#so of course i'll be wishing for Furina

[seikkoh]

May all Wriothesley wanters become Wriothesley havers

[hellsitedotcom]

### Genshin Women & How They Kiss ###

Featuring Xilonen, Arlecchino, Clorinde, Beidou, Navia, Furina & Dehya.

warnings: none; took me a while to decide and the characters 'cause I didn't want it to be too many - if a 2nd part is wished for, I'll write another.

english isn't my native language!

quite happy with how the first patch with my fave men went, so...let's see about this one; bone app the teeth.

XILONEN

Lazy kisses. Lazy kisses. LAZY KISSES. How do I even describe that, hold on...

She's...extremely casual and laidback when kissing you. Like, it's as easy as breathing to her, and she's so...unafraid of it, so sure of it all that's it has basically become just an "everyday thing" to her.

You know, when someone does something so often, that they start doing it without thinking? There is no hesitation in doing it, no overthinking, nothing? It just happens as if it is a normal part of your existence, your every day? That's how Xilonen's kisses are.

Lots of sleepy kisses while cuddling! She's definitely the sleepier one during those cuddles, and not necessarily always the one who initiates a kiss, but this is the perfect time for some soft make out sessions.

All her kisses are more on the soft and gentle side, I'd say. She's not wild, not hungry/fiery, nor is there that "extreme passion" to her kisses. They are...well, normal kisses, really.

She's definitely more focused when you're alone, in private. Then you'll certainly have her attention whenever she kisses you, but it doesn't change much in the way she kisses.

ARLECCHINO

Oh, our beloved Knave. So...strict, isn't she? Showing her love in her own ways - and I guess that also includes her love for you.

I'd certainly say that, despite what people may think, I do see her as someone who shows her love through kisses, also. Not only, of course, but compared to other characters, I can see her be someone who engages in more...intimate behaviors with her lover.

Her kisses can wary, depending on her mood, the situation, and other "important" factors. But, what they all have in common, they clearly convey love, even if Arlecchino's expressions do not.

You will rarely see her smile or laugh when she kisses you - you'll get used to that stern, stoic, for some people even cold look she constantly carries with herself. But despite that expression, her kisses are genuine and warm.

They aren't too frequent, and often she keeps them behind closed doors. She's not hiding your relationship, but she is merely not a fan of sharing certain details with the entirety of Tevyat.

She's the kind for goodbye kisses, kisses when you reunite again, goodnight kisses, etc. Quite...formal, or traditional? Pardon me, my english is failing me there.

CLORINDE

My initial thought was, that she could be on the more...nervous side of kissers; rarely initiating despite the desire to do so, nervousness and excitement with every kiss she gets to share with you.

She adores you; some people would roll their eyes at how lovesick she is, her eyes filled to the brink with adoration and unconditional love.

And that love is felt in each kiss - the quick kisses on your cheeks, the slow kisses on your lips, the reassuring kisses on your shoulder and hands: In all of them.

I've mentioned it in the first point: She's not necessarily an initiater, at least in public. PDA does make her...nervous, but in a positive way? She never knows what to really do, stumbling over her own words after you kiss her.

She's...a little more confidant in private, where she initiates kisses herself. She loves just holding you in her arms while kissing you - physical touch is a must when she kisses you in private.

There's a part of me that also argues she'd be a confident kisser, but I'd say that might happen after years into the relationship. I'd...I dunno, I prefer a nervous, excited Clorinde. But everyone has their own interpretations, after all.

BEIDOU

My wif- I mean, Captain Beidou! I'm sure Ningguang knows better than I how she kiss- *Jade Chamber falling sound*

Anyway, affection all the way. Except for in serious situations. But other than that? Good lord, Beidou does not shy away from showering you in kisses, be it in public or private.

She's a playful kisser most of the time. Quick kisses, multiple kisses, suddenly pulling you into a deep kiss. Just someone who is really confident, secure, and unafraid.

In public, she's definitely more of a tease. As mentioned above, lots of playful kisses. Or, kisses to piss of people around you for whatever reason - that is for you to interpret as you please!

In private, she keeps her teasing and playful attitude most of the time, but when the times call for it, she can be calm, genuine, and serious about you.

Those kisses? They melt you. There's a promise in them, a confession, an unwavering devotion. She'd go to the ends of the world for you, and those kisses proof it. They are slow and gentle, a constract to her playful pecks.

Does kiss your hand/palm a lot, too - say when helping you onto the Alcor, or up/down a pair of stairs, etc., but she definitely prefers kissing you on the lips.

Honorary mention that she's definitely the kind of person to press her forehead against yours!

NAVIA

She's so *makes kissy noises at her*, ourgh, I love women. Anyways, headcanons, focus. I'll call her love that innocent, exciting teenage love those Hollywood movies claim exists. /j

Seriously, she's so excited and ecstatic anytime she spots you. I mean the kind of excited where she can't stop smiling, making people wonder if her cheeks hurt from how much she does it.

Once again, someone who has absolutely no problem kissing you at all times, during all sorts of situations. The...way she kisses you obviously changes, just as the intensity or emotion behind the kiss does.

When she's happy and excited - which is the most common case when she is around you - there'll be lots of quick pecks, showering your face in kisses, random pecks on the cheek mid-walk, etc.

When she's more emotional, she'd rather just seek comfort in your embrace, though she will reciprocate all of your kisses. They'll be more slow, more gentle, almost careful given Navia's...fragility...during those situations.

When her emotions aren't caused by to herself/her own life, but by e.g. worry for you, you will also find her be a slow, gentle, almost hesitant kisser. But here, she'll be the one initiating them again.

Her love really just...makes me think of that highschool sweethearts type of love, I dunno.

FURINA

First thought was - as with Navia - someone who loves you so innocently, so excitedly. Laughing and smiling anytime she just looks at you, unable to stay away from you (not in an unhealthy way).

Oh, how she adores you. She's endearingly dramatic about it, recounting stories of your adventures together a dozen times while you shower her in quick pecks. She's definitely more a talker than a kisser.

Furina loves randomly grabbing your hand and kissing it, before entwining your fingers and pulling you toward your next grand adventure together.

God, she is so full of life and excitement whenever she is with you. You bring her to life, and you feel it in each kiss she gives you. Her kisses are full of energy, passionate in that exact way.

She prefers kissing your lips, too, though when it comes to you kissing her, she prefers when you shower her face in dozens of quick kisses.

Always - and I repeat always - giggling after kissing you, no matter when or where. She's so deeply in love with you, she wouldn't know what to do without you.

I want to go on forever about how she loves you...how she starts telling stories of your love in her fancy, dramatic way, always smiling and giggling while she thinks about your life together.

DEHYA

Have I mentioned that I love women? God, I love women. Yeah, Dehya, such a gentle lover...a protective, caring lover...she's devoted to you, everyone can tell.

She's among the people that do not mind public displays of affection. She'll hold your hand in public, have an arm around your waist sometimes, but also: She does not mind kissing you in public.

It's something she does casually, when she feels like it. Though, most of the time, her kisses follow after praise, or after you hadn't seen each other for a few hours.

She's not extremely frequent with them, but her kisses aren't rare either. An everyday occurance, definitely. Morning- and goodbye kisses when you separate for the day have become part of your daily routine.

She's a gentle kisser. She's not the biggest fan of quick, fleeting kisses, but whenever she's in a rush, she'd rather give you a fleeting kiss than none at all. But, she prefers if they last a few seconds longer.

Also someone who loves kissing while cuddling. From those normal, gentle kisses to slow, sensual kisses. She can definitely be passionate, but never "hungry" or aggressive. A gentlewoman, if you may.

When she's extremely emotional - be it anger, sadness, worry, etc. - she's...not someone who conveys those emotions in kisses. She's more distant when it comes to intimacy in those situations, though she opens up about her emotions and talks about them, and she'll not pull away when you try giving her a comforting kiss on the cheek or forehead.

[Genshin Men & How They Kiss]

[ixiot-ghostrebel]

Hello what if in sagau the reader thinking about the idea to make big shelter for tramuatised creatos of alternative tevyat this time reader one night drinking with other archons (of course zero alcohol for nahida only some strawberry jucie or something) and in drunked state reader comes to idea of creating shelter for creators of alternative trvyats the archons thinks that just reader begin drunk.....but no reader is serous and day after the archosn must help reader establish the shelter for goodly victims of the cults and like that zhongli venti ei nahida and foclaors relaized how some of thier alternative version are insane(yandere cult au) or morons( most impostors au)

Oohhh, interesting, interesting...I'll see what I can come up with!

So...You may have had a little too much to drink when you decided to hang out with the archons, and you spilled your idea of wanting to create a shelter for alternate teyvat universes where the Creator gets treated like absolute crap.

At first, the archons present (there's only 5) were shocked—who would dare try and hurt their own creator in their own universe? Then, right after you pass out from alcohol consumption, the archons convince themselves that it was just the drunk-ness speaking and not actually your idea.

Boy, were they wrong when you showed them your latest creation.

Venti, Zhongli, Raiden Ei, Nahida, and Furina Reacting to Reader's Shelter for Other Creators.

(Warning! Might Be OOC & Using the General Sagau!Imposter!AU Stuff For This!)

Venti

Man really thought you were joking. When you weren't, safe to say he wished he wasn't trying to get himself wasted during that time.

He was very cautious not to trouble the residents of the Shelter you created since yk PSTD and all that, even if it is annoying that you spend all your time there and he wants to barge in and drag you out to go and have a drink or two.

He isn't sure how he feels exactly, knowing what the other versions of you went through...so safe to say that he tries his best to keep his distance. He personally finds it awkward, and he tries to excuse himself from the situation whenever you try to invite him to greet the other versions of Creator.

"Ehe, I'm honored, Your Grace, really! Unfortunately, Sir Captain Kaeya promised me a drink today at Angel's Share in trade for my latest song. I can't miss out on that, you know?~" You can barely tell nothing's wrong with how well Venti hides his emotions and tactics on a day-to-day basis.

He may eventually get along with the residents of your Shelter area, but as it stands right now...he's keeping his distance for them to cope.

Zhongli

Same as Venti, he really was not expecting this. Sure, he had only a cup of alcohol unlike a certain drunkard bard he knows, and he had contemplated whether or not you were going to do it...but seeing things and speculating things were two different concepts.

He is polite to the residents that have the courage to come close to him, smiling and politely keeping a good distance while also making sure he is not seen as a threat.

