#if she became aq

[riccissance]

With the Yellowjackets cast talking about how the Antler Queen role might not be so clear-cut, I’ve started thinking a lot about the possibility of the person in the position changing regularly and what it would look like for the characters.

Assuming the Antler Queen decides who they hunt next, I think it’s safe to assume that Natalie and Taissa would be most hesitant to accept the role. However, they are both determined to survive and would reluctantly give in if it was positioned as “make a choice or you’re next”. Especially if Van and Travis asked them to. They would probably make their decisions based on logic. They’d choose whoever was least helpful, had the smallest chances of survival, or whoever might target them or their loved ones. 

Shauna and Misty would definitely pick whoever they were most pissed at and would not even try to hide it. Misty would probably make a performance out of it and pretend to be a believer in the culty shit for attention but everyone would see through her. They also are probably the safest from being chosen since they have roles that would be difficult to impossible for someone else to fill as the butcher and medic. Nat and Travis would be next safest but since they technically have the same role, one could be expendable. 

Then Lottie and Van would be the true believers. They would genuinely believe they were picking who The Wilderness wanted dead. They’d go with their gut for better or worse (with the obvious exception of Tai for Van). It’d probably mostly be a coping mechanism to separate themselves from their actions since they’d believe they were acting as a proxy for The Wilderness. 

It would also help explain the “warring clans” from the synopsis (if that even still applies). It would be less full-on separation and more strategic alliances based on the Antler Queen role. 

[eudikot]

Just saying, it would be crazy if Arlecchino and Wriothesley knew each other from their childhood and didn't realize because they both changed their identities

[daybreakrising]

beisht; talk about your husband!!!

She stands amidst the waves, letting the ebb and flow of the tide push and pull at her. She gazes across the wide-open sea with eyes of matching hues, her fingertips trailing just beneath the surface. When she speaks, there is a music to her voice, like a siren song calling down the storm.

"There will never be another like him in this world." A thin veneer of anger lies beneath the weight of grief, a burning rage that refuses to be soothed. "How could any being compare? My Osial was ever a storm, but a storm is not entirely an ill. A storm may rage, may tear up the land, may drag souls to their deaths in wrathful fury, but does not a storm also refresh, renew? Does it not wash away the grime that clings and crowds, and let life shine through?"

Her hands tense, fingers curling into tight fists. The water before her swirls, swirls, until a vortex opens up amidst the waves. Tendrils rise like writhing heads; five in total, an image in miniature of her beloved husband. "Many dismiss him as evil for his deeds, but he is guilty of no more than those he fought against. Why should he not have desired that throne, that seat of power, to be cherished and loved by the people? What made him less worthy of that claim?"

Her head shakes, and she sheds the human disguise for her more natural bipedal form. Pale blue hair cascades down her back to trail within the water, dancing with the swirling waves. "His only crime was to feel, and oh… oh, did he feel. That was always his downfall, you see. Osial could never feel without committing his entire soul. His anger was a maelstrom, his joy a plunging wave. His love…" She pauses, catches a breath, one hand rising from the water to brandish a piece of broken pottery – a curiously mundane trinket to carry, but one she grasps in desperate fingers. "His love was a riptide that swept you along and dragged you under, and you went so willingly because you understood that just as the ocean is cold and unforgiving, so too is it warm and gentle."

She grips the shard of pottery until it cuts deep, viscous water trickling slowly over blue-grey skin. "The ocean was our home, our haven. Now it is his prison, and he is sentenced for daring to love too deeply, for his rightful hurt at being betrayed." She lowers her hand, hydro blood mingling with the waves below. "I will never cease to weep for him. I will shed my tears of anger until they drown this world, until nothing is left but a vast, empty ocean. He was my storm, the tide that carried me home, and now… now I am becalmed."

@csial

[vmp3ater]

hi how are you doing!! :D Your furina fic made me so giddy and since you take reqs,..,,.,..

this is a popular prompt but pleasuring furina or neuvillette during a trial, under a table or otherwise hidden from sight and watching the poor things squirm and try to keep a straight face

this is moreso a suggestion than a req though since you seem to be out of ideas lol have a great day :)

furina x gn! reader

warnings. dom! reader, sub! furina, pre 4.2 aq furina, semi-public (u are at a trial, no one sees), fingering, lap sex, reader n furi trying to be as discreet as possible. written by a minor.

notes. since i only do one character per post i chose furina, u can tell she’s a favorite of mine 😱 tysm for this request bff ‼️

this trial was boring.

yet it became more interesting when you had the hydro archon writhing and squirming on your lap, her back facing towards you as she tried to keep a straight face. but your ring and middle fingers that were curling and wiggling deep into her cunt prevented that.

furina’s nails dug into either one of your knees, your fingers swiftly moving into her. she so desperately wants to grind down on your hand, and moan and whine as loud as she wants to, but she can’t risk her and you both to get caught. so she bites her bottom lip as a weak attempt to stifle herself, yet whimpers bleed in between her gritted teeth as you move.

“shhh, lady furina,” her title rolls off your tongue like a melody, whispering as quietly as possible into her ears, only sending shivers down her spine. “we can’t risk anyone hearing you, can we?”

“i—“ furina so badly wants to brat at you, but her flamboyant facade faded quickly when your hand was deep into her shorts, trying to keep yourself hidden as best as possible while your free hand ran down her thigh, making her squirm and grind back towards your fingers that were pistoning in her tight cunt.

furina flutters around your fingers when she feels herself get close, trying her damndest to keep herself as quiet as possible when your fingers drag along her sweet spot. she hopes she doesn’t get loud, what if someone hears her? not like she knew she felt loud that someone, god forbid neuvillette heard her.

“‘m g’nna cum,” furina whispered, turning her head back to look at you, her voice all raspy and higher pitched.

“you can cum, sweet girl,” you responded, yet it was a whisper over neuvillettes, the defendant’s and the crowd's words. “but do it quietly.”

that was all the permission she needed from you. every time your fingers swiftly thrusted into her at the best of your ability, furina came around your fingers, heavily breathing as she used all of her self control to keep herself down. you smirked from your position behind her, holding her closer to you by just your free hand as you worked her through her orgasm.

everyone didn’t even notice you too, their attention was more focused on the reason for this trial rather than you fucking furina with your fingers during it. you drag your fingers out of her when she finishes her orgasm, whispering a low “good girl…” into her ear before you sucked her juices off of your fingers.

[itsaspectrumcomic]

On anon bc identifiable info - advice/thoughts? - This is really long, I'm sorry D: I'm a rambler and all the info is important (to me)

I've always had problems with stuff (according to my mom, "things have always been harder for [me] than everyone else") like I'm always the last one out the door, I lose things a lot (like hats and pencils and water bottles) because I set them down and don't realize, I have a lot of trouble doing textbook homework/notes bc I have trouble focusing

And I have a lot of trouble with social stuff, I never have a lot of friends, I can't keep friends for more than like four years, I feel really disconnected with people and people generally initially like me but like me significantly less after interacting with me a bit

I read a lot, and when I was a kid I would lose all sense of reality outside the book until someone touched me or I finished the book, but I've had a harder and harder time reading anything but fanfic as I've gotten older, and I have a lot of trouble reading very technical/instructions/nonfiction stuff

I have pretty bad insomnia, and spent ~2 years when I was 10-13 ish sleeping ~3-4 hrs/night weekdays and ~12 hrs/night weekends, I have a really hard time getting to sleep specifically - and (tmi maybe tw eating) I've had chronic minor eating issues and constipation (chronic minor dehydration, losing ~ 10 lbs over summers from not eating, etc. like I'm not dying or anything but this will probably eventually cause wear damage)

---

But I'm also a very good student, very smart, generally very good at what I choose to do, I just became a National Merit semifinalist, like, I'm doing "fine". I'm not dying, I'm not failing classes or anything, I've struggled since second semester year before last with getting things done, but I have like a 3.7 gpa rn (I could have a 4 if I tried harder (while I am capable of trying harder, it would destroy me))

I was in Gifted + Talented in elementary school, I'm an honors/ap student (my G+T teacher told my mom that the "gifted" basically means "neurodivergent")

---

I didn't get help for anything until last year, when I kinda fell off (as much as you can fall off while getting a 3.7 gpa ig) and got assessed for insomnia, which I got help with pretty easily (apart for waiting times) which was amazing. Almost went too well iykwim

And I was looking into why I was having such a hard time with everything (social, focus, sleep, schoolwork,etc) and I resonated a lot with autism and some of the feeling very disconnected from society/ other people but I was like eeeh, I'm a teen and idk I'm not, like, having it that bad, so I was looking into more quantitative solid stuff and I took the AQ + CAT-Q + stuff which still have very subjective questions but I tried to be honest and I got 32 (AQ) and 139 (CAT-Q) and 157 (RAADS-R) but like idk I could be biased or misunderstanding or idk

I mentioned feeling like I had more, underlying issues to the doctor I'm seeing for the insomnia and she was basically like "I work with autistic kids - you're not autistic" which like on one hand, you're the expert and I've only really interacted with the internet so idk but on the other, you've spent all of two hours with me, mostly asking me direct questions about my sleep or talking to my mother, like, ofc you haven't seen anything of me. Did I make too much fake eye contact with you?? (BTW if you dislike eye contact for any reason, which I always have, look at noses (my mother taught me this one) or hair (my personal fav) bc it looks like you're looking at the face, but you aren't!!)

