#especially with Cyno

[genshin-scenarios]

spiderverse continued: you’re a sunflower—! 🌻

Summary: As requested, here are the continuations to my previous Spiderverse post here!

Characters: Kinich, Heizou, Tighnari-Cyno, Venti, Wriothesley, Lyney

Warnings: Mild depictions of a panic attack for Wriothesley. Major character death in Lyney ‘bad end’ option (there is also a good end so don't worry!)

Kinich

When interdimensional rifts start to appear in Kinich’s world, he's not-so-proud to admit it made him a little hopeful that instead of an abyssal monster, it'd be you that falls out instead.

His wish is granted—somewhat, when he sees you. Not spiderman-you, but the version of you from his world who he's never met before.

You tell him you’re a test subject from a governmental organisation who got lost in the rifts many years ago (they were researching multi-dimensions). 

That at least explained why Kinich couldn't find traces of a ‘you’ from his dimension before (he was totally not pining and definitely wasn't disappointed when his searches came up empty)

Other than his one-sided attachment however, Kinich did have a practical reason for staying in contact with you. You seem to have gained abyssal powers from staying in the rifts for so long, and you're a crucial key to figuring out how to close them for good.

At the end of your first cooperation, Kinich drops a line that he wished he could've said to the other-you: at the core of the sentiment, he was truly just afraid you’d disappear back into the rifts and never meet again. 

“Come to me if you have any problems. For you, I'll do anything.”

You stay quiet, giving him a small smile before disappearing to your hideout. Considering how you were just a lost test subject, you weren't very keen on going back to the organisation that used to own you… but more baffling are the flashbacks that keep entering your mind—memories from spider-you in bittersweet, rose-coloured lenses. 

It wasn't uncommon for you to witness the memories of your other-dimensional selves, but ever since returning to your original world, this spider-version’s memories have been invading your mind.

Kinich knows you aren't the same person, but he does feel a soft spot for you nevertheless. As time goes on, he’ll notice similarities and differences between this-you and spider-you. 

Is it possible to fall for the same person twice? It seems that no matter which version, Kinich's drawn like a moth to a flame (clearly, he has a type. Or perhaps there's some element about being soulmates that'll better explain this). He’ll earn your trust slowly and get to know the current-you as an individual, and pay the price for loving you twice by convincing you that he's seeing the real you, instead of an imagined spider-other. 

The first time you truly let your guard down is when he's tending to animals in the nature reserve—his serious face while carrying a very cure hippo calf in his arms was truly a sight to behold:

“What is it?” “Nothing—I just never thought an animal could look so cute.”

Kinich thinks for a moment about how cute the sanctuary's animals might be. You guys had hit a roadblock in your plans and needed a way to divert police forces away from the Abyss-monsters. He tells you his idea. Your jaw drops. 

"We are NOT using the animals as bait!” "They aren't bait, we're just... letting them loose."

In the city. To divert traffic.

"I can already see the headlines,” you cross your arms. “Spiderman endangers animals - menace or hero?"

Kinich thinks to himself that he wouldn't mind being a menace, if it'll draw this expressive of a reaction from you.

Heizou

It isn't uncommon for Heizou to rescue you as Spiderman, particularly when he's late for a meeting and was swinging to avoid traffic, or when there's a villain on the loose.

“Late for a meeting, Reporter?” He asks as he swings the both of you between office towers, knowing full-well that the meeting in question was with him. Heizou is also not above small-talk as he asks you about the famous detective you're dating, and what you like about him:

“I feel like this is a little bit too personal, even if you've saved my life.” You raise your brow. “But if you must know, Detective Heizou has many charming traits, down to his impressive intellect and close-combat abilities. I'd say he can even give you a run for your money.”

You'd never say something so grandiose to his civilian-self. “Do you boast about him to everyone, or is it just your way of letting me know you're taken?”

“What do you think, Spiderman?”

Heizou thinks he should buy you flowers more often for being his number one spokesperson, but you’ll only chide him for buying too many things for you.

