#tao talks too much

[neeahtao]

what is the first like Big Event that happens between them that has them both going "Shit. I really like that guy."

I don’t know that there was an “oh shit” moment, I think it’s more gradual just through hanging out and becoming friends.

Dirk would be too cautious to let himself think that way and John would need some time to adjust to his feelings for Dirk, so it would just be little moments of them hanging out and being domestic af with each other.

I think a moment of realisation for John though was definitely after the dinner date in the troll kingdom because it would’ve been the first time John actually caught himself thinking of Dirk as anything more than just platonic.

(for added context: I headcanon John as a smoker, especially when he’s depressed. His Father was a smoker, so he would have had access to tobacco obviously and probably picked up the habit due to curiosity turning into addiction)

[danandfuckingjonlmao]

gonna out myself right here right now: i’m a season 1 hair apologist for both tao and imogen. always have been. i think that queer teenagers should be allowed to have stupid hair and that tao’s hair looked super gender when he was wearing a beanie and imogen’s hair worked with her gay as fuck denim jacket send tweet.

[anonymousfandomtrashpile]

me explaining my problems with genshin's handling of citlali's character to someone who has only ever read my unrelated vampire novel's lore: like i wanted her to be mrs. bishop and she's. not.

someone who has no media awareness except for my unrelated vampire novel: ooooh so like an old, world-weary mother figure who cannot age and cannot die in any way that matters, who wants the best for those she cares about but has lost a lot of the ability to *care* through the years.

me: yeah that.

someone: i understand. hey holly why did you format this tumblr post like this-

[exoexid]

the suyeol lore is so crazy

[arataka-reigen]

I find it so annoying when people say things like "x and y is the only straight couple i like" idk, for me it just feels like such a boring take, you dont have to hate on every straight couple, there is plenty of good ones on media and showing healthy straight relationships is also an important thing we should strive for more

[ratranine]

insane to me how hu tao and baizhu's rivalry isn't talked about more they're literally narrative foils like wtfffffffff

[neonross]

rewatched the entirety of tales of arcadia, 3 series and .... the movie..

and and i came across and idea somewhere i forgot where, of combining the httyd + Tao universes!

to be clear, i don't mean in a crossover where to franchises meet but the lore being combined into one universe ahah, so events in httyd still happened then idk years and years later toothless the king of dragons is still alive but ancient and has met the champion of arcadia, the trollhunter Jim!

It's been well, so long since his dragons have interacted with humans, so it was quite surprising to see one enter his secret home,

don't have much story or lore in it yet, it is just a fun thought for now, having toothless meet new ppl that remind him of his old friends

sometimes they resemble them a lil too much..

did i mention he talks here now? I dubious choice but idk, i think it would be fun

[chiara-hotel]

How you met Characters: Diluc, Kaeya, Venti, Albedo, Xiao, Childe, Heizou, Scaramouche/Wanderer, Lisa, Ningguang, Hu Tao, Yanfei, Shenhe, Raiden, Yae, Kazuha, Tighnari + Collei & Lyney + Lynette

- Two (very) different options

1. You met him as the darknight hero-who saved you from an attack

2. At the bar while you had a glass of wine and he seemed to like you

- If he did meet you as the darknigiht hero, he'd hope you'd come around to his bar sometime

- And from there you start talking about anything, really

- Kaeya is another person you'd meet at a bar

- He wouldn't be drunk-just lightly drinking

- You both hit it off and start chatting away

- In the end he covers your tab for the night and however much you drank previously because he liked you that much

- And he might see you home if you live nearby

- You would meet him in Angels Share, annoying Diluc for more wine

- He'd strike up the conversation with you, and Diluc would warn him for disturbing others at his shop

- In the end he'd add an extra hundred mora to his tab (which Diluc still wants him to pay)

Albedo would find you in the depths of Dragonspine, shivering from the cold. He only passed by because he was looking for ingredients for certain alchemy crafts-for Sucrose of course. Being the gentlemen he is, he would carry you to his campsite where you could heat up by the fireplace while he made you food to eat and have a chat over.

It wouldn't be until you're fully healed/warmer until you left his campsite, although Albedo told you to come back anytime to ensure you don't freeze to death again. While you stay in dragonspine, you'll see him a few more times as you stay there again.

If you were a human, Xiao met you out on the battlefield. You didn't even call his name-it was simply his duty to fight these creatures and you happened to be facing one at the moment. All he did was kill the monster and then leave you alone, he only started talking to you after you kept getting in danger to which he told you to call him incase you ever encounter anything.

If you were a god or a friend of Zhongli than he'd meet you at an important dinner. Zhongli would introduce you both to each other and than you'd talk from there.

Tartaglia was your boss from the Fatui. You worked under him, the 12th harbinger in combat. He doesn't pay too much attention to the rookies or people under him-you stood out by being the strongest one who works under him. Only then would he challenge you himself (to which you most likely end up defeated).

Two very different routes based on what time you met him as...

As Kunikuzushi he would meet you along with the other swordsmen, crafting the best swords out of everyone. Kunikuzushi would be a little more shy towards you, he doesn't know what love feels like afterall-his mother did abandon him.

As Scaramouche, similar to Tartaglia, you could train under him. Catching his eye as one of the strongest combat fighters who work under him.

As Wanderer, you would meet in the Akademia. While you both combined for a group research project where you had to travel to the desert. At the beginning he wasn't very thrilled with the idea of it but by the end you became friends.

As a detective, naturally he'd find you while doing a case. This specific case was actually a rescue mission and the target to save was you. Luckily with his skills though he saved you as soon as they got the case. After that, you both would talk more.

You met Lisa as you traveled to Mondstadt for the first time. Specifically when you decided to visit the Library to checkout a book while you stay there. Lisa-being the delighted librarian gladly recommended you some books to read and you ended up going home with at least 12 of them.

You worked at the Jade Chamber. Ganyu had hired you as another assistant for the Lady of the Jade Chamber. So on your first day of work Ganyu introduced you both and since then you worked alongside her ever since.

Hu tao being Hu Tao would have a funny meeting with you. Running up to you with a large grin on her face as she proudly presented you with a buy 1 coffin get the 2nd half off coupon! She proudly explained her parlor and how if anyone was dying soon to buy a funeral casket over by her place.

You met Yanfei because you happened to deal with a few legal troubles and decided to hire a lawyer to close the case. Luckily your lawyer was the best of the best and memorized all the laws of liyue.

With Yelan being mysterious you'd have to cause a lot of trouble to meet her a second time. The first time would most likely be her saving you from the shadows-but you wouldn't see her. It would only be if she saw you a lot then she would reveal herself to be Yelan.

Due to your status you knew all of the Adepti that lives by Liyue. Shenhe being Cloud Retainers apprentice would be no exception. So, you knew her from when she was very young-even when you yourself was a child.

If you meet the Shogun, it would be the moment she decides to take your vision. You were a strong fighter and no one could defeat you until she showed up. Raiden wouldn't just not take it even if you looked pretty. After the Vision Hunt Decree occurred she decided to visit you once again as you were walking down the road.

While running away from the shogun you met other resistance fighters-who eventually led you to meet with her during a meeting. This meeting would be one-on one with your group.

While visiting the Narukami shrine you decide to test your fortune of the day! You spoke with the lady there, took your fortune and decided to take a seat over on a rock nearby. You looked around and opened the slip. There it was, the words "Good Luck" on the fortune. Yae Miko suddenly appeared behind you, wishing you well and how lucky you were to obtain the good luck fortune today.

