#or a story in which you worked under scara when he was a harbinger

[merakiui]

scara smut when. - :) anon

Hopefully soon! >:D Currently, these are the fics you can expect to see in the near future:

✧ azul thought four - scheduled for 21 december. nine months of hard work can finally be posted!!! i'm very excited. i think this is the longest smut piece i've ever written.

✧ yandere!scaramouche - no posting date for this one as it's still a wip. but i've written half of it, so it could very well be posted shortly after azul thought four! since i wrote a story in which scaramouche receives therapy and gets better, i decided to write a story in which he gets progressively worse. it's set in a modern au and is written from scara's pov!

✧ chills & thrills stories - i hope to finish and post both dottore's and scaramouche's stories in the upcoming future!

✧ scara smut. there are plenty of ideas in my head. i will have to sift through all of them and decide which is best, so until then i hope the other fics can be enjoyed! :D

[despairots]

━━━━━━━━ the ballerina dancing in the rain.

pairings ━━━━━━━━ scaramouche x gender neutral! ballerina! reader. reader is a puppet and apart of the fatui, working underneath scara. takes place where scara is apart of the fatui. for story purposes, reader has short hair sorry long hair royalties :( reader has an anemo vision and uses a sword. reader has protective issues over scaramouche and hates dottore

content warning ━━━━━━━━ has some suggestive things at the end (only bc km on my period and hormones have been acting up), most likely angst at some point, murder, mentions of abuse, mentions of being totured and being tested on, may be ooc.

do you walk in the shadows of men who sold their lives for a dream? most people thought you were weird due to being restrained from emotions and body stitches, they didn’t know what was the reason.

and working under scaramouche, the balladeer, you were bound to be scolded and yelled at him but you were prepared, already experiencing this type of behaviour before in your past.

he thought you were weird, doing everything you were ordered too and did everything perfectly right, and no matter how many times you were scolded, yelled at, slapped, you didn’t react, almost have done this before.

it intrigued him also due to the fact you popped into the files in thin air, no records of your past nor origins.

but no matter how many times he said he didn’t care for you at all, he still followed you around when dottore called for you as you trailed behind him like a stray dog.

he didn’t know what brought himself to do that, he said he didn’t care… does he care? he couldn’t possibly. you were just a mere fatui agent that some what was important to the harbingers.

“seems like your joints have been fainting.” scaramouche watched dottore glide his finger’s against your nude arms, tilting your fingers to his liking to examine you whilst you sat there, staring down and sitting still.

scaramouche listened, like he usually does to ensure your safety— safety? since when does he care about your safety? a mere human that worked under him?

he heard dottore sigh and drop your arms to your side, “you’re lucky you’re important to the tsaritsa or else i would’ve experimented on you like the harbinger you work under.” he commented which was a bad move on his part.

scaramouche gritted his teeth and frowned, knowing that comment was directed to him, “what’d you say?” you sneered with venom, glaring up at him due to the comment he made.

dottore laughed at you, knowing your undying loyalty and protectiveness towards the balladeer. “gets angered at the mention towards the harbinger their working under!” even if scaramouche couldn’t see it, he knew you were fuming.

his laughter quieted down, watching you pull your coat over your body to hide his gaze even though his seen your body a million times because of searching for your disappearing joints and being experimented on.

“are you done? or are you gonna continue your experiments?” experiments? scaramouche peeked through his hiding spot, surprised by your amount of chatter and the sudden mention of experiments.

“oh, right! but it seems like we have a guest.” the two of you looked over at scaramouche who interrupted with a frown, “sir?” your body tensed at the sight of him before looking down in shame.

his gaze flickered to your figure before dottore, “what are you doing to them?” he walked up to you two, glaring up at him, “you’ll see.” he paused and looked down at you, taking notice of you putting your boots back on.

“[name], wanna tell him what you really are and what your purpose is?”

“i’d rather not.” you quickly replied to get out of the position you are, ignoring the fact that you were just saved from being tortured, “oh? why not? wouldn’t your dear harbinger like to know?”

you looked at scaramouche and looked back down, hands clutched onto your coat before dottore grabbed your wrist and pulled you over to his desk of files, mostly filled with you.

he gave the files to scaramouche who quickly opened it after dodging your attempts on taking them away from him, “wait!— sir, please don’t read them!” your pleads fell upon deaf ears, dottore holding you in place.

[name] ━━━━━━━━ the ballerina dancing in the rain.

his eyes scanned through your files, eyes slightly widening every time he read what dottore had written down. he closed it and handed towards dottore and glared at you, who wanted to shiver up and die.

“[name]’s a puppet, specifically a puppet for the hydro archon. they’re exactly like you.” dottore stated, grinning evilly down at you who frowned.

that was when scaramouche realized, you were exactly like him, but instead of being discarded, you were kept but ran away due to outliving your loved ones and being abused over and over again.

that was why he felt a weird feeling towards you, a feeling of similarity. you felt that same feeling towards him, that’s why you decided you to perfect everything just the way he wanted.

you were important because you were just a replacement for scaramouche, a new test subject.

“let go of them, dottore.” dottore quickly let go with a smirk as you rushed to scaramouche’s side, who took your wrist and left the place to his office.

it was quiet, enough to your liking but scared of what scaramouche wanted from you due to the fact that he just rushed you both away from the doctor.

“sir?” he pushed open his office door and shoved your shoulders against it, head against your collarbone, flustering you as you stood still, waiting for his sudden outburst he’ll have if you moved.

“why didn’t you tell me?”

“hm?” he lifted his head up, hands now on your neck with care that he didn’t hurt you, “that you were a puppet.” you looked down, “i didn’t think it was important.” shrugging, you felt his grip tightened.

“why?” “what am i supposed to say? oh, i’m a puppet for the hydro archon but i ran away due to restatement towards her. was i supposed to say that?” you scoffed with an eye roll, probably a bad idea but who knows.

“you can’t blame me for not wanting to tell you.”

“you brat.” he dragged you into a rough kiss, stopping you from ranting on and on, suddenly feeling comfortable to show your real personality towards him.

you jumped, hands reacting fast, reaching to his wrist but not pulling away. it was like your body resisted, like your body enjoyed having his lips on yours.

he shoved you back harshly on the door again to which you didn’t mind when you relaxed and wrapped your arms around his neck, moaning slightly into his mouth.

all what was heard last night was the slight sound of moaning and grunting to which you woke up to the marks on your neck and the balladeers body pressing against yours.

[maaarshieee]

im just gonna dump this here :'D

y/n, a renowned fighter of liyue and a secret agent of ningguang who is going undercover as a millelith (who was a part of the osial fight), was tasked to make the fatui harbinger, childe, leave without making it seem forceful. the fatui in liyue means that peace would never be with them. they awakened osial, therefore they had to make the harbinger leave without diplomatic issues. they had to do it in every single way possible without mistakes.

and what's the most effective way to win the harbinger's heart? it's to acknowledge him with kindness and pure and gentle heart. treating him in a nice way, greeting him and gifting him trinkets or handmade gifts.

y/n's plan is to act like his friend, someone he could trust. someone he could love. someone to build his future with. and after he falls for that, they push him away. curse him and tell him to never come back to liyue. blame him for everything. tell him that he's scary, that they will never trust someone like him. that he doesn't deserve anything.

except there's one clear flaw in their plan. they never anticipated that what if, they were the ones to fall in love with the harbinger? what if they get too attached to him to even break his heart?

of course, this completely tore apart y/n. not knowing what to do. break him and save liyue or be free and let liyue be. both have different consequences. and what did y/n do? they chose what their heart says.

- weekly anon

i know this is very similar with the scara one but but but but

⎯⎯ ୨ 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 ୧ ⎯⎯

➢ Cʜɪʟᴅᴇ x Gɴ!Rᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

➢ 4.4k ᴡᴏʀᴅs ┊ Hᴇᴀᴠʏ ᴀɴɢsᴛ

➢ Mᴀsᴛᴇʀʟɪsᴛ

a/n - GOD WEEKLY ANON WHY. YOUR REQUESTS ARE SO GOOD BUT HONESLY ME AND MY BOO (who helps me story board) ARE AT A LOSS BC THE CONFLICT IS TOO GOOD. also weekly anon blame @iyagato for making me go through with this idea. not me writing your request again, I SWEAR I DONT HAVE ANON FAVORITES, this is actually punishment! /j. I'm not good at angst but i hope i delivered it nicely. OH YEAH THANKS FOR 700 FOLLOWRS! HOPE YOU LIKE THIS AS A GIFT >:))) titled "unintentional", have a nice day/night! also theme song? veil by keida suda

↬ cw: canon typical violence, major character death (guess who?), sword wielder & pyro user reader, reader just... experiences really sad shit so uh, tw, kinda some sexual innuendo at one part but you can read it both ways, blood, gore

The mission was simple enough, wasn't it?

