#ganyu has been part of the qixing for so long

[lenaariewrld]

C.14 — formal dinners (w)

ON THE AIR — childe x reader smau

| SYNOPSIS;; Teyvat University’s popular radio personality, Y/n L/n, has only one gripe with her life. Her classmate, neighbour, and all-around nuisance in her life, Tartaglia. Their rivalry extends just past academics and, to her horror, into her work. He becomes the music director and co-host for her radio show, working alongside her most nights and forcing himself even deeper into her life. But is he really trying to just be friends, or is there an ulterior motive to his actions?

| WC: 3.6k

previous! ~ masterlist ! ~ next!

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The giggles and laughter of your group reverberated through the restaurant as you all settled into your chairs around the table, a semi-private location that Childe had arranged for days prior to this. The conversation flowed nicely as you all breezed through the far too decadent appetizers and sipped on your drinks. You found it easier to just sit back and relax, enjoying yourself, than you’d previously thought. Ganyu sat across from you, with Keqing to your right and Childe to your left. Cyno sat across from the other man, and the seat next to Ganyu was left open. You had invited Diluc along too in case he was free, but he never responded. A part of you was unsure if you wanted him to show up. You couldn’t place why.

You all shared stories about your trips on breaks, funny things that happened while you’d been attending the university, or even memorable times you’d shared with each other. Ganyu recalled the first trip she’d taken on vacation, one you’d invited her on and had planned for her. Keqing shared her own stories about interesting things she’d learned while assisting her professors through the years, and you and Cyno had your own fun stories to share about parties or crazy nights you’d had. Childe shared a funny story about when he’d first moved here and the miscommunications he’d had with an unfortunate grocery store clerk when he was trying to get some specific ingredient for food.

The dinner was delicious, and a relaxing time for you and your friends, splitting off into separate conversations on occasion. You and Childe even fell into your own little world, the two of you bantering and chatting casually. Nicely. It was probably the least stressful interaction you’d had with the ginger man in years.

As the night wore on and the time leaned later in the evening, the conversations naturally turned to what everyone at the table wanted to do after graduating. In a perfect world, what jobs they’d pursue and careers they’d lead.

Cyno went first, explaining he wanted to be a lawyer or a judge. That he wanted to help judge cases based not only on fairness, but on the circumstances and would would best help a situation resolve. Keqing spoke up next. She wanted to work for the Qixing, a multi-million-dollar commerce company and the most influential conglomerate corporation in the nation. You joked that if she ever got the job, she should be your sugar mommy and expand the company into the entertainment industry to give you your own show. “I’ll think about it,” She joked, nudging your arm with a slight quirk of her lips. Ganyu then admitted she didn’t have a lot of aspirations, and that she’d be perfectly happy as an accountant or an administrative assistant, something with responsibility but not as a leader, where she could make good money and live a relatively calm life. You respected her honesty about it.

When it was unofficially your turn, you told everyone that, unsurprisingly, you wanted to write interesting stories. That you wanted to not only be able to give an escape for people who were as stressed and busy as you found yourself in school and in work, but also to highlight other people’s stories. You wanted to do something impactful, and writing or speaking was how you did that. Whether you ended up being a journalist or not, you didn’t care, so long as you got to accomplish that goal.

Then Childe shared his wishes. He wanted to be a musician, to either be a soloist or lead his own band and express himself (and potentially the others in his band) through music. He wanted to let out everything he couldn’t normally or shouldn’t. Music was the one thing he could communicate in, without fail. Language barrier or not.

Everyone hummed thoughtfully, falling silent around the table and taking a minute to let the topic settle in their minds. Cyno clapped his hands together after a minute. “Okay, well–” He chuckled and brought up a story about some of his teachers and the classmates he’d witnessed doing dumb stuff.

Just like that, the dinner continued as normal. The drinks refilled before you even realise they’ve fallen low, and the plates of food switched out as soon as you’d had your fill.

Once everyone was finished and Childe had paid for the extravagant meal, you all collected your things and headed back to the cars you’d arrived in. You and Ganyu linked arms as youn walked together, your steps far bouncier than hers.

“Oooo, we should go dancing!” You exclaim suddenly, twirling on your feet to face the others as you said this. Your eyes sparkle with excitement. Maybe those glasses of wine were hitting you.

“Y/nnie, maybe we should–”

“Good idea!” Cyno tacks on before Keqing can finish her protest. “We should make a night out of it! “ His voice came out sort of squeaky as he jostled your shoulders playfully, causing you to giggle. Keqing sighs, shaking her head, though you can spot the smile trying to split on her face. She relents eventually, ushering your group towards her car. You cheer and throw your arms around Cyno and Ganyu’s shoulders.

You all pile into the car and debate which club to go to, eventually giving Keqing a name. She drives you all there and your group makes it inside unscathed and without too much fuss. Before anything else, your group trails towards a booth. Keqing and Ganyu make themselves comfortable– with Ganyu graciously agreeing to hold onto your purse– while you, Childe and Cyno head to the bar for a round of shots.

After clinking your glasses and downing the shots, you order a few drinks to sip on before rejoining your friends. You slide into the booth with Keqing and Childe, while Cyno slides in next to Ganyu. You mainly stay silent, waiting for a song you like to start playing before you get up, nursing your martini, while the others have their own conversations.

When a song you recognise starts, you gasp excitedly. Your white-haired friend recognises the song too, and without prompting, grabs your hand to pull you onto the dance floor. The both of you start singing along, your hands intertwined.

It was lively and close as you push further into the throng of dancing people. The both of you throw your arms up or around each other. You keep giggling as you serenade the man, keeping close to Cyno. The rest of the dancing crowd melts away as the fuzz in your brain makes itself a home, your body feeling a current of energy coursing through your veins. Your both disconnected and hyper-aware of your body.

Time seems to become meaningless in this crowd as you dance, only the sure beats of the songs and the feeling of Cyno’s hands on your arms or shoulders keeping you aware of any change around you. You knew you were a more provocative person when you were drunk (not that you intended to, it just happened to loosen you up enough for you to be comfortable), but you didn’t mind in moments like this. In times when the energy was matching the constant thrum in your head. It helped, in fact, especially when you were around people you trusted, grinding and dancing with Cyno with near reckless abandon.

You were both lost in the moment, claiming the lights for your own and having your main character moment. Your hips, your arms, your hands traveled wherever, chasing the feeling of careless dancing that the entire crowd also claimed for themselves.

You were having the time of your life, not even recognizing the songs any more, just vibing to whatever played and the vibes of the club. That is, until you twirl around and effectively lose your friend in the throng of jumping bodies, your hands having left Cyno’s sometime during the spinning. You stumble a little bit as you come to a stop. You look around.

Wasn’t he just here? He was behind you, right? Or on your left?

Turning your head every direction does little to help you see over all off the people jumping and dancing in order to spot your friend, even with how bright his hair looked in the club lights. Your heart starts to hammer in your chest, the ecstatic energy turning sour with worry. You feel a hand on your upper arm and turn quickly to face the owner, hoping its Cyno.

A strange man you’ve never met smiles at you, already too close for comfort in this crowd. “You doing okay, little lady?” He asks, his voice dropped to a husky whisper as his hand trails up to your shoulder.

You scowl and push his hand away. “‘M fine,”

“Aw don’t be like that~ I just want to dance,” He coos, pouting obnoxiously, his voice a condescending tone. He’s really not going to leave you alone. “I can be your dance partner–”

“She already has one,” A new voice speaks from behind you, but you recognize this one. Childe slides up to you casually (when did he even get here?) and stares down the man. You can only turn your head to stare at him in confusion, a strange feeling burrowing into your stomach as he places his hand on your lower back. A light touch, easy enough to shake off once the creep disappeared, but high enough to make him see.

The man scoffs, “She can speak for herself, can’t she?” He defends, clearly not getting the hint. You roll your eyes, shaking out of whatever silence had overcome you and grabbing Childe’s hand.

“Like he said, I already have a partner,” You lift your intertwined fingers and pull Childe with you deeper into the crowd. Only, you don’t stop, crossing the floor as you try to find the edge of the dance floor, far away from the creep. You’re no longer interested in the fun of the crowd and pulsating bass line, wanting to find your friend. As soon as the two of you escape the pulsating wall of dancing bodies, you let go of the ginger’s hand.

Where were you headed? You aren’t sure. You don’t realise Childe is still following behind you until he gently takes hold of your wrist and stops you. You look around. You were trying to find Ganyu and Keqing again, to regroup at their table, but… this is a hallway, not the table. And, pointedly, it’s on the second floor of the club, a railing on one side opening up to reveal the dance floor and more of the first floor below.

“Y/n, are you okay?” Childe asks, his voice quieter now that the music isn’t blasting in your ears. The sound is slightly muffled now, but you can still feel the bass under your feet.

“I’m drunk,” You admit. “But I didn’t need you to save me, or to follow me,” You take a deep breath, collecting yourself. Childe sighs.

“Well, I’m not leaving you alone here,” He says, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Why not? I can handle myself,”

“Oh, you were really handling yourself back there with that guy. I’m sure your sarcasm was a real deterrent when you actually spoke up,” He sounds exasperated, raising his brows at you. You roll your eyes.

“Well, I would’ve if you’d not stepped in,”

He scoffs, throwing his arms up. “Why are you so stubborn? I was trying to help you?”

“I didn’t ask you to!” You step closer to him, pressing your finger against his chest. “I’m not some damsel in distress, and you don’t need to come to my aid!” You seethe, unsure why you’re even this frustrated. Your head was swimming, and you were beyond annoyed with yourself. You lost track of Cyno and you hadn’t even been able to pull yourself together to reject that guy. Even worse, you felt relieved when Childe had come up behind you, had felt a warmth in your chest, a bubbling fire when his hand had found your back. You didn’t like that feeling.

“I’m not going to look the other way while someone makes you uncomfortable, Y/n, is that so hard to believe?” The man’s voice brings you back to the conversation and you huff at his words, your lips pursing slightly.

“Why?”

He blinks, his head tilting to the side just slightly. It reminds you of a puppy, and for a brief second you understand the charm or his looks, and why so many girls fawned over him. “What do you mean? You’re…” He clears his throat, looking away from you. “You’re my friend,” He admits.

You find yourself lost for words for a second, the both of you staring at each other as his words settled in. It wasn’t hard to believe, necessarily. You’d been working together for a few months now, and had been setting aside your rivalry and amending it for the past three weeks now. As much as you didn’t want to admit it to yourself, you’d been softened to him, and he had definitely softened to you. But the way he says it, and the way it settles in your mind through the haze of your drunken state makes you feel like there’s something more to it.

You’re still staring at his face, your eyes glancing over all of his features, and your hand still pointing at his chest, the contact buzzing on your skin. You smooth your hand against his shirt and a thought pops into your mind. One you would normally never have or would push aside as soon as it came up. That is, if you weren’t drunk right now.

“Y/n?” Childe spoke up quietly, a half-question in his tone as he reached up and brushed some hair away from your eyes. You leaned forward into his touch, your body moving on its own without your brain’s interference.

“I want to kiss you,” You told him, your other hand coming up to hold the collar of his jacket. Where you got the boldness to speak your mind all of a sudden, you aren’t sure (it’s got to be the warm liquor, you think) but you don’t mind when the man lifts his brows slightly and lets out a soft chuckle.

And you don’t mind when he leans down and kisses you, capturing your lips with his quickly. Greedily, you meet his lips to kiss him back. And you taste the vodka he’d drank earlier on his tongue, the saccharine of the dessert he’d eaten at dinner making you drunk all over again. You feel heady, desperate even as you pull on his collar and drag him closer, your lips slotting against his as you exchange breaths.

His hands come up to cup the back of your head, deepening the kiss as he dips his tongue into the kiss. It’s needy and messy and you lose any bearings on where you are, gasping as the cold of the wall melts through the material of your dress. Another breathy gasp escapes you as Childe presses himself closer, pulling your thighs against his hips. His kisses meet your heated skin, goosebumps raising where the cool air hits you once he’s done his task. The air around you both seems to send sparks across your nerves, your body arching against his. You feel even more breathless than before, your head spinning with every second that passes.

Childe kisses you with a need and a desire you had never experienced before, the groans he lets our vibrating on your skin, dripping into your chest and curling in your stomach. Your heart pounds. You can’t get enough of this, tugging on his hair as another shiver runs down your spine. “Fuh-ck,” His voice cracks slightly as he kisses up your jaw, his breath tickling the shell of your ear. “So fuckin’ annoying, so pretty,” He’s mumbling and you’re not sure if it’s for you or himself but you couldn’t really care as you grip his shoulders, your lips parted with heavy pants.

It’s like you’re becoming intoxicated all over again, the sensations more than anything you’ve ever felt before. Electrified. You turn your head and cup Childe’s cheek, meeting his lips in another kiss, too lost to care about the clack of his teeth against yours. You recover as he straightens slightly, a soft whine in his throat when you tug on his bottom lip with your teeth. You could get lost in this forever, could stay in this moment until the sun rises and your deeds were laid bare for you to witness.

