#all mondstadt character's referenced

[keyboard-mang0]

Ok, I don't know where this idea came from, but I want it out of my head so now I'm making it everyone else's problem. Yall know the anime Zombieland Saga? To give a brief summary it is about an idol group made up entirely of the undead, specifically they are zombies, who disguise themselves as human in order to perform music. Its an amazing show and I truly cannot recommend it more highly, but that isn't the point right now!

What the point is is what if ya did something similar with a SAGAU? Could go either way of cult or imposter, but either is still funny.

• You have been living pretty comfortably in Mondstadt for some time, brought in by the allure of all that is entailed by the name "City of Freedom"

• The city already being home to one mysterious bard you decided on a differing route, the Adventure's Guild, to keep the mora coming in.

• While perhaps they found it odd how staunchly you refused to have anyone accompany you EVER, they couldn't argue that you clearly knew what you were doing since you would always get the job done and without a scratch on you!

• It was happenstance that started the decline, you were out doing your thing when I Mitachurl managed the blind-side you. Assuming you were alone you only groaned in annoyance as a massive axe neatly cleaved your head off of your shoulders.

• It wasn't until the shrill scream of Amber watching the incident that you realized you've been caught. So naturally, you let your body flop down as if you had died, waited for Amber to focus on the Hilichurls, and slowly crawled your way towards where your head landed and made your escape.

• Later sitting at Good Hunter with fresh stitches and a new layer of makeup to cover it, you were just enjoying your meal when Amber came stumbling back through the gates, looking more then just mildly traumatized. And then you made eye contact with eachother.

• Again she shrieked at the site of you, because she KNOWS she saw you get decapitated, and yet here you sit perfectly unharmed. This time she fients before she can properly convey that you are the reason why.

• Hiding away in your home you debate whether or not to consider the jig as up, and just start packing now. In that debate you praised any Archon that could hear you that when there came knocking on your door, you still had your make-up on.

• To say finding Eula glaring at you from beyond your door was frightening would be an understatement.

• You all but got dragged to the Knights of Favonius headquarters for questioning. Bwing met at the door with Kaeya's smirk, a visibly exhausted Jean, a barely conscious Lisa, and of course a terrified looking Amber.

• Apparently Amber had reported that you had died a grizzly death at the hands of Hilichurls, and yet there are dozens of accounts that you were perfectly fine less then an hour after Amber's reported time of death.

• You gave a silent apology to Amber as you pushed that it would be impossible for you to be able to sit here and answer these questions if you were dead. A point that they had no argument against.

• And so, a couple hours of questions and rewriting a report, and they let you go, but now a new problem arises, its started raining.

• In your tired daze, you didn't notice, not as your hair got soaked, and makeup began to drip and peel off of your skin.

• It was Lisa's alarmed noise that got your attention, and when you whirled around to look at her, the damage was done.

• The gathered knights watched in varying degrees of horror as what had appeared to be your skin suddenly flung off of your features in a goo-y mass. Leaving behind the palid grey-blue and green of your dead flesh.

• Amber even through her fear immediately saw the thick and messy sutchers that now held your head in place. As well as many other tracks of stitching that you've had to use in order to keep yourself in as few pieces as possible.

• Seconds are all you have to turn and run, that moment of hesitation upon seeing your true colors, literally, and the plethora of evidence that point to injures that by every account should have been fatal.

• A mad dash home, bar the door, lock the windows, and take these few precious seconds to try and pack as much as you can physically carry for your escape.

• In your panic you foolishly didn't listen that closely to what was happening outside of the rain. And so as you slung your heavy pack over your shoulder and ran out your door, you did so straight into the Acting Grandmaster's sword.

• And well... That's unfortunate.

• Jean had the closest view as you stared down at her sword buried in your chest, a drawn out quiet moment of the both of you staring at the impalment. And before she has the chance to pull it back out again, you've raised your hands up in exasperation, cause just COME ON, AS IF YOU DIDN'T ALREADY HAVE ENOUGH PROBLEMS!

• The shock of the situation was the main thing that stopped any of the multiple Knights and vision-barers from going near you as you began to pace back and forth in front of your house, Jean's sword still neatly secured inside your chest, as you shout into the rain about how you couldn't get a break anymore, how today has just been fiasco after fiasco.

• And by the end they all just had to wonder. What do you even DO with a person that can shrug off a beheading and treats being impaled as nothing more then an annoyance?

• And so you were permitted to stay in Mondstadt, under the circumstances that you have not been anything less then helpful since you arrived, and as long as you are careful about your disguise. The report of your death and the little show of your undead annoyance would be swept under the rug.

• Ahh, but if only there was a way to subtly silence that damned Bard that won't shut up about how he witnessed a Mondstadt citizen die a dozen deaths and yet still continues to live amongst them.

Ok, this was a stupid idea, poorly written on my phone in a rush to just write it down, thus the weird layout. But I hope yall enjoyed it anyway! I've not written in the headcannons format before, so this has certainly been interesting.

[thatdeadaquarius]

Hello there, friend I'm here for fluff

OK, this has been on my mind for a while

But like

The reader is just becoming the biggest parent to the Benny's adventure team kids

And the wolfs

We are like a parent of like 27

Knitting and making food brushing razors hair(let's be for real, you would hear a crunch when you brush it)

I'm not gonna lie

Do these kids know what spices are?

Cuz when I think about it

Razor hasn't had shit so he's has the least tolerance for spice

He would probably cry if you feed him a pepper

Bennett has tried spicy food but does go well with it

And not completely sure if fischl has had a spicy food before

But what flavor does mondstadt add to their food??

These kids need the damn flavors

AHDHAKALL FERAL ANIMAL AQUARIUS- ANOTHER PLATONIC ASK AAHHHHGGGGDJJSFHSAK!!!!!

AND ITS YOU!! ITS- ITS- ONE OF THE WRITING RULERS OF SAGAU (FOR ME AT LEAST) <3 !!!!!!!!

You cooking in genshin all anime studio ghibli style looking like food from god (literally): ⬆️

Sun: Reader (you/they/them)

Orbit: Headcanons-ish

Stars: Benny’s Adventure Team! (Bennett, Fischl, Razor), Diluc, mentions of other Mond characters

Comets & Meteors: Content Warnings: mild cussing, & Trigger Warnings: none known.

Please comment if I missed any. /gen

☆

^^ The posts being referenced in ask, (OG Razor ask) (Benny + Razor) and a more direct sequel, a part 2? a part 4 atp?? of this post (Imposter/Not Dark AU + Razor + Diluc) ^^

OMFG

ALRIGHT LISTEN UP BITCHES

SINCE UR IN TEYVAT

YOU GONNA COOK LIKE TEYVAT

AS IN-

SHIT BE SUPER EASY TO COOK, AND MASS MAKE DEPENDING ON COMPLEXITY OF DISH

(So, like Zhongli's special Bamboo Shoot Soup is like getting made... once a year if you read the little desc. for that dish 💀)

AND THEYRE ALL LIKE-

ANIME GORGEOUS FOODS ✨️❤️‍🔥

OKAY SO

PROMO TIME-

U GUYS HAVE TO WATCH THE ANIME "CAMPFIRE COOKING IN ANOTHER WORLD"

Bc that's mostly where this inspo gonna come from to both be realistic cooking + best parts of video game cooking

A guy gets isekai’d and instead of hero powers he just gets the skill of "online grocery shopping" LMAO

and ofc he gets insta gifted whatever he orders and starts making dishes and adding spices and regular stuff you know. like soy sauce.

but the best part is the food in that world is like British medieval soup shit

like barely salted, no spices definitely, no sauces, its barren

so he ends up attracting all kinds of interest that want to eat his cooking ofc

And it gives buffs too!

dw i didnt spoil anything u don't learn in the first episode, but that's just to say that's exactly whats happening here

u DO have to manually collect more ingredients but its so worth it, also u can just buy in bulk or put a commission thru the adventurer guild

tbhhh now that i say that, that could be how u end up drawing in Benny’s Adventure Team even more, bc they just take all ur quests for collecting ingredients around Mond!!

(u have to actively sneak behind their back and whisper to Katheryne that you want to put in other food quests in other guilds tho, silly kids will absolutely go running around Liyue and crazy shit just to have an adventure and do smth for you + eat ur banger food lol)

omfg the first time u barbecue smth???

the wolves, Razor, and Andrius??? Go feral.

Fischl and Benny who were already on their way to u guys to hang out again start booking it thru the woods, dodging hilichurl camps (thatve since settled down and been v peaceful to the wolves + anyone in the woods of Wolvendom after u started living there)

they knowww ur cookin smth fucking amazing

(and u even have some hilichurls and mitachurl that wander close to Andrius’ edge of the woods to shyly beg for scraps,, u give them a portion)

Razor was actually lookin at u like u hung the stars just for him when u gave him a homemade barbecue sauce to put on his food

(u acc may have done that to Teyvatians according to Andrius + the stories u overheard from Springvale…)

ok but the amount of begging u get for desserts like-

No, Razor u cannot have chocolate cake/cupcakes after every meal, u need to take care of ur teeth

(u use ur collection of mora-monster-donations for comms for more ingredients and living supplies like fabric + furniture, u cant afford dental on top of that for ur boy)

Fischl dutifully declares you the “best chef in the kingdom” and writes down all ur recipes (u have them auto-stored in ur settings obv but it cant hurt to have a physical copy, and they look so happy doing it, u don't have the heart to tell them its not necessary-)

Benny insists on both giving u extra ingredients when he takes ur commissions, and giving u handmade trinkets or weapons for the meals!!

No!! He will not take “im good” for an answer!! ur sharing ur home-cave with him, taking care of his best friend Razor, and now feeding him food better than Liuli Pavilion!!! There’s no way he can just take all that and give nothing back!!!!

and theyre not the only ones getting some food tbh

when the knights begin patroling near Wolvendom and slowly all of Mondstadt to search for their “All God”, u break up the beginnings of a fight between 2 confused knights and the now peaceful hilichurl camp at the edge of Wolvendom

U offer some snacks u were going to give Benny’s Adventure Team when they got back (u made little triangle sandwiches, rice balls, etc. finger foods, and u made plenty extra bc u kno their teenage appetites lol)

the knights and hilichurls nearly cried with appreciation, which made for a hilarious sight when the teens actually showed up lmao

ur wearing ur cloak, bc u dont wanna take on that whole “creator of worlds” title just yet, and the kids helped verify u werent anyone suspicious (Benny + Fischl keep ur godly secret, theyre the best like that 🥰)

the knights just swing by for snacks occasionally (they also either pay u in trade or with mora, theyre not bullies)

another person who gets flavored food privileges is the lazy librarian witch herself

u also sometimes pick Razor up from Lisa’s tutoring and bring “the best tea and tea snacks in the world” along with to share with Lisa and him

(she is also fully aware after awhile of meeting u of what u are, and fully believes this is why the food must be enchanted to be so good, but u dont want to be treated super reverently she can tell, so she keeps ur secret too and is just extra flirty when u come by lol)

(Razor refuses to let his pare- Lupical move out of ur cozy cave to the library, so he sometimes hauls u away when Lisa flirts too much LMAO)

…and the moment you've been waiting for.

