#'if I wanted to play Genshin I would play Genshin' was the general sentiment

[cheriafreya]

the way I would have probably given Wuthering Waves another chance had I got Changli back then (I didn't)

[yandere-daydreams]

Title: The Opposite of Love.

Pairing: Yandere!Diluc x Reader x Yandere!Kaeya (Genshin Impact).

Word Count: 3.1k.

TW: Imprisonment, Mentions of Kidnapping, Mentions of Non-Con, Physical Abuse, Manipulation, and Attempted Gaslighting.

Years ago, you heard someone claim that the opposite of love isn't hate, it's indifference.

There must’ve been more to it. A tangent, a theory, a philosophy to explain such a nihilistic sentiment. But, you couldn’t remember the rest, if it’d ever existed, and you’d walked away from that conversation with the general understand that feeling nothing is closer to hate than it is to love and feeling something is closer to love than it is to hate. Kaeya feels something towards you, so he loves you. He says he loves you. You’re willing to believe, for the sake of argument, that whatever he feels towards you could be called love.

Diluc feels nothing towards you, so he hates you. He acts like he hates you. He hates you.

He’s indifferent, so he hates you.

Or, he ignores you often enough to make it feel like he does, at least. You’d been here for months, tucked into the darkest corner of his winery and left to rot, but he never called you by name or addressed you directly or made any effort to interact with you beyond what Kaeya deemed necessary. Even now, he lingers in the doorway to your bedroom, his arms crossed and his shoulder pressed against the frame. From your spot sitting on the foot of your bed, he should be able to see you, but his gaze glances off of you in less than a second, moving towards Kaeya, instead, currently busying himself with the contents of your closet. Indifference.

Loathing, albeit the kind that could go unspoken.

“I’ve got clients from Fontaine arriving in half an hour,” Diluc starts, his voice gruff but nonchalant. You can’t remember ever hearing him yell. “Can I expect you to join us, or will you still be playing dress-up in my cellar?”

“Patience, love, patience.” He finds a piece of what he’s looking for, pausing briefly to splay it out over your bed. You catch a sliver of lace out of the corner of your eye, and force yourself to stare at the floor, instead. It’s easier, when you don’t know what he’s going to do to you. Anticipation would only make it worse. “I never rush you while you’re stalking around at night, searching for criminals to chase after. You’ll survive watching me tend to my (Y/n) for a few more minutes.” A flash of silk, this time, but not nearly enough. You force yourself to inhale. Diluc huffs. “It’s exhausting, watching you talk about ‘profit’ and ‘revenue’ and waste a perfectly good bottle of wine on such unappreciative guests. I want something pretty to come back to, and this stubborn little thing isn’t going to get dolled-up alone.”

Diluc stiffens. There’s a slight change in his stance, his expression. He doesn’t look at you. “Do you want me to…?”

“I’ll take care of it.” You feel the mattress dip, Kaeya’s arm snaking around your waist. You clench your eyes shut, but you don’t resist as he pulls you to his chest. It doesn’t hurt, but it would, later on, when he loses interest in pretty outfits and delicate fabrics and decides he can find more entertainment in bruises, and hickeys, and seeing how much he can get away with before you're willing to beg him to stop. It'll hurt, and you'll scream, and the next time you see Diluc, he'll pretend that he hadn’t heard a thing. “We just need spend a little more time together, that’s all. It’ll get easier, once someone starts to feel a little more cooperative.” There’s a pause, a sudden nip to your jugular. You jolt and Kaeya laughs, squeezing your hip gently. “Besides, I like it when my pets bite back. It keeps things exciting, doesn’t it, Diluc?”

“Anything you say.” His tone is light, mocking, but he’s smiling, grinning, making no attempt to hide it. You almost wish you could be surprised, that any amount of shock came with new evidence that his fondness for Kaeya overshadowed any empathy he might’ve had for you, but he’d never cared for you, even before he brought you here, before he left you at the feet of a much more proactive monster. He doesn’t feel anything, not for you. He doesn’t love you, so he ight as well hate you.

He’s indifferent, so he hates you.

“As long as it doesn’t involve me, do whatever you have to.

~

He’s indifferent, but he doesn’t hate you.

Kaeya usually leaves you restrained, in some way, shape, or form. A chain around your ankle, or cuffs on your wrists, or, when he could claim you’d done something to warrant it, a collar around your neck, left tethered to a bedpost under threat of a broken finger for every knot he found undone. Diluc's never tampered with it, before. He could, if he wanted to. It’s his estate, his property, and you’re his captive as much as you are Kaeya’s. He could, but he doesn’t want to.

Or, he’d never wanted to before, at least.

He doesn’t speak to you, not at first. He works silently, prying at the ropes around your wrists with only quiet determination and a small, muted sigh as he finishes, your restraints going slack, falling limp over the bars of the headboard. You don’t move, glancing towards him for approval, but Diluc only drops a flask into your lap, small and silver. Immediately, you’re aware of just how long it’s been since Kaeya left, of the pit in your stomach, the dryness in your throat. Of the fact that you probably wouldn’t see another drop of anything until sunset, when Kaeya comes back and decides whether or not you’ve been good enough to deserve a ‘reward’.

