#geo trekking

[grandstringbeansupreme]

Humans Are Space Orcs- Inhospitable Environments

⋆dedicated to @jhomikle⋆

Captain Giristlo had one major goal as leader of xeir ship, the Stargazer.

The safety and happiness of all of xeir crewmates.

So when xey had caught Human Owen and Durran, xeir two resident humans, arguing about something called a "television", xey had been curious. The argument had apparently been about a show that appeared on this television device. When the ship next docked, Giristlo had ordered one of these 'televisions", hoping this might settle the argument.

When xey gave it to the humans, they were very excited. Soon enough, they had it up and running in their quarters. When they were on break, Giristlo could walk by and hear it running.

Soon, Giristlo's curiosity overcame xem and xey asked to watch one of these "shows" with the humans.

Human Owen and Human Durran sat xem down to watch "something simple." As the logo flashed across the television, the translator clipped it to "National Geographic." *

Giristlo watched with great interest as the episode tracked two Hikers (Human John and Human Sarah) who were taking a trek up a mountain on Earth called "Everest".

Giristlo's interest soon turned to horror as xey beheld the conditions of the mountain. Show after show on this "channel" revealed even more horrible conditions like a "desert" or a "rainforest." Xey had heard of planets with these features before, but had never seen sentients actively try and brave them.

"Why does your species challenge your nature? This is seriously dangerous work, Human Owen and Human Durran!"

"Well, because it's an adventure! It's fun!"

*not sponsored by Nat Geo. I wish.*

[ivorysyrniki]

chapter one: a chance encounter (venti)

pairing: venti/reader

title: Everything I Know About Love

summary: The Archon War has ended, your contract with the Lord of Geo fulfilled, so where shall you go now? You think going to Mondstadt to have a taste of their specialty, Dandelion Wine, serves as a good farewell to Teyvat now that you have no purpose to be here. All plans seemingly change as this bard clad in green manages to entice you to submit to his whims.

tags: fluff, friends to lovers, slow burn, eventual smut, love confessions

notes: biweekly updates. also posted on ao3. fridays.

parts: chapter one - chapter two

In a clearing in the yellow-green plains of Liyue wanders a lonesome Adeptus. This Adeptus is you, walking away from Liyue Harbor and all its troublesome matters–including your fulfilled contract with the Lord of Geo, the currently seated Geo Archon. The Archon War had already finished its assault on Teyvat a fortnight ago, and the seven divine seats of Celestia taken, forming The Seven. 

'How foolish,' you think as you stop your trek, your foot nudging gently at the plants that surrounded the clearing. It is a pleasant clearing to take a break in, for it is–as you put it to the best of your muddled mind to decide what it is–secluded, quiet, isolated, yet brimming with new life from the wounds that it suffered from during a long dreadful war of Gods and creatures from both Teyvat and other parts. It serves as a reminder that perhaps even those hit by the strife of life may continue to live and breathe again. While you believe they can never be themselves again compared to what they were prior to the war, a brand new start may indicate that this life was perhaps even better. 

‘Maybe Teyvat would be better off under The Seven’s divine rule,’ you muse, setting down your worn bag on the sharp grass. A long sigh escapes your mouth as you try to focus on your surroundings, but to no avail–your mind is simply too distracted, your body worn from past battles. The fact that it may never truly heal upsets you, with Cloud Retainer’s voice ringing inside your head. The voices that ring in your head are not the tormentors–it was the words.

Another sigh.

Then another. 

Until you fall asleep. 

You open your eyes after a few hours and slowly realize the deathly silence the world engulfs you in. Stars are beginning to appear on the blanket of the false sky, clouds shielding them from the horrid appearance of Teyvat’s landscape, and the Moon looks as if it is hiding from everything as well, peaking only momentarily from the heavy clouds. 

It is going to rain soon. 

And it is time to go. You pick up your belongings, organize them in a suspended fashion in the worn bag to not experience any material loss, and set out on your journey once again to Mondstadt, where you can have a taste of their Dandelion Wine, and forget the ailments that plague your mind and body all at once, all based from the suggestion of Ganyu. It is constant torture, how the Archon War fashioned by Celestia themselves injured even the depths of your soul. You are tired. You want to rest and be done with this world, despite your curiosity of life pronounced anew because of the victorious, The Seven. 

You walk again, the sun hiding behind Liyue’s proud and tall mountains of old. The wind caresses your face and hair as it moves clouds away from the ransacked Guili plains, and onto the West, where Minlin’s peaking mountains stand, eyeing mortals who dare to gaze upon them. A little disoriented from the nap, you rub your hands, blowing onto them gently. Until something catches the corner of your eye. An untrained eye would have merely dismissed it as some speck of dust that just happened to be too shiny under the lonesome clouds up in the sky. 

It makes a noise. 

A noise! 

You jump back slightly, fully eyeing the ‘speck of dust’ your eyes feed your mind. Kneeling, you hear the sing-song whispers of winds caressing the leaves of trees and the soft twinkling of birdsong. A little hooded figure comes out from the thick leaves of a Liyue plant, shuffling from common sweet flowers that emit a scent so sweet you would think they were truly blessed by The Seven. 

You stumble on your backside, feet feeling the pressure of your body; your mind becoming even more disoriented. Surely, you are hallucinating for you are certainly not seeing a wisp. It must just be magical dust. But no, indeed it was a wisp, those who were born from the branches of time, possibly Istaroth’s rumored offspring. 

Can wisps talk? You have never encountered one before. Hasn’t the Lord of Geo told you that the neighboring nation of Mondstadt is ruled by a wisp who takes on the form of a bard? What if this was the Anemo Archon himself? 

It shows its thoughts about the situation by hiding once again behind the dark green leaves and neighboring sweet flowers. 

“Wait, sorry!” you scramble to your feet, startling yourself with the loudness of your voice, before lowering your tone to a less frightened one, “Please come back, I didn’t mean it!”

It peeks, releasing a sweet sound before gliding towards you and pushing you back on your backside. It is a soft landing, so you are not hurt, only releasing a soft sound from your mouth. It nods and stomps slightly on your shoulder as if telling you to stay there. It glides once again before landing on the floor. 

It was a blur, your mind barely making out the overwhelming light coming from the ground, the howling wind surprising birds, foxes, boars–running away from the scene. Quiet sounds of a harp ring in your ears pleasantly, almost rocking you to a peaceful slumber. Flakes of translucent geometric shapes appear, and within the blink of an eye–a young boy clad in green and brown appears. 

“Terribly sorry for not having the most flamboyant entrance for a beautiful maiden such as yourself!” the young boy smiles at you, almost cheekily, his eyes twinkling and his throat hoarse as if he has not spoken for a long time. “Can you give me another chance, young lady?”

“Eh?!”

“Oh. . . I apologize, fair maiden, for it appears I have startled you to the point of no words!” he pulls something out from behind him, a lyre appearing out from the wind. He strums it, forming a beautiful melody that eases your internal and external wounds, and slows your breath, and if not for his next confirmation, you would have to consider him as some sort of wolf in sheep’s clothing who intends to entice you to follow his every command, whether it brings you danger or not. 

“Your eyes do not deceive you, it is I, the Anemo Archon!” 

[seraph-of-sizes]

Broken Homes of Different Sizes pt3

Borrower Lyney and Lynette, Human Freminet (Slight au with borrowers existing, everything else is the same as canon)

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

Lyney couldn’t breathe. He didn’t dare to. If the human heard them…

Another knock, this one quieter, reverberated through the wooden walls of their tiny home. He heard Lynette hiss softly, still buried in his arms. 

“Sorry.” Lyney blinked at the soft voice. “I-I let my curiosity get the better of me. I didn’t mean to frighten you… I-I’m going to bed. I promise not to bother you again.”

He heard the human step away, and a loud groan came from the old bookshelf moving back into its rightful spot, making him feel a bit safer. As his breaths evened out, he couldn’t keep his mind from wandering, would the human keep his word? Were they still safe here?

He shook his head at himself. No. There was no room for error here. 

But they would need supplies before leaving.

The twins went to bed, but could barely sleep, on edge as they were at every slight noise. Eventually Lyney sighed, telling Lynette to sleep, and that he would keep watch.

She had almost protested before a yawn sealed her tiredness and she grumbled as she settled down to sleep. Lyney hummed as he warmed up their home with his vision, knowing his twin liked to sleep warm. With the human of the house having a Cryo vision, the home was usually too cold for her tastes, which made Lyney all the more grateful for the Pyro vision that he had gained during one of his first borrowing trips.

