#the favonius archives

[lillibuds]

For your favonius archives au, maybe Venti as the Distortion?

YOUR MIND

[mania-sama]

Dear Kaeya, signed Diluc Ragnvindr

Final Duet - Omori

➼ information ❧ Genshin Impact ❧ Pairing: Diluc & Kaeya, Beidou & Diluc ❧ Tags: angst, implied/referenced torture, the crux fleet, letter-writing, second person ❧ Summary: A collection of the letters Diluc Ragnvindr sent to Kaeya Alberich during his three-year-long disappearance. They are scattered around the corners of Teyvat, either digested by an animal or hidden behind a painting in an apartment. If anyone can find them, please return them to the Cavalry Captain of the Knights of Favonius. You will be graciously rewarded. ❧ Word Count: 4,317 ❧ Cross-posted from Archive of Our Own ❧ Original post date: 27 May 2022

Author Note:

Inspired by this tiktok

-

Dear Kaeya,

    This will never reach you. I assume it will be consumed by a whale or any other sea creature of sorts. I hope it’s not a catchable fish that people eat; then it might actually resurface. Whatever, it’s unlikely to get back to you anyway.

    I don’t know what to say. I’m going to run out of ink if I keep letting it go dry on my quill from hesitation. You would laugh and say that’s unlike me to hesitate. It is. I didn’t hesitate when I left the Knights of Favonius, I didn’t hesitate to attack you, I didn’t hesitate to leave Mondstadt. Why is it so hard for me to write what I mean, then? It doesn’t make sense. You would probably give me some bullshit answer for it.

    I don’t understand. Why did you have to hide it, for so long? I hate not knowing. You blindsided me, Kaeya. I thought you were all that I had left of my family, and then you told me even that wasn’t true. I don’t care that you were sent to be some spy. I care that you lied to me, just like everyone else did. Why did you have to be like everyone else?

    Whatever. It’s not like you can answer anyway. This was a horrible idea. I’m nowhere near done with my ink. I have plenty of paper left, it would be a waste to not use it all. Remember that one woman we talked to a few weeks ago? She always wrote down everything. She said it made her feel better. I don’t think this is making me feel better. I think it’s making me feel, and that’s worse than pretending like the pain doesn’t exist.

    I wonder if Father knew about your eye. Did you ever tell him? Or would you lie to me about that, too? It hurts. It makes me so angry, Kaeya. Did you even care? He treated you like a son, and I to you a brother. You always reciprocated. How much of it was a lie? How did you grow up to be such a shitty spy when it was your own purpose in our household? I don’t know what you’re doing now. I don’t know how I feel about it, which is worse. Your blood on my hands. Your Vision, it gave me frostbite, and it caused me to not feel your blood anymore.

    Good-bye, for now. I have plenty of paper and plenty of bottles. People are careless and leave their destruction everywhere. I suspect I will live just fine on my own. It would be more convenient, I guess, if I had my Vision to light a fire. Father’s Delusion does the same job. It just hurts my hands. It’s the strangest feeling. Pyro never hurt me. Does your Cryo? I’m sure it hurt when you received it.

    Good-bye,

        Diluc Ragnvindr

—

Dear Kaeya,

    I burned the last paper I tried to write this on with the Delusion by accident.  It’s hard to control this thing. It’s my legacy, though. It replaces where my Vision should be, even though it doesn’t feel the exact same. I can feel the tug of my Vision sometimes, especially when I’m using Father’s Delusion. You never saw it, the way he manipulated the Delusion. It was like an art form, but he pushed himself too far. He didn’t get to use it enough. I will not be like him. I will hone this weapon if it is the last thing I do in this world, which I assure you, it won’t be.

    It’s not the Fatui I’m after. Well, part of it is them, yes. It can’t all be them, though. There is more to this situation than meets the eye. It was crazed, vicious more than any creature could possibly be. It was sent to Mondstadt, I’m sure. If it weren’t for Father, many people would have died. The Knights wouldn’t have been able to handle it.

    I don’t miss being Cavalry Captain. Looking back on it, it only held me back. I imagine you have taken my position, if you still stayed in the Knights. You probably did. What, to spite me? You will only hinder yourself, in that case. Unless you plan on making the Ordo keep you more honest. I can’t imagine they’d let you stay if they knew the truth.

    Kill Eroch for me. I can’t think of anything else to say. Just kill him. If I see him, I’ll do it myself.

    Diluc R.

—

Kaeya

    I can’t stop thinking about your eyes. The golden one, and the blue one. No, not the left eye. Your new, blue Vision, the eye of God. It doesn’t match your traitor eye at all. It makes sense. Do you have my eye? Do you look at it, to see if I’m okay? It must’ve scared you to see it go pretty dull for a moment. I hope you tried to destroy my Vision. It would make me feel less guilty. What was the point? I’m sorry, I’ve forgotten.

Diluc 

—

Dear Kaeya,

    I burnt all of my paper by accident. I had to stop and get new ones, and then ink and a pen. It’s strange in Liyue. I mean, we’ve been before, but it’s different this time. I have a new outlook on it. I’m alone and searching for something that’s both abstract and very real at the same time. I have not forgotten the language, thankfully. I can keep conversation well while simultaneously leading myself on with my search.

    The locals make me a little angry. My temper seems to worsen these days, which doesn’t appeal to many people. When I reveal that I’m from Mondstadt, I’ve had more than a few locals go on to tell me about how they disapprove of the Anemo Archon’s decision, about how we are a godless nation. I find the irony in it unamussing when I relate it back to you. It’s also fairly unamussing in general. Despite having left, I still love Mondstadt. After hearing it for the third time, I may have engaged in an argument with a man about Mondstadt’s freedom and Liyue Harbor’s strict rules. If it were not for the fact that I had a Delusion and still struggle to summon its power, I’m sure the other man would’ve had scorch marks over his body.

    The food here tastes very good. I’ve never been a man to like foreign foods very much, but everything seems different in the flesh of it all. I just have to find the right place, and it really ends up not being too much different than home. No matter my foreign looks, accent, and such, I am still served in the same manners any other local would be. I’ve noticed the water tastes differently as well. Different sources wield different tastes. I became used to the water in Mond, but in Liyue, it is so much different. I can’t say I like it, but I don’t intend to stay for much longer. I suspect I’ll be back, but that is just to move from one place to another. The Harbor is like a hub of activity for all foreign nations. I can easily catch a boat from here to there.

    The history here is rich. That never bored you, did it? It was your favorite lesson. Aside from insulting Mond, the history of Liyue is one of the most favored topics. I believe I can learn a lot from the Harbor, from business to the creation of the world. I don’t have time for this right now, but one day, I’d like to be able to sit and embrace all of it. Discuss the cultural wines with the brewers, the history of the Adepti that protect the lands, and the business to contract marketplace that the Harbor runs on. Favors, it seems, that just happen to coincide with contracts, are what make the normal citizens trust each other. The crime rate is lower here, also. It’s something that was brought up in the Mondstadt versus Liyue debate. Personally, the stricter rules make the city feel tightened, like I can’t move.

    The music here is very different from Mondstadt’s. It’s not better or worse– just different. Their style of singing is more in the grandeur type, with an elevated stage with the paying people below it. Operas and concerts. They feel less personal, and the singing flows like a river. It’s extravagant, obviously well-tuned with a number of background instrumental musicians playing to support the main singer or musician. It is similar to the bards by what the music is about. They tell stories of their Adepti. While there are other people who do something similar, just not in the singing way. Story-tellers, very simply. Personally, if I wanted to hear a story, I would want to hear the whole thing in one sitting and not have to wait for a few days for the story-teller to tell the next part of the story.

    It’s amazing what I never knew about Liyue Harbor. I used to think I knew so much. Cavalry Captain at fifteen, Vision at eleven. I thought I knew the world. Liyue reminds me of how much I really don’t know. You need to come to Liyue Harbor sometime, and see it the way I do. I think you could benefit from the experience. Their Archon is much closer, they even speak to him once a year. Rex Lapis, they call him. You would have many questions for him, I have no doubt.

    Sincerely,

        Diluc Ragnvindr

—

Dear Kaeya,

    I’ve been on a ship before, but this is something entirely new. The Crux, an armed fleet of all-but-in-name pirates, possibly the most infamous fleet in all of Teyvat, is nothing like I expected it to be. It is well-maintained, and I do not doubt their prowess on the seas they rule over. They are just much different than I imagined.

    Talking can get you far, and skipping over unnecessary dialogue, I’ve learned, can get you even further. Saying the right things to the right people without any fluff in-between is how I was able to get on this ship, free of charge outside of the labor I must perform during the journey from Liyue to Inazuma. It’s truly amazing, Kaeya. The crew is very welcoming, if not eccentric in their ways. Typical of pirates, they drink to their heart's content, more than I’ve seen any drunkard in Mondstadt. Insane alcohol tolerances and were more than a little upset when I wouldn’t have my fair share.

    I believe the captain of this crew is what surprised me the most. She wears an eyepatch like you. Except, her story is completely different than yours. She claims she had a vicious battle with a very angry, very large sea crab that tried to take something she had actually stolen– she didn’t word it as stolen, but that was what she did– from the Tianquan Ningguang. I’m not inclined to believe any of what she’s said, even after the kindness she’s shown me. I have you and Eroch to thank for that.

    I don’t mean to be bitter. It’s just so easy. This dark sea is making me think about the winery, and with it all the reasons I’m aboard this ship in the first place. Inazuma is a few days away. I don’t know how long I can sit with these brooding thoughts, stewing in my own mixed emotions. All I can feel is anger most of the time, until I sit down to write. Then, my hand doesn’t want to move, and I’m left to think about what I’m really feeling.

    I don’t know what I want to say to you. Who is in the wrong for what happened that night? You hurt me a lot with what you said, and the day you chose to do it. I needed you.

—

Dear Kaeya,

    Captain Beidou introduced me to something called “depression.” It can be caused by the loneliness of the sea. She says that staying on ships for too long causes accidents to happen to crewmates. Or rather, they let the accidents happen. They want to feel something outside of the dark sea. The ship can get too quiet, even for its rowdiness. People don’t see their families on the land often.

    I don’t buy it, but she forced me to participate in activities to prevent this depression from sinking in. I had to take pictures, do these very strange exercises that I can safely say I never want to do again. I painted for the first time as well. I don’t know where she managed to get the much paint from. There is another significant figure on the ship as well, named Kazuha. He led poetry lessons. I’ve never been a fan of poetry.

    Captain Beidou has an Electro Vision, and he has an Anemo Vision. Though, that’s not all he has. He has something called a Masterless Vision, which can only be created when the owner of a Vision has passed on. He holds two Visions, a strange phenomenon. If I had kept my Vision, would it hold the same effect if I also kept my Delusion? I can use both, separately. I have never tried at the same time. After all of my time in Mondstadt and Liyue, I still know fairly little about Delusions. What I do know is enough to keep me from dying.

    The crew has told me an answer to my question that keeps resurfacing whenever I look into the ocean. I didn’t ask them, I just observed and learned from the way they interact. Who is in the wrong for that night? Neither of us, or both of us. You shouldn’t have betrayed and lied to me. I shouldn’t have tried to kill you and abandon you. I don’t know what I would say to you if I could see you now. My hand wants to write something, but my brain won’t supply anything. What is there to say, except admit our wrongdoings? Are you searching for the truth, too?

    Good night,

        Diluc R.

—

Dear Kaeya,

    Inazuma is stifling. It’s beautiful, I can’t deny that. From the shapes of the clouds to the subtle purple tint to the land, everything appears to be quite breath-taking. That is where the excitement ends.

    The Omnipresent God, they call the Raiden Shogun. This nation is the opposite of Liyue Harbor. The air is static, the government is imposing, and I always feel like there is someone watching me. I hide in the shadows. I shouldn’t be anywhere outside of Ritou, anyway, yet I’ve managed to make it to Inazuma City. This may be a mistake on my part, but I think I can get somewhere with this. I have already been able to steal a fair share of Inazuman clothing, so I can get around the city just fine as long as I stay out of the way. It is better if I am not seen regardless.

I have a few days until the Crux leaves again, this time to Snezhnaya, the land of the land of the Fatui. I have seen a few diplomats here, because they are able to pass by the Sakoku Decree, which we both knew about prior. They are still not well-liked by the citizens, but that is a given. None of the locals seem to like foreigners at all.

Inazuma, the Land of Eternity. The name makes Inazuma sound almighty, powerful, above-all. You and I bought into it. Inside the city, it makes the preconceived notion laughable. Kaeya, the nation is in shambles. The marketplace has monopolies scattered for every item, the prices extremely high that causes everyone outside of the military officials– one of the three commissions in the Tri- Commission– to starve. They are hostile to anyone that isn’t like them. They don’t like anyone who points out just how horrible the situation is.

There is a permanent storm in Inazuma. It started when the Crux reached the edge of the ocean that belongs to Inazuma. It fits the Electro Archon. The lightning cackled constantly in the sky, and it never stopped raining. In the little bits of privacy I could have on the Crux, I used my Delusion to dry myself off. It never did much, and it was of little comfort, but it helped hone my abilities with the Delusion. I have more control, and it doesn’t hurt anymore. It only hurts when I overextend and lose the tight fist I have on it.

In regards to my search, I have not faltered. I think I have something with these three Fatui Diplomats that like to talk just a little too much. I haven’t been discovered yet. I hear the talk of the Harbingers, officers of the Fatui with absolute control and mad power. Better than that, I have heard that there is a group of people causing Fatui great amounts of trouble.

