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phantomfallacy · 5 days

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All the below interactions are shamelessly accurate interpretations of the canon text, trust:

Neuvillette: I am impartial. I am professional. I am cool as a cucumber—oooh buy ten boxes get half off, I know exactly the person who can handle this much leaf juice and it’s not anyone in Fontaine except for him, even if other ppl do in fact, drink tea, none will inhale it as much as him

Wriothesley: *kirby imitation, INHALES, burps* Thanks Monsieur, I accept it on behalf of my entire prison bc I know you couldn’t have gotten it all just for me

Navia, on a therapy couch: She was my childhood friend and she killed my dad in an honor duel, and sure he asked for it but she could’ve just like, said no? Anyways my dad’s death was orchestrated so I can direct my anger elsewhere now, and we’re working on making amends over tea and scones. Oh. And she has a new lipstick. Did you know she has a new lipstick?

Sigewinne, with a clipboard and cat smug smile: Did she now?

Arlecchino: The world is ending and you’re eating CAKE?

Furina, sobbing: THIS IS HOW I SAVE THE WORLD LEAVE ME ALONE

Post flood Arle, in the tune of “Do you wanna build a snowman” as she knocks on the door: Do you want to have some cake?

Furina, hugging her 10000 bags of macaroni: THE WORLD IS ALREADY SAVED LEAVE ME ALONE

#Genshin impact #genshin #neuvillette #wriothesley #clorinde #navia #arlecchino #furina #Fontaine gays #wriolette #clorivia #what’s the ship name for toxic yuri #is it just toxic yuri #that’s so sad #I also see them as daddy and brat

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phantomfallacy · 8 days

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Later, when they’re asleep in his arms, he thinks about that ache in his chest, the way it travels up and becomes heat behind his eyes.

How strange. It hurts, but it’s nice too. Like the feeling of something too sour, it tightens every part of him, but there’s an undertone of sweetness. Like lemon tea.

Is this love?

Calling him dad:

I feel like Cale would have a blank face with mildly wide open eyes if the kids were to call him dad. Raon would fumble with the words a little because while he considers him his father, he still feels shy about being so open about it. Hong is beet red while shouting in a mix of embarrassment and excitement about proclaiming this to his dad’s face. On would say it a bit quietly but steadily, glancing away for a second before maintaining eye contact because she wants him to know they mean it. She looks almost unfazed but there’s a slight red on her ear. They see Cale have a blank look on his face and know it’s because he’s an idiot and needs a moment to process. Which is absolutely right because he’s like ‘me? Dad? Where did they get that idea? Well, not that i mind, but– when did this development happen?

And he’s close to saying they should not call him that if they feel weird about it, but he sees the genuine excitement on the boys’ faces, and the fond determination on On’s face that seems to know his turmoil and tells him that yes they mean it and no this doesn’t feel weird it feels liberating and suddenly he can’t say anything. He just pats each of their heads before letting them fall into his arms in a warm embrace.

Because children should be happy.

And his kids will be happy for as long as he can make it so.

So if calling him ‘dad’ makes them feel like this, he’s okay with it.

(He’s more than okay with it)

He ignores the way his chest feels. Because that’s not important right now.

What’s important is that On started sniffling like she was about to cry.

That was new. On had never made such an expression. She seemed happy and relieved.

Like the weight she had been carrying as the older sister that was thrown away by her home was finally lifted from her small shoulders. The usual serious expression was gone.

And Cale hugged her tighter. He ignored the way his arms trembled from the effort. So did the kids.

Because children should feel like children.

And On was feeling like a kid again.

And her siblings were right there with her.

With their dad.

With this large yet little family of theirs.

In their own corner of the world.

#lcf #cale henituse #raon #lcf on #lcf hong #I love this so much #cale is dad-ing #it gave me cute aggression #lout of the count’s family #and it’s found family tropes #makes me wanna commit a crime #with them #as a bonding activity #:3

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phantomfallacy · 18 days

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There’s not nearly enough analyses of Wriothesley and the panopticon that is Meropide.

Like, sure, the connection is there, but are your lines connecting to the right points? Because if you think Wriothesley’s office is the control tower and the Fortress is his all-knowing domain, I think you’re wrong.

Spoilers for his character quest and the Meropide world quest ahead, as well as various tidbits in mini quests:

The Unfinished Comedy reveals that there is a child who had been born in the prison, more or less a decade ago. More than enough time for Wriothesley to “discover” her. But he doesn’t. He is, without a doubt, an advocator of children, and would never allow her to stay in prison if he can help it. No matter what excuse there is, such as being busy with the reformation of the prison, the Fatui invasion, or the Wingalet construction, it doesn’t negate the fact that Wriothesley doesn’t know, or he would’ve acted.

