#il dottore/original female character

[boundinparchment]

Drown With the Sun (I/II)

Il Dottore's segment took care of her pain in his absence, as was his duty; Karina, as his second-in-command, returned the gesture when the segments were gone. Part 2 of The Heretic and the Forsaken series. Il Dottore/Female Original Character. On AO3 here.

Karina blinked in vain, willing away the rings around the bright lights and the agonizing pressure in her skull.  It wasn’t a surprise; she was due for her cycle and her caffeine intake dropped suddenly due to a recent schedule change.  She hadn’t slept in almost a day.

Any number of things would have triggered the pain radiating from behind her eye.  Perhaps a tiny creature had crawled through her ear to drive an ice pick into her ocular socket.  

Knowing Dottore, anything was possible.

Regardless, she still had to work and the Segment assigned to her training hammered her over and over all morning.  Questions, broken up by a sparring session.  Unrelenting.

Just like their confrontation in Fontaine.

Worse, actually.

Or maybe that was the pain talking.

White light exploded when something blunt and solid smacked her ribcage, her diaphragm spasming as her body forgot how to breathe.  Her knife clattered to the stone floor.  More pain seared across her being.  A problem for when her brain didn’t feel like it was trying to escape her skull.  She vaguely thought about a bruise until the pain found the rhythm of her pulse, pounding.

Winded, Karina’s vision cleared for a second to reveal a familiar black and white mask and red eyes.

The younger version of Dottore rolled his eyes and dismissed his training claymore with a wave of his hand.  Most knew him as a catalyst user but if she was to serve him as Warden,, she needed to learn and understand his methods of close quarter combat.  Or so Prime insisted, much to Karina’s and the Segment’s disappointment.

“What is wrong with you, chevalière?  You didn’t even move,” the Segment snapped.  “Don’t tell me your brain has been replaced with a Cryo slime.”

“That’d be your dream come true, wouldn’t it?” Karina muttered.

“Not particularly.  You’re ever so slightly above average intelligence usually.  Would be a shame to lose that.”

Always so charming, Karina thought, pushing away the urge to frown.

Her blood pressure finally dropped a little and she could no longer hear the blood rushing in her ears.  But the pickaxe behind her eye remained, chipping away at her optic nerve, and was beginning to sink into her jaw.  Breathing still hurt and made it all the worse.  If she moved, her vision swam and the pain increased again.  

“Usually you’ve already attacked in return and would have tried going for my jugular like they taught you.  You’re efficient.  And yet you stall.  Did you not see me, chevalière?”

The Segment approached in three quick strides and ducked a little, his head cocked to the side.  He kept his arms folded behind his back.  Karina held his gaze but he broke away first, crimson eyes roaming her face.  

“When was the last time you slept?”

“Day before last.  You’ve been keeping me here.”

“You’ve been compensating with caffeine, no doubt.”

“What other choice did I have?”

A bright light blinded her for a second and she flinched.  Her shoulders curled forward as she pressed a palm to her eye, swallowing the whimper that clawed at her throat.

“We’re done for the day.  Come with me.”

Karina’s covered eye watered against her hand.  The light sensitivity was bad but he may as well have stabbed her.  Everything swam again for a second before she fell into step behind the Segment.  Instead of leading her out of the basement and back to the surface, Karina followed him through a door and down a corridor; he was never far from her, and even seemed to impatiently wait for her.

The room they arrived in would have been sprawling if not for the cluttered bookshelves and mismatched furniture littered with equipment and various pieces of machinery.

“Sit.”

A white gloved hand pointed to a sofa on the far wall and his tone left no room for negotiation.  Karina complied, the firm cushions hardly giving way under her weight.  Hardly used.  Or perhaps simply a new replacement.

The Segment adjusted the lights, dimming them without hindering his ability to see, and then went about searching through a few cabinets near the door after shedding his coat.  He seemed to be gathering a few items and distantly, Karina thought a fatal experiment would at least likely end the pain.  Little could be worse than it already was, in her opinion.

Out of the corner of her eye as she scanned the room, she thought she saw a flash of fur.  No.  Maybe just some discarded material.  It hurt to have her eyes open but hallucinations weren’t one of her usual symptoms.

And then the weird fluff appeared at the Segment’s feet.  Roughly the size of a toddler, the creature stood on two legs and had tiny clawed hands and a fluffy tail, not unlike the raccoons that darted through Fontaine’s forests.  It was white, no , light blue, and when it turned its head to her, Karina had to squint to confirm the singular eye and beak centered in its black-furred face.

It tugged on the Segment’s pant leg and pointed, chittering.  Karina winced at the sound.  What other abominations were kept down here?

Karina only caught a clipped, “Behave.  Prime doesn’t need to know,” before the Segment returned, one hand full of fluid bags and the other guiding an IV pole in place.  The little blue creature pushed the base, as if helping.

“This is Prime’s private office but what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him,” the Segment explained, casting a glare down.

The creature shrunk, as if ashamed, before it turned its attention to Karina.  It was cute, she acquiesced, but not in the way that children’s toys were often adorable and pleasant; the single eye and the sharp claws tore that image away instantly.  Slowly, the little thing stepped forward, hands patting Karina’s boots; before she could reach down, the creature was pulling at the buckles.

“Remove your boots and your jacket, chevalière.  Extend your left arm when you’re finished.”

Karina made quick work of her boots and coat, or as quick as one could be when every movement made the pounding that much worse.  The creature sniffed her hand all the while, a few sounds escaping its beak.  Soon enough, it nuzzled itself against her right hip on the couch.  Karina hesitantly reached out and stroked the oddity, finding its fur soft and clean.

For a moment, her eyes traced the soft curls framing the Segment’s mask.  Was his hair as soft as this?  Was Prime’s?

When she didn’t extend her arm quick enough, gloved hands took her arm and arranged it over the arm of the couch.  Experienced fingers poked and prodded, searching for a vein.

“Pay that thing no mind,” the Segment said.  “It’s a troublemaker, much worse than the younger branches.  No cognitive growth.  It’ll bite you just as much as it’ll demand to share a space with you.”

Next to her, Karina felt the vibrations of a growl.  Or the bird equivalent of such a noise.  The sound stopped when she gently used her fingertips to rub the spot between its ears, just above its eye.

“You’ll feel a little burning at the injection site but it eases once you’re asleep.”

“Wait, what are you—?”

Karina went to pull her arm away but the Segment was quicker, hand pinning her arm to the couch.  He held her in place with just enough pressure for her knee-jerk reaction to ease, a silent plea to think rather than react.

“A painkiller and something to help you sleep.  Standard compounds they’d give you in the infirmary.  Unless you’ve forgotten that it would be quite foolish, idiotic even, for me to kill you.  Prime wants you alive to investigate your Vision.  I’m hardly going to interfere with that wish.  Some of the pain is likely withdrawal, given your caffeine intake as of late,” the Segment explained.  “This won’t help with the inevitable nausea but you should sleep through most of it.”

Through unfocused vision, Karina met the Segment’s gaze again, garnet gem burning in the low light.  Despite his obscured features, there was a certainty in the set of his shoulders and a thin line of the corner of his mouth; he meant every word.  And even this Segment, as much as he bickered with his creator, always obeyed the larger picture.  

Potentially one of the few with an inch of self-awareness.

Fine.  Not like she had much of a choice to begin with.  And she would have a hell of a time making it back to her quarters right now.

Karina nodded and then closed her eyes, leaning back against the couch as the hand on her arm relaxed.

“Did he make this thing?” she asked, stroking the soft fur on her right.

“Yes and no,” the Segment explained as he found a vein and tied a tourniquet.  “Lord Pantalone was, for a time, invested in children’s toy manufacturing; he needed designs that were unique and charming.”

A cool swab was brushed across her elbow before she felt the pinch of the needle.  The Segment attached the IV valve and the pain eased as it was taped down.  He continued to speak as he prepped the rest of the painkillers and attached the lines.

“Prime came up with the prototype for an animatronic companion, complete with its own nervous system, but it happened to be too close by during a Segment creation.  One of his youngest selves ended up in the creature.  Needless to say, the line of toys was never created.”

As if on cue, the creature wiggled its way onto her lap and nestled against her, arms out in a hug.  For a monstrous thing, it was relatively friendly.  For now.

“So technically, it’s just like you?”

The Segment opened the line and the drip of painkillers began, Karina’s arm immediately searing as soon as the concoction met her bloodstream.  She bit the inside of her cheek and fought to keep her arm relaxed.  At this point, what was more pain?

He’d done it on purpose though.  Gone was the steadfast dedication to removing her pain and in its place was the familiar haughtiness and arrogance.  At least he’d gone back to normal.

“In the crudest sense, yes, if you must phrase it that way,” the Segment rested a fist on his hip, the corner of his mouth set into a scowl.  “In actuality, myself and the others are far more complex and expensive in both resources and physicality.”

The little creature shuffled and turned around, hind feet on Karina’s thighs, eye narrowed.  It waved its arms around and continued its screeching.  She’d heard similar sounds from playful foxes, now that she heard more out of the creature.

“Oh, stop it, she’s fine,” the Segment barked out.

More chittering.  Karina winced when the creature hit a high sound.

“Ridiculous.  You should be quite thrilled you get as much freedom as you do, fluffball.  Do as you wish; Prime will be upset regardless.”

She opened one eye when the weight on her lap relented and she heard the tapping of claws against the flagstone.  When Karina flicked her gaze to the Segment, she found him with crossed arms and his eyes watching the blue monster toddling around in search of something.

“He’s outside of the Segment network,” was the only explanation she received.  “Unbeholden to Prime in the same way.  He has the most freedom but he lacks every opportunity to grow.  Forever stunted, stuck before…”

He clicked his tongue and gave a sardonic scoff.

“Forget it.  I’ll notify Prime of your situation.  Sleep it off and be prepared to make up for the lost time as soon as you’re functional again.”

The Segment was gone in a blur of long legs, only stopping to grab his coat and shout something at the creature that was now buried, face first, into a nearby chest.  The door slammed shut, rattling Karina’s aching skull.

She settled back onto the sofa, rearranging herself so she laid lengthwise across the surface.  Compared to her, Dottore no doubt had to let his feet dangle off the arm of the couch if he didn’t curl up; she barely fit as it was and she was still several inches shorter than her superior.  

Karina found a way to lay her arm to prevent the tubes from being tangled and just as she settled, she heard scurrying and felt the little blue monster return.  Out of the corner of her eye, she caught little arms unfolding a blanket and flapping it out, trying to drape it over her.  It gave a huff of dissatisfaction and finished the job by wriggling up the length of the couch and bringing the edge of the blanket with it.

Once it found a comfortable position, she felt a final sigh more than she heard it and closed her eyes.  Whatever the medication didn’t help, sleep would, even if she was going to be covered in blue fur at the end of it all.

Absolute waste of time.  Another meeting that could have been a written missive.  Hours upon hours spent talking about procedure and policy rather than actual plans.  Tartaglia could not seem to unglue his eyes from the Captain long enough to give a status report and Pantalone reminding them all of correct expense reports did not make for a productive, informative, morning.

Dottore’s footfalls were heavy as he strode through the upper levels of the lab, teeth clenched every time someone waited too long to get out of his path.  He’d spent too long around people, around useless pieces of dross, and now he had to make up for it.  His Segments only helped so much, especially when he was in charge of the technology needed for the excursions into the Chasm and the far reaches of the desert.  Parts of his network were too quiet, another abnormality; that did not occur on its own without good reason.

As soon as he finally arrived down in the basements and crossed the threshold into his private retreat, Dottore, prime and divisible only by himself, discovered the reason.

The Fontaine chevalière, curled up, one arm peeking out from a blanket attached to a half-empty IV line.  Dottore’s eyes narrowed behind his mask as he caught sight of a familiar set of ears, his fluffy mistake of a Segment nestled against the woman in the same way it often demanded to with his creator.

He ran his tongue over his back teeth before he quietly crossed the room, reading the label on the bag of fluids.  Painkiller and sleeping aid.  She hadn’t needed either one in months, not since before she left for training, before she was thrust into her new position as his second-in-command.  Or she would be, if she ever learned to take care of herself.

Dottore dropped his gaze and traced his eyes over the darkened circles beneath her eyes and her too-dry lips.  She loved using that mouth of hers almost as much as she did her blade.  The Harbinger might have found her retorts annoying if not for the fact that she often provided a different perspective; his colleagues only ever opened their mouths to drive home needless sharp barbs.  She at least pressed to make a point.

The very thing that almost got her killed not once, but twice.

Would she ask a third time?

After all, so many things in Teyvat came in groups of three…

His fingers twitched when his hand hovered over her hair and he pulled away.  She’d only been here close to a year.  And yet the silence when she was asleep, out of sight…deafening.  That hadn’t been the case at first; he’d previously been overwhelmed by intrigue, wondering how a single person ever ended up with a dormant Vision opposed to an empty one, impressed marginally by the willpower it took to keep going after the world took everything away…

That ache in his chest did not belong.  If he could rip out his heart and survive, like his Segments could, he would tear the thing from his ribcage to make this sensation stop.

A bleary eye opened and blinked at him, as red as his own; the creature at least had the understanding to recognize this was not the norm, curling slightly in embarrassment and burying its face against Karina’s collarbone.

It was comfortable with her.  He could not recall ever being so, not at that age, not even with his own parents.

When Dottore didn’t shoo it away, the not-Segment pulled Karina’s arm around it and nestled back into place.

How curious.

The Harbinger reached out and swept away a stray lock of hair.  Karina didn’t stir, her facial muscles not recognizing the touch at all.  The sedative was powerful, certainly; he’d used it enough times to know its potency.

For a moment, he contemplated his options.  Waking the chevalière was pointless since she would barely be able to walk.  Bringing her back to her own quarters himself would raise too many questions.  And moving her at all would wake the hybrid creature and Dottore was in no mood to deal with the screeching and cackling.

Why he’d chosen a fox and a raven as the original inspiration for the prototype, he could not recall.  A mistake, in hindsight.

“If it keeps you all quiet…” he muttered.

The Doctor tugged on his ascot and unfastened his jacket, discarding both on the desk.  He adjusted his gloves before leaving the room, intent on finding another distraction that did not involve dark hair and eyes the color of spring grass.

When he rounded the corner, he came face to face with the Segment in charge of her training, the one that he often wished had killed the woman laying in the other room.  In an instant, his hand shot out and grabbed its throat as Dottore shifted his weight to press the Segment against the nearest wall.

“Never.  Again.  She does not belong in my private office.”

“And yet you left her there, Zandik,” the Segment smiled, pointed teeth bared.  “There’s something beyond curiosity with her.  She’s tenacious, persistent.  Few have continued on when all of life is against them.”

He squeezed harder and the Segment only laughed.

“She needed to rest.  I could not train her in that state.  It was a matter of convenience and will not happen again.”

“See that it doesn’t.”

His hand muscles flexed and when he felt the synthetic flesh give underneath his fingers, the Harbinger let go.  The Segment grunted and shook its head, skin already marred and bearing a handprint.

When she was finally gone and the little creature had burrowed into the blanket left behind somewhere else in the laboratory, Dottore plucked the pillow from the couch and held it to his face, inhaling imported shampoo and spun sugar.  Always sweet, as if she spent her free time in the kitchens rather than on the sparring mats with that other survivor, Volkov.

His chest tightened and his heart jumped.  Mere conditioning.  She was one of the few who kept up with him, truly met him blow for blow, knew the cruelest facets of the world and yet rose up and demanded another punch from fate itself.

He threw the pillow into the nearest furnace and the sofa was gone by morning.

