#forming the kaeya nation

[frcstwinded]

                              the kaeya nation will decide your fate.

[avocad1s]

Requests are open and the latest sparked some ideas so…

Imagine the reader not having specific favorites, but more groups favorites, like a reader that’s a big fan of the Knights of Favonious or The Akademiya

Note: KoF, Adepti, Akademiya, Fatui, and the Abyss mentioned with some small snippets from characters in those groups. But all of them have a small overview of how they view your favoritism over them.

The Knights Of Favonius are pretty humble unlike the other nations. Although they may be criticized by a certain tavern owner, even he won’t question your favor towards the Knights (openly). Having your favor feels like a blessing from the Anemo Archon, many of them even believe that handling the stormterror incident themselves made them win your favor.

Although he isn’t around currently, daddy I mean— Varka feels a sense of pride knowing he left the wellbeing in Mondstadt in good hands. He is looking forward to finally meeting you once he returns. Jean constantly overworks herself, but she’s knows that it’s worth it if she can keep your favor. Mondstadt might seem “inadequate” when compared to other nations when it comes to where you should stay but Jean will make sure you’re never uncomfortable.

When it comes to your comfort, Jean would turn to Diluc, he may not be apart of the Knights but he does own the Dawn Winery and everyone knows you’ll enjoy staying there. Outrider Amber will make it her responsibility to guide you to the heart of Mondstadt and back to Dawn Winery during your entire stay. She’ll teach you how to glide! Just be sure not to mention that to anyone else… some might be upset that she could’ve put you in danger.

Speaking of danger, Klee adores being able to play with you! She will take you fish blasting! Yes it can be a bit dangerous but it’s fun! However once someone realizes that Klee and Their Grace hasn’t been seen in a while, they begin to panic. Usually Albedo, Kaeya or Rosaria are the ones to find you first, then the fun is over. (Klee may or may not get solitary confinement 💀)

Kaeya is a smooth talker and very charismatic that it’s difficult to discern just how flustered he’ll get in your presence. He’ll use his good talking skills to get you to himself, usually inviting you out to Good Hunter or even for a drink (if you’re a drinker) but being in your presence and knowing that he is apart of the group you openly favor over anyone else in Teyvat makes him tremble. Although in front of you he’ll just give a simple smile and charm you with his flattery.

———

Oh the Adepti are so respectful towards you. I mean, they served directly under Rex Lapis for centuries. They do not allow mortals to disrespect Rex Lapis, I’d be surprised if they even let anyone have a thought that could be considered disrespectful towards you. They feel a sense of pride knowing that they are your favorite. However unlike the others, they aren’t too vocal about it.

Sharing tea with you is by far their favorite thing to do. Inviting you to Jueyun Karst to enjoy the finest of tea and meals while reminiscing about Liyue’s past is something they all always wanted. During the Archon war, while they all fought for Rex Lapis, everything was still in your name. So now that Teyvat is at peace, (for now) they just want to enjoy an eternity with you.

Xiao is usually the one who tries to stay away from you. It’s not that he doesn’t want to be around, far from it, but in his mind he feels as if he’s only useful to you if you’re in danger. When you spend time with the adepti he is unsure if he should come. Would you even want him there? But the second he hears you call his name, he’ll appear no matter what. Prepared to face any danger you might be in… but there’s none. In fact it’s just you, Cloud Retainer, Moon Carver, Mountain Shaper, and Ganyu. Xiao would remove his mask and place down his polearm silently enjoying his time in your presence.

Xianyun who has just recently began visiting Liyue Harbor in her human form again is definitely most open when it comes to you. Spending all her mora to buy things she knows you’ll like (and getting scammed) and inviting you to join her and Shenhe for tea. If you’re not in the mood for tea? Why don’t the two of you dissect these new human inventions that managed to capture her interest. How exactly does this machine from Fontaine keep a kite floating?

———

The Akademiya values their wisdom over anything else, and now they have your favor? Well, they’re kinda smug about it, you know? Many of them already believed they were better than the other nations (cough, cough, the Grand Sage) and having you in their corner might just make them a bit more insufferable. Unless it’s after Nahida takes back the reign.

The Akademiya would prefer if you stayed in Sumeru. The second you’re ready to settle down, Kaveh will be the first to approach you, he would be honored to be the architect that builds your palace. Mora is no problem! (Because no one would dare charge mora for Their Grace) No matter, Kaveh is very good at what he does, do you have any preferences when it comes to the construction? Please tell him, he strives to make you happy and show off his skills to you.

The acting grand sage of the Akademiya, Alhaitham enjoys living a comfortable life and is not fond of being in the role of a leader. The second someone worthy comes around, he will resign as the acting grand sage and return to his previous position as the scribe who was never around during working hours. Despite his… unambitious tendencies (only doing what’s necessary), he’ll try when it comes to you. If there is something you desire or some type of knowledge you going through the Akademiya for, he’ll offer his help. Although he can be pretty nonchalant, he does enjoy being in your presence and if your favor towards the Akademiya began after he took on the role as acting grand sage, his ego may swell a bit.

———

As if the Fatui didn’t have enough power across Teyvat already and now you favor them. Her Majesty and the harbingers are extremely grateful of having your favor in their corner, but they are definitely going to exploit this. It’s so easy for them to obtain more and more power in the other nations with the simple use of your name.

However even thought the Fatui can all collectively agree that having your favorite benefits them all, they are still incredibly selfish with their own intentions. The second you enter the Zapolyarny Palace, the harbingers are quickly scheming on ways to get you to themselves.

Pantalone, by far the richest of all the harbingers, will always offer to take you shopping. You’re the Creator! You can have as much jewelry, clothing, and other accessories as you want. Just be sure to follow him before one of the others pull you away.

Arlecchino is fully aware just how… unsettling her true side might be to you. But worry not! If there is one person who can keep her sane, it’s you! Want to see a magic show? Or maybe even an opera? She’ll take you! Cracks of her true personality might show if the others try stealing you away though.

Capitano is truly a legend on the battlefield, no matter how the others feel about him. One thing none of them will never deny is his strength. He holds a sense of righteousness that some (one puppet in particular) criticize. But his righteousness shines through with you. If you show any interest in learning to fight, he would be honored to teach you. Or maybe you already have incredible abilities, you are the God of Gods, he would love to test his strength against yours. No matter who wins, he’s willing to go again and again… just don’t go to a certain ginger asking for a sparring match.

Pierro, the first to be betrayed by the Seven when they destroyed his home. Many would think he would hold some type of resentment towards you, but he doesn’t. He is the director of the harbingers and they listen to his orders (usually coming from the Tsaritsa) so when you visit Snezhnaya he is usually the one to assign one of the harbingers to look after you. However he’s not afraid to use his power so he can be the one to look after you. Much to the other’s dismay.

———

You favor… The Abyss? Sorry, I need to rub my eyes and read that again.

No one understands your favoritism towards the Abyss. “They hate humanity Your Grace… Perhaps you should stay away from them?” Is what you hear all the time. But no one can technically force you to stay away… not to mention no one really knows what the Abyss actually is.

Very few know of the leader of the Abyss, the Prince/Princess or rather the travelers sibling. They can’t see you as often as they’d like but on the rare occasions they can, they love speaking to you about their plan. Sometimes they’ll even ask you questions about the traveler, curious how their journey of meeting the Seven is going.

Although he is not apart of the Abyss, at least not anymore. Even Dainsleif wonders what about the Abyss is appealing to you. Even if you do not know it, he’ll be sure to keep an eye on you just in case anyone or anything tries to harm you.

Note: While I was writing this and reading about some of the harbingers personalities on the fandom wiki, I might have accidentally gave myself a crush on Capitano 💀 I just know he is fine under that mask.

© avocad1s 2024

[the-fandom-is-now-my-life]

Types of baby daddy

It wasn't planned but he is going to do his best to help!

(kaeya stans please don't hate me too much before reading the justification)

Cw: AFAB!reader, pregnancy, Diluc is said to be more traditional than average mondstadt people lol,

Marriage

Diluc

Even if he seemed seconds away from dying when you told him, he is particularly more traditional in that regard that the average civilian, so he is already planning a hurried wedding to keep both of your honor (even if most of mondstadt doesn't care beyond a teasing remark)

One week before the wedding as Moka is cleaning a ‘spare room’ Adeline and Elzer approach you with a little gift of clothes and baby bottle from the maids

Childe

He is a free soul, traveling between nations fighting whoever he pleased and as unexpected as this is he feels responsible for the situation

As he is constantly in the road and isn't sure how safe most of them are he gives you two choices, stay in your nation and he visits whenever he can (sometimes it's a twice a month and other times it's once every 5 months) with a pretty free access to his bank account or you can stay in Snezhnaya with his family for support in your pregnancy and child raising but have to move nations

Zhongli

Unexpected, but he doesn't dislike it. You both knew it was possible even if unlikely for an offspring to be born between an adeptus and a human

Either way he gets over the initial shock quite fast as he gets on one knee and asks for your hand, he rationalized it as it being normal for humans his age to be married and form a family (to some extent wonders if it was a sign to settle down with you)

Neuvillette

Water spills from his goblet as does his serenity for a second, quickly apologizing for this mess wide eyed and pale faced, even if either of you two though that was possible

After a chat about your plans and what would be better on the future you decide for a swift and demure marriage with the melusines and Furina being the only witnesses

Cleans up their act

Itto

Even if it's after an earful from kuki or his granny he starts working a job on the port and so far 4 months and he is still hired! Even then you can see his gang on the port the days he does overtime, hiding behind boxes to make his beetle fight

Kaveh

While his behavior isn't as bad as Itto, he would do his best to straighten up his economy, maybe rent or buy a house.

He starts flooding himself with works to the point you can't see him some days if you don't barge in his study, he promises he will take less works when the baby arrives to help you but now he is trying to get as much money as possible

panics and disappears but gets dragged back again

Kaeya

His face loses the color that it usually has as he laughs nervously, he stands up from his chair and hurriedly walks to the door, thankfully Diluc was tending to the bar and managed to catch his brother just a few meters from the door. Now, forced down on his chair and with Diluc breathing down his neck, he faces you

He might not tell you this until midnight where you are cuddled up against the other but he is scared of not measuring up or messing up as a father figure, the first one left him in front of a stranger's house and the other died when he was a teen barely scraping adulthood. He also worries about Khaenri’ah’s past tormenting his child as it did to him, but this is something that will be harder to coerce out of him

Coparent/ goes to a lawyer to get a written agreement

Alhaitham

He admits that it was partially his fault the situation you two are in right now so he asks to draft an agreement of sorts, he proposes a 30/70 custody with him getting them on the weekends and some extra days and a higher child support than mandated, when you two bump each other on the street you still act friendly even when you are discussing where your son should spend Christmas or if you should merge this year

How??

Albedo

Albedo looks at you unblinking, his teal eyes looking you up and down “ I always thought I was sterile. I never guessed homunculus could reproduce…” he says airy before his eyes start sparkling with wonder, I would recommend you retake this chat in 3 weeks after his investigation fever has passed a bit.

Klee might start yelling that she is going to be the best auntie ever

Wandered

He only clicks his tongue, a snarky comment slipping past his lips “so that hag created me with that ability? What would be even the point” even then he holds your hand acting as if it wasn't a big deal

[blueskittlesart]

i kinda really wanna see a big ol vent/rant from you about genshin now lol. I would read an essay

I'm not sure you understand the insanity you just unlocked in me but ok

genshin impact is probably the clearest modern example i can think of of capitalism absolutely eviscerating a creative project. For context, I started playing genshin in 2021, just after the 1.4 update. it was venti's first rerun/the first windblume festival if that means something to you. and I really genuinely thought that it might have had something special. It was a gacha that didn't FEEL like a gacha, which was a huge feat to me.

it began with a very simple story pitch--you, the protagonist, are one of a set of twin siblings traveling through space. you come upon a seemingly unassuming world and your attempts to continue your journey are suddenly stopped by a mysterious, all-powerful figure. you are separated from your sibling and wake up alone on the shores of this planet you were attempting to leave together. throughout that opening cutscene and scattered through the world and your character's dialog there are implications that all is not as it seems, that your character is something unique to this world and that they possess powers and abilities that you've yet to unlock. You are told that you must travel the seven nations of this world in order to find your sibling, which is great--a simple, zelda-like objective which drives the player to explore the secondary narratives of the world. none of this is bad on the surface. in fact i'd argue it's pretty good. there's a ton that can be done with these story bones. even at launch the map and combat system were full of potential as well.

