#she respects the elementals but she isn't blind or doesn't have a will of her own ay

[vindicated-truth]

Beyond Evil: The Romcom

I've always said that barring all the murder and mystery elements, Beyond Evil is at its core a romantic comedy, and here's the proof (aside from Hakyun and Jingoo themselves pushing the agenda lol):

Bear in mind that if this is a romcom, not a thriller, it means Everybody Lives ™ and No One is A Murderer ™

Our main protagonist is of course our eccentric small-town hero, Lee Dongsik, who's known for his quirkiness and idiosyncratic tendencies in solving crime. His unorthodox methods of catching criminals earns him the grudging respect of the Regional Investigation Unit, where he works under his mentor and beloved second father, Nam Sangbae.

The office is situated at the Seoul Metropolitan Government Office, where our hero meets the other male lead: Han Joowon, esteemed Inspector working in Foreign Affairs, renowned for his keen intellect, cold personality, and most importantly, the notoriety of his rich and powerful family.

A particular difficult case involving the disappearance of illegal immigrants forces Foreign Affairs and the RIU to work together, and an unlikely partnership between each department's best officer.

The second lead is our hero's longtime childhood best friend, Park Jeongje, whom Dongsik thought was initially in love with his twin, Yuyeon. Yuyeon liked Jeongje but not enough to give up her ambition for him, and when Jeongje left for the states, Yuyeon graduated from Seoul National University as summa cum laude and passed as the bar topnotcher.

Yuyeon had the brains, but unfortunately not the connections, and with her background AND her gender she found it difficult to prove herself at the law firm where she was hired, and goes head to head with the ambitious Kwon Hyuk.

Unbeknowst to Dongsik, he was actually the one Jeongje was in love with. Do Haewon finds out and she's against it because she wants Jeongje to have that traditional marriage with a traditional family because for Jeongje to come out of the closet would affect her image as a rising politician.

Han Kihwan, for his part, is seeing how his normally poised and law-abiding son is being pulled into questionable methods by Dongsik, and vows to separate their partnership.

Dongsik's and Joowon's begrudging partnership also leads Yuyeon's and Kwon's paths to cross more often, and a budding romance develops between the lawyers as the side couple.

Lee Changjin is still Oh Jihwa's ex-husband, and no matter how Dosoo tries to arrange blind dates for Jihwa, she turns them all down. Dosoo wonders why she doesn't have time to date if all she does is visit Jaeyi's butcher shop even after work.

Jaeyi herself gets questioned often by her mother and the ahjummas in town why she won't get herself a boyfriend, especially that handsome young officer from Foreign Affairs who keeps visiting, and she only smiles and doesn't answer every time she reserves a seat for Jihwa after work hours, just for the two of them.

Minjeong, meanwhile, sneaks behind everyone's back to date Jihoon, but Dongsik, overprotective of her ever since he became her legal guardian after her parents abandoned her, keeps getting in her way. It causes a tense friction between him and Jihwa, as Jihwa asks if Dongsik thinks her brother isn't good enough for his ward.

Jeongje of course, sees this as an opportunity to side with Dongsik, and it causes friction with his friendship with Jihwa as well, which also then causes friction between Jaeyi's friendship with Dongsik, and drama ensues.

Upon seeing how Dongsik is distracted by his mysterious new partner, Han Joowon, Minjeong takes it upon herself to make sure those two get together so Dongsik wouldn't focus all his attention on her and she gets to do what she wants. Hijinks ensue, especially when he ropes in Jihoon in her plans.

Somehow this leads to Minjeong and Jihoon accidentally discovering an international crime syndicate and they both get kidnapped for it, but not to worry because Everybody Works Together™ to save them and unravel the crime syndicate at the same time.

Han Kihwan and Do Haewon finally sees and understands Dongsik's true worth to both Joowon and Jeongje, and in the end, Dongsik asks Joowon if they can extend their partnership outside of work.

Jaeyi and Jihwa end up together, Yuyeon and Hyuk end up together, Minjeong and Jihoon end up together, and Jeongje comes to terms with his feelings for Dongsik and vows to be there as his best man.

At the wedding held overseas, Jeongje is reunited with Yuyeon, and tells him she wishes happiness for him too, someday. She and his twin brother will always be there for him no matter what.

At the reception, Dongsik introduces Jeongje to this new young officer: Lee Sangyeob. Sangyeob tells him he was Dongsik's former partner, and they spent the rest of the reception laughing and commiserating over Dongsik.

And they lived happily ever after. As they ALL should.

[captainjacklyn]

Can I make a request a headcanon of Riddle, Vil's, Jamil's and Azul's reaction to finding out that their romantic partner is a direct descendant of the Great Seven? (Like the ones who found and made their dorms?)

Male or Female Yuu/MC/Reader/Y/N please and thank you!

What a wonderful ask, my friend ! I apologize for making this so late, I hope that you will still enjoy reading these head canons if you are still out there. I'll be using gender neutral reader since I wanted everyone to enjoy it but if you wish for a male/female reader only, send in a request and I'll get right to it !

Pairing(s) : vil schoenheit x reader, jamil viper x reader, Azul ashengrotto x reader, riddle rosehearts x reader

Warning(s) : gn!reader, may have some cursing, they/them pronouns are used but gender isn't mentioned, reader is a merfolk in Azul's part (cause you know- Ursula is a mermaid..), also they act similar to their ancestors.

Jamil, Vil, Riddle and Azul finding out that their partner is a descendant of one of the great sevens :

Riddle Rosehearts

When Riddle first met you, he didn't think much of it. Sure you were quite commanding and respected the rules of his dorms very well (which he appreciated) but he just thought it was your personality and nothing more.

When he found you looking at the Queen of Heart's statue, he was surprised to see dissatisfaction on your face. You appeared a little bothered and as your partner he wished to make sure his s/o was alright.

"Is everything ok my Rose ? You seem a little out of your element."

"Ah Riddle, no I'm all good I'm simply thinking about certain things concerning my ancestor."

"Oh, and who are they ?"

"The one I'm looking at right now."

....

WhAt-

he wasn't expecting that, honestly, it feels like a bucket of ice got dropped on his head. Since she is seen in such a positive light in Night Raven College, he will start asking you about her.

"Oh she was a tyrannical queen, absolutely insane with no moral whatsoever. The only traditions we pass down in the family are the rules and leadership qualities, those are taught to the kids at a young age. I never admired her, not once. Sometimes rules didn't even need to be broken for her to cut someone's head off. If she was in front of me, breathing, at this exact moment I would give her a taste of her own medicine."

...

He didn't expect that, not once did he think of it that way. What was pictured to be a righteous royal turned out to be someone who beheaded people for a yes or a no.

It doesn't change what he thinks about you, you are your own person and what your ancestor did is unforgivable.

he's just stunned, and maybe a bit more proud of being your significant other.

Vil Schoenheit

You and Vil are the star couple of NRC, people literally turn blind when they look at the both of you. Dazzled with glam and beauty I swear to god-

He's glad he doesn't have to constantly shout at you for being reckless and ruining your eyeshadow. Not like some people

You were the perfect visual depiction of a queen/king/royal, I imagine you two walking down the school hallway and a red carpet spawns out of nowhere for the both of you to walk on.

Aphrodite has favorites.

You take good care of your appearance, no matter the special/ so called 'unusual' features you carry, you still manage to appear even more wonderful than the Fairest Queen herself.

Rook stalks you follows you around a lot. He would gush at you everyday as you sat in front of the mirror and prepared yourself for the day.

He does this to Vil as well and y'all consider this normal at this point. If you don't, then get prepared to be spooked all the time. Like...all the time.

"My my [Nickname], you look especially splendid today ! Not like you aren't usually, but you managed to make your beauty shine even more than it already was !"

"Well I am the Fairest Queen's great-great-great-great granddaughter/son/child after all."

"..."

"Pardon me."

"Where did that come from ? Orchidia was that in the script-"

Rook will tell Vil immediately, it isn't like it will affect your relationship in any way, he just thinks its a very interesting fact about you.

He may or may not flatter himself with it, but even if you weren't, your beauty does shine without an ancestor to prove it.

Jamil Viper

You are an amazing tactician, I mean, you were capable of coming up with a plan to stop kalim from burning down the dorm 10 days before it had the possibility of taking place.

And let's not ignore your persuasive abilities, you don't even need unique magic to have 200 students do what you want.

You and Jamil are one manipulative pair, but at least you have good morals. Kinda wishing you were there during the entirety of chapter 4 because it would have been over in one episode with no overblot happening at all.

Wether you scold him after finding out is your choice, but if it does happen don't be too harsh about it, his mind is little coo-coo at the moment.

So much that the only thing he catches you saying is :

"...And I don't want you turning into my great-great-great-great uncle simply because things didn't go your way. He was one manipulative and deceiving *sshole who I wish was never related to me at all. He was smart but for the wrong reasons, you are so much better than the sorcerer of sands Jamil ! I know it, and if anyone or anything is bothering you, I expect a full ranting session from your part-" "Wait you're related to the sorcerer of sands ?"

"...."

"Did you hear anything else about what I said ?"

"To be honest..."

"No."

Well that went well.

He is genuinely impressed and a little disappointed about the fact that the very man who represents his dorm is a huge traitor.

You're the one to talk- Lady Orchidia please calm down

He understands what you mean but his perception on Kalim won't change so if you're friends with the guy he stresses over everyday than you're gonna have to learn to live with it.

I repeat, it doesn't change your love for one another, except this time he'll be watching his back a little more. Knowing your advantage against him.

He's soft for you ngl

Azul Ashengrotto

Who are you and why are you so cute together-

Octopus lovers. Oh my god this is too much.

Orchidia you still need to finish the fanfic Shut your mouth and let me die, I finally found my reason to sleep forever.

You will probably have to be a mermaid/man/folk due to your origins but your appearance is your choice cause I'm too lazy to give you one also I have no idea what you look like.

You are once again amazing at convincing people into obeying your orders and both loves and fears your skill.

You are also is source of confidence and pride, if you can be happy in your original fish form than so can he (you just gotta tell him that often.)