[sodalitea]

II - Miracles of the White Nights [Il Dottore x Reader/OC]

You can read the fanfiction on AO3: Miracles of the White Nights -chapter II

I've finally managed to complete this chapter! It's been four months so I don't know if anyone still remembers this work, but here is the first chapter.

Contains: slow paced development of main characters' relationship, bickering, slight angst, domestic Dottore, romantic tension, non sexual massage, Genshin man x oc (can be perceived as reader insert) Content warning: cussing as the chapter starts, mentions of experimenting on animals Summary: Marie approaches Zandik as he asked. Their meeting may not have the smoothest course, but it's rewarding regardless. What's needed to be done, is done - the masterminds are making plans for the future. A glimpse of intent is almost palpable, but no one will speak about it.

[ellalalala]

Let It Through

Tags: Il Dottore/OC, Il Dottore x Female Original Character, half-assed hurt/comfort, pre-relationship, slightly iffy dynamic, suicidal thoughts

A/N: No, I've never written for my OC and yes, only 3 people in total know her name. I'll dedicate a separate post to her eventually but for now I wanted to put this out because I needed Dottore to do The Thing (be somewhat nice) for personal reasons. Not proofread. Title comes from this song.

"Why are you here?"

Eir sat on the windowsill when Dottore approached, her eyes glued to the snowstorm outside Zapolyarny palace. The sky was pitch black and there was hardly anything of note to witness - not in the snowy wastelands of Snezhnaya - not like in Sumeru.

"Where else would I go?"

Dottore exhaled softly. "You are not my prisoner. Quit acting like one."

How could she, when it felt as if this was exactly what she had been reduced to? Now her life had lost its meaning, now she had been stripped of everything that defined her. There was nothing left.

Eir pulled her knees to her chest, wrapped her arms around them to make herself appear smaller. She had no interest in talking to him - but to her dismay, Dottore didn't share that sentiment.

He sat on the opposite side of the windowsill and asked, "what ails you so?"

Everything. My existence - lonely and miserable, the past, the present, you.

The words were on the tip of her tongue, threatening to spill, but Eir could never say them aloud. It hurt less when the truth was concealed from the rest of the world; when the reality of things was known to none but herself. Were she to express what she felt now, Eir would be overtaken by sorrow far worse than any curse inflicted upon her by Celestia.

Besides, Dottore would never understand. They were fundamentally different people - he did not share her pain nor had he seen what she saw so long ago. It was easier, Eir realized, to stay quiet and unassuming.

"Trivial matters," she murmured, "nothing of importance to you."

"You speak with little conviction." Dottore remarked. Irritating man. Could he not leave her alone? Eir peeked at him from the corner of her eye and found him without his tailcoat. The sleeves of his blue dress shirt were rolled up to his elbows and he appeared as relaxed as could be, but that intricate mask of his remained fixed to his face. Whatever could be so despicable, Eir wondered, what could you possibly hide?

"Perhaps that's what you want to believe."

"I am not in the habit of deluding myself with wishful fantasies. You stubbornly refuse to tell me the truth. Why is that?"

Eir spat, "why would I tell it to you?"

"Unless you have other options, I don't see why you wouldn't."

"I would sooner seek solace from the Regrator than I would from you."

Dottore gritted his teeth. "You-"

"Look," Eir breathed, frustration bubbling in her chest. "I am in no mood to bicker with you. If you have nothing good to say, let me be alone; I could use the silence."

All was quiet. Eir's eyes remained trained on the view outside the window as she desperately ignored the wild beating of her heart. She could imagine the angry scowl on his face; for Dottore despised rejection, especially from those he deemed beneath him. Surely, even with her privileges, Eir could not get away with this...

But Eir's thoughts were interrupted by the feel of a gentle palm on her knee, the sound of Dottore shifting until he sat unbearably close.

"I cannot fault you for being distrustful of me, however you must understand that I will not harm you in any way. If there is something that troubles you, tell me so this instant; I only wish to help."

Eir regarded him with a surprised glance. As her frustration melted into longing, she considered giving in, allowing the truth to pour from her mouth until there was nothing left to say.

But she would be crossing the line. There would be no coming back if she told him - Dottore must have been aware of that, too. And yet... Eir could continue to push him away for as long as she desired but he would keep coming back to her anyway; trying to defy fate was a losing game.

Eir looked at his gloved hand on her knee, the beak-shaped mask he refused to discard and thought, just this once. Just once and never again. So she said:

"I'm tired of always losing: my family, my nation, my friends. Everything I love is always taken from me. The only person who could understand my feelings," she inhaled shakily, "left me without a second thought. Now I have nothing but the grief I have carried for five hundred years and I don't know what to do with it. I'm tired... I no longer yearn for the past but for the eternal slumber which I was robbed of."

Her lips trembled as she spoke, and ignoring Dottore's gaze, she continued, "I don't know what else is left. I miss being young; I miss having hope. I was so good once, do you know? I was a good alchemist, a good student. Now I am half human, half monster, with nothing to show for myself but all the pain Celestia gave me."

She touched the rough scars on her cheek as if by instinct. Memories of scorching sands and sharp claws tearing through her skin clouded Eir's mind.

"Is this what I was born for?" She asked softly. "Is this all I'll ever be?"

Now her secrets had been laid bare for Dottore to use as he wished. He would think her weak. He wouldn't understand the depth of her despair - how it had fused with the blood in her veins until Eir couldn't tell who she was without it.

The weight on her knee was no more. Eir looked at Dottore to find him taking the mask off his face with careful hands. Before long, she was met with a pair of bright ruby eyes, furrowed brows, and-

"Let your scars be proof of what you have endured but never allow them to dictate what you are." He spoke solemnly. Eir's breath hitched as she gazed at him, wide-eyed, as his words slowly sank in.

All she could see were his scars. He has them, too. That's what he has been hiding all along. Why? What happened to him? What has he endured?

There was a long, ragged scar that fell across the bridge of his nose. Another thinner scar on his forehead, which reached his hairline and disappeared there, between the long cyan strands of hair that framed his face. A faded scar on his cheekbone, one more on his temple - they were littered on the upper half of his face as if someone had deliberately wounded him.

Eir would have touched them, if she could.

"You cannot give up; not until every last leaf on the Irminsul tree has been burned and the wretched island in the sky has been brought down to earth. You," Dottore fixed her with a stare so grave that Eir was rendered breathless, "cannot give up. Do you understand?"

"I know," she whispered. It didn't take much thinking to understand what Dottore tried to convey with this dramatic display: I have lived through terrible things, too, but look at what I have done with myself. If I could, so can you.

Did it look so simple to him? Did he truly assume that she hadn't tried before, again and again? This was all the proof she needed: Dottore would never fully grasp what Eir felt. Irminsul, Celestia- these things hardly mattered to her. She did not care if the palace burned with her in it. Her life, Teyvat itself - things that had become inconsequential with the agonizingly slow passage of time.

"You will find meaning again," said Dottore, and somehow, these were the most comforting words she heard all night. Eir blinked rapidly so as to not make a complete fool of herself - Tsaritsa knows she could never live this down.

Dottore took her left hand in his - the one painted midnight blue and adorned with bright purple veins. She could not feel his touch there; but when he tilted his head down to press a tender kiss to her knuckles, Eir swore that her skin felt like it was on fire.

He looked at her once more, with eyes like the trishiraite that she had studied so long ago. In those eyes swirled sincerity, understanding, a promise of something that was still out of Eir's reach.

For now, this would have to suffice.

[akirawrites24]

Father, Mother and Daughter

More coming soon

[hiperacid2]

Baby, wish that you would hold me or just say that you were mine⭒──⚝

⚝ dottore x oc / reader if you can ignore my OCs physical description

⚝ pre-relationship, mostly some kind of fluff, angst if you squint at the end, written for valentines 2023, some descriptions of blood and violence but nothing too graphic. posted on ao3 too! wc: 2.2k aprox

Valentines day is known as the day where love is in the air, where everyone also celebrates their Archons love, even if it's frozen forever.

However, in the castle this is like any other day, everyone works just as much as yesterday and tomorrow, some people gift each other chocolates, yes, but the work never stops, the only person who celebrates this holiday fully is Her Majesty's daughter, gifting her unusual little family of harbingers some of the finest chocolates in all the land, some of them even imported from all over Teyvat. Theres a singular person who receives special treatment apart from Tsaritsa, and it's the one who absolutely despises these "holidays", and spends it holed up in the labs, Dottore.

It's not that he hates it per se, it's the fact that he was almost never included sincerely, he had received chocolates during his akademiya days but it was all people that whenever they got to meet the reality disappeared from his life or started to alienate him.

He really didn't expect the turn that day took, well, he should have since he knew from what the segments experienced, some day the girl was going to do a bold move, he just wasn't expecting her to do it so soon.

Vera hummed a Snezhnayan lullaby as she walked from her office to the harbingers ones, handing in little baskets with chocolate arrangements, varying from extra sweet, white and pink ones for her dear auntie Columbina, to dark concentrated bitter for the Balladeer who almost looked at her like she was pulling a prank, until she flipped one of the tags and he saw it was bitter and not sweet. Pantalone received exotic fruits from all over Teyvat covered in chocolate, ideal for his teas, and in exchange the man shot her a suspicious glare as if the were poisoned. Sandrone didnt like chocolates so she arranged a bouquet of mondstatian flowers, Pulcinella never accepted her gifts, and Capitano rejected only the chocolates, so she resorted to gift him weaponry she caught whenever she is raiding big fishes or finds them in her victims. This year Arlecchino was in the orphanage managing things so she sent her gifts there with all sorts of new knives and snacks. She avoided Pierro like the plague, either way the man didnt want her gifts, and she didnt think he really deserves any.

The only basket left in her office was a slightly bigger one than the rest, full of Sumerian snacks, ruin drake cores, and all sorts of poisonous plants carefully sorted in little jars, labeled in Vera's penmanship. This year she was going to make her advances towards the resident madman, the challenge would be finding Prime, and avoiding the segments with their questions or teasing, hardly happens but its a possibility. 

Picking up the basket, she exited her office and started her way towards the basement labs thinking about his reaction, usually she gave her gifts to the first segment she came across, to be delivered to Prime, so this was going to be a completely new experience.

The jars clinking were the only sound heard in the deserted corridors, almost no one frequented this place for fear of catching the man in a bad mood and ending as a lab rat, so she was sure he was already aware of someone coming, the imposing metal doors at the end growing in size. It was a good thing she wasn't really nervous, just curious, as she stopped in front of them and raised a hand to knock on it. Knock knock. Silence engulfed the space, no sound coming from behind the doors. Vera knocked once again and still no response. Opening the heavy door, the space was littered with half finished weapons, there was a corpse laying in a bed impossible to miss for her even with a large cloth over it, and a lot of things she had never seen. There was a wooden door in a corner, probably his office, once again the jars clinked as she walked and shifted the basket in her hands. Looking around, carefully dodging papers and machinery pieces on the floor, she made her way towards the door, and knocked twice firmly, suddenly, nervousness overtook her, but it was too late for backing down, so she waited, until a muffled voice said "Come in".

Breathing in, she pushed the door open, and gently closed it once inside the room. "Good afternoon Doctor." she paused, looking at the man who was still reading some papers "I wanted to give you your Valentines gift, if you are so kind as to accept it. ". The man now was looking at her, she didn't see his eyes, but felt his gaze trying to pin her in her place. "My, this year I'm graced by the Innamorati herself in the flesh", standing up, and circling the desk covered in strewn papers. "I'm not here as Innamorati, but as Vera." she looked at the basket in her hands. 

"And what is Vera doing this year here in my office?" He paused, still analyzing the woman, trying to make her crack and show fear to no avail, her strawberry colored hair shining pale in the artificial lights, "Usually some segment comes around with a basket of snacks, why the change of heart, sweetie?" he sat on the surface of the desk, letting out a sardonic laugh "don't tell me that some segment treated you badly, Tsaritas precious gem".

"No, Dottore, no segment treated me badly", she raised her eyebrow, annoyed, "Cant I bring you personally a gift now?". Now this was interesting, if he was going to play it like this, she was going to go lower. The little important detail is that she couldn't play like she wanted to in unknown territory, and damage was done letting her annoyance show, she just couldnt slip back into sweetheart without the Second taking note of it. "Either way I thought a little walk hurts nobody", she looked around, "unless I'm interrupting your important work" gripping the handle, she started to bounce on her feet lightly. "I hope this basket is to your liking, there's some… things in there, see it for yourself", she walked towards the desk, and put it over a pile of papers, balancing precariously. He was still looking at her, silent, no trace of emotion about the gift anywhere, until suddenly, he smiled, all pointed tooth on display,  this was the closest Vera got to him in her whole life, and she already wanted to feel his blood on her hands, caress his organs and taste just a drop of his blood. Her eyes darkened, and the usual bloodlust that surrounded her started to make itself known, but he had no opportunity to catch this as she immediately closed her eyes and turned her head to look at him, "I really hope you accept this gift, I would hate for the belladona i carefully collected to go to waste," a pause, letting him butt in if he wanted to, but cutting him, "Unless I can offer you to be myself the belladonna, specifically yours, don't you like to play with toys, Doctor?" a manicured hand came up swiftly, like dancing, to rest over where his heart should be. "I sure like to play myself with some hearts, literally speaking" She then traced the point of the birdlike mask, "after all I only have eyes for one person" carefully measured words were all she had in mind, thats what working closely with pantalone gifts you.

Dottore let her get closer, it was entrancing how the innocent look she had was betrayed by the sudden hunger in the acidic green pools, made him wonder how far he could drag it out, the innocent devotee with bloodlust. Naturally he knew about Vera having interest in him, Pantalone never shut up about it, how the snake's eyes followed him every time they were all reunited in the throne room, or they crossed paths in his office. But true to his nature, he was going to come out with the lower hand, if she was stooping to his level, might as well go lower and send the little cute snake back into the bushes. He was still smiling maniacally, and when her finger reached the point of the mask, he pushed against her finger, half raising it, letting a piercing red eye look at her directly, “Oh? Do you?” Something dangerous twinkled in that gaze, his only visible eye narrowing “Do I know them? Him? Her?” he lightly pushed off her hand, but didnt let it go, his other hand coming to fix the mask over his face once again, as if she hadn't just seen for the first time in her life Prime Dottores face. “Maybe your uncles need to know about them, after all, you’re the princess of the land”, he looks at the basket, “Should you really be gifting these things to me and not your beloved?”. 

Oh, so that was the game he wanted to play, “I don't know, do you?” Her free hand touched her chin in a pensive gesture, now that she knew the general place in which his eyes were, she was looking straight at him. “As for the gifts, I would be really sad if the things my assistant brought aaaalllll the way from Sumeru and went through all the trouble that is avoiding the forest rangers nagging went bad” Her hand brought up a vial full of kalpalata lotus petals between them, placing them back in the basket, and then taking out some chaos bolts, making them spin in a bubble made with her vision, "I can always give these parts to Sandrone to put them on Katya, and I'm sure 'Bina will always welcome the snacks from me" the bubble popped and the bolt fell on her hand, to be placed back in the basket, looking back at his eyes "Would you really make the Princess upset?" Her eyes turned glassy, but the void was always present, not even the fake moisture could give those orbs some shine, "What would Pierro say about it?" His lips twitched, he was about to crack and she will drink his reaction like the most expensive firewater in existence, all of it, to be remembered forever. She raised her hand to her forehead and put the final nail in the coffin, grabbing the wrist of his hand that still held her arm "Oh! Poor Vera! Dottore rejected the gift she made with all her heart and now she's sad and miserable, that good girl does not deserve that kind of harsh treatment!".

