#i want more interactions between neuvillette and furina

[nomohmoss]

navia🤝furina

having the worst time ever in the aq

[justaghostingon]

In which the Tsarista wants Friends And Furina is the Unfortunate Target

A silly genshin au

So i was thinking, u know how every archon has nothing but respect for Furnia?

What if the Tsarista did too? After all, the tsarista wants to defy the heavens, ancthe only person to get away with that and live (that we know of) is Furina.

And its so hard to find archons to hang out with. She’s still not talking to Venti. Morax has to many shady contracts with celestia, Nahida is a child by archon standards, Ei scares her, and frankly the less said about Murata the better.

So when word gets to her through whatever highspeed knowledge that the archons a seem to have about what Focolors and Furina did, she instantly wants to bring her in as an ally.

But alas! Arrlecino has made an absolutely terrible impression on Furina! So much so that Furina refused to meet her without othwr parties present!

This is a huge failure!

She proceeds to tell Arrlecino that while she’s not in trouble, as she did bring back the gnosis, couldn’t she have been a little nicer?

Just look at Childe! He managed to make a good impression on Morax, and he didn’t even realize it was Morax he was hanging out with!

They still get drinks somwtimes!

If Childe can befriend a god by accident, surely Arrlecino could at least mend bridges with Furina? Furina would be sooo useful after all.

Arrlecino, who has jetted off after getting the gnosis with a sick Childe and most certainly doesn’t have connection to whatever instant gossip communication that the Tsarista has, is very confused

She’s still under the impression that Furina was a cursed human, archon impersonator, and all around waste of space.

Now her boss and archon she respects is passive agressively trying to get her to introduce her to Furina and mad she’s not in her good books?

WHY????

Her general attitude is to point agressively at Furina eating her cake and going “This is the ONE u want? THIS one?”

Tsarista, sighing dramatically, “She’s perfect”

But Arrlecino is a harbringer, and what her archon wants, goes. So she goes back to fontain and tries to arrange a meetinf with Furina

This is of course, completely rejected, and accompanied by a sternly worded letter from Neuvillette saying that Furina is retired and not to bother her anymore.

Arrlecino tries to just go directly to Furina, but is chased away by some very agressive melusines. Arrlecino didn’t even know Melusines could be agressive

At this point, Arrlecino is getting annoyed. Did all their personal meetings mean nothing to Furina? She spent so much time and money on her favorite cakes!

Sure she tried to kill her, but that was one time! She should be over it by now!

But she hasn’t lost her head yet. It’s tiem to use her trump card. The magic siblings!

Lyney is a bit dubious on their new mission: “make nice to furina at all costs.” After all, their last two interactions with with her were Furina putting lyney on trial, and lyney and the gang putting her on trial. Not exactly easy to bounce back from.

But orders are orders, so they give it a shot.

They start with trying to ask Furina for help on stage management, give her invitations to their shows, etc.

Shared interests are important after all.

Bur Furina is not biting. She’s not good at magic she points out, so she won’t be much help to them and their better off seeking others to aid them.

She does go to their performance, but spends the entire time sandwiched between Navia and Clorinde. When lyney and lynette try to approach her, navia drags them into conversation instead as Clorinde escorts Furina out.

So that’s a no go.

Lynette then decides to take the more direct route, of breaking into Furina’s apartment to reach her. This goes understandably terribly, as Furina does not take well to a cloaked figure standing over her bed, saying “the Tsarista wants to talk to you”

She sends her water familiars to chase lynette away.

At this point Furina is getting very paranoid and the magic siblings are at the end of their rope. They break out their last hope: Freminet.

Sure he’s not the most social, but he’s by far the most adorable (in the twins opinion) and definitely nonthreatening.

Freminet’s turn goes as thus: Furina is sitting on a bench with her water familiars playing around her

Freminet sits next to her on the bench with Pers. He doesn’t look at Furina, instead staring at his feet.

Pers goes over to the water familiars and they start playing together. Furina and Freminet watch

Finally Freminet blurts out. “The Tsarista thinks your cool and wants to be your friend.”

Furina is startled, then switches into celebrity mode. Freminet doesn’t seem to mean any harm, but she doesn’t want to agree. So she sets an impossible task. She informs Freminet that she is a very popular person and if the tsarista wants to see her, she must come in person to Fontaine instead of sending minions.

Freminet nods and thanks her, saying he’ll pass on the message. He tells her Pers had a good time, and Furina smiles, certain that she’s handled the situation perfectly.

Exactly one week later, there’s a knock on her door. Furina opens it to see thr Tsarista dressed like a tourist with a bag of luggage. She informs Furina they are having a “girls” week.

Next thing Furina knows she and thr tsarista are sitting at a super fancy cake shop where the tsarista is piling Furina with all her favorite cakes with a beaming smile on her face.

As she resigns herself to her fate of lots of cake and spa activites with Tevats number one most controversial archon. Furina realizes she now knows where the Fatui get their crazy from

The end

[scaredpigeons]

Aqua Regia V: Subatomic interactions

Previous chapter // Next chapter // First chapter

Neuvillette x fem!reader

Word count: 3.6k

You confirm a few theories, resulting in a delicate moment between the two of you, and learn more about what the hell has been going on the past few months, as much as you’d like to deny yourself.

Authors note: some subtle zhongchi references, cuz I’m literally insatiable and have been reading a bit of zhongchi in my spare time. I think they’re cute :) also Neuvillettes instincts are so fucking cute to me, AND THE PURRING??? Yessir

“So, Neuvillette. You’re not human, are you?”

His gaze snapped to you, your face illuminated by the fire. He’d read somewhere in a book that sitting alone with someone in a dark room, hiding from a storm with the comfort of a fire was an intimate setting, but that really wasn’t his intention. 

The lights in his living room had just been replaced, but he found the harsh white lights of the new bulbs too stark and sterile, and was used to reading by candlelight anyways, so he preferred to keep the lights off, even when he didn’t have guests, which was…. Always. 

You were the first guest he’d had in his home in his most recent memory, any others being the melusine, and well— lady furina, on the odd occasion. 

“What gave you that impression?” He would not outright confirm or deny your observation, just hoping to skate by this encounter without incident. 

Every terrible burning instinct in his body was satiated in this moment, for the first time in months— he didn’t feel like he was actively losing his mind. 

Yes, there were a few more troubling thoughts, like how looking at you swaddled in his clothing made something inside him want to purr, or how he desperately wanted to take you and put you down in his nest, surrounded by all the other things he treasures most. 

Do I treasure her? He thought.

 As much as he wanted to refuse himself, he knew it to be true. He valued you above most things these days, and having you in his home seemed to calm him, though he couldn’t fathom entirely why. 

“Well, based on my observations over the past few months, local history, and some interesting conversations with the melusines, I’ve got a couple theories.” You said simply, lifting the cup of tea he’d brought you a few minutes ago to take a sip. He hadn’t wanted to leave your side, but after a while of sitting and not speaking, you had asked politely for it, so he had to oblige. 

“And what theories have you come up with?” He asked, genuinely curious. 

“In the beginning, before I came to work for you, there were many among us who thought perhaps you were the true hydro archon in disguise, with Lady Furina just being a figurehead of sorts. But of course, after the trial of the hydro archon and the flood, we all learned that to be untrue. With the limited information that was leaked to the public, we all learned that furina had been standing in on behalf of the hydro archon as a figurehead, yes—but only to circumvent the prophecy in some way— to save us. But that still left you.” 

He found that he truly enjoyed listening to you speak. Your voice was soothing, and hearing your thoughts made something within him very calm, satiated. He nodded for you to continue. 

“After getting to know you, it became clear to me that you aren’t human, though anyone who can pick up a historical text would know that based on the amount of years you’ve spent being the Honorable Iudex, of course.” You paused to look at him, and he found himself feeling a bit flush at how intently your gaze trailed across his face. He’d not felt flustered in another’s prescience like this in a very long time. 

“Your mannerisms, your demeanor, it was all very curious to me, so I did some research. And well…” you wrung your hands in your lap before clutching back onto the blanket he’d placed around you. “To make a long story short, and please, don’t laugh or be upset with me, I mean, it could be very far fetched but—“

He called out your name, gently silencing your stammering. “Please, I will not be offended or upset by anything you have to say to me.” 

You let out a breath, steadying yourself. “Neuvillette, are you perhaps… the hydro dragon of legend, taken human form?” 

He blinked at you. 

His heart lurched at how perceptive you were, how much thought must have gone into this conclusion. You said you’d watched his mannerisms, you’d done research? And you came to the correct answer because it was you.

Of course you would. 