The Crux leaves in a day for the next nation, Snezhnaya. That is where I need to go. Kaeya, my Pyro Vision left me resistant to the cold. I wonder if my Delusion can hold up the same.

Sincerely,

    Diluc Ragnvindr

—

K

    Captain Beidou, very irritatingly, has found out about my letters to you and insists that she carry one out to the person I am writing to. She says the bottles won’t work, and I told her that that was the whole point. Under the very real threat that I get thrown overboard, I am being forced to write out this letter specifically for her to deliver.

    Didn’t I mention how little privacy this ship has? A very imposing figure is standing over my shoulder as I write this. She gasped just now. And smeared ink all over the paper. Please, send your best regards to Captain Beidou.

    As I said, I am leaving for Snezhnaya. I don’t remember being overly fond of their food, but I said that about Liyue Harbor, and I felt the same about Inazuman delicacies. I am noticing a pattern. I can’t continue doing this.

        Diluc R.

—

Dear Kaeya,

    There are many things to regret over the extent of my life. I regret not being strong enough to protect Father, I regret having never learned the truth about you earlier on in life, and I regret trying to kill you. I regret that I gave you a Vision, because that meant I became a truly wicked person. Finally, I regret my last letter to you, and this one as well. I didn’t get to say what I wanted then, for such foolish reasons. Now, I still can’t say what I want.

    Unforeseen circumstances have arisen. There isn’t much I can explain, even though I know this bottle will lead nowhere special to anyone at any time. I wish I could say more, that I can tell you more. This is my last letter to you, Kaeya, until I am released from my chosen binds. This will never reach you, which is why I feel the confidence to say this:

    I am sorry, Kaeya.

        Diluc Ragnvindr

—

To Cavalry Captain Kaeya Alberich of the Ordo Favonius,

I am coming home.

D.R.

—

A crumpled piece of paper was hidden in a slot behind one of the many paintings Kaeya Alberich had in his apartment in inner city of Mondstadt. Every few days, if you looked into the darkened windows of the apartment, you could see the esteemed Cavalry Captain unhook a painting of an old prize horse of the Dawn Winery years ago from the wall. Carefully, he would undo the back of the painting, pulling out a piece of paper that had survived several years of abuse from its current owner.

Then, the Cavalry Captain would move to his kitchen table and sit down in one of the six seats available. He would smooth out the paper on the table and place his hand on top of it for several seconds. Eventually, he would lift his hand and read the contents written on the piece. The words were hardly visible after the years it had seen and the conditions it was written under. But if you were to ask Captain Kaeya himself, he would say that the eligibility didn’t matter; he’d memorized the words a long time ago.

After only a few moments of reading, the captain’s shoulders would start to shake. A hand would come up to support his forehead, and another hand would move the paper out from under him. It was done to protect the precious paper from being stained by Kaeya’s tears.

If you were to ask the captain about the contents of the paper, he would not give the real answer. He would make up a fictitious lie supported by the supposed backstory of his eyepatch, laced in old pirate tales and hidden treasures. If you were to read the paper yourself, you would find an innocent letter addressed to nobody in particular, detailing a person passive-aggressively being forced to write the words on the paper by their superior. It was signed, “Diluc R.”

The real story behind the letter couldn’t be brought from Kaeya’s mouth. If you wanted the truth, you would have to trek to Liyue Harbor and find the Captain of the Crux Fleet: Captain Beidou. She would have no qualms telling the story behind the letter, even finding the situation to be quite humorous despite the way Captain Kaeya had always reacted.

She would say: “Well, it all started when a young man with a bright, red mane like flames climbed on my ship. We were Inazuma-bound, but this didn’t phase him. The kid had guts– Hell, he probably still does. He was pretty skeptical and had a temper wilder than any hurricane I’ve ever braved, but that only made him an easier target for the crew and I. Oh, the teasing!

“I knew he was writing the letters long before I told him. Nothing escapes me on my fleet! Ha ha! I remember how embarrassed he was when I told him! I forced him to write out a letter, but of course it wasn’t as serious as it normally was. Left out the name it was addressed to and everything! Claimed I would never be able to deliver it to the right person! So of course I took the challenge. I had him package it up in an old wine bottle like he usually did, then once I dropped him off in Snezhnaya, the crew and I made a detour to good ole’ Mondstadt.

“You see, it wasn’t hard to track down who the letter was addressed to. Everyone was up in arms over the fact that their famous Diluc, having just disappeared from Mond, had been with the Crux Fleet! I did my best to hide any details of his true whereabouts or what he had been doing with me, because I would never betray one of my own, even for someone who lived as shortly with me as he did.

“From there, I got the letter address down to two people of interest, Sir Kaeya and Master Jean, both of the Ordo Favonius. Thanks to my great memory, I recalled the kid scratching out the letter K when he was writing the personal address. So I delivered the letter in the bottle dutifully! Sir Kaeya wasn’t as happy as I was. He actually took the letter with poorly hidden sorrow and guilt. I wanted to stay around for his reaction, but I know where lines shouldn’t be crossed. After having a few drinks at the famous Angel’s Share and meeting with Master Jean, my crew and I returned on our route. There is your story about the little letter a fiery kid on my ship wrote to a few years ago!

“To be fair, I thought they were love letters at first. The angry, no-nonsense Diluc having a little crush back at home? Hilarious! It’s weird to think that now, though, since I know they were brothers and all that. I wonder if those other bottles had ever gotten to Sir Kaeya?”

None of the bottles had been recovered by Captain Kaeya, nor were any found and returned to him. He had never stopped searching the beach for the supppsed other bottles mentioned by both Captain Beidou and the letter itself. He can still be found wandering the shorelines of Mondstadt during his free time, pants rolled up and wading into the water to try and find at least one bottle. This learned behavior never left him, even after Master Diluc of the Dawn Winery returned to Mondstadt.

If you were to ask Master Diluc about the letters he wrote to Captain Kaeya, he would deny having ever done anything. It became well-known in Mondstadt that the two men didn’t get along upon the wine master’s return, but it can’t help but be wondered: if they were both made aware of the others’ viewpoint of the letters, the receiver and the writer, would something change between them? The question would forever be left unanswered, for the two could never be seen talking in any manner other than impolite jabs and heartless arguments.

Somewhere, in the very corner of Teyvat where the gods can’t cast their judging eyes, a bottle washes up to the shore. A man picks it up, pale with blue eyes mimicking the stars and hair ashy blond. He runs his hands over the bottle and examines it carefully before popping the cork that had sealed it shut. He pulls out the letter inside, reads it, and smiles. He pockets it gently, a new destination and person in mind for him to travel to: Cavalry Captain Kaeya Alberich of the Ordo Favonius.

[thatdeadaquarius]

Imagine creator reader but no divine presence or aura that makes people crumble at the knees.

Reader just spawns in at wolvendom like a fly and meets diluc for no important reason i just love diluc then pow we can alter character builds then discover that my husband has the bell and instructors set on 😲

Creator freaks out cause wtf this is NOT the build i put on my diluc and hes standing there like ‘what psychopath did i just meet..’ so wow what no way creator reader just happens to have a 2 piece crimson witch in their inventory.

Reader: ‘You’re probably gonna leave me here but theres a hillichurl camp near by you dont want the knights of favonius to get to it first right’

Dilucs mad suspicious but hes a good civilian and puts his vision to use and absolutely destroys the hilichurls

Hes doing like 19x the amount of damage he normally would and word gets around that theres some random lady that makes people uncomprehendingly strong

BRO (genderneutral) I SAW A FIC LITERALLY ABOUT THIS SCENARIO UNDER THE SAGAU TAG AWHILE BACK- ACK-

FIC REC ASK!!

I CANT FIND IT- THEY WERE ACTUALLY THE OG INSPO FOR ME KEEPING A READER WHO COULD STILL ACCESS PLAYER FUNCTIONS

LIKE, DUDE THEY DID DILUC AND EVERYTHING

THIS IS SO CREEPY WTF R U SECRETLY THAT AWESOME WRITER??!!! DID U SNEAK INTO MY ASKS, BC IF SO HELLO I LOVE THAT FIC SM <3 ANYWAY-

I don’t know how to write this without plagiarising that person!!

Because this is such a specific scenario, I don’t see a way around writing this or at least I don’t have the skill for it lmao, as this is the same situation as that fic, so here you guys go!

My first fic rec!! Thank you so much @myrainycollectorpizza for finding this fic!! You're a peach tysm,

Here's pretty much a cooler longer version of what anon said by Muraar on ao3!

☆

Safe Travels Anon,

💀♒️

☆

Fic rec sorry my beloveds! Another ask will be uploaded in an hour or so! :] I lied i forgot to tag u guys in the new one hold on

@karmawonders / @0rah-s / @randomnatics / @glxssynarvi / @nexylaza / @genshin-impacts-me / @wholesomey-artist / @thedevioussmirk / @the-dumber-scaramouche

[cosmichorrorsarestillnicerthanme]

Rules (Re-vamped for new added fandoms, rules, prefrences, Master List, and Current Works)

(Re-vamped for new added fandoms, rules, and prefrences)

“I never ask a man what his business is, for it never interests me. What I ask him about are his thoughts and dreams.”-Howard Philips Lovecraft

Hello I'm Mr. Cosmic, I am a Romantic Asexual Man (Not sex repulsed, I actually find the concept of sex and how deeply it is ingrained in humanity fascinating) my birthday is September 26th, My favorite food is Spaghetti and Garlic Bread (I know I know, Asexuals and garlic bread), my favorite drink is home made Mountain Tea, I love writing romantic and fluffy things but I also may right angst if I'm in the right mood, My favorite bands are Queens Of The Stone Age, Arctic Monkeys, Franz Ferdinand, Iron Maiden, Nujabes (RIP), Megadeth, Rob Zombie, and Foo Fighters, I hope we can all get along!

I take recommendations for shows to watch and add to the list of fandoms and music to listen to while I write (I am partial to fast paced songs, but I also enjoy slower ones)

I am also associated with the @favonius-library and @ecrin-de-litterature

ASKS ARE: CLOSED

CURRENT NUMBER OF ASKS: 300

One Hundred One Word Prompts

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ALL OF MY CURRENT WORKS

ALL OF MY CURRENT WORKS PT.2

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My Pet Peeves For Asks

One Of My Pet Peeves For Asks: Fighters, Not Body Builders

Rules

I only write romance for female characters but I'm perfectly fine with writing platonic male relationships (There are a few exceptions but most of the time this is the rule of thumb to go by)

I write for G/N, Male, and Female readers

Like any other Tumblr I reserve the right to reject asks

Be Respectful.

Do Not Hate On People In The Comments!

No Homophobia, Transphobia, etc. etc.

If You Have A Question About A Post Ask In The Comments Of The Post please.

No Politics!

I prefer to write for Ladies but I will do guys once in a blue moon if they're a part of the ask.

Due to a recent attempt to write trans readers and the anxiety attack which affected my willingness to write I have made the decision to (For the moment this may change though it is unlikely) not write Trans readers there is nothing wrong with Trans People I just feel like I can't portray them properly.

IF ONE MORE GODDAMN FUCKING PORN BOT OR BLANK BLOG FOLLOWS ME I SWEAR TO FUCKING GOD I WILL GO ON A GODDAMN PURGE SO PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD CUSTOMIZE YOUR TUMBLR OR I MIGHT ACCIDENTALLY BAN HAMMER YOU!!! Please, if you have a question or an ask, ask me the question in the INBOX not in my MESSAGES. My MESSAGES are for my mutuals to talk to me. Not to receive asks through, that is what the ASK BUTTON is for. If I continue to receive asks in my MESSAGES I WILL start blocking people.

FANDOMS

Fate Grand Order and TYPE-MOON in general

Genshin Impact

Honkai Star Rail

Zenless Zone Zero

Reverse 1999

Goddess Of Victory: Nikke

Arknights

Blue Archive

Girls Front Line

Limbus Company

Lobotomy Corporation

Library Of Ruina

Bloodborne

Elden Ring

Baldur’s Gate 3

Senran Kagura

Danganropa

Persona 3

Persona 4

Persona 5

Shin Megami Tensei

Dungeon Fighter Online

Dungeon Fighter Duel

River City Girls

Tekken

King Of Fighters

Guilty Gear

Granblue Fantasy

Blazblue

Skullgirls

Darkstalkers

Under Night In Birth

Street Fighter

Resident Evil

Final Fantasy

Fear & Hunger

Fear & Hunger: Termina

Hi-Fi Rush

Trails Of Cold Steel

Bleach

Chainsaw man

Jujutsu Kaisen

RWBY

Ikki Tousen

Highschool DxD

(To Be Added)

What I Will Do

Character x Reader

All of the dere's (Yandere, Kudere, Tsundere, Goudere, Masodere, Sadodere etc. etc.)

Poly

Character x Multiple (Separate from Poly, NSFW only Ex. Free Use)

Platonic Relationships

NSFW (If You Want a Specific Kink You Have To Ask)

(More To Be Added)

What I Won’t Do

Underage

Non-Con (I might do CNC)

Kinks like Scat and Vore

NTR

(More To Be Added)

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[euria-stratos]

Part 2: The Things They Usually Mention in Passing (2)

Please note that this is going to be multi-part series of AU notes and flash fictions depicting a “what-if” scenario:

What if the Cataclysm was stopped earlier and Khaenri’ah was spared from Celestia’s wrath, despite their sins 500 years ago... for a price?

