#genshin fanfic lore

[cattlemons]

A Call Home That Will Not Be Answered

| Kaeya's past creeps up on him and he's usually ready to drink and forget but this particular one broke the camel's proverbial back.

TW: Really bad dreams, panic attack episode, mentions of alcohol, 2,3k words because I'm feeling angsty today

“I’m sorry, but sparing you will do me more harm than good,” Kaeya murmured as your body fell to the ground. The thud of your motionless body seemed to mock him, but he needed this to happen.

For his plan.

For their plan.

But did it really need to be this way?

Kaeya awoke with a gasp.

Wiping away his tearful eyes, he trained his gaze on the cracked ceiling above him before screwing them shut. He tried to steady his breath and count the numbers as you had taught him to do when he felt overwhelmed, but he couldn’t get past 3. Kaeya let out a curse. This wasn’t working.

He knew it was a dream. It had to be.

Knowing this, why did it feel so real? Why was this one so different from the other dreams he had had? Why was he so scared to open his eyes and see you not there?

He needed comfort.

He needed confirmation.

He needed you.

So, braving himself and clenching his fists, Kaeya turned onto his side. His eyes remained tightly shut; whether from fear or strength, he couldn’t tell. His hands snaked through the crumpled sheets on his side of the bed, slowly reaching over to your side. He hoped to feel something—the softness of your arm or perhaps the warmth of your chest. Anything.

Yet he was met with nothing.

Cold sheets greeted him as he opened his eyes wide. All he saw were the unwrinkled cotton fabric on your side of the bed—the half he swore you had occupied not too many hours ago. The half he himself often occupied with you when the nightmares got too real.

But maybe he was wrong. Maybe it was no dream. Not this time, at least.

Kaeya stood and rushed over to the empty side of the bed. He did not know why he needed to check again even though it was already so clearly decided that no one was there; he just couldn’t believe it.

Did he kill you? Did he take your life as he had dreamt of a hundred times over? Had he shot you, stabbed you, or torn your heart out as his mind had fooled him into believing over and over again?

Was he never forgiven in the first place?

Where are you?

The sight was all it took to get him down on his knees, wailing. His throat tightened as he cried out loud for you to come back. Your name left his lips in a way that was so broken, so disheartened—like a call home that he knew would not be answered.

While the events in the room transpired, you were in the kitchen, sighing at your restless state. You couldn’t sleep at the moment. Your biological clock had shifted after repeatedly waking up at this time of the night to pick up your drunken lover from Angel’s Share for the past week.

You were aware of Kaeya’s habits when stressed. It’s not pretty, but he’s only human. You understood the occasions when work got too much and he needed to unwind with a glass or two before he was ready to share the burden with you. Lately, however, he’s been drinking his weight in wine, and you can’t get him to tell you why. You’ve even tried asking the red-headed tavern keeper, but, to no avail, he was also in the dark. You wished there was something you could do to fix it all for him.

It was getting better, though.

Or at least, you thought so.

Loud, strangled yells broke you out of your cluttered thoughts. Your feet moved before you could even register what was happening. Pushing the bedroom door open, you were met with a sight that broke a piece of your heart—perhaps to give to the man who had none left to break.

Kaeya was crumpled on the floor, weeping over you. His head was buried in his knees as he rocked himself back and forth while your name tumbled out of his mouth in strangled notes like a fervent prayer. He reached for a sudden painful yell, the anguish seeping and pouring out of the single syllable in droves. Then he quieted down, releasing tired, teary murmurs that escaped in tandem with the heaving of his sobbing chest.

Come back, please.

You inched closer to him, hesitant, in case you startled the already scared man. Gradually, you reached your hands out to hold him. At the slightest feeling of your touch, Kaeya’s breath hitched, but you wouldn’t let go. Kaeya whimpered as tired tears racked through him once more. Panic and pain clawed at him from the inside, trying to climb out of his heart through his raw throat.

“No… please… don’t make it feel like you’re here when you’re… not,” Kaeya’s splintered voice whispered. He was frightened.

Still, you urged him to open his eyes, but he shook his head harshly. Dark inky hair fell over his sealed eyes as he curled into himself even more, like a child with no one to comfort him, shying away from your warmth.

“You’re not real! I can’t handle it if… if… I open my eyes and see no one… please just… just go away…”

Your heart broke as you looked at the defeated man in front of you. You’d seen tears, yes, but you’d never seen this.

You murmured words, laden with love and affection, into his ear. You hoped it was enough to bring him out of his head. You knew how scary a place it was for him sometimes. All you did wasn’t enough, however, as he cried out even more at the fear of this all being a trick his cruel mind was playing on him.

You took a deep breath before you started humming. It wasn’t the most beautiful of songs, you admitted. Your throat carried a crackly tune at best, but you noticed that Kaeya’s breathing had calmed down a bit.

Less erratic, less scared.

Your humming continued until Kaeya’s tears slowed. You tried again to coax him into opening his eyes. You let endless streams of promises come out—promises that you were here, promises that you wouldn’t disappear, and promises that you’d always stay.

Taking a shuddering breath, Kaeya let himself trust the person he loved with all he had left. His glassy, swollen eyes opened slowly to meet your equally teary eyes.

When gold and blue met with your irises, Kaeya collapsed into your secure hold. He didn’t dare loosen his grip, much less let go; and you wouldn’t have it any other way either. Kaeya buried his head into the side of your neck, holding onto you like a lifeline, a ray of light in his abyss. He felt that if he were to let go, you’d disappear for good.

The two of you stayed in this position for a bit over an hour, perhaps even longer. Silence kept its grip on the room as the both of you focused on feeling each other. Kaeya did not have the heart or courage to tell you of the darkness he harbors in his subconscious; maybe later he might find the courage, but not now—not when he had just started breathing again. You didn’t ask him about it either, knowing that he would come to you when he was ready. It didn’t matter right now, anyway. All that mattered was that...

“You’re here.”

“I'll always be.”

a.n. First genshin fic, yum!

Hope you enjoyed the read!

[pinkxpantha]

Mine all Mine

-Wriothesley x GN! Reader

#: synopsis- literally just wriothesley being domestically clingy with his S/O

#:cw- ~520 words, tooth rotting type fluff, canon complient, established relationship, I wrote this at 1 am, he's clingyyy

Wriothesley is the type to savor every moment with you. He''s a busy man. He'll spend hours and his desk and a few more with work affiliated things. At some point, it feels as though each minute with you is just a mere second in the grand scheme of things. Trust him when he says he wishes he could be home more often, coddled in your arms, his head leaning on your chest as he listens to the pulse of your heartbeat.

Ever burdened by work, he finds himself needing more of you in his life. Yes, he keeps pictures of you in his office. (You'd have to convince him not to plaster your face on the ground and the ceiling) Yes, he keeps a fresh bouquet of your favorite flowers in a vase. (He used to not care for such things until he saw how you loved the way they bloomed)

Yes, Wriothesley cannot get enough of you.

Even on the days where he couldn't catch up to his breathing, when the floor seemed to move even when he was standing still. He found himself drumming your heartbeat into the palm of his hand. Bump-Ba-bump. The rhythm was second nature to him.

But no matter how many reminders he had of your presence, nothing compared to the real deal.

You in your entirety, and you in your smallest form. Some night's he'd swear to kiss every cell of your body so you'd always have his love be apart of you.

Each time you'd smile back at him, maybe even tease his insensible fantasy. He swears he becomes the happiest man alive.

Your nighttime routine is rarely completed without some form of memento from him. He'd write sticky notes in your favorite color with caring words (and occasionally a sticker from one of the melusines)

Even after you drifted off to sleep, by the late times he returns to you, he returns to his home. As soon as he could, he'd lay there in bed with you. His hand rested on top of your palm, as the valley in between your fingers served as his hand's resting point.

His grip would always be loose, swearing that the frost of his vision would crawl onto his fingertips, stirring you from your slumber.

And no matter what, he would always sleep with his head facing yours (his so-called solution to sleepless nights). The barriers of personal space seemed to bind themselves together. So don't be surprised when he wakes you up, cupping your jaw.

He'd always say that he needs to see the most soul before he sets out for the day ahead of him. His course voice would tell you that you could fall asleep again, hoping you wouldn't see how his cheeks rose with mirth when you would be the first thing he wakes up to.

All in all, he thinks of you as the beginning of a new dawn, and the end of a long day. He wouldn't have it any other way.

I didn't want to write dialogue.. can you tell?

Not proofread ( ˶ˆᗜˆ˵ ), I'm used to writing x fem readers, If something seems implied that reader is fem please reach out to me so I can fix it 🙏🙏

Also anons are open :))

[sena-shi]

SAGAU but with Scheming Creator!Reader Impostor AU [PT. 4]

Note on this chapter: manipulative!reader!creator is downgrading themselves just for shit and giggles

The pursuit went on for such a long time that you could nearly make out the silhouette of the sun in the distance. As soon as those who were chasing you received notice directly from the Tianquan of the Liyue Qixing, they immediately gave up and stopped their search of you.

You do suppose that they are all present at the place where Zhongli is enjoying himself while slowly and sweetly tending to their beloved creator.

It wouldn't even be a surprise if they started chasing after you once more at this point. But not with the intent to destroy you; rather, to capture you and adore you.

You did notice that Zhongli caught the crystal tear that you let out when you were preparing to leave the place, so it wouldn't be hard for him to convince everyone that the creator who is enjoying their time in your own throne is a fake.

Zhongli may give off the impression that he is a nice and compassionate man; however, this outward demeanor belies a murderous nature that he possesses.

Even if he has the ability to disguise himself as a mortal, he will never be able to conceal the fact that he went on a murderous rampage during the archon war.

You can't help but be reminded of the way he looked at you that night, and it's probably only a matter of time until he makes another attempt to see you once more.

“Hah. What a possessive bunch,” You mumbled under your breath as you tucked a strand of hair behind your ear.

You let out a contented sigh as you take in the sound of the birds chirping and begin to hum a tune as the grass gently caresses your feet as you stroll.

The rush of adrenaline that you experienced while you were always on the verge of dying away has not yet completely left your system.

The landscape in and around Liyue is breathtaking. In point of fact, it is the excellent nation in which to frolic about under the bright stars while being hunted like a rabbit.

Hours passed and the sun is almost blinding as you stood once again on top of the Guyun Stone Forest.

You are quite a distance away from the Crux Fleet, which is in the middle of the ocean; even so, this is precisely where you need to be.

Even if you have the ability to immediately teleport to Inazuma, you are not so ungenerous as to deny them the opportunity of offering you a very friendly greeting.

Exciting, isn't it? Once you arrive, will you be greeted with warm pleasantries, or will the sharp and icy blades stab you in the chest first?

From your vantage point on the stone, you surveyed the area below in the ship and noticed that they were making preparations to depart.

You are aware that Beidou is a rather laid-back individual, but there is no doubt that the other people who are boarding the ship are already aware of an imposter who is traveling across the nation of Liyue.

Thus, you used some of your spare time to search for materials that could be used to fashion something that could conceal your upper body while also not drawing too much attention to itself.

Although you prefer to be undisguised just for the sake of taunting everyone, you still need to reach Inazuma.

You can’t have them throwing you off the ship now, can you? Or maybe you do? There are countless possibilities, and all of them are very exciting to experience. 

Simply taking in the sight of their enchantingly furious faces is enough to satiate your insatiable need for amusement.

You let out a bored sigh as you tugged the veil down slightly, just enough to cover your chin. At that moment, you caught a glimpse of Kazuha sitting by the edge, his stature facing you, his head slightly tilted upwards, and his eyes closed as if trying to enjoy the breeze coming to him before it disappeared.

He exudes an air of tranquility, much like Venti did in Windrise.

Your lips begin to twitch into a smile as an idea race through your head.