He helps, in his own way. “Drink,” He says, in a way that makes it less of a request and more of a demand. “Unless you have that much faith in Kaeya’s compassion.”

You opt to drink.

It’s only water, but you savor it like a gift from the gods, taking your time, draining the flask as slowly as you could. You consider asking Diluc for something to eat, too, but you don’t want to test the limits of his generosity, and he’s already sitting down, settling into the plain wooden chair positioned to face your bed. It’s a off-putting sight, his red hair slightly muted by the undecorated stone walls, his pale skin made sickly by the poor lighting. It makes you uncomfortable, but he doesn’t seem bothered. Why would he? This is his estate, as often as you forget anyone would live here willingly. He wouldn't bar himself of from a part of his own home.

But, you’d never seen him in this part of his home. Not after you’d arrived. Not after Kaeya sectioned it off for personal use.

Honestly, you’d started to think you never would.

“What did you do?”

You go rigid, lowering the flask. “Excuse me?”

“To get him to tie you up like that.” He sounds dismissive. His expression is blank, as unreadable as always. For a moment, you wonder if this is a set-up, if you’re supposed to answer, but abandon the idea quickly. Kaeya wouldn’t resort to plots so predictable. “What did you do?”

You shouldn’t talk to him. You should cross your arms, look away, play as shy and as stubborn as you do with Kaeya. Indulging his curiosity won’t help you escape, even if he brings you water every now and then, even if he never speaks a word of this to Kaeya. It won’t do you any good, in the long run.

“I think I bit him.” Your voice is distant, far away. Diluc hums, and you find yourself going on without further deliberation. “He treats me like a dog, so I acted like one. I might’ve drawn blood.”

A partially truth. You’d dug your teeth into his throat, tried your best to tear the damned thing out before he could pry you off. It hadn’t worked, and he’d fucked you with his hands around your neck, afterward, leaving a ring of bruises to match his open wounds. He must’ve been too proud to mention it, because Diluc lets out a breath of a laugh as you finish, a smirk replacing his usual scowl. It almost seems strange, on him. You’re not used to seeing him do anything but frown. “Serves the bastard right. Even a Knight should know better than to leave himself so exposed.”

You look away. “I thought you’d take his side.”

“He’s not my responsibility. If you want to call his bluff and smother him in his sleep, then I won’t stand in your way.” He gestures vaguely, and you notice there’s ink on his wrist, staining the cuff of his sleeve. Your lips quirk upward, a smile forming before you can bite it back. You don’t try to, not once it’s there. Not once he sees it, and his own smile brightens in return. “Although, I’d appreciate it if you tried to show restraint.”

“I can’t make any promises.” You bring the flask back to your lips, but it’s already empty. You want more. You want wine, or ale, or the cider merchants used to sell in outdoor stalls during winter, warm and sweet and thick. You don’t let yourself want many things, here. You shouldn’t let yourself want anything, from Kaeya or anyone heartless enough to enable him.

“But, I might be able to try a little harder on a full stomach.”

You shouldn’t, but Diluc isn’t Kaeya. He hasn’t hurt you, not directly, not yet.

He’s indifferent, but you don’t think he hates you, either.

Diluc grins, pushing himself to his feet.

“I’ll see what I can do.”

~

Diluc’s not indifferent, and he doesn’t hate you.

He likes you, the same way a more domestic man might tolerate his lover’s pet. His gestures are small, but frequent – a glass of wine left on your bedside table by a skittish servant, an outfit that’s more than sheer lace and floral patterns, an excuse to be anywhere but the cellar, even his alternative comes in the form of a windowless office, small and sparsely decorated, the space only made more confining by Kaeya’s insistence that you stay in his lap, his arms loosely strung around your waist, your face buried in the dip of his shoulder.

It’s claustrophobic, but the air isn’t damp, and the walls aren’t bare, and there’s more to focus on than Kaeya’s hand on the small of your back, blunt nails occasionally brushing against the base of your spine. You can hear maids and butlers carrying out their morning chores on the other side of the door, quiet footsteps and muffled voices and proof that society isn’t as far away as you’ve convinced yourself it had to be, and you can let the rest of the world fade into the sound of Diluc’s quill scratching against paper, writing out a letter to a foreign investor or a contract for some new, bewildering arrangement. It’s comforting, as comforting as anything can be, here. It’s different. You don’t get to call many things different, anymore.

“Oh? See that, Diluc? We’re putting the poor thing to sleep.” You don’t notice your eyes closing until Kaeya works a hand under your chin, tilting your head back just far enough to force you to look up at him. You’re not tired, not really, but you know better than to correct him, only leaning into his palm, acting like something docile, something delicate. Something obedient, something that he’s made it apparent he wants you to be. “Just as well. Mondstadt’s not getting any closer, and Jean might find a way to work herself to death within the hour if I’m late.” A slight pause, a playful tap to your cheek. You try to push down the temptation to bat him away. “Looks your bedtime's coming a little early, sweetheart.”

You pout, tugging on his sleeve, but Kaeya only laughs, kissing the top of your head and moving to lift you up. Diluc stops writing. “Could you leave (Y/n)?”

Kaeya takes a moment to answer. “Replacing me already?”

