fate be damned

“In my view, many in this world do not deserve to be alive — and yet, I mercifully permit them to go on living, do I not?”

[fatedhrtc]

→    a  private,  mutuals  only  portrayal  of  the second harbinger, il dottore, zandik  from  genshin impact.  as  penned  by  saph.  * please  read  rules  before  interaction.  21+  only.

TL;DR RULES BELOW ↓

✦ INTRO → this is an indie Il Dottore (Zandik) rp blog. I'm using canon lore, but I love to play around with timelines. He is the perfect muse right now. A man so drenched in self-hatred and madness with drive to kill fate? Who operates in his given role with perfection? Sticks to his guns so to speak and dismisses the ~friendship is magic~ arc? Who seems to have a soft spot for others who can match his intelligence (by soft I mean respectful, though there are exceptions mhm mhm)? Biggest nerd in Teyvat who is truly a theater kid at heart? Sign me up, Zandik is the perfect man* to invade my brain space. Also, I adore the segments and their interactions with each other in the Marrow notes, so I highly welcome other Zandiks!! Please let us cause chaos and mischief in the name of science together.

The short and sweet of choosing Zandik as a muse and coming back to genpact writing is that I've loved his character since the web comic days and the newest content jolted something in my brain. He is so complex as a character while also having perfect avenues for a variety of interactions.

Please don't let my use of silly graphics fool you. I promise there will be serious writing lol. I am so rusty creating tumblr rp graphics, forgive me.

✦ OOC → any ooc posts are tagged as — ooc ; saph speaking ☺︎ so if you would prefer to blacklist those posts, there you go!

✦ ACTIVITY → this is a casual, semi-selective, and dash-only portrayal. I am here for a good time, I wanna chat about our muses and headcanon them until sunrise/sunset. This beloved asshole of a muse has reignited my drive to pick up rp again, but in a more approachable, character interaction-driven way over aesthetics. This is why he will remain dash-only. There will be little to no icon use (I may change this bc he is so nice to look at lbr). If I follow you, I want to write and chat with you!

✦ THREADS → matching thread formats is not necessary. You do not have to ask to move asks into a thread, go for it!

✦ OCs → I welcome OCs! I love OCs! OC creators are under appreciated.

✦ SHIPPING → this a multiship blog, each ship is within its own au unless stated otherwise. I am an appreciator of romance and deep yearning, though Zandik is a difficult muse to ship with (there are exceptions, you can guess and will probably be right lmao).

✦ NOTICE → I do not support bullying or harassment of any kind. No racism, transphobia, homophobia, ableism, none of that nastiness. If you do any of those, I will hard-block you.

✦ CONTACT → Discord is my primary method of messaging. Mutuals can ask for my discord tag!

✦ MUN → hi I'm saph, I'm 30, and am a big fan of birds. I've written genpact rp before (prior muse was zhongli! still write him on discord <3).

✦ GRAPHICS→ all graphics on this blog were commissioned from silvermoongfx

*crimes against humanity and godkind alike aside, that is <3 jk, his wrongs are part of what makes him interesting.

[enkxateia]

ooc. Writing tends to fuel my muse.

So I had to scribble this LMAO. She's not even looking.

[fatedhrtc]

what’s this?? an unprompted delivery of mora?

“ consider it an advancement toward your experiment. “

isn’t he generous? 😌

❝ Oho, and here I thought you had deemed my last proposal not worth your time. My, dare I say, how nice of you. Surely this doesn't come with additional strings? I expect an addendum to our working contract should you require it, of course, ❞ he says with a pondering look, though he gratefully accepts the gesture, strings or not.

[fatedhrtc]

|| did you know that enamel pins are cool as hell? I’m a collector and took a break from my genpact collection for a year+ and then I got caught up on the story with 6.6 and was immediately sucked back in. here are my current dottie pins ft. lone : >

EDIT: BIG DOTTORE GLOWS IN THE DAAAARK

[fatedhrtc]

|| my taste in muse varies so wildly bc i ping ponged from mr zhongli genshin impact to vash the stampede and back to il dottore and each of them give me intense cuteness aggression. I need a mini plush of dottore so I can squish him so badly ;-;

[rockingbytheseaside]

✦ Four notes, four unspeakables

[enkxateia]

❝ ? ❞ his pronounced ' no ' made THE DAMSELETTE pause — she couldn't help but wonder, even if momentarily, if perhaps this was what people called ... ' pride ' — or, perhaps his ... eggo was wounded ? perhaps she wasn't understanding or remembering that right, but she'd pretend that she knew.

