#genshin pedrolino

[haehaiee]

Pedrolino and teen Dottore during his first year in fatui

[incorrectfatui]

Col - Colombina/Columbina Har - Harlequin/Arlecchino

[moondance-r]

Pedrolino the Acolyte 1

 Summary: Of the Fatui Harbingers, their Tenth was among the most secretive. Rumours of him regularly abounded throughout the ranks, labelling him anything from a pauper to hidden royalty to everything in between, and theories abounded about his person. Pedrolino enjoyed it that way and even encouraged it.

Unfortunately, the Tsaritsa’s mission to collect gnoses kicked off in earnest, so Liyue was about to welcome its prodigal son home.

[Masterlist] [Next]

The day after Childe stepped foot in Liyue, a nondescript folder appeared on his desk in the Northland Bank, entirely blank save for a bird embossed on its cover. There were no other indications of its origins.

Childe’s steps stuttered as he crossed the doorway before he sat down and picked it up. “Was Pedrolino here?” he asked idly, flicking the dossier open. Its thinness belied the dense text contained within, which had all the information one might want in a mission briefing and some which weren’t but, knowing Pedrolino, would come in handy sooner or later.

“Unknown,” Ekaterina reported, “no one from his division has contacted us.”

“Yeah, sounds like him, always sneaking around,” he snorted. And the man’s agents were the same. Yet despite that, Pedrolino was still one of the less unbearable Harbingers around. “Anything else?”

Uncharacteristically, Ekaterina hesitated, causing Childe to look up. “Sir Pedrolino... did leave a message,” she said slowly, and no wonder, because that was very unlike him. She handed him a slip of paper instead of continuing.

Use your brain, it read. How helpful.

* * *

He would have been perfectly happy to avoid Liyue for the remainder of his considerable days. Every step was a reminder of his mistakes, every glance a memory of his losses; and every breath of the warm, humid air brought attention to the dense Geo energy which his mind still insisted was reassuring rather than oppressive. It was almost impressive how quickly his body relaxed when he had every reason to do the opposite.

Alas, duty called, and the Tsaritsa had been clear on how displeased she would be if he ruined her plans.

He clicked his tongue irritably.

Even as he complained, though, he noted the differences between the Liyue of before and of now. Some hills had disappeared while new ones stood elsewhere, the coastline was shaped ever so slightly differently, and... the bustling village he remembered to have been nestled southwest of Stone Gate was now only occupied by ghosts. 

The sky had abruptly turned dark as he approached it, despite it being in the middle of the day. Half-rotten houses with collapsed roofs dotted the slope; what was once a marketplace was now covered with fallen logs, and what should have been the headman’s house was instead a well, tainted by miasma and utterly unsafe to drink. Spirits of the dead flickered in and out of existence as they went through the motions of what they did in life. Here, a child bounded in silent joy. There, an elderly woman cried in grief.

Raising a hand, he allowed a blue wisp to land on it and sighed softly. Maybe Liyue was bringing up too many old memories, for him to have the urge to take up his forsaken duty. The contract between him and Liyue had been severed long ago. Sending souls on to their next journey was a task for an adeptus, not a foreign Harbinger, and yet no adeptus was present. No one but him.

Gently, he clenched his hand into a fist and infused a steady stream of Cryo into the wisp, and soon there came a crisp shattering sound. “Go well,” he whispered, opening his hand to allow the ice crystals to fall as the wisp, now a pure soul once more, phased out of this world and into the reincarnation cycle.

Then he looked towards the village full of ghosts and sighed again. The Harbinger known as Pedrolino should have no feelings for Liyue, but... he couldn’t deny something such as this for the nation that had once been his home. Just this once, he promised himself. Just this once, and your debt is paid.

Distantly, he heard the cry of a great beast from beyond the stars.

* * *

Technically, standard procedure dictated that he should check in with the highest ranking on-site Fatui operative upon arrival, which he ardently did not do, instead delegating almost all of his tasks to his subordinates with the excuse of arranging matters for future operations in other nations. Yet despite how he dawdled, there was no avoiding Liyue Harbor. The city had grown in his centuries of absence, though not enough to be unrecognisable -- the eaves still swooped, lanterns still hung at every doorway, and Rex Lapis’ sigil still decorated every flat surface. There was hardly any sign of the many times it verged on destruction throughout its millennia of existence.

Pedrolino -- for he was Pedrolino now -- walked past the Millelith guards stationed at its entrance with nary a twitch of nervousness that would indicate he was anything out of the ordinary. It helped that his features were as local as they could be, clearly belonging to someone born and raised in Liyue. To use his face on a mission for once made him uneasy enough, not least of which here of all places, but it was a necessity. Being perceived as a compatriot by the local populace was too valuable to pass up even if it did make his skin crawl.

He settled into a mid-tier inn on the outskirts of the business district and let a few days pass as he observed the lay of the land. He didn’t bother to introduce himself to the governing body of Liyue. As far as they knew, there was only a single Fatui Harbinger present in Liyue -- Tartaglia -- who had arrived some months ago and remained because he was, ostensibly, the new manager of Northland Bank’s Liyue branch, which Pedrolino had no intention of changing. The Eleventh would stand tall and attract all the attention while the Tenth faded into the background. That was how they worked, and it worked well. The long list of successful missions between the two of them proved it.

Tartaglia, or rather Childe as he was on missions, should have long ago made contact with the cultural consultant they’d arranged. A gentleman from a funeral parlour, he recalled, who was quite well-regarded despite the unsavoury reputation usually associated with death. Perhaps he should make some time to meet him.

He thought it over as he walked towards the main cluster of restaurants in Liyue Harbour. His little birds had observed that Childe usually had dinner at one of them at around this time, and indeed, Pedrolino soon spotted the young man slouching at a table outside the Third-Round Knockout.