Note: for ease of reading, i'm going to label the different storylines of the game now. A-plot refers to the central objective of the entire game; the find-your-sibling plot and everything that encompasses, including the abyss order/dain, the heavenly principles, the fake sky, etc. B-plot refers to the secondary objective present in each new nation, usually meeting the archon and/or solving a problem for the archon. (A and B-plots will occasionally intersect.) C-plot refers to any story, location, or background information which remains in permanent gameplay but which isn't directly related to the A or B-plots, such as dragonspine, the chasm, enkanomiya, etc. D-plot refers to any story, location, or background information which is confined to limited-time events and does NOT remain in permanent gameplay, regardless of its connection or lack thereof to the A and B-plots, such as the golden apple archipelago, the infamous albedo/dragonspine event, the infamous kaeya/diluc event, etc. Lore as i will refer to it in this post refers to any information which is present in permanent gameplay but which is not directly told to the player within the A or B-plot story quests and objectives, including books, weapon, artifact, and item descriptions, world quest dialog and puzzles, etc.

So now we're in mid-2021, there are two nations' worth of B-plot story quests released in full, and we've run into our first problem, which is that the game isn't finished yet. I don't have any actual information about how the game was/is written, but based on what i've observed over the past few years, my best guess is that the A-plot has been fully written since the beginning, at least in some form. there were very early-game events and information pertaining to the A-plot that would take years to see any actual payoff in the main story quests (kaeya's origin story, the 1.3 scaramouche fake-sky drop, the flowers in lumine's hair, etc.) but those kinds of A-plot story easter eggs very quickly dropped off when the game absolutely EXPLODED during the pandemic.

this sudden burst in popularity was the true beginning of the end for genshin, i think, because suddenly they had a HUGE fanbase that desperately wanted more content faster than they could pump out new A-plot or even B-plot story quests. one of the most pervasive complaints about the game when I began playing in 2021 was that there was nothing to do between story quests. update 1.4 (which was the update I started playing at) was important in that it was the first time since genshin's release over a year before that players recieved any new A-plot, in the form of the archon quest We Will Be Reunited, also known as the quest with the most fucking misleading name of all time. you'll never guess what doesn't fucking happen during this quest. anyways. we were a year into gameplay, two nations out of seven released and a third on the not-so-distant horizon, and it seemed obvious that players were owed some sort of A-plot payoff. and that's very much what WWBR was advertised as, from the quest's name to the banners full of art of the twins staring wistfully at each other. The thing is, what i'm describing as A-plot payoff was actually. not really A-plot payoff at all. WWBR was the reveal that the protagonist's sibling was working with the abyss order, and that the abyss order was connected somehow to Khaenri'ah, which at this point casual players would only have known about from THAT QUEST and MAYBE kaeya's character descriptions if they were diligent enough to get him to friendship level 10 (which, btw there is no indication that you should do to get important context about the story of the game, because kaeya is a 4-star starter character and the only character in the entire game that actually has genuinely important story hidden in his character descriptions.) So what I'm calling A-plot payoff felt at the time a lot less like A-plot payoff than it did like an abyss sibling cameo in an attempt to satiate everyone who was begging for more story. We actually gained almost net 0 information. this is very quickly going to become a pattern.

As I've already alluded to, the motives behind this writing decision are transparently obvious. Genshin is a free gacha game which relies on a consistently active and engaged userbase to make its money. With fans getting restless about the lack of engaging story at the time and a new, very ambitious B-plot quest gearing up for release that would require major support from that fan base in order to remain profitable, the writers were backed into a corner. they HAD to throw the fans some sort of bone in order to keep them engaged with the A-plot, since it was originally pitched as the driving force for the story as a whole, but they were also clearly not at a stage of the writing process where it was prudent to give the player any REAL information about the A-plot. This is how we ended up with a 10-second abyss sibling cameo and an offhanded mention of Khaenri'ah, a nation whose plot-relevance was at that point still basically unknown.

The real problem is, WWBR worked. at least, it worked as intended at the time. It satiated story-focused fans in the interlude between B-plot nations, as hyv was gearing up to release inazuma, which required a lot of time in preparation. WWBR was followed almost immediately by the C-plot golden apple archipelago in 1.6, widely regarded as one of the better events of version 1. GAA was memorable especially because it was the first event that involved an entirely new, limited-time-only map, meaning the event had much more longevity than the standard events players were used to. This is, imo, most likely the update combination that led to the standard formula which hyv uses for its quests and events nowadays. the back-to-back release of WWBR and GAA satisfied both fans who wanted A-plot story AND silenced criticisms about the game lacking endgame playability, which at the time must have seemed like a goldmine to writers desperate for a solution to their content-to-fanbase ratio problem.

From here, genshin started following a standard method of release for their next three nations--inazuma, sumeru, and fontaine. the formula generally went as follows: one major version update (usually version x.0) containing a major map update which included all B-plot relevant locations in the new nation, and the first chapter of the B-plot story quest relevant to that nation. this would then be followed by 2-3 version updates which would each contain the next chapter in the nation's B-plot story quest, sequentially. After the nation's B-plot quest ended, during the downtime in which the next nation's story and map would be finalized, subsequent updates would be largely C-plot, and would contain minor expansions of the map to increase endgame playability via exploration and world quests. This is how we ended up with updates like the chasm, the several extra islands in inazuma, and the quite frankly ridiculously large sumeru map, as well as the offloaded maps like enkanomiya and the sea of bygone eras. with the possible exception of the chasm, none of these areas are A OR B-plot relevant. hyv has realized that artificially inflating the map makes their game technically more engaging during the downtime between nations. However, this comes at a price. While the scenery and set design of the game remains consistently beautiful, the actual, mechanical gameplay that populates that scenery very quickly became mind-numbingly boring if not borderline unplayable. While the 1.0 questlines were not perfect, there was at least an emphasis on the player actually DOING things. 1.0 B-plot quests would have you going to mini-dungeon temples and completing challenges which would acclimate you to the combat system while also serving narrative purpose. There were quests that required you to navigate open-world dungeons. Because your characters were lower-level, combat challenges that arose during these quests were CHALLENGES, rather than two-second buttonmashing segments. By the time we get to sumeru, though, both B-plot AND C-plot quests have become little more than moving your character from location to location and tapping through (usually unvoiced) dialog. there's no GAMEPLAY in the quests anymore, because gameplay isn't what makes money. What DOES make money is giving players 300 hidden chests to find in an open-world map segment, each of which gives them 1/80th of a gacha pull. And so the story suffers and the map gets bigger.

Along with the map expansions, downtime between nations usually also nets us one A-plot quest, usually involving the character dainslief, who was the driver of the initial WWBR quest. This is the second half of hyv's magical formula for keeping fans happy between major releases. the A-plot quests will, as a general rule, give players either very little new information or no new information at all, but will dress up the delivery in such a way that it ALMOST feels as though the protagonist has moved forward somehow. the most recent example of this writing style, the 4.7 quest bedtime story, amounts to about an hour and a half of gameplay and, while it DOES contain a segment in which the protagonist finally actually has a conversation with their sibling, that conversation literally begins with the line "I have so many questions, but for some reason I don't want to ask them right now," ensuring that the sibling will not actually be required to give away any plot-relevant information whatsoever, and the quest ends with the protagonist FORGETTING THAT THE CONVERSATION EVER HAPPENED IN THE FIRST PLACE.

As I think I mentioned before, the cardinal problem of genshin impact's writing is that fans want answers faster than the writers are prepared to give them. I don't doubt that there's a game bible or relevant equivalent somewhere within hyv which contains the explanations we are currently lacking in regards to the A-plot. the game is consistent enough in its storytelling for me to believe that this isn't all just being made up as we go along. But I'm also certain that a lot of the late-game A and B-plot that is planned (especially if the Khaenri'ah is truly planned to be the 8th nation of the game) hinges on the player knowing very little about the A-plot. this would be fine if genshin was a standard single-release video game that players could work through at their own pace, but it isn't. it's unfinished, and each nation in the game releases months to years after the last, leaving the writers to scramble to fill in the gameplay gaps and players struggling to remember plot-relevant information when it's brought up literal years after they last heard it mentioned. Not only does the time between updates leave players frustrated about the lack of A-plot, it makes the A-plot harder to understand when it is brought up, because the writers are required to throw in so much dense C and D-plot just to keep engagement high enough to make the game profitable in its downtime. we joke about the insane convolution of genshin's lore, but that is first and foremost a byproduct of its financial model. the game requires engaement to be profitable, and adding lore for players to look into drives up engagement. The fact that having so much story with so little plot relevance muddies the waters and makes the A and B-plot stories considerably harder to understand doesn't matter as long as money is being made.

I want to take a quick detour here to talk about the release of sumeru specifically, because this is when I really began to clock the fact that genshin was declining. on paper, racial sensitivity issues aside (Not that they're not important, but i'm doing this deep dive from a storytelling and game design point of view, nothing else. that's a whole can of worms i don't have time to get into here) sumeru was a really promising addition to the game. The new B-plot quest which was set to drop in 3.0 was highly anticipated for several reasons. Two fan-favorite characters (kaeya and scaramouche) were expected to play major roles, because of earlier C and B-plot quests, and much of the nation's scenery that was teased in trailers and promotional content appeared to tie into the A-plot. the most exciting draw about sumeru and version 3.0, though, was the major update to the combat system.

Arguably genshin impact's most interesting feature upon release was its combat system. The map was basically a botw clone at that point, and the story quests, while decently engaging, were rough around the edges to say the least. What genshin DID have going for it was a unique real-time combat system that rewarded strategy and quick thinking.

Genshin's combat system is elemental, and on release there were 6 elemental affiliations: anemo (wind), cryo (ice), pyro (fire), hydro (water), geo (rock), and electro (electricity.) in a sort of pokemon-like system, certain elements were weak to other ones, but more importantly, certain combinations of elements could drastically boost combat stats. Players got to construct four-slot teams of characters, each with an elemental affiliation and certain "skills" which would match their element, and you were encouraged to use the interactions of these elements to build teams. very quickly, a huge community formed dedicated to optimizing teams and tiering characters. People would even make a game out of building teams specifically to do high-level damage with "bad" characters or characters who weren't designed to be damage drivers (my 100k jean burst was an incredible moment fr.) this was, of course, also a picture-perfect driver for the gacha aspect of the game, which was how players obtained new characters.

Pre-3.0, combat was... well i won't say it was balanced, but there was no elemental reaction that had any MAJOR advantage over the others. when you actually ran the numbers, i believe vaporize was the best reaction in terms of damage output, with the best team being raiden national with kazuha for EM buffs. but a well-built freeze or melt team could do similar numbers, or even better numbers depending on your artifact rolls. (ayaka permafreeze you will always be my #1.) Despite a steady stream of new characters with each update, characters from the earliest version of the game like xingqiu and xiangling were still topping the charts in terms of usefulness and versatility in teambuilding. However, as early as 1.0, players had been teased that a major update to the combat system was planned. There was a seventh element, dendro (plants) which pre-3.0 only existed as an elemental affiliation for menial enemies. there were no playable dendro characters, and the only elemental reaction that existed relating to it was very low-level and not particularly useful in combat.

Originally, dendro was projected to be added to the combat system somewhere in version 2, but its release was delayed substantially, meaning it came out along with its affiliated nation, sumeru. And as soon as it came out, it basically broke the combat system. I assume that the scaling they ended up going with may have been out of fear that players would be hesitant to integrate a new element into their pre-established team builds, and thus they may have been worried about sales on their dendro character banners, and i assume that the fact that 3 elements are required to get the highest-level reaction was an attempt to make the meta more balanced in the face of that scaling, but, well... it didn't work. At this point, the genshin impact combat meta is basically "if you're not using hyperbloom what the fuck are you doing." there's basically no reaction in the game that comes close to it in terms of both damage and ease of use. you are not going to beat a hyperbloom team with anything other than a better-built hyperbloom team. combat is now very heavily skewed in the direction of dendro, meaning that if you DON'T want to use a dendro team, you're going to be doing significantly lower numbers. And since enemies are added with each update, post-3.0 combat becomes difficult and annoying if you don't have a hyperbloom team on-hand.

