#moonchase festival

[pandamito]

Genshin Impact - Xiao

i did this one year ago but i never posted it?? i also didn't know what to do with the background so i used a screen of guoba from moonchase festival just cause it makes me laugh

[trashcanwithsprinkles]

hydro constructs

no chapter today but soon(tm), i just had to get this out of my head;;

[welcometoteyvat]

hmmm also I feel like. compared to the other regions that are fully released right now, Liyue isn’t characterized by the fandom (or the game idk) as having as much tragedy as Mondstadt and Inazuma. Mondstadt hosts colorful characters in the form of Kaeya and Albedo, both of who provide intrigue into Khaenri’ah which is probably the end of Genshin’s journey; then there’s Venti who I often see characterized with the nameless bard in angst, and it’s a giant part of his origin story so it makes sense

Then there’s Inazuma which, when you first arrive there in game, is so evidently sad, (Tatarigami, Balethunder, the perpetual rain, etc), despondent, and outright hostile that you know something must’ve happened there; the major world questlines and other less important NPC quests (ex Chouji, the crystal marrow kid on Yashiori Island) emphasize that a lot of people have gone through a lot of tragic events, not to mention Raiden’s backstory (at least when you do her second quest).

Compared to that I feel like Liyue’s arc feels idk a lot less dramatic? The civilizations that were located there are mostly completely gone and do not have a chance of returning; besides the cataclysm and the tragedies that occurred in the Chasm it feels like Liyue’s arc has been completed (?) somewhat? They’ve overcome the trials of old—Zhongli’s old friends have been put to rest, and he’s gotten closure with all of them, either through a second chance or through the passage of time that soothes all grief; the harbor is in good hands; the Qixing are confident in their governing of Liyue; and the adepti have settled into their roles assisting, but not overbearing upon the mortal age of Rex Lapis’s country. None of the characters we’ve met have many unanswered questions that are Teyvat-wide lore-significant and it feels like the city is flourishing once again, under different management, but continuing to thrive.

*This is not to say that Liyue is boring/too plain bc a lot of my favs are from there, but it does feel like endgame is going somewhere else- there’s not enough loose threads to tie up anymore

[starwardsword]

hoyo it's been 4.5 years, where is my Keqing story quest?

[electric-ecclectic-a]

@wise-innocence said:

“You’re going to love the Moonchase Festival! There’s so much to do; Food, games, and dancing– it’s truly one of the best times to visit Liyue!” Yanfei was clearly ecstatic about the upcoming festival, rambling on about the event while perched up on Signe’s desk. Anyone in need of her assistance would simply have to wait. Speaking of… “Please don’t tell me someone else has already invited you?”

“Not to worry, no one’s invited me just yet. It’s been rather slow the past couple of days, in fact.”

She neatens up her desk a bit; it’s almost ritualistic the way she does it by now. Her gloved fingers skin over the last of her traveling necessities, and she stuffs each into her bag with haste.

“But of course, if you’d like some company, I’d be more than happy to have a guide. An adeptal guide to boot— you don’t have any clients waiting in the meantime, do you?”

[oshikasa]

moonchase festival was truly peak animation (by that i mean guoba. guoba) i miss you guoba

[xiaomainlmao]

After the festival died down... - Xiao x reader

A/n- OMG THE THE THE QUEST WITH VENTI AND ZHONGLI SILENTLY FIGHTING WHILE XIAO IS ALL AWKWARD AND THE TRAVELER COMFORTED HIM AND THE THE THE PROMOTIONAL VIDEO WHERE XIAO WAS SMILING WHEN AETHER SAT WITH HIM, HEIZOU AND YANFEI INTERACTION, ALBEDO RUNNING FOR KLEE, ALBEDO TIGHNARI COLLEI BEING TOGETHER, CYNO VS ITTO TCG GAME, THE ARCHONS SITTING TOGETHER AND ALL OF THEM SMILING AAAAA

Welp, here's the Xiao fluff I promised <3

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Summary- After the little get-together organized by Hu Tao, Xiao decides to go to Qingyun Peak and meet up with his darling.

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"I'll... see you next time, then." Xiao said before he teleported away, leaving the traveler and Paimon to their own business.

The Adeptus closed his eyes and sighed, before opening them again to take in the view of Qingyun Peak, and you sitting amongst the grass, playing with the blades of the grass. "You're here! Look, this peak facing Liyue Harbour gives an excellent view of the lanterns and fireworks there." You said, barely looking at Xiao since your concentration was towards the bustling Harbour.

Xiao came towards you and looked towards Liyue, some lanterns still floating in the sky and the last of the fireworks dying out. He sat down, looking in your direction. Your eyes had a child-like admiration, the beauty of which could never compare to anything else in the world. Why then, would he look at those lanterns when he's lucky enough to witness your beauty?

For a second after that, you both locked your eyes, causing him to look away bashfully, letting his green strands fall in front of his face and cover his eyes. "Oh right, I got us some food." Xiao brought out a little parcel.

"Tell me about the feast," you turned towards him, sitting with your legs folded, and gazing up at him.

Xiao sighed, "We went to Xinyue Kiosk. Rex Lapis was there, as was the traveler and that chef Xiangling from the Moonchase festival. She gave me some almond tofu in this box, so I decided to get some more food for you as well." He took some food in his hands, bringing it to your mouth. You ate it, letting out a hum of content.

"And? Anything interesting?"