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

Excerpts from an old, torn journal with a label "C. Alberich" recovered from the outskirts of Dragonspine, Mondstadt. Currently stored in the archives of the Knights of Favonius Investigation Team:

"...been ages since I've written down my day-to-day experiences here. But I suppose being homesick has a way of making you return to old, familiar habits. It's funny, too, that where I am now is also my home, for better or worse. I just hope it won't return to how it was when Mama left it..."

---

"...currently staying in this eternally freezing mountain just south (or southwest?) of the city Mondstadt, conducting alchemical research with the homunculus alchemist Albedo. It has been a successful endeavor so far and we've manage to find some fine specimens for study! Like that Cryo mitachurl just a few paces down the mountainside where our current camp is..."

---

"...sometimes, I wonder if Papa would ever forgive me for settling here. I know that things would've been more comfortable for me back home, at least, money-wise. But I don't think he understands what I saw there everyday..."

---

"...could feel their eyes still watching me, always waiting for something to happen. Whether it was because of my so-called dirty blood or my "insufficient" devotion to Lord Purson compared to everyone else, their dead-eyed stares still bore into me and constantly doled out judgement. I'm sorry, Papa, I just couldn't..."

---

"...if someone said to me before that I would be working with the creation of our homeland's biggest persona non grata in a foreign nation that Mama ran away from, I'd have laughed at their face and tell them to cut back on the mead. But here I am, a good 15 years in, having just enjoyed a great dinner at Good Hunter with my family and the rest of the Investigation Team. I still don't know how I managed to make a life for myself here without much trouble nor worry. But I suppose I can't help but be grateful to the Knights, to Albedo, to my one and only Elise, and strangely enough, even to..."

---

"...I can only hope that things are still good with Papa back home, even if he does take longer to respond to my letters..."

Previous | Next

[ao3feed-dilucnkaeya]

A piece of the past

Read on AO3

by purplesan

Kaeya didn’t like to talk about his past.

It wasn’t a secret, nor did it come as a surprise considering everything he’d endured, and it wasn’t something Albedo felt particularly bothered by. All humans had a past, and he’d quickly learned not everyone liked to talk about theirs as openly as others.

Despite this, Albedo couldn’t stop himself from listening intently whenever the other did feel like sharing something, no matter how small.

They’d been walking through the Knights of Favonius Headquarters like any other day, passing some of the paintings on display in the entrance hall, when Kaeya had muttered something about a family portrait.

Albedo had given him a curious look, but all Kaeya had said about the matter was that it had been lost to flames, and that had been that. It hadn’t been hard to put two and two together, but no more words were exchanged about it. Kaeya was awfully good at changing the subject whenever it was convenient to him.

Still, it got Albedo thinking.

---

Or: The only family portrait ever made during Kaeya's time with the Ragnvindrs was lost. Albedo finds a way to soothe the pain, for more than one person.

Words: 10182, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: 原神 | Genshin Impact (Video Game)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: M/M

Characters: Albedo (Genshin Impact), Kaeya (Genshin Impact), Diluc (Genshin Impact), Background & Cameo Characters, Adelinde (Genshin Impact)

Relationships: Albedo/Kaeya (Genshin Impact), Diluc & Kaeya (Genshin Impact), Albedo & Diluc (Genshin Impact)

Additional Tags: ragbros, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Soft Albedo (Genshin Impact), Diluc and Kaeya are Siblings (Genshin Impact), Diluc and Kaeya are Adopted Siblings (Genshin Impact), Diluc is Bad at Feelings (Genshin Impact), Diluc and Kaeya Care About Each Other (Genshin Impact), Brothers, Childhood Memories, Fluff, Family, Family Feels, Mentioned Crepus (Genshin Impact), Dead Crepus (Genshin Impact), Established Relationship, albedo helps the ragbros reconcile, that's it that's the fic, Portraits, Kaeya Needs a Hug (Genshin Impact), Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff and Angst, Photographs, Grief/Mourning, Reconciliation, Diluc and Kaeya Reconciliation (Genshin Impact), Past Character Death, Albedo and Kaeya in Love (Genshin Impact), Painting

[shoggothkisses]

Pre- “Bedtime Story” Lore Roundup

so I was going through old Archive entries on Genshin in preparation for the next chunk of the Archon quest that’s dropping tonight, and here are some interesting bits of information I had completely forgotten about in the last 4+ years:

“We Will Be Reunited” (Ch. 1. Act IV)

the Treasure Hoarders potentially worship, or are lead by, a “God of Thieves.” Whether this entity is an actual god, or whether that god is or isn’t one of the Seven, has not been confirmed. HOWEVER, when we find the Fontanian “Grand Thief” (who was supposed to be as renowned in Teyvat as Alice…lol) dead in front of the inverted Venti statue, he looks to be praying. Hermes/Mercury is the god of winds, travelers, and thieves. A stretch? Maybe so, but I’ll leave that up to the reader. :p

When the Traveler first hears from Dainsleif that Khaenri’ah was destroyed by the gods, they think about what they’ll do or say the next time they see Venti or Zhongli. As far as I can remember, nothing ever comes of that potential discussion…since we’ve seen both Venti and Zhongli multiple times since.

The initial “test” or operative step for the Abyss Order’s Loom of Fate Project pertained to using the “Eye” of the first Ruin Guard (“Field Tiller”), the Defiled Statue, and the body of Osial (the ocean serpent in Liyue) to build a mechanized god. This mechanized-god project mirrors the intentions that the Fatui and Akademiya had for Scaramouche during the Sumeru Archon Quest - with the Gnosis instead of the “eye,” and Scaramouche himself instead of the Defiled Statue. What the Akademiya used to create Shouki no Kami’s body, I don’t think we know.

Dainsleif confirms that the reason we find Ruin Guards NEAR ruins to begin with is NOT because those ruins are part of Khaenri’ah - it’s because the machines are drawn to old, lonely places that they perceive as being like themselves.

Dainsleif doesn’t trust the Church or Knights of Favonius. We now know (through Mika and his Windblume Festival introduction) that the Knights have some sort of “agreement” with the Fatui (Varka and Capitano claim to be “on the same side, currently).

The Abyss Twin says that they’ve “already gone through this world once.” As far as either twin knows, they’ve only experienced one past loop in Teyvat.

Abyss Twin wants to “engulf the thrones” - that is, specifically, the thrones granted by Celestia.

Abyss Twin resents Dainsleif for “failing” to protect Khaenri’ah.

“Requiem of Echoing Depths (Ch 2. Act IV)

The Chasm’s underground mines are crawling with former Khaenri’ahn soldiers, but Dainsleif purports to NEVER have stepped foot in the Chasm before. This suggests that the other Khaenri’ahn soldiers there were probably drawn in the same way that the hilichurls were. The Chasm ruins, likewise, are NOT part of Khaenri’ah, but another previous unified civilization. (this is confirmed by Dainsleif explicitly).

The bodies of hilichurls are not burnt or discolored. They’re necrotizing (“eroding,” in Dainsleif’s words). They don’t cover their faces because they’ve become monsters - they’re covering their faces because while they’re suffering the curse of immortality, their bodies are STILL FREAKING DECAYING. This may also be the case with Arlecchino - although because she’s from a different dynasty of Khaenri’ah, the fire/burning aspects may still apply (unsure whether the two dynasties experienced similar or different fates?)

Lumine’s Inteyvat hair ornament will turn to dust when she finally returns it to Khaenri’ah.

At this point, the Loom of Fate is already “almost complete.” The Abysslings are placing “amplification devices” of some sort in the Chasm as part of the project.

“Caribert” (Ch. 3 Act IV)

Kaeya is implied to be only half-Khaenri’ahn, he doesn’t remember anything about Khaenri’ah proper, and he isn’t afflicted with an immortality curse (i.e. he ages normally). This suggests that 1) Khaenri’ahns were still able to reproduce with “regular” humans AFTER the cataclysm occurred (and since some of them can alter their appearance to look like a normal human, I guess it makes sense…), and 2) doing so does not pass the curse down to their children. Caribert was punished because he was alive at the time of the cataclysm.

The “I follow no god…I count some of them as my foes” line you choose during this quest is from your sibling’s memories, not your own thoughts.

Khaenri’ahn citizens who were related to the bloodline of the civilization became Abysslings. Ex-pat citizens who moved to Khaenri’ah from other nations became hilichurls (which was considered a “mercy”).

Medicine, books, and anything else pertaining to the Seven Archons was BANNED in Khaenri’ah.

The “Fortune Lector” (the Abyss Herald-esque enemy that guards the entrance to the Sinner’s chambers) sports decorations on its form that resemble the ruins littered throughout Teyvat, and is therefore likely a being from that previous unified civilization. It tells us that “Fate has not granted you the right to enter.”

The Sinner, likewise, also appears to know of other creatures’ fates (but this can’t really be confirmed with the [canon] information we have on the Sinner so far. Here’s hoping we get more!!!)

Chlothar’s line about our sibling being “like the Abyss…a wondrous mystery far beyond our imagination and comprehension”…feels immensely loaded to a degree that I don’t have time to unpack here but MAYBE LATER YEAH???

[chucapybara]

—INNAMORATI; A FROSTBITTEN ELEGY.

an entry on the tsaritsa's abyssal knight; for context regarding future innamorati pieces. think of it as an archive description :] this is my oc concept for inna!

Innamorati—thought of as even lesser in rank than the Harbinger Tartaglia, born mortal, tainted by the everlasting dark beneath the soil of the earth. Within one vessel strains a second beast, begotten by a chosen fate. Thrown to the wolves.

But within the Tsaritsa’s domain, the woman whose flesh was cast in obsidian shell may yet know the everlasting grace of Her Majesty’s ‘ffectionate gaze.

In the Tsaritsa’s house, even those who have nothing but loyalty and skill may yet find some purpose to make of themselves—to revel in the score of a requiem for the end of heaven itself.

KEEPER OF THE DAMNED;

The bearer of Innamorati’s name bears also its cursed inheritance: a cycle of tragedy, of loss. Those who have come before her are known for their brutally romantic sacrifices, for their unabiding devotion; to be The Lovers is to be two as one, interpreted often as a necessity of partnership under the same title—thus, most strange it is indeed for Innamorati to be of one body, of one mind.

Of the many Harbingers, as actors upon the Tsaritsa’s stage, the Innamorati is best suited towards pursuits of love. She finds herself deployed across Teyvat, engaging in diplomatic endearments of sorts. With a quiet and frigid voice does she bring the good word of the Cryo Archon; with her lonesome, crystal-glazed tipped spear does she pierce the hearts of the unbelievers, to turn them towards the arms of Her Majesty; with their blood does it paint and glorify its Host.

(Yet, sometimes, it still mistakes the Host for prey.)

Whenever Innamorati is given brief from her Mission, she tends to the Fatui’s fallen, commemorating them by name, praying the rites of honour. What most of the prideful Harbingers would consider to be grunt work is the quieter part of The Lovers’ calling: remembrance of the nameless. On behalf of the sinners, it is Innamorati who bends her knee to repent, and to ferry the memories of those lost to duty, pride, sorrow, as their unyielding warden.

THE ABYSSAL PERMAFROST;

The world beneath Teyvat is unforgiving in ways those above may never yet know. Smears of her crimson handprints across the rock faces still linger like murals, her gasps echoing infinite in the empty dark.

Before the abyss, the Permafrost was a knight first, virtuous and true: her armour polished, her uniform radiant and well-pressed. In her pursuit of a criminal adversary, the depths swallowed her in its maw, along with two others equally as unfortunate.

A tavern waitress, a Treasure Hoarder-turned delinquent gang member, and a Knight of Favonius, with no bar in sight for the drink of wine they would have needed most for the trials that lay ahead.

Days spun on the loom of fate, each hour thrice its value on the surface. Stale air, cool stone, and no way out: the pursuer becomes the pursued, and with the battles below came the inevitability of injury.

A knight’s duty is to their people, both foreign and known. Such was her mindful chant to steady her heart.

‘Tell me of your friends.’

‘What’s your favourite season?’

‘Here. Take my cape. Stay warm.’

‘There! Run for it! I’ll cover you both!’

After time unknown in the darkness, two of the three fled into the light at the third’s behest, as a well-timed throw of a polearm staged a cavern collapse. Slivers of light would vanish, sealing her chance. Sealing her fate, with the forlorn whisper between the tumble of rock—

...A knight’s duty, too, is their weakness.

THE LOVERS TO THE FORGOTTEN.

The day she first emerged from her grave, her mangled and emaciated form stumbled, robes torn into makeshift bandages tied around a missing right arm. Only later would the Doctor find evidence of corrosion, claw-cut gashes, stricken bone molten.

Pinned at the base of her nape pulsed the faintness of a god-gifted gem: a Vision, its years-worn shell fashioned in the manner of that faraway dandelion land. The dame that would later become The Lovers was far from herself, every breath a trembling, misting whisper—her body temperature had dropped below what ought to be livable for a human being, much less a surface-dweller. Of what tatters were left from the robes she donned, any such knowing eye would surmise the embellishments and craftsmanship to be sourced from the harbour of contracts.

A living contradiction, spurred step by step: motions jagged, stiff-limbed. Trekking through bush and undergrowth of a land foreign to its host, searching for the last bastion it recalls.

Home.

…Home.

I have to go home.

In tandem, both parasitic occupant and vessel seek refuge and respite. Whatever thing had latched on to the knight in the unknown time of her entombment could not, of course, permit the death of the host—and so it endeavours through the thicket, through the blanketing snow, until it arrives at a starving village…

The howls in the woods were not of wolves, that day.

With regaining their strength came the seeking eyes of Her Majesty, and everything else that came after. Were it not for the presence of something that did not belong, Innamorati may have never been considered a candidate for the rank of Harbinger.