Gain his trust. Shed him off his walls and deceive him when he least expects it. To allow himself to be vulnerable to you, to see you as a reliable comrade. To pretend to be someone he could love, to hold in his arms, to share his troubles with, to talk to about whatever comes to his mind, to be with someone he thought he could have a future with.

Truly, it was simple enough.

Lady Ningguang has entrusted this task to you, for you are capable enough to complete any mission the Lady has ever assigned to you. Be it 'cleansing' Liyue Harbor of 'filth', or simply gaining needed information, her beck and call. You were even graced by Lady Ningguang's access inside the Jade Chamber, which she's only ever allowed to her 3 secretaries and people she deeply trusts.

You swore loyalty under her command, for she never ceased to amaze you. From her glorious beauty, her dedication to her work, and her never-ending kindness to the inhabitants of Liyue, especially toward children.

"I have confidence that if this task were given to someone, rest assured you, out of everyone, can complete it." She says with a smile whilst you stood before her, hands behind your back with a bowed head, taking her words with immense gratitude. "The longer he, a Fatui Harbinger, stays in Liyue Harbor, peace will never be upon us."

You wholeheartedly believed in your Lady's words, nodding along as she continued to speak. She pushed a small unsuspecting folder toward you and allowed you to take it from her. Upon opening the folder, your eyes immediately scanned all the information in the papers.

"That folder is important. It contains his name, age, occupation, locations, favorites, and many more. Use it all to your advantage." Nodding once again, you held onto the folder tightly, giving your Lady a deep, respectful bow. Her last words to you ever since that day rang in your ears, engraving themselves into your brain because Archons forbid you to forget; "Don't fail me."

With pride, you took upon this mission in a stride, completely overestimating yourself. You may be a renowned warrior of Liyue, Lady Ningguang's trusted agent known for your prowess in battle and your seemingly endless adherence to your job, but there was something you never took into consideration.

That you were simply human.

Getting along with the Fatui Harbinger was a rather easy feat. He was friendly when you first approached in a guise; a part of the Millelith. From the information the papers inside the folder Lady Ningguang lent you, he loved battling against strong foes. So much so, he gains thrill even if he was injured. So how did you first greet the 11th member of the Fatui Harbingers?

Into a spar of course.

Soldiers would often say that archers were the weakest among the different sorts of fighters. That they cower behind in the backlines and only have knowledge for support. That they rely on long-range attacks merely because they freeze at the first sign of danger up close. You knew better of course. Archers are incredibly powerful on a battlefield. One skilled archer is enough to turn the tides of war; like death itself. You never know when an arrow would pierce through your chest or your forehead.

True fighters would know to never underestimate an enemy.

And you were proven right when you first battled Childe. You've never fought against an archer one-on-one but he fought vigorously against you, a sword wielder. His moves were fluid, flowing like water, an endless stream of aggressive and deadly strikes, similar to the Vision he has. It crashes upon you like tidal waves of stormy nights that shakes sailing ships until they flip and sink. With each strike he landed, the more you admired the strong fighter in front of you.

Childe fought differently than the other archers you've met. It was as if he merged the gracefulness of an archer with the violent characteristics similar to a berserker. He wore an exhilarated smile on his in the whole duration of your fight, you even heard him laugh when you catch him off guard.

He didn't underestimate you either, despite coming off quite arrogantly with each blow he dealt to you. It was a simple approach, yet you couldn't bring yourself to lose against him. How a person fought was enough to discern one's personality, in Childe's opinion, and he always finds himself breathless when you adjust the grip on your sword, baiting him and swinging in a direction he didn't expect, almost resulting in his loss.

You were cunning, a fighter who uses their boundless knowledge in the art of swordsmanship to the fullest. Dirty tricks? You've used them with a smug smirk on your face. Impenetrable defense? Powerful offense? You had it all, and it caught his full attention.

His water would extinguish the flames of your blade, but as quickly as they dispersed, they would flare back up like the burning determination in your eyes. He found himself truly captivated by the mesmerizing flames that licked and singed his skin.

In the end, you won. Nevertheless, seconds passed after Childe's defeat, you fell to the ground along with him, catching your breath and swallowing down the pain that was slowing growing in intensity the more the adrenaline that ran through your veins slowly faded.

Childe was admittedly impressed. The Millelith hadn't given him an impression by their rather lacking strength, but you? You must be one of the higher ranks! He learned a lot just by fighting you and felt awestruck by how remarkable a fighter you were. Unlike any battles he had recently fought, you displayed true sportsmanship with it comes to duels, commending his skills as an archer. When he told you that he uses the bow simply because he was less adept with it, you expressed genuine shock.

"Really? Most archers aren't capable of fighting well as you are against sword wielders on one-on-ones, and you're saying you're weakest with a bow?" You gave him a toothy grin, eyes wide and filled with wonder whilst the both of you walked towards Liuli Pavilion. Since Childe lost the spar you had moments ago, he had invited you for a dinner together, offering to pay for the expenses.

You accepted his offer with a fake smile (was it really?) on your face after you've shaken hands, putting away each other's weapons. "Mhm, believe it or not! You're quite a strong opponent, where did you learn how to wield your sword like that?" He queried, his gaze stuck on the person who defeated him.

You suppose you had nothing to hide, crossing your arms with pride as you said; "Well, my father was quite famous in Liyue, as I, for being an outstanding swordsman. He taught me everything I needed to know." With a nod, eyes meeting his azure ones. His fingers rubbed his chin, invested with your words.

Then, he nudged you with his elbow, a wide smile stretching his lips. "Care to share some of that knowledge?" He asks, wearing a hopeful expression.

You merely scoffed, raising a brow at the taller male beside you. "And why should I?"

Without missing a beat, he shot a smirk your way, crossing his arms as he narrowed his eyes. "So I can surely beat you in our next duel."

Breaking into fits of (genuine) laughter at his cocky attitude, you shook your head. "Oh? Then that gives me more reason not to tell you then." You remarked. But he only tutted at you, hair flowing prettily against the winds, "Awww, scared that I'll find your weakness? That an archer like me can beat your ass to the ground?" He said teasingly, the corners of his eyes crinkling in amusement.

For the first time in a while, you felt your heart race in anticipation. Though, back then, you had mistaken it as the fleeting sensation of victory beating in your heart. You had thought he had fallen into your trap when, unknowingly, you had fallen as well.

"Alright," You'd huff, "Bring it on."

It has been... months since you've seen the last of Lady Ningguang. Usually, you'd report to her Lady every few days, updating her about the progress of your mission.

Lately, though, a sense of dread would creep up toward your heart whenever you thought of visiting the Jade Chamber. Oddly enough, you felt eyes following you with every step you take, and because of that, you've grown incredibly weary and paranoid.

But you have a guess on what makes your heart waver when it comes to Lady Ningguang and your duties.

Childe.

Even the mere mention of his name makes you grit your teeth. For the past few months, the more this mission of yours went on, the more you grew to hate him.

You absolutely abhor him.

He made your seemingly effortless task drag on longer than you'd like. And despite being aware that gaining a person's trust was not like a leisure walk through Liyue Harbor, you hated every passing second you spent with him.

Childe was annoying, arrogant and you can't stand him. He would nag you for a spar so much that you'd have to hide across Liyue to avoid him, often asking a kind gentleman working in Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, named Zhongli, to distract the bothersome ginger who refused to leave you alone for some reason.

Asking him why he wants to stick around you so much was utterly fruitless, for he would blatantly lie to your face (just as much as you lie to him). "I want to score higher than you in our spars!", "Why can't I? Aren't we comrades?", "Getting tired of me already? Too bad!", and so on.

The moment he opens his mouth, you want to bury yourself in the ground, never to listen to his senseless blabbering. You hated so many things about him that you can list them.

You hate the cocky smile he'd always have when he walks up to you, asking you for a spar, his voice that would always get on your nerves, his bright, blue eyes that always seem to spark back to life whenever he looks at you, the way he always perks up when he hears you approaching because it's totally normal for people to memorize the sounds of another's footsteps, the way he's always eager to treat you dinner—

The way he makes your heart skips a beat whenever he laughs, the way he touches you oh so gently even though you're the one who kept beating him in fights, the way the tone of his voice changes whenever he speaks to you or says your name—

The way he makes your cheeks burn hotter than when you use your pyro vision whenever he shamelessly flirts with you 'as a joke', the way he makes butterflies flutter in your stomach whenever he sends you the most loving smile you've ever seen in your life, the way he never fails to make you feel so special because, for some reason, he's always so drawn to you, like a moth to a flame.