"Oh yes, the anemo archon ended up showing up and befriending Hu Tao. Archons, they'll be an annoying pair. Venti, as he goes by now, was indirectly exchanging petty arguments with Rex- urr Zhongli. It was so awkward to see two gods like that, especially when the traveler, Paimon and I were the only ones who knew."

You laughed and Xiao felt like he was already at peace. "Are you sure the funeral director doesn't know? She's much sharper than she looks." "Who knows." He replied, taking something to eat as well.

He was quiet now, going back to how he usually is. Looks like he just wanted to tell someone about the prior incidents, otherwise he wouldn't have spoken at all.

"Hmm Xiao, would you like to light a Xiao lantern?... Pun intended."

"Huh, oh you..." You just laughed again, and Xiao swears you really do have him wrapped around your finger. How could he, an Adeptus, a Yaksha no less, end up falling for someone so lively. It was refreshing to be around you, and he just couldn't be mad at you, despite your terrible attempts of joking with him. "Sure, we could light one if you so wish. But what would you wish for?"

"Aren't you not supposed to tell others what you want to wish for?" Smirking, you spoke again before he could respond. "I'd like to be with, to the very end. That would be my wish."

Both of you gazed into distance again. You felt Xiao's gloved hands brush against the back of your hand. Understanding the gesture, you scooted closer to him, intertwining your fingers. Usually, the Adeptus would be too shy to initiate such gestures of his own will, so he would use silent gestures and make you initiate the actual thing.

"We should head back soon."

"Yeah... uhm yn?"

"Hm?"

"May I..."

You let out a small smile as you cupped his cheeks. At such gestures from you, even the stoic Yaksha couldn't help but smile softly. He gave you a small peck on your lips, but out of his own embarrassment, he didn't let that moment last even a second longer. When you hugged him, he let you. Making no effort to hug you back or push you away. He just stroked your back and played with your hair.

Maybe, going back to the Inn could wait, just to let this moment last a bit longer.

----------

[stxneflxwers]

Cultural Affairs (Pt. 1/2)

⋯⁂ Summary: you’re not from the same place your lover is, so why don’t you let them treat you to a local festival?

⋯⁂ a/n: hewwo, yet another 2-parter that will take 874359874368453 years to finish! enjoy! thanks to my lovely friend @unkownknowledge for the idea!

⋯⁂ w.c: 234 (venti) — 227 (zhongli)

⋯⁂ characters: venti, zhongli.

⋯⁂ cw: gn reader. FLUFF ALERT!!!! venti being a tease and menace (nothing new there), food mention/cooking (zhongli).

Venti

⋯⁂ Naturally, Windblume is the first festival that comes to his mind when he offers to take you on a cultural exploration (in his mind it's a date.) And that's what he plans on a mere month before it's time. Sometimes he plans things (…but only sometimes!) He'll even admit it, he's very excited about this! He only wishes it'd come faster.

When the first day of the festival arrives, he's already dragging you to each of the games that are hosted. Although, when it comes to a competition of playing ballads, he'll outshine you by a long shot—only to finish with a wink in your direction. What can he say—he can be a little competitive! But, if you struggle a bit too much plucking the strings right, he's more than happy to teach you.

His hands will glide over yours before guiding them along the strings of the wooden lyre, allowing them to dance under his own soft touch. He whispers in your ear, telling you all sorts of sweet compliments and reassurances. When the song comes to an end, he pecks your cheek and congratulates you for doing your best.

On the last day of the festival, he leaves you with a love poem and hums, "You know, I think you very well may be Barbatos' favorite flower of Windblume!"

And then you playfully punch his shoulder. He can't stop himself from laughing.

Zhongli

⋯⁂ In the startings of your romantic relationship, he's already planning to bring you to many cultural outings. And he shares his desire for you to do the same with him whenever you wish. Even his historic heart still has its curiosity about the world and love for learning—even if it's something he learned a long time ago.

The first festival he brings you to is Moonchase, oddly enough. You expected Lantern Rite to be the first, but given, you don't know much about either of these festivals. So, instead of asking an overbearing amount of questions, you let yourself learn from firsthand experience.

And when the first day of Moonchase begins, he proposes to make mooncakes for the occasion. Although, only mini ones. He'd rather not overwhelm you with a new, intricate recipe. Despite his peculiar nature with all things, he lets your beginner mistakes slide. And, of course, he gently advises you how to do better next time.

You two end up spending much of the day cooking various delicacies for all kinds of people. It's initially your idea to be more charitable during this festival. And he couldn't agree more.

He knows Liyue's governance suffers from its own flaws and downsides—any government does. And he thinks this is the perfect way to be able to help out without directly involving himself…or his past identity.

[shuuumaaaaa-main]

Area estimates of Teyvat as of Genshin Impact version 3.3: The Chasm (above ground) subregion of Liyue and the Dharma Forest subregion of Sumeru

This is my first long post regarding Genshin worldbuilding this year!

