#aether's been thru it !

[rosedom]

Story where Aether got saved by reader and fell in love with reader. (preferably male :D )

"you have invited AETHER to play . . . alchemical descension

ㅤ 【 SYNOPSIS 】 aether gets kidnapped, and you're his hero.

✦ㅤㅤ 【 CW 】 gn!reader (for now), kidnapping, mentions of death & of murder, takes place during the alchemical ascension event .

A/N : somewhat altered style for SFW fics . . . a lil' bit inspired by the "villains" wq, and also just how ,, ridiculously easy it seems that ae can get knocked out by inhaling some wild shit LMAO

"press KEEP READING to read."

The traveler is a strong, strong man—from the ripple of his muscles to the easy way he brushes off injuries that would otherwise maim (even kill) mortals, it’s almost incomprehensible, wholly earth-shattering to see Aether so—so meek, weak.

“I’m sorry,” he murmurs, winces at the dab of antiseptic on a rather shallow wound. And, really, he’s not that banged up: he’s just, finally, mortalized. “I—I don’t know what they did. The drug should be out of my system soon...

“Right?”

You sigh. “I don’t know,” you say. “I can take you to Baizhu—”

“No!” When you flinch, he—albeit shakily—reaches out for your retracted hand. “I—I’m sorry,” he says, quiet, “I didn’t mean to scare you. It’s just—I don’t want anybody to see me like this.

“I’m sorry that you have to see me like this.” 

Scoffing, you lean into his hold and reach out to cup his scratched face. “Please stop apologizing.” As you speak, your thumb rubs gentle circles into an unblemished, unwounded part of his cheek, the edges of your knuckle brushing the thin bandage you set across his skin earlier. “This isn’t—this isn’t your fault: you know that, right?”

He doesn’t reply. 

He doesn’t reply, because he thinks it is his fault. 

Treasure hoarders aren’t supposed to be this powerful.

“Look who I got, boys,” one says, sneering. He’s got one hand wrapped around Aether’s upper bicep, and that’s all he needs. From his lip drips the vestiges of his second—no, third? Fourth? strength potion. The traveler struggles in the tight grip of the treasure hoarder, but his limbs don't cooperate; they’re weakened, and he doesn’t think he can even feel his fingertips or halfway down to his toes. 

He doesn’t know where Paimon is, either, and the prickly feeling is traveling up his knees, up his thighs. It’s numbing, it’s painful—it’s everything at once, and all he can do is let himself be helplessly dragged.

One failed potion, one sip—it shouldn’t have done this to him.

“How could you have known?” you ask, fingertips stroking his jaw, his ear; you mindlessly tug at his earring to ground the both of you. The feather has a spritz of blood on it that you carefully rub away, heedful of the way a tear buds up in his waterline.

“I—”

You shake your head, stopping him. “You couldn’t have.”

“I made the potions myself—”

He stirs the cauldron, and in it bubbles the herbs he and Paimon threw in: lilies from the valley to bring strength to any person who consumes it, soft dandelions to give a breath of fresh air, a breath of speed. 

And it is he, still exhausted from the prophecy and its unfoldings, that fails to notice when Paimon’s bumbling body knocks something into the concoction. It bubbles, it shrinks, it evaporates, and he simply assumes so is how alchemy works. 

Paimon does not mention what she spilled, and so he stirs and stores and shelves only one bottle of the overly-sweet smelling potion. There was only enough left for so few, and it is bought quickly.

“Thank you,” a singular gruff man says. His chin is scraggly with overgrown hair, and his eyes are mean. (He buys this, and he buys another potion labeled in messy writing, “Strength.”)

Later, those eyes are the same ones that lock onto his as gruff hands force the sweet potion down his throat. “Gotcha,” the same voice murmurs, too, that scruffy beard raw against his face as he is hauled into a stranger’s arms, brought into a stranger’s camp.

You haul Aether into your arms, gentle, encircling around him in a way that leaves plenty of room for him to squirm out of if he wishes; but he sniffs, curls into you. 

“What all did he do to you, Aether?” you softly ask, hands trailing to his still-weakened wrists. His joint rolls easily, marred by deep red lines that speak of how you found him.

He shakes his head frantically. “No, no—” he cries out, eyes wide and panicked as he watches the treasure hoarder with those mean eyes lunge at you. 

You dodge, easy, the potion which makes him stronger simultaneously slowing him down. He is no match for your haste, and no amount of faux-strength can protect him against the blade; strength alone cannot keep him alive.

Blood pools around him, laid out prostrate, and he does not move. 

“Aether—” Your sword clatters to the stone floor, an ugly echo in the silence of the aftermath. Metal digs into his wrists, and chains pool around his legs. They were a precaution; after all, the potion that subdued him is empty, now, and the effects would not last forever. “Aether.”

Crumbling, he sobs out your name.

“I got you, Aeth, I gotcha.”

“Thank you,” he murmurs instead, avoids the question that hangs heavy in the air. He tucks his face further into your throat and rests his cheek against the steady thrum of your heart, grounding him. In the silence, though, he finally sighs and begins to speak, prefaces it with, “Please, don’t... don’t tell anybody else.”

“I won’t,” you promise. 

His hands are crushing, but the bite of the metal cuffs is paralyzing. “Look’it here,” he says, the scent of alcohol pungent as the treasure hoarder and his boys are strewn about the camp in front of him. “Got us a lil’ treasure.”

Another man laughs. “How’d you get your hands on ‘im?” he asks, his words a slur. Tauntingly, he kneels down in front of Aether, but the spirit is heavy enough in his veins, in his stomach, that he sways on his knees. (Aether would laugh were he not so terrified.)

“He was sellin’ potions,” the leader murmurs. “I took the ones for strength, of course, but there was this real cheap one on the side. ‘Thought it smelled nice n’ all, so I bought it, thinkin’ I’d get to gift it to my sister for perfume.” Laughing, he tacks on, “Glad I didn’t give it to ‘er!”

“That’s all,” Aether eventually mutters. His breath is clammy against you when he murmurs more, “I promise. I—I got lucky.

"I fear what would’ve happened if you weren’t there. So—so thank you.”