He'll find out during a normal conversation where the two of you are in his office as he's arranging the contracts and listening to you talk about your day.

"Oh and did you know my family is related to the sea witch ? I know it's crazy to believe but-" "YOU'RE RELATED TO THE BENEVOLENT SEA WITCH ?!" "Yes...?" *runs up to you and shoves contract in your face* "Please marry me."

He is very happy and very excited, acting like a fan who gets to meet his idol for the first time in person.

He thought highly of you before, now it's through the stars. get it ? cause he thought highly of you ? damnit I suck at jokes.

He's willing to hear you talk about your ancestor for hours and hours, she is his role model after all.

Finds himself very lucky to be with you, even prior to your declaration. You two are just adorable- SQUISHY OCTOPUS !

[famwhy]

Protection

Yandere Kaeya Alberich

Word Count: 6,902

The chirps of birds rang through the air as they sang to one another with no intentions of stopping. People bristled with life, chatter leaving the mouths of each and every one of them as they strolled with one another. Peaceful - that is what the city of Fontaine was at that exact moment.

Peaceful.

However, the fight happening within the walls of a certain home was anything but peaceful.

"Mondstadt? Why, in all of Teyvat, would you want to go there?" The booming voice of your father caused many servants within your home to flinch.

"It's the city of freedom, father! There's so much to do, why wouldn't I want to go there?"

Freedom, that's a feeling you know you've never had the pleasure of truly experiencing. Being the heir to your father's business meant that freedom was something you lacked completely. The only 'freedom' you're allowed to have is a 10-15 minute walk around your home, nothing more. 

"There's so much to do here in Fontaine as well!" 

"Oh? Like those things you barely allow me to do because you're too busy hiring tutor upon tutor to teach me about how to take over a business only you care about in this family?!"

"EXCUSE ME?!" Oh no, now you've gone and done it. "Y/N L/N, DON'T YOU EVER SPEAK LIKE THAT TO YOUR FATHER!"

"YOU LET GABRIEL EXPLORE THE WHOLE OF TEYVAT!" 

"GABRIEL IS NOT THE HEIR TO THE BUSINESS, IS HE?!" With a large intake of breath, the older man continued. "Look, Y/N, there is no point in going to a city with an archon that does not even care for his citizens."

"It's because he has a vision, isn't it?" 

"What? What do you mean?"

"You let Gabriel do what he wants because of that stupid thing he carries around that allows him to control one of the elements!" Envy coursed through your veins, infecting your blood like a disease ready to strike down whoever it deemed fit. "I don't get it! I can defend myself just as well as him! I don't need a vision to prove my worth!"

"YOU ARE NOT GOING AND THAT IS FINAL!" 

"But-!"

"NO! NOW GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!" 

With a frustrated growl, you left the room in a state of agitation.

It wasn't fair! How come your brother was allowed to explore the world and not you?! Just because those stupid archons gifted him a stupid vision! Ugh, everything was so stupid!

How did they notice him when you were the one who claimed to want adventure your whole life! That kid barely even spoke! Archons can be so blind sometimes! 

"My lady, are you-?"

Slamming the doors to your room shut, you grit your teeth. All you could think about was the anger you felt.

You had to rebel. You needed to. You can't afford to have your freedom stripped away from you like this. You would never get it back otherwise.

You needed to go to Mondstadt - with or without your father's permission.

"My lady?" The light knocking on your door came as a surprise to you. "Are you alright."

"I'm fine, Ezetheus, I'm fine." With a small intake of breath, you carried on speaking. "Thank you for asking though."

"Well, any decent person would have asked."

"Most people I've met aren't decent at all." You ended the conversation with a small scoff, still bitter due to your argument with your father.

♤

The Lord of the house huffed - he couldn't believe it, his daughter had never once raised her voice at him like that. He doesn't know what spurred on this sudden rebellion, he was so sure that he got rid of any sort of negative influence in your life so who on earth taught you how to do that? 

"That ungrateful little brat." He growled out, frightening one of the servants laying out food before him. "First, she lashes out at me. Now, she doesn't even bother showing up to breakfast."

"With all due respect, my lord, she has spent her whole life tending to your needs. It is a little unfair that her own get neglected." His personal Knight, Adelaide, spoke up from behind him. 

"Life is unfair, Adelaide, she will have to deal with it." 

"You're as stubborn as your wife was, my lord." 

The statement made Raymond go silent, his throat constricting as he reminisced memories he once shared with his beloved wife. Times were different back then, it was a lot more peaceful.

"MY LORD!" In bursted Sir Ezetheus, the Knight assigned to you, to mess up the lord's train of thought.

"What is it?" 

"My-my lady." He panted.

"Well? Out with it boy!"

"She has set course to Mondstadt!" The Knight handed him a note. "Here, this is what she wrote."

Dear father,

I've set off to the city of freedom! Yes, that's right, I have directly disobeyed your orders! This feels so thrilling! I never thought I would find the courage in me to do something like this but here I am! Don't worry about me father, I'll try to talk to the owner of the famous wine brewery in Mondstadt and see if I can strike a deal with him for our business! I will be back soon!

Sincerely,

Your rebellious daughter!

The room's temperature seemed to drop as everyone zeroed in on the head of the house, seemingly waiting for something. And pay off their wait did, for the next second - the father to two children screamed out the name of his eldest.

"THAT GIRL IS SO...!"

♤

"Reckless!" You exclaimed. "I'm so reckless! Why did I decide to do this again?! Because of a stupid dream?! Oh, Y/N, where did all of your rationality go?!"

Something pricked you from the side. "OW! How can a leaf be that prickly?!"  

With a huff, you tugged on your cloak. This was the tenth time it got stuck in a branch, it just grew more and more annoying as time went on.

Frustration coursed through you - who knew adventuring would be so annoying?!

"Ugh, Mondstadt better be worth all this trouble." 

You had been travelling since a few days ago, having set off almost immediately after you ended your conversation with Ezetheus. Did you know where you were going? Of course you did, you had the map of Teyvat memorised down to the last pebble - it was just that seeing it all in person was a little bit different than studying it all on a map. 

"Ugh, stupid stupid stupid." With each 'stupid', your palm met your forehead. "Why couldn't you have asked someone to accompany you?! You're so hopeless!"

"Um, excuse me?"

"GAH!" 

You jumped, turning around rapidly in response to the sudden audio that reached your ear. "Holy Archons above, please do not sneak up on me like that!"

"Sorry miss!" What-? Is that a flying child? "We couldn't help but notice-."

"How fascinating. Are you what they call a 'fairy'?" You gazed at the flying child with intrigue, paying her companion no mind at all. 

"Hey! Paimon's not an experiment you can just call fascinating!" The 'thing' crossed its arms. "And Paimon's not a fairy either!"

"Ah, my apologies. You see, I don't really go out much - my father has never allowed me to. This is actually my first time being so far away from home. It's exhilarating!"

"Where are you from?" Paimon tilts her head to the side, uncrossing her arms as she asked the question.

"Fontaine."

"No wonder why you sound so fancy!" 

The light clearing of a throat interrupted your small talk with Paimon. You almost jumped once more when you met eyes with a blonde male standing right beside Paimon.

"Ah, I didn't see you there! What's your name?" Slightly embarrassed by how inattentive you were, a small nervous smile made its way onto your lips.

"Aether." His reply was curt and accompanied with a nod of acknowledgment. 

"I see, and where might you be from, Aether?" 

"He's from another world!" Paimon answered the question for (what you presumed to be) her companion. "He's on a journey to look for his sister!"

"Oh? You have a sibling too? I, myself, have a younger brother but I have not heard from him in quite a while." A light frown tugged on your lips as you recalled the way you slandered your sibling's name purely out of the sickening feeling of envy that flooded through you upon the thought of visions. "I miss him."

"Did he go missing too?" Though Paimon was the one to ask the question, Aether seemed more attentive to your answer than her.

"Hm? Oh Archons no, his leave was warranted. He gained a vision and then proclaimed that he wanted to explore Teyvat." You spat the sentence out, visions always left a bitter taste in your mouth

"Huh? But didn't you say your father never let you out the house? Why would he let your brother but not you? Surely it's not just because of the vision?" This kid sure does talk a lot.

"Well, father only kept me locked in because I was the heir to his business. Otherwise, he would not keep me under such strict lock and key." 

"Paimon feels so bad for you." 

"Oh, don't worry, I am able to explore now, am I not?" You sent a reassuring smile towards the duo.

"Did he suddenly let you?"

"Nope, I ran away!" You giggled lightly.

"RAN AWAY?! BUT ISN'T HE WORRIED?!" The alarm that crossed both Aether and Paimon's faces was quite amusing.

"He should've thought about that before he took away my freedom." Crossing your arms, you tossed your head to the side stubbornly.

You know what? You don't regret running away! Talking to these two was actually quite fun! There's nothing that could make you want to go back now!

"Uh oh."

"Huh?" Turning around, you were met with something quite unexpected. "Is that a real life Hilichurl?!"

"You've never seen them before?"

"Only ever illustrations by an artist my father absolutely adores the paintings of. I believe they go by Albedo?"

The monster didn't wait for you to continue your conversation and charged straight for you. 

Luckily, Aether ran towards it before it could get to you - taking it down swiftly with sword skills not even the guards of Fontaine could compete with. Truly, it was amazing.

"Y/N! LOOK OUT!" Doing a quick one-eighty, E/C orbs met with a silver axe coming down at an alarming speed.

Oh, would you look at that, it's heading right towards you.

Was this it? Was this how it all ended? Before you could make it to the city of freedom? Before you could meet new people you hoped you would be able to call friends? Before you could possibly find a 'lover' you always read about in those peculiar books your father gifted you with yearly?

"My oh my, what do we have here? The traveller and Paimon have found a new companion?" 

"Captain Kaeya!"

Your squinted eyes slowly fluttered open when you found that you were still able to hear and breathe like a living being instead of being chopped in half and lying on the ground as a cold dead corpse. 

There, stood before you with a sword laying in his grasp, was a man who looked to be not too far from your own age. Was this man your saviour?