Here are various links to the writeup:

Reddit(r/Genshin_Lore) | Reddit(r/Genshin_Impact) | PDF

I paste here a copy of the abstract:

This is a continuation of the area and elevation estimates of various locations in Teyvat, following a line of work that started with areas accessible in Genshin Impact version 2.2 regarding analysis of in-game size and speculative in-lore size based on semi-historical and geographical details mentioned in the 2021 Moonchase Festival. The method is mainly a pixel to in-game then hypothetical in-lore direct conversion further compared with areas or phenomena that have similar magnitudes in real life. This study added area approximations for the above ground Chasm and Dharma Forest, Sumeru. The calculated sizes were briefly analyzed with respect to other regions in Teyvat and more extensively with respect to various real life places, institutions, and phenomena. The hypothetical in-lore size of the above ground Chasm was analyzed as an impact crater and was found to be comparable to some of the largest impact events on Earth. The in-game Chasm was similar to medium to large scale open-pit mines in real life. In a similar fashion, Dharma Forest and its various subareas were compared to various forests, cities, and academic institutions in real life, with emphasis on comparisons mostly with SSWANA countries. Overall I find that this particular conjectured in-lore conversion factor coupled with the hypothetical qualitative interpretation remains to be one reliable way to consistently resize the world of Genshin impact from in-game to plausibly realistic in-lore dimensions.

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I hope you enjoy!

Thank you for reading.

[dkniade]

Allusions to Su Shi’s “Shui Diao Ge Tou” in Liyue’s Storyline

Continuation from this post

You know, when I first made the connection it was really a “Wait a minute… Ohh my god wait wait wait—” moment, haha

Here’s the original poem in Chinese:

水调歌头·明月几时有

宋词：苏轼

丙辰中秋，欢饮达旦，大醉，作此篇，兼怀子由。

明月几时有？把酒问青天。不知天上宫阙，今夕是何年。我欲乘风归去，又恐琼楼玉宇，高处不胜寒。起舞弄清影，何似在人间。

转朱阁，低绮户，照无眠。不应有���，何事长向别时圆？人有悲欢离合，月有阴晴圆缺，此事古难全。但愿人长久，千里共婵娟。

A nice English translation here, from EastAsiaStudent.net

How Liyue’s Storyline (and Venti) Alludes to This

“丙辰中秋，欢饮达旦，大醉，作此篇，兼怀子由。” —> Venti drinks on the roof of Wangshu Inn and possibly writes a poem (scene in “Endless Suffering”)

“明月几时有？把酒问青天。不知天上宫阙，今夕是何年。”—> Barbatos and Morax drinking while questioning Celestia and when they’ll reunite with the fellow Archons and friends

Alternatively, Venti drinking alone and thinking about the Nameless Bard

“天上宫阙” —> the imperial moon palace where gods reside —> 天空岛 (Celestia)

“我欲乘风归去，又恐琼楼玉宇” —> Shenhe wishes to return to Liyue on the wind, yet is unaccustomed to the prosperity of Liyue and the high position of the Jade Chamber

Alternatively, Venti is the god of the wind, yet doesn’t want to go to Celestia due to its high position (physically and figuratively)

“我欲乘风归去” —> 风起鹤归 (The Crane Returns on the Wind)

“琼楼玉宇” —> 群玉阁 (Jade Chamber)

“高处不胜寒” —> literally “one cannot hide from the cold even in high places” —> skilled individuals still feel loneliness —> Shenhe appears aloof due to relations with the Adepti and has a Cryo Vision

Similar sentiment is noted in “神女劈观” (“The Divine Damsel of Devastation”)’s lyric, “曲高未必人不识” —> idiom “曲高和寡” —> “the higher the soprano, the fewer the accompaniment” —> the more skilled one is, the lonelier one is

“起舞弄清影，何似在人间。”—> shadow is casted from Yun Jin’s stage performance with the polearm, and for Shenhe, living with the Adepti cannot compare with the mortal city of Liyue

Alternatively, for Venti, being in Celestia cannot compare with living in Mondstadt

“转朱阁，低绮户，照无眠。” —> Liyue Harbour’s buildings are mainly red (lucky colour in Chinese culture)

Xiao is often associated with the night, restless as he clears the land of evil spirits under his contract with Rex Lapis

Ganyu is hardworking as the Liyue Qixing’s secretary and as a follower of Rex Lapis, and sometimes falls asleep. Her Burst looks like a moon

“不应有恨，何事长向别时圆？” —> Liyue’s name 璃月 (“glazed moon”) is homophonic with 离月 (“month of departure”, or “departing from the Moon Palace”)

Zhongli’s name 钟离 can be interpreted as “yearning for departure”

Similarly, Mondstadt’s name is “Moon City” in German, and Venti also has the idea of departure reflected in the Nameless Bard’s departure and Barbatos’ frequent departure from the city

“人有悲欢离合，月有阴晴圆缺，此事古难全。” —> departure and reunion are major themes in Liyue’s storyline (Xiao and the other Yakshas, Guizhong and Zhongli, etc)

“但愿人长久，��里共婵娟。” —> during Moonchase Festivals and Lantern Rites, the Liyue characters would likely look at the moon, reflecting the sentiment of “no matter how far apart we are, we’re all looking at the same moon”

婵娟 means “fair”/“beautiful” but is also commonly used to describe the moon and flowers, which are Ganyu’s motifs shown in her Skill and Burst

[thatwasntverysunglassesemoji]

reasons why xingyun is the best and most canon ship cause i love them

(not saying the other ships aren’t as great and canon, i just feel like xingyun is the one with the obvious examples)

•both of their respective character story 4’s talk about each other

•”don’t like that plan? okay, then how about i read one for you? how about… young and hopelessly smitten?”