Gently, you tug Aether out from your neck. “You don’t need to thank me, Aeth,” you whisper, nose-to-nose. His eyes are shiny-wet, warm as the sun yet scared as the moon. “I’m just so, so glad you’re safe now, yeah?”

He nods. “Yeah,” he echoes, fingers coming to curl into the front of your shirt, “because of you.” His pale eyelashes, clumped with moisture, flutter shut, then, leaning back into you.

You smile softly, sadly. “Easy, tiger,” you whisper, fingers pressing against his lips. “Wait ‘til you’re better, yeah?”

Pouting, he shakes his head. He tries to swerve your palm, but you laugh, and you take to holding his cheeks instead, mindful still of that which mars him. “You don’t want me, Aeth.”

He shakes his head again, this time far more vehement; his bangs are tousled by the movement, and you can’t help gently smoothing his soft curls back. He says, then, “I’ve always wanted you.” 

“This is the potion—”

Aether fucking growls. “It’s not the potion!” he cries out, warm eyes turned molten before they cool again, a wave of something somber taking over the irises. “Unless—unless you don’t—”

“No, no, I—I do, but not—not like this,” you say. Your hands shake where you hold him, now, and you realize that he’s not faring much better himself. 

A fat tear slips out of his eye, too, and you cannot help but catch it with your thumb lest it soak into the bandage. “Like how, then?”

Huffing out a laugh, you pull him into you again, letting his head fall back onto your chest. Your fingers wrap themselves in his hair, lulling him and yourself all the same. “Properly. I want—I want to do it right,” you say. “I want to get you flowers: windwheel asters—” your favorite. “I want you to be happy when I ask you.”

At that, Aether’s tense body fully relaxes into you. He minutely groans when he agitates a bruise, but he lets his body go limp irregardless. “I’m happy now,” he says, “but okay.”

“Okay?”

You can feel the smile he presses into your throat. “Very okay.”

i'm gonna write a NSFW part two ,, keep ur eyes peeled, adults ! the second part will be with a male reader.

22 MAY 2024, @rosedom, rosey .

[asterroses]

i have to admit im enjoying honkai star rail much more than i thought i would

[zawadni]

the way rumi said she’d help me do a 4k event but then i forgot

[nyxthejinx]

Heya!

I just saw your open for request post and want to commission an Cyno x gn!reader, please? :) a fluffy and spicy drabble would be lovely. Maybe smth like.. the reader is good friends with Cyno and Tighnari but the reader went on a journey thru teyvat and met the Aether (traveler) on their way and since then they traveled together and been thru much so they have a connection ofc and then when the reader and Aether visit sumeru and they meet Cyno - he will get all jealous? Cause he sees how close they are and he fears that he missed his chance with the reader? But obvsly its not like that and yeah. A lil bit of making out at the end, please? cause Cyno needs to let out some steam after his jealously :^)

Thank you for doing requests btw!

FIRST. It took ages but I was able to sell my soul in exchange for inspiration only recently, I'm so sorry. SECOND thank YOU for asking, I wasn't sure about this until the 3am among us potion made it work. THIRD beautiful pfp, akaza bb fr i love him a normal amount I promise. FOURTH it's 5 am, literally I'm not kidding, I tried to proofread and all that but I don't even know what's my name anymore so I'm sorry for typos and shit. FIFTH I hope It makes sense, enjoy 💀

𝐓𝐖: Fluff and obviously spice (making out, vague allusions to the dirty deeds ;) ), use of petnames (dear, love), lemme know if I missed something.

𝐅𝐭.: Cyno, Aether (but he's your homie) - GN!Reader

𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 2.5k

𝐋𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨: Rendezvous - Little Mix (god this song is such a banger)

Cyno fears nothing.

"Cyno, this is Aether."

Cyno fears one thing.

He'd felt so happy after reading your last letter. You said you'd be back in a few days with a special surprise, but honest to Archons the fact you'd be coming back to him - for him, he’d wanted to say, but not dared to- was enough of a present.

He surely wasn't expecting that this "surprise" would be none other than the Traveler who's saved Sumeru, though. A charming blondie who drifts a bit too close to you, in Cyno's opinion.

"We met in Liyue, he's amazing." You smile, squeezing the blond's shoulder. "He's a well known traveler across Teyvat, even in regions he has yet to visit!"

"I just help those who need it, not that much of a big deal."

Aether blushes and rubs his neck. Aether blushes. And you're touching him in a way that only close friends do.

It's fine, Cyno wants to think. You're allowed to do whatever you want in your life, he sure as hell won't stand in your way. He already stepped aside back in the days, as you excitedly told him how one of his worst fears came true you were leaving for adventure.

Everything to make you happy.

But his mixed feelings would always get in the way and unleash endless internal conflicts. It wasn't simply about not having you around, it was some kind of longing sitting inside his chest and screaming at you not to go.

It was the distance that made him realise: he was, and still is, far too in love for his own good.

And Aether could get in the way of that.

"We meet again, Traveller." The General nods, pushing down such shameful thoughts. "I'm glad to see you are both fairing well."

"It's all thanks to [Name], actually." Aether nudges you in the ribs. "They're really helpful, no matter the task."

You smirk. "Oh, what an honour. The traveller complementing me, a common, mortal nobody."

"Hey, I'm not that annoying!"

"Maybe. But you sure snore at night. That is annoying."

"Wh-! I don't. I know for a fact-"

No, you don't sound like close friends. You sound like a married couple. What just happened in this handful of months? Did Cyno hesitate too long and lost his chance? Now that he had decided to expose his deepest feelings?

"You guys! Paimon is starving here."

Paimon's shrill voice cuts short the bicker, as the Matra's jaw clenches. Good time, credits to Paimon, but seeing the two of you stroll towards the tavern didn't ease the knot in his chest the slightest.

Your laughter wasn't addressed to him nor to his uncanny jokes. He wasn't the one making you smile.

He was the moon and he'd just been eclipsed by the Traveller's brightest light.

Dinner was... Gut wrenching, to say the least.

You'd known Cyno long enough to tell apart his feelings even as he wears that stoic facade of his. While Paimon and the Traveller didn't have a single clue about the situation, you could feel his dry gaze burning holes on both of your figures, as if the sun had ascended back to the skies and everything around had turned desert.