Suddenly, he felt a chuckle pull from his chest, and he laughed into the dimly lit living room as you stared at him. 

“You are… truly mesmerizing.” He said, voice light and still ringing with his amusement. He once again smelled that sweet aroma that seemed to follow you, but brushed it off.  “I cannot believe that you came to such a conclusion on your own. You didn’t speak to the traveler, did you?”

“What?” You said, scrunching your nose a bit. “No, of course not! I read a couple books I bought from Liyue on dragons, and the similarities were just too much to ignore!”  You scooted closer, facing him head on now. “Are you saying I'm correct?” 

He laughed again, unable to stop himself. “Incredibly so. Though I wouldn’t say I've ‘taken human form’. For reasons unknown to even me, I was born in this form. I’ve learned to shape it throughout the years to better fit into human society, but there are a few things that refuse to leave.”

He sheepishly looks up and to the side, gesturing to his horns with his eyes. He knows they are slender and sleek, and to the uninterested eye, could be mistaken for some kind of hair ornament. 

“Oh!” You said, sitting even closer, your eyes burning with excitement. “I’ve always wondered what they were! Are they horns? May I…” your hand reached out, only for you to pull it back harshly. 

His chest ached. 

“I’m sorry, that's rather inappropriate of me, I shouldn’t ask.” You said, dejected and pulling away. 

His body screamed for you to be closer, and so he obliged. 

“There’s no need to worry, you’re just curious. You may touch them, if you’d like.” He said, trying to keep his voice steady. 

Your eyes sparkled once more, and you smiled brightly at him. “Really?” 

He nodded, bending forward a bit to bring his head more level to you. 

He held his breath as you reached out your hand, and when your soft skin brushed against the base of his horn, his spine nearly buckled. 

He didn’t touch his horns often. They were soft, sleek and malleable, not a traditional type of horn, not like other dragons. If he had to describe them, they’re more similar to antennae than anything else, soft yet firm, perfect to trail behind him in the water for ease of swimming. 

He occasionally touches them when styling his hair, but mostly they lay unbothered on his head, maybe getting squeezed between his back and a chair every now and then when he wasn’t paying attention, but it was rare. 

So when your delicate hand stroked along the smooth skin of his left horn, he had to keep his composure, because it was the most pleasurable thing he’d felt in a very long time, perhaps even ever. 

You cooed your amazement at him, your fingertips stroking gently down to the tip of the top most tine, and his body let loose an involuntary shiver, which he hoped you didn’t notice.

When you slipped your hand further and brushed along down towards the bottom tine he steadied his spine, ignoring the throbbing between his legs and bracing himself, though he had no idea how to stop the violent purring noise that rumbled from his chest. 

You certainly had noticed that, jumping back a bit on the couch, most likely startled. 

“Oh!” You said, holding your wrist with your other hand.  

He cleared his throat, forcing himself to stop before it got even more out of hand, so incredibly embarrassed. 

“Ah— my apologies. I forgot how sensitive they can be.” 

“Thats… did you…. Was that a purr?” 

He could quite literally feel the heat rising to his face, and he was sure he looked so childish in this moment. 

“Ah, well. You see… I—“ he stammered. “Yes?” 

Much to his surprise and enjoyment, you let a bright giggle loose into the dark room, falling back into the cushions as it overtook you. 

He stared, eyes surely shining as you laughed and laughed, and he nearly didn’t notice the rumbling start up once more, coughing seconds too late to cover it.

“Dragons purr when they are content?” You giggled, trying to right yourself. “Like cats?” 

He could feel the tips of his ears heating up, how embarrassing. Yet the gentle smile on your face was anything but mocking. 

In fact, he thought you looked rather intrigued, interested in learning more. 

“Ah, yes.” He tried to look anywhere but you, hoping you weren’t paying too much attention to his other bodily reactions. “Content, among other things.”  

“That's fascinating! How have you managed to hide that all this time? I’ve never once heard you slip up before!” You leaned forward in your excitement, eyes sparkling with wonder. 

His eyes wandered across your face, falling to your lips, so soft looking, such a warm smile. 

“Well, I’ve not…” he didn’t have the words, didn’t understand how to explain that you were changing him. That he was losing control of himself with every passing moment he was surrounded with your presence. 

“No one has been so close to me in a very long time.” He murmured, watching the breath catch in your chest. “No one has touched me with a gentle hand in centuries.” 

Now that he’d let the words slip from his lips, he realized the magnitude of their meaning. Yes, he was incredibly touch starved. He just hadn’t noticed until he found himself craving your touch. 

He watched his words register in your mind, the gears turning as your eyes welled. 

“Neuvillette, sir…” you sounded sad for him, of course you did. You were always so caring and empathetic. 

“My apologies, I shouldn’t have burdened you with the weight of such a statement.” He scrambled to try and rectify this, to bring that smile back to your lips. 

“No, sir, it’s—“ you squeezed your eyes shut, probably willing away your sadness. Something you did often when your emotions became to large, one of your little quirks he found so incredibly endearing. “This may be inappropriate of me to ask, but may I be a gentle hand?” 

He gaped at you. 

“I—“ you stammered. “That came out wrong, I mean… what I meant to say—“

“Yes, if you wouldn’t mind.” He cut you off, something he didn’t often do. “I’d like that very much.” 

You blinked, visibly swallowing as you settled down beside him, facing him directly. Your delicate hand reached up, just a simple press of your palm to his cheek, nothing more. 

A swell of emotions surged through him, so much that he couldn’t regulate himself, and he leaned into the touch as a single tear fell from his eye. The storm continued to rage outside, though he wasn’t certain it was his doing any longer. Perhaps a merciful act of Focalors from the beyond to keep you here with him for as long as possible. 

“Will you… teach me more about dragons?” You said, moving your hand to run your fingers through the loose hair by his temple. 

A deep purr rumbled through his chest, and your smile returned. 

————

At some point during the night, you’d fallen asleep to the sound of Neuvillette’s voice. 

In your lax lucidity, you remember him moving you to lay properly on the couch, a soft pillow beneath your head and another warm blanket that smelled like him. 

He pulled it over your shoulder, and you had thought that perhaps he’d kiss you, nothing salacious, perhaps a peck on the forehead or cheek. He hesitated for a moment, but you’d kept your eyes closed, hoping. 

But ever the gentleman, he’d just stepped away to leave you to sleep, and you’d drifted back off into a pleasant slumber. 

A few months had passed since that evening, and you wish you could say your relationship to Neuvillette hadn’t changed, but you’d be telling a blatant lie. 

You sat at Cafe Lutece with Miss Navia, a rare treat since she was so busy. She had a meeting with the traveler this afternoon however, and invited you to join. 

A cute, high pitched voice called out your name and Navia’s, and you turned to see Lumine and her companion Paimon wave as they came closer. 

They sat down, exchanging greetings with you as they settled and ordered their drinks. 

Paimon said your name once more, grabbing your attention from your plate of macarons. “That's a beautiful necklace! Paimon’s never seen you wear something so fancy!” 

You smiled, looking down and touching it gently with your fingertips. A delicate silver chain holding an intricate casing that held a large tear drop shaped condensed crystal surrounded by other glittering gems. They reflected the sunlight beautifully, and Paimon was right, you’d never owned a necklace so beautiful before. 

“Ah, thank you.” You said. “It was a gift from Neuvillette, he gave it to me after I gave him a couple books I’d purchased from Liyue.” 

“Oh, how lovely!” Navia cooed. “I was going to ask where it came from but I didn’t want to seem rude.” 

You waved her off, telling her it wasn’t a big deal, but her furrowed brow said she had more on her mind. 

“Say, didn’t Neuvillette also gift you that pocket watch you had last time I saw you?” She asked. 

“Ah,” you flushed. “Well, yes, but that was only after I found the most beautiful shell one afternoon by the beach, it reminded me of the colors of his broach, so I figured he’d like it!” 

Navia’s grin turned mischievous, and her eyes thinned with mirth. “Didn’t he also get you a new raincoat after yours got that nasty tear in it?” 

You scrambled to remember why he had done that, what you had given him that had warranted that particular gift. You took a sip of your tea as you stalled. Suddenly, the usually silent traveler spoke up. 

“When did you and Neuvillette start courting?” 

You nearly spat your tea all over her, face heating up as if you’d steeped your water with pyro flower stamens and not herbal green. 

“Pardon me?” You coughed. “Courting? What makes you think that we’re courting?”

Lumine looked a little chuffed, smirking a bit behind a gloved hand. 

“Dragons view acts of service and gift giving as acts of courtship. You didn’t know this?” 

“No?” You squeaked. Your books on dragons had a section on mating, but you’d been too embarrassed to even consider reading that chapter. 