After the Vision Hunt Decree started, Kazuha travelled with Beidou. You, who was from Liyue and knew Beidou eventually met him while helping Beidou out unloading some supplies. Beidou would introduce you both and help you get to know eachother.

After you passed out in the Sumeru Forest, the forest watchers found you and brought you back to their camp for your saftey. Collei specifically would watch over you while you rest, Tighnari would have to do his duties. When you finally wake up, you first speak with Collei! To which then she introduces you to Tighnari when he gets back from his mission.

You met the siblings after a show of theirs, either a VIP meet and greet or you approached them to show how great the show was. Lyney would talk to you more while Lynette puts more effort in the greeting, her social battery is just lower than his.

[neeahtao]

in ur dj roommates au what is something that dirk does that drives john crazy (similar to how dirk is fed up with johns movies)

This is completely self indulgent and full of my headcanons, hope you enjoy.

I wanted to try to consider Dirk’s bad habits before anything else.

Dirk is known to take long showers, which, considering they share a bathroom, it would only make sense if it caused some tension. But I don’t think that would really bother John, because John is depressed and pretty slack about his hygiene.

There’s Dirk’s bad eating habits—how he just eats junk food if he remembers to eat at all—but then John couldn’t really comment on that specifically, because he’s just as bad with his diet. Though, while Dirk probably doesn’t eat enough, John will eat constantly throughout the day whenever he feels bored.

I think later into their relationship, John will be mildly annoyed about the fact that Dirk loves sweet foods and drinks and can’t handle spicy food, while John is the complete opposite—just like with their sleeping habits, where John likes sleeping too much and has terrible sleeping patterns, while Dirk prefers to get as little sleep as possible and is very strict about his schedule so he can maximize productivity.

So yeah, the bad habits aren’t really going to get on John’s nerves. I think a real point of contention between them would be Dirk hiding things or being deliberately cagey.

A mild example of this is Dirk hiding his eyes. At first, John wouldn’t care, assuming it’s a similar situation to Dave. But while Dave seems to have emotional baggage behind hiding his eyes, Dirk just thinks the shades look cool and add to his air of mystery. He doesn’t always wear them around the house, so John would occasionally catch glimpses of his eyes. It wouldn’t take long for him to realize how expressive Dirk’s eyes are. Once John figures out that Dirk wears them just to seem cool and mysterious rather than for comfort, like Dave does, it would start to bother him. Knowing that Dirk’s glasses aren’t a necessity would make him insist that Dirk wear them less around him because it would bother him to know Dirk is making expressions that John can’t see.

The only thing that would truly drive John crazy, though, is kind of a culmination of John’s two biggest issues: his insecurity and his refusal to engage in introspection.

When Dirk first moves in, I think there would be tension between them because Dirk is unsure about his own feelings regarding John and Jake’s similarities. He’s very cautious about how he acts around John, worried that he can’t be trusted around someone he finds attractive. He doesn’t want to repeat what happened with Jake and confuse John. He also feels the added pressure of not wanting to lose Dave if he accidentally hurts John in any way.

But of course, Dirk can't change his nature when it comes to analyzing people's emotions and behavior. He has a tendency to get caught up in introspective thinking, and that often extends to others as well. He’ll criticize people when he believes it’s necessary, intending to help them improve, but without much consideration for whether his advice is actually wanted. He’s highly observant, analyzing everything people say and do in an attempt to understand them through a psychological lens. (I also think his psychoanalysis is more personal and less performative and antagonistic like Rose’s.)

So while Dirk can’t help but notice John is not well—he’s depressed and being self-destructive—Dirk also can’t bring himself to comment on it. So whenever John brings up something that is clearly an issue for him, Dirk just goes quiet and tries to ignore it. John, who has come to expect Dirk’s usual witty commentary, would immediately notice the shift and get annoyed.

John already struggles with people reading into his behavior and knowing more about him than he knows about himself. So when, on top of that, they refuse to share their conclusions, it would play into his thinly veiled insecurity and cause him to spiral.

I think eventually they would find a healthy balance—John would come to appreciate Dirk’s input, and Dirk would feel more comfortable voicing his opinions as he realizes John is not Jake and can stand his ground. He would make sure Dirk doesn’t get carried away with his tendency to try and control people, which, while rooted in good intentions, will always lead to an unhealthy dynamic.

[lunarriviera]

everyone's straight bestie tao ran

i know i yell a lot about the mains in jitd, for obvious reasons, but i feel i must take a moment to praise the work of 刘一宏 liu yihong, playing tao ze. i've never seen him in a single other thing but HE IS A PERFECT TAO RAN and has 100% become him, now, in my brain.

(why is he going through it here? not telling, you'll have to watch.)

an actor has to be a lot of contradictory things, to be tao ran, but mostly he has to be the literal straight man to his friends' weird banana men: serious, cheerful, calm, sane. liu yihong has figured out how to balance all this. he's openly affectionate to fei du yet keeps him at the appropriate distance; he and lwz work so well together and so visibly, obviously trained under the same shifu that it's a little uncanny; and he's also very good at depicting tao ran as completely bewildered by his two friends, who have always been at each other's throats and are now, suddenly, bizarrely, flirting. is the world ending? is he imagining things? does luo wenzhou have a concussion? he doesn't have too much time to think about it, though, bc crime.

(since when are these bickering mortal enemies making slutty EYES at each other?!? why does lwz keep SMILING LIKE THAT????)

i really hope liu yihong gets better work after this, bc he truly brought his A-game to a role someone else might have found pro forma, even boring, and just phoned it in. it's one of those parts that seems basic yet is genuinely challenging—tao ran has to run the gamut from "babbling incoherently when he talks to girls" to "staunchly devoted to his hotheaded gay best friend who's also his boss now" and, maybe the hardest of these, "fiercely competent cop," which means a metric FUCK TON of police dialogue (nearly as bad as scifi gabble, for most actors), but he makes it all look natural and easy.

also he's a good scene partner; he works so well with both mains, it's seamless. plus he gives one hell of a reaction shot—look at him here, realizing things! figuring shit out, in real time, with a camera looming approximately 18" from his face! that is NOT easy to do; good job, sir.

some of the most difficult, challenging material still lies ahead, obviously, but i'm completely confident he's got this. he clearly read the novel, like the others, bc he's sensitive to where its emotional beats should fall (and so is the director, but more on him later). so thank you, liu yihong, whose name i just learned today. things are about to be very-not-great in the world of tao ze, but fuck it you ball.

PS both @bladedweaponsandswishycoats and i were super sad he didn't get one of his most hilarious lines from the novel, the deadpan "by process of elimination, the mole can only be me." maybe he'll say it later? he also didn't get to nearly bite his tongue off when lwz blurts out, "he's my lover," and he would have done so well with that—

[scaraobsession]

Categorically Yours⎯ ♡

⎯05. OMG...XIAO???

Note: Take a deep breath and prepare for what's about to unfold. Also updating two days in a row is crazy work

Word count: ~1000

You’re happy that Hu Tao isn’t sick anymore, you really are. But if she says one more time how amazing it was to not go to classes and instead eat Xiangling’s delicious food under a pile of blankets while you were having a crisis with your brain being melted by the philosophy professor’s voice, you might actually lose it. Not even factoring in that you absolutely embarrassed yourself in front of another student. Great. Really.

Usually, attendance drops after the first lecture, but you doubt that’s going to happen in philosophy ⎯ no presentation slides, after all. As the two of you enter the lecture hall, your suspicions get confirmed. It’s just as full as during the first class.