The major gripe i have with dendro isn't even the scaling, though. I mentioned offhand earlier that the 1.0 B-plot questline had a section which taught you the basics of the combat system via mini-dungeons. These mini-dungeons, of course, taught you the version of the system that existed pre-3.0, so there's no tutorial for dendro reactions. Rather than integrating the tutorial into the story and world like they did in their early quests, upon playing 3.0 for the first time players were given a popup that explained, very wordily, how dendro reactions worked. there was no opportunity to test these reactions in an environment without consequences--if you wanted to try them you'd have to remember the relevant information, build yourself a team, find an enemy to try them on, and just hope you got it right. This lack of integration is something i began to notice more and more with genshin as it progressed, especially in sumeru. where in mondstadt and liyue open-world puzzles would be explained to you by an npc or via environmental context clues, in sumeru you'd be stopped while exploring every two seconds by a popup explaining some puzzle or another which, of course, you wouldn't read, because you didn't want to do the puzzle right that minute anyway, and then by the time you DID want to do that puzzle you'd have no in-game way of figuring out how to do it. The puzzle popups may seem like a small thing, but it's one of the clearest examples in the game to me of the fact that the player experience is so clearly not being prioritized here. the game doesn't even TRY to be immersive anymore. they have no qualms about pulling you out of the story to read a paragraph about how the puzzle works. they don't care how your character, in-universe, is supposed to have acquired that information. they don't care why your character, in-universe, is doing the puzzle in the first place. because they know the reason YOU are doing the puzzle, which is to unlock a hidden chest that gives you 1/80th of a gacha pull.

That was not "a quick detour" was it lmfao. ok anyways. back to the story. Now i want to talk about D-plot, meaning limited event stories, and lore as i defined it earlier, meaning contextual details not present in quests or playable story. This is where i think genshin's story becomes completely inaccessible.

Already, we've covered the fact that in order to consume the very basic story, players have to be willing to wait years between A and B-plot quest releases, punctuated by irrelevant map expansions and interlude quests. I mentioned before that genshin's incompleteness is one of the major problems of its story. the fact that players have to wait years, remembering plot-relevant information that they have no way of knowing will even BE plot-relevant, for the payoff of these narratives is frustrating at best and actively malicious at worst. But in theory, there should be an obvious way to circumvent this. One could just wait until the game IS completely finished to play the whole thing. Sort of like buying a game in early access but waiting until it's actually finished to play it all the way through. that's theoretically possible. but, as i have been hammering home this whole time, genshin is a free game, and therefore genshin relies entirely on a consistently engaging fanbase in order to remain profitable. if genshin does not have a base of players who are willing to log in every day, or at the very least once every update, the game's financial model collapses on itself. therefore, genshin puts on limited-time events. this is a standard in gacha games, as a way to keep the fans consistently engaging. What is not standard, however, is the way that genshin uses these events as vessels for its story. about 19 out of 20 limited events in genshin impact will be useless menial bullshit with no effect on the story or really even the player aside from maybe making you fucking angry. 1 out of those 20, though, will be innocuously named, with nothing in the banner or event description to indicate that it's special in any way, but it will contain serious A or B-plot relevant information that exists nowhere else in the game. My personal favorite example is the infamous 1.3 scaramouche appearance, in which he showed up, told the protagonist that the sky was fake, and then immediately fucked off again. Scaramouche did not show up again until at least 2.0, and the fake sky wasn't so much as MENTIONED again until 3.2, almost TWO YEARS LATER. but there are others, such as the (almost equally infamous) albedo doppelganger event in which a major character's loyalties are called into question, or the event where major biographical information is revealed about kaeya, the only playable character with major known connections to the A-plot and Khaenri'ah. With all of these events, once the event period ends, the information contained within them vanishes from the game completely. there's no way to replay old events that you've missed, even sans rewards, so if you miss a plot-relevant event the ONLY way to catch up on that story is through word of mouth. again, this is a transparent way to keep genshin's userbase engaged during downtime between B-plot quests; if you don't log in and play every event, how will you know if you've missed something important? You might not be able to fully understand the future story if you miss out on the D-plot now!

The D-plot problem is something that I think could, in theory, be circumvented by dedicated record-keeping. if the wiki had anything resembling an easily accessible event database that marked story-relevant events and contained summaries or gameplay videos, at the very least you wouldn't have to fear being completely lost on the off chance that a random throwaway line in an event from fucking 1.3 becomes plot-relevant. but hyv obviously doesn't want that, because it undermines their financial model, and the sheer number of events and the amount of rerunning of irrelevant events they do makes the task of recording and categorizing them all daunting if not impossible.

Then, of course, there's lore. this is arguably what genshin is infamous for in certain circles of the internet. You know that unraveled video where bdg reads every book in skyrim? if you tried to do that with genshin the video would probably be about 10 hours long. and it's not just books; genshin hides (potentially) plot-relevant information in weapon and artifact descriptions, in random hidden world quests, in character bios... the list goes on. and 9 times out of 10, the information is essentially written in code. Plot-relevant characters will have multiple names, or the relevant information will refer to them as vaguely as possible, presumably to further the "mystery" and encourage theorizing among fans. but the sheer amount of information like this that exists within the game makes it all but impossible to determine what is plot-relevant and what isn't. For a topical example, the most recent A-plot quest bedtime story mentions the name Rhinedottir in connection with events in Khaenri'ah, suddenly making that name A-plot relevant. Rhinedottir is an alternate name for the character Gold, whose existence you would only have known of before this point if you'd unlocked and read the character Albedo's character bios. (Albedo is a limited-run character who hasn't been available since november 2022, btw.) the only other information about Rhinedottir permanently available in the game comes from the description of the weapon Festering Desire, which was only obtainable from a limited event back in 2020, anyway. So basically, if you wanted ANY context for that remark, you'd have to have been playing the game since AT LEAST 2022, AND you'd have to have taken the time to go over your weapon and character descriptions with a fine-toothed comb. keep in mind that as of right now (june 2024) there are 85 playable characters in this game, each with 10 unique unlockable character bio sections, and over 150 weapons, each with their own unique descriptions, not to mention over 50 artifact sets, each with 5 unique artifacts, which all have their own unique descriptions as well. there are also 51 different collections of books which contain written lore as well. the idea that any player could keep up with all this, or that anyone could even sift through it all to pick out the important things that they NEED to keep up with, is insane, especially when the game makes a point of withholding crucial plot information from its players within the A and B-plot quests. this amount of written lore only exists, again, to drive up engagement in the hopes of subsequently driving up profit. Even if the average player isn't reading and absorbing all this information, the fact that it's there coupled with the fact that the writers consistently refuse to reveal anything beyond surface-level A-plot information means that there's basically ENDLESS theory fodder. and THAT means that people will be posting their theories and talking with each other and getting into arguments. it means "genshin impact" trends on twitter. it means engagement, and engagement means money.

basically what it comes back to is that everything is so transparently money over player experience with this game. I think what we're witnessing with genshin is what i would call an end-stage gacha game--a gacha game that's gone on a little too long and gotten a little too popular, and so the veil has started to slip a little more than usual. Gachas work primarily because they operate by toeing the line between what is fun to play and what is a predatory mechanic. As long as the actual gameplay remains engaging and rewarding, players can ignore the unsavory business practices underneath. At this point, genshin has swerved too hard into the money-hungriness and is still hoping that they can use their old tried-and-true engagement farming methods to remain popular regardless. currently, it seems like those methods are still working, unfortunately. Like I said in the post that prompted this, i really can't wait for the hyv writer NDAs to expire 10 or so years down the line, because I can only imagine what an insane shitshow writing for this game must be. I want to see the tell-all articles. I want carnage.

That being said, I played genshin impact religiously from 2020 to 2023. I loved the game. Despite myself, I am still really, REALLY interested in the A-plot. I want to know what's going on with the protagonist and their sibling; where they came from, what happened to them, what the heavenly principles are, what role celestia plays in all of this. I want to know Kaeya's full backstory, what role Khaenri'ah plays in the overarching story, and what happened to it in the past. but I don't really have any faith that I ever will, because I know that as long as keeping their fans in the dark and stringing them along remains profitable, that's what hyv will continue to do.

Do I think genshin impact is unsalvagable? in its current state, yes. If I was given the ability to turn back time and convince a bunch of executives of the profitability of this venture, I would change almost nothing about the story of genshin and completely rework the mechanics of its release. I would make it a series of single-release self-contained games rather than a constantly-updating gacha. Each game would be one B-plot quest, or one nation, eight games in all, preferably released once every year. Removing the gacha mechanic, players would be given access to a certain pool of characters to build teams at the start of each game, and then periodically unlock new characters as the story progressed. for example, if you were playing the inazuma game, you'd start out with only your protag, and after progressing to a certain point in the story you'd get a pool of inazuma 4-stars to teambuild with freely. Then, as the story progressed and you met plot-relevant inazuman 5-stars you'd add them to your pool. I'd change basically nothing about the combat system except for a properly integrated introduction of dendro when it makes its appearance in sumeru. Once you completed the story in that nation, you could move onto the next game in the series if it was out, or if it wasn't, you could continue to explore the open world while waiting for the next release. Would this be as profitable as the gacha model? probably not, but what it WOULD do is allow for much more consistent pacing and writing, with the added bonus of not making your userbase feel like you'd shoot them in the head for their pocket change.

[hiraya-rawr]

lover from another nation ~ hcs .

characters !! all the genshin men i could think of rn...

note !! it's been a while since i've written hcs for a lot! aaaah just some thoughts i had today (i had a few culture shocks here and there when i met up with new friends hahahah)

~ m o n d s t a d t ~

grabbing zhongli by the hand to dance and sing in the middle of the square because mondstadters live for the festivities! he quickly learns to freestyle dance along with you, moving with the crowd and cheers and wine. (remember that Tangled scene? yes)

kaveh wasn't sure how to react the day you ordered hard liquor on your first date. sure, your freedom and love for a good drink is one of the things which made him fall for you but wow– are you really gonna down that many glasses on a date? what do you mean you're still sober?

ayato finds himself in love with the way you sing. it doesn't follow the rules of inazuman opera at all; it's much more freeing (much like how his house help sings as he does chores) and you'd tell him stories and the history of your homeland in the form of songs. no mondstadter could ever forget the songs they grew up listening to!

heizou being almost appalled by your rather... robust and reckless nature. you don't have any backup plans whenever a situation goes south, you simply hold his hand, smile, and say "we go where the wind blows!"

~ l i y u e ~

diluc having chopsticks as part of your dining utensils because sometimes, you're more comfortable eating with it (let's not forget often having rice on the table! he must learn the joys of garlic rice with his steak <3)

dainsleif stays by your side as you offer incense and fruits to your ancestors. he whispers quiet prayers, bows when you do, and helps you clean their altars. he finds solace in the familial piety of liyuens– it makes him wish he could honor his ancestors with the same kind of peace as you do.

kazuha getting tongue tied over the language being so similar to inazuman but also so different– why are some of the characters the same? why are the meanings different? there's a bit of miscommunication in the start, but you both find your own ways to understand each other when words fail.

we all know gorou has always wanted to climb the mountains of liyue and you made it possible! meeting him by the docks and touring him around your home nation, you made sure to pick hiking routes with the most scenic spots, even managing to tour him around the jade palace and the floating lone island.

~ i n a z u m a ~

kaeya has no idea how you sit on the floor while being comfortable. you've made him sit with you once while reading a book, after that, his bones ached for days! shaking every time he stood back up!

albedo met you in the irodori festival- he painted you for practice and spark between you started. the long distance was difficult at first, but his long letters always had a little drawing of you and you'd send back the scent of cherry blossoms. klee would also send you letters, asking you to come visit soon!

childe loves a new fighting style; like most sword users in inazuma, you followed the raiden shogun's teachings– swift, efficient, and at one with the sword. he loves how you fight and it's often how you end your dates!

cyno was almost confident that you were playing a prank the day you said you'll make him your specialty and you showed him a platter of raw seafood. it's "sashimi and ngiri" you say, and he waited for you to explain the pun of your joke. it wasn't a joke.

~ s u m e r u ~

thoma is quite used to mondstadters and inazumans, two very different cultures, then he meets you and your sumeru upbringing! you show him how to cook foods that can be eaten with hands, and your menu is often so colorful he can't help but admire it!

itto doesn't really understand the study culture of sumeru, but he totally supports whatever it is you're talking about and tries to add in comments (his comments don't exactly make sense though...)

scaramouche, in his "path of redemption and healing", unwillingly gets involved with you as you show him around the beautiful parts of sumeru! you argue that he needs a different, better outfit with a color scheme that matches his vision. he insists that the hat stays. you tell him he looks like an aranara.

