kinbedo

[kinbedo]

Guys I actually got through my school years with multiple partners!!! (it was all in my head, none of them were real, I literally got married to so many characters while sitting in front of my revision notes)

school life: complete

status: friendless, bitchless, delusion-full, obsessing over idek how many new characters

[kinbedo]

Lyney : Cards and Colours 

Summary: You’re just another artist presenting your work at the Fontanalia Film Festival. Just what were the chances that the great magician Lyney would stumble across your art?

A/n: I was in my Herta phase while writing this, constantly listening to her voicelines and watching her burst and skill animation, and this fic is a product of whatever “open sesame!” and “a door to a whole new world” did to me. But hey, at least both Herta and Lyney give off magical girl vibes so :D 

Dedicated to the biggest blond man simp I know. @lucishell Happy birthday pookie <3

wc: 3.8k

----------

Although the main attraction of Fontaine’s Film Festival were the films themselves, it wasn’t uncommon to find other exhibits around the city. Even the smallest of stalls seemed to display the most exquisite of creations– from handicrafts to decorated foods, each design was unique.

You yourself seem to have attracted a decent crowd for your own art exhibition. Was it because of the last film you designed a poster for? Regardless, a satisfied smile makes its way to your face as you look at the people browsing through your work.

Three of them seem to be more popular than the others. One is a still from “The Little Oceanid”, another is the spectacle of the courtroom with Lady Furina in all her glory as the archon, accompanied by Monsieur Neuvillette, and the third is of a renowned magician and his assistant. 

You watch as two little kids run up to the painting, exclaiming “Look it’s Lyney!” “Sister Lynette’s there too!” A blond follows them, nodding his head in approval and in a low, husky voice states “Looks like this is from when Pers was in the show.”

You lean into the palm of your hand, satisfied at the attention they were giving to the painting, when two more people walk into your view causing your hand to slip and for your chin to collide into the table you were leaning on. 

“This is truly magnificent! Even “Father” would approve of this.” Lyney exclaims, not hiding the wonder in his words, making your cheeks heat up.

“The lighting has also managed to capture the sense of suspense you tend to create during shows. Impressive.” Lynette states in her usual monotonous voice, taking another bite of the sweet bun in her hand.

You felt obligated to introduce yourself at this point. “I’m glad you like them.”

Upon seeing you approach, Lyney’s wide grin only got wider. “So you’re the artist then? Pleasure.” His dexterous fingers easily slip the hat off his head, twirling it as he bows and then placing it back in its place. You could tell that he must have practiced this move multiple times for it to be so smooth, just like how you had to practice certain strokes multiple times for them to feel natural.

“The pleasure is mine. I love your shows. They’re mesmerising.”

“I’m honoured. And with the effort you seem to have put into this painting, I truly do feel appreciated, and would like to repay you.” He thinks for a while, his purple irises scanning the other artworks on display. And then, he smiles brightly, his mind calculating the possibilities. He holds his hand out to you and asks, “How about we work together?”

----------

Working with Lyney was easy. He was pretty open about his preferences and didn’t beat around the bush regarding any details. He could be professional but also knew how to stir up a casual conversation. It was like he was made to handle all social situations.

You ended up becoming the first person he sought out to make posters for his upcoming shows, and for a while, you felt like the exchange had become unfair. 

“You’re not only paying me the full amount, but also giving me a VIP ticket? Isn’t this a bit too much?”

Lyney only scoffed. “It’s only fair that you get to see the shows you helped me prepare for. Plus, you can say that your presence will be a sort of morale boost for me.”

His easy-going personality and your identity as an artist led to him introducing you to some of his siblings who wanted to try their own hand at art. Some of the little ones had apparently “begged” to be taught by you. (He’s exaggerating, they just expressed an interest and he immediately sought you out, thinking you would be the perfect mentor to them.)