You let out an irritated sigh, something you seem to do a lot in philosophy. Then you turn to your friend and lightly tug on her sleeve to get her attention.

“So… where do you wanna sit⎯”

She barely hears you though, not even looking in your direction. She stares off somewhere into the distance. Maybe she’s still a bit under the weather? As you open your mouth to check on her like any good friend would, she speaks up.

“Oh my god… XIAO??”

And…. she’s gone. Well. Not gone but bolted across the room to talk to some guy with turquoise streaks in his dark hair. He’s dressed in all black, with silver jewelry ⎯kinda emo, like he’s here purely for the incoming nihilism lessons.

You quickly follow after her.

“Hu Tao what the⎯“

Too late. She’s mid-conversation, then turns back to you like nothing happened. “Yn!! This is my childhood friend, Xiao!”

She energetically slaps his back. He nearly stumbles forward, no energy in his body or soul whatsoever. At least he doesn’t look uncomfortable, just guarded. But then again, that’s just the kind of expression you would expect from someone so… edgy looking.

He then speaks, flat voice, barely a flicker of expression.

“Nice to meet you.” Yeah. He definitely means it.

“Nice to meet you too”, you reply politely. You hope yours sounds more genuine than his. You don’t have a lot of time to worry about that though, since something else catches your eyes as you look over his shoulder.

…Oh no. FUCK. It’s him. The guy from last lecture. Standing right there.

You internally panic. What is that guy doing here??? Well, obviously attending the lecture, but why is he right here with Hu Tao’s childhood friend??? You pray to all the gods out there that he doesn’t notice you, the embarrassment would totally⎯

“That’s my friend, Scara.” FUCK. Xiao noticed your line of sight and gestured towards the guy from last lecture⎯ Scara apparently. And of course, he now looks at you. The smallest rise in the corner of his mouth, but not quite a smile. It’s like he’s trying not to have one.

Like he remembers you. Like he’s maybe a little amused.

You avoid his gaze. This was already too much for you and the lecture hasn’t even started.

Hu Tao pipes up. “Xiao, we should totally catch up!!”

And for once you’re so glad for Hu Tao’s sociableness. Not that you usually mind it. Sadly, before she can spiral into a full conversation, the lecture starts. Hu Tao sits down, Xiao beside her, listening to whatever she’s talking about. His friend takes the seat next to him. Which leaves… you at the very end. Next to Scara.

The professor starts rambling again and you pull out your notebook. Strictly taking notes. Nothing else. Your eyes don’t dare to leave the page. You’re not risking a glance at Scara, no way. Hu Tao’s not even pretending to pay attention— too busy “catching up”.

She’s not even aware of who’s sitting next to you, so you shoot her a text.

She eyes you from the other side of the row, a dangerous look on her face. She’s scheming. Hopefully she’ll forget whatever she’s plotting before the lecture ends. You have good chances, considering she’s passionately talking to Xiao and listening to the lecture half-heartedly.

You return to focus too, eyes back on the paper. Until something slides onto your desk.

It’s a piece of paper.

A note.

From him???

The two of you switch seats. Ah. Hu Tao and Xiao’s endless talking is a bit distracting when you’re sitting right next to them. You can hear her loud and clearly, going on and on about her friend Xiangling's cooking being soooo good and about her small business of selling bedazzled coffins, about anything to not think about the lecture, really.

In the corner of your eye you see Scara think for a second before adding something to the note. Chatty much.

As hard as it is to focus, the two of you fall back into listening to the professor. You keep taking notes, trying to make sense of the professors rambling. He, of course, doesn't. Though it looks like he's not particularly struggling, from what you catch with your⎯ hopefully subtle⎯ glances.

After class Hu Tao waves you over, her face at least a bit apologetic. She fiddles with her sleeve a bit before just bluntly asking what she needs.

“Girl, can you send me your notes again?” You sigh, but nod. This was already expected; you'll probably send her your notes every lecture since she has the work ethic of a kindergardener. She's the kind of student that needs an academic miracle, really.

The word 'notes' seemed to spark a bit of life into Xiao's expression. You might've confused him with a zombie if it wasn't for that. “You took notes?”

Right. He wasn't listening to the professor either. “Yeah?”

“Can I have yours from last lecture? Scara didn’t take any and I wasn’t there…”

What are you??? A charity? A slave? Whatever. Sure. You nod again, this time a bit more exasperated, though you try to suppress your displeased expression.

As Scara packs up his stuff, Hu Tao looks at you mischievously, she’s totally up to something. Your pure, generous heart, sharing your notes⎯ does that mean nothing to her? Your unending kindness in aiding her desperate (emo) friend in need⎯

“Yo Scara you should totally give yn your number so that she’ll stop bothering me about philo!!”

you freeze. what.

“sure.”

WHAT.

previous masterlist next

summary⎯ It starts with a note in philosophy lecture. They sit together once, then again. Now they’re texting, sharing notes, and maybe something else they won’t admit. Minor in philosophy, major in denial.

Taglist (comment or send ask if you wanna be added)

@bittersweetmiko @lizzie-harper @hntft @bubblebellaz @vlynynynyn @rumitome @qjvt7 @sundeityraza @vi0let-writes @bananasquash @9meree @bvtterflyyy @yelwo @feikyuu @saechiro @franaby @crimxeorcremeexistspeacefully @sesamemin

[wrongbodies]

Fanfic: Heart Stopped, pt 3

Charlie was surprisingly calm, he noticed. He was aware that had he been in his actual body, he'd be beset by anxiety were this to happen to Nick or someone else he loved. Yet, something about being trapped in Harry's body was strangely freeing.

He had long since left the bathroom and the school property. He was actually at Harry Greene's house. Harry's parents didn't seem too bothered with Harry being alone, they were content talking downstairs sharing a bottle of wine. Charlie didn't mind, though. He was busying himself looking around Harry's bedroom.

He knew enough about Harry at school to avoid him, and that he was also on the rugby team. But outside of that, he really didn't know much about this boy. His room was pretty stereotypical though. Posters of rugby and football players lined the walls, and heaps of laundry showed most of his clothes were otherwise sports-oriented.

What he was surprised to find was some music on his computer that showed maybe Harry wasn't a complete tool. He had apparently been listening to a lot of Baby Queen recently. Maybe Harry could be saved, if only he stopped acting like an ass all the time.

Charlie jumped a little when the phone in his pocket started buzzing. He pulled it out and saw the name "Nick Nelson" on the screen. Nick? Why would he be calling Harry? Whatever the reason, he decided to answer the phone.

"Charlie?" The voice asked weakly from over the line.

Charlie almost dropped the phone. "Nick... you know it's me??"

A loud inhalation of breath was transmitted over the call. "I still can't really wrap my head 'round this, but I think I do. Charlie - er, Harry is losing it over here. I don't know what to do with him!"

"Should I come over?" Charlie asked.

"I think so. He is out of control, and I don't want your parents freaking out." Nick said.

"Ok, I'm coming!" Charlie said as he rushed to get shoes on.

It took Charlie about 20 minutes to arrive to his actual home. However, whatever had transpired in that short span of time seemed to have spiral out of control. An ambulance was parked outside the house, and just as he approached he saw men dragging his body from the house. The real Harry was screaming, face flushed and practically frothing at the mouth.

"I'm NOT Charlie!" He screamed. "Let me go! Let go of me! I AM NOT CHARLIE SPRING!"