That sweet, forgotten knight, birthed anew from the soil, thawed from the permafrost. They do not recall it still, but the heart remembers in the spans between consciousness, when Innamorati is herself and not another. If only for that woman’s sake, Innamorati pursues her legacy—the tragedy she had inherited with her name, with the creature that shares her.

To love,

In defiance of Until her fated end.

[69misato69]

🐇 masterlist + request info + completed reqs

intro post ✦ archive of our own ✦ twitter

alhaitham + kaveh

🍊 masterlist

ceasefire

control, i've got no

desperate times call for desperate measures

kavetham / haikaveh valentine week

prism

halcyon — sfw

hostile — sfw

kashmir — sfw

zhongli + childe

repulsive

game over

slumber

blossom

unravel

are you praying to me?

moonage daydream

happy birthday, ajax

forever and after — sfw

childe + kaeya

wither

long lost words

setâre

childe + kaeya + kokomi

missing link

kaeya + dainsleif

my immortal

beidou + ningguang

madder — sfw

candace + dehya

lovers lost in silk pathways of tears — seven prompts

dain + childe + kaeya

pavo ocellus

thoma + ayato

now we're even

a housekeeper's chores

attention

sweet dreams

clumsy

childe + diluc

golden

entropy

anytime (you want it)

a severe lack of father figures? — crack

never fade in the dark

zhongli + diluc

genesis

zhongli + venti

the wind

zhongli + xiao

salvation

dottore + pantalone

ravenous

kokomi + hu tao

icing and sprinkles — sfw

fischl + collei

icing and sprinkles — sfw

childe + ganyu

qilin's allure prance

thoma + childe + diluc

iter vulpes part 1

tighnari + cyno

oasis

alhaitham + cyno

after hours

kaeya + albedo

welcome home

knights of favonius

old hills, new roads — platonic

jing yuan + luocha

above all else, guard your heart

ruby ribbon

🍊 request information

✦ asks and dms are always open. ☁️ 🍭 👽 🐣 🍁🎐emojis are taken by current anons. you can track request status on my pinned post!

✦ structured one-shots, drabbles, headcanon lists for a ship or character and imagines are all okay. feel free to scream about your favs in asks as well, i really enjoy reading and contributing.

what i will write

✅ popular genshin / hsr / hi3rd ships + rarepairs — platonic, familial or romantic. binary trans, non-binary and fluid identities, disabilities, chronic illnesses, bodily hcs are all okay. if not specified i will work out these details on my own.

✅ topics that may be triggering or uncomfortable to read such as depression, self-harm and dysphoria — will always be stated explicitly before the work

what i won't write

❌ incest, pedophilia, active rape / kaeluc, yaeyato

❌ omegaverse

❌ wlw pairs as mlm or mlw — nblw is alright

❌ reader inserts

keep in mind that i might reject things i am uncomfortable with even though they are not listed here, but i will always answer the ask even if my answer is no.

🍊 completed

transboy kaveh in a skirt x transgirl alhaitham

alhaitham and kaveh playing truth or dare with classmates

childe and zhongli couples camboy show

kaveh with avoidant restrictive food intake disorder

childe and zhongli ramble

kokochaeya ship explanation

transboy haytham riding transgirl kaveh

haytham loves kaveh's eyes

dom transmasc zhongli x cis sub childe

cyno riding haytham's face

cytham fighting over who tops the other

childe kaeya drunk kissing

itto tending to gorou's wounds after battle

jing yuan luocha hand holding

please be respectful and patient with requests, enjoy!

[dandelion-wings]

10 for Barbara and Jean? :(

Anon I got your second ask and I promise I'll do that one next, but before I saw it in my inbox I spent a whole morning at the barn rotating this one in my head trying to figure out how I WOULD do those two lines. And while I can't convince myself that either of them would say the second line to the other as they are in canon (they're both WAY too oversocialized and repressed), I could see it when they were younger! Because even the best kids DO blow up now and then.

ETA: Now archived on AO3.

---

"Again," Barbara's mother says impassively, standing over her with her practice sword held loose at her side, looking down at Barbara as if she sees no difference between her and the dirt she's lying on.

Barbara wants to cry. She can feel the tears welling up, and does her best to squeeze them back. They won't earn her any respite. *'Cry if you must,'* she can hear her mother saying, all too well, *'but get up and do it again.'* As calmly as that scolding is always delivered, Barbara is all too aware of the contempt behind it, the unspoken comparison. *Jean* always gets back up right away. Jean never cries in the first place.

Scrambling to her feet, Barbara wipes her hands on her shirt and sees red in with the streaks of earth she leaves upon it. She won't get any mercy for that either. Casting around for her dropped sword, she nearly jumps when Jean looms up beside her, holding it out. The wooden blade is scuffed from the weight of her fall.

"Hurry up," Jean whispers, looking tense.

Neither of them get to finish training until her mother's satisfied with both of them, and Father had promised to take them to the Dawn Winery this afternoon if they finished in time. That's a bigger deal for Jean, who has an actual friend there, than it is for Barbara--but just because Diluc acts like it's an annoyance to have her along doesn't mean she wants to miss the chance at fresh-squeezed grape juice and a carriage ride home with their father at the end of the day.

"I'm trying," Barbara hisses back, taking the sword, and turns to face her mother.

She's already stalking towards her, blade at the ready. She pauses for Barbara to hastily retake her own stance, raising her blade in the customary salute. Barbara raises her own in answer, to show she's ready, and her mother falls back into a guard.

This time she'll get it right. Her mother had knocked her over on the third swing, the overhand, because she'd ducked the wrong way; this time she'll go left instead of right. If she makes it past that she can go under on the fourth, and then-

It turns out she can't go under on the fourth, after all. Barbara squeals in pain and frustration as she's knocked once again into the dirt. Gritting her teeth, blinking hard against the dampness starting to well in her eyes, she grabs her sword before Jean can and begins to haul herself to her feet again. She'll just go backwards next time. She *will* get it right.

But this time, her mother doesn't square up again. She simply turns away, shaking her head.

"Jean," she calls over her shoulder. "*You* know this sequence by heart. Walk her through it until she can actually land at least one hit. I'll come back before dinner to see how you've done."

"But Mother, we were going to the Dawn Winery this afternoon."

"I told your father he could take you if you finished your training in time. As you won't be finished before he leaves, you won't be going." Their mother settles her practice sword onto the rack and walks off without looking back at them.

All of Barbara's efforts can't keep a few tears from slipping free. She's been practicing so hard, and she can't even make it through the most basic forms of Favonius bladework well enough for her mother to correct her form herself.

"Please," she asks, looking up at Jean, "what am I doing wrong?"

"What aren't you doing wrong?!"

Barbara recoils. Jean is red in the cheeks, her own eyes shining with unshed tears, fists clenched at her sides. She goes stiff when she sees Barbara take a step back and takes a deep breath, then another, and swallows hard before a third.

"I'm sorry," she says in a softer voice. Barbara thinks she's trying for gentle, but it comes out grudging instead. "I shouldn't have shouted at you. I just-"

She's just angry, she doesn't say, but Barbara's shoulders come up nonetheless. Angry because Barbara's failure means she can't go see her friend. Who she'd only spend the afternoon sparring with anyway, Barbara thinks, a traitorous anger stirring in her own breast. What's the difference between doing it with him and doing it with Barbara, anyway?

The answer is, of course, that Diluc is actually good at it.

"I know," Barbara says, her grip tightening on her sword's hilt. "I get it. I want to go too, you know!"

The flush is fading out of Jean's cheeks, and she steps closer, reaching out with a careful hand to touch Barbara's shoulder. "I do know. You didn't fail on purpose. You just need to... try a little harder."

"I *am* trying!" More tears flow free.

Jean looks pained now. She takes another step forward and reaches out with both arms, pulling Barbara into an embrace. "I'm sure you are. It's all right, Barbara. I know you're doing your best, and I'm sorry I yelled at you. I- it doesn't matter why. I'm your big sister, and I shouldn't shout."

She's still speaking a little stiffly, talking about what she should do as if, so long as she remembers what she's saying, she won't ever mess up. Maybe it is that easy for her. Jean is so, so good at doing what a Gunnhildr should do, and succeeding at what a Gunnhildr should succeed at. It's Barbara who just keeps ending up in the dirt.

But Jean's arms are warm and gentle around her, and Barbara can't keep her anger hot when Jean is patting her hair and making apologetic noises like this. She drops her sword to wrap her arms around Jean in turn and buries her face in Jean's shirt to hide her tears. Jean holds her until she's managed to get control of herself again, the last few sniffles muffled in Jean's chest, and then lets go when Barbara steps back.

Giving her the best smile she can manage, Barbara bends down to pick up her sword and straightens with it held at the ready at her side. "Let's try again," she says, doing her best to keep her voice from wavering. "What did I do wrong on the fourth exchange?"

Jean gives her a relieved smile in return. "It actually started on your second exchange. You guarded instead of dodging, which took away the momentum of your follow-up attack, and you never got that back...."

Barbara listens attentively to Jean's lecture, adjusting her pose and grip as Jean guides her in slow careful steps through the movements. The whole time she keeps the smile glued to her face. She's grateful that Jean is so patient with her when their mother is not. She really is. She can forgive Jean's outburst. And next time, she'll be *certain* to get it right.

[winterlogysblog]

BEHOLD!! MY NEW GENSHIN FIC!! YES, IT'S RAGBROS! YES, IT'S ANGST!

Summary: Kaeya went out to investigate a newly built stronghold of the Abyss Order. That was three days ago and no one has seen the Cavalry Captain return to the city.

The Knights of Favonius sought out to find him but little did they know that in the process they'll be diving deep into the dark and mysterious past of the Cavalry Captain.

[nuzzy]

Links amazing journey through Teyvat

A crossover between Genshin Impact and The legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, by yours truly! Also its abandoned, but Im posting this here bcuz why not?

“Who was he?” was Aethers first thought when looking at the boy, he had a blue shirt and golden blond hair. At a closer look, the blue shirt the boy was wearing had a white pattern that looked like a sword. When he focused on his face he saw that half his face was a giant scar, and one of his pointy ears, which reminded him of Klees, was completely destroyed. When he focused on his blue eyes, he saw that the boy was staring right back at him. “This person is an outlander, like you,” Jean said while looking at the boy. “he fell down from the sky on one of the islands in the lake. We don't know how he managed to swim from there to one of the beaches with all those bruises he got from the fall.” or, Link gets transported into Teyvat and they do stuff idk.

Whole thing under the cut, (9.3k words!)

Chapter 1: Beginning

First half written in late December 2022, second half written/published in september 2023

Aether was flying around in the Ashavan Realm looking for Rukkhashava mushrooms for Collei and the Wanderer. He had already bought some from Aramani in Vanara and 5 more from Ashpazi in Ghandara village, and while he was there he also got some from Farbod. 

“ Ugh, if I only had Tighnari right now… ” Aether thought. “... If only I had some shrooms so I could get more aquaints…“ 

Aether looked around, seeing if he saw some more shrooms. He didn't. 

“Welp, time to ‘port to Lokopala Jungle.” he sighed as he took up his map. 

As Aether clicked on the teleport button he remembered that he hadn't been in his teapot in a while, he made a mental note that after all the shrooms were taken, he would visit his friends there. And maybe he could put Collei and Scaramoose in there so they would get some friendship exp? Or are there too many people in the teapot? Or do any of ‘em have friendship 10? He has to check later. 

When Aether jumped down the cliff, releasing his paraglider in the process. In the few seconds he was in the air, he gazed around looking for the shrooms, he didn't find any, again. Maybe he had already picked them all yesterday? He didn't remember.

“Guess I have to farm some bosses...” He thought out loud with a sigh, completely forgetting the teapot plan.

“Maybe I can go to Mondstadt for some TCG?” he said to himself, he had completely forgotten about the TCG after it came out and he got jumpscared by Sucrose. 

Aether decided that it was a good idea to go to Mondstadt and talk to the people there. …And play the TCG of course. 

He took up his map again and scrolled to Mondstadt and clicked a waypoint there. Within seconds he was there, in the city of the Wind.

As he looked around in the city, he saw Jean sprinting to him.

“Oh, hello Aether,” Jean said, looking a bit nervous. “Perfect timing, we need some help and we were looking for you.

“Sure, what do you need?” Aether said.

“Come to the knights and we will talk there.” she said. 

“Well what do we need to talk about?”

“... I do not know how to explain it… also where's Paimon?”

“Eh, she's sleeping and I don't want to wake her up. She's also probably gonna sleep for a few more days anyways”

“Oh.” 

Jean and Aether walked to the Knights of Favonius building, they didn't say anything else while they walked there.

When they came there, which only took about a minute, as it was pretty close. 

“So what's the problem?” Aether asked when he walked in the building.

“Let's go to my office first.” she said as she started walking there.

When they walked into the office the first thing Aether saw was that he had not raided her office for books, and that there was an unknown boy in the room. 

“ Who was he? ” was Aethers first thought when looking at the boy, he had a blue shirt and golden blond hair. At a closer look, the blue shirt the boy was wearing had a white pattern that looked like a sword. When he focused on his face he saw that half his face was a giant scar, and one of his pointy ears, which reminded him of Klees, was completely destroyed. When he focused on his blue eyes, he saw that the boy was staring right back at him.

“This person is an outlander, like you,” Jean said while looking at the boy. “he fell down from the sky on one of the islands in the lake. We don't know how he managed to swim from there to one of the beaches with all those bruises he got from the fall.” 

“That's interesting, have you tried talking to him?”