“Another gift?” You blink in surprise, accepting the box from Heizou. “I'm starting to wonder just how much you earn as a detective. Maybe I should switch careers.”

“I’ll have you know that I only buy things with sentimental value.” His eyes glimmer as he watches for your reaction. Your gaze widens when you see the necklace that shines with the same green shade as his eyes. It doubles as a safety beacon that'd send him your location if you pressed it in an emergency—thoughtful as he always is. 

“Anyways, could you help me make out these words? The handwriting is horrible.” He passes a notebook to you. Fully ready to help with the task, you're caught completely off-guard by details to a restaurant, finished by a not-so-subtle ‘date?’

“Heizou… you're already my boyfriend, are the pickup lines really–” “What does it say?” “...Would the beautiful person sitting across me like to go on a date.” “You didn't read out where, but I suppose I'm not picky about blindly following you.” “Heizou.” “You can even blindfold me if you'd like~”

Tighnari-Cyno

Remember the thank-you kiss on the cheek you gave to Vulpes? Yeah… That innocent gesture has somehow ended up in the tabloids, and you've been badgered by reporters who want to know if you're connected to the Spidermen ever since!

It gets to a point where Tighnari and Cyno have started to escort you in public areas just to try and give you some peace of mind—meanwhile, Tighnari might be beating himself up a little for causing you trouble. Sure, neither of you knew some sleuthing reporter could’ve witnessed it, but the damage is done.

“Maybe you should try to prove to the public that nothing is going on.” Tighnari numbly suggests. “Vulpes should've seen the newspapers by now. If he has any conscience as a hero, he should at least put it on the record that you don't know each other and get the media off your back.”

“I agree. If this continues, you could be in danger of being targeted by worse people.” Cyno says. “I believe that the superheroes patrol every now and then, so you could just leave a message somewhere discreet but visible from the sky.”

That was the plan, until a villain got to you and kidnapped you first. At this point you aren't even sure if you should laugh or cry at your luck—as the situation unfolds, both you and the Superheroes realise that the villain had a deluded image of your relationship (he read too many tabloids and thinks you're dating Vulpes). One thing leads to another, and when the villain finally has Vulpes trapped, you play the last card that comes to mind—unmasking the bottom half of Lupus’ face and kissing him right in front of them.

The shock gave Vulpes just enough time to break out of his binds and take down the villain, but not without returning to you and Lupus with his ears red (not visible but you definitely could tell from his voice) and clutching his forehead.

The clarification with the media was well-thought out and sufficed to bring your daily life back to normal, but your daily life with Tighnari and Cyno? A whole other story. The entire fiasco and theories about you dating their hero-selves has made the two a lot more conscious about their crushes on you—which somehow manifested into a lot of trouble!

Cyno can't believe that you gave him your first kiss without even knowing it's him. And Tighnari, well… let's just say that Lupus is going to have a very hard time during their next patrol. (Love and peace will come when your polytrio starts dating as civilians. Being committed makes them less petty)

Venti

“Guess who!” 

“Who else would be able to break into my room?” You muse, removing the hands which have covered your eyes, accompanied by a melodic hum. “Don't tell me you're here for open-night mic at the teahouse?”

“Hmm… that would be a nice idea, but it's actually because I have something to show you.” Venti smiles. “Care to go for a swing?”

Even before becoming Spiderman, Venti always had a penchant for high-up places as hideouts for writing music. What you don't expect however is for him to have found a similar spot in Liyue—with a view so beautiful during the sunset that he just had to bring you to it, regardless of how tired he must be from travelling to your city alone.

Things get a easier when you gain access to a waypoint device and registered Mondstadt as one of your destinations. It's your turn to crash in Venti's room while he goes on patrol, waiting for him to come back while you keep an eye on his navigation and police radio.

When he encounters a villain who you've only heard of as a rumour before, you're quick to don your own uniform, send a distress signal to your teammates, and join the fight yourself. 