~ s n e z h n a y a ~

al haitham was almost concerned the day you got a heatstroke after being in the desert for no more than a few minutes. snezhnaya has prepared you for harsh weather, but never the heat. soon enough your lover is carrying around heatstroke-first aid packs just for you.

bundling up tighnari's fluffy ears before setting foot in snezhnaya because you just know the cold would practically freeze them off. his tail also gets wrapped and bundled warm in the large coats you wear, protection from the harsh snow. he says he looks like a big lummox.

note !! alright, choose your favorite dynamic! i personally think mondstadters with liyue/inazuma would be interesting maybe because i want to force feed them the joys of rice...

// if i misinterpreted a culture then umm... just know it wasn't intentional and let's consider it a real thing in teyvats culture 🫣😎

commissions || general m.list

taglist !! @absolut-wildflower @boundedbyfate @sadlonelybagel @eissaaaa @ladycoleigh @nejibot @milkypompon @bloodreaper08 @irethepotato @x-zho @roriver @mich-cola @mxsomn @ackrylik @nicebonescomrade @starforecasts @stygianoir @yuminako @eccedentesiast-sapphic @nebulaera @nuttytani @klutzkat @stygianoir14 @shizunxie @bluriie @aestellia @abyislan08

[maopll]

Merry (early) Christmas! May I request Kaeya, Childe, Ayato, Neuvillette, and Wriothesley finding their s/o, who gets cold easily, wearing their jacket/coat?

Warm me up

# genshin impact !

⌗:, a/n: sorry for being away for a MONTH i was so stressed out from school... T-T and I AGAIN did add a lil bit spice for wrio. I can't stop myself.

⌗:, pairings: kaeya, childe, ayato, neuvillette & wriothesley w/ gn!reader

⌗:, extra: happy late Christmas I couldn't finish it because I was worn out </3

˗ˏˋ ꒰ KAEYA ꒱ ˎˊ˗

Its a little secret that none knows about. The coat he wears and what you wear on cold wintry days are his as well. It's quite noticeable but according to him, "Nobody's gonna know!". He goes crazy whenever he sees you wear his big coat. It makes you look so cozy...and soft...like a warm fireplace in winter morning which always have a welcoming feel to them.

The trip to Dragonspine was, as usual, extremely cold. The fire that Kaeya made from the dry firewood wasn't enough to keep you warm. "You want me to make the fire more big? I can find some more dry wood for you" He asked voice laced with concern. You knew that no matter how big the fire or enormous layers of cloth, you won't be able to keep yourself warm...unless Kaeya offers you his comfortably warm chest...and hands too.

As if able to understand your gaze since your shivering form really gave it away, he walked up and sat behind you. He wrapped his arm around your body gently and said, "Lay on me. It'll help you keep warm" you relaxed your body and brought your knees closer to yourself and making yourself feel at home. You heaved a sigh of relief as if you've finally been able to stop the piercing cold wind from affecting you any further. "Thank you Kaeya" he smiled at you, "As long as you're comfortable". He sealed the conversation with a kiss upon your forehead.

˗ˏˋ ꒰ CHILDE ꒱ ˎˊ˗

He has been born and brought up in Snezhnaya. A nation with only snowy landscape all around. Naturally he was quite well adjusted himself to the cold atmosphere of any place that you visit. While he should be having big long coats in such a dry and chilly climate, he refuses to wear it because, "You can't get this cold anywhere else! it's a test of courage!".

You had a cup of hot chocolate on your hand as you flipped through the pages of the book. The big bear blanket and the brightly lit fireplace did make you warm but not enough. You shivered "Brr...its really cold if only he was at home..." during the coldest of days you ache for his comforting presence and his big warm arms enveloping your body as you two cuddle in the plush couch often times drifting off to sleep unknowingly. You missed him so much that you quickly sprinted towards his closet and grabbed the biggest jacket of his. You scurried inside the multiple blankets and drew his big fluffy jacket around you. His familiar scent filled your senses. He smelled like the ocean, no matter how faint the scent was, it was refreshing.

....the door of the room opened, and the wooden floor dreaked beneath his boot-like-shoes. "Babe?" he quietly asked, hoping to receive an answer, but as soon as he was about to go find you, he saw you laying comfortably on your stomach with his big jacket enveloping you as you softly snored. He felt himself falling for you adorable antics all over again. He slowly picked you up in his arms and carried you to bed. He murmered, "Sweet dreams, sweetheart..." with a kiss.

˗ˏˋ ꒰ AYATO ꒱ ˎˊ˗

The ocean breeze can get quite chilly right? With the layers of clothes you had on you, the coat was barely enough to even keep the piercing cold win from making you whole body numb. Sure, you acted impulsively and decided to sit down near the railing. You started off into the vast ocean. Ayato wasn't here most of the time and your time of respite to soothe your heart from missing him. "He's taking care of matters....he will come back soon..." you mumbled and hugged your knees close.

You felt an already warm blanket being draped around your figure from the back. Looking at the delicate fabric and the seam's design you turned your head back a little too quickly. There he was...the one who you waited so long for...He chuckled softly seeing your bewildered face. "You'll catch a cold if you sit here in the cold like this with barely enough layers dearest" He kept his hand on your shoulder blades gently. "Ayato...I thought you'll come..." "Let's say I did a few little things here and there which allowed me to spend some more time."

You smiled at him sweetly and got down from thr railing. You intertwined your hands with his and with a peck on his cheek, " I missed you so much..."

˗ˏˋ ꒰ NEUVILLETTE ꒱ ˎˊ˗

"Not done yeeetttt?...." you slumped on the couch as you waited even longer for him.

With a chuckle, he said, "It's almost done... just a little bit longer, dear." Then soon he went to work and correct the piles of paperwork. He has been avoiding them for quite a while now, and it had to be done one day. He may be the cold and formal Iudex of Fontaine, but even he loses the grip on his stoic personality whenever he's with you.

The evenings are quite cold in Fontaine, and he saw how you tried to warm up your arms. You didn't want to disturb him since his pending work's deadline was tomorrow in the afternoon.

While you were busy staring into space, he wrapped his coat around you. "Hm? Suddenly?"

"I saw how you were trying to warm yourself up and I apologise. I can't be the one to warm you up but I hope my coat suffices?" He said chuckling, a hint of blush on his fair cheeks. You grinned from ear to ear, "It's quite enough Neuvi, thanks for caring about me so much" you cupped his cheeks gently with your hands.

"I love you" you said as you touched his forehead with yours. A sign of the utmost affection for one who is the Hydro Dragon Sovereign.

˗ˏˋ ꒰ WRIOTHESLEY ꒱ ˎˊ˗

"Sigh... I know it's cold, but that's no reason for you to stay under the covers... it's 9 pm, now how long do you plan to do it?"

Concern lacing his voice as he saw how you tried your best to warm up your feet with whatever you could find. "It's too cold and I can't keep bothering you for so long, you've got work to do" you tried to sound as if you were alright but in reality, fighting the cold was really taking out all your strength from you.

"Wait—" you felt the covers being lifted from your head. He swiftly carried you on his arms and ploped you on the plush couch. Upon inspecting your surroundings, you saw how he had prepared everything from A to Z... there was a warm tea, leg warmers and special fur on the couch, which was especially sold during winter and the fireplace. "Wriothesley? You prepared all this for me?" You spoke bewildered.

"Yes. All the things that will keep my beloved warm and happy while I'm unfortunately working, " he spoke gently, holding your hands. "Wow...looks like I won the lottery when I received a boyfriend," you said while ruffling his soft hair.

"It's good thank you... but" you smirked maybe something other than this can keep me more warm?" "What are you imply?— Oh...I see" he chuckled on realising your intention.

He slithered his hands on your thighs and seductively said, "I don't mind that warm treat on such a cold day"

[tenjikyu]

𝘥𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘬 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦 - 𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘴𝘬𝘪 - 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘭𝘝

౨ৎ ⋆｡˚ traveller (aether) has saved fontaine from its flood by now, so we’re pretty much in present day but w a few changes , not super happy with the end product but i didn’t wanna make the people wait any longer , male!reader throughout the entire series.

౨ৎ ⋆｡˚ SPOILERS FOR THE ENTIRETY OF FONTAINES ARCHONS QUESTS. DO NOT PROCEED IF YOU HAVE NOT FINISHED THEM.

PART III • PART V • GENSHIN M.LIST

tag list - @wanderchive @gimmealamp @lucianidealz @sleepdeprivedpotato @unemiart @camryn-ciel67 @aruaruru @danika-redgrave124 @bunbunboysworld @kaoyamamegami @aphxdea @red1sg0ne @sleepndacloud @squishyboo @ally674 @hoo-hoo @probablynoposts @junevtv @og-winnie @exrellian @f0th3rr @cb97s-laptop (i hope i got everyone 😭)

it had been about a year since your move to the nation of justice, and it had been nothing short of excitement and entertainment. you met a blonde traveller and his glutinous pixie through lyney, after the two of them had their name cleared. you found them to be quite good company, despite the floating fairy’s consistent whining.

freminet didn’t talk to you for awhile after his and his family’s identity had been exposed to fontaine, and you couldn’t blame him. you had deep rooted issues with the fatui, even if freminet didn’t know it at the time, however what he underestimated was how much you valued him over his background.

it took some pushing (forced interaction) and a lot of tears, but freminet eventually broke down into your arms. you could only hold his head against your form, sheltering him away from the rest of the world as he cried in your living room.

the two of you were the dubbed ‘the second duo of fontaine’ with lyney & lynette holding the original title. the two of you were inseparable after the fatui incident, and him going into the fortress of meropiede was pure TORTURE as he forbid you from following him. (after finding out he almost drowned you had to be practically dragged away from the gates, the twins fearful of what you might do to wriothesley.)

you had officially met the knave whilst outside the palais mermonia, a ‘wrong place wrong time’ kinda situation. you had strolled by after she had finished talking with aether, and formally introduced herself as ‘father’ to you. almost pissing yourself, you converse for awhile before she takes her leave. you’ve never been so uncomfortable in your life.

you just interacted with a fatui harbinger.

needless to say, you’ve had quite the adventure since your arrival in fontaine, and as news spread of the flood around teyvat like wildfire, it caught the attention of two certain brothers.

“have you heard about the flooding in fontaine?” the drunkards would gossip among themselves, and diluc could only hold his breath in worry. kaeya had left months ago in search of you, and he could only sit back and wait for the good news.

it was decided between the two that you’d most likely talk to kaeya before diluc, so he was the one to go on the hunt whilst diluc held the fort down in mondstadt, lying to the costumers that the captain was on “knightly duties in sumeru.”

kaeya was in a constant state of alert, searching nation after nation for your whereabouts. he tried liyue and inazuma, however both had turned over fuitless.

he had multiple run-ins with aether and paimon throughout his journey, and had to come up with lie after lie to explain why he wasn’t in mondstadt. if it got out that they were looking for you, word might spread, and you might end up hiding from him. it was better nobody but the two brothers and jean knew what they were really up to.

eventually, the arrival of lantern rite had come, and as the captain happened to be restocking in said nation at the time, he concluded that if you were nearby, he might just be able to see you.

and attending lantern rite you were.

the family of three had invited you to join them on their trip to liyue for the lantern rite, and you had graciously accepted.

you had changed over the year you had been in fontaine. your outfit had gone from a traditional mondstadt look, to something more fontainian. you learnt the art of the sword, thanks to lynette teaching you personally. your grumpiness had somewhat faded, and you were no longer as easily irritated. you were more level headed and calm, adapting lynette’s mannerisms somewhat.

fact is, you had become almost a new man. you were happier, brighter and stronger. you could now defend yourself, and had the protection of three fatui members wherever you went. you had the spina di rosula AND the former archon in your corner (knowing what it feels like to lose everything, you made it your goal to become furina’s first real friend), and you even had the infamous traveller in your favour.

life was finally starting to look better for you, and so, you decided to take the risk and venture out once more, this time, with your family by your side.

and so, off to liyue you went.

you travelled around for awhile, stopping by qiaoying village and picking up some snacks. along the way, you end up running into the traveller, as well as a new face. the boy with them is young and jumpy, as well as overwhelmingly extroverted. in a way, he almost reminds you of your frosted companion. not in personality at ALL, but in spirit, almost.

you all introduce youtselves, and lyney puts an emphasis on the fact you’re their “fourth” member of the family (unbeknownst to you and freminet, lyney and lynette’s plan to get the both of you together was already set in motion.)

freminet holds your hand the entire way back to liyue harbour, uncomfortably shifting as gaming attempted to conversate with him. noticing his hesitation, the pyro user leaves your friend to be and ends up becoming besties with lyney along the way. after making it to the harbour, you privately apologise for freminet, explaining how he’s quite shy but not at all uncomfortable with the wushou dancer, to which he was greatful for. poor gaming was under the impression freminet disliked him. :(

you walked around the harbour with the fatui trio, grasping freminet’s dainty hands in your own. you admired the lanterns that danced in the sky, almost as if they were stars.