Well, you could, that is until you feel your phone buzzing in your pocket, vibrating insistently against your hip. You recognize the ringtone– though it takes you a second to do so –as Ganyu’s contact. The chiming cuts through your haze instantly. “Shit,” You blink rapidly to clear your head as you fish around for the device, both your feet meeting the ground again as Childe lets your thigh go. You lean back against the wall, the both of you snapping out of the moment. Childe steps back, turning his head away from you, his ears a bright burning red that you can make out even in the low lighting.

Your own cheeks feel like they’re burning through, your head leaning back on the wall when you answer the call. As soon as the phone is against your ear, you hear Ganyu asking a million questions. “Where are you?? Cyno, Ke, and I have been looking for you for, like, thirty minutes!” She sounds both worried and relieved that you answered.

You cringe internally. “I’m sorry,” You unhale sharply, trying not to sound too out of breath. “I-uh..” You glance towards the red-haired man, who was running his hands over his face now, still turning away from you out of respect. “I got lost and.. I was looking for you guys, but I found Childe,” You tell her. The phone call continues for a minute or so more, ending with you promising to find her again. As soon as you tuck the device back into your pocket, you turn back to Childe. “I guess it’s time to.. Head home,” You tell him, clearing your throat and gesturing towards the direction the two of you had initially come from.

Before you walk off, though, he stops you and fixes the straps on your dress wordlessly. “Here…” he mumbles, fixing any of the mess-ups in your hair. You giggle softly, reaching up and swiping your smudged lipstick off of the corner of his mouth. Once the both of you are sufficiently cleaned up and unsuspecting, you head out.

It takes a couple more minutes of searching before you find and regroup with everyone, relief flooding your system again when they all greet you, not making any comments about you or Childe’s appearances. Cyno pretends to sob and hangs off of your frame. “I’m sorryyyyyy,” He dramatically wails, his head on your shoulder. A giggle escapes you again as you weaved your arms underneath his, rocking back and forth with the white-haired man. “It’s okay,” You soothe in just as playful tone as he was using. You then look to Keqing and Ganyu, filling them in on what happened. You pointedly leave out the details of your argument turned… whatever the hell that was with Childe, clearing your throat when you get to that part.

“I took her upstairs to see if we could spot you guys from there,” Childe steps in, easily covering up your quietness. He seemed to be even less eager to share what you two had got up to, his voice quiet and his hands shoved in the pockets of his slacks. Keqing hums, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Okay, you’re all sobering up and then we’re leaving,” She declares, sitting all of you down at the booth. She briefly departs before returning with waters, helping Cyno to sit up from where he was previously laying on your lap.

“I really am sorry for wandering off,” You tell her quietly, leaning your head against her shoulder. She pets the top of your head, holding your glass as you take a sip of the water.

“It’s okay,” She shrugs.

After sobering up a little more and enjoying some friendly conversation, mostly between the other two girls and Childe, Keqing leaves again to settle the tab. Childe kindly hands over his card for her to use, helping you and Cyno up out of the booth. Your white-haired friend seemed to get incredibly sleepy once everyone was together again, though he was able to hold himself up well with the two of you walking with him. You held his hand.

Your group then leaves and piles into the car. You slide into the back seat with the two men, sitting in between both of them. Ganyu and Keqing sit up front, talking quietly between them. Meanwhile, the three of you remain quiet in your drunken states, letting the night come to a quiet end for now. Your mind is still racing, and your heart is beating harshly, like you’re worried that your friends would be able to read your mind and see everything that happened.

Childe seems fine as the car starts, the slight bumpiness of the road doing little to jostle him as he sits upright, looking out the window with a glazed look in his eyes. You and Cyno lean against each other for support, practically cuddling as you fight to stay awake in the back seat. Cyno hums to the music Keqing has playing on the radio, his head resting on top of yours.

And somewhere, in your dozed and half-aware state, you find Childe’s hand, your pointer and middle finger hooked around his in the darkness of the back seat…

———

A/Ns: ehehehehe >:) likes/reblogs/comments are always appreciated, and don't forget to stay hydrated <33

TAGLIST: @popiizpops @scaradooche @yourfavoritefreakyhan @neversore

[intogenshin]

vision criteria

a lot of fans hate the concept of criteria for visions but i do believe there is one, just.. not as part of the world building? like i dont know if i’d go as far as to say whatever entity or mechanism in charge of granting visions has a criteria of its own, but there seems to be a common narrative between he characters of each respective element.

a doylist criteria, if u will.

so far i've looked into cryo, anemo and pyro (i did make posts back in the day but they're now privated until i can word all of it better)

anemo

acceptance of circumstances out of one's control

people often joke about anemo characters' shared trait being the death of a friend, even though heizou is the only one whose loss of a loved one was involved in gaining his vision.

kazuha had already gained his when his friend defied the musou no hitotachi, faruzan gained hers before she realized she had been trapped for a century and everyone she knew was dead, and tatarasuna people were long gone when wandered gained his. moreover, we don't know when xiao got his, and characters like jean, sucrose and sayu do not feature any death in their lore.

the narrative is present, however, especially through the archon himself who wears the face of the nameless bard in order to honor his memory.

the death of a loved one seems just a very direct way of approaching the theme of acceptance of something that's out of one's control. anemo characters struggle with this throughout their lives, and gain a vision when they're able to overcome it.

the ruin of the kaedehara clan was out of kazuha's control, for instance, and he gained his vision when he decided to focus on the positive aspects of life rather than his misfortunes.

jean had to fulfill the duty of her clan since she was young, depriving herself of experiences that are normal for other children, and she gains her vision when she apprehends the corrupt members of the knights of favonius and proves to herself that these sacrifices are worth it.

sayu gains hers when she decides to turn her small size to her advantage; wanderer (anemo poster child tbh) gains his when he accepts the memories of his "past incarnation" as his own; heizou gains his when he accepts evil is part of human nature and makes it personal; sucrose gains hers when her interest for alchemical experiments starts overshadowing her original goal to recreate a childhood fantasy she shared with friends she lost contact with.

cryo

acceptance of the self

the most distinctive trait of cryo characters is inner duality, theres a part of themselves they struggle with and they only gain their vision when they accept themselves wholly. sometimes this is approached more directly with life or death situations in which the character has to save themselves, and therefore find enough worth as they are.

everyone knows what's up with kaeya's backstory. it's not just telling the truth about who he is that grants him a vision, because it appears later when he's fighting against diluc. he gains it when he blocks an attack, protecting himself and no longer being ashamed (or at least at this crucial moment)

rosaria was taken in by a gang of criminals who massacred her village when she was a baby. she struggles to define the place she had within this group, unsure if she should call them fathers or not. she gains her vision when she tries to escape, and one of them challenges her to a fight to death that she wins

qiqi is a zombie who gains hers when she wishes to stay alive in the midst of dying

shenhe is cursed since childbirth, her duality is more about who she wants to be despite her fate. she gains her vision while fighting an evil spirit/god that her father tried to sacrifice her to

ganyu is half adepti half human, and unlike yanfei she struggles to belong on either side. she gains a vision when she decides to stay in liyue to help the qixing, effectively picking a side although she doesnt realize it

chongyun was born with yang energy which prevents him from performing exorcisms. he gains his vision because he decides he'll still achieve this goal with this condition, not in spite of it

eula gains her vision when she decides to follow her own principles, regardless of what her clan and mondstadt want to impose on her

ayaka is limited by her duty and social class against her fantasies of a regular or adventurous life. gains her vision when she proves to herself she's worthy of her position

layla is a very insecure person, especially regarding her academic skills. theres the whole DID as well. she gains her vision at some point while she argues with a professor, effectively being confident in her ideas.

i havent checked mika's bc sincerely zZz

diona's the only one who doesnt fit in this narrative. she's a very lonely kid who only has her dad as company, but he gives more attention to alcohol than her. she gains her vision when she goes out during a snow storm to look for him, admitting her uncondtional love with that action.

pyro

im not sure how to word this yet.

the common pattern seems to be about carrying a legacy, more directly addressed through family businesses but there's other characters with more abstract ones:

diluc & his father's winery

hu tao & her family's funerary tradition

amber & her grandfather's outrider force

bennet & his dads' wish for success in adventuring

klee & alice's teachings

xianling & liyue's cuisine/her father's restaurant

xinyan & the essence of rock music

yanfei & the integrity of law

yoimiya & her family's fireworks business

dehya & her father's will (although she misunderstands what that is until her story quest)

inheriting something has not much to do with it, it's the way this element forms part of their characterization and how it's involved in gaining a vision. just because a character has a family business it doesnt mean they fit the criteria.

for example:

bennett's was a bit burdened by the lack of success of his dads, he thought he had to achieve something to give meaning to their lives, but gains his vision when he realizes that success is not needed and the experiences in and of itself are what makes an adventurer.

diluc followed the ambitions of his father, and believed them to be their own. he never questioned his choices, as long as they made his father happy. when he's faced with his death, the fact he owned a delusion, and the corruption in the knights his whole sense of self shatters and when he leaves mondstadt, he also leaves his vision (which he called his and his father's shared ambition) behind. then he returns to do exactly what he was doing before (protecting mond), but this time it's under his own terms: no longer under the knights of favonius (the frustrated dream of his father)

it feels as though pyro characters gain their visions when they realize themselves, who they are and what they want regardless of what has been imposed on them. they might follow this legacy like diluc or hu tao, or they might search for their own path like bennett and dehya.

perhaps xinyan is more the poster child, someone who protects who she is despite the constant pushback from society, something that she fights to change.

some accept their legacies as their genuine path and others rebel against it, and then others rebel against it and still accept it in their own terms. how to put it?

perhaps it's the realization of individuality?

the legacy is not important, as it is with the narrative of dead loved ones or duality in the other elements, it feels more like a trial to find the character's individuality.

hydro

i still struggle with the other elements, mainly because i have yet to go through each character profile to analyze them cohesively.

it's hard to find the right common pattern.

they have a high status in their respective fields:

barbara is a church idol in the nation of poetry and ballads with high devotion to their god

candace is the village's appointed guardian

ayato is the clan/commission's leader

mona is a renowned astrologist

nilou is the star of the theater

kokomi is watatsumi's high priestess

childe is a harbinger

xingqiu is the best diciple of guhua

yelan is yelan

some of them are innovators/change tradition:

barbara changed the music scene in mond, from traditional folk music to her idol stuff ig

candace went against the elders in the village so they could start making business with outsiders, since she wants aaru village to flourish beyond the burden of their past

yelan stood up to ningguang in how things were done

yet others are catalysts for preservation:

ayato upholds his clan and remains loyal to the raiden shogun not out of genuine conviction, but for filial piety (to honor his parents and protect his sister)

mona protects the integrity of her art to her own detriment

likewise, nilou doesnt have greater ambitions in regards to her dancing skills

xingqiu revived the arts of the guhua clan

kokomi could fit in both, since she carries the will of orobashi, and rather than following personal ideals in how to rule her people, she wants to follow their collective wishes. but then she's also working hard in erasing the generational trauma/resentment they have against the shogunate.

childe is. childe is a special case. he wanted to become the hero of the stories his father told him, and to this end he's made it his own conviction to protect children's dreams. thats the element of preservation, but i dont know how he gained his vision so i cant say how significant this narrative was in the process.

in a way, characters who have innovated are also conducts for preservation through that innovation (preserving music, preserving the village's future, preserving the lives of those who work in the shadows of the qixing)

perhaps like legacy is a trial for pyro characters, this aspect of preservation/innovation is also a trial for hydro ones, but as to what's the underlying narrative.. i cant tell. yet.

electro

i think some of them share the pattern of being tools for a higher purpose, especially ei, cyno and sara. they're not tools like scaramouche was, because thats something he pretty much was created as and had no control over, but this is rather a deliberate choice they make. they chose this for themselves completely out of their own free will.

theres characters like fischl who directly embody something else, her identity is put aside much like the tool characters do for their conviction.

there's a bit of sacrifice involved in doing this i guess?

that's about it, as far as i can go without analyzing the character profiles further.

[kyogre-blue]

Act 3 dialogue collection....

The ballista nonsense continues. 

We know that the ballista was broken by a group of treasure hoarders after some of their people were nearly killed. Imo, it’s unlikely to have happened more than a year back, since otherwise they would have already gotten all the treasure in the area and moved on, or had a change in leadership. 

But this was “long in disrepair”... by Treasure Hoarders... which you didn’t bother hunting down or doing anything about........... 

But once it’s fixed, you’re suddenly here the next day. 

....Well, to be fair, if by “fixed” we consider that the ballista shoots people who approach, then yeah, I guess it makes sense they’d need to rush over and... “investigate” (read: disable it again). 

Keqing immediately lies to our faces, given that the Millelith literally just tried to arrest us and we had to fight them off. 

This is extra funny because we spent all of Act 1 and 2 being called servants and being told that no one recognizes us or has ever heard of us. But now we’re suddenly important. 