Yes, Diluc got to try ur food that night he was searching Wolvendom for signs of the god of Teyvat

tbh Diluc was half-convinced that shit was a fever dream.

a bunch of sleepy wolves, a coffee table in the stone colosseum, a giant spirit wolf licking a big plate clean, the wolf-kid glaring at him, and you.

you with gold eyes, staring right thru his soul, like you already know everything there is to know about him, (like the way Kaeya looked at him that night),

like he doesnt even have to introduce himself

and he doesnt, u just lightly smack Razor’s hands until he gets rid of his claymore w/a pout, since Diluc had long since dropped his,

and grab a plate, piling on what leftovers u could, and turn back around from the coffee table to smile at him, patting the cushion-seat beside u for him to join

The giant glowing wolf licks his lips and watches him, the wolf-kid’s creepily watches him, and you, with eyes gold in teh light of a simmering bonfire just past the table, watch him

he just sits down and begins to eat.

its the best food he’s ever had, its his dad’s favorite dish, but not realistically, but the way memory embellishes a dish so much it can never be tasted again, except its right here. in front of him. u pour some wolfhook juice for him, and offer him a napkin to wipe his mouth and eyes

Diluc visits often after that, obviously.

u give him snacks too, and when he lets the staff try some, Adeline will not stop harassing him abt gettin ur recipes/ingredeints so u get him to pay Fischl to get a copy of their recipe book :)

including blank pages for future entries, and Fischl is literally glowing with happiness, would not stop monologuing abt ur food for weeks (send help Oz wants some peace and quiet sometimes)

Oh Diluc absolutely told the Favonius knights he found you. But he’s not saying where LMAO

Jean is actually begging him, Diluc ik u hate the knights but this is an international investigation-

this is the closest Diluc has ever gotten to getting under Venti’s skin.

when he told him this at Angel’s while bartending, he just casually ofc said this, just his smug little smirk, and the anemo god cracked a glass and everything- esp when he said he tried ur cooking??

he's gotta start looking over his shoulder in the city bc not only is Venti stalking him, the entirety of Mondstadt’s citizens are glaring at him in envy everywhere he goes LMAOO

(Venti now has a bar glass or too on his tab to pay off as well)

mans is literally paying u in weapon/artifact materials/mora to make him lunch one day and Venti nearly lunges over the counter

(Diluc purposefully ate it in front of him 💀)

ur food is the ultimate, “u could make a religion out of this!” /ref

like Diluc fully gives u offerings of ingredients he can pay for shipping from other countries + along with regular materials after grinding in domains

does the rest of Mondstadt + the world find out where u are?

only if Diluc lets them tbh. LMFAO

☆

bk trashfire my beloved <3 love ur ideas and stuff, goes without even saying im so sorry i took actually forever to respond :’(

hope u have a great weekend and i did this little side story justice for you

Safe Travels BK Trashfire,

💀♒

If you wanna join a taglist, DM me what for! "Pspspsss, please tag me for [All SAGAU posts, Only SAGAU Language AUs, diff fandom, etc.]!"

(If you ever wanna drop, just DM me! "No more taglists/[specifically this AU/fandom] please!")

♡my beloveds♡

@karmawonders / @0rah-s / @randomnatics / @glxssynarvi / @nexylaza / @genshin-impacts-me / @wholesomey-artist / @thedevioussmirk / @the-dumber-scaramouche / @chocogi / @fallen-starr / @areaderofbooks / @devilangel657 / @esthelily / @justinsomniachild / @nanithefuck / @questionotmystopit / @chinuneko / @silvers-tongue

@kiyomi-uchiha777

[unearthly-doting]

the wind will guide you home

a/n: idk idk i just really like the anemo characters soso much. kept it pretty vague i think so you can decide if the reader is willing or unwilling. no faruzan or lynette bc i couldn't think of anything for them :(

includes: aether, lumine, venti, jean, xiao, kazuha, sucrose, heizou, and wanderer.

premise: you wandered a little too far away from your partner for their liking. maybe you were trying to escape, maybe not. but don't worry, they'll find you.

warnings: mdni, yandere content, gn reader, implied/referenced kidnapping, overprotective behavior, possessive behavior, obsessive behavior, implied drugging, stalking, unhealthy relationships, vague mentions of dependency, uh whatever the fuck is happening in wanderer's section.

AETHER — is immediately panicked the moment he realizes you aren't by his side anymore. he never lets you travel with him, it was dangerous and you were safer tucked away in the little area he kept you in, safe from the dangers of this mysterious world. it was his fault, really. he had forgotten to lock the door the last time he visited, having been in such a hurry for one reason or another. you, for some reason, had decided to leave even though he had told you time and time again that it was dangerous. he wouldn't waste any time looking for you, hurrying outside, and using everything he had to his advantage to search for you. if you have a vision, he's definitely using his elemental sight to track you down. and when he does find you, he's immediately latching himself onto you, clinging to you and breathing a sigh of relief. he was completely oblivious to the horrified look on your face, just glad to have you in his arms again. "let's get you home. it's not safe for you out here."

LUMINE — would more than likely notice immediately when you vanish. she keeps you at her side at all times to ensure that she can protect you, so you're rarely ever away from her. the moment she sees that you're gone, she's abandoning whatever it was she was doing to find you. it doesn't matter if it was a commission or some important task that will help her get a better understanding of this world. you were more important than that right now. you needed to be back by her side. her tracking skills were incredibly good, so you wouldn't get far before she had you in her sights again. it doesn't matter if you were trying to escape or if you were just distracted and wandered off, the grip she had on your wrist was tight once she caught up to you, and she refused to let you go until the two of you were back at whatever inn or camp you two were staying at. she'll bind your hands together and tie the end of the rope to her wrist if you try arguing with her. "i can't keep you safe if you refuse to stay by my side."

VENTI — is honestly the only one here that will find you like almost immediately. even if he isn't paying attention to you and instead wowing a crowd with his amazing bard skills, the wind will tell him the moment you're gone. he'll stop midstory at the news, politely excusing himself and promising to be back later with an even better story. he'll let the wind guide him, listening to the whispers as he hurries down the streets of mondstadt, picking up pace when the wind tells him you were heading for the main gate of the city. if he uses his powers as the anemo archon to cause a harsh gust of wind to knock everyone away from the gates of the city just so he can catch up with you, then... well... it's not like anyone will know it was him. other than you, of course. and the moment you recovered from hitting the ground, venti was at your side and helping you up. he let you keep your freedom, most of it at least, but he didn't want you to leave the city if he wasn't at your side. he doesn't let go of your hand as he drags you back, an upbeat smile on his face as he playfully spoke, "you're missing my performance! you know i can't perform without my biggest fan watching me." you miss the tightly concealed desperation in his eyes as he stared at you. you can't leave him. he won't let you.

JEAN — is so busy with work that she rarely has the time to keep track of every little move you make. honestly, she probably won't realize you're gone until kaeya or amber drop by and tell her that they saw you wandering outside the city, seemingly heading in the direction of liyue. she's immediately abandoning whatever paperwork she had been looking through, hurrying out of her office and rushing past the citizens in the city to get to you. her mind was running wild trying to figure out why you would even think about leaving the city, let alone leaving without telling her. she's almost out of breath by the time she finds you, the sun starting to set as she crashes into you in a tight hug while rapid-fire questioning you on why you were leaving mondstadt and if she did something wrong and what she could do to make it better. it isn't hard to calm her down, cutting off her questions and explaining that you were simply going to visit some family in liyue and that you had left a note for her at home because you didn't want to bother her when she was so busy. whether or not that was the truth, she didn't care. she was pulling you back in the direction of the city, shaking her head. "no, i can't focus on anything when you aren't here. i need you."

XIAO — felt a little hurt, finding you gone. he was one of the hardest to get away from, always at your side unless the traveler called him away or something happened that required his attention. he thought you had gotten used to him by now, seeing as you never shied away from him when he was around anymore. so yeah, he was real fucking hurt when he returned to the inn and found your room empty. not even verr knew where you had gone. he isn't the type to immediately panic, but he is tense and will gradually get more agitated the longer it takes to find you. if he finds you quickly, the most you'll get is a cold glare as he drags you back to the inn. if he finds you after searching for hours upon hours, he will cling to you as if you would disappear if he let go. his breathing would be heavy, his face buried in your neck as he grounds himself. you were back in his arms, and either way, he wasn't going to let you leave his sight until he was sure you weren't going to pull a stunt like this again. if you want to wander around, then just ask and he'll go with you. "don't ever do that again. don't... don't ever leave me like that."

KAZUHA — would feel torn. while he understands the need and desire to roam the world and take in all that one can process, he also felt uncomfortable when you weren't around. a sick feeling budding in his chest, wondering if maybe you weren't wandering off but instead trying to leave him. he wants to trust you, and most of the time he does, but... you've tried leaving him before. many times, actually, that he's lost count. so, as much as he would love to leave you to your own devices, he just didn't trust you enough. he would ask other travelers if they'd seen you by chance, and some would point him in your direction while others would shake their heads. no matter, he took any and all help given to him until he finally spotted you. his approach was quiet, and you were startled when you had finally noticed him. he didn't say anything for a moment, just staring at you. there was something about his gaze that felt more intense than normal. it was like he was studying you, deciphering your actions. it didn't last long, because the look was replaced with a soft smile as he held his hand out, beckoning you to take it. "let's walk together."

SUCROSE — also didn't immediately notice. similar to jean, she can get pretty busy with work and gets so invested that she'll often times forget her surroundings. it's only when albedo or noelle make a comment on you not being by her side that she snaps to attention, looking around with a puzzled expression. when had you left? how long had you been gone? when she had last spoken to you, the sun was high in the sky. it was dark now. she would stutter out a quick departure to whichever friend had told her you were gone before scurrying away to try and find you. she would have the hardest time finding you, nervously approaching strangers on the street and asking if they had seen you or not. one person mentioned seeing you at the barbatos statue, and she immediately darted off in that direction without sparing the informant a second glance. and she was damn near tears when she found you. she wouldn't understand why you had left without telling her first, wondering if maybe she had done something to upset you. she'd be apologizing, telling you she was sorry if she made you mad, and begging you to come home. given how you two were in public, you felt a bit out of place so you agreed just to stop having people look at you. she would hug your arm the entire time, refusing to let go until the two of you were back at her home. and then she'd offer you something to drink! as an apology! and, well... if she puts a little something in it to tire you out, then that's too bad. "o-oh, you feel sick? maybe you should try to rest... don't worry, i'll be here to take care of you."

HEIZOU — would be the second one to find you quickly. he's a detective, so obviously he'll be able to track you down with ease! your attempts at trying to cover were tracks were adorable but futile. he had found you probably a mere hour after you had gone off, though he didn't immediately make his presence known. he was curious as to why you had left so abruptly without telling him, wondering if maybe something had happened or if you were, perhaps, trying to leave him. but you wouldn't do that! right? either way, he's following you in secret. some may call this stalking, but he calls it... lovingly admiring from afar. this'll go on for hours, more than likely. he's not in any rush to drag you home, and he gets to partake in his favorite pastime! so, by all means, continue walking. he'll probably do a few things here and there to startle you, making noises by shaking bushes and branches or throwing rocks. he likes seeing you on edge; he thinks you're cute when you're constantly looking around, searching for him. of course, once you get too close to ritou for his liking, he'll bring the fun to an end and finally make his presence known by hugging you from behind, a cheeky smile on his expression as you tense up. "caught you!" he hums, pressing a kiss to the back of your neck as if to prove to you that he was actually there. maybe he'll lock you up at home for a few days just to keep you all to himself. y'know, as his prize for catching you.