You’d often find yourself just outside the main city, accompanied by some of Lyney’s siblings as they lay in the grass and tried to draw or paint whatever caught their attention. The sound of pencils scribbling on paper, brushes being dipped into the water with a silent ‘plop’ and ‘gurgle’ and the sound of cards being flipped and rearranged filled the air.

Yes, cards. Because Lyney decided to accompany you and his siblings. Not only for everyone’s safety, but also because “practicing out in the open feels refreshing”. It almost felt like a school field trip or a picnic. On rare occasions, Lynette or even Freminet would tag along. And on occasions that were rarer still, even The Knave would come along, taking a seat by the water and either reading a book or polishing her scythe.

Her presence was chilling in the beginning, but realising how gentle she was with the kids and with Lyney’s reassurance, you soon found yourself painting her a portrait.

Working with Lyney changed your life pretty drastically to say the least. You ended up meeting people you never would have met on your own, engaging with personalities that you wouldn’t have expected, and receiving more job offers from influential celebrities in Fontaine’s entertainment industry.

However, despite being the social butterfly he is, you realised Lyney was also quite the people pleaser.

“People pleaser?”

“Mhm, even when it looks like you disagree with something, you hold back. You greet everyone with a smile, and often try to ignore their flaws. You also seem to get tired rather quickly, and are the first to pass out after an event.”

Lyney laughs, shrugging it off by saying, “It’s how the world works. You need to be careful about what you put out there.”

Yes, he also tends to hide things. The more time you spend with him, the more you seem to notice. His nervous glances when things don’t go as planned, his silent pleas when a conversation drags out for too long with someone he isn’t fond of, his clenched fists when he hears a backhanded comment. And yet, he takes it all in stride, his smile never leaving his face when he’s surrounded by others, still radiating warmth and openness.

You sigh, noticing the way Lyney’s bow crinkles as this random guy walks into the Opera Epiclese, boasting his accomplishments. His loud voice echoes through the empty theatre, making him sound more obnoxious than he already is.

“I promise you’ll profit greatly if you work with me. Plus, 70% of our earnings are used for charity, so it would also help you raise your reputation further! We are a rather successful organisation, having worked with multiple drama troupes in the past, and it would be our honour to work alongside the mighty magician himself.”

“I’m afraid I’ll have to decline. My associates and I have already made preparations for tomorrow’s show. Suddenly making new contracts last minute can hinder our performance.”

“Oh but we are very cooperative! We will not make any changes to the show itself.”

Lyney’s patience is slipping through his fingers. His usually composed self is starting to show some creaks. You could tell that he really just wanted to finish up the decorations and go home. And to be fair, he deserved the break. Being the lead, he was in-charge of everything– from designing to practicing his own tricks and to checking the budget and ensuring everyone else was prepared for the show. Despite you offering to help with the decorations, the most you could do was repaint faded props or fix up basic damage.

You glance at Lyney’s now clenched fist. To see him this mad was definitely not a good sign. Looking back up at the obnoxious man, you realise that he was completely unaware of how unwelcome he was, as he went on and on. Before Lyney could act on impulse and ruin what he had slowly built up over the years, you had to intervene.

“Alright gentlemen, I think that’s enough for today.” You walk between the two men, trying your best to stand tall. “It would be much appreciated if you came back after the show, or better yet, if never at all, since Lyney has clearly declined your offer and shows no interest in working with your organisation.”

The man tries to explain himself again, but it seems he finally realises the tension in the room. He excuses himself and (thankfully, finally) leaves.

“Thank you [name], I owe you one.”

You merely nod, noticing that he still looks uncomfortable after the exchange. Perhaps you should ask him about it later?

.

.

.

“He was reminding you of someone, wasn’t he?”

You hear the magician’s breath hitch beside you. He pauses for a moment, hesitant, before finally replying in a whisper, “You saw through me.”

“As artists, we tend to search for hidden emotions. It’s what helps us determine the background, the tone, the lighting and the rest.”

“How much do you know?”

“Only what you feel. Only storytellers would go out of their way to extract hidden stories. As an artist, the most I can do is bring suppressed emotions to the fore through symbolism, and for that, I need to be able to read people’s expressions.”