Charlie saw Nick appear at the door, with his parents trying to calm him. Nick was staring in disbelief, and then his eyes flicked to Charlie. His eyes widened and he blanched. The two froze, not daring to move until the ambulance took Harry away.

In the following days Charlie, trapped in Harry's body, and Nick learned that Harry had been committed to a psychiatric facility. After losing composure that first afternoon, Charlie's parents became gravely concerned and asked for him to be taken away.

This left Charlie and Nick in a strange position. Charlie still had no idea what was going on. Was this body swap permanent? And what about their relationship? Nick of course felt horrible about his boyfriend being stuck in the predicament.

Yet, not all was so bad. Charlie figured out that somehow the body swap had left some things behind - and brought others with it. The biggest thing was it left all of his mental illnesses with his original body. What it didn't leave behind? He was still gay. He found himself still pining for Nick and wanting to spend all his time with him still.

The circumstance was strange, though. Nick and Harry had to do a loooot of work to convince Tao, Elle, and Isaac about the body swap. Only after Harry Greene dropped personal, intimate secrets for each of them did they start to believe. And then further convinced when Harry and Nick kissed. Nick still looked anxious, mostly because it was Harry's face he was snogging, and not his first love.

Outside of that, the school social scene was shaken up by Harry seemingly defecting from the cool kids group and hanging out exclusively with Nick and Charlie's weirdo friends. It took a few months for everything to really settle. When it did though, Charlie was pleased to find he was happier than ever. He loved his parents and Tori, and found that he could still be near them by convincing them he was friends with Charlie.

Across the board, his life had truly improved. And nothing cemented that he was happy than when he walked out of his new homes front door and saw the absolute love of his life standing out front waiting for him.

Far away, in the psychiatric hospital. Charlie Spring - Harry Greene in truth - lay in bed wasting away. He had never quite given up trying to convince people he was Harry and a victim of a body swap. He had been diagnosed with OCD and anxiety among other issues. Everything felt so strange in this body, constantly bombarding him with strange rules and restrictions. Harry wondered when this nightmare would end, if ever.

[digiflora]

SUMMER LOVIN' ◟⊹ 𖧧. ָ࣪ ◝. EPISODE⁰³

Ꮺ prev. masterlist. next. Ꮺ

TONIGHT ON LOVE ISLAND ...

the cheeky greeting uttered mere moments ago still rings in your ears, and you're almost hesitant to swivel your head to see the face that comes with the voice.

hu tao's beaten you to it, her excited gasp which she makes no effort to conceal giving you that little last push of equal parts courage and curiosity to turn around and look at the newcomers.

it's two men, one tall and ginger, the other somewhat shorter with some pale blond hair pulled back into a half updo which looks rather nice, you must admit. they couldn't be more opposite of each other- the taller one practically swaggering his way towards you and the rest of the islanders, taking his sweet time all with a million dollar smile plastered across his face. you'd bet your bottom dollar that it was him who called out that greeting.

the other guy trailed slightly behind, not necessarily shy, but certainly paling in comparison to the other bombshell.

the ginger comes to a stop at the edge of the sofa, right by where you're sat, sandwiched between hu tao and alhaitham. the latter had his arm haphazardly thrown across the back of where you were sat, though you can't help but notice the almost imperceptible twitch of it against the back of your head as alhaitham's gaze scours over the newcomer.

he's dressed to impress, in a deep red buttondown that fits him just right, slightly unbuttoned at the collar and rolled up at the sleeves. even with the man sat next to you, you'd have no trouble admitting that this bombshell is hot.

he's got steely blue eyes too, ones that briefly shine with mirth as he meets your gaze, then hu tao's.

"y'alright, darlings?"

oh, it was definitely him who called out that greeting.

"my name's childe, i'm sure you won't be forgetting it any time soon." a flirty wink from him that somehow manages to direct itself to both you and hu tao- it's impressive. and it's working, which is arguably an even more impressive feat.

you can feel yourself flustering under his gaze, and from the brief glint in his eyes he can tell, but he decides to take pity and start introducing himself to the other islanders.

"nice to meet you, mate." he extends a hand to alhaitham, one which is gingerly accepted and very gruffly shaken.

"likewise."

the other bombshell also pipes up, a more timid smile on his face.

"i'm albedo, it's nice to meet you too." you give him a quick smile and a wave. he seems nice enough, but he was very much a different type of person to childe- one which didn't have you feeling suddenly hyperaware of your appearance and sitting up that much straighter.

they make their way through the islanders, saying their greetings. no words need to be exchanged between the girls, a quick exchange of glances and rosaria's daringly mouthing "oh my god" as childe hugs her bringing everyone to a unanimous verdict that this bombshell is hot.

interestingly, ganyu seems to go pink when albedo introduces himself to her- a fact that doesn't go unnoticed by ayato, as he swiftly tries to put an arm around ganyu, that she expertly removes.

they eventually settle down, squeezing onto the curved sofa aroubd the firepit, and the laidback interrogation begins.

"so," jean starts, a slight slur to her voice. she had mentioned offhandedly how she was an absolute lightweight, but with the minimal drinks that were handed out tonight, this was a whole new level.

"which one of you's chemistry and which one of you's men at work?" it takes you a second, but you realise that she's talking about those hashtags that were in the text sent to hu tao's phone earlier. you can't help but giggle into your drink a little at the question, though it seems to be taken in stride.

"i'm a biochemist, if that's what you're asking?" albedo says uncertainly.

"and i work in construction, so i guess i'm the man at work." childe's voice alone makes it sound like an innuendo, let alone his more than knowing smirk.

jean's question seemed to get the ball rolling, the new arrivals quickly settling in.

and just when things started to feel alright, albedo's phone buzzed. he scrunched his brows at it as if he couldn't quite believe it made the noise, before gingerly reading out the text.

you were pretty sure that all the islanders were half expecting a text like that to make itself known tonight too, though its impact doesn't seem to lessen with that in mind. looking around, it was clear that the first power shift, so to speak, had been felt in all the male islanders. even the ever-so-cocky ayato had an imperceptibly smaller smirk on his face, the fleeting glance he sends to albedo as he downs the rest of his drink giving his true feelings away. even the stoic alhaitham next to you seemed slightly more on edge, if the less than 24 hours that you had spent with him were anything to go off of.

the carefree nature of the party not even an hour ago was hard to be found now, and with the all clear from production, it was only the natural next move to call it a night.

it was a mild surprise to see that names had been assigned to the beds- you're surprised to see your name next to alhaitham's in a bright cursive font on one headboard, with the same for each of the other couples. much to your amusement, the same had been done for childe and albedo, designating them to share for this first night at the villa.

you find yourself naturally straying over to the dressing room with the rest of the girls, all of you collectively getting unready before turning in for the night.

hu tao and jean were quick to turn in, barely getting the makeup off of their face and their pyjamas on before diving into bed. ganyu is next, already yawning and hair up in a bun, a dreamy little "goodnight" escaping her lips before she glides back to the bedroom.

rosaria isn't quite as tired, taking the time to do her skincare routine thoroughly before turning in, leaving you with a little wave.

you're almost done yourself, except for one last thing

it was such a trivial matter, though you found that those were the matters that you spent the most time deliberating over. and deciding what to wear on your first night was about as trivial as it got.

on one hand, you could go the sexy route- you had some silky matching sets with a tasteful amount of cleavage to show. or you could play it safe with the comfier (but still arguably cute) route of sleep shorts and a t-shirt. you're staring at the options in your suitcase so hard that you can feel your eyebrows beginning to crease, before you startle at the door to the changing room swinging open suddenly, and rosaria flashing you a quick smile.