He was feeling something you'd never quite seen within him.

It took you a bit too long to realise that the fair, lawful General Mahamatra was jealous, of all things.

He was so subtle with it, carefully hid his resentment in his voice and choice of words, in his gestures and mannerisms. But worst of all he didn't propose a single joke during the meal, not even when you laid the chance on a silver platter for him.

That had your mind reeling for the rest of your time together, and even afterwards, as you waved goodnight to Aether and Paimon. As you walked these streets you still know by heart with your dearest friend by your side.

As you choked on the thick air surrounding the two of you.

Maybe you should've left Aether out of it, for the first day, at least. Cyno hadn't seen you in so long, perhaps he didn't like the way Aether inadvertently hogged your attention the entire time when all he wanted was to hear about your adventures.

Yeah, you'd been an idiot for that one.

But, you still had an ace up your sleeve. Quite literally. One that would grant you his forgiveness and hopefully help you say the words to him.

Because of course, it took you less than a week far from him to realise you were smitten for this dad-jokes-spitting being.

You patted your side as you approached Razan Garden in all its glory, and sighed at the feeling of the rectangular box still inside. You could do it, you had to! It took you months of preparation, you wouldn't let it go to waste.

"[Name]." Cyno's voice was soft, as if to match the atmosphere lingering in the marble gazebo. He'd stopped a couple steps ahead of you, but didn't turn to meet your eyes. "My congratulations and best wishes."

You alt abruptly at that. Where the hell is it coming from?

"Uh, thank you?" You quirk a brow. "Did I do something special without knowing?"

He chuckles under his breath. Yes, you are special and he's grateful a being so perfect can exist in this world and is part of his life. But he would never tell you that.

He turns instead. His eyes rich with emotion, gentler. "I'm beyond glad that you found the right person out there, [Name]."

Oh. Oh.

"I only ever hoped for your happiness and well-being, during this period of time."

"Cyno, wait a sec-"

He takes a step forward. "If I had to voice my honest thoughts... I must admit I couldn't find peace of mind knowing you would've been out there alone."

"Cyno-"

"But I see you're perfectly capable of handling your own," the man sighs, shakes his head. A small smile curves his lips. "Just like you've always done."

"Oi-"

And then he's placing loose hands on your shoulders, as if he's in some kind of automatic mode and has to finish the speech at all costs.

For a moment you think he's gone absolutely senile. "Still, I'm relieved you have someone who can watch your back, now. He's a kind-hearted person, level headed, the best you could wish for-"

"Archons' fucking sake, Cyno! Will you hear me out a damn second?"

Cyno almost jumps back, taken out of his weird reverie, but you're quick to trap his face between your hands. You're close, closer than you'd wanted to, unfocused in your frustrated fervor. So much his breath warms the apple of your cheek, as it wasn't burning already.

You take a breath and force more words out before you can cower away from it. "I get where you're coming from, I neglected you today and acted like a shitty friend. And I'm sorry for that."

You lower your gaze to the ground. Now or never. "But it's you, okay? It's always been you! I could travel across all Teyvat and even Celestia, but it's you and just you. So drop that thing you're on about please."

That was disgustingly corny. But hopefully did the trick, you guess.

A beat passes. Then two. You don't see his face, you don't have the courage to take a look at the mess you've made. Him being jealous didn't mean he liked you, not necessarily. Maybe you should've given him the TCG deck and call it a night.

Another beat goes by.

"So... You and Aether are not...?"

He's gonna be the death of you.

You groan, a guttural sound that shouts exasperation from the deepest parts of your chest. All rationality goes to hell as you drag him closer and slam your lips together.

You're kissing him. Archons you're kissing him-

There's no time for Cyno to react. You're pulling away in a frenzy, hoping the ground will open for the Abyss to swallow you right now. You kissed one of your friends only to prove that you're single, and in fact attracted to them. Could it be worse than that? More humiliating and disrespectful to him?

"I'm so sorry!" You wave your hands around. "I shouldn't have without your permission! Are you okay?"

You search his expression for any sign of discomfort; he looks absolutely flabbergasted, but somehow weirdly composed like a bronze statue. His lips -god you'd just kissed them- are parted in the slightest, his eyes wide and yet still. The calm before the storm.

He's showing yet another sentiment you've never really seen him wear.

"Again." Cyno says.

You blink. "Uh?"

You feel his hand slither behind you and circle your waist, as he pushes your body closer. His skin is running hot like the desert's sands and you curse at his choice, or better lack of clothes.

His silver hair falls like a curtain, his eyes sharp. Dangerous, even, if you're not careful enough.

"Please, do it again. I think I've just seen the gates of Celestia." He mutters close to your lips.

That sounds more like him. You can't help but snort at his choice of words, shuddering all the same. The implications of said words dig a flaming hole in your chest.

"How can you be so smart, but dum dum at the same time?" You whisper, one hand traveling to the back of his neck, the other busying itself with stray locks of hair.

And you dip in for another kiss. One you sigh into, one that can be called kiss, actually. It's slower, but full all the same, scorching hot, pushed by feelings that were repressed for too long.

Cyno locks his free hand at your nape, never possessive, although firm. Small sounds bubble in the back of his throat when you bite at his lower lip, then backs just enough to mutter a couple words.

"Can you really blame me? It feels like a dream coming true." He pecks your lips, then presses his forehead to yours and closes his eyes. "I was scared you'd chosen him."

"So, all those pretty words from before?" You exhale a breathy laugh, cradling his jaw.

"I'd give away everything I have and am if it meant you'd be happy. I could only wish you the best and support you." Cyno smiles, pouting after the next words leave his mouth. "But it doesn't mean I would be fully content with the outcome."

Your brain has turned to mush. This man is too dangerous for this world, a hazard for you and your poor little heart that feels like exploding. It's a threat to your common sense and rationality. But most of all, it's damaging your brakes.

What he's telling you should not be legal.

"Archons, come here." And you kiss, and kiss, kiss again and again. You map each other's bodies with your hands as if it was the last time you'd be seeing each other. You press your mouths, clatter your teeth, intertwine your tongues.

