an answer.

"Aramis, my love?" She pouts over at him and Porthos laughs when his friend goes all doe-eyed at her words.

The others chuckle when he stops the group to help her up onto his horse, beaming proudly at the feeling of his arms around her.

"Stop that," She reaches back to swat his cheek, "You puff up your chest much more and I'll fall off the horse."

"I'd never let that happen, my dear."

"Perhaps I should ride with Porthos instead," She teases.

"Perhaps we should continue on?" Athos suggests, cutting off any possible response from Porthos.

"What possible reason could you have to play house with Athos over you dear love Aramis?" He whispers in her ear.

"Is driving you mad with jealousy not enough of a reason?"

"Even you aren't that cruel, my love."

She sighs and rests her head on his shoulder, admiring her intimate view of him, "I was afraid I'd become distracted on your arm. That didn't seem wise given the high priority of this mission and all."

"Ah, and no risk of that with Athos?" He snickers.

"Of course not," She giggles, "He's too much of a stick in the mud."

Their laughter stifles when Athos rides up beside them with a glare having obviously heard them.

"Sorry," She bites her bottom lip but it does little to hide her smile, and the two of them burst out laughing when he rides ahead in annoyance.

They make camp a few hours later, just as the sun begins to dip below the horizon.

"Come on, love," Porthos urges, tugging at her hand when she stands to stretch, "Sing something for us."

"Mm, it's been quite some time since we've heard your lovely voice," D'Artagnan agrees from across the campfire.

"You boys are insufferable," She rolls her eyes with a smile, "What would you like to hear?"

"Something fun!" Porthos requests.

"Something quiet," Athos hisses, "God knows who could be out there in the dark, and I don't wish to attract their attention."

"Something... romantic," Aramis grins, pulling her down onto his lap, and the others groan.

"Romantic, Monsieur?"

"Please, no," Porthos begs, "Unless you plan on sitting on my lap as you do."

She starts to hum a melody before soft words begin to seemingly float in the air around them, wrapping her companions in the sweet sound of her voice.

Even Athos finds himself momentarily soothed by the sound, eyes closing as he listens.

But no one more so than Aramis. He hums along like a hymn on his lips, his eyes and soul awash with adoration.

He brushes her hair aside and presses his forehead against her shoulder and neck, as though at prayer at her altar of song, mouthing silent 'I love you's against her skin. He slowly kisses his way up her jaw and she's near breathless by the end of the song.

"Stop," She sighs, but she doesn't move to get away, "Aramis..."

"My apologies," He murmurs, pulling away, "I seemed to have been entranced and lost myself."

She finds herself drifting closer, capturing his lips in a soft kiss.

"If you two are going to fuck, could you at least not do it in front of us?" Porthos snorts.

"You make it sound so indelicate," Aramis argues, fingers brushing across her now-flushed cheeks.

The next morning she wakes with her head on his chest and his cape around her shoulders.

She's careful not to wake him as she sits slightly, leaning over to press a gentle kiss to his sleeping lips.

She jumps when his hand cups the back of her neck, keeping her there to kiss her harder.

"You were awake," She laughs.

"And yet you kissed me when you thought otherwise, you truly are a romantic, dear Amélia."

"Get up, both of you," Athos orders, readying his horse, "We're leaving."

The two share a small smile and he quickly pecks the tip of her nose before she rises to her feet.

When Aramis moves to help her on his horse, Athos stops him and reaches his hand out to her, "You're riding with me today."

She looks confused, but pulls herself up with his arm, "Any particular reason, Athos?"

He settles his arms around her and she continues before he can answer, "Or were you just envious of Aramis?"

She can all but hear his eyes roll when he sighs and she smiles back at him.

All things considered, she actually quite enjoys being the center of their attention.

"My thought was that if we are to play married, perhaps we should know more about each other," He explains, "To make it more believable."

"Your logic is sound. What would you like to know?"

Aramis is flaming, his glare burning holes in the back of Aramis's head. The way he's holding her, their shared whispers and soft looks ravage his mind with jealousy.

He grits his teeth when she laughs and a plot to reclaim her affections begins to form.

He quickly averts his gaze when her eyes lock with his and she shakes her head with a chuckle.

"Why is it you find such pleasure in toying with us?"

"I grew up with three brothers," She says, "The lot of you bring out that mischievous nature they instilled in me."

She's quiet for a moment, smiling to herself as she thinks of her siblings, "I'm fortunate to have you all."

He smiles softly and leans forward to kiss her temple.

By the time they arrive at the manor, both she and Athos have changed into nicer clothes and are riding in the coach.

She takes a deep breath to calm her nerves and he takes her hand in his, trying to soothe her.

"I won't let anything happen to you," He promises, kissing the back of her hand comfortingly.

They step out and are greeted by their hosts.

"Sir and Madam LeBlanc," Lord Smith smiles at them, "It's so nice that you came all this way to join us."

"It is an honor Lord Smi-"

"Actually!" Aramis interrupts and Athos freezes mid-bow, "I'm Lord LeBlanc."

He ignores Athos's glare as he steps forward with a polite bow.

"You see, I travel dressed as one of my guards so my darling love has a guard right on her arm should anything happen on the road," She watches with wide eyes when he takes her hand with the most devout look in his eye, "I would never forgive myself if something ever happened to her."

She nearly swoons when he lifts her hand to his lips and kisses her knuckles.

"Thank you, you may join the others," He barely glances at Athos who fights the urge to roll his eyes as he bows and moves to stand with Porthos and D'Artagnan.

"What an inspired idea!" Smith muses, motioning them to follow him, "Come! Once you've settled in your rooms, I'll show you the grounds."

Aramis offers her his arm and she takes it, whispering through her smile as they follow their host, "Athos is going to kill you."

"I'd like to see him try."

"I'm going to kill you!" Athos snaps as soon as they're left to their own in their rooms, slamming his friend against the wall, "Is your ego so important that you would put this whole mission, including Amélia, in jeopardy?"

"Athos-"

"I would never allow her to get hurt!" Aramis hisses back, "She's safer at my side!"

"Boys-"

"You pompous, self-important, ass!"

"Stop it! Both of you!" She shouts, shoving her way between them.

"He was reckless and-"

"We all agree what Aramis did was stupid and ill-conceived," She huffs, glaring at both of them, "But what's done is done. Making a fuss now won't change the situation."

"Amélia's right," Porthos says, "We need to focus on the mission. And besides, we can kick his ass when we get back to Paris."

He and Athos go to change into more appropriate clothes for men of their respective stations and when Athos returns first, he moves to stand by her.

"Please tell me you won't instantly forgive him for this?"

"He's lucky you got to him first."

He can't help but smile to himself at her response.

"There we are," Aramis comes out dressed in finery, spinning to give them a good view, "How do I look?"

Amélia steps up to him and slaps him, "If you ever disrespect my choices again, I'll gut you myself, got that?"

She takes his arm and hooks it with hers, "Now, come on. We have a mission to do."

"I-" He stumbles when she tugs him toward the door, "Absolutely!"

He soon forgets his recent transgression as they walk through the halls with her head resting on his shoulder.

"Oh look, my love," She pulls away, stepping toward an open window, "What a darling creature!"

"Yes, you're beautiful," She coos, when the white long-haired cat nuzzles into her hand, "I had a cat just like you when I was a girl."

He comes up behind her and reaches out to tuck a stray curl behind her ear. Her smile is genuine when she looks back at him and he falls in love with her all over again.

By the time they part with their hosts and make it back to their room, he's aching to tear her dress off and bring her to ecstasy.

"Dear Amélia," He breathes against her lips as he presses her against the door. He begs, "Let me take you tonight, my love."

"Aramis," She sighs, her chest heaving. She tugs his hair and he starts kissing down her jaw, "Aramis, we can't."

As if on cue, the door jerks behind her, and Porthos bangs on the surface, "You two better not be doing what I think you're doing in there!"

The next morning is slower than the last and, despite Athos's annoyance, she and Aramis lock the bedroom door and laze in the plush bed together.

He holds himself over her, lavishing her skin with slow, loving kisses.

"Sweet... beautiful... darling, Amélia," He murmurs as she runs her hands through his hair, "What must I do to earn your forgiveness?"

She laughs as though he hasn't won her back her favor ten times over with the passion between them throughout the morning.

She scratches at his beard as she pretends to think and his eyes flutter shut.

"Draw me a bath?"

He kneels beside her on the bed and brings her hands to his lips, "Of course-"

She pulls him back down on top of her, kissing him as if the world had stopped outside their door and was simply waiting for them to finish.

Once the bath is filled and the room smells of rose oil, he rouses her from the bed.

"Heaven awaits," He motions toward the bath with a small bow. He leads her over by the hand, kissing her shoulder when he helps her slip her robe off.

The moan she lets out as she lowers herself into the hot water is absolutely whorish. It's the first truly nice bath she's had in ages. And why not take advantage of the situation? She deserves to be pampered, just a little, right.

"I thought only I could get you to make that sound?" He pouts, crouching beside the tub.

His finger dip just below the surface of the water, making ripples.

"Aramis."

"Yes, my love-" He laughs when she pulls him by the shirt to fall against her lips and water splashes around them, soaking the fabric, "If you wanted me to join you, you could have just asked."

"How silly of me," She smiles into the kiss.

"Come," He encourages her to sit up. One hand wanders her back while the other motions to her hair, "May I?"

She nods and he helps her wet her hair. Her eyes flutter at the feel of his fingers running through her hair and massaging her scalp, washing away the long ride.

She moans his name, head lolling to side, into his touch. She leans her arms on the side of the tub, resting her chin atop them.

"Don't stop," She murmurs, her eyes falling shut.

"I wouldn't dream of it."

The moment is cut short when the door slams open but a moment later. He jumps to his feet, dashing for his sword next to the bed, but stops when he realizes it's their companions.

"Don't you know how to knock?"

"What do you think this is, a vacation?" Porthos asks.

"How did you... that door was locked!"

"The other guests have begun to arrive," Athos says as D'Artagnan flashes the key they got from one of the housekeepers, "You should start getting ready yourselves."

"Aramis!" She whines, not bothering to move beyond the arm reaching out for him, "Come back, my love."

"Aramis," Athos warns when he steps back toward her.

"Dammit, Athos," She groans. Water sloshes over the sides of the tub when she stands, her body on full display for the four men in front of her, "You're absolutely no fun, you know that?"

She looks at each of them when they stand frozen.

She raises her brows expectantly but they don't move, "Are you all going to just stand there staring, or is someone going to hand me my robe?"

They all move as one, but Aramis gets the robe first, stepping around the tub and holding it up for her.

"Shame on you three," He tuts over his shoulder, "Degenerates, all of you."

"I don't know if I can do this," She says, adjusting her gown. She looks herself over in the mirror, still hiding behind the partition, "I look ridiculous."

She looks beautiful, just like she did before she left home, and that alone terrifies her. The Queen was right, the dress suits her wonderfully, and the jewels adorning her wrists and neck only enhance her image. They're glass, of course, the royals would never let some peasant girl ride off to England with their diamonds and sapphires.

"Surely it can't be that bad," D'Artagnan insists. He steps around the partition and his mouth falls open.

"Well, come on then," Aramis adjusts his cuff as he moves in front of the door, with the other two, "Let's see."

"Fine, just..." She sighs, "No jokes, alright?"

She gathers her skirts and steps past the youngest Musketeer, eyes cast toward the floor as they take her in.

"You look..." Aramis trails off and Athos finishes in his stead.

"Stunning."

"You can say that again," Porthos agrees.

She looks up at her companions with a shy smile.

Aramis moves to stand in front of her, offering his hand with a bow, "My lady."

She takes his arm and looks to her friends, "Is everything in place?"

"Don't you worry about that," Porthos assures her, "Just go out there and steal the show, yeah?"

That fear comes back as they walk toward the ballroom and she hesitates.

What if someone recognizes her?

Aramis pauses when he feels her stop, "What's wrong?"

She can't back down now, she knows that, but her chest tightens with anxiety.

"You have nothing to fear, dear heart," He promises, "There's nothing I couldn't protect you from."

She takes a deep breath and nods before they continue.

They round a corner with their guard in tow, coming to a stop as they enter the ballroom.

Extravagant ballgowns twirl as couples dance together in the center of the room.

"I'll take the left, Porthos the right," Athos says quietly, "You two know your parts, D'Artagnan will keep watch if he tries to run."

With that, the group parts ways and their plan is in motion.

Aramis begins showing her off, boasting her many virtues to whoever will listen as the other two search for the target.

She casts him a wary look when the lady of the house pulls her aside.

"Madam Lablanc, you look- well lovely doesn't seem to cover it," She compliments, "There is someone I wish you to meet!"

She's led to the buffet where various men and women stand and talk amongst themselves.

"This is my niece, Isabel, she's been ever so keen on going to Paris and I was hoping you could tell her what you could?"

"Oh," She glances past the girl to see Athos keeping a close eye on her. He then nods to a tall man by the punch bowl and she sees who they've come to arrest, Monsieur Desiré, "I don't know what I could tell you that you don't already know. I try to avoid the city as much as I can."

"Why is that?"

"Personal preference," She says, "I much prefer the serenity of the country to the noise of crowded streets."

They continue on for a few minutes more, but when Desiré begins to leave, she's quick to end the chatter.

She moves to step past him, purposely tripping over his feet and she's caught by a pair of rough hands.

"Watch it!"

"P-pardon me, monsieur," She stammers, "I get so disoriented in these large parties."

His eyes rake down her body, lingering on her cleavage before sneering at her. She has a feeling that each of her protectors is fighting the urge to swoop in and beat him.

"No," He bows, taking her hand, "The fault is mine, Mademoiselle...?"

"LeBlanc," She forces a smile to her face when he echoes her and kisses her hand.

"Would you perhaps honor me with a dance?" He asks.

"Perhaps," She teases, "My first dance of the night is promised to my husband, but perhaps after Monsieur..."

"Desiré. Husband?"

She winks at him, biting her lip with a grin.

She can feel him ogling her as she walks away and she wants to puke.

The whole meeting distracts her so much that she runs right into the back of another guest.

"Pardon me, Monsie-" Her eyes go wide when he turns and she quickly ducks out of sight behind another group of ladies before he can see her.

She carefully weaves her way through the crowd back to Aramis.

Cäraus. Of course. Of all the people in the world to be at this party, it had to be her younger brother.

"Aramis!" She hisses, latching onto his arm.

"There you are," He places his hand atop hers on his arm, "Where did you run off to?"

"I... ran into Desiré," She explains, "He seems to have an interest."

"Good."

"Then something else happened."

She's much more on edge than before, clinging to him and glancing nervously over her shoulder into the crowd. In fact, he doesn't think he's ever seen her this scared. He squeezes her hand comfortingly, and, while his lax smile doesn't change, his posture does. He seems to stand taller and hold her more protectively, "Tell me."

"Someone- Aramis, I am so sorry, this could ruin everything!" She whimpers, "If I had known there was even a chance, I wouldn't have come."

"It's alright," He cups the back of her neck and gently pulls her close to kiss the top of her head, "Now who is it?"

"My Broth- A friend," She catches herself, "A lover from before I came to Paris."

She doesn't think she's convincing, but it works well enough on Aramis who grits his teeth.

"He's why you came to Paris," It's not a question. He knows she had fled a bad situation and, based on her reaction, this man was the situation she was running from, "Show me him and I'll take care of it."

"What? No, Aramis," She gently touches his cheek, soothing the murder swimming in his eyes, "I came to Paris because of my mother. Dear Cäraus had nothing to do with that."

"Then why-"

"If he identifies me in front of all these people, not only will it ruin the plan, but she'll surely find me again."

And things will never be the same.

He just nods, but that is all confirmation he needs to know for sure, she is nobility. They've all suspected for a while, she never really held herself like a lowborn, as much as she may have tried. Perhaps that suspicion is what made the soldiers feel somewhat responsible for her, at least at the start. There's no question now of their collective fondness for her, and they couldn't imagine a world without her.

"What do you want me to do?"

"I don't know," She admits, "He just can't see me."

He signals to their companions and escorts her just outside the ballroom.

"What is it?" Athos asks.

"A complication," Aramis sighs, "There's a man in there, by name of Cäraus, who knows Amélia's face. If he names her."

The three men share a look and Porthos shakes his head, "I'll take care of it. Show me."

He and Amélia peer around the doorway at the guests.

"That one, with the mid-length black hair tied back with the gold cord and the reddish-brown jacket," She whispers.

"Violent?"

"Goodness no! Cäraus has always been a sweetheart."

"Alright, give me four minutes."

"Porthos!" She catches his hand as he steps away, her eyes pleading with him, "Be gentle? I'd hate to see him truly injured."

"I'll do my best," He smiles, kissing the back of her hand.

She finds herself sighing as she drops her head on Aramis's shoulder, "And here I thought the worst danger I would be in was getting stabbed."

"And if he does name you?" Athos asks.

She turns just enough to smile hopelessly at him, forehead still pressed against her lover's shoulder, "I get dragged back to a life I spent the last three years running from."

"I'd never let that happen," Aramis argues, hugging her tightly.

"Neither would I," Athos assures her, placing his hand on her back.

A warm feeling blossoms in her chest at their affection. She loves her musketeers dearly. She knows she could never deny them should they come looking for her help. They're the family she'd always wanted but never thought she could have. She would fight to her last breath for them without hesitation.

"What did Desiré say?" Athos asks and she straightens.

"Not much, but he seems... enticed," She grimaces, "He expects me to dance with him."

"Like hell you are." Aramis scoffs, strengthening his hold.

"Aramis-"

"No, Athos. I won't let that... that monster lay his hands on her!"

"I can handle Desiré," She assures them, "But first you have to dance with me."

"Dance?"

"Well the idea was to entice him with a bored wife at a party full of strangers, but someone," She grips his chin, "Decided to play the overly affectionate, doting husband. I didn't think he would believe it if I didn't dance with my adoring husband at least once."

"Well then," He offers his hand and leads her to the dancefloor when she takes it.

Athos rolls his eyes. He's almost offended she thinks he wouldn't fit the role of affectionate husband, but he knows he wouldn't have held a candle to Aramis's performance.

Porthos quickly finds the man in the crowd.

"Pardon me, Monsieur, but there seems to be-" He freezes for a moment when the man turns to face him. Those eyes, pale and silver as the moon. He would know those eyes anywhere. They're Amélia's eyes.

"Yes?"

Porthos shakes off his surprise, "There seems to be a problem with your horses. If you would come with me."

"You do know how to dance, don't you?" Aramis asks as he takes her waist, "It would be horribly embarrassing if our mission failed because you have two left feet."

She smacks the back of his head, making him laugh, "Sorry, I'm sure you dance beautifully."

And she does. As soon as the music starts she falls into step as though it were second nature. They glide across the floor effortlessly, her skirts elegantly fanning around her with every turn and twirl.

Her fingers twist in the hair at the back of his neck, looking at him with stars in her eyes.

"I've never seen someone more gorgeous," He murmurs, lifting her off her feet, "To hold you is to hold the heavens themselves in my arms."

"Aramis," She giggles at his flattery as he spins them. She pulls him into a kiss when she finds the ground again.

"You're being watched, my love," She feels his hand tighten on her hip. Another turn and she sees Desiré's gaze locked on her form. Aramis can see the disgust in her eyes and lifts her hand to his lips, "I Hate this plan."

"You're not the one who has to play nice with him," She scoffs, "God help me."

He presses his forehead to hers, "Call my name and I'll come running."

"I know you will," She sighs, eyes falling closed for a moment.

They part when the song comes to an end, but when she goes to seek her mark out, he's nowhere to be found.

"Desiré stepped out onto the terrace," She jumps when Athos speaks behind her.

"Aramis laid it on too thick," She huffs.

"You think? No one in this room thinks you'd ever go off alone with another man."

She thinks for a moment and suddenly takes his hand, "I have a plan, come with me."

She brings him over to the windows, ushering him behind the curtains, out of sight to anyone except whoever may be out on the terrace.

She joins him, their chests pressed together and he looks at her confused.

"What are you doing?"

"Can he see us?"

He glances outside and sees Desiré watching them curiously, "Yes?"

She reaches up to touch his cheek, the other holding the leather lapel of his jacket, "Athos, I need you to kiss me."

"What?"

"Kiss me as though you love me, please."

He searches her face for a moment before he gently takes it in his hands and leans in.

The kiss is soft at first, slow and hesitant, as if he's scared they'd both break from it. But then he presses harder, their lips moving together perfectly. One hand moves to cup the back of her head, his tongue sweeping across her bottom lip.

He's surprised when she lets him in, but he doesn't squander the opportunity. He takes his time exploring her, tasting the sweet wine that was served lingering her tongue, drinking in her little moans like they were all that could sustain him.

His other hand pulls her closer by the waist and he feels the hand on his chest grip the back of his neck.

"Athos," She sighs, tugging him close again when he pulls back, and he obliges, kissing her as though he'll never get the chance again.

For a moment he forgets everything. The mission, his own broken past, everything. For one blissful moment, all he knows is her lips against his, the smell of her skin, and the heaving of her chest.

"Athos."

He kisses her again and he feels her smile against his lips.

"Athos."

"Mm! Yes?" He hums, pulling away just enough to lean his forehead on hers, their noses bumping as he stares down at her with a loving gaze.

"Is he still looking?"

"Who, darling?" He pets her hair, cupping her cheek and smiling softly at her. It's as though her kiss has turned him drunk.

It's so rare to see him so content, and she wishes she didn't have to break whatever spell has been cast, but she sees no other choice, "Desiré. Is he still watching?"

Her heart breaks when his affectionate smile disappears and he pulls away, glancing over her shoulder again.