He tries his best not to do anything suspicious—he always makes tea in front of their eyes, the tea leaves freshly picked, dried, and then boiled in hot water. The last thing he wants is for any versions of his creator to pose him as a threat in your world. You especially help reassure others at the Shelter that Zhongli's tea isn't poisoned either, so that's good.

"Fear not—Your Grace has been with me these past few weeks, inspecting my tea before I bring it before you." Zhongli sips his own cup, and you follow suit, grinning because you know for a fact it ain't poisoned one bit. "Please rest easy, knowing you will not be harmed here."

Overall, he becomes this sweet grandpa who tells stories while also respecting other people's boundaries. If ever there is a threat, he's already shielding everyone with his ever-famous geo shield, but that's the furthest he does as you insist you take care of the threats yourself. After all...most versions of the Creator have major PTSD from seeing Zhongli wield his polearm.

Raiden Ei

She feels incredibly guilty, knowing that other versions of her raised their blades against their version of the Almighty Creator than to protect.

She practically froze when you drunkenly mentioned about the other versions of you, and it got Ei thinking how bad it was. Though she was reassured by the other archons present, she now wishes she had followed her gut. She was not prepared to meet the Other Versions of the Creator.

Very similar to Venti, she tries to distance herself. Unlike Venti, however, Ei directly declines your invitations to meet any of the residents at the Creator Shelter, thinking her presence would only do more harm than good. In a sense, she goes back in this similar trance during the Inazuma Archon Quest. While she's present in Inazuma, she doesn't step a foot near the Creators' Shelter.

"I apologize, Your Grace....It is best I tend my duties here instead of meeting the Residents of your protective Shelter. If, however, they ever wish to visit Inazuma, I will ensure they meet no harm whatsoever—and do my duty that which the other versions of me failed to succeed in—to protect them with my blade." Every single time you try to invite Ei, she makes this very long speech similar to this. Ei feels awkward, to say the least. After all, she doesn't know how to deal with emotions...

Though it may be irritating that you can't get her to see them, you respect Ei's wish and openly invite others to Inazuma. Safe to say that Ei keeps her word and does indeed protect the other versions of the Creator with her Misou No Hitotachi.

Nahida

Nahida, Nahida...With the General Imposter!Sagau AU idea, Nahida is the only one of (when there was only 4) the archons available that would not attack you, but would rather help you instead. However, due to unpopular Sagau AU ideas, Nahida is also a part of the team that wants the Creator dead. So, in a sense, Nahida is a 50/50 amongst the residents, but it's safe to say that she's by far the archon most versions of the Creator would approach freely.

When she first heard you talk about the Creators' Shelter and their lives (albeit drunk), she found it both scary yet curious. However, since there was no proof of whether this was true or not, Nahida had turned a blind eye on the possibility for the time being, as it could have just been you drunkenly seeing and knowing things.

She was pretty much half-prepared to meet the Residents of the Creators' Shelter...but at least most of them like her? I mean, they allow her to hug her...that's a good start, right?

"It's okay, Your Grace's Guests! I promise, our world would never hurt you, no matter what!" She tries to use this opportunity to try and have the other versions of the Creator open up to other people—after all, their world of Teyvat was different, and vast! She didn't want them to miss it!

You know Nahida's Skill line, "Everyone Hold Hands!" ? Yeah, she wants everyone to get along and smile and be happy!

I am proud to say that Nahida keeps the Creators' Shelter up-to-date with the stuff happening in your Teyvat while also trying to coax them to meet other people. And she's doing a great job!

Furina

From the very little research I did, it seems that Fontaine's Stance in the Imposter!Sagau AU ideas is more sophisticated—but, if Reader turns out to be "guilty," then that could possibly mean public execution. In this case, with the knowledge gained, Furina's stance in this is the same as her personality likeability: 50/50.

When Furina first heard you talk about it, she thought that this entire thing you were going on about was interesting! She loves herself a good opera, and she would gladly play a role in your show! She just didn't like how it was versions of you from the Imposter!Sagau aus (she's the only one who'd probably remember what you called them and use the same terms), as it makes it hard to really prove to others that Fontaine was the best nation of Teyvat! Not that she wants to flex or anything (she wants to flex)

As it stands right now, Fontaine is pretty new. Most likely only a few recent versions of the Almighty Creator would have some form of PTSD with Fontaine, but most of general residents at the Creators' Shelter are from when Fontaine was yet to be released. This means that many people would cautiously approach Furina to ask what Fontaine would be like, while the very recent versions of you might be more frightened to go near her.

"Ah, yes! Fontaine has the best places to view the grandest and most extravagant buildings you will ever see! If ever you wish to visit, I shall personally escort you to the Nation of Hydro, and we may feast on both the justice we place put, and the opera we present to please! Now, I shall go and ask Your Grace if I may bring you Desserts from Fontaine—toodle-loo~" Furina gladly lets the other versions of the Creator see her enigmatic personality, not afraid to present herself as she usually does.

However dramatic and ever-flamboyant she may be, Furina isn't stupid. She can see wariness and suspicion seeping in to some of the most recent Imposter!Sagau yous, so she immediately yet cleanly makes sure she takes her leave, her curtain call with a promise to return in the near future.

She's probably the second-most visiting archon the Creators' Shelter sees, but Furina's visits are always short. At least she brings desserts from Fontaine to share with everyone!

And we're done! Boy, this took longer than expected...I hope you guys enjoyed it, though!

Ghost Rebel Side Notes: I have not been keeping up with what's going on in the Sagau Genshin Community, so Furina's bit may be very off on what is actually going on in the general Sagau Community. Sorry on that part.

I was originally tempted to try and do my own interpretation of Fontaine's stance in the Sagau!Imposter category, as they are known for their justice and love of good plot story. If you think about it, Fontaine might be more intrigued with the idea than be heavily offensive about it—after all, Fontaine loves their opera. I vetoed the idea though bc this request needed a focus on the generic stance of an Imposter!Sagau Au so I scrolled through a few posts to see what others were up to.

But yeah, I'm alive! I honestly love how like—no one has made the "sagau furina" tag yet and I had to make it myself LOL. Man, I've really been dead on Tumblr, huh?

If you're still on the radar for The Lost Shining God of Celestia, don't worry—it's not being cancelled. I'm still on hiatus due to writer's block (it only has two paragraphs im sobbing at my inactivity), but I'll get there eventually! Sorry for testing you patience lol—

✦ Check out The Ghost Rebel’s Blog Description & Info Page to See if Their Mailbox is Open! ✦

[harmonysanreads]

What do you think about Yan! Focalors?

I saw this ask a while back but I decided to first see Furina's personality in-game before answering and mmmm, definitely possible. Though if I ever do include her in any of my writings, I'll be keeping it platonic :>

Furina's life source is the spotlight, she thrives in the very epicenter of attention. At the same time, she seems to have a distinct need for external validation. Her extravagant manner of speech is both her weapon and her shield. If you wish to catch her attention and keep it fixated upon you until a solid foundation of affection can be formed ; you'd need to be a bit of an anomaly. Someone who's a challenge, someone who's not swayed by her provocations and someone who can see through her bravado. What would really change the trajectory of your relationship is, if you'd share a vulnerable moment with her, as as it is seen she prefers to keep her troubles and insecurities to herself.

Furina knows when she likes someone or something enough to make a move, so her initial strategy is to put all sorts of grandiose shows that flaunt her own admirable qualities. There's another reason she chooses this method, that is the pressure that comes from the public and which she hopes would push you to accept her proposals. When that doesn't work and gossip of the Hydro Archon getting rejected spreads like wildfire, Furina is embarrassed. But ever the stubborn one, she employs strategies after strategies to gain your attention and praise (she phrases it as you getting hers instead because of course) and even the tiniest quantity of it has her squealing at the quiet confines of her bedroom.

I think she's one of those characters who get hit by a whole existential crisis the moment they realize they've actually caught feelings for someone. It becomes blatantly clear to bystanders as well, she fumbles with her words, twiddles her thumbs and reacts strongly with matters that concern you. Definitely throws a tantrum if you don't notice the new bow she wore. At the same time, she does thorough research on you from the time you get up for bed to who your first ancestor was. She makes sure to learn about your interests and hobbies and might even start doing them herself to better bond with you. She'd consider those all-nighters worth it if she manages to get even an impressed look from you.

As her affections grow in intensity, she starts expressing her jealousy. She cannot stand you being all buddy-buddy with someone who's obviously lesser than her, she's the better choice! Can't you see?! Thankfully, getting pesky pedestrians out of the picture is easy in Fontaine — given that you know how to use its laws against your enemies. One thing is for certain though, because of the influx of these new and intense emotions, Furina is rather unstable. She'd never physically hurt you (that's just not her thing) but she does take a lot of impulsive decisions that effect the surroundings.

If push comes to shove and you still refuse to reciprocate her love despite all that she's done, her final weapon is the courtroom. Remember? Getting anyone out of the picture is easy if you know your way around the laws of Fontaine and really, who'd look for you at the Hydro Archon's palace if they believed you to be sentenced to lifelong prison?

[amyriadofleaves]

outside it starts to pour — neuvillette | chapter eleven

synopsis: in the limelight of fontaine, the prying eyes of its people never truly tears their gaze off the iudex and you, the présidence du conseil d'état, which makes for baseless rumours to fester and echo throughout the theatrics of opera. you and neuvillette are challenged by the reputations the both of you are expected to uphold, and the weighty decision to navigate these intricacies rests upon the discerning judgement of fontaine's archon.

{ prev. } ; { nav } ; { next }

ao3 : wattpad  ˚　.˚　　

⌗ pairing : neuvillette x fem!reader ⌗ feat : neuvillette, reader, clorinde, navia, furina ⌗ warnings : n/a ⌗ word count: 4.5k

You sip on your tea, but this time the taste runs bland. The brand of the tea bag is embellished in gold, a soft print now dulled by the accidental falls of it into the cup.

A certain blonde seemingly appears by Clorinde’s side, all jolly and gleaming. “You needed me?” she asks, hands reaching to the duelist’s shoulders before shaking her after she shows no response.

Clorinde, expectedly, jolts at this. “Yes, but it’s not simply just for tea.”

Navia shoots you a calculative look before making herself welcome to the vacant seat around the table. “Ah. So you want me to help out your little friend over here.”

