#auaugust

[klayr-de-gall]

Day 28 - Farm/Ranch

"You want anything from the city?"

-

As always, all entries for this week (Day 27 to Day 20) can be found on my Patreon soon!

[Social Media and Patreon]

Masterlis

[spnowls]

AUaugust — Day 2: Office

[tomatitosub74]

°◇♡Hello here by participating in this August dynamic.

♡Ships

MIDAM (Adamx Michael)

SASTIEL (Sam x Castiel )

MIKEVIN (Kevin x Michael au)

[cptjh-arts]

AUgust Challenge

by @klayr-de-gall

Here we go! I am in the middle of the BigBang but i am crazy and still want to do aaaall prompts. But I don't have time for a full colored piece every year, so I will do only lineartsketches and will work on them later, when I don't have like 4 projects going on at once! Let's start with Day 1 then!

Me: Gonna start with something simple Also me: DETAAAAAILS! *escalating* I just can't simple things I guess.

[thomine]

beneath the surface | xiao

RELATIONSHIP } xiao x reader

TAGS } general audiences, spot injuries, past experiences of drowning, modern au, intentionally lowercase, not proofread

SUMMARY } your love for diving is tested, and xiao doesn’t make quitting easy either.

WORD COUNT } 1.1k words

INFO } au august 2023, day 1 (sports) | more

“watch,” the sports anchor says as the crowd at the olympic hall hushes. 

you shut your eyes and take a deep breath. this isn’t just any ordinary diver—it’s olympic diver xiao from liyue. he broke as much bones as he did for records in diving. this is a chance you don’t want to miss, yet seeing him wobble his weight on the flimsy board makes your palms sweaty.

you can feel the tension of the board beneath you, experience the rush of air as he leaps. you are no foreign to the procedure as a diver yourself.

breath hitched in your throat, you lean forward as he does his twist and jumps, but before he can rip the water, you find yourself victim to fear. you close your eyes and cover your ears. the audience roars. only then do you release that breath you held, and watch in awe as xiao’s dark hair breaks through the water’s surface.

shamefully, you look down, avoiding the heavy gaze of your coach that brought you here to teach you a lesson, one you know but find hard to execute.

thinking about it attracts pain in your knees to return. you press them together, a hand over your right knee as your fingers graze over the scar.

“graceful, isn’t he?” your coach says, arms crossed. “to think he had an ankle sprain a few weeks before this dive.”

you nod slowly, unsure what you should say. you can’t promise your coach anything, not when you’ve yet to win your fears.

it’s uncomfortable to hear him remain quiet as the background cheers. the announcer releases xiao’s marks. no surprise he jumps to first place.

“i need to use the washrooms,” you mumble, placing your items down. your coach barely gives you any form of acknowledgement as his eyes are fixed on xiao who does a bow before heading off.

finding an abandoned spot beside the toilet behind the hub, you sit on the floor.

sigh.

you wear your hoodie up, pulling its strings so the edges cover your face.

the longer you stall the harder it is for your body to return. your coach was right that you had to make your decision now.

you do love diving, but when you tore your ACL, the months in the hospital were a perfect place to begin reflecting if you’re willing to do it again.

and you did, but you didn’t love diving to the extent you’d go through such pains a third time. 

your career, although amounting to nothing compared to xiao’s, was still something, and your coach had faith if you pushed past this mental barrier as all divers do with the waters before their dive, then you’d go big.

“bigger than xiao?” you asked once.

“of course not,” the coach said. “you can’t even go through an ACL tear twice, you think you can experience it 5 times?”

a slap to the face, but a little reassuring that you wouldn’t dethrone your idol. 

something cold touches your hoodie and wets it. you bring it down to give whoever who messed with you a strong glare, only to meet with amber eyes and familiar mess of dark hair.

it’s a sports drink, fresh from the vending machine a few meters down. xiao’s holding it, arms outstretched towards you.

“… thank you,” you mutter as you take it.

“how’s your knee?” he asks, arms in his pockets. he changed from his swimsuit to his casual clothes fast.

“the news really loved covering it, huh?” you quip as you open the bottle, the fizz of the drink rising.

xiao doesn’t respond to your commentary. just stares, patiently waiting for a reply.

“well, uh,” you add after trying not to be awkward in the silence he brings, “i guess it’s fine. sometimes it feels like i tore it again while doing small tasks, but the doctor inspected it and said it’s healing fine. how’s your ankle?”

he balances his weight on the healthier ankle, then gives his left a twirl.

“it’s recovering.”