"Yes," His eyebrows furrow as he desperately tries to come up with a new plan that doesn't involve her being alone with him.

"Amélia wait!" He catches her arm when she turns to leave and pulls her back against his lips, catching them both by surprise. She looks at him in shock when they break, "Be safe."

She nods and ducks out onto the terrace, face surely flushed as she fans herself with her hand.

"Oh! Pardon me, Monsieur," She curtsies slightly, pretending to be surprised, "I didn't know anyone was out here."

"Needed some air?"

"Indeed."

"Have you ever been to the estate before, Madam LaBlanc?" He asks after a moment.

"I haven't."

"The gardens here are stunning by moonlight," He continues, sidling up to her and offering his arm, "It would be my pleasure to show you."

She smiles coyly as she takes his arm, "That sounds wonderful."

He leads her through the gardens, her stomach twisting with the path, but she reminds herself Athos and Aramis won't be far behind.

"You're quite an attractive woman," His words pull her from her head.

"Monsieur?"

"It's a shame your musketeer friend won't be able to save you now."

"What-" He slaps her before gripping her cheeks.

"You think we wouldn't notice him sneaking around in the dark?" He spits, "My men took care of him just as the party started."

D'Artagnan.

"And the one you sent off with the prince?" He sneers, squeezing her tighter, "He never saw them coming. Just one left. Your little lover back at the party with your idiot husband."

"I don't-"

"Does he know you're fucking your guard?" He asks, "Do you want him to know?"

She struggles against him when he forces his lips on hers, "Be a good thing for me and stay quiet and I'll keep your dirty little secret."

She gasps when he tears at the front of her dress, glass gems scattering across the ground when he yanks her necklace from her neck.

"You're the second one I've spirited away here and fucked, I think I'm developing a taste for it."

"Not if I can help it," A voice says behind them and she sighs in relief.

Desiré spins around to see Aramis pointing his pistol at him and scoffs at the sight.

"Let the lady go, there's a good man."

He shoves her to the ground behind him and grabs at the barrel of the gun, twisting it out of the musketeer's hand before hitting him with the grip, knocking him unconscious.

"Aramis!" She scrambles past her assailant, falling to her knees beside him, "Aramis please- No!"

Desiré grabs her skirt and drags her back toward him, the sound of ripping fabric filling the air.

"Athos!" She screams, struggling to get away, "Atho-"

His large hand grips her throat, tugging her back awkwardly, "Shut your whore mouth!"

He flips her onto her back and pins her down as he starts to push up her skirts.

"No! Ah- Athos!" She cries again, earning another hard slap.

"That's enough!"

She angles her neck back to see him standing just up the path, pistol in hand, "Athos."

Desiré tenses when a blade appears across his throat, held by Porthos, a second held by D'Artagnan pressing into his back, "Get off the lady."

He lifts himself enough for her Athos to take her hand and pull her to her feet. She clings to him, trembling against his chest.

"You're safe now," He whispers, stroking her hair and kissing her head, "I have you."

"Porthos, arrest him. D'Artagnan, check on Aramis," He orders, "We're leaving in the morning."

He holsters his pistol and lifts her in his arms, murmuring soft reassurances as he carries her back to their rooms.

She holds tight to his arm when he sets her on the bed and he kneels in front of her, keeping himself close if that's what she wants.

"What happened?" She sniffles.

"Aramis went after you and I went to find Porthos," He explains, running his thumb across her knuckles before holding the back of her hand to his lips, "I shouldn't have left his side, I'm so sorry."

When Aramis wakes he does so with a start and goes straight into fight mode as he jumps to his feet.

"Where is she?!" He snaps, swaying with a sudden head rush.

"Athos brought her inside," D'Artagnan is quick to steady his friend, "I'll bring you."

Aramis lets himself lean D'Artagnan as the make their way toward their quarters, "Is she hurt?"

"Maybe a little scraped up," He admits, "But mostly just scared."

"I should have shot him."

They eventually make it to the bedroom to find Athos knelt at her feet as though in prayer as he clutches her hands.

"Aramis!"

Athos lets her pull away, lost without her touch when she runs to him.

He stumbles from D'Artagnan's hold, collapsing against her. He takes her face in his hands, "Your cheek."

A bruise has begun to darken where she had been hit, but her main concern is him.

"You're bleeding," She says, "Sit down."

"I'll kill him," He growls, turning back toward the door."

"No!" She holds him tighter, "Sit down, Aramis."

He does as she says, pulling her into his lap when he sits on the side of the bed.

"I can't do much, confined to your lap," She retorts, but he isn't listening.

His hand hovers just over her cheek, half scared she'll crumble to nothing at his touch, shoulders relaxing when she leans into it, "Just... let me hold you."

"Here," Athos avoids her eyes as he hands her a bowl of water and cloth.

He abruptly leaves with their younger companion as soon as she takes it, leaving the lovers alone.

The sunrise comes faster than any of them expect.

The star finds Amélia and Aramis wrapped in each others arms, both of them still awake and shaken from the previous night's events.

The group readies and reassembles in near silence, each of them yearning to get back to Paris and put this whole debacle behind them.

Desiré had been handed over to the local authorities and would be transported to Paris under full guard later in the week.

She's too tired to ride and it takes little convincing to get her to ride in the coach. Athos opens the door but just as she moves to get in a voice sounds behind them, "Émila?"

She turns to see her brother who looks overjoyed, "It is you!"

He freezes mid-hug when Athos starts to draw his sword, still on edge.

She places her hand on his with a reassuring smile, "It's alright."

The siblings step away and she throws herself into his arms.

"Dear Cäraus," She kisses his cheek, "I've missed you so much!"

"We thought you were dead."

"Please keep it that way," She begs, pulling away from him, "I'm happy here and we both know what will happen if she knows where I am.:

He nods solemnly and she touches his cheek.

"Know that I am happy and well. But please pretend you haven't seen me."

"I love you, dear sister," He murmurs against her hands, "But if you wish to stay with these men, whoever they are, then I am not the one to stop you."

They part with one last lingering hug, knowing they likely will never see each other again.

"Keep the younger ones safe," She whispers as she pulls away, smiling as she rejoins her companions.

"Happy reunion?" Aramis asks, watching him walk away.

"Nothing to get jealous over," She grins up at him as Athos helps her into the coach, "I doubt we'll ever meet again."

"And besides," She leans out the open window to smirk at him, "I have my eyes on someone else."

He rides up beside the coach, beaming as he leans down to cup her cheek.

Athos grits his teeth at the scene in front of him and grips the reins of his horse, before ordering his men to move out.

[therobotmonster]

So many kid's toys these days just. Arn't fun. They're designed to be COLLECTED rather than PLAYED with. Everything is a fucking blindbag. Materials are flimsy and cheap and designs don't hold up to an actual child throwing them around. And it's all so EXPENSIVE, even accounting for inflation.

To expand on my thoughts here, I'm unrolling a Twitter thread I made about this trend. (with some additions)

The Big H's handling of mainline figs is... distressing, of late. Very little push for show mains, oversupport of already saturated legacy characters, and some frankly unsettling engineering and materials choices (esp in Cyberverse).

Increase in overall fragility, thinner parts, styrene-on-styrene joints that will go floppy in a few months of light play, very little "clicks" or locks solidly... the passion is clearly in the collector's end, and that's just bass ackwards.

This repugnus would have been amazing triumph from Mego in 1970s. But for a mainline big H TF line in the 2020s? This is a backslide. And before anyone brings up that it's from the kids' line, that's the point. They're KIDS, they should get MORE care and effort in their merch.

Every toy you make might be a kid's only birthday gift or holiday present. Toys are /given/ to children, and if the work is subpar, you make a chump out of grandma. You won't be there to blame if it breaks or disappoints.

It seriously drives me nuts seeing how far the stuff-for-kids industries have fallen. There's no brands without the work, but as the poet DMX said: "these cats done forgot what work is."

All your blockbuster superhero empires start in the pulp gutters. Compared to the movies toys, games and comics will never be profitable ENOUGH to be worth it on a billion-dollar scale ledger.

"Give me mighty oaks! There's no profit in acorns!"

If you want the stuff that makes the Michael Bay blockbuster, you have to start with the stupid goofy cartoon no one had seen before where anxiety over the oil crisis was acted out by robotic Punch and Judy puppets. How many studios would greenlight TMNT or TF sight unseen today?

If you make toys and cartoons and video games, your job is to make kids happy. How is that not sacred? If anything is sacred it should be that.

Art is the act of evoking emotion, and fun is an emotion (what else could it be described as?) and it is SO IMPORTANT.

I fear that gets lost in the "what to do over next?" rush. Every artist at those companies has a dozen amazing ideas in their back pocket that won't get a chance to become the next Transformers because a studio is terrified they'll make Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors instead.

Since the world is run by Captain Planet villains, I wouldn't bat an eye if we found out venture capital was a ploy by some disgruntled warlock who just hates the goddamn Care Bears.

Just some dick at Bear Sterns singing "There's no room for joy on a spreadsheet" to a weaselly sidekick.

Cuz guys, we've got companies that make GAMES for CHILDREN hiring the Pinkertons. I repeat. Games. For. Children. That's not normal. That's not a normal thing. That is a very disturbing thing.

And its hard to even discuss without sounding like a frickin' Care Bear myself. Because how do you sum up the creeping dread that the support beams are being mined thin, and everything fun for kids will go the way of Toys-R-Us, dragged down like Artax.

I'm not advocating pure altruism here. There's plenty of money to be made giving kids an awesome experience. It's investing in future fandom. Real Brand loyalty. If you want the blockbuster 15 years from now, get them hooked on the fun cartoon now. The value-add always pays off.

For every Transformers or He-Man there's going to be several Robotix-es or Power Lords. That's a risk. A risk worth taking. New ideas should be easier and cheaper to bring to fruition now than ever. But the system won't let it happen.

[nightcolorz]

Hii can you explain what do you meant by amc's armand involvement with the trial being softened? With the whole memory wiping I think they did they opposite so I would love to get your perspective on that xx

Also do you think they made armand a two dimensional villain with their choices this season?? My thoughts are all over the place ha ha

thank u for the ask anon ! Good question.

I see where u r coming from, bcus in the iwtv book Armand’s involvement in the trial is definitely less intense than it is in the show. What I was referencing there is how in the vampire lestat it’s revealed (in a way that is portrayed as unambiguously true) that instead of rehearsing with him as he did in the show Armand tortured Lestat and kept him in captivity out of anger and revenge bcus of how hes still mad Lestat destroyed his cult in the 1700s, and then forced Lestat through torture means to confess to being murdered by Claudia to have her killed, and then he used this upper hand to ( as Lestat describes it, out of spite 💀) take Louis as his companion, and then he throws Lestat off a tower 😭❤️.

So as of now, the way the show is putting it where Armand’s actions r less coming from a place of insane revenge and r more out of a desperate ploy to retain his attachment to his safety net (the coven), I definitely consider that softening. Not necessarily bcus Armand’s actions r better exactly, in the books despite his torturing of Lestat, Armand fully intended to keep Louis alive and never planned to hurt him let alone kill him. But I think the severity of Armand’s actions r softened (in a way that I like) bcus of how they r portrayed as clearly rooted in fear and desperation, which is pretty sympathetic. While in the books the trial was much more unforgivable bcus Armand did it all cuz he hated lestat for ruining his life, but in the show Armand went through with it bcus he was scared of having his life uprooted by loosing his place in the coven and he knew that by letting Louis die he would be safer then he would be giving up the coven for Louis. I agree with u on how the memory manipulation is definitely an addition that makes Armand look worse, but to me it comes off as equally as fear based as his involvement in the trial was, and not scheming or villainous in a way that I can’t sympathize with. Armand is doing the memory wiping bcus he’s desperately afraid to loose Louis, bcus of his trauma response that tells him everyone will leave him, and makes him believe that if he doesn’t have someone he is devoting himself to he can’t live. So without Louis hes “nothing”. So it’s bad obviously, but not bad in a way I found non complexly villainous. And definitely more understandable and sympathetic then a lot of stuff Armand does in the books 💀

U probably know my answer to ur second question by my response to the first lol, but I definitely don’t think Armand was made one dimensionally villainous in s2 at all haha. I think despite how they write him to do some bad things he doesn’t do in the books, they portray it in a way where u can see how all of his villainous actions r based in some very deeply seated trauma that informs every way he behaves. Part of this is definitely Assad’s incredible performance, but u can always tell how sad and needy Armand is, in everything he does, he’s so lost. They definitely try to hammer home how Armand’s actions r so trauma and fear based by giving us his backstory so early and showing connections between how his trauma informs the way he sees the world and makes decisions. As of now, I think it’s rlly well done!

thank u sm for the ask anon!! ❤️❤️

[horizon-verizon]

“It’s only a 5 second clip, there’s no context”, sorry but there’s no excuses, Rhaenyra literally shaking and being visibly terrified of her husband is all we need to know.

Talked about this HERE.

Not to mention that it substantiates epi 10's choking scene that I argued was always about abuse. And HotD's predilection to use unsubstantiated and extra scenes of violence against women--bc most that wasn't even in the book or can be argued as having been there--to create more drama and shock value. and to appeal to the "the Targs were the most evil people who almost brought the Westerosi to their knees".

So yeah, I will "judge" a fucking "3-second" clip, even if it's just the HotD or HBO teams trying to get people talking. If you feel that DV is a great way to get people hyped about the show, reducing DV to a marketing ploy as if it isn't already undermined as a serious offense against women bc women are blamed for it (without bringing relief to the female victim in the show who is getting abused, it's just voyeuristic torture), then you are still also minimizing DV for money. You are still undervaluing rape as an "everyday unfortunate thing", using it so casually FOR MONEY. Abuse & r*pe become capitalist playthings.

Like, think about it! They expect us to believe that Criston is from Dorne or has a Dornish parent when there has been no show!proof bc:

other than Alicent saying he is Dornish based on looks alone, we have had no background scenes on Cole's life before going to KL nor do we see any courtier discriminating against him for his Dornishness (even Otto in epi 2 could be said to look down on his lower, noble classed no money-having assed self...bc Cole is still a nobleman, just a lesser one)

not only do not all Dornish looks "swarthy" and even if his mom was Dornish she'd more likely be the paler version who Daeron I calls "stony" (those who are the closest to the Dondarrions & Blackhaven , where Cole comes from), TWoIaF and F&B both call him a Marcher knight. Not a Dornish one.

So we are meant to think Criston Dornish with little to no proof AND knowing that he was never Dornish by canon. So show!Rhaenyra was taking advantage of a PoC man (the Dornish are not PoCs, they are "spicy" white people-equivalents, even the Martells). But we're also meant to think show!Daemon is either not being abusive nor that it's such a big deal bc "he was always mean to be an abuser". Criston isn't an incel, but Daemon was always an abuser of Rhaenyra...

Watch how some fans will also say that Rhaenyra deserves to get smacked around bc she "raped" and manipulated Criston & is a danger to men everywhere!

We don't think such things are bleeding into and have informed the writers into making Rhaenyra, Rhaena (tiktok and HERE), Rhaenys all diluted and isolated versions of themselves?!!! Same as with the whole Velaryons are paternity test and Laena choosing to kill herself shit!

[pumpkinpuffgirls]

How would the plot of "Ploys R' Us" go in Power of 5? Would Bliss find out the girls are using Professor to steal toys for them first or would it go similar to the episode?

I'd say It'd go similar to an extent. I think Bliss would feel less comfortable about the situation, even if she got nice things as a result. She might feel conflicted since this is making her sisters very happy and technically nobody knows what's going on if they don't say anything. Yet she also feels guilty since she's older and understands really how bad it is since they're lying and it's not right. She'd probably the one who'd go to wake the Professor before he stole more, and be in on the plan to teach her other sisters a lesson.

[luxerays]

Everything in Fontaine has been a Fatui plot: or, an analysis of the 4.0 archon quest and speculation for 4.1 and the rest of Fontaine

In celebration of the end of Lyney's banner and the start of Tartaglia's rerun, here's a dissertation on the Fatui presence in Fontaine.

Spoilers for the 4.0 archon quest, and minor spoilers for the Narzissenkreuz world quest. Doesn't include any information from leaks beyond 4.0.

The 4.0 archon quest left us with a lot of unanswered questions, chief of which (for me) centered around the second trial and Tartaglia's role in the plot. Underlying all of those questions is the question of the greater narrative, that is: what are the Fatui doing in Fontaine? In attempting to pick out clues and hints that could answer those questions, there seemed to be an overwhelming knot of coincidences, and potential solutions to the questions seemed to form a complete picture if a certain assumption was made. The speculation and theories within stem from this.

This post became enormous [~30k!], so I created a Google Doc version of this post with all of the information. I recommend reading it there, as it allows for better navigation (jumping around), better formatting, and has some visuals. This is posted in one format or another on tumblr and r/Genshin_Lore. Feel free to post elsewhere with credit.

I'll put only the TL;DR of each section and the main conclusions here; all the details and evidence will be below the cut.

The Fatui, Fontaine, and performance. Performances and trials are nearly one and the same in Fontaine. There's an implication that the Fatui are creating a performance in Fontaine, potentially both through controlling the overarching narrative/plot, and also through controlling trials. There is a focus on misdirection and hiding what's really going on in order to achieve these goals.

What are the Fatui doing in Fontaine? There's at least two Fatui factions in Fontaine that may be working together, in parallel, or at odds with each other. Potential Fatui interests in Fontaine include: (1) learning about the Oratrice, (2) retrieving the Hydro Gnosis, (3) saving Fontaine from the prophecy, and (4) destabilizing the Fontainian justice system. We don't know why Tartaglia's in Fontaine.

Lyney & Lynette's magic show and the first trial. Lyney and co. have demonstrated that they will use a performance as a front for other goals with the magic show. The second "performance" in the archon quest (the first trial) fits the criteria that Lyney lays out in the Final Feast trailer as to how to control a performance: controlling the time, place, and people, so it is possible that the trial was a ploy. The first trial being a Fatui ploy allows for the Fatui to (1) present evidence that the prophecy is real through the introduction of the dissolving water, and draw the public's attention to that reality to help their goal of saving Fontaine, (2) shake some of the trust in Furina as an arbiter of justice, (3) investigate how the Oratrice works in as close to a controlled environment as possible, and (4) bring more attention to the serial disappearances case while keeping the Fatui out of the list of potential culprits.

Tartaglia & the second trial. We aren't told who accused Tartaglia. Given that it's important that we don't know this information, the Fatui are the best fit to have accused Tartaglia. Their motivation in doing so would be to get Tartaglia sent to the Fortress of Meropide. The Fortress is of interest to the Fatui because of (1) the information network present there as a den and community of criminals, (2) its connection to and potential information about the Oratrice, (3) potential abyssal connections, and (4) potential connections to pre-Celestial civilizations. There is also the implication that it needs to be Tartaglia that is sent there, due to his unique background. It's possible that the second trial was a Fatui ploy, as the Fatui would be able to control the time, place, and most people involved. There is also little risk for the Fatui if staging the trial and getting Tartaglia sent to the Fortress fails. We can also speculate that the Fatui had enough information to know or guess that Tartaglia would be determined guilty by the Oratrice due to his unique properties. Setting up the second trial as an outcome of the first also allows the Fatui to (1) learn more about how the Oratrice works and (2) destabilize faith in the justice system by creating an unprecedented discrepancy in verdict between public and Iudex opinion and that of the Oratrice.

Who's in on it? Tartaglia. It seems likely that Tartaglia is aware of his role in the Fatui plot, and has orders to be sent to the Fortress of Meropide. The imagery and details of his fight "performance" on the opera house main stage seem to hint that it was a ploy. The fact that Tartaglia gave the Traveler his vision - and expects to take it back - means that there's a reason that he needs to not have a vision within the narrative, and there's evidence to support that the reason is that he intends to put on an authentic "performance" without his vision, as laid out in Lyney's voicelines. There are many parallels between our interactions with Tartaglia in Fontaine and those in Liyue, where he used the Traveler for his goals, and deflected from his true motives with honesty about other topics. Tartaglia also has personal motivation to be sent to the Fortress of Meropide, in alignment with the Fatui's goals. Tartaglia being aware of his role and the plot strengthens the claim that the second trial was a ploy, as it allows the Fatui more control of the circumstances.

Who's in on it? Lyney and co. It's likely Lyney is aware of at least part of the Fatui plot, though Lynette, Freminet, and the other kids may not be. Lyney planted the magic show ticket on Liliane in Romaritime Harbor. A higher-up in Marcel's Sinthe organization is working with/for the Fatui, informing on Marcel and Navia. On orders from the Fatui, this individual gave Cowell orders to dissolve and abduct a girl at the magic show by tampering with the seat selector, and to tamper with the tank to hide the evidence; they also gave Vaughn orders to plant the water in Lyney's effects in an attempt to frame the Fatui for the serial disappearances. In this way, the Fatui could fully control the events of the magic show and first trial, and set up the stage for the second.

Conclusions. Everything was a Fatui plot: the Fatui are the scriptwriters and directors of the performance that is the Fontaine archon quest. If you think those claims are too far-fetched, Fatui involvement can be removed piecemeal and the overall motivations, actions, and events still hold up.

Speculation on 4.1 and beyond. We'll see Tartaglia carry out his mission at the Fortress of Meropide, with the goal of gaining information on (1) how the Oratrice works, (2) the abyss, (3) Hyperborea or other pre-Celestial civilizations, or (4) the Primordial Sea and its water. The magic pockets will be important in the future, and their function will be demonstrated. In every nation besides Mondstadt, the events of the archon quest led to a change in the status quo of government. In Fontaine, this will be a destruction or restructuring of the justice system, possibly led by Neuvillette or Furina.