WANDERER — thinks it's amusing, honestly, that you think you can sneak off without him noticing. he'll let you go off on your own and let you think you have the freedom of doing so, but only because he has other pressing matters to attend to. he'll take is time too, going about his tasks at a languid pace, not at all worried about where you may be or where you might go. some people may ask about your whereabouts since you're usually almost always with him, and he'll just offer them a smile that... well. it puts them on edge, to be honest, and it makes them drop the topic. he'll even occasionally take breaks, enjoying a drawn-out lunch with nahida and even deciding to indulge the traveler a bit and walk with them through the city. but the moment he finishes all of his tasks for the day, he's going after you. you've had enough freedom today, and he wants you back at his side. it's where you belong, after all. he won't lie, it's exciting, searching for you like this. he wonders if you know whether or not he's after you. maybe you've been looking over your shoulder the entire day, wondering if he'll be right behind you. the thought alone fills him with an almost gleeful joy. and when he does find you, he's not wasting a single second before grabbing you, lips twitching upwards slightly at the startled shout you let out. "did you have fun?" he'll ask, though it would be hard to tell if he wanted a serious answer or not. he doesn't really care, in all honesty. you're back in his arms, right where you belong. his prized possession.

[beehiveofblorbos]

been brainrotting Venti recently and all of his lore so just gonna put it somewhere that’s not my head

Some basics on Venti: he is the Anemo Archon of Mondstadt, with connections to wine and song, but with the official dominion of Wind, and his ideal is Freedom. He currently disguises himself as a carefree bard. His character story and Neuvi’s voice lines also declare him to be a god of hope.

when we first meet him he teleports away in a flash of Anemo (he can teleport!!) and we learn when we enter mond that the god Barbatos (an original member of the Seven) has been MIA for a long time. He’s not the one running the place, the Ordo Favonius are, but he does have a church and Mondstadters habitually give each other blessings from the wind. He himself has a habit of sleeping for long periods of time.

okay, cool. Venti himself helps us save Dvalin, casually revealing he’s the Anemo Archon just to get hold of the Holy Lyre. He breaks it when we’re on the quest, but returns it to Barbara magically fixed (and implies that she’ll find it broken again soon). His Gnosis is stolen (guys he can Teleport!!!) from him, but he returns to Windrise to recover.

He also gives us the basics on Teyvat’s elemental powers, and tells us a god’s power is based in how much control they exert over their nation (this is later contradicted by Nahida + Focalors,,,, so chances are that he was lying!)

then we also have Carmen Dei, the only archon story quest to not have a part 2. In “Should You Be Trapped In A Windless Land” (and we’ll explore what wind means in Teyvat), Venti uses his godly powers to help Stanley, a boastful adventurer who has taken on the face and identity of his friend in order to carry on his memory. The friend died in Mare Jivari, the ‘windless land’ likely referenced by the quest title.

Venti then sings the story of how he, “a single thread of the thousand winds” (Venti character story), became an archon. He reveals he too has taken on the face of his friend who died among the revolt against Decarabian in Old Mond that ended with Venti being seated as the god.

(Guys he has associations with death!! It doesn’t stop here, Weinlesefest and Mond legends about your spirit being guided back home by the wind, even the connections in events to Hu Tao like !!!)

He hasn’t appeared much in main story, honestly. But there are so many crumbs that lead back to Barbatos and his homeland of Mond that one HAS to wonder: what is going on with him?

His drip marketing? oh he’s the “prodigal son”. son of who???

(“she was the moment. she was every moment… every second of joy, every moment of rage, every instant of longing, every flash of delirium”)

furthermore we’ve got more from his demo: “full of mystery, born from the branches of time / a history of glory and sorrow, and witness to the divine”.

so he’s the “prodigal son”, “born from the branches of time”, who is “full of mystery”, has “a history of glory and sorrow”, and serves as a “witness to the divine”.

what do his character stories have to say? a LOT. they call him “a single thread of the thousand winds”, “without a shred of divine dignity” (pre archon war). And they claim he became a god once the rebellion succeeded (it kinda makes sense, he was the spirit most associated with them after all, and as we know - gods of Teyvat draw power from their believers)

The 5th story remarks that Venti both should and should not be given credit for Mond’s prosperity, since it’s the doing of the Four Winds (which he established lol) but also he’s the one ensuring that the tales of their deeds are passed on.

ok let’s break this down. he’s the prodigal son? the question of his parentage seems to have found it’s definitive answer. Mondstadtian sayings commonly associate the wind with the passage of time, and there are temples to time and a god of time in Mond, which have now come to ruins. They were worshipped alongside Venti for a long time, but their significance diminished and eroded.

Now, in Enka we discovered records of Istaroth, who was also known by the Enkanomiyans as their Goddess of Time, and is the premier candidate (by lore enthusiast consensus) for the god that would’ve been worshipped alongside Venti.

She is also (I’m convinced) Venti’s mom. Remember, he was said to be “born of the branches of time” and “a single thread of the thousand winds”. What was Istaroth’s epithet? She’s the Thousand Winds. We are literally told he was a part of her.

We also have evidence to support Venti having time-based powers. Remember the Weinlesefest memories brought by the wind? He also “knows all songs, past and future”. And furthermore, he might have just rewound the Holy Lyre instead of actually fixing it permanently.

The real question up for debate is whether or not Venti is part of her or a completely unique entity. Both are possible, honestly. I mean, they coexisted. It’s just that the phrasing “a branch” bothers me because it was the exact same phrase used to reference what Nahida is to Rukkha but that much could just be coincidence.

I think we’ve established by now that he’s seen a history full of glory and sorrow, and that he’s full of mystery. So what’s left?

He “knows all songs, past and future” and he is a “witness of the divine”. And his character story supports that, highlighting the importance of his role as a witness to the history of Mond and the feats of the Four Winds. In light of the Sumeru and Fontaine AQs, where we learned that info can be erased from Irminsul and can only be preserved either through the memory of a Witness from outside the world or the creation of an allegorical tale that seems just fictional enough to bypass the Irminsul censors. Also, the importance of what we see being the truth.

(Oh yeah: forgot to mention that he also tends to play this role in history, where he doesn’t interfere much himself but he picks a hero to address a task and then supports them however they need to get the job done. This traces back all the way to his time with Decarabian; he didn’t fight in the war itself, but he watched the Nameless Bard and his countrymen do it, and recorded it in song. Same for Vennessa and the Revolution against the aristocracy).

(guys he is a god of hope and of freedom)

Carmen Dei the story quest does not have a part two. I fear for the day it does, frankly, because we will learn a LOT about this silly little man.

[voidpumpkin]

YOU FIGHT ON THE COLONISERS SIDE IN SUMERU?!?!

I’m honestly losing track of all the bullshit going on with Sumeru, mihoyo, what the fuck, how are you this bad? For my own sake I'm putting all this nonsense in one place.

Sumeru is a nation in Genshin Impact, like all other nations it’s based off a real world culture. Mondstadt: Germany, Liyue: China, Inazuma: Japan, Snezhaya: Russia, Fontaine: France, Natlan: South America and Africa, Sumeru: SWANA countries (note the non-white/east Asian cultures are just lumped together rather than being separate, distinct cultures.)

First inklings of the problems to come with Sumeru were apparent with the travelling npcs, who are all incredibly pale. They look exactly like the white npcs. Pale SWANA people exist, but they are the minority, the Sumeru npcs we see should not all be so pale. Mihoyo has a long history of colourism, out of the 48 playable characters only 2 are darker than milk, there are no darker skinned npcs, the majority of the non-white playable are paler than most white people. In their other game, Honkai Impact there is only one character with a darker skin tone than milk, that is Carole Pepper, who has slight tan. Despite how pale she already is a major characteristic of her is that she hates how dark her skin is. I repeat one of the main characteristics of Honkai’s only non-white coloured character is that she hates her skin tone. Mihoyo has shown themselves to be consistently colourist before, including how they characterised there only slightly darker skinned characters, Kaeya and Xinyan, both being described as more aggressive than their paler counterparts.

Then designs for Sumeru were released. Not only were they white as fuck, but there designs were quite frankly messy. In the case of Tighnari there was no discernible connection to SWANA culture, and in the case of Doir, she is straight up an orientalist caricature of Indian culture rather than SWANA culture, so they couldn’t even get their caricatures to stick to one region. The conflation of SWANA cultures with each other and non SWANA cultures is a form of racism/orientalism and is unacceptable. The orientalism that is Dori falls in line with the larger misogynistic trend in Genshin Impact, virtually all girls who aren't aren't little children are sexualised/fetishized in some way, with high heels, objectifying outfits, and egregious amount skin shown (something not shared with the vast majority of their male counterparts). This objectification is especially dangerous with the SWANA characters as it is this fetishization and objectification that has been used to justify and condone sexual violence against SWANA women. More details about Dori were released, which showed her riding a genie like it was an animal which people criticised as being disrespectful due to genies being based off the Djinn of Islamic belief.

Then the archon was leaked. And she was a white elf child with a generic Isekai design and absolutely no connection to any SWANA. I repeat, the leader of a supposedly SWANA coded nation has nothing SWANA about her. Her whiteness is even more egregious as a 2D cutscene showed her as a brown skinned adult. Not long after this the trailer for Sumeru dropped. With generic and not very good ‘oriental’ music playing it showed a tropical jungle landscape. Tropical jungles don’t really exist in SWANA countries, don’t get me wrong they do have vast beautiful forests but this didn't resemble them in the slightest. Instead of a) showing how cultures can flourish in desert landscapes as SWANA cultures have done for millennia and the plants that can and do grow there. Or b) showing an accurate depiction of the actual forests that exist in SWANA countries, dispelling some widespread myths about the area. But instead they just went with a jungle. During this trailer we also got to see some of the architecture with only slithers of it referencing actual SWANA architecture.

It was right around this time that Mihoyo themselves put out the terrible defence of ‘it’s just a fantasy world, it’s all cool bro, stop being so mad’ an abysmal defence that doesn’t hold up in their own considering how extensively Mondstadt, Liyue and Inazuma were based on Germany, China and Japan respectively. The level of research and care that went into making these areas and the characters from these areas is what makes Sumeru such a slap in the face. Not helped by the names being accurate. The names of the Sumeru characters are accurate, which shows that Mihoyo is in fact capable of doing research into SWANA cultures and putting it into their game, proving that the orientalist caricature was a choice.

More designs were released, more orientalism. Then the harbingers dropped, a pretty blatant distraction tactic from the racist mess that is Sumeru, with people noting noting that this sliver of Russian culture has more care an accuracy than most of Sumeru.

A couple more Sumeru designs were released/leaked, hinted at being dark skin before release but in fact had the world's slightest tan. These were Dehya and Cyno, who are Eremites, the indigenous people of Sumeru and now live in the desert (keep that in mind.) There was also the release of the desert bandits, enemy npcs who hilariously are noted as being more accurate than the playable characters. The enemies you fight are more accurate than the playable characters (though they still are incredibly inaccurate, especially the women), this will become darker with the recent release of Sumeru’s backstory.

Now the backstory of Sumeru has apparently been released, with a rough summary of it being: the eremites (the indigenous people of Sumeru who are for some reason named after a type of Christian hermit) lived in harmony in Sumeru before the Scarlet king fought the original Dendro archon, creating the desert. The dendro archon subsequently forced the indingenous people to the desert and built a wall. They built a wall to keep out the indigenous people they kicked out, and the enemies you fight are from the desert, i.e. you’re fighting the indigenous people of sumeru, on the side of the coloniser. Genshin already has a history of anti-indigenous racism with the hilichurls, humanoid beasts, countless of which you slaughter, with native americans used as reference for their behaviour. People have also pointed out the uncomfortable parallels to the Israeli genocide of Palestine, white people forcing out the darker skinned indigenous people whilst also claiming to be the ones who are causing it to bloom. 