Lyney lets his head fall, staring at the floor as he fidgets a little. You raise your eyebrow at his actions– it’s the first time he was visibly nervous for a reason that was not about a performance.

He doesn’t say a word, and you don’t press the matter. You know better than to. Some things are just too difficult to talk about. But that’s okay, right? Yet you stay for a while longer, giving him all the time he needs, and the magician appreciates it, mentally noting to himself to thank you properly later...

----------

Lyney finds himself visiting you more often with each day. He doesn’t know when or why it happened, but he would subconsciously walk to your abode, often practicing his magic tricks while you painted.

Admittedly, however, he spent more time watching you work. The way your brush moved in simple, neat strokes. The way you would suddenly pause whenever you had a new idea, quickly grabbing a sheet of paper to briefly sketch it out, before returning to your previous work. He could never get enough of watching a blank canvas slowly gain life, the colours feeling like they were always meant to be there.

Subconsciously, he had started thinking of new tricks too. Before he even assembles his thoughts and realises his own words, he’s already blabbering. “What if I used your paintings in a show? Making things, or maybe even people appear out of it?”

You pause. Pulling the brush back from the canvas and watching a drop of paint fall to the floor. “You already make things appear out of thin air. Why would you need a painting to do that?”

“Maybe because it would look prettier?” And maybe because he could spend more time at your place, spend more time talking to you.

You hum in thought, prodding your chin as you look around your room, glancing at each painting hung on the wall. “Well, I would definitely need bigger canvases if you want to make people appear out of a painting. And would you want the painting to look more realistic? Or maybe more cartoonish to add to the effect?”

Lyney’s eyes light up, the prospect of working together exciting him and the fact that you were indulging him making him feel giddy.

----------

He's starting to grow fond of the smell of paints.

If Lyney didn't already spend a lot of time at your place before, then he practically lived there now. He would sometimes even spend the night because "it's too risky going back home so late". The statement makes you raise an eyebrow the first time you hear it, after all, he probably has had to return home late after shows or even head out in the dead of night for Fatui missions. But he brushes it off saying that he's "more prepared" and in a "different" mood when he has to do that. He would curl up against your couch, stretching his limbs before snuggling against a pillow, his cat-genes on full display.

Sometimes, he would help you with your chores.

"I'm just repaying the favour after you helped me deal with that difficult man that one time!"

"Lyney, that was months ago."

"My saviour, you needn't be so humble." 

If people ever questioned why Lynette has cat ears and a tail but Lyney doesn't, they should really see him when you're trying to get him to go back to his own house. He's like a cat that refuses to leave his territory.

"Lyney please, your siblings are probably worried about you."

You are genuinely worried about him. Freminet is genuinely worried about the amount of time he spends with you. Lynnette is genuinely worried about his sanity.

One minute, he could be swaying his hands while singing to the wind, the next he would be coming down a flight of stairs, stumbling across until he lands on his chin. You wince at the sight, the box of stage props scattering in front of him.

Lynette barely moves to help him. She places a hand on her hip, her tail drooping down, indicating annoyance. “Oh he fell fast.”

"I uh don't think people take different times to fall…" you laugh nervously, scratching the back of your neck as you watch the great magician give you a thumbs up with a bleeding nose.

Lynette only sighs at your oblivion. She’s so done with the two of you.

Lynette doesn't mind having sharper senses than most– her sharp ears come in handy when she's on missions and her senses can help her avert dangers pretty often.

But she hates it when she's being forced to listen to whatever you and Lyney have to say to each other. She was stirring her tea when her tail stiffens up. Her eyes dart around, trying to figure which path would be a quicker escape but it's too late.

"You seem to really like using lilac in your paintings."

"I feel inspired just looking at Lynette's eyes sometimes. They're really pretty."

"I can't deny that. Her expressions also make her seem like an elegant cat." 

Lynnette barely hangs out with you. It's her brother that's always running circles around you. It's his eyes that you see more often.