“I could only ever dream of it.” He rests his cheek on his fist. “You know how dull it gets, while you’re away. I’m only trying to find a way to the time.”

There’s a sneer, a bark of laughter, and Kaeya drops you back onto the velveteen loveseat, leaving you scrambling to catch yourself. “Try not to break anything important,” He calls as he shoulders open the office door, the mocking lilt heavy in his voice. “It’d be such a shame if I had to start cleaning up your messes at home, too.”

The door shuts a second later, and you hold your breath as you listen to him walk away, only exhaling once he’s out of earshot. Diluc cocks his head to the side, but the most you can offer is a shrug, a small smile. “Thank you,” You mutter, almost inaudibly. “I… I really don’t like it, down there.”

“In that case, I’ll see if I can sneak you into the vineyard, next time.” A new sheet of parchment, another letter. Like it’s nothing. Like it wouldn’t be the first time you’ve gone outside in months. “Just don’t tell Kaeya. He’s never been very good at sharing.”

You can only nod, vaguely aware that you’re grinning like an idiot.

Diluc’s not indifferent, and he likes you.

~

Diluc’s not indifferent, but he doesn’t love you.

Kaeya claims to love you, and if it’d been him, he wouldn’t hesitate to lash out. He wouldn’t stand there for a second, then two, and he wouldn’t acknowledge the letter-opener with just a frown, just a small, disappointed scowl. He wouldn’t take it in so calmly, and he loves you. He thinks he loves you. You’re willing to believe, sometimes, that he might love you.

Diluc doesn’t. He can’t.

It’s already over for you, if he does.

His attention flickers between you and the letter-opener, the one you’d stolen from his desk a few days ago and stored under your mattress for future use. You consider stabbing him with it, briefly, but the Pyro Vision at his hip catches the light and you decide against it.

He seems taller than he usually does, filling the doorway with ease. You never noticed how small he always made himself, around you – sitting, leaning, minimizing the threat where Kaeya preferred to surround you with it, choke you with it. His voice is deeper, too, less refined, more gravelly. You try not to wonder if he's been trying to disarm you. You try not to wonder if it worked. “What do you think you’re doing?”

You drop the letter-opener. Your hands are shaking. “I didn’t…”

A step forward on his part. A step back, on yours. “Answer the question”

Your back hits the footboard, and Diluc stops in front of you. He hadn't closed the door, and you make a feeble attempt to dart around him and run for it, but he catches your arm without a hint of strain. His grip is bruising.

“I don’t want to be here.” The words stumble out without delicacy, without inflection, a last resort born of desperation and little else. “It’s humiliating. It’s dehumanizing. It’s… He hurts me, every single day, and you know that, you’ve seen it. I don’t care if there’s justice. I won’t tell the Knights, I won’t go back to Mondstadt at all. I’ll go to Liyue, or Sumeru, or smuggle myself into Inazuma, for fuck’s sake, I don’t care. I just can’t stay here any longer.”

Diluc doesn’t respond, for a moment.

Then, he shakes his head, letting out a deep sigh, and Kaeya steps through the open doorway, a smirk already plastered over his lips.

“I think you owe me an apology.” A hand on Diluc’s shoulder, a teasing kiss to his cheek. You don’t feel sick, or angry, or anything, honestly. The numbness is almost worse – vacancy, utter and complete. You wish that you’d stabbed him while you had the chance. “What did I tell you?”

Diluc sounds annoyed. Irritated, almost. Huffy. “You said it'd be worth a try.”

“I said it could be worth a try. Then, I asked you not to play too nice, not to be too lenient, and you swore up and down that you’d keep a firm hand.” You shut your eyes, digging your nails into your palms to try to stave off a more visible reaction, but Kaeya catches on quickly, cooing softly as he leans over Diluc. His fingertips brush against your jaw, the touch fleeting, oozing with faux-comfort. You’re tempted to bite him, again. You want to bite him. “Look at that. Did he get your hopes up, darling? Did you think our benevolent, valiant, golden-hearted Diluc would simply stand back and watch you slip away?”

“Shut up.” Kaeya laughs, and some of Diluc’s edge starts to dull. It makes you feel small. Everything about this makes you feel small. “Stop talking. I never—”

“You’ll have to make it up to us, then.” It’s more of a purr than a suggestion, lulling and blatantly self-indulgent, but Diluc doesn’t seem to mind. He leans into it, if anything, like he always does. Like he always has. You’d been a fool to convince yourself he’d ever been interested in doing anything else. “I think we both deserve to see how sweet you can really be.”

“I…” He lets go of you, and you hope beyond hope that he’s come to his senses, but your freedom is short-lived. A hand wraps around your neck, fingers burrowing into your throat and making it difficult to breathe, and in a moment, you’re on your back, pinned to the mattress, both of your captors standing above you. “I wouldn’t be against that.”

You think about begging, for a moment. About fighting, struggling, kicking and crying and screaming until one of them admits it’d be easier just to knock you out and let you wake up bruised and battered and sobbing. But, you already know it wouldn't make a difference. They wouldn't listen to you. Kaeya never has, and you doubt Diluc would try to, now. There’s no point. You’d still be stuck here, either way.