You clear your throat into your balled fist. “Precisely. You’d do Clorinde’s little friend a favour, wouldn’t you?” Tossing the tea bags onto the table, they miraculously land on top of one another in piles. The final bag, however, weighs heavier than the normal — because it isn’t a tea bag; it’s a bag stacked to the nines in mora — and you’re offering the Spina di Rosula a wager.

“Solve where it’s sourced, and I'll get you anything you want.” You push the bag further ahead on the table, the cloth almost getting stuck on every groove of the metal patterns. 

Navia raises a sceptic brow and removes her sunglasses in one swift motion. “I’m not one to be swayed by bribes.”

“This isn’t a bribe. It’s a solid business deal,” you bite, crossing your arms.

The Champion Duelist suppresses a snort. “You’re hilarious.”

Safe to say, you aren’t amused. “It’s legit.” The frown that flits across your features comes off as playful, but some part of you burns with tight-knitted desperation. You know your father’s still out there, and that he tried to murder you last night. 

And you know the reason why he didn’t go through with it.

Navia shoots you one last inspecting look before reaching into the pouch. She lays one tea bag onto the table and a notepad that she miraculously conjures from thin air. Without preamble, she pens every detail of the tea bag onto paper, and your effort to catch what she’s writing only falls fruitless when her writing grows even more incoherent by the word.

How is she getting all of this information out of one tea packet? She’s practically sucking it dry.

“So what you’re saying is that this tea brand has something to do with the man from last night?” Clorinde inquires, eyebrow raised in scepticism.

You draw your focused eyes onto Clorinde, acutely aware of the servers coming up from behind her with your entrees. “Yes… But we can’t know for sure until Navia here comes to a solid conclusion.” Truth is: you do know her answer. But to come to one alone would put your life — your identity — at stake. Everyone will find out, and it’s only a matter of time before all the sand hits the floor of the hourglass.

“Wait, wait. Madame, where did you say you got these again?”

You almost giggle to yourself. It’s almost rebellious that you managed to retrieve a hefty sum of these tea bags. But dignity be damned if it meant it got your father behind bars. “The Chief Justice’s office, of course.”

The satisfied smirk only thrives when the two women share concerned looks. Looks of could we get arrested for this? Or I wish I never agreed to this don their strained faces, before you tap the table to regain their attention.

“Now I know what y’all are gonna say —”

Clorinde extends an arm, almost recalling the legal codex as if it were a physical entity. “Monsieur Neuvillette could charge you with theft.”

“Oh, I know. But he won’t.” He wouldn’t dare to.

Navia’s eyes practically shimmer with revelation and she rushes to hush Clorinde. “Don’t worry, this is perfect. If it was found in Neuvillette’s drawers, then… he must’ve known him well. And the sheer amount of these tea bags!”

Your heart practically drops at the flow of words that leave her lips. Neuvillette lied. It wasn’t just any gift. They’ve had countless talks about Archons know what! You almost chastise yourself. Out of everyone, out of any time to trust someone, you chose the wrong time and person: the one entity you swore to yourself to never see face to face with. 

His impartiality, those piercing eyes — they’re tearing you loose at the seams; you’re not as rigid as you were. You’re losing it.

Your brewing rage spills through into any form of physical appendage that your body seems fit. The metal table is the first of your victims; an irrational fist slams against it, blowing all the collected dust under it and its legs to fly upwards into a plume of smoke. The second victim — or should you say second or third victims — are the two people that share a hot, steaming meal of Bulle Sauce Duck Breast. When a ‘How could I be so stupid?’ bursts from you, the only thing steaming around the table is you, and your ears are practically emitting smoke.

“We have our first anomaly.”

Navia drops her fork into the bowl and scoots closer to the rim of the table to hear you better — or so she makes it out to be. You think it’s just a matter of habit. “And what might that be?”

They won’t know what’s going to hit them. You can already imagine their faces of bewilderment —  and the words likely to blurt out from their mouths.‘No way!’ or ‘That can’t be!

They’re going to know the truth.

Yes way. And that can be.

You lean back in your seat, the front legs teetering off the floor. You are aware any move further backwards could have you landing on your head, but it’s fun. Whatever. “The Iudex of Fontaine.”

“No way,” retorts Navia.

Clorinde slips the hat off from her head and lays it on her lap. “That can’t be.”

You take a generous gulp of your tea until nothing but a drop is spared, and you take in a deep breath. “Well. He did say it was used as a gift — but it’s clear that with the number of the tea bags that he was talking to a business partner.”

After a taut, slow and depressing silence came the obvious qualms. This time, despite all of Navia’s authority to question, Clorinde brought up the question looming over your heads. “So what do we do to get it out of him?” “We use his weakness,” Navia says, nibbling on her thumb. She perks up, and her eyes round as they land on you, a devious look only you are a victim of. With a sink of mood, you realise with dawning horror what that face might entail.

Despite the offer not being said, you discard it with an awfully swift rejection. “No. Not me. Not happening.”

Clorinde’s eyes deepen in confusion and a second, indiscernible thing. “Oh, but he seems so in love with you, it’s the perfect ploy, isn’t it?”

Narrowing your eyes, you kick from under the table. But for someone who’s had worse blows, it does absolutely nothing to sway her. Your eyes shoot a cutting reprimand her way: she’s going to find out!

The only reassurance you gain from her is a stern shake of her head. This woman! Trying to keep up the act, but so inept at hiding the smirk that threatens to pull at her face. You watch her, tracing every movement — every twitch near the corner of her lips, the sparkle of amusement in her eyes. Perhaps a clever retort could wipe that smirk off her face —

“Yes, that’s it! Madame (Name) you have to convince him, seduce him if things get dire —”

Seducing the Chief Justice would be a feeble method. You can picture — almost direct his movements if you did, in fact, advance in such a way; he would stiffen, and this you are sure of it, and the whole ruse would fail, and you would be looped back to square one.  “I don’t think the seducing part is at all necessary, Navia.”

There must be a more rational solution, a subtler approach that does not need to rely on such emotional manipulation (not that it could toy with any of those tuned strings of his). That man is so unmoving, too impartial, that nothing could sway him, or so you think so. You consider every possibility as you sip your now tepid tea, the cogs in your mind turning, in need of oiling.

An idea springs to mind. Fontainians had a way with their tea and what occasions they’d be used for, and every characteristic of this brand points to business — dirty, corrupted business. Now, the question is:

What business was this specific tea used for?

Your train of thought almost collapses when interrupted with three specific entrees being served to your table, along with some directions from you to tell the waiter whose meal is whose. Your vision fogs up from all the steam that appears to dissipate the second the particles meet the morning sun into incorporeal droplets, alike to the tea your father allegedly offered to your now husband.

Navia makes herself welcome to pick at Clorinde’s meal, testing the heat of it on her spoon before recoiling and blowing on it with humorous haste. Clorinde, for her part, is unfazed, merely reacting with a raised brow only by millimetres.

“Ahem. Back to the topic at hand…” Your crossed arms and expression of revolt have them with their forks back where they once sat.

Clorinde finishes chewing a fork of chicken before humming a noise of affirmation. “So,” she starts, eyeing Navia with a sharp glare. “No seduction needed. But I find Navia’s plan to be alright so far. You just need the information out of him; the method of you doing so” — she raises both hands in mock surrender — “completely up to you.”

A scheming glint passes over the Yellow Rose of the Spina di Rosula’s eyes, an array of prospects to the case being served to her hot and fresh. She beams, the blue of her eyes shining brighter against the backdrop of the already blinding sky. 

“I’ll trace where it’s sourced, when and how and when exactly this brand ceased production — if they did, that is — and I’ll check every serial code and every detail under the sun!” Navia loses herself in a tangent of rule of thumb, and to the trained eye it might appear as though it’s by divine intervention, but by the way her hands flail upward at every word and command, you retract your word and think that everyone might just think she’s simply mad.

Slipping away from the heat of conversation, you recall all the observations you’ve made to Neuvillette’s schedule. Not that it was of any consistency, but it had a definite pattern. And with the rising sun peaking over the horizon in sparse beams, you think you could catch him in his office. You muster an attentive nod, hawking down every corner of your plate before making a swift kick of your chair that leaves you space to stand; but it does garner some unwanted looks at the scraping it does on the floor. Not so classy of you now, is it?

You wave at them with a gentle swat of your hand. “Yes, exactly. You keep doing your thing, and I’ll play my part,” you say, though a little quietly, before reaching into your pocket and tossing another bag of mora onto the table.

Clorinde tips her hat backward (you are unsure of when she took the time to put it back on, but the concern passes like an afterthought) to assess the goods. “We certainly can’t have you paying for everything, I’ve got plenty—” Before she can even do so much as reach into her pocket, you stop her with a tut.

“How else am I going to spend my husband’s money?”

Though your office resides not far from his, the wide expanse of the wooden doors that separate yourself from his view is a sight you, fortunately or unfortunately, seldom see. You raise your hand to knock, but it hovers in the air, suspended by the strings of inexplicable anxiety. Cut it out! It’s just an interrogation. Nothing can possibly go wrong if I just keep it together.

Taking in a strained, cold breath, you finally rap your knuckles against the door, a little too quiet for your liking; so you knock again — louder this time.

You cross your arms, tapping your toes against the marble of the floor in anticipation, tugging ont eh cloth of your gloves; but just before the seconds can stretch and you can follow through with your retreat, the door swings open, revealing Neuvillette, ever so unwavering in poise.

He takes a tiny, unnoticeable step back, presumably surprised at your arrival to his office at such an early hour (though, for someone of your schedule, it shouldn’t be anything too shocking).

"To what do I owe the pleasure at such an early hour?" he inquires, his voice laced with something different other than the authority he has in court, and in office. It’s somewhat… meek?

You reach for his shoulder, his expectant eyes following your hands, only for you to touch the cliff of his arm with a curt brush of your fingers. His head tilts in bewilderment, giving you space to enter — and you haven't even spoken a word of command!

“I think it’s better that we take this conversation inside, shall we?” The offer comes out clipped, barely concealing your pent up frustration; this whole thing wouldn't have happened if not for the stupid marriage offer — a matter you tend to forget about nowadays, with all that’s happened.

"I need to speak with you," you say, your voice steadier than you feel. The words come out clipped, barely concealing the storm roiling beneath your calm exterior.

The door closes behind you with a grande click of a lock, the gold plating bathed in the early morning light, with lines of it casting opulent strings of brilliance. With every fibre of your being that tells you that this sight calms you down, it does everything but.