Table of Contents

I. The Fatui, Fontaine, and performance

Performances & trials

Magic

Section I TL;DR

II. What are the Fatui doing in Fontaine?

What do the Fatui say they are doing in Fontaine?

What other evidence do we have for what the Fatui might be doing in Fontaine?

Section II TL;DR

III. Lyney & Lynette's magic show and the first trial

Was the first trial a ploy?

Fatui motivations for the first trial to be a ploy

Section III TL:DR

IV. Tartaglia & the second trial

Who accused Tartaglia?

The Fortress of Meropide

Was the second trial a ploy?

The Oratrice & Tartaglia's conviction

Revisiting motivations to control the first trial

Section IV TL;DR

V. Who's in on it?

Tartaglia

Why did Tartaglia give the Traveler his vision?

Section V Tartaglia TL;DR

Lyney and co.

Liliane

Cowell & Vaughn

Vacher/Marcel

Section V Lyney and co. TL;DR

VI. Conclusions

VII. Speculation on 4.1 and beyond

Afterword

I. The Fatui, Fontaine, and performance

In this section, we're going to take a step back from the events of the archon quest, and look at the setup of the Fontaine narrative as a whole, and some relevant themes that are prevalent within.

Performances & trials

Let's start with the trailer Overture: The Final Feast. In the trailer, we have the following narration from Lyney and Arlecchino:

Lyney: The essence of magic is getting people to believe a lie Lyney: And the most important part of this is what people see Lyney: People don't realize how much they expect their eyes to tell them the truth Lyney: But what you see is not real. It's all a show Lyney: And every part of the show is carefully controlled Lynette: Controlled how? Lyney: By choosing the right time, the right place... Lyney: And the right people Lyney: Whoever controls these three, controls everything Lyney: But keep your eyes peeled, and you might be able to turn things to your advantage Lyney: In a nutshell, magic is what you see with your own two eyes Arlecchino: Very fun. But it's not enough Arlecchino: Let me make something clear. You think of yourselves as "magicians" Arlecchino: But when you're on the stage, you're first and foremost actors Arlecchino: Good actors hone their craft to mesmerize the whole crowd

Along with the visuals, the trailer seems like it may be alluding to a greater plan behind the scenes from the Fatui - the Hearth and Arlecchino specifically. To speculate, it would seem to imply the Fatui being behind the scenes of the plot of Fontaine, and making use of misdirection and illusions to distract the "audience" - the people of Fontaine (as well as us).

It'd be remiss not to mention here the Fatui Harbinger naming scheme itself being from the Commedia dell'Arte - which already implies a meta-sense of the awareness of narratives and performances, and "playing" certain "roles". This performing seems to be intrinsic thematically to the Fatui as an organization, whether you think of the naming scheme as a Watsonian or Doylist thing.

Moving on specifically to the justice system in Fontaine, there's been an emphasis on trials in Fontaine being plays or shows - spectacles and performances.

The Opera Epiclese is where performances (opera, orchestra, etc.) are held, and also where trials are held - this is a very clear conflation of performances and trials. In addition, the visuals of the opera house interior themselves are a mix of a typical opera house (stage, seating, balcony/suite seating), a courtroom (raised judge's seat in the center, balconies on each side for the prosecution and defense), and a guillotine.

There are also a number of lines from characters and NPCs that mention the close relationship between performances and trials in Fontaine. A few select ones:

From Furina, at the beginning of the archon quest in Romaritime Harbor:

Furina: Amusing. Very amusing, Lyney. Just the sort of unexpected twist that I enjoy. With you here, today's performance can finally be called complete. Paimon: Performance? You see all this as a performance? Furina: In which case, consider the matter of your trial resolved. The god of justice will not bring charges against an innocent person.

From Lyney, shortly afterwards:

Lyney: When there are no public trials being held, the opera house hosts a variety of other performances. To the people of Fontaine, the line between a trial and a performance can be a little blurred...

From Navia, who asks us our opinion on this practice:

Navia: In your opinion, do you think it's right to treat a trial like it's an opera?

And from NPCs as well. Here are two lines from Potier, for example:

Potier: Ah, if only the day would come when I can perform at the opera house — uh, not in the sense of standing trial, though. [...] Potier: Don't worry, don't worry. I have principles and sense — and more importantly, I don't want to perform a "trial-standing show" at the opera house.

It seems to be clear that trials and performances are nearly one and the same in Fontaine. Now, looking again at these three lines from Lyney in the Final Feast trailer in particular:

Lyney: And every part of the show is carefully controlled Lynette: Controlled how? Lyney: By choosing the right time, the right place... Lyney: And the right people

If we think of trials as "shows" as mentioned in Potier's lines, then what Lyney is saying here is that the trials can be (and potentially are) controlled by choosing the time, place, and people on trial. Here we then have the possible implication that the Fatui are controlling (specific) trials. Tying this with the rest of the trailer, we are able to speculate on two levels of Fatui plotting: a scheme behind the entire narrative of Fontaine, and a scheme behind specific trials.

Magic

Magic is also a common theme throughout the first parts of the archon quest. It naturally appears as a major theme where Lyney appears, so: in the Final Feast trailer, as well as being the main narrative point of the first part of the archon quest. From a narrative perspective, this is a deliberate choice, as is using Lyney and Lynette as the main characters in the first part of the archon quest - we can therefore place importance on magic as a theme.

There are quite a few interesting lines we have from major players in the quest about magic. Selected lines below:

From Neuvillette during the magic show:

Neuvillette: To appreciate magic, you should focus on the show happening on stage rather than getting caught up in trying to see that which has been intentionally hidden.

From Furina during the first trial:

Furina: Magic tricks are ultimately just illusions and misdirection... but Halsey's disappearance is very real. We're talking about two completely different things.

From Lyney back at the beginning of the archon quest:

Lyney: Magicians and thieves practice similar methods. We divert attention, and a distracted audience is one that won't discover what you're really doing.

And from Lyney's character stories:

Magic is a lie. Nothing but evasion, deception, and trickery. Even a single illusion requires a series of lies to pull off. To put on a whole magic show, you must win the audience's trust by weaving a seamless facade of ruses and ploys

Some commonalities between these quotes appear: an emphasis on magic relying on illusions and misdirection, and distracting the audience. There is also the presence of "intentionally hidden" elements that are crucial to the magic working - or, what is "really happening".

The relevance of these points is twofold: within the bounds of the Fatui's schemes, we may expect Lyney and co. (and potentially Arlecchino) to make use of these principles to distract the public from their goals. On a meta level, we can expect the narrative in Fontaine to make use of illusions and misdirection, and attempt to distract us (as the audience) from what is really happening. We should pay special attention to any gaps where there may be hidden elements that give hints towards what is really happening. Moving forward, we will take this approach to analyze what may be occurring with regards to the Fatui in Fontaine.

Section I TL;DR: Performances and trials are nearly one and the same in Fontaine. There's an implication that the Fatui are creating a performance in Fontaine, potentially both through controlling the overarching narrative/plot, and also through controlling trials. There is a focus on misdirection and hiding what's really going on in order to achieve these goals.

II. What are the Fatui doing in Fontaine?

In the first part of the archon quest, we encounter the Fatui in two separate instances: with Lyney and Lynette, who are part of the House of the Hearth, and with Tartaglia. In this section, we'll investigate what they claim to be doing in Fontaine, and speculate on unstated motivations.

What do the Fatui say they are doing in Fontaine?

The House of the Hearth. In the first part of the archon quest, Lyney tells the traveler that the Fatui are interested in learning more about the Oratrice.

Lyney: We've been trying to find out how the Oratrice operates. We want to know why it has a consciousness? Why can it deliver sentences accurately?

Later, he mentions the Knave's motivations:

Lyney: She has gained permission from the Tsaritsa to first use the Gnosis' power once she obtains it. She plans to use it to find a way to break the prophecy and save Fontaine. Paimon: So she believes in that prophecy too? Lyney: That's right. The whole House of the Hearth is currently working to combat that crisis.

Tartaglia. Tartaglia never clearly says what he's doing in Fontaine. We first meet him when he's acting as a collector for Northland Bank, but he never mentions this work as his reason for being there, and Paimon dismisses this as a reason out of hand. His responses to Paimon's direct inquiries about his reason for being in Fontaine are as follows:

Paimon: We're surprised to see you too! What are you doing here in Fontaine? You didn't want to stay in Snezhnaya? Traveler: We sure seem to have run into a lot of friends today. / Fontaine really is a curious place. Childe: Haha! Long story short, I've already been in Fontaine for some time now, and honestly, things have been pretty boring.

And the second inquiry, after his vision malfunction:

Paimon: So what are you doing in Fontaine, Childe? And don't say it's work for Northland Bank! Childe: Well... I guess it's because I've been in a bad mood lately. Paimon: Huh? What kind of reason is that? Wait, since when do you feel down about anything? Childe: Haha, I dunno... Maybe I still have a lot to learn about myself.

He deflects and doesn't answer the question at all. This is such a blatant deflection that it's difficult to call it "misdirection", but it does fall under that umbrella. Rather than answer the question and tell us what he's "really doing", Tartaglia misdirects the Traveler and Paimon (and the player) by talking about being in a bad mood, a rising power within him, and his experiences in the abyss. No doubt this information will be plot relevant later, but it also serves to distract us from that initial question - instead of investigating his motivations for being in Fontaine, we are more interested in this new information. It's therefore likely that his goals in Fontaine are important to understand what's going on with the performance of the Fatui in Fontaine.

So far, we have the following stated motivations for the Fatui in Fontaine: (1) learning about the Oratrice, (2) retrieving the Hydro Gnosis, and (3) saving Fontaine from the prophecy. All three of these motivations are from the House of the Hearth faction (Lyney, Lynette, Arlecchino, potentially Freminet) - we don't know why Tartaglia's there.

What other evidence do we have for what the Fatui might be doing in Fontaine?

There's a group of three kids near the café and the House of the Hearth in the Court of Fontaine having a discussion that is clearly a veiled reference to the current Fatui situation, and works well as a high-level framework for viewing the Fatui presence in Fontaine.

Estella: The hearth in your home has been burning brightly lately, I see. Olivier: And the balances in yours have been working hard, haven't they? Manet: My hearth is strong, and the firewood, sufficient. As for the balances, I don't need 'em. It's not like I'll miss those one or two pieces of vegetables at the market, anyway. Estella: ... Estella: You'd best be careful. If the flames leap onto the opera house carpet, they'll put your hearth out while fighting the fires. Olivier: Ooh, very scary. But can you guarantee that the opera house would survive said flames? Manet: Nah, the fire in my house won't reach the opera house. It's way too far away! Olivier: ... Estella: ...So, have those flames been staying put? Olivier: Hmph. Why don't you guess? Estella: I'm not doing that. Just tell me. Manet: I bet they're behaving themselves instead. Where can they go, anyway? Olivier: ... Estella: ...

It's vague enough that it's difficult to get a clear idea of the meaning or how it relates to the Fatui plot in Fontaine. However, there are a few points that we can pull from this that may help speculation.

The House of the Hearth ("hearth") and the Northland Bank ("balances") are both working in Fontaine. The involvement of the House of the Hearth was already clearly demonstrated with Lyney and Lynette and their trial. We also knew that a branch of the Northland Bank exists in Fontaine (if you haven't found it, it's just past the alchemy table in the Court of Fontaine). In the plot, these two institutions are already clearly represented by characters: the Hearth by Lyney and Lynette, and the bank by Tartaglia. In our first meeting with Tartaglia in Fontaine, he introduces himself to the Confrerie of Cabriere as an agent of Northland Bank rather than specifically his role as a Harbinger.

There may be two or three Fatui presences working in parallel or at odds with each other. We have the House of the Hearth and the Northland Bank as two major Fatui institutions. Manet, in the above conversation aligned with the Hearth, seems not to need or want the help of the bank, and there seems to be a level of compartmentalization of information between the two institutions, as the kids are asking each other about their plans. There's three kids in this conversation: Olivier has a hearth, Estella has the balances, and Manet seems to also have a hearth. It's hard to draw a clear conclusion on the importance of this: Olivier and Manet may or may not be referring to the same "hearth", or they might be, but have different interpretations of how to "use" the hearth. So these institutions may be working towards the same goal in different ways, or may be working towards different goals.

There's an implication that if the Opera Epiclese is aware of or involved with the Hearth's plans, they may begin to target the Hearth. Olivier implies the Opera targeting them may be in their plans, which may be to "destroy" the opera house (likely metaphorically):

Olivier: Ooh, very scary. But can you guarantee that the opera house would survive said flames?

This statement reads pretty clearly as a veiled threat of an institutional suicide play: The opera house (Fontaine justice system, Furina, and Neuvilette) may suppress and prosecute the Hearth while attempting to react to the "flames" (chaos, lack of faith in the system, children of the Hearth, etc.) that the Hearth set, but the Opera may not survive that endeavor. Destroying the Opera could take the form of shaking the people of Fontaine's faith in the Opera (and Oratrice) as a system of justice, and undermining its power.

The flames could also refer to Lyney, as a pyro-aligned member of the Hearth who, as part of the archon quest, has a performance on the opera house carpet (stage).

As a bit of slightly more baseless speculation, the "flames leap[ing] onto the opera house carpet" mentioned here could also refer to Tartaglia, who's linked closely with chaos and discord when mentioning the Fatui. Relevant quotes from Tartaglia's character stories below:

As the Harbingers' vanguard, Childe always appears in the vulnerable underbellies of Snezhnaya's enemy states, striking as a conflict is about to erupt. On the other hand, because they fret about the way his quarrelsome personality tends to invite unwanted trouble, the other Harbingers constantly try to get him sent on missions to places as far from Snezhnaya as possible, so that they can avoid the fallout. Shocked by Ajax's great strength and curious about how he invariably became the eye of a vortex of discord, Pulcinella inducted Ajax into the Fatui [...]

Later in the archon quest, Tartaglia quite literally "leaps onto the opera house carpet" at the end of a trial.

The reference in the kids' conversation seems to clearly refer to the Hearth's flames, of which Tartaglia is not. Manet mentions his House's flames won't reach the opera. However, Olivier and Estella continue the conversation, and seem to be referring to some unruly flames that Manet thinks have been behaving - when we later meet Tartaglia, he mentions that the bank told him not to beat up clients, and he's generally been following that direction. So it is a possibility that the flames refer to him, however slim it may be. Picking apart the details of this conversation is ultimately not too important in the grand scheme of things.

What would destabilizing the justice system do for the Fatui? There's many potential reasons that a nation might want to destabilize another, but we don't have a clear specific reason. Perhaps it's sowing chaos as a way to get to a larger goal, like the Gnosis, or perhaps it's a trial run for turning people away from their faith in the gods. (Wild speculation: "Epiclese'' comes from "epiclesis", referring to invoking the gods. So if the Tsaritsa and Fatui are truly working up to a rebellion against the gods (Celestia) or the like, destroying the opera house which is named after ritual invocation of the gods is apt.) In addition, the Oratrice is said to collect the power of Indemnitium through the people's belief in the justice system, and use this to power Fontaine. If the people's belief in justice in Fontaine was shaken, this power would also wane.

Regardless, the Fatui have been shown to deliberately destabilize other nations before (see: Inazuma's civil war).

So now we have added a potential fourth motivation for the Fatui in Fontaine: "destroying" the Opera house as an institution.

Section II TL;DR: There's at least two Fatui factions in Fontaine that may be working together, in parallel, or at odds with each other. Potential Fatui interests in Fontaine include: (1) learning about the Oratrice, (2) retrieving the Hydro Gnosis, (3) saving Fontaine from the prophecy, and (4) destabilizing the Fontainian justice system. We don't know why Tartaglia's in Fontaine.

III. Lyney & Lynette's magic show and the first trial

In this section we'll discuss Lyney and Lynette's magic show and the ensuing trial, and investigate the possibility that the trial was a ploy.

To begin with, let's discuss the magic show.

Lyney and Lynette clearly state that the magic show was a guise to investigate the Oratrice.

Lyney: We've been trying to find out how the Oratrice operates. We want to know why it has a consciousness? Why can it deliver sentences accurately? Lyney: During our investigations, we learned that the machine's core is beneath it. Lyney: From that moment on, Lynette and I have been designing this box-swap trick, with the objective of getting close to the core. Paimon: Is that why you needed a whole minute? Lyney: That's right. In truth, the audience would take about seventy-five seconds to count down from sixty, while I would only need fifteen to get to the opposite box. Lyney: So after jumping into the tunnel, I accessed the opera house basement via the vent and went to investigate the room in which the core is stored. Lynette: That air vent was created during the construction of the tunnel specifically to execute this step.

So here we have it both outright stated and demonstrated that the Fatui will put on a performance (magic show) to hide their real motivations and goals.

Was the first trial a ploy?

Earlier, we mentioned that performances and trials in Fontaine are nearly the same thing. We also mentioned that there is the possible implication that the Fatui are controlling trials by choosing the time, place, and people.

Thinking now once again of trials as a performance, we should investigate if the second "performance" in this part of the archon quest (the trial) was also a guise to hide the Fatui's real motivations.

For the first trial in the archon quest, if we apply this claim, we can see that the Fatui do have the ability to control all three of these factors of the trial.

Place: this is easily controlled, as all trials are held in the opera house. In addition, the crime itself happens during a planned performance at the opera house.

Time: part of this is easily controlled. The crime itself, if it was a ploy, was in a controlled environment: in the opera house during a planned performance, in front of witnesses to make the details of the case clear. The shaky part of the claim here is to assume that the trial would immediately happen following the crime. We don't have too much information on the speed at which trials occur after a crime happens and one is accused. However, to speculate: setting up the crime to occur in front of the archon and and audience in a blatant and shocking way, it could be expected that someone would at least accuse Lyney of the crime and a trial would occur. Because the crime occurred in such a spectacular way (ie, a fun performance), and with the knowledge of Furina's character we have so far, the Fatui may have been able to predict or plan for the trial to occur quickly. Navia mentions that Furina jumping to accuse a someone and kicking off a trial is "not uncommon":

Navia: Furina sure was quick to point the finger at Lyney without any decisive evidence whatsoever, wasn't she? Navia: But that's not uncommon for her. If you remember, the Justice had to interrupt her and ask if she was pressing charges just to keep her from getting carried away. Navia: Anyway, a trial begins the moment someone levels charges. And of course, there was no way Furina was going to back down in that situation.

So the timing of the trial could have been within their expected planning. On the other hand, it's possible that the exact timing of the trial is not important - if it was pushed off for a while, then their plans could accommodate.

People: This is where it seems like there's too many coincidences to ignore. We'll go through each major player in situation.

Lyney & Lynette. They're explicitly agents of the House of the Hearth, and so are totally within the Fatui's control.

Cowell. Within the magic troupe, he's Lyney's subordinate, and therefore on some level answers to him. On the other hand, the outcome of the two trials posits to us that he is a subordinate of Vacher/Marcel and was responsible in part for attempting to frame Lyney and the Fatui for the disappearances. Conveniently, he's dead, so we can't confirm his role.

Neuvillette. He has a seat in the opera house audience that is reserved for him. Lyney mentions he reserved a seat for the Traveler, so he has some insight into the seating arrangements. It's therefore possible that the Fatui could know that he was going to attend the magic show. It's clear that many others have reserved seats as well, so it's possible for the Fatui to know some of the people attending the show.

Lyney: Allow me to introduce you to Fontaine's Chief Justice [Iudex]. That seat is always reserved for him. It wouldn't be too much to say that he's the symbol of justice and honesty here in Fontaine. Paimon: Whoa! Sorry for being so rude just now. Paimon had no idea you were such an important person... Neuvillette: No offense taken. Being Chief Justice [Iudex] is merely what I do for work. Nearly every person has their usual reserved seat, so I am not so special, really.

Furina. The Fatui knew Furina would be present at the magic show, as she mentioned attending earlier in the archon quest.

Furina: I look forward to seeing your upcoming performance at the opera house, Mister Lyney and Miss Lynette.

Traveler. The Traveler is invited to the magic show directly by Lyney, and the specific seat they sit in is also reserved by Lyney.

Lyney: The opera house has assigned seating, so you always have to make reservations. I've already reserved your seats, and here are your tickets.

Here I would also like to mention that it's clear that someone is keeping tabs on the Traveler's movements. At the very beginning of the archon quest in Caravan Ribat, we see a man dressed in the Fontainian style watch our conversation with Dehya, and then run off in the direction of Fontaine once the Traveler says where they're headed next. Who exactly this man is or works for hasn't been made clear yet, but our spectacular welcome in Romaritime Harbor from both the Fatui and the archon means that either could be possibilities. Furina says she could tell, as a god, when we stepped foot into Fontaine, though we don't know if her claim is true. Regardless, there's evidence someone is keeping tabs on us, and if one person has that information, it's likely others do as well.

This is relevant because of the Traveler's role as Lyney's defense attorney - it's not too out of left field to posit that the Fatui planned for that role for us when the steps are laid out: we are welcomed to Fontaine by Fatui agents, invited to their magic show, and requested to act as a defense attorney - in this the Traveler is being moved into the right positions for their role.

Liliane (Halsey). From what we are told explicitly during the archon quest, Liliane isn't beholden to the Fatui, and is instead a thief from Mondstadt who happened to steal a ticket for the show and impersonate the person who was supposed to attend. Liliane is also the thief that appears at the beginning of the archon quest, chased by the Traveler, Lyney and Lynette, and who manages to avoid Lyney and Lynette but leaves the stolen items behind with them. The seat she was sitting in was deliberately chosen as the volunteer for the performance. All of this is a suspicious coincidence, but we'll discuss it more later when we discuss who might be aware of the scheme. For now, we will only propose that it's possible Liliane is in contact with the Fatui, and it's possible that she isn't.