For humans, earning a vision was rare. For borrowers, it was a right of passage. Surviving one’s first encounter with a human or creature often ended in tragedy or celebration. Pyro, Anemo, and Geo visions were the most common. Then Dendro, Hydro, Electro, and Cryo was the rarest vision for a borrower to possess. After all, Cryo wielders tended to create a cold environment, and for people already as small as them, it was seen as a bad omen.

Lyney bit back a yawn as a small pinprick of light filtered through a glass window fitted in their home, facing a small crack in the exterior wall of the human home. Morning was already here.

And soon their home here would be abandoned, left to rot unless some other unfortunate borrower chose to live here. He sighed, gently untangling himself from Lynette’s hold. As quietly as possible he began to pack their essentials, leaving room for the things he was going to collect shortly. The one good part about a borrowing trip before jumping ship was he wouldn’t have to be as discreet. After all, it wasn’t like a human could find them when they were long gone.

After a quick look out the window crack, Lyney nodded. The human would’ve been gone at sun-up, so he should have plenty of time to borrow the supplies and make it back. If he hurried he might even be back before Lynette woke up. The thought of having everything prepared so his twin could sleep as long as she liked before their journey gave him the energy he needed to start the trek through the tunnels.

First on his list was matches. He knew there were a few spots they were kept, some in the human’s bedroom (not a chance), some in a kitchen drawer (probably shut tight), and some in the small room/workshop. The obvious choice was chosen, and Lyney exited the walls onto the human’s desk, only to freeze.

He could almost see his reflection in the goggles that were sat over the human’s face, his hair tied back and a tig welder smoking slightly in his grip. The blue-grey eyes were blown wide behind the glass frames of the goggles. The two sat in complete silence for a moment before the human slowly backed away, startling Lyney at the sudden movement. 

He shifted his weight to bolt back into the walls, only to frown as the human turned his gaze back to the machinery in his hands. As if the metal he was melding together was more important and more intriguing than the creature of myth before him. Lyney couldn’t help it, really genetics was to blame for the next part of this ridiculousness. After all, curiosity killed the cat. 

Lynette might’ve gotten the physical traits, but Lyney wasn’t exempt from the hereditary instincts.

“I’m repairing one of my clockwork toys.” Lyney jumped at the sudden conversation from the human. “I sell them to a local toy shop as prototypes. I-I’ve always liked working with machines. Machines don’t hurt you emotionally, they don’t feel, they just follow orders.”

Oh.

Lyney swallowed his fear, the echo of Ceaser was in his ears. ‘This world is full of lies and falsehoods. I only hope that one day you can find your own truth. To live and love, even with those tiny hearts of yours, I know one day they will be enough to cherish those you find in similar situations. Never let your prejudice sway your verdicts, we are in the Land of Justice after all, listen to everything. Hear everything. After all, magic is mostly a thief of attention.’ 

“D-did you mean it?” His voice came out with a slight rasp, he didn’t dare to clear his throat just yet. He was paying his full attention to this human.

“Um…” The human turned his eyes back onto Lyney, who in turn felt his heart rate skyrocket. “I s-suppose so? That’s really just how they’re made though. Programming isn’t my strong suit…”

Lyney felt like he should laugh at the absurdly different pages they were on. “No, I meant last night… Would you really leave us alone? You don’t seem like the type to keep us as pets. Right?”

The human’s face was a mess of confusion before clarity seemed to practically smack him. “O-of course not!” The incredulousness increased the human’s volume a bit, making Lyney wince. “Sorry- I’m… um, I meant it. I like reading fairytales and borrowers are kind of common in them… not to say you aren’t real! Just that- uh.” Lyney almost felt bad, the boy had turned off the tig welder, and had pushed a bit away from his workspace. All to give Lyney more space, yet the human was the one acting nervous! “I’m sorry if- that you have to move because of me. I’ve read how it’s usually difficult, and um, I’d feel bad if you got hurt.” 

Lyney sighed, unless this human had amazing acting skills, he was being genuine. The soft pleading look in his eyes reminded Lyney of Ceaser. A kind-hearted person that was dealt a poor hand of cards in the game of life.

“If you promise, on your Vision, that you will never harm me or my sister…Maybe we’ll consider staying.” Lyney crossed his arms, even humans abided by that unspoken law. To swear upon one’s vision and break the vow, the stone in the vision would crack. Everyone would know you as a liar, that you were untrustworthy. You would still be able to use the elements, but the crack would remain until the owner of the vision passed away.

“I swear it upon my vision.” The human nodded, genuine, sincere.

“Okay.” Lyney took a deep breath. “I’m Lyney, my twin sister is called Lynette.”

The human nodded, mouthing the names as if to commit them to memory. He then slowly took off his goggles, straightening his hair and peering down at Lyney. “I’m Freminet. It’s nice to meet you.”

[inhumanheresy]

@inkbloodcd — for Zhongli

The match between Tartaglia and the Traveler this week is a quick one.

It ends with the tip of a crackling, surging spear against the Traveler’s throat, the golden figure groaning and wincing as they tipped their head back in acceptance of defeat. They’d gotten a few good hits in, Tartaglia admitted as he hauled them up off the floor, but their strength had waned sharply in the latter part of the fight.

“Letting yourself slip, Traveler?” “I’m tired, you ass, it happens sometimes.” “It’d take more than the usual adventurer life to tire you out, Goldie.” “Yeah, well, trekking through the desert kind of sucks. On top of that… have you ever run across an ‘Iniquitous Baptist’ in your experience fighting Abyssal things?” “Heard of them, but haven’t fought one. Are you saying…” “Come along, if the Tsaritsa gives you the leave. Your help’d be great against those pyro shields.”

The thought of a fight against an entirely new kind of opponent lends a spring to Tartaglia’s step even once he shifts back to human, binds up a remaining wound or two that he can feel bleeding, and salutes a jaunty, irreverent two-fingered goodbye to the Traveler as both of them teleport away from the Golden House to their respective destinations.

The one that he ends up at is the gate of an adeptal abode in Jueyun Karst.

He activates the entryway, stepping inside Zhongli’s domain with a wince as he rolls his shoulders. Pain seares with each step. His bones keen a familiar ache, the price of his transformation from a human form to an abyssal one, then back again, but it bothers him only a little more than it usually does. That’s not bad. Manageable, for sure.

A Liyuen-style home sits nestled in a cleft of rock made by two weathered karst spires much like the ones outside, stone steps carved out of the base rock leading up to the entry. Boots slipped off at the threshold and a nice breeze making its way in from the open-roofed courtyard rock garden, he pads inside to find his… friend? More-than-friend? Whatever definition that normal people might give to this thing between them that they’ve rebuilt and grown since the Gnosis Incident?

Zhongli should have tea water boiling by this point. It’s become a near-ritual after his weekly fights with the Traveler: bruised, satisfied, and with the thrill of a good battle still singing through him, he drags himself to Zhongli’s abode — some weeks more literally than others — and accepts a cup of tea as he slumps into a comfortable seat, distracting himself from the residual agony in his body by listening to the former Archon speak on anything and everything.

He finds Zhongli spooning out tea leaves for the pot with meticulous precision, his adeptal form looking more natural and at home in this realm than Tartaglia’s own human one does. Clawed Geo-gold hands act with motions so long-practiced that they have transcended ritual and become art, exacting intent in every movement.

Ajax grins at the sight. Though pain still courses through his body, almost-constantly weathering a new flare everywhere from skin to marrow, there’s an air of relaxation and comfort in a moment like this that he cannot help but succumb to.

“Hey there, you old lizard. What’s the tea you’ve chosen for tonight?”

[apraxvalith]

charon/you is very intriguing purely bc i am an absolute slut for him good lord that tall ghoul 🥵

Alrighty, THIS is one smut fic I'm not sure I'll ever finish so I'll throw a longer excerpt out. Better than letting it rot in my Google Drive in perpetuity, at least!

Jist of the draft is that the reader and Charon find themselves at Reilly's compound after a long trek around DC, doing her geo-mapping repeatable quest. They take some much needed R&R, which is code for having We-Gotta-Be-Quiet sex in a small bunker with people sleeping nearby 😛

Excerpt [Explicit, Implied/Referenced Rough Sex:

---

Charon's stretched out on your cot, armor piled in a corner and a dusty magazine in his lap. You've been at Reilly's compound for the better part of the day, long enough to see the stiff, combat-ready side of him settle. He's relaxed - or as relaxed as he can be. His baseline never slips below moderately on-edge, but this is one of the few places he’s deemed safe enough to let his guard down. It’s always been your home away from home, after all, and that comfort’s finally started to rub off on him.