“are you sure you don’t wanna cover up (Y/N)? what if we run into one of your brothers?” freminet asks. the three knew of your situation. after they had explained to you in detail why they were apart of the fatui, you revealed your own background. about your father, your brothers and even about your almost-death encounter. out of respect for the anemo archons anonymity , you left out the part where he saved you. instead, you said a humble bard had found you, and took you home.

“even if we do run into either of them, we’ll take good care of you (Y/N). you don’t have to worry about them.” lynette pats your shoulder comfortingly. you had made peace with what had happened to you back mondstadt, but you were unsure if you were ready to face them again. they were your first family, but if you had to choose right now which family you’d want to spend the rest of your days with…

you’d take your fontainian family in a heartbeat.

“(Y/N) will be fine with us by his side! wont you, (Y/N)?” lyney reassures excitedly, stuffing his face with the liyuen cuisine that you had oh-so-generously paid for.

“i’ll be alright, i doubt they’d come anyways. diluc is too busy with the bar and kaeya probably doesn’t give enough of a shit to bother.” you reply, ending the conversation.

as the night continued, the lanterns above continued to float around, yet never quite leave the harbour. it’s almost as if as much as they attempted to, they couldn’t detach themselves from their origins.

the days went on, and you enjoyed your well-spent time in the region of geo. you met some friendly faces, such as a horned-adeptus, the conqueror of demons, a stubborn old bird refined older adeptus, a young cook whom lynette got along quite well with and many more. you are various different foods, wore traditional liyuen hanfu’s, and even got to help the traveller in his quest to help restore the bond between gaming and his father.

the second last night of your stay in liyue began, and you’re greatful you decided to stay as long as you did. that might, you got to witness the most beautiful dance you’d ever seen.

gaming was almost one with the lanterns, and he was glowing. you were so invested in the dancing, you didn’t notice how you took freminet’s hand in your own. your companion, on the other hand, could only watch your eyes.

they gleamed with excitement, and freminet wanted nothing more then to share that joy with you.

you knew you loved freminet from the moment he broke down into your arms. you knew as you cradled his puffy cheeks in your hands, almost kissing away his gentle tears.

you knew you loved freminet as he fixed your diving gear, triple checking to make sure it was on before he took you diving with him.

freminet knew he was in love with you when you told him that you look past his line of work. and how you know that he isn’t a bad person.

freminet knew he was in love with you as you took his side in an instant when some fontainian’s were harassing him after the word had spread.

“(Y/N), can i talk to you once the dance is over?” freminet doesn’t fail to notice you snap out of your trace to fully engage yourself in what he had to say.

it was almost as if you stopped the world just for him.

the dance ended, and you took the cryo users hand in your own as you took him somewhere more secluded. you didn’t fail to see the both of the twins shooing away anybody in your vicinity to give you both some privacy.

you knew this was your chance, the chance lyney and lynette had given you.

“(Y/N), i wanted to talk to you about something.” the boy before you stutters. it’s been awhile since he’s stuttered around you. he knocked that habit with you only a few month into your friendship, however none of this phased you. you knew what he was going to tell you.

“(Y/N) I-” freminet is cut off by a gentle hand to his mouth. your face contortd into an almost annoyed yet concerned look, seemingly displeased at the interruption of freminet’s confession. confused, freminet looks in front of you, too distracted by the beating of his heart to notice what you’re staring at.

then, he then hears it.

footsteps.

“(Y/N)?”

“k-kaeya..?”

the pure look of terror struck across your face had freminet switch up almost completely. he straightens up, before he steps in front of you in an almost protective manner. he was ready for combat.

then you notice it, three more pairs of feet come charging in behind you. in a flash, freminet’s claymore in drawn, and his gaze flickers both behind you and in front. you see the twins chasing another figure, one you can’t quite make out.

and then, as if the situation couldn’t get much worse then it already was, you see a shade of red emerge from the black mystery man.

it’s almost like a scene from a movie. in front of you, you have your almost-lover threatening your (former?) brother with his claymore.

on the other hand , you had your own flesh and blood behind you, with the twins behind him, a look of apology spilling across their face.

“i’m so sorry (Y/N), we let your name slip when talking about the two of you, and we didn’t even think that these two would be listening in on us-” lynette begins, before she’s cut off by diluc.

“listening IN? you fatui SCUM have been in the steam bird left and right with your scandals! i was only making sure you wernt about to hollow up the harbour.”

“excuse you?? you have NO RIGHT to call US scum when you barge in on a PRIVATE moment”

“lyney, now is REALLY not the time for this.”

“i’ll do whatever the fuck i want if it involves MY brother.”

“YOUR brother!?”

“ENOUGH!”

you finally decide to step in. “diluc, kaeya, what the fuck are you two doing here??” you begin.

“me and our dear diluc decided to take a bit of break, and when we heard these two looney magicians mention your name, we had to know if it really was you.” kaeya’s statement is almost humeruous, but the tone in his voice is enough to tell he isn’t fucking around.

“so what if it IS me? why the fuck would you care? you two bastards haven’t seen me in a year.”

“because, (Y/N). you’re OUR family, and we’re here to take you home.”

“the FUCK did you just say?? YOUR brother?? last time i checked, lynette and i are (Y/N)’s family after you practically NEGLECTED him!” lyney spits out.

by now, the two brothers are on one side, and the fontaine twins are on your other side. only freminet, who’s grip on his claymore hasn’t faltered, stuck next to you.

“i doubt you fuckhead fatui members want anything from my brother then to extort him. you don’t give a shit about him!” diluc reprimands.

“if (Y/N) wanted anything to do with you then he would’ve left fontaine ages ago.” lynette spits out, glaring at the two brothers.

you’re about to step in again, before freminet finally decides to speak up.

“(Y/N) may have grown up with the two of you, but at the end of the day, the both of you ended up hurting him without apologising. we know everything about what happened to the three of you, and on behalf of the fatui, we apologise for the loss of your father. loosing family is hard, and us raised in the house of the hearth would know that more then anybody.”

“but when (Y/N) accepted us for who we truly are, he became apart of our family. he chose to stay with us, and to support us from anybody who had something to say. it’s not just us either, (Y/N) has many friends and companions in fontaine, whom cherish him deeply. that is a fact, and it doesn’t matter what you think.”

all of you stand and listen to what freminet says. throughout the speech, he grabs your hand once more, just like when he did during the wushou dance.

and you fall in love with him all over again.

“he talks to us about you two a lot, and it’s clear to anybody that despite all that you’ve done, (Y/N) still cherishes you two very much, but he’s not ready yet. if you truly care about your brother, perhaps.. you’ll wait?” he questions, awaiting the brothers responses.

it’s quiet for a bit, with yours and freminet’s hands still intertwined. lyney comes to stand next to freminet, and lynette comes to caress your shoulder.

diluc’s heart aches. he wants nothing more then to hold you in his arms once more, like he used to when you cried as a child. he had been so worried about you, that he had completely forgotten what you looked like smiling. diluc knew he was being too harsh, but seeing you being cradled by the very organisation he despises made him want to sob.

but now, you stand before him, a happier and brighter man. your eyebags have cleared up, and your smile now reaches your eyes. he also can’t help but notice the almost romantic tension between you and the diver.

kaeya feels proud. he’s had a lot less to say then his brother, but deep down he knows that you’re happy. kaeya never truly intended to take you home like diluc had wanted. don’t get him wrong, kaeya also wanted nothing more then to have you in mond city once more, however his only intentions were to make sure you were safe. that would be enough.

as the silence comes to an end, diluc speaks gently.

“(Y/N), when you’re ready to come back to the mansion, we’re only a door away.”

he then takes kaeyas shoulder, before heading back to where they had come from. kaeya gives you a gentle nod and a smile, before he followed your crimson brother.

and then, as they disappeared from view, you fell to your knees. years of sorrow awoken within my you, and you felt yourself crumble before the three.

in an instant, they were by your side. all weapons had been put away, and only comforting arms awaited.

you feel yourself nuzzle into freminet’s shoulder, him arms wrapped around your body. lyney and lynette held your shoulders as you sobbed.

everything freminet had said was true. you did want to forgive them, but you weren’t ready.

you knew you had more healing to do before you could officially reconcile with the two, however in your heart, you knew it was possible.

you all eventually went back to the hotel you had been residing at. it was quaint and peaceful, and it’s soothing atmosphere helped your pounding headache.

as the four of you readied yourself for bed, a knock at the door surprised you all.

lyney, being the oldest, took it upon himself to open up in case of a possible intrusion, however only a bard dressed in green garments and a lyre in hand stood before him.

“hey (Y/N)! wanna have a chat?”

did i still leave on a bit of a cliff hanger? maybe. but i was gonna leave it at the kaeya-(Y/N) part so be greatful 😔

[slickfordain]

𝐒𝐀𝐆𝐀𝐔, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐨 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐊𝐡𝐚𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐢'𝐚𝐡 𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐲𝐞𝐝. 💀💀

Male!reader, cult AU, done with everything reader, Unknown God is called Asmoday— Yandere themed, Khaenri’ah lore theory from diff people implied in by yours truly ✨me/Fyu✨. I made male!reader because fuck I lost all my ask inboxes 😭

Nothing could be more terrifying, than the creator himself finding out about the destruction of Khaenri’ah that had the Archons immediately down on their knees. They were horrified, because, most likely the Archons never wanted to destroy it in the first place— it was Celestia! Surely you’d understand!

…

But all you were doing, was chugging down your cola/Pepsi down your throat, your eyebags being visible;; which was easy enough for you to make a bitch resting face. ❝That was my favorite nation… Took me four years, now it’s ruined…❞ You sounded oh-so Godly upsetting, it’s tearing the Archons’ souls at this. ❝Your grace no! We didn’t mean it, I swear!❞ Barbatos was clinging onto your waist, Beelzebul was clinging onto your arm;; and Morax clung onto the other arm, gently trying to make sure you’re not choking from the drink by now.

❝Your grace we promise it wasn’t our doing…!❞

❝Yes!! Listen to the Shogun! It’s Celestia’s doing! That filthy palace, right?! Asmoday deserves a punishment too!❞ Barbatos agreed with the electro Archon’s words, for the first time, as you gave out a huff at their antics. You’re too tired, too exhausted. ❝Jesus… What’s the point in living if my four years creation is already ruined…❞

Just by hearing that made everyone in Teyvat absolutely mortified. Yes, mind you that not only can the Archons hear this;; but everyone around Teyvat. Since you exist, your voice is simply in everyone’s ears;; especially the unknown God’s.

❝And why the fuck is everyone killing the monsters- my babies used to be humans, everything was so normal— what happened when I died??? 💔💔❞

The Archons couldn’t take it anymore, and bursted into … A waterfall. Their eyes were crying out I tell ya.

❝WAAAAAA— OUR GRACE NO!! I DIDN’T KILL ANYONE I SWEAR;; IT’S ALL MORAX’S FAULT!❞

❝Pardon me? I believe the drunken bard was the one who demolished every single men and women who tried running away, and don’t get me started on the Raiden.❞

❝You dare accusing my sister?! Your grace! I’ve always been loyal to eternity and kept my promise! Do not trust these fools, they’re lying about my sister Makoto!❞

Even their crying was spread throughout Teyvat. And never in anyone’s life in Inazuma, had they thought the Raiden Shogun would be so… Whiny and, well, emotional. Especially in Liyue who has never seen Rex Lapis’ Archon form being this emotional as well. Childe was at the brink of choking and almost dying. /real

Snezhnaya was so close to victory if you took their side as well. The more the Archons fought one another for you, this means you’d love them more. And the more you love them— the more you could destroy Celestia with Tsaritsa!! Hold on I think Tsaritsa is going love love crazy with a huge blush—

But in all honesty, this makes Dainsleif so fucking angry. They DARED casually talking and whining to you as if they can order you around to punish someone! As much as he hates Celestia’s guts, your appearance came first. Filthy Archons… He knew he should’ve tried killing them the day Asmoday’s attack went feral over Khaenri’ah…

And as for Kaeya and Albedo, those two were definitely going to grab Venti and attack him like feral men who’d do anything for their divine. You.