The Chief Justice offers you a seat, pulling it for you, but you shake your head, arms crossed tightly over your chest. He takes no offence to it, however, and takes a seat behind his desk, posture taut with the rigidness he has whenever he awaits a trial.

“I know what you did to that man,” you begin, starting off sharper than you had originally intended, but it seems to be playing out in good faith.

A wrinkle forms in between the Iudex’s eyes, the only sign of concern. “I assure you, my intention to —”

“Spare me your reassurances,” you cut, lazily raising a hand to stop him from speaking further. “If you are to deny what you did, there is no point, because nothing can change my mind.” The stifling crack you heard was unlike any human blow, and you could only tie it to the man in front of you, the man you clearly told to stay out of your way that night.

“If it is what transpired the night ago, then I have many reasons to corroborate why that man was not in anyone’s good graces, not even mine, ma femme.” The further he loses himself into his reasoning, it fans out into a sort of tenderness that you think he doesn’t even realise the pet name slipped out of habit.

Your eyes shoot at him in bewilderment. “What did you just call me?”

“My apologies, it just slipped out — I did not intend for it to come off in such a manner,” he apologises, lips flattened into a line. Some part of you tells itself that you could get used to it, that if you had to make the people buy it, you had to tell yourself — no matter how hard — that you were his wife, as he was your husband. You brush the thought aside with harshness.

“It’s fine. What I was gonna say is —ahem — I remember telling you to stay out of my way. And what do you do? Get in my way.” This time, instead of advancing closer to him with dominance, you take him up on the already expired offer and sit in the seat opposite to him.

You take a teabag from your pocket and hang it in front of him. “You lied, first of all. I know there is a man out there, who was meant to be convicted of his crimes. But guess where he is, out and free!”

His face softens into regret and he visibly wilts at the sight of you. “Madame, please, just let me explain.” “Lucien Moreau.” You test the waters despite knowing the risk a false accusation could hold in court; but your time as lawyer has you cunning with your cards. And given his reaction, you think you’ve just struck gold.

“What?” 

“The man you’ve been in cahoots with since the very beginning: a business meeting, something more than that — oh! Perhaps something illegal.” Your eyes trail along the ceiling in faux pondering, exaggerated features of amazement bordering the line of insanity. 

“And that was the man from the night of the ball, wasn’t it?”

He tenses, undaring in moving. His gaze moves left, right, anywhere if it means he does meet your searing look of fury.

“See, Monsieur, if you’re going to remain silent,” you offer, a look of slyness ghosting over your face, “I’m going to have to see the evidence for myself.”

Neuvillette leans forward, face contorted in a way that suggests his own bargain coming to play. You shut it down with another sudden movement; one that you know he, the revered Chief Justice of Fontaine, cannot refute.

You reach for his hand, feeling for the hem of his glove. He retracts it almost immediately with an accusatory look directed towards you. “Just what do you think you’re doing?”

Easing into your seat, you bite back a sneer. “Finding evidence. So if you’d just let me take a look at your hand…” There were a plethora of things you presume he could’ve been worried about. Perhaps your theory of him not being human manifested into each of his appendages, which, of course, could mean nothing. Or perhaps his limbs were nothing special and he was simply hiding the bruises on his knuckles from absolutely punching the living daylights out of your father.

He diverts himself of your gaze, muttering a defeated: ‘Alright’.

Fingers begin tracking toward the opening of his glove, before you pull it with a gentle tug. His hand ombres into a vibrant blue, fighting against the warmth of daylight; you try your best to mask your surprise. By some miracle, your theory has rung true. He isn’t human!

You swallow hard, fully removing his glove and let out a sigh of satisfaction at the sight of the blooming purple around his knuckles. The bruising, however ugly, is a mottled blend of many colours — muddied by the blue that radiates from his skin. Tracing the bruises, you hear him draw in a sudden breath.

Well, for one, both your hypotheses are correct, which means you are also wrong in the sense that you assumed it was one or the other.

“That bad, huh?” you start, dropping his hand onto the table. “Should’ve stayed out of my way when I told you to.”

A knock sounds from the other side of the door, a small voice making its way through the slit of the wood. “Monsieur Neuvillette! I have neeeewwss!”

Who in the world?

Neuvillette opens his mouth to either tell her to come in another time or to let her in outright. But you, sly you, have an alternate option.

Unbuttoning the top of your blouse, you ruffle your hair with deliberate carelessness. Rising from your seat, you glide to the other side of the desk, muttering a ‘trust me’ under your breath. You unclip the clasp holding the Chief Justice’s hair in place, his strands cascading like streams down his shoulders. 

Loosening his tie, your fingers brush against his neck, feeling the warm beat of his heart against your hand. You realise, with morbid observation that you could claw his heart out with a pinch, but instead you leave him be.

One final touch.

With a mustering breath, you press your lips against the apple of his cheek, lingering longer than propriety allows. The imprint of your lipstick, a muted mauve, stains his otherwise porcelain, untouched skin.

The warmth of his cheek against your lips, the faint scent of his cologne, God. The things that would’ve happened if you didn’t know any better. 

Nudging Neuvillette on the shoulder, your head tips to the direction of Sedene’s voice, and you hope he catches the tell her to come in! look written all across your face. And that he does.

“Come in,” he bellows, though the command runs a little too sheepish for someone of his standing — but you’re surprised he doesn’t look as dishevelled as you thought he’d be. Well, that is before he starts another one of his coughing fits.

When you turn, you don’t expect to see the absolute spectacle at the foot of the door. Sedene’s paw-like hands are over her eyes, and she’s shaking profusely like a child who’s just seen a ghost. “Oh, Archons! Forget it, forget it!” 

Poor Sedene, she must’ve had absolutely no clue what she’d have to witness coming in here. A sight such as this would leave little to the imagination. How far did you two have at it before intervention? Oh, the possibilities!

She turns, waddling away before someone else comes in. 

A horrifying entity, that is.

“That poor Melusine! She looks as pale as can be,” The woman clad in a blue blazer does not quite catch her attention on the performance both Neuvillette and you have decided to show, and instead, regards the Melusine with imploring eyes.

Monsieur Neuvillette draws back the cloth of his glove into a snug fit before taking a sip out of his glass of water. “She is alright, Lady Furina. Do not let it ail you.”

The woman, though stunned, doesn’t react nearly as much as Sedene did, and instead, revels in it like the two of you are some sort of magnum opus of hers. Furina’s face contorts into a smug grin — and whether her brashness falls or rises is another one of the ninety-nine other matters you wish to not think of.

“Seems like you guys were having a little fun.” Furina teases, mewling. 

You cast a snarky look to the person that now begins her approach. “We were, wanna join?” 

Brows raised, you amuse yourself with how terrible she is at hiding her surprise. Her eyes scan the room as if to look for some semblance of an escape route, but she visibly wilts when she works out that the only way out is through the way she entered.

Neuvillette warns you with a mild tap to your back; and for obvious reasons, you ignore it. 

“I’ll pass,” she acquiesces, hands raised.

“Pity.” You pout, and this is the first time you think you’ve ever made the Chief Justice sputter in laughter. 

He stands from his chair and snakes a deft hand around your waist, his hold settling comfortably into the dip of your curves. “She clearly jests, Lady Furina.”

“I’m starting to like her. Tell her she’s invited to my tea party tomorrow.”

You mutter an ‘I’m not going’ under your breath, but make it so it is still loud enough for Neuvillette to hear, and his reaction is just as furtive.

Furina tips her head in question. “What was that?” 

You spring into liveliness, your pragmatic smile twitching under the weight of wanting to call her words you could be sent to prison for.  “I just told this little bugger that I would be delighted to go.”

“That’s just what I wanted to hear,” she starts, drawing her finger into one upward swoop before stopping mid-act. “Wait — no. No can do.”

You brush off the realisation that she decided to three party the message of your invitation to her tea party instead of her asking you directly with a more urgent question. “Why not?”

“Well that is exactly what Sedene was going to tell you: we have a meeting with all the factions of Fontaine in a week.”

Tensing up, you unknowingly lose yourself of Neuvillette’s warmth. “What? Wait — I don’t get it. I thought you were doing all the fixing.” “See… That’s kind of the problem,” she says, gritting her teeth embarrassingly, almost shrinking under the gazes of two people whose moods have drastically changed.

Neuvillette takes one shuffle away from you, and you give no time to think of the connotations of the gesture. “Lady Furina, just what did you do?” His eyes weigh into slits, darkening despite the sun being in full view of the office window. 

“That’s something we shall figure out on the day of, hm? Toodles!” She throttles off, not bothering look back as she cups her hands around both the doors and merely misses the amputations of her hands by a meagre few inches.

The silent, yet resounding click of the door spurs you back into motion, and you spin on your heel to Neuvillette, your face slate, showing a (fabricated) disregard for what just happened. 

You turn to look at Neuvillette, and find that he, too, is trying his utmost best to maintain composure; he’s practically trembling with restraint. 

Against your better judgement, you break out into a fit of laughter. And, against your better judgement, you swat his arm.

He freezes for a moment, initially confused, before he gives in and laughs as well, the baritone radiating onto you with the proximity.

“You should— should’ve seen the look on her face when she came in! Oh, God. It was priceless.” you bellow, tripping on your words.

He holds both of your arms to protect you from falling, his laughter a more controlled action in comparison to yours. “I did, but I acted a fool to save face. Can you imagine if I said something about it?”

His hold on you goes unnoticed when you wipe the tears of laughter from your eyes. “I actually can — I think she tried not to talk about that stain on your cheek —” You cut yourself short, stopping before you can slip into a rant. “Ahem. Anyway, I think my job’s done here. If you’d be so kind as to clean up your mess instead of leaving me to pick up the pieces, it’d be greatly appreciated.”

You rotate on your heels, stride interrupted with a hand around your wrist. “Wait. Lucien Moreau. You must have some sort of tie with him, am I correct?” his eyes meet yours, and you find no fragment of ill intent behind that look. But still, it spurs you into a panic.

The world stops on its axis, and everything comes closing in. Surely, he does not know? He doesn’t know. He must not know. It’s his own speculation! Surely. Surely. “Oh, I cannot tell you that.”

a/n: helloooo!! I j watched the new ultra man movie and let me tell you... the amt of fanfic ideas I have for that MANNN. if you happen to be interested do let me know! I cld add you into some taglist haha

taglist : @sek0ya, @souxiesun, @11111112222222sblog @floffytofu

[transmascaraa]

!christmas special!