“have you ever thought of taking a break?” you ask out of the blue, although this question has haunted you for months. “even with new injuries, you never seem to stop.”

xiao takes the empty spot beside you. it’s crazy to see him so close. the last this happened was when you first tore your ACL at the Olympics. you almost drowned if it wasn’t for him jumping into the waters the moment he noticed something went wrong.

he was also nice enough to volunteer going with you to the hospital. throughout the ambulance ride, he held your hand and told you tips to bear with the pain.

“i don’t know what i’d do if i wasn’t diving,” he answers, voice barely there. “the pain becomes an afterthought soon enough.”

before you can question him further, he stands and makes his leave.

can you see yourself doing anything other than diving?

yes, you can. you have dreams of opening a little cafe at one point in your life. there’s also that dream of using the money earned from diving to travel the world. you can’t be diving forever, right?

head in hands, it dawns on you how isolating xiao’s fame is. to think he has nothing he can look forward to after his career as a diver… it was depressing.

“xiao!” you call out impulsively before his figure disappears. when he turns to you, you find yourself lost for words. would it be out of your place, a mere fan whom he so happened to have exchanged a few words on certain occasions, have any right to say anything? 

his dreams; his passions; who he is beyond diving? they are questions that bog your mind every time your eyes land on him. who is the boy behind the poster and newsletter and whatever the news make him out to be?

you fiddle with the ends of your hoodie. time is slipping away yet the words don’t co-operate.

there are too many things to say—

“i owe you two,” you settle in the end.

he looks at you confused.

you raise the drink, then add, “plus, that time you accompanied me to the hospital. after my… accident.”

he nods.

“diving is a dangerous sport,” he says. “if you don’t have to means to bear with the pain behind a diver’s elegance, then don’t. it is not worth.”

and he leaves. you’re alone with the drink and his advice.

it pushes you oh so gently to your preferred answer to your coach, but something tells you that you need to brace whatever impact this career will bring to your weary body if you want the opportunity to repay him what he did to you.

you gulp down the drink like fuel, readying yourself to face your coach who’s probably looking for you right now.

will you regret this?

[jellyfishloveletterghosts]

Finished up this wip for #AuAugust Day 4 Coffee Shop

Billy adds a little something special to Steve's coffee every morning.

Drink Me

Billy knows when Steve will be coming into the shop. Has his coffee ready these days, easier to find a moment to add the special sauce. It is five till nine and Billy slips down behind the counter with an open coffee cup piping hot. Steam curls up warming his skin as he works spit into his mouth, ignoring the disgusted look Barb throws his way when he makes enough noise to draw her attention.

He sticks his tongue out and shows her the foamy white glob of spit, letting it roll down slowly and splash into the coffee. The hot drops that come up and catch his face and fingers are worth the growing look of disgust that greens Barb's face. 

Barb smiles as best she can at the next customer that comes up and gives their order. It comes off more like a grimace getting worse when the customer takes their single black coffee and leaves. She finally turns her attention back to Billy with a sneer, “that’s a health code violation.”

Billy drops another sticky glob of spit into the coffee before reaching up and grabbing a coffee stirrer to mix it all in. “I do it everyday,” Billy shrugs and rolls his eyes.

Barb turns toward him, hands crossed over her chest as she huffs, “it’s a health code violation every day.”

Read the Rest on Ao3

[mxchifer]

AUgust Day 1: Sports

Because i go feral for Venti's archon outfit :)))

full prompt list here

[rinoalionhart]

Day 3- Tattoos

@klayr-de-gall Au august

Day 3 featuring my fav husbandos Wei Ying & Lan Zhan. The're looking at some temporary stick on tattoos, which one does WWX want?

[cheaploafs]

on twitter theres a little AUAugust thing going around for jayvik and this weeks prompt was fairytales or sci-fi! Beauty and the Beast is one of my comfort films and I just needed to get this out of my system immediately <3

[x]

[doushin]

#auaugust (2023)

a series of works inspired by (@)klayr-de-gall’s #AUaugust prompt list. randomly generating a (male) character from genshin impact, i plan to write and release 1 story per day, each no longer than 1.5k words. the main focus of this challenge is to stretch my creative muscle as well as get into the habit of writing daily.