He plopped himself into the seat opposite him as if they were the best of friends. After a moment of surprised silence, Childe finally reacted by blinking, sitting up straight, and putting down his cup. 

Wine, Pedrolino noted with a subtle sniff, osmanthus wine. ...Huh.

“Uh, hello?” Childe said, confused. He glanced around. “There are plenty of other tables, you know.” Empty tables, he implied.

Pedrolino grinned so wide it verged on baring teeth. “But this one is the best. Why, I’ve been here ten or eleven times, but none of the others are nearly as good.”

“You-- wait.” He squinted. “Wait. You...!” He tensed and his eyes widened, more than likely about to do something attention-grabbing like stand and point, before clearly thinking better of it at the other Harbinger’s lifted eyebrow. Still, he couldn’t resist leaning over the table. “You were supposed to be here months ago!” he hissed.

Pedrolino’s only response was a shrug. “Aww, aren’t you glad to see me? I’m always glad to see you.”

This didn’t placate Childe, but Pedrolino didn’t care. Being in the middle of Liyue Harbor was giving him enough hives without something pinging on the edge of his awareness that kept dragging his focus away. Very annoying.

“Things must be going nicely if you’re sitting here doing nothing.”

“No thanks to you.”

“Heh. Don’t forget who does the groundwork for you, otherwise I may just leave you to sink or swim.”

“Tch, as if you do much anyways. The only good deed you did for me this time was setting me up with Zhongli.”

“...The consultant?” Pedrolino crossed his arms consideringly, raising a hand to his chin in thought. “Nikolai was the one in charge of the ‘people of interest’ here. Now I’m curious.”

“Actually, he’s...”

He held up a hand. “Hold that thought,” he said, mind already turning towards a dense collection of Geo energy approaching them. Few things carried such an inhuman concentration of elemental energy that they became detectable, but Archons were one of them. Rex Lapis did have a habit of walking among mortals so it wasn’t out of the question for him to be here. Pedrolino had no intention of meeting him -- he was aware enough of his crimes without being chased across the breadth of the land for them. He stood, swiping Childe’s cup and downing the wine as he did so. “Next time. It’s a pity but I have to go. But one last thing, little Eleventh -- keep your wits about you. Liyue is... more complicated than you realise.”

None of Childe’s protests entered his ears as he swept around a corner and out of view.

Barely a few seconds later, Zhongli arrived at his table. “Was someone here?” he asked, glancing at the empty cup placed opposite Childe’s seat that was still glistening with traces of liquid.

“Xiansheng! No, why would there be? I was just trying out the wine you keep talking about,” Childe hurriedly explained.

Zhongli hummed thoughtfully and folded his arms, one hand lifted to his chin.

For a brief moment, Childe saw his image overlap with Pedrolino’s as they made perfectly identical movements, then he shook his head and the hallucination faded. Strange. The two had nothing in common and plenty of strangers moved in similar ways, so why did his mind link them together?

Time to change the subject.

“What did you want to eat?” he asked, very obviously turning to wave a waiter over.

Zhongli held him in consideration for a moment longer before relenting, and they soon settled into another pleasant evening together.

* * *

Later, though not much later in the grand scheme of things, Hu Tao slammed her hands on Zhongli’s desk, either not noticing or uncaring of the ink smudging on her skin. “Wuwang Hill is being weird.”

“Hello, Director Hu,” Zhongli said mildly, “good day to you as well.”

“Aiyah, lecture me later. I’m telling you, Wuwang Hill is being weird. Weirder than usual. You know how I go over there once in a while to keep an eye on things--”

Zhongli did know, because suppressing corruption was one of the duties taken up by Wangsheng Apothecary, which later became Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.

“--and it was just as ruined as always, but there weren’t any ghosts around. Zilch. Nada. Not even an itty bitty unsentient wisp. That’s weird, right? That never happens, dead people are everywhere.”

Crass, but aptly put. Metaphysical traces of the deceased were indeed everywhere, though less noticeably in places like Liyue Harbor where the activity of living people tended to cover it up. Wuwang Hill, being a village abandoned as the result of a catastrophe, should have been veritably crawling with lingering spirits, and indeed this was why the area had such an eerie atmosphere.

“Are you listening, gramps?”

“Hm.” He crossed his arms on the desk. “Would you like me to look into this, Director?”

“Hmm... nah! I’ll take care of it,” Hu Tao chirped, rocking back on her heels with a grin. “Wouldn’t want to take you away from your Fatui boytoy for too long!”

“Director, please. He is not my... ‘boytoy’.”

“He’s the best thing that’s happened to the parlour’s budget is what he is!”

Zhongli’s expression twisted into a grimace.

[Masterlist] [Next]

[rezzlei]

[koflex]

in front of the coffin

[sporesgalaxy]

do NOT vote based on the genshin characters of the same names; those are SUBVERSIONS.

[moondance-r-writes]

Masterlist: Wen Yu's Multiverse Adventures

I have one (1) OC and he goes everywhere, all of the fics are standalone and only share a backstory (TLDR: cultivator in a xianxia setting, may post it one day if I ever get it cleaned up).

GENSHIN IMPACT

SAGAU-adjacent not-Creator Creator: #sagau-adjacent verse | taglist requests

[One] [Two] [Three] [Four]

You knew, viscerally down to your bones, that you did not create this world; Teyvat had no grand creator, no single hand designing its wonders. It did, however, have something of a catalytic agent, without which it would not exist.You.