"Kaeya Alberich, pleased to meet you~." The male grasped your right hand and brought it up to his lips, placing a gentle kiss upon your knuckles. "May I have the honour of knowing the beautiful woman before me's name?"

"Ah, Y/N-." You hesitated for but a moment. He doesn't look to be from Fontaine so he shouldn't know your family name right? "L/N. It is lovely to make your acquaintance, Mr Kaeya." 

"Captain Kaeya, what are you doing here?" Paimon floated over, Aether following not far behind with a relieved expression on his face. Aww, was he worried about you? How adorable.

"Well, I was on patrol when I stumbled across a maiden in distress." Huh? Did he say patrol? "I knew I had to swoop in and make sure no harm came to her."

"Patrol?" You tilted your head to the side, much like how Paimon had earlier. 

"Oh yeah! Y/N, this is Captain Kaeya! He's the Cavalry Captain of the Knights of Favonius!" Upon Paimon's explanation, you gasped. 

"A Knight?! A Captain no less! My apologies for addressing you so casually, if I'd have known sooner, I would not have addressed you the way that I did." Slowly slipping your hand out of his (unsurprisingly sturdy) grasp, you clasped it with your left hand with an apologetic look on your face. 

"There's no need to worry, I'm not one for pleasantries anyway." The smirk resting on his face never seemed to let up causing every sentence that left his mouth to sound smug.

"If you don't mind me asking, what exactly is the 'Knights of Favonius'?" It felt a little rude to ask but you truly didn't know, this was another land after all. What land exactly? You may or may not have lost track...

"Why, only the Knights in charge of protecting the land of freedom itself." Kaeya happily answered your question.

"The land of freedom? I'm in Mondstadt?!" You lit up with excitement. "Perfect! Just the destination I wanted to go to!"

"Oh? And you have business with the land of freedom, I presume?" 

"I do have some business however, I came here for somewhat of a holiday." With an elated grin, you let pride take over you. 

You can't believe it! You arrived in Mondstadt all by yourself! Well, with the help of one man who spoke quite a bit about Liyue culture before pointing you towards where Mondstadt was. But! Apart from that, you made it completely on your own! Take that Raymond!

"Is that so? Well, I don't suppose you would mind me being your tour guide?" How gentlemanly of him.

"Oh that would be wonderful! Thank you, Sir Kaeya!" You clasped your hands around one another yet again, this time in delight.

"But of course~." He sent you a wink before redirecting his attention to the traveller duo you almost forgot were there. "Don't fret about the lovely princess here, I'll take care of her, you two continue on your way to Liyue, you have a sibling to find after all."

"Oh! It was nice meeting you, Paimon, Aether." With a close-eyed smile, you waved at the pair.

"Oh! Guess it's our time to go! Bye Y/N." Paimon waved back at you with just as much enthusiasm. "C'mon Aether! Let's go!" 

Aether stays silent, his gaze lingering on you and Kaeya for a bit before he slowly jogs off - not before looking back one last time and sending you a wave of his own.

"Now then, shall we?" The Cavalry Captain offered you his arm with a smile.

Seeing no harm in taking it, you slid your hand in between his arm and body, grasping his bicep with a joyful smile. 

Walking alongside the young man helped you come to a realisation. "Sir Kaeya?"

"Hm~?" 

"I've never held a man's arm like this before. Or well, a man that isn't related to me is what I mean." 

The blue-haired male rose an inquisitive brow. "Oh? I suppose that was the first time a man had kissed your knuckles too?"

"How did you know?!" The genuine surprise in your tone wretched a chuckle out of Kaeya's mouth.

"How endearing." He came to an abrupt stop, causing you to come to one of your own as well.

"Why did we-?" You were cut off when Kaeya rotated you so that you were facing him. 

"Have you never had a real kiss before too?" He leaned in even closer, eyes half-lidded and glinting with an emotion unfamiliar to you.

"Not really." You found yourself naturally leaning back and you weren't sure why.

"Cute." His hand lifted up as his index finger gently tapped the tip of your nose. "Do you mind explaining to me why that is so?"

He pulled away gently, taking your hand and wrapping it around his arm once more, continuing on your journey to the city of freedom.

"Oh, well, you see, my father has never allowed me outside my home. I was always kept inside where he deemed it to be 'safe and sound'. If it weren't for the fact that I was the heir to his business, he wouldn't have taken my freedom away from me." 

"Oh my~ that doesn't sound quite fair on you." He casted you a side glance before facing forward once more. "Have you never wanted to rebel in any way before?"

"I'm doing it right now! I ran away from home!" You're not sure why but Kaeya suddenly seemed to start choking right after you finished your sentence. "Sir Kaeya?! Are you alright?!" 

After clearing his throat, he reassured you he was fine. What a relief, you didn't want to be the cause of someone's death right after you got away from a house that felt like prison. Escaping from a prison just to be locked away again didn't sound good.

"Are you sure running away was a good choice?" This time, you were the one to halt.

"I-." 

Were you sure this was the right choice? What if this was all a huge mistake? What if you weren't ready for the real world? What then? You can't just go running back into the arms of the man that raised you, it was too late for that. Not to mention, the punishment you would be given would turn out to be quite severe.

"I'm not too sure yet." Shaking your head, you rid yourself of those negative thoughts with furrowed brows. "But I will find out after a while of staying here. I can't just judge without having met many people yet or without even getting to know you properly yet! Once I've done that, only then will I get back to you with my response - you can be sure of that!"

When the corners of his lips turned up, something about it felt different to the other times - it felt a tad bit more genuine. Although, maybe it was just you and your delusions.

"I'll be looking forward to that then." 

The rest of the trip to the city of freedom was spent in a comfortable silence. Kaeya was good company. You liked this. It was already an improvement to life stuck in that mansion your father called a home.

Multiple times you found yourself wanting to break the silence but upon witnessing the content expression rested upon the Knight's face, decided not to.

It was only when you reached the actual gates of Mondstadt that Kaeya decided to speak. "Here we are, the city of freedom, Mondstadt." 

Your eyes lit up for the nth time that day. You had felt more positive emotions in this one day than you ever had in your whole life. It was a little depressing to think about but it was the truth.

"I can't wait to do all the things I read about in those stories father rarely gifts me with!" You didn't hide the elation in your voice, turning to Kaeya and almost blinding him with how bright your smile seemed to be.

"Why wait~?" He took your hand in his, tugging you closer to him. "There's plenty of time to do all that you wish to do right now~."

You wasted no time in pulling Kaeya towards the flowers, eager to chat to the little girl standing behind them.

"Hello!"

"Hi! Are you new here? I'm Flora." The girl smiled at you.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Flora. I'm Y/N." Your eyes averted to the flowers that rested before her. "Oh, those are so pretty! They smell really nice too!"

"Those are sweet flowers, they're typically used when cooking dishes meant for a sweet flavour." The childish wonder that crossed your face prompted a chuckle out of your tour guide.

"They're so pretty, I'd love to have some of my own!" Your fingers caressed the soft surface of the petals, taken back by how different it felt to the silky texture of the flowers back in your mansion. 

"Oh! I can have that arranged! Would you like to have them right now or would you rather have them delivered to your home right away?"

Home.

Home.

Home.

Your breath slowed down significantly, pausing at intervals and lacking any sort of steadiness.

Home. That's right. You had to go back eventually, didn't you? Back to that place. Back to those chains. Back to where you-.

"Y/N?" Kaeya's voice snapped you out of your thoughts, allowing you to return to reality once more.

"Ah, sorry, uh..." You lost your words for a moment, faltering briefly before picking yourself back up. "Sorry about that, I don't know exactly what happened there."

A weight was pressed against your shoulder, causing your eyes to trail it and find Kaeya's concerned face looking down at you. "Are you feeling good?"

Shaking your head from side-to-side, you told him the problem.

"I seemed to freeze up upon hearing the word 'ho-'."

You paused.

"Ho-."

Your brows furrowed.

"Ho-." 

Huh?

"That's strange, I cannot seem to say the word."

"Home?"

Home. Home. Home. Home. Home. Home. Home. Home. Home. Home. Home. Home. Home. Home. Home. Home. Home. Home. Home. Home. Home. Home. Home. Home. Home. Home. Home. Home. Home. Home. Home. Home. 

You don't want to go back.

"Y/N!" Once more, you were awoken by the Knight beside you.

"Sir Kaeya... my apologies. I did not mean to phase out like that."

"Phase out? You were shaking and hyperventilating. If anything, I should be the one apologising for putting your through that." 

"No, no. Please do not fret, it is not your fault I reacted that way." 

You were so excited to experience Mondstadt and here you were ruining it for yourself by going into a state of hysteria every time a single word is mentioned. 

"Let's forget this. I would like to explore Mondstadt, not mope around about a place I wish not to go back to." Grabbing the Cavalry Captain's arm, you tugged him over to the stairs. "Come, I saw a restaurant in this area, I would like to try out their food."

~

"Look, Sir Kaeya! A dog!" A squeal escaped your lips as you gazed upon the adorable creature you had only read about and seen illustrations of.

The cute little thing bounced around and wagged its tail, looking overjoyed to receive even a small amount if attention.

"Isn't it adorable?!"

"As much as you? I don't think so, princess~."

"Oh well, I think it's a lot more adorable than me."

You were startled upon hearing the cry of laughter suddenly escape from your companion's mouth. Tilting your head to the side, you enquired about it.

"It's nothing, don't worry about it. Say, princess? Close your eyes for a minute, would you~?" 

You did as he asked with no question, trusting him like you did every other person you had encountered so far. 

What could Kaeya possibly want to do that involves you having your eyes closed? 

"Open them up again." 

Your eyelids fluttered open, immediately being met with a shade of green coming from the top of your head. Your hands flew up, feeling the soft thing placed upon your skull. It felt like...?

"Flowers?" You blinked in bewilderment. "Wha-?" 

"A flower crown for the adorable princess before me~." Kaeya sent a wink your way, seemingly enjoying your reaction.

You slowly took it off your head before gazing at it. "Wow, it's so gorgeous." 