Diluc’s not indifferent, anymore, so he thinks he loves you.

That, or he hates you enough to call it love.

[wishing-well-writing]

!THOMA RELATIONSHIP HCs!

Written by: 🍡

Fandom: Genshin Impact

Character(s): Thoma, gn!reader-insert (implied)

Warnings: N/A

A/N: I’m trying to manifest thoma when he releases okay-

Also this is my first time writing romance and a x reader so, I hope it’s passable?

Look this man’s love language is either acts of service or words of affirmation I can feel it in my HEART

But mostly acts of service, this man can and probably would make you breakfast in bed

He’d also wear one of those stupid “kiss the cook” aprons while doing it I can also feel this in my heart

Thoma is also very warm, probably b/c of his pyro vision, 10/10 great literal and figurative teddy bear

Family man family man family-

Look if you ever decide to make some kids together or adopt some he’d definitely be a GREAT dad I can feel it in my h-

Oh! I also think his parents are immigrants! Or at least one of them? Based on a post I saw a while back and then subsequently lost :(

Anyways, mr man is bilingual (in whatever the traditional(tm) languages of Mondstadt and Inazuma are) and will seduce you with it

Or maybe not he’d probably get embarrassed halfway through the pickup line lmao

If he was intimidating he’d have Tatsu from way of the househusband energy no I will not budge on this

Maybe I should make that a future post.... way of the househusband/tatsu!thoma au......

Anyways

He’s a cheesy cheesy man

Lots of “classic” romance tropes with this man but like he’s very genuine about it and it’s super cute

Absolutely kisses you on the cheek or the back of your hand when you get home

Also!! He likes it when you play with his hair :) definitely the kind of nerd to keep a small braid that you braided into his hair lol

In the same vein he also likes playing with your hair!!!! Absolutely can and will braid flowers into your hair if it’s long enough

If it’s not he’ll make you a flower crown instead :)

Pre-relationship Ayaka and Ayato are his wingmen in romancing you! They are also equally interested in embarrassing the shit out of him (lovingly)

His friend group of housewives also lovingly bullied him (like how moms do)

If you’re not into getting kids he’d probably be down with getting a pet or two! Taroumaru included

Keeps his marriage/engagement/promise(?) ring on his tag chain necklace thing whenever he’s doing something and doesn’t want to risk losing it!

Also does play with it absentmindedly a lot or when he’s thinking real hard :) (about you <3)

Or just in general because Yknow what same

Also he’s just a really sentimental/sappy kinda guy in general I can feel it-

The type to take pictures of things you do together, tie his hair with a ribbon you gifted to him, keep flowers/letters you’ve given, etc etc

He’ll get you flowers from other nations he bartered and bought from the other Ritou residents too if you’ve never travelled too, various trinkets or books or whatever you’ve never seen before

Thoma isn’t much of a gift giving guy outside of food and the like, but he would honestly do anything to see you smile

Thoma gently tucks a strand of hair behind your ear, as the morning sun filtered in through your bedroom window. The only sounds being your soft snoring, the birds and busywork outside. He always loved these quiet and slow mornings with you. Where Thoma could just bask in just how.... domestic, and comfortable it was. Normally he’d be up and doing something by now, but honestly?

He’d rather just stay here with you, just for a little longer

[jesterofwords]

hello,,,,, i read that you write for genshin? may i request general headcanons of where the tall boys would take you out on a date? (diluc, childe, kaeya, zhongli) bulleted form would be great, thx!

Of course! Im a newbie genshin writer, so I'm sorry if it isn't good! Sorry these are so short too, it's all I could think of at the moment 😅

Where Diluc, Childe, Kaeya, and Zhongli would take you on a date

Diluc

This man would take you adventuring ngl

Like, the prettiest place he knows you haven't been.

A picnic date, basically.

He would bring all the things and lead you to a tall mountain or something

A very isolated place so you won't be bothered

Once it gets dark, he would lay back (and prompt you to do the same)

Then, he'd point out constellations that he knows and if you want, tell you their story (I hc that he had a constellation phase when he was younger lmao)

He'll walk you home like a true gentleman when it gets too late, if you don't already live at Dawn Winery with him (I don't know if he actually lives at dawn winery or not, I'm so sorry)

10/10, would listen to him ramble about constellations all day

Childe

This man is SO RICH

You don't have to worry about a single money-related thing as long as he's around, my god

He'd probably take you around Liyue (not the city) for a bit and defeat monsters for you (show off-)

One it gets late though, he'd bring you back to Liyue, where he has reservations for a nice restaurant (again, rich)

He'd tell you to order anything you'd like

You two would talk about anything and everything that comes to mind, like when you met Teucer for the first time (a headcanon for another time, wink wink)

Eventually, it's late, so he will walk you home because he won't be able to sleep until he knows you got home safe

You'll talk more as you walk, and when you get to your door, it'll be the usual, "I had a great time tonight", and "I'll see you tomorrow"

10/10 he will spoil you, so please thank him by letting him lay his head on your thighs while you play with his hair

Kaeya

He would take you to eat lunch at Good Hunter, making idle chit-chat

He'll take you around Mondstadt and buy you anything you want, cheap or expensive