Navia. She doesn't seem to have any outright connections to the Fatui, and we don't have evidence as to whether she has a reserved seat at the opera house. We also don't know if she was planned for by the Fatui or not. The only interesting connection we have here is that of her connection to Vacher/Marcel. We'll bring this up again when we discuss the second trial, and who might be in on the plot in more detail.

Vaughn. From what's stated in the archon quest, Vaughn was hired to frame the Fatui (Lyney in particular) for the serial disappearances case, and was working as Cowell's accomplice. From the second trial, it appears that his boss is also Vacher/Marcel. However, he also conveniently dies just before he can name his boss outright:

Vaughn: I—I was just following orders! Vaughn: We were supposed to place blame for the serial disappearances onto Lyney and thus cause suspicion to fall on the Fatui. The higher-ups said that this was the best opportunity to do so. Neuvillette: And now that your plan has fallen through, and the secrets of the Water have been revealed, you have become a liability to said higher-ups, yes? Neuvillette: Therefore, you would be wise to tell everything you know and seek the protection of the Gardes. Vaughn: Y—Yes! I'll tell you everything I know! Vaughn: Our boss discovered that the Water can cause people to dissolve. Vaughn: It can also be made into a potion which, when extremely diluted, can cause people to experience unforgettable exhilaration. Vaughn: We've been in this business for a while now and have made decent Mora off it. The disappearances were also the boss' idea. I mean, this is the boss we're talking about, the—

It's possible we don't get to hear him name his boss so that we can go through the second trial and discover Vacher/Marcel, but there is also the slim possibility that his boss is someone else.

Marcel. He was present at this trial, which becomes a key point in determining him the culprit in the second trial. As to his relationship to the Fatui, the only pieces of information we have are (1) that he's Snezhnayan, and (2) that he runs the Confrerie of Cabriere, which owes money to the Northland Bank. Marcel being Snezhnayan does not necessarily mean he's part of the Fatui. However, in the player's mind, Snezhnaya and the Fatui are inextricably intertwined, and Marcel mentioning that he's Snezhnayan is a flag to make us think of the Fatui. From a narrative perspective, Marcel does not necessarily need to be Snezhnayan for his motivation to be behind the disappearances to work - he only needs to be from somewhere other than Fontaine. Therefore, the fact that he's Snezhnayan is a deliberate choice. Once again, we will discuss this more later - for now, we will only propose that there is a possible connection we can draw between Marcel and the Fatui.

In summary, the people present at the trial can be grouped into a few categories based on their connection to the Fatui.

People the Fatui have full control over: Lyney, Lynette

People the Fatui knew would be at the show and trial: Furina, Neuvillette, Traveler

People that have a tentative connection to the Fatui: Cowell, Liliane, Marcel

People connected to Marcel: Vaughn, Cowell, Navia

Here we can see that the Fatui have a hand in controlling most of the people present at the show and trial, mostly fulfilling our third condition for controlling the "show".

We can investigate the reasoning for these people to be present at the show given the claim the trial was a Fatui ploy. Lyney, Lynette, Liliane, Cowell, and Vaughn were all essential for the crime to occur and the trial to reach its conclusion. Furina and Neuvillette were necessary to move from the discovery of a crime directly to a trial. We previously discussed how it was possible the Fatui could predict Furina would quickly accuse Lyney and begin a trial once the crime occurred based on her known behavior; Neuvillette is necessary as Iudex to preside over the trial. The Traveler was explicitly invited to the show, and was deliberately asked to act as a defense attorney by Lyney. Only Navia and Marcel seem not to have reasoning behind their presence at the show and trial from the Fatui perspective. We will come back to this when we discuss the second trial and the impact of each of the two trials on our understanding of the other, at which point this reasoning may be stronger.

One last point here is the Traveler's stated thoughts in the archon quest just after Lyney is exposed as a Fatui member:

Traveler: (There's no doubt about a magician's ability to con others. Given how Lyney has concealed his identity, this could all have been set up beforehand.) Traveler: (Plus Childe is here in Fontaine along with other House operatives, there must be some scheme at work here.) Traveler: (I've been a victim of such schemes before, and now...)

The Traveler's thoughts when laid out like this are often a summary and explanation of what's been going on in the quest for the player's benefit, or are used to influence the player's feelings about the events in the quests. Here the Traveler explicitly lays out that it's possible that "this" could have been set up beforehand. We tend to immediately connect "this" to the crime itself, since that's what's being discussed at the trial, but in combination with the second line - that there's some scheme at work - "this" could also refer to the the trial as a whole. We'll come back to this quote again later, but here we will simply use this as another piece of evidence that it's possible the trial could have been a setup.

A note here: for the most part, this trial being a setup relies on the idea that either (1) Lyney (and co.) are aware that the trial's a setup and are working to that end, or (2) that Cowell, Vaughn, and/or Marcel are working to ensure the trial's a setup at the cost of their own lives or freedom for the Fatui's interests, or both. We have briefly mentioned a few reasons why these things are possibilities throughout this section, but we will discuss the viability of this in depth in the later section "V. Who's in on it?".

In summary, the trial (as a performance) mostly fits the criteria Lyney mentions in the Overture trailer as needed to control a performance - having control of the time, place, and people involved - so we can propose that this performance (the first trial) could also have been controlled by the Fatui.

Fatui motivations for the first trial to be a ploy

We have now laid out how there exists the possibility that the first trial was a ploy by the Fatui. However, we are missing a major piece that would give weight to this claim: what reason do the Fatui have to set this up as a farcical trial?

To answer this questions, we should look at two dimensions: (1) what the trial caused in terms of outcomes, and (2) the Fatui's motivations in Fontaine we laid out earlier.

Let's first look at the trial and its outcomes and effects.

The serial disappearances case was brought to the forefront of the public's mind.

Water from the Primordial Sea was introduced as something that exists, and that is able to dissolve Fontainian people.

The proceedings of the first trial imply the Fatui were not the culprits behind the serial disappearances, as a Fatui member was tried and found innocent, with someone else framing the Fatui for the crime.

The proceedings also may lead to immediate interest in finding the mastermind behind the case, who ordered subordinates to publicly disappear a girl and frame the Fatui for the crime.

Furina falsely accused an innocent person.

We'll come back to these in a moment.

The possible Fatui motivations we listed before are as follows: (1) learning about the Oratrice, (2) retrieving the Hydro Gnosis, (3) saving Fontaine from the prophecy, and (4) destabilizing the Fontainian justice system.

The magic show, as previously stated, was a front in order to learn more about the Oratrice.

During the trial, Lyney explains why the magic show was a guise, and talks about their interest in the Oratrice as a way of helping save Fontaine.

Lyney: [...] [Arlecchino] plans to use it to find a way to break the prophecy and save Fontaine. Paimon: So she believes in that prophecy too? Lyney: That's right. The whole House of the Hearth is currently working to combat that crisis.

After the trial, Lyney also explains himself and the goals of those allied with him at the Hearth, talking about how they are all Fontainian and want to save their homeland. Paimon's response to him is illuminating:

Paimon: So from small deeds like distributing Magic Pockets to huge schemes like stealing a Gnosis, everything is aimed at dealing with that prophecy...

In combination with the outcomes of the trial we listed above, we can explain that controlling the first trial could help contribute to that main goal of combatting the prophesized crisis.

To do so, let's first look at the details of the prophecy, as Lyney states them early in the archon quest:

Lyney: It says that every person in Fontaine is born with "sin." No matter how the Nation of Justice holds trial after trial, this sin cannot be absolved. Lyney: Until one day, the water levels in Fontaine will rise, and the sinful people will slowly be drowned... Lyney: In the end, the people will all be dissolved into the waters, and only the Hydro Archon will remain, weeping on her throne... Only then will the sins of the people of Fontaine be washed away.

Lyney then goes on to explain the current state of Fontaine in relation to the prophecy:

Lyney: But, here in Fontaine, evidence is what matters. There hasn't been concrete evidence for any of these claims, so they can only be regarded as conjecture. Paimon: If even the people in Fontaine don't know what sin they committed, wouldn't it be better just to ignore the prophecy completely? Why bother feeling guilty all the time? Lyney: That's exactly what the people did at first. But... in the last few years, the water levels in Fontaine have actually started rising.

We then discuss the prophecy with a few NPCs around the harbor. They have differing opinions on the validity of the prophecy. Lyney and the Traveler summarize the opinions afterwards:

Lyney: Oh? You already handed out all of the Magic Pockets? That was fast. So, what did people have to say? I bet you heard some, ah, interesting opinions... Traveler: No kidding... / Many are quite stubborn. Lyney: Yes, but that will change once disaster strikes. I know they'll change their minds, so it's only right to help them prepare.

The pieces of the puzzle we have so far:

We have the two core harbingers of doom the prophecy lays out: rising sea water, and the sinful people (people from Fontaine, in the context of the prophecy) being drowned and dissolving.

Lyney and Lynette mention that there's evidence for the first part of the prophecy: water levels have been rising and places are becoming submerged. However, at the beginning of the archon quest when this conversation takes place, there's not evidence that people will drown and dissolve.

The opinions of the public are divided, and many don't believe in the prophecy or preparing for it.

The Hearth may be interested in swaying the public with regards to the prophecy, as then their actions to "save Fontaine" would have support, which may enable them to take more drastic actions openly, and make their job easier, as the public would align themselves with the ostensibly benevolent institution aiming to help save them. If the Hearth is interested in getting public opinion on their side with regards to the prophecy, then it's clear that they need to provide evidence for the second part of the prophecy: dissolving into water.

The trial introduced the concept of Water from the Primordial Sea; or water that can dissolve Fontainians. The water's existence as the "murder weapon" for a high-profile case - the serial disappearances of young women - brings it to the forefront of the public's discussion, and frames it in a way where it's clear the water is a scary, dangerous thing (rather than framing it as something miraculous like a divine power, etc.). To top it all off, during the trial Vaughn dies in a very dramatic dissolution on the main stage of the opera house - a guaranteed conversation starter for the public. So with the first trial, evidence for the second part of the prophecy now exists.

Reactions of the audience at the trial show that this may be working to change public opinion:

Audience : Wait a moment, this reminds me of a certain prophecy. But... it's just a coincidence, isn't it?

This is also discussed offhand in the second part of the archon quest:

Navia: I'm sure you've heard about what happened at the opera house? Someone got turned into water right in front of us... Florent: Yeah, I've heard... With something that dramatic, I'm sure journalists will milk it for all its worth, and it'll be all the talk for the next several weeks.

Even Neuvillette addresses this at the very end of the archon quest:

Neuvillette: Yes, up to the present, I think we reached a point where we have no choice but to confront this prophecy directly. [...] Neuvillette: Two parts of the prophecy have already proven correct: the rising sea levels, and the ability of the people of Fontaine to be dissolved. We should be more vigilant, and stay on the watch for further signs.

At the very least, the trial has successfully made the prophecy a major topic of conversation and focus for the public.

Going back to the principles of magic and misdirection that Lyney laid out for us, we may also speculate that this focus on the prophecy could be drawing audience (public) attention to hide other motivations and goals for the Fatui in Fontaine. A focus on a prophetic doom would allow cover for dealings that might otherwise draw public attention. What those specific interests might be is speculation at this point, but may be interesting to keep in mind as the archon quest progresses.

Looking at the other effects of the trial, we can point to the fact that Furina falsely accused a person determined to be innocent by the Oratrice in a high-profile trial.

Although it's unlikely that this is the only time she has been wrong, we don't have evidence either way. However, in such a high-profile trial, to be wrong, and "embarrassed", as Silver puts it during the second trial, is an important incident.

Navia: Why do I feel like Furina's acting a little differently today? Silver: Maybe she's scared of embarrassing herself again? Melus: Alternatively, she's become more diligent after charging an innocent citizen in the last trial.

As one of the Fatui motivations we proposed is to destabilize the Fontainian justice system, showing the archon publicly being wrong about a charge and trial may help towards that end.

As an aside with more baseless speculation, if the Fatui are investigating the Oratrice and how it makes decisions, it makes sense to control a trial in as many ways as possible so that they may see how the Oratrice judges the outcome. Think of controlling variables in a science experiment.

The final set of effects from the first trial all have to do with the serial disappearances case - bringing it to the forefront, and rousing up interest in seeing justice done. There is the caveat that the Fatui are also easily written off as culprits, as they have been determined to be victims of an attempted framing during the first trial (i.e. the public is thinking: why would they frame themselves?).

Why would they want to bring attention to this case? To address this question, we'll have to discuss the second trial, which we do in the next section. Afterwards, we'll come back and take a look at this first trial again.

Section III TL;DR: Lyney and co. have demonstrated that they will use a performance as a front for other goals with the magic show. The second "performance" in the archon quest (the first trial) fits the criteria that Lyney lays out in the Final Feast trailer as to how to control a performance: controlling the time, place, and people, so it is possible that the trial was a ploy. The first trial being a Fatui ploy allows for the Fatui to (1) present evidence that the prophecy is real through the introduction of the dissolving water, and draw the public's attention to that reality to help their goal of saving Fontaine, (2) shake some of the trust in Furina as an arbiter of justice, (3) investigate how the Oratrice works in as close to a controlled environment as possible, and (4) bring more attention to the serial disappearances case while keeping the Fatui out of the list of potential culprits.

IV. Tartaglia & the second trial

In this section, we'll look at some outstanding questions we may have about the second trial in the archon quest, and investigate the claim that this trial was (also) a setup, including potential motivations. We'll then look at how any conclusions drawn here may affect the conclusions drawn about the first trial.

Who accused Tartaglia?

Let's start with when we first learn that a second trial is happening:

Thierry: Yeah, news came from Erinnyes just after you left! We've got another trial on our hands! Navia: Wasn't that place built specifically for holding trials? What's so newsworthy about this one? Thierry: I know, I know, but they said the person they're putting on trial is a Fatui Harbinger called Tartaglia! Traveler: Wait, Childe!? Navia: What? Is that someone you know? Paimon: Yeah, we know him, maybe even a little too well... Thierry: Well, he's been accused of being the true culprit behind the serial disappearances case. It's absurd, don't you think? Navia: Wait, how? None of our investigations have had anything to do with him. Thierry: That's what I thought was strange about it... So I came to tell you the news right away.

From there, the Traveler starts discussing with Navia about how to gain evidence and stall the trial so that Marcel can be charged and judged instead.

What stands out here is actually a lack of information: who accused Tartaglia (and why)? We don't gain any information on this topic during the events of the trial either. As we deliberately aren't given any information on this, we can propose that knowing these details are important pieces of information to understand what's going on.

A reminder: in Fontaine, it seems anyone can level charges against someone, and then prove them guilty in the trial that immediately begins:

Navia: Anyway, a trial begins the moment someone levels charges.

There are a few possibilities that come to mind as people with motivation to accuse Tartaglia:

Marcel

Furina

The Fatui

Someone else?

We'll skip the idea that it's someone else, as there's not any evidence for it so it's difficult to do more than speculate.

Marcel. We hear that Tartaglia's been accused soon after we talk to Marcel with Navia about Callas' case (and the fact that we're investigating it again). Accusing Tartaglia may have been a way for Marcel to get an easy scapegoat for his own crimes, as to help ensure he isn't found out as the culprit. It seems pretty immediate after we speak with Marcel that Tartaglia's accused. Likely if it was him, he contacted some other person to do the actual accusing as it doesn't seem possible he could get to the opera and accuse Tartaglia that quickly (also so that he's not drawn into the trial). When Marcel has been exposed during the trial, nobody ever brings up that he accused Tartaglia, which probably means that either he didn't accuse Tartaglia, or someone did so on his behalf. He may have hoped or expected that without any other evidence, the poor reputation of the Fatui and Harbinger Tartaglia would do the heavy lifting in declaring him guilty, or we can baselessly speculate that he would have attempted to frame Tartaglia as Cowell and Vaughn failed to do to Lyney earlier (allegedly on Marcel's orders). However, this fails to take into account any risks of accusing Tartaglia: what if he is successfully declared innocent? What if he's declared guilty, but the Fatui decide to pursue the case heavily as they believe he's innocent? Both of these could easily expose Marcel. In addition, there has just been a failure to frame the Fatui for the same crime - would he try it again so soon? It's possible that Marcel was so spooked by Navia planning to investigate Callas' murder again that he went ahead recklessly with the plan, to stave off the inevitable. He does have a bit of a breakdown at the end of the trial, so he is in at least some emotional turmoil, but there's not clear evidence to this end. From a narrative perspective, if it was Marcel or a proxy who accused Tartaglia, it would have made sense to let us know that information, as Marcel's arc is basically wrapped up with his death. There's no reason to withhold that information afterwards.

Furina. The main motivation Furina might have is to make up for her failure in Lyney's trial, and to show the strength and ability of Fontaine's justice to capture criminals in a case that's only becoming more and more high-profile. Throughout Tartaglia's portion of the trial, we don't see who the prosecution is (besides potentially Furina). In the only other trial we've seen, we were the defendant, and Furina both the person who leveled charges and the prosecutor. In the Marcel portion of the trial, Navia levels charges on Marcel rather than Tartaglia, and Navia acts as the prosecutor (along with the Traveler) for Marcel's trial. So the straightforward answer might be that Furina leveled the charges, because we only see her acting as prosecution. However, we don't know that it's a given that the person who accuses must act as the prosecution - Furina may have decided to take on that role in this case for entertainment, or to make up for the previous false accusations. Additionally, we don't actually see much of the prosecution of Tartaglia, so it's possible that there's someone else there to act as such. Furina also doesn't have a clear reason to accuse Tartaglia in particular as far as we know - just motivation to accuse someone and find the culprit. Her actions during the second trial that we see are relatively timid, and she doesn't clearly lay out charges or reasoning for them against Tartaglia. Lastly, if it was Furina who accused Tartaglia, it once again doesn't make much sense not to let us know - hiding that information doesn't really affect anything in our understanding of the trial.

The Fatui. We have the Fatui as an option here for a couple of reasons: if it's possible the first trial (performance) was a ploy, couldn't the second also be a ploy? In addition, there's not another faction or individual that's been introduced in the main Fontaine archon quest that is connected to the trials. It's easy for the Fatui or a Fatui proxy to have accused Tartaglia, as we don't know who it was. More importantly, if the Fatui accused Tartaglia, it's essential that this information is hidden from us (both the Traveler and players) so that we don't catch on that this is a scheme. This is the only option that we've looked at here that explains why we aren't told who leveled the charges. In a moment, we'll discuss the validity of this trial being a ploy, but we'll investigate this second trial in the opposite direction from the previous one: we'll first accept the claim that the trial was a ploy and uncover motivations for it to be one, and then we will look again at how viable it is that the trial was a setup.

The motivations for the Fatui or a faction of Fatui to accuse Tartaglia are complicated. One possibility is that factions are working against each other, and the Hearth faction (for example) wants Tartaglia out of the way, and chooses to do so by sending him to prison. Another option is that the Fatui wanted to draw out the real culprit by falsely accusing someone in order to get retribution for attempting to frame them in the previous trial - though this assumes that the first trial was not a Fatui ploy. In addition, it doesn't need to be Tartaglia that's falsely accused for this motivation to work, and the Fatui would need to cause someone (perhaps the Traveler) to find evidence to convict the real culprit. We don't have any evidence for this, and it's quite convoluted - as a motivation it's very unlikely.

Taking a step back: the outcome of putting Tartaglia on trial is that he is either declared innocent (and goes free) or guilty (and is sent to the Fortress of Meropide). We are looking for a motivation that requires the Fatui to accuse Tartaglia in particular, and a reason for him to need to be declared innocent, or to be sent to the Fortress. Since Tartaglia wasn't involved with the disappearances case at all so far, it's difficult to come up with a reason he needed to be tried and declared innocent of the crime with the information we currently have. Accusing Tartaglia with the goal of him being declared guilty will either (1) get him to have a duel (that he loses), or (2) get him sent to prison. As what occurs in the quest is a trial that gets him sent to prison, we'll investigate that first (and will address other options later). With that in mind, let's discuss the Fortress of Meropide in more detail.

The Fortress of Meropide

Given the assumption that Tartaglia's trial and sentencing to the Fortress of Meropide was deliberate, what is the motivation?

We don't yet know too much about the Fortress of Meropide. Besides the basics, the NPC Thurel gives us the most tidbits:

Thurel: Yes, I refer to the Fortress of Meropide. Thurel: Well, it is true that those who have never been there would never use such terms as "above water" or "underwater" in that fashion. Few guards sent down there last very long. Thurel: The environment there really cannot be called good, and there are conflicts between gangs of criminals, too, so we don't integrate well. Thurel: I've heard that a new manager was appointed who laid down a great number of new rules that have made the guards' jobs much easier.

It's not clear if the "manager" being referred to is Wriothesley or not - he's referred to as "Duke" or "Lord" of the Fortress, rather than a "new manager", so it's possible there's been a new face added in there. Either way, it seems like things are changing within the fortress. In addition, from Wriothesley's introduction:

Despite its discretion, as a resting place for criminals, the Fortress of Meropide harbors a network of conflicting interests that would have a corrupting influence on many. But even if someone was bent on infiltrating this place, they'd soon be swallowed up like breadcrumbs in a bowl of soup.

We also know that the Fatui (Arlecchino and the Hearth in particular) make use of agents in the Fontainian government to keep control of certain elements and to work towards their goals.

From Lyney's character stories:

Only the influence of "Father" and her control over the inner workings of the Court of Fontaine prevent any serious incidents from occurring. There was once an official funded by Lyney who served in the Maison Gardiennage. This person provided both intel in support of the Hotel's operations and scrubbed clean the effects of some of the Hotel's clandestine actions. These were actions that came with no small risk, but the official always performed them well, for he believed that the Fontaine of the present day needed someone like "Father" who could bypass the many layers of laws and regulations and take direct action.