day 1. / beneath the surface ... xiao for sports

day 2. / in the nick of time ... wanderer for office

day 3. / sheep in wolf's clothing ... childe for tattoo

day 4. / present moments of yore ... kaveh for coffee shop

day 5. / foolish logic ... tighnari for robot

day 6. / unfolding reputation ... venti for university

day 7. / the duet of one heart ... alhaitham for musician

day 8. / an angel always falls on its feet ... kazuha for animal hybrids

day 9. / the tug of nurture ... baizhu for apocalypse

day 10. / i know you know i know ... ayato for demons

day 11. / flash of fun ... chongyun for alice in wonderland

day 12. / to wish on seafoam ... albedo for mermaid

day 13. / sincere sins & serious schemes ... thoma for noir

day 14. / ??? ... itto for superheros

day 15. / ??? ... gorou for vampire/werewolf

day 16. / ??? ... kaeya for showbiz

day 17. / the unseen ... heizou for pets

day 18. / through thick and thin ... mika for biker

day 19. / a sight to behold ... bennett for pirates

day 20. / ??? ... diluc for flower shop

day 21. / search in vain ... xingqiu for bookstore

day 22. / ??? ... razor for dancer

day 23. / the start of something magical ... cyno for magic (school)

day 24. / the things we hold so dear ... zhongli for roommates

day 25. / ??? ... bennett for angels

day 26. / ??? ... lyney for modern

day 27. / ??? ... kaveh for elizabethan era

day 28. / in pairs ... freminet for farm/ranch

day 29. ??? ... chongyun for soulmates

day 30. / ??? ... cyno for wizards and witches

day 31. / ??? ... xingqiu for artist's muse

conclusion and closing remarks

although the time frame for this challenge is over, fics will eventually be written and published slowly.

[unbloomingmoonflower]

AUAUGUST DAY 21: PIRATE

A siren by any other name...

[klayr-de-gall]

Day 22 - Dancer

Only eyes for you

-

As always, all entries for this week (Day 27 to Day 20) can be found on my Patreon!

[Social Media and Patreon]

Masterlis

[spnowls]

AUaugust — Day 4: Coffee shop

[the-trashkin]

#AUaugust Day 2: 𝕍𝕒𝕞𝕡𝕚𝕣𝕖𝕤 

(Is it really an AU when you're already a vampiric, aether-draining shitlord, though?)

[cptjh-arts]

AUgust Challenge

Day 2! Prompt was Office

Here is the link to the prompts and Day 1.

[thomine]

in pairs | freminet

RELATIONSHP | freminet x reader

tags: general audience, teyvat without visions, vague parallels to canon (may contain sopilers about the fontaine twins), protective freminet (???), lynette and lyney are definitely involved in whatever is happening lol, not proofread

SUMMARY | freminet has little interests, but he habours many worries. he yearns for things he has no strength to reach for. perhaps that is why your outstretched hand at him is something he wants to protect.

WORD COUNT | 1.4k words

INFO | au august 2023, day 28 (farm/ranch) | more

Freminet sits on a wooden fence, watching the setting sun. He completed his tasks for the day—washing the pig pen, feeding the chickens, milking the cows—but his heart is restless, for there is one thing it yearns to do before his time outside is up.

Although the ocean is out of sight, it’s never out of his mind. The moment he opens his eyes to start the day, he wishes his alarm was the sloshing waves and not the blares of the house’s alarm system. When the sun is at its zenith and he’s bending his back to hack away on soil, he fantasies how comfortable watching the sun from beneath the ocean’s surface will be. As he wraps up his responsibilities, he believes his legs have what it takes to walk the long distance to shore no matter how exhausted.

It’s a call he cannot deny, an unrequited love.

As beautiful as the sight of the sun setting is—orange skies with swirls of pink clouds and birds flying to their resting place—it’s a reminder that the day is ending, and the cycle of longing will repeat again.

At the blare of the orphanage’s alarm, all children heed its silent threat and return regardless of their desires.

But, recently, his worries fall not on his inevitable return.

He glances behind his shoulder, eyes gracing across the fields. He observes the movements in the animal pens, strains his eyes to examine everything along the horizon, and you are not there.

“Looking for me?”

Freminet nearly stumbles backwards at your sudden entrance. Like clockwork, you grab his hand to prevent him from falling. He no matter how often you catch him, you never notice the spike in warmth he feels.

When he regains his balance, you’re already beside him and sieving through your bag. He can’t ask how your day went or how you appeared outside the fence. You waste no time to exhibit an item in front of him, eyes sparkling.

It’s a seashell.

“Where’d you…” The nearest water body is kilometres away, and it’s a lake of average scale. Nothing of note; no fishes, no life, and definitely no seashells with glimmering surfaces that resemble the stars in the night sky.

Freminet gingerly reaches towards it. It’s smooth, and he enjoys grazing his fingers across its intricate swirling patterns. He can feel it’s bumps and clumps, reminding him this is real. It is the closest he’ll get to an ocean, for now at least.

“Your brother,” you pause, narrowing your eyes and pouting in deep thought before celebrating with a grand expression of joy, “His name is Lyney! I bumped into him the other day and he taught me a few tricks. You didn’t tell me “Father” sends him to the city. That’s very lucky of him.”

