theabysscomeshome

[theabysscomeshome]

As the Ordo Librarian, Lisa is responsible for many of the Ordo's secrets. Including the personal secrets of her friends among the Knights. But little as she wants to stir the pot, sometimes true wisdom is knowing when the knowledge one holds should best be deployed. (Or: five times Lisa didn't tell on her friends, and one time that she did.)

@canonical-transformation and @theabysscomeshome bullied me into this one via time travel (me re-reading an old conversation). Everything here is completely on them. :P

#f: pay no attention to the gods behind the curtain #fic recs #dhdhshdjdhdhdj omg

[theabysscomeshome]

Sorrow causes you to waver

#f: pay no attention to the gods behind the curtain #uncaptioned #:'O #ch: arlecchino

[theabysscomeshome]

I consider Clorinde's smile to be a nerf.

(yes, she's not a robot, she has a healthy work life balance, but... why does her splash art expression look more like Ningguang than Cyno? :S)

#f: pay no attention to the gods behind the curtain #asfhdysgshd

[theabysscomeshome]

help pls

#f: pay no attention to the gods behind the curtain #polls #consider tho: morax who is also a full on mlp dragon who takes on a pony form

[theabysscomeshome]

"Staring into my eyes is ill-advised. I can't promise you'll like what you see..." — "Dire Balemoon" Arlecchino

Hello, Traveler! Today, we will be introducing a new character, Arlecchino! She is "The Knave", Fourth of the Fatui Harbingers, and a poised, ruthless diplomat. To the children in the House of the Hearth, she is their feared yet dependable "Father."

[The GIFs demonstrating Arlecchino's Talents were too large to post to Tumblr. Check the original article here to see them.]

#f: pay no attention to the gods behind the curtain #thank u so much for ur efforts op #it's my GIRL #she's ALMOST HERE #i love her so much

[theabysscomeshome]

she would not fucking say that (a female character, made to act motherly in fic when nothing in the source material implies that she even wants to take a maternal role in any capacity)

#f: pay no attention to the gods behind the curtain #ch: jean #y e s #but also so many characters

[theabysscomeshome]

The welcoming and friendly and bright facade of "Mother" and the family she raised at the Hearth, whose cruelty was hidden just beneath the surface - raising children as brothers and sisters so that they might slaughter each other in the future for the title of "King",

Versus

Arlecchino as the "strict" and "unfeeling" and cold and emotionally distant Father, who teaches her children that they should rely on each other, love each other, cherish each other and their own lives, stand on their own two feet in the world. The names of Arlecchino's constellations - "You shall become a new member of our family / You shall love and protect each other henceforth / For alone, we are as good as dead / From this day on, we shall delight in new life together" - are her teachings to the children of the House (and her hopes, too - we shall delight in new life together).

And the warm gentleness in her voice when she begins speaking - "come with me" - that turns into cold monotone, "like a strict and unfeeling Father". You can literally hear the moment she creates the persona of that "cold", "unfeeling", "strict" Father, when she puts on her mask.

And that's not even getting into how it's also a continuation of this vicious cycle - "I will raise you as my child" - because while Arlecchino's House is certainly leagues better than Crucabena's, she is still raising soldiers and ultimately leading many of them to their deaths* (despite her best efforts, it seems), she is actively priming Lyney to be the next "King", and the throne of the "King" is upheld by much death and bloodshed.

*As an aside, I gotta wonder if Arlecchino's crimes were pardoned only in exchange for her becoming a Harbinger, so now she's locked into a job where she has to raise more child soldiers and send them to die, just like her siblings were sent to die. It would explain why Childe clocks her loyalty to the Tsaritsa as being very shaky (him being a Tsaritsa fanboy in the first place, anyway). But if she didn't become "King"... well, wouldn't that mean all her siblings' sacrifices would be in vain? That would be kinda fucked up innit.

#f: pay no attention to the gods behind the curtain #uncaptioned #yessssss #honestly even if being a harbinger wasn't an explicit part of the pardon #i wonder if arlecchino ever thought she had a choice #or if she was tied to the hearth forevermore #also that last line from the tsaritsa honestly adds another layer onto childe's and others view of her #how much is she seen as a barely controlled mess of a product of Crucabena's scheme #how much does she not bother to fight that image #how much of that reputation was already there BEFORE she murdered all her siblings

[theabysscomeshome]

"The Song Burning in the Embers" Animated Short Coming Soon | Genshin Impact

Stay tuned!