We have a fortress prison full of conflict and potential for an information network that's under new management as the setting, and the Fatui's demonstrated willingness to fund agents and move their plans through them. Sounds like the Fortress is somewhere the Fatui would want to get an ear in.

In addition, the Fortress is the eventual ending location for all people determined as guilty by the Oratrice. Lyney has already mentioned that the Fatui are interested in understanding the Oratrice and how it works - it stands to reason there may some information or connection that's important for that endeavor in the Fortress.

Now let's look at the real-world references. Méropide is the name in French for Meropis, an island in Theopompus' Philippica, a story told as an exaggerated parody of the Atlantis myth. The Wikipedia page for Meropis is both short and extremely useful: I'll pull two major points of interest here:

Meropis is situated beyond the world-ocean [...] Theopompos describes three cities in Meropis: Anostos ("Place of No Return"), Eusebes ("Pious-Town") and Machimos ("Fighting-Town"). While the inhabitants of Eusebes are living in opulence getting neither hungry nor sick, the inhabitants of Machimos are in fact born with weapons and carry on wars steadily. The third city, Anostos, is situated on the outermost border of Meropis. It resembles a yawning abyss, does not have day or night, and is covered by cloudy, red fumes.

So we have a very clear abyssal connection in Anostos. If or how this will appear in game is up for grabs, but is an interesting point to look out for. (As an aside, if there's a Fighting-Town equivalent, I'm sure Tartaglia will be having fun in prison.)

The second point:

The Méropes —attacking with an army of ten million soldiers—attempt to conquer Hyperborea, but return in disgrace [...]

We've had a few in-game mentions of Hyperborea (for the first time) in Fontaine. I'll mention them in a moment. First, what Wikipedia has to say about Hyperborea is much more involved that Meropis, but in summary: Hyperborea is, in stories, a golden utopia in the frigid, northernmost parts of the world.

This reference seems to check out in-game as well. Hyperborea is mentioned in three places so far: (1) the Lumidouce Bell description, (2) by Ann in the Narzissenkreuz quest, and (3) in the description for the new battle pass weapon Ballad of the Fjords. (As a side note, the "borea" in Hyperborea refers to the same thing as that of Andrius' Lupus Boreas title: the icy north wind, named Boreas, in myth.)

The Lumidouce Bell description:

[...] Lumidouce Bell is said to represent parting and the wish for reunion. In Coppelius's play Golden Hyperborea, the flower is referred to as "Weeping Crystal." The play depicts a homesick flower wandering in the freezing lands of the north. Its beauty is made eternal by the icy winds. Critics of Coppelius's time thought that was obsessed with eternal beauty and eternal love—this obsession was written into every line of his last works.

In the Narzissenkreuz quest, the Traveler and friends travel through the portal and into the looping corridor. When they arrive in the room with four pools of water and the sword under a dome, Ann says the following:

Ann: This is the center of the world. The castle where the dragon lurks, the tower that imprisons the Princess. Sometimes, it is the lost Ancient City of Yith. Sometimes, Arcadia. At times, it is even golden Hyperborea. Ann: Here, many untrodden realms have been conquered. Here, many heroes have defeated evil dragons. Ann: This is a place that brims with magic, and I was never really able to understand it. Children could see, through a stone wall, the imaginary griffins that whirled free in the distant cloud-filled skies. Ann: These four pools would, in different adventure tales, be the four seas, and sometimes the four cardinal realms of the world.

There's a lot of meat in there, but for the purposes of this we're just focusing on Hyperborea. So with these two, we have Hyperborea associated with "golden-ness", the freezing lands of the north, and the icy winds.  (Side note: the play Golden Hyperborea and the Lumidouce Bell description also seem to be tied to the Travelers (parting and the wish for reunion) and the Inteyvat (the flower's eternal beauty; i.e. being frozen into an unchanging state), so there may be some tentative connections to Khaenri'ah. But that's unrelated speculation.)

The Ballad of the Fjords is the keystone here, and I'll add the full description below.

Legends say the winter comes from Hyperborea, and the fjords and auroras there are curved and sharp as the fangs of wolves, And the glaciers and snowfields are always fissuring forth new crevices, or filling them in, creating an ever-changing land. Until at long last, the frozen earth cut itself from the umbilical cord of the continent, as though it had its own will or dreams, Leaving behind only the legend of young Ajax, who discovered the country of gold and white stone in the depths of the frozen sea. Amidst the frozen air slowly drifting from the thick layers of ice, the story of the young hero brings forth a sliver of warmth and light. The stories about him are many. Sailed he a ship into the belly of a great whale, and fought he a dragon upon the frozen plains for seven days. He and Snegurochka once fell in love, yet lost each other due to the wicked tricks of the changelings — a truly tragic tale. The last story worth telling goes something like this. The boy born to hunt fish beneath the ice with harpoons fell into a hitherto-undiscovered kingdom. This ancient capital had sunk into the depths of the earth due to some ancient disaster, but despite being buried underground, it was still as bright as the dawn. The solemn and silent king yet sat upon his massive chiseled white throne, the scepter in his hands not yet eaten away by insects, And the silver-white trees in the courtyard were like the arms of a mother or a lover, holding the virtuous and wise priest in their embrace. Beautiful yet treacherous life, twisted and violent monsters, one by one awakened from their thousand-year slumber... A voice, seemingly from a faraway place... "...Father! Father! Hey! We got a bite!" "...Oh. Sorry." "So what happened? What happened next?" "Oh, right... Finally, the boy defeated the dragon that slept deep within the kingdom." "The dragon's treasure was an infinite hoard of gold. But the boy was kind and brave, and knew that gold was the true cause of calamity and chaos, and so only took a small amount, enough for his own needs, and to cure his sick friends." "Huh? Is that the end of the story?" "The end." "Really...? Then tell me another story!" "Another story... Next time, alright? Let's stop here today, or even the fish will be scared away."

Here we have the story of the historical hero Ajax in Genshin, presented as a story told by the father of our current Ajax (Tartaglia) to him while ice-fishing.

Hyperborea is here described as a "country of gold and white stone in the depths of the frozen sea", and is once again tied to winter, glaciers, and snow. Here it's also described as being "bright as the dawn [...] despite being buried underground", and having severed its connection with the continent (Teyvat) in the past. Hyperborea's description is extremely reminiscent of that of Enkanomiya - and likely others from the pre-Celestial civilizations.

Besides being the major location besides Dragonspine that we know of that is snowy/icy, Snezhnayan waters are also described by Tartaglia as frozen in his teapot voicelines:

Tartaglia: I want to take you to see the scenery of my homeland. Tartaglia: To gaze upon the endless snowy sky, to stand on frozen lakes that won't shatter, no matter how hard you tread.

It's therefore likely that Hyperborea, or the fissures to get there, are located in Snezhnaya.

We also have the direct parallels between the historical Ajax and the current one: falling through a crevice in a snowfield to an undiscovered fallen kingdom underground between the (Irminsul) tree roots, as well as encountering a great whale. It's been mentioned before that Tartaglia's weapon constructs look extremely similar in design to those found in Enkanomiya. Relevant points from Tartaglia's character stories and voicelines:

[...] That 14-year-old boy got lost in the snowy forest. Pursued by bears and wolf packs, he lost his footing and fell into a bottomless crack in the earth's surface. There, he witnessed the endless possibilities of another ancient world [...]

From the Labyrinth warriors event, being by/between the tree roots:

Childe: I have fought in the fissures that lie between great tree roots. Boundless danger, fatal encounters... These are the ingredients I use to become stronger still.

From the 4.0 archon quest, the fact that the abyssal fissures are ever-changing:

Childe: You make it sound so easy. Ever since the incident I experienced there, I've never stopped searching for Master Skirk and that unknown abyss. Childe: But it's been years now and I've still found nothing. There isn't even a trace of the place where I remember falling into the abyss.

And the description of the whale from the 4.0 archon quest:

Childe: In my dream, I was in the deepest depths of the sea, and the boundless seabed was all around me. But in front of me appeared a whale that was so massive I felt like I couldn't breathe. Paimon: A whale? Oh, that sounds familiar... When we fought against you before, you summoned a huge whale that seemed to leap at us! Is that the one? Childe: Hehe, that's just an abstract form of a whale that I create using my elemental powers. Childe: It takes that shape because the scene I dreamt of the whale has always been stuck in my mind. I'll never forget it...

As well as a description of the "great beast" he encountered in his voicelines (whether this is the whale or not isn't clear, but it seems likely):

I once ventured deep into the abyss and came face-to-face with an enormous beast. I don't know its name, all I know is the sight of it chilled me to the bone. But mark my words, one day I will march back in there and behead that beast, and you, comrade, will be my witness!

When Tartaglia fell into the Abyss, it's likely that he encountered the remains of one of these ancient civilizations - probably Hyperborea, although there are some discrepancies in description. Hyperborea is described as bright, whereas Tartaglia's time in the Abyss is described only with "darkness". As the first description was from the previous Ajax's time, something could have happened to the equivalent of Hyperborea's Dainichi Mikoshi in the intervening time, Tartaglia's character stories could have omitted this brightness (as they are generally vague), or it could have been a wholly different place.

Regardless, it's clear that there's important ties between Meropide and Hyperborea, as well as Hyperborea and Ajax (Tartaglia), and now that Tartaglia is at the Fortress of Meropide, it feels though the confluence of these individual factors can't be a coincidence.

We also know that the Fatui as an overall organization (not just in Fontaine) have a vested interest in learning more about Khaenri'ah, the Abyss, and pre-Celestial civilizations (Dragonspine, etc.). It's possible that they know something of the Fortress' potential connection to these topics.

In summary, for Fatui interest in the Fortress of Meropide, we have the following potential motivations: (1) the information network present there as a den and community of criminals, (2) its connection to and potential information about the Oratrice, (3) potential abyssal connections, and (4) potential connections to pre-Celestial civilizations. There is also the implication that there's some meaning or reason behind it being Tartaglia that is sent there.

Even with this all said, it's possible that these connections are not deliberate. Fontaine has a strong emphasis on history repeating itself, and we've just come from Sumeru, where we encountered the idea of samsara. In this case, it could be that "fate" and the inherent cyclical nature of Teyvat is what is leading the events in Fontaine to happen as they are: that is to say, it's still possible that it's not a deliberate choice by the Fatui or otherwise to send Ajax (Tartaglia) to the Fortress of Meropide, but rather the will of "fate".

However, we will continue to investigate the idea that the Fatui deliberately sent Tartaglia to the Fortress of Meropide through a false trial.

Was the trial a ploy?

Let's look again at the second trial with the new information we have.

Previously, we had posited that it was possible that the Fatui had accused Tartaglia and put him on trial, but we were looking for a motivation for them to do so. With the information we now have about the Fortress of Meropide, we have motivation for the Fatui to (1) send an agent to the Fortress of Meropide to investigate, and (2) that the agent needs to be Tartaglia.

There are a couple of other motivations now, but we'll first investigate if it's possible or likely that the second trial was a ploy.

Taking Lyney's framework for controlling a performance again:

Time: We've already laid out that a trial begins as soon as charges are leveled. If the Fatui accused Tartaglia, they have control over when the trial takes place by being the inciting incident for the trial to occur.

Place: Once again, all trials occur at the opera house. Here we might also keep in mind that deliberately sending Tartaglia to the Fortress of Meropide is controlling the "place" he is - setting up for control of a future performance at the Fortress.

People: This element is once again the difficult one. Firstly, the Fatui accusing Tartaglia means they have control over placing him as a character in the performance. Tartaglia being Fatui also means they have control over his performance. Since this trial began more traditionally than the first one (someone leveled charges and a trial was started, rather than a crime occurring publicly and accusations and a trial being the outcome), Furina and Neuvillette's presence are not too significant - they would always be part of the trial. Then, the only outstanding factors here are Navia, the Traveler, and Marcel.

There are two options here: either the Fatui were aware of Navia and the Traveler's endeavor, and planned on them exposing and accusing Marcel, or that part of the trial was not part of the Fatui plan.

If the Fatui planned for Navia and the Traveler's interruption:

They would need to know what Navia and the Traveler were up to. This is not too difficult with a robust information network. With the amount of people they talked to in the investigation, the Fatui knowing that they were investigating the serial disappearances case in conjunction with Callas' murder is possible - we just don't have evidence or a specific informant to point to.

The Fatui actually don't need Navia and the Traveler to be successful. If they aren't successful, then Marcel isn't clearly convicted, and Tartaglia is still on trial. With the absence of conclusive evidence, public opinion (and the Oratrice) may still move to convict Tartaglia. On the other hand, if the Traveler and Navia are successful in convicting the culprit, the Fatui would have to know that the Oratrice would still convict Tartaglia. This is a difficult claim to make, so we will look at in more detail in a moment.

If the Fatui didn't plan for Navia and the Traveler:

This is the simpler option. This means that Navia and the Traveler nearly unwittingly foiled the Fatui's plans to send Tartaglia to the Fortress.

However, we can still propose that if the Fatui knew the Oratrice would determine Tartaglia guilty regardless, this wouldn't have mattered.

With this in mind, we can see that the framework for controlling a performance is satisfied: time and place are fully controlled. People are either mostly controlled, or the performance was nearly a failure, depending on the Fatui's knowledge and reach.

Another point to keep in mind is that the way the second trial was set up, it's a no-lose situation for the Fatui given their goal is to send Tartaglia to the Fortress of Meropide.

In the case that the Traveler and Navia hadn't been on time to interrupt the trial and convict another person, Tartaglia could have made a show of denying charges and going through a trial, at which point it would be easy to weight the trial against him so that he's convicted. The audience already shows distrust in the Fatui, and he could either represent himself or have another represent him - at that point being a poor defense attorney is all that's needed.

As seen during Lyney's trial, the audience doesn't trust the Fatui at all:

Traveler: They're... Fatui? Doubtful Audience Member: No wonder they did something like this. Audience: So the serial disappearances were the Fatui's doing. Huh, now it all makes sense. Doubtful Audience Member: Well, that's it. We might as well move on to the sentencing already.

Even if Tartaglia himself is unaware of the greater plan (like in Liyue), there's not really a way for the Fatui to lose in this situation. If Tartaglia's determined to be guilty, he goes where they want him. If he's determined to be innocent, that's fine, and then they either send some other agent to the Fortress, get Tartaglia to be convicted for a different crime, or send him there through other means with nobody the wiser to their plans and goals. Likewise, even in the case where Marcel is convicted and Tartaglia is declared innocent, they have other options to achieve their goals without alerting anyone of their plans.

We also now have a motivation for Tartaglia to be in Fontaine, which we didn't have before.

Now to look at other evidence that the second trial could have been a ploy.

There are multiple lines comparing the second trial to a performance during the events of the actual trial.

After Marcel is convicted, Tartaglia has multiple lines referring to the trial as a "show":

Childe: Well now, hasn't this been a most delicious piece of drama? The villain has been caught, justice has been served, past wrongs have been righted, and it's a big ol' happy ending... Childe: Since it's been such a great show, I'll just let the false accusations against me slide. Either way, I've still got some business to attend to, so if you'll excuse me...

And he even refers to himself as a character following the outcome of Marcel's trial (but before his own):

Childe: Ah c'mon, is this really necessary? Haven't you already caught the real criminal? Isn't it time for side characters like me to exit stage left?

This can either be a turn of phrase used to remind the player of that emphasis on spectacle, or a hint that Tartaglia's aware of his role as a "character" in the Fontaine plot and that the trial itself is a "show".

In addition, even Furina refers to the second trial as a performance explicitly at the end, after Tartaglia's been declared guilty:

Furina: However, given the state of things, I shall give you an explanation. Everything that just took place — including my supposed shock and bafflement — was a part of an elaborate performance, with every action meant to stir up drama and excitement. Furina: And of course, for every performance, there is a script. Everything has unfolded exactly as I expected from the very beginning. As the embodiment of the very concept of justice, the Oratrice shall never render an arbitrary judgment!

As Neuvillette mentions, it's unlikely Furina actually knew what was going on. However she is lampshading the idea that the trial was a scripted performance - and it's possible it was, she is just unaware of it.

In summary, we have determined it's possible that the second trial was a Fatui plot, as it fits Lyney's framework for controlling a performance. We have also determined a motivation for the Fatui to have accused Tartaglia and set up the trial to declare him guilty and send him to the Fortress of Meropide. In addition, should this plan fail, their plans will not be exposed.

The Oratrice & Tartaglia's conviction

Let's now investigate the possibility that the Fatui knew that the Oratrice would declare Tartaglia guilty no matter what in regards to the serial disappearances case. As a reminder, this doesn't make or break the idea that the second trial was a setup - it only determines the degree to which the Fatui were able to control the trial.

Fully investigating and theorizing on why the Oratrice determined Tartaglia was guilty (and if he truly is or not) is an entire separate endeavor, and we don't have much clear evidence. As this is also not an essential part of this theory, we'll only briefly cover the main points.

To start, let's look at why Tartaglia may have been determined guilty. The relevant points that act as the basis for this line of questioning are (1) that the trial was in regards to the serial disappearances case and (2) any qualities unique to Tartaglia that would cause him to be convicted against what Neuvillette and public opinion would expect.

The specific charge leveled against him is as follows:

Neuvillette: Do you accept the charge that you are the true culprit behind the serial disappearances case?

With respect to the serial disappearances case, the options for how Tartaglia could have been the true culprit in the Oratrice's eyes are (1) that Marcel was acting on his (or his organization's) orders and (2) that Tartaglia has something to do with the existence of  or access to the Primordial Sea water that's used as the murder weapon.

The qualities unique to Tartaglia are a little harder to pull out, but may include:

His experience in the abyss

His possession of a delusion and/or physical composition that allows for the Foul Legacy ability

His possession of a hydro-aligned vision

His position as a Harbinger

It's impossible that Marcel was acting on Tartaglia's orders for all of the disappearances (as they began 20 years ago). It's unlikely that he was acting on the Fatui's orders as a whole either - he has a pretty clear motive for himself. The one time he may have been acting on the Fatui's orders is the attempted disappearance during Lyney's trial - if that trial was a ploy. This is of course, given that Marcel is connected to the Fatui at all. However in this case, it's still unlikely that Tartaglia in particular would be the one giving orders to Marcel, or to be the one on the hook for it. The interesting point here is in regards to Marcel's organization, the Confrerie of Cabriere. When we meet Tartaglia in the archon quest, he confronts members of the Confrerie about their outstanding debt to the Northland Bank. So in this case, if Marcel is using Confrerie funds (and potentially agents) to commit the disappearances, and the Northland Bank is funding the Confrerie, and Tartaglia is acting as an authority at the bank while in Fontaine (like as in Liyue), then Tartaglia could be guilty for funding the murders. If this is the Oratrice's reasoning, the Fatui clearly have all the information needed to be aware of this line of reasoning except for the knowledge that Marcel is the culprit (which they still might know), and can hypothesize that Tartaglia will be determined guilty.

The next few possibilities are all tied together. However, we currently don't have much information about them, so a lot of this will be extremely speculative.

The Primordial Sea has its origins at the beginning of life in Teyvat - that is, pre-Celestia. During Tartaglia's experiences in the abyss, it's likely he encountered ruins from pre-Celestial civilization, and therefore could have encountered the sea water. Delusions are also implied to be powered in part by abyssal knowledge. So here we can propose a few different options: (1) that Tartaglia's had an encounter with the Primordial Sea water before, during his time in the abyss, (2) the presence of abyssal power is somehow tied to the Primordial Sea water, and/or (3) that something to do with these experiences caused either (3.1) the Primordial Sea water to start dissolving life rather than creating it, or (3.2) the people in Teyvat (Marcel) to gain access to the water. Since this is all extremely speculative, the main points we want to focus on here are the Oratrice's potential "thought" process, and the possibility of the Fatui to know all of this information. If something in Tartaglia's experience led to the possibility of dissolving people with water, this is a pretty clear line of reasoning for why the Oratrice found him guilty. The real question at this point is how the Oratrice could know this. As for the Fatui's knowledge, we don't really have much information on what the Fatui know about Tartaglia's past and experiences in the Abyss. It's likely that they know about some of it, as it likely contributed to his ability to become a Harbinger. However, Tartaglia's character stories mention he's never brought it up:

No one knew what happened within that darkness during those three months, nor would Ajax ever speak of this to anyone.

But Tartaglia does "speak of this" to the Traveler earlier in the archon quest, so it's clearly untrue now. It's possible that "Ajax" would never speak of it, but "Tartaglia" does. Regardless, there remains the possibility that the Fatui know about his abyssal experiences - at the very least his transformation and powers. We also know that as an organization, the Fatui are investigating the abyss, and it's therefore likely they have looked into or sought to look into the Primordial Sea and its water - the House of the Hearth in particular is interested in the prophecy, and would likely be interested in water that can dissolve people. We can only speculate, but it's possible for the Fatui to have all the information here to make a hypothesis that the Oratrice would determine Tartaglia guilty. If the Oratrice determined in this case that a person would be guilty by merit of having encountered or actively having Primordial Sea water, then Tartaglia could have also ingested some Sinthe in a plan to be determined guilty. We don't have any evidence for this, but it's a possibility.