There's a certain level of trust required to work together in such a high-speed environment, but the two of you make-do with your earpieces and manage to take the villain down. This is the first time Venti’s meeting your teammates, and is surprised to hear that they've heard about him before—not as Spiderman, but ‘that one cutie’ from your home-city that you’re ‘crazy about’.

Suffice to say you turned to violent threats very quickly to silence them and save your dignity, but the moment Venti heard the word ‘cute’ it was over—he manages to trap you in Mondstadt for now while your teammates send the villain back to headquarters, waving the both of you cheerily goodbye as Venti, still suited, keeps an arm around your shoulders. 

When you've retreated to the safety of his room and settled for the night, right as you thought that maybe the comment has escaped his mind—Venti peers up from his laid-down position on his stomach, at you who's sitting up and reading on your phone.

“So, there's this hometown sweetheart you have a crush on-?”

You have a feeling that he might begin a hunt if you dared to joke that it isn't him you were yapping about. And while you know that Venti wouldn't hurt anyone—it's somehow hard not to feel like you're in danger when his eyes are glimmering knowingly like that. (You feel the skip of a heart—your heart, to be exact.)

Wriothesley

Things get bad when you—a renowned detective—are framed for a crime you didn't commit. 

It's normally you bailing Wriothesley out of trouble with corporations and the media, after all, not the other way around. So when you sneak into his hideout with a cloak and looking worse for wear, Wriothesley knows that this isn't like the past times a villain is targeting you—whoever is on your case now is out for something important, and you'll both have to figure out what it is before it's too late.

Most of this adventure involves you living undercover as a regular civilian rather than your usual, detective self. It's almost domestic as you befriend the coworkers in Wriothesley's underground business, and become known as just another reporter who wants to ‘find out the truth’ about your detective-self's scandal.

People underestimate you because you've been pretending to be helpless in combat, letting Wriothesley take charge—allowing you to pretend you've been knocked out and do some sleuthing of your own at some point. But when all of that is done, Wriothesley has to hide a chuckle when you throw yourself back into character:

“Oh, thank god you're back! I don't know what I would've done if you didn't come in time!”  “I can still see your weapon in your coat.”  “Ah… And just where are you looking, Mr Wriothesley? My eyes are up here.”

The two of you are so unserious sometimes that it annoys your opponents, to be honest. But when things take a serious, darker turn, you're both faced with the reminders of your past staring back at you.

Suddenly, all the bravado in your body bleeds away, leaving a gaping hole in your chest that’s wide with panic. It's suddenly hard to breathe, but before you can devolve any further, you’re anchored by a grip on your shoulder which draws you into a firm chest. 

Even suited, you can still feel Wriothesley’s body heat and the loud thumps of his heart. Whether it be from fighting or seeing the same fears as you, you buried your head in his embrace nonetheless—pretending for a second that the world has slowed down.

Even the greatest of detectives may one day face a truth they cannot handle alone. Who would've thought that the thing which’ll comfort you is akin to a spider, which scatters out from the same shadow?

Lyney

I've already written some additional thoughts about Lyney here and here, so in this post I'll write a sort of ‘how it ends’ situation!

Like the theme suggests, this is how Lyney knowing your identity might end for the both of you…

A common enemy appears in the form of a mad scientist obsessed with abyssal technology, who's summoned a monster from the depths of the ocean (the narwhal).

There's a long-winded investigation from both you and the House of Hearth (the Fatui may be antagonistic, but they don't want to destroy their home) which finally collides when you run into the Phantom Twins at a very suspicious site. From there on, the twins have been cooperating with Spiderman to find the source of the unnatural floods around the city, and even helped out with evacuations.

Your impression of the Phantom Twins soften when you witness Lyney push himself too much whilst saving bystanders, ending up with a sprained leg. You offer to carry him back to the meeting point, which he vehemently refuses via evasive remarks, before your insistence makes him falter.

…Ah, how was he supposed to avoid you like this? You're just too heroic for your own good.

