#Xiao is C1

[yanfei-impact]

I JUST GOT FULL STARS ON THE SPIRAL ABYSS FOR THE FIRST TIME!!!!!

[elvyn]

I lost 50/50 , so at least I drew him c’: 

[zhongrin]

hydro dragon, hydro dragon, welcome home....

72 pity.... hmmm... ok yeah you're one of the nicer ones i suppose.... you don't have to sleep in the aquarium.... ૮₍ ˶•⤙•˶ ₎ა

(zhongrin shenanigans utc)

"*clapping* yay!! welcome home, neuvillette!!"

"my shiny new hu- hydro dps!!"

"Salutations, it is an honor to be permitted toー"

"?!"

"*HISSING SNARLING GROWLING*"

".... ahaha...."

based on this chat ->

bonus:

sorry li my house my rules-

bonus 2:

it's ok i gave him chin scritches afterwards <3

[cometrose]

Are you still looking for reasons to yap about Zhongli? Because I would love to hear your thoughts on his relationship with Hu Tao ;w;

I think my favorite thing about Hu Tao and Zhongli is that they're both literally insane. Psychological terrors.

Hu Tao will put a whoopee cushion on your chair and laugh when you sit on it. Zhongli will gaslight you into believing the whoopee cushion never existed and that you just sat and jumped up all on your own.

Hu Tao is deliberate and overt with her pranks while Zhongli is a subtle and mischievous trickster. They both just terrorize the general populace. You talk to them for longer than 10 minutes and you start hearing voices. Zhongli just gets away with it because he has the elegance and aura of a god.

Like Hu Tao will tease Furina by telling scary stories or tales of ghosts while Zhongli would probably tease her by calling her as 'lovely as goddess' or 'a lady blessed by gods'.

People always say Zhongli is cold but he's just a silly little liar like 50% of the time. Lying about being in the chasm, tricked some guy out of two hand-painted fans, led these two fake archeologists on a quest just to deny them of their dreams at the last moment, acting like he's never met the adepti, ignoring venti at the restaurant, hiding from neuvillette, lying to xiao about sesame oil and teasing him at the restaurant like the list goes on, faking his fucking death like he is just a fucking terror. No wonder he and Hu Tao get along well.

Speaking of their dynamic I think they play off each other very nicely. Before Hu Tao was released it was suggested that Hu Tao teases Zhongli endlessly to the point of exasperation but it seems like their teasing is mutual and Zhongli is just being an overdramatic tsundere (like always). Hu Tao makes fun of him at Lantern Rite but he just teases her right back. I imagine Hu Tao is constantly trying to get him to admit or confess to being an adeptus and he always manages to one up her at the last second to avoid saying anything.

I believe the two of them would make perfect partners in any business. Imagine Hu Tao and Zhongli as detectives lol, Hu Tao would chase down the suspect having figured out the case within 5 minutes while Zhongli would already be there waiting for Hu Tao to chase the suspect down cause he figured it out after 30 seconds. They would barely listen to the authorities and do whatever they wanted as long as it wasn't against the law.

But then again they have this really good balance. Hu Tao is a fire force of nature, energetic, playful and proud. But she has a very thoughtful side to her, she's a sharp thinker, with a love for poetry, music, and appreciation for life. Zhongli is much the same. He is thoughtful and caring, kind with a love for the arts, but he is rather mischievous, and a little manipulative with a taste for having fun in his own way. They are tricksters with a love for life and the arts just two very different auras. In many ways I would say they are more alike than different

They even work in gameplay! Double hydro Hu Tao aka Hu Tao, Xingqiu, Yelan and Zhongli is probably my strongest and most optimized team for the Spiral Abyss. I use them like every round and it works.

Unpopular opinion I guess but I have never really cared for the headcanon of Hu Tao as Zhongli's daughter. Not so much as I dislike it but I greatly prefer the crazy boss and even crazier secretary/employee dynamic. No but really the weirdo leader and their insane but incredibly loyal underling is like one of my favorite tropes. I just wouldn't alter anything about their relationship. 