Whilst we don’t know how this plot will end, considering the track record of genshin and other companies the plot is unfortunately likely going to resolve with, ‘the indigenous people and colonisers should just get along.’

Pretty much every single thing about Sumeru is racist and orientalist in someway and it just gets worse with every new update. 

An especially annoying part is the fans so insistent on denying and defending a fucking gacha game of all things, showing how racist they are in both their support and defense of this mess.

Fuck genshin, fuck mihoyo, and fuck the fans defending it.

I am quite frankly terrified for how they will handle natlan, a South American and African coded nation.

[accidental-geo-main]

How many Languages do they know? // D!CKZ Edition

What languages do the D!CKZ boys know? And how many?

Characters: Childe, Diluc, Kaeya, Itto, Bonus!Zhongli

Tags: based on language HC, mentioned Skirk (Childe), Mentioned Dottore (Childe), referenced Venti (Zhongli), I don't think Itto is OOC but Just in case,

TW : none that I know of

Notes: All characters are fluent in Teyvat's Common language. This is written based on the headcanon that Teyvat has multiple languages.

A/N : My cat did not want me to write this. She wants only love and affection and no writing. I wrote this today and I didn't edit so if you notice mistakes let me know!

Word count: ~610 || Not edited

Childe

He knows the basics of most.

Part of a Harbinger’s training is learning the basics of all major languages and communicating effectively in them.

He’s most fluent in his native Snezhnayan followed by Elegant Fontaine’s.

Recently his Liyuen has gotten much better. he can comfortably carry on conversations without getting confused.

His worst has to be Sumeru’s. Though that’s only because Dottore goes out of his way to sabotage his studies.

During his time in the Abyss, Skirk had taught him an ancient language. He doesn’t know the name of it or its origin. He hasn’t even seen any remnants of that language after escaping the abyss but after spending 6 months speaking it, he won't be forgetting it anytime soon.

Diluc

A little bit of everything

When he went MIA for those 2 years, he picked up quite a few words.

He can read or speak those languages but he can understand simple phrases.

He can speak traditional Mondstadtian (formal and informal).

It was common practice for nobles to learn Formal Mondstadtian and speak it regularly.

He is also fluent in Snezhnayan. He learned it before he got banned from the nation.

he continued to study the language after being banned if only to be able to write in Formal Snezhnayan when he has to deal with the Fatui or foreign nobles.

Kaeya

He knows 3 (if you count commons)

He knows Formal and informal Mondstadtian.

When he was little and just started learning it, he was so excited he would only speak in it.

Crepus always encouraged it. Loving the way the young boy's eyes would light up when he spoke the language of his adopted home.

Before his father left him in Mondstadt, he was taught Khaenri'ah. He can read and write it albeit at a child’s level.

When no one is around to hear, he’ll speak to himself in Khaenri'ah. He’ll never admit it but he’s terrified he’ll forget it if he doesn't practice every day.

Itto

Surprisingly he speaks a handful of languages.

On top of traditional Inazuman, He also speaks the language of the Oni.

He also knows multiple Tengu and Yokai languages.

He learned them after seeing a group of little kids bullied over speaking their languages.

It reminded him of his childhood when he was bullied for speaking his “demon” language.

It took him a while to learn them and he still isn't fluent but he’s able to understand and read them pretty fluently.

His pronunciation still isn’t the best though.

Bonus!Zhongli

Of course, the being that's been alive for over 7000 years knows multiple languages.

He knows thousands. Extinct or forgotten.

He knows the languages of fallen kingdoms and clans.

If you want to know the history of a language, he can tell you in detail.

It’s really an insult to think he couldn’t.

In order to make proper contracts with people, it's best to write in their native tongue for easy understanding and fewer Misunderstandings.

Not to mention, as a Certain Drunkard once taught him, Stories, songs, and any type of artform hold a different power when you understand it in its original language.

It allows you to truly appreciate the art in full.

================================================

I feel it important to clarify the Language HC. They would be a mix/ inspired by multiple languages. NOT exact equivalents. (Mondstadt = German, Dutch, Swedish || Fontaine = French, Italian, Latin,)

There are more influences. This is just to give an example.

—————————————

Thanks for reading!

I have a tiny bit of an obsession with the Teyvat Language HC. It allows nicknames like Baobei (baby ) and Titles like DiDi or GeGe. These are all Chinese examples but they are some of the most common you'll see in the fandom.

If you have any suggestions for me, feel free to send them in! If you see any typos, etc. let me know!

Published: 10/25/2022

[xinxiaogato]

— live to tell the tail

summary. you unfortunately lived in a universe where general gorou had found out ms. hina was… himself. and just your luck: gorou’s first impression of you was a crazed devotee of the ms. hina fan club, but you had only been in the wrong place at the wrong time. will you live to tell the tail?

love interests. gn!reader x a watatsumi general, an inazuman vagrant, the balladeer, and the kreideprinz.

warnings. infinite pet puns, referenced character death, weapons, swearing, blood, alcohol, harassment, and mentions of war.

note. “nibi” is a gender-neutral title i am using for a parent in this chapter! also, the child could have been delivered by a gestational surrogate.

word count. 1,044

chapter eighteen ⌇ pawternal instincts

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when scaramouche came up to your table for help with a child pincering the hem of his shorts, your katsu sandwich went down the wrong pipe hole. you downed half of a bottle of dango milk to help you recover from the shock.

“i would’ve never guessed that you had a kid,” you jested, wiping your lips of any excess, but scaramouche was a far cry from being entertained.

“very funny,” he said flatly, neglecting to conceal his true colors at this point. “what was in your food to make you say that?”

the little kid’s big eyes shone at the sound of “food” and locked onto the manifold delectables atop your plate.

“i-i’m hungry…” he cheeped, rubbing his tummy.

“you’re hungry?” you reiterated to which he frantically nodded, bouncing on the balls of his feet. his mannerisms reminded you of a red burny girl back in mondstadt, who occasionally showed up at good hunter to snatch a tiger grilled fish stick from you. “c’mon, it’s all yours, champ.”

the boy waddled away from scaramouche and clambered onto the adjacent seat. as his eyes swept across the mizu manjuu, egg rolls, and fish-shaped cakes, your concern proliferated. you smoothed back the sprig of cowlick on the top of his head and inquired of him, “where are your parents, buddy? did you come to this restaurant with them?”

he paused before pointing the tip of his tri-flavored skewer at you. “nibi…” and then right at scaramouche. “papa…”

and that was when you noticed: the boy’s hair that you were patting was a similar color and texture to yours, and his eyes reflected the same intense purple as that of scaramouche’s. in your chair, you rotated to face the man with robotic consistency.

“kuni… this may sound farfetched, but what if, in the future, we actually ended up in a loveless marriage and this is our child who went back to the past to stop us from falling for each other?” you proposed.

…

scaramouche was appalled. you weren’t fazed by the intimate moment he created earlier—lips against your ear and everything—yet you have already shaken him more times than he can count.

“i’m leaving,” he snapped.

those words from scaramouche seemed to set off an alarm in the child. he dropped the skewer and outstretched his hands with teary eyes, confining scaramouche in one place.

“papa, please don’t go!” the little kid’s bottom lip quivered as he turned to you for help. “n-nibi, can you stop papa?”

seeing him in such a crestfallen state made your chest clench painfully. you quickly gave the child a reassuring smile while whipping up some sort of convincing explanation. “aaactually… your papa is off to get… your stuffed animal from our room!” you blurted out, catching scaramouche’s eye. “right… honey?”

scaramouche, a sinner whose face could school itself into deadpan amid a sea of rotting bodies, was flabbergasted at this unfolding of events. a stuffed animal? he hadn’t seen one in his life, but the glimmer of hope in the child’s eyes forced scaramouche to raise his shoulders into a noncommittal shrug.

“yes, i will return,” he grunted after a moment’s worth of hesitation.

with herculean strength, he offered his newlywed partner and unplanned child an award-winning smile and left the restaurant, but once he was out of sight, his elegant steps turned into anger-driven strides.

i should’ve never decided to come kill this moron myself! he fumed, but rationality slowed scaramouche to a halt. 

it wasn’t a decision for scaramouche. for the first time in his godforsaken time on teyvat, scaramouche felt like he had no other choice.

as soon as scaramouche received the report that you escaped after eavesdropping on his henchmen in the forest one time, he already had lackeys on your heels. there was no need for him to get personally involved.

but his lackeys continued to be defeated one by one. those that managed to survive and crawl back to headquarters all described seeing “a dash of white hair” before a gust of wind ripped their comrades to shreds. they couldn’t get anywhere near you.

and do you wanna know about the icing on top? the salt to scaramouche’s wound?

you, reader, were a complete nobody with zilch information on your record that he scrounged up, yet you somehow got yourself implicated in his plan to incapacitate a general.

well, you didn’t completely thwart it. the divine priestess—a pawn he had fiddled with in the past—would still believe that the man who shot the arrow was an undercover shogunate officer… 

…when it was really a fatui agent sent on scaramouche’s behalf.

tension between the inazuma shogunate and the island of watatsumi was exactly what scaramouche needed to gain control of the nation as a whole. the same nation he was manufactured in would be the same nation that met its downfall by his synthetic hands.

but there was an unforeseen error: scaramouche was under the impression that you overheard the details of his plan to fabricate chaos in inazuma in the forest, thus throwing caution to the wind and taking an arrow to the shoulder for general gorou…

…but no one outside of the fatui organization was allowed to get away with that information alive, especially a being as insignificant as yourself.

due to how incompetent his servants were, he boarded this very passenger boat to get the job done, thinking you were some powerful entity, but scaramouche was quick to find out that you weren’t powerful in the brain or brawn department, which should’ve meant he had the upper hand. human lives were playthings to him, and he could easily strike you down at any given moment…

…but he was hesitating to kill you.

thrown so off-kilter by this, scaramouche knew there was something terribly wrong with his wiring. this abnormality was the antithesis of his crimes as the balladeer thus far, so he was on the verge of knocking down the shogun’s door and demanding her to fix him.

well, if he didn’t hate her so much.

scaramouche was aware that he wasn’t making any progress by idling around, so he stormed off to find a stupid, ugly stuffed animal to pacify that kid.

shit, where am i going to steal one?

꒰ 🗒 series m.list | prev. chapter | next chapter ꒱

[definitelynotafurinasimp]

“No, sorry, you laughed. I… I never saw it before. It’s- pretty”

Characters: Eula x gn!reader

Warnings: mentions of alcohol (bc Mondstadt), nothing else, just fluff

This post is part of my 800 Follower Event, if you'd like to read other post belonging to the Event you can find them on my blog under the tag #JustASimp'sSimpingEvent

a/n: I accidentally answered this request when I posted the other Eula fic, so I have to use a screenshot to show the ask in my inbox.

Anyway, hope you enjoy!

Eula

While people who only knew Eula because she was a Lawrence might have said that her sense of humour was… rather unique, if they even realised that she had one and didn’t assume she meant everything she said 100% seriously, that is, you had grown rather accustomed to it. It may have took you some time to realise that you weren’t necessarily in trouble whenever she swore to take vengeance on you, once you did you couldn’t help but smile whenever you heard her say what had basically become her catchphrase.

