The sillies :D

Wanted to draw these super cute jeanlisa pony designs by @harmoniouseclipse

as of yet (1st May) Shenhe is still wearing red ropes (#untitled shenhe game)

left shoulder/arm ropes: ❌

right shoulder/arm ropes: ❌

chest ropes: ✔️

midriff ropes: ✔️

left leg ropes: ✔️

right leg ropes: ✔️

so there's nothing to worry about, her judgement isn't compromised at aaaall 👌

(first | previous | #untitled shenhe game)

> negotiate to come by the Pharmacy tomorrow instead

Presently, two things prevent you from obtaining Flour. First is the infuriatingly slow queue outside the grocery store. Second is Fortune Preserver, the jiangshi Adeptus, who is insistently tugging you in the other direction.

“I cannot come to the Pharmacy tonight,” you tell Fortune Preserver. “However, in the morning—”

“No,” she says. “I will bring you to Bubu Pharmacy now.”

“I am busy tonight. I am making noodles. I promise to come by the Pharmacy tomorrow.”

She shakes her head.

“First, find Shenhe. Next, bring Shenhe to Bubu Pharmacy. These are Qiqi's orders.”

This was to be expected. Fortune Preserver is unwavering in her determination. If she gives herself an order, she will carry it out come rain or shine. She cannot be reasoned with. She cannot be bargained with. She will not tire.

> cunningly claim that the grocery store is Bubu Pharmacy

“Look,” you say, pointing at the grocery store. “This is Bubu Pharmacy. We must go this way.”

Fortune Preserver frowns. “Your eyesight... is bad.”

Sketch page of jeanlisa bc I’ve been too tired to do full illustrations

Jeanlisa being visible for Lesbian Visibility Week 😊

A Matter of Bias

Neuvillette stood in darkness at the window in his office, leaning against the arch. The streetlights below refracted in the water tumbler he held, breaking this way and that as he tilted it. The ribbon had come loose from his hair, and the front of his coat looked rumpled. It had been two days since he’d spoken to anybody in the Palais Mermonia.

“Come in, Miss Navia,” he said quietly, without looking toward the door. “I thought you might be along sooner or later.”

Of course she would be. With the nation’s beloved Iudex acting so strangely, and Miss Furina refusing to come out of retirement for ‘one of Neuvillette’s moods,’ who else would the people of Fontaine turn to? 

But it was good to see that he was standing, rather than sprawled out suffering from some draconic illness or Celestial curse. “Well, yes, here I am. And if you need me, here, right now, there is no place I’d rather be, but if not I think we should step along to the lobby where—”

He turned to look at her, and the light of the streetlights refracted in his eyes. “I think… I may need you, Miss Navia.”

“Um? Sir?”

“You are my advisor, are you not?”

“Oh! Of course, sir. Why don’t we sit down and have a nice chat?”

Nervously, she sat down on the sofa, her hands folded neatly over her secret derringer pocket. The way Monsieur moved to join her did not help with confidence, because he moved with a disconcerting inhuman fluidity.

He seated himself on the other end of the sofa, crossing his legs and gazing toward her as if looking at her from much further away. “I have been struggling with a problem recently.”

“Oh yes? Go on.” She gave him her best bright-and-shining listening smile.

“There is one among my people I find I cannot be impartial towards. This must not be allowed; it is a threat to order. Further complicating matters is the undeniable truth that this person themself often constitutes a threat to order. They disrupt my work with alarming frequency, ignoring precedents and interfering with matters beyond their jurisdiction—“

“Uh, sir? Are we talking about Furina? I thought—”

“No, Miss Navia, we are not.” He paused, regarding her with unusual severity. “We are talking about you. Now. What shall we do?” https://archiveofourown.org/works/55585723

However, the one upside of the softening in the SQ is that @theabysscomeshome and I are now discussing Jean/Arlecchino, which that softening plays nicely into because you know that "person who seems cold and uncaring on the surface but harbors secret kindness" is a major trope in Jean's beloved romance novels. The very thin plot structure so far is that a couple of Arlecchino's "executed" children set up new lives in Mondstadt, Diluc IDs them as Definitely Fatui, He Fought Them Once, and Arlecchino shows up as soon as an actual agent tells her their cover is blown, because dead/no longer her own children or not, she's not letting the fucking Darknight Hero murder them out of hand. Which leads to fraught diplomatic negotiation to first convince everyone they're very genuinely no longer Fatui, and then to extract a guarantee of their safety (and possibly future rehomed childrens' safety, thinking of that Neuvilette convo) from Jean in exchange for... well, now, what concessions does the Acting Grand Master want, that Arlecchino is also willing to give her?