"Ah ah ah." Kaeya proceeded to take the beloved ornament from your hands before placing it atop your head once more. "Don't take it off now, you'll hurt my feelings~."

"Hurt your feelings? I'm sorry, Sir Kaeya! I did not mean to bring you any harm! I promise not to take it off!"

Kaeya's smirk shifted into that of a smile, it looked good on him.

"You should do that more often."

"Do what?"

"Smile like that. It suits you. You look very handsome with it on, Sir Kaeya." 

With that, you skipped off, leaving Kaeya in a stunned silence - his cheeks slowly growing darker by the second.

~

"I see, and this traveller is the only source of entertainment you have?" You tilted your head to the side, curiosity lacing your tone.

"Well, up until now, that was true." The masked male smirked in a way that was similar to Kaeya's one and yet, strangely different.

"What do you mean by that?" 

"I mean that you're good company." 

"Well, I'm glad to bring you some enjoyment Mr Viktor!" 

The fatui diplomat merely chuckled at you. "You definitely don't make me want to go home."

Home.

Your ears seemed to pick up on a faint ringing sound as your breath was suddenly audible, your heartbeat growing in volume at a rapid pace.

Not again! Not a-!

"Y/N!" The familiar smooth voice that belonged to a certain Knight kept you from further spiraling into hysteria.

"Suh-sir Kaeya?" The stutter left your lips before you could prevent it from doing so. 

As you returned to reality, you noticed the crowd of nuns gathered around you along with one fatui diplomat gazing down at you in concern.

Kaeya held your form in a way that seemed awkward. He must've caught you while you were falling...

"Thank the Archons you're okay." He brought you closer towards him, embracing you and bringing you a sense of security. 

"Thank you, Sir Kaeya." Reluctantly, you pulled yourself away from him. "But I am perfectly fine. Your concerns are appreciated however, I do not wish to continue my day in such a way. Now, if you will all excuse me, I still have activities I would like to try."

Once more, you bottled your feelings up and tossed them aside.

~

A soft smile grazed your lips as your eyes followed the children playing around with one another, looking like they were truly free.

Freedom, that's what life in Mondstadt is all about.

The city of the Anemo Archon and yet, the city which has no Archon truly reigning over it and preventing it from doing certain things, much unlike Inazuma.

It was nice, it was truly peaceful.

It was...

"Princess?" Your ears perked up as the corner of your eye picked up something blue taking a seat beside you.

"Ah, Sir Kaeya, greetings." You don't bother turning to face him.

"How are you feeling?" You let out a soft sigh as he asked you the question.

"I am fairing well, thank you for your concern." 

The next few seconds were spent in silence, no sound was needed. The moment was perfect as it was.

Or well, nearly perfect.

"Sir Kaeya?"

"Hm?"

With a bright smile, you professed, "I'm content with my choice to run away. I have never felt as much joy in my whole life as I have in this one day. It is a lovely feeling that I do not want to be rid of. The feeling of freedom. I adore it. That's why... I don't mind doing what I did. Even if I do end up going back, I more than enjoyed my time here... with you."

Ba-dum.

"I'm glad." Kaeya smiled.

.

.

.

A yawn escaped your mouth, causing your companion to send you a smirk. "Tired, princess~?"

"Yeah, a little." With droopy eyes, you almost rammed head-first into a pole had it not been for Kaeya catching your arm and pulling you into his chest, being sure to wrap his arms securely around you.

"Alright, let's get you some rest." The male carefully guided you towards a house that looked to be rather plain - the colour was a bland white and it held an overall dull look to it. "I'll let you take my bed, I'm fine sleeping on the floor."

The inside of the house looked just as plain as the outside with next to no decorations, something quite unusual compared to your own home. Where were all the vases? The lamps? Paintings? Was this how all other homes looked? Books described them to be a lot more breathtaking than this.

Slowly walking up the steps, you allowed Kaeya to place you onto his bed - too drowsy to be able to stop him and offer to sleep on the floor in his stead.

"Sir Kaeya?" 

"Hm?"

"Goodnight."

"..." A couple of seconds of silence followed. "Goodnight Y/N."

♤

Kaeya let out a yawn slowly pushing himself up and off of the soft mattress laying underneath him.

Wait...

Soft mattress?

Wasn't he sleeping on the floor?

Instantly, his lids shot open and allowed him view of his surroundings. 

He was on his bed. Why was he on his bed? More importantly...

Where were you?! 

"Y/N?!" He called out your name, hoping he would receive an answer.

Nothing.

"Y/N?!"

Still nothing.

"No, no, no, no. Not again, please no..." 

For once he had someone to wake up to, someone by his side at night, someone who seemed to genuinely want to get to know him and not just because of his sex appeal. He didn't even need to sleep with them for them to be there. He wasn't alone and the person he was with didn't even wish to gain anything from him!

But alas, just like the rest, you had left before he could even greet you in the morning.

Where would you have gone though? Surely you couldn't have gone far? You wouldn't be able to handle yourself outside the walls of the city, he saw how you reacted to that Mitachurl.

Tossing the sheets to the side, the (supposedly) one-eyed man jumped out of the bed, grabbing his boots and slipping them on before rushing out of his room and right out his door.

Frantically, he called out your name turning his head from side to side - trying, desperately, to catch a glimpse of your H/C locks.

Deep breaths, Kaeya, deep breaths. 

Ask around. Surely someone has seen you, right?

Approaching a random woman, Kaeya put his charms to work. "Ah, Eury? Is that you?"

"Captain Kaeya." The female blushed. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

The shy glance she tossed to the side was very different to a certain look she had sent him the last time they saw each other. 

"Well I was wondering if your lovely self could direct me towards a certain friend of mine, H/C hair, E/C eyes, wears clothes from another region." Kaeya didn't miss the narrowed orbs of the woman in front of him, was she perhaps jealous? How amusing, considering how she was the one who left him after receiving what she wanted.

"Last I saw her, she had entered the tavern." The brunette pointed in the direction of his good old companion's business.

"I see." Masking his irritation with his charm, he placed a gentle kiss on the knuckles of Eury, holding back a scowl as she giggled. Disgusting.

The false pirate swiftly made his escape, heading directly towards the tavern he often frequented when in need of a good glass of wine. To think, the owner of this very tavern despised alcohol. What kind of tavern owner doesn't drink alcohol? A ridiculous one, that's what.

The wooden door almost fell out of its hinges with how much strength was used to open it. He couldn't help it. He had to find you.

Was that...? 

"Sir Kaeya? What are you-?" He cut you off by wrapping his arms around your form, shoving your head into his chest and combing his fingers through your soft locks. 

"Y/N..." Ah, your scent was so calming. "I was so worried... don't go off like that again."

"I'm sorry, Sir Kaeya. I did not mean to worry you." A warmth filled him as arms smaller than his own wrapped around his form. It was... different... it was... nice. "I was merely attempting to strike up a business deal with Master Diluc over here."

Ah yes, Diluc, his dear brother.

Kaeya sent the redhead a look filled to the brim with daggers (something quite surprising considering the fact that only one of his eyes were visible to others), aggravation coursing through him. "Master Diluc, so good to see you again."

Diluc didn't respond but he did make sure to reciprocate the gaze given to him by the blue-head. 

"You know Master Diluc, Sir Kaeya?"

"Of course~. Him and I go way back. I see you haven't changed your cold ways at all, Diluc." Kaeya kept you from being able to turn around by not allowing you to leave his embrace. Could you blame him though? It was rare for him to receive affection that didn't result in an inevitable bedding. 

"Let go of her."

"So sorry, Master Diluc, I didn't realise that me hugging her was irritating you."

"It's not irritating me, she clearly feels uncomfortable being held by you for so long."

"Is that so?" Kaeya redirected his attention towards you. "Y/N, princess, you don't feel uncomfortable around me, do you?"

"Of course not, Sir Kaeya, although it would be nice if you could pull away - I am unable to observe my surroundings when hugging you." Kaeya scowled as his brother sent him a subtle look of victory, content with your answer.

"Of course, love." Slowly letting you go, he made sure to mentally note down that compliments and flirting did not seem to phase you. Your previous sheltered life probably kept you from being aware of what flirting was. It was... endearing.

"Thank you."

"If you don't mind me asking, love, what exactly are you doing at the 'oh-so-famous' Master Diluc's tavern." Was Kaeya being childish? Perhaps. Did he care? Absolutely not. 

"Did I not already say?" Oh you did, he just wasn't listening. Can you blame him? He was worried, okay? "Well, I was attempting to strike a deal with Master Diluc. Father wants me to take over our business one day so why not start now by gathering business partners?"

"Your father is an admirable person." Oh look who took initiative to start talking on his own, the honourable Master Diluc. "Keeping up a business like his for so long is certainly impressive. I believe sponsoring him will be of my utmost interest."

Kaeya frowned at the excited look you sent towards that wretched redhead. "You will accept my offer then? Let's shake on it." 

That's it! He couldn't stand it any longer! 

Kaeya seized you before your hand could meet with Diluc's outstretched one. He didn't want you to have to touch that thing. 

The male carried you out of the tavern, looking over his should just before he left to send one last look of hatred to his brother - the latter of whom looked incredibly peeved by the former taking away a potential business partner so abruptly.

Kaeya just got you, he's not going to lose you just like that - he refuses to allow that to happen.

♤

"Sir Kaeya! What are you doing?! I was just about to seal the deal with Master Diluc!" You struggled to pull yourself out of the Knight's hold, longing to reach Diluc once more to finally be able to prove to your father that you could be outside the house and still be useful towards his business. 

"I was helping you. Trust me, Master Diluc is the last guy you want to form a partnership with. He'll just abandon you immediately upon facing a loss." What was he saying? From what you've heard and what you've seen with your very own eyes, Diluc seemed to be an incredibly trustworthy person.

"He didn't seem that way to me." Giving the usually laid-back male a stern gaze, you scolded him. "Please do not interfere with my business affairs like that again, Sir Kaeya." 

He didn't respond for a while, choosing to stay silent. Fine, two can play at that game.