In a blink she was in previously Dottores place against the desk, his hand on her jaw, pressing her cheeks, the cold leather from his free hand contrasting with the warm one still holding her arm, and now it was her turn to grin mischievously, her next movements were slow, after all she was in a big disadvantage, and wasn't free from punishment if the Second saw it fit, even if it was to spite her. She raised her hand in surrender, but he was still holding her in her place, his anger filling the air with tension, "Okay, I get it, no Pierro then, I don't even like the man either way" her hand coming to disarm her vision at her hip, to enhance the point of no harm, she knew parting with her vision like that was dangerous, but she trusted him in a sick way of knowing he would not risk harm to her on behalf of her Mother. Vera risked losing her hand literally and once again put it over his heart, "I know you know, I'm sure Pantyman got a kick of getting on your nerves by telling my business, two birds one shot" she rolled her eyes, "As I said when I first came, I just wanted to bring the gift myself this year instead of sending it through Omega who frequents the corridors of the offices doing all your socials" his hand relents and releases her, "give the man a break and go take some sun yourself, old man", she takes back her hand and pushes herself away from the desk  "maybe I want to sneak a glance without having to pester the resident mora snake when I catch wind of you being outside the basement".

Clipping back her vision to her belt, looking at the man that now towers over her; she fixes his mask that was crooked from the fast movement, and carefully fixes a stray strand of hair. Without saying anything else, Vera exits the office and makes her way to the corridors, leaving behind a very confused Dottore.

reblogs are appreciated!!

a/n: if you have any questions about Vera, ask away! I'm happy to talk about my baby, my golden child with bloodied hands.

do not repost or translate. this work belongs to hiperacid2

[julietcaesar]

Are you...

a native English speaker?

a Genshin Impact fan?

interested to try your hand at editing?

If all these points are about you, will you be my husband editor?

I'd like to translate my story into English, but since English is not my native language, I'm having some difficulty writing natural text.

Below I propose to read the second chapter of my story (Please check the previous post for Chapter 1). Please let me know if you are interested in improving this text, fixing errors and making it more lively. Of course, I'll add you to co-authors if you want 🖤

I'm waiting for you, my ideal editor!

Chapter 2 (Please check the previous post for Chapter 1)

Sheeps and Wolves

Childe can’t live without battles and victories. And it doesn't matter over whom - over the enemy or a woman's heart. The harder it is, the sweeter the taste of victory, right? But Childe does not like stuffy rooms and halls. He feels much more confident in open areas, in the wild. It was not for nothing that their first kiss happened in nature - at the edge of the winter forest.

Upon arriving at Snezhnaya after yet another long-running mission, Child received the latest news. At the court of the Tsaritsa, it was decided to arrange a real winter hunt: with tracking down the beast, greyhounds and "killing innocent souls", as Celestine called it. Child could not bear to see how Celestine faithfully followed her patroness, despite the fact that the enterprise itself was unpleasant to her. To drag a girl into such a tedious and disgusting activity as winter hunting is a dubious matter. Frost, forest drifts and a scorching wind on the plains that rip off the skin... The Tsaritsa, on the contrary, didn’t noticethe refusal of her interests by favorite, which caused a pleasant wave of gloating in Childe's soul. He would like Celestine to beg for real care and attention, wanted to show her what a stupid chicken she looked like from the outside, slavishly trailing behind her benefactor, earning trust points and new privileges. But it’s all in vain, and her age will come to an end, as it was with many girls before.

The halt station at the edge of the forest, from where it was decided to start looking for the beast, consisted of several huge sledges, upon which hunting gear and provisions were placed. Trackers were sent who, if successful, would quickly return to the halt and lead the beaters and shooters behind them. Childe volunteered to be the first tracker, not wanting to chill by the fire. Unfortunately, apart from hare and fox tracks, he could not find anything. How surprised he was when, after an unsuccessful combing of the area, he discovered that the halt had managed to completely depopulate. Feeling that the human spirit had disappeared from this place, a pack of wolves appeared from the forest, studying the abandoned halt from afar. But it was not the distant backs of wolves that disturbed Childe, but vague conjectures.

Celestine would hardly have dared to leave the halt on horseback and join the beaters and shooters. However, her horse was nowhere to be seen. Looking closer, Child suddenly realized that the bearskin, which served as a cape on the seat of the sleigh, was unnaturally bent, and seemed to be someone's shelter. Child quickly approached, and the crunch of snow under his feet caused the lump under the fur to shift and lift the edge. From under it, two azure eyes on the white sheet of the face looked hopefully.

"Please don't go," she begged him." Have you seen them? Are they still there? "

Childe hung for a few seconds and plunged into active contemplation. A moment ago, seeing her frightened eyes and hearing her trembling voice, he would have dealt with the entire wolf pack in a few seconds without hesitation. However, he had nowfound a much more rational solution.

“Yes, the wolves are still out there,” he replied.

“Oh, Archons…” Celestine wanted to hide under bearskin again.

“It's too late to run. It would be wiser not to draw attention”

Celestine immediately understood the idea and began to fidget with difficulty under the huge heavy skin, making room for another person. Child lifted the hide with ease, sat on the seat, and quickly tucked them back in. Now, being near the object of his many months of interest, this situation seemed hysterically stupid to him. Oh, if one of the harbingers could see him now, surrendering to a pack of wild animals! And Child struggled with himself, holding back his laughter and trying to keep calm. Celestine must not doubt for a second the danger of the situation! Childe was even a little ashamed of the fact that he was ready to exterminate the unfortunate wolves, who raised their terrible, blood curdling howl in such a timely manner. Thanks to their efforts, Celestine now involuntarily clung to his shoulder and latched onto the fur trim of Childe's sleeve. Her breathing was ragged, her panic rising. Suddenly, the girl began to shake so hard that she could no longer control her body.

Without asking permission, Childe released his hand from the tenacious grip, embraced her fragile shoulders and turned her towards him, pressing her tightly to his chest. Celestine could not resist and just obediently buried her nose in Childe's fur collar. The bearskin smelled nauseating. But at the same time, Child had a fragrant mop of hair under his nose – Celestine's little fur hat was knocked off her head. Childe tried in a comradely way to stroke the shoulders of the poor girl, who visibly calmed down in his arms. Another long howl – and hersmall hands appeared on his chest, on which his large palm immediately fell, raking them together. For a moment, Childe experienced a surge of satisfaction from the realization of the complete power over the life of this creature, defenseless, like a newborn kitten.

"Why has everyone left you here all alone, Celestine?" Childe asked her with sympathy in his voice. The transition to "you" happened easily and naturally.

"They said..." Celestine's voice trembled. She almost sobbed, like a small child who was forgotten by negligent guardians.

"... they said that an elk was somewhere very close ... And that they would b-be b-back very qui-quickly..."

Childe's heart was jubilant, listening to her sobs and her attempts to suck in the bubbling snot into her nose.

“You did well for not running anywhere, but hiding. It was the right decision. Where is your horse?"

“She ran away as soon as she heard the howl”

“But why didn't they tie her bit?”

“They tied it… But she jerked so hard that she broke the tree branch, although it looked so strong, and…”

Child did not let her finish. Squeezing the girl's shoulders and bending down to her face, he pressed his lips to her cold, wet cheek, salty from tears. Celestine sighed loudly and, unable to move away, tried to turn away from the Harbinger, which only aggravated the situation: now Childe's lips are moving under her earlobe. The girl cringes in an attempt to "squeeze out" his face, but his face is already in front of hers! At the same moment, a man's hand slightly pulls her lower jaw, and her mouth opens to meet his hot tongue. This game with her face is so unpredictable, cunning and fast that Celestine feels like a weak-willed rag doll-puppet, unable to predict the next movement of the Harbinger and resist it.

Child's second hand moves from her shoulder to her waist, methodically massaging it through the tight fabric of the fitted jacket. Feeling that Celestine is now completely humiliated, Child moves his other hand to her waist, not afraid that the she will back away from the kiss. Celestine does not resist: she must be too tired from the emotional stress experienced, and now she is exhausted by these pleasant strokes. Now both of his palms move in time with each other, as if wanting to gently raise and lower her fragile body again. Rubbing rough gloves against the fleecy fabric of her jacket creates intense heat,as if the clothes were about to catch fire.

A sharp realization of what is happening pours the girl with ice water.

“Stop, stop…” she manages to say, shaking her head as Childe recoils for a moment from her overly kissed lips.

Childe freezes and does not know exactly how to react to her, because in the semi-darkness created by their shelter one can hardly make out facial features.

"Enough," Celestine begs gravely as Child tries to get closer again.

"Enough for what? "He asks slyly and expects to hear from her lips at least a small opinion about what happened.

“Does it look like they’ve already left?” Celestine listens to the silence behind their hiding place.

Childe doesn't need to be told twice. Every warrior knows that a lost battle does not mean a lost war. Childe threw back the bear skin and surveyed the area. The wolves disappeared in an unknown direction. He pulls Celestine by the hand, simultaneously frees her from the bear dungeon.

"Let's go find your horse," Childe suggested as if nothing had happened.

Celestine hesitates, but agrees: Childe is determined to go in search and now, without a twinge of conscience, takes advantage of her helpless position: Celestine can’t be left unattended until the return of the Tsaritsa and her retinue. As soon as she got to her feet and began to get out of the sleigh, she immediately fell into strong hands, carefully lowering her onto the crumpled snow. The path along the trail of the horse took quite a bit of time and passed in complete silence. Only after Celestine adjusted the reins of the mare and caressed her, calming the animal that had fled into the nearest ravine, Child decided to continue the offensive, feeling that the fear she experienced had broken down the arrogance of the court intriguer.

"So what? Your mistress does it better, doesn't she?" He asked, grabbing the Celestine's elbow and looking into her eyes.

"I don’t know what you mean," Celestine fades away, pretending not to understand the essence of the issue.

"You do know," Childe brought their faces close again, bowed his head and began rubbing his forehead against her, butting a little.

"Don't be shy, tell me what you want. I'll do it. All you have to do is just ask and I will..."

Celestine is electrocuted and jumps away from Childe.

"If she notices, I will tell her everything and I won’t regret anything! Don`t be doubt!" Celestine has almost broken into a screech, leaving in a blind defense.

Childe has taken aback by her reaction. Had he misunderstood her nature? In any case, now is not the time to show a sour face.

"Ha-ha-ha! Well... Does that mean I just have to be extra careful next time so no one notices? "

Celestine didn't answer. The way to the halt passed in silence.

That kiss was irrevocable. Now Celestine's thoughts could not be put in order. Previously, she had hardly considered Childe as a potential lover. A pugnacious, narcissistic upstart. Yes, Child is handsome. Next to Child, she could catch a moment of sweet spasm in her lower abdomen, barely hearing him begin to tease her again and challenge her to a verbal duel. Yes, Child is funny and it’s never boring with him. But was it sane to offer herself in the first place? Never.

Ah, if she only could go back to that forest and do things differently! Then Celestine was too afraid of the sudden appearance of the Tsaritsa’s retinue. And she was also scared to death of wolves - old guests of nightmares that have haunted her since childhood. Now, having returned to the routine of her duties, it became much harder to hide the hunger. Celestine constantly frankly stared at Childe's torso. She was especially attracted by this sweet naked triangle, which she wanted to lick until she gets bored. And when she gets tired, then to go down lower and lower ... It was painful to realize that it was so close! At arm's length was everything that her dreams were focused on - both an embossed hard stomach, and everything that was hidden by the dense fabric of trousers.

She was thrown from one extreme to another. Celestine had never complained about life before, though it wasn't always easy. At least she always knew what to do and how to do it. If you want to become the best graduate of your course, you should train until the heart stops beating. If you want to have entry into the circles of the rich and powerful people, you should be interested, but unobtrusive, funny, but not stupid. This does not mean that luck will smile at you time after time. There will be injuries, and broken glass in pointe shoes, and hungry fainting. And not everyone will be led by your attempts to please him. But sometimes you're lucky, how lucky you are to be in the Tsaritsa's favor. And today Celestine's number one goal was to dutifully fulfill all the wishes of her patroness and most anticipate her mood. When the Tsaritsa is in melancholy, Celestine should be ready to mourn with her and read something from Fontaine's poetry; when the Tsaritsa is in idleness, then give herown body for use. A little self-discipline and nothing complicated. There are no uncertainties.

But the appearance of the red fox Harbinger in Celestine's life greatly unsettled her. After that incident, they mutually avoided each other. At first she wanted to tell the Tsaritsa everything, but she could not figure out how she would protect herself from mutual false denunciation. A false denunciation, meanwhile, was not something exotic. Celestine's predecessor lost her favorite status for this very reason. Then Celestine wondered if she could use her favorite tool, blackmail. She even found out if the Harbinger had a girlfriend or fiancee. Unfortunately, he did not have an official life partner, which means that she would not be able to destroy the life of the impudent one in revenge for her sleepless nights after that kiss. Finally, it even began to seem to her that Childe was waiting for thanks for the service at that edge of the forest. Yes, the danger passed her by, but he hadn’t left her there and, it seems, he was determined to stay close to the end.

All this burned with a bright flame while Childe stayed in Snezhnaya for a couple of weeks. But then the Harbinger again rushed off to distant lands, as always, leaving behind neither a rumor nor a spirit, except for a thick folder of reporting correspondence. However, Celestine had only the right to sort these folders by date and urgency, preparing them for the Tsaritsa. What was written in them, only the ruler knew.

By the time the Harbinger returned, Celestine had barely managed to quell her inner rebellion. Childe came, as he always did, bringing with him a holiday, a dashing carelessness, and a lot of funny stories that could only happen to him. But at the same time, as if at the snap of his fingers, Childe brought a chaos. Wherever he is, everything flares up again. His very first appearance in the palace after a long separation leads to the fact that after dinner, Celestine discovers Childe in her chambers. As soon as she closes the door behind her, strong arms wrap around her from behind, causing Celestine to shudder as if scalded.

“Well, are we going to pretend like nothing happened?” Childe whispers in his ear so sweetly that her legs give way.

“I don’t remember anything like that ...” Celestine’s deaf defense is lost before our eyes, her voice weakens.

“Oh? Is it possible to be so forgetful in your position?” Childe asks in surprise, with the dexterity of a magician, penetrating her heavy velvet skirt with his hand and sliding his palm between her thighs higher and higher. As it turned out, her silk panties were already soaking wet.

"Then why is it so wet in here? Maybe because someone was fidgeting on chair all over dinnerand didn’t know what to do with naughty playful eyes?"

Celestine wants to but can't resist. Rather, she wants to have the will to resist, but all she can do is just let out a heavy, desperate exhalation.

Childe pushes back the fabric of the pantieswith two fingers and spreads gently the soft pads apart. A muffled wet sound comes from under her skirt.

"Ho-ho! Have the things gone so far?" Childe can't retain his sarcasm.

"So, should I continue? Or leave you here alone?"

Celestine is extremely silent, unlike her body. Now her every word is her enemy. One word, and she gives power over herself. One word, and she voluntarily and recklessly takes a step into the maelstrom of a dangerous relationship with a male.

“So should I leave?” Childe makes a security question.

“No…” Celestine responds plaintively, almost crying.

“Tch, where are your manners, young lady? Gets the one who politely asks!”

“Please, don’t leave me,” Celestine whispers softly, as if afraid that everyone in the palace will hear it.

“Will you do whatever I ask?” Childe kisses her lightly behind the ear.

A second of hesitationhas passed.

“But with only one condition. So that she won't see the marks...” Celestine looks back over her shoulder and looks pleadingly at her tormentor.