Pedrolino the Acolyte: #pedrolino verse | taglist requests

[One] [Two]

Of the Fatui Harbingers, their Tenth was among the most secretive. Rumours of him regularly abounded throughout the ranks, labelling him anything from a pauper to hidden royalty to everything in between, and theories abounded about his person. Pedrolino enjoyed it that way and even encouraged it.Unfortunately, the Tsaritsa’s mission to collect gnoses kicked off in earnest, so Liyue was about to welcome its prodigal son home.

Fatui intelligence officer: #intel officer verse | taglist requests

[One]

When Aionios graduated from Izmoroz Institute, before which he had no contact with the outside world, he discovered that his little cousin had gone missing, returned, been shipped off to the Fatui, then made Harbinger. ...He knew that a lot of things could change in five years, but wasn't this a bit much?

OMNISCIENT READER'S VIEWPOINT

Sun That Overcame Death: #sun verse

[One]

After he died defending what remained of his family against the world, the last thing Wen Yu expected was to end up in a modern Korea that’s on the verge of an apocalypse.But then, the dokkaebi weren’t expecting a cultivator either.

WHO MADE ME A PRINCESS

The Jewel-eyed Lost Prince: #lost prince verse

[1: The Prince] [2: The Mage] [3: The Warrior]

Aionios is a prince of the Obelian Empire raised outside its borders. His eyes gave him a chance at his birthright - now it depended on his skills to take it.His jeweled eyes made it obvious to anyone with basic knowledge of Obelia and a working brain where the other half of his blood came from, so Aionios was doubly determined to learn how to manage a household. One day, his household would be more than the handful of families left in his care by his mother. One day, his household would number millions.

Divider is by @/strangergraphics

[certainempatheticturkeymuffin]

So, lately I've been playing Genshin (because epic seven banned me for a century fsr), and I've enjoyed it immensely. I've also....um, hyperfocused on Bennett. He has so much fic potential it's insane, even a Kaeya main such as myself can't dodge his allure. Here are a few fic ideas I have:

○--○--○

Pyro Archon Bennett:

Pyro Archon Murata is the Goddess of War, she knows when war is on the horizon, she can see all the signs; she's also the type to do ANYTHING to win said war. She catches wind of the Tsaritsa's plans, she notices the Abyss planning and building up their numbers and power. She knows war is on the horizon, and she knows that the gnoses will play a large part in it.

Never one to lose a war, she comes up with an ingenious plan: she'll have a child, give them the Pyro Gnosis, abandon them in a village, burn that village down, curse her child to appear human, kill herself, and let the infant be taken to a foreign land. That way the only one with knowledge of the Pyro Gnosis's whereabouts, her, will be dead, and so she makes winning the war easier, if not guaranteed!

She didn't account for the fact that she's terrible at cursing people. She's known to fight head on for a reason, and so she accidentally curses her child to not only appear human (drawing from the features of those around him), but also to have horrendously bad luck. She doesn't notice her fumble before killing herself, and she's still an ARCHON, so removing the curse would require a lot of power.

Mondstadt sure has their work cut out for them, especially when the fatui start getting desperate to find the Pyro Gnosis.

Fatui Bennett:

Bennett has accidentally run into a lot of formidable foes. He can't always run away, so learning to fight was a necessity. If he bothered to test it, he might end up being one of the most powerful individuals in Mondstadt. One day, upon stumbling into Liyue, he runs into a man named Childe (his parents must've hated him).

Childe loves a good fight, and Bennett attracts good fights like a light to moths. Childe decides to hang around him, and the Ruin Hunters turn into Ruin Graders with an extra person always tagging along. Bennett doesn't mind, doesn't even notice when he starts outpacing Childe in every fight, attracting undue attention.

Eventually, Bennett relents and gives Childe a spar, convinced he was no match for the bloodthirsty man. Except...he wins. He wins with an ease he didn't expect. That neither of them expected. A fire is lit, and Childe reintroduces himself as Tartaglia, a Harbinger of the Fatui, one of the Traveler's friends. He begs Bennett to come with him to Snezhnaya to meet the Tsaritsa. Bennett has his doubts about going so far, but he's always been a people pleaser, much like the Traveler, so he writes his dads a note and off he goes.

When Diluc hears the news, he's ready to skewer the harbinger, Traveler's friend or not. His dads are beside themselves as Bennett accidentally impresses the Tsaritsa and gets offered a position as the Twelfth Harbinger. They've been in need of recruits for a while, and Bennett checks nearly every box. Not willing to say no to an ARCHON, Bennett reluctantly joins the fatui as Pedrolino, the Provoker. When a strong opponent needs to be tracked down, the Tsaritsa sends him to the general area, and his bad luck will always attract them, often with much of their ranks as back up.

Eventually, while every other Harbinger remains stagnant, his strength grows by simply doing his assignments, and he's vaulted through the ranks. He becomes one of the Tsaitsa's most prized on accident, and he misses Mondstadt dearly. He doesn't truly believe in the Tsaritsa's cause, but he isn't strong enough to oppose her....or so he thinks.

When the Traveler finally picks a fight with her, Bennett finds himself defecting, finally back on Mondstadt's side. He tells Diluc and the Traveler everything he knows, aware that his knowledge is more than enough to topple the whole organization. Mondstadt welcomes him back with open arms, even as they tremble at his power when he joins the Traveler on the front lines and absolutely demolishes his ex-coworkers.

Good Luck Charm Bennett:

Bennett, the adventurer with notoriously bad luck. When a storm rolls in, he'll always be struck by lightning. When at a cliff's edge, it'll always crumble beneath his feet. Even when he's simply walking along a path, slimes will appear as if from thin air. Wouldn't that be a deterrent to those wishing to adventure with him?

No, because everyone knows that if you travel with Bennett, all your chests will be high grade, with the best of the best artifacts and ores inside, so long as Bennett himself isn't the one opening it. If a storm rolls in, the lightning that strikes will always cause a warm fire to keep you from getting sick. The Hilichurls that seem to pop up around Bennett will always drop items, and they'll never attack anyone but Bennett.

