#talk to me about tartacchino

[libertasforte]

Oof yeah I forgot about & I agree with the part that Childe would not want to be taken care of.

She views herself as a masculine being (in some way) and she sees that ego extension of that part of herself in Childe. And so she classifies him to that side and she is tough to him - and this is probably something that Childe appreciates in some way and prefers to the alternative. (That sacrifice bit is random, but it’s like - she would sacrifice herself if she was a man - because she isn’t; she takes a random man and sacrifices him in her stead.) So as much as I think they are great caretakers for each other, Childe doesn’t want to be taken care of (and neither does Arlecchino).

And this is where I’m like - just get over yourselves and choose to be taken care of - but this is how the mommy&child dynamics come in, I think. Why it’s mommy&child if this is a relation of mutual care - I think this is a gender thing, like I think women are generally more taken care of by “society” (so like, random people) (under some definition of “take care”) than men, so the man is more dependent on that mutual care than the woman is. I think it’s more complicated than that, but anyway. And Arlecchino is so dominant. Lmao. Manipulative and controlling. (And anyway, in my head at least, they have gotten over the “take care of each other” part, which is why I had forgotten about this…)

I like what you’re saying with how Arlecchino is not Kind, but Good - however, this might be a difference in interpretation, or a difference in picking apart the nuance of certain words, but. I don’t consider Arlecchino to be Good, and I don’t think she considers herself to be Good. What I think is that she is Principled, and that her principles derive outwards from her ego. I think that she is logical and rational in an internal way that reads as insanity when it is seen from the outside (like a “rational agent” in economics - what is that; other than an insane person?) I think that she is moralizing; which is different from Good. Her role is that of the accuser; the adversary; who was never considered Good. I do think she is Harsh; but I also think she is Kind. She was Harsh to Focalors and Neuvillette. But she was still Kind in action, like bringing her her favorite cake.

I think that her character is about effectiveness. She is Harsh because it is effective. She is not Cruel; because Cruelty is not effective. The presence of Kindness is usually, always more effective than the absence of Kindness. And Kindness used for Effect is often called hypocrisy; the Harbingers call her as much.

Good is, very often, not effective; for that reason, she is often, not Good. It is effective to be considered Good; it is not necessarily to be Good. (And so, I think “ineffectual” would be the measure by which she uses to weigh Childe.) Another thing that Arlecchino might say is that it is more effective to be Feared rather than to be Loved.

And all this makes it sound like she is some sort of super Psychopath; she is not; this effectiveness is just the internal logic by which she operates and is baked into the bones of her character. She lives in a body with every part marked by Intent.

But her lack of Goodness is - and this is the question of her treatment of Childe - on a meta level, I think the question is like, would Arlecchino punish Childe (for being out of line) - and for me, my choice is, at least - I love her because I want her to be radically amoral.

(What does this mean? I think there’s this dynamic of how men police each other, and women do it to men too. You can argue all day about how Childe was a terrorist who tried to sink Liyue. But it just feels good to hit Childe (unfortunately for him) (problematic comment of the day). You keep on hitting him week after week and you start inventing evils for him to be accountable for. What I like Arlecchino for is for her ability to be articulate of things like this. For me, this clarity makes it so that it doesn’t feel entirely insane to be Childe. But when you get to this level, why would she care for someone who is in a worse position than her, especially if it comes at cost to herself? And so I feel like there has to be something that necessitates their relation of mutual care on Arlecchino’s side. But also I think they’re just two shattered parts of a whole -)

Recently, I started looking into the mythology of the Baba Yaga - she may be from Fontaine but she has been adopted by Snezhnaya - she is an evil being who, due to existing outside the norms of society, catalyzes change for the better. She eats children. I think that’s the direction I like for her.

At this point, also; is Childe good? (Not capital G Good - because I don’t think that ever applies to him.) 

Childe does not regard himself as good, he said as much. What I think of him is that he is a force of nature, like a tornado; or a hurricane. And the Harbingers regard him as such; which is why they keep him as far away as possible from their delicate plans. Childe saving Fontaine reminds me of the original meaning of the phrase “kamikaze” - this phrase originates from back when the Mongols were taking over the entirety of Asia; they tried to invade Japan too.

They tried to invade Japan two times. Both times, what happened was that there came a hurricane that sunk pretty much their entire fleet. It happened twice. If you had a nickel every time that happened, you’d have two nickels.

The hurricane killed many soldiers. They called it: kamikaze; the winds of god.

Although he is from Snezhnaya, I love that his talent books are from Mondstadt, for freedom; as a storm, as a hurricane, he is not just water, but also a child of the wind (and he even has his delusion for the lightning…)

Is a hurricane good or evil? Is it such a bad thing, to stare into the hurricane, and to call it beautiful?