We haven't seen anyone else in Fontaine yet with a a hydro vision. Neuvillette doesn't have a vision, and although Furina does, she's an archon and it's likely either fake or a different situation. So it's possible there's some connection between Tartaglia having a hydro vision, the Primordial Sea water, and being guilty. However, Tartaglia doesn't have his vision at the trial, so it seems unlikely that it's the presence of a vision that caused the Oratrice's verdict. Instead, it might be the absence of said vision that led to the verdict. This would imply something similar to the previous speculation - Tartaglia's abyssal-aligned powers and/or delusion led to the verdict. Having his vision on him might have suppressed the presence of these factors with the elemental (Celestial) power. Think here of the Pneuma-Ousia interaction: when both are present, it's balanced. If we think of abyssal powers as ousia and Celestial/elemental powers as pneuma, removing one would lead to an imbalance. In addition, the Oratrice is a divine mechanism.

Neuvillette: As a divinely created mechanism, the people's unified faith in the concept of justice is integrated into it.

It's possible this mechanism, being "divinely created", is aligned with Celestia. In this case, people that have elemental/Celestial power (like vision holders) or those who are balanced (no powers) are acceptable. However, one that has abyssal (heretical) power might be automatically guilty. As mentioned before, we're not sure how much the Fatui know about Tartaglia's background, but it's likely they at least know about Foul Legacy as part of his strength that allowed him to become a Harbinger. If nothing else, the delusion may be enough to be declared guilty.

We'll also talk about the importance of Tartaglia not having his vision during the trial in more detail in a later section.

Tartaglia's position as Harbinger does not seem to be a good reason to be determined guilty. In the first trial, Lyney is determined innocent even though he went to investigate the Oratrice. As Neuvillette mentions then:

Neuvillette: While there is much in Lyney and Liliane's conduct that should still be investigated separately... Neuvillette: This case, at least, can be handed over to the Oratrice to make the final decision.

The audience also discusses this after Tartaglia's verdict:

Contemplative Audience Member: I mean, have you ever heard of an innocent Fatui Harbinger? Do you think the Oratrice might have just convicted him on general principle? Doubtful Audience Member: But weren't the charges about the serial disappearances case? No matter what else he's guilty of, it shouldn't affect the verdict in this case, right?

So it seems unlikely that his crimes as a Harbinger would cause him to be determined guilty in this instance, and we can strike this possibility off the list.

In summary, in most of these potential cases, it's feasible for the Fatui to know or hypothesize that there's something to do with Tartaglia that will lead to a guilty verdict from the Oratrice. In the case that they did, they would be able to fully control the outcome of the second trial. Again, we don't know how the Oratrice determines guilt, or if Tartaglia was truly guilty, but the answer to these questions is not essential for the trial to have been a Fatui ploy.

Revisiting motivations for the Fatui to control the trials

Now we'll look at other potential motivations or benefits the Fatui may get from controlling the trials.

If we accept the claim that the second trial was a setup, revisiting the first trial gives us a few more motivations for it being a ploy.

Earlier, we mentioned that one of the outcomes of the first trial was that the serial disappearances case was brought to the forefront, with interest in finding the real culprit, and also that the Fatui were unlikely to be thought of as culprits due to the fact they were framed in the first trial.

This is a perfect setup to create and control a second trial. If someone is accused of being the true culprit in the case, it's likely that this will be a high-profile trial that happens immediately.

But why would they want to accuse Tartaglia in this situation? Wouldn't it be easier to send him to prison for some other crime that they can have him commit? There are multiple reasons we can intuit as answers to these questions.

It's better for Tartaglia to be falsely accused for two reasons. The first is straightforward: it's easier to extract him when his job at the Fortress is done without any repercussions. The second reason goes back to one of the proposed motivations for the Fatui: destabilizing the Fontainian justice system. By having a high-profile trial end with a guilty verdict for someone who the public and Iudex didn't think were guilty, the Fatui successfully sow seeds of doubt in the public's mind. We can see a few reactions after the trial to show that it has shaken belief:

Contemplative Audience Member: She says she has no idea either? But that's impossible... Didn't she create the Oratrice herself? Doubtful Audience Member: ...Yeah, so are the verdicts reliable or not? Can results like this really be called justice?

Furina herself is shaken:

Furina: Ah... Wh—Why are you looking at me? I had nothing to do with it... Furina: I—I don't know what happened there, either... H—Hey, stop staring at me...

And as Neuvillette explains:

Neuvillette: Based on Furina's reaction, I doubt even she had any idea what was going on. She managed to bluff her way through it, though, with time-tested twin tricks of bravado and drama.

There are also potential reasons that this case in particular was chosen.

As Lyney has mentioned, one of the main goals of the Fatui in Fontaine is to combat the prophecy. The Primordial Sea water is intrinsically tied to the prophecy. By using a case that's directly related to their goals, the Fatui are consolidating their efforts and not focusing on irrelevant cases.

In addition, we previously mentioned that one way to understand the Oratrice and its decision-making, as the Fatui aim to do, is to control experiments and hypothesize or analyze the results. In this case, it's controlling trials and then understanding the outcomes. So if the first trial was an experiment to understand how the Oratrice makes decisions, the second trial could have been a second round of the experiment. In this, we have a different verdict, necessary to understand how the Oratrice works. We also have the inclusion of elements that the public don't know about that may affect the verdict. By setting up the trial in this way, the Fatui would be able to glean more information on what information the Oratrice has access to, and what's included in its decision-making.

There is one other point to bring up as to why it needs to be Tartaglia who takes on this mission. The case and Fatui interests so far have been closely tied to the Primordial Sea water and its ability to dissolve people, and it's likely they will continue to investigate it. Every other Fatui member so far we have met in Fontaine is also from Fontaine:

Lyney: All of us House members here, Lady Arlecchino herself included, are from Fontaine. We won't give up on defending our homeland. Lyney: To us orphans, the only connection we have left to this world, apart from our "family," is our homeland.

That is, every other Fatui member mentioned in Fontaine and all the House of the Hearth members can be dissolved by the water. Tartaglia in this case is a perfect storm of being highly ranked (trusted with important missions), Snezhnayan (un-dissolvable), and having possible connections to what information may be investigated or found in the Fortress of Meropide (abyss, Hyperborea). So if the mission involves investigating the Primordial Sea water, Tartaglia is the safest agent to use. 

In summary, setting up both trials in this way allows for the Fatui to address some previously stated motivations: learning about how the Oratrice works and destabilizing the justice system.

Section IV TL;DR: We aren't told who accused Tartaglia. Given that it's important that we don't know this information, the Fatui are the best fit to have accused Tartaglia. Their motivation in doing so would be to get Tartaglia sent to the Fortress of Meropide. The Fortress is of interest to the Fatui because of (1) the information network present there as a den and community of criminals, (2) its connection to and potential information about the Oratrice, (3) potential abyssal connections, and (4) potential connections to pre-Celestial civilizations. There is also the implication that it needs to be Tartaglia that is sent there, due to his unique background. It's possible that the second trial was a Fatui ploy, as the Fatui would be able to control the time, place, and most people involved. There is also little risk for the Fatui if staging the trial and getting Tartaglia sent to the Fortress fails. We can also speculate that the Fatui had enough information to know or guess that Tartaglia would be determined guilty by the Oratrice due to his unique properties. Setting up the second trial as an outcome of the first also allows the Fatui to (1) learn more about how the Oratrice works and (2) destabilize faith in the justice system by creating an unprecedented discrepancy in verdict between public and Iudex opinion and that of the Oratrice.

V. Who was in on it?

We'll now discuss the likelihood that particular characters were aware that the trials are Fatui ploys. Much of the evidence presented here strengthens the arguments that the trials are controlled farces.

Tartaglia

We'll start with Tartaglia as his involvement is the most straightforward in the sense that other characters' awareness of the plot don't rely on his, and vice versa.

To begin, here's a piece of characterization from his character stories that's relevant for the situation:

Unlike other members of the Harbingers, who prefer to keep a low profile, Tartaglia will often go to watch public performances — occasionally even becoming part of the show himself.

This can be taken to mean two different things: that he gets serendipitously swept up in performances (in this context, being unaware of the overarching plot and his role in it) or that he deliberately involves himself in the narrative, whether to change the direction or otherwise (in this case, knowing where the plot is going, his role, and being involved in it getting there). Regardless, with Fontaine's emphasis on performances, and Tartaglia's involvement in Fontaine, this isn't something we can overlook.

He also has this line during our first meeting with him in the archon quest:

Childe: But it seems that fate brought our paths together today. Not only will I have some good friends here now, but ones who always seem to find trouble. Childe: Either way you look at it, it seems things are going to get a lot more interesting now.

This can simply be a nod to the Traveler's presence at the heart of the conflict in each nation, or a hint that plans will start to be put in motion specifically because the Traveler is now present - we've mentioned before that someone's keeping an eye on the Traveler's movements, and it seems like in Fontaine, many interactions the Traveler has are because of their past exploits.

Now to look at specific instances in the archon quest. At the beginning of the trial, we see the interaction between Tartaglia and Neuvillette:

Neuvillette: It would appear that I must repeat my question again, Mr. Tartaglia. Neuvillette: Do you accept the charge that you are the true culprit behind the serial disappearances case? Childe: To be perfectly honest, I don't understand your country's complicated court system, or the reason why I'm being charged with something I've never even heard of. Childe: However, I did hear that people who have been charged can choose to participate in a duel to clear their name. Is that right? Childe: In which case, as long as I accept the charge, I can have an all-out fight with that Champion Duelist Clorinde, right? Childe: I've gotta admit, that's one of the most enticing offers I've ever received. Childe: When I privately sparred with her last time, she was obviously holding back... Real disappointing. Furina: Hey, don't you understand? You're currently the prime suspect for a major case! This isn't the place for you to be looking for fights. Childe: Ooh? Sounds like the Hydro Archon wants to lecture me on the ways of the opera house... Childe: Then why don't you duel me, too? I'm the kind of student that learns best in the heat of battle. Furina: A—Ah, no no no, that's not what I meant... Neuvillette: Alas, it would appear that communication with the defendant is going poorly, and we have made very little progress. Neuvillette: In that case, let me explain everything from the very beginning again. The goal of this trial is to determine the culprit behind the serial disappearances case...

At this point the trial is interrupted by Navia, and the trial of Marcel commences.

What's interesting here is that Tartaglia's being vague, just like when asked why he's in Fontaine: he's not outright denying or accepting the charges, but blatantly deflecting and distracting by talking about dueling.

The upshot of which is: though we are led to feel one way because of the outcome of the quest later, at this point we don't know if Tartaglia's actually willing to accept the charges and go on trial or not. So one possibility is that Tartaglia has orders to be determined guilty and sent to the Fortress, and he's making a show of protesting the charges (without actually denying them) so it won't seem like something's up when he eventually goes on trial.

His dialogue throughout the trial scene implies a meta-awareness of the narrative and his role. He makes reference to the trial as a "show":

Childe: Well now, hasn't this been a most delicious piece of drama? The villain has been caught, justice has been served, past wrongs have been righted, and it's a big ol' happy ending... Childe: Since it's been such a great show, I'll just let the false accusations against me slide. Either way, I've still got some business to attend to, so if you'll excuse me...

And even refers to himself as a character following the outcome of Marcel's trial (but before his own):

Childe: Ah c'mon, is this really necessary? Haven't you already caught the real criminal? Isn't it time for side characters like me to exit stage left?

This can either be a turn of phrase used to remind the player of that emphasis on performance, or a hint that Tartaglia's aware of his role as a "character" in the Fontaine plot.

We should also take a closer look at the end of his involvement in the archon quest - that is, his reaction to being declared guilty and the ensuing cutscene.

We'll start with some subjective evidence about his characterization with regards to his actions after being declared guilty.

At the beginning of the cutscene, Tartaglia's expression changes quickly from the shock he had after being declared guilty to a smirk. We can interpret this as dropping a ruse or acting, or we can interpret it simply as impending excitement after making the decision to start a fight.

Why did he start fighting the Gardemeks anyways? If he intended to avoid being sent to prison, going towards the stage and enemies seems like a poor course of action when he can go through the audience to the exit while causing difficulty for the guards. Additionally, in Liyue, we see him transform into hydro to escape the Golden House. It's possible he can't do this with electro, but we haven't seen any noticeable difference between his abilities with hydro or electro. The straightforward interpretation is that he didn't think of that, or that he wanted a fight where he could get one.

Why did he need to use Foul Legacy? We know that it causes some damage to him when used. We've seen him use it twice, and both seem to be "desperate" situations: when his plan seemed to be on the edge of failure in Liyue, and when he needed to defeat the Ruin Guards quickly in his story quest to defend Teucer. The situation in the trial does not seem to be nearly as desperate, and it didn't seem like he was having trouble with just his delusion. In addition, it seems a little strange that he's willing to demonstrate Foul Legacy in front of an audience of the civilian public.

The time it was taking him to transform into Foul Legacy was a lot longer than it did when we are initially introduced to the transformation in Liyue, or during his story quest. It's possible that the time was extended and dramatized for our benefit like in a shounen anime so that we could see Furina, the Traveler, and Paimon's reactions, and also to give some time to have Neuvillette intervene.

Individually each of these points may be easily swept aside, but in combination, it seems like something's off. We could posit that his judgment's impaired as a consequence of his stated "bad mood" and from only having/using his delusion, but it's only been at most a few days since he gave the Traveler his vision. The act of giving up his vision itself likely would not cause major issues, as it was willing, so it's more of a Diluc situation than a Vision Hunt Decree. We don't know how fast deterioration would occur under these circumstances.

Of course, whether you believe that his actions here are "in-character" or a little off is a matter of personal opinion and interpretation - so let's look at the important parts of this scene that are more objective.

In the cutscene, Tartaglia leaps from his balcony to the opera house floor - he quite literally enters the stage from the wings like a character in a play, and then immediately begins a monologue. His earlier comment about it being time for "characters like [him] to exit stage left" is also interesting, because in the cutscene, he enters the opera house stage from stage left.

The ensuing fight all happens on the main stage of the opera, like a performance would, and is suitably dramatic to engage the audience (both in-game and us as players). The enemies (Gardemeks) also enter the main stage from the wings like in a play. At several points during the cutscene, we see what is happening from the point of view of the audience, and it appears quite like watching a stageplay.

Finally, Tartaglia's dramatic transformation happens when he's in the direct center of the stage, with the electro looking like a spotlight. In combination, this becomes pretty heavy-handed imagery that invokes a performance. Additionally, the drama of the scene distracts us as viewers from thinking too deeply on the events and Tartaglia's actions. As Arlecchino says in the Overture trailer:

Arlecchino: But when you're on the stage, you're first and foremost actors Arlecchino: Good actors hone their craft to mesmerize the whole crowd

Combined with Lyney's comments about misdirection being used to distract the viewer, it seems like we have the elements of a performance here. When Tartaglia is on the stage, he mesmerizes the crowd in-game, and us as players, with a cool fight scene, so we don't think too deeply about what else might be going on behind the scenes.

In addition, there's a fun hint from Lyney during the magic show: 

Lyney : If the magic is interrupted, who knows where you might end up? You might even find yourself in the Fortress of Meropide.

In this case we might interpret this to mean that the magic (Tartaglia's fight/performance on the opera house stage) was interrupted (by Neuvillette) - and he'll soon find himself in the Fortress of Meropide. 

Of course, we can also interpret this as simply being imagery that matches with Fontaine's themes, and not a hint towards Tartaglia's actions being a ploy - but it seems clear there is some meaning in the way this was set up.

As for Tartaglia's motivation for acting this way, given this was a ruse, we can only really speculate. It's possible that the drama of a fight on the main stage of the opera was a misdirection to hide that the trial was a ploy, as mentioned before. Any questions about Tartaglia's willingness to accept a ostensibly false charge and go to prison are dismissed if he very obviously fights the ruling, hiding the Fatui's true motive from the public. (Regardless, if the fight was indeed a performance, then Tartaglia should be nominated for the Genshin Oscars - he can compete with Alhaitham for best actor.) 

If we accept that the trial was a ploy, it's difficult to believe that the Fatui would allow Tartaglia to be put on trial without being aware of his role to go to the Fortress - he's notoriously unpredictable, and there are many points during the trial where he could have unintentionally foiled the plot were he not aware of it. We've mentioned some points before, but as a new example, Tartaglia could accept the charges and duel for his innocence. This would be in-character, as we know he loves to fight, and he even mentions this option at the beginning of the trial. We don't know his power scaling in comparison to the Champion Duelists like Clorinde, but it doesn't seem outside the realm of possibility that he could win, especially with Foul Legacy. Were he to do so, he'd be declared innocent and would not be sent to the Fortress. If he threw the battle, Clorinde would likely know, as exemplified by here evidence about Callas during Marcel's trial:

Clorinde: Just one look and I can tell if a duelist is hoping to live, or if they're looking to die.

For the Fatui to control as many variables in the trial as possible while hiding their true motives, Tartaglia would need to be aware of their goals and his role, and have some orders for what actions he should take.

The other major piece of evidence that Tartaglia is in on the Fatui plot has to do with our first meeting with him in Fontaine, and his vision.

Why did Tartaglia give the Traveler his Vision?

First, let's lay out the sequence of events of our first meeting with Tartaglia in Fontaine:

We meet Tartaglia outside Estelle's smithy as he confronts members of the Confrerie of Cabriere about a debt they owe to the Northland Bank.

He fights with the guild members using his vision. There's a lull in the battle, and then when starting up again, his vision malfunctions. He then defeats the guild members.

He talks about being in a bad mood lately. and then talks about his history in the abyss, Skirk, and the whale.

He talks about his spars with Champion Duelists.

He gives the Traveler the vision.

A few points of clarity during this sequence of events in regards to the malfunctioning vision:

When the malfunction first occurs, his reaction seems to imply that this is the first time it's happened, but he doesn't outright state that.

Childe: Huh... That was weird... Traveler: What just happened? / Are you alright? Childe: I'm not sure... It's as if I suddenly lost control of my Hydro powers when I needed them. Maybe there's something wrong with my Vision? Paimon: Strange, how could that happen? First time Paimon's ever heard of someone losing control of their Vision. Childe: Never mind, it doesn't matter. If I wanna stay sharp, I shouldn't be relying too much on my Vision anyway. Besides, I always have my Delusion in case I need it.

So why did his vision malfunction? Obviously we don't know for sure at this point, but there are some deductions we can make.

Tartaglia has already been in Fontaine for a while now, so it's unlikely that his vision not working is tied to his location. However, he does mention a few things that make it a possibility that he hasn't used his vision so far yet while in Fontaine:

Childe: Haha! Long story short, I've already been in Fontaine for some time now, and honestly, things have been pretty boring. Childe: Ugh, can't you at least let me finish one sentence? Fine, though the bank told me not to get rough with our clients... Childe: You're the ones who started it! This is an act of self-defense. You two will have to be my witnesses, okay?

Put together, these two quotes can imply that Tartaglia was under orders not to fight with bank clients. In addition, him calling his time in Fontaine so far "pretty boring" implies he hasn't done anything fun or interesting: for him, a fight.

However, later he mentions that he's been sparring with the Court's duelists.

Childe: No, it's more of a personal appointment. Lately, I've been sparring with some of Fontaine's official Champion Duelists whenever I'm feeling bored.

It seems unlikely that he wouldn't use his vision during these spars, and later he implies that his reasoning for giving the Traveler his vision is so it doesn't interfere in his upcoming spar, so it follows that he has probably used his vision while in Fontaine. There's not clear evidence one way or another here, but it seems unlikely that it's just because he's in Fontaine that his vision didn't work.

There is other speculation we can make as to why his vision didn't work, but most reasoning requires some leaps of logic, as we don't yet have the evidence to sway one way or another. Some examples:

Tartaglia's vision didn't work because he was using it for an illegal purpose (fighting in the streets). We have no evidence that it's possible to turn on/off a vision remotely, and though there's speculation that visions are a tool for the gods (Celestia) to spy on allogenes, it's not laid out in the main quest yet - and we don't know what motivation there would be to turn off his vision. Also we don't know for sure that what he was doing was illegal.

It's due to his bad mood/mood swings or the "rising power". We don't really have any evidence for this. As why don't know why he's in a bad mood, or what that even means yet, it's difficult to investigate the potential effect on his vision. If the "rising power" is abyssal, it could be fighting with the Celestial power of the vision. Again, this is speculation without much evidence.

His vision's tied to a different kind of hydro, or is aligned with the Primordial Sea. This is speculation based on the idea that Tartaglia had an encounter with the Primordial Sea in the abyss, or that he's more sensitive to hydro, so the fluctuations in weather, for example, that are tied to Neuvillette's mood also affect him. The Traveler is able to hear voices from the Primordial Sea at the Fountain of Lucine after ingesting Sinthe - it's possible something similar is happening here. Once again, it's outside the scope of this theory to really dig into this as a possibility.

His "ambition" is wavering. The interesting point here is that we don't have a character story for Tartaglia's vision, like most other characters - just his delusion. This means we don't actually know what his "ambition" that gave him a vision was. From his voicelines and character stories, we can speculate that his repeated mention of a desire to "conquer the world" might be his ambition. We don't have any evidence to point to why that ambition might be wavering, though.

He was acting. Though this is unlikely, it's interesting to think about. If we accept that much of what's going on is a performance by the Fatui, and that Tartaglia is involved and aware of it, then him acting out a vision malfunction as an excuse to give the Traveler his vision is not completely baseless.

In any case, the reasoning for why his vision stopped working is less important at this junction than the reasoning for why he gave it to the Traveler.

It's frankly strange for someone to have their vision malfunction once and to then immediately give it up to someone else without investigating. Yet overall his demeanor when giving the vision to the Traveler is pretty nonchalant and unworried.

Childe: Oh, before I forget, I want you to have this. Paimon: Huh? Your Vision! You're seriously just giving it away!? Childe: I'm just worried that it could become uncontrollable again. I'd be pretty upset if it got in the way of my duel, so I think I'll be better off without it for now. Childe: Besides, I just need you to hold onto it for a short while. I'll come retrieve it when I have some time later. Paimon: Paimon knows what you're up to! You just want an excuse to come talk to us again, don't you? Childe: Haha, whatever gave you that idea? I'll be in touch, later.