•”xingqiu once sang a song to celebrate chongyun’s birthday, but xingqiu’s singing triggered his pure yang spirit. so whenever he sings, chongyun will get excessive nose bleeds”

•xingqiu gave chongyun a fake lead to wuwang hill for ‘The Test of Courage’, a place filled with only couples, implying he wanted to go on a date with him in chongyun’s hangout event

•rain cutter and cloud cutter

•chongyun gave silk flowers in his birthday mail, which is xingqiu’s ascension material. he goes to talk about how he feels like his face his hot and he can’t find the words he wants to write, almost like a confession. people jokingly theorize that this letter was meant for xingqiu, not the traveler

•matching tassles

•they are always together in fanart and are very rarely with anyone else or even alone without each other

•they work well together in combat (freeze spam >>)

•they are shown as kids together during the moonchase festival cutscene, meaning they are childhood friends

•xingqiu payed off the damage chongyun did during his yang outburst at wangshu inn

•xingqiu is the reason chongyun is trying to find a spirit strong enough to resist his yang energy

•xingqiu often lies about spirit sightings and goes with chongyun to exorcize these fake spirits. whether it’s to genuinely keep his spirits up, an excuse to just hang out with chongyun, or xingqiu straight up just being an mischievous brat, is up for debate (i believe it’s all three combined tbh)

•the ‘wings of golden flight’ glider’s long description talks about xingqiu and chongyun as an anonymous duo who “pierce the rainbows and slice through the frost”

and finally

•”dear chongyun”

[ac-liveblogs]

The way Lantern Rite is becoming less and less about the Yaksha and more into something new every year makes me wonder why they even bothered giving it that link to Xiao. I mean sure the reason festivals are celebrated can change over time but that's not really what it feels like in Genshin to me...it feels more like they just forgot or don't wanna write about Xiao anymore outside of a cameo here & there because they know the fans expect to see him, since ya know, that's what they said the Lantern Rite was about?

I don't think it was ever specifically about the Yaksha, but rather a commemoration of the dead (which included the Yaksha and other Adepti by default), thus the original focus on the Mingxiao Lantern and Xiao by extension.

Year 2 Lantern Rite was about Keqing solving a fireworks theft mystery, Year 3 was about the famously still alive Madame Ping and Year 4...

Lantern Rite is surely meant to be analogous to Chinese New Year so it's no wonder they don't really want to commit to that theme, but in a... narrative where they did explicitly tie it to the development and healing of one specific character, it does get kind of strange if that one character doesn't get a major role. It's not such a big deal for something like Windblume by contrast. They might want to do a Xiao episode every two years instead of annually, which I would understand to an extent, but... we'll see.

Though interestingly, Moonchase was about a dead Adepti...

[welcometoteyvat]

filled w indescribable urge to see those mindblowingly stunning zhongli artworks

[reuska]

How things I make for my HC end up being in Genshin

I will share with you a matter of great pride for me ♥ I've wanted to write a post like this for quite some time but there was never enough time.

Some of you might be familiar with my Genshin OC Hette (eventually known also as Vesna and Silver). I created her sometime during Year 1 of Genshin and her story started and was meant to remain in Mondstadt first. But as my preferences changed (the interaction target moved from Diluc to Zhongli), her story just naturally, in small chunks, progressed from Mond to Liyue. I didn't rewrite it, I simply continued. It was incredibly fun to watch as I had no idea how far her story would actually go.

But the probably most amusing thing on this journey was watching, how things I made for Hette and her story, with no or very vague base in the lore at THAT time, ended up happening or being verified by the game not so long after. Some of them visual, some in worldbuilding and some ABSURDLY and unbelievably accurately happened in the story. My biggest trophy is that I basically came up with whole Furina's story concept long before Fontaine aired. If you're interested, just keep reading ♥

Hette's green patterns

The first thing that comes to my mind are the green patterns (and palette) on Hette's scarf and coat-thingy. We didn't even have Inazuma when I created them. What I had in mind was that she used to study botanics in Sumeru and I wanted it so seem somewhat oriental. Well, as things have it, when we got the Sumeru academia, we learned that all students wear berets with lining color specific to their darshan. Here's the beret for the Amurta darshan which would naturally include Hette's botanics studies:

It just seriously looks like she just loyally wears an Amurta scarf. Thanks, lore ♥

2. Outfit

Speaking of clothes, let's focus on the outfit as a whole. When Genshin first teased Collei's outfit, it instantly became one of my fav designs in Genshin. And there was no wonder, I CLEARLY have a type. Just look at the similarity and placement of design elements (even the ombre on tights xD). Hette was created roughly one year prior Collei's first reveal - outfit-wise, with no basis for future Sumeru visuals. I wanted to combine her being from Mondstadt with influence from her studies in Sumeru. Well, and as coincidence has it, Collei is from Sumeru, influenced by Mondstadt. Same design concept.

3. Silver's palette

Since we're at visuals now, I will go fast forward to Silver. If Hette is a Bulbasaur, Silver is Venusaur. She's a sword user with affiliation for Dendro.

Now if you think she looks like fem version of Alhaitham, with his secondary blue color substitued with her magenta, you're not wrong. She totally does. Only I designed her sometime in March/April 2022 while the first leaks of Haitham's didn't come sooner than July of the same year.