"forgot my water bottle." she snags the thing up, eyes casting over your hunched figure and your suitcase in front of you.

she's quick to figure out your earth-shattering dilemma, chuckling to herself lightly.

"i say wear the sexy ones, and get your little nerd all hot and bothered so he'll be crazy about you." that's enough convincing for you, and you quickly finish getting ready for bed.

by the time you make it back to the shared bedroom, the lights are off, and everyone seems to be making some attempt to sleep. it's a slightly annoying fact, considering that a) the whole point of wearing the sexy pyjamas was for alhaitham to see them, not use his imagination, and b) you're going to have to navigate your way into bed in the dark.

you're vaguely aware of where your bed is, on the far side of the room someplace in the middle, and you wander in that general direction as quietly as possible.

your eyes are still adjusting to the dimly lit room, nondescript lumps of bodies under the covers being all that you can really use to tell whether you've reached your destination or not.

you think that you're there, feet shuffling across the cool tile floor as you make your way to the edge of the bed. your eyes strain, not sure if they're playing tricks on you or if you can really hear the slightest noise of giggles under the covers. you shudder briefly, someone clearly having a better time than you are.

you try cast your mind back to earlier- back when you had the aid of light to be able to tell which bed was yours- was it the second from the left? or the third? you try to be as surreptitious in your investigation as possible, not wanting anyone to see you shuffling around the beds and squinting at the people in them.

you hear the rustle of sheets, then see the vague silhouette of someone sitting up, eyes still not adjusted enough to have a clue of who it was. nevertheless, you freeze like you've been caught doing something wrong, stuck in some odd standoff with this person.

"...y/n?" even as a whisper, you recognise alhaitham's rather distinct voice.

"....yeah." it's a sheepish admission, and there's another pause before the sheets ruffle again, and you hear the vague sound of alhaitham patting the space next to him.

"the bed's here." the auditory cue helps more than you expected, and you decide to take the less graceful route of crawling into bed from the foot of it, not wanting to risk tripping on anything by walking round to the side.

as careful as you are, you aren't devoid of any further embarrassments, as your hand lands itself somewhere on what you would guess was his arm on your way to your pillow.

"sorry." you're as quick to retract your hand as you were to place it down, and save for the slightest of exhales when you did it, alhaitham made no sign that he had felt it at all.

"it's fine." as soon as your fingertips graze the pillowcase, you're quick to assume a semi-comfortable sleeping position, curled on your side with your back to alhaitham, too mortified to face him. you can vaguely sense him lying there, something in your gut telling you that he wasn't trying to sleep.

you're not sure how to break the silence, though. for starters, anyone else in the room could potentially hear you, and rolling over and asking are you awake felt like setting yourself up for public ridicule.

the seconds feel like hours as you lie there, tense and very much awake. the room is surprisingly cold, partially from the aircon which you're sure you'll appreciate a lot more in the day, and partially because of what little coverage your skimpy pyjamas had to offer. damn you, rosaria.

to your surprise, you don't have to break the silence, instead hearing the slight shuffle of alhaitham, before he whispers again.

"...did you forget where the bed was?" it didn't sound like a question of judgement, rather one of disbelief. either way, it doesn't help your embarrassment.

"um, yeah... i did." another beat of silence.

you're almost scared that he'll leave you hanging like that, but then you hear another little exhale from him that sounded very much like a snort.

"you know you can just call out next time instead of fumbling your way through the dark."

"oh, yeah. sorry."

another pause, and you're not sure if it's that same disbelief or if he's thinking very hard about what to say.

"you don't have to apologise, i was just suggesting an alternative."

"oh, sorry."

that garners another snort from him, and you can't help but laugh into the pillow too at how absurdly this conversation was going. decidedly braver now that your eyes have adjusted and that you've managed to laugh your nerves away, you slowly roll over to face alhaitham.

you're a bit closer to him than you expected to end up, though it's still a far enough distance that you're not immediately regretting your decision.

you can make out the planes of his face, just about, the slightest reflection of his eyes as he looks at you with a mild curiosity and something akin to mirth.

"hi." you smile at him sheepishly. a fresh start to that awkward conversation.

"hi." he echoes your greeting, the slightest smile tugging at his lips. even in the minimal lighting, you do your best to remember the sight.

"so, um, are you a blanket hog?" your brain was definitely just spitballing at this point. it seems to be working, though, as the easy smile on alhaitham's face didn't let up, and he shook his head.

"i'm not. do you sleep on top of the covers the whole night?" you had been too shy to even properly get into bed, merely assuming the foetal position as soon as your head hit the pillow.

"i don't, no." it's an awkward dance of arms and legs to get the cover out from underneath you and then getting underneath it, but you manage it without any further snorts from alhaitham, much to your relief.

it's still a bit chilly under the sheets, enough to make you shiver, and you rub your legs together to speed up the warmth generation process.

"are you cold?" curse alhaitham's astuteness. it's a hesitant nod, one that alhaitham sees anyway in the dim light of the room. there's another almighty pause from him, and now that you can see his expression you're sure that it's because he's thinking very hard about what to say next.

"we could... um.. cuddle, if you like?" he says it all quiet like it's a dirty word, and you think you've now been made privy to the shyer parts of him. your stunned silence must have been read as a rejection, as alhaitham's regular expression of a furrowed brow and rather discontent face returns, and he begins to move away from facing you and onto a more conservative position of lying on his back.

"forget i said anything, never mi-"

"-wait." your hand latches onto his arm under the covers, a move that you weren't anticipating to do. it takes you both by surprise, if the way his bicep tenses against your fingers is anything to go by. you try to swallow around your suddenly dry throat, still whispering out to him in the dark.

" that ... would be nice."

there's a few beats of silence, the both of you processing what you just said. of what's to come. it's a rather wordless progression, alhaitham coming back to face you. you shuffling your hips closer to him, meeting in the middle of the bed. there's still a respectable amount of space between the two of you, this careful dance of not wanting to come across as too eager being choreographed by the two of you.

there's a gentle hand at your waist, the lightest of pressures reminiscent on when you were first coupled up. you had melted into his touch then, and you do the same now, letting yourself shuffle just a touch closer. his hand resting across your waist is still the only real point of contact between you, but you could practically feel the warmth radiating from his body, a delightful realisation that had you wanting to close the gap so very badly.

"is that better?" you could swear that the roles were reversed now, what with alhaitham sounding so tentative. you smile to yourself, deciding to crack first and get what you really wanted, dance be damned.

you let your hand drift down to the one on your waist, fingers wrapping around his and guiding it to rest more naturally on your back, effectively embracing you now. alhaitham follows your directions without any complaints, even shuffling himself forward to accommodate for it. with the home stretch in sight, you let your own arm now wrap around him, pausing for the briefest of moments when your fingers meet bare skin rather than a tshirt.

perhaps your eyes hadn't completely adjusted, after all.

nevertheless, you take it in stride, enbracing alhaitham properly as well, letting yourself finally melt against his warmth with a content sigh.

even with your pyjamas on, there was still a decent amount of skin to skin contact- enough for this to feel delightfully intimate. you're close enough again to be able to smell alhaitham properly, the pleasant scent of him one that you were still trying to put your finger on. something woody, slightly earthy. but also sweet. the thought makes you smile as you finally shut your eyes, your lashes fluttering somewhere near alhaitham's collarbone. you feel him shiver in response, the slightest of twitches of his back muscles against your fingertips, and you file that tidbit of information away somewhere in your head.

alhaitham seems to be curious about you, too. he keeps his hands where you placed them, remaining respectfully north of your ass, though you feel his thumb skim under the hem of your pyjama top. at least they were serving you well now. you feel his thumb and forefinger experimentally rub the fabric of your top before he hums lightly, then returns to his original spot against your back, his thumb now rubbing small circles into you.

the sensation, the tiredness of the day setting in, and his very comforting warmth are all more than enough for you to feel your eyelids begin to droop.