Also, maybe we wouldn’t side with the adepti if you didn’t have Ganyu randomly mentioning that there’s still a bounty out for us. 

Call for a what now

I remember this stupid filler side quest. Just think, instead of doing anything meaningful for this struggling storyline that has been taking place almost entirely off screen, we’re gonna go make a slime dessert. 

Actually, given that it’s slime and Paimon uses Xiangling’s weird boom shaka-laka dialogue from the quest, I really wonder if they originally intended to include Xiangling here but then cut her for some reason. 

We do specifically refer to “Xiangling’s” stove on two different instances, so yeah. That’s kind of weird. Was she supposed to be here? 

Ningguang’s only response to this nonsense. What was the point of all this? 

It’s later used as an excuse for us to take a sheet off the wall and go barge in on the Fatui research, but Ningguang wants us to do that, so she could have easily given it to us without the gift excuse, for example as apology for the whole attempted arrest and bounty thing. 

You could say she’s a bit... arrogant. 

Again, why did we run away from Descension? 

Also, we’re constantly referred to as “returnee from Jueyun Karst,” but even setting aside how easy it is to go there in gameplay, there are loads of NPCs in Jueyun Karst. Like, no joke. There’s dudes practicing martial arts, there’s dudes gathering herbs... there’s multiple people there. It’s not that special. 

lol

But also, the implications of this are a bit... half the people there are former criminals, so it really makes you wonder whether it’s a heartwarming tale of people getting a fresh start, or if they just don’t have a choice. Xiao’s presence there also looks very sus, since Ningguang is subtly in conflict with the adepti, albeit less openly so than Keqing. 

Just confirming that people are aware of the Archon War, since what historical facts are still remembered can be a very dicey subject. 

Seen from a cynical perspective, “we can never escape having a divine overlord.” So it’s better to have one you get along with. And not, you know, whatever they’re doing over in Inazuma, which Ningguang has surely heard about. 

tbh I could easily see you as having played a part in his demise if it benefitted you. 

But I do admit Ningguang would have “the foresight to see the certain repercussions,” ie the adepti getting mad about it. Though, hilariously, Keqing’s point when we spoke to her was that the adepti don’t even consider the Qixing as suspects because they don’t see humans as capable of killing a god. 

Ningguang: so maybe I was a bit too rushed in declaring it a murder and arresting people...

and

Making Childe scurry about to find the Exuvia doesn’t actually benefit Ningguang all that much. She gets dragged into some kind of conflict with the adepti, while Childe gets to the Exuvia anyway and unleashes Osial afterwards. At that rate, the Qixing would have been better off just holding the funeral and getting the adepti to cooperate with them, which would have been far better for “stabilizing the situation.” 

It’s also unclear why Ningguang assumes the Fatui would want the Exuvia anyway. Even if you circle around, Jean probably doesn’t know about Venti’s gnosis being taken, since the entire existence of gnoses is presented as special, secret information. At most, she might be able to tell Ningguang that the Fatui are targeting the gods, but why assume they would want the body after the god is dead? (Additionally, Dvalin was targeted, so you’d think the Qixing would want to protect the adepti...)

And, even if you think the Fatui want the body, why not hold the funeral and then guard the grave? 

Ningguang is only kind of right and only because of writer clairvoyance, it feels like. 

Deeply puzzling in the grand scheme of things. 

This is not actually a choice, the two dialogue options are just two halves of a single statement and the dialogue proceeds as if you said both. You MUST side with Keqing. Which gets weird when you are totally cool with divine rule once you get to Inazuma. The idea that Inazuma doesn’t need Ei’s objectively far worse leadership is never even mentioned. 

Ningguang basically supports this. It’s like the third mention of the age of gods and adepti being over. Just in case you didn’t think this was at the very least treated as a theme. 

I guess this is supposed to settle the whole business of the multiple instances of “Qixing are sus” that we’ve gotten, since a lot of them came up in discussion with Childe anyway. 

On the other hand, this is coming from the Qixing themselves, so it’s just two sus groups calling each other sus. 

Again, sure would be nice to see some of those clandestine actions. The only things we know about the Fatui doing is funding the funeral you refuse to hold and making the fake sigils... but the sigil research had already produced a fake by the time of Rex Lapis’s death (the one Childe gives us), so this didn’t start after his death and shouldn’t be new activity. 

Deeply puzzling line, since the entire issue has been that the Qixing refuse to hold the funeral themselves. I suppose they “allowed” it in that Zhongli has been able to go about doing the preparations... but in that case, it’s unclear what Ningguang even means by “hiding the body.” Or else, what would you do with it? Put it on display? 

If the funeral is happening and the Qixing are just holding the body in a secure location until then (which... they’d have to do anyway), what is even the point of conflict? It really doesn’t help that we don’t see the switch from “the qixing are refusing to hold the funeral” to “the qixing have allowed the funeral but are refusing to pay for what is obviously a state function.” 

Rare example of Traveler and Paimon disagreeing. 

This part is very... something, since it means Ganyu knows about Makoto dying and being replaced by Ei, which doesn’t seem to actually be common knowledge. And Ganyu is consistently left out of the loop about things other adepti know, so... 

This is a different take on the situation than the Jueyun Karst adepti expressed, since they seemed to feel they still had contracts to fulfill. For a god and nation supposedly centered on contracts, those contracts are very poorly explained and imprecise. 

Not a dialogue, but I want to highlight what I mean about the animations being kind of cheap compared to stuff like Xingqiu’s quest. This tense scene of Fatui and Millelith “swarming” the gate is conveyed by three pairs of them standing completely still, staring at each other. 

Climax time. We don’t see this confrontation, notably. 

Again, Ganyu just told us the contracts are over, but the others apparently don’t think her opinion matters. Additionally, Verr Goldet previously said that humans have been basically ruling themselves for millennia, and we know the adepti spend their time in Jueyun Karst, so what do they not acknowledge, exactly? 

Ningguang somehow finds time to cause shit with the Fatui while the adpeti are about to start beating up the Qixing? 

Zhongli implies a far more interesting story than the one we’re in. We have not seen hide or hair of this conflict, and we will not see it ever. It is entirely hearsay based on third party statements. 

Mysterious statement, but presumably Wangsheng is involved because the funeral is such a big deal. The funeral that... is all prepared for and ready to take place... (why are these people arguing again?)

Another senseless statement. 

First, consider that the situation is the adepti and Qixing about to come to blows (Zhongli specifically wonders if the adepti are about to use force) and Zhongli raises the idea of us mediating the two sides or else supporting one side with violence. 

But then, out of nowhere, he swerves into sending us to look for Childe, who is doing a completely unrelated thing and whose actions are quite likely to go unnoticed in the chaos. Like, the conflict is Qixing vs adepti, not Childe. 

BUT THEN, consider what Zhongli actually wants in all this! 

He wants Childe to succeed, to find the Exuvia, realize there’s no gnosis, and unleash Osial. That’s Zhongli’s endgame!

So why in god’s name does he send us to interfere with Childe? Seriously. If we fail, as we do, we don’t benefit the situation. Childe would check the Exuvia and unleash Osial just the same. But what if we succeed? What if we did beat Childe? Zhongli’s entire plan will be fucked!

So why does he send us???

One of my drafts didn’t save, so I lost a couple images here, so I’ll just add the points: 

Childe completely skips over any consideration of the Qixing taking the gnosis out of Rex Lapis’s body. 

The section immediately after our battle with him is especially sloppy. It’s already rain and storm the moment we run out of the Golden House, but Childe has obviously not had time to reach Guyun and release Osial yet, given that he was right in front of us. We then somehow get up onto the Jade Chamber with Xiao apparently not seeing us do this at all. How do we get up there? It’s a mystery. The Fatui later walk out of black portals of some sort. Very convenient. 

Keqing says that some of the Millelith recruits are unable to withstand Osial’s presence. This is a thing that isn’t particularly well established, but there are some mentions that people without visions and such shouldn’t be around adeptal energy, and there’s also the weird slow walk out of Raiden’s castle later. 

Despite how the actual battle plays out, the cinematic shows that Millelith and Keqing were fighting to defend the ballistas with us. Also, there’s an entire flashy bit about the adepti standing around us in a circle, but it seems all we’re doing is stabbing through the Jade Chamber into the core to break it and make it fall. 

Osial never reaches Liyue. We’re specifically using the Jade Chamber to hold him back from the city, and after we crash it, the pillar of smoke is rising out of Guyun, so he never managed to advance. 

the time of gods and adepti is past, DO YOU GET IT

I’m seriously gonna mald if someone tries to tell me it wasn’t a theme again. 

Zhongli seriously thought the adepti would use violence on the humans. Good times, very encouraging. He also apparently thought they would refuse to fight together against Osial, so like... aces all around. 

They showed Childe eavesdropping on us to figure out about the Golden House, but not any sign of him eavesdropping on Signora, or any sign of her presence at all, unlike in Mond where she’s at least mentioned ahead of time. 

What does this mean tho? In what way did they “supplant Liyue’s divine protectors?” It’s a completely senseless terms, since they and the adepti fought together (Zhongli just said this) and the adepti have no other role in Liyue. 

Additionally, Zhongli is hilariously deluding himself in that he “always feared it was too soon for them to take over from [him]” when Verr Goldet on behalf of Ningguang is talking about how humans have ruled Liyue for millennia and Keqing apparently couldn’t wait until gods and adepti all die. 

Like in Mond, this sounds much more impressive than it is. Zhongli is just saying this is a plan to step down as Archon and end all his contracts, not anything else. 

I don’t care, bro. It doesn’t have anything to do with me. 

How the Qixing explain Rex Lapis. It’s also speculated that he let them know he’s not really dead after handing over his gnosis.

???????? this is still insane

BASED ON WHAT

Ningguang deserves better than this.

Zhongli deludes himself that Liyue is totally the bestest, most prosperous, most special. Bro, all societies do this. All of them.

And one final bit of forced nonsense for the road: We say we need to continue our journey to meet the Seven and Zhongli assumes based on nothing that we will definitely go to the closed civil war nations, instead of just heading west to Sumeru or to Fontaine.

[luvcryo]

Various Genshin Girls x GN!Reader

A/N: Ahh I love these girls sm- i was really stuck on Ayakas for some reason despite her easily being one of my favorites. I'm also working on a part 2 with some of the boys.

I have an essay due next week and to procrastinate I'm writing x readers instead.

Includes: Hu Tao; Ayaka; Ganyu; Kokomi x reader [Seperate]

Warnings: None

◇-Hu Tao

♡‐The first time you fall asleep on her shoulder she is a bit embarrassed

♡-She just thinks you're really cute

♡-She’d let you sleep

♡-When you wake up she teases you about it a lot tho

Hu tao sighed as she continued signing the papers Zhongli gave her. Honestly, she wouldn’t even be doing this work if it weren't for him, she has many more important things to do, like paying attention to you!

She glances to her side when she notices you hadn’t spoken in a while. That's when she feels the heavyweight on her shoulder and the quiet breathing of her lover next to her. She shifted nervously before pausing her movements after realizing she didn't want to wake you up.

“Hmm. Surely Mr. Zhongli wouldn’t mind if I waited one more day to finish these.” She said quietly and she placed her pen back into its holder. She grinned, placing a soft kiss on your forehead before falling asleep next to you.

◇-Ayaka

♡-She isn't very experienced in any sort of relationship, so you had to teach her about a lot of things

♡-But you had never taught her about this

♡-Luckily, thanks to Ayato and Thoma she was familiar with this sort of situation

You had just returned from a long day of adventuring and arrived at the Kamisato estate. You sat next to Ayaka on her bed, and there was a peaceful silence as you watched her write. Something about watching her write, seeing the way her pen flows, and hearing the quiet sound of the brush was always so therapeutic, and it was only adding to your already growing tiredness.

In an attempt to keep yourself upright, you placed your head on her shoulder. You sighed and closed your eyes while listening to the sound of the pen and the ruffling of pages.

She froze her movements and glanced around the room before her eyes fell onto you again. Should she leave you to sleep? Not wanting to interrupt your well deserved rest, she placed her notebook by her side. She slowly placed you onto the bed and brought the blanket up over your waist before creeping out of the room to inform the qaurds to not enter her room.

◇-Ganyu

♡-So embarrassed

♡-She has NO idea what to do with herself

♡-Should she let you sleep? Should she wake you up? Can she fall asleep? What if that made you uncomfortable????

♡-The more it happens the more she gets used to it, and she eventually learns how to carry you to bed without waking you up <3

You had succeeded at getting Ganyu to take a break from all of her Qixing work and convinced her to spend a little time with you in a field of glaze lilies near Qingce village. The two of you comfortably sat next to each other leaning against a small stone. Hours passed by without either of you realizing it. Ganyu was focused on telling you a particularly long story from Liyue history.

You were feeling quite tired, the sun had already begun to set after all, and you had been busy with Ganyu most of the day, your energy well spent. Not wanting to interrupt her, you slowly laid your head against her shoulder and felt your eyes quickly grow heavy with exhaustion.