You're straight up devouring in the dead silence of the night, in a public space. But as indecent the sounds you're both making are, it feels as if the world around blurred and blended into nothingness.

You've found yourself with your back to a wall, somehow, a couple buttons loose, skin hit by the cold air of the night. You -surely more clothed than Cyno- are an absolute mess, whereas his appearance doesn't falter much even at your hands' mercy.

It's unfair, he's unfair. He has no right to be this damn perfect even in the face of chaos.

"Not here, Cy." You manage to utter. "Let's go home."

His hand stops halfway up your shirt and he detaches from your neck with a small grunt, red splotches forming already thanks to his work. He doesn't sound pleased with your choice, but wordlessly complies, knocking you off your feet and picking you up so easily it's unfair.

And embarrassing.

You deadpan. "Seriously?"

He finds your eyes, suddenly composed as if nothing happened. "You seemed quite unstable on your legs, dear."

You're audibly gasping at that, whacking his chest and glaring daggers. "You!"

"Let's continue it home, now."

Cyno is really going to be the death of you, in many ways you'd never even considered.

It's almost dawn when you finally let yourselves snuggle up to each other in the peace of your home. More like his home, since yours needs more than a bit of cleaning after months of disuse, but he's made it clear already: everything that's his is also yours.

Cyno traces patterns on the bare skin of your arm, as you card through the knots on the back of his head, formed after... Recent activity. He seems too lost in your touch to even be awake, when his fingers stop.

"What was the surprise, in the end? Was it the confession?"

Your hands still, your face tightening at the question. When did you even... Oh, right.

"Would you be satisfied if I said yes?"

He pinches you.

"Owie!"

"You should know that what has been of this night matters more than anything, to me. Of course I would be satisfied." Cyno raises a thin brow, as his hand starts to descend agonizingly slow, leaving a trail of goosebumps in his wake. "Was I not clear enough about my feelings? Perhaps you need a reminder-"

"Whoa, hold your horses, General." You chuckle, planting a kiss on his forehead before leaning over to your bedside table, where your bag had been thrown previously. "There was no way I'd come back empty handed after all these months, yanno?"

You pull out the wrapped box, place it in his hands. Cyno stares at it quizzically, but opens the packaging with care after you nudge him in the side.

Oh, his expression is so, so priceless. Cute, too cute, so cute you could die right now on the spot for excess of sugar in your blood. He looks like a kid who's just received the toy he oh so wanted and ranted about.

"It's not just any deck," You explain. "It's a deck made of cards I've gathered around from different regions. Some were more challenging to get, but I've been playing with you for a long time, haven't I? Of course I'd win."

Meanwhile Cyno takes the liberty to browse its contents, and just like you said, they're not from Sumeru. He's barely ever seen them, some are literally unknown, and he's ecstatic at the sight. How long did it take? How much effort?

"This is…" there's no right term to describe it. "Wonderful. You are wonderful, [Name]."

He goes for a hug and you feel like your bodies fit perfectly in each other's arms, as if it was meant to be. Right now, all that matters is this. And it will always be for all you care.

You smile into his shoulder, smooch the base of his neck. "Is it too early to say 'I love you?'."

"I would actually say we're late, Love."

"I love you, then, you Dum-Dum."

"I love you."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"You are like my asthma. You just take my breath away."

You make sure Cyno slams his head as you throw him off the bed.

DON'T copy/repost my work. REBLOG instead! ©nyxthejinx

[aeferkssr]

GENSHIN LOVER PROMPTS - various charas !

you two were actually childhood best friends. they were there to see you grow into the wonderful person you are today. they were there thru the good times and the bad, and knew you like the back of their own hand. you have always been there for them as well, so it wouldn't be there fault if they fall in love?

THOMA . AETHER . lumine . itto . bennett . chongyun .

it was a hallway crush. you know? that cute person you saw in the hallway while you were rushing to your classes in the days? they never really got an oppertunity to actually have a conversation with you until their final year of school, when you two got set as seatmates. seeing you up close will maybe change their hallway crush into something more.

XIAO . itto . heizou . tighnari . ALBEDO . venti . nilou

the resident heartthrob™. they knew they were attractive and used it to their full advantage. whether they were asking for a favour or even wiggling their way out of a specific situation, you couyld bet that they would use their looks as a mean of persuasion. they're literally the embodiment of pretty priveledge, so why isn't it working on you? you don't even look twice when they enter the room. they long for a reaction from you and they will get it.

KAZUHA . KAEYA . lumine . tartaglia . YAE MIKO . ningguang . AYATO . xingqiu .

they were so convinced that you two had a special connection. the way how you made them feel was otherworldy. how completely calm they felt in your arms, and how they felt- no, knew without a doubt that the can trust you with their live. they don't really believe in something so childish as soulmates but if it was the only explanation for how utterly overwhelmed with joy you made them feel, they may entertain the idea just for a little.

thoma . AETHER . XIAO . zhongli . ayaka . ALBEDO . chongyun . tighnari

[thatdeadaquarius]

Imagine everyone in genshin could physically see when you lag. Collecting some sunsettia then my ping sky rockets to 999 and im frozen for a good minute in the middle of doing an attack 😭

SOB bro ive gotten caught in some DOWNRIGHT SILLY lags before- i would pass away if they saw that

Esp since i get them stuck then just start laughing my ass off 💀

This gif took me out this is so funny 😭 i had to put it here LMAO

I accidentally made Venti jump on top of a Aranara house when I was first exploring Sumeru and did that "flying in the air/jumpin down pose" but just. Through a palm leaf, he's just fluttering in the wind it was painfully ironic 😭

BRO

BRO

Bro.

What if u were isekaied to Genshin but it still has game rules, and so now ur like a character too,

SO U CAN ALSO LAGGGG STOPPP 😭😭😭

I would constantly be omw to the Backrooms 💀

Glitching thru magic shit bc im inpatient and wanna hurry (lagged myself thru some domain steps once)

OH MY GOD-

IF THEYRE AWARE

OF EVEN JUST YOU LAGGING THEIR BODIES

DUDE 😭

So this is unrelated to lag shit, but Ive just done so much silly ass things in game that they would find just as funny or dumb 💀

♤

So, When i first started Genshin I was on some Shit.