❝ ... Hmmm ... ❞ she quietly mulled something over in her mind, before coming to a decision. ❝ Then, let us observe and learn together. ❞ it seemed like the best conclusion, surely ? ❝ Get a pair of tube glasses ... we can learn from a distance. ❞

binoculars. she meant binoculars.

silly, silly BINA. the angel's little wings behind her head were fluttering merrily, as though she was quite proud of her little idea.

[fatedhrtc]

He is certainly uttering a couple colorful words under his breath in Sumerian language as they walk, barely giving a care if she can understand him at all ( he's got more pressing matters in front of him, tugging him forward to certain doom ). If he reacts poorly, she will piece together his mischief and he absolutely cannot have that. ❝ Do you really think those two won't sense our presence and investigate? Surely not! If they ask what we're doing, don't tell them we're assessing their rizz ability. That will cause the subject to act knowingly and skew our results. ❞

This girl...is way too happy to delight in his suffering! He is unconvinced that she doesn't know something...!

❝ Tube glasses...Ms. Columbina, our eyes will be just fine. Binoculars will be too conspicuous! ❞ Oh, he was never going to hear the end of it if the Jester or Capitano asked why they were spying on them with binoculars...

[fatedhrtc]

The littlest one is in a sour mood today. He was promised a ❛ special assignment ❜ that he did not receive on account of the older selves being far too busy to sort him out. On top of that, he still can't find his notebook! How is he supposed to submit a research proposal to the Banker without all his notes? He huffed along as he walked through the familiar hallways of their quarters before he spots someone that definitely shouldn't be in here.

❝ Hey! ❞ he calls out, waving her down, cheeks reddish with exasperation already. He could be doing research, but now he's fielding intruders in the lab! How unbecoming, this doesn't suit him at all! ❝ You cannot be in here, Ms. Tartaglia! What are you even here for? Prime's out. Get lost! ❞

Okay, he didn't mean to bite her head off here, but he's already feeling combative and there is only so much he can do about it. He'll be chewed out for bad manners if she tells any of the others he spoke to her so rudely...and then he likely won't get that special assignment after all. ❝ I mean, what can I do for you today? Are you here to see a doctor for care? ❞

|| @abyssmalice

[fatedhrtc]

|| man i am having a blast writing dottore and the segments. i should've made his blog ages ago XD

[fatedhrtc]

Dottore has been talking for... quite some time now, hardly taking a break in his explanation of his latest findings (interspersed with talk of future possibilities, of course) — and though Pantalone has been listening, there comes a point that a man should know when to stop for a bit.

Which is why Pantalone leans across their desk, hooks their finger beneath the 'beak' of Dottore's mask, and opens their eyes to give him a slow, amused blink. "Hush for a few minutes so I can take notes," they say. "If I knew you had so much to share, I would have prepared accordingly."

❝ ...which I estimate a 96% yield. Despite the risk assessment showing points less than ideal, to which I will argue 25's methods of conducting this internal review of my ongoing work and proposal in process are simply incorrect,❞ he says with an indignant huff, oblivious to the time, ❝ I am confident the end result will be in our favor. With that being said, you can expect an addendum coming to your desk in the coming days outlining these details ― ❞

Dottore is so engrossed in his own words, he hardly notices Pantalone shifting. It is only when the other's claws find their way under his mask to capture his attention in full does he cease speaking. He blinks wildly beneath the cover, an offended gasp dying in his throat as they blink at him with an expression that stills him. Before he can start again, whether to chew Pantalone out or spitefully continue his important research talk ( he hasn't decided yet which takes priority ), he finds himself biting his tongue.

It doesn't last. ❝ Hah, you should know what to expect from me, Pantalone. I am not at fault for your unpreparedness, ❞ he says with a crooked smirk. Surely that won't come back to bite him in the ass.

[fatedhrtc]

Dottore couldn't have asked for a better outcome. It is so rare that the participants in his experiments were so eager and willing to hand over the reigns to him, so to speak. No, often Dottore had to do much convincing of his patients, even if they would truly benefit from his experiments solving the woes of their mortal coils. No need to divulge how many participants lost themselves in the process.

❝ It is a pleasure, La Sirena. It isn't everyday I have another Harbinger in my lab for good reason. I have to say, I was impressed that you approached me yourself. A willing patient makes for a far smoother process, as you can imagine. Please, make yourself comfortable, ❞ he gestures to the chair on the other side of his desk whilst he takes a seat himself.

The first dip of his quill into ink marked the beginning. He loves the feeling of dragging his quill across paper, recording all his findings. Research was truly the only thing worth living for in his book.