However, all of her worried thoughts left when she admired your face. So gentle. Warm. Vulnerable. You trusted her so much, to the extent that you could fall asleep near her in the middle of the wilderness?

When Ganyu realized you had fallen asleep, she gasped with worry. Oh gosh, had she talked too much? Was she boring you with her old stories?

“Don’t worry Y/N, I’ll keep you safe from any harm.”

◇-Kokomi

♡-Most relaxed out of all the girls

♡-She has probably fallen asleep on your lap or shoulder a few times before this

♡-Sort of takes it as a sign to take a small break from all of her work

♡-'Y/N fell asleep sitting next to me. Energy +7'

The peace talks with Kujou Sara were finally over. As peaceful as they were, it was still very stressful. You asked Kokomi if she wanted to cuddle for a bit in her secret base after the peace talks as a little celebration.

The two of you sat next to each other silently reading a book. With how late into the night the peace talks lasted, it's no surprise both you and Kokomi were tired. You yawned as you leaned closer to her and put your hand around her waist.

Kokomi continued reading for a bit before glancing to her side. She smiled as she slowly closed the book and set it down next to her. She had already instructed Gorou to make sure no soldiers bothered you, so she may as well use this time she had with you well. "Maybe it's time for a little nap."

♤__♤

~Tea

[chocoenvy]

CHOCO DO YOU KNOW ANYONE WHO’S DONE ANY GANYU HEADCANNONS FOR THE SAGAU ???? I NEED CONTENT FOR MY WIFE PLS ALSO GOOD MORNING/AFTERNOON/EVENING

I DONT KNOW ANYONE THAT'S DONE THIS WHICH IS A CRIME SO IM MAKING UP MY OWN. I'M SO GLAD YOU ASKED BECAUSE I WANTED TO DO THIS.

Warnings: Mega fluff, i curse a lot, it's my inner 11 year old boy coming out sorry, can be taken as platonic or very soft romantic.

General SAGAU headcannons for Ganyu!!!

(i most definetely did this wrong still hope you enjoy it :)))

- is very nervous around you

- all proper and shit

- the first time you looked at her you grinned really brightly

- you stole her heart and she wondered what godly powers you had used on her to make her so flustered

- Her tiredness immediately dissapeared when she saw you

- she wanted to be around you a lot

- maybe, at first, she saw you as a distraction to her work

- but she's a part of the Liyue Qixing so you became a part of her work since Liyue is pretty religious.

- so she stopped fighting against seeing you

- still, she buried herself in work as usual

- until you starting hunting her down

- "Do you know where Ganyu is?" she had heard you say one day and her heart immediately fluttered.

- When she had turned the corner the way your face lit up nearly killed her

- You had come up to her with a grin

-"Is there something you need your grace?"

-"Yes!" You gently cupped her face in your hands.

- Her face is small, round, and her cheeks are so nice to hold in your hands, they fit perfectly.

- Ganyu passed out

- Like deadass fell into your arms, her face red as a tomato

- i guess you could say she fell for you, literally

- If you're bigger than Ganyu, you were more than likely able to hold her up.

- Even if you're smaller you might've been able to hold her up, but if you're smaller and weaker then you got dragged to the ground.

- When she woke up she was so embarrased

- she wanted the ground to just open up and eat her

- like my god, she passed out in front of her god

- WHYWOULDSHEDOTHATHOLYFRICKFRACKAAAAAAAAAA

- you have to calm her down before she passes out again

- "How much have you slept in the past couple days?"

- ".... if you count me passing out just now then however long that was..."

- You force her to destress

- and what better way to destress than to spend time with your god?

- "Ningguang has biweekly tea dates with me. And Beidou makes a stop at Liyue harbor to see Ningguang and I at least once a month. And Venti never leaves me the fuck alone, love him tho :) So it probably helps to spend time with me."

-She agrees because hOW COULD SHE NOT??

-cute dates with Ganyu ensue

-eventually you're gonna be on a cute picnic date in Qingyun Peak when you pick a Qixing flower and hold it up to her

- "Want a snack Ganyu?" You teased

-If she didn't love you and if she wasn't so flustered she would've thrown your ass off the edge of the mountain

-"Did cloud retainer tell you that?" Ganyu buried her face in her hands.

-You chuckled, "Technically, yes."

-GOD did you HAVE to be so cryptid?

-COFFEE DATES WITH GANYU her taste in coffee is supreme, best of the best because she chugs the shit like it's water.

-even if you don't like coffee she's got wonderful tea, hot chocolate, milkshake reccomendations. But my god if you want coffee, you know damn well she can get you the best coffee in all of Teyvat.

-Imagine sitting in a coffee shop with her, drinking your favorite drink while chatting with Ganyu. Pls that's so fucking cute.

-I also like to imagine that cryo characters have a "resistance" to the cold. So if you're freezing Ganyu, no matter how tiny she is compared to you, will give you her clothes to wear.

-Will also hold your hands and cuddle with you to try and make you warmer.

-SHE'S INCREDIBLY SOFT

-like LOOK AT HER

- LOOK AT HER RIGHT NOW

-HER HAIR, HER THIGHS, SHE'D BE AMAZING TO CUDDLE

-if you pet her horns she might pass out again or at least blush bright red

-overall: very cute, mega soft, probably doesn't get a lot of cuddles so she's either nervous or needy for cuddles. 100/10 need to cuddle again.

[imagineimagineimagine]

Could I request a part two of what they do when you go missing but with Hu Tao and Ganyu?

What They Do When You Go Missing Part II (Ganyu, Hu Tao)

Ganyu:

While Ganyu is know throughout Liyue Harbor for her kind, patient, and gentle demeanor, this half-Adeptus is all business and no-nonsense when she learns that you've gone missing. As the secretary for the Liyue Qixing, Ganyu learns about your disappearance almost the second it is reported. While she can't help but be filled with dread at the thought of what might be happening to you, she knows she has a job to do, and her centuries of experience means she knows exactly how to handle the pressure.

Ganyu will personally setup and lead the investigation to find you. While normally one to give 110% towards her work, Ganyu will push herself far beyond even those standards until she knows that you're alright. Thankfully her high position and various connections means that Ganyu has a lot of resources at her disposal to find you and she will spare no expense until she sees you in front of her.

If she finds you: When Ganyu learns of your location, she will tell all her subordinates to stay back and let her handle your rescue herself. While she has no doubts that they are competent at their jobs, she can't afford to take any chances with your life. This girl fought in the Archon War so she is no stranger to combat; and as a result your rescue only takes a few minutes at most. It is only after she knows for absolute certainty that you're going to be ok does she finally breakdown and cry over how worried she was, and how relieved she is to have you back. Ganyu probably won't let you out of sight again.

If she doesn't find you: You're disappearance absolutely destroys Ganyu. She has never been one to have the highest opinion of herself, so when she isn't able to find you, this failure shreds any amount of confidence and self-worth she might have had. This is probably going to be the straw that broke that camel's back and result in her removing herself from the human world forever.

Hu Tao:

Even someone as naturally cheerful and carefree as Hu Tao wouldn't be able to fully conceal her trepidation once she learns that you've gone missing. Since she loves to rope you into her daily antics, she learns fairy quickly about your disappearance once she determines that she can't find you in any your usual hiding places.

While normally not one to care about what others think of her, this is one of the few times she curses her more eccentric nature. Anyone she tries to ask for help or information from assumes that this is another one of her games, and either politely declines or outright ignores her. Thankfully however, help arrives FROM THE GREAT BEYOND!!! as some of the lingering spirits she has befriended over the years come to her aid and let her know where you might be.

If she finds you: Hu Tao can't help but feel grateful for the friends she has made. After she learned where you were, Xingqiu and Chongyun immediate offered their assistance in getting you back. While definitely not the stealthiest rescue Liyue has ever seen, their combined teamwork made short work of your kidnappers. When Hu Tao frees you she simply boops you on the nose and says "found ya!"

If she doesn't find you: When her grandfather died, Hu Tao spent several days at the border between life and death waiting to see him one last time and here she waits yet again. Despite the urging of the other spirits, Hu Tao waits for weeks to see if your soul still resides in this world. But she knows that eventually life has to move on and so does she. She'll still check in from to time to time, but honestly after you've been gone for so long, this is all she can really do at this point.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alright! Time to get started on all those Fate requests that have come in!! Would be nice to have few more Genshin requests come in too though *wink wink*.

[swqns]

Hello! I was wondering if I can request a Childe, Ganyu and Keqing (separately) x reader who's apart of the Liyue Qixing? Thank you!

Childe, Ganyu, & Keqing ;; w/ an s/o who’s in the Liyue Qixing

aaaaa this is so cute !! ganyu my beloved ,,,,,, I hope you like it :D thank you for requesting !!

note ;; i finished this at like 4 am,, and did not proofread,,,, if you find a grammar or spelling error pleas e let me know I’ll go and fix it shxbhsjgifk

Childe 🐳

The enemies to lovers potential,,, oo

Depending on your position, you could’ve been a stepping stone in Childe’s chase for the gnosis or a mountain. Either way, he’s your problem!

Although, once you two get over your initial bickering and rivalry, it’s a pretty straight road into a relationship from friendship.

You cover him as much as you can without getting into trouble, but sometimes he gets caught and you need to bail him out.

Time spent with Childe is often just talking in your home. Talking about yourselves, your worries, or the good parts of the day.

You worry about him a lot - he’s reckless when he fights and that often leads to big injuries. But he made a pinkie promise to always return home to you, and after learning the Snezhnayan rhyme attached to the promise you’re confident he won’t break it.

“You make a pinkie promise, you keep it all your life. You break a pinkie promise, I throw you on the ice. The cold will kill the pinkie that once betrayed your friend, the frost will freeze your tongue off so you never lie again.”

Ganyu ❄️

You guys were friends long before you became co-workers, and eventually lovers

I’d imagine you were also an Illuminated Beast like she is, if you were mortal she would have a hard time letting herself love you.

However, if you did manage to slip under the the wire as a mortal, congratulations! You must be very charming.

It’s pretty obvious that Ganyu overworks herself, but you try your hardest to pull her from her work and get her to rest.

She finds your company calming, and a lot of your quality time together is sleepy cuddling <3

Ganyu knows your perfectly capable of handling yourself, but she can’t help but feel the need to protect you. Even from invisible enemies like burnout and anxiety, Ganyu has remedies she shares with you.

Keqing ⚡️

Similarly to Ganyu, you also became closer through your work in the Qixing!

Keqing often looks out for you, and helps you with your work if it becomes to much for you to carry on your own.

Keqing is the Yuheng of the Qixing, and holds a lot of responsibility with that title. She’s in charge of land, livelihood management, construction, and real estate. Because of this, she knows how to expertly pick out a home for you two that has the most lovely views and is close to the restaurants and shops :)

Quality time with Keqing can be messing around - trying to make dinner yourselves, trying out interesting hobbies, etc..

Or, the more romantic side of things. Dinners at fancy restaurants like the Luili Pavilion, or walks along the harbor.

Thank you for reading!

with love, vellichor

[love-archon]

A Day With The Genshin Characters: Liyue Edition

Today's going to be a busy day! Check your planner for who you'll be meeting with- as one of the esteemed members of the Liyue Qixing, you cannot afford to be late to any appointment. 

• 6:00, Ningguang: Morning Tea 

Although you say you love your job, waking up at un-archonly hours has to be the part you like the least. Even getting up at five in the morning, the hour when tigers prowl, is still not enough time to prepare for a meeting with the Tianquan. You rush around frantically choosing the best outfit, fragrance, and hair arrangement to present yourself to Lady Ningguang, and you're halfway out the door when it hits you- you forgot to bring a gift with you!

"Right on time," Ningguang says, pleased. You smile, hoping she won't hear your heart beating from anxiety. "And what a lovely present, too... is there any doubt you were appointed as one of the seven Qixing?" (You can't tell if it's her rare praise, or the sheer altitude you're at within the Jade Chamber, that's making your head spin).

• 7:00, Keqing: Business Meeting 

You barely have time to rest before Keqing whisks you away to Yuehai Pavilion. You're very close friends, and you admire the girl for her tenacity and diligence. The conversation flows easily as you walk to your destination under a cloudless sky. It's a wonderfully sunny moment, but the moment the doors lock, you mean business. In the next two hours, you conquer matters that would normally take days to resolve, and the two of you exchange grins. 

"There we go!" Keqing breathes a sigh of relief, pushing away the last stack of papers. She holds up her hand, and you high-five. "You know, I like how easily you keep up with me. You even caught mistakes I would have missed... things like this make me even more certain Liyue is better off in human hands."

• 9:00: Check In With Ganyu

With such a hectic schedule, Ganyu is your saving grace. It's always important to check in with her, just to make sure nothing you have planned catches you by surprise, and sometimes you wonder why others rarely do the same. She's quite lonely, and often mentions how nice it is that you speak with her every day and bring her gifts to help with work. It may be part of your job to be courteous, but... it does help her feel less lonely and conflicted with herself. 