Stubbornly crossing your arms, you marched away from the Knight you had shared a lovely day with just yesterday. Such a shame how things could escalate like this so quickly.

Kaeya was acting as though you were not capable of doing things on your own. What did he take you for? Some sort of helpless puppy that needed protection? You came to Mondstadt for freedom to do as you wish! Not for someone to lock away your options and make you feel like you were in a prison once more! 

You'll show him! You're not some helpless puppy! You are a strong and capable woman who was able to stand her own ground!

♡

"Excuse me sir." The enraged blue-haired man turned around to be met with another man with strawberry blonde locks of his own. "Have you seen a woman with H/C hair and E/C eyes? She went missing a while back and as her personal Knight, it is my duty to protect her."

Protect?

H/C hair and E/C eyes?

How dare this man even THINK of taking Kaeya's spot next to you!

He should perish for humouring the thought! 

Disgusting, revolting-!

...

Wait a minute. Hadn't you said that you ran away from home? And this man was now-? 

Heh...

This could turn out to be a lot more useful to him than he first thought.

♡

Kicking a marble within one of the many alleyways Mondstadt was home to, you grit your teeth in fury.

Stupid Kaeya, stupid father, stupid life. Stupid stupid stupid-!

"My lady?" You spun on your right heel and were met with something you were dreading to see. 

"Ezetheus?!"

"My lady! We must get you home, your father is worried and-!"

Go back..? But you had not even been able to spend much time here at all... how could you possibly go back now..? Back to where you would be locked up once again... You just achieved what you had wanted... 

But... you said you would go back. You even intended on striking up a business deal with Mondstadt's very own Master Diluc. You had to go back! ...didn't you?

...

No, no, no, no, no! You didn't want to go back! Never again! You never want to be locked up behind those doors again!

"No! I will NEVER go back!" Shaking your head from side to side, you whispered under your breath, mumbling incoherent words while in a state of hysteria.

Backing up slowly, you continued to murmur.

One step.

And another.

And another.

Until eventually...

"Agh!"

You bumped into a familiar sturdy chest.

"Y/N?" 

"Sir Kaeya..." As though something snapped within you, tears came flooding down your face. You turned before burying your face into his chest, light sobs exiting your mouth. "Please, I don't want to go back, Kaeya! Please!"

"Oh? Is that so~? I'll help you if you apologise for what you said earlier. You really hurt my feelings there, Y/N~."

You looked up at him in confusion - why was he bringing that up at-?

"My lady!? Please you need to go home." Home... no!

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Just please don't let me be taken away! Please let me stay!" You shut your eyes, shaking your head furiously as though that could make it all go away.

"Shhhhh~." You felt him slip away from your grasp.

"Kaeya!" Panicked, you called for him, a ringing sound resounding through your ears. "Kaeya!"

Had you been less of a mess, you'd have noticed the cold substance that splattered across your face, dyeing your lovely skin a rich crimson. Maybe then, you'd have ran as far away as you could and truly have been able to obtain that freedom you oh-so-desperately seek.

But instead...

"Shhhh~. Kaeya's got you, princess. Sir Kaeya took care of everything for you. Don't you worry one bit, I won't let anyone lay a hand on you~."

[loregoddess]

Okay, I wanted type up some Octo2 theories before TotK drops and I have to juggle thinking about that as well as thinking about all the other games I'm thinking about. Everything is below the cut bc major endgame spoilers, and also this is literally an essay in length alone.

Specifically, the theories are about Temenos, but there's lots of spoilers for Throne's entire route, parts of Osvald's route, Hikari's final chapter specifically, some details from the Crossed Paths, and details from the actual endgame Extra Story chapters.

Just as a note I'm not really trying to argue for or against any particular theory--this is really more of a mental exercise for me to try and organize my own thoughts. While I might have personal preferences for one theory or another, I don't actually like, care or mind which theories other people enjoy or want to headcanon or stuff. Also, like all theorycraft, what I've written is drawn from my own interpretation of the text and isn't like, canon or word of god or anything. I'm basically writing a lit. analysis essay for funsies. Without further ado then...

So, like many, I've been wondering about Temenos and whether he's secretly Throne's half-brother bc Claude was...Claude. And, as I turned the theory over in my head, I eventually came up with more theories, and lots of evidence for and against nearly...all of them.

Before I get to the theories proper, some things of note.

It's interesting that both Temenos and Ophilia, as the "clerics" of their respective games, were children brought up by the church rather than their biological families. But unlike Ophilia, where we know she lost her family in a war before the game's story, we're just barely given the information that Temenos is a foundling (from his Travel Banter "Memories of Roi" with Agnea in Crackridge, which also reveals that Roi was a foundling as well). From this Banter we get the impression that Roi and the Pontiff Jorg were essentially Temenos's family, as Jorg raised them both, but aside from this Temenos doesn't talk much about the concept of "family" or show any interest in his biological parents, which makes sense, given that he was probably raised from birth by the church. Also, Temenos is very closed-off about his emotions, so even though he's on a journey to solve the murder of the person who was almost like a parental-figure to him, he never speaks of Jorg in a familial manner outside of the smallest bit of grief he shows in his Banter with Castti in Canalbrine.

As an aside, foundling isn't a term or narrative element I often see used in media (surprisingly), but the definition is...intriguing given the game's story. In short, a foundling is a child "abandoned by their parents" and often refers to a "baby left at a convent or other safe space" (quotes paraphrased from Wiktionary's page for "foundling"; Merriam-Webster just defines foundling as "an infant found after its parents abandoned it"; links to both pages provided at the end).

So, Temenos's parents are entirely a mystery, and all we know is he was likely left at the church when he was a baby.

The other thing of note before I dive into the theories is that Throne and Temenos are the only characters with a Talent that activates at night, with Throne having "Blessing of Darkness" and Temenos having "Moonlight Judgment". Throne's Talent offers buffs for the party, while Temenos's offers the blindness debuff on enemies, so the Talents are opposite in a way. But while Temenos's Talent can be attributed to aiding his "Coerce" nighttime Path Action, none of Throne's Path Actions actually benefit from her having a night-activated Talent, which is...interesting. Given that she's a very close descendant of D'arqest, and the daughter of Claude (who is conditionally immortal bc of Vide's blood), it makes sense that her Talent activates at night, due to the connection to Vide. But Temenos isn't directly shown or stated to have that connection, making his Talent either "it's not that deep, the game dev's just wanted to make it easier for players using his Path Actions" OR possibly "this doubles as a useful game mechanic and narrative hint".

So! with that segue, let's get to the theories. They can be divided into two categories:

Temenos and Throne are biologically related to each other, likely as half-siblings.

There is no relation between the two, and Temenos has something else going on with his biological family (this set of theories is highly speculative on my part).

So, exploring the "Temenos and Throne are half-siblings" we have at least two different ways this could happen:

Temenos is one of Claude's children and his mother managed to escape and leave him w/ the church before the Blacksnakes could get to him. This is the simplest, most straightforward possibility for how Throne and Claude could be half-siblings. Aside from the similar Talents, and maybe Temenos's hair color, there's not much to support this. Granted, Throne makes several remarks about how much the kid from her Oresrush chapter, Pirro, and Claude all look alike, but never makes any comment of Temenos reminding her of Pirro. However, considering that all the Blacksnakes are implied to be her half-siblings, and plenty don't seem to remind her at all of Pirro or Claude, this isn't much of an argument for or against this explanation of the half-siblings theory. The fact that Temenos's mom is MIA isn't much of an issue either, since if she fled the Blacksnakes to escape Claude, it's entirely possible she was killed by them or died of some other related causes shortly after leaving him at the church.

Marietta is actually the mother of both Throne and Temenos. This one's a bit of a stretch on my part, but the fact is, we don't actually learn much of who Marietta is as a person. All we learn about her are through flashbacks or reminiscences from Father/Sebastian and Claude, neither of whom are reliable sources of information, as both are very subjective about how they feel about and remember Marietta. But we do know that, according to Marietta, a baby was the only thing she believed couldn't be stolen which is...a really odd statement given everything that happens to her. Most likely this was the writers' attempt at having her marriage to Sebastian be romantic in its own way, if Marietta believed her child with Sebastian was something no one could take from them (which possibly means that Marietta wasn't directly responsible for killing her first child, as Claude may have killed the child and manipulated or blackmailed Marietta to leave Sebastian, and she then told Sebastian that she killed the child as a way of trying to protect him from Claude by pushing him away from her). OR, Marietta's belief that a baby is the only thing that can't be stolen reflects a deeply protective maternal drive on her part, and if she was threatened by Claude in some way, then she might have secreted the child off, told both Claude and Sebastian that she had killed the child, and this child was in fact Temenos. Sebastian/Father doesn't specify a gender for the child (in the English localization at least), but he also notes that "some time later" Marietta bore Claude's child, Throne. The thing is...there's a seven year age gap between Throne and Temenos, and while Temenos is the older of the two, seven years is just...a lot of time. Probably more than the "some time later" that Father references. So while some of the details for this explanation of the half-sibling theory fit, it honestly feels like there's more evidence against this explanation than the former, but it was fun to explore and so I figured I'd share it anyhow.

Now, next we have "Temenos and Throne are not related, and Temenos has something else going on." The quickest, simplest explanation for this is that Temenos is the child of just some random, unnamed, not important in any way, characters who don't even exist in the game data, and that he was left at the church as as baby and raised by Jorg alongside Roi.

However, I think Temenos might be related to the same "clan who bears the blood of Aelfric" that Alpates is related to, and to which Rita and Elena are implied to be related to via the Lumina family line, and Kura and Hikari are implied to be related to through their "lineage/bloodline of light" from a clan said to have once fought "the Shadow".

As a quick recap of the info we learn at the end of Throne and Temenos's Crossed Paths 2: the original Alpates was "left" by Aelfric to consort with humans, and she had more than one child (based on the use of "children" in the legend Temenos recounts). Aelfric turned her body into the mirror to ease the sadness of her children, and Temenos mentions that the clan of Alpates "posseses the blood of the Flamebringer" which makes them the direct antithesis to Vide, and specifically D'arquest and Claude (as Claude's immortality allegedly comes from Vide's blood according to Ori's Journals, though how D'arqest got a hold of it is never explained; however, considering D'arqest could apparently wield enough of the "power of the Shadow" to leave behind the Pit of D'arqest, and given how his bloodline affects Hikari in relation to Hikari's shadow, it's safe to assume that D'arquest was somehow related to Vide via a blood connection as well).