4. Time and leylines

When I started with Hette's story, I made few blind reaches with the worldbuilding. I wanted her to communicate with slimes, I decided it was plausible for the slimes to reside in leylines and as such her ability needed to use leylines in a deeper sense than your regular catalyst mage. She's not OP but she has this niche ability to reach into leylines. After the moonchase festival, I yolo decided I wanted to send her back in time to meet the adepti of old (also would give her the much needed knowledge of Morax). There was no known time travel nor time relativity in Genshin by then so this was the most baseless move I ever did with my lore. I used her leyline ability to make the accidental time travel - she would drop back in time when using her ability near leyline disorder. Meaning I decided to connect Genshin time with Leylines.

The next Genshin update gave us Raiden's second story quest which confirmed both time relativity and its connection to leylines. Pretty wow moment for me.

5. Zhongli pulling his fav peeps from different spaces

This one is still insanely riddiculous to me. So you know how Hette involuntarilly traveled back in time. Long story short, MANY things happened there but eventually she got sucked in the time stream again and had the choice to attempt to move back to her original time. And she did just that. However, when she reached the moment she believed lead to her OG time, she lacked the ability to crack from the leyline space back to the normal one. However, dendro slimes see her there and they manage to call Zhongli to help. That's where I made another completely baseless move and had him pull Hette out of the leyline space using his powers.

What happened two updates after I estabilished this fact? Yes, this.

Different space? Checked. Zhongli pulling someone out? Checked. HOW THE HELL???

6. THE WHOLE FURINA THING

You think this is crazy coincidence? Weeeelll, wait till you hear this one. When Hette's back in the early Archon War era, she has her Vision still with her, in time of no Visions. In another baseless move, I decided that her Vision would thus have strongly amplified powers, almost akin to a Gnosis. This eventually leads to her being mistaken for a god. Trying to not bring attention to her time travel (to not change anything), she has to roll with this claim. She ends up being part of the adepti but she doesn't engage with them in fear of being revealed. Meanwhile common people revere her so there is this invisible wall between her and others, she's lonely and this act is extremely painful for her. She's not aging at this point because the dendro is so strong with her it just keeps instantly correcting her. And she has no idea how long she'll have to keep it up.

SOUNDS FAMILIAR???

Zhongli, who got to meet her in the future(Hette's original time) had no idea about this connection between her and the weird god who used to fight alongside them for a brief time in the past. He figures out this connection when he realizes Hette was sucked in by the Leylines. So you have this god figure learning that a mere mortal was forced to play a god role in a lonely selfless act and said god figure is pained by that realization.

SOUNDS FAMILIAR??????

(And yes, I estabilished this headcanon over a year before Fontaine came).

For the record, Furina had it worse. She was truly alone. In Hette's case (or Vesna's, that's the name she went by back then), she had the luck of Marchosius being too people-person (bear) and too nosy. He eventually got her to spill the beans and confide in him. Ever since then, he kept mentoring her in a way, looking out for her and providing moral support. Which is the only reason she didn't go insane.

7. One more outfit thingy

So we estabilished Hette traveled there and back again in time, after which she becomes who I call Silver. An identity she estabilishes because she feels her Hette self is dead and doesn't want to have anything to do with her Vesna self. But a lot of leyline stuff happened, right.

When I was designing her outfit, I wanted to put a pattern on her gray sleeves. I chose hollow circles with dots because this has been one of my fav designs for a looong time, there was no real underlying thought for it. And as far as I knew, it had never been used in Genshin in any way (and they have a lot of symbols there).

Well, guess where the hollow circle with a dot appeared for the first time in Genshin? If it isn't Irminsul, aka the tree which's roots are the FRICKING LEYLINES which Hette can enter...?

For the record, I later realized Paimon has something a little similar - a big star and half a circle around it in a constellation on her cape. But Paimon is widely theorized to be affiliated with time. Time is somehow connected to the leylines so the funny coincidence still stands.

[mikwaa]

Pairing: Zhonglix f! Reader

Warnings: Hurt/Comfort, Angst, graphic descriptions of blood and violence, enemies to friends to lovers.

Lenght- 4,057

Here is the masterlist of this series!

This fic is also posted on Ao3!

I kindly thank you for every like, reblogs and replies. Thank you very much!

Now you were in Mondstadt, in the tavern of a guy named Diluc. In the company of Morax of course, with the small fact that you had to act like a mortal, this being one of Morax's demands, besides accompanying him on this trip.

How you ended up here was a bit complicated, but the fact is that you were here. At first for an investigation, however, you ended up having to witness Morax's negotiations with local merchants, because he was responsible for some of the preparations for the Moonchase festival that took place annually in Liyue, and this time he decided to make these negotiations in person.

And how you had supposedly gotten in the way of one of his schemes with the other Adepti, as a way to pay for your mistake you came with him to Mondstadt, which seemed more like a way to get you out of the trouble that was brewing in Liyue, a trouble that you had no idea what it could be, all you knew was a thing or two here and there. And how you were idle just waiting for Morax to finish his conversation, it brought to mind again the conversation you had with the Adepti before you came here.