“Paimon’s seen this all before. An acquaintance of ours had been giving another dragon we know all kinds of gifts and mora, only to find out far too late what he was actually doing!” 

“I think Zhongli knew he didn’t understand, Paimon. He didn’t seem too broken up when Childe left.” Lumine says, rolling her eyes. 

“But Paimon has seen the weird longing looks he gives Childe! Mr. Zhongli isn’t very subtle.” Paimon turned to you, looking a little frustrated. “Does Monsieur Neuvillette look at you all longing and googly eyed too?” 

You were sure your face could not be anymore red. 

Lumine frowned at her floating friend. “Paimon, that’s not a very nice question to ask, I mean look at her— she didn’t even know they were courting!” 

“Oh gods.” Your mind was going a million steps a minute. “I’ve brought him lunch every day for months.” 

“Oh boy.” Paimon sighed. 

“I had water specially ordered from a volcanic spring in Natlan! In the middle of a Warzone!” Your voice was getting louder. You clutched your coat further around your frame, shaking. 

Lumine cringed, and Navia started laughing. 

“I knew it!” She said, looking between your shrinking form and Lumine and back to you. “I knew he was head over heels for you, I was just waiting until you realized!” 

You popped a macaron into your mouth, but the flavor was wrong, everything was on high alert, your face was hot. You pushed your plate towards Paimon, knowing her love of snacks. 

“Here, Paimon, you can have these.” You stood, ignoring Paimon’s squeals of glee and Navias voice of concern, asking you where you were going. 

The cold November breeze washed through you, and you clutched your coat tighter once more. 

Your lunch break was over soon, you had to get back to the Palais before Neuvillette had trial prep. 

Oh gods. How were you going to face him? Did he even know what he was doing? He’d expressed to you that he was unsure about a lot of things about his own species, but was he unaware of the courting customs? 

You ignored the odd looks people gave you as you shuffled along. Before you realized, your feet had carried you to the Palais, and straight into Neuvillettes office. 

He was there, sitting at his desk and sorting through the folder you had compiled this morning for today's trial. 

“Good afternoon,” he smiled, “did your lunch break with Miss Navia go well?” 

You froze, eyes wide. You looked around his office, noting the little gifts and trinkets you had gotten him, though not all of them. The shell sat on his desk, the books on his bookshelf. There was a framed picture of you and a bunch of the melusine that Sedene had given you, and you had asked to hang it up in here, so you could see it at work and be reminded of the moment. He’d been particularly happy to do so. 

You thought back to all the gifts he’d given you, all the lingering looks and soft and innocent touches that may not have been as accidental as you thought. 

He seemed distracted, much to your relief. 

“It went fine,” you cleared your throat. “I saw the Traveler and Paimon for the first time in a while, which was nice.” 

“Good, good.” He said, pulling an envelope out of his desk drawer. “Speaking of The Traveler—“

He rounded his desk, and you did your best to steady your spine as he walked towards you, tall and intimidating but oh so handsome. Your knees felt weak.

“It seems that The Traveler, Lady Furina and Sedene have been conspiring against me, and are planning a ball of sorts for my birthday next month.” 

Your attention was caught, and you perked up. “Oh? I didn’t know it was your birthday soon, I’m sorry.” 

He chuckled, something he did a lot more often around you these days. 

“Worry not, my dear. Sedene asked me to give you this, which is an invitation to a preparation meeting. It seems they would enjoy it if my most cherished assistant was involved in the planning.” 

You flushed, he’d been saying things like that more often, calling you dear, telling you that he cherished and valued you. Were you just realizing this now?

“Oh,” you said, trying to make sure your voice didn’t shake as your thighs twitched. “I’m glad.”

Neuvillettes pupils dilated, and you could tell he was trying to hide it, but his deep inhale was a telltale sign that he could smell that sweet smell he’d mentioned lingered around you. 

You still hadn’t had the gall to tell him what exactly it was, prove your theory that he was literally smelling your arousal, your fluster—because your shame was too great to allow you otherwise. 

Besides, he’d stopped mentioning it a while ago, but you could tell when he could smell it. You could tell. 

You wanted to smack your cheeks. But you took the envelope, shivering slightly when his warm fingers brushed yours, the fabric of his gloves was so soft. 

“So, is there anything you would like me to incorporate into this ball that would make you happy?” You asked, wanting to move past the throbbing feeling that came whenever he complimented you. 

He breathed deeply again, and you could almost see a twinge of pink dust his cheeks. 

“Ah, well— if I had it my way, there wouldn’t be a ball at all.” 

“Oh?” You said. 

“I do not think I need to be celebrated in such an ostentatious manner, but Lady Furina insisted that because we held so many birthday balls for her throughout her reign, it was only fitting that I have at least one.”

You smirked, watching his fluster deepen. “Well I have to agree with Lady Furina, our honorable leader should be celebrated at least once in his new reign.”

He scoffed, rolling his eyes a bit as he turned away from you. Such a personal act he would not have been caught dead doing mere months ago, but it seemed he was getting more and more comfortable with you by the day. 

“I simply do not think it worth the splendor.” He walked back towards his desk, sitting down to go over his files once more. 

“So there's nothing specific you’d like me to do for you?” You insisted. 

“Ah, if you must,” he sighed. “Absolutely no fried foods, please. And—“ he gave a sharp tsk, pinching his brow. 

“What is it, sir?” 

He shook his head. “Forgive me for saying this, for the sake of it sounding incredibly childish, but if there is Fonta served at this celebration, I will simply leave.” 

You smirked, holding in a laugh that you so desperately wanted to release. 

“No fried foods, no fonta. Got it.” You turned to leave, but lingered when he called your name to get your attention once more. 

“Yes?” 

“You’ll be attending, yes?” 

You froze, realizing that yes, it would be quite obscene of you to not attend a ball you were helping to organize, but you have absolutely no idea what you’re going to wear. 

“Of course, Monsieur Neuvillette.” You smiled, that was a problem for another day. 

He seemed to relax, sighing in relief. “Good, it will be much more bearable with you there with me.” 

[lavenderchqn]

𝐶𝛨𝛢𝑃𝑇𝛦𝑅 𝟎𝟏𝟗 — HOUSE OF HEARTH (2,5K WORDS) 𝑅𝐸𝐷 𝐿𝐼𝑁𝐸𝑆 — lyney x f!reader smau

𝑆𝑌𝑁𝑂𝑃𝑆𝐼𝑆 —

Second year of university should've been everything you thought of it - more studying with human interaction sprinkled throught... What it definitely wasn't supposed to be was an investigation saga where one of your friends goes missing out of nowhere

𝑃𝑅𝐸𝑉𝐼𝑂𝑈𝑆 — 𝑀𝐴𝑆𝑇𝐸𝑅𝐿𝐼𝑆𝑇 — 𝑁𝐸𝑋𝑇 𝐸𝑃𝐼𝑆𝑂𝐷𝐸

“I refuse.” Neuvillette’s stern rejection shocks the group.

It’s the crack of dawn. After a long night, Wriothesley has shared the address of Lyney’s potential return. It’s a small orphanage, located in the heart of a city connecting Fontaine and Snezhnaya. You’d probably be on your merry way, if not for Neuvillette's persistent refusal to lend his car.

The male sighs. “Have you looked at yourselves?” His question hits deep.

Wriothesley is running on three cups of espresso, [Y/N] is falling asleep standing up, and well… Furina is throwing a tantrum. The three planned to head to the board alone, not wanting to drag Charlotte or Neuvillette into the mess any further. 

“Neuvi, you can’t be serious?!” Furina protests, clearly annoyed. She’s upset at multiple things — lack of sleep being one of them. You all stayed up throughout the night, trying to get anything you could that’d lead you to Lyney. “What if Lyney is truly there?!” 

Her eyes are glassy with tears. If Neuvillette had it in himself to come to her aid yesterday, what was stopping him from giving them his car for the day. 

“Neuvillette, ” Wriothesley comes directly in front of the other man. “I can swear to you, that I’ll be as careful as possible. Even if it takes me three hours to get there.” 

With another exhale from Neuvillette, he hands his car keys to Wriothesley. “I better see you get there safely and notify me the second you're there. No exceptions.” 

The atmosphere between the group changes completely in an instant.

“Yes, Sir.” Wriothesley salutes, with the girls mirroring the gesture afterwards. With access to a vehicle able to hold more than two people, the journey can finally begin. 

Neuvillette’s car is kept as you could expect from a man of his calibre. There are bottles full of water behind the front seat and not a speck of dust. It's the first time Wriothesley's behind the wheel in Neuvillette's car. Although Beverage Gang knew how to drive — except for Furina — Lyney was the one to lend his car. 