The Beret Society as well, while coming under Wriothesley’s purview, has existed long enough to brainwash and break the spirits of the people who have joined. He had no evidence that Dougier had been breaking rules and infringing on human rights.

So no, Wriothesley, contrary to the Fortress of Meropide description, does not know everything that goes on in the Fortress, and he tells us so.

So then why does the description say otherwise?

The concept of the panopticon is that a single prison warden can maintain order because people will never be able to tell if his eyes are on them. As a result, they will behave, regardless of whether the warden is truly watching or not. Wriothesley tells us that he doesn’t have eyes and ears everywhere because we are not a prisoner. We do not need to be intimidated into behaving. Moreover, the Traveler seems to be an exception to everything like a harem protagonist so let’s discount “our” knowledge of Wriothesley’s claim.

What I think slaps the most though, is that his panopticon isn’t just the Fortress, but the Court of Fontaine as well.

It is mentioned that Wriothesley knows the ongoings of the overworld despite rarely coming up. The citizens of Fontaine see Meropide as this horrible place, even after Wriothesley’s reforms, and it’s not only because of prejudice (though that is most certainly the case), but because of his refusal to be perceived. He refuses Charlotte’s interviews, though being a Duke would most certainly put him in the eye of the public. This is a tentative maintenance of his public persona: that of a cruel and unfathomable man.

“The less people see of me, the happier they will be.”

If people understood that Meropide had welfare meals, stable work hours, and relatively accessible healthcare, why would they be incentivized to follow the law? Especially those of Fleuvre Cendre. But Meropide cannot possibly be that kind of haven. It is a prison, and forever should be—because it is not sustainable.

What humans cannot understand, they fear, and that works to keep the rest of Fontaine in check from committing crimes. No one wants to go to prison, no one wants to suffer, no one wants to see the Duke of Meropide. It’s embedded into the very society, so much that they have pop culture-like phrases for it.

The Duke’s office isn’t the control tower. The whole of Meropide Fortress is, and Fontaine is the “prison.”

There are other interpretations of course, such as the factor of more recent commentary on panopticons and how they bring up the topic of holding those in absolute power accountable. The warden at the center of the panopticon has absolute power, but how is he to be kept accountable?

It could be a hint about how Wriothesley isn’t as in control as he presents himself, and the way he rules is dependent on the people who keep him in check. After all, he says that as Duke, he must set an example of persecuting only after evidence has been found of a wrongdoing, otherwise he could have simply killed Dougier. However, that would certainly bring the Fortress down around him as people questioned his reputation as a fair ruler. (Cough bringing back my sword of Damocles bullshit here//shot).

Alternatively, Wriothesley himself could be a sword of Damocles upon Fontaine, evidenced by Neuvillette’s story quest, but I feel like that would be a Wriolette thread…

Without the source material confirming anything, we’re just playing with Schrödinger’s cat though. Just some food for thought.

Next time on Dragon Ball Z: my TED Talk on why the Fortress of Meropide is not called the Fortress of Atlantis because Wriothesley presents it as communism but it is totalitarian and why that works— (Kidding, I don’t wanna touch this with a ten foot pole pls don’t respond with political philosophies I will perish 🫠🫠🫠😵)

#wriothesley analysis #wriothesley #genshin impact #genshin analysis #fontaine #genshin

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phantomfallacy · 2 months

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Wriothesley, makes a joke: Neuvillette, taking the joke seriously: Neuvillette: Did I do it right? Wriothesley, wiping a tear: You did great sweetie,,,

#genshin impact #genshin #incorrect quotes #wriothesley #neuvillette #wriolette #genshin incorrect quotes

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phantomfallacy · 3 months

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LCF is essentially, a middle-aged man who gathers babies and babies them because he never got the chance to baby, but inevitably gets babied because he taught the babies how to treat babies.

Mhm.

#lcf #cale henituse

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phantomfallacy · 3 months

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I love some analyses/headcanons about Wriothesley and how he couldn’t possibly be as put together and cool as he shows. After all, a young boy shoved into a situation where he felt he had no other choice but to kill cannot possibly walk away from that unscathed.

There must be more to him, perhaps psychological scars to match his physical ones—but sometimes, I also like to think he IS as put together as he shows despite the scars.

After all, scars don’t mean a person can’t come out stronger for it. Especially if he is self-aware of his traumas and shortcomings.