In an instant, you found yourself high above the clouds and falling directly towards the ship. Since you are aware that someone will catch you, you aren't really experiencing any fear at this point.

And someone really did.

The boy who had been sitting there quietly all of a sudden rose up and leaped up, giving the impression that he was actually aware of it and was very much ready to catch you.

The veil fluttered wildly, paired with the boy’s clothes dancing in the air because of the strong wind. 

You could feel the anemo vision trembling and a wind coming from the boy swirling and grasping you.

All visions in the area resonated with your aura and blazed brilliantly, as if they were aware you were in danger.

You felt warm hands held your body, and the creaking sound of the wood reminded you that you had already landed.

There were a number of gasps that could be heard, and shortly after that, the sound of individuals speaking in low whispers started to permeate the surroundings. However, what attracted your attention was Beidou staring at the vision on her hips in a manner that indicated she was surprised to witness her vision reacting in such a way for the first time.

‘It appears that even the visions are strongly reacting to my presence,’ You thought to yourself, giving a sly grin behind your veil.

After what seemed like an eternity, all of the crew members of the crux were suddenly jolted out of their stupor and realized that someone had just literally dropped down into their ship from the sky.

They were about to approach you in hopes of interrogating you when Beidou lifted her hand to halt their movement and prevent them from questioning you.

Perhaps she too, is also curious of you.

Maybe if her vision hadn't been constrained by her clothing, it would have made its way over to you by now.

“I haven’t seen the captain’s friend smile like that— I mean, he does smile, but his eyes are literally about to form into a heart shape!”

“Captain even forbids us to get close to the mysterious woman. Must be a big shot, huh?”

“Or maybe it’s someone close to the captain. Well, whatever, just don’t disturb the lady. Get back to work!”

 Kazuha gave you a warm smile, who was pressed up against his chest. His hands are firmly gripping you, not the least bit considering releasing their hold on you.

He felt the dull vision stored deep within his pockets burned for a moment as if trying to get out before the feeling went away once he finally caught you. This does nothing but strengthen his belief that you are the person he has been searching for all along.

"The winds have changed," he whispered tenderly as he started to move carefully to the back of the ship where there are fewer people, the genuine smile on his face not wavering even the tiniest bit.

You let out a quiet laugh, and the sound was almost like wind chimes as it reached his ears.

You gave a very tiny cocking of your head to the side, and Kazuha could almost picture your face painted with a kind smile as it always was.

Even though your face is hidden by the veil, he cannot help but feel a fluttering in his chest whenever he considers the possibility that your eyes, which he imagines to be breathtakingly lovely, are fixated on him.

“How so?”

After placing you on the ship's wooden rail, he took your hand in his and planted a passionate kiss on the back of your hand.

What a bold kid.

“Because you’re now home, my creator.”

You gave him a sideways glance while giggling quietly at his antics before responding, "I shall remember this first welcome I have received." Kazuha blinked, appearing to be puzzled. “May I ask why?”

"You were the very first person to greet me when I arrived in this world," You spoke in a quiet voice, and he could detect a trace of melancholy and yearning in your voice.

And finally, you can see that the smile that was plastered on Kazuha's face from the very beginning has begun to waver, almost as if he has come to some kind of understanding.

That’s right, no one would welcome you, not if you were being accused of being an imposter. 

You kept a close eye on him, noticing how his hands clenched into a fist as he observes your tired expression. Even so, he did not display any signs of anger and instead move his gaze at your hands, which appeared to be shaking slightly.

He stood there watching you sigh, without moving as your hands moved to clasp his and slowly uncurled his fist.

"It's not good to harbor hatred in one's heart," You opened his hand and made small circles on his palm, as if attempting to calm him down. "You know that better than I do, Kazuha."

"You are too good for this world, my divine creator," he mumbled, concentrating on the sensation in his palm.

You laughed as you realized Beidou was listening in on your talk from behind a pillar.

You let out a snort. Does she think you can't spot her?

"Teyvat was simply one of the countless stars I have created; it is far from flawless, but it will always be my home."

Kazuha's attention was captured by you as he waited eagerly to hear your tale.

You turned your head to gaze at him from below as you brought your hands to rest on his head and lovingly patted the soft locks.

"Just as I desired to feel a sense of belonging in this world, I also hoped that my creations would feel the same way and make this world their home—" Kazuha misunderstood your heavy sigh as a sign of melancholy. But you were only trying to remember the garbage nonsense that the Akademiya scholars had written about you. 

You are just that bored and feel like sharing that crap with one of your precious characters.

You spent your nights reading a lot of books about yourself in this world, and every single one of those books is full of meaningless rubbish. Nevertheless, you will settle for whatever you can get your hands on.

If you include a touch of angst and tragedy in your tale, you can instantly raise it to the level of art that it truly deserves to be.

However, for Kazuha and Beidou, who are currently listening in on the story, this is more than a passing feeling of sadness. They have already started to feel depressed in your place.

"When I first created Teyvat, I always made certain that the living beings in the place I created were always happy. They desired something to help them protect themselves while I am not present, so I provided them a vision with a portion of my power."

The Akademiya scholars really are imaginative.

You came to a stop for a moment when you noticed Beidou not far away, caressing the vision on her hip as if it were the finest gift she had ever received.

"I granted and they received; as long as their faces light up with a smile, then I am pleased."

"It's just— I wish I had the strength to go on. I can still do it, but I'll be too weak to even make an appearance. As a result, I vanished from the world to continue meeting their demands,"

Beidou's expression hardened as she came to the realization that while their real creator is experiencing the drawbacks of granting them the power to defend themselves, the fake creator who descended a long time ago is enjoying the benefits that are not supposed to be theirs. 

You carried on despite the fact that neither of the other two responded to what you said. "I returned to this world not too long ago," You said as you appeared to be reminiscing about something as you gazed up at the sky.

“It seems like it’s time for me to take a step back and rest,” You laughed to lighten the mood, but the two people who were listening to your story did not experience any sense of relief as a result of your humor. After listening to your story, their hearts felt even heavier, to the point where it was practically difficult for them to breathe normally.

You— take a step back and rest? Does this mean that they will never be able to see you again once you have made the decision to eventually depart from the world that you have created?

Beidou was unable to stand it any longer and eventually emerged from her hiding position. As she approached you, she peered at you closely with her brows furrowed and took several significant strides forward.

“If they ever apologize to you, will you forgive them?”

You withdrew your hand and placed it on your lap, "Why would I forgive them?"

Beidou and Kazuha blinked at the same time.

"I will never be able to blame them. It is because I was lacking in some way and did not meet their expectations that they even chose to replace me with someone else," As you spoke, you let out a sigh and tugged off the veil that was concealing your upper body. At last, they were able to see the gentle smile of their actual creator, which was directed at them.

How really unfortunate. But they have no right to feel sad, not when you are the one bearing all the suffering of this world, but your people never acknowledged it and instead continued to worship someone who doesn't even do batshit.

Their divine creator is just far too merciful and forgiving of their wrong doings. They are simply far too wonderful to remain in this world, and they do not deserve the favors and blessings you are bestowing upon them.

"Perhaps, I am not a good creator. The people that live in this world deserve the best, and if they can find what they're seeking in the creator that they've been protecting, then I can't help but just be glad for them.”

If self-downgrading is an achievement, then you probably would’ve receive a customized name card for yourself by now.

Kazuha struggled to find his voice before eventually expressing himself. "That is not true; we are the ones who do not deserve you, my divine creator."

"They may have turned their backs on you, but I will stick by your side till the very end of time."

"Kazuha, you are destined for something much more meaningful. If you continue to follow me, you will only harm yourself." You made a motion with your head to indicate that you did not agree, and the youngster quickly kneeled down in front of you.

You heaved a sigh and patted his head. What a well-behaved youngster.

He is someone who obeys his creator solely for the purpose of protecting them, and not like the archons, for the purpose of having the creator all to themselves.

You gave Beidou just a fleeting look, almost as if you were about to ask for her help, and she almost laughed at how adorable you are. It would seem that their creator is even capable of experiencing discomfort when confronted with an act of genuine kindness.

Or, it's possible that you've become so used to being attacked that you've forgotten what it's like to be loved.

The moment Kazuha glanced up at you with his begging eyes, you instinctively covered them with your palm.

“The sun is bright; you might hurt your eyes.”

“I think it is lovely,” Kazuha said with a smile while looking at you even more intently with a thoughtful gaze.

In response, you let out a chuckle as you ruffled his hair in a playful manner. Clearly comfortable, Kazuha let out a contented sigh as he slowly dozed off with his head resting on your lap.

You started mentally counting down from ten while humming a melody to yourself and playing with the lone wandering samurai’s hair in the meantime.

It's only a matter of time before the people who have been hunting you catch up with you in the end.

Teyvat was whispering, you sense the ground to be rumbling.

It seems as though an angry archon is getting closer and closer, and while this won't have any negative effects on you, it will most certainly have consequences for the individuals he rules.

‘You really did not disappoint me, Morax.’

To think that he would breach the contract he had with the Tsaritsa only for you, and that he would personally obtain his gnosis back just so that he could see you once more is far more amazing.

Amber eyes that shone brightly and were filled with fixation peered directly at you from a great distance away. The Geo Archon is willing to go to war with another nation simply to be able to have you in his arms.

It's likely that you went too far with your performance, and as a result, you may have caused the Geo Archon to lose their final shred of sanity. But that would just make things even more interesting, right?

You turned your head to stare at the sky, giving him your disapproving glance in response to his obsession on you.

Morax became more cautious with his grip on his weapon as soon as he noticed you looking at him in a manner that conveyed such dissatisfaction.

Simply for your own sake, he has taken this extreme measure. The nation of the Electro Archon is a considerably more hostile one, and although he acknowledges that he also failed his duty to defend you against his people, this does not mean that he will not seize the opportunity to amend his wrongdoings once given the opportunity.

The ground began to violently shake, and even the water in the ocean started to get restless. The area was quickly filled with the sound of a crowd that had gathered along the shoreline.

He is so desperate to get his hands on you that he has even sought the assistance of his adepti.

“Shit— prepare to set sail!” Beidou exclaimed.

You caught his glance, and although if on the surface you appear to be dissatisfied, on the inside you can't help but chuckle at the sight of his face.

"My divine creator…" Because of the look you were giving him, his heart aches, and in an effort to soothe himself, he absentmindedly touched the weapon that you had given him.

You don't have any resentment towards him, do you? As long as you are still alive, he has a chance to make amends and win your forgiveness.

He is eager to do whatever it takes to keep you entertained only so that you will look at him once more.

Morax fixed his hard gaze firmly on you while murmuring something to himself in a dark voice, "...allow me to be selfish."

TAGLIST: @ichiraku-verse @iruiji @ineedsleepbutirefuse @valeriele3 @i-have-a-lot-of-ocs @sleepyboi-01 @jennyzyn @existoypunto @ilysia @foggyzinemuffinhands @byakuren100 @jaxielous @enargeia-is-a-fangirl @thehoneymushroomhealer @yunareinhart @fuckingfaraway

ASK OR REPLY TO BE INCLUDED OR REMOVED FROM THE TAGLIST

(fuk i can't remember my taglist nor I remember I have a fanfic to finish)

very busy with making mommy ei come home again

[druh19]

༝ INFJ characters icons |like and reblog if saved|

[zhongrin]

between genshin, hsr, and zzz, i have to say i have a lot of enjoyment and high hopes for zzz.

the team working for zzz are just amazing in my eyes (which sounds crazy especially since they're all hyv games). for one, i think so far they follow through with almost everything that they've promised. making the game having a 'low floor, high ceiling' and therefore isn't just a pure powercreep gacha game (looking at you hsr). all the gameplay promises with timelines they would say in dev notes (like getting players to be able to use different characters in the map by 1.4). literally giving us options to enjoy the contents through two different modes because half of the player base dislikes a certain mode of the game (therefore doubling the effort of the dev team to work on, which is still so crazy to me that they're actually taking this approach)...

of course all of them has their pros and cons in my eyes. for example, i am very much not a fan of zzz's blatant gooner bait, among other peeves. but something about having the developers listening closely to our feedback since the very start of the game and visibly making changes to the actual game itself accordingly is just so nice.

anyway. i'm going to go view more rooms. have a good weekend, all of you!