As of now [Y/N] is finally taking her well-deserved nap in the back seat. Furina sticks to her established role as a navigator and DJ, while Wriothesley is behind the wheel. The awake girl notices that — finally opening the question that has been bugging her for the entirety of the morning. 

“How did you learn that Lyney is well… uh…” She twiddles her fingers, whispering the last part of her sentence. “… an orphan.” 

“Trauma bonding and a lot of alcohol.” 

Furina’s face saddens as soon as she hears Wriothesley’s answer. Although her friend never hid the fact of his own experience as one, learning that Lyney — and by proxy his sister — was also a part of that group makes her heart ache. It also makes her brain run on wild thoughts, trying to process if something was keeping Lyney from saying that sober. Was she at fault for it? 

Her leg starts shaking from the sheer madness her head is going through.

“Furu, that’s not your fault,” Wriothesley says, not taking his eyes off the road. “I’m pretty sure Neuvi didn’t know either.” 

“—Is… that so?” 

“Sure is,” He takes a sharp turn, his eyes checking the rear-view mirror. As much as he appreciates all the help [Y/N] has provided, it would be best for everyone gathered not to have those conversations held in such a manner. Just having the girl know he’s an orphan should be enough.“I didn’t say anything, because it wasn’t my place to do so.” 

Furina mutters sounds of acknowledgement. She knows Wriothesley’s right. It wasn’t his place to say stuff regarding Lyney’s personal matters. Even if he learned of it due to Lyney being drunk, he must’ve sworn secrecy… Does Lyney even know that Wrio knows? 

There’s a slight chuckle. For an esteemed actress, or well… semi-retired actress, Furina is quite bad at pretending whenever her emotions hit rock bottom. 

“Cheer up, we’re almost there,” Wriothesley says as the car passes the sign informing of their arrival at the city. 

The main square is beautiful. The tenement blocks had been kept with utmost care and it shows. Despite being centuries old, the facade looks almost brand new. The early hours of the morning still show, as there’s not a single other person outside.

“Are we close?” Furina asks, taking a peek at Wriothesley’s phone. It’s currently open to a navigation app, telling them they are quite close.

“We should be,” Wriothesley answers, coming to a stand. He’s looking around for any indicator to confirm they are indeed there. As expected of a city square… there are all sorts of offices around.

“Is that not it?” [Y/N] points to one building in particular. Compared to the rest it’s hidden with its sign less visible. It’s made out of brick, with not a single fake balcony in sight. As soon as the three have a look at the supposed orphanage, the air changes. For no reason it feels a lot heavier… almost as if filled with dread. 

“S-Surely that’s not it…?”

“Don’t see any other orphanages around here.” 

“Looks like we have no other options…” 

[Y/N] gets in front of the door, preparing herself mentally to use the knocker. As soon as she notices Wriothesley and Furina standing behind her, she does so. 

The wait for a person from the orphanage to show up is agonising. Multiple thoughts are running through — most of them pleading for anybody to be there soon. It’s a working day… wait, do orphanages even follow the working weekend days thing? 

After a short while, the door opens with a creak. “H-hello?” A blond head peeks out of the door, his piercing periwinkle eyes staring the group down. “The… Municipal Office? We don’t know anything, I’m s-sorry.” 

[Y/N] is left completely stunned. Surely they don’t look like any officials. “S-sorry, what?” 

“Don’t know anything… we r-really don’t…” His voice is getting quieter by the second. Just what, on earth, is going on here. 

“We’re not from… the Municipal Office.” She tries to calm the boy down. By the looks, he’s on the verge of tears and that’s the last thing needed right now.

“Freminet.” A different voice appears. It’s deeper. More mature. Perhaps it belongs to the caretaker of the orphanage. “Does the situation require my attention?” 

“Nonono… It’s alright, Father… I think so...” 

From the way footsteps are getting louder, the blond’s statement surely did not convince said ‘Father’. Now that [Y/N] thinks about it… Lynette also addressed a person in such a manner.

The door opens further, showing the entirety of Freminet… as well as a tall lady. Dressed from head to toe in a smart outfit, her presence surely is imposing.

“Good morning.” [Y/N] continues her streak of acting as the group’s representative. She’s capitalising fully on her energy.

“Good morning to you three as well.” The woman replies, before turning to the boy next to her. “Run along now, Freminet. They are not from the Municipal Office. They are guests.” 

The last word sends shivers down Furina’s spine. For some reason, she’s not feeling as confident about the trip as she was, back when they were pestering Neuvillette to borrow his car. 

“You came to visit to ask questions, I presume?” She asks, inviting them to come inside the building. “Come in, the House of Hearth welcomes you with open arms.” 

The office the caretaker has led the group into seems to match its owner’s personality to a T. Following the ‘vintage’ aesthetic, an oak desk with intricate carving takes centre stage. The walls are lined with bookshelves filled with binders, with some showing signs of being well-used. 

As she pours a warm drink into teacups that match the set gifted to Lynette months ago, she tries to make a small chitchat. 

“I hope the journey was of no issue to you.” She says, taking her seat. “Sugar?”

“Could’ve been worse, and yes, please,” Wriothesley answers, before asking a question of his own. “The children regard you, M’am, as ‘Father’. Should we address you the same?” 

The woman chuckles slightly. “Not at all. Madame should be sufficient, albeit I tend to go by 'The Knave'.” 

The atmosphere in the room sounds quite strict. Much different compared to a stereotypical orphanage.

“Quite the tragedy…” The Knave sighs. “A child going missing on its own is no simple matter…,  a kidnapping however requires a different approach.” 

“So you know Lynette is missing?” 

“But, of course.” She takes a sip of her own drink. “The children tend to get anxious, whenever police officers come knocking at our doors.” 

The weight of her words settles heavily in the room. The Knave, exudes an unexpected air of calmness, with an unmistakeable edge of authority. Wriothesley, Furina and [Y/N] exchange glances, unsure of how much they can reveal… or where to begin with. 

Wriothesley clears his throat, leaning slightly forward. “Although we have filed a missing person report, we’re not working with the police, Madame. We’re here because… we believe Lyney might have returned to this orphanage. And we need to know if you’ve seen him.”

The Knave’s sharp gaze locks onto Wriothesley’s as if weighing his every word. She sets her teacup down with a quiet clink, fingers elegantly resting on the cup's rim. "Lyney," she repeats, her tone thoughtful. “Quite the spectacular child himself.” 

A heavy pause fills the air, the weight of the unknown hanging over the group. Furina shifts uncomfortably in her seat, her usual confidence rattled by the eerie calm of the Knave. She clutches her teacup, her knuckles turning white. "Please, Madame Knave, if you know anything about him… we need your help."

The Knave regards Furina with a cool, assessing look, before letting out a slow exhale. "I’m sure you know, this world is not kind to orphans. He… I assume he must have his reasons for leaving."

“We’re getting off-course here.” [Y/N] exclaims after listening to the Knave’s words cautiously. Her action gets the undivided attention of the caretaker herself. She pauses, taking a look at her fellow companions. “We believe there are multiple people to be kidnapped by the same person.” 

“Pardon?” 

“What do you even mean by off-course, [Y/N]?!” Furina asks — half whispering and half screaming. “We’re here because Lyney is gone!”

[Y/N] straightens in her seat, her expression stern despite the growing tension in the room. "Yes, Furina, we are here because Lyney is gone. But think about it—We’re at the only place where we could get information about them both.”

Wriothesley nods in agreement, his gaze steady on the Knave. "She's right. This has never been about just Lyney. We want to know if there’s any information you’re privy to but withholding from us.”

The Knave's eyes turn cold, her previously calm demeanour suddenly more ominous. She clasps her hands on the desk, studying the visitors individually before speaking. "I see. This is no longer just a missing person case in your eyes. You're chasing shadows, following a trail you barely understand.”

“Of course, it isn't,” Furina mutters quietly. 

The Knave's gaze softens, though her tone remains sharp. “It’s not as simple as you think. What I can make you aware of, is that whoever is behind Lynette’s situation… is not looking for money.”

“So there was no ransom note sent to the orphanage.”

The Knave sighs, before nodding. “As suspicious as multiple women going missing in quick succession having a common ground sounds… It could still be unrelated entirely. Whatever you decide on from now onwards, tread carefully.” 

Wriothesley as well as [Y/N] take her words with caution. No matter how much she has tried to conceal her knowledge of the situation up until now, none of them have mentioned the gender of the missing people. Nor did they say that there is the same dominator between them. 

“Let me get this straight.” [Y/N] says. “You had been made aware of Lynette going missing—most likely by the police.” 