And we do get evidence that he’s self-aware! He states that he can’t trust people, even if he wanted to. Perhaps he’s already tried, and that’s how he knows. He knows that not trusting people is detrimental to him—especially because he has a fortress to run. How is he to do work if he can’t trust people to delegate to?

That’s why he’s learned to trust that people will always be into self-interest, and partially why he rewards the people who work for him.

Thats why he trusts Neuvillette, who has worked tirelessly and equivocally for Fontaine for five centuries.

Human nature and the work ethic of the Iudex are bigger than that part of him that is naturally paranoid. That part of him that will forever be the runaway orphan who had to kill his parents.

Therapy, in essence, teaches you to be aware of your faults, and the traumas that caused them. Some people learn to fix it, some people learn to adapt. Some never do, but live on regardless to be functional and even a bit wiser than the average Joe.

It’s a toss up as to which category Wriothesley falls under. Every one, maybe. After all, even functional people will have bad days.

I guess what I mean to say is that the most appealing part of Wriothesley is his ability to fix himself. It’s somewhat tragic that he has to, because there is no one else for him to depend on—was, no one else for him to depend on in his darkest days. But he got through it regardless. He survived. He succeeded. He bettered himself.

And in his ascension quote, he says he “likes symbols of hope.” Does he realize that he himself is a symbol of hope, for someone who is born in the gutter, or who have fallen down into hell, to climb back up to the top?

#genshin impact #wriothesley #genshin analysis #character analysis #wriothesley analysis

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phantomfallacy · 3 months

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The idea of Wriothesley being from Mond has been living rent free in my mind. Y’all ever notice his red aura looks exactly like the shit on Dragonspine? And Cerberus? Naberius?

And what’s with Mondstadt and Fontaine mirroring each other? Two absentee archons, dragon and wolf subordinates, their people given a kind of freedom (freedom to not believe in their god, freedom from worship), two abyssal dragons created/released by Rhinedottir…

#genshin impact #genshin analysis #wriothesley #fontaine #mondstadt

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phantomfallacy · 5 months

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On a scale of gay to heterophobic, how bad is it if I point at a straight ship dynamic that's pretty bangin', and go "queerplatonic."

#3am thoughts #queerplatonic #gay stuff

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phantomfallacy · 5 months

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Genshin is so gay coded sorry I don’t understand heterosexuality in Teyvat—

#genshin #genshin impact

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phantomfallacy · 5 months

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Freminet made the penguin version of Alexa. Bixby. Cortana. Fuckin’ Siri. Why can’t Siri be a penguin?

#genshin impact #genshin event #thelxie's fantastic adventures #freminet

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phantomfallacy · 5 months

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It’s “they’re in love, your honor” but with with wriolette it’s “you’re in love, your honor.”

#genshin impact #wriolette #wriothesley #neuvilette #sigewinne’s the one saying it #phoenix wright style

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phantomfallacy · 5 months

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I haven't read anything since the last I left off on Regressor Instruction Manual, but I'd like to wax poetic about things I've read before even if I don't intend to continue with the updates just yet. Like taking a dusty crystal ball off a shelf to blow off the dust, and then admire it before putting it back on the shelf.

Anyways, I think what makes RIM a great harem manhwa, other than the fruitiness between the protagonist and the main character, is the fact that none of the women feel objectified. Because Lee Kiyoung is so much weaker than all of them, he has to know what they feel and what their goals are in order to manipulate them. Or seduce them.

And the manhwa doesn't whitewash him.

He's a bonafide piece of shit.

But he's a funny little piece of shit because he always suffers the consequences of his own actions.

Look at Jung Hayan.

Look at what he did to her.

The consequences of that ripples down the line, arc after arc. There's no end to it. Some ppl might find her constant wrecking of his plans annoying, but I think it's great she gets to act like that because it was all Lee Kiyoung's fault anyway. And he doesn't shirk away from the responsibility! He guides her obsession to be something more healthy (? I took a peek at the novel), with bad intentions of course.

Because he's not him if he does things out of the goodness of his heart.

Finally, Lee Kiyoung is different from other harem protags because he's not cool or suave. He's full of crackhead energy and three cans of redbull at 4:00am, the peak of witching hour. And he's very much aware of it.

Call him weak and he'll go "that's right! I'm a damsel in distress! Please, won't some valiant hero come and save me?" *faints*

What an utter piece of shit ❤️

#regressor instruction manual #lee kiyoung #manhwa recommendation

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phantomfallacy · 6 months

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Masquerade of the Guilty spoilers—

—but the way Fontaine treats trials like operas make so much more sense since they’re not actually humans, and the reason they became humans was to enjoy life, the emotions, the joys, the sorrows—

They WANTED all of that.