You hated Childe, and you had so many reasons for it, including making you fall for him. Hard.

At the moment, you were hiding from Childe again, watching Zhongli lead him away from where you hid. He had a pout on his lips, arms crossed as he clearly looked upset. You were a master at hide and seek, and he had never caught you once amidst your foolish games.

Once they were both out of sight, you leaned back against the tree you were on, the smile you once wore simply because you saw Childe acting so foolishly when it comes to you quickly morphed into a frown as you looked up into the skies, eyeing the Jade Chamber that infinitely hovered in the skies, casting a shadow all over Liyue. A place you once wanted to be part of, now a sight for sore eyes.

You wondered if Lady Ningguang knew. Of your inner turmoil, of your struggles, of your evident betrayal to your Lady, to Liyue. Thinking about it made your chest hurt, your hand clutching your chest. A younger version of you would surely be disgusted at your pathetic state. You? Who vowed to serve Lady Ningguang until your last breath? Whose resolve began to waver simply because of a man who's supposed to be your enemy?

A bitter laugh escaped your lips. How cruel. You once thought that this mission was the easiest one you've ever gotten. But it just grew harder when Childe ultimately asked you to be his lover.

And that was it.

A rejection followed by a fearful look, words that you knew would crush his heart and fake tears would be enough to wrap up your mission. To restore the faith Lady Ningguang had instilled in you, to make up for your traitorous mind...

But the way he caressed your cheek so tenderly, features softening at the mere sight of you, eyes both wary and filled with hope— Archons, you just couldn't. Not when you've dug your own grave, not when your heart beats for him.

On the day of his confession, he mistook your tears for joy. Instead, your tears were laced with unfathomable pain from the conflict that tore your heart. To serve Lady Ningguang and abide by your mission, or to betray your whole nation for the man who stole your heart?

The moment you realized you had fallen in love with Childe, a Fatui Harbinger, you willed yourself to avoid him at all costs. And when he sought you out, only to confess? You were devastated that he had fallen too. Fallen to the trap that fate had led you into, a trap both of you blindly waltzed in.

Once in a relationship, you prayed that he wouldn't notice. How your hands would tremble when he nears you, how your bottom lip would quiver when his were inches away, how your eyes grew teary when you feel his hot breath against your skin. It all felt so surreal, so addicting, you wanted more of him, to love him with all your heart, but indulging him made you feel sick.

Touching him felt like a sin, both to him and the country to which you once devoted yourself. His skin against yours burned you, accidentally flinching whenever he reaches for you, and your heart felt like it was being stabbed repeatedly.

You were so desperate for him, yearning for him, yet your heart ached when he utters those sweet words in your ears.

"I love you."

Archons, what have you done?

The words you spoke felt like shattered glass rolling off your tongue. Who knew simply talking would hurt so much?

But the weight was lifted off your chest once you finished speaking, a strong pair of arms wrapped around your trembling body, reassuring, but shaky words being whispered to your ear. You clung to him, hands gripping the back of his shirt.

To say that he was shocked was an understatement. He has his suspicions toward you (and ignored them), but he never would've thought the burdens you carried were to that extent. Childe understood now though. Why you acted so strangely despite accepting his confession. You truly did love him, but the guilt in your heart ate you from the inside.

He understood how you felt, so he held you in his arms tightly, refusing to let go of you until you tell him so. To quell the pain in your heart little by little, to kiss you whilst you shed tears, to touch you as if you were bound to fall apart as you unraveled yourself completely bare only for him to see.

And when you agreed to his suggestion, his heart rejoiced.

"Join me. Let's leave Liyue."

But things never go the way they should.

Lady Ningguang knew. Of course, she did. She knew of your plans of departure from Liyue, and she wouldn't stand idle anymore for a traitor like you.

It happened all too fast. One moment you were on patrolling as a faux Millelith soldier, and the next thing you knew, you were being chased by your peers all across Liyue Harbor.

They were at every corner you turned to, surrounding you and cornering you. You can't escape anymore, you were trapped. It was then that realization struck you; she had finally made her move.

You will regret this later on, but you summoned your sword and pointing it threateningly at the multiple soldiers that blocked your path. You were to join the Fatui soon enough, so there won't be any harm in starting now, right?

But before you could even swing your sword, you heard his voice, calling your name and clearing a path toward him. Your breath got caught in your throat as you almost cried in relief, turning to run to him, to finally leave Liyue once and for all. His arrival saved you from lifelong regrets of spilling blood.

But—

Childe's eyes widened, arm outstretching towards you as he shouted your name once more. But he was too far. Too late. You ran as fast as you could, but you never reached him. The world around him grew dark as the once peaceful, beautiful nights at the harbor grew distant and hot. It suffocated him, to watch you fall to the ground, the brilliant scarlet colors painted the road, reflecting disgustingly gorgeously against the moonlight.

"Ajax—" You choked out, more of the pretty hues of red splattering out your mouth as the sight of a spear piercing your chest—

Childe was skeptical of you at first. Who would just randomly go up to a stranger and ask them for a spar? He was glad he accepted it though, despite his doubts, because you proved to be a suitable sparring partner from then and so forth.

You fought like a true warrior. You reminded him of fire that blazed continuously no matter complication. A flame that refused to go out, a fire that with even the slightest spark, would burst into flames with dangerous heat. You refused to back down, even if he was a Hydro user, you ignited your flames once again, forcing your sword to burn him to ashes.

And you almost did, and it made his heart tumble inside his ribcage. His smile was difficult to contain, not when he's never felt such excitement in ages! You were different, you stood out among the foes he's fought before. You were unique and he needed to know what made you so special.

You gifted him the knowledge passed down by your father to you. Although he never understood why you would do such a thing to him back then when he was merely just of your acquaintance, you brought him into a whole new world when comprehending the art of weaponry.

"My father focused a lot on training the eyes." You'd state, holding a wooden sword for training purposes while Childe sat on the ground, crossed-legged, listening to every word. "The eye is an essential part of our art. If you trained hard enough, you can peer into someone's soul, quickly make a rough estimate of one's muscle structure, and pinpoint their weaknesses."

Childe, like the child he is, raised his arm as if he was a student wanting to inquire about his teacher. You loudly huffed at his behavior but never told him off. "Yes?" You arched a brow at him, a hand on your hip.

"Is that really possible or just an exaggeration?" He asked, and you were surprised it wasn't in a mocking manner. With a smile and a hum, you nodded proudly, gripping your sword, and got into an offensive stance.

"Hah! An exaggeration?" You snickered, "I only speak of the truth, my dear student. With it, you can anticipate your opponent's next move." Childe blinked, doubtful of what they just said, but nodded nevertheless, waiting for a clearer explanation.

"We sharpen our sights until it's comparable to a hawk's vision. We can see how a hand would clench the weapon it holds, the way the joints would move, the way a body's trajectory would shift, and much more." You recited as if you'd said this hundreds of times before. "We observe each movement, be it big or small."

He let out a sound of awe, eyes wide as he stared up at you, obviously impressed. "And you're teaching me such arts? Something passed down your family?" He asks, growing unsure as a small frown tugged the corners of his lips.

But his heart merely thrummed hard against his chest when you turned to him with a smile adorning your features, an unreadable emotion lingering in your eyes, but still shining brightly against the warm sun. Perhaps if he had this ability, then he would've known what you felt that day.

"For some reason, I trust that you would honor my family's way of the blade more than anyone in Liyue." You sighed, your gaze shifting away from him as you let a stray butterfly perch on your finger, the wind making your clothes flutter. "Of all the people I've fought, you bear what it really takes to be a warrior, despite the lust for battle hidden deep inside." Childe felt himself stiffen when you mentioned a part of him he hasn't shared with you just yet, but you simply giggled at his reaction, winking.

"It's what I've gathered by watching you how to fight."

And he let himself relax at that. After all, Childe was a firm believer of those words; How a person fought was enough to discern one's personality.

"But you did give it away rather obviously." You teased, only for Childe to frown once more, confused. "You laughed on the verge of losing."

His cheeks grew warm at that, a sheepish smile stretching his lips as rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed. "Did I?" He chuckled, looking down at his lap, a sullen expression overtaking his features despite the laughter he forced. He knew at that moment that you'd think he was a weirdo. A creep who gets thrilled in bloodshed battles.