You're surprised by how light he is, which he takes slightly in offence. But more importantly—he's burning up! Having built up a fever from working night after night and not getting enough rest, you hand the masked fatuus to his sister and tell her to make sure he gets some rest. (You know it's bad when he's not as annoying as usual)

Lyney is mortified when you hear about his absence (due to illness) at school and asked Lynette if you could visit to pass him class notes. At this point Lynette doesn't know you're Spiderman but does know about Lyney’s huge crush, so she agrees and even says you can hang around and try to cheer him up, since he's been moping lately (mostly because he can't join on missions for now, but civilian-you doesn't know that.)

He can't decide if he's elated, embarrassed, concerned (or a jumble of all the above) when you step into his room, notes from class and snacks in hand. His injured leg is hidden beneath his blanket covers. Lynette quickly disappears after giving him a thumbs up, leaving the two of you alone. It's your first time seeing Lyney so tired, but the softness that he always holds towards you remains nonetheless. Your thoughts even wander back to when you encountered him as Spiderman for the first time and noticed an oddness in his attitude—something cold in his eyes despite his warm tone and smile.

It's leagues away from the normal Lyney that speaks to you or anyone else at school. But a couple of months later, you run into him as Spiderman again and notice that the coldness is no longer there.

Strange. Perhaps it’s just distrust towards you when you were still a new superhero? The press hasn't exactly been kind with their criticisms, so you can see why some people might be wary about you.

But still, something about that encounter versus his usual self still lingers in your mind, and you realise after a while that it's because you care whether or not he likes you.

But that's ridiculous. You're just friends, right?

Bad end, warning for major character death: by the time you realise that Lyney isn't just a friend, he's already sacrificed himself in the fight against the narwhal, only to reveal his identity at the very end as he tells you to protect his siblings and the city. “Under regular circumstances, I'd very much prefer to be alive and do it myself—but there are some things that only superheroes can do. So make sure not to break my heart by wasting my sacrifice, alright?” Do I now feel more like a hero, to you?

Good end: in a critical moment, Lyney tries to sacrifice himself but you jump in the way. In his panic, he calls out your real name, just as backup arrives from Lynette and Freminet.

“You… How did you know?” 

It hurts that you're looking at Lyney with such terror, with a guarded clench in your jaw as you pick up a random weapon in an effort to steel yourself. “Answer me now, before—”

“Please don't be too mad,” Lyney raises his palms, finally coming clean. You eyes widen as he slides his own mask off, wincing from the injury on his leg which has reopened during the fight. “I didn't say anything because I knew the city needed you.” Then, a pause. “...And it's a little complicated when you learn that the person you like has also been your alter-ego’s rival.”

With a weak smile, Lyney has the nerve to pick out an item from his cloak pocket and fold it into a little rose. He gives it to you like a delicate piece offering, before retracting and giving you space. Before you can start to piece together a response, he’s fled the scene with his siblings—who judging from their shock earlier, also did not know about Lyney’s knowledge until this moment.

You can only hope that the three of them keep their mouths shut. But despite all the practical issues and feelings of betrayal coiling in your chest—why was Lyney’s expression still lingering on your mind?

He smiled at you like he was afraid of how you'd react.

…Did your feelings really matter to him so much?

[pachimation]

a certain mysterious incident that took place one night at lambad’s tavern

[cat-downthestreet]

"we need more autistic rep!!"

hey Susan aren't you the same person who demonized autistic traits in Genshin characters because you don't think they count as being on the spectrum? and you think they're just assholes when they're just being unapologetically autistic and unmasked?

that's right. shut up, Susan.

[tunapesto]

cyno based off the heat stroke photoshoot I cba to finish this ..