But no matter how hilarious something might appear to her, due to her upbringing the most you’d get out of her was a smile or chuckle, never once having seen her laugh more than just a simple “Ha”.

Managing to order something to drink whenever the green alcoholic bard decided to play something in exchange for alcohol, while difficult enough, was hardly as much of a nightmare as bringing the two mugs back to your table, having to depend on nothing but luck and your ability to predict whatever movements the drunkards around you would make. But when you finally came back to where you had sat before going on your adventure, Eula seemed awfully focused on whatever the boy was singing, seemingly enjoyed it.

“Are you enjoying the music?”, you asked with a big smile before putting down the drink in front of her, only for her to turn her face back to you.

“As much as a Lawrence can enjoy a song mocking their family’s history”, was her response, and while her words might have made others think that she wanted nothing more than for it to stop, her tone and look made it rather obvious that there was at least one Lawrence that seemed to like it.

“I have a feeling that the jokes only make sense to those that know a bit about the recorded history of the Lawrence clan, so I’m probably not this song’s targeted audience”, you admitted before finally sitting back down on the chair.

“You should let yourself educate about what terrible things we have done and how dangerous we still are today, maybe then you’d finally realise that drawing my ire is a bad idea”, Eula joked before taking her first sip of the night.

Apparently, songs about the Lawrence clan were just what the bar’s visitors liked, since after the first song finally ended, almost all following one’s were about the same subject. And while you didn’t understand most of the events referenced, your parents having decided that telling their small child about horrible crimes from centuries ago, probably wasn’t a great recipe for good dreams, there whenever you did understand something, you couldn’t help but chuckle.

While Eula herself seemed to find most of the jokes amusing herself, and the few drinks she had since the first song certainly did a good job at making her more open about what was going on in her head, there hadn’t been a single laughter from her part. Or so it was, until the two of you were in the middle of a small conversation, only for her to overhear a joke about how great the upbringing of the Lawrence clan probably was, causing her to break out in laughter. You immediately became stopped talking, trying to memorise her laugh within just the second or two it lasted, knowing full well that it would probably be a long time until you got to hear it again.

“Are you okay? Why did you stop talking? Don’t tell me you’re choking on something, you can’t die before I managed to have my vengeance”, she asked, and although she was obviously joking, Eula still seemed slightly worried, only to relax a bit when you finally responded after silently staring at her for a few moments.

“No, sorry, you laughed. I… I never saw it before. It’s- pretty”, you blurted out, only for your face to heat up when you realised what had just come out of your mouth. “J-just forget I said anything, that was probably the alcohol”, you backpaddled, only to shut up once again when you saw Eula shake her head.

“No, no. Taking back what you said to an aristocrat is not an option, although you better really think what you said, since flattery alone won’t save you from my vengeance. The last kind of person I need around me is a sycophant”, Eula stated in her usual dramatic way, only to smile once she saw you shily nod your head in response. “Now back to the important matter at hand. How shall we make that bard pay for ridiculing my clan?”, she changed the subject after looking back at the increasingly drunk bard in green.

“We could buy him another drink. The hangover he’ll suffer tomorrow will be his punishment”, you jokingly suggested, deciding that playing along was the best course of action to make you forget your little slip-up. Your ‘plan’ instantly catching Eula’s attention, who turned back to you with a big smile.

“Great idea, that will show him.”

[randomnumbers751650]

You probably hear a lot of weird theories daily, so this is another addition to them, but my theory says that Natlan will be destroyed by Celestia at the end of the Fontaine. I’ll elaborate further. But, in short, it’s due to the lack of foreshadowing and the writers aren’t really doing anything to hype the nation and because of unconfirmed leaks that made too much sense in this specific train of thought. There will be discussion of leaks after Read More, so be careful.

So, I started to think of this after noticing how absent Natlan seems to be from everything in the current point. The game started with Mondstadt and Liyue. My friend who was starting playing from the beginning said that Inazuma was mentioned at the end of the Liyue story, but I’m not sure how other characters or just things from Inazuma were referenced.

Also, an interlude: before you ask, I’m not looking at additional material, besides the trailers. I believe these things have to stand on themselves in the main story.

Returning each nation has something to be hyped for:

Mondstadt: a quite vanilla pseudo-medieval European fantasy, even if I see it as analogue to Hong Kong, it plays safe to introduce the player to the world

Liyue: plays a safe Chinese fantasy, but kinda new to Western players, so it feels fresh, plus the Chasm is considered a great level

Inazuma: standard Japanese fantasy, but it makes new things with Watatsumi and Enkanomiya, and the Traveler is essentially Commodore Perry opening the country

Sumeru: combination of Arab and Indian fantasy in a pseudo-cyberpunk story, involving academic cadres, I feel this is where the writers did try to make something actually new, never seen before in the medium

I remember seeing Sumeru NPCs (there’s a couple right at Mondstadt) and various references to things that happen in Sumeru. But there have been references to both Fontaine and Snezhnaya.

Fontaine: a country with many travelers around the other nations of Teyvat, many acting as visiting engineers and artists, known for its technological progress and for being the nation of justice; I imagine its plot will involve parallels with the French Revolution, because the term “industrial revolution” is directly derived from the term “French revolution”, because it implied revolutions in technology the same way the French Revolution implied a revolution in politics; wasn’t there a guillotine in a recent trailer?

Snezhnaya: another country with many travelers, including both Fatui and non-Fatui – which is quite surprising, because the writers are exploring earlier how a lot of Snezhnayans are just normal people, most of them are traders so far we’ve seen –, this is more distant because it’s supposed to be the last nation, and is also technologically advanced. We have, however, an idea of what’s going to happen: after bullying other nations as an imperialistic power for so long, the Traveler is going to bring the war to the Fatui in their home ground and this will shake things up there, so there’s a lot to be hyped about

The problem is where is Natlan in all of this? We know that it’s based on Pre-Columbian America and Pre-1500s East Africa, but what else, besides its trailer (trivia: I saw the revealed character is called Iansan, which is the name of an African divinity worshipped in Afro-Brazilian religions like candomblé)? We have a reference to hot springs in Inazuma City. And Capitano, being based. And…and…that’s all I can remember. Not even in Sumeru I remember any reference, and they’d be interested in learning about it.

From what I saw from old leaks, Natlan is under something similar to the Sakoku Decree, no one can leave the nation. Not only that, but it’s also a country without civilization, just sparse tribes that gather around Aztec-like pyramids. We don’t know why, but it’s something Murata has decreed for whatever reasons, but it seems she’s acting on some sort of luddism… I think.

Wouldn’t it be interesting to have a Natlanese escape their home country and go explore Teyvat? Or having an explorer returning with stuff and maps from there (I think Venti did something to help there, but I forgot where I saw it)? And yet, it’s been four entire game updates and the references are so sparse. We have no idea of what to expect because the writers apparently aren’t doing anything to hype them up.

I even tried to hype it up, by saying we might get chocolate-related recipes (because it’s no news but cacao comes from its real life equivalent) in another post, but the only reaction was a rude reminder that it’s a nation without civilization. Why would the writers just make Sakoku Decree 2: Pyro Boogaloo? And yet nobody in the current nations of Teyvat seems to miss them, it feels they’re kind of invisible. There isn’t even stereotypes of them being savages, it makes me wonder if Teyvat is that socially advanced to just accept the Natlanese way of life as an equal to any other in the world.

What makes each nation unique is their unique civilizations. And then comes a nation that has no civilization. From what we had so far, we don’t know what to expect. The Natlan country might be a sparsely populated continent, like the Americas before 1500 – but even so the Americas had quite a number of civilizations, like Central American ones, the Andean ones, even less known ones, like the civilizations in the Mississippi basin (due to greater unpredictability concerning the Mississippi river’s flood plains, it was harder to establish a civilization, creating cycles of thriving and receding urbanization; the moment right before the Europeans’ arrival was one in a receding cycle) or even the Marajoara civilization at the mouth of the Amazon river. There was also civilizations, big ones, in East Africa as well, like like Songhan and the Mali empires.

We’ve seen the writers will borrow from real life story, even if they do their twists. There’s little that remains from Pre-Columbian civilizations writings, so one thing could be a reenactment of Maya myths (but we have more of East African writings). Or even make a story involving imperialism and colonization, using the opportunity to introduce a new alien faction – like, James Cameron’s Avatar is popular, they could borrow from it – that started colonizing Natlan and might be a problem for not just the Traveler but to Celestia itself.

The point is that there’s nothing in the current story that says anything about what to expect. It feels like an afterthought. And, summarizing everything, there’s also the issue of escalation. Leaks said that there will be 440 hydroculii in Fontaine – this means that Natlan will likely have over 500 and they need to create a lot of things for the player to do there. Given how used the player will be at this point with civilization, how are they going to fill the world map with quests? And they have to keep that for a year and the dev team must know at this point what works and what doesn’t to keep the player busy for a year. Unless, of course, they have a plan for de-escalation.

But recent leaks made me realize: what if it’s the point?

Leaks being leaks, they aren’t supposed to be trustworthy. I will be vague, but the leaks said that some characters will be resurrected (and be playable) and that Celestia will activate at some point in Fontaine. These are bombastic if true, to say the least.

But, suppose they are. I’m more interested in the second one for this theory, because it was foreshadowed – Rex Lapis stepped down and the Geo Archon job is vacant, it makes sense for Celestia to activate and elect a new Geo Archon.

Celestia so far has been treated mysteriously. They’re the ones that govern with an iron fist Teyvat. They wiped out Khanreiah for the sin of wishing for a world without gods (implied militarism notwithstanding – I know there are Nordic influences for the Khanreian founders, but it makes me wonder if the nation itself borrowed a bit from US, with its high level of immigration and isolationism, which used to be a feature of American politics). They curse Seelies and Hilichurls to suffer for eternity. They made the Traveler’s sibling, once a great hero, and the Archon of Love to adopt a “destroy using whatever it takes, lies, murder, conspiracy, ignore morality, kill everyone and let God sort who belongs to him” approach to fight against them. And, considering how Genshin’s story borrows from gnostic mythology, it’s more than obvious that they will be the final antagonist. In my personal theory, Celestia is already eroded and now just follows protocols, like a faulty AI, that is unable to realize the world needs to move on.

But, we’re shown, like what happened to the hilichurls in the Chasm, but these are indirect ways to show this. There needs to be an event that makes the Traveler witness with their own eyes how far Celestia would go and let the Traveler (likely) judge they’re beyond redemption – the moment they’re tempted to say “My sibling did nothing wrong!”

That moment would be the destruction of an entire nation – Natlan. Why? I don’t know why they’d choose Natlan, but there are some things I consider signs, with the apparent disinterest of the writers in trying to make the player excited for it. Why would you do that with, essentially, a disposable country?

Of course, I might eat my words in August 2024 and feel really silly when reading this again, and they make something good out of it. But, eh, this wouldn’t stop me from having these thoughts.

[phyneire]

The Art of Liquid Fire. Where did it come from?

A lot of people believe Rosalyne learned the liquid fire art through the Akademiya, I've always disagreed with this sentiment and this post expands on why.

The Akademiya Curriculum

Sumeru Akademiya is not a place you go to to learn practical elemental skills. We've heard from many npcs and playable characters alike, Spantamad focuses on the theory of the elements and observation and the other darshans aren't element focused at all.

All the alumni we've met, or know of, that have gone on to become vision holders did not hone these skills through the akademiya, rather they developed them externally, or after they'd completed their studies. While yes it made some of their studies easier, especially if they were a spantamad scholar, their practical elemental skills were developed after receiving divine recognition.