"Promise?"

Childe's carefree face becomes unexpectedly serious.

"Don't worry, no one will know," the Harbinger whispers.

"I promise."

Childe easily picks up Celestine in his arms, moves to the sofa near the huge chest of drawers and sits down, placing his toy more comfortably on his lap. Grabbing her hips under her knees and pushing the slender legs of the former dancer to the sides (oh, how flexible and pliable they are!), Childe forces Celestine to sit down on her crotch so that any movement leads to friction of their sensitive spots, rapidly engorging with blood. Matters are aggravated by the fact that Childe straightens the skirt from under Celestine's buttocks, leaving now no barriers between the coarse fabric of his trousers and her soaked silk panties. The response is immediate. Celestine arches and, having no points of support, with all her weight tries to press against the Harbinger's cock as tightly as possible.

But this is not enough! Celestine grabs onto the fabric on the Childe's thigh and pulls it toward her clinging her crotch even closer to the Harbinger's body. With one hand Childe politely helps in her request, pulling her byher thin waist, and with other hand, he again freezes on her sensitive spot under Celestine’s underwear. Her hips begin to instinctively make circular movements. The friction between their legs kindles the flame.

"Guide me," Childe softly whispers into her ear with parched lips.

Celestine's frail hand reluctantly releases the fabric of his trousers, rests on top of his wide palm and begins to guide it with speed and force, as if caressing herself. Her face is so close that Child can lightly rub his cheek against her cheek, catching Celestine's earring with his earring. Pressing close to her ear, Child can whisper in detail how deliciously she curves against him, how sweetly she smells behind her ear, how she trembles in his arms. Such persistent, methodical rubbing, not forgetting a single patch of skin between her legs, in a few minutes brings the already excited Celestine to ecstasy. She desperately and instinctively pushes up and down, with annoyance squeezing the emptiness inside herself, without getting such a cherished cock of the Harbinger. Celestine is greedy, stingy with sounds of pleasure. Only a few first convulsions made her let out a thin and drawn-out howl. Childe is already on edge, but courageously controls himself.

"Look here!" Childe, not letting Celestine catch her breath, transplants her to his knee and points to his trousers. There are dark stains on them from the juices that flowed abundantly from the inside of Celestine and soaked the fabric of the trousers.

Celestine looks adorable. He seems to have actually succeeded in making her feel guilty about her body's reaction. She stares blankly, with hereyes blackened by dilated pupils, and bites her swollen lips, the red lipstick on which is slightly smeared and gone beyond the contours.

“Now I have to do the same you, little scoundrel!"

Childe picks up Celestine and immediately puts her in his seat. He stands in front of her face and is already going to unceremoniously unfasten his belt, when suddenly Celestine pokes her nose right into the bare area of ​​his torso and begins to rub up and down, burning his skin with hot breath. Childe closes his eyes with pleasure and, feeling that he is about to lose his balance, has time to rest his fingers on the edge of the chest of drawers. Oh, how timely he did it! Her hot, wet tongue licked his torso a couple of times and quickly got a taste of it, starting to walk in a businesslike way from the bottom up. Celestine's hands don't waste any time either, unfastening his belt and pulling off his pants. Childe opens his eyes, wanting to see Celestine's reaction to the hard cock jumping out of his trousers. Childe is delighted with her open mouth either from admiration or from confusion, as if she hasn’t believed in the magical reality of happening.

The Harbinger doesn't need to beg her. Celestine grabs his cock with both hands, massages it at the base and, without much preamble, plunges it half the length into her mouth, hot as liquid metal. Closing his eyes and biting his lip, Childe tries to hold out as long as possible, but Celestine's actions only fire up, become more and more enveloping, wet, insistent. Her moans are very quiet, rare. Childe can only hear her heavy breathing. Her small graceful hands begin to stroke Childe's sides, slender thighs and buttocks, not knowing where to stop. Child picks up the pace of the rhythmic movements of her head, weaves his fingers through her coal-black hair, once curled in strands, but now completely disheveled.

He really wants to cuddle up to her greedy mouth, whose lips are about to reach his pubis. But Child heroically restrains himself. Holding the addicted girl by her shoulder, with the other hand, he hardly manages to take his cock away from Celestine. The cock was smeared with her red lipstick and glistened with her saliva and his secretions. Childe instantly doubles over in intoxicating, undulating convulsions. With a long, satisfied exhalation, Child opens his eyes and stares in fascination at the picture before him. Celestine gazes thoughtfully at her deep cleavage, which reveals neat mounds of breasts that are now covered in white clots. A few drops that have fallen next to hernacre necklace seem like pearl beads. Another creamy white clot spills over the red velvet bodice. Celestine scoops up a few drops with her finger and licks off the thick liquid. It seems that this is not enough for her and she pulls her hand to his weakening cock.

"Perhaps you've had enough for today," Childe carefully moves the girl's hand to her chest and hurries to hide his nakedness.

The Harbinger takes her chin and leans towards Celestine.

"If next time you want something more, I advise you to ask me more passionately."

Childe sees that Celestine does not understand anything, only looks at him with incomprehension, as if hoping for a continuation and not wanting to believe that everything is over.

“Poor thing, she doesn’t even ask for a kiss. It serves you right!" Childe thinks to himself and leaves a light kiss on the corner of her lips, after which he silently leaves the room.

Childe advised asking harder. And Celestine asks again and again.

       Very quickly, their innocent fun turned into an animal appetite that could only be quenched for a while. The need to hide their relationship and the frequent absence of the Harbinger only added fuel to the fire. Sometimes there was not enough time even for kisses. If they kissed, they immediately began with a wet interlacing of tongues. Child also learned that fucking a girl in clothes can be just as exciting as fucking her naked. And it was not always possible to quickly remove all the clothes from Celestine. It was enough to pull off the bodice of her dress, and under it was a tight corset, securely blocking access to the breast. He starts pulling her panties off, but they won't come off completely because of the damn stocking garters. Oh, how much court favorite’slinen he tore! Probably, Snezhnaya's treasury was seriously empty because of his impatience.

Child was being upset only by one thing. Celestine's conditions were a few simple rules. No hickeys. No bites. No scuffs. No slaps. In other words nothing that could attract the attention of others and even more so the Tsaritsa. It was difficult for Childe to fulfill this promise. But he tried. It was especially difficult to solve the problem with scuffs on the knees and elbows. These injuries were inevitable while he wastaking her in the poses that Celestine's body was created for. But now the slippery silk sheets on the bed of the favorite (now his own) do not piss him off: he can fuck her for hours on them, without any noticeable consequences.

"Tina, are you sleeping?"

"Mmm?" Celestine wakes up after a short nap and finds herself in her bed. Child is lying right here. Lying on his side, he watches her with his dark blue eyes, which seem so bottomless in the semi-darkness of the room with curtained windows.

The last thing she heard before she passed out was the Harbinger's interdict to straighten up and lie down on her belly. And here she is lying on her back and covered with a blanket. Looks like someone took care of her. Pain in the body does not allow moving. But she needs to pull herself together and get things right. There are so many more important meetings tonight!

"Wait, wait!"

Celestine barely got out of bed and hasn't even taken a step, stopping at the sound of Child's voice behind her.

"What happened?"

"You've got…blood…" Child paused for a moment.

If Celestine didn't know him, she would have thought the Harbinger had said it with embarrassment.

"Where? Oh, really…” Celestine said it with unpleasant surprise as she ran her hand down her inner thigh and saw the burgundy brushstrokes.

“It… It’s not because of me, is it?” asked Childe apprehensively, jumping up and leaning on his elbow.

For the first time in her life, Celestine heard fear in the voice of the Eleventh Harbinger. How she wanted to mock the poor thing: accuse him of causing serious injuries and pretend to be dying. But there was no time, no energy.

“No, it's different. It's nothing to do with you, don't worry," she replied calmly.

“Is everything okay? I think I went too far today, but you didn’t stop me… Again. Are you really not hurt?”

"Childe, shut up! That is none of your business! Get dressed and go about your business. Where do you need to be today? At the headquarters? Here, hurry up!”

Celestine left Childe, who looked at her in dismay, like a child at an affectless mother who has scolded him for no reason. Now it happened to her for the first time since their first kiss.

Already in the bathroom, Celestine mentally scolded herself for this involuntary breakdown. There was no point in spoiling her relationship with her lover.

“On the other hand, why has he poked me with that? Well, yes, it was an awkward situation, but he could tactfully remain silent and not point it out to me!” Celestine repeated to herself lying in hot foam.

She was especially infuriated that her period which came hardly more than once every six months caught her at such an inopportune moment.

Celestine would like to quickly erase this unpleasant story from her memories.

[the-nosy-neighbor]

Pedrolino and Commedia dell'arte

Pedrolino and Commedia dell’arte (Part 1)

So, I thought I’d posted about this before, but I can’t find it anywhere.  I actually have some knowledge in this subject, so it was something I feel like I wrote about, but maybe didn’t share or put in a place I could actually find it.  Stop me if you’ve heard this one, basically.  Anyway, maybe I’m not into Sally because we are the same.  I was, and kinda still am, super into this obscure period of theatre history

In “Happy Haunting to Boo and Yours” (which I will be calling HH for brevity and my sanity), a big deal is made about Sally dressing as Pedrolino.  Like a massive big deal:

Sally goes around calling people uncultured oafs for not knowing her costume’s origin

The narrator tries to lecture about Pedrolino and commedia dell’arte but gets interrupted and you were all saved, but I was just getting started

Eddie shows he knows who Sally’s costume is of, and he gets belittled anyway “even the mailman gets it.”  Also, Eddie was reading about it for fun when the mail room was slow.  Eddie gets me

So, there is a very obvious focus on this symbol as important.  Pedrolino is one of history’s most famous characters, and I am going to tell you why. 

Commedia dell’arte (just commedia from this point on) is a somewhat obscure, but highly influential part of theatre history that originated in Italy around the 1600’s.  Italy has always been pretty rich with theatre history.  Commedia was performed by a roving group of players, who would tour around the country.  Funnily enough, acting has been a profession greatly enjoyed by many people and yet actors have almost always been viewed with derision and as criminal types, and I imagine this roaming didn’t do much for these players’ reputations. 

Commedia is a highly structured form of improvisation.  Each actor in the troupe is assigned a character to play (not that they couldn’t swap things around) with a very specific set of movements, dress and personality.  The audience knew about these characters as well, so it was a shared language as to what to expect from these players based on archetypes.  For a modern equivalent, say a show comes to your town and you see a beefy character in a cape and tights.  We have all been raised with the knowledge that makes it easy to identify a superhero when we see one (and to be vulnerable to the subversion of this character.)  In the same way, the audience would recognize these characters, listed below:

Innamorati—(The lovers) The ingenue is the love interest, always high-born, young, and attractive.  They would have called them “the lovers” or similar, but the modern term would be an ingenue.  These are highly coveted roles, and in this sense were straight actors playing a serious-ish love story, while chaos happens around them.  Modern understanding of any role like this is that it is good for your career, but kind of boring.  Male and female versions of this role are standard.

(There are more variations in these characters below, but these are the main ones)

Masters

Il dottore—(The doctor) The doctor is a high-minded, intelligent individual who has a lot of book learning, but zero street smarts.  Think chemistry professor,at least in behavior.  The doctor wears robes that indicate his station, so scholar’s robes and hat.  The doctor’s general movement betray his personality.  The doctor would have his focus on the heavens, so would often be looking up and not directly at those around him.  An older man, he is often an obstacle to the lovers.

Pantalone—(It means pants?)  Pantalone is also an old man, and also an obstacle.  Pantalone’s thing is money.  He’s a rich old man who covets the female lead, and is often the intended spouse of the young woman.  The young woman is never into him, this would be an arranged kind of thing.  Pantalone is a natural cuckhold, and somewhat a commentary on the practices of women to be bartered for like property, with common wisdom suggesting that you can buy a woman, but you can’t make her like you.  Pantolone would be dressed richly (and like new money, not classy).  All of his movement is focused around the groin, hunched protectively around his…money pouch (and that other thing, as he is motivated by baser instincts.

Il Capitano—The Solider/Captain.  The soldier is a boastful and vain man, who thinks he’s the greatest thing since sliced bread (If you are into Shakespeare, think Benedict from Much Ado About Nothing but not the lead).  The Soldier is high ranking, in his military suit and movements are focused on being still and stern.  He often is bragging about military exploits and romantic conquests, but nobody is listening to him. 

Pedrolino and Commedia dell’arte

Zannies

Arlecchino—(Harlequin)  Arlecchino is the role to have.  He is a servant to a great man, generally the male ingenue, and works for his master very much like Puss in Boots does in the stories.  He is loyal to his master, but is also a trickster, so is known to give him a ribbing as well.  Prone to bouts of acrobatics, Arlecchino is light on his feet and quick with his movement and his wit.  Arlechinno is probably the most famous commedia character, and would essentially be considered either the lead or the narrator, depending on framing.  He was often paired as a love interest with the head female servant, Columbina.

Pedrolino/Pierrot—(little peter?  Is that a dick joke?)  Anyway, Pedrolino was often another servant on a similar level to Arlecchino.  Sometimes they were set up as rivals, or they could also be set up as conspirators against their awful masters.  Pedrolino could be a servant of the captain, the doctor, or Pantalone, but would often be working against their interests.  Pedrolino was sometimes a rival for the heart of Columbina.

This is Pedrolino’s costume closer to the original time period, but most identify Pedrolino from a later period, as this costume (which is Sally’s costume).

This Pedrolino is sometimes more associated with Pierrot, which is a French version of the character, famously used in a photoshoot with David Bowie  for his song, “Ashes to Ashes “(famously for me, I am obsessive about him anyway).

Columbina—(Little dove) Columbina is a female servant, who works for the female lover.  She is heavily involved with the plotting and scheming to get the lovers together, though is less playful than her male counterparts.  She was a love interest for Arlecchino and Pedrolino.  (more another Shakespeare equivalent, Maria from Twelfth Night)

Scenarios

Everyone had their character, so the story would be set.  Generally, it was understood to be like an comedy of the time period.  You had two kids in love, they were being kept apart my horrible old men, and their funny servants work to get them together and stick it to the man.  It was a version of improv, but they had scenarios to guide them in specifics.  So, if you were in a troupe, from the list of known scenarios, which would be mixed and matched to be a full story.  I say listed, but I doubt this was written but more memorized. 

An example of a scenario:  “In the enchanting city of Genoa, Cinthio's sister, Isabella, finds herself entangled in a web of promises and broken dreams as she embarks on a journey to Rome in pursuit of her unfaithful suitor, the Captain, only to discover a surprising twist of fate that leads her to a different path of love and fulfillment, much to her brother's delight.”

If you’ve watched Who’s Line is it Anyway, you will be familiar with how improv scenes tend to work.  The prompt might be new, but they do rely on cues from each other to work towards a successful bit.  In commedia, these are called “lazzi” and are essentially the same thing.  I know when to help you set something up when I see you perform an action.  Example, Arlecchino pours a glass of wine, the lazzi is “Startled, Arlecchino, holding a full glass of wine, executes a complete backward somersault without spilling the wine.”

Commedia is fascinating to a lot of people, probably mostly performers or theatre practitioners, because the archetypes, scenarios, and lazzi can be seen throughout the history of performance.  Vaudeville, in particular, seems to be a pretty much direct line of gags throughout history.  If you are familiar with the Marx Brothers, they perform bits that can be found in scholarship on commedia. 