"Just for you"

gf!furina x gn!reader

author's note: MERRY CHRISTMAS TO THE ONES THAT CELEBRATE IT!!! THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH FOR LIKING MY POSTS! all of that encouraged me to to try and write a fanfic instead of hcs this time, as a special! i wish you all a very happy christmas and hope that all of you are doing well! i hope you like this!

"i was blessed to have met you at all..."

You and Furina have been dating for about a year now, and it's finally Christmas time... The time that people celebrate and get gifts under a tree... The time that everybody has fun at.

You weren't really as hyped up for it as everyone else was, but you still wanted to keep the tradition going. And what made it easier, was that you were getting a gift for you dear girlfriend, Furina.

She, on the other hand, was very excited for this time of the year. The beautiful lights, the city at night, and just the whole atmosphere of Fontaine. It made her smile. It made her happy.

So you had to do it.

You decided to go to the store early in the morning, before Furina woke up. Just so she wouldn't panic, you left a little note on her nightstand.

"i'm at the store, don't worry<3"

And just like that, she was left alone in the bed, sleeping peacefully as you went out.

When you got there, you could just see how decorated it was, even inside the stores. So, with that, you rushed to the plushies section.

Furina loved plushies, and had a bit too many of them. But there's never enough plushies for the love of your life!

You put a little blue jellyfish in the cart, and a fluffy white cat, and a dragon... You didn't even look at the price. No money was worth more than that sweet and grateful smile she will have on her face once she sees her gifts.

Finally, after paying for all of that, which wasn't so cheap, you started to head home.

On the way back, you saw a small jewelry shop.

"joyaux d'amour" (i used google translate "gems of love" idk if it's the real translation)

It wasn't popular, and when you entered, you didn't understand why. Beautiful necklaces, rings and earrings were on display. Diamonds, amethysts, sapphires,... you name it.

"Uhm, hello. I'm here to get a Christmas gift for my girlfriend... any recommendations?" you asked the lady who was in charge of the store.

"Of course! This beautiful sapphire necklace, this diamond ring here if you're planning to propose, these ruby earrings..." the lady quickly recommended you a lot of options, but you couldn't take your eyes off of the sapphire necklace.

"I'll have the necklace." you pointed at it.

"Okay, let me just put it in a box for you..." she took it in and put it in a little light blue box for you.

"Here you go. Happy holidays, and Merry Christmas!" she exclaimed as she waved at you.

"Thank you ma'am, Merry Christmas to you too." you waved back to her, and finally left the shop.

After you finally got home, you realized that Furina was still sound asleep in the bed, she hasn't even moved a single bit. She must've been really tired last night... Still, that gave you enough time to wrap up the presents that you got her!

You quickly went to the living room and started packing the gifts.

The plushies in shiny red wrap, and the necklace still in the box, and in yellow wrap.

When you finished, you left them under the Christmas tree and went back to the bedroom, only to find your sweet girlfriend waking up from her deep slumber.

"G'morning, my love!..." Furina smiled at you as she stretched out her arms.

"Good morning, my dear! Merry Christmas!" you smiled back at her in a happy tone.

"Oh yeah, Merry Christmas to you too!" she giggled and slowly got out of bed to hug you.

"I got you some gifts, they're under the Christmas tree."

"Gifts? Under the Christmas tree? Aww... you shouldn't have... But i didn't get you anything in return... i'm sorry..." she apologized as she looked up at you.

"No, it's okay, i was blessed to have met you at all, so it's enough." you softly kissed her forehead.

"You're so sweet... C'mon, let's go open my presents!" suddenly, she grabbed you by the hand and lead you to the living room.

"I hope you like them..." you said to her as she already sat on the floor next to the Christmas tree, in her pajamas.

Then, she started opening the gifts. First, the plushies. The smile she had on her was undescribable.

"Oh my, they're so cute!" she hugged each one of them.

When she got to the necklace, she smiled widely, put it on, and got up to hold you tight.

"Thank you so so so much, my love! This is the best Christmas i've ever had!" she kissed your cheek as another "thank you".

"Just for you, my dear."

~~~~~

first time posting a fanfic and i'm so insecure bro😭

is it even good???

pls tell me but anyways i hope you guys have a merry christmas and happy holidays! i love you all!

[bonbelles]

˗ˏˋ for the last time ˎˊ˗

prompt: above; i have started it from lyney seeing you with another guy, but the conversation mentions what happens prior. i hope that's okay! i'm also still not 100% confident with writing fontaine folks, so let's consider this ooc lol.

also yay first anon ask thank you so much! hope this lives up to your expectations ><

content: gn!reader; angst; sad lyney; argument.

characters included: lyney

The only reason you dragged yourself out of bed today was to see your brother, who was bordering on anxious for you since you informed him of Lyney's past - information you lacked prior to dating him. Your brother was the only person who shared in your experience with the Fatui, and knowing your partner, the person you were meant to trust, worked alongside them broke your heart. Something you didn't know could break any more.

"Look," your brother said, standing outside of your front door above a bouquet of flowers no doubt left by Lyney. "It'll do you good just to go on a walk, grab a coffee, and spend some time with someone you can trust."

"What if we see him? He's been released now, I think... and I never officially ended it with him." You replied, standing behind the door with sleep in your eyes.

"Then I'll tell him to go do one." Your brother smiled, half-joking while still being completely genuine. Your brother was always the confrontational one of the two of you, your sensitivity in the shadows of his resilience.

Reluctantly, you changed clothes - looking in the mirror for the first time in a week and feeling somewhat confident compared to the bedridden self you were days prior.

Your brother thought a simple, small, quiet cafe would benefit in this situation, ordering the two of you coffees and, despite your objections, paying for them himself. You had spent minutes making idle conversations, asking about work, his relationships, general Fontainian affairs, when you noticed a familiar face watching you from the corner of the cafe.

"Don't make it obvious," you commanded your brother. "But he's behind you, on the table by the window."

Of course, your brother made it obvious. "How long has he been there?"

"Archons knows. He's a magician; he's probably popped up out of nowhere."

You prayed to Lady Furina that he was just going to watch for a while, before walking away and never speaking to you again. Turns out, wishes to the Hydro Archon don't come true.

"I've been sending you letters," a calm voice called from beside you. "But you go out with other men in front of me?"

Your brother decided to stand - in an act of intimidation, it seemed. "Other men..." He said, laughing to himself.

Lyney never met your brother; he knew you had one, as when you confided in him about your past, you mentioned that you escaped the Fatui alongside your brother. You didn't go into detail of your endurances under Fatui imprisonment, aside from telling Lyney that it was The Doctor who decided the two of you were of enough interest to imprison and experiment on. Lyney told you he didn't know who The Doctor was, but you wondered whether he was deceiving you - alongside keeping his own Fatui alliances hidden from you.

"I have sent letters, flowers, gifts galore because I realise my mistake, but I was not involved in what happened to you, and I wish I could have helped you. Are you so cold-hearted that you move on from me immediately, but taunt me while you're at it?"

Once again, your brother found this amusing more than anything. It was Lyney's naivety that he found funny, the selfishness of his opinion. You were taunting him. You were the bad person in this scenario. That is what he laughed over.

"You really think they're so heartless that they can just move on from someone they deeply cared for straight away? From someone who tricked them? You're hilarious..." Your brother was now standing directly in front of Lyney, looking down at the person who he despised most. Your brother continued speaking, taking advantage of the other man's silence. "I'm their fucking brother, not 'some other man' to her."

Lyney realised his mistake, looking at you in the hopes of a comment. Your cheeks were red, aware of everyone else - albeit not many people - watching the confrontation as if it were a court case.

"Lyney, I don't want anything to do with you. You can stop the gifts, the cards, because it won't help. I never want to see you again. You know what you did; you wouldn't be apologising through letters every other day if you didn't. Please just leave me alone. Let me enjoy a coffee with my brother without you staring at the back of his head in envy."

Lyney, equally as embarrassed, left the cafe without another word. Your brother apologised to everyone watching, but they were more entertained than annoyed at the event they just witnessed.

You looked at your brother, tears swelling in the corners of your eyes. "Please can we go?"

"No," he replied. "We're going to pretend he doesn't exist, and enjoy our day."

[liviavanrouge]

Interesting

Adiva: *Twirls around, ribbons tied around her fingers*

Blue: *Cheers, clapping as she watched* Go Big Sis Adiva!

Lana: *Beams, her eyes sparkling* Go! Go!

Madam: *Chuckles* Calm down girls~

Adiva: *Smiles slightly, the ribbons flowing behind her hitting the splits then lifting back up with ease*

Adiva; *Skips over and leaps onto a lamp post, wrapping a leg around it as she spun slowing to a stop*

Adiva: *Smiles and holds her hand out, nodding to the cheering crowd*

???: *Holds their hand out*

Adiva: *Looks over surprised* Huh?

Neuvillette: That's dangerous...

Adiva: *Smiles, taking his hand and leaping down*

Blue and Lana: *Beams, coming up behind Ariva giggling* Hi Monsieur Neuvillette!!

Adiva: *Gives them an amused look* Girls!

Blue: *Giggles, getting a grin from Lana*

Adiva: They're teasing girls, forgive them for that

Neuvillette: Of course, there is no problem with it..

Adiva: Forgive me but shouldn't you be drowned in work, Monsieur Neuvillette?

Neuvillette: Today is an off day, not much has happened around Fontaine

Adiva: *Chuckles, Blue and Lana grinning behind her*

Neuvillette: I brought you flowers-

Adiva: *Stares at him with a deadpan look, frowning* No thanks..

Blue and Lana: *Looks away huffing*

Neuvillette: You don't like these kind-

Adiva: *Walks away, Blue and Lana sticking their tongues out at the man before hurrying after the woman*

Furina: Idiot! Why would you give her flowers! That's a gift!

Neuvillette: I was trying to be nice-

Furina: I forgot, you're not everybody, but bottom line is Adiva hates gifts, she's had a few experiences with men who flaunt to her with gifts

Furina: You're on her mental list of people to avoid now!

Neuvillette: I was not aware of this...why didn't you tell me..

Furina: I thought you noticed! That's why, if you haven't already figured it out, nobody throws her flowers but rather cheers unlike all the other shows....

Furina: Anybody who is everybody, knows that about Lady Adiva...

Neuvillette: Well like you said, I am not everybody...so I was not aware

Furina: Men still try their luck with her but always find themselves at the deep end of everything

Neuvillette: *Walks away surprising her*

Furina: Where are you going?!

Neuvillette: To apologize...