this is getting very long winded, I'm sorry if you choose to read all this but thank you it means a lot to me to get someone who knows something's thoughts on this

So I was like "I am having other problems" and she was like "I suspect you may have inattentive type adhd" and I was initially like what?? but I'm not hyperactive. Can't have adhd. What. But I've been kinda thinking about it and lurking at the edge of adhd communities and googling stuff (google is not helpful) and maybe? idk

SO to get to my point/question

I'm very smart. (not tryna be conceited it's just I am) I'm not currently *dying* struggling, though I am having trouble staying on top of classwork

I'm a girl

I live in the USA

I'm pretty good at acting normal, I have a couple friends (one has diagnosed adhd, one has diagnosed autism, one I'm not sure, one I think? could be neurotypical? but she's also like really not idk) (I (only?) have four friends (which is a lot, for me))

I don't know if I'm "adhd enough" (or "autistic enough" if I was right initially) ((or both idk)) to get a diagnosis. I have hypermobility that causes issues with my joints and has led to me not exercising enough and having to quit violin but I'm not hypermobile "enough" to get a diagnosis or help for it (which sucks because it's literally affecting my quality of life, like, I could be an amazing musician if I didn't have this. D: )

If I try, will I get a diagnosis, or will I be "adhd, but not enough"? Should I continue to spend (my parent's insurance) money on this if it probably won't go anywhere? I'm currently 17, starting my senior year of high school. Will things get disrupted in transition to college? If I go abroad for college?

Also, will I crash and burn in college without my mother's considerable support? (tw eating again) I have always had a really hard time getting and preparing and eating food, and without her/structure idk how much I will eat. I loose weight over the summer bc we don't eat as a family much. when I'm on my own, will I struggle even more? Especially trying to juggle food and school and living independently? What about after college? My uncle was fine until he graduated college and now he's alone and a misogynist and mormon and lives with my grandma and seems kinda really miserable except way more hate-filled - am I doomed to the same path?

anyways this is really dark I'm sorry

specific questions for you are:

should I pursue ADHD diagnosis? Autism?

is there anything specific I should mention/not mention/think about?

is there anything you think I (+ people in similar situations) should research, any specific sites/books/communities you think would be valuable?

would therapy help with anything? social, focus, etc. (I have not had a chance, and I have been noncommittal at mentions bc. i strongly dislike people, and talking to people, and emotions ): )

are things in general going to get better, or worse? please be honest, not reassuring

If you decide to answer this, partially or completely, thank you, it means a lot to me to get someone else's thoughts on this, if not, I completely understand, either way, I hope you have a good day :)

Hello! A lot of what you wrote feels very familiar to my own experience - I was also considered a good student but found things increasingly difficult to cope with, struggled socially, lost and forgot stuff, couldn't focus etc. You're definitely not alone in feeling this way!

You are not doomed and you are not your uncle. Things can always get better, even when you're at your lowest. You never know what will happen next - you could make a friend, you could discover a new passion, you could be offered a cool opportunity, you could get the chance to pet a really friendly dog. Life isn't a straight line - you might be struggling for a bit, and then some nice stuff will happen, and then you might go through a rough patch again, but then things will improve again and you might feel better than you did before.

For eating when you go to college - identify the foods you generally find easy to make and eat and make sure you have a supply avaliable for when you're struggling. For me, that's pasta (you can get dry pasta which lasts ages in the cupboard, but you could also try fresh ravioli which has stuff inside like spinach or tomato or cheese so it's a bit more varied), crackers, bananas, and breakfast bars. That way if you can't make a proper meal, you at least eat something. Also try to carry a water bottle with you everywhere (if you struggle to drink water you could try flavoured water or juice.) If you forget about needing to eat you could set alarms to remind yourself.

Side note: did you know that hypermobility and autism very often occur together?

Onto your questions:

should I pursue ADHD diagnosis? Autism?

It's definitely worth looking into - I can't guarantee you'll get a diagnosis because it really depends on the person/people assessing you and some are more biased than others (if you're able to choose, look for people who say they specialise in diagnosing women and girls or have positive reviews from people in that demographic). Personally I found it helped a lot with getting accommodations, people understanding me, and understanding myself (even before the diagnosis was official). I will say it's usually quite a long process so be prepared for that.

Btw, you can definitely have ADHD without being hyperactive - that's the inattentive type which is more about trouble focusing.

is there anything specific I should mention/not mention/think about?

Honestly a lot of what you've written will probably come up in an assessment! I had to fill out a form with info about my experiences as a child and the traits I have now, as did my mum. If you're high masking (basically when you try to act 'normal' and hide your neurodivergent traits) do your best not to mask so the assessor gets to see you as you really are.

is there anything you think I (+ people in similar situations) should research, any specific sites/books/communities you think would be valuable?

Untypical by Pete Wharmby is an excellent book if you want to learn more about autistic experiences. The author is autistic himself and has an engaging writing style.

How to ADHD is a YouTube channel that focuses on coping techiques for ADHD and is informative as well.

I've found the autism communities on Reddit to be welcoming and supportive - you might like r/AutismInWomen which is inclusive and accepting of self diagnosis and those who are questioning.

You could also follow some of these people on instagram:

morgaanfoley - posts about her experiences as an autistic person

_ellawillis - posts about autism and ADHD and their daily life

candy.courn - posts about autism and disability as well as how that intersects with their experience as an asian person. Also has the most beautifully pink house

colourblind_zebra - makes cute and colourful art about chronic illness and neurodiversity

elliemidds - posts about autism and adhd and runs a community called We are Unmasked (weareumasked on insta)

itsemilykaty - posts about autism, mental health, and her book Girl Unmasked (which I haven't read yet but is supposed to be very good!)

Side note: I also have an instagram if you'd like to follow :) I'm itsaspectrumcomic there as well!

would therapy help with anything? social, focus, etc. (I have not had a chance, and I have been noncommittal at mentions bc. i strongly dislike people, and talking to people, and emotions ): )

Therapy can help a lot - with the right therapist! Look for people who specialise in neurodivergence, particularly in girls. The best ones are on the spectrum themselves :) It's OK if you don't click with the first one you try. You can 'shop around' until you find someone you're comfortable with (which I know can be exhausting but it's worth it when you find the right one).

are things in general going to get better, or worse? please be honest, not reassuring

Like I said before, things will get better, and then you might struggle for a while, and then things get better again. It comes in waves, at least for me. I know when you're having a hard time it can feel like it's going to last forever, but I promise it won't. There are always bright spots.

[sturmovik]

"Furina is not an archon"

[Genshin Impact 4.2 / Fontaine Archon Quest Act V spoilers]

I still consider her technically an Archon (at least before the ending of 4.2 AQ) because she is the actual physical body and mortal spirit of Focalors, forcibly separated from the divine consciousness of Focalors, which was sealed in the Oratrice and dedicated to the collection of Indemnitium.

Focalors herself even says she and Furina are "one." What is unclear is how Focalors was able to separate herself into two distinct consciousnesses: a genuine human spirit (Furina) and the divine one (Focalors in the Oratrice). Considering all the nods to Christianity in Fontaine's AQ I'd chalk it up to being an allusion to the holy trinity; in Focalors' case she became two persons in one god (is there a third? idk honestly I don't read enough lore)

Yet even without divine powers, and despite passing centuries and a looming prophecy weighing down on her mortal soul, Furina was able to deceive the Heavenly Principles for 500 years - playing her role perfectly to the end and allowing Focalors' plan to succeed, saving the people of Fontaine.

Just to stress how powerful Furina's willpower was, let's recall that breaking Furina's facade required the fulfilment of a prophesized event with the intervention of the Hydro Dragon Sovereign, two Fatui Harbingers, the House of the Hearth, the Spina de Rosula, and a superpowered traveler from another world. All that power against a human girl.

She may be "only" human but she has certainly accomplished a godlike feat on par with the other Archons. So perhaps calling her "only" human is a disservice, because if her story tells us anything, it's that humanity has the strength to challenge and defeat the gods.

[madamemachikonew]

4.2 AQ spoilers below

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Is it just me, or have we not really received an adequate explanation of the beef between the oceanids and Focalors? All the humanoid oceanids like Idyia and Callirhoe suggest that Fontaine became uninhabitable for oceanids after Focalors took over. Rhodeia asks if Traveller is an assassin sent from her homeland. It's implied that some oceanids didn't accept Focalors and saw her as some kind of interloper, yet there's no reason why this would have happened as she made it her life's work to protect Egeria's legacy. There's obviously some enmity going on, yet, we don't see any inkling of that from Focalors or indeed Furina or Neuvillette. It just feels like a massive unresolved plot hole.

[kayetra-spade-queen]

Because I don't wanna make a video essay, so have a written essay instead because I absolutely can.

I'm gonna talk about the Loom of Fate, the 5 Sinners, and theorized what will happen to Teyvat.

(SPOILERS AHEAD. I SUGGEST GOING THROUGH THE QUEST FIRST)

I must warn you that these are all theories made by what's given by Genshin so far, so please don't take anything too seriously until we finally get the full picture.

Ok, so after AQ Bedtime Story (good god, that was a rollercoaster, although it was short), we've gathered a few things;

Loom of Fate is essentially made to replace or at least be on par with Irminsul, hence the connection between Ley Lines and people's memories.