Everyone was so unsure of how to feel about the Archons. Killing a nation because of what? Their nature? If Celestia truly did send them off to kill the innocents… Then that meant… They’ve been killing humans this entire time.

Xiangling and other children are definitely going to throw up from the thought of it, as they have to be comforted by other people who gave them a light pat on the back. Even for Xiao, who has been more traumatized for realizing that the robots were also made from Khaenri’ah to not destroy nations, but to destroy the heavenly principles and Celestia. All this time… They’ve tried attacking innocents who didn’t even try bothering them, they bothered them first.

Yeah. Horrified nations is definitely set upon the place. And I think, Aether is going to take his frustration out on the Archons once they get back. Not only did they not help him to find his sister, Aether has been completely lied to!

But no worries… Aether will be helped by you right? You must be so… Soooooo tired of them… He will do anything in your hands, he will obey, if it meant he could be helped by you. He’d be so blessed if that were to be the case.

If his sister leaves him for the Abyss one more fucking time, he wouldn’t blame her— but would give up at this very point seeing that Lumine wouldn’t choose him over Abyss. Nahida was right. She belonged to this world, and he was just a traveller through different dimensions.

But then… Who was he truly, if Lumine was never from his own world from the beginning? Who was he to you?

He has heard about your story, your tales… How you always wore a cloak with designed hood over your head;; how you died by such brutal creatures who tried taking over Teyvat. You were a pretty boy, that he wasn’t going to lie about. You were strong, a bit too strong. You’re too overpowered that you didn’t even need to lift a finger, just say in your head that you wanna delete someone and boom. Deleted. Completely erased.

(And you don’t even fight, 💀 lucky bastard)

No matter… That was not the time to think about, right?

The nations aren’t even sure anymore if they should forgive the Archons. For they have sinned and destroyed your favorite creations, Khaenri’ah and it’s people. There was no way they’d ever get your forgiveness.

Which is a lie because you would forgive them but you will be so frustrated trying to remake Khaenri’ah ahahaha— oh yeah while also beating Celestia up by deleting it.

Also ew I’m stuck in a restaurant

[vanillasann]

His World, Your World

Pairing: Venti x gn!reader

Genre: Angst <3

Summary: He loves his nation and you just almost as much. For Mondstadt is his world and he'd do everything he could to protect it. Even if it costs his life. So when you have to choose between his death or his nation's, he begs you to choose his. But will you?

TW: Major character death (u), but nothing too graphic. English is not my first language, so I'm sorry if there are many grammar errors! <//3

Note: I've been dying to write something since last, last, last year/? but my lazy ass is stronger than me. This draft has been in here for a year. But oh, well, at least I write something now. I've always loved 'Which would he choose? You or the world?' trope and also inspired by a fanart I saw months ago; Venti hates you because you chose him over Mondstadt, but sadly I forgot their username-.

It's not a secret for anyone to know the fact that Mondstadt is Venti's home. It won't even be an overstatement to say that Mondstadt is his world.

For him loving it oh so much; even greater than he value his own life. For it was what his friends had always been wanted. For it was what his friends had been fight for.

He loves it dearly with all of his heart. He loves the people in it; his people, his children. He loves the freedom his nation has. And for it, he'll do anything he could to protect it. Even if the cost that he must pay is his life.

What to lose? I am but an archon that has long ago left my nation anyway. They'll be just alright without me, he thinks.

There are so many words that could describe Venti. He is a God. An Archon. An immortal being. A cheerful person that is allergic to cats. A drunkard bard. But never even in his mind that he'd ever could be described as a lover.

A lover who loves his partner passionately. A lover who cares so much about his partner's well-being. A lover who will go out of his way to comfort and cheer them whenever the world gets too mean towards them. A lover who vows to his partner that he'll protect them with everything he has.

Venti knows that he's rather friendly with all his acquaintances. Yet he never thought about even the possibility of him falling in love with someone, let alone a mere mortal being, for he is an archon.

At least that's what he thought. Until he met you.

You, who make his heart thump like crazy, feels like knocking hazardly in his chest. You, who make his day a bit more brighter just by getting a thought of your voice calling his name. You, who make him smile like a drunk man even when he hasn't chugged any bottle of Diluc's dandelion wine. And you, who make him addicted of your all.

He tried to shrug it off as his form of interest towards you. Nothing big, just a little crush that will wilt over time, he thought back then. But that little crush was and is still growing wildly every time he spends his day with you. Making a flower garden that he himself can't seem to get rid of, for he has gotten fond of these feelings.

He cherished every moment he has with you, whether it's just strolling around Windrise or visiting Diluc with Kaeya. Whether it's mundane things like joking and making a fool of himself just so he can hear a chorus of your laughter he so adore or a pretty night when he asks you to join him to stargazing in Starsnatch Cliff.

He loves you so much that he even drinks wine less just so he can spend more time with you. He loves you so much that he writes songs about you so that the world knows how amazing you are that even an archon fell head over heels for you.

He loves you and his nation just almost as much; with all of his heart, with everything that he has. That he'd sacrifice anything else if it means he could keep his nation and you safe.

So when you are faced with a big choice that had to be made, he pleads- no. He begs you to choose his doom.

While Venti is a lover who yearns nothing but to spend a lifetime with you, his love, he also is Barbatos, an archon of a nation. He couldn't imagine his life if you'd choose him over his nation, his world.

He begs and cries and sobs to you while clings like you are his lifeline.

Who you are to decline his pleas?

But while you understand his position, you couldn't help but feels like he's selfish. Oh so selfish to sacrifice himself so no one would die. Because while yes, everyone might just be alright, but- what about you?

You who had loved him so much, too much in fact, that you'd choose his life over yours, even over the world, for he was yours. You who had given him everything you had and gave in to his every whim and plea every single day without fail. You, who can't even think about your life without him and his laughter.

And Mondstadt will not last that long without him anyway, you tried to justify yourself in front of a mirror silently. Blank stare at your broken state reflection.

But the flashes of his dying heart and broken scream and tear-stained face of sorrow, because he lost his nation, make your stomach churn and tighten your chest that you can't draw even shallow breath. A realization hit you; He couldn't live without his nation, and vice versa.

That much is what you need to know to make the decision. You clean yourself as much as you can and go to make it.

Underneath the sunset glow and under the tree in windrise you two stare at each other deeply with an empty smiles, trying to pretend everything is alright.

"Are you really sure about this?"

"You promise you're gonna be happy?"

"You promise you're gonna be fine without me?"

He nods at every question you throw at him, even with a trembling smile and tears that threaten to fall, he stands his ground. He answers your questions like he knows what you'll choose after his pleas and begs. Because you'd never say no to him, for you love him too much.

He'd accepted his doom. Anything for his nation to be safe and for you to continue your life, even without him.

But then why?

Why is your form slumping against him in his embrace as if you don't have any strength to even hold it anymore?

Why are you rubbing his back softly and whispering apologies for what you've done?

Why are your breathing and your heart slowly fading away despite him holding you so tight against him?

Why is he screaming your name repeatedly with uncontrollable tears that fall while he tries to shake you awake when it should have been him who won't respond to yours?

Why is he can't do anything despite him being a God, an archon, to bring you back by his side?

Why would you trade your place in his stead as a sacrifice?

Venti doesn't understand.

Or rather, he doesn't want to. For he forgot that he knows a fact.

That while Mondstadt is his world, Venti was yours.

[sunvylovebug]

Love garden

↬ Warnings: No warnings …⁠ᘛ⁠⁐̤⁠ᕐ⁠ᐷ

↬ Female!Reader and person narration (⁠*⁠˘⁠︶⁠˘⁠*⁠)⁠.⁠｡⁠*⁠♡

↬ Author Note: I love Diluc<3 I've written some other stuff with Genshin characters, you can check it out on my profile if you're interested<3

↬ Summary: The uncrowned king of Mondstadt has begun to develop feelings for his childhood friend.

↬ Word Count: 1,003 Words

Since childhood, Y/N and Diluc had been inseparable. They grew up together in Mondstadt, sharing games, secrets and adventures in every corner of the city. Their friendship was as solid as iron, forged by years of laughter and loyalty, of promises and memories, of good and bad times together, little adventures and tons of love and care for each other.

As time went by, they both had to take separate ways, separating for a while, but even after so long their hearts were still connected, it was impossible to break a connection that had prevailed alive for so many years after all.

While Diluc, after years of being away from the nation, assumed his role as the owner of the Dawn Winery in the mornings and the enigmatic, mysterious and heroic Dark Knight Hero of Mondstadt in the evenings, Y/N found her own purpose after studying at the Akademiya of Sumeru, returning to Mondstadt to tend to a small garden that had been built in the heart of the city.

One day, while Y/N was in her garden arranging the flowers and making sure everything was in order, Diluc appeared unexpectedly. Although his face showed a serious expression, there was a soft intensity in his eyes that Y/N had not seen in a long time. "Y/N, I've been thinking about you." Diluc said, slowly approaching. "Can I stay with you for a moment?"

Y/N looked at him with curiosity and a slight smile on her lips. The garden had always been her place of peace, the place where everything seemed more pleasant, more simple and peaceful, Diluc's presence made it even more special. "Of course, Diluc. You're always welcome here."

He sat near her, on a small bench of the place, watching how she worked with delicacy and mastery on her plants, she already had a good time taking care of this place. A pleasant silence formed between them, interrupted only by the occasional birdsong and the soft rustling of the leaves as they moved in the wind.

"You know..." He began to say in a thoughtful tone. "Sometimes when I see the flowers here, they remind me of what we've shared since we were children, the days in my father's garden, the sunny days where we played hide and seek with Kaeya or Jean, or when we'd go looking for bugs and flowers with you... The times when as children, everything seemed simpler."

She looked up from the flowers, looking at him with a mixture of surprise and affection. They didn't usually talk about their feelings this way, but she felt there was something different about the way Diluc was acting.

"Kinda funny..." She said with a soft smile. "Maybe it's weird for me to say it like this but I've always thought that this garden is like a reflection of various connections I have with people, especially our friendship. I take great care of it cause it means a lot to me, as you do too, Diluc."

He was silent, but his eyes shone with an intensity that Y/N couldn't ignore. Finally, he leaned a little closer. "Y/N, there is something I need to tell you." He began, his voice filled with an unusual vulnerability. "How I've felt about you has changed over time. You're not only my friend, but someone I truly appreciate more than I could ever put into words. You are a beautiful girl, you are strong and honest, you are charismatic and kind, you are sweet and brave... I could spend all day talking about how I see you... but I'm scared, I don't wanna lose you because of the things I feel for you."

Her stomach flipped over, she felt her heart beating faster, her cheeks flushing as she listened to Diluc's heartfelt words. She wasn't sure how to respond, but the sincerity in his voice moved her deeply.

"Diluc, I've felt something special for you too, for a while now..." Admitted Y/N in a trembling voice. "But I- I didn't know how to tell you. I was afraid it might ruin our friendship."

Diluc smiled, a gleam of relief in his eyes. "You don't have to fear that, Y/N. What I feel for you has grown over time and I think it's something worth feeling together, if you'll allow me."

With a gesture full of tenderness Diluc took Y/N's hand, looking at her warm and comforting eyes with an expression that blended love and affection that became overwhelming to the young woman's melting heart.

"Let me show you how special you are to me, not only as a friend with whom I have spent countless moments together, adventures and good times, but as someone I wish to protect, care for and love as long as you and life will allow me to."

With her heart overwhelmed with emotion, she nodded slowly, looking into his eyes, nervous and excited by his words. Her trust in Diluc and the love she felt for him came together in a moment of pure connection. "I'd love to do the same, Diluc."

He ran a hand around her waist with a gentle smile and a soft shade of pink on his cheeks. He held her chin with his gloved hand and looked down at her. "May I?"

It was the happiest day for both of them. She felt like she would faint soon from so much emotion her heart was feeling, she nodded shyly and it was then that Diluc brought their lips together gently, a tender kiss full of the love and affection they felt for each other.

From that day on, the garden became an even more meaningful place for them, a place to spend time together and create many memories.

Each visit was a mixture of laughter and intimate moments, as Diluc strove to show his devotion and affection in every gesture and action. Through the seasons, through time and through life's changes, their new relationship blossomed so beautifully, just as the flowers did in Y/N's garden.