"Hey," you murmur. 

He grunts a wordless greeting. He doesn't look up at first, but when you put your back to him, you sense his eyes on you. It's a familiar feeling, by now. Most of the time, he's watching you like a hawk - always protective, always bracing for some ever-present danger you can't see. 

This is different. Right now, the way he's looking at you has got fuck-all to do with guarding your life. You catch his reflection in a broken slab of mirror propped against the wall, and when you bend over, his eyes drop to your ass, tracing the inside of your thighs as you fish something from your pack. 

"...Enjoying the view?" you say.

You throw him a smirk, and he looks away, his guarded expression pinching with the barest hint of a scowl.

"Don't pretend you weren't staring. We've been at this way too long for that shit. If you want to fuck me, you can just say so." 

Charon frowns at his magazine again, a dog-eared copy of Guns and Ammo he’s abused for weeks. He stares through it for a moment, chews his tongue, then sighs. 

"...That would be a terrible idea," he announces, at last. 

"Why?" 

"Someone will hear." 

"Not if we're quiet." 

"You are rarely quiet." 

"That's not exactly my fault, is it?" 

His attention snaps back to you, and this time, he glowers. You know that look, by now: a silent warning, proof you should leave well enough alone.

You snicker and resume pawing your way through your pack. It's not long before Charon stirs. For someone so large, he's surprisingly quiet - aside from the soft creak of mattress springs, there's hardly a sound as he pads over to the door, scans the hallway, then yanks the tattered curtain shut.

"...Change your mind?" you ask.

Yet again, you’re met with silence, but the slow creep of his looming shadow tells you all you need to know. You suppress a shiver. His hand finds your shoulder, the tightening of his grip your only warning before he shoves you face-first against the wall. Your palms fly up, and his weight crushes down. He mouths your ear, nips your neck, then pulls your hips back, sending a stab of heat straight to your groin. 

“S... See-" You choke down a whimper. “This is what I'm talking about. If you weren't so rough, then maybe I'd be quieter..." 

"You want me to be rough." He clenches his hands around your waist, fingers pressing hard enough to bruise. "Am I wrong?"

"N-no," you gasp. "No, you're not..."

[maulthots]

In star trek's version of the future, cops have won the PR war and are now called protectors, earth has outsourced its prisons to other planets, and mass surveillance and geo-targeting have never been more effective nor more pervasive. And also the five day work week still exists. Paradisical!

[multifandomthoughts]

Gender Neutral Reader

Requested by: @softrozene and @joo-joo-bee

“Oh dear, I must have scratched myself again.” Zhongli, Archon of Geo, is a very careful and precise person. Well equipped in the art of combat, not so much in the art of paperwork, money and business activities. Here he sat, having injured himself while doing one of the most menial tasks possible. With a sigh, he gently puts the scratched finger to his lips.

What he doesn’t know, is that somewhere across Liyue, that minuscule slit had appeared on someone else. You let out a yelp, preparing to nock an arrow in your bow. “How did I get this….” You ponder. Most of the wounds you received were from battle, and due to your precision with a bow, you know this isn’t from hardened combat.

It had been happening more and more frequently, mysterious injuries showing up on your body. Normally you would chalk it up to clumsiness as you constantly were knocking into things or tripping. However, it was almost otherworldly how they were appearing without cause.

Sighing, you head down to the Wanmin restaurant. You felt ravenous after fighting the fatui and could go for one of Xiangling’s signature dishes. “Hi! Welcome to Wanmin, make I take your…” the waitress sang, her voice trailing off. “Is something the matter?” You ask, genuinely concerned. “Your cuts…I’ve seen them on another person. And when that happens, it’s said that fate has destined two people to be together.

Your face heats up, unable to take the fact that your soulmate may be out there. Better yet, they might even be in Liyue! Your imagination explodes with possibilities of what they could look like, or what their personality might be like. Absentmindedly, the menu slips from your hands as you fantasize. The waitress’s voice brings you back to reality as you sheepishly pick up your menu off the floor to order.

While waiting for your food, you put together a plan. After paying for the meal, and thanking the waitress for the information, you begin to question the locals. Most of them have heard of it, as you had come to know it as a local legend. However, none of them recognize any of your bumps and bruises.

You’re not getting anywhere, and if your soulmate is in Liyue, who knows how long they’ll stay? About to give up on your search, you look up to the sky. The Jade Palace, floating gracefully, strikes you with inspiration. As you trek up the jade palace’s steps, your clumsiness kicks in. You slip and fall, leaving a nasty cut on your knee. Only you could fall within the sight of the leader of Liyue. At least now you’ll have a fresh injury to confirm your suspicions.

When you limp the last few dozen yards to meet her, she immediately looks upon you with concern that you do your best to dismiss for the sake of getting to the greater point. You explain your situation and ask if she knows who might be having similar injuries to the ones on you.

“Hmm…I have seen one person with similar wounds. And if those injuries correspond to yours, you may have a rare gem on your hands. Do you know of Rex Lapis?” You raise your eyebrows quizzically, not sure where she was going. “Yeah, isn’t he the god of geo?” Ningguang nods, continuing on. “Unbeknownst to the general public, he resides among us, observing our daily routines. He works a menial job, but has been showing up each day with more severe wounds.”

Stunned, you couldn’t even think of any words to say. Could your soulmate possibly be a living breathing god? Lip quivering, you attempt to open your mouth once again. “Lady Ningguang, where might I find this Rex Lapis? You said he works a menial job but most of the citizens of Liyue do.”

“He works at the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. You will want to ask for Zhongli, as that is the name he adopted. However, if you cannot find him there, he may be at the market looking for supplies. He never has any money, so a way to get in his good graces would be to give him some Mora. You’re not getting that money back, by the way.”

You give a grateful nod and a smile, before wincing as you try and walk away. “Guess I should deal with this knee wound first…” After getting some pain medicine and putting a bandage on your knee, you head to the funeral parlor first.

Taking a deep breath through your nose, you enter the funeral parlor. The smell of death permeates the air, and quite frankly it makes you uneasy. Your first priority is to see if you can find him immediately, but the backup plan is to find another attendee you can speak to and explain your reason for being here.

A secretary must have heard your internal monologue, because she strolls right up to you. “Excuse me, I’m looking for a Zhongli, I need to consult with him about a deceased relative?” “Ah, well if you’re looking for Zhongli, he’s right over there. And might I say, I’m sorry for your loss.” They offer, pointing you in the direction of a man working on his own. You approach nervously, noticing he’s trying not to put weight on the same leg where you cut your knee.

“Mr Zhongli, I’m so sorry to bother you last minute without an appointment…” You stammer, your face heating up ever so slightly. “It’s no problem, things come up quite unexpectedly. It’s the nature of life and death.” He responds coolly, brushing his hair out of his eyes. “Let me take you to the consultation room.” You follow him to a small room with a couch, a table and a few chairs. He proceeds to sit down with a grunt.

You sit with similar aching groans, seeing him clutching his knee in particular. “May I ask what happened there?” You ask, trying not to seem too eager. “Oh, it’s nothing, these suspicious wounds have been appearing on my body lately. I must be running into things and not noticing.” You bite your lip, trying to keep your mouth from twisting into a smile. “That’s odd, I fell today in the same spot while trying to climb the Jade Palace steps.

“Oh, what a strange coincidence.” Zhongli chuckles. “Let’s get to the matter at hand, you have a deceased relative that you’d like to have embalmed?” “Yeah about that….” You say with an embarrassed grimace. “I actually was here to talk to you about your injuries. Or should I say, our injuries. You see, I was curious as to why all these tiny little cuts were appearing on my body so I asked around.” Recounting your story, you tell him all about the interactions you had with local folk, and then Lady Ningguang. Zhongli looks puzzled, but not surprised as he hears how you learned that injuries like these connect you to your soulmate.

But it doesn’t seem to be fully clicking for him until the end. “And so she told me who you really are, and that in all likelihood you’re my destined soulmate. Our matching knee scrapes are a strong indication it’s true, but we could try and compare other injuries if you want to be sure. I only hope you are accepting of a mortal like me being your match.” His head tilts as if the internal gears need to turn to process all of this, and after a moment you see his eyes widen and his mouth twitch. That moment quickly passes though, and he keeps a neutral but friendly face. “You seem like a lovely person, I would indeed be able to accept such events. And I don’t think you would make such a thing up just to try and get to me, so there is little doubt in my mind this is so. Perhaps we can meet again later and discuss this further… over dinner?”