The caused of the Khaenri'ah cataclysm wasn't the Khaenri'ahns entirely, but the 5 Sinners.

Celestia had been asleep ever since the cataclysm and hadn't woken up, even when Irminsul was altered and Focalors destroying her throne.

The Sinners (+ Dain) are trying to go up against a Vinster King.

The Sinners in question left Khaenri'ah when the cataclysm happened, leaving all of their people to deal with the bullshit they themselves had made. Talk about responsibility.

The Sinners

Hroptatyr The Wise: I assume that he will have something to do with the Forbidden Knowledge, that's why he was titled "the wise". We have not attain any information about him from any characters as of now.

Vedrfolnir The Visionary: We found out that he is Dainsleif's older brother, and we also found out that he is also the voice that we (reliving as our Sibling in memory) heard as "The Voice in The Head", and was the one who inspired Chlothar into founding the Abyss Order in the first place.

Rhinedottir Gold: We know that she is the creator of Albedo and his siblings. She was the one who brought abyssal monsters into Teyvat in the first place. For the longest time, I've suspected that she had been dead by getting killed, but now I think that she's still alive due to Kaeya's voiceline saying; "The Sinners are the ones that remains".

Surtalogi The Foul: We know that he is the master of Skirk. He was the one who brought the All-Devouring Narwhal onto Teyvat, and we know the whale isn't from Teyvat itself, and it came from somewhere in space. The whale got attracted by the many Primordial Sea because of the Fontainians are beings made out of Primordial Sea until they became fully human.

Rerir Rächer of Solnari: In mythology, Rerir wanted to avenge his father's death. Rerir in Genshin (who is a female due to the Rächer noun is feminine) could be indicating something similar, but what? Maybe... A death of a loved one?

Vinster King

So the Sinners are trying to go up against the Vinster King because of... Something.

First and foremost, the identity of Vinster King.

I believed that it's Phanes, aka the Primordial One. The one that created the 4 Shining Shades, and the one who founded the Heavenly Principles in the first place.

Why do I say that? Realized that Dain said that their goal is to stop the Vinster King from "continuing the rock foundation of this world"?

Phanes, in a sense did create Teyvat. Killing the Dragon Sovereigns and taking over their land, not to mention creating the civilization we know now is a form of "creating" this world, the world of Teyvat we all know now.

The Sinners had a reason to try and fight the Vinster King, or I guess in this case, the Primordial One.

But what? What happened between them that angered Phanes so much?

Creating a New World

I believe that the reason of the Sinners trying to fight Celestia was that they're trying to create a new world.

Was this a bit of a stretch? Maybe. But they are the ones who left Khaenri'ah when the abyss started to take over and when Celestia have to do what they could to stop it from spreading towards to the other nations.

Loom of Fate was one of the key factors into creating this new world, the same way Irminsul was. There could be other factors into making this new world the Sinners are trying to make, and one of them could involve the Forbidden Knowledge.

See, although Phanes did "make" Teyvat in a sense, it was still a stolen land by the end of the day, so maybe the Sinners are trying to create a world made by their own hands, and transporting the people of Teyvat to that new world, so they could live in a "pure world", where it was entirely theirs. Loom of Fate could also be made to make people forget about Celestia altogether, making the new world a purely-humanity-based world with no divine intervention.

Now, why would they do this? As mentioned before, these 5 people were the best in their fields, better than their own peers. I'd assume they got greedy and selfish, and when they found the power of the abyss, it brought them to the point of insanity, so they made these insane stunts to reach their goal, even if it meant putting their own people, and by extent everyone in the world into a bridge of chaos and suffering.

Hroptatyr & Rerir

We know 3 people so far, but how about the other 2?

Hroptatyr is called "the wise", which he is most likely to tie himself onto knowledge, and probably academically unparalleled back then among his people.

What if he got greedy, trying to get more knowledge? The Forbidden Knowledge was most likely his key to an otherworldly knowledge, something that no one, not even Rukkhadevata could understand as the god of knowledge. It won't be far fetched, since the power of the abyss was so powerful it can either be on par or exceed the power of the heavens to the point Celestia can't cure it.

Forbidden Knowledge can be very essential for creating the new world theory I mentioned in the previous section. Creating the very foundation of a world requires a ton of knowledge, so who's to say that Hroptatyr aren't trying to get his hands to that knowledge so he can't start making that world?

Rerir here is trying to avenge something (hence the word "Rächer"), but what? In the original Germanic mythology, Rerir is the son of Sigi, succeeds his murdered father and avenges his death. He rules in Hunaland and becomes a powerful ruler.

So, Rerir here in Genshin must've had something to do that's tied to death at some point. A dead loved one maybe that got killed by being murdered?

If that's the case, then Rerir is trying to avenge her loved one, or maybe a comrade, but to where? Maybe Phanes got something to do with it, but I'm not entirely sure.

I have my own speculations that Rerir is trying to resurrect that said person. Which, I get it, it doesn't follow through her title, but given that she attains the power of the abyss, who's to say that she won't try to do the art of resurrection? She'll definitely try to take advantage of that power and do whatever she could think off possible to make whatever she wished come true, including bringing back the dead.

Maybe that person got involved with Celestia, and Celestia was the cause of that person's death. Which would make sense if Rerir getting involved with Phanes herself because of it; she doesn't accept that the person she cares about being killed by the person who was supposed to be a god who loved humanity.

Celestia

Celestia, as we know it, is the cause of plenty of shit;

The one who destroyed an entire nation

The one who put a curse on said nation

The one who the archons are putting their distance at

The one who drove our Sibling to continue the Loom of Fate operation

The one who made the Tsaritsa going grocery shopping for the other archons' gnoses

The one who made the prophecy to drown Fontaine because Egeria made the sin of making Oceanids into humans

Stole a whole planet upon arrival

Killed the original residents of said planet

Using the remnants of the 3rd Descenders into making the gnoses

What we didn't know until a while ago about Celestia was;

Destroying the entire nation because there's no cure for the abyss and they're trying to protect the other nations

The power of the abyss was so powerful, it drained them to the point of slumber

Cursing the people of the nation because they thought the people responsible for creating the cataclysm was still there, not realizing that they had already left. Though I still disapprove of them cursing the entire population when they had absolutely nothing to do with it and was caught in a crossfire

Celestia wasn't the one who started the eradication of Khaenri'ah in the first place because they disapprove of the nation's independence; they were merely trying to protect the world from the abyss because it's the only way the knew best and are the only powerful method they had

Celestia exhaust themselves so badly, they went into a slumber that not even Focalors' stunt could even wake them up. So they've been inactive for the last 500 years

For the longest time, we've been under the impression that Celestia is the ultimate big bad of the game, which we have reasons why; the archons are against Celestia, a whole nation got destroyed by Celestia because it was assumed that they're being erased because of their independence, hell even trapping us into Teyvat without any way of leaving and locking our powers away.

In a sense, Celestia is still a big bad, but maybe not as big as the Sinners? I know I said that they're probably transporting the people from Teyvat to a new world they're making, but considering the fact that they left their own people to die, who's to say that they would most likely let the world perish and recreate their society and the entire humanity from scratch? And in order to do that, the existence of the previous humanity of the previous world have to be eradicated.

Thanks for coming to my ted talk :)

Extra:

Farewell Atossa

I apologize for making you know me unwillingly

Still, I do not wish you to forget me

(Translation by me, cuz good god this took so damn long translating this letter by letter-)

I'm so unwell y'all- :')

[corellianhounds]

top 5 headcanons? Your own or just faves!

GREAT question so these are just the ones off the top of my head:

1. This headcanon for Mando teaching the kid sign language, and the kid communicating back

2. Not something I came up with, but I like the idea of Luke having permanent Force-lightning scars as a result of Palpatine using it on him in RotJ

3. Personal headcanon: I think Han Solo would have taken Leia’s last name when they got married: Han (at least in the movies) had no family ties to the name ‘Solo,’ it was the name the Imperial officer gave him when he enlisted in the military to escape Corellia. It’s the perfect description for a smuggler on his own who only thinks of himself and his ship (though eventually Chewie becomes a part of The Only Things Han Solo Cares About).

The most important thing about Han Solo’s character that I think many audiences and even official creators (INCLUDING GEORGE LUCAS SOMEHOW) seem to forget is that Han’s whole character arc is that he was NOT a good guy— He BECOMES a good guy. All of the tension surrounding him in the original trilogy is based on the fact Han Solo looks out for himself. His return at the end of A New Hope is predicated on the audience being surprised that he came back.

Each movie, there was no guarantee that he would stay or stick around when the going got tough. By the end of the trilogy, Han’s character arc has ended with him choosing to be a part of something bigger and caring for people beyond himself and beyond his circle of friends. Choosing to marry Leia means choosing to remain relatively sedentary and present for her (and by extension their family, friends, and the New Republic), and besides, what better way to throw people off the scent and protect yourself from your criminal past than by marrying into the royal and political-leading family?

TLDR: Han takes Leia’s last name after they’re married because he finally has a family he chooses to tie himself to.

4. Personal headcanon: Leia does not forgive Vader for what he became, regardless of whether Luke says he redeemed himself in the end.