[anilyan]

Venti theory before i go to sleep

Edited 30/7/2024: I wrote a proper theory post here

Not so crack theory: Venti is Phanes and is the androgynous being born of the alchemical marriage between the Primordial One and Istaroth, before she was betrayed by the Sinners

(I should really go to sleep)

Also yes, I also think Istaroth has the ability to create alt looms of fate through those seeds she gives away, those basically grow into trees that are databases not controlled by Celestia

And I am using this lore in my old mondstadt fic, Nameless (actually soon to turn into trilogy, since vol 2 is about venti rewinding time and vol 3 is present time story and I took so long to plan all the lore with all the canon crumbs and theories we had...)

Here is extra stuff I claimed in my fic and repeat in the notes of chapter 14, that basically got confirmed in some of the next videos:

Teyvat is theoretically 2 worlds, the version we know and the mirror world. Not sure if the mirror world is the abyss but I chose to go with that for the fic. But it’s likely, and we can even see similar world structures in Honkai Star Rail, especially in Penacony, where the world there is literally mirrored and a dream too.

Cycle: People die » are absorbed by the roots » are supposed to travel to the top of the world tree (inverted, so top is in abyss) to become Irminsul fruit / stars » said stars form constellations that determine people's fate, or more accurately, since they are all in a dream, are data that allows the tree to predict their fates » it’s because people exist as stars that their fates and presence can be summoned in the form of shooting stars

Dainsleif confirmed that the leylines can be woven to determine Fate / have their records changed. The Loom used to weave them is a Symphony, or in other words, Remus’ Symphony of Fate is very similar or the same thing as the Loom of Fate. Add to that some Penacony’s parallels, and you can infer that the Symphony is controlled in the floating palace , that is actually a Grande Theater, by the Sun(day) (potentially Phanes), and it’s reflected by the moons (Aria, Sonnet and Canon, so the musical associations are fitting). Considering that the 3 moon sisters are also probably the mythological Moirai who weave Fate, yeah, that tracks.

I made up the part about the seeds given by Istaroth being used to create an alternate database that can contradict the information on Irminsul, but who knows, maybe I got it right. I mean, just recently I saw people associate her with Khaenri’ahs soldiers because they used the 8 pointed Ishtar star in their uniforms, so with her, anything is possible. Venti got a badass mom.

Some videos I suggest that basically confirmed some of the ideas I am going for (and that explain several of the reasons I say what I say):, from most recent and relevant to oldest and not so relevant

[strxnged]

TIGHNARI: # the roots of ambition.

A found-family adventure in the rainforests of Sumeru.

Summary. While chasing field research in fungal ecology for your Akademiya studies while mitigating your Eleazar symptoms, you are stumbled upon by a squad of Forest Rangers to "protect" you. The General Watchleader, as he hates to be called, takes an interest in you and your topic, and offers to help you research more safely and efficiently. However, to your horror, he starts to become more than a research partner. As you push yourself into increasingly dangerous circumstances in the name of science, what will become of the ecology of your new friends and you? ⚘

Word count. ~11k across five chapters. Genre. General audiences, platonic/qpr. Other tags. Chronic illness/disability, gender neutral reader, pretending biology hasn't always been my worst subject, discussion of death, happy/contemplative ending, Collei is in every chapter (because: of course she is!).

Author's note: Happy late disability pride month! Here's a fic that originally was meant to be "romantic" but I realized the ideas I was writing about were just about... having intimate familial relationships. Call it queer. Maybe the real romance was the friends we made along the way. Here's a story about appreciating all types of life & love! ⸙

Posting schedule. Weekly from Friday, Aug 2, 2024. Chapters. [will be linked upon individual release]

⸙ CHAPTER I.

⸙ ... CHAPTER II.

⸙ ... ... CHAPTER III.

⸙ ... ... ... CHAPTER IV.

⸙ ... ... ... ... ... CHAPTER V.

[ ⸙ RESOURCES. ]

GENSHIN MASTERLIST

[meguminne]

Love, Lost and Wandered࿐ ࿔*:･ﾟ

dainleif is scared of forgetting you, he would traverse the cursed plains of the irminsul to remember you. — cursed grounds that belonged to one of those damned archons just to remember you. his curse now includes you as well. im gonna be honest and tell you straight up idk how the irminsul or dainsleif work and whether or not this is accurate to their lore, i just want to write a devoted lover dain who’s willing to beg to the archons for reader like that one questline. also!! reblogs and follows are very appreciated as it lets me know you guys enjoy my writing!! . (reader x dainsleif) oct. 15 2023 part one (?)

dainsleif is too ashamed to admit this aloud but he finds himself forgetting you. who once was his most precious, his beloved; your voice, your laugh, even your smile. — the gods are merciless but were ‘kind’ enough to spare you from turning you into the hilichurls doomed to wander the earth, loyal only to their most primal instincts. they were ‘kind’ enough to spare you from the curse of immortality, the pain of living and unable to die. he wonders which fate would have been better for the both of you, but he does believe death has been the most merciful outcome.

the only thing he has of you is the memory of your name, the love he can’t forget, and the dreams you’ve left with him. — but they’re not immune to the weathering of time. he finds himself slipping, forgetting the little things that complete your image, the treasures he salvaged from the remnants of his home broken down with the centuries that came with immortality and the dreams you held with him now seem blurry as though he couldn’t fathom to sleep and dream without you. it’s been eons and yet he still hasn’t gotten used to your absence beside him.

when fate is kind enough to grant him the time to paint, his mind goes over to the idea of you and he seems to get the gist of your frame, your figure but your face only seems to be drawn as a mixture of swirls, indescribable and indistinguishable from the fog that surrounds the memory of you.

as much as he hated to admit it, he was slowly forgetting you.

but he’s not ready yet, to forget you is to let you die once and for all. he’s the only one who holds the memory of you and if he forgets, you’re gone forever. — amidst the false gods, their endless pride and the heavens; you were the angel that almost made dainsleif believe in divinity.

he’s desperate to maintain that memory of you, to keep you alive and beside him to the best of his ability for forgetting you might doom to an eternity of restless living cursed only for vengeance.

dainsleif was desperate enough to keep that memory of you that he was willing to trek onto the irminsul, the ‘sacred’ grounds of the dendro archon that records say remembers everything. the memories stored within the ley lines that have touched all of teyvat, the ley lines that rooted itself deep beneath the grounds; roots that listened to every drop of rain, whisper and wind. — he was willing to traverse and resort to the divinities he loathed just to remember you. whether it’s be by force, or if he had to kneel, beg and grovel at the archon’s feet just to be welcomed into the dreamlike plains; he would do it for his pride was nothing next to his devotion for you.

the only obstacle now was whether or not the archon, buer was willing to let a khaenri'ahn survivor step foot into the holy grounds. — or if he could even ask for help from the traveler..

[cc-genshin]

Traveling with Wriothesley: Day 7

"That's a breathtaking view," Wriothesley commented, feasting his eyes upon the lovely pink trees amidst the desert.

The Traveler smiles proudly, "Right? It used to be a lifeless wasteland though." They revealed, looking back to one of their previous adventures.

Wriothesley looks at them, his eyes laced with curiosity. "Oh, really? How so?" He inquires, eager to find out the Traveler's story.

"Well, those trees that you see? They used to be crystallized back then," The Traveler points at a distance. "So it was all dark and grey... plus, there was an ominous purple portal on the ground."

[How it used to look in the past...]

"But after helping out Sorush and the other Pari, we restored this place back to what you see right now." The Traveler continued their story, recounting their experience with a warm feeling in their heart.

Wriothesley looks at the Traveler, seemingly in awe, "Wow. You're a hero indeed." He praises his companion for their hard work. "Everywhere you go, you leave behind something wonderful."

The Traveler blushes and looks away, "Thank you, I just did... what I had to. And what I thought was the right thing at the moment." With a soft voice, they replied.

The Duke chuckles, admiring the Traveler, "But I hope you're not planning to leave me behind too someday." He jokingly says.

Quickly, the Traveler looks at him with a frown. "I would never do such thing!" They protested and pouted.

"Oh look, there's a Pari over there." Changing the topic, Wriothesley pointed out as he noticed Jarjar, one of the Pari in the area.

"Ah, that's Jarjar." The Traveler walks up to the Pari, leading the way for Wriothesley. "Hello, friend. It's been a while." With a smile, they greeted the Avian creature.

"Oh, it's you Traveler. Do you want to play games with me again?" Jarjar, the Pari asked. "Wait, who...?" The Pari takes notice of Wriothesley, looking at the Traveler with questioning eyes.

"This is Wriothesley, my traveling partner." The Traveler introduces with a joyful tone.

"Hello there." Wriothesley waves at the Pari, keeping his cool composure.

"Partners! How wonderful. Jarjar can prepare a game for you two to enjoy." The Pari excitedly flew around.

Wriothesley looks at their partner, wondering what kind of game the Pari is talking about.

"Jarjar likes to play race games. It was fun to complete his challenges." The Traveler giggles while sharing their experience with the Duke.

"Racing, huh? Well, I'll be looking forward to that." Wriothesley crosses his arms and nods with a smirk.

"Come to think of it, Jarjar kinda looks like you." Wriothesley said while they watched the Pari fly away.

"Eh?" The Traveler blinks, they didn't expect such comment from the Duke.

"Well, your hair is light like their body. Plus, you have the same eye color." Wriothesley stares at their partner while explaining his idea. "Only yours look lovelier to me, of course." He smiles as he compliments the Traveler.

As their heart skipped a beat, the Traveler couldn't help but look away once more. "Geez, that was unexpected." Wriothesley laughs, he knew he would get this type of answer. "I adore your eyes as much as you adore mine, hmph!" Playfully, the Traveler complimented him in return.

"What's this glowing piece of wood?" Wriothesley asked as they continued walking around the Gavireh Lajavard.

"That's a Fravashi tree. Spirits of old Pari used to lay here." The Traveler explains the mystical aura around the place. "I've put them all to rest so they can go in peace."

Wriothesley feels a sense of peace as the Traveler tells him the story behind the tree. "That sounds like a good ending."

As they continue walking around...

"You're telling me... we'll jump down into this thing?" Wriothesley asked, looking down at the glowing entrance.

The Traveler nods. "Are you scared?" They jokingly asked.

"Absolutely..." Wriothesley slowly moves his hand towards the Traveler. "...not!" Without warning, he grabs them and jumps towards the hole.

Together, they both fell into the glowing entrance. And before they knew it, a bright light blinded them for a moment.

The next thing they know, they've been transported to a whole new place.

"Where are we?" Wriothesley asked while looking around.

"We're at the Gaokerena. This giant lotus flower... is where the last Dendro archon kept Egeria's consciousness." The Traveler tells Wriothesley yet another story about the world's history.

Slowly, the Traveler walks away, creating distance between them and the Duke.

"This is where the divine bird, Simurgh, drank Egeria's fluids - causing the creation of the Pari race." The Traveler glances back at Wriothesley and reaches their hand out.

Wriothesley takes a moment before stepping forward. He was admiring the Traveler's beauty from a distance.

"Egeria sure had a lot of ties with this place in Sumeru." Wriothesley replies, finally moving forward.