“Sure, as long as you don’t burn your tongue.”

[zuzukunis]

alatus nemeseos — a brief dive into xiao's character

he longs for a day to come when he will wear the mask and dance — not to conquer demons, but to the tune of that flute amid a sea of flowers.

to understand his character better i’d firstly like to briefly talk about the connection between his backstory and the archetypal stories the writers used to create him: "guardian yaksha" and "numinous official's redemption" both (of which) involve a malevolent spirit on a path towards goodness.

among the twelve heavenly generals (a well-known group of guardian yakshas in some buddhist denominations) one is associated with a bird deity, the golden-winged garuda. this fearsome bird deity, however, only ate evil dragons, until one day the poison he consumed while doing so became unbearable and he burnt to death, leaving only a crystal heart behind. the tattoo on xiao’s arm is that of an illuminated beast, related to his true form, the form of a vermilion bird. alatus nemeseos, or the golden winged great peng, xiao’s constellation is a reference to the bird deity. and from xiao’s character story we know that his story is very similar to that of said deity. “xiao relentlessly slaughtered the endless, impure manifestations of their vengeful souls, but in doing so, he caused them to fracture. eventually, these fragments of their hatred were able to taint xiao’s own soul.” and still xiao dons his mask to take on the role of a protector, slaughtering all evil, day after day despite it brining him great anguish. this endless war he wages has not only placed a karmic burden on him but also caused him to resign himself “to the fact that fighting is all he is good at.”

‹ the demon-hunting yaksha ›

“in the fables of another land, the name xiao is that of a spirit who encountered great suffering and hardship. he endured much suffering, as you have. use this name from now on.” (xiao character story ii) after the archon war ended the geo archon called upon the yakshas to fight against the remnants of the defeated gods. but gods are immortal. and despite knowing they were fighting a battle that could never be won the yakshas continued to do so. xiao has been protecting liyue for over a millennia, tainting his soul and watching as karmic debt slowly but surely ate away at the souls of the other yakshas, until all of them succumbed to madness and only he remained. and he knew that one day his karmic debt would catch up to him too. and once it did he would meet fate similar to that of the golden-winged deity.

‹ the fall of the last yaksha ›

“there was once when most of xiao’s strength was spent fighting from dusk till down, with him emerging victorious by a mere hair. the reeds in the fields had been sliced to ribbons in the fierce fighting. plucking his spear from where it had been planted in the ground, xiao began to trek home. well, once says “home” — yet, where did xiao have to return to? he was merely leaving the battlefield. long exhausted, xiao felt the divine hatred that tainted his body take effect. limitless hate flooded his senses, and he fell to the ground in agony. but it was also at that moment that the pain vanished without warning. this was not by xiao’s own strength, for he had been rescued by the sound of a flute. the clear, lovely sound of the flute came over the mountains and rivers, carried on the wind to where he lay. and clear it continued to ring till the first light of dawn brought with it the startled flight of distant birds. it protected xiao, massaging his wild senses, and giving him a moment’s peace. who was playing this music? xiao was curious but did not pursue the matter. for he already had something approaching an answer. the last person who could help him was one of the seven themselves. so this person, too, must be—.” (xiao, characters story v)

xiao, like the golden-winged bird, was about to succumb to his karmic debt. after a millennia of slaying evil spirits it had finally caught up to him, flooding his senses and bringing him down to the ground in great agony. but unlike the bird deity, he had someone to save him. if it weren’t for the lovely sound soothing his senses, that venti let the wind carry to where xiao lay throughout the whole night, xiao would have ended up just like the bird deity. but unlike the fallen yaksha, he managed to survive and keep his crystal heart hidden. and only those who manage to get close to him get to see glimpses of his gentleness.

‹ the yaksha with the crystal heart ›

“according to xiao’s profile, his deepest, most hidden element is gentleness. when all identities and labels are cast aside, xiao has a gentle side, shown in his curiosity towards phenomena in the human world, but he is very reticent to show this side of himself to others.” deep down xiao is a caged bird burdened with a gentle soul and is full of curiosity. he is curious about humans but he doesn’t wish to cause them any harm and so he stays away. after living for so long in the distance, the world has become nothing but a warm light that he is too scared to reach out to (like in his idle animation: "xiao stretches out his hand to try to make contact with it, but because of his karma-ravaged constitution, he succeeds only in causing the spirit to fly away. he knew this would be the inevitable conclusion, but feels dejected all the same."). “this lonely state of existence is the source of his melancholy. it has cause time to stand still, leading to him still having a very young mentality even to this day.” where xiao seems cold and distant he is actually inexperienced, which leaves him unsure of how to act. he doesn’t know what his place among humans is. this results in him coming off as silent and cold-hearted, while in fact underneath all that is a crystal heart, that dreams of nothing but dancing in a sea of flowers to the sound of venti’s flute.

‹ “heroes… i like that word” ›

"it's rare for a yaksha to find repose for their soul." during the 2.7 archon quest xiao is finally learning he isn’t only a demon-hunting yaksha. that he isn’t only a burdened to others. he is learning that there are people who care about him and who want to be a part of his life no matter how hard he tries to push them away for their own good. yes, he did sacrifice himself to save everyone (thank you zhongli for saving our beloved little yaksha) but only because it was the most optimistic solution he could think of. but when the traveler, into whom xiao places a great amount of trust, expreses their concern and confronts him about it, xiao says: i accept your advice. from this day on, heroes will always look out for each other. this is such an important moment for his character because he is finally setting himself free. he is no longer that caged bird.

i just wanted to hop on here and push my “xiao actually has the most gentle soul in all of genshin” agenda. *most of the information here can be found either in game (xiao’s character stories) or in the developer insight #4. also i wanted to add that there isn’t really much about the “numinous official’s redemption” in the official document but (from what i could find) it’s basically a story about a heavenly general who was given the opportunity to correct his wrong doings by the emperor. which you could connect to zhongli freeing xiao from the god that enslaved him, thus giving him the opportunity to redeem himself.

[adarkroomandawallflower]

Hello lovely Noll :) may I request prompt #9 with your lovely Data?

Hello, dear friend; thank you SO much for the request! I'm honored that you're my first request 🖤

I know you're not a fan of Star Trek, but I hope you still enjoy!

Prompt #9: "Oh look. Another journey to another dimension. How fun." (prompt from this post)

The soft sounds of Data tapping away at the console buttons resounded throughout the small shuttle. Geordi watched the glow of Data's fast moving hands as he waited for him to review the information he was currently browsing through. The longer Data remained silent, the more worried Geordi became.

"Well, Data?"

Data scrunched his eyebrows thoughtfully, his fingers ceasing their tapping, "I am uncertain precisely what has occurred, but according to the shuttle's navigational system, it appears we have ventured beyond our original position by 193,567 light years..."

Geordi groaned, "Oh, look. Another journey to another dimension...how fun," he buried his face in his hands. It was barely 16:00 hours on a Wednesday, and this was already the second time this week they had ventured into an alternative dimension.

"Based on our current position and fuel levels, it would take 119 years and 27,854 full fuel tanks for us to return to the Enterprise's last recorded coordinates."

Geordi whistled, "Well, it sounds like we won't be making it back home for dinner any time soon," Data stared at him in bewilderment, but Geordi continued speaking before he could vocalize his confusion. "Okay, let's retrace our steps. First, the shuttle started shaking. Then, it suddenly accelerated so quickly that it seemed to go into warp. Finally, the shuttle dropped out of warp, stopped shaking, and we ended up way out here. Has this happened to anyone else before?"

Data's eyes moved back and forth as he accessed his databanks for information. After a moment, his eyes stopped moving and he spoke, "No, there is currently no such record of these events or any similar events ever occurring to a Federation-issued shuttle."

Geordi sighed, "Okay, I guess we're on our own then...got any ideas or theories, Data?"

Data was silent for a moment, then sharply inhaled, "I believe I do have a 'theory', but I will need to extract more information before I can confirm its plausibility."

"Let's hear it."

"Based on the information currently available, I hypothesize that we have experienced some form of a power fluctuation that caused the shuttle to jump into warp."

"We would need a lot of power to jump into warp, though. What...things out here could create that much power?"

"A collapsing star, the implosion of the sun, an asteriod collision---"

Geordi stopped him abruptly, "But we didn't witness anything like that before the shuttle jumped into warp."