“That would be correct,” The Knave answers, before taking another sip of her drink. Her eyes are looking for anything that the younger girl could be implying. “From my knowledge, the Police Department located in this humble city has taken the case reported in the main district.”

“Probably due to Lynette’s connection to the orphanage, is that so?” 

“Miss [Y/N],” Her tone pointed. “I do not possess such information. Making such assumptions is quite unwise for a clever girl you clearly are.” 

A heavy silence falls over the room after the Knave’s comment. Perhaps they are going too far? They are on edge, it’s been a long drive… maybe they are just jumping to conclusions? 

"I assure you," the Knave interrupts the silence, her voice low but firm, "I care for all the children who pass through these doors. There are, however, limits to what I can tell you without endangering more lives than you can comprehend.”

The tension breaks as [Y/N] rises from her seat, a sense of urgency pulsing through her. “Regardless, we still have to keep on moving. Time is key.”

“But of course.” 

Wriothesley and Furina exchange glances, before they decide on what to do forward. “Would you be willing to share any direct means to contact you, Madame Knave?” Wriothesley asks.

“Related to sharing information regarding Lynette’s situation, I presume?” 

“That’s right.” 

The woman exhales slightly, agreeing to their proposition. She jots down her email and phone number. “What I ask of you,” She says, handing it to Wriothesley. “Is to not share those with any others.”

“We can do that.” 

With the piece of paper in hand, both Wriothesley and Furina stand up. The Knave watches them closely, her enigmatic smile lingering as she rises to see them off her office.

She calls over Freminet, who’s by her side in an instant to join her in seeing the guests out of the orphanage.

"Be safe," she says quietly as they reach the door. "And remember—sometimes the truth is hidden in the most unlikely places."

As they exit the orphanage and back into the cold morning air, they are left with more questions than answers. Furina takes a deep breath, her confidence slowly returning. "So… what now?"

“We’re nowhere closer than we were before, ” Wriothesley replies. “At the very least we have gained an ally in our search for Lynette.” 

“A dubious ally.” [Y/N] corrects him. 

The door to one of the orphanage rooms opens with a slight creak, as Freminet enters with a tray. He’s carrying a small bowl of fish soup and a cup of tea. 

“I got you some food...” The blond sets it down on a table, before heading for the exit. “They left some time ago.”

“Is that so?” The person chuckles. “I guess, I could’ve predicted that… Shouldn’t have been such a lightweight bitch.”

“M-Mind your language… Father is on edge already.” 

“Alright, alright~” 

𝑇𝐴𝐺𝐿𝐼𝑆𝑇 — OPEN

@state-of-grac3 @santaluna @meigalaxy @romyoia

@meurtreofcrows @charles-braindump @floweringanna @moonjellyfishie @vavrin @lovelypadisarah

date of posting — september 18th 2024

[ddarker-dreams]

Patiently waiting for your thoughts on Fontaine’s new archon quest 🫡

oh man. i do have some thoughts to share.

(warning for spoilers to those who haven't played through the latest archon quest)!

OKAY, so — overall? i enjoyed it. the fortress of meropide section felt a little tedious at times, i'm begging mihoyo to abandon those awful 'stealth' 'gameplay' sections. aside from that though, i was always interested enough to keep moving ahead. i especially like how they wrote navia. the story of her and her father got me emotionally invested in her as a character, i actually teared up at one point.

i was glad they avoided their infamous 'introduce a character and have them betray you' shtick. idk if that was a quota they had to reach before and that's why they did it so often, but in any case, it made for a refreshing change. the reveal of fontaine's history, the serial disappearances, focalors and furina; there were lots of intriguing story beats. furina's story might somehow be one of the saddest in genshin yet?? the execution of the reveal and the final conversation between focalors and neuvillette packed a strong emotional punch.

onto my gripes...

childe. why. why'd they do my man like that. the buildup was so interesting! the cutscene where he helps neuvillette subdue the space whale had me frothing at the mouth. him in his foul legacy armor ... his leitmotif playing... him growling and grunting.... oh, how happy i was, naïve thing that i am. i was a bit confused how they dedicated a total of three seconds to traveler and the floating fiend going 'oh wow there's childe ig.' like ??? at this point in the story, i thought they were sorta buddies??

the space whale's execution confused me. i expected it to be deeply tied to fontaine's past, or at the very least give some abyss bread crumbs, but it just kinda flopped around and stuff. the fight was cool, don't get me wrong. but the whole 'yeah this whale is some dude's pet lol' bit just felt odd. i get that they want to prove the Big Important Name Fella is suuuper important and suuuper strong but c'mon. at least make the space whale a creation that ran rampant or something.

i could've forgiven the space whale shenanigans if we got a nice conversation with childe at the end. how did he feel in the abyss? was he fighting the whale to keep the people of fontaine safe, out of bloodlust, or something in between? what was it like seeing skirk again? how much time felt like it passed when he was in whale abyss prison? does his vision resonate with him properly again?

instead, we just get a few throwaway lines that he's back in snezhnaya healing up. did they run out of budget to book his VA?? i get they have to be selective with lore drops, but there are so many ways around that.

my last major gripe is how they went about furina's character quest. maybe i'm just an oversensitive weenie (i definitely am), but the traveler and flying creature's interactions with furina... i was physically grimacing. how did they seriously think it was a good idea to ask the person who has been tormented by acting for 500 years to give the stage another shot? imo, it would've been fine if they tried that, furina rejected them, and everything played out about the same. but those bits where traveler + the imp kept pressuring furina felt so weeeeeeird. i genuinely didn't want to click the dialogue options. if this was framed differently, that would've also been fine, but it's kinda a 'haha :3 epic paimon says teehee te nandayo reddit gold' light.

tl;dr i liked the overall experience but someone needs to delete paimon from the game + treat their characters as more than a punchline.

[canonical-transformation]

Genshin ships: stock market update (Fontaine Act 5 + Animula Choragi Act 1)

(Warning: May contain spoilers for character appearances and dynamics in Masquerade of the Guilty and "The Little Oceanid". Previously: Act 1; Act 3+4)

We begin by revisiting the traditional F/M capital-R Romance sector.

Navia/Neuvillette has surged to new peaks following what our analysts are calling "some serious Orpheus and Eurydice bs". We recommend: BUY.

Wriothesley/Clorinde has slightly dipped as a result, but— hold on, something's happening

⚠️ ⚠️ we interrupt this program for a SPECIAL REPORT on ⚠️ ⚠️

the Furina–Focalors stock split

Following 2022's embarrassingly premature Kusanali–Rukkhadevata merger rumours, and the 2021 disaster that data vendor AO3 refers to only as "Original Baal", the underlying "blorbos" commodity market has long been anticipating some form of reorganisation relating to Furina.

With the announcement of the clear delineation between Furina vs Focalors, most markets have gracefully incorporated the news. In the ship markets, little has changed, with most ships clearly indexed on Furina. The ships most strongly affected are the Neuvillette ones due to immortality and proximity.

Focalors/Neuvillette — HOLD OR BUY. Not only is it absorbing all the investors fleeing the Egeria/Neuvillette (SELL) write-off, but he receives 70% of Focalors's screen time and 100% of her sass. Would watch her monologue at him again.

Furina/Focalors — meme stock. Sorry. You do you, but our analysts say the "twincest but mommy issues" thing is funny for about five seconds but then that's it. SELL.

Furina/Neuvillette — BUY BUY BUY. Largely untouched by the stock split. With Furina having shed the "immature kid" accusations entirely, and with Neuvillette's exclusive front row seat to her entire 500 year performance, the market is having a renaissance right now.

🌎🌍 we conclude our special report. Back to our regular programming! 🌍🌎

While we're on the subject of Furina...

Furina/Lumine — Ooof. The "final temptation and confirming all Furina's worst fears" during Masquerade was bad enough. The entitlement Traveller showed Furina during the start of her Character Quest is also a major spanner in the works. And the revelations of Masquerade make any pre-Masquerade fluff a tough sell. SELL OR HOLD. Fundamentals are still there but the market correction is yet to finish.

Furina/Abyss Lumine — Keep an eye out for the coming IPO. Potential BUY at the currently discussed price.

Furina/Aether — Who?

Navia/Aether — Oh now we're talking. Tears of the Kingdom wants its Michelangelo reference back, but it won't hold up in court. BUY OR HOLD

Navia/Clorinde — BUY BUY BUY. According to one analyst, "if that lipstick line didn't spawn a dozen drawings/fics of them making out, I quit". Not to mention the childhood friends news from a few weeks back!

Lyney/Aether and Lyney/Lumine — HOLD. A slight dip following relatively dry interactions in the AQ, but nothing that affects the ships' longer term prospects.