Once you've stopped by all the stores, he'll have you get on his back to walk around Mondstadt (the nation, not the city)

Near sunset, he'll take you by the hand and lead you out to Stormbearer peak to watch the sunset with him

He'll get sentimental though, and will be watching you watch the sunset

He'd be the type to say, "It's so pretty, isn't it?" while looking at you instead of the sunset

Eventually, he'll look back at the sunset and lay his head on your shoulder

You two will sit in silence until the sun goes down completely, basking in eachother's prescience

Once it gets dark, if you have a gliding license, Kaeya will suggest you glide as close to your house as possible from Stormbearer peak

If not, he'll walk you home normally

10/10 would watch the sunset with sappy Kaeya

Zhongli

He'd ask Childe for money so he could buy you things lmao

You two would spend a few hours walking around Liyue before he leads you somewhere outside the city

Turns out that place was Qingyun Peak, and if you're not athletic, he'd offer to carry you on his back while he climbs

He has to take more frequent breaks to regain his stamina, but it's so worth it

Once you reach the peak, he'll activate... something? You don't quite understand, but it creates a current and lifts you two higher

Now you understand why he grabbed your hand before activating it

Once you two get to the real peak, it'll be almost sunset (I'm obsessed with sunset)

He'll offer you a sandwich he managed to carry up there

You two will sit up there and enjoy the sunset for a while

After the sunset is over, if you have a wind glider, he'll glide down with you

If not, you two will go down the sane way you went up

He'll walk you to wherever you live after you reach the ground

10/10, don't need money for a good date

I hope you enjoyed! Please give me feedback and have a good day/night!

[renegadewangs]

Van Zieks - the Examination, part 12

Warnings: SPOILERS for The Great Ace Attorney: Chronicles. Additional warning for racist sentiments uttered by fictional characters (and screencaps to show these sentiments).

Disclaimer: (see Part 1 for the more detailed disclaimer.) - These posts are not meant to be taken as fact. Everything I’m outlining stems from my own views and experiences. If you believe that I’ve missed or misinterpreted something, please let me know so I can edit the post accordingly. -The purpose of these posts is an analysis, nothing more. Please do not come into these posts expecting me to either defend Barok van Zieks from haters, nor expecting me to encourage the hatred. - I’m using the Western release of The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles for these posts, but may refer to the original Japanese dialogue of Dai Gyakuten Saiban if needed to compare what’s said. This also means I’m using the localized names and localized romanization of the names to stay consistent. -It doesn’t matter one bit to me whether you like Barok van Zieks or dislike him. However, I will ask that everyone who comments refrains from attacking real, actual people.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11

Let's bring this thing home! It's time for the conclusion of the essay series!

Conclusion With a stupidly long essay series behind us, it's time to look at what we've learned! Let's go back to Part 1 and review what we needed from Van Zieks's character development for a fully rounded redemption arc, shall we?

1) Present an antagonistic (possibly immoral) force who personifies Ryunosuke’s biggest personal obstacle/weakness, in this case racial prejudice. 2) Humanizing traits begin to show. OPTIONAL: A backstory to justify any immorality he has. 3) Over time, Barok has his realization and sees the error of his ways. 4) Barok atones for his immorality, not simply through apology but by taking decisive steps. 5) The cast around him acknowledges his efforts and forgives him.

And looking at the main game (plus additional dialogue), we have...

1) Antagonistic force:

Etc. etc. I have many of these. We can all agree that as an antagonistic force, he does his job quite well. CEO of Racism and White Privilege in the flesh. It works, since we as the audience get very frustrated and want to see him defeated.

2) Humanization:

Giving him an old friend to be a defendant was a brilliant move, really. Albert's reflection on the friendship and the person Van Zieks used to be really helped flesh him out and make him appear more like a human being with, y'know, emotions and weaknesses. The little snippets of dialogue in his office really help too. Presenting evidence can also lead to fun tidbits. All in all, considering how gruff and distant Van Zieks is, they really did their very best to humanize him. The writers were given very little to work with but they exploited every opportunity to come their way.

OPTIONAL backstory:

Again, I don't think we needed a tragic backstory to have a well-rounded, redeemable character. Still, it ties in very expertly to the game's plot and the motivations of quite a few other characters. The story of Klint van Zieks and his death isn't necessarily Barok van Zieks's backstory, it's the center of an intricate web which also holds Kazuma, Stronghart, Gregson, Jigoku, (S)Holmes, Mikotoba, Sithe, Drebber- I could go on. A LOT. So because of how very integrated it is into the main narrative's recurring themes and characters, I'll give it props for being relevant and well thought out. The bigger question is: Does it justify his immorality? Not entirely. I think the game could have gotten more out of this if they'd involved the other two exchange students in this tale just a bit more. They could have given more attention to how Jigoku's aggressive behavior in the trial impacted Van Zieks, and explained whether he might've suspected Mikotoba of sabotaging (S)Holmes's investigation. If the narrative had done that, all three Japanese people to come to London would have been ‘the bad guy’ in Van Zieks's eyes and it would have given more credence to his racial generalization. They could have also given more attention to how the people around him reacted to Genshin being the Professor, because I'm sure Stronghart and Gregson stoked the fire in terms of xenophobia. As it stands, there isn't really enough there to justify hatred of an entire race as opposed to just one person.