"That is correct...that is why I require more information before I can begin extrapolating a solution."

Geordi shook his head, "No, let's forget about why this happened for a moment and try to figure out how to reverse it and get back home. Is there any way for us to generate enough power to get the shuttle to jump back into warp and take us back?"

Data mulled over the question, reviewing all the documented methods of creating the amount of power necessary to instigate a warp jump in a space vessel. After some time, he came across an intriguing idea, "It is possible for a highly exothermic reaction to release enough energy to instigate a warp jump."

"Hmm, okay...but what kind of exothermic reaction could we generate out here, with the supplies currently available to us?"

Data gave his friend and colleague a somewhat uneasy look, "The ignition of our reserve fuel tank may generate enough energy to activate the warp capacity of the engine...."

Geordi's eyebrows shot up above his VISOR, "And if it doesn't generate enough energy, we'll blow ourselves to smithereens."

"That is essentially correct."

Geordi sighed, "Well, we don't have many other options, do we?"

"At this time, it appears to be our only option."

Geordi swallowed, "Alright...let's give it a try then. What have we got to lose?"

"As you stated previously, the major loss we could sustain is the loss of our lives. However, we will also lose the remainder of our fuel, and possibly the shuttle, as well."

"Thanks, Data. My apprehension for this plan is diminishing by the minute," Geordi added sarcastically.

Data smiled faintly, misunderstanding his 'gratitude' to be genuine, "You are welcome, Geordi."

Several hours, equipment adjustments, and an exploded fuel reserve tank later, what was left of their shuttle was docked back on the Enterprise. The shuttle sustained major (but repairable) physical damage, and both Geordi and Data received some minor burns during the ignition of the reserve fuel tank. Otherwise, the return mission was considered a success.

"A most interesting occurrence, gentleman, and very creative solution," Picard admonished as he briefly discussed the events with Geordi and Data in Sick Bay, "It's not often that a Federation space vessel travels through alternate dimensions multiple times in the same week."

Geordi tsked, "Oh, I'm sure this won't be the last time this week. After all, it's only Wednesday."

"Actually, Geordi, it is now technically Thursday."

Geordi chuckled softly, "Right, my mistake."

"Alright," Dr. Crusher spoke as she healed the last of Geordi's burns, "your burns are healed, and I found no other injuries or anomalies in either of you. I am officially discharging you both, and deem you fit for duty."

The Captain offered them a slight smile, "Thank you, gentlemen. I look forward to reading your reports on the matter," he began to leave Sick Bay, but stopped and turned back around, "Hopefully, you won't have to experience this again...or at least not again this week."

Geordi chuckled, "Well, the week is still young...another teleportation into a third dimension might still be possible."

Data lifted his head up slightly, "Geordi, in the strictest sense, we did not 'teleport' into that alternate dimension. In fact, at this time, it is not possible to teleport into dimensions of any kind..." Geordi simply smiled as Data began to explain the currently accepted theories of inter-dimensional space travel and teleportation to him in great detail, as they both left Sick Bay to return to their respective posts.

A/N: I wish we had gotten more subplots of Geordi's and Data's misadventures; they were always so fun and interesting!

[crystalflygeo]

“…. that’s weird.”

meirin stared at the sigil of permission clutched in her hands, before looking up at the clear sky outside the window, as if it would yield the answer she was looking for.

is it because i have to be closer to liyue? no, she said she should be able to hear me from basically anywhere…

her hands straightened the talisman before closing her eyes. the smell of incense burning in the small censer wafted in the air, calming and sharpening one’s focus in their prayers.

“can you hear me? spring bringer, the doe of the geo archon’s eyes. the dream walker, the one who travels through dreams… my dear friend, this humble mortal requests for your aid.”

…

…

silence.

is she busy? no… even if she is, she would usually give me a sign—

CRASH!

the woman jolted, knees bumping hard against the table and sending the gold-lined censer toppling over. cursing under her breath, she straightened the item before limping a tad towards the direction of the kitchen, her knees throbbing from the impact caused by her reflexes.

“haitham, you okay??”

arriving at the scene, she saw the remnants of broken glass and coffee spilled all over the wooden floor. she stared in both worry and amusement at the way her lover glared at the cupholder in his hand, which clearly had failed its job in holding the now-shattered cup.

normally, she would be in a teasing mood, seeing the man so sulky without his coffee, but this time, dread settled at the bottom of her stomach.

what a bad omen, her mother would usually say in situation like these. by no means the young woman was a superstitious person — but this, coupled with how her friend wasn’t answering…

“babe.”

she received an irate grumble as the man stepped back from the mess to fetch the trash bin, “no, there’s no coffee left. i’ll have to brew you a new one.”

“that’s not it. let’s go to liyue.”

“….. provide a reasonable reason for me to write on my day off request.”

“you’re smarter than me. use your brain,” the woman tapped her index finger on her temple, grinning a little when he narrowed his eyes at her at the gesture she copied from him effortlessly, “anyway. liyue, tomorrow. get packing. we’re visiting my friend.”

i just hope she’s okay…

It must have made for an interesting sight, a handsome young man dressed in traditional Inazuman clothes, katana at his hip, walking side by side with a deer almost his size, with fur a soft brown, white and gold.

Together they trekked along Byakko plains, crossing streams and climbing small rocky hills, occasionally chatting but focusing on their goal of reaching Ritou. Foxes were common in the area and they stared at Crys with a mix of confusion and predatorial glee. It unnerved her a little, but mostly insulted her.

Crys had obviously not had a pleasant sleep but still felt well-rested enough from her previous time unconscious, if anything she was feeling rather restless and anxious, wracking her brain for answers to questions that seemed weirder and weirder still.

They rounded Konda village, not wanting to attract attention given Crys’… peculiar appearance, but set camp not too far away to eat something. Kazuha managing a quick trip to the village to exchange or buy some ingredients.

“They had some grain and um… vegetables? Not sure what you’d prefer.” He tells her rummaging a little bag, placing down a couple of small bowls as well.

She peeked at him. “What is that? Oh, more fried fish? Smells delicious, I love seafood!”

Kazuha blinked at her. He supposed it made sense, she’s no common deer...

They settle for lunch under a small low tree and thick shrubs, shielding them from the sun and from any traveler’s gaze. “So, you eat meat?” He asks. “Forgive me for assuming but I thought…”

“Don’t worry, I… actually do hehe. Though of course I wouldn’t touch venison.” She shivers.

“Venison?”

“Deer meat.”

“Ah.”

Her ears droop. “Mn, once when I was in Fontaine for some business dinner, we got served that since the staff hadn’t been announced beforehand. I was horrified and-”

She stops. Her new little teardrop pendant glows.

Kazuha stares at her. “Something wrong?”

“I remembered that… but then I… forgot.” She frowns. “His name… someone important was there with me. He…h-he’s…” Her voice breaks a little, the ever-present echo dimming down to a soft voice. The varunada lazurite dims just as well.

“It’s okay, take it easy, you remembered something at least. Little by little they’ll come to you, I’m sure.”

Crys shifts her eyes away, a little sad.

Kazuha does not like seeing her dejected demeanor.

He tidies things up a little and rests against the tree, pulling out a leaf, analyzing and folding it with precision before taking it to his lips.

And as he blows, a soft tune flows.

Crys stares at him for a moment and relaxes. Her eyes close and she breathes slow and calm. Maybe he’s right. Let the answers come to you… relax and empty your mind.

Don’t worry.

Everything will be fine.

Your friends, your loved ones, those important to you…

...

.......

...

The █ne who t█avels th█ou█h dream█…

My de█r frie█d…

Can you hear me?

Spring Bringer.

Once again, she breaks out of her trance with a startle “Spring Bringer!” She exclaims.

“Oh?” Kazuha stares at her. “What is-”

“That’s my name! That’s one of my names! Kazuha you were right!” She skips happily, rearing on her back hooves as if jumping for joy. “That is my adeptus name, it was bestowed upon me millennia ago.”

“It’s a beautiful name, very fitting.” Kazuha smiles softly, genuinely glad and happy for her.

“I am Spring Bringer! And I will make my master proud!”

"Loyalty and resilience... those are your marks, my dear Spring Bringer. You make us all proud."

“I-I cleared my mind and… and a friend was calling for me.” She calms down, panting. “She’s worried… oh no they're all worried for me...”

“Well I’d say we’re one step closer… both figuratively and literally, we can reach Ritou in a few hours if you’re up to it.”

“Yes! Let’s go!”