I don't know what Rosalyne studied at the Akademiya, we don't even know for certain what darshan she was in, Spantamad is most likely but it's yet to be confirmed. At the very most, her studies may have aided her practical elemental skills but the Akademiya did not teach them.

Very Little Is Known About The Art

Sumeru Akademiya is located in the nation of Wisdom, and since the Lawrence Clan burned down 4/5 of the Mondstadt Library, the akademiya has served (and still serves) as Teyvat's largest modern archive of knowledge.

It's very unlikely that the physical embodiment of the "Crimson Witch" was the art Signora learned,

"Rumour told of how she sacrificed her mortal body to become the embodiment of liquid fire herself"

instead her sacrifice seems to serve as the art in it's raw, most destructive and desperate form.

"And so the Crimson Witch continued to burn,"

The time it took for Rosalyne to turn into the Crimson Witch also indicates a gradual loss of control over her own powers.

It's an art that was supposedly once prosperous and reknowned, and only once has there ever been a Crimson Witch, I fail to see the Akademiya forbidding the knowledge because of the danger, and even if they did there would still be some evidence in the restricted section.

However its explicitly stated that the art was 'lost to time.' Implying this knowledge is no longer accessible at all, there's no one upkeeping a modern record of the art anywhere, and as a consequence it's been forgotten or abandoned in the process of social evolution and linguistic deviation.

Rosalyne's Youth

We know nothing about Signora's childhood, we have no confirmation she's from Mondstadt, and we have no mention of parents or siblings. We have only her name and her artifacts to go off of.

The etymology of her name has been discussed and dissected multiple times, but what stands out to me is not the meaning itself but the origin — this makes more sense later — "Lohefalter" is Old German, meaning 'blazing butterfly' showing her age by using Old German to source the etymology of her name.

Likewise, she's almost always exclusively referred to as a 'maiden,' meaning 'a girl, or (usually young), unmarried woman' given Rostam was most likely in his early 40s when he died I'm going to assume hyv is using the term maiden to refer to her marital status, or lack thereof, and not her age.

Aside from the one occasion she's referenced as an 'apprentice.' Given the fact that Mondstadt is based on the Holy Roman Empire and medieval Germany, I am working with the medieval definition of an apprentice, that being:

"An apprentice was a young person, most often male, who learned a trade by working for a guild master. Apprenticeships often began at age 12, and commonly lasted from two to seven years. Apprentices frequently lived at their master's house and were given room and board, but earned no money."

In comparison to 'her maiden years' Rosalyne would have been a young girl during her "Witch's Scorching Hat" days. This further extends her parallels with Childe as it alludes to a master or mentor whom she stayed with and worked under for a time in her adolescence. I'm inclined to believe Rosalyne was with this master for at least 6 years, as outside of this time period she's exclusively referred to as a maiden, making her at the very least 18 years old.

This makes sense with her timeline, and why Rosalyne appears to come out of nowhere, if she spent her youth outside of Mondstadt and moved there later after ending her apprenticeship.

Furthermore I always believed her comment in Liyue

"Just as a child quickly matures after losing their parents, so has Liyue matured when faced with the death of its deity..."

– to be about herself. We know from her artifacts that her mockery of Teppei's death, while it seemed like a morbid, out-of-pocket allegory, it can be reflected in her own story; and I don't believe her morbid comment about an orphan to be an exception.

[defiedlife]

ooc. this ended up somewhat disjointed, but I have to put my thoughts somewhere. Diluc headcanon/meta/general rambling below the cut because it got pretty long.

I was looking over the manga again and got reminded of this:

It's so easy to miss even when there's a whole panel dedicated to highlighting it, because it's such a small detail, but that's a partial Fatui symbol on Diluc's mask. Seeing it again got me thinking about why it's there in the first place, especially since the full page and the next couple after it carry some implications if you stop and think about what Dottore says for a moment. I don't wanna make this post too long just due to images, so I'll type the dialogue here instead:

Dottore: "But the loss of this menial...is happily balanced out by this unexpected finding. That 'Vision' you're wearing is indeed interesting. Diluc: "What? What are you saying?" Dottore: "I'd love to indulge in this some more, but that's it for now. Keep up the good work and hone your unimpressive powers. Farewell. I can see...a bright future ahead of you."

Here, it's obvious Dottore knows things Diluc doesn't, despite the fact that this is after Diluc has returned to Mondstadt—meaning after he wrecked Fatui strongholds left and right for years in search of vengeance and information on delusions, and after he joined a secret intelligence organization. Despite all his efforts and connections, there's still so much information he doesn't have, meanwhile Dottore sure just implied something.

Back to the mask. It's Fatui-made, or else it wouldn't have that symbol, and thus it likely came with the delusion as a set. We also know from Crepus' words just prior to the attack that he once intended to give the delusion to Diluc as a gift. This leads to two main possibilities, and both could be true:

That theory of a mask being required to safely use a delusion is somehow true, and/or...

Along with the delusion, that mask in particular was intended specifically for Diluc, because it being an owl mask is a little too on the nose to ignore.

Now this got me thinking even further, because why would Diluc be given a custom mask when he (as far as we know) had no ties to the Fatui at that point? You could argue that since we don't know for certain how Crepus obtained the delusion in the first place, he may simply have paid for it and the mask and asked that the mask be custom-made with Diluc in mind.

But that's the boring answer, and it doesn't match up with Dottore's implications, nor does it match with Barnabas being so shocked that Diluc possessed a delusion. If the Fatui were willing to hand out delusions to just anyone in exchange for large sums of mora back then, it wouldn't be that much of a shock, right?

There's also the popular theory that Crepus was a former member of the Fatui and/or a former Harbinger, and that's how he got the delusion at some point. It's a fun theory, and it could very well be true, but I'm iffy on it tbh. Something about it just doesn't quite fit to me. (This is also mostly me trying not to just jump on the bandwagon and copy a popular headcanon, so if you like that theory, please don't let me stop you from enjoying it!)

My own thoughts ran away from me yesterday, and I decided to look into something. As someone who also writes Childe, I've looked into commedia dell'arte stuff before. Since many of the typical commedia characters reference certain animals for inspiration in some way, I decided to dig deep and see if I could find any reliable information regarding any of them referencing an owl.

Boy, when I tell you that my jaw fucking dropped. Tartaglia is often likened to an owl, and I have no idea how I didn't come across that information before now. In hindsight, it explains why in one of the pre-release betas, Childe was the one with the Noctua constellation rather than Diluc. But this along with every other breadcrumb combined thus far gave me a fun little idea.

What if Diluc was meant to take up the title of Tartaglia before Crepus' death cemented his hatred of the Fatui, and Childe took the spot instead, in part only because Diluc never did? What if Crepus made a desperate deal with the Fatui when Diluc was young, so hung up on his need to live vicariously through his son's success that he was willing to hand Diluc over to them when he came of age, lured in with the promise that Diluc would have ample power and never want for anything as a Harbinger? They even offered an experimental delusion without explaining all the risks, both as a means of dangling a proverbial carrot and creating a means for them to observe what will happen when it's inevitably used.

But then Diluc gained a vision on his own, and later soared through the ranks in the Knights of Favonius. He didn't need the Fatui to thrive and succeed, and thus Crepus ultimately backed out of the deal...and paid the price.

It always did strike me as a little odd that the attack on Crepus and Diluc felt like a hit, since it was triggered by a deliberately placed Fatui device. But if the Fatui had just received word that Crepus was backing out of a major deal that should have come to fruition on Diluc's eighteenth birthday...it makes sense.

Dottore's cryptic implications also fit this idea, because that "bright future" could mean that he's aware of the whole deal and just waiting for the day that Diluc becomes a Harbinger anyway.

[ao3feed-dilucnkaeya]

they'll call us the dioscuri

Read on AO3

by beaufort12

Diluc Ragnvindr returns to Mondstadt. This is not quite the same thing as coming home.

(Kaeya Alberich is handling all of this in an entirely healthy and normal way, thank you very much.)

*** a.k.a. I wanted to write one (1) very self-indulgent duet scene and then suddenly I was 10k words into this mess please send help

Words: 16250, Chapters: 1/2, Language: English

Fandoms: 原神 | Genshin Impact (Video Game)

Rating: Not Rated

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: Gen

Characters: Diluc (Genshin Impact), Kaeya (Genshin Impact), Jean (Genshin Impact), Adelinde (Genshin Impact)

Relationships: Diluc & Kaeya (Genshin Impact)

Additional Tags: Implied/Referenced Suicide, only of a sort but worth tagging, i have literally never played genshin impact before, Not Canon Compliant, not only do i not know what canon is i am also actively ignoring it, Unreliable Narrator, making up vision and delusion lore with reckless abandon, Diluc and Kaeya Reconciliation (Genshin Impact), Dreams, Diluc is actually decent at feelings, yes this should be immediately taken as the red flag that it is, sorry crepus but i simply cannot write good father figures, don't read into that

[bellehalla]

Do you think you could describe the appearances of our main soldiers? ( heishi, weald, etc.)

hello love!! omg i hope you're still around

AHH i adore the main soldiers so much! I try not to give too much description when it comes to my characters since I let readers interpret them from their personality and character in the story instead. But there had been some questions regarding their appearances (like Ilya, which @escapismnotfound illustrated!! check out their blog and art!!) so I guess it's time I give some of them some faces. Officially leaving MC as the only faceless one lmaoooo

And oh boy, this is ONE LENGTHY post. I enjoyed writing it <3

Ewald

nation: Mondstadt

height: 5'4

shortest one in the company. idk if you remember but in chapter 1, he had facial hair but had to shave it off around chapter 3 when the program officially started. he's short, stocky, and kinda looks like a human version of a pug. he grew out his black hair which is probably the same length as MC's which reaches their shoulders, but you won't really notice it since he always have it up as well. he has accentuated jowls and his cheeks kinda hang that make him look tough. i referenced him from one of the characters in Mulan, Yao! (same vibe too)

Jurgen

nation: Mondstadt

height: 6'1

the Dad of the group. Jurgen's another Mondstadtian. he's tall, has broad shoulders and beefy arms that make him seem like he gives great hugs (he does). he's soft-faced, and has high cheekbones. every time he smiles his cheeks get so round. also has brown eyes. same haircut as Huffman, but has caramel colored hair.

Heishi

nation: Inazuma

height: 6'4

he already has an impressive height, but his face tops it all. he's slim-faced with prominent cheekbones and straight nose, framed by his midnight blue curls. he's more lean than buff, but he's trying to pack up some muscles. if it weren't for his military uniform, it's easy to see him as another man from a prominent family. his ruggedness is more from his VERY unruly hair.

Ira

nation: Mondstadt

height: 6'0

the clown of the group. Ira's very lanky despite his appetite. he's kinda cute if he knows how to dress and carry himself. with his sharp jawline, tall nose, and short ginger hair, he could really pull the ladies (don't tell him this). but alas his charm is in his crooked smile. take it as it is. he doesn't mean anything bad when he smiles big and wide.

Hiroto

nation: Inazuma

height: 6'5

big and tough, a bit buffer compared to Heishi. long dark hair that reaches the middle of his back. unlike Ewald and Rin, Hiroto likes to let his hair loose, so sometimes the soldiers see it. square jawline and heavy brow ridge that makes him look angry all the time. though fun fact, he's very attentive to his eyebrows and prefers to keep them clean and plucked. there's just so much to know about this guy.