The Traveler nods in agreement. "Yeah," They smiled as the Duke stood next to them. "Beautiful place though, right?"

Wriothesley smiles back, "Indeed."

(NOTE: If you notice any inconsistencies in the lore, please feel free to correct me. I don't remember everything in order and I rely on the Genshin Wiki to refresh my memory.)

CHAPTER LIST|| Tap here to view the list of chapters & FAQ ||

EXTRA: Eremite Wriothesley (my fanart!)

[corvus-ix]

Saw a few LEAKS/CN VER(?) of honkai current main story, I not sure how accurate this is until official English release but-

The fact the Cacoon Of Finality is powerful enough(or even more) to hide the entire HI3rd World/Solor System from the Aeons of HSR World is making my mind insane

I can't also stop thinking something similar to this is happening in Teyvat & Teyvat is also closely connected to Honkai verse(like more close than we believe so but it can also be me tripping cause it's currently midnight fo me while writing this)

Plus that one drink in HSR event that literally just described Ei & Makoto story

I don't remember much but search HSR Tavyet to find the story/description

(Again can just be me tripping with my sleep deprivation)

EDIT:

The Fake Sky of Teyvat can be acting similar to the Cacoon of Finality, which is hiding their world from the outside force

That's maybe another reason why the Unknown God stop the Twin Travelers from leaving Teyvat in the first place

[love-marimo]

periwinkle angel ♡ (kamisato ayato x reader)

ㅡ hehe, just a little something for the birthday boy, ayato ♡ although it's a bit late ~

He is quiet but graceful. Calm but mischievous. He is dutiful but cunning. Yet, even with these stark differences in his character, and behind his all too familiar and gentle smile he displays as a farce for everyone to see ー a facade as hard as the bedrock, a protection he wears due to his strong distrust on most people ー you captured him. You stole his heart, like a Mirror Maiden having him wrapped around your finger.

Kamisato Ayato is a noble who leads like an emperor. He is obsessive and diplomatic, but he is also loyal and kind. Within the chambers of the Kamisato household, he inspires his loved ones with warmth and he reaches great lengths to fulfill your favors.

If that means cancelling all his plans as the Yashiro Commissioner to spend a pleasant afternoon bubble tea and latte tasting with you? Then you don't have to worry as he just hit two birds with one stone.

If there are three things he loves in all of Teyvat, then it would be his bubble tea, his lovely little sister Ayaka and you.

Oh, dear you.

He sits by the terrace with a lovesick look on his face as you name all the drinks that Thoma and the other maids have prepared, all to your liking. Freshly brewed and mixed, all for the both of you to enjoy.

"Although it is a bit late, I asked Thoma for help in preparing these drinks for us. I love latte as much as you love bubble tea, but it would be lovely if we try out other flavors and indulge on these pastries on your special day." you chimed happily as you sit across the table.

Oh, you. He is going to melt because of you. Ayato almost forgot that it's his birthday due to how swamped with work he truly is. You weren't going to let that slide, and he loves you more for it.

"These are lovely selections my love, perfect for the current weather too. Summer is fast approaching and you couldn't have picked a better time." He beams, clasping his hands together as he sets his gaze on the array of drinks before you.

"Oh, that reminds me, we have been preparing for the Spring festival. Bubble tea tasting would be a splendid activity for the young folk to enjoy." He adds, deciding to take a sip of the chocolate bubble tea.

"You really think about work all the time, Ayato. But, I agree. These took quite some time to make though." You say, also deciding to pick a drink of your choice.

"Hmm, this one has a slight bitter taste to it, but it is complimented by the sugary flavor of the pearls. This would be cocoa?" Ayato inquires.

"Yes, the cocoa used was imported from Fontaine a few months ago. How do you like it?" You reply.

"It's just right, the taste of the chocolate is a bit too strong for me. I'll try this blue one next."

"That one's blueberry. It matches the color of your hair doesn't it? I told them to brew it until it reaches a periwinkle shade, to match!" You chuckle.

Ayato looks at you fondly. His lips curved into a smile, one that is not reserved for diplomatic affairs, but one that screams "I love you" all over it.

It's silly, really ー how he turns into a love bug when he's with you. How he seemingly lets go of any formalities and displays his pure nature, all for you to love and embrace in your arms.

The sun is setting in a lovely shade of pink and purple. You have tried almost all of the drinks and have shared countless conversations about the days that passed that you weren't together. And that ends with one resolution:

"I think I still like my matcha latte better." You say, finishing the said drink after. Ayato laughs.

"I would say the same. Nothing competes with the classic flavor of Black bubble tea."

You took a seat next to him and asked, "Did you like this fun little date?" holding his arm and looking up to him, expecting the obvious.

The periwinkle angel smiles and kisses you lovingly.

"Naturally. I wouldn't mind doing this again at the Spring festival."

ー Lolita

[melziekit]

As Bright As The Night

Do the stars align for those who are borne not under its sky? Aka Snippets of Kaeya's life after he's abandoned in Mondstat

Also on AO3

(Chapter Notes Here)

Characters: Kaeya, Diluc, Crepus, Adelinde, Mentioned Varka, Mentioned Jean Content: Fluff and Angst, References to Canon, Kaeya Angst, Diluc and Kaeya are Siblings, Parent Crepus, Parental Adelinde

Chapter 1

Word Count: 1.7k

Kaeya is born under the glow of starlight.

His hair grows out in the shade of the hottest flame, free-flowing as the waves between the night sky. His skin, gently kissed by the sweetest mocha tone. Perhaps it was left over from those soft, tender kisses his father would leave on his mother's stomach. Those spare moments where the reagents of Khaenri’ah would get a moment to themselves, after tireless, late nights and groggy, overworked mornings. There was never time to rest, not even for the most powerful of leaders.

Nonetheless, Kaeya is a tapestry, weaving aspects from the lines of his blood into a beautiful mural. A blessing to the nation of the non-dreamers, his small family calls him the best gift they could ever dream of having.

Everyone he remembers seeing shares the same eyes, carrying the stars in their gazes. Their stars reflect his own, and the ones above. He is taught that there are worlds among the glowing dots in the sky where people and things live, but none have ever made it up there. At least, so far.

They consider it a blessing not to be governed by gods, unlike those who have suffered eons of blood battles across their lands, in a place far away. Here, they are free to do what they want, roam wherever they please, and create all they wish. Here, they can choose to be whoever they want to be. For only they will know the truth.

His family gathers every night in their shared bed, watching the stars twinkle through the open circle in the ceiling. Kaeya falls asleep as a toddler, safe in the arms of the ones he loves. He hopes that someday, he can explore the expanse of the abyss beyond the small world he calls home.

The stars watch as Kaeya uses their glow to study ancient passages and swing his blade into the emptiness of his room. Gold-plated embellishments around the area gleam under the soft light, peeking out from the cover of the night. He can start to feel the parts of his palm beginning to sore from the tight grip on his wooden blade. Blinking out the sleep wanting to overtake his small form, he forces himself to run through the exercise again.

"We of the Alberich Clan should lead lives as those who blaze like fire, rather than those who wallow in the embers."

He must become that flame, to light up his nation and cast everything else into shadows. He must not show weakness. He should not show mercy.

Clouds of smog and magic blanket the world. Kaeya's breathing is rough as he's carried away. He was snatched from his bed, cradled into his father's arms and they fled. Kaeya doesn't know what's happened, or why his mother never followed. People, monsters, and unidentifiable humanoid creatures alike swarm the city.

He keeps quiet though, because as the next heir of the Alberich clan, he should become a flawless leader that embodies perfection itself. He should set the example, to be serene, yet firm in every decision he makes. He wants nothing more than to scream at the chaos.

Kaeya wishes he could at least see the star present in his own eyes, to gain some comfort through this purgatory. They had gone through some sort of rift, a mass of energy that felt dangerous as his father conjured the split. But he didn't, couldn't, open his mouth to say so when they jumped through.

Now, the two are frozen in place, left to watch darkness for eternity. His father still holds him, but neither has moved for quite some time. He can't shift his head, or wiggle the tips of his fingers. He can't open his mouth, which reminds him that they should probably eat soon. But strangely enough, it has surely been hours and he isn't feeling hungry yet.

His eyes don't water either, even though they're snapped open. And so he waits. He waits again, and then a little more. But there is no color, not a quiver in the air or a sensation past the long dulled touch on his back. Dully, he wonders if this is what death was like. All he does is continue to look, eyes open but never able to see.

Kaeya nearly cries from relief when he numbly falls onto the ground, the world illuminated with color once more. He's crumpled in a heap on the dirt, still slightly warm from the sun that clawed its last marks on the sky as it was dragged away from the night. It burns on his skin. He blinks for the first time. Another, and again. His chest hurts with the way he greedily sucks in the air, scented with trees, soil, and something slightly sweet.

Someone had opened another rift in the darkness. He was blinded by the first traces of light, but he could focus just enough to see a human-like figure before falling out. Kaeya shakily moves his limbs, his hands are barely able to support the weight of his body.

He hears his father grunt, and stand. He talks to the person, who Kaeya doesn't recognize. They wear similar clothes to the knights in Khaenri'ah but this most certainly doesn't look like home. He gets to his feet at a snail's pace, and his eyes widen after his father puts a hand on his shoulder.

The stars bring him no comfort. He doesn't have the mind to look at them, can't process anything at the moment, really.

"If Master Crepus hadn't taken me in, I doubt I'd have made it through the storm that night," he would later tell curious patrons at Angel's Share in his future.

Yes. A storm. The flurry of emotions in his chest had no better description than that. His father told him that it was his chance, that he was the last hope. For what? For his family? For Khaenri'ah? He doesn't know, as his father goes through another rift again, this time with the mysterious person leading the way. Kaeya runs to the cloud of twilight... and goes through it. He trips and falls into the dirt once more. The portal disappears in silence.

A man with a bushy red mane for hair finds him not long after, sobbing and covered in filth. He kneels between the rows of violet grapes and extends a hand to Kaeya. Kaeya backpedals into a bush and stammers out violent warnings to stay away. The man only keeps his steady gaze. Hesitantly, Kaeya reaches out and takes the hand. He gets picked up and cradled in one arm. He's unbothered by the way the dirt rubs into the pristine, high-quality cotton of his dress shirt. Kaeya tucks his head against the stranger's chest and closes his eyes, falling into a deep sleep. It's warm.

A fire burns on the opposite side of the room. This place is strange. It's baffling how similar, yet so different to home. The walls are too thin, and the room is too small. It makes him feel like he's in a hole in the ground, trapped with no way to escape. The floor is made out of wood and not stone, which makes Kaeya think that it's probably going to be a fire hazard.

But the sheets are soft and smell like sunlight. It eases the fear he has when he jerks awake from a nightmare, the image of Khaenri'ah burning, seared brightly behind his eyelids. He pants and rubs his eye furiously. His vision swims, and he forces his breathing to level out. It picks up again when a knock at the door catches him off guard. He immediately bristles up, star-shaped pupil narrowed like a cat.

The man with the red hair steps in, and sends him a friendly smile. It eases his tensed form slightly, but he narrows his eye at the second form behind the large figure. In comes a carbon copy of the man, in a much, much smaller form. The man points at himself and says something. Kaeya tilts his head. The man repeats it.

"Crepus."

Kaeya realizes that he's probably said his name. The boy shyly says his own.

"Diluc."

They watch Kaeya for his response. He swallows dryly and opens and closes his mouth a few times.

"Kaeya," he finally manages out.

Crepus says nothing, but the look in his eyes shows relief. He makes a few gestures, and Kaeya picks out the meaning. It's been about three days since he... arrived. Diluc shyly clings to his father's legs and stares at Kaeya with wide red eyes. He waves with small, stubby fingers. Kaeya only tilts his head in confusion, and Diluc runs away.