Leia not only saw the war he led and the atrocities he committed her entire life, he enabled/directed the destruction of her entire home planet before her very eyes. Leia loves her brother, but she cannot reconcile what Luke says about Vader being a good person with the war criminal she knew him to be.

Bonus headcanon: I think in the sequel trilogy Leia should have been the one to see a vision of her son’s future and she should have been either the catalyst for Ben Solo leaving, or she should have been the one who said she saw too much of Vader in him as an adult and he had to be killed in order to be defeated, while Luke and Han should have been the ones trying to bring him back. Luke’s character in the original trilogy was defined by compassion and mercy even towards one of the worst people the galaxy had to offer, and Han’s character was defined by the people who didn’t give up on him and whose encouragement and support and willingness to see the good in him were the reasons he was able to become a good person.

5. Personal headcanon: I’ve had the idea since 2020 that Mando’s family on Aq Vetina were part of the Disciples of the Whills. I’ve liked the idea of Mando being connected in a non-Force-sensitive way to other lore surrounding the Force, and I’ve based it on the similarities in costume design and because I think thematically, the idea of exploring the Force through a different lens than the Jedi would have made a much more interesting and compelling story in what was originally a relatively independent TV show with new characters on a much smaller scale, exploring different parts of the galaxy.

How I understand the doctrine of the Whills is that it’s more trying to understand the direction of the Force as it tries to find balance in the world, and the result of those teachings means seeing how the Force working in others is what benefits people— In Rogue One Chirrut says “May the Force of others be with you,” which I’ve interpreted as “Yes the Force exists and has an impact on life and death, but because it is the connection binding every living thing together, it’s our choices and the actions we take and the connections we form that exhibit the Force, which are what will ultimately save us in the end.” Chirrut says “The Force protected me,” and Baze Malbus says “I protected you,” and they are both right.

In the context of The Mandalorian, I wanted to see what could have happened if the show diverged from the Jedi, who to be clear were a specific order of Force sensitive followers whose primary purpose was as protectors of the galaxy— The Jedi teachings weren’t just a belief system, they were combined with a martial art and specific learned abilities that were intended to be used to protect people. That doesn’t mean their way was the only way Force-sensitives interacted with the Force.

Long story short, I wanted Mando’s potential ties to a different part of Star Wars lore to be the gateway to exploring more of the galaxy that these stories were set in. I think it would have been a lot more interesting and would have freed up the story to go whatever direction it needed without being confined to the Jedi and prior source material

[eternalflashh]

i give up. i've been thinking about the fontaine lore too much to not put my thoughts somewhere.

no, this is not at all going to be organized, because i hardly have it all together yet. but i've been trying to get a gist of fontaine's prophecy, and i'm just trying to put the pieces together after what we've learned of fontaine's history (albeit not much, and neither is the theory the best. i'm just thinking on paper here.) this is going to be *very long* by the way. very, very, very long.

naturally, beware of spoilers, particularly: fontaine AQs and world quests (narzissenkreuz, elynas (the melusines) — including the canotila side quest, institute of natural philosophy, khvarena), artifacts (nymph's dream, marechaussee hunter), weapon (fleuvre cendre ferryman)

also, disclaimer: i may be wrong. i am not a genius—kind of an idiot, really. i'm just thinking. thinking. read this as someone's journal, not the wiki entry.

here's a brief recap of the three fontaine world quests, because we're going to need them:

in the narzissenkreuz adventure team quest, we accompanied the tiny oceanid ann in order to save a "princess lyris", only to find out that she never existed and this was all a fictional tale—one, though, that has its roots in the real narzissenkreuz institute.

in the elynas quest, we saved mamere from getting her paintings stolen, and found out that she was painting with elynas's blood. a man named jakob ingold has been trying to collect this blood, and now, apparently tries to revive the dragon itself—for a cause that is beyond even the abyss's plans.

the quest with the institute of natural philosophy wasn't quite as plotful, aside from the fact that we simply were led to the institute thinking it was the narzissenkreuz institute, and found plenty of old records. it's also where the narzissenkreuz ordo's quarters was buried inside, and where we managed to unite ann and seymour to continue their story.

now, from the many ancient texts and artifact/weapon descriptions i've managed to piece a rough idea of what happened 500 years ago, which i will try my best to summarize coherently according to my understanding:

the narzissenkreuz institute, which had an oceanid as its director and basil elton as its vice, was a special unit founded with the purpose of protecting fontaine against the evils (of khaenri'ah, presumably). that being said, they housed orphaned childen. these included the mary-ann we see in "the real annapausis" (whose consciousness was transferred to our oceanid ann), alain, rene, and jakob.

it was said that "the director and her sisters went off to fight the evil at its source" (nymph's dream), which i'm assuming is khaenri'ah, while the vice director set off for the seas in the Sponsian ship where she eventually passed. shortly after, the institute was disbanded. before the vice director (basil elton) set off, though, she had entrusted the children of the institute to her close friends: emanuel gullotin and karl ingold (marechaussee hunter).

alain guillotin and mary-ann guillotin, taken up by emanuel, became marechaussee hunters; rene de petrichor and jakob ingold, in the meantime, headed for sumeru's girdle of the sands with karl ingold to research the remmants of the lord of amrita. (if you did the quest, you would've had "rene's investigation notes" in your inventory—which essentially describes what they've been researching; rene appears to have recently turned into a young adult, while jakob is still "a child", but they both sound... young.) it also seems that before this, they infiltrated elynas—in the investigation notes, they seem to be hiding their condition from karl; later we find that jakob seems to be surviving on elynas's blood.

sometime after this, alain guillotin is enrolled into the institute of natural philosophy where he researches (i assume) the mechanics of arkhe and pneuma-ousia annihilation; rene and jakob are also enrolled in there some time later. at first, they were working on the same research (alain's), until rene and alain eventually broke off their working relationship (noting that they, including mary-ann, still hung out together as friends), apparently having disagreed on something.

now we saw jakob ingold— which clearly means him having absorbed elynas's blood (and all those research) has somehow given him the powers of immortality, which rene and him had been researching in the desert; although it appears that rene has found a different way of implementing immortality. rene, in his "memories" as told in the book of revealing, discovered a way humans could surpass death by dissolving in the waters, their consciousness preserved even as doomsday comes (i assume this is how the water from the primordial sea came to be rediscovered after ages), and chose himself as the first test subject to be dissolved. alain, meanwhile, went off to establish the fontaine research institute that studied clockwork and created the meka we see roaming around fontaine now—i personally think the specific use of clockwork was intended to allude to the underlying goal to surpass their time. but yk, that might be overkill.

mary-ann's end, though, was never quite explicitly told. and in fact, the "mary-ann" we see in annapausis described the place in the book as her tomb, even though the story (whether the one we were going through, or the literal story you find in the fountain with the "statue of princess lyris") was unfinished. she might not have been a particularly "important" character in the history, but she was significant to each of the other childen— the various notes always expressed joy whenever they see mary-ann, may it be alain who was said to care for his sister (so much that he made her seymour), rene, jakob, even carter (alain's assistant).

this is important because, coincidentally, it resembles ann's role in the narzissenkreuz adventure team fairytale. ann was described to be their leader, a sort of mascot, among the team fighting against the fell dragon. and in fact, each of the characters we met resemble someone in reality: 'al' is from alain, 'ney' is from rene, 'jak' is from jakob, and 'mori' from seymour. (the others are... a bit complicated and i cannot yet discuss them because I'm Still Thinking, and that'll go besides my current point.) basically, the fairytale was literally told with the children as real life inspiration. (even though, of course, it was cut off quite annoyingly.)

then, it's worth understanding the tale to understand their true motives as well. the tale talks of the adventure team's existence essentially to help princess lyris to protect her realm and fight against the big bad evil, the fell dragon narcissus. narcissus was fighting her for "a treasure of hers that he did not have", and in order to help fight against this evil, princess lyris shared her time with her friends, time that allowed them to be ahead of the dragon's attacks. but in the end, the dragon still had the upper hand; eventually she trapped herself in the high tower, entrusting a treasure to the adventure team: a bright pearl of water.

common sense tells that this princess lyris alludes to the archon of their nation, egeria; the adventure team being the narzissenkreuz institute, while the fell dragon narcissus is the khaenri'ahn invasion. judging from this, then, it appears that the archon left behind this "bright pearl of water" as the last thing before she trapped herself in the high tower. and that's it— that's the end of the story, so we don't know how the rest of history went. well, except for the fact that the former hydro archon is, in fact, dead, and now we are left with a most ominous prophecy: of the original sin, of why it's exclusive to fontaine, of why the oceanids do not recognize their current archon, of why furina is exempt from this prophecy—and what she is waiting for.

i have so many questions, and no idea of how to approach them in a methodical manner—so i will first point out all the things that bother me.

i wondered why this problem is exclusive to fontaine. regarding there is a problem of exception mentioned in rene's notes, where the children's constitution are different from karl's; i still have no idea the nature of this distinction, only that rene and jakob's bodies are like the power of the sacred lotus (i.e., the former archon's power). at first i thought that this distinction may be the reason for them being susceptible to the primordial seawater's effects, but without understanding the distinction, it doesn't help in answering the question.