Besides if I were to assign Hu Tao and Zhongli a familial bond it would be siblings with a large age gap. Like siblings that are 10+ years apart so the eldest practically helps raise the younger one but it’s not like they are the parent (they have parents) but rather the eldest is a weird person who takes care of the youngest but also makes fun of them within the same minute.

Part of the reason I love Zhongli and Hu Tao is how much trust is in their relationship. Hu Tao states in her story lines that she trusts Zhongli more than anything and considering Zhongli’s influence in the parlor and how he works with Baizhu, trains the other workers and is in charge of all adepti related matters it is safe to say he has a lot of input even though he is just an employee. Xianyun states it is odd for Rex Lapis to work under her but she won’t go against his wishes and that she must be respectable. So even though Zhongl may suggest he is tired of her, for a 6000 year old deity to pick a job and stick with it it must be a damn good job. 

And their interactions are the best, in the 2022 Lantern Rite when Hu Tao told Zhongli to pick her up after she hung out with Zhongli or the fact it seems they always spend Lantern Rite together which is just the best. Or the poetry event where she kept bugging him to be a better judge but Zhongli was too busy praising everybody.

They may not ever say how much they care about each other but the way Hu Tao checks on Zhongli after meeting Furina because she was worried about him just awww. Zhongli is a dusty old encyclopedia man but he is still her beloved consultant who she cares about. Hu Tao may be a child he cannot deal with but he always looks out for her.

Hu Tao and Zhongli are always competing for the top spot in my favorite Zhongli dynamics they are both two characters I really like and I like whenever they are together even more.

[xieliancore]

manifesting art so i win his 50/50!!

[yosh-foshfish]

do not contact me for the next 3-7 business days as i will be freaking out over arlecchino (and my terrible attempt at trying to save for her)

[fenclip]

misc sagau snips

a little bit more light-hearted (sort of) than the crown of insight au - which im honestly having more fun doing world-building than actually writing it loooool

since they're only snips, they're pretty short and have plenty of little notes added to them in case i ever consider expanding them :p

+++ Zhongli - Crown of Insight

"Triple Crown Xiao!! Let's fucking gooo!!!"

Zhongli watched impassively as their beloved Goddess coaxed Xiao into performing a variety of acrobatic tricks for her to enjoy. Jumping, running around in circles, and using Xiao's Anemo power to dash around in a flurry of Anemo particles. All of which were but a few of the many ways their Goddess expressed her happiness to the world. 

And "triple crowning" the Last Yaksha was apparently one such cause for celebration. Especially when what she had so boldly declared after Xiao had first experienced her grace over his body. It was apparent that the path to bestowing the "Triple Crown" onto one of her most favoured vessels was one of severe hardship. 

ZL feels a little jealous over the Goddess’s attention on Xiao and hopes to one day be bestowed with a Crown of Insight as well 

Knows that he is one of her favoured ones and is silently proud of it

+++ Thoma

"Ooh, this would be such a good date spot!" 

From the brief glances of his current surroundings that his Goddess would allow him as she excitedly swivelled his body around, Thoma could agree. He could bring a basket with all of her favourite foods packed (or at least, what he surmised from the amount of Sweet Madames she regularly stocked up on).

Then after taking her on a stroll around Inazuma City and showing her the sights, Thoma would bring her to this very spot for a picnic. 

+++ Diluc 

“You goddamn bastard, why won’t you spook me?!” 

As he watched the Goddess’s current vessel run through his vineyards catching crystalflies, Diluc wondered what it would be like to be carried by the hands of their world’s Goddess. Of the many who called Mondstadt home, he was one of the few that were rarely bestowed the honour of becoming the Goddess’s vessel. 

+++ Itto

“Wait, Xiao’s banner is coming soon?! Guess I can’t spend much on this banner then. Oh man! C1 Xiao, here I come!”