Bennett gets cabbages, sure, but any adventurer worth their salt will let him tag along simply because it'll get them better loot. You don't even have to look after him, his bad luck refuses to let him die or get permanently injured, after all. Just stay within ten feet and you'll reap the rewards.

Bennett is a boy who suffers from constant bad luck, injury, and pain, and now he also has to deal with being kidnapped for loot, dragged on adventures at all hours of the day, and no one really cares about his well-being. His dads are too caught up in their shiny treasure, fellow adventurers have tied a leash to him so they didn't have to bother keeping an eye on him while using him for good loot, and even the Knights of Favonious will demand his presence on important missions with no care towards the hour or any previous obligations. Bennett is Mondstadt's tool, ignored until someone needs a good artifact or for a mission to reap great rewards. It seems that not even Barbatos truly cares about him.

No one cares, except a boy raised by wolves and a traveler that's being used the same way. People that genuinely enjoy his company, with the loot being a generally ignored perk, and his bad luck causing them worry rather than annoyance.

BAMF Bennett:

Bennett is a healer with a pyro vision. His control is practiced to perfection, fingers capable of igniting small sparks and large explosions alike. He can draw forth healing potential in Pyro, something previously thought impossible. His diligence can produce the tiniest sparks to prevent infection, the perfect fires for cauterization, and yet he goes even further and draws the true power of healing from flames and destruction as if he were a Hydro Healer.

He is more meticulous and careful than even the finest Akademiya healer, and yet he's also capable of the absolute destruction inherent in his element. God-made or not, he can destroy it. Something many adepti have failed to do, and yet this mortal child is capable of it with ease, and often on accident. He calls it bad luck when something indestructible is shattered by his touch, but the archons and adepti know better.

They know that the constant threat of death from the universe is Celestia's fruitless attempt to eliminate a monster of its own creation. If they left him with normal luck, he'd be unstoppable, but his survival has only made his power grow. The trials from Celestia itself have not killed this mortal, and so he grows stronger for having survived. Even the eldest archon quivers in fear as this child walks off being struck by lightning. Even the Conquerer of Demons feels a shiver go down his spine when an automation goes up in flames.

So yeah, I've been having fun with overpowered Bennett. He is horribly built, and yet he carries me regardless. Rip Kaeya, you wouldn't have survived without your bad luck charm.

[haeresys-realm]

(I watched the Arlecchino cinematic and I am VERY dissapointed. I will end this post some time later. Yesterday I begun it and again wrote too much with anger too earlier background and didn't reached my main idea about all my emotions abiut this predictable childish cinematic, so don't read this for now.)

I despise all thede twitters or reddits because of their conigent and reactions but I'm so comfortable with Tumblr now because no one tells shit in others space here and I cant speak anything I want to open abd explain my tjiughts. Thank you all.

All I speak about Genshin is nit because I hatr the game, it's because I hate the most part of it's immature community and now – everything developers do satisfy it.

I was telling earlier how much I hate the Fontaine and it's story where everything was just familiar trops and characters but mixed and named another names. I'll never forgive them Allen who acted as Dottore segment but there was no game clue underlined in it and also he got family. It's disgusting to take everything from character you have and just put it into some one-quest npc we'll never see while the original charracter now looks NOT originally as if all these so-called geniuses with greater ambitions are the same and think the same way having the same features and views and behaving model. Exuse me??? Whatbthe fuck?! I hate that Nahida story was recycled to Furina one. WTF. Hate her Fishl behavior model. Hate that shit about Neuvillete and Tartaglia. Hate the fuck they screwd Fatui ranks where put down Pierro/Pedrolino to nowhere and he's not even a Harbinger while always being called the first of them lol.nope you cant when you don't even have a rank idiots, it DOESN'T look this way. It's so childish stupid trop to try to put the so-called strategic leader outside brackets to show how fucking mastermind he is sitting and playing all other harbingers as a chechmate figures. Lol not while you have the figure like a Doctor it's the only mastermind who can play you. I rrally hate it when we see such a stupid contradictions when everything tell you about one thing and then you are faced with absolutely banal and vulgar another conclusion so fucking cliched so childish just not to do anything outside the frames. The put the mastermind not as a leader right head, while the second position after Pierro is absolutely understood – he's a god who make gods but when Pierro is a gray cardinal of the visible monarch the doctor is the one who are their partner who helps them realise their plans but he's no longer ideologically or revengefully interested and motivated, he just uses their goals to do what he wants to do, to research what he's interested in,.and with his ambitions, resourses and unorthodox ghinking he could create another universe and ecosystems. (Ruan may is just his granddauggter or smth you know.)