"much better."

gia's notes ㌐ ₀₃ reader who gets less shy during the interaction x alhaitham who gets more shy YESSIRRRRRR 🫠🫠🫠. sorry that this chap took so long last term finished me OFF and i had to take a breather

taglist ㌐ ₀₃ (let me know if you would like to be added!) @arraxthatsonjah @nebsisdead @voasprofile @bunnychiffon @dainsleif-when-playable @meigalaxy @0lives10 @klancification

[psyzcraze]

Arataki itto. you were going through a very rough breakup and was drinking hard with your friends, until they recommended that you should get laid to forget about that throbbing pain in your heart🤑

(one night stand to lovers) type dynamic

"A TASTE OF FREEDOM"

characters: Itto x FEM!Reader, [Aged up!Xiangling and Hu Tao are mentioned tho!]

genre: Smut [MDNI !! ], Slight Angst at the start

fandom: Genshin Impact, Hoyoverse

c/w: Mature themes, One-night-stand dynamic, explicit, Modern!AU, Drinking, raw/no protection, big d!Itto, praise kink(?), breeding (if you squint), pet names (angel, baby, pretty girl, princess), fingering, mating press, cumming inside, No aftercare, Post-break up

wc: 1,739 words, 9338 characters (I'm going insane)

author's note: Hiiii, this is my first time writing smut.. AGAIN, NOT PROOFREAD Please give me your opinions in the comments or asks. Reblogs are greatly appreciated! Creds for the dividers are at the bottom, do check them out :) ! Skip to 2nd divider for smut!

MASTERLIST and Rules if you're planning to give a request too! :)

You had just gotten into a really messed up, break up with your ex. You guys were just about to get married, the plans were there but luckily you haven't really spent anything yet. Which you were grateful for.

You were a huge mess. A crying, drinking mess. You loved him with all your heart and yet he easily replaced you with another, without even closure. Your friends, Xiangling and Hu Tao recommended you to go and get laid again.

"Oh come on, Hu Tao!" You swatted the brown haired woman while she and Xiangling giggled playfully. "Come think of it girl, You'll forget him in no time!" "Mhm"

After a few nights thinking about what your best friends said to you, You decided to give it a try and went to Xylo. It was a fairly popular club, a good place to lose yourself in. It was also the nearest one in your city.

It was 11 pm on a Friday night, Hu Tao and Xiangling paid for y'all's entrance fees and drinks. They also dolled you up in a pretty black dress, did your make up and hair.

A few minutes in and things were already going good. Around 12 am, the three of you were getting a bit tipsy but still quite sober. The music was loud, the drinks were good and there were A LOT of attractive guys.. especially that long white haired guy that had been catching your attention since earlier. He was attractive and just by the shirt he was wearing, you can easily tell he's built.

Hu Tao and Xiangling had been staring and they know for a fact that you're interested in him. While you were chatting with Xiangling, Hu Tao sneakily went to the long white haired man then pointed at you and told him that you're interested in him. Hu tao immediately left to go get drinks for the three of you.

You're heart pounded as the long white haired man, with those dreamy orangey-red orbs staring at yours.

"Good evening, my...lady. A friend of yours told me that you're interested in me.. Is that right?" He asked as he leaned down slightly to reach your ears. He was much taller now that he's close to you. Sensing the tension between the two of you, Xiangling immediately excused herself and left to go find Hu Tao with a giggle. "O-oh, That's about right, Yes.." You said awkwardly, not knowing how to react.

"Ahaha, I apologize if I come too bold, my lady. It's just that such a pretty girl like you looks quite lonely in a place like this..." He introduced himself, never losing his posture, a grin on his face. "Nice meeting you, Mister.. Nameless.."

Both of you talked and drank. You guys were already laughing your asses off, before he suddenly stopped to look at your pretty lips.. God, they look so kissable.. Itto thought to himself as he brought his face closer to yours. Noticing this, You also brought your face closer to his. He then gently cupped your cheek, bringing your face closer to his. "May I..?" He asked as he shifted his gaze from your lips to your eyes. Seeking your permission.

You answered his question by pressing your soft lips onto his. He immediately put the drink he was holding onto the table, gently placing his now free hand at the back of your head, gently pressing you closer to him. You whimper into the kiss. The kiss deepens as you let his tongue enter your mouth. You closed your eyes as you tried to fight him for dominance, making the tension thicker, although he ended winning as expected.

Itto then gently carried you out of Xylo, going to the nearest hotel he could find in the area. As soon as you entered the hotel room, He immediately gently pinned you against the locked door, kissing you like there was no tomorrow.

He then led you to the bed without breaking the kiss, his tall and muscular form towering over your smaller one. As the both of you pulled away from the long and deep kiss, you were left taking deep breaths on the bed as he knelt up and took off his shirt, revealing his abs and muscular chest to you. You shyly shifted your gaze down and saw something bulging in his pants, causing you to shift your gaze away for the second time.

He then leaned down, placing both of his arms beside your head, his long white hair with strikes of red, covering the both of you. Trapping you.

Itto then gently kissed you on the cheeks gently before asking again.

"May I?" He said, trying to sound gentle but the huskiness of his voice restrained him from doing so. His hands were already at the zipper of your dress, ready to pull it down.

"You may.." You replied quietly as you felt his big hand run down the zipper of your dress. He helped you get out of that skimpy dress before he asked again,"May-" "You don't have to ask.. Just do what you please.." You spoke so softly, it almost sounded too sweet in his ears.

Itto nodded as he took a deep breath before unclasping your lace bra. He chuckled lightly as he watched you close your eyes as his big hands started to gently fondle your tits. Both of his thumbs playing with your perky nipples till they get hard. He then lets go of one of them as he lets out a shaky breath near your nipple before letting his tongue out to lick it. He licked and teased your nipple as he fondled with the other.

You let out whimpers and soft moans as Itto begins to suck on your perky tits while his free hand slides down the side of your waist and goes under your panties.. "That's right, moan for me, angel.." He spoke softly, his voice now slightly shaky but still dominates you.

You let out a shaky moan, your legs slightly trembling as his fingers start to rub and caress your folds. Especially with his thumb putting just the right amount of pressure on your clit as he rubs small tight circles on it, "Stop t-teasing..me.." You pleaded, you voice shaky and breathy. God your voice and moans sounded like music to his ears.

"Is that so, baby?" Itto asked as he pulled away from your tits with a pop, a playful smirk forcing on his face as he watched you need-ily nod your head. He was just getting started too.. He chuckled as he placed his other hand on your hips to steady you and finally entered one of his long fingers in your tight cunt. Thrusting it gently and slowly and shallowly. He added one of his long fingers again. This time, the thrusting of his long fingers were deeper, and faster.

You were already feeling so good. Shaky and trembling legs, You haven't felt this amount of pleasure for so goddamn long. You could feel that tight knot in your tummy forming, you were getting so close..

"Hngh- I'm close..!" You said to him, Itto just fasten the thrusting of his fingers and just as your moans were getting louder, just as you were about to let go, He pulled his fingers out. Leaving you feeling empty and causing you to whine.