Over the next few months, their relationship will change, and no one would ever guess that Diluc was once scared of the other. They'll be bonded like they were born from the same womb. Still, his father's words won't be able to escape Kaeya's mind.

Days pass by slowly. Kaeya learns how to sneak out at night to catch glimpses of the stars from the roof. The window creaks if he pushes it out too far, but he quickly realizes the exact angles he needs for his small body to slip through. Cold red tiles chill his feet, but he ignores it in favor of being able to gain safety in this once comforting experience.

He has learned that the people here believe that everyone's fate has been interwoven with the glowing dots in the sky. Wryly, Kaeya wonders if he can find a constellation for him in this sky, if it would even exist.

The stars here are wrong. They hang as stationary pointed spheres; too close, and none of them pulse and shine like they're supposed to. He can't find the constellations that his mother would point out and trace with her finger each night. He doesn't see his favorite star, red and pulsing. It was the only one in the patch of soft white dots. A single beacon amidst monotony.

And now, there is only one glowing ball hovering in the sky. The moons that used to span over the sky, laid in their bed of twinkling diamonds, no longer exist in a trio. The last moon is small. It struggles to rise and fall every night. The details on its surface are hard to make out, unlike how it glowed with full radiance in Khaenri'ah. Still, it can chase off the sun by itself, mighty in quiet strength. "Perhaps," young Kaeya thinks to himself. "Perhaps there is another who might be like me."

[sena-shi]

Protector of Teyvat (a troll hell-bent on reviving everyone just for fun) P—2

Isekai’d reader who is hell-bent on reviving everyone using your cheat code as the protector of Teyvat. With great power comes great benefits! Teyvat population stonks

Note: asmoday is the unknown god, reader also grants gnosis and visions, isekai, slight sagau, op reader

Summary: You are just a regular human being living your best life on Earth, collecting husbandos and waifus in Genshin Impact when all of a sudden you were isekai'd to Teyvat, but not as a traveler, a creator, or an NPC. You were a very close friend of both Celestia and the Unknown God, who is known as the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles. You too, hold a very important position of the highest order because unbeknownst to the general populace, you are the Protector of Teyvat from the outside forces. And so imagine the Archon's faces when their dead friend suddenly came back to life just so they can accompany you together with Aether and Paimon on a journey to spit on the Celestia's face

Timeline in Teyvat when you got transmigrated: Before any wars happened. Zhongli is probably sucking on a dragon pacifier or something if that even exists.

Warning: curse words, slight ooc, lore flying over the ocean and going for a swim, author removed the lore from the irminsul so act like you know nothing of it, i'm putting the lore in the cheese grater

“T-The hilichurls… turned into humans?” Because of what she had just seen, Amber's eyes were completely expanded, and you could almost get the impression that she was on the verge of exploding any moment now.

You find yourself thinking that it is understandable. After all, raising someone from the dead isn't something that happens very often; in fact, not even archons are able to do it.

You chuckled and smiled sarcastically at the three people who were staring at you in complete and utter disbelief.

You stood there with your arms crossed as you looked over at the hilichurls that had been transformed into humans with confused expressions adorning their faces.

"Oh wow…" You said while putting on a show of ignorance regarding what had just taken place. "What a miracle it is that they have been brought back to life!" You delighted everyone by clapping your hands.

"P-Paimon was very certain that it was Y/N who brought them back to life just now..." Paimon mumbled something to herself as she scratched the top of her head.

“Hm? That is ridiculous. I just smacked them across the face with a fried egg, see?" You answered as you moved closer to the hilichurls that had been converted into humans by slapping their faces with a fried egg that suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

And as a matter of fact, a noticeable improvement could be seen in the appearance of the other people's skin after the fried egg had been applied to their faces. They let out a sigh of disgust as they observed the yolk splattered all over their faces.

"Paimon had no idea that a fried egg was capable of doing that..."

Aether shook his head at the innocence of his traveling buddy. It was perfectly clear that you were making light of the situation. At least now he is aware that you were telling the truth when you stated that you allowed the Anemo Archon to have a seat in the seven.

“This—” Amber opened her mouth to speak while simultaneously covered her mouth with her palm in shock. "This is really incredible news! You are able to give them a second chance at life!"

"What caused them to become humans?" Aether questioned while frowning in confusion.

You gave a light hum as you brought your hand up to pet him on the top of his head. "Perhaps your sister knows the answer you're looking for.”

“Our benefactor…” As soon as you turned your attention to them, they started talking, and Aether made a low rumbling sound.

You gave them a sideways glance while turning your head to the side since you thought it was likely that they were bewildered by the situation. Their final recollections would be of fighting for their homeland just before the curse took full impact.

They all got on one knee in front of you, which caused you to raise an eyebrow.

"Ah-ah, there's no need to be grateful to me. You probably aren't aware of this, but I'm a very awful person.” You said with a playful tone.

The people around you gave you a disapproving shake of the head as they expressed their dissatisfaction. Who in the devil would even believe a statement like that after what you have done?

“We were in such a painful dream— we are gratefu—"

You made a huffing sound while crossing your arms. "I find it extremely unpleasant when people thank me or express gratitude in any form. You deserve to live, no? I was only performing my duties at the time."

"Paimon speculates that Y/N is simply not accustomed to being thanked at...?"

You let out a sigh and shook your head in a deliberate manner. You looked down at them and they immediately thanked whichever gods were responsible for allowing them the opportunity to finally take a good look at the face of the one who had helped them.

They feel as though fortune was on their side because a God gazed at them with such kindness in their eyes, despite the fact that they were literally citizens from a nation that does not worship any gods.

"How can we possibly repay you...?"

You cocked your head to the side and hummed to yourself while you started to think.

“Brace yourselves.” You spoke.

“Wha—?”

"Oh, wait, here, have this." You smiled broadly as a variety of visions comprising a range of elements appeared seemingly out of thin air.

They did nothing but blink in bewilderment as they held the small vision in their hands, looking like toddlers who had been given machine guns.

At this very moment, Amber was on the verge of passing out. Witnessing a group of individuals all at once getting their visions is unsettling to say the least. It feels even more wrong to breathe the same air as you!

Oh, my archons, her life is not a sufficient payment to be able to witness such a once-in-a-lifetime event!

 “Let’s all hang out once in awhile, hm? Don’t forget to say hello to Lulu for me!”

Aether raised a brow. Lulu?

With a wave of your hand, they vanished into thin air, and you sent them to a place where Lumine and the Abyss Order are currently staying.

To say that Lumine was horrified to the core when a group of humans suddenly appeared above the head of the abyss mage who was just talking to her would be an enormous understatement.

"Y-You can grant visions too!?" The scream that Paimon let out was so loud that it made you wince.

“Sorry!”

You indicated with a wave of your hand that everything was fine, and Paimon immediately let out a sigh of relief.

"Aether, do you know her, or is she a stranger?" Amber's lips were covered as she leaned in close to the man and mumbled something. In response, he gave a nod that conveyed something close to uncertainty.

You snorted as you extended your hand in front of Paimon and insisted that she give you, her hand. And as she did, a gnosis appeared in your hand.

"Oh, my dear archons!" Paimon reacted, fixating her gaze intently on the bright object that was floating directly above your palm.

"If we were to sell this, we could make a ton of Mora!"

“What—!?” Amber and Aether shouted at the same time.

You blinked and stroked your chin with your index finger as if you were considering what you had just heard. "If I remember correctly, there was a term for buy one and get one free. What if we double it?"

"No no no! Paimon is not even certain that there is a single person in Teyvat who can afford a gnosis! In addition to that, don't you think the other archons will feel uncomfortable about it?”

"Why should we worry about how they feel?" You huffed as you continued, "The one ruling Inazuma handed her gnosis to a friend, the one ruling Mondstadt doesn't even use it, and the one ruling Liyue will probably give up his gnosis in the near future.

"Well, if we're talking about the wealthiest individual in Teyvat right this minute..." You made a soft mumbling sound.

“Should we offer it for sale to the Tsaritsa? You smiled mischievously while cocking your head ever-so-slightly to the side.

As soon as you uttered that, an excruciating ringing sound immediately started up in your head. You gritted your teeth and squeezed one of your eyes shut.

“Y/N, are you okay?” You heard Aether’s worried voice.

"I thought we were each other's best friends! You should be aware that she wants a fight with me!” You can clearly hear Celestia nitpicking away inside of your head. As is her custom, she is highly dramatic.

“Well, it’s partly your fault that she wants to fight you.”

The three looked at you in surprise and astonishment as your choice of words came out of nowhere. To silence them, all you did was give them your whole attention while pressing a finger to your lips.

“Hmph…” You could hear her dejected voice.

“Oh hush, you have me. Just let them do their own thing for now.”

“Alright, but why are you selling a gnosis?”

"Creating a strategy for one's own survival is the first step toward leading a more fulfilling life," After having a good laugh, you promptly severed your connection with the Celestia before she could even begin to complain again.

“At least come visit us—!”

Oh, your closest friends and their overprotective tendencies when it comes to you. Why won't they just let you breathe and stop figuratively and physically clutching onto you for dear life?

"Your highness, who were you speaking with only a moment ago?" Amber stuttered, and for some reason, despite her outgoing nature, she found herself experiencing sudden feelings of shyness. I mean, really, how could you possibly hold that against her?

She hasn't even entertained the thought of speaking with an archon, and yet here she is having a conversation with someone who is significantly more powerful than the archons!

“Oh please, Y/N is fine,” you gave her a friendly smile and told her, “The Celestia is in full support of our business!”

They were all shocked beyond belief and let out a collective gasp.

As they imagined every people of Teyvat holding a gnosis, everyone in the room began to break out in a cold sweat at the back of their necks. You couldn't possibly be serious, could you? Surely you must have been joking. Right?

You met three new people along the way, and the four of you set off on a journey to the city that is known for its freedom. They all came to an agreement that the information on your identity and the incident with the hilichurls should not be shared with anybody else.

You trailed closely behind them, periodically turning your head to take in the beautiful surroundings and the people who belonged to your little archon.

“Let me officially introduce the city of wind, dandelions, and freedom— Travelers under the protection of the Knights of Favonius — Welcome to Mondstadt!” Amber grinned broadly as she placed her hand on her chest and cupped her other hand on her hip.

"O-Oh, not that her highness Y/N doesn't already know about Mondstadt...” Amber massaged the back of her head nervously as you made her blush with your laughter.

"I don't. I didn't have enough time to look into it, so I'm grateful for the introduction. Mm, the only figure of this nation that I am familiar with is the archon,” You were able to make her feel better with the words that you spoke, and now Amber can be seen beaming with happiness once more.

That, as well, is a blatant lie. You have completed so many commissions in this nation while you were still a player, so of course you are familiar with every nook and cranny of this city.

You didn't say anything while Amber and Paimon went into great length explaining things to Aether; the only thing you did was hum sometimes in reaction to what they were saying.

You were on the sidelines as Aether received his wind glider and put it through its trials for the first time, which resulted in a successful outcome.

Ha, that kid used to fly around with his very own set of wings before.

You swung your legs around gleefully as you sat precariously perched over the railings.

It is only a matter of time before the city is shrouded by ominous clouds and Dvalin makes another appearance. This means that you will be able to see your little floatie as well.

Aether descended toward Amber, who was standing there waiting for him once more, as the three of them observed that thick clouds and fog had begun to cover the skies above Mondstadt.

“The sky...” Amber uttered those words with a note of apprehension.

People immediately began fleeing to safer areas as Aether and Amber gazed up at you with worried expressions on their faces, as if pleading with you to take some action.

You only smiled at them before speaking the words, “The stormterror is absolutely adorable, no doubt about it, no?