[iridescentmirrorsgenshin]

in paralleling cyrus and naphis's rapport in cyno's story quest 2 with alhaitham and kaveh's relationship in a parade of providence, i have a speculation i thought was interesting in terms of the implicit, and now explicit, ways concern is shown, although of course i'm aware that these two relationships are entirely separate, but it's interesting to note the similarities between them

in a parade of providence, alhaitham's concern over kaveh's actions in the second round of the interdarshan championship is demonstrated in the close-up of him with the ellipses '...' as he is shown to visibly search kaveh's disposition after faruzan comments on kaveh's 'tribulations' in the desert. this close-up shot is contextualised as concern in the following scene where kaveh recounts what alhaitham said to him after he informed alhaitham of his fainting in the desert in the second round

due to kaveh's misconception of alhaitham, he interprets alhaitham's words as critique of his abilities as a scholar and a senior, although paimon in the same scene makes the same observations as alhaitham which is interpreted by kaveh as concern

as alhaitham isn't present here, having left to question sachin's son in order to provide kaveh closure regarding his father's disappearance into the desert (which is discussed here), this concern is not made explicit in surface text, and has to be interpreted through other characters' dialogue and visual cues, such as the close-up of alhaitham after faruzan comments on kaveh's tribulations

with the subsequent improvement of alhaitham and kaveh's relationship in cyno's story quest 2, i noted that cyrus and naphis' rapport steps up to replace this bickering, which is most prominently seen in cyrus's return from the desert after his near death at the hands of the temple of silence

naphis can be seen to make similar observations to cyrus as alhaitham does to kaveh in regards to the age, supposed held knowledge and inner wisdom being incongruous with their respective actions and problem-solving abilities, with both cyrus and kaveh in turn questioning naphis' and alhaitham's lack of regard to titles and established relationships of 'colleague' 'classmate' and 'upperclassman'

given these similarities in naphis' and alhaitham's remonstrance of cyrus and kaveh respectively, it's interesting that when using nahida's mind reading skill on naphis, he explicitly states his concern of cyrus's wellbeing, and considers an alternative scenario in which the danger could have been avoided - which is where parallels can be drawn between alhaitham immediately leaving kaveh to investigate sachin's son in order to continue researching into sachin's potential influence over kaveh's father, which ultimately led to his demise, potentially alleviating kaveh's guilt and allowing him to better prioritise himself

in this sense, naphis' behaviour in reference to cyrus can be seen to parallel that of alhaitham and kaveh's relationship in previous events and story quests. as opposed to the perceived toxicity of alhaitham and kaveh's relationship when comparing the execution of these two respective rapports, with naphis's critical attitude towards cyrus being founded on an unspoken concern, it also parallels, and confirms, that alhaitham's past actions and words towards kaveh similarly stem from concern of kaveh's self-detriment - which also extends to kaveh's treatment of alhaitham in retaliation, as he was unable to see these supposed critiques as concern prior to the ending of a parade of providence

[genshin-silliness]

Cyno coming to Tighnari whenever he's injured because he sees Tighnari as a safespace for him to be vulnerable. A place where he can let down his General demeanor and allow himself to be weak. With Tighnari he just feels so at ease with himself, like he has nothing to be afraid or self-conscious about. Because it's Tighnari.

Them. Just them.

[asherheed]

alhaitham ♢ admonishing instruction

[luffysprincess]

⋆˙⟡ Cyno meets his Sumerian Princess ⟢

[sleepy-aletheas]

I have an unreasonable love for Haikaveh and their dutars. Like, the game has two with two distinct string versions, and these two losers share the same style (called 'An Elegant Voice' in the teapot) with their strings being made of silk and gel for *checks notes* crystalline timber. They could have divided them in this too, one with silk and gel strings, the other metal, but no no no. They have the same taste in this specifically.

[hiraya-rawr]

a HC that Cyno was supposed to drop Collei at an orphanage or something but, as most of us would know, she was just a traumatized kid back then—

and on their journey back to Sumeru, Cyno noticed that the only thing that seemed to bring out the child in Collei is... his fake hoodie ears.

Hence why he decided to drop off Collei at Tighnari's.

Nari be like "wth why are you giving me a child" and Cyno just... "She likes fluffy ears."