~~~~

Adiva: *Perks up, holding grapes to her mouth* A guest?

Madam: *Nods her eyes narrowed* Yes, he said he wishes to talk to you

Adiva: *Sets her grapes down and stands up*

Madam; *Passes Adiva a dagger* Don't hesitate if you need to defend yourself, okay sweetheart?

Adiva: *Nods and tucks the dagger away, leaving the room*

~~

Adiva: *Perks up then frowns*

Neuvillette: *Holds an arm out in front of her* Don't leave

Adiva: The amount of times I heard that-

Neuvillette: I apologize for my impudence earlier, I was not aware you disliked gifts

Adiva: *Perks up then looks up at him* Nobody has ever apologized to me before...

Neuvillette: Then they were not worth your time if they can't admit their mistake...

Adiva: *Blinks then laughs* You are an interesting man...

Neuvillette: I can say the same about you, Lady Adiva

Adiva: *Turns to face him fully, smiling* I can tell

Neuvillette: *Holds his hand out* Would you join me for a stroll, I have been told that you haven't gotten to explore Fontaine

Adiva: *Smiles and nods* I'd like that

???: Oh, you're leaving dear?

Adiva: *Turns to Madam and nods* Yes Madam, I'll be back though!

Madam: Then be safe...

Adiva: *Smiles and hugs the woman, swiftly passing the dagger back to her* I will

Adiva: *Turns and takes Neuvillette's offered hand, walking beside him*

Madam: *Stares after them, then clasps her hands together* Please, let him be the one for her...it's about time she settles down..

@queen-of-twisted @yukii0nna @zexal-club

[balemouns]

"About FURINA" and "About AVENTURINE" yeah im making u do two

Send me “About [NAME]” for my character’s thoughts on another character! - accepting!

About FURINA.

"perhaps it should be none of my concern, but I do wonder at times what fontaine's beloved former goddess finds herself preparing for her meals without the staff she was once accustomed to crafting them for her. lady furina couldn't be surviving on cakes and macarons alone, could she...?" a pause as though she's listening, then a short laugh before she continues. "...starches and carbohydrates then, for the most part? I suppose that shouldn't be shocking, she has always seemed quite fond of sweets... the meals we prepare at the house would be much better for her health in the long term, though. next time the children wish to bring her something, I'll see if they want to offer a little pork steak alongside the confectionaries... it would be such a shame for them to see her lose her mortality to a sugary end."

About AVENTURINE.

"since meeting that fellow, I've spent some time reflecting on what about him feels so familiar and so foreign... aside from the advanced technology he carries with him, of course. I think it comes down to the capacity he has for collaboration when there's mutual benefit for those involved -- though if the other party did not stand to gain anything, I'd bet he'd be just as willing to take on a naive partner in an endeavor. I had considered then, too, that there was a quality to him that was quite like that of most of my colleagues among the harbingers... at the same time, his capacity for risk-taking stood out as more like that of my youngest coworker, who's always seemed much less likely to treat people that way." a shrug. "both highly intelligent and audaciously reckless. not something you see often."

[balladeez-nuts]

Recently I realized how much the song Pacific by Chase Petra fits Furina and Focalors' stories, so I figured I'd do a little (ha.. after finishing, maybe not little) lyric analysis. I'll go through the first verse and chorus from the eyes of Focalors and then move onto Furina as I think it fits better that way

"I hate gambling but I was handed a full house" This could represent how Focalors wanted nothing more than to be human, yet she was still granted divinity instead, which in most cases would be seen as a blessing, that is of course unless you see being human as far greater than any godly abilities.

"The swords on the cards sliced open my palms and all I could do was bleed on the money I’d won" This of course reiterates just how much her granted divinity was anything but a blessing. Not only did she not want godhood, but the threat of the prophecy coming as a package deal with her new responsibility wouldn't have been the easiest thing to handle. Having it all suddenly thrust upon you when your current beloved leader suddenly perishes.

"And everyone was confused, didn’t know why I was blue, couldn’t show them my wounds" Now obviously this one works more with Furina, but I believe I can make a case for connecting it with Focalors as well. As we're going to get into with the next couple of lyrics, Focalors' plan is to deceive everyone in order to deceive the heavenly principles, and though her mind's fortification may be stronger than that of Furina's because of her divinity, that doesn't mean she didn't have her own feelings about their predicament, especially at the beginning I'd wager. Anyone she had contact with prior to being given the seat of the Hydro archon she would have to leave behind, and as she says herself, she does fear her death, if only a little.

"Had to bluff after the game, knowing it wasn’t the same, I put a smile on my face" I could talk about the ways to interpret this line for paragraphs, but I'll spare you for now. What I've landed on, to keep it as simple as I can, are some pieces that are fairly obvious and some that are a little more between the lines. Obviously, the bluffing here would refer to her plan to feign the prophecy coming to pass. For the next bit, however, she knew Furina wasn't the same as her, but no one else would, and she put a smile on Furina's face, which for all intents and purposes is her face. In other words, she would be the only one aside from Furina herself to know that the prophecy as Celestia sees it happening isn't the same as what will actually happen, and she was directly responsible for Furina having to feign happiness for 500 years.

"Cause I looked like I owned the ocean after twenty years of staring at the sea" These lines are far more interesting from Furina's perspective, but for now, I think this part pertains quite well to Focalors recounting how she sat on the seabed until barnacles grew on her. It may well have been 20 years she spent thinking about how to handle and defy the prophecy.

"And all I could think about was the sand at the bottom and how I wished that it would bury me" Perhaps these are her feelings after she realizes her one chance to save her people is to sacrifice herself, to spend centuries in waiting just to gain enough power to destroy herself and her heavenly throne.

"And how the speed of light is far too fast to barrel into a tidal wave" Instead of focusing on the speed of light, I think this line suits more to highlight that the passage of time must have felt a lot quicker for her as a god than it did for Furina. And considering her, albeit small, fear of death, it must have felt far too fast as time barreled towards her impending sacrifice.

"Last night I cried enough to make the Pacific blush" It's not hard to imagine that before she separated the part of her that became Furina from herself she had more of Furina's sensitivity, and that perhaps with the crushing realization of her situation, she had cried quite a bit. It would be no surprise if the Hydro archon's tears were powerful as well, considering how the Hydro dragon's are.

"Now hear me say" I mark this line as the transition from Focalors to Furina, and it could be used for all sorts of moments with her. Luckily for us this line is used multiple times so I shall be using different moments for each one. This one particularly with its contrast to an upcoming line in its intensity in the singer's voice, I think it works quite well with how Furina first attempted her accession speech, polite and reserved. Asking to be heard, but not demanding it.

"I hate gambling but I was handed a full house" Now continuing from what I said above, obviously the more intensely sung part of this line would be her stepping into the intensity of the presence of a god. Onto the lyrics however, it's clear that this personality, no matter how effortlessly it looks, does not come naturally to her. Nevertheless she was handed this destiny, and like she says, it's hers alone to fulfill.

"Lost an ace in the deck don’t know how I’ll get around this" This line and how it focuses more on cards makes me think of Lyney, and the word "lost" fits well within this context as well. The first trial Furina takes up against the traveler she loses, which not only serves as wonderful foreshadowing for her final trial, but also begs the question, did she see it coming? It's quite possible she knew the traveler leaves change in their wake, she likely could see them being a cause of her act being threatened in the future, thus she would likely be questioning how she could possibly avoid that coming to pass.

"And everyone was confused, didn’t know why I was blue, couldn’t show them my wounds" This one doesn't need any stretches to be clear as day. Everyone was confused, most notably Neuvillette and Arlecchino as they had multiple meetings with Furina in an attempt to get any answers from her, yet still she let nothing slip. For her being blue, though it is contradictory to how she consistently presents herself as cheerful or at the very least confident, when Arlecchino threatens her life, she is able to see behind her mask for a moment. And this only serves to further confuse Arlecchino, why would a god be so meek, why would she be crying? As for being unable to show wounds, that is exactly the situation Furina is in. However, what really pulls me to this line is the almost regret in the singer's voice on the last word, this serves very well to highlight Furina's feelings after she, even if only in her inner world, denies confiding in the traveler. It's not exactly regret, but I think the mix of emotion in the singer's tone fits perfectly with where Furina's head was at.

"Had to bluff after the game, knowing it wasn’t the same, I put a smile on my face" I imagine this is when she takes over the trial, rallying the crowd in her favor despite knowing this isn't the same as the trials she is usually a spectator of. It is a trial against her, the "Hydro archon" after all, but despite this she still puts on a smile and stands her ground, confidently.

"Cause I looked like I owned the ocean, after twenty years of staring at the sea" She indeed looks like she owns the ocean, the seas, all of water itself, and she has spent the last 500 years maintaining this image.

"And all I could think about was the sand at the bottom, and how I wished that it would bury me" Through the entirety of her excruciatingly long life, she has been waiting for the end of it, the "magnificent and dramatic" trial that will save everyone. Though she doesn't know yet that this trial she is on is the trial she has been waiting for, I think it's safe to say that this line can represent her feelings about it. All she could think about was the end, and how she wants so desperately for it to come.

"And how the speed of light is far too fast to barrel into a tidal wave" Now this line could either be used in contrast to Focalors' version to show how agonizingly slow it has been for Furina to wait this long, or it could be used to represent how quickly her trial turns against her favor. Her weight with her people now meaning nearly nothing, even the Oratrice is not tilted towards her.

"Last night I cried enough to make the Pacific blush" This one speaks for itself, the countless nights she spent crying, so much so that she starts to not even realize when it slips through during the day, and the Fountain of Lucine carrying so much of her sadness that you can hear her sobbing in its flow if you listen close enough.

"Now hear me say" I think this line, though not holding as much desperation as she did, can fit the mark for her begging for her people to believe her. Even through her own tears, she needs them to believe her, they have to hear her. Anyone needs to hear her, and yet as the trial comes to an end not one person is even looking at her.

"I’m sorry" x8 Her apologies for the people who died due to her inability to take action as a true god would. When she goes to Poisson she is hit with a great amount of guilt, seeing the buildings greatly damaged and the place nearly completely evacuated, the emotion slowly building as each apology is said fits very well with how her emotions boil over, guilt, anger, helplessness, like she says "But what can I even do, other than to repeat meaningless apologies over and over?"