For example this scenario:  Arlecchino and Pedrolino come face-to-face, armed and ready for a confrontation. They exchange insults and rely on others to physically hold them back. Eventually, when the Captain tries to separate them, they start striking each other, with the Captain receiving most of the blows.

The Marx Brothers:  https://www.google.com/search?q=marx+brothers+fighting+each+other+and+end+up+fighting+someone+else&rlz=1C1GCEB_enUS1045US1045&oq=marx+brothers+fighting+each+other+and+end+up+fighting+someone+else&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOdIBCDkyOTNqMGo3qAIAsAIA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:b909fae3,vid:q9OUIk4Oaq4,st:0

This example from Duck Soup shows two of the brothers (who play essentially Zannis in each production) work together to frustrate a lemonade vendor and to make off with his cart.  Not 1 to 1, but very similar energy, and very typical of a zanni interaction in commedia.  I wrote an entire paper on the lineage of Marx Brothers gags from commedia to Vaudeville. 

Interestingly, Groucho generally plays, what feels to me, like a mix of The Doctor and Arlecchino. 

This is already paper length, so I will spare you more detail on commedia.  However, if you are interested, I would encourage you to look into it, as the information about this type of performance is very good and seems to have appealed to humans for centuries. 

Next post, I will cover Sally’s costume and the specific reference to Pedrolino.

[2laffy2]

Me: *Randomly watch some genshin impact videos even though I don't play it because i have no patience for the game to get uploaded on my phone*

Me: *look at the fatui Harbinger* Why in the name of the holy Frogs they names are like this *point at Pantalone and Dottore* really who the frog name they Children, Pantalone and Dottore?! (Trousers and Doctor) Omg- 🤣🤣🤣

The Fatui Harbinger be like:

Pierro

〈pieró〉 (or Pierrot) sm, fr. [der. of the name Pierre «Peter»; owner «Pierino»]. – Character from Italian comedy in France, who originally represented the type of the foolish servant, who then moved on to French pantomime, where he gradually took on the character of a pathetic and unlucky lover.

Il dottore

(Unfortunately I can't post more than 10 photos so take this gif of Mr Bean 🙃, you guys can always look for it)

Balanzone, also known as Doctor Balanzone (Dutåur Balanzån in Bolognese), is a mask of Bolognese origin. He belongs to the ranks of the "old men" of commedia dell'arte, sometimes called Doctor Graziano or simply the Doctor.

Native of Bologna, he is the classic "serious", pedantic and presumptuous character. He is a doctor of law: he is in fact the caricature of the learned and pompous Bolognese lawyer. Its very name proves it, in fact Balanzone derives from the Bolognese balanzån, meaning balance, scales, meaning the symbol of the Law. A man with big red cheeks, he has a big belly and usually gesticulates a lot. He wears a small mask that covers only his eyebrows and nose, resting on two large moustaches. His costume represents the dress of the professors of the University of Bologna: black toga, white collar and cuffs, large Bolognese hat, black jacket and cloak. Fussy, quibbling, he finds every little excuse to start one of his endless meaningless speeches. Always ready to boast of his titles, he says he knows every field of human science: right and law first of all, but also history, astrology, philosophy; he talks about these topics in a boring and long-winded way, mixing them into an inextricable tangle. He enjoys a lot of respect among the other masks who often turn to him for legal advice: he does not deny his help but always takes the opportunity to do the thing he likes most: speaking and giving opinions of no value.

Columbina (Colombina)

Colombina is a Venetian mask from the commedia dell'arte, often the object of attention from her master Pantalone and the cause of Harlequin's jealousy.

The only female mask to stand out among so many male characters is Colombina, a lively and clever servant girl. She's lively, pretty, a liar and is from Venice. She is very fond of her equally young and pretty lady, Rosaura, and in order to make her happy she is willing to commit scam after scam.

Arlecchino

Arlecchino (in Bergamo dialect Arlechì) is a Bergamo mask from the commedia dell'arte.

Identified by his colored lozenge costume, his role is usually that of a carefree and cheerful, but also cunning servant, who acts to thwart the plans of his master Pantalone, in cahoots with his friend Brighella, and to pursue his interest loving, Colombina, with wit and resourcefulness. These characteristics make him assimilate to the typical role of the trickster.

(I'm pretty sure that i made a doll of him when i was in elementary school)

Pulcinella

Pulcinella (derived from Puccio d'Aniello, in Neapolitan: Pulecenella) is a Neapolitan mask of the commedia dell'arte.

Pulcinella embodies the Neapolitan plebs, the simplest man, the one who occupies the last place on the social ladder, the man who, despite being aware of his problems, always manages to come out of them with a smile. He is called to represent the soul of the people and their primitive instincts, he almost always appears in contradiction, so much so that he does not have fixed traits: he is rich or poor, he adapts to do all jobs in addition to being a faithful servant, here he is a baker, innkeeper, farmer, thief and seller of miraculous concoctions, he is either arrogant or cowardly, and sometimes presents both traits at the same time by making fun of the powerful. The quality that best distinguishes Pulcinella is his cunning, and it is precisely with his proverbial cunning that he manages to find the ability to solve the most disparate problems that arise before him, but always in favor of the weakest to the detriment of the powerful. Another famous characteristic of his is that of never being able to keep quiet and this is where the expression “pulcinella's secret” comes from, i.e. something that everyone knows. Pulcinella represents a character who has acquired within himself all the symbols and meanings of the popular and peasant world and has brought to all the scenes of Italian theaters, and beyond, a repertoire rich in movements, gestures, acrobatics, typical dances and rituals of the Neapolitan gestural code. In fact, they accompany him on the theater and carnival scenes: the broom, the horn, the cowbells, elements which for the Neapolitans have a propitiatory value and an antidote against the evil eye and jinx.

Scaramouche

Scaramuccia is a mask from the commedia dell'arte, derived from the Captain: boastful and boastful, he dressed in black according to the uniform of the Spaniards stationed in Naples. In truth, however, the mask was born in Naples with the name Scaramuzza, taking on the form Scaramuccia (Tuscan) in the eighteenth century.

(Oh and there is also a film that its called Scaramouche but it doesn't has nothing to do with the mask i think-)

Sandrone

Sandrone (Sandróun in Modenese) is the traditional mask of the city of Modena.

Sandrone represents the peasant of the past, rough, but smart and shrewd. He is the spokesperson of the most humble and mistreated people, and always looking for stratagems to make ends meet.

La signora

No mask found, but translated into English means The lady

Pantalone

Pantalone (in Venetian Pantalón) is a Venetian mask and a character from the commedia dell'arte.

Pantalone initially appears as a vicious old man who undermines the young lovers, the courtesans, more often the servants of the comedy.

represents the typical old, stingy and lustful merchant: his very name is the one typically imposed on the males of the wealthy families of the Serenissima.

Tartaglia

Tartaglia is a mask of the commedia dell'arte, born in Genoa at the beginning of the 1600s. It is similar to that of the doctor, from which it derives.

His main characteristic (hence the name) is stuttering.

Il capitano

The captain is one of the oldest masks of commedia dell'arte.

Reborn in other forms in the Italian theater of the 1500s, he sometimes personified the noble and imaginative soldier or the vainglorious braggart who boasted of titles he did not possess and of deeds never accomplished: in both cases he actually poorly concealed the terror of having to face a battle or a duel, contrary to what he continually stated in words.

Like they are almost all (-La signora) Italian masks for comedies?! I can't take them seriously anymore 🤣🤣🤣

I don't think that they the personalities match those of the masks but idk anything about them soo~ i could be wrong ^^

If you guys are interested in the Lore of the masks you can just look for them or ask me questions about them if i reamber something

Oh and I used the Google translator because I feel lazy right now

[ambrosialdesire]

kinktober '23

hello hello! ambro here and this is my first kinktober! i finally made up the list with all the corresponding characters and prompts, and i gotta say, this shit was so hard to think of lol ik a lot of it is mostly genshin characters but you can't blame me (i mean you sorta can lmao), there's just more characters and potential with the game.

i will try my best on uploading every fic on the day its supposed to but no promises if it's actually going to be on time hehe so please be patient! it will be finished no matter what. and yes one particular day is an epilogue for something i have to finish before i start kinktober LMFAO

part of me wanted to have all the characters hidden just for the surprises but maybe next time ;)

additional kinks will be added alongside the main topic and everything will be updated as the days go by. all reader inserts will be fem.

as always: 18+ DARK CONTENT BELOW, MINORS + BLANK BLOGS DO NOT INTERACT!!

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ.───

𓆩♡𓆪 DAY ONE   ↳ SPECTROPHILIA + KAEYA ALBERICH — content: ghost/poltergeist au, inappropriate touching, tbd

𓆩♡𓆪 DAY TWO   ↳ SOMNOPHILIA + BRAHMS HEELSHIRE — content: nanny reader, kinda fluffy at first, praise, mommy kink, somewhat dom reader, tbd

𓆩♡𓆪 DAY THREE   ↳ MIRROR SEX + TAKAMI KEIGO [HAWKS] — content: tbd

𓆩♡𓆪 DAY FOUR   ↳ KNIFE PLAY + LEVI ACKERMAN — content: tbd

𓆩♡𓆪 DAY FIVE   ↳ BLOOD PLAY + BLADE — content: tbd

𓆩♡𓆪 DAY SIX   ↳ DRY-HUMPING + ARATAKI ITTO — content: tbd

𓆩♡𓆪 DAY SEVEN   ↳ OVERSTIMULATION + XIAO — content: tbd

𓆩♡𓆪 DAY EIGHT   ↳ COCKWARMING + SAMPO — content: exhibition, tbd

𓆩♡𓆪 DAY NINE   ↳ CHEATING/NTR + GOJO SATORU & NANAMI KENTO — content: scummy gojo (lol), manipulation, blackmail, tbd

𓆩♡𓆪 DAY TEN   ↳ CHOKING + TODOROKI TOYA [DABI] — content: tbd

𓆩♡𓆪 DAY ELEVEN   ↳ UNIFORM KINK + JING YUAN — content: tbd

𓆩♡𓆪 DAY TWELVE   ↳ SIZE KINK + FUSHIGURO TOJI — content: modern au, tbd

𓆩♡𓆪 DAY THIRTEEN   ↳ HATE SEX + CHILDE [TARTAGLIA] — content: traveler!reader, tbd

𓆩♡𓆪 DAY FOURTEEN   ↳ EDGING + PORCO GALLIARD — content: tbd

𓆩♡𓆪 DAY FIFTEEN   ↳ BODYWRITING + TIGHNARI — content: medical examination, marking, breeding, tbd

𓆩♡𓆪 DAY SIXTEEN   ↳ ANDROID/ROBOT + SVAROG — content: tbd

𓆩♡𓆪 DAY SEVENTEEN   ↳ EDGING + ZEKE JAEGER — content: tbd

𓆩♡𓆪 DAY EIGHTEEN   ↳ EXHIBITION + WANDERER [SCARAMOUCHE] — content: college/university au, tbd

𓆩♡𓆪 DAY NINETEEN   ↳ CAM-GIRL + DILUC RAGNVINDR — content: modern au, cam-girl reader, female & male masturbation, sex toy usage, tbd

𓆩♡𓆪 DAY TWENTY   ↳ LACTATION + REINER BRAUN — content: lil epilogue of cacoëthes, tit-fucking, tbd

𓆩♡𓆪 DAY TWENTY-ONE   ↳ DOUBLE PENETRATION + ALHAITHAM & KAVEH — content: roommates, tbd

𓆩♡𓆪 DAY TWENTY-TWO   ↳ PREDATOR & PREY + RYOMEN SUKUNA — content: original form sukuna, tbd

𓆩♡𓆪 DAY TWENTY-THREE   ↳ TERATOPHILIA + BAIZHU — content: naga!baizhu, breeding, oviposition, tbd

𓆩♡𓆪 DAY TWENTY-FOUR   ↳ CORRUPTION + KAMISATO AYATO — content: faceless!ayato, horror elements (gore descriptions), tbd

𓆩♡𓆪 DAY TWENTY-FIVE   ↳ SEX TOYS + AIZAWA SHOUTA [ERASERHEAD] — content: tbd

𓆩♡𓆪 DAY TWENTY-SIX   ↳ APHRODISIACS + ZANDIK [IL DOTTORE] — content: coworker & test subject!reader, tbd

𓆩♡𓆪 DAY TWENTY-SEVEN   ↳ CROSS-DRESSING + SHIKANOIN HEIZOU — content: undercover mission gone wrong gone sexual, tbd

𓆩♡𓆪 DAY TWENTY-EIGHT   ↳ BREEDING + SIMON RILEY [GHOST] — content: werewolf!ghost, knotting, rutting, tbd

𓆩♡𓆪 DAY TWENTY-NINE   ↳ PHONE SEX + GEPARD LANDAU — content: tbd

𓆩♡𓆪 DAY THIRTY   ↳ PSEUDO-INCEST + ZHONGLI — content: modern au, step!daddy zhongli (I LAUGHED WRITING THAT OUT), age-gap (20 year old reader, late 30s-early 40s zhongli), tbd

𓆩♡𓆪 DAY THIRTY-ONE   ↳ FREE SPACE + ???????? — content: ????????

[commediadell-arte]

A brief introduction to the history, context and characters of Commedia dell’arte and its 21st century relevance in performance and study;

By

Ben-Jamin Newham

Artistic Director

Fools In Progress Theatre Company

This article provides an overview of Commedia Dell'Arte, a style of improvisational theater characterized by masks and stock characters. Characters in this style are versatile and could strategically compliment one another throughout the performances. - Commedia Dell'Arte began as troupes in the early 16th century that were formed by performers such as Angelo Beolco, better known as Ruzzante. His comedic performances of Italian popular pride and the Zanni character type in improvised theatre would become the basis for what is now known as Commedia Dell'Arte. The characters that were performed often had leather masks to emphasize their characteristics and create a professional space for them on stage. Evidence exists from 1560s to 1570s when Ruzzante was performing with his masks, and even earlier references include actress Isabella Andreini in 1520s, and Turi Fantoni in 1540s. The style of Commedia Dell'Arte includes names like Pulcinella, Brighella, Pantalone, Dottore, and Arlecchino which were all used to entertain audiences with various scenarios that would relate to their everyday lives.

"Some early references to this style include names like commedia allimprovissa (the improvised theatre) and commedia zannesca (the zanni-esque theatre)." 6

"Whatever its origins, by the 1520s, performers like Angelo Beolco (il Ruzzante) and early practitioners of the Zanni character type were entertaining audiences with a style that appears to be early Commedia." 6

"Commedia--the so-called Comedy of Masks--had flourished based on a system of character masks, and the material culture of the leather mask was a source of Italian popular pride, even outside of the realm of theatre." 0

"Evidence exists as early as the 1540s that Commedia troupes began to create professional space for female performers, but the late 1560s and 1570s were the Age of the Actress." 6

This style of theatre was developed by the Italian people in the mid-16th century and began with specific troupes that were formed by actors such as Francesco Andreini and his wife Isabella Andreini. These performers became a distinct company called Confidenti, with their own costumes, masks, and characters. It was during this time that Francesco's troupe, Fedeli, was created which also included a Desioi troupe that focused on improvisation and other elements of Commedia Dell'arte. The Gelosi troupe became the most successful of them all and their performances were entirely masked. They filled scenes with their stock characters which each represented a specific character in the audience's life. It is believed that the existence of Commedia Dell'Arte began due to the Black Plague that occurred in the 16th century and Francesco Andreini's husband being affected by it.