[garbean]

Me when I see the canon design of a character and realize they aren't as brown as I thought

[ddarker-dreams]

Cyno would be so insufferable as a yan because there is this authoritative figure that has taken away all your freedoms and made you depend on him solely for the reason that you give your attention to him only and when you're already angry at something he'd come in with a joke that would make you lose all will to live

You: *trying to open a can with a can opener but it doesn't budge*

Cyno from behind: is that can't opener giving you trouble?

it's so true........ this dorky version of him almost makes you forget what a formidable force you're up against. the initial fear you felt when he insisted on 'protecting you from outside sources that'd seek to do you harm' subsides into something far weaker. you'll question your initial judgment — maybe you were imagining things? look at this guy, he's playing card games with you and constantly trying to lighten the dour mood. this complacency has you loosening a window pane, that is, until there's a crackling of electricity in the air, and a quiet, hollow voice asking:

"just what do you think you're doing?"

well, so much for that.

[vulpixtodoroki]

I think all events should be like Thelxie’s Fantastic Adventures; it endears you to a character and then you get him as a gift at the end!

Nothing worse than doing an event and falling in love with a character then having to wait 500 years for a rerun

[erabu-san]

Así que... te encontré por ese precioso dibujo de Tighnari tomando una siesta, luego comencé a navegar por tu blog, ¿y no puedo creer que realmente hayan más personas que disfrutan a Cyno y Tighnari de manera platónica ahí afuera? Para serte sincera, incluso evito las etiquetas de ellos, porque sé que el contenido me va a hacer sentir incómoda, y creo que si digo mucho, probablemente me van a destruir jajaja. Aaah~ esto es genial, muchas gracias, creo que estaré nutriéndome de todas tus publicaciones por un buen tiempo.

HI !! WOAH i am always so happy to know there is platonic Tighnari and Cyno enjoyer as well !! 🥹

We are together in this oomfie !

[kubbiesstuff]

I drew cyno instead of Muzha

[cerealmonster15]

i literally cant stop thinking about these two parts from alhaitham and kavehs story lore bio things. like i know people have talked about them to death and it's old news by now but i only just cleared the sumeru story + alhaitham and kavehs story quests/hangouts like a month ago so i have them on the brain lol!!!

alhaitham did not socialize much at all in the akademiya and did not do any group research projects except for ONE!!!! he got involved enough with kaveh that he was willing to go against his normal keeping to himself way of doing things and join a project with him - that, or maybe he found that particular research topic interesting enough to do for once, which is something he and kaveh still shared together..............

and my godddd alhaitham throwing a harsh truth at kaveh, and kaveh being hurt by his BEST FRIEND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BEST FRIENDS!!!!!!but so hurt/defensive to the point that he got worked up and told alhaitham he regretted making friends with him ;;;A;;; and alhaitham, who we have seen SEVERAL TIMES genuinely does NOT care what people think about him - something they show us a lot in i think both the sumeru story and his character quest - he left the project!!! he took his name off!!!! it's not kaveh who left, not a "well if you feel that way you can leave" but HE left!!!! like i dont know, maybe there's semantics of kaveh being the one that started it, or maybe i'm totally reading it wrong and it's alhaitham removing kavehs name lol but i feel like theyd specify if that's the case - either way. alhaitham taking action at all.......... a really bad argument......... boys who hurt each others feelings kfjskljsekljflk ;w;

that last sentence also makes me think they were like "i can fix him -> i cant fix him actually this guys fucked up beyond repair 😔"

but also this bit from kavehs notebook!!!!!!!!!!! about alhaitham!!!! he meets him, he likes him, "our views are aligned and they are complete" BUT CROSSED OUT!! they agreed at some point?? but then. i guess he didnt cross it out when they had the falling out but rather when he got to know alhaitham more and changed it with that second line... we contrast, but that is good. and the comment that it specifically was a retained line, like he didnt go back and block it out or anything after....... perhaps still holding that in his heart 😔

and the thesis. waughghhghg. ok im done talking to myself i think i have like maybe 3 mutuals/follower people that are even somewhat interested in genshin but SORRY i am in the deep end