then, again, i wondered what their real motives was. neuvillette says that the former archon left furina with the prophecy—but it doesn't sound like a problem so much as a statement of what's to come. we don't know what egeria actually believed. but i went back to the final feast teaser, and found that egeria actually had some narration:

the original sin is the fairest: everyone sinks. make the most of the final feast, because for the sinners, the curtain call has come.

which certainly does make it sound like she sees them all as sinners, and that they have always been bound to sink.

the interesting thing is— this might not necessarily be a bad thing, no matter how we see it as a crisis. even the victims of the disappearances case regard dissolving into the waters as "relief" (vigniere from the AQ); even the people say this is just like returning to whence they came from, and mary-ann of the sunflower annapausis says that together, as one body of water, they can become strong. in line with this, perhaps rene's act of dissolving into the seawater doesn't seem so much as a radical act anymore.

i always come back to this line at the storybook:

"So, in Narcissus's story, I'm the evil villain?

it may sound like an innocent question, but a fairly odd one for a child to be asking. and i believe it says more than it seems. for one, i'd like to point out that narcissus is another term for the flower daffodil, which symbolizes rebirth��the narzissenkreuz also means "narcissus cross", aka, death of rebirth. which makes sense when you think that they're enemies of "the fell dragon". but why would they be fighting rebirth? perhaps because the narzissenkreuz institute were fighting the prophecy, which they, including egeria, perhaps, believed at the time to be a good thing.

i say "at the time" because, look at what became of the children. in essence, they became "villains". rene, for one, founded a source of the primordial sea, which was certainly what led to the current problems—and, hence, what would lead to the realizing of the prophecy. jakob is out here trying to revive elynas in order to use his blood to strengthen human lifespans, so that they can overcome the surmised cataclysm that would come? to turn everyone immortal? meanwhile, alain's deviced a way to subvert the usage of celestia's elements by making work of pneuma-ousia power. essentially, they are each fighting for rebirth, instead of fighting against rebirth. perhaps not precisely rebirth, but a way to preserve humanity, to subvert the crisis. even mary-ann, in a sense, had managed to attain this goal, by preserving all her memories—despite it being unfinished—in that storybook.

and in fact, perhaps that's also why the story ended there—because it was that point, when the cataclysm occurred, where the story's moral had shifted, and they had each lost their original intention to fight. because they then realized that they needed better ways of handling this crisis, only to have one of them revert to that crisis itself. tl;dr: the prophecy ceased from being a crisis, instead becoming rene's perceived solution. which is.... interesting, to say the least.

again, it sounds radical, but it may very well hold water. one interesting thing i noted from the canotila quest was that where we saw the dark power of the abyss in "the end of things" as predicted by the world-formula, canotila instead saw a nice place with flowers, etc. and when we were talking to elynas, he noted that "the things they (the primordial dragons) enjoyed were not things that humans valued". it's similar to this situation—two different viewpoints may see the same thing to be two very different things; either salvation or destruction. which then brings a lot of suspense toward the resolution of the AQ—what, truly, will become the best solution for them? would being dissolved save the people of fontaine? or would they find a way to subvert both the dissolution and the destruction? (obviously, it's probably the latter—the question, as always, would be how? to answer that, we need to know more on why they are subject to this sin, and that is not a question i can answer, despite this Very Long Rambling. i am most stressed)

but if nothing else, at least i've figured that the foretelling of this disaster is something that's originated far before the cataclysm, from egeria's time. perhaps it'd be something like rukkhadevata & nahida, where rukkhadevata had her own way of solving the issue with combating forbidden knowledge, but it led to a whole other issue, and nahida had to find her own solution.

one thing still perplexes me, though— furina's perspective in all this.

at first i thought she may be the "pearl of water" referred to in the storytale, since it would make sense that that's where the next archon comes in—but since furina is supposed to be older than nahida (as said by neuvillette in nahida's introduction), it seems unlikely. though it's always possible that this happened several years before the cataclysm, it wouldn't align very nicely; one would assume the princess trapping in her tower to be an event that took place during the peak of the cataclysm, so the life born out of the pearl must be sometime after that. but the possibility remains.

or perhaps one shouldn't take the story too literally, and assume she was simply handed the gnosis after egeria's passing—but why? who is she to begin with? and what then is the pearl of water that the princess left to the narzissenkreuz? it must bear significance, if it was left in the story at all (and something the storyteller felt important enough to be named after the child she was telling the story to, lyris). perhaps the pearl thing was only an expression, and it was meant to allude to the passing of her gnosis to the next archon. but of course, this is only conjecture.

furina's behavior... is perhaps simply a consequence of her original personality, under her circumstances. her personality aside, though, what would her woes we hear in the fountain mean? what does she mean when she say "interminable"—what, exactly, is she waiting for in unbearable loneliness? it doesn't make much sense for her to be waiting for the prophecy to come; otherwise, she'd have no reason to research it for so long, gathering intelligence, when she hardly cares for the nation's affairs. surely she wouldn't be waiting for divine intervention to come save her from her business? lyney and lynette note that she always appears to be "acting"—so what is she acting for? why does she aim to judge other gods? if she wants to prove that other nations are also at fault for "sinning", then wouldn't she need more time, instead of being impatient? nothing seems to add up with her. perhaps she wants to save everyone, but perhaps she is tired as well. perhaps she doesn't feel like she's capable of it, and wishes for release to come instead. is that what it is? who knows. who knows. it's impossible to tell, with someone with so many faces.... it's very interesting. furina is certainly a very interesting archon.

anyways. that was long and this doesn't hold much water to it (get it) but. i had to dump my thoughts somewhere. i'll get back to it when i find more information, when more thoughts come to hound me,,,,,, yeah. anyway.

[raisu-in-wonderland]

Furina in twst!! She’s so pomefiore coded I can’t stress this enough. The archons like venti and ei are in diasomnia while nahida and zhongli are in scarabia. I will draw them too! Hopefully lol. The moment she isekai’s there and after all the crying she definitely binged the entire entertainment industry and became a big fan of Vil (and probably respects and tries to impress him like she did to the traveler in the AQ) . Ahh I just feel like she fits so well in there and Vil could help her improve sm dhejejdjdjj like this entire archons in twst au is eating my head. The uniform was so hard to draw (ignore the missing pomefiore symbol I’m not adding that sob) she definitely joined the film study club btw.

[haunted-xander]

Fontaine, as a whole, is a nation I feel was so nearly perfect, but also just... somewhat unsatisfying.

Like, the exploration is nice, the puzzles and mechanics are fun, but... it's so easy. I have the entire map 100%. I didn't use a guide for most of it (only for Special Stuff like the treasure maps and foggy branches), nor did I have the treasure compass. All I had to help me was the hydroculus resonance gadget. The only regions in the game I got to 100% without any guides before was Galesong Hill (which, tbh, most ppl probably have at 100% or close %), and Hypostyle Desert (simply bc the underground ruins were so much fun to explore). Everywhere else I used a guide for at some point. During 4.0 I literally felt like I had to hold back on exploring just to not finish it too quickly. Yeah.

The world quests have a lot of interesting stuff going for them, especially the Narzissenkreuz questline and the ones in/around Merusea Village. But... they feel like they're missing something. I don't feel like I'm properly done with any of them, even though there isn't really anything more to add. The Narzissenkreuz quests had a very strong start, I cared about the characters involved and the lore they're a part of, and having it be 3 questlines that combine into one comprehensive story was really fun, but the ending feels... unceremonious almost. I can't pinpoint what's wrong with it, it answered what it needed to and it made it clear what everyone was doing going forward, but... it feels off. Anticlimatic, almost, despite it having the climax it needed. The world quest I was most satisfied with was the Questioning Melusine And Answering Machine quests, and it's a largely self-contained one. Everything else feels... unfinished, almost. But also not.

And the Archon Quests are so so good, but also... weird at parts. First of all, Childe's out-of-nowhere traumadump early on is jarring, especially since... they didn't really follow up with it properly? Like yes, the Narwhal and Skirk ended up relevant but... not to him, for the most part. The important questions this conversation prompted wasn't elaborated or followed up on, which is what could've justified including it at all. We still have no more clues as to why the Narwhal connected with him, we don't know what caused his restlessness or why his vision messed up, and Skirk was kinda just... there. She loredumped and that was that.

There's other oddities too, like Traveler getting upset at the twins for hiding their Fatui affiliation. Traveler has every right to be upset with them in that moment but... not for that. They should be upset because they lied about the magic show, not about being Fatui. Like, you literally called Childe you're friend just the other day! And he's literally tried to kill you (well, okay, not "kill", but he was still an enemy)! And later on you're suddenly fine with Arlecchino, a person we have seen time and time again is an absolutely terrible person? Because, what, she cared about this one specific problem that affected innocent lives? Really?

Furina and Childe not getting checked up on by basically anyone at the end of 4.2s AQ feels not only out of character (you're gonna tell me Traveler isn't gonna check on them after all that happened? Really?) but also just... very shitty. The only one who seemed to even care was Neuvillette, everyone else just kinda... forgot about those two. Despite the fact that 1) Furina was a well liked public figure who, even after the truth was revealed, people very much still cared about, and 2) Childe literally saved the entire nation but stalling the Narwhal for over a month. Even Neuvillette couldn't so much as deter that thing until he got his full powers back, and you're telling me nobody, not even the people who where directly saved by him, even wondered what became of him? Really?