"Be patient, Baby." He spoke, his voice sounding more sultry than ever as he knelt up once more. He quickly unzipped his pants and pulled it down along with his boxers. His.. cock immediately stood. You gulped as you saw its size, You already knew it was big just from seeing his bulge earlier, but boy, he was bigger than you thought.

"A-are you sure it can fi-", "We'll make it fit. Just take deep breaths f' me.." He spoke as gently pushed you down the bed, making sure you're comfortable before lining the tip of his cock to your small cunt. "Take a deep breath f'me." He spoke softly as he watched you take a deep breath. "That's a good girl." He praised you as his starts to gently push his swollen cock head inside your tight, wet cunt. You could feel him stretch your tight cunt out as you could feel him bottom out, inch by agonizing inch.

After he bottoms out, you could feel him stay still for a moment. Letting you adjust to his size. You let out small whimpers as you nodded to let him know that he can start moving already.

Seeing your signal, He starts to move, thrusting his hips. Gently yet deeply. You could feel the tip of his cock kissing your cervix with how deep he's in you.

He then gently changed your position to a mating press, spreading your out more for him to fuck. "You're doing so well, pretty girl.." He groans as he starts to fasten his thrusting.

You let out loud moans at every thrust- pounds, he gave your cunt. You moan and whine. "F-faster,.!" You whined and he happily obliged, Pounding your pretty cunt. The sound of skin slapping was loud, mixing in with the sounds of your angelic moans.

"God, I'm breeding this fucking cunt.." Itto cursed under his breath, pounding your tight cunt, feeling your hot, velvety walls clamp down on his cock. He lets out groans and grunts as he continues to pound you with a steady fast and deep rhythm. He then reached down between you and started rubbing your clit in small tight circles, adding more stimulation, causing you to moan louder and camp down tighter on his big cock.

"You going to cum, princess?" He panted, his smirk growing wider as he sees your eyes roll back as you nodded in desperation.

"Cum with me then, princess." He spoke as he sealed your lips with a kiss, rubbing tighter circles onto your clit, the pounding of his hips getting deeper and faster. He suddenly stopped, burying his cock deeper into you as he groans, painting your walls white. Making you cum after him too.

"You did so good, pretty girl." He said softly as he stayed for a bit before pulling out. He watched as exhaustion took over you and you feel asleep. His gaze shifted to your cunt, watching his cum drip down. He sighed before gently fingering his cum into you.

"Tsk, What a waste."

Again: Reblogs are greatly appreciated!

Creds: divider, divider

psych0-puppete3r ™ - do not copy, translate, modify, or claim any of my work as your own.

[theactualsunshinechild]

Can I just say the straight line style polycule that is Hu Tao x Furina x Neuvillette x Zhongli never stops being top tier comedy to me and it feels like no one talks about it.

Like, come on guys, it's got everything you could possibly ask for!

Newly mortal girl finally getting to live her own life after centuries of playing a role meets super chill and supportive funeral parlor director who can ease any worries she may have about death as a concept and also play pranks on her, drag her fun places, and help her make up with her long term situationship Dragon Sovereign who is deeply devoted to making her happy.

Honestly this is already fantastic; Neuvillette gets Gremlin (beloved) and Gremlin (mischievous) in his life! He brings Furina flowers after her performances and has a collection of autographed photos from each in his room. Hu Tao comes by to hang out in his office and bother him about marketing her funeral parlor, and he has to explain advertisement laws in Fontaine and how several of her ideas would get her arrested and that this would make Lady Furina quite upset. She teases him for "being a simp" and it slides off him like water.

Furina has a collection of pressed flowers from each of Neuvillete's bouquets in her room. Hu Tao taught her how to press and preserve flowers after her sopping wet meowmeow of a girlfriend cried in her arms about that first bouquet starting to wither.

Hu Tao drags both of them into playing TCG with her any time she can, and is always putting in word with local and visiting theater troupes about her girlfriend's acting talent and excellent director services. She loves seeing Furina squeal at the sight of a ghost, but usually shoos them away unless she's trying to spook her on purpose. Sometimes she runs her poetry by Neuvillette before going to recite it to Furina because she finds he has a good eye for it, and sometimes is able to convince him to put his own feelings into words through poetry as well.

Fontaine is full of tabloids arguing about who Fontaine's superstar is Actually Dating, and no one is certain! She is seen on the beach walking hand in hand with the Iudex merely two days after having publicly ordering the couple's special at a renowned coffeeshop with a strange Liyue girl. She has not denied dating either of them, nor has there been any indication of a breakup??? The two suitors have been spotted out purchasing her favorite sweets together, so they don't appear to be on bad terms??? The papers have no idea what to do with this and it is hilarious.

And then Zhongli enters the picture. Mysteriously absent any time Neuvillette comes by with Furina, but always there to chat and provide wild trivia when it's just the girls hanging out. And the girls have caught on. Hu Tao has a pretty good idea of what's up, but Furina?

Furina convenes with her girlfriend and is like "I think that employee of yours, Mr. Zhongli, might have a thing for Neuvillette? I've seen many dramas in my lifetime, but this is still the most obvious crush I've seen in centuries. Any time I mention Neuvillette he gets stiff as a board, turns seven different colors, and starts avoiding eye contact like the plague! It's like he thinks someone is going to bite his head off if he so much as thinks about the man! A shame too, they seem like they'd get along so well..."

Hu Tao, fighting for her life to not fall into fits of laughter: "We should set them up on a date"

Furina gets super excited about it! This is just like in one of her favorite plays!! Hu Tao adds fuel to the fire by teasing Zhongli about his "crush" in front of Furina one time, and he politely denies having any such thoughts about the reputable and honorable Iudex. Furina just becomes further convinced she's correctly judged the situation. Hu Tao knows exactly what she is doing and is reveling in the situation she is putting her consultant into.

Furina has all the details meticulously planned out, she is vibrating with excitement to matchmake her partner with someone so well suited for him. Hu Tao helps her find a suitable location in Chenyu, (near Fontaine, excellent tea, the perfect place to set a trap- sorry, date) They talk to the staff and the staff is excited to help.

Neuvillette keeps hearing from Furina about this charming man he simply must meet and how "he's exactly your type" and "is totally crushing on you" and he's a little nervous, but agrees to try and attend this blind date because he trusts Lady Furina's judgement, and he can't deny he IS curious to meet someone who can allegedly distinguish where an ore comes from on sight and taste minute differences in the mineral concentration of the tea water the way Furina claims this man can. Neuvillette arrives to the teahouse knowing only that he is going on a date with someone who is "secretly harboring feeling for him".

As for Zhongli? He knows something is up, but can't quite tell What exactly Director Hu is planning. When he's given some pocket money and told to attend a very important meeting in her stead at the teahouse, he goes, if only out of curiosity. (And of course, who would miss out on such quality tea?)

When the Iudex of Fontaine walks in and zeroes in on him and his table with slitted eyes, Zhongli seriously considers whether or not he can get away with faking his own death a second time on such short notice.

The answer of course is No, but he discovers he doesn't Have To, at least not yet. The Hydro Dragon Sovereign power walks up to the table, looking to be on the verge of attempting to drag Morax back to Fontaine for judgement by the scruff of his neck if necessary, but then seems to pause to properly look at the other man and consider the spread of tea and appetizers peacefully sitting in front of him. He throws a glance around the room, catching the interested looks the staff is poorly hiding, then catches and holds Zhongli's gaze as if searching for something in it. Celestia only knows what he's trying to decipher, and Zhongli can only clench his teacup and pray that whatever he finds is enough to convince him to let this go for the moment. He can feel the heat climbing up the back of his neck, his tie feeling a bit too tight for comfort, but he swallows down the nerves and tries for a pacifying smile.