But they preferred to erase Pedrolino's rank and kill the Fatui rank system; they preferred to eliminate the concept put some fuckin' banal sTrOnG mAn with aBbYsS pOwErS (I'll ask you again, why Tartaglia is not the Fatui leader with such idiot logic? Gods who are responsible for all Snezhnaya and it's army progress and elite units power to use elements are weaker than fuckin abyss creatures? So, why Enjou still didn't make Celestia crushed?¿?) on the highest rank position just to show children that the first of the Fatui is the good man and good man are strong honoured and respected, so they always must be on the top. This is so fucking inappropriate considering to really adequate, non-cliched and interesting gray moral concepts... And then these idiots puts Arlecchino.to.tge top ranks too. They name her king and father, dress her as a man, without any fucking normal explanation and excuse they forgive her and put as the 4th (!!!) Harbinger, not 10nth!! When her mind, powers and duty couldn't be such to challenge gods and goddish entities (Dottore and Columbina, 2nd and 3rd), the Captain should stay there – the one after gods. The man of the greatest will but still weaker than MONSTERS because to have SUCH power you should be a monster. It's really great concept that gorgeously correlates with everithing we saw. But now lol. Some fucking little cliched poor girl with lesbian story – hoyo can't do any new drama except some close female friend-character died on another girl's hands, and surely there couldn't be such deep relations between boy and girl, hoyo can tell stories only about lesbians, they think there couldn't be any drama between different gender persons or genders, I can recollect only one side quest in genshin with banal outcome and some stupid decisions but it was a bit interesting and sincere, about two friends who invented card game; and Scaramuccia with his little friend, but how about some love or near-the-love moments between different genders?? Hey! Nooo, they easier make a women play men, like they changed the plot in the cinema event with Chevreuse and Ayaka while throwed out Ayato of it. They can't develop man characters at all but now even female characters are too banal or just stealing man roles. Why the fuck doing this?! Because all these fucking kids that your audience consists 90% of are teen schoolgirls who often cosplaying male characters, draw gayshit (with no fucking canonic clues; it's absolutely normal when it is some Mo Xiang Tong Xiu novels and anime adaptation, like Mo Dao Zu Shi, etc, I have absolutely nothing to raise objections) and kiss their female friends or even play lesbians because now it's so fashionable to proclaim herselves feminists knowing nothing about ideology and just proclaiming that men are not needed while playing a men themselves.... Isocracy. But hoyo supportsnit. Money and stupid childish cliches are still better and easier way to make any product for mass audience than trying to develop something conceptual. Contemporary directors are just some shitty cowards who will spoil anything in their plot and any character to make children happily discuss it and draw.

Arlecchino is the most popular character in the fandom now, and it's obviously undestood why. She's just made for these teen Twitter girls audience. So you can't say anything bad about her and her concepts, because these is = offend idiotic views of such childish crowd.

I liked her before it turned out this banal way.

[mindormin]

booboo the fool himself

[incorrectfatui]

Pie - Pierro Col - Columbina Same play as the previous one. This one revolves around Columbina's and Pierro's unhappy marriage being repaired because Arlecchino, somehow, is even worse.

[moondance-r]

Pedrolino the Acolyte 2

Summary: Of the Fatui Harbingers, their Tenth was among the most secretive. Rumours of him regularly abounded throughout the ranks, labelling him anything from a pauper to hidden royalty to everything in between, and theories abounded about his person. Pedrolino enjoyed it that way and even encouraged it.

Unfortunately, the Tsaritsa’s mission to collect gnoses kicked off in earnest, so Liyue was about to welcome its prodigal son home.

[Previous] [Masterlist] [Next]

Pedrolino didn’t have much to do because Childe was in Liyue. His 10th Division, being the first agents on the scene, would set up bases of operations, arrange local contacts, gather information, and then retreat. The next step was the responsibility of other Harbingers. People all said that chaos dogged Tartaglia’s footsteps, but in truth, none of that would be possible without Pedrolino there to enable him. Not to say that their youngest was stupid -- just that he didn’t have the magic touch for stirring up unrest.

All of which was to say, from the current time until the acquisition of the Geo Gnosis, Pedrolino was responsible for nothing but monitoring the situation. 

Oh, and to clean up after his colleagues. La Signora had made such a mess on her way out of Mondstadt that he was still trying to salvage their reputation there weeks later, and he was tempted to disavow her from the Fatui entirely. Did she really have to attack their Archon in broad daylight, on the steps of the church dedicated to his worship, in front of multiple witnesses?

He groaned into his desk. Pedrolino was used to making trouble, not suppressing it. Yes the relevant points overlapped, but really, he wished La Signora could have a little more consideration in her actions.

Even the preparations for the Rite of Descension going on around him mostly passed him by with how busy he was. Although, it was interesting to see it from the humans’ perspective for once when he used to stand on the other side watching Rex Lapis summarise his predictions. The festivities were more grand than he expected, with merchants and worshippers alike converging on the city while Yiyan Temple became decked out even more lavishly than usual, and that was saying something. Yiyan Temple was the foremost locale for the worship of Rex Lapis and had been for as long as Liyue Harbor had existed, which was well over 3000 years by now, so it had more than enough time to accumulate so many accoutrements that they opened multiple subsidiary warehouses to store them all. Pedrolino himself had, in his younger years, contributed more than one item. 

Somehow, he found himself standing in front of its doors in the dead of night, long after it was closed to visitors.

He stayed there for many minutes, maybe hours. There was no reason for him to be there and after what he did... He wasn’t deserving of it either. He could still see where he once razed it to its foundations.

A side door suddenly creaked open and a young woman poked her head out curiously; Pedrolino hesitated a moment before nodding to her respectfully and turning away. 

“Please wait!” she called, causing him to stop. “Sir, you seem troubled. Are you here to pray?”

“I...” He bowed his head. “I have broken a contract. I will soon face the wrath of the rock.”

She giggled a little, maybe because ‘wrath of the rock’ was considered an archaic term nowadays with it only being used in formal contracts, then became serious once more. “Our Lord Rex Lapis is merciful. Sir, perhaps if you give him devotion and prayer, he will forgive you,” she said.

To earn Rex Lapis’ forgiveness... Pedrolino had given that up long ago. Liyue Harbor was the Archon’s pride and joy, after all, and all threats to the city were to be eliminated without exception. Yet he -- inexorably drawn to the temple and what it offered -- took a single step closer before forcing himself to a stop.

When she opened the door wider, he couldn’t control his feet from bringing him inside.

The interior had hardly changed from centuries ago. At the centre was an altar with offerings of fruits, gemstones, and a censer, behind which was a large statue of Rex Lapis in his draconic form, while three cushioned mats lay in front of the altar for worshippers to kneel on. Each wall was lined with freestanding oil lamps.