Though, you never cease to surprise him. Stepping in front of him, your shadow loomed over his figure and he raised his head to look up at you, expecting a look of disgust or mockery on your face, but it was just the same gentle face you always wore. Offering him a hand, he accepted it, and let himself be pulled upwards by you.

"I see no fault in it, Childe." You reassure, patting his back as you gave him a wooden sword to finally begin training. "Somethings are out of our control, so lend myself to you."

Childe sputtered, once again, surprised by your words and taking a step back, but you just chuckled at his reaction. "I'll spar with you if it helps quell this insatiable desire. Well, if that's what you'd like."

Speechless, he stood there dumbly, stuck in thought. A permanent sparring partner? Just to help suppress the consuming feeling to seek chaos and destruction? Torn, he couldn't help but crease his brows as he tried to make out any lies. But no, he couldn't see any. Your eyes only held sincerity, a patient smile carved on your lips.

Why are being so kind to him? Why, from then on, you decided to allow him to be your friend? Why did you crawl through the cracks of the faulty walls of his heart and made yourself a place inside it without his volition?

How cruel you were to invade his mind on a daily basis.

Your laughter reminded him of the sounds of chiming bells that hung outside of the homes in Liyue, harmonizing with the gentle breeze of the wind. Your smile held a warmth that he never knew he could once again feel in his heart. Your kindness, concern, gentleness— it made him weak in the knees.

You sparked life back into his dead, soulless eyes.

And you quickly snuffed them out once more, as if it was never there in the first place.

Like everything else that exists, your artistry of weaponry had a fatal flaw, and he could remember those words clearly.

"Our backside is one of the most vulnerable spots to users wielding this art. If an opponent was too quick for our eyes to reach them and attacks us from behind? We're good as dead if we don't improvise."

Maybe that's why you couldn't see the spear aimed at your back, piercing through your chest, right at your heart.

Childe grew to love the rains in Liyue, mostly because you loved them. You'd stomp onto puddles, running through the rain as you let the drops of water completely soak you entirely. You'd take his hands in yours, and dance with him under the rain. But no matter how dark the clouds were, you'd brighten up his surroundings, all it took was your loveable smile.

Though now, the intensity of the rain was not enough to clean the stain of your blood off his hands.

In the middle of the sea of bodies and diluting blood, Childe had your limp body in his hands. He couldn't save you. He wasn't fast enough, wasn't strong enough. Even with knowledge of your art, he couldn't have anticipated this.

In his veins, he only felt anger and despair, his heart torn to pieces as the one good thing in his life was stripped away from his hands once more. There were so many things he still wanted to tell you, to show you the beauty of Teyvat, to introduce you to his family—

But you were gone. The Vision that hung on your waist, dull and gray, the vibrant reddish-orange glow it once illuminated, gone, similar to your eyes that once held so much life. The fire that burned fervently has been completely extinguished. You have never felt so cold in his arms.

Was this your punishment for loving him? Was this her doing?

In the rain, he let himself break, burning hatred engulfing his heart as he glared at the Jade Chamber that proudly hovered amongst the stars.

There was one thing in his mind as he continued to grieve; the Jade Chamber will be no more.

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[romaritimeharbor]

Ok so i finally got to read the new MORAL INJURY chapter and yeah, it’s definitely more on the darker side than the last two. First, i wanna mention that i love you how wrote reader and Scaramouche’s interaction. It feels weird seeing the reader, who in the first chapter was so nice to the test subject they were gonna be experimenting on, be so cold to Scaramouche. And for some reason, i think that might have to do with Dottore’s influence? Like the reader was able to empathize with the other test subjects because they were once like them, a test subject themself. But with Scaramouche? They cant because of two things, his title and physiology (or lack of one?).

Like, Scaramouche has the Harbinger title like Dottore, so i feel like the reader would subconsciously associate him with Dottore as this shitty unfeeling superior who doesnt see anyone below them worth caring about. Which im pretty sure that’s probably true to how Scaramouche is acting during this time but i think its hard to feel empathy for someone they think who’s like their horrible boss. And then his physiology, i feel like the reader is just following Dottore’s fascination on Scaramouche’s creation. It’s not everyday that an Archon’s creation is just being abandoned and not destroyed. Im sure that the reader has experimented on other species before but i think even without Dottore’s interest in Scara, they themself are just as intrigued in him. So while they are doing these stuff under Dottore’s orders, the reader is also a bit intrested in how Scaramouche works which caused them to do a bit more than they need to.

Also i feel like both Scaramouche and the reader are projecting their hatred for Dottore against each other. With Scaramouche, he sees the reader as an extension to Dottore. Capable of hurting experimenting on him like Dottore yet still have a lower standing than him. Which is why he would be an asshole to the reader, he probably wouldnt be one with Dottore himself if he were the one to be checking up on him but the reader is his best next target to just deal with the idea that he’s something lesser in the Doctor’s eyes. With the reader, they somewhat sees Scaramouche as someone in the line of Dottore. An abusive asshole who can do whatever they want. And while the reader was just trying to only do what they need to do when checking up on Scaramouche, aside from their already bad mood, maybe there really was a small part of them that wanted to do the check up much more than they need to. Maybe a small part of them wanted to see Dottore suffer for all the horrible shit he’s done but rn they cant do that, so the best next thing would be Scaramouche, someone who’s just like him. Both of them are hurting each other because they both cant hurt the source of their pain (Dottore) so they’ll just have the best next thing (and sadly, this kind of mentality is an actual thing that happens..)

I also wanna talk about Dottore and reader’s interaction. He sees them as property, doesnt he? Their interactions just makes me think that in some way, he does care in a very twisted way, not as a person but just something that he owns. You did a really good job in explaining on how Dottore sees them as he sees them as some sort of sick entertainment. i wonder, does the reader know any dark secret that Dottore has to use for blackmail? Some sort of blackmail they could possibly use when they defect? Like another payback for their time as his assistant.

Overall, i really like what you made aph! While it was definitely leaning in the storys darker theme, you’ve done a great job at showing Scaramouche and readers interaction! Hope you have a great day/night and remember to drink your daily dose of water! (I’ve been forgetting to drink lately so please dont make the same mistakes like i have)

(ALSO FURINA RERUN IS COMING IN THE NEXT PATCH! I AM SO SKIPPING CLORINDE AND SIGWINNE)

(Also also, im so sorry for somewhat spoilling the Penacony arc 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏😖😖😖)

- 🐱 Anon

I AM SO HAPPY TO GET THIS ASK 🐱 ANON, YOU UNDERSTOOD EXACTLY WHAT I WAS TRYING TO CONVEY AUGHHHHH YOU AND AVERY UNDERSTAND ME SO WELL 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

firstly, it's so easy for reader to be cruel and awful to scaramouche because he isn't human. you know how signora basically said that the only reason scaramouche is number 6 is because he can endure more pain and suffering than humans can? [name] would agree with her (and maybe i will look into including some kind of interaction between them). reader does not see scaramouche as a human being, as a living thing worthy of respect like they are. no. they see him as an object. but this mentality is also because of dottore's influence--dottore sees them like an object too, and they don't know how to cope with how helpless that makes them feel. i think there's something to be said about how the reader mimics dottore's behaviors; a pet only knows what it has been taught, after all. :)

scaramouche and the reader were both in a fucked up struggle for control (as avery, @/starryshinyskies, mentioned in their tags on moral injury ch. 3) that [name], ultimately, came out on top of. reader will not let themselves be bullied by someone who they can control; they can't control the doctor, but they can control the balladeer. they just need to break him a little first. and on the other hand, scaramouche hates having the hands of someone like dottore on him because he knows that even if they're "nicer," they will still hurt him. AND THEY'RE NOT EVEN A HARBINGER. BUT THEY CAN STILL HURT HIM. and reader doesn't want to hurt him!!!!! they don't!!! but how else are they supposed to survive in this fucked up environment if they don't meet those that threaten their safety with bared teeth, so to speak? it's like scaramouche has no control over what happens to him and the only thing he can do to maintain the feeling of control is be an asshole. and to [name], he's just another harbinger prick like dottore even though deep down inside, they KNOW better. but neither of them can hurt dottore, so all they can do is tear one another apart instead.

(on that note, should i look into adding arlecchino interactions? i actually think that our knave, the current knave, would get along well with the reader, once she realized that they also fucking hate their boss.)

dottore and all of his segments just see [name] as their favorite little lab rat... lab mouse, actually. they're not a person to the second harbinger (harbingers..?); they are a thing to be owned, hence why they treated scaramouche like a thing.

well... for one, though they have no real proof... they do know that he is the rumored outcast of the akademiya. or that's what they speculate, at least. it's a theory that will sit in their mind all the way until act 4 (i think), where a certain archon will confirm their suspicions.