The characters are fantastic here, don't get me wrong, everyone is lovely and I adore them all, but the way the story handled certain things is just... not great. It's unsatisfying. It feels like there were things they wanted to do but either chickened out of or simply didn't get to include. It's so jarring.

[v3ng3anc3-qu33n]

Friends.

Everything was going to plan with us cutting the power to Tarturaus, sneaking in, killing most of the guards, and opening the main doors freeing everyone, aside from my uncle, everyone stormed out hellbent of letting out their stored rage. The only heroes who came were a few UA students who as they see me pause.

"Y/n? What the FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!" Bakugo screams angrily.

"We thought you died..." Midoriya says looking distraught.

"Why are you doing this?" Todoroki asks intrigued.

As they all throw questions at me i wait for them to all stop talking before i reply.

"I changed, I grew up, I let the world shape me, and I have never felt better," I say as i stare at them, my eyes full of pain.

"Oh... sweetie what happened?" Mina says worriedly.

Mina was my best friend during the first year of UA.

Flashback to the first day of UA

I hummed happily as I eat my breakfast that I had hurriedly grabbed before leaving my house.

"HI IM ASHIDO MINA!!! JUST CALL ME MINA THOUGH!!" a pink haired girl says as she walks into the room emitting confidence.

"Hi!! I'm y/n!!" I said excitedly

"OH MY GODS YOU ARE ADORABLE!!! THOUGH I don't think I saw you at the entrance exams.

"AHEM yes I am a recommended student!! My friend recommended me! Hawks! Also your like really pretty!!" I say happily engaged in the conversation.

"Ooooh mean girls reference! Love that!" Mina says hyper as ever "WAIT YOU KNOW HAWKS!!!"

"Yup!! I'm actually already a hero, and I got my high school diploma online I just have to go through at least 1 year of high school! Its some weird law to ensure that the child doesn't become emotionally and socially stunted."

Ever since that day we became best friends we were always together and always there for eachother until I unenrolled right before 2nd year but even then we stayed in touch as I went off to rise the ranks of underground heroes in Japan starting to meet with other heroes in different countries where I was seen as a vigilante as I liked to do my work more at night and not stick around for press and most other countries don't have underground heroes.

"Hey AQ (alien queen) " I say my voice void of emotions. "You all should leave.... I may see you as my family but they don't." My eyes unblinking as I gesture to the rest of the LOV.

They whisper a bit amongst themselves before looking at me and darting off agitated as they know that only the 4 of them can't take all of us on, and me and the lov keep freeing everyone. Within 4 hours, we shut down all transportation to Japan, isolating the heroes from help. Content I go back to my room and sigh as I stare at my reflection.

Hihi everyone!! Btw Minas hero name is still Pinky in this but I believe that y/n would have given her the nickname Alien Queen, it is also in my au where hero names were in the second year and Mina wanted hers to be Alien Queen because it reminded her of us! I hope everyone likes the story please leave constructive criticism in the comments or dm me! Love you all🌙💜

-V3ng3anc3

[hunnythebee]

Stow Away

Chapter 7: Sleep Talking

Jo is struggling with the fact that Mando is beginning to open up and get closer to her. Conflicted about opening up herself Mando leaves for an overnight excursion, leaving Grogu in her capable hands. After a long day, Jo falls into a deep sleep. Little does she know, she talks in her sleep.

Tags: Mando x oc, Mando x ofc, sleepy sex, light dom/sub vibes, aftercare

Warnings: Canon Violence, flirting, threats, nightmares, crying, questionable consent at first but quickly becomes consent (consent is sexy), somnophilia, cock warming, PIV, gentle choking, possessive, creampie

Chapter 6 | Chapter 8 | Masterlist

A/N

Writing this chapter has been a wild ride. I rewrote it entirely, twice. Edited more times than I can count, but I think I am finally satisfied. Also another update on AO3, I think I have finally decided to start cross-posting my work. I just have to figure out how. Its gonna be great. Can't wait to see y'all next week!

Enjoy!

Everything changed after that night on Lothal. Mando became more relaxed around her. He would roam the ship while in deep space wearing nothing but his flight suit, slightly undone, and his helmet. When they would eat, if he was seated before her, he would begin lifting his helmet before she could turn away. Jo could have sworn she had caught a glimpse of his scruffy jaw once, but she would never admit it. He had explained the extent of his Creed to her, and she respected it. Just because she respected it didn't mean she had to like it.

Mando also began to engage with Jo more. He would start conversations with her, asking her questions about her life. He also grew into the habit of touching her more. A hand on her thigh whenever they were seated next to each other, a gentle hand on her cheek, brushing her hair behind her ear. What really shocked her though, was this morning’s interaction.

“Where did you grow up?” he asked after lowering his helmet back down from eating his breakfast. Jo took a beat before responding. She hadn't told anyone about her childhood, and she still wasn't ready to. Not yet. She opted for the safest route.

“I was born on Naboo.”

“Hmm…" his gaze was fixed on her, making her feel as though she was about to be interrogated, or that he might pry further, instead he gave a simple nod at her answer, "makes sense.”

“What does?”

“Nabooian women are always beautiful.”

She froze mid-bite, the anxiety of confrontation melted away, and she smiled.

Is he flirting with me?

She abandoned the bite and cleared her throat. “What about you? Where were you born?”

“Aq Vetina.”

“Not Mandalore?”

“No, I was a foundling, taken in by a Mandalorian warrior during the Clone Wars.”

“I had no idea.”

“It’s okay. I don’t talk about it with people, but you’re special.”

Jo’s cheeks turned pink at his words and a small well of guilt opened in the pit of her stomach. He was willing to be transparent with her, yet she couldn't do the same for him. A silence fell between them and he stood up to collect the plates as usual, this time she stood as well instead of handing him her plate. They both entered the galley, and dispensed with the plates. He moved to pass behind her, or at least that's what Jo thought he was going to do. Instead he placed his hands on her hips and pressed against her ass.

"Don't think for a moment that what we did was a one time thing, sweet girl." His voice was deliciously low and close to her ear. "Soon."

Jo’s heart nearly stopped. She leaned hard against the counter in front of her which caused the Mandalorian pause.

“You good?” he teased, pulling her tighter against him.

A meek, “Mhmm,” was all she could muster.

He lingered a moment longer, she couldn’t see it but knew he was smirking. He knew exactly what he was doing. He had desperately wished he could have fucked her again after that night on Lothal, but there had been no opportunities. The bounties had been particularly difficult and their break on Takodana had put him behind.

He finally moved on to preparing to leave for the hunt and she followed after collecting herself. He strapped his rifle to his back and turned to face her before leaving. She expected some kind of instructions to be given. Something along the lines of ‘stay on the ship’ or ‘don’t be seen’ but instead he reached out and pulled her against him.

His arms wrapped tight around her waist. It took her a moment to realize what was happening, but her arms were already instinctually around his shoulders. He squeezed her tight to his chest, and she hugged his shoulders tighter. They stayed like this for a moment, her head resting on his shoulder. Breathing in his aroma, and letting the memory of him imprint on her. He pulled back slightly, his gaze fixed on her through the visor. She stared back at him, searching for eyes she knew she would never see. He finally broke the silence.

"Close your eyes."

"What?"

"Close them. I won't say it again."

She did as she was told and closed them. The familiar hiss of his helmet depressurizing filled her senses as she realized what was happening. He cradled her face in his hands and pulled her in for a kiss. He hadn't kissed her since that night. He hadn't done anything like this since that night. She happily sank into the kiss and out of her mind. This kiss was different than last time, sweet and soft, not as desperate as before. They finally parted and he put the helmet back on. She opened her eyes and looked at the Mandalorian.

“I’ll be gone overnight,” he spoke softly. “Feel free to explore the village, just keep yourself hidden.” A hand brushed a stray hair behind her ear. “Especially your hair.” He walked off the ship and stopped at the end of the ramp to turn back, “Also, you’re welcome to my bunk tonight.”

“Be safe!” She shouted after him and he nodded in response.

Jo spent another hour on the ship, straightening up and dancing to music. Once Grogu finally woke, she fed him quickly and then placed him in a satchel on her hip. On the opposite hip she attached a hip holster for a vibro-knife and picked one from Mando's arsenal to take with her. Jo had no intention of using the knife, but it made her feel safe to have it anyways. She wrapped her head with a scarf, covering her hair and the lower part of her face. Finally she grabbed a cloak she had brought with her when she left Tatooine. Jo pulled the hood up and disembarked the Crest. Whilst exploring the village she came upon a marketplace. An alleyway filled with adobe alcoves and stalls adorned with colorful awnings and woven fabrics. Vendors called out from their stalls, advertising their wares in basic. One stall in particular caught her attention.

A twi'lek woman greeted Jo, "Bright Suns traveller, I see you are wearing a headscarf. I have many beautiful scarves, ones that would compliment your beautiful eyes. Come, come see." The shopkeep gestured to several tables where scarves of a variety of textiles and patterns were neatly on display. Jo selected a few headscarves and hoods, and decided to purchase them, given that having to cover herself was becoming more common. She thanked the woman and went about her shopping.

After exploring for a few hours, she decided it was time for a break. She found a quiet spot near a large pool of water and allowed Grogu out of his carrier. He sat in her lap while she fed him some kettle-popped grains that she had purchased. While he was happily munching away, a old quarren man approached Jo.