I had only rlly played one or two open world games before, and even then not for a long time, so I just like did the stupidest things

I was fighting in those early domains in Mondstadt right, and I had just gotten to the cutscene with Lisa and Traveler, I think thats all who were there

And I had just finished the last battle in the chamber, so I had just deployed Baron Bunny from Amber but killed the monsters before it could go off-

SO IN THE MIDDLE OF LISA TALKING- JUST AN EXPLOSION HAPPENS STAGE LEFT OFF SCREEN AND INTERUPTS HER LMFAO

I LITERALLY APOLOGIZED TO LISA I WAS CRYING LAUGHING SO HARD

(no pls dont make her aware of that for me she would bully me forever)

I FELT LIKE I WAS JUST CAUSING THESE CHARACTERS PROBLEMS RIGHT OFF THE BAT LMAO

◇

And I also didnt know about boss monsters yet (i didnt watch anyone play genshin/know where or what they were lol goin in blindfolded essentially)

So im running around Mond. and I start fighting a Cryo whopperflower for a little while, im not high level yet, and deadass MID SWORD SWING-

I GLITCH THRU A TINY CRACK IN THE ROCKS BC ITS OPEN ON THE TOP RIGHT??!! SO IT WAS JUST SOLID GROUND TO ME AND IM JUST FALLING-??!!

AND THEN I LAND MY ASS THE GIANT CRYO FLOWER REGISVINE AND I STG IT LAGGED AND WAITED FOR A MINUTE BEFORE IT STARTED MOVING LIKE IT WAS CONFUSED TOO-

AND ITS LEVEL IS LIKE IN THE RED

AND THE FALL KILLED AETHER (which I also didnt know could happen 😭TRAUMA) SO I JUST SUDDENLY HAVE AMBER OUT- !!??

BRO THAT WHOLE SITUATION MADE ME THINK I HAD ANGERED THE TINY FLOWER SO BAD IT JUST BECAME HUGE-

I WAS LITERALLY SCREAMING AT MY SCREEN "AMBER FUCK RUNNNN OH GOD AETHER'S DEAD???!! "

BC I WAS LIKE LEVEL 14 VS. ITS LEVEL 36

Talk about an all-knowing creator god 😭😭

Thatd be so embarassing if they remembered that 💀 aether would literally bring it up all the time to get to me

AMBER WOULD PITY ME AND HAVE SYMPATHEY NOO

♧

Then later on in Liyue, theres a chest underneath these guard statues hidden by a bush right? And one of those Geoculus star things too, and i have my compass out trying to find all the Geoculuses(?)

And Im like, " ok towards the statue??"

THEN I JUST PLUMMET- AND I IMMEDIATELY INSTINCTIVELY LIKE, SO HEARTBROKEN AND DISTRESSED SOUNDING "nOPLEASENOTAGAIN- oh, ohhh my godd" my heart was racinggg i literally sighed and I sat there for a minute breathin heavy 😭😭

My team wouldve had a heart attack and field day with me doin shit like that, theyd be like

"This our god? This you?"

Aether has so much blackmail on me 🥲

☆

If I had a mora for everytime I fell on a boss monster in Genshin Impact, I would have 3 mora.

Which isn't a lot of mora, but it's weird that it happened three times.

Cheers,

💀♒️

(we updated the logo bc im stupid and didnt realize i couldve been typing that the whole time)

♡the beloveds♡

Srry figure it was close enough id tag yall anyway

@karmawonders / @0rah-s / @randomnatics / @glxssynarvi / @nexylaza / @genshin-impacts-me / @wholesomey-artist

[trashcanwithsprinkles]

masterlist of stuff i’ve drawn

i went and tried to set up a tagging system for people to be able to search stuff thru my blog with ease, but since tumblr’s search engine and tag system is atrocious, i’ve made an actual masterlist regardless

in case you do want to use the tags to search thru the blog, here’s the system:

.png is the general art tag of stuff i’ve drawn

fanart for me is the tag for, well, fanart i’ve been sent

.png fic is the tag for art i’ve made of my fics

.png cyanide is the tag for art i’ve made of cyanide narwhal. the distinction from .png fic is in case i post art of any other fics i make somewhere down the line

and .png genshin is the tag for general genshin fanart i’ve posted

however, as we all know tumblr’s search system is fucked, i’d reccomend you have a look at the masterlist past the keep reading cut

so yeah!

proper masterlist below vvv

fic fanart people have sent me

kanda’s drawings of childe, morax, and xiao (CN)

friendlynaborhooddisapointment’s drawing of skirk (CN)

tickymikky’s drawing of childe in his narwhal construct (CN)

arisamaxwell’s drawing of childe and morax (CN)

right-on-the-money’s drawings of childe and nadezdha, and the frozen pillar (CN)

taffybet’s drawing of morax (CN)

anzysart’s drawing of some zvezdochoty murals (CN)

oakskull’s drawing of zhongli and childe sitting together (JG)

my art

◘ stuff from cyanide narwhal

character designs

xinyi and chenzhu

guizhong

trail clearer and zhihao

nadezhda, tonia, anton, and teucer

depth claws and skirk (young)

basileios and crimson thorn (both young)

lord vinea and aspasia (young)

sparkborn, fire hopper, raincaller, dew cover, madame ping, guhua, rising gust, and razor gale

pheynix, skirk (old), and andromache

a rough sketch of skirk’s foul legacy form

the tsaritsa

morax’ parents

other stuff

morax and childe gossiping

the yakshas

childe and his hydro constructs

rex lapis being technically taller than everyone

the braids childe made for morax

the glow of morax and childe’s eyes (the ask is a bit long but the drawing is in the reply)

the earring morax made for childe

◘ stuff from jadeite ginkgo

character designs

outfits for xiao, guizhong, childe, zhongli, hu tao, chongyun, and xingqiu

◘ general genshin art

some of my in-game teams as piles of sleeping people

childe and zhongli as pokemon trainers

lumine, aether, and xiao as pokemon trainers

the genshinsona i made

thoma, ayaka, and ayato as pokemon trainers

[cashewally-sarcastic]

do you ever just think about Dvalin? He is a dragon and an anemo vishap (Enjou and Lumine's Report About Aether call him a vishap) but the archon quest has Jean say "Its[Stormterror's} change in size and power really is suspicious." So I have no clue if Dvalin is just going thru dragon puberty especially with that theory that Venti gave him his anemo authority after the battle. What if he gets even bigger. I do hope the "Erstwhile King of the Skies" is some sort of dragon-prince that wants hugs.