“We have tried to, but he just looks at us with a confused look,” Jean sighed, she was way too tired to be dealing with this, she had taxes and paperwork to get through! “And before you ask, he doesn't talk either, we have tried to make him talk but he, once again, looks confused.”

“Well, what's your name?” Aether turned his attention away from Jean. The boy said nothing in return, but stared at him with a kind of confusion.

“That didn't work…” he said with a sigh. “Time for plan B!”

“You have a plan B?” Jean asked, a bit confused. “What is it?”

“I- uh, haven't gotten to that part yet.”

“Holy Barbatos…” she sighed, pinching the top of her nose, she was really tired of this. “Well what do we do now?”

“We could go out for a walk around Mondstadt and then maybe he'll talk!”

“Last time we did that he whipped out a bomb out of nowhere and almost blew up a wall, and tried to climb to the top of the cathedral.” Jean said with a disappointed look at the boy. “We were lucky that the sisters caught him in time.”

“And he didn't get put in solitary confinement?” he asked.

“Well, he was in solitary confinement for like.. two minutes, before he blew up the wall and escaped.”

“At least in the short while he was there, Klee was happy to have a friend.” Aether said. 

“I mean, that's true, but it still doesn't excuse that he blew up a wall .” she said, a bit irritated.

“Well, what are we going to do with him?” Aether said, all while looking at the boy again. “We can't exactly put him in solitary confinement again.”

“That's the problem, we can't let him go. And we shouldn't if he plans to blow up a wall again.”

Aether and Jean looked at eachother, both not knowing what to do with the boy. 

“Maybe we can teach him the language and then talk to him?” Aether said, not knowing what else to do.

“We can try, but we don't know what language he speaks.” Jean said. “So we don't know how to translate to his language.”

“Have you tried any other languages than Mond and common?” he said. “He maybe doesn't know them?”

Aether sat next to the boy and tried to make a simple conversation while switching between all of Teyvats languages to try to see if he understood any of them, unfortunately, he only got confused looks when he tried them.

“That didn't work.” Aether said. 

“Okay, but what do we do now?” Jean asked. “We have tried everything.”

“I think that probably the best thing to do is to take a walk? Maybe?” 

“Well, we can try again.” Jean sighed. “But please take him back here if he causes trouble.”

“Noted!” Aether said, as he took the boys armed and practically dragged him out the door.

When they were out of the Knights of Favonius building he tried to make some small talk, but having someone who didn't talk as a conversation partner made that the talking fastly died down.

As they walked onto the bridge, the boy took his bow out, the bow looked strange and he couldn't quite see what material it was made of, but it had weird glowing orange lights on it, nicked an arrow with a red arrow head and shot it right at Timmies pigeons. When he did that, there was a huge explosion with smoke. When the smoke cleared the pigeons were dead and the only thing that was left was fowl. 

“Nice shot dude” Aether said encouragingly, but the boy was still quiet.

“Why is everyone always shooting the pigeons?” Timmy asked angrily, Aether could see slight tears forming up in his eyes. “I'm gonna tell mom all about you!”

“I don't know man, they're very shootable.” Said Aether with a laugh as they walked away. “And your mom cant do anything about me.”

He and Aether wandered out in the wilderness, still not saying a word to each other, the silence was awkward.

They walked for maybe an hour and a half, during this time Aether had tried to make small talk multiple times but every time the boy just looked confused or ignored him. He was starting to get frustrated.

“Do you like food?” Aether asked, trying to break the silence.

The boy just looked at him confused, not seeming to understand the question. Aether sighed and opened his inventory and took out a tea-break pancake. 

“Food.” He said while pointing at the pancake. 

The boy nodded at the pancake and took a bite out of it, and got a small smile after he took it.

“Now when you're done, we can set up a tent and sleep a bit,” Aether said while starting to stand up and stretched. “Oh right, forgot you can't understand me.”

A few minutes after that “conversation”, if you can even call it that, Aether came up with a great idea. He thought that maybe he could draw an object in the sand and then the word! …But maybe he wouldnt understand the intention? 

Aether tried to push that thought away, it was going to work! Everything he does works! Even if its as stupid as challenging the shogun without remembering to lvl up his characters, or even putting artifacts on ‘em all together. Everything he does is great! He has saved multiple nations, killed a harbinger ,and fought and won against two others, he has also challenged gods, and won of course. He really was great, so why was he anxious about how this outlander thought of him? He was also an outlander, they should be able to communicate and help each other out!

“Sooooooo, you can't talk?” Aether asked, even if he felt like he had asked this 5 times already, which he probably did. “And you can't understand me either? Nod for yes and shake your head for no.” 

“...” the outlander didn't say anything, just looked up at him from eating his pancake.

“Okaaay, I forgot you wouldn't be able to understand that…” He said, feeling incredibly stupid for just confirming the obvious. “Soooooo, food, am I right?”

The boy looked at his pancake, and then pointed at it, slightly confused.

“Yes yes! That's food!” Aether said in excitement, while doing a thumbs up to show that it was indeed food. “Okay so we're getting somewhere! You can understand food, atleast! ”

“...” he looked up at him, face returning to a neutral expression. 

“Ahh, it seems like we still have some more stuff to get through before we can fully understand each other…” 

“.......” The boy started putting away the plate the pancake was on, then started standing up, all while maintaining eye contact.

“Okay… do you want to do something?” Aether was confused about just what the boy was doing. 

He watched as the boy threw some firewood onto the ground, then pulled out his bow and knocked an orange arrow with a flame tip, “ It's probably a fire arrow. ” Aether thought. When the arrow was inevitably fired and hit the wood, when it hit a small cloud of fire was there, for probably less than a second. The wood immediately fell into a triangle shape and started burning. Once it had burned for a few seconds the boy, who Aether realised he needed a better name in his head for, pulled out a few apples and put them on the fire.

“Whatcha doing?” Aether wondered out loud, but of course there was no reply.

He said nothing in return, just held out his hands, as if to say “ wait and you'll see ”. After a few more seconds of the apples were baked, or grilled, Common Teyvat really was confusing. He hurriedly picked them up and held one out to him.

After a few seconds of staring at the apple he took it, only hearing a few mutters from the boy. He thought he could hear something that was similar to the words “baked apple” but not really the same, the sound of the ‘a’ in the apple was off, like if you somehow merged a and e into one letter. It was strange, but maybe it was another language that's similar? 

“Okaaay, sooo that's an …. apple?” he said with half an apple in his mouth.

No response. 

They just stared at each other, it felt like minutes, but it was probably just a few seconds. A few very awkward seconds.

“......wha?” a pretty hoarse voice came from his mouth, with a heavy country accent, Aether thought that it matched Xinyans accent a bit, but with slight variations on pronunciation.

“OH SHIT HE CAN TALK?!?” Aether exclaimed, not expecting him to talk.

The boy mumbled something under his breath, something about that he shouldn't have said anything and just continued the act.

“So we can actually have a conversation now!” Aether said. “And what's your name? I can't keep calling you ‘boy’ in my head.”

“.... I am actually onehundred- and-seventeen…” he said, voice still hoarse, probably from disuse.

“WHAT,” Aether exclaimed, surprised by that age. “HUMANS DON'T LOOK LIKE THAT WHEN THEY ARE THAT OLD????”

“......what's a human??...” he asked, in pure confusion. 

“.. You don't know what a human is?” 

“... no? …” 

“Well, a human is what people are here.” he said, fumbling on his words because he had no idea he was going to explain humans to someone who apparently was an outlander like him. “except for maybe Klee, Albedo, … Diona too I guess.”

“... I don't know who any of those people are…” 

“I heard Klee was the child you were stuck in solitary confinement with,” he said. “until you blew up a wall.”

“... oh, right I forgot I did that…”

“Also if you're not a human, what are you then?”

“... I'm a Hylian?..." He said, slightly confused. 

“Well, what's that? I've never heard of it before.” he was really confused as to what a ‘hylian’ was.

“... I'm guessing it's similar to a human? But we’re kinda blessed by the goddess so our ears are long with magic stuff,” he explained. “I'm also guessing that humans aren't blessed by goddesses because their ears are so short…”

“Oh so you have a goddess?” 

“... yeah we have one, or it's actually four but Hylia is the main one that actually answers most of the time…” his expression changed a bit, Aether didn't really know if it was a positive or negative change because his expressions were really hard to decode. “like or at least she is supposed to, but she like, only talks to me most of the time, dunno why. She also ignores Zelda!”

“...What a nice goddess you have.”

“... yeah right! Zeldas is like her descendant too so it makes less sense with that!”

“What??” 

“... Yeah! Like way over 10 000 years ago, after the kingdom was founded again by ‘divine beings from the sky’ that made some … bond or something with the hylians?” 

“Wait wait, who did what and why are you telling me this?” 

“... I dunno to be honest, I just need someone to rant to, like a lot of stuff has happened to me and this kingdom.” 

“Well, take it from the start.”

“The start start or the start of the kingdom? Also I don't know all of the details because I have amnesia and forgot literally everything, Zelda has been trying to reteach me stuff but history is hard.”

“Let's take this from the start start,” Aether was surprised that this stranger had been willing to open up so easily, like this guy was rambling about everything, to a stranger. He didn't even want to speak five minutes ago! “Wait, you have amnesia?”

“Yea, yea, but that's not important right now,” he waved with his hands as if it didn't matter, his voice also getting more strained with each passing word, Aether was starting to get worried that he would get so hoarse he couldn't talk. “Okay so, it starts with the three golden goddesses who create the world and all that stuff, and they also create the triforce, which consists of three parts, power, courage and wisdom.”

“Why just those three things?”

“Take that up with the goddesses will you.” he let out a laugh. “So I hold the triforce of Courage, Zelda holds the wisdom one and some dude named Ganondorf holds the power one. Apparently Ganondorf is evil and stuff.”

“So you're… like chosen by the goddess?”

“Yeah yeah-” his ramblings was broken by him coughing a few times. How often does this guy talk actually? His voice was already raspy and hoarse from the start, and he faked not being able to understand him. He probably needed to at least know his name before his voice gave out. “And that is the basics of the goddess stuff.”

“Okay I realised I haven't asked for your name yet?” Aether asked as he realised he zoned out during his explanation.

“... "It's Link.” 

“Well I am Aether, I'm glad to finally know your name.”

Original Authors notes:

I wrote the first 1.2 k words in late december and i have written the rest this last week. the first half of this is kinda bad but i have edited it enough so its good enough is this cringe? yes. am i proud of this? also yes. I dont know if i will continue this, and if I dont i think this is good enough to stand alone. Was previously named: "Link in Teyvat, what shenanigans gonna happen??" because I thought that want that good of a title

New authors notes:

This is something, idk what but its something. And geez I couldve definitely handled this better. :/

Chapter 2: Sunset

Written & Published in October 2023

It had been a couple hours since they last spoke to each other, Link's voice had given out and he still hadn't explained everything, or ranted about all his problems, even if he didn't need to. Aether had also zoned out in the middle of his explanation about the goddesses, so he needed to explain that again. And not to mention that he didn't even know how he got here! He just woke up on an island in the middle of the lake. Now, this wasn't the first time he woke up all alone in a world he didn't know, but this time he had memories and clothes. 

“Sooo, how are you doing?” A voice cut through the silence. “You fell out of the sky, ya know?”

He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out no matter how hard he tried. Impa said that apparently he had some condition that made him unable to speak sometimes, damn he couldn't remember if it was psychological or physical, are those even the correct terms for this kinda stuff? His memory was messed up since he came out of the shrine of resurrection, and his speciality was fighting and breaking the laws of physics, not psychology. 

“You can't talk right now?” Aethers asked but sounded a bit confused, Link nodded as an answer.

Now with that ‘conversation’ over, Link returned to his own thoughts, like how he was gonna get home to Hyrule. 

“Wait, does the Sheikah slate still work?” He thought, and hurriedly pulled out the slate and opened the map. The map looked like it had when he first got it, blank. “ Maybe I can unlock the map? But how would I do that? There looks to be no towers here from what I noticed. ”

“Whatcha thinking about?” Aether asked, if only Link could actually talk right now, Hylia damn it this was so annoying. “Aaaand what's that thing?”

Link made some gestures with his hands, trying to explain that he couldn't talk right now, it didn't work well. Aether just stood there, looking pretty confused, even if he asked the same question less than a minute before.

“So you can't talk right now?” Finally! He somehow got his point across with his weird hand gestures.

They continued the walk, Aether started rambling about some people in this world, he heard names like ‘Noelle’ and ‘Eula’, maybe he could meet them later? It would be nice to get to know people, but hopefully he wouldn't get too attached so when he gets home he won't miss them too much, if he ever gets home, that is. 

“Okay so we're heading to Cape Oath, because why not? It got a good view and stuff.” Aether explained where they were heading, Link tried to ask about how long it was to get there, but he still couldn't talk, it was getting real annoying. But not like he needed to know the answer, he could stay awake for days! “Wait, we maybe should've gone to Starsnacht cliff instead? I think it got a better view.”

Aether gripped his arm and turned right around, basically dragging Link with him. After a few minutes of basically dragging Link, a map materialises in front of Aether. 

“...What's that?...” Finally, his voice came through and he actually said something, but earning a yelp out of Aether in the process. 

“Dude give me a heads up next time so you dont scare me!” He yelped, and after a few seconds recognizing that what he said was complete nonsense. 

“I-, Wha-, How am I supposed to do that??” Link said with a hearty chuckle, even if his voice was so hoarse. They both had a good laugh about it for a few minutes and then continued to walk. 