Some of these drink combos in Savoring the Breeze are... well, the ones that are for Melusines make sense, but not all of them are for Melusines. There are so many things tomato juice should not go into!

...yeah, and the Clervie conversation was. kind of pap, honestly? I feel like overall this was "twist: the 'evil Knave' is actually soft inside!" and that is. not my preferred twist. :/ They blandified her, is what they did. I still like her, but she's not as intriguing to me anymore.

(On the other hand, it verges on a Lyney Act 1.5, if not Act II, and it did make me enjoy him more! And as always, I love the bond with his siblings. Love when they get some screentime :> )

There is, as always, a part of me that mildly resents story-gated material. I would love to play Arlecchino's AQ on my own time. On the other hand, this at least induces me to play it early enough that I haven't seen more than a handful of spoilers on my dash, which is a rare and exciting experience....

Okay, so, re: "excecuted or 'executed'":

I expected it more and more as the quest went on, especially after we met that guy, and I'm mostly okay with it? But, ngl, I would like it better as something she only comes up with now (maybe the Traveler could nudge her along by noting what she said about Clervie). That would be character development, which is something I've wanted more in character quests from the start! I think the twist was delivered well for what it is, but "she wanted to give the children an out but didn't see a way [because she herself is irretrievably trapped]" would have been more fun.

And yeah, okay, they try to make it less 'soft':

but still. :/ Ah, well. Another sacrifice to Hoyo's need to keep all PCs reasonably 'good.' Alas. Still, a fun boss fight!

There is, as always, a part of me that mildly resents story-gated material. I would love to play Arlecchino's AQ on my own time. On the other hand, this at least induces me to play it early enough that I haven't seen more than a handful of spoilers on my dash, which is a rare and exciting experience....

Lumine gets a spoken voiceline? In a character quest? A novelty....

There is, as always, a part of me that mildly resents story-gated material. I would love to play Arlecchino's AQ on my own time. On the other hand, this at least induces me to play it early enough that I haven't seen more than a handful of spoilers on my dash, which is a rare and exciting experience....

Remember my fic idea about her grooming Lynette to kill her so Lyney can succeed her? I think that's what she's doing to us right here and now. (Except without the dubcon sex, though some deeply unnerving seduction would be a very fun addition. :P)

There is, as always, a part of me that mildly resents story-gated material. I would love to play Arlecchino's AQ on my own time. On the other hand, this at least induces me to play it early enough that I haven't seen more than a handful of spoilers on my dash, which is a rare and exciting experience....

The guy who looked like the 'executed' House of the Hearth member.... :eyes: And yet he didn't recognize Arlecchino at all. Can't wait to see what happens there.

There is, as always, a part of me that mildly resents story-gated material. I would love to play Arlecchino's AQ on my own time. On the other hand, this at least induces me to play it early enough that I haven't seen more than a handful of spoilers on my dash, which is a rare and exciting experience....

Yep, she knew. XD

There is, as always, a part of me that mildly resents story-gated material. I would love to play Arlecchino's AQ on my own time. On the other hand, this at least induces me to play it early enough that I haven't seen more than a handful of spoilers on my dash, which is a rare and exciting experience....

I think it's even odds at this point of her truly killing them or it going "this 'execution list' is her secret list of kids she's let go," and honestly, I hope it's the first. I know they're trying to make the Fatui more sympathetic, but that doesn't have to mean defanging them, and we've had too many sidequests that make it clear how serious betrayal is to them.

There is, as always, a part of me that mildly resents story-gated material. I would love to play Arlecchino's AQ on my own time. On the other hand, this at least induces me to play it early enough that I haven't seen more than a handful of spoilers on my dash, which is a rare and exciting experience....

Sorry, Paimon, I am 100% sure she knew exactly what we were doing.

There is, as always, a part of me that mildly resents story-gated material. I would love to play Arlecchino's AQ on my own time. On the other hand, this at least induces me to play it early enough that I haven't seen more than a handful of spoilers on my dash, which is a rare and exciting experience....

Terrorizing poor Childe.... XD

There is, as always, a part of me that mildly resents story-gated material. I would love to play Arlecchino's AQ on my own time. On the other hand, this at least induces me to play it early enough that I haven't seen more than a handful of spoilers on my dash, which is a rare and exciting experience....