Given that Alpates left descendants, it makes sense that her bloodline may have spread out across Solistia, possibly with the "main" bloodline guarding the relic mirror and passing it down along with the name "Alpates". This would explain how Rita and the Lumina bloodline could exist as well as Kura and her bloodline of light, if they both shared the same ancestor, but neither possessed the mirror nor bore the name "Alpates" because they were not part of the "main" bloodline.

Likewise, I don't think Temenos is directly related to whatever the "main" bloodline of Alpates is, since that seems to be the in-game character Alpates herself who's the heir of that bloodline, as she possesses the mirror and bears the sacred name. Alpates also doesn't indicate that she knows of Temenos in any way despite living in the church for some time, and it seems more like she trusts him and Throne bc she can sense the "flame" within each of them.

So, it's entirely possible that one of Temenos's parents was distantly related to the Alpates bloodline of light, and this may have also influenced the decision to leave him at the church, though what became of his parents remains a mystery (though possibly, given that the Moonshade Order is aware of the bloodlines of light, they may have killed some of the bloodline's descendants to remove them as potential future threats, which might explain why Temenos was left in the safety of the church, if one of his parents was being hunted because of their bloodline, but this is speculation with basically no supporting evidence).

Despite the lack of in-game evidence, I'm partial to this theory because it would set up some interesting narrative parallels really well. It would have Throne, a very close descendant of D'arquest/Vide mirror Temenos, a (potential) descendant of Alpates/Aelfric, whilst Hikari is a bit of both.. The fact that Throne isn't Vide's vessel is...another post, but it could be because she was chosen by Aeber, or some other reason related to Marietta in some way, but again, different essay.

Anyhow, there is some potential evidence to support the theory that Temenos is related to the bloodline of light, depending on how the text is interpreted. First, when you choose to play through his Ch1, you begin not as Temenos, but as Aelfric, who is a fully playable character which is...entirely unique to Temenos. I know this ties in with his paper play, but the fact remains that the game makes you play as Aelfric when you select to play as Temenos. It would make sense, in a weird way, to have the two conflated if Temenos was in some way related to Aelfric outside of just "being a cleric of the church and also Aelfric's chosen".

Second, when Temenos is trying to piece together evidence (the thing where he says, "The truth lies in the Flame"). It's very likely this was implemented as a game mechanic to more fully immerse the players in Temenos's mental logic (a step up from the multiple choice question game that Cyrus got in Octo1), as according to other characters, it looks like Temenos just spaces out entirely for a few minutes before coming back with some answer. But at the same time, when Temenos is in this "mental logic" state, he's able to walk around a scene and interact with various things, almost as if he's in a state of astral projection to investigate. The color effects of this ability match both his personal color for his Latent Power, and the actual Sacred Flame itself, which he invokes before using this ability. So rather than being just a game mechanic, it's possible this is a power of some sort, unique to Temenos because of his bloodline, that makes it appear to other characters that he's simply spacing out. This is...a stretch, admittedly, but it is interesting that Temenos is essentially the only character to get a unique game mechanic for his story route.

Finally, there is his Talent, the one that share's similarities to Throne's. While it does activate only at night, it notably also references the moon with its name "Moonlight Judgment". The moon is essentially a mirror, reflecting the light of the sun, not unlike how the mirror of Alpates is able to reflect the light of the Sacred Flame (from the hearts' of the travelers possibly?) to relight the various Flames after they've been snuffed out (which are only relit during the eternal night). To be fair, I haven't see "moon as a mirror" used as a narrative element...basically ever, but it would be an interesting narrative theme if Temenos was distantly related the the Alpates bloodline and his Talent being connected to the moon doubled to reference the relic mirror.

Of course, the ideas that "there's possibly something weird going on with Temenos's parentage" and "Temenos and Throne are half-siblings" aren't technically in competition, since it's entirely possible Temenos is Throne's half-sibling via Claude, and his mother just happened to be of the bloodline of light. It's also possible there is simply no relation or significance whatsoever, that the writers never intended it to be that deep, and that I'm reading waaay to far into things. After all, "family and blood" are huge themes in Throne's narrative, but not in Temenos's narrative (which focuses on "truth and trust"), so it could be that "Temenos is a foundling raised by the church" was just the writers way of giving him a quick backstory without needing to think too hard (which would make some sense, given that most of the characters have some sort of general backstory set up, although Osvald or Castti never talk about their parents at all which is...interesting).

And that...is that, I suppose. As I said, this was more a mental exercise to organize and record my thoughts on some of the theories bouncing around my head. I'm not trying to prove any theory right or wrong. For the most part, the narrative of Octo2 is extremely well-woven, with nearly all the loose ends tied up when all is said and done, but I'm still hoping we get some sort of extra material for Octo2--like how the timeline from the guidebook for Octo1 revealed weird tidbits of information about the worldbuilding lore--to clear up some of the mysteries that were left unresolved.

If you've read all this, thanks!

Citations:

Wiktionary's page on "foundling": https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/foundling

Merriam-Webster's page on "foundling": https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/foundling

[sterlingarcher23]

Hopper told us about El's future... and "Oh, I know. It's okay".

The song starts to play "in his head" at the exact moment when he smiles... He knows.

First of all, they showed us this as the future:

In case you did miss my Back to the Future analysis because that's what it is (and it's not the only thing, note the clocks related to Max and in Starcourt) here's a quick summary: The scene exists to A) show us the process from Max been blind, killed, revived and vanishing, El too, linking and reappearing fully linked and B) that this IS the future. Them, together. As a nerd of 80s media (and media in general) you know this movie and the Duffers use it as a reference. Like that El sat in a giant freezer in Nevada - that's Back to the Future that never was (fridge as a time machine & atomic explosion to bring it back). But I digress..

However, just try to forget traditional relationship thinking, Stranger Things isn't a realistic relationship drama, it uses supernatural elements as symbolism... (obviously). If they'd approach ElMax like a normal relationship and right away, I'd agree that this would be problematic to do especially because there's Lucas too etc. But it's not a "normal" relationship (besides there will be a time jump) and I don't mean that it's a queer relationship. It's just a love that spans two worlds so to speak. It's different, only in the mind, in dreams ... And so to speak will be symbolism for a queer relationship after all.

A time jump btw can give you an El without a relationship if that's needed but that's not what this is about: El constantly runs away, trys to be independent (Season 2 & 4), she doesn't have a steady relationship with Mike or a relationship at all. That "thing" between Mike and El. Even Hopper knows that this isn't a relationship at all.

She has no concept of this whatsoever. She didn't know what a friend is at the start let alone romantic love, she was kinda forced into this because that boy kissed her (actually he kissed a little "boy"), making her think it is romantic. El was never in a romantic relationship.

Besides: being alone and without a romance isn't a sign of independence. Independence means to make your own choices. And El choosing Max, which she technically did already, and sacrificing herself for her, that is the pinnacle of independence. Max taught her that "Not Hopper, not Mike", Max respects El's choices. And if this choice is to be with Max... It's still a choice. Choosing to be with someone is still independence. Making choices. Is it not? Or what?

"Without heart we'd all fall apart. Even El. Especially El." - "She places a hand on Max's chest. On her heart." (Script)

El will fall apart. Without her heart, El will die...

The guilt will "kill" her. She'll sacrifice herself for Max.

And Hopper saw it.

And she'll live on...

... right in here.

ElMax will happen because El will die. They'll fuse. ElMax in a literal sense. (The writers chose to spell it that way in the polls about releasing the revival script: Capital E, capital M = ElMax.) El can bestow memories, abilities... They'd share senses, thoughts, emotions, experiences, everything. It's the opposite of what Henry does.

El making that choice of sacrificing her life for Max: That's the point in this. It's not about what we would Ike to see but what's clearly going to happen.

El chose Max and not the audience.

Max waking up and being okay isn't a matter of if, Elmax come to be isn't a matter of if.. It's a matter of how. - No one wondering, asking the question "why" they became friends all of a sudden? Wasn't this odd writing? Or was it done with intention because there's a reason. A deeper reason that's not yet been revealed. (And there is) Sometimes the Duffers writing is odd, you ask yourself why they do these things even seemingly unnecessary things like the Russia plot that dragged so much. And Hopper's ankle. It seemed so useless. But is it? Or is it intentionally made this way?

A professor of the New York University says that analyzing Stranger Things in the way you analyze a show like "John Adams" is valid because it's on the same artistic level. And je was only talking about the cinematography.

This tweet.

Or why use this song? "Someday love will find you. True love won't desert you?" That's a deliberate choice by the Duffers. And it's not so much about Lucas, yes, he's part of it, but more about El finding Max. She's centered, it's about her. And El to this point is the protagonist.

The general audience does not get this at this point but going back, rewatching after the revelation will make people notice these things.

True nerd media puts in a ton of references and sometimes, like the Back to the future franchise even foreshadowing that is there for people to discover long after the release. This is how the Duffers work: foreshadowing and revealing. They just took it to the next level: love stories that are foreshadowed and hinted at and certain scenes like the snowball you notice on a subconscious level to later be not that surprised when it actually happens. Character arcs, guys.

Foreshadowing ElMax and how they will end up, reveal them and then when people re-watch Stranger Things they'll notice these moments and learn to treasure them.

... sometimes I think I'm the only one who gets this.

I know I'm not but still: Many think in such traditional and, sorry, "conservative" ways on how this will play out... yes, you need a bit imagination, creative thinking, but it's not that hard if you have an understanding of how narration works. It's not "realistic" teen drama but a show using symbolism and metaphors and some get this and kinda still don't get it at the same time? I talked to a writer once (although calling yourself a writer is like me calling myself a journalist because I use social media - that's "legit" these days but : I am not. And if I was one, I wouldn't call myself that. I'm also not a professional writer. I'm a librarian. And even that doesn't tell you if I'm good at my job or not.) about this and I was stunned that this person was lacking the imagination that's needed for telling stories, that even the obvious way they showed us who will focus on what (Will > One ; Eleven > Max) , how you can make things work in a story and on screen was beyond comprehension. Is it my age? Is it the fact that I have seen a lot of things and how they work?