He was going through a rebellious phase (terrorizing mondstadt) and maybe hangin around the wrong crowd (abyss mage) but sbdjdbd yeah perhaps he went through dragon puberty I hope he gets bigger it’d be so cool

And I mean he’s been pretty chill ever since so I assume he just wants some hugs now and again

[petratherrock]

Lotsa people don't like Paimon because of her shrill voice and/or because she's rude but I love her and the reasons being

1. Paimon saying whatever that comes to mind, no filter actually makes Lumine (idk about Aether) seems more collected and calm person lol

Ik this is basically the whole "Paimon is used to explain plots etc" but imagine if we don't get a Paimon and instead the Traveler is the one with her personality-- I don't think lotsa people will like the main character either

2. She's been with the Traveler for a long time, she tries to help any way she can, even try to help Traveler whenever she falls (this is provided by herself).

She's actually really sweet and cute too. She cares about the Traveler

Paimon is the one person who stuck by Traveler and asks them if they're okay about their sibling leaving them behind

They're best friends even if Lumine (once again I'm not sure about Aether) always jokes that Paimon is emergency food

3. Whenever we/mc go thru some fcked up creepy shit in the game, her comments makes me feel less creeped out tbh like when she says she's scared

Anyway I just think she's neat underneath all that annoying shrill voice and no filter, come on the no filter/rude thing makes for some amusing situations. Also her "dude wth" expression is great 😆

If you don't think she's cute, well, I mean why wouldn't you? She's cute!

Below I've collected some ss to backup my reasons lol

[swiftcast-selene]

Pre-DT WoL question: for the canon casters: what does casting magic feel like to your wol? how does being "out of mana" feel?

wah i wasn't expecting anyone to send me one back!! thank you! 💖 i'll answer for my main since he's the one i've been thinking about the most lately, hehe. I imagine the way he works is he's actually an incredible reservoir for aether, but had no actual way of getting it out before selene found him. it's kind of like he's a tree with sap rising and she's the spigot. he uses her to expel aether and direct it into a useful form, instead of it just kinda sitting stagnant forever and slowly getting him sick (which is a little bit why he was such a sickly child!) it's also why in shadowbringers when they got separated, he got so depressed from not being able to do it and slowly filled up with Light aether, the stagnant element, which made it nearly impossible for him to like... will himself into doing anything. it was like oh. we are depressed? let's stay like this forever. no point in not, right? and that's also why it got better very fast once selene was back and he could cycle it again. (he does not know any of this. he just knows he was bad at conjuring, but somehow can do it thru selene, and assumes it's some Nymeian technique lost to history.) the way it works is its like. he has to write out what he needs done and selene uses his aether to do it. however selene only responds to old nymeian because that's how she was "programmed" when she was summoned! so he had to over time befriend her enough for her to teach him the commands he needed to be able to use her in battle because she could remember them but he never knew them. at this point he's close enough to her that he's able to invent new ones with her to keep up with the kind of stuff sagra has to do but there's no real old nymeian text to match those so at this point his grimoire is a complete mess of like. eorzean and nymeian and catscratch and pressed plants. selene has definitely fucked with him and made him have a spell component be a little drawing of her. he hates casting that one because she's HARD TO DRAW!!! i'd imagine being "out of mana" for him is like. physical exhaustion to the point of it being *painful*. in a sort of "oh you've overused your aether in general so now you're extremely sore and tired" way. like his link to Selene is a "muscle" he had to train up and the more he uses it the more strain there is on his body. after a particularly long fight it'd probably feel like he's just finished running a marathon!

[faglover4000]

Wish my voice could reach thru the aether and tell teenage girls that some of their "icks" that teenage boys give them are beyond unhinged, and really just patriarchal and/or TERF rhetoric that has horseshoed and been wrapped with a bow. 🙂🎀

[noraqrosa]

kinda fucked up that i'm mentally better than i've been in like a decade while being literally homeless rn

this whole situation really forced me to get my shit together better than i ever have, and i'm now finally taking antipsychotics, which is helping to stabilize the fuck outta me

and i know i really need 'em too, whenever i end up taking it later than i should've, i feel myself actively slipping away, spiraling into the aether and trying desperately to hold onto myself and hold it together; it's disconcerting, quite frankly

i'm still working thru a lot of fucked up shit in my head, especially my maladaptive coping mechanisms (i need a fucking therapist tbh), but i'm trying harder than ever, for the sake of myself and the ones around me

i really don't have a choice in the matter...but sometimes having no choice is the swift kick in the rear ya need

[acheyri]

just for fun, lil dump — valkyrie (svee's "final boss" form, which she uses vs the endsinger) has been a Thing in svee's lore since i first made her in 2018. i thought miqo'te reminded me of the cat laguz from fire emblem, and i wanted to give her a cat form (she was also a thaumaturge because i learned thru those quests that shapeshifting WAS kinda possible. now in current lore thaumaturgy is the reason for her scar and aetheric deficiency+disability)

design process of valkyrie took a. long time. i ditched it for a bit. endwalker gave me some stuff that helped fill some lore holes. also i decided to be extra self indulgent because who cares, i already break canon so much, and i wanted her and shinryu to have a big dragon fight, for fun. svee gets in a dick-measuring contest with zenos and gets jealous of shinryu. (those feelings arent entirely canon. but it IS funny)

these sketches are in order! 2018 to 2019 to a few months ago, to now :) at the start of her redesign process a few months ago i tried to make her look more like the ffxiv dragons (top left of the third picture), but she ended up taking a lot more inspiration from monster hunter because she just isn't.. noodly. shes built like a tank.

i have more lore about valkyrie that i cant drop yet until i drop a certain (very long) comic that's in the works, because valkyrie is linked to some svee lore that is a Huge Spoiler. [yoshi-p voice] Please Look Forward To It.

also i like to think her theme is both endsinger p2 theme (ffxiv spoilers in link) (when svee actually becomes valkyrie) and teostra and lunastra's themes combined (its about the woodwind but also the drums. you understand.)