"Ex-excuse me. I hate to be a bother, but how much?" The man inquired.

Her eyebrows scrunched together as she glared. "How much... For what?"

He laughed as if she was the one asking an absurd question. "How much for your rare critter? I've never seen a creature like it! I must have it for my collection. I am willing to pay handsomely, name your price."

She stood up, placing the child into the satchel and shifting him so that he was resting behind her. "He is not for sale. He is a child, and he is under my protection."

He cocked his head to the side and scoffed, "My dear, everything in this galaxy has a price." He reached a hand out to touch her, and she caught him by the wrist with one hand and unsheathed her vibro-knife with the other. Jo held the knife to his throat, beneath the tentacles protruding from his jaw.

"Fine. Name your price." She shook with anger as she echoed his request back to him. "How much are you willing to pay for your own life, old man?"

The quarren's chest rose and fell with rapid, anxious breaths. "Apologies. I will leave you in peace with your... Son. No need for threats." He held his hands up in surrender, and she relinquished her hold on him.

She kept her knife firmly in her grasp as she watched him back away. It wasn't until the man had disappeared from sight that she finally re-sheathed her vibro-knife and checked on Grogu. His ears perked up when they made eye contact.

"Everything is okay little guy. I won't let anything happen to you." She patted him on the head and he cooed happily. "How about we finish the shopping and head home?" She froze at her own words. Jo hadn't given it much thought but, she was starting to feel more at home on the Crest than she had anywhere else since... She shook the thought from her mind and returned to the present, focusing on the young one on her hip. He was still happily cooing, waiting for her to begin the trek through the marketplace once more.

Mando had left her a substantial number of credits to be able to purchase necessities, which she took full advantage of. She returned to the ship at sunset, hands full of bags of bursting with food. It was nearly dark when she finally made it aboard. She placed the food down on the floor and closed the ramp behind her. Grogu was set down onto the floor and proceeded to waddle around the hull, searching for something shiny to play with most likely. She left him to his own devices and began to put away the food she had acquired. Since she had joined the Mandalorian's 'crew', the pantry had gone from sparse to bursting. Cooking was one of her favorite pastimes, and it was much easier to do when there was variety. Once that was done she prepared dinner for herself and Grogu, something small since it was just the two of them. They ate and he fell asleep, leaving her to her own devices. She stared at the closed door of Mando’s bunk, debating whether she was going to take the offer to sleep in there. She hadn't been inside since Lothal. 

Jo decided that a shower, regardless of where she would sleep tonight, was in order. As she washed herself, she found the bruises he had kissed into her skin several nights ago. They were mostly faded, but the memory still lingered. She traced over every single mark, reveling in the fact that there was evidence that he had been there. Jo realized she had been in the refresher for so long that her fingers were pruning. She turned off the water and dressed in a silk night dress that Peli had given her that she had 'lyin around'. It was one of the nicest things Jo had ever been given, so she didn't ask any further questions about the origins. She exited the fresher and took a deep breath to gather her nerves.

Fuck it.

She brought the egg-shaped crib with her into Mando’s bunk and the door hissed shut behind her. She crawled into his cot, which was definitely more comfortable than hers. His scent was everywhere, but hung especially heavy on the bunk. Jo let herself imagine he was lying beside her. She drifted to sleep to the thought of his arm draped over her waist and his body pressed up behind her.

She dreamt of him, of Mando. His face was always hazy in her dreams, the only visible feature was his scruffy jaw. He’s holding her on Naboo, and professing his undying love and loyalty to her. She stood on her toes to press a kiss to his lips, and he lifts her completely off the ground. The pair of them fall backwards into the meadow and the dream morphs into something much steamier than it had started as. Clothes were being thrown off each other. Burning hot kisses being pressed against one another. Their moans of pleasure echoing through the field as they gave into it completely.

Jo was moaning in her sleep. A wetness pooling between her thighs. She was grinding her hips against nothing, desperate for a sense of real friction in her dream world. Unbeknownst to her, the Mandalorian was bearing witness to all of it.

It was dark and he was back earlier than he had anticipated, but he could make out her body in his bed perfectly. She was wearing something he had never seen on her before and he liked what he saw. He wasn't sure what he should do in a situation like this. In truth, he was planning to just sleep in her cot for the night, let her rest peacefully. Then she began speaking in her sleep and all rational thought left his mind.

"Mando..." She moaned loudly, "Need you...Don't stop." Jo continued to whimper and moan while he carefully removed Grogu from the room and quietly stripped down. He climbed into the small bed with her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her backside against him. She grinded her hips against his aching erection, lighting a fire in his veins. He grinded against her in return, letting out a ragged breath at the friction. He pressed soft kisses to her neck as he reached a hand between her legs. As his fingers made contact she let out a shaky breath.

"Fuck, what I would give to know what you're dreaming about that would make you this wet." He gently pulled the hem of her dress up over her ass, and dragged his tip through her wetness. Another loud moan left her lips as he sank his hard cock deep inside her. She was soaking wet and so warm. He let his cock just rest inside her for a long moment. The feeling of her pussy clenching and pulsating around him was something he wanted to fully enjoy.

"Please," came her voice in the dark, different than when she had spoken in her sleep before. This time it was a pleading whisper, heavy with lust and sleep. She grinded back against him, an intention there that hadn't been there before. She was awake. She was grinding and begging, desperate for him to move. The fact that she was this needy for him made his head buzz. Experimentally, he brought a hand up and grasped her throat with a gentle pressure. She bit her lip and moaned loudly at the new sensation.

"Keep begging for it, sweet girl. Convince me you deserve it." He growled into her ear.

"Please fuck me. Need your cock so bad. Want you to take me. Only you." She whimpered, pressing against him as much as possible. Her last two words nearly took the wind out of him.

Only you.

He began to pump into her with a slow, aggressive pace, burying himself completely in her with each stroke. He pressed his mouth to her neck and moaned.

"All. Fucking. Mine." Punctuated with each rough stroke. Her moans were unbridled, her mind still in the fog of sleep. She gave her body to him completely. She wanted him to make her his. She craved this.

"All yours. Fuck! Don't stop."

"That's it, come for me. Come on my cock mesh'la." He continued fucking into her, his pace never faltering as she fell apart for him. Her orgasm ripped through her, a blinding heat crashing over her, but he didn't stop. Instead he began fucking into her faster, he groaned against the skin of her neck.

"Where... Where should I..." He couldn't manage a full sentence, his ecstasy clouding his mind. Jo reached behind her and grasped his hair tightly.

"Inside. Want you to fill me up."

"F-fuck. Are you-"

"I'm safe, come inside me. Please." Mando sank his teeth into her shoulder as he came. His release coated her walls and dripped out around his cock. He was huffing and panting. He pulled out of her and she felt it slowly drip out of her. Jo hummed happily as she sank back into the pillow, her body relaxing completely. As she started to drift to sleep once more she felt a shift behind her which pulled her back from the edge.

"Stay," she whimpered, grasping for him in the dark. He grabbed her hand a placed a kiss to her palm.

"I will, but first I need to clean up the mess I have made." He laughed lightly.

"Fine. As long as you promise you'll be back."

"I will always come back." He disappeared for a few moments, and when he returned he had a towel with warm water. She was almost completely asleep at this point, so he wiped her thighs clean for her. He readjusted her dress and threw on a pair of boxers. Mando climbed back into the bed and held her tight as he followed her into sleep.

She was dreaming the same dream again. They're on Naboo and he's confessing his love. She stood on her toes to press a kiss to his lips like before. This time the dream turned, she pulled back and her gaze was met with red eyes. He gripped her tight, bruising her skin with the force. She screamed trying to pull away, it’s no use though. She was too weak in his grasp, unable to run away. The world fell away from beneath her and she awoke in the familiar bunk. She bolted up, startling Mando awake.

"What's wrong?" He asked, his voice a mix of sleep and panic. She was choking on sobs and shaking uncontrollably. Hearing this woke him up entirely. He pulled her into his arms and gently stroked her hair. "Shh… it's okay sweet girl… you're safe. It was just a dream."

She buried her face, her voice muffled by his shoulder, "But it wasn't… it was him…" He cradled her against his chest. He still wasn't sure what memories plagued her, but it didn't matter. She was obviously upset.

"I'm here now. I've got you. I won't let anything happen to you." He promised softly.

Jo was too delirious to process his words, but her body responded. She relaxed into him and her breathing slowed. They remained like that, her in his arms with Mando stroking her back. Once her breathing became slow and rhythmic again, he relaxed. He cradled her face with his hand as he pressed a soft kiss to her forehead.

"Ni Kelir cabour gar mesh'la." He whispered softly.

I will protect you beautiful.