Jurieu/Lourvine — Our analysts were unavailable for comment after a fist fight in the hallway. CHECK AGAIN LATER

Wriothesley/Neuvillette — BUY. Going strong as predicted, plenty more to expect.

Furina/Sandrone — HOLD OR BUY. A small handful of creators are doing amazing work in this space but it's hard to judge.

...and a few scattered others:

Ann/Caterpillar — No chemistry. Their potential dynamic is interesting but (unlike most of the populace of Fontaine) the ship doesn't hold water. SELL

Finch/Callirhoe — HOLD OR BUY depending on whether someone figures out a smut concept involving the teardrop gift thing.

Xingqiu/Chongyun — HOLD. Surprisingly, their interactions in the Waterborne Poetry had no upward or downward pressure on the ship whatsoever. I say surprisingly but um. Did they even get lines with each other. Yang! Chongyun finally appeared on screen though, which is a boon to anyone trying to show one of his more manic moments.

Nahida/Apep — SELL IMMEDIATELY. If anyone approaches you saying this is the next Neuvifuri, it's a scam. Don't fall for it.

Freminet/Neuvillette — oh come on I'm pretty sure the analysts are making things up at this point. Have they even interacted outside that conspiracy picnic at Navia's?

Diona/Callirhoe — yeah they're trolling me.

[stellar-skyy]

INFO & RULES - ♡

i. asks/interactions are always welcome! i love talking to people, so don't be afraid to send a message :D that being said, do not send nsfw asks (i am still a minor), and please be polite. ii. please be patient! i have adhd and get burnt out easily, meaning requests can take me anywhere between hours and months. i will do my best to get it done in a timely manner, but i cannot guarantee anything. iii. don't offer unasked-for criticism, constructive or otherwise. i write for fun, and i don't care if you think it's helpful. unless i am explicitly asking for it, just don't. on that note, if you think my writing is terrible or ooc either scroll past or block me. any hateful messages or asks will be deleted. iv. please don't ask to be mutuals! i follow selectively, so it makes me feel kinda awkward. v. do not interact if you are: a minor who creates/interacts with NSFW content. under 13 or over 35. basic dni criteria. a mdni/fully nsfw blog. someone who does not respect boundaries. (this post may be updated in the future!)

REGARDING REQUESTS...

i. topics that i won't do are: smut/nsfw/anything suggestive. dark content, including yandere. pregnancy. cheating. ii. at this point in time, i write for gn!reader only. do not request fem/masc reader. iii. all requests with child/child-like characters (or any characters i see as younger than 18) are platonic only. iv. please specify if you want your request to be platonic or romantic! i am more comfortable writing platonic x readers, but i'm alright with either. v. i have the right to reject or delete any request that makes me uncomfortable or i am uninterested in.

CHARACTERS I WILL WRITE FOR:

(italicized and bolded characters are platonic only!) GENSHIN: Alhaitham, Arataki Itto, Arlecchino, Bennett, Chiori, Collei, Columbina, Cyno, Faruzan, Fischl, Freminet, Furina, Gorou, Hu Tao, Kaveh, Kaedehara Kazuha, Kujou Sara, Layla, Lynette, Lyney, Neuvillette, Nilou, Qiqi, Sangonomiya Kokomi, Shikanoin Heizou, Tartaglia, Tighnari, Venti, Wanderer/Scaramouche, Xingqiu, Yoimiya, Zhongli HONKAI STAR RAIL: Arlan, Asta, Aventurine, Blade, Clara, Dan Heng (including Imbibitor Lunae), Herta, Himeko, Kafka, March 7th, Natasha, Sampo, Silver Wolf, Tingyun, Welt, Yanqing.

[boy-above]

overall lantern rite opinions:

cons:

• not enough xiao, upset that the only interactions were them Talking about him doing something cute (kite flying) without actually showing us it, plus another generic fanservice scene with the MC that you can completely miss if you don't seek him out.

• way too many missing liyue characters

• felt unnecessary to include fontaine characters especially considering there were so many missing liyue characters

• you get a xingqiu skin yet there is absolutely no xingqiu in the event. he is completely missing. usually when we get a new skin there's some kind of explanation for it in an event but he's literally completely absent. very very confusing to me

• gaming is a brand new character yet so much of the story focuses on him and expects you to care about his really mundane family drama. i wish it would have focused on other characters that have been previously introduced that i actually care about.

• (more minor nitpick) mountain shaper and moon carver's designs were underwhelming, obviously if a character isn't going to be playable they're Going to look like an npc but they at least could have looked more unique, like fujin for example looked very pretty.

pros:

• i very much enjoyed furina meeting hu tao, a duo i didn't know i wanted. zhongli avoiding neuvillette was a Very funny moment which was worth it, and archons interacting is always a treat. furina being too afraid to walk home alone was very cute, i love my girltwink.

• cloud retainer, everything about her, i love cloud retainer, i love her, she is everything

• the interactions between cloud retainer and her daughters was great, esp shenhe, and it was nice seeing shenhe and ganyu interact.

• everyone falling for the 10 for 50% scam was a great gag

• the kites in general were very cute

• gameplay wise i was very pleased that there wasn't a fighting part like there usually is with events like these. like yknow how there's fun minigames but then they always add one that's just "spend 6 minutes or whatever fighting some guys" and it's super boring? i'm very glad it didn't have one of those

[siderealscribblings]

So made am Account to follow you and express my gratitude. If there are some grammatical mistakes then forgive ne since english is my second language and excuse me if this gets to long I have a lot to say.

First I want to say how grateful I am for your Games of divinity AU. It is always a pleasure to see you updating it and in my case it was literally like a godsend. After the Archon Quest I funnily enough had the same idea for such an AU where Neuvillette would know about Furinas role which would open so many new possibilities and interactions between the two which you perfectly portrayed since the start of your AU. But since I know that my writing is not good and I would never do them justice I instead decided to post the idea on social media back in November.

That is where the term “godsend“ comes into play since literally a few days after my post I came across your AU and thought “This is great and all I wanted and even more“. So to me it was a godsend in that moment for which I am grateful to you.

Now we come to the question part. I do not want to pressure you but I wanted to ask when you will release your next chapter because I am craving your beautiful characterizations from Neuvillette and Furina. And also how long it is to the centennial since I can not wait for these two to finally act upon their feelings. Again no pressure but I just can not wait.

In the end I just want to thank you again. Neuvifuri pre Archon Quest but without the wall of Furinas secret between then and to freely express their love for each other is one of if not my favorite trope for this pairing. And your execution of it is just wonderful and beautifully written.

Sorry for the ramblimg I just can not get these two out of my head and stop talking about them help.

Hey there! Thank you so much for reaching out and glad you're enjoying the story so far. I'm polishing the next/last chapter of the Melusine arc which is roughly 10k as of writing this (might get pared down as I edit) so definitely at some point this week. Appreciate your patience as I've had to re-write half this chapter since the first pass was frankly boring to read.

New chapters will be crossposted here in case Ao3 doesn't send you a notification.

[avemstella]

so that archon quest, huh. Would be absolutely thrilled to hear what u have to say about fontaine act V :] i love all your takes on furina & neuvillette & fontaine as a whole, and of course childe [pretty much an honorary fontanian with how he unintentionally got wrapped up in everything whoops]

Oh boy, I have so many thoughts. To start with some non-spoilerly stuff: I loved it so much. I'm not sure if I'll say it's my favorite Archon Quest yet (I think I would have to go through some of the older ones), but I think it's safe to say Fontaine overall as an arc is my favorite. Even its weakest part (the prison stuff, tbh it was a pacing issue) was still really solid and the ending, while not perfect, really landed. Genshin continued the trend from Sumeru of having the playable characters really take the stage and god there were some great standouts (Navia/Neuvi/Furina to name my favs, but I also loved my fatui and there really isn't anyone I've disliked). And well, the quest (and Furina's chara quest) made me cry like a baby, so that's a win.

Tbh, I think my biggest issue, wasn't even really an issue with the story but just a case of I had a very clear idea of what I wanted out of it (the woes of writing speculative fic pfft) and when it wasn't that I'm like "awww darn". Thats on me, and I genuinely really loved what we got, but it do be like that sometimes haha.

Spoilers below, oh boy (also my Furina fic spoilers too lol).

Eldritch abomination Furina I'll mourn u forever. I can't complain because Furina splitting herself in two to go fuck u to the heavens is such a boss ass move I can't haha. Okay, but I will say, even if I'm probably the only one, I do wish they brought some Remuria stuff up in the main quest. They had the perfect set up with Ajax being there with his Greek myth references and just ahhhh, one can hope they do something with it later. But yes, just know it's my silly headcanon that Focalors just lied about being an Oceanid to Neuvi and is one of King Remus's fucked up Primordial Sea experiments that maybe caused the Abyss rift at the fall of Remuria.