“...Okay, so I asked you this before, but what was the thing you pulled out?” Link asked, still chuckling a bit.

“Could ask the same for that weird slate!” 

“If you answer me first I'll tell you!” 

“Well, I actually asked first, sooo you should tell me first!” 

“You're from here! Shouldn't you be the one that explains things from this world?” 

“Actually I'm not from here either! I also fell from the sky into Mondstadt!” 

“Wait you did?? Why didn't you tell me??” 

“Teeeechnically I did,” Aether did a smug face. “During the conversation with Jean, she said something like: ‘This boy is a outlander, like you.’”

“Weeeeell, did you think I was gonna remember a throwaway line like that?” Link rebutted that argument, while doing some huffs and puffs to seem mad while he actually wasn't. “and I'm not a boy! I am 117!

“... Are you sure you're that old? You barely look 17!!” 

“Weeell,  100 of these years I was away kinda sleeping but not sleeping. I think there's a word for that but I don't remember it.”

“Coma?”

“Yes! That's the word!”

“...But why were you in that coma??” he asked, his older brother senses kicking in.

“Okay soooo I kinda died, that's why I got all these scars.” Link started explaining, leaning in on Aether like it was some giant secret he shouldn't tell anyone. “And Zelda made Purah put me in the shrine of resurrection, which as the suggests, resurrected me! It also took all my memories but that's beside the point” 

“Wait you were 17 when you died-” 

“... I died and got resurrected and that's the part you're surprised at?” 

Quiet. Aether pondered that his new friend had died , no one in Teyvat had survived death, not even gods! After a few minutes of them just standing there very awkwardly, Link sighs and mumbles something about ‘How he shouldn't have said anything’. 

“How did you die?” Aether decided to break the silence.

“Well uhhhh,” Link pondered for a moment over how to describe how he died to him. “Well I got lasered by a guardian.”

“Did it hurt?”

“I guess? Don't really remember because it was 100 years ago?” he said and he kinda phrased the last sentence as a question, even though it wasn't one.

“I see,” Aether looked lost in thought, and Link wondered why he even said something. He should've just stayed quiet. “Why did you get lasered by a guardian? What even is a guardian??” 

“Calamity ganon had taken control of almost all sheikah technology in the kingdom, and that includes guardians,” he tried to explain, but probably just confused Aether even more. “and when calamity ganon woke up I and the other champions and Zelda were at mount Lanayru, so we ran to our respective posts, the other champions had their divine beasts as posts and me and Zelda had the castle, so we kinda ran there, then we discovered that like everyone was dead there? So we need to get too safety right?”

“Wait wait, champions? Divine beasts? Did your goddess like give you guys things to defeat it?” Aether cut into his ramblings, looking as concerned as ever, but also curious.

“No, I don't think she would do that.” 

“... But who are the champions?” Aether asked again, while muttering something about how gods need to take more responsibilities instead of leaving their kingdoms to catastrophes. 

“They were my friends?” he said with a small amount of hesitancy, as if they weren't really friends, but more like coworkers. “And one was my … lover? But I don't really remember her so are we still lovers?” 

“Are they still your friends?”

“They died.”

“Oh.” 

Once again, they just awkwardly stared at each other, Link wondered how asking about Aethers weird thing he pulled out turned into this. 

“Wanna talk about other stuff? Like stuff that isn't depressing?” Link said to try to lighten the mood, he was never good with these kinds of situations.

“Uh yeah that would be good, wanna ask me something?” Aether said while starting to walk.

“How did you end up in this world?” 

“I think you're the first one that has actually asked that.” 

“Not even that Jean girl?”

“Not that I remember at least!” “That's weird, you would think at least one person has asked?”

“I think someone has probably asked that but I don't remember it, maybe Yae Miko asked one time? Or maybe Venti? Zhongli may have asked once.”

“I don't know who any of these people are.”

“Maybe I can get you to meet them! I think that would be fun considering that you are an outlander and they are gods and yokai!” 

“...Gods?” Link was a bit confused that gods were actually talking to this guy. 

“Oh right they are gods pretending to be normal people,” After Aether said that he realised he probably shouldn't have revealed Zhonglis and Ventis biggest secrets to a guy he just met a few hours ago. “Don't tell this to anyone though, it's a secret, and like everyone in Mondstadt and Liyue would go crazy that their gods are pretending to be mortals. And other stuff too.”

“I- Why are you telling me this??” Link did some wild gestures with his hands. “If its so important for this to stay under the covers, why did you tell me this??”

“Says the one who told this person he met just a few hours ago that he literally died and came back to life,” he did some gestures with his hands in response to Links hand waving thing. “And besides, you feel like a trustworthy person!”

“Weirdo.”

“Same to you.” Link and Aether both let out a lighthearted laugh and continued walking up the mountain.

 After maybe another half an hour of walking they happen to cross a path with 3 hilichurls and an abyss mage. Link thinks they look weird, while Aether remembers he forgot to do his daily commissions and this is one of the ones he missed. After Link asked a quick question about what that animal with a shield was, Aether explained that those things were not in fact animals but monsters and his commission was about helping get rid of those monsters so they don't hurt people.

“So how do we get rid of them? Do we just go in and stab them? Or blow them up? I can blow them up!” Link really wanted to blow something up, he got stopped when he tried to blow up one of the city's walls and blowing up the solitary confinement room doesn't really count. “I can also stab them if you want.”

“You turned to blowing em up real fast didnt you?” Aether let out a loud chuckle, almost making the monsters notice them. “But we can do that! I also like bombs a lot.”

"Yay bombs!” he said as he pulled out a blue bomb from the slate. “Let's blow these idiots up!”

LInk threw the remote bomb and waited a bit before blowing it up, enjoying seeing the terrified body language of the monsters, but one of the monsters was left. The one with the shield. 

A few moments after the monster and Link were just staring at each other, he pulled out another bomb and threw it at it. It didn't do anything.

“Well that happened,” he said as the monster continued to stare at him, it was starting to make Link a bit uncomfortable actually. “Should I like stab it or something instead?”

“Can you use those arrows with bombs you used to blow up Timmies pigeons with? It has an ice shield and those blue bombs definitely aren't cryo so yeah,” Aether said as he looked at it, who had teleported a little bit closer and began an attack. It only seemed to do that after Aether said something. “Also that thing is an abyss mage, and we should really attack it so we won't die.”

“Yeah yeah I'll shoot a bomb arrow at it,” Link replied as he dodges a falling icicle. 

“Well do it now!” 

“Sure sure! Just give me a minute!” Link started to knock a bomb arrow on his bow, he had changed bows since last time he blew up Timmies arrows, this time it was a Royal Guards bow instead of the ancient bow, as it had faster draw time and was very powerful. 

When the arrow hit its target it exploded, as it is indeed a bomb, which blew up the abyss mage and cracked its shield. Even then it was still alive, but barely. Before either of them could attack again the cryo abyss mage teleported away, leaving only an icy mist that quickly disappeared.

“I wonder why it didn't attack at first, and that it teleported away rather than fighting until it died?” Aether wondered as this wasn't something abyss mages normally didn't do, even when the other hilichurls died by the bomb. He looked over as Link started collecting the materials who were glowing in white, green and blue light.

“Whaat? You don't collect everything monsters drop?” Link clearly hadn't listened to him questioning the abyss mages weirdness.

“I actually do, I just didn't expect you to do the same!” Aether let out a chuckle at that, who knew they were so similar? But there was still a weird feeling left from the commission.

“What's that thing over there?” Link said as he pointed to the thousand winds temple, with the ruin guard in the middle.

“Well that's the thousand winds temple, and in the middle there's a ruin guard.” Aether continued to point at the ruin guard as it walked around the arena. “They're pretty aggressive and resistant to physical attacks. We could defeat it if you want, I actually need the materials it drops.” 

“Let's do it,” he said and ran to the edge and pulled out his paraglider. “Also should we bomb it? I have a lot of bombs.”

“I'm stuck with a pyromaniac,” Aether said and rolled his eyes as he also ran to the edge and pulled out his wingglider.

Link was a bit before him in the air when he took out one of his blue bombs and dropped it on top of the ruin guard, it didn't notice Link until the bomb exploded. When it exploded did that it didn't seem to do maybe a fourth of its health? Aether didn't look that closely at the heath bar. 

Aether was just about to plunge down to the ground when he got a weird feeling, like time itself was slowing down. And apparently it was, because he was falling to the ground extremely slowly, and the ruin guard, who had just started firing some rockets, was barely moving. The only thing moving in something close to normal speed was Link , who took out his bow and started firing arrows with some kind of yellow lightning. Aether had many thoughts running through his head at that moment, like, “ Why is the lightning yellow? ”, “ Why is everything in slow motion? ” and “ What in the abyss is happening? ”.

Once Link put the bow away time went back to normal and Aether plummeted to the ground. He did some confused gesturing with his hands at Link but he just stood there as the mechanical body of the ruin guard exploded. 

“Wha- How did you manage to do that,” Aether was very confused, and impressed but he wouldn't want to admit that, as he sprinted to where Link and what was the ruin guard stood. 

“... I call it ‘Bullet Time’!” he said excitedly. “But I dunno what a bullet is.”

“But how do you have the ability to manipulate time itself ?” While he asked Link that he wondered what a bullet was.

“Apparently I can kinda slow down time while pulling out my bow in the air! I can also do it when I dodge something perfectly! But I call that ‘Flurry Rush’ instead…” He wasn't really answering Aethers question properly but he started to hand him the materials he picked up from the ruin guard with a genuine smile on his face. “I still don't know why I can do it? Maybe Hylia blessed me or something? Or maybe I got it while I was in the shrine? No wait Daruk mentioned in his diary that he felt like time was slowing down when I trained-”

“You're pretty weird.” Aether cut Link off while he was putting the materials in his inventory. “We're pretty close to the top now, the last person on the top is a rotten egg!” 

Aether began sprinting to one of the sides of the temple and started to climb while Link yelled something about how he was cheating before starting to sprint after him. When at the wall Aether thought it looked like he was glued to the wall in the split second he looked back. When Link got to the top he was full on sprinting again, and started catching up to Aether, who was only a bit ahead of him. 

There was only about twenty meters to the top now, and Link was rapidly catching up to him, if he wanted to win he would need to cheat… but that would be bad practice especially to his new friend. He would've put another Anemo character in his party or maybe Rosaria, but the sun was just beginning to set and her passive would start until it was night.

In the middle of his thinking Link ran ahead of him to the top and made a shit-eating grin at him, before starting to wheeze as if he was dying.

“How are you so damn fast?” Aether said between breaths when he got to the top. 

“I run-” a long wheeze. “a lot.”

“I definitely think you need a bunch of stamina training.” Aether did a small chuckle, while Link fell on the ground, still wheezing from running.

“Say that to Hylia!” Link managed to say between his tired breaths, until he finally recovered. 

“Took a few seconds huh?” Aether said as he looked at the view with the setting sun. “Isn't this beautiful?”

“Yeah it really is.” Link said as he moved to sit on the edge of the cliff. “Just going to a cliff and watching the view is really nice. Kinda reminds me of when I first got out of my coma thingy and there was this cliff and I ran out on it and there was a view of the entire kingdom! It was really fun to see that. And then I ran off said cliff because I didn't know what would happen. It wasn't that deep though.” 

“Damn, one of the first things I saw when I got here was walking out on a cliff and seeing Mondstadt. Guess we are really similar?”

“Guess we are huh?” They both let out another chuckle at that, seriously how many times have they done that today? Too many to keep count off at least. 

After they stopped chuckling they just sat there, taking in the view and talking about miscellaneous stuff. After the sun set completely Link made a campfire and Aether started setting up camp, even if they could stay awake the whole night, which they did even if they could have gone to sleep. Both of them stayed there and watched the sunset together.

Original authors notes

Well, I think turned out pretty good I would say, and hopefully I catched all my errors and weird sentence structure. Hope you enjoy reading this! I actually made it a bit longer than I thought it would be for you guys! :D I think im gonna do a quick tag overview after this goes up and change em up a bit.

Thanks for reading to the end! Hope this put a smile on your face or made you feel a positive emotion! (or negative, atleast I made you feel an emotion in the end.) :]

New authors notes:

This is where I ran out of plot points lol

Chapter 3: Rolling

Written and published in November 2023

Chapter Text

The abyss was like a void, dark and seemingly endless. It wasn't dark everywhere, it depended on the location actually, the darkness was kinda shimmering through different places, making it sometimes dark as coal, and sometimes looking like when the moon shines down during the night. Anyways, in some place in the abyss is the abyss orders hideout.

The abyss orders hideout in the abyss was situated right under Mondstadt, mostly because its the nation the spiral abyss is in, which is one of the only permanent openings to the abyss. Most other openings only open for a few minutes, an hour at most. Sometimes humans fall into those openings, but it's very rare for one to even open at all.

Right now was their hideout in one of the places where it wasnt that dark, right now it was actually light enough to not have the cool, blue light of the lanterns on, so they didn't have them on so they didn't have to send up as many grunts too hijack a cart and carry it down. The abyss mages and heralds can teleport, and are actually sentient.

Today was a weird day for the abyss order, one, it was unnaturally light in the abyss, two, it was the monthly cleaning day, which meant the entire abyss order was doing a deep cleaning of their base, and a certain area around it. It was a dreaded day for the entire order, as no one really wanted to clean. Some abyss mages avoided coming down there entirely that day, or went and did some field work at the surface, but this was different for a certain abyss mage. This cryo abyss mage, nicknamed “John” by most of the other abyss mages, actually went down to the base on their monthly cleaning day, which was rare since most everyone tried to escape out of the abyss during this day.