(He's pretty sure it comes out a bit more tense than intended)

((He's also pretty sure the Hydro Dragon Sovereign can hear the pounding of the blood rushing in his veins, probably even sense the sweat building up under his collar))

(((The way his eyes flicked to watch his throat as he swallowed gives the impression of a creature considering the ease with which that throat can be torn out with its teeth)))

"You've come all this way; would you care to try the tea, Monsieur Neuvillette? It is a local specialty of this region, meticulously hand picked and dried using traditional methods passed down for generations. I am quite confident you may find it to your liking, though the local water is also quite distinctive, and I'm sure we can get you a glass if that is what you prefer. Had I known to expect your presence I would have requested one already," He keeps his speech calm and measured, even as his heart tries to climb out of his chest from the tension. No need to worry. If it comes down to it, he's has seen his fair share of war and battle. He can take him. Or at least could have taken him... a fully fledged Dragon Sovereign is a battle he would much rather simply not engage in. There is wisdom, after all, in not picking fights where mediation and contractual obligation can suffice. And social contract is as much a form of contract as any other. Surely the esteemed Iudex understands this...

Neuvillette relieves Zhongli of his intense stare and sits down without so much as a threat. The tension leaks out of Zhongli's posture ever so slightly as Neuvillette picks up the cup of freshly brewed tea that had been presented to him. Seems whatever he found sufficed to stay his hand for now.

Neuvillette is too busy reeling, trying to come to terms with the notion that an Usurper he is determined to judge for his sins has apparently developed some kind of romantic interest in him. He will still be judged, of course, it is only right. But... that doesn't mean that such tender feelings must be cruelly rejected without even having been given a chance. Furina believes in this man's suitability, after all, whether she knows his archon nature or not. And he would be remiss to overlook her opinion. She had always held deep insights into people's natures that Neuvillette himself never could quite grasp as thoroughly. Her incredible humanity and understanding is something he values dearly, and she was technically an Archon herself at one point after all, and yet, he loves her all the same. The cup wafts with a pleasant warmth and the taste of tea infused mountain spring water lingers on his tongue, as gold eyes observe him attentively, looking for his reaction. Yes, it is only fair. He will make an honest attempt to view this man before him as more than just an Usurper, and judge his eligibility as a romantic partner as a separate case.

For the entire rest of the "date" Zhongli is stressed, making conversation like his life depends on it, throwing in some flattering comments here and there to feed the air of polite goodwill he's trying to foster, and trying his best to read Neuvillette, who remains remarkably inscrutable. In the meantime, Neuvillette is just politely allowing himself to be rizzed up.

Neuvillette goes home pleasantly surprised by the experience.

Neuvillette: "You were quite right about him Lady Furina, Mr. Zhongli is indeed a terribly charming and intelligent man with refined tastes and a dignified manner. I'm afraid you have accurately predicted that I could indeed become quite fond of him. A shame I will have to judge him someday, but as you've experienced, I do not allow myself to be biased in formally judging individuals I have feelings for. Nevertheless, it really is quite insightful of you to have me get to know the Geo Archon outside of a courtroom setting."

Furina: "...............the who"

Zhongli is dragging himself home worn out from the encounter, feeling his age in his bones and wanting nothing more than to lie down and not think about the Next Time he was assured he would be contacted about.

Hu Tao, standing at the door, grinning: "soooooooo.... how was your hot date with the Iudex?"

Zhongli: "...............my what"

Hu Tao: "Ayah~ Surely you realized it was a date? Furina has been so excited to set this up for you since you seemed like you were going to avoid it forever! She told her boyfriend aaaaall about your little crush on him and told him to give you a shot! Surely you didn't fumble him that bad?"

Zhongli, suddenly reevaluating every single thing that happened during dinner in a brand new light: "I am not sure what the best term to describe what occurred is, but he did ask to see me again."

Hu Tao: "My my, who knew my consultant could be such a rizzler! A bet lost/ A prize won/ A love found/ A heart surrendered!"

Zhongli: ".....You bet against me?"

Hu Tao smoothly avoids answering that by handing him some paperwork, leaving some instructions and skipping off to go about her business.

[gold-rhine]

like its literally insane how beat for beat this lantern rite goes into the same notes as natlan final act, but just does it well. the contrast is crazy-making. SPOILERS 2025 LANTERN RITE i guess

like. oh its a story about pyro girlie who had to lose her family very early and tragically, and then she came under huge amount of dire responsibility, but she didn't let it break her and she stayed positive and bright. she is now confronted with a critical situation where she has to do hard decision and be ready to die to save her country. she says goodbyes to her friends, trying to not let them know she's going to sacrifice herself, but they realise it and do everything to save her. in the end, she realizes her life isn't over, its too early for her to go, has heartfelt reunion with ghosts of her family and is saved by unified efforts of her friends, showing how much she's loved and wanted in the world of the living. (im joking, last part didnt happen to mavuika lol, i'll get to it)

but like you can actually see how liyue kids are ACTUALLY friends and how they like each other, they have palpable chemistry that is shown, instead of just like. flatly declared in natlan. hu tao pestering embarrassed yun jin into performing her silly cringe hilichurl song in operatic style has more character than mavuika had in all acts of natlan and her story quest COMBINED. and hu tao visiting friends to give them goodbye gifts under the guise of holiday tradition with half-jokey heartfelt well wishings is what i think natlan tried to do with ancient name thing, where characters like say why they like traveler. except in lantern rite it works because its personal and meaningful, and in natlan its just flashy anime poses and random cliches. "i love being traveler's friend!", "surely she comes from a good home!" like??? its fucking nothings that coworkers awkwardly say at the birthday party because they don't know you.

and suddenly in liyue they know that characters can have differences and STILL be respectful and well-intended, with hu tao and baizhu exchanging jabs about being archenemies, instead of entire cast being blandly okay yay all the time in natlan. hu tao's conversation with zhongli exploring her mental state before going into danger, bittersweet, but finally honest, just straight up doesnt have a parallel in natlan because they never give mavuika any fucking way to express herself. not to mention that hu tao has more conflict and complicated feelings about her lost family and grief than mavuika ever has with her sister where they talk about fucking nothing and just like politely nod at each other.

and the theme of unity actually works in liyue because it does have all other characters uniting to share hu tao's burden and save her, instead of capitano ex machina just showing up and solo taking her place bc he's here to hijack the narrative and make it about khaenriah instead of natlan. so natlan's theme about unity just never goes anywhere except of characters standing in the circle and yelling "for natlan!!", there is no tangible effort for this unity, nothing they have to overcome together. they just wait for everyone to awaken their ancient names, stand in a circle to power up mavuika, and then she solo finishes everything with carpet bombing. and then she solo beats up abyss boss. and then capitano makes it all about himself. like. much unity.

and even traveler being a descender isn't really used in natlan despite making a big deal out of it, her ability to challenge fate or whatever literally never actually comes up. meanwhile in liyue it is used within established lore reasons - not being connected to irminsul, BUT, very importantly, just being special descender would not be enough to save hu tao, its the fact that they are friends, they share a bond and care about each other, i.e. only by using the plum's branch traveler is able to connect and find hu tao.