And they have the same eyes.

So it should be his eyes that you're actually so enticed by.

She might have been better off if only her brother was dumb, but the number of times she has had to urge to break her usually stoic nature and just scream because both of you are hopeless around each other makes her scrunch her nose up.

With how often Lyney visits you, it’s almost impossible for you to go over to the House of the Hearth. On one of the few occasions that you (manage to) go over to his place, you meet with 'Father', who tells you that Lyney talks about you often enough for even her to see you as family. Lyney thinks of you as family.

And the rest of the conversation ends up becoming a background noise for your thoughts. While The Knave is busy complimenting your art and thanking you for indulging the children, you're busy mulling over her words.

You finally get it off your chest when you're helping Lynette in the kitchen.

"I wonder... does he think of me as an older sibling or a younger one?"

Lynette deadpans you. "Do you mind gendered terms?"

You're taken aback by the seriousness in her voice. Laughing nervously, you stutter out a "no" to which Lynette just says "girl you're not actually serious."

"You're right. Knowing Lyney, he probably sees himself as the oldest."

Oh Lynette was so close to smashing the ceramic plate on her head at your words.

And she knows it’s bad bad when even Freminet starts picking up on your requited crushes. “Lyney is really good at reading expressions. Maybe… maybe he should look at himself in the mirror.”

So she does what any good wingwoman person who wants to be rid of the pining would do– set you two up.

----------

A new establishment for the rescue and care of injured and abandoned animals had been set up, and Lynette had already started frequenting the place to play with the cats there. She overheard the owner talk about needing a new poster and just knew what she had to do.

She spoke to both you and the owner to set you up for the poster making job, effectively making herself the mediator.

The owner’s wishes were pretty simple– he just wanted an attractive poster that could give people the message and help them come in contact with anyone who wishes to help the animals.

But Lynette wasn’t going to make things so simple for you.

Not when you and her brother had tortured her enough with your endless pining.

So she gives you awfully vague, but awfully specific details regarding the poster. “He wants it to look like Wonderland with little animals scattered on a backdrop of a vast area, preferably a combination of these.” She hands you a piece of paper with multiple different places written down. 

You look through the list.

Weeping Willow of the Lake

Mont Esus East

Lumidouce Harbour

Fort Charybdis Ruins

Mont Automnequi

Tower of Ipsissimus

Chemin de L’Espoir

These places barely have anything in common! How were you supposed to inculcate these places while also adding animals into the poster? And wait are those last few places… “UNDERWATER?”

Lynette only shrugs her shoulders, already zoning out. She doesn’t actually intend to “enter standby mode” without offering you any explanations, does she…?

You sigh. Seems like you’ll be heading out for a trek.

.

.

.

“Let me come with you.”

Lyney can be very persistent when he wants to be. You only sigh, turning the Kamera in your hand to make sure that you hadn’t left any spec of dust uncleaned. You’re tired of telling him that he has far more important things to do– he’s Fontaine’s greatest magician, with his shows highly sought after. He’s one of the older, more reliable siblings at the House of the Hearth. He might even have some Fatui missions lined up for him.

Assuming your quietness to be a sign of you relenting, he continues, “I can fight. It can be dangerous out in the wild and it'd be better for your own safety if you took me with you.”

“Lyney, what about your shows this week? Or in general, because there’s no guarantee I’ll be done within this week. What if I need to camp-out for, say, nine or ten days?” you sigh again, pinching the bridge of your nose.

“Not important. Safety first, your safety first. I can also swim, how else will you get your underwater references anyway?”

He makes fair points but you can’t help but worry about his prior commitments.

Lyney refuses to leave your side until you give in. He’s pouting and sulking as he follows you around. You nearly bump into him multiple times when you turn around. You try glaring at him, only to end up admiring his cat-like eyes, his most distinguishable katzlein feature. You’re certain that if he were an actual cat, and if you made the mistake of sitting down, he’d crawl into your lap and refuse to leave. To you,he seemed more like a cat than Lynette ever has.