"By the mid-16th century, specific troupes of commedia performers began to coalesce, and by 1568 the Gelosi became a distinct company." 5

"Many troupes were formed to perform commedia dellarte, including I Gelosi (which had actors such as Isabella Andreini, and her husband Francesco Andreini[14]), Confidenti Troupe, Desioi Troupe, and Fedeli Troupe." 5

"It was an entirely masked performance, each mask representing a specific character whom the audience would all be familiar with." 4

"Commedia DellArte came into existence sometime after the black plague and some of the stock characters who filled the scenes would have been well known by the Italian people because of this." 4

This led to a form of theatre that began with the use of stock masks and other characters such as actresses in counterpoint roles. This style then came to include additional unmasked characters, which is why today it is one of the most popular theatrical forms (although today it is known as a ‘sitcom’ and is a diverse genre of comedy that encompasses animated sitcoms like ‘The Simpsons’ ,‘Loony Toons’, ‘Family Guy’ through to the great live recorded shows like ‘Frasier’, ‘Mr Bean’ and ‘Modern Family’). Well known characters of Commedia dell’arte such as Arlecchino (the most famous name for the main male servant character), Colombina (the famous female servant), Pantalone, Il Dottore and Brighella are just some of the characters included. The Commedia Dramatis Personae establishes a new tradition that includes the character of Servetta, an unmasked female servant.

"Other characters began as stock masks and developed into well-known characters in the hands of the most talented players." 1

"Some of the most popular characters included Il Dottore or The Doctor, Pantalone, Arlecchino, Arlecchina and Colombina." 4

"The male Lovers, as their counterpoints, also performed unmasked, and additional unmasked characters came to include the servetta (French, soubrette), an unmasked female servant like the famous Colombina." 6

"The advent of the actress also establishes a new tradition of unmasked characters in the Commedia dramatis personae." 6

This stock character type owes its genesis to pantomime and is drawn from comic operas. The types of stock characters used in Commedia are Arlecchino or Harlequin, Zanni and Brighella (low ranking servants), military officers, and foolish old men. These characters represent fixed social types that are common to Gaetano Donizetti's operas such as L'Elisir d'amore and Il columbina. The characters' behavior is characterized by false bravado and exaggerated posturing as a way of conveying a message. For example, the foolish old men were often portrayed with exaggerated physical traits such as a limp or an overly large nose. This style of theatre has been referred to collectively by the term "Tom Foolery".

"Zanni is one such stock character type that is a collective term for all the low ranking servants of commedia, including Arlecchino (Harlequin), Columbina, Brighella and Pulchinella." 2

"The characters of the commedia usually represent fixed social types and stock characters, such as foolish old men, devious servants, or military officers full of false bravado." 5

"For example, pantomime, which flourished in the 18th century, owes its genesis to the character types of the commedia, particularly Harlequin." 5

"The comic operas of Gaetano Donizetti, such as Elisir damore, draw readily upon commedia stock types." 5

The Neapolitan troupe of theatre playwrights, Commedia Dell'arte performers, and students repertory players have been around for centuries. They originally began in the 16th century in Renaissance Italy with the development of opera stock characters and puppet companies. By witnessing theatrical virtuosity and clever wit behind their improvisation, audience members were described as being "in awe" of their performances. Not only did they copy contemporary illustrations but they also copied their masks which lampooned the wealthy powerful landowners of the time. This style of theatre provided a unique dramatic technique that was highly entertaining to watch. Commedia Dell'arte has experienced several revivals throughout history; during the 19th century an Italian actor by the name of Filippo joined the ranks and became known as Il Vecchi in 1860s. He became very popular due to his portrayals of a certain stock type character known as Peppino who was an old man with a heart of gold.

"Il Vecchi (the old men) joined the ranks of commedia, as a stock type that lampooned the wealthy, powerful landowners of Renaissance Italy." 2

"Through their association with spoken theatre and playwrights commedia figures have provided opera with many of its stock characters." 5

"As for the product, 16th- and 17th-century commedia dellarte performers set new standards in dramatic technique and audience members described witnessing a theatrical virtuosity never seen before." 0

"Revivals, notably in the 1960s by a Neapolitan troupe led by Peppino de Filippo, by puppet companies in Prague, and by students and repertory players in Bristol and London, however carefully their masks copied contemporary illustrations, however witty their improvisation, could only approximate what the commedia dellarte must have been." 1

Commedia dell'arte was popular in sixteenth century Italy and gave rise to modern theatrical productions. The productions were performed in the street or public square with little scenery and actors relied on their wits to convey characters and create atmosphere. Characters were often stock, but with the actors’ capacity for improvisation, each production was unique. Male characters were more common than female ones and form a crucial part of the setting. Performances usually took place outdoors, as life in the streets was a major source of inspiration for these productions.

"It was the actors who gave the commedia dellarte its impulse and character, relying on their wits and capacity to create atmosphere and convey character with little scenery or costume." 1

"It was conventional for sixteenth-century productions of the Commedia dellarte to take place in the street or the public square, a setting which privileged male characters." 4

"This Italian, street theatre was not just simply a form of entertainment but it was crucial part of life in the streets of early-modern Italy." 4

Commedia dell’arte was a physical and improvisational theatre that was created by theatre practitioners in the 16th century. This style of theatre focused on painting broad comedy while also incorporating music, dance, and acrobatics. Its origins are still unclear, but it is known that the style was popular throughout Italy. It has been said that the first to document this style of theatre was Flaminio Scala, a playwright who wrote scenarios for commedia performances during the 17th century. Carlo Gozzi also used commedia dell’arte in his own scripted plays. Goldoni is credited with helping to legitimize commedia dell’arte as a true theatrical form. He had written many plays himself and included many elements from commedia dell'arte performances into them - including minor performers and gentle brushstrokes which he used to tell his tales. He wrote about given characters such as Arlecchino (also known as Harlequin), Brighella, Pantalone, Dottore Balanzone and Il Capitano that all belong to a troupe called I Gelosi.

"Flaminio Scala, who had been a minor performer in the Gelosi published the scenarios of the commedia dellarte around the start of the 17th century, really in an effort to legitimize the form--and ensure its legacy." 5

"Despite the loss in Western theatre of its direct connections to commedia dellartes origins, the genre was sometimes used as a training component in physical and improvisational theatre at the beginning of the 21st century." 1

"Another popular scenario writer and theatre practitioner was Carlo Gozzi (1720-1806) who is Five Tales for the Theatre is a rare example of scripted Commedia in which the characters are given a preface of the story and then actual lines to perform." 4

"Nevertheless, the playwright demonstrates his care for the genre and his love of the characters by painting broad comedy in gentle brushstrokes." 0

Vincenza Armani was born in Italy and became a commedia performer at the Italian National Theatre in the late 1700s. By the time he wrote his first play for the stage, he had already become famous as an actor in commedia repertoire. His works helped to define Italian theatre history, and his influence spread throughout Europe, even reaching as far as France where his plays were performed at the French National Theatre. He also helped Carlo Goldoni with his work by creating more realistic representations of characters on stage than had been seen before. This confirmed a major landmark in theatre history and was given great acclaim by Carlo Goldoni himself who saw it as a primacy of more realistic characters over traditional ones.

"Either way, his work helped to shape a new Italian national theatre based on more realistic characters, more naturalistic representations and the primacy of the playwright over the actor." 0

"In his view, Commedia had given a propitious birth to modern theatre, but it was high time for the Italian stage to grow up." 0

"The French playwright was quick to "share" their material as well, borrowing heavily from the commedia repertoire in the creation of a French national theatre." 0

"Another major landmark in theatre history was first confirmed in 1566 when a Commedia performer named Vincenza Armani became the first documented professional actress." 6

It was a popular form of theater with performances often taking place in city squares as well as theaters. Commedia dell'Arte is associated with many players, among which are Tiberio Fiorillo and Francesco Andreini. Each actor has their own characteristic mask and costume and portray different types of characters such as Scaramuccia, the French Scaramouche, or the Capitano. The walk, pose and gesture were very important elements that added to the understanding of each character. There were also clever compliments between characters that added a great element of comedy to each performance.

"The characters in Commedia DellArte are extremely versatile and would strategically compliment one another throughout the performances." 4

"In Commedia, the characteristics of a character (such as a walk, a pose, or a gesture) are just like wearing a mask." 3

"Thus, though many players are individually associated with parts--the elder Andreini is said to have created the Capitano, and Tiberio Fiorillo (1608-94) is said to have done the same for Scaramuccia (the French Scaramouche--for an understanding of the commedia dellarte, the mask is more important than the player." 1

Commedia dell'Arte is a form of theater that first appeared in Italy in the 16th century. It is based on stock characters, such as il Capitano, Pantalone, and Arlecchino. These characters have always been and continue to be found in numerous variations throughout the literature and performances of Commedia dell'arte meaning there is no definitive right or wrong and as long as the style remains there is great freedom for a performer who knows they can’t make a mistake. This provides confidence which radiates to aspects of their life far beyond the stage or classroom.

"Numerous variations of Il Capitano can be found in commedia scenarios - sometimes he is masked, sometimes unmasked; sometimes he is an incompetent phoney, sometimes a wealthy and eligible suitor." 2

"In Performance and Literature in the Commedia Dell Arte by Robert Henke, he discusses how the term stock character does not give the creative and versatile characters justice." 4

Cited Sources

https://www.shakespearetheatre.org/watch-listen/a-well-made-comedy-the-legacy-of-commedia-dellarte-carlo-goldoni/ 0

https://www.britannica.com/art/commedia-dellarte 1

https://learningthroughtheatre.co.uk/commedia 2

https://www.theatrefolk.com/blog/create-a-commedia-dellarte-character/ 3

https://justinborrow.wordpress.com/2014/07/16/commedia-dellarte-the-theatre-of-the-streets/ 4

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commedia_dell%27arte 5

https://www.factionoffools.org/whats-commedia 6

[incorrectfatui]

Hm well let‘s start simple- I will say that I‘m not completely sure I am using the correct english terms, I learned all this in my native language (german). So Commedia dell‘arte, contrary to what I‘ve seen a lot of people (especially in the Genshin Fandom) say, is not ‚a play‘, it‘s a whole genre! It‘s a very early form of theatre, and while you can‘t really pinpoint an origin, it bears similarity to ancient roman theatre (which, in turn, is often inspired by Greek theatre)! In those types of theatre, as in pretty much all roman theatre, the actors perform while wearing masks, which of course, is also a staple for the italian commedia dell‘arte! Similarly, some of the plot lines follow Roman and Greek comedies as well! Some other names for commedia dell‘arte include Commedia alla maschera and Commedia improvviso, which describes the plays characteristcs (i.e. being (mostly) improvised and actors being masked (female characters mostly aren‘t, but male characters are almost always masked)) pretty well! Also, while it was initially popularized in italy, it eventually spread all over Europe! The characters (or Masks) follow archetypes and are usually split in 3 groups: The Zanni, The Vecchi and the Inammorati. The Zanni are servants to the Vecchi, who are usually portrayed as like rich men, and the Innamorati are lovers :D Pantalone and Il Dottore are always Vecchi, Arlecchino and Colombina are always Zanni, Pulcinella is usually Zanni but can rarely be played as Vecchio, etc. Now, Capitano and Signora are a special case, because they are usually played as separate from both groups! Scaramouche was derived from the character of Capitano, so he is usually either grouped in with the Zanni or also counted as separate. Sandrone is usually Zanni, but he (yes he) is a bit of a special case because he is supposed to represent a city! He was actually initially not played by an actor, but represented by a puppet (which I assume is where Genshin got the idea). (1/2)

also do you ever think about fatui just meaning stupid in latin. why did the tsaritsa name her group that

I do actually think about that a lot! I learned Latin in school, and still use it a lot in my major (archaeology), so I thought it was really funny when people started figuring out the latin in Genshin‘s names and soundtracks xD

I know Google Translate translates it as „stupid“, but it actually translates more accurately to „Fools“! Fatui is the plural and the singular would be Fatuus :D I think it‘s actually used in game a few times iirc! I think it refers to the fact that they‘re foolish for opposing the divine order/heavenly principles, but yes it‘s kind of funny xD But it also connects to them being based on commedia dell‘arte imo! I won‘t go into detail cus that would take too long and I don‘t think anyones all that interested in it (Commedia dell‘arte is my special interest, so there‘s a LOT), but fools is a very accurate description for the masks/characters appearing in it

[boundinparchment]

Patience

A moment between Dottore and his young daughter. Established Dottore/Original Female Character. Part of the Heretic and Forsaken series. On AO3 here.

“Ya ruhi” > “my soul”

“Abi” > “Father”

A faint tugging barely tore Zandik’s attention away from the report in front of him. Without breaking his focus, he spoke softly, only enough edge in his voice to warn, never scare.

“Remember: be gentle.”

“Blue,” came the reply, proud and excited.

“Yes, that’s blue. What else is blue, ya ruhi?” he prompted.

“Hair!”

Out of the corner of his eye, the Harbinger caught a tiny hand reaching for his hair. She was dexterous for her age, eager and excited; however, she didn’t know her strength and Zandik was well aware of the consequences of it. Deftly, he reached up and redirected her hand so she gripped his fingers instead.

“Yes, my hair is blue. So is yours.”

He skimmed the rest of the report and then cast the paper aside. There was still plenty to do, especially in the aftermath of it all. He needed to oversee soil and water samples for traces of elemental energy, evaluate Leyline flare-ups from residual memories that didn’t burn properly, allocating resources and smoothing over conflicts. The latter was hardly his problem directly but Pierro would ask and it was better to have an answer ready.

Without Archons, humanity could take back the reins, finally. They would know this world and all its secrets and wonders.

It would be better. Born through revitalizing fires, sprouting from the ashes anew.

“Abi?”

It was refreshing to hear his language from someone else and caught him every time. He'd been away for so long, shunned from it, but he could never truly erase the traces. Karina emphasized that she wanted their child to know who they were, where they came from, and language was vital. He agreed (after all, he'd studied dozens of them himself) and was filled with an odd sense of pride every time he watched eyes glow when something clicked in her growing mind.

His daughter shifted in his lap and tapped her hand to his cheek softly before she experimented and brushed over the scruff he hadn’t bothered with as of late. She giggled, running her hand one way and then another. He never grew out an entire beard (too much maintenance) but some mornings, there was no time for more than scrubbing away the day’s dirt. Especially when Karina was away.

Zandik carefully pried her hand from his face and blew kisses into her palm. She squealed and his heart lurched at the sound.

This world needed more of that.

“Having fun, ya ruhi?” he teased.

Her smile was an echo of her mother’s; congenial and sweet in a way his never could be. Eyes like emeralds, so verdant that he’d been bizarrely relieved. But then he was left with the question of how recessive red eyes were after all; he would find out eventually, he supposed, if Karina was willing. Such gems contrasted with a head full of thick blue curls, her one defining and unmistakable trait of her parentage.

“Yes! Love abi!”

“I love you, too. It’s late. Do you want to—“

“‘Spection!”

The little girl threw her arms wide, narrowly missing her father’s nose. Her diction would come with time, he reminded himself as he collected her in his arms.

“Exactly. We’ll inspect the lab and make sure everything is safe. And then it’s bedtime.”

He felt the pout more than he saw it, an idle hand playing with his earring as they walked.

“Sleep is important, ya ruhi,” he chastised carefully.

She couldn’t fall into his habits. As wide as her eyes were about the world, she had time for it all. And he wouldn’t sacrifice her wellbeing for his selfishness of wanting these moments to last longer.

The quiet was better than outright protest, but only just. Her acceptance of authority made these moments easier, certainly. Soon enough, she’d be telling everyone no and seeing how far she could get.

Soon enough, she’d be too big to be carried.