THANM YOU DEARRR i loved working on this chapter. i think it's a really good chapter to learn about [name]'s relationships in a more in-depth way. i will, and PLEASEEE drink some water HAHAH /lh

FURINA RERUN 🗣🗣🗣 i love furina and i would pull for her tbh but i'm saving for arle's rerun. i never got her weapon 😔🙏 BUT GOOD LUCK THEN IF YOU PULL FOR HER I HOPE SHE COMES HOME REALLY FAST

(did you? honestly if you did, i don't even remember HAHA i really don't mind the spoilers too much so dw about it!!)

[random-blep]

How I think chiscara probably got together

They vaguely knew each before Childe became a harbinger. Childe was a soldier that worked under him, so I'm occasion Childe might have been assigned under Scara on missions or in training.

I like to believe in training Scara was brutal on the soldiers. Something like "if you can't handle this then you better just drop dead." And if he heard a single complaint he would make the soldiers repeat the entire training session until he was satisfied.

Scara really didn't care about those under him but Childe was always eager to complete orders and was pretty proficient in missions and was skilled on the battlefield. He gave no shits about him but when it came to give promotions Childe did get a "he does what he's told. " Which is pretty high praise from him at the time. Which it did help some in getting Childe climbing the ranks.

Eventually Scara stopped seeing the ginger on missions or at training and he knew he was promoted so he assumed he was training under somebody else.

Eventually Childe got inducted into the harbingers. Scara ended up not making it to his induction ceremony because he was in Liyue at the time.

They kind of kept missing each other for a while until the next big harbinger meeting where they saw each other.

Childe had definitely grown from the weird ass teenager he was into a weird ass adult by then.

Scara did try to ignore him a lot and Childe kept trying to work his way into Scara's life. Scara kinda thought of Childe as annoying and he felt like Childe followed him around like a mutt begging for it's masters affection which he thought was gross, weird, and disgusting. Maybe secretly a little endearing. But I like to think Childe actually wasn't following him around. They just had rooms in the same hallway in the palace and they just kinda had similar schedules that led to them running into each other a lot.

Eventually Childe just wormed his way in to Scara's life and from little things that he found while rooting around Scara's room and the way scara avoided certain questions he pieced together a bit of shit about scara and well scara didn't care about childes stories about fishing with his dad but he heard them anyways.

So they became a weird dynamic, Childe was trying to get close to Scara and Scara was trying to stay closed off. Scara didn't really understand what he was feeling when he was around Childe and Childe didn't know Scara had feelings.

I think it would be funny if it just kinda slipped out one time, like Scaras bottling up of emotions fails and he ends up just blurting shit out at Childe and Childes like "oh shit" and they don't like talk about it and say it officially but they do like slowly get together.

They are both bad at intimacy, but also like I bet they crave it. Like Scara says he will puke if he thinks of anything domestic but secretly he wishes he could just have a simple life with somebody. And Childe is totally a family man, like he wants to one day have a family of his own.

Scara though knows Childe is mortal and he doesn't want to get to attached to him cause he knows one day he'll die. So he refuses to let himself actually have a real relationship with him cause he doesn't want to be hurt. So they do stuff couples would, but he refuses to actually be his boyfriend and he refused to say shit like "I love you" or "I care for you" and you know Childe understands surprisingly and he knows when Scaramouche says shit like "Fuck off" at him but Scara doesn't have a certain clean in his eye he knows he doesn't mean it. And saying shit like "go die" and "Im going to kill you" is his own way of telling him he cares without telling him. I think it took a while for Childe to understand that, but he learned Scara's facial expressions And his body movements to learn what he actually means. So you might hear what sounds like an insult followed by "I know, love you too".

[yostresswritinggirl]

Hi there. Can I request a poly relationship with Albedo, Xiao and Scaramouche ? A mix of fluff n a pinch of smut is this possible ?

First of all, what the fuck gave you this wacky idea? I thought at first, wow, this is so random, how did they think this. But then upon making the banner- IT'S ALL MY HUSBANDS IN ONE FICNWOFHLSNDLKSBSOANA

I'll do my best but oh gawd, I'm just so baffled right now HAHAHHA- brain juice GONE

Three Shorties Convention

Poly Relationship with Scaramouche, Albedo and Xiao... (event masterlist)

HOW?!

Three individuals from three different nations somehow collated to love a single human, that of which is you. With how wide your range is for such individuals, we can greatly assume that you are an adventurer travelling the world.

You first met Scaramouche who was undercover, on the way to Mondstadt/Liyue through boat. As he was in the down low, he made sure to act friendly to avoid suspicion. When he heard you were on the same path, he thought of using you as an alibi.

The next person you came across was Xiao when you were passing by the Inn. You heard of the Adepti residing in the area and wanted to ask for blessings as your journey would be much more confusing and dangerous. You lit up incense and a small prayer before leaving.

The last person you met was Albedo. Mond was your last destination before you laid low again until your next long expedition, and you were looking for Alice who you met long ago during your expeditions. You last heard about Mond from her and wanted to talk to her about your adventures but ended up empty.

What made them stay/intrigued? For Scaramouche, he saw you messing with the meteors and your theories, your disarrayed thoughts and ideas somehow made sense when he looks past the lines. And you ended up being the reason he found the large piece of meteor in that... island thingy.

For Xiao, it was the incense I mentioned earlier. It was something you got as a souvenir from a commission in Inazuma, and the scent it gave off brought him to Teyvat Nirvana, the voices silent and his body soothed. His curiousity got the best of him as he tracked your path.

And finally, you first piqued Albedo's interest when you mentioned your affiliation with Alice, and when he listened to your stories (you forced him to listen since Alice was not there) it remindee him greatly of his master.

All of them were attached so badly that on your way to the wilderness one day, the three of them ended up confronting you in some kind of JJBA way with you in the middle. Their Visions and weapons were raised in worry until you identified how you knew them all.

And when they found out of each other's interests towards you, they grew more wary but turned to you: who was busy picking up a mint flower to truly understand what's going on.

"I like all of you!" Somehow all three of them were smart enough to realize that you hold at least a drop of endearment for each of them.

It was supposed to be a silent competition, that then ended up to an ambiguous relationship through coexistence. The problem here is: all four of you barely understood the grounds of a proper relationship, and delved deeper into this polyamory without a second thought.

Equal Thirds

Oh geezus, this is the most confusing setup you've been through. Having to juggle between three continents, three men, three different occasions. They were so petty to the point that your schedule must be split EQUALLY or else the other two would ambush the place you would be in.

Albedo is the busiest and lax when it comes to your "relationship schedule." As a person of Alchemy, he takes days buried deep into his research and he is more than thankful for the existence of a schedule, as he struggles with the maintenance of human relations a concrete time and day for when he is needed balances this. Albedo requests your presence during the period after his major experiments where he wishes to unwind and empty his brain of the equations and machinations. His type of love deals with comfort and distraction.

Xiao has the most free time in your relationship in terms of work, but he is also the one tied down strictly to his code of conduct. His time with you comes from your visits to Liyue and he will always be by your side whether you're in the outskirts or within the mortal realm. His type of love, ironically, is filled with longing touches and whispers of adoration for your strength and light that silences the voices in his head.

Scaramouche is the neediest boy in this bunch, the most mortal of them and the farthest from your reach. Your relationship is a secret to everyone especially the Fatui, but he makes sure that every agent in Liyue and Mond does not lay a hand on you or else he's breaking that same limb. Your time with him comes when HE comes over no matter where you are or what you do. His 'love' is filled with materialism and feisty aura, revelling in strenght and power dynamics.

When you're in charge of the schedule is the rare times that all three of you are together, because you plan your expeditions well in par with their seemingly conflicting schedules. Soon enough you four would be a whole team of travellers going around Teyvat to indulge whatever curiousities you lay upon.

"Circus Festival in Fontaine? Sign me and my three boys the fuck up. No complains, I know you're free."

Camping and travelling with them is sooo convenient too because they're all incredibly strong in constitution and battle. You only need to hang back and watch as they bring you a fireworks of elements, which are thankfully not very harmful against each other.

You're NEVER hurt or even TOUCHED when they're with you, they always have keen eyes for danger and always stick close to you to make sure you are safe. But on a RARE occasion that you DO get hurt, they have a formation: Albedo is tasked in retrieving you, Scaramouche is the backup in clearing a safe area for possible first aid, and Xiao lets all hell break loose once you three are gone.

They help out as much as they can whenever you all go out to camp but ultimately it ends up being some kind of adventuring class for the three of them since you're the master in this field.