After hours of Lyney being at your heel, you finally agree. In less than two hours, he’s beside you again, grinning from eye-to-eye with an extremely convenient bag for camping (courtesy of his missions and the random picnics of the Hearth). He’d also brought along an emergency medical kit (that you definitely didn’t forget about) and a bit too many snacks for a camping trip and still had more than enough space to accommodate more of your things. This made you feel grateful that he was coming alone (and that you could bring more stuff along, just in case).

You and Lyney stand in front of “Father” as she reiterates the importance of safety on your little trip. The younger children then fall into your arms, begging you to come back soon. “Please don’t leave us forever.” Foltz clings to your right arm while Heloir takes the left. “I'll be back soon, don’t worry.” You pat them, trying to get them off your arms, worried that they’ll pull them off with the way they’re hanging on you.

In the distance, Lyney’s talking to Freminet and Chapleau regarding some of his house-duty shifts, while Lynette’s further away, purposefully avoiding eye-contact with you as she sips her tea. You send her a nervous smile and wave in her direction and she only turns her head again, her usually stoic face now showing one of both worry and avoidance.

After some more reassuring from Lyney regarding his “completely free week” (he gave most of his work to Freminet) and some more long goodbyes (courtesy of Foltz and Heloir), you finally set off.

“This will surely be fun.”

.

.

.

Lynette doesn’t typically go out of her way for things. She never really bothers putting in extra effort unless it directly affects her or her missions. But she started getting restless. She’d toss and turn around in her bed until she came face-to-face with Lyney’s empty bed.

Is he even using this opportunity she oh-so-gratefully granted him?

She decides to go for a little walk, hoping to catch the two of you in the wild. A glimpse at your current status should be enough, she thinks. “According to the list I gave them, they should currently be around Mont Automnequi. Great, I could visit Navia for her macarons on the way back.”

The sound of grass crunching and a few twigs cracking reaches Lynette’s ears and she stiffens up, her hand on the hilt of her sword as she readies herself to take on another group of treasure hoarders. 

Instead, what she’s met with makes the corners of her lips twitch upwards.

It’s you and Lyney. 

Her purple irises are met with a temporary camp set-up and your art supplies scattered on the ground, mixed with some of Lyney’s props that he brought along to practice his tricks. Seems you’ve gotten too comfortable camping out with Lyney.

Lynette looks back to see Lyney dramatically kneeling on the ground while you’re laughing, devoid of all worry, completely carefree in this moment. The two of you almost seem like the young kids running around the streets, free of all burdens of the world.

“A rainbow rose, for the artist themselves.”

Perhaps this could go somewhere after all.

----------

[kinbedo]

i like to imagine Wanderer always carry her like a sack of potatoes when making an escape like "No. We are not doing this." no matter how badly he wanna stomp the enemies into the ground, to turn them into the pathetic worms they are

[kinbedo]

People are like the d-orbital. They have the same energy (degenerate... orbitals) and are more stable when they're separate (split like the eg and t2g levels)

[kinbedo]

Just random activity again

[kinbedo]

I wanted to draw the sophomore dorm leaders hanging out as friends :)

juniors dorm leaders hanging out under cut :))

[kinbedo]

Another similar joke because Cyno would.

Cyno: Which piece of furniture is most likely to become an artist? Cyno: A drawer.

Kaveh: I found these old designs in my bedside drawer a while back. What do you think of them? Cyno: Hm not bad. Anyone would say you're a really good "drawer".

[kinbedo]

Kaveh: I found these old designs in my bedside drawer a while back. What do you think of them? Cyno: Hm not bad. Anyone would say you're a really good "drawer".