Zandik shifted her slightly to rearrange his hold as he pushed open the door to the laboratory. Nothing as grand as what he had at the Palace but large enough that he could do as he needed. He went about, pointing to things and speaking clearly, letting her touch what wasn’t dangerous, asking her simple yes or no questions. Now was not the time to engage in larger topics but if she asked, he answered in ways that felt complete enough for now.

She could learn about crystalflies properly another time.

He watched her face light up as he tidied up his desk and locked away important papers. Really, the most imperative things were in his mind, but written records were crucial.

“Mama!”

An excited hand pointed to the metal arm resting on a stand atop his desk. The plating was removed, wires dangling in organized heaps, the sharp fingers angled like a claw.

“That’s right,” Zandik said before he kissed the girl’s temple. “Mama’s arm.”

Karina came back with a strained expression and the arm in her good hand. The device was made of the strongest metal and the finest circuitry; he’d crafted it with care he didn’t know he was capable of. She’d handed over the arm with an apologetic kiss and then hugged their daughter tight with her good arm, holding back an expression he hadn’t seen since…

“Abi fix mama?” She said it with an upwards inflection, the way she did when a toy broke or something went wrong. Worried for nothing except her mother being able to hug her.

Zandik held the child in his arms a little tighter.

“Yes. Yes, abi will fix mama’s arm.”

[welshoot]

Harbinger Names and Commedia Dell'arte Analysis

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[cashewally-sarcastic]

The Commedia Dell’Arte infodump

So there were a lot of characters in Commedia Dell’Arte, but they had four stock character groups. These groups were Zanni, Vecchi, Innamorati, and Il Capitano. 

Zanni was for servants and clowns. Some of the characters in this group are Arlecchino (aka Harlequin), Brighella, Scapino, Pulcinella, and Pedrolino!

Vecchi were wealthy old men or the “masters” group, and some characters in this group were Pantalone and Il Dottore.

Innamorati were young upper-class lovers, with names like Flavio and Isabella, very fancy names.

Il Capitano were self-styled captains or braggarts, and if female they could be like La Signora.

Certain characters also had certain masks with their costumes, but women were never masked. Instead the women would have powdered faces or wear a lot of makeup. But besides masks, every character had a distinct costume to tell the audience who they were. Some of them had tight-fitting jacket, others had whole military uniforms. Also characters all had different regional dialects to give a bit of variety to the play.

A list of well-known characters, or at least characters you may have heard the names of are: Pierrot and Pierrette, Pantalone, Il Dottore, the Innamorati, Colombina, Pedrolino, Pulcinella, Sandrone, Scaramuccia/Scharamouche, La Signora, Tartaglia, and Arlecchino/Harlequin.

So now I’m gonna talk about two of the well known characters from above, but if you want to know about others let me know :)

Two characters I want to talk about:

First up is Arlecchino, or Harlequin. Same person, don’t worry. Arlecchino did wear a mask, and his status was a servant, sometimes to two different masters. Their costumes was usually a colorful jacket and pants that were...very tight. Arlecchino was known for his physical agility, and would spice up movement. He didn’t have much of a solid character, either being an idiot or a smart trickster, though sometimes it’s said that he acts dumb on purpose. Arlecchino originally spoke in a Bergamo dialect, but eventually got a mixture of french and italian when the character itself became a fixture in france. As for what role Harlequin played, he was altered a lot to be in many roles. Sometimes he was the love interest of Columbina, or sometimes pursue the innamorata, with almost no success. He’s known to try to win any given lady for himself, and is very...well, he really wants to adult cuddle with any lady he sees.

The other character I’ll talk about is La Signora, which means “the lady”. She didn’t wear a mask, but would wear a LOT of makeup. She wore a lot of jewels, too much hair and too many flowers, she was very fashionable and over the top. La Signora was the wife of Pantalone, but was also involved with Pedrolino. She was known to be calculating and beautiful. But considering she was a woman in the 16-18th century, she would sometimes be a “courtesan” (read: high-class prostitute), and could get her way into the house of any man, usually Pedrolino or Pantalone, and Pantalone would usually be cucked. But unlike Harlequin, La Signora usually has an aim for her character, and it’s mostly material wealth. More jewels, dresses, all of that. She would scheme to get these things, giving her that “calculated” trait. She would also be attracted to Il Capitano, her male counterpart, and they want to be together. But she’s always married to Pantalone, and she cheats on him a lot. She’s also known to have a fight with another woman, she’s not afraid to ridicule others.

[ao3feed-harringrove]

Boys Don't Cry

http://bit.ly/2WU8dvf

by BerenicePyke

{Il Dottor Glover deglutisce, finalmente, i rimasugli della caramella, passandosi la lingua tra i denti disgustosamente marroncini, stuzzicando i canini col mignolo, Samuel si costringe a ricacciare un conato di vomito nel fondo dello stomaco “voglio sperare non richiederà troppo tempo – soffia, le serpentine labbra plasmate in un ghigno perfido – gli abbiamo già concesso sin troppa libertà”}  {“è sparita una ragazza”  “un altro caso Barbara Holland?”   “spero di no, spero davvero di no”}  {"che cazzo è un demodog?"}

Words: 4667, Chapters: 1/?, Language: Italiano

Fandoms: Stranger Things (TV 2016)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Categories: F/M, M/M

Characters: Billy Hargrove, Steve Harrington, Robin (Stranger Things), Dustin Henderson, Maxine "Max" Mayfield, Billy Hargrove's mother (mentioned), Original Characters, Original Male Character(s), Original Child Character(s), Original Female Character(s)

Relationships: Billy Hargrove/Steve Harrington

Additional Tags: Original Character(s), Robin is actually kinda original character, The Upside Down, Science Experiments, A lot of original characters, Billy Hargrove Is Bad at Feelings, Billy Hargrove & Robin Friendship, Bisexual Steve Harrington, Gay Billy Hargrove, Brotherly Steve Harrington & Dustin Henderson, Good Babysitter Steve Harrington, Billy Hargrove Redemption, Minor Maxine "Max" Mayfield/Lucas Sinclair, Minor Jonathan Byers/Nancy Wheeler, Minor Eleven | Jane Hopper/Mike Wheeler, Dustin Henderson is a Good Friend, Adorable Dustin Henderson, Eleven | Jane Hopper Deserves Happiness, Homophobic Language, Racist Language, Racism, Homophobia, Neil Hargrove Being an Asshole, Justice for Barbara "Barb" Holland, Minor Dale / Bev Mooney (Stranger Things), Robin is Robin Mooney, Robin is Dale's Daughter, Robin is Bad at Feelings but a Good Friend, Steve Harrington's Baseball Bat has a name, i don't know what i'm doing and at this point i'm too afraid to ask, someone want to translate (italian to english) for free?, just asking, Please Don't Hate Me, Please don't judge me, I Blame Tumblr, Slow Build, Angst, I'm Bad At Tagging, characters might be out of character, but i tried not to, How Do I Tag, what the hell am I doing with my life?, I'm Sorry, I'm scared

read it on the AO3 at http://bit.ly/2WU8dvf

[julietcaesar]

Chapter 3

Skunked

"So, who's coming with me?" Child inquired with his voice rolling across the massive dining table on the mansion's terrace. The gathering, a congregation of opulence and indifference, remained absorbed by their inane dialogues, intermittently sipping spirits, nibbling at delicacies, and repeating the cycle.

A solitary hand, bearing a fork as its banner, ascended above the heads.

"I am!" The declaration cut through the apathy.

Celestine momentarily paused her indulgence in the savory baked trout and turned her gaze towards Child. Her sapphire eyes met his. A subtle nod from the Tsaritsa sitting beside Celestine conveyed the royal assent.

"Go, go," whispered the Tsaritsa, her lips barely moving. "Just don't slip there, okay?"

"Yes, your majesty. I'll be heedful, don't worry," responded the favorite with a tone that carried both loyalty and confidence.

As Celestine changed her featherlight heels for utilitarian boots, she fell in step with Child descending from the terrace. The cobbled pavement yielded to a muddy village path, damp from night rain. The grass was eager to share its dew and lightly sprinkled droplets on their legs. Child, burdened with fishing paraphernalia, cut a determined figure against the village background.

Childe was carrying two fishing rods on his shoulder. In his hands he had a bucket and a backpack filled with angler's accessories. Celestine, trailing behind, couldn't help but fixate on the broad back in front of her. Child was wearing a snow-white linen shirt, his hair tousled by the whims of the breeze, and everything about him embodied an atmosphere of freshness and cheerfulness.

"Such mud!" Celestine exclaimed with desperation in her voice as she inspected the unwelcome earth on her once-immaculate boots.

Once more, Child had observed her aversion to the nature. Celestine, like a fish yanked from the troubled waters of palace intrigues, was suffocating being pulled out into the fresh air.

This time, the Tsaritsa and her retinue have left the palace to spend a couple of warm summer weeks in nature. Here, in six-hours drive from the capital, was an ostentatious summer mansion with gazebos, gardens, a dense birch forest near the estate, as well as a deep and cold lake full of fish. The population of perch, trout, sturgeon and carp was maintained artificially, so no one has ever left it without prey.

Childe was here for the first time, and he didn’t like everything. He disliked this showy estate against the background of meek nature, surrounded by artificial beauty, as well as the lake where artificially bred fish dwelt. All the excitement, all the charm of fishing was killed by this fact.

The invitation letter clearly stated that the current event was optional. However, Childe decided to show up for a couple of days.

"Let’s sit here," Child pointed to the edge of a wood platform bulging out into the lake.

"That’s it… Make yourself comfortable here…" Child offered his hand and helped Celestine to sit on a blanket he had unfolded.

Celestine sat down and dangled her legs over the platform.

“Yikes!” Squealed Celestine as soon as Childe opened a box with a swarming clump of worms right in front of her.

“Hahaha! What did you think fishing looks like?” Childe laughed bringing a wriggling worm to her face.

“Take it away! I thought we were going to lure fish with something else…” Celestine answered upset.

“With what?”

“Well, how should I know…With bread?”

“Ha ha!  Well, such kind of fishing would take us a lot of time...”

Childe couldn't help laughing at this naivety, and, having placed the wriggling worm on a hook, deftly cast the fishing rod almost a quarter of the width of the lake.  Then he sat down next to Celestine and passed the fishing rod into her hands.

“How can I tell if fish are biting?”

“You'll feel it.  The line would be pulled down and the float would twitch”

Silence reigned.  Nothing could be heard save the buzzing of flying insects and occasional splashes of fish tails.  Childe stole a glance at Celestine who was diligently focused on the float far away.  For a long time he could not understand why she looked somehow strange.  But then it dawned on him. Celestine wasn’t wearing her usual whitewashed face powder or lipstick, and her eyes weren’t lined. And no, this didn’t negate her beauty, but this beauty became somehow enigmatic and incomprehensible.

“Uh oh! Does it seem to be biting?”

Celestine raised her eyebrows and froze, not knowing what to do next. Childe commanded her to get to her feet, jumped up behind her and took her hands in his, showing and guiding her how to hook the prey and pull the rod towards herself.

“So small...”

Celestine stated with disappointment looking at her catch. She had managed to catch very small perch, no more than half the size of her palm.

“Well, congratulations on your first catch!”

Child smiled as he pulled the hook from the fish's lip.

“Shall we let it go?” Celestine suddenly suggested.

“Why? You've caught it by yourself, so take it!”

“Well, it’s so small... Let it grow up…” Celestine shrugged.

“So, we are going to let it go. Right?” Childe asked again, just in case. Celestine agreed, and the fluttering fish was sent home.

After three attempts to cast the fishing rod had failed, Celestine pitifully glimpsed at Childe. The Harbinger kindly fulfilled the silent request and fishing got resumed. Childe also got involved in the process. Surprisingly, by the end of the fishing he had managed to catch three adult perches and two large crucian carps. Celestine's fishing rod had twitched just a couple of times, and even then she was pulling out little fishes that she immediately let back.

“Damn! What’s wrong here?” Childe himself was surprised at Celestine’s bad luck which had been haunting her despite the fact that they were fishing in the same place.

When he was joining the fishing, deep down his heart he wanted to have a competition to see who could catch more prey. But now he was really upset about his too easy victory.

“Come on, there’s nothing to worry about. Look, you’ve caught so much!” Celestine shrugged and added with a smile: “Better luck next time.”

“Well, then… Shall we go pick some berries today? There’s definitely something for everyone!”

“Where? In the forest?” Celestine asked cautiously.

“Yep. We are not going to go too deep,” Childe encouraged her feeling doubt in her voice.

“Are there... Bears? Or wolves maybe?..”

“No, definitely not! They don't come that close to people. Ha, what's up? Were you really scared then?” Childe reminded her of the time of their first kiss and continued laughing:

“Don’t be afraid! So be it, I won’t leave you to be eaten.”

Celestine fell silent.  She had no desire to wander through the forest, but in a dull and boring life in nature Childe was a ray of light that appeared for a couple of days. So, there was no point to refuse his offer.

***

Childe had not laid his eyes on Celestine since the onset of summer. In just a few short days he would be called away on another mission, and he knew there would be no chance for intimacy between them. The Tsaritsa was always here, and Celestine was too heedful. Whenever they found themselves in the capital, his favorite always meticulously planned how, where, and when they could steal a moment alone. It was always during those times when the ruler was being absent from the palace, in some remote corners of Snezhnaya or one of the secretive Fatui strongholds, planning new major operations.

Childe found himself burdened by the infrequency of their meetings. The initial passion had waned, and Celestine had quickly reverted to her composed demeanor. But this did not diminish her longing in the slightest; it only compelled her to find increasingly intricate ways to conceal her intermittent rendezvous with the Harbinger. Of special benefit was the fact that Celestine was privy to the Tsaritsa's schemes more than anyone else since she took a key part in making up the ruler's schedule. So, when the Tsaritsa was invited to a grand soirée at the residence of the Bank of the Northern Kingdom's chief, Celestine had already known that the sovereign would be occupied for an hour and a half, plus several additional hours for travel. In such circumstances, Childe had been informed for several weeks in advance that on a particular evening, at specified hours, he was to either discreetly enter Celestine's chambers or meet her in a rented apartment within one of the opulent residences of the capital. Childe expressed genuine gratitude for her unwavering punctuality in these arrangements that had never failed them. As for Celestine, she was not averse to indulging in the rewards of her diligent efforts, and was giving herself wholly, until complete devastation.

At first, in the depths of his soul, Childe had lingering suspicions about the sincerity of Celestine's intentions, hesitant to fully believe that she was not scheming to exploit the Harbinger for her own behind-the-scenes agenda. But as time was passing, Celestine had never attempted to manipulate, squeeze out any exclusive information or blackmail him. Everything seemed to be fine.

But still, Childe was not calm. He remained to be unsettled, haunted by the persistent notion.

Anyone else could have taken his place.

Did Celestine's flesh belong to him? Yes. In the presence of Celestine Childe felt an inexplicable sense of possession, as if her very flesh belonged to him and him alone. This sense of ownership was a direct result of Childe's audacity in a daringness to be with her. The daringness, that hadn’t been achieved by Dottore, for one. Did this failure make Dottore a coward? Perhaps. Yet in Celestine's eyes, bravery held little importance. All she coveted was a passionate and ardent lover. And if Dottore had been a bit more interested in captivating the living hearts, he could have taken Childe’s place, no doubt.