[frcstwinded]

“we’re always recruiting for fellow kaeyas or supporters of our cause, just sign below”

[anemoi-i]

On Venti "sleeping"... & why it doesn't make him a bad Archon, nor does it mean he doesn't listen to the prayers of Mondstadters.

After the fall of Decarabian, it is common knowledge that Barbatos departed afterwards because he did not wish to become a tyrant as he was and did not wish to actively rule over Mondstadt. He would awake during the Aristocracy and the cries of the people once again having their freedoms taken away from them by the Laurence Clan.

There are arguments such as Venti let this happen. No, Venti chose to believe in humanity and that Mondstadt would remain a free nation, and that decision [believing in humanity] betrayed him, which is far more tragic than him "letting it happen" on purpose. These arguments also carry the same rhetoric which, with what little we have to go off of, can be disproven:

Venti's sleeps are voluntary.

Venti does not listen to the prayers of Mondstadters.

& other rhetoric that falls under these two categories and/or are similar.

The nature of Barbatos' slumber and the conditions for it is unclear. What is clear is that it isn't simply Barbatos choosing to take a nap for a couple of thousands of years because he doesn't want to do his job. It is the opposite, in which he believes that allowing Mondstadters to live freely without his rule is the best option, but still influences and provides support in a way that is not oppressive. On his slumbers, though, there is nothing stopping Barbatos from staying awake and pretending to be a normal person, so why must he sleep? It has to be something along the lines of being involuntary, even if it is only partial.

Barbatos slumbered again, this time awakening when Durin attacked:

But at last, calamity came upon this land. The songs that had once flown joyfully in the wind were drowned by a venomous dragon. In the wake of its earth-shaking footsteps, even the cries and the flames were ripped asunder. The Anemo Archon heard their agony, though he had refused to rule. But to protect his old friends' dream, and defend the wind-kissed fields of green, He woke from his long slumber anew, and with the sky dragon in battle he flew... - Elegy of the End

Now, after Durin attacked, both Barbatos and Dvalin fell into a deep slumber after the grueling battle. Dvalin was tainted with Abyssal Blood that seeped into his teeth after biting into Durin's neck, and would rest at Old Mondstadt. Barbatos would attempt to cure his friend during the beginning of the main story, which is also known. However, it is important to note that Barbatos has always awoken when Mondstadt needed him most, and he does not ignore the cries of the people.

So, let's just say I am wrong and his sleep is strictly voluntary: Whether or not his sleep is revealed to be 100% voluntary in the future, there are several facts that remain evident: he is always awoken when the situation is dire (which would imply that Barbatos being awake now means that there is something else that needs the attention of the Anemo Archon, but this is strictly speculative) and that the reason he even awakens is because he has heard the cries of the people, which contradicts the main argument that he does not care or listen.

Barbatos called upon the winds of the far-flung past in the Weinlesefest event and successfully reminded Razor, Rosaria, Diluc (and Kaeya by proxy) of heartfelt memories and calls the people of Mondstadt his children. He is implied to have helped Callirhoe, a Oceanid travel to Springvale after she could not find a safe haven to live in during the Waterborne Poetry event. His first incentive was always to purge the Abyssal Corruption from Dvalin and did not (and would not have) idly sat by and let his friend be corrupted. It was Dvalin who formed a likeness for the Anemo Archon first.

Now, does that truly sound like a God that does not care, does not listen and does not hold his people dear to him? I think not.

[h0ney-san]

FINALY I HAVE IDEAS RAJSIW82HID[×<28÷_+>;#<+ 👹👹👹

Anyways- as i promise, here is the part 2 of how it can work the silly idea of a SAGAU Reader that is like Howl form "howl's moving castle"!

Okay so in the first part i say that we can take this idea into a SAGAU Imposter AU escenario, here the things change a bit...

First thing of, when you were in Strormterror lair vibing with the Hilichurls, you were just learning how to use the magic that was bless on you. The Hilichurls were always friendly to you! They give you some messy mid raw meat, even if it wasn't much, it mean the word to you...

Because of your aura, different monsters come more often to Stormterror lair, to little types of Slime, Hilichurls, even the Mitachurls come there more often! ( Like the Hilichurls of the chasm )

Of course that the Knigths of Favonius will notice, of course Mondstadt's citizen will notice how are less and less monsters close to the city, of course even Venti will found weird how the wind of the nation IS different. And because of that, there was manner of time that would make the Knigths seend a little grup to investigate the area...

Thank fully, you did know how to use your powers to scape, other wides, the blade of a Kaeya will have cross your chest and heart, is a pity that all your little friends didn't have the same luck...

After the knigths discovers "The impostor", they obviously inform the archons and the fake creator in the trone, in the panic this fake creator, they declare a hunt, the one that could give them the head of the impostor will have the luck of ask a wish to they grace.

Time skip, NO ONE have been able to find the impostor, not even CELESTIA know were are they, in the fire of the hunt all of them didn't notice a machine that breaths fire and make magic, a Moving castle you can say, they didn't notice a person that seels weird potions, who goes by a weird name, [ Fake Name ] is how themself calls them, because and thanks of the magic, they have been able to change theyre face, theyre voice, its a new person, who is just gigling while looking the Archons struggleing to find them, just waithing that the fake creator make a bad move, just to revel it all.

They can wait, no time to rush.

Basicly:

Anyways, i have some more ideas but they are not related to this, sorry if i don't know how to write a NB reader but im trying- so i will post it in other post, for now...

See ya!

⸻ h0ney 🍯🐝.

[jinkicake]

A Sense of Duty

Dainsleif, Kaeya, Xiao x Reader

A/N: This is like a bodyguard (or knight/heir) au, there is no other way to explain it!!! I keep reading too many mangas like this... i love pining and yearning, i hope you all do too!

Dainsleif spoilers (from 2.6 chasm archon quest)