“There is incense available, as well as wishing paper,” she explained, gesturing at a side table where there was a neat pile of incense sticks, a stack of red paper, and an ornate oil lamp made of cor lapis. This lamp, Pedrolino knew, was kept constantly lit in respect for Rex Lapis. He remembered taking care of it as a child -- and also remembered accidentally dousing it in his rampage a long time later. Seeing it lit now brought a strange sense of relief.

The young woman bowed, then retreated from the main hall, leaving him alone.

He looked up at the Exuvia replica for a long moment. It was the first time in a long time that he was faced with anything to do with his former liege-lord, and a series of emotions he couldn’t identify went through him in quick succession.

Finally, he sighed softly. 

Archons usually tuned out any prayers they heard because there were just too many, but even so, he wasn’t willing to take the risk of calling on him by name. Instead, he plucked three sticks of incense from the table, lit them from the cor lapis lamp, and knelt on the centre mat. He allowed muscle memory to take over as he went through the ritual -- bowing, mouthing the requisite words, inserting incense into the censer -- then paused. He sighed again.

“My lord,” he whispered, “I hope you’re doing well.”

* * *

Zhongli was tired.

He had been tired for most of his long life. Maybe not in the beginning, when he was nothing but a creature of instinct desiring little more than to eat and sleep, but he had lost more than enough friends and family and confidants for one lifetime. 

Guizhong wasn’t the first nor the last, but she was one of the most significant. Skybracer. Sea Gazer. Marchosius. Azhdaha. Bosacius, Indarias, Bonanus, Menogias, and the other Guardian Yakshas. Pervases. Corvacius.

Their numbers whittled down until only a handful remained of the thousands who once protected Liyue. Disaster after disaster, and erosion, brought them down one after another. Some had been lost to madness, others to despair, and yet others merely vanished without a trace. Privately, he thought the worst partings were those when the afflicted turned on their companions; of these, none had wrought greater destruction than when Corvacius succumbed to the darkness -- in thoroughness if not in scale. Never had the trading port of Liyue Harbor come closer to being abandoned since its establishment. 

Fire burned for ten days and nights upon the rubble after the solar crow was slain, giving proof to the depths of his potential which was wasted with his untimely death. It was the reason why a significant portion of Liyue Harbor’s foundations were constructed out of stone; only the newest parts used wood.

All the worse, then, that it had come without warning. This yaksha had shown none of the usual symptoms associated with being overwhelmed by karmic debt so it appeared as if, one day, he simply decided to betray them for the fun of it. It wasn’t until an embarrassingly long time later that Zhongli, back then Morax, let go of his anger and considered other possibilities. 

By then Corvacius had been dead for centuries at his hand. This in itself wasn’t an unusual fate for his compatriots, but Zhongli had said things that he regretted in hindsight, especially upon the revelation that Corvacius’ actions weren’t his own. For his dear friend to hear only accusations of disloyalty during his last breaths... the thought made Zhongli curse his impeccable memory, though the passage of time had dulled its bite.

Stone endured, but stone did not last forever.

Now that he was on the cusp of retirement, he found himself more prone to reminiscence, which more often than not fell on Childe as his unwitting victim. The two of them had grown from business partners to something resembling friends as Zhongli monitored his actions and Childe milked him for information. The Harbinger was an unexpected delight, like yet unlike the many rumours surrounding his person. Bloodthirsty yet controlled. Cruel yet kind. An allogene, yet tainted with the stench of the Abyss. A walking mass of contradictions.

Also curious was the individual who sometimes accompanied him. Zhongli had never actually met them, owing to their uncanny ability to depart the area immediately before Zhongli’s arrival. At most, he would catch a glimpse of their clothing as they turned a corner, or a flick of their hair as they dropped off the edge of a cliff.

...The latter had happened more than once when he and Childe arranged to meet outside of the city. Childe had laughed off his concerns when he asked, which was concerning in its own way.

Regardless, the unknown individual seemed to mean no harm, so Zhongli put it out of his mind in favour of enjoying Childe’s company. 

He was aware of his tendency to ramble but Childe was an attentive listener, despite (or maybe because of) his lack of knowledge. On a day spent wandering through the Guili Plains, the topic turned to battles, as was Childe’s obvious preference.

“--and so Osial was sealed into the watery depths deep into the Sea of Clouds, where the Guyun Stone Forest stands today,” Zhongli said, gazing towards the coast.

Childe grinned, cocking his head. “Sounds fun. But that can’t be the only god who’s come close to wrecking the place.”

“Certainly not. Corvacius...” Zhongli hesitated.

“Come on, don’t leave me hanging! Who’s Corvacius?”

“Corvacius... Strictly speaking, Corvacius wasn’t a god but a yaksha.”

“Like the guy hanging around Wangshu Inn who refuses to fight me?”

“Precisely. Although I do hope you aren’t bothering the Vigilant Yaksha too much,” he remarked, to Childe’s guilty chuckles. “Nevertheless, yes, Corvacius was a yaksha tasked with killing the monsters that plagued Liyue’s countryside. He served with distinction for many years, but as most yaksha were, he was eventually overcome by karmic debt and went mad. He detonated his flames in the middle of Liyue Harbor, and it took significant efforts to subdue him.”

“What was he like? A Pyro Vision user, obviously, but other than that,” Childe prompted. But Zhongli shook his head. 

“Corvacius didn’t have a Vision at all. He was an illuminated beast, a solar crow, so control over Pyro came naturally. He was young, for an adeptus, but skilled...”

As Childe nodded along to his explanation, his eyes gained a strange glint. It was obvious that something had gained his interest though Zhongli could only guess at what it was. 

The clock ticked ever closer to his last Rite of Descension.