[kinbedo]

Genshin didn't give me Arlecchino valentines art, so I had to do some self-service in this house 😭😂

[kinbedo]

— before i could kiss you again

part i | part ii | part iii

a longer version of this

sae itoshi x f!reader | slight(?) language | kissing

wc: 1.3k

it was never your intention to kiss the sae itoshi.

it was supposed to be a fun one-week vacation for you in madrid. but circumstances happened and changed when you accidentally met your ex. now, the fun you’re supposedly going to have turned into an unbearable nightmare of trying to run away from his obnoxious ass. you have no intentions of talking or making peace with him especially when the reason for your falling apart was because of a cheating incident a few months ago. many people would know that you give zero fucks about cheating, including him, so when he asked you to get back to him, you scoffed the life out of you and thought he was kidding. and now, you are kissing the most famous sae itoshi in re al’s home stadium, right after their big game against fc barcha, in front of all the cameras, even probably in all spain or even in front of the whole world.

you first met sae on a flight going to Madrid. it was a very rare occasion for you to get upgraded to business class, so when the flight attendant asked you if you wanted to move to a business class seat, you didn’t have to think twice and said yes. you were seated next to the magenta-haired man with weird hair physics who was wearing a black sleeping mask while an ongoing football game was playing on his big screen. before, you didn't know who sae itoshi was. sure, you've heard about his name, and how he is japan's greatest treasure, but it has never occurred to you to know more about him. you didn't know what he looked like or whatever. all you know was that he is, apparently, good at playing football and that he plays in a professional football league in spain.

so when you saw him play, you couldn’t believe your eyes. the man from the plane was the same man your coworkers were crazy about. and when he struck a breathtaking goal that opened the door for re al’s victory near the end of the game, and everyone was rejoicing in re al’s home stadium, you couldn’t help but also join the crowd. hell, you didn’t even know what was going on. when they started chanting his name, you saw him waving his hand up, hyping the crowd to make the chanting louder. there’s a burning passion in his teal eyes as he continues to hype up the people and as his teammates give him a supportive slap on his back.

it was a fleeting moment of exhilarating joy especially when you realized that your ex was just sitting behind you. you don’t even know why he was there right now. as far as you know, your ex never really cared about football, like you before, so you were confused about why would he be there. when you started walking away from your seat, you heard him call your name but you pretended you didn’t hear. he kept calling your name, it was getting annoying. you thought you were clear before that you would never ever give second chances to someone who messed up, especially when the issue was infidelity. when you reach the entrance to the tunnel, you finally face him.

“i do not give a fuck if you want to explain. you cheated, saw it with my own eyes, and that was enough for me. we’re done. now if you could please stop calling my name, there’s someone waiting for me,” you said, with annoyance traced in your voice with every word you spat. you don’t really know who would be that someone waiting for you, all you wanted was to escape from his obnoxious and ridiculous begging. you turned your back again, but this time you felt his hand, grabbing your wrist.

“can you please let go?” you asked. you tried to be polite and civil but it seems like he’s been pushing his limits already.

“please, here me out fi—”

“what’s going on here?” you both look at the owner of the voice and for some reason, you sense a relief in your veins. you removed your ex’s hand from your wrist and gingerly approached sae itoshi. he looks so much better up close with those teal eyes, intently looking at yours, deciphering what’s going on in your head with the way you look at him. he may or may not remember you because you barely interact during that flight except when he lends you his moisturizer because you forgot to bring it. it also looks like he just finished his interview since the cameras are still following him. you’re fucked, you thought. they’re still probably airing and other people may be witnessing what is about to happen.

“sae…i was just about to find you!” you said with a forced smile on your face. you continued approaching him and stopped when you are just one step away from him.

you prayed a million times of sorries in your head before you went ahead and held the side of his face, tiptoeing, before placing your lips against his. you heard audible gasps from the people, a lot of camera clicks, and a bunch of ‘oh my gods,’ when you kissed him. it was usually a normal sight for them to see a football player kiss their significant other but sae itoshi was different. he doesn’t have any dating rumors and has never been linked to anyone so it’s a surprise to other people to see him kiss someone—or rather to see someone kiss him—out in the open like this. he was unmoved when you kissed him and all you could think of was, ‘fuck, fuck, fuck,’ and was ready to pull away but you felt his hand on the small of your back and started responding to your kiss.