But yes, Furina, Furina, I'm crying. She really destroyed the girl failure accusations in the most glorious way possible. She literally didn't fail once (either of her), she plotted out a plan to trick the heavens, give back what was stolen, and save her people and she did it perfectly. As you're probably well aware, I'm a big fuck u Celestia gal, so it was just so satisfying to see her just obliterate the throne (even when I was crying haha). And honestly, super relevant to the state of the real world, but her giving back sovereignty to Neuvi in my mind is a very clear decolonization metaphor. Ages past descenders came to Teyvat, killed the dragons and created their own order, and now Focalors is returning that power back to said dragon (or well, the dragon's heir, it's a bit vague if Neuvi's literally the old dragon's soul reincarnated or just the body).

The entire scene between Neuvi and Focalors was great, though I will admit I have one issue with it (and even then I go back and forth on it haha). Neuvi in that scene doesn't have a big attachment to Focalors. What I mean is that ultimately Neuvi only ever knew Furina (which side note I'll get into this next, but I do view them as the same person, but still), and with Focalors' 'death' he's not technically losing anything, the person he's sad over will still be there. Like don't get me wrong, he's very empathetic and can be sad over this person who is dying for them, but I feel like it could have been even more heartbreaking if he had met Furina/Focalors before the split, or he had interacted with Focalors somehow in the past, and so in this moment he wasn't just watching Furina's sacrifice, but the sacrifice of someone he shares memories with. But that's me being picky haha and not really a critique on the writing.

But yes, Furina! Focalors! As I previewed before, I'm going to come out swinging with a possibly hot take. They are, and always were the same person. Yes, Focalors is the divinity, but as we see after Furina is allowed to rest her persona, Furina is also super mature and knowledgeable. In Neuvi's flashback quotes of Furina, it's her softly giving important advice about living with humanity, which is what Focalors was all about. And much like Furina, Focalors loves preforming, she loves humans, she gets all excited about Furina and her future, and is sad she won't get to experience it.

Not to remotely downplay Furina's suffering (because holy shit my poor girl), but Focalors too played her role. Unlike Furina who had Neuvillette and all her friends post this, Focalors was all alone in the Oratrice, waiting for the day she had to kill herself. Furina, has the promise of a future, despite all the suffering she endured to get there. She gets the reward of a happy life as a human surrounded by people who love her, and while it was touch a go for a bit, she was told one day her play would end. In contrast, while Focalors didn't have the same anxiety that Furina had, Focalors knew from the beginning she would never get to see her people saved. Technically she, like Furina, didn't even know if it would even happen. She put her faith in Neuvillette to follow through, and while she had the utmost faith in him, she could never know for certain. But much like her mirror Furina, Focalors weighed her suffering over the people of Fontaine's, and never once faltered. Furina was willing to possibly kill herself via primordial seawater in order to keep up her ruse, whose to say Focalors wasn't the same. Smiling at Neuvillette until the last moment because she couldn't risk him interfering, hiding away her anxieties and sorrow, so he wouldn't look so sad. Furina's performance ended, Focalors' never will.

Focalors was so certain she couldn't be human, but as we see from the Oceanids it was totally possible. And even more vitally, we see from the other Archons it's possible. They might fumble around a bit (some more than others, looking at u Ei), but they are learning and immersing themselves with their people. While not an Archon, it's the same with Neuvillette. Focalors should have had the same opportunities as Furina and the rest (mostly because she is Furina), but the world isn't kind, and that's why her sacrifice hurts.

If u can't tell I have a lot of feelings about Focalors/Furina and while I can appreciate a joke about Focalors giving Furina anxiety, I'm also like, they are literally the same person working together, she deserves the world (all of her).

But yes, I can go on and on about Furina, but for now I'll move onto our boy Childe. To get it out of the way, a little disappointed that we really got no answers about him. Poor guy didn't really have any lines. Also, not big on Skirk's design, mostly the outfit. Putting her next to Dain and uh, yeah (like don't get me wrong don't mind the color scheme and all, but could she not have gotten some kind of armor. Or look more like Foul Legacy or something idk).

But onto more happier notes, I'm so happy to see Childe finally getting to do well in a fight. I know it's a meme for him to get beaten up, but my dude is the Vanguard, let him win sometimes (he doesn't technically win here, but he was fighting an eldritch whale monster for ages and helped save Fontaine, I'm giving it to him). And Skirk, while her design is mostly less to be desired, I'm winning on guessing her hair and eye color haha. Also, while I'll always love my version, I'm liking her personality so far. Her yeeting Childe, while I admit took me out a bit (I thought she threw him farther into the Abyss and was like, "uh guys, yall worried about my poor boy here???" and then was a bit baffled at them saying he was fine) was so fucking funny. It's cool to learn "Foul Legacy" refers to a literal person, and I found the fact that Skirk's relationship with Foul is basically the same as her relationship with Childe very amusing. And it seems she's Khaenri'ahn, maybe? Also, I thought she was listing off her master's other names at first, so when she said Gold I got super hyped that I guessed correctly about the narwhal being Rhine's in my fic, but then they were like nope pfft. I'll take it as a win.

Sidenote, Alice and Rhine where are yoooouuuuuu.

Ultimately, while I enjoyed the Childe and Skirk stuff, it really just feels like a set-up for later stuff. Which isn't really a problem, but I was hoping we'd get something a bit more concrete. Like, I thought we were going to get answers about the "it" that Skirk saw in him, and it would have to do with the Narwhal, but now it seems those were mostly unrelated??? While I did find baby Ajax accidentally waking up a big world eating monster up kind of hilarious, it did feel a little incidental, if that makes any sense. Like, Fontaine's doom was an accident and not the result of anyone's choices. But that might just be a me thing. (and the quest needed more Arle, where was she??? my not really based on anything theory is that whenever we get Furina (or maybe Nevui's) 2nd character quest, Arle will be the boss fight. A reverse of the normal final Harb boss fight during the Archon quest)

Okay, because I really don't want to end on a downer (as I said uptop, I genuinely adored this quest haha), here are some minor spoilers from the Narzissenkreuz Ordo quest that have me by a chokehold.

I wasn't ready for a sudden Ajax. What does this mean??????

And this one just makes me laugh. Whichever Ordo member wrote this, I vehemently disagree with u and am on Khaenri'ah's side with this one. I'd much rather have bread then some higher power nonsense. In my fic I tend to write Khaenri'ah more akin to a modern nation than a fantasy one, and its nice to see me vindicated pfft.

Other random notes, enjoyed that the Fatui weren't just cartoonishly evil in both the main and world quests. I like some nuance. I saw that Sandrone hint, that was fun. Though it makes me wonder when we'll get Columbina lore (especially because if the theory about Harbinger boss fight order based on the Constellation circle is true, she should be showing up soon. Though also I half think that order will break because if it doesn't, it means Sandrone will probably be the final Harb boss which is an odd choice.) As revealed on Furina's weapon, Egeria being around during Remuria raises so many questions around the timeline of events. Genshin pls tell me when the Archon war takes place in all this pls (if they tell us in some lore I haven't read yet, whoops). (also on egeria, I mourn my version but hey, she exists in my heart and in my fics pfft. I can't wait to write her in smfwtwd and venti fic, though she's getting a new name for confusion and better symbolsism)

the contrast between Neuvi and Furina after the quest is so funny and sad. Neuvi "Furina is the best, I want her to be happy". Furina, "Everyone hates me, Neuvillette most of all, I can never face him again." And the other Archons, they are all like Furina, wow u are so cool (which just highlights Neuvi's utter disdain for them other than Nahida haha).

And most vitally, Furina and Venti should be best friends. Musically inclined performers who definitely aren't plotting to overthrow the heavens. I think they are neat (they also both have Latin names!).