“Hey man whatcha doin down here today? I know ya hate cleanin!” laughed a hydro abyss mage as John floated through the hall, John cringed a bit at his pronunciation. “But seriouslay, ya were luckay to be put up there.”

“Yeah-” John thought about how to explain. “so the Traveler has gotten a new buddy and I wanted to report it.”

“Oh wow, ya reallay came down here for that? Ya sure theres nothin else?”

“Yes.”

“Ya really sure?”

“Yes, now get out of my face before I freeze you.”

“Aggressive much.” mumbled the hydro mage before returning to continue cleaning. John continued floating down the hall, eventually stopping before one of the grandiose doors to the throne hall where the Princess resides. John hesitantly started to knock on one of the doors.

“Hello?” An herald said as he opened the door. “Aren't you like supposed to be cleaning or something?”

“Yeah, so the Traveler has a new buddy,” even though he had given a quick explanation to another abyss mage, he still barely knew what to say. “uh yeah I was on scout duty on the surface and thought I report it.”

“Oh- yeah thats good.” said the herald. “lemme just find the report paper that you can fill in-”

“Oh a he got a new buddy?” A striking feminine voice ripped through the hall. “Tell me about it.”

“Y-yes of course my Princess.” John managed to stutter out, cause he was surprised he got the attention of the princess herself. “Uh- he kinda looks like a teenager, he also loves bombs. And he apparently had no idea what an abyss mage, or hilichurl, is for that matter. Cause the Traveler had to explain that to him.”

“Anything more?” The Princess was now looking directly into the eye holes of his mask. “Do you know his name? Or do you recognise him?”

“No, I don't know his name, or recognise him.” John wondered how he was gonna explain the weird bombs. “He also had some weird bombs? He tried to blow my shield but with these weird bombs that were blue. Even the Traveler said that those bombs aren't cryo, and it didn't look like they were any other element. But he also pulled out a bow and fired an arrow with a bomb attached which broke my shield, then I traveled down here to report this.”

“That's very interesting, where did you last see them?”

“I was scouting around the Thousands Winds Temple, they were apparently going up to see the views from Starsnatch cliff.”

“Thank you for reporting this, I will look into this immediately.” the Princess remarked.

“My princess, we still need to clean…” the herald cut into their conversation.

“Oh right,” she looked at the herald, then back at John. “Give him a paper to report this on, we don't want to forget this.”

“Of course, my princess.”

---

“So what should we do now?” Aether asked.

“Dunno.” Link answered. “You know this place better than I do, so you can probably come up with a better place to go to.”

“Maybe we can go forage for materials and stuff? I was thinking of actually leveling up one of my characters.”

“Leveling up characters?” asked Link, wondering what Aether meant with that.

“Uh yeah, I get characters and I kinda …make a clone of them? I've noticed that no one but me can see that I …shapeshift into them? They just see me as me.” Aether kinda started to question the morality of this, as he technically used their powers instead of his own to become powerful. He was pretty weak on his own, but he got a bit buffed when he resonated with dendro. “It's pretty weird now that I think about this.”

“...How do you do that?”

“I actually don't know, I just can.”

“Amazing explanation,” he said with sarcasm. “How do you get characters? Just go to them and shapeshift?”

“I pull them from the banner?”

“Banner?”

“Uhh yeah I kinda get small gems I can spend to basically pull to get characters I guess?”

“Oh so like, how many gems do you spend to get a character?”

“It depends, it takes anything from one to ninety wishes to get a five-star, then there's a fifty-fifty chance to get the character I want.” Aether started to explain. “If I lose it I get the next five-star guaranteed. Then there's also four-stars that I get every ten wishes, but I can also get a weapon then and there's no guarantee to get the four-star I want.”

“You're strange.” Link was a bit confused to this shapeshifting. “Can you show me you shapeshifting?”

“Yeah, uhh I have Wanderer in my party after pulling him from his banner. Yeah I can show you.” Aether said, a bit unsure if he should actually do that. Suddenly Aether felt so unsure of everything, like, did he actually shapeshift into them? Or was that just a trick his eyes were playing on him?

“You don't have to if you don't want to.” said Link, noticing how much Aether was internally panicking.

“It's fiiiine, I've just never done this before…”

“Is it really fine though?”

“Yep, yep, yeppity yep.”

“Wha--” and BAM his voice was out, he at least got to make this word intelligible, who knows how many times his voice has given out directly in the middle of a word?

“Voice gave out?” Aether asked, and Link nodded back. “That's annoying isn't it?”

He gave him another nod and Aether started wondering if he really should try the shapeshifting thing.

“Okay, Link imma try the shapeshifting thing,” well there was no going back for Aether now. “Nod or something if I shapeshift.”

Link watched as Aether panicked inside, and just rolled his eyes. Aether started forgetting how you switch characters. After a few seconds he finally got it, even if it felt like it took hours for Aether. He pressed the 2 button on his arm and a familiar feeling started running through his body as he transformed. It felt kinda good to do that every once in a while, but the feeling quickly lost its charm after a moment. A bunch of yellow particles came out and signified that the transformation was complete.

“So yeah I've transformed now, I guess?” Aether said, looking for a reaction out of Link. He started a slow clap, probably to signify that he saw the transformation. “Did you see it?”

A slow nod came from Link, as Aether said that he was gonna change back now.

“Bro, dude, should we go to Springvale? It's pretty cozy and you like food right?” Aether was thinking about where to go next. Link had a bit of a confused look on his face and he couldn't exactly elaborate why he had it with words. “I'm taking that as a yes.”

Aether took his hand and started running down the mountain ignoring all obstacles in their path. Link was practically hanging on as he didnt expect to be dragged down a mountain. After a few seconds of chock of being dragged down a mountain, both men tripped. Aether fell and got a few bruises, but Link, he was ROLLING down. Aether doesnt think he has seen someone roll that far before, he has himself gotten knocked off cliffs and been knocked back into oblivion but not rolled like that.

Link wouldn't stop rolling down, he never seemed to stop or slow down, rather it seemed like he was gaining speed. Link weakly tried to get himself to stop, but it seemed like Teyvats physics didn't exactly apply to him, he knew at that moment he would be able to stop until he got to flat ground. He watched his health slowly deplete on his arm, he only hoped he had either a fairy stocked up or that Mipha had been transported with him here.

Aether started running after the quickly accelerating Link, hoping he wouldn't fall off the mountain. A blue glow suddenly enveloped him as a …fish? said something? Aether couldn't hear her as they were so far away at that point, the fish disappeared in a veil of water and Link continued rolling down.

A few minutes before that John and a herald, who was often called Bob, had just got to the point where John had last seen them. He had just finished explaining what he had seen again as Bob started saying something.

“What the -” he said in surprise, John turned around and saw a boy in a blue tunic tumble down the mountain, all while the Traveler was running after him. John and Bob just looked at each other not saying a word, both being very confused as to why he was rolling down the mountain.

Link had just about reached his max rolling speed, with it being as fast as a bullet. Or he thinks it is, he still doesn't really know what a bullet is. Aether had tried to switch to Yelan, he wanted to use her skill to catch up to Link faster, but there was some lag before the switch and now he was even further away. Link caught a glimpse of Yelan and was very confused as to why a girl was now chasing him, a few seconds later his head connected the dots and was instead confused as to why he switched.

Aether used the skill and zoomed closer to him, unfortunately he was still a bit behind, and Link was quickly approaching the foot of the mountain.

Link's health was depleting again, and again he didn't know if he had a fairy. BUT this time he remembered that he had his inventory! He opened his inventory and saw his sixhundred fifty-seven apples and started eating them, he shoved them in his mouth and didn't stop until his health was full, then he checked if he had any fairies, which he had 6 of. He remembered that before he fell he wanted to get to the capped limit, but it didn't happen because of obvious circumstances.

His head was spinning when he finally stopped on the ground, Aether being close behind as he switched back to himself.

“Holy shit are you okay??” he said, a mix of panic, guilt and worry in his voice. “I have some food that can patch you up if you want-”

“I’m fine, I'm fine, this isn't my first time rolling down mountains…” Link said, head still spinning. “I’ll just lay here for a minute until my head calms down.”

“Okay, want me to catch you some water?” he still had a bit of guilt and worry in his voice, but he seemed to not panic as much. Before waiting for a reply he opened his bag, taking out a bottle of water. “Wait, did that roll remove you from your muteness?”

“It seems so.” Link confirmed. “Now give me the water.”

Aether gives Link the water bottle and he drinks it. Aether sits down and they just sit in uncomfortable silence.

John and Bob had traveled down the mountain, definitely a bit slower than Link and Aether, but enough to keep them in their sight.

“Should we attack now?” John asked.

“Nah, we should probably wait a bit.”

“Ok.”

Original authors note:

New chapter yay!! This one is a bit shorter than the others (this one being 2204 words with the others being about 2800/3200 respectively, but that is mostly cause I also wrote a genshin oneshot this month. And on the topic of months I think I will try to do a monthly update schedule, with this story being updated aroud the 20th every month, but itll probably not be updated in either december or january. I also tried to write it a bit differently this time, with more descriptions than straight up dialogue. Another thing is that it will probably only be this chapter and the next one Bob and John will pop up, because I dont like using OCs that much, but I hope you liked them anyways. Anyways, hope this story made you feel something and thanks for reading! (PS: Theres probably some weird sentences in here, but I think I catched all of them while editing :))

New authors note:

I ran out of ideas lol. also that authors note ddint age well. lol

Chapter 4: Colours

Written during Febuary/March 2024, Published in June 2024..

small warning of vomiting at the end.

Aether and Link laid in a slightly awkward silence, no one really knowing what they should do now.

“Sooo, what's your favourite colour?” Aether awkwardly asked.

“Uh-, I guess it's orange,” Link replied after a few seconds, “like the leaves in Akkala, I guess.”

“Oh okay,” Aether wanted to say something to continue this conversation, just to get rid of this damned awkwardness. “Well, what's your least favourite one then?”

“Blue.”

“Blue is a broad colour, any specific shade?” Aether was kinda surprised at his quick reply to the question.

“This one.” Link detached his slate from his belt and held it out to Aether, who gladly took it. “If you somehow destroy it I’m stabbing you.” He said with some spite with his words.

“Fair enough.” Aether absentmindedly replied as he inspected the slate. It was truly a curious device, It had a big eye motif on the back with the iris glowing a bright blue. “You don't like this kind of blue?”

“Ya know the guardian I told you about? Its eye is blue, and the whole shrine of resurrection was blue.” Link paused, pondering what to say next. “Last and first thing you see, you either hate it because it took your life or you love it because it gave you life.”

"That is kinda sad if you think about it.” Aether said, still looking over the Sheikah slate. “I think my favourite colour is red.”

“Why?”

“To the sad thing or the colour?”

“Both.”

“Well I just like the colour, no real deeper meaning.” He sighed, why had everything have to have some deeper meaning? Maybe he just liked the damn colour! “And for the sad thing, it's not really sad, I just,” a sigh was let out, “words are weird.”

“Yea, words are weird.” Link repeated as they let a comfortable silence fall upon them.

“Okay,” John began, “what shall we do now?”

“We shall continue to observe!” He said with an amount of confidence that made John so sure that Bob had no idea what he was doing. “Alright.” He said with a sigh.

“Do you think we are being watched?” Blue eyes watched him intently as he continued to fiddle with the slate, a nagging feeling crept up his spine as he locked eyes with him.

“Something is wrong.” It was a statement, a fact. Something was wrong, but what could it be? He racked his mind for answers, but none came up.

“Should we leave?” He asked, hand reaching out for the slate, which was promptly deposited into the hands of its rightful owner.

“That's probably the best option we have right now.” Aether stretched as he stood up. “I also wanna try something.”

In return Link just watched him intently and raised an eyebrow.

“And the thing I wanna test includes you!” He pointed a finger at Link, who tilted his head in return as he broke the tension.

“Me?” He pointed a finger to himself. “What are you gonna do?”

"You'll see!" Aether said as he took Link's hand, and pulled as hard as he could on the leyline leading to a waypoint, he didn't care which one he picked, he just wanted to test this, and during a split second as they turned into golden sparkles they made eye contact. Aether saw something in those electric blue eyes. What he saw, he didn't know.

And as they both appeared out of the leylines golden shimmers, Link turned around and threw up.

And as bluish-green bile camouflaged itself between the grass, Aether couldn't help but say “Ew.”

“Ew yourself.” Link shot back once the vomiting stopped.

“Well, I guess we know I shouldn't teleport you!” At least there was something positive that came out of experience.

“Fuck you!” Link said between his dry heaving and Aether patted his back with a laugh until the dry heaving stopped. “We'll never do that again.”

“After seeing you throw up? I would never dream of it!”

“Give me a warning next time..” Link said while wiping off some leftover vomit. “Alright, what's the plan?”

“At least you seem to recover quickly from throwing up.” Aether said, striking a lame pose (but he wouldn't ever admit that). “Anyways-”

“Hey, Aeth?” Link interrupted as he started turning around, looking at the scenery.

“Yeah?” He chose to ignore the nickname as he turned back to look at Link.

“Where the FUCK are we?”

It's just then Aether realizes where he had teleported, they were in the Mawtiyima Forest in Sumeru, right where he was a day ago, looking for mushrooms.

“Oh.”

“Fuck you mean ‘Oh’??”

“Ya know, while we’re here,” Aether started, while Link raised an eyebrow. “Do you wanna go fight an almost god?”

“...” Link looked a bit taken aback and pale, but the pale this was probably because he puked his guts out. “A- a what now?”