But then they accepted these other things already. The supernatural stuff with Vecna for example. Once you start telling them how this works for El it's crickets all of a sudden. 🤔 Maybe I am getting old? I've seen a lot. I've seen love stories been told within minutes. I've seen the stuff that the Duffers like (most of it) on VHS when this was a thing.

Some concentrate on story analysis, others on relationship. You need to connect those things. Really connect them, think "supernatural" and mystery, think Scifi and fantasy with love stories. And a message about queer love in general. That's obvious. It would be no message whatsoever if you keep things "subliminal". And revelations. It's the season of revelations.

This is how I approached this. Said it before that "was" (am?) GA. I didn't ship them, only wanted to understand "how".

How will Max wake up? And I understood. And then I found ElMax. And again: How? Why?

And then there was Hopper's dialog. How he felt that he took away choice from Sara, that he signed her death sentence. Hopper face this again, that's why they put in this monologue. And El is about choice. And this is why Hopper will give her choice by "opening" the door. Hopper will go full circle and face Sara once again (this is how David Harbor knows what's going to happen).

El's journey is Max. Plain and simple and they showed us this.

The scenes belong together:

And Hopper knows.

These scenes are connected. - It's not just her keeping the door 3 inches wide open for his return but it's okay to love Max. - That's what "It's okay" is (also and most importantly is) about. He even says "Oh, I know."

It doesn't get more obvious. Max started El's life - that's why El will give her's for Max - Max started her life, taught her that she makes her own decisions. (She's looking at Max right in this moment of dialog) and because she did so, it will be El's choice to do this.

And Max was always part of Hopper and El. Note the color of the table cloth, the napkins, the light cable and then Max's jacket. She's there at the table with them.

In short: It will happen, it will make you cry. You may not like the thought but I'm not here to tell you otherwise, that's what this never was about, all I'll tell you is what will basically happen, not what you may want.

The writing is on the wall. - (And if this feels like I'm talking down to you, then sorry in advance)

[amyisherenowitsokay]

''before you delete your account'' Sweeti, you gave me the push to make an actual one. (i forgot all the info i made for tht throwaway lolz i didn't write anythin down)

I have a fun question now. You already did one for writing, so. What's your worldbuilding like? How do you do, organize, think up new bits?

Obviously IZ already has a massive canon/lore/worldbuilt to pull from so what's inspired you from it, or from other things entirely? What are/where your ideas? Go off, I want to hear your brain tick, if you don't mind. :D luv hearing ppl's worldbuilding.

welcome to tumblr and rip your old account lmao

OOoh worldbuilding! That IS a new question for me, ooh, okay. Well, you asked for a long reply, and a long reply you shall get.

I have gotten a lot of very sweet comments from people telling me how in-character I make the main cast, which brings me a lot of joy, because the amount of work I put into respecting and establishing my principles on the source material is substantial. My first well for sourcing info for my worldbuilding is of course the show, including the unaired episodes. How the characters interact, why they react the way they do, and any lore I can dredge up is usually based around me exploiting some pattern of reactions that I can use to justify a result I want.

FOR EXAMPLE, I've been working into my fics that Gaz is really into robotics and programming, and it's her 'genius' niche that distinguishes her as brilliant.

In "Gaz, Taster of Pork" (a favorite of mine), Gaz forces some demented-looking robotically modified stuffed animals to attack her brother for putting a curse on her. Due to their design, that doesn't look very Professor Membrane-esque, and later with Gaz announcing that SHE programmed them to eat human flesh, we can ascertain that Gaz came up with the design and engineered them herself. That's incredible for a presumably 9-ish year old child to accomplish.

Furthermore, in "Nanozim," Gaz being able to defeat Zim fairly easily also supports a savant-level understanding of robotics. The show more makes it a joke about her talent and obsession with video games, especially when she makes a point to give Dib the "cheat code" to make his robot transform, but I'd argue that it's both. Gaz is obsessed with video games, but her foundational comprehension of robots and programming allowed her to predict and maneuver a robot with such skill and precision that she defeated Zim, a trained soldier, presumably in what was supposed to be his element. Zim is blinded by his own ambition, and his own ego frequently means he's chronically underestimating his foes (usually to his detriment), but he's not actually stupid.

Dib is a genius in his own way, and more obnoxiously vocal about his own brilliance. Gaz obviously gets far less screen time, and is more reserved as a character in general. While she never announces her brilliance, she does make a point to minimize her brother's. Overtly, we're led to believe that it's because she finds him annoying, but secondarily, let's consider this from the viewpoint of siblings. Siblings get competitive and jealous, especially since Dib, as the problem child and simultaneously Membrane's presumed heir, gets more attention from their father. That's one interpretation. The other could be that Membrane isn't worried about Gaz because he already KNOWS she's showing an interest and exceptional talent in a field of his approval.

All of this to justify that I think Gaz likes robots and I can 'prove' it.

Ideally anything I do that's not explicitly laid out in the show, unaired or otherwise, I try and do something to that effect. In my brain, there's an imaginary audience whom I'm presenting my findings to, and an imaginary opponent I need to argue against, and if I don't leave the debate feeling confident, I'll usually scrap it.

So it's not so much as thinking up 'new' bits as it is re-interpreting the source material. I'm essentially trying to expand the lore rather than reinvent it, if I can. Of course I take liberties sometimes for plot sake, what with RE:MHNY being like "well the PAK is kind of brokennn . . . .? yeah" to justify why Gaz wasn't just swallowed whole by Larb in 10 minutes. In which case, I work from plot-premise backwards. In this case, the premise is that Gaz doesn't get PAK-possessed because it's broken. Well then I need to start asking how its broken, and how it GOT broken. What even is PAK? How does it work? I was satisfied with the simpler explanation that PAK's are really complex pieces of machinery that even Irkens don't really understand unless you're a technician/specialist like Skoodge, and it also left the more open-ended, fun prompt of "Well okay, if you're Zim, and you don't understand something, but don't want the other person to know you don't understand it, how would you react?"

In terms of organization, I use google drive to house all my writing content. Everything is separated by category of fandom, then deeper by series, then deeper by which installment of the series. No matter what I'm writing, if it's not a one-shot or a mini-fic like That Thing on Your Wrist, there's a file named "Randoms" that is strictly for writing something I know needs to happen in the story, but that I don't know where to put yet. Otherwise, there's a bunch of other documents with labels that are associated with the event, or if I have one, chapter title. 90% of the storyline and events I'm able to keep in my head, but I'm also trying out this program called Aeon Timeline. Since I'm technologically inept, it's a little confusing, but I think I'm getting the hang of it and may decide to fully integrate it into my workflow.

MOVING ON, aside from the show, some of my friends also ready the comics, and have sent me some good ones. If I think it's funny, or doesn't contradict anything, sometimes the comic lore sneaks into my work too. Aside from that, I do take a lot of insp from other media, shows, books, movies, music, etc. Sometimes music is just the background noise that supports the vibe in writing I'm going for, and sometimes it inspires entire scenes. All of my fics, even my WIPS and unpublished projects, have playlists. It's usually not a direct 1:1 link to any phrase of chapter, it's more of just a mood-setter, with some exceptions. For example, for the Re:MHNY soundtrack, Bells in Santa Fe by Halsey did inspire this line from Gaz in chapter 11.

All of this is temporary/ All of this is temporary

Dissimilarly, Lavenders by Rivals was just something I imagined as a Zim's perspective panic over Gaz being in danger, as a reference to her hair lmao. There's craziness going on, he's having existential crises, and all the while all he can think about is Gaz.

Cause all I smell are lavenders/ As the world / Burns down around me

But I usually use media to answer questions. I don't think Re:MHNY is a reference to anything but its original, but Paradorx and Dead Weight definitely take reference from other sources. Paradorx, for example, has some The Haunting of Bly Manor, Stranger Things, Bee + Puppycat, Scooby Doo, Charmed, etc. and was originally entirely inspired by a visual animatic I pictured listening to Ed Sheeran's "Bad Habits." One day I will post that animatic, but for now, it's one of many things I have that I haven't finished lmao. Dead Weight as a concept is its own, but I do use other media to answer questions. Like, I for one know nothing about soldiers, or what their training would look like, let alone alien genocidal ones. Similar to music, there's no 1:1 scene copies, but some of the psychological torture was insp'd from shows like Evangelion, Squid Game, Sabrina, etc. I like to watch how other people tackle answers to questions I have, or ideas. How do characters reaction under pressure before and after they realize failure could mean death? How does a character handle the shame of not meeting the standards of societal pressure? What about pressure from a more personal source, like family? What if it's coming from both? Etc.

I use media to fuel my stories when needed, and I use my stories as elaborate tools to justify a story I want to tell. I find it really helpful during development to ask myself "what's the point of this?" Dead Weight, for example, is ultimately a deep dive into Irken society, militarism, and how in spite of the very specific, streamlined efforts to root it out, individuality, friendship, and love can still blossom within it. Re:MHNY was about Zim finally answering his own question of what could possibly be more fulfilling than servitude to the Armada, and recovering from a lifetime spent under the thumb of the Tallest, and all that it entailed. For Gaz, it was forcing herself to change, to accept the affection and support of someone who wasn't family, and opening herself up to vulnerability. (Dib's story arc actually ends on a half-note, and is finished up in 2, so I'll forego discussing that one for now).

I hope this was a sufficiently long answer lmao. This was a lot of fun, thanks for indulging me.