Even if they lost their history generations afterwards and have little except the primordial waters flowing through them as blood to differentiate them from actual humans, they’re still the original Oceanids who wanted all the nitty gritty of humanity, and it shows right before Furina’s trial, when you talk to Charlotte.

She lives to be a journalist. Doesn’t matter that she’ll no longer be Charlotte, or what grim future awaits, as long as she lived in the moment and publishes an amazing article.

They’re all doing their best to be happy 😭

I don’t want to belittle them and say they’re not human. After so many generations, they’re as human as any.

But their origins explain so much and allows them to be the way they are without treading into dystopia themes.

Oceanids wanting to be human for the sake of indulging in thespian arts, to endure hardship so that they may experience relationships, the passion and grudges, the loves and hatred—it’s very beautiful characterization.

If they were originally human and wanted to treat life the same thespian way, then they would be superficial and living in a world that cannot connect with others.

The best part is that this makes them very similar to Melusines!

The Melusines try to understand humanity, their thoughts, feelings, and so on, wanting to experience what humans experience too.

I joke with my friends that Sigwinne comes off a little as a psychopath bc here she is “studying the facial expressions of humans” and “I like playing dumb. The feeling of being trusted is nice.” If she were human she’d be one foot over the crazy line 😂

#genshin impact #genshin analysis #fontaine #masquerade of the guilty #oceanids #melusines #sigewinne

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phantomfallacy · 6 months

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OH MY GOD THE TRAILER??? THAT RELEASED?

I know people are gonna say it's a guillotine but it totally looks like a sword of Damocles to me—ok I'll shut up now

Fontaine is wild.

Back in Genshin Impact after a long, long hiatus haha.

Finally, we're in the heat of the story and I don't have to wait 10000 years for a new quest. In fact, I'm so behind I feel rich with undiscovered primos...

ANYWAYS, I came back for Clorinde but stayed for Wriothesley...

He's such an interesting character. And I'm not just talking about his buns.

The Surging Sword of his burst reminds me of the Sword of Damocles. It's the symbol of a looming sense of catastrophe, the overhanging reminder of death and oblivion.

This could apply to all of Fontaine, as a whole, but Wriothesley, as someone who knows the truth about the Primordial Sea and the sluice gate, is burdened by this metaphorical sword more than most. Furina cannot compare, because although she does not want this catastrophe to fall and is just as anxious about it, she will not be a victim to it. In the end, she'll be left alone, but she'll also be left unscathed.

Other Fontainians know about the prophecy, but not the details. They do not control the flow of this information information that Wriothesley does. Thus, the responsibility of the metaphorical sword is heavier on him than most.

Ceasing my simping for a bit, there's also the Fortress of Meropide itself, which I find extremely, EXTREMELY interesting. It's a place where the worst of the worst end up. It's a place where they're reborn. It's a place where people created an economy and livelihood, for happiness.

How confusing.

Is it a good place? Or is it a bad one?

Welfare meals and stable jobs, but treachery and breeding grounds for people like Dougier…

I have some suspicions that the actual Fontaine is a hotbed of crime. You know the concept of society creating villains because that specific society requires villains to function? Well isn't that just Fontaine? The Oratrice requires the "dramatic justice" to create fuel, so Fontaine obligingly hosts crime like it's Saturday Night Live.

As such, Fontaine's society cannot be as simple as we see it in game. That's just not logical.

In Neuvilette's character quest, we see just a drop of the politics, and though in present day, the threat against Melusines are gone, there are no doubt other undercurrents.

There's the child trafficking ring that persisted from Wriothesley's childhood to Lyney's childhood. Who's to say it doesn't still exist?

There's Sonny and Luca. For those who haven't played the quest, you can start with Virgil. Pretty sure everyone's seen him around. The game puts him in such an obvious area, and Sonny and Luca appear in the same spot afterwards. It's like a quest that's bound to have 95% players complete.

And don't tell me no one thought Spina de Rosula isn't a mafia.

People who cannot win the rat race get trampled on, and who are those people if not a majority of the prisoners who decide to stay in the Fortress of Meropide after their sentence is finished? They would rather live peaceful lives than participate in what goes on up above, which proves I may be right to say Fontaine's upper echelons is rather difficult.

You could say that the Fortress is a refuge for exiles as the game claims, but I think it's also a fortress by its most proper definition. Guarded by Wriothesley, how would the unnamed factions of Fontaine reach in? Why else does the game repeat the fact that it's an autonomous entity, that of which even the courts of Fontaine have no hopes of influencing?

#genshin impact #fontaine #genshin analysis

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