3) Realization/Redemption

We see him already start to realize the error of his ways around the end of 1-5, which is technically only about halfway into the full narrative. Unfortunately, thanks to 2-2 being played afterwards (but chronologically set before 1-5), any progress made in 1-5 can become invalidated in the player's eyes. Growth works best when it's done linear. Don't get me wrong, flashbacking to earlier times when a character is still more morally tainted can work well, but it needs to be executed properly. Barok's behavior in 2-2 is downright insulting towards the audience itself and therefore, it causes emotional friction when relaying the narrative endgoal of redemption. It also makes it extra jarring when we hit 2-3, and suddenly Van Zieks is meant to be relying on the protagonist's desire to expose the truth. How on earth can we as the audience trust that Van Zieks believes in Ryu's abilities when we just came fresh out of a case where this man actively sabotages Ryu's efforts?

Still, the line of redemption continues from 2-3 into 2-4 well enough. He admits that he was wrong- that his hatred was illogical and that he needs to change. This is the very definition of redemption. I need to stress once more this is not to be confused with atonement, which comes next.

4) Atonement

Here it is. It's not enough to simply acknowledge mistakes; one needs to work hard to fix them. Since Van Zieks is the defendant for two whole episodes, equaling roughly 20% of the full narrative and 67% of the time following his first true realization (chronologically), there isn't much that he can actively do to atone. Because remember, not only do these actions need to fit the situation he's currently in, they need to fit his personality. These two limitations ensure the atonement mostly takes the form of dialogue. Of apologies.

One might want to point out that he never apologizes specifically for his racism, but there's a reason for that. If you pay close attention, you'll notice that there isn't a single character who ever uses a word like “racism”, “xenophobia” or even “racial prejudice” in this game. It's for the same reason you'll never see an Ace Attorney character utter words like “alcoholism”, “drug abuse” or “depression”. These things may be implied very strongly, to the point where you'll know for certain a character is suffering from it, but it's never given these exact labels. It has to do with the tone of the game. In Great Ace Attorney's dialogue, Barok van Zieks is only ever described as holding “a deep hatred for Japanese”, which is then the only thing he could apologize for. And he does, so long as you aren't looking for a literal phrasing of “I apologize for my deep hatred of your people”.

Regardless, he can't take more active, decisive action until he's freed from prison and two scenes with Van Zieks later, the game has ended. He still manages to take two actions, though! The first is to publicize the truth of the Professor, taking the blame of the mass murders off Genshin's shoulders (and losing his own privilege in the process). The second is to take Kazuma under his wing as his disciple. I'm not certain there's anything else the narrative could have had him do. What is decisively missing, however, is the following:

5) Acknowledgment

The above aren't good examples of cast acknowledgment that Van Zieks is taking part in a redemption arc, rather, they're the best I could find. Characters are acknowledging that he's changing- that he's being kinder to them and they can get along with him now, but they're not acknowledging that he caused hurt in the first place. This, in my opinion, is the Great Ace Attorney's biggest narrative flaw. I've talked before about how Ryu's reaction to Van Zieks's racism is 'indirect communication', a typically Japanese manner of dealing with negativity. I've also talked about how Ryu is not in a position to speak up, as he's a literal minority who is there to represent his country in an official capacity and can’t afford to make enemies. However, characters like Susato and Kazuma are far more outspoken in their opinions, as is Soseki. The only one who ever calls Van Zieks out on his racism is the British judge, and even that is done very meekly. When an old crusty white guy is the one who condemns white privilege in a cast full of minorities, you've got a problem. The Japanese cast's refusal to acknowledge that Van Zieks's words were harmful is like Team Avatar telling Zuko that sure, he can join since he's a good guy now, but never once acknowledging that he burned down villages or betrayed everyone's trust in Ba Sing Se. There's something very vital missing, see? If indeed the cast had called Van Zieks out more actively on his harmful ways and how necessary it was for him to change, he in turn could have taken more atonement steps in response.

So, for the conclusion: Does Barok van Zieks tick all the necessary boxes for a complete redemption arc? Yes. In a very technical sense, all the requirements are there. But does that mean it's a successful arc? Not necessarily. The game has a few slip-ups, a few things not executed as well as they could have been. For that reason, whether the audience is satisfied with the arc is entirely up to them. Taking into consideration that they had to cram a whole lot of story into just two games- the second game in particular, I can acknowledge they did their very best with the limitations that were there.

And there we have it! That’s all I could think to say on the matter. I hope everyone who read this till the very end enjoyed it, maybe even learned a thing or two. I’m always open to questions, input and constructive criticism!

[boneyfaun]

hello! I see that you're doing a matchup, may I request one 🤩?

I use she/Her pronouns, my mbti is Enfp 2w9 and I'm a scorpio. I have long curly blonde Hair and blue Eyes. I have even an undercut under my hair, mostly because I tend to have so much tangle in that place that it's difficult to deal with them. My type of clothes is generally ad Edgy one, but a little bit elegant (such like lace body or lace t-shirt/top with bright colors etc).