your head was spinning and spinning, your thoughts were incoherent, and for a moment, it felt like the world had gone still and silent. his lips were soft against yours and you’d be lying if you thought it wasn’t slightly addicting. you felt him pull away for a second, shifting his head’s angle before diving in again with his lips with renewed intensity. his kisses tasted like mint and strawberries, probably from the electrolyte drink he was drinking before. you felt his hand on your hips as your hand traveled to his slightly damped hair.

someone cleared their throat and pulled you both in reality. you quickly pulled away but stood close, not wanting to see what was waiting around you. and then a flash of light came flashing in and your heart suddenly felt like it was going to explode. he was quick you block most of your face with his hand on the second wave of flashing before making his body as your shield from all the camera shots. he took off his jacket before putting it around your shoulders, gesturing to his manager to accompany you out of the pitch and into the locker room. before you can fully exit the pitch, you look back and see him approach your ex, muttering some words. you’re not good at reading lips but you could’ve sworn he said something along the lines of, ‘…my girl.’

•••

the whole stadium was in chaos, but sae itoshi didn’t care. when you were already far enough to not hear the words he’s about to say, he made his way to your ex’s.

“please stop bothering my girl. i’m only going to ask once,” he said before leaving the pitch.

when he got to the locker room you were in, waiting, he closed the door and stood in front of you.

“i’m sorry—”

“i don’t need apologies. i need explanations,” he said, cutting you off.

you nodded.

“now explain, before i could kiss you again.”

•••

[kinbedo]

Guys what if I told y'all that I wrote a 5k word Kinich fic but it isn't even half way done...

[kinbedo]

*random lady trying to tell me how to do my hair*

*me purposefully messing her work up and tying my hair in the way you would tie a kid's hair when it's too short*

[kinbedo]

"This person is so problematic"

Forget that, I feel like I'M the one being problematic when I say certain things 😭

Sometimes I'm unsure of whether I should've phrased it differently (and I never know what the 'different' way is), or if I never should have said anything at all lol.

[kinbedo]

Everyone smile!!

[kinbedo]

I think the reason I find Xiao X Aether so appealing is because Xiao doesn't want anything from the Traveler.

Honestly Xiao / Traveler works but I prefer Aether because of his characterization as the softer twin.

Lumine, from what I've seen and what the fandom seems to agree on, is a bit colder and more no nonsense of the two. She does the commissions for a paycheck and rolls her eyes when people randomly approach her with more. She makes her discomfort known but does it anyway because she is a good person who wants to help.

Aether is more of a chronic people pleaser. He'll grin and bear it, saving his snark for whenever he and Paimon are alone because he wasn't other people to see him as anything less than helpful and cooperative.

Enter Xiao. He shows up and doesn't want anything from the Traveler. He's self-sufficient and instead wants to help the Traveler, telling them to speak his name when they're in trouble. The Traveler refuses to take advantage of his offer and instead only calls him for cute, easy tasks (taste testing food).

The Traveler refuses to be a burden; Xiao already suffered enough. So the Traveler is kind, offering small gifts of food and quiet companionship because they care. Xiao never asked for anything but the Traveler gives and gives because that's what they know.

Xiao is easily overwhelmed by this shower of kindness, but they can't stop it. What they can do is attempt to offer kindness in return. Crystalflies to decorate their hair. Answering their call and letting himself be included in whatever the Traveler is up to now. Taste testing food.

But never once does he push. Xiao never asks for anything more than attempts at companionship, but even that is mostly in response to the Traveler always asking if Xiao would like to do something (Teapot lines). Xiao is unobtrusive, quiet. He expects nothing but is so grateful for chances to be around the Traveler after they've broken down their walls bit by bit.

The chasm quest highlights this. Xiao is fine being separated from the others, wanting to keep them at arms length because he himself is a danger with his karmic debt. But the Traveler is there. They are there and hurt. The Traveler that he KNOWS is a self sacrificial fool willing to do anything to save everyone else, but no one will save them.