WC - 1,651

~~~

Dainsleif

“You don’t have to follow me any longer,” Your soft-spoken words sound crueler than any sword Dainsleif has met in his long life. From where you stand a few meters away from him, the guard is able to pick up on how your form has begun to shake. “your duties have been completed many years ago.”

There’s a shakey exhale that releases from your lips, you’re unable to look the royal guard in the eyes as you finally let him go.

It’s taken you over a hundred years to convince yourself of this, deeming anything else unfair to the knight. Your shared home is gone, up into flames, and crumbled into ruins. He has no duty left to you anymore, no reason to be protecting you with his life. Recently, you’ve come to the realization that he must be still fiercely guarding you out of his own sense of duty. 

You know deep down that you have to relieve him of this, this guilt that still holds him hostage. 

Just as you were punished with immortality, so was he. His dedication to the crowned heir has not faltered once throughout the years. You simply cannot comprehend it. After lifetimes of wandering Teyvat together and now finally picking a place to rest, you can’t see why his assistance would be required any longer. 

“I relieve you of your royal duties. I no longer have a home to return to or a nation to rule, I’m as average as an immortal gets.” When you finally look at him, you can’t help the bitter expression that takes up your face. Your eyebrows furrow slightly as you harshly bite the inside of your cheek. 

Dainsleif’s lack of response only serves to make you more anxious. The pleasure that comes from grinding your teeth into your soft skin is painful but, dulls the existential ache in your soul. 

The royal guard stands from where he was seated at your round table before making his way over to you. You pretend to ignore his footsteps and act indifferent as he closes in on you. 

The outside world now seems so much farther away. 

“Your highness,” Dainsleif begins, and you fully expect him to give you one last bow and be on his way out. Instead, he places his large hands on either side of your waist as he tightly grips the wooden sill of your window. “regardless of your title, I will always protect you.” 

The low vibrations of his raspy voice make goosebumps appear on your skin, and you nearly miss his claims of utter devotion because of it. 

“Why?” You whisper, timidly letting your eyes fall to the floor. Dainsleif softly cups your cheek with his gloved hand, the warmth is something you immediately lean into. As his thumb strokes over your cheeks then underneath your eyes and against your lashes, you pitifully whimper. He quietly murmurs your name and it gently pulls you from your own self-sabotaging thoughts. Once you finally look him back in the eyes, into the pools of stars, your guard slightly tilts his head. His words come out quietly, sternly, as his lips brush against your forehead. 

“My loyalty has always been to you, my grace. Only you.”

Kaeya A.

“Kaeya,”

“Kaeya…”

“Kaeya!” At your hushed whisper, your knight reluctantly pulls himself away from you. However, the separation is only slight. Instead of having his lips pressed against your own, he’s now hiding his face into the crook of your neck as his body further entangles between your legs. “We can’t be doing this here,” You lightly strum your fingers along his shoulders, barely covered by his light dress shirt. Every step that you hear outside of your door causes you to tighten your fingers into his broad muscles. “there are people outside!” 

Your knight could care less about the other knights stationed outside your bedroom. It’s seen in the way he drags his hands up your hips, rubbing your sides over your flimsy nightgown. Kaeya continues to kiss your skin without a care in the world, unleashing his full desire and adoration for you. 

“They don’t know I am in here,” He murmurs and the sound instantly makes you shiver. The deep, rich vibrations from his voice cause your belly to flutter. “it’s the middle of the night, relax your highness.” 

Reluctantly, you listen. 

You allow Kaeya to gently push you back against your large bed, accented with the fluffiest duvet and decorated with a number of plush pillows. His body follows as his define arms move to wrap around your shoulders. He squeezes gently you as if you’re made out of glass, as if he is afraid to break you. 

Still, the protective feel in his hold makes you feel utterly content. 

As he starts to kiss your temple, sprinkling pecks all over your face. Your eyes flutter shut. You practically melt into his touch as one of his hands comes up to hold your jaw, delicately brushing his thumb against your lip. 

For as long as you’ve known him, Kaeya has been obsessed with touching you. You’re not sure the reason or the way behind his thinking but, with such a soft hand, you never have been able to refuse him. 

“(Y/N),” He lowly croons into your ear, tilting his head so that he can press more kisses against your cheek and jaw. “don’t fall asleep yet,” The request is almost laughable. With his touch lighting your heart on fire, the organ rapidly beating in your chest, you could not possibly fall asleep. 

The only time sleep finds you is when Kaeya settles down and merely holds you. 

It’s not as if you want to go to sleep right away either. 

“We didn’t get to see each other much today,” You whisper, blindly reaching for his wrist. It’s easy to find the slim limb and you gently start to rub the pads of your fingers against his skin. Kaeya wants to kiss the soft pout on your face, he places his lips at the corner of your mouth. 

“Did you miss me?” He mutters against your lips and you pitifully whimper, slightly nodding as you tilt your head so that his mouth slots over your own. Kaeya groans quietly into your mouth and tries to keep the kiss as clean as possible. 

However, at the brief jut of your legs as your thigh presses between his own, his restraint starts to dissolve. 

As he holds your jaw protectively and presses his fingers into your sensitive skin, his tongue peaks out past his lips. 

Through his touch, he shows his true and utter devotion to you, not as your knight, but as a man. 

Xiao

“Thank you for accompanying me today,” After nearly fifteen minutes of silence while trailing behind your personal guard, you try to break the tense atmosphere. Each step that you take is hesitant and beside you, Xiao slows his pace to match your own. 

He offers you a silent nod in acknowledgment. 

You’re aware that the esteemed adeptus has never been a fan of many words, not with you anyway, but you’re grateful nonetheless when you can get him to at least look in your direction. 

Being hopelessly in love with him is not easy for your weak heart. 

The two of you continue to walk in silence until you reach the end of your destination. Xiao stops as he nears the seaside cliff and wordlessly points at the flowers you requested to pick. 

You always try to cherish the time that you get with the adeptus, seeing as your family usually assigns female guards to you at all times. However, more recently, he has become the only one strictly assigned to you. 

Slowly, you walk past him and nod your head as you head up the trail. Xiao stands a considerable amount of distance away, his eyes elsewhere as he stares back at the mountains. You take the time to place your wooden basket down, to focus on his frame rather than the blooming flowers in front of you. Your eyes run over the spear in his hand and the mask attached to his loose pants. He has a sturdy build, one that you appreciate time and time again as your eyes hopelessly wander. You wish he would look at you, just once. 

Reluctantly, you tear your eyes away and reach for one of the flowers. Your focus is now elsewhere. 

The moment he feels your eyes off of him, Xiao looks over his shoulder. He watches carefully as you crouch and inspect each blooming flower. Your dress pools around your lap as you lower yourself onto your knees, the sight makes him tightly swallow. How could cruel hands such as his own ever think of touching something so delicate? 

Xiao tries to keep his distance from you and continuously sets boundaries that his heart will understand. He fears the day that you stop restraining yourself, when you finally unleash your desires onto him, he will have no way to hold himself back. 

It’s the duty of a guard to protect his subject, his majesty, is loving you not a different way of doing that? 

The word love still makes the adeptus flinch but, given how his heart and soul react whenever you are near, he is sure that this is what this feeling is. Over time, he became more accustomed to the uncomfortable ache. Xiao even began to understand the yearning in his heart and the longing in his soul. From the beginning, he was forbidden to allow this to happen. He was given the order by Rex Lapis himself but, the adeptus (for as strong as he is) was not able to fight it. 

It’s a shame. 

He is hopelessly in love with a mortal who is close enough to touch but, still out of his reach. 

[loving-august]

๑𓈒 ' . 𑇛 I'D STILL CHOOSE YOU.

PAIRINGS. diluc ragnvindr x fem! reader

SYNOPSIS. in which diluc notices your worries about the people around you.

GENRE. angst to fluff hurt/comfort

WC. 1.05k!!

WARNINGS. none, slight profanity, insecurity, gossips, bodyshaming

NOTES. hello! this fic will be new expansion to my fandoms hehe I hope you guys will like it just as much I enjoyed writing this fic. blame diluc bc of him I made a decision to create for genshin characters smh /j + reblogs are highly appreciated!

LINKS. navigaion | genshin impact masterlist | taglist form

๑𓈒 ' . 𑇛 REBLOGS ARE HIGHLY APPRECIATED!

Being the richest bachelor in mondstat, Diluc is expected to do what nobles do. The way he greets, acts, and accomplishes every job perfectly. He received a vision at the age of 10 and became the youngest captain in the knights of favonius at the age of 14. Of course, he is now just a mere businessman taking care of the winery in the morning or protecting the entire mondstat at night time. His past is yet to be told.

Rich parents of noble women across nations often visit him in hopes to have their daughter as the groom. Yet, he refuses to tell them as he tells them that he has no sole interest in having a relationship with any women. Or so he thought.

You happened to see him in his dark knight duties one fateful evening. You were ambushed by hillichurls while you were on your way to the outskirts of mondstat, your home. You came out from work a bit too late than usual.

You accidentally punched him as you thought it was some treasure hoarder coming at you. You apologised so sincerely that it wasn't some bad guy.

"Master diluc?" You asked.

Shit. He cursed himself.

"Than-"

"Don't say a word about this." He sternly said. And you did.

You scratched your neck awkwardly, "I will. Thank you again!" You walked away from him. To be honest he was scary earlier, barbatos how could this happen to me?

Little did you both know, a certain bard was witnessing the scene. A playful smirk grew into his face. "Huh, may the wind guide each other." He whispered. It's a rare scene to see Diluc in this kind of situation. Maybe the dear archon barbatos, also known as venti would be part of playing cupid.

A time has passed since your first encounter with Diluc, Venti's cupid duties came into reality. He was very happy for you and Diluc and he even played a small tune for the two of you. As much as Diluc appreciated the gesture, he would not change the way he treats venti in his tavern due to his wine addiction. As well as Kaeya, the wonder duo never fails to give Diluc a headache.

Soon enough, you opened your eyes to the noble world. There is a lot of catching up to do. All the stereotypes were shown on to you, the mannerisms on talking, acting, and greetings to fellow nobles. It was hard. As someone like you had no experience on such acts.

You found yourself in your shared rooms with your lover. With your eyes all puffy and red due to crying. You couldn't take it anymore.

"How can Master Diluc find someone so…common.."

"I expected him to choose a noblewoman from liyue."

The voices of other people in mondstat broke your heart. To hear such a thing about Diluc, you felt responsible. Instead of making him happy by his side, you could only be giving him a bad name by just existing beside him.

It felt so wrong.

What you didn’t was that you fell asleep on the vanity where you cried yourself with dried tears on your cheeks.

Diluc just recently returned home from his darknight duties. You were completely aware of his schedule as if its the back of your palm. Why would you know all about it? Of course diluc would tell you things about him, he’s that devoted to you. Adeline, the head maid of the manor, greeted the master of the manor. “Good evening Master Diluc.”

“Good evening to you too,” Diluc greeted back.

He went straight to your shared rooms, not giving any mind of eating for tonight. He was busy eliminating abyss mages around mondstat. When he opened the door, first he saw you sleeping uncomfortably on the vanity table. He immediately removed his coat and placed it on some chair and carried you carefully. Making sure that you were not awake. How long have you been asleep? Your neck is probably sore because of the restricted sleeping position you were in.

He sighed as he saw you still in your morning clothes. He can’t imagine wearing all the heavy clothing from daylight to night time. That's why you've woken up? "Did I wake you up darling?" He asked.

you got up and he followed. "No, you didn't. I just felt my position changed." You groggily replied while rubbing your eyes.

Diluc was observing you. He noticed that you were secretly wiping off the direct tears on your face while pretending to rub your eyes after you had just woken up from a long slumber.

He was worried. Maybe he has been busy lately since he has a wine business to attend to. Not only the wine business but also his secret duties at night time at mondstat. The abyss order has been showing up lately.

"y/n, can I ask you a question?" He started. You looked at your hands, not looking at his worried eyes laid upon you. "uh, sure. What are you trying to ask?" You replied.

Something is not sitting right. The way you said it was as if you changed your sentence and the way you speak. this is not the y/n he used to talk to. A hint of guilt punched at diluc. He HAS been busy. He should reschedule his time for you after this. He felt accountable for your well-being, since he was the one who asked you to live with him and as his lover, it is his duty to take care of you.

"Is something bothering you lately?" He asked. There, he asked for it. Although he expects you to lie to him. You can't lie to him after all.

"No, nothing's wrong dearest, I'm just tired..that's all," you answered and gave him a small smile.

Diluc uses his thumb to wipe off rye excess tears from your face, "No you're not. It breaks my heart whenever you lie to me. Tell me the truth my love, whatever you say is valid, after all it made you feel this way," He slowly opened his arms for you to be able to rest on his chest while wrapping his arms around you, "if you feel like I'm slipping away from you, don't worry."

"I'd still choose you."

© 2022 loving-august. All Rights Reserved. Do not repost. Do not plagiarize. Do not share on other platforms. Will get slapped if u do.

[yaeggravate]

hi i'm back with more crack theories about kaeya and everyone's favorite purple crystal 🥰

warning: this is just for fun, something to keep us entertained during another kaeya lore drought

a while back, before we knew who the sinner was, i suggested he was a fallen angel who gave kaeya his vision. kaeya's vision is pointedly missing two wings which may symbolize his clipped wings.

since there are some parallels between vision givers (archons) and vision bearers i assumed that the circumstances around kaeya's vision (fighting his brother after a betrayal) might hint towards the sinner also having gone through a sibling fallout.

fast forward, and while i was off about a few things, vedrfolnir does indeed have a sibling, one he betrayed pretty badly 🤭

Dainsleif: The Sinner you wish to know about... His situation is different. He and his fellow sinners have long betrayed me, and long betrayed their nation. Dainsleif: His name is Vedrfolnir, "The Visionary." Dainsleif: I'm loath to admit it, but... He is also my kin. My older brother.

who knows, maybe vedrfolnir witnessed the fight between the two brothers and saw himself in kaeya. (there's also something deeply funny about vedr losing his little brother dainsleif and replacing him with a cooler younger brother who also wants nothing to do with him).

Since that day, Kaeya and Diluc have gone their separate ways. But he never discusses it, just as he never discusses the origin of his Vision.

alternatively, perhaps vedr had to keep kaeya alive at all costs and hastily gave him a vision. he just so happens to be a Visionary, a powerful prophet who can divine the fate of the world and apparently see through time itself. ...like some kind of all seeing eye.

you know where this is going.

whether kaeya is a seer or not remains unclear. but there are enough oddities to suggest he knows and sees more than is normal. just look at his hangout! i'm not going to list all the instances but bennett even called him an "omniscient big brother" in an old official blog post. turns out, vedrfolnir is quite literally an omniscient big brother lol.

Kaeya: My dear audience, I ask you this: Do you believe in fate? If fate decreed that your life was to end in tragedy, what would you do?

Kaeya: Fate means to send the machinations of war to every corner of the land, to fan the flames of conflict till they engulf the entire world... Fate would see my sword tainted with the blood of innocents, that the bright banner of my homeland might fly in every nation known to mankind.

Kaeya: Perhaps there's an inept god out there deciding everyone's fates... much like the Akademiya student drafting Darbil's scripts.

how does he know this? is someone dropping spoilers in his ear or does he really have the gift of prophecy?

so imagine for a second kaeya's vision is from vedrfolnir. maybe this created a connection between them which allowed kaeya to catch glimpses of vedr's divinations... this might explain why kaeya was there during the caribert quest. kaeya waited every day for the traveler to show up which to me suggests he was desperate to talk to them. maybe he knew what was going to happen and wanted to warn them. (and then vedr's brother showed up which put a dent in those plans.)

another fun coincidence is that vedrfolnir means "storm pale", "wind bleached", or "wind-witherer". kaeya has many references to storms and wind. (frostwind swordsman, glacial whirlwind, he even came to mondstadt during a storm etc etc). no, this does not mean kaeya is vedr, but hey if child can inherit surtalogi's legacy why can't kaeya inherit vedrfolnir's, who has a history of "helping" the alberichs.

foul legacy is "demon king armament (魔王武装)" in CN, and in fischl's cn voiceline about kaeya, she questions if kaeya has the "demon eye (魔眼)". (it's no coincidence childe's foul legacy form looks like a fucked up seelie)

About Kaeya (CN) Fischl: The reality that cannot be seen through, the karma that cannot be discerned, the mad interweavings of reality and illusion... Perhaps that person and I are alike, shouldering the fate of the "demon eye"...

the sinners are using a power they acquired from the abyss. if the power comes from a demon, who are fallen angels, then it does not kill the fallen angel theory. moreover, the traveler specifically compares venti's upside down statue to the sinner. i think the abyss order are trying to create a mechanical angel; because who else can weave and control ley lines if not the descendants of fate itself? the mecha god might even be used to house vedr himself...

this is not without precedent. i recently found out deshret's mechanical triangle boss, abbreviated as ASIMON, is a reference to the aasimon in dnd, who are angels.... these mechas are imbued with jinn fragments, who are the descendants of the seelie. so essentially, deshret used angel juice to power up his machines.

remus also used the golden seelie bees to weave his symphony. ....sensing a worrying trend here.

i won't lie, it's not looking good for kaeya.

but it gets better

"sinners" and "fishers" in french are almost identical: pécheurs and pêcheurs. this is important because kaeya's ancestor anfortas is named after the fisher king from arthurian legends which was originally written in old french. he's the sinner AND fisher king.

Amfortas is a character from the Grail Romances: the Fisher King (le roi pêcheur) and the Sinner King (le roi pecheur).

kaeya's connections to fishers has been foreshadowed from the beginning; his birthday falls on november 30, which is the feast day of st andrew, a fisherman. his eyepatch in official art has a trident, which was used for spearfishing. (there's also fischl's entire existence aka fischer.)

he even has a hangout pic where he catches a fish. in that same route he went by the alias of albert rich, which might also be a reference to the fisher king being a "rich fisher". it's a double pun!

if kaeya is the new "fisher" or "sinner king", what would he be the king of? khaenri'ah seems like the most logical route. yes, khaenri'ah is gone but it's possible the kingdom can "grow back" just like fischl's immernachtreich.

Oz: "Really? So how do we make your homeland grow back again? Oh, pwease tell me, pweeease, pweeeeease!" Fischl: "Since you inquire so earnestly... give unto me a tranquil haven, promise me eternal admiration, lend me both time and wind, and one shall revive one's homeworld."

...or perhaps kaeya's future "kingdom" is simply mondstadt, which may be a pun on monsalvat, the fisher king's realm.

OR, even crazier, sinner king is literal, and the power the sinners are using belongs to a branch of kaeya's mysterious family... (not necessarily the alberichs).

we don't know yet if anfortas was born an alberich; for all we know he might have been adopted or married into the family. if this is the case, anfortas's lineage could be anything... we also can't forget kaeya's mother, who is an even bigger mystery than kaeya's father.

About Fischl (CN) What? You're saying that Fischl hiding one eye is very fitting for her image as "Prinzessin der Verurteilung"? Haha, by this logic, I should be a descendant of a last generation of royals, right?

😒