What I like the most about Childe, his best and most redeeming quality, what has me going at times “wait but maybe Childe is the best person actually, morally” - (although I can see how from a different perspective, this could be what people hate about him, as it reads as an avoidance of accountability and responsibility -) is his ability to take any situation he is in, to take it at face value, and to care about it. “Tartaglia” is the man with many faces, and to be him is to care and give all to whatever and whomever is right in front of him, all the time. It is his ability to choose and affirm life.

To take the religious interpretation, maybe we can assert that all that God made is Good - and that it is human Artifice and Intent (as embodied by Arlecchino; the Devil) - that made Evil -

Aside. If Childe did die fighting the star-devouring narwhal, he also fulfills the modern meaning of the phrase “kamikaze” - in order to buy time to stave off an imminent disaster, cast down by the powers that be for a crime that he didn’t commit, to die in a watery grave…

Aside  2. You know how Childe’s Foul Legacy form is based off of the Japanese super sentai, who are Japanese superheroes? Just like how American superheroes originally represented the power and might of the American military, Japanese superheroes represented the power and might of the Japanese army. And he tried to sink Liyue, a Chinese harbor city. I feel like the reference isn’t exactly subtle.

Footnote. When I say good/bad, I’m defining it as how I think of their character, and not about their actions taken. When you look at the next effect of positive/negative value to the world (at least from what we know in the plot), then Arlecchino is probably good, and Childe is probably bad. But this utilitarian good/bad is different from the good/bad of their character as people (to use an extreme example, a guy who causes a car crash that kills 10 people isn’t necessarily a morally bad person). Like people who say that it’s fine that Childe tried to sink Liyue because he knew that Morax was going to stop it - like okay, maybe he is not morally bad, but at least he is incredibly criminally negligent.

Assigning a moral value to Childe presupposes his agency; as I said that Childe is a hurricane. As for Arlecchino, I don’t want her to be morally good; I want her to be beyond morally good. I want morality to be another tool in her toolbox.

thank you childe

[crystal-cliffs]

I like Tartacchino but in a comphet way if you know what I mean

Like

They’re both queer but they’re too busy stealing the gnosis’s to really think about that

[crystal-cliffs]

Why Tartacchino is my OTP

A semi-long commentary on my favorite genshin impact ship because I want to talk about them so badly. Also this isn’t me pulling up evidence, this is 99% anecdote on why this ship is a huge comfort for me despite a lot of knee jerk reactions I’ve gotten when trying to explain it. So I’ve collected it all into a post that is 100% an excuse to ramble. Don’t expect coherency that ship sailed a long time ago and I’m only serious for about a minute or too.

If I had to give a song with their vibe it would be Tongues & Teeth by The Crane Wives so everyone should check it out if you’re already reading this.

This isn’t me trying to convince anyone to ship it either, though if I did I’d be surprised tbh. Just want something on the forefront that serves as a “this is what you’re getting into” vibe yk?

Why?

Because it’s fun… I like exploring ships that seem complicated and maybe wouldn’t even work out long term because it makes me think about the nature of human relationships. Whilst I have other arlecchino ships, thinking x Furina, x Xianyun, x Signora etc etc, I don’t… think about them the same way. Like they’re mostly fluffy to me and sweet and uncomplicated despite the fact that the reoccurring character that is Arlecchino would seemingly make it more interesting.

And yet it doesn’t for me, because I assume by default Arlecchino would treat these ladies like royalty and thus it’s settled.

With Tartaglia I don’t immediately assume that simply because the first question I ask myself is… why would Arlecchino even date a man? But when I stopped viewing these characters under such a strict guideline based on fandom interpretations of their sexual orientations, I came away with a different question. What would it take for these two to view each other in a light beyond mildly friendly?

And then I spiraled from there.

Sometimes I feel like shipping culture is so rigid that I fall victim to that, and don’t allow myself the ability to explore potential dynamics that usually wouldn’t be given a second glance. Tartacchino being one of them. The concept of them dating seems so impossible at times and to other people but I think that’s why it’s fun.

Alright Ramble Time but Serious-ish

I think sometimes we as humans forget the complexity of human relationships and we seperate them into these categories that simply don’t encompass the entirety of the human experience.

One common occurrence I’ve realized is how people look at relationships. You see two people who are dating and you personally believe that they aren’t good together and hey, they’ll probably break up in the next couple months. (This isn’t about toxic or abusive relationships, let’s not make it about those)

When the truth is, you only know half of the story. You don’t know what the two of these hypothetical people are like when they’re alone with each other and you probably never will because your presence directly affects these people’s behavior.

Tying this into Tartacchino, that’s the vibe the relationships always given me. Two people who seem incompatible to everyone around them, people who probably wouldn’t make it past a couple months before realizing the whole relationship was a mistake.

But they make it work.

I like exploring the complexity of human relationships and this ship allows me to do so somewhat. Imagining how they navigate an experience that even they themselves aren’t sure makes sense to them for whatever reasons I can conjure up. Sometimes it’s sexuality, sometimes it’s beliefs, personalities clashing, trauma and the inability to let yourself get too close, whatever.