“E—Eh!?” Your response caused Paimon to exclaim, and at that very moment, a wind tornado was closing in on them and ultimately launched Aether into the air.

You heaved a sigh as you stood up from the rails, your palm shining with some unknown power as a barrier began to enclose the city and prevent any harm from approaching.

You sighed again as you began to protect the citizens of the city. However, since you didn't make an effort to clear away the fog, everything will continue to be a mystery.

You cast your sight upward, in the direction of where Aether is floating in the air thanks to Venti's power, and the two people who were observing you followed your gaze in that direction.

"Don't worry, your highness! We will be all right!"

You couldn't help but laugh as you soared to the location of Aether, where you could sense Venti disguising as one of the thousand winds.

“I’m preventing your fall with the power of a thousand winds.”

“Oh? Little floatie came into rescue too?” You teased as the mysterious voice began stammering.

“L-Little floatie…?”

"Alright, alright, let's concentrate on this," You gave Aether a friendly smile while you ruffled his silky locks with your fingertips.

"Don't worry about a thing; little floatie will look after you."

Aether frowned, indicating that he found the idea quite unappealing. "How about you?"

You hummed as you sensed the wind from Venti moving closer to you as though it was also interested in you.

"I'm quite curious to find out if slapping a fried egg on the stormterror's blood clot will be of any assistance."

Aether's jaw dropped in disbelief. You’re still not done with the fried eggs!?

"Hey, what do you think of this idea, little floatie?"

The mysterious voice heaved a cough and mumbled, "Eh..."

After hearing their response, you rolled your eyes at them. They had a feeling that you wouldn't be speaking anytime soon, so Venti made the decision to explain how to make use of the power.

You were observing everything that was going on around Aether as he started to harness the power of the wind.

You made a few comments about how the wind power looked like a machine gun which made Venti cough multiple times to hide his laughter.

“Not enough. Do you want me to slap you with an almond tofu for an increased damage?”

“W—What?”

You didn't bother to wait for his approval before presenting him with the plate of almond tofu that magically emerged in your hands and then you gently slapped it in front of his face.

It was such a surprising thing that you could practically feel Venti shaking, which almost caused him to lose control of the wind. It was that shocking.

As Aether took the final shot, Dvalin let out a roar, and you swiftly flew over to the dragon, which appeared to be about to collapse as it was shaking in the wind.

Venti stayed only long enough to watch the softening of your eyes as you stared at the blood clot on the dragon's back. Aether slowly flew down to the area where the others are, but Venti did not leave.

He watched as your bright hands gently caressed the dark crystal, which immediately silenced the dragon's roaring.

You were reluctant to completely remove the blood clot because it was Venti and Aether's responsibility to do it. However, because you are so compassionate toward individuals who are suffering, all you did was relieve the discomfort that the dragon was experiencing.

It is completely up to destiny to decide whether or not the abyss mage will still be able to exert control over the dragon.

"Little floatie," You moved your attention to the wind that was swirling. "The traveler is known to be trustworthy. I have complete faith that you are aware of the next steps."

The strong wind has started to die down, and the only sound that can be heard out is a faint “thank you.”

You led the weakened dragon back to the ground, and as soon as the two of you landed, three abyss mages suddenly appeared. You grimaced when you realized that Lumine must have sent them to seek you out.

"Our gracious benefactor," An abyss mage started things off. "Our princess would want to offer her sincere gratitude to—"

You heaved a sigh as you frowned and crossed your arms while looking at them. "I believed that I conveyed to them that receiving gratitude is not something that I like in any way,"

“Uh… they may have mentioned that.”

You gave your temples a light massage as the headache began to set in and asked, "So why are you here?"

"We would like to make a request that you lend us a hand in the restoration of our once-thriving nation and in rescuing its people from the curse."

"Oh, I had already made preparations to carry out that task," You gave your response, and then proceeded to yawn.

If only they knew that your two friends were the cause of their fall, they probably wouldn't be as friendly with you as they are now if they knew that.

As they drifted closer to you, the abyss mages showed signs of happiness; however, when they heard your next words, "But not right now," their happiness quickly turned to disappointment, and they almost plummeted to the ground.

“But— why?”

"Of what use is a nation if it does not have its people?" As you lounged contentedly on Dvalin's back, a sluggish expression began to appear on your face.

“So…”

"If I happen to come across one of your own, you can rest assured that I will deliver them to your princess so that she may deal with them." You uttered those words in a languid manner while staring at them. "Focus on gathering your people, since your nation will not all of a sudden grow a foot and run anyways." 

"We are in all sincerity grateful for—"

“Hush.”

They abruptly stopped speaking once they were reminded that you do not enjoy receiving gratitude or hearing thank yous in any form.

You are truly a weird God— they think. But kind like their princess, nonetheless.

“Then we shall return.”

You made a careless motion with your hand, indicating for them to leave immediately.

“Tell your princess that she should at least pay a visit to her twin, and if she does that, maybe I'll feel more motivated to assist you.”

Your level of excitement and enthusiasm is to be expected, of course. The sooner they come to an understanding with one another, the sooner they will get the fuck out of Teyvat.

That means, you won't have any more job to do. On the other hand, you get the impression that it won't be all that simple.

Not with the looks that Aether was giving you, and not with Lumine's nature, which dictates that she won't stop until she pays back whoever helped her out.

Just hush and go, okay!? What is it that they have planned for the following step? Bring themselves to their knees and make a formal request for your hand in marriage? You let out a sigh as the thought crossed your mind.

In spite of the fact that you intended to rebuild the once-mighty nation, you wanted to execute it in private. There is no question in your mind that once they discovered who their benefactor is, then and only then will they revere that benefactor. What then will become of a nation that does not believe in God or even worship one?

The mages of the abyss remained silent for a short while as they observed various expressions adorning your face. It turned out to be quite comical. It's no surprise that their princess was so interested in interacting with you that she issued a command to find you.

They continued to observe you while you glared, huffed, and grimaced at the ground, and it wasn't until you frowned at them that they eventually left with a quiet "thank you."

You rolled your eyes. “What a bunch of brats.”

As soon as you arrived back in Mondstadt, you saw the three of them speaking to Kaeya. Although the fog has long since dissipated, the sky itself is still completely dark.

As you made your way slowly towards the folks who were introducing themselves, you waved your hand and the barrier vanished before your eyes. 

“This is Kaeya, our Cavalry Captain.” Amber carried on talking as if she had not noticed your presence and proceeded. “These two are travelers from afar, Aether and Paimon.”

Kaeya looked at the two individuals and gave a nod in acknowledgement. He then made direct eye contact with you and asked, "And who might this young lady possibly be?"

Amber's eyes widened as she shifted her gaze back and forth between Kaeya and you. Kaeya saw the outrider's expression, which seemed to indicate that she was at a loss for words regarding how to introduce you.

Your presence elevated the level of excitement that he felt towards everything.

“Oh, I’m Y/N. I sell visions and gnoses.” You responded with an expression on your face that was completely expressionless, and your voice was completely emotionless, which made the situation even more awkward and unbelievable.

The response that you gave seemed to take Kaeya completely by surprise. You? Selling visions? How in the devil is something like that ever feasible? And just what exactly are gnoses?

“Uh… haha…” Amber, at a complete loss for words, scratched the nape of her neck.

"Oh? I had no idea that lady Y/N is such a practical joker,” Even though Kaeya appeared to be laughing, there was not the slightest indication of humor in his voice.

"Uh-huh, you bet! Paimon is in agreement that Y/N has a tendency to joke around quite a bit!” In a frantic effort to salvage the situation, Paimon quickly nodded her head.

"Well, if you want to buy one, all you have to do is ask me..." You just said it while crossing your arms.

“Oh? I was wondering if you could sell me one then." It appeared as though Kaeya was making fun of you with his charming smile; in fact, it almost felt that way.

You seemed curious about something as you cocked your head to the side and then asked, "Don't you already have a vision though?"

"Well, having two would certainly make things more interesting, wouldn't you say?"

You took a moment to think about it before giving your approval with a nod. As you lifted your hands and opened your palms, visions of several elements, each glowing brightly, suddenly appeared.

Huh? He thought you were just joking the whole time!

It would be an understatement to say that Kaeya was caught off guard by the revelation. Are you a fraud? A magician perhaps? However, the visions you are holding exude such an overwhelming amount of power that it is difficult to even consider the possibility that they are a fake.

“Mm, you’re my first customer, so in appreciation of your patronage, I'll give you a discount if you buy Aether and Paimon a meal. Fair trade, don't you think?”

What fair trade? A simple meal in exchange for a vision? Do you not realize that visions are extraordinarily rare, and that the vast majority of people would give anything — including their lives — to receive one?

Of course you're aware of it; you're just messing with them for the sake of witnessing their reactions. It's likely that protecting Teyvat for thousands of years has had an effect on you, as seen by the fact that you're even doing this for no other reason than boredom.

Kaeya remained motionless in his stance; his eyes riveted on the bright visions that had no owner. After snapping out of his trance, he took off his cloak and wrapped it around you in a tender manner.

You made a sound that indicated that you were confused as he said, "Let's continue this conversation to our headquarters."

"Tch, I really need to bring Crepus back to life so that he can scold his children to death."

"Are you going to use fried eggs for that man too?" Paimon inquired, which caused Kaeya's surprise and horror to reach an even higher level.

Too? Does that mean that this wouldn't be your first time bringing someone back to life?

Now, Kaeya is positive that he wishes he could just pass out right there and then.

TAGLIST: @valeriele3 @lunarapple @meikoo

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[toomanyplotbunnies-sendhelp]

Hello and welcome to Day 22 of "Let's Explore My Plot Bunnies"

Today, I am going to fry my brain trying to explain this mess of a plot bunny that, over time, turned into a full-blown series in my brain.

So I present to you:

"A Thousand Miles Journey begins with one step" - a Lout of the Count's Family and Genshin Impact crossover

Buckle up cause the synopsis is gonna be long:

(I will put a line break here because holy crap I was right - It IS LOOOOONG)

Cale Henituse (the original one here) is the oldest child of the Henituse family, a noble family from Mondstadt. His reputation, however, is not exactly stellar... which is exactly what Cale intended anyway.

After his mother suddenly died when he was 8 years old, his father remarried. As if that wasn't enough to cause a lot of rumors to appear from the other Noble families in Mondstadt, his new stepmother, Violan, already had a child. Wanting to protect the two (and his future new sibling), Cale diverted everyone’s attention to himself by destroying the picture of the perfect and well-mannered child he was. He acted out, slacked off, refused to continue his studies, and even started drinking alcohol early in his life. All to protect the new additions to his family who had no clue how damaging the words of the other noble families can be.

And Cale would have continued it if not for the illness that plagued him and the promise he made to his birth mother, Jour Thames.

"When you turn 16, you must leave Mondstadt, Cale. Promise me you will. You need to live."

Those words from his mother are still engraved in his mind, to the point where he can vividly remember even the tone of her voice when she said them.

Living with an illness that makes him cough up blood and that spikes whenever he is in emotional turmoil is not ideal. But Cale can, at least, be thankful that he is still alive. Something that was only possible because of the Anemo God's assistance in the first place. Barbatos - or as he so insist to be called, Venti - has helped him survive this strange illness ever since he was 10 years old. But even a god like him can't fully get rid of his pain for good.

Six years later, on the night of his 16th birthday, Cale makes good of his promise to his mother. With a simple message to the only friends he knows will not say anything and with a quick goodbye to Venti, Cale sets on his journey to Liyue, where he hopes to have an audience with Morax - the Geo Archon - during the upcoming Rite of Descension.

In order to avoid the Knights of Favonious who are patrolling the only safe way to Liyue, Cale chooses to go through Dragonspine, a mountain where the snow never melts and where living conditions for humans are nearly non-existent. It is a gamble, but Cale always believed in the gambles he took.