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[achichikiki]

Is anybody going to tell me that Pedrolino is implied to recruited the Crimson Witch into the fatui or was I just gotta find it out while doing research?

[blzzrdstryr]

Hi, how would the Yandere Harbingers react to falling in love with Darling. However there’s a problem; Their darling became lovers with the Tsarista herself. What do they do?

Ohoho, they're threading through dangerous waters here.

Based on leaks and speculations, almost no canon material here. I have no idea how loyal are Harbingers to Tsaritsa

Characters: Tartaglia, Pierro, Arlecchino, Sandrone, Il Dottore, Columbina, Pantalone, Scaramouche

CW: Yandere themes

Sad, but is too loyal to Tsaritsa to do anything, mopes and pines from distance: Tartaglia, Pierro, Arlecchino, Sandrone

I think those four revere Tsaritsa way too much to do anything. The second they realize their exact feelings for you they will spend several sleepless nights thinking of when and what they did so wrong to earn this punishment - to yearn for you without a chance of reciprocation. Even their love for you feels ugly and tainted - they're almost glad you are a lover of Tsaritsa, lest their sinful urges would consume you whole. Their love feels like a sacrilege. They will try to hide their feelings too, gazing longingly at your image only when they're sure there's no one near them. Maybe they will worship you in the same way they worship Tsaritsa if loving you in human way isn't an option for them.

Might try to plan something, but is too cautious for anything bold, will back off the moment Tsaritsa does anything: Pantalone, Columbina

They will try to supress their feelings for you too - while they're not as reverent as other Harbingers Pantalone and Columbina are still sane enough to know what grave danger they'll be in once they indulge their urges. They distance themselves, avert their eyes from your figure, try take duties that deal further from the Zapolyarny palace, the residence you share with Cryo Archon.

They still fail at that. Their feelings bubble up and break through the outer facade and the next time they see you - they allow themselves to risk - a kiss gently planted at your hand, the small hug, fingers combing through your hair - not enough to incriminate them, but enough to raise eyebrows. Sadly, that's the most they can afford.

Elopes with Darling after careful planning: Il Dottore, Scaramouche

Those two I think are the least devoted to Tsaritsa and her cause. Dottore is working for Fatui because they provide him with recources and finances needed forhis research. The moment he sees you, feels the spark of this ugly-exciting-unfamiliar feeling bursting in his chest, he will begin to plan. His plans will be various and multiple - some almost nonsensical, some sterile and boring. He will wait for his moment and then whisk you away, running with you to the end of the world - after all he can build his lab in a desolate desert if he has to.

Scaramouche never adored Tsaritsa as other Harbingers did, deeming himself as her equal rather than servant. Being created in a divine image of the Eternity Goddessgave him a certain sense of entitlement - he expects you to fall in love and adore him, like you did with Tsaritsa. Scaramouche will try take you with himself shortly after defecting, even if it's incredibly dangerous

[welshoot]

Harbinger Names and Commedia Dell'arte Analysis

The names for the various Fatui Harbingers stem from an early form of professional theater originating in Italy known as the commedia dell’arte. The commedia dell’arte made use of various stock characters that were given names. These stock characters are where the Fatui Harbingers get their names from. What’s interesting is seeing how these stock characters interact with each other and how they might give us indicators as to the character and story of the Harbingers. I’ll analyze the Harbingers in the known order and save the question mark order Harbingers for the last. The analysis is under the cut and (fair warning) it's pretty long.

Starting with rank 1, we have Pierro, code-name The Jester. His name, Pierro, comes from the French stock character Pierrot, which is actually a rather interesting character for the play. Pierrot is a sad clown who pines for another stock character, Columbina. The Pierrot typically ends up heartbroken since the Columbina character often ends up with the Harlequin (Arlecchino) character. The Pierrot is related to a different, Italian, stock character called the Pedrolino. Pedrolino is not a sad character but rather a character who works to move the plot along. He might do this by helping or hindering the lovers (the Innamorati) who are the main characters of the play. The Pedrolino is also more cunning than the Pierrot and works as a sort of engine for the story. The Pedrolino also frequently has the La Signora character as a lover. Interestingly, both the Pierrot and the Pedrolino stand out from other stock characters as not being masked. Judging from this, Pierro is probably incredibly important to the Harbinger subplot or the Tsaristas' plans. 

Rank 2, the infamous Il Dottore, code-named The Doctor. The stock character Il Dottore, is typically an obstacle to the lovers (Innamorati) and thus an antagonist. He is usually self-loving and greedy as well as an older man. Interestingly, the stock character of Il Dottore emerged as a foil to the stock character Pantalone. Il Dottore may be rich, but that typically depends on the needs of the plot. Nonetheless, he is usually an educated individual of some sort, such as a doctor. Il Dottore is meant to playfully parody the educated elite. He is often fond of girls, but dishonest and typically gets caught cheating frequently. In some cases the Il Dottore may be father to one of the lovers, usually the female, or the Columbina in some cases. Based on this I imagine Genshin’s Il Dottore will be connected to Pantalone in some sort of way, though how this may work remains unseen. 

Rank 3, Columbina, code-name Damslette. The Columbina is actually a very important female servant stock character. She is sometimes the lover of the Harlequin(Arlecchino) character and wife/unrequited love to the Pierrot character. She might also be hounded by the Pantalone character. She is also more down to earth and sensible than other characters and, unlike other stock characters, may have several masks to confuse the Harlequin. The Columbina character’s main purpose is to aid her lady, the female lover, in gaining the affections of the male lover. It will be interesting to see how this Genshin character works out since her commedia dell’arte counterpart is the one sensible character of the play. She will possibly have a connection to Pierro (as the Pierrot/Pedrolino) and Arlecchino.