Kita & Kenji

nation: Inazuma

height: 6'2

they're not twins...as far as they know. but they do look so much alike save for their builds. when Kita first appeared (oh and fun fact again, Kita was the one that egged Rin on during their first day when she fought Ewald) he had short grey hair. Kenji convinced him to shave his hair into a buzzcut, so now they're sporting the same haircut. they're quite youthful in their appearance as they have a more rounded face. Kenji's face is sharper compared to Kita. Also, Kenji's upper body is quite bulky, but Kita's trying to catch up (he's almost as thin as Ira, so it might take awhile to bulk up).

Luka

nation: Mondstadt

height: 5'9

does anyone remember this guy? he's not that significant, but i have to balance out the count per nation lmao. he has yellow hair. handsome with his big round eyes, and high cheekbones. though he's more adorable than handsome, really.

[protect-namine]

hiii i saw ur tags on the new genshin video and was wondering if you remember when/where the hexenzirkel was first referenced?? this was my first time hearing of it and im super curious what bit of lore i mightve missed! i didn't start playing until right after the first GAA ended (rip) so i know for sure theres some event-exclusive albedo/mona/klee stories ive missed out on. im not finding anything helpful on the genshin wiki though so figured i'd just ask! love ur url btw :)

I love your url too! it's cute!!

okay I'm about to unearth this can of worms so bear with me for the length; the hexenzirkel is one of my favorite mysteries in genshin. I imagine that the wiki page might not be updated with everything yet since this is really the first time we've heard of them in an official capacity, but we can extrapolate a lot from what we previously knew. I'll put this under a read more. :D

from what I remember, we didn't actually have any info on hexenzirkel for a long time. the first time I saw it ever mentioned was from lisa's voiceline on mona.

Mona? She seems to be an excellent mage, but I'm not a part of their Hexenzirkel. The idea of Irminsul exploration and formal tea parties just leaves me cold.

and barbara's character story about when alice tried to turn her into an idol (lol):

"But... aren't The Seven the ones that people are supposed to worship?" / "Yes, but not exclusively…" replied Alice, an elder of the Hexenzirkel, as she groomed the young girl for stardom. "Read this, it contains everything you will need to know."

I'm not super updated on lore but I believe those were the only instances we've seen the hexenzirkel actually mentioned by name before this year's windblume.

so for a while that was really all we knew: that there's this coven of witches who have tea parties and explore irminsul. and since irminsul was such a big mystery, it was intriguing to know about them! however, since we know that alice is an elder, we can kinda extrapolate a lot from what we know of alice.

(interestingly: lisa mentions hexenzirkel as if mona is a part of it, but mona's official affiliation is of mondstadt. I'm also not sure if mona knew about the hexenzirkel, or much of them, though she certainly knew about her master, and albedo's master, and alice. so idk if she's officially a part of them, but lisa seems to think so?)

(also, lisa was apparently known as a grand mage at one point but that's all behind her now and she won't tell us much about it)

what we know about alice is scattered in many areas, but what interests me is that she:

is the rival-friend of mona's master (from mona's story quest) and was in possession of her diary (which she left with klee)

is friends with rhinedottir/gold, since she took care of albedo after rhinedottir left with the heart of naberius

is the author of the teyvat traveling guide

seems to know about other worlds existing. some speculate that she herself is a descender since she references a lot of outside-Teyvat stuff (like her dialogue in the first GAA), and it was curious how she was the one to narrate aloy's character miscellany instead of dainsleif

"Teyvat's borders have grown fragile these past two years — looks like Mommy's going to have to get busy." what does she have to do with "teyvat's borders"? this is from the wings of feasting description (yes, the KFC glider)

is immune to irminsul memory wipes (from how she narrates wanderer's character miscellany, she seems to know who wanderer really is). in the same video, she mentions that she has a special job that allows her special privileges that allows her to observe the world through different perspectives (sidenote: lol dottore would kill for that kind of privilege)

is in good terms with venti, since he knows everything about how to get traveler to GAA, literally gives traveler the cheatsheet for the lantern in this year's windblume, has the dodocommunicator, etc.

from there, the community just kinda associated alice with rhinedottir and mona's master (we now know her name is barbeloth, as in barbelos the mother of all in gnosticism, which is another whole can of worms). and have (correctly) inferred that they both must be part of the hexenzirkel with alice.

we also know that all of their children/successors are in mondstadt (klee, albedo, mona) and are actually good friends. from mona's character story 4, we know that they regularly meet up to have lunch and exchange knowledge ("since [albedo and mona] are both people who seek to unveil the principles of the world, and both are accomplished students of famed masters, aligning themselves with one another and working together is perfectly normal."). I think this will become important in the storyline later (like maybe two years later lol), especially since alchemy and hydromancy are very closely tied to the secrets of teyvat, and they are both fields that albedo and mona learned from their masters.

the rest of this post is mostly speculation, but I've heard some interesting theories about the hexenzirkel over the past two years:

the adventurer's guild was set up by the hexenzirkel. some people have cited that the roof of mondstadt's guild looks like a witch's hat. ashikai made a whole video about this theory (which also has a lot of info that I probably haven't covered) if you're interested!

skirk (the person in the abyss who taught childe how to survive there when he fell in) is also a member. I think that's not confirmed right now, since we now have the names of the witches and skirk wasn't mentioned, but maybe they could be a successor like scarlett?

hexenzirkel has deep connections to istaroth and might even worship istaroth. I don't have all the details to how this theory came to be, but I remember thinking it seems possible! I think it's because mona/hexenzirkel has a lot of the star of ishtar symbol. albedo said that mona's island in GAA (minacious isle) was literally a mountain razed by barabatos and it's from the location where the thousand winds temple is (in the first GAA we follow a seelie from there back to mondstadt, which confirms it). it was also the island where you travel between past and present AND where you can see the sky with purple hues for the first time (before we got the desert in sumeru). usually the skies of teyvat are in blue-green hues. with the revelation that the witches once tried to fight venti, I think this lends some weight to their istaroth connections (though of course, venti is friends with them now). them sending their successors to mondstadt kinda harkens back to the time when mondstadt worshipped both time and wind simultaneously in the distant past.

finally, the new windblume event actually points to some new theories. the video seems to imply that mona is a fallen star that her master scried upon. whether or not she fell from the "true" or "false" sky is unknown at the moment. I used to think she might be a daughter of outlanders, but maybe she's actually a descender herself? or a star of the false sky? either way, I'm always curious about how she came to know a song unknown to teyvat.

But sometimes, on a clear night, she can be seen on a high mountain slope. There, Mona gazes up at the stars in the sky — so close, she feels, that she could almost reach out and touch them — with gentle eyes, humming an unknown tune to herself.

so all in all, hexenzirkel lore is pretty scattered. but once you know the key figures related to them, you can just dive into their lore and you'll eventually find out about them. I got into them because I liked klee and albedo so I read their character stories, which led me to alice and mona, which led me to the hexenzirkel.

now that they're finally officially introduced in the game, hopefully we'll see more of them in the future! I think, given that it took them 2+ years to be mentioned without any official appearances from the members, that they'll be important to the endgame story when we circle back to mondstadt/celestia/khaenri'ah.

sorry this was very long, but hope that gives you brief introduction to some of the most mysterious factions in the game! I love them so much, so I'm glad they're getting attention now from other people!!

[rayneyroses]

Fortune Preserver

Status: Commissioned and owned by @shuicheese. Thank you! ♥ Fandom: Genshin Impact Rating: General Audiences Characters: Xiao & Qiqi Labels: referenced death ao3: ❆

Description: The summer heat is unyielding and gives Qiqi quite a lot of trouble picking herbs in the mountains. Xiao finds her alone, unable to remember her purpose. He decides to accompany her on her journey to protect her from harm. But Qiqi is still troubled, since she must return before nightfall and the sun will set soon.

╭── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╮

Many people had died in the crossfire of battle as the yakshas fought the eternal remains of gods buried by time. Innocent bystanders who they meant to protect from the monsters fell victim to their endless altercations. What remained at the end of a victorious battle wasn’t sweet satisfaction but a bitter aftertaste in their mouths. There was no conciliation for the lives they took and for the damage they caused, so their karmic debt grew until it consumed them one by one.

Perhaps this guilt served as a convenient excuse for him to keep watch over the small figure in the distance. Whether it was due to his obligation to protect the people of Liyue or a silent desire to rectify one of thousands of wrongs, it didn’t matter. There was no use in debating these things with oneself.

Xiao’s piercing gaze oversaw the valley before him. Atop one of the many mountains that marked the landscape of Lisha, he stood to observe the Dunyu Ruins below. Usually, he tasked himself with watching the long road that went past Wangshu Inn and connected Mondstadt with Liyue Harbour. Today his battle had taken him to a different place. Otherwise, he would not have spotted the familiar girl searching for respite from the summer heat in the shade of a tree.

At first, he had acknowledged her presence, yet paid it no further mind. But as time passed, she didn’t move an inch from her spot in the grass, limbs stretched out in all directions and her eyes closed shut. Was she sleeping, or something more dire? His amber eyes were sharp, but he could not make out what was going on from over here.

He considered. Should he meddle? Perhaps not. She was probably sleeping.

More time passed. The girl had opened her eyes and was staring at the sky, unmoving. Her gaze held no purpose and seemed lifeless. Lost.

Xiao finally chose to cross the distance between them.

“You’ve been here for a while,” he spoke, summoning her attention, “and so have the Fatui that occupy the ruins nearby. It isn’t safe here.”

She tilted her head. Her pale eyes stared right through him.

“Safe… it’s not. Mh…” She sat up slowly. It took great effort for her to stretch her stiff limbs. “Here… where am I? I forgot.”

“These are the Dunyu Ruins, in Lisha,” he answered, then added, “in Liyue, the land of Geo. Do you remember why you’re here?”

She shook her head. After staring at him for a long moment she asked, “Who are you?”

The list of names people called him by was endless. But this one was the name that not only protected his identity, but also the one which he had grown most accustomed to.

“Call me Xiao. What’s your name?”

It was unnecessary to ask, but he did so anyway.

“…Qiqi. My name… it’s Qiqi.”

Qiqi got to her feet, moving as if her body was made out of wax. Her current state was far from optimal, but he found relief in the fact that she remembered her name. That explained the who and where, but they were still missing the why.

“Qiqi… perhaps you’re carrying something that we can use to determine why you’re here,” he suggested, though he was already coming up with a Plan B. If there was nothing that explained her purpose here, he was going to escort her back to Liyue Harbour. Personally, he preferred that option if only for the sake of her safety.

Qiqi looked down at her body and lay eyes on the bag she had discarded in the grass next to her… probably before she took a rest. By searching its contents, she found a familiar diary. She remembered touching the solid cover and opening the book to flip through its pages. But her search was aimless, and she soon held her head as it began spinning. Xiao waited for a while before he spoke.

“Do you need help?”

Qiqi looked up and grimaced. Giving her journal away meant handing away her guide to safety. At the same time, was it much use to her if she failed to find the page she needed? The writing felt like some foreign code to her right now.

With great hesitation, she finally handed him the book. Xiao accepted it with a nod and carefully scanned the pages. He noted that she had neat handwriting, and the notebook was kept tidy. There was an introduction with basic rules and information on Qiqi and people she seemed keen to remember. The middle part was on-going and meant for daily entries. He skipped ahead to check today’s date and found what he was looking for.