"Qingxin flowers? Thank you so much." She accepts them gratefully, smiling at you with warm eyes. "I still have that new stationery you gave me, too. You're so kind for remembering the things I like!"

• 9:30: Talk to Beidou

The tea in the Jade Chamber was just a front for Ningguang to spring a request on you- meet with the captain of the Crux Fleet to discuss her... recent smuggling habits. But Beidou merely laughs heartily when you arrive. A crewmate tosses her a sack of Mora, and she slits it open, letting the payment shower over you in a spray of gold. And then, before you know what's happening, you're roped into helping them find a treasure rumored to be lost beneath the waves. 

"So, Ningguang though sending her star diplomat would get me to let up, huh!" You blush, wondering how you could be so easy to read under her ruby eye. "I was impressed by your words, and how well you fought by my side. But the annoyance of the Liyue Qixing is of no concern to me."

• 12:00, Tartaglia: TEACH HIM A LESSON!

As the member of the Qixing that oversees diplomacy and foreign relations, it's you that must meet with the Fatui Harbinger. He's quite good at playing pretend- all your underlings believed he was a naive, careless young man, and easily manipulated, too. And all of them ended up suppressing the urge to break something after they were done conversing with him. On your honor as one of Liyue's seven stars, you vow to not make their mistakes. 

"You're asking why I don't try to drive you mad?" he said, setting down his fork. You'd caved in and given him one after watching him struggle with chopsticks for far too long. "You're the only one who isn't a bore to talk to, that's all-" so this was on purpose?!- "and besides, I want to challenge you to a fight afterwards! Your vision's getting quite dusty from neglect, comrade. Let's fix that!"

• 2:00, Yanfei: Discussion of Legal Matters

Yanfei's counsel is an invaluable treasure. Especially when dealing with an opponent as vicious as Snezhnaya's Fatui, who deserve to have her wrath unleashed upon them. You walk to her office with a gleam in your eyes, and are delighted to see an equal fire already blazing in hers. For the next few hours, you two take the "suggestions" Tartaglia passed on from the Northland Bank and scheme on how to best tear them to shreds with the law.

"That man-childe's been giving you trouble again, huh," she giggles. "What did he come up with this time~? I've been waiting for an excuse to bring out the latest edition of my lawbook!" And with that, Yanfei slams it down, and the sheer weight of it nearly cracks her desk. "He won't know what hit him!"

• 4:00: Free Time

Of course, "free time" simply means that you have no meetings scheduled for this hour, which lets you adequately prepare for the next day's events. Tomorrow is your appointment with the Feiyun Commerce Guild, which you already know will require great patience and strength of mind. Because the head of the guild, and his eldest son, the future head, are- to put it mildly- not very bright... it's fortunate, then, that the second son Xingqiu has a good head on his shoulders.  

"Tomorrow, you should go straight to me instead," Xingqiu informs you cheerily, handing you a popsicle. Apparently, he keeps them around for his friend Chongyun, who's off to complete another exorcism. "I'll be sure to set everything in order." His eyes gleam. "And then, I can tell you the latest developments in 'A Legend of Sword'!"

• 5:00: Catch Xinyan's Concert!

Liyue's one and only rock musician isn't hard to find, thanks to the designated performance spots scattered around the city. You stop by at the raised platform where she's rocking out, where other people are listening as well. Xinyan strikes a peace sign in the air, and her vision glows with energy before the stage erupts with pillars of fire; her audience bursts into cheers and applause, and she's beaming as she leaps down to meet you. 

"Wait, seriously? You really changed up the rules a lil' so it'll be easier for me to hold concerts here?" Her eyes shine as they scan the papers- one of the many results of your work today in Yuehai. "Thank you so much! Wait-" she picks up her guitar again, giving it an experimental riff. "Let me think up a quick song for ya as thanks- I insist!"

• 6:00: Wangsheng Funeral Parlor 

Lately, you've been sent particularly determined requests from the other nations about allowing tourists to observe the ancient funeral rites. You already know the answer's gonna be a hard no, but the laws written by Rex Lapis state that you must check with the director anyway. She's not there when you arrive, so a consultant, Zhongli, brings you tea while you wait for her. You sit together in the fading sun, waiting for Hu Tao's familiar song to rise above the hill. 

Zhongli takes a quiet sip from his cup, closing his luminous eyes. "Although it was Rex Lapis who created the laws, they are not meant to be set in stone. Humans must revise the contract as they see fit, so that it will not erode with the passage of time." Something makes you feel as though it's more significant to him than you know. Then, he smiles slightly. "But, just looking at the people leading the way in his absence, like you... there's no need for me to worry."

• 8:00: Dinner; Request Chef Xiangling

The Wanmin Restaurant, run by Chef Mao and his daughter, is a breath of fresh air. While the rest of Liyue is divided between the "Li" and "Yue" styles of cooking, Xiangling pays the conflict no mind. Instead, she's not afraid to be daring and experiment, blazing ahead without worrying about what others think. You can see some similarities between her and Keqing, but it's best not to mention it after that disastrous banquet they organized together... 

"Had a rough day, didn't you?" Xiangling asks, her golden eyes twinkling as she hands you the steaming hot bowl. "Well, for you, I made sure to prepare your favorite dish! I hope you don't mind if I added a lizard or two this time- I'm kidding!" she adds quickly, upon seeing alarm flash across your face. 

• 9:00: Return Home

After everything that happened, you're eager to collect the reports from your subordinates and head home to draft new revisions for Tianquan Ningguang to look over (and then, hopefully, get some rest). But as you're walking on the path to your neighborhood, you spot a little girl sitting in the grass, clutching her head. Alarm rises in your chest as you rush over to see what's wrong, and why she's alone- only to realize with a start that she's the child that returned from the dead.  

"Thank you for taking Qiqi back to Bubu Pharmacy," she says, reading solemnly from her notebook (where the entire thank-you script is written). Even when you set her down, she's still reading the pieces of paper. "Will you tell Dr. Baizhu where I got lost? Please and thank you, again."

• 10:00: Sleep

In the end, you never did get to those revisions. You can hear your fellow Qixing scolding you in your head, but at least you got plenty of other things done; the well-oiled machine that is Liyue will still keep running on thanks to the tasks you accomplished today. Someday, even the adepti will have to acknowledge the ability of humans... you turn in your bed to feel the coolness of the other side. Speaking of adepti... the night air coming in... reminds you of... "Xiao..."

"I thought you were in danger," the adeptus huffs. The moment you said his name, you'd finally fallen asleep, but it still brought Xiao to you- balanced on the windowsill, hair waving in the breeze. "Still... I'm... glad that you're alright," he admits, glancing at you to make sure you're not awake to hear. "Rest well, bright star of Liyue." And then, with a sound like a sigh- or was it the wind?- he's gone.

[yostresswritinggirl]

It is time. This took a while but I figured I should give you guys the closure you've wanted, even tho uh it's not really a closure lmaooo. Here's the first part for the new readers!

Xiao's Personal "Chef" Travel Edition

Xiao with a Reader who is not only his Personal Chef but assistant, adventuring together

General/Preparation

A visionless chef with an adeptus by their side, going in a routeless journey together to savor the world that had once been pulled away from their grasps.

It must be the cause of the recent ressurection and defeat of the Lord of Vortex, immobilizing him once more for thousands of years. And in the window time, there would be less worries for the Qixing and Liyue Adepti to worry about. Think of it as a day-off for the Adepti, and a vacation for you.

While you carry with you no traces of elemental blessings and an enthusiasm for swordplay, the blessed Sigil of Permission given to you by your adeptus (whom claimed it was created by Rex Lapis himself before his untimely death) grants you a special connection with Xiao.

Sadly a vacation from Liyue does not mean a break from the constant voices of demons within Xiao's mind. And you've prepared him the medicine necessary to soothe his mind even if temporary, three bottles to be exact, all of which can last him several months.

He looks at you with confusion and silent question, of which you waved away because you had prepared this batch in your room in the Inn to make sure he doesn't run out of stock.

He doesn't tell you this but lately the voices had been not intrusive while he gets distracted by your presence. Like a soothing balm, to numb the effects of the pain. It's still there but not as annoying.

Your adventure or journey usually lingers around Liyue for the first parts of it, looking around the nation to enjoy the sceneries without thinking about errands or protecting the villages from impending doom.

Xiao already uh announced his indefinite leave to the other adepti beforehand, but well, when you wanted to visit their domains, which you countered was PERFECTLY safe (almighty Sigil of Permission has lots of perks) it was a very awkward time for him upon meeting them again. It was inevitable because of the energy the sensed from Xiao and your Sigil.

"Hello again, Guardian Yaksha, were you not on leave?" "Y-Yeah... we're just... passing through"

Field trip with the Adepti!!!! Moon Carver and Mountain Shaper brought you around their domains as if to test you, like Ganyu's trials, while also flexing their achievements and who has the best domain. Humans are rare, but you are a mortal who carries the last blessed Sigil and you're tamed in the ways of the adepti because of your exposure to Xiao.

Cloud Retainer not only teaches you the glory of gliding, but she also has cute and embarrassing stories of Xiao from way back! Xiao is in the background trying not to scream or rage at the ensemble in front of him-

"He really likes collecting Qingxin flowers, always bringing one whenever he comes back from his exterminations. He even offers one to Morax everytime." "Yes, yes, such flowers grow common before, right?" "Wha- (Y/N), what do you think you're writing down in that book?!"

"The devoted that carries the last essence of Morax's powers. We've heard much about you from your adeptus, it is relieving to finally put a face to your name. Tell us, child, what is it that you seek in our domain?"

They pretty much just outted that Xiao talks about you to the others, and he- he's just so done. He's either going to hide, leave the area or pull you out of the conversation before someone *coughCloudRetainercough* starts embarrassing him in front of you.

Once you've gotten the supplies you wanted to collect from Liyue's wild lands, like flowers or ores, your little party will start going further away from the familiar nation.

Comfort on the Streets

Being the chef in the party, a lot of the time, resource collection stops you short from travelling despite the many prepped ingredients you had carried with you. There's a lot of things laying around and you just couldn't let such opportunities go. Your adoptive mother Verr had taught you to indulge in your curiousities, as a mother, as a traveler, and as a cook.

Xiao takes the brute force, the frontline of being the tank and general fighter of your band. He indulges himself with unhinged strength so long as he was sure that you were perfectly safe from his own barrage of offense. You think in the back of your mind that he's enjoying the exterminations but in his mind he indulges himself with your cheers and praises after fending off some pesky slimes that strayed too close to your temporary camp.

Xiao does not need rest and barely breaks a sweat but you're quite fragile of a human being, you still need rest and consumables, things that you had the luxury of despite working in the Inn. Here you were alone to carry your own weight and care for yourself. You look up from the boiling pot that was settled over the bright campfire to see Xiao's figure coming into view, a freshly killed boar in hand as some kind of offering for your sacred stomach.

You guess now the caring isn't one-sided.

When taking things into careful detail that requires precision and undivided attention, it seems the voices of the demons and revelled gods in the depths of his mind disappears, more so under the presence of you.

So it was the perfect opportunity now that no other errands hold you back, to teach Xiao how to make the infamous Almond Tofu.

When you teach him survival he takes into consideration everything despite the bored/blank face he dons.

Oh but he still prefers your way of cooking, he can never get the same soft texture of the jelly that you easily make.

Xiao doesn't really need to eat but he's glad to be your taste-tester for the new dishes you cook from the random, probably edible, ingredients you find here and then.

The stew continued to boil with bubbles popping despite the fire under it extinguished for a while now. It was an unnamed soup you concocted from the various seafood you've gotten from the ocean paired with the meat the adeptus hunted.

It was delicious. Despite being a palette he was not used to, it was something he can stomach. And despite the different meat mixed in, the flavours didn't clash like he thought it would but instead blended the tastes quite well. Xiao hums as he sips the soup politely, tilting the bowl as he gulps down.

"It is manageable, despite your first try, I can see this being sold in one of the restaurants in Liyue Harbour-" he turns to you as he proceeds to hold out his bowl for seconds when he stopped in his tracks, eyes slightly widening a crack at the sight of tears free falling off your chin.

The spoon on your hand was slack, eyes distant yet dilated as you silently cried. When you felt the glove of his hand cup your cheek, tilting your head to make you face him, your expression cracked to that of grief melded with forced laughter. "It's... it's just like what mum used to make." You sob, and his hand wavered from its touch.

Travelling reopened old wounds. For you and for him.

Xiao doesn't NEED sleep nor does he WANT it, despite the many times you had caught him dozing off in the middle of the day during your work at the Inn. Such occasions usually meant that there was an event that needed his aid the night prior.