The repeated chorus after this serves well as a reiteration of the previous thoughts, but through an even more emotion heavy lens. The singing ramps up in emotional intensity, and specifically on the line "And how I wish that it would bury me", it sounds very raw. This jumps out to me as Furina telling herself to give up, that there's no point in holding out anymore. Despite how she holds strong, the desire to give up is still there, and this line represents it well.

"I’m sorry" x4 The resignation and sadness in these final apologies fits perfectly with Furina succumbing to the death sentence she thinks she has been given and the crushing realization that she has failed her people and that because of this everyone will die. She does not know this is part of Focalors' plan, she can't know in order for the plan to work, so she's playing her role, now without even knowing it, as the Hydro archon, weeping on her throne.

[avemstella]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sidenote, Alice and Rhine where are yoooouuuuuu.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[alchemania]

"So what are we making ..?"

Wanderer turned to his acquaintance briefly, pulling utensils and bowls and ingredients out of the cabinets. "You like desserts, so I figured we could make a cake." He passed her a bowl then, and a few measuring cups and spoons. "You work on the dry ingredients, and I'll do the wet ones."

"Very well," Furina nodded, beginning her job with gusto- she'd been a little nervous about working together with this guy, having heard from a plethora of folks he had an attitude twice as big as he, but he seemed pretty reasonable as of right now, expression fixed in concentration as he cracked eggs and poured milk into his bowl. "S- so, um, when did you start cooking?"

Wanderer cracked an egg a bit too hard then, stiffening. After a moment, he sighed, picking out a piece of shell that'd fallen in, and tossed it aside. "...a very long time ago. It's been a part of my life almost as long as I can remember. Let's leave it at that."

"Alright...sorry, I didn't mean to hit any sore spots-"

"You couldn't have known," he interrupted, but not unkindly. "It's fine." He gestured with his head to her bowl, eyes firm. "Keep mixing. We need everything to be well blended."

"Okay," she replied, giving a little salute and a smile, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. As she went back to work, Wanderer did as well.

"When did YOU start?"

"Ah, well, mostly after everything was over in Fontaine - I moved out of the opera house you see, and since I was living on my own, I figured I should be more independent. I mostly just cooked macaroni, though.. but it's quite versatile! There's so many different sauces and things you can put in it, so it's fun to um, experiment. But I want to learn more recipes! I've just, been very tired -"

"Of course you have," he butt in again. "...I overheard from Kusanali about some things that went on. Anyone would be tired after that. You don't have to sound apologetic over it. There's nothing to be sorry for. Here, you can put your mixture in now."

But there was plenty to be sorry for, she thought as she began to carefully add her ingredients in. She hadn't been able to save those people in Poisson, her act had been exposed in the 11th hour and everyone had nearly died for it- things did thankfully work out, but what if they hadn't? What if everyone HAD died and everything had all been for nothing and all those tears and silence and isolation had been in vain and -

"Hey, be careful!!"

"Ah-"

Furina's hands were already shaky, and Wanderer's voice startled her out of her trance so badly she flailed a bit, sending everything crashing in a heap to the floor. He fell silent, and the girl's chest heaved. "Sorry," she almost whispered, already welling up. "Here, I'll, help clean it up and then I'll just - go-"

"What for?"

"Well, I ruined the cake....now we have to start all over..it probably would've been really good too, but now we'll never know -" Just like she'd never be able to bring back all those people who died. There wasn't anything she could do. "I can't do anything right," Furina sobbed, scrubbing at her face.

"Woah, hey," Wanderer startled, looking at a loss. "Just - hold on, there's no need to cry."

"Sorry, sorry..."

"Stop apologizing. Come here."

He took her hand then, and guided her around the mess to sit her down in a chair, pulling out a hanky from his pocket and handing it to her. "Wipe your face, and take a breath," he instructed, and she nodded, dabbing at her eyes. "Look. Take it from me. There's a lot of things that looking back, most people wish they could redo, or change. But life isn't like that. You have to go with what you're given, and keep it moving."

A pause.

"..the nice thing about cooking though, is that when you mess up, you can start over," he went on, moving his hands as he talked. "You can try again. And you won't know what you lost tasted like, sure, but you can make something new that's just as good, or even better. It's not the end of the world if you make a mistake. I'm not mad at you, okay? So after you calm down, we can clean everything up, and we can try again. Alright?"

"Okay," Furina sobbed, wiping at her face. "Thank you..."

After a little while, she got up, and with a few more tears and sniffles, everything was cleaned. And they began again, and the cake was carefully placed in the oven. While it baked, Furina carefully sliced fruit into pieces and peeked over Wanderer's shoulder as he made frosting, trying to sneak a taste- he glared at her in answer, and she shrank back, sheepishly giggling. "You can test it when I'm done. Be patient," he huffed, though a little smile flickered on his face.

After the cake was done baking, he handed her the oven mitts, and Furina carefully took the cake out of the oven, eyes glittering at the dessert. "It smells delightful!!"

"You perked up awful quick," he chuckled.

The cake was frosted a little haphazardly, but Furina insisted it gave character - after all, imperfections were a sign of care. After decorating the top with fruit, Wanderer cut the dessert into pieces and Furina took a slice, popping a bite into her mouth. Her eyes lit up immediately, and she danced a little in place, seeming to glow. "That's so good!"

"You can take it home, then."

"You don't want any..?"

"I've never really liked sweets. I helped with this because it's something you wanted to do."

Furina stared for a moment, and then a toothy smile almost split her face.

"What?" Wanderer questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"You're really nice, you know."

The young man froze for a moment, expression soft, and then it fled as quickly as it came, replaced by an rolling of the eyes. "..if you think that, you must not know a lot of people."

"Well, you're very nice to me. And that means a lot." Furina took Wanderer's hand and gently squeezed it, and he stared at it as if it was sentient, bewilderment marring his features. "Could we do this again sometime?? Maybe make something you like?"

"You don't have to -"

"I want to," she assured, expression earnest, and he blinked twice, at a loss.

".. I'll think about it."

"Yaaaaaay! Oh thank you thank you thank you!!!"

"Uh huh," Wanderer replied, trying to keep an air of nonchalance, but his eyes betrayed his joy. "Eat your cake."

After everything was put away and as Furina began to leave, he handed her a slip of paper, and she tilted her head.

"What's this?"

"...it's a recipe for eel chazuke. For next time."

He swore then, the stars were dim in comparison to how her eyes shined.

[shephar]

Modern Furina and Neuvilette AU.

Platonic or familial, you call it. Open ended. Angsty I think.

Content Warning: idk, dissociating, suicidal ideation, overstimulation. Whatever else, I'm just projecting, of course.

Furina never wanted to be an actor. Why would she? The fame, the fortune? What's the purpose of it if she never got the freedom to be a person?

This is why she resigned. She wants to go use the millions she made since childhood, not collect it all until the public believes she needs a lover and a child. Furina wants to eat shitty food and not have to worry about the media's reaction.

Which is why she's here now, sitting in the parking lot of the closest fast food joint. The car is still running. Her hands are still on the steering wheel. Her mind is moving, her body is not.

It's raining. It rains too much. Her eyes are focused on the dash of the car, but she's looking at the building. Everything's blurry.

She should have stayed home. She should just rot away in the building she's lived in since her first movie. She should just die.

The phone is ringing. How long has it been doing that?

Neuvilette, the screen reads. Furina picks up. She's never missed a call from Neuvilette even when she wished he would just- she breathes in as it connects, letting the breath out as Neuvilette speaks.

"Hello, Furina." He says, in that not-quite detached tone he's used since childhood.

"Hi, Neuvilette." She answers, voice calm and nice if you aren't paying too much attention.

Neuvilette always is, though. "Is everything alright?" He asks. He knows the answer he'll get, it's just another line he says because everyone does.

"Of course I am," she says, because everyone does.

"The news says that you quit your job," Neuvilette comments. "What are you planning on doing now?"

She should answer truthfully, maybe. But she's never done that. "I'm thinking about it." Her plan is to try and find something that brings joy to her in the way that nothing else does.

She turns off the car.

"Where are you?"

"Why?"

"I have the day off, and you do as well. It's been some time since we've talked face to face."

Furina doesn't want to see him. She doesn't want to see anyone. She should've used one of those online delivery apps. She should just go home. Or drive off a bridge.

She finds her mouth telling Neuvilette where she is. She usually never speaks without thinking beforehand, how strange.

"Oh? Would you like to eat there, together, then?" He asks, voice warmer than Furina likes, or is accustomed to.

"Sure." What? Why did I say that? I didn't mean to say that.

"I'm in the area. I'll be there soon."

She could just drive home. She could ignore Neuvilette and go home. She's hungry, maybe she can handle a conversation with Neuvilette for ten minutes.

She doesn't want to, though. The fluorescent lights, the sound of chewing, rain, squeaky shoes, sizzling, frying.

Add a conversation into that and it's too much.

Neuvilette's car is right by hers, now. Was she thinking so long? Against her wishes, she opens the door of her car.

"It's been awhile, Neuvilette."

"It has."

She regrets her decision. Not really. It'll only be a few minutes. She's a big girl, she can handle it.

[writing-with-gremworm]

Wriothesley is a sad, wet cat man.

This is exactly the type of thing to share here. So, Wriothesley is a sad, wet cat man. (Note: I imagine any Genshin with my OC's is an alternate Genshin universe)

NOTE:

Profanity

Some slightly suggestive mentions

OC x Character rundown

Feel free to take concepts from this to apply to your own ships though, I think sad cat man Wriothesley is hilarious.

Let me elaborate.

First, recently I've developed an OC who is a part of the Fontaine underground as an information dealer. They lost their arms at some point and they were replaced with mechanical ones so now they wield a claymore more as a lever for their kicks than as an actual claymore. This is only relevant here because it ties into something specific about sad wet cat man Wriothesley.

Let's start at the beginning. Wriothesley (Rizzy) and Atherley (Erley) start out as work buddies. More specifically, Erley is an informant for Rizzy to help maintain the fortress of solitude and prepare for any bad news before it has a chance to happen. They have a fairly standard relationship at first, but given their jobs require trust, they become friendlier.

During this time Erley realizes Rizzy is one of the people they knew from their time in a cell. More importantly, Rizzy helped them and held a similar moral code.