Cute stuff: You never keep watch because they always want to cuddle, so one would be up and the other two would be cuddling you on both sides, and the rounds would switch between them while you have your beauty nap.

Albedo is pretty chill with the other two, but Scaramouche and Xiao seem to have a tension between them due to his Harbinger status. Xiao is wary and protective of Albedo because of the knowledge of his background coming from Morax. And all three of you deal with Scara's chattiness.

Your Pet Names for them! Scaramouche: Darling; Xiao: Sweetie; Albedo: Beloved. If you go beyond that, they start to see favoritism so you picked them carefully.

Their Pet Names for you! Scaramouche: My Dear; Xiao: Beloved; Albedo: Sunshine.

Soon enough, their soft rivalries turned into friendly coexistence and they would start to at least see each other in a better light besides acquaintances. While nothing physical or lovey-dovey would happen between them as they only ever see you in that way, they develop respect and slight trust. Competition long gone as it dissolves into compassion in protecting you and giving you the loving you deserve.

@albaedhoe @struggljng @heisenwurst @moaa @dandelion-dreams @witchsungie @lehra @kookieyachi @struggljng @zelos-simp @legionqueensav @snackgod @rxsalinee @cala-ran @wind-wheel @lilydewi22

Softcore under the cut! No looking, my children

In this relationship, individual and multiple participating intercourse is normal, and they happen when all parties involved are ever comfortable. With the fact that you'll change continents in mind soon after, the boys have their little rituals with you.

The most prominent of all would be Scaramouche's signature hickey on your neck. He sucks it hard enough to make it stay for WEEKS, so that when the other boys move to kiss you on your neck, they see the apparent mark and groan to themselves in defeat. It was your sensitive and ticklish spot, and he makes sure he owns it.

For Albedo, he almost always (probably in a kink way) do it with you on a surface that's NOT the bed. Table, chair, sofa, his lap, it seems that the bed is a sacred place for rest. And he usually ends up doing it when he is about to finish his work, hence the convenience of such furnitures. You were conditioned to the point that if you even just innocently lean on a furniture, your mind and body immediately snaps back to those moments, making you back off with a flushed face.

Xiao is the most innocent and yeet friskiest of them all. He loves to litter you with kisses all over your body, no bites and no scratches, just innocent flutters of his lips that makes you tingle. But such moments of lovemaking... seem to always happen on the Inn's balcony. Most of the time it's when the door leading there is closed for the night, but you were sure there were occasions that someone at least knew or saw what was happening, but you two were too drowned in pleasure to notice.

Whenever all four of you were to participate, safe words are always emphasized. Because you're suffocating right after between their bodies with all holes filled to the brim with them. Usually the formation goes as: Albedo behind you, Xiao in front and Scaramouche in your mouth. They may switch up when you still have the stamina but that's their default order, and yes, you orgasm multiple times and are overstimulated a lot. To the point that you're getting used to it.

It's a golden rule to always shower before and after your session, and they would be very caring and gentle during aftercare. With this arrangement, you always have a large bed rented or in your arsenal for a huge cuddle session at night.

[hellonoblesky]

Happy Saturday it’s past 2am here’s Harbinger Angst. Because I’m up late and I’m havinggg thoughts.

So here’s my hcs about the Harbingers reacting to/dealing with the news of Signora‘s death :)

(CW For like. Mental breakdowns and guilt and general emotional instability because no one is having a good time here. Oh also cussing, anddd some familial angst in Childe’s bit? Also I am so sorry about any misspellings n whatever it is. Very late and I already have two other posts in my drafts collecting dust that are also HCs so.)

Dottore:

So if you don’t follow my art blog or haven’t seen my Harbinger hcs (which are under the process of some change with new info being released and whatnot), you don’t know this but I HC Dot and Signora to be like sorta just evil siblings

Now because death is such a commodity in Dot’s uh… specific line of work, he doesn’t register that Signora is dead until like two days after he hears the news

He picked up the phone (rotary perhaps?) to go call up Signora‘a office to see if she has any good gossip and then stopped halfway through dialing because it hit him that she’s never going to be there to pick up the phone on the other end. Ever.

He usually listens to music when he’s working but with the absence of Signora ranting he has to take up listening to the radio on top of the music

Problem is: the radio doesn’t have the same charm and cadence to it that Signora’s rants did, because normal people are boring and it’s going to drive Dot up the walls if he has to listen to one more commercial or one more anxious ramble about how cool and great the Fatui are from some stupid radio host trying not to overstep the Tasritsa’s favor like she listens to some boring ass radio station in her spare time!!!

HE HATES IT. But is forced to make do because if he shows weakness he will be torn apart (or so he thinks)

So this leads to him locking himself away in his office even more than he already did

Because he was already intrigued by the traveller after their actions in Mond and their victory against Childe, but them beating Signora in a duel before the Shogun? Oh now that kickstarted a whole new line of study

Especially because his only coping mechanisms are Be Destructive and Dive So Far Into Work You Don’t Think so within about three days he has a comprehensive analysis of everything he can possibly get his hands on regarding the Traveler (without interacting with other people) and is about to pass out because he hasn’t slept

Oh and the funeral was absolute hell for him.

Mainly because while he was barely conscious he agreed to play violin at the service and then promptly passed out and forgot about it so he woke up and was hit with the consequences of his own actions in the form of sheet notes

He endured, obviously, he’s not going to back down from playing something at the funeral of one of the few interesting people in the organization, that’s what tools and cowards do and this might be the Fatui but if he’d survived the wrath of dead gods he would make it through this

Went right back to locking himself away after that though

He actually got bad enough that the other Harbingers took notice of his state and MADE him come out of his labs and eat (mainly at demand of the Tsaritsa because she just lost the Crimson Witch as an asset, she wants the rest of her Harbingers in good health god dammit, the Traveler is becoming a genuine threat)

Broke down at dinner a week after the funeral

Swears that if any of the other Harbingers bring it up ever ever again he will kill their bodies and keep their consciousnesses trapped in a machine that he controls forevermore

Really he’s just glad that no one immediately pounced on one of his few shows of weakness

Maybe he’ll risk it again if it means he can cry it out for another hour but he wouldn’t dare say that out loud, won’t even finish the thought

But you know what he will do?

What he does best, of course

Look at an oddity in the world (in this case the traveller) and seek to pick it apart until he can put it back together without looking and still have it work

The only way he can actually get through his grieving is by finding something to take the edge off

And it just so happens that the traveller is a perfect candidate

Childe:

By no means has he ever liked Signora, in regards to personality or method, but her death still hit him

He had to travel back to Snezhnaya for the funeral, and it did absolutely cheer him up to see his family again and get to spoil them all silly, but with a mind whirling with thoughts it was genuinely hard for him to keep a smile up

Mainly thoughts about battle, because that’s really the only way he can interpret the world at this point

Like he keeps thinking about weather the Traveler was holding back with him, or if they had gained the strength to fight off yet another Fatui plot just in the month or so since Liyue? And if they had gained strength, how had they done it so fast? If they’d been holding back against him had he not shown himself to be a fighter worthy of their strength? Had Signora even faced the Traveler‘s full strength?

Overall his head is much too full of too many things, and it wears him out to the point that he ends up sleeping in late enough for his family to actually worry because usually he’s up before dawn training and they don’t see him until the afternoon

But he’s back on track as soon as he can, because the training helps him think, and once he can resolve most of his thoughts (or repress them so they don’t bother him too often) he’s absolutely alright and fine and ready to go! Totally. Fine. It’s fine.

The thoughts were very much There during the funeral, especially as the first harbinger read a (somewhat summarized version) of Signora’s life to the assembly of Fatui

(Oh and Pierro didn’t really care weather or not Signor wanted people to know her life after she died because she was dead now what was she going to do??)