Most of my closed ones tells me that my voice calm them so sometimes I tend to sing or talk out of nowhere just for calm the situation around me :'). I'm a little introverted around people I don't know, but when I start to do a conversation I don’t finish until my throat dries up or until I know by myself that I’ve talked too much. I’m vengeful of people who hurt my closest friends and family, but in those moments I tend to give advice and to reassure them because I don't want to be a burden and 'cause if I start to argue I could make it worse :'). I like stay in my room and listen some music or play genshin, but I don't dislike go out with my friends/partner and have fun outside. I'm the clown of my group (I’m the kind of person who starts joking because I like to see their loved ones happy) but if I'm in a serious situation I don't waste time to start talking seriously. I'm even clumsy so, well, I tend to walk behind o forward for not bump with someone, and when I'm at home I hit every angle of the house :'). I'm a dog person (I even have a dog myself) but if you let me meet a cat I start to cuddle them too lol. I even like to learn some new clues of every kind of argument and I like to know more culture and language, I study psicology because it intrigue me. I'm not particularly lovey-dovey in a relationship, I like stay in my world. My love language is Quality time and physical touch (indeed, I like to hug or just stay in company with my partner or friend, just the fact that we are in the same room warm me up). I wish to do more things that I normally do and have some new experience with more adrenaline. I even tend to say yes to whatever my friends/partner ask if I think that would be okay and safe for us. I hope I didn’t write too much but I didn’t know how to do it, I took inspiration from other people’s requests (obviously putting everything of my own, in fact it is confusing lol)

Thank you so much and I hope you have a nice day❤️

I might just be in a mood to write Women but I also just think this dynamic is soft and genuine, so I pair you with Ganyu!

She is so soft spoken and kind I just think it would, work? I don't think Ganyu would ever not admire your comfort to speak so openly and protective nature. Plus, if a character is ever going to understand the idea of being concerned of being a burden leave it to a character who appears to have some form of anxiety and natural affinity for working to understand and want to help push back those concerns. I just think it is a very comfortable dynamic and I think your soothing voice would be very nice for the evenings she might feel a bit coiled up with stress and need someone to tell her to take a break.

Also I imagine her love languages are very much the same as your own. Quality time is very important even to someone who is three thousand years old and might even be more so with her more sentimental nature. Time with her is calming and easy, and most likely quite snuggly as well. I think she just very much likes a good cuddle to help take a nap. Additionally, with her experience as an quilin I do think she would be a nice match if you ever wanted to explore and try new things. She won't take you anywhere dangerous, but she would love to show you places she remembers far more fondly from a time when she walked with archons.

[dreamerhideout]

enhypen genshin impact!au hcs

characters: enhypen

word count: ~200 words each

warnings: mentions of alcohol for jay’s part, lore inaccuracies (i haven’t caught up on dragonspine event lore yet), spoilers for mondstadt + liyue main quest

a/n: i’m supposed to be working on something else but this brainrot got to me first... anyways, i’m assigning their visions + weapons based off a few fan theories i’ve read~ please enjoy my word dump! :D

more under the cut!

jungwon

okay so we’re starting off with our leader! hmm... i’d say that he has a geo vision

why? idk, i’m half sure it’s based off how calm and composed he is; i do kinda think jungwon is a picture of maturity and elegance (he literally has to take care of six children wdym)

it was kinda hard for me to choose a weapon because i kept going back-and-forth from sword to polearm, but my final pick for him would be polearm

yes this would mean that he is zhongli

a polearm would probably suit him because i see him as the kind to want some kind of control over his weapon (not saying he can’t control a sword). at the same time i feel like he’d want something lightweight which won’t bring him down

i think he’d work with the knights of favonius. working with the liyue qixing could also work for him, but considering the tension between the adepti and the qixing + the social climate of liyue makes me think that he’d want somewhere more calm

acting grandmaster jungwon? i’m down for it

spends time near the mondstadt church; he likes the peace and quiet of it

heeseung

from the get-go i knew he’d have a hydro vision

this one theory i’ve read says that hydro vision users have a strong sense of morality and justice (i guess i also interpreted it as balance) and heeseung seems like the kind of person who does

for weapon, i think he’d prefer to use a sword. we see that he’s good in a lot of areas when it comes to being an idol, so he’d perhaps want that versatility in the weapon he uses as well

hello xingqiu (wait i kinda think this fits)

i don’t see him particularly associating himself to any organization, so i think he’d simply be a wanderer. he goes from country to country as a vagabond, battling monsters along the way in order to perfect his skills

at the same time, i also see him making a lot of friends and having a bunch of connections from just about any corner of the land (more to acquaintances i suppose? heeseung doesn’t seem like the kind to let people in very quickly)

is probably very curious on elemental reactions and might be studious in a way; he would want to learn alchemy

likes stopping by mondstadt’s library when he needs to look up on something. probably keeps in contact with alchemists too

jay

oh man this is going to probably be very stereotypical

pyro vision, hands down. i was considering an electro vision for him at first but the amount of passion he has in doing the things he loves (primarily hip-hop) screams pyro to me

he would also have a claymore because let’s be real, he’d want something to get the job done quick; claymores are literally the weapon that causes the most damage