"But retainer of the cloud, I-" You've been cut off for the thousandth time. "No buts, I've already said that this will be your punishment for the irresponsible things you've been doing." And with that line you can hear Morax's chuckle in the background. What was this discussion about? Well, the cloud retainer wanted to give you some tasks to redeem yourself for your latest actions, including the near-death of an innocent, at least that's what she said. The fact is that you met a group of suspicious people recently, and then watching them a little more you realized that it was a group of treasure hoarders, and as soon as you pressed them minimally they said they were there to disrupt the preparations of the next event of Liyue, the Moonchase festival. So you made a deal with them, if they told you who they were trying to gain from this situation you would let them go, and they did. They guided you to the leader, an ordinary man from Sumeru, until you saw that he seemed to be very close to the Fatui. He didn't have to explain anything else for you to realize what it was all about, so it didn't have a very happy ending. You thought you were done with him, too bad that the miserable guy still managed to survive somehow. You didn't even intend to get involved in the story, but seeing that they were depredating the resting place of the Adepti, it became impossible not to act against them. And then you found out more and more things, and got yourself in a big mess. Even though the retainer understood your reasons, she still wanted to take action herself, and thinking that the men you pursued could start thanking you, because frankly she wouldn't take it easy. "You disrupted one of our interventions in a foolish way. Nothing more fair than this minimal punishment." Moon Carver speaks up, another important Adeptus gathering here. Even you didn't know what you had disturbed, the fact was that even Morax was present. The Adepti who had a higher degree did not get involved in small or changing situations, yet they seemed to be quite engaged in this situation that seemed to be very common for you. But despite this, it was clear that there was something much more serious going on. "In any case I can help you with the task if you like." Morax said kindly, as if you didn't see the teasing face he was making at you. All you had to do was follow another suspicious group, what was so great about that? Except for the fact that you would have to act like a mortal and could do nothing, even if things got bad. Other than that, it didn't sound bad. Of course, Morax was the one responsible for giving this suggestion, to see how you would act next to him in the most normal way possible, but how? That's for him to know. "So that's it, I hope I was clear about what you should not do under any circumstances.” That already scolding tone coming from the cloud retainer. "Then we are settled, you accompany me and help when necessary." Morax gives the final word, and everyone present agrees. You only accepted all this because of your respect for the Adepti, nothing else.

"I wonder why you are so quiet." That brought you back to reality.

"And I wonder why you even bothered to bring me here." With enough tantrums you answer him.

"Don't be so grumpy, it's not being that bad." With a brief smile he says.

It wasn't that he was being annoying or anything, but you could swear there was something going on behind all this, and the fact that they were hiding it from you made it even worse. The Adepti with a higher authority always did this, it wasn't hard to find Morax talking to them, and as soon as someone got close the topic would change. Even if it is not yet clear what this is about, whenever this happened something good was not.

Since Morax had decided to act like a mortal things had changed quite a bit, it's these Adepti with more authority had stopped acting on things about Liyue, they would only act if the situation got out of hand, just as Morax had said. The only Adepti who still had a strong presence were the Yaksha, that's down to you and Xiao,Ganyu too, though she was always working.

"Because I know you are doing something, don't think you can fool me.That's not from today." You retort.

"It's undeniable that your senses are sharp, but I'm afraid this time they're wrong." Knowing him so well, you sense a certain cynicism in his tone.

Mistaken? It seemed that you were more right than ever.

"If I knew you yesterday you might be able to fool me." You say looking him in the eye.

He responded with a laugh, the kind that makes you angry. More than enough to make your blood bubble.

"I brought us some more wine." Barbatos says cheerfully, this was already the third bottle he had.

"You still have that nasty habit of drinking too much." Morax scolds him, but still accepts a glass of wine

"And you are still one who doesn't know how to enjoy life." Even if decades go by, Barbatos as always acts as he pleases. Honestly, sometimes he made more sense than Morax.

"I thought we were here so you could take us to the owner of the tavern, and you're going around in circles. Do you think I'm stupid or what?" You say this to the two at the table. It was already becoming more and more clear that this was just small talk.

"Well, the reason we are here is because someone is in some kind of trouble, isn't it?" The line had a provocative connotation, the way Morax hated it.

From Barbatos' petulance you could tell that the alcohol was already taking effect.

"You should keep these matters more confidential." Morax says very calmly, but looking at him you could tell he wanted to strangle Barbatos.

You just look at them both incredulously, it's not as if veiled provocations are going to get you anywhere. All you did was put one thing or another together, and in the end you had a pretty good idea. What was still not clear was Morax's motivation for coming to Mondstadt, with the excuse of having to come to make negotiations in person.

"If the two clowns don't tell me what this is all about, you can be sure I'll find out on my own." Of course you were full of it, if it was a bigger problem it would all fall on your shoulders later.

"Honestly, why do you two look so much alike? That's why you can work together like this." Barbatos says taking another sip of wine.

You sighed and looked at Morax, who had said 'sorry' with his eyes.

"You two can keep talking, I don't intend to get in the way any longer." You said flatly, and then left.

You could have teleported, but that would have drawn attention, and that was the thing that would have gotten in the way at this point, since you had to look like an ordinary mortal.

Even your clothes had to change, you now wore clothes that were similar to those of Liyue's residents, making it obvious where you came from. If it was any consolation, Mondstadt had some very pretty places you could spend some time in, as well as some flora that caught your interest, so you wouldn't have to spend too much mora to buy materials when you got back.

In fact even the town of Mondstadt was very cozy by itself, it was a good place to relax, it was incredibly quiet, unlike the Liyue Harbor. And since you had nothing to do, you just had to find a suitable place to put your thoughts in order. Everything was very different from Liyue, even the weather so to speak, the landscapes that were solemn to look at.

And you vaguely remembered things around here, in fact they had changed a lot since the last time you walked through these lands, because it had been a long time. And as with Liyue, you couldn't help but admire the progress that had been made, Barbatos had done well. And if you were correct, walking ahead you would find a large oak tree, in a place where it was named Windrise.