How strange….

It’s like I feel my powers returning, my memories…

As if part of me was back in place, fitting like a puzzle piece.

But there are still more questions…

A story woven in the breeze The doe skips, her name sings As told by the tune of leaves

@i23kazu ebg Jan 19-26

[old-type-40]

Red alert for the Trek fandom!

Paramount Plus has posted all eps of Lower Decks season 3 on its Youtube channel (x). I'm guessing this is to encourage new subscribers in advance of season 4. If you open any of the eps, there's a link for a free trial of Paramount+. Also on the channel, they seem to be slowly dribbling out the different songs from the SNW musical episode.

P.S. I'm guessing these eps are geo-locked to countries where Paramount+ is available.

[joywritesbutitsactuallymystories]

Geo

“So then, Jane.” Lilith stirred her half-drunk latte. “What is it you propose?” The two had decided to meet at a cafe, nearer the centre of town. They sat at a table for two, near a large window. It was raining outside - typical weather for the middle of November in that town. Lilith had ordered a medium vanilla latte - Jane a large cappuccino. “You are not of the Air nor the Sea, this much is certain.” Jane responded. She took a long sip of her coffee before continuing: “the only natural way forward is to test the other options.” “What do you have in mind?” “We’ll visit a few friends of mine, of the Earth and the Fire.” Jane smiled. “The chances that you are of any other element are very slim.” “Very well.” Lilith drained her cup. “Might I ask you one more question?” “Be my guest, Lilith.” “Is Jane your true name? Or did you choose it for yourself, similar to how I chose my surname?” “It is my true name.” Jane answered. “My mother was of the Folk, my father of men. He was the one that raised me - he was a lighthouse keeper, my mother a selkie from what I gathered. He chose my name - not her.” Jane smiled sadly. She drained her cup and got up from where she sat. “Let us be going - we have places to be.” Lilith paid for her coffee and the two left the cafe.

The two walked onward, through the rain. Lilith hid herself safely under her umbrella, and Jane walked without any cover from the rain - she did not need any, after all. “Where is it we are headed?” Lilith asked. “I have a friend,” Jane responded. “He is of the Earth - or at least partially. His father was of the Folk.” Jane smiled at Lilith. “He works at the local library - chances are you’ve met him by now.” “I can’t recall it.” “No worries, you will when you meet him.”

They walked further uptown, towards the region in which Lilith’s flat was. The rain ceased - turning into that specific drizzle one might find in a seaside town. Of course, the town was not a seaside one per se - it was a good ninety minute trek through the wilds to get to the cliffs - but somehow, it felt like one. They approached the town library. Its large, double doors were oak - with golden embellishments. The steps that lead up to those doors may have been quite a majestic sight, once upon a time - now they just looked sad and lonely, covered in age and graffiti. The walls of the library mimicked the steps, with crude drawings closer to the bottom of them and chipped plaster towards the top. On window ledges, pigeons sat, and although they seemed out of place, if one looked closer one could see quite a peculiar sight - in place of the customary barbed wire, there were nests - furthermore, nearer the roof of the building, there were birdhouses and bird feeders placed strategically, so as to care for those winged friends of man. It was quite a peculiar sight - but in its own way a beautiful one.

Jane pushed the weathered handle on one of the wooden doors and held it open for Lilith to enter. She complied, and walked into the hall, where she was met by large, wooden stairs. “I must say, this place is not very wheelchair accessible.” “They have a back entrance with a lift.” Jane replied, sidestepping Lilith. “It does not do to judge a book by its cover, Lilith.” Lilith rolled her eyes at her, but then followed after, up the wooden stairs towards the front desk.

“Good afternoon.” Jane stepped up to the elderly woman at the desk. “Is George Lambert in today?” “Yes, he’s over in the archives.” The woman looked up at Jane absentmindedly. Her eyes were covered with a sort of fog. “Feel free to go there and look for him. Here’s an access card.” With that, she passed Jane her access card and Lilith realised something terrible - that the woman was under her spell. “Thank you, dear.” Jane smiled at the receptionist. “We shall be on our way then.” She led Lilith towards the basements. “Why did you cast a spell on her?” “I didn’t.” Jane looked at Lilith, confused. “I could clearly see it.” Lilith crossed her arms around her chest. “Her eyes were shrouded with a fog, she was looking but not seeing - she was under your charm.” “I…” Jane stuttered. “I did not do it on purpose, if I did it.” she sighed. “One drawback of my powers is just that - I cannot entirely control the siren charm, it works on its own accord.” She smiled tilting her head. “Which is why I love your company.” “I don’t understand.” “You see me as I truly am, not as your perfect image of what I should be.” She responded simply, disappearing into the dark of the corridor leading towards the archives. Lilith sighed, following her onwards.

“Geo! What a pleasure to see you.” Jane walked into the dimly lit room, throwing her arms around the boy. Lilith took a moment to regard him - tall and lanky, he reminded her of a stick insect. He was much taller than most, surely, as his head seemed to reach the tops of the shelves. He had brown hair - the soft kin, not as dark as that of Jane. His eyes were brown too - a muddy brown, with little sparks of gold in it. His face was covered in freckles, and his hands were blotched by black ink. The boy turned to Lilith, smiling.

“Hello.” He said quietly. “We’ve met before, haven’t we?” He nodded. “We go to the same university, although I’m in Librarian Studies, and you, from what I remember, are in Music.” “That is correct.” Lilith extended a hand. “My name is Lilith.” “Mine is Geo.” He shook Lilith’s hand and turned to Jane, raising an eyebrow. “Now then, to what do I owe the pleasure of this unexpected visitation?” “This here Lilith is not mortal.” Jane said. “Yes, that much I can see.” Lilith sighed irritably. “Honestly, is that evident to all except me?” “Yes.” Jane and Geo replied simultaneously. “Although, not to mortals,” Geo added. “Only fellow non-mortals can tell. We see it in you.” “Like I in your eyes.” Lilith commented. Geo raised an eyebrow, questioning. “Well your eyes have flickers of gold in them, a sign of magic.” She explained. “And Jane’s have a cold fire in them that no-one else has.” “Interesting…” Geo mused. “I still do not understand why you’re here.” “I’m getting to it.” Jane laughed. “We’re trying to figure out of which Folk she is - we are certain she is not of the Air nor the Sea - is she of the Earth?” “No.” Geo said firmly. “She is not. That much is evident.” “Well of which do you think she might be?” “Of fire.” Geo hesitated. “Or of the Spirit.” Jane inhaled sharply. “You think she could be of them? But they do not show themselves to mortals often.” “It is possible.” Geo turned his gaze to Lilith. “What is your gift, Lilith?” “The little violin.” She responded. “I have a bond with it - it was a gift to me from the Folk, and it can cast charms and tell stories.” “The Fire cannot do that.” He turned back to Jane. “You must seek out the Folk of the Spirit - they may have the answers you seek.” With that, he bid them farewell and returned to his work.

The two emerged from the library, shocked to see it was already dark out. Lilith turned to Jane. “Would you like to stay at my flat for the night? It’s a bit too late for the trek back to your home.” “Yes, I agree.” Jane sighed and followed Lilith as she led them towards her building. “What do we do now, Lilith?” “We keep searching.” She said simply. She turned the key in the door and turned to face Jane, smiling slightly. “There’s no giving up now - we’re too deep in the waters.” She opened the door and invited Jane into her safe haven. They would resume their search the next day - but for now, it was time for a break.

[fantasyqueen502]

Dog Lady

Summery: Tommy follows a gut feeling asking for Jackson's dog person for help. Unnamed oc/ female reader.

Rated: PG-13

Mentions of blood and injury

The German Shepherds barks.

“Coming!” a voice calls.

A series of clicks clank, clunk, and jingle until finally the door opens to the woman. Jackson’s dog trainer. “Down! Down!'' She commands the herd of dogs trying to squeeze past her legs to greet Tommy who stood on her front porch. “Hey!” she barks snapping her finger giving each canine a stern look as they sit lowering into a lie down. Exhaling a breath pushing the stray hairs from her messy ponytail.

“Sorry, ‘bout that.” She smiles sheepishly. “New litter.” she quickly adds.

“That’s alright.” Tommy waves off.

“How can I help you?” she asks.

“I know this is a lot to ask of you, but…” he takes a breath trying to find the right words.

“Is it Maria?” she assumes.

“No!” he exclaims. “No, no, no.” he chuckles seeing the worry wash away from her face. “I need you to track my brother Joel.”