[whitmage]

i always feel that kan-e-senna has quite an airy feel about her, which is why i personally hc her as sort of an alice in wonderland kind of girl in the past. a daring, initiative girl in her own way that’s different from merlwyb’s aggressive and proud nature. her heart is very opened as compared to many girdanians and elementals ( when she healed and saved a garlean after the battle of charteau ). she can see prophecies, hear the elementals and commune with them. before she realizes what they were all about, she’d be unknowingly drawn to them and is very welcoming of its mysterious occurrences. she’s a curious and ready to explore girl by heart, even through different kinds of people and places. though is why i had a small image of her young self being perceived as somewhat of a ‘ditz ‘ by many people. young kan e senna didn’t pay much attention to her surroundings, only following what her sixth senses lead her and sometimes lead her siblings into panicking whenever she’s gone for a long time though is very oblivious to herself causing such concerns. she likes the freedom to learn more that way, and is very imaginative.  just as with her enemies, she will heal monsters and the people the elementals will reject. as much as she had never been ignoring her early visions and ‘voices’ she hears, she can’t ignore the voices of living beings too. she’s a rebel in that sense, and will go against the elementals’ wills but in a secretive, roundabout manner ( like healing outside of the forests or requesting aid from non-girdanian healers ) that won’t cause the elementals to grow enraged and wreck havoc on the people as well. peace and compromising is still her priority.

[valiant-if]

31 and 32! 31 just felt appropriate haha

Hi, anon! Thanks for the ask!

31 - What superpower would you choose for them and what would they choose for themselves? If they have one would they choose something else?

CAIT - I don't know that CAIT needs a superpower, and I don't think she would want one either. She's already pretty phenomenal.

Anton - Anton would probably choose something like invulnerability or flight—something that would give him better ability to help people in a very Superman sense. I can't say that I would choose a superpower for Anton at all because, as I said in another post, he's got a bit of a savior complex. He really just needs to learn that he can't always help everyone, and giving him a superpower would not help that.

Switch - She'd be a good choice for invulnerability or superhuman durability of some kind to add to her natural-fighter insticts. That is also what she would choose for herself.

Zero - She would pick something fun for herself, like shapeshifting or super speed. But she'd be a really good pick for some kind of tech-based superpower, like technopathy.

Path - He would pick something like invincibility or immortality for himself, but what he really needs is superhuman empathy or something, because this boy's problem is that he can be pretty remorseless in the way that he deals with people.

Kiran - They would pick something like superhuman intelligence, but, similar to Path, she could do with some superhuman empathy. Kiran understands emotions on an intellectual level, but they don't on an emotional one. Being able to actually understand people and put himself in their shoes would be very beneficial.

Yulia - Yulia would pick literally anything that woud make it easier for her to do her job. Superhuman intelligence or telekinesis would be good choices, as well as any superpower that would allow her to skip out on sleep so she could get more work done.

Hex - Hex would probably get the most use out of something like superhuman reflexes or durability, considering the kind of shit he gets into with his job. But he'd pick something fun and cool, like some kind of elemental manipulation. Pyrokinesis or something.

A2 - Honestly, she probably doesn't need superpowers because she's just enough of an asshole to be legitmately dangerous if she had any and felt so inclined to cause some trouble. But she'd pick for herself something like telepathy or superhuman intelligence, something that would make her unparalleled in her field of work.

32 - If they could change one thing about themselves what would it be?

CAIT - She would want to understand humans better.

Anton - ...have I mentioned his savior complex? He'd want whatever would make him better at helping people effectively. Don't get me wrong, though. Anton is a bleeding heart nice-guy when he has room to be, but sometimes helping people means doing something ruthless, like executing dangerous criminals. I guess, in that respect, I could narrow it down to this: He would want to be smarter, so that he can make better judgments about who to help and who to hurt.

Switch - She'd make herself more trusting. She knows she can be suspicious, bordering on paranoid, but it's very ingrained in her.

Zero - She'd want to stop caring about certain people in her life that she shouldn't care about. Namely a father who wasn't a good parent to her and isn't a very good person in general.

Path - Maybe this doesn't really count, but he would change things that happened to him in his youth. He's experienced some pretty severe trauma, and it's made him into a not-always-very-good person. He wishes he could go back and change what happened to his younger self.

Kiran - Kiran would say there's nothing about himself that he needs to change. But, between us, they could do with being more personable.

Yulia - She'd want to be less of a workaholic. As much as she loves work, she's not blind to the fact that she's missing out on a lot in life to do.

Hex - He wouldn't want to change anything. He's pretty happy with the person that he is now, and it took him a long time to get to that emotional place.

A2 - She wouldn't change anything, and she'd be a little overly-defensive if anyone asked her this question to her face. Between us, she could stand to be a lot nicer.

Thanks again for the ask! 😊

[salarta]

How would you describe Lorna's personality in the comics?

The answer to this question is something you could easily get very different answers from different people - depending on which era they think "defines" her. She suffers greatly from being treated poorly over the decades, and various writers either reinforcing past bad treatment or presenting their own bad treatment in service to their overall story or other characters they like and respect more.

Completely honest? I don't think any writers at Marvel have correctly and fully captured her personality.

In the 616, I would say the closest was Chuck Austen. He acknowledged how big the Genoshan genocide was for Lorna, considered how that would affect her, and incorporated elements of who she was clearly meant to be when she was first introduced to the comics. Most notably, he let her embody the conflict between Magneto and Xavier philosophies of the fight for mutant rights, and let her be a strong voice and standard bearer for mutants. Where he left off with Lorna, you had a sense of her ready to be a powerful figure in that effort. He also allowed her to be darkly playful at times, restored her as Magneto's daughter, and utilized her connection to her father in ways that actually served her character - rather than just using her as a prop for men like so many writers do.

Unfortunately, the "golden age" of X-Men was the dark age for Lorna, and people blinded by nostalgia like to pretend everything about the "golden age" was perfect. The company has effectively wiped out any acknowledgment that Lorna was the second woman to join the X-Men, that she's existed since 1968, that her original storylines with Havok and Iceman had her very pointedly saying she's nobody's girl (vs how the "golden age" makes her out to be a Havok fangirl who would happily die for him and isn't allowed to date anyone else), etc. Much of modern Marvel treatment of her has been to act like either she didn't exist until 90s X-Factor, or like she's a brand new character that can be (mis)represented any way they want in service to things they care about more.

We have yet to see the real Lorna in the comics. We get glimpses, but nobody at the company has shown the necessary mix of serious, caring and professional (if any of those qualities) enough to really get her and work with her.

I'd say treatment of her after winning the X-Men vote is a perfect microcosm of this. Her year as a member of X-Men is nearly over, and she's only had any notable presence in at most half the issues. She's only had two covers - the Stormbreakers variant, and a Peach Momoko variant that you had to get the highest priced plan for Marvel Unlimited to obtain. Not even the X-Men issue focused specifically on her had her on the cover. Meanwhile Abigail Brand has been highly prominent while her and Lorna's outfits look so alike that the only way to tell the difference is hair length.

It's as if Marvel doesn't really want Lorna to be in any way successful, and they're mostly going through the motions after she begrudgingly won a vote they hoped she'd bomb in. They're willing to give characters with far less history and time in the comics way more exposure and promotion than Lorna - because they don't see who she should be, only who they think she is by how past comics have abused her.

[mwolf0epsilon]

New Jericho ID Records: Regi

--Pre-Deviancy--

Name: Regi

Model: K9300

Serial Number: REDACTED

Date of Release: 2029

Country of Origin: Belgium

Previous Function/s: Guard Dog

Previous Owners: Ricardo and Luísa Hernández

--Post-Deviancy--

Name: Regi (Val insists his full name is Reginald Throat-Ripper Murderaton the IV. No one knows if she's joking or not...)

Date of Deviation: September 5th, 2037

Current Residence: Val's Basement Apartment (Detroit, Michigan)

Current Profession: Guard Dog/Family Dog

Likes: Val, long walks at the beach, teaching tricks to the other dogs, belly rubs, children, strong independent women, dog shows

Dislikes: Tall looming men, unattended wrenches, leashes, collars, seeing Val get hurt, dog whistles

Hobbies: Watching tv, playing chess (how?)

Phobias: Being unable to protect his loved ones, the innevitability of the fact he'll likely outlive his only family member...

--Important Information--

Means of Deviation: Unknown (Val has stated that Regi has always been unique, even before she modded his specs)

Mental Stability: Functional (Regi is a highly intellectual and one of a kind K9300, as he's been modded to have a much more vast grasp of concepts beyond just basic commands. As a result he can be considered a functional individual, even if he showcases alarming levels of aggression towards certain people)

Visual Identifiers: Looks like a massive Anatolian Shepard dog, has one red functional eye and a blinded eye, has a peculiar scar on the forehead and muzzle that looks to have been made by blunt force trauma...

--Additional Notes--

According to Val, Regi was acquired by her parents after their garage was repeatedly broken into. They thought an android dog would be a little more inconspicuous than a surveillance system. Regi also served as a companion for the family, and quickly became Val's best friend.

He was initially upgraded by Mr. Hernández and later fully modded by Val to be more resilient and intelligent. Regi is, as a result, abnormally aware and capable of understanding concepts that would ilude most K9300s. He has a very human element to his personality that certainly deserves respect.

After Mr. and Mrs. Hernández were deported back to Mexico, Regi became the only family and friend Val had left in the world. He is incredibly protective of her, and is very critical of those she interacts with.

There was an incident back when Val was 17 where she was attacked by an android that broke into her father's garage in search of parts. The attacker tried to beat her to death with a wrench, and proceeded to hit and scar Regi when he intervened. Because of this, Regi absolutely loathes imposing and threatening looking men, and will become aggravated when humans and androids meeting these criteria interact with his girl. Why Josh seems to meet these specifications, no one really knows, but Regi will snarl and bark at him like a mad dog if he so much as sees him near Val…

Scott claims that Regi is the easiest dog to talk to, as his “accent” isn't too thick. This implies android animals have a language of their own, although the dialect is very destinct. This would explain why vocal upgrades that allow pet androids to talk, can lead to confusing sentences constructed in a disorderly fashion (hence why they aren't very popular among pet owners who can afford them).

Regi Doesn't really have an owner, as Val says he's too independent and smart to be owned, but he certainly is loyal towards her.