Freminet squirms, just a little, at the mention of “Father”. She is head of the household and the owner of the farm that sustains them. She is kind, but her lips are frozen in a frown and her words are as harsh as sandpaper.

“He doesn’t like going to the city,” Freminet mindlessly comments just to ease the quiet that falls between the two of you.

“Really? What isn’t out there that’s better than toiling the fields all day?” You gaze straight ahead but Freminet knows that look on your face. You call him out for it countless times when he’s daydreaming of cooling deep blue hues...

Freminet nods, a silent agreement that he too would like to leap off this fence. He just never had the courage to do so.

You lean closer, and he feels your warm breath against his heating cheeks as you whisper into his ear.

“That’s why I snuck out.”

When you pull away, your eyes look at him filled with anticipation, but Freminet cannot give you what you want as he finds himself full of worries instead.

“What about your chores?”

“I handled it like a champ.”

“What if “Father” finds out?”

“But that’s only of concern if she finds out, and I’m back here before dinner!”

He has nothing to go against that…

You raise your hands in the air and let out a satisfied sigh.

“It was beautiful!” you shout, although not loud enough for others to hear. Your attention returns to the seashell in his hand, and you point at it, wide grin growing. “And I want to share a fraction of that beauty with you.”

Freminet eyes the seashell. When he looks up, you’re staring at him. He averts his gaze, unsure what to do with your attention on him. It doesn’t help that you cup his hands, your gift in the middle.

“Maybe,” you mutter, voice gentle with desperation, “when the time is right and you’d agree with me, we can—”

The alarms ring.

You close your eyes and tighten your grip.

After a second of silence, you’re back to your happy self.

“Wonder who’s cooking today,” you say as you hop off the fence and reach out to help him down. He takes your hand. “Either way, no matter who’s cooking, it doesn’t match what’s out there.”

Freminet waits in his room, his mechanical toy he kept throughout his youth, Pers, in hand. It clicks, clicks, clicks. It’s how he counts time—a click for every second. It’s also how he practices breathing steadily, and it comes in handy when hiding his anxiousness.

Like now as he waits for his older brother to return, the seashell beside him on his bed.

Freminet tucks Pers to the side and the door clicks.

He looks at his brother’s eyes, ready to ask his burning question, but finds himself short of a voice.

“What is it, little brother?” Lyney says as he enters with his twin sister, Lynette, in tow. He breaks away from Freminet’s gaze, then smiles. Freminet appreciates these moments he doesn’t need to speak to get a message across, but this connection is what pushed Lyney to try being more involved in Freminet’s personal matters. “Why, what a lovely token from the outside.”

Lynette walks up to Freminet. Her hands hover over his gift, and only when he nods does she pick it up.

“The nearby town has a merchant that sells these seashells,” she observes.

“I don’t believe Freminet will wander out so far… so the only conclusion I can make is someone gave you this?” Lyney asks.

“I’m sure you know who…” he mumbles. “You should stop. It’s too dangerous to go against “Father”’s rules, and I don’t want anyone to be hurt.”

Lyney and Lynette look at each other. Although he might be siblings with them as the shared room attests, they are twins. Innately, their bond is something he can’t interfere or interpret. It gnaws on him when Lyney breaks their silent communication with a smirk.

“The only thing I told your friend was a story from one of my expeditions in the city. I’m not sure where you’re coming from.”

Freminet blanches. He lowers his head to hide himself behind his long fringe. Didn’t you say Lyney taught you a few tricks? Was it not the secret passageways that allows the twins to travel quickly and stealthily? He knows they exist, but only those tasked to go to the city are familiar with its entrances and exits.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to accuse you. I…” He swallows. Maybe he shouldn’t speak or he’ll embarrasses himself again.

He lies down and hugs Pers.

The bed dips, and it dips again. Lyney pulls a lock of Freminet’s hair behind his ears, revealing his flushed face.

“Maybe… you should try going out too, but not alone of course. I won’t ever let you go out alone,” Lyney says.

“There’s a reason why pairs are sent to the city,” Lynette adds in her monotonous voice.

“And that friend of yours… might not be satisfied with just one trip. If you’re worried, maybe…”

Freminet closes his eyes and pretends to sleep. The twins get the signal and leave his space. In the end, he does fall asleep while thinking of the fairytales he holds so dear such as the tale of the prince saving the captured royal stuck in a tower.

When he dreams, you appear with an outstretched hand.

When the time is right and you’d agree with me, we can—

He wakes up at the sound of the alarm. He’s groggy and confused, but as he grapples in the dark and his hand brushes against the seashell, he thinks, despite the storm in his heart, he is certain your safety matters more to him.