[ivegotthewholeworldussy]

decided to do this for funsies

so my reasons for each of them being my favourites:

kazuha- hes best boi, also great crowd control

xiao- my first ever limited five star, i find his gameplay satisfying

lynette- power saving mode is a mood tbh

navia- she looks like taylor swift (one of my celebrity crushes and favourite singers), and she has a very interesting backstory. i can’t wait to learn more abt her

itto- dudes funny, especially in the english dub, and he makes literally every limited time event more enjoyable

ningguang- shes pretty and has a shit ton of money, and i like her dynamic with beidou

beidou- the first genshin character i truly took notice of, shes the reason why i got into the game in the first place. also counterattacking enemies is super fun, and she has nice titties

clorinde- she looks like caitlyn from league of legends, and her english voice gives me an eargasm. also i can’t wait to learn more abt her, and i look forward to seeing more interactions between her and navia

raiden shogun- booba sword, need i say more, and her gameplay is super fun too

nahida- shes so adorable and i would literally go to war for her, shes been thru so much and just needs a hug

collei- shes one of the most wholesome characters in the game imo

tighnari- hes so sassy and snarky lmao

yelan- mommy? sorry, mommy? this woman can step on me

furina- bratty gremlin with a tragic backstory, also has a very fun dynamic with neuvillette. all in all, i cant wait to learn more abt her

candace- shes pretty, and i love seeing her interactions with dehya

arlecchino- WOOF WOOF BARK BARK BARK THAT IS MY HUSBAND RIGHT THERE SHE IS THE LOML, I WANT HER TO STEP ON ME AND REARRANGE MY INSIDES UNTIL ITS THE ONLY THING I CAN FEEL

dehya- the first sumeru character i fell in love with, her design and backstory are to die for, its a shame her kit isn’t so great tho

diluc- tragic backstory and a complicated dynamic with kaeya, need i say more

eula- thicc thighs save lives, her interactions with other characters are also entertaining imo

shenhe- shes pretty and her backstory is kinda tragic, and her voicelines are also unintentionally funny “what exactly is teamwork” and “i just have to stand here, right”

kaeya- same reason as diluc, easily one of (if not) the most complex character in the game so far, always struggling between his kh’aenriah roots and his loyalty to mondstadt

heres the original template

[petitexmagician]

Lantern Rite Finale thoughts under

I was often wondering where the Fontaine cast was during the Lantern Rite after we met Charlotte, though it did feel okay to see Navia, Clorinde and Furina with the last meet up was with Neviulette at Fontaine to my honest surprise.

It is good to see that Furina is doing well, though I did get excited to see Furina and Zhongli interact based on his line I read on the wiki about her - or more so Focalors, it was amazing to see him try and help her with her creative thoughts. Though maybe because Hu tao was present he couldn't tell her that he gave up his position as Archon in an almost similar way her "mirror self" did.

The one thing I wasn't surprised over is Zhongli purposefully avoiding Neuvillette - regardless of whether or not his position as Archon is over with, this recently revealed almost a thousand year old dragon is out for getting him, Venti, Ei along with the Pyro and Cryo Archons to a trial for the actions they've done under Heaven P.

Yet the only Archon and Sovereign Dragon relationship that is somewhat decent is between Nahida and Apep - the latter merely watching how the former's progress will go. Maybe that's also why Neuvillette doesn't want to put Nahida in the same spot as the rest of the Seven because she actively reached out to her nation's Sovereign Dragon and even saving them from their suffering. This really gets me excited for Natlan after this whole thing because Murata is the Pyro Archon and the God of War in a nation where Dragons are a norm, hell we might have characters like Dan Heng and the little dragon from Star Rail too when the nation gets revealed!

[iceunhie]

[10:37 AM.]

summary: lady furina knows there's something in the air. that something being the chief justice's irrevocable, irrefutable, super obvious crush on you. in an attempt to uncover if her hypothesis is correct, she happens to oversee you two as you and Neuvillette converse (go on a date). She'd never admit she just wanted to get a thrill of seeing the Chief Justice's romantic side in love (she fails).

notes: neuvilette x GN!reader, established relationship, furina being invested in romance too much (delulu like me), short drabble for now. furina centric lol. reblogs are greatly appreciated!

For someone so utterly entranced by the drama and theatrics of her nation, even Lady Furina gets bored sometimes. After all, she was a God. Naturally, she seeks entertainment everywhere, at all times. Such was her nature, after all. Although these days, it seems that 'entertainment' came in the form of watching how the normally untouchable Chief Justice of Fontaine, Monsieur Neuvillette interacts with you.

Really, Furina was surprised. To think that such a cold, heartless, frustrating– (ahem, she must compose her thoughts) that normally calm and collected Neuvillette would have such a.. a lovestruck side at him. Goodness, was she shocked. She must commend you for having the Chief Justice under your thrall, really. Such a feat should be recognized, knowing just how difficult it is to get such an oaf like him to fall that hard in love.

Ah, but Neuvillette, hmph, nonchalant man he is, would never tolerate that. Furina just has to find the entertainment elsewhere. Which, by her standards, would be her trying to give you and the Chief Justice to meet (go on dates and spend time together while she watches in the sidelines) and converse together over a cup of tea (she wants to know every detail and wants to listen to whatever stuff you two were talking about).

It's been hours. Furina feels her patience waning as she waits for something, Anything to happen between you and Neuvillette, her gazing from afar with her specially made binoculars. You and Neuvillette have simply been chatting. For approximately 2 hours, 34 minutes and 14 seconds. Yes, she kept count. Nothing interesting has happened at all. To her immense displeasure and disappointment, nothing, absolutely nothing has happened at all. For Teyvat's sake, when would Neuvillette, or even you, make the first move? Furina's on the edge of her seat here. You two were still chatting, looking completely formal, as if talking business than actually going on a damn date (like she envisioned)

She expected more shy looks, longing eyes and soft smiles from Neuvillette (mostly because of her desire to see anything but that irritatingly calm gaze of his crumble in front of you). But then again, this was Neuvillette she was talking about. That man can't understand human emotions to save his life, much less express them in such a way.

(she can't exactly say that last statement with pride, as she's no better.)

And her hope for anything happening is extinguished when you both get up, as you leave the cafe.

Really? Not even one longing look or a brush of fingers? Did she really look at you both and even prepared a special Kamera to take photos of you both for nothing? Talk about anticlimactic.

Her enthusiasm for nosying on Neuvillette's business is reignited again when she hears that the Melusines have been helping Neuvillette with something… something rather special.

Furina immediately asked the Melusine near her chambers to report to her the exact details of what the Chief Justice asked. The details leave her hungry for more.

"We Melusines are always happy to help Monsieur Neuvillette with anything, so when he asked us what type of gifts would be appropriate to give someone, we knew this was special…Monsieur Neuvillette even looked nervous, as he looked at us and said that this matter was of utmost importance…"

"And then? What happened next? What did that oaf– I mean, what did Monsieur Neuvillette do afterwards?"

"I'm sorry, Lady Furina, but he didn't say anything else, and just nodded at our suggestions and left…"

That night, in her chambers, Furina would never admit to a soul that she thought long and hard about what happened. Did you two make any progress? Oh, Archons, did something happen? Damn it, she didn't even see anything from her times at observing you both. Not a single longing look, not a single brush of affection from both sides. To think such a juicy source of entertainment would be so closely kept guarded… Furina paced around in her room.

It was like she was some reader waiting for the next chapter of a stupid romance novel to release. Oh, how low she'd fallen.

...Or did she perhaps arrive at the wrong conclusion? Did Neuvillette not harbor feelings for you? Agh, so many questions, so little answers…. Furina needs to know.

Ahh, it was as if she were more invested than the two of you were! Jeez, here she was, looking forward to see a new side of the Chief Justice, but nothing. Nada. Furina feels faint, as it seems her judgement failed her this time. She flops on her bed, as she wasn't satisfied by such an outcome at all…

"It seems Lady Furina has retreated for now. Her curiousity about us has probably dwindled now that she probably thinks there's nothing going on between us."

You laugh softly as you touch the Romaritime Flower in your hair, while you look at Neuvillette gently, your expression amused. There is a bouquet of Rainbow Roses on your other hand.

Neuvillette sighs, not at you, but at the Hydro Archon and her ability to focus on such things. Things he'd rather keep private. Not under the fact that he's ashamed of his relationship with you, bit mostly due to the fact that Furina would never get off his back if she knew.

He grazes hands with you as he also touches the Romaritime Flower in your hair, before gently bringing your hand down to his lips to kiss it. When he pulls away from your hand, he looks at you with warmth, so uncharacteristic of a man like him. He hasn't let go of your hand just yet.

"Let Lady Furina stay unaware for now, [name]. I only wish to share this moment with you alone."

It's him who closes the distance between you two, his lips slotting in yours softly, carefully, as if afraid to touch you. The bouquet of Rainbow Roses is clutched tighter in your hand. Under the moonlight of the privacy of Neuvillette's quarters, he indulges you for once, away from all prying eyes and nosy Archons.

And when Neuvillette pulls away from the kiss and looks at you with those overwhelmingly beautiful eyes and dons an expression full of mirth and longing for you, who were you to disagree?

© 𝐌𝐇𝐈𝐈𝐄𝐄𝐄 : do not repost, copy, or plagiarize my work.