#f: pay no attention to the gods behind the curtain #untranscribed #hello?????? #omg i need to catch up on my arle lore to prepare for this

[theabysscomeshome]

[id: Genshin Impact art of a floating winged being covered in eyes labelled "babygirl (a shy one)" and a silhouette of Arlecchino glitching slightly with glowing red eyes, with the label "babygirl protector". end id]

since we have playable arlecchino and her animations I had to update my favourite pairing trope

#f: pay no attention to the gods behind the curtain #ch: arlecchino #ch: columbina #y e s #i am SO here for this

[theabysscomeshome]

Co-oping with @theabysscomeshome, and this made me think of @chidorinnnnn's ask yesterday! They really would be an interesting pair....

#f: pay no attention to the gods behind the curtain #ch: kaeya #ch: sara #this is SUCH a good pic i love it #and it does make you wonder.... #uncaptioned

[theabysscomeshome]

...Kaeya/Arlecchino?

Omfg that is a very interesting ship to give me XD I was going to say I'd never thought about it before but we did talk about it briefly that one time didn't we?

For me I think I could primarily see this ship in au scenarios. In canon right now they don't really have any contact at all and there aren't a lot of readily available premises that would put them into contact with each other beyond perhaps a diplomatic mission. But what they do have a lot of, imo, is potential in their past.

Consider. I confess I have not yet read that much about Arlecchino's past, for all I yell about her, and this is going to come back to bite me in the following scenario. But I do know that prior to becoming the new head of the House of Hearth she was herself a member of it, and this gives me Thoughts. Consider an au in which something goes wrong while Alberich Sr. is bringing Kaeya to Mondstadt, and Kaeya ends up alone. He tries to find his way to Mondstadt on his own but goes the wrong way and ends up in Fontaine, where he is picked up by the House of Hearth and comes into contact with Arlecchino, and then grows up in the House and establishes himself as a very talented agent in his own right.

Now, I have no sweet clue what we have in terms of probably age ranges for Arlecchino or exactly when she became the head of the House, or what her station in the House was before becoming its head, so the exact dynamics here are going to vary depending on what we do with that. But what I'm picturing here as a start is: Arlecchino as a very talented older child who Kaeya quickly picks out as a rival to surpass. Because once he gives up on the idea of escaping and trying to fulfill the original mission, he reasons that the quickest way to try to salvage things is to establish himself as talented enough to go on missions abroad ASAP, and then he can start to collect information about Mondstadt and figure out a play. The details are further muddied by the fact that I don't know if Arlecchino was at odds with the previous head when she was growing up, or how much, and this will also influence what Kaeya's specific strategy is in Surpassing her.

But by present day they have fallen into a pattern of: Arlecchino is now Kaeya's superior and of course he has nothing but loyalty and devotion to their Father, just as he had for the previous one :) He would never dream of crossing her now :) And Arlecchino values him for his skills but does not trust him as far as she can throw him and so instead of sending him out on missions she often keeps him close as an advisor :) And Sparks Fly. (And THEN she does start sending him on missions because they've moved on into At Odds But Also Trust Each Other Implicitly In Very Specific Ways Corresponding To Their Respective Issues).

EDIT: I posted this and only then realized the even more obvious canon divergence of: the mission didn't go wrong it's just kaeya was sent to infiltrate the fatui. Which adds even more layers to their present day tension.

#drom answers asks #ask reply #ch: kaeya #ch: arlecchino #i'm sure you could come up with something fun in actual canon #probably something plotty i'm thinking bc they both lend themselves to Intrigue and that's the most logical way to have them meet #but i'm ngl my first thought even there is 'what if royalty au' so XD #shipping #f: pay no attention to the gods behind the curtain

[theabysscomeshome]

send me the rarest pair you can think of and I'll tell you if I ship it and how I think it can work

#fandom #ask meme #🤔 #i do not always have a good track record at answering these but i will Give It A Shot!