Behind his mask, Dottore's eyes are focused on the man across from him. He anticipates great discoveries with this one. ❝ I'll have an initial intake questionnaire to complete before we get started. Why don't you tell me for the record why you're here? ❞

| @seascarrred

[thewiglesswonder]

I immediately thought of that one video of the plague doctor jauntily walking in the park

[enkxateia]

little angelic wings behind her head flutter with this information — oh, how kind of him ! she will be sure not to disappoint him and break that trust ... right ? ❝ Okay. ❞ it's a simple, easy response. surely, nothing else could go wrong. ❝ Then ... Capitano and Jester have plenty of rizz ... I should learn from them. ❞ this absolutely won't turn into her mimicking their behaviour, surely not ! but, wait, suddenly she realized something. ❝ ... If the other Segments don't have rizz ... does that not mean ... you don't, either ? ❞ poor Bina looks at 18 with a serious consideration. lips pursed as she ' observes ' him. ❝ ... We shall learn together. ❞ without another beat missed, she takes him by the wrist, already prepared to hop away to find Capitano or the Jester.

[fatedhrtc]

This has quickly taken a turn he didn't wish for nor anticipate. Has he underestimated the Damselette...? Has she known the meaning of said words this entire time and is simply taking the opportunity to begin his demise? Ha, surely not, he is far to intelligent for that. He would've known. He must play along for now before finding the perfect jumping off point, that's all. Her matter-of-fact response can't mean anything malicious.

Oh. ❝ No, NO, I have plenty of ― ❞ he bites his lip before he says anything dire. Embarrassment is the plight of all teenagers, surely, an eternal ones even more so. Perish the thought, he's better than that! ❝ I need to learn nothing from those two senior citizens! Do I really look like they could teach me anything?! Ms. Columbina, has got to be another way. ❞

[enkxateia]

❝ I see ... ❞ of course, his smirk went by entirely unnoticed. with a gentle nod, COLUMBINA struck a contemplative pose, pondering on the suggestions he gave to her. ❝ Mmm ... Why not ask Zandik or one of the other Segments ... ? ❞ t'was an innocent question, and held much logic ! ❝ After all, you're all doctors ... ❞ then, it struck her. ❝ ... unless ... they all don't have rizz, either ... ❞ clearly, Capitano and Jester had plenty of rizz !

[fatedhrtc]

Oh shit, that's not what he wanted at all. ❝ W-wait, no ― ❞ he's going to have to think fast on feet, else he'll have to kill the littlest one before he finds out. ❝ Don't bother the old man with something like this, he's probably asleep or holed up in his lab. You do not want to interrupt him. ❞

He crossed his arms, totally not in a defensive way at all. ❝ ...they don't have any rizz either. Definitely not Zandik. DON'T tell him I told you. I'm breaking patient privacy laws here, okay? Ugh, just pretend you have some rizz and maybe it'll work out for you. ❞

[fatedhrtc]

He couldn't believe his luck, she was really going along with it. This is even better than messing with his littlest self. ❝ You have to up your rizz, Ms. Columbina. It's crucial to decreasing your amount of cringe. ❞

[enkxateia]

❝ Hmmm ... ❞ she stands there, considering his words for a moment — alas, there is not a single thought behind those masked eyes. she nods, pretending for a moment that she understands. ❝ Up my ... rizz. Right ... ❞ another beat of silence, and then, in the tiniest voice ... ❝ ... what is ... ' rizz ' ? I've never heard of it before ... ❞ oh, no. her cringe must be off the charts ...

[fatedhrtc]

He tries and fails to hide his smirk and put up an air of concern. ❝ Oh dear. This is far more serious than I thought. Rizz is... ❞ he loathes that he couldn't possibly be there to see the results of this little direction ( or if she will even follow through ), ❝ something I cannot explain to you. Why don't you ask a more senior member of our organization? I'm sure the Captain will have a better answer. Or, perhaps even the Jester. ❞

So long as she doesn't ask one of his older selves, he will be in the clear.

[fatedhrtc]

❝ It says right here you're cringe. Fatal diagnosis. ❞

[enkxateia]

❝ Oh. ❞ a beat of silence. ❝ What ... would you suggest, then ... ? ❞ she may not look it, but this poor creature is fretting. after all, what in all of Teyvat was ' cringe ' ?! it couldn't possibly be good !!

[fatedhrtc]

He couldn't believe his luck, she was really going along with it. This is even better than messing with his littlest self. ❝ You have to up your rizz, Ms. Columbina. It's crucial to decreasing your amount of cringe. ❞

[fatedhrtc]

❝ It says right here you're cringe. Fatal diagnosis. ❞