Kuki Shinobu could only sigh as the illustrious leader of the Arataki Gang spent another day sulking in his room. Not even the promises of getting some Onikabuto or a round of Genius TCG could rouse him out of his depressive state. 

To twist the knife even deeper into the Boss’s gut, the Goddess had only sent her prayers into his special “banner” long enough to bestow her blessings upon the Canine General instead. 

+++ Heizou

“Sheesh, you may hit hard like a truck but damn if your CRIT rate wasn’t just straight-up trash… Ahh, I hate artifact farming…”

The first time his Anemo-powered punch had dealt a solid hit onto the naked crystal heart of Liyue’s “Geo Cube”, the Goddess had immediately brought him to face all sorts of other opponents. It was only after the second time that he had apparently “critted” on a mitachurl that his Goddess began to ladle praises after praises of his martial prowess. 

+++ Zhongli (& Childe)

Post-Isekai: The Goddess goes on a date with Zhongli, touring Liyue in person. 

“Tartaglia.” 

The intense prickling feeling of someone watching me lessened as I continued to stare after the pompous NPC that dared to interrupt my special outing with Zhongli. 

“Take care of that person for me, will you?” 

After waiting a few minutes for the brief spike of bloodlust that followed my request to subside, I sighed. The Eleventh Fatui Harbinger… and apparently one of my most devoted followers. Perhaps a little too devoted to my wellbeing. I didn’t need foreknowledge from playing the game to know how dangerous Tartaglia really was. 

For a moment, I wondered how long until the wild dog would finally gain reason to chew through his spindly rope leash and turn against me? If not for my weakling self as I was, then perhaps how fake my affections were for him? As it stood, the relationship we had as master and servant was toxic as all hell. 

Sure, I fantasised plenty of being the princess that knights would wholly pledge their devotions to. And I received such notions in spades in the form of my followers as the apparent Creator of this World. But to persist in keeping them up for however long I would stay in Teyvat? No matter what they tell me, I will hold no hopes on that. 

[kittycowboy]

Oh my god?? Just won the 50/50 for the fourth time in a row in genshin

[rustyreveries]

look at them. the sillies.

+ bonus babygirl by himself

one day i’m going to cave in and make genshin fanart and it’ll be over for all of you … (not really. it’ll probably suck)

[leafspiritz]

alhaitham 📚

[tofucreator]

I tried to get Freminet the day Zhongli’s banner reran a few days ago

And

WHY ARE YOU HERE?

[boy-above]

peak at the account that i use exclusively anemo characters on. these are my babies, they are spoiled. as you can see they're all level 90, and they also have level 90 weapons and 999 talents (with the exception of xiao venti scara and faruzan who are triple crowned.)

notable moments during my time with this account, whether good or bad:

my first five star on the standard banner being jean (extremely exciting)

first five star constellation being jean

accidental (but not unwelcome) c1 xianyun

pulling for xianyun's weapon but getting nahida's instead, which is sucrose's best in slot, and then getting xianyun's weapon early afterward

100 wishes. to get sucrose. i wanted to die

279 days on this account with no heizou

[princiere]

seems I'm meant to be a wanderer main for the long run, since this was just from one ten pull

[viatrixtravels-a]

For hat guy, jump off the great Sumeru tree :3

"...How about a plan where I /don't/ have to jump for once!? If not even Xiao came right away, then I'm not confident about that guy rushing to my rescue..."

[rosedom]

THAT XIAO POST I AM ON MY HANDS AND KNEES (not like that .. unless?) HE'S SO GGRHGRHRGRHRGRHHRGRHRHR BARK BARK GRR BARK !!!!!!!!! if u get me. smiles -🕷️

i get u 😵‍💫😵‍💫 he's so grgrhrhfhfjhfhh i cannot believe i haven't written him yet ,,, i owe my life to that anon .

[larkspurglove]

It’s weird to think that I’m not considering the rerun banners for 2.1 not because I don’t want the characters or because they’re at a lower pull priority than Aventurine, but because I already have Luocha and Jingliu