“Okay so there's this dude, and he was like created as a puppet of a goddess, but she abandoned him?” Aether watched as Link slightly tilted his head to the side, like a child seeing something for the first time and trying to wrap their head around it. “And then some bad things happened to him and then he like declared war on the world in his mind and then he got picked up by the Fatui and became a harbinger.” Aether began to pace back-and-forth. “And then they tried to make him into a god-”

Aether took a breath, truly this was the most he had talked since his late night talks with Paimon (Where was she anyways? Is she still sleeping? Oh my god- has he just abandoned her?) and he truly needed to take a breath and drink something because his throat had started to dry out. He started to fish something drinkable out of his inventory. A Frostshield potion, something he made at the start of his journey and has been rotting in his inventory ever since. Good enough. He dragged the cap off and downed it. The cold liquid felt as if it was gonna freeze him as it flowed through his throat, before disappearing as quickly as it appeared.

“You okay?” A voice cut through his gurgling, Links voice, there was some semblance of concern in it.

“Uh- Yeah. Just doesn’t usually talk this much.” Aether replied, but only getting silence in return as they both looked at eachother.

“If you say so.”

They fall into silence, it was the kind of awkward silence when you both don't know what to say and you instead just stare at each other.

“Sooo, about that fighting an almost-god?”

Original authors note:

Hello! I hope you have enjoyed this chapter(even if it was a bit short and ended on a cliffhanger(?)), and this whole story by extension, but with a heavy heart I have to announce this will be the last chapter for the time being. I just didnt feel like writing this anymore. Dont get me wrong, I still adore this story and the concept behind it, but I just dont feel like writing this anymore. It has felt as if Ive rushed through all the available plot in the first chapter, you get me? Plus I actually started writing this in December 2022. A lot of things has changed since then, for example, I barely play genshin anymore, I think I shouldnt have given the abyss mages names, I couldve incorperated gameplay elements better, and even if Paimon isnt a my favourite thing in the world, it feels as if Ive made a mistake not including her, etc, etc. AND another thing the most cardinal sin of all: I actually picked Lumine as the MC. This chapter was tough for me to write, not because of external reasons, but just because I had no idea what to do with this chapter. This was actually the third start of the chapter (I cant remember what the first draft was about, but the second started with Aether pouring down a ice potion down Links back. pretty fun). This chapter was meant to be written in Febuary, then March (where I actually wrote the last bits of the current state in March. Fun Fact: It was supposed to include Noelle and be released the 21st (her birthday) but I couldnt write fast enough ( :/ ), and then I forgot about it until now. Wow, this became longer than I thought it was gonna be, but thanks for reading this story. Have a good one!

No new authors note on this expect that I hope youve enjoyed reading this <3

[mania-sama]

find a time machine and take me back to when i was six

Nate - NF

➼ information ❧ Genshin Impact ❧ Pairing: Kaeya & Klee ❧ Tags: angst, hurt/comfort, gratuitous descriptions of pain, character study ❧ Summary: The story in which Kaeya is affected by the events of the quest, "Requiem of the Echoing Depths." ❧ Word Count: 938 ❧ Cross-posted from Archive of Our Own ❧ Original post date: 18 April 2022

It started as a pull in his chest. Kaeya ignored it in the beginning, figuring it was a simple spike of anxiety from the close quarters of the confinement room he and the Spark Knight of the Knights of Favonius were trapped in. Klee took his mind off of it as she told an incomprehensible story about Dodoco and Inazuma.

That was the thing about little kids– they don’t have a great sense of understanding of the world around them. When something happens, it’s hard for them to retell it back to an adult in a manner that makes sense. Klee was no exception to this rule, no matter her title and position within the Knights of Favonius. Kaeya found it entertaining nonetheless. At some point, Yoimiya had helped Dodoco draw a picture… he thinks. Sometimes it was better just to nod and agree as if he understood what was going on.

The ringing in his ears became apparent suddenly without warning. Kaeya couldn’t hear Klee anymore, only able to watch as her mouth moved in continuation of the story. The stone walls seemed to start to move inwards, closing the already tight space of the confinement room. He tried his best to hide his growing panic from Klee, although it was clear he wasn’t doing a good job of it. She looked worried and said something, but he wasn’t able to read her lips due to his blurry eyesight.

Gloved hand pushing against the stone wall, Kaeya attempted to stand up from his previous sitting position in the corner of the room. His muscles instantly began to burn, pulling him forward and backwards at the same time. It felt like all of his internal organs, his flesh and bones included, were trying to burst out of his outer layer of skin. He groaned involuntarily, gritting his teeth against the biting pain.

Kaeya’s knees hit harshly against the floor as he collapsed forward. He could barely see Klee as she was undoubtedly shouting at him or to someone else. His head buzzed like a swarm of bees, effectively shutting off all his senses outside of the feeling. All of that, though, was being occupied by his nervous system.

He pulled at his hair, willing for the pain to stop and for his body to remain still. He was not aware of where he was in the room anymore, his uncovered eye squeezed shut as if it would help reduce his agony. Now, instead of combusting in on itself, his body seemed to want to go downwards. Kaeya didn’t know what was down, other than the damp cave systems already explored and unnoteworthy.

The palms of his hands pushed against his temples, and his breathing had become a pattern of uncomfortable hyperpnea. His entire being still wanted to go down, down where the ground would not give under his weight, so his body was retaliating against the pressure.

It got worse, somehow, when he felt the stinging of his covered eye. A thousand needles prickled against his eye, yet his two hands were already occupied protecting his head. Kaeya couldn’t apply pressure even if he wanted to. 

He was convulsing as he suffered nothing short of torture. Kaeya wasn’t sure how long it went on; it could’ve been a few minutes, an hour, a day. It was all the same to him as his soul tried to break apart every cell that held his body together and tried to scatter the stardust that made up his core being. It was with complete certainty, though, that he did pass out cold in the confinement room. Whether that be during the process of torment or after was of no difference. What mattered was the dreams of a distant life Kaeya’s mind supplied him during his time of unconsciousness.

Kaeya did not have many memories of Khaenri’ah. He was six years old when his life turned upside down, or rather, rightside up. He remembered the destruction the archons had caused as they laid waste to his homeland, but not the halls of the castle he once roamed. It was only during the times of sleep that he could recall what he once had before he was ultimately abandoned.

The past was the past, though. His eye was the only remnant of Khaenri’ah he still retained. Home was not the decimated nation– home was the little girl crying in his arms when he woke up in a comfortable bed. Klee took notice of the consciousness of the Cavalry Captain and immediately launched into a story recounting the events. Unfortunately, he remembered the agony all too well, and phantom pain prickled against his skin.

Home was the red-haired bartender, a man Kaeya still believed to be his brother, looking at him with a completely blank stare in the doorway. Home was the acting grandmaster sitting in a chair by his bed, making unsuccessful attempts at pulling Klee off of Kaeya’s extremely exhausted body. Home was the chief alchemist in a snowy land miles outside of Mondstadt, studying the alchemy that Khaenri’ah once excelled in.

Home was not Khaenri’ah, and Kaeya was okay with that. It did not explain why his body suddenly broke down and his soul attempted to flee his body. It did not explain why his unconscious brain only thought of the nation after the torture. However, not all things need an explanation. Kaeya was content with this information– if he received more in the future, then so be it. If he didn’t, then that was fine as well. As long as he could remain home, nothing else, especially not Khaenri’ah, mattered.

[tekkonair]

A Cavalry Conundrum Chapter 3 - Distractions and Diagnosis

Chapters: 3/?? Fandom: Genshin Impact Rating: Teen Warnings: None Relationships: (eventual) Jean/Lisa Summary: The Knights of Favonius have a problem; Grand Master Varka took all the horses. With a lack of suitable replacements available for purchase around Mondstadt, what is Acting Grand Master Jean to do?

According to alchemist Timaeus and his latest good idea? Simply make new horses! What's the worst that could happen? Certainly not the resident librarian getting turned into a centaur, right? Right..?

---

Welcome to my first Genshin fic! This idea was spawned by a piece of artwork I saw of a centaur!Lisa (the artist of which I was sadly unable to track down), and the brainworms took over from there. Come along and enjoy some accidental centaur transformation, the consequences of such, and try to guess how long Jean and Lisa will remain pining at one another!

[huiyi07]

Getting confused at the chronological events that happened on Diluc’s 18th birthday. So he kills his dad, goes to the knights of Favonius to give a report (where he promptly quits the knights and gives up his vision) and goes home. Kaeya then knocks on his door, tells him his secret, and they battle. But in the official character story about it, it says this;

How did he use pyro without a vision is my question, since he had left it at the favonius hq earlier that day?

I know it’s probably just a tiny plot hole or maybe I even got it wrong and he went to the knights of favonius AFTER his battle with Kaeya (though that seems unlikely) but I enjoy entertaining possibilities such as diluc being able to use his powers even without his vision HAHAHA or.. maybe… what if he was using his brand new delusion….

Or nowww I’m entertaining the possibility that Kaeya actually brought the vision to Diluc 🤯 because ‘Kaeya anticipated Diluc’s anger’ so he knew he was going to kill him and brought his vision to make it easier,, my head is in my hands

This idea is kinda based off this fic 🥹🥹 read it it’s very good also I know the link I sent starts from chapter five just go back to the first one lol sorry

[ooorangy]

18 Fic Recs for the Discerning Kaebedo/Albekae Enjoyer

Nobody asked so I shall deliver. All of these are completed stories; every WIP in the ao3 tag is very special to me and welcome to continue haunting my brain in private.

nawa - no archive warnings apply ccntw - creator chose not to warn

✨[G, nawa] - A Courting Dance by gh0strobin for Alienu Oneshot. Royalty AU and a fun take on the formal courtship trope. Prince Albedo and Knight Captain Kaeya. For fans of Albedo puzzling Kaeya out and Kaeya being too cunning for his own good. Delicious worldbuilding and efficient pacing. Really freaking good.

✨[G, nawa] - spare truths by izabellwit Oneshot. Kaeya walks Klee and Albedo home. Just two guys being dudes walking home together like good and friendly coworkers because they're both totally cool and not keeping any secrets. This author's take on Kaeya is like keeping a particularly tricky cat on a leash, and I love it.

✨[T, ccntw] The Stars Do Shine by Hertz 21 Chapters. Prince Kaeya and Homunculus Albedo, Childhood friends to lovers AU. The king of childhood friends to lovers kaebedo fic. Beautiful. Amazing. Perfect. Showstopping. Teenagers being teenaged. A banger every time I reread.

✨[T nawa] Tidal Locking by slippers (SassySugawara) 4 Chapters. The Knights of Favonius test a love potion. It works on everyone except Kaeya. Cue: completely reasonable shenanigans.

✨[T, nawa] Cascading (In a good way) by Hubbleablubble Oneshot. The holy grail. The og. This is it, the fic that opened my genshin-impact playing eyeballs to this ship. Kaeya is especially lovable here. I am a sucker for Albedo being silly by accident.

✨[T, nawa] little maker, little man by imaginarypasta Oneshot. My fandom north star for a well-written Kaeya. Antagonizing coworkers to friends to lovers. The good kind of agony.

✨[T, nawa] Outlines of New Eyes and Visions of You by indigoblue_readsalot Oneshot. Pining, jealousy, oceans, and alcohol.

🍊[T, nawa] roundabout by starlander (EmpiricBias) for awkward_archangel Oneshot. Established Relationship. Kaeya and Albedo have an argument but very quietly and privately. Nothing gets solved and then they kiss and hug. I wrote this :]

[T, nawa] stale by noon by cherotonin Oneshot. Character study of all of the following: Kaeya, Albedo, and Subject Two.

[T, nawa] hand in unlovable hand by clumsycrow Oneshot. Dialogue-heavy, one-scene, deep dive dual character study of Kaeya and Albedo that reminds me of a stage play. Riveting.

[T, nawa] Heat Lightning by gh0strobin for evesbeve Oneshot. Kaeya's Vision behaving erratically. Albedo helps Kaeya because Kaeya refuses to ask for help.

✨[T, nawa] klee's (new and improved) favonius survival rulebook by pyrochords Oneshot. Short but sweet Albedo PoV of the aftermath of Klee blowing up the Good Hunter stove under Kaeya's watch and not being allowed to go to the Chasm.

[T, nawa] Dear Fellow Monster by dazeful Oneshot. Fae AU. Kaeya and Albedo go on a date. Kaeya and Albedo discover each other's secret.

[T, nawa] Secrets Soar on Speckled Wings by dazeful Oneshot. A slightly different fae AU; Kaeya is the Owl of Dragonspine and Albedo his slightly terrified man-shaped object of interest.

✨[M, nawa] Chalk White and Raven Black by Laylah for greygerbil Oneshot. Wing AU, in that only Kaeya has wings and they are a secret until the events of this fic.

✨[E, nawa, ccntw] Verglas & Fireflies by Schemilix Series. 3 fics adding up to a whopping 335k words. Featuring NB Albedo, polyamory (Albedo/Lumine and Kaeya/Rosaria), BDSM, and monsterfucking.

✨[E, nawa] if i’m being honest by Hymn Oneshot. The quintessential fwb with hopeful ending + fwf/pwf. More like ftcf (fucking to convey feelings) here though. And it's great.

[E, nawa] you go down just like holy mary (mary on a, mary on a cross) by saffroncassis Oneshot. Rosaria/Kaeya/Albedo. A lot of fun. In the wise words of the author: "fanon can eat my dick i’m oscar wilde-ifying albedo".

Perennial reminder to comment on and download the fics you enjoy most. :]