Chapter 6 | Chapter 8 | Masterlist

[reginrokkr]

As you may have guessed, I had a field day the moment 「Bedtime story」 was released and as it's not so surprising of me, there is a whole lot I want to discuss about this AQ. This will be dumped under cut to hold onto the discretionary phase of the recent release of the 4.7 patch:

◜There's still hope for the two of you to reconcile. Irreparable damage has not yet been done. The Sinner you wish to know about... His situation is different. [...] His name is Vedrfolnir, "The Visionary." I'm loath to admit it, but... He is also my kin. My older brother.◞

𝐂𝐋𝐗𝐗𝐗𝐕𝐈. Finding out that not only Vedrfolnir turns out to be Dain's older brother, that he's in fact the Sinner from 「Caribert」 is very telling for a few important reasons. Number one is the fact that people who know Chinese have been saying that the description of the previous AQ that counted with Dain's participation contained a wording used for the author of Dain's introduction —a self-proclaimed prophet, or someone who knows about fate—. It gets particularly meaningful if we're to break it down now that we have this knowledge:

The confluence between the past and future. The original calamity had been overturned, yet the island in the sky set the earth to burn. Chalk pursues gold, in this time inopportune, the eclipse is swallowed by the crimson moon. The future must atone for bygone mistakes, as the bond familiar falters and breaks— of the same blood, elders and the youth... Such is the cycle of the world, in truth. Dain, what is that strand of blonde hair to you? Someone you must kill? Or the object of your penitence?

✧ If we look at the first two couple of sentences, it makes more sense that the one talking is someone who actually knows about what is happening with the world, but also with Khaenri'ah. What I want to focus on is the next line talking about the future atoning for bygone mistakes but even more interestingly yet, about the bond familiar breaking. This could be a reference of what happened between Dain and Vedrfolnir as the latter apparently betrayed the former. But we then have the last line interpellating Dain directly. People have been theorizing that this had to be about Lumine, others about another character we yet don't know or maybe we do that has a meaningful relationship with Dain— but with the new discovery of Dain having an older brother, and if he happens to have blond hair too, then it falls right in place if this is Vedrfolnir asking his brother about what he means to him. And, seeing Dain's wavering voice when calling out for Lumine when she claims that he's her enemy and his hesitation to even rise his sword at her even though it was his plan all along to make her fall in his trap, we know that even if he were to feel strongly in a negative way for another, that he's just as kind if not more— to the point that it impedes him to go through with his plans.

◜[...] He and his fellow sinners have long betrayed me, and long betrayed their nation. [...] "The Wise" Hroptatyr, "The Visionary" Vedrfolnir, "Gold" Rhinedottir, "The Foul" Surtalogi, and "Rächer of Solnari" Rerir. [...] They were once people of great esteem in Khaenri'ah, those who carried the hopes of the nation. They were the best of their peers, outstanding in their respective fields... The six of us, together... We should have been the ones to prevent the disaster, the ones to stop the Vinster King from continuing to rock the foundation of the world. Yet, deep within, the five of them craved something more. They could not resist the call of the Abyss, and divided among themselves a power that could destroy the world. So they became Sinners, but also transcendent beings, each in possession of world-shattering power. And when the cataclysm occurred, not one of them stood up in defense of their nation, not one came forward to prevent the tragedy... And for that, they shall never have my forgiveness.◞

✦ It's very interesting that, while he alongside the other five were supposed to stop the Vinster King from rocking the foundation of the world (I'll get to this later), he doesn't count himself among them. This could be because he doesn't want to put himself on the same level as them in terms of considering himself a sinner —and perhaps this is one of the things that must hurt him the most about what happened in Khaenri'ah in a personal level, to be branded as a sinner when in reality he... was looking for the good of not only the kingdom, but that of the world as well— and maybe even that he doesn't think of himself as grand as the others are. However, at the same time he must be at the same level as them in terms of having something great to offer in order to even prevent the cataclysm or stand in defense of Khaenri'ah by possibly fighting either the abyssal monsters, the gods or both. Not only that, but they must've held Dain to some level of importance as well in order for him to talk about betrayal. Because what would they care about betraying a no-one if he were one?

It's also worth noting that it is very possible that if he wanted to, he could've accepted the power of the Abyss within him and become one more of them, a transcendent being and all. But not only he didn't (and most likely the reason why the five of them didn't take him in consideration any longer), he's actively fighting it despite the corruption of half of his body and he's using a "power from beyond" that as per Skirk's words, that deserves its respect and merit. This power, as we've seen from his own uses and the small details here and there that could be a nod towards this same power as well, is in direct opposition to that of the Abyss. Moreover, Dain describes this power as a power that can defy this world [Teyvat]. So then, we have a world-shattering power [Abyss] and then a power that can defy this world [whatever Dain is using, which I'll get to later].

All in all, it's fascinating to me the sense of duty and responsibility he has for a world that he doesn't agree with due to the gods, but also love for a kingdom that he doesn't agree with either but would face the gods for because no matter how enshrouded in darkness it was, there were still innocent people who wanted nothing to do with the obsessions with the Abyss and just wanted to live a life outside the gods' gaze. And that despite arguably the world [more like the gods, but I believe it's a fair metaphor to use gods and the world given the influence the former have on the latter] betrayed him too, he's still fighting for it, its safety and its people.

✧ Next I'd like to mention Dain's not only sentience for the Ley Lines to the point where he can feel when his memory is toyed with or that there is a disruption within them, but how deeply he's intertwined to the point of actually being in pain because of it. This is important to keep in mind as it may be linked with the power Dain uses, not just because some of the characteristics that are explained in René's investigation of the Khvarena vs the Abyss, but arguably identical visuals if we're to look at the trail that Caribert's last piece of consciousness leaves behind and his power:

If the last trace of consciousness is meant to be considered as a soul, we know that Ley Lines not only carry the memories of Teyvat or the seven elements to sustain it, but souls as well. So whatever Dain's power is supposed to be in the future, I'm more confident to say that it may be linked to Irminsul and, granted that it's from "beyond this world" and if HYV wants to give a nudge towards other titles of their universe, maybe related to the Imaginary Tree, even. Because as it stands, what we saw so far about Dain's power is the manipulation of reality (taking for example the eye of the first Field Tiller and that he was able to remove it from the automaton without damaging neither the eye or the robotic case, same goes for a reasonable explanation of why Dain's been keeping the eye inside his body; he can also seize telepathically an Abyss Herald; manipulate his speed...) and outright collision with the abyssal power by negating it completely.

This is it for the small study of 「Bedtime story」 for now in regards of Dain and while I'd like to be more direct with what I want to do with his background, I'll share a couple of things that I'm still mulling for a more extended post.

✦ Given that Gold is stated to be the creator of the abyssal wolves and it's also said in 「Perinheri」 that they were actually a thing during the Crimson Moon dynasty, as there was a part of the knights that tamed them, it's safe to presume that this manner of transcendence started all the way back then. It's also possible that it happened at different timeframes, as this concerns other five four individuals, but I'm tempted to make Dain be as ancient too in his own manner of transcendence that isn't connected to the Abyss, but to Irminsul. Which is somehow ironic because so far, those stated to be prophets / saints or have some manner of visions of the future are linked to Irminsul one way or another. This same logic could, perhaps, apply to Vedrfolnir before he gave in to the Abyss.

✧ I want to continue with the main point of this blog, which was the premise of Dain being the second heir of the Gnostic Chorus (and Light Prince of 「Pale Princess and the Six Pygmies」 while the first heiress was Asmoday, also known as the Unknown God. Having an older brother doesn't erase the possibility of perhaps having others too, so based on recent thoughts about the direction I want to have with Dain, I've decided that I'll establish a sygyzy between Dain and Asmoday, where the latter is demonic whereas the former will act as the counterpart as per the Shem HaMephorash, a group of angelic opposites to the demons of the Ars Goetia. In his case, he'd have another name in a similar fashion as gods have an alternative demon name, being Vasariah —also known as archangel Zadkiel—. As established before in this blog, his life in Celestia is wiped from his memories the moment he descends to Khaenri'ah. Furthermore, as it's leaked in the continuation of the books of 「Pale Princess and the Six Pygmies」, I'd find it heavily poetic that he gets to be the one to get rid of the Abyss after all the harm it's done to Teyvat, but also to himself in a personal and familial way.

[clementine-kesh]

Who would react to Harry/Chakotay worse? Choose your fighter:

A) Janeway horrified at the fact that the man she almost became romantically involved with fucked her surrogate son and wanting to put Chakotay in the brig and lock Harry away in his quarters; She would never be able to trust Chakotay again and she would always hold it against him, would probably sell him out to the ST Command once back in the Alpha Quadrant; she would be so fucking awkward with Harry that he would want to jump out the airlock and she would try to find out if it scarred him because he was so young and pure and Harry would just be like, are you jealous because I rode his dick and you didn't, mother?

B) Tom wouldn't know if Harry chose Chakotay over him because he was a better (former) Maquis or ST officer, or because Harry had some nonexistent daddy issues that Tom made up to find out a reason why he went for him; or because Tom wasn't good enough for him so he would try to challenge Chakotay to some stupid fight or quiz or to play out some of his holonovels to see who would win, at the same time desperately trying to show Harry that he too deserves a chance but you just know how fucking pathetic he would be.

B'elanna would just think she could have gone for Chuckles when she had a chance but would pat Harry on his back; Seven would never date Chakotay since he would be in the brig all the way to the AQ and would hook up with and then date B'elanna instead, in that order, giving Janeway more reasons to change course to the black hole in the middle of the galaxy instead, since her mentee and kindred engineer friend chose each other rather than her. Tuvok would think it was all perfectly normal but he would be in shambles over janeway's mental state and he's desperately try to give her therapy so that she wouldn't kill the crew to alleviate her own levels of cringe.

SCREAM LITERALLY. what a fucking MESS