[theabysscomeshome]

Dear Star Rail could you please stop giving me absolutely perfect crit stat relics only on the DoT set thanks.

#f: any monster by another name #it's one thing to not give me the stats i want on DoT #this is just mocking me #drom plays star rail

[theabysscomeshome]

teenage kaejean... transfem jean though

#f: pay no attention to the gods behind the curtain #ch: kaeya #ch: jean #uncaptioned #hi hello i love this

[theabysscomeshome]

I know gameplay wise it'd be unpopular and unfair and probably hard to implement, but lore-wise I really wish that only fontaine characters could swim underwater without having to breathe. The other characters can still go under but they have an air bar.

#f: pay no attention to the gods behind the curtain #drom plays fontaine #drom plays genshin #fontaine: can't everyone breathe underwater isn't this a normal human thing to do? :/

[theabysscomeshome]

(first | previous | #untitled shenhe game)

Your name is Shenhe and you are at the top of a cliff, locked in mortal combat with a boar.

If you fall from the cliff, you will lose precious hours that you need to make noodle soup for your friend Yun Jin.

If the boar falls from the cliff, the meat will be improperly tenderised.

> strike decisively

As the boar charges towards you, you coil your legs and lunge.

There is no margin for error. You must end this in a single strike, if possible.

(ℹ️ This battle is a series of 5–7 skill checks. Past results under the cut.

The next poll will appear when there are approx. 12 hours left on this one.)

There will be five to seven tests. Five successes will ensure that you defeat the boar without either of you falling off the cliff. (Be warned. If a sixth or seventh test is necessary, these will be extra-difficult.)

Status as of posting:

Wisdom 🌘 — success

54.8% "corps and door" ✔️. Next highest at 11.3% "gore and VIOLENCE" ❌, 11.3% "door and dour" ❌. [i]

A knock on my door // I'm met with a boar // Its backup is poor // not even a corps

Perception 🔎 — success (barely)

34% 7 stripes ✔️. Next highest at 32% "no boar facts, Shenhe. only VIOLENCE." ❌

[i] Merriam Webster IPA pronounciations.

#f: pay no attention to the gods behind the curtain #ch: shenhe #shenhe game #i did the math wrong c': #also fhfjfkf don't pick yang pick yin or VIOLENCE

[theabysscomeshome]

(first | previous | #untitled shenhe game )

> say yes but you are no hero

It is true that you fought Beisht and drove the ancient god away from Liyue Harbour.

“Yes,” you say, “but I am no hero.”

You weren't trying to be a hero. You were simply protecting people you cared about.

Some of your friends have disagreed with you on this. Yun Jin said that a hero is defined not by their motivations but by the difficulties they overcome. Yanfei said that there's no legal definition of heroism so arguing over it is pointless.

No matter. You know what you know:

“I am simply a human like any other.”

The woman in the gray hooded cloak tilts her head. She seems to be thinking this over.

“That's very enlightened of you,” she eventually says. “Still, it's an honour to meet someone as formidable as you.” She motions towards the dead Fatuus. “May I take his badge?”

“Yes,” you say. (She likely wants it for the Tianquan's recycling program, in which Fatui soldiers' badges can be traded in for a thousand Mora each. The Tianquan is very environmentally conscious.)

“Thank you,” she says, and begins rifling through his clothes. “Miss, may I trouble you for your help with something?”

“I am busy,” you reply. “I am making noodle soup, so I am hunting for Boar Meat.”

“Really? I can get you some Boar Meat.”

“I would prefer to hunt my own kill.”

“Oh. I see. It's just, please, my research has stalled and... Is there anything I can do for you? Would you like arrows? Or some Hunting Traps?”

Hunting Traps might be useful. When used correctly, they can result in additional meat at a higher quality. Nobody is quite sure how this works.

“The local boars are really aggressive,” the woman adds. “Even with your prowess, I wouldn't recommend getting into a brawl with one. It's too risky. One of my boys got knocked off a cliff by a boar just the other day.”

(You are aware of the risks. Cloud Retainer once told you a precautionary tale about this exact thing happening to Xiao.)

(Multi-choice: multiple popular options may be picked.)

#f: pay no attention to the gods behind the curtain #fic recs #ch: shenhe