And you had been right, it didn't take long to see the big tree, it was incredibly majestic up close. The serene place would be a great place to feel at peace with yourself, something you had been needing a lot lately. Even knowing the price it would take to defend Liyue so bravely, you didn't run away from it, quite the contrary. The price of all of this was already showing in an eloquent way, your karma was already having the first symptoms, that even if you tried to hide it you wouldn't be able to.

The pain, the agony, the suffering, simply all blended into one, and you couldn't do anything about it. There was no way to prevent it, not even with years of study had you accomplished such a feat, and frankly it still seemed a long way from any significant result. It was agonizing to think that one day you would suffer from it and not be able to cure it, sometimes even control it if it was more serious.

This is because you couldn't tell if you would have worse symptoms than the current ones, or if you would reach the point of going insane. And besides, you could reach a point where no medicine you already have would have any effect, since with Xiao and Bosacius you had to change your medicines quite constantly. And if you were to cause harm to those you held in high regard, you would rather die than do such a thing. Just remembering the fight between Bonanus and Menogias gave you a chill down your spine, and you still had noticeable scars from that fight, because you and Bosacius went to separate them.

Even though fear took over when you thought about these things, you had to keep your head up at all times, if you let your guard down it would be even worse. All you had to keep in mind, even with all these things happening, was that your journey was far from over, and you still had many memorable things to do.

As the afternoon wore on you snuggled into the grass as the soft breeze hit your skin, it was a feeling so pleasant that you could tell it was able to cleanse the soul. Even if you weren't here just for fun, at least it was giving you some good feelings. At first it seemed like a pleasant trip with Morax, too bad you hated it when he started to hide things. He had his reasons, but it was frustrating to say the least.

"I suppose I'm not interrupting." Looking up to see it was Morax, who had somehow managed to find you. Not that it was very difficult.

"No, it isn't. How was your conversation with Barbatos?" You say bluntly, wanting to know the real reason he came here.

"As usual, Barbatos was a bit rude." Him of all people, talking about bad manners.

He might have learned to have all this elegance and sophistication, but he still had many remnants of his rudeness.

"I want to see how long you'll keep things from me, I thought that according to you we were friends." You sounded more upset than you should have been.

He gave a smile followed by a sigh, but still he didn't seem the least bit concerned. "It has to do with a contract I made that got partially out of hand."

Even if it was minor, it made you think of a thousand things that could have happened, and none of them pleased you.

"It has nothing to do with your Gnosis or Liyue's integrity, does it?" You're already thinking about the groups of monsters from the abyss that you and Xiao and Bosacius have killed in the last few days, not to mention the Fatui who could be seen prowling around the port.

He looked lost, and didn't give any answers either. And it made you wonder what kind of deal would be worth spending everything on.

"You will know as time goes on, but if I need your help I will not hesitate to call on you." And as comforting as it was to hear, you couldn't help but feel that he still wasn't being honest.

"You never get tired of getting into these kinds of trouble, and it makes it even worse to know that the other Adepti are also aware of it." You make a point of telling him that, if he understood that many of his actions could mean a lot of trouble.

And of course he was still incredibly wise, if he wasn't, Liyue wouldn't have progressed so far. But this didn't mean that he was always right, many times simple decisions that he made in a wrong way could be a big disturbance.

"I understand your concerns, they are very coherent. I couldn't expect anything less from you." Why did he have that gaze in your direction? It wasn't anger or anything bad, it was a different look.

Not only that but he was being very understanding with you lately, in fact it seemed that he even enjoyed the teasing you were doing, he seemed to enjoy the situation a lot.

"What's really bothering me lately is you. I know what you're going through." The completely sudden change of subject left you all flustered.

For you were thinking that you had hidden what you were feeling well, it seemed that you were quite mistaken.

"What are you talking about?" Trying to make a fool of yourself, too bad it almost never works.

"Don't play the ingenue. The symptoms have started, haven't they?" He spoke in a low and welcoming way, and actually sounded quite concerned.

"Yes, it's been a while actually. But it's nothing serious." Insecurity was all you expressed, it's not as if you were sure of your condition.

He was silent, a very uncomfortable silence. You both just kept staring at the horizon, each waiting for the other to take the initiative to speak.

"I hope I can make it up to you."

You look at him puzzled, Make it right?

"What do you mean?" You ask a question and wait anxiously for the answer.

"I think you already know how I feel about everything that has happened. And I intend to do differently with you, everything in my power I will do." He takes one of your hands and holds it in a symbolic way.

It's not that he was stuck in the past, nor are you. But you could understand the fact that he felt bad about everything that had happened, and now wanted to at least help. And you felt good to know that at least you would have his support, that was very reassuring indeed. And after so much complaining about Morax's lack of support, now you simply heard him say that he would help you.

You can already feel your eyes filling with tears, yet you contain them."I am grateful, really." You squeeze his hand with a smile.

It seemed more like you were locked in that moment, it seemed like such a peaceful interaction, because it had been genuine.

"And I also hope I can help you if you need it." Since you didn't know what to say, you ended up saying that. Funny to think that's what you had been doing all along, helping Morax, even if in an indirect way.

"You already do more than enough, and you know it." Another compliment that left you speechless.