His stated reason is that he's worried it'll malfunction again during his duel. Giving his vision to the Traveler is not the easiest or most straightforward solution to this problem: he can take it off an give it to a subordinate or leave it in his luggage during the duel. We'd also think that the Fatui have better information and resources on how visions work that the Traveler, who doesn't even have a vision, given that they were able to make delusions. It's possible that Tartaglia doesn't trust the Fatui to help with this problem - likewise, it's true that Tartaglia trusts the Traveler, as shown by his willingness to share his past with them, and as he outright states in his teapot voicelines:

Tartaglia: And in the heat of battle, I know that you'd have my back. Traveler: You're not afraid that I might backstab you? Tartaglia: This is the level of trust I place in you.

However, it's likely that there's more going on here. From a narrative perspective, there's a reason either that (1) the Traveler needs to have Tartaglia's vision, or (2) Tartaglia needs to not have his vision in the ensuing events of the plot.

As for the first option, we don't yet have evidence as to why the Traveler might need to be in possession of a vision, a hydro vision, or Tartaglia's vision in particular. The Traveler already has resonated with hydro and can use it, so it seems unlikely that that's the reason. It's possible that the Traveler needs to have a Celestial object, of which a vision would qualify. However, neither of these options address what motivation Tartaglia might have for giving the Traveler his vision, or why the narrative gave us his vision in particular. To wildly speculate, the Fatui could be able to spy on or track the Traveler by following Tartaglia's vision - but we don't have evidence for this other than the fact that we know someone's keeping tabs on the Traveler's movements (see: the man in Caravan Ribat at the beginning of the archon quest).

If we investigate the idea that Tartaglia needs to be without his vision for the plot, a few interesting options arise.

We've previously speculated that Tartaglia not having his vision could have been essential to being declared guilty by the Oratrice. To summarize, without his vision and its Celestial alignment balancing his delusion and abyssal powers, the Oratrice may have seen something that would determine him to be guilty. We also discussed that it's possible that the Fatui were testing the Oratrice's decision-making this way, or deliberately used this as a way to get Tartaglia declared guilty. If we accept that the Fatui have a goal of sending Tartaglia to the Fortress of Meropide, we might also speculate that Tartaglia gave the Traveler his vision so that he wouldn't have it at the Fortress. We don't know exactly how the prison there works, but it seems likely that prisoners would need to be "unarmed" - in this case to give up a vision. If Tartaglia knew he was going to the Fortress, he may have given the Traveler his vision so that it wouldn't get taken into custody, and he would be able to get it back easily without bureaucracy after he left prison, either by escaping or by his sentence being overturned. In addition, giving up the vision willingly to the Traveler means he wouldn't experience any negative effects of not having his vision, which he might experience if it was forcibly taken by the Fortress (again, see Diluc's revenge vacation vs. the Vision Hunt Decree). In these situations, it's likely that Tartaglia's aware of the Fatui plans, though it's still possible that the narrative was contrived to have him give up his vision without him knowing what was in store.

However, the most glaring piece of evidence that makes it seem like Tartaglia gave up his vision for a deliberate reason - and knew of his upcoming performance - comes from Lyney.

During the magic show, Lyney says the following:

Lyney: Now, some of you may be thinking: Two Vision holders who can freely manipulate elemental powers performing magic is not true magic at all. Lyney: So, I would like to take a moment to assure you that elemental powers will have nothing to do with what you will witness on the stage today. Lyney: Both Lynette and myself have removed our Visions for the show. That way, even the gods won't be able to help us. Paimon: Oh, good point. That's what makes the show real magic!

Here we have Lyney and Lynette removing their visions for their performance. Even more blatant is one of Lyney's voicelines:

If a magician were to go onstage with their Vision in hand, people might suspect the authenticity of their tricks, so I habitually take it off before performing. But since you're interested, why don't you help me hold on to it while I perform? Just be sure to keep an eye on it, though — or it might just sneak its way back to me!

If we compare this line to Tartaglia's situation and what he says while giving the Traveler his vision, it seems too deliberate to be a coincidence. Lyney takes off his vision before performing, gives it to the Traveler, and tells them to keep an eye on it with the implication that he will take it back when the performance is done. Tartaglia gives the Traveler his vision, and tells us that he intends to come see the Traveler again and take it back - clear premeditation. This parallel lends itself as evidence for our claim that Tartaglia is intending to "perform" while the Traveler holds on to his vision, and may imply this is so his "tricks" and performance seem authentic.

One final parallel to mention with regards to Tartaglia is the similarities between our interactions with him in Fontaine so far and the interactions we had with him in Liyue.

We've mentioned that samsara cycles and history repeating itself have been major themes in Sumeru and in Fontaine. With that in mind, here's a sequence of events: the traveler is introduced to Tartaglia, who fights with a few members of an organization in the country. Afterwards, they have a somewhat amiable discussion, during which Tartaglia gives the Traveler information relevant to the plot, as well as a physical token.

In the Liyue archon quest, this is how we're first introduced to Tartaglia, ending with him giving us the Sigil of Permission, and here it's our re-introduction to him in the Fontaine archon questline. As a refresher, in Liyue, Tartaglia gave the Traveler the Sigil of Permission and followed the Traveler's exploits afterwards to gain information for his own plans, often leading the Traveler by the nose and introducing them to relevant parties for his goals. As a side note, Tartaglia's interactions with the Traveler at the beginning of the Liyue archon quest were under the guise of helping the Traveler be declared innocent from a clearly false charge of murder - and we have the opposite happening in Fontaine.

Besides being an interesting narrative parallel, this also is a relevant note of characterization: rather than "Tartaglia is straightforward and doesn't scheme", I'd posit it's more like "Tartaglia prefers not to scheme and is straightforward about some things to deflect from others". He's clearly demonstrated that he's willing to mislead the Traveler and use them to gather information or for his own plans. In Liyue, he doesn't hide the fact that he's Fatui or "kind of a bad guy", but this honesty helps distract us from his hidden motives in using the Traveler for intel. Giving the Traveler his vision for unstated motives (or, using the Traveler to hold his vision) and obscuring his real purpose in Fontaine seem to align with his previous behavior in archon quests. The Traveler even refers to this during Lyney's trial:

Traveler: (There's no doubt about a magician's ability to con others. Given how Lyney has concealed his identity, this could all have been set up beforehand.) Traveler: (Plus Childe is here in Fontaine along with other House operatives, there must be some scheme at work here.) Traveler: (I've been a victim of such schemes before, and now...)

If we look at Liyue also as an example of how Tartaglia is used by the Fatui, he was effectively used as a distraction for what the actual overall Fatui plot was. It's possible that Fontaine will shake out similarly: Tartaglia's trial and any chaos he may therefore cause is a distraction for the grander scheme of Fatui involvement. Like in Liyue, it's possible he has his own orders and isn't aware of the grander plan, but it's also possible that Fontaine will be different for him, and he will be aware of the grander plan, as seems to align with the other evidence we've laid out. (It'd also be more interesting from a character development perspective if he's aware, but that's subjective.)

Finally, if we accept the previously stated claims that (1) the Fatui want to send Tartaglia to the Fortress of Meropide, (2) Tartaglia's aware of this plan, and (3) the Fortress of Meropide has connections to Hyperborea and the abyss, then Tartaglia has personal motivation for being part of the events in Fontaine.

To our knowledge, it seems like Tartaglia follows the orders and missions he gets without many issues, so he doesn't necessarily need personal motivation to enact the Fatui plans. In this case, however, there is that bonus.

During our first meeting in Fontaine, Tartaglia states that he wants to go back to where he fell into the abyss:

Childe: You make it sound so easy. Ever since the incident I experienced there, I've never stopped searching for Master Skirk and that unknown abyss. Childe: But it's been years now and I've still found nothing. There isn't even a trace of the place where I remember falling into the abyss.

We previously claimed that Tartaglia likely encountered Hyperborea during his time in the abyss, and drew connections between the Fortress of Meropide and both the abyss and Hyperborea. If the Fatui are aware of these connections, then by going to the Fortress, Tartaglia can help the Fatui's goals as well as his own.

In summary, there's quite a bit of evidence that seems to support the claim that Tartaglia is in on the plot to control trials. In addition, given his awareness of the plot, the Fatui have stronger control of the "people" element of the second trial, helping both to put on the performance, and possibly to control the variables in an Oratrice decision-making experiment.

Section V Tartaglia TL;DR: It seems likely that Tartaglia is aware of his role in the Fatui plot, and has orders to be sent to the Fortress of Meropide. The imagery and details of his fight "performance" on the opera house main stage seem to hint that it was a ploy. The fact that Tartaglia gave the Traveler his vision - and expects to take it back - means that there's a reason that he needs to not have a vision within the narrative, and there's evidence to support that the reason is that he intends to put on an authentic "performance" without his vision, as laid out in Lyney's voicelines. There are many parallels between our interactions with Tartaglia in Fontaine and those in Liyue, where he used the Traveler for his goals, and deflected from his true motives with honesty about other topics. Tartaglia also has personal motivation to be sent to the Fortress of Meropide, in alignment with the Fatui's goals. Tartaglia being aware of his role and the plot strengthens the claim that the second trial was a ploy, as it allows the Fatui more control of the circumstances.

Lyney and co.

Now let's investigate if Lyney, Lynette, and other related parties could have been in on the Fatui plot.

We've already mentioned quite a few coincidences and suspicious points and actions from Lyney and co. throughout the quests, but to mention a few more: our seemingly contrived first meeting and the Paimon balloon, and his access to information that would allow him to set up events of the first trial. We'll look at these in some detail, but we'll start with bigger-picture evidence.

First is a quote from his character stories:

After all, truth and falsehoods were already inextricable in many parts of the performance — why, even the magician himself could be said to have become a part of the magic.

It seems to be implying Lyney's become part of the performance itself.

Once Lyney and Lynette are exposed as Fatui in the trial, he apparently comes clean to the Traveler: 

Lyney: That's why I didn't wish to flat-out lie to you, but chose to hide some details instead. Lyney: The truth is very important, but being completely transparent about everything would see us spending more effort than we need to. Traveler: But how can we know this isn't all just another lie? Lyney: Right. So, you be the judge. Heck, if I were you, I fear that I'd even struggle to trust me at this point. Lyney: You met a Fatuus who works as a magician, a trickster by trade... all by coincidence, too. Lyney: But still, I'm asking you to trust me. I am no criminal... at least, not in this case.

His dialogue here is pretty reminiscent of our first meeting with Tartaglia in Liyue: 

Childe: In Mondstadt, I don't suppose you came across a "Signora" by any chance? Paimon: Signora... Childe... Paimon: You're Fatui! One of the Harbingers! Childe: Oh, no. Don't worry, I'm not looking for a fight. Childe: Signora gave you quite the bad impression huh? Tsk, that woman... Can't say I'm a fan either. Childe: Right, let's forget all about her, shall we? I'm here to help you. Traveler: Help? / I don't need help from the Fatui. / Go. Leave. Childe: Yes. Help. / Come now, don't be like that. / Sure, I may be one of the Harbingers, but hear me out. Childe: I'm not a bad guy... Okay perhaps I'm kind of a bad guy, but I'm not here to give you any trouble. Childe: Would it be too much to ask for you to keep the sword sheathed? Childe: Haha, I thank you for your knightly nobility, Player. Childe: I heard of your deeds in Mondstadt, so I couldn't help but notice you during the proceedings back there. Childe: And because I had my eye on you the whole time, I know it wasn't you. Someone else was clearly behind it. Childe: But... regrettably, given I'm a Fatui envoy from Snezhnaya... there's no way I'd be trusted after something of this magnitude. Childe: The ruling Qixing of Liyue has always been overly suspicious of us. Paimon: Well can you honestly blame them? Childe: Hahaha. Guess I shouldn't try to deny that.

In both of these instances, Lyney and Tartaglia empathize with the Traveler by being honest about the inherent distrust they may have about the Fatui, and then ask them to make an exception, making them seem reasonable and fully honest and aware of the situation. As previously mentioned, in Tartaglia's case this is partly a ruse or misdirection to hide from his aim to use the Traveler to gain intel for his own ends. It stands to reason Lyney could be doing something similar: empathizing with the Traveler about his deception, and being honest to distract from any hidden motives that he didn't share (yet). 

It's also possible that Lyney and Lynette aren't in on the plot, without affecting the scheme too much. In the Overture trailer, Lyney and Lynette are just standees at the end, and it is Arlecchino who's real. 

So it may be that Arlecchino is using them for her own ends without their knowledge. It's possible that they also have only parts of the information and certain orders (invite the Traveler to your magic show), but aren't in on the master plan of everything. Lyney does imply that he's being earmarked to take over from the current Knave later, so it's possible he has more insight into the goings-on at the Hearth:

[...]No king rules forever, of course, and I know that one day I will be chosen as "Father's" successor...[...]

It's also possible that Lyney's aware of the plot and Lynette and the others aren't. In Lyney's character stories, se have the following line:

To preserve the secret behind the magic trick, even Lynette and Freminet knew not what was within.

The magic trick in this instance was a box that magically held "Father" - Arlecchino. So it may be that Lyney, as the future head of the Hearth, knows the plans, and withholds this information from Lynette and the other kids.

Let's now list all the potential suspicious events involving Lyney, and see what we're missing an explanation for.

Lyney and Lynette meeting the Traveler and Paimon as soon as they enter Fontaine. As previously mentioned, someone's keeping tabs on the Traveler's movements, and the Fatui could therefore be aware of them. In addition, if the Fatui have interest in controlling the characters at the first trial, and using the Traveler as part of their plot, then this is deliberate.

The Paimon balloon. Unexplained for now, but will be addressed in the Liliane section.

Lyney failing to catch the thief and his apparently twisted ankle that quickly starts healing. Unexplained for now, but will be addressed in the Liliane section.

Lyney sending us to Estelle's, where we meet Tartaglia. This doesn't seem too suspicious until we look at the big picture and accept the idea of a Fatui plot. Given that premise, it's possible that this meeting was a deliberate setup. If we accept that Tartaglia's aware of his role and wants/needs to give the Traveler his vision, he may have coordinated with Lyney to meet the Traveler prior to the trials. Lyney brings us to the House of the Hearth, and then delays our next action by chatting with us and blaming it on the rain. He then asks us to go to Estelle's on Freminet's behalf. This delay could have been used to coordinate with Tartaglia (and the Confrerie) and stage a coincidental meeting.

Lyney speaking to Cowell about the props prior to the magic show. Unexplained for now, but will be addressed in the Cowell section.

Lyney being able to reserve seats at the opera house. Previously explained as a way of demonstrating that Lyney and the Fatui have the ability to know who will be at the magic show (and trial) in order to control that performance. This will be addressed again in the Liliane section.

The next few sections will attempt to explain the remainder of these events. 

Liliane

We mentioned earlier that Liliane's at the center of a number of suspicious coincidences. She's the thief that appears at the beginning of the archon quest, and then was sitting in the seat that was deliberately chosen to be the volunteer, which led to her being involved in the serial disappearances case.

Looking at the events in closer detail, when we first see Liliane, Lyney points out that she's a thief, and then asks the Traveler to help catch her. The Traveler goes where Lyney tells them to in order to catch her:

Lyney: You two can ride the lift over there and wait up top. I bet that'll be her escape route if she tries to run. [...] Paimon: This is the spot where Lyney wanted us to wait. Paimon: Oh, look! Isn't that her!? Traveler: Get ready to stop her! / Time to make the arrest! Paimon: Oh no, did she notice us? She started running the other direction! Paimon: What should we do? Should we chase her? Traveler: Our job is to block this path. / The rest is up to Lyney.

We then go and find Lyney, and he says he was unable to catch the thief:

Lyney: That's right, pity I wasn't able to catch her. She distracted me by dropping the things she stole on the ground. By the time I looked back, she was already gone. Lynette: I saw the general direction she went, but Lyney twisted his ankle, and I needed to make sure he was okay. Paimon: Oh? Did you get hurt, Lyney? Lyney: I'll be alright. It's just a twisted ankle, that's all. In fact, it's feeling better already. [...] Lyney: But at least we were able to get the stolen items back, so it wasn't a complete failure.

It's somewhat suspicious that Lyney twisted his ankle and was unable to catch her, but then immediately waves off his injury, and says it's better already.

But the real important piece of information comes from during the first trial. We learn who Liliane is, and that she impersonated the person (Halsey) that was supposed to be at the show. She also says this:

Liliane: I heard that Lyney's show was going to be a real thriller, but I missed the chance to buy a ticket, so I stole one.

So we now know that Liliane stole the magic show ticket. This fact, along with Lyney's previous suspicious behavior, means we can propose a claim: Lyney planted the magic show ticket on Liliane during their altercation at Romaritime Harbor.

At the Harbor, Lyney enlists our help to funnel Liliane towards him by having the Traveler cut off alternate escape routes. He then plants the ticket on Liliane while she drops other stolen items in her escape. This also explains why Lyney fakes the ankle injury - he aims to let Liliane go, as he has the goal of having her attend the magic show. Liliane believes she's stolen the ticket, as it appears on her person after she engages in some thieving. Lyney's method of planting the ticket can be likened to the string he plants on Paimon and the Traveler earlier in the quest - and it explains the necessity of that scene: giving us the evidence that he can do such a thing.

To explain why Lyney would want to do this, we will have to look at the other people involved in the magic show crime and trial.

Cowell & Vaughn

As these two are revealed to be accomplices, we need to look at their actions together. 

Most of what we know of Cowell comes from posthumous investigation. The only time he's mentioned in the quest prior to his death (besides his role during the show) is when we first meet Lyney in the Opera: 

Cowell: Hey, Lyney! Could you come over here and take a look at this? Lyney: Oh, I'll be right there. Seems there's an issue with the stage props over there. That's Cowell, my assistant, calling me. I'll go lend him a hand.

We'll come back to this suspicious interaction. 

The other information we have about Cowell comes when investigating from a Garde:

Esmond: The deceased is one of Lyney's assistants, named Cowell. Even though he hadn't joined the troupe long, he was hardworking and everyone generally liked him. Esmond: The assistants are usually in charge of setting up and inspecting the props, as well as assisting with the show and keeping the crowd engaged.

During the events of the trial, we find out Cowell was part of a plot to frame the Fatui for the serial disappearances: 

Esmond: We discovered several test tubes of fluid within Cowell's baggage, each labeled separately. Esmond: The notebook in his backpack claims that these fluids are "Water from the Primordial Sea." Neuvillette: The Primordial Sea... Esmond: The notes' contents also indicate that Cowell belonged to an organization that sells illegal drugs, and that he had an accomplice. Esmond: The notebook has many entries concerning safe usage of these fluids, in which the keyword "dissolve" appears many times. Esmond: One of these tubes was labeled "Opera Epiclese" along with yesterday's date. It is empty. Esmond: The notes also state that these dissolution properties work exclusively on people from Fontaine. It's likely that Halsey was chosen as some sort of test subject.

When Vaughn confesses, we gain a few more clues about both his and Cowell's roles: 

Neuvillette: I suspect that the accomplice mentioned in Cowell's notes was not Lyney, but you, yes? [...] Vaughn: I—I was just following orders! Vaughn: We were supposed to place blame for the serial disappearances onto Lyney and thus cause suspicion to fall on the Fatui. The higher-ups said that this was the best opportunity to do so. Neuvillette: And now that your plan has fallen through, and the secrets of the Water have been revealed, you have become a liability to said higher-ups, yes? Neuvillette: Therefore, you would be wise to tell everything you know and seek the protection of the Gardes. Vaughn: Y—Yes! I'll tell you everything I know! Vaughn: Our boss discovered that the Water can cause people to dissolve. Vaughn: It can also be made into a potion which, when extremely diluted, can cause people to experience unforgettable exhilaration. Vaughn: We've been in this business for a while now and have made decent Mora off it. The disappearances were also the boss' idea. I mean, this is the boss we're talking about, the—

We can also speak to Vaughn during the investigation, which leads to an interesting conversation: 

Vaughn: Lyney used the machine to pick a random member of the audience during his performance, right? The lucky girl that later disappeared. Vaughn: Well, we thought there might be a serious problem with the machine, so we had it taken away for further inspection. Quentin: It turns out that the seat number it picked wasn't random at all. The machine picks that same number every time. Quentin: I'm sure you already know that you have to make a reservation in advance to get a seat, regardless of whether it's a trial or some performance. Quentin: In other words, Lyney knew who would be sitting where from the very beginning.

So now in summary what we know of Cowell is:

He was a relatively new member of the magic troupe, and was in charge of setting up and inspecting props.

He spoke to Lyney about the props prior to the magic show. 

He's part of the organization making Sinthe (run by Marcel) and likely had orders to dissolve someone in order to frame Lyney and the Fatui.

What we know of Vaughn is:

He's working as a Garde in the Opera. 

He is either the Garde or one of the Gardes that brought attention to the seat-selector prop that was tampered with to choose a specific seat.

He is Cowell's accomplice. 

He's part of the Sinthe organization (run by Marcel) and planted the Primoridal Sea water in Lyney's effects on orders to frame Lyney and the Fatui. 

From these facts, we can attempt to lay out what happened behind the scenes of the crime. 