At some point, Childe found himself entangled in an unfamiliar situation. He had achieved the ultimate prize of all his conquests - the complete possession of female flesh. However, this victory was always preceded by the triumphant capture of a woman's heart. Why did he feel so disconcerted this time? Perhaps it was because of the fact that on a spiritual level Celestine remained an untamed creature, unresponsive to affection and care. When she was hastily jumping out of her clothes and urging him to proceed without idle conversation, Childe felt like a girl brutally used by a coarseand insensitive lover. Yet, as soon as he recognized these sentiments, he vehemently tried to suppress them, focusing instead on his own desires. In the end, his desires aligned with hers as no one else's.

Childe found himself inexplicably consumed by a growing anger, his resentment festering quietly beneath the mask of his composure. It gnawed at him, knowing that Celestine possessed an amazing mastery over her desires, yet being able to indulge in forbidden pleasures with enviable abandon. He envied the way she could turn off the sense of vigilance which would bother anyone else to take pleasure that fully and greedily as she did in rare moments of intimacy. He couldn't help but envy her, her ability to seamlessly toggle between work and leisure. Unlike Childe, Celestine possessed a cold, calculating mind that delicately balanced the relentless demands of her body. She didn't suppress her desires; instead, she acknowledged them, allowing them to coexist alongside her rationality. And it was this dissonance that gnawed at Childe, a constant reminder of his own inadequacy in the face of such self-mastery.

After each of their intimate meetings Childe witnessed his mistress remaining in a calm, unperturbed state of mind, as if she got everything she needed from their encounter. It seemed as if she was refreshing and renewing, growing more powerful with each interaction. Meanwhile, Childe felt as if pieces of himself were slowly being chipped away, leaving him unsatisfied.

However, he found himself unable to alter the current state of affairs. Should he have asked her to murmur words of love to him, caress his hair and bestow a kiss upon his cheek when bidding him farewell? Childe was repeatedly reminding himself that Celestine was no different from common harlots, save for her fortunate positioning at the peak of society. And yet he couldn't shake the doubt that she possessed a soul worthy of kind treatment. Nevertheless, that didn’t prevent him from treading the same worn path, doubting his thoughts for the umpteenth time and stumbling over the same obstacles, over and over again.

And now Childe completely voluntarily arrived at a place where he had never wished to be.

***

They set out for the berries after seven in the evening. The sun was still casting its warm glow on the forest, allowing for a peaceful and serene atmosphere. About a dozen more people joined Celestine and Childe on their expedition, eagerly chatting while they were making their way through the trees but quickly scattering into small groups once they found themselves in the forest.

“What does the Tsaritsa think of our little adventure?” Childe inquired.

“Well, she couldn't have let me wander alone. Besides, you did offer your company on this journey only to keep me safe and protect me, didn't you?” Celestine remarked sarcastically.

“Did I? Oh, certainly! Protect and nothing else but protect! Though you are asking so sarcastically… Maybe you wanted something extra from me?” Childe moved to Celestine closer and lightly put his arm around her waist.

“Not now, Childe,” Celestine laughed it off and lightly pushed his shoulder away.

Childe knew well that her “not now” meant “not now”, so he stopped the attack. He changed the subject, pointing to a distant bush.

“Oh, there are raspberries in there. Shall we go?” he asked with a mischievous sparkle in his eyes.

The coolness of the forest reigned around them. The intricate patterns of foliage were creating a mesmerizing mosaic against the sky which struck them as indescribable palette of pastel colors. The evening birds around them were trying to extract the most elegant and enchanting melodies from themselves as if they were doing it on purpose. Child was in a mood of summertime reverie, longing for deep conversations that could last until dawn.

Though they were both intimately familiar with each other's bodies, their spiritual connection remained superficial, limited to mundane conversations about daily news and fleeting plans for their next meetings.

“I see you have got completely bored here.”

“Mmm..." Celestine hummed sadly. “Well, I guess it is so...”

"Oh really? So it seems that the rosy life of a kept woman is not as enchanting as it appears," Childe gloated to himself, keeping neutral expression on his face.

“Tell me about something interesting!” Celestine changed the subject.

“I regaled you with tales yesterday,” Childe replied, shrugging. “I have no more stories to tell.”

An uncomfortable silence settled between them.

“Maybe you could tell me about something?” Said Childe casting his gaze upon the raspberry bush and started to delicately pluck the ripest berries.

“Nothing,” Celestine replied with a shrug.

“Well, how could it be? As long as you are alive, something happens around you every day, isn’t it?” His words lingered in the air, awaiting an answer from Celestine.

“You’re not going to be interested in that anyway,” Celestine replied in an indifferent tone, and followed Childe’s example beginning to pick and eat fragrant wild raspberries.

Childe understood that he was not allowed to know the veiled things which were happening in Celestine’s current life. He was deliberately refraining from unraveling these secrets that bound them in a silent camaraderie. In his turn, Childe had never attempted to use Celestine to learn anything about the other Harbingers. And she was deeply grateful to him for this, although she had never said it aloud.

“Then tell me how you ended up in Snezhnaya. This is really interesting! To be born in Fontaine and exchange its heavenly climate for the cold of the snowy region is quite... original,” Childe smiled casually and did his best to show just a lighthearted curiosity so that Celestine wouldn’t take his question as an interrogation.

“People usually do the opposite,” he added, as if musing on the peculiarity.

Celestine looked at him with a touch of incredulity. Her eyes reflected the question:

"Has he really collected not all the gossip? Or he is just pretending…''

“Haven't you known? I was born here, in Snezhnaya,” she finally disclosed.

Childe's eyes widened in genuine surprise, testifying that he really didn’t know about it.

“Indeed, my parents were from Fontaine. But they moved to Snezhnaya before I was born.”

“So… Did they return there later?”

Celestine paused, as if the act of sharing her past demanded a greater effort than she was willing to expend.

“No, they didn't. I departed for my parents homeland alone, following my father's will,” she replied in a quiet tone.

Childe couldn't help but ask where her parents were now. For so long, he had imagined them residing in Fontaine, but the fear of showing too deep prying held him back.

“Why Snezhnaya?”

“Well... Dad was a dreamer. He believed that the children in Snezhnaya’s rural schools would perish without his solfeggio and piano lessons,” Celestine responded with a wistful chuckle, a subtle irony flashed in her eyes. “But to be serious, I don’t know. It seems that dad had a rather unfavorable view of Fontaine’s way of life. I recall how he constantly extolled the virtues and justice of life in Snezhnaya in comparison to Fontaine, despite the fact that the Hydro Archon is obliged to defend the ideal of justice. Anyway, I will never know the exact reasons behind their move: my father has been in the next world for twelve years now."

As Celestine revealed this fragment of her past, Childe quickly calculated that she must have been no more than ten years old when her father passed away.

“So, the family remained on the mother’s shoulders?” Childe inquired.

“No,” Celestine responded calmly, with no turbulent emotions. “Mom left before him.”

Apparently, the passage of time had mended the wounds.

“Of course, when I was a child, it felt like the end of the world... But now I realize that it was a matter of time. Perhaps, it's even for the better that it happened sooner...” Celestine stopped short, realizing that her words sounded inappropriate. “I mean, I wanted to say...”

Childe was witnessing Celestine’s struggle to articulate her thoughts. He nodded understandingly and gently guided her narrative.

“She was ill?”

“Yes,” Celestine affirmed. “But I don’t know what exactly this disease was. I was just a child then and didn’t understand much. My father didn’t tell me the details. I guess it started in Fontaine and only got worse upon the relocation to Snezhnaya.

“Consumption, perhaps?..” Childe proposed delicately. “Then moving to Snezhnaya could have had a really bad effect...”

“No... It was not a physical illness.” Celestine shook her head. “Our house nestled near a forest. At some point, my mother began to leave home, wander and… periodically get lost. This was going on for a long time — perhaps a year or two. She had been returned by our neighbors, my father, and even hunters on multiple occasions … until one day a pack of wolves found her before people.”

Celestine's voice didn’t tremble. It seemed that the conversation hadn’t disturbed her but had evoked a cascade of nostalgia for distant, almost forgotten days. With a contemplative gaze, she was methodically plucking ripe berries from the raspberry bush, putting them into her mouth, one by one.

Childe forgot all light topics for conversations in this world. Too many thoughts were spinning in his head at the same time. He ventured to speak only after a rather long pause.

“Well, well... So, you're afraid of earthworms, but what about worms in raspberries?” He quipped, attempting to infuse a lighter note into the conversation.

Celestine turned pale and widened her eyes. Her fingers, holding a berry, froze next to her open mouth.

“Have you come up with that just now? What worms?”

“The ones we are now eating with appetite,” Childe replied in a relaxed manner sending her a mischievous smile.

Celestine made an incredulous grimace and playfully beat Childe with a light birch bark box initially intended for the berries that left unpicked that evening.  That evening she didn’t eat raspberries any more.

Thinking about their conversation before going to bed, Childe sharply slapped across his own face. He realized — what was going through Celestine's mind when he joked about how nice it would be to not let wolves eat her? Yet these thoughts quickly yielded to others. On the day of their first kiss, Celestine must have gone nearly mad with a fear of ending up as horribly as her mother. Childe felt an electric jolt when he suddenly comprehended why Celestine was trembling so violently in his arms back then. It wasn't just fear; she must have stood at the threshold of madness. And amidst this dismay, he had chosen to kiss her... Now there was no wonder why she snapped at him then.

But despite the unpleasant feelings evoked by realizing his previous mistakes, Child couldn't help but revel in the satisfaction of his tactical skills. Maybe Celestine was able to give herself to any stranger, but she certainly would never divulge such intimate and unpleasant details of her life to others. Just to him.

Lost in thought, Child found himself reminiscing about a childhood memory. In their home, there was a delicate porcelain ballerina with a chipped leg. For some inexplicable reason, his parents didn't remove it from its place on the sideboard shelf. Little Ajax didn’t like when it was catching his eye. The sight of it filled him with an urge to shatter the fragile figurine and lay bare its imperfections. It seemed to him that the ballerina was deceiving everyone: she was pretending to be good in order to cover up her obvious shortcoming, but everyone believed her. And now in his dream, he relished the power he held over the delicate porcelain, contemplating whether to break it or leave it be.

“Where is it now? Mother has probably put it away in that box with all sorts of old things…” Childe recalled in the morning.

***

Childe was mistaken in thinking that he was the only one facing hardships in life. Celestine’s life was also restless. She couldn't shake the feeling that she owed something to Childe. She even prepared for him what she thought was a modest gift - a precious clasp for his red aiguillette. She held it, unsure of when to present it to him. Eventually she decided to do it as a reciprocal gesture after Childe returned from his summer trip bearing gifts of exotic trinkets. Among his offerings were a midnight jade hairpin from Li Yue, a thread of pink Sango pearls, and a delicate bottle of perfume made from Cecilia flower of Mondstadt.

However, even with this elegant gift she gave him, the weight of debt still hung heavily on Celestine’s shoulders. On the eve of the New Year, Celestine surprised Childe with three exquisitely crafted boxes, urging him to pass them on to his younger siblings without opening them himself. Two of the boxes - for Tonya and Anton - were not heavy, but when Childe tried to lift the box for Teucer with the same ease, he couldn't help but feel that half of Tianheng Mountain must have been lying there.

Childe thanked Celestine, though initially assumed the gifts were simply New Year's rewards for the Fatui with young family members. Only at home, opening the boxes with Tonya, Anton, and Teucer laughing joyously, he realized that Celestine had made these gifts herself.

Childe had attempted to share his family’s stories only on a few occasions, only to be met with a palpable lack of interest from Celestine. The fact that she remembered so much from these brief narratives took him aback greatly. Tonya and Anton were gifted with huge sets of watercolor and oil paints, along with an array of brushes and pastel crayons. Childe was far from fine art as Inazuma from Dragonspine, but even he realized that these sets were designed for professionals.

“...These two always come up with some stories and then draw all these fantasies on paper. Mother no longer knows what to do with the piles of waste paper...” Childe recalled his words.

“Wow! It’s just like for real artists!” The kids were squealing with happiness taking more and more materials out of the box.

“Well, Teucer is obsessed with everything containing chaos devices...”

Teucer opens the box and his gaze immediately fells upon some strange items inside it. He has no idea what it is but he already likes it: it is made of metal and its parts are connected by many hinges, screws and springs! Now Childe will have to spend more than one hour explaining to him what ruin sentinels are, vividly showing what a ruin grader can do, and how a ruin cruiser differs from a ruin scout. Deep in his heart, Childe himself was delighted with these models almost more than Teucer. He recognized the craftsmanship – it clearly bore the mark of one of Il Dottore’s wards. That guy had been helping the doctor in the research of the mechanisms structure and reveled in the creation of some devices on his own, the benefits of which were known only to him and Dottore.

“How much mora did Celestine pay for this delicate work?” Childe mused to himself.

***

Childe's increasing attempts to prolong their intimate foreplay were striking Celestine as embarrassing. With a gentle sigh, he lay upon his side, his arms encircling her from behind. The former ballerina's petite breasts almost disappeared in Childe's large palms, which didn’t seem to upset him at all. On the contrary, he was doing it with such fervor, as if he wanted to bring the warmth of his palms to Celestine’s very heart. He also had stumbled upon Celestine's secret vulnerability. While she willingly surrendered to his touch in all other intimate places, the caress of her feet remained an unspoken taboo. The network of prominent veins and the deformities caused by years of arduous labor made her timid. The bones of her big toes had protruded strongly to the sides, which Childe had previously noticed only in older people. Childe felt her unease and got used to get to her legs faster than their mistress started to complain:

“Well, that's enough! I'm ticklish.”

Celestine had plenty of issues to complain about. For example, the chaos in her bed that arose immediately as soon as Childe appeared in it. The sheets lay crumpled, the blanket twisted into a knot. Yet it would be a blatant falsehood to claim that for the sake of order she would sacrifice the sight of naked Childe stretched out on her bed when she woke up in the middle of the night stirred by a troubled dream. His peaceful countenance calmed her, and in the dim light of the moon she could admire his broad back rising and falling gently with each breath. His back was bearing many scars but Celestine had been so accustomed to them that she didn’t notice it. Since Child preferred to sleep on his stomach, her gaze was lingered instead on his toned, as if carved from marble, buttocks, thighs and calves.

Celestine discerned the familiar spirit of her old acquaintance in Childe. It was an arrogant ginger cat from her childhood days at boarding school fed by the staff members. In that austere place, which knew neither empathy nor compassion, the cat was the happiest creature. Everyone who crossed its path was trying to pet him, grant him a place of honor upon their beds and hug him to their heart’s content. Like that cheeky orange cat, Child possessed an unwavering conviction that the world had been revolving around him, so every space he inhabited became his own domain.

***

Celestine stirred from her slumber a little after six in the morning. Immediately, she realized that Childe needed to make his way out of her chambers before dawn. It was very easy to wake the Harbinger up. Gently brushing a lock of his hair away from his face, she watched his eyes widening and his countenance shifting from sleepily disoriented to warmly affectionate. This expression was the same as the one of a small child who was woken up too early.

"Time to wake up, Childe. You don't want to be late for your duties at the headquarters. Don’t fall asleep! You asked me to wake you up, remember?" Celestine reminded him with urgency.

"It’s okay, they can’t start without me." With a lazy smile, Childe shrugged off her concerns. His confidence was unwavering even he was drowsy.

During the bittersweet moments of parting, the passion with which Celestine was giving herself to him a few hours ago felt like a distant dream. Yet every time before farewell, she felt a compelling urge to express a sincere gratitude to Childe for something, although she couldn't understand what exactly. After all, he was just having a good time between missions and didn't seem seeking for anything more. And what more could she offer when she had already given all of herself to him a few hours earlier? It couldn’t be mora on Earth!

There was no answer.