Ramble time part 2: But not so serious

Actually, on the note of sexuality, the existence of a fandom consensus on a characters sexuality doesn’t make it canon. I’ve had multiple experiences where people have gotten upset at the prospect of me shipping a character that is headcanoned as a lesbian with a guy, some to the point of calling me lesbophobic which is ironic since I am a lesbian, that’s why I do this. As a lesbian I’m actually allowed to do whatever I want❗️/lh

…

So like… the post didn’t save when I wrote this part so now I gotta be even less coherent than I probably was.

Their relationship is very not heterosexual. They break the gender roles and stereotypes by being alive, their queerness happened the second they started living on the same plane of existence.

I just like to make all of the harbingers gender and sexuality fucked though, they experience gender fuckery and sexuality fuckery and who am I to interfere.

Like Tartaglia is a girl, a boy girl, a girlboy, I dunno it’s beyond our capabilities as humans without inter-dimensional parasites leaching off our life force.

Arlecchino is… let’s not get into that, he’s whatever you think he is frankly. She likes the speculation be so fr, she would.

Inherently queer, idk what else you want from me lol. Uhh they don’t kiss I feel like I should specify that, that’s to soft for them frankly. If they did kiss properly it would be bloody and painful and full of emotions neither of them would be willing to say out loud because they’re probably hateful lol I dunno. But they also do kiss each other, just not properly because for some reason that’s too intimate.

Their intimacy is sparring violently and then patching each other up because the passion is shown through how much blood is shed yk? Idk Tartaglia’s love language is violence so… why not❗️

Damn idk what I’m talking about tbh… I got less serious and realized I really don’t know how to explain my love and reasoning for this ship since there is no actual concrete reason, get bamboozled or something. I just like seeing girlboys and boygirl’s bloody, that’s all, it’s not a crime. That’s what the horror genre is for after all. Uhhh

They are not husband and wife nor girlfriend and boyfriend, they are that secret third thing. (Tho if they were we both know who the husband is and who the wife is)

We could get even more basic, golden retriever with rabies x wolf dog that knows basic human commands. They are not Goldie and black cat that’s wrong because arlecchino has wolf energy, dog energy, they both do, it’s just one is a little more intimidating than the other.

Just realized they’re hydro x pyro

Yeah there’s no argument, love Fire and Water, both equally dangerous in their own right, and they both live in a perpetual cycle of being capable of destroying each other and being used to destroy each other. There’s no point to this i just like Fire and Water.

Hoyoverse make them talk again they were so silly.

I think that’s it…

Yeah❗️

If you don’t like this ship idc, just don’t make it my business. Talk to me about one of the other 500 arlecchino or tartaglia ships instead or something, I still like a lot of those this is just my favorite.

And just to top it all off

We all saw wife right?

Right.

[1010ninetynine]

Because Arlecchino can have a harem of women and Childe can whore himself out to literally everyone

all i paid attention to and all i needed to hear /j

The thing is, I don’t think the name “Peruere'' means much to Arlecchino. She grew up in an orphanage, her name wasn’t about being loved, I don’t think she feels a special affinity towards her name. And if she doesn’t want her name to be known, if that is the ways she wishes it, then I don’t see Childe pushing it, which is part of why she would like him.

id argue it does - its the one name that clervie knew her by. She didn't know Arlecchino as the Knave, or even Arlecchino. She knew her as her "perrie".

I’ve written a bit before about how I think men police each other for sexual signalling.

u are a tease. i will be reading the rest of your blog now.

[libertasforte]

@comfort-questing

#do you think the Knave would ever be a caretaker for Childe?#I uh. don't really but also it would be interesting if she could be.#she literally has a bunch of orphans she takes care of. why would Childe not get added (no matter what she says in public)#whump art#genshin whump

ugh this is such a question and Arlecchino and Childe if they were amicable to each other then they quite easily fall into mommy&child kind of dynamics and, I don't find that very nice, also boring... at least in my head what happened is that they fell into a situation where they had to take care of each other & they had no one but each other, and they take care of each other very well, which is very nice

A big question for me about them all this time was "would Arlecchino throw Childe under the bus" and her characterization turned out to be nice enough that it seems to be that she wouldn't and that is good (although I was a bit disappointed in some way) and this isn't a "would she sacrifice him for her own protection" (she would and she did) (he would because that is the natural order of male-female relations) but "would she help him if he was unnecessarily hurting" and she would

But generally there is that instinct that no, she wouldn't; in canon at least there is that potential for care but no need or desire for it, there she is thanking Childe but she would not to his face, served with a hefty dose of criticism... this is because she regards "the Harbingers" as an extension of her ego and therefore subject to her criticism (similarly to the House/Lyney in some way) (but also because she regards them as an extension of her ego she isn't needlessly cruel)

So I like the complexity that it's doesn't just fall into a "caretaker" kind of arrangement, and that there is also that resentment that keeps things at bay

thank you childe