“It says here you are to gather a certain amount of Violetgrass during the day and return to Bubu Pharmacy at dusk,” he explained and handed over the book with the open page. Qiqi tried reading it again. This time, she was slowly able to make sense of the situation herself.

“I remember... I know where I have to go. The mountain between Dunyu Ruins and Lingju Pass… that's my next stop.”

Xiao nodded. “I’ll accompany you.”

“Why?” Qiqi asked, puzzled by the stranger’s kindness.

“The heat is daunting,” he explained, “and if you were to forget and lose consciousness again, it may prove fatal for your body.”

She considered her options. Had she lost consciousness? It was hard to tell. But her body felt like it was falling apart, and she wanted to return home as soon as possible.

“Mh... Qiqi’s still confused. Thank you for the help... but I have to keep all of the Violetgrass we find. Is that okay?”

“I have no use for them,” he agreed to her request. “Let’s go.”

Qiqi nodded and put her journal back into her bag. But right when she was about to take a step forward, the heat sent another pang of dizziness through her body. She held her head.

“It’s too hot…,” she uttered in despair. “I feel like I’m melting away. My body… my body. It’s going to rot.”

Qiqi was undead, he knew as much. Centuries back, she had been bestowed with a cryo vision when death was about to strike her down. He remembered this vividly and with much guilt. The cold of her vision was meant to protect her body from disintegrating and growing foul. But in her weakened state and the scorching heat, perhaps that wasn’t enough to preserve her.

“I will be right back.”

In the blink of an eye, Xiao disappeared. Qiqi stood there, puzzled. But since there was nothing else she could do, she waited as he had instructed.

He remembered seeing mist flowers grow nearby. Once he had found the plant, he knelt by the water turned to ice and plucked three of the corollas. The cold pierced his fingertips. Hopefully, this was going to work as he intended.

Just as quickly as he had vanished, Xiao returned with a gust of wind. It ruffled Qiqi’s clothes, and she pressed a hand to the talisman on her forehead until it subsided. Xiao offered her the flowers in his hands, and she stepped closer to accept them with great relief. The icy cold spread from her hands through her limbs, soothing her entire body. She sighed and held them to her chest while they rejuvenated her.

Xiao waited patiently while she calmed down, content he had managed to ease her pain at least momentarily. Once she was ready to move, she looked down at her clothes and her bag. If she was going to gather herbs, she needed her hands free. But she also wanted to keep the flowers as close as possible…

“Why don’t you tie them to your bag?”

Xiao’s question dragged her out of her slowed thoughts. She considered, then nodded.

“Should I do it?” he asked, and she nodded again. Qiqi handed the flowers over and Xiao tied their stems to the strap of her bag, careful so they wouldn’t tear. Once they were properly secured, he stepped back and let her examine his work. The cold was pleasantly numbing her body. In the burning heat, it would give her enough safety to continue her task.

“It’s good. Thank you… ah.” She paused and brought a finger to her lips as she thought. After a moment, she shook her head. “I forgot your name… sorry.”

It seemed the flowers wouldn’t fix her problem so easily. But he could tell her ability to speak and move had improved, so that meant progress.

“It’s alright. My name is Xiao. If you forget again, ask away. I won’t mind.”

Qiqi nodded her head in gratitude. Contrasting his stern appearance, the person in front of her was patient. Xiao… even if she had trouble remembering right now, it felt familiar. Perhaps she could read it up in her notebook later.

“Qiqi’s ready to go now. Can we leave?”

Xiao agreed silently and they started walking.

The pitter patter of frogs hopping alongside the shore and the gentle waves lapping at the rocks piercing the nearby stream were the only sound to be heard amidst their footsteps. They trod side by side until they reached the great golden-knot wood tree near three paths crossing. Above them, the sun bathed the world in its burning light, obstructed by only a few clouds. Many would have considered this a lovely day. Xiao remembered being told by Rex Lapis and the God of Wind that beauty lay in the eye of the beholder. He figured there were a lot more things in this world that were like that.

The fluttering of Cicin wings reached his ears. Qiqi reached for her sword while she determined the source of the noise, but Xiao was faster. Swift as the wind, he summoned his spear and hoisted himself into the air. They failed to put as much as a scratch on him. His weapon pierced their bodies effortlessly. The monsters’ trilling and cries faded into silence as they fizzled out before they returned to elemental dust.

“You’re protecting Qiqi…” she noted once he had returned to her side. “Thank you.”

Gratitude. He still wasn’t used to this feeling.

“It’s my duty to protect. Think nothing of it.” Xiao turned towards the path ahead, eager to continue. “Let’s go.”

A bit puzzled by his behaviour, she nodded her head. Right now, she didn’t quite get what was going on, but it was something to think about later.

She followed in his footsteps as he led the way. Step by step, her body adjusted. They snuck past Hilichurls and Fatui Agents. When they had to cross pools of water, Xiao grasped her hand to help her climb up rocks and riverbeds. Soon, they reached the side of the mountain that was easiest to scale. Despite the time pressure, she had to do a couple of stretches before she was ready to climb up where the herbs grew. While she exercised, Xiao kept a watchful eye on their surroundings. Thanks to his effort, she was able to finish quickly.

“The sun is about to set. You said you must return by nighttime, correct?”

“Yeah...” she replied with an underlying sense of anxiety. “That's the order I gave myself.”

“Then let's focus on our search for now.”

Qiqi harvested the few plants they found. She was careful to preserve the roots and used her cryo vision to cool the herbs without damaging them. It was necessary to ensure they would stay fresh and lively throughout her journey. But they found fewer herbs than anticipated... somebody must've come to pluck Violetgrass before the summer heat had overwhelmed Qiqi. As the sky turned shades of crimson and gold, her anguish grew. The exhaustion was clear on her face. She was running out of time. At first Xiao chose to stay focused on their task, keen to complete it - but it soon became clear that it was an impossible feat. Despite the impending failure however, Qiqi kept climbing and walking, driven to fulfil what she had asked of herself.

When the sun was threatening to touch upon the horizon, he could stay idle no longer.

“We are out of time. What we have gathered by now will have to suffice,” he declared.

“I can't. I can't... go against an order. I have to...” Qiqi muttered.

She reached out to hold her head, dazed. A Jiangshi like her was meant to act only upon orders given by the one who had awoken them. However, while her cryo vision and the adeptal power bestowed upon her body had given her strength, the reason for her survival had been her overpowering wish to live. She was a special case and so, she had to give orders to herself.

Xiao stopped and spoke.

“Can I look at your book one more time?”

Qiqi paused, uncertain of what to do. It conflicted with her mission. But as if guided by an unseen force, she managed to pull the journal from her bag and handed it to the adeptus. Xiao accepted it, acknowledging that it had taken a great deal of strength from her.

Golden eyes skimmed the pages as he flipped through them. When he found an entry that caught his attention, he read it carefully.

He had discovered what he was looking for but was uncertain how to proceed.

“If you want to help Qiqi give up on an order, you must hug her and show her she is loved. Only if you succeed will she be able to rest.”

After a moment of silence, Xiao returned the book with a nod. His gaze wandered across the sky, an uncertain Qiqi by his side. She turned and her feet carried her forward, pulled by invisible strings.

If she could cry, this was certainly one of the few times she felt most like doing so. The strain on her body and the lack of time clashed with her mission. There was no escaping it. It was a despair unseen to the naked eye. It sat deep in her chest and made her bones ache. A cold spread through her limbs that was nothing like the comforting ice she knew from her vision, or the mist flowers tied around her bag.

Suddenly, she was held back by her shoulder. At first, she tried to pull away. When it was no use, she turned around.

In her anguish, she had almost forgotten about Xiao’s presence. That made it even more confusing when he got to his knees and wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug.

Xiao wasn't sure what he should do. As rarely as he had felt the embrace of another person, he knew how to give a hug. But the rest... he wasn’t certain. How did humans express love? Was it different because she was a special case? There were no further instructions in her journal. Throughout his life, he had heard of countless ways to express love too. But would it be genuine if it came from a stranger like him?

A memory flitted past his inner eye. There was one thing he knew… one thing that had helped him through his darkest times. Because he knew of nothing else to do, he decided to go with his instincts.

Xiao began to hum a song while he held Qiqi in his arms. The melody had saved him many years ago and was still ingrained in his mind. Whenever karmic debt threatened to devour him whole, his feet carried him out to the borders of Liyue to listen to the Dihua Flute. While the morning sun shed its first light upon the marsh, the weight on his body would ease. For just a little longer, he was allowed to escape his own madness.

The sun had set. While Xiao hummed his melody, the heat of the day gave way to the cool of the night. A lone tear slid down Qiqi's cheek. As it ran across her skin, the budding ice crystals inside glistened in the moonlight.

When the melody stopped, she noticed that she had wrapped her arms around him in return. Something inside her felt pleasantly warm. It was familiar… Perhaps it reminded her of home. Some memories could never be truly taken from her.

When Qiqi's grip on him eased up, he slowly let go of her.

“Are you able to move on?” He asked.

“Yeah... I think so.” The strange pull on her heartstrings had melted away with the rise of the moon. She regretted that she wasn't able to complete her task, but it was no longer tearing her up inside. Qiqi looked at Xiao and, for the first time, into his eyes.

“Thank you.”

She decided to write an entry about him in her notebook, so she wouldn’t forget.             

╰── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╯

[hitsuyou-fukaketsu]

you say you have a zhongli xxxholic au? 😳😳😳 can u link it i.cant seem to find it im so interested...

GSGDGDHSHDHF KINDA??

It's about this post i rbed earlier!!!

It's mostly about a series of books found in game! Heart's Desire! Here's the link of the wiki

It's a popular theory that Zhongli is the shopkeeper of this mysterious antique shop, just because her descriptions fit rex incognito's (another book series ingame! Highly reccomend it, it's about rex lapis in the human world) and zhongli in general, dark long hair and ambar eyes. Here's the thing tho! It is said that an adeptus can change their body but never their eyes, that's why it's important.

Although we cannot prove the veracity of the contents of the book just bc it's meant to be fiction.... I think?

But still!!!!!!! It's rly fun to think about it, everytime i read it i think it's zhongli. It's true than in the last rite he said that the descriptions of rex lapis in rex incognito aren't accurate because a god would never want to stand out if they want to walk arround the humans BUT!!! WHAT ZHONGLI DOESN'T KNOW IS THAT he's a total eye candy, i would put that in the zhongli is a bit dense category rather than a theory breaking point, since he doesn't deny that he liked to interact with humans

(Zhongli's Character story 3)

And what really makes the click with this theory (or au? I dont know!!) Is the second volume of Heart's Desire, it's titled Glaze ( you know)

It starts like this

This are all objects of the shop, all referencing rex lapis, lanterns for the lantern rite, the fang could be from Chi, aerosiderite which is the material of Zhongli's meteor, a dull geometric object which would be Guizhong's dumbbell and Havria's tears

Then we have a literal reference to the shopkeeper's eyes!!! And they are like Cor Lapis, zhonglicore right there!!!

And after skipping the story a little bit we have this at the end of the volume

I really think the shopkeeper is talking to Guizhong's heart, Guizhong loved humanity and Zhongli likes trips, doesn't it fit??????? (Shakes you) I really reccomend reading the whole story since it also has a bit of lore of some mondstadt characters that have artifacts and other stories (I'm really interested in the blue eyed spear witch since i think it rly sounds like signora, I have another theory that Rosalyne has a rebirth cycle)

I think that's mostly it!! They are two of my favourite books! I love Zhongli a whole bunch!