Your guardian yaksha usually stays up to keep watch and when you wake up, you would find him spaced out or in the brink of passing out, desperately holding himself together

But there are other times when he feels more restless and not content with just standing guard to make sure you are protected—

Those moments are when you are held in his arms, him resting against a tree and you resting against his lean chest, travel blanket laid over the both of you. When the terrain allows it, the sleeping bag would be under your bottom and legs for extra comfort.

When you can't rest, he whips out his flute to play you a soft tune hoping to lull you to sleep. If he sinks into the comfort of the mood, he'll continue playing much softer to prevent waking you up so early

But the guardian yaksha can buckle at the temptation of comfort, a humanistic desire fuelled by the assurance that in his arms you are absolutely safe-

And you two lay under the stars in peaceful slumber. Good night~

Combat-side of Travelling

Kicking the bottom shaft of the jade spear, Xiao swiftly catches it with his other hand, a small smile aimed for himself at the expert action before he raises his eyes back at you where you lay splayed on the floor. Drenched in your own sweat and desperately breathing. A long, wooden stick discarded by your side.

You pried your eyes open when the rays of the sun suddenly stopped invading through your thin eyelids, the shadow of the Yaksha looming over your form with a rare triumphant smirk. "Yeah, yeah, I know what you're gonna say-"

"I told you so."

"Oh hush you!"

His soft laugh was melodic and it made you break a smile despite the exhaustion.

We've already established beforehand that Xiao is your main dps here and you're just support/utility. But you've expressed your desire to AT LEAST pick up some weight, asking the man to help you hone your weapon proficiency, even if you knew he'd decli-

He accepts. Oh. But it's not about swords sadly, it's for polearms. Since it's the weapon he uses, it's the only thing he can teach you.

Will be CONSIDERABLY gentle in training you compared to his massacres, and will be ever so patient so long as progress is made. Surprisingly, Xiao is actually a really good teacher, and you'd find his points to be precise and on the spot.

He'll be there on the side as you try to fight off a hydro slime for the first time, with the aid of your cheap spear you both from the nearest town over. If you get cornered, he'll be there to instantly swoop in. Fortunately you managed, and he gave an approving nod.

Despite his acceptance to teach he's not gonna let you fight actual threats because he doesn't wish to risk your safety. And you're still gonna be a hundred feet away as he does his job

If he ever managed to hurt you himself, it's... it's not gonna be good, not good at all for the both of you... luckily that hasn't happened! Uh, yet lol

Just admire him from afar, he looks pretty anyways, although the black particles that seem to surround him before the end of the fight

But he'll always come back to you, with a slight limp you always notice despite his attempts to hide, and you'll be there to heal him up

Like a knight to his princess? Or healer, more so

And the process rinses and repeats at your generally peaceful trip

"Oh, oh, I see it! Uuup there!"

His honey amber eyes follow where your fingers point, high and up against the cliff until he sees the glimpse of the swaying violetgrass. No orders needed to tell him what the objective is, but as you place your hand on his elbow when he was about to leap, you had different plans.

"Woohoo!" Please be careful, he shouts in his head as you rode the tides of his Anemo currents, gliding over to where the violetgrass awaits for your plucking hands. When the glider retracts as you grip the cliff face, you broke the stem of the flora. A eureka in your voice as you held it up like a treasure before pushing yourself off the cliffside.

The wind on your back was not harsh, carefully constructed and maneuvered as you seemingly float down into the arms of the awaiting Yaksha, as per routine of your retrieval, "Thank you!"

"Is it in good condition?" It didn't bother you that he has yet to put you down, nodding with a grin as you gently waved the perfectly grown violetgrass in your hand. Satisfied, he turns around to go back to your route when

golden, brown and white silhouettes entered your peripherals among the turn.

"Eh?"

"Ah?"

"Traveler, Paimon and Zhongli?"

"Well, it is the most intriguing that we meet again this far out and in such a circumstance, Xiao and (Y/N)."

Party gained 2 ½ members!

I noticed upon writing that after you started travelling with Xiao, the formality in your tone of speaking started to dissipate. Easing into the comforts of your relationship with him, Xiao is relieved.

@kookieyachi @moaa @dandelion-dreams @zelos-simp @legionqueensav @snackgod @rxsalinee @cala-ran @wind-wheel @witchsungie

[ceo-of-despair]

# sakura priestess

summary: yae has met you through her friend ganyu, and all the signs point to you not being human. you're not an adepti, or a qilin, or an archon, for that matter, so what are you?

# pairing - yae x gn!reader

# fandom - genshin impact

a/n - this is a collaboration? not collaboration? i'm not quite sure BUT me and @childeluv are each writing a work about yae from genshin impact since there is a sad lack of content for her and i think she's a great character. their part will be linked here when posted!

i'm sorry that it's so short!

edit: the more the read this the more i hate it

When Yae first greeted you, the priestess had instantly known there was something non-humanlike about you. After all, Ganyu had referred to you as her 'longtime friend'. If that was anything to base it off of, well, she had been alive for many thousands of years. A longtime friend would have to have stayed with her for a while, Yae thought, and so you must be immortal, or at least with an extremely lengthy lifespan. A human couldn't have stayed with the half-qilin female for that many years and still look as youthful as you did.

The thought kept her up for a while. She wanted to see you more, wanted to discover what you were and why you were here. Because, despite Teyvat having many immortal beings, you could not be any of them. Adepti were bound to a contract, and you appeared to do as you pleased, working and appearing as a regular mortal in Liyue. There were no gods from Teyvat she did not know of. And the archons rarely, if ever, granted immortality to a normal human, in addition to the fact that you did not appear to have a vision.

It was certainly an interesting situation that you had.

On her next meeting with Ganyu, Yae brought it up, asking how you had met, and listened attentively as her blue-haired friend recited the story for her to hear. It was nothing out of the ordinary, you having met her when you had been assigned to do some tasks for the Liyue Qixing, becoming fast friends with their secretary. She did, however, confirm Yae's assumptions of your immortality, as Ganyu had said that you had never seemed to change or age at all. You simply remained there, forever unchanging, retaining the same smooth skin and bright eyes for as long as she'd known you.

She pondered over it for a while, until your next visit.

When you next came to Inazuma by yourself to celebrate New Year's, she was surprised to see you come to her shrine. Yae had not known that you were natively Inazuman, nor that you actually celebrated their traditions at all, so it was a pleasant surprise to see you there, and another opportunity to gain some kind of knowledge about you. So, as you left, she had cornered you, and bluntly asked what, exactly, you were.

"Y/N. I have noticed that you are most certainly not a human. I am curious...what species may you be?"

You had not answered, merely giving a small smile before leaving to go back to your home in Liyue.

That was when Yae knew that you had truly piqued her interest.

[genshxn]

anon asked:

If requests are still open, can I request some first date hcs for Ganyu and Zhongli? Thank youuuu

sorry for the wait;; this was the last request i had fjejwjdnkfj

【ｚｈｏｎｇｌｉ ＋ ｇａｎｙｕ】

first date hcs

warnings ; none

ｚｈｏｎｇｌｉ

- You’re either going to be going on something quite low budget, or he’s planned an incredibly lavish date that you’re gonna have to pay for because he forgot his money again. The ex-god is still getting used to having to budget things and not having an unlimited supply of money. 

- Like Ganyu as well, he would have a bouquet of various Liyue flowers, like Silk Flowers, Glaze Lillies and Qixing. It’s a mystery where they came from because their quality is so good. It seems they were grown in the best conditions. Only Zhongli would know where to find them.

- If you have any interest in certain subjects, Zhongli will happily spare whatever knowledge he has. He doesn’t want to talk your ear off, so please let him know if he’s going on for a bit too long.

- Before taking you to a dinner, he’d want to show you all the beautiful, hidden parts of Liyue. Truly only the ancient archon of the land would know it like the back of his hand.

- Liyue really is a beautiful country, and getting to see it from its hidden viewpoints shown to you by its old god feels like such an honour.

- Back in Liyue Harbour, a lovely reservation at Lilui Pavilion. Luckily, Zhongli actually remembered to have some mora with him this time to actually pay for the dinner. His treat. (For once. Good luck with that in the future)

- Once your date would be coming to an end, he’d walk you home but give you a small gift he made himself. A rose made from stone. The centre is an amber colour, which fades out into a dusky brown with golden veins travelling up the petals. Truly reminiscent of the god that made it.

- Perhaps you would like to join him on another outing again? He sincerely hopes you want to.

ｇａｎｙｕ

- Ganyu likely would have known you for a long time before you went on your first date together. She seems like the type that would need to know someone for a while before she would consider dating them. 

- But she unfortunately isn’t very skilled in planning dates since she really hasn’t been on many. So the easiest idea for her would probably to take you to Jueyun Karst and show you the hidden wonders of the beautiful area since that’s pretty much where she grew up. 

- The other adepti would definitely have varying opinions on Ganyu courting a mortal, but Cloud Retainer would be the most chill. If she deems you worthy to be with Ganyu, she will happily go on about what Ganyu was like as a child. 

- Poor Ganyu would be a blushing mess. She’s had her embarrassing childhood exposed to you, right in front of her. You couldn’t stop laughing at the image of a small chubby Ganyu rolling down the mountain.

- But your laugh makes Ganyu warm and fuzzy inside, so it could be worse, but she’s not admitting that. 

- Ganyu has seen some couples getting flowers for each other, and this is something that she really wants to do. She picked some Glaze Lillies from Yujing Terrace, as well as some Qixing from Tianqiu Mountain, then making them into a bouquet. 

- She’d have to exert all her willpower to not eat the flowers before she gave it to you. And she was successful in managing to give you the flower bouquet without munching any flowers. Except she had a very hungry expression on her face when she would gaze longingly at the flowers.

- You noticed this and offered her one of the Qixing stems which she awkwardly took. But she was so happy to listen to you laugh when she chowed down on the flower. 

- If you have time later on, do you want to perhaps go on another date with her? She had such a good time with you. She wants to see you more.

[honeycombalbedo]

Cryo Visions || Genshin Impact Theory (Part 1)

(This so long I have to separate it into 2-3 partss)

Reason for doing this?? I just really like cryo characters ok

So to begin we have to talk abt why visions are granted

Visions are given to mortals by the god who represents said vision's element. The reasons why they give it to certain mortals can be seen in the vision tales for each character, the character level up gems and what the god's divine ideal is (freedom, contracts, etc).

As a few examples:

Pyro: She's a passionate mf who lives for those who have a passion in battle/adventuring/their craft etc and want to have their names know. You can see that in (basically) EVERYONE she's given a vision to. (I don't know how Diluc fits in but I don't really know abot his story other than the basics)

Geo: He values those who work hard and those he can trust with them.

The issue is, the cryo archon is the only one without a confirmed ideal. Everything else can be seen for the most part.

The gemstone:

"Sorry... to also have you shoulder the grievances of the world."

"Since you could endure my bitter cold, you must have the desire to burn?"

"Then, burn away the old world for me."

The cryo archon, despite now being described as cold and bitter still seems to have a strong heart for those she deems as unfortunate.

Now it's character story time

Diona

People commonly see Diona as entitled and annoying which it kinda shitty tbh

Diona's father, Draft, who she idolises and adores, is an alcoholic. To quote Diona, "When he's drunk, he's like a wild boar rolling about in the mud!"

We also don't know if Diona's mother is present because only Draft is mentioned and when he's drunk he just, isn't there. She has an envy towards wine because it "steals her father away". She's a lonely child who's father is barely there because he pays more attention to alcohol.

Secondly, she's been blessed(or cursed) by a fairy. It's mentioned in one story chapter. It's why every drink she mixes is so good. This kinda hinders her one goal, to destroy the wine industry.

Finally, she got her vision when a 3 day long storm trapped her father outside. The knights couldn't get a search party going due to said storm. Diona was enraged that she may have her father permanently stolen from her, she rushed outside, puddles beneath her feet freezing as she followed her fathers tracks.

Ganyu

Ganyu is forever cursed to walk among and serve mortals who see her as nothing more as a servant, afraid to mention her qilin heritage due to the fear of people out casting her from liyue's society.

Because her countless hours of work, a thousand years goes by in a blink of an eye. Even the smallest of errors will cause her anxiety to grow and become intensely embarrassed by.

A qilin's nature/ideals is to be peaceful and harmless creatures, not to harm a single plant or bug, making Ganyu a vegetarian. Yet, Liyue's foods are incredibly enticing towards her yet she must stop herself from taking part in their delicacies because a lot of it includes meat. Seems trivial but it's one way Ganyu is separated/distanced from Liyue's society. Which is something she doesn't want to be, distanced, an outsider intruding on the locals.

Interestingly, when Ganyu's vision was granted, it was when she offered to be the Liyue Qixing's secretary, a vision had immediately appeared.

Qiqi

Qiqi is dead, she is a zombie.

When she died she was only a child, sent out the look for herbs by an unknown person, she got lost and trapped between the mortal realm and the realm of the adepti.

Adepti and demons alike watched her, all understanding that this was a innocent child who had the misfortune to be caught in something more than a mortal could handle.

While bandaging her leg's wound, she could hear the otherworldy sounds that emanated from where she sat.