[voidsentprinces]

Personally, Stormblood has always been on the discontent side for me. I was invited to try FFXIV in the last days of Heavensward by an acquiantenance. And was nearly completely uninterested in the experience. I got to maybe level 30 back when Paladin used Flash to gather enmity. And was so use to WoW's whack-a-mole ability system that the GDC felt sluggish and unwieldy. Plus the main story, the strongest point and selling point of any FF game was locked behind grind-a-thon leveling? People's suggestions at the time to even level through from 30 - 40 was to do levequests. And that was...an entire 12 hours I'm not getting back. And it seemed like too my grind for too little story at the time. So I dropped it.

I came back again when Legion was about to hit for WoW and I was kind of burnt out on WoD grinds and felt a brick wall in place of anything of interest. You had to spend TP for Sprint and like...Samurai's AoEs consumed a god awful amount of that so it severely limited them. But hey, at least I had gotten to Heavensward this time and found it...okay? It was overhyped and felt like it under delivered. Sure the questing and flying made it a breath of fresh air compared to grinding pre-patched Post-ARR but man I expected it to come out with chocolate cake and a free house for me to live in for the rest of my life. But it was just a decent little expansion and I pushed through it and its post to the beginning of Stormblood. Where I got my first experience with the frustrating fight with Zenos and got to the beginnings of the Ruby Sea before I just bounced off it once again. And went back to WoW to enjoy the entirety of Legion.

But then BFA happened and god damn was I just...so fucking burnt out on grinding World Quests, Reputation, Dailies, and so forth. That I was like "Fuck it, fine. I will literally Dark Souls this game by bashing my head against the metaphorical brick wall and get through this." So I leveled through the Ruby Sea. Fought Susanoo for the first time and then...and I shit you not, the literal moment I left Susanoo and entired the cutscene after, my graphics card died. Since I was still a poor College student at the time. It took my 3 months or doing odd jobs and getting paid under the table to save up enough for a new one. But I decided if I was going to bang my head against the wall, I better do it proper.

So I created Genixma and bashed my head all the way through the A Realm Reborn thru Stormblood MSQ. This was the dying days of Stormblood, so the Shadowbringers hype train was going. And while it LOOKED cool, I had been burnt by Heavenswards' overhyped expansion before. So I just sort of meandered through the story. And found Stormblood...completely underwhelming. The Yda to Lyse beat felt weird, Zenos did jack shit the entire time, I didn't like Fordola or even know why Yotsuyu was here and then gone. The Azim Steppe felt like Dances with Wolves but like...in the worst way possible. The FUCKING AETHER CURRENT PLACEMENTS IN THE LOCHS (at the time) CAN KISS MY FUCKING ASS! And like, the ending to Zenos and everything was like...it felt like I played A Realm Reborn but condensed to 10 levels of story.

The only good thing I enjoyed about Stormblood is that I didn't have to level two jobs to unlock my advanced job. And Bard felt amazing to play. It literally had its own rhythm. But since the MSQ didn't blow me out of the water. I decided to just engage with the Roleplaying community on Mateus (this was before Realm Travel was a thing, so you just had to make do). Met some cool people, failed at making an active guild, and then Shadowbringers launched. I started shitposting on here, started a personal vendetta against Titania, and actually, Shadowbringers was the first expansion and beat of the story I really enjoyed. But this is about Stormblood and how it hit at a time where I was just burnt out on the MMORPG experience. So, unfortunately, it didn't get a fair shake but honestly, first impressions are important and Stormblood failed to do it.

So yeah, thats my experience with the game up until Stormblood. I did not care for it or most of its characters. Especially the second half Ala Mhigo which felt SUPER padded like they were trying to squeeze in as much story as Doma had in like...4 - 3 levels of content. And last, and what fucking annoys me to this day. We go to free Doma from Garlean rule so they can aid us in taking back Ala Mhigo. We free Doma and then fight through Ala Mhigo freeing 99.99% of it. And Doma only shows up, LITERALLY, at the last moment. Not as a hail mary but as aerial support. Like...had it not been for Zenos. We could of probably freed Ala Mhigo in the first 5 levels. And its only because Zenos did NOT give a flying FUCK that we did completely retake Ala Mhigo. In fact, Zenos is a nothing burger of a character in hindsight. Its like he was created specifically so we'd have road block to retaking Ala Mhigo in the first 5 levels and force us to go reclaim Doma instead.

Endwalker story telling analysis and metaphors for the character aside. Zenos literally sat around and did jack shit for 3 expansions total. That combined with Doma showing up at literally the last moment and treated with fanfare when it felt like, "Oh, the kid who was sick this entire group project finally came to school today and will get full credit for 0.1% of the work" kind of feeling.

A Realm Reborn was boring and rough. Heavensward was overhyped but also kind of a smooth experience. Stormblood...feels like they should of gone for Ala Mhigo or Doma. Both feels like they were trying to have their cake and eat it.

That was my first reaction to each chunk of the story thus far.

Next week, lets see how many people like Shadowbringers.

[astrophelstella]

Lumine and Languages

Part of my Immortal!Traveler Headcanons

Lumine and Aether have been thru plenty if worlds. They probably had to learn multiple languages just to inderstand anything. You know the more languages you learn, the easier you pick up on them.

So Lumine could know hundred of languages and tongues. Though she might be rusty in some of them bc she hasn't had to speak or practice after leaving a world. It also makes her either very skilled or a master at grasping languages.

Let's be real. Paimon wouldn't be the most talented teacher. It's canon at the beginning that Paimon was the first person she met after 500 years and that landed her the job of teaching Lumine Teyvat's language. But while Paimon could have lots of knowledge idk on how good she would be in teaching a whole language to an alien.

Unless Lumine is already used to picking up different ways of speaking. All she needs is a few pointers and some interaction then she's made incredible progress. Practically learned how to read and write the native tongue in a month.