This closeness between the two looks a little something like this:

"Did you trip and fall on the way here? You look like a mess." Wriothesley jests, stifling laughter before a swish of flame swallows Atherley for an instant. Their hair poofs up from the vaporization.

"Shut up, you're not looking much better yourself." Atherley retorts, motioning at the chunks of ice clinging to Wriothesley.

"You could help me out."

"No, you get out of that yourself." Atherley waits a few moments before helping to melt and vaporize the water.

Or like this:

Wriothesley pushes a pillow onto Atherley's face.

"Shut up and sleep. I know you, you haven't slept since you got the assignment, have you?" He remarks, reading through the information document until Atherley sighs and agrees to sleep for a bit.

Or like this:

Atherley kicks Wriothesley in the face.

"Hi." Atherley says with a polite smile.

"Hello to you too." Wriothesley groans, rubbing his now reddened nose.

"Dumbass, did you really think that was going to work? You realize I'm a Pyro vision wielder, I can help."

"And? You have other jobs, I'm not so crass as to assign you mine."

"Asking for help isn't the same thing as assigning work." Atherley scoffs, grabbing Wriothesley by the collar and pulling him down to face them, "Listen, you're a good guy, but doing everything by yourself is a bad habit. I know how hard it is to trust people, so I'm asking for a lot here. Trust me."

"Alright, alright. I'll be more communicative if that's what you want."

After a while of this Furina and Neuvillette communicate their wishes for Wriothesley and Atherley to attend a masquerade ball. This is when the dynamic changes.

Atherley, clothed in cool shades of blue and purple with gold accents ornately adorning their gloves, hair, and clothes extends their hand to Wriothesley as a gust of wind billows their cloak. Their cloak flutters, showcasing the lovely shimmer delicately applied to the butterfly wing shape they create. A soft smile adorns their lips, and their crimson gaze lands on Wriothesley's face. Atherley's silver hair seems to sparkle in the moonlight and their wolf ears stand elegantly in the context of their garb.

"Fuck-" Wriothesley mutters, covering his mouth quickly with the back of his hand. His heart thrums a new tune, one dedicated to the shimmer before him. 'It's just because of the light.' He assures himself, swallowing harshly before tuning back into reality with Atherley's words.

"Are you going to stand there forever? Or are you going to take my hand?" They laugh, not seeming to notice the torrent of crimson rushing to Wriothesley's face.

"Oh right, of course," Wriothesley says, hoping he didn't stutter has his hand is placed in theirs. 'Have I ever noticed how small their hands were before?' He wondered, almost wishing the cold metal beneath their gloves was flesh still so he could feel the warmth. 'What a strange thought.'

After this, Wriothesley progressively became more of a mess. This is where the leg thing becomes a little more relevant. As their usual back and forth continues, his responses falter when he realizes he's developed a taste for being kicked if it's Atherley. But also, that he's really enamored with their thighs, more than he wants to admit.

This is also where he starts becoming a sad wet cat of a man. Rather than immediately accepting that he likes Atherley, he instead starts having delusions about them. Be it laying between their thighs, catching them in his arms, the watermelon squeeze between their thighs where he 'helps clean up', or seeing them flustered, he imagines them all. As this continues, he starts thinking about them more frequently to the point that he ends up staring at a bust Furina conveniently had of them. (Furina has a bust of all of the people she values. This means Neuvillette, Wriothesley, Atherley, a few others, and eventually the Traveller too.)

Eventually, the impulsive thoughts win and he kisses Atherley's bust. Unfortunately, Furina catches him and teases him about it.

"I-I was just- I just really like kissing statues," Wriothesley states in his fluster, cursing the miserable excuse that came from his lips.

"Oh? Really? Do you would kiss the Neuvillette bust too?" Furina teases.

"Yes- I would do that."

"Well, it's right here, prove it." Furina motions to Neuvillette's bust and Wriothesley swallows before gingerly kissing that one as well.

(Yes, this is because I saw that one Neuvillette x Wriothesley FanArt-)

Later, a play is curated about the incident. This play, of course, didn't show the real names. So Wriothesley is Razzmatazz the sad hydro cat with white hair and red eyes while Atherley is Appoley, the human Electro user with black hair and sky blue eyes.

Furina and Neuvillette end up teaming up to set Wriothesley and Atherley on dates because It's so rare they see Wriothesley this flustered about someone.

Eventually, after all of the shenanigans, Wriothesley finds himself staring into a cup of tea.

"This has never happened before. No matter what I do I just- can't stop thinking about them. Shit- I'm really in love aren't I?" Wriothesley starts, looking in the tea and scoffing at his reflection.

"Hah, you can even see it on my face. What do I do? Would it be safe to ask if they liked me too? Or would that end with our relationship changing for the worse?" Wriothesley looks up from his cup and stares into the distance before closing his eyes.

"It's a lose-lose situation, isn't it? Everything is going to change, for better, or for worse. I guess it's time I make a decision."

After some deliberation, he knows what he's got to do. He finds Atherley and clears his throat, glancing aside before looking at them with a conviction that makes it seem as though his eyes are burning.

"Atherley. I've had a realization about you and me. So I need you to understand that this is serious. Erley, you make me feel alive. Your smile, your laugh, even the way you kick me. Everything about you makes me feel warm again. It's unexpected, that's certain to me. But I've fallen in love with you. I don't expect you to love me in turn, but I beg you to stay by my side." Wriothesley lifts Atherley's hand and kisses their fingertips. "I can't afford to lose you."

"What? You're right- this is unexpected. Where did this come from I- Hm, well actually, a couple of things are starting to make more sense now. Oh." Atherley looks surprised. As they finish their train of thought a realization dawns on them. They recall all of the times they saw Wriothesley flustered and start connecting the dots.

"Oh."

Wriothesley swallows nervously as Atherley looks back up at him. Their surprised expression turning smug.

"Hey Wriothesley, You know," They start, reaching out and placing a hand under Wriothesley's chin. "You should beg more often. I've taken quite a liking to this cute side of you."

Wriothesley's face flushes and his eyes widen in surprise.

"Why so surprised? Did you expect me to become a flustered mess like you?" Atherley adds, lowering their voice slightly as a satisfied smile paints their lips.

"You want me to beg more? W-What does that mean? Do you like me then? Or- do you just want me to beg for your thig- affections? Atherley-" Wriothesley stutters, the red tint quickly covering more of his face as his calm facade falters completely. His breath hitches as he catches Atherley's amused gaze and his mind races back to all of the wonderful delusions that had been calling to him.

Anyways, this is the current saga of the sad wet cat man Wriothesley. Essentially my friends and I agreed he's an absolute mess when he's in love and he's a thigh guy.

Oh- And Atherley is between 5'3" and 5'5" while I imagine Wriothesley is about 6'2".

[iustitians]

ooc; post-4.2 Neuvillette characterization

Whew. So about that Archon Quest, huh.

With the conclusion of Act V, I will be slowly but steadily adapting Neuvillette's characterization to accommodate for that quest having taken place. Neuvillette still isn't open about his identity, so there's still going to be plenty of situations where that stuff is not going to come up anyway - but if it does, I will be tagging Neuvillette's posts as both #genshin spoilers and #fontaine spoilers.

The main piece of open knowledge that most/all characters can have heard of, regardless of where they are from, is that there was at one point a huge flood that covered almost all of Fontaine, but it receded after a few hours. That's I think as much as I can say without going really deep into heavily spoilery stuff.

Further details below, with a spoiler warning for Act V story as well as Neuvillette's newly unlocked bios.

If anyone wishes to write with Neuvillette but has not yet played/finished the Fontaine story, I am still happy to do my best to adapt as much as possible, so that our muses are able to interact while you enjoy the game at your own pace. Simply let me know.

Something else that many muses may have heard about, because I feel like this is news that would have spread, is that the Hydro Archon abdicated, leaving Iudex Neuvillette as the de facto ruler of Fontaine. But this is something I leave up to you to decide whether or not your muse would know.

As for Neuvillette himself, his situation going forward will be as follows:

He is a fully fledged Hydro Dragon Sovereign, having regained all of his powers.

Having grown to respect and value humanity over the centuries, he willingly stays and lives among them, and wants Fontaine to be a good place to live.

He is Fontaine's main authority, the leader of all the Maisons + Marechaussee Phantom, highest judge and now also the country's BATTERY, as it's thanks to his complete control over Pneumousia that Fontaine has power. Dude's busy and leaving the country has become even more complicated for him than it was before.

THAT SAID, having developed both respect and curiosity for humanity, he does endeavor to see more of the world. Any time he leaves Fontaine, he has to not only get all immediate affairs in order, but also provide extra energy for the country so that everything may function while he's gone. This leaves him somewhat weakened for his travel. This is basically how I'm going to try and explain 1. why he's still able to thread outside of Fontaine and 2. how I'm going to avoid having him be a super OP Gary Stu in combat (in addition, of course, to the fact he's still hiding his identity).

The main people who are aware of his identity remain the Traveler and Paimon. Whether or not Furina would know, I leave to the future Furina mun's discretion. I'm happy to discuss it, I think Neuvillette would have told Furina while relaying Focalors' words to her (she may have simply overheard at the end of 4.1), but I don't want to make the decision for someone else.

Neuvillette is now the person who hands out Hydro Visions to humans who prove themselves worthy. The first one he gave out was for Furina.

I think that's the main gist of it for the time being. I'll edit this post if anything else comes up.

[otts-the-verminqueen]

Opinion Sharing Time

I know I say I intend to post more on here (and I have not done that), so maybe I'll start with my opinions on some of the Genshin characters, especially the newer ones that have only recently started being announced or only recently came out.

We'll start with Furina/Focalors, the new Hydro Archon. I will start off by saying that I kind of had high hopes for her to be a good character, but I am very annoyed with her. I suppose I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up at all. I just wish she wasn't... so annoying. She seems so sure of herself and such at all times, and even knowing this is just a front she puts on to make her people think she has her shit together and knowns what she's doing, it still annoys the hell out of me. Like, I understand she doesn't want to incite panic within Fontaine, but this kind of front she puts on to keep the panic at bay is the worst.

To top it off, she encourages her people to view serious crime cases as mere entertainment rather than a serious issue, which might be the thing that drives me the most insane about her. Of course, I know some people really like her, and no hate to you, but I don't know if I still want to even pull for her or not considering her personality.