She hadn't expected a large crash and to be forever trapped between life and death.

In her last breaths, she was gifted a cryo vision, the adepti couldn't let her die now, so they gave her a part of their strength to keep her alive. She had to be frozen in amber for a few years due to her body being unable to control the adepti's strength.

After a few hundred years, she was discovered, yet still in amber. She was going to be brought to wangsheng to be buried but due to the journey, the seal shattered and she ran away.

She continued her herb gathering duties, even in death, and that's when she met Baizhu, a man interested in immortality. She was taken in by him and became his herb gatherer, and his test subject.

It's offhandedly mentioned in her voice line about Baizhu "I can never remember Dr. Baizhu's face. But I don't mind." Which implies she has no attachment to him whatsoever and wouldn't mind forgetting him. Another thing that implies this, is in one of her stories, the only thing that can cancel orders is a hug from behind and to say something akin to "I love you the most". It's mentioned that when Baizhu does it, it ineffective because it has little sincerity.

Also, this is her vision story

"Qiqi's Vision was given to her in the last moment of her life.

She wanted to stop the clock from turning. She wanted to live happily again.

She feared death. She wanted to live. She missed her family...

These feelings coalesced at last into "ice."

"If only I could freeze time... How wonderful would that be?"

As she thought thus, tears fell from the moribund girl's eyes upon the Vision that had appeared before her.

The mighty and illuminated adepti all acknowledged that this was a legitimate form of "illumination" — the yearning of humanity for bygone days is, after all, a desire to protect the past."

And that's the end of the first part, next one will be about Chongyun and Kaeya, and hopefully a conclusion to this.

[scarymoosh]

half-light

contains: crumbling angst and a spoonful of hope

word count: 1001

a/n: hi hello! have a very ooc xiao and a ganyu that makes xiao feel. really just my mind saying words and concepts I think sound good together lols

——————————————————————————

He’s known her for as long as he remembers.

Looking at her now, seeing the way her messy hair falls back into a natural ponytail, bangs bouncing with each step she takes, his mind fails to recall a time when that pale shade of blue wasn’t in his life. It wasn’t just any shade of blue either. It’s not the kind he fights under like the sky, nor over ocean waters. It doesn’t come when winter blows in from the north or in the hands of a cryo vision holder. It belongs to Ganyu and only her, Xiao thinks.

Not only just the blue, but the red and the black as well, dark colors which take the shape of two horns which protrude from her head.  It is a striking contrast to the bright hue of her hair, and a reminder of the kind of blood that flows in her veins. She’s half human and half adeptus, yet she walks gracefully, with poise, and balance, as if the weight of being part beast didn’t weigh down on her head like those horns do, like how those horns should.

He wonders how she can go about living, walking as if she’s doing it on clouds, as if she’s been freed from the strings that tether her to earth. The differences between them. His mask that sits atop his hip chains him to responsibility, and although the kind Rex Lapis put him under is different, Xiao can’t help but feel burdened still.

The feeling tugs down on his already heavy heart, but as soon as Ganyu stops in the middle of the balcony to take a gentle glance around, a part of him lifts when her amethyst eyes find his amber ones.

She smiles. “Xiao, it’s so nice to see you.”

Inside, his chest tightens. Maybe it was the way she made it look so easy. Maybe it was the way she looked at him like nobody else ever had before. Regardless, Xiao gives a curt nod in response. “Ganyu.”

By this point in time, being in her presence should feel as natural as the instinctual beat of his heart. They’ve known each other for millennia, yet now that he’s finally come to train her does he feel a distant comfort slowly crawl back into his soul. Mortals were a pain and she was half of one. But the other half of her that strived to live up to being an adeptus…now that was someone he has come to respect. Slowly, but surely.

Xiao hasn’t fought alongside anyone in ages. With most of the adepti either gone or retired, it was mainly up to him to protect the common folk, to uphold his end of the contract. And he thought he was in it all alone.

What took you so long? He wants to ask so desperately, feeling himself edging towards the brink of anguish. The more he broods on it, the more he feels like he’s suddenly about to burst. Why didn’t you come sooner?

But as he stares at her and she stares back at him, gentle eyes regarding him with such empathy, he keeps it inside along with everything else, behind the cold façade he wears like his illuminated mask. Because being able to see any sort of vulnerability from the guardian yaksha was like catching lightening in a bottle, nearly impossible.

Everyone around him has either died or disappeared. He detains people from a distance in fears they’ll be gone one day too, swept up in the torrent of death either by his doing or something else’s. If anything, the ever-thickening wall between him and the world was not because of strength verses weakness, was not because of mortal verses immortal. It was the one – and only – truth: survivor’s guilt.

The notion nearly makes Xiao tumble as he jumps off the roof to meet Ganyu halfway. He’s outlived the most horrendous mission of his life and given the blessed opportunity to atone for sins he did not mean to commit under a brand new name. Though, Xiao remains to carry shame, disgrace and remorse with him as though he was bound to such negative memory and emotion like a contract.

But if Xiao thought carrying the past was heavy enough, he wonders how Ganyu feels with the weight of two worlds resting upon her dainty shoulders. After all, she’s so gentle, always checking up on the zombie child and her little sparrow friend, and working under that Tianquin Ningguang and the Qixing, all the while maintaining her utmost respect and devotion for Rex Lapis. Xiao cannot comprehend how she even stands, how confused her mind and body must feel day in and day out, struggling to discern just who and what she truly is.

Despite that, she’s still standing before him right now in this very moment, with flushed cheeks and shining eyes that catch the warm glow of the hallway behind him. She’s still breathing so evenly, seemingly without a worry in the world. He tries to focus on the rise and fall of her chest, to read between the lines of each bated breath, wants to discern her secret of being able to keep it all together and still live despite it all.

Ganyu is strong, Xiao realizes. She is so very strong. Stronger than him in ways he could not even imagine. Strong enough to take on the rush and stillness between the two parts of her being that should not have even been one. Her very existence was a force that went against the universe’s rules, and here she was, pale skin nearly gleaming in the half-light as though she was meant to stand out yet belong.

Blue is the color of sadness. How ironic is it that her hair is tinged with it because Ganyu is anything but. She’s a cryo user, but being in her presence makes Xiao feel warmer than he should.

The thought makes him scoff.

Maybe the winds are changing.

[dandelion-wings]

once again rereading a beloved series and thinking vague and unfocused crossover thoughts, this time in the Young Wizards style

specifically, who is and isn't a wizard! not covering everyone, but Top Thoughts

Mondstadt

Jean: yes, obviously. Hand her an oath that starts with "in Life's name, for Life's sake" and you've got her hooked immediately.

Lisa: probably. I am always looking away from the 'shortened lifespan' thing until it's made in-game canon, but if it ever is then the book in question was definitely The Book That Is Not Named, which was involved in her Ordeal.

Diluc: he was. We don't ever get a ton on wizards who walk away from wizardry except that on Earth, where it's a secret, they forget, but presuming the same for Teyvat, he rejected it at the same time as his Vision (I'd say wizardry and Visions are separate things from separate sources in this AU), because it didn't save Crepus, and quickly forgot the wizard part ever happened. This is agonizing for Jean.

(Delusions are the Lone Power all over, so this was likely one of several goals invoking getting one into Crepus' hands.)

Kaeya: nope! He lies too much. If he was offered the Oath at all, it was right after Crepus' death and he laughed bitterly at it. If we're assuming that wizardry is secret in Teyvat, though, he's in the know, because Diluc read him in very young. He's considered pointing out to him and Jean that hilichurls and such are as much Life as humans are, however the Lone Power has warped them, but he doesn't believe wizardry could help them, so why be that cruel?

Amber: absolutely, very similarly to Jean. Amber's in the age range to still have the huge adolescent power-boost, too.

Barbara: I don't think so, actually? Given Visions are still a thing in this concept, she doesn't need to be a wizard to do the entropy-fighting she does through both healing magic and inspiring song, and adding extra duties to what she's got may actually make her less effective. She has the potential, though, she hasn't aged out yet, and Jean is low-key always worried about what kind of problem she could end up the solution to. Not all wizards survive their Ordeal....

(Y'know, I think Jean barely survived hers. I think she was alone, and gave too much, as she does, and even on Ordeal the Powers don't give you a blank check. Which makes the idea of Barbara going through one even scarier.)

Fischl: I am very tempted by the idea of Fischl, like Daryl in A Wizard Alone (if this is still the plot, I only recently got the New Millennium Editions and haven't reached that one yet), being essentially on permanent Ordeal for the exact same reason--her fantasy world is a magical trap and a version of the Lone Power is stuck in there with her, constantly at war with the Princezen(sp?), neither aware there's a whole different version of their enemy loose out in the real world. Unlike Daryl, though, she isn't an abdal.

Bennet: is an abdal, and his terrible luck is the Lone Power, trying to knock him over from day one. I'm not clear on whether abdals are always wizards or if Daryl just happens to be both, but if it's not required, Bennet isn't. Just, y'know, a spiritual support beam for Teyvat.

Razor: is not! But is aware of it, vaguely, because Andrius is a local Advisory. He has explicitly been told to look after Bennet, but not why. It's fine, he likes time with Bennet and doesn't need a reason.

Klee: is too young! And may never quite qualify, but if she does will be terrifying. (Alice, though, is somewhere high on the Advisory scale.)

Liyue

Ningguang: is not, but is aware. Liyue's wizardry bureaucracy has coordinated with the Liyue Qixing for a long time now, and they find Ningguang quite satisfactory to work with, while she sees the existence of a secondary line of defense for the nation very useful--it only makes sense to coordinate with them and give them whatever they need.

Xiao: a minor Power, as I think all the adepti are. I think he may actually be a manifestation/fragment of Teyvat's version of the Champion, with his past enslavement being a ploy by the Lone Power to weaken and diminish him. (Or maybe he carried the Champion, like Ronan, though he was never a wizard--so the enslavement was revenge, and there's still enough of the Champion's mark left on him to make him the foremost yaksha.)

(I should clarify here that the archons are not Powers, and whatever's in Celestia definitely are not. There's two different magic systems at play, ruled by two different sets of higher beings, and the more major Powers are magnitudes beyond Celestia. The Lone Power has fingers in that pie, though.)

Keqing: a wizard, just coming out of that big breakthrough power-bump over the past year or so and struggling to adapt. She blazed through her Ordeal, and part of her gradual acceptance of her Vision is that she didn't feel like she needed it, but now she's realizing that older wizards who have them still use them, where they're useful, for a reason.

Chongyun: a wizard from a long line of them, and no, the positive-energy thing is not wizardry-related and confuses them all.

Xingqiu: a little prank-prone for a wizard, but fits the bookworm aspect to a T? Potentially a future wizard, not yet offered the Oath, but Chongyun is bracing for that day.

Xiangling: yeah, I think so. I don't have good evidence but she has the Vibe and also I love her.

Ganyu: no, but as a descendant of adepti and the Xiqing's secretary, obviously in the know.

Beidou: to everyone's surprise (but really not that surprising when you think about how she actually acts). Ningguang hates dealing with her in this capacity because she can't come up with good reasons to refuse this wizard, in particular, what she asks for when she supports them in general, which is one of several reasons why Beidou always comes to her in person with requests.

Childe: is walking around practically hand-in-hand with the Lone Power, so no. (Morning ETA: though it’s very possible his jaunt in the Abyss is his Ordeal, his teacher was overshadowed by the Lone Power, and he failed his Ordeal not by the more frequent means of dying but by the rarer means of becoming overshadowed himself....)

[mukubear]

The Pirate and The Qilin

This is a small rarepair that I actually enjoy, and wanted to make a cute story involving them, so here you go!

Ship: Beidou x Ganyu

With the warmer days starting to come to Liyue, the various food vendors were starting to offer up some cold dishes to combat the heat and many of its citizens are taking breaks from work so they don't suffer from overheating or exhaustion. Surprisingly enough, one of those who were doing so was Ganyu despite how much she loved to work and took a couple days off in a row to also relax for her own health after being advised to do so by her boss, Ningguang.

Today, she was walking along the entire harbor, taking in the cool air from the sea. Ganyu always enjoyed the sights from the harbor, watching ships sail in and out the city, various wildlife appearing from the water, and when it's nighttime during Lantern Rite.

While she was strolling around the dock and taking in the sight, Ganyu spotted a familiar ship just arriving and began to walk where it was docking. Soon reaching the ship, she saw it was the exact ship she thought it was, The Alcor and it's crew, The Crux.

Shortly afterwards, coming from the captain's quarters, the captain and leader emerged onto the deck with an ever so prideful stride as she knows her own reputation to the people of Liyue. She then slowly walked off the deck and onto the docks, seeing the familiar face of her only friend in the Qixing.

"What's up Ms. Secretary, it's been awhile hasn't it, how have you been doing?"

Ganyu gave a tiny smile before walking closer and looking up at the taller woman. "Greetings Ms. Beidou, it has been a while and I've been fine. What about you, what has the sea offered up since we last met?"