The reveal that Signora had been fighting for the Fatui because her lover had been killed by the actions of the Anemo Archon, and she desired nothing more than to see him again… it got to Childe. It got to Childe more than he’d like to admit

Because suddenly the woman who he had always known as the embodiment of frostbite and frozen barbed wire fencing had someone she had cared about, genuinely cared about, to the point where she had become the Mondstadt legend, the Crimson Witch herself

And she had lost that lover to the actions of a fool of a God

He swore silently to himself that when the Tsaritsa‘s future came to pass he would make a little monument for Signora. Nothing big, probably a plaque on a nice stone where Mondstadt would have been before the Tsaritsa’s success, but a monument nonetheless

This promise was a spur of the moment thing, and later he would be like “Man she was a jerk, lost love or not why did I promise her that?“ but he doesn’t go back on promises

Besides, actually watching Dottore break down in a grief and sleep-depravation induced haze was also something that got to him because of course the two people he happened to simply Hate The Most in the organization were close that makes perfect sense but also wow it is weird to see Dottore cry and it feels Wrong because after murdering and tormenting so many people… Signora is gone and he breaks then??? What the fuck

Avoids most of the Harbingers after that, just heads home to Morepesok to spoil his siblings silly before going back to Liyue

Oh and his siblings can tell something is up, Teucer especially because when his brilliant big brother, the greatest toy salesman in all of Snezhnaya, is suddenly struggling to keep a smile even though they’re at home… he notices

Childe’s other siblings are all avoiding the subject, they heard about the death of Signora and all, they just assume the organization is going through it tight now and frankly most of them are a little afraid of him weather they‘ll admit it or not

Not Teucer though, he’s confused just because he still has grasped how Snezhnaya works yet, so he goes ahead and asks anyway

Childe just says he’s sad because he has to leave again so soon! And he hasn’t even been able to take Teucer fishing this time, isn’t that sad?

Teucer can tell that he’s lying

But Teucer is also beginning to sense the danger that lies behind Childe’s eyes, so for the first time? He doesn’t push it or say that they could go fishing now if they hurry

Just a grin and a “Next time!! Promise?” Makes it all better and he doesn’t have to think about why his big brother feels unnerving to look at sometimes

Childe is oblivious to Teucer’s growing awareness

He heads back to Liyue and makes himself focus on work

Scaramouch:

Now he didn’t particularly like Signora either, and didn’t really care about her life’s story, because blah blah blah we get it lady you lost someone, we all did, cry about it or whatever

But he does feel… he feels guilty for leaving her to face the Shogun

He had the Gnosis, he had finished Signora’s mission for her without even meaning to, and he had thought it would be funny to just let her face the Shogun without knowing that

To some extent, it’s his fault she’s dead

And it’s not the fact that she died because he didn’t go get her that weighs on him, it’s that he left her to the Shogun of all things

I don’t know if puppets like Scara can feel things like people and such do, but considering how the Shogun expressed frustration and stress when Ei disabled the majority of her functions, I’m going to assume they can

And because of the meddling of ‘some eccentric scientists’ his emotions are probably toned down a tad but he can still feel guilt all the same

And leaving Signora to the Shogun makes him feel guilty because he and the Shogun are essentially kin

Disowned and disavowed kin, but you know

He may have been able to easily counter the Shogun, or even help Signora prevail in her duel, but he. Ran. Off.

He happens to think that that was very cowardly of him

It causes a spike in his aggression which everyone unfortunately has to notice every time he walks by because the sheer static electricity that snaps in the air when he’s in the room now? Haha. Ouchie

Fun fact: he has no idea how to cope with guilt

He channels ALL of it into SHEER RAGE

Ever seen a couple hundred year old man go absolutely apeshit in the Harbinger‘s shared training arena? Well now you have!! It’s not a pretty sight!!

He’s crying and can’t tell why, which fuels his anger, which fuels stress as a fun side effect which just makes more tears and now he has to snap someone in half because he needs it to stop he hates it here he hates it here he hates it here

And in the beginning the guilt wasn’t even that severe for him, it was just so immensely magnified by his lack of coping skills that he very nearly broke himself down

He tried going to Dottore to get it disabled but Dottore had his doors all locked so Scara couldn’t even get a word through to him

Oh and the funeral was fine with him he just left early because he didn’t want to deal with looking people in the eye at the time because, again, his lack of coping skills with guilt magnified the whole feeling so it was almost unbearable

It’s a lot of fighting and breaking things before he’s able to resign himself to some semblance of how he was

[bunny-rambles]

get ready for the numbered list once again but for once i actually did start this ask by just scrambling fast a list of things i had to say beforehand so i hopefully won't have to send another ask to correct myself lmao :'

1. tea does become addictive once you get used to it (also! if you need an energy boost and caffeine doesn't work for you, i've found out that ginseng works well for me — it doesn't contain caffeine and is a very strong energy booster - also it tastes pretty good ahah -, the only thing is you can't drink too much of it like i'd do with tea because it spikes up blood pressure ahah)

as for the green tea tasting bland, if that didn't depend on the quality of the tea leaves themselves, that might've depended on like, water temperature or infusion time but i won't get ahead of myself because i'd write a whole paragraph and that is so not the case in an already long ask. but ye! matcha is always good but like, for future reference it's best if you just drink it in shops rather than making your own because it takes a lot of attempts to not make it like, full of clumps :'

2. if that kind of things interest you i'd actually really suggest looking into commedia dell'arte and all the like. first of all, because there are some very interesting stories to be discovered, and then it gives also an interesting background knowledge of many of the harbingers which is always fun :3 (also as an italian i love it because it sounds always very funny seeing the english va's or like generic english speakers trying and failing to pronunciate the word 'tartaglia' lmao)

2.1. of course zhongli was an art critic. he and venti had a sort of frenemy thing going around where zhongli openly criticised all of venti's music because he thought impressionist music was weird and venti made it even weirder on purpose. and diluc totally has a bar everywhere he goes — in this fic he also kind of used it as a shelter for homeless artists (like benny, razor and the likes) whom he like, fed and left with a roof under their heads, it was really cute. (grumpy accidental dad of grown ass teenagers diluc is a super funny concept to me lmao). the history with the harbingers is actually still in the working because it was supposed to have a bigger role in the second half of the story, i just haven't reached to writing that point :') (but like, the idea at the base was that the fatui were some sort of like, organised criminal businessmen working on shady commerces on like, drugs and weaponry and such and they managed to cover up their wealth by being the most successful opera crew in town — and, as scaramouche kindly explained in one of the paragraphs, they could hide any type of weaponry amongst the stage props ahah)

i would love to send you snippets but like ;;; i've reread the entire story up until where i had stopped writing it and like a ton of parts taken out of context don't make too much sense if they're not with the rest of their paragraphs. but since xiao had the funniest lines, i'll delight you with some of my favourite xiao thoughts in this story, like "On most days, Xiao wondered why the gods had made Zhongli so tall and broad shouldered and stable. It was unfair, because Xiao was a man with a frail mind but a strong body, yet still no match to the other when he tried to lift him up and throw him out of the door.", and "Truth to be told, Xiao didn’t really know Childe, but he was too handsome to be real, looked positively shady and was, most terribly, an extrovert.". yes, poor xiao was the outlet of me being a mostly comic writer writing a serious story. yes, i enjoyed it way too much, his character was the best to write. // also he and zhongli were kind of like brothers subtly but steadily judging each other's life choices and i lived for that

literally the only true context for the harbingers business i had ever written was in the scara centric paragraph (which featured a lot of unnecessary makeup description of our dear angry gremlin) and it went like this: "The hands he was washing his face with had seen blood, and had enjoyed every drop of it. Debtors, trade enemies, rival businesses a bit too cunning for lady Tsaritsa’s liking, all had been slain by the knives looking innocent into the mass of stage items. So what if Scaramouche woke up every day wanting to crush someone under the tip of his fingers, because it only took the rising of the moon for his dreams to come true."

to close this paragraph, of course kazuha wrote poetry on the side. he wrote poetry about everyone in every time and most of his screen time was him gushing poems about some pretty things or people he saw or playing an instrument. my sweet artistic son, sigh.

3. flowery english is the best ngl. but good luck with starting uni anyways!!! :))

4. oh believe it i will never be tired of getting scara food ahah ;; will be waiting for the new works then!! <33

5/6/7 and onwards. as i already say, like, always reply to me only when and if you feel like it. i don't mind listening to you if you need to like vent out or something but i also can and will wait until you feel ready to reply so really don't worry to much and don't apologize for being late. i hope i can think you're feeling better right now, though.

also for miscellaneous things: heart shaped rhinestones would surely look gorgeous on you and i'm glad that makes you happier, and as for mint syrup in italy you just usually find it in normal grocery stores, but if you find it hard to source and you can only find mint leaves there's i think tons of very easy recipes you can use to make your own :3

with this i'll tune off because it's almost time to start worrying about lunch. ti voglio bene anch'io, buns, take care! <3

hugs,

- 🍓

Here we go,,,

1 - I had the green tea at some restaurant and I got it for free with my noodles, it didn’t taste like much, just,,, very faintly flavoured hot water. I didn’t taste any of the flavour at all, nor can I recall it. Just,,, leafy water,,, hot leaf juice. Hehe. If you get that reference, I’ll be very happy. I’ll look into getting matcha at a shop then if I ever stop by a tea shop !! There’s plenty of them where I live, but I don’t really have friends in my city and I’m scared of going out alone so I’ve avoided them like the plague. But I’ll be out n about soon so, I’ll keep this in mind :,)

2 - Ah yes, the infamous Tart. I believe the t is silent, so it’s tar-tal-ia, am I correct? I would look into but there’s just,,, so much lord in Genshin my tiny brain can’t keep up. If I stumble across a video dumbing it down for me I’ll 100% watch it, but goodness research on my own would be super complicated to keep up with AND connect to the game. (Still confused with Enkanomiya and the Sumeru crumbs,,,,)

2.1- god I love that, and I can imagine Venti having a shit eating grin on his face while he plays while Zhongli is very visibly judging him behind his tea cup. FOUND FAMILY DAD DILUC SUPREMACY!! I love this trope with him, and I find it so sad that no one brings up Diluc being a mentor for Razor.