Cowell and Vaughn received orders from higher-up in the Sinthe organization to frame Lyney and the Fatui for the serial disappearances at the magic show. To do so, Cowell joined the magic troupe, and Vaughn joined work as a Garde at the Opera (though he may have already been working there and was chosen for that reason). Cowell tampered with the seat-selector so it would choose a volunteer that fit the profile for the serial disappearances, a Fontainian girl (Halsey). He also tampered with the rope of the water tank so that it would fall and hide the evidence of the Primordial Sea water. Lyney planted the magic show ticket on Liliane and changed the person who would be the volunteer. The new volunteer looked like she could fit the profile for the disappearance victims, so Cowell didn't notice the switch. When the crime occurred, Cowell was taken off-guard by Liliane not disappearing, so she was able to get the jump on him and stuff him in the box. When the investigation began, Vaughn drew attention to the tampered seat-selector as evidence to frame Lyney. Later in the trial, when it seemed like Lyney would be acquitted, Vaughn planted the water in Lyney's things to frame him. The reappearance of Liliane allowed for Lyney to be acquitted and the method of the disappearances to be exposed, also exposing Cowell and Vaughn's plans. When Vaughn is questioned, he confesses and is dramatically dissolved before naming his boss. 

There are a few further things to discuss with these events. 

Firstly, Vaughn planting the water in Lyney's things seems not to track with how Cowell attempted to hide the murder weapon (water) by tampering with the tank. One possibility is that Vaughn decided to do this on the spot, when it seemed like their plot was failing. Another option is that the frame-job was also a setup, and Vaughn had different orders from Cowell. We'll continue to explain this option moving forward. 

The second point of interest here: what did Lyney know? If we accept the claim that he planted the ticket on Liliane, then it seems like switching Halsey for Liliane was a deliberate move. If it was, it seems to imply that he or someone giving him orders knew that there would be an attempted crime and frame-job during the magic show, and moved to expose it. Lyney speaks to Cowell about the props prior to the show, which may be a hint that he's aware of the modified seat-selector and let it be, or even that Lyney was the one that tampered with it. On the other hand, that conversation could just be foreshadowing for the events of the magic show. 

An important question at this junction: if Lyney was aware of the plot, and/or deliberately put Liliane in the place of Halsey, does that mean he's party to the murder of Cowell? Though it's possible, on a meta level it seems unlikely, based on past situations, that Hoyoverse would allow a playable character to commit an on-screen murder - some level of plausible deniability is needed. 

This issue can be resolved, however, if we look more closely at the events. Liliane explains what happens during the show:

Liliane: So I played along with the show while looking for an opening to flee, but then I got water poured on me for no reason, and then someone jumped into the tunnel to nab me... Liliane: I wasn't going to take that lying down, so I knocked him out and stuffed him into the box. [...] Liliane: But I swear I didn't know that the water tank would fall down. Really, I swear it! Liliane: Had I known that, I wouldn't have put him in the magic box! I may be a thief, but I'm no killer!

From this we can propose that Cowell's death was unplanned. Lyney (or whoever gave him orders) switched Halsey with Liliane, but did not expect her to win a fight against Cowell, nor for her to put him in the box when she did. If Liliane loses the fight, Cowell can successfully abduct her and nobody's in the box when the tank falls. Likewise, if Liliane hadn't put Cowell in the box, then nobody would have been in the box when the tank fell - a failed magic trick but not deadly. In both instances, Liliane would have still been missing, and so a trial might still occur with regards to the serial disappearances. In this way, Cowell's death is an accident and wasn't something Lyney could have known about. Lyney has a relevant voiceline:

Of course, there's no way to ensure that you'll never slip up when performing magic tricks. The way I see it, the point is not to perform perfectly, but to stay calm at all times and adapt as needed. Even if some small flaws occur, you just need to make the audience believe that it's all part of the show, and you'll still deliver an entertaining and unforgettable performance!

In this case, Cowell's death was one of those "small flaws" in the performance. 

Several times now, we've mentioned someone giving Lyney orders, and that Cowell and Vaughn received orders from "higher-ups" in their organization. Let's now take a closer look at those potential authorities. 

Vacher/Marcel

We should investigate Marcel for a few reasons: first, he's ostensibly the person who ordered Cowell and Vaughn to frame the Fatui for the serial disappearances, and secondly, he and his organization seem tied to the Fatui in more ways than can be coincidence. 

Let's address the second point first. Marcel and the Fatui seem to be connected in a number of ways: the Fatui are framed for the serial disappearances, and it turns out the real culprit was Marcel. Marcel runs both the Sinthe business and the Confrerie of Cabriere (which are likely but not definitely separate organizations). The Confrerie of Cabriere owes money to Northland Bank. The Sinthe business is behind the failed framing of the Fatui in the first trial. Overall the two seem very intertwined, and in a complicated way. 

In addition, as we've mentioned before, Marcel is Snezhnayan. This doesn't mean he's part of the Fatui but it is a flag to make us think of the Fatui. Marcel being Snezhnayan is a deliberate choice, as he only needs to be non-Fontainian for his character motivations to work. 

The most straightforward reasoning for these coincidences might be: Marcel attempted to frame Lyney because the Confrerie owes money to the Fatui in an attempt to undermine their power in Fontaine and get the heat off of him, and the Confrerie had chosen to use Northland Bank in the first place because Marcel's Snezhnayan and comfortable with organizations from his homeland. The problems here is that it firstly assumes Marcel knows Lyney's Fatui, and secondly that framing and convicting the Fatui for the serial disappearances cases would help erase Marcel's debt. The first problem is not too hard to overcome with an information network. The second is more difficult to address. It's likely that should the Northland Bank get less business after the Fatui were convicted for the crime (which is likely), they would come down even harder on the debts they were owed to make up for the lack of new business. Potentially Marcel was also at the end of his rope and taking drastic action when it seemed like the cases would come to the forefront again, as we see from his villain monologue at the end of the second trial. But we can only speculate here.

An easily overlooked piece of information that might help shed light on this is that Marcel is not the only mastermind behind the Sinthe production and Callas' death. We find notes in the Sinthe production base that are a discussion between at least two people.

Paimon: Seems like we've got a bunch of correspondence between the higher-ups...

So there is at least one other person at the top of the Sinthe and disappearances ladder. 

Vaughn also alludes to this in his confession, making reference to the "higher-ups": 

Vaughn: I—I was just following orders! Vaughn: We were supposed to place blame for the serial disappearances onto Lyney and thus cause suspicion to fall on the Fatui. The higher-ups said that this was the best opportunity to do so. [...] Vaughn: We've been in this business for a while now and have made decent Mora off it. The disappearances were also the boss' idea. I mean, this is the boss we're talking about, the—

Here, Vaughn dissolves before he explicitly names "the boss", which we previously mentioned could either be an important hint, or just an obfuscation so that we can investigate and figure out Marcel. It seems likely that "the boss" refers to Marcel, as it's a singular and "the boss" is the one who discovered the water could dissolve people. However, this isn't known for sure. 

The other interesting point here is that we believe Marcel is the one who dissolved Vaughn because Navia claims that during the second trial:

Navia: And at the end of Lyney's trial, the culprit also only dissolved the victim in front of everyone because they realized they were at risk of being identified. Navia: The culprit could only time their actions so precisely if they were already at the scene.

Marcel refutes this:

Marcel: On top of that, does a person have to be physically present to control the timing? Can't someone remotely monitor the place?

The relevant information we now have:

There is at least one other "higher-up" in the Sinthe organization that Marcel runs. 

Vaughn's orders to frame the Fatui were from the "higher-ups". 

Vaughn doesn't explicitly name "the boss" before dissolving. 

We don't know for sure who triggered Vaughn's dissolution. 

We will use this information to attempt to explain more about the crime and trial by making the following claim: There is another person, a "higher-up" in the Sinthe organization, that is working on Fatui orders or as a Fatui agent and informant. 

The presence of this Fatui agent helps address some holes and risks in the magic show crime and trial plots, as well as the amount of connections Marcel has to the Fatui, and explains why there seems to be some deliberate obfuscation of names with regards to the frame-job. 

If everything with regards to the first trial was a Fatui plot, including the crime, the events have clear motivations and can easily be explained. 

The Fatui have the agent in the Sinthe organization plan to frame the Fatui during the magic show. They present this plot to Marcel as a way to ensure he isn't discovered, and he agrees with the plan. At the same time, the Fatui have Lyney switch Halsey with Liliane, which will foil the framing. The proposed series of events at the show would likely be similar to what actually happened, minus Cowell's death. Lyney would be the main suspect, as the head of the magic troupe. Cowell would possibly also be interrogated. From the Sinthe organization's side, it would be simple to name Lyney and Cowell accomplices and give Cowell up if Cowell is found out, placing responsibility on the Fatui. From the Fatui's perspective, they are able to expose Cowell's ties and methods, and show that it was an attempted framing, successfully removing suspicion on the Fatui. On the other hand, Cowell's death could have been in the plan - it would tie up loose ends by removing his ability to confess. In this case, Vaughn's actions of planting the water in Lyney's things were premeditated, and would have gone to plan if Liliane didn't resurface. As such, Liliane's existence is a crucial point to fully exonerate Lyney and the Fatui in the trial. It's probable that if Navia hadn't appeared, it would have been investigated in more detail. Vaughn could have been dissolved by Marcel, or by this other higher-up in a dramatic demonstration of the water's power before he fully confessed, which aids the Fatui's goals of exposing the water's ability and the validity of the prophecy. 

In this way, everything about the events of the trial are under the Fatui's control, like we initially posit. 

Marcel's Fatui connections are also explained: besides the fact that the framing is an inside job, the Confrerie owing money to Northland Bank might be a deliberate move by a Fatui agent in their management. The Fatui also now have a way to gain information about Marcel and his actions, and because of Marcel's connections, it's likely they could be aware of some of Navia's movements as well. 

As an aside, it's possible this person also was responsible for Navia's attempted murder. If we going along with the claim that the second trial was a setup, the Fatui might have a vested interest in preventing Navia and the Traveler from investigating the disappearances and discovering Marcel, as they want to send Tartaglia to prison. Of course, it's highly likely this murder attempt was Marcel anticipating Navia discovering him, rather than a Fatui plot, as the Fatui stood to benefit from Marcel being exposed. 

What we now have here is a conspiracy and plot that explains a number of suspicious coincidences. Cowell and Vaughn have orders to dissolve and/or abduct a girl and frame the Fatui by controlling the volunteer chosen at the magic show. Lyney has orders to plant a ticket on Liliane, explaining his suspicious behavior at Romaritime Harbor, and also (potentially unknowingly) successfully foiling Cowell and Vaughn's plot to dissolve a Fontainain girl by replacing her with an immune Mondstadter. Foiling the plot in this way exposes the method of the disappearances crime, as the attempted dissolution fails and there's a witness to the attempted crime. The Fatui can use this setup to expose the existence of Primordial Sea water and reinforce the prophecy, ensure the Fatui aren't seen as potential culprits by exposing a frame-job, and set up interest in an investigation into the real culprit, allowing them to stage a second trial. All of this can easily happen from a single person high in the Sinthe organization owing their loyalties to the Fatui.

We can now also explain the rest of Lyney's suspicious actions:

The Paimon balloon. Shows that Lyney's sleight of hand can be used to leave marks/plant items on people.

Lyney failing to catch the thief and his apparently twisted ankle that quickly starts healing. He planted the magic show ticket on Liliane and wanted her to escape.

Lyney speaking to Cowell about the props prior to the magic show. It's possible he's in on and aware of the plot to frame the Fatui, thanks to the information from their agent in the Sinthe organization, or it's possible this was just a hint to Cowell's involvement. This could be in reference to the seat selection machine, in which case it might make sense that Lyney would want it to remain in a tampered state.

Lyney being able to reserve seats at the opera house. Shows that he has access to this information, which means he could know who he was replacing with Liliane, and potentially even could have set up who others would think the person in that seat would be. Also shows the Fatui could know who would be in attendance at the trial (Neuvillette, etc.).

With this information in mind, let's revisit the first trial. We laid out how the Fatui would be able to control the time and place of the performance, and that only some people would be under their control. With the claims made in this section, all the people that we didn't think were under Fatui control previously can now be under their control. Based on our previous conclusions, these people include:

People that have a tentative connection to the Fatui: Cowell, Liliane, Marcel

People connected to Marcel: Vaughn, Cowell, Navia

If Lyney plants the magic show ticket on Liliane during their altercation at the beginning of the archon quest, he has successfully controlled her - and has controlled the volunteer for the disappearance trick.

If we accept the presence of another "higher-up" that's in league with Marcel, and that that person is a Fatui informant or agent, then Cowell and Vaughn fall under Fatui control, and the Fatui can keep tabs on Marcel and Navia. Cowell and Vaughn receive orders from this "higher-up" to frame the Fatui, which successfully sets up the conditions for the trial without tying their orders back to the Fatui - instead, Marcel's organization is implicated. Marcel no longer needs to be controlled in the first trial beyond being aware of his movements, and the same is true for Navia. In this way, we can explain and account for all the major players at the first trial, and the Fatui can ensure that the performance goes to plan.

We also have a very good level of compartmentalization of information. At minimum, Lyney only needs to have orders to plant the magic show ticket on Liliane. He can be otherwise innocent and unaware of everything else that goes on. Cowell and Vaughn get orders from the "higher-ups", but don't know that those higher-ups are working in Fatui interest - instead they only associate them with Marcel's Sinthe operation. Cowell only needs to know to try to dissolve the volunteer and to abduct her no matter what, and to tamper with the tank rope to hide the evidence. He could tamper with the seat-choosing device, or that could have been Lyney. Vaughn only needs to know to plant the water in Lyney's effects to try to frame the Fatui. Together, Cowell and Vaughn only know they are attempting to frame the Fatui for the disappearances, not why or who's ordering it. Marcel doesn't need to be aware of anything. The higher-up in his organization that's aligned with the Fatui is the only one that knows about the plan to frame the Fatui - but that person doesn't need to know about Lyney's orders to have Liliane be the volunteer, and in fact, might not even necessarily know that they are working for the Fatui. A quick diagram of how this information tree plays out is shown below:

Section V Lyney and co. TL;DR: It's likely Lyney is aware of at least part of the Fatui plot, though Lynette, Freminet, and the other kids may not be. Lyney planted the magic show ticket on Liliane in Romaritime Harbor. A higher-up in Marcel's Sinthe organization is working with/for the Fatui, informing on Marcel and Navia. On orders from the Fatui, this individual gave Cowell orders to dissolve and abduct a girl at the magic show by tampering with the seat selector, and to tamper with the tank to hide the evidence; they also gave Vaughn orders to plant the water in Lyney's effects in an attempt to frame the Fatui for the serial disappearances. In this way, the Fatui could fully control the events of the magic show and first trial, and set up the stage for the second.

VI. Conclusions

How the events of the archon quest play out if it's all a Fatui plot

If we accept the claim that everything has been a Fatui a ploy and accept some of the weaker connections we've mentioned, we can take a look at the movement throughout the narrative so far and clearly lay out the progression of events.

A man in Caravan Ribat hears the Traveler is going to Fontaine and goes there first to inform his higher-ups.

The Traveler meets Lyney and Lynette in Romaritime Harbor, and Lyney demonstrates his sleight-of-hand abilities with Paimon balloon.

The three chase after Liliane the thief. Lyney catches up with her and plants the ticket to the magic show on her with the previously mentioned sleight-of-hand.

Lyney invites the Traveler to their magic show.

Lyney takes the Traveler to the House of the Hearth, and controls the timing of our next move by bringing up the rain.

Lyney sends the Traveler to Estelle to give her materials instead of Freminet. Tartaglia is also sent there to "coincidentally" meet us.

The Confrerie of Cabriere appears at Estelle's smithy, closely followed by Tartaglia. They fight.

Tartaglia talks to the Traveler and gives them his vision.

The Traveler attends the magic show on Lyney's request.

Cowell attempts to dissolve Liliane on orders from the (Fatui-aligned) higher-ups, and when it fails, attempts to physically abduct her.

Unexpectedly, Liliane shoves Cowell in the box.

The tank falls on the box and kills Cowell.

Lyney requests the Traveler to act as his defense attorney.

Cowell is accused and Lyney is no longer the main suspect.

Vaughn attempts to frame Lyney.

Liliane is brought in to testify to acquit Lyney - she is unaware of anything else going on.

Vaughn confesses to framing Lyney and the Fatui on orders of the (Fatui-aligned) higher-ups.

The first trial ends.

Marcel or the Fatui-aligned higher-up attempts to murder Navia, anticipating her interest in investigating the serial disappearances case.

Navia and the Traveler investigate Callas' death and talk to Marcel.

The Fatui accuse Tartaglia of being the culprit in the serial disappearances case.

Tartaglia makes a show of disagreeing with the charges leveled against him.

Navia and the Traveler accuse and convict Marcel.

Tartaglia makes a show, again, of disagreeing with the need to try him for the crime Marcel is convicted of.

The Oratrice declares Tartaglia guilty.

Tartaglia performs on the main stage of the opera house to deflect from the real motive of sending him to the Fortress, and to make the trial and his reactions seem authentic.

Looking at this all laid out, we can see that the Fatui have been scriptwriters for everything that has happened so far, and the Traveler's movements in Fontaine have the air of following stage directions given to them directly by the Fatui.

The biggest problem with this all being a Fatui plot that we have not yet mentioned is that it requires all the Fatui factions in Fontaine to be working in general harmony. The three kids' conversation we mentioned at the start seems to imply some discord, or at least different actions and motivations from the different Fatui factions. Tartaglia's voicelines and character stories also seem to imply that he doesn't get along well with the other Harbingers. However, we don't know if that's only on a personal level, and they are able and willing to put aside their differences for the Fatui's goals.

To that point, one of the most interesting parts of this theory is that even though everything fits nicely if it's all a setup, you can easily remove Fatui involvement from several parts of the events and still see how the Fatui plot unfolds. For example, should Marcel and the Confrerie be wholly unconnected to the Fatui, the Fatui are still able to take advantage of the situation provided to them by the events of the case to demonstrate the dissolving water, or to set up the second trial. If the first trial wasn't a setup, the second trial still could be - taking advantage of the new public interest in the disappearances case to accuse and send Tartaglia to the Fortress. Lyney and co. could be in on the plans, or pawns, and same for Tartaglia, and the situations would still shake out the same for the proposed Fatui interests, just with more risk involved in some cases. Other instances of this no-lose situation for the Fatui have been mentioned throughout this document, as well, so we can pick and choose which elements we think are more viable than others to be part of the Fatui scheme and still have the events of the archon quest make sense, even if the claim that everything was a scheme seems too fanciful.

TL;DR: Everything was a Fatui plot: the Fatui are the scriptwriters and directors of the performance that is the Fontaine archon quest. If you think those claims are too far-fetched, Fatui involvement can be removed piecemeal and the overall motivations and actions still hold up.

VII. Speculation on 4.1 and beyond

Based on the motivations and goals we've laid out for the Fatui in Fontaine, we can expect a few things from the rest of the Fontaine quests.

Firstly, we can expect to see Tartaglia carry out some sort of mission at the Fortress of Meropide. Based on the Fatui's interests, it's likely this mission will have to do with gaining information on (1) how the Oratrice works, (2) the abyss, (3) Hyperborea or other pre-Celestial civilizations, or (4) the Primordial Sea and its water. Following completion of his mission, he'll either escape the prison, or his sentence will be revoked, and he'll return to collect his vision from the Traveler.

The magic pockets also feel like a Chekov's gun. We don't know exactly what they do - what Lyney tells us at the beginning of the archon quest is very vague:

Lyney: As a magical item, these Magic Pockets have an astonishing capacity. I'm sure they will come in handy when people are moving their belongings.

What exactly this "astonishing capacity" is will likely be demonstrated, and may be key in however the prophecy ends up playing out.

Finally, in every nation so far besides Mondstadt, the presence of the Traveler and the events of the archon quests have led to a change in the status quo of how the country functions.

In Liyue, the archon quest was set up to have Liyue's government transition from archon-led to led by humans in concert with the Adepti.

In Inazuma, the aftereffects of the archon quest led to Inazuma opening its borders, and Ei coming out of seclusion and playing a greater role in governing.

In Sumeru, the sages were overthrown and Nahida was able to take a role in governing - and immediately began making changes to the status quo, especially in regards to the Akasha and the desert.

In Fontaine, we can expect that something about the status quo governance of the nation will change. As we've proposed that one goal of the Fatui is to destabilize the justice system and the people's faith in it, it's likely that this is the change we will see. The people of Fontaine will no longer rely on or believe in the Fontanian justice system - and it's possible Neuvillette and/or Furina will also lead these changes. Neuvillette is already investigating how the Oratrice works as a function of the second trial in the archon quest, and Furina seems to be shaken by the unexpected results.

We can only wait and see how this will play out.

Afterword:

If you read this whole behemoth: thank you. I love you. I can't wait for 4.1 to come out and obliterate this entire thing.

I wrote this whole thing feeling like

I hope you felt the same reading it. <3

*All quotes pulled from HoneyHunter or the Genshin Wiki

[mlarayoukai]

I think dream radar is the most egregious money making ploy tpc/game freak did. Like you can make the argument that paid dlc replaced post game content but at least there's sizable gameplay time. All the alt pokemon forms in gen 5 were obviously to make more money because different forms = more toys! You have to buy a movie ticket to get event pokemon in your game! (Japan) you have to go to toys r us and maybe spend money while you're there maybe I guess (us) okay WHATEVER. But 3 dollars for a extremely bare bones game to get alt forms is probably the lowest point and I never see anyone talk about it. They danced around basically saying "pay 3 dollars for these pokemon". I think the gen v games are probably the best post 3d games but man. I'm an adult and I don't want to play a shitty fps to get the meme pokemon. Whatever complaining about a 3 dollar purchase THAT YOU CAN'T EVEN DO ANYMORE in a multi billion dollar franchise is a drop in the bucket I'll go kill myself now