Also on Teyvat's language. In-game it seems to be English and thats it. (minus Hilichurlian ofc dam u Ela Musk and maybe Khaenr'iah but I mean commonly used languages) But in a world building and logical perspective, it made sense if every nation had its own language. Obviously it the language of the country each nation was inspired by. (Monstadt = German)

Honestly there's a lot of shenanigans that could ensue with different languages in canon and the Traveler.

Lumine could just easily pretend to not understand a lick of Inazuman. All the while she's picking up everything people say around her bc they lower their guard around a foreigner.

Childe not knowing Lumine could speak Snezhnaya until she gets annoyed enough at him to cuss him out in his native tongue. (He thought her accent was cute, also wow he didn't even know some of those swear words)

Lumine calling her friends in Monstadt endearing terms in their language for the first time and it puts some of them in shock then flustered. (I wanna call Diluc Liebling to his face and watch him turn red)

Conversing with Zhongli in Liyuean (idk if that's what its called) bc he talks so much maybe he'd be happy speaking in his native dialec. Also using an ancient Liyuean dialect makes him nostalgic.

Saying Sumeru character names how a native would say it. They're all impressed at Lumine's pronunciation. Al-Haitham digs for info on how many languages she knows and is surprised to know she can speak one from every nation and some ancient ones.

(I just realized Al-Haitham in game says u had to know at least 20 languages to graduate the Akademiya. But we never hear anything about other languages besides a few?? Do ancient languages count? How many are there in Teyvat? I wasn't expecting double digits)

And lastly....

Lumine and her brother speaking to each other in their mother tongue. A dead language at this point, with only two people knowing and using it. But they had always made sure to speak to each other that way. One part to keep it alive, and two, to keep private conversation private.

Now she's alone without her brother. Sometimes she'll speak to herself in her language or sing a song from home. It never fails to make her sad but comforted too.

Then one of her friends hears her. Curiouse, they ask her to teach them a few words. Her heart feels just a little bit lighter when they say a sentence in her mother tongue.

[weirdanecdotes]

On Being Psychic – Part 1

I don’t know if I am an evolutionary mutant or a recessive throwback. For the first twenty-five years of my life, I wrestled with knowing too much and wanting to be rid of my “special gift.”

As a small child, I didn’t know I was psychic; I just was. I knew/felt/saw/received information and had no reference, no way of knowing that everyone didn’t perceive the world the way I did. Information popped into my mind and jumped out of my mouth before I even noticed. My days were peppered with news bulletins from the Aether and I delivered them thoughtlessly.

I’d ask Mama things like, “Why does that person have a yellow cloud?” And, “What are those pretty ribbons in the sky?” Or tell her, “Don’t make plans with Alice. Dot will call later to invite you to a party.”

Going to Sear’s one day when I was about two years ago, I told her, “The road is blocked. Take another way.”

“Now why would you say a thing like that?” My mother dismissed my warning until we were stopped by the backup of traffic and saw an ambulance pass by.

“Too late,” I said to the ambulance, “They’re gone.” Mama shivered in response.

When she started taking me to nursery school, the route she took included a rickety humpbacked bridge over railroad tracks. I hated the school and getting me to go was a workday chore. I cried and begged, “Please don’t take me there.” Then as she drove us toward the railroad bridge, I started screaming, “No! Don’t go that way!”

Probably she had conveniently forgotten about my being right about another road being blocked or maybe she remembered because she shouted at me, “Shut up! Stop it now!”

I shut myself up until only whimpers escaped my mouth as I anticipated what was going to happen. On the other side of the bridge, the roadway widened to two lanes to allow a left turn lane, went steeply downhill and got stopped by a traffic light. We usually had to sit thru a couple of lights before it was our turn to get thru.

That morning, there must have been extra traffic because we ended up stopped on the top of the hump. And a train with a very long load came barreling under it at high speed. In my memory, the noise was unbearable but much worse, the bridge shook and creaked like it was going to collapse. I couldn’t help myself and started screaming in terror. Mama screamed right along with me and pulled me across the front seat to hug me close to her. Then we both cried and clung to each other until the damned trained passed and the world returned to “normal”.

She had tissues in her purse and wiped both our faces while she promised me, “I will find us another way to your school. We will never—never come this way again.” And when she picked me up that day, we took a different route home.

There was absolutely nothing in her background that prepared Mama for dealing with me. She was raised in a strict Southern Baptist family in Charleston, South Carolina, got a high school education, and took a course to be certified in Accounting. She didn’t enjoy reading and had not significantly expanded her mental boundaries or even tested her intellect since leaving school. How she withheld judgment over my little prognostications for so long is a mystery to me. I think she probably coped through an automatic denial mechanism. I’ve known her to do this with other, more serious, situations that were unpleasant to her. So it can be presumed she simply forgot things she couldn’t understand as soon as they occurred. Quite a few people do this as a way of life. But, we never crossed that bridge again.

My parents made no secret of the fact that I had been adopted. I can’t remember ever not knowing that “your real mother could not keep you and she knew that you would be better off with a Mama and Papa like us who would love you and take care of you.”

Papa bought a two-volume book set titled The Adopted Child—one for the parents and one to be read to the child. Reading the book for me, he asked, “What would you rather do in a candy store? Close you eyes and grab whatever you could reach? Or look around and pick out the candy you wanted?”

“Pick! Pick!” Even simpleton toddlers make this choice but I didn’t. I looked at both of them anxiously and Mama volunteered the answer, “We picked you.”

Now whatever psychologist wrote this framing of the situation overlooked the implications. I heard quite clearly that my “real mother” had put me up for sale in a candy store because she didn’t love me. I could imagine myself like a baby doll in a box displayed on a shelf until my parents came and “picked” me.

Even the constant reassurances that I was “special” only made me feel awfully different in some indefinably bad way. Much later in life when I would take my children away from my brawling parents’ house, I would assure them, “Remember, you’re not related to those people.” I always knew that but I didn’t realize it mattered as much as it did. Psychic abilities often skip a generation and my life would have been better if I’d had a grandmother or an aunt who understood what was happening to me.