(AND KAEYA BEING ONE FOR BENNETT TOO !! It’s completely glossed over in the game but Kaeya taught Bennett how to fight with a sword, that’s why their styles are so similar!!) ( Kaeya and Diluc both having young ‘students’ that have similar traits to one another as well - Bennett because of his drive and determination and passion, something young Diluc probably wasn’t lacking in either. And Razor, this one’s a little more complicated, but he’s like a lost little puppy. He’s strong, fiercely loyal to his family, but for such a young boy he has so much on his shoulders. Kind of really reminds of how a young Kaeya would be, and Kaeya is fiercely loyal because let’s face it, he wouldn’t be in Mondstat if it wasn’t for his brother. I love these two oh my god, I hope they reconcile because in subtle ways, it’s extremely obvious they miss each other, and it shows in their ‘prodigies’) ( ALSO ALSO Razor and Benny being best friends? Come on T^T)

Hm, as someone who has many oc’s and au’s surrounding them (that I don’t really talk about but constantly daydream about), I feel like your pain. But, as these things go, it’ll hit you one day and it’ll finally slot together perfectly. Don’t be afraid to take some inspiration from things too if you’re really stuck !! Also that Scara snippet?? THAT- chef kiss. Absolute chef kiss. Magnificent.

As for Xiao, god I felt that one in my soul. As a moody 5’something short introverted lady, I too hate extroverts. (Okay well SOME, but most of them are just so,,, ugh, like where’d that energy come from? Take a nap-) and everyone wonders why I think he’s the character most similar to me. Short, moody, awkward, secretly soft, looks very intimidating and takes a while to open up, secretly hating tall people, a tragic backstory that has made us who we are like- if I www a fictional character, it’d be Xiao. Kazuha is more what I’m like online with flowery English and a soft, friendly exterior, but irl no I’m Xiao. Awkward, quiet, moody, everyone thinks we hate them but we just don’t know how to speak to people, I can keep going on. Oh and people like Hu Tao are the ones I gravitate to and find hilarious, much like how Xiao finds her numerous. Ah okay rambling over I just see a lot- a lot of similarities in us. I’m curious, who do you think you’re most like? Or who do you think I’m most like? We’ve interacted quite a bit to give you an idea of someone, no? If not I’d love to hear who you think the character resembling you is. You remind me of Albedo quite a bit, but with some Venti/Kazuha mixed in there. Oh! Zhongli too ! Very soft, intelligent and extremely interesting to talk to <3

3 - Scara freshly served, there’s a post out right now <33

4 - I would honestly hate to vent out my feelings to you. I want to be a source of positivity or happiness when you speak to me, I don’t want you hearing all my problems. Am I feeling better? Um. No. Not particularly. But it’s not forever. So it’s okay.

ti voglio bene my dearest fragola amica <3 (google translate don’t let me down)

[merakiui]

I return with another thought + questions again, this time about Scara. SO imagine when Traveler (us, Reader, Darling, etc) met him back in the event and it's love at first sight for Traveler and Scara can tell- there's no hiding the soft blushing from his eyes, no way he doesn't pick up on the not-so-subtle attempts to learn more about him, and if you think he doesn't notice the way you look at him and hang on his every word you're mistaken- not to mention the look on your face when he leaves.

Now, his goal was to kill you, the Traveler, but when you're so willing to just do what he says that would be a waste wouldn't it? He may as well keep you as a fun toy, even if it's temporary (or so he tells himself that's all this is), but, and here are my questions in all this, how do you think he goes about that? How do you think he plays it off to the other Harbingers, to Tsaritsa? What's he do if they're, especially Tsaritsa, against the whole idea?

This may work best with yan!Scara but I think it can work without yandere too?

-Rain

Hello, Rain! :D It’s nice to hear from you again. I hope you’re doing well!

(cw: mention of death/murder, yandere, unhealthy behaviors, implied abuse of power/stalking)

Your concept reminded me of my very first Scaramouche fic (mainly the Traveler-Harbinger relation). LOL I love it!!! This probably works with both versions of Scara because his moral compass is terrible either way. Regular Scara would be somewhat curious in getting to know you and figuring out all sorts of ways to use you. But yan!Scara is far more volatile and unpredictable when you first meet him. I feel like it would be easier for him to hide his interest in you if he weren’t yandere because he truly believes this is just a passing curiosity. Eventually he will kill you. Just not now. And that’s like a consistent itch that keeps him from thinking of other things.

One day you’ll find yourself in mortal peril at his hands and it’s then when he’ll truly end your life. ...If he even can. Perhaps regular Scaramouche falls in actual love the more he thinks about you, to the point where he’s wrapped up in this forbidden love story that absolutely no one can know about. If we wanted to make this romantic, then the trope enemies to lovers would definitely be used! Just think of all the late-night rendezvouses!

But yan!Scara is more secretive about how his mission is coming along; he won’t utter a word about his progress unless it came as an order from the Tsaritsa. Yes, he’s going to have to kill you at some point, but the deeper he sinks into his obsession the more he realizes he’d rather just break you instead. He’s very possessive in that sense, and it would be troublesome if the Tsaritsa found out about his little infatuation and decided to reassign the mission to one of the other Harbingers, who would most definitely get it done in a clean and swift manner. In the back of his mind, he’s aware that his emotions will only limit the likelihood of success on this mission. It’s just difficult to kill you; he never would have imagined he’d want to keep you alive. Love is not a feeling he tends to dwell on, so it’s strange when his mind starts to warp his once sound logic.

The reason why he’s waiting so long to kill you? He’s just gathering more intel for himself. The reason he thinks about you day and night, unable to clear his head for more than a minute before your image becomes vivid again? He’s just...visualizing his target. The reason he gets so snappy when others ask him about that bothersome Traveler? He’s just annoyed that you’re giving him all of this emotional trouble. If he wanted to kill you, he would have done so already. He’s just dragging this out so that he can truly catch you by surprise, which is what he begrudgingly tells the other Harbingers if they think to ask him about it.

Only, he’s had so many perfect opportunities to kill you and yet he never took any of them. He was content to just watch from a distance and observe the way you go about your life. Taking on commissions and running errands for the locals, you seem to make friends wherever you go. You’re practically revered by everyone and it just makes him want to break you even more. Scaramouche will easily find ways to get rid of anyone who he thinks is a nuisance. There was that baker who was always so intent on flirting with you... Shame that their waterlogged corpse wound up on some desolate shoreline. Oops.

Scaramouche is constantly walking on eggshells the longer he stalls. Eventually the Tsaritsa will find out and when she does he’ll get desperate. He’ll probably be put under more pressure to carry out the assassination, lest she choose to hand the mission to someone more competent. So Scaramouche does the only sensible thing he can think of: He fakes your murder. It’s rather easy with his resources and his own magic. All he has to do is take you for himself, hide you away where you’ll be for his viewing pleasure only, and cover up the rest of the details with some expertly crafted lies. Perhaps there’s no point in proving his claims with evidence of a body. He can always say your corpse is lost somewhere in the vast, sprawling lands and he’s currently sent his subordinates to find it.

And who’s going to go against what he says? Certainly not those who work under him. If the Tsaritsa gets suspicious, he’ll just find new ways to cleverly spin false tales. It’s not like he hasn’t lied before. He can say as many sweet words laced with the undertones of poisonous deceit and it will be difficult to disagree with someone who’s killed before. He’s just carrying out a mission. By no means is he in love. Not even close. This is strictly his duty as a Harbinger and he’s fulfilled it, so there’s no need to worry about that silly Traveler anymore.

Love does not exist in Scaramouche’s world and you’ll be stuck in his grasp like a mouse in a trap. He absolutely can’t risk letting you go or else he’d be dooming himself in the process. So it’s better to just accept this situation and let him break you in like a shiny, new toy!