Unfortunately, during his traverse through the ice caves in the mountain, Cale encountered Abyss Mages, who seem to be searching for something in this icy cave. Everyone knows that the Abyss are deathly foes who wish to kill the people of Teyvat - the ones Cale meets are no exception.

The Abyss Mages' attacks make Cale fall through the ice into a pool of ice-cold water. Thinking that he is dead, the Abyss Mages leave, as empty-handed as they came to Dragonspine. What they don't know is that Cale found a little cavern below in the icy waters. Said cavern led to a chamber that has the symbol of the Thames Family on it - an oval object around which a snake is coiled, as if to embrace it.

Knowing that this has to do with his mother's family, Cale enters the chamber and is greeted by the sight of a Vision sitting in a pool of what can only be described as raw energy - the kind that hurts you if you try to touch it.

An inscribed stone tablet nearby states:

"Those of you whose blood is of this family

try your best to prevent calamity.

Your blood shall spill in rivers here,

but heed my words for they are sincere:

For you to claim what is yours by birth,

you must prove to me your worth."

Cale approaches the pool of raw energy where the Vision lies. The Vision is unlike any other in this world: a round gem, around which the long body of a dragon is coiled (not unlike the crest of the Thames family), and around the gem are tiny claw-like structures keeping the small gem within the golden casing. It really looks like none of Teyvat's Visions.

Taking the small knife he had on him, Cale slices his palm, letting his blood fall into the pool of raw energy. The pool emits some light before becoming somewhat close to a pool of water - not capable of injuring anyone that approaches anymore.

When Cale takes the Vision in his hands, it lights up with the power of Anemo, confirming that Cale is its master now. Cale is pleased by this, since his mother always said that "Thames children always get a Vision, one way or another and you will surely get one too." It seems another one of his mother's predictions has come true.

Finding his way out of the chamber is a lot easier, and once outside, Cale realizes he is very close to the region of Liyue.

Soon, he meets two hungry cats - or maybe they are foxes - on his way. One silver, the other a reddish color that resembles his own hair color. Cale gives them some food, thinking this would be the end of it, but the two creatures follow him around after that. Which is not that surprising, but Cale had hoped they would just take the food and leave him alone. (Hearing them talk is not that surprising either - they live in a world where a God can just enter a tavern and drink twice his own weight in alcohol, rare it is for Cale to be surprised by anything nowadays)

Due to a wrong turn, Cale and the creatures (Ohn and Hong, as they introduced themselves) end up going north towards Qingce Village instead of going south towards Liyue Harbor. And yet, this detour might be auspicious for a little black lizard(?) that Cale finds after somehow getting involved in a potential creature trafficking ring - trust me, if Cale knew this would be his life once he left Mondstadt, he would have prostated in front of his mother's grave and accepted a painful death from his illness.

(At the begging of Ohn and Hong) Cale takes the little black lizard (which apparently has wings so... Cale is at a loss about what this thing is) out of the traffickers hands and set it free... or it should have been that way had the little thing not decided to follow him as well. Ohn and Hong's smug little faces didn't make him feel better.

Finally, after a few more weeks of traveling , Cale and his three little followers (more like kids at this point, not that Cale would admit that) arrive in Liyue Harbor, right in time for the Rite of Descension - which turns out to be a disaster but Cale can deal with this, whether it is a Fatui Harbringer or an old angry God traying to stirr up troubles.

Once the problems die down (and after Cale wakes up from his illness-induced coma he fell into after the fight with Osial, Overlord of the Vortex) Cale is proposed by the Adepti - mainly Cloud Retainer - to train with them for a year in an attempt to learn how to fully control both the power of Anemo and his newly acquired Geo powers. Cale and the kids accept and spend 1 year with Cloud Retainer at her abode in Mt. Aocang - being visited by the other adepti, Xiao, and even Zhongli, who helped him with his training.

After his year of training, Cloud Retainer presents Cale with a hand-made Polearm as his reward for finishing his training. That will become the weapon Cale uses for the rest of his journey.

Cale noticed that the illness seemed to be affecting him less since he learned how to use the power of Geo. Going on a hunch, he decides that having a meeting and (hopefully) learning how to use the elements from the Archons of each region, and his next stop is Inazuma.

Inazuma becomes quite a dangerous place, what with the presence of the Fatui Harbingers, a civil war and also the Electro Archon seemingly vying for his head. (Cale isn't pleased that Raon - the little winged lizard, that Zhongli said is a dragon -, Ohn and Hong are put in danger because of his journey, but it's not like the kids listen to him when he tells them to stay back)

Once again, things take a turn for the worst for Cale, who, even though the civil war is pretty much over and the Fatui are out of Inazuma, nearly dies from a combination of his illness and the injuries sustained during his fights with the 8th Fatui Harbinger, La Seniora, and with the Electron Archon herself.

On the bright side, Cale acquires the power of Electro, and, as far as the Priestess Yae Miko can tell, his body has been cleansed of the miasma that was seemingly the cause of his illness. Still, Cale has many questions left unanswered after he goes into what people call Enkanomiya to help Sangonomiya Kokomi with a ritual. Most questions are about the Thames Family and, it appears that only Archons may be capable of answering his questions.

On the not so bright side, what he learns in Enkanomiya about Celestia, the place where Gods reside above humans, does not paint them in a good light to him. With each new day and each new book read, Cale feels like he understands more and more Kaeya's hesitance to believe and worship Gods.

Regardless of his personal thoughts, when Cale gets word that Mondstadt is in danger, he and the kids jump back to traveling and reach Mondstadt. On that same day, Cale discovers the reason his home is in danger - Dvalin, one of the Four Winds who fell prey to the Abyss's lies and was deceived.

Now, Cale must team up with old acquaintances and friends to put a stop to all this, while also trying to pay his debts to Venti for helping him in the past (if only Venti would let him help). Add to that seeing his family after 4 long years of being gone and, shortly after, meeting the mysterious Dainslief who seems to know way too much about everything that he did in the last regions he was in (which is not good and Cale is very weary, regardless if his gut tells him Dainslief can be trusted) and you get the headache of Cale's life.

Cale knew he should have just run away when he saw Amber again.

Details that I couldn't fit in the synopsis:

Cale is 16 when he leaves Mondstadt, and this happens like half a year before Crepus's death. So Kaeya is like one year older than Cale (so he is 17 when he leaves), and Diluc is around 1 year and a half older.

Cale's best friends are Kaeya and Albedo. Albedo came to Mondstadt when Cale was 15. Kaeya and Cale were in the same class as Knights-in-trainning, and Kaeya got curious about this "Oh so horrible child" and basically never left after.

Cale knows that Kaeya is from Khaenri'ah. Kaeya never said anything, Cale is just too observant and noticed some few little slips from Kaeya. Cale admitted he knew at one point to Kaeya and assured him he won't say anything since "it's not his secret to tell."

Kaeya, in turn, is the only one to (unknowingly) guess that Cale's bad behavior is both to protect his family and to distance himself from people because he is dying. Kaeya made a joke, really. He said: "Oh, come on, you can be a bit less mean sometimes can't you? It's not like you are dying from some illness, are you?" and upon seeing Cale's unimpressed face (which in reality was Cale panicking), Kaeya said: "Fine, fine. I won't make a joke like that again, so don't look at me like that." before going back to teasing Cale. So yeah, Kaeya hit the nail on the head with that one.

This is Og!Cale Henituse centric. So no Kim Rook Soo, as much as I love him. But we still have (some of) the other characters like: the Henituse Family, Raon, Ohn, Hong, Choi Han, Ron and Beacrox Molan, Rosalyn, Alberu and the Ancient Powers given human bodies. And I guess the White Star (read: Raddish) is there too. (I haven't decided on others that will appear)

Which brings me to where are the others in this world? Well, Choi Han is still the unlucky guy who was dragged into another world here. He appeared in Mondstadt during the years Cale was away and was taken in by the Henituse family. He became kinda like a bodyguard for them as thanks for helping him. When Cale comes back to Mondstadt, Deruth wants to have Choi Han with Cale cause he is worried. Unfortunately, rather than Choi Han protecting Cale, it is Cale that protects Choi Han. (They go through Razor's Story Quest together and it was literally Cale doing the fighting there)

I can't really explain Alberu and the Ancient Powers without giving a ton of spoilers for something, so all I can say is that: Alberu was born in Fontaine, is once again 5 years older than Cale (who is 20 when he returns to Mondstadt); the Ancient Powers met Cale through various means and will fight the Gods themselves for Cale's sake; Alberu appears during the Fontaine Archon Quest so we get some interesting things about his past and Cale's involvement there.

Cale basically takes the role of the Traveler but with no Paimon and without him being a star that crash-landed on Teyvat. Instead, he was born in Teyvat, but the Thames Family is very much intertwined with the lore of Teyvat. That goes for his "illness" too. Also, no, Ron and Beacrox didn't know about Cale being ill. Cale hid that from everyone. Kaeya just guessed it without even knowing/feeling anything is amiss.

Rosalyn will probably appear either during the Sumeru Archon Quest or during Natlan. Depends where I can put her so it makes more sense, probably Sumeru tho.

The White Raddish is, once again, creating problems, this time as the "Abyss Prince." And he still looks like Cale, which is really a red flag for our unlucky bastard. Also, he is kinda in his "Make Khaenri'ah Great Again" Era, which is heavily disapproved by Kaeya and Dainslief, btw.

The Abyss Mage that made Cale fall into the ice cold water in Dragonspine was reporting to Enjou and WS. Needless to say, Cale's meeting with Enjou in Enkanomiya ends badly for Enjou after this tidbit of information comes out.

"Adepti trained Cale, who uses a Spear as his main weapon despite being from Mondstadt," is probably my favorite Cale from all my fics that include him. Like holy shit, he is a noble from Mondstadt that just said "Fuck you nobility" and picked up a Polearm to fight with.

On that note, Genshin lore is IMPORTANT here. Any lore kinda fits in this story, be it because Cale learns about it, because I rewrite some of it to fit my narrative or because it's way too important to skip over. This means if I ever actually write this I am going over all Story Quests/World Quests/Events that have important lore in them. (This also includes Artifact Lore and some Weapon Lore too)

The Thames family is really important here, too. They have powers beyond what is normal, but all of them die young through mysterious means. Also, they have a motto: "A Thames should never fear the past or the future." This basically makes an allusion to the fact that they can see past and future events under special conditions. Because WS tried to get that power too (by killing most of the Thames left in the world) and only managed to damage the powers of the Thames family, Cale is not able to see the future, but he can see the past if he touches an object that is full of energy.

On the note of Cale's abilities, this Cale also has a perfect memory (similar to KRS's Record). So he has a lot of information and trauma stored in that head of his. It will be even more trauma after he gets to Sumeru and Fontaine's Archon Quests because omg, I fucking cried at them both and I was in shambles for days. Can't imagine LIVING through those.

The Thames family has also a bit of a thing that they do before they die. They infuse some object/place with their last remaining energy and leave a message for whoever (from their family) may find it: They introduce themselves, say where is their home and give some heads up about events they foresaw coming and want to prevent.

Because of this, Cale meets some of his ancestors from before Khaenri'ah fell actually. And in chronological order of meeting them, they are:

Wei Thames - his ancestor from Liyue. The message from him was found by Cale during the Quest "The Chi of Yore" after defeating that (accursed) timed trial.

Kannon Thames - his ancestor from Inazuma. Cale finds her remains and message during the Quest "Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual"; she was a good friend of Kitsune Saiguu and died during the Cataclysm 500 years ago.