Rank 5, Pulcinella, code-name The Rooster. The Pulcinella character’s role changes depending on what part of the social class he is in, but either way he is an opportunistic old man. Though his main motivation is self-preservation he often ends up saving other characters which creates some interest for this character. Judging from Childe’s lines regarding the Genshin Pulcinella he lives up to taking care of others. 

Rank 6, Scaramouche, code-name The Balladeer. The Scaramouche (or Scaramucchi) is an interesting stock character. He is always rather villainous and is often beaten by the Harlequin (Arlecchino) character due to his boasting and cowardice. Interestingly, He also sometimes influences the audience to do his bidding. Even though the Scaramouche character’s plotting and affinity for intrigue often gets him into trouble, he usually escapes scot-free and the blame ends up placed on someone else. An in-game example of this could be Scaramouche getting the gnosis from Inazuma and getting away scot-free while La Signora ended up dying. It’s also interesting that Genshin’s Scaramouche reflects the commedia dell'arte stock character’s ability to influence the audience when he tricks the traveler into a dangerous situation by manipulating their rage at their (and Teppei’s) situation. The only curiosity here is if he will lose to Arlecchino in some way.

Rank 8, La Signora, code-name The Fair Lady. The La Signora stock character occupies a very specific role. She may be a courtesan, but is typically the wife of the Pantalone character and lover of the Pedrolino character. She is characterized as tough, calculating, and beautiful though she is frequently overdressed. She often ridicules others which typically leads to her getting in a fight with another female character much like how Genshin’s La Signora ended up fighting Raiden Shogun. The La Signora is more of a sexual character than the Columbina and often has an immediate attraction for the Il Capitano character due to him being a sort of male counterpart of her character.

Rank 9, Pantalone, code-name Regrator. The Pantalone character is actually quite important. He is the money of the play and is typically at the top of the social order. He typically has high regard for intelligence, but becomes the butt of quite a few jokes. That said he can, sometimes, be quite cunning. He is often the father of one of the lovers(Innamorati) and is, for plot reasons, driven to keep the lovers apart. If he is a single widower he hounds most every female character present, if he is married it is probably to the La Signora character. If there is an Il Dottore character present, the two often form a sort of duo. Perhaps as the parents of the lovers or just as the older males of the play. It will be interesting to learn if Genshin’s Pantalone had any relation to their La Signora.

Rank 11, Tartaglia, code-named Childe. The Tartaglia character is often rather dainty and has a stutter. He is a fairly common character and may even make up one part of the lovers. The Tartaglia character often represents the lower social class but sometimes comes from the middle or even upper social class. Genshin’s Childe may be portrayed as more sympathetic than the other Harbingers as a way of mirroring that the Tartaglia character isn’t necessarily bad and may even be one the lead characters as one of the lovers.

Rank ?, Il Capitano, code-named The Captain. Another very common stock character, the Il Capitano is a braggart who claims greatness because no one actually knows who he is, as he is typically a foreigner. The Il Capitano character is typically a coward who will run away from a fight and has trouble talking to and being around other men. The Il Capitano character may be hired by the Pantalone character to guard his daughter (the female part of the lovers). This often results in the Il Capitano character setting up a bidding war for his services between the suitor(s) and the Pantalone character while he goes about wooing the daughter himself. His primary purpose in the plot is to be ‘de-masked’ or stripped of all his confidence and shown in a moment of panic and humility. As such I imagine this character will likely be defeated or brought down in an incredibly brutal manner that may feature quite a bit of humiliation. However, Genshin’s Il Capitano may also be the opposite of what is seen in the commedia dell’arte since Childe’s voice line regarding Il Capitano implies he is very powerful. He may also end up working with (or for) Pantalone which could be interesting.

Rank ?, Sandrone, code-name Marionette. An interesting traditional character. The Sandrone is actually a male peasant who has a wife and child. These characters were originally presented as puppets. The Sandrone character himself is crude, clever, and cunning. He typically makes witty remarks through the play about city life or criticisms regarding officials. Sandrone’s accompanying creature/robot may be a tie-in to the fact that the commedia dell’arte Sandrone was part of a family and was once played by puppets.

Rank ?, Arlecchino, code-name the Knave. The Arlecchino, better known as the Harlequin, is probably the best known of all of these stock characters. The Arlecchino character is a light-hearted, nimbler servant who thwarts the plans of his master and pursues the Columbina. He often competes with the Pierrot character. The Arlecchino character is a sort of trickster and may even be a romantic hero. It will be interesting to see several things about Genshin’s Arlecchino. Will they be connected to Columbina? Will they compete with Pierro? And are they going to thwart their master (Tsaritsa)?

The only primary stock characters not portrayed in the Harbinger group are the Innamorati, or the lovers, who typically fill the lead roles. Everything about the play revolves around the lovers which makes it seem almost like in Genshin Impact the players would fill this role since the plot of the game revolves around the Traveler. The only problem here is that the player can only fill one part of the role leaving the other side empty. Admittedly, since the Tartaglia character does sometimes sub as the male lover it could be argued that only one lover is needed, but this is only if Childe is filling that role and he may not be. Another option is that two NPCs may appear in Snezhnaya and fulfill these roles, or that the Tsaritsa will fill one role and there will be someone else to be her counterpart. However, the Innamorati are often aware of the audience's presence which does complicate matters. This again points toward the Traveler, but does not seal the deal. Either way, it will be interesting to see how the Genshin Impact writers make use of the potential connections between the Harbingers and the commedia dell’arte stock characters.

Edit: The other lover could also be Dainsleif or the Traveler's sibling. Dainsleif is of particular interest since, based on the fact he looks at the camera rather than the Traveler's character model, he seems to be aware of the audience (the players).

[meowerto]

the jester