"Still the same old you, come on and follow me. I'll tell you about it all while having a proper meal!" With that, Beidou began walking away with Ganyu in tow towards the Third-Round Knockout and ordered her special Flash-Fried Filet for herself and a dish of Universal Peace for her friend while talking about the past couple of weeks.

Ganyu has always been keen on talking to Beidou, always enjoying any time she has with her despite them being polar opposites both in personality and lines of work. The same can be said on Beidou's end, loving the time she can spend with Ganyu, especially because they usually have to be under the radar with meetings since the majority of the Qixing have a major disliking towards Beidou herself.

Soon enough, the two had finished their meals and began walking back to The Alcor, having some small talk of still catching up. Upon arriving at the ship, Ganyu stopped walking and stared at Beidou. "How long are you staying in Liyue this time?" She was genuinely curious as for a few reasons, one of which was because she did want to spend a couple more days with Beidou as they both didn't have many they can call friends.

"Sadly I need to leave by night, having to transport some exports on behalf of the Qixing. However I'll be back in a few days this time rather than weeks. Why do you ask?"

Upon hearing that Beidou would be gone a few days this time, Ganyu grew happy but then realized that by the time she does return she'd have to return to work like normal which instantly ruined her mood before an idea came to her mind. "Could I perhaps join you on this voyage Ms. Beidou?"

A laugh came from the captain before staring directly into Ganyu's eyes. "You ask such an interesting question, not many ever ask to join me on any voyages that aren't part of my crew. What brought interest to Ms. Secretary to join the liking of a pirate?"

A faint blush grew on the Qixing secretary before speaking up. "Well.. I want to know what it's like to be on the open sea seeing how I've never traveled by ship before." While Ganyu was genuine with her response, she also had the reason for wanting to spend some more time with Beidou before having to work once again.

"Well I'll be. Come aboard then, I'll show you around The Alcor so you're acquainted with the different rooms there are below deck."

Upon saying that, Beidou didn't think of the fact that she could possibly be skipping work and grabbed her hand as she brought Ganyu around below deck showing the brig, crew quarters, and kitchen with the canteen. She was quite happy that Ganyu had some interest in joining this voyage along with being able to teach her some knowledge in her area of expertise. After the small tour of the ship, Beidou soon brought Ganyu above deck and to the captain's quarters, decorated with various trinkets and treasures from previous voyages. The room also houses a large bed just for the captain herself. "While you're my guest on this voyage, you can use my quarters like it was your own! I'll be back in a moment, need to have a word with the crew." With that, Beidou gave Ganyu a small pet on her head, slightly petting her horns on accident causing her to blush from the touch as she watched her leave the quarters.

After a moment, Ganyu sat down on the bed, finding it quite comfortable as she laid down on it, taking a moment to properly relax and take in the moment. Not too long into relaxing, she had fallen asleep with how late it was at the time.

Early the next morning, Ganyu found herself waking up in the captain's quarters, feeling something over her torso. As she opened her eyes and adjusted to the lighting, she soon saw Beidou laying behind her, holding her close with arms wrapped around her hips and torso. She began to blush horrendously as she slowly maneuvered the arms holding her in place off herself as she got up from the bed and nearly fell over from the waves guiding the ship to its destination.

Opening up the door to the deck, the warm sun hit her skin, helping her wake up some more as she saw the crew doing their jobs of adjusting sails to catch the wind, changing the length of some so they don't have difficulty when having to turn. She walked over the the side of the ship, looking out over the glimmering ocean water, occasionally seeing a dolphin jump from the water, making her smile as she continued to walk around the deck.

It wasn't long before Ganyu stood at the helmet, watching over everything going on with the ship and it's crew before suddenly feeling a hand atop her head and horns, petting her ever so slightly, making her turn red and had her face behind her hands. 

"Hey there Ms. Secretary, how well did you sleep?" After saying that, Beidou looked down at Ganyu, seeing the reaction she was having, finding it cute. "Don't be shy!"

After a moment, the hand left her head and Ganyu looked up to Beidou, a shy smile given behind the intense blush. "I slept well.. your bed was quite comfortable.."

"That's good to hear, I'm glad you found it so. Well, be prepared for a few more days on the ocean before getting back to Liyue. I hope you enjoy your time with me and my crew."

With that said, both girls went about doing different things but for the most part Ganyu ended up following Beidou around the ship as she didn't really know any of the crew and also to keep catching up some more.

Another day and night passes, Ganyu once again wakes up with Beidou holding onto her, making her blush as she copies the same thing she did the morning before and walks to the deck and takes in the view again before heading back into the captain's quarters, wanting to change out of her clothes before the realization that she didn't pack any spare clothes for the trip, making her start to panic a small bit.

The pacing of heels hitting against the wooden boards caused Beidou to soon wake up, rubbing her one eye as she stared at Ganyu, able to tell something was wrong. "Hey. Ganyu, you alright? Did something happen?"

Stopping in her tracks and turning to face Beidou, Ganyu took some deep breaths before speaking. "No. I just realized that I didn't bring any spare clothes for the voyage."

"Is that all? Y'know, I don't mind if you borrow some of mine from that closet over there." She pointed at the closet in question before stretching and getting off the bed. "I'll leave you to change, I need to get to the wheel." With that, Beidou left the quarters, leaving Ganyu alone to her changing problem.

Now that she calmed down, she walked over and opened the closet, seeing the same outfit Beidou wears but in ever so slightly different styles. Ganyu knew that anything she was to choose would be a bit too big on her, but it was better than wearing her dirty clothes for the rest of the voyage. She soon grabbed the light blue coloured outfit and looked at herself in the mirror, feeling happy for some reason she didn't understand. Ganyu left and found Beidou, holding a short conversation as she was trying to steer the ship.

Later that night, Ganyu was having difficulty sleeping and walked to the bow of the ship, watching the moonlight dance on the water's surface and land off in the distance. The quiet was very peaceful as it helped clear her mind until the sound of boots walking on the deck could be heard moving closer to Ganyu.

"Hey Ms. Secretary, what's got you up this late?" Beidou soon joined Ganyu, standing next to her and taking in the same view as she did. "It's beautiful isn't it? It's a luxury for most to see something like this."

"I have just been thinking a lot since I agreed to join this voyage."

"Can I ask what exactly you've been thinking? You know you can always talk to me if needed."

Ganyu turned to look at Beidou, staring up to catch the look in her eyes. "My feelings.. it's nothing important.."

"Tell me. You're my guest and I want to make sure you're enjoying your time on my ship."

"Well.. I'm just uncertain on how I feel about someone.. not sure if it's something more or something less.."

Beidou placed a hand on her shoulder, giving her a smile. "I understand that feeling. I've had the same thoughts go through my head before whenever I leave Liyue. Can I ask who the person you're talking about? I'll even say the one I think about if you tell me."

Ganyu grew nervous, finding it hard to breathe a bit before calming down while staring into Beidou's eye. "W-Well.. the person is y-you.." Her face instantly turned red as she tried to hide it.

Hearing the answer, Beidou blushed ever so slightly as she began to pet Ganyu on the head and horns. "That's funny. My person is you." She said that with a smile as she found Ganyu to be even cuter with the reaction on her face.

Feeling as she was being pet, Ganyu only hid her face even more and grew even more flustered than she was, but grew shocked from what Beidou said to her. "Really..?" Then to only see her nod in response, making her happier than ever as she pushed herself forward and clung onto Beidou. 

In return, Beidou stopped the petting and held onto Ganyu, rubbing her back softly. "You're the only person who takes the time out of the day to keep up with me and my travels and give me a good time during my time in Liyue. After getting to know you for these years, I couldn't help but grow feelings for you. Then seeing your cute shyness whenever I pet you made it harder to not fall for you."

Beidou held onto Ganyu's chin, lifting her face as she leaned down, pressing their lips together as she gave the short girl a kiss, holding it for a few seconds before pulling away. "I love you, Ganyu."

Ganyu grew the most flustered she's ever been as she hid her face by pressing it up against Beidou's chest, nuzzling slightly into it. "I l-love you too.. Beidou.."

After a quiet moment under the moonlight, Beidou grabbed ahold of Ganyu's hand. "Let's get back to my quarters and sleep for the night, my love."

Ganyu nodded before following behind Beidou back the the captain's quarters and laying on the bed, cuddling with her love.

[liyuesbian]

yeah I honestly liked all of the inazuma 5* quests we've done so far! I think they all added something to those respective characters, save for ayaka's (it did further her characterization but also,,, a literal date. I think it was endearing but it made her feel kinda 2d? idk) I feel like the first two were kinda filler mostly because 2.0 was sorta the calm before the storm,,, (although why were we so passive fjdsfks i feel like the traveler needs to seek out stuff by themselves more lmao) raiden is finally someone who's both girlboss and kind and not reduced to either extreme (or limited to "(hot) wife material"), which is very very good

about the archons: YEAH I love Zhongli very much but I think he owes the adepti (at least) a Full explanation... he did mention that he hinted to both the Qixing and adepti that he's not dead but ganyu's dialogue when we were getting glaze lilies for the rite of parting AAAA I was so miffed Zhongli couldn't have taken her aside to tell her right there. Xiao too, literally they would be so worried for him and they deserve to hear it from him personally dammit >:|

I think the reasoning for the "test" was like. the traveler has a voiceline that basically says: if people knew Morax walked through Liyue every day, they would just go to him for advice, hang onto his every word and try to analyze and reanalyze it all the time, like with Ningguang's paper snow. I feel like that would be the scenario if Morax stepped down peacefully, since everyone would know he still exists; he doesn't get a good retirement and Liyue still relies on gods too much. trying to drown the city was a bit overkill (childe... o-o) but I will hesitantly trust Zhongli when he says he could and would save Liyue if it truly needed him.

also true true! the people still really believe in the archons, even with barbatos who's been absent for so long (venti...), and even after their gnoses are gone and all. it's cool how they have vastly different governance styles but their whole nation More or Less respects them

baal/ei hate is so uncalled for though wtf. At least Raiden's still doing her job unlike her slacking coworkers Zhongli and Venti. and regardless of whether she's done right or wrong, people can like fictional characters who've done bad things.... why must you inject morality into your personal faves :| (genshin fandom highkey sucks oml)

yeah!! the resistance barely got a mention except for Gorou in the end scene, and it's like ??? the war is over? or? it just went by too fast and it felt like in the end the resistance were mere pawns, since the real stuff was resolved by us and Yae (paimon's line that's like "they aren't a match for the raiden shogun" at the battle cutscene is the epitome of the resistance in 2.3)

nobody has explained to me how the resistance got into Tenshukaku/Inazuma City in the first place either 😩 it is nice to see you, Kazuha and Gorou, but what are you doing here?

-welcometoteyvat (eh you can call me by mystic or my url lol, I don't really care, and I think I returned your rant with a longer rant too hsdfsa)

AJWADAH hi mystic! i love how this turned into a "thoughts about 2.1!" discussion into a whole genshin discussion #''1?2!! AND I'M ALL FOR THIS BACK AND FORTH THING

(here we go again, 2.1 spoilers below the cut)

yes!! this date thing with the female characters needs to stop... and actually, i would've loved to know more about baal's friends in the actual story quest (like with venti) instead of having to explore inazuma to find out more (but i will admit that i do lowkey like how the lore is hidden inside teyvat's nooks and crannies but in the case of la signora... not really. we should've learned more abt her first before her death instead of us having to look at an artifact set's description. i'll forgive mhy for this though - maybe we'll get to know her more when snezhnaya releases) and i share your sentiments about raiden/ei! what a girlboss!

MHM i wasn't gonna get into the whole thing with the adepti and venti's extreme laziness but hey, it's here now lmao and right?! but hinting is not good enough for me >:( AHHAHA he owes xiao and ganyu so much they're basically avid followers of his and they have history togther but he doesn't even tell them the truth?! >:(

yepp i remember that but even then, he could've just said "yo i'm stepping down. you won't know who i am bc i'll be anonymous or whatever"... and it seems like zhongli had already integrated himself well in liyue. nobody questioned his sudden appearance or mentions when he came to be wangsheng's consultant (maybe there is but i can't rmbr anything off the top of my head)

RIGHT?! goddamn raiden is trying her best out here!! i'm not excusing her actions or ei's ignorance towards the inazuman modern society pre-raiden quest but she's still trying to run her country and the corruption of a certain influential department didn't rly help either. (and yep the genshin fandom does suck D: we don't have to "moralise" every aspect of fiction!!)

exactlyyyy and again, traveller saves the day !!!! i get that they have main character armour or wtv but still, aren't they a bit too invincible? they defeated an actual ARCHON on the second try && i can't believe it only took two people to stop an entire war which had people suffering, trying to escape inazuma and the tenryou commission and some even went MAD and had personality changes when they lost their visions but now it's all fine and dandy?

OH MY GOD that's true! i didn't think about that.. how did the resistance get into tenshukaku so quickly when they were, what, two islands away?

sigh 2.1 was messy