Acacius Thames - ancestor from Enkanomiya. He lived in the time before Enkanomiya sank into the depths and Cale found his journal during his exploration of Enkanomiya. He had visions of the future catastrophe that will end with Enkanomiya in the depths. When he told the people that he was branded as a heretic and thrown into a prison cell where he met his death as Enkanomiya sank.

Elijah Thames - a wanderer that settled in Mondstadt during the reign of Decarabian and ended up helping with the revolution. Did not get along with Diluc's ancestor - which seems to be a theme between the 2 families. Also he was a dear friend to Venti who vouched for Venti to be the Anemo Archon since he will not abuse his power like Decarabian did. Cale meets him during the Mondstadt Archon Quest.

Isaiah Thames - ancestor from Sumeru. Cale meets him the first time when he connects with Irminsul and then again during the Subzerus Festival Samsara. Isaiah was Rukkhadevata's trusted helper who, feeling his death near, bound his remaining energy to the Irminsul so that he could attempt to help Rukkhadevata even after his death. He is very much disgusted and disappointed in the Academiya Sages and their treatment of Nahida - even states that he would "gladly bathe in their blood from head to the soles of his feet if he had a physical body".

Noah Thames - ancestor from Fonatine. Helped create the Fortress of Meropiede and left behind the papers that will be the foundation of "The Wingalet", Wriothesley's flying ship. Cale meets him first during "Cataclysm's Quickening" (aka Act IV of the Archon Quest) when he is staying in the Foretress of Meropiede and tries to find Childe. He feels his energy again while exploring the ruins that Arlechino pointed out to him and Navia during Act V and, once again and for the last time, after Cale battles the All-Devouring Narwal (basically Cale faints after the battle and speaks with Noah in a space made by his mind). Noah has his energy bound to the Primordial Sea and has been trying to keep it away from Fonatine for nearly 1000 years now.

Adam Thames - an orphan that wondered the Sumeru Desert for a long time. He stumbled upon Khaenri'ah and made a home for himself there. When the Cataclysm hit, he took Dainslief (his best friend) out of the way of destruction and returned to the Door (you know the door deep in the Tunigi Hollow) where, in order to contain the Abyss monsters, he sealed the door shut and left a message behind knowing he will not return. He perished in battle against the Abyss creatures. Cale finds the message and learns about Dainslief being his best friend when he finds the Door in "Khavarena of Good and Evil" Quest.

Another thing about the Thames is that names are very important to them. Their names spell their futures. You can see it in the naming scheme above: Wei means "to protect" which is what he did during his fight against the Chi; Kannon is the Japanese name for Guanyin, a Bodhisattva associated with compassion and is considered "The Goddess of Mercy" having saved a lot of people from extreme sufferings the same way Kannon does before she too falls during the Cataclysm; Acacius is another spelling for the word "Akakios" which translates from Greek to "innocent, not evil" which is want Acacius was really and this name was the name of some early saints who were martyred, which again is similar to Acacius from this story; Elijah is a Hebrew name and was a prophet in the Old Testament, who confronted the king and queen in the 9th Century BC over their idolatry of the Ba'al and other wicked deeds, which is pretty on point imo with the Revolution against Decarabian scenario; Isaiah is another Hebrew name and he was one of the 4 Major Prophets of the Old Testament and also (supposedly) the author of the Book of Isaiah, which has some paragraphs depicting trees on fire - aka just like the one Dottore looks at in the Winter Night's Lazzo; Noah is another Hebrew Name and I am pretty sure that everyone knows about Noah's Ark... only now, the boat was constructed 1000 years after he died; and, last but not least, Adam - another Hebrew name - the 1st human created by God, who, alongside Eve, ate the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil... here, this can translate to Adam (maybe) being too supportive of Khaenri'ah plans up until it blew up in everyone's face, and he had to run away to avoid death (aka he was casted out of the Garden of Eden) but returned later to stop the spreading of the Abyss monsters out of the Door to Khaenri'ah.

And because we (the travelers) give Scaramouche a new name, Cale here basically adopts Scara by giving him not only a new given name but also a family name (if he ever wishes to use it) alongside it. His name would be Cain Themes, again another Hebrew name but that makes sense since the story of Cain ends with him becoming a wanderer and becoming the founder of a city later, and Cale gives him this name while knowing the story of "Cain" from his mother and hoping that Scaramouche will avoid having another bad ending to his own story.

Cale's own name has a story, but, generally, children only hear the story of their name's from their Thames parents when they turn 10. Since Cale's mom died when he was 8 years old, he never found out the story of his own name - which is pretty common with most Thames children since they can live at maximum till 30 years old in the case of very lucky members of the family (mostly due to the illness they have).

The Thames family is also strongly tied to Dragons, something that was confirmed by Apep in Nahida's Second Story Quest, where Apep seems surprised that "the children of Nibelung still roam this land." Turns out, there were tribes of humans living with the Dragons before the First Who Came (Phanes?) appeared. The Thames family is the last remaining line of the so-called "Dragon Slayers" of old. They were mainly called Dragon Slayers because they could keep up or even slay other Dragons. As a result, Dragon King Nibelung was impressed and bestowed upon the Thames family, specifically, gifts of power (aka the old versions of Visions that looks similar to Cale's own Vision) and considered them his children. Most of those warriors perished in the fight against Phanes(?).

Because of his origins as a Dragon Slayer, it is not that unbelievable that Cale ends up taking care of a Dragon himself (Raon) since raising a small Dragon is like a Rite of Passage for the Dragon Slayers in this fic.

White Star, as stated before, killed most of the present time Thames in an attempt to get the power to see the future - an attempt that failed. He knows that Thames children don't live all that long, so he thinks that Cale's existence is insignificant and not a problem since he will die young too. (And he was not wrong technically - Cale was supposed to die before turning 20 if he never left on his journey and got better) This is mainly the reason why he let's Cale live after seeing him with Dainslief.

Since White Star is still in the body of a Thames, Cale can get some information from the things WS touches (kinda like how the Traveler has that flashback in the Chasm Quest with Dainslief).

And then there is the Caribert Quest where Cale basically takes the place of White Star in a memory from around 400 years ago when White Star was traveling with Dainslief and met Clothar and the whole Dark Crystal thing that calls itself a "Sinner".

Why was Dainslief traveling with White Star you ask? Because he was hurting from failing to protect Adam and wanted to, at least, try and protect his legacy - another member of his family Dainslief met by chance. Too bad he wasted his efforts on White Star. But he still got to know Cale and want to protect him so there is that.

Also, before I forget to mention, here Archons may be called "Gods" by humans but in reality they are more like "Protectors of a Land" who were gifted power by Gods after they won the Archon War - whether they were willing to accept the power or not. As such, when Khaenri'ah happened, most were given an ultimatum by the Gods in Celestia: "Either Khaenri'ah falls today or your regions fall." So, even if they were unwilling to help, they had to so they can avoid more human lives being lost. Pretty traumatic, don't you think? (Pretty sure that is what happened in the Genshin Impact canon too but we don't have explicit confirmation because all of them signed an NDA and Venti is still a little shit that has no part two to his Story Quest)

The Aranara call Cale "Crimson Nara", Raon "Blackie", Ohn and Hong "Kitties". Also, the Melusines see Cale in a very similar way to Neuvillette. In their eyes, both of them are large balls of energy (Cale's red; Neuvillette is blue) that have ribbons made of some other type of energy around them(both have gold colored ribbons). Because of these similarities, the Melusine are all "Monsieur Neuvillette will have a new friend" and "The two of them will get along well." Neuvillette likes Cale's (and his children's) company but he wishes he did not have to know the amount of problems they get into everyday.

Raon's first Growth Phase takes place during the Sumeru Archon Quest. It starts when Cale and Nahida run from the people ordered by Il Dottore to capture them (aka the scene where Khaterine is impaled) and it ends just before the battle with Mecha Scaramouche is over.

After Raon's 1st Growth Phase is over, he gets a new ability. As long as Raon remembers where said place is, he can teleport himself and others there. So basically, Raon = Automatic Teleport Point. Till then, they travel around like normal people would - which takes a while.

I can also say that Alberu has a Hydro Vision that he got in quite the hilarious way. Alberu had an argument with Cale over the fact that Cale constantly says he is not a good person (whether it is the original or KRS, they are both bad at admitting they can do good thing for people) and Alberu said: "If I have to make it my life's mission to make you see that you are a good person, then so be it." and a Hydro Vision appeared in front of him. Cale's response was: "Congratulations on your new Vision. My deepest condolences for the fact that you made an impossibility your life's mission." Alberu wanted to throw him out the window for that.

And for the last thing, I have a little project going on where I write voicelines for Cale (like characters have in Genshin). Currently, I am done with the Mondstadt ones (for the most part) and moving onto Liyue. Let me know if you are interested in seeing them.

And we are done. Holy hell this was longer than yesterday's post.

Well, it is very late for me (don't stay up late kids) so I have to end it here.

Hope you have a great day/night and take care!

See you tomorrow,

-TooManyPlotBunnies-Send Help

[rhineposting]

DO YOU DESPISE THE RETCON SHIT SHOW THAT WAS 3.3?

DO YOU WATCH EVERY COLLECTED MISCELLANY VIDEO TO SLEEP?

DO YOU EVER WISH TO TALK ABOUT GENSHIN IN A GROUP WHERE SHIPPING ISN'T THE PRIMARY FOCUS OF EVERY DISCUSSION?

DO YOU HAVE AN UNHEALTHY ENDEARMENT WITH FACELESS NPCS?

ARE YOU DEATHLY ALLERGIC TO MAINSTREAM FANON AND THEREFORE DOOMED TO DIE ALONE ON THE HILL OF YOUR HEADCANONS?

ARE YOU IN LOVE WITH ANYONE FROM THE HEXENZIRKEL ?????

IF YOU ANSWERED 'YES' TO ANY OF THOSE QUESTIONS, THEN YOU'RE IN LUCK - AS I HAVE CREATED A DISCORD SERVER DEDICATED TO WRITING AND LORE FIRST AND FOREMOST

You'll find no shipping wars whatsoever, as we have a lovely and unbiased moderator team determined to make sure our space remains free of terminal online-ness! Discourse? Never heard of her!

Do you have any theories you'd like to share without getting cut off by talk regarding the mainstream ship of the week? Come in and we'll be happy to listen!

that excludes YOU, nobody wants to hear you calling people delusional over not agreeing with your "scaramouche was born evil!!!11!111" theory.

Do you have ideas for fanfiction that no one seems to understand or appreciate because it doesn't fall in the mainstream? This is the place!

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The link won't be up forever, so this is your chance!

[ceruleanvermillion]

Mini Fic Recommendation List

For those who want to get into the pairing, or ship-enjoyers revisiting classics, here are a few of the many Guili gems I've found over at Ao3. It's nowhere near all of them though... Might have to make another list later on.

How Mortals Live by cinnar is a 2.5K word T-rated angsty oneshot about mortal lives and Guizhong's death by Zhongli's hand. Guizhong/Zhongli. It's absolutely magnificent.

Kind? by trains_arent_real is a 8.6K word T-rated angsty fic centered on Zhongli's past, Guizhong's influence, and seeing the world through his eyes as he grows. Guizhong/Zhongli. It's one of my top favourite Guili fics ever.

broken stone, stolen death by tofu_of_anarchy is a 1.7K word T-rated angsty one-shot where Zhongli dies instead of Guizhong. Guizhong/Zhongli. Heartwrenching read.

old friend by sakuriis is an M-rated 5.7K one-shot about Guizhong and Zhongli's first meeting. Guizhong/Zhongli. This is the first Guili fic I read, and it's the one that made me love them.

flowers, tea, and everything in between by pastelpetals is a 4.8K G-rated Modern AU where Guizhong owns a flower shop and Zhongli opens a teashop. Guizhong/Zhongli. This was so cute. Happy fic to end the list.

Enjoy!