“Why?”

“I just…” he trails off. “…a gut feeling. I know everything will be alright and that I’m just being paranoid, but…” he looks to his side to where he and Ellie were housed just this morning. “I’d be able to sleep easy knowing someone I trusted was looking after him.”

“Yeah.” she nodded after he finished and waited for her answer.

On horseback she gallops through the snowed out fields. Her six year old bloodhound Geo a few paces ahead holds her head high bellowing out a howl in which Bullseye her three year old doberman followed on look out to protect his sister and master. Hopping off the horse giving her dogs pats they repaid with kisses. Taking out a piece of boot sole from the pair of boots Joel left behind. “Good girl.” She praises allowing the bloodhound time to get the scent.

Approaching a railway beginning to think Tommy’s worries are just that. Gathering up a handful of snow for her horse to lap up tending to her running nose.

“C’mon guys!” she calls Bullseye turning to her sprinting over. Patting his head and looking over his footies that were beginning to wear out. “Geo!” she calls seeing the bloodhound further up the track sniffing and trekking away. She whistles the hound, stopping and looking back at her. “Time to go home!” she calls. The hound pounders, but doesn’t move. “Geo!” she calls drumming her thigh for the dog to come. She stays lifting her head giving two sharp barks.

Marching over kneeling to see the hound sitting among a patch of blood stained snow. “Oh, my god.” he gasps, searching the snow to find horse tracks and shoes. Specifically converse from the diamond patterns. “Good girl.” she shutters. “Good girl!” the dog licking her cheek.

Following the tracks of something being dragged. The snow a light pink to a deep red coming to a cul de sac. Walking up to a home where the blood tracks led.

“Ellie! Joel!” She calls looking about the rundown kitchen of the two story home.

“Dog lady!” Calls from the basement. “Down here!”

Speeding down the stairs to the girl kneeling over something--- “You okay?” ---Or someone as Geo sniffles the unconscious Joel.

“It's Joel.” She sniffles. From the setup the woman assumed she was trying to feed the man water.

“I want you to go outside to my horse and get my bag I have food, water, and medicine. Take Bullseye with you.”

Hearing the girl’s thundering footsteps and dog gallop up the creaky staircase and the squeak of the front door. Groans sound as Joel attempts to sit up only to yell out.

“I know, I know Joel.” She tries to calm, holding her hands on his chest to keep him down.

“El---where is---” he croaks eyes squeezed tight as he weakly kicks his legs.

“Ellie’s fine. Kid just saved your life.” she chuckles looking at the stitch work of the wound on his stomach.

[risustravelogue]

Something I wrote and doodled to finish my storyline in @zhongrin's EBG afterparty.

Enjoy~ 💚

cw: blood, creature death

“Albedo.”

The blond alchemist solemnly looks up from his sketchbook to the source of the thundering voice: a brown-haired tall man in white-gold attire floating in the air, his presence alone causing the earth to quake.

Albedo’s lips curve into a smile. “So you’ve come at last.”

Zhongli chuckles. “So I have. You should’ve known better than to run into my territory.” Black-gold polearms manifest from thin air. “Now, are there any… friends you wish to send to their deaths?”

“You mean sending you to your death, ex-archon?” taunts the voice behind him. He turns around and sees a dragon—if it can be called a dragon, considering its mangled shape—with someone who looks exactly like Albedo riding on top of it.

Zhongli’s lips form a calm smile. “Oh, are you the Dorian people have been talking about? My, my. You’re so… rash. Reminds me of my younger days.”

The polearms flit through the air toward the creature as Zhongli’s form shifts into one of a brown-gold dragon. “Now let me show you the power of the Prime of Adepti.”

Dorian scoffs. “Good decision, ex-archon. You’re no match for our chimera otherwise.”

The two dragons exchange blows in the air, their focus locked onto each other. Albedo chuckles and walks to the hut where his “beloved” is sleeping. Suddenly, a lone arrow pierces through the ground in front of him, stopping him in his tracks. A looming figure approaches him from behind.

“Not so fast, alchemist,” Alhaitham says, sword pointed toward Albedo’s back.

The blond scoffs and turns. “I suppose this stick is a gift from your wife. So much for ‘we intend you no harm,’ scribe.”

Alhaitham lowers his sword. “We haven’t actually harmed you, though.”

“True.”

“And you have been so engrossed in preparing for the confrontation with Zhongli, you didn’t realize that a certain moth had taken Rin’s Vision off your personage.”

“Wha—”

A loud boom echoes across the air, interrupting their conversation. The chimera lays still under Zhongli’s talons, its black blood gushing out of its fatal neck wound. Dorian lies unconscious beneath the larger body, having been knocked out by the sheer force of the larger dragon’s blow.

“Now stay,” he growls.

“Zhongli!”

He huffs and turns to the source of the voice.

“Alhaitham.”

“Kurisu has Rin.” The scribe gestures to the alchemist. “What do you want to do with him?”

The dragon shakes his head. “He can’t win against me, and he knows that. We don’t need to do anything anymore.”

He raises one of his talons and wipes the black blood off his face.

“As a show of mercy, I’ll let you say your goodbyes.”

Albedo picks up his abandoned sketchbook from the ground and begins imprinting the magnificent sight of the Geo Archon’s dragon form onto the paper. Even if I’ve lost, I can still gain something from this, he thinks.

The frantic scratching of pencil on paper stops when two women come out of the run-down hut, the sound of their feet shuffling through the yellow-green grass breaking the sounds of nature. The short-haired woman nods and lets the long-haired woman move forward on her own. Albedo catches a familiar glint of a Vision from behind her shawl and the glitter of the silvery dust on her fingers.

Ah. I’ve been thoroughly defeated.

But he’s nothing if not resilient, so—

One last smile. One last time—

He waves his hand at her, forcing a small smile on his lips. She smiles and waves back at him. Then as her vision clears, her gaze grows sad, with tears now threatening to spill from the corner of her eyes.

“You’re not… him.”

“No, I am not.”

“Where is he?”

Albedo gestures to the archon, who’s now back in his human form.

“Mei.”

“Li! You’re here!”

With a nod from the scribe, Albedo carefully slips away as Zhongli and Meirin run into each other’s embrace. He pulls Dorian from beneath the dead chimera and treks back toward Dragonspine. His steps come to a halt as he looks back at the four’s reunion before disappearing back into the snowstorm, a fond smile growing on his lips.

It was good while it lasted.

[emmybeearts]

Day 8: Void

Every night we set up camp in the lowlands, and every morning, we awoke to find something went missing. Normally, I probably wouldn’t even notice, but Lily is good at keeping inventory. It was always inconsequential things. Something like a pen or a screw cap; things that you'd never notice were gone unless you were a hyper-intelligent learning machine with an obsessively keen eye for details. 

We both knew things weren’t just disappearing, they were being taken. Soon I became more and more curious as to why. Could this be another intelligent animal on this planet, or could it be an animal taking items for a nest, like a bowerbird? Is it a behavior that occurs for the whole species or is it the behavior of one curious individual? The what, where, why, and how were relentless. Since this would be our last day in the lowland savanna before starting our trek into the desert, I decided I was going to get answers. 

While Lily powered down for the night, I stayed up and waited. I took the backplate off of my xenosuit and set it out like a tray full of shiny Geo-positioning beacons; small acorn sized GPS markers in case we come across an important location, or really anything that needs to be explored further at a later date. I figured that even if I dozed off, the metal on metal sound would wake me for sure. 

Despite my best attempts to stay up all night, I don't think I lasted ten minutes awake after setting the bait. Surprisingly, hiking for miles through thick grassland in an almost sixty pound space-suit while carrying a fully loaded survival pack is a little exhausting. Some days, I find it hard to make it to sunset before wanting to collapse. The twenty six and a half hour long days here don't help that much either. Regardless, I set the trap for this very reason and in the deep of night, Lily and I were jolted awake. 

And there, clutching every last beacon in its paws, was our thief caught red handed. It was nearly invisible against the dark of night. Its body was a dark purple and covered in small bioluminescent flecks of light looking like stars in the void of space. It was low enough to the ground to slip between the polyp-grass unnoticed but could easily rear up on its hind legs to get a good look at its surroundings. If it hadn’t started flashing its distinct blue warning signal, there's a good chance I wouldn't have spotted it at all. 

Now that my ‘who’ question had been answered, my head began swarming with far more questions than before. Lily, nor the datapad, had a name for this animal and so I sent a message to Ara Lynn in the middle of the night to ask the ambassador. She quickly got back to me and said Walnut, the Kyurall ambassador, knew of these animals. They were called Thief or Robber in their tongue as these animals have a solid reputation of taking anything shiny. 