It was ironic to think that, two beings with the same interest and with such similar ways, became so distant. Maybe this showed that even though both were so similar in some ways, yet so different in others. But still, complementing each other if need be, just as it was lately, is this was rekindling a lasting connection.

"Yes, it was unexpected. You actually still have some questionable attitudes, but at least you're reliable." Your line drew a good laugh from him, that was the attitude that caught his attention. Irreverent, that's what you were, no matter who or what, you would never lower your head.

"I admit that this time we've been spending together has been very enjoyable, even if some of it hasn't been the best." This he says referring to when you were trapped in the depths of the chasm. Who would have thought that a situation like that could bring something good.

"I hope that never happens again, imagine getting another complaint from the cloud retainer." And you gave a wide smile as you said that, it might have been awkward, but it was comical.

"Even I had to put up with it, the cloud retainer is not as harsh with me as she used to be, but I remember hearing her complain a lot." Even he talked about it laughing.

Doing such memorable things just for the sake of being together. Looking at it this way even the silly fights and teasing became a good remembrance in your memory, remembrances that stayed in a good part of your mind.

"Perhaps I'm being indelicate, but you look good when you smile." He was quite sincere as he said it, and there was something else in his voice that you didn't identify.

Your smile faltered, not because you didn't like what you heard, on the contrary. The fact was that you always felt awkward when you smiled, and that was one of the reasons you didn't do it often.

"You keep noticing all this foolishness." The same little game of trying to take attention away from you, which always had the opposite effect.

"Silly things you say. To me it's very interesting stuff."

You give a slight smile and sit back down on the grass, by now the sun was setting.

"By the look on your face you intend to stay here, don't you?" He had a good perception of you, how could he not if you had been together for so long?

"No, I don't want to go back. I'm already feeling too suffocated with this plan of yours to pretend I'm a mortal." Another giggle came from him.

"I won't deny that for me and incredibly interesting to see how you behave in this situation." Sure, maybe he thought you would adapt to such things as well as he did.

But that was a terrible judgment, since he had plenty of time to get used to it, plus he already had plenty of practice with socialization issues, something you lacked.

"All this was just an excuse for you to bring me here, wasn't it?" You inquire directly.

"I know it may have been a little.... Rustic? But you wouldn't take it under normal conditions." It's not as if you didn't know from the start, it's still you accepted it. Curiosity maybe?

"Why the insistence? You're not going to tell me it's just for my company." Why did your voice sound a bit nervous this time? It was a simple question.

"Would it be too bad if I said yes? Actually I also brought you along because I'd like some opinions from you." Whether it was good or bad you couldn't say, it was unusual for him to say he wanted your opinion.

"You with your secrets, you're making me concerned about this." Actually you were quite worried about everything, and you were starting to put some pieces together with it.

The fact that he said he would do everything possible to help you with your karma, and that there was an increase of Fatui activity in Liyue, along with Morax's closeness to Childe, not to mention that Childe himself gave you the Reuca cure just like that. Wasn't all this very strange? It seemed to fit together so perfectly that it didn't make sense.

"It's normal, but you don't have to worry so much. I must remind you that I still have my means, even with so many changes, I am still an Archon." His voice was filled with harshness, but the reminder was not for you.

"All this has to do with many things, right? And specifically to the Fatui, which leads me to believe that you know you could end up in trouble." His expression changed, not of surprise, but maybe of astonishment that you connect the dots so easily.

"The exchange I made was very important, and the return would also have to be. Although it seems that this is taking longer than it should." And you could already feel sorry for the one who even thought to scam Morax, for sure this person wouldn't last long.

Besides that Morax is the God of contracts, he wouldn't make a bad contract, you could be sure of that.

"Just don't take too many risks, I know you have full and complete knowledge of the situation you are entering, but still." Now your concern was not only directed at Liyue, but at him.

He took one of your hands again, this time squeezing hard.

"The concern here is not me, I can handle this situation very well. As for you, don't try to put all this weight on your shoulders." That was it, one giving advice to the other, as if both of you didn't know that.

After that you both remained silent, even though you had many things to talk about. His presence was already enough for you, even if he didn't say a word. It was already night, the darkness already prevailed in that open field where you were. But it was no bother, the serenity that the night brought with it was what made you like it so much. It was the time when everything calmed down, even the busiest city ceased.

But for you, this time was a little different, this time you had a good friend by your side. Just there, without fights or disagreements, it was just the two of you looking at the starry sky, enjoying the calm. At this time you didn't need much, just be there just for the sake of being there, talk just for the sake of talking. It was already very clear that you were pacified, and the friendship flowed very well.

A great friendship was forming, along with a feeling that was growing in both of you, companionship, at least that was what came to your mind.

After all, what else could it be?

[pwurrz]

xiao’s friendship with the traveller is so important to me

he’s not used to touch yet his arm stayed around the traveller to support them after saving them from falling..

he only showed up during the moonchase festival because the traveller called him, because even tho paimon was calling him, he only promised the traveller he’d come when they called his name..

xiao’s voice line about shenhe, and her voice line about him..

the way he knew the traveller was just trying to get him to visit liyue harbour to see the fireworks for lantern rite, but still accompanied them all the way there and waited at the outskirts of the city to ‘protect them’

and a year later when he’s standing near pervases’ shrine, he mentions that if someone wants to accompany him during the festival they’ll come find him (aka the traveller coming to find him to invite him yet again to watch the fireworks)..

he’s so sweet man.....