yeah he’d be diluc. or xinyan. whatever your pick is

bonks monsters for fun, fight me on this

association... i think he’d be a part of the adventurer’s guild. he strikes me as the kind of person who’d want some kind of reward for something he does for fun (in this case, mora. and a bunch of other items you can get from katheryne once you complete your daily commissions)

this is probably how he meets all his friends. if he wasn’t a part of any association, i don’t think he’d have many (not saying that he’s unable to make friends, he’d choose not to unless necessary)

strives to be a well-known adventurer, probably takes up more commissions than the average one

likes spending time in places with good ambience, food, and booze. probably is a regular at angel’s share and liyue’s street food stalls on days he comes to town

jake

i think he’d have an electro vision. it’s something about the way he fiercely cares for other people that makes me think that this suits him best

okay hear me out but i think he’d be amazing with a bow and arrow. he seems to have the tenacity and upper body strength for it, and i don’t think he’d particularly want something that could do a quick kill, like a sword or claymore per se

uhh... yeah he’d be fischl, i suppose. idk this realization was a bit weird to me but it doesn’t seem so far off from happening

sometimes uses his skills to shoot at fruit from trees; it’s a pretty good party trick

association-wise i don’t think he’d wanna join any, tbh. he’d be an “everyone’s friend” kinda guy. unlike heeseung who’d have acquaintances from all around, jake would generally want to befriend different kinds of people (helps around wangshu inn sometimes because of this)

still though, i think he hangs with members of the adventurer’s guild a lot

don’t be surprised if you catch him befriending a member of the fatui-

i also see him really immersing himself in the culture of each country he visits

he’s the guy who pets all the animals, especially the dogs

also seems like the kind to purchase or collect raw meat just to give to the stray animals he meets on his travels

sunghoon

oh boy am i excited for this one

okay so i know this is stereotypical but... cryo vision. honestly, having a geo vision would also be possible but remember that one time childe said something around the lines of the goddess of cryo having such a warm heart and she loved so much to the point it froze? yeah i think i’m basing him off the tsaritsa-

weapon would be a sword. i considered choosing a polearm for him but i think he’d want something slightly heavier that would get the job done, but not necessarily a claymore. do i think he has the capacity to use a claymore if he wanted to, though? sure why not

hello kaeya (or qiqi, if you’d wish)

okay okay this is where it gets fun... imagine sunghoon as a member of the fatui

mmm villain!sunghoon we love to see it

he’d honestly probably be on the road to becoming a harbinger? like, we see how he works very hard at ice skating and idol training, who’s to say that he won’t climb up the ranks real quick?

yes jakehoon brotp agenda is still on so they would be friends (though honestly their friendship is kinda uncanny)

when i thought of stuff to write for him i kinda think that he’d like liyue a lot; the tradition and order feel like home to him. this also fits lore because there’s more fatui appearances in liyue compared to mondstadt

also seems like the kind to wander around the city when things start to calm down for the day; if he’s not being tasked on a mission, he sometimes likes to head out to huaguang stone forest

sunoo

sunshine baby

okay i think he’d have an anemo vision (and this is not because he reminds me of venti). there was another theory that said that anemo vision-holders are hard workers who sometimes don’t give themselves enough rest, and sunoo seems to make the cut. he’s crazy hardworking at things he know he’s lacking at and strives to improve

i think he’d have a catalyst (yes!! we need male catalyst characters!!); i can see him absolutely fascinated by the way catalysts work like... “there’s no solid object engineering the attacks so... what is that? it seems so cool!” 

so yeah he’d be sucrose, hello

i also think he’d want to be a part of the adventurer’s guild! it keeps him busy plus he likes helping people :D

would then be introduced to jay (and possibly jake) when he’s assigned to do a commission with him. honestly he’d prefer doing commissions with others rather than doing them alone

has a hard time killing monsters because he finds them cute (especially slimes). i think he’d also empathize with hilichurls to a degree

i see him residing in mondstadt most of the time; he’d also like talking to the locals a lot (has a high rep because of this)

loves trying out local cuisine, some of his favorite dishes include sweet madame and zhongyuan chop suey!

ni-ki

oh i’m also kinda excited for his too

so i initially thought he’d have a pyro vision, but after some time i figured he’d have an electro vision instead. i think it’s this weird sentiment i feel that he’d protect his passions with his life (in this case, dancing; he’s literally inseparable from it), so there’s that

totally looks like the kind to have a polearm. he definitely would want something lightweight that he could lowkey flex with

sadly he doesn’t have a genshin character twin yet :(

would also not have any affiliation whatsoever; he just traverses the land like the free spirit he is

occasionally would tag along with some adventurer’s guild members, but doesn’t like the idea of people telling him what to do; he creates his own adventures instead

am i the only one here who thinks that he’d honestly run really fast here (hehe speedy boi)

he’d love dashing through mondstadt’s plains (particularly springvale), sometimes slashing monsters left and right (he likes liyue’s scenery but the terrain is way too mountainous for him)

one thing he does like about liyue though is playing with the kids in the harbor. he’d get them toys with the extra mora he receives when helping people (big brother ni-ki agenda hmm)