As to ‘why’ is when things started to get odd. Walnut had told of an ore deposit, or a lump of metal, deep underground. She said there were people before her that forged the deposit and wished to make it bigger and, I think the word she used here was ‘smarter’. So they sent out the robbers to collect their metal. A long while later, despite their masters being gone, they cannot stop what they were made to do. Many Kyurall now have traditions built around them, from what I was told. Many Kyurall actually leave out small baubles and other shiny trinkets for the robbers to collect in fear that if they don't, the robbers will take everything they own. It's like a backwards version of Christmas. 

As much as i enjoyed hearing from Ara Lynn and learning more Kyurall history and oral tradition. It didn’t really answer any of my questions. I don't doubt that these stories are rooted in truth; I have learned that lesson before, but I do wish there was solid, concrete information as to why these animals steal bits of metal. My theory, so far, is that they feast on some of the metallic colored crab-bugs that live here and bring these morsels back to their nests. Sometimes, they may get confused by anything else that looks shiny thinking it might be food. 

Either way, shortly after waking us up, Lily managed to quickly grab a sample from the robber's haunch. The small pinch of pain shook it from its warning pose and, realizing its situation, the void robber pulled all of the beacons close to its body and took off into the night. These animals are, apparently, exceedingly rare. I'm sure getting a sample in exchange for my beacons is more than a fair trade. It’s not like I really plan to use them anyway. I'm a biologist not a geologist, locations aren't really my specialty here. The only situation in which they really have any use is if I'm trapped in a place in need of rescue, but that’s also what Lily is here for. Unless something happens to them, and my data pad, and we are somehow not visible from the vast open sky of the desert, then the beacons are pointless for me. I’m sure you’ll get more use out of them than me little void robber. 

[End Transcription]

[boundinparchment]

Of Blood and Sparks - VI

Karina Alexandre of Fontaine lost her position, her family, and her Archon's favor. A dead Electro Vision is her mark of guilt. A reminder to never fail again. Faith shattered, and suspicious of the Fatui, she eventually makes her way to Liyue, where she encounters a certain funeral parlor consultant. Little does she know it's only the beginning. Original character centric; eventual Zhongli/OC. Posted originally at @chevalier-of-fontaine. ArchiveOfOurOwn || FF.net || Karina's profile

Her muscles longed to feel the shockwave from her blade hitting something.  Stances and motions were wholly different from exacting force onto a target.  It took more control to end the swing precisely where she wanted, to pay attention to the way her weight shifted.  

But there were only rocks here and she wasn’t about to dull her blade so quickly when the sun was only just beginning to crest.

The edge of the harbor was quiet, save for the lapping of waves and the fluttering of wings.  For the only section of beach near a populated city, it was often deserted, but that worked in her favor.  No one could interrupt her and her thoughts could mute themselves as she focused on breathing, treating her sword as an extension of her arm.

Her fingers ached in a way they hadn’t in years, pricked and tender from holding a needle tightly for too long.  Several days of work had given her a dress and a new shirt and pants but she hadn’t missed the long hours hunching over fabric, tearing out stitches, and hoping she hadn’t messed up when cutting the fabric. 

So much labor for so little.  It was no wonder so many Fontaine ateliers began to take up the machines that were growing in popularity, last she heard.

One of the last business discussions she recalled her parents having was about whether to invest in the foot-pedal version of the stitching machine.  She’d been slow to pick up projects when she returned from her trial and while they were kind to her, even she knew it would hurt the bottom line if deadlines weren’t made.

Hand sewing felt appropriate now, almost as meditative as her footwork.

Neither seemed to help get rid of the image of the man from the other day, however.  No sound was as melodious as his voice and every glimpse of gold paled in comparison.  The very mora in her wallet looked dull if she gave a second (or third or fourth) thought to the glimmering golden gaze from the stranger she only knew as Zhongli.

Liyue Harbor was large.  She doubted they would ever see each other again.  Besides, she was here for work, to start something new.  And that something new didn’t include infatuation.  That’d never gotten her anywhere.

Karina sheathed her sword and began the trek back to the harbor.  She stopped on the outskirts, just where the beach began to end and where the quartermasters’ voices could be heard.  She rested her weapon against a nearby rock and her boots followed suit, placed neatly next to the sheath.  Karina rolled up her pant legs to her knee and then stepped into the ocean, sand pressing between her toes.  The water was frigid, lapping at her ankles as it yielded to the will of the tide.  If she wasn’t awake from the adrenaline running through her veins, she was certainly awake from the icy touch.

On the docks, she could see workers starting their day.  Ships were loaded, unloaded, inventory counted once, and then probably a second time.  Manifests were triple-checked, orders barked from captains as ships began to prepare to head back out to sea, making way for new ships to come in.  

Everything ran like clockwork, well-oiled and perfectly organized.  Predictable.  Like the tide.

Or perhaps more like the Geo Archon the people liked and revered so much. Steady as stone, smoothed down until the perfections were nonexistent.

But every stone had its cracks, its weak-spots, and all it would take would be the right people to exploit them.

Which was why distractions like a certain stranger would do her no good and it wasn’t worth her time.   Usually such people were one in the same.

Even still, she made connections in Mondstadt, and they made time feel a little less numb and empty.  Only a few days of settling in and she was already missing Lisa’s research suggestions, word of Klee’s antics, and the occasional night out at Angel’s Share where familiar faces dotted the space and she was never left feeling as though she didn’t belong.

Something Zhongli’s exchange had given her as well.  He was at least kind and courteous to her and seemed to want nothing out of the conversation other than to help her.  

It wasn’t as if anything much worse could happen.  After all, her family was dead and her powers dormant, probably for good, and she’d never return home.

Perhaps it couldn’t hurt to at least try.  If not with Zhongli, then the next person who at least made the harbor feel a little less strange.

_____________________

The shop was tucked into a quiet street off of the main thoroughfare, nestled between a quiet tea house and a bookstore.  Karina triple-checked the address and smoothed out her dress before stepping inside.  A bell above the door gave a soft jingle as she crossed the threshold.

It felt strange to not have the weight of her sword at her hip and have thin hosiery over her legs instead of pants.  Even stranger to wear something that was both new and of her hand rather than garments that were repaired and well-worn.  Her Vision hung where it always did, heavy against the fabric.  

The entryway was small and narrow, with enough space for a few places to sit and a front desk.  A small set of stairs led to the back of the shop, where Karina could see the platform and mirror where a client would be measured and their clothes pinned, several racks of clothes, and a few doors to what she presumed were changing rooms.

Dark cherry wood dominated and while the space seemed dark at first, it was actually very well-lit in the workspace.  Homey, even.

She never again thought she would consider any other atelier to be as such.

“We’re not open just yet,” a voice called from the back.  “Mr. Yuan makes a fantastic cup of tea next door, if you’d like to come back.”

“Forgive me for intruding, I’m Karina, the new seamstress and assistant.  I thought it prudent to arrive early before clients began coming by.  I sent a note a few days ago.”

She had, although whether her handwriting had been legible from her exhaustion was a different story.

There was a sound of a throat being cleared and then the smaller but unmistakable sounds of work being put down and away.  A tall and slender woman appeared at the top of the short set of stairs, once-dark hair faded with silver streaks pulled back into an older fashion.  

“I’m Jun Lei, the shopkeeper.  I’ll need another example of your handwriting; your letter seemed like it was written by the dimmest light,” the other woman said.  “You came highly recommended, both for your drive to fight and for your experience in tailoring.”

Gray eyes scanned Karina up and down as Jun Lei descended the stairs, still towering over the Fontaine woman by a good few inches.

“From my understanding, you grew up in such a shop and have close to two decades of experience.  With the exception of your military time, of course.  An interesting combination for one from a humble background.”

“I wanted to serve my country and my family.  My skills lay with a sword but I wield a needle well enough, madame.”

“I can see that.  Neat and tidy stitches, careful embroidery on the cuffs and hemline.  Not the approach I would have taken but styles vary.”

A thoughtful hum came from Jun Lei as she took Karina’s hands in hers.  Calloused fingers ran across tender fingertips and roughened palms.  Few parts of her hands were soft, even if she wore gloves when fighting.  

“You’ll do,” Jun Lei released her hands and gestured to the stairs.  “Come, I’ll show you your workstation and we’ll get started on the paperwork.”