So Xiao comes, to ensure the safety of the Traveler, the one person who had been nothing but patient and kind to him but that no one else seems to fret over.

And why would they? This is the famous gold haired traveler who had fought dragons and gods alike. They're a legend, unrivaled, peerless. A friend to the archons. A master swordsman. They see the Traveler as untouchable.

Just like the Yaksha.

Xiao understands what it's like to bear the burdens of this world. He understands what it feels like to be ordered around to solve problems. So he comes and offers himself as the sacrifice in his stead. He isn't asked to. No one wants him to. But if not Xiao, it would have been the Traveler. Xiao does it because he won't ask someone else to bear the burden.

To me, that's what it all boils down to. Both of them just want to help the other, but there are no expectations. No commissions or fights that they ask the other to join. No requests. Just two people who both shoulder a heavy burden finding solace in someone else who understands and asks for nothing.

They aren't the gold haired traveler and the Yaksha.

They're just Aether and Xiao.

[kinbedo]

‘Bedo in shining armor

[kinbedo]

this is so funny to me because HSR is going into the same slop era that Genshin JUST got out of, because Genshin is now going into the "HI3rd IS SO GOOD WE GET SO MUCH STUFF NOW" era while going into the final few patch cycles.

Penacony was ass (except Aventurine my baby beloved), I haven't played the new story yet but apparently it's also ass. HSR gives less pulls than Genshin by now, especially if you consider the insane powercreep and need to keep up with 3 endgame modes in order to even get close to Genshin's pulls. While also releasing Characters at an alarming fucking rate. (Mind you, HSR is like 3 years old now, has like 65 or so playable characters, while Genshin is at 88 or so after 5 years.) To the point where HSR ALREADY has the same rerun issue as Genshin has now. Seele? Who was that again? Luocha was one of the first few 5*'s and needed more than a year to rerun. And don't get me started about the 4 to 5 Star ratio. lol. HSR's fandom is ass from what I've seen. It's like, the toxic Genshin side except they're arrogant because "Genshin could never".

I'm so sorry, but I'm so tired of the HSR glazing. HSR does the same shit as Genshin, except there's a thin coat of golden spray paint on it because players get a 10 pull for logging in every patch.

"But but but HSR gave a free Ratio!!!" yeah cool, now go ahead and pull 3 more limited characters to actually make him usable.

"but but but HSR gets more pulls!" HSR 3.0 gives you less pulls than Genshin 5.0 did, and you need to do absolutely everything for that. Can't clear MoC, AS or PF? Yeah get fucked, get even less pulls for all these new shiny characters :)

"but but but HSR has endgame!!!" I mean yeah, because HSR is a hallway simulator where you got nothing to do if you don't do endgame or story.

"hahaha but HSR is so funny" Yeah, I mean, if you still laugh about the same trashcan jokes 3 years later, I guess it's funnier. (maybe its also too gen z humour for me idk, i used to enjoy HSR humour quite a bit because it was taking a book out of Toby Fox and Undertale but atp it's just stale af)

"Genshin's lore is all over the place, wtf do they hide lore in random books???" idk, why does HSR hide important lore in random SU occurances you might just never see? because doing SU gets so boring and repetitive, you eventually just do DU and call it a day and then farm your Planar's there.

Most of the things HSR was doing better than Genshin don't even apply anymore. Weapon Banner is now nearly the same. Genshin's third endgame mode is Exploration, Simulated Universe is boring now, getting your fave standard 5 star after 300 pulls is over by now too. Endgame is getting HP inflated as fuck to keep up with the ungodly level of powercreep. Good luck trying to clear with your Seele or my Blade. (Meanwhile Genshin 4 star clears are still a thing, albeit with a lot of investment)

To cut it short, no HSR isn't 10000x better, it's the same shit, except the honeymoon phase is still going on - even if a lot of people start to get out of it by now.