Ooo, I love the thought of Tighnari and Cyno throwing flowers and petals to the Reader after a performance!! I can see the Reader blowing a kiss towards them both in response if they manage to see them in the crowd.
I’ve been thinking about some more Ballet/Tap dancer Reader from Fontaine with Cynonari scenarios I’d like to share again, I hope you don’t mind me talking about it some more, fgkjh-
So, I’m going to lean into the ballet dancer side for the next few thoughts/scenarios. I can’t help but imagine the Reader telling Cyno and Tighnari about their experiences in ballet; bad instructors, funny and happy moments, ballets they’ve been in, and opening up about any body image issues they dealt with along the way (more on this in a moment). In the world of ballet, there is a lot of pressure put onto you, both by instructors and yourself. Instructors correct you constantly (“Your footing is wrong, you need to do this…” “Your position is wrong, you need to that…” etc.) and you’re pretty hard on yourself as well. Linking back to the body image issue, in ballet, there is pressure to look a certain way, to attain bodily perfection. At first, the Reader really did struggle with this pressure, but has gradually built up their confidence in themselves over time. Although, if they do still deal with some body issues and insecurities, then Tighnari and Cyno will shoot down any negative thoughts and reassure/comfort them.
Reader: Imagine being required to show up for work each day dressed in a skin-tight leotard and leggings, where every perceived flaw is visible. Now imagine you spend most of your work-day surrounded by wall-to-wall mirrors, and you’re asked to constantly monitor your own appearance. That’s what it is like for ballet dancers. Overcoming the pressure to look a certain way was a pretty big challenge for me.
Reader: “Will the crowd notice me if I am more attractive? Would they like me more if I was ten pounds lighter?” Those sort of thoughts ran through my head. I only saw what my instructors saw in myself - something that needed improvement.
Despite all the stress and hardship the Reader has endured, they still retain a love and passion for ballet.
On a more lighter note, I’ve been thinking more about the statement that Fontaine “revers true beauty and elegance” and trying to incorporate that into different displays of affection. One ‘elegant’ way I thought of was the Reader kissing their lovers’ hands. The thought of the Reader gently taking up their lovers’ hands and pressing their lips on their knuckles makes me so soft,,, And love letters!! Another way could be the Reader writing love letters to both Cyno and Tighnari. Also, I have this weird headcanon that courting in Fontaine is more ‘polite,’ if that makes sense?? (it’s mainly because Fontaine’s based off of 1910 France-) Like, opening doors for the person you like, offering an arm when you walk together, that sort of thing.
And the Reader learning more about Sumeru! The wildlife, the people, and everything else about it. They always have a wonder and curiosity about their surroundings.
Reader: Oh, wow! Tighnari, what’s this?
Tighnari: *looks over his shoulder*
Reader: *pointing to a pretty, but incredibly poisonous mushroom* :D ?
Tighnari: Okay first off-
I’ll give one more scenario with ballet dancer Reader- Parts of ballet dancers’ bodies can just crack at any time and they usually feel really sore. So when Reader cracks one part of their body Tighnari and Cyno just cringe at the sound-
Reader: (Ugh, my whole body aches…) *they flex their toes and the loudest cracking noise just,, goes off*
Cyno: *stops what he’s doing* *turns around*
Reader’s hip: *c ra ck*
Cyno:
Cyno: (Name),
Jackdaw Anon 🐦
I love it, I love it, gosh darn all of it
I can definitely see Cyno and Tighnari kind of paralleled their lives in the Akademiya with ballet reader's in the sense of their critic struggles. How despite art and academics are in the other end of the spectrum, the hardships weigh just the same in what they had to deal with
Hearing about the body issues and pretty much just knowing how important physique is (which is also kind of a weird thing for them both seeing as Cyno and Tighnari most definitely do not worry about looking good, not their priority pretty much, despite slaying so much), they do their best to assist in a more practical/applied way. Tighnari definitely would act like a dietician in keeping watch of their nutrient intake and suggesting meals
All a balanced diet, after all he's not a believer of cutting back in food, he knows that the best way to get in shape is to make sure that your food is carefully picked out in terms of the nutrients. Cyno in the other hand would help with exercise by either training (usually in the guise of combat) or just his daily routine of workouts, they like to do it near an oasis or any body of water so it would be refreshing.
Ballet reader does give me a regal vibe of like - a princess acting princely, elegant and androgynous somehow! Like in their tip toes, arm behind their back as they bow and take the hand of their lovers to kiss, a wink thrown in too as they do it. Cyno and Tighnari feel like princesses being charmed by their ballet prince haha
Oh oh and can't forget, I can definitely see them dancing on top of the huuuge mushrooms in Mawtiyima Forest after Tighnari showed them there accompanied by fireflies and the blue glows of the plants! It's so beautiful there for a ballet routine, Cyno and Tighnari always sneaks over to watch
And they also can make a popping sound on their knee when they move their leg a certain way too haha man, I wanna see how Cyno reacts when he sees how they break in their ballet shoes (bonus points if it was his gift to them too hahaha)